『ARC THREE: AGENCIES AND CRYSTALS』

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A total of nineteen times did Akihiko visit Inscribe's agency throughout his ten years of knowing the Hero. Granted, Inscribe was his father and the man who adopted him and his sister so it only made sense that they would visit. Nonetheless, nineteen is still a small amount given the fact that he is technically the son of a Hero, even if he was not blood-related. Not that they did much when they did visit.

Unexpectedly, a fond smile curled up onto the edges of his lips. The first time he came here was three months after Tomohiro gained full custody of them. At first, the twins were skeptical because adults were not the greatest people but they somewhat trusted Tomohiro. He was a Hero and he did save them and they were mostly certain that nothing bad could happen. Shishi was their doggy babysitter for the majority of the time even if Tomohiro never left them out of his sight while he worked.

The agency itself was bustling with various people walking in and out through the front doors. Some were normal civilians, employees, or sidekicks coming in for their shifts. Unlike them, however, Akihiko, Sumiko, and Tomohiro entered through the back entrance. The three were in the elevator, watching the digital numbers change as they ascended.

Since it took some time for them to get to the right floor, Akihiko allowed his mind to wander a bit. The long draw of a sigh left the teenager's lips as he lightly tugged against the small crystal that fell onto his cheek. The amethyst was smooth and incredibly solid and cold all at the same time. His lips tugged downward in a frown before the gemstone slipped from his fingertips.

Today was Saturday and he fought with Tanami Wednesday night. From then on, neither spoke to the other. He managed to hackle a couple of chats from Yua. His classmate was staying for the duration of the exercise from school. Something about Madam Psyche that ended with Tomohiro becoming furiously angry. Then again, he was not all that thrilled to hear that the two of them fought. In the end, Tanami was grounded while he was not. Though he suspected he would be if his mental health did not take such a dive that day.

It was weird. He has never fought such a grand argument with his sister before. Minor ones filled with petty and sarcasm, yes. One like this, no. Akihiko just could not wrap his head around the difficulty Tanami displayed in comprehending his own thoughts. It was not like he was throwing everything that happened in the dumpster. He acknowledged it and he cannot let it define his life anymore.

Such a thing will never leave him but he cannot immerse himself in it any longer. If he wanted to grow as a person, as a future Hero, there were some things that he needed to overcome. Tanami did not understand that and he did not get it. He felt a twinge of sorrow strike at his heartstrings. Even if the two did not see eye to eye this time, it did not make him feel any less bad.

Akihiko wanted to converse on this topic. Tanami refused to look him in the eye. Tomohiro had no idea where to even start besides trying to get the two to talk.

He shook his head. There is no use in thinking about such a thing at the moment.

"Akihiko," Tomohiro said. His white eyes shifted to meet periwinkle ones. "Sumiko, the rest of my team, and Kohei are going to go over information about a case. You are going to be left with someone new..."

Akihiko's eyebrows scrunched together in confusion. "New?"

"You'll see." Tomohiro stopped talking after that and it left the teenager feeling bewildered. New? What does he mean by new? A new employee, a new sidekick, a new therapist? What exactly did meeting someone new mean?

Resisting the urge to groan in irritation, the crystal-haired male stuffed his hands into the pockets of his black jacket. There was no use in racking his brain for such a vague explanation. Knowing Tomohiro, he would not get an answer from him even if he tried. He would learn soon enough anyway.

As the wires holding the elevator slowed to a stop and halted completely, the familiar sound of a ding and the creak of doors sliding open filled Akihiko's ears. Tomohiro was let out first before Sumiko and himself. It did not take long for the three to make it to one of the many waiting rooms. Without wasting another beat, the three walked inside.

Standing a few feet in front of him, Sumiko, and Tomohiro was a woman that was taller than all three of them. White hair cascaded down her back in swoops of curls as a few curled to graze her cheeks. Two striped cat ears twitched on the sides of her head. With a steeled gaze, her cerulean-colored eyes narrowed at Akihiko, observing him like he was prey. She raised a tan hand to run through her hair, the beige trench coat she wore wrinkling in the process.

The teenager caught sight of long silver nails curling inward like claws on her hands. Another thing that instantly caught his eye was that beginning at her knees, slim black and white fur decorated her skin. Her feet were in the shape of paws and she stood in a way that all her weight was positioned on her toes rather than the entire paw. Unlike a human ankle, hers jutted behind her a bit.

In an instant, his brain was trying to figure out where in the world he had seen this woman. He has seen her somewhere. Those features were hard to forget even if they live in a society dominated by all kinds of weird Quirks. Mutant Quirks were no different. He tilted his head, diamond irises settling on her confident frame.

"You look like a baby sheep." Bright cerulean eyes with slits for pupils stared directly at Akihiko. The boy swallowed the saliva building up in his mouth. He was beginning to feel uncomfortable under her gaze and he tried his best to not glance away. "A shiny baby sheep."

Akihiko blinked once, and then twice. Did his ears pick up the right word? Sheep?

Out of straight confusion, the adolescent's nose scrunched up. He was ninety-nine percent sure his hair was as jagged and as hard as it was when he woke up this morning. Nothing would change the fact that he has a literal chunk of oddly shaped amethyst attached to his head. Not to mention that the purple gemstone is pretty scratch-resistant and needed polishing. So where this woman came up with the term 'sheep' to describe him was beyond his comprehension.

The sound of crutches moving forward entered Akihiko's eardrums and snapped him out of his bewilderment. He really needed to stop overthinking things. "Akihiko, this is a new member of Kohei's team, Tigress or Teia Teshigahara. Teshigahara, this is my son."

It immediately clicked in the boy's mind. Of course! He had seen this woman on television a couple of times with some of Kohei's team members. She was known to go through things head first with the team supporting her from behind. She was rambunctious and not afraid to insult the reporters, which lowered her reputation but no one could doubt her skills as a Hero.

The woman's striped tail swished behind her as she placed her hands on her hips. Her head cocked to the side. "What'd you do? Have a fling with a woman and she dumped her kid on you?"

Standing on the other side of him, Akihiko could clearly hear Sumiko stifling her laughter by pressing her hand to her mouth. She coughed into her close fist to resist the urge to burst out laughing. Tomohiro narrowed his eyes, a blank expression on his face. He appeared to be absolutely done with everything and the day just started.

"One, I have twins. Two, I have not had a 'fling', and three, they are adopted but they are still my kids." Tomohiro explained swiftly without missing a beat. He leaned forward on the crutches tucked underneath his armpits. "Finally, I'm not that irresponsible. Unlike you."

"And here I was thinking that Inscribe actually had a one-night stand." Teshigahara grinned, fangs displayed for them to see. She ignored the final sentence Tomohiro said. "Would be quite the scandal. But I guess it's true. Inscribe does anything and everything to avoid having a love life."

"Sounds like a pain. I don't need a love life. Do you have one? Otherwise, you have no right to judge my own." Tomohiro scoffed in irritation. A few drops of ink slipped from his hair. "If you don't, then I guess there's a reason other than being a Hero."

It was then that Sumiko burst out laughing with her arms wrapped around her torso for support. Teshigahara's lips pressed together as her eyes widened in disbelief at the last sentence. This time she could not brush it over her shoulder. Akihiko felt like he was too young for the upcoming conversation and had the strange sensation to bolt anywhere else. Before the Tiger Hero could retaliate against the insult, the sound of the door to the waiting room they were all in slammed open. The familiar sight of golden locks and friendly auric eyes caught all of their attention.

"Ah! I see you've met Teia!" Kohei raised a hand in the form of a greeting with a smile. "I've been meaning to introduce her sooner but... ah, things have gotten in the way."

"I thought I told you to call me by my surname!" Teshigahara growled lightly, almost playfully in a way. It did not stop her from jabbing Kohei in the arm. The blond winced slightly as he brought up his hand to rub the aching spot.

"Are you planning to return on Monday, Akihiko? The tag battle between Alpha and Beta is still going on. If you do, then you can participate in the last two days." Kohei's hand fell from where he was rubbing his aching arm. "If you feel up to it. I don't want to force you into doing something you don't want."

Turning his attention to Tomohiro, Akihiko gazed at him like he was waiting for an answer. The ink-haired male shrugged. "Your decision. I'm not going to force you."

Well, that was helpful. "I think I have missed enough school."

"Great! On Monday we'll see how you're feeling and if you can participate!"

"Pushing that aside," Tomohiro cleared his throat, catching everyone's attention. He leaned forward a bit, readjusting himself on the crutches. "I need to talk to you about recent events, Kohei. Akihiko, can you show Teshigahara around the agency?"

Akihiko nodded, the crystals that framed his face hitting his cheekbones. It was not like he was going to do anything interesting besides stay in one of the many waiting rooms and catch up on missing homework. Giving a tour seemed much more interesting than algebra. Anything is more interesting than algebra.

Not long after, Kohei, Sumiko, and Tomohiro left to meet up with Phantom and Puppeteer concerning a topic that neither the teenager nor Pro could hear or witness. Even if Teshigahara was a part of Metallic's team, it was confidential even for her.

"So Sheepy, wanna tell me how you got that guy wrapped around your little finger?" Teshigahara had fallen back onto one of the caramel sofas in the room. She hooked her arms around the top, shoulders pushed back as she crossed her ankles- did those tiger legs count as crossing her ankles? Ah, he did not know but they were crossed.

Although Akihiko was not one to be wary of Pros, Teshigahara left him feeling awkward and slightly confused. When Tomohiro said she was a new member of Metallic's team, he meant it. At twenty-one, Tigress announced that she would join a Pro team instead of continuing the solo career four months ago. It was no wonder she did not know of his existence. Many did not.

Only those of the agency knew of Tomohiro and the twins' relationship fully. Everyone that knew about the connection between these three were practically sworn to secrecy. If someone new was hired, Inscribe would wait and observe until he knew absolutely that the person he was welcoming in could be trusted. Many could easily fool others as trust could be mended easily and broken just as fast. Being careful is something taught in the Hero world. However, most disregarded it as something not important. Perhaps that was a reason why casualties and missing cases were on the rise.

"I do not understand your question?" Akihiko responded as he sat down on another sofa. A glass table separated the two as they sat across from each other.

Her ears twitched. "Have you met Inscribe? He literally only works. Even when he's injured he's doing paperwork. I thought Kohei was on something when he said that Inscribe was put out of commission for a while when he was talking to me yesterday. The media and other Pros have been eating that half-assed excuse of Inscribe working on an incredibly secret case. Which makes sense but he can't hold onto that excuse for long. It's bound to get out eventually."

"Yes, Dad's injury is worrying, but I still don't understand your question, Teshigahara-san." Creases lined Akihiko's brow.

The woman chuffed, a short vibration running up her esophagus. "...nevermind! And drop the honorifics! I ain't that old. What are you? Twelve?"

A blank stare settled itself on Akihiko's face. He's not that short. Tanami's short. "I'm fifteen."

"Could have fooled me, Sheepy. What's your Quirk? I'm guessing it's something related to that shiny stuff attached to your head." Teshigahara's eyes glanced at his hair before falling to meet Akihiko's diamond irises.

"I can convert glass and mirrors into gemstones, any gemstone." Akihiko flicked the crystal that rested on his cheek. "My hair is made of amethyst. So is my sister's but her hair is longer than mine- or bulkier than mine."

She hummed in response, though she sounded disinterested. That irked Akihiko just a tiny bit. How are you going to ask a question and then dismiss it right after? He shook his head. No use in prying for answers that he will not receive.

Lifting her head, the smirk that spread across Teshigahara's lips made a shiver run down his spine. "How good are you at fighting?"

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"Wow, you absolutely suck at punching," Teshigahara whistled sharply.

After their short tour, or cut short tour because Teshigahara wasted no time in dragging Akihiko into one of the many training rooms located in the agency. She also wasted no time in reiterating her question from beforehand in the waiting room. She had quickly and quite forcefully positioned him in front of a black punching bag. On the bright side, Teshigahara wrapped his knuckles with a cloth so he did not have to worry about the skin on his knuckles breaking open.

"Have you ever gotten into a fight, Sheepy? I mean, come on, your Dad is Inscribe!" The woman exclaimed with a voice of disbelief as she tied her white curls into a high bun. A few pesky strands slipped free from the hair tie. Sitting on the plastic chair off to the side was the beige trench coat that was draped across her shoulders earlier.

Why am I a sheep?

"Yes but I mostly rely on my Quirk," Akihiko replied as he began to slip off the black jacket he wore and tied the sleeves around his waist. It was a bit hard due to the soft cloth constricting his hands. "Or find a solution that does not end up with me fighting. My sister is better at combat than I am."

She did not reply nor did she hum in response. Stepping forward, her hands slipped themselves onto Akihiko's shoulders and yanked him back unexpectedly. The teenager yelped, feet struggling to stay balanced. Teshigahara did not even wait for him to be directly on his feet before her paw kicked his right leg to reposition it. A harsh shove on his shoulder forced Akihiko's knees to bend. Swirling around the teenager with ease, the tiger latched onto his wrist and lifted them in front of his face.

"Hear me well, Sheepy, hear me well. This is the way you want to stand. Not that shitty balance that you carried with that half-assed attitude. You need a lower center of gravity, your stance needs to be solid, and you have to protect your face... and hair. I don't know how resistant amethyst is. Another thing is that you need to place your full mobility on your toes." Teshigahara hopped side to side on her own furry paws to display her point.

The position that Akihiko was forced into felt strange but not unwelcoming. He vaguely remembered that Tanami liked to stutter step constantly whenever they play fought.

"When you want to strike, like doing a punch," Teshigahara grabbed ahold of his hand and dragged a finger across his knuckles. "Hit with your knuckles, the tips of his knuckles, and your wrist has to be positioned straight. Unless you want to break your fingers."

Teshigahara has him punch and kick the punching bag repeatedly until he got it right. By the time she called for a break, his arms, hands, legs, and feet were already feeling the aftereffects. It does not help that she called out on every little thing he did during the whole thing. Even complaining about the short flashes of light his hair produced due to light striking the amethyst in certain ways. He cannot do something that is beyond his control.

"Alright, Sheepy, time for step two!"

Akihiko does not like the way her lips parted into a smile to reveal the fangs in her mouth. "What's step tw-?"

His words are instantly cut off when Teshigahara lunged forward. She stuck her leg out, shoving her paw in his direction and fully intending to hit him. Akihiko barely has enough time to sidestep. Even if he managed to dodge, the air she struck gave off enough pressure to slightly knock him off balance. Skittering into a well-balanced position, he pressed his lips together into a straight line and wiped the perspiration clinging to his forehead.

Well, he was not about to let her beat him without a fight.

The woman's tail ferociously swooped at the air before she rushed toward him once more. She curled her right fingers into a fist, prepping to slam him in the kidney with a right hook. Akihiko instinctively jumped back, narrowly dodging her fist. They continued doing such a dance with Teshigahara trying to hit him while Akihiko maneuvered out of the way for about three minutes.

"Are you just going to keep on running?!" The woman's ears spiked up in frustration as she settled into a squat.

"No, I'm not," Akihiko dodged another kick that was aimed at his head.

If you compared the two, Akihiko was definitely smaller compared to Teshigahara. This meant that in a battle of raw strength, he would lose absolute. He was not running because he wanted to but because if he ran head-on without any plan, it would be disastrous on his end. It did not take a genius to realize that in strength and speed, Teshigahara would win. Given her movements, the woman was definitely not moving at full speed or power. She was not giving it her all but she was quick to cover any weak points that arose in her stances.

It did not help that since there were no glass or mirrors in the room they were in, he could not use his Quirk at all-

"I can convert glass and mirrors into gemstones, any gemstone." Akihiko flicked the crystal that rested on his cheek. "My hair is made of amethyst. So is my sister's but her hair is longer than mine- or bulkier than mine."

She hummed in response, though she sounded disinterested. That irked Akihiko just a tiny bit. How are you going to ask a question and then dismiss it right after? He shook his head. No use in prying for answers that he will not receive.

The side of his foot connected with the matted floor rather than the sole of his shoe. In that moment of no steady balance, Teshigahara took the opportunity without a second thought. Her palm slammed against the mat as she jutted a leg forward. Akihiko's feet were swept from underneath him and he felt weightless for just a moment. His body slammed against the ground and the air in his lungs suddenly disappeared.

Even if he already knew he would lose, Akihiko made a split-second decision and forced himself to roll out of the way just in time when Teshigahara tried to aim for his stomach. Getting onto his feet, the crystal was forced back from the woman's fist colliding with his jaw. Before his body could hit the ground, her hand grabbed onto his wrist and yanked his form toward her. The next thing he knew was that he was flung over her shoulder and was hurled directly into the mat.

Pain flared on his jaw and spine as an aching feeling spread evenly throughout his muscles. Stunned, the only thing Akihiko could do was stare blankly at the fluorescent lights attached to the ceiling. Sweat trickled down his face while his chest heaved. "Y... you are in-insane. Sm... art and insane..."

Tossing her head back, deafening laughter escaped Teshigahara's lips before falling to a chuckle. She squatted, bouncing on her toes while her eyes brightened with intrigue. A few drops of sweat dripped from her chin. "Hah? Why is that? Not that I won't take the compliments."

Pressing his palms to the mats, Akihiko grunted while he forced himself into a sitting position. "We went through seven other training rooms besides this one. The other seven had glass windows. There are no glass or mirrors in this room. You specifically chose this room because I would be rendered unable to use my Quirk."

She responded with a feral grin. Oh heavens, this woman was going to be the death of him. "So you do have a brain attached to that glossy head of yours! Pretty damn good for you to catch on to that mid-fight."

Teshigahara straightened her body and swiped a water bottle from the small table in the corner. She tossed it to him. "You didn't throw a punch or counter attacked which was bad. What you did do was analyze my movements, right?"

"Any opening that you revealed was shut before I could make use of it. You were moving slower and hitting softer than how you would in a real fight. If I was a Villain or an actually experienced opponent, I would say you would have knocked me out and given me a concussion." Akihiko took a drink from the bottle. The feeling of the water cooling his throat was refreshing. "And obviously, I lost since you are athletically better."

"You're going to lose. Trust me. Kohei threw me into a wall when we sparred a few days after I finalized my contract." She angrily looked away and glared at her own water bottle like it personally offended her. "You'd be surprised how fucking terrifying Kohei is when he wants to be. No wonder he gets along with Inscribe. I'm getting off-topic but it's how you're fighting which is the problem, not you analyzing the situation."

"You're stronger and I was handicapped." the adolescent replied bluntly.

"You," she took a hearty gulp from the water bottle, "are an idiot."

Clearly seeing the confused expression plastered on the boy's face, Teshigahara released a long sigh before plopping down right beside him. She placed her hands behind her to stabilize her position and tilted her head. "You think things strategically and then act upon them. The same way Inscribe does. Inscribe and his team gathers intel and with that intel, everything is more or less within expectations. You're looking at things through those expectations. Learn to work with the opposite. It works with him. It half works with you."

"You are going to throw me again."

"Probably, Sheepy! Listen, when you're in a fight, you got to fight dirty because no Villain is going to play fair. You gouge their eyes, pull their hair, knee them in the head, etcetera! A criminal ain't gonna wait for you to play goody-two-shoes! If they don't follow the rules, neither should you!" Teshigahara jabbed her index finger in his direction.

"Hell, I don't know your reasons for being a Hero but my number one priority is the safety of civilians! If someone's a threat to someone's life, I show no mercy!" Her ears spiked up. "But between you and I, there's a difference and that's because I have a mutant Quirk. Although you have crystal for hair... Can't you use your hair?"

Akihiko shook his head. "No, I can't. It doesn't work or convert."

"That sucks. What about your sister? She got the same restrictions?"

"No, no. Her Quirk converts her body's sugar into gemstones. Mine is more restriction-based."

Teshigahara dropped her water onto the mat. A frown was placed on her lips. "Why do you do that, Sheepy?"

Akihiko stared at her in confusion. "Do what?"

"Every single time I mention you sister or you talk about your sister, your shoulders drop and your eyes look sad. What's up with that? Not like your twin is six feet under is she?" The tiger ran a hand through her fallen white locks because a few fell into her line of sight.

"I do?" Now he was taken aback by that statement. Did he really look so miserable?

"It is-" the teenager closed his mouth and directed his attention elsewhere. "-we got into a fight because she's too stubborn to move past something from when we were younger."

"Ahh," she chuffed and her tail flickered behind her. "Sibling fight."

"We have never fought like this and I do not know how to fix it. She has not talked to me since Wednesday night." Akihiko's fingers curled tightly around the fabric of his pants. "And she cannot understand why she's the one who is wrong!"

Frustration itched underneath his skin, slowly simmering his blood as he recalled the idiotic remarks his sister spit out. The saliva thickened in his throat and he breathed in heavily. He had the irresistible urge to rant and complain about everything that has been happening in the past few days. "She's the one who is too stubborn to think, to accept, or to even try. I have tried to explain and nothing. She refuses to speak to me and blatantly ignores me. She thinks we are fine the way we are. We are not-"

"Fine the way you are?"

"Remember, we are adopted. My biological parents are in jail." He clicked his tongue and scoffed. "For the past ten years, I have been calling Tomohiro by his nickname, Tomo. I have been calling him Dad recently because I feel like it is overdue. I want to move onward with my life. I cannot let what happened in the past keep controlling what I do. Nothing will change the fact that it happened but I cannot let it define my future."

Humming in response, Teshigahara wore an expression of sternness. Gone was the ferocious and playful personality she bore earlier. "Hey, Sheepy, riddle me this, why do you want to be a Hero?"

Curling his fingers into a fist, Akihiko picked up his head and looked her directly in the eyes. Determination was laced into the hue of his irises. "I do not want children to go through what I had to go through. I do not want children to be exploited and I do not want to have them suffer like us."

A white curl fell onto her forehead and with a calloused finger, she brushed it aside. "Great answer, Sheepy. I think we have been here long enough. We go any longer and Inscribe is gonna have my head."

If Akihiko was already pale, any color in his skin left. "Dad... oh no..."

"Oh no, indeed," the tiger glanced away nervously. "Man, that guy's terrifying."

Grabbing her trench coat, Teshigahara slipped her arms through its sleeves. "You know what, I think we need to spend some quality time outside. Sheepy, we're going on a field trip."

What?

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Author's Note:

And now we start arc 3! I decided to combine arc 3 and 4 to make it longer since both were short.

I learned that tigers do not purr but chuff. I don't exactly know what that sound is but it sounds cool. 

This is how I think Teshigahara would look like. Yes I based her Quirk off of Atsushi's ability in Bungo Stray Dogs. Teshigahara is practically a white tiger.