IMPORTANT WARNING! This chapter (and several others going forward) will contain some very uncomfortable scenes and subject matter, including child abuse, torture, medical experimentation, and references to sexual assault. Please proceed with caution.
The Okami Hero: Amaterasu
Arc 5: Eight Serpents
Chapter 2: The Shie Hassaikai
[Saturday 16th April 2281]
[Unknown Location]
"Hello, Izumi Midoriya. Or should I say, "Kami of Musutafu?" Or perhaps you prefer "Okami Amaterasu?" Welcome to our home." the leader said, stepping casually into the room. "We've heard a lot about you; enough to decide that you should be utilised for our cause. My name is Kai Chisaki, but you may call me Overhaul."
Izumi glared at Overhaul; "Apologies Mr. Chisaki, but you've caught me at a bad time. I tend to get in a bad mood when I'm kidnapped."
Overhaul's eyebrows rose, "Indeed? That's not unreasonable. I do apologise for having you brought here against your will, but your talents were required for our goals. I will be happy to explain them, but we should go to my office first and get comfortable. You must be hungry, but dinner will have to wait." he said, turning to lead Izumi and his men out of the room.
Izumi scowled and made sure Eri was secure on her back before moving to follow Overhaul. Before she reached the door however, Overhaul looked back over his shoulder.
"Eri is not required for this meeting. Chrono, take her to the lab. I'll be along after my meeting with Amaterasu." Overhaul said, gesturing to the man in the white hood.
Chrono nodded and moved to take Eri, but the little girl whimpered at his approach, which combined with Overhaul's mention of a lab, infuriated Izumi. She lashed out, kicking Chrono's leg from the back and making him buckle to the ground with a groan while Izumi leapt back and away from the crowd of men.
"Eri stays with me!" Izumi roared.
Overhaul looked at her dispassionately, a single eyebrow raised; "Eri belongs to me and my benefactor. We decide what is done with her. You aren't in a position to make demands." he said warningly.
Izumi glowered at him, but she couldn't deny he was right. Chrono was getting back on his feet, rubbing his calf as he stood while the other men approached ominously. Against five men, Izumi was outmatched even in a quirkless fight… she might have been able to take all but the buff man if they fought one on one without quirks, but against all five and with them having quirks and potentially weapons while she only had her body (which was admittedly well trained) and while protecting Eri? She was outmatched.
Combat wouldn't work, and Izumi doubted she could get past the men to make a run for it, so that left only one option; negotiation.
"You brought me here because you want something from me, right? Well, I can fight you endlessly even if it results in me being beaten to a pulp, but ensuring you don't get what you want… or we can make a deal." Izumi offered, doing her best to sound brave and confident despite her fears.
"Interesting. You are aware of your position, yet you bargain. You're audacious, but I suppose I should expect it from someone with such a chronic case… Alright then, name your terms and I'll decide if I should punish you for your little outburst." Overhaul said, "You'd be surprised at how much damage I can do without killing you..."
Izumi gulped; "I'll go with you obediently and won't harm you, your men or anyone else. I'll listen to what you have to say without complaint and do whatever you want until the conversation is over. But in exchange, I have three conditions; First, Eri stays with me. Second, you won't hurt Eri or any other innocent person. Third, the creep who tricked me gets lost!" she said, turning to glare at the blond man, who actually flinched at the intensity.
Overhaul's eyes flicked to the man all in black.
"Are you telling the truth? Will you obey until the talks are finished?" the man in black asked.
"Yes." Izumi answered, her body acting on its own. The girl scowled; the guy in black had a quirk that forced those effected to tell the truth… she would need to be careful.
Overhaul watched Izumi carefully for a few moments as Izumi tried to maintain her brave facade. Eri whimpered and shook, hiding her face completely in Izumi's hair so she wouldn't have to see Overhaul's face. It was a good thing Ishiko had been left to try and explore the vents, or Eri might have discovered the Poncle. Finally, Overhaul shrugged; "A small price to pay to make you behave while we talk." he turned to the blond creep; "Leave us."
The creep looked both relieved and disappointed, but scurried off without a word. Izumi watched him go with a satisfied look, until Overhaul cleared his throat.
"Now that that's settled, we should be on our way. Oh, but first… I did say I might punish your outburst. The deal we made covers Eri and other innocent people until we've finished talking. Do you consider yourself an innocent? If so, I can't punish you… but I suppose I could hold off on it until the talk is over and our deal ends. But then, Eri might have to share in it too; she's been quite disrespectful, hiding her face from me." Overhaul said, a sinister tone to his voice.
Eri squeaked and pulled her face up so she was looking at Overhaul, but Izumi just reached up and soothed her with a gentle pat on the head.
"A deals a deal, Mr Chisaki. I didn't specify I was to be unharmed. Do your worst, just leave Eri out of it." Izumi said.
The evil man chuckled; "Very well. Chrono, you're the one she hurt. She's yours for a moment. Ensure she is coherent afterwards."
The man in the white coat nodded; "Of course Kai." he then stepped forward so he was directly in front of Izumi and stared at her. Izumi barely stopped herself from flinching and forced herself to look the man in the eye… or at least the eyes of his mask. Chrono pulled his arm back and then swung it full force at Izumi's face, palm open.
Izumi couldn't stop herself from flinching this time, but the slap never came. Instead, Chrono stopped his hand an inch from Izumi's face, and then with all momentum gone from his arm, tapped her cheek roughly. It didn't hurt even a little bit, leaving Izumi confused and mildly worried.
Chrono just chuckled; "I'll go easy this time, on account of us kidnapping you. Next time you hit me though, I'll strike you for real, and perhaps Eri too. I'd wager that's a better punishment for you than an actual slap."
Izumi gulped and nodded. These bastards would threaten Eri to control her… if she wanted to protect the child, then she'd have to obey.
"If you're done Chrono, let's go to my office." Overhaul said, turning and leading the small group through the halls of his hideout. Izumi observed everything with the eyes of a hawk, committing any potentially useful detail to memory. The entire place appeared to be plain concrete corridors with the occasional pipe running through the walls or ceiling, and other than a few doors leading to unknown rooms, there was nothing to see. Even the other occupants of the base were fairly uninteresting; most were average looking people in fancy suits and various kinds of face mask. However, mixed in with the various thugs were creatures that made Izumi's blood run cold… Demons. Imps of all five types, as well as other species of Demons wandered the halls, each one staring at Izumi and Eri as they passed. Not all the thugs could see them, but Overhaul, Chrono and the other two with them definitely saw them.
Izumi supposed she shouldn't have been surprised… Overhaul knew she was Amaterasu, and had the resources to procure a Cursed Restraint to stop her using her powers. It made sense that he was in league with the Demons… Considering that he seemed to be in charge of the various monsters roaming his hideout, Izumi guessed that Overhaul was either possessed by a Brush Demon, his benefactor was possessed by a Brush Demon, or his Benefactor was a high ranking Demon on its own. All three options were equally scary to a powerless Izumi.
After walking down what felt like the fifth identical hallway, Overhaul opened a door no different from any of the others they'd passed and led the group inside.
Izumi was on guard as soon as she stepped into the room. It was a simple office, with a nice desk and chair for Overhaul to sit behind and another chair in front of the desk. The only thing of note was the large crest on the wall behind the desk; it resembled some kind of flower, but with eight angular petals and an octagonal centre. It sort of looked like a Buddhist symbol, but Izumi couldn't be sure.
Overhaul took a seat behind the desk while the two normal sized men flanked him and the giant man stood in front of the door, ensuring Izumi couldn't turn around and flee. The Villains' boss gestured toward the chair.
"Amaterasu, please take a seat. Eri, get off her back; our guest can't sit if you're glued to her." Overhaul ordered.
Eri reluctantly climbed down with some help from Izumi, but then the older girl sat down in the offered chair and pulled Eri into her lap. "It's not fair for me to sit while Eri stands. Good thing my lap makes for a comfy seat." Izumi smiled at the girl. Eri's eyes briefly sparkled with happiness, but quickly returned to their dull and fearful appearance… she was too afraid of Overhaul to speak and instead nodded bashfully.
Overhaul didn't seem too perturbed by this; "It seems you're very protective of Eri, and she has come to trust you after only a short time. Good, this will make things easier for us." he said, leaning back in his chair, "I have already introduced myself, so I shall introduce my colleagues; the man to my right, whom you kicked, is Chronostasis; my right hand man. The man to my left, the one with the hat, is named Shin Nemoto and he is one of my Eight Bullets. You've already experienced his quirk; he will ensure you don't lie to me. The man behind you is Rikiya Katsukame, another of my Bullets."
"Nice to meet you." Izumi said. She was a bit embarrassed by it, but it was a programmed response to learning someone's name at this point.
"You're polite if nothing else. Our organisation is called the Shie Hassaikai, also known as the Eight Precepts of Death. We are one of the last surviving yakuza families in Japan." Overhaul said, pointing at the crest behind him.
Izumi blinked; "Yakuza? Seriously?"
Overhaul's eyes narrowed; "Is there a problem?" he asked dangerously.
"N-No!" Izumi answered quickly, "It's just… normally if a Yakuza group kidnapped a girl, it was to sell them to some rich pig or force them to work in their brothels. I don't get the impression you're planning something like that… if that was all you wanted, you wouldn't have gone through the effort of hunting me specifically, unless you wanted to add the so-called "Kami of Musutafu" to your catalogue… Plus, you work with Demons and know what I am. I assume you're working for the Evil One."
"I can assure you, our group has grander plans than selling teenagers into prostitution." the man said coldly.
"I suppose that makes me feel a little better about you changing my clothes in my sleep." Izumi frowned.
"Ah yes, I had one of my Bullets do that. He is a pious man by the name Hekiji Tengai. It was necessary to ensure you didn't smuggle anything in with you. You can relax in the knowledge that your virtue has not been defiled… to do so would invalidate half the reason we kidnapped you. Now as you may have noticed, your Divine Powers have been inhibited by a special Suppressor Band, prepared on the orders of the Shie Hassaikai's benefactor. We had a few Quirk Suppressor Bands on hand already, so we converted one to suppress your power with the Demon's curse. You are helpless, so I advise you to obey, understood?" Overhaul asked.
The girl frowned hard, but eventually forced out a "Yes Sir."
Izumi had to be careful with her words; she knew Nemoto could force her to tell the truth, but she didn't know whether or not he could spot a lie when his quirk wasn't active. She'd have to dance around Overhaul without lying or giving away information he might not already know.
"No one knows you are here; we planned it very carefully to ensure that. If someone had seen, it would constitute a loose end and I would hate for things to end up… messy. Speaking of which, you are certain you don't have anything stashed on you? If you do, I WILL find them, and you and Eri will pay for it. If you have something, such as your missing Poncle companion, reveal it now." Overhaul asked.
"Other than my clothes and Eri, I don't have anything or anyone on me! You ordered me strip searched, you would know." Izumi said, not having to feign her upset at the situation. She was also being technically truthful, since Ishiko was currently exploring the vents.
Overhaul's eyes narrowed; "True, but I didn't order a cavity search. I can rectify that..." he said ominously.
Izumi flushed; "I don't have any cavities capable of concealing a Poncle!" Privately, she wondered if Ishiko had managed to hide by concealing herself in Izumi's mouth… Izumi's throat did feel a little strange, so maybe she hid down there during the strip search? Izumi was unconscious at the time, so she wouldn't have known.
Overhaul hummed; "Very well. Getting back on topic… Simply put, it is the goal of the Shie Hassaikai to cure humanity of its current sickness; a plague known as quirks. Both Heroes and Villains are diseases in their own right, and are also symptoms of the plague devastating our world. It is my wish to cure that plague and rebuild the world as it once was."
Izumi gaped at him. Rid the world of all Quirks? Render everyone quirkless again and destroy the entire system of Heroes? It was insane! Completely unthinkable! All of modern society was built around Quirks! If they suddenly vanished, it would be chaos! Huge areas of infrastructure would be either rendered useless or destroyed entirely, not to mention the disastrous cost to the world wide economy. Human Civilisation across the globe would be set back over 250 years! The loss of life from suicides and the unavailability of support and medical systems based on quirks would more than exceed the lives saved by the disappearance of Villains.
Overhaul called Quirks a plague, but if they suddenly vanished, it would become a global cataclysm.
But all this brought another worry… what did she have to contribute to this plan? Was it the Evil One's goal to take over the planet by erasing Quirks? The resulting disaster would certainly create enough chaos and hardship for Demons to thrive, so it was a possibility. Did he expect Izumi to be corrupted to their side like the Akuma-Hana had tried? Did he know about her quirk and expected her to take quirks from those who volunteered? Or did he expect to be able to modify Izumi with Demonic Powers to allow her to outright steal quirks? If so, what part did Eri play in all this?
Ultimately, the only response Izumi could muster was a blank; "What?"
Overhaul chuckled again; "Not easy to picture, is it? However we're closer than you think. We need only two years at most to complete the final preparations."
"You've got to be nuts. Even if you succeeded, you'd cause more damage to the world than quirks ever did! All of Human Society is built around them! Hundreds of Millions of lives across the globe would be lost!" Izumi argued, "And why would the Demons help you with this? Surely they cause enough chaos on their own without needing help from Humans, and wiping out huge amounts of the population wasn't supposed to be their goal!"
"Sometimes, you must amputate a limb to save the body. If a few million lives are all that stand between me and returning Humanity to its pure and un-blighted state, then I would take them all myself." Overhaul said. Izumi flinched at the conviction in the man's voice; he believed whole heartedly in what he was doing, even though he knew the costs… Izumi would have been almost impressed if he wasn't such a monster. "As for our Benefactor and his minions… he and his own Master would have an easier time achieving their goals if Humans didn't have quirks. They need quirks erased to complete their plan, and I am more than happy to make a deal with the Devil himself to cure the plague of quirks."
"So what do I have to do with this? What does Eri have to do with this?" Izumi demanded.
"Eri possesses a unique quirk known as Rewind. That horn of hers releases energy that can reverse the effects of time on any organic matter. We are in the process of refining a drug from Eri's blood and cells, which can reverse the human evolution responsible for the creation of the Quirk Factor. Like a vaccine being created from the disease it cures, we are using Eri's quirk to create a cure for all quirks." Overhaul explained.
Eri flinched and Izumi paled. "What the hell are you doing to this girl!?"
"You will see, Midoriya. Now about your role in this; you possess a Divine Power known as Rejuvenation, correct? The power to restore anything to its previous condition by expending energy to produce the ink necessary." Overhaul said. "It is not dissimilar to Eri's quirk, though unlike her, you cannot harm people with that power, and it works on inorganic matter as well."
Overhaul's expression became wistful; "You know, as you are Quirkless, you are actually a pure being… hurting you feels sacrilegious compared to hurting a cursed brat like Eri…"
Eri whimpered and Izumi's eyes narrowed angrily, but she maintained control. Overhaul may know about her Divine Powers, but it appeared he didn't know about her quirk, which could potentially give Izumi an ace up her sleeve later… though it was a moot point at the moment thanks to the Quirk Suppressor.
"So what's your plan?" she asked, "Use my Rejuvenation and Eri's Rewind to create the Quirk-Destroyer Drug then hand me over to your benefactor to be killed?"
"Close, though the final result depends on you. Your power will help us to refine and expedite the process of our Quirk-Destroyer Drug. The current progress is slow; Eri is too weak to stand the experiments for long and while I can reset her with my own quirk; Overhaul, she can only take so many resets before she reaches her limit. You will use your power to restore Eri after every experiment, this way we can perform more tests before needing to reset her. An hour long session could last up to five hours with your power in play."
Izumi paled even further; just what the hell did these experiments entail!? What did Overhaul mean by "reset"!? Eri was shaking like a leaf, desperately trying to hold in her whimpers but Izumi could feel them all vibrating through her chest as she hugged the little girl against her.
Overhaul didn't seem to notice either girls' distress and simply kept talking; "In addition to acting as our medic and my assistant in the experimentation, you will be Eri's carer. You will be in charge of ensuring she is healthy, clean and fed. I'll give you supervised access to our kitchens so you can prepare meals for both Eri and yourself."
"I don't have a choice, do I?" Izumi spat.
The Yakuza Boss shook his head; "No. You are in my custody now, and like the child you are, you will obey me. If you disobey, you will be punished and as you are Eri's carer, she will be punished too to ensure she doesn't follow your bad example. With your healing ability, I can have my men tan both your hides without a worry that it'll effect your health or usefulness."
Overhaul then paused; "Of course, you do have ONE choice… I believe you met a certain Imp a few months back, while clearing out Dagobah Beach. The Imp, in return for his life, betrayed his master and revealed his identity… that Imp is dead now, and our Benefactor was most displeased to have been exposed."
Realisation hit the Wolf Girl; "You serve Orochi!" Izumi spat venomously.
"Indeed. I do not know the full story of your past lives, only what Orochi bothered to tell me. His Minions have been gathering souls from beautiful women across the area and soon, he will have taken 99 souls. That is where your choice comes in… for the 100th sacrifice, the one that Orochi wants to use to gain infinite power, he needs a pure virgin maiden. I had planned to use Eri, once I was done with her… Orochi can snack on her to gain his power while I go on to cure the world of quirks… But now there is an alternative… if you choose, he can snack on YOU. You are also a pure virgin maiden, and as a goddess, you will empower him even more." Overhaul explained.
The man turned his evil yellow eyes on Izumi; "You can rebel against us and suffer with Eri, or allow Eri to suffer alone. You can allow her to be devoured and become a Demon like the Evil One wishes, or you can save Eri's life and be devoured yourself, giving Orochi the power to surpass his master and rule. Either way, Orochi gains his power and I cure the world. That is the choice you have to make."
Izumi grit her teeth furiously, but bowed her head anyway. She couldn't do anything against Overhaul. If she wanted to protect Eri, she'd have to grin and bear whatever Chisaki did to her. Overhaul seemed pleased with her show of submission.
"I will submit… just don't hurt Eri. I… I will became Orochi's sacrifice." Izumi said, making Eri tear up in horror.
"Good girl. You have a chronic case of Hero Syndrome, what with your little escapades around Musutafu, but don't worry; once the experiment is complete and we can mass-produce the Quirk Destroyer Drug, Orochi and I will honour your sacrifice and our bargain. We'll cure Eri of her cursed quirk and let her go free. Now, we have an hour before dinner; I think a quick session in the lab will cap this conversation off nicely." the man said, standing up.
Eri couldn't contain her whimpers any more, so Izumi kissed her cheek and whispered to her; "Remember my promise, Eri. It will all be okay."
The Greenette had formulated a plan to keep Eri safe… she just needed to know what the experiments were in order to ensure it worked.
Izumi held Eri closely as she was made to stand and follow Chisaki out of the office. Chronostasis, Nemoto and Katsukame were following their leader too, and surrounding Izumi and Eri just as they had done before. This time, the girls were led to a laboratory and the moment they entered the room, Eri began quaking in fear and wouldn't stop no matter how much Izumi whispered comfortingly to her.
The lab wasn't too different from a hospital room, filled with machines and equipment that Izumi couldn't identify, as well as various screens and monitors. The only things that set it apart were a pair of chairs, similar to those at a Dentist's office, that had been placed opposite each other; they were large and had arm rests and two seperate leg rests. This wouldn't have been a cause for concern… if it weren't for the heavy leather straps designed to tie down the occupant's arms, legs and torso.
"Midoriya, you're in the right seat. Eri is in the left. Take your seats." Overhaul ordered, taking off his jacket as he looked over a tray of surgical supplies.
"W-Wait, aren't we..." Izumi began, only to be interrupted by a painful smack to the back of her head.
"The Boss gave you an order!" Katsukame shouted, his hand still outstretched from where he'd smacked her. Izumi reeled; the man was a strong as he looked! A single slap to the back of the head had her seeing stars!
Eri shrieked in surprise as the slap sounded like a gunshot in the quiet room, and Izumi stumbled forward from the force. Chronostasis immediately swept over and plucked the struggling girl from Izumi's arms, then sat her in one of the chairs and strapped her down. Katsukame grabbed Izumi roughly by the shoulder and shoved her forward, forcing her to sit and then strapping her in too, just tightly enough to be uncomfortable without cutting of her circulation.
Once both girls were strapped down in their respective chairs, Overhaul turned to Izumi and actually had the gall to give her a disappointed look. "I did warn you about disobedience being punished. Should I punish Eri now too?"
"No! Please, I'm sorry! I was just surprised by the sudden order!" Izumi begged. Eri was terrified already; Izumi had to keep her promise and protect her!
"Then what should I do about this? Eri knows you're her carer now; we can't have her learn from your example." Overhaul said.
Izumi shuddered and her heart sank; "P-Punish me instead. Please."
Overhaul watched her for a second, then nodded. "Rikiya, again."
The muscle-bound crook nodded and promptly smacked Izumi hard across the face with his open palm. Eri screamed at the sight and Izumi felt her entire head snap back with the force, hitting it against the thankfully cushioned head rest. This smack was worse than the last one and it took a few seconds for Izumi to shake the black spots from her vision. Her lip was bleeding lightly, and a vicious red mark covered Izumi's cheek, along with a small bruise from where the metal part of Katsukame's knuckleduster wrapped around a couple of his fingers. Katsukame looked towards Overhaul, silently asking if he should hit Izumi again, but Overhaul just shook his head.
"Learn your lesson?" the Boss asked.
"Yes sir, Mr Chisaki." Izumi said quietly, wishing she could rub the sting from her cheek.
"Good. Now, I'll show you what my experiments entail. It'll make for a good end to this little conversation." Overhaul said, carefully picking up a scalpel and approaching Eri. Chronostasis unwrapped the bandages on Eri's limbs, exposing the myriad of scars on each one.
Eri shut her eyes tight and grit her teeth as Overhaul approached with the scalpel. Izumi, horrified and desperate to stop the man, cried out; "W-Wait! You just said the conversation wasn't over yet, right?"
Overhaul sighed; "Yes, I did. Are you having trouble with your hearing? Something clogging your ears? Should I have Rikiya see if he can knock it loose?" he asked threateningly.
"N-No, but we had a deal, didn't we Mr Chisaki? You promised you wouldn't hurt Eri until the conversation ended. If… if you show me the experiments without hurting Eri, then I promise I'll cooperate with them!" Izumi begged.
Overhaul's eyes flicked toward Nemoto, who nodded and activated his quirk; "Will you cooperate if we show the experiments without harming Eri?"
Izumi felt herself be compelled to answer truthfully; "Yes. I'll even assist like you want."
Eri's eyes widened and Izumi hated how betrayed she looked. She dearly wished she could reassure Eri, but she needed to know how the experiments worked before she could do what she was really planning.
Overhaul shrugged and nodded. "Very well. I'll show you the recording from yesterday's session. But once its over, the conversation will be over and you will assist me, as you promised." he ordered, gesturing to Chrono.
The hooded man moved one of the monitors so that Izumi could see it clearly, then inserted a micro disk with the previous day's date on it. The date read "15.04.81", which meant "Yesterday" was the day Izumi had been kidnapped. Izumi had been unconscious for a full day before waking up in the Shie Hassaikai Compound.
The monitor flicked on, and Izumi witnessed something that would change her forever; a sight that would never leave her, haunting her dreams for years to come.
The video showed the lab as it was now, but only Eri, Chrono and Overhaul were present. The recorded Eri was strapped down and missing her bandages, just as the present Eri was, and just as the present Overhaul had, the recorded Overhaul approached with a scalpel. There was no Izumi in the video to stop the proceedings, so the present Izumi was forced to watch as the recorded Overhaul calved into Eri's arm, slicing the same spot over and over, cutting through skin, then fat, then muscle until finally reaching the bone. The recorded Eri did her best to be brave, but after the first cut made her eyes water, the second made her shriek. It was an awful sound and it broke Izumi's heart, but Overhaul hadn't cared and just kept cutting until he hit the bone of Eri's arm. Then, to Izumi's surprise, Eri's wound began to close itself and while it did so, Overhaul dug his fingers and a pair of tweezers through the wound and tore away some of the healing flesh, as well as a syringe full of blood. Eri screamed through the whole thing, only stopping when the wound closed completely, leaving behind a new scar. Then the little girl was panting heavily, tears staining her face while Chronostasis suctioned up the blood she'd lost with some kind of suction tool that Izumi had seen in hospital dramas.
Izumi thought the video would end there, but it didn't. Overhaul did the same thing again and again and again, literally carving Eri open over and over then harvesting her flesh and blood once her quirk activated to Rewind the damage. Finally, when Eri could take no more and was overflowing with shock and reduced to an incoherent mess, Overhaul revealed his own quirk. He took off his glove and touched Eri with his bare hand, whereupon Eri was reduced to nothing but a blood splatter. Izumi actually screamed at that, too shocked to control her reaction. Then, the recorded Overhaul used his quirk to immediately reconstruct Eri from the blood stain, fully reforming her. Relief filled Izumi at seeing Eri revived, but then the horror of what she'd witnessed really hit her; that was what Overhaul meant by "reset"! He used his quirk to break her down and reconfigure her, wiping away the shock that would likely have killed Eri if he'd pushed it any further, while returning Eri to a position where he could continue the experiment. He repeated this process several times, until Eri could no longer retain consciousness after the last reset. It looked like the reset could stop Eri from succumbing to shock, but not restore her lost energy.
The video ended and Chrono moved the screen away, letting Izumi get a good look at Overhaul.
"You're a monster!" Izumi whispered furiously, unable to speak louder without her voice cracking and sending her into hysterical sobs. "You tortured her! That was live vivisection without anaesthesia!"
"I told you before, Amaterasu. I would sacrifice a million lives to cure this world. The pain of one little girl is a small price to pay." Overhaul said coldly.
"But you don't need to! If you need her blood, take a sample with a syringe! Doctors do it all the time without torturing their patients!" Izumi yelled, beginning to get her voice back.
"You saw what happened when I cut her, correct? Her quirk is present in her blood and cells, but it is inert. When she is injured, her quirk becomes active and begins to rewind the damage, flooding her cells with the power of the active quirk. The inert cells are useless; I need the active ones." Overhaul explained.
Izumi grit her teeth; "Then why not use anaesthesia!? Why does she have to be awake and in horrible pain!?"
"Simply put, anaesthesia is a luxury we can't afford to waste. Our organisation is small and not exactly rolling in cash. Demons prefer to steal souls, not money and considering the number of my men that get eaten by them, I have to recruit all kinds of scum, like the guy that kidnapped you, just to keep us staffed. What money we make must go to the creation of the Quirk Destroyer Drug. Eri's pain doesn't effect the experiment in any meaningful way, so she can endure." Overhaul said.
Izumi's eyes widened and hatred burned within her. She had never felt such fury; it was like her heart had been replaced by a burning sun, just itching to go supernova and consume this monster. Overhaul wasn't some thug or Yakuza… he wasn't even a Villain to Izumi now…
He was a walking corpse.
Izumi was disgusted with herself for thinking it, but nothing she did could shake the feeling. She dearly wanted to unleash her Wolf Form and sink her teeth into Overhaul's throat… hell, if it weren't for the fact Eri would suffer for it and Overhaul would likely use his quirk to reset himself, Izumi would have bided her time until she was released from the restraints and then torn out his throat with her human teeth. It made her feel sick to think that, and she had to take several calming breaths. She didn't know it, but her eyes were flashing between Green and Red as corruption tried to overtake her and convert her into a Demon. The Brush Gods within her were desperately trying to calm her down.
A different voice whispered in her head; "It is okay… give in to the rage and hate. Your restraint stops your Divine Power, but it cannot stop Demonic Power… let it go… take the plunge into the abyss… let yourself become a Demon. You'll have the power to slay Overhaul, to make him suffer infinitely for what he did to Eri! Then you can take the girl and do whatever you wish with her! She'll be yours, heart, body and soul! Imagine what you could do with a loyal follower with a power like hers..." the quiet voice urged. It sounded so soft and tempting… it sounded like Izumi's own voice.
Afraid of the temptation, Izumi shook her head vigorously "No, this isn't what a Hero would do. A Hero would save Eri, defeat Overhaul and then deliver him to justice." she thought, thinking of what All-Might would do in her situation.
Of course, All-Might would deliver Overhaul alive… after breaking almost every bone in his body. Izumi could live with that.
Overhaul was mildly surprised by the hatred in Izumi's eyes, but he wasn't going to be intimidated by a teenage girl. "Now you know the procedure. The conversation is over; you're going to assist me now. Chrono will remove your quirk restraint so you can use your healing, but if you attack or defy us, then Eri will suffer for it." Overhaul said, gesturing to Katsukame, who now stood behind Eri's chair. The Brute nodded and reached down, snapping a black band around the terrified little girl's neck. "That band is a combination shock and bomb collar. Disobey me, and it will administer a painful electric shock to Eri… try to use your Divine Powers against me, and the bomb will detonate." The threat was clear; play along, or Eri's head goes pop. With Overhaul's quirk, he could likely repair her from almost anything.
Chrono carefully approached Izumi and touched her leg, pressing a small key into a section of her power suppressing anklet and making it click open. The man took the band and stepped back, while Nemoto undid Izumi's restraints. Izumi gasped as she felt her Divine Powers rush through her body again; she didn't realise how much she'd missed them until they returned!
"You know what will happen if you disobey. I will cut Eri as usual, but once I have gathered the necessary cells, you will complete her healing with your Rejuvenation. That'll reduce the time Eri has her quirk active and increase the number of times I can gather cells before a reset. Are we clear?" Overhaul asked.
"No." Izumi said, carefully getting to her feet without making any sudden moves.
Overhaul's eyes narrowed dangerously; "Did you forget our deal? I have indulged you enough already today; you will obey or I'll allow Katsukame to beat you to a pulp while Nemoto takes his belt to Eri. One way or another, you WILL obey."
"I gave my word I would assist in your experiments." Izumi said, making Eri whimper. Izumi flashed the child a smile; "But I also gave my word to Eri that I wouldn't allow anyone to hurt her."
"Then you'll need to break one of those promises. If you refuse to help me, you'll be breaking BOTH promises." Overhaul warned.
"You're wrong." Izumi cut him off, "About the promises and about my quirklessness."
Overhaul eyed her carefully. "Explain. Nemoto, use your quirk."
Nemoto nodded and activated his quirk, compelling Izumi to tell the truth. "I am not Quirkless. We recently discovered my quirk, it's registered as part of my fake Okami Quirk, to explain my powers to the Government; it allows me to take quirks with the permission of their owners." she explained, causing Overhaul's eyes to narrow. Izumi could see her own value decreasing in the Villain's eyes… before she was a pure, untainted girl with Godly Powers (the insane Overhaul only considered quirks, not Divine or Demonic Power, as bad), but now she was the same kind of tainted creature as the rest of them.
"I'm older and stronger than Eri, so if you let me take her quirk, you can experiment on me instead. I keep my promise to help you and protect Eri, Eri gets to live without being tortured and you get what you want. All our goals are met." Izumi finished.
Eri gasped while the Yakuza all paled drastically. Izumi had spoken under the influence of Nemoto's quirk, meaning she was definitely telling the truth! Eri felt awful for believing Izumi had betrayed her for a few seconds; she wasn't betraying her! She was saving her by taking the pain herself!
While Eri was thinking this, Chrono walked over to Overhaul and began whispering, but in the quiet room, Izumi could just barely make it out.
"Kai, we should get rid of her! Let's drug her up to her eyeballs and dump her back in the alley we found her!" Chrono begged.
"She could be useful. If we can hybridise Eri's Rewind with her quirk, it could accelerate our work. Two years of work could be completed in two months!" Kai argued. "Besides, we'd lose Orochi's support and he's the only thing keeping the Boss alive!"
"But you heard her quirk! All for One… if we step on HIS toes without the perfected drug, he'll wipe us out, Boss included! If this girl is related to him, even as just some experiment of his, he'd eradicate us!"
"He won't learn of it, and even if he did, Orochi would protect us. He can't stand against a Monster like that, and Orochi said himself that even Amaterasu couldn't slay him without help from a Chosen One. To ensure our safety, we'll tell no one outside this room. By the time HE discovers what became of the girl, we'll have the drug perfected and then we'll be the rulers of the underworld. It's a risk, but one we must take for the sake of the family." Kai said, his decision made.
Chrono looked upset, based on his posture, but he didn't argue further; "As you wish, Kai. I'll serve you loyally, as always."
Overhaul nodded and turned to Izumi; "Alright. Use your power to take Eri's quirk. You will take her place in the experiments."
Izumi sighed with relief and walked forward, kneeling in front of Eri and smiling softly at her. "Hey Little One. I'm going to keep my promise, but I need to borrow your quirk, okay? Can you let me take it?"
Eri's eyes shone with hope; "N-No cutting? No more pain?"
"No more. I swear it." Izumi smiled.
Eri couldn't nod fast enough. Izumi activated her quirk, turning her hand black and covering with red lightning. Izumi carefully placed her hands on Eri, one on her cheek and one over her heart and focused on taking her quirk. Eri's quirk practically leapt from her and into Izumi, pushed out by Eri's deep desire to get rid of the power that Overhaul used as an excuse to hurt her. It was so fast, Izumi didn't even get the awful feeling of wrongness that accompanied taking a quirk; instead it felt like she'd suddenly swallowed a pill that was a bit too big to swallow comfortably. Izumi and the Yakuza watched as Eri's face relaxed completely, and her little horn shrank into a small bump before disappearing all together.
Then it came time for Izumi to adapt to the quirk.
Izumi felt like she was strapped into an electric chair. Lightning coursed through her body and made her spasm painfully as it arced through her muscles, travelling up her nerves as it made its way to her forehead. The electrical feeling ended, and Izumi let out a brief scream as a horn shot from the side of her forehead. It was identical in appearance and position to Eri's. Izumi panted and stood up, leaning down to kiss Eri's cheek before turning to Overhaul.
"It's done. I have Rewind now. Eri is free." Izumi declared.
Overhaul's eyes lit up like a kid's at Christmas. He swept past Izumi and looked at Eri, examining her closely as if he'd never seen her before. It was quite a change; previously he looked at Eri like a piece of meat, or a cadaver to be dissected, but now… it was almost like he'd just realised she was a person.
"Remarkable. Eri has achieved the ideal; she is now a perfect, pure, and untainted human! Amaterasu, you have taken a filthy, rotten sack of meat infected with disease and turned it into a testament to Humanity!" Overhaul proclaimed, "You have sucked out the poison inside her and taken it on yourself. Truly, you are a Goddess!"
"How nice..." Izumi frowned, "So Eri is free to go now? You'll release her? I've already accepted to be Orochi's sacrifice in her stead, so you have no reason to keep her prisoner."
Overhaul shook his head; "Not yet. She knows too much about us, and if we release her..." he chuckled darkly, "How will we ensure you stay obedient? You took two strikes from Rikiya just to save Eri from a little spanking; if we keep her around, you'll be nice and compliant."
Izumi grimaced, but she had expected it. It wasn't going to be that easy…
Eri remained strapped down while Chrono and Overhaul allowed Izumi to transform into her Demi-God form then led her back to her own chair and strapped her down too. For as long as Izumi's power wasn't being suppressed, Overhaul kept the black collar on Eri's neck to ensure there would be no rebellion.
Overhaul brandished his scalpel; "It's getting late, but we'll see how long we can keep this session going..."
Izumi gulped. "Close your eyes, Eri." she asked, not wanting the girl to see what was about to happen. Eri complied, but she would still be able to hear it all…
"Guys, can you do anything to help me here? Reduce the pain?" Izumi asked the Brush Gods fearfully.
"Not exactly. We can help your mind move into a state of meditation… but we cannot completely shut out the torment. The pain will be lessened, not erased." Yomigami said, already working to calm Izumi with his aura. The rest of the Brush Gods within Izumi began pulsing their own auras, pulling Izumi's mind into a state of artificial calm.
Overhaul put the scalpel against Izumi's bare arm; "Let's start the operation."
He began cutting.
Izumi grimaced… she tried her best to remain stoic, but as they said, the Brush Gods couldn't suppress all the pain and before too long, it got too much...
She began screaming.
Next Chapter: Endure
To be Released: June 25th 2021
Okay, I think this is one of the roughest and darkest chapters over with. I'm sorry for cutting it off like that, but there really was no better place to end the chapter.
So yeah, we see Overhaul and his men in all their creepy, horrifying glory, and what they've got planned for their captives. Poor Izumi is in for a very rough time, but at least she prefers it to Eri suffering. Don't worry though, Izumi isn't just going to sit around and wait for rescue; she's no damsel in distress! And we also get to see how Izumi uses her quirk and a certain super villain gets another mention.
Also, this whole arc is basically a consequence of Izumi showing mercy to that one demon in the last arc. If she hadn't, Orochi, Overhaul, and their men wouldn't have known where to trap her. Being a good person doesn't always pay off it seems.
For those worried about the dark content, I can say that the video of the last experiment on Eri is probably as gory as it gets, but there will be other dark stuff too. I hope you guys don't mind!
I hope you enjoyed! Please Comment and Review; it really encourages me!