Chapter 36

"It's going to be Intense"

It was something like being underwater. Deep deep underwater, where no sound could reach you, and you simply floated, too much between the bottom and the surface, so you felt like you were floating in empty space. It was restful, in its own way, he didn't have to think about breathing for one thing.

Actually, Aizawa thought, it was hard to think in general. He couldn't even tell if his eyes were really closed either, it was so dark he couldn't tell. Suspended in a space he had no ability to control, or move in. It was dark too, but sometimes there were faint, faint lights. But nothing really 'lit up.'

He was alone. Against his will he was relaxed, still, and waiting.

And then, he was on the ground, covered head-to-toe in egg whites.

It was soaked deep into his hair and... well everything else. Despite being a slimy mess, he was immediately set upon by two human-shaped hell-hounds. He let out a grunt of both pain and annoyance.

"I thought I smelled something familiar here." Parasus said, a smirk-like smile on her face with teeth, her head tilted to the side, and eyes boring into his. "Eraserhead, right?"

He said nothing to her, but that didn't seem to bother her. She shrugged, her hand become clawed, one of her hounds holding him down, pushed his head down, and she cut off some of his hair at the back of his neck. "Listen, as sweet as it is, that you'd even assume you had a right to take back even one of these kids... Its just not going to happen."

As Parasus spoke, they stripped off his gear, goggles, capture weapon, even checked his obvious pouches and emptied their contents too. Stashing the stolen items some where he couldn't see. She continued to speak; "Also, I probably owe you a thank you, as irritating as you've made my sister, your also a walking opportunity. A good quirk, and meat." She smirked as she looked back at him. "And, no offense, but you stink."

She waved the lock of hair she'd cut off in the air, Someone else cut a strip of cloth from his pants, and didn't bother to be careful, cutting him, and letting it soak into the cloth. They handed over the bloodied piece which Parasus tied to the hair. Someone began to tie him up, she looked back at him, holding hair and cloth bundle in her hand.

"Well, I'm sure she knows your here, but, this'll help. Go put him on ice, Thomas." Parasus directed, the hell-hound Thomas nodding, grabbing Aizawa and barely paying attention to their hero-captive's pace.

As infuriating as this situation was, rubbing salt into his frustration, he was taking stock of the area around him. Doing his best not to focus on what Parasus was planning with the cloth and hair, and more what he faintly heard as they were lead away. They were prepping to leave, as soon as they had Alarice back on board they'd leave. His capture had been confirmation that there was someone else, and they were aware someone might be following him.

Thomas jerked him roughly, as they passed through the kitchens. Aizawa started to sweat just a bit. Being 'put on ice' was literal, he realized. As Thomas, with some difficulty, held him and got the heavy freezer door open. Cold air fell out of the open door, and Thomas grabbed Aizawa with both arms, before shoving him in, hard.

"She's right." Thomas said, as he stood in the threshold of the freezer, and taking the chance to gloat at having a captured Hero. "You do stink."

There was a smile with all teeth, something feral and terrible in this man's face. He walked in, once the door was safely propped, and dragged Aizawa towards the back of the walk-in freezer. The shelves were lined with items, some of it meat, and much of it unidentifiable.

"Stinkin' delicious." Thomas continued, shoving Aizawa into the wall, hard. "Would prefer meat to be fresh, but, I'll look forward to the later feast we'll have."

Thomas turned and left, the freezer door slamming closed behind him. Leaving Aizawa with the faint cool light above, and the freezing air around him. His breath left little poofs in the air, 'Great, they're cannibals too.' He forced himself to his feet with some difficulty, the only part of him not tied, and began to pace, to keep warm. Best to start now, and the activity would help him think of how to get out, and stop this before it went further.

For now though, his only job was to not freeze to death while he thought of an escape.

000

"You know, this is probably the cleanest hostage situation I've ever had to deal with." Kaminari said, giving a shrug as he came back from pacing, settling into the cot next to Shinso's.

"What?" The other asked, still perpetually confused but increasingly thankful to his classmate's positive attitude. The plight of these children, whether they knew it or not, as one, was troubling him deeply.

"It's clean." Kaminari repeated again, looking at Shinso with his eyebrow cocked up. "Like, have you seen the bathroom? It's extremely clean, like there's a hoard of children here and the bathroom is clean." Kaminari tried to gesture, but it was hard given that he was handcuffed.

"Yeah, the kids clean up after themselves. You saw them do this after playtime." Shinso commented, briefly thinking back to 'playtime' and growing concerned about what transpired just afterwards. They had been ushered back inside in a hurry, leaving the breakfast clean up to the adults. Playtime had continued indoors, and clean-up had followed right after. The boys were roped into both clean-ups.

"Yeah I just... listen man, this is like, 5-star hostage treatment." Kaminari stated, completely straight-faced, to Shinso. Shinso just stared at him back for a moment.

"How many times have you been kidnapped?" Shinso asked, just continuing to stare at the Blond. He just shrugged and laying back on the cot. Only to jolt up as the door nearly slammed in, and Parasus walked in, A familiar horrible face in the doorway, staring at them with this puny glowing eyes. Though no cold voice came into their minds, yet.

"Alright boys, I have an important job for one of you... Which one of you is actually friends with my dear little sister?" She asked, her face stone in its lack of emotion.

The two teens looked up at her confused, and intimidated by her sudden appearance. Kaminari trying to put on a tough face, tried to call her intention . "I am," he said. "I'm Rice's friend."

"Rice? oh. Right, alright then." Parasus looked bored, and disinterested before grabbing Shinso's arm, and with a quick movement, tore deep into the skin, enough to create a strong bleed. Blood welling up and running over his arm, Kaminari being mentally commanded by Heck-hound to hold still. Parasus collecting the blood-flow onto a long strip of white cloth. Refusing to release him till it was sufficiently soaked.

"Arcade, come fix up this boy's arm, now." She called, letting go of Shinso. The Blond doctor coming into the room, having looked like he had run to do her bidding. He was already ready to go with supplies. Parasus nodded to Arcade, already tying the blood soaked cloth to another piece of cloth and lock of black hair. Shinso didn't like that.

"Hey! What are you doing with that?" Kaminari asked, as Shinso was treated for his new wound. Aracade being quick and efficient in how he was treating the injury.

The woman turned back, and smiled; "I'm going fishing."

Shinso and Kaminari were on their own again, after that, The adult hell-hounds leaving them, without any more explanation beyond than that.

"Is it still 5-stars?" Shinso asked, voice dry and looking at his torn sleeve and fresh bandage beneath it.

"4-stars." Kaminari responded nervously, looking at the injury too.

000

Elsewhere on the Island, Alarice was laying as low as she could lay, in the densely forested area. As much as she appreciated Mar not reporting her, it hardly meant that she wasn't still in constant danger, or that tracking her teacher was easy. If anything she was getting concerned at how much of him she could smell. If she could smell this much, then so could any of the other Hell-hounds. It was probable he had relied on the wind, and he had tried to do something about it, but she could still recognized that smell.

Currently she was still a filthy mess of her own, having been just barely able to wash the smell of vomit from her person, but had run off too quickly from Mar. So evidence remained in the forest. She was pressed as tightly as she could, into the crook of a gigantic tree. Voices carried beneath her, it was someone else, and a Hell-hound with them.

A Tenshi clan member and a hell-hound? They weren't very visible from where Alarice was hiding.

The non-hellhound voice sounded a lot like Gale's. The Hell-hound was silent of course, just a dog shape for now, bulky but not terribly so. They smelled faintly of a recently burning fire, despite having no evidence of such an ability on them. Gale was talking largely to herself, as Alarice listened with her one good ear, and tried not to move. She could only faintly hear them, as they walked further and further away, their shapes getting more and more hidden by flora.

Gale was prattling on about some matter that meant nothing, especially not right now, Alarice imagined. As she reached some climax of her story, the pair came to a complete standstill as the crackling of a radio went off, Gale having to grab it and turn up its volume clearly. This action allowed them to hear it better of course, but also, Alarice.

"My Knights, we're about to have some very unwanted guests." the voice said, no hint of emotion on it. " Return to me."

Alarice could barely see them through the leaves and branches of other trees from her spot. The hell-hound had no response, just growling, though she couldn't see what it did with its head. Nor could she see Gale's posture, just very suddenly the hound was thrown to the side, branches, leaves, were tossed to the side violently. She heard the thunk of a large branch falling and the creak of wood snapping that proceeded it. The smell of blood crept into her senses. There was a soft whining sound right after that, that became a human's choking noises of pain.

"Bye" was all she heard Gale say, before she took-off running, leaving the hell-hound where ever she had knocked them to. Alarice remained in her spot, as Gale ran off, and she waited till the sound and smell of Gale had lessened sufficiently. The smell of blood was increasingly strong as she waited, before jumping down from the tree, and heading over to investigate.

They were female, naked, with a significant gash running from hip to shoulder. Another similarly deep one that she couldn't see the 'end of', simply that it went around her body. The smell of blood was horrendously strong, and the sight not a good one. Alarice immediately regretted not coming down from her tree sooner, and unsure at the same time, if it would have made a difference. The woman was still alive however, as she groaned, head moving.

"uh.. h-hold still," Alarice blurted out, unsure what to do but training kicking in finally. She moved more quickly to the woman's side, and despite knowing it was a terrible wound, and having nothing she could use to stop bleeding, or even... The split was deep, and terrible, and the things coming out were a clear bad sign. The woman turned her head to look at Alarice, there was recognition, then hatred, then acceptance in her eyes. "I'm gonna try to help you."

"G-great.. its you. Don't bother, pup," She was remarkably clear in speech. "I can feel how bad it is." She swallowed and Alarice tried not to look away. Alarice didn't know how to help her either, so she didn't know how to put up an argument to that.

"What can I do?" Alarice asked her cautiously, unsure of it was even possible to rile a dying woman's temper. Silence would have followed for a moment, if it wasn't for her choking noise and the flowing tears.

"I'm thirsty, but... ya ain't got any water on you, do you?" Alarice shook her head no. "I know it wouldn't help.. but.. ." There was a morbid smile on her face, "Can't help it, it's another sign you know.." Alarice didn't say anything, the woman continued to cry, softly. Not knowing what to do, Alarice found the stranger's hand instead. "Just... stay with me. I know its coming, the end."

"I can do that." Alarice said quietly back, holding the dying Hell-hound woman's hand. "W-whats your name?"

" Moxy. " She paused, breathing in and out with difficulty. "I... didn't want to be out here, but your sister, she can be very persuasive." There was a moment of silence, Alarice thought she had passed but her eyes were still normal. She started to mumble, whine, moving weakly as she did. Few words were exchanged after that, mumbled apologizes, mumbled comments that at-least the forest around them as beautiful, before things were silent.

The smell of the woman's corpse was surely bringing trouble, but there were faint howls and barks all around on the island. Trouble was already there and around them. The Tenshi clan's knights were clearly betraying the hounds. Shaking, she gently finished closing the other's eyes, before taking-off into the rest of the forest. Sick again, and this time determined to get back to the ship, and get her friends.