Of Monsters and Men

It had been two weeks.

Two. Damn. Weeks.

And he'd had no luck finding his suspect.

Every night, he'd been out searching. Patrolling the city by air, scanning the streets and investigating any little disturbance he came across. And although it did have the unintended side-effect of making him stop more petty crimes than normal, it had all revealed nothing.

Rei had been searching in her own way as well. Combing through camera footage all across the city whenever she could, all while keeping an eye on police scanners and the Hero Commission's lines of communication; if anyone saw their suspect, she'd know about it.

Then, when he wasn't patrolling at night, he was using all his time – even going so far as to skip his trips to the beach – continuing Rei's search while she slept. But still, nothing.

Until today.

On a whim, Rei had looked into a report to the police – they were grasping at straws at this point – and found a complaint that someone was living in an abandoned building.

Now, this wasn't exactly an unusual occurrence; Musutafu was a fairly large city after all, so someone squatting in an old house wasn't really surprising. But when she investigated it, she'd also found that all cameras in the area had been destroyed, or otherwise deactivated. That was a bit more unusual. Combine it with the fact that the complaint also mentioned that the person was seen carrying weapons – specifically, blades – and it was enough to warrant an investigation the following night as Oni.

So that's where he found himself once the sun had fallen. He'd dressed in his vigilante outfit – thankfully, he'd found someone to repair his mask pretty quickly. Going patrolling those few days without it had made him feel off in a way really didn't enjoy. – and had brought out more quirks than what was probably necessary. He had more enhancers out than he normally used, his claws had already been pulled from his chest and only needed to be activated, and his healing quirk sat right on the edge, ready to be used at a moment's notice. Once he was prepared, he headed to the location Rei had found.

He was standing on a roof, just across the street from the abandoned building; an old house that looked to be on its last legs, ready to collapse at any moment. As he considered the possible fight that was likely ahead of him, he pulled his wings in for the first time in what was probably years; they would do nothing but hinder him if it came to a fight. He scanned the house with 'Spectrum', and found nothing; thermal and x-ray had both revealed it to be empty.

He wasn't sure if it was a good thing or not that nobody was there.

If nothing else, he could at least investigate the house, maybe he'd learn whether or not it was actually his suspect that was living there.

Just as he was about to activate his newest quirk, – the one from the Trigger dealer disaster, that he'd taken to calling 'Ghost��� – he felt 'Proximity' ping something behind him.

His instincts screamed at him. He didn't think, he just moved.

His hand darted up – scales already flashing across it – as he spun around, catching the sword that had been swinging at his neck. As soon as it was in his grip, he squeezed, shattering it and sending razor-sharp shards of metal dropping to the ground. The blade was dropped, discarded, and another, seemingly pulled from thin air, was immediately thrust towards him. He jerked his body to the side, hard, to just barely avoid it.

Catching himself before he was completely thrown off balance, he shifted his weight, throwing a punch backed by more than one strength quirk.

His attacker danced out its path, spinning to send the knife slicing through the air towards him once more.

He caught it, destroying it just as he had the first one.

Before they had a chance to draw yet another blade, he pulled on another speed quirk, adding to those he'd already activated. With the resulting boost to his movements, he pushed forwards, throwing a series of punches that forced his attacker back.

Despite the speed he was utilizing, not a single one landed. They twisted and spun and ducked around each one.

When they neared the edge of the roof, he jumped, flipping in the air to drive his heel towards the attacker. They moved aside just in time to avoid the strike that sent small cracks spiderwebbing from the point of impact

The two then broke apart, backing several steps away to observe the other. the entire encounter had taken only a moment.

"Oni. The famous vigilante." His attacker started, barely even breathing heavy. "You're not too bad. It's good to see that the rumors were not exaggerated."

"I could say the same about you Stain… You are definitely just as ugly as the rumors say."

"Okay. Shit." He heard Rei in his ear. "Good luck, be careful."

Stain didn't respond to that. Instead looking over Oni's shoulder.

"I thought you had wings."

"I thought you had a nose."

The other vigilante sneered – though it didn't look quite right without a nose. He was just baring his teeth.

"Enough. Why are you here, little vigilante?"

"Funny, that's actually what I wanted to ask you. Why are you in my city?"

"I am here, to accomplish my mission of clearing society of the filth of fake heroes."

"Yeah yeah yeah." Oni responded, waving his hand in front of him. "I'm well aware of your ridiculous vendetta against heroes. What I want to know is why you feel the need to do that here. In my city."

He shifted his weight, forcing an appearance of nonchalance, but still ready to move at a moment's notice. "Frankly, I don't particularly care what you normally do. Kill all the heroes you want, just do it somewhere else."

"And why should I do that?" Stain said, taking a step forward.

Suddenly, his presence – pure willpower and killing intent – burst forth, turning the air thick and making it harder to breathe.

"Are you so confident that you could defeat me? I would rather not fight you if I do not have to – you are similar to me, in that you punish those that do wrong – but if you try to stop me, I will not hesitate to cut you down."

Oni took a step forward as well, his own presence growing to match Stain's. Despite his wariness of the infamous Hero Killer, he was no pushover. "I'll admit, I don't really like my chances if I had to fight you; your quirk is a pain to deal with. But you're still going to leave Musutafu."

"Again. Why would I do that?"

"Because I'm going to motivate you, Stain. One word from me, and my location gets pinged to the local police and to the Hero Commission. Which means that every police officer and hero, big and small, in all of Japan is going to know exactly where to find Oni, the infamous vigilante. Which, coincidentally, also means that they'll know where to find you, and your little hideout over there."

He heard Rei in his ear. "Yep. It's ready. Just give me the word and I'll send it."

The two of them had come up with this in the two weeks they'd been searching. He wasn't stupid enough to believe that he could just convince Stain to leave, and he would much rather avoid a direct fight if he could. So, blackmailing him into leaving the city seemed like the best choice.

Stain's sneer grew larger, and his anger was almost palpable in the air. "And what's to stop me from killing you before they get here? And then going after the little friend that's been talking in your ear-."

Oni's fist impacted right where Stain had been standing, the force of it causing the building to tremor slightly. The vigilante had jumped out of the way just in time to avoid becoming a splatter on the roof.

He looked up at them, eyes shrouded in shadow.

"Stain." Oni's voice sounded out, shaking the air around them with the force of his anger. "I'm warning you now. If you even think those words ever again, there exists no force on this planet that could stop me from tearing you apart."

He glared at the other, doing his best to communicate just how fucking serious he was. In that moment, he was prepared to draw on everything he had to destroy the man, his own life be damned.

"Now." He continued, taking a deep breath and attempting to compose himself. "You are going to leave my city. Tonight. Or your 'mission' will end here and now."

He heard a growl rumble from Stain's throat and noticed his hand tightening around the handle of one of his knives. "I cannot do that, little vigilante. My primary target is still walking the streets. He is the reason I ventured so far from my normal hunting grounds in the first place."

"Oh really?" He asked, feigning interest. "And what's this hero guilty of? Because the last one you killed was only committing charity fraud. Hardly enough to warrant death."

"Well?" He continued when Stain hesitated. "Did they jaywalk? Or maybe they stole someone's purse?"

"Oh! I Know! Maybe they littered the last time they were at the beach. I know that, personally, that one would annoy me just a little."

"Try child molestation." Stain bluntly stated, not showing any reaction to Oni's attitude.

Oni froze, blood running cold as something squirmed in his gut. He narrowed his eyes at the other.

"What did you just say?" He asked, his voice barely above a whisper.

"My target is a child predator." Stain said. "I've confirmed seven victims over the last four years. That is why I cannot-"

Oni barely heard the rest of whatever Stain had said, the sound of his voice fading into the background as his hearing was drowned out by the roaring in his ears. His vision quickly followed suit, fading to black as a memory overtook him. One that he would've given anything to not have to remember ever again.

Sweaty hands gripped his arms hard enough to bruise. Stubble scratched at his neck as a breathy voice whispered in his ear. The sickly-sweet words it spoke slithered into his mind, separating it from the rest of his body. He couldn't move, no matter how much he struggled. He couldn't even speak.

There was pain. So much pain. But he couldn't do anything. He couldn't even scream. Why couldn't he scream? Why couldn't he use his quirk?-

---

He clenched his jaw as the roaring in his ears got louder and the memory switched itself out for another. His heart was thundering in his chest. It felt as though it was trying its best tear itself out.

---

Harsh words echoed through the alleyway, heavily slurred almost to the point of being incomprehensible. He stared on in horror as the man's hand gripped in a familiar head of pale blue hair, the face it belonged to already bruised and bloody. The other hand was pulled back into a fist as he watched, frozen in place. It was decorated with flecks of blood from where it had already struck.

He finally jolted forwards as the hand came down again, almost moving in slow motion. His legs carried him to the pair as quickly as they could, as his hands stretched out towards them.-

---

A growl tore from his throat as he shook his head, forcing himself back into the present. He looked over at Stain, who was watching him with a curious look in his eyes.

Taking a step towards the other vigilante, with just barely enough self-control to not crack the roof with the force of it – when had he pulled out another strength quirk? – and pointing a clawed finger in his direction, he spoke.

"Who?" He barely recognized his own voice.

---

Stain had encountered a number of noteworthy individuals in the years since he had first undertaken his mission. Heroes, villains, petty criminals, and even vigilantes had all met their end by his hand and at the tips of his blades.

Among those, he had observed many characters. Fighters, cowards, rats, idiots, geniuses, and everything in between.

It's said by some that one's true character is revealed when faced with death. Stain knew that to be the truth, more so than most others.

Some of his victims would cry and beg and plead for him to spare them, or for a miracle that would never come to save them from their fate. Others would scream and spit, cursing his name or the name of his family – now long forgotten – until he finally silenced them. He never truly understood those types. What did they hope to achieve with their words? What was their plan if they succeeded in angering him?

Whatever the case, he never dwelled on it for too long; it was pointless to do so.

A few though – very few – would face their death with some shred of dignity. They would stare him down in silence. They knew that they would die, and that there was nothing to be done about it, so they held their tongue and didn't give him the satisfaction of seeing their fear – not that he ever got any from that anyways, he only ever felt the slightest sense of achievement when he was able to remove one more false hero from the world.

This figure he had encountered tonight, however. Oni. Was an enigma.

His words were joking, but his tone and demeanor underneath were anything but. He wore confidence as a mask so easily that it was difficult for Stain to tell whether or not it was even a mask in the first place. And he went from serious to damn near feral in an instant.

It was difficult for him to get a fix on what exactly made them tick.

He'd heard of the vigilante before, of course. He made it his business to know all the major figures that prowled the underground of whatever city he ventured to. After all, if anyone were to be able to end his mission, it would most likely be one of them. And Oni was far from discreet in his activities.

He was ruthless, cunning, and powerful; a dangerous combination in anyone, let alone a vigilante, someone who actively showed through their daily activities that they were willing to disregard laws and regulations.

It had been slightly puzzling when he'd heard that, despite most of the people he faced landing in the hospital, he never killed anyone. But if he were being honest, he'd say that it was almost pleasant to see. Many of the vigilantes he'd come across, and subsequently ended, had been fools that carelessly threw their weight around, paying no heed as they ended criminals' lives. He'd often found that those particular ones had tried and failed to become heroes – for any number of reasons – and were now taking their anger out on others.

Action, without purpose to back it up, was just as harmful to society as the false heroes he so despised. So, to see one that showed purpose behind their actions – or at the very least did not show wanton, pointless action – was refreshing.

Or at least, it had been, before the vigilante had started tracking him down after he had dispatched his second target, the thief Tectonic.

Stain was far from stupid. He'd already known that this city was Oni's turf - there were rumors floating about that no single criminal existed in the city that the vigilante was not aware of - and one would have to be a fool to not notice the signs that Oni was on the hunt. Rumors spread fast throughout the underground, and he'd heard within hours of claiming his victim that the vigilante was much more active than usual.

So, he hadn't been surprised, then, when he came back from surveying his next target – he never moved against heroes without proper preparation, especially one as troublesome as this one – to find Oni watching the hovel he'd been using as shelter. It had only been a matter of time until they encountered each other.

It was mere moments after noticing the vigilante that he moved forward to strike, moving with a silence that came only with years of experience in life-or-death fights and moving through back alleys and darkness as he had.

It wasn't as if he necessarily wanted to kill the vigilante – though that did not slow his blade in the slightest. He was aiming to kill just as he would with any other – he simply wanted to perform a little test with his greeting.

If he succeeded in killing Oni, then he would know that the rumors surrounding him were overblown and there would be one less obstacle in his path. If he didn't, then at least he would know that Oni was worth speaking to in the first place.

He would admit that he was slightly surprised by the speed of the vigilante's reaction, and the ferocity of his counterattack. His sword had barely been a few feet from him – an instant before it would have struck his neck – when he spun around and caught it in his hand, shattering it. The two traded several more blows in the space of a moment, before backing off, studying each other.

In the following conversation with the vigilante, Stain found himself becoming increasingly frustrated with the other.

Oni was here to force Stain to leave the city, to end his hunt early – something he'd never had to do before –. And while Stain would normally have no qualms ending anyone who would stand in his way, Oni had come prepared.

On top of his combat ability – which Stain was able to gauge after trading just a few blows. Oni would be able to match him evenly, if only for a short time; He only needed one scratch after all – he had claimed to be able to send out his location to every troublesome hero in Japan. That was something that would surely end his hunt in this city. Stain wouldn't even be able to stop it. He felt certain that it would be the person on the other side of the device in his ear that did it.

That was another thing. Oni's reaction to Stain's idle threat towards whoever that person was had been much stronger than he would've assumed. It must be someone he was close to, whether that be an ally or something more. Whoever it was, they were close enough for Oni to disregard his apparent rule against killing. He could tell that the vigilante's threat had most certainly not been idle as his was; the bloodlust alone more than matched up to his own.

Then there was his reaction to Stain revealing the crimes of his target.

The child – for that's what Oni was. Dangerous though he was, extremely so, he was still likely half of Stain's own age – had reacted rather harshly. It looked as though he'd been driven straight into a panic attack.

He briefly considered using that moment to strike. It may be cruel – he had a good guess as to the reason behind Oni's reaction – but he would allow nothing to stand between him and his mission.

Just as he was about to move though, his instincts – instincts that had saved him on more than one occasion – screamed at him and kept him firmly rooted in place.

He got the distinct impression from the vigilante that whatever he was going through in that moment, whatever he was seeing, he was just as, if not more dangerous than he was a minute ago.

He knew that he would not survive if he chose to attack Oni in that moment.

Finally – though it was barely more than a few seconds – Oni snapped himself back to reality. Fixing Stain with a look that held no end of darkness – a swirling mixture of pain, anger, and sadness – he stepped forward and demanded to know who his target was. The roof beneath them trembled with the force of his step, just as the air around them seemed to shake and shudder with his anger.

"Who?"

His voice had an odd, almost layered quality to it as it warbled through the air, just as it had a few minutes ago. Stain found himself wondering just what exactly his quirk was. It seemed to have so many aspects to it – the wings that weren't present at the moment, the horns and claws, the obviously enhanced strength, and now his odd voice.

"Alloy, The Metallic Hero." He responded, watching for Oni's reaction. He was curious to see where this would lead.

"He targets orphans. Children who have no one to care if they go missing." He explained. "He kidnaps them, then covers up his own trail by pretending to care and starting search parties for them. He's actually praised by the public for putting so much effort into looking for the unwanted children."

Stain grimaced as he spoke. He'd put down people that were guilty of any number of crimes. And while he did not do so out of anger or hatred for them – he was simply doing what needed to be done to clean the filth from the world – he could not help but despise those that purposely targeted children. There was a reason that he did not involve children in his hunt; Oni being one of the few exceptions.

Children should not be held accountable for the mistakes they made. They were meant to learn. They were meant to be protected while they could not protect themselves. But, not only was Oni on the threshold between child and adult – Stain wasn't quite sure exactly how old they were – he was also strong enough to fight for himself.

That, and he had put himself in the path of Stain's hunt.

Oni looked away from him ever so slightly – still keeping him within his line of sight – as he spoke, clearly not addressing Stain.

"Confirm everything he's saying." He said, voice rough, presumably to the ally in his ear.

Stain grimaced in frustration at the further delay just to confirm what he himself already knew to be true, but decided not to act on it just yet. The outcome of this new development was still unclear, and he wanted to see where it would lead before moving forward.

The next few minutes passed in silence, the two staring one another down as Oni's ally did whatever they needed to confirm his claims. As he watched, Oni's eyes seemed to occasionally lose focus, seemingly staring at something that wasn't there, before snapping back sharper than they were before.

Finally, he heard a small voice sound out, likely Oni's friend. He couldn't hear exactly what they said, but Oni's entire demeanor shifted almost imperceptibly. The shadows in his eyes, if possible, darkened even further as his will sharpened and focused entirely on Stain. Any lesser person would've found themselves locked in place under that stare.

In a quiet, deceptively calm voice, Oni spoke. "New plan, Stain. You're still going to get the fuck out of my city, but first, we're going to deal with this hero."

Stain quirked an eyebrow at the vigilante's words. "And here I thought you were firmly against killing anyone?"

"No." The other plainly said. "It's not that I have a problem with killing. I simply haven't come across anyone that has deserved to die by my hand. There's not much that someone could do that would warrant my acting as judge, jury, and executioner. The pain I cause is usually punishment enough."

"Besides," He continued. "I won't be the one killing them, you are."

Stain smirked; a twisted quirk of his mutilated face that never failed to set opponents on edge. Despite his confusion at Oni's reaction and his wariness of the other, he liked where this conversation was going.

"What did you have in mind, then?"

---

Oni was silent as he crouched on the edge of a building, watching the street where Alloy would supposedly be using on his way home.

The anger that had shrouded his mind since Stain revealed the hero's crimes, and that had only increased with Rei's confirmation, was still present, weighing him down. Anger at the hero, Alloy, for being such a despicable piece of shit, anger at the Hero Commission for not noticing or doing anything about them, and – most of all – anger at himself for not noticing that there was a damned pedophile working as a hero in his city.

There were very few things in this world that he could not tolerate. Harm coming to his sister, for one; he had been deathly serious when he'd told Stain that he'd tear him apart if he continued that line of thought. There was nothing he wouldn't do to ensure her safety. If it meant keeping her safe, he wouldn't hesitate to tear the city, and everyone in it, to shreds.

Drug dealers, thieves, murderers. He could tolerate those. He'd beat them down and make sure they were captured, sure, but those were not crimes that warranted death. It was a cruel world after all. He knew that firsthand.

Hell, even rapists. He might hurt them a bit more than he did others and, more often than not, take their quirk, but still, he didn't take it upon himself to kill them.

But pedophiles…

He grit his teeth a bit harder as a fresh surge of anger bloomed, tinting his vision red.

That was the one thing he despised more than anything else. The idea of someone hurting a child like that, scarring them in such a way, when they could do nothing to even defend themselves made his blood boil.

Though it had been years since the last time he'd… encountered… one – long before he even became a vigilante – he could still vividly recall the feeling of their blood as it splattered across his face, and as it dripped off his hands. His hatred had not diminished in the slightest.

His hands clenched on the lip of the building, hard enough to cause tiny cracks to start appearing, as he struggled to keep his anger and bloodlust under control. His body trembled with the restless energy that burned through him. 'Wrath' was sending wave after wave of pure adrenaline through him. The sound of his heart pounding in his ears was almost deafening.

He forced his limbs to still, if only a little. He couldn't afford to lose control. Not yet at least. Not until the target of said anger was within his grasp.

The plan to deal with the monster was simple enough; Stain had thoroughly researched them since arriving, noting his habits and daily routine. On his way back from the bar he frequented, Alloy would take this street, passing by the alleyway that was down to Oni's side. When he did, Oni would serve as a distraction while stain used the split second provided to paralyze him before he could use his quirk.

It was a transformative quirk, named Alloy – which is where he got his hero name – that allowed him to turn his body to metal. If allowed to use it, it could prove troublesome to Stain and his ability to paralyze him. Not that it mattered to Oni. All that meant was that-that plan would fail. He could just as easily use his quirks to tear the man apart.

One way or another, Alloy would die tonight.

A few more minutes passed in silence.

Finally, he watched as the man stumbled into view, clearly drunk. Oni felt one more surge of anger, of rage wash over him, before he forced it back down. He needed to focus. He was so close to being able to do something about his feelings. Just another few minutes.

Stepping off the building, he dropped towards the ground. His still-wingless body sliced through the air without a sound.

He landed directly in front of the hero, just a few feet away, not even bothering to pull on 'Cushion' to soften the landing. His legs, enhanced with more than one strength quirk, neatly absorbed the impact. He didn't leave so much as a mark on the sidewalk.

He saw the hero falter and stumble to a halt. Unfocused eyes flickered over him, seeing, but not fully comprehending what was in front of him. It took a moment, but eventually he saw the instant that a bit of recognition flashed over his features. Whether it was recognition of the person standing in front of him, or simply that there was someone there in the first place, didn't matter. In that same instant, Stain appeared behind the hero, almost materializing from the shadows, and brought a knife down on the unsuspecting victim.

"What the fuck!?" Came the slurred yelp, as he spun around. Oni saw metal flashing over the hero's skin as he reflexively brought out his quirk.

All too late, though. He watched as Stain brought the bloody knife to his mouth and licked at it with that disgusting tongue of his. The hero's body immediately stiffened and collapsed to the ground, face down. The only signs that they were even still alive were his breathing – quickly becoming panicked – and the metal which, surprisingly, had continued to spread and now covered his body, despite being paralyzed.

He noticed Stain sinking back into the shadows, content to watch and let Oni take over and do his part.

They had decided that it was Stain's job to immobilize their victim. But Oni…

It was his job to punish them.

He let a smile grow on his face, letting some of his anger slip through at the same time.

"Well now." He started, "Shojiro Tatsuno, otherwise known as the Pro Hero Alloy. I must say that it truly is a pleasure to see you tonight."

He stepped closer to the fallen hero, until he was standing directly over them. Nudging them with his foot, he flipped them over onto their back so they could look up at him. "I see that your quirk still works, despite being paralyzed." He cocked his head, "An interesting thing to note. But don't worry, I won't let that get in the way of our fun."

"But first, let's get you out of sight. We wouldn't want to be interrupted by anyone, now would we?"

With those words he crouched down and gripped the man by the throat. A slight grunt of exertion, and the metal hero was sailing through the air, slamming into the building at the end of the alley. He followed with slow, measured steps a moment later.

Partway down the alley, he paused. "Phantom." He whispered, softly. "You might not want to listen to what happens next. It won't be pleasant."

He didn't hear her respond but didn't pursue it any further. If she wanted to listen, then she would; he wasn't going to stop her.

Closing his eyes, he rolled his head back, tilting to face the sky. Releasing a soft sigh, he let go, and let everything roar to the surface.

He staggered slightly, nearly falling forwards at the sheer force as of all of his anger, his rage, that had been burning through him poured into the alleyway. It filled the space, clogging the air, charging it with something akin to static. He heard the hero's breaths turn even more strangled as it reached him, nearly halting them altogether.

His eyes snapped open and trained on the immobilized hero. All the while, a crooked smile split his face.

Now.

Now, he could lose control.

He dimly noted that, behind him, Stain's hands were tightening around the handles of his blades. An automatic response to the pure malevolence he was facing, even if it wasn't directed at him.

He walked over to where the hero was collapsed on the ground – still conscious, based on the wide, frantic eyes watching him. "You know, I've heard such interesting things about you recently." He spoke softly, drawing closer. "Especially since, up until tonight, I was under the impression that you were a good man."

Oni dropped into another crouch, right next to the hero. A hand grabbed onto the man's face, turning their head and forcing them to look at him as he spoke, his voice dropping to a whisper.

"So, imagine my surprise." He said, "When I find out that you're nothing but a low-life, piece of garbage pedophile, that has preyed upon no less than seven innocent children."

If it was possible, Alloy's eyes widened even more when his crimes were announced, as he realized just what this whole situation was about.

"Now. I could very easily use this information to ruin your life. Release it to the public and sit back and watch as the media – vultures that they are – drag you through the dirt and the public tears you apart. You'd be in prison for the rest of your life before the week is out. And then you'd be at the mercy of the other prisoners. Because no matter what crimes they may have committed, they will show no mercy towards a predator."

"And you're a hero. At least in profession. So there's a good chance that some of those same prisoners were put there by you. I'm sure they'd be absolutely delighted to see you again."

"I give it three days. Max. Before someone slits your throat and leaves you to drown in your own blood."

The hero was shaking now, as much as his paralyzed body could, as his fate was laid out in front of him.

Taking only a moment to enjoy their despair, Oni continued. "Of course, you won't have to worry about any of that. You won't be going to prison."

He saw a modicum of hope enter the wide eyes below him. Only for it to disappear with his next words.

"No. You're going to die, right here in this alleyway."

"P-Ple-!" The man tried to stutter out, before the hand that was holding his head slammed it back into the ground, cratering the asphalt. Part of Oni was glad that the hero's quirk was active; they would be much more resistant to his treatment like this.

"Don't interrupt me." Oni commanded, voice turning sharp in an instant. "I didn't give you permission to speak."

The hero whimpered pathetically beneath his hand. Oni glared at him for a moment, daring them to test his already-nonexistent patience.

"Now. As I was saying. You're going to die tonight." He continued, undisturbed by the tears that were now falling from the hero. "But first. You and I are going to have some fun."

With those words, he changed positions, moving to sit on the hero's chest and placing his hands – missing the claws he so frequently donned – on either side of their face. He stared into the wide, panicked eyes that happened to be the only part of him that wasn't metal.

"I'm going to hurt you, Shojiro, so very much, until you beg me to kill you."

He ran a hand down the hero's face, almost caressing it as he spoke. "Now, normally, this doesn't work when someone's skin has been changed, like yours is now. But don't worry, there are ways around that."

Without any further prompting, he firmly grabbed the side of the man's face, before jamming his right thumb into their eye. He smiled at the blood that gushed up around it, and the scream that tore itself out of their throat, even as he clamped his other hand over the mouth it came from, cutting it off.

"Now now." He said, shushing them. "Don't start screaming just yet. We haven't even truly begun."

He leaned down further and whispered into his ear. "You know, after all the times I've done this to people through the years, I've found out that I can make it hurt so very much if I want it to. But I've never really known if it's possible to kill through the pain alone."

He paused, tightening his hand over the man's mouth as he tried to scream again. "But I'll tell you something. The two of us? We're going to figure that out tonight, together."

With that, he grabbed onto the source of warmth settled in the man's chest, currently spread across his body with the activation of his quirk. He took hold of it, and wrenched it loose. This time, when the screams came, he let them. Removing his hand to let them echo off the walls around them and into the night.

He took his time, removing the quirk as slowly and painfully as he possibly could. As he worked, the metal that covered the hero's body slowly withdrew, forcefully deactivated as his quirk was pulled from him. The man's head – the only part of him that could really move, if only a little – thrashed around as much as his crushing grip would allow. Every bit of movement only increased the pain as it inadvertently dug his finger into the man's eye socket.

Then, minutes later, when the quirk was completely separated and sat nestled in Oni's chest, he reversed the whole process. The quirk was pushed from him and back into its rightful owner. Though he hadn't had many chances to train that aspect of his quirk, Oni knew that it wasn't nearly as painful as when he took.

Leaning back down next to Alloy's face, enjoying the haggard breaths that dragged themselves from his mouth, he spoke.

"Was it worth it?" he whispered. "Taking away those poor children's innocence? Scarring them so profoundly when you are supposed to be a hero, someone for them to look up to, all while they could do nothing to defend themselves?"

Scowling, he dug his thumb a little deeper into the man's eye socket, eliciting a fresh scream.

"No amount of pain I could ever put you through, would ever come close to making things right." His voice dropped a little lower, "But we can give it a fucking shot."

With that, he grabbed onto the quirk, starting the whole process over again.

---

By the time he got up off the man's chest, several rounds later, their screams were almost silent; his throat having been all but destroyed with how many there had been, and the force of them. The only noises that came from him were the soft sounds of small, shallow breaths.

Oni let out a sigh, flicking his hand to dislodge the blood and bits of eye that covered it. Oh, he felt so much better now that he'd done that. He could still feel the anger, but it no longer felt like it was burning him from the inside-out. The pounding in his ears was just starting to fade away as his racing heart began to settle.

He rubbed his clean hand over his chest, right above where the new quirk was nestled. It left a sour taste in his mouth, whether from how he'd just taken it – like using a hacksaw to remove a splinter – or just from the knowledge of where the quirk came from.

Not that it really mattered. Taking it had been satisfying on its own, and it was immensely useful. Once he had a chance to take it for a test drive, rename it – no matter how much he begrudgingly liked its current name – and truly make it his, he'd no doubt feel better about it.

He hummed to himself, observing the very much still alive hero on the ground. "Interesting. So I can't actually kill someone like that. Good to know."

Stain reemerged from his hiding place, watching Oni with a wary look in his eyes. "What on Earth did you just do to him?"

Bending over to wipe the last of the blood off on Alloy's clothes, he responded. "That, Stain, is for me to know, criminals to experience, and you to never find out."

He turned to face the other. "Now. If I were you, I'd finish up here quickly. Those screams no doubt alerted everyone within a block or so. It won't be long before police are swarming."

Just as he said that, he heard sirens sounding off in the distance, proving his point.

"That's my cue." He said, pulling his wings back out, stretching them into the air once they were finally back in their rightful place.

He launched himself into the air, settling on the roof of one of the adjacent buildings, before turning to spare one last glance at the two figures below.

"Remember, Stain." He called down, voice still carrying remnants of the darkness that had been there minutes ago. "Once you're done here, you had better leave my city. Or you'll get to experience exactly what he just did. You have until tomorrow night."

Not waiting for a response, he took off once more, only landing again once the sirens had faded away behind him.

Oni sighed, he was ready to go home and put this whole mess behind him. But first, there was something else he needed to address.

Pulling out his phone, He maneuvered to the familiar contact. He took a moment to gather his story in his head, before starting the call.

"Oni." Came the voice of Tsukauchi. "What is it?"

"I found my suspect." He started, not wanting to waste time. "The one that killed Tectonic a few weeks ago."

He heard the detective stop whatever it was he was doing. "And? Who was it? What happened?"

"It was The Hero Killer, Stain." There was a soft exclamation on the other side. "I've chased him off. He won't be causing issues in this city again any time soon. However, there's been another victim. I couldn't stop him from killing Pro Hero Alloy."

He wasn't completely sure if Tsukauchi's quirk worked over telephone – he was fairly certain it didn't but better safe than sorry – so he purposefully worded his explanation in a way that technically wasn't true.

He really probably wouldn't have been able to bring himself to stop Stain from killing Alloy, had he even wanted to in the first place.

"Shit… Under normal circumstances, I'd be upset that they got away. But if it really was Stain… For now though, I'm just glad that you came out of that safely, and that we won't have to deal with him anymore. And don't worry about Alloy, Oni. It's not your fault that you didn't get there in time."

He hummed in acknowledgement, glad that his half-truth seemed to work, before a thought went through his mind that made a smirk grow on his face. He'd been planning on doing this once he got home, but now… this would work much better.

"About that." He said, forcing a solemn mood through his voice. "You might want to investigate Alloy."

"What? Why?"

"Something that Stain was saying when I confronted him. The reason he targeted Alloy in the first place."

He paused for effect, taking a deep breath. "He claimed that Alloy was a predator. And that he's had several victims over the last few years.

"…Fuck me, that really complicates things." Came the response, surprising Oni. He'd obviously heard the detective curse before, but never so harshly.

"What are you going to do?"

"Well now that we've received a tip about his potential crimes – a hero's potential crimes – we can't not investigate it. Especially not when the crimes are so severe, and so closely tied to his death."

"Good luck. I hope you can dig up every piece of dirt on him there is." He responded. "As for me. Now that this mess has been settled, I'm going to take a week or two off to get some much-needed rest."

"Please take longer." Tsukauchi said. Then, when Oni started laughing, "No, seriously. Please take longer. At least give me a chance to completely catch up on the mountains of paperwork you've been giving me. You've been going crazy the past two weeks. I can hardly keep up with everything you've been sending me. Even that mess with the Trigger dealers has only just been completely cleaned up."

"I'll think about it Tsukauchi." He said. "I'd hate for you to actually be caught up for once. But we'll see."

He ended the call there, cutting off the detective's response.

Oni sighed, walking over to the edge of the roof. Hopefully, he'd be able to let the police and Hero Commission thoroughly investigate Alloy without intervening.

"You realize that means he considers you trustworthy, right?" Rei asked as he savored the breeze.

"Hm? What do you mean?"

"If he's starting a formal investigation, that means that he believes the information came from a reliable source, and that he's ready to state as such to his precinct. Though he'll probably keep your name out of it."

Oni's eyes widened a bit at that revelation, and he felt his mood brighten a bit at the knowledge that Tsukauchi trusted him. It wasn't enough to erase anything that had happened tonight, but it did make him feel a bit better.

Just as he was about to take off into the air, he let out a yawn, surprising himself. He was starting to feel the first hints of exhaustion, left behind as the last remnants of adrenaline from 'Wrath' were fading away.

Oni sagged a little where he stood. He was ready to put this whole mess behind him and hopefully never think about it again.

That quirk really took a lot out of him. It was immensely powerful for in-the-moment situations – provided he could work up the anger to utilize it – but the drain he felt afterwards wore him down every time. And it didn't help that he'd been working harder than normal the past two weeks.

Spreading his wings, he launched back into the air, already heading towards his home. He was looking forward to taking the next week or so off. Maybe he'd try to catch up on some sleep.

A small smile appeared as he flew. That might be nice. It's been so long since he took any time off from being Oni.