5 The First Steps to Being a Hero

A hybrid. Once thought to be an abomination of nature. They were purged or treated with extreme disdain. That is, until the current beastmen king changed that entire system. He was a combination of a Komodo dragon and a Siberian tiger, two extremely deadly predators mixed into one being. His claws and bite were venomous, all of his senses were enhanced above that of either predator, his strength doubled yet his speed limited into short bursts. Overall, he proved to be the superior beast, yet, something was missing in his life despite it all. His kids were being groomed into the next heirs yet he still felt alone as all of them were either tigers or komodo dragons, never both.

No one else had survived being a hybrid. It is such a rare occurrence for one to even be conceived and even then the child may not even survive past the age of two due to the genetic makeup not evolving fast enough. His own life was a literal one in a million chance. Now he wants to create a hybrid out of a human/arachnid.

'What species should he be? Maybe like me or of another set of animals? So many to choose from.'

Riku, the Beastmen king, was sitting on his throne while watching the boy known as Draven laying down on a carving of symbols. One of the half-breeds in his village developed a quirk called bloodlines that can figuratively, mix genes in a being so they can gain a feature or two. All that the fox could do was make someone hide their ears and tail in the outside world while keeping their strengths. Riku's idea was to make the boy a hybrid using this method and see what would happen.

"My lord, if I may? I believe we should pick the strongest and most elite of the clans to mix into the human. As the humans say "Go big or go home"." The fox was looking at the boy with an excited glean in his eyes as this was the perfect way to test the true extent of his quirk.

Riku glanced down at Draven who shrugged before coming to his decision, "Alright then. Go big or go home. Prepare the blood of what you believe are the elites of the each clan."

"Yes my lord." His face may seem calm yet the wagging of his tail proved just how excited the man was. Quickly he gathered the jars of blood of what he believed to be the elites of the village and peered down at the boy. "This may hurt but you need to stay awake and aware or else this may end in your death."

"I understand." Draven took deep slow breathes then nodded at the fox to commence the test.

The fox took a deep breathe himself before using his quirk which made the symbols glow a deep crimson and envelop Draven. His groans of pain began about ten minutes after it started with Riku watching as his body began bleeding out of its pores and healing at about the same rate. The fox looked no better as his skin began to shrink into itself graying out and becoming paper thin.

'Gods. What is he going to become?'

Thirty minutes was how long it took for the whole thing to be done, from start to finish. Riku stayed for the entire time as the boy suffered unimaginable pain to become something like him. Draven stood up weakly and held there until he gained enough energy to stand tall.

And tall he was, his height shot up to 7' with his muscles bulked up to fit his frame yet his quirk still somehow managed to keep him aesthetically lean. Black panther ears stood on top of his head, cobalt blue cat eyes replaced his old eyes, razor sharp shark teeth replaced his incisors (the "fangs" or "canines" of the teeth), and a black wolf's tail sprouted behind him with any other mutations that have happened becoming internal changes.

'Incredible. What the hell did that fox give him?' Riku went down to talk to the fox only to find a dried out husk in the shape of a human. Its body began to flake and crumble due to the air in the room until eventually all that was left of what was known of the person was an outline of their body in the wood.

Riku had no words to give as he just lost one of his people due to an on-the-spot decision for another hybrid, one that may possibly be the last of his kind. Draven came up next to him and looked down at the ash outline., neither speaking as to pay respects to the fox for creating a biological anomaly.

xxxx

I had to be carefully aware of my strength as I placed my hand on the king's shoulder. "I am sorry for your loss your highness."

"Riku."

"Hmm?" Despite my incredible new hearing appendages, I still couldn't believe what I was hearing.

"My name is Riku, Draven." Now I was fully in shock as this is literally the first time the king, Riku, has ever spoke my actual name since I've been here.

"Okay, Riku-ji-san." I decided to see how far I could go and what do you know that man is actually smiling a bit. After we had our little moment, Riku brought in his subjects and commanded them to commemorate the fox for his success then he left me so that I may practice with my newfound abilities and possibly wash away the blood I was drenched in.

Honestly, that fox must've been truly insane because I read what "elites" he chose to mix into me. A black panther, great white shark, gray wolf, black mamba, harpy eagle, silver back gorilla, and a grizzly bear were all mixed into me someway somehow and I need to figure what is different and what do I need to be careful with.

The ears, eyes, and tail were a noticeable thing to figure out, my hearing definitely increased due to both the panther and wolf blood, my eyesight got immensely better from the eagle plus I could control how far I could see just like with Mei's quirk, the tail from the wolf was more like an aesthetic thing though it does help with balance. I think having the inner ear canals of a spider, feline, eagle, and primate should be enough.

Speaking of the silver back and the grizzly, my strength and endurance shot through the roof as I could crush boulders with my grip strength alone with far more ease than I did with just my spider quirk. My skin felt tougher yet still elastic, probably due to the black mamba being the fastest of the snakes. If I was as flexible as an olympic class gymnast before, now I am as flexible as a world class gymnast and contortionist from again the mamba, silver back, and spider mix. My nose, the smells it was able to pick up, like a wolf I can track it, as a cat I can identify what exactly I am smelling, and as a shark if it is blood or adrenaline then I am practically a gps locator.

There are still so much I have yet to figure out from this and I'm going to need to do research on how far my beastial blood goes as I can still spin webs, I don't have claws, somehow my brain isn't fried from sensory overload, and none of the features I have are exactly permanent as I so gratefully found out. My ears, eyes, and tail pretty much disappeared as I soon as I thought about it, but when they disappear so do the enhancements. Like a sort of power-up, I go back to my normal base stats and here's the kicker, my connection to the force is extremely limited when I go into full "beast mode".

It's like a give and take sort of ordeal, a boost to all my physical abilities to the point where I can probably be in the top five in the pro hero status yet the Force will limit me to the basics of push, pull, and sense. Once this treaty goes through, I am definitely finding a way to only go half or even a quarter of the way into the beast so I can use the gift and curse my family gave me.

Now it is the fifth day since I have been in the beastmen village and the communications connection has been set up. All we were waiting for were the council and Mandalor to answer us. Then like magic, a hologram shot up that gave us the full view of the council and Mandalor, just as we were about to speak, the Mandalor spoke first.

"So the boy managed to not only survive, but also tame the animals into submitting to us."

"..."

I nervously look over to Riku only to see his visage being stone cold with his advisors and clan heads staying silent despite me hearing claws grind against the stone table they sat in.

"We have come together to agree on peace between our two villages and hope to benefit one another in trade. We have sent you our side of the treaty as you have sent yours with Draven. All that I and your Mandalor need to do is just sign here and be done with it."

I knew from his tone of voice that Riku was extremely annoyed with our leader and I couldn't blame him. Yet no one wants to challenge him, not because he was extremely powerful, but out of respect of the previous Mandalor's "will".

Drark scoffed, "Peace. An ever fickle thing that will not work. I won't sign. Unless you will follow a change in our treaty." The council of mandalorian clan heads leaped out of their seats and began yelling at their Mandalor to reconsider while the beastmen finally had enough and began yelling too. It took nearly five minutes for both sides to calm down enough for Riku to hear the change.

"It's simple really. Become subservient to us and none of you will be slaughtered."

That broke the stone table. Literally. Riku punched through it out of pure rage, but before he could begin his roaring at the man I stood up.

"Sir. No, Drark. You are now overstepping the boundaries as Mandalor and are actively trying to ruin both villages. As a warrior of the village and my right as a True Mandalorian, I challenge you for the position of Mandalor."

Both sides stared at me in shock as I held my ground, glaring at the man to take the challenge or be forever known as a hut'unnla dar'manda (cowardly/someone who lost their identity and soul as a mandalorian).

Drark glared right back at me with as much hate as he could without physically lashing out. I could sense the hatred rolling off of him in spades even from how far away I was from the Mando village.

"I accept the challenge. Once I am finished with you, I can be rid of the rest of those flea riddled pests you sympathized with."

He cut off the connection right then so to get the final words in while I still stood there, holding back the beast from coming out. Riku place his hand on my shoulder this time to calm me while the others watched on. "I'm going to kill him. Then this whole peace treaty will done with. Sign your part now. I'll do the rest."

I didn't turn around to see him nod nor notice how proud he looked as I marched my way towards the direction of the mando village. All I did was plan and strategize ways on how to defeat the man on my way there never noticing how I was seemingly using the Force to crush the skulls of kath hounds that tried ambushing me.

An hour later, I arrived to a deadly silent village, not one person greeted me from the gate instead, they were all in a circle. The challenger's circle, a dirt ring set up with a boundary made of stone that was meant to handle disputes between citizens and warriors. Yet, when a mandalor's rule is challenged or the council needs to decide a new mandalor, this is where they go. Drark stood opposite of me, ten feet, the diameter of the ring, no weapons or armor were allowed. Only the person's strength and skill were to be shown in the ring so I took off my leather shirt and be left with just the pants.

Drark did the same and removed his armor, but not without speaking about my family. Though this time, he actually spoke his twisted truth instead of insults, "You know, your father was an admirable mandalorian. Strong, determined, stubborn, loyal. All good traits that a mandalor should have, yet, he failed. He was supposed to agree to take up the mantle of a sith lord, raise our status of power than being mercenaries or mere bodyguards. Your father instead married a jetii, a whore if I ever saw one. A pretty whore but a whore nonetheless. She used her mind tricks on your father, had him fall in love with her, had a kid with her even."

He looked up at my expressions hoping to get a reaction out of me and when he saw none, he spat on the ground and sneered. "Your mother and father ran away from this. From us, though I can't blame them, I would run too if I wasn't the one who told the sith where your parents were." Drark smiled smugly when he saw my fists clenched tightly, but still kept going even when stepping into the ring. "It was so simple to forge a new will. One where he appointed me Mandalor, now that you are here, I can kill you. Even if I get challenged after you, you will still be dead and the mandalorians can always come back."

I stayed silent as I stepped into the ring myself. Observing Drark, he was definitely a runt, 6'1", as wiry as a cross country runner. His lunge at me from the start already confirmed my assumption that he was fast. Drark's fist barely grazed my throat yet I still felt the wind blowing past me from the force emitted from it. 'Definitely was a Fett.'

Drark turned around spinning on the ball of his right foot and with his momentum, prepared to throw another blow towards my throat...

You know those old kung fu flicks or the modern action movie where the protagonist typically has these really drawn out fight sequences that are supposed to show how difficult the fight is and give the feeling of realism despite not even two minutes ago the same guy punched some grunt's lights out like it was nothing. Yeah~

SNAP!

This is not it.

Crack!

With his body swinging in the breeze, my grip around his neck, tail and ears out, I stood there in full beast mode. 'Got to find a better name for that.' As the others stared at their now dead leader whose look of shock was still plastered on his face.

"Well.." My body began to shrink down until I was now 6'2", "Guess I'm Mandalor."

Kag was the first step up then salute followed by the rest of the clan heads, usually there would be someone else to challenge and repeat the process, but since no one really had a problem with me and Drark just stupidly announced me as the previous Mandalor's son. It made this all the more simpler for me.

""Mandalor te prudii cabur!""

'Mandalor the Shadow Guardian huh. Guess they know that I won't be staying here long.'

xxxx

"Mandalor! Mandalor!"

I glanced up from the last minute paperwork I needed to complete before I was to set off for my missions. Thankfully, the council heads expected this from me and are willing to take my share of the work until the day I decide to come back and settle down.

"Yes Korig. Something you need?"

Korig, the previous mandalor's secretary, is a spindly boy that works to please. Not very ambitious, he just wants to earn enough money to provide for his family and possibly find one of his own.

"Your armor and weapons are all complete sir. Miss Athea has told me that if you want receive them then you need to go visit her."

I rubbed my eyelids to ease the ache from staring at print all day then answered. "Okay then. Thank you Korig. You're dismissed."

Getting up from my seat and stretching out the kinks, my joints popping never have felt so satisfying. It took me less than ten minutes to arrive at the Ordo clan home, it would have taken less time if the citizens didn't stop me every few seconds to congratulate me and talk for a bit. Nonetheless, I arrived at the entrance and before I could even knock Athea was already there standing menacingly in her black and red armor.

"Hey Athea, how's my favorite weaponsmith doing? Did you get the schematics right on your pack? Are your brothers alright? How's the kids?"

Athea gave me a mini glare and was contemplating whether or not to slam the door in my face. Eventually, she sighed and let me in while answering my ridiculous questions. "I'm doing fine thank you Draven. Yes the schematics are all fine and functioning. Okka is dating that Aru girl from the Rook clan and I don't know about the others. I don't have kids Draven, of all people you should know that one."

I chuckled a bit and placed a hand on her head like always to calm her which always oddly worked. Her pouting and mumbling about no good Mandalors eased up a bit until we reached her forge. It, like all forges, was sweltering hot and humid. Unlike others I have seen, hers was neat and orderly, where every little thing was either labeled or put into a place where she could remember. Whistling to myself, I ignored the spike of embarrassment coming off Athea and instead focused on what was underneath the blank canvas sheets in the far corner where her desk is.

Looking back at her, Athea's proud smile stood on display as she nodded and waited for my reaction on how it all looked. Pulling the canvas away, I grinned like a cheshire cat at how my designs and configurations came out.

Under the canvas was an armor stand where I first noticed the shadow gray robes and hood covering the armor and hiding the specs from plain view. Then there was the armor itself, charcoal gray was the most prominent color of the entire thing. Interlocking plates of beskar covered the torso, arms, legs, all the way up towards where the neck and head meet. The vambraces and gloves were specially made, the vambraces were made of mandalorian iron and ultrachrome making them highly resistant to lightsabers and practically near indestructible. They were also outfitted with small tech inside that included hidden songsteel blades, terenthium/desh metal alloy grappling hooks, and a small control panel for my helmet's systems. The gloves were made of cortosis and mandalorian iron, black in color, they were modeled after the old strength gauntlets except sleek in appearance and without the clunky feel the old ones were known for. Two built in magnetized holsters carried my new lightsabers and DC-15s rechargeable pistols while the DC-17m interchangeable weapon system and two serrated cortosis/ultrachrome vibro knifes were placed on the magnetized back and hips respectively.

The helmet was, by my request, an homage to master Revan in that it was an old mandalorian vertical visored helmet, the whole thing was a normal gray color with the outer dark red coating being in a t-shape around the black-tinted visor and down. The similarities ended there as the inside what completely high tech in that it had a HUD display, built-in rebreather, temperature regulator, atmospheric pressure readout, and many other features that I would need to discover. Grabbing the front of the helmet, it gave a confirming beep before it shrunk off around the head and became a small easy to carry around mask figurine.

Athea walked up to me as I admired the design and tried testing out some of the outer features of the armor. "The whole thing is like the helmet in that its completely adjustable and will readjust to fit your height and weight. Though I did the best I could with the plates, the strongest areas are the vital organs, joints, and neck. A blaster or slugthrower can go through the thinner areas if it is hit in the exact same area multiple times plus a lightsaber can go past the gaps. Knifes won't be much of a problem due to the carbon nanite mesh suit you will be wearing underneath. Concussive force will be weakened but not erased due to the extra padding I put in-between the armor and mesh suit. And I included some little presents here and there that you just need to find on your own." Taking deep breaths from her explanation, she fidgeted a lot as I stared at her incredulously.

"So~. What do you think?"

"..."

"Draven? Eeep!"

I picked her up in a bear hug and spun around while she at first begged me to put her down until she began to laugh along with me. Setting her down but keeping my excitement up, I thanked her profusely while giving her multiple compliments on how well done and made this all was.

"You have really outdone yourself Athea. I can't describe how grateful I am for all the work you put into this. Thank you."

She shyly looked and began to fidget again, "W-w-well I'm just happy you like it. It's not every day that the Mandalor comes up to you with the designs for his armor and helmet and asks you to make it for him. It's too bad that we won't get another shipment of ultrachrome and cortosis from the beastmen until next year or else I would have outfitted you better."

I smiled and hugged her again in giddy happiness while she reciprocated though with feelings that were oddly similar to what Mei and Nejire gave off. Its hard to know as I never knew this emotion intimately enough to name it. Being a quiet recluse made this even harder.

"You leave tomorrow don't you?"

I nodded as she began to huff and hug me tighter until I felt her face buried into my stomach. Stroking her back, I knew that we have gotten closer since the first time we met and especially after the terentatek incident where I had to give her a daily report of how I was doing while on my missions.

"Then there's something I got to do. Something that those girls, Hatsume and Hado, haven't done yet."

As I looked down in confusion at what she meant, her lips met mine in a slow tentative kiss that quickly ended with both of us blushing. 'Now I know what that emotion was and boy am I screwed.' Unlike what Mei believed, Draven didn't know exactly how they felt about him, he just didn't want his only two friends fighting.

Her eyes and mine locked onto each other, smiling and feeling each others' warmth until both of us pulled away. A cough sent both of us jumping into battle stances until we saw that it was Kag, standing at the doorway.

"So. When can I expect grandkids?" His grin turned into fear as Athea pulled out one of my serrated knifes, throwing it at his head but not hitting its mark as I snatched it out of the air with a web. Sighing, I just pat her head again, "Just give him the ole' Rimmy Tim treatment again. This time with his hair."

I ended that day and the next filled with laughter as the Ordo family teased both Athea and I. I said my goodbyes at the village entrance soon after and began my journey with another mandalorian for two months long missions.

XXXX

3 months later...

Aichi prefecture, a hubbub of commerce and activity as the city practically never sleeps. Most even compare it to Tokyo though, like all cities, it is filled with a seedy underbelly and rampant crime waves that are starting to increase. This is where my mission is at, home to a very rich family, the Yaoyorozus. I am to be a bodyguard for them for six months until they are able to hire a more personal guard unit. It isn't so bad as most would think being with one of the most richest families in the whole world.

The man who hired me and my comrade, Ginjiro Yaoyorozu, the president and CEO of the Yaoyorozu corporation. His quirk has been one that was made for business and wealth. After generations of quirk marriages, his came to be one that shined the brightest. Able to create metals and chemicals using his knowledge of how they are made, his family's business skyrocketed to new heights and made them many government contracts. His wife, Mio Yaoyorozu, was a big deal in the fashion industry as her quirk was able to create cloths, plastics, and liquids out of her body fat. They fell in love with each other at first sight in a gala they both attended when young and when both rejected their arranged marriages. They came to each other and became one of most well-know power couples of the decade. Of course, their child gained an evolved version of their quirks that combined both into one. Able to create anything she can imagine as long as she has the lipids and the formula in her head.

Looking over them now while standing guard near their daughter, I observed the parents in close scrutiny. Ginjiro was of average height for a japanese male with normal features of dark hair and eyes, his build used to be toned yet the years have piled on him and I can see the small flab on his lower abdominals. Though it was his presence that spoke of his power, I could sense it clearly that he can be a wolf especially in the business world. His wife, on the other hand, was on a whole other level. A beauty through and through, her long smooth black hair contrasted with Ginjiro's spiky short hair, her eyes may not have the same sharpness of Ginjiro's, yet she still managed to charm others with her presence alone. Her face and body could still put models to shame despite being in her early forties.

"Revan-san, while I do commend you on your diligence. I'm bored and you are the only one that I like talking to."

Then there was the heiress, Momo Yaoyorozu, taller than most girls at 5'8", she was becoming as, if not more, stunning than her mother with having the same lush black hair as her mother but having the intelligent calculating black eyes of her father. Her spiky high end ponytail and singular bang style was still there despite her mother wishing for her to let her hair down tonight. I couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at her choice of attire, even if nobody could see it under my helmet, as she wore an open backed black dress with a diamond cut showing her abundant cleavage as well as having a slit down the mid of her right thigh.

"I'm sorry princess, but your father's orders are to make sure that you and your parents are safe. Though I can't blame you as some of those young brats don't look like they ate anything less than lobster and caviar."

Yaoyorozu-sama giggled at the small joke while I kept clear vigilance of the party. My comrade, Argon, a Bralor, was across from me doing the same while making simple gestures with his fingers to communicate with me as we couldn't make facial twitches due to our helmets. The only reason we aren't using comms is because it may interfere with our hearing in case someone or something planned something nefarious.

Yaoyorozu-sama once again pouted at me, "Geez Revan-san, it's like I'm talking to a statue. Say something please." Sighing, I diverted my attention towards the young heiress, "How have your staff forms been coming along? Have you managed to master the second form or is the princess still stuck?" My teasing only made her pout yet again and stick her tongue out before nodding her head.

"Yeah I have, thank you for giving me a demonstration. My instructors are becoming reluctant to show me any more than the basics even when I told them I would need it as a hero. It's becoming a pain, though you aren't helping with your teasing."

Three months ago we wouldn't have had these conversations. She was reluctant to have Argon and I guard her and her family as she felt that as a person aspiring to be a hero, she needed to be able to fend for herself. Though I agreed with her in that she needed to fend for herself, her parents didn't see it that way and ignored her. Since that day, she treated us as if we didn't exist which was fine by me though it became difficult when we had to be the ones to drop off to school.

It wasn't until I commented on her hand-to-hand skills one day that she finally talked to me and from there she began opening up. We began to talk to each other in passing greetings, then it became casual small talk between car trips to and from school, until we began sharing information of our lives with each other. Though I didn't say as much as her, she was definitely surprised to learn that her and I were the same age with me being born on May 15th while her birthday was September 13th.

At this point, I can at least say that we're friends though I do try to keep it professional when I'm on duty.

"Have you been applying to go to U.A. university like I said you should or are you still hesitating?"

Yaoyorozu-sama peered over her shoulder at her parents who were entertaining their guests. "I've been trying. My parents, especially my mother, are insisting that I take over the company instead and forget about being a hero. They think all of this training is just a whimsy phase and that I will give up. I really want to be a hero yet they can't understand that."

"Well then. The questions you have to ask yourself are why you want to be a hero and how far are you willing to go for your goals."

Picking up foreign signatures, I tapped my thigh five times rapidly to indicate that there were five signs coming towards our location. He palmed his hip asking if he needs to be ready to engage. I responded with my palm on my dc-15s pistol holster as a yes.

"Umm Revan? What are you doi-"

Her sentence got cut off as five men barged into the ballroom holding automatic rifles wearing black tactical military gear, aiming at whoever looked to be a threat. The head leader seemed to be searching for someone and that person just happened to be my employer as he set his sights on him with his rifle. Whipping our pistols out at the same time, I fired at their weapons to disengage while Argon planted four headshots, leaving the leader alive.

Screams filled the room as I lunged forward and planted a fist into the leader's solar plexus knocking the air out of him then webbed his arms together. Argon came up to me and began checking the capture man and his men for identification and if they had any hidden explosives or weaponry.

"It is alright people. Do not panic, my guards have taken care of them. Please sit tight while the police are informed of the situation. Please, enjoy the drinks and food while you are waiting." Ginjiro came up to me as I finished searching the captive and handing him to Argon for interrogation somewhere nearby.

"Learn all that you can about this. I can stall the police once they arrive. Afterwards, take care of them, no one harms my family." Ginjiro's eyes held that predatory look that I have come to respect.

"It will be done Yaoyorozu-sama."

With his nod, I began to follow back towards Argon, but stopped as I felt the heiress's emotions fluctuate in negative emotions. Sighing to myself, I walk over to her as she huddled near a wall and wrapped her arms around herself. Placing a hand on her shoulder, she shuddered and flinched for a second before noticing that it was me. Quickly she darted and wrapped me tightly for comfort despite me wearing my armor. I placed a hand on the small of her back while my other hand was stroking her head to comfort her.

Slowly, she began to ease up though I knew that this could either hurt or strengthen her resolve to be a hero. "Go with your parents. I will be with you all in a minute. I need to go take care of something for your father."

Yaoyorozu-sama nodded her head in my chest before pulling away and walking into a group hug with her parents.

Silently walking away again, I exited the ballroom and walked into a janitor's room where the leader was tied up to a chair upside down naked while Argon had an ice cube in his right hand and a blow torch in his left. Knowing this method, I just stood in the back and waited for the man to spill.

"I've just barely got through the first layer. Are you not going to answer my questions?"

"Fuck you! I ain't saying shit."

"Okay." sssssszzzzz

"Ahhh! Fuck! Fuck! Stop! Fucking stop!"

"I want answers you maggot. Now talk!"

"Okay. Alright. What do you want to know?"

"Why the Yaoyorozus? Who are you working for? Who is the actual leader? Everything."

"The Yaoyorozus hired us as their security for the longest time. We were meant to be guarding their shipments and cargo. Pssh It all went to shit when some of the guys decided to skim some of the cargo and sell it under the table. Being paramilitary and all that, the guys thought they could save up the extra cash and create our own business. Ginjiro found out and fired us, just like that, all those years of loyalty down the drain because of a few boxes missing."

Argon let the chair down until the guy was on ground level, "Our de-facto leader wants payback. Wants the Yaoyorozu company to pay up and give us hostage money for their CEO and COO. He's pissed and I think has been on some type of drug. Don't know what. Just know that he's on something."

Argon looked back at me for an order, I motioned towards the restraints. Argon nodded and cut them off him, but kept the knife on hand. "Where's the rest of your group hiding."

The man rubbed his arms and wrists from the rope burn before answering, "In one of the abandoned warehouses that used to be owned by some big shot crime lord. About two miles from the Yaoyorozu's warehouses. There's maybe twenty, thirty people there, armed." He finally turned around to see us and notices the melting ice pop and medium well cooked steak near him. "You're a bunch of sick bastards you know that."

I stepped forward and made my presence known to the thug then gripped his head. "Sleep. Forget everything that has happened in the last 8 minutes. You will be cooperative with the police." The thug's legs gave out under him as I let go. Motioning for Argon to redress him, I walked out to oversee my employer and his family's safety yet again.

Exiting the room, I silently walked behind both Mio and Momo while Ginjiro was stalling the detective on scene. Scrutinizing his face, I recognized him as the human lie detector, Tsukauchi Naomasa, one of the few people in direct contact with All Might. He seemed to notice me as he finished his conversation with Ginjiro quickly and made his way in my direction.

Sighing to myself, I walked towards him myself, while frightening the two ladies of Yaoyorozu.

"Detective."

"So you know who I am? Makes this a bit easier then. I'm going to need to ask you a few questions as well as show my officers where you are containing the criminal."

Giving him a curt nod, I explained to him what had happened and how he and his man dealt with it. I left out the details of the interrogation and just told him to find him in the janitor's supply room. Argon soon came after the detective left, though not without giving me a suspicious look.

Ginjiro motioned for me to lean down slightly so we could talk, "Is it taken care of?"

"Yes sir, it will be all done tonight while you all are asleep. No need to wait up or having to lie to the police when they question you tomorrow. Argon will be staying back to make sure your safety is guaranteed."

"Good. Thank you Revan."

"You're welcome sir. Now let's get your family home."

xxxx

Momo was restless the entire night as she could not forget the conversation she heard between Revan and his partner using the wireless microphones she planted in the living room.

"Argon. Make sure the family is safe while I am gone. I'm entrusting you to do this while I'm gone."

"It will be done Mandalor."

"Hush. When we are out of the village, you and the others need to present me as Revan. No telling who knows of the mandalorian ways."

"Yes. My apologies Revan. I have a question as well."

"Speak."

"Why eliminate those aru'es yourself when we could call others do it?"

"Because this is our mission, our job, they dare try to threaten our employer and his family like some common chakaar. Besides, I would rather save myself the trouble of worrying and just get it done tonight. Now I will see you in the morning. Night Argon."

"K'oyacyi."

Now here she was tossing and turning in her bed waiting for Revan to arrive while trying to make sense of why. 'Why kill them? Why not just turn them in instead? A hero would have turned them in. A hero should turn them in. So why murder them?'

Her sleep was fretful and filled with dreams of Revan stalking men like a hunter would its prey. Sometimes she would be part of the prey or be forced to watch as he slaughters them. Safe to say her conscience was hurting.

xxxx

That morning…

"Jesus Christ! This is a massacre." One officer exclaimed while trying to hold back his breakfast. Others weren't so lucky as they emptied their stomach's contents away from the crime scene. Tsukauchi only grimaced as he carefully stepped between puddles of blood and bodies.

"Any indication that this was an internal dispute." Tsukauchi asked the crime analyst while trying to put the pieces together from the area.

"Not unless they were all proficient in assassination techniques. These strokes are too clean, too precise, as if the man was performing an art than a murder. Almost all of them were the same from what I gathered. One strike through the larynx using a blade about six inches long and one wide. Some of them have a hole in their head, cauterized, as if the bullet was supremely heated before firing."

Tsukauchi looked skeptic but nonetheless wrote it down. He was going to continue investigating when one of the medics came up to him with the body count. '20? That man said there is supposed to be at least thirty here. Where are the other ten?"

Draven was thinking the same thing as he scanned the dining room of its residents and noticed that Momo looked ragged. He wasn't the only one to notice as her parents looked on, worried for their daughter.

"Dear. Is something wrong? Is the food not to your liking this morning?" Mio tried laying a hand on her daughter, only to be met with a flinch and a glare as she stood up from her seat.

"I'm fine. Just a little exhausted still from last night. May I be excused to my room?" Not even waiting for confirmation, she marched towards the direction of her bedroom, ignoring Draven as well.

Ginjiro gave Draven a look that asked him to talk to her which he understood and began to follow the same direction she went.

Knocking her on her door received a groan and a command to "Go away." So Draven knocked repeatedly until she unlocked her door and scowled up at him. "What do you want?"

"Your father asked me to check up on you and I was getting worried myself."

Momo scoffed and sat back on her bed hugging her knees. "Like my father was actually that worried and as if you care."

Sighing to myself, I reached down to pat on her shoulder, only to get the same reaction her mother received, a flinch and a glare.

"Something wrong princess? Anything you want to talk about?"

Momo stared down at her sheets absentmindedly, "Nothing I would like to talk about with a murderer."

She noticed that Draven tensed for a second before his shoulders slumped slightly, "You heard." It wasn't in the form of a question, he knew she knew what had happened last night. "You forgot about the hidden mics. How could you do something like that? You knew where they were staying, you could have told the police and let them handle it. Instead, you took it upon yourself, probably with my father's orders, to kill them!"

"I..I don't regret what I have done." He quickly cut her off before she could say something, "Yet, that does not mean I enjoyed it. Yes, I could have turned them in. Then what?" He flourished his hand out, "They have connections princess. Powerful connections, plus they are all highly trained ex-military veterans that wouldn't have hesitated to kill police officers or heroes if they were cornered. I only did the most logical thing at the time and that was to eliminate them before they could harm you, your mother or your father."

"But that is not what a hero does! A hero doesn't kill someone just because they believe the risks they exhibit far outweigh peoples' lives. You can't just decide to be judge, jury, and executioner like...like some vigilante!"

"Seven."

Momo looked confused at his sudden outburst of a number. "What? What does a number have to do with this?"

"That is how many people All Might has killed since his debut as a hero. Seven."

"That. That's..."

"Snipe has killed more than double of All Might's count and don't even get me started on Endeavor." Draven sat at a small corner of Momo's bed and looked her in her eyes despite him wearing his helmet. "Every hero has gone or will go through a situation where it is either the life of one psychopath with a destructive quirk or the group of innocents that are in danger because of the psychopath. In a nice world, nine times out of ten the hero will save the innocents while only doing minimum damage to the villain. Where the hero knows what it means to self-sacrifice and put others lives before his own."

Momo tightened her hold on her knees as she seemed ready to yell at him again.

"That world doesn't exist. This, is reality, where the hero will do whatever it takes to ensure the innocents are safe even if it means taking that pyscho's life. The heroes know that, they aren't prepared for that day, no one is, but they know what needs to be done. And these are the heroes that focus on fame, money, exposure. These are the self-serving heroes I am talking about, the true heroes would do the same damn thing and then some if it means the innocents they are trying to protect are safe."

Draven tightened his right fist until Momo could hear the glove groan under stress, "What I am trying to say is..being a hero isn't all flashy moves and catching bank robbers. There will come a time where you will be put under the same gauntlet as a hero and I pray to the Force that I don't turn on the television one day and see your picture on the screen because you decided to take the moral high ground at the wrong time and place."

Momo stared at her sheets for the longest time before speaking, "Leave. I..need some time to think."

Draven got up, "As you wish prin-"

"Do not call me princess."

Draven nodded again and bowed, "I will leave you to yourself." He walked over to the bedroom door and held the doorknob, "Lunch will be served at noon like always Ms. Yaoyorozu. Please do not be late." Then walked out.

XXXX

It is now the sixth and final month of the contract. Argon and I haven't noticed a disturbance on the grounds yet despite waiting for the last remaining of the Ghost group to pop up. Ms. Yaoyorozu has also gone back to ignoring me and pretending that I don't exist which was fine by me as it makes leaving all that much easier.

Now I was just biding my time as this was the last week of the contract. Argon went off with the parents to a business and won't be back until the end of the week, leaving me with Ms. Yaoyorozu who was reading a book in the living room.

"Umm Revan?"

"Hmm."

"C-can we talk?"

Glancing down at the heiress, I noticed how sorrowful she looked. Her whole demeanor told me that she has finally came to an understanding and I only confirmed it using the Force's use of empathy.

"Sure princess." I couldn't help but let a smirk up on my face and it only got bigger as she pouted up at me. She stayed like that for a second until she broke down into giggles and stood up.

"Okay. Meet me in my bedroom so we can talk again. I will inform the maids to serve us some tea."

"I'll go inform the maids. You clean your room up. I know just how many books you brought up there and forgot to shelve." My smirk turned into a snicker as she blushed lightly and nodded before speed walking up the stairs to where her room was. Quickly I informed a random maid whose eyes noticeably sparkled and practically skipped to the kitchen saying "They finally made up!"

Ignoring the antics and gossip of the servants, I walked up the steps myself until I felt a jolt of distress and fear coming from the direction of Momo's room.

"Ms. Yaoyorozu! Are you alright?!" I felt more signatures pop up in her room before disappearing altogether, as if they never existed. Breaking a few panels of hard wood in my haste, I arrived at her room and ripped the door open, only to discover its resident not there. Small animal plushies and books were scattered around her room haphazardly with the only indication that anyone other than Miss being there was the faint smell of their scent.

Growling, I opened a comm link to Argon to inform him of the situation.

"ARGON!"

I was trying to keep the Beast contained but it was becoming difficult to do so while thinking how badly I messed up.

"S-sir! S-s-something happened?"

Taking a deep breath to control myself, the Beast simmered down a bit as I talked. "The rest of the mercs got the Missus. I'm going after them. Inform her parents." I didn't wait for his confirmation as I relinquished a small hold of my human side and let parts of the Beast out. I could feel my ears pop up, the sounds and smells of the city becoming sharper. One deep breath of Yaoyorozu's scent and I was off to kill the fuckers.

Argon shook his head after informing their employers of the situation. His nerves were finally starting to settle from hearing Draven's voice. He's been on missions since he was fourteen years old, assassinations and torture was his specialty, yet...his voice sent a cold chill down his spine.

'May the Force have mercy on you poor bastards.'

'Why am I not surprised.'

Tracking her scent was easier than I thought as she decided to wear the peaches perfume I believed suited her. Those mercenaries decided to make the whole thing poetic and holed themselves up in one of the Yaoyorozu's warehouses. Leashing the Beast again, I used the Force to get a read on how many were inside.

'Ten men. Seven on the scaffolding and three on the ground level. Yaoyorozu is with the three.'

Web lining onto the roof, I eased myself into the building through a ventilation shaft and began to plan out how I would take out the guards. I was going to slit their throats using my vambraces' hidden blades until I remembered that Yaoyorozu and I just had an argument about this months ago. Sighing to myself, I climbed out of the shaft and hung onto the wall nearest to the guard closest to me.

Hanging upside down, I zipped a web onto his mouth and yanked him up to my height. He never saw what hit him as a right cross knocked him out then a cocoon kept him on the wall. It was rinse and repeat for the next six guards afterwards as they all got the same treatment as the first. The last two were only different because they guarded the entrance to the room where they kept Yaoyorozu.

Timing my execution, I dropped in-between the gun toting fools snapping jabs into their temples. Grabbing onto their collars so they wouldn't make a noise, I gently laid them out then pressed my ear to the door.

"Yo Cody! Can't we play with the bitch just a bit? I mean, look at those tits! It'll only be some rough housing."

"Yeah man! It's been months since I've had a lay. Hook a brother up man and let us have some fun."

Silence was present for some precious seconds before the "boss" Cody decided to answer.

"Well~. I only promised that she wouldn't be physically harmed. Just don't leave a mark and it should be fine."

Rage boiled through my system, the Beast stayed quiet though as I obliterated the metal door. Moving with controlled steps into the room, I scanned it for its occupants and my princess. The three pieces of shits were in triangle formation, the left one being stick thin and gangly with straw thin brown hair, the right man was a large muscular fellow with tusks sticking out of his lower jaw. The middle, whom I guessed was the leader, was neither too tall or short, having a larger muscular physique reminiscent of wrestlers and wore what seemed to be a cleaner version of military fatigues compared to all of his other comrades.

Yaoyorozu was behind all three of them tied up in a wooden chair with her mouth gagged. Tears were spilling down her cheeks yet a look of determination still held on in her eyes, her clothing seemed to be torn down the front showing her large breasts held up by her bra. Rage coursed through my bloodstream as a flood of the Force ran down my body in excitement.

"You're all dead."

Sending shivers down their backs, I walked forward until I was within a meter of their range. The gangly one actually cackled as I felt some oxygen being pulled out of my lungs. Raising my left hand stopped his quirk as now he was the one being suffocated if his desperate clutching at his throat was any indication. The boar man initiated a full tilt charge straight towards me while the "leader" moved back until he held Yaoyorozu at gun point with a pointer finger.

Without any conscious effort, my right hand turned into a set of claws and punctured the stomach of the charging man. His eyes widened in both surprise and pain as I felt a cool breeze where my hand was which meant my arm went clean through him. Feeling as if they should suffer a bit more, I pulled my arm out while releasing the skeleton of my hold.

Then, I immediately used the Force to crush whatever it was that made them a man.

Ignoring their yowls and screams of pain, I walked up until I was a meter away from my heiress yet again.

"S-s-s-stay back! One more step and I-I'll blow her skull into chunks using my dynamite quirk!"

Staying in place, I stood there with my hands up, palms facing him. Just as he was about to speak, I shot a ball of web on his face that blinded him. Yaoyorozu leaped back away from his quirk's range and using the tear of her shirt, she made a blast shield right as the man used his quirk.

BOOM

Yaoyorozu roughly slammed into a wooden pillar while the man landed on his back twenty feet from the explosion. I stood my ground then marched onward towards the scum while he was trying to gain his wits.

Yanking up the trash by his collar, I held him up in the air with his feet dangling as I waited for the heiress to wake up. Her eyes began to focus onto me then widened in shock as she took in the scene in front of her. Getting up slowly, she limped over to me and held my shoulder for stability.

"Revan."

Facing my visor directly on the man, I answered the heiress, trying to keep the relief out of my voice. "I'm glad you're alright Yaoyorozu-sama. Now. This scum. What do you want me to do with him?"

Yaoyorozu stared at the man with hatred and fear in her eyes before sighing and squeezing my shoulder. "Let the police handle him. You've done enough as it is. I-i don't want any more blood on your hands tonight."

Nodding, I let my grip relax until his feet touched the ground then I proceeded to clock him across the jaw to knock him out. "Call the police Yaoyorozu-sama. Your parents are probably worried sick for you as well."

She nodded and produced a small phone in her palm to make the call while I webbed all the grunts together in a pile near the warehouse's entrance.

Once that was done, I picked her up in a bridal carry and web swung back towards her home. No doubt in my mind that her parents were already there awaiting for our arrival.

"Revan." Yaoyorozu's voice sounded so unsure of herself. Her emotions pretty much reflected the same.

"Yes Yaoyorozu-sama."

"I-I'm sorry. You were right about heroes needing to do unsavory work sometimes. I was just naive in believing that killing a person couldn't be a solution."

"It can't."

"Huh?" Yaoyorozu looked up in confusion etched on her face, ignoring the winds blowing in her face.

"Killing a person can be a solution, but..you're right in that it isn't the only solution. I..was wrong and hasty in saying that a hero should be prepared to kill. Taking a life is easy. But..being a hero isn't about taking the easy route. Saving lives by risking your own, that is what a hero is supposed to be. And seeing you today woke me up."

I landed on the top balcony of the Yaoyorozu mansion while still holding onto Yaoyorozu-sama. "What I'm trying to say is..don't follow my path. You are you and I am me, two different people two different paths of being a hero."

Yaoyorozu looked down in thought before nodding her head, "Now. Yaoyorozu-sama, I do believe your parents are waiting for you in the private living room."

She nodded curtly and began to walk back into the house until she stopped one step away from the open door into the hallway. "Revan."

"Yes Yaoyorozu-sama?"

Yaoyorozu turned around to face me with a shy smile, "P-please call me Momo from now on."

I grinned under my helmet and bowed dramatically, "As you wish..Momo-sama."

Momo giggled a bit at my over done display then flashed me a grateful smile before walking away.

xxxx

The last day. Can't say that I won't miss this as I looked on at the three whom treated my partner and I with respect despite our unsavory profession. Momo looked at us, saying with her eyes that she wanted me to stay. I shook my head for her answer as I clasped hands with my employer.

"Thank you for all that you and Argon have done for us and I wish you both a safe journey." Ginjiro gripped tightly as he leaned over, "Are you sure that you can't stay for a bit longer? We can increase your pay."

I didn't reply for a few seconds so I could formulate a sentence without sounding rude. "Unfortunately, I cannot as I have another contract to attend to. But do not worry as these guards you have now are good men and should protect you all well enough."

Ginjiro nodded and stepped back as his wife gave thanks yet again for saving their child. That event spurred them on to have her increase her training especially since they finally relented and came to a compromise that she can become a hero, but once they retire she needs to take over the company. Momo hesitated in saying good-bye until her mother pushed her gently in my direction while giving me a subtle wink.

"I guess this is good-bye for now Momo-sama." Argon waited patiently behind me at the front gate while sending waves of humor in my direction.

"Yes. You better remember me when I become one of the top ten heroine in the world." Momo smirked confidently until I flicked her in the nose.

"Don't get too confident there princess. Otherwise I may just have to come back and teach you humility."

With small droplets of tears threatening to come out, she hugged me tightly and whispered, "Please, if anyone should learn humility. It's you. Take care of yourself please."

I patted her head and walked backwards until Argon and I were side-by-side then disappeared like ninjas just to show-off one more time.

At the edge of the city limits, Argon and I stood atop a building near the intersection. "I'm going back to see my wife and kids sir. Okka should be arriving at the new assignment in a couple days."

I nodded as I watched the clear skies, "Okay, Ret'urcye mhi (good-bye/maybe we'll meet again)."

Argon then jumped off the building with clear abandon until his rocket-pack activated and he jetted off towards the direction of the village.

"Now." I looked down at the data sent to me through my phone, "Where is the Shizuoka prefecture? And who is the Jiro family?"