Heroes in the Dark chapter 27
It was with significant regret that Tokoyami stepped out of the child's room and back amongst far more sinister company. He chanced a look behind him before being led away, but Eri's face was downturned, casting it in shadow. He wished he'd gotten the chance to say goodbye, because even though he'd promised his return, he hadn't anticipated these obstacles to be emerging so soon. But by this point, he felt it was his responsibility to return to her the next chance he got, if only to remind her that he plans on being there for her. That could all very well be up to Overhaul, though.
Overhaul was talking in hushed tones with Chronostasis. Picking up on the conversation, his feathers prickled with unease, and once more he couldn't help but wonder what they were doing to that little girl. There was surely a darkness greater than anything he'd ever witnessed before brewing in the depths of these yakuza headquarters. And he was struck by the foreboding sensation that he was not the light that would pierce through it. Far from that.
"…and if you ever try to shirk your responsibilities again, then I will have you replaced before you even realize you're dead. It baffles me that I even have to explain that much after the demonstration I made of the last one," Overhaul said, his voice dangerously quiet and even. It wasn't that he sounded particularly angered by the ordeal, his expression unreadable, but that just made him feel even more unpredictable.
As though nothing at all had gone astray, he dismissed the mediator for the time and sent Chronostasis to check up on Eri personally.
"Is this truly acceptable, Boss? I worry that we're getting even more off schedule," Chronostasis said.
Overhaul waved it aside. "It's all within good reason. We need only move some things around to get back on track. And in any case, this is as convenient a time as any to establish some things. I won't be long."
Tokoyami noticed the way that Chronostasis directed his attention at him silently, as though appraising his worth. But he gave a nod of certainty, his faith resolute, and he could only watch as the masked individual disappeared inside the room, shutting the door in his wake.
I'm sorry I had to leave you so soon, Eri. This time around, there really wasn't much I could do.
Dark Shadow stirred in his mind. We'll see her again, though, right? You still need to introduce me to her, after all! Although for some reason I feel like this won't be the last time you'll be apologizing to her…
"I…" Tokoyami sighed. I didn't want to hear your input, thank you.
I can't help it if you're already thinking it!
A shiver ran down his spine, and he tore his gaze away from the door to find that the yakuza leader was looking at him curiously. "Hm? Was there something you wanted to say about what you just saw?"
Tokoyami drew his cloak close to him, holding it securely as though it was the only thing he was capable of grasping in this strange underground world. "N…not at all. It just came as a surprise, is all. I assumed I'd be the youngest one in this facility."
His amber eyes danced with amusement and something else, though Tokoyami doubted he was the kind to laugh things off so easily. Everything he said and did was much more coordinated than that, as though he expected satisfactory results from everything and couldn't fathom wasting precious resources on anything that wouldn't benefit him in some way. So then why am I here?
"And that's why you should never assume to know what's going on in a place like this. Rather, for someone like yourself, it may be best to just not think about it too much." He turned his back to him. "But no matter. Why don't I take you back to your room. Incidentally, this is just the opportunity I was hoping for."
Overhaul began walking down the hall, without even waiting to see if Tokoyami was following. Of course, it would be foolish to hesitate. He didn't want to risk upsetting someone like that. Though I feared I may have done that already. I haven't even been here that long…
Oi, he's going in the direction opposite of where we came from. Is that really okay?
Dark Shadow, I don't see how we have much choice. He knows this place better than we ever will, so it's probably quicker, Tokoyami assured to his quirk and himself as he quickened his pace to walk beside the intimidating figure.
Upon catching up, Overhaul didn't waste any time in picking him apart. "Truthfully, I'm glad you're here. Usefulness aside, amongst the temporary recruitments, I've been most interested in learning about you than the others. Although, I find it surprising that you were comfortable enough with your situation to leave your room so readily. You certainly do adapt quickly to have taken initiative like that. At the same time I find it…disappointing. You seem very keen to find trouble wherever you go, do you not? That can be very dangerous for someone like you."
Tokoyami suppressed the worry that was rising in his chest. "How do you mean? Do you claim to know much about me?"
Overhaul kept his eyes trained ahead. "How could I not? I find you to be a profusely fascinating subject. Certainly, I'm grateful that Shigaraki allowed me to take you in as part of this deal."
"…Even knowing that I may not be much use to you? That, too, was part of the deal." I'm not to use my quirk to further their cause in any way. Though I can't help but wonder who's the one enforcing these rules.
"Perish the thought. I have my reasons. You're worth more to me than the sum of your powers. Although from what I've seen of it, it's certainly nothing to underestimate. From the way you described it to the precepts and I, it seems perhaps that it's a simple matter. I was hoping to hear more than that… brief summary. Don't feel like you need to leave anything out. As someone who deals quite a bit with the nature of quirks, I want to hear more from you."
Tokoyami had to make a physical effort to not flinch away from his demands. Although they walked calmly down a straight-forward corridor, he could feel himself already being talked into a corner. A part of him wished that Twice was here so that he could divert the conversation.
"I thought I had given a rather apt description of my quirk. It is how I described it, a power over shadows that I control—"
"Emitter type," Overhaul interrupted without missing a beat. "Functional at every range. Versatile in terms of combat. It got you as far as third place in the Sports Festival, but I believe you had the capability to go further than that."
"…Yes. That is correct."
"Certain conditions, or requirements rather, that grant you more power than any of your peers. Do you deny this?"
When Tokoyami didn't respond immediately, his pace slowed, and he was forced to slow down with him. "Enough power to wreak havoc on all who oppose you. Enough to destroy a whole forest and vanquish your enemies. Or even your heroes."
Tokoyami averted his gaze to the concrete ground, and under his cloak his hands balled into fists of frustration. "I should've known you'd already know these things. Forgive me for not sparing the less favorable details earlier. Dark Shadow… he is as you say."
"I knew I was right to take you under my wing," Overhaul said in a way that felt like he was gloating. "Earlier today you called it, or him, a puppet. And that was a lie that I let slide until now. You really must choose your words more carefully. I have little patience for inconsistencies, which is why I have countermeasures for that in the first place. And yet that's besides the point. Regardless of the technicalities, it pains me that I'm not allowed to use your quirk for my own benefit. But I'm sure there's ways around that. This is in interesting situation you find yourself in, after all."
I don't like this, Fumikage, Dark Shadow said, voicing the warning sirens that were going off in his head. Tokoyami agreed numbly. By now they were walking so slow that they may as well have been at a standstill for all the progress they were making.
"Tell me, Tokoyami. What do you think an organization like the one I run is responsible for doing? And why do you think I went so far to make a deal with Tomura Shigaraki?"
The sudden change of subject caught him by surprise. He had no doubt that the sinister figurehead would bring the conversation back to quirks, but for now his inquiries were something that he could readily respond to. It helped that he had already been thinking of these answers not long ago. "Well… I am to assume that your kind is responsible for spreading your tendrils of control as far as they can reach. You influence anything from individuals to entire companies to endorse your actions and provide protection in return, and I can only imagine that you have access to many things that are better left in the shadows of society. And then by gaining access to the League of Villains, you attain not just more power and control, but also notoriety. Please correct me if I'm saying anything out of line."
Overhaul hummed thoughtfully to himself. "No, no, what you say is the truth. I must say I appreciate your response. You're far easier to hold a discussion with than your two companions, I can already tell. You answer questions well."
Tokoyami cursed himself silently. He didn't have the same callousness that fueled those villains. Toga and Twice had a thought process that made them difficult conversation partners. During the earlier meeting with the precepts, Tokoyami could swear that they had a death wish with how aloof and frustrating their answers had been. As though it were all some game. As though they didn't care what dangers they faced just by being here. Although if they were in the position I'm in now, that might be different. I can't very well speak on their behalf, though, for theirs' is a mindset I do not understand.
"Next question." Is this an interrogation?! "How familiar are you with quirk enhancing drugs?"
Oh. Oh. "I, er, know that they exist. Mostly villains use them, but that's not always the case…" He'd read stories about their use and the destruction they'd created in the hands of the devious. Those drawn to furthering their own power would sooner sink in the abyss of their own quirk than grasp the control that would lead them to self-improvement. And in their pursuit of quickly attained power, they would surely drown. No self-respecting hero would ever turn to such a fate, but perhaps that's why the use of unnatural enhancements remained popular, even within the heart of hero society.
"So you've never used them yourself…?"
"No! Never! I'm an honorable student of U.A. studying to be a hero. I would never want that!"
"You were a student at U.A," Overhaul sharply decided. "Now you're working for me. You are very far from that pipedream, child, so bite your tongue."
Tokoyami's breath caught in his throat. I said the wrong thing.
I knew this would happen!
"You speak as though the mere idea of enhancing your quirk is consequential," Overhaul said. "But can you imagine? Whatever it is that fuels the monster you harbor, that thing I've only heard second-hand accounts of that is capable of creating massive destruction in mere moments, I'm dying to know what happens when I feed it."
Tokoyami didn't want to imagine that. He didn't have to in order to know that it was too much. All of this, everything, was more than he wanted to wrap his head around. And yet he could already tell that these terrifying thoughts would continue to persist within him.
The yakuza boss didn't seem to notice his discomfort and continued on in a casual tone, as though he were discussing everyday business. "The network I oversee is primarily responsible for the attainment and distribution of one of the more popular and efficient enhances currently on the market. Trigger, as I'm sure you must be familiar with. It's a stable profit to be sure. You'd be surprised how many people crave that surge in power. I even freely give it out to those who serve me. A fair amount of people even join me for that reason alone. Now, if someone who already had massive amounts of power were to use it… well, the result would be magnificent. It would be the perfect thing to unleash upon a city if for some reason I needed a distraction, a reason, a course of action… but I don't have any plans like that. Unless someone were to volunteer, of course."
Tokoyami didn't know how to respond. So he said nothing. But the words bothered him like nothing else, and despite the reassurances he couldn't trust that Overhaul was saying these things without reason. These thoughts were being explicitly targeted at him, and it was making his skin crawl with unease.
"Good luck with that," Tokoyami muttered nervously, wishing he could be back in his room already. It was the only thing he could think to say, hoping to reflect the attention away from him. But perhaps that had been an unsatisfactory answer.
The sounds of their every step echoed through the underground hallway as the imposing plague doctor considered something. Now that he had lulled into a worrisome silence, Tokoyami could only imagine what he could be thinking about.
The unbearably slow pace they'd been walking at inevitably came to a full halt. When Overhaul turned to him, he found that he couldn't look away. Tokoyami stared at him evenly, hoping his emotions wouldn't be betrayed by his expression. But when the next words came as he knew they would, he couldn't suppress the cold feeling that froze his blood.
"Now then. If you're so keen to turn down an offer of power, why have a quirk at all? Do you know that sensation, of not having that one thing you've lived with and built up for most of your life? Would you rather have nothing or everything to do with your power? Hypothetically, of course. Since, after all… you won't be using it to further my plans."
It was such a strange thing to ask, and whatever context he held it on was apparently not important enough to share. "To not have my quirk? Y-yes, I know that sensation. My homeroom teacher, Aizawa, you might know him as the pro hero Eraserhead, has the ability to erase quirks. But since you persist, I'd much rather have my quirk be the way it is now…"
Overhaul's fingers twitched noticeably. "I know all about Eraserhead, but that's not what I mean. He only suppresses the activation of your ability, and not even for very long. The genetic makeup that designates your quirk is still there, festering inside your body. So throw aside that idea for a moment and think about what your life would be like if you had no trace of your quirk left in your body. The complete erasure of its very existence, just like that."
It… was true. About Aizawa's quirk. When he'd use it on everyone to settle down the class, Tokoyami was always aware that his ability to summon his quirk into the physical world had been taken from him. But sure enough, he was still constantly aware of Dark Shadow squirming within him, muttering at the indignity of it all. His quirk would be powerless, but still noticeably present. If it went further than that… if Dark Shadow was entirely gone from him, he wouldn't know what to do. No matter what, Dark Shadow was such an integral part of him that he literally carried everywhere he went. Life without that would be an incomplete one. Even at his lowest moments, Dark Shadow was necessary. Even when he didn't like the things he said or the times it disobeyed him, their connection was important. But that only made this conversation increasingly more upsetting, and it instilled a sensation of deep-set dread within both Tokoyami and his quirk.
Overhaul's mask tipped closer to him, his voice becoming more hushed. "I have my methods. Why, you just saw the first step of it in that room just now, didn't you? How privileged. To think you might've missed out on something as exciting as this had you just stayed in your room. But truthfully, I'm thrilled to have talked to you about all this. The absolute empowering of a quirk… and the absolute annihilation. The latter was a concept that had evaded me in the past. But not now. It's no longer quite so hard to attain. Costly, perhaps, but certainly an easy feat for one such as myself with the tools that I possess. So long as I am here, I hold complete dominion over the lives and quirks that infest this place. It doesn't matter what someone like Shigaraki said. I don't need the specifics of any deal so long as everything is within my influence. Everyone here is here to serve me." Tokoyami watched as Overhaul reached a gloved hand towards him, as though to reach out and touch him. And he froze. He knew full-well what it could do. How it could destroy anyone in an instant, regardless of the lives they lived or what ambitions they had. Just like that, as though it made so little difference. The frightening concept of a sudden and unpleasant death was so easy, so accessible. "Even you will rise and fall by my own hand."
Don't touch me!
"Don't touch him!" Yellow eyes flashed before Tokoyami and Dark Shadow appeared in an instant, creating a barrier between them. The force knocked Tokoyami back, and before he could catch his footing he was sprawled on the ground with his back against the wall. His quirk, having come to his aid, rattled out a hiss of warning and flexed the shadowy tendrils that were its claws.
And yet Overhaul showed no hint of surprise. If anything, his mask was sure to be concealing a smug expression after successfully goading the sentient quirk into the open. "So this is the puppet I've heard so much about. An honor, really. I was looking forward to seeing you again after you smashed one of my strongest followers through a wall. Consider us formally met, Dark Shadow."
The hiss stuttered to a stop, and Dark Shadow flickered uncertainly in the air. But still he remained steadfast, staying poised above Tokoyami like he was the only thing keeping him from an inconceivable fate. "That wasn't very nice of you," Dark Shadow complained, holding his ground.
Overhaul blinked, returning his hand to his pocket. "Is that so? I'm sorry to hear that."
Then why do you look so delighted? Tokoyami thought to himself.
"You should be. Because I'm here to stay," the quirk growled, though Tokoyami could tell by the way he wavered that Dark Shadow still didn't quite know what to make of the yakuza boss. He was so clearly a threat to them – to society as a whole – with off-putting mannerisms to match. But at the same time he was so calm and collected, never letting anything throw off his plans. Despite everything that Overhaul had said, it felt like they still knew so little about him.
"So I see. How absolutely fascinating. Though perhaps also irksome. I think I have a better idea of you now, though. And that's all that really matters." Overhaul casually stepped back from the floating apparition, and an unusual expression crossed his face. "It's even more repulsive up close. I've never seen anything quite like it."
Tokoyami cautiously stood back to his feet under Overhaul's piercing observation, and Dark Shadow hovered close to him.
I didn't ask for you to come out like that.
Yes you did! The quirk objected. The moment you made it clear that you were calling out for help, I answered it. What else would you expect me to do?! It's what I've always done!
Tokoyami gained his bearings while Dark Shadow snaked around him to make sure he was okay. For something like that, the quirk was fretting more than he'd seen before. But it made sense that Dark Shadow was reading off of him and being effected by his own stress. Much like his pounding heart, the quirk didn't want to settle down for fear that relaxing for a mere second might result poorly within the presence of this dangerous yakuza. But with the quirk directly by his side within the dark recesses of this villainous place, he felt strangely comforted.
Tokoyami forced a bitter laugh. "So you wanted to see my quirk that badly. Was that the reasoning behind those things you said? All this time, you just wanted a reaction from me?"
Overhaul's eyes narrowed dangerously and the air became still. Dark Shadow drifted a safe further away from the individual, and Tokoyami winced when the gang leader spoke again in a serious, icy tone. "What gives you the audacity to undervalue my words? Everything I said is undoubtedly true and will continue to be upheld. Do you understand so little that you can't even fathom my work? Or are you the type that intends to sow distrust within my ranks, because that's something that I can't afford to let happen. So how about this?"
Overhaul took a threatening step forwards. "Don't ever question me. So long as you are in this facility, you follow my orders. Set an example for your villainous companions. Do what's right by my word and maybe things will be less unpleasant for all of us." He paused for a moment, taking great satisfaction in the way that Tokoyami cringed away from him. "And perhaps, if you adhere to that, I'll even let you see Eri again. It might do her some good. She's been rather unresponsive lately and it's necessary that she be in good health. So long as you aren't trying to put any unreasonable ideas in her head. Now, does this sound like something we can agree on?"
Tokoyami knew wait this was. After being intimidated into all these demands, he was throwing the smallest of offerings in his direction to make it all worth something. He didn't even have to guarantee anything, but it was all he needed for sworn cooperation. This was all so foolish. This whole situation. But it was the only thing he had to agree to. So Tokoyami nodded his head with as much certainty as he could muster, making his convictions clear. If that's the game we're playing, then so be it. But that just means that I can't allow you to win. Not if I can do anything to help it.
Overhaul relaxed, leaning back and putting his gloved hands into the pocket of his coat. Dark Shadow chose that moment to disperse with an internal sigh of relief, like having to be present during such a nerve-wracking encounter had sapped the energy from him.
"I'm content that we were able to reach an agreement. I look forward to working with you and Dark Shadow," Overhaul crooned. He turned his head to look down the next hallway, and Tokoyami followed his gaze. Down the hall was a trio of doors that, while being nothing that stood out, were vaguely recognizable. Overhaul tilted his mask towards them. "Your room is right over there, by the way. Now go get cleaned up. You outsiders are disgusting and I can't stand the idea that you're walking around my place like that."