Author's Note/Reviews: I'm actually surprised it didn't take me very long to get this out. Considering I had helped my family move down state for like 13 hours and set up, this was actually made on good time. This story is actually making me happier to do than my old projects, not gonna lie. This feels fresh, new... and I actually feel like I can do it. With all of your support of course. :)
- Hitmen101: Thanks for the chapter! :D :)
And thanks for the review! Keep on supporting!
I hope you all enjoy.
"You think you're hot shit, huh?" Character Speech
'Tell me how that works out for you.' Character Thoughts
Disclaimer: I DO NOT own My Hero Academia!
A Little Earlier... (7:49 PM)
He always knew it was gonna happen eventually.
Maybe he was foolish to put it off for so long, but anyone would've done the same.
He just didn't know how he'd feel standing in front of his parents' tombstones with his younger sister staring at them.
After spending his day in a better way than he had expected, Shinra felt uneasy now more than he did the whole week. He spent time with his girlfriend, had intense training with his legal guardian, and followed the day at the beach with his sister and surprisingly one of his classmates. It was good company. He actually felt good. He wasn't clouded like he usually did on this day. But now... his golden eyes looked down at the tiny hand clasped around his.
"... What was Mommy and Daddy like?" Yuma murmured.
He forced back a cringe as his emotions spiked.
The tombstone in front of him, his father's, just remained stationary and silent; an inanimate object with no soul. So why did it feel like he was being stared at? They never found the body. They just put the stone there as a reminder of what was loss. And next to it was his mother's. Her actual corpse buried underneath, probably wishing nothing more than to be laid to rest next to her husband.
A shame she never got what she wanted.
But still, Shinra didn't feel... comfortable.
How was he supposed to explain years of abuse, neglect and suicide to a 10-year-old? How was he supposed to shatter whatever hopeful imaginations she had of his supposed, loving parents?
"They..." Shinra tried to start, but the words couldn't find their way out.
He felt like he was being judged. Here he was standing at the graveyard, supposedly paying his respect for two people he didn't give a shit about; two people he had a part for each of their deaths. And Yuma was here with a natural childlike curiosity, asking him of all people for an answer. What was he supposed to say? That his fucking father beat him into submission for a genetic power that ended up killing him? That his lunatic of a mother would have rather traded his life for his father's any day of the week?
This was like a sick joke and he was waiting for a group of police to take him away, as if they found out what really happened.
And it wasn't like he didn't have guilty pleasures either. He's killed people. Willingly. And loved it.
Sometimes he felt like he didn't deserve Yuma's love and that every day was just him lying to himself that everything is fine.
So yeah, he felt like he was being stared at, watching, judged by someone or something as if his life was just entertainment to people behind a screen. Like he didn't deserve to have custody of his sister, his only flesh and blood left in this world that didn't shun his existence. What if she found out it was him? She'd hate him, fear him and despise him no doubt.
Shinra knew it was a future. A future he wanted to crush beneath his shoe.
He clenched his other hand into a fist.
But he couldn't hide the truth forever. She deserved to know the truth. But how?
How the FUCK was he supposed to-
'Stop.'
'Breathe.'
Shinra thought to himself as he took in a long breath.
He didn't need to be worked up.
He started again. "They weren't... good people, Yuma." He felt a chill through the air. He scowled, suddenly finding mother nature a real funny bitch.
"What did they do?" His sister asked quietly. She watched Shinra close his eyes.
"They hurt me. A lot. And that's not something family is supposed to do." Shinra said with a tone of absolute.
He rubbed a thumb over the back of Yuma's hand before he stared down at his father's tomb. "Father was a hero. He had rescued hundreds of people from villains and disasters. His hero name was Jumper and his quirk was called Flicker. From what I heard, every second step shot him forward like a bullet and his kicks were a force to deal with." He recalled old videos he used to watch as a kid, the ones that showed off his father at his best.
"But he was a Hero?" Yuma said in confusion. "Why would he hurt you?"
"With his costume on, father was a man who swore to protect innocents." Shinra couldn't ignore the irony of it all. On the streets, the public knew him as a hero with a reputation nearly as good as the Ingenium family line. He wasn't the perfect hero, but he held an image of what an honorable servant of the public was supposed to be. Until he took out his pent up stress and aggression on him behind doors. "But that doesn't mean he was a good person. He wanted me to be strong, but he went about it the wrong way. He pushed me too far."
"What happened to him?"
"He was taken away."
There was an emptiness in his golden eyes. "Not all heroes are good people, Yuma. There are those like All Might who's entire existence is to keep the peace for innocents. They do what they do because they see the best in humanity. They see that people deserve to live happy lives, like angels and gods among men..." It was difficult to tell who was genuine and who was doing it for the fame. He didn't care too much to find out, but Shinra didn't believe anyone was inherently pure without a dark background.
Shinra trailed off until he realized he was on the verge of rambling. To a child no-less. "He wasn't a real Hero, Yuma. Not to me."
"Was Mommy a hero?"
That got a snort out of him.
"Her? No." He laughed, also finding it ironic. His mother was just a normal human being who chose the career of being a small-time nurse. Another occupation that swore to help and save lives. Which she has, on multiple occasions. "She had an interest quirk though. It was called Tempo. She was able to speed up or slow down anything she touched for a whole minute." It wasn't hero grade material, but as a lifeline worker, a minute was more than enough to make a miracle.
Hell, she even used it on him to prevent more blood loss before making it to the hospital.
"Mother didn't have what it took to become a real hero." Shinra admitted with a grin towards the tombstone, as if he was mocking his late mother to her face.
"But you can be a hero!" Yuma suddenly exclaimed.
"And what makes you think I can be a hero?" Her brother scoffed, pulling his hand out of her hold and tussling her hair into a mess.
"Because I know you can!" She ignored how messy her hair was. "You're really, really strong! You're nice and funny! And you have the best superpower!" She listed off, to which Shinra gave a nod to each as if he hadn't considered it. Although the nice part was probably exaggerated. "You can be as great as All Might!"
"Okay, let's not go that far." Shinra laughed as he scooped her back up onto his shoulders.
There was no way he'd ever come close to All Might's level, hero or not.
"But you can!" Yuma insisted as she poked at his face. "You always smile when things are scary too."
That was true. He always did find it strange that he smiled a lot. Not that it bothered him. He just found things funny. Or pitiful.
"It takes a lot to be a hero, sis." Shinra said earnestly as he recalled his recent change in education. "I can't do everything. I'm not strong enough to stop a falling building. I'm not faster than a bullet train. I'm not invincible. It's more than fighting. I have to be smart, considerate, patient. I need to be someone that people can turn to when they need to feel safe." And while he could say he can handle himself in many fights, he knew where he stood among his classmates. He had the least amount of drive to be a real hero, not really finding the occupation to be all that special.
Hell, even Bakugo had better heroic skills than he did and that says a lot!
Yuma narrowed her eyes and jabbed a finger into Shinra's cheek, pressing it against his teeth. "You do help people." She grumbled in his ear. "You help Big Sis all the time. Like when she broke her leg and you took care of her until she could walk again! You helped Granny Yoko when she got sick and didn't want to go see the doctors. You protected me from those bullies." Ah, that was a core memory for both of them.
There was a young girl in her class that used to bully her for being quirkless. She'd call Yuma rude names like 'Boring Yuma' everyday, making it hard for his sister to make friends at all because other classmates would join in on the fun. However, there was a day that Shinra was waiting for Yuma after school and found a small crowd of kids mocking her because she was the only kid in class without a power. Being the 13 year old he was, Shinra didn't hesitate to kick every single child that was in a 10 foot radius around his sister.
And when he found out who the ringleader was, he grabbed the girl by the shirt and threatened everyone to bully him instead of his sister. He was loud, straight to the point and got his message across.
'Fuck around, find out.'
He told them if he heard another word about bullying, he'd find each kid and kick them harder than the last.
Of course, the ringleader's older teenage brother heard about his sister getting roughed up and tried to pressure Shinra into apologizing.
Let's just say that Shinra held nothing back and kicked the brother.
In the balls.
10 times.
Shinra laughed at the memory. It never failed to make both of them drop into a fit of giggles. "He shouldn't have tried talking shit." He remembered telling Yoko, who had been contacted by the ringleader and brother's parents. Of course, he got grounded for 3 weeks after that.
He'd do it again.
"See? You always know what to do." Yuma smiled.
Shinra hummed. "Maybe I do, sis."
"And..." Yuma paused for a moment before she hugged his head, as awkward as it was. "Even if they say you can't be a hero, you'll always be my hero. Because you always fix everything with a smile. Just like All Might. And... b-because I love you." His sister admitted with an embarrassed blush. Shinra felt his heart twinge and his eyes tingle. No. He wasn't going to cry. Not in front of his parents' graves. He wouldn't give them the joy of seeing him cry again. Even if it was the sappiest, most heartfelt thing he's heard in a long time.
And with God as his witness, he did not shed a single tear.
But his smile quivered as he held up a fist. "I love you too, sis." Yuma beamed with energy as she bumped fists with him. The two shared another laugh as Yuma pulled his head into another hug. Then, Yuma let out a long yawn. "Aw, is little baby getting tired already?" He teased with a grin, earning a swat on his head. Yuma yawned again and she huffed into a pout. "Sounds like it's someone's bed time."
"It's not even 8 yet!"
"And I'll make you another deal." Shinra offered. "It takes 20 minutes to walk back home. If you can stay awake till we reach the front door, I'll let you eat some of the jelly beans tomorrow." He held up a pinky finger and wriggled it in the air. "Sound like a deal?"
Yuma's pinky grabbed his. "I accept your challenge!" She declared with a huff of confidence.
Suffice to say, on the walk under the calming night sky, Yuma passed out on his shoulders with 3 minutes left.
Later...
A spark erupted in thin air, ripping through reality in the shape of a circle and expanding in a golden swirl.
A foot stepped through, followed by Shinra as he entered his pocket dimension alone. His face was neutral as the portal closed behind him, even as the exhaustion washed over him like a blanket. He took in a deep breath, relishing in the natural forest air over the fumes of the city. It calmed him, as per usual whenever he returned to his second home. And he needed it.
He began walking through the forest in silence, hands in his shorts as he took his little stroll. It wouldn't take him very long to find it, considering nothing ever changes in Neverland. No living creatures, no weather change, not even tectonic shifts. Just a basic growth of the environment. Just grass, trees and water. With the occasional comet that soars through the sky.
The grass crunched under the bottom of his shoes as he stopped.
He found what he was looking for.
"Hello father." Shinra said aloud, hands still in his pockets as he slouched forward.
In front of him, laying under a large tree was a collapsed set of skeletal remains. There was no flesh, no stench anymore. Just the withered away mess of clothes that continued to cling to the bones. Because it was never disturbed upon death, it just looked like his father accepted his fate and remained seated against the tree trunk until his last breath. His skeleton must've slouched over to the side and fell to the floor once there was no muscle keeping it up.
The warp-user didn't say anything.
It's been a while since he's returned to this spot.
A long while actually.
He's only come here twice before, this spot specifically.
Once was the first time he ever entered Neverland, by pure accident, when he was nearly 11 years old. During one of the extremely rare arguments between him and Himiko, he had wanted to be alone. Not at the house. Not at the park. Himiko had known every place he'd go and he just wanted time to himself. His only train of thought was "A place just by myself" and next thing he knew, he was in a different dimension. He wandered around until he stumbled upon his father's bones and at the time, he didn't know how to react.
So he stared.
And stared.
And stared.
Before leaving without another word.
The second time was a year after that, when he trusted Himiko enough to hold his secret and brought her inside. That was a day he let all of his emotions out, at his father's grave, blaming him for the nightmares and hate, the hurt and fear, the resentment and pressure. He needed Himiko at his side then, not once trusting himself to be alone that day.
But now...
"What's up, you piece of shit." Shinra said evenly, keeping his hands in his pockets as he trailed over the details. He was met with silence. He scoffed. If he had gotten a response, he probably would've actually been scared shitless. Or extremely hostile. "Been a while since I came back here. You still haven't changed much. Obviously." Again, silence. Shinra sighed before running a hand through his hair.
"Can't believe I'm doing this..." He mumbled under his breath.
With a huff, the white head crouched down until he was seated on the grass in front of the bones. He sat with one leg half-crossed, the other poised over it while he leaned back on his hands.
"You fucked up big time, you know that?" The teen scowled, choosing to charge straight ahead and let his emotions free. "You had something. Something wonderful and you fucked it all up because of what? Pride? Honor? Tradition?" Shinra stressed out the last word like it was a plague. "You had a family. A dumb bitch wife that literally jumped into the grave after your stupid ass. Yuma, who would've brightened up any of your worst days if you weren't such a drunk. And me, the son who never stopped loving you until you brought out that goddamn sword!"
His voice echoed in the distance.
"And for fucking what!?" Shinra exclaimed, hands in the air. "You beat me down over and over and over and fucking over again so I can be another you!? What's wrong with being quirkless? Where's the unconditional love from a father, huh!? Why couldn't you have just loved me like a son!?" Angry tears pooled at the edges of his eyes, but he didn't dare cry. Not in front of this filth. "Hero, this. Quirk, that. Shinra, this. Useless, that. Fuck you! A child put up with your shit for so long, wanting nothing more than to be the image you wanted me to be and now look at me! I'm not fucking normal and I never will be!" He wiped at his eyes before he glared at the bones.
"And then there's you. Fucking look at you. Dead. Six feet under where you fucking belong." At this point, he was panting from how much he was shouting. But that didn't stop him. Shinra gave a mirthful scoff. "You probably died starving, alone and scared, regretting every life choice you made, I bet. I only wish I could've seen it." That was always one of his biggest desires. As the years went by, it never truly faded away. Even after seeing his own father's corpse himself, the profound proof that he was finally free, the desire only increased to near obsessive levels. He wanted nothing more than to see Shigenori's final moments struggling in desperation.
Was he angry?
Was he scared?
It pissed him off because he didn't know. It was childish, he knew. He had escaped one type of cage, only to place himself in another out of pure petty spite.
Shinra took a deep breath before calming his nerves. He needed this. It felt... right.
"... You would've loved Yuma. There's absolutely no way you would've liked Himiko, but you'd love Yuma like your life depended on it. Both of them became the reason I move forward now. And Himi... she was there for me more than you or mother ever could've possibly been. She never lashed out at me. Never judged me. Never gave me a reason to feel inadequate. She never hurt me. She was never scared of me. And I love her because of it."
He laughed.
"I found the craziest bitch to stay by me and I wouldn't trade her for anyone in the world." Then he pointed at the bones with a mocking smirk, still wishing he at least had a face to look at. Instead, he settled for the skull leaned against the tree. "She despises your very existence and most definitely would've stabbed you in your sleep."
Oh, he can just picture it like it was clear as day. If his father was still alive and kicking, Himiko would've hunted him down like a rabid dog. Hero be damned, she'd get him. But she'd have her fun whittling him down, mentally, before tearing into him physically. And he'd sit back and watch.
"She cares a lot about me. And Yuma. We became our own little happy family without you. I protect Himiko. She protects me. We both protect Yuma. That's the way it's been and how it's always going to be." Shinra sighed to himself. He took a moment to think back on his little sister. Sometimes he still couldn't believe he found the strength to pull through and make a family real. Every morning he loved seeing her smile. The sheer radiance of happiness she gives when she's around.
"... I don't even know why I'm even bothering to tell you this."
"Maybe you're still out there, watching over me like a fucking weirdo." He looked up at the stars and furrowed his brows. "Or maybe because you died here, you don't have anyone else to join you. Serves you right, I guess." It was almost amusing to imagine a lost soul wandering in another plane of existence, trapped in endless solitude in his own world. A fitting punishment.
At least, Shinra thought it was.
After that, Shinra chose to sit in silence, wanting to take a moment to clear out his thoughts. He closed his eyes and let out another breath. "I'm moving on. Without you. And without mother holding me back either." The warp user declared before he pushed himself onto his knees. "You both set the stage for me, but Granny is teaching me how to be better. A better you. She took your place as a parent figure and while I'd never say it to her face... I'm grateful that she believes in me. She can see that I have the strength to be greater than I already am. And I'm not so conceited to believe I can't improve. I have people that cherish my existence and I need to repay that debt." Shinra sneered as he peered over the bones. "And to do that, I'm gonna need this."
Next to the tree, there was a sword plunged into the grass. The handle still had the bones of Shigenori's hand dangling around it, ready to break off and fall to pieces at the slightest breeze. Shinra steeled himself as he slapped away the bones and grabbed hold of the weapon. Taking in a steady breath, the teenager pulled the blade out of the dirt and held it before him.
"P-Please...!"
It was heavier than he thought. Or maybe his nerves were just playing tricks on him. He didn't know.
"Just a little more!"
"STOP!"
But his heartbeat was pounding in his ears as he stared at the sleek silver blade.
"You can't hurt me anymore..." Shinra murmured to himself. He wasn't a little boy anymore. He was far passed that age. He can handle himself now.
The teen slowly ran his fingers up the side of the blade, noting with astonishment that the metal was still in pristine condition even after all this time. "I hope you're happy, because I'm gonna end up doing what you've dreamed of me. I'm going to hero school now. Just like you always wanted." The teen gave the sword a couple sample swings. His lips curled into a smirk that set people on edge. "Except I'm gonna do it my way. Sorry not sorry."
With a snap of his fingers, Shinra opened up a portal back home.
He gave his father's bones one last look before giving him the bird.
"Go fuck yourself."
A Little Earlier...
Kotaro sniffed at the air and felt giddy as the shivers went down his body. The purple cloud that lead him along had finally came to an end, resting at a small home and leading towards a window with the light still on. He walked up to the side of the house, using the shadows of the night to keep himself hidden from plain sight. The window was on a second floor and it was the only light active in the whole building.
Kotaro closed his eyes.
He didn't hear anything else throughout the house. There was nobody else inside besides his prize. And from the sound of an electric fan and her breathing, she was fast asleep.
Excellent.
Rolling his head around and feeling the pops in his neck, Kotaro felt his fingers tense up. His nails lengthened and black hair started growing over his hands. He placed a hand over the brick wall and pulled himself up slowly, digging his feet into a proper step as he climbed upwards. Soon he found that the window had been cracked open to allow fresh air into the room. 'This is too easy...' The cashier thought to himself with a grin as he hooked a hand under the window and gently pushed it open further.
He wasn't muscular and he wasn't overly large like most dudes his age. And he was perfectly fine with it, seeing as how he managed to creep his way through the window and roll onto the ground without so much as a sound. He looked around the room. Like he had heard, there was an electric fan in the corner of the room. The bedroom door was closed. There was a small lamp turned on next to the child's bed. The bedroom's walls were covered in drawings, pictures of a white haired teen and a blonde girl with sharp teeth.
There was even a giant pink stuffed bear lounging in the corner.
And finally, he found Yuma resting underneath her large sheets. Kotaro didn't move as he watched the sheets go up and down with her breathing. Yeah, she was asleep. The cashier slowly crept forward, never taking his eyes off the small child until he found himself right there at her bed. With a quick side glance, the man turned off the lamp next to the bed and shrouded the room in darkness.
Even asleep, it seemed to have catch some kind of attention as Yuma's brows furrowed and she stirred. Grumbling, the young girl fluttered her eyes open and the first this she saw was an unknown man with eyes glowing a frightening purple. Before the child could even react, a hairy hand lashed out and grabbed her by the mouth, cutting off any chance at screaming for help. "Sh, sh, shhhh..." Kotaro whispered gently as Yuma stared into his eyes. He placed a finger over his lips and smiled. "There's no need to be loud. You remember me, right?"
Yuma tried putting up a fight as she tried scratching at the man's hand or even biting the inside of his palm. She whimpered when his clawed hand gripped at her face even tighter, his nails digging uncomfortably deep into her cheeks.
"It's okay, little one." The man placed on a knee on the bed and crawled over the sheets. "It's just you and me now." Yuma didn't like how close he was getting. He shouldn't be here at all. Why was he here? Her mind was racing as the man leaned over her, his weight putting pressure down over her legs to prevent kicking. His purple eyes were all she could stare into in the darkness of the room. And he just leaned closer, showing off his depraved smile. "I know this seems scary," He murmured gently as he moved her face to the side and inhaled the scent of her neck. Saliva was coating his teeth. "But it'll feel good, I promise. It always feels good."
Yuma closed her eyes as tears leaked down her cheeks. Her screams were muffled as Kotaro bent down and ran his tongue along her neck up to her ear, causing her to scream and thrash around underneath him.
"It'll hurt for but a moment." He growled, feeling his heart pump with excitement.
Yuma tried kicking her legs around until one of them freed themself from under her captor's weight. Because she was still underneath her blanket and wasn't given enough movement, her attacks were barely a distraction until she felt him jolt and groan. She had kicked something. She couldn't see that well in the dark, but she knew she kicked something hard. Then he started chuckling. "Seems I'm not the only one eager to get the ball rolling. Let's see." Kotaro reached for Yuma's shirt and hooked a claw through the fabric. "Let's get this out of the way-"
Suddenly the door opened and there was a light coming from the hallway, illuminating the room in an instant.
And before Kotaro knew what happened, he found 4 shuriken stars embedded into his back.
The cashier froze up in shocked pain as he heard footsteps rush at him. It was blurry, but Kotaro recognized a leg sweep through the air and kick him in the head with enough force to send the man crashing through the window and outside.
Now that the hand wasn't holding onto her face anymore, Yuma let out a wail. She felt more hands grab at her and try to pull her into a hug, but she fought back. Her fists were flailing around, her legs kicked at her whoever dared to touch her. "Yuma! Yuma, it's me! It's okay!" She recognized that voice. Fearful eyes opened up to see her brother looking down at her, concern etched over his face. "It's just me. You're safe now..." Shinra soothed in a calming tone.
The tears just wouldn't stop and Yuma couldn't bring herself to try. The little girl just clung to her brother like a lifeline and bawled, refusing to let go. "H-He... He...!" She couldn't even speak properly before choking on her own words. But Shinra knew.
God, he felt sick.
He had only returned home mere moments ago and knew something was up when he didn't see Yuma's bedroom light on from underneath her door.
He knew his sister was afraid of the dark and she wouldn't turn it off herself.
If he was just a minute later...
Shinra burned that image out of his head. "It's alright. Everything's gonna be okay. He's not gonna hurt you anymore." Then he paused. "Did he hurt you at all?"
"H-He licked me! He was gonna take my shirt and-and-"
"Shhh." She heard as he pulled her head into his chest, holding her close. "As long as you're not hurt, Yuma." The warp-user heard sounds from outside the shattered window. Someone was running away. He closed his eyes and inhaled through his nostrils, but didn't dare lose his smile. "Yuma, I'm gonna need you to be a big girl, okay?" Catching her attention, he saw her little golden eyes look into his. "I want you to lock yourself in my room and I'll be back soon."
"No! I don't want you to leave!" She started to panic, her eyes wide. "P-Please, what if he-"
"He's not gonna hurt you anymore."
"But...!"
"Yuma, do you trust me?"
"Yeah...?"
"Then I need you to stay safe for me. Go hide in my room." Shinra stood up and placed Yuma on her feet, as disoriented and wobbly as she was. He straightened out her hair and clothing, kneeling down in front of her and gave her one of his best smiles. "Himiko isn't here tonight, so I need you to be strong by yourself. I won't be gone for long. I promise." Hearing that she wasn't going to have someone to keep her safe, Yuma started to look back towards the window until Shinra gently cupped her face. He turned her head to look back at him. "You can stay with me as long as you like when I get back home, okay?"
"Are you gonna fix it?" Yuma whispered with a hiccup.
Shinra nodded and wiped her tears with his thumb. "Of course I am. I can fix anything, remember?" He gave her a thumbs up. "Are you gonna be a big girl?"
Yuma sniffled before she tried giving him a brave face and nodded. "Big girls don't get s-scared."
Shinra grinned and held out an open palm. "That's my lil sis!" The two siblings high-fived as Shinra stood up. "Okay, now get to my room, lock the door and cover the window. Don't open the door for anyone. I'll portal my way inside." Yuma gave him a quick hug before bolting out of the room. Shinra stood there waiting until he heard his bedroom door slam to a close and the lock following right after.
Shinra took a shaky breath as he walked toward the broken window.
His knuckles cracked as he balled his hands into fists.
Looking down, he didn't see the disgusting fucker that was on top of his sister. He had ran off, just like he expected.
That's okay.
A portal opened beneath his feet and he dropped into it.
He found it funny when they tried running.
Kotaro was running like his life depended on it.
The man was panting as his legs kicked him forward through the darkened streets, never once slowing down. He wasn't sure if he was actually being chased, but he knew better than to think otherwise until he made it back to a safe place. He winced as he twisted his torso in a way that caused his new gashes to twinge in pain. He had already pulled out the shurikens, somewhat happy that they haven't stabbed too deep to be a concern. But they still hurt like a bitch.
But considering he was struck with no hesitation, a part of him believed that if his head was just elevated a little bit higher, he would've gotten brained right then and there.
And his instincts were telling him not to stop until he made it back to Gotetsu.
He nearly tripped when he realized how fucked a situation he was in.
He forgot to do his errands!
'Dammit, I'll deal with that later!'
The man sucked his teeth as he rounded another corner, taking off down into a lengthy alley way.
There was a saying in this day and age. 'Fuck around and find out'
He wasn't dumb enough to believe he was hot shit because he can track people down and transform. Lots of people have mutation quirks that turn them into giants or monsters from his worst nightmares. Hell, he even knew someone that could radiate anything in a 100 foot radius if he so much as sneezed wrong. But Kotaro wasn't going to risk sticking around. The white haired teenager didn't seem like much, but looks could be deceiving. He had no knowledge of the boy's quirk and now that he thought about it, he didn't hear a single creak in the floorboards as the kid moved.
When did he get inside the house? How did he? He had sniffed out and listened for any living creature inside before entering.
Which scarcely narrowed down abilities the boy could use. And none of them were something the man wanted to deal with, if he could avoid it.
He just didn't notice the distant golden portal open in the skies above him, nearly reaching the large towers of the city.
He didn't notice a figure falling out of said portal, free falling as they scanned over the ground like a hawk.
He didn't notice a figure lock eyes onto his speeding form and disappear into another portal.
Kotaro huffed, feeling a slight burn in his lungs. Then his instincts were telling him to MOVE.
He looked behind him with a hint of anxious fear in his pupils. He didn't find anything out of the ordinary. Just an empty street, trash cans, garbage littering the ground-
His ears picked up sparks and golden light lit up the alley in front of him. Then, suddenly, a blurry mass lunged at him with hands outstretched. "Holy shit!" The man yelped in surprise as he caught both wrists in his hands, but the force of the human projectile pushed him backwards. Using the momentum to his advantage, Kotaro rolled onto his back and planted both of his feet into his attacker's stomach, kicking them into the pile of trash bags against the wall.
The child molester blinked in disbelief as he saw Shinra push himself back to his feet as if he wasn't just tossed like a ragdoll. On his face were a set of goggles, glowing an ominous green before dimming down to normal black. He had managed to snatch a part of his hero gear.
That's when Kotaru saw the teen reach into thin air, putting his hand through a portal and pulling out a long sword.
Yeah. Kotaro realized he picked a bad draw.
He raided the house of a warper.
'That's okay,' The man thought to himself. 'It's just a teenager who thinks he's hot shit.' He's dealt with this type before.
Still, he inwardly cursed at himself for his dumb luck, the cashier took a step back with a forced smile. "Hey, kiddo... Now I know what you're thinking-"
Shinra held the sword in front of him, pointing the tip at the cashier.
"You tried to stick your dick in a kid."
"-And I know that sounds bad."
A simple step forward was all it took to set things in motion. Shinra dashed forward, switching the sword in his grip and bringing it into an upwards slash. The cashier swore as he leaned back to avoid getting his neck and chin sliced open. He forced his quirk further, more hair growing on his arms, legs and torso. His muscles seemed to expand as he grew a few inches taller. It wasn't a full transformation like others could pull off, but the man resembled a half breed between a dog and man.
If Shinra was caught off guard, he didn't show it.
"Look kid," Kotaro growled out with sharpened teeth. He dodged another slash aimed at his chest. His eyes narrowed in a warning. "You don't know what you're getting yourself into. You don't want this fight." It wasn't a complete bluff. He didn't really consider himself a fighter. More of a tracker, but he also wasn't a pushover. But the fact that this teenager decided to chase after him by himself in the dead of night and actually going for kill shots were a bit more than concerning.
"But I do." He heard from Shinra as he switched from slashing and pivoted himself into a forward lunge, causing the dog man to skid to his right. "I don't think you understand just how fucked you are." Kotaro winced through his teeth as he clutched at the new, thin cut along his ribs. "You were going to rape a child. My sister." Shinra didn't let up as he jumped into the air, spinning himself and bringing the sword down on the man's head.
Kotaro rushed forward, dipping his head low and ramming his shoulder into Shinra's chest. The white head coughed as he caught himself from stumbling over his own feet, but he immediately craned his head to the left to avoid getting his face clawed off. The man was fast, Shinra will give him that. But realizing that flight time was over, Kotaro chose fight as he lunged at Shinra like a wild animal.
"And whaddya gonna do about it!?" The man barked out as he made Shinra sidestep a couple clawed attacks before delivering a solid punch into his cheek.
... Was the boy smiling?
"First, I'm gonna get rid of this goddamn sword until I'm better at it." He dropped the blade into a small portal on the ground before taking a leap back. He knew it was a little early to use it. He needed more training before he felt comfortable. But he wanted to give it a shot at least.
Above him, gold shined and Shinra grabbed two kunai that fell out of the air. He took another stance with his new dual-wielding weapons. "Second," The teen rushed forward even faster as he engaged the rapist in closer combat. "I'm going to tear your fucking balls off and feed them to you. Then I'm going to kill you." Kotaro snarled at the threat. "And I'm gonna have fun doing so."
"Bold words for a brat." Kotaro sneered as he cracked his knuckles. Who would've thought the kid had a sense of humor? "You can die trying!"
Just as the transformed cashier lunged at the teen, he raised his right arm for another slash at the boy's throat. Shinra saw this coming and made a beeline for him before sliding between the man's legs and cut away at the back of the man's thighs. Kotaro howled as Shinra spun on his heels, jumped up and dug both of his kunai into his shoulders. Just as the man dropped to his knees, a portal opened up beneath the two of them and the cashier suddenly felt like he was falling.
Eyes opened wide in shock, Kotaro found himself free falling over the city.
The wind was rushing into his face, but he saw a building coming a little too close for his liking. He crossed his arms in front of him and braced himself as he smacked into the ledge of a balcony, shattering the platform with their combined weight and felt himself rolling through the air. Coughing out blood from the impact, the dog man sucked his now red teeth and reached over his head to grab at the teen riding on his back. "Get the fuck off of me!" He took hold of one of Shinra's wrists and pulled him off with a roar, throwing the teen away from him and into the next building over.
As Kotaro reached out to grab an incoming ledge to catch himself, Shinra crashed through the windows of a nearby business building.
The teen's body tore through the numerous office cubicles before he found himself smashing against a filing cabinet. 'I'm gonna feel that later.' He thought with a groan, already feeling the bruises on his back. Shinra spat a glob of blood out onto the floor and activated the goggles on his face. His vision turned green and he spotted a figure of red and orange trying to climb himself down the building.
He started laughing as he picking himself back up. "Oh no you don't!"
He raced over the broken glass and leaped out the window into another portal.
Kotaro huffed as he hopped back down to the sidewalk. His fingers hurt from having to latch onto concrete and wood at such a speed, but he managed to stop himself from smashing into the ground. He heard a spark at his feet again. The dog man quickly leapt back to avoid dropping into another portal, only for Shinra to fly out of another one right behind him and tackling him into the portal on the ground.
Once again, Kotaro found himself falling through the air.
Except when he tried reaching for the teenager on his back again, he yelled when Shinra ripped out one of the kunai lodged into his shoulders. The white haired teenager placed the kunai handle in his mouth and dropped down to avoid clawed hands. Another scream of pain bubbled out of Kotaro as Shinra stabbed him in the side of his stomach and kicked himself off the man's back like a springboard, just as Kotaro crashed into a nearby car parked in another alley.
From the impact of his weight, the car had bent around Kotaro's shape and the man found himself struggling to pull himself out. Sirens and alarms blared from the crushed vehicle as the cashier coughed, his face contorted in pained uncomfort as he felt some shards of metal digging into his lower back.
Kotaro realized he couldn't move his left arm. It took him a moment to realize that one of the kunai stuck in his shoulder was pushing through the flesh. He could see the tip poking through his skin. As well as the other kunai lodged in his stomach.
Then the man's eyes bulged out of his head when Shinra dropped down onto him with a knee, knocking whatever wind out of him and pushing him even further into the crunched metals.
Kotaro forcefully yanked one of his hands free from the metal, ignoring the gashes given to his skin and tried to reach for the teenager on top of him. Shinra swiftly grabbed Kotaro's wrist and pulled his arm straight before punching the inside of his elbow, smashing bones and quickly bending the joint into a painful angle. Shinra ignored the screaming and twisted the arm over Kotaro's head, lining it up with his other arm that was stuck in the car. He quickly pulled out the kunai in Kotaro's stomach and stabbed through both of his palms with the kunai, pinning him in place with two useless arms.
Then Shinra started punching at the man's face, never letting up.
Kotaro's head throbbed from each hit, feeling himself go in and out of consciousness. He wasn't sure if it was from the bleeding or a new concussion.
Shinra reeled back for another punch until he heard a shout.
"Halt!"
The teen sat up and turned to his right, to see two heroes stationed at the end of the alley. One was a man dressed up as a bulky caveman and next to him was a woman dressed up as if she traveled from the future. Behind his goggles, Shinra narrowed his eyes as the two heroes cautiously made their way towards him. "Now, I don't know what's gotten into you son, but-" His partner gasped as she pointed at the teen, who they've noticed to have patches of blood over himself and blood dripping from his knuckles.
"Stone-Age, there's someone else underneath him!" The woman, Lightyear, announced as Kotaro let out a loud cough/laugh.
Only Shinra heard the mocking "You're screwed now, kid."
What Shinra hadn't noticed while he was tracking down Kotaro, was that he had been seen portaling through the sky by heroes on their nightly patrol. A little sloppy on his end.
Kotaro let out pained chuckles as the heroes came closer. It was embarrassing enough to have his ass handed to him by a kid, but he knew he could weasel his way out of this before the tables turned on him. He just needed to wait for the right moment before he passed out from blood loss. He'd rather take his chances with Heroes who have limits, than a kid with blades spewing death threats.
Stone-Age hardened his expression as he clenched his fist. "You're under arrest."
"He was going to rape my sister."
Lightyear narrowed her eyes in disgust, even if she didn't have a clear view of the child molester stuck in the car. "And if we find out if that's true, he'll face trial for his crimes. But for now, both of you are going to be taken into custody until we sort this out." Stone-Age nodded, but he didn't let his guard down. He was literally facing a teenage who was holding a grown, bloodied man at his mercy. He couldn't fathom the anger the kid was going through, but he understood.
"Jail is too good for him." Shinra said curtly.
As much as they wanted to agree, the two heroes couldn't say it aloud. Not without proof. And even then, they had to uphold their titles, giving everyone a fair chance until proven guilty.
"But murder will have you take his place instead." Stone-Age insisted in a gruff tone. He really did understand. He'd be livid if someone had tried to touch his daughter. But he's seen situations like this go down before in his early days of work.
The teen chose to ignore the two heroes and wrapped his hands around Kotaro's neck to choke him. The cashier tried to flail whatever limbs he could to get him off.
The man narrowed his eyes and gave Shinra a final warning. "Do not make this any harder than it needs to-"
Out of the corner of her eye, Lightyear saw a golden line spread around her partner's waist and disappeared. The heroine glanced at him when she realized he stopped talking and her eyes widened in shock when Stone-Age split in half, his torso falling forward. Even pinned where he was, Kotaro watched in disbelief as the woman let out a horrified shriek and fall back on her rear.
"Guh... urk...!" Stone-Age struggled to form words as he tried to push himself up. He couldn't feel his legs. Why can't he feel his legs? Behind him, his other half stumbled back. The man held up a hand, as if he was trying to reach for the teen in front of him. His eyes were pleading, asking the boy to put him back together. He couldn't find the strength to look at himself, to see his own intestines spilling out from his stomach as he tried to crawl forward.
But his partner did.
Lightyear couldn't stop screaming as her partner's head finally hit the ground and stopped moving.
'Oh my god...' Kotaro thought to himself before he looked back at the teen on top of him.
Then he realized something.
He really, really fucked up.
"Y-You...!" Shinra heard Lightyear choke out with tears as she reached for something in her pocket. "You monster!"
It was a communications device. As the screen lit up, so did the golden sparks of a portal. Before Lightyear could even speak her location and ask for backup, a portal closed around her neck and her head fell off her shoulders. 'Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!' Kotaro panicked as blood sprayed from the woman's neck and her body rolled off to the side. From the lack of oxygen, the rapist found his heartbeat pounding through his skull as he tried struggling to escape. 'This kid easily took out two heroes without moving a muscle!'
Then he found that he was able to breathe again.
He took gasps of air and Kotaro coughed. He was confused. "Why...?" He rasped.
"You're probably wondering why I didn't kill you as soon as I found you, right?" Shinra's unsettlingly calm voice sent chills down Kotaro's spine. The warp-user let go of Kotaro's neck and he reached up to pull the goggles off his eyes. Cold and empty golden eyes stared down on him. "That's because you deserve far, far worse. However it seems you don't have a lot of time before the blood loss gets to you." Shinra hummed to himself. "... You're really lucky my girlfriend wasn't home. She's a lot worse than I am."
"I-I'm sorry." Kotaro sputtered out once he realized what kind of situation he found himself in. "I promise I won't do it again!"
Shinra blinked. Then he smiled. "Of course you won't. You won't do anything ever again."
"Please!"
Shinra couldn't stop himself from laughing once he noticed the pedophile underneath him was actually crying. Him? The big bad man who got his rocks off from little girls? A swift punch came too quick for Kotaro to catch with his eyes and he felt his head lurch to the side. Some of his teeth had broken off. He felt two hands grab hold of his face and Shinra got in real close. "Remember what I promised you?"
Delirious, Kotaro couldn't form a proper answer.
Before Shinra could do anything else, he heard a cellphone start ringing. Looking down, he saw a light through the fabric of Kotaro's pants. "And who would that be?" He reached into the man's pockets, genuinely surprised that a cellphone managed to survive the crash landing into a car. Then the smile on his face twitched and froze. Over the cracked screen, he could make out the messages over the man's lockscreen.
- Did you finish up yet?
- Oi, dumbass.
- I'm gonna close up shop soon.
- Call me when you get the chance.
It was from an unknown number.
"Shop, huh?" Shinra mumbled before he remembered the bald man from the candy shop. He clenched the phone tight in his grip. So he was in on this too? "Looks like Yuma is gonna have to wait a little bit longer..." Shinra sighed before he threw the phone behind him, letting it break on the concrete wall. "Now," He put his attention back on the dog man hybrid beneath him, who was struggling to even stay awake. "Where was I?"
Kotaro's half-lidded eyes snapped open wide when he felt a strong grasp over his manhood.
He screamed when he felt one of them burst under the pressure.
8 Minutes Later...
Gotetsu looked at his phone with an arched brow.
Still nothing.
It was well over an 2 hours after his employee had clocked out for his shift and went along to do his tasks. However the shop owner found it a little suspicious when he wasn't responding to his texts. It wouldn't be the first time, but he thought Kotaro learned his lesson after he got his ass beat for ignoring him the first couple of times. In their line of work, miscommunication was still a hefty punishment.
Sucking his teeth, Gotetsu pocketed his phone and pinched the bridge of his nose.
"I swear if he's goofing off again..." The bald man muttered to himself.
He had already gotten a call from his boss and she wasn't exactly in a happy mood. And it only made matters worse when Gotetsu had to tell her about Kotaro's lacking performance. After getting an earful that he was more than happy to give to his employee later, Gotetsu decided to close up shop a bit early and get his stuff to leave. He was gonna find his stupid ass coworker and throttle him-
He heard something clutter and crash to the floor in the front of the building.
Not moving for a moment, Gotetsu didn't hear anything else. Narrowing his eyes, the bearded man slowly made his way through the door to the front-end of his building.
He paused when he saw a small red and white cooler in the placed right in front of the entrance door.
His eyes went from the door, to the cooler, back to the door.
It was still locked.
Feeling uneasy, the man's left hand slowly turned green and his fingers extended into thorn-like vines. Using his quirk, he reached across the room and picked up the cooler to shake it. It felt like something heavy was inside it, but nothing metallic from what he could tell. That took out the possibility of it being a potential bomb. Gotetsu carefully placed the cooler back on the ground and slowly opened it with his vines. He pulled out whatever was in the cooler and immediately dropped the severed head with a startled shout.
"What the fuck!?"
Gotetsu took a step back, even if he was nowhere near the rolling head of Kotetsu. And his face curled in disgust when he found a torn off penis stuffed into his mouth.
The store owner looked around the room as quickly as he could while his right hand turned into a mess of vines as well. "Whoever or wherever you are, I suggest you show yourself before I really get pissed off!" He called out, taking cautious steps into the room. He felt sick looking at the severed head. Who the fuck could've done that? What did his employee even do to get butchered!? Gotetsu could feel a headache brewing at the new situation he found himself in.
That's when he felt a something kick the back of one of his knees in, shattering his kneecap. He fell to one leg screaming before he felt a hand grasp the back of his head and slam his face into the display cases with the sweets. Growling at the pain of numerous glass cuts all over his face, Gotetsu's vines started to lash out and reach for whoever was behind him. They stopped when he felt a blade hold itself at his throat.
"So you were the one who sent him?"
"... Who are you?"
The kunai got closer.
"That doesn't matter. Did you send your employee to rape my sister?"
"What the hell? No, what-" He was starting to get riled up.
Why the fuck did it sound like a kid was behind him?
A thin cut edged at the man's adam's apple.
"I suggest you quiet down and tell me the truth." Shinra whispered in the man's ear. He was struggling real hard not to slash open Gotetsu's throat. "Did you send Kotaro after my sister? You messaged him about 'finishing' up something. And it seems real coincidental that you texted him after I caught him." Gotetsu still wasn't sure who the hell was holding him at knife point, but the man could feel his frustrations bubbling to an unhealthy degree. "Did you?" Shinra asked again.
"No, I didn't. He was supposed to be doing a business run." Gotetsu responded as evenly as he could, choosing not to give actual details. Then the store owner grimaced when he realized what was really going on. "But I didn't know he still did... that." The man hardly tolerated such a filthy addiction. He and many, many others took it upon themselves to literally beat Kotaro an inch within his life once they realized what he liked doing.
Apparently he didn't learn.
But that wasn't what Shinra wanted to hear.
"So you mean to tell me you employed a child rapist and allowed him to serve sweets to kids?" Shinra pushed harder down on the man's head, pushing him down into the now smushed cotton candies. Now that he thought about it, Shinra was gonna have to come up with a lie as to why he threw out the large tub of jelly beans. He sucked his teeth in annoyance. "Give me one reason why I shouldn't cut your head off like him?"
Gotetsu winced at the sudden pressure. He scowled, even though he couldn't see Shinra's face. He was getting real tired being treated like a bitch.
"You don't know who you're messing with, kid" Gotetsu ignored the weapon at his neck and anger was his motivation as he tried to push himself up.
If he was quick enough, he was sure he could take hold of the hand holding the blade and the neck of whoever was attacking him with his vines. "And I swear, when I catch you, I'm going to snap your neck like a twig." The threat lingered in the air, but it didn't seem to bother the teen at all. "You just made an enemy of the Eclipse! You'll regret-AAAH! FUCK!" The store manager erupted in screams when a portal tore off his left leg from the thigh down. That just left him with his shattered right leg. Shinra gripped the back of his neck and pulled him back, moved him down the line and smashed his head through another window.
"I don't care who you are and whatever ragtag bunch of retards you work with. That's not why I'm here today." Shinra said as he repeated his actions with another window. "All I know, is you're never going to mess with me or my family ever again, regardless if you give me your word or not. Is that clear?"
"Tch! Fuck you!" Gotetsu spat, unable to properly open his eyes from the blood coming from his forehead.
Sparks.
He screamed when his last leg was seared off.
"I'll ask again." Shinra spoke softly. "Did you send Kotaro after my sister?"
Gotetsu bit back another insult. He was panting from adrenaline and pain.
"No! No, I fucking didn't!"
"Will you forget this whole thing happened?"
...
Gotetsu heard sparks on his left and squinted an eye to see to see a golden portal encircling his arm just below the shoulder.
"... Y-Yes. You'll never see me again." He spat, but was reasonable enough not to say anymore and risk even more dismemberment.
"Good boy." Shinra applauded, even going as far as to pat the man's head. "Because you did so well in not pissing me off anymore than I already am, I'm not going to kill you. Only because you didn't willingly send a bonafide child predator after her. But you still employed a molester, who in turn, touched my sister and fed her food. And for that, you lose leg privileges. Usually, you'd lose a lot more than that, but I got to burn off some pent up stress on your ex-employee."
Gotetsu didn't say anything else.
As much as he wanted to. He didn't.
"Oh and one more thing."
The man felt Shinra leaned down into his ear and he braced himself in case the teenager changed his mind.
He felt cold all of a sudden. "If I find out that either you or these Eclipse assholes come anywhere near my family," Shinra's hold on the back of the man's neck got even tighter. "I promise you that losing your legs will be the least of your fucking worries. I will track you down. I will find you. And I'll make sure you die screaming. Same goes for them. Make sure to tell them that if they're feeling ballsy." With that, Gotetsu felt the hold on his neck vanish along with the kunai and he flinched when he heard sparks.
Then, after not hearing anything for a couple seconds, the man slowly pushed himself away from the shattered display cases and fell to the ground. He gently rubbed his neck and bit back pained cries when he looked down at his rapidly bleeding stumps for legs. He quickly dialed for emergency services before falling on his back, feeling more than a little lightheaded.
This was an embarrassment.
An outrage!
The bald Eclipse member trailed his eyes over the damage to his shop.
And then he noticed that all the cameras in the corners of the ceiling were missing.
... There goes trying to see who jumped him.
This chapter was kinda tricky to write out. Kinda hard to flesh out the characters at their weakest, but the gears are turning! Shinra took on his father's sword, but still isn't use to swordsmanship just yet, falling into an easy habit of dropping to close combat. Everyone has their preference on fighting, just like everyone is different when showing their emotions. That'll show more later. And with this, it shows just what Shinra is capable of when pushed too far. Hell, he even took out two gang members as well as 2 PRO HEROES! And don't worry, again, he won't be as broken as you think. It'll be explained at a later chapter.
Although I do hope it wasn't over the top, but it fits how the story will be at times.
There WILL be death.
You'll just need to keep reading to see who dies first.
Oh! And here's a quirk registration!
- (Kotaro) Quirk: Bloodhound! He has the heightened sense of a canine and can transform into a man/dog hybrid. Upon a single touch or even a strand of hair of his target, as long as he can smell anything with their DNA on it, he can track them down anywhere! The effects can last for 5 Hours and can only go as far as 25 miles! His physical strength once transformed isn't anything special, but he's still capable of flipping over cars with ease. Along with his reflexes, sense of smell and hearing being heightened as well!
Hope you guys enjoyed!
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Love you guys!
King out!
