Author's Note: Like in my previous fics, Kaiji = the Second One for All User and Sanzou = the Third One for All user. Hisashi = All for One but does that even need to be said?
As soon as Yoichi found out that a villain had been roaming the streets of Tokyo turning random people into animals, he knew that his older brother would try to steal the metapower and use it on him. It was as predictable as Hisashi failing to finish every manga series he'd ever picked up. Hisashi had always treated Yoichi like a cute little pet. Big brother would never pass up on a chance to turn one of his wicked delusions into reality. Naturally, Yoichi gathered his vigilante allies and went to capture the transformation villain first.
It had been nearly a year since Kaiji and Sanzou had rescued Yoichi from the vault. Initially, All for One had tried to discretely recapture his brother. After six months, he'd gotten desperate enough to offer a bounty. The price was high enough to make it dangerous for them to even venture outside to go shopping.
The trio wore ski masks and black catsuits. The streets were deserted. Even before the most recent metapower-run-wild incident, few people dared venture outside at night. The years since the Glowing Baby had been peppered with violence and riots.
Using a stolen police radio, the vigilantes had overheard someone desperately asking for help because of a metahuman attempting to break into their home. The police rarely replied to such calls these days, not if the villain had a metapower beyond their ability to handle. Definitely not if the call came from this part of town, where the apartments had boarded up windows and graffiti on the walls.
Yoichi followed the sound of a fist punching against a door. He jerked his head as they got close. Kaiji nodded and moved to the right, reading his gun. Sanzou ducked into an alley to the left, scaling up a dumpster to get in position for sniping. Yoichi would serve as bait. He wasn't as good a shot as the other two, but he was fast.
As Yoichi crept forward, he avoided the only working light on the street.
Sharp footsteps clattered down the sidewalk. This man didn't bother to hide his pretense. As he stopped under the streetlight, he revealed very familiar white hair and crimson eyes.
Shit. All for One had beaten them to the target. Yoichi couldn't defeat his older brother in a fair fight. His illusions about heroes always winning had been ground out of him as his nose ground into the dirt many times. He'd only end up back in the vault.
This close, Yoichi didn't dare make a sound. He had to find Kaiji and Sanzou and tell them to retreat.
Yoichi ran for Kaiji first, who was closer. He saw Kaiji raising his gun arm. Not daring reveal his voice, Yoichi jumped on Kaiji's back and grabbed his arm.
But Yoichi moved to late. Kaiji unerringly shot the villain trying to break down the door. Then Kaiji threw Yoichi over his shoulder. Yoichi hit the pavement with a painful umph.
Eyes wide, Kaiji stared down at him. "Yoichi? Why—?"
"Shhh," Yoichi hissed, too late.
From down the street, Hisashi's delighted voice asked, "Yoichi?"
Kaiji and Yoichi exchanged glances, then ran.
The air ripped as All for One moved after them. They already knew he had a speed power. This was futile.
Kaiji shoved Yoichi behind a trash can. "Hide. I'll lead him away."
"He'll kill you!" Yoichi protested, trying to rise.
"It's my fault he found you." Kaiji pushed him down. "Don't argue or we'll both get caught."
"Then at least I could bargain for your life! I'm not letting you pull a heroic sacrifice!" Yoichi stood up again.
A yowl interrupted their poorly timed argument. Sanzou threw a stray white cat out of the alleyway, directly into the streetlight.
Hisashi stopped. "Yoichi? Is that you?"
The entire street went silent. Yoichi didn't even dare breathe. Would big brother fall for it and believe the dead villain had already transformed him into an animal? The cat hissed, tail extended straight back. Then it turned and ran from All for One.
Nothing could have better convinced Hisashi that this was his younger brother. Hisashi took off after the cat.
Kaiji grabbed Yoichi's arm. "Let's get out of here before he figures out that cat isn't you."
Yoichi couldn't be more in agreement. He owed Sanzou a drink for his quick thinking.
Hisashi's face was covered in scratches by the time he bundled Yoichi-turned-cat into his coat. Even then, Yoichi kept struggling and clawing that the leather.
"Stop that. You're ruining my second best coat." Hisashi sighed. "Do you truly want to be alone on the streets while trapped in the form of an animal? I'm the only one who can help you turn back into a human."
This was not strictly true. The villain had died before Hisashi could steal his animal transformation power. Hisashi did not know if the shapeshifting power would wear off. Records of what had happened to the mad villain's previous victims were spotty. What an absolute mess. It would be up to Hisashi to handle the fallout of his little brother's misadventures, as usual.
Yoichi hissed.
Hisashi said, "Even if I don't have that villain's power, I might be able to find another metapower to turn you back." A power that Hisashi would only use after his little brother had learned his lesson. "Do you want to go back to those so-called friends of yours? I bet you got transformed because they used you as bait. Then they killed that villain before I could obtain the power to turn you back. They don't care about you. Can't you see they've been using you all along? I'm the only person who loves you."
Yoichi clawed at Hisashi's coat some more.
Hisashi shifted his grip to avoid being slashed. "Fine, you're going straight into the vault."
After looking up safe food for a cat to eat, Hisashi returned to the vault with a bowl of chopped-up chicken. The reek of urine attacked his nose. He looked down at the puddle inching toward his loafers. Cat Yoichi had peed all over the vault.
Hisashi sighed. "Now, that's just petty, even from you."
Yoichi crouched in the corner, his ears flat and his fangs bared. His tail moved slowly side to side at the tip. He scratched at his ear, caterwauling. Then his back arched as if about to run.
Hisashi leapt forward to stop another escape attempt. Up close, he noticed that Cat Yoichi looked unwell. The tiny white cat had round, ring-shaped patches of hair loss. His ribs could be seen through his spotty fur. Blue eyes looked bloodshot. His ears drooped and one even had a yellow pus leaking out.
Shaking his head, Hisashi asked, "Is this what happens when you don't have me to look after your health? How poorly have those vigilantes been treating you? I bet their bedding is riddled with fleas. That's assuming that they didn't infect you with fleas on-purpose. I bet they all secretly hate you for being my brother. They only planned to use you against me."
Cat Yoichi moaned pitifully, scratched his ear again, then collapsed to the ground.
"AHHHHHHHHHHHH! Doctor!" Hisashi's foot slid on piss as he ran forward and scooped up the tiny cat. "No, a veterinarian! Just hold on, little brother. I'll get you the best damn vet in Japan!"
Yoichi lay worryingly still in his arms.
Dr. Tori Fukuma had worked as a veterinarian for the last forty years. She believed that she still had a lot left to learn, but strange men in black suits had doubled her retirement fund in exchange for her claiming to be the greatest veterinarian in Japan. At the minimum, she had faith in her ability to treat one sick stray cat.
The extremely tall man hovering over her as she worked did not help. Not for the first time, Dr. Fukama said, "You're standing in my light."
Hisashi Shigaraki produced a ball of light in his hand.
Dr. Fukuma's eyebrows crawled her forehead, but she didn't say anything. She sympathized with metahumans who had all been branded as criminals by the government—though in this man's case, he was probably actually a criminal.
The mostly comatose cat flinched as she worked a cotton swab around his ear. Shigaraki hissed, "What are you doing? If you hurt him, then I'll chop you up and sink the pieces into Tokyo Bay!"
Ha, as if she hadn't gotten more creative threats from overly doting clients before. With the patience of someone being paid a lot of money, Dr. Fukuma said, "I need to clean the mites from his ear. It will only take a few more minutes, I promise."
Shigaraki asked, "Did you hear that, Yoichi? She's almost done. I'm sorry that I didn't notice sooner that you were sick. You should have said something."
The cat should have said something? Dr. Fukuma cast her employer a surprised glance. He sounded so matter-of-fact, as if he truly believed the animal could understand him.
Shigaraki cooed, "Be good and don't scratch the doctor, and I'll get you a treat afterward. Aren't you brave? Yes, you are!"
Ah, so he was just someone who liked talking to his pet. Perfectly normal. The cat lay still, possibly responding to the soothing tone but more likely because the poor thing was so ill. She moved solely and carefully to avoid causing pain as much as possible.
Clearing her throat, Dr. Fukuma said, "Your cat has ringworms in addition to the ear mites. I'll write you a prescription."
Shigaraki shook his head. "See how you can't take care of yourself? You're lucky I found you, baby bro…baby."
"A recently acquired stray, I take it?" She would have reported any owner who brought her a cat in this pitiful condition to the police, except she couldn't blame the owner if this cat had been adopted straight from the streets. "Please make another appointment with me to get him chipped."
"What a great idea!" Shigaraki beamed. Glancing at the cat, he lowered his voice. "Do you have chips with GPS tracking? I'll call you later, when he's not listening. He could be faking unconsciousness."
The cat had clearly gone to sleep. What a weirdo. Dr. Fukuma supposed she could charge this unnecessary call as billable hours. From his gold watch to the ruby on his cufflinks, this man looked rich enough to pay without question. "You'll also need to get him vaccinated, but that can wait until his illness has cleared up. I'd like him stronger and healthier before giving him shots. Also, you should get him fixed—"
"Absolutely not," Shigaraki said. "Don't worry, Yoichi. I'd never, ever do that to you. Even I have moral lines."
The doctor summoned her voice for speaking to difficult clients. "It would be irresponsible to let your pet run around producing more strays living on the streets."
"Ha. That won't be a problem." Shigaraki snorted. "Besides, after his current behavior, I won't be letting him out of his bank vault for at least a year."
Dr. Fukuma stared. The cat scratches all over this man had already made her inclined to doubt his skill as a new pet owner. Now her eyebrows rose above her glasses.
Shigaraki winced. "I'll double whatever my men are paying you to forget I said that."
She was tempted, but she'd gone into her profession because she loved animals. Her tone turned icy. "Your pet is in extremely weak condition. He needs sunlight and exercise. If you leave him locked up in a dark space, he'll die."
"Die?" Shigaraki recoiled. "Surely that's an exaggeration."
It was, but Dr. Fukuma stared him down. "Cats have been known to develop serious illnesses without regular sunlight. That's why they all love to sleep in sunny windowsills."
As she'd hoped, he didn't know enough about animals to contradict her. Shigaraki reluctantly promised to build his cat an escape-proof sunroom, and even doubled her fee as a gift.
Hisashi carefully lowered Yoichi into a basin of warm water. The small cat was too weak to fight back. As instructed by the veterinarian, Hisashi rubbed a ringworm solution shampoo into the patchy white fur. Fortunately, Hisashi had a metapower that made him immune to all illness, and Yoichi had gone straight in the vault so he hadn't spread contagious fungus around the house. Between the fungus and the urine, Hisashi supposed he would need to dispose of the vault entirely. He didn't dare stick his feline brother in there again. Obviously the veterinarian had been spinning a story, but Yoichi was too weak to risk it.
As Hisashi poured water over the cat, he grumbled, "This is what you get for running off with street rats. One sniff of those vigilantes, and I could tell they don't bathe on a regular basis. It doesn't even look like they fed you right. Do you understand that you could have died if I hadn't found you? Do you even care? Is a bare minimum of self-preservation too much to expect from you?"
Yoichi's eyes were closed. Hisashi had to hold up his head to keep him from sinking underwater. The cat mewled softly as Hisashi lifted him out of the bath and toweled him off. His little body felt too fragile and bony.
Dr. Fukuma had already cleaned out Yoichi's ears, but he still needed ear drops twice a day for a month to smother the mites. "This is for your own good, so don't bite me," Hisashi said as he applied the ear drops. "There, done." He petted the cat's back. "It's done. Let that be a lesson to you."
Yoichi lay flat on the floor with his head resting on the kitchen tiles. He did not seem to be listening to his big brother. He meowed in a long, drawn-out, pathetic way.
Even with the scratches on his face aching, Hisashi felt a twinge of pity. "I brought you canned salmon." He'd been planning to save his little brother's favorite fish for a bribe for good behavior, but what were the odds Yoichi would ever behave? The can would expire first.
Hisashi filled a bowl with chopped salmon. Yoichi still lay limp and slightly damp, looking like a wet white towel balled up in the corner. "Are you hungry?" Hisashi waved the bowl under the cat's nose.
Blue eyes shot open. Yoichi's jaw salivated. He warily stalked toward the bowl.
Hisashi laughed. "I won't make you eat off the floor! I'm not that cruel." Hisashi set the salmon down on the table, then picked Yoichi up. Out of surprise or weakness, the cat didn't fight. Hisashi placed Yoichi down on top of a cushion on the table.
Yoichi fell on the salmon and swallowed it down whole. Hisashi added a saucer of milk, then opened another can of salmon.
After eating his fill, Yoichi full-body stretched. His whiskers relaxed. He rubbed Hisashi's hand and purred. Then he turned away and started washing his fur.
The purr went straight to Hisashi's heart. He stared at his hand, with a few cat hairs stuck to it, in astonishment. Had Yoichi just thanked him? His stubborn little brother, who would scream at Hisashi for saving his life? This meant that Hisashi's plan had finally worked! Hisashi had always intended that if Yoichi got sick while in the vault, and Hisashi looked after him, then Yoichi would finally start acting grateful like when they'd been children. Alas, Yoichi had only seemed to get angrier and more prone to biting as he grew paler and thinner.
Maybe the brutish company of the vicious vigilantes had finally made Yoichi want to return to his older brother. Hisashi felt a cautious hope take root in his heart. He dared pet the cat's head.
Yoichi purred and leaned into the touch.
This was definitely a thank you. Finally, Hisashi was being appreciated for everything he did for his dear little brother.
Hisashi's eyes misted up. He typed rapidly into his phone, ordering the finest cat furniture and products to be delivered to his home.
"Hey, guys, get this!" Sanzou pushed open the front door to the vigilante base. "All for One withdrew the bounty on Yoichi. The rewards on me and Kaiji are still active. But he seriously mistook that stray cat I coincidentally found and threw at him for Yoichi."
Yoichi and Kaiji sat on the sofa, with Kaiji braiding Yoichi's hair. In order to avoid detection from his brother, Yoichi had dyed his hair blue with green streaks. He refused to bow down to the will of society and dye his hair black, but he quite liked his new look. It matched his eyes. Sanzou had suggested that Yoichi get a haircut and nearly been murdered by both Yoichi and Kaiji. Those long locks had taken years to grow!
Looking up, Kaiji held out his hand. "It's been a full week now, and All for One is still fooled. You owe me a thousand yen."
Scowling, Sanzou dug into his pocket and handed over a bill. "I thought he'd have at least found a transformation metapower by now."
Yoichi shot to his feet, jostling Kaiji. "It must be a trap!" Yoichi shouted. "My brother is luring me into a false sense of security so I'll come out of hiding."
Sanzou shook his head. "All for One ordered a ridiculous amount of cat supplies delivered to his mansion. Not only that, but word is going around the underworld that All for One is in an oddly good mood. He hasn't killed anyone in a week. I don't think he could fake that level of chill."
"He likes having the cat around? It makes him calmer?" Yoichi made an animalistic growl in the back of his throat.
"What aren't you happy about this?" Kaiji sat up straight. "You have a break from your crazy brother chasing you around. You should celebrate."
Yoichi whirled around, breathing heavily. "Do you know how many ways big brother could have realized the truth? He could have gotten out a dictionary and asked fake cat me to point to words I want to say. He could have at least offered me yes or no choices, asking the cat to nod or shake his head. Then he would have quickly realized the cat wasn't responding to him. Do you know why he hasn't tried to communicate with me?" Yoichi did not wait for an answer to his rhetorical question. "Because he's never had the faintest interest in anything I had to say! He's never bothered to give me choices! He prefers me mute and helpless! I doubt he'll ever try to turn me back!"
Kaiji asked, "Again, isn't that a good thing?"
"He's getting what he wants!" Yoichi screamed. "I can't let him win!"
With a concerned frown, Kaiji stood up and approached slowly. "All for One isn't winning. We tricked him. You're safe and free."
Yoichi's chest heaved. Tears welled up in the corners of his eyes. He whispered, "A goddamn cat did a better job stopping my brother from killing people than me. Big brother doesn't want me by his side, he wants a tame and pliant version of me that won't challenge him in any meaningful way. He's happier now, because a cute little pet is what he always wanted. No wonder he can't tell the difference. He never saw the real me." Yoichi broke down sobbing.
Kaiji pulled Yoichi into a hug. Sanzou stood awkwardly in the doorway, a deer-caught-in-the-headlights look on his face, until Kaiji jerked his chin and Sanzou came over and hugged them too.
"Who cares what that bastard wants?" Kaiji murmured, stroking Yoichi's hair. "You don't need him. You've got us."
"Yeah," Sanzou said. "That's his loss. You're worth way more than being your brother's pet, Yoichi. You've saved our asses plenty of times."
Yoichi sniffled. "Maybe we should flee the country. Big brother has probably loosened his watchers on the airports, since he thinks he's captured me. We should get out while we have the chance."
Kaiji and Sanzou exchanged glances over his head. Before, Yoichi had always refused to run from his fight with his brother no matter how hopeless it got, insisting that he had a duty to stop All for One.
"Yeah," Kaiji said. "I think that's a good idea."
Hisashi was delighted at how much his relationship with his little brother had improved. Over the last couple weeks, Yoichi's fur had grown back and his rib bones no longer showed so obviously. He no longer scratched or bit. While Hisashi was working, Yoichi would frequently come over and demand pets as his rightful due. Probably this was a diabolical scheme to distract Hisashi from his business, but his cat brother was cute so he allowed it.
As Hisashi sat typing on the computer, Yoichi leapt up onto his desk. Having been permitted on the table, Yoichi had decided that all human furniture fell under his domain. Yoichi had also started trying to steal food from Hisashi's plate at dinner, but that was no different from when they'd been children.
Tilting his screen out of view, Hisashi said, "Nice try. You're not getting a peek, little brother." Yoichi probably wanted to see the financials of Hisashi's organization. It wouldn't do him any good unless he changed back, but Hisashi still didn't know if this transformation would wear off and didn't want to chance it.
Instead, Yoichi went straight for the bowl of apples sitting by the mouse.
"Hey! That's my snack!" Hisashi yelped. "I don't even know if apples are safe for cats to eat." He spoke too late. Yoichi had already gulped down one apple slice. What a clever feint! Yoichi had pretended to be after espionage in order to steal food instead. It would serve him right if he got sick and had to be taken to the vet again. Hisashi yanked the bowl away.
Yoichi sat back on his haunches, widened his eyes, and meowed. Ever since Yoichi had turned into a cat, he'd found creative ways to express himself, but mostly he just kept expressing that he wanted food.
"You can't already be hungry. I fed you less than an hour ago." From that tragic stare, anyone would think that Hisashi starved his cat brother. Yoichi did still look painfully skinny. He meowed again. Hisashi wondered if his little brother might be traumatized from his hunger strike. It was good to see him eating eagerly. Hisashi did a quick google search on fruits edible by cats. "Fine, you can have the apples. I wouldn't want them anyway after you slobbered all over them."
Yoichi was already lunging for the bowl before Hisashi finished his sentence.
Eating always kept the cat distracted for at least a few seconds. Hisashi decided to use this moment of peace between them for another lecture. "I hope you thought about what I said last time, about how the vigilantes were only using you."
Yoichi pushed the empty snack bowl off the table. Next, the cat nuzzled Hisashi's pen holder.
"It won't stop being true just because you don't want to hear it. Hey! Stop that!"
Yoichi knocked over the cup, then batted around the pens and pencils.
Hisashi sniffed. "Is this how you feel about my generous offer to let you join my side? Even though you're fragile and completely useless in this form, I'd still be willing to make you my right hand cat. I think you'd look great sitting in my arms as I give out orders."
Keeping his body low, Yoichi stalked after a pencil. The end of his tail twitched. Then he pounced. The pencil went flying into the wall.
Hisashi raised his eyes to the ceiling. "Still so foolishly defiant, even now. You have no one to depend on except me, little brother."
Yoichi gave Hisashi a look of disdain that remained completely unchanged even from when he'd been human. Then he flopped on top of Hisashi's keyboard. Casually, he shoved the mouse off the desk with his tail.
"Are you trying to get in the way of my work? Will even your current condition not dissuade you from foolish heroism?" Hisashi reached over to pick up the cat. He stood up, resting Cat Yoichi against his chest with the front paws on his shoulder. A metapower pushed open his office door without him touching it.
Adjacent to his office was a cat room—or, Hisashi was proud to say, a cat paradise. The skylight cast rays of sun across a dozen cat beds of different shapes and sizes. Four cat towers reached nearly to the ceiling in each corner, with a series of hanging bridges connecting them. Each had a carpeted cat scratcher at the bottom. The towers had tiled roofs, balconies, and even little flower boxes.
In addition, a dozen wooden hidey-holes had been bolted to the left wall, in a diagonal line to make it easier for a cat to hop up the perches like a staircase. Fake plants with silken leaves waved in front of the wall shelves. There was also a plaid hammock. The back wall had a feline exercise wheel. Hisashi loved playing with the cat toys in the closet, and he'd also added a battery-powered fake mouse and circle track with moving balls, so Yoichi could have entertainment while Hisashi was busy at work. A glass sunroom was attached to the right of the room. The sunroom had a short table with a water bowl and an empty food bowl. In the corner was a sleek silver self-cleaning litter robot designed to look like a toilet, behind a modesty-preserving curtain.
Hisashi placed the cat down on his favorite cushioned window seat, then turned on the widescreen TV. Cat Yoichi loved hero shows, though he would watch pretty much anything, perhaps from boredom.
Yoichi yawned and sprawled out in the sun.
With a chuckle and one last pet, Hisashi returned to his office and sat down in front of his computer. After typing for a few minutes, he bent over and opened his file cabinet to put away a bill.
When Hisashi straightened, Yoichi was lying on his keyboard.
Hisashi raised an eyebrow. "I spent a fortune on beds and toys for you, yet you only want my keyboard? I see through you, little brother. You're determined to get in my way. You realize I can carry you back to your room? If you don't behave, I'll board up your cat door." This was a bluff. Hisashi secretly felt flattered whenever Yoichi invaded his office seeking attention. It reminded him of the good old days when little Yoichi had followed his big brother around everywhere.
Yoichi bumped his head against Hisashi's hand, which meant that he wanted head scratches.
"Fine, but then you have to leave and let me work in peace." Hisashi rubbed the base of the cat's ears. Yoichi purred. The sound gave Hisashi a warm, fuzzy feeling. He stroked the soft back. More purrs filled the room.
Hisashi could only assume that Yoichi was putting on this show to distract him from villainy. But just this once, Hisashi didn't mind letting himself fall into the trap. It was good to see his little brother getting his spirit back. No matter what Yoichi might pretend, Hisashi felt confident that his arguments were starting to get through. At this rate, soon Yoichi would join his side and they could rule the underworld as human and cat!
Dr. Fukuma had mixed feelings about Hisashi Shigaraki as a client. On the one hand, he was absolutely insufferable and threatened to kill her at least once per visit. On the other hand, he paid double her usual bills and always arrived with his cat's full medical history printed out in his hand. Admittedly, part of the medical history belonged to a human being but she assumed the wrong papers had gotten mixed in by mistake.
Shigaraki paced the confines of the small office. "Yesterday, Yoichi suddenly stopped playing with his ball and collapsed. He was breathing rapidly and from his mouth. I leaned over and heard a faint wheezing sound. I don't understand what is wrong! The ringworms and ear mites are gone. I prepare all his food myself. I inspected my entire house using several metapowers, and I didn't find a trace of poison in the air. If anything happens to him, then I will burn this office and then the entire city to the ground."
"Thank you for such a good description of the attack," Dr. Fukuma said. "It matches my own conclusions. He has feline asthma. Don't panic. It's incurable but manageable. I'll proscribe corticosteroids to reduce inflammation in the lungs. Do you prefer oral or injectable form?"
"Treatable?" Shigaraki muttered. His chest heaved. He seemed on the verge of his own panic attack.
"Yes," she said gently. "I'll also give you a list of ways to reduce allergens in your house."
Shigaraki picked up his cat and kissed him on the nose. "It's treatable! You're going to be just fine!" The irritated cat batted at his face. Shigaraki's tone turned darker and he clung tighter. "Don't try to get away. You'll never survive alone on the streets, not without medicine. You need me. You can't live without me!" He laughed manically. "You're mine!"
Yeesh, what a nutjob. Dr. Fukuma shook her head. It was a good thing Shigaraki hadn't turned a human being into the target of that possessiveness and obsession. The cat wouldn't mind. In fact, the cat would just continue to assume that he was the owner of a human like all cats did, and both of them would be happy. Dr. Fukuma cleared her throat. "I think your cat is stressed out from being held up like that. Cats get a sense of security from having all four paws on the ground. Please set him down. The longer you hold a squirmy, unhappy cat, the more he'll hate being picked up next time."
"You may have a point." Shigaraki set his cat down. The cat's whiskers relaxed and he rubbed against his owner's leg. Shigaraki beamed. "Your expert wisdom has proven correct yet again, doctor. A veterinarian of your caliber should have better lodgings than this cramped room. I'll arrange for a new wing to be added to your building. All expenses paid, of course."
This was why she kept him as a client.
With Yoichi nestled in his arms, Hisashi ordered, "We'll hit the government warehouse tomorrow at midnight. Any weapons that you can't carry away, destroy." At the same time, he scratched Yoichi under the chin. "Who's a cutie?" Yoichi purred.
Normally, Yoichi would always leap to thwart his older brother's business operations. Cat Yoichi could be counted on to try thwart absolutely anything Hisashi wanted to do. However, Hisashi had found the magical way to make his little brother obedient: chin rubs. As long as Yoichi was getting his chin scratched, he would sit in Hisashi's lap for hours without once protesting the crimes and villainy.
After months of shampoo and tender care, Yoichi had grown a fluffy white coat. He'd put on both weight and muscle. Hisashi kissed the top of the cat's head. "It always could have been like this. You and me, a team against the world. Love me and obey me, and I'll give you anything you desire."
Yoichi chirped and rubbed Hisashi's cheek. How adorable. Honestly, Hisashi could find nothing but upsides to a cat brother. He'd long ago stopped bothering to look for a cure.
The minion standing before the throne said, "Uh, master? I hate to interrupt you and your, uh, adorable cat, but we still to discuss One for All's latest article."
Just remembering that obnoxious reporter made Hisashi glare. The minion fainted dead away.
With a flip of his hand, Hisashi made the newspaper float up from the comatose body. He skimmed it briefly. "Ugh. I wish I knew where One for All got their information. They have an uncannily accurate perceptiveness into my operations and plans." The latest exposé claimed that Hisashi had been funding metahuman support groups just to look for good powers to steal, which was quite true. Hisashi would have arranged for the pesky reporter to be assassinated, except 1. He or she lived in America; and 2. All the articles had been published anonymously.
What kind of pen name was One for All? Hisashi felt certain his own villain name was being mocked. His temper kept souring as the article got increasingly personal. He muttered, "I can't believe the Washington Post would stoop to such biased journalism! It says, 'Mr. Shigaraki has gotten quite unsubtle about blackmailing Japan's politicians. I suppose he can't think of a better story to explain the prime minister's new obedience because he never bothered to finish a single comic book series ever since he was a child. Egotists often have short attention spans." Hisashi's voice rose with each word. "That sounds exactly like something you would write, little brother."
Yoichi purred and rubbed Hisashi's hand.
Hisashi gave the cat another chin rub. "But you've been here at my side the whole time, where you belong." He threw the newspaper to the ground, next to the unconscious minion.
Yoichi leapt down from the chair and started shredding the newspaper.
Hisashi laughed. "That's exactly how a loyal little brother should act! Salmon for dinner tonight!"
Kaiji burst through the front door. "We have a problem!"
The apartment in England was decorated with comic book memorabilia. Bookshelves covered every wall, exuding a woody scent. Yoichi curled up in a beanbag chair, working on his latest article under the pen name One for All. Yoichi published his articles in America to throw off his brother, just in case Hisashi ever realized the truth. So far, that hadn't been an issue. Sometimes being underestimated came in handy. Yoichi didn't look up as he typed. "If it's about my brother, then let's put it in my article."
"It is, and unfortunately, this is nothing we want to publicize." Kaiji winced. "The animal transformation wears off."
Yoichi leapt to his feet, his tablet falling to the floor. "Does big brother know?"
"I'm not sure, but he'll find out soon enough through his government contacts. Here's the good news: it wears off at different rates, depending on how much power the villain originally used. The government set aside a special facility to look after people turned into animals. The first time someone turned back, they reverted again to animal form after a few days. Gradually, it permanently wore off. I think if we can get you back to Japan and into All for One's mansion, we could convince All for One that you temporarily reverted. We could even stretch out your supposed slow recovery for a couple decades at least, if we convince him that you're the absolute worst case."
Groaning, Yoichi clutched his hair. "And how am I supposed get into one of the most secure facilities in the world, much less out again? I'll get caught with the cat and end up in another bank vault!"
Sanzou stepped out of the kitchen, wearing an apron with "Not Only Sexy But Can Cook Too" written on front. He had flour on his hands and nose. Calmly, he said, "I know a vigilante who knows someone with teleportation. We'll work something out."
Kaiji grinned. "You always have solutions whenever I bring home problems." Kaiji kissed Sanzou on the lips, then walked over and kissed Yoichi, too.
Sanzou rolled his eyes. "If you're aware of it, then try to be less reckless."
Yoichi muttered, "Maybe I can even talk big brother out of his latest evil plans during my visit." He noticed two skeptical glares. "What? It's worth a try!" Staring, Kaiji's face paled. Yoichi said, "I won't be sucked back into trying to fix my brother, I promise."
"No, I just noticed…" Kaiji raised a finger to point.
Sanzou finished, "…Your hair!"
Yoichi remembered, "I just got a new dye job yesterday! Oh, no." He twirled a bright pink lock around his finger. He'd wanted to try something new. "It's going to be hard to get it white again—I'd have to bleach it to at least level nine. My poor hair will dry out!" Yoichi wagged a finger at Sanzou, who'd opened his mouth. "Don't you dare even suggest shaving my head."
Sanzou raised his hands. "I wasn't going to! How about a wig?"
"Big brother will notice if my hair isn't as lustrous as usual," Yoichi muttered, twirling harder.
Sanzou snorted. "I doubt your brother cares as much about hair as you do."
"You'd be surprised." But Yoichi had no better ideas. "I'll try to keep the room dim."
Kaiji pointed at him. "You'll have to take out your earring."
Yoichi touched the diamond stud in his ear. Piercings had been forbidden by his older brother while living under his roof, so naturally Yoichi was considering adding several more if he liked this one. "Yeah, I—wait! My tattoos!" Yoichi had gotten a white tiger tattooed on his right shoulder to commemorate his escape from his older brother. (A tiger had seemed cooler than a housecat.) Maybe he could pass that off as a side-effect of the transformation? Yoichi's other shoulder had a jigsaw piece that locked together with the one on Kaiji, a commemoration of a certain incident involving the transfer of One for All. Then after Sanzou had joined their trio, Yoichi had added a red string that spun into both Kaiji and Sanzou's signatures. It was very clearly a lover's tattoo. Hisashi would flip out if he saw it. Also, Yoichi would have a lot of trouble explaining how a cat had gotten to a tattoo parlor. "I'd better wear long sleeves."
Sanzou said, "I'd suggest wrapping your arms in bandages for good measure."
Yoichi inhaled deeply. "We have a plan. Good."
"It will be okay." Kaiji stroked the top of Yoichi's head. "Even if it goes wrong, we'll come and save you again."
"That's right." Yoichi dragged them both into a hug. "My heroes."
A burning scent drifted from the kitchen. "My garlic bread!" Sanzou screamed, running for the oven.
Yoichi had gotten two scratches wrestling the white cat into a cat carrier to be teleported away. As he sat on the edge of the bed, he yanked down his sleeve to hide the injuries. Those de-transformed came out naked, so Yoichi had borrowed a bathrobe from his older brother's closet. By now, Hisashi would have found out about the government report concerning the previous victims. Yoichi couldn't afford any inconsistencies with the usual transformation. Frankly, Yoichi suspected that his older brother's denial had let him get away with this deception so far. Hisashi hated admitting that he'd been wrong, and he'd been enjoying his cat too much to question anything. But big brother's denial could not be strained too far or it would snap.
The door opened. Hisashi demanded, "Who dares to invade my bedroom—Yoichi?"
Yoichi faked a smile. "I found myself like this. I don't know why." His smile turned genuine. Strangely, it was good to see his older brother again after a year. Yoichi had started to forget the bad parts and remember the good old days.
Hisashi leapt forward and hugged Yoichi. "My tireless efforts to save you have finally come to fruition!"
Yoichi shoved his brother off and growled, "Your efforts? The transformation wore off on its own." Quickly, he tugged his collar to stop the bandages covering his tattoos from peeking out.
Hisashi stuck his nose in the air. "How do you know that I didn't cause that to happen?"
Yoichi knew because 1. There had never been a transformation in the first place; and 2. He had a knack for recognizing when his older brother spouted horseshit. "I doubt you ever seriously tried to turn me back!"
Wiping a nonexistent tear from his eye, Hisashi said, "You don't know how hard this has been for me, little brother. I tried to stay strong for your sake."
Before this bullshit made his temper snap, Yoichi dragged them back to his pre-planned topic. "For someone supposedly suffering and devoting all his energy to looking for a way to turn me back, you've had plenty of time for villainy! You assassinated that diet member—"
"You mean Endo?" Hisashi snorted. "You told me to do that."
"I—" Yoichi stopped as he realized he could not say for certain what cat Yoichi had or hadn't done. "I can't even talk!"
"Don't you remember? I told you all about his secret human trafficking ring and you gave your paw stamp of approval on the execution order."
"Oh. Yeah. That guy. It's all coming back to me." Yoichi nodded. "I was thinking of a different diet member." He had confidence his brother had committed plenty of crimes. But since Cat Yoichi apparently knew more about All for One's business operations than him, perhaps Yoichi would be wise to switch his persuasions to be more general. "You currently still have a reputation for metahuman rights activism. If you go too far, people will stop seeing you as a savoir. Surely you could lessen your murders in order to keep such a valuable reputation?"
"Obviously I won't get caught assassinating anyone." Hisashi squinted. "Does your hair look flatter today?"
Ha! Big brother had noticed the wig! Take that, Sanzou! Yoichi sighed tragically. "You clearly haven't been shampooing me properly."
"I'll order a new one. What was your favorite brand again? I'll pay them to start a new line of cat products."
"Whoa, you'd really go so far for my hair, I'm touched…Hey! Don't try to distract me! No matter how much success you might have at first, villains always lose in the end."
Hisashi said, "Ha! I finally have a counterargument for you! The demon lord won in My Isekai Adventure. Don't you remember? We watched it together over dinner for the last couple weeks. Heh, the whole hero party got slaughtered, it was great."
Yoichi blinked. "But that's not true. The hero turned back time to save all his friends in the last episode."
Hisashi asked, "How do you know that? I never got around to watching the last episode with you."
"You still never finish a single TV show?" Yoichi shrieked. "You fake geek!" He thought fast. "I guessed the ending! There was all that foreshadowing about time-travel, and of course the studio won't kill off all the main characters. Anyone could see it coming if they weren't a villain-obsessed chuunibyou!"
Hisashi shouted, "I can't be bothered to finish your silly hero shows because they always end in the same cliché way! Of course the hero would get some ridiculous deus ex machina! The villain would have won in the real world."
The rest of the evening deteriorating into a shouting match about who was a fake geek because he had never read the end of Captain Hero.
"How did it go?" Kaiji asked.
Yoichi stormed past, ripped off his wig, and flung himself on the couch. "He hasn't changed a bit! He's completely insufferable!"
Kaiji nodded. "Yeah, it must have been difficult to pretend to tolerate that villain."
Borrowing his face in the pillow, Yoichi shouted, "Big brother hasn't finished a single TV show since I stopped making him! He always stops at the second to last episode!"
Kaiji blinked. "Err…that's what you're angry about?"
Sanzou carried in a plate of cookies. "For the triumphant champion's return!"
"Thank you." Yoichi shoved a cookie into his mouth. Through the crumbs, he mumbled, "I think seeing my big brother once a year is often enough to cure me of missing him until at least another year has passed."
Hisashi woke up the next morning to find Yoichi sleeping next to him, back in cat form. He kissed the top of the white head. "I think this will work out nicely. It was good to hear your voice again, little brother. But one human day every year or so will be often enough to remind me why I prefer you like this."
Yoichi cracked one eye open and lashed his tail, grumbling about being disturbed.
Hisashi took out his phone. "I'm purchasing stock in L'Oréal. Soon, they'll launch a new line of cat products."
Yoichi purred, which Hisashi took to mean that last night's argument had been forgotten. Little brother was so much easier to please in this form.
Legend among Japan's underworld spoke of All for One's beloved cat, a plump white fluffy monstrosity with sharp claws and fangs. The cat sat in All for One's arms as the villain dealt out salvation or death. If the cat took a liking to an unfortunate victim, then their life would be spared. People brought expensive gifts from around the world to win the cat's favor. Villains had devoted scientific studies to this particular cat's taste in an attempt to win the flattery contest.
The cat would freely jump on or even scratch any guests, including the most powerful and deadly people in Japan. Not a single person dared resist. Everyone knew that All for One would kill them if they laid a single finger on his precious baby. Anyone who had ever tried to exploit this apparent weak spot in Japan's greatest villain by taking the cat hostage had died slowly enough to regret it.
The cat was more than capable of defending itself, loaded down with dozens of deadly quirks. Some people said that this was no mere cat, but rather a robot created in the doctor's lab. Others believed the cat to be possessed by a demon tamed by All for One. Nomu cat was a more plausible theory. There were rumors that the cat was the master's long-lost brother but no one seriously believed that. The underworld only knew for certain that Yoichi was the most adored, spoiled, and dangerous cat in the world.
OMAKE TIME!
Omake: The Wrong Kind of Doctor
Dr. Garaki: Your monster of a cat has scratched me one too many times. I'm going on strike!
Hisashi: Can I help it if my brother has good taste? I suppose I should find a vet.
#
Omake: Should Have Tried This Sooner
Hisashi: Join me, and I'll let you rule the world at my side.
Yoichi: Heroes don't take bribes!
Hisashi: Would you take a new line of shampoo products to make your hair fluffy?
Yoichi: Hmm…how fluffy?
Second: Yoichi, no! Your hair is already perfect as it is!
#
Omake: Customer Service is Worse than Villainy
Hisashi: You have better nerves than most of my minions, Dr. Fukuma. You haven't cowered in my presence even once.
Dr. Fukuma: Eh, I've dealt with worse clients. My last appointment fed dog food to the poor, sick cat. Frankly, the average customer has you outclassed in entitlement and insufferableness.
Hisashi: No one outclasses me! I can act even more entitled and rude!
Dr. Fukuma: Nooooooooooooo.
#
Omake: The Scrapped Idea
Yoichi: How will I get into All for One's mansion to pretend I temporarily turned into a human again?
Second: I have a teleportation quirk. That's my unrevealed in canon ability.
Yoichi: That feels rather plot-convenient.
Author: Shut up and stop breaking the fourth wall. Do you want to get caught by your brother or stay free for once in one of my fics?
#
Omake: Yes, Yoichi Got an Immortality Quirk; Yes, Both of Them
Hisashi: I love my cat brother, but after a century, I've gotten a little bored with the total lack of resistance. I'm ready for a new challenge. It would be fun to argue with my brother again. So I tracked down you, the descendant of the man who turned my brother into a cat. Transform him back into a human. Hurry up, or I'll steal your quirk and do it myself.
Guy with Transformation Quirk: Uh…that's not a transformed person. That's just a regular cat.
Hisashi: …YOICHI YOU LITTLE…
Author's Note: Thank you to Gentrychild for this idea and brainstorming with me! My All for One Demon Week is dedicated to Gentrychild, without whom I would have written maybe two fics.
Hisashi slipped Yoichi a copy of Dr. Garaki's longevity quirk during one of his once a year visits. Then after Cat Yoichi started to age, Hisashi assumed that a shorter lived creature needed more years and gave him a better immortality quirk. This happened several times as Hisashi kept finding improved immortality quirks to surprise gift on both human and cat Yoichi like a stale fruitcake. Otherwise the jig would have been up much sooner when human Yoichi started to look older during his yearly visits.
Yoichi passed along his quick to Second and Third later, and it turned out the immortality got stockpiled so they all have it now. Luckily Yoichi will have someone to bust him out of the vault when his brother inevitably comes after him. Don't worry about cat Yoichi, he will still be adored by All for One even if he turned out not to be a blood relation because he's too cute.
All for One Demon Week was loads of fun! Since All for One got to win in every other fic I wrote for the contest, in my last fic he got owned. (That's the pun in the fic title! Thank you to Gentrychild for the idea!) Yoichi suffered a lot this week, so he deserved to live a happy life for once. I think of this fic as the good ending for The Genesis of All for One and One for All.
On Sunday, I'll be posting the next chapter of The Genesis of All for One and One for All since that got bumped twice for contests. Phew, I wrote a bunch of dawn of the age of quirks stuff in a row. I'll get back to bullying Izuku next week.
This fic placed second in AFO Demon Week, and sp–ks (tumblr) / pencapsndriedink (instagram) kindly drew my prize. I'm in love with it! Pink-haired Yoichi looks great with tattoos and piercings. I love the hint of white in his hair. From the pose to the expression, it's all too cool! Tumblr link at:
aimportantdragoncollector.
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com/post/690963520147357696/check-out-this-amazing-art-by-spks-also
Lunadezafiro also sketched an adorable picture of pink-haired Yoichi inspired by this fic. Check it out at:
lunadezafiro.
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post/690664683647156224/aimportantdragoncollector-intente-hacer-un
Finally, the ever-amazing Artistic Hermit drew Cat Yoichi as a commission for a forthcoming chapter of Total Amnesia, but it fits so well with this fic that I had to include it here too. The fluffiness is so wonderful! I love All for One's smug expression. Delete the spaces to get the link:
artistichermit.
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post/690571852949684224/another-commission-for-importantdragoncollector
Here's the discord link (to the same picture) for people who can't use tumblr:
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