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Rating:
Teen And Up Audiences
Archive Warning:
Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Category:
Gen
Fandoms:
BakemonogatariParahumans Series - Wildbow
Characters:
Araragi KoyomiAmy Dallon | PanaceaOshino Shinobu
Additional Tags:
Canon-Typical ViolenceDramaMystery
Language:
English
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Published:2019-08-09Updated:2020-04-09Words:77,966Chapters:19/?Comments:16Kudos:117Bookmarks:21Hits:4,844
Hot-Blooded
frantic
Chapter 4: Cognition 1.4
Chapter Text
"Mmm, onii-chan? Is that you?"
I felt bad about doing this, but I didn't really have any other options. "Yeah, it's me."
"Seriously, onii-chan!? You totally vanished! Okaa-san would have freaked out if she-"
"Had noticed, yeah," I replied, cringing at the frustration in my little sister's voice. Little sisters are a serious danger to a superpowered person. Even if now I apparently have the strength to cut buildings in two, either of my little sisters could absolutely defeat me in under a second. She'd barely even have to try. "I need a favor."
"Muuu! Rejected! Absolutely rejected! Onii-chan can't get a favor unless onii-chan does me a favor!"
"You don't have to tutor anyone for another three days," I countered. "I'll walk your students home one time."
"Two times."
"Three times."
"Seven times! Fifteen times! Onii-chan gets absolutely no favors from a little sister whose stomach went unanswered last night!"
I sighed. This was going to be more difficult than I thought. When Karen got a serious thought in her head she rarely let it go. This wasn't the time for this, though. I really needed to get going before the sun came up again.
"Look Karen, I just need to know if any Empire 88 events are happening tonight."
"Omigosh is onii-chan trying to become a crimefighter like his adorable little sisters? You'll get seriously hurt, you realize that, right?"
"I'm not going to fight them," I lied, like a villain. I'd feel ashamed of lying to my sister, but I had plenty of time to despair over my own decisions later. I was a bit busy at the moment, especially with needing to set up this fight or get kicked out of the city. "I've just got a friend who's getting deeper into it, so I want to make sure he doesn't get in danger."
"...Onii-chan, you don't have any friends."
Wow, Karen. This is really not the time for you to disparage my character like that. While I, Araragi Koyomi, may have at one point been totally friendless, I now have three friends. That's a 300% increase in my friendships in under a single day. I'm seriously on a tear right now. I can basically befriend anyone.
"I have three friends."
"Wooooow, onii-chan that's some serious progress in under three days since I last checked your phone's contact lists! Good job!"
Karen, that's invasion of privacy, you know? Our mom's a police officer, right? She instilled values of justice and obeying the law into you, didn't she?
"Thanks. Are there any events around?"
"Mmm, I'd have to check with Tsukihi first. She's always super in tune with what's going on in the underworld. Aren't you japanese, though? Are you seriously going to look for Nazis?"
"We were allies on Earth Aleph, so it's fine."
I waited patiently for Karen to get back to me, as I stared off the edge of a skyscraper. Seriously, these things are still around? Don't we have a dragon man that grows larger the more angry he gets? Isn't anyone worried about collateral damage?
The cars below were like ants. Tiny lights shimmering back and forth.
"So, there's some sort of recruitment thing going on? It's over by the Docks, you could go check that out, I guess?"
"Alright, thanks."
"Seriously onii-chan, you have to be really care-"
I hung up. I didn't need Karen to tell me to be careful. I mean, I literally can't die. Even if I fell off this skyscraper, I would walk it off like it's nothing. The only reason Kiss-Shot can't just regenerate her limbs is because Alabaster cut them off with a binding concept of sealing. One by one, until he found her under the bridge, just where I did.
And he had just smiled before walking away.
...Am I really going to try to fight this guy? Alabaster sounds crazy dangerous. I mean, I may not be just an ordinary human anymore, but does being Kiss-Shot's minion actually give me the kind of clout to throw around that she says it does? There's no way, right?
My phone buzzed. I pulled it out again, and had a text.
Panacea
Oh Araragi, I love you!
Araragi
What?
Panacea
There's no one else in the world for me! Only a person as totally ordinary and plain as you could ever do!
Araragi
Seriously, what?
Panacea
Please meet me tomorrow at 5:30 PM at the Wharf. I have designed only the most perfect daeztfgwsdxfhrcnjmvb, jnm,
Panacea
Ignore those. That was my sister. Sorry.
Araragi
Okay?
That's the second mental breakdown I've seen Panacea or her sister have over text in as little as 24 hours. This family is seriously dysfunctional.
Panacea
Why weren't you in school today?
I stared over the edge of the building, watching my feet dangle below me. It fell down into an alleyway, and lights from the building criss crossed along the way, shining into the darkness.
Araragi
I can't talk to you anymore. I live in a world of darkness.
Standing up, I could feel the wind whipping around me, trying to throw me off-balance as fast as possible so I would tumble to my demise. Can I really go to an Empire 88 meeting, as I am, and ask to see Alabaster? There's absolutely no way that will work. So my answer is simple.
Panacea
You're nowhere near cool enough to say things like that, Araragi. I'm about to start my shift at the hospital, are you busy?
I'll just have to crush every form of opposition in my way until Alabaster appears. Cape fights happen all the time, right? I can just pretend to be a cape.
Araragi
I can't go out in the light. I can only exist in the shadows.
I already have the basic outfit. And domino masks are littered over half the cities in the world, thanks to capes like Legend, Eidolon, and the like. There's even one on the roof, how narratively convenient is that? If I didn't happen to find it on the roof, I'd have to go buy one, and that would mean going to a store, and doing tons of meaningless tasks that nobody would really care about.
Panacea
Let's not make predictions.
Looking over the edge of the building, I shivered. Was I really about to do this? I put on the mask, and if any blood still pumped in my veins, I would have heard it running through my ears.
Araragi
...If I did something stupid, would we still be friends?
I dangled one of my feet off the ledge, balancing on my other as the wind whipped around me. If I couldn't do something as simple as this, there's no way I could ever catch Alabaster. This is the basics, right? Of being a superhero?
Panacea
You're seriously an idiot.
I took a step off the ledge, and fell through the air. The wind smashed against my face with such force it should have pulled back the skin, but instead I was completely fine. I didn't feel any sensation of fear in my stomach, or any danger tingling up my spine. Every part of my body informed me that something like this wouldn't even hurt me a little bit.
Panacea
Everyone I know does stupid things, and asks me to fix them, you know?
My speed increased. Hey. Wait. Wasn't this a really terrible idea?
Panacea
I can't fix everything. But I can fix most things.
Wouldn't it hurt when I hit the ground? These floors were flying past me at six a second.
Panacea
Even if someone's in pieces, I can put them back together. Even if someone's barely standing, I can make their heart beat again.
I crashed into the alleyway with the force of a meteor. Blinking, I sat up, and looked at my arms. I was completely fine. Not even a scratch on any part of me. Even when I pinched at my skin to see if it was a dream I didn't even feel the discomfort.
Panacea
I'm not going to stop being friends with you just because you're an idiot.
Standing, I looked up at the building I'd just casually leaped off. My face blanched. Woah. Hey. That building's way taller than I thought it was when I scaled the side of it. It's insanely tall compared to what I thought it was.
Panacea
And you can't get rid of me as easily as by saying you live in darkness. That's really twisted, right? To try to get rid of someone who's your friend. You're not really good at friendship, are you Araragi?
Moving my domino mask back into place, I walked out of the alleyway, checking the address that Karen had sent me on my phone. Karen, you really didn't need to write "do your best onii-chan!", on a screenshot of Google Maps. You definitely didn't need to draw a frowny face and write "Try not to die, okay<3". That's super discouraging.
Araragi
You're right, sorry.
The Docks were about 20 minutes walk from here. If I used rooftops, it would probably be faster. But I had time, it's not as if they were all going to clear out before I got there, right? It wasn't as if I needed to be there right now, but sometime before the event would be nice.
Araragi
I'll apologize to all the trash in the world for assuming that I was at a higher level then it was.
I kept walking, and then stumbled as I ran into someone, I was about to mumble an apology, but instead someone just thrust a flier into my hands and I peered at it for a moment.
MISSING
Call (XXX) XXX-XXXX or (XXX) XXX-XXXX if you have information! $100 reward!
It was a picture of a pretty red-headed girl, smiling wide and giving the person who took the picture a thumbs-up. One of her arms was around a plain looking girl with brown hair and glasses. Glancing behind me, I could see the outline of whoever I'd run into continuing onwards, thrusting fliers into anyone whose hands were even slightly outstretched.
I'd heard about the string of disappearances, but I'd never had anyone give me a flier. Nobody from our neighborhood ever disappeared, anyways.
...Wait, what's up with my neighborhood? Mom? Where did you get us to move? Just because your 'super hunky childhood best friend' lives here doesn't mean we need to! You're married! Dad just chuckled when you started talking about him, too! Hey Dad, react with a little more jealousy, okay!? Don't let her go over to his house to cook him dinner!
Panacea
How about you apologize to me first. I'll be at the hospital for the next nine hours.
I was almost at the Docks, already. I looked at the message. I hesitated. I wanted to help Kiss-Shot, but I also wanted to remain friends with Amy Dallon. Was that selfish of me? To want to have some semblance of humanity in my unlife? I didn't think it was.
…
Unfair.
This was really unfair, wasn't it? I had just made a friend, and then I get into some weird supernatural thing that I can't tell her about because it's so dangerous? Can I even go visit her or anything? I can't even walk around in the sun! How am I going to attend classes!? My family even knows I'm not dead, so I can't just skip forever! It's only because today's Friday that nobody cares at all! Half of Arcadia barely bothers to show up on Friday!
I stuck my hands in my pockets and pulled my hood up. It was a bit cold, and I was seriously grateful I had decided to wear my jacket outside. I couldn't decide whether to visit Panacea or help Kiss-Shot. I can't do both, can I? I can only do one or the other. Even as my feet moved me towards the Docks, my mind was all the way across the city in the hospital. There isn't an ending where everyone can be happy, is there?
Araragi
I can't. I'm sorry.
The smell of the Docks arrived before they did themselves. Interestingly enough, poverty smells like blood and ash to my newfound nose. It's a pretty weird scent to come by, but my mind automatically connected the two to equal poverty. Kiss-Shot, what is wrong with your minion? There's no reason for those two to mean poverty, right? Does depression smell like the inside of a casino to you?
Araragi
I've gotten mixed up in some things. I don't want to involve you, so I'm going to avoid you instead.
The warehouse was ridiculously easy to find. It basically screamed 'totally non-descript in every way', and had people all around it keeping an eye out for anyone who might try something. It was kind of embarrassing, how little the Empire seemed to care about keeping their activities out of the spotlight. Seriously, the PRT still exists, you know? If it took my sisters this little time to find you out, how long is it going to take them? Can't you keep your gang activities a little more clandestine?
"Hey," I called out, holding up a hand to one of the guards. "Do you know if my friend's around?"
He looked at me for a moment, before grunting, shifting the gun he was holding into a more comfortable position that wasn't pointed directly at my chest. "You should get out of here."
"Yeah, yeah, but I really need to see him. He took something important from me before he left."
Araragi
I'm not in any real danger, so don't worry.
"He took something from you?" The man glared at me this time, eyeing me up and down. "There's no way that anyone in there took anything from you, okay? You're really not worth the time it would take to rob."
Hey, that kind of hurts. I'm a pretty dangerous guy, right?
"That's fair. But even so, if you see him, could you give him a message from me?"
The man shrugged his shoulders, chuckling a bit. "Sure, kid. I'll give your friend your message."
I smiled, bright and wide. "Good."
Araragi
There's absolutely nothing on this planet that can really hurt me, so it's fine, right?
My arm moved like a whip. Before any of them could react, I had a hand around the man's throat, and my teeth elongated like knives. I could feel everything that was around me, the hairs rising on my skin, the shivers of the men in front of the warehouse, the bloodlust from those inside. This wasn't a good place. It certainly wasn't a recruitment drive.
"Alabaster stole from us. He won't get a second chance, you know? Just tell him that I'm waiting for him at the Boat Graveyard."
I dropped the man. He gasped, coughing for air. Everyone around me shifted nervously. I held up two fingers like a peace sign, and grinned.
"Tell him to bring what he stole, and there won't be any more conflict. That's totally fine, right?"
"Are… are you seriously messing with the Empire over some fucking books he stole from you?!"
"No, not books. That'd be ridiculous. I'm looking for limbs."
A beat passed through the world, almost like a black frame.
"Wait, what? Limbs?"
I realized too late that it's going to sound absolutely ridiculous to anyone not in the know if I say Alabaster stole some limbs. Seriously, how do you even go about stealing limbs? That's such a totally absurd concept. I shuffled back and forth, a bit embarrassed.
"Y-yes. He stole my master's limbs."
"Your master? Do you need help or something? Should I call the police?"
"Aren't you a gang member?"
He waved his hands back and forth, looking at me. "Woah, hey, calm down. The Empire just pays way better than everyone else in the Bay, okay? I'm white, so naturally I joined them."
"Naturally you joined the gang that beats up minorities?"
"Hey, I haven't beaten up any minorities! All I do is guard buildings from intruders and make sure they don't interrupt what's happening inside!"
I pinched the bridge of my nose, tapping my foot on the ground. This was getting on my nerves, if I still had any.
"Look, I just need you to tell Alabaster that I want the limbs returned."
"Return them? They're limbs, right? You can't return limbs to someone without Panacea involved. And you're definitely not with New Wave, either. Your costume's super shoddy, too. It looks like you're just wearing normal clothes and put on a domino mask. Are you really new to this?"
Hey! Don't underestimate day one superheroes, okay?! We day ones can pack a serious punch, you know! It's not like we're so inept that getting into a fight immediately makes us drop our composure!
"My master can't regenerate her limbs without them being there. It's a weird power, okay?"
"I've never heard of anyone with that power in my life."
I stomped my foot on the ground. A small crater formed below it, about an inch in diameter. Both me and the guard blinked, looking down.
"Woah, hey, this is private property. You're destroying private property."
"It's gang property. "
"We're a privately operated gang."
I just wanted to obliquely threaten someone into telling Alabaster I needed to see him, okay? Why did it devolve into this?
The other guard frowned, and hoisted his gun. "I'm going to have to ask you to leave."
Wait, wait. Hold on. This is ridiculous, right? I'm supposed to the cape here, right? Why don't I have any control over this situation? Why am I being dictated to even though I'm clearly the one with powers?
"I'm done with this conversation. Just tell Alabaster I'll meet him in two hours."
I walked away, and one of the guards patted the other one on the shoulder.
"Stellar job on getting him to leave, Dave. Seriously top-notch work."
This is totally absurd, right? Like, this isn't a real situation that happens. Why is the guard for the Empire 88 an ultra-normie? Please just be a normal Nazi so I can beat you up. It's totally unnecessary for you to act this way, you know?
I left the warehouse. My phone was buzzing, but I didn't bother to check it. I had some time to kill before the deadline I'd set, so I went to get food.
Let me rephrase that.
I can't eat now, you know? The act of 'consuming food for nourishment' is simply something that's no longer in my repertoire; one of the many downsides (or a possible upside) of becoming the iron-blooded, hot-blooded, cold-blooded vampire Kiss-Shot Acerola-Orion Heart-Under-Blade's minion. I still didn't really know what to think about it.
My phone buzzed.
I opened it.
Panacea
Don't be obstinate. I'm the perfect healer, right? Shouldn't I be the first person you call when you're in trouble?
Araragi
Wouldn't that defeat the point of being friends, if I called you at the first sign of trouble?
Panacea was weird. Is it really that surprising that I wouldn't call anyone if I was in trouble? I mean, it's not like I'll get hurt, you know? I'm practically invulnerable. Even falling off that building didn't leave a scratch on me. It's honestly elementary to avoid getting into danger. Even just walking around, I can feel this sort of ludicrous energy rushing through my body. If I wanted to, I could run up the side of one of these buildings without even blinking.
It's dangerous, right? To have this kind of power and no one to tell you how to use it. Is this how parahumans feel?
It's melancholy, isn't it? It's definitely melancholy to have that kind of strength at your fingertips at all times. I could barely be bothered to talk to those two guards, they were just beneath me in every way. It was tiresome to have to explain myself to them, when I could just as easily have imprinted commands on the inside of their retinas that they'd follow until death.
Hey.
Wait.
Kiss-Shot, isn't being your minion affecting my mental state? How much is salmon roe to you anyways? This isn't a good look, you know? I can already tell that this kind of energy is affecting me. I feel better than I have ever before in my (un)natural life.
The Boat Graveyard isn't as far away as you would think from the Docks. It's actually pretty close, which makes sense since the Dockworkers all operate in the Docks. The city hasn't bothered to clean it in the last… 15 years or so, I would say? It's really out of shape at this point. There's metal all over the place, discarded and broken ships out in the bay, and tons of materials for shipbuilding left out to waste. Realistically, the Boat Graveyard is more of a hazard to the city then a benefit.
Of course, that assumes capes don't exist. The Boat Graveyard is the most visited cape destination in the entire city. I mean, really, you can't walk fifteen feet without running into a tinker scrounging for supplies, a blaster or brute training, or a cape fight of some kind. It's one of the most popular destinations in the entire city, for obvious reasons. A condemned place means only people who don't want to be found visit it. Naturally, everyone steers away from the fights. That was part of my plan.
I needed to **** Alabaster in under 4.3 seconds. I needed to be able to tell time down to a hundredth of a second in order to defeat him in a fight. As Kiss-Shot's minion, I've gained a ton of abilities that I don't understand on any level, so I won't use them. Any 'skills' I have are innate to the person that I am. So the answer becomes something altogether different - I need a certain kill move. A super special attack that can absolutely devastate an area.
Naturally, Kiss-Shot didn't give me any of that, so I'm just going to have to improvise.
Finding a ship that had a good view of the area, I settled down, feeling the cold metal flush against my colder skin. And then I waited.
hotbloodedcoldbloodedironblooded
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