Okay, so, before I begin this chapter, I've been asked to show off the Quirks that Luz has in her arsenal and what they now do upon having been Awakened thanks to All For One Awakening. That being said, here's the list:

All For One (Awakened): The user can steal and redistribute Quirks from others, or, keep them for themselves. Now that it is awakened, All For One can also steal Magic from Witches, as they are genetically very similar to Quirks. As a result, any magic that All For One steals will be transformed into a Quirk for the user's convenience. For example, if All For One steals an Abomination Spell, then the user will receive a Liquid-related Quirk based on how Abomination Magic functions. On top of this, any Quirk that exists within All For One will be automatically awakened due to All For One itself now being Awakened. The amount of Quirks that the user can hold is still limited to the user's threshold but can be expanded based on the physical health of the user. The original limit, however, is doubled after awakening. (Toshiko's current limit – 30 Quirks, 15 slots taken).

Vines (Awakened): Sprouts Vines from the base of the user's fingers. Can grow and shrink to whatever size, weight, girth, or appearance that the user wishes. By stomping on the ground, the user can have the vines spawn from underneath them. The vines can grow to upwards of five miles past the user before they cannot grow any further.

Longevity (Awakened): Users lifespan has been increased by 12 fold. For example, if the user lives up to 89 years, they will now live up to 1,068 years old. On top of this, their appearance based on their age is slower than the actual age they are. For example, if they are 18 years old, they will still appear as they were at 13 years old. Physically, they'll stop aging at what they'd appear at 25 years old, and their brain will not degrade after fully growing into its own, effectively making the user immortal until they expire. Of note, this lifespan can increase should they take proper care of their body.

Super Regeneration (Awakened): Can recover from every form of injury so long as even so much as a single speck of DNA is left of them, and so long as it is usable. Of note, if both the heart and the brain are destroyed at the same time, not a millisecond before or a millisecond later, then the user will die immediately, and by being destroyed, that means they both have to be reduced to atoms, not even a single scrap of either can remain if you wish to put the user down for good. The user can also use this power through touch, similar to the Quirk "Repair" and heal others, though to a far more limited capacity.

Shock Absorption (Awakened): The user can take up 58 Megatons of force (the same force that the Tsar Bomba would unleash upon the world if it detonated) at once. However, it is Shock Absorption, not nullification, so if repeated blows can surpass such a yield of destruction, and if it is focused, then the attacker will break through Shock Absorption for a few seconds. Shock Absorption also doesn't mean that their skin cannot be broken. The human body is naturally squishy, so it can still be pierced. It just means that the impact of the blow will be lessened by a wide margin. Of note: Light-based attacks seem to cleave through the user regardless of power output.

Super Strength (Awakened): The user's physical strength is increased 100,000,000,000 fold (100 Billion. A big number, but a big number doesn't necessarily mean good). If, say, for example they can naturally punch down a wall before accepting this Quirk, the user will now be able to wipe out a country in a single punch should they put everything into that punch. However, if it over exceeds what their body can handle, it could lead to repercussions to their own body, if the body cannot physically handle such a blow, then dishing out this kind of strength might cost the user a limb or multiple, so learning to control this unparalleled strength is a must so that they do not inadvertently hurt themselves.

Spear Fingers (Awakened): Allows the user to shoot out their fingers like spears. These spears are omnidirectional and heat-seeking. They can go for, up to, 5 miles ahead of the user. They can pierce through tungsten steel (a metal denser than the Earth's Crust) like its butter, but they melt easily in fire.

Pain Nullification (Awakened): The user is immune to all forms of pain, regardless of where it comes from. Cut their limb off? Nothing happened. Head knocked off their shoulders? Unless they don't die right away, to them, it means nothing. Shoot them in the heart? Same verse as the first, did you just do something? Break half of their body instantly? Well, that looks ugly, still don't feel anything. You get the point.

Springlike Limbs (Awakened): User can coil their limbs like springs and jump high distances (250 Miles into the air). They can even shoot out concentrated air blasts by coiling their arms back and springing out immediately afterward. Winds produced can level a street instantly.

Forcefield Projection (Awakened): The user can generate forcefields that can absorb damage up to that of a thermo-nuclear missile (28 Megatons) and, upon shooting out the forcefield, it will do double the damage (52 Megatons). Of note, the more shields are created, the less they can absorb and dish out.

Airwalk (Awakened): The user can, quite literally, walk on air.

Stamina Negation (Awakened): Can go without sleep for up to a month, and can go the same without food or water. The user still needs these things to survive, but they do not need them for a long time.

Multiplier (Awakened): The user can sprout up to 100 extra bus-sized limbs out of their body. These limbs can use other Quirks, so long as they originate from the user's hands, with the only exception being All For One, as it is attached to the original limbs of the user.

Zero Gravity (Awakened): By touching an object, person, or animal, the user can remove the gravity of said object, person, and animal. By flexing their muscles, however, they can spread this infinitely, and there no longer is a weight limit behind how much Zero Gravity can remove.

Limitless (Awakened): The user can shoot out balls of Red (a miniature ball of destruction capable of destroying multiple large buildings at once), Blue (a miniature Blackhole that can suck up 500 newtons of material before imploding unless the user wills it to blow up prematurely), and Purple (a massive ball of destruction that can destroy everything in its path for up to 50 miles ahead of the user, before blowing up in a multi-city spanning explosion, though this depends on how much it sucks up in the process of travelling that 50 miles).

Warping (Awakened): So long as The User knows where a specific person is, they can either do one of two things—warp themselves to them, or them to the user. Of note, this can work through other dimensions, but only with the condition that the user has seen their face in person, and knows their current location.

Bombify (Awakened): The User can plant a bomb on the person they touch that will instantly blow up upon the user willing it so. This bomb will destroy them at an atomical level, leaving nothing but smoke. However, the bomb's power relies on the anger that they are feeling at that moment. This anger can be directionless, but if the user is specifically angry at the person the bomb is attached to, then it will be extremely effective.

Flamethrower (Awakened): Complete mastery over the flames they can generate. For example, they can shoot out a beam of fire that can get up to 5,730 degrees Celsius (10,340 degrees Fahrenheit). The user is also highly resistant to flames of that temperature or lower. Past that, and the flames will actually be able to burn the user.

So, uh, yeah, that's all of Luz/Toshiko's Quirks. She is a walking weapon of war. Everyone is lucky she is (currently) mentally stable (kind of). Now, onto the chapter! (this has taken two pages :cries:)

[Truth, Lies, and The Inbetween – Part 1]

[Mutant Realm, 113 Years Ago, 2001]

"Brother! Please, stop this!" Yoichi pleaded to Rikitatsu, both of whom were now in their early 20s, 27 years old, to be exact, as the older of the two twins held up a man in his 40s by the throat. Rikitatsu stared into the man's eyes, anger dancing behind them as a pathetic means to try and intimidate the older twin brother. The man that he was holding up by the throat was their father. The person who had abandoned their mother and left them on the streets to die. His crimson eyes narrowed as Rikitatsu scowled.

"This man… he left mother to die. Left us to fend for ourselves. Why shouldn't I get rid of him?" Rikitatsu spat, callousness seeping into his voice as the man he held by the neck sputtered and gasped. His face had changed in hue, going from off-tan to a light red. Still, despite being choked out, he could talk.

"D-Do you e-even know w-who I-I-I am?! I-I'm Tamashiki S-Shigaraki! I-I'm a m-member of P-Parliment! Y-Y-You can't—"

"Shigaraki, huh?" Rikitatsu hummed, a devilish smile taking up his visage, ignoring the man's ramblings. "Yoichi Shigaraki and Rikitatsu Shigaraki… finally, our names are complete. For what it is worth, father. I thank you for finally revealing yourself," Rikitatsu continued as Tamashiki's eyes widened, bloodshot and panic-filled, he began to kick and bash his hands and shoes against Rikitatsu.

He was scuffing up Rikitatsu's new suit. How upsetting. He had just gotten it too after working with the police for the last ten years. He had wormed his way up to being a Captain, too. It paid decently well, and while he wasn't allowed to use his Meta Abilities—the non-passive ones, anyway—he was still a force to be reckoned with.

That aside, he was starting to get annoyed that the man continued to kick at him. It would have done something, had Rikitatsu not come across a skin physical pain nullifier Meta Ability. All Rikitatsu could do was scowl at the feeble attempt at hurting him, increasing the pressure on Tamashiki's throat.

Thanks to the job that he now had, being a Police Captain for the Shibuya District in Tokyo, he was able to look up local files based on criminal cases. It turned out that their mother, Aiya Kagurami, had been a convict, having been arrested on numerous charges such as petty theft, prostitution, drug smuggling, drug indulgence, and assault on numerous occasions.

However, there was one time where she had reported a crime. Not one she had committed, but one that had been done to her. The timeline had lined up exactly with his and his brother's date of birth nine months after the fact. He had once thought that his mother was simply just a lone crackwhore who got far too ahead of herself. But now that he knew the truth, he had become far more displeased with the man in front of him.

The person who was responsible for what had happened to her. The person who had inadvertently spawned them. The person who had caused his mother a great deal of suffering.

This man. His biological father.

This monster.

Rikitatsu had no morals, that much was obvious. But even then he knew where to draw the line. Sure, killing, maiming, and all of that fun stuff. He condoned that. Even human experimentation to a degree. But there were just some crimes that someone didn't commit. Even someone like Rikitatsu, who despite the fact that he was a police officer who actively committed crimes in his free time, knew that committing those crimes made you an animal.

Their mother was only 17 years old when she had them, having been kicked out onto the streets due to her Spearlike Bones Meta Ability and forced to live on the streets. To mellow that pain, she had started taking drugs, and did whatever it was that she had to do to live—he knew this because, along with the other people whose powers he stole, she was in his dreams. One day, she met their father, and that was when it happened, resulting in their conception, which wasn't a consensual one.

This man before him. This man who was in parliament, making laws for the people of Japan—his and his brother's home, Tamashiki Shigaraki, was not only someone who had raped their mother but had done so when she was a child. And that… that royally pissed him off.

"Digging through police files," Rikitatsu began, a full-on sneer worming its way onto his face, "I was able to find out that our mother was Sexually Assaulted. She was a local drug addict, a kid with no place to go or run to. And as such, she was often taken advantage of. You must've been the one who committed the final act. A vile, disgusting individual such as yourself deserves nothing. You are vermin, even amongst the other rats in this city, you are the worst. Your political power means nothing to me. Die."

And with the flick of a wrist, Rikitatsu snapped the man's neck, much to the shock of Yoichi. All of the words that came out of Rikitatsu's mouth, while true, still didn't take away the horror he saw committed before him. Yoichi knew his brother didn't mind ending the lives of those whom he saw as a nuisance, but he never saw him do it before.

Watching his brother take the life of someone, even if that someone was horrible, didn't sit right with Yoichi. Even if what Rikitatsu had said about that man before him—even if that was true—the fact that his brother killed him was more than enough to prove to Yoichi that something was wrong.

"Brother…"

"Don't start. He deserved it. Besides…" Rikitatsu began as he reached into the pockets of the corpse and plucked out his wallet. Opening the wallet, he had found his debit and credit card, along with his ID, and a few wads of cash totalling around about 500K Yen or the equivalent of $5,000 in filthy American money. "He has some money on him. Not to mention we can sell is ID on the black market for some extra cash. That way, we can continue your treatment."

Rikitatsu looked over his brother, his expression dropping from a smile to a frown. The young man, while healthier appearing than he was when they were kids, was still sickly in appearance. Though now he had more meat on his bones, the fact still remained that his brother was weak and frail. He had a cane in his right hand, and his hair, much like his own, had gone starch white in colour.

He was dressed in a baggy white t-shirt, and a pair of black jeans. He still wore the bandages over his arms as a means to protect them from getting cut on anything, and while his skin still had that same sickly hue, it was less than when they were kids.

"You don't need to kill and steal for that anymore! I, you… we're better off than before. We don't need to keep doing this!" Yoichi said, voice slightly raised though hushed so no one would hear them. They had both jumped their "father" in the alleyway nearest to a salon, so they needed to hurry this up.

Rikitatsu sighed, pocketing the wallet before dusting himself off. "Brother. You must understand. I did that for our mother. That man—"

"I heard you. I understand why you did it. If my arms weren't as weak as they were I would've slapped him around myself," Yoichi scoffed, shaking his head. "It's not that which I have a problem with. I have a problem with you still doing this. To others. To those who don't deserve it. You're better than this. I know you have a passion and dream of your own—one that I share—but we can do this differently."

Yoichi paused, looking to the ground. "I know that you keep telling me that it's pointless to try and appeal to the good side of you, what with you saying it doesn't exist, but I don't believe that. I know that it exists in you. Otherwise, you wouldn't have been taking care of me back then or now. If you are truly as evil as you say yourself to be, then why haven't you discarded me yet?"

Rikitatsu's frown turned into a scowl, his hand clenched into a fist. "You're my brother, Ichi. I would never leave you behind. I—"

"My point exactly. You care. Granted, it's only about me, but if you just spread that care out to others… you could be the leader that I know you can be," Yoichi said, approaching Rikitatsu before putting a hand on his shoulder. The older of the two siblings looked at him with a hint of confusion in his eyes whilst Yoichi smiled. "You and I, I know we're destined for something special. What that is, I don't know. I can feel it in my chest. I know that you know that too. Prove me right. So please, for me, stop stealing from others. Stop killing other people. We can still bring peace to Japan."

Rikitatsu frowned, shrugging his brother's hand off his shoulder. Yoichi hung his head low, not needing to hear his brother's response to know what he would say. Rikitatsu turned his back to his brother and continued down the alleyway, gesturing for him to follow.

Yoichi did the only thing he could, and did as his brother told him to do.

As they walked, Rikitatsu led him back to the train station. It took longer than normal because Yoichi was here, and so they had to stop for a medical mask and a pair of gloves so he didn't get sick. Even with all of the Meta Abilities that Rikitatsu had, not all of them could heal his brother. He could only heal physical wounds, not infections, viral sickness, or bacteria.

The train was supposed to take them from Shibuya to Yokohama which was where their house was. Boarding the train, the two siblings stood side-by-side. Yoichi was still uncomfortable with what Rikitatsu had just done, but Rikitatsu couldn't have cared less. He avenged their mother, so as far as he cared, what he did was a good thing.

The train ride only took about 30 minutes, which was shorter than the last time they took the train. However, considering the last time there had been a delay thanks to there being a robbery in the train station that they were heading to, that was most likely the reason for it.

That was another thing that was starting to get on Rikitatsu's nerves. The crime rate in Japan had been exploding lately—thanks in part to himself, of course—and it made his daytime job worse. Meta Abilities were seen as weapons worse than guns, and the government was planning on putting a widespread ban on Meta Humans doing basic things, like going to school to decrease the damage that could be caused.

On top of that, they were already being banned from going to stores, and next month they were going to be forced to wear a special tag that identified them as Meta Humans. Rikitatsu wasn't a fool. He had read enough history books to know where this was going, and he was going to curb it before it got to that point.

He had already amassed upwards of 50 Meta Abilities. He knew he was reaching his limit, but he would break past it by continuously working his body. He knew he could fit more, but he just needed to make the space.

Getting off the train, Rikitatsu led his brother to their home and took him inside. When they got in, Yoichi made his way to his bedroom, whilst Rikitatsu took off his suit top and tie, revealing the white button-down shirt he wore underneath. He was physically built like that of a Greek God, which had been the point.

Some said he had a sleeper build because of how well his clothes hid his muscles, but that was something his brother had. Yoichi had been working out, too, to be healthier. No one knew it unless he flexed his arms, but he had muscles just like him. Due to his sickly nature, though, it took longer for him to put anything on.

The reason why he was getting his brother to work out, aside from getting him to become healthier, was because he had a plan. He recently received a Power Stockpiler Meta Ability. It would make his brother stronger over time, and if he could find another Longevity Meta Ability, he would also give it to Yoichi. That way, they could rule Japan together.

That, and he wanted to give his brother a chance. Because next month, when the Government planned to roll out that new law, he was going to launch his attack. He had been gathering followers in the underground. Yakuza, Criminal Organizations, and even the Meta Liberation Army. They were under his control and were waiting for his signal.

A small smile spread across his face. It was almost time for his dream to come true. And he would have his brother by his side. No matter the consequences that came from it. He would not lose his prized possession.

Not now, not ever.

xxXXxxXXxx

Julia was confused. One minute, she felt the sweet embrace of death at the hands of that one girl with the strange spear-like fingers. In the next, she found herself standing in what appeared to be a castle entrance, adjusting to what was going on. Well, it was more like a throne room than a castle entrance, but the point stood.

Large ornate windows peered into nothingness, and rows of golden chandeliers lit up the structure she had found herself in, along with a red carpet with golden lining and tassels. On top of that, there were several cages dangling from the roof next to the chandeliers, with blob-like creatures sitting inside them, formless and motionless.

That in and of itself was strange, but then there was the fact that right now, she was staring at a man whom she did not recognize. White hair, red eyes, and pale skin were his most defining traits, and those were what made him seem so eerie to her. He was dressed in a black tuxedo with an equally black tie and a white shirt underneath.

It almost reminded her of her father's business attire.

But, the most confusing thing of this whole ordeal—aside from the fact that she should be, without a shadow of a doubt, deceased—was that this man knew her name. That had set off alarm bells in her head, and with no exit in sight, the only thing that Julia could do was take a step back.

"Oh, please. Do not fret. I won't hurt you," the man said, the smile on his face radiating what she could only describe as malice. Not directed at her, but rather at someone, or perhaps, something else. It didn't calm Julia down even in the slightest.

"W- Who are you? W- Where am I?" Julia stuttered, eyes frantically scanning the place. There were three chairs, all three of which were thrones. The one the man sat on, an empty one, and another one next to the empty throne. All three were golden with red cushions, with what appeared to be lion's heads sitting at the top of the thrones in a perpetual roaring expression.

"What a fantastic question, Ms. Wittebane. But first, take a seat on the throne next to the empty one. It is yours after all," the man said as Julia blinked. The throne next to the empty one was for her? But why? She didn't question it, though she did approach it with caution. Walking up to the throne, she sat down carefully, before relaxing into it. It was surprisingly comfortable. It reminded her of her old bed.

"Now, as for your questions. My name is Shigaraki Rikitatsu. As for where you are, you are within a dimensional space known as The Vestiage World. A construct created by the Quirk known as All For One. This Quirk used to belong to me, but now, it belongs to its current user, Toshiko Shigaraki. Or, as you knew her, Luz Noceda," the man, Shigaraki, explained as Julia's eyes widened slightly.

"Luz… this is Luz's world? And what do you mean by Toshiko?"

"That is what Luz goes by now. She changed her name due to her previous name having done nothing but haunt her due to her actions at the camp and after the fact. Let's just say that she doesn't have the bestest of reputations," Shigaraki replied as Julia narrowed her eyes.

"What do you mean "her actions"? What did she do?" Julia demanded as the man smirked.

"She did the only thing that was reasonable for her to do when she found the bodies of her friends strewn about in her team's home base. She slaughtered everyone who committed the act, all in the name of revenge. The tragedy was named "The Massacre Of The Fools", and Toshiko became quite the social pariah after the fact. She tried to live a normal life after the fact, but your father wanted her dead due to the threat she posed. One thing led to another, and now they're in a silent war after having been dragged to a new dimension known as The Demon Realm, oh, and Gravesfield was wiped off the map during a four-hour conflict."

Julia couldn't respond to that, because what was there to say? All she could do was stare blankly at the ground soaking in what this Shigaraki man had just told her. Luz… she killed those at the camp as a means to avenge her friends. To avenge her.

That… wasn't what she wanted at all.

And yet, there wasn't anything that could be done about it. It was already done, and so there wasn't anything that could be said to object to what had happened.

"Does she at least regret her actions?" Julia asked as Shigaraki frowned.

"Constantly. There is never a day where she doesn't reflect on her actions with shame, despite the fact that there was nothing else that she could do. They were coming to kill her, you see. So she had no choice but to defend herself, and as a result, she had to kill others. It was either her, or them, and she chose correctly," Shigaraki replied as Julia hummed.

There wasn't much else that could be said then, now was there? If Luz, or Toshiko, or whatever she went by now regretted her actions, then that was all that could be done. Still, it rubbed Julia the wrong way, even if it was the only thing that she could've done.

"So, what now?" Julia asked as Shigaraki reclined in his chair.

"We sit here and patiently wait for when Toshiko arrives again. In the meantime…" he snapped his fingers as a pack of cards appeared in his hands—Uno, to be specific, as well as a table. "How about a game of Uno?"

Julia shrugged. "Sure, why not?" She saw no reason to deny him that. She felt that this place was boring without something to do, and so she'd take anything over staring off into the darkness.

And thus, Julia Wittebane and Rikitatsu Shigaraki passed the time playing Uno.

xxXXxxXXxx

"This tastes like Apple Cider," Eda overheard Toshiko remark as she took a sip from a glass of Apple Blood—non-alcoholic, obviously, because she was a kid. King liked the non-alcoholic version because it 'didn't taste like wet, sweaty socks' or something along those lines.

When they got to her house, Hooty was thankfully asleep. The loud, obnoxious, annoying doorstopper had to sleep once a week and today just so happened to be one of those days. Don't get Eda wrong, she liked the big goof, but there were some days when she wished he'd just shut up. Constantly yammering about random things that came to his mind, and that wasn't even talking about the screechy voice he had.

"Let's not and say we did, yeah?" Eda thought, rubbing at the side of her temples as she looked over to Toshiko. "Do ya like it?"

"I was never a fan of Apple Cider," Toshiko remarked, looking at the red liquid with a raised eyebrow. "But this isn't as bitter as I was assuming something called "Apple Blood" would be. So yes, I like it," Toshiko said, a small smile taking up her visage. She took another sip of the drink before putting the glass down. "Also, uh… quick question. You wouldn't mind if I slept here for a few days, yeah?"

Eda shrugged. While she wasn't a fan of having strangers in her home, Toshiko was a kid, and the last thing she needed on her conscience was knowing that a kid, no matter who they were related to, was out on the streets without a roof over their head. "Sure thing. I don't mind. Just don't be too alarmed when and or if a large owl face peers in on you every once and a while."

"What?" Toshiko blurted out as Eda smirked.

"You'll see what I mean when you meet him. Hooty's nice, but can be annoying at times," Eda replied as Toshiko sighed, looking down at herself. "Oh, and I'll get you some actual clothes. I think I still have some of my old stuff from when I was your age. Don't know if it'll fit or not, but I'll see what I can do."

"Thank you," Toshiko replied as Eda turned to go up the stairs and toward the attic.

The house that Eda lived in was three floors, technically if you included the attic. There was the first floor with the living room, the guest bathroom, and the kitchen all separated into different sections of the house. The living room was connected to the entrance, which had a couch, a table, and a few bookshelves filled with paraphernalia and books about magic and its properties.

Past the living room, there was a hallway that branched out into three separate directions. Straight ahead was the kitchen/dining room, to the left there was a staircase that led to the second floor, and to the right was the guest bathroom. Taking a left, Eda walked up the stairs and onto the second floor.

The second floor consisted of a bathroom off to the immediate right, and next to that was Eda's room. Across from her room was a guest bedroom. It used to be Kings, but he became too big to sleep inside the house, instead, he lived out in a den he made a few feet away from the house itself. Then, of course, there was the closet, which had a ladder leading up to the attic.

Walking down the hallway, Eda opened the closet, stepped inside, and pulled on a rogue string that dropped down a set of ladder stairs. Climbing up the ladder, Eda entered the attic, coughing at the amount of dust that invaded her nostrils. It didn't take Eda very long to look through the confusing mess of boxes to find a box of her old teenage clothing, which had been labelled as such.

Grabbing the box and bringing it down with her as carefully as she could, Eda put the ladder away and tucked the string back where it needed to be so the ladder didn't come falling down again. Afterward, Eda walked down the hallway, down the stairs, and back into the living room where Toshiko patiently sat having drunk the entire glass of Apple Blood.

"This box," Eda began as she placed it in front of Toshiko, "contains all of my clothes from when I was a teenager. I was going to donate it but decided against it. Take it up to the guest bedroom on the second floor, which is the bedroom across from mine, and go try some stuff on and see if it fits. The guest bedroom has a label on it and everything, so you can't miss it," Eda said as Toshiko nodded, looking at the box before creating vines out of her fingertips, ensnaring the box and heading toward the stairs.

When she disappeared up the stairs, Eda sighed. She had to admit, Toshiko didn't seem bad. But there was just something about her. Something that Eda didn't like. Be it how empty her eyes looked, or how her face was always stuck in a perpetual neutral gaze, Eda constantly felt like that, at any moment, the kid could snap and do something stupid.

It also didn't help that she had an uncanny resemblance to him. So much so that she was half tempted to ask if they were related. Like, seriously, she had the same white hair and the same red eyes. It was to the point that she could either be his extremely young little sister or his daughter. Either or would've worked, because that was what it looked like.

It also didn't help that there was an aura surrounding her. An aura of malice, discontent, and anger, but also loneliness, regretfulness, and sorrow. Two clashing emotions that didn't mix well when left alone. It was clear that she went through something horrible, that much was obvious just by looking at her. But it didn't change the fact that Toshiko was still potentially dangerous.

For all Eda knew, Toshiko could be an agent sent by him to see what had happened in his absence. And it was that thought that made Eda stop herself from fully letting her guard down around Toshiko. Until she could confirm that she was 110% safe to be around, Eda wouldn't trust her as far as she could throw her.

"Just who are you, Toshiko Shigaraki…" Eda thought with narrowed eyes. Perhaps she made a mistake by letting Toshiko stay here for a while. However, she'd have to find out about that later because right now, nothing seemed to be wrong. Just like most things in her life, she'd find out the hard way, because the last thing she wanted to do was set off that ticking time bomb.

Still though…. Those eyes… that expression. It was just too….

"If there's one thing I know from my long-lived life, it's that you can't be too careful. All of my enemies have always had some kind of second wind, but you, Eda Clawthorne. I won't allow that to happen."

Eda winced at the memory, putting a hand under her chest. That was where he had ripped out her heart. If it hadn't been for the fact that she hadn't cast an illusion over it having it seem like it had been crushed, she would've died right then and there. She had to fake staying dead long enough for him to focus on something else before she got up again.

Due to her curse, The Owl Beast kept her alive no matter what, with the sole exception of her heart being destroyed. Divorce her head from her shoulders, and she'd get back up after a while. Lop off her limbs one by one and over time she'd regrow them. She couldn't truly die thanks to the curse, but if she were to ever lose it, she'd be back to being normal.

That was why she didn't want to part with it. Before, she did, but its use in the battle against him proved to her that she could master it. She did, briefly, during that fight with him but she had never been able to do that again. She needed to be pushed to her absolute limits again, and King couldn't do that because of his leniency against her.

But… if she asked Toshiko…

"No. Too dangerous. Can't trust her just yet with that information. Not unless I have to," Eda reprimanded herself. What was she thinking? She still couldn't trust that kid yet. Not until she knew Toshiko wasn't an immediate threat.

Part of the reason why she was allowing Toshiko to stay here, aside from not wanting to have a guilty conscience about leaving a kid out to starve on the streets, was to gauge her personality and to see whether or not she should hand her over to Belos.

Oh, don't get her wrong, she despised that man with every fibre of her being. But, they were on so-so terms, and if she handed over a potential threat to him, then perhaps he'd get off of her back for good. But she would only do that if she had no choice. Just the thought of handing anyone over to that man made her stomach churn, but if she was going to avoid yet another war with someone like him then she'd do anything.

Even if it meant betraying her own morals.

Too many people died because of him. She wasn't going to let a repeat event happen. Especially not if she could help it. Doubly so if it wound up being because of her. Again.

"Ms. Clawthorne? How does this look?" Toshiko's voice broke her out of her thoughts as she glanced down at her. She was dressed in an orange and black varsity jacket that had a few pins on it that represented the tracks at Hexside, specifically the Beast Handling Coven, Abomination Coven, and the Illusion Coven. Coupled with a pair of black pants with grey hoops hanging around the waist, Eda had to admit it looked pretty good.

"What's underneath the jacket?" Eda asked as Toshiko unzipped it, revealing a dark blue shirt with the picture of a Giraffe on the front with the words "nightmare fuel" underneath. Eda snorted, smirking at her choice. "Alright, that's good. You can keep it if you want. Also, they're magically enhanced so they won't burn off in case, for whatever reason, you and King fight again. Which you shouldn't, but whatever."

"Actually," Toshiko said as Eda raised an eyebrow. "I was wondering if you'd be okay if King and I became sparring partners. Before you showed up, the two of us found out that we had a lot in common, and he proposed the idea."

Eda frowned. That could be both a good thing and a bad thing. Chewing on the inside of her cheek, Eda looked out the window of the living room. King still hadn't returned from the river from his bath. Titans were special in that they could bathe in the acidic water, whereas Witches, Demons, and Beast Demons couldn't. They had to purify the water first, and that process was dangerous. It was why most of the time they simply used magic to keep themselves clean.

King had always wanted to hone his Titan Powers. Eda was getting too old to keep up with him and was also starting to get significantly weaker than him to challenge him. One of two things could come from this. King could get strong, strong enough to take her down if she turned out to be like her predecessor, or, Toshiko could surpass King in strength and become even more of a threat that she potentially represented.

"Let me think about it first. Don't do anything with him unless you have my permission, got it?" Eda said, leaving no room for argument in her tone. Toshiko stared, eyes narrowed for a split second before closing her eyes, sighing, and turning around to head somewhere else in the house.

Once again, Eda had to wonder just what her motives were. What was she trying to do?

Maybe she was just overthinking things. She was just a kid, but then again, she was also possibly related to him, so that excuse went out the window.

Whatever the case was, she was going to keep an eye on her. Even when she left, she would keep an eye on her until she either disappeared off the face of The Boiling Isles or until Eda died. She would not let history repeat itself.

Even if it meant she had to kill Toshiko Shigaraki to do so.

-To Be Continued-