Chapter 6

She and the police have arrived at the place where Kota said he was, it did not even take that long - heroes do have resources to spare when it comes to saving people, it is their job after all, but the place seemed empty. "Hello? Kota?" But there was no reply whatsoever. Dread sunk into the air as the group searched, eventually running into a body.

Shino was not inside but when she heard the word and in spite of all her years of experience as a hero, someone had to remind her to breathe so she wouldn't pass out.

Luckily, it was not Kota, rather it was an old man, the owner of the house, and he is still very much alive.

It was supposed to be a simple trip - get in the car, find the place, get out and scold the boy some more before giving him a large hug. How do things keep going wrong? What is the reason for that?

All she could do was to sit down and hold her face as she tried to process what the man told them.

"I am not sure, It all happened so fast. Someone came in and attacked me. I couldn't… I am sorry."

After some search of the area, people quickly came to a simple conclusion: Kidnapping.

It wasn't long before someone walked up to her and offered to drive her home. "I am fine, really. I just need some coffee."

"Are you sure? You do look like you are about to pass out." Said her teammate, worried. "When was the last time you slept?"

"Really, I am fine." So she said. Even if she did feel tired, how can she rest? Who would even target a child like this? It had to be random. It is not like she specializes in fighting villains. It couldn't be because of her profession, could it?

"Mandalay, it is going to be alright." Ryuko leaned down, no longer probably buying her excuses. "Look, some new information has just arrived, there is a lead..."

As if a new fire ignited inside her, Shino straightened her back and looked around. Ryuko was going to say something else before the quick change in demeandor stopped her. "Go ahead."

"Right..." Though the newfound determination of her long time friend did nothing to make her less worried, maybe quite the opposite. "There is not a whole lot of information on them, but there were resports of children gone missing, the reports were of kids from... questionable backgrounds so it was hard to tell what had exactly happened. As of late, more reports started coming in. Some people came to the conclusion that there is a whole group that targets orphans and such."

A group. A trafficking group that targets children, those were not anything new, they have been around since before the appearance of quirks and in some aspects became even more prominent after the world changed. The only thing that kept them in check were the heroes who worked day and night to prevent such things. The rates remained at an all time low with All Might's reign as number one, but there were still cases. And Kota just had to run into them. What are the chances?

"Excuse me?" Shino almost jumped out of her seat, ready to fight whoever that tried to sneak up on her… except there was nobody really sneaking up on her, just her not paying attention to what is around her. It was the old man, one that talked Kota into calling her. He looked alright. As alright as a person that was attacked and thrown onto the ground can look - his head was bandaged but there seemed to be no other injuries. He waved his hand around, trying to get the medic leave him be before looking right at her again.

"Pardon me If I am interrupting something, are you Shino-san? The boy's guardian."

Not really sure whether she deserved that title after this disaster, Shino nodded. The man looked over her before continuing. "He talked about you."

"About me?"

The man nodded. Ryuko moved away and slowly left the room before Shino could realize and soon enough there were only the two of them. With some difficulty, the man sat down, showing that his best years are long gone."Well, about this friend too, his parents and so on."

"I am sorry, about this."

"No, I am sorry. I should have paid better attention."

"..."

"Would you like to know what he said?"

"I..." What he said? What Kota said? Of course she would like to know, she thought that she was doing well, but in the end it turned out that it really was not because of her. After Kingu left, it was impossible to decipher what was going on in his mind. "Yes." She found herself answering before she even had the chance to properly think about it.

Yes, she wants to know what he is thinking about, if only she would be able to know how to help him.


Shino exited the room after she reported her side, some side details that she learned from the old man. The officer let her go right after, letting her sort out things that she has learned earlier.

Ryuko, Yawara and Tomoko, now dressed up in their hero personas as the Wild Wild Pussycats, hurled together and at least for a moment hoped to put away their personal feelings regarding the matter.

"You have to give Kota some points though. Empty beaches, huh?"

"It does give sense, with how antisocial the kid seems to be. Speaking of which, like, he has my quirk as well?" Tomoko pouted. Or at least tried to force a pout - regardless if it worked or not, some tension left the room. "That is unfair."

Ryuko let out a weak, exhausted laugh.

"Don't, next up, he is going to be copying your quirk as well!" Tomoko pouted some more, very quietly so that her voice wouldn't reach the other room. That being said, the tension came back really fast, it was impossible to maintain it under these circumstances and soon enough, the three hero group members sat there in silence.

"Do we even have any closer information regarding the group?"

"Not really. There are some guesses as to where their base could be but nothing certain. On a more positive note, I heard a rumor that the Nighteye agency has gotten involved."

"Nighteye? Sir Nighteye? Wasn't he All Might's sidekick?"

"Yeah, two or so years ago, they decided to go different ways for some reason though."

"Ah. So… he is going to help to look? Shouldn't we be doing that?"

Silence.

"Our field of expertise is mountain rescue, we don't really fight villains all that often. Or wander around the cities."

Tomoko was about to reply, she did not get a chance to when she was unterrupted. She blinked and looked at the only male member of the hero team. Yawara looked like he was thinking.

"That kid, Kingu right? If the information is correct, his quirk could reach further than yours, right?"

Tomoko opened her mouth and closed it. Ryuko jumped in. "Wait, you are not implying that we should get the kid to help? Right?"

Yawara remained silent.

"He did not strike me as the friendliest person around either, how do you know that he would work with us anyway?"

All the man had to do is to incline his head towards where Shino was supposed to be.

"It is a kid." Ryoko reminded him. Tomoko nodded along. "It is a bratty kid with kami knows how many issues. Even if he does care about the kid, how do you know that he is going to listen and, I don't know, not run along into the mess trying to save him on his own?"

The man of little words shrugged and gave his very simple response. "Someone needs to find him eventually."

Ryuko opened her mouth again to object but closed it as she thought over what he just said, and also implied cause damn it. There is really little they would be allowed to do, seeing that Shino is closely related to one of the victims, such situations invite mistakes into the mix, ones that could cause the entire mission and that is before taking into account that Shino probably hasn't slept for days. She and by extension them would never be allowed to directly participate in any operations related to this case. This naturally includes the stray kid.

But looking for one kid looked like the better of the two options right now, the other one was to sulk in a dark room and wait the situation out.

Yawara looked over the girls, the girls looked back at him.

Ryoko sighed. "So, who is going to tell her and make her get some sleep already?"


It took surprisingly little effort to get Shino to bed. Once she heard the idea her team mates got and agreed to it, she took a ride home and went to bed for a couple of hours. Once woke up, there was already a list of places ready and presented to her.

They were looking at hard to access areas, way away from people to stumble into, often no paths for miles. Tomoko still remembered how the kid felt - all around weird and scary she said. The plan was that once they would get close, she would be able to sense his presence and lead the group to him. Areas with no response would be crossed out fast without having to search under every tree.

Once the heroes put themselves to work, it took very little time to find the right place and a person who spotted someone who fit Kingu's description. Pretty face, green hair, sour attitude.

Towards the far beach, trek through the forest for a couple of hours before arriving at one of the most remote places in Japan - really pretty but so out of the way that only adventurous kinds of people ever went there.

For the hero group, it was no issue to make the trip in much shorter time, however it was Tomoko's reaction that encouraged them to move on. Except for Tomoko really. The usually hyperactive member of the group jumped up as if someone poured a bucket of icy water on her shoulders before she started looking around.

"Found him. And I think that he found me as well."

So Tomoko can sense whether he is looking at her, though judging by that reaction, it was uncomfortable to say the least. "Do you also sometimes get that itch on your back, the one that makes you look around to see whether someone is watching you? Well, that is what I am getting right now. Up to eleven."

Some time later, the group arrives. It is a beautiful place. Gray rocky beach surrounded b trick deep green pine forests, azure blue sea stretching in distance, obstructed only by some larger rock formations. Behind one of which was their target.

They chat for a minute before making the decision to walk closer, rocks loudly alerting Kingu to their presence.

Not that he needed those to know that they were there.


"Kingu? Are you there?" Shino was the one picked to do this job, there was no better person for the job, mostly because she was the only one that met the kid before while striking somewhat of a conversation. With some luck, he wouldn't run away like he always does."We came to talk."

"What do you want?" Kingu's voice is somehow even colder than the evening chilly wind, quite clearly expressing how happy he is at the moment. Shino looks around at her teammates, who give a supporting nod in return. "I am still not going with you, if that is what you want."

"Can I come closer?"

"Do as you want." Came a reply. Shino walked closer towards the rocks, now touching one of them, careful not to slip. It was evening already and it wouldn't be long before the sun begins to set. Few more steps later and she found the place where the vice was coming from. What she however found was not quite what she expected.

Just moment before, she thought that she perhaps imagined it, but Kingu's voice sounded older, just a little too mature for what seemed to be a kid around Kota's age. What sat there leaning against the formation was not a kid however.

Long green hair, long beautiful green hair, possibly reaching all the way to Kingu's feet, white cloth covering most of the body with a red, unpleasant looking spot right around the chest area, drawing her eyes and being the cause of a worry. Was he injured?

She was about to ask that, but then he decided to turn around and look at her.

By kami, who even has a face like this?

It was beautiful, it was almost doll like, Kingu always had this weird feel around him but this took it to a whole nother level. If anything, she would say that it is a quirk. Actually, who knows? Kingu seems to have the habit of pulling new abilities from somewhere every now and then.

Just the fact that he suddenly is a teen, fifteen or sixteen years of age maximum, prompts a discussion, but that is better left for another time.

Even though his face was beautiful, the sight was somewhat ruined by the eyes - still cold and unfriendly just like the last time she saw him.

"What do you want?" He asked again.

Shino swallowed her worries before moving down on the same level as the boy, teen. "Have you been here for long?"

"My perception of time is different from yours, not that you would understand." No, probably she wouldn't. If there is one event that showed her how life can catch a person off guard, toss them around before mockingly showing them how little they actually know, that event happened recently.

"No. I probably don't."

The eyes become a little softer. Just a little bit. "Why are you here?"

"I heard that you and Kota had a disagreement."

All she needed as a reply was that mild twitch of his fingers before they formed into a fist. "Not sure if I would call it like that."

"Kota is really sorry about what he said." She continued when no reply came. "He wanted to find you and bring you back."

"And he also told you how I can be found, I take it?" Something like that, Shino thought. "He is not around though."

"No he… is not." He looked away. His expression barely changed during the small exchange but she picked on some changes regardless. Kingu looked upset and disappointed. "Do you consider him his friend?"

"Friend? I don't know."

"Wait, you don't know?"

"Maybe we are, maybe not. Who knows? Friendship isn't something I had to deal with before."

"But you like being with him, right?"

"... It was… nice. Sharing."

"Sharing?" He quietly dismissed the question and Shino was not going to press to get an answer. "Kingu, do you know what is going on?"

"I have no interest in human matters."

She sighed again, the action drew his eyes again, now probably noticing the signs of exhaustion.

Liar. She could see the interest there. Still, it took some energy to say the following sentence out loud. "Kota has been kidnapped."

At that moment, she would have sworn that the air froze for a second, and not just the air, the world around itself. Birds became quiet, water became still and the trees in distance stopped moving for just a second before the movement resumed.

Oh, and Tomoko in the back squealed before using what Shino assumed was a careful choice of words. If it was any other time, she would have taken a camera and recorded it - it was rare to catch her doing that. However now she had a different issue, namely the cold fury with which the teen next to her was observing her.

"What do you mean that Kota has been kidnapped?"

For a moment, it made her question the decision to tell him about that, it also made her worried not only about her own well being, but the wellbeing of the villains responsible. Almost. This was not something a kid should be capable off.

At any other time, she would have backed away and called reinforcements.

"What do you mean that Kota has been kidnapped?" He repeated the question.

"We were hoping that you could give us some insight, there are people looking for him as we speak, so, could you come with us?"

A low growl drew itself out of his throat. All reports said that, with the exception of one villain, Kingu has never shown any aggression towards people and was presumed as harmless, but now looking at his, she was not so sure.

A part of her mind did wander off thinking what he would be able to do to those people.

And, honestly…in the end, she really couldn't force herself to feel sorry for them.


The journey back is awkward. After the initial shock of the rest of the team, they set off. The good news was that Kingu needed no help with moving around. Then they somehow managed to put him inside a car where he pulled his feet to his chest and tried to be as isolated from the rest of the group as possible.

"Are you injured?"

Shino asked the same question again as carefully and gently as possible in homes that she wouldn't set off the walking bomb. The walking bomb barely acknowledged her as he looked outside the window. A part of her mind wondered whether the boy even sat in a car like this.

One examination later, Shino made a conclusion that it couldn't have been Kingu's. The clothes. If you can even call the glorified bad he wears clothes. Though to be honest, she has seen all kinds of crazy superhero costumes. Whoever wore it at the time it was destroyed cannot be around anymore.

The red stain was present on both back and front, accompanied by a large tear, suggesting that some large object likely destroyed the wearer's heart and respiratory system - wounds that are impossible to survive unless backed up by some really powerful quirk.

Still, she could see the unease with which her teammates and the rest of the group that accompanied them looked his way.

Once they stepped outside the car, Shino walked over to one of the police men quith a simple request. The man looked at her, not quite understanding. "Why would you need that?" She just inclined towards the kid. He made an 'oh' sound.

Soon after, Shino threw a dark colored coat over Kingu's shoulders, he stiffed momentarily at the action followed by a glare.

If he has not run off so far to look for Kota himself, he probably wouldn't now. Probably. Hopefully. Shino could still feel his glare as her group moved further into the building, not even a few curious looks sent his way did not seem enough to deter him.


"Are you absolutely certain that the kid will not do anything stupid?" Asked the man in front of her. He looked... irritated. Someone would probably point out that Aizawa looked and acted irritated ninety percent of the time with the ten percent being reserved for the time when he slept. If he got a chance to sleep.

He has been informed of what was going on with the Wild Wild Pussycats and what their goal is, but he still welcomed her and the rest with this question.

To be honest, Shino already had to rack her brain a bit to figure out whether it was a stroke of luck that Kingu followed them all the way over here, or whether there was something else going on. Right now, the kid is sitting in some far off room, waiting for her to come back. No incidents, yet.

Aizawa is right in some way though, he has little to no reason to be there, while chances of him being related to the kidnapping are there, Nighteye apparently determined that they are close to nil, so did reason for that was the relationship between the two boys.

And then Aizawa called him a powder keg, ready to be set off.

Shino almost laughed. That is exactly what it felt like she was sitting next to in the car.

"I have already called Recovery Girl, she should be here any minute to check up on him." With the tone he said it, Shino has decided to quietly walk out of the room and leave the sleep deprived man be.

Some minutes later, she was back with her charge. Charge because that is what he essentially was right now.


The atmosphere is... awkward. Kingu is standing next to the window doing a very good impression of a statue. Actually, he could very well pass for some statue with how little he moves, it was not just her imagination. He has already removed the jacket.

"Aren't you cold?"

"My body is not bothered by little changes in temperatures." Right. Even though she made a point to enter as quietly as possible, he still knows that she was standing there. She runs into the same problem with Tomoko sometimes. It is next to impossible to catch her by surprise.

She dismisses that thought and instead focuses on something else. "Don't you want something else to wear? I mean, your clothes are ruined." Looking at it again, the damage looked horrible. "I mean, did you..." She was going to ask whether he took it from someone, but stopped herself in time. Unfortunately, Kingu seemed to catch on quickly on what her line of thoughts is.

"It is mine."

She blinked. "Come again?" Unpleasant silence fell. Kingu was still facing the outside world, looking over the night city, while she stood close behind him - she could faintly see the reflection of his face on the glass, just as well as the front of his chest and the tear there. She must have misunderstood the implication, right?

"My body is not like yours, as long as I have the energy to move around, it will never die."

That… that image made her sick.

"Kingu, did... anyone attack you?"

Finally, he shifted his weight on his foot and turned around. He looked thoughtful, as if wondering what kind of answer he should give her. "I have been fighting ever since I could remember. As for my injury, it has been repaired long ago."

"Kingu, you do not… that kind of wound would kill a normal person, did anyone-"

"Those things are no longer an issue." He said, clearly on the verse of snapping, a quiet growl drew out of his throat, not wanting to be reminded of whatever was it that had happened. Shino stepped back on instinct, ready to defend. Before she could rethink the situation, he halted, trying to reign himself and his emotions.

When he spoke again, he seemed calmer.

"Perfect Form."

"Huh?"

"Perfect Form, a name that refers to the healing aspect of my body. As I have already said, as long as I have the energy, my body will continue to repair and reshape itself, even if I were to split my entire mass into separate dust sized particles."

Oh.

"On the other side, If I were to ever run out, my body will fall apart and I will slowly die no matter the previous shape."

Oh.

Reshape. If i were to split.

This… explains some things. Could explain some things at the very least. Still, she had to try very hard not to look at the exposed chest. Who could actually do this? Regardless of some healing ability?

Kingu seemingly caught onto the issue, placed his hand on the spot and… the hole vanished? The large white bag returned to what Shino presumed was its original shape before the damage was done, minus the bloodstains of course. Those were still there.

"So your quirk is to change your shape?"

"Saying that is a rather crude way to put it, but you are correct."

"Is there a good reason why you looked considerably younger before?" Shino asked. The tone of her voice was however a little bit different. Kingu snorted seeing the change, she felt her anger only rise. "I'll ask again, did you knowingly deceive Kota?"

"No."

"Then?"

The room became quiet again, Shino holding herself in place and Kingu looking back at her before… he looked away, looking uncomfortable. He turned around to look outside at the city. Or she thought that he would downwards again, instead he looked up. "I couldn't maintain my default shape. I was… exhausted."

Shino felt some of her anger disappear, but not all of it. She breathed in the surrounding air, hoping to calm herself further. He had no reason to lie, she had seen people in stressful situations before and it takes someone really skilled to lie under such conditions.

Kingu does care about Kota, that is how much she knew long before she entered the room, otherwise she wouldn't go out and look for him with the intention to bring him here. However it still did not make her happy whatsoever. Even now she could see the emotional distress under which Kingu is, he is worried sick and as much as he tries to hide it, he is really bad at it.

Just a little more and he is going to wear his heart on a sleeve.

Though to be frank, right now he just looks tired.

"You have no plans to tell me about his whereabouts." He stated. Shino blinked at the question. "You do not want me there."

"No." She replied, but then asked her own question. "Does it make you upset?"

"Yes. With myself."

"Everyone here is working really hard" Shino took the chance and walked closer. The building was by far not the tallest in the city but they were still pretty high. She has almost forgotten how beautiful the buildings can be at night. Looking to the side, she caught his unreflected expression. He looked thoughtful.

There were still more things she wanted to know, about him and Kota. If this whole issue has not happened, would they still continue to be friends in secret? What about the future? Her mind went back to the isolated beach. It was beautiful but at the same time cold and empty. He does not eat or sleep, he could likely very much just wander into some place like that and stay there forever.

"Have you ever believed in something? Like you were certain that it is the absolute truth?"

He took his time, like with all answers but he nodded. "Mother. I believed in her hopes in me."

"Tiamat?"

He nodded again.

"What was she like? If you don't mind me asking." She asked, admittedly she was pushing her luck a little already. Kingu however remained silent and by the looks of it, he wouldn't be talking soon.

He is a person who does not have anything.

Somehow this crossed her mind and she couldn't help but to feel sorry for him.

"I rem… I have records of a similar sight. City in a middle of a large plain, few tiny settlements around. Then nothing but wilderness and death. For humans at least. I would have never once imagined that there could be so many of them alive.."

The anger was finally gone.

"Do you like it?"

"...I don't know."


Kingu barely mentioned the woman working around him. Kota's cousin left the room once a different human entered, some old human female.

He agreed to come with the hero woman, he fully expected that he wouldn't be handed any information, but he still went. Why? Because he is an idiot. The thought that those humans worked on the matter did very little to calm the unease which he felt.

I just want to stop thinking.

He understood that the woman wanted him to trust them, but the mere thought was laughable. Humans, in their imperfection who struggled to survive, who cannot do anything on their own. Trust her? Them? Some bags of flesh that he has never even met. Laughable. But he still decided to trust that woman who led him here.

He also trusted his mother and how that turned out.

"Can't find anything wrong with your body, healthy as a horse." Said the old female. He ignored her, barely even registered what was said.

The opportunity to gloat and give them piece of his mind about how they have screwed up by still being unable to rescue Kota came and went and he just decided to pass on it. That used to be the norm, trying to perhaps feel less miserable himself back then. Right now, he just did not even feel like doing so.

The old female finally walked away, nudged the only other person in the room before whispering to each other.

His second instinct was to go out and do it himself, but there is this big issue with him not having the slightest of ideas where to even begin. Yes, he has Enkidu's Presence Detection, but even that has its own range. It is pretty funny now that he thought about it. Yes, he has Enkidu's body. He is without a doubt the strongest weapon in existence, that has not changed the slightest bit, but somehow he is still inferior to Enkidu. He feels inferior.

After all, he is certain that Enkidu could locate the little boy from all the way over here no matter the distance.

Ever since he fought with that king, it was pretty obvious that unlike Enkidu - a machine that knew no restrain when fighting - he was not able to utilize the body left behind by him to its maximum potential.

He is inferior.

That being said, finding Kota is still something that must be done, regardless of how Kingu feels about himself. He should at least try. But there are so many people.

He had already spent more than enough time here. He must do something or else.


Modern technology still baffled him.

After he and Kota split, Kingu wandered around a bit, just like the first time when he arrived here before just giving up and leaving the human settlements for a quiet place. There was no grand adventure like Kota would have imagined sometimes.

The low buzz, things moving at all times of day could get irritating very quickly. He understood how some things worked, but it still baffled him that humans of all creatures could teach themselves how to make it.

No, he couldn't find Kota with his skill alone, but it is not like he doesn't have other options. Quite ironic, him resorting to other options and not using brute force to solve his issues - quite similar to humans.

Option 1: Find some idiot human and get the answer from him by force.

Something that is incredibly tempting to do, but in the end the method has its own downsides. That or maybe he has gotten too used to avoiding combat. Maybe.

Option 2: Listen in, go though their files.

Kingu glanced at the offered new clothes and scoffed. He could sense the hum in the walls, tiny amounts of energy moving through thin metal wires and he could tell that they were watching him somehow even though some 'hero' was there, around a corner.

The building was constantly buzzing with activity in some way or another, even though night has fallen hours ago , but in comparison with what it was like earlier, there were less humans walking about. If there is a time to make a move, it is now.

Before anyone could see or mention, Kingu opened the window and slipped outside.

Humans, even though they knew that he could possibly move around in the air, still did not bother to take precautions against him taking this way out for whatever reason. Or maybe they just hoped that he wouldn't leave the room in such a darkness, out of fear that he could run into something. Whatever was the reason, he was now outside without anyone wiser.

Kingu did not need eyes to see, in fact, his other senses could provide him with way more information than the eyes ever could.

Finding the main room where matters were being discussed, filled with people was easy, he had been observing the place for a while now and he already had a good guess where to go. Getting the correct information was also fairly easy. Too easy is a little trick that he once learned by chance. Sound is vibration, isn't it? Kingu is good at sensing those, it is as easy as breathing. Therefore wouldn't he be able to know what people are talking about distances away?

"... the documents provided earlier is accurate, the port is barely guarded. They seem to be very confident."

No sound made it outside the building where kingu leaned against the stone wall, barely out of sight, but the walls themselves carried the words. Doing this was so incredibly easy, he regretted not doing it sooner. Almost. The night is as dark as it gets.

"Local shops have reported the members buying larger quantities of alcoholic drinks, there might be a party going on soon. If there is a time to raid the place, now it would be ideal."

Port. Simply by saying port, the man narrowed the area to search by a considerable amount, then he glanced around and inside to spot a map of an area. Now that he thought about it, it was a good thing that he spent enough time with Kota to learn some of the geography of the land, because he recognized the area easily.

Not attacking does pay off sometimes.

The tired men and women continued to work into the night, not realizing what is about to happen within the very same building that they are focusing on.

Though, how long has it been since Kingu actually had to fight anything?


Body performance - acceptable. The magic reactor in his chest provided him with all the energy he could need and while the damage he sustained while he attempted to tie down Tiamat was still somehow present due to his body repairing at a snail's pace and while still trying to figure out what exactly was it that she did to him to free herself, there was no doubt that he could take them. Humans always broke so… easily.

Too easily. Like twigs.

Even while working against them, it took some effort to keep them alive. Though in this case, he had little reason to care the well being of the humans located directly below him.

He could sense him, Kota, along with other small souls very close to him, some on the verge of becoming adults, some would be already considered adults by Mesopotamia's standards. At any rate, there was no reason to hesitate.

For the first time in months, Kingu took the offensive and attacked.

The time it took to escape the clouds and crash into the building could be counted in seconds, as such when he finally collided with the building, it appeared as if a meteorite had struck it. Funny enough, a meteorite would have perhaps been a preferable explanation.

Neither the men nor the women saw it coming.

The mild annoyance he felt went away as soon as the entire party of drunk people was in his grasp. "I am sorry, but I am currently not in the mood to deal with idiots." The few people that were still conscious despite the pain of having their bones snapped in pieces, glanced up, giving him a familiar look of fear.

Alcohol bottles and cans thrown around the place, bodies over bodies but no blood - he used to create scenes like this for months to no end.

Kingu spun on his heel and left the area.


Kota had no idea how long he had been there in that dark smelly hole. It could have been a day or two or entire week.

That time was spent in a very simple manner - sitting in a corner, hoping that the nightmare would go away, but everytime he woke up, he would be in the very same, smelly place, so he just went to sleep again. The rest of the kids left him alone, they themselves did their best to deal with their situation.

So he slept. Forgot what he saw and then slept some more.

Except then suddenly it was impossible to sleep. Kota's first thought was that someone upset the guard again and the poor kid got a bottle to the head, then he realized that that is not what is happening and the guard was... flying?

The trip through the air ended as quickly as it started, louder this time as it was the hard wall that stopped it. A second guard appeared out of somewhere, but something gold cut through the air and he was also sent flying, accompanied by a rattling noise akin to a chain. Neither of the guards got up after that.

Everyone was on their feet, backing away from the bars into the darkness in hopes that the wrath of whatever was attacking the guards would avoid them. Kota looked at it and realized - it is a chain. Or at least it was. It hung around in the air for a moment before disappearing in equally golden sparks.

"Kota?" He was about to reply, he would have replied, but he did not recognize the voice. "Kota, I know you are there." Instead, he pushed deeper into the shadows and closed his eyes. He can't be the only Kota around, right? There are many kids so…

So...

Tense silence followed.

What is going to happen to the other Kota?

There was not a time to think about that when what was undoubtedly the entrance into his cage broke and creaked open, footsteps coming closer and then someone stopped in front of him.

"Kota, I came to pick you up."

Very carefully, he opened his eyes and… "Kingu?!" It was his friend. It took him a moment to realize but it was him. Somehow. "You are a... GIRL!" Taller, way too girly looking, but the eyes were the same.

"I rushed here, created a small pile of bodies upstairs and the first thing you decide to spout is that I am a girl?" Voice is different but the tone is spot on. Yup it is Kingu. Even the face has the same very not amused look that he has when he tries to annoy him.

It is Kingu. It is his friend.

Kota pushed forward and gave him a long hug. The weird baggy clothes were convenient - nobody could see the tears.


It took the heroes a moment to figure out that Kingu is missing, but that short moment alone was enough for him to be gone. Gone as gone, he was nowhere to be found.

Short examination of the surroundings revealed that he escaped through the window.

There was no time to yell at the one responsible for guarding him or his excuses about the kid just sitting there in that spot for hours. Kingu was gone and everyone hoped that he did not know about the villain hideout.

Their worries were proven right when an hour or two later, they received a report that something crashed into the facility at high speed - people thought space rocks and already made jokes about it, not realizing what is going on in that building.

Aizawa, now that he had a better report on the kid's quirk summarized things simply - if the kid can transform himself into chains and make himself fly, what are the chances that he can't adjust some other properties of his body, like endurance, speed or physical strength?

Of course, that assumption was based on a very 'crude' way of describing the kid's quirk. Quirks like that should be illegal, some idiot made a joke before he was silenced.

Nobody was happy when they found out about what they assumed was an attack, nor were they too happy that they had to throw all of their plans out of the window and rush onto the scene, hoping that at the very least, they would be able to to get there before the media did. Or some hero who was not informed of the situation.


Kota rounded the kids, Kingu broke the locks.

"Help each other! If you find someone who can walk, help them!" Kota yelled as he himself helped someone up.

A guard from some other area appeared for a second, took a glance at the situation before getting a very painful punch to the face. Courtesy of Kingu, who already carried some other child in his spare arm.

The kid, even younger than Kota, clapped happily seeing how things were… moving. Kingu looked around and took a moment to stare at it and it's smile before deciding that he has important things to attend to. Like the growing herd of kids. There was no way that he is leaving them there, something which Kota wholeheartedly agreed with to Kingu's surprise.

"Are you sure..."

"I am fine!" Kota shot Kingu down before he could even finish the sentence. "I told you, I am okay! Stop asking!"

As yet another man appeared and Kingu picked some other child with his other hand, he decided to forgo fists and went back to using his chains to clean the place. Soon enough, the corridors were filled with rattling chains.


It did not take that long to confirm that something was happening. Aizawa examined the body on the ground. Alive, but not so well, the main issue was the broken bones. Something did him in and rather fast, and not just him but the entire corridor.

A quick look confirmed that the wounds are the same - they did not stand a chance. "Arrange for someone to come in and handle these." Another hero gave out an order before Aizawa could.

"Let's move!" Or so was the plan. Before they could take a single step, everyone stopped whatever they were doing and readied themselves as an echoing sound cut through the air.

Aizawa kind of expected it, and he did move to counter the attack, he had seen the tapes but seeing the sheer speed of the brat's chains still surprised him.

It was no wonder that the villains couldn't react.

Luckily for everyone, the golden glittering chain stopped mid air, almost as if considering what it should do before it seemingly lost its life. The chain vanished until only a few sparks remained and even those disappeared quickly.

Once Aizawa drags the kid out of there, he is going to give him an earful. Then he is going to give an earful to the idiot who decided not to pay attention to him back in the infirmary and then he is going to get some coffee.

"What are you waiting for, move!" Him calling out finally got everyone moving.


There really was not much to do… when it came to fighting the villains. After all those hours of preparation, plans and acquiring information, all it took to bust down the place was one moody kid. The heroes were essentially there to look pretty in front of the press after it got there cause some local just had to call them. Of course, the camera people were not allowed into the area, at all, not really because there was something that could hurt them (maybe with the exception of one teen). The biggest issue was the kids and their protection. The last thing they need is to have their faces plastered across the world media and have the story follow them around for years to come.

Shino, now Mandalay understood that those people needed to earn money just as any other person, but that did not mean that she had to like them all the time and at this time, she really did not like them being here.

Speaking of the kids...it was a sight to behold when a large group of them emerged from the darkness and walked into the artificial electric light, some detached from the group right away to see if their parents are there, however the large number of those kids remained exactly where they were, some even making sure to remain as close to the one as the center as possible.

One of the heroes did get closer only to get a nasty sneer back when one of the kids let out a startled yelp and move away, pressing into the mass of bodies. This was going to be an issue.

At least, that is what she would have thought if it was not for her looking for one certain face in the crowd. Not him, not that kid, a little later and then… she saw him. "Kota!" The face in question looked around so fast, she worried whether he did not hurt his neck.

"Shino!"

She was not even sure how she managed to get there so fast, but there she was right next to him, in the middle of the crown hugging him. Words cannot express how happy she was to see him alive. "Are you hurt? Did they do anything to you?"

"I am fine. Just… I am fine."

That was enough for her.


Kingu looked away, smothering some emotion which erupted in his chest, deemed too unimportant to be examined further. "Listen kids." He moved down a bit in hopes that they would listen a little closer as he talked with them. "These people, they have food and clothes and…." Judging by how some of the kids looked at him, he was doing a horrible work at trying to walk over and leave his side.

"Is mister leaving somewhere?" Asked the little girl, still attached to his arm even though he let go of her some while ago. "I wanna stay with mister."

Maybe it is because he himself did not really believe in joining the human society.

Breathe in and out. He touched the girl's head - she was so small - and tried again. "Everyone, every single being in existence need a place where they belong. Birds seek out other birds, flowers grow in flower gardens and people… they seek others. I am not sure what brought all of you here, but all of you need to find paths that will lead you to your destinations." He pointed at the people. "They will help you achieve that."

It probably did sound as bad to them as it sounded to him, but the point seemed to get across to most of them. "It is not anything scary, come on."

The children were more willing to follow at least.

Getting the que, the humans started approaching one child after another, leading them away to have them examined and provided quick medical care in the case that something is not alright. The last one that remained, still unwilling to leave was the little girl. Firmly attached to his side, she remained there even while the humans looked over her, all while Kingu tried to ignore the obvious stares towards him. "Are you going to come around again?"

Kingu swallowed his answer. Eventually, he said a short yes.

That seemed to make her happy and she left with the people. Once again, the same feeling from earlier emerged, this time a little stronger as the girl disappeared in one of the vehicles.

"Laugh all you want." Kingu said out loud, talking to somebody. "Yell at me all you want, I have no regrets about what I have done."

One of the many heroes that were around stepped into the light, he recognized her even before she did so though. "Shouldn't you be with Kota?"

Shino, now the hero Mandalay stood there silently looking over him. Her quick lack of response irritated him even more. You listened in on the meeting and acted on your own. Regardless of how it turned out, you risked everything. Do you realize that?"

"Yes." Kingu replied, voice far being soft, now a low growl. "You wanted me to believe you and the rest, do you know where such a blind belief got me that last time?"

"..."

"My own siblings tore out my heart, mocking and laughing, they wanted to kill me because it seemed fun! I trusted them, just as I trusted my mother, i did everything as told - and she just threw me away the moment I wasn't needed!"

Kingu continued to growl, but there was no answer. There perhaps cannot be a good answer to this - why would a mother just discard her own children? That is something he couldn't understand. And for children to kill other children? In the end, they were all Tiamat's in some form or other - ironically, he still felt no remorse when mass killing the lahmu in his last moments before turning against Tiamat herself.

The infinite agony and pain, he thought that it would never stop before he couldn't feel anything at that time, Tiamat was long gone, fighting with the remnants of joined human and divine forces in the underworld.

How had the humans actually managed to defeat that monstrosity still eluded him.

When did he start clutching his chest?

The blood dried up long time ago, there were no new stains anymore, just a few particles that broke off as he removed it and stared at it for a moment.

"Not like any of it matters now..." Maybe he really should have died back then.

"I am not sure what happened in your past, Kingu. I came here to ask you, why don't you stay? He needs you. And those kids also-"

"Who? Kota?" He snorted before looking towards the boy. Or at least in the general direction where he should be. "He is going to be fine, he is a smart kid."

"And you?"

Him? There is not much to discuss. It is not like he is going to die from anything anytime soon, not with the grail in his heart. He could find a different quiet place, far from people. Or… something.

"And if he runs away again? How are you going to find him next time? I know that you someone got the information from us."

This time, the growl that he let out made a few heads turn around, worried. "Then I'll just drag his ass back." Some people in the area made a slow retreat, some heroes looked around worried.

"Kingu, I saw the report. The men inside are heavily injured but there will make a recovery. You have purposely avoided certain kinds of injuries."

"No."

"Kingu, please. Just consider it."

"I am not joining the human society. I do not belong. I...just forget it!" Him avoiding fatal injuries was just a force of habit. He… how do you even explain that?

He just wanted the kids to go home, or at least find new homes and they can't do that when with him. He is just… what?

"Kingu?" From behind one of the vehicles popped out a head of a very familiar boy. Kingu panicked. "Kingu?"

In the end, he fled before anyone could stop him.


Time always meant very little to him, even if he could track it very easily without using clocks or similar devices that the 'modern' human liked to keep around. On its own at least. It could be used to indicate that something would happen sooner or later, but overall it was not like he had to watch needs like hunger or thirst. Or make sure that he wakes up on time.

Sleep is for lesser beings like humans.

So he used to think. Nowadays he found himself curious - what would it be like to sleep? Would he go through some old records? Would it be his or Enkidu's? Or would he see something entirely new?

Kota sometimes described his dreams and they were odd, but also somehow… funny, enjoyable. Kingu would of course hang around until the sun rose up, leading to some odd comments about creepy vampires. Kingu assumed that it is some movie reference? Well, he tried to think of it like that, the last thing he needed is to be compared to those creatures. He has never met one of course, but he still felt insulted.

The people of Uruk always seemed to be busy somehow. Provide food, maintain walls, transfer valuable materials or just sell flowers. There was always something to do.

Back then he laughed at them for having to spend so much time just to survive, now he felt a little jealous.

Those people had a purpose in their lives, whether it was fighting off the demonic beasts or selling those flowers.

He would lie if he said that it did not cross his mind that he could just… join in. Such a thing was written off as a fantasy, seeing things that have occured in the past, but it was still appealing. And then there was Gil, but that was a fantasy on another level. Those two could never coexist in those circumstances.

How would even such a thing work out? That is what he asked himself.

What if Kota runs away again? He asked himself again and again. Kingu was still uneasy, ready to sprint and to look for the boy but he had to remind himself that the danger was over.

He wouldn't forgive himself if this time, something had actually happened to him. And the boy, he would maybe be a little happier if he could be with Kingu openly instead of hiding. He would have liked that as well.

Would Kota like it?

Does he even want him back? As, back back? There was still that issue. He is essentially a villain, judging by the values of this society.

What should he do? What should be done?

Just thinking like this is giving him a major headache.


There were a very few things that could surprise Kingu.

A bucket of cold water and ice is not something he would expect to be one of the things. Cue the screaming and swearing. "What in the depths of Kur possessed you to do that!"

Kota, instead of answering made the very smart choice of spraying him with some more water.

"Tiamat's horns!"

"Where the hell were you! I was looking for you all over the place! And guess what, I just couldn't find you!"

When Kingu fled the scene back then, he was not really thinking where to go. Just sort of flew around before plopping down somewhere. He did not really bother looking where he landed, it was one of the roofs outside the area with tall shiny buildings.

Now that he looked around, the place seemed familiar.

"You are at my place!"

Wait. Really? "No." He denied it. He is not that stupid. Right?

"Yes." Kota said quite loudly. The green haired weapon now dodged as yet another spray of water headed his way.

Wait, what is the 'yes' for?! "Are you insulting me?"

"Yes!" More water. Vein popped on the target's head right about now and Kingu slashed the air, and by extension, the weak water torrent, sending the water back to the sender.

"Ha! As if such a cheap trick could work!"

Kota, now also completely soaked glared daggers. "You are an utter, unforgivable idiot!"

"You are the one who threw water at me!"

"And you left!" Kingu stopped in his tracks. Yeah, he did. "You left and I couldn't find you! I just wanted to talk and you left!"

"I- you said that you want me gone!"

"I just wanted the time to think, not for you to disappear completely you jerk!" This time, Kota picked the bucket that he brought the ice in onto the roof somehow. Right, they were still on the roof.

"Kota, carefull..."

Seriously, how has he managed to get it there?

The kid did not listen to him whatsoever, lifted the piece of metal even further before tossing it at him. Or at least he tried. The bucket moved through the air for just a few centimeters before hitting the tilted roof with a clunk and rolling down. Kota himself stumbled in place before he started to struggle with not falling himself.

Before some disaster could happen, Kingu was already on top holding him in place.

"... this is different." Kota made a remark once he realized that the danger was gone. "I mean, you are a boy, right?"

"What is that supposed to mean?"

The human child made a quick hand gesture, Kingu quickly caught on that he was referring to his different form. "This is my default form. I… suffered an injury around the time we met and I couldn't hold this form."

"Is that your excuse."

"Do you want me to let you fall?"

"I can still use my quirk for a quick revenge." Brat. Now being much taller, picking Kota up was a simple task. The kid yelped at the sudden height though before he could even properly grab onto him, they were inside the house, sitting right on to of.. Kota's bed.

"Kingu!"

"What?" He asked, looking innocent.

"My bed! It is soaked!" Kota quickly got out of his gasp and went to look over the damage. "You are an ass!"

"Not my issue. Besides, it is you who keeps spraying water around."

Around that time, two different things happened. One, the door to Kota's room opened with considerable force and in entered a group of very worried heroes. Two, Kota blew his lid: Turned his quirk up to the highest setting and attacked.

Kingu dodged. Kota was only more upset. Rip the previously clean room.

"Get over here!"

Eventually, he did get over there, Kota however was not too appreciative about the light headloc either. It was around that time the two finally mentioned that they are not alone and a gentle hand landed on Kingu's shoulder.

"Itishisfault!" Kota shot his answer so fast he was surprised that he had not stammered at all. Kingu looked around to see the reason why he looked so panicked all of the sudden. Shino, also known as hero Mandalay sood there, looking extremely unhappy about the situation.

"He shot the water!"

"You two! I had this room cleaned before you messed it up!"

"Bu-"

Kingu made a wise decision of not fighting against her and let himself be dragged out, Kota still in that head lock. "Kingu, at least you could have some sense in you! How old are you?!"

Technically speaking, he is the youngest in the house.

"Kingu?" Kota managed to get out while Shino disappeared somewhere, possibly find the right equipment to clean the mess left behind by their fight.

"What is it?"

"Can't you stay?" Kingu was expecting the question, but it still surprised him to hear it. He was not even sure how that could work out.

"... would you really want me to?" He replied with a question.

"I think it would be nice having you around."

"I am not sure about this."

"Yes or no?"

"If that is what you want, yes."


Fun fact: When i first drafted this at the begining of 2020, this is where chapter 1 was supposed to end. Over the months i added more stuff so this happened. Also, I grew to appreciate shorter chaters - they are easier to manage and thic chapter is only 10k words.

I admit, I kinda pushed myself to write this, realized that I kind of want to be over with this part to more onto other stuff.

It is almsot 1 am in the mornign and I just want to sleep. I hope your Xmas went well, Happy New year!

Plans for next chapter... Kingu settling in, maybe like short stories. Unless I change my plans again.

I threw out some parts of this chapter and rewrote them cause after reading them, I realized that they made no sense.