An Impostor Among Us

There are 11 advanced chapters on Patreon if you are feeling like spending a bit of money to support the creation and read ahead while at it.

>patreon.com/TheSynonym<

°°°

|Later that day, after school had come to an end…|

…

"Thank you!"

After thanking the driver, Suzaku stepped out of the bus and arrived at a dirt road a few meters away from the entrance to a very lush forest.

"..."

The entire place was deserted, with not a single soul in sight. Though, it wasn't exactly a mystery as to why that was the case.

The place where Suzaku had arrived was a few kilometers away from the city, in the middle of nowhere. If anything, it would be weird to see someone there.

The only people whom Suzaku imagined had a certain chance of appearing in such a place were those who lived in rural areas, or people with shady businesses in such places… most likely looking for a good place to bury certain "stuff".

As to why Suzaku was in such a place?

The answer was rather simple, actually.

He was planning to solve an issue that had been pending ever since he escaped from the laboratory of that psycho-doctor. 

"This place will do…"

And the only place where he could do so was in a deserted place like the forest before him… A place where no one could see him.

So, adjusting his backpack to walk more comfortably, Suzaku took a deep breath before walking into the forest without looking back. His tension growing with each step he took into the woods.

And like that, quite a few minutes passed.

At some point, Suzaku got so deep into the forest that all vestiges of civilization ceased to appear. Leaving only hundreds of trees filling the surroundings, and no man-made path in sight… except for the one Suzaku was leaving behind as he progressed through the tall grass.

Which was actually a signal that Suzaku had arrived at the kind of place he was looking for.

A place completely devoid of any human vestige, and with no existence in sight.

However, simply because he wanted to make sure, Suzaku shook his head wryly and continued walking a bit further.

After all, what he was going to do now was something that no one could know. Not even his parents.

Otherwise, the true culprit behind the hundreds of murders performed down in that laboratory would become evident. 

And to be honest, Suzaku was not gonna let the label of being a serial murderer stick to him.

And neither was he gonna have another kidnapping happen to him again. Even though he was certain that if it were to happen again, the one in danger wouldn't be him.

The motive for his trip today was also for that reason.

To make sure that such a thing would never happen again… 

… No matter what.

"Alright. Here is good"

Letting out a short sigh as he stopped at what seemed to be a small open area in the seemingly infinite forest, Suzaku took off his backpack before he put it beside a tree. Not wanting it to get in the way while he got into business.

After that, he began stretching a little, all the while, between the exercises, taking off his school sweater and T-shirt, and putting instead an old shirt that he had brought with him.

In the process, he also changed his pants to some old sweatpants he had packed before going to school.

Since all of those clothes were old, he wasn't particularly comfortable wearing them. However, it wasn't anything he couldn't ignore.

After all, there was a reason as to why he was changing in the middle of a forest in the first place.

And that was that he didn't want his normal clothes to be ripped apart by what was about to happen.

He knew that his mother wouldn't like that…

So, if he didn't want to come up with excuses or get grounded because of it later on, changing was a must.

-Rustle-

"Huff... Aaaaaaalrrrright…"

In the end, it took him a few more minutes to finish changing and elongating.

And, after he was done, he swallowed his saliva in nervousness, before he let out a good chunk of air out of his lungs to calm himself down.

"..."

Truth be told, he was feeling kind of uneasy about what was going to happen, so he couldn't help but feel apprehensive about continuing with his actions.

Certain thoughts like if he should just ignore the issue and continue living a normal human life, or if he had just been hallucinating at that time, and none of those events ever happened, ran down his head constantly as he stood there, unmoving.

"Let's do this"

However, he hadn't come to this deserted place for nothing.

So, taking a deep breath with a frown on his face, Suzaku raised his hand, before he squinted his eyes at it from behind his glasses. Focusing more specifically on his wrist.

Then, he dived deep into his memories.

He looked for it, remembered the feeling he had down there, and how it changed him forever.

He recalled his survival instinct flaring up. How it sent a jolt through his body when he saw how his head was about to be opened apart.

How every single fiber of his body tensed up like steel coils the moment they felt danger, and how, in the last millisecond, a certain part of him moved.

Similar to… a hidden muscle inside his body.

"...!"

Then, it dawned on him.

-Swish…-

And, as the realization struck, something sprouted from his wrist, similar to a flower emerging from the earth.

Unfortunately, what he had there was nothing like a cute flower.

Like a bone sticking out of the skin because of a fracture, but without the blood or pain, a blade created from his very skeleton emerged from under his skin and laid on his hand gently, ready to be swung.

"... Huh…"

Seeing it, Suzaku couldn't help but feel disturbed by its eerie appearance.

It looked grotesque, even though it had neither blood nor meat on it, and seemed to be simply made out of his bones. 

Maybe it was because Suzaku knew it had come from under his skin, or maybe it was simply disturbing to see something akin to a knife be created by his own body.

The bone-weapon also gave Suzaku a dangerous feeling. Of course, not because he felt threatened by it, but instead because he instinctively felt cautious about having it so close to him.

Similar to how one feels when seeing a long long needle be anywhere near them.

However, neither of those reasons were the true origin of Suzaku's unease in front of his knife-like bone.

"... Shit"

The real reason was that, despite having expected to a certain extent that such an ability existed, that still didn't take away the foreign and ominous feeling that it oozed when he looked at it.

It felt alien, somewhat unnatural… As if it shouldn't biologically exist.

Rather, it shouldn't exist at all.

-Gulp-

Nevertheless, he forced himself to ignore that feeling, and, after getting a hold once again of the mysterious muscle-like feeling, he retracted the blade back into his skin and stared at the spot where it disappeared for a few seconds in silence. Lost deep in his thoughts.

However, after a few moments, Suzaku took a deep breath, before he started the process all over again.

And sure enough, something happened again, and in less time than before.

However, this time, it wasn't a blade that sprouted from his wrist. Instead, it was a bone-like mechanism that resembled greatly a gun. The only difference was that it didn't have a trigger to activate, or a compartment to put the bullets.

No, instead, Suzaku felt that the only thing he needed to do was stimulate that "muscle" in a certain way, and the "gun" would shoot.

So he tried it.

-Bang!!-

… And sure enough, the second he stimulated that "muscle", something was shot from the bone-gun right after. Eventually piercing a tree right on its trunk.

Seeing that, Suzaku exclaimed faintly in surprise. After all, he was shocked to have a literal gun hiding right under his skin.

However, Suzaku had no time to be surprised about such a minor thing, since immediately after that, his eyes caught sight of something that shocked him to his very core.

-Creaaaaaaak…!-

Out of nowhere, a second or so after the bullet pierced the tree, this one began emitting cracking sounds all over it, as if the wood was screaming in pain, before then all of its leaves began falling to the ground one by one. 

"What the…?!"

Suzaku's eyes couldn't help but widen.

-Creaaaaaaak…!-

However, his shock was rapidly interrupted by the horrifying sound of the tree roots losing their grip on the earth, and the tree falling right on top of him.

"Oh shit…!"

-Boooom!!-

Bewildered by the sudden event, Suzaku rapidly lunged away from the impact zone, and luckily for him, he managed to avoid being flattened like a pancake by the tree by a hair's breadth in the end.

"... Huff… Fuck me… What the heck was that?"

After making sure he was safe from being crushed, Suzaku turned around to look at the dead fallen tree, which was now lying on the ground completely uprooted and surrounded by the pile of leaves it had shed earlier.

As he glanced at it, his mind became engulfed in a torrent of disarray and his eyes began trembling from the disbelief.

Eventually, his sight moved from the tree to the gun in his hand.

'It can't be… Right?'

Feeling a bead of sweat roll down his face, Suzaku closed his eyes for a second, before then the gun returned to his insides and was rapidly replaced by the bone knife.

After that, Suzaku moved towards another tree in the surrounding area, before positioning himself on the contrary side to where the tree was inclined just to make sure it wouldn't fall on him this time.

-Tack…!-

And soon enough, without a second thought, Suzaku stabbed the tree with the knife in his hand.

The ease with which the knife pierced the tree surprised Suzaku. He had put in a lot of strength to make sure the knife would enter. However, to his surprise, he ended up stumbling a bit because the wood of the trunk had barely offered any resistance against the blade.

Nevertheless, he didn't let that thought bother him so much and instead focused his gaze on the tree in front of him. His eyes glued to it with anticipation evident in them.

-Creaaaaaaak…!!-

And sure enough, a second after being stabbed, the tree began dying just like the other, before collapsing completely as its roots lost all strength.

-Booom!-

While Suzaku backed up to avoid being caught up in the impact after the tree fell, his eyes couldn't help but fall on the knife in his hand.

'It kills anything it cuts…'

Then, Suzaku raised his other hand and called out the gun.

'...And this one kills anything it shoots'

When he had been down in that laboratory, he had thought those people had died because of the injuries these weapons had left in them.

…

However, after what had just happened, Suzaku realized the truth.

Now it made sense how every single one of those hundred people in that laboratory died, even if sometimes he didn't injure them fatally.

They were instakill attacks.

After internalizing that fact, Suzaku had the sensation of being inside of a game.

After all, where else would such a stupid ability exist?

'No'

However, his rational mind rapidly overruled that feeling.

After all, while he had killed dozens of people in the laboratory, and one-shotted two trees, Suzaku didn't know if such a broken attack had a limit on its killing potential.

Thinking that it could kill anything no matter what was a bit far-fetched.

Like, what would happen if he attacked All Might with them? Would he die as the trees had, or would he survive?

The guy was a monster in human skin, physically talking.

Would these abilities truly be able to kill such a man in one hit?

Suzaku didn't know what to think.

However, he didn't let that doubt stop him for much longer.

Immediately after, Suzaku turned to face another tree, and stimulated the "muscle".

-Swoosh!-

Then, an enormous mouth with sharp teeth appeared on his belly and opened wide to let out a sharp tongue that sprang towards the tree, piercing it like a knife to butter, before retreating and disappearing along with the mouth in his stomach.

And just like before, the tree fell.

"..."

Suzaku didn't say anything when he saw that, but instead, walked towards another tree and put both of his hands on its trunk.

Then, he repeated the action, but slightly differently.

-Craaaaack!-

And suddenly, his arms moved, and twisted the tree's thick and sturdy trunk as if it was a simple paper sheet.

Unsurprisingly, the tree fell soon after.

"Holy shit…" Suzaku cursed. Having nothing else to say.

Of course, his mind was anything but silent at that moment.

'The first time I used them subconsciously to survive, so I didn't pay them too much attention… but seeing them now, and their killing capabilities… Damn'

Suzaku glanced at the weapons on both of his hands, and at his stomach, not knowing if to feel elated at the fact that he had become a killing machine, or worried that he had lost part of his humanity here.

At least that was what it seemed.

With such abilities, could he consider himself human anymore?

In the end, though, he encouraged himself with the thought that, as long as he kept his morals and didn't cross any line with certain crimes, he would be human enough.

'I could also transform into other people… Right?'

After leaving the thought of his humanity aside, Suzaku recalled when he had transformed into the big guy who had threatened to kill him with his gravitational powers.

At that time, after killing him, he got enveloped in a cocoon of sorts before transforming and acquiring his same appearance, even though the man probably had like three to four times more mass than him.

'Do I need to kill others to gain their appearance…?'

Looking at his body, Suzaku frowned faintly for a moment, before he closed his eyes and recalled how he had stimulated his "impostor muscle" after his battle with the villain.

Then, he recalled his father's face.

-Gwosh!- 

"...?!"

Immediately after that, from his feet, countless tentacles emerged, before then his entire body began being enveloped in them.

Not soon after, the tentacles expanded, and a red egg-like cocoon enclosed Suzaku. Similar to a capsule.

-Bang!-

-Pssssss…-

However, it didn't take more than five seconds before the cocoon exploded, releasing a huge cloud of steam from inside, from which Suzaku stepped out.

Now, though, he looked nothing like Suzaku, but rather, he looked exactly like his father.

He even had copied the clothes he had imagined him with.

Seeing that, Suzaku felt amazed as he glanced at his new body.

'... This thing completely ignores the difference in muscular mass, bone structure, and age…'

At the next second, Suzaku closed his eyes again, before the cocoon enclosed him once again.

-Bang-

-Psssss…-

Once he stepped out from it, his appearance was no longer that of his father, but instead, that of All Might.

And sure enough, he looked exactly like him. His characteristic hair, his enormous stature and muscles, and even his characteristic superhero suit.

"I am—Ahem— I, uh… I am her—Ugh, whatever"

Even his voice sounded the same.

Though, his manner of speech was a tad different.

However, that was more a Suzaku problem than a defect in the ability.

'...Even with such a huge physical difference, I can still shapeshift into this guy… This thing is broken... Though I don't feel like I have superhuman strength, so I guess other Quirks are out of bounds....'

As Suzaku flexed the enormous muscles with a bewildered face, his gaze eventually turned to his superhero suit.

His hand grabbed the fabrics and began stretching them away from his body.

At first, they separated from his body without problem, as if they were actual clothes. However, at some point somewhere along his chest, the fabrics fused with his own skin and stopped Suzaku from being able to pull them any further.

Seeing that, Suzaku caressed his chin in wonder.

'Even the clothes seem to be made biologically by this ability…'

At that moment, Suzaku recalled what he had thought when he was hospitalized.

{Considering how I fought down there, these powers were the perfect ones for assassination.}

He had been right.

His powers were perfect for assassination.

Being able to disguise as anyone, and being capable of (hypothetically) killing anyone in one strike… What else could be deadlier than that?

-Gwosh!-

As he continued to ponder about everything he had discovered, Suzaku deactivated his transformation and became enclosed in the cocoon before going back to his normal appearance.

-Tsssss…-

However, once he stepped out of it, he was received with a great surprise.

"Why the heck am I naked?"

His clothes had disappeared.

Seeing himself in such a vulnerable state, with his great shlong freed from his shackles, Suzaku hurried up to pick the clothes with which he had arrived.

After all, while he knew that he was currently alone, he didn't want to risk someone appearing out of nowhere and seeing his body in all its glory.

-Rustle-

Once he dressed up all over again, Suzaku couldn't help but glance at his hand with hesitation.

Now that he had gotten a grasp of his "Impostor muscle", Suzaku could clearly feel that he still hadn't used it to its fullest potential.

If Suzaku were to describe this "muscle" as an arm, then the use of all of his abilities until now would be interpreted as having moved his arm up and down. However, he still felt like he could move it left and right, and maybe even diagonally.

Which meant that there were still some abilities left.

However…

'This set of clothes is the only ones I have left… I can't risk having them disappear like before…'

In the worst situation, he would have to go back home completely nude.

And honestly, he didn't want to face his mother's wrath.

So, after a lot of hesitation, Suzaku managed to convince himself to try the rest of his abilities another day, and stood up to leave the place.

His gaze couldn't help but move through his surroundings for a moment, though.

'I left quite a mess… Let's just hope no one finds this place… And if they do, let's just hope they don't find anything weird with it…'

Shaking his head in reprimand at himself for having destroyed such a big part of the forest, Suzaku sighed, before he picked up his backpack and began walking away, following the path he had left when he entered.

He was going home for today.

So many shocking things had happened that day, so he was feeling kind of tired.

'Though…'

However, just as his mind was set on going home to rest, he remembered a certain matter, and couldn't help but narrow his eyes as an idea sprouted on his mind.

'... Let's make a quick visit to the old man'

…

°

°

°

|Later that day…|

…

"So, let me get this straight, brat… you want me to help you train in a style that hypothetically incorporates a killing move with a hundred percent chance of killing, be it from close up or from far away?"

"Yeah, and don't forget the hypothetical part"

"Seriously, just what is going through your mind, I wonder"

"Is that a yes or no?"

"It's a fine. However, let me make this clear, whatever the purpose of this fighting style is, you better not be planning to practice it because you are being delusional enough to think that humans can die with a few hits. I'd rather not teach you something useless"

"It will be useful, believe me… Of course, hypothetically talking"

"I'm going to hypothetically kick your face... Alright, whatever. Come at me, let's begin right away"

"What? I thought I told you I only came to tell you my idea, not to practice. I'm dead tired right now and want to go home!"

"Enough excuses, guard up!"

"Crazy old man!"

As Tatsuo lunged violently at the bewildered Suzaku, the sounds of punches and kicks clashing began echoing through the forest. Like a rhythmic song that conveyed a conversation between two people.

And as the two talkers continued their conversation, the seasons began to pass again and again.

Winter, Autumn, Spring, and Summer.

Eventually, in the blink of an eye, 6 years passed.

…

-To be continued…-

(A/N: And so, the canon begins... Well, not quite, but yes quite...

PS goal today for the extra chap: 200 again.