At the Core | Aizawa Misako

Hate Them

・・・　・・・　・・・

     Misako pinches her lips as she watches Iida click the living room TV on.  The news turns on immediately, one focused specifically on heroes.  It makes her wonder how often they just watch hero news, and how much they'd heard about her.  
     She sits down carefully on the loveseat beside Bakugo.  He glances down at the small container of kimchi she offers him.  
     "Where'd you get that from?" he questions as he takes it.  He drags in a breath as his hands brush over her slim fingers and she smiles.  
     "I made it a couple of days ago.  It's ready now.  There's more in the fridge."  He picks up the fork as they both turn forward again.  She shuffles, digging herself deeper into the back cushion and pulling her legs up.  Her knees lean away from him, pressing against the armrest as she pulls her camera up to her face.  
     Bakugo tries not watch her as she clicks through photos on it.  He could feel his breaths grow irregular whenever he looks over for too long, and he really did want to see what was happening to the pros.  Damn her for constantly stealing his attention.  
     His eyebrows pinch as he looks down at the kimchi.  The dish had already stained the clear container with a layer of yellish-orange.  It always pissed him off when he was reminded of Misako's cooking prowess, which was unfortunately quite often.  

     Thankfully, all they could report on was that there wasn't much to.  Bakugo watches a few of their classmates playing a card game as a commercial runs.  Apparently, Toshinori had done a small press conference with a police detective Bakugo vaguely recognized.  They zoom in on the footage of him, letting it take up the whole screen as the audio from his speech slowly fades in.  
     "Let every villain beware: the younger generation of heroes aren't putting up with you.  Quirks are only getting stronger and that's not just for the criminals.  We, us—heroes—as collection, we are growing stronger by the day."  The detective steps up next to him with a vigilant nod of his head, his  gaze sweeping over the crowd.  
     "We are pleased to announce the rates of reported crime is lowering as the number of arrests are increasing.  We are cleaning up the city at an unprecedented speed."  His speech ends short as the clip cuts back to the reporters sitting at a rounded desk.  
     "The reported uptick in crime has gone back down, thanks in part to the resurgence of pro-hero X back on the scene," the woman on the left reports.  
     "There were concerns they had disappeared from the business, and an unfortunate growth in underground crime proved villains were also aware," the other speaks, her voice monotone.  
     "But, with another appearance yester's evening, it is safe to say they have not given up on their mission."  
     Suddenly, Uraraka gives a frustrated sighed and drops her hand on the coffee table.  Misako and Bakugo both look toward her at the sound.  
     "Can you turn that off?"  Iida does so quickly, apologizing loudly to her from across the room.  Midoriya leans worriedly over the table as Todoroki's brows pinch in.  

     "Are you alright, Uraraka?" the split-dye asks calmly.  She huffs.  
     "I just hate X and I don't wanna hear about them," she answers.  A few classmates bob their heads, some more enthusiastically than others.  Bakugo glances over at Misako who's lowered her camera, its screen turning off as it times out.  
     "They taint the name of a hero," Asui agrees with her raspy voice.  "People look down on Japan because of them."  
     "Who are you to say?" Tokoyami butts in.  "We don't know what happened.  Often, no one does.  We can't make an accurate judgment."  
     "But it is concerning," Yaoyorozu says.  "It's not often that villains are taken down with such drastic measures, yet it seems so common coming from X."  
     "I think they're quite professional, honestly," Jiro says with a shrug.  "Some of the people they deal with..." she mumbles before shaking her head.  Tokoyami nods from his spot on a couch.  
     "I don't condone the excessive force, but I must say that I'm glad someone gave those villains a good punishment.  Jail is a playground for some of these people."  
     "I mean, they killed someone once!" Uraraka argues.  Bakugo looks over as Misako's face contorts, her breaths heaving.  Her arms tense, making them hover in the air.  
     "He was raping a kid," she grumbles.  Every head jerks her way.  "Did you not read the report?  By the gods, if anyone deserves to be killed on the spot..."  Bakugo's stomach twists at the small holes in Misako's dry throat as she tries to choke the words out.   Jiro nods her head solemnly.  
     "Have to agree with Misako.  I read the casefile, too."  
     "O-Oh," Uraraka hums as she looks down.  A heavy expression pulls on her face as she stares at the table, distraught.  Bakugo sets a hand on Misako's ice cold arm, pushing it down until it rested on the cushion.  
     "That incident alone almost made me like them," Misako says with a small shake of her head.  
     "Do you not?" Kaminari questions.  She shrugs.  
     "Undecided.  Their cases are so classified, it's hard to know what happened properly."  
     "Like, I said," Tokoyami interjects with a hand bobbing toward the grayscale girl.  "We just know so little about everything.  That one was much less redacted that others, on account of bringing light to the horrible crime he committed.  I just think it's unfair to say Japan is looked down on because of them."  
     "Guys, maybe we shouldn't talk about this," Ashido says gently.  "It's not like we really know anything about X, and we're all allowed to have different opinions, right?"