"You remember the story, right?" Sakura asked in a hushed whisper.
"You're my aunt Saki who is taking me, Mizuki, in after my parents passed away and brought me to the temple to learn the ways of Light," Tomo recited. The pair had just finished their drive down to Ise to begin their infiltration mission.
"Correct. You have to emphasize how lost you feel and how after hearing me preach, you believe Amaterasu can be your salvation."
Tomo nodded. "What about my Quirk? Do you think they'll take issue with Darkness in a light-based religion?"
"They might," Sakura admitted. "This is probably our biggest hurdle. You have to emphasize how you wish to be purified of the darkness within you and how you always admired the light. It's 50/50 if they think they can "purify you" or if they'll outright reject you for your Quirk. If they reject you, you'll be safe, but we'll have to rethink the mission."
"Understood. And if I see Toru, depending on her status within the organization, I'll either reveal our relationship or keep it a secret."
"Correct. Don't forget the customary greeting. Stay near me as much as possible but if you find your sister…"
She placed a hand on Tomo's shoulder and looked at him with soft eyes. "Just stay safe, okay? I don't want anything bad to happen to either of you."
Tomo smiled in response, touched by the warmth and kindness in Sakura's voice. "Thank you. For caring for me and for giving me this opportunity. I promise I won't let you down."
Sakura returned his thanks with her own smile.
The two entered the shrine complex and officially began their mission. Tomo looked around and took in the sights. He was amazed at just how beautiful everything was. The sun was bright and warm, the trees were full and tall, and the atmosphere was serene. Mom and Toru would love this place.
Sakura grabbed his wrist and led him along to a specific building.
As they walked along the path, Tomo froze.
"What's wrong?" Sakura asked.
I can't… What's going on? It's so quiet. The voices of Darkness. They're… gone?
"Mizuki? Are you alright?" She shook Tomo by the wrist.
"My Quirk. It's being… suppressed? By… Is Light's presence actually real?" Tomo managed to say. He was in shock at how much just standing here was affecting him.
"Will this be a problem?" Then, in an even lower voice, "Can you still fight if needed?"
"I… dunno."
Sakura tugged at his wrist again. "We'll figure this out later. We can't keep the head priest waiting for us when he's expecting you."
Tomo let himself be dragged along as he remained lost in his thoughts. It feels so nice. No endless yapping in my head. Just like when Mr. Aizawa Erased my Quirk. Does that mean Amaterasu is actually here? Is she real? Is her presence and the Light actually suppressing Darkness or is it something else?
Soon enough, they arrived at their destination. Sakura exchanged a questioning glance with Tomo before knocking on the door.
"Come in," replied an elderly sounding voice.
Sakura opened the door and gestured for Tomo to enter, silently mouthing the words "good luck" to him. He was greeted with the sight of an elderly man. The man slowly and seemingly painfully got up from his seat to make his way towards Tomo.
Tomo, eyes widened, rushed over towards the man to prevent him from having to take any more unnecessary steps. Placing a gentle hand on his to stop him, Tomo spoke, "Please! Don't trouble your—"
He froze.
The old man glared at Tomo, eyes so intense that Tomo's senses screamed at him about the danger he was in. He subtly readied himself to unleash Darkness.
"You," the old man growled as he took a menacing step towards Tomo. "You're a worshiper of Darkness. I can see it in your aura. Why are you here? To tempt my fellow Children to your wicked ways? Begone. Your kind is not welcome here."
"Wait," Tomo began, desperately wracking his brain to find the right words to defuse the situation. He had practiced a few scenarios prior to his arrival for moments exactly like this. He bowed deeply. "Hear me out, Father. I have come to humble myself before the true gods."
"True gods? You mean true goddess. Singular. There is only one deity we follow here and her name is Amaterasu. If you are here to poison our minds with the gospel of any other fakes, then I will not have it. Begone."
Tomo internally winced. In his nerves, he had misspoke a seemingly crucial detail. This was not off to a good start.
He went further down and prostrated. "Please. I don't have anyone left. My parents are gone and all I have left is my Aunt Saki and she told me about your wonderful ways of the Light. I have come to you so that my Darkness can be purified and so that my life can finally regain meaning."
As he held his head on the floor, Tomo heard the priest scratch his beard in consideration. "You said Saki brought you here? And she's your aunt? Get up, boy, I don't like talking to someone so far down."
Tomo picked himself up and looked at the old man. Old was a generous term for what he saw. This man was ancient, with heavily wrinkled skin and a back so curved that Tomo could feel the pain the man must go through every day. The most prominent feature was his intriguing pair of glowing white eyes. They held a fierceness that seemed to be observing not Tomo, but his soul itself.
"Aunt Saki brought me here, yes, after she learned about… my parent's passing." He paused. "She thinks the Light can do wonders for my dark and corrupted soul."
"Dark and corrupted soul, eh? Yes, yes." He grabbed Tomo by the chin and stared into his eyes.
Tomo stared back, wide-eyed at the strange person in front of him. The man seemed to be judging him.
"Very well," the priest replied, letting Tomo go and turning around. "We shall undergo treatment immediately. Before the sun goes down." The priest pulled out his phone and dialed a number. "Hello? Yes. Meet me by the Beacon in thirty minutes. You have your first test. Yes, you. And you have someone to watch over so come to my office to pick him up. Ok. See you then. Bye."
"You there, what did you say your name was again?"
"Mizuki, sir," Tomo replied.
"Mizuki," the priest repeated, tasting the name on his tongue. "I am Supreme Priest Kan. If there's anything our goddess is known for, it's the shine of her Light. We shall find out if your soul can still be purified of its filth. I have called for a Child to come fetch you so go outside and wait for her. Try not to let your filth spread any more than it needs to."
Tomo bowed politely and walked out. As soon as he shut the door, he scowled. The way he was spoken to pissed him off. The priest had treated him like utter trash and as if he had some kind of contagious disease.
"Is everything alright?" Sakura asked quietly, reaching out to Tomo to fix his hair like a loving aunt would.
"He wants to take me to some treatment facility. I think it's called the Beacon. It's happening in thirty. Do you think it's…"
Sakura nodded. She pressed on her bracelet, a button going off signaling to the agency that Tomo had successfully been accepted. Crust and the others could now stand by closely and intervene if anything went awry. Then, she pointed towards the courtyard with her chin, signaling to Tomo to walk with her. "Don't forget to keep your glasses pointed at what's important when you're inside. We'll be watching from your perspective live in case anything happens. If at any point, you feel unsafe or unsure, nod rapidly up and down three times and Crust and I will get you out. If they force you to take off your glasses, remember, we're also on comms so cough three times if you want out. Remember, we are ready to use force to keep you safe, so don't prioritize the mission over your wellbeing."
"Yeah, I know," Tomo replied, adjusting his fake glasses. It was hooked up to a complicated computer system that would live stream whatever he was looking back to the agency so that they could keep tabs on him. "I just hope I don't have to take—"
Tomo paused.
He sensed it before he heard it.
He shifted his weight to his right leg and swept the floor behind him. At the same time, he reached out a hand.
"Gotcha."
The words came naturally to him. He wasn't even thinking when he said it. His instincts moved his body for him.
When he realized what he had done, Tomo nearly broke down on the spot.
"You idiot," he whispered as he pulled his sister into a hug.
"After all these years, I still can't sneak up on you," Toru whispered back into his chest, returning his hug.
When they were younger, Toru liked to try and sneak up on Tomo to scare him. Tomo, however, always knew when she would try and would sweep his leg behind him to trip her and then catch her so she wouldn't fall. It was like a little game to them.
"You got me the one time it mattered the most."
Toru chuckled. "I did, didn't I? And look where it got us. Are you still hurt from back then? I'm sorry. I thought it was the only way to—"
"Shut up, idiot," Tomo replied. He missed her too much to care about anything else at the moment.
Toru sighed. "I missed you."
"Me too."
The twins separated and looked at each other. Toru was wearing a nice sundress and a plethora of little trinkets and accessories. She looked well and happy.
That also made him frown.
"What's wrong?" Toru asked.
"Toru. What are you doing here?"
Tomo could feel the shift in the mood. Toru looked to the floor as she dragged her foot back and forth in the dirt.
"What do you mean? Aren't you here because… you know?"
"What do I know?"
Toru hesitated. "Aren't you here to stay with me? I thought you being here meant you realized that I was right. That you don't belong in that world. These people here can help you. That's… that's why you're here, right?"
"What are you talking about, Toru? I'm here to rescue you and take you home. Home as in our home. With Mom and Miyu. You know, our family."
As he emphasized each word, Tomo could feel Toru getting sadder and sadder. He himself could tell it was coming too. The argument.
"This is my home now."
"WHAT—" Tomo caught himself and lowered his voice, trying his best to keep his temper. "What are you talking about? How can this place be your home? What happened to the League?"
"The League was never my home. They were just a convenient fallback after Master was captured."
Tomo could feel the headache coming already. "If the League isn't your home, then come with me. Everyone misses you. Mom and Miyu. Our friends and classmates. Everyone misses you so much. Don't you want to see them? It's not too late to turn around and come back." Then, he added, "Please. Before it's too late."
Toru's voice was low and steady as she responded, "I can't go back. Not yet. Not until we find a solution to your problem. Tomo, I won't give up until I am sure your Quirk can't kill you. These people here." She gestured to the place around them. "They can help. There's a ritual. And I think… I think it can help you."
Tomo tried to keep his expression indifferent to that last line. For the sake of their investigation, he also had to learn about the ritual. It had to be important.
"The ritual? What's that?"
Tomo beamed. "It's a special—" She paused and leaned into him, as if she remembered something. "Tomo, we're being watched. Don't look but behind me at about 5 o'clock by the red building. She's been watching us since I approached you and hasn't taken her eyes off us. You were talking to her before I got here. Do you know her?"
Despite being told not to, Tomo looked anyway. Toru was talking about Sakura, who had discreetly faded into the background when Toru had arrived. It seemed that Toru's observation skills were still keen enough to notice the woman watching them. This was a problem.
"Toru," Tomo started, voice a whisper. "Don't get mad, but she's with me. She's a sidekick from Crust's agency sent here undercover. I told the priest that she's my aunt…"
"You came here with a hero?" Toru hissed. She was on edge. "What is she here to do? Arrest me?" She started backing away from him.
"No! She's here for someone else and brought me along when we heard you were here! You're safe as long as you're with me."
That seemed to catch her attention. "And how long do you plan on staying here with me? We seem to still be at a philosophical disagreement about your… issue. Wait… Are you even planning on undergoing an awakening? Mr. Kan said I have to oversee it but I didn't realize it was you!"
"About that… What even is an awakening? And this ritual? And the Beacon? There's a lot of stuff here I want to find out. Can you fill me in?"
"Who wants to know? Toru asked skeptically. "You or your hero buddies?"
They both knew the answer.
Toru turned around and walked towards the head priest's office.
Tomo grabbed her wrist before she could go. He could see Sakura in the distance move as well. Things would get out of hand if he didn't grab control of the situation quickly.
"Let go of me! I have to tell Mr. Kan about this. Does he even know that you're my brother?"
"Toru, wait!" Tomo whisper-yelled. "Hear me out."
Toru glared at him. "You have thirty seconds to convince me why I shouldn't tell Mr. Kan that our home is being invaded by heroes who want to tear us apart."
"This isn't your home! You don't belong here. The agency is investigating a potential kidnapping by one of your members. You know what I'm talking about right? The whole Crust thing I told you about."
Toru shook his hand off her wrist, but stayed put. "I remember. You think we did it? Why would we kidnap someone against their will?"
It's we already? How deep is she in his organization already? Tomo nodded. "I dunno, but that's what we want to find out. Please, just give us some time. In the meanwhile, you and I can continue our… debate… from last time."
"Nope. I'm good," Toru suddenly replied happily. "About the debate part, not the investigation part. Honestly, I don't care as much about that. Come on, let's get going." She grabbed his wrist to pull him along back towards another building.
Her sudden change in mood was highly suspicious, but Tomo couldn't figure out why. There's nothing to discuss? "Wait. Why? Does that mean you agree that I don't have to lose my Quirk? And that you'll agree to come home with me?"
Toru hummed a tune to herself as she ignored his question.
Tomo planted his feet to prevent her from further dragging him along. "Toru. What aren't you telling me?"
"I'll tell you about it after the ritual. We should arrive early to begin preparations. We can't keep Mr. Kan waiting. It's my first time overseeing one and I need to make a good impression."
"What exactly is this ritual? Did you undergo one? What happened during it?"
"It's hard to describe."
"Try your best."
"It's just better if you see it first."
"I refuse."
"Stop being so stubborn, Tomo. You're the one who came here and agreed to one! Don't chicken out now."
The ritual. She's dancing around telling me what it is. That means it can't be good for me.
"Toru. If you don't tell me what I want to know, I am going to make a scene. Neither of us will want it to come to that."
Her retort was instant. "What if I make a scene first? I have more people here than you do."
"Wanna bet?"
"Yes. I do, in fact. If I win, you come with me without question. If you win, I come with you. Sound good?"
Tomo cursed himself. He let himself get too carried away with trying to one-up his sister to remember the situation.
"You're so stupid. Fine, you win. I don't need to make a scene to know how many more people you have than me. As to whether we would win in a fight, that's another question."
"I'm willing to bet on that too."
"Shut up."
"Hmph."
"Okay, but for real. Can you tell me anything about this? Will I be safe? Is this going to take my Quirk away?"
Toru sighed. "It's… The first ritual tries to make us reach the Inner World. You and I can already do that. Most people can't. Once they realize you can, they'll be interested in you."
"Oh. Why didn't you just tell me that? That's not a big deal."
"..."
"That's not a big deal, right?" Tomo repeated when Toru didn't respond.
Toru seemed to be debating something in her head.
"Listen, Tomo. I'm not gonna lie, but the people here are a bit crazy. I don't think it would be crazy to even classify them as a cult. Their devotion to Amaterasu goes beyond fervorous belief and goes into fanatic worship. Once they find out a servant of Darkness can access their sacred dimension meant for the one true goddess and her most devout followers, they're going to freak out. How they react to it, I can't say, but I'll do my best to protect you. With the powers that I've seen here, however, I think they might try to break your Quirk."
Toru then stared at him.
He stared back, processing her words. "B-Break my Quirk? What does that mean?"
"You, uh, remember back in Kamino. When I shut off Darkness? Something kinda like that…"
"They can do that?" Tomo shivered. He remembered how much it hurt when Toru had attacked him back then. He remembered how helpless he had felt back then when his Quirk wouldn't respond to his summon. It was similar to what he felt at the moment, except much more alarming.
"I think so… That's what it felt like to me when I underwent the ritual. First, they see if you can access the Inner World. Then, they temper with your Quirk fundamentally to Reawaken you. Mr. Kan's Quirk is Holy Light and he uses it to do that. You should be safe though. It's just your Quirk that gets affected."
"Oh."
"Please, Tomo, just do it. Let this be over. You'll be safe, I promise."
Tomo frowned. As much as he disliked what he was hearing, a part of him was still curious. A life without Darkness. It was so close, but did he want it? He wasn't sure. More importantly, however, was the second thing Toru had mentioned. The "Reawakening". This is what he suspected they used to gain power to rival Crust. This was what their mission was really about. If this organization was kidnapping people with potential and powering them up, they could prove to be a very dangerous threat in the future.
"What if I fake not being able to go into the Inner World? What then?"
"Then they'll probably lose interest in you and leave you alone. Or kick you out. I dunno."
"Is that a bad choice?"
"You'll be safe, but not very welcome," Toru replied with a noncommittal shrug. "But please, Tomo. Consider it. If you do this, I'll come back with you. And face whatever punishment awaits me. Please, I promise."
"...I'll check it out," Tomo decided after some deliberation. He could at least go through the first part. If what Toru was telling him was true, it should be relatively safe for him. At worst, he would be ostracized and could just leave. At best, they could gain a lot of valuable intel and evidence to further take action.
A/N: Thanks for reading.