So…! How's everyone? Ya'll liking Season 2 so far? I hope so. This (assuming I don't bungle it) should be the second to last chapter for Arc 1 of 3. I want to thank you all for sticking by me and all that. I know I've lost a lot of people from the original, especially considering I'm not jumping straight to The Boiling Isles, but I guess that's just on them. It's their loss, not mine.
That being said, I've also done the funny again. Except, now it's the ending songs. I figured "Well, I've already done the openings, why not the endings?" I know it kinda pads out of the word count, but that's not what I'm trying to do. I'm just doing it because it's fun. So if you want to check out Season 1's be my guest. I also did the same with Season 2, but you'll see that at the end here.
I've always kept this sort of thing to myself. Always thinking them up but never writing them out. All For Luz is the first story I think that actually fits with me putting them here. It's why the word count has been expanding while I'm writing chapters. Corny, I know, but whatever.
Also, I goofed and forgot to include Longevity on the list of Luz's Quirks. My bad. Oh! And I fixed something I noticed was wrong about Season Two's opening. You'll probably notice it here.
Anyway, onto the chapter!
[Opening Song: Bokurano – By Eve]
*The scene opens with the strumming of a guitar in a slow, methodical rhythm, as Luz–dressed in a white bodysuit with a red cape attached to her back, kind of like a hero costume you'd see from a comic book, with her back facing the camera–slowly rises in a void of darkness, a bright white light in front of her; all the while a quiet choir-like voice hums alongside the strumming of the guitar. Luz looks over her shoulder, a lone brown eye looking back at the camera before it zooms in on her eye as the beat drops.*
*The drums kick in, continuing the same beat before, but this time more intense alongside an electric guitar. The camera zooms past her shoulder and into the bright light, as a cityscape looms underneath, the title of the story appearing once again, "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. This time, there's a large bright yellow 2 next to both English and Japanese.*
*The guitar riffs, causing the scene to change to the same Luz from the beginning standing atop a building, overlooking the city of Waterbury with a solemn yet hopeful expression on her face. She takes in the scenery around her, a smile taking up her visage as a hand touches her shoulder. She turns around and sees Julia, who is also wearing a costume consisting of a white shirt, a large pink feather coat over her shoulders, a purple corset, brown shorts and sandals, along with red goggles on her forehead. Next to her is an older black-haired woman in a skintight futuristic suit with purple streaks going through it, resting an elbow on Julia's shoulder. Luz smiles, before walking over to them as a disembodied voice sings this opening's song*
"A world that's lacking black and white"
"Where sorrow kills us deep inside"
"I cannot stop myself from falling to the other side again"
"So, are you waiting?"
*The scene changes to two young boys running through a forest, both with white hair. One has red eyes, the other has green eyes. The boy with green eyes has the red -eyed boy by the wrist, both dressed in rags as they're running down the forest to an open clearing at the edge of a mountain. The boy with red eyes has a worried look on his face before the green -eyed boy lets go, getting to the edge of the cliff before turning around, looking at the red-eyed boy, smiling with both his hands behind his back.*
*The red-eyed boy relaxes, calmly walking toward the boy, an honest, caring smile on his face, reaching out to the boy as the scene changes. The boy looks older, a horrified look on his face (the boy was Yoichi) and the red-eyed boy (All For One) reaches out toward him, that same concern as before as the city of Tokyo is in the middle of a burning battle. The scene glitches out to Luz, in her hero costume in Waterbury, where it looks like a large battle had taken place, stumbling forward with blood on her hands as she looks down at said hands, panic and horror in her eyes as a ghost of All For One appears over her shoulder, a reassuring hand on her shoulder, all the while the disembodied voice continues to sing*
"Decayed, we break and stumble while reaching for the light"
"Is there somewhere to search and find?"
"A reason to keep up the lie?"
"When misery will block the way, never cry"
"'Cause I'm by your side through all the hurting!"
*The beat reaches a crescendo, then drops as Luz stands up, the spirit of All For One disappearing as a vengeful look appears in Luz's eye, red sparks burst around her, dashing forward toward a shadowy group of villains, rearing back a punch to gut check the first one. Julia swings in from out of nowhere, wrapping up one of the villains in string, swinging them away into a nearby building. Hunter appears next to Luz, generating a light sword, helping her fight the same villain she's attacking, as an older -looking woman in her mid -20s (Riley) lunges at a taller villain with a purple smog Quirk, her eyes bursting with an explosive energy.*
"Take every single bitter feeling"
"That the future we are reaching…"
"I want to hold you forever through everything…!"
"Break away, 'cause that's a hero!"
*The scene cuts to a different scene with Vee (in her human form) alongside Camila fighting off a witch(Millie) inside a large penthouse in the human realmwho wears the Elite Emperor Coven garb, each taking turns attacking the witch, Camila using a sword on her hip, and Vee shape-shifting their arm into a large mace, both of them missing their attacks, allowing the witch leap back, create distance between them, and to create a magic circle and blast off a fire spell, which acts as a transition for the next scene all the while the voice continues the song*
"Take every prayer repeating,"
"Hold dear to every meaning…"
"My broken body will carry onward through the dark!"
"I'll fly to where you are!"
*The scene changes to Luz standing in front of a blue portal of some kind, a shattered vial of *something* next to her as she looks to her left. The ghost of All for One stands next to her, offering her his hand. For a moment, she looks hesitant, before she takes it. The two glitch out, replaced by shadowy versions of Caleb and Philip, then those two glitch out to be replaced with a menacing All For One, before Luz and the ghost of All For One appear again, as they step through the portal to a place entirely unknown, but not before Luz looks over her shoulder once again, her eye now red, and a smirk on her face, with the opening coming to an end as the disembodied voice finishes the song.*
"Crying out!"
"A heart that reflects the words of the love it found!"
"Never doubting any step…!"
"We'll rise up to see a new end, once again!"
*The beat of the song reaches a crescendo again, before closing out with a final riff, as the portal vanishes–closing in on itself–revealing a familiar cabin in the woods, as the light of the moon shines down on it with an ominous eerie glow.*
[Beacons of Hope, or Despair? – Part 5]
[The Mutant Realm. Sometime in the past]
The sounds of bare feet running across dirt filled an otherwise silent forest, ignoring the birds chirping and the sound of nearby rivers running. The heavy breathing of exhaustion matched the pace of the running, as a snicker filled the air. The culprits of these noises were two young boys. Both had short white hair, and both had pale skin. Both wore rags; mainly stained white shirts and matching stained brown shorts.
The only thing that separated the two was that one looked more frail than the other, and their eyes were different colours. One had red eyes, the other had green eyes. The boy with green eyes was the one who was snickering. Despite his frail appearance, he had a lot of stamina. The same could not be said for the boy with red eyes, who looked particularly tired.
The boy with green eyes was dragging the boy with red eyes behind him, holding his wrist tightly so that he kept up with him. "C'mon, Tasu! C'mon! Stop lagging behind!" The green-eyed boy teased, glancing over his shoulder as the red-eyed boy wiped the sweat off his forehead with his free hand.
"Yo-kun! Stop it! I need to catch my breath!" 'Tasu' said, exacerbated as 'Yo-kun' giggled like a schoolgirl, only picking up the pace, making 'Tasu' nearly stumble over his feet. They had been running through the forest for a good solid fifteen minutes. "Yo-kun!"
In response, 'Yo-kun' giggled a happy tone to his voice. The wind blew through their hair, and an energetic sensation filled his body, feeling the adrenaline pumping through his veins. He nearly tripped on a rock as they ran, but 'Yo-kun' didn't get tripped up.
"Tasu needs to exercise more~!" 'Yo-kun' teased as an embarrassed blush crept up 'Tasu's' face. Since when was 'Yo-kun' so energetic!? He had always been moppy and clingy! Though, he supposed the last few days had been a little different.
Finally, the pair stopped, 'Yo-kun' letting go of 'Tasu's' wrist as he slowly walked forward. 'Tasu' bent over, catching his breath as 'Yo-kun' snickered. "Since when… have you… been so energetic?" 'Tasu' breathed out, looking up at 'Yo-kun' with an almost acquistory glance. 'Yo-kun' tilted his head to the side, turning to face 'Tasu', a large smile on his face.
"Well… you always say I'm weak, Tasu! So, I wanted to prove you wrong! I tried really hard, and I worked really hard, and now I can run without needing to take a break!" 'Yo-kun' said as 'Tasu's' eyes widened. Shock and a sliver of pride filled his eyes.
"Really! That's amazing!" 'Tasu' said, finally having caught his breath. He looked at 'Yo-kun' and when he did, 'Yo-kun' was coughing again. With alarm and concern, 'Tasu' approached 'Yo-kun' putting a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "Are you okay?"
"Tasu is always worried about me… but I never have to worry about Tasu. I just wanted to have one thing for myself…" 'Yo-kun' complained, his coughing getting harder and rougher, specks of blood dripping down his chin. 'Tasu' frowned, wiping it away, his concern worsening.
"If we need to go back to the shrine, Yo-kun, I'm sure the Shrine Maiden wouldn't mind helping you," 'Tasu' said as 'Yo-kun' nodded. 'Tasu' reached out to grab his hand, which 'Yo-kun slapped away. "Huh?"
"We're not going yet…" 'Yo-kun' said, a hint of defiance in his voice. "I wanna show you this!" 'Yo-kun' said, as 'Tasu' frowned.
"But Yo-kun could get—"
"Don't care!" 'Yo-kun' said, turning away and walking off as 'Tasu' blinked. He wasn't expecting this kind of disobedience from his younger twin. But even so, he found it a little amusing.
That was what he liked about his twin brother as of recent. Despite his illness, he kept a fierce demeanour. One of confidence and defiance. Defiance of his sickly nature. Defiance of his far stronger brother. A lesser person would find it disgusting. But 'Tasu' found it endearing. He always liked a little challenge in his life.
When he was born with the power to strip away that which he knew instinctively belonged to him, and when his brother was born with a lack of that power, he had first viewed him as worthless, yet something to be protected. After all, it was the job of the strong to protect the weak, so they, in turn, could become strong. That was simply human nature.
But, when the Shrine Maiden found them and took them in, he began to realize that there was more to his brother than his powerlessness. Deep within him, there was a burning passion. A burning passion to take the world by storm and help it toward a brighter future.
'Tasu' admired 'Yo-kun's' resolve. As such, he felt as if it was necessary to help him to get to that point. If 'Yo-kun' couldn't do it, then he'd do it for him. Such was the job of a protector and older brother.
For a brief moment, his birth mother's cold, dead face flashed in his eyes… She looked so young, now that he thought about it. She couldn't have been older than some of the other girls at the shrine looked like. It was… upsetting.
Someone who could've been their older sister had been the one who brought both he and his brother into this world. Yet, she died without getting to see them. Died without getting to hold them.
He longed to be held by his mother… to at least hear her voice once. The vital need to at least know if she would've loved them…. That was all he wanted, truly. All he had was his brother. All he had to remember her by was those strange spikes that he could grow from his arms and launch out.
So then… even if he didn't know her—even if he never so much as even knew her name…
Why?
Why did he feel that connection even when he had never met her?
Shaking his head, he pushed whatever that feeling was deep down into his soul. Following 'Yo-kun', 'Tasu' eventually stopped when he saw his brother overlooking the cliffside, staring out at a small little lake. Standing next to him, he noticed 'Yo-kun's' brilliant smile. It was radiant. Peaceful. Relaxing.
The way his emerald green eyes shone with hope almost made 'Tasu' envious of his ability to see the nicer things in life. Then again, considering he was constantly crushed by his illness…
He once again forced himself to push those dark thoughts and paid attention to the lake. Shrubs dotted the sides of it, as tree leaves blew in the wind. The water looked clean—fresher than anything he had ever seen before.
It looked scenic. Almost like a wonderful place to have a picnic. He should tell the shrine lady about it. Maybe she'll take them to it one day. "I wanna go there, one day. Will you take me there, Tasu?" 'Yo-kun' said, a weary smile on his face. 'Tasu', for his part, simply smiled.
"When you get better, I will, Yo-kun. I promise."
"You promise?!" 'Yo-kun' exclaimed, childlike whimsy and wonder in his voice as 'Tasu' snickered, nodding.
"Yes, I promise. Yo-kun. Even if it takes a really long time, I promise you, once you're better, we can go to that lake down there," He reached out to grab his hand, a protective shine within his ruby-red eyes. "Now let's go back to the shrine so that nice lady can fix you right up!"
The memory faded into the back of a 27-year-old Shigaraki's mind, as he sat on the cliffside, overlooking the lake with an almost nostalgic look in his eyes. It still looked as beautiful as the day that he and his brother had found it. Even now, after 21 years, it didn't grow stagnant. It was almost as if it was being maintained…
Regardless of that, there was a reason why he decided to seat himself here. It had to do with recent events.
He had been successful. He had sought to free his country from the monsters in power—to allow his kind to thrive in a country where it was theirs. He had successfully been the de facto leader of Japan for a full year.
It had its ups and downs, but through and through, he was enjoying his time in power. He had already tortured all of the people in the government who wanted to see his kind be wiped from existence and gave what remained of them this closest friend and confidant to be further abused.
Truly, he was overjoyed. Truly, he was happy that it went to plan.
But deep, deep within those eyes—the eyes of someone who had been successful in doing what he sought to do, there was something else lingering within. Something that he didn't want to express, and yet, he couldn't help but feel it rise to the surface.
He felt… ashamed. Truly, he did. His frustration was with both himself and Yoichi…. And it angered him deeply. Just thinking about what happened made his blood boil in fury. It made a vein in his forehead burst, and it gave him a migraine remembering what he had discovered a few short days ago.
Why would he do that? Why would he let those brutes take him? Why…?! A small snarl took up his visage, his hands gripping into fists as red and black sparks danced like a light show around his arms. All he had to do was stay in the vault. Stay where it is safe! Stay where he couldn't get hurt! He even gave that ungrateful little brat a gift and he still left!
What was worse was that he was nearby at the time! He should've known, and yet he didn't even notice those weasels slip by! He didn't even notice those bastards go to his brother! He should've known! He should've been there! He should've stopped them! He should've—
He calmed himself, looking out over the lake. The calm serenity of the water reminded Shigaraki of simpler times. When he would come out here and relax with his brother after a stressful day at the shrine.
It was a place of reverence. That was what he held this cliffside to be. For the last two years, whenever he was too stressed out, he'd come out here and view the starry night sky and the lake below. It was a place where he felt he could unwind, and unpack his emotions.
It was a nice, sombre little place. A place that reminded him of his youth.
Oh, how much simpler those times were.
It was a time when he didn't have to stress about people following orders. It was a time when he didn't have to deal with a slightly overzealous, if not insane best friend in Maruta Shiga. It was funny. His last name was Shiga, and Shigaraki was… well, Shigaraki. It was funnier when he realized that Maruta was related to the infamous Kiyoshi Shiga, who was executed for war crimes.
Like father like son, he supposed.
"Rikitasu? Is that you over there?" An elderly voice called out to him as Shigaraki blinked a few times, looking over his shoulder. An old woman, hair graying, yet still beautiful from the first day he met her stood near him. She was dressed in a white kimono with a red frilled ankle-length dress, tiredness in her black eyes as Shigaraki found himself smiling.
"Shrine Maiden Katsumi," Shigaraki breathed out, lost in her beauty for just a moment. Not because he found her romantically attractive. It was merely a fact. Besides, given his relationship with her, it would be more than a little concerning if that was his true view of her. "It's been far too long."
Katsumi giggled, covering her mouth with the tips of her fingers in a polite laugh. "That it has, Rikitasu. That it has. I still remember when you were a little troublemaker. To see you here now… it warms my old heart."
Shigaraki's smile faltered, his shoulders growing heavy. "You wouldn't say that if you knew what I was up to…" He muttered, looking away shamefully.
"Oh bah, sonny. You know darn well that no matter what, I could never feel anything other than pride when it comes to you two. When I found you when you were nothing but a toddler, huddling close with your brother, it was a miracle to me," Katsumi said, approaching him as she put a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "Why, was it not me who gave you and your brother your names? You two were like sons to me—I even informally adopted you two."
Shigaraki felt a slight swelling in his heart. That was rare. No one ever got him to feel even a tiny amount of respect. But Shrine Maiden Katsumi did. Of course, that wasn't her actual name. Her real name was Katsumi Shigaraki. It was where, like she had said, he and his brother got their names from.
She was like a mother to him. Through and through.
And yet…
"I am aware of that… but I still think you would be appalled. I'm not the boy you once knew…" Shigaraki muttered to himself as Katsumi huffed.
"I know that silly. You don't think I don't pay attention to the news?" Katsumi said as Shigaraki's eyes widened.
"Huh? But Ka—"
"Oh, enough of that. You're my son in everything but blood. A mother's job is to guide them down the path that they see fit. You know just as much as I do that your rebellious nature came from me. You would also do well to remember that I heavily despised the way how the Government looked upon the Meta-Humans. It's no wonder you'd grow up to become a revolutionary. There is no harm in it. It's what you choose to do after that matters, Rikitasu."
Shigaraki bit his inner lip in thought, tapping his fingers against the grassy floor. He wasn't expecting that, but he was glad that, at least at some point, the person whom he viewed as a caretaker at least believed in him.
Even after all this time, though, he wanted to know who his birth parents were—wanted to know who had, more than likely, taken advantage of his birth mother. Or, maybe it was a teenage romance gone wrong? He hoped—prayed that it was the latter over the former. Because then, if it was the latter over the former, it didn't make that ever-burning rage in his heart swell even more than it already was.
"How's Yoichi?" Katsumi asked, curiosity coating her tone, her voice cutting through his thoughts as his eyes widened in almost alarm and shock. "It's been far too long since I've seen him, too. I—"
"He's gone." Shigaraki bitterly said, an angered tone to his voice. He wouldn't survive more than a week outside of the vault. He knew it. He was too weak—too frail to live outside of it. Surely, he would contract some kind of illness, and due to his immune deficiency, he'd die within days. "He was kidnapped. I don't know where, but if I were to guess, it was the government's dogs who remained after my takeover. They knew my weakness, and sought to take advantage of it."
Katsumi's eyes widened, upset sparkling deep within as she looked away. "Oh… Oh my. My poor baby…" Katsumi muttered, tears welling up in her eyes. Shigaraki placed a hand on her shoulder, narrowing his eyes to stop his own tears from falling. He loved his brother. He loved his brother more than anything in the world.
If he was hurt in any way, shape, or form….
"Promise me, Rikitasu, that you'll find him…" Katsumi said, her voice shaky as was her body. She leaned into him, her right hand desperately clinging to his collar. It was upsetting, to see someone whom he viewed as his mother helplessly cling to him as if he was needed to keep her stable. "Please… promise me."
He looked down at Katsumi Shigaraki, pity flashing in his eyes. For the longest time, he was never able to feel pity toward anybody other than his brother. A man whom he viewed as so utterly weak that it was his responsibility to protect and nurture him until Matsuda found a cure for his illness.
Yet now, here he was, looming over his mother, holding her tight to him, comforting her in an unprecedented time; where one of her metaphorical sons was in danger.
It harkened back to those comics that he and his brother read. He always loved the villain in that comic. Aspiring to be something like him. Yoichi stopped reading those comics when all he could do was sleep, eat, and bathe himself after a certain point. But Shigaraki kept reading. Shigaraki continued to read the comics, actively collecting them.
In the end, the villain did win. In the end, the villain defeated the heroes. But, in doing so, the villain became the hero. The villain brought forth a new era of peace—an unprecedented era where everyone lived according to their needs.
He couldn't even say that it was because of his movement that the comic ended like that. The comic ended ten years before he started his revolution. Although a sequel did start after it. He didn't pay it any mind. He was content with how the original ended. It didn't need to be muddled by a continuation—but that was beside the point.
He saw a lot of himself in that villain—in Destruco-Man. He saw how he used his power; he taunted the hero and made a big name for himself. Made himself to be the biggest, baddest there was. The self-proclaimed Demon king.
Yes. He wanted to be The Demon King.
He wanted to rule the world with an iron glove—to throw it into chaos before reigning it in and becoming the world's leader. He had already done that with Japan. Now he just needed to do it to the rest of the world.
But, giving way to that mindset, he put what was more important to him at the moment to the forefront of his mind.
The safety of his brother.
The safety of Yoichi.
The safety of his property.
"I will, Kaa-chan. I'll find him. I'll make whoever took him from me pay. I will not let this slide. I will not let them hurt him. I will not let them take what is mine." Shigaraki's voice was borderline a snarl. He was furious. Outraged. Those damnable ingrates and their filthy hands! He would brutalize them! He would destroy them! He would—
"Calm down, Rikitasu. Calm down…" Katsumi soothed, rubbing his arm gently. It was a gesture she used when he was a little child. He breathed in and breathed out. The red sparks dancing around his fingers, hands and arms died down, allowing him a moment of peace among the panic, anger and dread he had been feeling.
"I should go…" Shigaraki said, slowly pulling himself up from the grass, as Katsumi followed his movements. Compared to Katsumi, Shigaraki was 7'7, whereas Katsumi was only 5'8. He was a fair bit taller than her, so to give eye contact he had to crane his neck down. She reached up, placing a hand on his cheek, smiling all the while.
"Please, Ri-kun. Visit me again? Before my old bones expire, I want to see my son once again. Please?" Katsumi said as a soft, earnest smile took up Shigaraki's visage. He gently grabbed Katsumi's wrist and lowered her hand. A part of him wanted to impart to her his Lifespan Quirk so that she could live forever. Such a wonderful woman deserved it, after all.
But, he couldn't. Even the most brilliant of people needed to die eventually. While he loved his adoptive mother to death, he knew that if she were to live to see what it was he knew deep down he was going to become… it would tear her soul asunder.
"Of course, Kaa-chan. I promise to visit you. I'll even bring Yoichi next year. I will find him, rest assured. I will not allow those ingrates to hurt him," Shigaraki said, embracing Katsumi in a quick hug, before separating. As he walked off, he glanced back at the lake and Katsumi, and then he disappeared, using a teleporting Quirk to return to his home base.
Little did he know, that he should have never left that night.
Little did he know that by leaving, he effectively doomed Katsumi to death.
Word quickly caught up to Shigaraki that the night he left, a group of people who were angered by his overthrowing of the Government had found out where he was raised—the same people who were involved in that group who had cropped up to be against him. They found out who sheltered and cared for him. Found out who raised what would become Japan's newest dictator.
He had dropped everything he was doing to race to his hometown in the Shinjuku Prefecture. For the first time, he became worried about someone who wasn't his brother.
But when he returned, it was far too late.
He found his home burned and raised to the ground. He found the same symbol of those revolutionaries who had kidnapped his younger twin brother. He found his mother hung up on a poll, a noose around her neck and her forehead marked with the symbol of their movement.
Their movement to destroy him.
That symbol.
The symbol of a hawk with slanted blue eyes, as if to mock and watch him. As if to say they were watching him, the prey, and waiting for their time to strike, like a hawk. It was as if they were mocking him, made further evident by what they did to his mother.
He clenched his right hand into a fist. Anger and power surged through his body.
The symbol of the resistance…. It was burned deep into his mind. A small, hate-filled smile took up his expression. A cold, methodical rage burned deep within his heart as he stared up at his mother's corpse.
First, they take his brother. Kidnap him and hide him to do who knows what to him—maybe torture him for information regarding him.
Second, they take his mother. Kill her, humiliate her, and string up her body like a prize. All to send a message to him. To tell him that they weren't afraid to stoop to his level.
Third, they burn his hometown to the ground. Raze it until there is nothing but ash and burned concrete. From what he could gather, not even the civilians of his hometown were spared. The term "guilty by association" was apparently used here…
Not even he did this to the people who sided with the Government. He never targeted their families. He viewed them as innocent because they never had a stake in the battles that he brought to them. He gave them a chance. Allowed them to prove his preconceived notions about them wrong—and most did.
But those that didn't… well it was clear as to what their choice was.
And now…?
He Would Eradicate Their Fucking Bloodlines.
[XXXX]
[Present Day – A minute before Julia's demise]
Hunter wasn't exactly the happiest he could be right about now. No, the truth of the matter was that he was rather annoyed. More than that, he felt useless at the moment. He was supposed to be working against Beacon. Yet, now, he was working with them.
It was all a part of the plan. He knew it was, but even still, that didn't mean he liked it. He just wanted to get this over and done with. But now, he needed to use caution. He needed to make sure that Luz didn't catch on to his deception—to his and Riley's deception.
So, they had to play along.
And while Riley seemed like she was having fun, Hunter, on the other hand, was not. It was a waste of his time, but it was necessary—especially because Julia was on to him. Because of that, he needed to tread lightly.
When he was asked to design a hero costume for himself, his first thought was to do something like his Golden Guard outfit. So, that was exactly what he did. Excluding the mask, he recreated the attire that he wore during his time in The Golden Guard. After all, familiarity was key, and he didn't want to stray too far from his roots.
It wasn't completely accurate, but it was better than nothing. He was dressed in a white cloak with two Bs stacked diagonally etched into it to signify his "hero name" as Luz deemed it. The rest of the outfit was a simple golden-yellow top made out of the same fabric Kevlar used to make their bulletproof vests, and golden skin-tight, slightly armoured leggings. His gloves were the same colour as his Golden Guard attire—pitch black. Except they had golden yellow jewels encrusted into the knuckles.
He honestly didn't know why he put them there. He just liked the idea at the time. Plus, if it was any concession, they were the same shape as the triangle badge used to mark someone as being part of The Emperor's Coven.
The Emperor's Coven… A longing desire to return to his home welled within his chest, but he pushed it down. He had a job to do. He had a mission to complete and his Uncle hated it when anyone failed even if it was in the slightest regard.
But looking around him, he couldn't help but feel a sense of disgust. Maybe it was his pride as a being of The Boiling Isles flaring up within him. Maybe it was the knowledge that this city meant nothing to him. But he couldn't help but harbour a deep, resounding hatred for the world he found himself in.
These… people. They were weak. They didn't have even an ounce of power—not even magic. Sure, some of them had the ability to defend themselves with Quirks, but most of them decided to wreak havoc. Only a sparing few decided to do anything productive, and even then, they didn't do a good job of it.
Frankly, he should be back at The Boiling Isles right now. Not palling around in the human realm serving a lesser version of his Uncle. But, then again, it was his Uncle's demands. So he followed through with it. He just hoped that this whole fiasco would end sooner rather than later.
The city of Waterbury was… well it was something alright. Just like a lot of the human cities, there were buildings that reached up into the sky—like Castle Unity did. Except unlike Castle Unity, they didn't give off the same regal aura. Instead, they looked almost… belittling. As if taunting the people who looked at them and said "You wish you could be up here."
However, a part of him imagined what The Boiling Isles would look like if it had these types of buildings dotted around. Sure, there were plenty of manors—the Blight Manor, Manor Skar, Manor Moon, and Manor Oath—but there was nothing like these towering giants. Though, he supposed with the wildlife being more on the hostile side… Yeah, it probably wouldn't work out too well.
Hunter looked around, trying to see if he could find his target. Julia wanted him to locate, track down, and capture a man by the name of Jerry Kopke. Something about Luz wanting to interrogate him and take his power. While he didn't want Luz to have more power, there was nothing he could do about it.
If Julia blew his cover… it was over. He and Riley would die. He had seen Luz's power and had seen her in action. She was a force to be reckoned with. He had witnessed her battle with Wrecker, and that was when she was significantly weaker. She had only gotten stronger since.
Sure, she was holding back in most of her fights. But that didn't change the fact that she was a Titan's Damned Monster. If she came to the Boiling Isles… Titan, it would be like The War to End All Wars all over again.
"Doesn't matter… not right now, anyway. I have more important things to worry about," Hunter thought, walking down the streets. He was told to keep an eye out for someone wearing gloves over their hands. So far, he hadn't seen anyone matching that description. His eyes scanned left to right, trying to see if he could spot any suspicious.
That was, until, he noticed one of the tall sky-touching buildings begin to shake. It confused him, at least until it started to fall, a large cloud of dust emitting from where it was falling. The building began to collapse, and several handfuls of people began to run—run like the wind as Hunter dashed toward where it was happening…
Only to be met by the ground cracking underneath him and for those cracks to begin spreading his leg. Turning his body into pure light, he dashed up to the top of one of those sky-touching buildings to overlook what was happening, and his jaw dropped at the devastation he was bearing witness to.
That very building that was being toppled over by something was just one of many. He hadn't noticed it, but several buildings had fallen over and collapsed and come before it, and those were crumbling alongside what looked to be people, debris, and even the ground itself.
"This… this power!" He thought to himself, eyes wide with despair and fear. Luz wanted this power… a part of him couldn't allow her to have it and yet, something in the back of his brain—an ancient rune that had been carved there that forced him to listen to those who even so much as shared a drop of blood with his Uncle—made him comply.
Watching the cracks spread to the very building he was standing on, wings of light protruded from his back as he took flight, hovering over the city as the cracks continued to spread and destroy—dusting everything in their path. All the while a lone man dressed in a black shirt and black pants stood in the center of the destruction a few dozen feet in the distance.
There was a frown on his face, but either way, he didn't seem to care all that much. His eyes contained a hint of annoyance, as if doing this was a waste of his time. The wave of destruction was coming from him. So, ergo…
Hunter beamed toward him as fast as he could, and as soon as he did, the man looked at him with wide eyes. With a well-placed kick, sent the man flying into a pile of rubble left behind by what he had to assume was the effects of this devastating power.
The man landed with a groan, shaking his head as he stood up, huffing. "That hurt, Hero… You—" he stopped, pausing as he looked Hunter up and down. "You're not Luzura…" The man growled, narrowing his eyes. "What the fuck…? Why would they send—"
Before the man could continue his sentence, Hunter appeared in front of him in the blink of an eye, and before he could register what happened next, a fist buried deep into the man's gut—not piercing his skin, but coming damn near close to doing so. The force of the blow was so strong it created shockwaves and a lasting impact. It shook the nearby rubble and it caused the man's eyes to roll into the back of his head.
The man slumped forward in Hunter's arms, as Hunter stared down at the man. There was a sense of lingering annoyance in his eyes. He was forced to comply with those damned orders… he knew that if Luz got her hands on this Quirk… it would be devastating.
Then again, if he could kill her after she took it…
He shouldered the man, before lifting himself off the ground. The destruction caused by his outburst clearly would take months to rebuild, but frankly, right now, that hardly mattered. What mattered was binding this guy's hands and making sure that he didn't cause any undo harm.
He looked around, seeing the plethora of human corpses crumbling to ash. A part of him felt bad to see them dying, but another part didn't care even in the slightest. It was his job to kill people for his Uncle and for the cheap imitation. So, really, he didn't care.
He shot up into the air, carrying the man whom he presumed was Jerry Kopke and flew back to Stamford. It didn't take him long—travelling faster than the speed of light meant that it only took him a few seconds to get there—and when he landed, he did so with finesse and style, his white cloak fluttering down as he landed with a gentle touch.
Still carrying the man over his shoulder, he hoisted him up a little bit more before walking toward the elevator. Upon descending to the main floor, he walked past Camila, who was sitting on the couch. She looked… devastated. A part of him wondered what happened, but frankly, he didn't care. Not at the moment, anyway.
As he walked, he bumped into Vee, who looked startled at his sudden appearance. "What do you want?" Vee all but snarled as Hunter scoffed.
"Just delivering a prisoner to the interrogation room per Julia's orders," Hunter bit out, before continuing down the hall. But as he did, he looked over his shoulder, staring back at Vee with a condescending look in his eyes. "When they find out what you are, Vee… they'll abandon you. You know that? You're even more of a freak than those monsters. A person who can take someone's identity."
Vee snarled, their teeth showing. Though, they changed from human teeth to razor-sharp, reptile-like teeth. It made Hunter smirk, seeing them angered like that. He turned away, continuing down the hallway as he walked down a set of stairs down to a secret floor only they knew about—the holding room.
It was unlike any of the other floors within Beacon. It was a dark, secluded floor with barely lit rooms, all of which had prison bars on them. It mostly never went used, but for times like this, it was useful.
Hunter grabbed a pair of gloves with two fingers missing, and slipped them on Jerry's hands, before slapping hand-cuffs around his wrists. Once it was all said and done, he grabbed a pair of keys, unlocked the closest cell, and threw Jerry in, which woke the man up in a startled shock.
Slamming the cell door shut and locking it, Hunter stared Jerry down, a smirk taking up his visage. Jerry scrambled to his feet, trying to use his Quirk, only to fail to do so, looking down at his gloves and handcuffs, eyes widened. "Y-You… what the fuck?!"
"Heh, sucks, doesn't it. Luzura will be here soon. You better cooperate with whatever she wants, because if you don't, your limited time alive will only get shorter," Hunter spat, before walking up the stairs to leave Jerry panicked. He heard his cries for him to be released, but Hunter didn't care.
He didn't give even an iota of a shit about these worthless lives.
Because all he saw them as were cattle. Humans were weak, pathetic little flesh bags. Wastes of air that only survived because they were lucky. Quirked Humans earned a modicum of his respect, but only a modicum.
Truly, Witches were the strongest of them.
Was that a little racist? Yes. Yes, it was. He would freely admit he was racist toward humans—and why wouldn't he be? That Man had ruined his home. Brought destruction to it and killed hundreds if not thousands to potentially tens of thousands of his people. It was why when he heard that a human had been born with that power in the Human Realm he wanted nothing more than to kill them before they had the chance to amass power.
Unfortunately, he wasn't given that chance. He wasn't allowed to put down the rabid dog before it could even turn rabid. Now, that dog had power, and it was going to be a pain in the ass to deal with.
But, he would win that exchange.
He was The Golden Guard.
He was the right hand to Emperor Belos, the strongest being in The Boiling Isles.
Luz Noceda would just be another victim to gut and dispose of. That was all she would ever be, hands down, without exception.
Getting up to the main floor and walking out into the living room, he noticed that the TV was on. Riley and Emelia, both of whom looked shocked, though in Emelia's case, there was a bit of horror strewn about on her face. They were standing next to Camila, who looked to be on the verge of tears. He had no idea why—at least, not until he saw what it was about.
It was about the death of the Top Ranked Hero: Flamingo, aka, Julia Scotsman Delmisso.
A small, almost victorious smirk took up his visage.
"One down, four to go."
Maybe, just maybe, things would work out after all.
[-To be Continued-]
[Ending Song: Where Our Blue Is/ 青のすみか – By: Tatsuya Kitani]
*The ending opens with the sound of a gong ringing out, followed by the riff of a guitar, playing a calming melody. A series of flashing images of Luz and Julia hanging out, smiling, and enjoying each other's company appears, before it cuts to Luz walking down the streets of Stamford, dressed in a black hoodie and grey sweats, a solemn look on her face.*
*The scene continues with Luz looking up at the sky as the drums kick in, Luz's eyes flashing red, before changing back to normal. She looks across the street, and sees Julia, smiling and waving at her. Luz goes to wave back, but a bus drives through the street, and when it passes, Julia is no longer there. Luz looks away, continuing down the road, this time with a more hurried pace, all the while a disembodied voice sings.*
"No end to the blue, when everywhere I look I see its hue."
"Can't turn from the truth,"
"When I've seen it as clearly as the day I'll have to wake up without you."
*The scene glitches to Luz and Julia sitting in their bedroom, watching TV, with Luz looking downtrodden, and Julia talking happily. Although, it's as if Luz can't hear her, and is seemingly ignoring her presence. That's when Julia seems to fade away, which prompts Luz to get out of her room, and stepping into the main living space, where Camila, Emelia, Riley, and Hunter are all standing, looking at her, concerned, as the disembodied voice continues.*
"It rings all around,"
"The song of the cicadas crying out,"
"Makes it so loud, the depending sound,
"Of silence from your mouth."
*The scene changes to Luz, dressed in her hero costume, standing in a void of darkness. Behind her, flashing memories of her, Julia, Emelia, Camila, Riley, and Hunter–all fond and having fun with one another–fade into the background like dust, as Luz looks up from the floor. In front of her, Julia stands, a dark blurry line running over her eyes as she smiles, reaching out to her. For a moment, something flashes overtop of her–a beaten, bloodied, and bruised version of her reaching out for help–but it returns to normal, and makes Luz startle backwards, panic in her eyes as the song brings itself up to a crescendo, whilst the voice continues*
"No matter how hard, I try to hold…"
"Those innocent days will soon fade away and I'll have to let you go."
"Left behind an eternity ago,"
"Even so…!"
*Following along with the riff of the guitar in the background, the darkness gives way to light, as it shows more happy moments between Luz and Julia specifically. Running along the beachside, reading books together, watching movies and snuggling–all things normal couples do to pass the time. Mixed within are times where they're fighting villains with one another, aiding one another, the voice continuing to sing to sombre song*
"But even so..!"
"Blue still lives in me!"
"But even so..!"
"Blue Clear as the sea!"
"Even though a single prayer, a single word"
"Could change our fates, I know it's way too late to be heard!"
*The scene changes to Julia and Luz sitting across from one another, staring into each other's eyes, happiness between them, only for it to break apart when Julia begins to fade away. As she does, Luz frantically tries to chase after her. Just as she fully disappears, Luz tries to say something, but the words are caught in her throat, and instead, she stumbles to her hands and knees, tears burning down her cheeks as she silently cries, gripping at the carpeted floor in despair, all the while the song continues.*
"Just like a love that can never quite reach,"
"Or just like the colours that run down my cheeks, forever burning,"
"I couldn't even whisper to curse you,"
"The words in my throat that I never spoke:"
"You're my one and only, best friend"
"I wish I could have told you then…"
*The ending finishes as it slowly fades into a picture of Julia and Luz happily standing next to one another, behind them at a concert they were recently at. Just as the camera zooms in to capture their faces, the glass cracks in between them, as the voice finishes the song.*
"No matter how bright, no star can burn forever.*
"Tried to hold tight, you slipped through my fingers…"
So! A bit on the nose, but yeah, that was that. That fight was going to go as expected, and honestly, if anyone thought otherwise then, uh… yeah, that would be kind of forced. Although, yes, this now does mean that Luz will soon have access to Decay. Before anyone throws the "You're turning Luz into Tomura" allegations my way, please chill out.
Also, a major shift in Hunter's character. He's a racist! Huzzah! Why? Well… that's spoilers for season 3, so I can't say. You'll just have to find out.
Finally, some AFO backstory! Yup, we're doing this in Season 2 rather than Season 3. Why? Because I want to, damnit and you can't stop me! Anyway, till next time folks. See ya later!