Divergent Virtue Chapter 3

**"..."**

## Chains of Emotion Tangled

"Hey Midori, you haven't touched your bento box yet..."

The green haired girl remained sat at the bench silent, looking down at the bento box laid in front of her. After hearing the news of Aiko, Joji and Guido immediately headed for the hospital to meet with her. Unfortunately, by the time they got there, Midori had already received the news of Aiko's passing, and triggered the deterioration of Midori's mental state. First she loses her family, then her quirk, and finally her best friend. It seems life wasn't at all in favour of Midori, as she was constantly losing things very close to her.

"...Midori? C'mon. You need to eat." Joji spoke softly, sitting across from Midori.

Their table consisted of Guido sitting next to Midori, with Jack and Joji sitting across, joined by Akira who sat at the end in her wheel chair near Jack. While school life continued as usual, the atmosphere was a bit more dark for some of the students in second year. Usually, the group would be sitting outside but today the teachers advised for all students to remain indoors. Ever since the news of a U.A. Student being killed by a dangerous villain, school security had went up as well as the rules for the school premises. Parents of the students were becoming more and more paranoid with how the school was dealing with these controversies and issues, to where some of them pulled their children out and moved them somewhere else.

"Quit it Joji, she's not going to eat. Leave her be." Guido texted into his phone, playing it with its text-to-voice feature. "Just give the girl some peace yeah?"

Joji sighed and backed up before turning to his lunch, softly chewing the food he had packed this morning. It might've not been much, but it was what he could muster before heading to the Kowerata residence. A few rice balls, leftover chicken strips from last night's dinner and steamed vegetable spring rolls was all he had. He wasn't eating as fast as he usually did, as he was taking the time for the group to come to terms with the quiet.

*"It was pretty lucky that Aiko's parents agreed to continue Midori's education here. Thing is, does Midori even want to stay here anymore?"* Joji thought to himself, finding that his eyes had gazed back to the emotionless Midori.

The other tables seem loud and bright, much more jolly than Midori's lunch group. It was unclear how everyone at the table was feeling at the moment, as they all held the same expression. Midori brought her head up from her food and looked around, watching everyone slowly eat from their meals. She didn't want her mood to bring everyone down, as she felt as though she was the reason for the lack of enthusiasm at the table.

"Akira, Jack, Guido, Joji. You guys can all leave if you want." Midori suggested as she looked up from her food, allowing the hair to hang over and cover her face.

Guido immediately shook his head before looking down to his phone, typing quickly whilst still having her attention. "No. It's fine. I'll gladly stay here. You shouldn't have to go through this alone."

Joji nodded his head in agreement, "Same. We want to be here to help you Midori. You're our friend, and friends always have eachother's backs."

"I'm sure me and Jack-san can still acompany you, Crane-san!" Akira smiled, gesturing for Midori with her hand.

"Damn straight we can." Jack agreed, aggressively but honest.

Midori was close to expressing a smile, but the guilt of what happened that night still weighed down on her. Clearing her throat, Midori immediately stood up from her seat and bowed to her friends before taking her leave. Abandoning her meal, Midori went straight for the girls restrooms without looking back, leaving some members of the group in disarray, recounting on what they said to issue her response. They hadn't themselves to blame after all, as Midori minded the blame as all hers, and that it was selfish for her to bring the others down with her. Leaving the group to enjoy the day was probably best option for Midori at the moment.

Watching the green haired girl distance herself from the crowd, Jack pulled himself up from his seat and prepared to head after her. However, Joji was quick to see what Jack was planning, and immediately pulled him back down onto the chair with ease. He knew what Midori was thinking, and felt as though she needed to do what was right for herself. "Leave it Lamppost, give her time to collect her feelings. We don't know Aiko like Midori does, so this is going to be something she'll have to come to terms with." Joji explained as he patted Jack on the back.

"You sure? I don't think leaving her is really the best option." Guido's phone retaliated,
as he slammed his palm onto the lunch table.

Joji shot eyes right at Guido as soon as he felt what he did, causing Guido to sink back into his seat and remain quiet. "I'm sure as hell. We shouldn't bother Midori too much or else she'll be dealing with her inside feelings and the feelings she'll try to act out to hide them."

Guy paced up and down his office with extreme unease, having called up many connections in his desperate cry for help. Unfortunately, many of them declined for several reasons; the death of a student, his actions prior, and the joy they get from seeing the man finally suffer. To Guy, the world was toppling down over him and he only had seconds to escape the pieces of the sky that were about to crush him. Words rushed through his mind as he formulated plans and sentences, but none of them seemed to work without the right support.

*"Indra. Raito Yamazaki. Even my old old team won't help. My connections with the Septem Society are weakened, so I'll have to rely on the ones I've made outside them."*

Reaching into his pocket and grabbing out his phone, Guy opened up his contacts list once again and speed dialled a strange number, simply labelled "???". The phone called, but was left unanswered for a few brief seconds before hanging up. This didn't seem to worry Guy one bit like before, as he was much more confident in the call he had made. He looked out the windows behind his desk and gazed carefully into the sky. Not to be lost in thought, but to spot whoever was coming to his call. A black figure with large wings could be seen flying around the buildings, over the tops as it came closer. Guy formed a smirk on his face as he walked closer to his windows, placing his palm flat on the glass as the figure sped up.

What was in the sky, was what looked like an extremely tall man, dressed in a red suit that you wouldn't guess was metal from a distance. Its black wings spanned far out, glimmering in the distance against the sun's bright glare. It had been quite a while since Guy last saw this figure, though last time was an urgent issue that only they could resolve. Its top hat and mask were unmistakable, as no other person, or rather villain sported something that threatening so officially. And the speed it reached in the sky could rival or surpass that of other flight capable individuals. It was something dangerous, that Guy needed to tame before anyone else did.

"VIOLETTA!"

The doors behind him swung open, with Violetta bursting through with a concerned look on her face. "Yes boss?"

"...Escort me to the rooftops," He said with a menacing smile, "I've an important meeting to attend to."

Without hesitating, both Guy and Violetta rushed to an elevator in the halls, swiftly making their way to the top floors. As they came closer to the top, the sounds of gunfire rang through the area that could be heard floors down. The yelling of men issuing orders and yelling war cries were only background to the shooting of heavy weaponry. As Guy and Violetta arrived, they were introduced to a scene of several men all laid out on the ground, pinned down with what looked to be feathers into the concrete roof. The figure towered over the humans, looking around to see if it had missed anyone who attacked it before. The thing finally spotted Guy and Violetta near the entrance to the rooftop, releasing a blood curdling scream into the air that sent chills down both spines.

"Wait here Violetta, let me attend to this. You go see how many men are still alive." Guy whispered, receiving a quick nod from his second-in-command.

Carefully taking steps closer to the figure, Guy watched as one foot was pulled before the other, looking down as to not seem threatening to the winged menace. As soon as he saw the figure's boots in front of him, he immediately looked up, nearly stumbling back as soon as he saw the thing's mask a mere nose away from his face. Nonetheless, Guy persevered and stood strong as he looked right into the mask, noticing the details that made it look as horrifying as it was. He didn't look back or trembled at the sight, gripping his hands which he flung behind him out of sight.

"...Welcome, Karasu-Tengu. I apologise for the welcome party, I'll have whatever needs to be done to your suit if there is any damaged issued to it." Guy apologised in a professional manner, bowing in respect to Karasu-Tengu.

The winged figure let out another scream, this time not as loud as a the last, in a type of talking tone that was suitable for Guy. Somehow, Guy was able to fully understand what the screech had meant, despite its lack of words and only rising tone.

Guy bowed his head once more in respect to Karasu-Tengu, "Of course. Time is of the essence now so your call shall not be wasted. I may need your help once more, with a reward as big as you can imagine."

The response was something that surprised the creature, whose expression was hidden behind its mask. Karasu-Tengu took several steps back, swinging around to face the city around him and noticeably breathing in heavily before sighing. Guy waited for a response, turning around to look back at Violetta who had begun dragging the unconscious men back through the entrance and cleaning the area up. As he looked back to where he last saw Karasu-Tengu, the figure had suddenly disappeared out of sight. Both relief and worry had weighed Guy down, as he didn't need to deal with Karasu-Tengu anymore but at the same time lost another valuable asset to his side.

*"Great. Another one. I don't have many contacts left so I guess we'll see how much of a chance I've got."* he thought defeatedly.

With the rooftop cleared of any bodies and Violetta waiting at the door for Guy, the criminal boss made his way back with a loud sigh. From the top edge of his eye, however, he was able to spot the winged creature watching over from a ledge at a nearby building. With it being close to the area instead of actually leaving meant there was an understanding, and Karasu-Tengu was willing to consider this request. After all, last time the creature was employed into the service of Guy, it almost costed it its freedom and its life.

"Hmph. Karasu-Tengu, never gives a straight answer. I can only hope he agrees to side with me." Guy thought out loud to himself.

Violetta had a displeased look on her face as Guy stood by her, obviously trying to hold something back. She had watched the whole ordeal between Guy and Karasu-Tengu, and seeing him being able to communicate with a "monster" like that seemed totally unnatural. Karasu-Tengu and Violetta had never crossed paths before today, so seeing this play out was totally new to the Russian assassin.

"Speak your mind." Guy ordered, noticing the noticeable expression on Violetta's face.

"...Well. Nothing that's totally important boss," She responded at the very second he asked, opening the door and allowing him to pass through, "But are you sure it's needed for something like, 'that', for whatever your planning?"

The two walked through the halls of the building in the direction of Guy's office, passing empty, abandoned rooms as well as rooms that the remainders of the Black-Blood Triad socialised in. What the headquarters now was a deserted hero agency building that was sold off years ago before their fall. With the building near the outskirts of the city, not many heroes would likely be passing by it, and hopefully not any innocent civilians. Their footsteps could be heard echoing through the hallways, so that anyone who tried to get in would cause the rest of the building to be alarmed. Not the best place for an organised faction like the Black-Blood Triad, but it was the best they could get ever since the destruction of their former base.

"I'm sure." Guy answered firmly, looking forward with his hands held behind his back, "Karasu-Tengu is a dangerous ally, someone who could benefit the group greatly. Besides, his loyalty is to both money, and me."

"I-I don't understand?" Violetta expressed with a concerned tone, lifting one eyebrow up to Guy's response.

"When all is done, I'll tell you. But for now, I simply need your trust." He explained, with the two having arrived at the doors of his office. "I trust you examined those who were fallen on the rooftop?"

Violetta shyly nodded her head, "Yes boss. All of them survived, but two of them have pretty damaged legs. When I tried to pick them up I noticed that they had wounds that went down to the bone."

Guy let out one sigh to the side and nodded, understanding the situation as he made his way into the office room. "Fine. Have a doctor brought here to tend to their wounds. I'll pay him after the job is done."

With one last bow, Guy and Violetta parted ways, with Violetta closing the doors to leave Guy to think. It had been a while since Guy had been this stressed, from planning the West District Bombings, to conquering many gangs on the East side of Japan, he had all the time in the world to relax. But the fate hadn't seemed to be as kind as he wanted it to be, throwing him into yet another life threatening situation. And once again, it had some connection to the Septem Society. Guy approached his desk and slammed both fists onto its top, creating a loud bang that rung through the upper floors of the building. Frustrated with how things turned out, Guy threw his arm across the desk, removing all the contents that laid on top of it. Pens, papers and other supplies went flying to the other side as Guy cleared the surface.

"So this is what it's like to truly fear. Is this what mortality feels like?"