『ARC THREE: AGENCIES AND CRYSTALS』

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To be honest, Akihiko did not know what was worse at the moment. Whether he preferred to be caught by a random thug that lurked in the alleyway or by his heroics teacher, neither seemed to be up to his liking. He preferred a stray kitten wandering inside instead. At least the cat would only scratch and not lecture him.

Snapping his fingers, a light thud echoed from Akihiko's palm as the fragments of blue diamond collapsed further into smaller shards. Slowly, they wiggled a bit before slipping free from their auric containment. They scattered once again to illuminate the darkness that surrounded them. Once they settled in certain places without the worry of them tipping over, the teenager pressed his lips together because he could not seem to find the correct words to sting together.

Lucky for him, actually, he's not certain if it was luck or not that Junpei piped up before the crystal's brain could formulate an answer. "Well, I didn't predict this outcome. Hi, Kohei-san!"

The sound of light footfalls was heard as Kohei stepped into the light of the diamond. His expression was sketched over with a bit of exhaustion, possibly from the meeting and staying late at Inscribe's agency. The adult had tilted his head slightly, narrowing his eyes and carrying himself in a way that was not his usual playful self. By then, the golden vines had reverted back into his normal hand. "Akihiko, what are you doing here of all places? Didn't Teshigahara leave you at your house? And Junpei, you're not even supposed to talk, let alone meet up with Akihiko until he returns to Mizu. Even then, your contact is limited."

All Akihiko did was fiddle with the end of the drawstrings on his jacket. He eventually tugged off his hood so his hair could illuminate the dim room a bit more. In a quiet tone, he replied, "Teshigahara did leave me at home. I jumped out my window after she left and while Tanami and Yua were fretting over Mocha."

"My, my! Did you sneak out? What a sly boy." Junpei commented as his eyes narrowed in curiosity. Acting as if he did not know this already. If one of the crystal shards randomly struck Junpei in the leg, Akihiko turned the other way while rolling his eyes. He also neglected the yelp that slipped from the other teen's lips.

"Why are the two of you here of all places?" Kohei raised a brow as he crossed his arms over his chest. His gaze was steeled, almost as if he was questioning a pair of Villains rather than questioning two of his students. The two boys felt a shiver run down their spines from the look.

Releasing a deep breath, Akihiko curled his fingers into tight fists. "I want to know why no one will tell me anything."

"Concerning what?"

"Everything. No one gives me any answer! You and Dad just brush past the question while he just talks in circles!" Jabbing a finger in Junpei's direction, Akihiko pressed his lips together. "What are you keeping from me? From Tanami? What have you not told us?"

Junpei leaned forward, bent at the waist. A few black curls fell into his line of sight. Curiosity swirled in his eyes but his mouth was clamped shut. For now, he did not utter a word and instead settled to be an observer for the meantime. He shuffled backward a bit.

For some reason, Akihiko felt that odd sensation wash over him again. He could not pinpoint what exactly it was. Whenever he felt anger or fear or even sadness, it just washed away like someone had doused him with a bucket of water. Like the droplets had picked up any negative emotions and slipped away with them. However this time, it felt different as the familiar feeling of something pricking his temples made its appearance. Pressure seemed to press the sides of his skull and he did not like it one bit.

"I do not like it. I'm tired of it!" The moment Akihiko's voice rose, the fragments of blue diamond began to quiver in their positions. They rocked back and forth, spazzing out from the force glazed across the teenager's tone. As his fingernails dug into the skin of his palms, the boy's knuckles began to turn into a light shade of white. His eyelids closed as he began to raise his closed fists to pull harshly at his fiberglass bangs. Short cracks could be heard.

"I'm tired of everyone hiding something from me!" Akihiko's eyes snapped open, however, instead of the usual periwinkle that colored his irises, multiple hues of purple were present instead. Jagged triangles that made it look like his eyes were made of the same crystal that adorned his head.

"Akihiko," Kohei said softly. He cautiously took a step forward, confused and uncertain at the sudden change of eye color his student showed. He held his hands out in a wary position. "Calm down."

Tearing his hands away from his lavender bangs, the teenager blinked for a moment before lifting his gaze. His diamond-shaped pupils stared at the blond-haired man. All of a sudden, he felt a sharp pain strike the side of his temples. Releasing a groan of pain while grasping his head, Akihiko ground his teeth together hard. In a swift movement, he lifted his head.

"Shut up already!" Instead of his normal voice slipping free from his vocal cords, the voice that spilled from his lips echoed. It sounded like two or possibly three people were talking as the voices overlapped. Almost like a cacophony.

As soon as the final word echoed, the shards erupted. Sparkling walls of blue diamond rose and coated the establishment in a fine shine of its illuminance. Both Junpei and Kohei jumped back to avoid nearly getting struck by the crystal. Diamond slowly encased both of Akihiko's hands before halting at the end of his thumbs' joints.

Another wave of pain knocking against his skull as he swerved around on his heel. He lurched forward a bit, feeling the rough crystal that coated his hands claw at his hair. Thin lines carved through the amethyst as he furiously scratched at his head. A trembling ring vibrated near his ear as another gasp ripped itself from his throat. Nearly choking on his own saliva, he shakily took a step forward.

Even if he released a wave of crystal unconsciously, the diamond only blocked out Junpei and Kohei from pressing any closer to him. But diamond was hard to break so they would not come for him soon. The door behind him was probably one of the only things that was not encased or trapped in gemstone. He stumbled toward it, the ringing growing louder and louder with each passing second. His eyes twitched as he bit down harshly on his cheek. The metallic taste of blood lingered on his taste buds but at this point, he did not care.

He wanted that damn ringing to shut up! Shut up, shut up, shut up! Gosh dammit, shut up!

Although the door was locked, diamond easily cut through the door handle and the lock came undone with ease. It clattered against the wooden panels and it only made the ringing even more annoying. Akihiko's crystal-covered nails sunk into a chunk of amethyst, cracks and grooves easily running through it. Without wasting another second, he clumsily shoved the door open and slipped inside.

Once he was on the other side, his already crystallic eyes had flashed a vibrant violet. Bits of blue diamond ripped themselves off the walls before clashing together to make a thick wall that settled between the door frame. Akihiko turned away from it before he could even make sure it materialized well enough like he usually did.

It was not important anyway. It was not. The stupid ringing was. It was loud! Loud, loud, loud! Ringing, vibrating, echoing! It will not shut up! It will not! Shut it! Shut it, shut it, shut it!

Akihiko found himself walking for quite some time. Or maybe it was some time. He really does not know. It could have been minutes or hours? Maybe seconds? No, no, that would not make sense! Seconds tick by quick! Minutes and hours take a bit longer. After all, seconds turn into minutes and minutes turn into hours! But why will the ticking not shut up? Why is it ringing too? Does it echo too? Will it echo?

No, he does not want it to. It already felt like someone had shoved tiny needles that were heated over a flame into his skull, more specifically jabbed into his temples. His only solution was to claw furiously at his hair but the scratching, grating sound of diamond colliding with amethyst was not very pleasant either.

Eventually, his shoulder collided with a wall. It sent an aching sensation running up his arm but everything else that was happening drowned it out. Akihiko allowed his legs to give out underneath him as he slipped down the wall. Huddled into a ball, the teenager's knees met his chest while his hands still scratched frantically at his head.

Eyes that reflected the same multiple hues of amethyst shut shortly before they opened. Then, the ringing stopped. But the layout in front of him changed. Instead of the gloomy, filthy concrete walls and wooden floorboards that were littered with cockroaches and spider webs, the scene in front of him was one of the other bars that were underground. It was clean and kept tidy with rows of alcohol bottles lining the shelves. The one that was closed for the two twins to linger in when they were forced to create crystals on a daily basis.

Blinking once, three small figures appeared out of thin air. Two he recognized with ease. Sitting on the high chairs with their feet dangling were a pair of four-year-olds that had amethyst for hair and dull periwinkle eyes. The girl had tears running down her cheeks, nose wrinkling from her snifflings as snot threatened to spill. She held her arms out as decorative trails that looked like cracks ran up her skin. Droplets of blood slipped from the wounds and splattered across the pair of rhodolite garnet earrings on the wooden sleek bar. The pink shine was slowly being coated by the dark red.

Sitting beside her was a boy with the same appearance. His thumbs were pressing harshly against the green tourmaline bracelet. Its green glow was slowly draining away as the amount of pressure he applied was causing fractures to run down it. The bracelet had slipped free from his fingertips and banged a few times against the surface of the bar. Naturally, he neglected the condition of the bracelet in favor of looking at his sister.

The final child was farther away, his tiny body slightly sinking into the cushion of the sofa. Black ringlets fell into his pink eyes but there were not enough to completely obscure his vision. In his cupped hands was a small purple butterfly. The insect's wings were shining a bright lavender as small sparkles broke off with each flap. At times, his gaze would trail upward to take a look at the twins.

Two soft thuds along with the slight vibration of the floorboards managed to reel back his attention to the tiny version of himself and Tanami. Child Akihiko had slipped behind the bar, hidden from the other two kids. The sound of some rummaging was heard along with short, indistinguishable whispers. Not too long after, he reemerged with two rolls of beige bandages. He clamored up the chair, holding the rolls in a tight grasp before plopping himself back onto the high chair.

"Nami, give me your arm." Small Akihiko had begun to pick at the edge of the roll. Nodding solemnly, child Tanami had swallowed back a whine before presenting her left arm toward her twin.

With a level of expertise that a child should not display, the boy was quick and delicate as his small fingers maneuvered with ease. In no time, both rolls had been unwrapped and were firmly but gently tightened around the girl's arms. Light pink splotches were beginning to stain the cloth but the worrying shade of red had not appeared so they dismissed it as 'okay' for the time being.

"They're coming," the words echoed as the pink-eyed boy said to them quickly. Despite the fact that his teenager self would have sung it aloud, the child's eyes widened in fear and slight worry as the purple butterfly dissipated in his grasp.

Tiny Akihiko's lips pressed together as he swiped the bracelet made of green tourmaline from the bar. He twisted it between his fingers, asserting the piece of jewelry for any cracks. Once he located the fractures, a green glow slipped through the cracks before they mended together to reveal a picture-perfect gemstone with twinkles of light. The moment the bracelet met the flat surface, the sound of a door's lock clicking open caught all of their attention.

Once again, Akihiko tore away his attention from the children to the door. Walking inside the room was none other than Kiyoko and another adult that the teenager could not recall. Whenever he tried to dive into a past memory, all he received was another shock of pain running through his brain. His nose wrinkled as he ground his teeth together.

Before he could try to memorize the man's facial features, the sound of something like glass cracking tore his attention away. Then he saw it. Fractures big and small began to run across the scene in front of him. Like someone had thrown an object at the sight that laid before him, fragments fell apart. The tips collided with the ground, shattering further on contact, and then it stopped. Almost as they were frozen in time, the shards stilled. Some were in the process of splitting apart while others were halted in their fall. The shine of bright purple hues stayed with few sparks of white reflecting across the fragments.

Slowly, with the pain still enrapturing his brain, the teenager reached a hand up to the nearest shard of amethyst. The tip of his finger brushed against it and the crystal rippled. Right after dizzying waves ruptured through the gemstones, the violet and lavender were slowly consumed by the terrifying sight of crimson. In fact, every other piece of amethyst leisurely slipped into a state of muddled red.

Painite...?

Quivering slightly, the fragments of painite began to glow. They began to swirl even though Akihiko was not controlling them. They were breaking, shattering, and then colliding to break even further before forcing random pieces together in a sporadic attempt to combine themselves like puzzle pieces.

A scream ripped itself from Akihiko's vocal cords because just the sight of that brilliant, vibrant, blinding painite amplified the pain assaulting his head. In response, his teeth ground even harder against each other while his hands found themselves in his hair once more. The blue gemstone still encased his hands so when he tried to clutch his head, all he got was that irritating and grating sound of diamond and amethyst colliding.

Shut up, shut up, shut up!

Suddenly the boy felt someone's hands latched around his wrists. They were warm, he blankly noted as he felt their soft calluses brush delicately across his skin. Frightened by what could have grabbed him he lifted his gaze to see the culprit but before he could, he felt a prick at his neck. His eyelids fluttered shut and he fell into a state of unconsciousness from the drug injected into his body.

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When Tomohiro first received a panicked call from Tanami at one in the morning, he should have known something was going to go wrong. Something always seemed to go wrong when it was not supposed to. However, you can imagine his surprise when Yua had taken a hold of the phone and stated that nothing was broken nor were there any traces of a struggle. And then, not even twenty minutes later, Kohei had called him saying that they were at the old bar and Akihiko had freaked out. It pained him to jab his son in the neck with a tranquilizer when he found him.

In his hand, he fiddled with the shard of painite he had swiped once they had all come crashing down the moment Akihiko lost consciousness. The fragment was small and slim and when he twisted it in his hand, it revealed the various types of reds that reflected off of it. His gaze flickered upward. White eyes settled on Akihiko's unconscious form laying on top of a cot inside one of the many infirmaries in Inscribe's Agency. He watched as the crystal's chest rose and fell gradually with each breath.

Tomohiro's calloused hand had lightly gripped his son's hand, rubbing delicate circles with his thumb. The skin around Akihiko's hand was tinged red as it had taken quite some time for him and Sumiko to cautiously break off the blue diamond with scalpels dusted over with minuscule grains of diamond. It took an excruciating two hours to carve and pry the gemstone off the teenager's hands but they managed. It was the best they could do and a bit of irritated skin and chipped nails did no one any harm in the long run.

A few small chunks of amethyst were missing from his head and fractures were drawn across the gemstone. Even one of the loose crystals that framed his face had broken off halfway. It looked like someone had tried to hack away at the amethyst and succeeded. Then again, it did look like Akihiko was trying to claw out his hair by force given the amount of diamond encasing his hands. The scratches were proof of that too.

Allowing the painite shard to roll around his hand, the ink-haired male inspected it one more time. His lips pressed together as sharp gleams passed through the crystal. The click of a lock caught his attention but he did not turn around. Slipping into the room was Sumiko who was carrying a small rectangular case.

"Here they are. Took some digging around and well not many stores are open at three in the morning." Sumiko handed it over to Tomohiro before stepping out of the room. "Call me if anything goes wrong. I'll be looking over some reports."

Once the door closed shut, the Hero flicked off the locks of the case. He flipped the lid, blinking a few times for his eyes to grow used to the bright shine of the small slabs of ​​moldavite and Herkimer diamond. They rested on a small cushion, both gemstones sinking into the plush-like material. Carefully, he placed the shard of painite in between the two.

The moment the painite brushed against the moldavite and Herkimer diamond, Akihiko's body surged upward. He forced himself into a sitting position as he breathed heavily. His hand had pressed up against his chest, clutching tightly around the fabric of his jacket. Just like before, the teenager's eyes had taken on a crystal-like look. This time they slowly faded from a brownish-red to a murky green. Although neither of these colors molded together well, the gleam made them appealing nonetheless.

"So that did work," Tomohiro mumbled to himself. Akihiko, who was still confused and stunned, did not have much time to reflect because a wave of pain struck the sides of his skull. Like before, his hands instantly rose to clutch his head.

Tomohiro applied pressure to the lid before it snapped shut. When it did, the needles pricking harshly at Akihiko's head disappeared without a trace. It was like a sharp breeze swept through and carried the pain away like cherry blossoms riding the wind. Lowering his hands, the boy blinked a few times and the crystal pattern in his eyes disappeared.

It took a few seconds for the teenager to realize where he was but his bewildered look stayed when he saw Tomohiro. "Dad...?"

"Good morning," the ink-haired male said bluntly as he plopped the case in his lap. His elbow brushed against the pair of crutches next to him. "Before I ground you for the next three months, how long has this been going on?"

If Akihiko was confused before, then he was even more confused now. Maybe it was the lightheadedness? His eyebrows had scrunched together. "What has been going on?"

At those words, the Hero stilled for a second before he regained his composure. Tomohiro leaned forward, causing a few drops of ink to spill from his head. A puff of air escaped his lips. "You don't know...? Of course, you don't know? It would cancel it out."

Akihiko was beyond confused at this point. All he remembered were faint pictures of the bar and children and everything was just a blur. Where was he and why was there buzzing in his ears? Or was it a faint ringing? Who knows? And what the heck was Tomohiro going on about?

Slumping back into his chair, the adult lifted the box to Akihiko. "Inside of this box is painite, moldavite, and Herkimer diamond."

"I am still lost."

"Yes, you would be."

Flicking the lid open once more, the three shards made their appearance. At the same time, a wave of agony washed over Akihiko's head and there was ringing. Ringing, ringing, ringing that echoed. It was echoing! It was loud! It was loud!

In an instant, Akihiko's hands raised to claw at his head. Before he could do so, Tomohiro shut the lid and the pain dispersed in an instant. The boy blinked a few times, the two colors fading from his eyes to reveal the normal shade of periwinkle. Frazzled, he shook his head lightly to see if the faint ringing would go away too.

Tomohiro pressed a hand to his chin as he lowered his gaze slightly in thought. "I'll ask this simply. What is painite?"

"An orange-red borate mineral consisting mostly of calcium, zirconium, boron, aluminum, and oxygen."

"Wrong answer in this case. Painite is a chakra opener. It usually works instantly. Amethyst is a spiritual stone that can promote the divine while encouraging spiritual wisdom. It can also help open one's intuition and stimulate the third eye chakra. Combine painite with moldavite and Herkimer diamond, the effect intensifies." Tomohiro explained briefly.

Still confused from his muddled mind, Akihiko was absorbing this information slowly. "This means?"

"I think your Quirk evolved in a way that you can't control nor notice." Tomohiro tapped the sides of the box with his fingers. "I looked into this when you were younger but neither of you displayed anything like it so I never dug into it further. Amethyst is a natural tranquilizer. Supposedly, it relieves stress, soothes irritability, balances mood swings, dispels anger, rage, fear, and anxiety. If you felt any negative emotion at all, the amethyst that makes up your hair neutralizes it and you wouldn't notice a thing wrong with it. The same goes with any injury as amethyst is a healing stone-"

Akihiko felt himself freeze. The cafe.

"You know using your Quirk like this is illegal?"

"And that diamond dagger wasn't?" Junpei replied sternly, a hint of annoyance lacing his tone. "I may be doing something wrong but you're not so innocent either, Yama. After all, we are not supposed to be in contact, and yet here we are!"

The amethyst-haired boy kept his lips pressed together tight. He knew, he knew he was not supposed to be here but he cannot keep himself from not doing so. He felt his frustration itch from underneath his skin but before he could even come to terms with it, it dissipated a few seconds after. It left him feeling relaxed and strangely satisfied with something he did not know.

The wound at Bunny Bungalow.

"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.

The conversation with his sister in the rain.

Taking in a deep breath, Akihiko forced his feet to take a series of steps. He was careful to not kick any of the pots with bonsai trees or iris' that Tomohiro loved to take care of. Suddenly he stood in front of his twin who had already jumped off the railing of the porch as the soles of her shoes rested on the ground with a soft thump. Her hands were stuffed into a dark purple windbreaker, the hood ruffling a few times from a short breeze that blew.

Even if this was his twin standing in front of him, he found a cold feeling of dread gnaw at him in his chest. He felt a dull pain assault his temples for a few seconds before it faded away. Tanami's eyes had narrowed briefly, violet lashes hiding specs of her periwinkle irises. Blinking once, she observed the way her brother positioned herself.

"-another thing would be is that amethyst can promote psychic abilities such as clairvoyance, clairaudience, and telepathy. You know all of this but you never noticed because amethyst blocks out negativity."

There were many instances before as well but the ones that only occurred recently came flooding back at him. His breath left his lips because, for a few seconds, Akihiko forgot how to breathe.

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Author's Note

It took 32 chapters (counting prologue) but I have finally made it to this part! This scene has been in my brain since the beginning and it has been written. Man, I've been trying to foreshadow this since like chapter 20 I think.

Still, Akihiko has yet to gain any answers and is now left with even more questions than he had before.