It had been a long, boring day for Shinra Kusukabe. Once a rookie in the esteemed Fireforce back home, well on his way to being the hero he promised he would be, the pyrokinetic found himself practically alone in a hospital room. With only his comatose classmate, the occasional visit by a nurse and the constant hum and beeping of monitors keeping the young man company, Shinra waited for Hitomi to return from her trip to consul the first-year students attacked overnight.
Shinra was always willing to help and part of being a hero in this world was knowing how to help victims, to reassure them and let them know things would be ok. So Shinra was perfectly fine with staying behind to watch over Terra in case she woke up. Still, the sharp-toothed hero-in-training was a man of action, ready and willing to dive into a fight to save someone. Sitting still for long periods of time without even a person to talk to was borderline torture for him.
Standing up from his folding chair for what felt like the millionth time, Shinra paced about the room, stopping to stare at the artwork on one of the walls, a depiction of butterflies flying in a group toward the sun, appearing to turn into rays of light. There was just so much to get used to in this world. After having spent his life in a world swallowed by fire, something as simple as a butterfly, a creature these people saw every day and took for granted, for him was the realization of something only read about in history books back home. It was so jarring how much the people of this world had. Yet even more disconcerting though was how so many people who could want to take it all away.
Shinra's home may have been hell but it was his home. Things were simpler there and he still had his brother to save. He'd be damned if he didn't do all he could to get back to his own world. Turning to look back at the green-haired woman in bed, Shinra frowned, sure than that she didn't feel the way he did. For as long as he had been here, Shinra had felt how happy Terra was, living here. Contrasted with the way Hina had described Terra when she first arrived and the former fireforce member was sure that his fellow provisional hero felt more at home here than he did.
Sighing, the black-haired young man stepped over to the bed, his hands clenched hard on the bed's side rails. He'd promised to do it but the last thing he wanted to be was the one to tell Terra what had happened at the shopping mall. It would break her heart to know all the damage she'd caused and the people she'd hurt. But he would do it. As a hero, as a friend, he would do it.
Luckily, though, after hearing a brief exchange on the other side of the door, it opened to reveal a tired looking Hitomi. Shinra knew the older woman had to drive a distance away and that she hadn't gotten much sleep since yesterday. All and all, she looked weary and worn. It was a hard sight to bare, so as he released his grip on the bed's guardrails and turned to face the lighters counselor, Shinra asked "Are…you ok, Kanzaki-san? You look a little tired."
Upon hearing Shinra's question, the green-eyed brunette's posture straightened, and her eyes became more alert, realizing the act had to go on. Forcing a smile on her face, Hitomi titled her head and waved her hand dismissively "Yes, of course Shinra, I'm fine! It was just a long drive. I just need some coffee and I'll be good as new!"
Shinra looked unconvinced and decided to say so, "Kanzaki-san, you've pushed yourself pretty hard. I can stay here tonight if you need to sleep in your own bed?" As he finished, he flashed a confident smile to drive his suggestion home, despite even another hour in the hospital being…less than desirable for the pyrokinetic.
Placing her bag beside the chair, Hitomi's smile grew warmer and more genuine "That's very sweet Shinra but…no, I think you should head back yourself. I'm sure you'd like to stay in your own bed as well. Besides, you have new housemates to meet, don't you?"
Frowning in disappointment at being rebuffed, another idea shot into Shinra's head "What about dinner? Can I at least get you something to eat? Unless I miss my guess, you didn't stop to eat, did you?"
The young man had tensed as he spoke, clenching his fists as he attempted to be of use. When he finished though, Hitomi gently placed a hand on his shoulder, that kind smile of hers radiating the happiness she felt for his consideration "Its ok, Shinra. I know you're worried about me but its ok. I'll be here for Terra just the same as I would for any of the rest of you. Thank you so much for your concern, I'll be sure to get something to eat soon, ok?"
Completely disarmed by the older woman's reassurance, Shinra smiled back, nodding "Ok, if that's what you want, Kanzaki-san, I'll head out. But you better eat, or I'll be very upset at you!"
Moving to sit down, Hitomi waved at the young man "I will, now have a great night Shinra."
With one last glance back, Shinra began to feel he had failed miserably but suspected things would get heated if he had pushed harder. With a wave, he left, shutting the door behind him. So absorbed in his thoughts, Shinra entirely missed the short figure with an oversized syringe in her grey hair standing between one of the two guards at the room's entrance.
Ostensibly alone, Hitomi slumped back in her chair as much as its meager support would allow. It was going to be another long night, though at least she could spend the time filing her report from her visit with the first years. Before she could reach for her bag to retrieve her tablet however, the door flew open, a very angry looking older woman, shrunken with age, her grey hair held tight in a bun held in place with a syringe to match her cane. Her stylized white doctor's outfit and eye shield held in place by large pink braces on either side of her head marked her as the renowned Recovery Girl, or Chiyo Shuzenji, and she was none to pleased at the sight in front of her.
Hitomi shot up in her chair ramrod straight, turning in surprise as the old hero barked "What the hell was that just now!"
The younger woman struggled to form a coherent answer under such an intimidating presence bearing down on her and all Hitomi could manage was a babbling "Wah, wah, what do you mean?"
"You need rest, Kanzaki-san and that nice young man was offering it to you, and you turned it down. Why?" Chiyo clarified, her voice softer but her tone no less reproachful.
Regaining her bearing a bit, Hitomi couldn't bare the intense gaze of the much shorter and older woman, turning to look at Terra instead "This is my responsibility, not his. If anyone should be here for Terra, it should be me. Shinra…needs his rest, it's been a long couple of days for him too."
"That's it?" the healing hero retorted, her voice dripping with condescension "You feel responsible, so you need to suffer for this poor girl's sake? What would she say if she knew you were running yourself into the ground, hmm girl?"
"I…"
"You nothing! If you made a mistake, that means you need to do better next time, not wallow in self-pity! What kind of counselor are you? Last time I checked, you were responsible for more than just this one girl, right?" Chiyo continued, pointing at the sleeping Terra.
Trying to gain a footing against the verbal onslaught, Hitomi tried again to explain "Y-Yes, that's true, it's just when she wakes up-"
"Kanzaki-san, dear, I've used my quirk on her, we've been monitoring her since she came in and at this point, there is nothing wrong with her that we can detect. If she hasn't woken up yet, I don't know that she will any time soon." The wizened old healer finished, her tone now softer, as she sought to reassure the younger woman. When she saw the concern still in Hitomi's face, Chiyo added "I've called in a friend of mine, her quirk lets her diagnose anyone with a touch. Whatever is wrong with her, we'll find out, I promise."
Guilt at her failure rapidly being replaced with the shame of her selfish train of thought threatened to overwhelm the exhausted counselor as she put her face in her hands. It took everything she had to fight back the tears. Satisfied she had got her point across, Chiyo approached and gently placed a hand on Hitomi's shoulder "You have four people who undoubtedly feel lost right now. Go home, get some rest and help them as you have helped so many others, ok Hitomi?"
Hearing Recovery Girl call her by her given name, the brunette looked up, tears having forced their way to the edges of her eyes as she looked on in shock "Your…your right, Shuzenji-san. I'm so sorry."
A smile gracing her wrinkled face, Chiyo took a step back as she said "Nothing to be sorry for. It can be hard to see your own failings when you're busy helping everyone else with theirs. Just head home and rest up, that's all the thanks I need. I'll call you when I have a diagnosis."
Standing up rather shakily, Hitomi nodded, trying to force a smile and failing miserably. Grabbing her bag, she walked past the tiny old hero, stopping a few feet past. Taking a moment to look back one last time at the comatose greenette, Hitomi clasped the small red pendent dangling from her neck, before letting out a long sigh. Finally, she turned to leave.
Chiyo watched her go, satisfied she had gotten through. She did, however, lament that she didn't feel half as confident about finding out what was wrong with Terra as she sounded just moment earlier.
(X)
Mob did, in fact, have dinner ready when everyone returned from the "tour" Jun had just led them on. Knowing full well his presence would not be welcome, the silver-haired former hero excused himself. As he did so though, he let everyone know that he would be holding an introduction class the next morning at nine before taking everyone out to get some clothes.
Zelgadis, still very upset with their unannounced test in the training hall, grabbed some food and excused himself to his room with hardly a word, a bowl of food in one hand and his Japanese book in the other. Poor Mob thought he had done something wrong. It was only after some reassurance from Michiru that Mob calmed down. Once everyone actually got to eating, the meal passed quietly, an awkward silence hanging over the table, only broken by Xellos' occasional attempt at poor humor.
After Michiru offered to help clean up and getting gently told it was better to rest by the quiet member of the telekinetic duo, the tanuki girl joined Emeralda and Xellos in retiring to their rooms. Michiru was glad to see the other two members of the group each brought their own copy of the language of this new land.
Laying on her bed, having just got back from a nice and long bath and re-dressed herself, Michiru heard a gentle knock on her door. The exhaustion of the day starting to catch up with her, the tanuki girl dragged herself off the increasingly inviting comfort of her new bed to stumble over to the door "Yes?" she tiredly asked.
There was a moment of silence after she had asked where Michiru thought the knocker had decided she was asleep and walked off, making her feel a bit guilty. After a moment though, the soft and unsure voice of Emeralda came back "Michiru, could you come downstairs?"
Opening the door, as much confusion as concern on her furry features, Michiru asked the greenette "Um, sure Emeralda, is everything ok?"
The tan young woman seemed unfazed either by the look on Michiru's face or by her question as she answered "Greywards-san wishes to talk and asked me to come get you is all."
Oh, now the sourpuss wanted to talk. Well, so much for sleep. Slapping her face a couple of times to wake up, an action that earned a raised eyebrow from her companion, Michiru stepped forward and past Emeralda. "Ok, sure, let's see what Zelgadis has to say."
The two proceeded wordlessly down the hall and descended the stairs to find the chimera looking through his Japanese book, a sour look on his face. Unsure of what this whole meetup was about, Michiru smiled and asked as she approached "Hey Zelgadis, studying hard?"
The rock-encrusted man's frown only deepened at the question as he set the book down and grumbled "I've learned magic, I've deciphered ancient runes. I've mastered swordsmanship, I'm a decent shot with a gun, I can even play guitar." The tanuki girl only looked confused, sitting down as the chimera continued "But your written language, Michiru, may be the most frustrating thing I've taken up."
Immediately insulted, Michiru only dared raise her voice an octave or two so as to not disturb anyone trying to sleep "Seriously?! Come on, children learn this just fine! Besides, you've just started learning basic words, right?" Looking annoyed, the tanuki girl turned to the now also seated Emeralda "Come on, it can't be that bad, right?"
Michiru seemed to be pleading desperately with the tan girl but as much as Emeralda wanted to be nice and agree, she averted her gaze, answering "It…is not simple."
Collapsing forward, her head on the table and arms sprayed out, Michiru was at a loss for words. They didn't even know about the different alphabets yet either…
After a few moments of that dramatic display, Zelgadis cleared his throat, causing the tanuki girl to sit back up as he spoke "Our challenges with learning to read aside, I asked you two here because this is the first real chance we've had to talk without someone over our shoulder."
"What of Metallium-san?" Emeralda immediately asked, though with a hint of distain in her voice.
The chimera's eyes narrowed as he brought his hands up, locking them together as his elbows rested on the table "Xellos can't be trusted. He's a mazuku, he isn't human. The less he's involved, the better off we'll all be, trust me."
"So what if he's not human? Technically I'm not human either, since beastmen are a different species than normal humans." Michiru pointed out. Emeralda remained silent, though she did appear less comfortable.
Bringing one hand to his chest, Zelgadis countered "And I'm only technically a third human. That's not my point. Mazuku are beings of pure magic, born of the sea of chaos and whose sole purpose in life is to bring an end to all life. To return it all to the sea of chaos. He may play the clown but if he willed it, this whole world could be laid to ruin at his feet."
Picturing said mazuku trying to flip a light switch and failing, Michiru appeared skeptical "Are we talking about the same guy here? I mean, all he seems good at is dodging, asking questions and being as annoying as possible."
Throwing the hand that was on his chest against the table, much louder than he intended, Zelgadis shot back "You're not listening! I don't know what game he is playing at, but make no mistake, Xellos is very dangerous!"
"And I think you're being paranoid! I haven't forgotten you were the one holding him up and yelling at him when you first got here!" Michiru countered, both hands on the table as she shot out of her seat.
"That was-"
"Michiru. Greywards-san. Please." It wasn't much but Emeralda's sudden interjection, even and calm, was all that was needed to bring the other two up short. After a moment of tense silence, Michiru sat back down and Zelgadis laid back in his chair.
"Sorry, Emeralda." Michiru said, her checks red in embarrassment despite her fur.
Crossing his arms over his chest, Zelgadis added "Right, sorry." Before adding "Oh and please just call me Zelgadis. None of that formal stuff."
The tan girl nodded as she too spoke "Then please also call me Emeralda." Then, remembering earlier in the training hall, she turned to the tanuki girl "You called me Emmy earlier, why?"
A look of recognition appeared on Zelgadis' face "Yeah, that's right and you called me Zel, Michiru. Only Lina ever called me that…"
"Heh, sorry guys, it was the heat of the moment, so I just sort of shortened your names, I hope you don't mind?" Michiru rather meekly explained, scratching the back of her head.
Glancing away, a half-smile on his face, Zelgadis responded "It's not that I don't mind, it's just…nostalgic, I guess. Yes, it's fine."
"Ki-, I mean Fei would sometimes call me Emmy as well. You may use it too Michiru." Emeralda added, her amber eyes softer even if her expression remained even.
"Anyway." Zelgadis interjected "Doesn't this all seem off to either of you?"
Titling her head slightly, the tanuki girl answered back "What do you mean all of this? You mean this house? Sanada-sensei? Or this world? You'll have to be more specific because this whole kidnapped to another world thing is pretty off to me."
"Right, sorry. I mean, this all seems too good to be true. I feel like they're holding something back from us. Why the hell can't we just go out and find the one who brought us here and send us back? Why do we have to go to school, of all things? Why did we have to be 'tested' like that?" Zelgadis elaborated.
Raising her hands, palms open in a stop motion, Michiru quickly countered "Woah, woah there Zel. Yeah, it does kind of feel like we're just being lead around and expected to just take everyone's word but at the same time, if we're not the first to have this happen to them, it'd make sense they'd have all this set up, right?"
"Refugees."
"What was that, Emeralda?" the rock-encrusted swordsmen asked, tilting his pointed ear slightly in her direction.
"Back home. When refugees came to Nisan, there was a system to find out who they were and where they could stay. This is like that, I think." The tan girl pointed out, keeping her head down and focused on the table instead of making eye contact.
"This seems like a pretty big step up from hordes of dispossessed being cared for in a church though, wouldn't you say?" was the chimera's dry response, even if inwardly he could see the logic in the comparison.
Emeralda seemed to shrink from the scrutiny, prompting Michiru to shoot back "But they said so themselves, there have only been nine others before us! Wouldn't it be easier to care for nine people than thousands?"
"Yeah, but why?" Zelgadis pressed, his voice rising again. "It seems to me they are either trying to keep us away from the outside or the rest of the world away from us. I don't know about you two but I'm about ready to just fly out of here-"
"Boy, you really don't know anything do you?" came a voice from the door, causing the three at the table to all turn to see who had spoken.
Walking toward them was a grim looking Shinra. The pyrokinetic appeared worn, in the same clothes he had been wearing at the mall the previous day and was clearly not in the best of moods. He was, however, ready to pick a fight. "Your wrong, stony. These people, Sanada-sensei and especially Kanzaki-san, they care about us! This world, it wasn't always like this, and these people went through a lot to get to the peace they have today! All they want is for it to remain that way and to keep you from doing something stupid!"
Unconvinced, his eyes narrowing at the challenging tone from the other young man, Zelgadis asked "Oh? And just what would be 'something stupid?' No offense, but I can do just fine fending for myself, I don't need Sanada-san's little kiddy lessons."
His already low tolerance for shit having be reached, Shinra's stride doubled as he marched right up to the chimera and yanked him up by the front of his top with one hand, rearing to punch with the other, his sharp teeth bared. Instead of swinging though, Shinra spat out as Zelgadis calmly looked on "You idiot! I know because I tried! When I first got here, I thought I could just rush off and find the bad guy and get the hell out of here! It doesn't work that way. This world is complicated, at best you'll just get the authorities after you. At worst, you could get someone killed!"
By now, Emeralda and Michiru had rushed over and had grabbed at the black-haired young man, trying to pull him away. His point made, he relented, letting the two girls drag him away. Zelgadis plopped back in his seat, a scowl on his face as Shinra continued to stare him down from the ground where Michiru and Emeralda had thrown him. Huffing, Zelgadis turned away, sliding out of the chair and moving to go upstairs as he spoke, distain clear in his voice "It seems we're not going to get anything else discussed tonight. I'll see you two in the morning."
With the chimera out of the room, Michiru and Emeralda were left to glare down at the former fireforce member. "I get that Zel can be prickly but that was overboard!" the tanuki girl admonished, her hands on her hips.
Picking himself up, Shinra did not look apologetic as he said "He's angry and confused. Worse, he's naïve. For his sake and ours, you two better hope he wakes up to reality. Hopefully Sanada-sensei and Kanzaki-san can help you, but you have to let them. Try to have a good night, ladies."
Putting his hands in his pockets, Shinra went up the stairs as well. The two remaining lighters were left in the main hall, a place that suddenly felt much larger and darker than the well-lit space actually was. Hanging her head, Emeralda grit her teeth, her amber eyes hidden under her pale green hair. Slowly, she put her hand into a well concealed pocket in her skirt, pulling out a necklace. Glancing over, Michiru could see the other girl clutching what looked like a cross, its points of equal length. Each of the four ends widening out from the center with a smaller point emerging from the flattened ends. The center was adorned with a red diamond-shaped jewel and four additional smaller points radiated from the center in the gaps formed by the larger four points. Pressing the cross to her chest, her voice weak and pleading, almost like a child, Emeralda spoke "Michiru, I want to go home."
Pulling her eyes away from her new friend Michiru looked up, as if pleading with the heavens as she agreed "Me too, Emmy. Me too."
(X)
The next morning found Michiru sitting in the middle row of the house's classroom, Emeralda to her left and Xellos on the top level, in the far corner, sitting back and resting his feet on the desk. Zelgadis had yet to appear and the tanuki girl feared that the chimera had made good on his suggestion and fled in the night. Especially since he didn't show up for breakfast earlier.
A few minutes before nine, the door opened and after perking up, Michiru's ears slumped abit when it was Jun backing into the room, his arms full with books and what looked like a tray of cups. It only took a moment for the aroma to reveal the cups contained coffee. Setting his burdens down on his desk, the former hero looked up to find only three of his four new students. Raising an eyebrow, Jun asked "Was Greywards-san not with you for breakfast this morning everyone?"
Three heads shook in the negative and the lighter's teacher furrowed his brow for a moment before following up "Did anyone check on him? I don't think he has a watch, is it possible he doesn't know what time it is?"
Calling out from the corner, Xellos answered, snark clear in his voice "Zelgadis-san saw the sun come up, if he really wanted to be here, he would be, don't you think?"
Before anyone could counter the mazuku, the door swung open to reveal the rock-encrusted sorcerer-swordsmen himself, his face even and emotionless and his sword on his waist. Stepping in to allow the door to shut, Zelgadis glanced toward Jun's desk, then without a word turned, walked over, and grabbed one of the cups. Wise enough not to react, Jun just watched as his fourth new student proceeded to take the end seat on the second row with Emeralda and Michiru. Once everyone was settled, Jun spoke "Does anyone else wish to have a cup?"
"Oh! I'm game!" Xellos called, disappearing, then appearing in front of the desk, coffee in hand before teleporting back to his seat.
Shrugging, Michiru raised her hand and when Jun nodded, the tanki girl lowered her hand and then reached out. As she did so, her arm began to extend to cartoonish proportions, out to the needed twenty feet, before pulling back with the cup in hand. Aghast at the sight, Zelgadis asked "Did…did you just follow Xellos' example?"
Playfully sticking her tongue out in response, the chimera just grumbled and returned to sipping the hot bitter fluid.
With everyone quiet, Jun took the opportunity to get started, clearing his throat first as he stepped out from behind his desk, his arms behind his back "Please don't expect the coffee every day. I promised you all coffee yesterday and much as I'm sure you disagree; I do my best to keep my word."
Zelgadis narrowed his eyes at that and half wondered if the coffee itself had been spiked. Whatever was actually in it, this may have been the best coffee he'd ever had, but he'd be damned if he gave that silver-haired bastard the satisfaction.
"First things first" Jun continued "You've heard before, but I want to make clear the kind of world you find yourselves in. Until seven generations ago, humans in this world were normal, we could only advance and improve ourselves through knowledge, experience and new technologies. Since then, roughly eighty percent of all humans born in this world you are now in expresses some sort of power that we have come to refer to as quirks."
Raising a hand, Michiru waited to be called. When Jun nodded in her direction she asked, "We've only been here a couple of days and I've already seen some wild 'quirks.' Is there any kind of limit to them?"
Raising an eyebrow and looking up and away as he thought for a moment, Jun responded "If you mean is there a limit on what can be expressed as a quirk, then not really. People can have flaming hair, look like squid or even control people with their voice. There is, however, a limit to one's ability to use ones quirk. It is, after all, a physical ability. One can grow tired using it just the same as a person tires when running. Then again, if that person trains, they can run faster and longer, correct? Well, the same can be said for quirks, sometimes with amazing results, part of the reason schools like this exist."
Michiru raised her hand again, this time not even waiting for Jun's acknowledgment before blurting out her question, concern etched on her face "You said eighty percent have quirks? What about the other twenty percent? They're…they're not, you know, treated differently, are they?"
A light smile played on the older man's face as he saw the look in the tanuki girl's face, glad that she seemed so concerned with others. "People without quirks are commonly referred to as quirkless and in the past they have been victimized and exploited as the majority of the population expressed quirks." At that, Michiru's eyes started to show a fire in them, something else Jun noted as he continued "This is part of the reason we have quirk laws today which limits the use of one's quirk in public, so that everyone can be seen and treated equally. It is true that quirkless people can still be looked down upon and bullied, especially when young, but they very much can, and do, live full and happy lives like anyone else."
Taking a moment to read the room, Jun found Xellos barely seemed to be paying attention at all, another worrying sign where Michiru was now looking relived after her earlier concern. Emeralda showed no emotion the former hero could see but she was clearly attentive and Zelgadis looked skeptical, seemingly his default state, but was at least paying attention. Well, no sense in not pushing forward "We did not get here without sacrifice, however. Many years of confusion, strife and bloodshed led us to our modern society, one that puts strict limits on one's quirk usage, and that includes your powers now that you are here." Jun finished gravely.
"SO!" the former hero shouted, suddenly clapping his hands in front of him, causing Michiru to jump in her seat. "Here's the deal!" Jun called, focusing his gaze on Zelgadis specifically "Does it suck that you're stuck here? Yes. Is it fair? Not even close. But you are here and that means, whatever amazing thing you can do, you can't just walk down the street and throw a fireball or fly among the clouds. You want to do that, it needs to be in service to the people, as pro heroes. You want to find a way home, you can. But it will be on our terms. That means being a law enforcement officer or again, a pro hero. Or you can wander off and become a poet or a politician or whatever makes you happy. But-"
Then sweeping his head across the room, making sure to look all four of the new lighters in the eye. "Before you can do any of that though, you need to know this world's laws, its history, its culture. That is what we are here for, to prepare you for whatever life you want to lead, as repreparations for what this world has done to you."
As he finished, Jun settled again on Zelgadis, knowing full well turning the most vocal skeptic of the group would ensure they all agreed. What the former hero got was pursed lips and a long sigh from the chimera. It was neither a rebuff nor an affirmation, but Jun would take it as a start.
Turning and moving back behind his desk, Jun spoke again, more cordially this time "You'll have some time to decide what path you want to take and you can always change it later but the sooner we get started, the sooner you'll be able to move about this world more freely. Oh, and you all better get used to having your powers referred to as quirks so practice using the term." Then snapping his fingers, the classroom's door opened, with Hina and Mob walked in to stand by the former hero's desk, as Jun continued "We'll need to get you each fitted for the official UA uniform and get you a few sets of clothes. While we're out, I think we'll eat as well."
Michiru, having wondered what, if any, uniform might look like at this school, finally got her answer. Both the men's and women's uniform featured a white collared shirt and red tie over which a grey blazer was worn. The blazer had dark blue stripes on the arms by the hands as well as on the open flaps above the gold buttons pinning the jacket closed as well as dark blue epaulets. The only real difference between the two genders was the women's featured a dark blue skirt versus the pants for the men. All and all, Michiru thought they were classy, if less flashy than she expected.
Michiru was snapped out of her thoughts when Hina turned to Jun, her features turning from excitement to disgust at some realization "Wait, when you mean eat out, you don't mean…McGonalds, do you?"
Jun answered with a knowing smile "I do indeed, Hina-chan. Sorry, no expensive caviar this time."
Crossing her arms and huffing, the telekinetic turned away, confusing the four seated lighters watching and prompting Michiru to ask "Is…there something wrong with McGonalds, Yoshifumi-san?"
Her nose upturned and her eyes closed, Hina refused to look at the tanuki girl as she cut back "I told you to call me senpai!"
Leaning over to Michiru, Emeralda whispered "What does that mean? I don't want to be rude."
Checking to make sure Hina still had her eyes closed, the tanuki girl whispered back, her clawed hand over her mouth "Yeah, no, there's no way we're calling her that."
As soon as those words left her mouth, Michiru felt as though she'd been slapped clean across the face as her head spun sideways. Shooting out of her seat, one hand on her sore check and the other raised in a fist, shaking indigently, Michiru shouted "HEY! What the hell was that for!"
Hina, having not moved a muscle, haughtily answered "I have no idea what you're talking about tanuki, perhaps your fur is sensitive to pressure changes?"
As Emeralda rose and held Michiru back from jumping the desk, Mob turned and uttered "Hina…" somehow sounding reproachful and pathetic all at the same time.
Rolling her eyes, Hina turned to leave "Yes, yes, Mob, I get it. We're leaving Sanada-sensei, have fun at McGonald's."
As the two telekinetics left, Michiru calmed down enough for Emeralda to let her go. Jun cleared his throat to get focus back on him and when all eyes were his, the silver-haired former hero pulled out a small rectangular object from his pocket, saying "Kagemori-san, you know what this is, yes?"
A bit surprised by the seemingly simple question as she sat back down, the tanuki girl paused for a moment before answering, wondering if it was a trick question "It's a cell phone, isn't it, Sanada-sensei?"
Stepping around the desk again and walking up to press against the lower-level desk, a bit of relief on his face, Jun stretched his hand out to his fur covered new student and replied "Indeed it is, sorry for the question but I've learned to not assume everyone comes from the same level of technological advancement. Here, I want you to have it."
Leaning forward reluctantly, Michiru gently took the offered smartphone, still looking confused "Are you sure? I…I can't pay you or anything." Then glancing at Emeralda and Zelgadis, added "…and what about the others?"
Chuckling as he pulled back his now empty hand, Jun responded "Aside from the language barrier, I'm not sure I could trust an expensive smartphone to people who needed help figuring out a light switch yesterday."
Grumbling from the side, Zelgadis almost spat "I'd like to see you shoot a fireball from your hand…"
Ignoring the ornery chimera, Jun added "You are the only one who knows how to use one or read in this group. I'm giving you the responsibility of being the contact for everyone should we get separated, at least until they can have their own. Besides, I'm sure you're eager to get on facespace or mybook or whatever social media kids these days are using."
Clutching her new phone to her chest, happy to have a working one again and proud of the trust placed in her, Michiru said "Thank you, sensei, I won't let you down!"
Nodding, Jun took a couple of steps back before he spoke again "Very good, thank you Kagemori-san. Now, we are adjourned for half an hour. I need to make sure our hero escort is here, and I'll be back with the car. See you then."
(X)
"Are preparations complete, Dr. Garaki?"
Sitting in a massive modified chair, a seemingly confused array of machines interlaced with each other built into and towering over the throne-like seat was All for One, for decades the head of the criminal underworld of Japan. Once a man of imposing stature and possessing of dashing good looks to go along with his charismatic personality, the fallen shadow leader now sat, nearly confined to his seat. His heavily disfigured face covered by a life supporting mask, All for One addressed the man who had been his friend and partner in crime for many years.
The doctor, an older appearing man in a lab coat, eyes covered by goggles, lacked a single hair on his head. This lack of hair was somewhat made up for by his rather bushy and unkept mustache, however. Despite his eyes being obscured, his scrunched features betrayed that he was clearly displeased "Yes, the Nomu have been prepped and can be awakened for deployment any time, master. Still, if I may. Do you truly think Shigaraki is ready?"
If All for One was annoyed at being questioned, it didn't come through in his voice, instead sounding more patronizing "My good doctor, its exactly because he isn't ready that I encouraged him to take action. He will never be ready if we hold his hand forever. Tomura needs to be able to make his own decisions and see them through, come what may. If he thinks kidnapping a hot-headed aspiring hero will further the cause, then he needs to try."
One of the doctor's bushy eyebrows raised at that assertion "But clearly you do not think it is wise, otherwise you wouldn't have had me prep all these Nomu and had me move my precious one so soon after his exertion."
A knowing smile graced the villain mastermind's mouth, his only remaining discernible facial feature "Yes, it was a foolish choice, certain to bring the heroes wrath down upon him for such a high-profile kidnapping."
The mad doctor took a moment to consider that admission before he realized "You…want them to come, I see. So, this really is it then." Then heaving a long sigh, the doctor continued "I hope that you're right. I can continue my research without you of course, but I will miss our conversations, master."
His smile fading as he rested his hands in his lap, All for One replied "Dr. Garaki, I will admit that without you I would have had a much harder time recovering from All Might's assault, but it has been your company that has kept me sane during my convalescence. I do, however, think it's time for a measure of revenge on the symbol of peace before I take a nice, long vacation. I trust that you will keep our little experiment safe along with your high-ends?"
Bowing in response to his master's kind words, the goggled madman answered, reverence clear in his voice "Of course, master. Even if you hadn't ordered it, the last thing I would want would be to lose possibly my greatest success. He will be safe for whenever you decide you are ready to return."
A smile returning to his face, the former overlord of the underworld locked his hands in front of him "Very good. Now, we wait. I trust All Might and whichever fools he gets to follow him will be along presently."
(X)
Arriving back in front of the lighter house with a UA van, and leaving their hero escort waiting inside it, Jun opened the door to his four newest charges sitting on the furniture in front of the TV, apparently engaged in an animated discussion. "This whole 'show' as you call it is completely stupid and unrealistic! Never mind it's all just a bunch of drawings strung together, by your own admission, but the story is infuriating!" Zelgadis charged, his voice raised and passion evident in his voice.
"Whats your problem? It's just supposed to be fun! Realism has nothing to do with it!" Michiru countered, raising to face the annoyed chimera. "Besides, it's not like the people who wrote it knew that getting sent to another world is an actual thing!"
Refusing to raise himself to meet the tanuki girl's unspoken challenge, Zelgadis crossed his arms instead and said with annoying calm "I'm just saying getting summoned by some goddess and being given some super special powers just so some women can fawn over you is insulting. After what we went through, this dumbass should have had to at least fill out one piece of paperwork…"
Rolling her eyes, Michiru met arm cross with arm cross ad countered "Please, what're you talking about, you can't read, you didn't actually fill out any of that paperwork out yourself now did you?"
All the while, Xellos sat in a large comfortable looking chair, clearly enjoying the show the other two were providing him much more than anything on screen. Emeralda, mean time, seemed to be completely tuning out the "discussion" taking place and continued to watch the anime.
Jun, meantime had to wonder why it had to be four? The thought occurred to him that he was getting too old for this. Since the sound of the door shutting behind him didn't get anyone's attention, Jun loudly cleared his throat while standing patiently, arms behind his back. That did the trick as all commotion stopped, everyone turning to the former hero. "Right. Though I'm sure you're discussing a very important subject, it's time we headed out."
Looking a bit embarrassed, Michiru grabbed the remote and turned the TV off, causing Emeralda to look slightly annoyed though it went unnoticed as the tanuki girl turned and called out "It was nothing, really, Sanada-sensei. We're ready to go."
Without much more fanfare, the four followed Jun out of the house and filed into the van, Michiru and Zelgadis on the windows with Emeralda in the middle of the first set of seats and Xellos by himself the row behind that, no one in the mood to have their ear talked off by the purple-haired mazuku.
Having walked around the back of the vehicle, no one took note of the hero sitting in the front passenger seat until Zelgadis asked "Why are we buying clothes anyway, whats wrong with what we have now?"
Expecting Jun to answer, it was instead the passenger, a very familiar looking ant girl, who turned to respond, a smug look on her face "Because at least two of you look like your dressed like heroes." Then, making sure to look Michiru in the eye, added "And others could pass for hobos!"
As Emeralda completely missed the ant hero-in-training's intent and self-consciously looked down at her outfit, Michiru glared daggers "You! What the hell are you doing here? Sanada-sensei?"
Before their escort could counter with another insult, Jun cut in "The hero Yoshimura-san was interning with is still recovering from the incident at the mall and it was suggested she could stand in for this assignment since I was having trouble coming up with a pro on such short notice. Please, I expect professional behavior from an aspiring pro, Formidable."
Turning back in her seat, clearly displeased at the scolding, Sakon Yoshimura of UA's class 3-B and the self-styled fourth member of the big three of class 3-A, huffed "Whatever, I'm just baby-sitting some lost puppies anyway…"
Making a mental note to have a word with her homeroom teacher and Caraprince later, Jun continued to address the other four in the vehicle, saying "Formidable's point is taken, despite her delivery. Greyswards-san and Metallium-san, your attire may be standard where you are from but here it is not casual and could easily be seen as a hero costume. The same may be said for you, Kasim-san. Besides, do you all not have other things to wear back home?"
Michiru, who had calmed down after watching the ant girl gets reprimanded, was first to answer "I never really got the chance to get other cloths since I left home, honestly. Besides, this is very comfortable."
"Where Xellos and I are from, you have to be pretty rich to have multiple outfits. Besides, I was always traveling anyway so there wasn't really a need for anything else." Zelgadis answered, making sure to speak for he and the mazuku lest the talkative Xellos give something away.
Finally, Emeralda volunteered after she felt eyes on her "Clothes are a rare thing back home for me as well. Sorry, Sanada-sensei."
Taking on a more jovial tone to try and make them feel better after such admissions, Jun responded "Well regardless, people displaced like you don't usually have extra clothes just lying around anyway. We do this with everyone so don't worry."
The rest of the trip to the shopping arcade passed without much more conversation, the four lighters taken to observing their surroundings. They arrived across the street from a train station, which had a series of shops on the opposite side. After unloading, Jun rushed them into the men's apparel store closest to where they had parked.
The rather odd-looking group was greeted upon entry by an attractive young woman with what looked like gills on her neck, who said, bowing "Welcome, I would be glad to assist you all today!" Raising though, the employee got a better look at her prospective customers and added, a bit surprised "Oh my! Do we have some heroes here for some off duty shopping? My apologies, none of you really look familiar…"
With a rather forced smile, Jun stepped in front, waving the attentive employee off "Oh no, just a handful of trainees, miss. We'll be going on a trip and these two will be in need of some causal wear. We'll come find you if we need anything."
Bowing again slightly, the attendant excused herself. Turning back to the group, Jun spoke again "Ok, I want you two to choose a week's worth of clothes and nightwear. Since this is your first trip, you can pick what you want, I'll worry about the cost. Then change into an outfit as you'll be wearing it the rest of the day. Kagemori-san and Kasim-san will get your chance afterwards."
So it was that the two male lighters went about selecting their clothes with Jun aided them while Michiru, Emeralda and Sakon watched on. It wasn't long, however, before the hero-in-training started to get bored just standing around and decided to have some fun with her charges, a mischievous grin on her face "So, tanuki, you think those rocks are all over his body?"
Looking more annoyed than flustered, Michiru glanced over at the ant girl, saying "Really? I thought you were supposed to be our escort, not some stalker pervert."
Sagging in response, Sakon replied "Oh come on! Your no fun at all!" Then, leaning back and looking past Michiru to Emeralda, the brash ant asked "Hey, what about you, mighty morphin' tan girl?"
Without turning to address Sakon, Emeralda answered, entirely neutral and clearly missing the subtext "I see no reason why there would not be more rocks across the rest of his body. I don't understand the point of the question, do you want me to ask him?"
Blinking as she starred, dumbfounded by the response, the ant girl couldn't believe what she just heard. Turning back to look at the three on the other side of the store discussing a very flamboyant looking pair of pants, Sakon let out a long sigh "Wow, that was somehow an even less interesting answer then miss holier-than-thou over here. God, this really is a boring assignment."
Before long, the boys were done and after getting their measurements for their uniforms, Zelgadis and Xellos were ready to go. Zelgadis went with a blue pair of slacks, a white tee over which he wore a black hoodie that he kept up to hide as much of his face as he could. Xellos, on the other hand, went far classier, wearing a black three-piece suit with a white dress shirt, purple tie and vest. If one didn't know better, the mazuku could be mistaken for a sophisticated young businessman.
After the rather substantial bill was paid, the group headed a few doors down to a women's store. Neither Michiru nor Emeralda seemed to have a taste for more feminine fashion. After finding the store's options for skirts entirely unsuitable for combat, Emeralda had been forced to choose loose fitting shorts after a rather confused attendant ran through the store's selection. In the end, neither looked to different than they did before, with Emeralda now sporting a simple red top and black shorts, though she insisted on keeping her odd shoulder braces and scarf on.
Michiru…had damn near the exact same thing on as before, just in different colors. Her shorts were now a solid navy blue and far more accommodating of her tail, her shirt was now black to hide her sports bra and her jacket was red but lacked the white stripes on the arms and instead had white wings printed on the back.
With everyone in new, far less conspicuous clothing, unless you were Xellos, the group headed for McGonald's, just a few doors down from the other shops. As they approached, Jun addressed the group "You'll recall that I said becoming a hero was just one option open to you? Well, the manager of this McGonald's is a lighter as well. I wanted you all to meet him just so you could see for yourself, since I know my word doesn't currently hold a whole lot of weight at the moment."
"You can say that again…" Zelgadis muttered under his breath from the back.
As soon as the group entered, they were assaulted with the sights and smells of a bustling fast-food restaurant. A line of guests stood in front of a large counter, behind which stood two employees in red uniforms, each in front of a register, taking orders. Others sat at tables, either talking, eating or being served food by employees. All the while, the smell of fried potatoes and searing meat filled the whole place. Everything seemed to be moving smoothly and everyone appeared to be happy, the model chain restaurant.
Jun motioned for them the join the line, though they were only there for a few moments when a man in his twenties stepped through a door beside the counter with a tray in his hands. The man had black, somewhat spikey unkept hair, in between which sat a red McGonald's visor and red eyes that lit up in recognition when he saw the group. After he delivered the order he was carrying, he quickly made his way over to everyone, a warm smile on his face as he exclaimed "Sanada-sensei! I was wondering how long I was going to have to wait before you brought all the new faces! Welcome, welcome everyone, I am Sadao Maou, manager of this fine establishment! Please sit and I'll take care of anything you want, the least I could do for my fellow lighters!"
Though several looked apprehensive and Sakon outright looked repulsed, Jun accepted the offer, and they were lead to a large crescent-shaped booth in a corner. Xellos sat on the far end, Emeralda beside him, followed by Zelgadis, Michiru, then Sakon and Jun on the opposite end. Sadao stood in front of them, gesturing to the menu displayed on the wall nearby. Sadou kindly offered "What'll you have? Just let me know and I'll get it taken care of for you all personally."
Wasting no time to even look at the menu, Sakon blurted out "A triple deluxe for me, with a large fry and cookies and cream milkshake!" This earned stares from nearly everyone else at the table. Refusing to be shamed, the ant girl crossed her arms, a proud smile on her face "Ants like sugar, sue me."
Rolling her eyes, Michiru leaned over to Zelgadis and whispered "Just tell me which picture is the one you want and I'll tell you what it's called. Tell the others too."
Nodding, the chimera passed the message on and after a few moments of whispering back and forth, everyone ordered. With everyone's order in his head, Sadao told them "Great, thanks. I'll go get everything started and be back in a minute, I'd love to talk to everyone!"
As Sadou left, Zelgadis turned to Jun, his eyebrow raised skeptically "So you mean to tell me that moron got sent here like the rest of us?"
"Yeah" Michiru added "Who wants to be in charge of a McDonald's knockoff?"
As soon as the tanuki girl said it, Jun shoot her a glare as Sakon looked at her, confused "What do ya mean, knock off? What the hell is a McDonald's?"
Realizing her mistake, Michiru fumbled to recover, glancing about, as she spoke "Oh…um, its just…back in my hometown, we had McDonald's! It's just so similar, I kind of just assumed this was the knock off, heh, heh."
"What a stupidly oblivious knockoff name for a burger restaurant, McDonald's! What kind of backwater town are you from, anyway?" The question was meant much more as an insult than an actual inquiry and Michiru once again wondered how this girl could actually be training to be a hero.
Jun covered for Michiru regardless, a reproachful frown on his face as he said "Formidable, that is hardly an appropriate question to ask someone you are supposed to be keeping safe, isn't it?"
Looking less than sorry, Sakon forced out an apology "Yes, your right Sanada-sensei, I'm sorry."
Before anyone else could add anything, Sadao returned, his shining smile almost enough to blind the cynical Zelgadis. "So! How has life been-"
The McGonald's manager stopped short when he noticed everyone at the table looking past him. Through the store window, a mugger with multiple arms, armed with multiple knives had just held up a couple, making off with their purse and wallet. The couple had begun calling for help as the villain made a run for it.
Her eyes wide in anticipation, Sakon turned to Jun "Can I take him down, Sensei?"
Looking over at Sadao, Jun pleaded "I know you have a store to run but could you please watch over everyone? As her supervisor, I need to be with her."
Beaming, his thumb raised in the affirmative, Sadao said "Of course, I have the best staff in the country, they can handle things without me for a bit. Get that villain!"
With a nod, Sakon bolted out of the booth, Jun right behind as they rushed out the door and down the street. Sliding into the vacated space at the end, Sadao put his arm up on the table and rested his head on it as he looked the four lighters over. As he met their eyes in turn, his bright smile twisted into a much more insidious one before he said "So, which one of you is the demon?"
(X)
One of the advantages to being an underground hero who worked at night was you were mostly free to act as you saw fit to get the job done. A lot of sneaking around, long stakeouts, subterfuge and undercover work. Large planning sessions with the police and a small army of heroes not so much. Thus, it was little surprise that Celty came fashionably late to the meeting to plan their raid to reclaim the kidnapped UA student.
Entering the meeting room in the bowels of police headquarters, the dullahan noted the cops gathered to one side and the heroes the other, each milling about, talking to one another. Well, until she stepped in anyway. Her arrival cut short all the conversation she was hearing as she had approached the door a moment earlier, with pretty much everyone in the room placing their attention on her. Trying to hide her discomfort at the attention, a feat made immeasurably easier by the combination of her helmet and complete lack of a head, Celty called out as confidently as she could muster "Shadow Rider, reporting as requested All Might."
A number of glares were shot her way, most notably from the number two hero, Endeavor, a towering man in a blue skin-tight suit accented by flames that he produced, some covering his face like facial hair. One not glaring at her though was the number one hero himself as All Might stepped forward from the head detective, Naomasa Tsukauchi as she recalled, and spoke "Yes, welcome Shadow Rider, I'm pleased you could make it! I couldn't help but notice that Gargoyle is not with you, is everything alright?"
Celty lamented how it was so much easier to lie when communicating by text or phone…"Y-Yes, All Might, it's just Gargoyle's quirk requires him to sleep a great deal. I'll relay the plan when he wakes up this evening." It was mostly true, it just left out the fact that when he was sleeping, Brooklyn was a literal stone statue. That and it wasn't his quirk, it was just that he was an actual gargoyle from another world.
The perpetual smile on the number one hero's face seemed to falter a bit at the news that one of the raid team would not be present for the briefing. It only lasted a moment though, as All Might recovered himself and answered "Very good, Shadow Rider! We will be trusting you to convey the plan then! Please, join your fellow heroes and we shall get started."
Nodding, Celty stepped past All Might and went over toward the gathered heroes. As she passed the hulking flame hero, he grumbled "How can I be expected to work with someone who hides their face?" In addition to causing Edgeshot, another hero nearby whose nose and mouth were covered by a mask, to raise an eyebrow, Endeavor's words caused Celty to stop as well. Without further prompting, she turned her 'head' and took her helmet off. The shocked, bulging eyes of the towering red-head was everything the dullahan could hope for. Satisfied, Celty continued walking, coming to stand by the rookie Mt. Lady, a blonde-haired young woman in a white and blue body suit, blue mask over her eyes and fake blue horns on her head. The blonde also seemed a bit nervous, standing by a headless woman with little more than a black miasma puffing from her neck to glance at.
With no one else slated to arrive, All Might and Detective Tsukauchi began the briefing. They revealed that after a tip yesterday, they traveled to see one of Class 1-A student's, a Momo Yaoyorozu. She told them she had managed to place a tracking device on one of the villains who assaulted them. With a corresponding receiver she created, it was confirmed that there was at least one more location the villains were gathering beyond the bar previously discovered. Thus, the raid team would be broken into two. Celty and Brooklyn were assigned to the second team, along with Best Jeanist, Gang Orca, Tiger and Mt. Lady.
This second team's job would be to secure any Nomu assumed to be kept there and capture any villains present, ensuring no one could move to support those at the bar being assaulted at the same time. They would attack after sundown, about halfway through the press conference U.A. would be holding on the subject of the kidnapping, expected to draw national attention. With the details hammered out and starting points assigned, the meeting broke up.
Celty was elated. Finally, after years of searching, this was the closest they had gotten to potentially finding All for One and forcing him to send all the lighters back home. No doubt that was why All Might had assigned her and Brooklyn to the second team, though not having to work with Endeavor was also a relief.
Celty, a bit too focused on the possibility of getting home to her love, completely missed Best Jeanist come up beside her and place a hand on her shoulder. The sudden touch startled her, made obvious by the miasma coming from her neck briefly forming into an explanation point. The denim hero clearly picked up on the reaction he'd caused and pulled his hand away "Ah, my apologies, Shadow Rider. I didn't mean to startle you, you just seemed to be focused elsewhere."
Recovered, if still embarrassed, Celty turned and replied "N-No, think nothing of it. I just had something on my mind, sorry."
His right eye, the only part of his face not obscured by his exaggerated denim jacket's collar or his blonde hair, turned grim "I just wanted to say I was looking forward to working with you for the first time. I sincerely hope you won't be this distracted out in the field."
Celty's miasma began to narrow toward the top of the plume, as though to symbolize her focus as she replied, a hard edge to her voice "There is nothing in this world that could distract me from this mission. There is nothing I want more than to succeed here. You have my word on that."
Seemingly satisfied with her resolve, the denim hero nodded "That's what I want to hear. I expect only the best, Shadow Rider. Make sure you make everything perfectly clear to Gargoyle, and I'll see you in Kamino."
Placing her helmet back on her head, the dullahan nodded, more confident than ever that this would be it, the lighters ticket home.
(X)
As soon as the words left Sadou's lips, Michiru, Zelgadis and Emeralda tensed, ready to act as a feeling of intense malice seemed to radiate from the fast-food manager. "Oh, that would be me!" Xellos called out, raising his hand like he didn't have a care in the world. Then, bringing his hand down to his mouth, added "Though we like to be referred to as mazuku or the monster race. The term demon just sounds so…derogatory."
And just like that, the tension that had suddenly appeared was gone. Zelgadis nearly slammed his head on the table at the ridiculousness of it all. Sadao seemed to take it in stride though, his smile relaxing to its more amiable appearance as he said "Ah, my apologies. I gotta say, you're something else mister-"
"Xellos, and whatever do you mean? Don't I look the part of a humble lost human?" the mazuku answered, continuing to act dumb even though everyone at the table clearly knew better.
"Heh, yeah, no. You might say it takes one to know one. I could sense you the moment you were summoned to this world and I gotta admit, I've been at least as much scared to meet you as excited."
Waving his hand, Xellos replied coyly "Oh stop it, you flatter me Maou-san!"
Glancing between the two as they spoke, Michiru was getting lost and slammed her hands on the table "Hey, what the hell are you two talking about! Maou-san, who are you?"
"Yes." Zelgadis agreed, arms crossed "Clearly you're some sort of demon yourself. What are you doing selling food?"
Pointing a thumb back at himself, the McGonald's manager proudly answered, "I'm not just 'some sort of demon,' I'm the Demon King Satan himself! And the job…yeah, this isn't my first rodeo getting stuck in another world. I actually do like humans, so I figured while I try to find a way home, I'd stick to what I'm good at."
"And how, exactly, does managing a restaurant help you in finding a way home? Didn't buy into all of Sanada's talk about a hero being the best route to that?" Zelgadis answered, less than sold by the demon king's explanation.
"Oh no, Sanada-sensei is sincere and totally believes that's the best way. Several other lighters have followed that route, but I could never live down working as a hero…it's kind of a long story. It's just that I find running a place like this is pretty rewarding and is great cover for the evenings when I try finding my way back home." Sadao replied, occasionally looking about the store to make sure everything was moving smoothly.
At that, Xellos leaned forward, one eye conspicuously open "You can cross into other worlds?"
Noting the other demon's countenance change to a more serious one, Sadao leaned back, sighing "In the past I've had no trouble crossing into other worlds but in the years since I got here, its proven much more difficult."
"You've been trying for years!?" Michiru blurted out, a bit too loudly, causing her to cover her mouth and for Sadao to look around for a moment, worry etched on his face.
Convinced no one else seemed to notice or be paying attention, the demon king continued "Well, yeah. Magic hasn't been easy to come by, unlike some of us at this table, I have to have a sizable number of people get pretty scared before I can get up enough magic to really power up and give it a go."
Picking up on the implication, Emeralda put in a rare contribution, stating as much as asking "And Metallium-san doesn't have that limitation."
"That's right miss, you're a sharp one! Yes, if I'm a sponge that can take in human fear to use magic, this guy sitting here is a magic power plant. He is constantly taking in negative emotions and just pumping magic out into the world constantly. It's like he's pure magic himself!"
Michiru and even Emeralda looked surprised by the McGonald manager's description of the odd man they had been stuck with the past few days. Said mazuku though was ready to move on "Be that as it may, Maou-san, I am very eager to get home. What more can you tell me about your attempts to leave here?"
Scratching the back of his head, Sadao replied "Yeah, I get it, you just got here, and it hasn't really settled in yet. All you can think about is going home. Sorry but over the years I've come to realize the reason I had so little trouble jumping between worlds before was that I wasn't really jumping at all."
At that, both of Xellos' eyes opened, clear menace shining through his purple orbs as he coolly said "Explain."
Putting his hands up defensively, Sadao continued "Whoa, whoa, I was getting to that. All I mean is that I was actually in the same plane of existence when I went from one 'world' to another. I didn't actually move into another world, more like just passed into another room in the house. It turns out various worlds, or universes really, layer on top of each other, in a constant flux, a swirling mass of chaos running parallel to each other. Each time I try to break through, it's like getting caught up in a heavy current, and I get thrown back here. I'm still trying but I can't say I've made much headway. Sorry to say but I don't see my trial-and-error approach being a quick way back."
With that admission, Zelgadis lay back against the cushioned crescent-shaped seat they shared, letting go of a breath he hadn't known he was holding, disappointment on his face. Even Xellos looked frustrated, a rare show of genuine emotion. Michiru and Emeralda both seemed to be down as well.
Observing the gloom that had settled on the table, a pit began to form in Sadao's stomach. He knew how they felt, it was an awful feeling the first days and weeks struggling to come to grips with the reality of being stuck here. If the news report from their arrival was anything to go by, they could handle themselves in a fight. Maybe they didn't have to stay too long after all… "Hey" Sadao said, his voice the most serious it had sounded since meeting the group. "It's probably a stupid thing I'm about to do but there is a chance we could have a lead on getting home."
Four sets of eyes shot up and focused on the demon king, eagerness and hope reflecting back on the red eyes of the store manager. After a long sigh, he pulled out his phone and spoke "I mentioned a couple of us became heroes, right?" after four heads nodded, he continued "Well I got a call from one of them, it seems they have been called in on a rescue mission that they think involves the one who brought us here. If they are lucky, they might find the one responsible and find a way to get us home. If you want, I can give you her GPS tracking number, maybe help out, get in on the ground floor to getting home?"
Speaking for the group, Michiru answered immediately "If there is anything we can do to get home, we'll do it! Here's the phone Sanada-sensei gave me!"
Slowly reaching out, Sadao spoke again, his voice even more grave than before "Guys, this is a pretty big risk, they don't take too kindly to breaking the rules here so I want you to think hard before you go running off. This world's actually pretty dangerous, especially for people who have only been here a couple of days."
His voice bitter, Zelgadis leaned forward again, his hands clinched "Yeah, we already got that. We'll…keep your warning in mind."
After again looking each of the four in the eyes, Sadao nodded and put the number into Michiru's phone. "The raid is supposed to happen tomorrow evening, during the UA press conference. It's supposed to be in Kamino Ward southwest from here, so if you go, plan to travel."
A thought occurred to Michiru as she took her phone back "Why aren't you going Maou-san?"
"It's the hero thing. Me and heroes just don't mix. I'll trust Celty and Brooklyn to take care of business. Now, let me go get your order, I'm sure its ready to go by now!" Standing up and flashy the group a smile, Sadao left them with much to consider.
Sadao returned with their meals just in time for Jun and Sakon to return, the former hero giving the ant girl a lecture on the importance of avoiding collateral damage when pursing a villain.
As they ate, Zelgadis complained about how salty and greasy the food was, which everyone else thought was funny considering he ate every last bite. As they got up to leave, Sadao returned to bid them goodbye. Waving to the group, the demon king called out "Make sure to say hello to Kanzaki-san! I'm sorry I missed her and remember what I said earlier!"
Looking back at Sadao, only Michiru had any semblance of recognition on her face at the name he had spoken. Emeralda, Zelgadis and Xellos just looked on blankly. Picking up on the lack of recognition the McGonald's manager looked disappointed "You guys haven't met her yet? Don't worry, she'll take care of you, right Sanada-sensei?"
Waving, Jun agreed "I believe you're right, Maou-san. Take care and I'll see you again soon, unless you get promoted up to corporate anyway." Sadao broke into a cocky smile, waving at the group as they left. With new outfits, lunch and a villain captured, it was definitely time to head back.
On the trip back, Michiru was excited that she'd finally have some time to head to the training hall and shot some hoops. Sakon was eager to take her on, but Jun reminded the ant girl that she had to report to her agency and unsurprisingly, neither Xellos nor Zelgadis showed any interest in the game. In desperation, the tanuki girl turned to the greenette, who had remained silent to that point and tentatively asked "I know you probably don't want to since you haven't said anything Emmy, but you wanna play with me?"
Looking down as she spoke, her voice carrying the weight of embarrassment and shame, the amber-eyed girl said "I'm sorry Michiru, you didn't ask me before. I have never played before so I-I don't know."
"Ah, you don't have to worry about that, Emmy! I get the feeling you'll be a natural at it. If you wanted to, you could have spoken up, its fine!" Michiru replied, her eyes shining with excitement.
"R-Right, I'm sorry. I'll do that. Thank you, Michiru." The tan girl stuttered out "I'll do my best."
"Don't be silly, I just want you to-What the hell is going on out there?" As the van pulled up to the lighter house, the occupants looked out toward the vast green lawn to the side of the structure.
Teams of people could be seen dotted across the great grassy field, many with instruments either in their hands or mounted on tripods. Others appeared to be spray-painting markings or symbols on the ground or placing flags into the earth here and there. After a moment of everyone watching, Zelgadis spoke up, curious "Sanada-san, what are those people doing?"
After a pause so he could watch them for a few more moments, Jun answered cautiously "I can't be completely sure, but it looks like they are surveyors."
Despite being from a comparable world, Michiru found herself confused by the answer "Surveyors? I don't understand, what for?"
"Well," Jun answered, more confidently "It looks like they are laying out the locations for new buildings. Strange, I don't recall Principal Nezu mentioning anything about new infrastructure."
With the distraction of everything going on beside the house, no one noticed the figure standing in front of it. That was, until Emeralda spotted the woman in the tan and brown business suit "Sanada-sensei, there is someone-"
"Its Kanzaki-san, everyone." Jun quickly answered, a wave of relief he was careful not to express washing over him as she approached "She has been part of the lighters program since its beginning." The two had always been there together to work with new arrivals, he on the logistics and she on supporting them through the transition to this new world. Having her away while he worked with not one, but four new lighters had been more of a burden than Jun could rightly handle, something he only truly began to appreciate seeing her in this moment. Glancing back at the group, Jun added "I'm sorry, Kagemori-san, basketball may have to wait awhile."
(X)
Hello all, I'm sorry that this one ran a bit longer than I planned, especially since we mostly have talking and shopping going on. I imagine if I had a team of editors they could reign me in and focus things a bit but I fear I'm just not the type to seek such help. Anyway, it'll be my birthday in a few days, it won't change my writing schedule or anything, I just wanted you to know that having anyone enjoy this work will mean a little something extra for me this time around. I don't think the coming holidays will affect my usual monthly schedule to expect to see me again early next year.
Oh, I forgot to mention last chapter but Celty is from Durarara!, Brooklyn is from Gargolyes, Hina is from Hinamatsuri, Mob is from Mob Psycho 100 and Sadao is from The Devil is a Part-Timer!
I know I say it every chapter but I'm going to keep saying it because it means a great deal to me. Thank you for taking the time to read, and I very much hope its worth it as I try my best to convey this idea, these characters. Take care, happy holidays should you celebrate them and again, thank you.