Chapter 46

The air in the living room hung thick with tension, a suffocating blanket woven from worry and barely suppressed rage. I took a deep breath, the familiar scent of my mother's jasmine tea doing little to calm the storm brewing inside me. I recounted the events of Hosu, the encounter with Stain, Izuku's reckless charge, and Tenya's misguided thirst for revenge.

My mother, sat rigid, her hand trembling slightly as she gripped the arm of her chair. Her quirk, usually a source of gentle comfort, felt like a coiled spring ready to snap. Her eyes, usually so warm and gentle, were pools of dark fury. My father, his white hair with black tips shimmering under the dim light of the living room, sighed heavily. I knew he was already playing out the myriad of phone calls he'd need to make, the apologies he'd have to offer, and the endless explanations he'd need to give to the hero commission. I could practically see the stress lines deepen around his eyes.

"That little…!" Mom's voice cracked, her hand clenching into a fist. She was going to call Aizawa that was a fact . She surged to her feet, her eyes blazing with raw emotion, and made to grab her phone but dad's hand shot out, his fingers wrapping firmly around her wrist.

"Inko, calm down. Let me handle this," he said, his voice calm, but with an undertone of steel. She hesitated, a conflict waging across her face, then slowly nodded, her shoulders slumping slightly. She turned and walked towards her room, no doubt to try and rest or cry herself to sleep, I knew that she wouldn't let this go, not any time soon.

As soon as the door clicked shut, Dad turned his gaze to me, his black-tipped white hair catching the light. "Anos, are you alright?" He asked, his voice full of concern.

"Yeah, I'm fine," I replied, though the words felt hollow even to my own ears. I explained why I hadn't been there sooner, how word about the stain attack reached me late, how I'd pushed my powers to their limits to get there as fast as I could. He listened patiently, his gaze never wavering, finally nodding when I finished.

"Go shower and get some rest," he said, his tone softening, "We'll see Izuku tomorrow."

But it wasn't as simple as just seeing Izuku. I'd almost lost him. Not to a random villain, but to Stain. A man whose convictions were chillingly clear, whose blade was sharper than any law, I knew how dangerous he was, and the thought sent shivers down my spine. I needed to find a way to better protect my brother, to shield him from the ugliness of this world.

I sighed, pushing myself up off the couch. As I went to go to my room, my phone buzzed. It was Kenji, his name flashing across the screen. I answered it, bracing myself for whatever came next.

"Anos," he began, his voice tinged with fatigue, "I heard about what happened in Hosu, the Nomu attack…"

"Yeah," I replied, rubbing my temple, "What do you suggest, Kenji?"

He sighed again, a heavy, burdened sound. "Honestly, I don't know, I'm trying to think of something, anything. I'll tell you when I figure something out." His tone was resigned but then he immediately changed it. "But, I do have a task for you. I need you to start digging into the League of Villains, their pasts, anything you can find. Anything that can give us an edge."

My eyebrows furrowed. "Why me?"

"Your power gives you more reach than most, Anos, you can cover more ground. It'll be invaluable." He explained, his voice becoming more focused. "The more we know about these guys, the better we can prepare for whatever they're planning."

I understood his logic, it made sense to get any information we could. "Okay, I'll look into it," I agreed, rubbing the back of my neck. "I'll try to find some time."

"Thanks, Anos, I appreciate it," he said, a slight edge of relief in his voice. He ended the call, and I tossed my phone onto my bed.

Immediately another notification popped up, a group call invite. I clicked on it, the familiar faces of Peter, Diana, Hulk, Flash, and Supergirl greeted me. I managed a small smile as I sat down on my bed.

"Hey, guys," I said, a bit tiredly.

"Hey, Anos," Wonder Woman said, her voice crisp and professional as always. "Let's get down to business, There's a Top 10 meeting coming up soon at the end of the week."

I nodded, I was always in the top three regardless, and it was something I had gotten used to these past years. "Alright, any specific details?"

"Not yet," she answered, her gaze sharp, "But there's something else you should know. The rumors are true. There are others. Heroes from our old world, being shifted, I mean, reincarnated into this world, some of them, they're forming what they're calling 'the underground villains'."

My heart skipped a beat, I knew it, I knew I wasnt the only one. "So, they're real?" I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.

"Unfortunately, yes," Wonder Woman sighed, "We'll discuss the plan at the meeting this is just to make sure you are in the know."

As the others started to discuss strategy, I couldn't help but notice that Flash was eating McDonald's, his usual late-night snack. Supergirl was shooting him daggers with her eyes and it was clearly about to start a fight.

"Must your eat in front of me, Barry!?" She started, her voice filled with annoyance.

"Why not? Is my eating bothering you? Why dont you eat something then? Oh wait you cant" Barry replied and she gasped, I groaned internally here we go again.

"Are you serious, Barry? You know I cant." She crossed her arm.

"Calm down, guys," I sighed, feeling a wave of exhaustion wash over me. I hated when they started their drama, it happened every time, they were like squabbling siblings and honestly I knew I wouldn't trade them for the world.

"Anyways" Hulk interrupted with a grin, "How about we play Never Have I Ever?"

"Absolutely not," I said firmly, but they all seemed to think this was a good idea, even wonder woman. I shook my head and watched them start the game which started fine, but like I expected, turned into personal and even offensive remarks between Barry and Kara, I wanted to tell them to calm down but i knew that would do no difference. I watched them argue and made small side comments, and we all laughed with each other, it was nice, and it made me think of the good times, the before times. I missed this, and these people.