So each new piece is effectively fresh and unworked, but retains the benefits from the previous workout? Sure that would prevent the physical strain of doing the exercise i guess, but she still would be putting an increased caloric demand on her body. Even if she all she was burring quirk factor as an effect of using her quirk she is still doing 16 hours of work, so she is burning 16 hours of energy which has to come from somewhere. Though given how much Quirk Factor and Quirks exceed everyone's ability to fuel it via ingested calories that doesn't really matter much i guess, beyond driving scientists more mad than they probably already are by the BS quirks pull.
-
Going forward, links to content from Twitter (now X) will no longer be embedded. Pre-existing links should not be affected.
Dragonspawn (My Hero Academia SI)
- Thread starter Blackout
- Start date
So each new piece is effectively fresh and unworked, but retains the benefits from the previous workout? Sure that would prevent the physical strain of doing the exercise i guess, but she still would be putting an increased caloric demand on her body. Even if she all she was burring quirk factor as an effect of using her quirk she is still doing 16 hours of work, so she is burning 16 hours of energy which has to come from somewhere. Though given how much Quirk Factor and Quirks exceed everyone's ability to fuel it via ingested calories that doesn't really matter much i guess, beyond driving scientists more mad than they probably already are by the BS quirks pull.
Real people can't grow new limbs if their current set is injured of she just wants an extra set. That suggests that the normal dangers really shouldn't apply to her. The increased calorie/nutrition point is a good one though as this version of MHA at least takes that kind of thing into consideration. Of course that begs the question of how the training effects her conditioning at all of she is replacing the limbs getting the training regularly.
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Getting less subtle by the day, but Sato never had a chance.
- Location
- Omniverse #1345
Neither of them really do, not that they have figured that out yet.
Ryuuzaki Commission: School Uniform
- Location
- Quebec
Thick Thights saves lives. Being able to transform in a Dragon also help of course.
- Location
- USA
He chest feels too narrow to have shoulders that wide. Actually her entire upper body is the wrong shape. If you're going for power builder she should be square, if you're going for generally athletic the triangle should be the other way, with wide shoulders and chest tapering to a thinner waist. Lower body looks good though.
- Location
- Leeds
Really? something about the calves is tripping me, I don't think they're properly in line with where her legs are pointing.
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Huh. I thought she'd be bigger in the midsection, kinda like a strongman. I always pictured her being a walking tank even when she's not a dragon.
Blackout
Fed By Comments
- Location
- Who knows?
Those are all fair points, but anatomy is hard to get exactly right.
The main point of that art is to provide a reference for what Ryuuzaki looks like school uniform.
- Location
- Leeds
It always is, Lock is a much better artist than I am and if you were to pick between me and them for a future commission I know who I'd recommend every time.
Just trying to offer constructive critisms because I think art looks better when you view it with a critical eye.
Chapter 59
Blackout
Fed By Comments
- Location
- Who knows?
The sound of splintering wood filled the yard as the oak tree leaned to the side, upturned roots churning up dirt and grass. I jerked away, my claws leaving impressions on the lawn as I moved, glancing around to see if anyone had seen me.
The dormitory's yard was empty, illuminated by the mid-evening sun blazing in the sky. Tsubaraba, Kaibara and Monoma had gone to the movies out in the city, Setsuna and Shiozaki were at the gym, while the others were inside in the lounge or in their rooms, leaving me alone on the front lawn, standing around next to a tree conspicuously tilted to one side.
Or at least I was supposed to be alone. The muffled, rapid intake and exhale of air suspiciously close to someone trying to hold in laughter told a different story.
"I can hear you, Yui." I sighed, turning towards the front door.
"Were you trying to scratch yourself on that tree?" She said she stepped into the yard from behind one of the marble columns around the front door, her shoulders shaking with constrained laughter.
"...No."
"Liar." She said, accompanied by another burst of giggles. "Did you- did you find that you can't reach your back anymore, and that's why you needed a scratching post?"
My silence was all the answer she needed to erupt into full-on laughter, doubling over entirely.
"Well, that's not something you see every day." Itsuka said as she stepped out the front door, glancing at Yui before looking around. "Wait, Ryuuzaki, is that tree… tilted?"
"She can't reach her back anymore. She got too buff." Yui giggled. "So she used it as a scratching post. Like a cat." She lost it again, clutching her stomach.
"Har har har, laugh at my misery why don't you."
"I thought you couldn't get itchy?" Itsuka asked. "That's what you were complaining about as a human."
"Humans are itchier." I corrected her. Already it was creeping back in, along my back and spine. "The itching sometimes starts a few days before I molt my scales, but they won't come loose yet. And since the itching is underneath the scales…"
"Your own toughness works against you, due to the amount of force required." She glanced at the tree. "Why not just turn human?"
"I don't have scales that itch in my human form." I pointed out. "So it doesn't really do anything to help."
"Well, it's a good thing you have friends." Yui finally managed to pull herself together, unshrinking her handbag from her pocket. She pulled out a steel brush and started enlarging it, laying it on the ground as it got too big to hold. "Here."
"Uh, I'm still not going to be able to reach over there with that."
"'Friends' is a plural form." Itsuka rolled her eyes, her hands expanding as she grabbed the brush. "Did you forget what my Quirk is?"
"...I may in fact be an idiot."
"Now roll over so I can reach your back."
And that's how I found myself being scratched with a gigantic metal brush, Itsuka's super-strength grinding the steel bristles across my scales.
It felt like true bliss. Sweet relief washed over me, relaxing bunched-up muscles, and my tail began to involuntarily thump against the ground.
I could have stayed there for an eternity, but eventually I became dimly aware of approaching footsteps behind us, coming to a halt.
I sprung to my feet in alarm, nearly knocking Itsuka over as I whirled about to see a pair of older men in overcoats and suits standing on the path to the dormitory, looking somewhat perplexed.
"Miss Tatsuma?" The older of the two cleared his throat, flashing us a police badge. "Detectives Himura and Samada. We would like to have a talk with you about the details of the Kamino Incident."
"Uh, sure?" I replied, trying not to die of embarrassment. "I already gave my account about what happened though. I'm not really sure what else I could tell you guys."
"We saw the transcript, but there's a few clarifications we wanted to ask for." The younger, presumably Samada, said with a friendly smile. "We'd just like to go over certain details from your testimony with you, back at the station."
"Alright, but… I have lessons in half an hour."
"I'm afraid we must impose." Himura said gruffly, with a look that told me they weren't really asking. "Your teachers have already been informed."
"Well, um, okay." I replied unsurely, turning to Itsuka and Yui. "Tell the others where I am then?"
"We will. Take care of yourself!"
I nodded. "I guess I'm good to go then? Might as well get it over with."
"You need to deactivate your Quirk first, Miss Tatsuma." Himura said with some irritation.
"...Oh, right." I closed my eyes, taking a deep breath. Imagine a bottle. The bottle is human-shaped. You force yourself into the bottle, and become-
I stumbled a little as I opened my eyes, back on two feet again. I hadn't been planning on going out in my human form so I was wearing a T-shirt and jeans, but I didn't think the Detectives would appreciate having to wait for me to change.
Himura scowled up at me, probably as he realized I still towered a head and a half over him in human form, but said nothing and only gestured for me to follow. For some reason, I got the impression he didn't like me.
I felt a pang of hunger deep in my stomach as I walked after the two Detectives, and pulled out an energy bar from my pocket and popped it into my mouth. Transformation still took out quite a bit from me, three years out of practice as I was.
We made it past UA's gates and out into the parking yard when I realized something.
"I need to call my parents."
Himura's moustache curled in irritation, but Samada stepped in, giving me a reassuring smile.
"That's fine, go ahead."
I fished my phone out of my pocket, turning it on. Since whatever I had on me disappeared whenever I transformed, I'd had to get a second mobile phone to keep on my human form.
"Hello?"
"Hi mom, Ryuuzaki here. Um, the police wanted to talk to me about some stuff, so they're taking me to the station."
Mom was quiet for a moment. "Did you get arrested?"
"What?! No! They just wanted some clarifications about my testimony. You know, from Kamino."
"...I see." I heard her sigh, and I could picture her pinching the bridge of her nose. "I'm in the middle of an art presentation in Kyoto, even if I leave right now it'll be at least an hour until I can get there. And Kenshin is delivering a foal at the Musutafu Horse Club. Did you call your sister already?"
"Ryuko's on a mission up in Hokkaido today, remember?"
"Of all the days…" Mom mumbled. "Are you sure you can't convince the officers to put it off?
"They were pretty insistent…"
"Of course they were." She sighed. "Alright then, I'm going to call our lawyer and have him meet you at the station."
"Mr. Uehara? I thought we were supposed to go to his office to meet up next weekend to talk about my case. I haven't even talked to him in person yet."
"We're paying him a lot of money, so might as well get our worth out of it. And he's already got all of your files and info so he's up to speed on your situation."
"Still, don't you think that's a little much? They just want to question me about some stuff, no big deal."
"Lawyers are there so things don't turn into big deals." She replied. "Uehara's a professional, I met with him just yesterday. He'll look after you."
"Alright…"
"It's gonna be fine. But if you do get arrested, call me immediately."
"Mom! I'm not going to get arrested."
"Alright, I believe you. Anyway, I need to call Uehara. We'll talk later."
We said our goodbyes, and I put my phone back in my pocket.
"Mom is sending our lawyer to the station to accompany me."
Himura made a scoffing noise, but nodded. "And his name?"
"Uh, Uehara. Shirou Uehara."
"Very well." He grunted. "Now let's get going, we don't have all day."
As Samada pulled open the back door to the patrol car, I realized I was going to have to deal with my mortal enemy again.
Japanese car seats.
-----
We arrived at the Musutafu Police Station without much fanfare. I'd never actually been to the before, a large sturdily built structure with few windows. A remnant of more lawless times, when the police and heroes were under near-constant siege. Time before the coming of All-Might. And now he was gone once more.
The police car pulled up to a folding door, and Himura flashed his badge through the window. We were admitted into a large parking garage, filled with patrol cars and vans of different kinds, and I extracted myself from the back seat, stretching my legs to try to return some sensation to them. The trip through the building was quick, navigating through several hallways into a separate wing of the building, to a meeting room.
The first indication that something was wrong I got was the officer standing by the door fitted in full tactical gear: body armour, helmet and all, with an assault rifle held in one-handed grip as he held the door to the conference room open for us.
I slowed down, my mouth halfway open, unsure what to say or do, but Himura put a hand on my shoulder and gently but firmly guided me inside. The room was small and windowless, with a single light source casting illumination down on a circular table, and as I stepped in I noticed soundproofing strips around the doorframe.
The officer pulled the door closed and stepped in behind us, standing guard by the entrance. I took a chair by the table and the Detectives sat down opposite to me, Samada on my left and Himura on the right.
"So, uh…"
There was a recording device attached to the table, and Himura reached over to click it on.
"Beginning recording. In attendance are Detectives Kenta Himura, Taichi Samada, Officer Kiyoshi Kaneko and Ryuuzaki Tatsuma. We are here for questioning regarding the Kamino Incident, case number one-three-six-nine-eleven."
"Miss Tatsuma, we've gone over your testimony and wanted to ask about some of the details pertinent to the case." Samada explained. "Specifically, exactly what happened during the period of your captivity under the villain group known as the League of Villains."
"I'm… not sure what there is to say?" I said, wringing my hands nervously. "I was captured alongside Bakugo and taken to the League's hideout. He tried to fight his way out, but we were stopped. I was able to activate my tracking device and hide it, before being taken to meet the League's leader All For One. He decided to kill me to hurt All-Might, who arrived at the last second to save me. It should all be in the report."
"We know." Himura grunted. "However, after reviewing the situation we have reason to believe it may not have been the whole truth."
"And what would that reason be?" I asked, feeling a chill in the bottom of my stomach.
"In 2170, three years ago, you were attacked by the villain Katsuke Fujiwara. In the attack, your Quirk was permanently damaged, leaving you unable to return to human form. Is this correct?" Samada asked.
"It is." I swallowed.
"And yet, here we are." He gestured towards me. "I'm sure you understand that it arouses certain suspicions when you've seemingly miraculously recovered your damaged Quirk immediately after having spent an extended amount of time alone with a notoriously manipulative villain with the power to affect Quirks."
"It's- it's not like that!" I couldn't help but raise my voice. "T-the reason I couldn't change was psychosomatic. A mental issue I wasn't able to overcome until… Kamino. It had nothing to do with All For One!"
"I want to believe you, Miss Tatsuma, but there is no record of anything like that in your medical history or Quirk registry." Samada said.
"It was diagnosed by Dr. Shield back in June. On I-Island."
"Would that be the same Dr. Shield who is currently in prison on numerous charges, most prominently Criminal Conspiracy with the mercenary villain Wolfram, a known affiliate of All For One?" Himura asked pointedly.
I was left speechless, trying to formulate something coherent, but nothing came out.
"Is there someone who could collaborate on your story?" Samada asked gently. "Anyone you told about the diagnosis before Kamino?"
"...No." I mumbled. "I realize that it wasn't- That I should've- But you have to believe me! I fought against Wolfram! And the League at Kashyyyk and the Camp and Kamino! All For One nearly killed me, All-Might saw that!"
"And that is to your credit." Samada said. "We don't want to jump to conclusions. But while we don't doubt All-Might, what he saw could have been staged. Especially as, according to the EMTs, by the time they got to you they could find no discernable injuries on you."
"That's because I- I healed when I transformed…" I trailed off, realizing that that still left me with nothing but my word to go off of.
"All For One is a master of deception and manipulation." Himura said. "It would be just like him to sacrifice some pawns to protect another, or even subvert one of his enemies."
I felt tears of frustration welling up in the corner of my eye. They had it all wrong and they just wouldn't believe me.
"...You really think I'm a mole for All For One?"
Suddenly, the smallness of the room made sense, the reason it felt so suffocating.
It's too small for me to transform in.
And I was starting to think that wasn't a coincidence.
"Those are the sorts of questions that our job is to find the answers to." Samada explained. "I am sorry, but you must understand that this all looks quite suspect to us in the Police. Especially when we already suspect there to be a mole within UA. How else could they have known the location of the Training Camp?"
I felt sick, All For One's mocking voice rang in my ears.
You, miraculously recovering your Quirk and escaping from me? Nobody would believe it.
"So is that it, then?" I said, slumping in my seat, rubbing my face. "Am I under arrest?"
The two Detectives glanced at each other, before Samada spoke up. "You are not under arrest at this time. We would merely like to get to the bottom of this."
"F-fine. But I want my lawyer here before we go any further."
It's going to be alright. I've done nothing wrong, I have nothing to hide. I just have to get them to see that.
"That is acceptable." Samada said in a conciliatory tone. "We can wait for him to arrive."
"He should have been here already." Himura grunted, checking his watch. "What could possibly take him so long?"
"Um… I don't have his phone number but I can shoot my mom a message…" I said, digging out my phone again.
I texted her, but didn't get any response. I pocketed the phone and settled to wait. The awkward silence stretched on, tension so thick you could cut it with a knife.
Just when Himura looked like he was about to explode, there was a leisurely knock on the door. The officer by the door, Kaneko according to Himura, opened it to admit a short, portly figure. It was a man in his late fifties with a receding hairline of dark brown, and a wide walrus mustache. His considerable belly was stuffed into a green suit, and a pair of beady spectacles sat on his nose.
"Mr. Uehara, I presume?" Samada asked, rising from his chair to offer him a handshake.
"Indeed!" The man shook Samada's hand enthusiastically. "Shiro Uehara, at your service."
"Detective Samada. This is Detective Himura, Officer Kaneko, and you of course know Miss Tatsuma." Samada said. "In addition, I must notify you that this conversation is being recorded."
Uehara nodded deeply before waddling his way over to me, thrusting his hand out to me. "It is good to meet you, Ryuuzaki! May I call you that?"
"Uh, sure." I replied. His hand felt greasy as I shook it.
"Marvelous!" He exclaimed, sitting down between me and Samada. "Now, what seems to be the situation here?"
"Well, uh…" I trailed off, unsure what to say. "They want to know if I'm a spy for All For One."
"Ah, I see." Uehara said, scratching his mustache. "Now that's quite a serious allegation. What makes you believe she would do something so horrible?"
"We do not believe anything yet." Samada said. "We are merely investigating all possibilities and getting the facts straight."
"Uh-huh." Uehara glanced at Kaneko by the door,
"Certain precautions are necessary in this world that we live in." Himura rebutted. "Are you aware that Miss Tatsuma here could raze this entire building to the ground in a matter of minutes with her Quirk?"
For some reason, Uehara's expression almost seemed pleased.
"So quick to assume the worst, are you?"
"Listen, I don't know who you think you are, but I've been in this business for thirty years, and I've seen it all. All For One has his fingers in every pie." Himura growled. "Heroes who just wanted some inconvenient weakness taken care of. Villains who needed a bit of extra power. Quirkless kids who've always dreamed of having powers. Civilians who never wanted their Quirks. He's got ways of snaring everyone." He pulled a folder out of his pocket. "You think your client is squeaky-clean herself?"
"Himura…"
"Stow it, Samada." Himura snapped.
He laid the folder on the table in front of me, and I opened it, taking out several photographs.
The first one was of me standing over Tokoyami in the Sports Festival, smoke streaming out of my nostrils and eyes glowing red, looking as though I was about to kill him.
The next one was an image capture from a clip of uploaded cell phone footage, filmed through the glass doors of Kashyyyk Mall. It showed me tearing a grey-skinned, ape-like Nomu limb from limb with my teeth and claws.
Third was a picture of the stump of a human arm, massive teeth marks visible in the wound where the arm had been severed above the bicep.
And lastly… there was another phone camera shot, from just last week. Sometimes, it took a third-person perspective to properly appreciate just how intimidating I could look. Muscles bulging, red eyes and sharp teeth twisted into a snarl, a grown man dangling from my grip like a child, a good foot off the ground.
I slumped my shoulders, unable to even muster the energy to argue and passed the photos to Uehara. What do I even say to that?
Uehara seemed fascinated with the photos, flipping through them several times before seemingly realizing everyone was waiting on him and clearing his throat.
"I see…" He trailed off again, rubbing his chin in thought. The silence stretched on uncomfortably, until he snapped his fingers. "The recordings!"
He gestured at the recorder on the table.
"As a lawyer, I have the absolute right to review the records of my client's interrogation."
That all felt... a little weird, but I'd already screwed up by running my mouth before the trained lawyer got here so I just followed his lead.
"Questioning." Samada corrected, sounding exasperated. "This is not a formal interrogation."
"Yes yes, that's right. I'll need the recordings from before my arrival."
Samada glanced at Himura, whose expression seemed to communicate 'just humor him'.
I expected him to go make a copy somewhere, but instead he simply clicked a few buttons on the recorder, pulled out his phone to make a quick call and sat back down. It seemed like Uehara had been expecting it as well, glancing several times between the recorder and Samada, but a moment later there was another knock on the door. Once again the guard opened it to let in an assistant, who handed Samada a stack of papers, before bowing and leaving.
"Here are the automatically-produced transcripts of the questioning, Mr. Uehara." Samada said, handing the stack to the man.
"Ah, thank you. Hmmm…" He sat down to flip through the pages, going forward and back quite a few times and making humming noises. The moment stretched on, and I was starting to feel even weirder. It was almost like he was… stalling.
"Aha!" He finally said, rolling his shoulders. "You didn't tell her she had the right to remain silent when you brought her here. What she's said here cannot be used in the court of law."
"That is… not a thing. There are no Miranda Rights in Japan, and she hasn't been arrested. This is ridiculous." Samada complained, and frankly I had to agree with him. Even I knew that. "Did you even go to law school?"
"No."
My train of thought came to a screeching halt.
"What do you mean-"
The rest of the Detective's sentence turned into an unintelligible gurgle as a knife blade sank into his throat. Uehara pulled it out in a spray of arterial blood and in one smooth motion threw it across the room at Kaneko by the door before the man had had the chance to so much as raise his weapon.
My hands moved on autopilot to catch Samada as he fell, while my mind was filled with white noise. I was dimly aware of Himura leaping over the table at Uehara, only for the dumpy lawyer to grab the Detective by the wrist and throw him to the floor before pulling out another knife from his jacket and stabbing him deep in the chest.
But all of that happened on the periphery as with fumbling hands I ripped a piece of Samada's sleeve and tried to press it to his throat. But the knife had cut through nearly the entire throat, t-there was just so much blood…
There was a bubbling noise coming from behind me.
I lowered Samada's body to the floor and glanced at Kaneko, slumped on the ground, the point of the knife driven through his eye socket.
I took in a shuddering breath, and turned around.
Uehara was melting.
His flesh ran like wax, as did his clothes, all turning into bubbling grey liquid. And from that liquid emerged a teenage girl at most a few years older than me, her ash-blonde hair styled into a pair of buns. Her mouth was drawn into an ecstatic smile, licking her pronounced canines as she looked at me with bright yellow eyes.
I'd never actually seen her before, but I'd burned the photographs I'd seen into memory.
"Whew, that charade was getting old fast. But finally, we meet again." Himiko Toga smiled up at me, gesturing with her knife. "Hello, Ryuuzaki. We've got loads to talk about."
I just stared at her, struck dumb, unable to move, speak or act as I struggled to process how quickly the situation had changed and three people had died. My vision was still swimming, my ears buzzing, my limbs feeling numb and powerless. I recognized the symptoms of shock on some detached level.
Her smile drooped a little as the silence stretched on, and she twirled her knife. "You know, if you don't want to talk we could just cut to the point here, if you'd prefer."
"What is there to talk about?" I forced out from between gritted teeth, trying to make the susurrus in my ears go away. Deep, controlled breaths.
"Lots of things, like I said." She perked up at my response. "Ya know, I've been trying to get an opportunity to talk to you one on one for a while, but that school of yours has things locked down real tight! Couldn't even get past the gates, sheesh. But here I am!"
There was a lull that began to drag on, as she clearly expected a response. My brain was still trying to catch up, but I had enough of my wits about me to realize I had to keep her talking.
"What- what did you do to Uehara?" I choked out. "How did you get here?"
"All I had to do was stake out your house and follow your family around for a while. From there, I realized it'd be much easier to stalk your lawyer and tag along when you met with him."
Now that got my blood flowing again and some feeling into my limbs.
"You- if you've touched a hair on my parents-"
"You'll rip me apart and splatter yourself with my blood, like Stain?" She blushed.
I grit my teeth, but let it go. Don't get distracted, just think.
You're in a room too small to transform in, and there's a psychopathic serial killer between you and the door. What do you do?
Scream for help? If nobody's picked up on the commotion yet there's no guarantee anyone will hear me, and then I'm dead.
Run? I'd never make it.
Fight?
I looked at the knife in Toga's hand, still glistening with Detective Himura's blood. A chill ran through me, memories of blood gushing out of me, unable to stop my life slowly slipping away.
I bit my lip, trying to shake myself out of it. Focus!
"And what's so important that you just had to talk to me?"
Think. I need more time to think. I need a plan.
"Huh?" She tilted her head as if she was surprised by the very concept of the question. "It's because we're the same."
"We're nothing alike."
"You don't get it? We both want the same thing, to live our lives the way we want without everyone telling us to stop being weird and act normal."
I reached over to my pocket and thumbed my panic button through the fabric of my jeans. But it would take a while for UA to contact the police station and for them to react. I couldn't rely on it.
"What do you mean?"
"My 'normal' is sucking the blood of those I love and becoming them." She explained, sounding exasperated, like she was explaining it to a small child. "Your 'normal' is being a dragon."
…
"I saw it at the mall, how you struggled to fit in, be what everyone expected you to be. And how you looked at the world that wasn't built for you, that never truly accepted you."
"You're insane." I saw the eager look on her face crumple, but I pressed on.
"My 'normal' doesn't endanger anyone. My 'normal' doesn't hurt anyone. And if it did, even the idea of pursuing it, heedless of the harm it caused to others… makes me sick to the stomach."
"No no no! You were supposed to get it!"
Toga stamped her feet in childish anger, but a gurgling rasp from the floor by her feet drew my attention. Himura. I could see his chest rise and fall. He was still alive.
He must have hit his head on the floor, and the knife had missed anything immediately lethal. If he got medical attention, he could live through this. But that meant I'd have to act fast. Can't keep stalling.
Think, Ryuuzaki, think. Can't transform, can't fight, can't run, can't call for help. What can you do, what can you use?
"I really thought you'd understand what it's like, that I'd found somebody I could talk to." She shook her head in disappointment. "But I guess it doesn't matter. In a few moments, you will."
There is nothing.
She started smiling again, passing her knife between each hand as she walked closer.
Unless…
"Because you'll be me."
I sprang forward.
Not at her, I genuinely don't believe my legs would have carried me if I'd tried. Not the door either, I would have been dead from a knife through the back long before I'd make it.
No, I lunged for Kaneko's assault rifle.
"Stay back!" I shouted as I grabbed it off the floor, brandishing it in Toga's direction. "Put the knife on the floor or I will shoot!"
"So fierce!" She smiled happily. "It's very cute. But do you really think I'd believe a school girl knows how to fire an assault rifle?"
I said nothing, the familiar feeling of the stock resting against my shoulder bringing back a flood of distant memories. I didn't recognize the exact model of the gun, but a rifle was a rifle. They hadn't changed much in a hundred and fifty-odd years. Trying to keep my hands from shaking, I flicked the safety off and racked the bolt handle to chamber a round. No time to check if there really was live ammo in the magazine, it was do or die.
I had never been a good shot, and I was unbelievably out of practice. Toga was standing over Himura, I couldn't- I couldn't risk it. So instead, as her eyes widened in surprise and alarm, I raised the barrel to the ceiling and fired. I really hoped that the floor was sturdy enough to stop a bullet as I pulled the trigger once, twice and thrice, the cacophonous booms filling the room.
If that didn't get the attention of the rest of the station, then nothing would.
I lowered the gun again and brandished the smoking barrel towards Toga, ignoring the tremors in my arms. My whole body was so tense I felt ill. I couldn't speak, I couldn't breathe.
And then, just like that, Toga scowled and dashed to the door, licking blood off her blade as she went. She dashed out the door, grey liquid already bubbling over her as she shifted into the form of Detective Himura.
My knees buckled, falling to the floor. My head swam, my ears ringing. I tossed the gun to the other side of the room and crawled forward on my elbows, putting a hand on Himura's wrist.
I felt a pulse, weak but there. He was alive. With modern medicine and healing Quirks, he'd make it.
Suddenly, the tenseness that had held my entire body taut released all at once, my heartbeat racing a million miles an hour and my breaths coming in quick and shallow.
I sat myself down, trying to compose myself. It was over now. I'd done it. Even though I was human, I had made it. I was alive.
I was alive.
A moment was all that I allowed myself, before starting to strip Himura's jacket and ripping it to stop the bleeding, while waiting for the police to arrive.
-----
A/N:
So, it's that time of the year again. The material for the law school entrance exam will be published soon, and I'm once again going to focus on studying.
I've got a pretty good feeling about the exams this year, I got within two points last year and I know I could have done it if I'd managed my time better. Now I know exactly what I need to improve upon, and the exam is transitioning to digital from pen and paper this year, so that should help with writing speed. I should be fine as long as I focus. Luckily this year there's no reservist field exercises or two-tier exams, so I should be able to start writing again in May.
Thank you to all of my readers, and I'll see you again soon.
The dormitory's yard was empty, illuminated by the mid-evening sun blazing in the sky. Tsubaraba, Kaibara and Monoma had gone to the movies out in the city, Setsuna and Shiozaki were at the gym, while the others were inside in the lounge or in their rooms, leaving me alone on the front lawn, standing around next to a tree conspicuously tilted to one side.
Or at least I was supposed to be alone. The muffled, rapid intake and exhale of air suspiciously close to someone trying to hold in laughter told a different story.
"I can hear you, Yui." I sighed, turning towards the front door.
"Were you trying to scratch yourself on that tree?" She said she stepped into the yard from behind one of the marble columns around the front door, her shoulders shaking with constrained laughter.
"...No."
"Liar." She said, accompanied by another burst of giggles. "Did you- did you find that you can't reach your back anymore, and that's why you needed a scratching post?"
My silence was all the answer she needed to erupt into full-on laughter, doubling over entirely.
"Well, that's not something you see every day." Itsuka said as she stepped out the front door, glancing at Yui before looking around. "Wait, Ryuuzaki, is that tree… tilted?"
"She can't reach her back anymore. She got too buff." Yui giggled. "So she used it as a scratching post. Like a cat." She lost it again, clutching her stomach.
"Har har har, laugh at my misery why don't you."
"I thought you couldn't get itchy?" Itsuka asked. "That's what you were complaining about as a human."
"Humans are itchier." I corrected her. Already it was creeping back in, along my back and spine. "The itching sometimes starts a few days before I molt my scales, but they won't come loose yet. And since the itching is underneath the scales…"
"Your own toughness works against you, due to the amount of force required." She glanced at the tree. "Why not just turn human?"
"I don't have scales that itch in my human form." I pointed out. "So it doesn't really do anything to help."
"Well, it's a good thing you have friends." Yui finally managed to pull herself together, unshrinking her handbag from her pocket. She pulled out a steel brush and started enlarging it, laying it on the ground as it got too big to hold. "Here."
"Uh, I'm still not going to be able to reach over there with that."
"'Friends' is a plural form." Itsuka rolled her eyes, her hands expanding as she grabbed the brush. "Did you forget what my Quirk is?"
"...I may in fact be an idiot."
"Now roll over so I can reach your back."
And that's how I found myself being scratched with a gigantic metal brush, Itsuka's super-strength grinding the steel bristles across my scales.
It felt like true bliss. Sweet relief washed over me, relaxing bunched-up muscles, and my tail began to involuntarily thump against the ground.
I could have stayed there for an eternity, but eventually I became dimly aware of approaching footsteps behind us, coming to a halt.
I sprung to my feet in alarm, nearly knocking Itsuka over as I whirled about to see a pair of older men in overcoats and suits standing on the path to the dormitory, looking somewhat perplexed.
"Miss Tatsuma?" The older of the two cleared his throat, flashing us a police badge. "Detectives Himura and Samada. We would like to have a talk with you about the details of the Kamino Incident."
"Uh, sure?" I replied, trying not to die of embarrassment. "I already gave my account about what happened though. I'm not really sure what else I could tell you guys."
"We saw the transcript, but there's a few clarifications we wanted to ask for." The younger, presumably Samada, said with a friendly smile. "We'd just like to go over certain details from your testimony with you, back at the station."
"Alright, but… I have lessons in half an hour."
"I'm afraid we must impose." Himura said gruffly, with a look that told me they weren't really asking. "Your teachers have already been informed."
"Well, um, okay." I replied unsurely, turning to Itsuka and Yui. "Tell the others where I am then?"
"We will. Take care of yourself!"
I nodded. "I guess I'm good to go then? Might as well get it over with."
"You need to deactivate your Quirk first, Miss Tatsuma." Himura said with some irritation.
"...Oh, right." I closed my eyes, taking a deep breath. Imagine a bottle. The bottle is human-shaped. You force yourself into the bottle, and become-
I stumbled a little as I opened my eyes, back on two feet again. I hadn't been planning on going out in my human form so I was wearing a T-shirt and jeans, but I didn't think the Detectives would appreciate having to wait for me to change.
Himura scowled up at me, probably as he realized I still towered a head and a half over him in human form, but said nothing and only gestured for me to follow. For some reason, I got the impression he didn't like me.
I felt a pang of hunger deep in my stomach as I walked after the two Detectives, and pulled out an energy bar from my pocket and popped it into my mouth. Transformation still took out quite a bit from me, three years out of practice as I was.
We made it past UA's gates and out into the parking yard when I realized something.
"I need to call my parents."
Himura's moustache curled in irritation, but Samada stepped in, giving me a reassuring smile.
"That's fine, go ahead."
I fished my phone out of my pocket, turning it on. Since whatever I had on me disappeared whenever I transformed, I'd had to get a second mobile phone to keep on my human form.
"Hello?"
"Hi mom, Ryuuzaki here. Um, the police wanted to talk to me about some stuff, so they're taking me to the station."
Mom was quiet for a moment. "Did you get arrested?"
"What?! No! They just wanted some clarifications about my testimony. You know, from Kamino."
"...I see." I heard her sigh, and I could picture her pinching the bridge of her nose. "I'm in the middle of an art presentation in Kyoto, even if I leave right now it'll be at least an hour until I can get there. And Kenshin is delivering a foal at the Musutafu Horse Club. Did you call your sister already?"
"Ryuko's on a mission up in Hokkaido today, remember?"
"Of all the days…" Mom mumbled. "Are you sure you can't convince the officers to put it off?
"They were pretty insistent…"
"Of course they were." She sighed. "Alright then, I'm going to call our lawyer and have him meet you at the station."
"Mr. Uehara? I thought we were supposed to go to his office to meet up next weekend to talk about my case. I haven't even talked to him in person yet."
"We're paying him a lot of money, so might as well get our worth out of it. And he's already got all of your files and info so he's up to speed on your situation."
"Still, don't you think that's a little much? They just want to question me about some stuff, no big deal."
"Lawyers are there so things don't turn into big deals." She replied. "Uehara's a professional, I met with him just yesterday. He'll look after you."
"Alright…"
"It's gonna be fine. But if you do get arrested, call me immediately."
"Mom! I'm not going to get arrested."
"Alright, I believe you. Anyway, I need to call Uehara. We'll talk later."
We said our goodbyes, and I put my phone back in my pocket.
"Mom is sending our lawyer to the station to accompany me."
Himura made a scoffing noise, but nodded. "And his name?"
"Uh, Uehara. Shirou Uehara."
"Very well." He grunted. "Now let's get going, we don't have all day."
As Samada pulled open the back door to the patrol car, I realized I was going to have to deal with my mortal enemy again.
Japanese car seats.
-----
We arrived at the Musutafu Police Station without much fanfare. I'd never actually been to the before, a large sturdily built structure with few windows. A remnant of more lawless times, when the police and heroes were under near-constant siege. Time before the coming of All-Might. And now he was gone once more.
The police car pulled up to a folding door, and Himura flashed his badge through the window. We were admitted into a large parking garage, filled with patrol cars and vans of different kinds, and I extracted myself from the back seat, stretching my legs to try to return some sensation to them. The trip through the building was quick, navigating through several hallways into a separate wing of the building, to a meeting room.
The first indication that something was wrong I got was the officer standing by the door fitted in full tactical gear: body armour, helmet and all, with an assault rifle held in one-handed grip as he held the door to the conference room open for us.
I slowed down, my mouth halfway open, unsure what to say or do, but Himura put a hand on my shoulder and gently but firmly guided me inside. The room was small and windowless, with a single light source casting illumination down on a circular table, and as I stepped in I noticed soundproofing strips around the doorframe.
The officer pulled the door closed and stepped in behind us, standing guard by the entrance. I took a chair by the table and the Detectives sat down opposite to me, Samada on my left and Himura on the right.
"So, uh…"
There was a recording device attached to the table, and Himura reached over to click it on.
"Beginning recording. In attendance are Detectives Kenta Himura, Taichi Samada, Officer Kiyoshi Kaneko and Ryuuzaki Tatsuma. We are here for questioning regarding the Kamino Incident, case number one-three-six-nine-eleven."
"Miss Tatsuma, we've gone over your testimony and wanted to ask about some of the details pertinent to the case." Samada explained. "Specifically, exactly what happened during the period of your captivity under the villain group known as the League of Villains."
"I'm… not sure what there is to say?" I said, wringing my hands nervously. "I was captured alongside Bakugo and taken to the League's hideout. He tried to fight his way out, but we were stopped. I was able to activate my tracking device and hide it, before being taken to meet the League's leader All For One. He decided to kill me to hurt All-Might, who arrived at the last second to save me. It should all be in the report."
"We know." Himura grunted. "However, after reviewing the situation we have reason to believe it may not have been the whole truth."
"And what would that reason be?" I asked, feeling a chill in the bottom of my stomach.
"In 2170, three years ago, you were attacked by the villain Katsuke Fujiwara. In the attack, your Quirk was permanently damaged, leaving you unable to return to human form. Is this correct?" Samada asked.
"It is." I swallowed.
"And yet, here we are." He gestured towards me. "I'm sure you understand that it arouses certain suspicions when you've seemingly miraculously recovered your damaged Quirk immediately after having spent an extended amount of time alone with a notoriously manipulative villain with the power to affect Quirks."
"It's- it's not like that!" I couldn't help but raise my voice. "T-the reason I couldn't change was psychosomatic. A mental issue I wasn't able to overcome until… Kamino. It had nothing to do with All For One!"
"I want to believe you, Miss Tatsuma, but there is no record of anything like that in your medical history or Quirk registry." Samada said.
"It was diagnosed by Dr. Shield back in June. On I-Island."
"Would that be the same Dr. Shield who is currently in prison on numerous charges, most prominently Criminal Conspiracy with the mercenary villain Wolfram, a known affiliate of All For One?" Himura asked pointedly.
I was left speechless, trying to formulate something coherent, but nothing came out.
"Is there someone who could collaborate on your story?" Samada asked gently. "Anyone you told about the diagnosis before Kamino?"
"...No." I mumbled. "I realize that it wasn't- That I should've- But you have to believe me! I fought against Wolfram! And the League at Kashyyyk and the Camp and Kamino! All For One nearly killed me, All-Might saw that!"
"And that is to your credit." Samada said. "We don't want to jump to conclusions. But while we don't doubt All-Might, what he saw could have been staged. Especially as, according to the EMTs, by the time they got to you they could find no discernable injuries on you."
"That's because I- I healed when I transformed…" I trailed off, realizing that that still left me with nothing but my word to go off of.
"All For One is a master of deception and manipulation." Himura said. "It would be just like him to sacrifice some pawns to protect another, or even subvert one of his enemies."
I felt tears of frustration welling up in the corner of my eye. They had it all wrong and they just wouldn't believe me.
"...You really think I'm a mole for All For One?"
Suddenly, the smallness of the room made sense, the reason it felt so suffocating.
It's too small for me to transform in.
And I was starting to think that wasn't a coincidence.
"Those are the sorts of questions that our job is to find the answers to." Samada explained. "I am sorry, but you must understand that this all looks quite suspect to us in the Police. Especially when we already suspect there to be a mole within UA. How else could they have known the location of the Training Camp?"
I felt sick, All For One's mocking voice rang in my ears.
You, miraculously recovering your Quirk and escaping from me? Nobody would believe it.
"So is that it, then?" I said, slumping in my seat, rubbing my face. "Am I under arrest?"
The two Detectives glanced at each other, before Samada spoke up. "You are not under arrest at this time. We would merely like to get to the bottom of this."
"F-fine. But I want my lawyer here before we go any further."
It's going to be alright. I've done nothing wrong, I have nothing to hide. I just have to get them to see that.
"That is acceptable." Samada said in a conciliatory tone. "We can wait for him to arrive."
"He should have been here already." Himura grunted, checking his watch. "What could possibly take him so long?"
"Um… I don't have his phone number but I can shoot my mom a message…" I said, digging out my phone again.
I texted her, but didn't get any response. I pocketed the phone and settled to wait. The awkward silence stretched on, tension so thick you could cut it with a knife.
Just when Himura looked like he was about to explode, there was a leisurely knock on the door. The officer by the door, Kaneko according to Himura, opened it to admit a short, portly figure. It was a man in his late fifties with a receding hairline of dark brown, and a wide walrus mustache. His considerable belly was stuffed into a green suit, and a pair of beady spectacles sat on his nose.
"Mr. Uehara, I presume?" Samada asked, rising from his chair to offer him a handshake.
"Indeed!" The man shook Samada's hand enthusiastically. "Shiro Uehara, at your service."
"Detective Samada. This is Detective Himura, Officer Kaneko, and you of course know Miss Tatsuma." Samada said. "In addition, I must notify you that this conversation is being recorded."
Uehara nodded deeply before waddling his way over to me, thrusting his hand out to me. "It is good to meet you, Ryuuzaki! May I call you that?"
"Uh, sure." I replied. His hand felt greasy as I shook it.
"Marvelous!" He exclaimed, sitting down between me and Samada. "Now, what seems to be the situation here?"
"Well, uh…" I trailed off, unsure what to say. "They want to know if I'm a spy for All For One."
"Ah, I see." Uehara said, scratching his mustache. "Now that's quite a serious allegation. What makes you believe she would do something so horrible?"
"We do not believe anything yet." Samada said. "We are merely investigating all possibilities and getting the facts straight."
"Uh-huh." Uehara glanced at Kaneko by the door,
"Certain precautions are necessary in this world that we live in." Himura rebutted. "Are you aware that Miss Tatsuma here could raze this entire building to the ground in a matter of minutes with her Quirk?"
For some reason, Uehara's expression almost seemed pleased.
"So quick to assume the worst, are you?"
"Listen, I don't know who you think you are, but I've been in this business for thirty years, and I've seen it all. All For One has his fingers in every pie." Himura growled. "Heroes who just wanted some inconvenient weakness taken care of. Villains who needed a bit of extra power. Quirkless kids who've always dreamed of having powers. Civilians who never wanted their Quirks. He's got ways of snaring everyone." He pulled a folder out of his pocket. "You think your client is squeaky-clean herself?"
"Himura…"
"Stow it, Samada." Himura snapped.
He laid the folder on the table in front of me, and I opened it, taking out several photographs.
The first one was of me standing over Tokoyami in the Sports Festival, smoke streaming out of my nostrils and eyes glowing red, looking as though I was about to kill him.
The next one was an image capture from a clip of uploaded cell phone footage, filmed through the glass doors of Kashyyyk Mall. It showed me tearing a grey-skinned, ape-like Nomu limb from limb with my teeth and claws.
Third was a picture of the stump of a human arm, massive teeth marks visible in the wound where the arm had been severed above the bicep.
And lastly… there was another phone camera shot, from just last week. Sometimes, it took a third-person perspective to properly appreciate just how intimidating I could look. Muscles bulging, red eyes and sharp teeth twisted into a snarl, a grown man dangling from my grip like a child, a good foot off the ground.
I slumped my shoulders, unable to even muster the energy to argue and passed the photos to Uehara. What do I even say to that?
Uehara seemed fascinated with the photos, flipping through them several times before seemingly realizing everyone was waiting on him and clearing his throat.
"I see…" He trailed off again, rubbing his chin in thought. The silence stretched on uncomfortably, until he snapped his fingers. "The recordings!"
He gestured at the recorder on the table.
"As a lawyer, I have the absolute right to review the records of my client's interrogation."
That all felt... a little weird, but I'd already screwed up by running my mouth before the trained lawyer got here so I just followed his lead.
"Questioning." Samada corrected, sounding exasperated. "This is not a formal interrogation."
"Yes yes, that's right. I'll need the recordings from before my arrival."
Samada glanced at Himura, whose expression seemed to communicate 'just humor him'.
I expected him to go make a copy somewhere, but instead he simply clicked a few buttons on the recorder, pulled out his phone to make a quick call and sat back down. It seemed like Uehara had been expecting it as well, glancing several times between the recorder and Samada, but a moment later there was another knock on the door. Once again the guard opened it to let in an assistant, who handed Samada a stack of papers, before bowing and leaving.
"Here are the automatically-produced transcripts of the questioning, Mr. Uehara." Samada said, handing the stack to the man.
"Ah, thank you. Hmmm…" He sat down to flip through the pages, going forward and back quite a few times and making humming noises. The moment stretched on, and I was starting to feel even weirder. It was almost like he was… stalling.
"Aha!" He finally said, rolling his shoulders. "You didn't tell her she had the right to remain silent when you brought her here. What she's said here cannot be used in the court of law."
"That is… not a thing. There are no Miranda Rights in Japan, and she hasn't been arrested. This is ridiculous." Samada complained, and frankly I had to agree with him. Even I knew that. "Did you even go to law school?"
"No."
My train of thought came to a screeching halt.
"What do you mean-"
The rest of the Detective's sentence turned into an unintelligible gurgle as a knife blade sank into his throat. Uehara pulled it out in a spray of arterial blood and in one smooth motion threw it across the room at Kaneko by the door before the man had had the chance to so much as raise his weapon.
My hands moved on autopilot to catch Samada as he fell, while my mind was filled with white noise. I was dimly aware of Himura leaping over the table at Uehara, only for the dumpy lawyer to grab the Detective by the wrist and throw him to the floor before pulling out another knife from his jacket and stabbing him deep in the chest.
But all of that happened on the periphery as with fumbling hands I ripped a piece of Samada's sleeve and tried to press it to his throat. But the knife had cut through nearly the entire throat, t-there was just so much blood…
There was a bubbling noise coming from behind me.
I lowered Samada's body to the floor and glanced at Kaneko, slumped on the ground, the point of the knife driven through his eye socket.
I took in a shuddering breath, and turned around.
Uehara was melting.
His flesh ran like wax, as did his clothes, all turning into bubbling grey liquid. And from that liquid emerged a teenage girl at most a few years older than me, her ash-blonde hair styled into a pair of buns. Her mouth was drawn into an ecstatic smile, licking her pronounced canines as she looked at me with bright yellow eyes.
I'd never actually seen her before, but I'd burned the photographs I'd seen into memory.
"Whew, that charade was getting old fast. But finally, we meet again." Himiko Toga smiled up at me, gesturing with her knife. "Hello, Ryuuzaki. We've got loads to talk about."
I just stared at her, struck dumb, unable to move, speak or act as I struggled to process how quickly the situation had changed and three people had died. My vision was still swimming, my ears buzzing, my limbs feeling numb and powerless. I recognized the symptoms of shock on some detached level.
Her smile drooped a little as the silence stretched on, and she twirled her knife. "You know, if you don't want to talk we could just cut to the point here, if you'd prefer."
"What is there to talk about?" I forced out from between gritted teeth, trying to make the susurrus in my ears go away. Deep, controlled breaths.
"Lots of things, like I said." She perked up at my response. "Ya know, I've been trying to get an opportunity to talk to you one on one for a while, but that school of yours has things locked down real tight! Couldn't even get past the gates, sheesh. But here I am!"
There was a lull that began to drag on, as she clearly expected a response. My brain was still trying to catch up, but I had enough of my wits about me to realize I had to keep her talking.
"What- what did you do to Uehara?" I choked out. "How did you get here?"
"All I had to do was stake out your house and follow your family around for a while. From there, I realized it'd be much easier to stalk your lawyer and tag along when you met with him."
Now that got my blood flowing again and some feeling into my limbs.
"You- if you've touched a hair on my parents-"
"You'll rip me apart and splatter yourself with my blood, like Stain?" She blushed.
I grit my teeth, but let it go. Don't get distracted, just think.
You're in a room too small to transform in, and there's a psychopathic serial killer between you and the door. What do you do?
Scream for help? If nobody's picked up on the commotion yet there's no guarantee anyone will hear me, and then I'm dead.
Run? I'd never make it.
Fight?
I looked at the knife in Toga's hand, still glistening with Detective Himura's blood. A chill ran through me, memories of blood gushing out of me, unable to stop my life slowly slipping away.
I bit my lip, trying to shake myself out of it. Focus!
"And what's so important that you just had to talk to me?"
Think. I need more time to think. I need a plan.
"Huh?" She tilted her head as if she was surprised by the very concept of the question. "It's because we're the same."
"We're nothing alike."
"You don't get it? We both want the same thing, to live our lives the way we want without everyone telling us to stop being weird and act normal."
I reached over to my pocket and thumbed my panic button through the fabric of my jeans. But it would take a while for UA to contact the police station and for them to react. I couldn't rely on it.
"What do you mean?"
"My 'normal' is sucking the blood of those I love and becoming them." She explained, sounding exasperated, like she was explaining it to a small child. "Your 'normal' is being a dragon."
…
"I saw it at the mall, how you struggled to fit in, be what everyone expected you to be. And how you looked at the world that wasn't built for you, that never truly accepted you."
"You're insane." I saw the eager look on her face crumple, but I pressed on.
"My 'normal' doesn't endanger anyone. My 'normal' doesn't hurt anyone. And if it did, even the idea of pursuing it, heedless of the harm it caused to others… makes me sick to the stomach."
"No no no! You were supposed to get it!"
Toga stamped her feet in childish anger, but a gurgling rasp from the floor by her feet drew my attention. Himura. I could see his chest rise and fall. He was still alive.
He must have hit his head on the floor, and the knife had missed anything immediately lethal. If he got medical attention, he could live through this. But that meant I'd have to act fast. Can't keep stalling.
Think, Ryuuzaki, think. Can't transform, can't fight, can't run, can't call for help. What can you do, what can you use?
"I really thought you'd understand what it's like, that I'd found somebody I could talk to." She shook her head in disappointment. "But I guess it doesn't matter. In a few moments, you will."
There is nothing.
She started smiling again, passing her knife between each hand as she walked closer.
Unless…
"Because you'll be me."
I sprang forward.
Not at her, I genuinely don't believe my legs would have carried me if I'd tried. Not the door either, I would have been dead from a knife through the back long before I'd make it.
No, I lunged for Kaneko's assault rifle.
"Stay back!" I shouted as I grabbed it off the floor, brandishing it in Toga's direction. "Put the knife on the floor or I will shoot!"
"So fierce!" She smiled happily. "It's very cute. But do you really think I'd believe a school girl knows how to fire an assault rifle?"
I said nothing, the familiar feeling of the stock resting against my shoulder bringing back a flood of distant memories. I didn't recognize the exact model of the gun, but a rifle was a rifle. They hadn't changed much in a hundred and fifty-odd years. Trying to keep my hands from shaking, I flicked the safety off and racked the bolt handle to chamber a round. No time to check if there really was live ammo in the magazine, it was do or die.
I had never been a good shot, and I was unbelievably out of practice. Toga was standing over Himura, I couldn't- I couldn't risk it. So instead, as her eyes widened in surprise and alarm, I raised the barrel to the ceiling and fired. I really hoped that the floor was sturdy enough to stop a bullet as I pulled the trigger once, twice and thrice, the cacophonous booms filling the room.
If that didn't get the attention of the rest of the station, then nothing would.
I lowered the gun again and brandished the smoking barrel towards Toga, ignoring the tremors in my arms. My whole body was so tense I felt ill. I couldn't speak, I couldn't breathe.
And then, just like that, Toga scowled and dashed to the door, licking blood off her blade as she went. She dashed out the door, grey liquid already bubbling over her as she shifted into the form of Detective Himura.
My knees buckled, falling to the floor. My head swam, my ears ringing. I tossed the gun to the other side of the room and crawled forward on my elbows, putting a hand on Himura's wrist.
I felt a pulse, weak but there. He was alive. With modern medicine and healing Quirks, he'd make it.
Suddenly, the tenseness that had held my entire body taut released all at once, my heartbeat racing a million miles an hour and my breaths coming in quick and shallow.
I sat myself down, trying to compose myself. It was over now. I'd done it. Even though I was human, I had made it. I was alive.
I was alive.
A moment was all that I allowed myself, before starting to strip Himura's jacket and ripping it to stop the bleeding, while waiting for the police to arrive.
-----
A/N:
So, it's that time of the year again. The material for the law school entrance exam will be published soon, and I'm once again going to focus on studying.
I've got a pretty good feeling about the exams this year, I got within two points last year and I know I could have done it if I'd managed my time better. Now I know exactly what I need to improve upon, and the exam is transitioning to digital from pen and paper this year, so that should help with writing speed. I should be fine as long as I focus. Luckily this year there's no reservist field exercises or two-tier exams, so I should be able to start writing again in May.
Thank you to all of my readers, and I'll see you again soon.
Last edited:
- Location
- 'Murica
Okay I hate to be a bummer but I didn't really enjoy this chapter. It feels like every time we get any relaxation or catharsis it's the first half of a chapter that ends with ANXIETY ANXIETY ANXIETY and that really just wipes the happy scene from my memory of what I just read.
As a more specific complaint, the thing where Ryuuzaki has a gun on Toga and points it away from her to shoot really didn't make sense. It's a tiny concrete room- small enough that it'd be almost impossible to miss. The point about the guy being right there doesn't make sense as a reason not to shoot because firstly bullets don't hang right angles in midair like they would have to and secondly shooting into a concrete ceiling is probably more dangerous what with ricochets.
I do want to stress that I don't think that this is a character making dumb decisions in character, I think it's the plot being weird and contorted to force a confrontation to turn out in a way it shouldn't have. Most of this stemming from Toga having frankly egregious plot armor. (Some amount is fine, otherwise the story ends quickly and stupidly. This is too much.)
This conversation could have easily taken place over the phone, and it would have been creepier because it raises the question of how she got Ryuuzaki's number and who she had replaced- possibly long-term- to do it.
I don't know, maybe I'm just being harsh because the way this chapter transitioned to the serious half really ruined the fluffy opening for me, but Toga was more annoying than sinister or anything like that.
As a more specific complaint, the thing where Ryuuzaki has a gun on Toga and points it away from her to shoot really didn't make sense. It's a tiny concrete room- small enough that it'd be almost impossible to miss. The point about the guy being right there doesn't make sense as a reason not to shoot because firstly bullets don't hang right angles in midair like they would have to and secondly shooting into a concrete ceiling is probably more dangerous what with ricochets.
I do want to stress that I don't think that this is a character making dumb decisions in character, I think it's the plot being weird and contorted to force a confrontation to turn out in a way it shouldn't have. Most of this stemming from Toga having frankly egregious plot armor. (Some amount is fine, otherwise the story ends quickly and stupidly. This is too much.)
This conversation could have easily taken place over the phone, and it would have been creepier because it raises the question of how she got Ryuuzaki's number and who she had replaced- possibly long-term- to do it.
I don't know, maybe I'm just being harsh because the way this chapter transitioned to the serious half really ruined the fluffy opening for me, but Toga was more annoying than sinister or anything like that.
- Location
- London
Really? She is afraid to miss and hit this guy in the room not even big enough for her to transform? What, she thinks she'll roll a crit fail and bullet will go at 90 degrees? A fucking preschooler wouldn't be able to miss in this situation.
This scene just kills enjoyment of the entire chapter.
Blackout
Fed By Comments
- Location
- Who knows?
She didn't check their identities because Himura showed his police identification and they had already gotten inside UA's gates which would have required for their identities to be checked. She didn't ask for staff to accompany her because she didn't think of it at the time. She didn't think of it as a big deal, and only even got the lawyer involved because her mom insisted.
I'm sorry that you weren't able to enjoy it. I did try to write the last two Chapters to end on more fluffy happy note and catharsis to offset this Chapter's more serious tone.
Ryuuzaki is under incredible stress, she's scared, her hands are shaking, she hasn't handled a gun in forever and she's never used this specific kind of gun before. She also subconsciously still views her human form as incapable and useless.
So she chooses to bluff and alert the rest of the station rather than try to shoot Toga. I'm sorry if you didn't find it enjoyable, but I stand by it.
I rather disagree. I don't believe the scene would have worked as well, and it was necessary to set up several future developments.
- Location
- 'Murica
As I said, this is a problem that goes beyond in-character decision-making. Toga walks into a police station of officers, murders/stabs three people, monologues at the main character for a bit, and then leaves with no consequences or effort involved at all on her end.
It undermines the very possibility of stakes if nothing can go wrong for one of the main villains except for people disagreeing with her.
Edit: I'm aware that she left when Ryuuzaki signaled that there was a problem, but it was so casual that she might as well have remembered that she was supposed to pick up eggs before the store closed.
Last edited:
- Location
- London
So she desided to point the gun AWAY from the obvious and present threat standing literal steps away? People under stress(but still retaining ability to think to some extent) are actually less likely to point weapon away, expirience or lack of it. So either stress kill her ability to think completely, or she made the singular most stupid conscious desidion in this story.
Last edited:
I mean it seems odd that the police would bring a fully loaded assault rifle into an interrogation room to begin with. Also it seems odd that Ryuuzaki has the presence of mind to grab the rifle but then be too hesitant to use it.
- Location
- 'Murica
Leeet's not bring that kind of language into this. If the character makes a dumb decision, they made a dumb decision. What I would call the issue is that that seems to be the only thing that ever happens around Toga.
Heavy-handed assholery meant to coerce her into slipping in a way that let them decree her guilty, probably. Nevermind that I suspect if Ryuuzaki had decided to change anyway she would have crushed anyone else in that room, which signals that they either didn't really think about who they were trying to bully or didn't really think that she was guilty and just wanted to pin it on someone so they could look better.
Or maybe it's also a racism as well, that's an element in this fic. People with heteromorph quirks get treated like shit.
For the second part the issue as I see it is that we're in this weird space where first no one does anything while Toga does her dramatic moment, then Toga doesn't do anything while Ryuuzaki does her dramatic moment. It's janky and feels like they're not really in the same tiny room during this conversation.
- Location
- London
Last edited:
Always Late
Lacking in coffee, sleep, and brains
- Location
- Ohio
I think people are overlooking how much of a Shounen Physicality fighter Himiko is. Not to mention how through she is in impersonating and planning.
- Location
- Leeds
You mean person right? I don't think anyone but Gforce is doubting the infiltration.
And if anyone thinks Zaki could take Toga in hand to hand they need to remind themselves that Zaki is still in physical therapy. She's got strength and nothing else in that fight.