There are lots of spoilers for Demon Slayer, Jojo, Hellsing, etc in this chapter. This was warned during the first chapter.

Tyl Regor part: *spooky noises*

You are now reading his lines in his voiiiice~

Also do you all like longer or shorter chapters?

==========================VI==========================

What is a demon?

Collaborative Report
By Dr. Clark Vaust (Speedwagon Foundation), Archivist Yao (Exorcist Association), Sir Penwood XIII (Hellsing Organization), et al.

Introduction

Throughout religion and mythology, there has been a constant variable. Demons. They go by many names: daimōns, daeva, evil spirits, oni, and asura, to name a few. Almost all religions have some evil entity that preys on the innocent, corrupting them to their own ends or leading them into sin.

People like to believe these are just myths, but those of us who work for organizations across the globe know that humanity is not alone in this world. Dullahan, dragons, werekin, wendigo, and jorōgumo are just some examples of demi-human and monstrous creatures that have lived amongst us for centuries. But those that stand out are the ones who claim or were named demons.

History Of "Demons"

South America
The earliest predecessor to one of the most dangerous men to ever live was the Pillar Tribe, an extinct near-human race that resided in the South American continent. The survivors of the tribe were wiped out between 1938-1939 by the efforts of Joseph Joestar and his allies. (Founder's Journal, 1939). Through the use of the stone masks, they were able to alter their biology by puncturing their brains with the tendrils the masks produced.

Many scientists have been puzzled over how simple acupuncture could mutate the body in such a way. According to Robert E. O. Speedwagon, Jonathan Joestar was unable to discover how the mask in his possession functioned other than blood being an activation requirement. (Founder's Journal, 1888). With the Speedwagon Foundation's zero-tolerance policy on possession of masks, it is likely we will never know how they functioned with their destruction.

China's guardian spirits have postulated that some sort of magic or ritual was used in the transformation process, as stored fragments of the masks do not match any geologic records and the reports of bright light coming from the mask during the transformation process.

Alucard of the Hellsing organization did not consider vampires created by the stone masks to be "real vampires", stating that Dio Brando was nowhere close to the real thing. (Hellsing Quarterly Review, March 1989).

Japan
Little is known about the Origin of Muzan Kibutsuji's initial transformation as the notes left by the Ubuyashiki family are incomplete and many were lost to time, and fragmented memories were recorded by Tanjiro Kamado's brief possession by Muzan.

Muzan Kibutsuji was born sometime during the Heian period between 900 AD-1000 AD. He suffered from an illness that would've killed him before he reached his twenties. A traveling doctor used some experimental treatment to cure him, but in the process transformed him into a demon. One of the ingredients in question was the "Blue Spider Lily" an extremely rare and sadly extinct flower.

Kibutsuji possessed the ability to create more of his kind by infusing humans with his blood, transforming them into "demons". He ruled the underworld of Japan for hundreds of years before his defeat in 1913. In that time his demons butchered thousands and drove the demi-human population of Japan to near extinction in his search for a cure to his weakness of the sun.

All demons connected to Kibutsuji perished after his defeat, the only survivor being Yushiro Yamamoto, who became a painter before sadly being killed during the Dawn of Quirks. With no surviving blood samples or blue spider lilies, it has become impossible to ascertain how the initial transformation was achieved.

Romania
Dracula is a monster often recognized in fiction by Bram Stoker's famous novel. What people don't realize is that Bram based his book on reality.

Alucard, the king of the vampires, nosferatu, the no-life king. A demon disguised as a man. The Hellsing Organization's attack dog, historically known as Vlad the Impaler. Oddly enough, few realized his true origins despite his name being Dracula reversed. Alucard was one of the only three ascendant "True Vampires" ever to exist, the others being his sires Seras Victoria (Britain's #1312 Hero Cannonade) and Sir Integra Fairbrook Wingates Hellsing, last of the Hellsing line. While other natural-born vampires are technically "True Vampires" none reach the level of Alucard's bloodline.

All known "True Vampires" were created by the voluntary consumption of human blood or by the siring vampire drinking the blood of a virgin of the opposite sex. The reason for such a requirement is unknown. Artificial vampires were created using the corpse of Mina Harker, one of Alucard's fledgling vampires. She never became a "true" vampire by voluntarily drinking human blood and thus reverted to being human upon Alucard's defeat by Abraham Van Helsing in the mid-1800s.

Files recovered from Millenium's airship following the Battle of London in 2008 revealed that her body still contained Alucard's essence, which allowed the Nazi organization to engineer pseudo-vampires with a combination of said essence and cybernetic technology akin to that of Rudol von Stroheim. It is theorized that The Major used an enhanced version of Stroheim's cybernetic upgrades to keep himself alive for all those years as well. (Hellsing Mission Brief to the Queen, 2008).

Non-human Demons

All three examples have one thing in common: They were all humans mutated via different methods into monsters. The term "demon" has been applied to Kibutsuji and Alucard simply as a title, not an actual species.

The Exorcist Association in China believes that demons are a collection of negative karma or souls failing to move on to the afterlife. Curiously, they are the only country in the world that experiences this phenomenon on such a scale. Restless spirits have been known to cause issues in areas with a history of violent deaths. The leading theory is the number of violent uprisings in China's history, like the Taiping Rebellion in the 1800s and the Crimson Revolt during the dawn of quirks which saw the violent dissolution of the CCP.

The theory that demons are restless spirits or beings created via negative energy would hold more weight if not for several instances of extraplanar summonings. Actual, extraplanar demons who claim to be from Hell have been summoned on multiple occasions, with multiple imprisoned in the Supernatural Supermax Pandora's Box. These demons share traits of crimson skin, horns, and fire abilities. After the dawn of quirks, instances of their appearance jumped from once every few decades to about once every five years. These appear to be the true species of demon, who exist in a dimension adjacent to ours. Several have made claims that their purpose is to "punish the sinners of the physical realm" and spread "divine punishment to cursed souls". Most appear to be involuntarily summoned to Earth with several exceptions.

Common Threads

With the confirmed existence of a separate species of demons in Hell, the term "demon" being used for mutated humans and pillar men is a bit of a misnomer. Of the two examples, only vampires created by the stone masks and true vampires are undead, with Kibutsuji's demons still being live humans. Upon comparison of inter-agency files, and numerous other studies discussing the similarities between some of their powers there is a non-zero likelihood that they are related in some way.

- All require the consumption of human souls, blood, or flesh to rapidly increase their powers, heal, or mutate further. There are outliers (See personnel files: Kamado, Nezuko & Hellsing, Integra) but the requirement is mostly consistent across the board.
- All possessed supernatural abilities related to the manipulation of their bodies or other mystical arts requiring blood. They are not consistent with demi-humans who use the world's natural magic and Adeptus Sea Gazer has described the feeling as "similar to quirks, but vile." They were able to use magical abilities without being direct descendants of human-compatible demi-humans.

-In the case of Vampires and mutates created by the stone masks, they had the ability to raise the dead, in some cases many decades after the subject's death. (Incident Report: Windknight's Lot). Ghouls created by true and artificial vampires lacked autonomy unlike those ghouls created by Dio Brando, who were corrupted humans or animated corpses possessed by vestiges of the original spirit.

[See next file in report ]

==========================VI==========================

[I-Island Brig, May 1, 2242]

Tyl rolled over in his cot. The headache was finally gone. Following the interview two days earlier he'd been afflicted by the worst migraine he'd ever had in his entire life. That Shield fellow said it was a side effect of the device they used to upload their language into his brain. Whatever that thing was, he never wanted to experience it again. He'd rather learn it himself, thank you very much.

That bug man didn't seem too happy with where they'd left off at the end of their last interview, or at least that was the impression Tyl got. Hard to tell with his insect-like face. He'd at least convinced them to supply him with some books on quirk genetics to read while he recovered from his headache, not that he got much reading done during the past two days.

The prospect of supernatural abilities passed down through genetics both intrigued and infuriated him. It was a frustrating duality. He wanted to know more, yet the information available to him was extremely vague. How the hell did they have quirks for nearly two hundred years and still not understand how they worked? Sure they had mapped out the so-called "Plus Alpha" gene but they didn't know where the mutation even came from.

On top of that, many quirks seemed to blatantly defy the laws of physics. Some could create matter with a higher output than fuel ratio. Others boosted the strength of the user without requiring a significant increase in calories. Plus there were ones like his Missile Wrist quirk which completely changed the body, as he had metal thrusters built into his arms. They weren't even cybernetic implants. They felt natural, and according to the notes wouldn't be rejected by the body.

All this information left him with a burning desire to know more. He wanted, no, needed to get out of here and experiment. He'd questioned his purpose since he no longer needed to cure his clone rot and now he finally had the answer. Quirks. So many different genes and abilities to catalog. Could they be copied? Could he create new quirks? He didn't know, and that made him giddy beyond reason.

Unfortunately, this world's technology wouldn't be on the level at which he could create living clones. Well, he could… but they would be blank slates. He would have to raise them like they were babies, otherwise, they would be infants with adult bodies. Honestly, the thought of creating more clones bothered him for the first time in his life. For as long as he could remember, creating more Grineer was his purpose. His only goal was to create the perfect clone, free of the degenerative disease that infected their genes. But was it truly his goal, or one given to him by the queens?

Even if he did create more clones, he would have to raise them himself. He didn't have the empire's resources anymore, so resources would be a problem. Hell, they were a problem back in the Origin System. Managing billions of Grineer took an insane amount of resources, requiring multiple planets to keep the empire functioning. Even if he ignored all that, the Grineer had a history of cruelty and backstabbing to achieve a higher position. Without the leftover Orokin cloning tech, he wouldn't be able to guarantee their loyalty, which was already sketchy among regular Grineer at best.

Tyl sighed and placed the textbook down. 'If nothing else, the research would be interesting…'
Something had caught his attention in the book though. "I couldn't clone people easily, but organs would be simple. They already have some attempts but it looks like they are going about it the wrong way. It's an untapped market, not that I care about money…"

The door buzzed. "Mr. Regor, it's time for your next interview. Please place your hands behind your back and stand facing the wall."

==VI==

"Mr. Regor, I hope you've recovered from your headache?" David asked. "I know the process we used isn't pleasant from experience."

The orange-eyed man sitting across from him nodded. "I believe I will be fine, it's far from the worst pain I've been in." Tyl leaned back in his chair.

Daniel flipped through his notes. "So, back to the topic on hand. When we last met you said you weren't from this planet, correct?"

Tyl Nodded. "Indeed. I was born in a cloning facility in orbit."

David spat out his drink. "You're a clone?" He really should know by now to not drink when someone is talking, especially when said person is not of this world.

"Yes yes yes, I imagine that is a huge shock based on what I read from your textbooks. I am one of the billions of clones in the Grineer Empire."

With how pale Daniel got you could've sworn he was a molted husk of skin just like a cicada. "B-b-billions?" He stuttered, dropping his pen.

"Yes, billions. If you're worried about being invaded by an army of clones, well, I doubt that will happen considering the events that brought me here. I'm sure if any of my brothers and sisters were here in force we wouldn't be having this conversation."

"C-can you elaborate on that?" Daniel asked, having recovered his pen and downing something flask shaped in his coat pocket.

Tyl proceeded to tell them the rough history of the Sentient's invasion of the Origin System and his time holed away in his lab. The two men were partially terrified and partially enraptured by the story.

"And that's how I ended up here."

"So you're from the future?" Daniel asked.

David put his hand to his chin. "I doubt it, seeing as he didn't know what quirks are. Alternate timeline or universe maybe. That implies that multiverse theory is true!" He said with excitement.

Tyl nodded again. "That was my leading theory. I'm… unfamiliar with the properties of the Void. It's not my field."

"And this 'Morgan', that's what my daughter said you called her when you saved her," David asked.

"Ah. The girl. It was simply a case of mistaken identity." He tapped his fingers against the table. "In my stupor, I believed her to be… someone else."

"Was this 'Morgan' a friend?" Daniel inquired.

"A friend? With her kind?" Daniel suddenly felt very uncomfortable. Tyl let out a hysterical laugh. "As if I'd ever associate willingly with those who destroyed my work, my research! Set my back years they did, filthy rats." He growled. "So close to a possible cure and they help that greasy little jellyfish Alad…" Tyl started to incoherently rant about something, muttering how he should've "castrated that smug shit" and "pummel the coward into a pulp".

"Umm… Mr. Regor?" David interrupted his rant.

"And that's why- Oh… apologies. I can get a bit… passionate about my research." He clasped the cup of water in his cuffed hands and took a long sip. "As a scientist fellow scientist yourself I'm sure you can understand how someone ruining years of hard work can make one feel."

'Like the quirk amplification headset…'

Daniel interrupted Davids's thought. "So it was more of an 'enemy of my enemy thing' with her?"

"I believe that sums it up nicely, yes. She was useful to my continued survival, nothing more. We nearly killed each other on multiple occasions. It was a… tenuous partnership."

David raised an eyebrow. "If that's the case why did you save my daughter, thinking it was her?"

Tyl stared at the table for a minute in deep thought.

"I'm not entirely sure myself. Perhaps I felt I owed her for shielding me from the cataclysm… no, that wasn't it…" Tyl grumbled. "It was a strange sensation, the desire to… help someone in need that wasn't Grineer. Something I'd never felt before…"

"You've never felt empathy for others before?" David queried.

"Empathy… yes, I believe that IS what I felt. Interesting…" Tyl trailed off. "To answer your question, no. We Grineer weren't designed to… care about anything other than our Queens and each other, although to a far lesser extent." He took in the look of shock and horror on David's face. "Honestly, it's odd being able to… feel all these emotions that were supposed to be bred out of me. I would've been… defective." He faltered on the last word.

David gulped, a sinking feeling in his stomach. "And… what happens to defective clones?"

"Standard imperial protocol was for them to be dissected… and exterminated, not necessarily in that order. I oversaw many of the procedures myself"

Daniels gagged while David continued his questions. "Did you enjoy performing them?"

Tyl started to agree but then hesitated. "I… I honestly don't know. We Grineer were bred to obey the Twin Queens without question, or at the very least fear kept most of us in line. I'm not entirely sure how much of my actions were programming and what was my own thoughts. As one of the leading researchers in our genetics, I was in contact with the Queens frequently and issued orders on a consistent basis. It's… like a little voice, inside your head. Not your conscience, but the whisper of the Queens in your mind."

The WHA investigator scribbled something down on his notepad. "Did you ever try to resist their commands?"

"Maybe? Whenever I questioned something internally I always kept it to myself. It wasn't a particular concern of mine most of the time. I had many other more pressing matters to attend to. If you had to ask me if I regret what I did… it would only be what I was forced to do to my fellow Grineer in the name of progress. My work would've led to an end to our genetic deterioration. The non-Grineer inhabitants would suffer, but it wasn't exactly at the forefront of my thoughts. Until now, I never possessed the capacity to care for someone who wasn't one of us. Would I do it again? … I don't know." Tyl slumped in his seat.

==VI==

"So what do you think?" David asked the investigator once they stepped outside for a break.

"..." The mantis mutant shuddered. "According to international law, he should be tried for multiple crimes against humanity. Given his… mental state? He might be acquitted. I'm not sure we even can try him for anything. Normally outer space would fall under international law, but given his crimes took place in another universe." Daniel turned around and placed his head in the corner, silently screaming before turning back to David. "There is no legal precedent for interdimensional crimes. Alongside that, we wouldn't have jurisdiction and he was well within legal rights according to the Grineer laws he stated."

"Can you charge him with anything?"

"Since his actions didn't take place within international jurisdiction? Not much. If we took this case to the courts, even if they believed us, I guarantee he would "mysteriously vanish" or "die in prison". Someone with his knowledge would be invaluable to any country. The most we could do is charge him for breaking and entering and destruction of private property, but I doubt those would stick. It's the same principle as kidnapping someone and dropping them on private property. Honestly, this whole situation is a clusterfuck that I wish I had no part in." Daniel clicked his mandibles rapidly in exasperation.

"Well, he is a scientist…" David started.

"David, no."

He held up a hand. "Hear me out. He's a self-proclaimed expert in cloning. Something that scientists worldwide have had little success in since quirks existed. Think of all the good he could accomplish!"

"Or he could make a clone army and take over the planet! He's a threat, and I should be reporting this all to the WHA, assuming they don't think I've gone mad."

"Daniel- Think about it. He has decades of cloning experience. He could solve hundreds of problems worldwide. Organ replacement, skin grafts… maybe even a cure for cancer!"

"Theoretically. According to him, our technology is several hundred, if not thousands of years behind what he was working with."

"But he was doing fully grown humans with pre-programmed knowledge. Organ cloning was already in its infancy before quirks appeared, which means we already have a baseline."

Daniel hesitated. Mr. Shield brought up some good points. Mr. Regor was obviously very intelligent, so it was entirely possible that David's idea could work.

Had he been any other agent, he would've refused David's idea outright. When Daniel was a child, he had a younger sister. His family all shared a similar praying mantis physical mutation, giving them several insect-like properties, including the heart and blood. Their blood flowed freely throughout their bodies as insects did, and their hearts functioned differently than humans to account for that as well as the unique blood his family possessed.

So when his sister was diagnosed with advanced cardiomyopathy there was nothing that could be done. It was too late to fix it with surgery. Organ transplants were already incredibly difficult to arrange with the existence of quirks. Even quirkless people struggled with the lack of incredible donors. For complex mutants, it was a death sentence. If there was a compatible heart, their unique blood would poison the donor organ. There was nothing they could do. She died within a year. That was simply the way the world worked for those with mutant quirks.

But if David was right, and Regor could solve the problem of quirked organ cloning… it wouldn't just benefit mutants. It would benefit the entire world. I-Island was known for sharing its knowledge, so long as it didn't pose a threat to hero society as a whole. Were it some pharmaceutical company back in the States, they would've patented and privatized his research. It would only be available to the rich and powerful. Health care worldwide had come a long way since the dawn of quirks, but something like that would be monopolized.

David Shield was a genius and his stance on quirks being used to help society as a whole was well-known. If anyone could do it, he could.

No more children would have to die from preventable diseases.

"If I let you do this, there will be conditions he has to agree to. Regor will be your responsibility. If he does anything wrong, he's out. It will be your head on the chopping block, Shield. If anyone asks, you took in a brilliant but unknown scientist who arrived here during a freak accident with a warping quirk. That's what I'll tell the higher-ups at least. I won't back you up if this ends up being a mistake. Is that agreeable?"

"Yes. I'll accept full responsibility if Regor agrees to work with me." David had worked alongside All Might for many years. Toshinori tried to see the good in everyone, and it was an example that David lived by. Tyl had saved Melissa despite his apparent hatred for her lookalike. Many would look past the mental manipulation and see Tyl as a villain. That might be true, but David could see past the front of cynicism and false hatred that Regor put up. The Grineer scientist was a victim of his upbringing. Despite the man's words, his eyes betrayed his true feelings about what he did. He wasn't a monster, he just deserved a chance to prove his true colors.

And David was willing to give him that chance.

'Plus, if this works… Toshinori won't need the Quirk Amplifier. I won't have to stage a fake heist!'

==VI==

When they returned to the interrogation room Daniel was silent. It was David's turn to do his thing. He'd already written up a contract for Mr. Regor if Mr. Shield was successful in his negotiation.

"So, Mr. Regor. You mentioned that you researched a cure for the degenerative disease affecting your people. What exactly did those treatments entail?"

"I believe this needs a bit of backstory. The disease in question was called Cloning Decay Syndrome. You see, the Grineer were originally a slave caste created by the Orokin Empire, far before my time. I'm unsure of the specifics, but it was either a failsafe that our "glorious creators" implanted into our genes or an overuse of our genetic molds. Regardless, after a few centuries, newer generations of clones began to… rot." Tyl pointed to his face. "This beautiful mug right here? Before whatever brought me here restored me it was held together by a series of flesh grafts and staples. My right eye was entirely Cybernet. After a few decades, the rot was so far intense that I had to amputate both my arms and legs."

David recoiled. "Good lord…"

"I had to replace most of my internal organs multiple times. Let me tell you, performing surgery on yourself isn't as fun as you would think." Not that anyone would tell you that it would be. "I did end up using cybernetic organs at some point. The surgeries took too much time and each successive transplant performed worse. Of course, there was always the risk of cybernetic rejection, but I overclocked my immune system to compensate."

"So would you say you are well-versed in cloning organs?"

"Organs? Organs are pitifully easy, presuming you have the genetic material on hand. I was working with my own samples, hence the constant decay."

"And did you ever make any breakthroughs in your genetic research?"

"I did. I created a procedure that created stronger, more stable clones… at least physically. Mentally, they were a bit…" He attempted to make the cuckoo sign with his cuffed hands. "And, in my infinite wisdom, I performed the procedure on myself. I wouldn't say it was my finest moment, but the health benefits outweighed the… mental instability."

"I think I've heard enough. Mr. Regor, do you believe with your experience you would be able to repeat your organ cloning procedure here if given the resources?"

Tyl tapped his chin. "Hmmm… I believe it would take some time, given your world's pitiful level of technology. From what I observed in your textbooks, the scientists working on the subject were incorrect in their methods. If I had the resources? Maybe within one to two years, I could create functional organs. Although the timetable could slide either way dependent on how complicated quirk genetics are. I would start out using the… what were they called? Quirkless? Yes. Quirkless as a baseline. Their DNA contains the dormant Plus Alpha gene which would be the foundation for quirked organs."

"And could you mass produce the organs, customized per person quickly once that is done?"

"Mass production would be simple. You forget I helped engineer fully grown human cloning on an industrial scale galaxy-wide. As for time? Maybe one to two weeks per organ. Assuming it works the same way in this universe, you cannot rush cell growth too much unless you want to have a cancerous toxic growth placed inside you." He huffed. "Very messy. Would not recommend."

David sweatdropped. "I can imagine you wouldn't…"

This was far better than he could've hoped. Before quirks, the waiting lists for organs were already three to five years. Growing organs in weeks were far beyond his wildest dreams. He'd been expecting Tyl to say it would take him months to a year per organ. He felt selfish thinking only about Toshinori. This would save hundreds, no, millions of lives if he was successful!

"Of course, that's assuming I'm correct in my calculations. As much as I like to inflate my ego, I've never worked with quirked genes before. I hate to admit it, but I could be entirely wrong about how long it could take me to perfect the process." Tyl admitted.

"No no no! Even if it takes longer than you expect, it would still be a massive breakthrough in quirk genetics!" David cleared his throat. "Mr. Regor, I'm willing to offer you a job working here on I-Island, with conditions of course. Daniel?"

The WHA investigator slid a stack of papers across the desk. "Now, given the… unusualness of your situation, it would be difficult for the government to charge you with any crimes. That said, the actions you took in your universe are highly illegal under international law. Mr. Shield wants to accommodate your presence here, but there will be certain sanctions you have to follow."

"That sounds more than reasonable." Tyl folded his arms. "And they are?"

"First, you break any laws, you're out. No live human experimentation, you will only use specimens approved by Mr. Shield for your research. You follow the ethics guidelines to the letter. Second, if you try to leave I-Island without permission, you will be taken down immediately. Part of the deal will be wearing an ankle monitor until you've proven we can trust you. You can find the rest of the rules in the contract I've drafted. The last most important thing is this: you do not reveal where you came from. If anyone asks, you were affected by a warp quirk and ended up here."

Tyl nodded and skimmed through the contract. He would be offered his own lab, resources, and a place to live. Even with all the restrictions placed upon him, this was heaven compared to his old lab. No Queens to threaten his life, assassination attempts by the Tenno, or dealing with clone rot.

"I only have one demand. I want my armor back." Tyl said.

"I think that can be arranged." David stuck out his hand. "Welcome to I-Island, Tyl Regor."

==VI==

[Naruhata Ward, May 17th, 2242]

"Watch out Ogre guy, 'cause I'm comin' through!" Inosuke slammed headfirst into the training dummy Iwao had just set down.

"God dammit kid, at least let me set this thing up first! And it's Oguro!" Today was the grand opening of his new quirk gym. He'd decided to call it the Overclock Gym, playing off his old hero name.

"Oi!" Rumi shouted from across the room. "If you're going to be in here, help him move some of the equipment you brat! And ya' better have that math practice done too!" She hefted the massive bench press weight over her head and locked it in place.

"I finished it alright!" He sprinted over to his bag and pulled out a sheet of math problems she'd given him earlier this week. "Look!"

From a quick glance, the multiple-choice problems were all correct. However, the ones where he had to show his work….

Mirko smacked him on his boar-masked head. "What did I tell you about working on your handwriting dumbass! This is illegible!" For someone who barely knew how to write and read, he'd picked up his lessons frighteningly fast. It seemed she was right about spite being an excellent motivator. Telling the boy it was okay if he couldn't do it only spurred him to try even harder. Inosuke was a bright kid when he put in the effort.

"I want you to go and practice your handwriting. Make sure I can read it this time! You won't be getting into a good hero school if they can't read your test answers!"

"Got it!" He dashed out of the room.

"Rumi, he was supposed to be helping us move the equipment in," Iwao grumbled as he hobbled over. "You know I can't move heavy things with this bum leg."

"Relax old man. I can get the rest myself." Rumi said, grabbing another piece of equipment.

"This 'old man' can still kick your ass, you know." He chuckled to himself, watching the Rabbit Hero haul exercise machines and weights inside. "Hey, Rumi?"

"Whaddya want?" She yelled, gently placing the last of the equipment down.

"Hashibira, are you still set on enrolling him in Ketsubutsu or U.A.?"

"Yeah, that's the plan? Why?"

"He's a bit old for it. He'll be about the age of a second or third year by the time the entrance exams open up again. Wouldn't it be better to, I dunno, enroll him in a hero college?"

"If I wanted him to get a crappy education I'd do that, assuming they would even let him in. Not a lot of colleges want people with no school history, especially if they're quirkless. You know how shitty people can be about that. Plus, it's not like there haven't been heroes that were held back a few years in school or started late." She leaned back onto one of the benches, propping up her feet. "Kid already picked up some good skills, despite not telling us where."

"Doesn't he have some sort of amnesia?"

"Oh, don't get me wrong, he was telling the truth about not remembering how he got here, but I've heard him mumbling in his sleep at night. He remembers something alright, but the docs said not to press him on it. It ain't worth jeopardizing his health to sate my curiosity. Besides, not like he's doing it out of malice. He'll tell us when he's ready."

Iwao stared at her for a moment, then laughed. "You're going soft, you know that?"

"The bruises I give him in training would beg to differ. Just 'cause I like the kid doesn't mean I'm goin' easy on him. He can keep up with me, and I'm in the upper fifty of pros. I'm hard on him because he will need to put extra effort in without a quirk to use. Doc said he doesn't even have a recessive quirk factor either, but despite that, he's freakishly strong and skilled."

Iwao sat down next to her with a fond look in his eye. "You've really matured. I remember when you were just some dumbass middle schooler breaking into underground fight clubs. Now you're a dumbass pro hero picking fights with every villain you see." Rumi punched him in the shoulder. "Heh, but you've got a good head on your shoulders, just like the kid." He smacked her back on the shoulder.

Rumi's cheeks flushed. "Now who's getting soft?"

"You and I both know how hard the hero life can be. It can cost ya' an arm and a leg." He chuckles. "Or an eye and a leg in my case. The last thing we want to see is Hashibira coming home in a body bag. Or not at all." Iwao leaned back and stared at the ceiling. "We aren't the best role models for him. He's already too much like us for me to be comfortable. Sure, we can teach him how to kick ass and survive in a fight, not that he needs much help with that, but he needs someone to drill all that other stuff into that thick skull of his."

Iwao sat back up. "But enough of all this dreary talk about the future. It's opening day. You helped set all this up, and it's technically your money paying for all this. Go ahead and have some fun Rumi." He smacked her on the back. "Just don't go overboard and break all the equipment before my first customers show up."

She was already kicking one of the training dummies by the time he finished the sentence.

==VI==

[Tau Residence, May 19th, 2242]

Ordan took a sip of his tea and continued typing on his laptop, nursing an ice pack on his new black eye. Across the room, Natah was looking into the mirror in the living room, while Hunhow stared menacingly at the TV watching the morning news.

Clickedy-clack clickedy-clack clickedy-clack

Sensing someone approaching, he turned around to see Haylee walking down the stairs. She yawned and stretched when she reached the bottom.

"G'morning." She grumbled, trudging over to the fridge.

"Sleep alright?"

"Mhm." She poured out a glass of orange juice and sat down with a bowl of cereal. Finally getting a good look she did a double take. "What happened to your eye?"

He pointed a thumb at Natah. "She overdid it during training last night. That's why you were asleep when we got back."

The older woman glanced back into the kitchen. "Which I already apologized profusely for."

"And now we're taking today off so I can recover. Workin' on typing up some threat assessments for Yagi to give to those people in the government to use in case they run into anyone from our universe."

"Mmm," Haylee murmured between bites of her breakfast. "That's smart."

"What are you planning on doing today? Beach again with your new friend?" He asked.

"Midoriya's not my friend, he's just training there and I've only known him for less than two days. I'm only going to the beach because you two wanted me to get out of the house and it's relaxing." Her spoon clattered against the bowl. "Plus he's at school until three."

Ordan leaned across the table. "You know, the Japanese have a word for what you're being." He poked her in the forehead.

"Tsun-"

Poke

"Der-"

Poke

"E-ahg!" He yelped as Haylee grabbed the offending digit and bent it back.

"Quit poking me." She frowned and released his finger, feeling Natah's hand on her shoulder.

"Haylee, please don't try to break the poor man's finger. He needs it to type his reports." Natah warned, completely ignoring all the other reasons breaking people's fingers wasn't ok.

"You should've broken it. It would at least offer more entertainment than this drivel." Hunhow muttered, diverting his attention from the television. "If I have to see one more story about a hero versus villain fight, I will fly myself into the sun."

Ordan clutched his sore finger. "Well fuck you too, Mr. House Arrest." He huffed. "There's plenty of other stuff on, just watch something else." Turning back to his computer he resumed typing.

Natah ruffled Haylee's bedraggled hair. "Either way, we're proud of you Haylee. How are your studies going"

Haylee groaned. Leaning all the social norms and history of the world was annoying. Everything here was so different and she had to adapt to a whole new set of rules to not stand out. "It's fine, just really boring."

"Well, being out and about does help. You can't learn everything just by reading it. All these new experiences have been so exciting." It was much better than being sealed in Lua for hundreds of years.

"I guess… doesn't mean I have to like it though." Haylee thought for a moment. "By the way, why were you staring into the mirror when I came down?"

"Oh…" Natah blushed. "Well, I was thinking about changing my hair. Choose my own style instead of copying Margulis's." She hesitated. "If… you're comfortable with that."

Haylee leaned up against her mother figure. "It doesn't matter to me. You'll still be you no matter how you look."

"Thank you." She pulled Haylee in for a quick hug and sat down next to her. "I was thinking of cutting it short and making it lavender colored." Her hair shifted from black to a violet-purple hue. "Does it look good?"

Ordan gave her a thumbs-up from across the table. "I like the color. Looks like it would go well with your old outfit."

Natah glanced at her reflection. "Do you think it would look good if I cut it short?"

"Can't you just…" Ordan tried to imitate the sound Natah made when she shapeshifted. "Do that? Why do you need to cut it?"

"Well," She suddenly looked embarrassed. "I've… I've never cut my hair before. It was never really an issue when I had one form to stick to. It's not like it grows unless I want it to and I could just shorten it."

Everyone stared at her silently until Ordan burst out laughing, almost falling out of his chair.

"I fail to see how her choice in grooming is amusing," Hunhow said pointedly.

"Sorry, it's just… I'm so used to you being all 'Mission complete, great work.' and now you're worrying about cutting her hair for the first time. It's just so… mundane." He snorted, wiping tears out of his uncovered eye.

Haylee stifled a giggle which caused Ordan to whirl toward her. "I heard that! She almost laughed!"

Natah chuckled. She supposed there was some humor in how mundane her worries were. Compared to managing operatives system-wide and taking care of the needs of hundreds of children she could see how jarring her shift in attitude must be.

This was nice.

==VI==

[Takoba Municipal Beach Park, May 19th, 2242]

Izuku waved to Haylee as she arrived. He'd been moving trash under All Might's supervision for about an hour before she arrived. She sat down next to his cooler, fishing one of the extra chocolate bars from it.

The past few days had been odd, a bit tense at times. When he first met Tenno, she was standoffish and withdrawn. Honestly, he didn't really know what to make of her. Yagi-sensei, no- he wanted him to call him Toshinori. Toshinori said that her guardians were re-certifying their licenses, but Tenno's reaction gave that away as a lie. Later, she'd apologized for her rudeness when they first met. She also said she didn't know what chocolate was and was amazed by the taste. One of the reasons she kept coming back was the promise of more chocolate.

Tenno was a bit strange. When he first saw her she didn't speak a word of Japanese, but now she seemed mostly fluent. If he hadn't seen her arm transform he would've guessed an intelligence quirk.

Usually, the first thing someone was asked in this day and age was "What is your quirk?". To be fair, it was a question that Izuku asked often. He loved to analyze them, just like his dad used to do for his job. When the question was directed at him though, he was used to the sympathetic looks he got from people. The worst was at Aldera though. Constantly telling him he was useless, spurred on by Kacchan. Lately, they'd backed off almost entirely after he'd saved Kacchan from the sludge villain.

He'd tried to go to the teachers about the bullying, at least the ones who didn't outright encourage or ignore it. Most told him to bear with it, or that "kids could be assholes". Sadly, the teachers who tried to help him usually didn't stay at the school long. For such a run, down the school, they had a surprisingly strict hiring process. He'd never seen those sympathetic teachers once they left either. He wished he could've thanked them. Hopefully, they found a better school to teach at.

But Tenno didn't seem to care. She hadn't asked about his quirk at all like she didn't care. She didn't seem to care about, well, anything. She was a bit more open after he gave her some chocolate, but she never asked anything about him or said much about herself. This was the third day she had shown up, and he still hadn't seen her smile at all. The only time she was somewhat happy is when she was eating chocolate.

"Thinking about something, my boy?" Toshinori asked him, making the boy nearly drop the microwave he was carrying. "You were mumbling again."

"O-oh, was I?" Izuku stuttered in embarrassment. He stole a gaze toward the truck where Haylee was sitting. "Yag- I mean Toshinori, is Tenno okay?"
Toshinori's characteristic smile faltered. "It's not my place to talk about her past, and even then I don't know much, other than it wasn't good." That was putting it lightly. "She just needs time to adapt to living in Japan, I assume."

"I-I see." Izuku pondered for a second. "She looks so lonely though, and I want to try and be her friend but I don't want to upset her."

Toshinori pat him on the back. "Well, young Midoriya, I think you are doing a good job so far. You were able to do something I couldn't and get her to open up, even just a small amount. Just keep doing what you are doing." He smiled again.

==VI==

It was late afternoon by the time Izuku took a break. He staggered up the stairs and grabbed bottled water from the cooler. Haylee remained seated, reading a textbook on post-quirk Japanese history. Panting, he took a long gulp of water.

"You should leave the cooler down on the beach so you don't pass out." She said, looking up from her book. "You're going to get dehydrated one of these times and pass out on the steps."

"T-that's a good point." He was a bit surprised she initiated the conversation this time. Usually, when he came up for a drink or a snack he was the one who had to start one. "How are you doing, Tenno?"

"Why are you asking?" She grumbled.

"W-well, you've been up here for a few hours now reading. I thought I'd ask how you were doing…" He twiddled his thumbs.

"It's pretty boring." She closed her book and glanced at him. "I'd much rather be doing something else."

"Do you have any hobbies? I know you like to make wood carvings."

She stopped to think. What hobbies did she have? She spent most of her time in the Origin system mining, fishing, or doing animal conservation. Technically resourcing, but it was still more relaxing than live combat. Training? A good old spar was fun, but she didn't have her weapons. Her Shawzin was on her ship, and while there were similar instruments in this reality they just weren't the same. Technically her sewing and woodcarving weren't even a hobby. She just wanted the sense of comfort her Orbiter brought her and was trying to remake her old possessions.

"That's not… that's not a hobby. I don't think I have any real hobbies." She stared at the ground. "Midoriya, why do you even care? Shouldn't you be worried about training?"

"W-well, you looked lonely and I wanted to make sure you were okay. Isn't that reason enough?"

Was that really it? She was sitting by herself by choice. She didn't want to be near people… right?

"Do I… do I really look lonely?" She whispered loud enough for him to hear.

"W-well, uh, I didn't mean to a-assume anything! That's just how it looked to me!" Izuku began to backpedal. He paused, noticing that she wasn't looking at him angrily. In fact, she was staring at the concrete with a sad and conflicted look in her eyes.

"I can't get attached to people. I don't want to lose them again. But I love Natah and Ordan? Why are they the exception? I almost lost them both, but I didn't so it's okay." But they weren't in the Origin System anymore. Life here in Japan was heaven compared to there. "Does that mean it's okay for me to care about other people now? They won't die in the war… the war is over." She stole a glance over to Izuku. "He's a nice kid, around what my age should be. I think he wants to try to be friends… but what if I'm wrong and he gets hurt, or worse? I can't have it happen again!"

Her breathing began to quicken, racing along with her conflicted thoughts. "I'mnotbackthereI'mnotbackthereI'mnotbackthere!""Tenno!" Toshinori's voice snapped her out of her panic. "Are you alright? Midoriya ran to get me when you started mumbling and shaking."

Haylee wiped away the single tear that had formed. "I'm… Mr. Yagi, can I ask you something, in private?" She glanced over to Izuku, who was watching them from the staircase with a worried expression.

"Certainly." He nodded, noticing how disheveled she looked.

He motioned for Izuku to resume his training and they walked a bit further away. She leaned up against the railing and turned to face him. Yagi still looked a bit concerned. "What did you want to speak to me about? Are you feeling unwell?"

"It's… it's not that." She scratched her arm. "Midoriya said I looked lonely. He's… he's right."

"Did he upset you when he said that?"

"No… I just…" She grumbled a string of Orokin curses. "He's trying to be friendly, and I don't know if I want to let him." She admitted.

"And why is that?"

Haylee avoided his eyes. "You know how bad things were where I came from…"

He nodded solemnly.

"All my friends and family died a long time ago. I don't think I've had any friends ever since then." Her grip on the railing tightened. "I'm… afraid that if I make new friends I'll just lose them again."

This is what Ordan had told him, or at least what the man theorized Haylee's issue was. Toshinori sat down on the bench near the railing and motioned for her to join him.

"I think I understand what you're going through. Being the symbol of peace means that I had a lot of enemies. Enemies that would try to go after the people I cared about to hurt me. Did I have a hard time getting close to people? Yes, but eventually I allowed myself to let others in." Well, into his life, not necessarily in on One For All. "I've also lost people I cared about, far more than I'd like. Despite that, I don't regret any of the bonds I forged, and I doubt you do either."

She nodded.

"Death isn't something people accept easily, and that's okay. It's hard to let go of those you love when they pass on." He looked up at the clear sky. "It always hurts when you lose people, but you can't forget about the ones you still have. You have people who love you, like Karris and Ms. Tau. People like me who want to help you, and even those like young Midoriya who want to be your friend." He turned toward her. "What are Ordan and Natah to you?"

She stared at her hands. "I guess… they're my anchor?"

"An anchor," Toshinori thought for a second. "They are the ones that keep you grounded and keep you on the straight and narrow. But, an anchor also keeps you stuck in place. Like with ships, an anchor keeps you from losing yourself in turbulent times." He put his bony fist into the palm of his hand, then closed it and tried to move the trapped fist. "But like a boat, if you leave the anchor when the storm has passed you get stuck."

Haylee stared at the man for a few seconds trying to process his analogy. "I… I think I get what you're saying?" She pulled her legs up onto the bench and held them. "I never really thought about it like that. It's easier to just… tune everything out. If I don't feel anything it doesn't hurt as much."

"How does it make you feel?"

She hesitated. There was something about Mr. Yagi that she felt she could trust. The heartfelt emotion coming off the man was so pure that she could almost taste it. "I just-" She trailed off, trying to find the words. "My powers, they are heavily influenced by emotion. It's just the way the Void worked. Not like my Warframe. If I lose control I can hurt people. I have hurt people. It takes intense discipline to control." She opened up her left hand, letting the blue-violet energy crackle along her fingertips. "And it's a positive feedback loop. If I don't control my emotions they spiral out of control." The energy in her palm began to flare out, popping and sizzling before she closed her hand to dispel it.

"You deserve to be happy, Tenno." Toshinori urged.

"I don't feel like I deserve it," Haylee mumbled. "Why should I get to enjoy this new life when none of the other Tenno are around to see it."

'She's feeling survivor's guilt…' He realized. "What happened to them isn't your fault." He reassured.

"I know." She didn't choose for all the others to die. "But I'm still the one who lived, 'cause I'm some sort of "cosmic backup plan" just because I was the strongest or some bullshit." Haylee snapped. "I know I'm fucking powerful, so why do I feel so helpless!" She started to sob, tears staining her knees. "I hate it!"

Toshinori noticed an alarmed Izuku start to approach, giving him a quick look to let him know he had this. "It's alright. Let it out, Tenno." He comforted.

After a few minutes, her sobbing died down to quiet sniffles and she looked up to see Toshinori offering her a tissue.

"Thang you." She gurgled before blowing her runny nose into the tissue.

Toshinori kneeled before her. "Young Tenno, you are not weak. You did one of the hardest things someone can do. I know plenty of people who would never talk about how they really feel to someone. It takes a lot of strength to talk about your problems."

"H-how did you manage it? To move on after everything you lost?" she sniffled. "I… you're right. I want to move on, but I can't. What do I do?"

She gazed into Toshinori's warm eyes awaiting his response. "It's not easy, sometimes I don't think I will ever truly accept they are gone." He lamented. "But as long as you live, they aren't gone." He pointed to his heart. "You carry them here. The good memories and the bad. Keep moving forward and live a life they would be proud of."

"Keep moving forward," Haylee whispered, putting her hand on her chest and wiping her tears with the other. Standing up, she gave the hero a quick hug. "Thank you, Mr. Yagi."

Toshinori accepted the hug with surprise and pat the girl on the back. Right now, he didn't see the jaded warrior. All he saw was a scared little girl who needed to be comforted, and that's all that mattered.

==VI==

Haylee approached Izuku, glancing back at the skeletal pro behind her, who gave her a nod and a thumbs up. "M-Midoriya?" She asked, startling the boy. He really needed to work on his situational awareness if he was training to be a hero.

"Y-yes?" The green-haired boy stammered, nearly falling over. "Oh! Tenno! Are you alright?"

"I'm better." She gripped her right arm nervously. "This may seem a bit forward, but… do- do you want to be friends?" The blue-haired girl's eyes darted around. Was Toshinori right? Is that why he was trying to be nice to her?

"Y-you want to be friends with me?" He squeaked.

Predictably, having two socially deprived teens befriend each other was going about as well as it could

"I mean if that's okay with you." Haylee trailed off, fumbling her words. "I haven't really… had friends for a long time, and it seemed like that's what you were trying to do…"

Izuku's brain took a few seconds to reboot. Someone wanted to be friends with him. A girl wanted to be friends with him. "I-I'd like that!"

Haylee's heart had a warm feeling inside it at those words. Something she hadn't felt in hundreds of years. Something she'd desperately missed. The feeling of friendship, albeit a new one, blossoming.

==VI==

The Vestige of the Wall scowled. Why was she feeling again? She was only supposed to act on her desires, and reshape reality to her whims! Why was she trying to be a normal mortal?

It drove another psychic chain through the fleshy maw trapped before it. The beast screeched in pain. From the shadows, Umbra watched the Vestige torment the infested creature.

==========================VI==========================

Tyl is now part of I-Island! (Conditionally). If his research works, then David won't need to steal the quirk amplifier.

Inosuke is honing his non-combat skills to enter hero school. There isn't too much to teach him combat-wise other than to not only rely on his swords, and to counter quirks.

Haylee is finally starting to let more people in. Izuku's made a friend! Yay! Less sad feelings are good. Now I can start moving ahead with the main plot.