Chapter 13: Montage of Misery
Shouta sat in his car down the street from his home blankly staring at the dash.
A charred and hollow out theater. Firefighters swarming over the wreckage and calling out whenever they found another body.
He was supposed to be at UA training Hitoshi and Katsuki after school but he couldn't move, he felt like he was being crushed.
Night Jumper sat on the curb. Dark bags under his eyes and his hooded cowl covered in ash. He clutched a cloth sack like he feared someone would snatch it.
Shouta had to keep it together.
Nao's car was in the driveway.
Zashi would be home soon with their boys.
Jumper handed the bag over silently, slowly, carefully. Shouta reached inside.
His heart lurched at the memory, he felt sick and light headed.
A burned leather mask and goggles. A partially melted oni mouthguard. A soot covered leather coat with singed white stitching.
How could the world be so cruel?
Jumper explained getting called to help evacuate. Recognizing the blue flames. Checking every body pulled from the wreckage and praying it wasn't Onibi or Hannya or Kaijin.
Kaijin.
Izuku.
Guilt and grief welled up in his chest so suddenly Shouta thought he would burst. He had been so close only to fail again.
Jumper stopped breathing when Shouta dared to speak Kaijin's name. Shouta stopped breathing when Jumper told him about burned toys and charred children's artwork.
A drawling voice followed by a booming laugh broke through his dark bubble. Shouta looked up. Katsuki and Hitoshi playfully shoved each other while Hizashi followed them down the street with a fond look.
In the end, they didn't find them. Only the criminals that children had been forced to kill to protect something precious to them.
Shouta watched Nao open the door for Zashi and the boys. Nao ruffling spiky blonde and purple hair and kissing Hizashi on the cheek to earn himself a glowing smile was like a beam of warm sunlight on Shouta's soul but the storm clouds soon rolled in again.
How was he going to tell them?
........
Katsuki knew something was wrong the moment the Hobo walked into the house.
He had called last minute to say he couldn't make it to training due to an emergency. Katsuki wasn't stupid. The only mission that would make him drop everything was Kaijin. The blonde wondered what had happened.
Aizawa smelled like smoke and ash fell to the floor like snow as he removed his capture weapon. His eyes were empty, looking at something far away only he could see.
"Sho? What's wrong?" Yamada asked, approaching his husband like he would a wounded animal. "How did your meeting with Amijiki go?"
Something finally filled Aizawa's black eyes. Absolute despair. It almost took Katsuki's breath away. He felt Hitoshi step closer to him, preemptively seeking comfort for whatever news his father had brought them.
"Can everyone come to the living room please?" Aizawa asked, he cleared his throat when his voice came out quiet and hoarse.
Yamada went to grab Tsukauchi from the kitchen. Katsuki squeezed Hitoshi's arm briefly as he stepped toward the door. He didn't want to intrude on a family meeting but Aizawa's hand landed heavily on his shoulder.
"You should hear this too," he said.
Katsuki felt the urge to run. He grit his teeth. Since when was he a coward that chose flight over facing something head on? He clenched his fists and nodded, turning back to sit on the couch beside Hitoshi. Yamada and Tsukauchi took the love seat. Aizawa stood in front of the TV, pacing with a wild look in his eye.
"This morning I met with a student, Amijiki Tamaki, who passed the hero practical exam," he started. Katsuki paid close attention. The hero had been uncharacteristically antsy when the blonde had picked Hitoshi up for school that morning. "His quirk is very similar to Kaijin's so we hoped he and his parents could help us learn Kaijin's civilian identity."
Aizawa paused, he swallowed hard like the words were building up in his throat.
"Tamaki has an uncle that was disinherited. The uncle married and had a child. He left his wife before his son was born and six years later the boy disappeared."
"You think the son is Kaijin?" Tsukauchi clarified.
"I know the son is Kaijin," Aizawa replied firmly even as his eyes said he didn't want it to be true.
The underground hero pulled a thick file from under his scarf. The bright red 'confidential' stamped across it seemed to glow like a beacon. Katsuki's heart pounded but he didn't know why.
"What's his name?" Yamada asked through the fingers he had pressed to his lips so his quirk didn't activate.
To everyone's surprise Aizawa passed the file, not to either of his husbands, but to Katsuki.
He was confused but took it with shaky hands, positive everyone could see his heart hammering out of his chest.
He opened the file.
There was a picture.
Green eyes.
Sunshine smile.
Burned cheek.
Katsuki snapped the file closed and threw it away like it had bit him. He scrambled back, pressing himself as deeply as he could against the couch. The smell of burnt sugar and the sharp pops of miniature explosions filled the room.
"No!" he snapped. He glared at Aizawa, letting himself fall into the familiar embrace of his anger. "He was quirkless! He had the toe joint! It can't be him!"
Katsuki saw Yamada pick up the file and almost wanted to snatch it from him before he could read the lies within.
"The Amajiki family all have quirks and they also all have the toe joint. It's not a fool proof test for quirklessnes as it turns out."
Katsuki felt himself hyperventilating. His best friend had a quirk. He had been on the streets since he was six. He was a vigilante.
"Midoriya," Katsuki whispered, not necessarily talking to anyone, just trying to fit the pieces together. "His name was Midoriya Izuku, not Amijiki."
He heard a sharp intake of breath and long thin fingers dug into his thigh. Katsuki finally pulled his eyes from the random stretch of wall he had been staring at and looked into soft lavender.
"Kaijin is Izuku?" Hitoshi gasped, his eyes wide with awe.
"Izuku's father is Amijiki Hisashi," Aizawa explained. "We believe he married Midoriya Inko because he was hiding from the law and it was the easiest way to change his name."
Katsuki's mind raced.
Kaijin was Izuku.
Izuku was Kaijin.
Suddenly he didn't feel angry anymore. He felt proud. His best friend had survived and became a kick ass vigilante with an amazing quirk. Their dream was alive. Katsuki would convince the greenette to come home and enroll at UA. They could be heroes together like they always said they would be. Katsuki wouldn't be surprised if he was glowing, he was so excited.
"You found Izuku!" Katsuki laughed. He clutched Hitoshi's hand like he could pass some of his excess energy to his friend before he exploded. "Take me to him. He'll come if I ask him to."
Katsuki looked from Hitoshi's sparkling eyes to Aizawa and felt his heart sink. He was six years old again, sitting in his mothers living room being told that the heroes found Izuku too late. Hitoshi squeezed his hand painfully. Katsuki knew that if he looked at the purplette now he would see how he had looked that day when all the light had been extinguished from his life.
"There was a fire," Aizawa said gently. "It was an abandoned theater. Jumper found Hannya, Onibi and Kaijin's costumes in the wreckage."
"I heard about it over the radio," Tsukauchi said. "They found bodies."
Yamada's gasp actually shifted the coffee table before Aizawa could erase his quirk. Katsuki felt cold.
"None of them were the Problem Trio," Aizawa assured them quickly before all hope was irretrievably lost. "We found evidence that at least a dozen children lived at the theater with Kaijin and the others. We think they were running a shelter. All the bodies were criminals with no known affiliations. They must have been attacked and the trio did what they had to in order to protect their home."
"Killed them" went unsaid.
Katsuki felt sick. Izuku; kind, gentle Izuku, had been forced to kill people.
"What happens now?" Hitoshi asked.
"We start over," Aizawa said, exhaustion clear in his voice. "They could pop up again, either in the same place or in another city. They could just stop and go into hiding. They could have been captured."
"They could be dead," a little voice in Katsuki's brain whispered. He pushed the traitorous bastard away.
They all sat in silence for a moment. The heavy weight of grief and sorrow blanketed the house.
"I need to know," Katsuki broke the silence, strong and determined and more afraid than he had ever been in his life. "I need to know everything. I want to read all of Izuku's files."
"Are you sure Kat?" Yamada asked. "The things that were done to him —" he trailed off, letting his inability to properly describe the horror speak for itself.
"I'm sure," the blonde replied.
Aizawa picked up the file, the chronicle of the life of an abandoned child, and handed it to Katsuki.
"I'm sorry," the underground hero said as the teen took the papers. "I failed him again."
"I don't blame you. Izuku wouldn't either," Katsuki assured him. He was older and wiser than he was the first time around. He knew now that heroes were just people, all they could do was try their best. "The day you stop looking for him is the day you failed him. I don't think that day has come yet."
With the file in hand Katsuki got up from the couch and headed for his the guest room but was stopped by gentle fingers intertwined with his. He looked down at Hitoshi.
"Do you want company?' he asked nervously. He was biting his lip, afraid to overstep.
Katsuki felt some of the invisible weight slide off at the idea of having his friend with him. Someone he trusted. Someone that was so much like Izuku.
He needed Hitoshi with him.
"Please," Katsuki whispered. Hitoshi nodded and stood up. They both walked down the hall and closed the door behind them.
......…..
Hitoshi was nervous as the door clicked shut.
All the way down the hall he could see Katsuki becoming smaller and smaller, his normal confident posture wilting. It was disconcerting to not see the unwavering strength or the glint of determination in his eyes.
His normal anger was extinguished and he was shivering in its absence. Hitoshi remembered what Katsuki had told him the day they met.
The best way to burn off excess adrenaline is to be angry or terrified.
Katsuki was terrified.
The pair sat on the bed, the file lay between them.
"Are you ready?" Hitoshi asked. Katsuki just stared blankly. It was like a knife to the chest seeing his friend so empty.
His protector.
His confidant.
His partner.
Hitoshi sat in silence as Katsuki opened the file.
He watched as the most important person in his life read the pain filled biography of his childhood friend and slowly shattered.
All he could do was wait and help put him back together.
......…..
In the living room the tamaya was open. Hizashi and Naomasa watched as Shouta pulled out a mask and a pair of tinted aviator goggles. The incense smoke curled around his arms as he placed them next to the picture of the green haired boy.
"Were those his?" Nao asked.
Shouta nodded.
"He has black hair now," he said quietly. "And a scar over his eye. They're not even the same shade of green anymore."
"You couldn't have known Sho, the little listener changed so much."
Shouta took a shaky breath. He looked into the eyes of six year old Izuku and remembered the eyes of a kid who put his life on the line to help people. Who reached out a hand to others like him. Who didn't let a world that tried to tear him down extinguish his light.
"He hasn't changed," Shouta corrected. "Not in the ways that matter. He's still a child with a hero's heart."
They sat in silence for a few minutes. In the flickering candle light each of them threw their prayers and their hopes out into the universe.
Keep him safe.
Help us find him.
Give him the strength to keep going.
"I'll brew some tea," Zashi offered. "The boys will need it later. Can you make some snacks Nao?"
As his husbands left him to his vigil Shouta squared his shoulders and locked away his guilt. Katsuki had the right idea, they hadn't failed until they had given up and none of them would ever give up.
"We're coming kid. Just hold on a little longer."
—-------------
A ghost and a vampire kept watch.
It had taken ages to get everyone to sleep but now the air was filled with soft snores.
"What do we do now Dabs?" Himi asked, she hugged Queenie to her chest, gently petting her soft fur. The massive calico had shown up not long after Himi and Dabi, trailing part of the colony behind her. Dabi hoped the rest had made it out.
The informant turned a pack of cigarettes between his hands. He didn't light one. Izuku hated when he smoked.
"We do what Izu would have wanted," he answered. "We keep the Menagerie safe."
Himi sniffled and squeezed Queenie tighter.
"The theater is destroyed," she pointed out. "And even if it wasn't, someone knew where we were."
Dabi desperately wanted his laptop, he wanted to find the bastard's that dared to invade their home and take his little brother but it was no use to him now. It was either burned in the fire or whipped and fried when Dabi activated the destruction sequence he had programmed into his and Izuku's hard drives.
"We need to get out of the city," Himi said. "It's not safe here any more."
Neither wanted to leave. If Izuku was alive they stood a better chance of finding him if they stayed but the Menagerie was their priority. They needed to go where they could rebuild and give the kids a chance to thrive.
Dabi knew exactly where to go.
He pushed off the wall he was leaning on and headed for the door.
"I'm going to have a smoke."
The warm air did nothing to calm Dabi's turbulent thoughts.
He sat on the stairs and pulled out a cigarette.
He felt lost without Izuku. The kid had been the only thing keeping Dabi together in those early years on the street. He soothed Dabi's fear when he found himself lost in old memories and reminded him that he was enough. Without the cheeky little cryptid he was sure he would have drowned in his anger and become someone driven only by resentment.
Something skittered onto Dabi's lap making him jump. Kiseki lay on his knee looking up at him. The fire user wasn't sure how a lizard could look sad but something about her was dull, drained of energy. Dabi gently picked her up and put her in his hair.
"I'm sorry it's not soft and thick like Izu's but it's warm."
The lizard settled in. Her comforting weight helped him pull his broken parts back together. The puzzle pieces formed a clear path despite how his hands shook as he lit a cigarette with blue flames.
Onibi and Hannya would retire.
They would rebuild the Menagerie somewhere safer.
Where heroes were plentiful and no one would dare attack them again.
Where there was a hero school full of pros and heroes-in-training.
Where a boy named Touya and a quirkless kid named Izuku had been born.
Dabi watched the smoke curl and float away into the dark, starry sky as he took a drag.
"It's time to go home," he whispered into the night.
—------------
In an upstairs room of a dusty bar a blue haired teen planted flowers on his colorful little Animal Crossing island. He was trying desperately to absorb the serenity of the game but he could feel his resolve decaying.
Fuck them.
They didn't know anything.
Sensei had saved him.
Anger reared its head at the thought of the man. He struggled to wrestle it back down. It was always harder to put a leash on his temper when he was at base.
When he was somewhere Sensei could watch him.
Where his presence was felt despite his absence.
Shigaraki shook his head.
No.
It wasn't true.
What did they know?
They were strangers.
NPCs for him to use.
Valuable party members.
Friends.
Shigaraki choked. He squeezed the controller and it became dust in his hands.
They were his first friends.
What if they were right?
Shigaraki suddenly felt wound tight, ready to dash out of the stifling bar and call the only person that had ever made him feel truly seen but it was too late.
As soon as he had returned home to base stewing in righteous fury Kurogiri had whisked them away to a new location. He had asked the misty man why they were leaving earlier than expected but only received a vague 'plans changed' in response.
The teen suddenly felt trapped. Despite his unlocked door. Despite the ability to step outside. He was in a cage.
The angry beast that had taken up residence in his body lunged against his desperate hold. Why had he never noticed how alien it felt? How it didn't fit quite right and crowded out all rational thought?
Why hadn't he listened?
"Because it wouldn't let you," a strangled voice whispered. "It has its claws in deep."
He felt those claws, climbing farther and farther toward the surface. His chest constricted as the parasite fought against the chains Shigaraki knew would break eventually. When it finally escaped it would devour his resolve, the happiness he had only just found, his hopes and dreams.
It would take all of him.
"No!" He growled desperately.
He felt the final snap of his control as a full body shiver. Like reaching for a handhold while falling to his death the teen snatched at the warm memory of laughter and green parks, of attentive eyes and shared food. He shoved it into the deepest, darkest corner of his mind where even he wouldn't find it.
He locked the memory away and the last spark of Shigaraki Tomura prayed that one day he would find the key as rage consumed him again.
......…..
Downstairs Kurogiri stood wiping glasses behind the bar. The purple mist that made up his body drifted restlessly, his turbulent emotions making him uncomfortable.
Kurogiri didn't have feelings.
He was a tool for his master.
A puppet that followed orders.
"Get rid of them," Sensei had said when the misty man had reported young Master Tomura's repeated visits with a trio of vigilantes.
Kurogiri would do what was asked of him.
How could he have possibly known they wouldn't be home?
" An old bar near the warehouse district. We'll look into it tomorrow night ." he remembered the eldest one saying, the one he knew hid familiar grafts under his simple disguise.
Kurogiri contacted a business man that owed his master a debt. All would be forgiven if he sent some of his men to kill the trio. He told them to strike the following night when he knew the vigilanties would be out. The three crime fighters were smart. They would escape assassination but know they were hunted and leave the area.
There was more than one way to get rid of someone.
The greedy man had agreed to Kurogiri's terms but he demanded extra payment for going up against the famous vigilantes.
He wanted the leader alive.
Kurogiri smiled to himself under the mist. He was so sure they wouldn't find their prize as he struck the deal.
He hadn't known about the children.
He hadn't known " we'll look into it " only meant Onibi and Hannya.
He hadn't known Kaijin would stand alone against overwhelming odds.
When Kurogiri had stood over the beaten boy, that small, newly born part of him that rebelled felt sick as the larger part that lived to serve preened over a job well done.
There was nothing he could do but deliver what was promised.
Kurogiri put the spotless glass down on the countertop and picked up another. He went on as he always had. He would watch over Master Tomura and be at his master's beck and call but something had changed.
Kurogiri was a puppet that followed orders but he had ways to tangle his strings.
—---------------
When Izuku opened his eyes it was pitch black. It had been a long time since he had been completely blind in the dark, if he didn't have his cat eyes he always had his bat sonar. Izuku tried calling on his quirk but, instead of the normal ripple under his skin, he felt a mild itch like a fresh scab.
His jewelry was gone.
Izuku was suddenly six years old again, trapped in a dark closet feeling simultaneously untethered in an endless void and crushingly claustrophobic.
He took deep breaths. He focused on running his fingers over the flaky concrete of the floor, on the slow drip of water, the smell of wet stone and mold. Slowly he started to calm down.
Izuku wasn't a quirkless kid any more. He was Kaijin the cryptid. A protector. A survivor.
He pushed himself into a crouch and got to work mapping out his prison by touch. There wasn't much. It was a three meter square room with four brick walls and a heavy wooden door. A single bare bulb on a wire hung from the ceiling and a thick metal ring was bolted to the wall opposite the door.
Izuku paced for hours, exploring every seam in the bricks and every imperfection in the floor before he heard footsteps approaching.
He pressed himself against the wall beside the door, ready to pounce on the first person that stepped inside. He may not have his quirk but he was a skilled fighter. If they thought stripping him of his abilities would render him harmless they would regret it.
He heard a latch creak much higher up than he expected and a small window just above eye level opened.
Something was tossed in.
It clattered on the floor and exploded with a bright flash.
Izuku yowled. He could only see white and his ears rang painfully.
A rough hand grabbed the front of his shirt. Izuku jabbed and landed a blind punch to his attacker's chest forcing them to let go. Two more sets of hands tightly gripped his arms. He flailed wildly, growling and spitting at them as he tried to throw them off. He cracked one in the chin with his head and stomped on the other's foot but they held on.
Something cold and heavy locked around his throat and was used to yank him across the room kicking and hissing.
He heard the jangle of chains and with the final click of a lock Izuku's arms were released. He took the opportunity to attack blindly but only succeeded in nearly hanging himself when the collar tightened and his feet went out from under him.
He was chained to the wall.
Izuku fell into a defensive crouch. Cold metal rings rested against his back. He blinked rapidly, desperate to clear the spots from his vision.
"Your reputation precedes you Kaijin, you may call me Obekka," a booming voice said, it would almost be jovial if not for the distinct undertones of pride and power.
Izuku's still slightly blurry vision made out a figure standing in the doorway. The man was vast, a silk waistcoat stretched taut over a large belly. He had slicked back gray hair and pale yellow eyes, the iris almost blending with the whites. He held a cigar in a puggy, ring covered hand.
Izuku hissed, baring his teeth in warning.
"Ah, yes, I forgot," Obekka said, a gleeful grin on his face as he taunted the legendary vigilante. "You can't say much without this can you?"
He held a single red feather between his fingers. Izuku froze. No one knew the details of his quirk except his family, Night Jumper and Eraserhead.
"You see, Archivist here," he gestured to a slender man with long brown hair tied in a ponytail. "Has the ability to identify quirks. Nothing too complicated, just the type and some basic information like activation requirements. Once he knows your quirk he never forgets it. He's handy for recruitment."
Izuku let out a low growl. If that's what this was they would be disappointed, he wanted nothing to do with them.
"Not to worry boy. I've been keeping my eye on you and I'm not foolish enough to think you would ever join my crew. I have another use for you."
He gestured to another man, one with dark pink hair and eyes, who pulled a tangled ball of leather string, bone and fur from his pocket.
"I will return three abilities. Choose carefully, your life may depend on it."
The pink man approached. The four bracelets hung from the fingers of one hand and four necklaces dangled from the other. The quill and feathers sat in his palms. Parrot was noticeably absent.
Izuku's heart ached to choose from the ones that meant the most to him. Kiseki's shed, Queenie's fur, Dabi and Himi's birthday gifts, but he had to be smart and he knew exactly which ability he needed to escape.
Izuku wrapped his fingers around his wrist and the thug extended the hand with the bracelets to just outside the vigilante's reach. Izuku held up three fingers to indicate he wanted the third one and waited to be handed his ticket to freedom.
The pink man selected the proper item and was preparing to toss it when a hand snatched it away.
The last man, the one that had been standing just behind Obekka at all times, had marched up and tore Izuku's only hope from his colleague's grip.
The man had strange red lines, like stretch marks, all over his muscular arms. His black hair was buzzed and his eyes were inverted with black sclera and white pupils. He stalked back to his boss and dropped the bracelet in his hand.
"Thank you Tanshiru," Obekka said as the man returned to his position at the fat man's shoulder. Obekka held up the circle of silver spider silk as if appraising it. "Nice try Kaijin but I've heard the stories. Those spider legs of yours could kill all of us and rip the chains from the wall easily. You'll get your trinkets when you need them and not a moment before."
Izuku snarled and dug his fingers into the floor. He had been so close but they knew too much about his quirk. How long had they been planning to grab him? Sifting through dozens of rumors, tall tales and police statements to identify all his abilities would have taken time.
Why go through so much effort?
What did they want?
Izuku couldn't dwell on it yet but he would watch and he would analyze.
For now he had to play the game.
Spider was still a good choice for a mystery fight. It gave him a midrange attack and increased his mobility. The cryptid looked back at his remaining choices. He held up two fingers for the cat fur bracelet. Advanced senses, agility and speed would be essential and his claws were always reliable in close combat. Finally he tapped his left palm where the porcupine quill sat in the pink man's hand. Now he had some defense against grappling and a long range weapon.
Izuku suppressed a whine as the remaining abilities were tucked away again. He longed to see the bright blue cord of Dabi's birthday gift and feel the smooth ribbon of Kiseki's bracelet.
"I haven't heard of you using quills," Obekka commented, knocking Izuku out of his thoughts. The man rolled the spine between his fingers with a greedy look in his eye. "This must be new, how exciting."
A phone dinged. Tanshiru pulled out the device and read the screen.
"They're ready," he announced.
"Wonderful!" Obekka cried. He handed the two bracelets and quill to Tanshiro. "I must be off, I don't want to miss all the fun. You know what to do."
The three henchmen nodded as their boss left.
"Get the poles," Tanshiru ordered.
The pink man reached outside the door and grabbed two long metal poles with oval rings on the end. When a trigger was pulled a metal latch slid back so the ring could locked around whatever they hooked it to. He handed one to Archivist. They both approached the snarling shape-shifter and extended the poles, trying to touch the hooked ends to the collar.
Izuku wasn't about to make things easy so he leaned away and swiped at them. They growled in frustration and redoubled their efforts but Izuku kept ducking and swatting. Archivist even tried to hit him over the head hoping to stun him long enough to complete their task but Izuku just grabbed the pole and tried to wrench it away.
Suddenly there was something sharp pressed to his chest. He looked up to a scowling Tanshiru. His hand had elongated into a spike, nearly doubling the length of his arm.
"Stay still or I'll run you through. I may not be able to kill you but I'll bet you wont risk an injury right now."
Izuku glared at the hulking brute and grumbled. He released the pole and let them finally latch the hooks to two rings on either side of the collar.
"On your feet." Archivist snapped.
They lifted, forcing Izuku to follow or be strangled. Tanshiru gestured toward the door and Izuku had no choice but to exit the room, guided by Archivist and the pink man pushing and tugging at his neck. The length of the poles made it impossible for him to lay a hand on his captors as he was marched through what looked like the cellar of a factory and up the stairs.
The farther they went the clearer the sound of cheering became until it was right above them. It sounded like the roar of a speeding train, there must have been hundreds of people shouting and banging on things in excitement.
With a sharp jab Izuku was turned down a long curved hallway, the brick here looked newer and wooden joists supported the roof. They traveled around the bend until a cage bolted to the inner wall came into view. Three sides were made of thick bars with a heavy latch on the door. The last side was just smooth metal embedded in the brick.
"Get in," Tanshiru ordered as he opened the cell door.
When they started pushing him toward the tiny cage Izuku decided he'd had enough. He dug his feet in and pushed back but the combined strength of both thugs and the harsh jerks on the metal collar around his already bruised throat inched him closer and closer. He grabbed the bars on either side of the door, refusing to be thrown in. Tanshiru kicked him in the back, bending his shoulders awkwardly and forcing him to let go.
The pressure on his throat lessened as the poles were quickly unlatched. Izuku turned to pounce but the door shut in his face, it was latched and locked in an instant.
Izuku growled, gripping the bars and baring his teeth threateningly. Archivist and the pink man ignored him and walked back the way they came. Tanshiru brazenly stepped forward and held up the three chosen abilities, dangling them just out of the cryptid's reach as Izuku tried to snatch them through the bars.
"I hope you choose well, Kaijin. You're going to need all your tricks."
Izuku snarled at him but the man just laughed and tossed the bracelets and quill into the cage. Izuku scooped them up instantly. He carefully secured the bracelets around his wrists and slid the quill into his pierced earlobe.
Activating his quirk, Izuku basked in the familiar sensation. His spider legs emerged and dug into the concrete, he let his quills grow on his forearms and flexed his claws. Izuku took a moment to revel in the return of his advanced vision. Everything was always brighter with cat eyes but he couldn't help missing his bat sonar. Izuku adjusted himself to the less sensitive ears, listening closely to the cacophony of noise surrounding him.
The cheering had died down. All he heard now was excited, overlapping chatter and shifting bodies until the banging of a gong reverberated through the air. All talking from above suddenly ceased.
"WE HAVE FRESH BLOOD TONIGHT!" a loud voice announced. The crowd above exploded into fresh cheering and whooping making Izuku flatten his ears and hiss.
"MAKING HIS DEBUT —"
The metal wall started to slide upward, steel grinding against metal as bright light flooded the hallway. Izuku crouched down defensively. His instincts flowed through him, readying him for a fight.
"PLEASE WELCOME TO THE PIT—"
The door completely opened revealing a large round arena surrounded by two and a half meter tall walls covered in dented metal sheeting. Hundreds of spectators looked down from above, shouting and rattling the domed cage that arched overhead.
"TONIGHTS CHALLENGER —"
Something jabbed Izuku in the back, causing him to stumble forward into the arena. Izuku growled and instinctively turned to strike at Tanshiru but the door had already slammed shut. The sound of metal being ripped and gouged like wood under his sharp limbs only made the crowd cheer louder. They went wild in anticipation of the bloodshed to come.
"ANIMAL!!!!"
Chapter 14: The Pit of Despair
"Death! Death! Death! Death!"
The crowd chanted for bloodshed as Animal stood over the beaten and bloodied form of Carnivor, his opponent for the night. A huge man with pointed, yellowish teeth that didn't even fit in his mouth properly. The equally long and thick claws made Animal think it was a bear quirk.
In the end he didn't really care.
"Death! Death! Death!"
Carnivor belonged to one of Obekka's VIPs, a proud oil tycoon that had just returned to Japan and instantly scoffed at news of Animal's brutal record. He claimed that his bodyguard could pound the shape-shifter into the ground any day.
Obekka had bet him a fortune and a favor that he couldn't.
"Death! Death!"
Carnivore had put up a good fight but bulky fighters are slow fighters and Animal was anything but slow. He had zipped around the arena kicking and slashing every part of the brute's body he could reach until Carnivor collapsed. Where he wasn't bleeding from dozens of cuts his skin was black and blue, his arm and several fingers were broken and he wheezed from a punctured lung. Surprisingly he could still see despite his shattered face, his eyes begged his opponent for mercy.
"DEATH!"
A gong sounded like a call to prayer but there were no gods to answer. Animal summoned long sharp limbs and positioned one over the man's chest. His eyes widened and he tried to crawl away. Animal pinned his pant leg down. He was just making this harder on both of them.
"Please," he gasped. "Please spare me."
It was a quick death. Pierced through his heart.
It was the only mercy Animal had the power to give.
The gong sounded again and the crowd screamed.
They cheered for the undefeated champion of The Pit.
A spotlight shone down on him, a god of blood and battle anointed in scars with a body honed into a weapon. A testament to his victories etched on his back in black ink.
The tally marks numbered forty two.
What was one more?
After the fight Animal was escorted back to his cage. A two meter by two meter metal box that the shape shifter could barely crouch in.
He was in the lounge, a luxurious room where Obekka hosted his VIPs following each fight. He liked to show off his prized warrior by placing him in the middle of the room for his guests to gawk at.
Tanshiru, who had become his handler, kicked the cage for Animal's attention. He snarled at the man.
"Ah, ah, ah. Be a good boy Animal," he taunted. "Or do I have to remind you what happens if you act out in front of the VIPs again?"
He held up a sleek silver remote. Animal glared, a rumble building in his chest.
The collar he wore matched the remote, smooth shiny metal with a ring on each side and the back. It was designed specifically for him. With the push of a button Obekka or Tanshiru could switch the signal for the quirk suppression on or off or they could deliver a powerful shock. Currently Animal could feel an uncomfortable tingle indicating the quirk suppression was active.
A couple of sharply dressed men with their dates hanging on their arms entered and ordered drinks at the bar. Tanshiru pocketed the remote and took his post not far away to wait for his boss. Obekka soon arrived with a short middle aged man in a tuxedo. The man did not look happy.
" — completely unfair. Carnivore was a valuable asset. How dare you kill him," he was yelling.
"Mr. Omono," Obekka replied calmly. "You were warned about Animal's undefeated status and you know the rules of The Pit. The mob decides the fate of the fallen, not me."
The man, Carnivore's master, stood there fuming as Obekka was handed his usual drink by one of the barmaids. The rest of the guests watched the exchange with amusement.
"Carnivore could defeat any man pitted against him but that was not a man. You fed him to a beast."
Obekka laughed.
"He's quite magnificent isn't he?" the fat man said, completely unfazed by Mr. Omono's anger. "Animal is a predator and, like any predator, his instinct is to eliminate all challengers. The Pit is his territory, the moment Carnivore stepped into the arena he became prey and stood no chance. Isn't that right Animal?"
The shape-shifter snarled and banged his hands on the bars making the cage rattle. Whenever the fat man's attention turned to him his instincts went wild. Much like with Carnivore during the fight, Animal identified Obekka as a rival. In human terms The Pit was Obekka's territory but the cryptid's animalistic side knew he was stronger than the Pit Master and howled out a challenge the man couldn't even understand.
Mr. Omono jumped at the noise. His eyes widened, only just now realizing Animal was in the room. Several people laughed at the display, cruelly mocking the feral boy which only made him growl louder.
Obekka motioned for Tanshiru who handed his boss the remote.
"You insulted my champion and let your pride push you into making a bet you could not win. You doomed Carnivore yourself. At least Animal granted him a clean death. He could have done much worse."
"Worse?" The man sputtered, his face turning red. "How could it have possibly been worse? That monster brutalized him before stabbing him in the heart!"
"If I had ordered it," Obekka explained. "Carnivore would have died a slow, painful death pumped full of a lethal cocktail of venom."
Mr. Omono stared at the Master of the Pit in complete shock.
"V-venom?" the man stuttered.
Obekka grinned and hit a button on the remote. Animal felt the quirk suppression disappear.
"I believe a demonstration of how he defeated Goliath is in order," Obekka announced.
Animal knew what Obekka wanted. Goliath was a giant of a man, the largest he had fought yet, with a quirk that made their skin act like non-Newtonian fluid. The harder Animal hit, the less damage he did. As the fight dragged on the idiot got cocky and let his opponent get too close.
One bite and it was all over.
Animal's legs fused into a long tail covered in black and green scales. The tip quivered filling the room with a warning rattle. He hissed with open jaws, allowing long pointed fangs to unfold from the roof of his mouth.
"What you are seeing is a combination of rattle snake and inland taipan, both lethal on their own but excruciatingly deadly together."
Mr.Omono was pale, his mouth hung open as he gazed upon a real life naga coiled inside the small cage.
"Where on earth did you find this creature?" he asked.
Obekka chuckled.
"I made a deal with the devil and received a demon straight from hell."
—------------------
Animal lay on his bed inside his cell. It was the same room he had woken up in months before but now there was a lumpy mattress against the wall and a low table for meals. A toilet and sink combo like you would find in prisons was in the corner. He had everything he needed, so there was no reason for Animal to leave the cold, dim room between fights.
Most of the time Animal would be sleeping or working out, maybe even practicing his quirk if they allowed it but on nights after a fight all he could do was lay there and blankly stare. He tried to think of happier times to fill the hollow space in his chest that grew bigger and darker each time he stepped into the arena.
His fingers repeatedly brushed over the blue bracelet on his wrist. One of the few treasures he had left from his old life.
After his first fight Animal had been turned over to Archivist. The man had gone through his abilities one by one and forced him to reveal what they did, often encouraging the shape-shifter with a cattle prod.
Hours later Animal was dozing against the wall, covered in electrical burns and trying to ignore the weight of the collar and chain when Archivist entered with Obekka and Tanshiru.
"It's quite remarkable," the brown haired man said. "His quirk isolates useful abilities from any animal DNA that touches his skin. He currently has access to thirteen and can manifest them all at the same time."
"Amazing!" the fat man exclaimed. "He's a fully customizable fighter."
Archivist gestured to a table where he had laid out all of Animal's jewelry.
"He already has a pretty diverse arsenal but a few can be improved upon," he picked up the cat fur bracelet. Animal straightened up, suddenly alert. A possessive growl caught in his throat as the only thing he had left of Queenie and the colony was handled by the quirk analyst. "This is the fur of a normal house cat. I suggest we switch it to something stronger, a tiger perhaps?"
Animal's heart rate spiked.
They wanted to get rid of the bracelet.
He couldn't let them.
The cryptid yowled angrily and lunged as far as he could. The chains rattled and the collar pulled at his throat. He gnashed his teeth and clawed at the air but they were much too far for him to grab. The three men just watched him curiously.
"He's quite attached to this one," Archivist explained. Obekka took the bracelet from him and studied it.
"The earliest stories of Kaijin said he traveled with a group of alley cats," he turned to Animal and held the bracelet out so his straining fingers were mere centimeters from touching it. "This is one of your oldest abilities isn't it? Mama cat's fur?"
Animal hissed and lunged again, hoping for just a tiny bit of extra reach. He felt a bead of blood roll down his neck. Obekka looked pleased at the boy's desperation, a mocking smile spread across his face.
"Tanshiru," he called, extending the bracelet out to the man. "I don't think we'll be needing this any more."
The man gleefully took it and pulled out a lighter. Animal redoubled his efforts, he was strangling himself as he fought against the chain, reaching back to tug at it, hoping he could rip it from the wall.
The fur didn't disappear in a flash of flames. It slowly smoldered, disappearing bit by bit as Animal sunk farther and farther into despair until the only thing he had of Queenie was gone and he was crouched in a ball with tears streaming down his face.
"You are Animal," Obekka declared. "From now until you lay dead in the dirt you belong to me. Forget everything else."
Animal continued to crouch on the floor. Elbows on his knees with his face pressed to his forearms and his hands tangled at black curls. The three men moved on to discuss his quirk. He felt like he was phasing in and out of reality. One minute he was seeing and feeling nothing and the next he was listening to Archivist suggest switching goat to bull because forward facing horns were better for goring.
"We also need a new way for him to carry his abilities. The bracelets are reliable and the feathers can be secured with braids but the necklaces are just asking to be ripped off."
"Do you have a suggestion?"
Archivist handed a note pad to his boss. The fat man studied it for a moment, a pleased toothy smile that made Animal shiver slowly split his puggy face.
"Perfect."
Animal pulled himself from the memory. He had curled into a ball, his arms lay on the thin pillow close to his face so all he could see was cerulean blue.
He missed Dabi.
He missed Himi.
He missed Night Jumper.
And Eraserhead.
And all the Menagerie kids.
Animal began to cry. Memories of happiness and belonging felt like punches to his lungs making him choke on sobs.
He remembered trying to pounce on Night Jumper only to catch air when the hero melted into the shadows with a laugh.
Slurping jelly pouches on a rooftop with Eraser, talking about cats and heroes and how proud he was of his kids despite the headaches.
Watching cheesy romances and eating popcorn with Himi while painting eachother's nails.
Sleeping curled up against Dabi's warmth in those early days together when winter was the biggest thing they had to worry about.
Sitting on the floor in the middle of the bunk room reading a storybook when one child's nightmare triggered an avalanche of bad memories.
Playing heroes and villains in a sunny forest with a loud blonde kid that made him feel like anything was possible.
" Come on Zuku, we have to catch the bad guys and be the greatest heroes ever! "
Animal gasped like he had been drowning and pressed his face into his pillow.
It had been a long time since he allowed himself to think about Kacchan. The memories were too painful to keep close but his childhood friend was always there in the back of his mind. He was the voice Animal heard when he needed one more push. When everything felt like too much and he would be crushed under the pressure.
Did Kacchan even still remember him? Maybe occasionally think fleetingly about the useless, worthless kid that once followed him around?
Was he still dreaming of being a hero?
"You'll be a wonderful hero Kacchan," Animal thought, imagining the words floating off into the universe where they might find their way to his best friend. "But I don't think even you will be able to save a villain like me."
—---------------------
Animal woke a little over a week later with a feeling of dread pressing down on him.
Tonight was another fight night.
This one would be different. It marked almost a year since Animal had become the champion of The Pit. Obekka was planning something special.
Animal started his routine, the only thing that kept him sane when he was left alone in the cellar of the old factory where Obekka had built his underground fighting empire.
Breakfast was already sitting just inside the door, a bowl of cold porridge and some tea. It wasn't tasty but it was filling. A perk of being the boss's personal fighter was constant meals and time to rest. As much as Obekka and, especially, Tanshiru liked tormenting the shape-shifter they liked money more and Animal brought in a ton of cash.
Animal ignored the food for now and started doing some stretching. As he bent at the waist and rested his forearms on his feet he felt the sting of the fresh tattoo on his back.
A couple of days before Animal had been ordered to lock himself into the manacles hanging from the ceiling.
"Congratulations Animal," Tanshiru said mockingly as he entered. "Forty three kills, that's more than any other fighter has achieved."
All Animal could do was snarl, knowing the man would shock him until his knees gave out if he lunged or kicked.
"You're nearly at two rows of marks," Tanshiru banged a black case on the table and opened it to reveal a tattoo gun and a vial of black ink. "How many do you think you'll have when you finally meet your match?"
Tanshiro lifted the back of Animal's shirt, his nails ran up the boy's spine making him shiver. His thumb brushed over the completed tally marks, feeling the raised skin under his fingertip.
Animal heard things while caged in the VIP room and during the pre-fight exhibit when fighters were put on display for the audience to study before placing their bets. The cryptid's feral personna made people think he was simple, to dumb to understand, but he was always listening. Tanshiro liked them young and he liked when they fought. He was a brutal mercenary that craved power in all aspects of his life. Animal was never more thankful for the protection being Obekka's champion granted him than when he was alone with Tanshiru.
The buzz of the tattoo gun filled the cell. Animal kept still and stared at the ground with empty eyes, a familiar numb feeling washing over him as kill forty three was immortalized on his skin.
The men and women that entered The Pit were often the scum of society, villains that had committed the most heinous crimes. Maybe they deserved death but Animal had never wanted to be a killer, only a survivor. He always asked for forgiveness in this moment, begging for the sting of the tattoo and the cold metal around his wrists to be punishment enough.
Animal straightened up, shoving the memory into the darkest corners of his mind with all the other unsavory thoughts and images. If he wanted to survive he had to keep pushing forward.
He put the food on the table before picking up the cup of tea and making his way over to the sink. He downed the luke-warm liquid in a few gulps and used the cup to swirl water around his mouth and spit. He would give a lot just for a toothbrush right now.
The cryptid caught sight of himself in the mirror. His eyes looked dull and the bags underneath were dark against his pale skin. His hair was long and pulled back with a strip of cloth ripped from the sheet revealing pointed ears covered in piercings.
It had been Archivist's solution for carrying his abilities. Obekka knew a woman with a quirk that let her manipulate the appearance of small objects like size, shape and color. He commissioned her to make custom piercings and she had delivered a set of mostly white jewelry with green accents that would have been quite beautiful in any other circumstance.
Animal had snarled and spit while Tanshiru gripped him in a choke hold to keep his head still and his jaw closed after he tried to bite the piercer. Even through the pain and fear Animal's mind went back to sitting amongst soft pillows while gentle, warm hands gave him his first piercing on his birthday. Tears ran down his face when the needle broke through the cartilage of his ear and one of the last memories he had of his siblings was poisoned.
Animal turned his head to study the jewelry. About two thirds of the way up his left ear there was a white ring with a thin green line running through it made of rabbit bone. Just below that was a small white ball stud made of bat bone. In the lobe was a white and black banded wasp spider leg that had been straightened and hardened to resemble the porcupine quill that was threaded through the top of his right ear like an industrial piercing. On the same ear as the quill, half way up, was another ring with green hash marks along the edges made of lizard bone.
Kiseki's shed had suffered a similar fate to Queenie's fur but Animal let himself feel a tiny bit content knowing he still had Himi and Dabi's gifts.
The final ear piercing had been the most painful. The piercer's ability worked best on objects but that didn't mean she couldn't use it on people. She pinched his right ear lobe between her fingers and forced it to stretch until the hole was big enough to slot in a tiger claw with a delicate pattern of green swirls etched into the white keratin. Animal had grit his teeth and breathed heavily through his nose until the burning sting stopped.
Next were the facial piercings. Bull horn was molded into an ivory septum piercing with a green gradient at the tips. Two snake fangs, one from a rattle snake and the other from an inland taipan, were stabbed through his bottom lip. The point of each tooth was a toxic green like they were leaking venom.
Animal sighed and sat on the floor by the table to eat breakfast. It was likely all he would get until right before the fight. It was how they made sure he behaved during the exhibit, if he didn't growl and show off for the mob the way Obekka wanted then he would go into his fight hungry.
After breakfast he went through the rest of his routine. A standard full body workout, what yoga he remembered from Himi and a circuit of repeated punches and kicks to get his mussels warm. The collar's suppression was off so he did some quirk training too. He was still getting used to moving with snake, the thick flexible body was difficult to coordinate at first but now he had pretty good control. It was great for capture, he could probably match a boa constrictor in strength now, but he tried to avoid that during a fight. The crowd expected death by bite whenever he got someone in his coils. He hated biting, the taste of blood made him gag and the hybrid venom was fast acting and agonizingly painful.
The first time Animal had killed an opponent with venom, watching them writh and bleed from every orifice as they shrieked in pain, he had kept it together until he was escorted out of the arena. As soon as he was out of sight he fell to his hands and knees despite the poles and collar choking him. He heaved and vomited until he felt like the muscles in his neck had torn and his throat burned with acid. He was sobbing and hyperventilating, shaking so hard he could hardly hold himself up. Tanshiru had grabbed him by the collar and thrown him against the wall calling him pathetic and weak. Through his blind panic and disgust with himself, Animal fleetingly thought that he was okay with being the most pathetic person in the world if it meant he still felt something when taking a life.
Animal tried to keep himself focused all day. He repeated his punches and kicks with tiger active, the boost in strength compared to house cat was astronomical but his agility suffered. Good thing rabbit made up for it.
As Animal was sitting against the wall, meditating to try and stave off boredom, a loud bang on the door made him jolt. The small window opened revealing Tanshiru's inverted eyes.
"Hey there pet. Cuffs on."
Animal grumbled quietly and made his way to the center of the room. He snapped the overhead cuffs in place. The chains were just loose enough that he couldn't quite put his hands on his head.
"Give us a rattle," Tanshiru ordered.
Animal hissed and gave the chains a couple hard tugs to prove he was secured.
"Good boy."
The door opened and Tanshiru entered followed by Obekka. Animal narrowed his eyes at the fat man. He normally never saw the Master of the Pit on a fight day, he was too busy with his VIPs and trusted Tanshiru to make sure Animal was properly riled up for the battle.
"Aren't we obedient nowadays," Obekka said, his eyes darting down to the cryptid's mouth. A white scar stood out on his bottom lip from when Obekka had backhanded him with his rings for disobeying in front of the VIPs. "I came to wish you luck. I've invited the champion from a rival district to challenge you. This may be your toughest fight yet, Animal. I hope you know that if you lose the mob will not grant you life. Who wouldn't want to witness the fall of a god?"
Obekka stepped forward into Animal's space. The boy growled lowly, his chest rumbling like far off thunder. Tanshiru readied his thumb on the shock button, his eyes dared the fighter to try something.
"You're a gladiator, Animal. A powerhouse of strength and a genius strategist. You shouldn't be cooped up in the basement between battles," Obekka's voice was full of a soft awe that lent his words a level of genuineness that most people would believe but Animal bared his teeth at the man.
The cryptid had been studying Obekka closely. His quirk had something to do with compliments and making people susceptible to suggestion. Animal would listen to Obekka schmoozing with the VIPs before asking a favor and witnessed how they bent to his will. The cryptid realized that Obekka had been trying to use it on him since day one. He had complimented everything about Animal, from his intelligence to his body, but the boy seemed to be immune. He wasn't sure why, it could have been that the quirk required a certain level of pre-established trust to forge the connection. It could be that the target had to believe the compliments were genuine and Animal did not believe Obekka had a kind bone in his body. Or maybe it was because Animal was more beast than boy now and his instincts fought against his arch-rival having any more control than he already did.
"An accomplished warrior deserves a place of honor. You'd be able to have whatever you desire; delicious food, rich clothes, power, money. All you have to do is stay by my side and follow orders."
It was the same offer as always, made with sweet words meant to tempt the boy into becoming Obekka's loyal pet but, as always, the man's quirk died on his lips. His promise sounded hollow to the shape-shifter and maybe that was why Animal had never fallen for his tricks.
The man could not offer the boy what he wanted most.
"You could be a lord if you just bowed to the king,"
Normally, at this point, Animal would be growling at the pair, making it obvious that he wasn't moved. Today he was tired and looked at the fat man with dull eyes, just waiting for the farce to be over. Obekka reached for Animal and grabbed his chin. Eye contact seemed to be the final step before he had control, forest green was forced to look into pale yellow.
He really should have been more careful around a wild animal.
The cryptid hissed and bit Obekka's hand.
The man screamed.
Animal didn't break skin, he bit just hard enough to keep the pudgy hand secured but it had an unexpected bonus. Tanshiru couldn't shock him without also shocking his boss. Obekka continued to yell and dropped his cigar as he tried to push Animal's head away but the cryptid growled like a dog protecting a bone and clenched his jaw threateningly.
"Get him the fuck off!" Obekka screamed. Tanshiru hesitated a moment, debating if he should take the risk and shock the feral boy. Animal kind of hoped he would. The shock was more likely to make him bite down than release. In the end the mercenary decided the collar wasn't the answer and punched Animal in the gut.
The shape-shifter gasped, finally freeing Obekka's hand. The man retreated looking down in shock and disguised at the already purpling crescent of tooth marks around the third knuckle of his pointer finger.
"Fuckin' bastard!" he swore. Tanshiru took that as permission to punch Animal again, making him lose his footing. He hung from his wrists, his eyes watering and coughing as air rushed back into his lungs. The boy smelled smoke. He gasped and choked on a scream as Obekka pressed the burning end of his cigar into his ribs making the flesh sizzle.
"Dogs that bite are put down," Tanshiru sneered, wrenching the boy's head back by his hair. He placed the side of his hand, sharpened into a razor edge, at Animal's throat. He waited for his boss' order.
Obekka had managed to compose himself. Standing straight with his cigar held casually but Animal wanted to smirk when he noticed the stray strands that had escaped from his slicked back hair and how he didn't have his hand in his pocket like he normally did. He held it gingerly, trying not to move it.
Obekka regarded Animal with calculating eyes. If the cryptid could actually feed on sin he would be gorging himself on wrath right now but this was a man built on greed and he still saw dollar signs when he looked at Animal.
"Now, now Tanshiru. If you train a dog to fight you have to expect to be bitten," he admonished as if he was talking down a child. "However, even feral mongrels can learn to obey their master if you discipline them right. No more food before the fight and he's staying awake for three days."
Animal snarled. It wasn't the first time they had withheld sleep as a punishment. He would stay in his cage with someone watching him. They had orders to do whatever they wanted to keep him awake. Most people shocked him, a few liked to hit him, one used their quirk to make everything he touched feel scaling hot. Tanshiru was the worst, he would poke him with the needle sharp ends of his fingers until he was covered in small puncture wounds weeping blood.
Tanshiru's phone chimed.
"Show time," Obekka said gleefully. "Get him to the exhibit and make sure he shows off for the crowd or I'll add another day to his punishment."
Entering the exhibition hall was always a fiasco. Obekka liked to play up Animal's ferocity by having him escorted past the spectators in a muzzle and straight jacket with a metal plate in the back to keep his spider legs from manifesting. They kept the quirk suppression off so Animal could turn on his ears, eyes and horns for the mob's viewing pleasure.
A pair of guards held him at a distance with the poles on his collar and occasionally jabbed or pushed him toward people making it look like he was attacking. Occasional low shocks ensured Animal growled and fought his bonds like a wild beast.
Once he was pushed into the cage he was on his own. Animal was expected to put on a show. He rattled the cage and snarled at anyone who lingered too close to the ropes keeping them a safe distance from the cryptid. The straight jacket was purposefully loose so he could eventually free himself and reach through the bars or strike out with his spider legs. Tanshiru was always close by, ready to shock him if he tried to break the cage.
People jeered and threw things, trying to rile the feral creature up more. Other fighters for the undercards were scattered through the room in their own areas. Normally no one else was chained or caged, either here of their own free will or more obedient to their masters.
Today Animal caught sight of a pair of girls with pale skin and black hair to his left. They were handcuffed together and shackled to a support beam by their ankles. One was yelling at the crowd, cursing and tossing back anything that was thrown at them. The other was comparably docile but she was studying everyone coldly, the picture of a confident killer. Occasionally her bright crimson eyes would fall on Animal. He stared back, meeting her gaze with a challenge of his own.
They were his opponents.
Animal snarled as Tanshiru shocked him. He had stayed still too long so he went back to focusing on the crowd.
A man in a three piece suit with styled hair stood at the ropes and grinned smugly at the cryptid.
"So this is the famous Animal? I'm disappointed. Obekka said you were a brilliant fighter but you're just a wild animal yearning for blood aren't you?"
Animal chittered angrily at the man and dug his spider legs into the ground, gouging the concrete like he was trying to drag the whole cage across the floor.
"Mr. Masuta," Tanshiru greeted, directing a shallow bow toward the man.
"Tanshiru. Don't mind me, I was too curious to wait for the fight. He seems like quite the handful, your pet."
This man reminded him too much of Obekka, cruel and proud. They played with people's lives to satisfy their craving for power and money.
With Tanshiru distracted, Animal manifested a couple quills and broke off the largest one. He wasn't ignorant of the two chained girls watching him but he kept his eyes on the their master.
The shape-shifter slowly reached through the bars and readied his throw. His arm shot forward but just as he was releasing a long, strong shock made his body stiffen and he yowled in pain. The quill skittered across the floor, coming to a stop at the man's feet.
"You motherfucker," Tanshiru snarled. He pressed the other button and all of Animal's abilities disappeared. "That's another day of punishment. Maybe I can convince Master Obekka to string you up for a night, good luck sleeping while you're hanging from your ankles."
Tanshiru marched up to the cage followed by a couple of Obakka's hired guards. Animal snarled and kicked the door repeatedly, making it difficult for them to unlock it.
As he was wrenched out and pinned down so the jacket could be put back on and the poles reattached, he didn't miss his opponent's master chuckling nor did he remain blind to two sets of crimson eyes watching him like he was the most intriguing thing they had ever seen.
"TONIGHT! IS A BIG, BIG NIGHT!" the announcer cried.
Animal stood ready behind the metal door. He only wore a pair of loose black pants that were cut off just below the knees. He had his bat wings and horns out along with his regular set of sensory abilities. Cat eyes, bat ears, snake tongue and heat pits.
The two holes on either side of his nose allowed him to see the cloud of body heat from the crowd above him. One area on the right side of the arena and slightly higher than the audience was the VIP booth. They weren't as tightly packed so he could make out individual silhouettes chatting and lounging as they waited.
Animal let his heat vision fade into the background so he wouldn't overwhelm himself when the doors opened.
"CELEBRATING ONE YEAR AS CHAMPION OF THE PIT!"
The door began to rise.
"IT'S ANIMAAAAAL!"
Animal stepped into the arena to raucous applause and deafening cheers. He spread his wings, showing off for the crowd like Obekka wanted him to.
"CHALLENGING ANIMAL! THE ANGELS OF DEATH FROM THE WEST! TSUKURI AND KONTORU!"
The opposite door opened and the two girls stepped into the arena. They wore the same thing they had on at the exhibit. Matching tight black leggings and red tank tops with red combat boots. One wore silver greaves on her forearms. The other had long red fingernails and an empty knife sheath on her leg.
Support gear was not permitted in the Pit so Animal wondered why she had brought it.
Their black hair was braided down their backs and their pale arms were smooth and blemish free. Either they had a good healer or they had never taken a hit.
"FIGHTERS READY?"
The sisters tensed and shifted into fighting stances. Animal lowered into a crouch, eyes narrowed.
"FIGHT!"
Animal roared loudly to cover the fact that he wasn't moving to attack. He needed to know their quirks.
The girl with the nails dug them into her own arm and pulled out a stream of blood which formed into a long blade in her hand. Her sister charged forward empty handed but Animal didn't miss the spikes of hardened blood floating behind her. As she approached the center of the arena she flung her arms toward him and the needles came rocketing at Animal.
He lept into the air and the projectiles passed below him, shattering to pieces against the metal walls. He pumped his wings and shifted to the side. This time he saw when the girl with the nails, who he assumed was Tsukuri, created more needles.
Kontoru swept her arm from her sister to Animal and the blood weapons followed her movement, launching toward him again and forcing him to dive and dodge in the air.
Their quirks were highly compatible. Tsukuri could make weapons from her own blood which Kontoru was able to control.
Another volley of blood knives raced toward Animal.
He dropped out of the sky, catching himself on his spider legs and quickly striking at Kontoru.
She dove away and toward her sister who threw her a round shield. She used it to block Animal's next attack.
Animal kept hitting the shield, chipping off bits of the rich red surface. Broken pieces of hardened blood lay scattered across the arena but they didn't move. It seemed that once a weapon was shattered it couldn't be used again.
More spikes came at him but he dodged, turning on his pangolin scales in case she could curve them back.
As Kontoru focused on defending against the barrage of sharp limbs, Animal manifested quills on his lower back.
He struck the shield with all his legs at once, finally shattering it. As Kontoru reeled from the powerful hit, Animal ripped a quill off in each hand and threw them. She blocked one with her greaves but the other caught her shoulder making the girl stumble back with a cry.
Animal was on her in an instant. Slashing and forcing her to keep her armored arms up for defense. She couldn't throw any more weapons with her hands occupied.
The shape-shifter heard the loud crunch of sand as Tsukuri ran at him. He blocked her strike with a scaled arm.
Now Animal was on the defensive. Tsukuri was skilled with a sword and pushed Animal away from her sister.
The hardened blood was sharp but fragile and each hit against his armor chipped the blade but the damage was soon repaired with fresh blood.
"Tsuku! Away!"
Tsukuri dove to the side.
Animal dove the other way.
Spikes rained from the sky.
Animal shrieked as one of his wings didn't quite make it out and was torn to shreds. He rolled back to his feet, breathing hard and looking around for another wave.
The girls had regrouped across the arena. They were panting just as hard as Animal. Kontoru had pulled out the spine in her shoulder, blood poured down her arm. Tsukuri kept her sword raised but Animal didn't miss how it shook.
As the three of them took a moment to breath Animal began analyzing. Both girls were dangerous but Kontoru was reliant on her sister's weapons. Based on Tsukuri's trembling and how her skin was much paler now compared to her sister it was safe to assume she was becoming anemic.
Fresh blood was pulled from Tsukuri's still bleeding arm.
Kontoru charged again, new weapons surrounding her as she ran right at Animal but he wasn't going to let her use the same trick twice so he lunged forward to meet her.
Her eyes widened at Animal's reckless move and launched her knives.
Animal kept straight on.
He curled his uninjured wing in front of himself, gritting his teeth against the pain as it absorbed the impact. A few tore through but shattered against the scales across his chest.
Animal crashed into Kontoru. He gripped her arm and injured shoulder, digging his claws in. Using their momentum he spun her around and delivered a hard kick to her gut with rabbit. She flew across the arena, tumbling painfully through the dirt.
"Konto!" Tsukuri screamed.
Animal turned toward her. She raised her sword. Her eyes darted from the shape-shifter to her sister laying still against the wall.
He felt for her.
They were like him.
None of them had asked for this.
Animal felt a painful ache in his chest. He really didn't want to hurt them but he couldn't just give up. Even if he spent the rest of his life in the Pit, even if he was doomed to die bleeding in the dirt as the crowd chanted for his death he couldn't just stop. He had people who believed in him, supported him, loved him. He would fight for them even if he never saw them again.
He killed for the slim hope of getting back to them, in this life or the next, even as he held tight to the ache that meant he was still human enough to feel regret and compassion.
Animal and Tsukuri came together like meteors.
Her blade snapped against his scales only to be replaced by another. He knocked the sword away and slashed at any exposed skin.
Tsukuri started to slow down and Animal knew she was low on blood and draining fast as several deep scratches painted her pale skin red. Animal wasn't much better, cuts from close calls with the needles and gashes from the sword covered his body, but he wasn't in danger of bleeding out.
Tsukuri clumsily stabbed at him with her broken blade, her footing unsteady. Animal side stepped and grasped her wrist, squeezing until the weapon fell to the ground.
He reached for her throat.
The loser would not survive.
The mob would demand death.
Choking her now would be the quickest way to end this. She was already so weak that she would pass out fast and all her pain would just fade away.
There was a flash of red.
Animal screamed, releasing his opponent's wrist to clutch his hand.
Tsukuri fell to her knees and keeled over.
Blood gushed from between Animals fingers, dripping on the ground and staining the sand red.
His left pinky and ring finger lay at his feet beside a small red dagger.
Animal remembered the empty leg sheath. Tsukuri must have put an extra knife in it at beginning of the match.
The girl's breathing was shallow. A few drops of blood floated above her body but she didn't have the energy to solidify them so they fell back down like rain drops.
She looked at him with glazed eyes nearly hidden behind heavy lids. He met her gaze.
She had been strong until the very end.
Animal wished he could speak but all he could do was cross his arms in front of himself before relaxing them across his chest.
"Rest now," he said.
Animal heard shuffling footsteps approaching.
"Get away from her!" Kontoru screamed.
Animal manifested spider legs. He turned and swept the girl's feet out from under her, pinning her down by her shirt.
Kontoru's arm was obviously broken and blood was streaming down her face from her hair line. Gashes and scraps covered her body. Animal was sure she was bleeding internally.
"Death! Death! Death! Death!"
The noise of the mob, which Animal had tuned out, suddenly returned. The crowd's excitement made him feel sick. He didn't understand how they could so gleefully condemn someone to die when the executioner was already mourning.
"Death! Death! Death!"
Animal stood over Kontoru, gazing down at her sadly as he readied the killing blow. He forced himself to really look at her, bracing himself to suffer the pain he always felt when they begged for their lives and he was powerless to show them mercy.
"Death! Death!"
Kontoru wasn't looking at him.
She was looking behind him.
Her good arm reached out, fingers digging into the dirt, not to get away from him but to get her just a little closer to Tsukuri.
"DEATH!"
No.
Animal bent down and scooped his opponent up. She groaned but didn't fight as he moved her broken body to lay beside her sister.
"Hey," Tsukuri whispered, her voice small and rough.
"Hey," Kontoru whispered back. Reaching out to grasp her sister's hand. "It's okay, I'm here."
Animal stood over the pair, blocking them as best he could from the view of the audience who was whispering amongst themselves in confusion.
"Do you think we'll see her again?" Tsukuri asked dreamily.
Kontoru laughed wetly.
"Yeah, she's probably waiting to scold us."
The crowd had started screaming now, angry at being ignored. They yelled insults and demanded Animal enact their will.
A beer can landed nearby followed by several more projectiles. Animal crouched down and covered the sisters with his feathered wings, ignoring the strikes against his back. The girls looked up at him.
"Why are you doing this?" Kontoru asked.
Animal cooed softly. He held up his hand so they could see the blue bracelet before hugging it to his chest, against his heart.
"Is it from someone you love?" Tsukuri whispered sleepily.
Animal nodded, tears spilling down his face.
"I hope you see them again one day," she prayed.
With one last gentle breath Tsukuri went still. Her sister sobbed and pulled her body close, wrapping her arm around her.
"ANIMAL!"
Animal flinched and bent down lower, he wrapped his wings around them tighter.
"ANIMAL! LISTEN TO ME! KILL THEM!"
Animal whined and shook his head. He would not obey this time.
"We had another sister," Kontoru said softly, pulling the shape-shifter's attention back to their safe little huddle. Animal clung to her words, letting them wash over him and push Obekka's yelling away. "Her name was Iyasu. She was killed during our last match. Her blood could heal anyone except herself."
The girl's voice was weakening, her eyelids dropped but she still clung to her sister tightly.
"We're triplets. We've never been apart but we'll be together again soon. Someplace better."
Animal cooed and nodded. He was sure she was right.
"What's your name?"
Animal tilted his head in confusion. She knew his name, she couldn't have missed the commentator introducing him or Obekka screaming it at the top of his lungs but he began writing in the red tinted dirt at his feet anyway.
A - N - I
"No, I want to know your name." Kontoru interrupted.
Animal paused. He had long ago tucked who he used to be away like a treasure too precious for the monster he had become to even look upon.
He was just Animal now but, as the boy looked down at the two sisters, drifting away under his wings, he realized that someone else was still there.
Kaijin was still there, trying to protect.
And if Kaijin was still there then maybe…
I - Z - U - K - U
"Thank you, Izuku," Kantoru sighed. She tucked her sister's head under her chin and closed her eyes. "Thank you."
As she breathed her last, Izuku finally passed out. His wings still draped over the sisters like a burial shroud.