The airport.
A unique and diverse place, unlike anywhere else in the world.
With a constant symphony of well-wishes, tearful goodbyes, and excited hellos in every language, all under the electric calls for landing and boarding. Combined with the stench of over a thousand sweaty, anxious people, cheap overpriced airport food, and overused restrooms.
The airport, a place that had become, to many people, like a second home. A place where you could meet and mingle with people from every corner of the world.
A shining beacon of the future, showing just how far mankind has come.
To Rumi, it was just another reason to hate herself. And her cousin…mostly her cousin.
Tapping her foot against the floor, Rumi checked the time again on her phone. 11:30, he should be landing any minute now.
Huffing, Rumi shoved her phone away. Crossing her arms, she started tapping her foot faster, beating it against the tile until it nearly cracked.
She hated the airport.
This place, or any other crowded place, was like hell for heteromorphs. Their enhanced senses, being as they were, meant they could hear/smell everything.
And she means…
Rumi grit her teeth. A putrid scent just wafted into her nose. Yet another person who's probably never heard of deodorant just walked right in front of her. This time it was a woman.
Ugh! She can still smell them. Like moldy pizza topped by sweaty socks.
…everything.
And having forgone her usual leotard and bracers for a ballcap and pullover, she got to experience it all that much closer.
Argh, Rumi winced as she rubbed the top of her head, and the speakers were killer on her ears.
And all because she had to pick up her stupid cousin.
Seriously, what the hell had she been thinking, sending him that text? No really, what the hell was she thinking?
Telling her cousin that All Might was gonna be settling down to teach. Was she insane?
That info was meant to be hush-hush. The "Don't tell anyone or else" sort of thing. With heaps of NDA's, lawyers, and even a visit from the big man himself to drive the point home.
And all just to prevent what her idiot cousin was doing right now.
The way it had been explained to her was that if the whole world knew that All Might, the premier Super Hero, one of the few to have that distinct title. Was gonna be teaching a couple of brats for a year, then people would have gone crazy.
Everyone and their mother would have tried to attend. Millions of applications from around the globe all funneled into one little old high school. And worst would have been the ones that they couldn't have refused.
Children of diplomats, politicians, hell, even royalty. All of them are taking spots from 'good little Japanese kids'. A political nightmare for the people in charge.
None of that mattered to her, though. No, the real danger was if a villain took the chance to enroll themselves or their kids into UA. That's why Nezu wanted things quiet anyway.
The only reason why she was told was that she was part of the Top 10.
Cause when the news hits that All Might will be off the streets for a while, things are gonna get crazy.
Murders, thieves, Yakuza, dealers, and traffickers, every two-bit crusty villain that had slinked into the shadows whenever Mr. Shiny Teeth came knocking were all about to come out of the woodwork now that the big bad predator was out of the picture.
Which meant they were gonna have to pick up the big guys' slack. Patrols, events, greetings, photo ops, all of it was being ramped up to withstand the tide of panic coming their way.
Every Hero in Japan was gonna be pulling overtime come April. They were just the lucky ones to get the memo first so that they could be ready.
That was about when, during the briefing, she remembered that she had a cousin over in the States. Who just so happened to be the right age to start attending high school this year.
Not having been paying all that much attention to what they were saying, Rumi had the bright idea to text him during the meeting.
She would just let him know what he's missing out on. Rub it in his face a little. He wouldn't mind, not like he could do anything about it.
Man, what a mess she made.
And to make it worse, she only found out about his change of schools when that rat Nezu put her on a three-way call with the president of the Hero Commission, asking her why a distant relative of hers from the States had made a last-minute change to attend UA.
That had not been a fun call.
And the icing on the carrot! The little turd had the actual gall to suggest that she let him move in for the year. At her house.
Like hell she will.
And she was just about ot tell him so over the phone when the brat had to get his parents involved, and then they got Granpa and Grandma Conjeo on the line, and then she really didn't have a choice.
She could never say no to Grandma Maria.
So here she was. Stuck, waiting in the middle of this smelly, loud Godforsaken place for the cousin that she didn't want, to stay at her house where she didn't want him, so that he could go to a school that he shouldn't be going to.
All the while having the Government breathing down her neck.
She swears, for all the trouble he's given her. As soon as she sees him, she's punching him straight in the face.
Rumi's ears perked up.
There seemed to be some kind of commotion ahead. The overhead speakers rang out.
"Everyone, please remain calm. Police and Heroes are on the scene, and we will have flights back up momentarily."
Rumi grinned. Seems like someone's making problems.
Now, normally, Rumi would have happily left this sort of thing to any of the many Pro Heroes stationed around the airport.
She takes her days off very seriously after all, and she was likely to cause grave bodily harm if anyone interrupting it.
But grave bodily harm was just what the doctor ordered right now.
Rolling up her sleeves, Rumi cracked her neck. Following after the crowd, Rumi left the airport. Leaving only a cracked tile behind her in the form of a rabbit's foot.
(\YY/)
( -.- )
0_(")(")
Outside on the tarmac, one of the planes had already been cordoned off by both the police and Heroes.
Pushing her way through the corwd Rumi hopped over one of the barricades as she studied the scene.
"Hold on ma'am you can't be cak here. I'm gonna have to-" Bravely stepping in front of Rumi, a younger officer held up a hand, stopping her.
Rumi rolled her eyes. She didn't have time for this.
Whipping her cap off, Rumi felt her long white hair cascading behind her. Her trademarked rabbit ears standing tall on her head.
Immediately, the office recondiszed her. "Ahh! I m-mean Sorry Mirko, we didn't know that you were in the area."
Rumi hummed. "Yeah, well, I was, now what's the situation?"
"Ah, well, it seems like some kind of fight broke out just while the plane was descending. They already have the perpetrator in custody and are now uploading all the passengers."
Rumi felt her eye start twitching again. "You mean to tell me that I came over here for nothing?"
The cop started to sweat.
"W-Well, you can still help with the interrogation."
Rumi scoffed.
"Who the hell wants to be a part of that circus act. Interrogations are just a waste of time. I'd rather punch the info out of them. Besides, I still need to pick up-." starting to trail off, Rumi watched as two stretches were being rolled off the plane.
The first one carried some guy with orange hair. Like bright orange, the kind of color that draws your eyes and makes you forget what you're talking about.
He was being taken over to an ambulance close by. Must have been the victim then, she thought, certainly looks like it.
The guy had two black eyes swollen shut and a pair of busted lips so enlarged that it looked like the guy got filler.
Then they brought the second stretcher down, and Rumi's eyes widened.
Strapped to the bed so that he couldn't move, a black-haired teen with a pair of rabbit ears and antlers was being rolled down the runway. Right in their direction.
N-No it coudln't be right?
There's no way he could do something like this before even stepping off the plane.
No, it didn't matter. If it is him, then she can't waste any time thinking. She has to get out of here.
She was already in enough heat without adding this forest fire into the mixture.
Watching his face, Rumi realized that he still hadn't seen her yet. Too busy arguing with the officers pushing him to see right in front of him.
Good, that meant she still had enough time to book it. If she never came to get him, then surely they'd just deport him, right?
She'll just call his parents and say that she was late. No way she could have got here in time, and by then it'd been too late. He'd already been deported.
Yeah, that's a great plan, just so long as-
Their eyes met.
Rumi grimaced, Dammit!
"Hey, Rumi-chwan, it's been years. Can you help me out?" With the biggest smile, speaking in a heavily accented Japanese, Alex tried to wave, but the straps holding his arms down wouldn't let him.
The best he could do was a little finger wave, but even that couldn't wear down that smile of his. It was the first time in forever after all that he's seen his cousin face to face.
Rumi mean while was trying to hide her face behind her hands.
A hand placed itself on her shoulders. The Cop that had been previously worshipping the ground she walked on had made an about turn and was now staring seriously at her.
"Ma'am, I think we should have a talk with the chief."
Lifting her face out of her hands, Rumi made sure to convey the full amount of hatred she felt towards Alex with her eyes.
Good news, though, she was no longer gonna punch him in the face.
Noooo, it's gonna be a Luna Arc right between the eyes.
And through it all, between the wall of police, the pillars of heroes, the heated gaze of family, and the flashes of cameras.
Alex never once stopped smiling.