Chapter 9: Finding New Blood
"You may not have been my original target, but you will do just fine," an almost crazed voice sounded out, the man's hand raised in the air, a katana pointing down, hovering inches above the prone hero's heart, "May your sacrifice usher in the coming of a new era of heroes."
"Wait! Please, I can-", the hero's eyes widened in pain and shock before rolling into the back of his head. The villain removed his katana, swinging it to the side, flinging off the blood that clung to the blade.
He stood over the body, taking in the pathetically distasteful costume. The fallen hero was wearing a deep blue bodysuit, complete with a tight-fitting hood. Plastered on his chest was a picture of the planet Saturn minus its rings, pebbles and rocks lay flat on his chest, having fallen down from their "orbit" when the hero died.
The villain scoffed, "To think you were able to make it this far shows how rotten the system is. If only I could find my actual target, removing the small fries changes nothing."
He walked further into the alleyway, blending into the shadows before jumping onto the roof.
The hero woke with a start, her head still foggy. She looked around the room, completely barren save for the chair in front of her and the singular lightbulb hanging between the two. The walls looked to be made of smooth concrete, with only a door on the wall facing her.
She tried to move but found herself bound to the chair she sat on. Craning her neck as far back as it could go, she found that her arms were bound behind her, attached directly to the chair back. Struggling a bit she found no wiggle room and what felt like metal wrapping all around. Looking down at her legs, she saw they were attached to the chair legs, her ankles wrapped in metal clamps. She huffed, realizing her arms were probably bound the same way.
Despite her bonds she still tried struggling free. After what felt like ten minutes she stopped, realizing she was completely stuck, she puffed at a lock of hair that got loose in her struggles. Luckily, she could still move her hands, which means she could still use her quirk. Flicking her right wrist, a dark mass of shadows sprang to life. As quickly as it came to life, it was immediately dispelled. She didn't want to risk her captor knowing she could still use her quirk.
Before long, the door opened, revealing her kidnapper. When they finally came into the light, her eyes narrowed at the sight of the mask he was wearing - a green dragon maw.
"Kagero Shigaraki," she spat out, her struggling began anew as she tried to attack him.
To her credit, he blinked in surprise, "Well that saves time on the introductions." He crouched down, placing a glass on the floor next to his chair before walking towards her with another drink in hand, a straw swishing with the movement. He raised it to her mouth, "Drink. I'm sure you're thirsty."
She turned her head to the side, "Like I'd ever drink anything you give me."
Kagero rolled his eyes, keeping the glass up, "It's not poisoned. Why would I go through the trouble of keeping you contained if I was just going to kill you right off the bat? You apparently know who I am. If I wanted you dead, you already would be."
She eyed him a few seconds longer before relenting. She took the straw in but stared Kagero down the entire time. Kagero just watched impassively before suddenly pulling the drink away, deciding that was enough. He sat down in the chair before her and crossed his arms, just watching her.
She met his gaze head on with a glare of her own. When seconds turned to minutes, she started to shift uncomfortably, "Look, whatever it is-"
"Esmeray Kaya, also known as the Dream Hunter Hero: Ruya. Quirk, Nightmare," he stated, the now named hero's eyes narrowing again as he went on, "Twilight Hero, ranked 247 overall. Forced to leave your hometown in Turkey after accidentally placing your entire village in a nightmare upon your quirk's awakening."
At the last sentence, Ruya started writhing in her bonds again, "How do you know that!? What do you want!?"
"Moved to Hiratsuka with your mother at five years old," Kagero ignored her, he stood up and started to circle her. "Still living with her in a nice, lush apartment overlooking the sea, using your earnings as a hero to give your mother a life of comfort. How noble, to stay true to the tradition of providing for your parent as they grow older as they provided for you growing up."
Ruya let out a scream, her normal harsh and abrasive personality being dropped entirely as panic started to seep in, "Joined up with an agency with like-quirked heroes hoping to find a place where you could fit in, but even among the heroes there you were still an outcast."
"ENOUGH!" Ruya screamed, the mass of shadows appearing once again. Its features forming horns, glowing red eyes peaked out from the front as a mouth opened, revealing jagged teeth and a red abyss within. With the short distance between her and Kagero, the shadow leapt at him.
Immediately Kagero's vision darkened, and his senses dulled. He felt himself stumble backwards into the chair, but all he could hear were echoes of voices long forgotten playing in the back of his mind.
I told you to stay out of my office!
Your father loves you , he's just stressed from work.
Hisashi, don't! Stop!
You want to be a hero!? I thought you loved your family!
After what felt like an hour, but only lasted for barely fifteen seconds, his senses came back to him in full force. He was once again back in the non-descript room, with a captured hero in front of him. He shuddered violently before taking a few seconds longer to regain his breath. He shakily raised his hand to his mask, retracting it so that he could take full breaths unhindered. As he finally managed to bring his heart rate under control, his focus shifted to Ruya.
Ruya herself didn't look too good either. She was breathing heavily, out of breath as well. Her black-to-white hair stuck to her face by the sweat that was dripping. Her blue and amber yellow eyes slightly glazed over.
"Incredible," he spit out a glob of blood, "Your, what do you call them, Prowlers? Those don't induce the nightmares, do they? No, no, your victims say that when they get hit they just get nearsighted. That- that must have been everything you had." He let out an incredulous laugh, "And I'm still standing! In any other situation that would've ensured your victory." He sighed, having sobered up a little.
"That was really stupid of you," Kagero hissed, his tone dipping. Ruya recovered from her attack, but instantly paled as she felt ice creep up her veins, despite being spent she tried picked up her efforts of escape. She felt one of the braces break as she pulled an arm free. She gasped in delight before freezing, Kagero having caught her arm with one hand and cupping her face in the other. He brought his face in close, "You should've tried that after getting your arm free."
A villain stood on top of a building, listening to the sounds of the city, looking for any more fakes he could cull tonight before disappearing.
His hunt in this city, while successful, felt far less rewarding. Someone was getting in his way, reaching his targets before he could get to them. Even after his targets showed themselves, they were no longer worth culling, that much he could tell.
The first time he found his target after they had gone missing, they all but begged for him to kill them. Instead of fear or regret in their eyes, he would see something that almost looked like relief. Completely thrown off, he momentarily forgot that he was going to kill them, but instead asked them what happened.
Each time he found his target, the reply was the same. I don't want to be a hero anymore, I'm done, they all said. Somehow, someone knew exactly who he was going after and beat him to them. Someone was doing his job of ridding the world of fakes. He growled in frustration, about to take a leap onto the next building when he felt a shift in the air.
He turned around, katanas already drawn and at the ready when he saw a figure made of mist.
"I apologize for the suddenness, Stain, but I must ask you come with me," the figure opened.
Stain narrowed his eyes, raising a katana towards them, "Who are you and how did you find me?"
"I am called Kurogiri," as he bowed, "As for you second question, that is better reserved for our leader. We don't want to take too much of your time, and after we're done talking, I'd be happy to transport you to any city you wish so that you may continue your hunt."
Stain eyed Kurogiri a little longer before sheathing his blades, "One conversation. Ten minutes."
"Of course," Kurogiri swept his arm, brining another portal to life, "After you."
Stain entered the purple portal and emerged in the bar. Kagero was just walking back in, wiping his hands clean with a towel as he saw who came through. Kurogiri materialized in his place behind the bar as Kagero pulled out two glasses, gesturing to one of the seats.
"Would you like a drink?" Kagero asked, already pouring himself one, "I know that this is a rather last minute meeting, so it's the least I could offer."
Stain made no move to sit or give any sort of indication otherwise, so Kagero just shrugged. He moved around to the other side of the bar and sat on a stool near Stain, "Tell me something, are you aware of the influence you hold? It's amazing, despite being a villain, you have people praising your actions on both sides. So tell me, how can a guy like you, who leaves no witnesses, have a bigger following than me? Why is it that you're being praised while I'm being ridiculed?"
Stain's hunched form took a step forward, slightly closing the distance between the two, "What do you want? You want me to join you on your pointless crusade? Follow someone who doesn't know what they want?"
"Pointless? I don't know what I want?" Kagero paused, swirling his glass, "You make me sound as if I'm some sort of child that's throwing a tantrum. Stop trying to take the high ground, from what I've learned about you, we do the exact same thing."
"Oh? And what is it you think that I do?"
"You kill heroes you deem unworthy, using criteria that no one but you knows," Kagero finished his drink and set the glass down, "You think yourself the judge, jury, and executioner when really you're just like any other serial killer. You kill heroes because you like doing it."
"That is where you're wrong. I kill because somebody has to. Every hero I killed has been a fake. They use their status as a hero to gain fame and fortune, while simultaneously taking the title "hero" and turning it into a job. The standard for a hero has dropped, and only a select few actively stay true to the essence and history of what a hero should be.
"Nobody is willing to take action to make the changes that needs to be done," Stain ranted on, an aura of conviction radiating off of him, "But I am! Through my hunts, I have removed the weak links, the bad eggs, the dead branches. I alone am increasing the quality of the heroes!"
Kagero stared at Stain, impressed by his statement before chuckling, "You're a villain and you've taken lives, but the reason why you're doing it is for the greater good, right? I bet you were even a hero hopeful once, it would answer so many questions regarding your actions."
Stain growled and lunged, a knife appearing in his hand. He slashed at Kurogiri, nicking his arm before he could form a portal. He then threw a knife at Kagero, implanting itself in his shoulder as he was thrown off the chair. Stain followed up, immediately setting himself on top of Kagero, grasping the hilt of the embedded blade and twisting, causing Kagero to let out a cry.
"Guess I hit a nerve with that one, huh?" Kagero pushed out, "Kurogiri? How are you doing over there?"
Kurogiri replied through a strained voice, "I can't move. It must be his quirk."
"I came here because the mist man said you had a proposition for me," Stain snarled, "But since coming here all that's happened is you insult me. So I'm going to give you one last chance. What do you want?"
Stain applied more pressure on the blade in Kagero's shoulder. He groaned a little but still let out a chuckle, "You and I really are alike. You feel dissatisfied with the current state of heroes, so you take out the ones that aren't up to snuff. I feel dissatisfied with the current state of heroes, so I break them. Our methods differ but our goal is the same, we want society to stop placing anybody with a good quirk on pedestals. You want true heroes, but I only want the best."
Kagero took a deep breath, fire coming to life in the back of his throat. Stain's eyes widened as he jumped off, just missing the stream of fire as it was released. Stain raised his katana in preparation as Kagero stood up.
"I don't want you to join me," Kagero touched the knife in his shoulder but winced, "Just from our little interaction I could tell that you and I won't get along. So what I'm proposing instead is a truce of sorts." Stain dropped his blade a few centimeters, Kagero took that as a sign he's listening. "I'll stop taking your targets if you send people my way."
Stain's posture faltered for a second before recovering, "What do you mean to 'send people your way'? I work alone, I have no followers."
"Do you not remember the first thing I asked you when you came in? Whether they're aware of your true intentions or not, people have been following your movements since you surfaced. You've gained a following in the underground, and because of that, my own plans have been halted."
"I don't know if this is asking too much," he started as he walked away through the door.
At the complete lack of caution, Stain dropped his katana entirely, completely dumbfounded. Kurogiri let out an audible sigh as the silence stretched long, "I apologize, Stain. Kagero Shigaraki has a tendency to go on a bit of a tangent mid conversation. He will be back shortly. If you would be so kind as to let me free, I can prepare you a drink as we wait."
Stain grunted and sheathed his sword, finally taking up residence on a stool, "Just get me a sake."
Now free of Stain's influence, Kurogiri bowed and pulled out a bottle, placing it in front of him.
"It seems that all I do is apologize for Kagero Shigaraki's actions, but he truly does mean what he's saying. We sought you out because we heard that everyone that would be willing to join us is too busy being caught up in your actions."
The door opened again and Kagero walked out, his shoulder patched up and idly flipping Stain's knife. Not even taking a moment to take in the scene, he continued his conversation as if nothing happened, "I don't know if it's asking too much, but could you at least meet with some of your followers? Explain to them that you work alone, but you know of a group who you're allied with."
"I never agreed to an alliance with you."
"A non-aggression pact, whatever. If you do this, everyone will win. You get to go on your hunts unhindered by me, or anyone else crazy enough to try to seek you out, I get new allies for my League, and the people that join would be able to do what they want, just under a new banner. How does that sound?"
"Your terms are agreeable, but there's still one problem," Stain responded, "Your group, the League of Villains, you've done one thing and failed. If I start promoting you, it'll make me look bad."
"I thought you weren't concerned with your reputation so long as you achieve your goals," Kagero shot back, crossing his arms. He shook his head before adding on, "Everyone misunderstood the purpose of the attack on UA, not like I didn't expect that since I didn't announce our goals. I attacked UA to show them, to show the rest of the country, that even the best of the best is vulnerable. Like I said, you kill heroes because they don't live up to your standards. I break them because they're too weak to stand up to mine."
Stain sat quietly, contemplating his next moves. He reached over the counter and grabbed a glass, pouring some sake in it and handed it over.
"I accept."
He reached out with his own cup, toasting with Kagero to a successful deal.