『ARC THREE: AGENCIES AND CRYSTALS』

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The sound of metal claws scraping against the asphalt was excruciatingly painful to hear, but it was the only way for Teshigahara to halt her momentum into a harsh skid. Raising a furred arm, the wind whisked through the white and black fur adorning her morphed limb. Out of the corner of her eye, she witnessed a stream of silver soar across the sky before taking a short curve in her direction.

She curled herself back, maneuvering into a backflip as quickly as she could. Teshigahara barely managed to scrape past the waterfall of grey scales that would have pierced her skin and fur if they managed to hit her. They lodged themselves into the road with a flurry of thuds and ceased their movement at once.

The woman's ears twitched and she quickly swerved around on her paws. Leaping into the air, she easily clawed her way up a lamppost. Balancing atop of the lamppost in a squatting position, she scanned the area, and her nose wrinkled. A differentiating scent waft in the air and a smirk slipped on her lips. "There you are."

Pushing off her paws, her muscles extended, exerting a strong amount of force, and boosted her into the air. She landed on the roof of one of the nearby shops and took off sprinting on all fours. Her claws dug into the rooftops, leaving behind puncture-like indents. She jumped, clambering up a two-story building, and landed a few feet away from the person who was attacking her and civilians.

Metallic scales coated the man's forearms in batches that jutted out from his skin, giving off a silver glow from the sunlight bouncing off it. A black mask covered his face so she obviously could not figure out who he was at first glance. Not that it mattered. She would rip it off sooner or later. Teshigahara straightened herself and settled into an offensive position in haste. She did not waste another second before lunging forward. She swiped her right hand at his chest, claws elongated with the intent to strike him down with one blow.

Claws collided with the smoothness of the scales. A loud clang resonated between the clash that made their ears ring from the ear-splitting sound. Clenching her teeth, Teshigahara latched her paw around the Villain's scaled arm and flipped him over her shoulder, and slammed him into the rooftop. Unfortunately, the blow was not as strong as it could be because the man's scales took the brunt of the hit.

A growl ripped itself from the Hero's throat as she kicked off her paws. She jabbed with her right for a distraction before throwing a left hook. The man blocked with his scale-covered arms and sent a flurry of metal at her. Teshigahara managed to evade the attack due to her enhanced speed. Any slower and that would have seriously injured her. She ignored the slight red seeping into her white fur.

They continued for some time. Teshigahara would throw a punch or a kick but due to the denseness of the steel scales, she was unable to do much. She tried to claw at the scales in an attempt to use a different method but only thin lines were left behind and slightly chipped nails. She could not puncture through the metal.

Throwing herself into a backflip to evade another stream of scales, the woman settled herself into a squatting position. Her chest rose and fell as heavy breaths escaped her mouth. Sweat dabbed her forehead and slipped down her jaw. Her teeth ground against each other from the frustration building up in her chest. Her attacks were not landing or doing any damage to the Villain. It felt more like she was trying to claw at a scratching post made of literal titanium. The sounds emitted from metal colliding made her head spin too. Gosh, enhanced hearing sucks sometimes.

She threw herself into a roll before jumping left and right to dodge with a quick stutter step. Out of her peripheral vision, she noticed the multicolored spark of something. Teshigahara did not dare shift her attention in fear of being sliced by the sharpness of those scales. However, it did not seem too alarming.

A few seconds after was when she was able to make out what that gleam was once she dipped left. Shishi had managed to climb up the two stories onto the rooftop the Hero and Villain were fighting upon. Shoved into its muzzle was a slab of sparkling diamond crafted in the shape of a dagger. It was easy to notice the sharpness of the edges with her sharpened eyesight.

With a bark, Shishi tossed the weapon toward Teshigahara. The woman threw herself into the direction of the dagger and converted her furred arm back into a human one. She swiped the diamond out of the air. Kicking off her hind paws, she charged and tightened her grip around the crystal handle. Teshigahara threw a right punch and her blood-coated knuckles collided against the scales. A grin spread itself on her lips as she swiped the dagger at the man's arm.

A chime resonated with the contact but a few scales had been cut through with a bit of force. Readjusting the weapon in her hand, Teshigahara jabbed it in a downward stroke. She clicked her tongue when a few cracks ran up the gemstone. Nonetheless, she swung the dagger once more. Some more scales were either chipped off or cut in half.

The Villain released a grunt when the white-haired woman slashed through the bottom layer of his scales. Throwing a final strike, the dagger crumbled apart in her hand. Since the Villain no longer had any scales to defend himself with, Teshigahara slammed the side of her pawed hand against his neck. In an instant, he collapsed to the ground like a heap of sand.

Heavy breaths escaped Teshigahara's lips as she wiped the sweat from her forehead with her normal hand. Her other pawed hand morphed back into a normal one as she yanked the Villain onto her back. With Shishi in tow, the two leaped off the rooftop and landed without any hassle. A small noise left her lips as her ankles took the brunt of the pressure when her paws connected with the ground.

After a few minutes of waiting, the police arrived. One of them took Teshigahara's statement after she revealed her Hero license and another latched Quirk suppressing cuffs on the Villain. Once the man was in the custody of the police, Teshigahara ran a hand through her curls as she released a breath of air.

Everyone that was inside Bunny Bungalow had been escorted out and away from the piles of broken glass and destroyed tables. Some of the citizens that were inside were still trembling and frightened by the sudden attack but firefighters and emergency medical technicians were busy handling that situation. The workers had acted quickly to retrieve as many bunnies as they could. The bunnies were frightened and shaking but more or less okay in the arms of the workers.

Traversing through the crowd of people with Shishi, Teshigahara's nose picked up Akihiko's scent. She quickly made her way over to the teenager. Standing near a lamppost on the sidewalk was Akihiko holding Mocha in his left arm. He was staring curiously at Mocha, watching her nose wrinkle along with her whiskers twitching.

"Oi, Sheepy!"

Perking his head up like a deer in headlights, Akihiko tilted his head slightly. Immediately, Shishi bolted toward him and lightly rammed its head into his shin. A short laugh escaped him. "Are you done?"

"Yeah," Teshigahara gingerly rubbed her knuckles. They were scrapped, bleeding a few drops, and covered in an angry red. Her nail-like claws were slightly chipped but intact so she could care less about that. "That dagger, what was it made of."

"Lonsdaleite, or a hexagonal diamond which is referenced to the crystal structure it has. I figured it would be harder to break than a regular diamond. I could have given you jade, like nephrite jadeite but it is not as sharp as diamond so I figured it would be harder to cut through steel." Akihiko rattled off as he uncurled his fingers to count off his points.

"Hey, hey Sheepy?" The woman cut the teenager off before he could continue on his crystal rant. "Why is there blood on your palm?"

"Oh, that is because I panicked slightly once I saw the steel scales and even if you are stronger than a normal human, it would be tough to fight. I grabbed a shard a glass and cut myself on accid-" His words slowed to a stop and a confused noise escaped him.

Earlier when he converted the glass into lonsdaleite, the edge of the glass left a slightly deep cut behind but not enough to warrant immediate medical assistance. He remembered the sting because it stung just as bad as one would get a paper clip. He knew he bled some but did not pay much attention to it and just focused on not getting blood on Mocha's fur. However, his hand no longer had a cut. A bit of fresh blood, yes, but the wound he had given himself earlier was no longer present. The only sign he cut himself was the blood left behind.

"I swore I cut myself earlier..." Akihiko mumbled in disbelief.

Teshigahara stopped rubbing her irritated knuckles and chuffed. "Maybe one of the EMTs healed you?"

One of the emergency medical technicians did touch his shoulder briefly asking if he was alright but nothing more. Their interaction was not more than a couple of seconds so it would be odd if his injury was healed in a matter of minutes. But maybe the person did indeed heal him during that short touch. He sighed heavily and shrugged in defeat. Racking his brain for answers was just going to eventually give him a headache and he has had enough painkillers the last few days. He was certain he borderline consumed the maximum amount anyway.

Carefully, Akihiko rubbed the top of Mocha's head with his index finger. There was no use trying too hard to come up with the answer. He had a bunny in his arms that he wanted to focus on.

"You know you technically used your Quirk illegally, right?

"You are not going to arrest me, are you?"

"Inscribe would literally murder me."

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Tomohiro was not one to let nerves cloud his judgment or his mind. Anxiety, nervousness, and unease were clear gateways into making split-second decisions that would cause the bearer more pain than benefits. That did not change the fact that he did not like the feeling of jitteriness running across his skin. Although he felt the sensation, he kept his face at a normal expression. He had other things to concentrate on at the moment.

His fingers drummed against the hard oak table in front of him. His other arm was propped up on the surface and his cheek rested on his closed fist. Three out of the remaining four seats were occupied by Kohei, Phantom, and Puppeteer. Sumiko was the only one who was standing at the end of the table near a screen that took up a good portion of the wall. Clutched in her grasp was a stack of papers that she would sift through throughout the meeting. He glanced at the pile of papers sitting in front of him as well as the remaining three.

"Alright, from what we understand with the recent appearance of the now-deceased Akari Shikichi, or better known as the Pro Hero Flora, is that XQ00 gene, the gene that gives a majority of the world Quirks, is no longer in her system. Five different tests from five different scientists confirmed this, and then another three were done to reconfirm the confirmation of the first five." Sumiko explained as she tapped her nail against the screen she stood next to. A structure of what the XQ00 gene appeared on screen along with the missing one discovered in Flora.

"This gene and its code are inscribed in our DNA structure, chromosomes, and obviously our genes. It is embedded in our genetic code. Some tests in past years revealed that even Quirkless people have this gene but it has become recessive rather than dominant and thus, is irrelevant in their bodies. One theory about the Quirkless and the XQ00 gene is that there is not enough of a certain trigger to spark a Quirk or the parents' Quirks were not compatible with the child for some reason and thus, the gene was rejected by the host's body.

"With this knowledge, we traced back the information concerning the last person without this gene which was around two-hundred-and-fifty-years ago. Those without the XQ00 gene are known to us as Old Humans. Vice versa, the first supposedly registered person with a Quirk was around three-hundred-and-fifty to four-hundred-years-ago. Perhaps another twenty-five years back since many children with Quirks at the time were feared and gotten rid of to put it in light terms." Sumiko's words trailed off at the end as she ruffled the ends of her blonde hair.

The woman sifted through the stack of papers in her hands and lifted one sheet. "The difference between Quirkless and Old Humans is that Old Humans have biological changes. They had something called wisdom teeth, a pair of teeth on the top and bottom and were located at the very back of the mouth. Even before Quirks, these 'wisdom teeth' were irrelevant because all they did was cause pain and insignificant spending to remove them. Quirkless and Quirked people do not have these. Another thing is a useless organ called the appendix. Again, it is something we and Quirkless people do not have.

"Old Humans had more problems concerning Rh compatibility. What this means is that a woman without the XQ00 gene and is Rh-negative becomes pregnant with a child who has Rh-positive blood risked the chance of early pregnancy complications. This can include miscarriages, ectopic pregnancies, terminations, injury to the stomach area during pregnancy, bleeding during pregnancy, tests that require cells or fluids to be withdrawn from a pregnant woman such as amniocentesis, and chorus villus sampling, and delivery of a baby which could either be. vaginal or cesarean-

"I'm getting off-topic... uh, here! Anyway, with Rh incompatibility, the woman's immune system will create Rh antibodies and these antibodies will attack the body since it views it as a foreign object. Rh incompatibility happens only when the father of the baby is Rh-positive. There's a lot more than that differs between us, Quirkless, and Old Humans but we would be here longer than needed."

Puppeteer pulled at the end of his black glove before raising his gaze. "Please don't. I have to help my younger sister move later today so I would like to leave at five."

"Trust me, I don't want to talk that long," Sumiko replied while slumping her shoulders forward in exhaustion. "I had to compile this with the rest of the secretaries, analysts, and I even had to call a few historians while you were running around compiling the test results."

"So long story short, people with Quirks and those who are Quirkless have evolved into a stronger species, for lack of a better word, in a short time frame?" Kohei asked as he skimmed through the words on one of the sheets.

Sumiko nodded. "This revolves back to Flora. Although her body is more advanced than those of Old Humans, with the removal of the XQ00 gene, Flora's body became immensely weak and her own immune system attacked her body because her cells reverted back to that of an Old Human. Think like she may not have an appendix inside her but her body somehow coded the DNA for it and in response, her body saw it as a foreign invader and attacked. Since our immune systems are strong and her body weakened immensely without the gene, it's safe to say that her own body killed her. Whether it wanted to or not."

"Now, we more or less know exactly how she died. We could even call it a form of autoimmune disorder." Kohei commented as he leaned back in his chair. "That's one mystery cleared up but it just brings more questions. Why extract the gene? How did the Seraphs remove the gene in the first place? What is the goal with this procedure?"

"This is where I come in," Tomohiro blinked once as he straightened himself. He winced slightly as he adjusted his injured leg into a more comfortable position. "The historians brought up an interesting concept when we began to look into Old Humans."

Tomohiro waved a hand in Sumiko's direction to change the image on the screen before he started speaking. "In the early age of Quirks, there was a facility made in Japan to study and conduct tests on people with Quirks, or at the time, they were called Altered Humans. This facility was known as Facility X. At one point, four scientists and engineers caught wind of something being immensely wrong and escaped with ten children out of the twenty-seven that stayed there. They split in half and lost contact with each other and both groups went into hiding.

"Six years passed before 'Villain' attacks arose in society. One group had been convinced that since they were gifted with powers, they should stand above all. They were blessed with such powers, which meant that they were fit to rule. Say the strong should stay with the strong and the weak will survive as they may. Nonetheless, they were tricked into thinking that Altered Humans were at the top of the hierarchy. At the time, that group was known as Deities.

"The second group grew up resenting their Quirks. They believed their Quirks were curses because they were ripped apart from families that no longer cared about them. Eventually, they were persuaded to help by the scientist and engineer that escaped with them, and in due time, they were recognized as the first Heroes in Japan. Their real names were never written down but their Hero and Quirk names were."

The screen on the wall changed to reveal this information.

Hero Name: Cepheus

Quirk: Alchemy

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Hero Name: Chamaeleon

Quirk: Social Veil

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Hero Name: Aquarius

Quirk: Liquidation

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Hero Name: Eridanus

Quirk: Accelerated Perception

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Hero Name: Auriga

Quirk: Gateway

"The Villains, or better known as Deities at the time, their Quirks nor any information were registered about them. All we know is that the first four of the group of five were killed, except for one. Only one of them was registered with a name. They were called Kingpin. Name, gender, appearance, anything besides that alias is the only thing we have." Tomohiro paused for a few moments before resuming.

For some reason, he felt an odd sensation crawl up his spine. He could not pinpoint what it was exactly but he brushed it aside. It was probably nothing too important to shift his attention to. He still did not like that stinging feeling that clawed at his back. "Anything besides that alias, we know nothing."

"However," Sumiko raised her hand and smiled. "Some of the historians dug up some interesting facts concerning the word Seraph."

With a swipe of her hand, a picture of a person with three wings sprouting on each side of their back. "A seraph is also known as the burning one. In plural, a seraph is called seraphim-"

"We're going to change the name from Seraphs to Seraphim in our files. That witness we heard from before he died so long ago-" Tomohiro drummed his fingers against the table. "Sumiko and I believe that he wanted to say Seraphim rather than Seraphs as we assumed that was his final word. He didn't have time to say the last 'im' at the end."

"Continuing on, a seraph is described to be a being with two to three pairs of wings and is a celestial or heavenly being. Following the lines of ancient Judaism, seraphim were the highest rank in Christian angelology and in the fifth rank of ten in the Jewish angelic hierarchy. This most curious thing," Sumiko took a deep breath. "They served under God, followed the will of God."

Tomohiro wiped a drop of ink that splattered on the surface of the table with his index finger. "If we are assuming correct, we believe that the Seraphim are reviving or recreating whatever will or plan the Deities had so long ago. The problem is that we don't know what plan they have involving the XQ00 gene and why Flora, someone who went missing three years ago rather than the six when Seraphim arrived."

"I... don't believe we could miss a body." Phantom pressed her fingertips together as she frowned deeply. "Especially one containing so much information."

"If the Seraphim wanted to hide a body, they could do as they pleased. The case itself is extremely vague. This is the most you've gotten concerning information, right?" Kohei placed a hand to his chin as he pondered briefly. "Or maybe they had no use for it until now?"

"We still don't know much," Puppeteer said as he leaned back into his chair. He drug a hand down his face, black eyes narrowing in frustration. "Or we still don't know where they are located or what their real plans reflect toward the future."

"Ario, the man we captured... he treats every question like a game. We can't pry any information from him." Phantom's voice was tinged with a bit of disappointment. All of her questioning sessions have proven fruitless. That man kept his mouth shut tight.

Sumiko tapped the screen once and it dimmed until nothing was shown anymore. Sighing heavily, she tightened her ponytail with her lips pressed together. "We know something but now we only have more questions."

Breathing in the crisp ventilated air, Tomohiro shifted through the stack of papers placed in front of him. He skimmed through, reading some words here and there. After a few minutes, he lightly threw the papers back onto the table. He plopped back onto the leather backrest and shook his head.

"I don't know. We have some data but we can't tie it with anything right now! We're still stuck at square one!" Tomohiro narrowed his eyes at the papers. "Nothing has changed. We can't do much. I can't do much. More Heroes are being kidnapped for whatever the Seraphim want with the XQ00 gene. We're still stuck here."

A deep silence rang through the meeting room. No one could deny the fact that they still had nothing to go off on concerning plans and location. Another Hero could have died already without them or anyone else knowing. The thought left a sour taste in their mouths.

He pressed a hand to his cheek and closed his eyelids. He was beginning to feel a sharp pain pricking the sides of his head. He was really, really growing tired of running in circles like a headless chicken with this case. Just as the ink-haired male was about to sprout another line, the chime of his phone stopped him from doing so.

Huffing in slight exasperation, Tomohiro pulled his phone out of his pocket and clicked answer without reading the caller ID. Moments passed slowly before he replied, "You know I'm allergic to dog fur, Akihiko. Why would I be allergic to a bunny's fur?"

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It was safe to say that Akihiko and Teshigahara showing up at the agency with Shishi and a bunny in tow was one of the least expected things that Tomohiro expected today.

The bunny, Mocha, was a small animal with caramel-colored fur with white splotches dabbed across her body. She was fast asleep in Akihiko's arms, snuggling into his jacket to bask in his body's warmth. Shishi's leash was strapped around Teshigahara's wrist as a bored expression was written on her face. The shiba inu was currently trying to gnaw on the leash without any teeth.

The exhaustion that plagued Tomohiro's muscles suddenly did not feel all that important while he sunk into the leather chair in his office. He did not know whether to sigh or question the bunny because he was already tired of the cut short meeting from earlier. Sumiko, Phantom, and Puppeteer left earlier but did stop momentarily to rub Mocha's head. The bunny's nose twitched a bit but her eyes did not open.

Kohei had stayed behind much to the dismay of Tomohiro. The blond had instantly flocked over to Mocha and spoke excitedly to the flustered teenager as Akihiko tried to answer as best as he could. Tomohiro wondered whether he was the younger one between him and Kohei.

"So you," Tomohiro gestured to Teshigahara who was seated on a chair. She was throwing a rubber ball that Shishi would chase. "Took my son to a bunny cafe, a Villain attacked, the shop was destroyed, and you ended up with the bunny."

Shrugging, the tiger snatched the ball from Shishi's maw. Her nose wrinkled in disgust at the ink coating the toy. Holding it between her index finger and thumb, she threw the ball for the dog to pounce after it. "In my defense, Mocha is cute and needed a home."

She was met with a pointed glare.

"Don't be like that, Tomo! You have to admit Mocha is quite adora-" Kohei instantly lifted his right hand and in a split second, the skin morphed into a golden metal. The gold quivered before liquifying just enough to catch the law book thrown in his direction.

Curling around the book like vines, Kohei's hand was no longer there but multiple golden appendages that wrapped around the cover. He placed the book on a nearby shelf and shoved it in with others of its kind. The dark yellow metal slowly transformed back into the shape of a hand with darkened shadows making out the details. The golden color slipped away to reveal Kohei's tanned skin.

Tomohiro frowned as his eye twitched a bit. He did not comment further in Kohei's direction. "And who's keeping Mocha?"

It was at that moment when Akihiko's head perked up in alarm. With an innocent look plastered on his face, the teenager gazed at his father with a slightly baring stare.

"Akihiko- we can't keep a bunny."

"Why not?"

"Because-" The ink-haired male said in exasperation and made a pointed jab at their ink dog. "Because Shishi would probably try to eat her."

"Like it did to the tiny robot vacuums?"

"Yes, like it did to the tiny robot vacuums."

At the less than ideal response, Akihiko's shoulders drooped. His grasp around the bunny tightened a tad but not enough to awaken the small thing. Tomohiro felt a twinge of guilt pluck at his heartstrings and he immediately regretted the decision. He had seen Akihiko's drop concerning his mental state. It was something he wished he did not bear witness to because Akihiko was not supposed to have a breakdown.

He was too young for one. Too scarred from past wounds that adorned his shoulders like spider webs. The Pro could still create the image of the faint lines that traveled down his son and daughter's skin. His fingers curled into a tight fist in his lap, hidden by the desk he sat at. They did not need to see the way his knuckles were beginning to turn into a crisp white.

"Fine." Tomohiro relented. "You can keep the bunny."

He did not miss the way Akihiko's eyes brightened with glee at the reluctance the Hero displayed. Tomohiro swallowed the saliva building up in his throat and a small smile slipped onto his lips. A feeling of warmth pooled in his stomach at the way Akihiko showcased Mocha to a curious Shishi. He ignored the snicker coming from Kohei.

"But Teshigahara is buying everything for it."

"What?!" The woman exclaimed as her ears straightened up. "Why?!"

"You brought the bunny originally and I left my son in your care. I say it's your fault so you have to pay." Tomohiro explained briefly as he called Shishi over. The dog hopped onto his desk and laid down on the wooden surface.

Teshigahara looked like she wanted to complain but she decided it was not worth it because her tail drooped and she chuffed quietly. She crossed her arms and mumbled a short 'fine.'

"Great. You can go right now."

The tiger was not amused.

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Author's Note:

This chapter was probably one of the more anticipated ones that I wanted to write. Not the main one that I'm excited about this arc but one of the tops ones.

Also, Tomohiro is weak for his children. Whether he admits it or not. Now have a Tomo.