i could talk about a lot of things right now. like how much my eyes burned as i forced them open, making sure that the one guy couldn’t move anymore… it was the only way for us to win the battle. that didn’t stop me from getting my hands dirty though. yeah, i had someone watching my back… funny how she’s done that two times now!

still. i had to get involved, too. neither of us could do this on our own. maybe for a little but we needed to buy more than a little time. for our own sakes. i grab one of the puppet things and start swinging it around. it’s brittle and as its body breaks against one, debris fly into another and its fast enough others start falling in its place.

that is until…

farrin does it. he brings the battle to us only for it to end and skoll’s right here… and farrin’s over there… but alive.

“go check on him! i’ll check on this guy…” i point kirara to the docks so and i head to… maybe a new friend… his mind has to change now, right? i kneel down. he looks super beat up.

“you look pretty rough man…” i look back at the other two. “i don’t know about them but i think everyone deserves second chances. so whaddya say…” offer my hand. “friends…?”

“No.”

“okay…” sigh. i don’t want to do this, but he made it very clear. i stand back up and i stomp on his head. gears and cogs and worst of all oil. “aww man it’s all in my sock. i gotta get those new shoes like right now don’t i?”

shaking my foot i walk off. i dont get to see any fancy survivors. i dont even get to check on that one guy but that’s okay kirara will take good care of them. the same way i’m going to take care of my foot as soon as i got something to put on it.

“off to the shoe store… doo doo doo doo”

---

“oh yeah sounds great.” it was always nice to work together with people instead of them trying to kill you for sleeping in their trashcan. sometimes you fill up on their scraps, get a tummy ache and nap, but this wasn’t like those times at all. instead we kept slammin these puppets and knockin’ ‘em down even though, like, it didn’t put much of a dent in anything.

but i could do this all day really. pow. it’s just a matter of persistence. smack. but if i didn’t have to that’d be a lot better so i’m hoping that other guy has a plan or something since we’re just two little dunces tryna our best to live. bonk.

oh.

a signal.

my eyes follow his direction and look at the original. my eyes glow, my hair stands up, and if he really is the original, then this should nullify his quirk…

“if i blink, my quirk stops. i need extra cover… please..?” hopefully she helps. if not well that’s okay… i’m used to doing things on my own.

---

“i was lookin for shoes...” i lift up mine and the bottoms flop down. not the kind of flip floppin’ people associate with flip flops but i feel that’s a more apt name for these. there’s a clear view of my dogs for him to see.

oh right. time is linear. let’s jump back to where i’m on top of the one puppet and it’s all broken and stuff… it never really stood a chance. but it looks like he can make a lot of them. so i guess if i stop him from doing that it should be pretty annoyin right? i def lost track of which the original was when i fell to the ground so… that’ll be tricky. hmmmm.

“hey which is the original again?” i call out. “i need to look at him again i accidentally blinked.” they prolly don’t know what that means. “if i look at him i can turn his quirk off. then maybe we can beat him up and buy some shoes after or somethin’? mine are really worn out!”

uh oh.

that’s an army marching this way. i can tell because it’s like a human sized millipede and they rarely got that big and when they did they didn’t make this many thuds but it was like close enough, i think. it also could’ve been like elk or somethin too.

“okay does anyone have a plan or do i just have to punch these until they’re all broken?” i’m swinging my broken bat which broke again — the tape didn’t hold — so i was using both sides to tear these apart. but i’d get swarmed eventually, i think. and if i can’t move then whatever that guys wants to do is gonna happen which i think involves destroying the shoes store that most likely isn’t here.

but if it is…

---

yknow, i thought this would be goin better but i was still enjoying tryna hit them. at some point it became more about the journey than actually gettin them all. almost like a game we were playin… one of the happier times i’ve tried to kill something after it tried to kill me. well, i think they’re tryna kill me. what else would they be doin’, yea?

“okay,” i listen to her and stop playing with the bugs. “sorry, friends. murder another day, maybe? but not today! make you sure you escape, too, i think there’s gonna be exterminators soon.”

they prolly have no idea what i’m saying.

how sad.

“oh i’m rem btw it’s not really my name because i wasn’t born with one and when i was given one it was haku but that one kind of hurts to hear right now cos my friend died so i started going by rem so i’d like for you to call me that instead of haku. thanks.” that should clear everything up! “yeah, sure i can jump.”

there’s a little crater where i land and i look back up to her. “oh wait.” i jump back up to where she is. “did you want me to carry you down by the way?”

if not i guess i’ll just jump down again… maybe catch her?

---

wow. so many people here… it was a bit overwhelming. normally is group settings i was chased off with a broom or they threw some raw meat on the sidewalk to get me to leave. i knew better than to come back because the first time i ever returned for more food was the first time i had ever been shot. fortunately they missed anything fatal! i thought about going back to help them with their aim but you know… that’s prolly not for the best considering the target. and the fact they wouldn’t even reward me with meat anymore.

“okay…” i whispered back to arsenal. just talking to tough to make their other friend feel better… i just hope she wasn’t lying to me. but i’d trust her. because unlike the other times i turn quirks off she didn’t get scared and run or attack me. “i’m sorry i overreacted.”

i blink.

but that’s my cue i think, actually.

“i don’t know who the elementalist is but if they needed help nullifying his powers they should’ve asked me!” i don’t realize the hole i’ve dug for myself. especially in this room of all rooms. “but they prolly don’t know who i am… just like i don’t know who any of you are—”

a man walks in with a giant monster and easy, simple introduction.

“i think this guy has the right idea! we should also introduce ourselves so we can help each other when we need it yeah? i’ll go next.” i clear my throat. ahem. “hello! i’m rem. when my friend old man yams died, i plucked his eyes and took over shinjuku. all i had to do was kill that tsukishima guy! but it’s okay i think cos he was kind of a mean person anyway.” there that should sort everything out! “okay, who’s next?”

---

“yeah sure i’ll follow you.” normally people tell me to get away and pull out some blunt or sharp object to threaten me with! guess i must have gotten lucky with who i ran into. there’s some people out there who would push you into the bugs… not even to save themselves, just because they could! what a crazy, crazy world we live in.

then it hits. almost cry. dont want to see me die? that’s so kind…. so few people have ever wanted that… and usually it was just in a fleeting moment. but she saved me once and was going to save me more. i’ll follow her to the ends of the earth and make sure she’s safe, too.

“wow you’re observant.” i really couldnt see much tbh. so i missed the whole uau student thing even though i wouldnt have thought much of it. “yeah ever since i put these new eyes in my head things have been a lot harder to see. i’m thinkin they have to heal more is all.”

“anyway,” while she was busy picking stuff up there were some bugs coming over. “while you handle that i’ll deal with the bugs.” i rip off a nearby door and trying using it as a fly swatter. it’s a bit harder than it looks though… but i keep swingin’! “don’t worry i’ll get ‘em!”

---