『ARC THREE: AGENCIES AND CRYSTALS』

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Akihiko was always a person who decided things by looking at whether or not they caused him benefit or harm. If something was too dangerous, he retreated and tried to look at it from a different angle. However, as of late, he has been disregarding that method of thinking in favor of diving headfirst into things. Tanami was the one who did that, not him. Or so he thought because it has been his go-to method at the moment. Unconsciously too.

His fingertips brushed against the roughness of the brick walls, feeling the groves and bumps running across his skin. He did not even mind the wetness that his fingers picked up. The sound of his shoes skidding against the concrete sometimes lingered into his ears every other step. The alleyway the two teenagers walked down was not large but wide enough for them to traverse without much trouble.

Tilting his head up, Akihiko momentarily looked at the sky. The moon and stars were hidden by the puffy, grey billows that coated the sky like a veil. Raindrops still fell upon the city, dousing the two of them to the point that their clothes were beginning to feel heavy. He hoped he would not fall ill later on. That would be problematic.

Each exhale that Akihiko took resulted in white mist slipping from his lips before fading away. He removed his fingers from the wall to maneuver out of the way of a dumpster ahead of him. He rubbed his fingers with his thumb to clean off the dirt that collected on his fingertips. Ahead of him by a few feet, Junpei walked at a calm pace with a slight skip in his step. A quiet hum rumbled in the boy's chest as he traveled forth without any explanation as to where they were headed.

The crystal resisted the urge to question where they were going. Although he did not like the fact that he was left in the dark, he did not want to push it. If anything, Akihiko has to tiptoe carefully so he avoids any dire repercussions. He kept his arms at his sides, refusing to pocket them just in case. Out of curiosity, he shifted his gaze around for any shards of broken glass or mirrors. There were small pieces of glass from broken bottles littering some random spots.

If it was not clear, Akihiko did not trust half the things that Junpei said. How could he after all the things that happened to him? Junpei knew his past, his history, things the purple-haired male probably did not notice in his own memories. Someone this invasive and cunning was not to be trusted but his body moved along with it anyway. Akihiko was moving at his own pace. He was moving at his own will because his curiosity was thirsting to know why on earth he was the one who was targeted.

Tanami was left alone as he recalled from before. She was never targeted. Only him. He could not wrangle out any answers from Kohei, Tomohiro, no one. Or perhaps it was more like no one wanted to tell him. Is that the reason? It no longer mattered if that was the case because he would find out himself. If there were consequences, he would gladly reap them in exchange for answers. He wanted answers, and he was going to receive them.

Tearing away from the thoughts that fluttered around in his brain, he absentmindedly glanced at the walls and items that made up the alleyway. The fifteen-year-old boy blinked with a bit of confusion. Slowly, he raised a hand to rub his eyes because he was not sure if he was seeing correctly. Akihiko recognized the patterns, the walls, and the ground. Peddles, positions of trashbags, trashcans, and even empty boxes were placed in different areas than before but that did not tear away the remembrance.

No...

The crisped air lodged itself in his throat, coating his throat in a layer of frost. Towering in front of him was his old home- no not home. This place did not have the right to be called home. A prison, a cage, something that robbed them of their freedoms, that was what it should be referred to. One of the places where horrendous memories were brewed into existence. A place that should have been recalled as a memory, not something that his gaze fell upon now.

It appeared different than before however. The mahogany wood was decaying, not at a rapid pace but enough to notice the difference in colors. The vermillion bricks were scratched and pieces of it laid across the concrete. Although the house was not on the verge of collapse, it certainly looked dilapidated. The windows were still intact but dust coated the interior. It looked sorrowful, abandoned by the family that once lived inside.

For some reason, he felt a bit of warmth pool inside his chest knowing that no one lived inside. That house deserved to rot and the feeling was welcoming but it did not stop him from carrying out his actions.

Akihiko's hands curled into fists, nails digging into his palms. He felt the pricks of pain from the amount of force he applied. He could not keep his teeth from gritting down. Walking forward, the teenager placed a hand on Junpei's shoulder and forcefully spun around. A yelp escaped Junpei from the sudden movement. Without warning, Akihiko grabbed a hold of Junpei and shoved the shorter male up against the alley wall.

The memory of what Teshigahara showed him on their walk home suddenly lit up in his mind. It was quick, something that came up sporadically without any real intention.

As quick as he could, the crystal had pressed his right forearm against Junpei's throat, applying a bit of pressure but not enough to cut the pink-eyed boy's oxygen off. Under normal circumstances, this would have never crossed his mind and if it did, he would have never performed it. All he did was react as he was told earlier how to do so.

His left hand was still latched onto Junpei's wrist. "Why are we here?"

Junpei wheezed, finding it a bit difficult to breathe. Nonetheless, a teasing smile still found its way to his face as a bead of sweat trickled down his cheek. The soft breeze splattered raindrops onto their skin. "Yo... you were the one that wa-was warned..."

"I know!" Akihiko grit his teeth together even harder. A rush of anger flooded his veins and because of this, he unconsciously pressed his forearm against Junpei's throat a bit harder. He ignored the coldness of the droplets brushing against his cheeks. "B-but why this place of all places! I prefer you lead me into the depths of the black market!"

Another strangled attempt to breathe was clearly heard from Junpei. He still tried his best to muster a chuckle. "D-don't be so pessi... mistic now...! Even I don't k-know where that is!"

The mocking tone only infuriated Akihiko more. Junpei was only teasing him, mocking him! This entire time... it has only been a game! And he fell for it every single time! "Why here?!"

"C-can't... breathe!" The black-haired male sputtered. His fingers lightly clawed at the crystal's arm, trying to get him to loosen his grip.

All of a sudden, Akihiko registered the feeling of the raindrops hitting his skin. It was cold against his slightly warm skin. He pulled away, feeling the frustration that latched onto his body dissipating. The teenager stepped back, unsure if he could stop himself from doing something so drastic out of emotion again. He shoved his hands into his pocket, curling them into fists once they were hidden from sight.

Junpei had slumped back onto the alleyway, using the surface to keep himself upright. He had leaned forward a bit, his hand lightly pressing against his throat. He inhaled and exhaled rapidly in an attempt to regain his breathing. The paleness in his skin was regaining a bit more color. The adolescent was still wheezing but his breathing was sounding a bit better now. Akihiko felt a pang of guilt thump in his chest. Maybe he overreacted but that was the first thing that his body had done. Great, another circumstance where he acted before he thought.

"Ahh, thank you! I was starting to see black spots!" the shorter male laughed although it sounded strained. Did he really apply too much force?

The periwinkle-eyed teen shook his head. "Are you going to answer my question?"

"I'll answer it in due time," By then, Junpei had staggered a few feet forward. He was still using the wall to keep himself balanced upright. He glanced over his shoulder and smiled tiredly. "If you're willing to follow me."

Akihiko clenched his fists tightened inside his jacket's pockets. Taking in a deep breath, the boy allowed the tension to ease out of his muscles. "You better."

"Aww, you hurt my feelings! Trust me, I mean no harm!" Junpei laughed innocently and the slight inkling of strain could be heard.

Raising the hand that was not helping him keep balanced, Junpei motioned for the teenager to follow him. They slowly walked around to the back of the house. Akihiko tried to train his gaze to stay in front of him but he could not help but raise it to look at the building. Although it was falling apart, it still resembled his home in his memories. He kept his teeth clenched down together and forced himself to turn away.

It was weird. He never expected to ever come back to this place, to set eyes on this place. He wanted to lock it away as a memory forever. He preferred it to be a fragment lost in his memory. If only that could be the case. Both of their strides halted behind the house. In front of them was a dirty, garnet hatch that had two doors. They were positioned as if it was a door to an underground basement.

Unconsciously, Akihiko gnawed at the inside of his cheek. "You even know where the bar entrance was?"

"I frequented this place often, you know! Of course, I was too young to make any deals or transactions. Who would give a child alcohol anyway? In fact, I tagged along because I had no choice! I was only five." Junpei laughed heartily before it came to a close. Glancing up, a curious spark has settled itself in Junpei's visible eye. "Are you ready to descend into your memories?"

Akihiko kept his gaze focused in front of him. The pain in his palms was starting to become an afterthought. "I really hate you."

"How rude!" Junpei's lips pressed together in a tight line and he laced his fingers to crack them. The satisfying pop of joints no longer stiff did not calm the pounding of Akihiko's heart. "Hey Yama, is it possible for you to cut through the lock with a gemstone?"

Following the finger jabbed at the doors, the teenager managed to pick up the sliver of silver in the gap between the doors. The lock was settled inside the establishment, not outside where it would be easy to break. There was a keyhole but neither of them had a key. Did this count as breaking and entering? The place was abandoned and raided by the Heroes ten years ago. Surely no one would be around this area or care that they may be doing something illegal, right?

"The gap would be too small for either of us to thrust a thin slice of diamond through it," Akihiko responded as he tilted his head. He clicked his tongue after reaffirming the statement in his head. "You want to cut through the lock, right?"

"No, not us trying to shove a piece of diamond in the door. Please, like that will work! I mean the control of your Quirk is high skilled- don't give me that look. I know very well that both you and your sister have incredible control for your age." Junpei bent at the waist and knocked the back of his hand onto the steel door. Strands of black curls tickled his cheek. "While you convert glass into diamond, can you make it, perhaps, condense it inside the space so it cuts through with ease?"

The purple-haired boy blinked once, dark violet lashes covering a portion of his eyesight. What his classmate was asking was something he has never done before. Both his and his sister's Quirks converted something into crystals and in the moment of conversion, glass or sugar was transformed into light briefly before it hardened into gemstones. The light only lasted a second, probably half a second. He has never tried to hold onto a transformation for long. He never needed to.

"Can you not think of another way? Surely you did not drag me out here in the pouring rain for a whim?"

Junpei tapped a finger against the door. His lips tugged downward when a bit of mud collected onto his fingertip. "Who knows? I'd have to use my Quirk buuttt that seems like a lot of work! I don't really want to waste my energy nor do I want to suffer a nosebleed!"

"You are very annoying." A bead of sweat clung to Akihiko's jawline. Maybe it was rain. He pressed his damp palms together. "I do not know. I have never done it before. Never forced it into one specific place like the one you want."

"I know you're lying," The pink-eyed teenager crossed his arms together before tilting his head. His eyes narrowed in disappointment even if there was a smile on his face.

"I am not lying. I have never done that before. It is beyond my cont-" Akihiko's words were cut off before he could continue any further.

"You see, here's the thing, Akihiko. You have better control than your sister. I know you do. I've seen it. I know you don't want to hear this but you want to know something? Those crystals you two created so long ago, did you know that it takes expert craftsmanship in order to replicate what you made? Did you know that the details in those gemstones were so intricate that many people that bought them here thought they were carved professionally? Most of them were yours because the crystals you make are slightly more lustrous while your sister's are a bit more vibrant color-wise.

"You are faster at converting and thinking about how to use your Quirk. Tanami is better at striking and covering. You already know what you want to do and how to do it. So tell me, Akihiko, can you really not do this, or do you not want to do this? Let me know because the longer we are stuck here, well the more drenched we become."

The crystal's fingertips touched as his lips tugged downward. Glancing away, his periwinkle eyes met the white color of his shoes. His fingers suddenly curled into weak fists before he lifted his head. He pulled his hands out of his pockets. "I can try. I cannot guarantee anything."

"Trying is the best thing you can do! And you better hurry! I'm getting cold!"

In an attempt to rid himself of the nerves latching onto him, Akihiko took a deep breath. Searching around the area, he tried to see if he could find any glass or mirrors. There were none in sight. Suddenly it dawned on him. The windows.

Akihiko slowly maneuvered his way to touch the glass. Tapping it as delicately as he could, a dazzling light engulfed the glass. The teenager slowly raised his hand and the light followed, separating themselves from the frame. He clenched his teeth. A bit of a strain was beginning to develop on the muscles that connected his shoulders all the way down to his elbows. The familiar sensation of a deep ache attacked the faint scars that were drawn on his shoulders and hidden by his jacket.

His eyebrows furrowed together in deep concentration. He gently maneuvered his hands in a way that looked like he was cradling a sphere in his grasp. The ache in his arms was beginning to become a bit more than just annoying. Walking toward the door, the amethyst-haired boy pushed his hands outward before linking his fingers together. The light stretched out, slowly slipping through the crack and settle itself around the lock. Snapping his fingers, the light instantly solidified into the familiar sight of a blue diamond.

Except the diamond did not cut through the lock. Just encased the outside of the door in hard material.

Akihiko's hands met his knees as he breathed heavily. His chest rose and fell, inhales and exhales erratic as his lungs burned. Deep aches nestled themselves into his bones. The teenager pressed his lips into a thin line. A muddled yet concerned look glossed over his eyes. Tilting his head back, he gazed at the other boy. "W-what you want... is hard..."

Junpei's eyebrows pinched together, wrinkles running across his forehead. He narrowed his eyes skeptically, slowly falling into deep thought. The edge of his lip twitched. "Oh, well! Can't be helped."

Slipping his hand into his pocket, the boy retrieved a small item. Pinched between his index finger and thumb was a small silver key. With ease, he slipped it inside the keyhole and flicked his wrist. The sound of a lock undoing itself rang quietly. "There we go!"

"Yo...you have got... to be kidding me?" Akihiko said between breaths. The cold air was simultaneously freezing and burning his lungs. It was not a fun sensation.

"Of course not!" Junpei grinned. "How could you think I would not come with some sort of plan in cased you failed?"

If Akihiko's body did not feel so weak at the moment, he would have done something less than ideal.

"Now can you remove the crystal? I can't open the door."

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The first thing that hit Akihiko was the strong stench of alcohol that consumed what was left of his biological parents' bar. Even if it had gone ten years without a single bottle of strong liquor or patrons, the smell had already penetrated the walls, floor, and whatever furniture was left intact. The teenager raised his hand to pinch the bridge of his nose, trying to keep his nostrils from filling up with the scent. Even now, the scent of hard liquor made his stomach clench just as much as it did when he first arrived there.

Gazing around the room, he took in the appearance of the place he used to frequent. The wooden furniture such as the bar with granite was still there and so were the shelves, chairs, and tables. Dust coated the surfaces, intricate designs created from spider's thread were placed in corners and small areas, and cockroaches skittered across the floorboards. He could not stop the disgusted expression on his face when he accidentally felt something crunch under his shoe.

There was not much more he could identify with the lack of light filtering into the room from the open door. He threw his gaze over his shoulder and flicked his wrist. The blue shards that were left on the floor outside trembled for a moment before they began to float. Another movement of his hand and they flew inside. They slowly positioned themselves in different places that gave off a substantial amount of light.

"Are you going to answer me now or are we going to keep doing this wild goose chase?" Akihiko questioned. He brushed a finger across the surface of the bar. Dust collected on his finger.

"Alright, alright, it seems I can't keep denying you forever. What a shame, what a shame." Junpei pouted, bringing a hand to his chin. He absentmindedly tugged at the end of one of his curls, searching for how he would set up his next words. "First things first, what was the reason that your parents exploited your Quirks?"

"Don't you know that already?" Akihiko tilted his head and bit down on his bottom lip. It was a fairly obvious answer.

"I need a clarification!" Junpei declared with a grin.

Akihiko breathed in deeply before muttering under his breath. He was trying to remind himself why on earth he followed Junpei here and was drawing up a blank. "I need a lot of patience..."

"What was that?"

"Kiyoko and Souta Yama owned an underground bar. Villains frequented to gain information from the owners as well as their customers. Souta made a deal with a less than likely person. Information in exchange for money. However, something went wrong and they were left with debt. Once our Quirks manifested, they told us, 'use it once' or 'just one more time!' How well do you think that went?" The crystal explained swiftly. It was not fun recounting even such a small portion of the past but it was somewhat deemed necessary.

"Do you know the contents of the deal?" The pink-eyed male asked with a hint of mischief laced in his voice. He has bent slightly at the waist with his fingers laced behind his back.

"Of course not. Not even the joint combination of Inscribe and Metallic Agencies could." All Akihiko could do was shake his head. He felt like this conversation was leading toward nowhere again. Unpocketing his phone, he turned it on and looked at the time.

12:29 AM.

Joyous laughter caused him to lift his head in order to see what would occur. As he suspected, it was Junpei who had released a fit of laughter. The black-haired boy brought his hands in front of him and settled above his index finger, a small purple butterfly had poised its legs on it. "Do you wanna know?"

"Is this a trick?" Narrowing his eyes, Akihiko pressed his fingertips together. The crystals that were settled in different positions trembled in their places.

"What? What do I gain by tricking you? I may mess around a bit but even I won't go that far." Junpei waved his hand in an aloof manner as his nose scrunched up. He appeared appalled by the question Akihiko had asked.

Although he knew he should not accept this answer, Akihiko grit his teeth. He released a heavy breath and ran a hand through his fiberglass bangs. The scent of alcohol was beginning to make him feel a bit lightheaded. "Fine, keep explaining."

"Great! Where do I start?! Hmm, ah! I know!" Junpei raised his index finger and glanced at the ceiling for a moment. He blinked once before he tilted his head with a sly smile. "Have you ever heard of a Villain called Gambit?"

Pulling his fingers away from his fiberglass bangs, the sound of strips clinking against each other as they slipped from his grasp. He barely narrowed his eyes, thinking for a moment before he recalled where he had heard that name. "He was a Villain that the Inscribe Agency captured."

"Gambit was captured two weeks after Inscribe met the two of you. That Villain, he was very talented when it came to Quirk analysis. He would see information by the million! Imagine how much yen he would make! He was the main reason that Heroes were being taken down so easily at the time! Apparently, Inscribe's team had to intercept one of his deals to capture him!

"Ah, I'm going much too far ahead now! Souta Yama made a deal with Gambit. Strange, huh? Why would a Quirk analyst go find information from a bar owner when he could do everything himself?"

Akihiko brought a hand up to his chin. "He benefited from something?"

"Yup!"

"From what?"

"I'm not really sure about that. Never figured that out. Heard him talking about revelation once. Here's another strange thing. In this order, the revelation would come in jasper, sapphire, chalcedony, emerald, sardonyx, sardius, chrysolite, beryl, topaz, chrysoprase, jacinth, and amethyst." As he mentioned all of those gemstones, Junpei counted off with his fingers.

"Amethyst?" The word left Akihiko's lips in a breathy tone. The number of gemstones listed were a total of twelve. Half of those were not even well-known crystals. However, that was not the thing that rubbed him the wrong way. The thing that made him anxious was the fact that amethyst was the last one. What did gemstones have to do with revelation? If you thought about the symbolization of these, it made little sense.

Jasper provides protection, absorbs negative energy, and balanced yin and yang. Sapphire symbolizes wisdom, virtue, good fortune, and holiness for royals. Chalcedony was a nurturing stone that promotes brotherhood and goodwill. Emerald has been a symbol of spiritual awareness, protection, love, and wisdom. Sardonyx is associated with courage, happiness, and clear communication.

Sardius and chrysoprase... actually, he did not know those ones off the top of his head. Chrysolite is said to be gold, which in turn signified wisdom and charity, virtues that are considered more perfect than all others. Beryl has been said to have the power to keep demons away, promote happiness and marital love, increase sincerity, cure laziness, protect travelers from danger, and maintain youthfulness. Topaz was a stone of nobility, love, passion, and purpose.

Jacinth was a type of zircon and zircon was known to be a grounding stone that inspired and motivated and gave guidance when guidance is needed. Amethyst symbolized humility and modesty, though that seemed like a lie because amethyst crystals were an image of royalty.

Either way, with those symbolizations and if gemstones actually presented that, it would make no sense. Those were good traits to have which did not make sense for a Villain to want. He had no idea as to how this was related to revelation. Snapping out of his thoughts, Akihiko shook his head. He was getting nowhere by thinking about something that made no sense to him.

The sound of someone's finger hitting her palm made him raise his head. Junpei rubbed his wrist and began to speak. "The deal was made not for information, Yama. It was made for-"

"I knew I saw something off."

As soon as those words entered the periwinkle-eyed boy raised his hand and swerved. At his command, the crystals that were acting as faint light sources sped in front of them in an offensive position. Since all Akihiko could see was the faint outline of a shadow, he flicked his wrists. The gemstone shards flew forward in the direction of the shadow.

Just as they were about to hit the shadow, the figure quivered. The right side of its body shifted and melted in the form of various vine-like structures. The blue shards embedded themselves in the vines and held them in firm positions. At the sight, Akihiko stepped back slightly, a bead of sweat trailing down his forehead. Behind him, even Junpei appeared confused and slightly nervous at the shadow. Once the dim illuminance settled its light, the darkness that veiled the person's form slowly disappeared the reveal the faint glow of gold.

Wait- he knew the multiple hues of yellows that made up the gold. With a slight shake in his voice, Akihiko called out, "Kohei-san?"

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Author's Note

You know with this chapter the total word count for this book is 148,283. O_O

It doesn't feel like I wrote that much but my chapters are super long so... There's still about eleven chapters to go.