Hiya. Me back. Me write chapter. Ape together strong.

This'll give you, I hope, a unique chapter where we have characters that I haven't really focused on too much so far. I intend to give every character a good amount of time to develop beyond what I've written. This should be a bounce board for that. Enjoy!

''So, what do you want me to play?'' Ibuki stared at her audience expectantly. Hiyoko gurgled from the booster seat on Mahiru's bed. ''Silent type, eh?'' Ibuki nodded back and forth slowly and Hiyoko mirrored the action. ''Right, I'll play some guitar then! Get ready for those soft melodies, baby! Actual baby!'' Ibuki reached under her bed and pulled out an acoustic guitar. ''Right so…'' She threw her left hand up to the tuners. ''E, A, D, G, B, E… '' She lightly strummed the strings to test. ''Okay!''

10 minutes of soft, rhythmic playing had finally lulled Hiyoko into sleep and Ibuki was grateful for it. She wasn't planning on spending all day playing, not when Gundham's hamsters and dinner would need to be sorted on her end, too.

Rapid footsteps passed her slightly ajar door. The Musician gently placed the guitar on the floor and pushed the door further open. Hiro clambered up the ladder in the centre of the room, a rare determined look on his face. Ibuki walked over to Byakuya and Toko, who sat half-watching Hina play Wii Sports. ''Where's he going?'' The Rocker asked as she motioned behind her to the long ladder. Byakuya made to pivot but hissed in pain. Toko shuffled so she was sitting on her knees and leaned over the back of the couch. ''T-That id-idiot…'' Byakuya, instead of potentially aggravating his back, craned his neck back and yelled up into the air. ''Oi, imbecile!'' Hiro stopped dead on the ladder and looked down. He was almost at the top and seemed scared to look straight down. The three waited for a reply, only for Hiro to simply continue and push the hatch open and disappear out of sight. ''Tch, he must be up to something fitting of him.'' Byakuya sighed as he looked forward again.

''What's he doing?'' Hina had paused her game upon hearing the clang of the hatch. ''Probably performing some kind of shady transaction.'' Byakuya deadpanned. Hina groaned in annoyance. ''Ugh, damn it.'' Hina took her jacket off her waist and quickly threw it on. ''I'm gonna have to go make sure he doesn't do anything stupid. Any volunteers to come with?'' She looked over the three with a hopeful smile. Hiyoko wailed from Ibuki's room. ''Ah, oops. Bye bye, Hina, Toko, Booyakasha!''

Hina winced as Ibuki jogged back. ''Toko, please?'' The Writer sighed deeply. ''F-Fine. But don't say I never d-did anything for y-you!'' She jabbed a finger at Aoi, who smiled broadly. ''Okay, grab something warm!'' Hina made to go fetch something herself, but stopped mid-march. ''Oh, uh, you play!'' She quickly placed the remote into Byakuya's hand. He stared at it quizzically. ''As if I would want to-'' The racket on screen swung in response to his movements and the Heir raised a brow. He swung again, and this time caused the little Aoi on screen to win a point. Byakuya looked around to see that he was finally alone. ''Well, maybe tennis isn't the most plebian of sports…''

[][][][][][][][][][][]

''W-When you said you'd be grabbing something warm, I d-didn't think y-you'd still be i-in shorts!'' Toko's hair seemed to become scruffy again when she was angry. Aoi noticed. ''Well, my legs don't really get that cold! I went swimming in outside pools in the winter, ya know!''

Whilst Aoi still wore her normal shorts and red jacket, she now donned a large black puffy jacket over the top and wore her hair down to allow a beanie to slip over her ears. Toko had dressed, even in her own opinion, like an eskimo. When she had been told it would be cold, she didn't hesitate to throw on as much warm clothing as possible. Large boots, jeans, a shirt under a sweater under a parka with a long flowing scarf that changed directions as wildly as her hair. ''Besides,'' Aoi stopped to plunge her hand into a plastic bag she brought along. ''You are definitely going to be way too warm if we need to start running.'' Aoi's hand reemerged from the bag, a donut perfectly perched on her index and middle fingers.

''W-well hopefully w-we won't need t-to run as long as that i-idiot hasn't drawn too much attention.'' Toko narrowed her eyes. ''Where w-would that idiot e-even go anyway?'' She felt a hand clasp her shoulder. The Writer stared towards Aoi's outstretched arm, then to where the Swimmer was pointing. In the small, relatively maintained store at the end of the street, a large, porcupine like structure was bobbing up and down. The two girls' eyes met in a silent exchange. Then they sped towards the store.

Hiro was crouched in the dirt and dust of the shop floor, shivering yet trying to scour the shelves. ''HIRO!'' The Fortune Teller shrieked like a banshee and fell backwards. He scrambled to his feet. Aoi and Toko were approaching at speed. ''How did you see me?!'' Hiro's face grew red in anger, although it was unclear whether it was anger towards himself or his friends for spooking him. ''M-Maybe because y-your hair makes you like 2 f-feet taller?'' Toko smiled smugly. ''That's not important!'' Aoi stamped over to Hiro and scowled as harshly as she could. ''What the heck are you doing?! We've been walking for, like, 45 minutes!'' Hiro averted his eyes and gulped. He stood silently, as if not moving or speaking would cause Hina to forget he was there. ''Hiro…'' Aoi repeated, her eyebrows furrowing. The Shaman sighed deeply. ''Iwastryingtofindstufftoselltothepeopleatthehospital…''

''Say that again, but slower.'' ''I was trying to find stuff, like, fortune stuff, so that when we go to the hospital, I can do readings for people.'' Aoi smiled up at him. ''Awww, that's actually kind of nice! Telling people in such a bad way that everything will be okay in the future is sure to make people look up to you!'' Hiro laughed nervously. ''Yeah, haha, that's what I was going for…'' He gave the two one of the most unconvincing smiles anyone had ever given.

''Y-You were planning on m-making them p-pay, weren't you?'' Toko deadpanned. Hiro's eyes widened and he chuckled desperately, mentally searching for a change of topic. ''W-What?'' Aoi seemed genuinely flabbergasted. ''But what would they even give you?!'' Now it was Hiro's turn to look shocked. ''Well,uh,yen. Duh!'' He rolled his eyes and huffed exaggeratedly as if to make Toko come to his aid. It didn't work. ''Y-You… You idiot!'' Toko bound forward and thrust a pointed finger into his chest. ''Money has n-no meaning now! Y-You can't b-buy anything!'' Hiro backed up slightly. Hina interjected. ''We already spoke about this, too! Fuyuhiko said you didn't owe him anything because money has no value!'' Now she too jabbed at him. ''So why would you need money?!'' Hiro pushed both of their arms down gently. ''Because he's yakuza! A Kuzuryuu! How can I trust him?'' Hiro seemed more fearful than aggravated but remained as red as he was when he was first discovered. Silence fell over them as Hina began to formulate a response.

Toko spun on her heels as she heard footsteps outside the store. She sniffed the air a single time. She lowered her glasses and stared into the distance. Hina's lips parted before Toko placed her index finger over them. ''We need to leave. Now.'' Her tone went a ways to express how she was feeling. Hiro gulped and peered out of the store.

''Oh fuck.'' Hiro grabbed an armful of candles and bath salts, leapt through the broken store window and sprinted down the street. With every alley he passed, a figure, dressed almost entirely in rags and bone charms, would emerge from said alley and give chase.

Toko immediately sprung into action, placing the taser against her temple and shocking herself. Her body fell limp for a few seconds before Jack emerged. ''Idiot in trouble again?'' Her tongue lolling out of her mouth as her lips curled into an eager grin. Hina nodded. ''Cannibals. I mean, probably? Cannibals wear bones in movies, right?'' And that was all the Ultimate Murderous Fiend needed. In a blur of purple hair and the subtle glint of Geno-scissors, half the road fell, gripping their throats and stomachs. ''YAHOOOOOOOOOO!'' The screams of genocidal joy slowly faded as Jack cut a swathe through the cannibal populus. Aoi slowly tiptoed after them, making sure to tread as far away from the corpses and dying men and women as possible.

[][][][][][][][][][][]

Hiro wrenched the hatch open and dumped his spoils directly into the makeshift living room. With sweaty palms, Hiro gripped the highest rung and swung his legs down. By the time he had reached the bottom, Byakuya awaited him, WiiMote in hand. ''What is all this?'' He motioned to the pile of junk on the ground at the foot of the ladder. ''You gotta hide, man!'' He tried to scoot around him. Byakuya placed both hands on the Shaman's shoulders, wincing as the sudden movement renewed his back pain. ''What am I hiding from, fool?'' Hiro struggled in his grip but answered with no lack of fear. ''Guys wearing skulls, dude! They've got big knives and swords and shit!'' As if on queue, the distinctive clang of metal resonated through the room as 4 men clambered down. Byakuya released Hiro and they backed up towards the kitchen.

Peko pulled the door to her room back and peered outwards. The sound of footfall brought her attention to the ladder. 2 men had already reached the ground and were stalking towards the Affluent Progeny and Fortune Teller, who had armed themselves with kitchen knives. Fuyuhiko's hand gently furled around her shoulder and gave it a reassuring squeeze. Peko patted the hand in a silent gesture and stepped out. She coughed to draw their attention and unsheathed her sword and shifted into a jodan stance. The small bump on her stomach was incredibly visible through the gap in her grey cardigan. The pair who were advancing towards the kitchen turned on their heels. Now Peko could finally analyse how they'd approach.

They wore skull masks and necklaces laced with small bones, yet scraps of business attire and cargo shorts coated in blood. One held a billhook, the other a kukri. Judging purely by their slow, calculating approach, they were inexperienced in combat. Slight shaking, point of origin at the wrist. Hesitation in their footsteps. The Swordswoman shifted her stance into jezuri gedan and took a single step forwards. When neither of her opponents attempted an attack, she didn't dare hesitate. A single slice across the pair had them both gasping for air as crimson sprayed from their throats. She had no time to celebrate. More were rushing down the ladder.

Peko held her stance and gradually stalked across to the ladder. Only in a situation like this could she feel the burden of carrying a child. She felt slower. And she knew she was. But she couldn't let it show. Several of their assailants had reached the ground and attempted to form an intimidating line, as if they strode about a battlefield. ''Oh my god!'' Ibuki yelled from behind her. No. She had left enough room for these monsters to storm both her and the baby in the Musician's room. One did as she predicted and bolted towards the punk girl.

A bullet dropped him where he stood and Fuyuhiko huffed as he spun the chamber of his revolver a single time. ''Alright, you fucks!'' He slicked back his hair. ''Come on!''

The cannibals needed no second invitation. They broke their line and charged towards Peko. Bullets whizzed past her head and found their targets, bone and brain matter powderizing in the air as shot after shot dropped body after body. Peko found comfort in the length of her blade and easily parried and blocked their pathetic swings before separating heads from necks and hands from arms. The Kuzuryuu Family would not die at the hands of these filth.

[][][][][][][][][][][]

Jack knew no satisfaction like a blade slipping between ribs and puncturing a lung. Well, maybe she did. Licking the blade afterwards wasn't so bad. She threw the woman, clad in bone and scraps to the ground and spun to admire her handiwork. It was if Hansel and Gretel had decided the breadcrumbs weren't cool enough and that bodies were better. She hoped that the idiot had managed to get back safely. Although on one hand, maybe a few cuts or a leg being eaten would convince him not to be so stupid. She peered back towards the street and out stepped a single figure. Once again, bones were a common accessory. At least this one was wearing some form of armor, not too dissimilar to football pads. Too bad he wasn't cute. She always did prefer gutting the cute ones.

She wasted no time and sped towards him. She raised her fist, scissor blades tucked neatly in an homage to Wolverine she felt strangely proud of. The man produced a pile of powder from his pocket and blew it directly up her nose as she closed the gap. And then she sneezed.

Toko had barely regained herself when a fist cracked across her jaw, sending her down to the ground and sending her glasses sprawling. A steel-toed boot met her stomach and she felt bile fly up her throat and dribble out the gaps in her gritted teeth. She forced herself to wretch as the man seized her by her hair and threw a punch so hard she swore he'd dislodged at least three teeth. Gasping and spluttering, Toko tried to thrust the geno-scissors up into his exposed Adam's apple, but to no avail. He simply gripped her hand and squeezed, relinquishing her grip on the weapon whilst crushing several finger bones and compressing the muscles as best he could. Toko gurgled; she was incapable of screaming as the mixture of blood and acid clogged her gullet. She was punched another time. The only thing holding her head up now was his grip on her purple locks. She cast her eyes to meet her assailant's. There was no humanity left. No remorse. He reeled back once more and The Author let her eyelids droop.

No hit came. Soft wheezes came from his mouth. She dared herself to open her eyes and hesitantly did so. A pair of her scissors had bisected his exposed neck. Hina had climbed atop his back. His grip on her hair diminished and the adrenaline forced her to take advantage and scramble away. He reached for his shoulders, but Hina had Olympian reflexes. She wrenched the scissors from his neck and thrust them in a second time. Then a third. Then a fourth. She lost count, her eyes too weary to stay open. By the sound of Hina's grunts and the moist, repetitive sound of the stabbings, it had taken a good few to down the man. He toppled forwards, landing unceremoniously onto his face, yet more blood escaping from his shattered nose. Hina stood over him, before placing her hands on her knees and regaining both her breath and her composure.

She brushed her sweat-laden locks from her vision and gazed towards Toko. She wasn't moving. ''No, no, no!'' The Swimmer ran to her friend's side. She placed an ear against the unconscious girl's form. A heartbeat, thank god. But a crushed hand, a face that resembled a dropped lasagna and so much blood coating her that it was indecipherable from that of her victims. Whistles gained her attention. She craned her neck to look down the street. Some had heard her screams, most likely. They were returning. She considered her options, if only briefly. Home was beyond them. Their home was behind them. She slipped the taser from Toko's dress pocket and braced herself. ''Sorry, Toko…'' Escaped her lips before she placed the two metal prongs against her friend's arm.

Jack burst to life. Her cartoonish tongue bursting upwards as she spat bile and blood away. ''What the hell happened?!'' She yelled as she leapt to her feet, though she noticed a shakiness she had only associated with Miss Morose. The pumping of blood and sharp pain in her right hand forced her to inspect herself. Her brows furrowed as she tongued her mouth, flexed muscles and tested her eyesight. ''Here.'' Hina slowly raised her hands and placed the killer girl's glasses on the bridge of her nose. Neither said anything as Jack chose to inspect Hina this time.

The tan girl was attempting to appear calm. Blood coated her hands and was splotched around her jacket. Judging by the smell, it wasn't Hina's or her own. Then she spotted the familiar glint of her scissors in her hand. And she understood. She gently took Hina's hand in her left and pried the scissors from them. Then wrapped her arms around her. Hina's shoulders slumped at the embrace. ''First ones always the toughest, sweet cheeks.'' It was as close as she could come to reassuring words. She never had been one for emotion. She pulled away and gripped the scissors tightly.

''Now then, we've got a few chaps wanting to ravage us, ey?'' Jack spun them between her fingers. ''But your hand!'' Hina cried. Jack cackled uproariously. ''Pffft. Seriously?! I could gut these guys easily!'' She took a single step forward and launched the pair down the street, lodging them between the eyes of an unfortunate soul. ''You get 'em out the bodies, pass 'em, and I chuck 'em!'' She motioned to the bodies behind them, several of which still had scissors stuck in various locations. Hina began her scavenging. She pulled another pair out from under her dress and threw again, once more meeting flesh with deadly accuracy. ''Let's tear a leaf out of that baseball bitch-boy's book then!'' Before reeling back again.

[][][][][][][][][][][][]

Ibuki swung her guitar, wincing at the slight dent it now had. She mentally shrugged. She had plenty more. Safe to say the unlucky girl who forced her way into her room wasn't expecting to be beaten to death by an acoustic instrument. Ibuki ignored Hiyoko's crying, as much as that pained her, to step outside to witness the last few seconds of the battle. Hiro held an aggressor by his arms as Byakuya thrust his knife upwards through his chin. Hiro seemed to be petrified but was seemingly running purely off of adrenaline.

Even if you couldn't see Peko, you could easily follow the bloody footprints she left. Being attacked mid nap was obviously a bitch and Ibuki was sure Peko hadn't even had the time to put on shoes. Going back to the Swordswoman, she ran her blade through some schmuck for what seemed like the hundredth time. With his body going limp and the ladder lacking that distinctive ringing, they could finally relax. If only for a moment. Peko rested against the upturned couch. Fuyuhiko was at her side in an instant with seething words.

Byakuya was too proud to sit, but did fall back against the kitchen countertop. Hiro's words were far less soothing.

They remained almost statuesque for some time. Then came a set of footsteps on the upturned hatch. Peko attempted to stand but Fuyuhiko firmly kept her still, taking the katana from her hands and stood in the Kasumi no Kamae, his preferred stance. ''Helllloooooo~'' Jack slid down the ladder, Aoi scrambling down after, closing and sealing the hatch as she did.

Byakuya pushed off the counter and approached gingerly. Jack turned to him and waved, the grotesque form of her hand wobbling as if it was barely attached. ''Your hand!'' The Heir quickened his pace. He moved to grab her forearm but Jack simply placed her good hand on his chest. ''I'm alright, handsome. Nothing a month's worth of recovery won't fix! HAHAHAHA!'' The Heir's previously permanent scowl subsided to show… uncertainty? Concern? There wasn't much time to process it as Hina rushed over to Hiro and barraged him with a series of slaps and kicks.

''You idiot! Look what you've done to her!'' Hina screeched as she motioned towards Toko's alter ego, who stood with a strangely neutral expression. The trainee Olympian stared warily at her own blood soaked hands. ''Look what you made me do…'' Her words trickled out. Tears flowed from her eyes and cast them to the floor. Hiro threw his arms around her. Anger rushed through her for a brief moment before Hiro's own sobbing confused her into non-reaction. ''I… I'm so sorry! I'm so, so sorry!'' Hot tears stained his cheeks as he bawled. ''I'm such a god damn screw-up! My mom was right!'' Hina didn't attempt to escape the hug, appreciating that at this moment, she was his anchor. She didn't consider Hiro's guilt. He was always shifting blame in someway or another. This was genuinely unexpected.

''This isn't the time for this.'' Peko said as she allowed Fuyuhiko to help her up. ''We must take a room and stay until the others return. This fighting has taken much out of all of us.'' Hiro nodded through his sniffles and released Hina. Ibuki called them over to her room and ushered them inside. She locked the door and placed her cabinet under the handle. As she took Hiyoko in her arms, she prayed that Gundham would return safely and soon.

[][][][][][][][][][]

After hearing the retelling of events, the newly returned expedition crew set to repairing, cleaning and rearranging their home. Hajime cleaned with speed and accuracy, washing blood-stained clothing and leaving the floor spotless. Fuyuhiko practically pushed Peko into the bathroom and ran her a fresh bath. Hell, he could certainly use one too. Hina cleaned the blood from her hands, face and hair in the kitchen sink, Kyoko helping her reach spots the Swimmer couldn't see. Ibuki embraced Gundham tightly, the heterochromatic boy gently swaying her in his arms. Byakuya bandaged and splinted Toko's fingers and wrist, though Kyoko and Hina soon after took her to get washed up too. Chiaki gently rocked Hiyoko as she sat on the couch. Mahiru was busy berating Hiro, who had once again begun crying. Despite his protests, Makoto had eased the group into forgiving him. He felt it was undeserved. Mahiru agreed.

Junko sat on a stool in the kitchen, staring into space. A herbivore man took her out of her internal musings as he pulled up the seat next to her. ''Feeling guilty?'' He asked. It was not a tone of endearment, nor a condescending one. ''I don't think I've felt this before. If I didn't write that shit on the wall, this just wouldn't have happened, right?'' She sheepishly met his gaze. His face echoed that of a disappointed father. ''Right.'' She gulped as she once again tried to stare into nothingness. ''I can name a time you probably felt guilty.'' The ex-Mastermind perked up. ''When you killed your sister.'' Junko returned to the void that existed in the marbled countertop. Her face contorted for several seconds, before coming to one that perfectly reflected melancholy. ''Mukie…'' She felt a wetness form at the bottom of her eyelids. What was this? Was this what Makoto would call 'sadness?' She turned to him. She felt one of those weird eye juice thingies fall down her cheek. Makoto didn't grimace. He didn't smile. And yet his face so clearly conveyed his thoughts. ''I-I have to go…'' Junko's stool squeaked across the floor as she hopped off it and ran to her room. Kyoko eyed him and he eyed her, in turn. His face did not change. The Detective didn't need an explanation.

Junko slammed the door behind her and flung herself onto her bed. She dabbed at the water beneath her eyes with a fingertip. 'Damn it Makoto. What are you doing to me?'

Me, eight months ago: ''Expect more chapters soon.''

Everybody reading this: ''So that was a fucking lie.''

I'm very sorry. My mental health hasn't exactly been stellar. Lockdown and Covid is finally breaking me after months of me staying resolute and optimistic. But fear not. As I have A) got a nice quiet, LED keyboard so I can write this at 3:30 AM as I am now without fear of my typing sounding like a herd of elephants and B) finally experienced something that has motivated me to write more than anything before.

I am going to be flip-flopping between a My Hero Academia story and the next chapter of this. Though I feel this will be far more prevalent there as I have far more knowledge on how to write these characters in a convincing and in-character way. So… yeah. Sorry it took so long.

And to whoever ForgotPassword is… thank you. If I can make people as happy as you say I've made you, then writing this faster is all the more worth it.