- Location
- Arizona
- Pronouns
- Him/His
Now all that scene needs is Asterios wondering what his auntie and cousin are talking about (Circe is Asterios' aunt too).
-
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Master of Heroes (MHA/Fate/Grand Order)
- Thread starter ThatOnePsycho
- Start date
ThatOnePsycho
Tilting his Vanes and Ennobling His Spires
As I mentioned, these aren't always the Servants he's closest to, they're the ones he uses most often.
Circe has a thing for Izuku, in keeping with her moving on in one of the events. But Izuku primarily uses her because 1) as the Queen Witch, she's the single Caster who can most reliably regulate her magical energy consumption to accommodate how bad his output is and 2) Izuku tends to accommodate Servants with abandonment issues more. And her Bond lines and several others make it pretty clear being trapped on that island alone has left her with deep seated ones.
Circe said:
Chapter 8
ThatOnePsycho
Tilting his Vanes and Ennobling His Spires
Things went to hell, have what part of chapter 8 I have done
---
It was Jesse "Snipe" Jeremiah's training regime that saved him from the first blow. Which was a damn bad sign, since he had created that regime to take down Nagant.
He whirled as the air displaced itself, a single dagger flying forwards and bouncing off the concrete where his spine had been. Where were they…?
"Sir," Snipe said into his mic, opening the filters of his gasmask and taking in a hissing breath of air while the telescopic lens zoomed in, "Got a cocky one."
"Do you need help?" Nezu asked.
"They're a cocky one, Boss," Snipe drawled, hand gripping his revolver, "odds are nine to one they're a first timer about to eat crow."
"And the last chance is that they're a hero killer."
"Yeah, well, I doubt it. There's no Killing Inte-"
The next dagger came then, clipping the corner of his head from behind faster than he had time to respond. Snipe whipped around, drawing his gun from his holster and letting his hackles, "I'm gonna have to call ya back once they're dealt with."
His hackles raised to maximum when he realized that Nezu wasn't responding, and he flicked off the safety, resting his hand on the outside of the trigger guard, he raised his voice, "Imma give you a chance, partner. Either get, or come out with your hands up. That way ain't nobody needs to get hurt, got that?"
Silence stretched, and Snipe started to think the person attacking him had actually run away, when-
There. Out of the corner of his eye, he watched the man wearing a black cloak pull back his hand, another strange awl-like dagger in hand. Sliding his finger onto the trigger, Snipe locked onto the dagger.
That was the thing about his Quirk, he couldn't decide where he hit on something, but if you were holding something, you and that object still counted as two separate things, so he could nail it right out of your han-
Snipe's senses screamed at him, and he threw himself out of the way of another dagger. Christ alive, there was more than one.
Slowly, standing, he watched the group rise from each rooftop in a circle around him, men and women, massive and child sized and everything in between. Snipe reached for the emergency button every UA teacher held, only for a dagger to nail it out of his hand. Breathing in, Snipe resolved himself and snapped up the gun, holding the trigger and fanning the hammer.
He hit three, just three, before another person materialized from the shadows next to him and he was forced to whip out his combat knife. They caught it with their own dagger, and didn't flinch as Snipe leveled the gun at their head with his finger on the trigger.
"Last chance," the Number 25th hero in Japan snarled, dropping his signature drawl, "Back. Down. Or your friend gets it."
"Kill me," the one he was fighting, and Snipe was quietly worrying about how well she was stalemating him, said, "and the rest will deal with you."
Fanatics. Great.
"Sounds like you got roped up in a cult," Snipe said, "don't-"
"No," a giant of a man materialized, grabbing Snipe by the neck and ripping him away from the woman. Mask met mask before he was hoisted high above the man's head, letting him see the rest of the cult had vanished, "We're just one."
And then Snipe slammed into the rooftop like a freight train through a wall, gun and knife flying from his hand, and he mercifully blacked out.
---
"Excuse me, Mister?" Death Arms turned to the little girl he had sworn wasn't behind him a minute ago. Her white hair was done up in two heavy twin tails, and she was wearing an obviously expensive black dress. Parents confused him, sometimes.
"Give me a second, please," Death Arms smiled at her, he dropped his cigarette into the ash bin he had been standing next to, turning his head away from her and exhaling. He wasn't normally one to worry about second hand smoke, but he had got a reprimand from the HPSC last month for smoking in a no smoking zone and really didn't need another for doing it to a child. Crouching down, he said, "What's wrong?"
"I need you to come with me," the girl said, blinking up at him, "My friend needs your help."
"Well then," Death Arms stood up, stretching, "let's go, huh?"
The girl nodded quietly, turning and half running, half skipping towards an alley. Death Arms bit back a sigh, following her. He swore, if this was a prank or something for a. Autograph or something, he was gonna be tick-
Holy crap.
Leaning against the wall and a dumpster once they'd made two sharp turns was a young woman missing an arm and a leg, her head slumped down and her chest not moving.
"Outta the way," Death Arms said to the girl gently, rushing past her and towards the woman as the emergency care course of Shiketsu immediately sprang to the forefront of his mind. He leaned down, feeling for a pulse on the… hard skin of the…
"Unknown whereabouts," the girl suddenly started singing as Death Arms moved the Heteromorphic woman onto the ground. No heartbeat. He had to administer CPR, damn, he hoped this worked, "Fire-spouting dragons and cloud-breathing giants.
Illusions are silhouetted apparitions.
Adult conversations are, perhaps, full of lies."
"Can you stop!" Death Arms barked, louder then he meant to, only for the girl to continue.
"The truth lies within Professor Dodgson's head.
Aykroyd in celluloid.
Acrostic sadistic.
Everyone here is ordinary!
Birds are Birds and People are People!"
"I said-!" Death Arms barked as he gave a compression, only for a hand to latch onto his arm. Looking down, he watched the woman stretch and…
"Your name is now mine! (A Tale Just For Someone) Nursery Rhyme!"
The alleyway rippled, becoming a checkerboard hallway as the woman contorted, sliding out from under Death Arms hands and flipping towards the once dumpster, which had become a tea table. She grabbed a leg hidden under it with her one hand, snapping it into place and landing with a roll, grabbing the other arm and returning it to its place.
"Well done, Nursery," the woman said, pulling back her arm as several… somethings popped out of it, "focus on maintaining the Reality Marble, I'll deal with him."
"Oh, you will, will ya-" a kunai flashed by his cheek, leaving a hairline cut.
"Yes," she said, "I will."
---
Izuku was in the middle of denying another request for new weapons systems (seriously, if he agreed to them all, they could use the Border to hold a small country hostage) when the drain of magical energy suddenly kicked into high gear. His Magic Circuits felt like they had ripped open, the mana dense atmosphere of the Border being drained as fast as it could to accommodate the drain of his body.
Izuku fumbled with his communicator, a red formalcraft circle appearing in it and he slapped it. The flow of energy was shifted towards the mana reactors of the Border, the Mage King's Grails and the Heart of each Tree of Emptiness, and off of him. Izuku took a shuttering gasp and leaned back in his chair, the fractals lines of his Magic Circuits slowly fading.
"Are you alright?" Izuku's eyes jumped open, and he met Circe's eyes. The Queen of Witches was standing with a wrapped up package over one shoulder, and Izuku offered her a smile.
"Just a surprise," Izuku said in greek, rubbing his chest. Note to self, get a familiar so he could check into what caused things like this, "Saw you wanted to add a couple of bombardment type spells to the Border.
"And I saw you denied it," Circe huffed, walking forwards on her high heeled sandals. Izuku rolled his eyes good naturedly.
"We don't need a spell to glass half an island," Izuku said, before nodding to the package, "What's that?"
"Izuku," Circe stared at him, eyes flat and face deadpanned, "We've got into so many problems that we literally could have used that in. A gift from the Casters, it took a while to make."
Izuku hesitated as she thunked down the package, before reaching out and undoing the binds. Pulling it open, Izuku stared at the lacquered staff within.
It had been carved from a golden wood, and was as long as Izuku was tall. Incantations were carved into it in over a dozen different languages, with Izuku recognizing greek, french, russian and japanese. At the top of it was a head of golden metal, made in the shape of a spider. Slowly, Izuku lifted it, noticing immediately that it was incredibly bottom heavy. Not physically, it was nearly completely even that way… but conceptually, spiritually, magically. Reaching down, Izuku found a seam and carefully tugged on the wood below it, the blade separating from the wood with a loud hiss and leaving a long cane in its place.
It was about the length of a wakizashi, but straight like the tanto he had practiced with when Shiki had been with them. The metal seemed to paradoxically drink in light and glow at the same time and it was both perfectly balanced and incredibly heavy to Izuku's frame.
"Do I want to know what this sword is made from?" Izuku asked softly, swinging it once away from his terminal and listening to it sing. Norse runes glowed along the blade, the air heating and shimmering along the path of the blade.
"Probably not," Circe chirped, smiling at him like the cat that caught the canary, "You'll probably have a panic attack about wasting resources. But we used the broken blades of the Spiritfuge. Don't want that to go down to the idiot Gut."
"Thanks," Izuku said, whirling the blade into a reverse grip and returning it to the staff.
"It acts as a focus and enhancer for your fire," Circle, "and before you ask if I mean the staff or the blade, yes."
Izuku nodded, glancing at the request to watch an anime with Jeanne Alter (and confirming it) Izuku then glanced at the door before using the staff to stand, making his way towards the Queen of Witches… and pulling her into a hug. She tensed for a second in surprise, before Izuku spoke, "You all are the best family a guy could ask for, you know that right? And now, with Mom here… it's complete."
"...I want you to promise me something, Piglet."
"If I can do it," Izuku said, "...and if it isn't that I'll authorize those spells."
Circe laughed for a second, before continuing, "Don't… don't do anything that will leave you like that again. You're… important, to Chaldea, to me. We… you're… we just got out of that stupid blank texture and we can do anything, go anywhere. I don't want to miss that with you."
"If that's what you want," Izuku said, "I'll try-"
"No," Circe said, her wings tightening around Izuku, "Not "You'll try" say "I won't, no matter what… mistress.""
"I won't, no matter what, mistress," Izuku parroted back diligently. And Circe locked up, burying her face in his chest.
"I didn't expect you to actually say the last part," she admitted softly.
"It's what you wanted me to say," Izuku said.
"So you'd say anything if I asked you to?"
"Unless it was really mea-"
"Tell me you care about me."
"Of course I care about you," Izuku said without missing a beat.
"Good," Circe said, tightening the hug and-
"Master," leaping back as Asclepius growled, stalking into the room with a pair of Nemo Marines behind him, one holding a plate of mashed potatoes and some water, while the other was pushing a wheelchair, "I do believe I told you that after you saw your mother, you were staying in a chair until you recovered."
Izuku's pulse quickened, and he swallowed. There was gonna be no reasoning with Asclepius on this one, he could tell.
"Circe?"
"I need to go talk to Anastasia about… ah, things," Circe said as Asclepius prepared a strap, "This was a good talk, we should go out onto the beach at some point, bye!"
"Circe!" Izuku called as she flew from the room, literally. Leaving him to the not so tender mercy of Asclepius.
"In the chair," he ordered.
"I-"
"Now, Izuku!"
---
Danzo rushed towards Death Arms, kicking off the wall of the Reality Marble and using it to gain height on him. As he lashed out with his right arm, she span in air, grabbing him by the wrist and yanking it behind him, driving her knee into his spine and slammed them both into the ground, "Nursery Rhyme! Do it."
"Using a kid, huh?" Death Arms growled, slamming his other hand against the ground and starting to push himself up, "That's low, even for a villain."
"It's not personal," she said, before pausing, "well, I suppose that depends on the definition. We're doing this for a friend. Stop struggling, you'll be unharmed."
"Oh, sure," Death Arms pushed himself up further, and Danzo launched her other arm at him on a chain, dragging both arms behind his back and slamming him into the ground again, "No harm whatsoev-"
Nursery Rhyme planted her hands on either side of his head, singing quietly to herself… and then stopping as he stopped moving and collapsed.
"What?"
"I don't know what James made the story like," Nursery Rhyme said, "We'll have to drop the spell and ask him."
Danzo nodded, and Nursery Rhyme did exactly that, "James?"
"I figured you would call us," James said, "I didn't get a chance to lay out the details before everyone left. Listen carefully, we don't want any inconsistency that can't be blamed on adrenaline."
"You don't need to worry about your own Pro Hero?"
"From what I've seen," James said, "Eraserhead doesn't leave until late at night. We'll likely be the last to deal with our target."
"I don't know about that," Kotarou said, "Mt. Lady has only been in places full of people. I'm probably going to have to ambush her at her house."
---
Kintoki walked into the office of the Border, his normal grin gone as he did. Izuku was sitting at the desk, tapping his fingers and looking trapped, "Hey, Master."
"If this is about what happened earlier," Izuku said, "I was just about to call you about it myself. I wasn't around. Want a light?"
"Sure," Kintoki held out the cigarette, and Izuku lit it quickly, letting him sit down, "thanks. So?"
"...I'm not happy with Mother," Izuku said, "I know it's not her fault, but…"
"She still attacked your mom, I know," Kintoki said, "that ain't golden."
"Yeah," Izuku said.
"Then you'll understand I wanna deck Gawain next time I see him, right?" Kintoki continued without changing his tone.
"Yeah," Izuku repeated without missing a beat, "I get that."
"...So, what are we doing?"
"I'm still thinking about it," Izuku said, running a hand through his hair and pulling out a bubblegum cigarette to chew on, unwrapping the thing and stopping, "keep this under the record? Asclepius will probably go ballistic if he finds out I was chewing on one of these."
"Yeah, sure," Kintoki nodded, "so, you're thinking about it? What's going through your head, Master? I know ya, that's the most golden thing you've got."
"...I'm gonna resummon her once I get out of this dang chair," Izuku said, popping the white stick into his mouth and beginning to chew, "I want you there."
"You sure?"
"You know Raikou better than anyone," Izuku said, and Kintoki winced at the use of her real name. Izuku was angrier than he was admitting, "If anyone can help me talk her through this, it's you."
"And if we can't get through to her?" Kintoki asked.
"That's what I'm still trying to think of," Izuku said, "I… I don't know. There's no easy answer. We could try class changing her, I guess, but that's still not an easy answer. We'd need to find a class close enough to how she acts as a Berserker where I don't feel like I'm just killing her and replacing her with a different Servant, while also being sane enough to-"
"I'm gonna stop you right there," Kintoki said, growing unusually serious, "If we gotta choose between the two… take the first one."
"But-"
"Boss… hates being the way she is," Kintoki said, "we both know that. She's… she was ready to give up if it weren't for you and me. And she wouldn't have ever wanted to hurt someone like your mom when she was alive. If we can save her, even if it technically is killin' this version of her or whatever… then let's save her. You and me, bro."
Izuku stared at Kintoki for a long second, before holding out his hand, fingers up, and grinning, "That sounds golden."
"Atta boy," Kintoki said, grabbing Izuku's hand and gripping it tightly.
Well, as tightly as he could without destroying it. Izuku already had to deal with his leg like that, he didn't need his arm like it too
---
It was Jesse "Snipe" Jeremiah's training regime that saved him from the first blow. Which was a damn bad sign, since he had created that regime to take down Nagant.
He whirled as the air displaced itself, a single dagger flying forwards and bouncing off the concrete where his spine had been. Where were they…?
"Sir," Snipe said into his mic, opening the filters of his gasmask and taking in a hissing breath of air while the telescopic lens zoomed in, "Got a cocky one."
"Do you need help?" Nezu asked.
"They're a cocky one, Boss," Snipe drawled, hand gripping his revolver, "odds are nine to one they're a first timer about to eat crow."
"And the last chance is that they're a hero killer."
"Yeah, well, I doubt it. There's no Killing Inte-"
The next dagger came then, clipping the corner of his head from behind faster than he had time to respond. Snipe whipped around, drawing his gun from his holster and letting his hackles, "I'm gonna have to call ya back once they're dealt with."
His hackles raised to maximum when he realized that Nezu wasn't responding, and he flicked off the safety, resting his hand on the outside of the trigger guard, he raised his voice, "Imma give you a chance, partner. Either get, or come out with your hands up. That way ain't nobody needs to get hurt, got that?"
Silence stretched, and Snipe started to think the person attacking him had actually run away, when-
There. Out of the corner of his eye, he watched the man wearing a black cloak pull back his hand, another strange awl-like dagger in hand. Sliding his finger onto the trigger, Snipe locked onto the dagger.
That was the thing about his Quirk, he couldn't decide where he hit on something, but if you were holding something, you and that object still counted as two separate things, so he could nail it right out of your han-
Snipe's senses screamed at him, and he threw himself out of the way of another dagger. Christ alive, there was more than one.
Slowly, standing, he watched the group rise from each rooftop in a circle around him, men and women, massive and child sized and everything in between. Snipe reached for the emergency button every UA teacher held, only for a dagger to nail it out of his hand. Breathing in, Snipe resolved himself and snapped up the gun, holding the trigger and fanning the hammer.
He hit three, just three, before another person materialized from the shadows next to him and he was forced to whip out his combat knife. They caught it with their own dagger, and didn't flinch as Snipe leveled the gun at their head with his finger on the trigger.
"Last chance," the Number 25th hero in Japan snarled, dropping his signature drawl, "Back. Down. Or your friend gets it."
"Kill me," the one he was fighting, and Snipe was quietly worrying about how well she was stalemating him, said, "and the rest will deal with you."
Fanatics. Great.
"Sounds like you got roped up in a cult," Snipe said, "don't-"
"No," a giant of a man materialized, grabbing Snipe by the neck and ripping him away from the woman. Mask met mask before he was hoisted high above the man's head, letting him see the rest of the cult had vanished, "We're just one."
And then Snipe slammed into the rooftop like a freight train through a wall, gun and knife flying from his hand, and he mercifully blacked out.
---
"Excuse me, Mister?" Death Arms turned to the little girl he had sworn wasn't behind him a minute ago. Her white hair was done up in two heavy twin tails, and she was wearing an obviously expensive black dress. Parents confused him, sometimes.
"Give me a second, please," Death Arms smiled at her, he dropped his cigarette into the ash bin he had been standing next to, turning his head away from her and exhaling. He wasn't normally one to worry about second hand smoke, but he had got a reprimand from the HPSC last month for smoking in a no smoking zone and really didn't need another for doing it to a child. Crouching down, he said, "What's wrong?"
"I need you to come with me," the girl said, blinking up at him, "My friend needs your help."
"Well then," Death Arms stood up, stretching, "let's go, huh?"
The girl nodded quietly, turning and half running, half skipping towards an alley. Death Arms bit back a sigh, following her. He swore, if this was a prank or something for a. Autograph or something, he was gonna be tick-
Holy crap.
Leaning against the wall and a dumpster once they'd made two sharp turns was a young woman missing an arm and a leg, her head slumped down and her chest not moving.
"Outta the way," Death Arms said to the girl gently, rushing past her and towards the woman as the emergency care course of Shiketsu immediately sprang to the forefront of his mind. He leaned down, feeling for a pulse on the… hard skin of the…
"Unknown whereabouts," the girl suddenly started singing as Death Arms moved the Heteromorphic woman onto the ground. No heartbeat. He had to administer CPR, damn, he hoped this worked, "Fire-spouting dragons and cloud-breathing giants.
Illusions are silhouetted apparitions.
Adult conversations are, perhaps, full of lies."
"Can you stop!" Death Arms barked, louder then he meant to, only for the girl to continue.
"The truth lies within Professor Dodgson's head.
Aykroyd in celluloid.
Acrostic sadistic.
Everyone here is ordinary!
Birds are Birds and People are People!"
"I said-!" Death Arms barked as he gave a compression, only for a hand to latch onto his arm. Looking down, he watched the woman stretch and…
"Your name is now mine! (A Tale Just For Someone) Nursery Rhyme!"
The alleyway rippled, becoming a checkerboard hallway as the woman contorted, sliding out from under Death Arms hands and flipping towards the once dumpster, which had become a tea table. She grabbed a leg hidden under it with her one hand, snapping it into place and landing with a roll, grabbing the other arm and returning it to its place.
"Well done, Nursery," the woman said, pulling back her arm as several… somethings popped out of it, "focus on maintaining the Reality Marble, I'll deal with him."
"Oh, you will, will ya-" a kunai flashed by his cheek, leaving a hairline cut.
"Yes," she said, "I will."
---
Izuku was in the middle of denying another request for new weapons systems (seriously, if he agreed to them all, they could use the Border to hold a small country hostage) when the drain of magical energy suddenly kicked into high gear. His Magic Circuits felt like they had ripped open, the mana dense atmosphere of the Border being drained as fast as it could to accommodate the drain of his body.
Izuku fumbled with his communicator, a red formalcraft circle appearing in it and he slapped it. The flow of energy was shifted towards the mana reactors of the Border, the Mage King's Grails and the Heart of each Tree of Emptiness, and off of him. Izuku took a shuttering gasp and leaned back in his chair, the fractals lines of his Magic Circuits slowly fading.
"Are you alright?" Izuku's eyes jumped open, and he met Circe's eyes. The Queen of Witches was standing with a wrapped up package over one shoulder, and Izuku offered her a smile.
"Just a surprise," Izuku said in greek, rubbing his chest. Note to self, get a familiar so he could check into what caused things like this, "Saw you wanted to add a couple of bombardment type spells to the Border.
"And I saw you denied it," Circe huffed, walking forwards on her high heeled sandals. Izuku rolled his eyes good naturedly.
"We don't need a spell to glass half an island," Izuku said, before nodding to the package, "What's that?"
"Izuku," Circe stared at him, eyes flat and face deadpanned, "We've got into so many problems that we literally could have used that in. A gift from the Casters, it took a while to make."
Izuku hesitated as she thunked down the package, before reaching out and undoing the binds. Pulling it open, Izuku stared at the lacquered staff within.
It had been carved from a golden wood, and was as long as Izuku was tall. Incantations were carved into it in over a dozen different languages, with Izuku recognizing greek, french, russian and japanese. At the top of it was a head of golden metal, made in the shape of a spider. Slowly, Izuku lifted it, noticing immediately that it was incredibly bottom heavy. Not physically, it was nearly completely even that way… but conceptually, spiritually, magically. Reaching down, Izuku found a seam and carefully tugged on the wood below it, the blade separating from the wood with a loud hiss and leaving a long cane in its place.
It was about the length of a wakizashi, but straight like the tanto he had practiced with when Shiki had been with them. The metal seemed to paradoxically drink in light and glow at the same time and it was both perfectly balanced and incredibly heavy to Izuku's frame.
"Do I want to know what this sword is made from?" Izuku asked softly, swinging it once away from his terminal and listening to it sing. Norse runes glowed along the blade, the air heating and shimmering along the path of the blade.
"Probably not," Circe chirped, smiling at him like the cat that caught the canary, "You'll probably have a panic attack about wasting resources. But we used the broken blades of the Spiritfuge. Don't want that to go down to the idiot Gut."
"Thanks," Izuku said, whirling the blade into a reverse grip and returning it to the staff.
"It acts as a focus and enhancer for your fire," Circle, "and before you ask if I mean the staff or the blade, yes."
Izuku nodded, glancing at the request to watch an anime with Jeanne Alter (and confirming it) Izuku then glanced at the door before using the staff to stand, making his way towards the Queen of Witches… and pulling her into a hug. She tensed for a second in surprise, before Izuku spoke, "You all are the best family a guy could ask for, you know that right? And now, with Mom here… it's complete."
"...I want you to promise me something, Piglet."
"If I can do it," Izuku said, "...and if it isn't that I'll authorize those spells."
Circe laughed for a second, before continuing, "Don't… don't do anything that will leave you like that again. You're… important, to Chaldea, to me. We… you're… we just got out of that stupid blank texture and we can do anything, go anywhere. I don't want to miss that with you."
"If that's what you want," Izuku said, "I'll try-"
"No," Circe said, her wings tightening around Izuku, "Not "You'll try" say "I won't, no matter what… mistress.""
"I won't, no matter what, mistress," Izuku parroted back diligently. And Circe locked up, burying her face in his chest.
"I didn't expect you to actually say the last part," she admitted softly.
"It's what you wanted me to say," Izuku said.
"So you'd say anything if I asked you to?"
"Unless it was really mea-"
"Tell me you care about me."
"Of course I care about you," Izuku said without missing a beat.
"Good," Circe said, tightening the hug and-
"Master," leaping back as Asclepius growled, stalking into the room with a pair of Nemo Marines behind him, one holding a plate of mashed potatoes and some water, while the other was pushing a wheelchair, "I do believe I told you that after you saw your mother, you were staying in a chair until you recovered."
Izuku's pulse quickened, and he swallowed. There was gonna be no reasoning with Asclepius on this one, he could tell.
"Circe?"
"I need to go talk to Anastasia about… ah, things," Circe said as Asclepius prepared a strap, "This was a good talk, we should go out onto the beach at some point, bye!"
"Circe!" Izuku called as she flew from the room, literally. Leaving him to the not so tender mercy of Asclepius.
"In the chair," he ordered.
"I-"
"Now, Izuku!"
---
Danzo rushed towards Death Arms, kicking off the wall of the Reality Marble and using it to gain height on him. As he lashed out with his right arm, she span in air, grabbing him by the wrist and yanking it behind him, driving her knee into his spine and slammed them both into the ground, "Nursery Rhyme! Do it."
"Using a kid, huh?" Death Arms growled, slamming his other hand against the ground and starting to push himself up, "That's low, even for a villain."
"It's not personal," she said, before pausing, "well, I suppose that depends on the definition. We're doing this for a friend. Stop struggling, you'll be unharmed."
"Oh, sure," Death Arms pushed himself up further, and Danzo launched her other arm at him on a chain, dragging both arms behind his back and slamming him into the ground again, "No harm whatsoev-"
Nursery Rhyme planted her hands on either side of his head, singing quietly to herself… and then stopping as he stopped moving and collapsed.
"What?"
"I don't know what James made the story like," Nursery Rhyme said, "We'll have to drop the spell and ask him."
Danzo nodded, and Nursery Rhyme did exactly that, "James?"
"I figured you would call us," James said, "I didn't get a chance to lay out the details before everyone left. Listen carefully, we don't want any inconsistency that can't be blamed on adrenaline."
"You don't need to worry about your own Pro Hero?"
"From what I've seen," James said, "Eraserhead doesn't leave until late at night. We'll likely be the last to deal with our target."
"I don't know about that," Kotarou said, "Mt. Lady has only been in places full of people. I'm probably going to have to ambush her at her house."
---
Kintoki walked into the office of the Border, his normal grin gone as he did. Izuku was sitting at the desk, tapping his fingers and looking trapped, "Hey, Master."
"If this is about what happened earlier," Izuku said, "I was just about to call you about it myself. I wasn't around. Want a light?"
"Sure," Kintoki held out the cigarette, and Izuku lit it quickly, letting him sit down, "thanks. So?"
"...I'm not happy with Mother," Izuku said, "I know it's not her fault, but…"
"She still attacked your mom, I know," Kintoki said, "that ain't golden."
"Yeah," Izuku said.
"Then you'll understand I wanna deck Gawain next time I see him, right?" Kintoki continued without changing his tone.
"Yeah," Izuku repeated without missing a beat, "I get that."
"...So, what are we doing?"
"I'm still thinking about it," Izuku said, running a hand through his hair and pulling out a bubblegum cigarette to chew on, unwrapping the thing and stopping, "keep this under the record? Asclepius will probably go ballistic if he finds out I was chewing on one of these."
"Yeah, sure," Kintoki nodded, "so, you're thinking about it? What's going through your head, Master? I know ya, that's the most golden thing you've got."
"...I'm gonna resummon her once I get out of this dang chair," Izuku said, popping the white stick into his mouth and beginning to chew, "I want you there."
"You sure?"
"You know Raikou better than anyone," Izuku said, and Kintoki winced at the use of her real name. Izuku was angrier than he was admitting, "If anyone can help me talk her through this, it's you."
"And if we can't get through to her?" Kintoki asked.
"That's what I'm still trying to think of," Izuku said, "I… I don't know. There's no easy answer. We could try class changing her, I guess, but that's still not an easy answer. We'd need to find a class close enough to how she acts as a Berserker where I don't feel like I'm just killing her and replacing her with a different Servant, while also being sane enough to-"
"I'm gonna stop you right there," Kintoki said, growing unusually serious, "If we gotta choose between the two… take the first one."
"But-"
"Boss… hates being the way she is," Kintoki said, "we both know that. She's… she was ready to give up if it weren't for you and me. And she wouldn't have ever wanted to hurt someone like your mom when she was alive. If we can save her, even if it technically is killin' this version of her or whatever… then let's save her. You and me, bro."
Izuku stared at Kintoki for a long second, before holding out his hand, fingers up, and grinning, "That sounds golden."
"Atta boy," Kintoki said, grabbing Izuku's hand and gripping it tightly.
Well, as tightly as he could without destroying it. Izuku already had to deal with his leg like that, he didn't need his arm like it too
Chapter 9
ThatOnePsycho
Tilting his Vanes and Ennobling His Spires
Nishiya "Kamui Woods" Shinji felt the attack before he saw it, which was bad when he came up from the roll to see a woman, or older teen he legitimately couldn't tell when she was five feet at maximum, walking along the branch bridge he had formed a second ago, carrying an odachi as long as she was behind her. Sheathed at her back was a tachi and a tanto, and around her feet burned a fire that was an abnormal, bloody red which caused his bridge to wither and crumble instead of burn as her feet touched it.
Kamui did the natural thing. He moved to bind her, the wood sticking to his skin spreading out and towards her with as much warning as she gave him. The next thing he knew, each branch was decaying just as quickly, the sword suddenly unsheathed and looking like it had just finished a swing, the same red fire burning along the sword now. Before Kamui could blink, she vanished from his sight.
And the next thing he threw, something smashed through the wood around the nape of his neck and caused him to collapse like a puppet with cut strings, darkness overtaking him.
---
"WHAT DID YOU DO TO OUR HOME!?" Inko jerked at the bellow as the door of the elevator opened. Gray sighing as Reines began to cackle like a witch.
"Izuku's in fine form," the blond girl said, Gray and Mash rushing ahead of them. Inko scrambled after them, quietly lamenting enhanced biology Quirks from other worlds.
"You didn't mention this!" Izuku continued, "Move me closer, Marine! I'm gonna hit something with my sword… How long is it gonna take to fix the damage!? … I don't ca- you what?"
Inko rushed into the room after them, watching Izuku stuck in a wheelchair, looking like he wanted to be standing even as several straps held him in place. Behind him, one of the blond and blue haired… boys? Girls? People that they passed too many times for there to be only one stood, holding Izuku back.
"We caused this damage working on several projects for you, Master," a man with a golden face mask explained, standing outside one of the dozens of cubbies the size of a decent sized living room in the vaulted hall filled with scorch marks, holes and other damage. Izuku sagged in his chair, looking lost.
"Oh…" Izuku said.
"And there goes the anger," Reines said, "when it comes to Izuku, it blazes bright, but quickly. But that's what makes it fun to watch him."
"You never answered the question, how long is this gonna take you to fix?" Izuku continued, coughing into his hand. The person next to him handed him a water bottle, which he took a quick swing from, handed it back and rubbed his throat, "Thanks, Marine."
"Anytime, sir!" "Marine" chirped, saluting and storing the water bottle behind Izuku, "Do you still want me to move you closer?"
"No," Izuku said, "I'm calm."
"A couple of months, likely."
Izuku gave an explosive sigh.
"Move you closer?"
"No, no," Izuku shook his head, before swiveling his eyes back to the assembled people. A layer of disappointment seemed to crash across the room even as Marine sagged and gave a quiet 'awwwww…' "I expected better from you all while I was out."
Quite a few of the men and women in the room shifted, looking uncomfortable as the disappointment grew, "I-"
"We have floors designed for fights like this," Izuku continued, "couldn't you have at least done it there? The Nemo Series is going to have to work extra har- is that why you want me to hit something, Marine?"
"They hurt the Nautilus," Marine said, smile twitching slightly, and hands shaking, drawing attention to the sword they were holding out for Izuku to take, "It's gonna take months to fix, and we're gonna have to work on it and all our other jobs, and Nemo Engine is gonna yell and throw things at us if we don't get the work done quick enough-"
Izuku pulled Marine into a one armed hug, sighing, "I'll talk to Engine once the Mastership transfers. Make sure they know it's not your fault."
"Sion is transferring Masterhood to you?" Marine said.
"She's got her heart set on trying that idea of hers," Izuku continued, and Marine nodded.
"I don't blame her," Marine said, sliding the word into a staff stored next to the water bottle, "I'd want to try it too."
"Anyways," Izuku swiveled in his chair, and the aura of disappointment returned. Was that some sort of magic or something? "Apologize to Nemo Marine."
To their credit, quite a few of the men and women had the decency to mumble out apologies like scolded children. Izuku nodded, before his eyes landed on Inko and the air of disappointment faded.
"Mom," Izuku said, suddenly looking embarrassed, "Sorry I was wrapping up some last minute details before I could show you around. Marine, do you mind pushing me-"
"I can do that," Inko said, gently but firmly, to Marine. The blue and gold haired Servant, apparently, nodded and gave another salute.
"Make sure he doesn't get out of that chair for anything, ma'am!" Marine said, "Doctor's orders, and Nemo Nurse and Dr. Asclepius can be super scary when those are ignored!"
Izuku grumbled under his breath, practically pouting in the chair.
---
Kotarou watched the door swing shut, Mt. Lady sighing and sliding off the mask around her face and throwing it on the floor. She walked towards the worn couch and flopped onto it, scooping up a remote and turning on the TV.
If he was honest, Kotarou was more than a bit put off by the Pro Hero he had been watching for the last few hours. She had certainly lived up to the descriptions Izuku had given of them, stopping crimes, giving autographs. But Izuku had always implied a form of glamour to them. Perhaps it was because she wasn't the same tier as All Might or Endeavor, but Kotarou just didn't see it with Mt. Lady.
He supposed it wasn't that strange. Heroic Spirits came from all walks of life and in all Alignments, but something about the name Professional Hero had always given the Evil Wind the impression that they were… well, professional. Not media hounds.
He'd have to do more research. Didn't Izuku mention a ninja hero?
Stepping forwards and deastralizing, Kotarou dealt a heavy blow to the side of Mt. Lady's neck, watching her eyes widen and mouth fall open for a second before she dropped. Kotarou caught her and lowered her to the couch, "I took out Mt. Lady. Nursery or Hans, can you get here?"
"On our way," Danzo said.
"We'll be attacking Eraserhead shortly," James reported.
"Be careful," Hundred Heads said, "Snipe had some form of panic button shaped by the UA emblem. We stopped him before he could touch it but-"
That means we don't know what it does," James said, "Thank you for the warning, we'll set up the ambush now. Sion, I think it best if we engage him up close. May I borrow True Apocrypha one last time?"
---
Last time. It would be the last time someone other than the rightful owner of Gamaliel, the Reward of God, held it if everything went according to plan. And she had run the simulations in her head half a dozen times since the concept had dawned on her, she had consulted Izuku and he had agreed there was a fair chance of it working.
Sion smiled wider than she normally ever did, exposing sharp teeth before she reached for the case holding the instrument on her back. Unzipping it, she let James catch the large shield shaped like a string instrument, him holding it like a child. A heavy pile bunker extended from bottom, locking into place below the fist of the Heroic Spirit as he slid his wrist into the brace and gripped the pistol grip and controlled the bunker.
James couldn't use the bunker like she could. Neither could Sion. Neither of them were a man or woman of God and the Church, and it took her a hour each day to synchronize with True Apocrypha. Still, it was a large slab of steel being swung by a Servant. Even without it, it would be a dangerous weapon in the fight ahead.
"Come, my dear," James Moriarty said, eyes locked on a black shape rushing across the rooftops. The Mystic Code of her family, Etherlite, a false nervous system a micron thick rose from the golden bracelet Sion wore around her wrist. As one, Alchemist and Heroic Spirit took off after the Pro Hero Eraserhead, watching him swing from building to building as quickly as possible.
"Let's find a place suitable to meet the new neighbor, shall we?"
---
Izuku activated the Magic Circuits in his chest and arms, pulling the left one back. Air shifted and twisted as his eyes snapped open, and he launched a punch out, sparks generating along his arms and red flames exploding into existence in the shape of a burning fist, "Flashfire! SMASH!"
The blast crashed into the charging hoplite created by the holodeck of the Border and washed away with nothing but simulated light burns to show for it, "Flashfire Smash, three count!"
Three bursts of flame smashed into the hoplite, and they came out only looking slightly worse than before. Izuku drew the sword with a bit back sigh, whirling one of the remaining daggers of the Spiritfuge in his other hand. Well, that technique still wasn't any closer to being useful than it had been before he blacked out. Didn't hurt to try.
Time seemed to slow as Izuku prepared the swing. Mentally, a thin thread formed at the middle of his sword and touched where he would strike on the hoplite. Behind him, Inko gasped in horror as the xiphos approached. Izuku raised the short sword, preparing to use it to block-
When a burst of black and blue flames flew safely around Izuku and swallowed the hoplite whole. The popping and cracking of regular fire was replaced with a monotone hiss.
"Count," Izuku greeted, trying his best to turn in his chair as the Cavern King approached.
"Welcome back to the world of the living," the Count said, kneeling before Izuku, "are you alright?"
"Well enough," Izuku said, returning his weapons to their place, "How are you?"
"Well enough," the Count said, before standing and nodding to Inko, "Mrs. Midoriya."
"Count Dant-"
"Don't!" Izuku yelped, cutting the word off as quickly as possible, "Just call him Count, Mom. Please."
"Yes," the Count agreed, "please to that, Inko."
"Count," Inko said.
"I came to take over watching Izuku," the Count said, "it's getting late and I supposed you would want to go home and rest."
"...He isn't coming with me, is he?" Inko said, eyes downcast. Izuku wanted to leap from the chair, to insist he was, get into the car and go home for the night…
But he was home. Chaldea was his home just as much as the apartment was. And he had duties to perform here. He had shows to watch with Jeanne, and people to see so they knew that just because she was strapped down didn't mean he was out.
"I'm not," Izuku agreed quietly, "I'm sorry, but… I have stuff I need to do here. I can't just drop it so quickly. Once everything is done, we'll find a day for me to get home. You can come back tomorrow?"
"She can come back any day," the Count said, "Inko, I think I speak for everyone on the Border when I say you're welcome back any time as Izuku's mother."
Well, Izuku didn't think Raikou-
Right.
Damn it…
Izuku's grip on the chair wheels grew painful, plastic biting into his hands. Mother…
"Yeah," Izuku said, swallowing, "I'm sorry, mom. I've got work to do. It never ends-"
"You've become a lot like your father, you know that?" Inko said, and Izuku's words died, "I suppose that's not surprising, you had to take after one of us but... I'm so proud it was him. Can I at least make you a bowl of katsudon before you go? It's been so long-"
Izuku's eyes lit up, and he sat straight up, "Yes!"
"Izuku would never turn down some Katsudon from you," the Count laughed, "He's very particular. Only himself, you or our residential chef, Beni-Enma can cook it to the standards he expects."
---
The first sign something was wrong to Shouta Aizawa was when a golden top clipped his side and flew off, twisting in place and launching straight for him again. Shouta dodged it, and the next three tries. On the fourth, he caught it with his capture scarf and noticed the wire holding it. Without missing a beat, the Capture Hero took off, following the strand across several buildings and down into an alleyway-
When his senses screamed at him and he barely got out of the way of the strike coming from above him. Flipping, he dodged the bash from a middle aged man holding a massive shield shaped like a string instrument.
"Pardon us," the man said, stretching his arm, "but you wouldn't happen to be the Erasure Hero, Eraserhead, would you?"
Shouta growled, lashing out with his capture tape. The man ducked low, sprinting towards him while Shouta gave a practiced snap of the tape that caused it to coil back towards him and the man, forcing him to abort the attack and weave away from it easily.
"A strange scarf, yellow goggles," the man said, "You are! Which means-"
In the time it took Shouta to blink, the man was in his guard. It was only years of practice that Shouta was able to kick away, the strike clipping him and sending him spinning away instead of hitting him full on in the gut. The man bared his shield, sliding his glasses off with the other hand and storing them within a pocket.
"-We must take you out."
And then he was in Shouta's guard again, forcing the Erasure Hero to throw his scarf around a drainage pipe and grip for the panic button as he pulled himself away from the attack, just enough to plant his feet on the string instrument and kick off from the man and up the wall.
"Well played," Shouta glared at him, "unfortunately for you, while you might have won the first hand, you haven't won the pot yet."
"Shut up," Shouta growled.
"Very well," the man said, and the next second he was up the wall and after Shouta, "but don't blame anyone but yourself for this."
---
"Arrrg!" Inko looked up from where she was standing with the short girl wearing a hat shaped like a brown sparrow, showing her, a bit reluctantly, how she made Katsudon. Izuku was gripping his hair, "Da Vinci-Chan Lily?"
"Hmm?" A voice said from the speakers, "What's wrong, Papà?"
Inko locked up and looked at Beni-Enma, "Please tell me-"
"I have a father I'm happy with, chirp," Beni-Enma's voice said, despite the girl's mouth not opening, "I'm happy with my relationship with Izuku not being parental."
Oh, well that was good at least.
"I was so busy yelling at the Casters I forgot to tell them I wanted help getting a familiar," Izuku said, burying his hands in his face, "Can you tell them?"
"You realize this is gonna lead to a repeat of the last war, right?"
"Yes," Izuku said, "Tell them to keep it to the war floors or I'm slashing their budget or something."
"...That threat doesn't work when we have a literally unlimited budget so long as we have quantum crystals, Papà."
"Then tell them I won't stop Nemo's revenge or something," Izuku groaned, leaning his head back and rubbing his temples. Anastasia, who had sat next to Izuku with a pale green haired young woman with horns who was wearing a black kimono, had the decency to look sheepish. The other girl reached out and began to rub Izuku's temples herself, standing as Izuku locked up before leaning into the touch, "Thanks, Kiyohime. It feels like I'm getting a migraine."
"Should I send for Asclepius, dear?" Kiyohime asked, completely unaware that Inko had locked up behind the counter, the pork cutlet forgotten for a second.
"Don't bring it up," Beni-Enma's voice whispered in her ear.
"Kiyohime," Inko hissed, "as in Anchin and Kiyohime?"
"Yes. She's also deeply obsessed with your son. And is a terrible cook."
"Everyone is a terrible cook to you," the white haired man also within the kitchen said.
"No," Izuku said, "Asclepius will probably use it as an excuse to force me back into bed. Thank you for your concern, but I wouldn't want to be separated from any of you any longer… dear."
Anastasia snorted, while Beni-Enma gave a garbled noise that Inko suspected was a laugh.
---
Shouta hated enhancement Quirks. And he especially hated them when they weren't Emitters. It was taking everything he had to keep the man off him as they fought through the alleys and across the rooftops, though luckily it seemed the man had no intention of letting them reach the city streets.
Wrapping the Capture Weapon around a trash can, Shouta tossed it at the man, who batted it aside with the shield with enough force that it crumbled like a soda bottle. Shouta repeated it with two more, and they died just as quickly as the first.
"If I can give you some advice, Mister Aizawa," the man said conversationally, and next thing Shouta knew he was dodging another punch by the skin of his teeth and entirely on instinct, "Just give up already and make this easier for both of us."
Shouta didn't respond, just slammed a foot into the man's sternum, and grunted as it felt like he had kicked a brick wall. What was even the point of that shield?
Above them, the top was whipping around so fast it was more a flash of light than an actual thing Shouta could see. So going up there wasn't possible, but fighting this guy felt like a death sentence. And the patrol he had done at lunch wasn't helping the feeling of exhaustion in his muscles and bones.
Reaching a dumpster, Shouta poured every ounce of energy into whipping it at the man. He just leapt over it, appearing in the air before landing and continuing his assault at Shouta.
Wait for it. Wait for it… there!
Shouta whipped his capture weapon out as fast as he could, wrapping it around the man's arms as he rushed in with a shoulder check that sent them both tumbling. The man landed on his knee and foot, using the capture weapon to drag Shouta in.
"Now, my dear," the drill tilted down and drove into Shouta's shoulder, "for what it's worth, you put up more of a struggle than we expected, but you were never going to win, Mister Aizawa. My companion is two Kilometers out from here. Even if you had managed to defeat me, you would have tired yourself out before you found her. Sion, let's wrap this up so you can do that summoning, shall we?"
That was the last thing Shouta remembered before sinking into a mire.
And when he woke up, he didn't remember it at all.
---
"Are you sure you want to do this?" Izuku asked Sion, "I know how it feels to try to summon someone you care about only for it to fail…"
"Then pray for me that it won't fail," Sion said, eyes full of more conviction than Izuku had ever seen in her, "I appreciate your concern, Vice-Director, but I have to try."
Pulling out Izuku's rank. Sion was serious.
"Can you not call me that," Izuku sighed, "I hate it."
Izuku's positioning as one of the three acting Vice-Director had mostly come from the fact that nobody wanted the supid job, and that if he and Goredolf switched jobs there would be a massive issue about deploying the Director of Chaldea onto the field. And no, the fact that he was still treated as head of Chaldea by the Servants didn't count.
This is why they created the quadrumvirate, dang it.
"Sorry," Sion apologized, "I just… I have to try Izuku. You said it could work."
"Could doesn't mean will," Izuku reproached without any heat, nodding towards EMIYA, "Can you help her?"
"I still have some issues with this," the Counter Guardian said, "but yes, I'll try."
"Thank you," Izuku said, turning his head towards his Nemo Marine, "Take me to Jeanne Alter's room."
"We hope this works for you," the Nemo Marine said to Sion, offering a smile that she returned. Sion nodded, smiling back.
"Thank you all for being so understanding about me being selfish," she said.
"We lost something we'd do anything to get back to," the Marine said.
"We all did, at some point," Izuku said, "I hope this works for you, don't get me wrong, Sion. I just wanted you to be ready-"
"I know, Izuku," Sion said, "I know. There's always the chance this could fail, but my calculations give a good chance of it succeeding, you think there's a good chance of it succeeding. I can't just leave it when the ability to bring her back is close enough for me to grasp."
Izuku nodded, "Call me if you need help. This "Berserk" can wait."
"This isn't my first time summoning," Sion pointed out.
---
Sion placed True Apocrypha next to the shield EMIYA had traced for her, breathing it. This was it, this would work.
"Let silver and steel be the essence. Let stone and the archduke of contracts be the foundation," Sion started, "Let my great master Zepia be the ancestor. Let rise a wall against the wind that shall fall. Let the four cardinal gates close. Let the three-forked road from the crown reaching unto the Kingdom rotate. Shut and Fill! Shut and Fill! Shut and Fill! Shut and Fill! Repeat every five times and simply shatter once filled! I announce, your body will Serve under me, and my fate and doom will be in your shield!"
Again.
"Submit to the beckoning of the Holy Grail. If you will submit to this will and this reason…… then answer!"
Please, Please answer…
"An oath shall be sworn here! I shall attain all virtues of all of Heaven; I shall have dominion over all evils of all of Hell! From the Seventh Heaven, attended to by three great words of power, come forth from the ring of Deterrence, protector of the holy balance!
Wind and smoke began to whip around the Summoner and Servant as Sion recited the words. The shield below True Apocrypha glowed as the Spear Key turned in place. Finally, Gamaliel vanished within the smoke entirely and Sion was left holding her breath. Please…
It had to work…
Please…
The sound of something shattering came from the smoke, and a voice that made Sion's heart leap into her throat spoke as Emiya quietly began to make his way out of the room.
"That's an insulting copy, honestly."
The smoke was waved aside with one swing of Gamaliel and from the smoke stepped a woman with grey hair, the True Apocrypha on her arm. Her mouth fell open for a second as her eyes landed on Sion. Then she swallowed, kneeling like the knight she was and spoke.
"Ajax the Greater, summoned as Psudo-Servant Shielder. Sion, are you my Master?" Riesbyfe Stridberg asked.
"You're back," Sion said, instead of answering the question, "it worked…"
---
Yeah. I went there.
Kamui did the natural thing. He moved to bind her, the wood sticking to his skin spreading out and towards her with as much warning as she gave him. The next thing he knew, each branch was decaying just as quickly, the sword suddenly unsheathed and looking like it had just finished a swing, the same red fire burning along the sword now. Before Kamui could blink, she vanished from his sight.
And the next thing he threw, something smashed through the wood around the nape of his neck and caused him to collapse like a puppet with cut strings, darkness overtaking him.
---
"WHAT DID YOU DO TO OUR HOME!?" Inko jerked at the bellow as the door of the elevator opened. Gray sighing as Reines began to cackle like a witch.
"Izuku's in fine form," the blond girl said, Gray and Mash rushing ahead of them. Inko scrambled after them, quietly lamenting enhanced biology Quirks from other worlds.
"You didn't mention this!" Izuku continued, "Move me closer, Marine! I'm gonna hit something with my sword… How long is it gonna take to fix the damage!? … I don't ca- you what?"
Inko rushed into the room after them, watching Izuku stuck in a wheelchair, looking like he wanted to be standing even as several straps held him in place. Behind him, one of the blond and blue haired… boys? Girls? People that they passed too many times for there to be only one stood, holding Izuku back.
"We caused this damage working on several projects for you, Master," a man with a golden face mask explained, standing outside one of the dozens of cubbies the size of a decent sized living room in the vaulted hall filled with scorch marks, holes and other damage. Izuku sagged in his chair, looking lost.
"Oh…" Izuku said.
"And there goes the anger," Reines said, "when it comes to Izuku, it blazes bright, but quickly. But that's what makes it fun to watch him."
"You never answered the question, how long is this gonna take you to fix?" Izuku continued, coughing into his hand. The person next to him handed him a water bottle, which he took a quick swing from, handed it back and rubbed his throat, "Thanks, Marine."
"Anytime, sir!" "Marine" chirped, saluting and storing the water bottle behind Izuku, "Do you still want me to move you closer?"
"No," Izuku said, "I'm calm."
"A couple of months, likely."
Izuku gave an explosive sigh.
"Move you closer?"
"No, no," Izuku shook his head, before swiveling his eyes back to the assembled people. A layer of disappointment seemed to crash across the room even as Marine sagged and gave a quiet 'awwwww…' "I expected better from you all while I was out."
Quite a few of the men and women in the room shifted, looking uncomfortable as the disappointment grew, "I-"
"We have floors designed for fights like this," Izuku continued, "couldn't you have at least done it there? The Nemo Series is going to have to work extra har- is that why you want me to hit something, Marine?"
"They hurt the Nautilus," Marine said, smile twitching slightly, and hands shaking, drawing attention to the sword they were holding out for Izuku to take, "It's gonna take months to fix, and we're gonna have to work on it and all our other jobs, and Nemo Engine is gonna yell and throw things at us if we don't get the work done quick enough-"
Izuku pulled Marine into a one armed hug, sighing, "I'll talk to Engine once the Mastership transfers. Make sure they know it's not your fault."
"Sion is transferring Masterhood to you?" Marine said.
"She's got her heart set on trying that idea of hers," Izuku continued, and Marine nodded.
"I don't blame her," Marine said, sliding the word into a staff stored next to the water bottle, "I'd want to try it too."
"Anyways," Izuku swiveled in his chair, and the aura of disappointment returned. Was that some sort of magic or something? "Apologize to Nemo Marine."
To their credit, quite a few of the men and women had the decency to mumble out apologies like scolded children. Izuku nodded, before his eyes landed on Inko and the air of disappointment faded.
"Mom," Izuku said, suddenly looking embarrassed, "Sorry I was wrapping up some last minute details before I could show you around. Marine, do you mind pushing me-"
"I can do that," Inko said, gently but firmly, to Marine. The blue and gold haired Servant, apparently, nodded and gave another salute.
"Make sure he doesn't get out of that chair for anything, ma'am!" Marine said, "Doctor's orders, and Nemo Nurse and Dr. Asclepius can be super scary when those are ignored!"
Izuku grumbled under his breath, practically pouting in the chair.
---
Kotarou watched the door swing shut, Mt. Lady sighing and sliding off the mask around her face and throwing it on the floor. She walked towards the worn couch and flopped onto it, scooping up a remote and turning on the TV.
If he was honest, Kotarou was more than a bit put off by the Pro Hero he had been watching for the last few hours. She had certainly lived up to the descriptions Izuku had given of them, stopping crimes, giving autographs. But Izuku had always implied a form of glamour to them. Perhaps it was because she wasn't the same tier as All Might or Endeavor, but Kotarou just didn't see it with Mt. Lady.
He supposed it wasn't that strange. Heroic Spirits came from all walks of life and in all Alignments, but something about the name Professional Hero had always given the Evil Wind the impression that they were… well, professional. Not media hounds.
He'd have to do more research. Didn't Izuku mention a ninja hero?
Stepping forwards and deastralizing, Kotarou dealt a heavy blow to the side of Mt. Lady's neck, watching her eyes widen and mouth fall open for a second before she dropped. Kotarou caught her and lowered her to the couch, "I took out Mt. Lady. Nursery or Hans, can you get here?"
"On our way," Danzo said.
"We'll be attacking Eraserhead shortly," James reported.
"Be careful," Hundred Heads said, "Snipe had some form of panic button shaped by the UA emblem. We stopped him before he could touch it but-"
That means we don't know what it does," James said, "Thank you for the warning, we'll set up the ambush now. Sion, I think it best if we engage him up close. May I borrow True Apocrypha one last time?"
---
Last time. It would be the last time someone other than the rightful owner of Gamaliel, the Reward of God, held it if everything went according to plan. And she had run the simulations in her head half a dozen times since the concept had dawned on her, she had consulted Izuku and he had agreed there was a fair chance of it working.
Sion smiled wider than she normally ever did, exposing sharp teeth before she reached for the case holding the instrument on her back. Unzipping it, she let James catch the large shield shaped like a string instrument, him holding it like a child. A heavy pile bunker extended from bottom, locking into place below the fist of the Heroic Spirit as he slid his wrist into the brace and gripped the pistol grip and controlled the bunker.
James couldn't use the bunker like she could. Neither could Sion. Neither of them were a man or woman of God and the Church, and it took her a hour each day to synchronize with True Apocrypha. Still, it was a large slab of steel being swung by a Servant. Even without it, it would be a dangerous weapon in the fight ahead.
"Come, my dear," James Moriarty said, eyes locked on a black shape rushing across the rooftops. The Mystic Code of her family, Etherlite, a false nervous system a micron thick rose from the golden bracelet Sion wore around her wrist. As one, Alchemist and Heroic Spirit took off after the Pro Hero Eraserhead, watching him swing from building to building as quickly as possible.
"Let's find a place suitable to meet the new neighbor, shall we?"
---
Izuku activated the Magic Circuits in his chest and arms, pulling the left one back. Air shifted and twisted as his eyes snapped open, and he launched a punch out, sparks generating along his arms and red flames exploding into existence in the shape of a burning fist, "Flashfire! SMASH!"
The blast crashed into the charging hoplite created by the holodeck of the Border and washed away with nothing but simulated light burns to show for it, "Flashfire Smash, three count!"
Three bursts of flame smashed into the hoplite, and they came out only looking slightly worse than before. Izuku drew the sword with a bit back sigh, whirling one of the remaining daggers of the Spiritfuge in his other hand. Well, that technique still wasn't any closer to being useful than it had been before he blacked out. Didn't hurt to try.
Time seemed to slow as Izuku prepared the swing. Mentally, a thin thread formed at the middle of his sword and touched where he would strike on the hoplite. Behind him, Inko gasped in horror as the xiphos approached. Izuku raised the short sword, preparing to use it to block-
When a burst of black and blue flames flew safely around Izuku and swallowed the hoplite whole. The popping and cracking of regular fire was replaced with a monotone hiss.
"Count," Izuku greeted, trying his best to turn in his chair as the Cavern King approached.
"Welcome back to the world of the living," the Count said, kneeling before Izuku, "are you alright?"
"Well enough," Izuku said, returning his weapons to their place, "How are you?"
"Well enough," the Count said, before standing and nodding to Inko, "Mrs. Midoriya."
"Count Dant-"
"Don't!" Izuku yelped, cutting the word off as quickly as possible, "Just call him Count, Mom. Please."
"Yes," the Count agreed, "please to that, Inko."
"Count," Inko said.
"I came to take over watching Izuku," the Count said, "it's getting late and I supposed you would want to go home and rest."
"...He isn't coming with me, is he?" Inko said, eyes downcast. Izuku wanted to leap from the chair, to insist he was, get into the car and go home for the night…
But he was home. Chaldea was his home just as much as the apartment was. And he had duties to perform here. He had shows to watch with Jeanne, and people to see so they knew that just because she was strapped down didn't mean he was out.
"I'm not," Izuku agreed quietly, "I'm sorry, but… I have stuff I need to do here. I can't just drop it so quickly. Once everything is done, we'll find a day for me to get home. You can come back tomorrow?"
"She can come back any day," the Count said, "Inko, I think I speak for everyone on the Border when I say you're welcome back any time as Izuku's mother."
Well, Izuku didn't think Raikou-
Right.
Damn it…
Izuku's grip on the chair wheels grew painful, plastic biting into his hands. Mother…
"Yeah," Izuku said, swallowing, "I'm sorry, mom. I've got work to do. It never ends-"
"You've become a lot like your father, you know that?" Inko said, and Izuku's words died, "I suppose that's not surprising, you had to take after one of us but... I'm so proud it was him. Can I at least make you a bowl of katsudon before you go? It's been so long-"
Izuku's eyes lit up, and he sat straight up, "Yes!"
"Izuku would never turn down some Katsudon from you," the Count laughed, "He's very particular. Only himself, you or our residential chef, Beni-Enma can cook it to the standards he expects."
---
The first sign something was wrong to Shouta Aizawa was when a golden top clipped his side and flew off, twisting in place and launching straight for him again. Shouta dodged it, and the next three tries. On the fourth, he caught it with his capture scarf and noticed the wire holding it. Without missing a beat, the Capture Hero took off, following the strand across several buildings and down into an alleyway-
When his senses screamed at him and he barely got out of the way of the strike coming from above him. Flipping, he dodged the bash from a middle aged man holding a massive shield shaped like a string instrument.
"Pardon us," the man said, stretching his arm, "but you wouldn't happen to be the Erasure Hero, Eraserhead, would you?"
Shouta growled, lashing out with his capture tape. The man ducked low, sprinting towards him while Shouta gave a practiced snap of the tape that caused it to coil back towards him and the man, forcing him to abort the attack and weave away from it easily.
"A strange scarf, yellow goggles," the man said, "You are! Which means-"
In the time it took Shouta to blink, the man was in his guard. It was only years of practice that Shouta was able to kick away, the strike clipping him and sending him spinning away instead of hitting him full on in the gut. The man bared his shield, sliding his glasses off with the other hand and storing them within a pocket.
"-We must take you out."
And then he was in Shouta's guard again, forcing the Erasure Hero to throw his scarf around a drainage pipe and grip for the panic button as he pulled himself away from the attack, just enough to plant his feet on the string instrument and kick off from the man and up the wall.
"Well played," Shouta glared at him, "unfortunately for you, while you might have won the first hand, you haven't won the pot yet."
"Shut up," Shouta growled.
"Very well," the man said, and the next second he was up the wall and after Shouta, "but don't blame anyone but yourself for this."
---
"Arrrg!" Inko looked up from where she was standing with the short girl wearing a hat shaped like a brown sparrow, showing her, a bit reluctantly, how she made Katsudon. Izuku was gripping his hair, "Da Vinci-Chan Lily?"
"Hmm?" A voice said from the speakers, "What's wrong, Papà?"
Inko locked up and looked at Beni-Enma, "Please tell me-"
"I have a father I'm happy with, chirp," Beni-Enma's voice said, despite the girl's mouth not opening, "I'm happy with my relationship with Izuku not being parental."
Oh, well that was good at least.
"I was so busy yelling at the Casters I forgot to tell them I wanted help getting a familiar," Izuku said, burying his hands in his face, "Can you tell them?"
"You realize this is gonna lead to a repeat of the last war, right?"
"Yes," Izuku said, "Tell them to keep it to the war floors or I'm slashing their budget or something."
"...That threat doesn't work when we have a literally unlimited budget so long as we have quantum crystals, Papà."
"Then tell them I won't stop Nemo's revenge or something," Izuku groaned, leaning his head back and rubbing his temples. Anastasia, who had sat next to Izuku with a pale green haired young woman with horns who was wearing a black kimono, had the decency to look sheepish. The other girl reached out and began to rub Izuku's temples herself, standing as Izuku locked up before leaning into the touch, "Thanks, Kiyohime. It feels like I'm getting a migraine."
"Should I send for Asclepius, dear?" Kiyohime asked, completely unaware that Inko had locked up behind the counter, the pork cutlet forgotten for a second.
"Don't bring it up," Beni-Enma's voice whispered in her ear.
"Kiyohime," Inko hissed, "as in Anchin and Kiyohime?"
"Yes. She's also deeply obsessed with your son. And is a terrible cook."
"Everyone is a terrible cook to you," the white haired man also within the kitchen said.
"No," Izuku said, "Asclepius will probably use it as an excuse to force me back into bed. Thank you for your concern, but I wouldn't want to be separated from any of you any longer… dear."
Anastasia snorted, while Beni-Enma gave a garbled noise that Inko suspected was a laugh.
---
Shouta hated enhancement Quirks. And he especially hated them when they weren't Emitters. It was taking everything he had to keep the man off him as they fought through the alleys and across the rooftops, though luckily it seemed the man had no intention of letting them reach the city streets.
Wrapping the Capture Weapon around a trash can, Shouta tossed it at the man, who batted it aside with the shield with enough force that it crumbled like a soda bottle. Shouta repeated it with two more, and they died just as quickly as the first.
"If I can give you some advice, Mister Aizawa," the man said conversationally, and next thing Shouta knew he was dodging another punch by the skin of his teeth and entirely on instinct, "Just give up already and make this easier for both of us."
Shouta didn't respond, just slammed a foot into the man's sternum, and grunted as it felt like he had kicked a brick wall. What was even the point of that shield?
Above them, the top was whipping around so fast it was more a flash of light than an actual thing Shouta could see. So going up there wasn't possible, but fighting this guy felt like a death sentence. And the patrol he had done at lunch wasn't helping the feeling of exhaustion in his muscles and bones.
Reaching a dumpster, Shouta poured every ounce of energy into whipping it at the man. He just leapt over it, appearing in the air before landing and continuing his assault at Shouta.
Wait for it. Wait for it… there!
Shouta whipped his capture weapon out as fast as he could, wrapping it around the man's arms as he rushed in with a shoulder check that sent them both tumbling. The man landed on his knee and foot, using the capture weapon to drag Shouta in.
"Now, my dear," the drill tilted down and drove into Shouta's shoulder, "for what it's worth, you put up more of a struggle than we expected, but you were never going to win, Mister Aizawa. My companion is two Kilometers out from here. Even if you had managed to defeat me, you would have tired yourself out before you found her. Sion, let's wrap this up so you can do that summoning, shall we?"
That was the last thing Shouta remembered before sinking into a mire.
And when he woke up, he didn't remember it at all.
---
"Are you sure you want to do this?" Izuku asked Sion, "I know how it feels to try to summon someone you care about only for it to fail…"
"Then pray for me that it won't fail," Sion said, eyes full of more conviction than Izuku had ever seen in her, "I appreciate your concern, Vice-Director, but I have to try."
Pulling out Izuku's rank. Sion was serious.
"Can you not call me that," Izuku sighed, "I hate it."
Izuku's positioning as one of the three acting Vice-Director had mostly come from the fact that nobody wanted the supid job, and that if he and Goredolf switched jobs there would be a massive issue about deploying the Director of Chaldea onto the field. And no, the fact that he was still treated as head of Chaldea by the Servants didn't count.
This is why they created the quadrumvirate, dang it.
"Sorry," Sion apologized, "I just… I have to try Izuku. You said it could work."
"Could doesn't mean will," Izuku reproached without any heat, nodding towards EMIYA, "Can you help her?"
"I still have some issues with this," the Counter Guardian said, "but yes, I'll try."
"Thank you," Izuku said, turning his head towards his Nemo Marine, "Take me to Jeanne Alter's room."
"We hope this works for you," the Nemo Marine said to Sion, offering a smile that she returned. Sion nodded, smiling back.
"Thank you all for being so understanding about me being selfish," she said.
"We lost something we'd do anything to get back to," the Marine said.
"We all did, at some point," Izuku said, "I hope this works for you, don't get me wrong, Sion. I just wanted you to be ready-"
"I know, Izuku," Sion said, "I know. There's always the chance this could fail, but my calculations give a good chance of it succeeding, you think there's a good chance of it succeeding. I can't just leave it when the ability to bring her back is close enough for me to grasp."
Izuku nodded, "Call me if you need help. This "Berserk" can wait."
"This isn't my first time summoning," Sion pointed out.
---
Sion placed True Apocrypha next to the shield EMIYA had traced for her, breathing it. This was it, this would work.
"Let silver and steel be the essence. Let stone and the archduke of contracts be the foundation," Sion started, "Let my great master Zepia be the ancestor. Let rise a wall against the wind that shall fall. Let the four cardinal gates close. Let the three-forked road from the crown reaching unto the Kingdom rotate. Shut and Fill! Shut and Fill! Shut and Fill! Shut and Fill! Repeat every five times and simply shatter once filled! I announce, your body will Serve under me, and my fate and doom will be in your shield!"
Again.
"Submit to the beckoning of the Holy Grail. If you will submit to this will and this reason…… then answer!"
Please, Please answer…
"An oath shall be sworn here! I shall attain all virtues of all of Heaven; I shall have dominion over all evils of all of Hell! From the Seventh Heaven, attended to by three great words of power, come forth from the ring of Deterrence, protector of the holy balance!
Wind and smoke began to whip around the Summoner and Servant as Sion recited the words. The shield below True Apocrypha glowed as the Spear Key turned in place. Finally, Gamaliel vanished within the smoke entirely and Sion was left holding her breath. Please…
It had to work…
Please…
The sound of something shattering came from the smoke, and a voice that made Sion's heart leap into her throat spoke as Emiya quietly began to make his way out of the room.
"That's an insulting copy, honestly."
The smoke was waved aside with one swing of Gamaliel and from the smoke stepped a woman with grey hair, the True Apocrypha on her arm. Her mouth fell open for a second as her eyes landed on Sion. Then she swallowed, kneeling like the knight she was and spoke.
"Ajax the Greater, summoned as Psudo-Servant Shielder. Sion, are you my Master?" Riesbyfe Stridberg asked.
"You're back," Sion said, instead of answering the question, "it worked…"
---
Yeah. I went there.
Sakuya's Butler
A refined Butler to a knife wielding Mistress.
- Location
- ↓, ↘, → + Punch
Sion #1 Fangirl Get.
And freaking how.
Should be really interesting to see how this turns out considering the Tsukihime/Melty Blood timelines (NOT the Fate timeline(s)), have her end up as a DAA. And her, now as a pseudo-Servant, should also have ALL of her various memories.
Although, she might be considered more of a High Servant, considering, well, she was a DAA for a bit and the entangled mirror (twin?) of Dust of Osiris - who is effectively a [False] Deity, when combined with Ajax.
And I readily await seeing how you portray her voice whenever she even remotely mentions, however obliquely or directly, Sion....♥♥♥
*snickers*
And freaking how.
Should be really interesting to see how this turns out considering the Tsukihime/Melty Blood timelines (NOT the Fate timeline(s)), have her end up as a DAA. And her, now as a pseudo-Servant, should also have ALL of her various memories.
Although, she might be considered more of a High Servant, considering, well, she was a DAA for a bit and the entangled mirror (twin?) of Dust of Osiris - who is effectively a [False] Deity, when combined with Ajax.
And I readily await seeing how you portray her voice whenever she even remotely mentions, however obliquely or directly, Sion....♥♥♥
*snickers*
ThatOnePsycho
Tilting his Vanes and Ennobling His Spires
Sion isn't a Psudo-Servant, Riesbyfe is (though Riesbyfe was still part of both Dust and regular Sion, so...)
Sakuya's Butler
A refined Butler to a knife wielding Mistress.
- Location
- ↓, ↘, → + Punch
I was referring to Riesbyfe that entire post. Hence my 'Sion #1 fangirl line'. Sion wouldn't fangirl herself.
EDIT:
Rather than clutter with a new post. Here, enjoy a good laugh.
Ignore the thumbnail, its work safe. Unless a truly hideous death is not allowed.
Last edited:
Gut
ThatOnePsycho
Tilting his Vanes and Ennobling His Spires
Peperoncino stepped into the clearing, meeting the eyes of Izuku .
"He's up ahead," the pink haired Crypter spat, a look of pure hatred so uncharacteristic on his face, "are you ready?"
"As I'll ever be…" Izuku said, before breathing in, "are you?"
"...I'm good at hiding it, Izu," Pepe said, leaning against a tree, "but I'm very good at wanting revenge. I know you only ever knew him as an enemy, but Kirschy… he was my best friend. He was all of our best friends."
"I know," Izuku said quietly, "my sense for who's good or bad is pretty good, and… I never got the feeling Kirschtaria was a bad person. Misguided, but not bad…"
"In a different world," Pepe said, tears pricking at his eyes, "you would have been friends. I know, it's cliche, but for you two, it's true. You're… you were so similar. Strong in your beliefs, good leaders… I'm sorry, I need a moment."
"I have his body in a coffin on the Border," Izuku offered quitely, "I have all their bodies, and Kadoc under Asclepius's care. If you want to come see them after we're done…"
"Why do you-?"
"I figured," Izuku said, "they deserved better than just… just fading when their world… when I… I want to find a graveyard to bury them when Proper Human History is restored. I might just be projecting and completely wrong, but if I were them, I'd rather be buried with my friends. If you want me to do something else, just say-"
"No," Pepe said, "That's perfect-"
"How sweet," a familiar voice sneered, causing Humanity's Last Master and the Crypter to whip around. Sitting on a branch, a scottish dirk flipping in one hand as he did, was Beryl Gut, "can I come too?'
A rictus of hate spread across Izuku's face, his cane shaking, "Gut."
"The Cripple's come to fight me without his doll?" Beryl snarked with a grin, revealing a mouth full of sharp teeth, "I'm so scared."
"Jetburn," Izuku said, lifting his lighter before Pepe could say a thing, "Ten count."
The ten gouts of white flame covered the space between them and Beryl. Time slowed for Pepe as he activated his Magecraft, and it was a good thing it did.
It was the only thing that let him weave around Izuku, taking the thrust of the dirk in his hand instead of the thrust for the neck Beryl had been going for.
"Now you care?" Beryl said, "I told you all that all I did here was kill people, and now it's unforgivable, Pepe?"
"No," Pepe said, accelerating his body and punching Beryl so hard he was forced to let go of the dirk. Pepe ripped it from the skin, tossing it aside, "now it's personal. And I'm not gonna claim that makes me a good person, but I'm better than you, you piece of shit."
"And don't you forget it," Beryl said, black fur sprouting across his body, "Cripple, I hope you're ready. Mash isn't here to protect you this time."
"I know," Izuku said, drawing a gun and bracing it against his other hand, standing straight, "this time I'm protecting her from you."
---
Izuku pushed magical energy through his body, reinforcing it as he slid the lighter into a specially made wrist mounted holder. Then he drew the weaker of the two guns he had, a USP, and leveled it at Gut without hesitating. The first bullet cracked against his cheek, falling flat as the werewolf threw Pepe back. Then he turned towards Izuku and rushed forwards, claws bared. Izuku slammed his cane into Beryl's sternum, watching his eyes grow wide, "I can't walk without a cane, nobody said I couldn't stand."
"So, that just means you're stuck in one pla-" Gut turned suddenly, barely dodging the palm strike from Pepe. Izuku grabbed him by the upper jaw, forcing it open and shoving the gun down his throat. Claws tore at the rune enhanced shirt of his Mystic Code, and Izuku ripped the gun out, holstering it and backhanding him with a Ehwaz enhanced glove.
"How the fuck-" Gut vomited out the flattened, smoking bullets mixed with some blood. Izuku grabbed his lighter from the air, the rune Swolio glowing as he used Flash Air to displace the oxygen with chlorine trifluoride and ignited it. The space between them exploded into fire so hard it pushed Izuku back and forced him to use his cane as an anchor, "is a weak brat like YOU-"
"Hurting you? Izuku finished, "because I have friends more powerful than both of us. And that's all I need."
"You're weak!" Gut was on Izuku in the time it took for him to blink, claws raking at the shirt of his Mystic Code as he went, "Where's your Servants to cower behind, Midoriya? That's all you're good for! Being coddled by ghosts because your not strong enough to do your own work-!"
"I'm strong because of them!" Izuku jerked up, headbutting Gut, "They're not just my Servants. They're my friends, my teachers and my loved ones! And you hurt Mash! I can never, ever forgive you for that-!"
"And yet here you are," Gut sneared, tearing through Izuku's shirt and into his side with razor sharp claws, "Fighting alone!"
"He's not alone, he's fighting with a friend," Gut turned in time to take a strike from Pepe, sending him flying off Izuku as he marched forwards, "take a moment to recover, Izuku. I have a conversation I need to have with Beryl."
---
Pepe's Reinforcement Magecraft was at maximum as he weaved around each strike from Beryl, his eyes burning with so many emotions, "Why'd you do it, Beryl? We were your friends, and you betrayed us."
"And you killed your entire fucking family, so drop the self righteous bullshit already," Beryl growled, having shifted fully into a wolfman.
"And how do you know that?" Pepe demanded, the false whimsy in his voice dying entirely as he drove a fist into Beryl's still healing neck, listening to him choke and gag, "actually… I don't think I want you talking anymore. I'm just going to end you. Goodbye, Ber-
Pepe dodged the next attack as quickly as he could, feeling the claws rake against his side. Beryl had accelerated, forcing Pepe to do the same with Iddhi-vidha. Out of the corner of his eye, Pepe watched Izuku pull out a heavy revolver. Then he grabbed Beryl by the right arm, twisting so they were behind each other and snapped it out of the socket. Beryl howled, whipping towards him and lunging for his throat at speeds so fast Pepe wasn't able to keep up beyond pushing himself back.
They both fell over, Pepe lying on the ground and staring up at Beryl as he slowly began to lose what little human features he had. Clawed toes dug into the pink haired Crypter's chest.
And Pepe lashed up, holding Beryl in place with his enhanced strength as the jaw bit into him. It hurt.
But probably not as much as the six heavy bullets that blew through the three hundred pound wolf and knocked it off of Pepe. Pepe pushed himself up against the nearest tree as Izuku rushed over to him, blood pouring down his neck.
"Hey," Izuku said, trying to staunch the bleeding and holding his communicator to his mouth. Pepe had always hated it. So uninspired, "Da Vinci-Chan, Captain, we need a med-evac!"
"Your vitals are fine," a voice started.
"Not for me," Izuku started, and Pepe grabbed the foolish boy and threw him aside as the wolf barreled straight through where he had been. And into Pepe with several loud, harsh cracks, jaws clapping around his throat.
"NO!" Izuku fumbled with the revolver and a speed loader, aiming it at Beryl.
---
Twelve bullets. Made from Mystic Gunpowder from the Land of Beasts. Enchanted by Skadi. Crafted from shards of metal from the Land of Unified Knowledge. Fired with a gun enhanced by Ares Klironomia. Hollow points stuffed with monkshood from Camelot. Six Lostbelts, over a year of his life, had led up to this point
And in the end, Izuku was standing still as a giant wolf barreled straight for him again. Like he hadn't learned a thing in all that time. Maybe he hadn't. He just…
He wanted to be the hero. To save someone for once. Like he hadn't been able to for Roman, for Patxi, for Gerda, for Asha.
...That was a lie, right now. He wasn't here to be a hero. He was here because Gut had tried to hurt Mash, the girl who protected him through thick and thin, the girl he loved. His best friend and his partner through thick and thin.
Two of the daggers of the Spiritfuge slammed into Gut's eyes, gouging them out and stopping him for a second. Izuku leveled the gun-
And then the daggers, never meant to stop more than a human wraith and already worn from stopping Demonic Beasts in Babylonia, exploded. Which, on the upside, meant Gut probably wasn't ever going to recover from those injuries… assuming werewolves didn't have regeneration.
On the downside, it meant the frozen form of Gut resumed moving, barreling straight for Izuku. Pulling the trigger as fast as he could, Izuku watched holes tear into Gut's frame. The wolf shrank, finally returning to the black haired human form of the Crypter as they crashed into each other. Beryl's hand reached up, tearing one of the broken Spiritfuge daggers from his face and swinging for Izuku.
Izuku slammed his cane into the side of Gut's head, sending him flying off the Last Master and forcing them to both scramble up.
"Just give up!" Izuku ordered, "You're dead. There's poison from Wolf's Bane and Gandr curses going through your veins! Just give it up, Gut!"
"So what if I'm dead!" Gut laughed, spinning Izuku's knife and sniffing the air, "That just means I'm gonna drag you to hell with me! Come on, Izuku!"
And then he was rushing towards Izuku, swinging the broken Spiritfuge at his chest, Izuku slammed his cane into Gut's head, dodging several swings the best he could.
Unfortunately, at the third swing, the hollow metal crutch, never meant for a reinforced human (in hindsight, he really should have reinforced it too) smashing it into a werewolf, bent with a shrieking of metal. Izuku stared at it in horror, before tossing it aside and tackling Gut to the ground. Ehwaz hardened leather gloves smashed into his face as Izuku lay into him.
"No more," Izuku muttered with each punch, voice rising in tempo with each swing. For Mash. For Kirschtaria. For Pepe. For every person in this Lostbelt and any other he had hurt people in, "No more! No More! NO MORE! NOMORENO-"
"IZUKU!" The Master blinked as Nightingale grabbed his hands. What, what was she doing here… "He's dead. Izuku. He's hea- dead."
The slip of the tongue caused Izuku's eyes to roll back towards Gut. And his stomach promptly rolled. Had he… had he done that…?
Gut's head was practically pulverized. No, not practically, it was pulverized. Grey and red and white mixed with torn skin and… and…
Izuku wretched in Nightingale's arms.
"Asclepius," she said, voice so soft Izuku almost thought she was Mercèdés again, "I'm going to take Izuku back to the Border… he… he needs rest, for the moment."
"Have Beni-Enma make some katsudon and Nemo Bakery some hot chocolate," the man said, kneeling over Pepe's… Pepe's body, "I'm going to stay here and try and revive Peperoncino… I'll bring theit bodies."
"Leave… leave Gut's," Izuku managed to croak as he was lifted into a bridal carry by Nightingale.
"Right, then I'll retrieve the Spiritfuge and return to the Border," Asclepius, "Just… rest and relax Izuku. You're not severely hurt, but that's what you need. Rest and relaxation."
"I… ok," Izuku said, "Ok…"
"He's up ahead," the pink haired Crypter spat, a look of pure hatred so uncharacteristic on his face, "are you ready?"
"As I'll ever be…" Izuku said, before breathing in, "are you?"
"...I'm good at hiding it, Izu," Pepe said, leaning against a tree, "but I'm very good at wanting revenge. I know you only ever knew him as an enemy, but Kirschy… he was my best friend. He was all of our best friends."
"I know," Izuku said quietly, "my sense for who's good or bad is pretty good, and… I never got the feeling Kirschtaria was a bad person. Misguided, but not bad…"
"In a different world," Pepe said, tears pricking at his eyes, "you would have been friends. I know, it's cliche, but for you two, it's true. You're… you were so similar. Strong in your beliefs, good leaders… I'm sorry, I need a moment."
"I have his body in a coffin on the Border," Izuku offered quitely, "I have all their bodies, and Kadoc under Asclepius's care. If you want to come see them after we're done…"
"Why do you-?"
"I figured," Izuku said, "they deserved better than just… just fading when their world… when I… I want to find a graveyard to bury them when Proper Human History is restored. I might just be projecting and completely wrong, but if I were them, I'd rather be buried with my friends. If you want me to do something else, just say-"
"No," Pepe said, "That's perfect-"
"How sweet," a familiar voice sneered, causing Humanity's Last Master and the Crypter to whip around. Sitting on a branch, a scottish dirk flipping in one hand as he did, was Beryl Gut, "can I come too?'
A rictus of hate spread across Izuku's face, his cane shaking, "Gut."
"The Cripple's come to fight me without his doll?" Beryl snarked with a grin, revealing a mouth full of sharp teeth, "I'm so scared."
"Jetburn," Izuku said, lifting his lighter before Pepe could say a thing, "Ten count."
The ten gouts of white flame covered the space between them and Beryl. Time slowed for Pepe as he activated his Magecraft, and it was a good thing it did.
It was the only thing that let him weave around Izuku, taking the thrust of the dirk in his hand instead of the thrust for the neck Beryl had been going for.
"Now you care?" Beryl said, "I told you all that all I did here was kill people, and now it's unforgivable, Pepe?"
"No," Pepe said, accelerating his body and punching Beryl so hard he was forced to let go of the dirk. Pepe ripped it from the skin, tossing it aside, "now it's personal. And I'm not gonna claim that makes me a good person, but I'm better than you, you piece of shit."
"And don't you forget it," Beryl said, black fur sprouting across his body, "Cripple, I hope you're ready. Mash isn't here to protect you this time."
"I know," Izuku said, drawing a gun and bracing it against his other hand, standing straight, "this time I'm protecting her from you."
---
Izuku pushed magical energy through his body, reinforcing it as he slid the lighter into a specially made wrist mounted holder. Then he drew the weaker of the two guns he had, a USP, and leveled it at Gut without hesitating. The first bullet cracked against his cheek, falling flat as the werewolf threw Pepe back. Then he turned towards Izuku and rushed forwards, claws bared. Izuku slammed his cane into Beryl's sternum, watching his eyes grow wide, "I can't walk without a cane, nobody said I couldn't stand."
"So, that just means you're stuck in one pla-" Gut turned suddenly, barely dodging the palm strike from Pepe. Izuku grabbed him by the upper jaw, forcing it open and shoving the gun down his throat. Claws tore at the rune enhanced shirt of his Mystic Code, and Izuku ripped the gun out, holstering it and backhanding him with a Ehwaz enhanced glove.
"How the fuck-" Gut vomited out the flattened, smoking bullets mixed with some blood. Izuku grabbed his lighter from the air, the rune Swolio glowing as he used Flash Air to displace the oxygen with chlorine trifluoride and ignited it. The space between them exploded into fire so hard it pushed Izuku back and forced him to use his cane as an anchor, "is a weak brat like YOU-"
"Hurting you? Izuku finished, "because I have friends more powerful than both of us. And that's all I need."
"You're weak!" Gut was on Izuku in the time it took for him to blink, claws raking at the shirt of his Mystic Code as he went, "Where's your Servants to cower behind, Midoriya? That's all you're good for! Being coddled by ghosts because your not strong enough to do your own work-!"
"I'm strong because of them!" Izuku jerked up, headbutting Gut, "They're not just my Servants. They're my friends, my teachers and my loved ones! And you hurt Mash! I can never, ever forgive you for that-!"
"And yet here you are," Gut sneared, tearing through Izuku's shirt and into his side with razor sharp claws, "Fighting alone!"
"He's not alone, he's fighting with a friend," Gut turned in time to take a strike from Pepe, sending him flying off Izuku as he marched forwards, "take a moment to recover, Izuku. I have a conversation I need to have with Beryl."
---
Pepe's Reinforcement Magecraft was at maximum as he weaved around each strike from Beryl, his eyes burning with so many emotions, "Why'd you do it, Beryl? We were your friends, and you betrayed us."
"And you killed your entire fucking family, so drop the self righteous bullshit already," Beryl growled, having shifted fully into a wolfman.
"And how do you know that?" Pepe demanded, the false whimsy in his voice dying entirely as he drove a fist into Beryl's still healing neck, listening to him choke and gag, "actually… I don't think I want you talking anymore. I'm just going to end you. Goodbye, Ber-
Pepe dodged the next attack as quickly as he could, feeling the claws rake against his side. Beryl had accelerated, forcing Pepe to do the same with Iddhi-vidha. Out of the corner of his eye, Pepe watched Izuku pull out a heavy revolver. Then he grabbed Beryl by the right arm, twisting so they were behind each other and snapped it out of the socket. Beryl howled, whipping towards him and lunging for his throat at speeds so fast Pepe wasn't able to keep up beyond pushing himself back.
They both fell over, Pepe lying on the ground and staring up at Beryl as he slowly began to lose what little human features he had. Clawed toes dug into the pink haired Crypter's chest.
And Pepe lashed up, holding Beryl in place with his enhanced strength as the jaw bit into him. It hurt.
But probably not as much as the six heavy bullets that blew through the three hundred pound wolf and knocked it off of Pepe. Pepe pushed himself up against the nearest tree as Izuku rushed over to him, blood pouring down his neck.
"Hey," Izuku said, trying to staunch the bleeding and holding his communicator to his mouth. Pepe had always hated it. So uninspired, "Da Vinci-Chan, Captain, we need a med-evac!"
"Your vitals are fine," a voice started.
"Not for me," Izuku started, and Pepe grabbed the foolish boy and threw him aside as the wolf barreled straight through where he had been. And into Pepe with several loud, harsh cracks, jaws clapping around his throat.
"NO!" Izuku fumbled with the revolver and a speed loader, aiming it at Beryl.
---
Twelve bullets. Made from Mystic Gunpowder from the Land of Beasts. Enchanted by Skadi. Crafted from shards of metal from the Land of Unified Knowledge. Fired with a gun enhanced by Ares Klironomia. Hollow points stuffed with monkshood from Camelot. Six Lostbelts, over a year of his life, had led up to this point
And in the end, Izuku was standing still as a giant wolf barreled straight for him again. Like he hadn't learned a thing in all that time. Maybe he hadn't. He just…
He wanted to be the hero. To save someone for once. Like he hadn't been able to for Roman, for Patxi, for Gerda, for Asha.
...That was a lie, right now. He wasn't here to be a hero. He was here because Gut had tried to hurt Mash, the girl who protected him through thick and thin, the girl he loved. His best friend and his partner through thick and thin.
Two of the daggers of the Spiritfuge slammed into Gut's eyes, gouging them out and stopping him for a second. Izuku leveled the gun-
And then the daggers, never meant to stop more than a human wraith and already worn from stopping Demonic Beasts in Babylonia, exploded. Which, on the upside, meant Gut probably wasn't ever going to recover from those injuries… assuming werewolves didn't have regeneration.
On the downside, it meant the frozen form of Gut resumed moving, barreling straight for Izuku. Pulling the trigger as fast as he could, Izuku watched holes tear into Gut's frame. The wolf shrank, finally returning to the black haired human form of the Crypter as they crashed into each other. Beryl's hand reached up, tearing one of the broken Spiritfuge daggers from his face and swinging for Izuku.
Izuku slammed his cane into the side of Gut's head, sending him flying off the Last Master and forcing them to both scramble up.
"Just give up!" Izuku ordered, "You're dead. There's poison from Wolf's Bane and Gandr curses going through your veins! Just give it up, Gut!"
"So what if I'm dead!" Gut laughed, spinning Izuku's knife and sniffing the air, "That just means I'm gonna drag you to hell with me! Come on, Izuku!"
And then he was rushing towards Izuku, swinging the broken Spiritfuge at his chest, Izuku slammed his cane into Gut's head, dodging several swings the best he could.
Unfortunately, at the third swing, the hollow metal crutch, never meant for a reinforced human (in hindsight, he really should have reinforced it too) smashing it into a werewolf, bent with a shrieking of metal. Izuku stared at it in horror, before tossing it aside and tackling Gut to the ground. Ehwaz hardened leather gloves smashed into his face as Izuku lay into him.
"No more," Izuku muttered with each punch, voice rising in tempo with each swing. For Mash. For Kirschtaria. For Pepe. For every person in this Lostbelt and any other he had hurt people in, "No more! No More! NO MORE! NOMORENO-"
"IZUKU!" The Master blinked as Nightingale grabbed his hands. What, what was she doing here… "He's dead. Izuku. He's hea- dead."
The slip of the tongue caused Izuku's eyes to roll back towards Gut. And his stomach promptly rolled. Had he… had he done that…?
Gut's head was practically pulverized. No, not practically, it was pulverized. Grey and red and white mixed with torn skin and… and…
Izuku wretched in Nightingale's arms.
"Asclepius," she said, voice so soft Izuku almost thought she was Mercèdés again, "I'm going to take Izuku back to the Border… he… he needs rest, for the moment."
"Have Beni-Enma make some katsudon and Nemo Bakery some hot chocolate," the man said, kneeling over Pepe's… Pepe's body, "I'm going to stay here and try and revive Peperoncino… I'll bring theit bodies."
"Leave… leave Gut's," Izuku managed to croak as he was lifted into a bridal carry by Nightingale.
"Right, then I'll retrieve the Spiritfuge and return to the Border," Asclepius, "Just… rest and relax Izuku. You're not severely hurt, but that's what you need. Rest and relaxation."
"I… ok," Izuku said, "Ok…"
ThatOnePsycho
Tilting his Vanes and Ennobling His Spires
So, this is a blatent retcon after a discussion on Spacebattles (namely about how I hadn't wanted to kill Pepe, but had already implied he was dead), so I won't do it quitely because I try to be transparent buuuuuut...
Yeah, I'm retconning in that Asclepius management to stabilize Pepe offscreen. He's with Kadoc in the Border coma ward.
Yeah, I'm retconning in that Asclepius management to stabilize Pepe offscreen. He's with Kadoc in the Border coma ward.
ThatOnePsycho
Tilting his Vanes and Ennobling His Spires
So, if this feels like it comes out of nowhere, that's only because it was. I was literally sitting there trying to decide if I'm gonna paint my new Space Bois as Black Templars or Space Wolves when this fucker just erupted out of nowhere. New writing style, new everything... so yeah, feel free to go "What the fuck, Psycho?"
---
They say eyes are the window to the soul. A bit cliche, I will admit.
But it's important because until I met you, I didn't believe it. Solomon's eyes had been kind, even though I was certain he was a tyrant.
The first time you and I met. Truly met, your eyes were filled with kindness, but determination. You met mine without fear or hesitation, standing admisted the destruction I wrought. Legends and Heroes, cut down like chaff before the scythe. And you weren't afraid of me. I took you for a fool, someone too delusional to realize how far out of his depth he was.
The second time we met, your eyes were tired. A stick of chocolate hung from one hand as you sat in Ars Paulina and watched it collapse. And you stood up, turning towards me. You broke the chocolate bar in half, and offered it to me. There was compassion in your eyes as we stood at the foiling of my plan together, watching it all crumble.
"You should go," I said. I knew what was to come now that my plan had failed. I took a bite out of the chocolate, more to be polite than anything. I didn't need to eat.
I never told you, but it was delicious. Even if it was a simple drug store chocolate.
You swallowed the chocolate, eyes full of tired compassion raking over me. Something burned in them for a second, and you threw the first punch. Blood roared in borrowed veins. And I punched back.
Somehow, as you manifested the echo of a shield I had come to hate and respect in equal measure, I knew you had done it because you knew I needed it. I was about to die, and I wanted to rage against it. And so we fought, and I should have died.
The third time we met, your eyes were filled with hope. And I, through no action of my own, snuffed it out. Your fists groaned, your teeth clenched as the hope became hate. I expected you to throw a punch. I was all the more surprised when you didn't.
"Goetia," you said, mechanically.
"Izuku Midoriya," I returned. And with that, we went our separate ways.
Izuku, my friend. My enemy. I can't wait to see what is in your eyes the next time we meet. For better or for worse.
And thank you, by the way, for the free voyage. I think I'll go out and see the world that could create such an ordinary hero.
---
They say eyes are the window to the soul. A bit cliche, I will admit.
But it's important because until I met you, I didn't believe it. Solomon's eyes had been kind, even though I was certain he was a tyrant.
The first time you and I met. Truly met, your eyes were filled with kindness, but determination. You met mine without fear or hesitation, standing admisted the destruction I wrought. Legends and Heroes, cut down like chaff before the scythe. And you weren't afraid of me. I took you for a fool, someone too delusional to realize how far out of his depth he was.
The second time we met, your eyes were tired. A stick of chocolate hung from one hand as you sat in Ars Paulina and watched it collapse. And you stood up, turning towards me. You broke the chocolate bar in half, and offered it to me. There was compassion in your eyes as we stood at the foiling of my plan together, watching it all crumble.
"You should go," I said. I knew what was to come now that my plan had failed. I took a bite out of the chocolate, more to be polite than anything. I didn't need to eat.
I never told you, but it was delicious. Even if it was a simple drug store chocolate.
You swallowed the chocolate, eyes full of tired compassion raking over me. Something burned in them for a second, and you threw the first punch. Blood roared in borrowed veins. And I punched back.
Somehow, as you manifested the echo of a shield I had come to hate and respect in equal measure, I knew you had done it because you knew I needed it. I was about to die, and I wanted to rage against it. And so we fought, and I should have died.
The third time we met, your eyes were filled with hope. And I, through no action of my own, snuffed it out. Your fists groaned, your teeth clenched as the hope became hate. I expected you to throw a punch. I was all the more surprised when you didn't.
"Goetia," you said, mechanically.
"Izuku Midoriya," I returned. And with that, we went our separate ways.
Izuku, my friend. My enemy. I can't wait to see what is in your eyes the next time we meet. For better or for worse.
And thank you, by the way, for the free voyage. I think I'll go out and see the world that could create such an ordinary hero.
- Location
- The Edge of the Abyss
I am very thoroughly reminded of Zenos yae Galvus and The Warrior of Light from Final Fantasy XIV, but mostly Zenos. It works, I like it, but I want to hate the character that much more because of it.
Chapter 10
ThatOnePsycho
Tilting his Vanes and Ennobling His Spires
Jeanne Alter had expected a lot of things during her session of watching Izuku- er… watching anime with Izuku.
Rubbing his back as a pork cutlet, rice, eggs and other assorted ingredients coated the inside of his toilet bowl was not one of them, nor was it one she could classify as a "pleasant surprise".
She glanced at the door to the bathroom as Izuku retched again, several loud splatterings coming across loud and clear. Nemo Nurse came into the room in a rush, bottles and syringes on a tray, "Oh, dear, that doesn't sound good…"
Izuku agreed violently, his body convulsing with the retching. Jeanne awkwardly patted him on the back in quiet support.
"What happened?" Nemo Nurse asked, walking over and holding out a pill in her small hands. Once Izuku had finished another round of retching, she put it in his own, "dissolve that under your tongue. I can't promise it will stop everything, Master, but it will cut the worst of it, at the very least."
"I ate katsudon," Izuku said, before following her instructions. Nemo Nurse paused before sighing.
"Why would you do something like that?" She asked, "You've had nothing to eat in a month and that's… quite heavy on the stomach, to say the least."
"Mom offered to make it," Izuku mumbled, taking Nemo and Jeanne's hands and standing up. Nurse walked him towards the bed with a quiet 'ah.'
"And your heart moved faster than your mind," Nurse said, sliding him into bed and handing him a bucket, "at least it was in the right place."
Jeanne wasn't sure about that, honestly. But then, she didn't have a mother, and the closest thing she had to a father had been killed by his alternate self. So who knew, maybe that was in the right place. But it seemed weird to have made yourself sick over their food to be 'in the right place.'
"Do we need to do anything special?" Izuku asked.
"Not particularly," Nemo said, fluffing his pillow and running a hand through his air in a way that could be considered motherly, "just get some rest. You and Jeanne can watch whatever show you were going to, but I'm going to put a Nemo Marine outside to make sure you don't go do whatever else was on your itinerary. Your health can't wait, whatever you have to do can. Ok?"
"Ok," Izuku said, sounding slightly petulant. She swore he was allergic to staying still.
"I'll make sure too," Jeanne said, sitting on the comfy chair next to the bed and pulling the lever to deploy the footrest, kicking back, "even if I've gotta sit here all night."
"Thank you, Jeanne," Nemo Nurse said with a smile, "I'll leave you to it, but remember, I'm always just a call away."
Jeanne watched her leave, before biting her cheek and, after making sure nobody was coming in (by getting up and locking the door), climbed into the bed next to Izuku.
"J-Jeanne-"
"Shut up," she muttered, worming into his side, "I missed you, you know that right, you idiot?"
"Yes?"
"Then let me stay like this for now," she said gruffly, grabbing the remote and hitting play, "and chew on some gum, your breath stinks now."
"Ok," Izuku said, sliding a piece into his mouth and beginning to chew as he wrapped an arm around Jeanne's shoulders.
---
Anastasia was in the middle of crashing a crystalline glass over Caster Cu's head when Viy started trying to grab her attention. In a move not quite suited for the Grand Duchess of Russia, she kicked the druid flat in the chest and sent him flying towards Edison. The lion Heroic Spirit caught him by the neck and swung him straight for Tesla. A rune flashed on either side of him, and both inventors were sent flying away from each other and Cu with explosive force.
Seconds later, she had lost track of them in the vicious war zone that made up floor thirteen, the first of four floors dedicated to letting the Servants vent their frustrations at each other in a... percussive way.
In short, it was where they went to beat the shit out of each other. Sure you could spar on other levels, but anything escalating from a brawl to just outright attempts to kill each other (rare though they were lest you brought Izuku's hard to draw ire upon you) happened here.
And many Casters were currently doing their level best to burn through the Bounded Fields that kept it safe as they argued over what type of Familiar was best for Izuku. Like the answer wasn't obviously an Elemental.
Preferably an ice one. Maybe with big Mystic Eyes…
Ok, so she might be a bit biased.
Contractor.
Anastasia turned her mind to the link between her and Viy. She froze for a second as she peered into Izuku's room, before snapping back to reality and freezing Caster Cu solid as he went to slam the flaming butt of his staff into her stomach.
The world around her dropped in temperature as she swept out of the room. Come on, Jalter. They had already let her out to see Izuku's home, now she was cuddling with him?
...God, she felt needy at times, keeping Viy on watch in Izuku's room. She… she didn't want to be like that, honestly. But…
Father collapsed with three bullet wounds in his chest, eyes wide as he raised a shaking hand to them. Alexandra was shot in the head before she had time to stand from her chair. Maria ran for the door only to be shot and bayoneted. Anastasia's black hair grew light as she touched something dark and cold within her as bullets hit home in her chest. Jimmy, loyal Jimmy, attacked them despite his small size the second he heard his owner cry out in pain, only for the dog to be skewered on a bayonet as she fell.
Anastasia shivered, Viy rising up in a mockery of a hug that only left her feeling colder. Despite that, she smiled up at the Elemental.
"We got them back," she muttered vindictively.
Vengeance…
Anastasia didn't particularly care if Izuku grew close to other girls, he would have to include Kiyohime in some way to keep the peace, and she could easily use that as a jumping off point…
But she kinda expected it to be Mash who broke through whatever barrier Izuku had placed around his heart.
Then she lifted her communicator to her mouth, "Nobu? How do you feel about a prank?"
---
Jeanne Alter felt like something had crawled across her nonexistent grave briefly. Izuku looked over at her, pulling the blanket around them slightly tighter. She swore, he knew what he was doing, if only at a subconscious level, "are you alright?"
"It's nothing," Jeanne said, leaning back on the throne of pillows they were lying against.
"If you say so," Izuku said, before turning his eyes briefly back to the screen… and wincing, "Why did you want to watch this again?"
"The manga is super good," Jeanne said, looking over at the kitchenette, "pause it real quick?"
Izuku did so, letting Jeanne stand up and walk over to the kitchen and began a bag of microwave popcorn. Izuku gave a quiet, "Oh… We're settling in for the long haul?"
"You've been unconscious for a month," Jeanne said, "That means we have a month of anime to catch up on."
"Alright," Izuku said, nodding.
Plus, if she was honest, she didn't want to risk being caught coming out of Izuku's room at some weird hour. She could trust Nemo Bakery to keep her mouth shut when the time came for a better meal. But everyone…
There was a sharp knock on the metal door, "Senpai? Are you awake?"
"Yes, Mash."
"Alright," Mash said, "I'm going to bed. If you need me for anything…"
"I'll be fine," Izuku said, using James's cane to stand and walk over to the door and open it while Jeanne ducked.
Stupid… frustrating… GAH, why did she have to trust this oblivious… GAH!
"You shouldn't be standing," Mash said.
"It's just for a minute," Izuku smiled, "just keep it a secret from Asclepius. Hug?"
Mash wrapped her arms around Izuku, and he hooked his free hand around her.
"Maybe tomorrow some of us can go out and see Mustafu together," Izuku said, letting go of Mash, "I can show you all where I used to live, and UA, and some of the other stuff."
"I'd like that," Mash said, "Goodnight, Senpai. Jeanne."
Crap on a cracker.
"Night, Mash." Jeanne said, gruffly.
"Goodnight," Izuku smiled, before letting the door slide shut and looking over at Jeanne, "Sorry, this is supposed to be your night, and…"
"Mash was worried sick about you," Jeanne said, pulling out the popcorn, "I won't be surprised if she pops up throughout the night. Now back in bed, I wanna see how this goes."
"Didn't you say you already read the manga?"
Yeah, but she was talking about his reactions.
---
Izuku quietly stewed in indignation as he was pushed through the halls of the Border by the newly dubbed Nemo Adjunct. Or, in layman's terms, a Nemo Marine wearing a fancy pin of a bird in flight. He hated this.
Hated it. He hated being forced to rely on a wheelchair to get around. They were working to fix his leg, this felt like they were backsliding.
Finally, they stopped at a door deep within the Border, and Izuku glanced at Nemo Adjunct, "Do you mind giving us some privacy? She's probably… not gonna be happy. I won't stand up, I promise."
"Yes, Master," Nemo said, saluting and walking away to talk to another Nemo Marine crouching in front of an open panel with a toolbox. Izuku reached out, knocking on the door, "Kama? Can I come in?"
Nothing. Yeah, that was fair.
"Alright," Izuku said, leaning back and twiddling his thumbs, "I'll just talk to you through the door then… I'm sorry about this. I know you don't wanna be here, I really do… but I can't let you out into the world."
Still nothing. Izuku shimmied the chair until it was resting against the wall, leaning his head back so his crown rested against it.
"I'm… I'm just gonna talk at you," Izuku said, "you don't have to say anything, ok?" … "Ok. I'm sorry I haven't really had time to talk to you before now. I wanted to, but… well, life has been hectic with the Lostbelts, and Beast VII, and everything. I hope you've been getting food, right?" … "right. Sorry, remember, even if you don't want to talk to us, Nemo Bakery can always get food made and run down to you."
Izuku listened closely, hearing a shuffle on the other side of a wall, and finally, a quiet, petulant voice half-muttered and half-spat, "I've been getting food, Master."
"That's good," Izuku said softly, "how is it?"
"...It's good," she said, "She always makes what I want, no matter what I want… she is a she, right?"
"That's complicated," Izuku hedged.
"So you don't know."
"Yeah," Izuku chuckled, "you got me."
"...Why are you doing this," Kama asked, "there are hundreds of people for you to talk to. A dozen that love-"
"Don't…" Izuku snapped, breathing in and closing his eyes.
"Oh…"
"What?" Izuku asked softly.
"Nothing," Kama said, a laugh in her voice, "why are you here."
"I want to be your friend," Izuku said.
"And what do we have in common for us to be friends?"
"I don't think we need stuff in common, or we would find it eventually if we talked but… uh… we both really don't like Kiara? I saw that prank you did to her last week. It was pretty funny."
"She deserved it," Kama said.
"I'm sure she did something to do so," Izuku shrugged, "don't worry about it, like I said, it was pretty funny."
---
"You think he'll like them?"
"They worked with him over… over me, back in Scandinavia. And if he doesn't like, we can reshape them."
"Fair enough."
---
Rubbing his back as a pork cutlet, rice, eggs and other assorted ingredients coated the inside of his toilet bowl was not one of them, nor was it one she could classify as a "pleasant surprise".
She glanced at the door to the bathroom as Izuku retched again, several loud splatterings coming across loud and clear. Nemo Nurse came into the room in a rush, bottles and syringes on a tray, "Oh, dear, that doesn't sound good…"
Izuku agreed violently, his body convulsing with the retching. Jeanne awkwardly patted him on the back in quiet support.
"What happened?" Nemo Nurse asked, walking over and holding out a pill in her small hands. Once Izuku had finished another round of retching, she put it in his own, "dissolve that under your tongue. I can't promise it will stop everything, Master, but it will cut the worst of it, at the very least."
"I ate katsudon," Izuku said, before following her instructions. Nemo Nurse paused before sighing.
"Why would you do something like that?" She asked, "You've had nothing to eat in a month and that's… quite heavy on the stomach, to say the least."
"Mom offered to make it," Izuku mumbled, taking Nemo and Jeanne's hands and standing up. Nurse walked him towards the bed with a quiet 'ah.'
"And your heart moved faster than your mind," Nurse said, sliding him into bed and handing him a bucket, "at least it was in the right place."
Jeanne wasn't sure about that, honestly. But then, she didn't have a mother, and the closest thing she had to a father had been killed by his alternate self. So who knew, maybe that was in the right place. But it seemed weird to have made yourself sick over their food to be 'in the right place.'
"Do we need to do anything special?" Izuku asked.
"Not particularly," Nemo said, fluffing his pillow and running a hand through his air in a way that could be considered motherly, "just get some rest. You and Jeanne can watch whatever show you were going to, but I'm going to put a Nemo Marine outside to make sure you don't go do whatever else was on your itinerary. Your health can't wait, whatever you have to do can. Ok?"
"Ok," Izuku said, sounding slightly petulant. She swore he was allergic to staying still.
"I'll make sure too," Jeanne said, sitting on the comfy chair next to the bed and pulling the lever to deploy the footrest, kicking back, "even if I've gotta sit here all night."
"Thank you, Jeanne," Nemo Nurse said with a smile, "I'll leave you to it, but remember, I'm always just a call away."
Jeanne watched her leave, before biting her cheek and, after making sure nobody was coming in (by getting up and locking the door), climbed into the bed next to Izuku.
"J-Jeanne-"
"Shut up," she muttered, worming into his side, "I missed you, you know that right, you idiot?"
"Yes?"
"Then let me stay like this for now," she said gruffly, grabbing the remote and hitting play, "and chew on some gum, your breath stinks now."
"Ok," Izuku said, sliding a piece into his mouth and beginning to chew as he wrapped an arm around Jeanne's shoulders.
---
Anastasia was in the middle of crashing a crystalline glass over Caster Cu's head when Viy started trying to grab her attention. In a move not quite suited for the Grand Duchess of Russia, she kicked the druid flat in the chest and sent him flying towards Edison. The lion Heroic Spirit caught him by the neck and swung him straight for Tesla. A rune flashed on either side of him, and both inventors were sent flying away from each other and Cu with explosive force.
Seconds later, she had lost track of them in the vicious war zone that made up floor thirteen, the first of four floors dedicated to letting the Servants vent their frustrations at each other in a... percussive way.
In short, it was where they went to beat the shit out of each other. Sure you could spar on other levels, but anything escalating from a brawl to just outright attempts to kill each other (rare though they were lest you brought Izuku's hard to draw ire upon you) happened here.
And many Casters were currently doing their level best to burn through the Bounded Fields that kept it safe as they argued over what type of Familiar was best for Izuku. Like the answer wasn't obviously an Elemental.
Preferably an ice one. Maybe with big Mystic Eyes…
Ok, so she might be a bit biased.
Contractor.
Anastasia turned her mind to the link between her and Viy. She froze for a second as she peered into Izuku's room, before snapping back to reality and freezing Caster Cu solid as he went to slam the flaming butt of his staff into her stomach.
The world around her dropped in temperature as she swept out of the room. Come on, Jalter. They had already let her out to see Izuku's home, now she was cuddling with him?
...God, she felt needy at times, keeping Viy on watch in Izuku's room. She… she didn't want to be like that, honestly. But…
Father collapsed with three bullet wounds in his chest, eyes wide as he raised a shaking hand to them. Alexandra was shot in the head before she had time to stand from her chair. Maria ran for the door only to be shot and bayoneted. Anastasia's black hair grew light as she touched something dark and cold within her as bullets hit home in her chest. Jimmy, loyal Jimmy, attacked them despite his small size the second he heard his owner cry out in pain, only for the dog to be skewered on a bayonet as she fell.
Anastasia shivered, Viy rising up in a mockery of a hug that only left her feeling colder. Despite that, she smiled up at the Elemental.
"We got them back," she muttered vindictively.
Vengeance…
Anastasia didn't particularly care if Izuku grew close to other girls, he would have to include Kiyohime in some way to keep the peace, and she could easily use that as a jumping off point…
But she kinda expected it to be Mash who broke through whatever barrier Izuku had placed around his heart.
Then she lifted her communicator to her mouth, "Nobu? How do you feel about a prank?"
---
Jeanne Alter felt like something had crawled across her nonexistent grave briefly. Izuku looked over at her, pulling the blanket around them slightly tighter. She swore, he knew what he was doing, if only at a subconscious level, "are you alright?"
"It's nothing," Jeanne said, leaning back on the throne of pillows they were lying against.
"If you say so," Izuku said, before turning his eyes briefly back to the screen… and wincing, "Why did you want to watch this again?"
"The manga is super good," Jeanne said, looking over at the kitchenette, "pause it real quick?"
Izuku did so, letting Jeanne stand up and walk over to the kitchen and began a bag of microwave popcorn. Izuku gave a quiet, "Oh… We're settling in for the long haul?"
"You've been unconscious for a month," Jeanne said, "That means we have a month of anime to catch up on."
"Alright," Izuku said, nodding.
Plus, if she was honest, she didn't want to risk being caught coming out of Izuku's room at some weird hour. She could trust Nemo Bakery to keep her mouth shut when the time came for a better meal. But everyone…
There was a sharp knock on the metal door, "Senpai? Are you awake?"
"Yes, Mash."
"Alright," Mash said, "I'm going to bed. If you need me for anything…"
"I'll be fine," Izuku said, using James's cane to stand and walk over to the door and open it while Jeanne ducked.
Stupid… frustrating… GAH, why did she have to trust this oblivious… GAH!
"You shouldn't be standing," Mash said.
"It's just for a minute," Izuku smiled, "just keep it a secret from Asclepius. Hug?"
Mash wrapped her arms around Izuku, and he hooked his free hand around her.
"Maybe tomorrow some of us can go out and see Mustafu together," Izuku said, letting go of Mash, "I can show you all where I used to live, and UA, and some of the other stuff."
"I'd like that," Mash said, "Goodnight, Senpai. Jeanne."
Crap on a cracker.
"Night, Mash." Jeanne said, gruffly.
"Goodnight," Izuku smiled, before letting the door slide shut and looking over at Jeanne, "Sorry, this is supposed to be your night, and…"
"Mash was worried sick about you," Jeanne said, pulling out the popcorn, "I won't be surprised if she pops up throughout the night. Now back in bed, I wanna see how this goes."
"Didn't you say you already read the manga?"
Yeah, but she was talking about his reactions.
---
Izuku quietly stewed in indignation as he was pushed through the halls of the Border by the newly dubbed Nemo Adjunct. Or, in layman's terms, a Nemo Marine wearing a fancy pin of a bird in flight. He hated this.
Hated it. He hated being forced to rely on a wheelchair to get around. They were working to fix his leg, this felt like they were backsliding.
Finally, they stopped at a door deep within the Border, and Izuku glanced at Nemo Adjunct, "Do you mind giving us some privacy? She's probably… not gonna be happy. I won't stand up, I promise."
"Yes, Master," Nemo said, saluting and walking away to talk to another Nemo Marine crouching in front of an open panel with a toolbox. Izuku reached out, knocking on the door, "Kama? Can I come in?"
Nothing. Yeah, that was fair.
"Alright," Izuku said, leaning back and twiddling his thumbs, "I'll just talk to you through the door then… I'm sorry about this. I know you don't wanna be here, I really do… but I can't let you out into the world."
Still nothing. Izuku shimmied the chair until it was resting against the wall, leaning his head back so his crown rested against it.
"I'm… I'm just gonna talk at you," Izuku said, "you don't have to say anything, ok?" … "Ok. I'm sorry I haven't really had time to talk to you before now. I wanted to, but… well, life has been hectic with the Lostbelts, and Beast VII, and everything. I hope you've been getting food, right?" … "right. Sorry, remember, even if you don't want to talk to us, Nemo Bakery can always get food made and run down to you."
Izuku listened closely, hearing a shuffle on the other side of a wall, and finally, a quiet, petulant voice half-muttered and half-spat, "I've been getting food, Master."
"That's good," Izuku said softly, "how is it?"
"...It's good," she said, "She always makes what I want, no matter what I want… she is a she, right?"
"That's complicated," Izuku hedged.
"So you don't know."
"Yeah," Izuku chuckled, "you got me."
"...Why are you doing this," Kama asked, "there are hundreds of people for you to talk to. A dozen that love-"
"Don't…" Izuku snapped, breathing in and closing his eyes.
"Oh…"
"What?" Izuku asked softly.
"Nothing," Kama said, a laugh in her voice, "why are you here."
"I want to be your friend," Izuku said.
"And what do we have in common for us to be friends?"
"I don't think we need stuff in common, or we would find it eventually if we talked but… uh… we both really don't like Kiara? I saw that prank you did to her last week. It was pretty funny."
"She deserved it," Kama said.
"I'm sure she did something to do so," Izuku shrugged, "don't worry about it, like I said, it was pretty funny."
---
"You think he'll like them?"
"They worked with him over… over me, back in Scandinavia. And if he doesn't like, we can reshape them."
"Fair enough."
---
Sakuya's Butler
A refined Butler to a knife wielding Mistress.
- Location
- ↓, ↘, → + Punch
Its always fun watching Jalter be tsundere. Because she does it flawlessly. And even better, she actually DOES canonically fall massively for Chaldea's master. Yet she cannot help but be Jeanne Alter.
So she just runs with it.
And it works. It just....works.
Now Kama? THAT is a big shock, considering her unique issues. OTOH, Izuku might actually be better than canon, for her.
So she just runs with it.
And it works. It just....works.
Now Kama? THAT is a big shock, considering her unique issues. OTOH, Izuku might actually be better than canon, for her.
ThatOnePsycho
Tilting his Vanes and Ennobling His Spires
Yeah. Kama is a very good example of why I call Izuku "anti-Beast" (though it's not his Origin). If he can stop a Beast by being it's friend (IV) he will. And if he can stop a Beast through the morally questionable action of trapping them on the Border with a Servant Contract... yeah, he will. He acknowledges the cruelty of the action, especially since Kama hates love and even outside of Izuku you've got Sigurd and Bryn and Xiang Yu and Yu Mei-ren, but he also can't just let her be free.
So Kama acts as a hikikomori. And Izuku hasn't had time to offer the hand of friendship to her.
Sakuya's Butler
A refined Butler to a knife wielding Mistress.
- Location
- ↓, ↘, → + Punch
I get the feeling Kama is actually going to be faaaaaar closer to Izuku than many realize, including herself. Especially if he actually 'friendzones' her. She'd cherish that more than anything in the world, even over a more 'romantic' relationship.
Also, if nothing else, plop Osakabehime down into Kama's room to visit/game/etc, or assign them as roommates.
Just as long as Parvati (and B.B....*shudders in horror*) is always on the far side of the Shadow Border from Kama. Well, that and let her bug Kiara. With the only limitations being 'no killing, no taking over the world, no body horrors', and let Kama go nuts on pranking the MEGATHOT. Endlessly.
Yu Mei-Ren actually mellows out so long as you've summoned Xiang Yu. They're even worse as a Weapon of Mass Diabetes when together, than Sigurd & Bryn. IIRC it even causes one of the nastier Servants (Meph I believe) to back off during the next Summer event because they're so sugary as a pair he wants to commit suicide.
And Izuku isn't the Anti-Beast. He can't be.
That's Mash's job.
She utterly nullifies Fou after all.
ThatOnePsycho
Tilting his Vanes and Ennobling His Spires
She still has a little bite here, but mostly keeps to herself, Xiang, Gao and taking care of the unconscious Crypters. It just kinda stings that Chaldea has become Izuku's Chaldea.
Nah. Izuku has (as per Babylonia's anime) stabbed Tiamat to drop Nega Genesis, fist fought Goetia to let him vent his rage at the plan going tits up, puts up with Kiara, and traps Kama. He's very much so anti-Beast.
Chapter 11
ThatOnePsycho
Tilting his Vanes and Ennobling His Spires
And then Psycho burst from the shade, and hit MoH with a small update to deal with crippling anxiety attacks.
---
Yu quietly dabbed ointment onto the savaged man's neck. The scars along it were slowly but surely shrinking, convincing her Midoriya was just faking his injury more and more by the day-
"Yu?" Think of the devil and he will come, evidently. Yu turned watching him sit in the doorway with a sour look on his face. Not directed at her, but at the wheelchair he was confined in. Literally, with a strap across his lap and leg, "can I come in?"
For a second, Yu considered turning him away. Partially just to see what happened, partially out of spite, finally, she sighed and gestured for him to move forward, "I suppose."
"Thank you," Izuku said, the Nemo Series pushing him forwards so he could stop between the pair of beds, "How are they?"
"No closer to waking up," Yu said.
Izuku nodded, reaching out to touch Pepe's hair and stopping to brush the scars from Beryl's last attack, "Asclepius is doing well."
"It makes me think your leg is fine," Yu said conversationally.
"There's definitely some damage," Izuku defended, "if it was all psychosomatic Asclepius would have just told me and been done with it. He wouldn't perform surgery for no reason."
"But that implies some of it is psychosomatic," Yu shot back, and Izuku raised his chin.
"In my defense, when you see your knee bent a hundred and eighty degrees in the wrong direction, your brain's default probably should be "I can't use this anymore." And I say that as a man who was once impaled and thrown around a stone church like a ragdoll by an elder god."
"Maybe for you humans," Yu said, "That's more of a minor inconvenience for me… the leg thing, of course. I'm not petty enough to take away the credit for surviving Yog-Sothoth."
"You should," Izuku said, "because "survive" is the right word. If you want evidence for how bad my leg is, I came out of that fight with six cracked vertebrae! Six! If it weren't for Circe, I'd probably be stuck in this stupid thing all the time."
Izuku punctuated that statement by punching the armrest of the wheelchair. To be fair, it was a very nice wheelchair in Yu's opinion, but she could understand Izuku, who seemed to be in perpetual motion, being indignant about being stuck in it.
"I don't know, six cracked vertebrae still seems impressive for an Outer God throwing you around," Yu teased, fighting the rising smile.
Damn Izuku for being so likable. He had been like that since they had first met at Chaldea, him trailing behind Mash and Romani like a puppy.
"That's just the start. Fractured my sternum and reset the progress we had made on my leg," Izuku complained, "And that's not getting into the organ damage or slew of potions and pills they put me on to keep the wound from getting infected, Akuta-Senpai!"
Gaia, why had she made that joke? It felt wrong for anyone to call her Senpai, and that wasn't getting into the logistics of how long she had been in cryo compared to how long he had been working.
"Don't call me that," she ordered, "Hinako or Yu will do, Master."
"Ok," Izuku said, eyes trailing over to the other unconscious man, "...is it bad I'm worried about when he wakes up?"
"No," Yu said, examining Kadoc's unconscious face, "You don't really know Kadoc, Master, and he was… close to his servant. A Servant who's true form loves-"
"Don't-
"She loves you," Yu said bluntly, watching Izuku recoil as if he was struck, "Why does that scare you so much to have admitted to you, Izuku?"
"...There are better people than me to love," Izuku muttered.
"Love isn't like that," Yu advised, "There is no better or worse in love, who you end up loving is always the best. It's as simple as that."
"That doesn't sound simple," Izuku said.
"Well, it is," Yu said, "How do you think a True Ancestor and a Centaur came to love each other? He could do better than me."
"Nobody could do better than Yu the Beauty," Izuku immediately said.
"And nobody could do better than Izuku the Chaldean, if they decide they love him," Yu said humorously, "love is a complicated subject, Master. We don't pick who we fall in love with. I never wanted to fall in love, but I don't regret it despite the time I spent apart from Xiang Yu. You'll understand it one day."
Izuku shifted uncomfortably, as best as he could, strapped to the chair, "if you say so… I need to go, I promised Pollux I would watch a spar between her and Li Shuwen."
Bringing up an uncomfortable subject to get them to leave. Worked every time.
—
Castor stood behind the seated Master, arms crossed across the top of the wheelchair, "I don't understand why we're doing this. Sister is capable of wrestling Alcides. There's no way this human will beat her."
"You're more than likely not wrong," Master agreed, "Li Shuwen just wants to test his skills. As the God Spear, he takes pride in being the greatest martial artist of the modern era. He wants to test his skills."
"You already said that," Castor snarked, "so he wants to be crushed?"
"He wants to see how long he can last," Master corrected, "and, I think, what the pinnacle of Kāimén bā jí quán can do against the greatest boxer to ever live… of course, that's not quite right, if I believe Jason."
"What do you mean by that?" Castor gritted out. Was Izuku implying that Pollux wasn't-?
"Jason said Pollux killed King Amy- Amyk- Amykos?"
"Amykos, yes," Castor corrected his pronunciation.
"By punching him in the elbow," Master finished, "So I'd say that Pollux and Master Li Shuwen are actually very similar. Both are fighters who need no second strike to win. So this will be a spar based mostly around dodging. Whoever lands the first real blow will likely win, unless the other is capable of resisting whatever properties give the other's fists such lethality. Which, if I'm honest, still skews the match in the favor of your sister. I find it far more likely that Pollux resists being enveloped in Master Li's Qi than it is that Master Li resists the unknown specifics of your sister's ability to take a life with a blow. No offense, Master."
"None taken," the grey haired Martial Artist said, legs sliding apart and arms shifting into the base stance of Bajiquan, one fist raised to partially guard his face, the other parallel with his sternum, "once again, your assessment of the situation is entirely perfect. It's why I wanted this duel, excepting myself, I cannot say I've ever fought another opponent for whom a second strike is unnecessary. Thank you for humoring me, Pollux."
"I can say the same, Kami Yari," Pollux said, tightening the leather straps on her hands and jumping in place to limber up, "I haven't had the pleasure of fighting someone who can kill with a touch before."
"If you're both ready," Master said, "you can begin."
It was honestly a question to Castor how Master could see the fight, or if he could even see the fight and was just sitting there to humor the two combatants. Even with his highly trained eye, the fight was a blur of motion.
Li sent an elbow strike at Pollux's head, who swept around it and sent a punch for the kidneys. Li fanned his arm down and deflected the punch without blinking, spinning in place and stamping hard on Pollux's instep, trying to force her to fall onto the defensive. Instead, Pollux grabbed him by the leg and threw him over her head like a bag of flour.
Li landed on all fours, before rising up to his feet as Pollux rushed forwards and punched at him. Once, twice, thrice, four times, each punch was weaved around without missing a beat. The short demigoddess lept up and punched at Li's head, where the grey haired martial artist caught the punch and dangled her above the air.
A chirp went off on Master's wrist communicator, and he glanced at it as Pollux wrapped her body around the the hand holding her up and threw a punch at his kidney again-
"I have to go," Master said suddenly, raising his communicator to his mouth, "Okita, I need you on floor four. An, Nobu, that wasn't funny. Jeanne… I'm be right there. Nemo!"
The Nemo playing a game on a screen with their tongue out jumped up, saluting and taking the wheelchair'd handles.
"Disaster waits for no man," Li Shuwen said, dropping Pollux, "What happened, if I can ask?"
"Nobu and An just pranked Jeanne Alter," Izuku said, "She's gonna be… angry."
—
---
Yu quietly dabbed ointment onto the savaged man's neck. The scars along it were slowly but surely shrinking, convincing her Midoriya was just faking his injury more and more by the day-
"Yu?" Think of the devil and he will come, evidently. Yu turned watching him sit in the doorway with a sour look on his face. Not directed at her, but at the wheelchair he was confined in. Literally, with a strap across his lap and leg, "can I come in?"
For a second, Yu considered turning him away. Partially just to see what happened, partially out of spite, finally, she sighed and gestured for him to move forward, "I suppose."
"Thank you," Izuku said, the Nemo Series pushing him forwards so he could stop between the pair of beds, "How are they?"
"No closer to waking up," Yu said.
Izuku nodded, reaching out to touch Pepe's hair and stopping to brush the scars from Beryl's last attack, "Asclepius is doing well."
"It makes me think your leg is fine," Yu said conversationally.
"There's definitely some damage," Izuku defended, "if it was all psychosomatic Asclepius would have just told me and been done with it. He wouldn't perform surgery for no reason."
"But that implies some of it is psychosomatic," Yu shot back, and Izuku raised his chin.
"In my defense, when you see your knee bent a hundred and eighty degrees in the wrong direction, your brain's default probably should be "I can't use this anymore." And I say that as a man who was once impaled and thrown around a stone church like a ragdoll by an elder god."
"Maybe for you humans," Yu said, "That's more of a minor inconvenience for me… the leg thing, of course. I'm not petty enough to take away the credit for surviving Yog-Sothoth."
"You should," Izuku said, "because "survive" is the right word. If you want evidence for how bad my leg is, I came out of that fight with six cracked vertebrae! Six! If it weren't for Circe, I'd probably be stuck in this stupid thing all the time."
Izuku punctuated that statement by punching the armrest of the wheelchair. To be fair, it was a very nice wheelchair in Yu's opinion, but she could understand Izuku, who seemed to be in perpetual motion, being indignant about being stuck in it.
"I don't know, six cracked vertebrae still seems impressive for an Outer God throwing you around," Yu teased, fighting the rising smile.
Damn Izuku for being so likable. He had been like that since they had first met at Chaldea, him trailing behind Mash and Romani like a puppy.
"That's just the start. Fractured my sternum and reset the progress we had made on my leg," Izuku complained, "And that's not getting into the organ damage or slew of potions and pills they put me on to keep the wound from getting infected, Akuta-Senpai!"
Gaia, why had she made that joke? It felt wrong for anyone to call her Senpai, and that wasn't getting into the logistics of how long she had been in cryo compared to how long he had been working.
"Don't call me that," she ordered, "Hinako or Yu will do, Master."
"Ok," Izuku said, eyes trailing over to the other unconscious man, "...is it bad I'm worried about when he wakes up?"
"No," Yu said, examining Kadoc's unconscious face, "You don't really know Kadoc, Master, and he was… close to his servant. A Servant who's true form loves-"
"Don't-
"She loves you," Yu said bluntly, watching Izuku recoil as if he was struck, "Why does that scare you so much to have admitted to you, Izuku?"
"...There are better people than me to love," Izuku muttered.
"Love isn't like that," Yu advised, "There is no better or worse in love, who you end up loving is always the best. It's as simple as that."
"That doesn't sound simple," Izuku said.
"Well, it is," Yu said, "How do you think a True Ancestor and a Centaur came to love each other? He could do better than me."
"Nobody could do better than Yu the Beauty," Izuku immediately said.
"And nobody could do better than Izuku the Chaldean, if they decide they love him," Yu said humorously, "love is a complicated subject, Master. We don't pick who we fall in love with. I never wanted to fall in love, but I don't regret it despite the time I spent apart from Xiang Yu. You'll understand it one day."
Izuku shifted uncomfortably, as best as he could, strapped to the chair, "if you say so… I need to go, I promised Pollux I would watch a spar between her and Li Shuwen."
Bringing up an uncomfortable subject to get them to leave. Worked every time.
—
Castor stood behind the seated Master, arms crossed across the top of the wheelchair, "I don't understand why we're doing this. Sister is capable of wrestling Alcides. There's no way this human will beat her."
"You're more than likely not wrong," Master agreed, "Li Shuwen just wants to test his skills. As the God Spear, he takes pride in being the greatest martial artist of the modern era. He wants to test his skills."
"You already said that," Castor snarked, "so he wants to be crushed?"
"He wants to see how long he can last," Master corrected, "and, I think, what the pinnacle of Kāimén bā jí quán can do against the greatest boxer to ever live… of course, that's not quite right, if I believe Jason."
"What do you mean by that?" Castor gritted out. Was Izuku implying that Pollux wasn't-?
"Jason said Pollux killed King Amy- Amyk- Amykos?"
"Amykos, yes," Castor corrected his pronunciation.
"By punching him in the elbow," Master finished, "So I'd say that Pollux and Master Li Shuwen are actually very similar. Both are fighters who need no second strike to win. So this will be a spar based mostly around dodging. Whoever lands the first real blow will likely win, unless the other is capable of resisting whatever properties give the other's fists such lethality. Which, if I'm honest, still skews the match in the favor of your sister. I find it far more likely that Pollux resists being enveloped in Master Li's Qi than it is that Master Li resists the unknown specifics of your sister's ability to take a life with a blow. No offense, Master."
"None taken," the grey haired Martial Artist said, legs sliding apart and arms shifting into the base stance of Bajiquan, one fist raised to partially guard his face, the other parallel with his sternum, "once again, your assessment of the situation is entirely perfect. It's why I wanted this duel, excepting myself, I cannot say I've ever fought another opponent for whom a second strike is unnecessary. Thank you for humoring me, Pollux."
"I can say the same, Kami Yari," Pollux said, tightening the leather straps on her hands and jumping in place to limber up, "I haven't had the pleasure of fighting someone who can kill with a touch before."
"If you're both ready," Master said, "you can begin."
It was honestly a question to Castor how Master could see the fight, or if he could even see the fight and was just sitting there to humor the two combatants. Even with his highly trained eye, the fight was a blur of motion.
Li sent an elbow strike at Pollux's head, who swept around it and sent a punch for the kidneys. Li fanned his arm down and deflected the punch without blinking, spinning in place and stamping hard on Pollux's instep, trying to force her to fall onto the defensive. Instead, Pollux grabbed him by the leg and threw him over her head like a bag of flour.
Li landed on all fours, before rising up to his feet as Pollux rushed forwards and punched at him. Once, twice, thrice, four times, each punch was weaved around without missing a beat. The short demigoddess lept up and punched at Li's head, where the grey haired martial artist caught the punch and dangled her above the air.
A chirp went off on Master's wrist communicator, and he glanced at it as Pollux wrapped her body around the the hand holding her up and threw a punch at his kidney again-
"I have to go," Master said suddenly, raising his communicator to his mouth, "Okita, I need you on floor four. An, Nobu, that wasn't funny. Jeanne… I'm be right there. Nemo!"
The Nemo playing a game on a screen with their tongue out jumped up, saluting and taking the wheelchair'd handles.
"Disaster waits for no man," Li Shuwen said, dropping Pollux, "What happened, if I can ask?"
"Nobu and An just pranked Jeanne Alter," Izuku said, "She's gonna be… angry."
—
ThatOnePsycho
Tilting his Vanes and Ennobling His Spires
Bloodstained is getting a new chapter whenever I can fight through the malaise of the Sport's Fest to actually get it done. That fic is getting finished, even if it takes 3 million cc's of adrenaline to keep it alive long enough to cross the fucking finish line. Sinners is getting an update whenever I snort enough crack for that fic's proper mindset, and BiB is getting an update whenever I finally feel like writing the QAT again, which, since I'm currently struggling real hard to get through it without making Aizawa and Izuku get into too much of a pissing match (seriously, there is a strong urge to literally have Aizawa finally fall for his own bluff, expel Izuku since Izuku holds it back and have Nezu get a call from an incensed Best Jeanist about what UA thinks it's doing giving a teacher permission to expel people for "lacking potential" on day one before the fact that it's a trick is revealed comes out. Part of me just wants to do it for the novelty) over in String Theory, probably isn't for a while unfortunately.
ThatOnePsycho
Tilting his Vanes and Ennobling His Spires
Oh, minor bit of house keeping. You know how I said I'd be picking and chosing anything after LB 5 revelations to make my life significantly easier (spoiler warning, it doesn't actually make my life easier, as I have to go through and individually pick each established plotpoint for if I'm including it or not)?
Yeah, that whole "Beryl broke into Mash's room and started torturing her to draw out a reaction from her"? That revelation is definitely staying in, as I don't know if you noticed but I was conspicuously avoiding what was implied to happen because I really, really didn't want to confirm he had sexually assaulted Mash in what spends a lot of the story proper in Light hearted territory.
But he didn't, so he didn't.
Yeah, that whole "Beryl broke into Mash's room and started torturing her to draw out a reaction from her"? That revelation is definitely staying in, as I don't know if you noticed but I was conspicuously avoiding what was implied to happen because I really, really didn't want to confirm he had sexually assaulted Mash in what spends a lot of the story proper in Light hearted territory.
But he didn't, so he didn't.
Chapter 12
ThatOnePsycho
Tilting his Vanes and Ennobling His Spires
Alright, so this is the last chapter before UA. The bad news is that, well, Familiar and Raikou had to get delayed until just before/after they deploy to UA (though since Izuku was only supposed to resummon Raikou after getting out of the chair, that's probably for the best). The good news is the next chapter I release will, short of me doing a side chapter based around Erice and Voyager's trip to Tokyo (which I currently don't have plans to do), we will start next chapter with them packing their last things for UA and heading off to the Entrance Exam.
---
Anastasia watched Oda Nobunaga finish setting up the final stages of the prank, the diminutive warlord laughing to herself.
"You're in a good mood,' she said.
"I've waited almost a year for the prank, Stasia," Nobu said, hopping down from the ladder and sliding into the corner.
"I asked you to do it yester- whatever," Anastasia sighed, used to Nobu's bizarre behavior after so long as her friend.
You wouldn't think they would be friends at a thought, but the truth was that they were both pranksters. Anastasia could cause Marble Phantasm for the sake of her pranks. The two of them got along like a house of fire.
"Yes, but this is Nobu's triumphant appearance! The audience has waited months for this cameo!" Nobu laughed, gripping the cord as hard as she could and grinning. Anastasia looked out the nearly closed doorway, before nodding to Nobu and ducking out of the way. Here they went… "Show your corpse to the Three Thousand Worlds!"
"Wha-?" Jeanne Alter got out before the three thousand mystic code paintball guns Anastasia had made hammered into her faster than her A rank agility could save her. The black dress and purple jacket she had on was stained bright baby blue, as was her silver hair. Golden eyes snapped to the laughing pair of Servants, and Anastasia quietly visualized a wall of ice between her and Jalter. She had already experienced burning alive once, she didn't want to do it again.
Instead, Jalter lifted both her arms, eyes promising murder… and pressed the button on her communicator that sent a message immediately to Izuku. Oh, "You bitch."
"You're the one who fired the first shot, Ice Queen," Jalter grinned a grin that was all teeth, blue dripping into her mouth and staining it fluorescent. Anastasia ground her teeth, fists gripping tight at her side as Viy rose around her. Jalter reached to her side, gripping the blackened form of the Sword of Saint Catherine. Flames burst along it as she drew it with her right hand, the paint being swallowed by licking tendrils.
No, that would have been Jeanne Alter yesterday. Hoarfrost gathered around her as Viy's Mystic Eyes of Penetration began to open and glow, "It's Grand Duchess, actually, Dragon Witch."
"Oh, good," The flames built further, the fumes of the paint igniting as the paint itself burnt off and left Jeanne Alter looking like some sort of demon from hell, "I was worried your title wasn't conceited enough."
Anastasia raised her hand, palm facing the ground, as Jeanne Alter shifted her grip on the Sword of Saint Catherine, left hand coming down to draw a nameless katana from her hip.
Before either attack could go off, Izuku's voice came over the loudspeaker,."Okita, I need you on floor four. An, Nobu, that wasn't funny. Jeanne… I'll be right there."
Somehow, the exhaustion in his voice hurt more than any attack Jeanne Alter could have thrown her way. Embers and Frost clashed for a second before dying down from both Servants. Jeanne Alter sheathed both swords at her hip and Anastasia leaned into Viy's embrace, both sides glaring at each other.
"Bringing Izuku into this was a low blow," Anastasia hissed.
"Sad your crush is angry at you?" Jeanne Alter mocked.
"Like you're one to talk about crushes, 'let me cuddle with you while we watch anime'."
Jeanne Alter locked up, an explosion of blush flaring across her face. "How do you- don't go telling anyone about that, you- is that what this stupid prank was about? How childish can you be?"
"It can't be helped, Stasia," Nobu laughed, drawing attention back to her… and revealing that she was standing there with a matchlock across her shoulders and a second resting barrel first on the ground, even as she watched them both warily, "Izuku was gonna find out sooner or later!"
"What's going on here?" Okita walked in through the blue stained door.
—
Izuku was wheeled into the room with an exhausted sigh, looking between Anastasia and Jeanne. They were staring daggers at each other, and Viy was out, but otherwise… "Why did I get called if you two were just gonna sort things out before I even got here?'
Both girls just grumbled under their breath, refusing to meet his eye. Izuku rolled his eyes with a sigh, tilting his head enough to look at Nemo Adjutant, "Left side, third pouch down please?'
"Let's see, let's see," the Nemo said, pulling out a pill bottle, "one, up to four times a day for… headaches?"
"Yeah, that's the one. Thanks," Izuku said with a smile, taking the chocolate tablet and sucking on it before pulling out a pair of chocolate bars from the side pouch and offering them to Nobu and Okita, who were sitting off to the side. Nobu grabbed them both, handing one to Okita a second later after the incredulous look the sakura haired girl gave her. Izuku finished letting the tablet dissolve and then sighed, "Alright, what's going on?"
"... It's nothing," Jeanne insisted after a moment, "We had a disagreement about something earlier and Grand Duchess over there decided to prank me over it. That's all."
"So take it to floor 12 and fight it out," Izuku said, already feeling the effects of the tablet kicking in. Ah, sweet alchemy, was there nothing you couldn't do? "That's what it's there for. Now Nemo's gonna have to clean up all of… this."
Izuku gestured emphatically to the surrounding mess. The bright blue, the exact same shade as the outside of Anastasia's cape, he noticed, paint staining the black carpeting and white walls, the burned hole in the same carpeting that revealed the metal floor underneath.
"Yeah!" Nemo Adjutant interjected, "Do you know how annoying it's gonna be! You're gonna want it done today, Jeanne Alter, which means we're gonna need a new carpet made, and to make sure the electronics didn't get damaged by condensation, and to move everything out of the room, which means unbolting everything and, and, and-"
"We appreciate the hard work you do, Nemo, we really do," Izuku said, patting the Nemo on the head, "even if some of us can be really bad at showing it."
Izuku jerked his head to give a meaningful look at the three in trouble. Nobu finished swallowing her chocolate bar, nodding, "You're the reason we can do so much fun stuff, Nemo! Just because we do it in places that mean you're gonna have to do work doesn't mean we don't appreciate you. It just means we think you're good enough to fix whatever we break!"
"I honestly can't tell if that was meant to be backhanded or not," Izuku said.
"I don't think it was," Nemo said, offering a watery smile at Nobu, who grinned back.
"Alright, Okita, just… make sure she doesn't cause any other messes for the rest of the day, ok?"
"You can count on me maste- ah," the last word was cut off by one of Okita's signature coughing fits, splattering the black carpeting with red blood that caused another small wail from Nemo.
"And you two?" Izuku said, eyes shifting to Jeanne and Anastasia.
"Sorry," Jeanne grumbled, toing the hole she had burned in the carpeting, "It's my room, you can take a couple of days to get everything fixed up, I'll find somewhere else to crash until then."
The Nemo grumbled at that, and Izuku shifted his gaze to Anastasia. She bowed, "Sorry, Nemo. It seemed like a good idea at the time…"
"Now that is definitely backhanded. Wanna try again?" Izuku asked, snark entering his voice for the first time since he entered the room. Anastasia winced.
"I'm sorry, Nemo, I won't do it again."
Well that was good for about three weeks, unless she specifically meant "I won't use an army's worth of paintball guns" again. Like, he wouldn't trade her for the world, if he could avoid it, but he had absolutely no trust that Anastasia was gonna not prank people going forwards.
"Next on my schedule is," Izuku muttered tapping the communicator and pulling up the List, "Right, me and Mash were gonna go out into Mustafu-"
"I'm coming!" Anastasia yelped immediately.
"You're in trouble," Izuku shot back.
"Please?" Anastasia shot him with her best puppy dog eyes, which Izuku stressfastly ignored. Or at least tried to, "C'mon Izuku, they wouldn't let me leave while you were unconscious and said I could go when you got up!"
"We… did, kinda say that, didn't we?" Jeanne muttered.
…
"Fine, fine. Go get changed into something that won't stand out," Izuku sighed, throwing up his hands, "I'll be waiting outside the Border when you're done. Mash?"
"Yes, Senpai?" Mash's voice came out of the communicator.
"We're gonna go into Mustafu with An, meet me outside the Border when you're ready to go."
"Ok!" Mash chriped, "What are we gonna do?"
"Visit downtown and stop by my Mom's apartment," Izuku said as Nemo wheeled him out.
—
Erice was sitting in the water, stirring it with one leg when the Border breached the surface. A long ramp extended from the ship until it was in the sand behind her and Erice watched Izuku wheel himself down the ramp. Climbing to her feet, she walked towards her Master.
"Hey."
"Hi," Izuku said, glancing over and smiling at her, "What are you doing out here?"
"Thinking about going for a swim," Erice said, before throwing a look at the water, "of course, the way the beach is, I'd probably end up hitting something. This place is a mess."
"Yeah," Izuku said, unwrapping a chocolate shaped like a cigarette and popping it into his mouth, chewing thoughtfully, "Where's V'ger?"
"Somewhere in there, with Tesla," Erice nodded to the piles of trash on the beach, "I might hate it, but you got to admit, the trash is good for the Casters to scrounge up QP from."
"We'll get it cleaned up sooner or later. I don't want our front lawn to be a landfill," Izuku said, before swapping to accenting English, "Voyager! What are ya making?"
Voyager's head popped out over a pile of trash, a minute later, "We're making a rocket, Mr. Izuku! Now that we don't need to worry about the Foreign God shooting it down, me and Mr. Tesla want to try out a design we've had for a while!"
"Good to hear! Just be careful, ok, Kiddo? We don't want you getting buried under all that trash!"
"I'm a Servant, Mr. Izuku!" Voyager giggled, "if I get covered, I can just astralize to get out!"
"Yeah, but it'd be scary until you thought to do that, wouldn't it?" Izuku asked, leaning forwards and smiling as he rested his elbows on the armrests of the wheelchair.
"That's true," Voyager nodded, "I'll be careful!"
"Good to hear. Wanna go out for ice cream at some point with Jack and Jeanne?"
Voyager's eyes lit up, and he nodded.
"Right, it's a promise. I'll add it to the list of things I need to do," Izuku said, pulling up his schedule, which was fully blocked in, *let's see… that can't move back. That can't either… that can wait a week or two."
"While you're at it," Erice said, "I want some time off."
"For what reason?" Izuku said, "because time off implies you're doing something that isn't just relaxing on the Border."
"I want to head into Mosaic- Tokyo," Erice started before correcting herself. Mosaic City didn't exist here.
"Yeah?" Izuku said, pulling up a different app on his communicator and typing in something with his tongue poking out of the corner of his mouth.
"I know it's petty, but I want to see what Akihabara looks like."
"Heck of a lot different," Izuku said, "it's a major part of otaku culture here, not a resort town."
"I know, but… I need to see it with my own eyes. How it's different, how Shinjuku's changed, and-"
"Right, three to one vote. You're authorized to deploy as soon as you want."
"-Shi -bwah?"
"What, did you think I was gonna keep you from going?" Izuku asked, closing the app that she now realized was a chat with Goredolf, Da Vinci-Chan and Sherlock, "If you need to go see how the world's changed from the one you know, go then. We have plenty of Servants here, Erice. We can afford to have you gone for… what, a few days, max? The biggest problem is finding a place for you to stay while you're not with us, and even that just requires us getting some yen. Are you gonna take Voyager with you?"
"Probably, yeah," Erice said, still feeling a bit poleaxed by the swiftness at which her request had been accepted.
"Cool," Izuku said as the Border, opened up, letting Mash and Anastasia out into the beach, "I'll see you when you get back, ok, Erice?"
"Yeah," Erice said.
It was hard to remember that Izuku viewed himself as their friend first, Master second, sometimes. This was one of those, who just let their Servant head off to another City without a care in the world?
"Who voted against me going?"
"Goredolf, and even he just doesn't think it's a good idea to deploy a Servant so far out when we haven't locked down the immediate area."
—
Inko looked up at the polite knock on her roped up door, standing up and undoing the rope (and old All Might jump rope from when Izuku was small) holding it shut. The minute it fell to the ground, the door swung open, leaving Izuku staring at the hand shaped indenture in the wood with a tilted head. He was wearing a pair of white pants, a dark blue jacket that's sleeves stopped just below his elbows and a short orange scarf around his neck. Behind him was Mash in the same white and grey sweatshirt over black dress she had been wearing the first time they had met and Anastasia wearing a white and slightly translucent sundress, a straw sunhat on her head even though it was early spring.
"What happened here?" Izuku asked, laying his fingers over the indents in the door. Inko looked at them, blushing in embarrassment.
"I tried to shut the door on your… ah, friends, yesterday, and Artoria decided to keep me from doing that."
"Makes sense," Izuku mumbled, before devolving further, "I'll get Nemo to send a coupleofmarinesoutheretoreplacethedoor-"
"Breath," Anastasia deadpanned, causing Izuku to blink and laugh.
"I'll get it fixed, Mom," Izuku said, "Real easy."
"Thank you," Inko said, stepping aside, "come in!"
Mash grabbed the handles, wheeling Izuku into the apartment. Anastasia looked around as they did, muttering something under her breath, something that sounded suspiciously like "my room at Servfest was bigger than this."
"Sorry? I didn't catch that."
"Just surprised about how small it is is all," Anastasia said with a sheepish smile, "I'm sure it's modestly sized for the time and place, but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't used to more spacious accommodations. There was obviously far more space at the… places, I stayed in life, Chaldea was cavernous in its size, and you've already experienced the Border yourself."
"Ah," Inko stared at her, "I suppose, being a princess would make this feel slightly claustrophobic. It's about the size of an apartment of this cost-"
"Izuku!" Anastasia switched languages, volleying words at high speeds. Izuku was quiet for a second, then responded with.
"Sorry, could you try that again at a speed I might actually be able to understand? Russian still isn't my strong suit."
Anastasia repeated what she said, slower but still Incomprehensible to Inko's ear. Izuku nodded, stuttering out a response where he seemed to second guess every second or third word.
"Don't ask me," Mash said with a sheepish smile, stopping as she noticed something down the hall and walked towards it, "I don't speak Russia- Izuku, is this your room?"
Anastasia stopped in the middle of another sentence, head whipping towards where Mash was and gliding across the floor at breakneck speeds towards the room. Izuku winced, turning as best he could as he was left alone and sighing, "Here we go."
—
Anastasia stared at the room in front of her with an open jaw, turning to look at Mash, who looked similarly poleaxed, before turning towards the resigned look on Izuku's face. He rolled his eyes good naturedly, shrugging. Anastasia latched a hand over her mouth as a snerk of laughter slipped out.
"Laugh it up you two, it's funny," Izuku said, and Anastasia stopped trying to hide her laughter, behind her, based on the giggling, Mash had done the same. Izuku wheeled himself closer, casting a look at the doorway, "I don't know why this surprises you guys. I said I was a huge All Might fanboy."
"Yeah, but this is… more than I thought, Senpai!" Mash giggled, before breathing in, "it still smells like you, though."
Yeah, that didn't irritate Anastasia at all. That Mash could identify Izuku based on smell alone.
"It does? Weird, even with me only missing for a few months, you'd think it'd start to smell like dust or something," Izuku stopped in front of the door, looking into the room affectionately, "Man, I had more stuff than I remember. Good God, how much did this stuff cost, Mom?"
Anastasia watched Izuku plant his hand on the doorframe, and he seemed to deage in front of her eyes. The exhaustion in his eyes lightened to fond amusement as his perpetual, small smile split into a wide grin, the slight hunch of his shoulders loosened. Even the grey in his hair seemed to vanish for a second.
"Fou?" And just like that, the spell was broken as a familiar yip came from behind them. Izuku's eyes snapped away from the room and towards Fou, though the amusement didn't fade.
"We did not leave the border with you, little guy," Izuku laughed.
"Kyu!"
"You wanna see the room? Come on over."
Fou moved with lightning speed, winding around Inko's legs, hopping up onto the wheelchair before leaping and jumping to land on Izuku's head, plopping down on the mass of fluff.
Anastasia took a picture of that in a heartbeat, just like she did every time Fou did that. Because it never stopped being adorable.
"Mom, this is Fou. He's kinda… our pet, I guess?"
"Fou!"
"I know buddy," Izuku said, reaching up to scratch Fou behind the ear, "but it's the easiest way to explain our relationship. You've been with us through hell and high water, I know. We're partners."
"Kyu. Fou."
"Love you too, buddy. Where have you been?"
"...Fou?"
"You didn't," Izuku said, sounding agast before grabbing his communicator, "Someone check my candy supply, I think Fou got into it."
Oh, that little.
"That's a yes," The Count's voice said, "want me to fry it?"
"FOU! KYU!"
"No," Izuku said, shooting a look up at Fou as best he could, "You're gonna kill yourself doing that someday, I swear."
"Fou… Fou kyu."
"I bet," Izuku said, before leaning against the doorway and turning his eyes back to the room, "I wonder how much this all would go for if we gave it to the Golden Rule Servants to sell."
"Izuku?" Inko said, sounding startled.
"Gotta give up this kind of stuff sooner or later," Izuku said, "All Might's awesome, don't get me wrong but… I've met a lot of awesome Heroes now, you know? Artoria, Jeanne, Karna, Arjuna, Galahad Alter, Mash… Musashi… Roman."
If the second to last one was said softly, with something verging on reverence, the last one was said almost inaudibly, with reverence. Mash clenched her eyes shut next to Izuku like she had just… just taken a bullet to the chest. Fou sagged in Izuku's hair, letting out a soft, "Kyu…"
"Roman?" Inko asked.
"It always comes back to him in the end, doesn't it?" Anastasia asked, not really sure how to sort the emotions tied to the name. One of the happiest days of her life… unlife… whatever being a Servant counted as, the day she was summoned and met Izuku for the first time… was one of the worst days of his life. The first day he had nearly killed himself desperately trying to summon someone who would never come.
The other name wasn't much easier. Anastasia wasn't delusional enough to not know she didn't play first fiddle in Izuku's heart, that position lay solely, and probably always would lay with, Mash. But it really stung knowing she didn't play second fiddle either. That position was for Musashi.
"Romani Archaman, the Mage-King Solomon," Izuku said, "He was like… Chaldea's dad…"
"Our perverted, goofball of a dad," Mash said.
"He'd raise hell if one of us was in trouble, but…"
"God, was he embarrassing sometimes."
"Remember when he found out Magi☆Mari was Merlin? I thought he was gonna have a stroke."
"You should have seen him when Gut was around."
"I did that one time," Izuku chuckled, "I don't think I've ever seen Roman more angry about anything… not even having to put up with Merlin or finding out about Goetia."
"Don't ask me," Anastasia said at the glance from Inko, "he was… gone, by the time I was summoned."
---
Anastasia watched Oda Nobunaga finish setting up the final stages of the prank, the diminutive warlord laughing to herself.
"You're in a good mood,' she said.
"I've waited almost a year for the prank, Stasia," Nobu said, hopping down from the ladder and sliding into the corner.
"I asked you to do it yester- whatever," Anastasia sighed, used to Nobu's bizarre behavior after so long as her friend.
You wouldn't think they would be friends at a thought, but the truth was that they were both pranksters. Anastasia could cause Marble Phantasm for the sake of her pranks. The two of them got along like a house of fire.
"Yes, but this is Nobu's triumphant appearance! The audience has waited months for this cameo!" Nobu laughed, gripping the cord as hard as she could and grinning. Anastasia looked out the nearly closed doorway, before nodding to Nobu and ducking out of the way. Here they went… "Show your corpse to the Three Thousand Worlds!"
"Wha-?" Jeanne Alter got out before the three thousand mystic code paintball guns Anastasia had made hammered into her faster than her A rank agility could save her. The black dress and purple jacket she had on was stained bright baby blue, as was her silver hair. Golden eyes snapped to the laughing pair of Servants, and Anastasia quietly visualized a wall of ice between her and Jalter. She had already experienced burning alive once, she didn't want to do it again.
Instead, Jalter lifted both her arms, eyes promising murder… and pressed the button on her communicator that sent a message immediately to Izuku. Oh, "You bitch."
"You're the one who fired the first shot, Ice Queen," Jalter grinned a grin that was all teeth, blue dripping into her mouth and staining it fluorescent. Anastasia ground her teeth, fists gripping tight at her side as Viy rose around her. Jalter reached to her side, gripping the blackened form of the Sword of Saint Catherine. Flames burst along it as she drew it with her right hand, the paint being swallowed by licking tendrils.
No, that would have been Jeanne Alter yesterday. Hoarfrost gathered around her as Viy's Mystic Eyes of Penetration began to open and glow, "It's Grand Duchess, actually, Dragon Witch."
"Oh, good," The flames built further, the fumes of the paint igniting as the paint itself burnt off and left Jeanne Alter looking like some sort of demon from hell, "I was worried your title wasn't conceited enough."
Anastasia raised her hand, palm facing the ground, as Jeanne Alter shifted her grip on the Sword of Saint Catherine, left hand coming down to draw a nameless katana from her hip.
Before either attack could go off, Izuku's voice came over the loudspeaker,."Okita, I need you on floor four. An, Nobu, that wasn't funny. Jeanne… I'll be right there."
Somehow, the exhaustion in his voice hurt more than any attack Jeanne Alter could have thrown her way. Embers and Frost clashed for a second before dying down from both Servants. Jeanne Alter sheathed both swords at her hip and Anastasia leaned into Viy's embrace, both sides glaring at each other.
"Bringing Izuku into this was a low blow," Anastasia hissed.
"Sad your crush is angry at you?" Jeanne Alter mocked.
"Like you're one to talk about crushes, 'let me cuddle with you while we watch anime'."
Jeanne Alter locked up, an explosion of blush flaring across her face. "How do you- don't go telling anyone about that, you- is that what this stupid prank was about? How childish can you be?"
"It can't be helped, Stasia," Nobu laughed, drawing attention back to her… and revealing that she was standing there with a matchlock across her shoulders and a second resting barrel first on the ground, even as she watched them both warily, "Izuku was gonna find out sooner or later!"
"What's going on here?" Okita walked in through the blue stained door.
—
Izuku was wheeled into the room with an exhausted sigh, looking between Anastasia and Jeanne. They were staring daggers at each other, and Viy was out, but otherwise… "Why did I get called if you two were just gonna sort things out before I even got here?'
Both girls just grumbled under their breath, refusing to meet his eye. Izuku rolled his eyes with a sigh, tilting his head enough to look at Nemo Adjutant, "Left side, third pouch down please?'
"Let's see, let's see," the Nemo said, pulling out a pill bottle, "one, up to four times a day for… headaches?"
"Yeah, that's the one. Thanks," Izuku said with a smile, taking the chocolate tablet and sucking on it before pulling out a pair of chocolate bars from the side pouch and offering them to Nobu and Okita, who were sitting off to the side. Nobu grabbed them both, handing one to Okita a second later after the incredulous look the sakura haired girl gave her. Izuku finished letting the tablet dissolve and then sighed, "Alright, what's going on?"
"... It's nothing," Jeanne insisted after a moment, "We had a disagreement about something earlier and Grand Duchess over there decided to prank me over it. That's all."
"So take it to floor 12 and fight it out," Izuku said, already feeling the effects of the tablet kicking in. Ah, sweet alchemy, was there nothing you couldn't do? "That's what it's there for. Now Nemo's gonna have to clean up all of… this."
Izuku gestured emphatically to the surrounding mess. The bright blue, the exact same shade as the outside of Anastasia's cape, he noticed, paint staining the black carpeting and white walls, the burned hole in the same carpeting that revealed the metal floor underneath.
"Yeah!" Nemo Adjutant interjected, "Do you know how annoying it's gonna be! You're gonna want it done today, Jeanne Alter, which means we're gonna need a new carpet made, and to make sure the electronics didn't get damaged by condensation, and to move everything out of the room, which means unbolting everything and, and, and-"
"We appreciate the hard work you do, Nemo, we really do," Izuku said, patting the Nemo on the head, "even if some of us can be really bad at showing it."
Izuku jerked his head to give a meaningful look at the three in trouble. Nobu finished swallowing her chocolate bar, nodding, "You're the reason we can do so much fun stuff, Nemo! Just because we do it in places that mean you're gonna have to do work doesn't mean we don't appreciate you. It just means we think you're good enough to fix whatever we break!"
"I honestly can't tell if that was meant to be backhanded or not," Izuku said.
"I don't think it was," Nemo said, offering a watery smile at Nobu, who grinned back.
"Alright, Okita, just… make sure she doesn't cause any other messes for the rest of the day, ok?"
"You can count on me maste- ah," the last word was cut off by one of Okita's signature coughing fits, splattering the black carpeting with red blood that caused another small wail from Nemo.
"And you two?" Izuku said, eyes shifting to Jeanne and Anastasia.
"Sorry," Jeanne grumbled, toing the hole she had burned in the carpeting, "It's my room, you can take a couple of days to get everything fixed up, I'll find somewhere else to crash until then."
The Nemo grumbled at that, and Izuku shifted his gaze to Anastasia. She bowed, "Sorry, Nemo. It seemed like a good idea at the time…"
"Now that is definitely backhanded. Wanna try again?" Izuku asked, snark entering his voice for the first time since he entered the room. Anastasia winced.
"I'm sorry, Nemo, I won't do it again."
Well that was good for about three weeks, unless she specifically meant "I won't use an army's worth of paintball guns" again. Like, he wouldn't trade her for the world, if he could avoid it, but he had absolutely no trust that Anastasia was gonna not prank people going forwards.
"Next on my schedule is," Izuku muttered tapping the communicator and pulling up the List, "Right, me and Mash were gonna go out into Mustafu-"
"I'm coming!" Anastasia yelped immediately.
"You're in trouble," Izuku shot back.
"Please?" Anastasia shot him with her best puppy dog eyes, which Izuku stressfastly ignored. Or at least tried to, "C'mon Izuku, they wouldn't let me leave while you were unconscious and said I could go when you got up!"
"We… did, kinda say that, didn't we?" Jeanne muttered.
…
"Fine, fine. Go get changed into something that won't stand out," Izuku sighed, throwing up his hands, "I'll be waiting outside the Border when you're done. Mash?"
"Yes, Senpai?" Mash's voice came out of the communicator.
"We're gonna go into Mustafu with An, meet me outside the Border when you're ready to go."
"Ok!" Mash chriped, "What are we gonna do?"
"Visit downtown and stop by my Mom's apartment," Izuku said as Nemo wheeled him out.
—
Erice was sitting in the water, stirring it with one leg when the Border breached the surface. A long ramp extended from the ship until it was in the sand behind her and Erice watched Izuku wheel himself down the ramp. Climbing to her feet, she walked towards her Master.
"Hey."
"Hi," Izuku said, glancing over and smiling at her, "What are you doing out here?"
"Thinking about going for a swim," Erice said, before throwing a look at the water, "of course, the way the beach is, I'd probably end up hitting something. This place is a mess."
"Yeah," Izuku said, unwrapping a chocolate shaped like a cigarette and popping it into his mouth, chewing thoughtfully, "Where's V'ger?"
"Somewhere in there, with Tesla," Erice nodded to the piles of trash on the beach, "I might hate it, but you got to admit, the trash is good for the Casters to scrounge up QP from."
"We'll get it cleaned up sooner or later. I don't want our front lawn to be a landfill," Izuku said, before swapping to accenting English, "Voyager! What are ya making?"
Voyager's head popped out over a pile of trash, a minute later, "We're making a rocket, Mr. Izuku! Now that we don't need to worry about the Foreign God shooting it down, me and Mr. Tesla want to try out a design we've had for a while!"
"Good to hear! Just be careful, ok, Kiddo? We don't want you getting buried under all that trash!"
"I'm a Servant, Mr. Izuku!" Voyager giggled, "if I get covered, I can just astralize to get out!"
"Yeah, but it'd be scary until you thought to do that, wouldn't it?" Izuku asked, leaning forwards and smiling as he rested his elbows on the armrests of the wheelchair.
"That's true," Voyager nodded, "I'll be careful!"
"Good to hear. Wanna go out for ice cream at some point with Jack and Jeanne?"
Voyager's eyes lit up, and he nodded.
"Right, it's a promise. I'll add it to the list of things I need to do," Izuku said, pulling up his schedule, which was fully blocked in, *let's see… that can't move back. That can't either… that can wait a week or two."
"While you're at it," Erice said, "I want some time off."
"For what reason?" Izuku said, "because time off implies you're doing something that isn't just relaxing on the Border."
"I want to head into Mosaic- Tokyo," Erice started before correcting herself. Mosaic City didn't exist here.
"Yeah?" Izuku said, pulling up a different app on his communicator and typing in something with his tongue poking out of the corner of his mouth.
"I know it's petty, but I want to see what Akihabara looks like."
"Heck of a lot different," Izuku said, "it's a major part of otaku culture here, not a resort town."
"I know, but… I need to see it with my own eyes. How it's different, how Shinjuku's changed, and-"
"Right, three to one vote. You're authorized to deploy as soon as you want."
"-Shi -bwah?"
"What, did you think I was gonna keep you from going?" Izuku asked, closing the app that she now realized was a chat with Goredolf, Da Vinci-Chan and Sherlock, "If you need to go see how the world's changed from the one you know, go then. We have plenty of Servants here, Erice. We can afford to have you gone for… what, a few days, max? The biggest problem is finding a place for you to stay while you're not with us, and even that just requires us getting some yen. Are you gonna take Voyager with you?"
"Probably, yeah," Erice said, still feeling a bit poleaxed by the swiftness at which her request had been accepted.
"Cool," Izuku said as the Border, opened up, letting Mash and Anastasia out into the beach, "I'll see you when you get back, ok, Erice?"
"Yeah," Erice said.
It was hard to remember that Izuku viewed himself as their friend first, Master second, sometimes. This was one of those, who just let their Servant head off to another City without a care in the world?
"Who voted against me going?"
"Goredolf, and even he just doesn't think it's a good idea to deploy a Servant so far out when we haven't locked down the immediate area."
—
Inko looked up at the polite knock on her roped up door, standing up and undoing the rope (and old All Might jump rope from when Izuku was small) holding it shut. The minute it fell to the ground, the door swung open, leaving Izuku staring at the hand shaped indenture in the wood with a tilted head. He was wearing a pair of white pants, a dark blue jacket that's sleeves stopped just below his elbows and a short orange scarf around his neck. Behind him was Mash in the same white and grey sweatshirt over black dress she had been wearing the first time they had met and Anastasia wearing a white and slightly translucent sundress, a straw sunhat on her head even though it was early spring.
"What happened here?" Izuku asked, laying his fingers over the indents in the door. Inko looked at them, blushing in embarrassment.
"I tried to shut the door on your… ah, friends, yesterday, and Artoria decided to keep me from doing that."
"Makes sense," Izuku mumbled, before devolving further, "I'll get Nemo to send a coupleofmarinesoutheretoreplacethedoor-"
"Breath," Anastasia deadpanned, causing Izuku to blink and laugh.
"I'll get it fixed, Mom," Izuku said, "Real easy."
"Thank you," Inko said, stepping aside, "come in!"
Mash grabbed the handles, wheeling Izuku into the apartment. Anastasia looked around as they did, muttering something under her breath, something that sounded suspiciously like "my room at Servfest was bigger than this."
"Sorry? I didn't catch that."
"Just surprised about how small it is is all," Anastasia said with a sheepish smile, "I'm sure it's modestly sized for the time and place, but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't used to more spacious accommodations. There was obviously far more space at the… places, I stayed in life, Chaldea was cavernous in its size, and you've already experienced the Border yourself."
"Ah," Inko stared at her, "I suppose, being a princess would make this feel slightly claustrophobic. It's about the size of an apartment of this cost-"
"Izuku!" Anastasia switched languages, volleying words at high speeds. Izuku was quiet for a second, then responded with.
"Sorry, could you try that again at a speed I might actually be able to understand? Russian still isn't my strong suit."
Anastasia repeated what she said, slower but still Incomprehensible to Inko's ear. Izuku nodded, stuttering out a response where he seemed to second guess every second or third word.
"Don't ask me," Mash said with a sheepish smile, stopping as she noticed something down the hall and walked towards it, "I don't speak Russia- Izuku, is this your room?"
Anastasia stopped in the middle of another sentence, head whipping towards where Mash was and gliding across the floor at breakneck speeds towards the room. Izuku winced, turning as best he could as he was left alone and sighing, "Here we go."
—
Anastasia stared at the room in front of her with an open jaw, turning to look at Mash, who looked similarly poleaxed, before turning towards the resigned look on Izuku's face. He rolled his eyes good naturedly, shrugging. Anastasia latched a hand over her mouth as a snerk of laughter slipped out.
"Laugh it up you two, it's funny," Izuku said, and Anastasia stopped trying to hide her laughter, behind her, based on the giggling, Mash had done the same. Izuku wheeled himself closer, casting a look at the doorway, "I don't know why this surprises you guys. I said I was a huge All Might fanboy."
"Yeah, but this is… more than I thought, Senpai!" Mash giggled, before breathing in, "it still smells like you, though."
Yeah, that didn't irritate Anastasia at all. That Mash could identify Izuku based on smell alone.
"It does? Weird, even with me only missing for a few months, you'd think it'd start to smell like dust or something," Izuku stopped in front of the door, looking into the room affectionately, "Man, I had more stuff than I remember. Good God, how much did this stuff cost, Mom?"
Anastasia watched Izuku plant his hand on the doorframe, and he seemed to deage in front of her eyes. The exhaustion in his eyes lightened to fond amusement as his perpetual, small smile split into a wide grin, the slight hunch of his shoulders loosened. Even the grey in his hair seemed to vanish for a second.
"Fou?" And just like that, the spell was broken as a familiar yip came from behind them. Izuku's eyes snapped away from the room and towards Fou, though the amusement didn't fade.
"We did not leave the border with you, little guy," Izuku laughed.
"Kyu!"
"You wanna see the room? Come on over."
Fou moved with lightning speed, winding around Inko's legs, hopping up onto the wheelchair before leaping and jumping to land on Izuku's head, plopping down on the mass of fluff.
Anastasia took a picture of that in a heartbeat, just like she did every time Fou did that. Because it never stopped being adorable.
"Mom, this is Fou. He's kinda… our pet, I guess?"
"Fou!"
"I know buddy," Izuku said, reaching up to scratch Fou behind the ear, "but it's the easiest way to explain our relationship. You've been with us through hell and high water, I know. We're partners."
"Kyu. Fou."
"Love you too, buddy. Where have you been?"
"...Fou?"
"You didn't," Izuku said, sounding agast before grabbing his communicator, "Someone check my candy supply, I think Fou got into it."
Oh, that little.
"That's a yes," The Count's voice said, "want me to fry it?"
"FOU! KYU!"
"No," Izuku said, shooting a look up at Fou as best he could, "You're gonna kill yourself doing that someday, I swear."
"Fou… Fou kyu."
"I bet," Izuku said, before leaning against the doorway and turning his eyes back to the room, "I wonder how much this all would go for if we gave it to the Golden Rule Servants to sell."
"Izuku?" Inko said, sounding startled.
"Gotta give up this kind of stuff sooner or later," Izuku said, "All Might's awesome, don't get me wrong but… I've met a lot of awesome Heroes now, you know? Artoria, Jeanne, Karna, Arjuna, Galahad Alter, Mash… Musashi… Roman."
If the second to last one was said softly, with something verging on reverence, the last one was said almost inaudibly, with reverence. Mash clenched her eyes shut next to Izuku like she had just… just taken a bullet to the chest. Fou sagged in Izuku's hair, letting out a soft, "Kyu…"
"Roman?" Inko asked.
"It always comes back to him in the end, doesn't it?" Anastasia asked, not really sure how to sort the emotions tied to the name. One of the happiest days of her life… unlife… whatever being a Servant counted as, the day she was summoned and met Izuku for the first time… was one of the worst days of his life. The first day he had nearly killed himself desperately trying to summon someone who would never come.
The other name wasn't much easier. Anastasia wasn't delusional enough to not know she didn't play first fiddle in Izuku's heart, that position lay solely, and probably always would lay with, Mash. But it really stung knowing she didn't play second fiddle either. That position was for Musashi.
"Romani Archaman, the Mage-King Solomon," Izuku said, "He was like… Chaldea's dad…"
"Our perverted, goofball of a dad," Mash said.
"He'd raise hell if one of us was in trouble, but…"
"God, was he embarrassing sometimes."
"Remember when he found out Magi☆Mari was Merlin? I thought he was gonna have a stroke."
"You should have seen him when Gut was around."
"I did that one time," Izuku chuckled, "I don't think I've ever seen Roman more angry about anything… not even having to put up with Merlin or finding out about Goetia."
"Don't ask me," Anastasia said at the glance from Inko, "he was… gone, by the time I was summoned."
ThatOnePsycho
Tilting his Vanes and Ennobling His Spires
Ah, I forgot to mention, in celebration of me rolling Musashi (just in time for [DATE LOST] 
), I decided to announce Izuku's sort of "theme" for this song. The Unforgiven 3 by Metallica.
), I decided to announce Izuku's sort of "theme" for this song. The Unforgiven 3 by Metallica.
Sakuya's Butler
A refined Butler to a knife wielding Mistress.
- Location
- ↓, ↘, → + Punch
I managed to get my Musashi up to NP3 before...that day...
And I actually don't want to finish Olympus because of it.
I LIKE her info.
*still holds out hope she turns out to be Grand Saber (Musashi is virtually THE most well known swordsman ever, and the book helps too)*
BTW, forgot, how does Medusa and/or Ana rate on the scale of Izuku's harem. He's got to be just as fed up with, ahem, 'the universe', ahem, bullying her all the time as she is. By the time Final Honnoji occurred, I can easily see him (via help), picking up our flushed meganekko snek, plopping her into his lap, handing her the next volume of her favorite book, and daring anyone/anything to bother her for the next week. And taking the gloves off to Chacha & the Nobus, enough that they all give the duo (one of whom is still hiding a flush behind her book & glasses, 5 days later) a wide berth. Even whensquabbling brawling errr, 'fighting'.
All while handfeeding her chocolates.
And I actually don't want to finish Olympus because of it.
I LIKE her info.
*still holds out hope she turns out to be Grand Saber (Musashi is virtually THE most well known swordsman ever, and the book helps too)*
BTW, forgot, how does Medusa and/or Ana rate on the scale of Izuku's harem. He's got to be just as fed up with, ahem, 'the universe', ahem, bullying her all the time as she is. By the time Final Honnoji occurred, I can easily see him (via help), picking up our flushed meganekko snek, plopping her into his lap, handing her the next volume of her favorite book, and daring anyone/anything to bother her for the next week. And taking the gloves off to Chacha & the Nobus, enough that they all give the duo (one of whom is still hiding a flush behind her book & glasses, 5 days later) a wide berth. Even when
All while handfeeding her chocolates.
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ThatOnePsycho
Tilting his Vanes and Ennobling His Spires
We know who Grand Rider is thanks to Arcade ( it's Noah), and also one of the few thing Musashi (IRL) is known for a fact to have done is fall off his horse during a cavalry charge.(which, fun trivia, is reflected with Musashi not having the Riding Skill in game). I really can't see her being Grand Rider in the main timeline.
Part of it, mostly enjoys hypocritically teasing him where she gets the chance.
Sakuya's Butler
A refined Butler to a knife wielding Mistress.
- Location
- ↓, ↘, → + Punch
Brainfart.
I meant Grand Saber.
I meant Grand Saber.