[CHIRP ♪♪]

Car chase, car chase, car chase!

We love car chases. They aren’t at all inconvenient! You might think the additional accidents that happen throughout the chase would cause more traffic. And you’re right! But we love that. We love having places to be and getting there late. We love not getting to those places at all. We love arriving at those places and then hearing about loved ones who passed on their way over. We love never getting to say goodbye to them.

Some people complain about the insurance premiums. With the dawn of unregulated superpowers, much to every government’s chagrin, we had a swath of new coverages. Great, we can replace our car but things outside of our control still put a dent in our wallets (as if the cars weren’t bad enough). Some people complain about the norms — we’ve grown accustomed to the tragedies.

But we aren’t those people. We love the spectacle. We love any excuse to mourn a tragedy. And with the gray Toyota swerving in and out of oncoming traffic, we get a new, wonderful show. Today, the star, as far as we know is Gabriel Dos Santos. He needed help with his first car chase, but he’s different now… he’s grown.

The Toyota skids past him.

“I think… they’re speeding?”

---

Kaida Ikarashi

[Kaida Ikarashi]

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Kaida doesn't like car chases, contrary to the popular opinion.[break][break]

She might have, on any other day. But after a day of training with her over-excited, over-zealous, over-everything mentor Kenzou, she felt like a stick of ham beaten raw after how many times he had smacked her with that goddamned bokken over the head. Rehabilitation exercises after her incident at the drydocks down in Tokushima had taken its toll on her, and with a sluggish mind, she could only grit her teeth at the various incidents happening around her and leave it to the heroes that were actually on patrol.[break][break]

She doesn't care right now. Sincerely. She just doesn't care.[break][break]

She moved to step on the crossing, the little green man on the traffic light a buzz in her ears. She stopped. She almost gets run over.[break][break]

Stepping backwards and looking after the Toyota with not a single notion of anger in her eyes, but only fatigue in her expression, she glanced at the man next to her. Vaguely, she thought she had seen him somewhere before. "They are speeding." She concurred nonchalantly.

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CHIRP ♪♪

notes

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[CHIRP ♪♪]

“Ugh,” Gabe said, defeated. “They are speeding.”

With a sigh, he pulled out his phone and took a photo of the car as it turned, capturing an image of the passenger before they disappeared. The objective was simple. Figure out where they had been and use that to figure out where they’re going. If they’re heading in a particular direction, it’ll be easier to cut them off. And with that information, he can coordinate with local heroes — they were always missing critical information.

“Well, guess I’ll go stop them.” Gabriel turned to the remarkably familiar voice only to see a remarkably familiar person. “Oh, Kaida!”

It wouldn’t surprise him if she had forgotten who he was. They were in different years and different departments — even if he did accidentally find himself working at a hero agency. But there was that important interview she had done a year or two ago. They always blur together, it’s hard to remember when he’s not referencing his catalog.

“Lookin’ super hot as always,” Kaida was not the flirtatious type. And something about that made him want to flirt with her even more. It’s not about chasing what you can’t have but about pressing people’s buttons. And make no mistake, she was very attractive… but so not his type. He preferred his women a little… warmer! “If you got that dragon under control, we should go out sometime.”

Gabriel facepalms himself.

“D’ah, I can’t. I’ve got a car chase to stop.” Then he snaps his fingers as if he realized something. He didn’t, but the pantomime was all part of the act. A very obvious ploy to get her involved. “Come with?”

---

Kaida Ikarashi

[Kaida Ikarashi]

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Kaida stared after the Toyota as it disappeared around a bend, with no one in chase. Slight number one. She didn't want to go after it.[break][break]

The voice of the man beside her grabbed her attention again. She gave him another once-over, and her eyes narrowed. Oh, it's Gabriel. [break][break]

Oh, it's Gabriel.[break][break]

"Gabriel—" Kaida acknowledged simply, before stopping, looking away, then looking back at him. And staring. Hard. It had been a long time since she had seen him, and honestly, she was glad for that fact. On the surface, she knew he was a player, someone that was hard to get. But there was a crafty side to his shadow that she was wary of, and had tried to avoid it, successful in most degrees. But it's hard when he's face-to-face with her, and there's not many places to scurry off into. Kaida hasn't been one to run away from confrontation, but there's only so much she can put up with.[break][break]

Slight number two. She tried to ignore everything else of what he said, a small twitch of her brow betraying how she felt. "Do I have a choice?" She asked.

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CHIRP ♪♪

notes

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[CHIRP ♪♪]

“No, you don’t,” Gabriel said. “It’s about time we fell in love.”

The twitch of her eyebrow was everything he wanted. Her buttons were pushed in the most satisfying of ways and it let him grab her hand with the utmost confidence. Sure, she may rip it off but they had places to be. Dragging her along, he’d hold her hand until she started following on her own and would promptly let it go, barging into a local hero agency.

“Who the hell is this?” Someone calls out.

“I’m with Ouros,” Gabe said. “This is my sidekick. There’s a case of grand theft auto and I can track where they’re going to be. But I need an officially licensed hero to get us there and act as a chaperone.” He paused. “Also, to drive us.”

“Okay!” The same person said. They put on a motorcycle helmet and walked them to their agency-sponsored van. “I’m The Cool Man, but you can call me Cool.” Then, he looked at Kaida and winked. “And you? You can just call me when this is done.”

“Hey, focus,” Gabriel said, snapping his fingers. “Stop hitting on my girlfriend, we’re on a time crunch.”

“O-oh,” Cool said. “S-sorry.”

Gabriel led them to the van and they were off. He’d look into the past as his eyes glazed over and he lost his senses to about twenty minutes ago. He just had to scour where they were headed and then they could cut them off. Or use the van’s radio to coordinate with people who were already in the area.

And now Cool and Kaida were left alone.

“So how long have you two been dating?” He cleared his throat. “You got a twin or sumn maybe?”

---

Kaida Ikarashi

[Kaida Ikarashi]

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Anything Gabriel said most likely went in one ear and out the other. She could hardly register any of what he was saying, making her think she had somehow acquired an invisible shield that deflected all of Gabriel's Bullshit™. And some on-the-way Nonsense to go with it. She supposed for once she was glad Kenzou had beat the ever loving crap out of her.[break][break]

Usually she had a infatuation with hand-holding for reasons she couldn't quite understand, but Kaida could understand that she liked anything but holding hands with him. Promptly and not-so-subtly ripping her hand from Gabriel's grasp, Kaida followed him with a begrudging grumble.[break][break]

Ah, flirting. That was what the kids called it, right? Was that what was happening right now?[break][break]

Much to her dismay, Gabriel deflected Cool's words. Much to her dismay, Gabriel made it even worse. In the back of her mind, it registered how bizarre this entire situation was, and how bizarrely okay Cool seemed okay with everything. Did Gabriel even have a hero's license? [break][break]

Slight number three. Had he not gone into a state of subconsciousness, presumably using his quirk, Kaida would have likely punched him for calling her that. The senior stood in front of him and looked up at him, wondering what he was doing. "It just started now, as far as I'm aware," Kaida responded to Cool. A twin? Her elder sister hadn't been seen for the past five years, and her younger was... well, a five-year-old. "Unless you intend on catching a ghost, no. Stop asking me questions unless it's important." She added on coldly. "Do you have much experience on the field?"

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CHIRP ♪♪

notes

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[CHIRP ♪♪]

“Yeah, yeah!” So hot, yet so cold. Surprising how open she was about dead relatives, too. At a time like this, it was best he did all the talking until that loudmouth came back. “I’ve been doing hero work for like six months now. I’ve caught like three whole criminals.”

“Oh, wow.” Gabriel heard all of that. “Me too! I mean, I started last week, but…”

Gabriel hadn’t caught three criminals. Nor had he started last week. But he needed to show off to his new girlfriend — she didn’t deny it. She accepted it. The plan was working! Soon, he’d be able to find her real romantic interest, throw a few cogs in that, and then create a real-life drama to inspire his next film off of. Manipulative? Yes. Funny? Also, yes. Truth be told, if there had been chemistry between them, he totally woulda went for it.

But Kaida’s so not into it.

A shame… Gabriel always thought himself as Mr. Ikarashi (within the last five minutes at most, mayahaps.)

“Alright, plugging in coordinates.” Gabriel put an address into the GPS. “This is where they’re headed. Looks pretty inconspicuous…” Lightbulb! “Babe, since you have your provisional license, you can act when given permission.” He winked. Had no idea if she had it, but this guy didn’t need to know. “Cool, permission, please?”

“Ugh, granted.”

“Perfect.” Gabe clapped his hands. “If we get close enough, is it possible for you to freeze the lower half of the car? Like a giant ice brake?

---

Kaida Ikarashi

[Kaida Ikarashi]

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Kaida listened and was joined by a headache that steadily increased from knocking on her door to absolutely battering it with its fists. She wasn't sure of where today was headed, but she was sure that sooner or later her patience with Gabriel and... mister Cool was going to run thin eventually. Seriously, what kind of a name was that? And why did Gabriel seem so interested in trying to stop these people? If anything, he should have been more involved as a journalist in the aftermath.[break][break]

She stared incredulously as Gabriel addressed her again. Hints about her identity and usage of her quirk were gossiped about, but often misinterpreted— though he had pinpointed getting her "dragon under control" as though he had known about the more sinister depths of her quirk. [break][break]

How had he known about that?[break][break]

"You misunderstand." Kaida said, her stare evolving into a glare. "The emitter trait of my quirk can only be used when transformed. Unless it is important, I do not use my quirk, and certainly not for petty things like speeding." She gestured vaguely at everything. She looked at Cool. "Get me close enough to the vehicle, and I will jump onto it."

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CHIRP ♪♪

notes

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[CHIRP ♪♪]

“It’s not speeding,” Gabe said. “It’s grand theft auto.”

“But it’s also speeding.” Cool added. “They’re going way beyond the speed limit. We are, too, but we’re the good guys.”

“Did you tell the cops that?”

“On it.”

“Jesus—” Gabe facepalmed. “Anyway, it’s important but we don’t need you to transform. We’ll get you in close. But you’ll be going on alone, so take this, my love.” Gabriel passed her an earpiece. “I gotta make sure the driver knows where we’re going, y’know?”

“We’re in the clear!” Cool said. “They’re blocking off some roads and kiting them.”

“That’s where we come in.” Gabriel pulled up a map and looked over the layout of the city. “They’re probably covering here, here, and here.” Then he moved up a few inches on the map. “That’s where we’re gonna end up. You ready?”

Whether or not Kaida was ready, they’d eventually reach their destination. And whether or not she was ready, she’d have to jump. And whether or not she landed on the vehicle, they’d have to continue with the plan of stopping the assailants.

But for the love of god land on the vehicle, Kaida.

Please.

---

Kaida Ikarashi

[Kaida Ikarashi]

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My love. Slight number four. Gabriel was racking them up like sappy love confessions to the hot kid in middle school.[break][break]

She took the earpiece, but not without a hiss of "don't call me that" at her newfound, so-called partner in justice, before staring at it. It might fall out during the fight due to the inhuman shape of her ears, which had been flattened ever so slightly in indignance ever since Gabriel had found her. It didn't matter. That just meant she didn't have to listen to his voice.[break][break]

The senior looked over Gaberiel's shoulder at the map wordlessly, taking note of every nook and cranny she could possibly use to her advantage. She was going into this bare-handed, after all. She had a few tricks up her sleeve.[break][break]

"No time to waste." She chipped in, moving to the van's double doors at the end of the vehicle, promptly throwing them open. Wind thrashed her hair around in disarray as she looked over her shoulder at the pair of misfits. "Slow them down if you can. I'll try and take over the wheel." And without further ado, she leapt.[break][break]

It was a rough landing— with the speed they were going at, a vicious snarl appeared on Kaida's face as she crashed into the car's hood, whipping her head up to glare at the perpetrators. Kaida found haste in jumping over the windshield before the people inside could possibly start shooting her— with the way they were trapped, no way out in sight, they would likely resort to drastic methods. With a huff she landed on the roof, edging carefully to the passenger's side. They would need to be taken out first.

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CHIRP ♪♪

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[CHIRP ♪♪]

Now we were getting somewhere.

Yeah, maybe, it wasn’t time to be pushing buttons, but if he didn’t now, then when would he get the chance? Plus, with pressure compounding, she was more likely to snap than ever! But he’d have to put a pause on the teasing — lives were at stake here. One bad comment and the whole operation might spin out, get flipped over, and injure a bunch of innocent people. He did not want that on his conscious.

“Isn’t my girlfriend beautiful?”

“Like, for real, are y’all even dating?”

“It’s true love.”

“She looks like she hates you.”

“Hey, stay focused, we gotta slow them down.”

“I’m just saying, she hasn’t smiled, like, at all—”

“Focus.” There was a time and place for games and shenanigans and all that jazz. Gabe wasn’t going to let people get hurt. Especially someone he dragged into this mess. “How do we slow them down…”

“Uh, take the wheel?” They don’t call him The Cool Man because he named himself that.

Gabriel took the wheel as Cool looked out the driver seat window. Clearing his throat, he kept his foot on the pedal, hoping Gabriel could manage a few seconds of steering.

“Hey, Car,” There was a white glow outlining the car. “It’d be real cool if you slowed down.”

And it did. Only by like ten, fifteen miles. But it did.

“Think that’s enough?” Cool asked. “I could push it but…” He coughed up some blood. “It takes its toll.”

---

Kaida Ikarashi

[Kaida Ikarashi]

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Kaida wasted no time in locating the position of the passengers seat, at this points, shouts of confusion emerging from the front cab. That meant that there were likely only two people inside— good, but it would be easier for them to focus on her without friendly fire.[break][break]

She kept her position on top, due thanks to Cool's influence, rearing back one of her hands to punch through the paint and alloy below her, metal digging into her skin as she reached down and pulled the man inside out by his collar. His scream of terror reminded her of an adult taking away a child's lollipop— utterly, utterly sad, and one that made Kaida frown. Looking up at Cool's van, Kaida reached for her earpiece — but not after knocking him unconscious with a well-placed slap to his airway — and shouted at Gabriel. "Oi, you've got someone coming your way."[break][break]

Unceremoniously, she threw him at the open doors of the van in front of her, hoping that Gabriel had the sense to catch him, and moved on with her assault.

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CHIRP ♪♪

notes

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[CHIRP ♪♪]

“It’s all in her hands.” Gabe said. “But the wheel should be in yours.”

“Right…” Cool grabs the wheel after wiping some blood on his pants. Don’t want any of that on the dash now. “Close the doors, will you? Kind of a hazard.”

“Yeah, duh.” Gabriel winked.

The mixed signal gave Cool all the insight he needed — the man was irresistible. Even if Kaida pretended otherwise, she was absolutely smitten with Gabe. And, now, Cool was, too.

It’s literally a few steps but during the journey back, Kaida goes buckwild. She literally punched through the metal, like, what the fuck? Gabe should shut his mouth immediately. But she’s already barking orders. And considering he’s made of bruisable flesh and brittle bone, he sits his ass down and listens.

Well, that part isn’t literal. He’s got to catch the guy, doesn’t he?

Thud.

Shit.

He dropped him.

But that least he made it inside!

Gabriel’s quick to grab some handcuffs and tie the man down. They don’t need any resistance. If it weren’t for Kaida’s viscous throw leaving him in a daze, it might’ve been more of a problem. In this timeline, however, everything went smooth as can be.

Now… there’s one more person to deal with.

“You got spare cuffs?”

“In the glove compartment!”

Gabriel stretches over and gets to work. If Kaida somehow manages to toss another guy over, then they needed to be ready. And if not, then Gabe might have to jump in to help restrain the man.

You got this, babe!

…

She doesn’t have like dragon-mind-reading, does she?

---

Kaida Ikarashi

[Kaida Ikarashi]

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Gabriel caught him — if not fumbling for a moment — thank the gods. It was either that or a one-way ticket to death row.[break][break]

Kaida jumped foot-first into the cab, hearing the second dismayed shout of the speeding driver. It made her frown even further. She saw him reach for something on his left thigh, and her wrist flung out like a whip, grabbing the man's in her hand, crushing it. A fracture to warn him not to do that again. Trying to get him out of the seat, trying to take over the wheel herself— it was out of the question. Instead, she relied on her intimidation.[break][break]

Calmly, cooly. Despite the scenery racing past them at impossibly fast speeds, despite her actually punching a hole through the car to get to his buddy, Kaida addressed the man with levels of iciness only she was capable of.[break][break]

"Slow down." Kaida said, glancing at his fist, eternally trapped in her grasp if he didn't do what she wanted. "Pull over. Or you'll get a lot worse than a couple years in the slammer."[break][break]

It wasn't a question.[break][break]

The man gulped, nodding once, twice, then a few more times. Agreeing. The car slowed more and more, till it eventually came to a stop at the side of the road. But she still didn't trust him to suddenly floor it again, injuring the civilians around them. "Gabriel. I need you here." She said to her earpiece, eyes unmoving. A predator with its sights on its prey.

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CHIRP ♪♪

notes

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[CHIRP ♪♪]

“You need me?”

“She needs you!”

“She needs me!!”

The two jumped in place like excited children, completely misreading the tone — an otherwise impossible tone to misread, by the by. Gabriel didn’t even respond via intercom, he was too shocked by the request. Yes, of course, he was a professional, but Kaida could handle it! Oh my gosh, could she not drive? Could she only drive as a dragon?

Gabriel makes his way over. It’s a lot easier when the car is pulled over. And it doesn’t hurt to have the spare cuffs, too. But now that the job was done — or about to be — Gabriel walked over with a swagger foreign to Kaida. When it came to the heroes, he didn’t mind playing the fool… but criminals were a different matter. He had to garner some respect.

Gabe knocks on the window.

The man hesitantly looks over at Kaida, then back at Gabe.

Gabe nods.

He rolls the window down.

“You made the right choice,” Gabriel slams the handcuffs on the man. “She’s the good cop.” He’s taken out of the car and two cop cars show up.

“Officer.” Gabriel nods as two officers take the criminal into the car and drive off. “We won’t be needing an escort.”

“It’s not an escort.” Gabriel gets handcuffed. “You’re being arrested for vigilante activity.”

“We had a hero’s permission!”

“Yeah!” Cool pops his head out. “I’m here and a real hero. Just cos you don’t know my nam—”

“For the other car chase.”

Aw shit. Gabriel deflates. “It’s fine, Cool. Kaida. I’ll clear this up at the department.”

And then Gabriel was taken away, too.

---

Kaida Ikarashi