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CHAPTER START---
---January 19th, 2 Months Since AFO's Last Appearance…
Fuyumi jolts awake, eyes hastily taking in her surroundings, her mind desperately trying to make sense of her surroundings.
A warm and comfortable bed, but foreign. Luxurious sheets, wearing a pair of comfortable long pants and a loose top.
She feels the soft fabric on her legs and immediately pulls the sheets away, staring down at her legs.
"What?" she mutters, reaching down and touching her left leg. "But I…no."
She looks out the floor-to-ceiling windows on the far side of the room, which provides a clear view of Central Park.
"But, my leg…Natsuo," painful memories rush to the surface, manifesting as tears flowing down her cheeks.
But her eyes remain open, the fear of closing them and waking up back in that state, battered and mangled, holding her brother's corpse. It keeps her eyes wide open.
Moments later she turns to get out of bed, wincing as her bare feet touch the cold tiles, but appreciating that she had both her legs again.
Only to crumple to the floor the moment she pushes off the bed, her newly regenerated limb lacking the intuitive training the rest of her body has.
"Dad? Shoto?" she calls out from the floor, struggling to get back on her feet. "Where am I? Is anyone here?!"
---Penthouse, 2 floors above…
"Mr. Matani?" the reporter sitting across from Law asks.
Law opens his eyes after deactivating his Quirk, sensing Fuyumi's movements downstairs and sending her a small message.
"Is everything alright?"
"It's fine. Now, where were we?" Law straightens his casual clothes before taking a sip of his drink.
"Well, we just got done recounting your past, and I was about to ask about the future of your company and family. You suddenly did a 180-degree shift regarding Japan—"
"As did most of the world."
"Yes, but you've been upholding them for quite some time. The sudden withdraw of your support was a particularly crippling blow."
"I realize that, but unfortunately, we all have our limits."
"And what were yours, exactly?"
"Most of our infrastructure was destroyed when the Tokyo Chasm was made, which already left a hole in my organization. After that, problems started pouring in, mainly security concerns."
"The resurgence of Villains in Japan?"
Law nods, playing with the new ring on his left thumb. "That posed a major problem for our continued operations, so we moved our main offices to Manhattan. I ever bought this building and made a new Matani Tower.
We intended to keep supporting Japan as much as possible, but things only got worse after that. After Horizon and All For One escaped, trade collapsed. Supporting our few remaining businesses in Japan became impossible. No country wants anything to do with them.
Horizon hasn't forbidden anyone from assisting, but they're simply too scared to take the risk. Especially those who were involved in orchestrating his imprisonment. Without their help, getting enough resources into Japan to keep people alive is already such a task.
Much less trying to keep our businesses operational within the chaos. We were forced to shut down any infrastructure we had there."
"So it was a business decision, purely so?"
"Mostly," Law says. "We also lost a great deal of people. Our businesses are prized targets for the Villains. Food and material storage in particular, as well as the cargo yards for all our oceanic trade in the Pacific.
The Pro Heroes were stretched too thin, so I couldn't keep asking people to go work in such places while knowing they'd likely be attacked. I even lost some important people due to the lack of security, and private security is greatly limited thanks to Japan's laws.
Shutting down the businesses cost me a fortune. Even my bank account could feel that hit. But accepting the loss and reimbursing all clients for the lost product was the easy choice, compared to calling people out to work when the country is on fire. I couldn't live with their blood on my hands."
"I see, and your choice to move to the United States was also motivated by the state of Japan."
"Well, if you're wealthy enough, this is the place to be." Law points out the window to Horizon Tower directly across Central Park from them. "Safety has a price, and the closer you are to that tower, the higher the price."
"There has been a great influx of wealthy individuals to this city since his move was announced."
"And luckily I had this building before that announcement, otherwise I'm not sure if I could have stomached the inflated price they would have given it."
"And as for your company. Most of your brick-and-mortar businesses were exclusively in Japan, helping subsidise living costs for the people there. Your other investments are likely fine, but what of your other businesses?"
Law sighs, running a hand through his hair. "Well, aside from venture capital moves, the shipping and logistics wing of my company is by far the largest. That part of the company has seen quite the improvement since we had a Panacea contract before this mess started. So I'll be fine."
"Right, and you've openly spoken against Horizon since your first major public appearance, but now you work with him. How does that work?"
"I don't work with him. I simply have a transport contract for something he makes, at least until the supply I was given a while back runs out. I doubt I'll get another batch since the United States now has somewhat exclusive control of it.
And this is exactly what I said he should be doing, from the start. I said wearing silly costumes and fighting people was a waste of time, that change comes from the institutions that make up society. Glorifying ultraviolet people in silly outfits is no way for society to run.
But people who have the wisdom and capability to lead society into a brighter future, those are who we should support. The only problem is finding the good ones."
The reporter nervously glances at Horizon Tower across the park, then returns his focus to Law Matani.
"Relax," Law says. "If Horizon killed everyone who spoke out against him, a billion people would be dead by now. He's popular and useful, but not everyone likes him."
The man bites his lip, and a drop of sweat begins forming before he quickly changes the subject.
A few minutes later, the reporter, satisfied with his interview, leaves Matani Tower, and Law walks over to the bar and begins refilling his glass.
Taking a sip of his drink, he removes the ring from his left thumb, eyes glowing bright blue as it hovers in place in front of him.
"All loose ends tied up, but wearing this just doesn't feel right," Law mutters before turning to his left, where the couches are.
SHAMBLES!
Fuyumi appears, standing nervously in front of a couch in mid-step, and hesitates to move.
"Don't be so nervous. I healed you already, even regrew that leg of yours. Take a seat before you have a heart attack or something. Dealing with that would be annoying."
She turns to see him walking over to her, a bottle of water floating beside him, and as he takes a seat opposite her, she carefully steps back.
"Law Matani…"
"Mhm."
"So Law Matani is…"
"Take your time," she takes the bottle and sits opposite him, trying to process this.
"How the hell are you Horizon?"
"Always have been. It was surprisingly easy."
"But, you said you were done with Japan. Why am I here?"
Law shrugs, still playing with the ring between his fingers. "I'm not sure how much you remember."
"The villains kept attacking UA. We were moved to a secret facility on the other side of Japan, my family. Then they found us and…" She squeezes her eyes shut, almost crushing the bottle in her hand. "Mom, Natsuo. Are they really?"
"Resurrection isn't something I can do. But Endeavor called and asked me to save you, so I brought you here."
"With a thought," she mutters.
"Well, it was a bit more than that. You were on the other side of the world."
"Did you save anyone else while you were there? Did you go find All For One, or Shigaraki, or Ujiko, or Touya, or…or anyone?"
"I'm not getting involved in that crap. I only did this because Endeavor has always been good to me. It was a personal favor. He knows his limits."
"Go stop them."
Law raises a brow at her.
"Go stop them! You can do it, right?! You're Horizon! You can do anything! So go stop all the Villains! Please!"
He looks away from her, toward Central Park, ignoring the tears streaming down her face. "I'm out of the Pro Hero business."
"But—"
"But nothing. I'm done, retired. Besides, this is exactly why I never wanted to be a Pro Hero anyway. You sacrificed your family to give the people stuck in Japan some hope. Endeavor told me if you had left, the people would have lost some faith in him, so all of you stayed, against his wishes.
Now your mom is dead, your brother is dead. People are still swarming Shoto for his bounty, and the morale is even lower than if you had left in the first place. Not to mention how shitty Endeavor feels about all of this.
Heroes sacrificing themselves and their families for people who don't matter, disgusting…"
"You still believe that, even after all the people you helped?"
"That only reinforces it, besides. Some people come first, always."
Law glances toward the elevator across the room, and his eyes abruptly stop glowing. The ring falls into his hand, and he schools his expression to be slightly more relaxed before the elevator doors open.
"We're back!" Eri skips out of the elevator, holding a large shopping bag in each hand, with Ryuko one step behind her.
Fuyumi's puffy red eyes widen at the sight, and Ryuko notices this, quickly catching up to Eri and turning the girl to face her.
"Eri, go put this stuff away in your room, and I'll be there in a few minutes to see you try them on."
"Ok, don't take too long."
"I won't," Ryuko says as the girl rushes down a hallway.
"Had fun?" Law asks as Ryuko walks over to them.
"I love spending your money." She sits in his lap and reaches for his drink, which he pulls away, causing her to pout.
He then warps a bottle of water to her, activating his Quirk once again.
"A little can't hurt," she says, rolling her eyes and relaxing into his lap.
"It can."
"Have you recognized me yet?" she asks Fuyumi, who is staring at the scene, clearly trying to place the face.
"Yeah! You're from the Wild Wild Pussycats. You're Mandalay, right?"
"No, that's the one with brown hair. I'm Pixie-Bob, the blonde."
"Right, right, sorry. You retired, didn't you?"
"From the look of things, at the best possible time, too. I'd hate to be stuck in Japan with those monsters, ugh."
"Are your friends still there?"
"Yeah, those idiots want to go down fighting. We even offered them a way out. But, they refused."
"That means they're real heroes. Fighting against monsters, no matter the odds. To protect the weak and innocent."
"It means they're stupid," Ryuko says. "Other countries have been stealing Pro Heroes and skilled civilians from Japan since the start of this. And since Dabi's announcement about hunting your family, most of the world's villains rushed to Japan to join whatever sad excuse for a country All For One is building. They've already lost."
Ryuko takes a sip of her water as Fuyumi's heart breaks all over again.
"You could have said that better," Law whispers to Ryuko.
"You're rubbing off on me."
"How can you say that so easily?" Fuyumi asks. "Your friends are going to fight to the death, and you've already resigned yourself to accept it?"
"They had every opportunity to leave, but didn't. Choices, consequences, simple."
Fuyumi glares at her, taking in how comfortable Ryuko is in Law's lap, the fancy clothes, and expensive jewelry. The lavish penthouse they're in, atop a skyscraper with his name etched into the side of it.
While her friends and the people of Japan are fighting and dying every day.
"You're just a selfish bitch," Fuyumi says, coldly.
Law smiles and relaxes back into his seat as Ryuko's expression hardens, then relaxes.
"I'll let that go, because I know you're hurting and dealing with a lot right now. Also, it's true. I have everything I ever wanted, so the last thing I'm doing is going back to Japan. And I'm certainly not asking Law to do that.
We barely got any time together while he had to be Horizon, and I quite like having him around most days, all to myself."
"So you're fine with letting a country die, your friends and family included, if you get to be his plaything?"
"Plaything?!" Ryuko feels Law's hands gently hold her waist, keeping her on his lap. She then takes a deep breath and leans back against him again. "I'll have you know. This isn't just some casual fling. I'm p—"
A purple Warp Gate appears a few feet away from the trio, interrupting their conversation.
SHAMBLES!
Fuyumi disappears into one of the guest rooms, stocked with clothes and other living amenities, along with a luxurious private bathroom.
The first person out of the Warp Gate is Lady Nagant, wearing her new Hero Costume and UN Response Team emblem on her shoulder.
Ryuko hops out of Law's lap and rushes over to her friend. "Wow, you must be really excited to see it."
"You were making such a big fuss," Lady Nagant says as she follows Ryuko down a hallway, leaving the entertainment area.
"You'll love it. The moment I saw it, I just knew it was made for you."
"And there goes my best agent," Mudman says, removing his visor and sitting across from Law.
One step behind him is Cellophane, who does the same thing. "I thought I was your best?"
"She has more experience," Juzo shrugs, his visor removed, revealing dark bags under his eyes.
"You look like shit."
"Really didn't miss your terrible bedside manner."
Sero chuckles. "If he was good at that, his prices would have probably doubled."
"Tempting, but not worth it. I barely have private clients anymore." Law takes a sip of his drink, then leaves it to hover beside him. "Any new developments?"
"Aside from a mass exodus of Villains from every corner of the world toward Japan, nope."
Law sees Juzo relax into the couch and close his eyes, one step from falling asleep.
"We were tasked with cataloguing and recording all of them, which is honestly a lot more work than just arresting them."
"Really?"
Sero speaks up. "Countries don't want us to stop them, because then the villains would just stay where they are. They're happy to get rid of them, but nations in the Pacific are nervous, so the records are mostly for them. So they know what to expect if All For One outgrows Japan."
"If he outgrows Japan, I'll just cut him up, then he'll fit right back in. Dust doesn't take much space."
"Seems like an eventuality," Juzo says. "Guessing it's more about the message or something?"
Law doesn't answer, just taking another sip of his drink.
"Whatever. Did you finish them?" Sero asks.
SHAMBLES!
A small case, the size of a smartphone, hovers in front of Sero.
Juzo sits up, laser-focused, and holds the case. He then opens it to reveal five small vials of red liquid.
"Only five?"
"You only really need one," Law says. "One to deal with All For One, or if you can't manage that, just give it to Deku and destroy that Quirk. Because if All For One absorbs One For All, he'll mutate into something very…annoying."
"So he'd be a challenge for you."
"Not even remotely, but he'd be too much for everyone else in the world."
"How hard is it to make these?"
Law looks away, a sour expression on his face. "The concentration of spinal fluid is…a lot. Not to mention other aspects of the procedure. Panacea or not, I'm not subjecting Eri to that again. And I don't even want to imagine what she experienced with Overhaul's method. At least she was asleep and felt nothing for mine. But it does put a strain on her…"
"Then this will be enough," Sero says.
---15 Minutes Later…
After their friends leave and Eri is getting cleaned up, Ryuko finds herself back on Law's lap, watching him have a short text conversation with Midoriya.
"He's so nervous about this," she says, reading the screen. "He should be more assertive. Women like that kind of man."
"You hate being told what to do."
"Unless it's you telling me what to do."
Law sighs. "Don't give anyone dating advice. You're kind of sitting in the lap of a mass murderer."
"Which makes it even more special, because you've done all that, but would never hurt me."
Law quickly types 'Just tell her to stay in UA', and hits send, then tosses his phone aside and has it hover beside them.
He pulls Ryuko into his chest and holds her with both arms. "Do you remember our trip to Italy?"
"Mmm, very fun. What about it?"
"My uncle."
"I thought you said it wouldn't bother you?"
"It doesn't, really," he holds the ring up for her to see it floating above his palm. "But uncle Doffy killed my grandfather for this, sent my mom to kill my dad for it. This is the legacy of that entire part of my family.
But, I've never been a Don Quixote, I've always been a Matani. So really, closing that loose end was just for my dad's sake. I don't give a damn about any of those people."
"So, what are you saying?"
"Wearing it feels wrong, but it should stay in the family. So you should wear it…"
END CHAPTER---