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Patrol was easy tonight. Quiet. Not the way he would have expected, after so many events at once. For just this moment, these few hours, the world and its people seemed to take a breath, before continuing with life, proceeding to turn and move on. A little calm before the storm, he presumed, considering that none of the recent revelations would be met with silence for long. It was a matter of time until people would start to react more openly, until the news had truly spread. He already dreaded the press conferences and interviews that would have to be held, the debates and talks. Repercussions were sure to follow, as well as critiques, both realistic and and the exact opposite, idealistic at best. Most of these people would never understand the paths and possibilities he was met with. Not that that was bad, in the end, that was exactly what he worked forward to, that no one would have to face situations like his, but it also meant that being understood was rare, sometimes a distant dream even.His fingertips touched his back, the base of his almost completely burnt wings. It would take time for his feathers to regrow, if they ever found back to their old glory. Right now, they were nothing but remnants of the past, a reminder of his deeds and failure. Failure to save someone he knew deserved better than the fate he'd given him. His face haunted his dreams, cries of betrayal and pain."Me too-!”, he wanted to scream, shout into the night. "I felt this way too! I never wanted to-!"His pleas remained unheard. Emotions were a weakness, he'd been told. The reason for mistakes. An action led by feelings was a ticket for wrong choices. All his life, he'd lived by that sentiment. Now regret gnawed at his insides, his heart and very being. He hated it. None of this had gone the way it was supposed to. If it had, the man he had considered a friend would still be alive, not nothing more than ashes and dust, to be carried away by the elements they would face.The wind picked up, rustling through the trees, grass, and his hair, leaving a shiver to run down his spine. It seemed to carry a presence with it, luring him closer to its origin until he reached a cliff from which he could oversee the town he resided in at the moment, a small suburb right before Musutafu. Light shone through some of the windows, reminding him of the stars painting the skies above. It was truly..."Beautiful, isn't it? All these lights to remind us of young and old, lives worth protecting." A voice called next to him, startling the pro hero. Not having sensed her presence at all, he had to fight off his first instinct to attack the possible enemy. His time with the league sure had taken a toll on him, this was only further proof to him. Bittersweet memories to look back to, a different type of home he’d never return to."Yeah...", he answered, clearing his throat awkwardly.The feminine figure chuckled quietly, not minding his jumpy behavior at all, almost like she was used to it. His sharp eyes trailed over her petite frame that sat relaxed on the edge, one leg dangling down into the air. It took him a moment to realize that she was humming noiselessly. Any awe and excitement he was usually met with was lacking – a sentiment he actually found rather enjoyable."My apologies. I did not mean to surprise you like that. l often visit this place when I need to clear my head for a while. ", she spoke again, cutting into his trance of observation."It's... fine. I should have paid more attention. " He paused. "May I sit?"A nod, enough for him to settle onto the damp ground. Despite the pale light of the moon reflecting on her skin, he couldn't make out her face, save for the mouth beneath drawn into a relaxed line. Failing to get a read on her, he frowned, his own lips forming a downwards pointing smile."My condolences for your friend. He seemed like a good man. "Again his body betrayed him, shifting so that he could stare at her - her own dark eyes met his golden ones, as if heaven and hell met in this very moment. His throat went dry. Something in him told him that this was exactly that – two Pilar opposites meeting, no longer pushed afar by the circumstances."I'm sorry?"Her eyes were glossy, but not from emotion. If he looked closely enough, he could make out a veil of sorts covering her pupils. "Neither he, nor you deserved what happened." As if she read his mind, she explained. Perhaps she had. Would he know? “A side effect of my... quirk, do you call it? It destroys my ability to see.“ A shiver ran over his back."Thanks, I guess..?" A burst of laughter shook his body, forcing him to hold his stomach. He wheezed. "Sorry. That was just so... unexpected. I never thought someone would express their empathy towards my situation, if you catch my drift.”She smiled sadly. "I get it. Better than you imagine. I, once, was forced to end a friend's life, too. No one ever asks the 'culprit' what led to it or how it happened. Understandable, yet it causes only hurt all over again. A truly vicious cycle that has yet to be broken. All that is to say - you are not alone.”Hawks felt the remains of his wings stiffen, and strangely, he felt he could trust her. None of it made sense - she was a stranger, a threat at best. Still, even as if to contradict the underlying danger she emitted… his senses told him to talk about it. To take this chance. Who knew when or if it would ever come again. Before he could stop himself, he spoke, low in volume:"I didn't want to do it. I... had no real choice, you know?" Solemnly, she nodded, her hand caressing the ground. "Fate can be cruel, sometimes. I'm sure, wherever he is now, he knows.”Another laugh bellowed out of the blonde, this time self-deprecating. “Oh yes. He knows his murderer just wanted to help him get his life together by forcing him to go against his morals and people, unintentionally but also intentionally wanting to separate him from the people he’s loyal to.”"Like I said, Hawks. Sometimes you can't help those you desperately wish to help. Every persons’ influence is limited. And sometimes, we're fated to fail.” She met his gaze, pupils unfocused, but nonetheless somehow meeting his own.Scoffing, his visor now on top of his head, he shook the body part. "That's no excuse.”"It was never meant to be one, Keigo." Almost naturally, his real name passed her lips. Irritated, he raised his eyebrow. "Who even are you?A hero? A villain? Some random civilian? Even so, how do you know that name." A sigh escaped her lips, gave room to years worth of loneliness, despair and sadness. Her head tilted, her hair casting a shadow onto her face he couldn't quite decipher. She answered strangely melancholic. “I believe a guest passing through fits the shoe, and no, I am no hero. If anything, the term vigilante would be far more fitting.” “Vigilante, huh?” Keigo mirrored her motion. "Guess we share the wish to help people, even if our methods might differ."This time, it was her who grimaced, defeated. " It might just be all we share. Regret is something I lack, at least about the deeds that people believe I should feel it for. Rather do I miss what could have been. It has always been a trait of mine, a friend would say.”Frowning, his pupils raked over her figure. He hesitated. “I'm sure that whatever you did... You had your reasons.""Did I?", she lamented. "Or did I just wish for a quick fix? Who knows...”Something about her words, her demeanor, incited his belief that there was more to it, hidden well under veils of deception, years worth of pretending. What could she have done that made it so unlikely for her intentions to have been pure? What kind of action was so unforgivable that she herself couldn’t show mercy to herself? She sighed.“Should you ever meet my brother, it’s in your best interest not to mention our little encounter. I might just be the worst villain to exist in his eyes, much how the world views my doings. The complete apposite of a hero, if you may. Just as I expected to be viewed when I made my decision.”"You know, I don't think l've ever caught your name.”"Do you truly need it?" Her eyes bore into his very soul, seeing right through his carefully plastered smile. “It might just put yourself in danger to know who you talked to so freely. To know who it is you trusted.”“You know mine, don’t you? It'd be only fair. " Momentarily, she didn't answer. She didn’t want to. But he simply continued to look, patient. Unrelenting. Then, very, very quiet, she gave him, what he asked for."It's Akako. Akako Uchiha.” His heart froze. “What... ?”Her eyes turned red, black tomoe swirling into place, before forming what the world feared the most, a Mangekyo Sharingan. Adrenaline shot though his veins, upon realizing the meaning behind her words, behind her reluctance to share the most simple question he once had to answer daily.“You’re…”, he gasped, eyes taking over her again, as he unconsciously backed up. The clan killer. The most ruthless agent of all.“It's a pleasure to meet you, Hawks.”