『ARC FOUR: A BUTTERFLY'S DEDUCTION』

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The gray curtains hanging on the window were pulled shut except for the thin gap running through the middle, allowing the setting sun's rays to filter through. A narrow line of light slightly illuminated the edge of Tomohiro's face while he laid on his bed. He was positioned on his side, almost on his stomach and his left arm was thrown over him. His eyelids were closed shut and his lashes would sometimes twitch in his sleep. His breathing was steady, chest rising and falling at a slow pace.

Vaguely, Tomohiro could hear nearly silent footsteps walking up the wooden staircase. He did not stir awake, opting that it was twins trying to not make any noise and that he was more asleep than awake. The footsteps halted at the top, waiting a few seconds before continuing once more down the hallway. This time around, he roused himself a bit by cracking his eyes open. However, as he was about to sit himself up, he decided not to at the last second.

Something told him he should wait before getting up.

Almost with no sound, the knob of his bedroom door turned before the door pushed open. Tomohiro shut his eyes, grateful he decided to sleep with his back turned to the door. The steps ventured forth, drawing near the bed. Cracks resonated into life, forming into something he could not distinguish. His breath hitched in his throat. That sounded like one of the twins' Quirks. Mainly when they started to materialize crystals.

He twisted around on his back, hand reaching upward to wrap around Tanami's wrist. He held her arm firm, watching the fluorescent green light of nephrite jadeite shift through the crystal's inclusions. His lips parted slightly when he realized that the gemstone was crafted in a jagged knife. Tanami's eyes widened slightly, surprise dancing in her periwinkle irises. She pulled at her arm but realized that Tomohiro's grip would not loosen.

Her jaw clenched. She raised her other hand, green light seeping out of her skin's pores.

Once Tomohiro realized what she was going to do, he pressed his good foot on the mattress and pushed. His free hand settled against Tanami's collarbone while he used his strength to shove the two of them against the carpeted floor. With a heavy thud, both of their bodies collapsed and the light was thrown elsewhere from the sudden action. A portion of the ceiling was covered in nephrite jadeite. The man did not even try to look at his ruined ceiling.

As lightly as he could, Tomohiro pressed his kneecap against Tanami's abdomen. He balanced on his other leg, feeling the pulses of pain running through his nerves. He grit his teeth, trying not to show any pain in his expression. With one hand, the ink-haired man managed to pin both of the teenager's arms above her. Droplets of black ink scattered across the bedroom, seeping into anything that it could. Some spilled onto Tanami's hair, dulling the lavender glow it emitted.

"What are you doing?!" Tomohiro questioned harshly. His injured knee began to tremble as this position was making him weaker the longer he was in it. He wanted to loosen his grasp and remove his knee from his daughter's body but he could not help but feel that if he did, it would not go well for him.

Tanami did not give a verbal response. Instead, she gazed up at him with a spark of conviction in her eyes. Her fingers loosened their grasp on the viridian crystal, the hilt of his slowly slipping from her palm. Twisting her lips up into a smirk, the girl's eyes narrowed as a multitude of fractures suddenly ran across the jade.

Exploding into a myriad of pointed shards, Tomohiro sucked in a rigid breath before applying weight onto his injured knee. The side of his body hit the carpet and one of his hands reached for the stack of papers he had lazily thrown underneath the small table next to his bed. Grabbing a handful of the sheets, he tossed them in the air. The sheets fluttered in the air, scattering themselves wherever they could. At the same time, Tomohiro scrambled up onto his good leg and pushed himself out the door before yanking it shut.

The exact moment the door connected with the frame, the fragments of jade pelted down onto the spot he was before. They shredded through the sheets of paper before embedding themselves halfway into the ground. He flinched slightly at the sound. That could have been him. With his fingers wrapped firmly around the doorknob, the ink-haired male leaned his body back. He was suddenly regretting not getting any locks of the doors because this was not looking good for him.

What exactly was going on? Why was Tanami attacking him? From the looks of it, it did not seem like he was going to get a verbal response from her. He wished he could because even if he was the one with more experience in fighting between the two of them, he had an injury weighing him down. It would be easier to talk it our rather than fight.

The hairs on the back of his neck suddenly stood up. His eyes widened and he shoved himself back. Tomohiro's spine hit the adjacent wall and he slammed his teeth down to force the cry of pain back into his throat. Echoing in harmony, the sound of crystals forming beyond the door. Bringing his arms up, he shielded himself as sharp pieces of diamond easily sliced through the wood. Slabs of wood banged on the ground with multiple thuds. That was certainly new.

Walking forward with the shards of diamond circling her form, Tanami held her hand out. Her expression held no emotion as she began to curl her fingers into a fist. The crystals flew above Tomohiro, the tips sharp and ready to fall when the order was given. Shaking his head, the man stretched out his leg and swept the teenager off of her feet. A yelp escaped her as gravity pulled her down.

She hit the hard wooden floors, the back of her head slamming down afterward. A cacophony of glass breaking could be heard but none of the amethyst straps broke off. Tanami scowled, wincing but still forced her hand down to collide with the surface. At her command, the diamond fragments rushed in Tomohiro's direction.

He threw his body to the side but a few crystals still managed to sink their sharpened tips into his leg. It did not hurt as much as he expected though. The gemstones hit his injured leg so the difference in pain had not registered that much since it was already hurting him beyond belief anyway. Still, he could not help the hiss that escaped him. Reaching his hand out, he began to force himself up into a sitting position.

Tomohiro was not given much of a chance to fully sit up because Tanami had tackled him back onto the panels. As he drew his lips into a straight line, the ink-haired male latched his fingers around the back of Tanami's navy blue blazer. He rammed his knee into the teenager's stomach and she gagged, spitting saliva into his face. He grimaced yet placed his other hand on her shoulder. Mustering all of the strength he has, he grunted as he threw the female over him. However, at the last second, her hand grabbed the fabric of his gray shirt.

As she was tossed over, the blood from Tanami's face drained as her body did not touch back onto a flat surface. They both tumbled down the staircase, the firm edges of the steps digging into their bodies. Tomohiro briefly screwed his eyes shut as his knee banged a couple of times along with solid wood connecting with his ribcage. His grip loosened when they finally hit the first floor. They bounced away from each other, the momentum throwing them. The white-eyed male's head hit one of the legs of the kitchen table. Tanami's hip collided with the base of the counter and her neck snapped back.

A series of raspy coughs spilled from Tomohiro's lips, ink splattering across the floor with each lurch. Liquid pricked at his tear line, the lower half of his body growing numb as his vision blurred. Still, he pressed his forearm against the floor, feeling the coldness of the panels as he tried to slide himself up. He nearly collapsed back on the ground as he spat out a bit of crimson. A few more scarlet drops slipped free from the side of his head.

Well, how lucky was he. An exhausted wheeze left him as he realized he had managed to split the side of his head open. Wait, what about Tanami? How injured was she? He was in bad shape but what about her. Tomohiro could care less about his own injuries but what mattered was how his own daughter was doing.

He forced himself onto his good knee, trying to not focus his attention on the pain that pulsated around his entire body. He crawled over slowly, every single muscle in his body aching with each movement he performed. Tomohiro pressed his weight onto his good leg as he cradled Tanami's head in his lap. Blood was beginning to stain her crystalline hair.

"No, no, no," Tomohiro mumbled through short wheezes. "Tanami, Tanami!"

The girl did not stir awake even if he combined to repeat her name over and over. The man shook her lightly but that did not work either. The last thing he did was press his index and middle finger to her neck, trying to feel for a pulse. He released a sigh of relief when he felt the light thumps press against his fingers. Although she was not in the best shape- neither was he but he could care less about himself. What mattered to him was that she was still breathing.

But why would she start attacking him? At first glance, it seemed like she was in her right mind but she did not utter a single word. He could only deduce that Tanami was under some sort of hypnosis. However, her eyes still appeared normal. They were not lifeless like other hypnosis Quirks he's seen. Where was Akihiko? Was he affected by something as well? Was he in trouble?

They were only supposed to go to the arcade after school. What could have happened? Who would do this?

Someone had to have known that Tanami was his daughter. No random Villain would give a random command to go kill your own father. No, someone knew about his life and his children. Could it be the Seraphim? They have wanted him out of the picture. That was the reason that they injured him in the first place. But why not kill him when they had the chance?

Why was he so valuable until now? How did he serve a purpose to them? Why try to get rid of him now? They even tried to use his own daughter as a scapegoat if she succeeded.

Tomohiro shook his head but instantly regretted it. The edges of his vision blurred even further while his head was instantly assaulted by a deep ache. As much as he wanted to run through all the possible ideas, it was not his main priority at the moment. His children were first and foremost. Everything else can wait. Before he could even try to ponder his next move, the slight twitching of Tanami's eyelids caught his attention.

Sluggishly, she blinked a few times. Drowsiness had settled onto her features. The crystal glanced around the area a few times, trying to make sense of what had happened beforehand. Then, her diamond-shaped pupils stilled on Tomohiro's figure. She did not move for a couple of seconds, ignoring the trickling of blood coming from underneath her bangs. The crimson liquid glowed dimly with the help of the lavender luminance.

The tips of her lips quirked up into a smirk.

Blossoming into life between the two of them, the radiant glow of viridian sprouted. Although reluctantly, Tomohiro gently threw Tanami off of him while pushing himself back. Nephrite jadeite materialized into existence in the shape of a flower where the two of them were. However, unlike the pretty and delicately crafted shapes that Tanami would usually create, the edges of the synthetic flower were shaped into ridged tips. The bottom of the flower released another layer of sharpened tips.

This time around, Tomohiro was not given the grace of dodging. He was fairly lucky the other few times from experience ingrained into his muscles. He sucked a cold breath into his lungs as a tip managed to dig itself into the side of his calf. Gritting his teeth, he felt the crystal slide into his muscles. Trails of blood exited the newly acquired wound and dripped onto the luster-filled flower.

His white eyes fell onto the crystalline gemstone, watching the different shades of green filter through the object. It seemed to glow brighter at different intervals. Shifting his attention back to Tanami, she crawled onto her hands and knees. She wheezed a few times, head dipping with each breath. A few drops of blood splattered as they fell from her head wound.

He glanced back at the flower. It appeared like the ones the female always made minus the shape of the petals. But it was smaller than normal. The ones that Tanami usually made were about five feet in width and length when she tried to gain space between herself and another person. That or when she needed a platform to stand on. But this one, this one was only two feet in every direction. Not to mention that it lacked the usually fifteen petals that were crafted with care. This one made of jade only had ten.

You don't have that much sugar left in you, Tomohiro realized. Nephrite jadeite is a seven on the Mohs scale. She created a large-scale attack but could not go through with it because you already wasted enough sugar only creating nephrite jadeite earlier. Not to mention you have heroics at Mizu. That is what is weighing you down.

"You can't make much more crystals, can you?" Tomohiro mumbled as he raised his hand to cough into it. He was not reassured by the feeling of liquid staining his palm. He would have laughed if he was not in this situation

Like before, she did not reply but gave him a stern stare. Dancing across her irises was a mixture of pain, exhaustion, and hatred. That look was enough to confirm his suspicions. It was not much longer until she would lose consciousness from not having enough sugar in her body. The only thing he found strange was that he could not see the cracks peeking underneath her blazer's sleeve. By now, there should have been jagged lines creeping over her arms and spilling with blood. There was nothing of the sort.

Tanami pressed a foot to the floor and tried to get herself standing but it was no use. Her body was already suffering the after-effects of converting so much sugar into the green gemstone. Jade was a naturally sharp gemstone that can cut through steel. It was the easier pick rather than a diamond since the latter was a ten on the Mohs scale and would have left her more drained than she already was. But creating so much nephrite jadeite was taking its toll.

She smiled grimly, staring at the small pool of blood she coughed up. She banged her ribs pretty harshly from the tumble down the stairs. Followed by her body slamming against the counter's base, she was certain a few were left broken. At least one or two had to be. She let out a shaky breath, hearing the clinks of her hair slamming together from her figure trembling.

Raising her head, she bared her crimson-stained teeth with a confident grin. Her index finger tapped against the floor lightly and the viridian rose exploded into a multitude of fragments. They swirled in the air, creating a small tornado of scintillating gemstones. The crystals slammed together, some breaking into smaller fragments before mending themselves back together. With a final tap, the light gave off one last bright glow before revealing a spear with a spiral tip.

A short yet pained chuckle left Tanami as she kept her gaze on Tomohiro. The man pursed his lips, trying to figure out some sort of plan as to how to get himself out of this. He was drawing a blank. He had no idea how to dodge the spiral if it came crashing down. By this point in time, he could no longer feel the lower half of his body. It was just numb and a bleeding mess with wounds decorating his flesh. This would have been easier if he had Shishi around but Sumiko had taken it earlier for a mission she had to perform. He could not grab a sheet of paper and sketch because he would be given no time to.

Sugar Crystallization and Reflective Crystallization were Quirks that activated with a single thought if either twin had the right resources. Even the smallest amount of crystals could prove to be useful as either twin could easily break them apart and shove them back together to create a new weapon or item. Living Ink had more steps in order for it to work. He needed to sketch out something detailed on a sheet of paper with the ink of his hair to work. It was more problematic when it came to terms of activation.

Tomohiro was not sure what options he had left. Every single plan he forged in his mind could not be performed because he had his leg bringing him down. His tongue clicked against the roof of his mouth in uncertainty. You really do need a good functioning body to perform even the simplest of things.

"Why do you still continue to fight?" It sounded like the female's voice but sounded dry and lifeless Like it was her own and not at the same time.

"What are you? What type of Quirk is controlling Tanami?" Tomohiro did not even bother to listen to the question. If he could somehow wrangle any form of answer from Tanami, any at all, it may prove to be useful to him.

"Even now, you're still struggling? Why fight so much for a losing battle?" Tanami inquired swiftly, coughing every now and then.

The man scoffed and he shook his head. "Because I want my children to be safe. You may be here but Akihiko could be in trouble out there! You might have done something for all I know!"

"I've done nothing in particular to him. She probably did." She paused, wheezing heavily. "I thought you would be easier to kill. But even injured you can still hold up. No matter, she instructed that if it could not be achieved, I should move on to the next step. I'll leave you with this. Yua Nomura and Mamoru Shimada are the same."

"What are you talking about?"

"I'm only saying as she instructed."

"Who is she?"

The teenager smiled. "Look for Junri Hirawa."

Tomohiro could not even finish his sentence as the viridian spiral dropped. The tip of it buried itself into Tanami's back and ran right through to the other side. Crimson dripped off of the now lusterless nephrite jadeite while scarlet still remained stained on its base. Another harsh fit of coughs plagued her body, each one forcing a bit more blood onto the floor. With a final glare directed at the man, she allowed her body to collapse into a heap onto the ground.

She did not move anymore.

He remained in that same position for a minute or two, just staring at his daughter's bloodied body. His hand reached out, fingers spread like he wanted to reach out but could not muster the strength to do so. He wanted to move forward, to feel her skin and feel the warmth of it. But some part of him did not want to confirm it.

It was the same. Tanami was slumped over in the same position his sister Koemi was in so long ago. Covered in blood and without that gleam of life in their eyes. Both wore that same peaceful smile like they were enjoying a deep sleep rather than lying there with no heartbeat. Lying in a pool of red liquid, for a moment, he swore her eye color appeared to be the same shade of blue as his deceased. But that was not right.

Wait... what exactly was he doing? He should not be sitting here dumbfounded. He needed to move. He had to move.

Rolling onto his knees and hands, Tomohiro dragged his bad leg as he made his way over to Tanami. Once he was next to the teen, he moved his arm to touch her. Unbeknownst to him, his hands were shaking but he had not noticed. Or he did not want to notice. But before he could brush his fingertips against her neck, her body was showered in a white light. It was so vibrant that he was forced to screw his eyes shut in fear of being blinded.

When the illumination of red from his eyelids ceased, he slowly peeled his eyes open. He had to blink a few times to get his vision a bit clear. Well, as clear as it could be with the edges blurred. Once he did, he was met with a small plush-like doll. One that looked like Tanami. But this one had a bulky hairstyle rather than the thin bob-like haircut he had carved out. It was also covered in some sort of shiny material. In its hands was a small plush crystal.

Tomohiro recognized the way the stitches were done. He almost missed the name that Tanami had spoken earlier if he did not recall it at the moment. "What have you been doing all these years, Junri? What exactly have you done?"

He paused, eyes widening. "You took her and made a fake. But it was not accurate enough, was it, Junri? It had more flaws than the real person. Well, answer me."

As he turned his head to his left, Tomohiro was met with the person in question standing there with pity sketched over her face. His lips pulled into a scowl.

"Answer me!"

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Author's Note:

I like how the last chapter was mostly dialogue and this one had almost no dialogue. Besides that, this chapter ends arc 4. That means we finally get to move onto the final arc of Plus Minus One. Gosh, that's somewhat weird to type since I've been working on this for a long time now. I don't have the chapters written out for arc 5 but there are only 5 chapters left.

I've decided since we're nearing the end, it would be best to write and release a chapter rather than all five and publish them. Tanami I'm finally going back to your pov. It's been twenty chapters since I've last written you.