Tenya Ida was a mess of emotions, but the main one he was feeling was anger. He was angry because something precious had been taken from him—something that could never be replaced—something that had driven him to pick his current internship.
But first, some context.
Two days ago, his older brother and former Pro Hero, Tensei Ida, fell victim to The Hero Killer Stain—a lunatic hell-bent on "cleansing society" based on his twisted views of heroes. And, unfortunately, Tensei didn't meet up to those ludicrous standards. His wounds were worse than what they had previously been thought to have been, and as a result, Tensei succumbed to his wounds and passed away.
His family was grief-stricken, and for that day, everyone took the day off to mourn. Everyone except for Tenya. It wasn't out of malice, nor was it because of some stupid sense of self-pride like his mother had accused him of. It was because he didn't know what to do with all of his rightful anger.
He wasn't prideful; he was wrathful.
He didn't blame his mother for the words she had spoken to him. She had every reason to be upset with him. That being said, it wasn't as if those words didn't hurt him. They did, but the hurt that came from those words was nothing compared to the fury and rage that Stain's mere existence filled him with.
What made that fury burn brighter than it already usually would have, was the idea of standing still while that rat bastard Stain was running around and separating more families. It made Tenya feel ill.
He wasn't about to let anyone else feel the pain that he was feeling ever again, and he was going to do it the only way his heart would let him.
Through cold-blooded revenge.
He wasn't about to let Stain get away with this. He wasn't about to allow Stain the agency to take away his older brother, all for the expressed purpose of making society a "better place." If he wanted to do that, then he should've been a hero and changed it from the inside rather than do what it was he was doing now.
Was it mad to do things this way? Probably, but as far as Tenya cared, he was running on his emotions right now, refusing to allow logic to take its place. There were times for logic and times for emotion. Besides, this was personal. He wasn't doing this out of some sort of fantasy of finally defeating a coldhearted villain for fame or money. This was about taking a murderer out once and for all.
He wasn't just going to beat Stain. No. That was a mercy.
No.
He was going to kill Stain.
He was going to do the same thing that Stain did to his brother. He was going to make Stain repent the hard way, and if he died in the process, then so be it. He'd rather die knowing that Stain was dead than die a meaningless death by failing to do what he set out to do.
He would hunt Stain down to the ends of the Earth for his revenge. When he did, his brother would be able to rest in peace. It also meant that the name "Ingenium" wouldn't be tainted in a stunt like this. It was why his current hero's name was Tenya. It was so that his family's legacy wouldn't be tainted by his anger and his bloodlust.
He might have been wearing a version of his brother's hero costume, but as far as he was concerned, it was merely a shell. Speaking of his costume, it consisted of a black one-piece suit with a high collar decorated with various pieces of silver armour, including a bulky chest plate, which had two sets of three wrap-around engine decals around the torso, just for the added flair. A metal collar around his neck and another around his upper arms, and metal vambraces that extended past his elbows with points at the ends.
While his helmet was different from Tensei's, it was heavily inspired by him. The helmet covered his entire face, obscuring his identity. The mouthpiece was covered in holes, allowing him to breathe easily, while the upper part of the mask was far more rounded with two bigger holes, allowing air to circulate so he did not sweat to death underneath the mask.
Finally, there was the last piece of the helmet—the horns. The horns were meant to represent a bull. Bulls were some of the fastest land animals on the planet, and seeing as he, Tenya Ida, was one of the fastest people alive on this planet, along with the rest of the Ida family, it only made sense for him to have a set of bull horns on his helmet.
Then, there was his legwear. He wore a pair of silver, knee-high boots fitted with golden accessories which were specially made for his variant of his family's Engine Quirk. Unlike his brother, who had Engines in his forearms, Tenya had his engines in his calves. The boots, and by extension, the rest of his armour, were designed to be lightweight so that he could travel at ludicrously fast speeds, even faster than what Tensei had achieved.
Even if Tensei was dead, and even if Tenya refused to take up the name Ingenium, at least for the time being, his memory would live on within the suit of Ingenium. It would be in that memory that Tenya would make sure that Stain would never harm anyone ever again, so long as Tenya lived and breathed.
Of course, Tenya wasn't doing this without any sort of information. He knew where Stain was located currently.
That was Hosu, the "crime capital of Japan" as some news anchors had started calling it. Hosu was where he was taking his internship with the Pro Hero: Manual.
Manual, or Masaki Mizushima as he introduced himself when Tenya had first entered the Agency's main building, was a man of average height. While he wore his black helmet, you wouldn't have been able to tell he had messy brown hair. Manual had black eyes and a rather normal complexion for your average Japanese man.
His hero costume consisted of a blue and white, skin-tight, long-sleeved shirt tucked into a pair of orangeish-yellow gloves. He also wore dark blue pants and white boots. However, the most noticeable feature about his outfit was his helmet: a black dome-shaped helmet with two side pieces, which allowed for a visor to drop down and cover his eyes, and a fin on the back that reminded Tenya of a swordfish fin.
Overall, Manual was a rather unremarkable pro, but even then, he seemed like a nice stand-up guy. Sure, he wasn't well known, but that wasn't what mattered to Tenya. It was his proximity to Stain that was the reason why he picked The Manual Agency, not because he had any real interest in working with Manual.
Tenya held nothing against Manual. However, he was the person who would help Ida facilitate his revenge against the man who robbed him of his brother. Once this was over, and once Stain was dead, he'd apologize to Manual for using him. But only after it was over, not before.
And speaking of Manual…
"Usually, I'm just waiting around for a call to come in. But lately, well… Hosu's been in a bit of a panic," Manual said, rubbing the back of his neck with a gleam of nervousness in his eyes. Well, perhaps not nervousness, but rather just overall readiness. He was ready for when something happened and ready for when danger called.
"Is it because the number of patrolmen has been downsized?" Tenya inquired as Manual nodded, turning to face the street in front of him.
"Yeah, that's right. Hehe… sure is nice to have Ingenium's little brother with me, though. Oh, uh… by the way. Sorry for your loss, must be really hard losing a sibling," Manual said, giving Tenya a sympathetic glance, which he did not respond to, only vacantly staring off to the left, over to an alleyway with a sneer on his expression underneath the face-covering mask.
"I'll find you, Stain. And when I do… there won't be a single thing stopping me from doing unto you that which you brought unto me and my family."
[XXXX]
Getting Jirou Kyoka off of his back was a hassle and a half. That was not to say that he wasn't impressed, but Taisuke still wanted to know why it was he had inadvertently cursed himself. Kyoka Jirou was what one might call… enthusiastic. She wanted to get on-field experience, which he couldn't blame her for doing. He had to admit, even though he had other intentions for working as a Hero on the side, he didn't mind taking down the occasional villain here or there for fun.
However, he did notice something about the kid. There was a flair of competition oozing off of her. Not only that but she had a flair of ruthlessness about her. To be fair, most heroes-in-training had that, but this was different. Compared to what he had heard about from other agencies, this was beyond different.
For example, one villain that they had captured today made an off-handed comment, and for a moment, it looked as if the devil himself possessed Jirou. Not only did she stomp his head into the ground repeatedly, breaking the man's nose and cracking his skull, making him lay in a pool of his blood, but she also kicked him in the balls at least twenty times, all the while saying some of the most vile things he had ever heard in his life—and he heard some horrible things.
He wouldn't dare repeat what she said, and he did give her a stern talking to, but all of that aside, the lesson was learned. He also learned that day that Kyoka Jirou was something special, and he had been glad to have been tailing her ever since he stopped her from getting killed by that Creature Rejection Clan freak.
She had potential. A lot of potential. The only issue was getting her to embrace that potential and then have her switch sides. That, however, would have to wait. He had a plan in mind, but until he got confirmation that she was who he thought she was, rather than him running off of a rumour that he had heard in certain circles in the underground, that plan would have to be put on hold.
His goal was to make her his successor. Every villain overlord has a successor. All For One had one in Tomura Shigaraki, and assuming Overhaul was still on semi-good terms with Eri, that was his. It was about damn time that Taisuke had his own.
Right now, though, that had to wait. Currently, he had Jirou back at the Agency, helping him file some paperwork for their first patrol tomorrow. The reason why she was doing it and not him was that he was out on a business meeting regarding something extremely important, and that seemed to do the trick, seeing as she bought the whole thing.
That being said, she probably believed that she knew him. After all, he had been, while infrequent, someone in her life. He had personally injected himself into her family drama and had saved her life. While she never followed up with what she told him back at that Fly Mutants store, that more than likely meant that she had it sorted out.
That being said, he was still curious about what was going on. After all, she was his would-be successor. He couldn't help but be a little compelled by what was potentially going on in her life. That, and it would make his life a little bit easier.
A part of him felt semi-obligated to catch up with her. After all, he had made it a point to say that he would be there for her if something went wrong. Strangely, he found himself sort of… caring about her. In an estranged uncle sort of way.
"This is why I hate teenagers. They have an annoying way of grafting feelings onto you…" Taisuke thought as he sighed. He couldn't help but think back to Toshinori and how he viewed him when they were younger.
While they didn't have the best relationship in the world back then, he at least tried to play the role of the older brother. Their father got in the way of that, and it was made worse when their mother ran away with Toshinori. Not that their father cared. He was far too busy dealing with their familial dealings.
Then, Toshinori became All Might and joined The Speedwagon Foundation on a mission to destroy the Yagi Clan. He would never forgive his brother for that treachery. He and All For One shared one part of their goals, and that was watching Toshinori Yagi's death.
Aside from that, however, All For One was just as much of a target as Toshinori was. So, too, was that Shigaraki brat. In fact, so was Overhaul and Eri. But those last two were needed. Especially because of that pesky Stand that made it so the Stand Bullets worked.
That aside, it had become increasingly clear that over the last 48 hours, Jirou had learned something. What that something was, he didn't know. It wasn't as if he spoke to anyone over call or in person about the underbelly of The Blackwell Agency. Jirou had advanced hearing, so it would be stupid to conduct business in the same building as her.
On top of that, Jirou had displayed a no-nonsense demeanour. She wouldn't float around an issue if she deemed it important enough. So, even if she did know something, or at the very least suspected something, it wasn't serious enough to where she planned on approaching him. Which made his life a little bit easier.
However, that didn't mean he wouldn't keep an eye on her. For now, he'd watch over her mannerisms and instill in her trust. That way, she would never suspect anything. That, and potentially, she could reveal information about all of the Quirks that the students of Class 1 – A had. Sure, he saw them all during the Sports Festival, but he was primarily focusing on The Stand Users.
That was for later. He'd ask her what she knew about her classmate's Quirks. If she asked why he was asking, he'd just say that he was interested in the class so he could see if they were worth interning with later down the line. But, once again, that was for when he was back at the Agency.
Right now, though, he was doing other things. Other things, such as standing at the back of the League of Villain's hideout, face obscured in shadows with a cigar in his mouth. A surprise meeting was being thrown, and Taisuke was invited to ensure things didn't go south, especially seeing as who it was that Shigaraki had invited to the bar. It made a lot of sense for the insurance to be there.
And so, Taisuke, along with Shigaraki and Kurogiri, stared down the infamous Hero Killer Stain. Now, had Taisuke been any old businessman, he'd say that Stain was a rather intimidating figure. Granted, he was. Truly, he was a terrifying monster of a man, but then again, Taisuke had seen scarier in his own line-up of assassins.
Stain was tall, around the same height as himself. He was kitted out in a black, sleeveless combat suit, plated with metal armour across his body, with various sheathes for his plethora of weapons. His arms were exposed, though to make up for it, his arms up to his upper shoulder were wrapped up in a thick, off-yellow gauze. He had on a pair of wristbands and, strangely enough, a watch.
If Taisuke had to guess why he had a watch on, it probably had something to do with the bastard's Quirk, which Taisuke knew a fair bit about. Bloodcurdle allowed him to lick someone's blood and paralyze them based on their blood type. The more common the blood type, the longer they were paralyzed. The rarer the blood type, the opposite was true.
Stain wore a pair of spiked-toed combat boots, probably so that if he kicked people, he could make them bleed. Finally, he wore a ragged cloth mask that obscured his upper face and drooped down to his knees. To Taisuke, the get-up seemed a little ridiculous, but he assumed it was all practical.
There was a thick air of tension around the bar as The Hero Killer narrowed his eyes toward the group of three, licking his lips, almost as some form of tic he had when he was annoyed. "I get it…" Stain murmured. "You're the ones who assaulted U.A.…."
Stain's voice was low, baritone, and commanding. He exuded respect. Respect that Taisuke was willing to give to the man. Taking a puff from his cigar, Taisuke reclined his head against the wall, one leg over the other, as he observed the conversation. Stain noticed him, narrowed his eyes, and then paid his attention back to Shigaraki and Kurogiri.
"And you want me to join your little gang." When Stain said that, it sounded like he was spitting out a poison. His voice was dripping with venom as if the idea made him sick to his stomach, almost as if he was beneath it all.
Shigaraki chuckled underneath his mask, leaning against the counter with a nonchalance demeanour. "Yeah, exactly. When it comes to being evil, you're a pro." Shigaraki said, glancing back at Taisuke before frowning underneath his hand mask, scratching at his neck. "Er… well, next to The Final Boss over there, but you're a pretty strong second place. That, and you have notoriety. People know who you are. You're a big deal, ya know that, Stain?" Shigaraki rasped as Stain, with an unamused expression, spoke.
"And what're you after?" Stain asked as Shigaraki tilted his head, glancing up at the ceiling, his left eye peeking out between his face-hands fingers with a hint of annoyance lurking behind it. However, Taisuke could sense a sliver of curiosity.
"Well, we want to kill All Might, eventually. But I also want to destroy everything I don't like," Shigaraki said, pausing as he brought up a picture of Izuku Midoriya from the Sports Festival. "Like… this little brat, for instance… everything."
As Shigaraki said that, Stain sneered. Anger bubbled in his eyes as he growled. "It's ridiculous that you had my interest for a second there…! You're… hahhh…. You're the type I hate the most." As Stain drawled on, Taisuke stopped leaning against the wall, lurching forward with his hands in his pockets, the cigar still in his mouth as he narrowed his purple eyes toward Stain.
"Huh?" Shigaraki asked, genuine bewilderment in his tone as Stain continued his rant.
"As if I'd ever team up with some temper tantrum-throwing, overgrown man-child. Bloodlust without conviction is meaningless!" Stain roared as he unsheathed two of his knives that he kept holstered just by his waist. Kurogiri, panicking in his movements, reached out for the TV as he began to activate Warpgate.
"Master…! Shouldn't I stop him?!" Kurogiri asked with alarm in his tone. Just before All For One spoke, Taisuke stepped out of the shadows just as Stain lunged toward Shigaraki. A black aura surrounded Taisuke, the man clicking his tongue as he shifted his cigar in his mouth from the right to left, and as soon as one of Stain's knives made its way towards stabbing Shigaraki's shoulder, the moment it touched his shoulder, the blade digging through his shoulder as if it were paper, Stain waited for the wound to bleed…!
But it drew no blood. It was safe to say that the knife didn't even stab into Shigaraki's shoulder at all. All it did was glide through him, almost as if Shigaraki wasn't real—like Shigaraki was a ghost. Confusion quickly settled into Stain's expression, only for Stain to look up at Taisuke, put two and two together, then growl with enough hate and rage to make a bull seem calm.
"Ahh… a fake… You're Blackwell, aren't you? The hero who not even the Hero Safety Commission is aware of the Quirk of? I knew you were fake since the very beginning…! But, to think you'd work for the Villains... Oh, how I've been yearning for a chance to kill you myself for a long… long time," Stain growled, going to remove his blade from Shigaraki, only to find out that he couldn't.
His eyebrow raised underneath his bandaged face as he tugged at the weapon. However, no matter how hard he tried to remove it, he couldn't. Taisuke grinned, taking the cigar out of his mouth, before lifting a foot to Stain's forehead.
Stain was about to react, only for Taisuke to stomp down, forcing Stain to the ground as the man bounced off of the floor, blood exploding from Stain's bandaged face as Taisuke's boot slammed down on his head, all the while his arm and hand stayed fixed to its position, a cracking sound reverberating around the room as the sound of snapping bone filled Taisuke's ears with a disturbing amount of pleasure on behalf of the suited villain.
A gasp of pain escaped Stain's mouth, as he tried to get up, only for a Taisuke to apply more pressure on his head; not enough to do any lasting damage, but enough to get the point across that he wasn't going to be getting up.
Shigaraki blinked, looking at Taisuke with a confused expression underneath his face mask. "Oi… what're you doing?" Shigaraki rasped as Taisuke glanced over at him.
"Makin' sure your stupid ass doesn't fuck this up for us, that's what, Shiggy-boy. No offence, Shigaraki, but you need to open your mind up to a more overarching goal. Sure, destroying what you hate is a good place to start… but what's next after that?" Taisuke mused, raising an eyebrow toward Shigaraki as the man began to scratch his neck.
"What… do you mean by that?" Shigaraki growled as Taisuke rolled his eyes, going over to the knife that was lodged into what could only be explained by some sort of rip in the fabric of reality. The hole appeared to look like a dark, deep void of something not yet formed or much less full.
Nonetheless, it was unnatural, alien to a degree, and from appearance alone, cold looking. Taisuke retrieved the blade before shoving it into his pocket, the tear disappearing as if it never existed. And behold, no damage was done to Shigaraki's shoulder, making him blink a handful of times as confusion made its way to his face.
"What I mean, Shigaraki… and what I'm sure your Sensei intends for you to learn… is that while having a starting point—such as destroying everything you hate—is a good enough beginner quest, that shouldn't be what your main goal is. If you don't find something else to grasp onto, for example, the main plot thread for your game, then you won't be able to make it big. You won't be able to become that Symbol of Fear you wish to become."
As Taisuke spoke, he glowered down at Stain, who glared up at him with anger and vitriol so fierce that it made Kurogiri shiver. Taisuke, on the other hand, chuckled to himself before scoffing. "Oh, please. Do you think you scare me, Stain? Ha! No. Do you know what I think of you when I see you, Stain? I think you're pathetic."
Taisuke glowered at Stain, a sneer taking up his visage. "You're a man-child whining and crying about how the world doesn't fit your ideal image, and because it doesn't, you're going to kill anyone and everyone who doesn't "play their part." I have to say, Stain, that's pretty lame. You say that Shigaraki is an overgrown man-child throwing a temper tantrum, right? Well, from my perspective, as in someone who's been in this "Villain game" for a lot longer than yourself, I can say the same for you; you pig-nosed bastard."
Taisuke leaned down toward Stain, their faces only a foot apart, as Taisuke smiled in a very, very chilling replica of All Might's signature smile. "You wanna talk conviction, boy? Fine then, let's talk conviction. You think that heroes should do what they do out of the kindness of their hearts, right? So, therefore, any hero who doesn't do that is a fake. Right?" Taisuke said, scoffing. "Alright then… then that would mean the same applies to over 99.9% of all heroes globally. Not just Japan, but the entire world."
As Taisuke said that, a gleam appeared in his eyes. For a moment, just a moment, everyone in the room recoiled at the murderous intent that flooded off Taisuke at that very moment. "You wanna know what my conviction is, Stain? I want to make the world rue the day it forgot about the Yagi Clan. I'll teach the world that The Yakuza are still the top dogs, and when I'm done teaching Hero Society just how fucked they are, after that, I'll destroy every single last one of those fake, pathetic, lazy, worthless dickwads that call themselves villains. Those who join me won't have to worry about that. But those that don't? Well… let's just say that the world won't have a place for them."
Hatred rolled off of Taisuke with such fervour, such power, that everyone in the room couldn't help but feel paralyzed. Shigaraki physically recoiled at the pressure, Kurogiri felt his skin underneath the fog erupt into goosebumps, and Stain, aside from the boot on his head and his broken arm, could barely move. All the while, Taisuke had a snarling expression on his face that was so fierce, that lions or other big cats would recoil upon seeing it.
And then, Taisuke continued his rant.
"You talk about change in your little spats, so I take it that you like change, right? You talk about how you're gonna change the world with your ideals; that once you kill all the fake Pro heroes, the word "Hero" will finally be reclaimed for those who do this job for the sole purpose of saving innocent lives, right? Well, you know what I think, Stain? I think your ideals are shit and shallow! You can't make a change like that! Words and actions aren't enough! It's all about who's the strongest, and only the strongest have the right to prove that they can make their conviction a reality, and to do that, that person who claims to be the strongest needs to have the means to evolve! And I, Stain, am that! Evolution is the next big step, and I have the means to procure such a thing! Quirks have become a relic of the past! A byproduct of a far-gone era! And the one who symbolizes that the most is All Might !"
Taisuke reeled back from Stain's face and looked up at the ceiling. Taking a puff out of his cigar, he felt his nerves calm, and his rage slowly began to wash away. His expression returned to neutral as Stain grovelled under his boot. Leering down at Stain, Taisuke growled, though the anger and the conviction in his voice faded as he continued.
"So, tell me, Stain? How the hell do you think you can make a change? Because I'll tell you what… the way how you're doing things… it ain't gonna cut it. You're a powerful and skilled individual, and I'll give you that. But your ideals and your philosophy are old hat. And if there's one thing I hate more than pompous bastards and smug twats, it's those who abide by bullshit like heroics."
With a violent kick to the head, Stain was sent skidding across the floor, slamming up against a wall as he cringed in pain. Taisuke walked over to the man, and grabbed him by the collar of his shirt, slamming him into the wall, and in a very harsh, very quiet whisper, he snarled.
"You claim to be a fan of All Might, the strongest hero in all of Japan, my younger brother, the most heroic of them all, and you mean to tell me you think you can change the world with your violent rhetoric and shallow attempts at change when not even he could with his endless reach and charisma? Either you're delusional, insane, or both."
Stain's eyes widened to an almost unbelievable degree upon hearing the words that were uttered by Taisuke. Not that it mattered to Taisuke what it was that was going through Chizome Akaguro's mind at that moment, but it was safe to say that his world had been officially rocked, and his perception of, at the very least, Taisuke had changed.
Taisuke frowned. He had broken Stain's arm. Good. That meant that the bastard would understand the role in which he played. Although that being said, his being injured wouldn't do. Unfortunately, his Stand's ability didn't heal.
In his pocket was a vile of blood. He meant to give it to his scientists to reverse-engineer the blood within the vile to see if they could expedite the process of creating the Stand Bullets. Of course, he knew the idea was far-fetched, but he still had to try. Overhaul's whining and complaining about Eri's condition was starting to become ear-grating.
Pulling the vile out of his pocket, he grabbed Stain's arm with his free hand and ripped the cork of the vile out with his teeth before dousing the blood on Stain's arm. Not even a second later, a red jewel-encrusted hand rippled out of the blood and grabbed Stain's arm as an ethereal golden hue overtook the broken limb.
Taisuke blinked, and Stain's arm was returned to normal, and the blood had vaporized into thin air. Taisuke backed away as Stain looked at his limb, staring at it with a shocked, horrified and slightly amazed look in his eyes.
"What… what did you do?" Stain questioned as Taisuke scoffed.
"It doesn't matter to you, Hero Killer. But know this, that was my way of saying that we're even. Now, go ahead, say what you were going to say, do what you were going to do. But know this… if you ever bring up conviction in my general vicinity ever again, your life as The Hero Killer will end by my hands, got it?"
Stain fell to the floor, eyes still wide from the information he garnered on Taisuke. He looked up at him and began to stand up. Taisuke looked over his shoulder and smirked. "Oh, and if you even think about releasing that information you now have on me to the public, don't. Because if you do… well, let's just say that I have eyes and ears everywhere. I know where you live, I know all of the locations of your hideouts, I know your daily routine, I know it all. All I'd have to do is give the call, and you'll be filled with lead faster than you could blink. Do you understand, Akaguro Chizome?"
Stain glared at Taisuke but did nothing. The entire time, Shigaraki and Kurogiri had been watching the interaction unfold, and as far as Shigaraki was concerned, he felt a sense of relief. Why? Well, mainly, it had to do with the fact that the giant hulking brute of a man in the suit was on their side. It also had to do with the fact that he was able to put Stain in his place, which greatly pleased Shigaraki's ego.
As Taisuke took a seat in one of the booths, he fished out his lighter, re-lit his cigar, and sighed. "So, Stain. What're you gonna do? Are you gonna help us? Or are you gonna run away like the spineless coward you are? Besides, we all want to change society, right? Shigaraki wants to destroy the very thing that caused him to harbour this hate of his into what he's doing now, I want society to re-learn what it means to be fearful of The Yakuza, and you want to alter it by way of culling the heroes who you deem as fakes. In a way, we all want to bring down the status quo. So, whaddya say? Are you willing to join up with The League of Villains, and Damnatio Ad Bestias, even if it's only temporarily?"
A smile appeared on Stain's visage. While it was shaky, the murderous intent wafting off of him was still strong. All Taisuke could do was smirk, take a puff of his cigar, and recline in his chair. "Negotiations, successful. You're welcome, Shiggy-boy…"
"Fine then…. Seeing as we have at least something in common, I'll abide by this for the time being. Once I'm done with my goal in Hosu, I'll deal with you next," Stain said, looking over to Kurogiri. "We're done here! Send me back to Hosu. There is still something I've got to take care of there."
And all the while, Taisuke smirked as the aura of his Stand faded away. "Oi, Kurogiri. Before you do that, make a portal to Blackwell Agency. I need to finish up with my Intern for the day. Can't have them getting suspicious, now can I?"
Kurogiri nodded, opening a portal next to Taisuke. Tipping his hat, he walked into the portal and came outside of the alleyway next to the building. When he did, his eyes widened when he saw Jirou taking out the trash, wearing her hero outfit just like he had told her to do, just in case something came up. Jirou's eyes widened, recognizing the portal he came out of, and taking a step back. "W-Was that…?"
Taisuke sighed, shaking his head. "Ya know… Karma always seems to get the better of me," Taisuke muttered. "Look, kid. It's not what it looks like, really, it ain't." Taisuke said as Jirou narrowed her eyes toward him.
"Not what it looks like?! I just saw you walk out of the same portal that belonged to that fog villain from the USJ incident. So, hell yeah, that's exactly what it looks like! You work with the League of Villains, don't—"
Jirou wasn't given the chance to finish, as she blinked, and when her eyes opened again, her eyes lost all of the light within them as a hand was placed firmly on the back of her head. Taisuke smirked, crossing his arms as he spat out his cigar, crushing it with his foot. "Ah, see, this is why I'm so glad we work together. Ain't that right, Giran?"
The man in question, Giran, chuckled lightly. Giran was a middle-aged man, and his body type reflected that: meek and non-combative looking yet intimidating nonetheless. His most notable characteristic was his eyebrows, which were nine times out of ten always drawn upward due to his eyes being always squinted, giving the impression that he was always seemingly high.
He had short grey hair, which was always parted to the right, with his bangs hanging above his eyes. He had a small twin-pointed mustache and a goatee, giving him the "sleazy businessman" look, and he wore it with pride. He had two gapped front teeth and one of his teeth on the upper jaw was missing, leaving a hole in his always charming smile.
For clothing, he always wore a two-piece purple suit, unbuttoned, revealing a white button-down shirt, a pair of dark-purple slip-on shoes, and a giant scarf that, oddly enough, resembled a set of intestines. He also had a gold chain hidden underneath the scarf and a pair of thin-framed glasses.
"Ya know… why do I always find you in situations that could end your career, Yagi?" Giran asked, his smug grin eternally plastered on his face as Taisuke scoffed.
"And why do I always meet you in alleyways, Giran?" Taisuke asked, his question rhetorical, as Giran laughed, taking his hand off of Jirou, who shook her head with a confused expression on her face.
"Huh… what… was I doing again?" Jirou asked as Taisuke cleared his throat.
"I was checking on you because I couldn't find you in the building. You were taking out the trash, and I ran into an old buddy of mine. Move along, and get ready, because we have a patrol we need to go on in the next half-n-hour. Got it?" Taisuke said as Jirou rubbed at the back of her head before bowing her head, confusion marring her expression.
"Y-Yes, Blackwell-Sensei…."
And with that, Jirou left. Once she was a solid distance away, Taisuke fished around for something in his pocket. Bringing out a thick stack of Yen Notes and passing them over to Giran, the man counted the money through the band, nodded, and then passed Taisuke a few stacks of paper from his jacket. "All the information on the Jirou Family and their connection to the Joestars and that family is all right there, just like you wanted, Yagi. I gotta admit, they got a detailed backstory."
"Thanks," Taisuke said as Giran placed his hands in his pockets and turned to leave. Once he exited the alleyway, Taisuke flipped through the pages. His eyes widened as a grin appeared on his face. It was on the page about Kyotoko Jirou, or before he married Mika Jirou, Kyotoko Shitesuka.
At least, that was what the fake name he had been given would have led anyone to believe. "Kyotoko Shitesuka" wasn't his name. His real name was Samual Laurance. His mother was a woman named Oliva Laurance. Samual was half-British and half-Japanese, and while it was clear where he got his half-British side from, the half-Japanese part was unclear.
At least, it was, until he scanned further down the page. There, he found a picture taken from behind him, shirtless. On the lower part of his shoulder, close to the nape of his neck, was a very, very familiar star-shaped birthmark.
"Well… well… well…! It seems that they're more connected than I thought!" Taisuke mused, looking over the sheet of paper some more. Samual's father was unknown for a long time. At least, it was, until The Speedwagon Foundation had tracked him down and connected him to Jouta Kujo.
According to the document in front of him, he was the first of four children who Jouta Kujo had out of wedlock. Those four children were Samaul, two unnamed twins who both died in a terrorist attack and Yoshimura. Yoshimura's inclusion here hadn't shocked Taisuke. There was no other person who could've been responsible for his existence while also being a Joestar.
The document further revealed that Samual, who by that point was going under the false alias of Kyotoko, had been hired by Jonathon Kujo to act as Kyoka's father while he searched for Kyoka's real father.
That had caught him off guard. Though, that made sense. Kyoka, being a Joestar, made no sense. Especially given her mannerisms, and doubly so if those rumours turned out to be true regarding her relation to that family.
Flipping the page and moving past the document about Mika Jirou, of whom he could give less than a shit, he read the document about Kyoka. As he read, his eyes slowly began to widen. A large, almost haunting reflection of All Might's smile spread across Taisuke's face as he continued to read.
"Ha! The rumours were true! It's all right here, the proof that I needed to confirm my suspicions! Of course, it makes sense! All of it makes sense! She's related to him! Who else could it have been?! The cosmic irony of it all ceases to amaze me!" Taisuke thought as he closed the folder.
Sure, at first glance, she didn't appear to be related to him at all, but that wasn't what he was looking for. It was the more subtle and personal details that made him suspicious. Of course, her hair and her eyes were more befitting of her mother, but as for her father… the pale skin, the broad shoulders, the slightly sharper chin that women typically didn't have, the fury and determination that was a key trait in that family. It was all true! His hypothesis was correct!
There was no mistaking it. Kyoka Jirou was related to that man. There was no doubt about it! He knew it was strange that she seemed so violent. The Jirou's and the Joestars were typically passive people unless it came to evildoers like himself. But Kyoka… Kyoka was different. She was just plain violent, abrasive, harsh, and crude at times. Traits more befitting of that family than either the Jirou's or The Joestars.
But first, before he did, said, or started anything, he needed to get rid of a few people. If he wanted his plan with Kyoka Jirou to be set in stone, and to be foolproof, he couldn't have Kyoka's parents lurking around anymore. Besides, the more isolated Kyoka Jirou felt, the more she'd willingly go to him to find solace.
Stuffing the file of papers into the inside pockets of his suit jacket, he walked back toward the entrance of his agency. With the information he now gathered and an idea in mind, he smirked, re-entering the building. He was going to send a message—a message that would forever shake things up in his favour. Just before he entered the elevator, he whipped out his phone and sent someone a private message.
Boss: Takiyuma, Operation: Viper Attack is now a go
Takiyuma: :)
[XXXX]
Kyotoko Jirou, or as he better knew himself, Samual Laurance, stepped back into the former home that he had shared with his now ex-wife Mika. He had no idea why he agreed to meet with her again. He was still in preparations to continue his work with Kai after being filled in on the situation.
At first, he was appalled. To learn what Kai had been up to for the last 16 years had thoroughly enraged him. However, after Kai explained everything to him, Samual was fully on board. He had no qualms in finding a way to upstage that piece of shit who would force the hand of another to commit undo harm onto a child.
Kai had explained to him what had happened in his absence. First, the creation of the first batch of what was currently being dubbed as Stand Bullets. They started out as bullets with red casings to signify that they were in their testing phase. The final and current product was the yellow bullet casings.
Apparently, Samual's link back to all of this was that he was going to search for the remaining unstable and beta versions of the Stand Bullets. Of course, he would relay all of this information back to Johnny. They finally had a lead on who was doing what with the bullets! It was upsetting that Kai was involved, but his allegiances were with the Joestars first and foremost.
Which brought him to why he was at Mika's house to begin with.
Sitting across from Mika, who was openly scowling at him, Samual crossed his arms and spoke. "I'm pretty sure you know why I'm here."
"Yeah, I do. Honestly? I'm glad this is happening. I can finally move on with my life," Mika spat as Samual scowled.
"I just have one question for you. Did you ever love Kyoka? Or was it all an act? From what I knew of you, you actually cared about her. You stuck up for her. So why the sudden change?" Samual asked as Mika frowned.
"I do. I love Kyoka. I've never hated her. I'll admit I made a mistake. But, you have to understand—"
"Understand what? There's nothing to "understand." You were poisoning her. That was what you were doing, so there's no reason to jump around the subject. Why, Mika? Why any of this? Why buy that drug? I'm not blameless in this. I'm just as guilty as you are for allowing it to continue. I just want to know why you did any of this?" Samual said, a hint of desperation in his voice as Mika looked away.
"It's because… she was becoming more like him. I… I know that sounds stupid, but—"
"Like who?" Samual asked, raising an eyebrow. Mika scowled, seemingly annoyed that she was being constantly interrupted. After an annoyed sigh slipped past her lips, Mika spoke.
"Like D—"
A sudden knock at the front door took Mika and Samual off guard. They looked over to the door. Samual frowned, standing up from his chair as he narrowed his eyes. Mika stood up, looking over at the doorway as Samual slowly approached it. As he inched closer to the door, he reached out to grab it, only for the door to go flying off of its hinges.
Mika screamed, Samual cursed, and just before anyone could do anything, Samual felt something bite the back of his neck. A burning sensation filled his body, and he watched as Mika fell down. Blood oozed from her eyes, mouth, and nose.
She was dead.
And Samual was close to follow.
As he fell to the ground, he watched as a pair of bright yellow eyes glowed in the darkness. A tall, muscular yet lean man loomed over him; a sickly cackle filled the Jirou household as Samual tried to reach out toward the man.
Except, before he could grab him, everything faded black.
-To Be Continued in - Stain's, Vipers, and Bones - Part 1-