Remember when I said "one chapter a month"? Well, guess what? I lied. I've decided to write ANOTHER chapter! Why? Because I need to work on something else, that's why. That, and I need to give this story some much-needed love.
With that being said…
WARNING! THIS STORY CONTAINS SCENES/MENTIONS/IMPLICATIONS OF THE FOLLOWING: CANNIBALISM, EXTREME GORE, BULLYING, ABUSE, BRUTAL DEATH, HUMAN EXPERIMENTATION, AND HEAVY BLOODSHED.
IF ANY OF THESE THINGS BOTHERS YOU, TURN BACK NOW!
IF THE WARNING DOES NOT APPLY TO YOU…
THIS IS A FAN-BASED FICTION
I OWN NEITHER MY HERO ACADEMIA NOR DEMON SLAYER/KIMETSU NO YAIBA
ALL I OWN ARE MY OCS
Now, onto the chapter!
[Beta Read by Doc43Souls]
[Vol 3 – 3: Choices and Consequences – Part 3]
A small apartment wasn't what Ochako was thinking of seeing or being in when she was brought to the "base of operations" of The Hero Cannibal. Then again, Izumi couldn't have been older than 15, so she guessed it made sense. Heck, she had lived in an apartment as well, so it wasn't like she was shaming her, him, they, or whatever the hell Izumi went by, because she too had been in this kind of situation.
Moving past that and to something that Ochako cared about, that thing, or more accurately, a person in question being Eri. She had been taken back to her apartment for the night after her run-in with another Demon who was seemingly unaffiliated with Izumi, and was trying to kill her. To say it wasn't a concern was a lie, but something that she had a feeling Izumi was in the know about, so it probably wasn't going to be a problem for much longer.
All of that aside, Eri was still scared of Ochako, considering all that had happened back in that apartment with Ito and Bakugo. It was understandable, if not a little upsetting. Then again, as far as Eri was concerned, Ochako was "friends" with the person who had tried to kill Izumi's friend and potentially her, so it kind of made sense.
But now that she was in the house of The Hero Cannibal sitting on the lap of Izumi, who in turn was sitting on a chair facing everyone, she seemed to be more comfortable. That… made no sense in Ochako's opinion, considering Izumi was infinitely more of a worse person in regards to Ochako, you know, considering Ochako wasn't a fucking serial killer, but that was neither here nor there, and Ochako was fairly certain that Eri didn't know.
Speaking of Eri, she was no longer wearing rags. Ochako had been conscious enough to get her something more appropriate to wear than that. Eri was now wearing a pair of pants, specifically a pair of kid's loose jeans, and a white shirt with an Oni mask design on the front. Oh, and she even got her a cute pink scrunchie to wear on her wrist just for the sake of having one.
Aside from Eri, the other two people in the room—her fellow Demons—were all lounging around, treating the place as a hangout zone rather than a meeting room like it was most likely intended to be.
First, there was a young-looking girl named Natsumi Nakime. Natsumi had silky white hair, rainbow eyes, and ashen pale skin. Her eyes were the most notable thing about her appearance-wise, considering they looked… a little weird, but then again Ochako had pink and brown coloured eyes, so who was she to say anything.
As for what the Demon was wearing, Natsumi was wearing a cat-themed summer dress with a pair of black knee-high socks. It was a rather casual outfit that left her arms exposed. Said exposed arms revealed what appeared to be green vine-like tattoos starting from her wrists all the way up to her shoulders, before branching off to have what appeared to be flower-like tattoos resembling Spider Lily's peeking through the bands of her summer dress.
If it wasn't for the fact that Ochako had known that Demons usually got markings of some kind that somehow related to them as people, the brunette would've thought that Natsumi had gotten tattoos, which was extremely taboo in Japan.
Then again, so was eating people, and that was a worldwide thing. So she guessed applying Japanese taboos to Demons didn't really make much sense when their entire existence was a taboo even in itself.
Moving on from that, Natsumi's actual appearance was a little jarring when comparing her to herself and the other Demon in the room that wasn't Izumi. To say that Natsumi looked more childlike than even Eri was a lie, but she was the youngest in terms of Demons in the room. It was… kind of jarring, all things considered. But at the same time, it was nice, or not-so-nice depending on how you looked at it, to know that Izumi wasn't killing children. He was merely turning them into Demons.
Currently, Natsumi was stretched out on Izumi's couch like a cat would. It was… a little strange to say the very least but she assumed everyone had their personality Quirks, and that just so happened to be Natsumi's.
Then, there was the other girl, Tsukauchi-san. She was leaning against a wall next to Izumi's TV with her arms crossed and her expression neutral. Tsukauchi had long brown hair that reached down to the center of her back. The tips of her hair were coloured red, and up until where her hair met her shoulders, after the red tips, her hair was a slightly lighter brown, then a darker brown the rest of the way up to her scalp.
Her eyes, specifically her sclera, were a deep black, and her pupils were a bright yellow. Her skin was a sickly shade of yellowish green, along with a set of three-inch claws coming out of her fingers. There were little holes on the tips of the claws that looked like they could dispense something, and over her right eye were what appeared to be three lines going from her right temple to her chin.
There was a look of confusion on Izumi's face, and it was directed toward Tsukauchi. It got Ochako to think that maybe Tsukauchi hadn't looked like that the last time that Izumi had seen her. And that thought was answered when Izumi spoke.
"Your appearance has changed, Mikan. I take it that it has to do with the amount you've eaten?" Izumi asked, her quizzical as Tsukauchi nodded.
"Yes, Muzan-sama. I can say the same for you too. You are… a woman now," Tsukauchi noted as Ochako raised an eyebrow.
"Muzan-sama…? I thought your name was Izumi," Ochako said as Natsumi frowned.
"No, his name is Izuku. Izuku Midoriya," Natsumi said with a frown, before casting a look over to Izumi… or Muzan? Or Izuku… as in the missing boy Izuku from four years ago. "Oi! Midori! Why are you lying to these girls about your name, huh? Also, since when can you shapeshift, copycat!" Natsumi pointed out as… Izuku? Muzan? Izumi? Whatever the person before them's name was sighed.
"All three of those are my name. All correlating to the other identities that I have in the public eye. Izuku Midoriya, for the boy that went missing 4 years ago after his mother's demise. Muzan Kibutsuji for the Mcdonald's employee and student at Musutafu Secondary School. And Izumi Sugiyama for The Hero Cannibal. Feel free to call me whatever name you wish in private. In public, however, you will only call me by "Lord", or "King." It is so that none of my identities are compromised. Am I understood?"
A pressure unlike any other hit all of the Demons in the room as a small vein made itself known on Izumi's forehead. It felt like a small anvil was being pressed down onto the center of Ochako's back, and it hurt a lot. And it seemed as if everyone felt that pressure too, something that Izumi seemed to notice, causing her to clear her throat.
"Excuse me, I'm sorry about that. I'm still… annoyed over the loss of Ito. I guess some of my anger came out that time, however, the point still stands," Izumi stated as the weight lifted off of the Demons in the room. Natsumi looked tired because of it, Tsukauchi seemed annoyed, and Ochako felt a mix of the two.
"Onii… chan, is scary when she's mad," Eri muttered as Izumi ruffled the little girl's hair, looking down at her with a small smile on her face.
"Everyone can get scary when they are mad, Eri," Izumi replied before looking back at everyone else. "Now, moving on. There is something I wish to discuss. And that is what I want all three of you to do."
"What would that be, Midori?" Natsumi asked as Izumi's expression went from neutral to serious. Once again, a small amount of fear filled the Demon's chests, as Izumi spoke.
"All of you need to get stronger, sooner rather than later. Natsumi is the weakest, but that is because she has only just come back to life. The strongest in the room, not including myself, is Tsukauchi, leaving Uraraka to be middling between the two. However, that doesn't mean I want it to stay that way. You all must become as strong as possible. And the only way to get stronger… is to feast on human flesh."
That was the one thing that Ochako was dreading to hear, and Natsumi seemed just as uncomfortable about the idea as well. Tsukauchi, on the other hand, didn't react. Either it was because she didn't care, or, it was because she already knew that.
"Midori… what if… I don't want to eat other people?" Natsumi asked as Izumi looked over at her with narrowed eyes.
"Then you will starve to death. After all, I have to feed myself as well, so unless the situation is desperate, don't expect me to pity you for not being able to hunt for yourself. It doesn't matter who you eat, but it isn't as if you have a choice. Demon biology does not take nutrients from human food, or any other kind of meat. I've learnt this the hard way… and it cost me, my mother," Izumi paused, closing her eyes before looking back at Natsumi. "Unless you wish to become feral and eat anyone you see at random, I suggest you go on the hunt after this meeting. If you do not feel comfortable eating innocent individuals, then go after corrupt heroes or villains, much like I have and do."
Natsumi nodded silently, as Ochako felt a little uncomfortable. The idea of eating other people was still something that she couldn't get over. And… it didn't help that she had remembered what it was she had done when she had blacked out after first becoming a Demon.
She had killed and eaten two children. Two children that just wanted their inflatable ball back… And in her feral state, she had lunged at and devoured them without any hesitation. Something that she didn't want to have happen again. It was part of the reason why she agreed to eat that abusive father that Izumi knew about.
Still, though, that didn't mean she was going to actively hunt people. It was against her morals.
But… at the same time… she didn't want to go feral.
"Sugiyama-sama…" Ochako spoke up, causing Izumi to look in her direction.
"Yes, Uraraka. Do you have something on your mind?" Izumi asked as Ochako scowled, looking toward the floor.
"Why… must Demons eat humans? Do you even know why?" Ochako asked as Izumi frowned.
"No, I do not. All I know is that we are superior to humans in every way. Physically speaking, we are stronger. Power-wise, we can unleash more of it without any human limits being applied to us. And, our life spans are infinite. We do not die unless we are killed by those who wield Nichirin Blades. Otherwise, even if there is seemingly nothing of us left, even if we are reduced to a dust particle with even a hint of our DNA, we can regrow from it. Only Nichirin blades can truly kill us, as it prevents us from properly regenerating. And, from what I understand, that kind of metal is only found at the base of volcanoes, specifically, active ones. It is either that or, we starve and or bleed to death if we cannot regenerate."
As Izumi spoke, her stare became more intense, honing in on Ochako, who felt a chill run down her spine. Izumi's eyes were judgemental, and filled with what could only be described as immense disappointment. No, not disappointment, it was more like Izumi looked upon her as if she were nothing more than an insect, talking back to a predator.
And it scared the ever-living shit out of her.
"So, in order for us to stay on top of the food chain, those who are beneath us must be treated as cattle. Much like how humans view wild animals, we Demons will view them as the same. The only exceptions that I have to this rule are those who are children under the age of 13 years old. Beyond that, anything goes. My question to you, Uraraka… is why does that matter?"
Once again, the same pressure from before hit Ochako square in the back. And, this time, it was only Ochako. The weight was enough to make her bow down to Izumi. And because of that, the other two Demons looked at her with blank stares.
From her point of view, all she could see were their legs, and the rest, aside from their eyes, were covered in shadow, including Eri and Izumi. It was almost as if she was being judged by everyone around her. However, there was something that Izumi said that stood out to Ochako. Something that made her start thinking about something that genuinely disgusted her, but it invaded her thoughts nonetheless. Eri wasn't even a Demon. She was still a human. Which caused Ochako to blurt something out. Something that she knew was wrong but came out of her face anyway.
"W-What… a-about… Eri! S-She's still a human! I-Is she any different!?"
The pressure disappeared, giving Ochako a brief moment of reprieve. Izumi, for her part, raised her head, all the while her eyes were fixated on Ochako, the judgemental glare intensifying. "Excuse me? What did you just say?" It wasn't a question. It was a demand. And because it was a demand, the cold chill that clawed down her back somehow felt worse than what it would have had it just been a regular question.
However, even so, she needed to get her point across. She wasn't going to be afraid of Izumi, Muzan, Izuku, whatever the hell her name was, she wasn't going to be afraid of her. She wasn't going to let a villain, someone she was morally opposed to, scare her like this. She wanted to be a hero, damnit! Heroes were fearless in the faces of villains. They had to be because of their profession. And if Ochako wanted to be a hero, she couldn't be afraid of some villain.
So why…
Why was she so afraid of her?
Her eyes were like crimson rubies, and her sneer was filled with disgust. It was almost as if she was being looked down upon for being nothing but lowly trash. At that moment, she was no longer an equal, or a subordinate, but someone who was being put on trial for committing a crime.
There was a build-up in her throat. The kind you'd get from being intimidated. She wanted to vomit, but she didn't have the strength. Her stomach twisted and turned as the glare continued to become harsh. Cracks began to form in her skin, as blood began to seep out. Now, mixing in with that fear and humiliation, pain came into the picture. The same kind of pain she felt when her arm blew off in the woods.
"Speak."
And thus, she spoke, fearing retribution if she kept silent any longer.
"I-I said… what a-about Eri?! S-She's human! D-Do you plan to raise her a-as livestock!" Ochako ground out, glaring at Izumi with enough hatred to level a city. "Y-You just said… that w-we should t-treat humans like cattle… so… a-are you telling me that y-you're going to kill Eri w-when she gets older?!"
Eri's eyes widened at that, as she looked up at Izumi. Fear, true, genuine fear filled the young girl's eyes. Ochako saw it, Natsumi saw it, and Tsukauchi saw it. Natsumi looked mortified at the fact that Ochako even said that, and Tsukauchi seemed to be revolted by that idea. The longer Izumi stayed quiet the more damning her statement became. If she didn't speak now, then—
Ochako's legs, right arm, and left hand exploded all at once, blood spraying everywhere, hitting the walls and coating the floor.
Ochako howled in pain as she fell stomach-first to the ground, tears building up in her eyes as she looked up at Izumi, who had nothing but rage hiding beneath her gaze. An oppressive, almost toxic air filled the room, one that only she could smell, as Izumi spoke.
"If you ever insinuate that I would ever eat someone who I would consider, even for a moment, to be my little sister, voluntarily, ever again, I will erase you. Do you understand me, Ochako Uraraka?"
"Y-Yes, I-Izumi-s-sama…!" The words were forced out of her mouth. She didn't speak them out loud voluntarily, but either way, it seemed to be enough for Izumi to accept. After a few minutes of her writhing on the floor, one of Izumi's whips flipped open a freezer, before throwing a slab of meat in her direction. It looked to be a part of what used to be someone's thigh.
"Eat. You barely have enough blood to regenerate. This, as I mentioned earlier, is also a side effect of not eating enough. You won't be able to regenerate wounds, which can slow you down and lead to your death by bleeding out."
Ochako eyed the piece of meat, before dragging herself over to it and biting down. It didn't take long for her to finish the whole thing, and when she did, her missing limbs began to regrow. After a few seconds, they fully grew back. Slowly rising from the ground, Izumi stared her down with narrowed eyes.
"Let this be a lesson to you, Uraraka. You must hunt. If you do not, you will continue to get weaker and weaker. After losing as much blood as you have, you are now weaker than even Natsumi. I suggest you leave and go find someone to kill and feast upon. It matters not who they are, or what they are doing. Desperate times call for desperate measures."
Then, Izumi's glare became twice as intense as it was just moments before, the intensity matching the King of The Demon's words.
"And one more thing. If you ever talk back to me in that manner and throw baseless accusations at me again, I will keep true to the promise I made a moment ago. I am your King , your Lord , and I do not take descent well. You're already on thin ice, and I've already given you two chances out of the three everyone here is allotted. The first time in the forest, and now about what you just said. You have one more chance . Do not make me regret giving it to you. Now leave."
Without arguing, Ochako left the apartment as fast as her legs would take her, the twisting feeling in her stomach haunting her even after she was far away from Izumi. She felt like she was being watched at every turn, and she practically was.
Whatever faith or trust Izumi may or may not have had in her was now gone. Thusly, she had to get it back. She had to earn her keep and prove herself. And the only way she knew how to do that was by doing the very thing that she was against doing.
Killing and eating other people.
Screw her morals, screw her reservations, in order for her to survive, she was going to do whatever it took to live. She had to obey her Lord because if she didn't, she would die. And the last thing she wanted to have to happen, above all else, was for her to die.
And she would prevent that. She would not allow herself to die.
No matter the cost.
xxXXxxXXxx
The news of Naomasa Tsukauchi's, along with his wife's deaths, hit Toshinori square in the chest. His blood boiled and his anger showed in his tense posture. Not only that, but Mikan Tsukauchi also disappeared without a trace on the day of the deaths, and the only remains of Naomasa and his wife were bones picked clean.
It was startlingly similar to the disappearance of Izuku Midoriya four years ago; a case that became infamous all across Shizuoka Prefecture. If this turned out the same way as that case—which Toshinori would make sure did not happen—then the reputation of Musutafu City would take another hit.
What made things worse was that it wasn't just Naomasa Tsukauchi and his family who died and or went missing. It was the entire MCPD. All 60 active officers were killed and devoured. Their corpses were still fresh in Toshinori's mind, as was the memory of the vomit he had spilled out of the nearest window upon seeing the brutality on display.
Good… it was horrible. The corpses had undergone severe rotting rather quickly, or at least, what was left of them. Most of the bodies were picked clean. Those that weren't had barely anything identifiable about them, so each and every person in that room filled with dried blood and spilled guts were Jane and John Doe's. All except for the one that he recognized as being Naomasa Tsukauchi, and that was only because of the trenchcoat that Naomasa always wore while on the job.
And that was just two hours ago. Two hours ago from when Toshinori was awake in the morning, to now. When he had gone there to see if his friend was willing to have a cup of coffee with him whilst they discussed anything meaningful, his reward for going to check up on his closest friend was him being greeted with an abundance of death that Toshinori should have been used to.
Keyword being: Should have.
But that wasn't the worst thing about that. No, because if that were the case then maybe, just maybe he would be able to move on from it a little easier, even if it would have taken months to do so.
No, because now he partially believed that Naomasa's death along with his family's and other police officers, was his fault. Why? Well… it was because of one, small, very crucial detail.
The murders were committed only three hours after he dealt with The Sludge Villain, and by then, he had run out of time to be All Might. Three Hours . Even if he had been there to see it, he would have probably just been another victim, and All Might would have disappeared and would never return.
If only he hadn't fucked up with The Sludge Villain when he was on his way to deliver it to the police station. If only he had been able to notice that he had dropped the bottle that he had contained the villain within when he leapt across the city.
If only...
But there wasn't anything that he could do about it. And because of that, it cost him his dearest friend.
But, that wasn't the worst of it. No, because of course it wouldn't be. To add insult to injury, he might have seen The Hero Cannibal's face—because that was who it was, there was no denying it—because The Hero Cannibal was most likely in the crowd of people who had gathered to see the defeat of The Sludge Villain .
God, it pissed him off something fierce to think that he had been that close to The Hero Cannibal. Because, realistically speaking, there was no way The Hero Cannibal had travelled miles just to kill a bunch of Police Officers. That was insane .
Then again, The Hero Cannibal was considered an S-Tier Villain, bordering on SS-Tier.
The same tier as All For One.
And just like All For One, Toshinori was going to make sure The Hero Cannibal paid for what they did.
However, as much as he wanted to make sure The Hero Cannibal was put to justice, much like All For One, The Hero Cannibal was illusive, also just like All For One . So much so that no one knew what they looked like, what their age was, or if they were a man or a woman. Their Quirk was completely unknown, which only made things worse.
At least with All For One, Toshinori had the displeasure to know all of the above. With The Hero Cannibal, that wasn't the case. No one knew anything about The Hero Cannibal. Oh, there were theories, plenty of them, but all of it was conjecture and none of it was fact.
It left Toshinori with a bad feeling in his gut. If they didn't find out who The Hero Cannibal was, what their power was, and more importantly where they were located, then things were only going to get worse. This wasn't to mention that he was getting weaker as time progressed. His body was failing him, and the embers of One For All, while still burning, were slowly dwindling.
To make matters worse, his successor was having a hard time getting used to the new power of One For All.
"Uh, Yagi-sensei, you okay?" A voice cut through the blond man's thoughts and got his attention. His crystal blue, sunken eyes darted over to the direction of where the voice. It belonged to a well-built 17-year-old, with spiked-up blond hair, and black eyes. He wore a tank top, and a pair of jogging shorts, and on either side of him were 35-pound dumbbells for bulking up his arms.
His overall physique was that of a body-builder, but even with that, behind those muscles was pure strength thanks to his combat training. Despite his wearing a shirt, due to the amount of sweat that was covering it, if one squinted, one could see well-defined six-pack abs, and a perfectly built chest and shoulders. His neck was also as thick as a log, which contrasted with his baby face.
"To be completely frank with you, Togata-shonen, I'm still reeling from the deaths of my closest friends…" Toshinori replied as Mirio Togata's expression became sombre.
"I wish I knew how that felt, Yagi-sensei. I know though, that if something like that were to happen to Hado-chan and Amajiki-kun… well, actually, I don't know what I'd do!" Mirio replied, a grin on his face as Toshinori felt a bead of sweat travel down his cheek. While it wasn't prominent, there was malice oozing off of the boy.
To be so sweet, and so devilish at the same time, it was truly terrifying.
Coughing into his hand as a small amount of blood trickled down his chin, signifying to him that he was moments away from transforming into his unmuscular form, Toshinori sighed. "I pray that you do not have to experience that kind of pain, Togata-shonen."
Mirio Togata. What was there to say about the boy? Above-average grades and mastery over his seemingly useless Quirk make it one of the most formidable. He regularly tops all of his physical classes and heroic classes as if he had already done them multiple times before. His energetic personality was downright infectious, and above all else, he had the soul of a true hero.
And to think, his mother hailed from the Agatsuma bloodline. The kind of bloodline known for their cowardice and selfishness. For such a boy to be produced from it was amazing, if not impossible. And yet, here Mirio was. His mother was also just as tenacious as Mirio, whom Toshinori had met. Why? Well, because on day one of Mirio getting One For All, his mother, Nanako, was able to sniff out the fact that her boy now had two Quirks.
How? Well, Nanako's Quirk was called Advanced Smell. So, like a bloodhound, she was able to sniff out and identify someone's Quirk. As such, she was a Quirk Counsellor.
Needless to say, the conversation with Nanako was… fierce to say the very least. Thankfully she approved of Mirio becoming the successor to The Symbol of Peace. The undertones of the conversation were… interesting though. A lot of vague threats of removing his spleen if anything happened to her "baby boy" as she put it.
With a devilish look in her eyes whenever she said it or made a hint to it, Toshinori was of the firm belief that she wasn't kidding, nor did he not believe her when she said it would be easy.
Speaking of Mirio, when the boy became his successor, it allowed him to reconnect with someone that he had, for all intents and purposes, cut out of his life due to outside circumstances. That man being Sir Nighteye, aka, Mirai Sasaki. Mirai Sasaki was a close friend of Toshinori's around 7 some-odd years ago. But, because of his recklessness and selflessness, Sir Nighteye needed, and wanted, to be left alone so that he could mourn Toshinori.
All of them knew that Toshinori was going to die. Mirai knew it, Toshinori knew it, Gran knew it… and despite the fact that Mirai "mourned for him", Toshinori took no offence to it. He understood why Mirai would do that. It was so that when Toshinori did die, it wouldn't impact him as hard. It was strange, don't get Toshinori wrong, but whatever made Mirai feel better, the better off Toshinori was.
And speaking of Mirai, the man was ecstatic when Toshinori passed down One For All to Mirio. It was… almost kind of worrying how happy he was. Then again, despite his serious demeanour, Mirai was still a fanboy at heart, even if he was a friend. So he took the reaction as Mirai going into a "fanboy state" and left it at that.
Then came the training regiment that Mirai and Toshinori both agreed upon. It was borderline insanity. But, it produced someone who could compete with The Symbol of Peace, if not out-match All Might in his prime. While it would take years, and by the time Mirio was ready to become the full-blown Symbol Of Peace Toshinori would've already been dead, it would be worth it.
While Toshinori knew he wouldn't be able to see it, Mirio would make a fine Symbol Of Peace.
"Alright, Togata-shonen, let's move on to some cardio, shall we? You've been pumping iron for the last two hours now," Toshinori stated as Mirio smiled.
"Yes, Yagi-sensei!"
There were nine months until the next semester. Mirio was about to start his third year at U.A., and Toshinori—no—All Might and Sir Nighteye had faith in the boy. Toshinori, on the other hand, had absolute faith in the boy, as did Mirai.
Soon, very soon, Toshinori wouldn't have to worry about dying. He would be able to die in peace. To know that All For One was gone. Besides, The Hero Cannibal, while dangerous, was nowhere near as dangerous as All For One. At least, not from what he had seen or heard. Besides, it wasn't as if Toshinori wouldn't be able to put a stop to The Hero Cannibal. After all, they were nothing like All For One.
There was absolutely nothing Toshinori needed to be worried about.
-To Be Continued in – The Price of Peace – Part 1-