warning: one of the characters drops the f-bomb.
The room exploded with laughter, people screaming with it, tears rolling down faces. Reigen exhaled, biting his lip, Ritsu's deathly aura lessening slightly.
Teru cracked a smile, chuckling and tossing his head back, the crippling tension finally leaving the room. Mob's shoulders relaxed a bit, staring at the words "Teru's Head- 0%."
Two silhouettes on opposite sides of the room. Mob, on his knees. Teru, with his new haircut.
"You'll pay for this."
"There's the face of a man who knows that he is fully and thoroughly screwed."
"If he wasn't gonna die before, he probably is now."
Teru pretended not to hear them as he died inside.
"I won't forgive you, even if you apologize!"
"Okay. It was an accident, but if someone did that to my hair, I would probably attempt murder as well."
"Was that why you had the giant haystack wig?" Reigen muttered to Teru, who nodded, withdrawn.
His purple jacket dropped to the floor as he pulled his tie off, spinning it in front of him. It became a sword.
"Dope."
Ritsu glanced at him. "How did you do that?"
"I have qualms about arming you with a sword, Ritsu."
Mob looked surprised.
"You..." Teru whispered.
Then, his face was displayed looking like a tragic painting.
"You totally thought I look even more like an ochimusha now, didn't you?'
"..."
"Oh my god, he does look like an ochimusha."
"Huh? I didn't say that."
"So you did think it."
"I... I can't even tell what's happening anymore."
"No, that's fine," Teru said, bringing a hand to his face. "I'll admit it. This shameful sight! This truth!"
He sounded like he was in enormous pain. "And I'll acknowledge you, too. What's your name?"
"Kageyama... Kageyama Shigeo."
"Kageyama... I'm Hanazawa. Hanazawa Teruki."
"Bond's the name... James Bond."
"The bond's Name... James Name."
"Bond Name's the james."
"Bames Nond's having a stronk, call a Bondulance."
"Hi, Hanazawa-kun. Nice to meet you."
"No, not as a friend. I acknowledged you as an enemy. By doing, that, I can get even more serious about this."
Lightning flashed and Teru struck.
Several people jumped back, startled.
Teru screamed, bringing the sword down. Clouds of dust exploded from the wall, leaving a long slice in its wake.
"S-stop this already." Mob brought his hands up, deflecting the sword strike.
"If you want to stop this, make me stop!"
"This has gone way too far."
Reigen nodded. It's not going to end well, that's obvious.
Teru continued to slash, over and over. "Come on, come on, come on! What's wrong?"
The strikes clashed against Mob's shield.
"Fight back, or you'll end up badly hurt!"
He rocked back, drops of sweat dripping down his face. "You're dealing with me!"
"And you're dealing with him."
"I'm popular, and I'm the main character of this world!"
About half of the school let out a heavy exhale through the nose.
The sword laid waste to the room, tearing posters from the wall, breaking a faucet, spraying water into the air.
"Everything revolves around me!"
"Ladies and gentlemen, the irony inside of this bus is astronomical."
He rocked backwards, glowing an odd purplish color.
"Hanazawa Teruki is the chosen one!" His eyes rolled back slightly.
"Everything about this kid screams 'not completely sane.'"
"Not all the lights are on in that attic."
"Got a few screws knocked loose."
"I get it," Teru muttered.
"Why? How can you be so confident in yourself?"
"What a stupid question! It's because I have psychic powers!"
Reigen remembered what he had told Mob-that it was okay to be confident in your powers, so long that you didn't get cocky, like Teru had.
And yet, Mob was still not confident with his powers- or, it seemed, with himself.
Why?
He sat back, pondering.
The holes through the walls were displayed. Sparks crackled from the wiring. "It's the power to control all!"
Water from the broken sink poured onto the floor.
"And you are my first enemy! Now, attack me! Let's have a test of strength!"
"No," Mob said, firm.
"Why?!" Teru cried. "I'm telling you that it's okay!"
"He didn't tell you it was okay to attack him."
"I think two consenting adults should be able to duel legally."
"What?"
"Hm?"
"Because... I don't want to injure you really badly."
"Wha?" Teru paused, then laughed. "What a funny joke! Don't compare me to those average people. I'm on a completely different level than them as living creatures."
"Being able to use psychic powers isn't that..."
"What?"
"Oh, well, I just thought you were going a bit overboard."
"Yes, just a little, though."
"Like, just a smidgen."
"A molecule."
"You're the only person who could make that argument." He lowered his tie sword. "That's why you're an eyesore!"
"Oh, I just realized why you hold such animosity toward me."
"Parry this, you freaking casual."
"You don't like me because we're the same. You're sort of like me, Hanazawa-kun. Not the fact that we both have psychic powers, but the fact that you have no confidence in yourself, like me."
Ritsu froze. Reigen blinked, eyes narrowing.
Confidence is a mask for insecurity.
It zoomed in on Teru's head, blue and bald.
"If you take away your psychic powers, there'll be nothing left. You'll be empty."
It went further towards Teru's head. "You're scared of that realization."
Hairs sticking out of his head. "No friends, and no standing out."
People. One looked like Mob, standing alone.
"Just another average loser who won't leave a mark."
The figure. Mob.
"That's me."
Reigen's breath caught. Ritsu stared, eyes wide.
Teru's sword was limp-just a tie, again.
"Hanazawa-kun, deep down, you're the same as me."
Teru's hands were tight fists, trembling.
"You just won't admit you're nothing without your psychic powers-"
"What the hell, Mob?" Reigen said quietly.
Mob bit his lip, staying silent. Teru's hands tightened on his arms.
Ritsu could see.
As it turns out, 20/20 hindsight was a thing, and he contemplated.
Nii-san's inferiority complex towards me. Mine towards him.
Him being envious, because-
"I contribute nothing."
Mob's voice, quiet and subdued.
The three of them looked at him.
His eyes were squeezed shut, and he was trembling weakly.
"I'm not good at sports. I lift weights, but I'm no good at that either. I'm not talkative, or outgoing, or smart. I have psychic powers. That's the only unique thing about me. If I vanished-" his breath caught- "If I died one day, the world wouldn't change. Nothing would be different.
"Ritsu would stop having to fix spoons. Mom and Dad could focus on the better child. Reigen-shishou could move on and find someone else to work with. Therefore, I am useless. I contribute nothing to society. Without psychic powers..."
Ritsu, walking along the bridge, pointedly ignoring his brother, thigh-deep in the river.
Reigen, absent from his life.
A slap across the face from his teacher.
Paper thrown at his head, milk poured over him, a fly landing on his face.
A dead cat. A laughing girl.
A screaming girl, begging for mercy, begging for help, begging to be saved.
"...Without psychic powers, nobody would care," he finished quietly.
In the background, the episode continued to play. Teru shouting at him, telling him desperately that he was wrong, that they were different.
"We're the same," Mob told him, lowering his head slightly.
"From my perspective, you're totally average."
Ristu stared at his brother, pupils blown wide. Reigen was reeling. Teru seemed dead to everything.
Mob's chest heaved. He stared at his hands, folded on his lap.
Teru ran forward, abandoning the sword, and slammed his hands around Mob's neck. He grimaced as Teru's hands tightened.
He's not using his powers...
There were gasps and shouts from the audience, but the four of them didn't hear.
"Nii-san..." Ritsu choked out.
Reigen willed his hands to stop shaking. He failed.
"O-oi, Mob-" He grabbed his shoulder, sounding rattled. "You-"
Lightning flashed.
What am I doing? How did this happen?
Ritsu trembled, reaching for his brother.
"Nii-san, please, I don't-"
Damn it, it's you! This is all your fault!
"-you shouldn't talk about yourself like that, you know-"
Everything was perfect. As long as I used my powers, everything went exactly how I wanted it to!
Teru shook.
And yet, you took my world...
"-we need to talk about this, you can't just say something like that and expect us to let it drop, I'm your brother-"
You... Your existence...
Things around them started to float.
...Destroyed that!
Mob's eyes burned, a lump forming in his throat. He reached out, grabbing Ritsu's arm and one of Reigen's lapels.
"Be quiet. Please, please-"
His voice broke.
"Damn it!" Teru screamed. "Use them! Use your psychic powers!"
The four's eyes returned to the screen.
Ritsu almost went into shock. "What the hell did we miss-?"
Mob choked, his heart pounding, eyes rolling back slightly. A thudding heartbeat-
69707172
"No..." he managed to gasp.
A chill spread throughout Reigen's body. Ritsu tensed, bringing his cup to his lips and taking a mouthful.
It burned on its way down. He didn't notice, nor did he care.
Another heartbeat.
737475
I can't use them...
Blue light started to spiral from his hand.
Reigen hissed a soft curse.
Ba-bump!
76777879
His face was red.
I can't use them against people!
Teru's eyes widened slightly. Is he coming?
Mob's fist smacked weakly against his face, then slid off.
The room was dead silent. Not a word was spoken, not a soul moved. They stayed frozen, waiting.
"What the heck was that?" He said, voice cracking.
"Just how much are you going to keep rejecting me?"
Soft piano music played in the background.
"Hey, Kageyama. Didn't you say that you started working out?
"That means that no matter how hard you try, that's all you got."
Mob sank further into the couch cushions.
80%
His fist tapped against Teru's face again.
"People can't change that easily. Just give it up. Use your psychic powers. Otherwise, I'm going to..."
Kill you.
The screen faded to black.
"Give it back!"
Ritsu stiffened. Shit.
The camera panned down. Two small boys, a group of older ones.
"Give us back our New Year's money!"
Reigen frowned.
How is this important?
One of them held Ritsu by his sweatshirt collar.
"Don't get cocky, brat. I'll kill you."
"Ritsu!"
Mob got pushed back. "You stay out of this!"
Ritsu, reaching for him. "Nii-san!"
Reigen's hand twisted, holding a tight ball of couch fabric, cursing internally.
Mob's eyes widened, a soft gasp-
A heartbeat.
The delinquints, red blood pooling around them.
"Nii-sa..."
Mob, a splatter of blood on his cheek.
"It hurts, Nii-san..."
Reigen's eyes widened, and it took all of his willpower to not turn to Mob. Teru squeezed his eyes shut.
He... I...!
Ritsu swallowed. So he doesn't remember what happened?
I'm going to change.
Teru's hands shook.
He was trying to be better. And I... I'm so awful!
"I'm sorry, Kageyama-kun," he choked out, tears spilling from his eyes.
"I'm so sorry-!"
Ba-bump.
Ritsu, sprawled on the ground, a pool of red around his head.
"I am, too, Hanazawa-kun," Mob whispered.
81, 82.
Ba-bump.
I won't use them.
No wonder...
No wonder he was so adamant about not using his powers against people!
Reigen's hands shook.
Ba-bump.
Blood on his hands.
83, 84.
Tears leaking down his face.
I'm going to change!
Ba-bump.
85, 86, 87.
Ritsu's unconscious face, blood cloaking his forehead.
Ba-bump.
88, 89, 90.
Ritsu, a bandage around his head, smiling.
Ba-bump!
91, 9̷̨̠̻͐͂2̷̺̟̝͚̟͔͍͉̃͋̈́͝.
It fuzzed, like a machine shutting down.
Mob's eyes widened.
They're brown, Reigen noticed.
He fell forward, unconscious.
The room stayed still and silent, a hypnotic trance encapsulating them.
Reigen watched, sweating. Ritsu had a tight grip on Mob's hand, who was staring forward with dulled black eyes.
Teru cried silently, shoulders trembling.
"Huh? Hey, Kageyama..."
Mob was unresponsive.
Teru's voice shook. "Hey... Hey! Wake up! Wait! Don't leave me behind! Kageyama..."
Thunder booms, rain sheeting from the sky.
"Kageyama Shigeo and Hanazawa Teruki. The battle between these two espers never reached its conclusion."
Reigen let out a soft sigh of relief.
"As a result of rejecting each other's ideals, there was no victor, and they were only left with a deep feeling of emptiness deep in their hearts."
Teru walked away, sad.
"Or so it seemed."
Something black shot into the air, then everything went white.
Everyone's eyes widened at once, breaths catching.
Teru turned.
The thing in the field of white was pure black, clothing and hair whipping around its body. The song from earlier was playing, but it had a more sinister tone now.
Reigen paled.
Teru stared, arms crossed in front of him. "What... is that?"
The things eyes glowed white, twisting lines of blackness- scribbles- marring its face, as if it was made up of them.
?̸̧̖̰̺͓͇̻̱͈͔̰̫̝͗̍̀̂̊̒̑̓̕?̷͚͋̄̐̋̀̇̍̎̈́̊?̷̨̖͇̹̬̈́̕͜%̵͎̤͊̾͌̑͋͋͋
There was a long, extended pause. Then, one brave student spoke up and voiced everyone's thoughts.
"What in the sweet ever-loving fuck just happened?"
Do you finally feel like fighting?
"Are you insane?" Reigen snapped. "Don't fight him!"
Mob swallowed, pulling his knees to his chest.
The thing in the whiteness stayed silent.
"Good! In the end, you couldn't stay true to your ideals, either!"
It disappeared, moving toward Teru.
"Bring it! Ultimate Barrier!"
The thing tore through the barrier like it was paper and shredded off his clothes.
Reigen winced as the crowd gasped.
The heavy wind blew Teru back, slamming him against the wall. He coughed, falling onto all fours.
He laughed.
"You used them! Kageyama!"
Rocks floated around them.
"You couldn't take it anymore and finally used your psychic powers! You used them against another person!"
Mob wished for nothing else then to sink into the cushions and disappear forever.
I used my psychic powers against another person.
He buried his face in his hands.
Huh? Is he unconscious? Then what the hell is this power?
Lines of white streamed from all around it, pulling them towards it.
What...?
He glanced down, looking at the floating lines of yellow coming from him.
My powers are being sucked in by Kageyama... No, that's not all... all of the energy in the atmosphere...
Rocks burst against the radiant being.
Are you telling me his vessel is able to handle this much?
Reigen frowned. His vessel?
This is a lot more complex than it was at first glance.
"Teru sensed in there something that must never be touched."
Blackness ate away at the screen, showing a dull face, mouth opening wide in a horrifying scream.
"Something incomparible, its identity unknown."
A chill shot down Reigen's spine. His gaze shifted to Mob, who watched with wide eyes.
"You didn't know about this, did you?"
Mob shook his head, quaking.
He rested a hand on the boy's back.
"It'll be okay."
Statues ripped free of the ground. The school cracked, starting to float into the sky.
"You're kidding... what in the world did I awaken?"
The thing's eyes flashed white, over and over and over, getting bigger and bigger.
The ground burst open, rising into the air, taking Teru with it. He screamed.
The faceless creature stared up at him, more rocks shooting into the air.
"That's enough!" Teru screamed. "I'm sorry! I won't use my psychic powers against other people!"
Mob made a small noise.
He begged- screamed and begged me to stop and I- and I...
Teru cleared the clouds. All the earlier franticness was gone- he was above the storm. An uprooted tree floated near him.
He floated, a smile on his face, arms outstretched.
"Oh, I guess... I'm actually just an average person..."
It was cruel; yes... Reigen thought, but unfortunately, it may have been the only way. To change him for good, and keep him from going back to the way he used to be.
The sky was still grey. Mob, back to normal, knelt in an empty dirt space where Black Vinegar Middle School once was.
His eyes were wide and traumatized, like he had seen something truly awful.
"It didn't take long for Mob to realize."
97%
Ritsu frowned. What? I thought it was over.
Reigen felt sick. Something was different, something was-
His face contorted, soft guitar music playing in the background, eyes welling with tears.
"He failed to change."
Reigen stared. Everything about what he was seeing was wrong- Mob, crying, tears dripping off of his face.
Mob closed his eyes, tilting his head forwards.
"He caused another accident because of his psychic powers."
Ritsu felt like he was going to cry himself.
98, 99%
Teru felt like the worst person on earth.
I made an emotionally repressed person cry.
Mob bent over, shoulders shaking.
"He didn't know where to direct his emotions."
The school watched, quiet.
The sun shone through the grey clouds.
"He was overwhelmed, his powerlessness born from contradictions."
Rocks started to descend from the clouds.
"The feeling that he would never be able to conquer himself..."
Mob's hair spiked, clothing starting to fly around him.
100%
The number faded to white.
"Sadness."
Reigen's heart ached for him- he was just a child, a child saddled with a burden, forced to carry the weight of psychic powers he didn't need nor want.
He was not normally a sympathetic man- one should not be a sympathetic conman.
But, perhaps, he could spare some for his student.
Mob's eyes were pure white, tears leaking down his face. The rocks behind him fixed themselves, repairing, rebuilding.
The school stood back in its former glory, the final pieces coming together.
"This was Mob's meager attempt at resistance towards himself."
He shouldn't have to resist himself.
Ritsu hadn't realized, of course. How could he? Every episode, every scene he saw, solidified the feeling of hopelessness. How could he understand his brother?
His brother didn't understand himself.
Reigen felt such an odd combination of emotions surging inside of him. He touched his chest hesitantly, feeling fragile just from the image of Mob, kneeling in front of a broken school.
Someone broken, fixing something he in turn had broken. Making it whole again.
Soft rain fell from the sky. Mob stood in front of the school, looking up at the sky. Teru, from across the schoolyard, watched him.
"Hanazawa-kun, um... I'm sorry about your clothes an-"
"W-wait! Kageyama, I'm..."
Edano and the rest of the Black Vinegar gang stood.
"Ow... What happened with the fight?"
"It's Teru-san! He's right over there!"
"Huh? What the hell?"
"He's been brutally executed!"
"I-I'm not gonna let that happen to my hair!"
No one had the heart to laugh.
Teru watched them run away. "Those guys..."
He smiled. "You saw it, Kageyama. It's just as you said... If you take away our psychic powers..."
"Kageyama-kun!"
"Ah, guys."
"Hey, Kageyama," Goda said, reaching out. "Are you hurt?"
"They're good guys," Reigen said quietly.
"Yes," Mob agreed hoarsely.
"I'm fine."
"I wouldn't call what just happened 'fine' but okay."
"All right, then, good."
Teru watched, then turned towards the sun and smiled.
"There's nothing I can even say. I completely lost."
The scene changed. Mob, walking down the sidewalk.
"Mob searched for three hours, but he couldn't find Dimple."
"You did find him eventually, right?" Teru said, speaking for the first time in a while.
"Yeah."
"I'm home."
A light in the house flicked on.
"Nii-san?"
Ritsu offered him a towel.
"Welcome home. You're going to catch a cold."
And I couldn't even tell something was wrong. I should have tried harder.
He took the towel. "Thanks."
"You're home late today. Is there something you want to eat?"
"Nah. I'm just gonna head to bed."
"You seem down. Did something happen?"
Mob stopped.
"If you need to talk, I'll be happy to talk. Good night."
"Ritsu."
He's a good brother. Mob is lucky to have him.
Reigen nursed a fresh cup of tea, sitting back.
"I'm sorry about that one time."
"That one time? You mean when you got carsick and threw up into the hood of my jacket?"
Someone winced.
"No... well, I'm sorry about that, too. I really can't remember what happened with that accident involving my psychic powers."
Short-term memory loss is back on the board. Or maybe it was because he was unconscious?
Dark, creepy music started to play. Ritsu's hand tightened on the doorknob.
"Oh, you mean when those high school kids picked a fight with us."
He continued, casual. "You didn't do anything to me, Nii-san. One of the punks kicked me away, and I got hurt.
"But you protected me, Nii-san."
Ritsu smiled.
"You should get over it already. Good night."
Reigen's eyes narrowed.
That last line... too forceful for the casualness he was trying to mimic.
Mob paused and looked down at the towel in his hands.
Ritsu sat on the couch, watching the TV.
"Today, after 5 PM, countless people have reported seeing a supernatural phenomenon in the stormy skies over Seasoning City. Among the rubble, there were reports of what looked like a person flying up into the air, but we have not been able to confirm any victims or their well-being."
Back then...
"Ritsu!"
"You stay out of this!"
Mob, as a child, getting slammed against a stone wall.
Reigen sat upright.
What if the force from that blow knocked him out?
He slumped forward.
"Nii-san!"
A black aura grew from the front of the delinquent, white light sending him flying back.
The TV continued.
"The theory that this was man-made is gaining traction."
The TV winked off.
That wasn't Nii-san. Ritsu was sweating.
Mob looked at him.
"What?" He muttered, looking confused.
The scene changed. Mob, laying in his futon.
I have no appetite.
A sneeze.
He caught a cold.
yeah, that's right. i wrote another chapter. happy halloween everyone.