The Burden of Time [Aizawa x OC]

- two -

I had never been permitted out of the country before. Previously, any other member of the Justice Unit would go while I stayed in the confines of American territory. Dr. McGee and other officials never discussed why in my presence, but the answer was obvious. I was America's most precious weapon. The only time manipulating quirk user in existence. The world's most sought after science experiment. My leaving the country meant risking everything they had worked for.

I attempted to mask my surprise by doing as instructed. I chose to sit near July, an empty chair as a buffer between us. He didn't bother to hold back a glare sent my way. He never really liked me much. I remained silent as I scooted the chair closer to the table.

Mr. Smith stood, walking over to the TV in front of us. "Alright," He cleared his throat. "Let's get down to business." He pulled out a small remote from his suit jacket, clicking a button that made a slideshow appear.

"I'm sure both of you are wondering why you're here, especially since you just returned from a mission in Sacramento a few days ago. You also may be wondering why you are the only two members of the Justice Unit present at this debriefing." Mr. Smith paused, clicking a button to bring up the next slide. The words on the slide read Operation Freedom Shield in bold letters. "In the interest of time, I ask that you keep your questions to yourself until the conclusion of the presentation. My hope is that your questions will be answered within it. If for some reason you still have questions that are unanswered at the end, we will attempt to do so with whatever time is remaining."

July grunted in response. I remained silent, sending a nod toward Mr. Smith. He began the presentation.

——

An hour later, we had reached the end of the slideshow. The contents of the presentation described how Japan was in need of assistance due to a recent villain group uprising following the demise of the Hero Killer Stain. Japan did not have the hero capacity to fight such high end villains. The villains had also been able to manufacture creatures called Nomus that were incredibly difficult to defeat. Nomus had the ability to regenerate, as well as super strength. Overall, it sounded like something from a nightmare.

This group identifies themselves as the League of Villains. Their leader, Tomura Shigaraki, has a decay quirk. Other important members include Dabi - fire quirk, Twice - multiplying quirk, Himiko Toga - transform, Compress - compressing, and Spinner - gecko. These quirks together surely would be annoying. Plus, those were just the known main members. There were an undetermined number of members within the league, as well as supporters.

Their most recent attack resulted in the ultimate defeat of All Might. Of course, within the debriefing, they showed a video of his last fight. The video tugged at heartstrings that had been long locked up within my heart. I found myself needing to look away from the video. Knowing that someone as powerful as All For One was still alive and in custody, made me want to scream. But in Japan, heroes don't kill without extreme necessity. Things in America are much, much different.

Japan had reached out to the United States for assistance, specifically requesting my presence. Not only would I be able to buy more time for them in a literal sense, but apparently they had a pro hero there whose erasure quirk would compliment my time freeze as well.

With the downfall of All Might, Japan was in a piss poor position. The number one hero position now belonged to a man named Endeavor. According to popularity pools, Endeavor was significantly lacking, which only furthered the divide in Japan.
People in Japan were losing hope and chaos was winning. It was our job to help reinstate that hope.

According to Mr. Smith, the length of the mission was to last about 4 weeks. This is one of the reasons why the rest of the Justice Unit would not be coming with us. To leave America completely defenseless would not be something the Government would ever be willing to do, no matter the global threat that was posed by this League of Villains. I shuddered at the thought of Nomus reaching their way to America.

We had to stop the League of Villains. This was serious.

July's leg was still bouncing, his fist clenched as it rested on the table. He had been tense, eyes fiery with rage since learning of All Might's downfall. We both had met All Might as children during his internship in America. July had idolized him for the entirety of our childhood. It was obvious that idolization never stopped. July momentarily unclenched his jaw to speak. "Can I ask why I was chosen to go to Japan? It seems like they only requested Stand Still's presence."

"Ah,"Dr. McGee, the head scientist, spoke for the first time since the meeting started. "We need you to accompany Stand Still during this journey. We could not send her unattended."

"So, I'm just some fucking glorified babysitter?" July barked as he clenched and unclenched his fists.

Both Mr. Smith and Dr. McGee wore shocked expressions at July's sudden outburst. I remained silent. It was unsurprising to me that July did not desire to be my handler - I had been a victim of his resentment for the past 20 years. In fact, I expected this response. Though, he usually was more nonchalant about it, but it seemed like his composure had faltered since learning about All Might.

"We would not send you without incentive," Mr. Smith's shocked expression turned into a smile. "Japan agreed that you both can abide by American laws there, instead of theirs. This was part of the agreement to maximize your safety while over there."

"Yeah, our safety." July scoffed, emphasizing the word our. "As if you aren't sending me with the expectation of laying down my life if needed to protect your precious little weapon." He abruptly stood, the chair rolling backwards with more force than I expected.

For a brief second, I felt a twinge of empathy for July. He knew that he was not prioritized by the American government. He knew they viewed him as replaceable. For an even longer second, I could understand why he was full of resentment toward me. He saw nothing but how much the government values my quirk. What he didn't see was how much the government doesn't value me as a living, breathing, person.

Before either party could respond, July spoke up again. "Whatever, as long as I get to kill the bastard that defeated All Might."