Minor edit made: Due to timeline complications, I've had to change the year at which this flash back takes place. Why? Because I got my math wrong, that's why. I done goofed. My bad.
So, this chapter is one big massive flashback from Shigaraki's and a certain someone's point of view. Originally, it was going to be one whole chapter, but I've decided that it's going to beat least a two-parter. In this chapter, we get to see a bunch of stuff regarding Shigaraki and his time period regarding the canon of MHA.
Also, if you dislike torture, this chapter won't be for you. Most of it is psychological, but you have been warned.
With that out of the way, let's get into 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, and 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 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 realm who 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 appears 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.*
[All For One Rising – Part 2]
[The Mutant Realm – 2013]
"Dr. Garaki. What is it that you were so desperate to have me see? This had better be about the developments regarding Project Copy. Otherwise, I'm leaving," The voice of Shigaraki Rikitasu filled a dark, cluttered laboratory as a man in what appeared to be his late 50s strolled out from the darkness.
He had short, slicked-back brown hair and was a little chubby. His dark yellow eyes gleamed in the dark underneath his odd-shaped glasses, the frames made to appear like cogs from a machine. Over his shoulders was a white lab coat, and underneath it was a red business suit with a matching pair of red pants.
Black shoes and a black tie completed his outfit, alongside a pocket watch sticking out of the right breast pocket. He stroked his short brown beard, mumbling something before looking up at Rikitasu.
For his part, Rikitasu was dressed in what he always wore. The only difference was that he hadn't bothered to put on his suit top, opting for his white button-up shirt. He was also missing his tie, and his hair was messy. If the yawn hadn't clued Dr. Garaki into the fact that he had just woken up, then Rikitasu wouldn't known what would.
Maybe a slap up the side of the head for waking him up at 2:30 in the morning. The damn bastard didn't even have the politeness to allow him to have a cup of coffee. He simply forced him over to the lab with Mud Warp. It was one of the Quirks he had given the doctor. Maybe he should take it back….
"A-hem, apologies, Shigaraki," Garaki muttered; clearing his throat again, he gestured to what appeared to be an animal cage in his right hand. "But, I think you might want to see this."
"A pet? Garaki. For the love of—"
"Not a pet, Shigaraki. I sedated it; that way, it wouldn't try and blast my face off again with whatever kind of sonic boom voice Meta Ability it has, but… I think you'll find this to be much, much more interesting than trying and failing to copy All For One," Garaki interrupted as he gestured for Rikitasu to follow.
With a frown, Rikitasu did as Dr. Garaki wanted. They walked over to a surgery table, and Garaki placed the portable animal cage on it. Opening the small door, he dumped the contents of the animal carrier onto the table as Rikitasu tilted his head, raising an eyebrow.
Never in his life had he seen anything like this. It was a small fox, dog, bear, or a bit of all three. Regardless, it was something, and it had a skull atop its head. No, the skull was its head. Its eyes were closed, but it was alive, and rather than ears, it had two horns.
The creature's fur was darkish, purplish gray, and the tip of its tail was mauve. It also had claws and an opposable thumb like a monkey or a human, though only on its two front paws. The rear paws were flat with two claws sticking out of them—not strictly for causing damage but more or less for harsh terrain.
It had two sabre teeth sticking out from the front of its skull, indicating that whatever this creature was, it was predatory in nature. It also had four more visible teeth on the other sides of its skull. The final thing that Rikitasu noticed was that it had a collar around its neck—a red collar, to be exact.
"Where did you find this creature?" Rikitasu asked as Garaki smirked.
"Well, I happened to be at the lab one day when suddenly a door appeared out of thin air. I know, it sounds ridiculous, even with Meta Abilities, but I swear to you it's the truth," Garaki said as Rikitasu crossed his arms, an unamused look in his eyes. Regardless, Garaki continued. "The door swung open, and some girl with bushy orange and gray hair walked out along with this little creature."
As Garaki said that, he gestured to the creature sitting on the surgery bench beside him. "Not knowing who they were, I grabbed my stun gun, tasered the girl, tranquillized the creature, and called the police that you recently bought out. For added measure, as I soon found out, the door that the girl walked through could fold like that of a suitcase. I took it, and I'm running some tests to see what exactly it is."
"And the intruder?" Rikitasu asked as Garaki scoffed.
"Currently in the local jail. The police have asked you to go down to interrogate the girl, seeing as this is your property," Garaki said as Rikitasu hummed.
"Interesting. When do they want me to arrive?" Rikitasu asked as Garaki shrugged.
"Dunno. They said the best time would be 9:30," Garaki replied as Rikitasu grunted in acknowledgement.
"Is that all?" Rikitasu asked as Garaki smirked.
"No. There's more. Take a look at this," Garaki said as he pointed toward a DNA analysis kit, along with a vile of what appeared to be some sort of dark blue liquid. "I've run some tests on this liquid, which has the same chemical compound as blood. However, the interesting part is that it is entirely unlike anything ever before seen on Earth!"
"How so?" Rikitasu questioned, crossing his arms as he loomed next to Garaki, whose smirk widened into a smile.
"Well, for starters, you know how every bit of DNA, from animals to plants to humans, is consistent with a dual helix, yes?" Garaki asked as Rikitasu hummed in acknowledgement. A small, giddy chuckle escaped Garaki as he clicked a button on the desk before him. As soon as he pressed the button, a projection appeared.
The projection showed a strange-looking helix that crossed three times rather than once, as it typically should. The strand structure of the Helix was also different. Rather than being interior, it was exterior. Within the helix were several orbs that seemed to produce some kind of liquid attached to each strand outside the helix.
"What… is this?" Rikitasu mused a hint of disbelief in his voice as Garaki cackled.
"That, my dear friend, is a DNA sample from that creature! Furthermore, its genetic code is entirely out of this world! So much so that after transfusing the creature's blood with lab rats, the lab rats died instantly," Garaki said as Rikitasu felt his curiosity peaked.
"So, you're saying that this creature you found with that intruder is potentially an alien?" Rikitasu asked as Garaki nodded.
"Yes. There's no doubt about it. However, there is also something that I found… interesting about the creature. You know how I mentioned it can use some kind of sonic boom Meta Ability?" Garaki asked as Rikitasu nodded. "Well, you'd be surprised to know it lacks a Meta Factor."
Rikitasu blinked, confusion quickly taking up his visage. He supposed that made sense, assuming the creature and the girl were from a completely different planet. Not everything had to function under the same laws of physics. That being said, it was odd. "To have a Meta Ability, or at least something similar to a Meta Ability, and not have a gene that would state such a thing is… bizarre."
"Very. This is why I think it would be better for our cause to run some experiments on the creature. There is something off about this creature, and if I can get some DNA samples from the intruder as well, that would aid me. They're of two separate species, with the girl sharing some similarities to us Homo-Sapians. But just to be sure, I want to see some of her DNA."
As Garaki said that, Rikitasu hummed in affirmation. Garaki found it frustrating that he wasn't responding verbally, but it made sense after having known him for as long as Garaki had. He had never been a morning person, always preferring to skulk in the dark.
"Then I suppose I should go and interrogate her now," Rikitasu replied as Garaki smirked.
"Great. I'll let them know you'll be on your way," Garaki said as Rikitasu silently turned to leave. As he did, he shot one more glance toward the unconscious entity on the operating table. He didn't know why, but he had a sinking suspicion that it would change everything.
[XXXX]
To say Eda was not the least bit happy to be where she was would have been a massive understatement. She was already on the run from The Coven Guard when she had popped the portal door to get her out of there, so to be immediately put in Human Custody was something that she hadn't been particularly happy about.
Usually, it would be a simple case of breaking out of whatever bonds the humans put her in, grabbing the key to the portal door, going to the portal door, and escaping. Maybe even sling around some magic here or there to get them to back off.
Unfortunately for her, the humans didn't react when she tried to use magic. Usually, they would. But here, they didn't. They responded with magic of their own. Or at least, she thought it was magic. One of them used lightning to zap her, which stopped her in her tracks.
There was also the added fact that the Portal Door's key was taken from her, along with her staff. They took her stuff and locked it in a vault somewhere. Owlbert must've been terrified, which only further made her mood worse.
Then, there was the fact that King was gone. That human who had tased her with some sort of artificial lightning magic that had come from some kind of device used something else to knock King out. It looked to have been in the form of a dart, but Eda hadn't the faintest clue what that was about.
The last thing she remembered before waking up in the cell was the human's very disturbed smile. It reminded her of those Demon Hunters when they cornered her and King. It was at that point that she met Hooty, who had saved her from them—not that she needed his help, but it was appreciated nonetheless.
All that aside, what made things worse was that she couldn't understand a single word coming out of these people's mouths. It was an entirely different language. At least where she had been going before, she could understand them. They spoke the Common Tongue there. Here, it was altogether different.
"This sucks…" Eda muttered as she stared at the ugly concrete floor. There wasn't even a semblance of colour in the cell. Just muted greys and silvers. On the bright side, the humans on the other side couldn't understand her either. She could shout at them; all they'd do was scowl at her.
At the very least, they gave her human food. Some kind of soup and a strange box full of some, admittedly, tasty juice. She didn't know what it was, but it was red, and it sort of reminded her of Apple Blood. You know, minus the stuff that gets you plastered and causes you to cause a forest fire accidentally….
Yeah… The Coven's Guard was not exactly happy about that one.
"囚人118752、こっちを見ろ！" One of the guards shouted at her. She recognized the number, which was the one that they had assigned to her. The guard smacking the bars was probably him telling her to stand up, so she did.
The guard wore a blue uniform with a black vest over top. He had tan skin, and his eyes were slanted. That was a major difference between the humans from wherever else she had gone and the humans here. Their eyes were wider, if only by a small margin. Their skin was also white compared to tan.
"Yeah, yeah. I don't even know what you're saying," Eda grumbled, looking from the guard to… well, a Titan's damned giant. She could only see up to the guy's chest, but he was massive both in height and physically, from what she could tell from the size of his arms.
The two individuals seemingly nodded at one another before the giant unlocked the door to her cell and entered. He had to bend over slightly to fit. The first thing she noticed was his piercing red eyes, which made her reflexively flinch. His hair was white and went down to the top of his ears.
He had broad shoulders, his hands were behind his back, and he had a polite air that reminded her a lot of Emperor Belos, which immediately set off alarm bells in the back of her head. His stare didn't help much, either. It was almost like he was judging her as if she had made a grave error.
Which, technically, she did. She had let herself get caught. But there was something else there. Curiosity dwelled in his eyes and a hunger for knowledge. That didn't bode well, but she wouldn't let him touch her. She knew what people with that kind of gaze had in mind. That was the look of someone who wanted to run experiments on people.
"Whatever you want, the answer's no," Eda bit out as the man laughed. Did he understand her?
"Why, that's unfortunate," the man replied, his voice deep yet smooth. Not harsh like she had been expecting. Again, precisely like Belos. She did not like the parallels. "For someone so bold enough to break into and trespass on my property, I'd assume that there would be at least a little bit of critical thinking skills in that young mind of yours. I guess I assumed too much of you."
"You don't know me, pal," Eda replied, keeping a guarded stance. The cell door was wide open. If she could just squeeze past—"
"I wouldn't try ducking past me. Most people who end up escaping, or at least try to, wind up as splatter on the wall," the man said as Eda scoffed.
"Oh, really. As if you could—"
Before she could finish her sentence, he punched her in the stomach. He moved faster than anything she had ever seen on The Boiling Isles and hit harder than a pissed-off Slitherbeast. She felt the wind blow right out of her sails, and she found herself coughing up blood.
Falling to a knee, Eda struggled to breathe as the man loomed over her. "I would advise you not to take that tone with me, young lady. Otherwise, you'll find yourself in a grave faster than you can blink," the man rumbled, an aura of power wafting off of him that, once again, gave her the same vibe that Emperor Belos had.
The man placed a hand on her, and for a moment, she had expected to die. Right then and there, she had thought that he was going to kill her. But instead, she felt a blast of rejuvenation wash over her. The pain that had been in her chest and stomach was gone, and while it still hurt to breathe, it was nothing like what she had just felt.
"Know that I only healed you because it would do me no good having my prisoner be wounded to such an extent. You should also know that I had barely even used a tenth of my true power to wound you. To think that even a life form from another world is still weaker than I. That simply goes to show that I truly am the pinnacle of all life," the man boasted as Eda felt her stomach churn.
"Titan's above; this guy might have a worse ego than that poser," Eda thought, slowly standing up as she glared at the man. "What in the Titan do you want, human?" Eda spat as the man smirked.
"First of all, my name is Shigaraki Rikitasu. I am the current ruler of the country known as Japan. You, my dear interloper, trespassed on my property. For such a crime, I have taken that strange creature and gave it to my scientist friend. He is simply enamoured with such a being. Truly one of a kind," the man, Shigaraki as he had named himself, spoke as Eda felt all the colour in her face drain.
Panic washed over her as she stormed to her feet and grabbed Shigaraki by the front of whatever shirt he wore, staring up at him with a sneer on her face. "If you hurt King, I swear I will kill you!"
"Oh, please. I assure you, this "King" you speak of is the bestest of care," Shigaraki said, brushing her off of him as she stepped back.
"Yeah, right, as if I believe that! Give him back! He's mine!" Eda snarled as Shigaraki chuckled as if amused by her desperation. The bastard. He was enjoying this.
"Then, if you wish to have King returned to you in one piece, you will aid us. But first, tell me your name," Shigaraki replied cooly, clearly not intimidated by her. She should've suspected as such, but still. She could feel The Curse start to writhe within her, acting on her anger. She suppressed it, not allowing it to cause her any problems.
She wouldn't let herself be transformed. Especially not right now. Not when she was staring down what she could only assume was The Human Realm's version of Belos. For all she knew, if she transformed, he'd kill her.
As brave and bold as Eda would think herself to be, like most things, she was afraid of death. She talked a big game, but this guy, this Shigaraki fellow… while she didn't fear him, he oozed the same kind of terror that Belos gave off. Unlike Belos, it wasn't masked in a thin veil of altruism. It was bold, in your face, and evident.
He owned his cruelty, whereas Belos didn't. She didn't know if that made him better or worse than Belos. What she did know, however, was that if she didn't play by his rules, he'd undoubtedly do something to King.
"Damnit! How do I keep getting myself in these kinds of situations?!" Eda thought as she scowled. "Eda."
"That's it?" Shigaraki asked as Eda's scowl deepened.
"That's all you need to know," Eda bit out, her tone bitter and full of barely hidden malice as Shigaraki huffed.
"Very well. I suppose I can let you have that, at least," Shigaraki replied as he knelt and wiped a finger through the specks of blood on the floor. "I believe this is all I'll need for today. Rest, young Eda. Tomorrow is when the fun will truly begin."
With that, Shigaraki left her cell, the door slamming shut behind him as it locked automatically. She sat back down on the uncomfortable mattress that was given to her. She couldn't help but feel a deep sense of dread begin to bristle within.
"I just hope you're okay, King…"
[XXXX]
"It's like I thought," Garaki mused, stepping back from the microscope, an annoyed gleam on his face. "Her blood is much like ours. It even has the same genetic coding. The only difference is that it originates from some kind of avian creature rather than primates."
"Still, that is highly interesting," Rikitasu mused as he leaned against the wall near Garaki. They had successfully put the creature, King, inside a stasis tube. He wouldn't awaken until they allowed him to. "That must mean that this "King" creature is quite the specimen, is it not?"
"Yes, that does. However, the more I observe his blood, the more confused I become," Garaki muttered, grumbling something under his breath. "It doesn't act like blood. The cells don't divide and shift. They are dormant. If they do shift, they rarely do. It's almost as if, once extracted, the cells are waiting for something to happen."
"Like a chemical reaction?" Rikitasu suggested as Garaki hummed.
"Like a chemical reaction, but what chemical will cause it? Now that's the problem," Garaki replied as Rikitasu glanced over to King, who floated in a green liquid. As Garaki had coined, stasis gel kept the senses numb and contained enough oxygen to allow the brain to stay alive without causing undo harm.
"I doubt this "King" creature will know, nor do I think the intruder would as well," Rikitasu said, looking back to Garaki. "What of that door?"
"Nothing. I opened it, and it led to nothing. I tried shocking the door to see if it needed some kind of electronic activation, but I guess I overcomplicated it, considering it's just a wooden door. Granted, a wooden door that turns into a suitcase, but I digress," Garaki said, pinching the bridge of his nose.
"Have you tried using the extracted blood on the door?" Rikitasu suggested as Garaki huffed.
"Yes, I have. It does nothing."
"Hmm…" Rikitasu hummed, stroking his chin as he narrowed his eyes. This was truly strange. This door, which also seemingly acted like a portal, clearly had some kind of mechanism that prevented its use. "Perhaps that intruder might know. I'll have her come here tomorrow, and we'll fish for the answers needed. It also gives me an excuse to test my new Polygraph Meta Ability."
"The one you stole from the chief of police in Tokyo?" Garaki asked as Rikitasu smiled.
"The exact one. I believe her name was Kurane Tsukauchi. She has already reproduced, and her child has the same Meta Ability. I should kill it, but that would be a waste of time," Rikitasu mused as Garaki turned his back on him.
"Well, if that's the case, I'll get out of your hair. Apologies for disturbing your rest," Garaki said as Rikitasu huffed.
"Next time, Garaki, I'm taking Mud Warp back. I don't like being woken up," Rikitasu replied as Garaki shrugged.
"Do what you must. I am simply trying to further your plans, my liege. Perhaps you should try to find a Meta Ability that reduces your need for sleep?" Garaki suggested as Rikitasu began to leave. That was a good idea, but at the same time, he quite liked his rest. If such a Meta Ability existed, it likely wouldn't be worth hunting down.
In the blink of an eye, the next day arrived. For most of the day yesterday, Rikitasu slept, allowing his energy levels to return to a modicum of what they usually were. Hunting down for the second parasite who stole his brother from him was quite a draining task. He would admit that he had done an excellent job at hiding, but he wouldn't be able to hide for much longer.
Right now, he was dragging Eda back to the lab—quite literally. The woman was quite feisty and attempted to claw his right eye out when he entered her cell. Self-preservation was clearly something she lacked. It resulted in a minor scar over his right eye, which he quickly had Scar Sealing deal with.
Garaki had stared at him, slightly unamused, with his arms crossed. "You bludgeoned her over the head so hard her skull cracked," Garaki muttered, annoyance in his voice as Rikitasu scowled.
"She nearly clawed my eye out."
"And? You could've just healed it," Garaki said as Rikitasu scowled.
"It still hurts, you know. I have yet to find a pain nullification Meta Ability. Aren't you supposed to be a doctor?" Rikitasu remarked as Garaki scoffed.
"Scientist, Shigaraki. I'm a scientist. I'm not a medical professional. Though, I can double as one pretty easily. My main field of study is biological engineering. Now, would you mind waking up our prisoner?" Garaki asked as Rikitasu sighed. With a quick jolt Electro-Amp, Rikitasu woke Eda, who jolted forward with a sudden gasp.
Ah, he must've killed her accidentally. Jumpstarting the heart was probably the only way to bring her back. "Oops," Rikitasu thought as Garaki scowled.
"You…! You know what, never mind. Good morning, Prisoner. Shigaraki mentioned that your name is Eda, correct?" Garaki asked as Eda rubbed the side of her head. She looked around, her eyes widening at seeing what Rikitasu could have only assumed to be technology she had never seen before.
That only further proved his theory that whatever world she came from was a primitive one. Or, at the very least, was technologically behind. "Wha— where am I?"
"The place you had inadvertently broken into," Rikitasu answered as she scowled at him. What was it with people scowling at him today? Seriously?
"You…. Where's King?"
"Behind you," Garaki said as Eda turned around as much as she could, her eyes widening.
"What…." Eda went from scowling to having a full-on sneer on her face. "What did you do to him?!"
"We put him in stasis. Don't worry. He's very much alive. But in that state, he cannot harm anyone," Garaki said before bringing up a remote from his pocket. "Of course, that can easily change. One press of a button, and he'll be a deep-fried dog. So unless you wish to see the end of your little pet, Ms. Eda, you'll do exactly as we ask of you."
Eda took a step back, looking over at Garaki. Her eyes narrowed as she stared at the remote. Rikitasu could see her aiming to leap at Garaki based on how her legs were bent. Unfortunately for her, Rikitasu had other ideas.
Black, spike-like tendrils snapped forward toward Eda, stabbing through her shoulders and knees as he lifted her into the air. Eda roared in both anger and a slight mix of pain. "Now, I believe we do not need to resort to violence. However, we'll gladly do it if you leave us with no choice. You seem to forget, intruder. You are at our mercy. Not the other way around."
As Rikitasu said, he retracted Rivet Stab as Eda dropped to the floor. He had taken out her knees so that she couldn't walk and had aimed for specific spots in her shoulders so that she couldn't move her arms.
"You… Bastards…"
"Come now. We're being plenty reasonable," Garaki snarked as he put the remote away. "All we are asking of you is how this strange door works. We've tried everything, and it just won't work. So, we assumed that you would know. Are we correct in assuming that?" Garaki continued as Rikitasu put a hand on her head. Eda glared up at him but didn't say a word. She looked over to Garaki, still sneering. Rikitasu sighed.
"Let's start with ten volts of conductive electricity. For every 10 seconds that she doesn't answer, increase the voltage by five," Rikitasu ordered as Garaki nodded. Eda's eyes widened as Garaki pulled out the remote and turned the dial to the number marked as "10" before pressing the button.
Within the stasis pod that King was in, bolts of electricity began to spark, zapping the creature. Violet eyes with yellow sclera immediately opened as muffled and drowned screams of pain filled the room.
"You should start talking now, Eda," Rikitasu remarked as Eda began to panic. She couldn't move—that bastard with the red eyes assured that—and the doctor-looking guy didn't seem to have a care in the world. She looked around the room, trying to find something, anything that she could use, but it was all for naught.
Garaki turned the meter once again as King's muffled cries increased in volume. Eda couldn't bear it anymore, so with anger coating her voice, she finally gave them their answer. "YOU NEED A KEY!"
Garaki immediately turned off the voltage, and slowly but surely, King fell back into whatever sleep that strange gel had forced into him, but not before a few whimpers of pain filled Eda's ears. A knot tied itself inside Eda's chest as she stared at the capsule with King inside it.
"Those bastards…" Eda thought bitterly as Rikitasu removed his hand from Eda's head.
"She tells the truth. The police have a strange-looking key in evidence holding. I'll have it retrieved in a few minutes. For your cooperation, Ms. Eda," Rikitasu said, as a green aura covered his hand. He brushed his hand on the side of her face as her body began to heal once again.
Eda slowly began to stand up with a violent look in her eye. She knew that if she tried to attack either of them, the red-eyed bastard would attack her and possibly kill King. For as much as she loathed them, she could do nothing.
Sure, she could use regular magic circles, but her strongest spells were locked behind the use of Owlbert, who was locked away. "You…" Eda growled, glaring at Garaki. "Why? Just… why? What do you want with The Portal Door?"
"I am a scientist. I am simply intrigued with how it works. Now, your part in this is done. Shigaraki will take you back to your cell," Garaki said as Eda clenched her right hand into a fist. Without warning, Rikitasu grabbed her arm and dragged her away.
As she was dragged away, she stared at King within the "stasis pod," as that doctor guy had called it. She would get him out of that thing. She would save him. She refused to let him be hurt, and certainly not by a few strange humans.
That, she vowed.
[-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…"
A bit of a short chapter, I know. But, like I said, I didn't want this one to be all that long. The next chapter will be the second part of this flashback. There could be a fourth, but I won't say for sure.
That's all from me for now. Stay tuned for the next one!