Heya guys! Sorry, this took so long. This chapter is long, but I don't think I'm going to write too many like this. Time will tell. After this, I may take a short hiatus as I'm going to be doing some re-writing for my other story. I hope you guys enjoy this chapter!
Warning: Graphic scenes ahead.
"Friends?" Toruyo asked quietly. Refusing to turn around.
"Yes. Years ago." Hakai responded. "Recently I found..." He stopped midsentence. But he had to continue. There's no turning back now. "I found out you had met him a few years ago. I know this may be an invasion of privacy, but please tell me why you did. It's imperative that you do."
The gray-haired girl turned her head towards him, but not all the way. She was debating with herself, thinking about what to do next. "Come with me." She said before she started walking again. Hakai followed behind her to the school parking lot. Her car was parked in the far corner. He wondered how she was able to park there without a problem, but that was a question for later. They silently got in her car, and she started the engine.
Last Night
Osume Hiku strolled down the street in the last night, the sidewalk empty. Close behind him, a woman followed.
Even though the base of her neck-length hair was black, many strands of her hair instead blended to different colors of blood-red, tiger-orange, sea-green, and aqua-blue. Colors she was specific about. She had a red-colored eye outline and black mascara that greatly contrasted from her pale skin. Her serious looking eyes were a lemon color. As she walked on, she drew inside a sketchbook. It was marked with multiple tabs reading different things.
"Whatcha working on back there?" Hiku asked.
"An anaconda. I'm finishing up the small details now." She replied.
"Really? You have to show me later. Your work is lovely."
"Years of practice... and natural inclination."
"Be alert. We're here." They two reached an old abandoned warehouse. When they entered the large building they saw a misty figure standing in the middle.
"You came," Kurogiri called. "But who is this?"
"She's my escort. Of course, I wouldn't be coming alone."
Kurogiri opened his portal and the two stepped through. They arrived in a bar like room. In the middle stood a man covered in hands.
"So you're Tomura Shigaraki?" Hiku reasoned. "I'm Osume Hiku, and she's Jukuro Karuka. I heard you wanted to meet with me."
"Yeah. You and your organization, the Mass Chaos Squad, seem to be on the rise. Impressive coming from someone so young. You see I have a group myself."
"What's it called?"
"The League of Villains."
"So, you're the one behind that attack on U.A," Karuka said. She started flipping through pages of her sketchbook. "Your mission was reported to take out All Might, but that was a failure." She stated nonchalantly. Karuka then came to a stop in her book. "Not a good track recorded already with you just starting."
"We underestimated the situation. Something we won't do again," Tomura said, aggravated at her comment. "But we have great support behind our organization."
"Let me guess. You want to work together with my group?" Hiku said, leaning against the wall. "Based on the attack, I'm guessing you need personnel. Why should I help you?" He asked. When he finished, the monitor across the room flashed on to show a dark room. Hiku looks on in confusion and curiosity. Karuka put a hand on the page in her book.
"Greetings, Osume Hiku." said a voice through the screen.
"Who are you? Wait. Is that-?"
"Yes, it is me Osume. And I implore you to listen." The voice responded.
"Wait, sensei. You know him?" Tomura questioned.
"Yes." The voice answered. "He was having trouble, so I assisted. And now I require his assistance for the league."
Hiku sighed. "Alright. What do you want then?"
"I want you to help the boy. You see he has a mission that he must realize, and I believe that you can contribute greatly. Your organization... your ideals... you are exactly the type he's looking for."
"So you expect me to help a weak organization like this?" Hiku questioned. This finally pushed Tomura over. He ran up to Hiku and reached for his neck. Before he could get close, Karuka seemed to have pulled a gun from the page of her book and aimed it at Tomura. Kurogiri quickly put a portal between the two of them, trying to stop the encounter. As everyone was still, the deep voice continued to speak.
"Calm, Tomura." He said. "I apologize for his outburst. The league means a lot to him. And remember, Osume. Yours wasn't anything remarkable, to begin with, either."
Hiku glanced at Tomura. He took a step back, and when he did, Hiku nodded to Karuka. She laid the gun on the page, and it blended back onto the paper.
"For the moment, we don't want a merge or anything of the like. Just some assistance for him."
"What kind?"
"He needs insurance. When he is in a tight spot, you and your group could bail him out."
"You still haven't told me why I should help. What's your relationship with him?"
"That will come to be known soon enough. But two should ease up on each other, you two are going to be working closely soon enough. Osume, Your squad's main goal seems to chaos when you see fit. If you cooperate with us, the league can help you with that greatly..."
Hakai wanted to say something to break the tension, but he didn't know what to say. Was she angry at him? He would understand why.
"How did you find out?" She asked randomly during the ride. "About me meeting him that is."
"I had Amelia doing some searching on him yesterday, and you came up." He replied they were silent a little longer, but he asked a question himself. "Where are we going?"
"My house." Hakai began to get a little nervous. He going to his girlfriend's house! Sure, it's for serious business, but come on! When he looked out the window, the density of houses lowered. They rode alongside the beach as she drove the car. Soon, they came upon a driveway and she turned in. Her house is, in simple terms, luxurious. It looked very traditional but with modern aspects. There were lots of trees and bushes, many of them coated with colorful flowers and buds. The driveway headed ended at her large garage. When she pulled to the entrance, the garage door lifted up revealing it was larger on the inside. She pulled in and turned off the car.
"This is your house? It's amazing! Now I have to know." Hakai inquired.
"You like it?" Toruyo asked.
"Of course. My house is nice, but this is something else. "
"I've always thought it could be too much at times. But it served its purpose."
"How could you afford this? Better yet, how did you even by it at your age?"
She opened her door and got out of the car. Hakai did the same. As he looked around the garage, other than the Lotus, he saw a black, fast-looking motorcycle in the middle. His eyes went wide when he saw the hummer across the garage. It had camo-gray paint, and armor braces attached around it and light bars. "You-You have a Hummer?!" He exclaimed. "It almost looks as if it belongs to the military!"
She led him to the door leading into the house. Of course, the inside looked great too. Hakai thought as he followed. Toruyo led them to the living room. Toruyo stood by the sofa, but Hakai made no move, just looked around the room. At first, she was confused, but she quickly understood. "You can sit down." He walked over and sat next to her on the sofa. A gentleman, hmm? How 'chivalrous'! She thought as she took a seat, and got right to it.
"Hakai, I know you want to know about me, but just please be prepared for what you may hear."
"Alright. I'm ready." He said, facing her.
Toruyo inhaled deeply. She feels strange. She's scared about how he may react. She finally has someone with her, willing to be around her without fear or trouble. But with the information she's about to give, it may ruin everything. But if she wanted to be honest with him, now was the time. "You asked about Osume Hiku. I met him a few years ago because... he hired me."
"For what?"
"...For an assassination."
You could almost hear Hakai's mind being blown. He didn't fully believe what he just heard. "...a-a what?"
"I'm an assassin. One of my early paid jobs was brought to me by him."
"You-you killed someone. Osume, paid you to do it. How did it come to that?" Hakai blabbered out. But he stopped before he got too loud. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "Insuta," he said calmly. "How did this all start?" Hakai didn't know how too feel. His whole perception of her changed in an instant. But he stayed calm, letting her have a chance. He doesn't know everything about her or her past and didn't want to judge her without explanation.
Toruyo laid back against the sofa and looked down at her trembling hands. Her body felt fuzzy. "When I was seven..."
About ten years ago...
Toruyo sat on the sofa in her small family home, the sun had just set. She smiles brightly and spoke to her father. "Papa! Look at the hairpin mama gave me!" She laughed as her father sat next to her. She brushed her hair aside so he could see.
"A lotus flower. You look so beautiful with it on." Mr. Insuta smiled.
Mrs. Insuta walked over to Toruyo and put a hand on her shoulder. "I said you were our little flower didn't I?" She said softly, making Toruyo giggle."You've been practicing you're Jeet Kune Do intensely lately. I thought you would want something to celebrate." Toruyo smiled and fixed her glasses as her father's phone rang. He took it out of his pocket and answered.
"I was born in Yokohama. My father was half Japanese-Korean. He was a businessman and his job often allowed him to work from home. He married my mother he had met on a business trip to China. He wasn't too good speaking Chinese, but he captured her heart all the same. I loved my life. I loved my parents, and they loved me. I was happy. But that life was snatched from me right in front of my eyes."
"Hello?...calm down and speak clearly...what?!" Mr. Insuta suddenly shouted, jolting up. The sudden burst startled Toruyo and her mother.
"Honey, what's wrong?" Mrs. Insuta asks, but he wasn't listening outside the phone call.
"How long ago?!...Three hours ago! They could already be-" He was cut short as they heard a car pull up outside. Mr. Insuta looked to the door with immense shock. "Shit!"
"What's happening?" Mrs. Insuta asks, pulling Toruyo closer.
"They had some sort of fight at Lokatura's Bar, they told them my connection with Isamu!" He shouted.
"I thought you stopped working with them, years ago!"
"I did. But that's not going to stop them." He grabbed the family heirloom katana off the wall. It was Shirasaya made. Made with dark wood and had a couple of words carved on the saya. "Quick, hide upstairs!" He shouted. Ms. Insuta picked up a confused Toruyo in her arms and ran upstairs as they heard banging on the door.
"Mama, what's happening?" Toruyo questioned. Mrs. Insuta swung open the door to Toruyo's bedroom and frantically searched around the room. Suddenly, the hear the door downstairs slammed open.
"I was so confused and scared, I barely had time to process everything that was happening."
"Listen, I'm not working with them anymore. Why are you coming after us?" shouted the father from downstairs. Mrs. Insuta ran over and opened the closet. It was small and used a fold-in door. clothes were hung up and there were blankets and toys on the floor.
Mrs. Insuta sets Toruyo down. "You have to be quiet, Toruyo." She instructed. "Stay here and hide under the sheets, okay? Whatever happens, don't come out." A scream was heard from downstairs before a thud was heard along with the sound of breaking furniture. Mrs. Insuta looked back as a tear rolled down her face. She knew who the scream belonged to, and so did Toruyo. She began sobbing began before her mother puts her finger on her mouth, signaling her to be quiet. She plants a kiss on Toruyo's head. "I love you." She then closes the closet door. Toruyo could hear her footsteps slowly leave, as more screaming is heard downstairs. A few seconds of silence follows before Toruyo hears her mother yelp. Listening to the yells, that came afterward, Toruyo cracked open the door to the closet.
"Mother told me to stay hidden but I was so worried and scared. I should have kept it shut."
Looking through the crack in the door she saw her mother get thrown into the room, screaming as she lands. Two men walked in immediately. One had Shoulder length back hair, and the other was short and brown. The brown-haired man was carrying her father's sword, a small line of blood on the blade.
"Where's the other girl?" The man shouted. "Where'd you hide her?"
"Maybe the bed?" The black-haired man reached his arm out, and it morphed into a large black snake. It reached around a leg of the bed and flipped it over. "Or maybe the dresser?" He transformed his other arm and the snake darted for the dresser, breaking it into pieces. Toruyo looked to her mother on the ground. Looking closely, she saw a kitchen knife flash to her hand. She slowly stood up.
"Oh, still got some left in you?" The yellowed hair man asked. Mrs. Toruyo ran at him with the knife. She swung the knife at him but he grabbed her hand, with the other he raised the sword and trusted it through her chest, blood coating the blade. She shook in place as the pain ran through her. The man raised his foot and kicked her off the sword, and she fell to the ground. The man swung the sword to clean off the blade. As he did, blood lined the wall, some of it slipping inside the cracked door, lining Toruyo's face. She normally would have screamed, but she was focused on her mother's face, eyes open, but void of life.
"Check the closet. She's here somewhere." The black-haired man told the other. The man began walking over to the closet. Toruyo looked around, breathing heavily, but covered her mouth with her hand. She looked around but she was trapped. She looked out the crack and the man was getting closer, past him, she could see the bed, knocked over, laying on its side. Hoping it would be enough cover, she teleported behind the bed, just as he opened the door.
"What the hell?" The man said.
"What's the problem?"
"I thought I just saw a pink flash."
"What are you talking about? Is she end there?" the man said.
The man threw around the blankets and clothes. "No, she's not here."
"We don't have all night. Let's just go, I'm sure the other clan is on there way."
"Yeah, alright." He said. He looked at the katana in his hands. "You know what, I'm keeping this. I like it."
"Yeah, whatever. Just c'mon, We're torching the place. Find some matches." The man said as they left. When they left the room. Toruyo peaked out from behind the bed. She walked from behind it and ran to her mother. Tears streamed from down her face, as she held her mother's hand. Suddenly there was a sound of breaking glass. "Alright, let's go," was the last thing she heard. Toruyo slowly peaked out the door. A large glow was coming from downstairs, the closer she got to the stairs, the hotter the air became. She began walking down the stairs and saw that the entire bottom floor was on fire. The fire spread onto the walls and furniture. Smoke is rising but is contained by the ceiling, and started spill up the stairwell. Toruyo let out a few coughs before covering her mouth. Suddenly the stairs cracked beneath her. Being fast to react, she teleports to an empty part of the ground, right before the stair crumbled down. She looked over at her father. Her body was beginning to feel hot.
Whenever Toruyo teleports her whole body, her body temp slightly rises for a short time. And being in the situation she's in now, she couldn't risk it too much. She made her way through the blaze, dodging broken glass and fallen wood. A piece of wood fell from above and hit her in the chest, and rolled off. Burning her and parts of her dress. She yelped in pain but continued moving. When she made it to her father, his clothes were bloody, fang marks on his body, and a large slash across his chest. She shook his body, but he made no reaction. She began to sob to herself even more. The tears evaporating soon after they fell, the vapor mixing with smoke and embers. She continued to cry to herself, knowing the two people she loved the most were gone. The entire house began to shake, snapping her out of it. Timber and bricks begin falling all around her. She looked back at her father, she didn't want to leave them here, but she had no choice. She teleported outside the burning house. Toruyo stood there and watched as the walls begin to cave in, the house crumbling down. In that instant, she felt something from within disappear.
"At that moment, everything seemed to blur inside. My emotions, my personality... Myself."
She wiped the tears from her eyes and stared at the still-burning rubble. She heard cars come to a stop behind her. She quickly turned around, ready to teleport away. But where would she go? The doors to the two black SUVs opened and people began to exit.
"Oh, Shit!" One says. "We're too late! Call the fire department." The people walked up to the rubble and looked around. After a couple of seconds, the man noticed Toruyo. "Huh? Are you Insuta's kid?" Toruyo turned around and began to run. "Wait! We're not here to hurt you. We help to help." Toruyo stopped and studied him. The man's hair was short was black and he wore black shades. "Please come with us. We're going to take you somewhere safe." Toruyo cautiously walked to him. He crouched down to her level. "Are you hurt?" He asked when she reached him. She said nothing, only looking down at her clothes. The man looked at her for a moment, before slowly sticking his hand out. "My name is Hisoka Terada. Come on, let's get you out of here." Slowly, Toruyo took his hand.
"After they put me in the car, They drove me to a Dojo in the city."
They lead Toruyo through the building. She saw many people as they went through the halls. Soon they came upon a large pair of doors. Terada pushed the doors open. Inside were many people standing. In the back, a man sat behind a desk. The man seemed to be older, white beginning to taint his black hair. His old eyes stared at her as she walked in. Close to him, two people stood. Nearest to the left was a young man, in a suit like many of the others. His hair black like a dark abyss. On the right side, there seemed to be an empty spot where someone should have been. Next to the empty spot, a young girl stood. She had bright yellows eyes and colorful hair.
"I found her standing near the house. The residence was burning down." Terada spoke.
"So the Insuta family, besides the girl..." The old man said.
"They're dead," Toruyo spoke. Quiet and void of emotion.
The man behind the desk stood up and walked around the desk. "Your father was a family friend. He was a good friend of my son." He said gesturing to the man with the black hair. She glances at him, but he kept still. Though he did look deeply hurt. "We are the Kettei-Tsukamoto. Your father was with us before, but he decided to leave when he discovered you were on the way." This surprised Toruyo, but she kept quiet. "Your parents have been killed because of his past relationship with us. Because of that..." The man bowed forward. As he did, everyone else joined in. "I'm sorry."
"After, the girl with the colorful hair took me to another room to fix me up."
After putting ointment on Toruyo's burns, she silently wraps up her chest. All the burns were relatively minor, but there was a bad one on her chest. It wasn't very large, but it was deep. When the girl finished, she had Toruyo her dress back. The girl knows that Toruyo was going through something, but she hasn't said anything at all. She hasn't even asked any questions. The girl felt she had to break the ice.
"So, how old are you?" Sitting next to her. She took out a notepad and started drawing something.
"Seven," Toruyo answered quietly, keeping her head down.
"Oh, really? Want to guess how old I am?" Toruyo said nothing. "I'm fourteen." After a few moments of silence, she tried again. "I see you have a few pink strands in your hair. When did you dye it?"
"I didn't. I was born with it."
"That' really cool. I have to dye my hair to have any color in it."
"What is this place?"
"Well, it's a dojo-"
"No. I mean, the people, the cars. What is Kettei-Tsukamoto?"
The girl thought for a moment before she decided to just tell her. "We're a Yakuza organization."
Toruyo quickly turned her head. "And what are you?"
"I'm the second lieutenant."
"What? But your so young?" Toruyo, genuinely wondering how it came to be.
"I was born into it. And with my quirk, I quickly became one of the strongest here. I guess you could say, I'm good at what I do."
"Your quirk?"
The girl gave her a small. She showed her the notepad. It had a well-drawn butterfly on it. She touched the butterfly, and Toruyo saw its wings lift off the paper. The black-and-white butterfly began to flutter around the two. "I can make draws and paints as such materialize."
Toruyo turned her head to watch the butterfly. "How long does it last?"
"Well, it depends on several factors. How well it's drawn, What medium was used, what canvas it was on. If the art is really good, it can stay as long as it or the canvas isn't destroyed." The butterfly then softly landed on Toruyo's hand. "My name is Jukuro Karuka, by the way," Karuka says as she stuck her hand out. Toruyo slowly grabbed her hand.
"Insuta Toruyo." She answered.
"It was decided that Hisoka would take care of me. I lived with him, but he was gone often. They managed for me to still go to school, but most of my time spent at home, I was alone. Because of that, I began doing things to distract myself. After I thought I was proficient enough with my JKD, I moved on to something else. First, I wanted to try something different.
One year later...
"You want someone to teach you what?" Terada questioned.
"Shindo Jinen-Ryu. Its a Karate style I've taken interest in." Toruyo said in a monotonous voice she began to grow into. Toruyo traveled to the Dojo right after school that day. She knew what she wanted.
"But why? You've been doing great with your JKD?"
"Exactly. Jeet Kune Do is about picking out what you feel is best. I want to learn more about Japanese arts to help. Besides, I want something else to past time now."
"Isn't there something else you could do?"
"We'll get someone." Boss Takahashi intervened. "But it will take time. Until then, you need to find something else. Your still so young, why don't you do things for your age? Spend time with your friends. Focus on school."
"I don't have any friends. Especially now that I switched schools. Am I'm already at the top of my class. Work is all I do anyway. " Toruyo stood there and thought to herself for a moment. She thought about what she's seen. She heard that Terada had often used a katana, even Karuka. But she's also seen many other weapons be used by those in the organization. She's done some research on many of the weapons and styles, maybe she could learn. "How about swordsmanship to start."
"Swordsmanship? Why would you want that?" Terada asked.
"I know what we do. The weapons, the private meetings, the organized crime. I know you want to try to keep me out of it, but you have no need."
"Hmm. So you expect me to raise a child as a criminal? I cannot allow such things to happen." Boss Takahashi stated.
"What about Karuka? She is your second lieutenant, correct?"
"Yes, but she was a special case. You don't have to be part of this, why do you want to? You have your future ahead of you."
"I have nothing else. I have no plans for the future. At least this way, I can be of use. Karuka has already been helping me with my quirk. I want to learn a variety of styles, but I want to be disciplined with them. Not just swinging like many of the people here."
The old man sighed as he put his hands together. "...Terada."
"Yes, sir?"
"You are in charge of her weapons training. You will find her the teachers she needs."
"...Of course." He responded hesitantly.
"After that, I spent most of my time training or studying. With my quirk, with weaponry, with my martial arts, and yes, even school. I became proficient with new arts extremely quickly. Most of them favored the sword. I quite liked it. I started with Itto-Ryu but then moved onto Kashima Shinto-Ryu. But that didn't sit with me either. Later I started with Niten Ichi-Ryu, thinking maybe I was limiting myself using just one blade. I also began to participate in fights at the dojo. They didn't think much of me at first, but I quickly made a name for myself. Eventually, I convinced them to let me go on missions and such. Terada was against the idea, but I know he was only thinking of my safety. But it was on one of my first missions, I met someone."
Four years later...
Toruyo enters a hotel. It was a luxurious hotel in Tokyo that was beginning to gain popularity. She was sent to kill someone who had stolen from the clan. Originally, someone else was being sent out, but once she heard about it, Toruyo thought she'd go. Terada was against it, of course, but Karuka thought it would be a decent gate-way into higher missions. Toruyo was already rising quickly within the ranks of the Kettei-Tsukamoto. Amazingly fast for someone her age. Mostly due to the fact that she always volunteered for missions, and even with, or maybe because of her young age, finished them quickly and efficiently.
Toruyo has never killed anyone, but she didn't give it any thought. She didn't care. She had a job to do. The hotel had its own restaurant. It was mainly used by the guests, but outsiders often entered as well. Toruyo had already stored weapons on the roof of the building, and new the placements of cameras. She reached the clerk, who gave her a funny look.
"I'm sorry, but this place is for guests and such. Your a little young to be dining here." He said.
"But I'm not going to be eating alone. I have a reservation."
"Oh, really? What the name?" He said in a tone that obviously meant that he didn't believe her.
"Gurogi." She answered. It was a fake name they had come up with for the reservation.
The man checked the list and was surprised when he had found the name. "I see. I apologize." He pointed to a nearby waitress. "She'll show you to your seat."
Toruyo asked for a small table in the back of the restaurant. This way, she had a good view of the people. She could also see who entered and exited from her spot. She asked for water, but that's all she had. She sat there for a while. Everyone once in a while, the waitress would come by to check on her, but Toruyo never asked for anything. About forty-five minutes passed, sitting in the restaurant.
"Um, miss? Are you sure, you want to stay? You've been here for a while..." The waitress said sadly, having a different view on the situation. But Toruyo was patient.
"Yes, I'm fine." They told her that a man was supposed to stay at this hotel for the night. Most guests who stayed at the hotel also dined at this restaurant. When the waitress left she saw just the man walk in. He and a lady with white hair sat in a booth against the wall. When she saw this she called the waitress back. "Actually, I would like to get something."
After ordering her food, she surveyed the couple. The man had short blue and gray hair. He kept his sleeves rolled up, and wore a small plain necklace. Even though he wasn't too big, he has a pretty muscular form. If someone wanted an arm-wrestling match, the average person would easily lose. She didn't hear anything about this guy having a girlfriend, so this must be a new acquaintance. A new problem to get around. The plan was to follow him to his room and ambush him there. But The lady may pose a problem.
The young woman in question long wavy white hair, though mostly it was tied in a ponytail with two locks on the side. Some of it covered one of her eyes. It was very reminiscent of Toruyo's hairstyle she thought. Toruyo likes the way she does her hair. Her hair was slowly getting longer, but she refused Karuka's offer to cut it. She kept it as long because it reminded Toruyo reminded her of her mother. The longer she looked at the woman, she began to feel a devilish feeling coming from her. She quietly ate alone, until the couple began to move. The woman picked up her bag before they got up and headed towards the exit. She needed to follow them. She put money on the table, enough to cover the cost of the food and more so. And ducked under the table, to teleport to the front of the restaurant. She hid behind a pillar in the foyer, watching them make their way to the elevator.
"I want to go up to the roof." The lady declared.
"What? Why the change? Didn't you want to go to my room?" He said, a little disappointed.
"That can wait. Don't you want to see such a view too?"
"Fine, alright." He complied, but they got to the elevator. When the door closed. Toruyo teleported up the stairway to the roof and hid behind one of the many machines and roofing.
"The more I practiced with my quirk, 'Delineation', the farther I could travel with it. Karuka helped me with such, but I do have some limitations. One of them came up when I teleported things to me. Though it was very convenient to teleport things to me, I couldn't teleport them away. As such, I needed to be sure about what I wanted before teleporting."
Her mind went back to the woman. This lady was beginning to throw her off. Toruyo began to wonder how she was going to do this job now. It appeared that she was going to be with him all night. That means she was likely going to be a witness. If so, she was going to have to kill her too if it comes down to it. After a couple of minutes, the door to the roof was opened. The lady turned around and fiddle with the handle, before closing the door. She ran over to the edge and looked over, as the wind softly blew through her hair.
"Is this what you wanted?" The man asked, walking up next to her. "You're right. It is a great view."
"I know! Too bad, we're not here alone." She says turning around. Facing Toruyo's direction. "I know you're here. Come on out!" At first, silence followed before Toruyo stepped out to reveal herself.
"What? who're you?" The man asks. He gets a good look at her before continuing to speak. "You just a child. You should probably get out of here."
"I can not do that. I'm here for you." She says before summoning her Katana. It was 'tactical' made with a black handle and says.
"What? you're with them?" She drew her sword, letting its shine in the moonlight answer the question. "I wouldn't normally fight kids, but I guess I'm going to tonight." He said as he activated his quirk. Two large horns grew on the top of each of his hands. The lady looked at both of them before running behind a large metal pipe. "To think they'd send a child. Sorry if I make this hurt." He says before he runs at her.
Toruyo dashes to meet him, brandishing her sword. She swung at his chest, but he blocked it with his horns. He swung his fist at her, but she easily dodged out the way. She retaliated by swinging up and cutting his arm. He shouted in pain, taking a step back, but Toruyo stayed on him. She swung a couple more times, the man trying his best to block with his horns, but it was clear that she outmatched him with speed. The man kept blocking before he went for a left hook. Toruyo simply stepped back before teleporting behind him and slashing deeply into his back, ending the quick confrontation. She looks at the man who slowly turns his body to look at her, before dropping to the ground.
"When his body fell, It was strange. I thought about how others would have felt. Maybe they would feel sad for the man, or guilty for there actions. Feeling Anguish or maybe even feeling angry with themselves. But I felt pity. Pity for the man who's life decisions led to this. Maybe even a past similar to mine."
Toruyo stares down at him for a long few seconds, before being interrupted. "You really killed the guy..." Toruyo turned to the woman walking out with her bag. Of course, she looked surprised, but not scared. Maybe even a little curious and excited, but not scared. "I was just going to knock him out and take his stuff, but you went and killed him!"
The apathetic girl turned her blade to the woman. "You're a witness." She stated plainly.
The woman smiled as she strolled over to the now-deceased man. "By the way you looked at him, I would guess this is your first time doing this sort of thing."
Toruyo made no movement. "That doesn't matter."
"Oh, but it does." The white-haired woman continued, a slight grin on her face. "I noticed you staring at the diner, and not to mention immediately noticing you hiding. Hell, even the way you fought the guy. Sure you did pretty quickly, but you could've done it a lot faster if you knew what you were doing."
Toruyo ran up to the woman and swung her sword. She missed as the woman made a slight move to the side. The girl swung again, and the woman took a step back. "So stiff! Are you trying to kill me or have some type of duel?" The woman reached inside of her bag as Toruyo ran up. She teleported behind the woman, attempting to do the same movement as before, but her sword was stopped as it met the solid the club the woman pulled out. "And predictable." The woman pushed her off. Toruyo made another slash, trying to get through. The woman dodged and hit the girl in the side as she did, before kicking her away.
The white-haired woman reached into her bag again, pulled out a large respirator, and throws the bag to the side. "I almost didn't bring this. I didn't think I would need it, but something told me to anyways." She says as she puts the respirator around her neck.
Toruyo got up but stayed silent. She summoned her wakizashi to her other hand and got into position. She wasn't making any progress offensively, so maybe playing defense would.
"Huh? Daisho?" the woman laughed. "What are you, a samurai? How did a little girl like you get mixed up in all this?" When she received no answer, she shook her head. "Still so silent... I like it." She put her respirator on, and she let her hand drop. Ash began to stream from her hand as she walked forward.
Quick she threw as towards Toruyo's face. She stepped to the side, but more ash flew. She teleported to the opposite direction of the onslaught and ran up to the woman of ash. She first swung her katana, and the club blocked it. Knowing this was coming, she was already in mid-swing of her wakizashi. The woman jumped back and threw ash at her face. Blinded Toruyo jumped back, and tried to rub the ash from her face. She felt the weapon hit painfully in the side, then on her arm. The club hit her in the leg, forcing her to drop. The partially blind girl, broadly swung her sword horizontally, trying to force the woman off her. The glided through the ash. Toruyo finished rubbing her face before coughing a little. She looks around and dust was thick in the air, the woman out of site.
She heard chuckling sound through the air. "For a killer, you're not very flexible in these situations. This has to be your first time." the defensive killer looked around but could tell where it was coming from. The cloud of dust paired with the vents and machines of the roof worked against her. She was kicked in the back, being pushed forward. It was followed up by the club. But Toruyo saw it through the dust and blocked it. The woman began to swing rapidly at Toruyo. Every attack was blocked or deflected by her wakizashi, reacting quickly to each strike. When she saw an opening, she attacked with her katana. Not being able to completely avoid it, part of her shirt was sliced open. "Your fast, I'll give you that." The woman huffed out. The woman smiles and steps back into the dust. Toruyo teleported to catch her sword, but the woman slipped into the darkness.
"Hehe. I think I figured you out." The woman says. Suddenly Toruyo was hit in the back. She stumbled forward receiving a kick to the cheek. She didn't even see the attacks coming. She almost fell but caught herself with her Katana. But it wasn't long before she was kicked in the chest. She stood up straight and tried to swing her sword, but she was hitting nothing but air. Toruyo's legs were then hit with the club, before getting pushed over to the ground. The woman put her knee in Toruyo's back and brought a knife to her neck.
"You are fast. Your reflexes are unbelievable." The woman said, baring down on her back. "But you're actions are full of fury and you heavily rely on your sight. Without it, you're easy to get through. Who are you anyway?"
"Insuta Toruyo." The defeated girl said, finally speaking to the woman. "I came to kill that man. He stole from my clan, and they sent me."
"That's why he looked so stacked. Wait. Your clan? Are you Yakuza? Why would they send someone so young?"
"It's my first mission like this." She responded. The woman suddenly got off of her back, surprising her.
"So it really was your first time!" The woman says. Toruyo stood up. Now that she was finally up close, Toruyo could see the ash-gray of her slant eyes and her devious smile. "A gun would have been faster."
"That was originally the plan until you took it outside," Toruyo responded. She had a plan all set up, but the woman saw right through it. "How did you do that?" Toruyo suddenly asked. She wasn't particularly angry that she lost, and she did complete her mission. If anything, she was curious.
"Do what?"
"You knew I was there, even though I made sure to hide well. You easily blended in with the ash, especially coupled with the darkness. You were able to strike without me even being able to complete register where it comes from."
"You may not believe me, but it was ninjutsu."
"Ninjutsu, I thought the art was dead. Where did you learn?"
The woman giggled to herself before responding. "You want me to help you? You just tried to kill me!" Toruyo said nothing. How would she? She tried to dispose of her like she did the man. "hmm, I like you," She stated affirmingly. "I guess I'll help. But are you sure? By the way, you were fighting, I'm surprised you didn't kill yourself after your defeat."
"Whatever I need to do to get better," Toruyo stated plainly.
"Heh, we'll see about that." She said as she walked over to her bag. She pulled out a piece of paper and a pen and wrote something down. Her name and number. After finishing, she ripped off the piece and handed it to the curious girl. "My name is Haizono Konako. But most people know me as 'Dusty Ash'."
"The villain? I suppose I should have figured that out before." Toruyo said grabbing her stuff.
Konako laughed to herself. "What else would I be? A hero?"
"I don't care fo heroes. They weren't there when it mattered."
"Interesting," Konako said walking up next to her. "Most kids you're age dream of being one."
"I wanted to when I was younger," Toruyo stated in a far off voice, thinking back to days long gone. "If I were to be a hero, at least I'd make sure to get the job done."
"After that day, she began to teach me. It's true that those at the Kettei-Tsukamoto did help, there fighting was more upfront. Even Karuka, with her strange ways, was a good teacher when it came to stealth. Konako taught me how to be extremely quiet and covert, even sly. She taught me how to be more observant. See shadows through the fog, hear quiet footsteps in the rain. It was strange. I didn't originally think that she would be that good of a teacher."
"With so many people teaching you different things, how did you process it all," Hakai asked.
"Haizono thought the same thing. She wouldn't be the last person to teach me. How else would I be good at my job? Haizono was better at stealth and beating people, not with actual assassination. Most of my time was spent on training or assignments. Because of that, I missed a lot of school days, so I studied diligently to keep my grades up. Many of the clan told me that it was useless still going to school at this point, but I kept at it anyway. At least until the end of middle school anyways. But on the days I had free time, I liked to wander the city, finding quiet places to look over."
Two years later...
Toruyo strolled on the sidewalk, her hands in her jacket pockets. She had just finished fixing her weapons with special buttons. Terada helped her establish contact with the black-market to find something that went along with her quirk. They were able to find someone to make something for her: Teleporter buttons. The metal buttons allowed for two big things. One, if a button was attached to a piece of equipment, allowed it to be teleported to her over long distances. Two, she could send the things she teleported to her back to a predetermined area, if a button was attached. It all worked with an antenna fashioned as a small hair clip. Toruyo really liked the expansion. It made things so much easier for her. She had a small bandaid on her finger because every button needed a drop of blood to have it attuned to her. She had actually wanted to get even more, but they were exceptionally expensive.
Having spent most of her Saturday tuning and attaching, she needed to go out. She had been approached by a stranger before and given a letter and it asked her to go to an abandoned warehouse for some type of job. She didn't want to but she didn't want to keep asking Terada for everything, she had to learn to be on her own. She was going to be extra cautious.
Toruyo approached the old building. It was crumbling, the roof filled with gaping holes. She pulled open the squeaky door, rusted from lack of care, and entered. The building was mostly empty, except for two people in the back. One was sitting on an old box, leaning back against the wall. He looked really young. Possibly even younger than herself, which had confused Toruyo. His orange hair slightly covering his eyebrows as he sat up. Next to him, a red-headed boy was playing a game on his phone. Though he appeared a little older, his intense concentration on the game perplexed her even further. Are these really the people I am supposed to meet? She proceeded into the building until one of them spoke.
"So you came." The sitting boy said. "I'm Osume. And I already know who you are Insuta."
"When you contacted me with the letter, I thought you would be a little... older. Not some child." Toruyo stated aloud.
"You say that, but you're a child yourself aren't you? And a deadly one at that."
"Fair enough. So what did you want? The letter said you had a job for me. But as you probably know already I'm yakuza. Why would you hire me."
"For one, my source says you are good at what you do. Really good. You haven't failed a single mission while operating with the Kettei-Tsukamoto."
"'My source'? You speaking as if you are pulling all the strings here. You can't be the boss of whatever group you're leading."
"Heh. Actually, the leader before was even younger than me! But recently we have come a... disagreement on what we do, so he left. While it is true, that I have someone backing me up at the time, that will not change the job I have for you."
"I'm yakuza, not some freelance assassin."
"Listen. You have the connections to get this done. The targets I want you to assassinate is Yakuza."
"What?" Toruyo responded. "There are multiple? And you expect me to do it. If I am found out, that could cause a war between my clan and the targets! I apologize, but I cannot accept you're mission." She turned and began walking away.
"Yes that is true, but I have information that you would like to hear." The boy said, his mouth beginning to show a devious smile. "You see, I came to find that these people are the ones who killed your parents. A terrible situation, I must say."
Toruyo stopped dead in her tracks. She almost didn't register what he had said. She turned her head to look at him. "How do you know that?"
"The men that I want you to get rid of have been causing problems recently outside their clan's jurisdiction and messing with other groups. One of them being near my group. We can't send one of our own yet, sadly, were not at that stage yet with our new management. So, we need outside help. After doing a little research, we have had them down for many crimes, one of them being for manslaughter. Digging a little deeper, we found that manslaughter was less of an accident than put on paper. Though they served some time, I have a suspicion you're thinking of something else."
Toruyo remained silent for a moment as she thought to herself. She thought back to that day. The sounds of fighting, the empty eyes of her mother, the bloody body of her father. She began to feel a surge of the only thing she had left.
Spite.
Every day since then, she's felt nothing but a lingering feeling of bitterness and hate. She's kept it bottled up and locked away. She had believed it wouldn't do anything well. But she was often told by Karuka and Haizono that her attacks had so much fury in them, but she never understood what they meant until now. The numbness that she usually felt was being replaced with old malice made anew.
"Alright, I'll do it," Toruyo answered in a low voice, but one full of venom.
"That's good to hear!" Osume exclaimed. "Of course you'll be paid. It's two people, so does 50,000,000 yen sound okay?"
Toruyo fully turned around. "These two must be a big problem..." She didn't really care for the amount. The fact that she had this chance to avenge her parents is all that really mattered. But the money was a nice perk. "Give me the information, and I'll get to work."
"Oh! enthusiastic I see. If you do well enough, you could probably join our group."
"I don't want to be in your organization. I just need to get this job done."
"I finally had my chance to do what I was too weak to do before. Maybe then I could at least feel the way I used too. Just a little."
"Insuta, I have kept you here because of your father." Boss Takahashi told Toruyo. "I know you must be feeling ill towards those who killed them, but you must realize that if you were to take their lives, the consequences could be reflected against the entire Kettei-Tsukamoto."
"Yes, I know. But I can't let this go." Toruyo responded. "For years they carried on while my life was ripped away from me."
"But Insuta," Karuka called out. "Do you not think of us as a family? We were there for you and became your family."
"Are you sure you will do this?" Terada asked.
"Yes, I have made up my mind. I cannot walk away from this."
"If you are to do this, you will no longer be under the 'Kettei-Tsukamoto' name." Boss Takahashi stated firmly.
It was followed by silence as Toruyo took it in. She will no longer be part of the Kettei-Tsukamoto, part of the people she's known as a family for so long. She felt a slight nudge at her chest, telling her to just forget about the mission and get on with her life. But she wanted to finished what her first family had been forced to participate in. "I...I understand." Toruyo bowed to the boss. "Thank you for all those years of care. Your effort is truly appreciated."
"Leave, child." The boss said. Toruyo stood up straight. "Leave, and retrieve your father's sword." He said to her. She looked at him in the eyes and he nodded his head. Realizing what he means, she nodded her head and left.
"From that moment on, I was no longer yakuza. Luckily, Haizono had let me stay with her for the time being. She didn't mind me staying, but I didn't want to. I wanted a place to call my own. But to make that happen, I had one thing to do."
A scream could be heard as a yakuza member's body falls to the ground. Toruyo walks forward with her blood-soaked blade. After making past multiple people after storming the building, a man carrying a dark wood, Shirasaya katana.
"What the hell is going on?" The man said as he walked out. The brown-haired she saw at her house all those years ago. One of her targets. She stood straight and pointed her blade at the man, whose name she has come to find as Takahashi. Seeing her, he draws the sword. "Who the hell are you?"
Toruyo didn't know why, but the fact that he didn't recognize her heated her to the core. To be fair, he never saw her directly, but that didn't change the way she felt. "Look at me." She said. "I should look familiar to a couple you killed years ago, inside there own house."
"What? How is that supposed to explain- Wait. Now that I got a good look, you do look familiar. But where?" Toruyo started walking towards him, adjusting her glasses, readying her blade. "You remind me of-" He didn't get to finish before She ran up to him and swung her sword. He barely met her in a clash. He pushed her off and immediately she teleported behind him, and deeply slashed his back. He yelled out in pain as he stumbled forward. He turned around to face her. "That pink... You're their child." Takahashi said in realization.
"How are you still standing?" Toruyo questioned as apparently she didn't cut as deeply as she thought.
"You're not killing me that easily. My quirk lets me take hits like that easily." He said as he ran to hit her himself. She quickly teleported to the side and swung and hit his arm. She tried to cut it off, but the sword couldn't go deep enough. Takahashi swung to get her off, she quickly ducked and kicked his hand. That made him let go of the sword, with it now in the air, Toruyo teleported it to her hand, and jumped back. "Now I get it. That woman teleported things to her hands. You can do that, and teleport yourself. Looks like the quirk got stronger."
Quickly more people surrounded her. She looked around to survey the crowd. Four more people. Three behind, two in front in total. Endurance quirk. Four unknowns. By the looks of it, they are waiting for Takashi to move, so he will initiate the attack. One of them behind looks eager and will follow, the woman beside him will follow suit. The one to the left of Takashi will attack last.
"Looks like you out of luck," Takahashi says as he pulls a knife, and dashes for her. With two katanas in her hand, she teleported her usual katana and kept her father's. After she brought a dao to her hand. She dodged to the side and slashed his side. The man from behind her jump forward. His legs extended a longer than it should have, and he swung to kick her. The woman put her hand on the wall, and suddenly a chunk of it fell out. She threw as Toruyo was ducking. Toruyo herself, quickly looked up to see the rock coming to hit her, and sliced it with her do. Another man ran to tackle her, but she teleported behind him, and kicked him forward, causing him to fall. She ran up to the last man, and cut his chest before he had a chance to attack.
She knew what was coming next, as Takahashi came and tried to stab her again. She knew she would have to deal with him, as his endurance was a nuisance, but first, she had to get rid of the distractions. Toruyo teleported in front of the woman and sliced across her shoulder, then kicking her in the back of the knee, bringing her down. She teleported to the man who tried to tackle her and thrust her sword through his shoulder. Toruyo then throws her dao into Takahashi's stomach, stopping his fast approach. The last man tried to kick her again, but with her now free hand, she grabs his leg and swings him against the wall. Toruyo spun around to see Takahashi swinging her on bloody dao at her. She deflected it with the katana and followed up with a kick to the waist. He barely moved as he swung down. She quickly blocked it, the blades clashing. He pushed against her forcing her closer to the ground. As Takahashi got lower, she suddenly kicked at his leg, tripping him. As he felled down, she suddenly teleported above him and drove her katana into his chest as his back met the ground.
Toruyo stood up and pulled the blade out of his chest. She grabbed her dao and sent it back, as she observed the blade in her hand.
"Finally, I got my father's sword back. The one that killed my mother, and helped in his own death. It felt strange holding it in my hands after seeing it so long ago, but my feelings flared up like the day it happened."
After traversing further through the building, she soon found her second target, Ryoda, along with a couple of others. Once he saw her, Toruyo noticed the look of recognition. She was glad, now she could get right to business. She rushed at him, a man stepped in front, inhaling, leaning back. He paused for a second before, blowing out the air in a gust of wind. It was strong enough to send Toruyo flying back, so in response, she teleported in front of him and kicked him the side of the head. After knocking him out, she saw Ryoda's arms transform into snakes. One shoots for her, replicating the speed of the snake, and she sidestepped out of the way. The other snake tries to attack, but she easily dodged it as well.
"How are you dodging my attacks?" Ryoda questions, before the other standing man with small cannons in his palms aimed at Toruyo. Before he could let off a shot, she teleported behind him and sliced his back. Toruyo had just been able to notice than snakehead heading towards her before jumping out of the way. While doing so, she swung down on it and cut its head off. Ryoda screaming in pain as his free hand grabbed onto his now missing one. He screamed loudly as more people began to come. Before they could get to close however, Toruyo slices open his chest, finishing him.
A mass of people swarmed around her and stood ready. Out of the crowd, a man wearing a strange plague mask on his face walks forward.
"So, you're the one causing the trouble around here," He said. "What's your main goal by storming into this place?"
"I already accomplished both of my goals. I was sent to kill and I avenged my parents."
"Avenge you say? And how this avenge them?"
The bloodied girl points her sword to Ryoda's body. "He and his partner, Takashi, broke into my family's home years ago and killed my father, and then my mother in front of me. Today, I got my father's sword back and finished what happened all those years ago."
"I see. There lives for your parents. That's a fair trade. But what about all the others? They weren't part of your mission, were they?"
"No. But they were in my way." Toruyo stated simply.
There was a second of silence. "You felt the need to get the job done, no matter the cost. I understand that." The man said followed by another silence. He looked at the dead, then at her. "Leave. I'll let you live this time, but if you ever come back, I won't be so generous." Toruyo stared at him, before teleporting away.
"After that, I didn't know what to do. I couldn't go back to the dojo, and I didn't want to stay with Haizono forever. After confirming with Osume, I was paid in full, but my heart still felt empty. After avenging my parents, I felt that my sole purpose for going on was fulfilled. I didn't know what else to do. Haizono suggested that because of my obvious skills, I should go freelance. I didn't object. How could I? So, I bought this house and started taking requests from all over the country. Of course, I made sure I was being paid. I gravitated towards request that dealt with criminals, the corrupt, or revenge when the target did the victim wrong. But I still felt hollow. After some time, someone else had noticed my actions..."
Seven months later...
Toruyo had just walked into her house when a knife shot for her face. She quickly grabbed it out of the air and faced the attacker. She quickly summoned her katana and got ready for a fight. "What do you want?" She asked. The attacker ran up to her at an amazing sped. He brandished his own worn katana and swung at her. She teleported behind, but he saw this coming and was already turning around and met her strike. With his free hand, he tried to cut her arm, but Toruyo jumped back. She then teleported to his side to attack, but his knife was already swinging there. She tried to jump out of the way, but the knife grazed her arm.
Toruyo noticed she bled a little. The quick attacker brought the blade up to his mouth and licked off the blood. When he did, Toruyo body suddenly felt numb and heavy. She fell to the ground unable to move her body. "What...What did you do to me?"
"You're paralyzed. I must admit, your fast. With some more training, you could be faster than me. But you lack fluidity, adapting to a changing situation." The man responded.
"What do you want?" She asked, trying to look at him.
"I've seen what you do, and your potential. You target the corrupt, and your skills are exceptional. In short, I believe we can benefit from each others services."
Toruyo thought about what he said for a moment. After that attack, and how she is now on the ground, she could easily end her. If even she teleported, she figured the man could easily get to her. And not knowing how long this paralysis last, couldn't try to fight him off. With no other choice, she prepared to hear him out. "I'm listening."
"...But that's a story for another time."
Back to the Present
Hakai was quiet. He didn't know what to say. Toruyo looked at him, her heart feeling heavy. Never had she ever thought that exposing this information to someone would feel so bad. She never cared about how others might feel about it, but seeing him now almost brought tears to her eyes. Was she scared of him? Did he not want to see her anymore? So many questions rushed into her head.
Hakai sighed and stood up and walked to a window. He let out a sigh before speaking. "Putting together other information I've heard, your ...job, is the reason you are often missing school and having to run off?"
Toruyo turned away from him as if to hide, but she couldn't hide from this. "...Yes."
"So this would technically make you... a villain." He said, almost as in realization. To think that his goal, his future is to become a hero, yet here he is with a villain. "I..." he struggled out as he couldn't even figure out what he wanted to say.
"If you want to leave, I'd understand," Toruyo said quietly, her voice on the edge of breaking.
"I don't want to leave..." Hakai started. Toruyo perked up at the words. "But I don't know about dating an assassin. But you are who you are."
"Would it be better if I stopped?" Toruyo suggested. Hakai turned to look at her.
"Well yes, I suppose. But that's also your lively hood. It's what you're trained to do, and I assuming how you keep this place in order."
Toruyo walked up to Hakai. She slowly grabbed his hand. She expected him to pull away, but he made no move. "If you want me to stop, I will right now. I have more than enough money saved up"
"Are you sure?" Hakai asked as he took hold of her hand.
"I am. Just be don't leave, love." She said, squeezing his hand.
"Of course." He said, giving her a smile. He felt that this relationship was going to be a strange one, but felt ready. He wasn't ready for Toruyo to crash into him with a kiss. He was initially surprised but eventually leaned into it himself.
