It was the Monday right after the internships and everyone was gathering in class a little earlier than usual, eagerly discussing what all had gone down. Apparently, some of the students had run-ins with villains, and some got to help in the backgrounds of some pretty epic rescues.
You'd slithered your way into class 2A just to have the chance to talk to Iguchi and Tenko about their experiences before school started.
"No way! You mean you got to take down a villain?!" Your blind eyes spared at Iguchi, who was personally struggling to tell his story in front of such a large audience.
The animorph scratched the back of his head nervously. "Well, yeah, technically I was acting in self defense though, and I only got a few hits in before Orca took care of the rest. Most of my job was in evacuating civilians."
"That's still so epic, man!"
"I wish my week was fun like that.."
"Awwh, no fair!"
Spinner ignored the jealous whining all around him. He stared down at his desk, itching the bandages on his forearm. He was looking so somber all of a sudden. Had something really important happened that day? He was usually so unfazed by the fights he got in. Hopefully nothing bad happened that time. ".. Anything happen to you, Hoku?" Iguchi turned his and everyone else's attention to the kid sitting at the desk beside him.
Hokusei uncrossed his legs and shrugged with his hands up about shoulder length. "Honestly.. not much. Just walked around all week. Heh, lost a couple pounds, I suppose."
You butted in while scratching a hand through your short-ish hair. "Yeah I ran around like crazy all week! Hawks doesn't slow down for anyone!" A couple of the girls gave you googly eyes. Something that happened every time you mentioned the winged hero.
"Now where could Tenko be?" Hoku leaned forward, resting his chin on his fist while staring-down the massive door. Most of the students were here already, and even some of your 2B accomplices were leaving the room to return to their own homeroom class.
"I didn't see his name on the news, so it's unlikely that anything big happened." Iguchi leaned back in his chair smirking.
You chuckled in agreement. "Yeah, he was probably trapped in Best Jeanist's office all day--"
The door suddenly opened, revealing Tenko with his hair perfectly combed as he struck a pose eerily similar to the fabric hero. "✨Fear not, my valiant classmates~ for I have arrived✨"
You gasped and screamed. One of those 'perfectly cut' ones like the memes. "WHAT-!!?"
Don't worry. He turned back to normal eventually...mostly.
--------------------
Business with Humarise was going swimmingly as always~
You'd visited several different bases already, meeting with other leaders of the organization and "erasing" the quirks of those of the conflicted.
In your time working with them and earning their trust, you were allowed-in on a top secret plan only about half the leaders even knew about. It was the Trigger Bomb.
After being entrusted with such a top secret, you suggested they use Kai's quirk erasing drug instead of excessive dosage of Trigger. Not only did you offer to grant them a massive discount, but you pointed out that if your organization wanted to remain along the lines of pacifism, it would certainly be better to erase everyone's quirks rather than making thousands accidentally kill themselves and each other with their quirks. It would send the same message regardless of the death toll.
They agreed rather quickly, glad to have another, more humane solution.
After that, you figured now was the best time to enact a small plan of your own. Since the bomb had just finished being designed, you assumed the engineers who were forced to create it wouldn't last much longer. So, you hired a bounty hunter to kidnap the designers being held captive. That bounty hunter then passed the men onto another who helped create new identities for them. At the same time, other bounty hunters were sent out to kidnap the families of those who were trapped. Once the families were all reunited and given new identities, you hired a few final guys to export the families as far away from Humarise's reach as possible. Somewhere they could live out peaceful lives, hidden away until the organization itself was dealt with.
These families included that of Rody Soul's, who was the second protagonist in the third movie. You sighed a huge sigh of relief as you received confirmation that the families had all been safely released into this wild world. With enough money to see them through at least a month, you were fairly sure you'd just saved many lives. Hopefully, they could all get jobs quickly and live quietly for a while. If ever any of them were suspicious they had been found, each man had an emergency number to call, leading back to a phone set aside for that reason alone, unconnected to you in no way at all. It was even given an American phone number to be safe!
With these two issues dealt with, it was time to relax a bit and focus more on the hero licensing exams that were coming up. This year was going by twice as fast as the first! You weren't the only one feeling it either! It felt like y'all'd just started your second years of UA, yet here you all were prepping for the big test and end end of the second semester after! Only one more semester to go after that!
---------------
Himiko was in an excited sort of panic as she ran back and forth between portals, packing a suitcase full of large clothes and such. In comparison, you were moving at a snail's pace; just wandering around the room with a checklist and pen.
"Alright, and so as soon as you unboard the plane, you'll find Amanda Harsh by the luggage pickup." I turned on my phone to show the passing girl a picture. "She'll escort you to your room."
She nodded excitedly. "Right!"
"And then!" Craning your neck to follow the blond's racing around. "When alone in your room, you'll video call me and turn on your location. I'll have a look at the coordinates and portal into your room, where I'll give you more blood. If the internet's crap, then I'll just track your plane's flight and find you myself."
"Okay!" Toga was just excited to visit a moving island full of amazing inventions and attend a fancy party! And honestly, you couldn't blame her. You knew she would appreciate a trip like that more than you, hence why you decided to let her take your place.
As how you were invited, it was all thanks to winning the Sports Festival this year. Last year, Tenko went but was only allowed to bring one person along with him, so you and Iguchi played Rock Paper Scissors over that slot... You lost. Oh well. Maybe you can go again next year. Just need to win again.
The reason you couldn't simply take Toga as your plus-one was simple. The case of her being your2 younger sister was a very fragile one. It was okay on paper, but you couldn't risk drawing any more attention to the girl, especially not in front of a public crowd. There were just too many ways it could end no way but terribly.
Himiko going alone disguised as you was your safest bet. She'd gotten really good at pretending to be you theough the year, after all. And you taught her what to do if ever she meets someone she doesn't recognize who seems to recognize her, or are talking to someone and they bring up an event she knows nothing about. Basically, you taught her some A-grade improv skills.
Kia stepped into the open doorway to your room. "(Y/n), I think I found that 'blueprint' thing your dad left for you."
You spun around, mouth dropping open. "No way.."
"Want to check it out?"
"Yes-sir!" You shuffled to follow the man into his bedroom, where he had a simple computer setup by the window. Buddy stomped at your intrusion as you passed his cage and sat at the computer. Kai's head hovered over your shoulder as he pointed to guide you to the file.
It was a complicated process enabling access to your dad's computer from Kai's room, but in short, this computer essentially acted as a monitor attached to the main thing remotely.
You really didn't need to look into it much to know this file was what your dad meant by when he had said "blueprints." The folder was literally labeled such! Inside it were a plethora of varying folder types, mainly video files prominently showing your father's face. Like he was expecting you to actually want to look at him after everything he's done. The other videos looked like PowerPoint presentations or something.
You stared at the thumbnails for a while, catching yourself when Kai finally spoke again. "What do you plan to do with all that?"
You shook your head and rubbed the crust out of your eyes. "I uhh.. delete it, of course."
"Good call."
The file was so large that a whole-a## loading screen popped up when you clicked delete. Took like a minute too. The nerve. You left it there in the trash can, deciding to let time decide its ultimate fate. There was also a part of you that kind of wanted to see what that plan of his was. It was clear just from what little you saw that he'd put a lot of thought and time into making it for you. And a large part of you was simply curious to see what he had come up with.
No...though. Filling your mind with schemes and plots would do you no good. The best outcome would be you turning out more like him in the end. And of course you couldn't have that!
-----
After Himiko's trip came and went with a graciously low number of close calls, to the gulag that was summer camp y'all went.
---------------
They locked me in a room. A rubber room. A rubber room with rats. And rats make me crazy. Crazy? I was crazy once. They locked me in a room. A rubber room. A rubber room with rats. And rats make me crazy. Crazy? I was crazy once. They locked me in a room. A rubber room. A rubber room with rats. And rats make me crazy. Crazy? I was crazy once. They locked me in a room. A rubber room. A rubber room with rats. And rats make me crazy. Crazy?
"WOULD YOU GUYS SHUUUUUUT UUUUUUP!?!?"
There really isn't that much to add regarding this year's summer trip. Everyone knew what to expect this time, and so were a lot less enthused about going. But, it was a requirement.
You were taken to the same place, just a week later as the first years were returning from their "summer fun." Your experience this time around was much the same, though a lot more comfortable in a way. Each and every one of you had shown improvement. For instance, instead of breaking through the forest at sundown, you, generally, made it through an hour or two earlier.
The tests the following days came and went fast too. One thing was certain. You were all showing improvement from last year.
Guess the biggest difference this year was Hokusei's refusal to enter the baths this time around. You couldn't be sure the exact reason why. Was he trying to ease your mind? Tenko's? Or was he just choosing to respect your friend's privacy for once?... Either way, you certainly were put at ease knowing you two wouldn't resort to torturing one another all week this time around.
You girlies coordinated this dance of sorts in the bath. Check comments --->
Without any hiccups, you studied for and attended your official hero licenses exams.
---------------
You don't know exactly what it is, but the anime made this test out to be a lot harder than it really was! Because getting your hero's license was a walk in the park! You just had to run around grabbing paid actors from rubble and wrestle kids from other schools for points! It was basically just a bunch of games you were supposed to take seriously. Only three kids in your grade didn't get their licenses, and you didn't know any of them very well.
Guess it was about time to start acting like the real thing, then.
A hero.
---------------
""There cargo ship 27AB keeps being intersected at the southern port. Whoever is responsible keeps destroying the ship's food supply as they are loading it, forcing the ship to stop by the northern port to refill. There, the cargo ship is attacked yet again and all of its cargo is stollen. This has happened two times already, and any heroes sent to stop the villain have been killed. Your mission today is simple. Eliminate the villain trying to destroy the food supply so that the ship has enough to leave the southern port safely."" Ms. Zeyale explained through the earpiece.
"Understood." You were already flying there. Already, your head was buzzing with questions. Like, why rob a ship in two phases like that? And why hadn't Ms. Zeya specified exactly what was being stolen? Was that not important?!
It was dark. Pitch black, even. Few stars shown in the sky despite the low numbers of lights around. The sounds of the ocean crashing against the shore was the only tell it was even there! Of course, your sight quirk didn't make the place seem quite so ominous. Strangest of all were the crates of food you were supposed to protect from villains... Did one ship's crew really need THIS much!? Was this part of their cargo??
The dot on the horizon slowly grew. It rocked on the waves. Smaller ships were sent out to help steer the big one into place. A whole hour was spent doing nothing but waiting for the cargo ship to officially dock! In that time you had a detailed look around the empty crates and machinery waiting here on the shore stacking up like trash. Nobody hid among this maze of metal boxes.
While waiting, you were given a lot of time to think about the game plan.
You pressed your earpiece when the boat finally docked. "Hey. Which is the port the past heroes died on?"
""The one you're at right now. But we have sent a couple heroes to the northern port as well and they too were killed. It's just more convenient to stop the villain here, so this is the port we must prioritize.""
"Yeah but is it necessarily the better solution?"
""What are you planning?.."
Waving your other hand dismissively, "Oh! Nothing~!"
""Don't let the villain waste anymore of our resources for some kooky experiment!""
"Okay but what if there is more than one, hoh?? We need to make them think everything is going to plan so we can catch em all!"
""...You are free to proceed. Just don't touch any of the ship's cargo.""
"Um. Okay?"
You waited a while and watched as a crew came out to load the crates of food onto the ship. After a time, you started to wonder if this was all some kind of prank. No one was showing up and everything was going smoothly! Did Keigo set this up for no reason other than to mess with you?!.. Likely not. He's not supposed to know any details about your late night shifts.
You'd turned to zoning out when suddenly something big stomped your back. All went black for a second and your body went numb. When you woke half a second later, your body crashed into and knocked over a neighboring stack of metal crates. Trapped inside one of them, you wheezed and pushed yourself up. Thank God for that re-gen quirk! You'd only just sat up when massive hands tore into the crate through the hole your body's made, ripping it open and grabbing you. Your arms were trapped and your bones were crushed.
"Hahaha! I was beginning to think those guys lied to me!. You finally showed up! Punching Bag!" The man of muscle gleefully threw you into another pile of metal and jumped immediately after. The next thing you knew, you were grabbed by the legs and thrown into the ground repeatedly, all while the villain roared with laughter. "Rumor has it you can't be killed! Haha! We'll see about that!" He then repeated this barbaric form of fighting; throwing you around and crushing your bones again and again. You recognized this guy. The muscular villain who would kill Kota's parents, as well as many others.
You knew enough about this man's future brutality to know he wasn't the kind to be talked out of. Most importantly, he wasn't the type to pull off a plan like this. He might be able to set traps, but the second stage at the northern port seemed a tad excessive. No, it's more likely that whoever was really behind this had used your appearance as a bargaining chip.
You attempted to ask about who had set him up to this, what was going on, and so forth, but the villain was uninterested in answering anything. Finally, you just let him win. You played dead, hoping to at the very least to make him lose his interest. It worked. He did, after all, have a very similar mindset to a man you already knew at the Yakuza. Disappointed, the muscular villain left you in a crater and turned to the ship. He quickly destroyed the crates of food and scattered its contents, then pulled out an old fashioned walkey-talkey. "Hhhh... Punching Bag stopped moving. And the food cargo is destroyed." So he was working with someone. When the man slid the device into his pocket, he turned your way and grinned at the pleasant surprise. You were standing again in the crate, fists up. "Oh! So you've still got fight in you! Perfect!" The weird tendrils of muscle wrapped around him again. He beamed as he stomped your way. "I like fighters like you~! They're fun til the very end!" He charged you again, this time to punch. But you dodged last second and grabbed his elbow. Now, you activated your quirk.
The muscular villain gasped as his whole arm fell off and was reduced to nothing but a pile of dust. He grabbed at the nub, which was quickly being eaten away at. Decay continued crawling up to consume his shoulder. You glared through the cloth on your head, stepping back slowly. "You've met your match.. Happy now?"
"Tch..heh..." The muscular villain grinned painfully as he watched his body getting eaten away. He looked up at you with an amused sort of grin. "..fair." And then he simply vanished.
...
You sighed in relief, staring for a moment at the pile of dust. Your hands dug into your torn up pant pockets and you turned to kick back to the pile of metal from whence you came.
You set a timer and laid down on an empty crate to take a nap as the ship left the southern port, which too would take a very long time. You were starving from all that regenerating, so much so that you were shaking a little. Made it hard to sleep, but resting was the best way to pass the time.
By the time your alarm went off, you found the ship had already left the dock and was headed northward already. Your wings jutted out of your back and you flew to catch up with and land on the ship.
The containment crates were large and.. stinky. Ugh, what were these guys carrying?! There were a load of them too, but none had labels saying what was inside. Sitting atop one was like sharing a lonely room with just you and your Christmas presents that you weren't supposed to open yet. Part of you didn't want to know what was inside of they were gunna be this stinky. Literally, it smelled like s###-!
A small, brief scraping sound was heard from inside. It didn't coexist with the rocking of the ship, so that means it couldn't have just been objects in there moving around... What.. then..? Animals?
You couldn't resist any longer. You jumped down and tore away the locks holding whatever was inside. The hinges creaked as you pried the door open. You winced, instantly hit with a wave of musty, putrid air. You covered your nose and gagged.
Inside, over a dozen humanoid creatures stood. Wait. No. They were human! Animorphs! Not all of them, but most of them were animorphic humans!
"The Hell?" You breathed, regretfully. None of the people inside moved. They just stared. No real emotion. Just observing you closely. "Anyone care to explain what's going on??!" There were no responses. You repeated yourself, this time in English. A few's faces twisted in understanding, but even among those, none answered. "Guys, please. I want to help you if I can!"
"They told us we are to go somewhere safer." A standing woman with a broken accent at last spoke up. Another two nodded. My brows furrowed.
"Wait, hold on. Where are you guys from??"
"I am from South India."
"I am from West Africa."
"Middle East."
"I from Korea."
I frantically left that crate and started opening others. Same thing. All humans, majority those with mutation quirks. They didn't care to leave their crates; even shut the doors again. These people were from all around the world, especially places where Animorphs and the like were heavily discriminated against! There was another interesting group here too that stood out, and those without any quirks at all! They too were fleeing like there was no place for them back home! The heck was going on?!
I jumped a lonely crew member on the ship and demanded some answers. He prefaced by saying that this was all perfectly legal; that governments from all around the world were even funding this! I asked why but he didn't have much of a clue. He did however say that the countries with first dibs always take the animorphs or just those with promising quirks. The ones who are quirkless are left to the poorest countries or are even sent back home sometimes! That, or they die on the ship. This wasn't the only boat either. There were at least ten with the exact same name and mission.
It didn't matter whether they knew you were here or not, so you let the guy go without saying a thing. The man ran off and alerted everyone else, however nobody attacked you. They just watched you carefully from afar. You stood at the very top of the ship, watching closely as it neared the harbor. You sat still as it docked, thinking things through carefully and using whatever clues you have to come up with a reasoning for all of this.
Why would immigration be treated like this?? The richer countries choose those with quirks, huh? So then they wanted a higher quirk population and were actively gunning for it?!.. Now that you think about it, it is pretty strange how the more advanced a society is typically coincides with the population density of quirk users. Take Japan for example. Though 80% of the population have quirks worldwide, over 90% of people in Japan have quirks. It's also the case for countries like America, China, and Russia... So then, this must be one elaborate play to accumulate as much power as possible. Quirks are fairly powerful, after all... And the more powerful a people, the more power its nation.
So people really are just cogs in these big-shots' brains, then... Why does that not surprise you?
You went ahead and hid inside one of these crates yourself, talking to the English speakers while in there to get a better idea about what to do in this situation. These people knew the risks they were taking. They knew beforehand how rough it was going to be, but, they still chose to sit inside these boxes for days, some even weeks at a time for the chance to move somewhere better!
Some even begged you not to disturb the ship. Said it was their only hope. Said they had families spread abroad, all relying on these ships to reunite them one day. To some, this was their best chance at freedom.
You were at a loss. The way they were being treated was terrible! But...
"...Fine... I.. I won't do anything." You would stop whoever was interrupting too. If for no other reason than that you had no real choice.
----------
"They wanted crates 8, 3, 24 and 12, right?" A muffled voice came from outside the crate. You sat up slightly. Your crossed arms were resting on your knees.
"Yeah. And double check what you send to the crane director is right this time." Oh. Guess that means the ship's finally docked. You rubbed your eyes, mentally preparing yourself for the hours to remain awake ahead of you. If everything goes smoothly, no one should have to die tonight-
Sch!
"Jerry!?"
Flump..
"OH MY GO-"
Flump..
Two bodies dropped on the floor. Ugh, these villains really were merciless, weren't they? You waited still, until at last someone landed on the ground nearby and pried open a door close to the crate you were in. There were hurried whispers and many footsteps trickling past. A few more were pried open until at last they came to you.
Creeeeree
"Okay, everyone, you're up! Come on out!" The villain waved everyone inside his way. He had baggy, simple clothes and black gloves that covered his arms as well. The only thing that stood out about this guy was the strange box for a head. A mask. You closed your eyes and inhaled sharply.
'The HPSC's really gotta twist my wrist with this one, eh..?'
Box head started to get irritated when nobody was moving to follow his lead. "Come on guys! Hurry up! Wh-!" You pounced out of the crate and pinned him to the ground. It was protocol to just kill your targets on these missions. But, you didn't want to do something like that here. Maybe there was a better way to- "Get OFF of me!" With an incredible burst of strength, the young man shoved you off. You slid back and back to your feet within seconds. You were barley granted a second before the guy came swinging at you with a knife! Your heart was thumping! You were still preoccupied trying to figure out how to handle this situation! Suffice to say you weren't ready to fight just yet.
You threw up an arm up to save your skull. The blade jabbed right through your arm, quick to draw blood. You stared cross eyed at the tip of the short sword mere centimeters from your nose. This had..escalated quickly.
You grabbed the tip of the blade and held onto it. Then the man fought for it back, you twisted your arm and yanked the handle out of his grip. The momentum threw him forward. You kneed him quickly in the stomach, which sent him flying. His back slammed against a wall of metal, but he remained conscious. More than that. He stood back up and drew another short sword. You growled and pulled the one still lodged in your arm out. You then tossed that sword into the ocean, limiting his weaponry. Didn't care to use it yourself. Throwing your fists up, after all.. you were always pretty crappy with weapons.
The battle was simple but brutal. It felt so one sided. Couldn't help but pity the guy for trying. I mean, he had strength, speed, and skill on his side, but those were all nothing compared to your multitude of quirks, including regeneration. The same wall was dented over, and over, and over, and over again. You continued to throw him into it, hoping he would just give up and flee. That way, at least you would have an excuse to let him live.
SLAM!
There he went again, this time slumping over his lap after hitting his head against the iron. You held up your trembling arms, breathing deeply as you stood again into another fighting stance. You'd managed to lose an impressive amount of blood, enough to paint the floor crimson. But, your regeneration abilities, like always, returned everything to normal... Mostly.. You were still so hungry.
You exhaled, speaking softly. "..You can give up, ya know... I can tell you're at your limit. I get you want to save these people, but why die now when you can live to fight another day?!"
"Hg-hh... What point would there be in that..?" The villain readjusted the box on his head, coughed what was likely blood into it, and started the slow, tedious process of standing back up. He was in no shape to be fighting. Heck, the guy probably had multiple broken bones and even more open wounds. His clothes were already stained with his own blood. He was shaking, trembling, struggling to even grip his last dagger right. "...What kind of a hero lets people suffer?.. What kind of hero gives up on the ones who need him most!!?" He shouted with such passion in his breaking voice.
You hissed under your breath. 'God, please don't tell me where I recognize this voice from somewhere...'
The villain pointed the tip of his dagger at you. "That fight with Muscular did a number on you, didn't it~? I can see that you're trembling!.. Maybe I won't defeat you... But giving up now wouldn't make me a hero at all.."
You snarled, knowing he was right. You knew how terrible your position was looking; how such a morally gray position as this would be impossible to explain! But at the same time, there was so much more nuance here. You couldn't decide who was really right here and who wasn't. Maybe nobody was! Maybe this was just one of those issues where morality depends on the individual point of view more than anything!
Either way, it was a pain in the a## knowing you were the villain tonight.
"Listen, I REALLY don't want to have to do this!.. But if you seriously think this is okay, then you ARE my enemy!!"
"I don't think it's okay." You spat. "But it's more complicated than what you think. This system may suck, but there are still families counting on it to be reunited! There are people all around the world who see these cargo ships as their only hope! You can't just go around destroying complex systems you don't understand!"
"Then we can NEVER coexist!" The villain rose and attacked you again. You evaded and shoved him into the ground. He slipped on the puddle of blood, somehow using the wet surface to spin faster and allow him to stand quicker. He charged at you again and again, each swing getting slopper until it wasn't taking much to evade them. But he never gave up. An admirable trait that only made him out to look pathetic in the end. You kicked the guy's back in and stomped hard, pinning him to the ground. And as you applied weight onto the guy's back, his shaking arms proved too weak. That determination of his was all but useless in the end. He was so desperate to move, be literally started to whimper and cry about it. You calloused your heart, ignoring the tragedy of it all.
You pressed your earpiece again. "I think this is the only guy at the northern port. Where should I take him?"
""Surely you know what I'm about to say..."" Right... No witnesses. You groaned internally, heart aching to even consider disposing such a person. Someone who reminded you so much of Tenko with all his grandiose ideals and tenacity. Surely, there was a better way around this... Then again, this young man has killed people before. Perhaps even a couple heroes as well. So it isn't like he's completely innocent either. Hhh, if only there was a humane way to kill somebody.
You debated for quite a while as you stood on the young man's back. He continued to occasionally squirm even twenty minutes later when you finally decided what to do with him.
You grabbed some rope in your room through a portal and tied his arms and legs, then portaled to a convenience store to buy a floaty. You wrapped said floaty around the guy's neck. Then, you tossed him overboard, box head and all. As hoped, just his head stuck out of the water, heightening his chances of surviving long enough to be rescued by somebody else. Then, you could just shrug and say the guy got lucky. It was a...terrible plan, but by this point, your brain was already too fried and any solution that didn't lead to his or your death was the right one.
After watching the bobbing box head for a little bit, you vanished into another dark portal, hoping to finally get some sleep before the sun rose.
. . .
Ten minutes later and someone else jumped into the ocean after the box head guy. The raggedy crimson guy grabbed the thoroughly tired fighter and swam him to shore. That same elder basically had to carry the young man up the ladder onto land as well.
His joints had locked up in the frigid water. He coughed and groaned once brought ashore. The elder hauled box head over his shoulder and basically dragged him somewhere dryer, safer.
Inside one of the empty crates, the man made a fire. In that light, Stain sighed in agitation as he plucked the soggy box off the kid's head. "I told you Punching Bag was a lost cause... I don't care how much you think you know them, they've sold their soul to the very core of the rot in hero society. There's no turning back from there.."
Iguchi's pink hair was stuck to his frigid scales. He stared with a blank expression at the fire that warmed him, still in shock.
Slowly, he blinked and moved his arms slightly. Every part of him felt as if they were held down by hundred pound weights. He was physically, mentally, and emotionally exhausted.
After a few more minutes to settle down and warm up had passed, the teen started to cry. He didn't even care to hide it from Stain anymore. "The f### is wrong with this world..? With these people?!. I- I- I-- ...I don't f###in' know what to do, man!" He his his face behind his arms and knees, shivering terribly.
He always suspected heroes could be bad. He always suspected his friends might have terrible secrets... But he never would have expected anything to this extent!
But the worst of all this was realizing he didn't entirely regret killing the people he did... Was HE a terrible person now?? What even separates the good from the bad and WHY was the line so blurred?!
The anti-hero rubbed Iguchi's shoulder reassuringly. "...It's tough, kid.. I get it. And it's scarry finally seeing the truth as I do..." The man then stood and headed to the cracked open door.
Iguchi's watery eyes searched for the elder at once. "Wh- where are you going?!"
"That fight you had wasn't resulted in a lot of Punching Bag's blood being spilled... If I collect and preserve it now while it's still fresh, I can make use of it later."
"No! I-!" The teen stopped himself, holding his own hand back from reaching out. His trauma filled gaze stared down at the fire again. "..Nevermind." He let Stain go to collect that blood.
...Iguchi hadn't a clue whose side he was really on. Was there even such a thing as sides?! In a world where best friends can betray one another so easily??!..
Maybe it was better, for his own sake, to drop the concept of heroes and villains altogether. Nobody deserved such a black-and-white lable anyway. No, people were far too complicated for that to work. Maybe it was better to judge people by their actions alone.
Because this is a world where "bad" people can do good things and "good" people can do bad things.
And you're no exception to this rule. On the contrary... You were a perfect reflection of it.
---------------
Despite your hunger, you couldn't bring yourself to eat anything. Despite your wariness, you couldn't go to sleep. Like a zombie, you stood staring at a blank wall until daybreak. Even after the sun had risen, you refused to leave your room until the end of the day...
Good thing it was a Sunday.
Not like there were any prayers that could save you from this.
...Had you done.. at least sort of the right thing....?
The scariest part was that you didn't really know...