From Distant Lands - Juro's Return

Chapter Forty-Two

Two weeks after Juro's death and a surprisingly short visit at the hospital, Katsuki and I both sit on a wooden bench in a large hallway of one of the heroes association's biggest buildings. We've been here for a few hours, both of us waiting on a verdict that's had me fidgeting tensely for days. In the first week that the two of us were back home, we weren't permitted to see or speak to anyone other than each other until the police force deemed Juro's murder as an act of self-defense. After that, we were finally able to see our friends and family, assuring them all that we were okay, but the heroes association is another story and my hero license is another matter entirely.

"You did what you had to, Kaida" Katsuki tells me firmly. He's been beside me through this whole thing, but I don't think even he knows exactly what to say. He's not the one who murdered someone.

"Heroes don't kill people, Katsuki" I reply, a bit darkly. In the two weeks I've had to process everything, it seems like my brain has shut down completely, unwilling to face what happened any farther than acknowledging it as fact. I killed Juro. That's it.

"It had to be done. Even if you gave your life to avoid killing him... someone else would've had to try. Juro's torment would never have ended with just you" Katsuki says and I purse my lips before I look at him. For a few moments, I wonder if by someone else, he means himself. That night, I was certain that Juro was going to kill Katsuki, but if he hadn't... if Juro had killed me and my hands had been clean... would it be Katsuki's hands covered in his blood instead? The thought of it gives pause to my worry and I think to myself that Katsuki's right. If it were between the two of us, then I'm glad it was me.

"On the bright side, I won't ever have to retire if they fire me" I mutter earning a snort from my husband. Katsuki worries about me, but thankfully he responds to my morbid humor with the same kind of enthusiasm that I do.

"Glad to see you're looking on the bright side of things" he replies and when one side of my mouth quirks up in a wry smile, he grabs my hand, lacing his fingers with mine.

"Kaida?" a soft voice asks as the heavy wooden door opens in front of us and Rika pokes out her head. Rika has so far been the only person in the heroes' association that's been even remotely understanding, but as she exits the room and comes out into the hall with us, she's followed closely by a woman I don't recognize.

"Mrs. Bakugo" the woman says curtly, a sharp smile on her thin face, and her short gray hair pinned back neatly to reveal shrewd slate colored eyes. Katsuki and I both stand, an uneasy feeling coiling in the pit of my stomach as Rika plasters a smile on her anxious face.

"It looks like you get to keep your hero license" Rika says, inclining her head slightly. Katsuki and I both startle, my own eyes widening as I stare between the two of them.

"What?" I breathe in disbelief, and Rika gives me another look. One somewhere between apologetic and wary.

"It comes with a few conditions, of course. I'm sure you won't mind hearing them?" the older woman interjects, giving me a look that's both expectant and almost self-satisfied. I blink at her, that coiling unease spreading through my veins like wildfire.

"And you are?" I demand, my attitude snapping under the chafing pressure. The older woman's smile sharpens, becoming something... predatory.

"I'm the reason you still have a job, Kaida Bakugo. And all of that hinges on your willingness to cooperate with me" she replies, her voice as clipped and crisp as her clean and freshly pressed pantsuit. In an instant, I know she's full of shit. The smile she wears is little more than a flimsy pleasantry hiding whatever shark lurks beneath it, but still... my gaze turns wary as I recognize the power she holds. The shackles she's likely already clasped around my wrists without ever having to speak to me.