The repetitive turning of waves along the ocean shoreline created a pleasant sound for those near it to enjoy. The occasional seagull squawked and screeched in the distance. The warm wind blew in the sweet smell of salt and sea life.

     It was so quiet other than these sounds. On that empty beach was a small house, old and warn as though it hadn't been fixed in years. But right up beside it in the grass was parked the small Arataka family car. Inside the old, darkened shack of a house, my parents murmured lowly with an aunt of ours. It was about Grandpa. I just knew it. We were all gathered here because of him, after all... Simply because he didn't want to spend his last days all alone. Even if he was surrounded by people who hated him, he preferred that over no one at all.

     Trying to mind my own business in this depressing house wasn't doing me any good. It was nothing but constant gossip in the dark, unlit shack. The way my dad and aunt reminisced on all the ways they had been abandoned or abused by the old man. How his terrible nature had gone on to haunt them. This kind of talk was simply no fun at all. After a while of just sitting around in the dark, I stood up and headed outside. The sloshing of the ocean was far more preferable than this onslaught of misery.

...

     It was nice outside. The warm air freed a few strands of my hair, allowing them to tickle my face. I never cared for my hair anymore, instead letting it grow out and go wherever it pleased. I brushed the annoying loose strands behind my ears and sat down on the old deck, which was made up of soggy and caving boards. Beside me, leaned against another post, sat my grandpa.

     The murmuring from inside was so faint now. We could only hear their voices on occasion. It was a little uncomfortable, now that I thought about my situation, to sit alone beside the very monster my family despised.

     A monster he was not any more. Instead, he was but an old, frail man.

     The two of us sat staring at the bleak, cloudy gray horizon line for a while with the same, dead inside look in our eyes. I always felt a little uncomfortable whenever relatives pointed out how similarly I looked to my grandpa. Like I now carried a part of the burden that was the old man's shame. Like I was somehow, somewhat responsible for everyone's bad moods.. simply by reminding people of him with my looks alone. I was eighteen by this point. Old enough to finally understand the suffering my dad and his sister endured, but not yet wise enough to know what to do about it. So, my best course of action was to simply ignore everything until the old man eventually keeled over and everyone could go back home. Back to forgetting him.

     "You're biting your nails a lot..." I tore my fingers away from my mouth reflexively, having not even noticed what I was doing until the old man mentioned it. "Mmm.. bad habit."

     I responded in a meek, scratchy voice, since I hadn't spoken much in a while. "Sorry.." What else was I supposed to say?! "(Yo, old man! Just wanted to remind you how terrible a person you are, even though what you said literally had nothing to do with your past!)" Nahhh! I couldn't just do that! The old guy at least deserved some level of decency! And if he wasn't going to get it from anyone else, then..well, may as well be me.

     He'd apologized in his own special way in the past anyways..on several occasions. Everyone just preferred to ignore those apologies.

     "Hhhh..." A deep huff. The old man laid his arms on his knees, leaning his head against the beam to his left. "They won't stop talkin' in there, won't they?" The old man chuckled. I mirrored somewhat by leaning against the beam to my right. We both stared together at the cloud filled sky. The tall grass tickled my legs which hung off the small porch. I didn't really care enough to correct it. "...I'm guessing you've already been told all the horror stories of my youth, huh?"

     I just shrugged, never taking my eyes off of the cloudy sky and stormy colored sea. "Pretty much..." I didn't want to talk about it though. I didn't want to talk about anything really. Everyone had been so stuck up on all this drama that they hadn't even noticed my poor dietary choices resulting in the loss of twenty pounds in just over a month. I never really cared to point it out to them either. If they actually cared..surely they would notice eventually... Closest thing I'd gotten to a notice was my mom getting onto me about looking so depressed all the time.

     I didn't even notice my grandpa was staring at me until he leaned forward a little. "...What's on your mind, kid?"

     "Huh?" My head spun a little, fixing him with a mildly confused look. "Um... My school essay I guess." I lied, though it was one of the things I was supposed to complete while on this "vacation" of mine.

     "Hm? So what's it about?"

     I groaned, no longer able to hide my annoyance. "I don't know.."

     "I see..." The old man backed off for a while, letting me again calm my nerves by listening to the ocean waves. "...Heroes seem to be popping up in popularity again." The old man rudely interrupted the silence. "That 'All Might' was his name..? Anyways.. Makes me worry that your generation is forgetting what it really means to be a hero."

     "Mm?" I turned my head a little, allowing him the slightest ounce of attention through the corners of my eyes.

     "People seem to like to glamorize the role of a hero these days.. simply preferring to forget what a sacrifice it is to be one." Several minutes of calm silence followed, interrupted by the sniffling from the old man. "...Listening to their talk in the kitchen," gesturing behind him, "you'd never think I was one of 'em... A 'Hero.' Killing somebody...even for justifiable reasons..still does a number to the soul... What at first makes you think your helping...turns into the thing that hurts you the most. Makes you suffer..even. ...Your family most of all. ... I'm not telling you this to gain your sympathy or anything. I know the time for that is long gone. ...I just want you to know.. if I could do it all over again...

     I would have never become a hero."

---------------

(Why is his chin so pointy in the pic..???)

     The long haired man bowed politely. "I am Tanjiro Kamado... I am what in my time would be referred to as a 'Demon Slayer.'" He stood straight again and scanned over the city around them. "And, um, it seems to me that you guys are having a bit of a demon problem right now..."

     ಠಿ⁠_⁠ಠಿ "...Did you say 'demons?'" Deku just stared for a little while, bewildered some by the man's unshaken bright mood. Deku, meanwhile, was a little too tired and worn out to care about putting on such a show. Tanjiro turned, standing on the edge of the flat roof and looking for a place to run to next. He sniffed the air..for...some reason. Right when it looked like he was about to jump, Deku sprang forward, reaching his hand out. "Wait wait!! What are Demon Slayers and what is a Demon!!?"

     "Oh! So you were serious about that?" The man stopped, spun around, and crossed his arms as he thought of a way to explain. "Demon Slayers used to be a much bigger thing, but now there are just a few of us. As for what demons are.. heh, guess you could say I'm one of them!"

     "What?!"

     "I know right?! Doesn't exactly make sense for a demon slayer to go around hunting other demons, but I'm a little different!.." Rubbing his chin, "Don't exactly remember hhooww I became a demon.. The last memory I have as a human was when my friends and I were all fighting Muzan. I think we were winning, too! But that's when  all my memories went blank!" Clapping his hands together and holding them while gesturing outward with 'em. "Nezuko says she only had the time to save me before things got really bad! And she ended up turning me into a demon too just to keep me alive!" He chuckled. Through it some sadness shown. "...And two of my friends were turned into Demons by Muzan... And under his blood, they have been subservient to him ever since.."

     "Oh... Wow.. How long ago did this happen?"

     "About two-hundred-fifty years ago!"

     "😐😑😐"

     Tanjiro chuckled awkwardly as he rubbed the back of his neck. "I know. I'm..pretty old. It's a perk of being a demon."

     "Wait but what exactly is a--?"

     A scent caught in the air drew the man's attention away from Deku immediately! "Demon!" He shouted. "Sorry, but you'll have to follow me if you want answers! I can explain along the way!"

     "O-oh!" Deku leapt after Tanjiro, together jumping from rooftop to rooftop, racing toward their target.

     "Okay so!" Tanjiro started to explain. "Since Nezuko and I refuse to eat humans to regain our strength, we have to sleep for years at a time to match the strength of Muzan's two pillars, Zenitsu...and Inosuke!" There was something strangely well practiced about the elder's breaths. Everything. From his strides to his very heartbeat, was trained to its upmost efficiency! "Something must have malfunctioned while we were sleeping, because we were trapped in stasis a lot longer than planned! Twenty years to be exact!"

     "Oh...wow!" Deku was getting a little tired already. He certainly had stamina, but this guy's was unmatched!

     "So..." Tanjiro's gaze set straight ahead. "I have a lot of catching up to do."

     As they reached the none Nomu searching for prey, Deku shot past the elder. "I GOT THIS!" Using momentum plus a combination of his quirks, the boy turned his body into a bullet, shooting through the space between buildings and landing on the Nomu in the street. The force of his kick alone splattered the beast on the pavement. Shigeo's quirk assisted his limbs, stitching together what had been broken.

     Tanjiro landed on the street with a wide smile. "Incredible!! Guess I didn't really need to save you back there.."

     "Heh... I was thinking it might be better for you to preserve your strength."

     "Awh, but no need to do something like that for me! I can stay awake for years without a problem!.. Hmm, maybe... Do you know why these demons are a little different? There smell is a bit...off."

     "These are Nomu. Genetically modified humans."

     ":o They must be using Muzan's blood! Flashy!"

     "Actually... Now that you mention it.. I get the sinking feeling that this Muzan guy you keep mentioning.. is back...because they aren't acting the same way they used to..." Noting how now, all of a sudden, these Nomu had a hankering for blood.

     "Yeah, you're right about that... Genya was also right for suggesting we meet him here. .. I can definitely smell his presence..but it's faint. And all these demons strewn about are really making it difficult to pinpoint him."

     "Hm..." Deku fidgeted with the mask on his face. "How about we work together?" Reaching out his hand. "I'm looking for someone too at the moment... A villain known as All For One... Maybe we can help each other out." Through the mask, Tanjiro caught a glimpse of Izuku's two, caring, genuine eyes. They were such young, innocent windows into his conflicted soul.

    The man's smile suddenly grew, snatching up the kid's hand and shaking it vigorously. "Good idea, new son!!"

     "Wai-wai-what?!" Izuku sweat-dropped through the mask.

     "I'm adopting you now!"

     The teen's eyes bulged through the eye holes. "No-not sure my mom would approve of tha--!"

     (⁠ ⁠╹⁠▽⁠╹⁠ ⁠) "I'll marry your mom!"

     "WAIT NO-!"

---------------

     The old man coughed, his voice even hoarser the next time he spoke. "Ya need to eat more, kid!"

     "Huh??" My head spun my grandpa's way, eyes wider, more expressive than they had been in over a year.

     He just pointed at me while frowning. "Y'r thin as a twig!" He coughed again into his arm. A sting shot through my chest. Made my heart shutter and my eyes water. Okay... Now I was a little more receptive to what he had to say.

     ...Since he noticed when no one else did...

     "Grandpa..?"

     "Hm?" The moment he made eye contact, my eyes tore away. Gosh, he really did look a lot like me!

     "Uhm..." I fidgeted with my hands for a moment. Nearly started chewing on my fingernails until I realized what I was doing and stopped myself. "...What do you regret most about your life?"

     "Pssh!" The old man rocked back, slapping his knee weakly. "There's a lot, I can tell ya!" I hummed uncomfortably. He sighed and continued. "T' be honest.. I didn't really have a problem with my life until after I retired... I was so sure I was going to die at war... That mindset never really left me. ...Heh, now look at me. Older than most'a the veterans. ...Hhhhmm... I just wish I'd decided back then to keep living.. Make a life for myself beyond the war and All For One... Maybe... If only I'd become somebody.. I would'a avoided all my other problems. ... What about you, kid? What's been your biggest regret so far?" The old man ended on a smirk, side eyeing me. I swallowed loudly, not prepared for that.

     "I..." My voice was embarrassing scratchy still. "I guess I wish I was better at making friends."

     "Ahh.. and what do you think you're doing that's preventing you from making *cough* any friends?" 

     "...Not talking to people..."

     "So... Do you think you are going to change that?" I sat there for a moment thinking about it. Pulling my legs up to wrap my arms around them, I set my chin on my knees and shook my head, staring down at the grass. The old man chuckled. "Your mother was right when she said you were a lot like me." My face paled even more, hugging myself closely as two small tears entered my eyes. "...She didn't mean anything bad by it!" The old man gruffed.

     "You guys keep saying that, but..how do you expect me to actually believe it; comparing me to the man everyone hates!?" I uttered weakly. I stared out at the horizon again, sniffing back the onslaught of emotions I hadn't felt in so long. "...I don't want to end up like you..."

...

     "..Mm. That's a...good goal." The old man nodded in agreement. "Heh, shouldn't be too hard either... Just use me as an example of what not to do. ...You'll go far, kid.. You really will."

     I didn't look at him, even though I could tell he was looking at me. Instead, I just stared-on ahead. I didn't say anything, even as the word crossed my mind.

     Grandpa inhaled, then exhaled slowly.. calmly. "Reigen...?"

     My eyes flicked his way. "Hm?"

     "Do you mind calling me a friend?"

     "Uh... I...guess not." My head turned to him slowly. What was the old guy even on about?

     My grandpa smiled with a dying warmth in his eyes. "There. ...Now, I challenge you to make more friends than me."

     "What??.. How... How many have you had?" I panicked a little, mostly shown in my eyes.

     With such a sad, yet joyous smile, the old man told me this, "...one." We both stared at each other like that for another minute or so as the warmth slowly faded out of Grandpa's eyes. Then, he slumped onto his side. Surely dead on the porch. I stared for a little longer, mind swirling with denial and confusion. A single tear dripped from my chin in mourning for the old man.

     My voice had been stolen from me completely. There was no point in telling everyone he was dead... Not yet, at least.

     I scooted off of the porch until I landed on the grass. Hands buried deep into my pockets, my gaze stared ahead at the horizon as I shuffled off onto the shore. I wiggled my shoes off one after another using nothing but my other foot. Same with my socks.

     My feet splashed as I took my first bold step in the ocean water. A shiver crawled up my leg. So cold. Hair unhooking from behind my ears, I let the strands dance around with the wind this time. Standing alone, I gave the ocean a cold, detached stare as I waded a little deeper into the sea. The little granules of sand tickled my feet. The cold water steadily crawling higher and higher up my legs.

     Finally I just stopped. The ocean water now up to my knees. My jaw clattered against my top teeth as the warm wind blew cold water all the way up into my face. Even the small waves made me feel weak, like any one of them could easily drown me if I wasn't careful.

     I just stood there like that, letting myself freeze until about an hour later..when finally, the rest of my family noticed the dead man laying on the ground.

     I had the sinking feeling that I was cursed to go down just like him...

     And that feeling never went away.

---------------

     Fresh from the shower, Reigen was quick to dry himself off and get dressed. He stepped in front of the foggy mirror and used his hand to clear away the vapor. At last with his face in view, the man groaned a little to see he still had those dark spots under his eyes. His hair was a little shaggier than usual too, since the local barber moved out. Elyse tried her best to trim his hair.. but he was better off doing that part himself. Still wasn't perfect.

     As the man picked and prodded at the minor imperfections on his face, deciding to shave the extremely faint stubble just to kill time, he thought back for a moment with a hint of pride. Guess.. guess he really was winning at that little 'challenge' his grandpa set for him. He had Mob, Serizawa, Dimple, Elyse, Zeya (maybe), Jin, possibly Gojo now, and somehow even All Might as people he would consider his friends! It was certainly more than his long time fear: having none and living all alone.

     Just had to.. make sure.. he... didn't screw everything up....

     The man sighed. The only person he felt 100% secure, positively knew would never leave him, was Mob. Elyse was coming in close, but of course his paranoia often told him otherwise. And everyone else-- well... They all depended on his lie. IF ever they found out the truth, there was no doubt in his mind they would leave him for good!

     And Mob was a growing boy, slowly transitioning out of his life. Meaning Reigen would have to find his own footing if he ever wanted to live a stable life.

     After Reigen finished cleaning himself up, he exited the bathroom with his suit shirt and pants on, all his wadded up pajamas and everything under one arm. He almost ran into Serizawa on the way to his room, who already had his suit on and looked like he had already been up for about an hour this morning.

     "Oh! Morning, Reigen!"

     "Morning." Reigen offered a simple smile as he passed. But oh no. Was that good enough?? Would Serizawa think he was being rude for not sharing the same level of enthusiasm?? Would he begin to question their friendship?? Reigen shook his head as he entered his bedroom and put everything away. No, surely not... He had at least fourty-nine more mistakes to go before Serizawa left him! A-ha..a-ha... Ahaha...hah.

     Reigen decided to busy himself by checking the emails on the computer while he was in his room. However what started as exclusively business emails slowly transitioned into reading articles about him online. Both the good and the ugly. To his surprise, most were good! Everyone saw him as a hero of sorts for "stopping" Mob! Now, of course there was a lot of debate online as to the how's and why's, but that was to be expected. Reigen found himself a little serotonin, though, reading one article that went a little further to even compliment his looks.

Knock! Knock! Knock!

     "AYO, REGGIE!!" Elyse knocked on his door. "Your employees are waiting for you at the door!" CRAP! He spent too long online and lost track of time!

     "UH- I'LL BE OUT SOON!" He jumped up, shut off his computer, threw on his gray suit jacket, and hurried to spray on some cologne before leaving the room! Now he was just embarrassed! What if Elyse stopped seeing him as a responsible man?? What if his employees lost their trust in him?? What if-- what if--?! Gah!! Really wished his brain had an off switch right about now!

     Luckily, no one really seemed to care. Jin just teased him about it and everything continued-on as usual. They left in a hurry, Reigen too embarrassed to ask they stay a moment longer so he could grab something to eat on the way. On their walk to the office, Gojo caught up with them and strode unusually beside them while talking their ears off about car insurance or something. Reigen wasn't paying attention.

     Entering business mode was a lot less stressful. He was the boss, and therefore could boss everyone around however he wanted... Guess it sometimes made things a little harder: having to think of his subordinates as his friends too and all that. Made for a rather difficult tightrope to walk. For the most part, though, everyone knew that when he was in business mode to simply not view him the same as a friend. Made the load on their dynamic a whole lot lighter. But still, he had to juggle three different faces at once by this point!

     Now with Gojo here, it was painfully apparent how short Reigen was! He was about average height. Felt tall whenever Mob worked for him, now felt short, since every one of his employees were taller than him... Well darn.

     The office itself was placed in what was now called a Level Two District. The rate of crime was enough for everyone to be on alert, but as long as you had powerful employees like Reigen had, you should be fine. And by this point, Spirits And Such was a big enough name that people were often willing to drive out this far to reach him. Though...he was considering moving his business elsewhere.

     Things had fallen into a bit of a routine for the men working here. Reigen would sit at his desk and go over everyone's schedule. He would assign jobs having to do with community service to Jin, ones having to go with exorcisms to Serizawa -- and sometimes Hanazawa, and ones concerning consulting to himself. Gojo was still a bit of a wild card, for now mostly given odd jobs like cleaning the bathroom and calling to check in on his fellow employees every now and then. So, essentially he was just Reigen's errand boy doing all the jobs the blond was too annoyed with at the moment.

     Business was rather smooth today. He had a few clients show up, though most just called on the phone. Other than that, it was a pretty calm day. The problems came when lunch came around. When Reigen had to start excusing his stomach for interrupting the clients. Gojo made a few comments on it, but there wasn't really anything anyone could do at the time. That was until...

     The phone rang, the tall, white haired guy picking it up immediately. "Spirits And Such~ how many we help you today~~? ... Why yes! He's right here in his office! You're coming inside? Well alright then~!" And he hung up there.

     "Who was that?" Reigen asked flatly.

     Gojo groaned. "No idea.." leaning back in his chair. Reigen sat there tensely for a moment, anticipation building as the minutes passed. About ten minutes later, someone did appear at the door. Someone important. Someone worthy enough to have two bodyguards accompanying her.

     She was a tall, lavender haired woman with thick curls of hair and a black fedora worn tilted on her head. The rest of her business casual outfit matched the simple but dolled up nature of her face. Lips glossy. Dark purple skirt and low hanging earrings to match. White dressy shirt tucked in. She was obviously somebody important. That twinkle in her golden eyes said so at least.

     Not important enough for Reigen to recognize her, apparently. He'd just have to introduce himself like she were any other customer. Who knows~ this might just be a BIG business opportunity!

     "Why hello there and thank you for taking the time out of your day to come to my office! May I uh.. offer you some tea?"

     "I never do this kind of stuff in person, but I thought I'd come and see what your cute little business looks like in person~.." The woman placed a hand on her hip as she stood in the middle of the room. Her two large bodyguards hung back, shrinking Gojo's field of view. "I was wondering if I could offer you something, actually."

     "Ah! Oh really?.. Whaaaat might that be?" Suddenly, Reigen's stomach growled. He swiftly covered his stomach with his hands and sweat nervously. "Sorry.. Haven't eaten yet today.."

     "Oh really..? How about we get something to eat then? We can discuss the offer there."

     "Good idea!" It was lunch time anyways. He stood up and brushed out some for the wrinkles in his jacket. "There is a ramen shop just down the street we could-"

     "-Actually, I was thinking something a little...cleaner.. might be better. As much as I do love this city, it, um.." She wore an obviously fake smile. "It's food doesn't exactly live up to my finer tastes."

     Remembering how much of a sloppy eater he could be, 'Maybe it would be better not to eat in front of her then...'

----------

     The two decided on eating at the finest restaurant in the district as something of a middle ground between them. The bodyguards thankfully didn't follow, instead just hanging out in the car not far away. As they were seated at the table for two, Reigen folded his hands together on the wood while smiling calmly. "So! Mind if I have a name for the person I am doing business with?"

     The woman dropped her menu on the table, awestruck. "You telling me you got in a stranger's car with two burley men, not even knowing my name??"

     Now realizing the error of his ways, the man sweat profusely. "Well, ah.. uh... You did promise to pay."

     "Hhhh. Pff." She actually chuckled a little into her hand, which was, judging by the way she looked around and tried to hide it, not something she did often. "I'm Evelyn Deavor. Host and director of the Late Night show known simply as Dining With Deavor... We don't actually dine. I know everyone asks that. Just a few snacks to set the mood. --Point is. I'm asking if you would like to be a guest on my show."

     "Waitwaitwait," Reigen rubbed his temples. "Oh! I recognize you now!" The only reason he did was because he remembered hearing about her being canceled around the same time he was last year. Apparently, she lost thirty pounds just so that she could tease one of her guests for being overweight. That...wasn't exactly the kind of show Reigen wanted to be on, now that he thought about it. Especially with a host so dedicated to stunts like that. "Congratulations on keeping that lost weight, by the way." With that simple compliment, he successfully put the woman in a position to explain herself without making himself look like the prying one.

     "Eheh.. about that." The woman stretched the collar of her white shirt. "It's really sad that the stunt I pulled back there is the biggest thing I am known for, especially since I have done so much more good than harm! I may have gotten a little carried away with Dexi, but ask anyone who knows me and I can assure me they will comment on how much I have grown lately as a person!.. I was wandering is all. Just trying to stir up drama for fear of losing views. But now... Now I am set on a righteous path; trying to help people see the world better...from a Quirkless point of view.." Placing a hand over her heart, the woman smiled genuinely. That last part caught the man's attention. He shifted a brow.

     "..You're quirkless?"

     "Why of course! And proudly so!. With the Quirkless population only making up twenty percent of people now, I believe it is important that we stand strong together and not let the new status quo push us around, calling us weak and useless. It was we who built the society that everyone now stands on, and so it just feels unfair to allow ourselves to be ostracized from said society... This doesn't mean I discriminate against people with quirks like you. Oh no! I am not one of those people! What I am more about is making a safe space where the Quirkless can feel just as involved in today's matters as everyone else, seeing as we are all vital human lives, after all."

     Folding his hands together, reigen placed his elbows on the table and his his mouth behind his hands, staring intently ahead at the woman for a moment. "Okay.. then why would you want me on your show?"

     "To be honest, it's mostly just because of how illusive you are. You've been refusing the public eye left and right! I'm just wondering what's going on in that big head of yours is all.."

     "Hmmm..." Reigen stared out the window to his right. As he thought things over, the waiter showed up and took both of their orders. The man returned to staring aimlessly afterward at the near-empty streets. Evelyn was polite, allowing him to think. She busied herself in the meantime by texting people on her phone. Finally, after their steaming, radiant food had been served, the man opened his mouth to speak. "I'll have to talk to a few people about it first. ...To be honest, my biggest reason for avoiding the spotlight is because I screwed up so badly last time."

     "Hmhm, I heard about that. The press conference afterwards was rather impressive, though~"

     "Ffffffff...thanks." The man broke apart his chopsticks and started to eat. Slowly, this time. Careful not to embarrass himself in front of such a high class woman.

     Probably why Elyse was such a rarity in his eyes. Despite being so rich now, the woman's poor background meant she was far less judgemental; heck, she was the one with bad manners sometimes! In comparison to eating before Evelyn, Reigen definitely preferred Elyse!

     "--I understand if you need a little more time. While your guest appearance hasn't been announced yet, I would prefer for you to make a decision sooner than later, since I would like this Q&A to take place while you are still relevant. Got it?"

     "One more thing." After swallowing. "You're not going to try to slander Kageyama, are you? That's another reason I have been refusing to do any interviews."

     The woman, smiling, crossed her chest and extended her pinkie to the man. "I promise you that this will not be about Kageyama."

     "Psh, a little childish, don't you think?" Referring to the pinkie finger ready for a shake.

     "You only live once." Smirking back. Reigen copied. He extended his own hand and their two pinkies interlocked. "I hope to see you on the show."

----------

     This allyship between Deku and Tanjiro would hopefully prove to be useful for the both of them. For now, they parted ways until further notice. Tanjiro gave Deku a small canister of a rare, strong scented flower. If ever the teen was in trouble, he was instructed to simply open it, which would alert the good demon to his location almost immediately.

     Apparently, Tanjiro already had an amazing sense of smell before, but becoming a demon only enhanced that ability. Tanjiro also had a sister somewhere in the city apparently. The two just split from each other for a little while to divide and conquer their weaker prey.

     Deku preferred hunting demons over real criminals. He didn't have to worry about holding back, or whether or not he would only be leading the villains to their death by taking them into custody. If they deserved it, then they deserved it..but that never stopped the boy from hoping these people could change.

     It became blatantly obvious that All For One was sending out goons to hunt down the boy. Each and every one of them were easily taken out. It was almost too easy.

     But. Then again... AFO was probably getting pretty desperate.

----------

     "Sorry I'm a little late!" All Might panted, a lunch box neatly wrapped up in a baby blue cloth. "How are you doing, by the way?"

     "Good..." The boy's voice was scratchy. He hadn't said a word in over a day. Tanjiro had given him a few breathing tips for preserving his breath and increasing his stamina as well, so the teen was trying out those as well.

     The blond, quirkless mentor -- who wasn't Reigen -- twitched hearing the strain in his student's voice. "Deku??... Have you gotten any sleep?"

     Deku flinched, freezing mid grabbing the box from his mentor. He hadn't really thought about sleep. His mind was so focused on fighting crime, improving his own skills and abilities, as well as tracking down Japan's current biggest threats.

     "I... No.. but that doesn't matter. I think we're getting close."

     "So what if your close if you're too tired to fight?!" Toshinori made a valid point. Deku stood there silently. ...He was right. He couldn't risk losing all his strength by the time the big fight came around...so he had to find him faster!

     "I-.. I- I've got to go.."

     "What?! But your dinner!"

     "Maybe later!"

     "WAIT!"

SHWOOOSH!

     The teen shot over the rooftops, where he completely vanished from sight. The rain started to downpour on the elder's head... In the end, wherever even Deku deemed his assistance worthless... he had no way to help. All Might stared forlornly at the ground. What was he even supposed to do?

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     He was in more of a hurry than before. Deku ran, swung, and flew from place to place, heartbeat rampant as he searched for the thing he simply couldn't find!

     No matter how many men he interrogated, he simply could not get the right information out of them.

     "Hey!! Slow down, Deku! Chasing after somebody?!" Tanjiro shouted from the the rooftops beneath him, sprinting and leaping to keep pace. He didn't receive a response, so he sniffed at the air. "I don't smell anybody close by!!" 

     "Unless you're going to help me, then just leave me alone!!" The kid snarled. He was agitated. His mind was in so many different places that he couldn't even focus on one train of thought. Obsessively, his eyes scanned for any movement to pounce after! The longer it took to find any clues, the more agitated he got.

     Suddenly, a thin metal strand struck after him, twisting and bending to wrap around the kid. A powerful yank threw Deku off his course, slamming him into the roof. Rubble and dust went flying. Deku coughed as he stood himself back up. Danger Sense didn't go off! Why?!

     "You need to rest!! It isn't good for humans to stay up as long as you have!" Tanjiro waved the dust away with his hand as he approached.

     The boy coughed. "Was that...you?"

     "I am fused with my sword and therefore can manipulate it however I want! Yes, it was me. But that's just because I know you need sleep! Trust me! If there's anyone out there who knows what it is like to suffer through excruciating training and battle, that would be me! But I did all that so kids like you wouldn't have to!! I fought my a## off so you could be better prepared for the trials ahead!! Do you hear me!?! So SLEEP!"

     "I CAN'T!!!" Deku yanked off his mask and threw it to the ground. His eyes were wet, but he didn't have the energy to cry. His breaths were shaky, fixing the demon slayer with a pained frown. He was so torn between emotions. Most of all was a consuming numbness and a voice in his head which repeated constantly: fight. "NOT until I'm done!! NOT until I know everyone is safe!.. Trust me, I'll be fine!!"

   Let's just say Tanjiro wasn't exactly convinced...

     "Fine then.... If you aren't going to listen to reason.." the demon slayer unsheathed his katana again and held it before him at the ready, eyes brightening like a flame. "Then maybe it's time for some tough parenting love!! Do you want to hear a bedtime story or would you prefer I sing you a lullaby!!?"

     "NO!" Deku crouched up and down again and again really fast to build up momentum, One For All charging up in his legs.

     "That's not an answer!!!"

     Deku grabbed his mask and pulled it back on over his face, then used Black Whip to latch onto a couple short towers on the roof and slingshot himself out of there! Tanjiro followed, on a true hunt now. His speed was inhuman. More than that! Somehow, he still managed to keep up with the kid even as he shot through the air! Of course, Deku had yet to build up enough momentum! He would have to do that as he ran.

     The chase was brutal. Weaving through buildings and rocketing through walls! The elder was a little slower, but he made up for it by perfecting his maneuverability. Where Deku tripped and stumbled on the slick, rain drenched metal and rock, Tanjiro expertly parkoured, even using what tripped the teen up to his advantage!

     Deku's breaths were raspy, brought nearly to his end...until he had all the extra jumps and kicks in, all charged up to flee. He used black whip again on the sides of two buildings. Tanjiro's blade extended, cutting through the right one. That threw the teen off a bit. He was forced to run some more until, between two buildings, he tried the same move again. This time, there was no time for the demon slayer to catch up. Deku slingshot out of there again, this time at the speed of a screeching bullet!

     His momentum only slowed after he stood high above the cold. The air was so thin. He couldn't catch his breath in time and got light headed. As his vision darkened, Deku thought quickly and shut off his Float quirk, allowing him to again plummet. The icy air tore at his face as he descended, the wind snatching any breath he tried to inhale. 'I can't...breathe.' He choked.

     He blacked out. In fact, he surely would have died of not for the intervention of Shigeo's power inside of him, which took control the moment Deku's mind slipped out and created a bubble of air...allowing the boy's body to breathe. Shallow, raspy breaths pried the teen's lungs as Shigeo's quirk used the boy to look around at the world he slowly greeted via descent.

     He landed up in a torn up park. The very one that had been so savagely ravaged by the same power not long ago, and set the struggling boy down gently. In on his sleep, the teen's breaths were more like pathetic gasps for oxygen. After being set down on the struggling grass and mud, he lay there for a little while recovering slowly. Shigeo's power slowly slipped away, back into a mode of hibernation..allowing the rain to bombard the side of his face.

     Tanjiro found the green haired boy eventually, disturbed by the sad sight. Softly, the ancient one hummed a gentle tune as he dropped to his knees and checked that the young hero was alright. His breaths were terribly strained, skin a little too pale, but other than that he seemed alright. Calmly, he scooped the boy up in his arms and carried him out of that cold, dark, lonely place, in search for somewhere dry and safe.

----------

     Elyse plopped on Reigen's bed, laying on her stomach as she held her phone before her. "From what I can tell, the woman is very into identity politics all of a sudden. Everyone Q&A typically has something to do with quirkless people versus non quirkless people. She's also a public hero hater."

     "Yeahhhh, that's what I got from her too.." Reigen sighed, already sitting on his bed, back leaning against the headboard. On his bent knees rested a laptop. The two both researched this woman and what they could expect from an interview of sorts with her. "...From what I could tell, she didn't seem to have any ill will. Well, not much at least. I still get the sinking feeling that this is all just a trap."

     "Hmm, you're not wrong there.. Looks to me like her show has turned into more of a debate room. She's probably going to ask you a lot of probing questions... And, unfortunately it looks like she might use that free lunch against you. Seems here she likes to use those who refuse to come on her show as bragging points... No doubt she would make you look really bad to her audience by telling everyone she sat down to have lunch with you and still you wouldn't come."

     "Hhrm." The man squirmed a little, repositioning himself in bed to hold the laptop closer to his face. He switched from all the windows about his opponent to the ones about himself, hoping to cheer himself up a little. All the nice compliments and fan groups. He knew where to go for all of that now.

     A hand landed on his concealed foot and he reflexively tore it away. Again, the hand smacked down on it. Reigen tilted the laptop away, eyebrows scrunched on his face as he looked over at the woman grinning mischievously, staring at her catch: his foot under the blanket.

     "What are you? A cat??" He wiggled his foot free again. Elyse caught it with both hands now and pulled it towards her, hugging the shape of his ankle and foot under the blanket.

     "My precious!" She mimicked a gremlin voice. Reigen blushed as he laughed.

     "Alright, what is this about??"

     Laying her head on the man's ankle as she hugged the limb tightly, the woman yawned. "Just tired..."

     "M..." The skin around where she hugged was filled with a tingling warmth. His cheeks stayed a little heated, even as he tried to return his attention to the computer screen.

     'You don't deserve this.' 'You can never have her.' 'Enjoy this whole it lasts, because she will leave you eventually.' 'What could you even do to repay her kindness? You have nothing of value to give.' 'Eventually she will find out just how much of a fraud you are; she will leave you for sure.' The voices in the back of Reigen's head nagged like a curse, chasing away the warmth in his chest. It was replaced by a cold, bitter feeling that only granted him pain.

     Reigen slipped his leg free again, crossing them now as he sat up in bed. He searched up his name on Google again, delighted to find a piece of fan art in the pictures section. "Hey, look at this!" The excitement forced him to reveal what made him so happy. Elyse smiled and chuckled a little, but she neither commented nor looked very long. She let her eyes slip nearly shut, flicking at the blanket on his bed to kill some time.

     Finally, she groaned a little and rolled onto her back. "Hhh, I think you should do it." Folding her hands behind her neck.

     "What??"

     "Yeah. I mean, you're a pretty good debater. And if we go over your talking points ahead of time, that should even out the playing field.. don't you think?" Eyeing the man lazily.

     Reigen closed the laptop and slid it off of his lap, staring at the high ceiling instead to think. "...Guess that could work..but why?"

     "Simple." Smiling tiredly. "A debate is all about discussing your view of the world with another and judging whose most accurately describes reality. If you want to help her and her viewers see the world with a little more hope in their eyes, then this debate might actually do the world some good."

     Reigen uncrossed his legs and leaned back again. "...Hm.. Yeah, I guess it wouldn't hurt to give it a try." Sure would be a lot of extra work preparing for this, though.

     Elyse scooted off of the man's bed and walked up to him, smirking as she leaned in and kissed his nose. "Good night.." She whispered. A brief moment of warmth sprouted in his heart again.

     "Good night."

     As the woman left, however, the whispers in his head began to stir loudly. Even as he watched her smile, turn off his bedroom light, and wave before closing his door. They just wouldn't shut up.

     'She's going to hate you, no doubt.'
      'She's just looking for an excuse to leave.'
       'Elyse would be better off with someone else.'
         'She would be better off alone than with you.'
           'You're going to corrupt her for sure.'
            'Sit and watch as you slowly take away her smile.'

               'You are going to die alone.'

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