Ani

The Siren blared on.

It wailed in the ears of all the partygoers, drowning out the light music that once calmed the nerves of the anxious interviewees.

By this time it was late in the evening, and almost all of the inspections had been conducted and completed.

Except for one.

In the very back, near the most secluded portion of the floor, a wall divided the Pearli elite family inspections from the Founder family inspections. Ani stood with her back straight and a smile on her face. Even with the siren's wailing in her ears, she remained poised and calm, as was expected of her.

Even if she wanted to break her facade, and showcase the true terror she was feeling, she couldn't.

The Tokos had advised her against it.

"There's no need for fear, I'm sure it's all just a misunderstanding. No quirk hellion would be foolish enough to try and breach our borders." One of the male family members had said, fanning Ani and her nervous fidgeting off.

They seemed positive things would be fine, but Ani wasn't convinced. She wanted to flee and find her family, but doing so would be impolite. And to be impolite to a founder was a guaranteed way to be shunned.

So, she sucked up her fear and allowed the matriarch of the Tokos to inspect her from head to toe.

She was old and had what looked like a permanent scowl on her face. She checked the softness of Ani's hair and the supple nature of her skin.

The old woman hooked her wrinkly and nimble fingers into the cheeks of Ani's mouth, pulling them apart to see the condition of her teeth and gums.

Her hands continued, getting lower until they settled at her waist. With a sharp spank! She hit Ani's hips, and Ani made sure not to flinch.

With a final stoic look, the Matriarch was finished.

" Risu," She spoke one word, summoning the attention of her son.

Founder Risu Toko is the father of Ani's crush, Hachi Toko. He and his son shared a striking resemblance, the only difference being that Hachi always wore a lax and lazy grin on his face.

" You've passed my Mother's inspection. Physically, you're an acceptable match for my son. But, the physical doesn't matter if you aren't competent." Founder Risu fixed the golden cuff on his wrist and cleared his throat.

This was the part that Ani was dreading. It was no secret what the typical procedure for the inspections were, and the physical portion was never something Ani had to worry about. But the questionnaire was sure to do her in if she didn't calm her nerves.

Which was impossible. Ever since her childhood, Ani and anxiety had gone hand and hand, but in situations where it attempted to get the best of her, she had her little sister to quell the stress.

But, said little sister wasn't here, and Ani had to do this all alone.

With a small breath, she said a silent prayer and hoped that she would fare well.

" Can you name the first ten members of both the Pearl Elite and Founder clan?" Risu asked.

Ani answered quickly and clearly, but she stuttered on the tenth name.

Because of the slip-up, Risu raised a bushy eyebrow but proceeded with the questions.

That small eyebrow quirk sent Ani's nerves through the roof.

Now she was sweating, just slightly on her brow, which didn't go unnoticed by the Matriarch.

" Speak up child! None of us can hear you. Someone get the watch tower to silence that damned siren!" The old woman quipped, raising her voice to be heard over the loud wailing.

Oh right, the siren. Someone has breached the walls. She thought.

Ani had almost forgotten.

If possible, her nerves seemed to get even more erratic.

Now her heart was racing.

" What are your aspirations in life, and how will they affect my son's future position as head product distributor?" Risu's voice came out muffled like he was underwater.

Or maybe Ani was underwater? She sure felt like she was.

It was becoming too much. All of it. The questions, the tight corset of her dress, that damned SIREN!

The room started to shake... no... that was her. Her hands were buzzing as if they were filled with a swarm of angry bees, and the sweat she had broken was sourced from a heat flash that consumed her entire being.

Terrified, she took a closer look at her buzzing hands. And was soon overtaken by a sudden pause.

Stillness.

A haggard inward breath.

And finally, a scream.

...

Nari

The siren blared on.

Yeji had asked Nari to stay where she was and then proceeded to rush off in the direction where he last saw Cahme.

" Don't move ok?! I gotta find my friend and then we can find your sister together!"

That was twenty minutes ago, and Nari was tired of waiting. So, she left the dark hallway and ventured onto the hectic ballroom floor.

The reactions of the people confused her.

At first, everyone was shocked, the borders of the Kohitsuji hadn't been breached since... ever. But as quick as the shock came, it was gone and panic took its place. Such a sudden and unseen disaster was never something they thought could happen to them.

So even though the people were panicking, they did little to nothing. Sure they rushed around and yelled, but no one tried to board up any windows or lock any doors.

Why would they need to? They had always been safe within the tall walls of the Society.

But now they weren't.

Someone would come, right? If the person who had breached the borders was really a quirk user, then that means they could be subdued with the injection. Or maybe the Founders had a plan that would protect them?

No one knew what to do, so they all just loitered.

Nari thought she had lost her mind. They had to be joking.

Why wasn't anyone doing anything?

Surely some safety measures had to have been put in place for a situation such as this one? Were they that confident that nothing could ever breach the walls?

Whatever the case was, be it overconfidence or plain stupidity, someone had gotten in. And now the poor vulnerable citizens were locked inside this extravagant ball, waiting like soon-to-be slaughtered cattle.

By now the interviews would have started, meaning Ani was on the other side of the ballroom. Nari didn't waste a moment, scurrying past bodies of confused people. Some of them had come to their senses and were now backing away from the windows and doors, gathering at the center of the floor.

It felt almost impossible to continue the trek through the crowd as the people became more and more frantic. The sirens screeched, filling the anxious citizens with even more fear.

Although it was hard, eventually Nari made it to the other side of the ballroom. The energy was much calmer, and she could see her sister standing in front of the Toko's. The Founders family were still grilling Ani with questions despite the growing chaos on the other side of the ball.

In fact, all of the Founder families seemed to still be sitting. Nari felt like a permanent look of confusion had been carved into her face.

" Ani?" Nari could see the nerves on her sister's face even from her faraway position.

She breathed hard, and her hands shook in a scarily familiar way.

The Toko family was speaking to Ani, but she wasn't responding, too occupied with staring at her hands.

Nari tried with all her might to make it in time, because unfortunately, she knew what was coming. She could recognize the signs from a mile away. The look of dread that came over her big sister's face made her want to cry.

" Ani!" She tried to get her attention again, but it was too late.

Nari could only watch as Ani exploded. Her shaky hands became eerily still and the rest of her body turned to stone as she raised her head to the sky, opened her jaw, and screamed.

" SHUT UPPPPPPPPP!!"

Her voice rang over the room like a shockwave, and Nari could feel the warmth on her cheeks.

She almost couldn't believe it. Another one of her nightmares had come true.

Her dear, beloved, and perfect big sister wasn't so perfect anymore. She was tainted just like Nari.

Ani wasn't quirkless.

...

A/N

Short one yall but it's a two parter!

I don't know if y'all noticed but Nari will not be catching a break for a long while.

Tell me your thoughts! And I hope you have a great New years!!!

See you soon