"I died!" Fuhai shouted as Fu and him were once again in the room they shared inside their own body. "I died!"
Well, he's taking this about as well as I thought he would. Fu thought.
He'd been repeating "I died" for about ten minutes now, rocking back and forth in the fetal position, while Fu kept patting him on the back trying to calm him down.
"It's okay. You're dead anymore." Fu told him. "You're gonna be alive again, as soon as they find a way to rip your soul out of this body."
"They're gonna rip my soul out!" Fuhai wailed, tears pouring out of his eyes like rivers.
"Yeah, when I say it out loud I guess that's not comforting." Fu sighed.
Once again Fu was at a loss on how to handle this. What does one say to comfort someone after finding out they died, and now they are going to have their soul removed from their body, and placed into a new one.
So he just waited.
After hours, Fuhai eventually started to calm down. Or rather he cried so much he tired himself out.
"...We're rich now," Fu said, hoping to distract the other boy.
This did get his attention. Fuhai pointing his attention to his…other self? "W-What?"
"Yeah, after mom…you know." Fu saw the boy tear up again. His mother's abandonment was another massive blow to Fuhai's mind. "We got adopted by a really rich guy. And then he got even richer. He's probably the most rich and powerful person in the whole world right now."
"...How?" Fuhai asked. Letting, perhaps forcing himself, to focus on Fu's words instead of the terrifying situation he was in. That he was powerless to fix.
Fortunately for him, Fu's story was very, very long.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
"So how do we go about this process?" Izuku asked.
He, Futaba, Mai, and Murasaki, had taken their discussion to a meeting room. While leaving Fu's body under supervision.
"I've made designs for a machine that should be capable of removing souls entirely." Dr Murasaki explained. "Of course, I've only ever worked on it in my free time. And I've never constructed, much less tested it. Unless we want to risk potentially permanent consequences for Fu, we should test it on animals."
"Fine." Izuku sighed. He definitely didn't like the idea of ripping out animals' souls for the sake of experimentation, but he had little choice at this point. "Proceed with the experiments immediately. Top priority. But after we take out the soul, what next? We need a body to put it in."
"Theoretically we could have Yami make a Grimm body, but I'm unsure of how that would interact with his soul. Worst case scenario, the negativity corrupts him." Mai said. "It would be best to simply build him a new body from scratch."
"Why bother with an organic body?" Murasaki asked. "Why not give him an improved, robotic one. I think confining the boy to flesh would be… short-sighted."
"The boy's been through too much. Waking as an android just might cause his mind to collapse." Izuku said.
The door opened, and Dr. Hada stepped through. "Sorry for being late, I just got briefed on the situation."
"Dr. Hada, can you create Fuhai a body from scratch?" Izuku asked.
"In most cases, that would be hard. But for Fuhai, it should be simpler." Dr. Hada explained, taking a seat at the table. "Fu's D.N.A. is coded to rebuild itself. All it requires is materials and chaos energy. With enough of that, any piece of Fu could be grown into a fully formed body. We've been studying it for that reason. The only real issue is making sure the body is alive for Fuhai. But I can think of a few ways to fix that problem. In short, we can absolutely do it."
"Good. Then our plan of action is set. I want everything done as quickly as possible and without flaw." Izuku said. "Take no risk. Test, everything. I won't have any unexpected occurrences this time."
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
"So Fu was a clone this whole time," Nise said.
She and the rest of Liberation were chilling in the band room, relaxing after another practice session, when Nise suddenly brought that up.
"Y-Yeah. It's crazy." Fuku shivered. "I'm not sure which is creepier. Dying and your body getting right back up thinking it's you. Or being a copy and not even knowing it."
"I'm telling you this place gets crazier and crazier every day," Shina said, sipping some hot chocolate.
"So everyone has a vestige, and Fu's vestige became its own personality…am I a vestige?" Nise asked.
Shina shrugged. "You'll have to ask the scientists."
"So, what do you guys think about this?" Koe asked using text-to-speech. "I think it's pretty cool. Like a plot twist in real life."
"I feel bad for both of them. I know Fu doesn't feel much but all this has to be at least kinda hard on him. He just found out all this time, he wasn't who he thought he was. And that he's had a counterpart who was dead this whole time. And that other Fu literally died…now that I think about it, there's a lotta people here who've been killed and come back to life."
"Eri and Kiba did that too. Yeah, it's kinda weird." Fuku noted. "But, I think we should just…treat it like a new kid came in. Fu and other Fu will probably feel like their freaks, and the other people will think they're freaks. We need to make sure that they know they're still our friends. Or family."
"...Wow. That's surprisingly deep for you Fuku." Shina said, slightly impressed by Fuku's insight. "Good job."
Koe gave her a round of applause, which made Fuku blush with embarrassment.
"I just…thought about how I would feel if I was them," Fuku muttered.
"And that's what we love about you Fuku." Nise praised, seemingly a bit more chipper than before for some reason. "Anyway, back to practice guys! I'm fired up!"
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"You fools can not defy me! The fires of hell will be smothered by darkness!" Kiba shouted as she played Doom Never Ending on stream in her room.
I can't believe she hasn't died yet!
Little Kiba's become a true gamer!
How they grow!
KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK!
Lady Kiba, I would like a word. Yonda said from the other side of the door.
Can it not wait? I'm in the middle of something. Kiba sighed, as she paused the game.
I'm aware, but I need to speak to you sooner rather than later. Yonda told her.
Kiba groaned. "One minute my followers, I'm having a conversation with Yonda."
And we can't hear it because it's in their heads.
Don't know much about that Yonda girl. Wonder what she's like.
So what's your opinion on the whole Fu situation? Yonda asked. You seem very relaxed.
Is that all you came here for? Kiba rolled her eyes. Fu being a clone changes nothing. I never even met the original Fu so it's not like he replaced him for me. As for the other Fu, he'll just be one more sibling. And I'm so relaxed because Daddy, I mean caretaker, has assured me that Fu will be fine.
Yes, that is what he said. But I want you to understand, father and the scientist barely know anything about this situation. So there is a possibility something could go wrong. Yonda said.
Kiba glared at her. Yonda. What did you come here for?
Oh, she mad.
She only makes that expression when someone insults the quirkless or her dad!
What did Yonda say!?
Simply to make sure that if the situation…worsens, you don't lose your cool. Yonda said. We all know how close you and Fu are. If something happened, you might forget to control your strength for a second. Or worse, go into that berserk state.
That's not happening. Kiba thought firmly. Fu is going to be fine, and even if I did lose control of myself, this suit will-
The suit only does so much, and you know that. Yonda reminded her. But, I have something that can help you out a bit more.
She reached behind her, and pulled out a bag, handing it to Kiba.
Kiba opened it and found that there were a few of Amai's calming candies inside them. Did Daddy let you have these?
Yes, I actually asked for them this time. Yonda explained. He has…similar worries. And he wants you to have these just in case.
But…he said that everything would be fine. Kiba said, starting to sound worried.
Everything SHOULD be fine. Yonda corrected her. But everything should have been fine when we went to see the collective unconscious. But something that no one could have predicted would happen. And in case that happens again, we need you to be prepared. Such is the burden of power.
Okay, now it looks like she got some really bad news.
Lady Kiba, are you ok!?
I do apologize for having to worry you, but it's best we do this, rather than the worst happening, you accidentally turning someone into soup. Yonda explained. Again, such is the burden of power. But, the chances of something unexpected happening are low, and everything SHOULD be fine. So don't be too upset. And one more thing, the new Fu is going to be alive, not undead. Which means he'll feel pain. So don't go treating him like the old Fu, even if he can regenerate. Ok.
…Ok. Kiba answered grimly. Thank you for reminding me.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
A week later, everything was finally in place. They were ready for the separation process.
Meanwhile, Fu and Fuhai were in their little cognitive room, waiting for the extraction to happen.
Fuhai was trembling a bit, and Fu was keeping his distance, trying to make sure he didn't get in the way of the process.
"T-T-This isn't gonna hurt…right?" Fuhai asked.
Fu shrugged. "I don't know. But it wouldn't last long if it did. And it's better than being stuck in here forever."
"Y-Y-Yeah you're right," Fuhai said, still sounding utterly terrified.
"Remember, even when we separate, you won't be alone," Fu assured him. "I'll always be there for you. Always."
"...Thanks Fu," Fuhai said, almost smiling a bit.
CRASH!
Suddenly a giant shadow hand crashed through the roof and grabbed onto Fuhai.
"AHHHHH!" Fuhai screamed in terror, as he squirmed and tried to fight it, while the hand pulled him upwards.
"Don't fight back!" Fu told him. Their body was trying to fight the removal process. Fu himself felt an intense urge to try and stop this, but he was able to fight that urge back. "Just let it happen!"
The hand continued to pull through the ceiling, eventually Fuhai reaching that same elastic barrier that Fu had to go through. But that Barrier did very little to stop the process, and Fuhai was pulled through it.
And then, everything went white.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Fu opened his eyes for the first time in a while, as he took back control of his body.
Immediately he tried to move his limbs, and finally, he had success. His arms and legs moved as he wanted to.
"Thank goodness." Fu sighed.
Then he looked around. He was in another room in the labs. Strapped to a table, with what looked like some kind of giant claw hanging over him.
"Thought the process would be a bit more elegant, but if it works, it works," Fu said.
The door opened, and Izuku and Dr. Murasaki came in. Alongside Ji and Kiba.
"Fu! Are you ok!? Can you move everything OK?" Izuku said, running up to Fu to check over him.
"I'm fine, I-BRAGHH!" Fu immediately choked on his own intestines as Kiba hugged him.
"Don't ever worry me like that again! Kiba said, crushing his bones with her hug, as she tried not to cry tears of joy. "That's a command from your queen!"
Fu rolled his eyes. "I'll try my best, Your Majesty."
"The soul has been collected, and is awaiting its new body." Dr Murasaki explained. "I suggest we hurry. I wouldn't want to be stuck as a bodiless soul."
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Fu and the others watched the process from an observation chamber.
On the other side of the glass, was a new body. An exact duplicate of Fu. Lying down, strapped to a bed, in the center of a strange-looking machine.
"Let the resurrection begin." Dr Murasaki said with a huge smile on his face.
The machine came to life, as a mechanical claw came down, with glowing syringes attached to it.
STAB!
The claws stabbed into the new body, and injected it with the glowing liquid, before pulling back.
Then a ring rose up from the floor around the body, containing many crystals.
A few moments passed, and then-
"AHHHHHHHH!" Fuhai came to life, his body gasping for air as it rapidly twitched.
In the next moment the rings powered up, energy cracking around it like lightning, before that energy shot into Fuhai.
Suddenly his skin turned pinkish, his hair turned back to black, and life returned to his eyes.
The rings powered down, and a mechanical arm carrying a syringe came down, before stabbing the needle into the squirming boy's neck, quickly rendering him unconscious.
"All systems read positive!" Dr Murasaki turned to Izuku. "He is alive!"
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Wha…what happened? Fuhai thought, as he slowly regained consciousness.
His eyes opened, and light flooded in.
"Ahhhh." He hissed in pain, as his eyes tried to adjust to the light. Eventually, they did so, he could see his surroundings.
He looked to be in some kind of super-advanced hospital room.
The boy lay on a bed, with several wires attached to things on his body, and machines making beeping sounds.
"Finally awake huh?"
Fuhai turned to the side and saw Fu sitting next to him, reading a book.
"Fu!" Fuhai immediately went in and hugged him. "Am I alive! Am I really alive!? Is all that scary stuff over!?"
"Yup. Now you just gotta stay here for about a day to make sure everything's alright." Fu said.
"Why!? Is something wrong!? Am I gonna die again!?" Fuhai cried, suddenly on the verge of tears again.
"No, we just want to make sure," Fu assured him, giving him a gentle pat on the head. "You're the first person to have FULLY come back from the dead, so they wanna be through."
"R-Right." Fuhai calmed down a bit.
GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!
Fuhai looked down at his stomach and his face went pale. "Oh no! My stomach! Something's wrong! I'm gonna die again!"
"I think you're just hungry." Fu pointed out. This boy is gonna be a handful.
Please review and have a nice day.
