Lethe

Detective Tsukauchi looked down at his clasped hands as he absentmindedly rubbed his knuckles. He knew that he shouldn't be doing this. He should be sitting upright and listening to his superior's words, like the dutiful officer that he was. He had seen men die before, both criminals and fellow officers, much to his regret. Why was this one so different then?

"…ukauchi!" He jolted upright, meeting the stern gaze of the canine Police Chief.

"Ah, forgive me, Chief. I was…distracted." He said with a short bow, a faint blush creeping onto his face.

Chief Tsuragamae raised an eyebrow. "Does this distraction have anything to do with yesterday's mess?"

"…yes sir."

The senior officer tapped his finger on the desk. "Hmm, I see. Do you need a drink of water?"

"No sir. I can keep going."

"Very well." The Chief clicked his pen and placed it on a sheet of paper. "If you need a reminder, you were about to give a description of what exactly happened at Domino's agency. You stopped when you ordered the…assailant…to surrender."

"Yes, I did." Tsukauchi straightened himself and laid his palms flat on his knees. "He asked for my name, and I gave it to him before telling him to surrender again. He then moved the knife he held to under Domino's chin and threatened us with killing him. If I knew that he was going to…do that to him, I would've responded anyway," he grumbled, then resumed talking. "I started treating it like a hostage situation, so I told the other officers to stand down. He asked me two questions: what if a Pro Hero commits a crime, and what is the punishment for human traffickers."

Tsuragamae let out a low growl that didn't go unnoticed by the detective. "Continue."

"I answered both of those questions, to which Shinigami…" Tsukauchi bit his lip. What happened after that was something he didn't think he would forget for a very long time.

"He placed his hand on Domino's face and said…do I have to say it? It's in the audio file."

"It's alright. And then?"

"…Fire, sir. This…massive pillar of blue fire burst right under Domino. I thought it was going to blow a hole right through the roof. I'm ashamed to say I was caught off guard and was too stunned to react." He could still hear that howl of agony. "By the time I managed to do something, the fire vanished. Shinigami was gone, and the body…" he looked down and his eyes narrowed. If it could even be called a body. "Well, you saw the morgue photos. If it wasn't for me being there, we wouldn't have been able to identify it."

The Chief finished writing down on the paper. He put the pen down and rubbed his forehead. "What a week. I apologize for having you do this, but even with the recordings I need to make sure that everything did happen the way you and the other officers said it did."

"I understand sir."

The dog-headed officer grabbed the coffee mug next to him and lapped up the remainder of the drink. "I've assigned a few more men to uncover the remaining bases." He said, setting down the mug. "The phones that Shinigami left contained some pretty interesting information. They will flush out the rest of these criminals and we can put a part of this case behind us."

Tsukauchi nodded, but the frown on his face remained. "That's…good. At least that part of this nightmare will end."

The Chief nodded and started typing at his computer. "Indeed. Unless you have a question, you are dismissed. I am sure a day or two of rest will do you good."

"Thank you, sir." The detective rose from the chair but as he made to leave, he stopped and turned his head. "Chief, if I may ask, how will we handle Domino's role in this whole thing?"

Tsuragamae paused his typing. That was the big question, wasn't it?

"There has been a bit of debate in regards to how to approach this. A PR mishandling could be disastrous for us and the Hero community." Tsukauchi tensed himself, not liking how this conversation was going. The Chief saw this action and scowled. "Make no mistake Tsukauchi; Domino will be revealed as being involved in this atrocity. He will be posthumously stripped of his license and any awards he was given will be revoked. A Hero who abuses his powers, privilege, and the people's trust is not fit to be called one, even after death."

He let out a near-silent sigh of relief.

"However, the higher-ups are insisting that his role as the ringleader of the trafficking operation be downplayed. While some part of me wishes that the entire nation would know the severity of his crimes, it seems like my words have come to haunt me."

If it wasn't so inappropriate, Tsukauchi might've chuckled. "Avoid panic?"

"Exactly."

…well, at least he would be remembered as the criminal that he was. "And Shinigami?"

The Chief looked up from his screen and stared right into the detective's eyes. A fire was lit in those canine eyes, a fire that he had seen many times before.

"Bring. Him. In."

Tsukauchi nodded. "Of course, sir." He replied resolutely. "I won't let you down." And with those words, he left the office.

But as he headed downstairs, the detective sighed in dismay. He meant what he said earlier. He was given an important case from the Chief of Police himself, and to ignore it would be spitting in both the Chief's face and his own. Any other day and Tsukauchi would've called in some of Tokyo's finest, both police and Pro, to create plans to bring Shinigami to justice.

Unfortunately, that was where the problems appeared, and not just the ones that came with tracking down a criminal.

Moving through headquarters, Tsukauchi soon stood in front of a partially closed door. He reached out to grab the handle when the door suddenly flew open and out stormed an officer. He didn't catch his face, but there was no mistaking his clenched fists and fast pace.

He turned to look inside the room. It was filled with computer monitors and audio devices, each of them displaying different images. Sitting in front of one monitor was an older man with a balding head and a thin beard.

"Sorry about that, Tsukauchi" he said with a melancholy smile. "Seeing the footage over and over was too much for the guy."

The detective nodded. "I don't blame him; I was there in person. Didn't think you would be here, Eizo."

His fellow detective, Eizo Tanuma shrugged. "Eh, what can I say? This case has got all of headquarters riled up. Haven't seen a ruckus like this ever since Stain showed up. Naruhita comes very close to it though, as I'm sure you know. I just had to do something."

"Mmm-hmm. I need to see the footage. I haven't really gotten a look at it since the attack."

"Sure thing. Make yourself comfy." Tsukauchi pulled up a nearby and sat down. He stared at the screen as Tanuma clicked on the file containing the camera footage. "Just so you know, it wasn't just…Shinigami was it? That the guy was pissed at; it was Domino. Guess he must've been a big fan."

Ah, that would definitely be upsetting to say the least. To have a hero you admire turn out to be a shit human being…Tsukauchi thanked whatever higher power that was that all of the Heroes he worked with were worthy of the title.

A video clip popped up on the monitor and began playing. It showed Domino, with wounds all over his body, using his Quirk to flip the floor tiles over and over. Every time the tile wave reached a certain area, some of them would break in midair. A few waves later, the former Hero jerked back as something pierced his shoulder and pulled him forward. All in color.

"It's definitely some kind of invisibility Quirk. One that covers his weapons too."

"Really?" Tanuma asked, pointing at Domino. "I can see the knives just fine though."

"Only because they're sticking out of his body. Did you see them actually hit him?"

Tanuma rewound the video back a few seconds and played it again, this time at x0.25 speed. "Huh, I didn't see that before. Heh, or maybe I did, but didn't?"

A flat stare was Tsukauchi's response. The older detective rolled his eyes and returned the footage to normal speed.

After being wrestled to the ground, the two officers saw Shinigami deactivate his Quirk and pin down Domino. He made threatening gestures then pulled out the phone that was now in the evidence lab.

"Are you in charge of a trafficking ring?"

Tsukauchi blinked. Tanuma simply grinned. "Yeah, a nice little touch courtesy of the Forensics team. The phone recording is synched to the moment he activated the app on camera."

"That's convenient. Make sure to thank them for me." The rest of the interrogation made Tsukauchi cringe in disgust and shame. Selling children for money and staging their rescue for extra pay and fame? Not only that, but based on his words, there could be other Heroes who have done, or worse, are still doing this. Another thing to mention to the Chief. Maybe the Safety Commission could help.

Tanuma let out a short whistle at the sight of Tsukauchi and the officers ordering the Vigilante to surrender. "Gotta say, badass moment. Shame it was wasted on a guy like that." Tsukauchi nodded absentmindedly in response.

His recorded self gave Shinigami the answer to his question. He mentally braced himself for what was about to occur.

"Carve it into thy soul; my technique as the Assassin.

ZABANIYA!"

The screen was filled with blue and the detective did his best not to flinch at the sound of Domino's screams. God, he could still smell him burning…

One of the officers in the footage – not Tamakawa – snapped first out of the shock and moved to the side to try and shoot the Vigilante, but no gunshot was heard.

"No matter how many times I see it, I can't believe someone could go out like that," said Tanuma, a trepid look on his bearded face. "I mean sure, I've seen what happens to buildings after Endeavor is done with them, but a person? Ugh, I'm gonna need a stiff one when I get home. Want me to save you a swig?"

"Just coffee for me, thanks" replied Tsukauchi. "Could you pause it there?"

A click later and the detective was staring at the frozen image of the flaming pillar. He could make out himself, Tamakawa, the officers, and even the faint outline of Domino's charred corpse.

But no Shinigami.

He hadn't lied to Tsuragamae earlier; the Vigilante did vanish when the flaming pillar did. It seems though, that he had vanished just before that.

"I've got two things to ask you if you don't mind," Tanuma said.

"Go ahead."

"First, if his Quirk is invisibility-related, how did he off Domino like…that?" he asked, gesturing to the screen.

Tsukauchi rubbed his chin in thought. That was a very good question. "I don't know. The invisibility might be an alternative application of the fire, which would make it his main Quirk. But that's a long shot and very unlikely. Another idea is that he has two Quirks, or a Quirk that lets him use multiple ones. I've only heard rumors about those types, but it's a far likelier option."

"Multiple Quirks, huh? That does make more sense. Especially in the context of my next question." Tanuma minimized the clip window and made his fellow detective look him in the eye. "Can you tell me what he looks like?"

Tsukauchi raised an eyebrow. What? "Didn't we just watch the footage?"

"Humor me."

While a tad perplexed at the odd question, he nevertheless complied. "He wears a white skull mask which alters his voice. It's hidden under a hood…yes, it's a hood…he wore a black…no, gray…he wasn't very tall…"

The more Tsukauchi thought about it, the more his eyes widened in shock. He saw the footage less than a minute ago! He was there in person when Shinigami roasted Domino alive! He even talked to him!

So why couldn't he remember any details about him!?

"Pull up the footage again. Pause it on when Shinigami talked to me."

Tanuma did so and Tsukauchi stared intently at the image. There it was, the white skull mask. There was the hood, what looked like body armor…boots…maybe a…

What was going on!? The footage was right there in his face! Why couldn't he hold on to the details!?

"Yeah, I had the same reaction." He sharply turned to the older man. His expression was tense and his tone grim. "No matter how much I stare at it, there are always details missing from my memory. It gets worse when I close the footage, then I can barely remember anything except for the mask. I thought you might have a better time with it because you were actually present, but apparently, that's not the case."

Tsukauchi looked again at the screen, trying to hide his growing panic. Was he too tired to notice it before? "How long have you known about this?"

"A few hours. I didn't tell anyone because I wanted to make sure I didn't hallucinate anything. I might take a drug test later today, in case something slipped into my cigarette." Tanuma leaned back in his chair and sighed. "Though seeing as how you can't remember either, I doubt that I'm high. Looks like that multi-Quirk theory of yours is starting to make more sense."

"What kind of Quirk can mess with people's memories through a camera?" Tsukauchi asked incredulously.

The older man shrugged. "Hell if I know. There are all kinds of weird Quirks out there in the world. Still doesn't take away from the fact that this is downright creepy."

Tsukauchi nodded before his face tightened and he stood up. "Thank you for your time Eizo. If you don't mind, I have to tell the Chief about this right now. If this is true, it means that Shinigami is more dangerous than we thought."

"Go ahead, I'll just -" A ping came from Tanuma's pocket. "One sec." He pulled out a phone and looked at it. The younger detective was about to leave when he noticed Tanuma's eyes widening. His mouth was starting to drop as well. He then looked back and forth between the monitor and the phone before slapping his forehead.

"Shit." He looked Tsukauchi in the eye.

"What happened?"

"I think the guy who barged out earlier was more upset about Domino than we thought." He proceeded to show what was on his phone's screen. "Meet Japan's latest viral video and our newest source of headaches."

The detective couldn't stop his jaw dropping, as though it might break through the fall and right down to the lobby. There it was, the footage they had just viewed, depicting a Vigilante killing a Hero-turned-trafficker…

…on Youtube and the internet, where the whole world could see.

'Shit' did not even begin to describe the upcoming fallout.

"…please tell me this isn't the audio-synched version."

Tanuma pressed the 'play' symbol.

"Are you in charge of a trafficking ring?"

"Sorry, can't lie about that."

Tsukauchi leaned back and rubbed his head as he felt the headache of a lifetime slowly forming. Couldn't he catch a break for even a moment? "How did he even upload it?"

The older man frowned. "He worked with Forensics. Maybe he got his hands on a copy from one of their computers…it doesn't matter, he'll be disciplined. What does matter is how are we going to deal with the shitstorm that's gonna broadside us and the Heroes."

A ping from his own phone drew Tsukauchi's attention. The message he saw was not very assuring.

Chief: My office. Now.

"…actually, save that swig for me."

-x-

Going viral. A term that appeared with the dawn of social media. A digital item, whether it be an email, a photo, or a video, spreads throughout the internet at near lightspeed. It starts off simple; one person posts the item onto a site or shares it with a friend. Then a different person sees the item and shares it with his friends. Then they share with their friends. And so on, and so on, and so on. The number of viewers easily reaches millions.

Sometimes the item in question is comically simple, like the photo of a grocery clerk doing his job. Unfortunately(?), the item here is far more provocative.

Within a few hours, the video spreads all throughout Japan. And the eyes and ears that it catches elicit reactions of all kinds…

-x-

"Are you in charge of a trafficking ring?"

"Y-yes."

Sitting in front of his computer, Izuku Midoriya stared at the screen in shock. After a rigorous round of training with All-Might, the successor to the Symbol of piece wanted nothing more than to rest until dinner. He had idly logged on to one of his favorite Quirk Discussion Forums when noticed the video pinned on the main page and the skyrocketing number of comments.

Needless to say, it was mind-blowing.

A Hero in charge of a trafficking ring, stopped by a Vigilante. Something like this hadn't happened since…ever.

A Hero Analysis notebook in his hand he quickly began scribbling down everything he saw. Domino's analysis was easy with a quick web search. But when there was nothing about this new Vigilante. No one in the comments seemed to know who he was, although speculation was rampant. Stain? A secret government Hero?

When Izuku tried to sketch the Vigilante, he blinked in surprise. 'Why did I only draw his mask?'

He looked at the paused video again and focused on the Vigilante but to no avail. Every time he tried to sketch anything more complex than a hood, it slipped away from his mind. His green eyes widened, the pencil trembling in his hand.

"Every time I look away I can't remember something about him. Does he have a mind-scrambling Quirk? If so, how does it work through a camera? Is it his voice, like hypnosis? Still, nothing about the video. Maybe the video itself is corrupted orthepolicefoundawaytomesswithsensitiveinformationoravillain-"

"Izuku! Dinner's ready!" His mother's call snapped him out of his mumbling. He would've gone down immediately, but the video was too tantalizing to ignore. With a level of trepidation, he unpaused it.

-x-

"How long since you started this trafficking ring?"

"…two years."

The scarf-wearing man glared at the phone's screen with every word the 'Hero' said. This was not what Shota Aizawa expected after a routine faculty meeting. Well, as routine as a meeting so close to the U.A Entrance Exams could be. He was about to head home and feed his cats before dozing off in his sleeping bag (he didn't feel like patrolling today) when he saw a couple of students who had stayed for detention looking at their phones and rapidly whispering to one another. He was about to berate them when he saw exactly what they were looking at.

He still scared the living daylights out of them. A trafficking Hero was no excuse to skimp out on detention.

Unfortunately, this wasn't something new for him. But he had to admit, cases like this were never ousted before on the internet in their full 'glory'. The Police or other agencies would find a way to gradually release such information. What happened?

A hacking cough sounded from behind him. He didn't turn around, for he already knew to who it belonged to. "I take it then you're seeing it too, Yagi?"

The skeletal-looking blond man stared at his own phone, a horrified look in his sunken eyes. "Y-yes, Principal Nedzu sent it with a message saying I should watch it urgently. It can't be true, can it? I've seen Domino in action once. He looked so heroic when he performed that rescue."

"…I was once involved in a situation like this," replied the teacher. "The 'daytime' Heroes don't have an ear to the underworld like us Underground Heroes do. Cases like this, where a Hero manipulates the system or his area to get more payment or recognition, aren't unheard of. Far from common thankfully, but still."

Toshinori Yagi gripped the phone tightly when Domino replied with 'money' to the hooded man's question. "Unforgiveable…to sully the title of 'Hero' like this…"

"Don't bother," Aizawa said. "This isn't live. My guess is that someone leaked this from an evidence lab." He pressed the clip's title and read the description on the drop bar. "Yep. 'Exclusive footage of a wolf in sheep's clothing unmasked.' Definitely a leak."

What Aizawa didn't tell his fellow teacher was that the Vigilante pinning Domino down was the main focus of his attention. Based on the state of Domino's office, there was obviously a fight. The video only showed its last few seconds, but with that fact alone Eraserhead deduced a few things. The Vigilante wasn't some random thug off the street. The way he was pinning Domino down and the placing of his wounds was deliberate. No, this was someone who knew what he was doing. And knowing his luck, Aizawa would bet a whole month of simultaneous teaching with Hizashi that he would get involved with this new fish in the pond, one way or another.

'Why the hell are my eyes hurting? I'm not using my Quirk.'

-x-

In a high school somewhere in Tokyo's suburbs, a group of girls, wearing a blue robe-like uniform were animatedly chatting.

"I'm telling you Yuuko, sensei has it out for me! I was only late for three seconds and he threatens to drop my grade!" complained a brown-haired girl as she reclined on a sofa.

"You do take your athletics a little too seriously at times Ayako," replied her friend, her lips curled in a gentle smile. "It's important to balance both aspects of school life, not just focus on one."

Ayako pouted and then sighed. "It's not like I'm failing or anything. Last I checked I'm still near the top of the class. I just think that the track team deserves a bit more attention, you know? It's where my passion's at."

Yuuko shook her head with a giggle. She was about to bite down on the snack she had bought when her attention was drawn. "Is everything alright Fujino-san?"

The red-eyed girl sitting on a couch blinked and slightly raised her head. "…I'm fine, thank you." She looked back down at her phone. "Miyazuki-san just sent me something. It's…odd, to say the least."

"Oh~? Fujinon thinks that something is odd? This I gotta see!" Ayako hopped off the sofa and dashed towards the purple-haired girl, peering over her shoulder. "Hmm? 'Vigilante unmasking fake Hero?'"

Fujino hit 'play' and the two girls began to watch. Yuuko chuckled at her friend's antics but couldn't deny her own curiosity on the matter. Fujino was always a more reserved type, despite – or because of – her academic prowess. Even her beloved horror movies never elicited a strong reaction from her. For her to think something was odd…she rose from her chair went over to Ayako's side.

As the video progressed, the blue-eyed student let out a silent gasp at the Hero's confession. To use children in such a manner, how could anyone do that? What if it was her or one of her friends in their place?

"Oi, Shiki!" Ayako's call momentarily snapped Yuuko out of her shock. Briefly looking up, she saw a familiar face, framed by dark hair stopping at the clubroom doorway. "You need to see this! It's got Fujinon freaked out!"

"U-um, I didn't say I was-" the girl's protest was silenced with a hush from her energetic friend. Shiki looked at them calmly, nary a change in her expression.

"As exaggerative as Ayako may be," said Yuuko "This video is certainly disturbing."

The girl in the doorway – Shiki – lightly tilted her head in curiosity. She stared at them for a few seconds before silently walking towards the group. She moved behind Ayako and Fujino un-paused the clip.

"WHY!? HOW THE FUCK IS SOMEONE LIKE YOU A HERO!?"

Yuuko winced at the Vigilante's furious yell. It sounded inhuman, demonic even with his distorted voice. Though she did suppose that a revelation like that would warrant anger, especially if the confessor was a Hero.

Then she glimpsed it, out of the corner of her eye. It was so quick and brief that anyone else would've never noticed: Shiki's eyes ever so briefly widened.

"Are you alright, Ryougi-san?" she asked. While Fujino was a very quiet girl, Shiki was different. Calm and nonchalant but not withdrawn like the friend sitting below her. She never saw Shiki express anything more mild irritation at best.

"…It's nothing." She said no more and returned to watching the video. But her gaze was sharper, more attentive. Despite her new curiosity, however, Yuuka joined her.

But if she possessed a mind-reading Quirk, she would've been able to hear this:

'So, is this who you are?'

-x-

"Detective, say a Pro Hero commits a crime. What happens to them?"

"Hmph. Nothing, that's what." A voice scoffed at the question. "They're Heroes, no one wants to punish a Hero. If they do, it gets covered up and hushed up."

Leaning on the wall of an abandoned warehouse, a lone figure stared at the dim light of the phone screen. It was something he swiped from another man, a drunkard who got a little too ballsy. A little reparation wasn't unfounded, no?

It's not like he's in any state to use the device, after all.

The lurker ignored his itchy arms. He had just treated the, so some irritation was to be expected. At least it wasn't summertime where the heat would make the skin throb like crazy. Winter was fine, as long as there was a roof over his head; the cold didn't bother him anyway.

Maybe some hot food would make it go away. Another thing the drunkard didn't need anymore.

But there was something else moving through the young man's mind, and not just the basic needs.

'I've been sitting around for too damn long. That moron wasn't even worth my Quirk's effort. I could ask Giran for another job, but I've been putting way too much trust in him. I can't make myself more reliant on him or he'll hold it over my head.'

He was snapped from his musings when the Vigilante spoke up again, his voice seemingly magnified.

"Carve it into thy soul; my technique as the Assassin.

ZABANIYA!"

…

FWOOSH!

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

Blue eyes stared in surprise as the agonized death throes of the Hero filled the warehouse. The phone's light flashed intensely around the man for a moment, a silhouette of the man's spiky hair forming on the wall behind him.

…

…

…

"Heh."

The man lifted his arm, and from his palms blue fire erupted, revealing the patches of skin stapled to his face.

"What do you know," he said, a small grin forming on his scarred face. "I might actually like this guy."

-x-

"The internet has been in an uproar over a video showing the supposedly leaked footage of an unnamed Vigilante murdering the Pro Hero Domino. In it, the Vigilante is seen interrogating the Hero about a human trafficking ring, to which the Hero responds positively before the police barge in and fail to stop the Vigilante from killing him. The Police Force is being flooded with calls and questions as we speak, and so far, Police Chief Kenji Tsurugamae has said that he will make a formal statement soon, but the video itself is authentic. Word is still coming in from various Pro-Heroes who have commented on this footage, expressing outrage regarding Domino's betrayal of society and the Vigilante's ruthless killing. We are waiting for All Might to comment on this-"

Huh.

This is…certainly not what I expected. I don't recall seeing a camera in that office. And I certainly didn't expect the whole thing to be leaked audio-synched to my recording.

I am torn between either passively shrugging or cursing under my breath. Both also sound good.

All in all, this was the last thing I would've thought of showing up on the class chat.

"AAH!" I nearly drop my phone in surprise as the oh-so-familiar jolt rushes through my brain. "What was that for!?" I cry, rubbing my head.

'The answer is twofold: thy carelessness and thy idleness.'

Oh right. I look down at the table. Lying there was my first (or latest) effort in maintaining my equipment. I had actually bought it some time before but never got around to properly using it. A white stone gripped by a vise and covered in a shiny liquid, courtesy of the red-capped bottle nearby.

Turning off the phone, I grab the nonreflective knife lying next to it, place a hand on the handle and the other on the blade, tilt it on an angle and start moving it back and forth. I have to admit, the sound it makes is mildly soothing.

'It is important to take good care of thy tools, as I am sure thou know. This whetstone is certainly better than the large rotating ones of my time. The oil is good as well. The fact that thou did not take better care of thy blades beforehand is shameful.'

I sigh. "Yeah, yeah, I know. It's just that, with all the knives I've been taking from thugs I didn't really see a big need to sharpen them. Not to mention that the dagger never seems to dull. Not that it's any excuse of course," I hurriedly add.

'Good. I still expect thee to sharpen the dagger. It will serve as good practice.'

Knowing better than to argue, I nod. A minute later, I lift the knife up and look it over, using my phone's flashlight as a guide. It certainly looks sharp enough. But as both Mawla and the internet have taught me, relying just on the eyes is a recipe for failure. I take the knife and place it on the table's edge. With relative ease, I slide the blade downwards and form a smooth notch on the old wood. I should get some paper for next time though, I don't want to ruin my desk.

Satisfied, I place the knife back on the desk and look at the rest of them. For the most part, they all looked fine; two weren't even used yesterday. It was the one that I used to smash Domino's office tiles that worried me. I was sure it was chipped or at the very least bent. I wouldn't be surprised if I needed to get a replacement or find a knife in my 'collection' that fit the sheath. I should also remove the gauntlet wristblade, at least to clean it.

'We still need to talk about thy carelessness, contractor.'

I let out another sigh. "I know."

'Then care to tell me what were thy mistakes?'

I bite my lip. "…the phone. I should've Concealed it when I took it. That's how the whole thing started." I feel my fingers twitch as I talk. Damn it, this is just like the time I tried cooking without Mom's permission. Not fun, not fun at all. "I didn't do enough research on the guy. Even if he wasn't the ringleader, I was entering a Pro Hero's lair for crying out loud! I should've known more about who I could've bumped into."

'A failure of scouting. Continue.'

"The fight itself…I was too shocked at first. I could've taken him down when he barged into the bathroom. Other than that…" I scratch my head. "Considering the circumstances, I think I brought him down pretty good."

'Thy combat performance was adequate. Much room for improvement of course, but adequate.'

My shoulders drop. Here comes the hard hitter. "I didn't pay enough attention to anything outside the office. I showed off and did something flashy and unnecessary. It's only thanks to the cops being too shocked at…whatever I did that they didn't shoot me on sight, giving me enough time to Conceal myself and get out of there." I look down at my arm. I can still feel the numbness from last night. "What was that anyway? I remember being angry at Domino, the cop, the fact that he would only get 10 years for selling children like cattle…" A growl sounds at the back of my throat, but I push it down. "Then I hear voices…I just move; like I was being possessed."

And then…fire. Stench. The need to escape.

A low hum is my answer. He didn't tell me yesterday, saying that I should rest. Eventually, Hassan speaks.

"Zabaniya. An ultimate assassination technique created by all who bear the name 'Old Man of the Mountain'. Each of them unique, forged by mutilation and experimentation to reflect the leader's specialized skills. But for thee…I must say, I am surprised. The Valley answered thy rage, thy desire for justice, and gave it form. Never before has this been done by an Assassin other than myself."

I can't help but twitch my lips a fraction. Was that…pride? "How did this happen? I don't recall you teaching me anything regarding any supposed powers the Valley has."

"…as of now, I do not know," That makes me blink. "Thou possess a link far different than any other Assassin had to me. It is possible that through this link the Valley has grown more perceptive to thee. But to this extent…no matter, I shall dwell on this. Thou will make use of this new ability in due time, but be cautious." Mawla's voice drops an octave; can't doze off now. "The Valley is a dangerous place, far more than thou can comprehend. If thou draw on its powers recklessly, even I cannot predict what will happen to thy jahn."

Brrr. A shiver trickles up my spine at that warning. "Okay. No experimenting. Got it." Not that I needed a reminder why. The Valley, all the times I've been there…it always felt wrong.

Just wrong.

I look down at my arm. To think that it somehow killed a man…no, it's actually not that unthinkable.

Well, if Mawla thinks I can learn to use it safely, then I will.

"We still have to talk about thy failures, contractor." My shoulders drop again. Yeah, didn't think I was going to get away that easily. "While thou may have succeeded in thy assassination, you got lucky. Very lucky. If one thing was out of place, thy mission would have ended in failure, or worse, imprisonment or death. Thou were reckless and overeager, something I suspect to be because of thy newest acquisition. Thou'st could have used thy hearing ability to detect the presence of those lawmen or Conceal thyself immediately should they have spotted thee. Not to mention in your carelessness, now knowledge of thy existence is spread across the land, and if anything thou told me regarding modern technology is correct, the entire world will know in less than a week as well."

I try very, very hard not to wince. Ouch. Heat rushes to my cheeks as I look down at the floor. He was right. If I had used my Quirk properly in the bathroom or the office, I could've saved myself a lot of trouble. And not to at least consider the idea that there might be hidden cameras…I took down a trafficking ring and killed a pretend Hero, but I got lucky. After what feels like an hour (but probably far less), my response comes out as a whisper. "…sorry."

"No." I gulp at the sharp response. "'Sorry' is nothing more than a word. Thou want to make amends? Improve. Acknowledge that thou made mistakes and learn from them. Better thyself through them."

[Ritsu's theme - You Want It Darker by Leonard Cohen]

I look down at the table and narrow my eyes. Through the mask, the whetstone stands out like a pearl on ash. Like my knives, I blunted myself. Risked being shattered. But that's what a whetstone is there for: to sharpen the knives when they dull. Mawla was more of a forge; my whetstone will be made of my mistakes.

I lift up a knife and hold it to my face. "You're right. I made mistakes. They won't happen again."

Or at the very least, I will try my damn hardest they don't.

He doesn't reply. That's fine. I can feel him acknowledging my words.

I take the blade and like the one before and begin to grind it along the oiled whetstone. "Besides, news about my existence would've popped up one way or the other, be it through rumors or footage; it's just sooner than I thought. I can't do anything about that."

"Then what can thou do?"

A shit-eating grin grows on my face. "I killed a Pro-Hero. Tokyo's about to start hurling cries of fear at me while criminals cry for joy." For a moment, my vision flashes red. "I think I should show them why their cries should be swapped."

-x-

Ritsu Ogawa (Assassin - Hassan-i Sabbah)

Stats:

Strength: D+

Agility: C

Endurance: D++

Mana: C++ (Only when using Power of the Valley. Otherwise, nonexistent.)

Luck: C+

Skills:

Presence Concealment D+: The ability to hide from others. A poor level for any Assassin, but against ordinary criminals and some intelligent ones it works well.

Throwing (Dagger) B and Throwing (Retrieval) B: The expertise for throwing projectile weapons; in this case, daggers. His daggers have the same destructive power as firearms when thrown, typically spelling certain death for human targets. He can retrieve them to his hand with but a mere gesture

Information Erasure C++: Erases all traces of the user's identity, physical or digital, after leaving a scene of assassination. It does not hide the user's identity in any other situation, and clues can be pieced together to deduce identity. If the user's identity is discovered, then the effects of the skill vanish. Rank increased thanks to multiple exposures outside of Presence Concealment.

Power of the Valley of Death C++: A unique connection forged as a result of finding a relic of Alamut. Assassin can draw power from the Valley to perform certain skills he would otherwise be incapable of doing.

Quirk - Super-Hearing C: A power gained as a result of evolution. Allows the user to hear precise details within a certain range. Can extend the range in exchange for loss of detail. Also alerts the user of incoming danger provided they can react to it.

Noble Phantasm:

Zabaniya - Delusional Judgment Rank C+

An 'ultimate assassination technique' bearing the same name as the angels of hell, a title which all previous 'Old Men of the Mountain' used for their own techniques. Unlike them however, who were forged by extensive modification of the Hassans' bodies, this technique is a reflection of the Assassin's desire to inflict what he deems true judgment. Calling upon his unique connection to the Valley in the Shadow of Death, Assassin drags his target's soul to the Valley, where the First Hassan awaits them. Their soul is laid bare before the Great Founder and should they be found guilty of whatever sin Assassin finds them to have committed, the flames of Gehenna will burn away their soul and body until naught but ash remains.