48 ~ The Winged Lovers

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Camera clicked around us, flashes dancing around my vision as Keigo pulled me through the crowd of reporters and civilians. Their shouted questions fell on deaf ears as my blonde boyfriend focused on me and got us into the ballroom without either of us tripping. Emiko was several steps behind but with no cameras attempting to blind her it was easier for her to make her way across the red carpet pathway.

"Hawks!" One of the reporters stuck their microphones out, her dirty blonde hair falling loosely as she looked at my boyfriend. "Who's this lovely lady you're with tonight? A friend or perhaps a secret lover?"

I gave her a small wave before Keigo dragged me past, one of his wings wrapping around me as if trying to show not to take pictures. His feathers puffed up and pressed against the momentarily dull feathers falling limply from my back. The clicks around us stopped as if sensing his unease, there was no more light blinding our view and we were finally able to make it inside the building.

"You two are quite popular." Emiko said as she walked up besides us, her fingers delicately clicking at her tablet. Though tonight was for relaxation for most, it would be pure chaos for us. Endeavor had called Emiko and told her of all the work she'd missed over the past three weeks.

"I still can't believe he's making you do work at a party." I scoffed, eyes wandering out through the large room filled with heroes. Each wore pristine clothing and jewelry, some of the ladies going as far as wearing tiaras. I'd never been to such a formal event and I could feel the unspoken tension in the room: When I had thought they would relax they were really just competing for time with a reporter.

"I'm not that mad. This is always a big time of year for Endeavor, especially since he's become number one." Emiko shut down her tablet and scanned across the room, her onyx eyes gliding from person to person as she searched for her boss. "Everyone's on edge because of the reporters, the heroes outnumber reports three-to-one, meaning most won't get the screen time they want. Endeavor has to get at least one interview if he wants to stay in his place on the rankings."

It was a little surprising for Emiko to understand so much of the heroes innerworld, but then again she has been working with Endeavor for nearly three years now. She understood more about this than I ever would: Who to trust, what people to avoid, how to move up in the ranks, and who were truly the bad guys. Though she had seemed naive when we first met I knew that was a lie.

Emiko was strong and quick-witted, her mind sharp in a different way than Cane's. Where he was analytical and could change plans quickly, Emiko would take her time and plan out her moves with careful precision. Her and I were from different worlds that were never meant to clash, but had been doing so as long as the concept of good and bad had existed. A young girl who understood the workings of the hero society and a naive woman born in the depths of the underground.

"Are we sure that they're here?" Keigo took several steps forward to allow more people to enter the grand hall. Both Emiko and I walked close behind him as we made our way deeper into the crowd of heroes. No one took note of us as we settled down beside the desserts table. "Securities tight and the only people allow in are those with invites."

"They'd find a way." The room was large tables of food littering the outer rim of the lower floor, spiraling staircases led up to another area. Several people leaned upon the rail talking with one another as though nothing was wrong. No matter how many guards there were guarding this place there was always a way to sneak past.

"Emiko! Where have you been?"

"Hello Endeavor." The short girl said with a roll of her eyes, her head barely scraped past his chest. With confidence that most people would never know, she met the older man's gaze. "As I said before I would be taking a break for several weeks. If you have an issue with that then by all means fire me. Several agencies have already spoken with me and offered me positions, but since I'm a loyal I've chosen to stay with you; Don't make me regret it Sir."

You could see the annoyance in his face as she spoke. Though Endeavor would never admit it, Emiko was an important asset to his success, her ability to keep his employees lined up invaluable. "Have you spoken with any reporters? I've seen several but most are attempting to interview Jeanist or Miriko, or they're looking for the bird."

"Don't worry about it so much Endeavor, I always get my work done don't I?" Emiko once again began tapping at her tablet, clicking away as she searched through her hundreds of emails. "On the plane ride back I sent out several emails and almost all of them returned with an offer. In total I've got four interviews set up for you."

Endeavor nodded and began to walk off, Emiko trailing behind like a child would their parents. She turned and gave me a small smile of apology, her mouth moving as she whispered something to me but I couldn't hear. As soon as I looked away for the slightest second they were gone somewhere within the crowd of heroes and reporters.

"Well there goes a third of our search party."

I looked around again, conversation slipping through my fingers as I searched through the hall. So many people, a hundred or more, that knew nothing of the sinister events happening just below their noses. Cane was smart and he knew that this was the perfect place to strike. Keigo and I would need to keep our appearances up while at the same time searching for him.

"We've been trained in the ways of infiltration, this'll be easy enough for us." A warm hand engulfed mine as Keigo pulled me close to him, one of his large red wings wrapping around me. I pulled my wing against my back only just realizing that they had puffed out in defense.

"Stay calm baby bird. I won't let them get their hands on you."

"Promise?"

"I'd risk everything for you (Y/N)." The way he said my name was soothing, like the oceans waves crashing against the sandy beach on an early summer morning. His words carried the weight of a hundred emotions that he'd hidden for so long, but soon they washed away into the ocean's dark void.

A cold air flooded through us, every inch of our bodies ready to punce as we both sensed the sudden presence behind us. Neither of us had noticed her but we could both tell that she was there, the cold bitterness of her eyes landing on Keigo's wing wrapped around me. Slowly it fell down, it's long length forcing it to scrape across the floor as the other one fell to match. It looked strange for his wings to fall sadly to the floor in shock.

"Keigo."

"What are you doing here?" I asked, not hesitating to call her out on her bullshit. "Didn't I say things wouldn't end well for you the next time you got anywhere near my pretty bird?"

I turned and looked at the older woman, her eyes were cold yet they burned into my soul and left me feeling bare. In person she was far worse than through a screen. She was more vulnerable at this moment but somehow she was even less so. We could kill her, that much was certain, but this place was swarming with agents that wouldn't hesitate to return our hateful action.

"Ms.(L/N), your threats don't scare me. Hawks are property of the commission and if you think we'd let you take him away then you're wrong." She took a step closer- The click of her heel seeming to thunder louder than the murmured conversations around us- It was a sound I'd not soon forget. "You have no idea what situation you've landed yourself in."

With a short glance at Keigo I knew this was not a fight to take. His face was filled with a mixture of defensive anger and disappearance. If I didn't get out of this soon then he might do something he'd regret: One punch and he'd be ruined.

"I know a lot more than you give me credit for." With only the slightest of steps forward from me, Keigo's red wings puffed in resistance to my actions. His hand latched onto mine, and as his warm skin clutched out I felt it. The shake of his body, fear rising throughout his bones even as he managed to suppress it on his face.

Surprise quickly changed to anger as I held the woman's glare. My mouth opened and there was so much I wanted to say but couldn't. An arm wrapped around both Keigo's and my neck, strong and defined with muscles as they loosely hung around us.

"Come on bird boy loosen up a bit." The loud feminine voice rang through my ear. Though I'd had only a few conversations with the woman, I knew exactly who it was. Her soft white pulled back into a light bun as she softly chuckled. The pink dusting across her face told me that she had one to many drinks already. "You look so uptight, I know you're better than that."

Keigo let out a hollow laugh and wiggled his way out of Miriko's grasp before turning and giving her a small friendly side hug. The commissions head looked at the woman and her monotone look changed to one with a deathly cold smile. "Hello Miriko."

"Hey chief." Miriko greeted back. "If you don't mind I'll be stealing these two away from you. I've got some business to do with bird boy; Well if you consider drinking business that is."

The old hag nodded, cold eyes gleaming with hatred as Miriko dragged us away. We swerved through the large crowds of people and eventually landed in the corner of the great hall. It was shaded and barely visible as a large slab column blocked the view from on-lookers. A small group of people was waiting for us: Talking quietly as if whispering the secrets of the whole world.

"So what the hell was that?" Miriko's whole attitude changed, the drunken state disappeared with a blink of an eye and was replaced by an obviously sober person. "You looked like you wanted to slice that bitches neck. Don't blame you though."

Miriko mumbled the last part under her breath but I still managed to catch it. Seems like Keigo and Emiko aren't the only two people who don't like the commission. "Let's just say she hurt someone I care for."

"Your anger was so strong." Emiko piped up from her spot beside Endeavor. A shiver ran along her spine as she shook away the thoughts of my seething hatred. "Sorry (Y/N) but I had to get you both out of there before something bad happened."

I shook my head and turned to look at Keigo. He was quiet and the usual hopeful gleam in his eyes was nowhere to be found. Seeing the commission's head must have been rough on: It was like me speaking with Cane on the roof that night, foreign and confusing. The man I knew was different than the one who was standing beside me. My want to punch the commission's leader came back ten fold, I hated seeing Keigo like this.

"Do you have a plan?" Endeavor asked, his tall form leaned back against the wall with his arms crossed. The man was intimidating, his form large and looming and his muscles saying threats his words didn't have to, but then again I'd met people far worse than him.

I raised an eyebrow at Emiko, asking what the others knew and what was still a secret. She gave a shy smile as her lips curled with an apology I'd hear at a later time. Keeping this a secret wasn't something I'd discussed but I hadn't expected her to tell everyone flat out. The question is how much do they know about me- Had Emiko been the only one to tell them information about me. SHe likely was but with Phoenix lurking around the corner I had to be careful.

"Find them."

"That's your plan?"

My eyes wandered to the voice, a tall dark man standing beside me. I'd seen him once on TV before, Eraserhead or Shota Aizawa, a pro hero that preferred to stay out of the media. With his dark persona it was probably easy for him to sneak up on us, though it's strange that neither Keigo or I noticed him until now.

"You got a better one Eraser?" Endeavor snarled. The two had a small stand-off, Aizawa's eyes glowing as he stared at the fiery pro.

It was tense, the air filled with a fight that was deeper than the situation we were in now. Eventually Aizawa backed off, likely not wanting to take this conversation any further. He grabbed his hair and pulled it back, still attempting to understand the full depth of what was about to go down.

"Shota, did you see anyone who matched the description I gave you? It's important that we know if Cane is really here." Emiko asked, her quiet voice nearly lost in the wave of conversation flowing through the crowded hall.

"Yes." Everyone stopped, heart pounding in our chest as we waited for him to continue. Fear crept up my spine and embedded itself in my mind. "I tried to follow him but when I turned the corner she was gone. Had a woman with him as well but I didn't get to see much of her."

"So they really are here."

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