Chapter 31: The Raid

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Aiko walked up to Aizawa and Nighteye, who were talking to Midoriya and Mirio. "You ready?" Haru asked.

Aiko took a deep breath and said, "I've been ready the second I saw her walk away with him..."

Midoriya glanced at her with sympathy, recognizing Haru's presence beside her. 'I imagine this has been hard on you both...' he thought to himself.

They all lined up behind the police as they made the announcement that they were raiding the place with a warrant. The yakuza members seemed thrown off, but one of them burst through the gates and started attacking people. "I'll handle this!" Ryukyu exclaimed.

Her team fell back to assist her as everyone else ran inside. "Haru!" Aiko yelled, taking 10% of his energy as they ran through the crowd.

Aiko and Haru practically ripped through the crowd of yakuza and ran inside quickly behind the Nighteye and the police. They darted through hallways until Nighteye stopped, entering a secret code to a set of tiles beneath a vase.

Almost instantly, a secret path opened up, and two villains popped out. Bubble Girl and Centipeder quickly took care of them, and so the teams started running down the secret hallway. Nighteye led the way, taking them down many different turns and paths, so much that it made Aiko a little dizzy and disoriented, but she didn't stop running. However, when they came upon a blocked off wall, people started doubting Nighteye. "Wait, what if they just manipulated the walls to throw us off? This wall doesn't even really look like it belongs here," Aiko reasoned, mostly with Rock Lock, who was starting to piss her off with all of his pessimism. 

Mirio checked, and sure enough, on the other side of the wall lay the rest of the hallway. Kirishima and Midoriya took charge in breaking it down, clearing the way for everyone to continue, but these walls just kept coming up, to the point that they were wasting time breaking them down. "Nighteye, what if Lemillion and I kept running ahead while you all looked for another way around?" Aiko suggested, "That way we aren't wasting time with these barricades."

"It would save time, yes," Nighteye said, thinking about it. 

"That's all we need. Come on Spectre, let's go on ahead," Mirio said, waving Aiko along.

Aiko nodded and phased through the wall with Mirio. "Haru, stay with Nighteye and help them," Aiko said.

Haru nodded as the cousins ran together. Before they knew it, Aiko and Mirio were able to see Chisaki and Eri, alongside other members of the yakuza. "I'll go. You distract them," Aiko whispered, becoming invisible.

Mirio nodded and Aiko started making her way toward Eri and Overhaul, trying their best not to call the attention away from Mirio as he picked a fight with them.  Aiko slowly made her way to Overhaul. 'Gotta wait until he's distracted fully with Mirio. I can't let them know I'm here,' Aiko thought to herself. Mirio made his way past the first two yakuza who were trying to block his way and were poised to strike, and when Kurono's attention left Eri, Aiko ran forward and made vines grow from her arms. The vines grabbed Eri and pulled her away from Kurono, Eri letting out a frightened gasp as Kurono turned in confusion. "What?!" he exclaimed, catching Overhaul's attention.

Aiko became visible again and caught Eri, gently holding her in her arms. "I got you, it's okay," she said with a bright smile, "I'm here to save you."

Aiko noticed a flash of recognition in Eri's eyes before she looked up and saw that Overhaul was lowering his hand to the ground, poised to strike in an attempt to get Eri back. Aiko smirked and said, "Eri, sweetie, you're going to feel something funny for a little bit, but it's okay."

Eri nodded as Overhaul's palm touched the ground and Aiko's quirk activated, making the pair of them incorporeal. Eri flinched as Overhaul's quirk caused spikes to shoot out the ground, preparing for impact, but it never came. She opened her eyes and saw that she and Aiko were phasing through the spikes. "Wha-"

"You must be related to Lemillion over there..." Overhaul grumbled.

Aiko smirked and walked out of the spikes onto safe ground, releasing her quirk and setting Eri down gently. Aiko knelt down and put a gentle hand on Eri's shoulder and said,  "Don't worry Eri, I'm going to make sure that Chisaki never ever  hurts you again. I promise."

Eri's little eyes started filling with hope as she smiled and started using his vines as a way to assist Mirio as he fought Overhaul. Overhaul growled as vines wrapped around his arms, preventing him from disassembling the ground. He disassembled the vines, but more would always appear in their place. "Spectre, get Eri out of here! I will take care of Chisaki! Just go and get her to safety!" Mirio exclaimed.

"Okay," Aiko said, scooping Eri back up, "Be careful!"

Aiko started running, but before she could get very far... BANG!

Aiko cried out in pain and looked down to see that her stomach had a bullet hole in it. Luckily the bullet had missed Eri, but as Aiko processed that it almost had, she felt fury course through her veins. Eri started crying as Aiko looked back to see that Nemoto was holding up the gun that had shot her. "You're hurt!" Eri cried.

"I'm okay, this is nothing," Aiko said with a smile, "Don't worry, I got you."

She tried to incorporealize, but the pain and lost blood scattered her thoughts and remaining energy too much. 'Shit...' she thought, gritting her teeth, looking at the energy she still had from her eyepiece, 'The most I can do is my arms and legs without breaking my concentration... but that's all I need!'

Aiko started running toward the man, wrapping Eri in her cape to hold her steady as she ran. "How dare you shoot me while Eri is in my arms! You almost hit her, and you didn't even care!" Aiko yelled at the man as she dodged yet another bullet.

When she got close enough, she feinted an attack with her arm as she prepared to hit him with a kick. It worked, Nemoto shooting at Aiko's arm, only to watch it phase through before being delivered a powerful kick to the face, knocking him out for real this time. "Spectre!" Mirio shouted.

Aiko looked over just in time to see the ground cracking and crumbling before forming spikes. Without thinking, Aiko lifted Eri as high as she could and desperately willed all of her energy and concentration to incorporealize Eri. It worked as the spikes phased completely through Eri and the hands holding her. However...

"Aiko!" a familiar voice screamed.

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10 minutes earlier

Haru and the rest of the heroes were running through the corridors, trying to find another way through, but once Kirishima and Fat Gum were separated from the rest, Haru was on edge. 'Don't do anything...' he thought as a warning to the villains. 

Then, walls came down separating the teams, Haru ending up with Aizawa and Midoriya, both Aizawa and Haru pulling Midoriya to safety. "Thanks Haru," Midoriya said as vines unraveled from his waist. 

They heard a commotion on the other side, so Midoriya broke through the wall and they saw Rock Lock standing next to a copy of himself lying on the floor with a knife in his back. 'Something isn't right. Rock Lock doesn't use knives!' Haru thought, shooting vines from his hands just as the fake Rock Lock turned into the crazy blonde who had stabbed Aiko at the training camp. "Hello Izuku! I'm sad to see your friend Aiko isn't with you, yet again!" Toga exclaimed just before Haru's vines wrapped tightly around her body, preventing her from hurting Midoriya.

Toga sent a glare back, "Oh, so that annoying ghost is with you."

Haru growled as she managed to cut herself free of his vines, only to be caught again by Aizawa this time, yet still being able to stab him in his shoulder. "Eraser!" Midoriya exclaimed.

"I'm okay," Aizawa reassured, "She disappeared..."

"Same as at the training camp..." Haru muttered.

"Haru, you still there?" Aizawa asked.

Haru made the light's flicker in response. "Good. Go to Spectre and make sure she's safe. With the League's involvement, I don't like the idea of her and Lemillion being alone with no backup," Aizawa instructed.

Haru nodded and left them, running through wall after wall to try to find Aiko, until he heard Mirio exclaim, "Spectre!"

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Aiko resisted the urge to cry, trying to keep Eri from freaking out. She coughed as Mirio landed yet another strike on Overhaul, looking over to see Haru running toward her. 'He left them? Why?' she thought before saying, "I'm fine... just get Eri out of here..."

Eri, still under the influence of Aiko's quirk, watched as Haru ran toward them. He reached out for Eri, who flinched. "Don't worry, I'm Spectre's friend, Haru. I'm going to help you and her out, okay?" he said.

Eri hesitantly nodded, and so Haru took her in his arms for a short moment to set her on the ground before Aiko's quirk stopped affecting her. Eri watched as Haru faded from view, but then saw how Aiko was helped by seemingly nothing to get out of her current predicament. "Come on, Eri. Let's get out of here," Aiko whispered, trying not to grimace from pain as she gently picked Eri up and held her close. 

Mirio noticed this as Kurono pointed his gun at them. Mirio then leapt toward them, desperate to save them. Aiko heard some commotion and turned to see Mirio in the air, smiling at them, before a gunshot rung through the building. "No!" Aiko exclaimed.

More tears spilled from Eri's eyes as Mirio tumbled in front of them. Aiko looked down and took a deep breath before she removed her cape and wrapped it around Eri like a blanket. "Stay here with Lemillion. I'll take care of Chisaki, okay? Keep this around you to keep you safe," Aiko said with a bright smile, taking 15% more of Haru's energy as adrenaline coursed through her system, numbing the pain that she was in.

"You little pests just keep getting up," Overhaul growled as Aiko ran toward him.

"Because we are willing to do anything to get Eri to safety! Because that's what heroes do!" Aiko yelled, phasing through the man as he tried to disassemble her, "Spirit wave!" she exclaimed as she punched him, energy expelling from her hand.

Eri watched the fight with fear, the injuries on Aiko's body making her feel intense guilt. "She's hurt... but she keeps fighting..." Eri whispered, "Why?"

Mirio smiled and said, "Because all we want is to get you somewhere where you can smile again, now, I'm going to help her with Chisaki. Stay here, stay safe. Haru, you protect her."

Mirio ran into the fight and assisted Aiko, hitting immediately after Aiko would.

However... Aiko noticed that he wasn't using his quirk, taking the hits from Chisaki's spikes. 'Wait, Chisaki has quirk erasing bullets. Is that what hit Mirio? Why didn't they use one on me?'

Overhaul growled with frustration, spiking through Mirio, more tears spilling from Eri's eyes. "Lemillion!" Aiko exclaimed, fury filling her veins.

Aiko looked and saw that she was low on energy, so she reached out and pulled 30% of Overhaul's energy. Overhaul noticed the change and saw as she started glowing blue and flickering faster. "Dirty..." he growled, watching as she phased in and out, running toward him.

Aiko feinted a punch to lower his guard, instead kicking him with his own energy. 'Let's give you a taste of your own medicine,' Aiko thought with a smirk, brushing his arm with her hand, his arm disassembling almost instantly.

He cried out, but before he could retaliate, the wall to their side burst open, revealing the other heroes.

Aiko didn't spare the heroes much thought, still occupied with fighting Overhaul. 'I have to take him down, now!' Aiko thought as she grit her teeth, seeing that she had 5% of Haru's energy, 25% of Overhaul's energy, and 40% of her own energy. 'I'll put all of Haru and Chisaki's energy into this punch!' she thought, her fist glowing a bright blue before she slammed her fist into his head.

Overhaul was flown back moments before a seal hit his chest. Aiko looked back to see that Sir Nighteye had thrown it. "Spectre, go with Lemillion to take Eri to safety. I have Chisaki." he ordered before pulling her into a small hug, "You've done so well. Rest now."

Aiko nodded and retreated toward her cousin and Eri. "Thank you for keeping them safe, Haru," Aiko said as she scooped Eri up and started walking with Mirio through the halls. Eri was looking at Aiko with fear and confusion. 'She's so injured, but she keeps fighting like nothing is wrong! Why?'

However... Mirio looked back and watched as Nighteye was impaled right through the gut with a massive spike. "Sir!" he cried.

But Aiko didn't hear it.

"Aiko, how you holding up?" Haru asked, "Your injuries look bad, especially the gunshot."

"I'm fine, Haru. Right now we just need to get Eri to safety," Aiko replied, her exhaustion and pain starting to catch up to her.

Mirio saw this and frowned just before his injuries caught up to him and he collapsed to the ground.

"Mirio!" Haru exclaimed, rushing to his side, "Aiko, come help!"

Aiko shook her head, refusing to let go of the young girl, but too tired and disoriented to notice why Haru wanted her help. "I'm never letting anyone hurt her ever again... and that starts by carrying her out to safety," Aiko said less strongly, her limbs growing heavier and heavier.

Aiko didn't even hear as Haru shouted and Eri cried... too concerned about getting Eri home. But then... her foot got caught on the other foot, and she collapsed on top of Eri.

Eri whimpered under her weight and crawled out, kneeling beside her. "S-Spectre? Lemillion?" she asked fearfully.

Haru cursed and looked to the two students. Both were out cold. Before he could do anything, Chisaki's voice echoed through the halls. "More people are going to die because of you! Is this what you want? Eri?!"

Haru growled, which scared Eri more. She walked back as Mirio came to, crawling desperately toward her. "It's not..." she whispered, "I'll come back... but if I do, you have to promise to make them all better again!"

Haru's heart shattered. 'She's too innocent and kind... and he is manipulating her...'

Midoriya protested, telling Eri to run, but she wouldn't listen. The ground launched Eri into the sky along with Overhaul. She was looking down, her hope extinguished, but then something caught her eye. Spectre's blue/black cape... the memories of Spectre wrapping the cape around her, how she and Lemillion fought tirelessly to save her, how they were so desperate to do so...

The world seemed to grow quiet as Eri stared at the cape.

Hope returned to her eyes...

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And Eri reached out for the cape.


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