The next day, the midnight massacre was carefully shoved under the rug. They told the people some bullshit story about a bunch of drunk guys who ran into the forest, broke out into a fight, and then somehow set a fire. No serious injuries or deaths, just minor injuries and a part of the forest burned down.
In short, they bullshitted their way around the truth.
It was generally questionable whether the nearby residents had believed the whole thing, because.... Cries of pain sound very different from cries of death.
Souta also seemed more tired the next day. After all, he had been the one responsible for the whole operation and because of his bad decision many people had died. That evening he didn't talk joyfully or annoyed, maybe even angry about his work as usual. He was simply silent, staring at the wall and sighing a lot while running his hands through his hair.
Orochimaru, on the other hand, was in a good mood. He wasn't one to love unnecessary bloody massacres now, but this was beginning to feel good. The sound of breaking bones, the endless screams, the faces contorted in fear, the burnt smell of wood and flesh. It brought him back to the battlefields of the shinobi wars, one more cruel than the other. The ones he had first feared and then learned to love. After all these years, it was hard not to love them. There were only two options, fall in love with this field of blood and destruction or let it swallow you, slowly breaking you until only a shell of you was left, half dead and lost. There was only life and death, and Orochimaru had welcomed life with open arms. So much so that he had set immortality as his goal.
He strode into the great hall, Takumi and Sora were having a large-scale pillow war there. Takumi had built himself with the help of his Quirk a very... grotesque forte, while Sora had gotten a few shadows to serve as human shields and commanded them to specifically attack the forte with the colorful pillows.
It really looked ridiculous with all the battle roars. Orochimaru dodged a flying pillow with a side step. He let out some killing intent and everyone froze. Within seconds, the shadows were gone. Sora, who was now unprotected, got one last shot off a cannon and was sent flying back.
"O..orochimaru?" asked Takumi a bit surprised, letting his castle collapse.
"Uhh..." he looked down at the ground a bit in embarrassment while the sannin raised an eyebrow. The hall was a pure mess.
"I didn't do it" Sora shouted and threw the pillow off of him.He looked at him out of his big, innocent eyes, whereupon Takumi snapped his head towards him.
"What do you mean it wasn't you? You started it, didn't you?" he shouted angrily, pointing his finger at him outraged. The little boy looked innocently to the side and the Sannin sighed.
"Takumi, you come with me, Sora you can start cleaning up the mess here".
Takumi looked triumphantly at the little boy, who groaned as if he was suffering and picked up a pillow. Orochimaru turned to the door and opened it. He turned briefly and indicated Takumi to follow him with his gaze. Takumi followed him and the door closed behind them. Both were silent as they walked through the long corridors.
After a while they arrived in front of a door and Orochimaru stepped inside. Takumi followed him quietly and closed the door behind him. They were in his office, shelves filled with books and scrolls surrounded the dark wooden table that stood in the middle and loose sheets of paper and notes were scattered everywhere. Orochimaru sat down on the office chair and motioned Takumi to sit on the chair in front of the table. Unsure, he did so.
"Your Quirk is fully awakened" he began, "any bit further would be harmful to your body and mentality. So you have reached the limit that is healthy with artificial help" he explained.
"My work would be done here and that's why I ask you, what are you going to do now?"
Takumi swallowed hard and looked to the ground as the golden eyes bore into his.
He took a deep breath before looking up and meeting the Sannin's gaze straight on. He flinched briefly as their eyes met, but held firm. "I said it at the beginning, and I'll say it again. My life is yours.... Strange as it sounds. I would have thrown myself off a roof sooner or later anyway, so I might as well just become useful to you now. You seem to have some kind of use with me, otherwise you wouldn't have picked me up" he said and broke eye contact. He briefly searched for the right words and nervously played with the hem of his shirt before continuing:" I know you're not a good person, even if you tried to hide it. It's hard not to notice that something's wrong when you've got a bunch of mindless men running around and Sora, an eight-year-old who's passionate about cutting people open. At least that's what he was talking about the whole time" he chuckled quietly, almost in disbelief that he had witnessed such a thing.
His breath caught as he tried to continue talking, still avoiding looking at the Sannin.
"I can't say I agree with your methods. I don't know how many people have died in here, or how far your experiments go, it's still hard to process that something like this even happens here." again he took a deep breath and sorted through his thoughts. Orochimaru gave him time.
"I'm pretty sure if I saw a dead body I'd be cowering in the corner puking, but I made a promise and I'm going to keep it. I mean, I'm living in an orphanage and everyone's just waiting for me to get old enough so they can kick me out because they know no one will have me." he laughed dryly and slowly he looked up again, "you were the first person to tell me that they needed me, that you could help me and i..I.... want to stay here, even if it will take me a while to come to terms with what you've done" he smiled slightly and they both looked at each other as the room fell back into silence. A small grin spread across Orochimaru's face.
"I'm glad you chose me" he said smiling in satisfaction. Takumi chuckled again before seeming lost in thought for a moment.
"So um..." he struggled for words, "I know I'll probably regret it, b..but.... can I... see them?.. I m..mean, I know there's probably some pretty fucked up shit going on here, note that you gave me a Quirk which is pretty much impossible..., but... if I'm going to stay here, I want to know what I got myself into" he said, nervously starting to play with his hands again.
"Are you sure you want to see that?" the sannin asked and Takumi nodded, albeit hesitantly. Orochimaru grinned. Who was he to deny someone such a request, especially when he was asking so nicely?
He rose from his seat and Takumi quickly followed suit, almost leaping out of his chair. It was clear that he was tense. Orochimaru walked around the wooden table and put his hand on the boy's shoulder.
The room around them distorted briefly before the spacious office was replaced with the cold, dim corridors of the lower levels. Takumi shuddered and all the hairs on the back of his neck stood up. He winced as a scream rang through the empty hallways. His words caught in his throat and he swallowed hard.
Orochimaru ignored the boy's panic and walked ahead. Takumi hurried after him to avoid being left alone. He wiped his sweaty hands on his pants and faltered each time as another pleading cry cut through the silence.
After what felt like an eternity, they stopped in front of a massive metal door. A hoarse screech sounded from behind it. Takumi had to suppress his trembling as he clenched his teeth. He nodded as Orochimaru silently asked if he was ready.
The sannin opened the heavy door with ease and stepped inside. The shrieking and screaming grew louder and once again the boy shuddered. He was tempted to close his eyes as he stepped over the threshold.
"W..what" his breath caught. Before him was a massive black figure. Its skin leathery, its teeth dagger-like, brain exposed and animalistic features. The creature's entire body was encased in an iron cocoon and shackled with steel chains to an iron structure in the center of the room. It threw itself wildly back and forth and more feral screams came from the depths of its throat. Suddenly, its wide eyes focused and met with Takumi's fearful ones. A shrill scream rang through the bare room and the boy's stomach twisted. Tears welled up in his eyes and he clutched his trembling body, his breathing ragged and panicked.
He choked and turned away. What had he been thinking? His gaze went to Orochimar, who was watching the whole thing calmly.
"Wha-... w...what the hell is t...that. What the fuck did you do?!" he asked, gasping, anger and horror mixed into his voice. The Sannin gave him a calm sideways glance before looking back to the grotesque creature.
"It's a little gift someone had given me" he replied and Takumi looked at him in horror.
"Y..you mean to tell me that there are more people out there who, create something like... that?!" he didn't know whether to laugh or cry. Disbelief was written all over his face. He ran his hand through his shoulder-length purple hair in exasperation, trying to get his rushed breathing under control. It was hard when every time a new scream rang through his ears he had to wince again and his terror started all over again. "T..this is crazy!" he rasped out a stressed laugh "this is so goddamn fucked up I'm at a loss for words!" he looked at Orochimaru, the person who had taken him in, the person who had helped him, this person he couldn't for the life of him hate, and the person who was responsible for all this horror.
"A..and y..you," he pointed at him, his savior, "you're fucking thirteen, like how the hell.... h..how the hell can this all be so fucked up?!" he broke. Orochimaru could see it. The boy broke right at that moment in front of his feet. He was going crazy. He screamed, he howled, and he yanked his hair as he went to his knees, gasping for air.
Orochimaru took a step forward and knelt in front of the whimpering boy, as he had done when they first met. Again Takumi had his face buried in his hands and again he wept pitifully as he despaired of the world.
The sannin placed a hand on his head, at which the boy flinched, but left his hand there.
"The world has never been fair from the beginning. All this time, this society has been dragging a deep shadow behind it, you should know that as well as I do," he could feel Takumi tense under his hand, "it's only fair that you know the truth after all the wrong this world has done to you. You wanted strength, so I gave you strength. You wanted the truth, so I gave it to you without covering it up with lies. Tell me Takumi, what do you wish now?" Takumi breath caught and slowly he looked up until his black eyes flashed behind his hands.
"I..I" a sob interrupted, followed by coughing. "I..I" again he broke off and winced as the creature in the background screeched and threw itself thunderously against his chains.
"I..I want.... a..all of this.... t..to stop. I..I w..want this world to s..stop telling me t..that...I'm n..not worth it. I..I want them to go away, i..I want to show them t..that I am strong too. A..and even if it's w..wrong, y..you're the o..only one who can help me."
Orochimaru smirked, his golden eyes practically glowing as the boy before him swallowed his thoughtfully laid bait.
He stood up and held out a hand to the boy, like the day they first met. A helping hand. And like the first day Takumi took it, swaying a bit, but Orochimaru's grip was firm and he prevented him from falling to the ground again.
How nice, Takumi thought to himself, this feeling when you don't get kicked to the ground for once.
"Come Takumi, let's go back"
And he wasn't alone.
~*~
"Deku you bastard!" and another uneventful day at school.
"Bakugou, please take your seat" the teacher said sternly and when the boy did, albeit reluctantly, he turned back to the blackboard and continued the lesson. No one inquired for Midoriya aka Brocoli-head aka Deku. The greenette gritted his teeth and sat back down in his seat, disheartened.
After school, he was back to his old self, the previous accident completely forgotten.
"Yesterday there was a live broadcast to a villain fight" he told excitedly as the two walked home together. It was the same as always. Midoriya, who was talking about some heroes and fights and Orochimaru, who was walking next to him and kept silent. The greenette was already used to this behavior after all these years and did not expect an answer. Knowing that the snake boy was listening to him anyway was enough for him. Even now he still didn't understand how Kenta could stay with him, but he was satisfied with their, albeit somewhat silent and monologue, friendship.
The two were walking along the usual path when suddenly Orochimaru's phone rang. Midoriya looked up curiously as his friend fished the old cell phone out of his pocket. A miracle that it still existed, he thought to himself every time he saw the old thing. When he had asked the snake boy about it, he had mumbled something about trackers and then elegantly changed the subject.
"I have to take a quick call there" he muttered and Midoriya nodded in understanding as he walked a little faster to let the boy have his privacy while talking on the phone. He wanted to avoid seeming like a bad friend by listening in on his conversation. He could still hear Kenta's answers, anyway, but not the other side of the line.
"Takumi, what is it?" he heard him ask.
A friend of his? the greenette wondered inwardly. Now, it wasn't like that he believed Kenta couldn't have any other friends besides himself, but he generally thought of him as someone who had a very small circle of acquaintances.
"What?" he could hear his annoyed undertone, even if he sounded calm. A moment later he sighed, muttered something inaudible, and shortly after said a few final words before hanging up. Midoriya slowed his pace again, so they were walking side by side once more.
"W..was it important?" he asked uncertainly, and a moment later he cursed himself inwardly over his question. After all, he wanted to be the good friend who didn't unnecessarily meddle in his private affairs, so why did he have to ask!!!
The black-haired one just stared straight ahead before he once again quietly expelled his breath in annoyance. Midoriya was briefly afraid that he was annoyed because of him, but the snake boy seemed annoyed because of whatever he was told on the other line. Not that the greenette would know what exactly, because his friend once again changed the subject with skill. It wasn't until Midoriya finished his lecture on All Might and they parted ways again that he realized he never got his answer.
That boy, really! What he wouldn't give to have the same skills to lead a corversation. At the end of the day, though, he was just Izuku, a quirkless, useless nobody, and nothing would change that. He sighed.
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Me: Uploading a chapter and practically stalking the book to catch all the reads, votes and comments.
Also me: realizing that half of my readers are from North and South America and that there is a completely different time zone.
Because why does it have to be three in the morning there?