If it wasn't clear in the beginning that this fanfic was a HEAVY AU, then this chapter will solidify it. This chapter will serve as a way to make sure everyone knows that this version of Luz is *not* mentally well. Even worse than Canon Luz. This chapter will show that and then some, revealing smaller details about Luz's time at school, and how, in the original, she was so susceptible to All For One's manipulations.
Now, that being said, let's get into the chapter!
[Opening Song: Kyouran Hey Kids! – By: The Oral Cigarettes]
*The sound of a guitar stringing in the background can be heard, along with drums. The scene zooms in on a man standing in a destroyed looking city, fires burning around him as he turns to look back at the camera, a smirk taking up his visage as a lone crimson red eye glows. Following along with the lyrics, he mouths the words*
"Tonight we honour the hero."
*A guitar and a set of drums begin to play wildly, alongside what sounds like a choir in the background matching the beat of the song, as a camera zooms up to a clear blue sky with white fluffy clouds, followed by the title "The Owl House - All For Luz" appears, with the Japanese Kanji " フクロウの家 - すべてはルスのために！ " Underneath it, and in smaller font.*
*The scene slams down to a forest, where in the centre of the woods, Luz stands, looking around, confused and concerned, taking a step back, bumping into a blond-haired girl wearing a white dress (Julia), who looks over at her, with a matching concerned gaze, golden eyes glimmering with worry. As they stare at one another, a large brown-skinned teen (Stanley) wraps both of his arms around them, smiling, catching both of them off guard, all the while a disembodied voice sings the lyrics to the song that's playing*
"No place for stubborn masks, broken by crazy kids"
"So full of lies and chaos are these days we live"
*The scene pans out to where Luz is looking at a large group of kids, who also look scared and confused. Luz breaks away from the hold she is in, before walking toward them, a weary smile on her face. She reaches out to them, but as she does, her hand and arm spark red, which causes her to recoil, stop what's she's doing, and look at her arms, confusion and annoyance taking up her expression. She stares at her hands, specifically the holes in the palms of her hands, before looking up at a military drone, staring at all of them, all the while the same disembodied voice sings*
"The scent of honey from the body in the air"
"So full of flavour, flavour, flavour…"
*The scene abruptly changes as the drums kick in, as does the metal guitar, to a man sitting in front of bunch of screens with a beard and slicked back hair as the lyrics "Just wanna hold your hands" can be heard in the scene, and with each time it's said, a new person takes their place along with a new location. The first time, it's a man dressed in a shirt with suspenders and black slacks, standing with his back facing the camera, the only thing noticeable being blond hair the same shade as the girls as he holds a martini. The second time, however, it changes to the man in the beginning of the opening, sitting in a throne surrounded by darkness.*
*The camera pans up to his face, red eyes gleaming as the guitar plays a little slower and suspenseful, as the man smirks, as he mouths along to the next set of lyrics "Hey people! Let's go back to zero!"*
*The Camera suddenly blasts into his eyes, as a fight scene breaks out between an orange haired boy and Luz, flames sparking off of the boys arm that barely miss her face. She ducks under a follow up punch. Anger flares in her eyes as she goes to punch the boy in the face. Just as the fist is about to connect, the scene shoots to the brown-skinned teen (Stanley) going blow for blow with a silver haired boy in a grey hoodie, who's throwing air slashes at him, that the other tanks as if they're nothing. Finally, it shows the blond girl (Julia) backed into a corner next to a cabin-like structure by another golden-haired guy, his hand having an ominous aura around it. As this entire scene is happening, the disembodied voice continues the song*
"Get crazy - Hey, Kids!"
"And ditch that ego that has held you back,"
"Why struggle pointlessly?"
"Get crazy - Hey, Kids!"
"The search for the place that you cannot return to Whoah, oh!"
*The scene abruptly changes to a solemn looking Camila, who's staring down at family photos, as the spectre of Manny lingers behind her, an almost disappointed look on his face. His spectre disappears in the wind as the front door to their house opens, revealing an old man dressed in priestly attire, looking at her with concern on his face. The scene shifts again to Luz staring out at something, a wooden wall surrounding her, a reflection of what looks to be fire and blood stains everywhere as her pupils dilate. Her brown eyes flickering from red back to brown constantly with the stringing of the guitar, and just as the rest of the scene, the disembodied voice continues the song*
"Get Crazy - Tell me"
"The times are changing as days go by,"
"Always uncomfortable!"
"Get Crazy - Hey Kids!"
"But nonetheless our future has begun to fade..!"
*The scene changes to a more frantic battle, this time between the blond-haired boy and Luz, only this time Luz has a more furious expression on her face, and her eyes are red. The blond haired boy slams the ground, creating spikes that Luz dodges, her hand sparks red, as a litany of faces belonging to several people appear behind her like ghosts, a small, venomous grin on her face, her hair raising with the red and black electricity, flames bursting across the forest, matching the same flames from the beginning of the opening, the disembodied voice continuing the song, which nears its end.*
"Get Crazy - Hey Kids!"
"And light up the doors that shut away the past"
"This urge with no release,"
"Get Crazy - Tell me,"
"Is that what you want? Then won't you call my name?"
*The opening ends with Luz, almost responding to the man in the beginning of the opening, mouthing the words "I swear, I respect the hero!" The opening ends with a final guitar riff, the camera flickering and glitching out, showing an empty forest, as it transitions to the start of the episode…*
[Forming The Team]
"…Z…! L…Z…! LUZ!" A voice Luz recognized as belonging to Julia called out, breaking her out of her groggy half-sleep. Her eyes were heavy with the same kind of feeling that someone who had just woken up had, a tired groan sighing from her as she cupped her forehead. The headache from earlier was gone, thankfully, though now it was replaced with a heavy weight on her shoulders.
"All For One… the power to steal away others powers…" Luz thought, a frown taking up her visage, only for it to disappear a moment later when a hand grasped her shoulder. It was Julia's, that much was obvious, given how it had been her voice that had woken her up from her sleep. "Julia…?" Luz muttered, turning her whole body to face the girl in question, who looked down at her with worry written all over her face.
"Are you okay?" Julia asked as Luz raised an eyebrow.
"I mean… aside from not wanting to be here, I'd say I'm fine. Why?" Luz asked as Julia breathed out a sigh of relief. But… why? What was she so relieved about?
"Well… when I came to check on you, you were, uh, what was the term again… sweating buckets? Yes, I believe that was the saying. And when I touched your forehead, you had a blazing fever. To the point where I almost believed you were going to go into shock from how hot you were getting," Julia answered as Luz blinked.
That… wasn't good. It also didn't make sense. She was fit as a fiddle when she woke up the day of her getting on that bus. So why or how on earth did that change? Not to mention she didn't feel sick. Not even remotely. Was it a consequence of speaking to Shigaraki or being inside that "Vestiage Realm" or whatever it was called?
Luz frowned. This was all too confusing for her to deal with after the massive bombshell that was dropped on her by her less-than-a-friend mental pal. It was clear that whoever Shigaraki Rikitasu was before he died was nothing but trouble, and should be avoided at all costs. If it can be helped, obviously. If she couldn't avoid him, then she'd deal with it.
She found herself still staring at the palm of her right hand, glaring at the hole in the center with nothing but aggravation and annoyance. Theft. Stealing. That was her power. She stole from others the power of which was rightfully theirs. The jokes wrote themselves, and while she knew it was wrong, there was a voice in the back of her head, tiny as could be, whispering to her.
It wasn't Shigaraki's voice. It wasn't a mysterious third party, either.
It was her voice. And it was telling her to indulge. To take without consequence.
"No…" Luz thought, clenching her hand into a fist, covering the hole with her fingers, her nails digging into her palm as her frown slowly morphed into a toothless sneer. She glanced up at Julia, who was still staring at her with worry written all over her face.
A string, barely even visible, marked itself right between Julia's eyes. It sparked with red lightning, like a tempting offer. Her left hand twitched, small, barely noticeable sparks jumping to and from her hand and fingers as the voice of her subconscious began to speak.
"Go on… do it. You know you want to. Why not? Who's going to stop you? The world is your oyster, so goes the quote, right? Why not indulge a little? Take what's yours. You're the one in charge. You're the one with the control. For once in your life, be a little greedy. What's the worst that can happen?"
For a moment, her hand rose an inch off of the bed, but she stopped herself. "No…." Luz thought, this time with more defiance in her mental tone. "I won't do it… I can't do it…. Mama raised me better than that…."
The voice had no response. Just pure, utter silence. Well, that was until Julia spoke up again. "Luz? Are you alright?"
"Huh?" Luz snapped back to the world around her, blinking rapidly as the string disappeared. She looked up at Julia, meeting her eyes, before a blush of embarrassment washed over her cheeks, a nervous chuckle following after it. "Hehe… sorry about that. Just spaced out, that's all!"
"Well, if that's all," Julia said, a heavy dose of skepticism in her voice. She sat next to Luz, hands flat against her knees as the two stared at the wall. There was a heavy silence between them, and as Luz glanced outside, seeing the veil of darkness begin to coat the ground outside, she realized just how long she had been "asleep".
Well, it wasn't exactly a lie to say she had been asleep. She certainly felt rejuvenated, but the heavy weight of the revelation of what her powers made it almost feel pointless. What made it worse was that it finally had begun to sink in that this, all of this, was real. Oh, sure, she had acknowledged that fact earlier, but now she was truly coming to grips with it.
Luz had hoped, with all of her heart, that this was just one big bad lucid dream. Or, well, a nightmare would be more apt to describe the shitshow she was in, though that was just semantics. She wanted this to be fake—desperately so. She wanted to have woken up, back home, in her bed, in the comfort of her home with her Mama making her favourite food and continue binge-watching The Legend Of Korra—she had just finished watching The Good Witch Azura, The Animated Show, for the fifteenth time that year so she decided to spice things up—while knowing she had the whole summer to make more AMVs and read more books.
But now. Now that she sat there, staring at the cabin wall, Luz realized that this wasn't just a big, fake, lucid nightmare. This was her reality. Her fate as Shigaraki had put it. She was destined to be put into this situation, or worse. This was what she was going to be subjected to. And it opened up the possibility of a very mortifying thought.
"I'm going to die here…" Luz muttered, earning a sharp stare from Julia.
"No, you won't," Julia stated in a matter-of-fact tone, causing Luz to glance at her, her eyes narrowing slightly.
"At least you have something to defend yourself with. What do I have? These useless hands that do nothing," Luz grumbled as Julia crossed her arms, giving her the typical "are you kidding me" stare that her mother would often give her when she did something, admittedly, stupid. Although hidden in that stare, there was an accusatory gleam in her eyes, something that Luz picked up on.
"You're lying," Julia stated, leaving no room for argument. Luz was about to say something, but Julia continued. "I know you're lying because I'm the queen of lies. I had to be to get stuff around my father. You looked at the floor for just a moment, so therefore, you're lying."
"And how do you know, huh?" Luz spat, as Julia smirked.
"Because you just confirmed it," and with that, Luz realized that she had fallen for the good ol' bait and switch. She should've seen that coming, but, she didn't. Blame her social unawareness of cues like that, but it wasn't all that wrong for her to get defensive. No one liked being told that they were lying, even if they knew deep down that they were.
Luz brought her arms up to rest on her legs, her elbows sitting on her thighs as she uncurled her right hand, making both of them face her palm-up. She looked at her hands, her palms specifically, and regarded them with disgust.
Before, she used to look at her newfound palm-holes with intrigue. With curiosity. With joy. Her one major fantasy, the one where she received a superpower, came true. Where she could be the hero of her own story and save people from themselves and others. To bring about world peace at a time when it was needed most. Basically, she wanted to be like Azura.
She finally had something, even if it was a little confusing and something she was having a hard time figuring out, to do that with! And what was better was that others were awakening powers like her! She could have cool, awesome battles that she's always envisioned to have. It was her dream come true!
And then she met Shigaraki. She learned the truth about her power, about where it came from. She learnt that it was, in fact, not that. It was something that embodied the very thing she despised. The taking away of someone's individuality given manifest. Greed incarnate. Something that she had no business being linked to.
But yet, if that was the case, if that was true… when why had Shigaraki said what he had said? Was he just trying to manipulate her? Or was he telling the truth?
"They're a reflection of the person who awakens them. If you really found stealing power from others to be as underhanded and as awful as you proclaim, then would it have not made sense for you to awaken some other kind of power?"
Those words stuck with her. If what he was saying had been true. If "Quirks", as he had called them, reflected the person that they awoke in, then why would she, someone who was entirely against taking away things from others for the basis of "just because" then why would she awaken to a power that's sole purpose was to do that?
Was it a cruel joke on behalf of the world? Or was it something else?
She would admit to herself, and herself alone that there was one or two times where she would have fantasies. Violent fantasies. Where she'd corner someone who had been bullying her for years on end and making them bite the curb. Stomp their head and revel in their pain. It was a part of her she utterly loathed. She hated that she had those kinds of fantasies.
She never told her Mama about them, out of fear of scorn. But it was the truth. All of her life she had been trampled on and mocked for her likes and beliefs. She had been made to be the school punching bag and made to endure things no student should have to face. Granted, worse could've happened to her, but she'd rather not think about that.
On days she'd get violently angry—she blamed her ADHD for that one—she'd find herself acting out those scenarios in the basement of her house. Using piles of clothing for that express purpose. Imprinting those who had wronged her on them and doing something of the most vile acts to them. It was all imaginary. All fake. None of it was real so she was allowed to go all out.
Of course, she feared the day where one of those times she'd do it for real. Where one day, someone would do something that would make her snap. There was only one time when she almost caved. It was a girl named Amber.
She remembered the whole scene like the back of her hand. Amber had been pestering her, as had been the usual. There was never a day when that didn't happen. But she had said something. Something she dared not repeat. Something about her father.
And that was something no one did.
That day, Luz had brought a knife to school. Why? She didn't know. She just picked it up off the table and slid it into her pocket. It was one of those "pick-up-and-fiddle-with" moments she had. She had forgotten it in her pocket and was far too afraid to call her mom about what happened. Especially because the school police officer had a special kind of dislike for "her kind" as he put it.
Had she not stopped herself from turning around and lodging the knife in her pocket into Amber's throat, she most likely would've been in prison. She wanted nothing more than to kill Amber. For what she had said about her father. For all the trouble she had been causing. Hell, she was fairly certain it was her who had spread the rumours about Luz sleeping with Mr. Jones.
It could've all ended. Right there and then. But, then she would've been caught, and there would've been no point. So, she decided against it. Besides, there would be no point in killing someone for doing something so petty. If she had any reason to kill someone, it would be for a damn good one, not just a petty insult directed toward her dead dad.
Still, it was around that time that she realized something had been wrong with her. Rather than confront it, though, she bottled it up, just like she had with everything else. Maybe that was why she had awakened such a horrid power. Because she refused to speak about her problems and kept them to herself?
But then, how did that translate into having a power as greedy as one like All For One? It made no sense, and it confused her more than anything else. It wasn't as if she had any prior desire to steal things from others. Although, she had wished in the past to take everything from those that had wronged her. Just as a way to point and laugh at them.
That might have had something to do with it.
Of course, there was always the chance that he was manipulating her. And, considering the kind of vibe that he gave off, that was more than possible. But, on the off chance that he wasn't doing that. That he was being honest. Then she had to take his words to heart. Regardless of what she wanted to be true.
Even if Shigaraki was lying to her, it could be a white lie. And a white lie was often far worse than a normal lie. Because a white lie contained just enough truth to deceive the person being lied to. She thanked having her binged Death Note for that one.
And that, most of all, made him that much more terrifying. The fact that he could so effortlessly lie and tell the truth at the same time was horrifying. And that wasn't even considering the presence he drew in. Just knowing him for a few minutes left her with the impression that the man she was speaking to was nothing short of a master manipulator and genius. When he spoke, he commanded respect. He commanded fear. He commanded obedience.
And he was in her head. Rikitasu Shigaraki, a man who supposedly conquered his world, was now living inside her head. Someone who she had no doubt in her mind was a bona fide supervillain. A monster beyond compare. And now, not only was he in her head, but she had his superpower. She had become a wielder of All For One.
A power that could take other people's powers.
A power that was Greed incarnate.
A power that reflected its user, but did it really? Was he telling the truth? Or was he lying to her? The fact that she couldn't tell if she was being lied to scared her. She was really good at piecing together that type of thing. So for her to be unable to tell was a feat in of itself.
And if Shigaraki was honest about that, what else was he not lying about? Or better yet, how much of his words had been whole truths? It started to make Luz panic a little bit because now she was on a deadline. She didn't want to hurt anyone. She refused to hurt others. It was wrong, even if there were a few times where she had so badly wanted to.
Luz wanted to discount everything that Shigaraki had told her. She wanted to throw away every word that he had spoken and forget their meeting ever happened. But logic demanded that she heeded his words. If what he said was true, then she might've been in for a rude awakening very soon.
She had no idea how close "soon" was. For all she knew it was a few days away, or if that was only moments away. Hell, it could've been right now and she wouldn't have been any the wiser—
"Luz? Are you alright?" It was Julia's voice that snapped Luz out of her thoughts yet again, a frown on her face. "You spaced out again. Luz, tell me what's wrong?" Luz blinked, her dark brown eyes meeting Julia's golden yellow. She wanted to tell her the truth. Really, she did, but…. What would her reaction be? To learn that her friend—someone that she trusted—had the power to take away the very thing that was hers. All with just a handshake.
It would paint all of their previous interactions in a bad light. And the last thing that she wanted to do was to drive a wedge into their budding friendship. So, against her better judgment, she lied.
"No, I'm… I'm alright. Let's just get this party started, yeah?" Luz said as Julia arched an eyebrow, her frown deepening as she crossed her arms.
"Luz…. You just about had a stroke," Julia said, her tone of voice dripping with worry and concern. "I don't know what happened, but you need to see a doctor, or—"
"What doctor, Julie?" Luz interrupted, her voice deadpan as she stood up, dusting off her leggings as she looked over her shoulder and back at Julia. "There's no doctor in this camp, and no, Arla doesn't count. Besides, I doubt the Governor is gonna send one because one of us got sick. Hell, he's hoping for us to die here anyway, so what does it matter?" Luz said, her tone cold as Julia looked away.
"I'm sorry… I shouldn't have said anything…" Julia muttered, causing Luz's features to soften. Why had she said it like that? Sure, she was in a bad mood, but Julia was the last person who needed to be on the other end of it.
"No, Julia…" Luz said, shaking her head. "I should be the one who's sorry. I shouldn't have snapped at you. I'm in a bit of a bad mood right now, and I shouldn't have taken it out on you."
Silently, Julia nodded, her expression one of understanding, if not a little on the upset side. She couldn't blame Julia for that. Not one bit. "Uh… how about this, I'll gather everyone and I'll finally tell the truth about my power, okay?"
"Alright," Julia said under her breath, standing up next to Luz before looking her over one more time. "But Luz, please, if you need someone to talk to about something, I'm willing to listen. After all, my old friends used to tell me I was an amazing listener." As Julia said that, Luz couldn't help but smile.
What did she do to deserve suddenly getting a friend like Julia? Maybe this was the universe's way of counterbalancing all the toxicity that she had encountered in her life. If that was the case, then she would be more than glad about it. However, there was something in the back of her mind telling her to not get too attached.
The situation they were in… it was obvious that something bad was going to happen. But, she'd like to think that no one would take any of the bait that The Governor would put out. She had confidence that, given enough time, they could all work together to revolt against The Governor. Especially if there were people like Arla and Stanley around.
"Do you think you can gather everyone else, Julia?" Luz asked as Julia nodded, stepping out of the cabin. Luz breathed out, calming herself as closed her eyes. "Come on, Luz! You can do this!" As soon as that thought ended, an idea formed in her mind. On top of revealing what her power was, she was going to divide people into groups.
The groups would be simple, and also small. It kind of had to be, especially given how many people she had to work with. But, if there was something that Luz was semi-good at, it was strategy. Those 1500 hours of Command and Conquer were going to come in handy, it seemed. And while she wished the circumstances behind it were better, it was better than nothing.
Exiting the cabin, Luz saw her fellow prisoners, all of whom were sitting by the fireplace. A nervous sigh escaped her lips before she approached the group of now ten people, including Julia. The moment she stepped out, all eyes were on her. She had no idea how long she had been out, though considering the sun was about to go down, she must've been asleep for a while.
"Commander, you're here," Stanley said as he stood up, a smirk on his face as he stared at her. "So, what do you have in mind? Do you have some form of game plan for tomorrow?" Stanley asked as Luz scratched the back of her neck.
"Well… to be honest, no…." Luz replied as Stanley frowned, crossing his arms. He was about to open his mouth to say something, though Luz quickly followed up her reply. "BUT! I do know what we can do right now," that seemed to appease Stanley, who shifted in place, uncrossing arms as Luz continued. "The nap I had allowed me to clear my mind, and I came up with an idea for how we can operate going forward. Have any of you played Command and Conquer?"
"My mom used to," Carla spoke up, raising an eyebrow. "But, what does that have to do with us?"
"A lot, actually," Luz quipped, a smile slowly taking up her visage. "You see, for those who haven't played, as the commander, you can group up people and have them do specific things. Can anyone guess what I'm trying to do?"
It was then that Marcone's eyes widened, and as soon as they did, he chuckled, before flashing a toothy grin. "Good idea, Signorina Comandante," a few seconds later, his grin turned into a look of confusion, as he stroked his chin in thought. "However, how can you group us into, well, groups, without knowing our capabilities? Sure, you know our names and powers, but none of us know how to fight—supposedly, and we're all just a bunch of kids. We have no survival skills outside of maybe Stanley."
He had a point, unfortunately. That was another aspect of this nightmare of a "game" that they were being forced to play. Assuming that everyone here had no real experience in these sorts of situations. Like, fighting, survival, and all of that fun stuff, then they were all at a disadvantage.
"Well, don't go assuming that stuff," Johnny said, crossing his arms. "I just so happen to know how to survive in the wilderness. Looks like I can put my scouting background into action!" Johnny said as he smirked. "And besides, with my Vibrations, I can probably use it to track animals for hunting purposes."
"And how do you suppose that'll work?" Judy asked incredulously. "Haven't you only had your power for a week? 'Cause that's when these things started showing up, yeah?"
"Huh? No," Johnny replied, tilting his head to the left. "I've had my power for over a year at this point."
"Y-yeah! And I was born with m-mine," Arla added, causing Luz to blink.
"Wait, what?!" She exclaimed as Arla giggled, a smile on her face.
"Y-Yeah… it's because of my Mom. She can Restore things, and I guess I got a better version of it. T-Though, I'm not supposed to say anything about it. I-I guess it's okay here, s-seeing as we're all the same," Arla muttered, causing Luz's brain to, for all intents-and-purposes, shutdown. How was this possible?! This was supposed to be a new thing, so how did Johnny and Arla have their powers before the beginning of the week?
"That doesn't make any sense, though," Julia noted, crossing her arms. "Superpowers have only been around for a week. If you're truly claiming that you've had yours your entire life, Arla, then that implies that this sort of thing has happened before, and there are no records of it happening prior to the beginning of this week."
"Well, personally, I don't trust the Government to be honest about that sort of thing," Jean said, frowning, earning a skeptical gaze from Julia, which he returned in kind. "What? Do you mean to tell me you'd believe the people who said that the reason we were in Iraq was to "get rid of terror" and then tell the truth a few years later saying that they're only there for the oil?"
Julia went to say something, only to stop, looking away with a hint of embarrassment on her face. "Yeah, that's what I thought," Jean snarked, before scoffing. "I mean, if something like this has happened before, then it makes sense how the Government, or at least Maxwell, was able to set something like this up rather quickly. And the reason why we never knew about whoever pre-dated us, is because they were successful in wiping them out."
The air around the campfire suddenly became heavy. If what Jean said was true, then…. "Let's not think about that right now, yeah?" Luz said, nervously smiling as nods and grumbles came from around the campfire. The last thing that they needed on their minds right now was the idea that this wasn't the first time something like this had happened.
"So then, how are we going to do this, then?" Theodore asked as Luz smirked.
"Well, let's start with the simplest team to sort out. A scouting party. The group of people who'll get the supply drop for our team," Luz said, before looking over at Judy. "You'll be leading it, and the two other people with you will be Stanley and Arla."
"Aye, aye," Judy replied, a smirk on her face. Stanley grunted, and Arla nodded.
"Next up, we've got the two lookouts. That'll be Marcone and Theodore. I'm sure you guys can find a way up on the walls, right?" Luz asked as the pair nodded. Marcone grabbed a rock off the ground, before grunting, and as he did, it began to transform into a thick, rope-like vine with large, heavy-looking leaves. An exhausted sigh came out after he was done, and a bead of sweat dripped down the side of his face, which indicated he was suddenly exhausted.
"I can create a vine-stair case out of rocks, but it drains me…" Marcone said as Julia shook her head.
"You could just ask me to lift you up there, I can carry well over a tonne of weight with my vines. Remember, the tree?"
"Oh, right, yeah…" Marcone muttered, causing Luz to raise an eyebrow in confusion.
"What are you talking about?" Luz asked as Ronny chuffed, looking over to Luz with a smirk on his face.
"A tree, for some reason, nearly toppled over the base. Guess it just got too old or something. It was gonna crush the cabin you were in, and Julia wasn't a big fan of that. So, she used her vines to grab the huge thing—and I mean, it was fucking huge—before chucking it across the forest without so much as breaking a sweat, ya shoulda seen it, it was amazing!" Ronny explained as Luz slowly turned to look at Julia, who had a sheepish smile on her face.
"Remind me to never get you angry, okay?" Luz asked as Julia giggled.
"Don't worry, I doubt you could. You're face is too cute for that," Julia replied, an honest smile on her face as she closed her eyes, both of her hands clasped together and sitting front and center in front of her. As those words left her mouth, Luz's face became as red as a tomato, stammering as she tried and failed to get out a single coherent sentence. Julia opened her eyes, raising an eyebrow, confusion coating her expression as she tilted her head to the side. "Luz? Are you okay?"
"I-I-I-I-I—"
"I think you broke the captain there, Jules," Stanley quipped, wrapping an arm around Luz's shoulder, which seemed to snap her out of the sputtering mess she had briefly become. Stanley unwound his arm, before slipping a hand into his pants pocket, yawning. "Jeez, is anyone else tired?"
"Nah, I think I speak for everyone by saying that we're all fine," Ronny said, followed up by a couple of nods and "yes's" from the others. Stanley shrugged, ruffling the back of his hair before sighing.
"Well, I'm gonna go to sleep. I can't keep my eyes open for much longer. Peace out, ya'll." And with that, Stanley retired to one of the cabins for the night. When he fully disappeared, Luz turned to face everyone else. She looked at the remaining group of eight—not including Julia—and she frowned. She genuinely didn't know what to make of everyone else.
Stanley, Judy, and Arla were perfect for being scouts. Someone with advanced movement, someone who could act as a defensive wall, and someone to heal others in case of injuries. The two lookouts were perfect seeing as they seemed to know the most about survival. Although, maybe she could throw Johnny on the scout team…
But, what if someone came to attack the base? She didn't doubt Ronny or Carla, nor did she doubt Julia, but what if that fire guy showed up? Suddenly, things changed, so having Johnny there to vibrate the ground out from underneath the pyro-guy was a good move.
"What about the rest of us?" Jean asked, curiosity sparkling in his eyes.
"Hold down the fort, basically. The less people who wander out from the base, the better. Especially because then we can watch our backs far easier when we're all grouped up. For all we know, they could have people out there scouting, looking for people to pick off. We have no idea what their mentality is, and the last thing I want to do is to go assuming things, even if I would like it for them to be against killing, that fire-user seemed to be indifferent to it," Luz said as Jean nodded.
"Makes sense to me," Carla added, getting up from her sitting position in favour of crouching. As she did, rubbed at the back of her left car ear with the back of her hand, kind of like a cat wound when grooming itself. Arla shot her a glance, which was met by a frown and a raised eyebrow. "What're you looking at? It's instinct, alright?"
Arla let out a tiny little "eek" before muttering an "I'm sorry." Carla didn't seem to care and went back to her self-grooming. Luz turned around, not caring much for it. She was about to wander around, silently declaring the meeting over, but before glancing at Julia, who stared at her with a look that said "You're not done yet". Luz honestly, dreaded this part of the conversation, especially because she didn't know how anyone else would've reacted.
"Oh, uh, one more thing… STANLEY, GET OVER HERE, THIS IS IMPORTANT!" Luz shouted in the direction of the Cabin, as Stanley walked out, an annoyed look on his face. Thankfully, he didn't seem drowsy yet, meaning he hadn't tried falling asleep. Although, he was shirtless now, and it was more than a little attention-grabbing.
She had figured that he was muscular back on the bus, not being able to see much of anything. But now? Now she could. And while she had more of an attraction to girls than guys, to say that he wasn't attractive would've been her lying to herself. Again, not that she personally cared, she was just stating an objective fact.
The saying "a body chiselled to perfection as if it was were a statue" rang true for the 18-year-old. Be it because of his power having made it that way, or if it had been from years of working out, Luz couldn't tell. He had an extremely well-defined chest and abs, broad shoulders, and a neck as thick as a log. His arms were as wide as tree trunks, too. He honestly looked like he could deadlift a whole car without so much as batting an eye.
"What?" Stanley asked as Luz waved him over. She could faintly see him rolling his eyes, before lazily walking back over to the campfire. She glanced over at Judy, who had been biting her lip, looking him up and down, obviously interested in him. Stanley noticed that, too, scoffing. "What're you looking at?"
"Mama likes what she sees," Judy commented, causing Luz to cringe. If they started this crap now… "Wanna go take a walk later?"
"I don't wanna get shot in the back of the head for breaking the rules. Remember?" Stanley noted, crossing his arms. "Also, watch it, there're little kids here, remember?"
"Hmph, you're not fun," Judy quipped, before smirking. "But, if I survive this, and if you do too, you're mine."
Stanley seemed to shiver at that, though Luz couldn't tell if it was one of fear or one of something else. What? She wasn't exactly all tuned into that kind of thing, she was a kid! Not a horndog! "Anyways!" Luz said loud enough to break the two out of their little weird conversation, earning everyone's attention. "I finally figured out what my power is. I had… some help. Not of the physical kind but of the mental kind. It… came to me in my sleep, ya know, like a vision?"
"So, what is it?" Theodore asked, hunching over slightly, like a cowboy would. Luz swallowed down the fear that was building up in her throat. This was it, if she was going to back out now, she should. But… she didn't. She wasn't going to lie to her teammates. To the people, she was supposed to lead. Unlike Maxwell, she was going to be a good leader, damnit.
And so, with a relaxing exhale, Luz spoke. "My power, which I'm now calling All For One, when I come into physical contact with someone, gives me the ability to steal away other people's powers. Permanently. O-Oh, and if I have a stockpile of powers already, I can also give them to people," Luz explained, biting her tongue with an anxious look in her eyes after she stopped speaking.
For a full minute, there was nothing but silence. Luz felt as if a million people were watching her. She didn't like it, not one bit. All she wanted to do was to hide. Hide away from everyone and everything. And that was exactly what she was about to do, until….
"That's incredibly useful, actually…." Johnny's voice snapped her out of her near-panic attack, as Luz looked up at him, a wide smirk on his face. "Think about it, Luz. You're our secret weapon! If we ever get into a fight, for any reason, with anyone from the opposing team, you can de-power them and we can beat the snot out of them!"
"He's got a point," Stanley said, his smirk matching Johnny's. "I'll be honest, at first, I was a little iffy about joining your team instead of Kennedy's. But something told me that choosing you would let me survive this thing. Not only do you have guts, but you also have the power to back it up! We might actually win this thing, and it'll be because of you!"
Luz was confused. They… weren't afraid of her? But why? And more to the point…. "But, I don't want to win. Winning implies that we have to kill everyone else! I don't want to kill anyone!" Luz said as Judy shook her head, crossing her arms.
"You don't get it then," Judy stated as Luz looked over at her, eyes slightly narrowed.
"What don't I get?"
"That we don't have a choice," Judy responded, her tone leaving no room for argument. The sharpness and decisiveness in her voice borderline matched Shigaraki's, as did the coldness. It almost made Luz flinch, but she resisted it. She wasn't going to be intimidated by her. She couldn't be. Not when she was the leader. Leaders weren't intimidated by anyone. That was the point.
"We do have a choice," Luz argued, as Judy sighed.
"Then I guess you'll have to learn the hard way. Don't complain to me when someone's fist is elbow-deep in your guts, all because you hesitated," Judy spat, tilting her head in such a way to show the disdainful look in her eyes. One that made Luz shiver. "Just remember, leader or not, none of us here are loyal. We're here to survive. And if, for whatever reason, I believe you're sabotaging us all because of your own moral beliefs?" She drew a line across her throat with her thumb, before a black spot appeared in front of her, as she leapt through it, but not before announcing what she was doing. "I'm going on a walk. Catch you losers later."
And then, just like that, Judy was gone. Ronny sneered at where Judy had been standing, shaking his head disapprovingly. "Don't listen to her, Luz. She doesn't know what she's saying. It's nothing but a bunch of empty threats." After Ronny finished speaking, a yawn followed soon after, his eyes reflecting tiredness. "Well, I'm gonna go crash."
"Yeah, me too."
"Same."
"My eyes are way too heavy now…"
"Y-Yeah…"
And just like that, one by one, everyone, aside from Luz and Julia, began to walk back to the cabins. Luz was left staring at where Judy had teleported away using her spot power and frowned. She was just, gone. Did that mean that she could leave the camp whenever? Or, did it have a range? If so, how small and or large was the range?
She kind of wanted to try it out. You know, just to see what it would be like. And considering what she knew about her power….
"No, don't be stupid, Luz. She'd probably kill you if you tried," Luz thought, her frown turning into a near-scowl, only stopped by Julia poking her in her cheek, making Luz snap out of her little funk.
"If looks could kill, that wall would be hacked to bits," Julia quipped as Luz looked away.
"Well, can you blame me? Did you hear what that… what that bitchsaid?!" Luz spat, acutely aware of what word she used. But she didn't care. Her Mama wasn't here to scold her, and even then, why would she care what she had to say? Especially after their last conversation.
"She's just stressed. Everyone here is, and stress causes people to say and do stupid things. Especially in tense situations like this one," Julia reasoned, causing Luz's shoulders to sag. She hated to admit it but Julia was right.
"Right…" Luz muttered, glancing in the tree line. And when she did, Luz practically paled. Why? Because standing in one of the trees was something that didn't look right. For a second, she thought she had been hallucinating. Because what she had seen wasn't human. And while it was covered in shadow due to the sun having gone down, she could make out a slug-like body.
It was hanging in the tree, strange blue eyes staring her down, before quickly slinking away faster than she could blink. "Luz?" Julia, for what felt like the fifth time today, snapped Luz out of a daze of some kind, as the colour in her face refreshed. Whatever that was, Luz didn't know. All she knew was that it was in the forest, and it wasn't human. It wasn't any animal that she had recognized. And it saw her face.
What it was going to do with that information, she didn't know. And it worried her.
"Sorry, I just thought I saw something," Luz drawled as Julia yawned.
"I'm going to get some rest. I take it you're staying up?"
"Yup," Luz replied, sticking her right thumb up with a smile on her face. "I'm all energized from my nap. You can all count on me!"
"Good, because I'm about to pass out," Julia said, stretching as she did. Then, out of nowhere, Julia wrapped her arms around Luz's torso, pulling her in, and then rested her head on Luz's shoulder. "G'night, see you in the morning." And then, she pulled away, before turning to the cabins, disappearing into the doorway, leaving a confused, flustered, and blushing red Luz.
Luz was never good with physical affection. Not even from her mother. So, after being willingly hugged by an admittedly extremely cute girl it was no wonder why Luz's cheeks flared red. All Luz could do was shake her head, push down the strange feeling fluttering in her chest and ignore her fast-beating heart.
She had never had a crush before. Not on anyone. But, she was fairly certain that she had a crush on Julia.
A hopeful thought filled Luz's mind, that maybe, just maybe, if things all worked out. If everyone survived, and if they were able to escape this hellish nightmare, Luz could finally have someone to spend time with.
Maybe, just maybe, something good could come from this hell.
-To Be Continued in – Search and Steal – Part 1-
[Ending Song: Life – By: Rude-a]
*The ending opens up with Luz sitting on the edge of a cliff, staring up at the sky with a twinkle in her eyes, all the while the sound of a guitar strumming peacefully, followed by drums matching the tempo, like a serene melody, as a disembodied voice begins to sing.*
"Lately I don't know to do"
"Hurry up, my mind is one the moon"
"Flying up to where the wind blew"
*The scene stays the same, as wind blows through Luz's hair, still staring up at the sky, before looking down at the palm of her hands, a curious gleam to her eyes. Suddenly, a hand places itself on Luz's shoulder, as she looks over it to see Julia, smiling, before she sits next to Luz. This is followed by Stanley, who sits on the other side of her. Luz smiles, as more people around her age start pooling around her, sitting, staring out at the sky above as the clouds rolls past. All the while the disembodied voice continues*
"Overflowin' in the palm of my hand, passion to be who I am"
"Spent my days all just wandering this world"
"But then there's only you who's shining and pure"
"A rusty knife'll never cut a thing now; I am burning like a fire gone wild."
*The scene changes slightly, as a total of 33 people stand around and sit next to Luz, staring up at the sky, pointing out things that look to be strange. Julia has an arm wrapped around Luz's shoulder, whereas Stanley is ruffling her hair. Kennedy looms behind both of them, smirking, as if pleased with himself as the disembodied voice continues.*
"Like in the moment that my heart began to open"
"And it had the chance to scream, loud and unbroken"
"Everything was different from that moment on, if I don't try, I'll never know."
*The scene begins to change, the subtle strum of an electric guitar, signifying something. The wind blows harder, as if trying to push them away. The clouds darken as the sun begins to set, and as it does, people begin to disappear, starting with a few people in the back. One or two people vanish, but that's all. Luz, however, looks upset, closing her eyes, her expression changing to a solemn one as the disembodied voice continues*
"I wonder why the flowers are blooming."
"Your voice still echoes out in my heart."
*More people begin to disappear, but this time more rapidly. They're not walking away. They're simply disappearing. Vanishing from sight. Leaving Luz all alone. It gets worse as it comes down to only three people. Kennedy, Julia, and Stanley. First, it's Julia, who gets up from where she's sitting, and wanders off into the forest. It makes Luz's eyes widen, her solemnness turning into Despair. Then it's Stanley, which makes her look to her left. He waves to her, before going into the forest. Then, it's Kennedy, who stuffs his hands in his pockets and leaves. Luz's eyes water, and she looks away, before looking back up at the sky, the moon taking the place of the sun. All the while the disembodied voice continues*
"Tell me why I just shouted to the sky?"
"But you are no, no longer here, that's right."
"Remembering the adventure we went on called life!"
"Just a fleeting moment…!"
"Call it just a dream, 'cause I don't mind it."
"I'll save you from the present, the one so torn and riddled with scars."
*As Luz is left alone on the cliff, tears in her eyes, the guitar strums a solemn tone. Her tears are wiped away by an older man–All For One–who puts a hand on her shoulder. Julia sits back down next to Luz, holding her hand, which makes her smile. Now it's All For One looming behind her, his expression one of pride. The ending finishes with a few more strums of the guitar, and near the end, All For One's eyes glow a deep shade of red.*
Writing that ending part was extremely heartbreaking, especially when remembering what Julia's fate was. Unless…? :3 Nah, who the hell am I kidding? Her fate is unmovable. Besides, a lot of things wouldn't work or pan out if she didn't die. But, that doesn't mean I can't write my own "what-ifs" later down the road. Or, other people can? I'd be totally accepting of those, btw.
Anyway, till next time ya weirdos! See you all in the next chapter. Peace out!