『ARC FOUR: A BUTTERFLY'S DEDUCTION』

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Junpei is fairly certain that Junri tried her best at everything she did. Even now that her morals were thrown all over the place. Somehow, he figured that she tried to make sense of her reality although it was twisted and warped into one that made sense to her. Although he was a child himself, he was certain that she, in a way, was still a child.

From the small amount of time he had ventured outside of their home, he learned and acknowledged the fact that Quirks were not gifts given to people or dolls. Some may be resourceful and bring joy, but others just bring misery. Prime examples are Junri's and the twins' Quirk.

Imagine being bestowed with a power that you could not comprehend but was praised by others anyway. Even if you could not understand it, you kept up the facade of you knowing everything about it. Junri's Quirk was strong, almost too powerful in a sense that it seemed like it would be impossible to stop someone such as herself. How do you fight something that cannot be seen by the naked eye? How do you defeat something that you never even knew existed in the first place? All she had to do was change your perception and those worried thoughts never existed in the first place.

If you asked Junpei how to get rid of Junri in terms of power, it was a simple answer. You could not. How do you counter a Quirk such as that? But if you decided to go with a mental route, it was quite easy. The woman's mental and emotional state was fragile. As if you had a glass cup with cracks running through its form and a steady flow of water was poured into it. Either the glass overflowed or the pressure would force the fractures to break even further. Both of these options were not any good.

Tenacious yet feeble was the best way to describe the golden-eyed woman.

To put it in simpler terms, it felt like Junri was a prisoner of her own person rather than being enslaved by someone else. Like she wanted it that way too. She chose to stay with Namiko by her own free will despite her disgust surrounding the situation. She said she is clinging to her own ideals of ridding those with power but allowed herself to be played. She was the master who pulled the strings but at times those threads would wrap around her joints and play her like a marionette.

Junri did as she was told but still withheld herself from committing any acts that would truly define her as a Villain. For one, she stated that she has not killed anyone with her own two hands. Well, she has gotten rid of her own dolls with her own hands but she took it as throwing away an old toy rather than a human. Normal people are not forged with a crane and doll. Her entire moral base was just broken. And she herself? Perhaps it would be best to say she was just as shattered.

While on the other hand, the twins were forced into a state of sorrow. A curse was a better term rather than a Quirk. Eyes crafted into a lovely gradient, skin as smooth as porcelain, and carved into the epitome of beauty. Appearing as if they were delicate statues yet it was so easy to create a fracture within elegance. The crisp white bandages hid the worst of the cracks running across their arms like a silk web but Junpei did not need his butterflies to tell him what was in plain sight.

Junpei could not do much for them. He was still stuck in the form of a child and he had his own problems to work out. Mainly the fact that Junri's mental state was deteriorating even further and she practically wandered around like a ghost she would witness every now and then. With the way she was acting, Junpei assumed he was acting more human than he was. So he should have not been surprised when Junri never showed up.

"Well, well, what do we have here?" A deep yet curious voice lingered into Junpei's ears as the child stepped back in fear.

The man in front of him towered over his small form, his azure eyes scrutinizing over him like prey was to a predator. For once, it felt like Junpei was more like an object rather than a human. And that was saying that he was feeling more like the latter lately. Maybe he could thank the twins for this feeling.

"Ah, he's the child of one of our other regulars." Rushing over to the two of them was Kiyoko. She planted a cheerful smile on her face. A few stray strands of lavender hair fell into her aqua-colored eyes. "Don't disturb him too much, Gambit. Miss Hirawa should be coming in a couple of minutes to pick him up."

Gambit hummed softly yet it carried a tone of disinterest. As if he was listening but was not hearing all the words spoken by Kiyoko. His head dipped down, a few slicked crimson strands falling onto his forehead. His gaze stayed on Junpei before it flicked back to the lavender-haired woman. "Miss Hirawa? I haven't heard of her. You don't mind giving me some information about her now?"

"I'm afraid to say I can't," Kiyoko clasped her hands together. "Miss Hirawa prefers to keep all, if not most, of her information confidential. If this was concerning another person, I would be more than happy to give you information concerning her. But frankly, I don't wish to be on the receiving end of her Quirk."

"Which is?"

"Again, Gambit, I cannot say. Please do not pressure me about Miss Hirawa any longer. Even if you wish for that information, you cannot receive it from me." Crossing her arms over her chest, the woman firmly shook her head. "I will not forgo the trust of my customers."

Oh yeah, but you can totally screw over the trust of your kids. Talk about double standards, Junpei thought to himself. His eyes shifted between the two adults, hearing their conversation play out while making judgemental comments within his head. It was the only thing he could do anyway. It was not like he was going to make an idiotic joke and make one of them mad. He was already walking on top of eggshells whenever he was with Junri and he preferred being with her.

Sucking in air through his teeth, Junpei tried his best to not scrunch up his nose. The thick stench of alcohol was slowly invading his senses like a mist clouding his mind. Although he was here for a while, not to mention Junri or Ukiyo brought him every other day, if he stayed in the bar long enough, headaches would begin to assault him. One was pulsating against his temples at the moment. When was Junri getting here anyway?

An hour had passed by with no sign of the white-haired woman. Then a second hour passed, then a third, and finally a fourth with Junri making no appearance at all.

Pinching the end of one of his black curls, he pulled it lightly before it sprung back upward with force. Pink eyes trailed upward, glancing at the wooden stairs that lead to the hatch that acted as the entrance. His gaze lingered, watching the small amount of light seep through cracks in hope that shadows would replace them.

His teeth clenched down lightly in frustration yet he tried to keep his expression blank. He did not want to show such a strong emotion over something that he should not be fretting over. So what if Junri has not shown up yet? That just meant one of the others was holding her back from arriving. It would most likely be Namiko who was keeping her. Whenever either of them were conversing, it was not short and simple but drawled on like they were playing a game of tug of war that had no end to it.

That had to have been the reason. She would not have left him here on purpose. Even Junri would not have done such a thing. She may not care much for him and the other doll-like humans but she would not just abandon him like last week's trash. If she wanted to get rid of him, the woman would have done so already. She would not have kept him around for seven months now would she? No, no, he's probably overthinking things. Thinking is what he does best so it would make sense for him to allow his thoughts to dip into doubt.

"It doesn't seem like your caretaker has arrived yet, kid. Any reason why?"

Junpei forced his gaze in a rigid glare as he was met with Gambit once again. The man had stolen one of the chairs from the nearby table before placing it backward in front of the child. Gambit sat on it, arm resting on the backrest of the chair. He placed his chin on his knuckles. "Well, not going to answer me?"

"I don't need to explain anything to you."

A peal of joyous laughter trickled out of Gambit's lips as his chest wavered from the action. He shook his head in disbelief, chuckling like he was told a joke rather than a blunt sentence. "Quite the response."

"What do you want?" Junpei inquired while lacing his fingers together in his lap.

"What? Can I not converse with you?" the man questioned with a smile dancing upon his lips.

The child deepened his glare even further. "Adults don't usually find it fun to talk to a child. Let alone one that they've barely met. Sorry for being rude, but I would rather you not talk to me like nothing is questionable. What do you want?"

"A shame, a shame," Gambit ran his fingers through his slick back hair. "I should have known that you would not have been that easy to persuade. A random child down here would make little sense after all."

"Leave me alone."

"You already are."

"I'm not. Ju- Miss Hirawa is going to come soon."

"Wasn't she supposed to be here hours ago?"

At that response, Junpei bit down softly on the inside of his cheek. Or perhaps it was not as light as he suspected since his taste buds were easily overwhelmed by the taste of metal. Ugh... he never liked the taste of blood. But that was beside the point. He could not help but feel his stomach clench while a hollow feeling swirled in the inside of his chest. The further the clock's hand ticked by, the worst his anxiety was getting. It was easy by masking it with thoughts riddled with fake optimism.

"She's coming," he stressed through clenched teeth. "Don't just throw words in the air."

Slipping his hand into the pocket of his coat, Gambit picked out a small box. Flipping the lid up, he easily plucked one of the long yet circular objects. With his other hand, he reached into a different pocket and pulled out a bright blue lighter. He flicked the cam and a flame flickered into life. It swirled, growing and shrinking in size while wisps of blue flashed against the orange and yellow. As he balanced the cigarette in between his teeth, the man cupped one hand over it while placing the flame at the end.

The cigar lit and the man sucked the contents inside. Holding it between the index and middle finger, he pulled it away and released a puff of gray smoke. "Naivety is currently with time, child. But it seems like you haven't outgrown it yet. You're- what? Three?"

"Four," the child stated as he buried his nose into the confines of his jacket and gagged. Even then could he not get rid of the awful smell of smoke. Well is that not fantastic? First, he's doomed with smelling the strong stench of alcohol and now his clothes get to reek with smoke. What a wonderful combination. He's never wanted to leave this place any sooner than now. "What are you getting at?"

"That woman- what was her name?" The azure-eyed man waved his cigar, nearly throwing the smoke into Junpei's face in the process. "Hirawa? She isn't coming."

"How are you so sure?" the pink-eyed boy buried himself even further into his jacket. If he could leave this conversation physically, he would. However, it did not seem plausible at the moment. He averted his attention for a second. The hatch did not seem to move an inch either.

Gambit shook the cigar, watching with mild interest as the bits collapsed onto the panels. Streams of smoke flowed out of his mouth as he spoke. "You're not the only one with an analysis Quirk, Junpei. And just wait a bit, you'll see."

Almost like clockwork, Gambit's prediction was exactly correct. What he said came to fruition and he confidently smirked at the child. It was like he took pride in knowing he had been right. Whether it was through his own analysis Quirk or simple prediction, Junpei was not sure. All he could do was ground his teeth and glared at the wooden panels that made up the floor. He did not even care for the scent of smoke anymore.

What had he miscalculated?

Blurred images of what happened afterward with Gambit were more like a distant memory rather than something Junpei recalled normally. He was not sure how he ended up in his grasp in the first place. He was not entirely sure if it was because his brain decided to block out those memories or if Junri managed to twist his consciousness in a way. All he got were broken fragments of voices or pictures that had no relevance to anything. However, if you asked Junpei about those memories, he would say he would not need them.

As long as he kept his memories of Junri and what occurred with her, that was all that he needed. Junri was not his mother nor was she a parental figure. Nonetheless, he still regarded her with some sort of importance because she was the first person he's ever seen. Surprisingly, he still held her with high regard. He wanted to be mad at her. He wanted to curse her. He wanted to ruin her.

She abandoned him.

Circling through all the information he had acquired so far, there was only one reason he figured he could get back at her: becoming better than her. The only way he could do that was by showing that he could do the thing she could not achieve and that was becoming a Hero. That thought was solidified when Inscribe and his team had stopped the Quirk Exchange between Gambit and Toy Maker.

He found it quite hilarious that it was Inscribe, the person Junri used to work for, that was the one who saved him. The man was blunt and focused, easily calculating the best course of action for his agency. The other Heroes complied with his orders without a second thought and got the job done as efficiently as possible.

What was a pity was that he could not speak to the Hero fully. Perhaps if he did, he would have listened and helped Junri. But something inside him told him not to follow through with that idea even if he had the opportunity. Junri had chosen her path and it was not his job to figure out her problems. She left him so why should he care about her?

The only things he would thank Junri for were creating him and leaving him. If she did not leave, Junpei would not have met Ichika Sayori, his adopted mother. He probably would not have reached the age of fourteen either. Well, technically ten but he looks fourteen so he was just going to go with that. It did not even feel like ten years had passed by so suddenly.

Rays of bright sunlight slipped through the small crack left by the thick green curtains hanging on the windows, illuminating the small home with its warm feeling. The sound of bubbling oil vibrated against the cream-colored walls as its refreshing scent filled the area. If you listened close enough, you could hear the slight hum of a cheerful tone being drowned out.

"You are never going to finish that cereal if you pick at it all day, Junpei."

Perking his head up at his name being called, pesky black curls bounced in the teenager's line of vision. His eyes lightened up a bit as his hand loosened its grip on the spoon he held. Soaked flakes floated in the milk. He pursed his lips as he appeared as if he was caught doing something wrong. He opened his mouth to speak but promptly closed it from the stare the woman was giving him from the kitchen.

Brushing a few strands of straight black hair behind her ear, the purple-eyed woman only shook her head without much thought. With a spatula in her hand, Ichika easily flipped the piece of tempura in the oil. It splattered a few hot droplets on the rest of the stove. "You need to eat, Junpei."

All Junpei did was spoon a bit of the food into his mouth before chewing slowly.

Ichika released a sigh. Shifting the spatula in her hand, she scooped one of the tempuras out of the pan before plopping it onto a plate with a paper towel on top. The oil seeped into the paper and she placed the utensil on the counter. The black-haired woman raised her hands above her head and laced her fingers. A series of pops ran down her spine. "Have you decided what high school you want to go to yet?"

"I haven't." the words spilled out of the teenager's mouth the second the question has asked.

That was a lie. He has thought about the Hero schools he wanted to attend but he did not have a definitive choice. He thought about U.A. and Shiketsu, mainly Shiketsu because it was close to home but those two schools were rivals. That meant that they were in the media all the time.

Twirling the spoon in his hand, the teenager's brows furrowed. It would not do him any good for Junri to see or find him. At times, he could feel the irritated pull at the string of his consciousness. However, it was not enough to give him a command and return back to his creator. They had to be in a set radius which is probably something that Junri had never thought of. Not to mention that the string that connected them was severed yet still attached by a single thread. At times, he could still feel Junri's emotions, although vague, through their shattered yet shared connection. He was certain she could feel the same but was unable to track him through it anyway.

So a well-known and broadcasted high school would do him no good. He could not risk the life he had at the moment. He could not even tell Ichika because he was worried that she would cast him aside once she knew the truth. Another reason why he could not risk it.

Isamu, Ketsubutsu, Seiai, and Seijin were options as well but they had problems too. For one, Seiai was an all-female school so obviously, that would not work. Isamu was too far away and so was Seijin. Although not as popular, Ketsubutsu was probably up there in terms of media exposure with U.A. and Shiketsu.

"What about Mizu Academī?" Ichika stated as she turned the knob on the stove. The blue and orange flames flicked one last time before they were distinguished.

"Mizu Academī?" Flowing out of his mouth in a tone of disbelief, Junpei stilled the metal spoon in his grasp. A few drops of milk slipped off of the utensil and plopped back into the bowl of cereal. He felt the back of his throat tickle. "Why there?"

Ichika grabbed another paper towel and began to dab the top of the tempura. The oil easily soaked up the towel. "It's quite close to our home and you mentioned you wanted to be a Hero. Since you don't like being in the spotlight much, Mizu is perfect because it is overshadowed by Shiketsu and U.A."

Biting down on the inside of his cheek, Junpei glanced away for a second. He had thought about attending Mizu but well, Junri went to that school. He was not too sure how well that would fare for him. She may pop up one day. But then again, Junri shut herself away from the world. She refused to go to places she used to in fear that one of her old friends would recognize her.

Should he try Mizu? Would it be such a bad idea to attend that school? Mizu was not that popular in Hero schools because of the limited number of students accepted, it only accepted students every three years, and since it made only Hero teams rather than singular Heroes. Junpei glanced down at his bowl of cereal. Would it really be so bad to attend that school? Would Junri even think he would try to be a Hero?

What should he do? He's never been at such a loss. What to do, what to do?

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Coral eyes stared at the butterfly who stayed still on his finger. Junpei watched as the insect flapped its wings softly, gazing at the dark lines that detailed its glowing mauve wings. Few glowing sparkles shook off of its fore and hindwings without a single care. At times, its antennae shook. Three more swooped around him, lazily flying around with nothing better to do.

As he tucked his other hand in his windbreaker's pocket, the black-haired adolescent allowed his vision to skim through the crowd of teenagers that littered Zone Nu. He lightly tapped his foot on the tiles, hearing the soft drumming resonate within his ears. He sighed in disappointment. None of the other participants of this zone were skilled enough to pass the entrance exam. They all had high hopes which he would commend them on but it would not be enough.

The girl with blond hair and her partner would not make the time limit to save the civilian. That pair with the boy with an acid Quirk will be knocked out by the teacher running this exam. The duo with a cat mutation would fall through as they refused to fight a Pro. The boy with green hair and his pair would forfeit two minutes in because it was too much pressure. They all had potential but it would not be enough. They would not be enough.

Unwillingly, a short chortle escaped his lips. His partner sent him a strange look yet refrained from saying anything. Instead, she only brushed a piece of light blue behind her ear. This girl, Ichigo, had a powerful Quirk. It did not take Junpei much time to figure out that he and Ichigo would be the only ones to pass in this zone. How pitiful. Each generation was supposed to be stronger and wiser than in the past but that did not seem like the case here. Or perhaps it was because Mizu is not well known. He assumed it would be both of these options.

As he shut his eyes to keep his mind at ease, his lips suddenly parted in surprise when the insect on his finger suddenly kicked off with air underneath its wings. He blinked once, gazing at the glowing butterfly as it swept through the crowd of students. Why did it do that? Squinting, he tried to keep his sight on the butterfly but he lost it. For the first time in a while, Junpei found himself confused.

Mentally plucking the invisible thread that connected himself and the butterfly, he commanded it to return to him. His brows furrowed when the insect actively ignored his request. His fingers twitched. A pool of deep concern and sorrow immediately sloshed in his insides. Why was his butterfly denying his command? He did not even know the insect could even do that. He was the one controlling them. He was the one giving the insects orders and they always complied without a second thought.

"She might be close, you know? She could manipulate you with ease and in turn, control your butterflies. It's not hard."

Slipping into his ears with that teasing yet all-knowing voice, Junpei curled his fingers into a fist as doubt settled into his mind. He averted his gaze and swallowed the saliva building up in his throat. No, no, that cannot happen. She would never come here. It was too much of a risk for her. Besides, would Junri really take such a chance of destroying everything she had done for the past ten years?

Even Junri would not be that dumb. It was nothing. The butterfly was probably in its rebellious phase or something of the sort. But what if that was the case? What if she had actually come inside? If Junri had, she would have already shifted his perception and all of his senses would probably be in disarray. His sight would be blindsided. His hearing would no longer pick up the faintest of sounds. His body would no longer react to something off.

He could be in danger and not even know it. Was this it for him? Did he throw his life away because he wanted to come to his Hero school? Was there really nothing he could do? He could not do anything then and he cannot do anything now. Laughable really. It showed how easily she could take hold of him.

Perspiration started to appear on his palms, the sweat sticky and showing the nervousness that plagued his body. His nails dug into his palm but he kept his expression still. What helped as well was the hair that covered half of his face. He ducked his head down, breathing in slowly. His heart was pounding heavily in his chest as the senses around him began to dim.

A small tug on the string of connection between him and butterfly brought him out of his doubt. Just in time too because his mind was instantly flooded with a stream of memories that did not belong to him. He squinted, scrutinizing at the images that flashed before him. His fingers slowly uncurled, leaving behind crescent indents in his skin. His breath hitched in his throat the moment he managed to grasp at the figures in the memories. Bright and luster-filled amethyst crafted in the shape of jagged and sleek crystal and irises coated in the color of periwinkle.

For a moment, Junpei suspected that the butterfly had fed him false information. Junri could have done something to the insect. His lips pressed together before his facial features softened. No, that should not be. His butterflies reacted badly to Junri's paper cranes. That would mean he should be writhing on the ground, watching the sentient beings reach toward him as their meaningless words slurred in his ears. On top of that, Junri could control one's perception but not one's past memories. Those were left untouched.

Shutting his eyes briefly, he forced his head to tilt upward. Following where his insect had gone, he was graced with the older version of that child he had witnessed so many years ago. He looked the same, just aged. Beside him, his partner, a girl with sugary red hair nervously stood while stammering words Junpei could not hear. The crystal listened intently, nodding every so often to whatever the other teenager spoke.

Akihiko's head tipped upward, brows furrowing. He stayed like that for a second, pondering before he shifted his gaze to land on Junpei. The pink-eyed teen plastered a smile across his lips but a twinge of sadness struck his chest. That gaze was filled with suspicion and hostility. No recognition swirled in his irises.

Locked memories, was the only thing Junpei could think of.

Pushing himself off the wall, he sighed. Fine, you don't have to remember me, but I'm not going to make it easy for you.

He walked toward the duo, already knowing how the conversation was going to go. In a cheerful tone, Junpei said, "I was right. You were going to look at me at exactly eleven-forty-seven."

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"W... up..."

"Wak... up..."

The fragmented voices, each varying in speed, echoed within the depths of Akihiko's mind. They were almost inaudible, the letters wisping at the ends as he vaguely tried to distinguish the exact words spoken. He blinked a few times, trying to wash away the exhaustion tugging at him. His eyelids would flutter shut, enveloping him in a veil of darkness.

"Yo... nee... wak... up...!" the distorted voice whispered again.

Feeling something light thread through his chest, Akihiko could barely manage to register the ghosting of touch brushing against his shoulder. For a single second, through the gaps in his eyelashes, he could make out the shine of lavender and cerulean swirling together. It was bright, shining so brilliantly that he wanted to keep his gaze on it. Glowing lights were mostly a good thing. The dark, not so much but he did not try to fight it forcing him back asleep.

He could just sleep for a few minutes, right? It would not do him any harm. It was not going to be for long. It would be alright.

"You need to wake up!"

The ghost-like feeling from earlier. Suddenly he felt a cold yet feathery touch latch around his hand. The touch tightened, wrapping its fingers around his wrist before yanking him upward. Against his will, Akihiko felt his body lurch forward in haste. A shiver racked his spine, sweat coating his skin in a cold layer. His palms slammed against the sides of crimson pants. His chest heaved, his breathing erratic as he tried his best to correct it. His periwinkle and amethyst eyes were blown wide open, witnessing everything in his vision in a veil of lavender. Harsher violet outlines surrounded the objects he laid his eyes on. But it was only on the right side.

"Finally! For heaven's sake, do you know how hard it is to make a consciousness stir when it is forcibly shut down? That woman's Quirk is nothing but a ball of string that you try to unravel!" The familiar voices that varied in speeds echoed in the depths of Akihiko's mind. "I was beginning to wonder if your consciousness was subdued for too long and I was not able to bring it back up."

"Wa...wait w-what?" he choked.

What was going on? What happened? Distorted images of Junpei's slit throat flashed into his mind and he felt the food he had eaten earlier slowly come up his throat. A flurry of blue light flashed in front of him and the feeling disappeared. Beads of perspiration trickled down his face as they reflected the light of the blue gemstone. His breathing was heavy while he gasped for air.

"You're... you're awake?"

Glancing upward, his blood ran cold when he saw Junri's confused expression. 

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Authors Note:

And now we've finally returned back to Akihiko’s point of view. Whether it goes well for him, who knows?