Massacre of the Innocence
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6NMP7ZmVlvo
A boy is running down an alleyway. The light of Christmas decorations reflects in his tired eyes. He's breathing heavily. A bruise peeks from above his bone mask. Blood trickles from the place where one of his piercings got ripped out. Crimson droplets run down his neck and soak into his collar.
The swiftest among his pursuers catches up to him. A blade of a knife gets stuck in one of the extra ribs of the boy's exoskeleton. The following exchange is short and brutal. Every second that passes is a risk that the others will catch up to them. Spikes on the boy's knuckles pierce through the assailant's jacket and skin. They lodge themselves in deep before getting pulled back out. Another strike follows. And then another.
The predator has been turned into prey and is now roughly shoved into a nearby dumpster, visible enough to hopefully attract his allies. Helping him should slow them down; give the boy enough time to lose them. At least for now.
He continues running.
The last day of internships at the Kraftwerk agency was eventful. Surprisingly many villains decided to try their luck this Christmas Eve. It served as a fitting final test for the youths, which they've passed with flying colours. The incidents were mostly minor, definitely not even close to being the grandest achievement in the month they've spent working under Impakt, but it was still a solid day of honest hero work. It filled them with pride and helped forget about how bruised and battered their bodies were.
After a commemorative dinner together, they've wished each other Merry Christmas and each went their own way home.
"Fuck! Had I known that bastard wasn't bluffing, I'd make sure to destroy every shred of evidence in there! How the fuck was I supposed to know that place belonged to the Night Parade?!"
Junichi swears to himself in the midst of panting. His back against a wall, he's taking a moment to catch his breath and prepare for what is to come.
"Okay, Marrow, time to get your shit together. Those fuckers aren't playing around. How do I get rid of them?"
While his brain churns out a plan, his body is running on autopilot to get him ready. New bone replaces the chinks in his armour. His ulna separates into two, and a half of it tears through his skin. It elongates and thickens, as it grows out of a gaping wound. First, it forms a handle. He grabs it and tugs, helping speed up the rest of the process. The blade that follows is serviceably sharp. He could have done better if he had more time.
But he doesn't. Another pursuer had found his trail.
Hifumi settled himself on the train. Most seats around him were empty. A sword in a bag bearing the logo of Shiketsu kendo club was resting on his lap. His armour had been breached today, so he left it at the agency to have it repaired. The damage to it wasn't major, so it should be ready for pickup before the New Year. At least he didn't have to haul it with him now.
A commercial's jingle caught his attention. On one of the screens, an image of the Kansai International Airport was displayed. His thoughts drifted towards her. They should have landed a couple hours ago.
He leaned forward and pulled out his phone. Fingers tapped through the menus; automatically taking him to messages. A smile bloomed on his face. Less than eight hours until he can meet her again. It's been a long month. With her doing an internship in Korea, and him being buried in his own work, there wasn't much time for them to talk, so they had to rely on texting.
But that would change soon. They promised each other to spend the whole Christmas together, starting at sunrise. He couldn't wait and decided to call her.
As snow continued to gently paint the scenery outside the train window, a boy exchanged words of love with a girl.
The blood loss is starting to make him dizzy. How long can he continue to fend off these attacks? He needs some way to end this chase. He needs help.
But whose? Calling the Legion would be too slow. Inigo lived too far away, and besides, he'd rather avoid getting him involved. He doesn't want to get the Five mixed into this, either. The answer is simple. There is one other person who is already just as guilty of raising the wrath of Tomi as he is.
His phone got cracked a couple hours ago, and there is no time to go look for a different one right now. He does roughly know where Takeda lives, so he decides to just go there and hope for the best.
It is a gamble, but he sees no other way.
Hifumi stepped out of the train and headed in the direction of his home. His mind was occupied with a mental checklist for tomorrow, or rather for today, considering the hour. The plan was set. Some crucial activities were already booked and the time for them reserved. Other periods were left more open for spontaneity, but with a preparation for various options already in place, just waiting for one to be chosen.
The gift was resting safely in his room. Every yen he earned during the internship, that did not go into the family budget, went towards it. He knew that this kind of money was insignificant to her, but he hoped she'll like it.
All that was left was to try to get a couple hours of sleep, get himself presentable, and then show up on time. The first one might prove difficult with the mix of excitement and nervousness pumping down his veins. They've been together over half a year, went on tens of dates before, and yet, before each one, he had the same fluttery feeling as before the very first. Meeting after such a long separation only made it so much stronger.
But then again, he was pretty tired after a long day, a series of them to be honest, so there is a possibility he'll shut down as soon as he lies down. Maybe it's waking up on time he should be worried about. He pulled out his phone and set two more alarm clocks just in case. Even if they fail to wake him up, they should be enough to do so to his sister and get her to finish the job. Hopefully, it won't come to that, but he knew she'll forgive him if it does.
When he looked back up from the screen, he was met with a familiar face, though the state it was in was worrying.
"We're in some deep shit, I need your help, no time for questions, follow me."
The string of words comes out of Marrow's mouth rapidly. Challenger takes one look at his battle brother and nods before he can even parse what is really going on. He's not one to abandon a friend in need, and this is clearly such an occasion.
Junichi quickly surveys their surroundings and darts off into one of the side alleys. Hifumi follows suit. Together, they dive into the urban maze.
The boy in front constantly scans the rooftops and the connecting roads. The other one joins him in that, even if he's not sure what he's really looking for. After a while, he decides to ask.
"Can you at least tell me what we're doing here?"
"Sure, just want-"
As he's turning around to respond, he abandons the explanation mid-sentence. Hifumi barely has time to react before Junichi's sword thrusts mere centimetres over his head. A metallic clank echoes from where it meets something.
Hifumi ducks and spins to see what happened. Before he finishes that movement, his sword is already out of the bag and in his hand. The faint blue glow illuminates the scene in front of him.
A masked man with a knife in hand, his surprise attack interrupted, is being pushed back by Junichi's assault. The steel of his blade clashes time after time with the bone of Marrow's sword. The would-be assassin is not lacking in murderous intent, each of his blows clearly aiming at his opponent's vitals, but his skill in open combat is subpar. The teenage boy has a clear edge in this match-up.
Or he would have if not for the exhausted state he's in. After the initial explosion to protect his ally, his breathing grows shallow. His movements are more sluggish than usual. It creates an opening, one which the trained killer he's facing jumps on.
As the sword is slow to return to a defensive position after its strike missed its mark, the assassin follows it like a shadow, the point of his knife aimed at Junichi's unprotected armpit.
But before it can land, it's time for the other boy to return the earlier favour. He appears in-between the two fighting. The blunt edge of his sword strikes into the man's stomach. The horizontal slash from this angle would have been impossible to perform without cutting through his ally, if not for the fact that most of it was performed before he had closed his eyes.
The impact knocks the man backwards, leaving him gasping for air. The teenage duo leaves him no space for that. Like wolves hungering for prey, they leap on him.
Junichi was leaning against the wall, while Hifumi was finishing tying up the disarmed, unconscious man.
"... So yeah, that's why I was looking out for shit like that. Should've just walked past that day."
"Those girls needed us, and I'm sure you're glad you helped them, even if you didn't wait to hear their thanks. Anyway, we've dealt with him, so we should call the polic-"
"Fuck me, aren't you a little Boy Scout. Didn't expect that with your looks."
"What else do you propose? Just leaving him like that?"
"There is no time to worry about it. More of his buddies will be coming soon. And I really don't want to deal with the cops. They didn't take care of them properly after the last time, or we wouldn't have to deal with his shit tonight. Besides, if they showed up now, they'd probably just dump me off in jail, together with this bastard, to get shanked there."
"That's not necess-"
"I ain't taking any chances."
"Fine, what's our plan then?"
"We've gotta deal with it ourselves. Just survive whatever they've got for now. It's not like they have a whole army. You can write your reports after things quiet down. Just leave me out of them like the last time."
"Sure... Do you know how many of them are out there?"
"Nope. We'll just have to wait and see. Speaking of the devil..."
Multiple large figures blocked the exits from the alley. Knives and bats in their hands matched the aura of violent intent that they exuded.
Its targets sighed and prepared their own weapons.
This was going to be a long night.
Two boys are sitting on a small bench. Desperate, shallow breaths fill their lungs. The cold air burns their throats, matching the feeling that now rules every muscle in their bodies.
"You said... they don't... have an army..."
Hifumi struggles to speak. Each word is a small battle; each heavy inhale a brief respite.
"I guess... we've really... pissed them off..."
Junichi has to fight in much the same way to respond. After he does that, he heaves himself up with a groan, and walks over to an unconscious man lying in front of them. Patting him down quickly, he finds a wallet in his pocket. He spills the coins from it on his hand, and stumbles towards a nearby vending machine.
"Couldn't they've... chosen a different day... I've got a date... in like three hours..."
"I ain't raising... another flag... with no false promises..."
They both smirk. Junichi walks towards Hifumi, two bottles of sports drinks in hand.
Their short break gets interrupted before they can even finish them, as another wave of gangsters catches up to them.
"Ah shit... here we go... again..."
Hoping to avoid another fight, or at least delay it, they slink from one shadow to the next, tiptoeing away from where they believe their pursuers to be. Stealth seems to serve them when they make it to the end of the street and the sound of footsteps doesn't seem to follow them.
But another noise breaks through the silence. Chirping up loudly from Hifumi's pocket, his phone plays a cheerful tune, proudly announcing that its owner should wake up.
Given the situation, it can only serve to extend his nightmare.
Hifumi's hand rushes into his pocket to fish out the accursed device, but with one of his fingers dislocated, he fumbles and drops it on the ground. Junichi puts it out of its misery, restoring the silence with a sharp stomp.
For a moment, all is still as the two pray that they were quick enough to stop it from revealing them. But then they have to accept the reality as they turn around to a sight of multiple men, running in their direction.
"The intervals between the attacks seem to be getting longer. Do you think they are finally running out of bodies to throw at us?"
"I can just hope so."
The first traces of sunlight were beginning to pierce the darkness, announcing the arrival of dawn. The long night took its toll on the two. While both of them were athletic, with the accumulated exhaustion and damage sustained in hours of fighting and running, it's only their strength of will that prevented them from collapsing.
With unsure steps, they followed their path until it forked, once again that night, forcing them to choose.
"It's your time to pick the route," Junichi rasped, but soon after added with a smirk, "and don't you dare throw another fucking stick."
"Fine, fine. How about this-"
The light banter, that through the night was as important to their mental states as the breaks to catch their breaths were for their physical ones, got cut short when a low, rumbling noise came from one of their prospective paths.
They tensed up, eyes searching for the source of it, but in the darkness of the night, all seemed still. Feeling exposed, they decided quickly on the path leading in the opposite direction and proceeded down it carefully.
Their steps were wary, and their senses poised to pick up any threats. Weapons in their hands, that had served them so faithfully throughout the night, readied to defend them once again.
But no attack was coming. Yet, they could not relax. A roof tile falling in their path. Traces of scratches on concrete walls. A bent drainpipe seen moments after hearing a sound of metal breaking. A sight of a large shadow flitting by in the corner of the eye. Each sign they noticed, caused them to jump and grip their swords tighter. And above all this, at each corner they came to, the same rumbling sound was there waiting for them.
Staying on high alert was exhausting, both mentally and physically. At this point, they prayed for the attack to come quickly, to get this over with before even more of their strength gets drained by this... game of cat and mouse.
As the realization dawned on him, Junichi's face grew pale, the colour of it matching his bone mask. Why did he not realize sooner? Maybe it was because he did not want it to be true.
"I think I know what that is..."
The rumbling sound grew louder, as if to respond to his words.
Junichi fell silent, as he noticed two bright points on the rooftop ahead of them. A pair of vertical pupils stared him down.
The owner of the eyes glistening in the dark let out one more satisfied purr, and leapt down.
It lands in front of them with agility that does not match its size. An absurd mass of muscles coils under layers of fat, fur and elaborately designed robes. Slowly, methodically, joint by joint, the grotesque hybrid of a human and a cat stretches to its full height, towering over the boys.
"... Nekoko... Tomi's construct." Junichi stammers out.
The monstrosity's only answer is an impossibly broad smile, revealing two rows of sharp fangs. It tilts its head a bit to the side, observing with amusement the reaction of its prey. Searching in their eyes for the dread that usually accompanies its arrival.
But it doesn't quite find it.
"I guess it's time for the big boss to show up." Hifumi quips, his words seeking to help the courage budding inside them sprout.
The boys take their stances. One last moment to steel their nerves. Ensure that they will hold out for just a bit longer. The last chance to gather their breaths. To ready themselves before this final trial, more daunting than anything they've faced so far.
Nekoko removes the outer robe and throws it away. Dropping into a squat reminiscent of a sumo wrestler, it drags its claws on the ground, leaving deep trails in the pavement as easily as if it were clay.
"Let's put this beast down."
Hifumi flips the switch on his sword.
The alleyway gets drowned in crimson light, and explodes into violence.
Nekoko charges, assured in its own superiority. It leaps with feline grace, but the inhuman strength that propels the deadly claws is such that they easily rend most obstacles in their path. The two exhausted mice should not pose much of a challenge to this hunter.
And yet, they do.
Barely.
Marrow dances at the edge of death. The bone of his sword cracks under the onslaught. Hastily set up shields shatter after every blocked strike. Some attacks slip past them. Trails of blood follow chunks of flesh rent off him. He patches himself with small osteoplates, but the stiffness of them limits his mobility. As his movements turn sluggish, his defences start to fail him more and more often.
Challenger without his armour is vulnerable. Only the speed of his blade and quirk keep him from doom. He's forced to rely on Junichi as a shield, while he tries to keep his distance and exploit the rare openings. With the speed of their enemy, it turns into a desperate game of tag. Each mistake costs him dearly. He manages to avoid hits that would end the fight, but blood slowly seeping from wounds opened by those that did reach him put him on a timer.
A timer which inevitably seemed to dawn on them with each of their attacks being nullified. The blades fail to reach the cat monstrosity. Regardless of the angle and timing, even when they synchronize their offensive in attempts to prevent Nekoko's escape, it twists its body in ways that allow it to dodge even that. The rare few attacks that manage to graze it, fail to even fully penetrate the layers of fat. The only reaction is the cat's mocking grin growing wider.
"I feel like we need a new plan." Hifumi says before Blinking to the other side of the alley. The clawed terror runs after him.
"How about a change of scenery?" Junichi shouts. He quickly breaks a lock on the nearby doors and barges inside.
Hifumi opens his eyes, returning to his initial position, milliseconds before the strength of his block would have been tested. Without wasting another moment, he follows his ally.
Challenger shuts the door behind him, and Marrow blocks it by knocking over one of the shelves standing by it.
Nekoko bangs on the doors a couple of times. The boys take a couple steps back and, with readied weapons, watch the makeshift barricade shake as it struggles to hold. They know it can't stop it for long.
But then the onslaught abruptly ends. The silence after the storm feels eery.
They know it wouldn't give up that easily, probably decided to toy with them again. They are wary of another ambush, they do, however, take this chance to recuperate as they take in their surroundings.
"What is this place?" Hifumi asks.
"A warehouse of a furniture shop that went bankrupt recently. I thought we could use some more light and space. The way it cut angles by bouncing off the walls pissed me off."
Junichi flips a switch. Halogen lights wake to life. Flickering illumination reveals a vast hall sparsely filled with mostly empty shelves and some crates.
"We need a way to get through that accursed cat's defences. Some way to pin it down. How much do you know about it?" Hifumi asks while trying to use torn pieces of his shirt as a makeshift dressing for his wounds.
"Not much that'd help, just what the street says. Tomi sends it when he wants to make a point and add a bloody big exclamation mark to it."
Junichi looks to the side. He seems conflicted, as if he couldn't decide whether to say what's left on his mind. Hifumi raises an eyebrow, the expectant look prompting the other boy to spit it out.
"I do have something that might help us, though. Just don't tell Inigo. I promised him I wouldn't use it."
From an inside pocket of his jacket, he pulls out a little metal box. He opens it, revealing a tube of an autoinjector.
"What is that?"
"It's called 'Trigger'."
"Like what you use to shoot? Is it some kind of a blow dart gun or something?"
"No. It's more like a little boost. Or a major one. I've never taken it before, so I can't be quite sure, but we can't exactly be picky about what gives us an edge right now, do we?"
With a trembling hand, Junichi raises the syringe.
"Are you sure that's wise?"
Hifumi seems as nervous as if he were the one getting injected.
"No, but do you have a better idea?"
He opens his mouth. He wants to give some motivational speech about how they can overcome it anyway as long as they don't give up. That working together, they are enough to take down any foe, without a need to rely on doping.
But the words do not come out. His heart falters. They are exhausted, wounded, and he can't see another way out. Just keep fighting and hope someone finally comes to bail them out? Try to run again? No. They need some way to break the beast, and this seems like the only way to do that. In the end, he just shakes his head.
Junichi takes a deep breath, trying for one last wisecrack to steel his nerves.
"Once it kicks in, just try to keep up."
The needle points at his neck. It tears through the space as it approaches its destination, steadily closing the distance. It's mere centimetres from touching his skin.
The rain of glass falls on them, followed by their enemy.
With one paw, it swaps Challenger away like a pesky fly, causing him to barrel through the room and crash into one of the shelves. It crumbles under his weight, but stops him from going further.
With the other, it grasps Marrow. The claws wrap around him and lift off the ground easily, pinning his arms to his sides and starting to squeeze. He lets out a sharp scream, but quickly stifles it.
The syringe hits the floor with a metallic clank, its contents still intact.
Nekoko focuses on the prey in its grasp. It lets its tongue slowly roll over its fangs, getting them to glisten in the flickering lights. It shows them off, one final glimpse of what it plans to use to finish him.
Junichi coughs up blood in response. The broken bones of his armour are digging into the soft flesh underneath.
But then he smirks with a glimmer of determination in his eyes.
"I've got you now... "
He tenses up, forcing whatever strength he has left into his Quirk. His bones rapidly expand, cells multiplying. Sharp protrusions sprout all over him. They explode through his skin, and pierce through his assailant's hand.
For the first time this night, Nekoko hisses in pain. The offending ball of spikes gets thrown away, and the cat monstrosity proceeds to lick its wounded paw. Fury burns in its eyes when the blood it tastes is mostly its own.
Marrow lands next to Challenger. He coughs again, and another crimson stain marks his tattered clothes. With a raspy voice, he manages to utter one more word while looking Hifumi in the eyes.
"Tag..." He says, redirecting his gaze to the syringe on the floor.
Challenger understands the task bestowed upon him. He gets up from the rubble, and looks for the right time. He finds it and closes his eyes, disappearing for a moment.
Before Nekoko can react, he's already back where he was, with Trigger in his hand. The autoinjector feels cold and heavy on his palm. He gulps and takes one last glance at his battle brother's broken figure, before doing what must be done.
The needle pierces the skin and the drug is quickly pumped inside his veins. It kicks in nearly instantly.
Challenger's heart begins to beat faster. Desperately pumping, it hastens the spread of the foreign substance. His muscles tense up, straining painfully, but soon the sensation passes and an odd numbness sets in. An incessant buzzing noise builds up in his ears and grows to be deafening.
The whole body feels foreign.
His thoughts rush by. He tries to steer them, but loses himself in their stream. Attempts at understanding what's happening to him first seem impossible, then unnecessary. Any plans and tactics he was trying to come up with are abandoned; he descends to a lower, instinctual level.
The mind knows what it must do.
Challenger's gaze meets Nekoko's. Hunger for blood and revenge emanates from behind the vertical slits. Behind Hifumi's bloodshot eyes, there is only a gaping void. They stare each other down, neither looking away nor even blinking.
And then he disappears.
A stream of flashing scenes. Each lasts a fraction of a second. A surreal reflection of what's happening.
His brain works in overtime. Mental images form at ridiculous speeds. They overlap with his vision. He's unsure where he really is.
The moment an image forms, he's already there. And then another comes. And another.
His sword rips through Nekoko. The cuts are myriad but shallow.
Attack. Reappear. Attack. Reappear. No pattern beyond that.
Blood gushes and turns into red mist. Warmth splatters on his skin.
The monster tries to dodge. It's futile. A thousand attacks from all directions.
The space does not matter to him now. There is only he and it. The will to cut is enough to be in range.
The monster tries to counter. It's futile. He disappears before it can reach him.
The space does not matter to him now. There is only he and it. The will to dodge is enough to be out of range.
It growls in hopeless fury. It swats around but finds nothing. It's hurt.
He knows he can't keep this long. It's time to end it.
The sword embeds deeply in its back. Heavy, the owner clings to it.
It tries to reach behind.
They disappear.
High above Kyoto, they are falling.
They tumble in the air.
The claws find him. They rend chunks of him.
He holds on.
They build up speed. Seconds pass.
Hundreds of meters turn into tens.
It feels the weight disappear. It rights itself, preparing to land on its feet.
Then it sees him.
Streaking towards it, his momentum is mirrored to that he had falling.
It tries to cover itself, but he appears right behind its defences.
The sword meets the beast's neck.
He registers his hands and forearms shattering from the force. Bones break. Muscles tear. Tendons snap.
The steel cleaves the flesh.
The decapitated monster continues falling for a moment. Before it hits the ground, it disperses, like a sparkler being snuffed out.
He shoots past it, continuing on his upwards trajectory.
The sword slips out of hands that can no longer close.
The air cools him down as he slowly decelerates.
He looks at the city below him.
"She'd like it." He thinks of the view.
When he almost stops, he breathes out, and closes his eyes.
Hifumi is standing back in the warehouse. He tries to regulate his breathing.
He looks down at Junichi. The other boy lies in a pile of bone fragments, but he seems to have managed to staunch his own bleeding with his Quirk. He's staring through the shattered skylight.
"Are you alright?" Challenger asks, catching Marrow's attention.
"I'll live." He looks up at him. "What about y–"
The morning sunlight streaks in. The buzzing sound returns. Hifumi looks up. It gets louder. He can't hear what's being asked of him. It's deafening. There is only one thought in his mind.
"I must go."
He disappears.
He's in a street that feels vaguely familiar. Is this where he was supposed to go? He's not sure. He takes a step.
The scenery around him changes. This isn't it, either. He takes another one.
He's in the middle of a street. He stares at the lights coming towards him. They swerve wildly. No, this isn't where he's supposed to be. He takes a step.
Is he teleporting? Or just fading in an out of consciousness as he walks? He doesn't know. All he knows is that she's waiting for him. How long is the sunrise? Can he still keep his promise?
He's falling again. He sees the sun above the horizon. His heart shatters. He broke his word.
Maybe he can still make up for it? If he hurries?
He turns towards his home. Can't forget the gift.
He appears in front of his apartment building. Leftover momentum causes him to skid on the pavement, leaving a red trail on it. He coughs and tries to get up.
A familiar entrance. Can't forget to take off his shoes before going inside. He hears a commotion. He must have been too loud and woke them up.
"I'm home." He says in a weak voice as he stumbles towards his room.
The buzzing noise drowns out the sound of his family. Some hands try to grab him.
"I'm late."
He's standing by the shelves. Limp hands try to reach for a gift-wrapped box on one of them. He fumbles and drops it.
He kneels and tries to pick it up. He's unable to hold it.
A warm embrace. Some words he doesn't understand. There is a sense of safety in them, but now is not the time.
"I'm late."
Some wet droplets drip on the back of his neck. Does the roof need repairs again? He'll worry about it later.
"I'm late."
Finally, he manages to pick up the box. He still has some feeling in his shoulders and while he can't really hold it, he can hug it to his chest.
"I'll be back late."
The hands desperately try to hold him down. More yelling that he can't parse. More wet droplets.
He's gone.
A mixed bag of emotions churns inside him. Joy. Anticipation. Guilt. Pain.
His steps feel lighter than they are, even when each of them carries him hundreds of meters towards his destination. The thought of who's waiting there uplifts him.
He gets there in no time.
A huge Christmas tree shines brightly in front of the Kyoto Station, covered in thousands of LEDs. Even in the early morning, the decorations are beautiful. But there is one beauty in particular he's looking for.
The plaza is mostly empty at this hour, so he spots her easily. She's standing there all alone, with her back turned to him. She's tapping her foot impatiently. A red coat makes her stand out. He looks at himself. His outfit is in shreds. He didn't have time to change. But at least in colour they'll mostly match.
By her posture, he guesses she's on her phone. He didn't even text her to say he'll be late. The pang of guilt pierces him as he limps towards her.
"I got held up. Sorry..." He calls out.
His words manage to reach her, and she turns around, ready to berate him. Even when she's angry, she's so lovely.
Her expression changing to shock and fear is the last sight he sees before he collapses.