Catch Your Breath
Sateriasis Fauser. Or at least that's what he supposedly called, it was hard to make out with how purposefully drawn out and irritating his diction was. That cacophonous voice devolving into eerie giggles as he unveiled medical instrument after medical instrument. Sharp scalpels, dusty looking syringes that probably weren't the most hygienic things in the world, and blood-soaked bandages that just drove home the total lack of sanitation in this supposed infirmary.
And he was the one that was going to be taking care of them? Wonderful. Just Wonderful.
Did this guy even have a medical licence? Actually. Rephrase that. Did he have his own medical licence? Because if Subaru was any indication of the staff, it was highly unlikely that anyone in this place any degree of qualifications and sanity.
If the conscious members were going to come out of this alive, they would forever be grateful to whatever higher power rescued them from their terrible fates. Of course, Hisumi was sitting comparatively pretty, given that beyond her moderate head injuries she was completely fine in body and soul. If you discounted the embarrassment that came with her little post-match incident, but that was water under the bridge. Especially when one also had the joy of regeneration to assist you, you could ask Arius that and you'd get roughly the same response minus the annoying ass laughter from the male.
Similarly, although he was scared absolutely witless by what he had seen, Akashi had been able to walk out of the triple threat without his tail being dislodged, so that was some kind of victory if one wanted to look at it that way. All he knew was that he was staying as far away from that battle demon as physically possible, he may have gotten a hit in but he was literally saved by the bell because of Haru.
Speaking of Haru, he was off in the corner, having been dragged there by Kyte and then deposited in a random corner of the room for him to continue on brooding whilst his legs were bandaged. There was little chance that he would be walking unaided for a while, Ani's attack had definitely ruptured its fair share of tendons.
And with her name brought up, Ani was one of the only ones that didn't need to be carted off to the infirmary with a funeral oration being prepared. That one slash from Akashi had done a number on her chest, yes, but it was much of a muchness in comparison to the rest. So much so that Sateriasis had just taken to ignoring the laughing chimera girl in the corner, it wasn't worth his time to be dealing with a girl like that.
Being the only one that had tried to make friends with the crazy people that he was now tied to, Fukuro seemed moderately okay with the giant ass stump that had to be surgically removed from his body. Now that, that had taken Sateriasis so long to do, in the moments after he had tended to Joseph and Mei, that the whole induction "test" was over, and he was swamped with more injured kids.
With regards to Joseph and Mei, those two had taken a hell of a beating. Joseph, however, was the only one of them that was awake at the moment. Mei was still out cold, a few stiches zigzagging their way through the scars along her jaw where the knife had been cut in deep. Similarly, Joseph's back had to be patched up to the best of the white-haired male's ability.
The teen in question, meanwhile, was flexing his hands. Shaking them about in an effort to trying and get some feeling back into them. Mei, in her precise and deadly strikes, had made no mistakes when it came to hitting the mark. His neck was all kinds of messed up, and whilst someone with a healing Quirk might have been able to handle it properly, Sateriasis Fauser had just about the furthest thing from a healing Quirk one could have.
Ikari, comparative to the fact he had to be dragged out of the room like he was the heaviest sack of potatoes in history, only had moderate damage. That arrow had sliced through a few tendons; however, it was lucky enough that it hadn't gone deep enough to sever something far more important like his ACL. Once more, like Haru, he would probably have to have some kind of moderate assistance, but unlike the other, he at least could have some degree of motor function.
In the end, that just left Mahoro and Shiki to deal with. In fairness, plugging a stab wound was like making his bed for Sateriasis, and when she wasn't a raging dragon Shiki was a fairly easy petite girl to handle. Unlike one other small girl that was nightmare to handle because a certain clown didn't know the meaning of the word "no".
Mahoro was comparably fine as well, maybe a little shaken in the moment, but out of everyone not named Arius, she was just as spotless departing the room as she was when she entered it. All in all, the most annoying thing to her was the state of the tattoo on her leg. She grimaced every time she looked down at the fading definition, fixing that was not going to be fun in the slightest. Already, she was making notes about how to be more careful next time.
Beyond the messy handiwork of Sateriasis, alongside his eerie giggles like he was playing some macabre game in his head, there was silence so deep and tension so thick that it wouldn't be surprising if everyone started to feel the noose tighten around their neck as they drowned in the fog of uneasiness.
It got so bad, nobody willing to speak lest they accidently send off the trigger for the entire infirmary to be consumed in a brawl, that it actually felt like it was pressing them back into the beds. As if there was this oppressive invisible hand being shoved down their throats, although, granted, it was unlikely even without the hypothetical hand that they were going to do anything than be at each other's throats.
It was lucky then that they weren't the ones that ended up breaking the ice with all the subtlety of a sledgehammer.
"Hey, hey, hey! Boss! Boss! Boss!" Eyes turned to the new voice in the room, one that cut through the tension like the proverbial knife through butter. 6'4 in height and with a build that could put Arius' to shame, the frankly annoying voice belonged to a man with short, choppy turquoise teal hair, a longer bang of dark grey that was framing the right side of his face. His clothing consisted of a purple dress shirt with the top two buttons being popped open and showing off his pecs, a black double-breasted suit, a cool-toned grey scarf, and white gloves. This was alongside black slacks accompanied by a pair of black and white dress shoes. His eyes were quite the oddity, the right one being gold and the left one being a kind of olive colour, whilst a sturgeon scale earring was dangling just over his shoulder from his right ear. "I got the little clownfishy here!"
That's when the eyes were drawn down from his face and to his arms, and in said arms was the sleeping form of Yua. Lucky for everyone in the room, she was dropped into a brand-new hazmat suit, so the chances of her Quirk affecting people was going to be next to zero. Of course, expecting anything normal to happen at the Foundation was like expecting there to be black in a rainbow, but the twelve casualties were willing to have some modicum of hope.
Yua looked like she was totally tuckered out as well, there was zero sign of life in her. Sateriasis grinned as he turned around and faced the man who had referred to him as "boss", taking Yua from his grasp. Knowing what would happen if he didn't treat her like she was wrapped in bubble wrap, he took extra precautions when setting her down and made sure she was stationed as far away from the others as possible. Ikariko in particular, the walking slasher villain looking like he was contemplating all sorts of terrible things to her. Just like he would do those freaky little millipedes if he ever saw one.
"Howwwwwwww harddddddd waaaaassss itttttt?" Sateriasis said, his voice even more grating when he wasn't just giggling at really inappropriate times. Everyone could just tell that spending any prolonged period of time with him was going to drive them all insane, although that was only if they weren't driven insane by this place beforehand. It wasn't exactly the most natural thing in the world for them to be introduced to each other by beating the ever-living shit out of each other, that seemed like something that belonged more line with the induction to some kind of cult.
The other man grinned, showing off rows of shark like teeth, teeth that looked like chomping through steel would be like your average breakfast. He threw out his arms and sighed, pouting in the process. "Clownfish and Anglerfish-sama were as tight fisted as usual, it was such a bother~! Although, in the end, Anglerfish-sama made Clownfish acquiesce, and little Clownfishy went night-night!" He finished, his voice just as grating as Sateriasis', although whilst the former's sounded like a thousand voices drowning at once, this new one sound like he was just halfway done strangling an Orca with an Eel.
Sateriasis spoke no more, simply nodding and smiling at the new man as he went to tend to Yua. Of course, he trusted that her "dad" and Niijima-sama had handled the situation appropriate, maybe even gotten her an actual doctor, but it never hurt to have an extra pair of hands to do a job. He was just going to have to be extremely careful about this… Yeah, he had this… Right… Absolutely!
With another uncomfortable silence settling in, now with added shark toothed weirdo to the recipe, it left many of the kids alone with their thoughts and the idea of once more trying to bridge the kind of massive iceberg that had already erected themselves between them.
What made breaking it down especially hard was the total unwillingness any of them had to actually do so. In fact, a few of them were already giving the proverbial middle finger to it. Shiki, for example, through means unknown to everyone, had already managed to sneak a pair of personalised earbuds in and was presently drowning anything being said out in a sea of calm music. As for someone like Arius? Well, he hadn't even bothered to turn up to the infirmary. Turns out when you have a Quirk that makes you a human stress doll in terms of durability, you get somewhat of an ego about yourself. Either that or something else was playing on his mind. But who were they kidding? It was probably the former times a million. The teen had an ego that could fill every room in this foundation ten thousand times over.
"…Why am I even here?" So, when the silence was actually broken by one of the new members, it was a shock to see who it was that did the deed. The prone Joseph, still trying to sake some kind of feeling into his body, spoke out. His voice still as monotone as ever, like he wasn't juggling paralysis and was instead ordering some kind of drink at some rundown restaurant. "Like… I dunno… How did I even get here in the first place? Last thing I knew, I was nearly paralysed. Not the worst… But still, are there stagehands at the circus?"
It sounded more like he was talking about the weather instead of a possible life altering injury, and frankly a handful of them that weren't busy tuning everything out were more than a little bit perturbed at his nonchalant handling. However, the one person that wasn't at all was the new man, who now decided it would be the perfect time to drape himself at the foot of Joseph's bed. Precariously close to making contact, for extra dramatic effect. "Oh, oh, oh, woe is you, little Electric Jellyfish-chan~! Lil' old you got a bit of a battering on your neck because you were careless, and you got here because Anglerfish-sama dragged you in here! Simples!" If antagonistic wasn't the word to describe his actions and diction, then a whole new word would have to be invented to cover the amount of sleaze as well.
A few cautions glances were sent over to the disaster waiting to happen. Joseph eyes were narrowed, and even if he were trying to figure out if he could even move, if this guy took one further move towards him, he was going to bin trying to nurse himself back to health in favour of a good old fashioned shit kicking.
Fukuro, the only one in the whole place that seemed to have more than one braincell, with said braincell being dedicated to nothing but violence, was clam on the exterior but panicking on the inside at the thought of all of them going to arms again. Like, hell, he was glad he was out of it early now that he looked at some of the injuries. All of them looked, save a real select few, looked like they'd been put through WW3 and then made to start WW4 for the hell of it. Weren't they, y'know, supposed to be getting help? The whole ordeal was just making him think if coming here was just the same as what he had run away from in the first place, like the vicious circle would never end.
"But I won't bore you with all those details! Just make sure you rest your pretty little head, little Clownfishy did it and look how well she's handling it!" The content wasn't what mattered in the shark toothed man's words, all that mattered was that just like Subaru when they first met, he was dancing on the edge of the proverbial volcano. One tiny little slip and it would be a good thing for him that they were in the infirmary.
"Hideyoshi! Heel!" Lucky for the rest, though, that they didn't have to witness a grown man being eaten alive with all his bones broken by a scrawny looking devil teen. In this case, their saviour came from a semi-unlikely source. It was Sateriasis, who didn't turn from where he was tending to Yua, electing just to toss a silver bag over his shoulder to the now named Hideyoshi. His usually cacophony of voices slipping into one authoritative order.
Said bag happened to hit Hideyoshi square in the back of the head, but the shark toothed man didn't seem to mind too much. He just kept smiling at Joseph, and not as if he were an overactive dog that had just been brought to heel by way of his master tossing him a metaphorical bone. "Ah! Thanks, Boss! Nii-san was being so annoying about giving it to me!"
The group didn't get to see what was inside the bag, because almost as soon as Hideyoshi had taken a look inside of it he was away like the clappers. Slithering out of the place like a predatory moray eel, his eyes following and scanning everyone in meticulous detail before a half-hidden smirk from behind the door bared down into them. "Be good little fishes, 'kay~? I don't want Nii-san to have a headache…"
With a final slam, he was gone, and, for the third time, silence reigned supreme. Although, this time, it was broken in record in time. This time, it was Kagekatsu's turn, regardless of the fact that the stiches and general laziness had stopped him from really paying attention to Hideyoshi. "The fuck was his deal? "Fishes?" We in some kind of fucked up aquarium?"
"…Ugh, why does it have to be like this…?" Fukuro murmured, shaking his head at the sheer insanity that seemed to bleed through every conversation in this place. Although, the idea of fish and really of food in general was now making him rather hungry. Just like it was doing to a lot of people. Now, if only they weren't grievously injured…
"Aquariums are usually enjoyable." Joseph's blasé response came, his eyes were still narrowed and looked like they were heat seeking missiles that were trying to follow Hideyoshi's departure with the way the pupils were darting about.
"I thought it quite endearing actually!" Mahoro piped up from the other side of the room, her attention shifting from her fading thigh tattoo, even though it was still playing on her mind a bit. "I don't know about you, but did you see the way Fauser-san drove him away? He seemed like a lost little lost puppy!" And lost puppies often had a propensity for allow their little brains to be influenced in all sorts of ways. A coy, tiny smile on Mahoro's part and her mind was already set off down another path. You couldn't blame her for what she was thinking though, whenever opportunity came a-knocking, she would take every chance that this place afforded to her. Nothing wrong with playing the long game…
Kagekatsu sneered, attempting to sit up once again, and once more failing as the pressure on his chest from the stiches continued their impressive hot streak against him. "Must've been some puppies you were around then! Didn't realise they were all creepy tall bastards…"
And suddenly it seemed as if there was some kind of thaw in the coldness, especially with the inclusion of the next part. Whilst the literal cat boy Akashi might have had more than his fair share of trauma at the hands of Ani, and his eyes were still shifting back and forth away from her, the perpetual smile on his face seemed to at least put some of the tension to rest. Even if it were massively, massively unnerving when one realised that the only time he had dropped it was when he was shitting himself against Ani. "Hehe, now that I think about it, I think I saw some kind of tail wagging behind him as well! Right when he caught what Mr Sati threw him!"
Sateriasis perked up right in the middle of an incision he happened to be making, a shiver running down his spine. That accursed nickname… Who the hell used it?! Which one of those bastards wanted to die today?! Did Subaru tell them about it?! If he did, then screw helping Yua, he was going to cut the head off of the snake before he poisoned the new batch!
Casually ignoring the growing dark aura that came from the so called "doctor", Kagekatsu groaned and just about managed to cast an eye over to Akashi before something came to mind. "What the hell you smiling about? Ain't you a cat? Ain't, you supposed to be running with your tail between your legs, Ruby Carbuncle?" Not his best insult work, the fox boy would be the first to admit it. He had spun most of his A material on Arius, to be frank.
Akashi, much to the fox boy's chagrin, laughed off the attempt to try and get him to drop the smile. "Ahaha~, that's right! My bad, Nakky!" From 0 to 60, the temperature dropped again. Akashi's smile, maybe not, but he could feel that maybe he had just triggered something he maybe shouldn't have done.
Akashi: 0, his mouth: 0, incoming ass beatings: 2
"What… Did… You… Call me…?!" Despite his total inability to move, Kagekatsu wasn't going to be having of that shit. Whilst he had been mainly abrasive beforehand, more as a reaction to a new environment as opposed to anything else, this time he was glaring over at Akashi like he was a fresh target to stab one thousand sharp ass knifes into his back. Maybe if he felt extra sadistic there would be a few straight through the gut, allowing him to enjoy the slow bleeding out of this pest.
And since his face seemingly only had the setting of "Smile like a creepy little cat bastard", Akashi blew off the total volcano of ire that Kagekatsu had become. Instead electing to just ignore him entirely and focus back on the first thing he said. "Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know. The whole "Oh my god! Aren't you a cat?" thing, right? Guess it's just in flux at the moment!" Another semi-nervous laugh, right before the formally polite and soft tone shifted hard at the end. Then, the green silted eyes were looking right down at Kagekatsu, the creepy smile getting more and more ominous. The stare dragging on for longer and longer, the painful feeling of being watched making the Fox boy want to sink further into the bed. However, just as soon as it started, it was over. Akashi was giving another laugh and rubbing the back of his head, then pointing at his gemstones "And for these little things, Nakky, they're Garnets! Not Rubies! Just make sure to remember that, okay?"
Message sent and delivered with the mark of the devil stamping it, Kagekatsu and the others were not going to be making that mistake again. Frankly, perpetual smiling was already unnerving to the nth degree, but the idea of Akashi just shaming you through a glare alone like a pet cat watching their owner ignore them, may would rather just take it on the peripherals as opposed to being singled out like that.
Unfortunately for Kagekatsu as well, it wasn't like there was any way for him to work some kind of shadowy payback as well. Sateriasis seemed to like burning through the electric bill as much as he liked rolling his words, the lights were absolutely blearing and eating up every kind of shadow. He would just simply have to bide his time and cherry pick his moment, and he had had more than effort practice with that over the years. For better or for worse.
But first…
"Ugh, who was it that mentioned food earlier?" Turns out that getting your ass kicked across the canvas could make someone work up quite the appetite, and while Fukuro was the first to mention it, Kagekatsu would always be the loudest. It was his declaration that made everyone else realise their predicament, if you didn't count the orchestra of stomachs sounding off at the same time.
And it was something that everyone could get behind, even Ani, who had been busy licking her lips at the sight of all the injured people, was a slave to her own body. Same with Shiki, having taken out her earbuds for the time behind, blushing slightly as she held her stomach. The way she fought, total chaos and unrefined power, was guaranteed to make her the one needing sustenance the most.
There were just two slight issues to solving the problem, though. One, they didn't know where the cafeteria was, nor did they know if this hell hole even had one. Two, there were still a fair few of them were going to have a decent issue getting there in the first place. Mei was still out of it, courtesy of the pain being too much for her, Yua was much the same, although there was something to be said about her looking drained as opposed to beaten. Haru and Ikari would also probably require some assistance, but if they were defeated by a mere walk then what was the point of even trying anything?
Meanwhile, with the idea of food, Akashi was bounding. This was his moment! "Food? That sounds like a great idea! And don't worry, guys, I'll make sure to make enough for all of you!" Cooking. There was something nice about it for him. The feeling of making something from scratch, something you could be proud in, and something that could give that homely feel no matter how far away from said home you were, it was that kind of thing that made it feel that bit more special to Akashi.
Much like what could be said for another select group of people, one of whom in particular. "Hmm, so long as I don't witness any kitchen nightmares, I suppose that's a good idea." It had been the first time that something had come out of Joseph's mouth that wasn't either insulting or existential, his eyes not looking like they were trying to find the next target for once.
And with the tepid agreement of at least the rest of the conscious group, be it warranted or not, it seemed like there was finally a group consensus. At least, in theory anyway. Lord knows what would happen the second they would get there, but that was really not Sateriasis' problem. That would be placed on someone else entirely, and it was a good thing that the fall guy was now deciding to make his presence known.
Standing up, now finished with Yua, Sateriasis gave a half bow to the encroaching figures. "Niijima-sama, Subaru." Kyte Niijima and Subaru Fujinaga. Resident vampire lord and psychopathic clown, respectively.
Kyte standing about as stoned faced and rigid as ever, arms crossed and an almost imperceptible kind of annoyance seeping through his posture. "Fauser, you're relieved. One of your parasites is messing with Morales again, I don't need to mention what will happen if he continues, do I?" A quirk of the brow and Sateriasis felt his stomach drop. There wasn't another word from the white-haired man's lips, he was out of there like he was being carried by the wind. What the hell was he thinking letting Hideyoshi go like that?!
Subaru, on the other hand, making sure to wave a mocking goodbye to the panicked Sateriasis, looked even more elated than he had been before. His attention was briefly taken by Yua, scoping her up into his arms and cradling her to his chest, before he surveyed the rest of the group "Well done! You're all mostly alive! That's more than I can say about half of the people we usually get! So, in Niijima-sama's words, you're useful trash! Nishishishi! Just be glad you won't have to go to therapy!" Of course, all of them heard the silent "Not yet" that was implied. From the way the colour drained from Kyte's already alabaster skin, they could easily tell that, if the Boss was shaken by the idea, it was something they wanted to stay as far away from as possible.
Giving Subaru some more side eye, Kyte drew all attention back to him "As Subaru so ineloquently put it, I would like to congratulate you all for the job well done. I know I forced you into a situation you were not expecting, but I can assure you that there will be nothing like that again for a while." Eleven pairs of open eyes all screamed liar as they stared at him, but Kyte was used to the reaction at this point "As a matter of fact, given how hard you fought against each other, leaving everything out there for me to see and will admit was impressed by some of your work out there. Of course, not everyone can be a star right out of the gate, but that's what we're here for. To help you."
The collective breath that was being held was released in that moment, at the very least it sounded like they were going to actually be allowed to not be used as stress dolls for other people. Trying to act like functioning human beings might have been a pipe dream right away, but it was good to get the chance.
Subaru, not bothered at all by how he was singled out, was clapping his hands together happily as he tucked Yua back under his shoulder. "Well! I heard you some of you talk about food earlier, and you'll be pleased to know that both Niijima-sama and I have agreed that our cafeteria would be the ample place for everyone to break the ice! Well, that's if you don't break each other's faces over what's served to you… Or if you didn't already turn the infirmary into a hardcore exploding barbed wire deathmatch of something like it!" Eyes widened at the last remark, if that's what went through Subaru's head when he was just rambling then they were petrified for his actual plans.
Gesturing to all of them to stand up, Kyte made on last declaration before leaving them alone with Subaru. The sun was glaring down at them now, his body could feel it, and even if they were presently underground, the vampire very much didn't like the idea that a stray beam could punish him. He had already been running down the clock during the matches anyway. "To all of you, one last thing. I firmly believe that in order for you to grow how you wish, myself and the staff will only be here to guide you. Not, and I mean this sincerely, to dictate to you how you should go about fixing your heart. As a result, there are the only two rules I will mandate you follow. Rule one: When there is a mandated event, you will turn up on time or risk punishment. Rule two: Under no circumstances, and I mean this in the strongest possible terms, will any of you knock on my door without express permission. Do you understand? Good!"
Kyte didn't leave any of them time to respond, he was gone as soon as he arrived. His presence had been nowhere near as long as Hideyoshi's intrusion, but time felt like it had stood still for as long as he spoke. It took a certain kind of man to carry that aura, as if the gates of hell could open at any moment. However, given the kind of people under his employ, it shouldn't be too surprising. Really, it would be far more of a surprise if he came off smelling like sunshine and lollipops.
Subaru gave a slight shrug, words dying on his before they could force their way out. With him now being the only Staff member in the room, the onus fell upon him to guide the way to the cafeteria and get them out of this miniature version of hell.
Of course, he took Yua with him, now deciding to toss her over his shoulder, but he would have to take the executive decision to leave Mei behind. Looking her over once more, sneering at the ramshackle job Sateriasis had executed, there was no realistic way she was getting up so soon. One didn't take that level of punishment, near point blank discharge of ridiculously powerful electricity coursing through your body, plus a knife assisted crossface, was a recipe for deep unconsciousness. However, thanks to a certain little leech, he would know where to find her…
Passing out the appropriate implements to the right people, well, more like passing out a few crutches to the ones that had to walk rather gingerly thanks to their damaged limbs, he took stock of the damage in his own unique way. "Welp! Time to go! I have to say, compared to the rest, you all got off pretty light! I'll make sure to break you more next time~!"
Next time?! Oh… Oh God. Was there no end to their suffering? Were they put here simply just to suffer?! Kagekatsu, assisting himself by crutch up to stable footing only to fall back down to the bed, the hazardous stich job doing him no favours, certainly would agree. Some could be said for Joseph, who was carefully making his way out first of all, no one else daring to cross his path lest they accidently brush up against him and end up just like Mei. But really, apart from that outburst, he was only following orders and they were the easiest thing in the world to follow.
Hisumi, more interested by the thought of food than by literally anything else that had happened, followed behind Subaru and Joseph rather quickly. Just the idea of being able to sink her teeth into something had allowed her to perk up, the otherwise cold beauty just merely existing in the background with her regeneration factor to assist her healing.
Next out of the block was Mahoro. Next to Ani, she had the best time in the simulation. Although, Shiki's form had given her quite the scare for the brief moment she looked like she was powering up. Despite that, she had proved her own worth, and whilst she now had eyes on the petite girl who could be a fairly interesting person in the future, she was now focused more so on filling the hole in her stomach… Not like the literal one she had given to Shiki, the quiet girl being the next one to follow her out.
Ani hopped out next, the beastly chimera girl looking far happier than she had any real right to be. Helped she was also mostly mark free, save the slash across her chest that was now water under the bridge now that the prospect of a decent meal was coming up.
With the last remaining few now on their feet, it was almost like a funeral procession with the way they shuffled out of the room. Another wordless kind of agreement formed, Akashi went out first, and whilst he was not thrilled at all to be following out after Ani, after a few seconds had passed for enough distance to be placed between them, he relented when the call of his stomach made him leave. His smile never leaving his face, no matter how much his tail was curling into his body or how sweaty his palms got.
The grumbling Ikari was next, one could be forgiven if they thought that the ground was melting under his feet as he stomped out after breaking the crutch over his damaged knee. He was done overheating his Quirk, and frankly, he had been through a hell of a lot worse than a few ligaments going through the wringer. Despite the fact he was hobbling on said leg, tentatively touching it down every now and again, there was no chance in hell it was going to stop him.
In the end, it just left Kagekatsu, stumbling out of the place after he had been helped to his feet by Fukuro and the crutch. A sneer and a tepid "thank you" was thrown under his breath, about as much as you were going to get out of the abrasive fox boy. Said male making sure to be as slow and steady as possible, Fukuro following in behind, to make sure he didn't end up crashing into something or if his shitty luck was just contagious or something like that.
He made it out clean for about five seconds, even able to give a momentary pause of mental celebration, before he was sent crashing back down to earth. The cons of having hair as long as his? Well, apart from split ends, knots, and styling the thing, it was also prime target for assholes like Arius to pull at. Which was why Kagekatsu now found himself staring up at Arius, that goddamn smirk on the other's face was making his blood run cold "Yo! Finally! It's about time! I was wonderin' when all of ya were getting out!"
If there was one person in the entire Foundation that he loathed, one that he had genuinely come to hate despite knowing him all of a few hours, Arius Amilios took that position, pissed on it to mark his territory, and then decided to graffiti his name on it for good measure. There were not enough words in the fox boy's vocabulary to accurately describe the sheer level of total disdain Kagekatsu had for him. "What the hell do you want, Dipshit?!" Came the biting reply, chest stinging from the stiches pulling themselves apart. "What do I have to give you to make you piss off forever?"
"I dunno, your soul maybe?" Arius responded, raising up and placing a hand on Fukuro's shoulder in a kind of silent "No hard feelings?" move, either that or he just wanted to assert the fact he was able to do it. Either was really feasible when it was Arius.
Grunting, more stitches deciding to come apart because having an actual doctor was more of a concept than an actual thing, Kagekatsu pulled himself back up and dusted off his clothes. Clothes that, now that he looked at them, were going to have to be changed at some point. Just wonderful… "Sorry, I already sold my soul for another group of bastards." He spat back, cracking his neck in the process. At least that part of his body was still mostly functional.
"Been around the block, have you?" Arius shot back, the pair of them now being separated non confrontationally by the presence of the great peace wall of Fukuro between them.
Poor Fukuro. Even as the owlbear was trying his best to muster up the words to try and get the pair of them to calm down, it died halfway down his throat. In effect, it left his body being the only real thing that he could use to at least put some kind of barrier between them.
"What the fuck do you think?! I wouldn't be in here if I didn't screw up my life!" Kagekatsu responded, his mouth going at a mile a minute, although, he was lucky he could catch his tongue before he went around saying something monumentally stupid. Tail flaring out in rage, ears picking up, and the slightest indication of pointy teeth breaking out. Now, if only he hadn't been kicked across the curb hours before hand, it might have meant something to Arius.
Of course, with someone like Arius, even if it was the toughest son of a bitch to ever walk the face of the earth, he was simply going smirk and nod and laugh in their face. Much like he was doing right now "Hahaha! Damn! It's a shame you can't eat all your makeup so you could be pretty on the inside too, Pretty Boy!" He finished off by ducking his head around Fukuro and batting his eyelashes like he was some kind of modelling superstar.
Naturally, it only served to rile up said pretty boy even more. "The only makeup I see here the fucking clown kind that you're so proudly parading about!" Tetchy didn't beginning to describe the fox boy's mood. Before he landed himself in jail, he wouldn't deny that enriching his already semi-feminine looks with a few tasteful products was something enjoyed doing. It was also something he would like to be doing right now, however, getting dumped in mud after being cajoled out of prison was putting a dampener on that plan.
Arius rubbed his hands under his eyes, feigning tears. Honestly, this was all just too much fun. All these angsty teens, be they edgy or just plain taking themselves way too seriously, it was just like he was being fed like a Greek god. Able to pick and choose which target would give him the sweetest nectar imaginable.
Unfortunately for the feuding duo, and a temporary reprieve for Fukuro who had tried his best to cover his ears, there was no chance for them to continue their little spat. Instead, the entire foundation was rocked to its core by one almighty roar of implacable rage. "WHAT THE HELL DO YOU MEAN?!" Despite the apoplectic explosion, there was still a discernible monotone to it. In effect, it meant that there was only one person that could be turning into Krakatoa at the moment. Joseph Weaver.
The trio all shared a look, the one time where all of them could look at each other and have their fireworks not hold a candle to Joseph's. The exclamation had spooked Kagekatsu, no matter how much he tried to maintain a straight face, his tail was acting like it was absolute bedlam. Fukuro was just wondering what had caused that declaration. On the other hand, Arius had gone ever so slightly wide eyed, all the training and bravado in the world wouldn't stop someone from falling victim to a jump scare like that.
"Not up to standards, Jo-chan~? Shame~." And there was Subaru's voice, the insane, psychopathic clown holding the same degree of maddening cadence and saccharine speech. At least his voice had allowed the stragglers to hunt down the cafeteria… Right through another randomly hidden door in the middle of a random wall…. Who greenlit a design this inane?! Also, side point for Kagekatsu, what drugs were they smoking?
Like most of the places they had seen so far, the cafeteria had a ludicrous amount of space in it. Presumably, they had once had someone in the Foundation with a flight Quirk. It was really the only way one could explain why the ceiling had to be so high! Either that or dealing with someone with a reverse gravity Quirk, although it didn't matter what kind of Quirk since the place still looked like a mess regardless. It was that same sensory sucking white that the entrance and meeting room had been, although there was the occasional splash of blue. A proper splash as well. As if someone had taken a paint bucket and thrown it at the wall. No prizes would be given out to the new members for figuring out who was behind that little addition.
The seating was quite unique to say the least. Each chair looked like it was deliberately set out in the most awkward place possible, the tables being pulled as far apart as could be. Everyone who wasn't dealing with the current mess in the actual kitchen mingled about, it didn't take much of a genius to figure out very few of them were even remotely close to one another, and the ones that were decently close were at least one table apart.
Most of the commotion was contained near the front, but with a blast of the vocal cords so guttural, all of them heard what was going on behind closed doors. It just depended on the level of interest. Ani seemed content to just swing her legs above the ground and mind her own business, her feet not reaching the ground, but only one person would be reckless enough to bring that fact up and escape with his head.
People like Ikari and Shiki both resorted to simply blocking out the noise, albeit through different means, with the trusty earbuds coming out for the dragon girl and the male teen just deciding to entertain himself with a bug he had found crawling across the table. Was it sadistic if he kept blocking off its path? Whatever…
Haru was just about the only one that looked any vague sense of contented. He appeared to be enjoying a long glass of some red liquid, and whilst most people would default to it being something like Cranberry Juice or something similar, this was the Foundation. No one would swear on their lives that anything normal happened even in a casual setting.
"How the hell are we supposed to make anything halfway decent if you don't have it?! This place just gets more and more shit by the minute!" Now, what was causing Joseph to throw the mother of all temper tantrums? One that had Mahoro nodding along in the background, another path of persuasion spread out in her head?
"There's no meat, so what? It's not a tax audit, you'll be fine. Do calm yourself." Subaru wasn't really expecting his words, a blasé shrugging off of Joseph's complaints, to elicit the kind of sorrowed howl that spilled out of Hisumi before the other girl knew anything about it. In turn, it caused the pink haired male to turn her, she was only a few short feet from where he was, having been baying for food since she arrived. His piercings glinted under the intense lights. "And what the hell is your problem, Wolfie? If you have a complaint about something, how's about you fill out a form and address to your hospital?" It was clear in that moment, that even though it couldn't have been more than five minutes since the first person left the infirmary, Subaru was not dealing with any shit that might be thrown his way.
Hisumi bowed her head, folding her arms back against her chest and turning away. It was difficult to make out with her accent, but under her breath she whispered a quiet "Sorry, Fujinaga-san…" Subaru just decided to ignore the slight tensing of her hands as they gripped across the edges of her clothes. That was certainly something interesting he hadn't noticed before, he'd have to tell Parasite, the chance of more fun was really, really enticing all of a sudden…
"Umm, Mr Clown?" Akashi's voice, unfazed by the chaos as it maintained its even tone, dropkicked him back to the world of the living. Akashi had come with him into the main kitchen area as soon as he had arrived. He had intended to at least assist in the process; however, he was quickly co-opted by Joseph. In fairness, he hadn't minded too much so long as he could do his own thing. However, the little outburst, alongside a very frosty reaction when he had come in, had made things tricky to say the least. Unlike Joseph and Hisumi, he wasn't too concerned about the lack of meat, he took what he got and decided to make do with it.
Rubbing his temples, his mood seemingly changing depending on which way the wind was blowing, Subaru glared down at Akashi. Eyes narrowing at the nickname, but given the number of freaks he dealt with on a daily basis, what was one more to the mix? "Yes? Are you going to be part of the problem here? Or are you going to be a good little catboy and get on with your shit?"
"Ahahaha… About that…" Akashi wasn't quite sure how it had happened, only that it must have been when he wasn't looking, but one of the banes of his existence were reattached to his arms. A pair of durable, steel, tough as nails, oppressive cuffs, complete with movement constricting chains, were locked around his wrists. A veritable "Lock 'em up and toss away the key situation" in the sense that Akashi was generally unsure as to who had it. "These little guys aren't really making it too easy, but I think I can work with it!"
Subaru Fujinaga was a man who took what he could get, especially when it wasn't Joseph, who was presently tossing every crate he could find and digging through any crevasse he could find in an effort to find any kind of sweat, sweat meat. Still carrying Yua with him, the girl now having moved to nuzzle into the crook of his neck, he replied "So long as it's vaguely edible, I don't give a shit what you do. Chef's away, not my fucking business." Storming off, he took a seat in the far corner of the room, tipping back and balancing on the chair as he leaned backwards.
Kagekatsu and Arius just stared slackjawed at him. If Joseph's temper tantrum didn't take up so much of their attention, the whiplash like mood swings of the clown were probably the most interesting thing to happen that didn't threaten their life.
The front of the room, where this had all gone down, and where Joseph was now trashing it with immense rage and power, had a fairly simple get up to it. There were a few pots, occasional crates of food that were now fractured in multiple places, showing off the sheer number of vegetables that were just left lying about, and most importantly of all there was a microwave that was stuck in the corner. Right next to that, though, was what looked to be an old-fashioned stove. How old fashioned? Well, that depended on how tight fisted and old Kyte was. So, the answer was that it was very old, one that looked like it belonged more in a museum than it did in the Foundation.
Of course, the locked doors at the other side with a sign that said "Enter without my permission and you're fucking dead. Yes, that means you as well, Subaru and Leech!" meant that there was clearly more to this place. However, whomever was here on a regular basis evidently didn't take too kindly to people muscling in on their territory. If the sheer number of locks and chains wrapped around it were to mean anything.
As such, with the makeshift kitchen they had, Joseph and Akashi would somehow have to manage a way to finagle this into any kind of reasonable set up. Subaru wasn't going to be any help, not that he ever was, and whilst it was possible that anyone could drop in at any time, the chances of it being any kind of begin intervention was about the chances of Joseph not regarding Akashi like he was the bane of his existence.
In other words, it was zero. As Akashi had tried to assist Joseph with working the stove, he was shoved to the side with callous disregard. Frosty and hateful didn't begin to describe the look he was being tossed, although Akashi could've sworn that for the briefest moment, within those pupils submerged in black sclera, that there was another emotion there. The way they widened, then shrunk and then shook, all in the space of just over a second, it was something Akashi didn't really know what to think of.
However, whilst the catboy was focusing on that, Joseph had returned to his business. The damn stove had some really archaic technology for the modern day, the Furfur user surprised he didn't have to read some kind of grimoire in order to bring it to life. The place was getting more and more ass backwards by the passing seconds. There was a brief flash of thought in his mind to simply boot the infernal contraption, but he quickly pulled back from executing that move. It would be a bit too forward. Plus, it would be an insult to every inch of the craft he was taught…
That was when Akashi decided to pop up again, having kipped up to his feet and taken the manual that had been stappled to the side. Once more said manual had a warning on it "Leech! I swear to fucking God! DO I NEED TO HANDCUFF YOU?!" and it made Akashi chuckle a little as he flipped through the pages. Whoever this Leech character was must've been one hell of a blast. "I think I got the answer to your problem!" He said, right after he had flicked to the right page in the manual. Surprisingly, one didn't need black magic to turn it on, all it really took was just to make sure the gas jets were properly adjusted in the back and that you actually turned it on.
Only once again to be rebuked by Joseph wordlessly, the other slapping the manual from his hand as he worked his own style. "If I wanted advice on how to skin a cat, I'd ask you, but as of present, how about you sit your ass down?" Monotone beatdowns, they cut deeper sometimes. Especially when the person with the monotone voice could kick your ass in about sixty different ways, before you could even get out a customary "Oh, shit!"
Of course, this still didn't deter Akashi, and much to the chagrin of the Furfur user, Joseph's hands tensing around the edges of the stove, the catboy made his way to where the gas jets were. As much as his movement was restricted by the handcuffs, his deft hands were able to make light work of the rustic jets. Plus, with Joseph now making the move to actually turn it on at the top, something he probably should have done from the start now that he looked at it, there was a burst of flames as each of the for circles lit up. "Hell yeah! Up high!" Akashi exclaimed, happy to see that they had actually make progress. Although that happiness was likely driven by the image of his empty stomach being filled.
Staring at Akashi's hand, having to tilt his head down slightly to register it in the first place, Joseph gnashed his teeth. A single bead of sweat dropping down to his jawline, streaking like it was just realised from prison. "No!" He snapped, quickly turning away from Akashi, folding his arms against his chest and defiantly rejecting the overture. He… He had work to do…
Akashi swiftly caught his mistake and slapped himself across his face for good measure. Of course… Joseph was averse to the idea of people touching him! How could he be so forgetful like that! He bowed his head in shame, a silent apology because he couldn't find the words to express just how sorry he was.
"Good…" Joseph whispered under his breath, seeing that Akashi had shut up and was instead trying to look through all the ingredients next to them. With that out of the way, Joseph could at least focus on what to make. No matter how much he had kicked and tossed and screamed, he found absolutely no meat and it drove him absolutely insane. How was he supposed to make anything of actual worth with all this fucking leafy shit? "Oi!" He called out to Subaru, the psychopathic clown not turning to meet his intense gaze "You said the chef was away, huh? Where the hell are they?! And tell me how any of you donkeys ever got anywhere eating trash like this!"
"She went out to buy more stuff, happy?" Subaru responded, intermittently flicking eyes from Yua to the other side of the room and then to the four top corners of the ceiling. "Mainly because a certain someone couldn't stomach not have more garbage! Would it kill you to not eat mackerel for like a day?!" Flipping off each corner, as if he were expecting someone would be watching them.
With that knowledge at hand, Joseph growled. He could assume that the chef was the only one that had a key to the door's overabundance of locks, which meant he had just had his back broken over the top of an invisible knee. Just because his negative luck stat decided now was its time to rear its ugly head.
But he was taught by the best there is, the best there was, and the best there will ever be. He was confident. He just had to look at it like a challenge, like he was being ordered to do it for the good of his health. Like it was some kind of directive from the top. So, as he looked to the side where a chopping board lay with a knife ready and gleaming to use, he placed his hands around a huge iceberg lettuce he had found. He took a deep breath, tried to ignore the presence of Akashi hovering over his shoulder like a bad smell, and was about to make the first cut when a "Ding!" broke his concentration.
Looking over to his side, he could see that a certain someone had just made his presence known at the microwave. A one Kagekatsu Nakamura, eyes not moving as he watched what he had just placed in there spin around and around, acting like it was the first time he had seen something like this in his life. "What the hell do you think you're doing, you Furry fuck?!"
Kagekatsu threw up an impassive glance, looking like he was rolling his eyes in the process as well. "Smashing the system. I ain't going to need you to cook for me, I got the fucking instant noodles in there." Prison had dampened his tastebuds immensely, right to the point that something the younger Kagekatsu might have turned his nose up at, had become a five-star gourmet meal to him. Or maybe it was the copious amounts of Sake from all those late-night romps. That was another well-founded reason behind the degradation, now that he thought about it for a moment.
Joseph wasn't having any of this. He was going to degrade his tastebuds like that? Eating that processed crap? Joseph just stared for the moment, watching as Kagekatsu pawed at the door, tail held back in anticipation and ears pressed backwards as he waited for it to finish. Rolling his eyes and making damn sure he was never going to see anything of the like again, he flicked his hand out and sucked all of the electricity out of the microwave. He wouldn't lie that he had a deep sense of satisfaction as he watched Kagekatsu react to it like his favourite toy just got thrown away. "Well, looks like you'll actually have something proper now, won't you?"
Kagekatsu growled, tail flaring out again with his fingernails extending into makeshift claws. "Wanna throw down, Punk?! I'll make you fucking famous!" Okay, now Kagekatsu's mouth was getting him in even more trouble. And no, the whooping of Arius in the background was not helping whatsoever. In fact, all it did was rile him up further, and he made to grab Joseph by the shoulder.
Akash, realising what was about to happen, tried his best to reach out and warn the fox boy. He remembered that Kagekatsu was the first one out, so he wouldn't know just how much of a bad mistake that would be. "No wai-"
He didn't get a chance to finish was he wanted to say. By the time he was just vocalising the last part, Kagekatsu was already a smear on the ground. Having the constitution like his, having a power and psychotic trigger like Joseph's, it was a match made in the darkest depths of hell. The second Kagekatsu had touched the other, the kill switch was flipped and Kagekatsu's body was flipped as well, right onto his back and used like a ragdoll. For someone roughly the same size as him, Joseph sure as hell had more strength about him.
"Woah! Where's a camera where you need one!" Arius exclaimed, watching Kagekatsu's face get hazed to high hell. His nose likely some degree of broken at this point, it was surprising that more wasn't broken given how hard Joseph was laying in with his elbows.
"…Just… Just why…?" Fukuro buried his head at his table, so, sooooo violent. What was wrong with these people… Well, rephrase that. He knew what was wrong with them. He knew what was wrong with all of them. It was just a… More a case of why all of them were like this. Yeah. Maybe that was the way he had to think about it.
In the background, as Subaru looked on. Joseph still pummelling Kagekatsu into a submission the fox boy had long given, meanwhile, there was Akashi in the background getting on with the actual cooking and trying his best to ignore the macabre beatdown going on in the background. The pink haired clown smirked, his urges tingling as he cradled Yua into his chest, finally sitting down properly.
What a fun batch of kids this was going to be. Sure, they were frosty at first, but nearly everyone was when they first came to the Foundation. However, they would soon learn the most important lesson of all when it came to how to survive here. Nobody worked alone, and nobody did your work for you.
That. That was the Fujinaga Way and he was going to train them all in it if it killed him. He would make a promise to them. If he failed, he would personally gouge out his eyes in front of them and mail them around the Foundation.
As he looked back, some people now deciding to get a little closer to the squash that was going on, he smirked again. This time, he looked up to the ceiling and had one last comment to give. "I wonder what you really think about them… Kyte-sama."
In his office, now hiding once more behind the blackout curtains and glaring at the sun, Kyte had been about to go to sleep and had given express orders not to be woken up unless it was an emergency. Now, he knew there was zero chance in hell of that happening. It always did, but if they wanted to knock on his door then he wasn't going to be the one buying the flowers at their funeral.
Instead, his grip was firmly around his phone, a female voice speaking to him. "…So… How's he getting along? I-I… I don't want to overwhelm you with questions already, I know all of them have barely been there more than a few moments if the message you sent means anything, but still… Anything bad?" She sounded some degree of nervous, as if she was expecting dire news from the other end.
"Nothing out of line from what you told me. The Leech saw what went down and told me." The essence of a non-answer when it came to details, but it shouldn't be surprising that the answer was cryptic whenever you dealt with a member of the Foundation staff. It was even more the case whenever you were talking to the owner of the whole circus.
"Oh…" She sounded despondent, not as bad as it could have been, but she had clearly picked up on the implication in Kyte's words. For a moment, the line went dark again, the sounds of someone in the background sounding like he was talking to the woman on the phone.
"If you want an update on his status, he's settled in with the rest of them. Although, I wonder how much longer it will be before I have to step in. However, I will concede that I never thought this was going to be easy." Kyte replied, looking over his shoulder and at his desk where a page lay. A reminder for him to schedule some time for the new members with the therapist. He would just have to make time for it, and make sure that they were all ging to come out of it in one piece.
"Yeah… Even still, it means a lot that you were able to take him in either way. I tried looking all over the place, and you were the only one that even considered him after the first meeting." A pause, clearly expecting Kyte to take up the speaking mantel, however, with the silence pervading the feminine voice continued "…Ye-yeah, anyway, I'm just happy that you gave him the shot. I can tell you're busy, so I'll leave you to your business, Mr Loyal Heart~." She had started off nervous, a silent Kyte usually meant a very irritated Kyte, but tried to salvage it with a brief run of Dutch courage before cutting out.
With the line now dead, now all by himself, Kyte gave one simple answer to last sentence to the darkness of his office as he slowly retreated into the coffin.
"I don't have a heart."
A/n: WOO! WOO! WOO! I got it out on time! That's a plus! Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I figured that given the total destrcution of the previous chapters, I would need to slow it down a bit. In this sense, you get a chapter like this to deal with the immediate aftermath. Anyway, I hope you're in the mood for more of the kind of slow burn character development, because that's what the next few chapters will be about. You can't always have a story about kids beating the shit out of each other, as much as I would like it.
Anyway, I'll see you next month for the next chapter! See ya! Tick Tock