Author's Notes: Chapter edited and corrected by Vongrak.
Emerald POV.
"It seems Barnes is making progress." I said as we entered our room, Cinder nodded.
"Garaki's operation was definitely a success, and Barnes was lucky to find a quirk that complemented her original quirk so well." I said Cinder easily, and nodded.
"Although... she seemed a little tired? Stressed?" I asked, frowning. We had just arrived from the training room, where we had spent the last hour training with Emma Barnes, Sophia Hess's latest addition.
With Hess now occupied at Birdcage, looking after Barnes was now our job. Or rather, we were the only ones available at the moment. The Travelers had screwed up badly enough by failing to make any progress with the DragonSlayers to be able to mess with Dragon's defenses, so Hess and Wyatt had gotten ahead of them and planned a Trojan horse at Birdcage, which, surprisingly, had worked perfectly.
So Garaki was… displeased is a strong word, he didn't really care about us as long as someone fulfilled All For One's wishes and plans, and since the Travelers failed to do so, yes, he was a little unhappy.
That was causing even more tension within the group. Miyamura had really put them through the wringer, and it seemed like the group was about to fall apart, and it only seemed to be getting worse, especially with that kid, Noel. Now that he didn't have his quirk, it was more than obvious that he wanted to go back to a normal life, but that was impossible. They'd chosen the worst possible person to join.
If the rumors about All For One were true—and from the short time I'd known her, I was actually inclined to believe them all—she would truly feel sorry for them if it weren't for the fact that they got themselves into this mess.
"According to Garaki, a second quirk is already taking everything out of Barnes. That's the limit for her; she won't be able to add a third without going insane or her body falling apart and dying. Hess, on the other hand, was able to accept a third quirk, however weak it was, with ease. Perhaps it has something to do with the fact that she's a ball of rage, while Barnes is half-broken and completely dependent on Hess. Without her, she's crumbling." Cinder sneered. I frowned as I nodded.
That was the only reason why none of us had gotten a second quirk yet; the enormous mental and physical burden was truly dangerous, especially since All for One wasn't available and Dr. Garaki had to operate on us to grant us the quirk in a more invasive and painful way.
It was lucky that the doctor already had so much experience and his success rate was practically 100%. I heard him start rambling and some of his first attempts died on the operating table, so... I wasn't planning on letting Garaki near me with a scalpel anytime soon.
"A little broken? Aren't we all?" Mercury scoffed, seemingly overhearing our conversation. She was lounging lazily on the sofa, playing with her tablet.
"Maybe," Cinder said, simply shrugging. "I thought you were on a mission with Dabi and Compress, Mercury," Cinder said, looking at Mercury questioningly. Mercury snorted.
"I was, but we were able to complete it in record time. That Dabi is scary when she wants to be. We were able to get everything we needed quickly." Mercury scoffed, unconcerned.
"Did Torchwick have something to say?" Cinder mocked, Mercury snorted.
"Not really, like I said, Dabi is scary. We managed to get all the cargo we needed, and Compress used his quirk to transport it. Then we went to Spinner, who was working with the White Fang. They handled everything." Mercury shrugged, and I sighed at the vague explanation.
"Well, at least that's going well," Cinder said before making a face. "And better than the others are doing. Tyrian went to Aincrad to look for the Laughing Coffins." Cinder said with a grimace. My eyes widened and I shuddered slightly. Even Mercury grimaced at the name.
Laughing Coffin, the red guild, the infamous guild of hunters scattered across the world who killed other people for sport. They primarily hunted other hunters simply because it was easier to conceal their actions. What happens in dungeons, stays in dungeons, especially when they're the only survivors.
That was the sole reason many of them operated in Aincrad. As a broken dungeon floating around the world, no one had direct jurisdiction over Aincrad; any country attempting to claim it would almost certainly lead to war.
So Aincrad was practically a lawless land. The only ones who enforced any kind of law were the hunter guilds themselves, but even then, it wasn't enough. Aincrad was immense, and the hunters couldn't be everywhere, especially since they themselves couldn't simply ignore the work they had to do there, which was hunting monsters and collecting items.
But there were all sorts of lunatics in Laughing Coffin, people who killed civilians, heroes, or villains. Each member had their preferred victims, and they were all equally deranged. They were truly despicable. It was hypocritical of me to think that, being a villain myself, but Laughing Coffin members would happily attack anyone, even their own allies to satisfy their bloodlust.
The biggest problem was that the Laughing Coffin members didn't work together, or at least, most of them didn't work together outside of Aincrad. Almost all of them worked alone, in different parts of the world. One day you might hear news of a Laughing Coffin member in Brazil, and the next day there was someone in China, and none of them were connected to each other; they probably didn't even know each other.
Nobody knows how Laughing Coffin recruits its people, only that its members have a tattoo of a coffin with a smiling face on their bodies and received support from other members to carry out their murders, but nothing more.
No one knew who the members of Laughing Coffin were. There were a few confirmed members, like their leader, PoH, and they primarily operated in Korea. Which was truly impressive. Being able to operate in Korea without being hunted down by their national-ranked hunter and a dozen S-ranks was impressive, I'd grudgingly admit.
"Those bastards will kill us all," Mercury finally mocked.
"I agree." I shrugged. Cinder just nodded.
"So, we have something planned?" Mercury asked boredly. Cinder paused for a few seconds.
"No, not in the short term. We have a mission to complete in a week, so be prepared, but after that… we might have to stay here," Cinder said. She seemed to hesitate for a second before her gaze hardened. "I was thinking about getting Garaki's operation to get a second quirk," Cinder said finally. My eyes widened, and even Mercury looked up from her tablet to stare at Cinder.
"Are you sure, boss?" Mercury asked cautiously; she nodded.
"I don't know, it's a good opportunity and a really powerful quirk. Garaki just made a deal with a woman; she has a devastating quirk called Weather Manipulation, which can instantly create powerful thunderstorms and tornadoes. But the quirk is so strong that it causes cellular degeneration in her body. She made a deal with Garaki to see if he could save her."
"Garaki will do it, and he'll experiment on her. I think he wants to place a weaker replica of All For One in her so he can monitor how a body would react and obtain all the possible data to ensure the transplant of the original into Ozma's body is perfect."
"Also, Garaki assured me that he would be able to eliminate cellular degeneration if I decided to transplant the quirk into me." Cinder said with a grimace. I looked at her almost with horror and concern; even Mercury was frowning.
"Are you sure? I mean, it's not that I distrust Garaki, but..." I tried to say cautiously.
"But we don't trust Garaki," Mercury said bluntly, wrinkling her nose. To my surprise, Cinder just snorted.
"Even I don't trust Garaki. All he cares about is fulfilling All For One's wishes, and nothing else," Cinder said with a sneer. "So, for now, it's just an idea. I think it will take him some time to operate on and care for the woman, so I still have time to decide. Even when he's finished, he'll have the woman's blood stored for use whenever I want," Cinder said, wrinkling her nose as she seemed to consider her options.
"So... Europe?" I said, changing the subject. Cinder sighed and nodded.
"Yes, we are looking for the Gollini Family to establish contact with them," Cinder said easily. I frowned.
The Gollini Family was aware of most of the world's criminal organizations; one could not be a villain with global reach without being aware of the state of most continents and countries.
From what I recall, they were a European-based criminal mafia family, one of the largest criminal organizations on the continent, and they were constantly expanding.
"Another criminal organization? Wow, we're really expanding too much." Mercury scoffed, and I could only nod.
"Garaki practically wants to hand the world to All For One on a silver platter when she wakes up," Cinder said, shrugging. "I think there was another group, I think Dabi and Compress are free now, Himiko and Twice are still in Africa infiltrating warlords, we're going to try our luck with Humarise, but I doubt anything good will come of it." Cinder scoffed, and I grimaced.
Yes, that religious cult was spreading across the globe, a religious cult with a rather extreme anti-Quirk belief. I seriously doubted they could convince them to join All For One. Although, perhaps with the promise that they could remove the Quirks they considered 'diseases,' it might be a good deal.
"Okay, whatever, let me know when it's time to go." Mercury sighed as she lay back down and started playing with her tablet. Cinder just huffed, but turned toward the shower to clean up. I was going to do the same in my room. "Hey, boss!" Mercury called out before we left. We both turned to look at her. She was still looking at her tablet, but she had sat up. "Miyamura just posted something for you," Mercury said. My eyebrows shot up.
"Wait, did Miyamura comment something about Cinder?" I asked incredulously as I approached. "Wait, you check Miyamura's social media?" I asked incredulously. Mercury chuckled.
"That bastard is a walking nuisance, and I feel like kicking him in the face every time I see him, but he's creating internet culture," Mercury said, amused. I snorted heavily. I'd seen the videos Miyamura uploaded, simply by mistake; most of them went so viral that it was impossible not to stumble across one of them practically anywhere.
"Get to the point," Cinder grumbled as she approached. "Is that really a message for me?" I snorted as I snatched the tablet from Mercury. She and I stood on either side of Cinder and stared at the tablet at the same time.
"I think so? I just saw it, and it wasn't even subtle," Mercury shrugged. "Look, here it is, 'The Truth, for CINDER-her.'" Mercury pointed to the tablet, I leaned over, and sure enough, it was a video with that little comment on it, even the name CINDER was in all caps, highlighted from the other words. It would be... too much of a coincidence if it wasn't a message for Cinder.
"Cinderella? What is that? A female version of Cinderfella?" I asked, confused, as I recalled the children's fairy tale.
"There's only one way to find out," Mercury said, shrugging. Cinder frowned before playing the video; immediately, a soft piano melody began to play from the tablet. My eyes widened slightly. A song? For Cinder? Then an image appeared.
A drawing appeared, definitely of a younger Cinder, a Cinder dressed in a dirty white uniform, a Cinder with a necklace, a young Cinder in a white uniform and necklace, crouching down cleaning the floor with a brush. I froze. Oh no, oh no, no, no, no.
(The Truth (feat. Casey Lee Williams) by Jeff Williams)
♫ Clean the linens, sweep the floors
♫ Shut your mouth and do your chores
♫ Scrub the dishes in the sink
♫ No one said that you should think
♫ Shine the silver, wash the clothes
♫ And when you're finished, darn the socks, draw my bath
♫ Fetch my slippers, fill my glass
♫ And rub my feet; Hurry up, you're so slow
♫ You're no good I hope you know
♫ That your life is of no use
♫ And the truth is that
♫ No one's ever loved you
Oh no, no, no, no, no, no. I went completely pale when the song ended, a song sung by Miyamura himself. It was a really short video, but it was totally designed to make Cinder angry. My mouth was hanging open, completely frozen in place, until I heard a crack.
I finally snapped out of my shock and saw Cinder with a furious expression, the tablet in her hand shattering into pieces and her hands getting so hot they could melt metal. Fuck, fuck, fuck.
I turned to escape only to see Mercury already running out of the room. I almost stopped to glare at her, but then again, I really wished I had Mercury's survival instincts to have escaped so quickly.
I didn't hesitate for a second longer and ran out of the room. Just as I left, I heard a loud explosion inside the room followed by a furious scream.
"AAAHHHHH!!!!! MIYAMURA!!! I'LL KILL YOU YOU DAMN BASTARD!!" Cinder's completely furious roar and the subsequent explosions made me run further away from the place.
Finally, I met up with Mercury. I huffed and punched her on the shoulder.
"You ran away without me," I growled in her direction. Mercury looked at me incredulously.
"It's called survival instinct." Mercury snorted. "I wasn't planning on staying in the same room as Cinder after that song." Mercury scoffed, and to prove her right, a huge explosion made us shudder. "I admit it, Miyamura is damn good." Mercury sneered, and I looked at her incredulously.
"Good!? He just made Cinder angry! Angrier than ever!" I exclaimed incredulously, Mercury shrugged.
"Yes, and he did it with a 50-second video on the other side of the world." Mercury remarked. I opened my mouth before closing it. Mercury looked at me petulantly. "Seriously, that bastard is good at pissing people off. That level of personal attack in just a 50-second song is incredible. I may hate him, but I also pay my respects to him." Mercury sighed as she raised a hand in a gesture of respect. I punched her shoulder hard.
"Mercury! He made Cinder angry!" I blurted out again, Mercury shrugged.
"We are Villains, we attacked him and kidnapped him, believe me, a song is an easy revenge, even petty I would say." Mercury replied, I opened my mouth to close it again, then clicked my tongue.
"Do you think Cinder will be okay?" I asked worriedly, looking in the direction of the room. Mercury snorted.
"It will be, but the room won't, and neither will my tablet. Damn it, I'll have to download everything again." Mercury grumbled in annoyance before sighing. "Even so... I'd give it a week for her to calm down... then we have the mission and we won't be able to avoid it, but during the week, if... um, do you think the doctor has any mission for us that would send us out of here for a week?" Mercury asked curiously. I stopped and considered it.
"I think... I think we can convince him to bring Emma along to practice her new quirk in more realistic situations... I think there were some objectives somewhere." I said after a few seconds, Mercury smiled broadly.
"Well, well, well, little Emerald trying to avoid her beloved Cinder?" Mercury mocked. I blushed and hit her shoulder again.
"I like Cinder and I owe her a lot, but I'm not suicidal. I don't plan on going back there after that," he blurted out as another explosion resounded loudly. Mercury made a face.
"Yes, we're going to find Emma and the Doctor." Mercury said dryly, a final explosion making us walk quickly in the opposite direction from Cinder.
Author's Notes: Izumi uses ragebaiting on Cinder! It's very effective! Izumi gets: Cinder's hatred++++++++++++++++++++
Now, about the chapter. As you'll see, I didn't mention Emma's quirk because I honestly didn't know which one to give her. Her quirk is crystal generation; I liked it from another FF and just used it, but at first I didn't plan to use it in more depth. It would just be a nod to the original, so it was actually quite vague.
So, now that there are some plans for Emma, I need to develop her quirk in more depth, and that also means giving her a second quirk. Initially, crystal/gem generation—the first thing that comes to mind is Rin and Jewel magecraft —and I might use that, capable of imbuing the precious gems she generates with different effects.
Following on, Nine, Humarise and the Gollini family are here, which means the movies are canon, a bit obvious after I did Two Heroes on I-Island, but I wanted to point it out now so I wouldn't forget.
Everything with Nine and the Heroes Rising movie should happen before Christmas, so it would be right before Azula's arc. In the empty space I had in the timeline, I knew I was forgetting something, luckily, I remembered in time!