The Monster Within [NPC - Tanaka]

Dreams breathe life into men.
The stars... I'll reach them.

When the door was opened Ryuusei's face could only be described as one of genuine surprise... surprise and confusion. The man who opened the door wasn't Tanaka, but yet another soldier - a different face from the one who Ryuu followed a few seconds before, but the same expressions.

The man - still wearing his uniform despite it being off-duty hours - looked Ryuusei up and down. Then, only his head peeking from the door, he started looking around and behidaa the Yuuei student. It was just like the man was making sure that nobody followed Ryuusei to that place.

The young boy was about to talk. Something like asking where Corporal Tanaka was, since that was the man he was told to meet. Bt, before he had the chance, the soldier stepped foot outside the door, closing it behind him without saying a word to Ryuu. The youngest Igarashi even had to quickly move to the side to make sure that the other man didn't bump against him. When the only thing that Ryuusei could see was the man's back he heard only two words.

"Stay there."

And, just like that, the man disappeared in the darkness. There wasn't much that Ryuusei could do, but it all seemed weird, too weird. Why all the moving and waiting, the different soldiers appearing and disappearing? Were they trying to cover the meeting that was to take place? If so, what would be the reason for that?

Ryuusei let himself get lost in those thoughts while he waited outside, leaning against the wooden door. A little more than five minutes had passed when he heard another voice: the third of the night.

"Follow me", the man said without stopping.

His voice was rough and so was the man's body. He had the same structure as Ryuu's father, but seemed way younger... and, at the same time, his presence felt much stronger and menacing. Contrary to the last two man escorting Ryuusei, this one wasn't wearing a military uniform: just some worn out clothes, so dirty and damaged that they could belong to an homeless person. Two things stood out to Ryuusei as he followed the man, who seemed to be, at least, five years older than him. First was the mark on his neck. It depicted the image of what it looked to be like a monster and, seeming almost like a scar, Ryuu was sure that it had been made in the same matter that people mark cows: with hot steel straight onto the flesh. The second, and perhaps even more uncommon, was the huge thing the man caried on his back...

Is that a sword...? - Ryuu wondered looking at the object. It had the shape of one, but it was way to big... almost the same size as Ryuusei himself. It was more like a big chunk of metal, with such apparent weight that one should be able to carry it, much less use it - How the hell does h-

"You're Ryuusei, correct?", the man interrupted Ryuu's thoughts.

Uhm, yes, Ryuu responded.

"That snake-eyed bastard really is going forward with it..." the man thought, before stopping his step and talking again to Ryuusei.

"Down the hall. You'll meet him there."

Yeah... Thanks.

Ryuusei began walking, surpassing the man. A few steps down, heard him for the last time.

"It'll be interesting if we meet again, Ryuusei."

Turning around, Ryuu could no longer see the man that carried that huge piece of steel on his back. That night was getting more and more weird. Ryuusei had been led to the barracks near the locker room he had been in, so why the hell was all that precaution and moving around?

Who the hell is this Tanaka? he questioned as he walked through the dark hall.

Reaching the end, he saw the silloute of a man in the shadows. Keeping a little distance he stopped himself before speaking up to the figure.

So, are you Tanaka Greyson or do I have to walk even more?

The 1-A Vice-President did not know this, but, if Hideaki Ryouta was a potential version of Ryuusei himself, then Tanaka Greyson was the other side of that same coin... and, maybe, the side Ryuusei was getting more close to.

Notes: Secret meeting is secret.
Words: 714.
Tags: Jasmine Noir

Dreams breathe life into men.
The stars... I'll reach them.

Turning to Ryuusei, the figure that the boy assumed to be Corporal Tanaka Greyson revealed itself, allowing the boy that was studying at Yuuei to see, for the first time, the face of the man who wished to see him.

Tanaka looked way younger than what Ryuusei would've expected. His hair was just a little shorter than Ryuu's and seemed to be gray in colour, despite having some clear shades of purple. He had a long face and an equally long mouth, a feature that was  even more noticeable when the man smile. What stood out the most was, however, Tanaka's eyes. They were extremely slinted, just as if they were shut. Ryuusei couldn't even tell the colour of the man's eyes. Overall, Tanaka's expressions were of a serious yet friendly man; of a pretty yet mischievous individual. That was all that went throught Ryuusei's head as soon as he saw the man.

Tanaka approached Ryuu and, with a smile, offered him his hand to shake. Ryuu complied, giving him a firm and strong grip while keep his eyes on Tanaka's face while hearing what he had to say. Ryuusei always thought of himself as a good judge of character, but with Tanaka... he couldn't tell if all that sympathy was real or fake. So, Ryuusei went along with it.

Nice to meet you Corporal Tanaka Greyson. I hope that he has told you good things.

And then, only then, did Ryuu let go of Tanaka's hand. It was after this that he replied to Tanaka's follow up question.

It's been good, I actually like it here - he was, in fact, being honest about this feeling - Being beaten up a bit, working under the sun, the rules and hierarchy... It gives you more of a sense of direction than Yuuei. It's ike in here I can actually find out who I'll become.

The second part wasn't completely true. He didn't like the whole idea of rankings in any way or form and, if Tanaka had heard or eavesdropping on Ryuu's conversations with Hideaki he would know that. Ryuu really just said it to test the man, to see if with that he could a reaction that would allow him to read Greyson in the same way he can get a feel for Lietenant Hideaki. However, the secondd part was also true: as the days went by, he was getting more and more confortable at the camp when comparing to Yuuei.

But why did you call me here, sir? - Ryuu went straight to the point while keeping eye contact and his deattached tone, with no extra comments.

Notes: ---
Words: 439.
Tags: Jasmine Noir

Dreams breathe life into men.
The stars... I'll reach them.

"Follow, please."

Only those two words were enough to reply to Ryuusei. The point of the meeting wasn't something that could be explained, but rather seen - or, at least, first looked at and only then talked about. That  was how Ryuu took Tanaka's short yet strong reply.

It was then that the air got colder: when Tanaka Greyson turned his back to the youngest of the Igarashi household. He walked in a slow pace, his posture as straight as one would expect from a military man with some years of duty under his belt. Ryuusei limited himself to follow with a few steps of distance. But that feeling that the teenager was felling... it bothered him. Actually, it did more than that. It was a scratching beneath the skin, an itching that wouldn't go away, an inconscious alert to the presence of danger. In those dark halls, Tanaka's back had been replaced by a green anaconda, waiting with patience for its prey, inviting any kind of animal to come closer if they dared. Ryuusei knew that Tanaka did not possess any kind of Quirk but, for those first moments, it was as if the corporal had the ability to create unbearable fear among men, The kid wearing the grey hoodie shook of the feeling by replying to Tanaka once again, using the opportunity to distract his brain from that unknown feeling.

That they are, he went along with Tanaka's tone.

The conversation kept going on those rather claustrophobic halls. The oldest man picked up Ryuu's previous choice of words, by what it seemed. Nothing that Ryuusei wasn't expecting from the first impression that he got. The almost blonde haired Yuuei student kept both of his hands inside his hoodie's pockets as he gave an answer to Tanaka's thoughts about his personality and how that wouldn't go along well with the system of the military.

I'm assuming that my leader would be a smart individual and give the right orders. Afterall, your assessment of me is correct.

Once again, a completely intentional choice of words. A leader is only a leader when he knows how to lead. That's how Ryuusei thought. If the leader's decision making wasn't up to the task then it was up for the squad to fill the hole of his mistakes. A squad isn't just supposed to be a mindless machine: they are supposed to be like water, able to shape itself accordingly to every different situation - including the presence of a bad order. That was what Ryuusei meant: following, but it eyes always open... even if the back of the one you're following is a scary sight. Ryuusei also thought that Tanaka would be able to understand very well who Ryuu was thinking about when he said "leader".

They arrived at what it seemed to be their final destination. Ryuusei would never huess that the Semper Fi Camp had such deep and intricate rooms and halls underneath the ground. He was now at what was basically an underground post, with many soldiers on guard. They seemed different though: like they operated off the normal grid of the military.

As they walked towards a almost giant iron, dirty door, each foot stepping into small concentrations of unclean water and mold, Tanaka posed a question to the student. A "general question" as he introduced it himself.

"How far are you willing to go to enforce what you believe to be right?"

They were both now standing still in front of the door. Tanaka with his back still turned to the boy, but looking at his face over his shoulder. At least it looked like it: one could never tell when his eyes were open. However, Ryuusei looked into them. His answer would come quickly, with no hesitation and in the same tone as their entire conversation so far. An answer even more simpler and shorter than the question asked. One single word that was powerful and meaning enough in such context. Yes, that would be clear enough.

Far.

Notes: What lies on the other side of the door?!
Words: 672.
Tags: Jasmine Noir

Dreams breathe life into men.
The stars... I'll reach them.

The door opened.

Two guards, diferente in appearence, were inside the room, as if waiting the arrival of their Corporal. One of the said guards - the largest of them – nodded at Ryuusei, aknowledging his presence. Ryuusei nodded back.

The student that came from U.A. Highschool then just decided to listen - and listen closely he did. By the short interaction between Tanaka and both of his subordinates it seemed that they had entered a prison room. They were three if Ryuusei was not being mistaken by the shadows present behind the guards. Apparently one of them tried to escape and got the punishment deemed deserved by the military. It was na interesting situation, but Ryuu still wondered what such scenario had to do with him. Then, as if Tanaka Greyson could read minds, he spoke.

"Come here, Ryuusei Igarashi."

Ryuusei Igarashi followed, going with Tanaka to the other side of the old metal bars, the place where the three shadows sat, all three of them tied in various places. According to Tanaka’s explanation, they were all death rows inmates. It explained the treatment they were getting. One phrase resonated in specific with Ryuusei, however:

“As you know, murder is enough of an offence to get yourself a death penalty in this country.”

Yes. It was easy to forget that, even in this new society of heroes and villains, one single morder could make in take the place o fone of those three men. It was by accident and, somewhat, in self-defense, but Ryuusei had killed someone amonth or two ago. He wasn’t caught. Should he be the fourth person sitting in that cell?

He brushed off the thought. Erased the notion that he could completely forget that he had killed someone and that, when remembering it, he still felt nothing special regarding it. He simply followed Tanaka with his eyes as the man explained who each individual was and what their story was.

A man that allowed one bad decision to spiral his own life out of control.

A man who had commited horrible crimes, a consequence of the horrible trauma and abuse that himself had been a victim of.

A man with power and influence that cared more about his own pocket than with the state of the world, a personificaion of the system itself.

That was how Ryuusei took in the information, letting the details of each one take more of a backseat to the essence of their self. Having finished those formal introductions, Tanaka got, once again, close to Ryuusei. He placed a knife onto Ryuuseis prefered hand - his left one. Ryuu grabbed it by instict. In the dark room, Tanaka spoke.

"Their fates are for us to decide, and I want you to do it. They die, they stay imprisoned for life, or we let them go. The choice is yours."

He looked at Tanaka. Those damn eyes never showed their true intentions, didn’t they? Even so close, even in such a situation Ryuusei had no idea of what was going inside Tanaka’s mind, what made the man tick. Ryuu hated that feeling of uncertainity. But maybe it was that feeling that attracted the younger man towards the Corporal: perhaps it was something Ryuu would want to achieve himself. Knife in hand, he stood just a few steps from each prisoner.

Right, Ryuusei said, telling Tanaka that he would follow to the request and assume the role of the judge.

He looked at every single one of them, following theorder by which Tanaka had introduced them with. His eyes lingered on each of them for a couple of minutes. As he did so, he rotated the knife on his hand. It could have been seen as a playful gesture, but it was actually a physical manifestation that indicated that Ryuusei was thinking hardly about the matter at hand. Actually, it was more than thinking. On his brain that once dark space - as it at appeared to him at the Honey Honey Café - and turned white by Yoruhi - as it had appeared during Ryuu’s spar with Darren - was taking shape for the third time. A vast field of white flowers, a white piano in the middle of them being played the the beautiful shape of a woman whose face was still hidden by a shadow.


So, what will your choice be?

I’m thinking about it.

She kept playing a soft melody as the boy was laying on top of the flowers looking at the sky.

I hate that I’m starting to like you.

She smiled, giving no response back other than that.

Do you think that I… – he stopped himself for a second - ...that we are monsters?

The sound of the musical instrument stopped.

No, I don’t think so.

She got up. In a graceful manner she layed besides Ryuusei, her silk dress mixing with the white petals that surrounded both of them. Her voice got lower, more intimate.

You are the furthest there is to a monster. You don’t need fake reasons or petty justisfications. You just do. You just are.

With her two índex fingers she touched Ryuusei’s forehead. He remembered such gesture from somewhere. It was reconforting.

There’s nothing wrong with it, Ryuusei.


He shook his head a little bit, widening his eyes. Had he been out again? No, we was aware of what was happening, of what he was doing – just like when it happened while he fought Darren. It was starting to get more common… He didn’t like that, despite, weirdly, being confortable with it.

He found himself in front of the american man. Travis McConell was his name, as the Corporal had previously mentioned. Ryuusei had the blade of the knife pressing against the man’s neck. Due to how tied up he was there wasn’t much he could do about it.

I made my choice, Ryuusei spoke to Tanaka, making Travis moving even more.

With his free hand, Ryuu took of the man’s blindfold. He made sure to look straight into his eyes. It was something necessary in order for Ryuusei to get answers about himself, questions that his previously killing left unanswered. Was he really able to do that? Take lives without feeling a think? Looking into the eyes of a desperate man right before snatching his soul away, feeling no remorse or hesitation?

Tanaka-san, some say that a true monster is someone that kills with no reason or motivation. Someone that kills just because he has the chance to do so. Someone like me right now, for example.

There was the typical coldness in his voice, but also a lingering and palpable internal struggle.

I disagree with that. Such person understands what they are doing and makes the conscious decision to live with their deeds, taking confort in knowing that, someday, their time will also come. Perhaps I’m like that, even if I’m still trying to figure that out. But no matter how disgusting these type of people are I don’t think they are the monsters of society.

He paused, while continuing to look at the despair in Travis’ eyes.

A monster is someone that finds a reason for his actions. That tries to justify them. Vengeace, justice, greed, jealousy, the past. They find any little thing that can take their actions outside of the realm of their own decisions and into the realm of what was out of their control. And then they keep on living, convincing themselves that they are not murdereres, rapists, robbers; that they only did those things because of circunstances or because they had no other choice. They lie to themselves and live that lie to their fullest, refusing to understand that, in their core, they acted on their own will. I think that those are the real monsters.

He continued to look into the man’s eyes. Ryuusei got his answer.

I guess that I am.

In a soft motion, like it was nothing, he leaned forward. So did the knife, advancing straight through the prisoner’s neck. Ryuusei waited before the life completly went out of the man’s body before separating himself from him and removing the knife from the throat.

It was only because of the trauma of seeing my comrades die. It was only because of the drinking. It all serves to hide the ugly true of your nature, to mask the responsibility that you refuse to accept.

He stepped sideaways, stopping behind Yazaki Homura.

But you could say the same about someone who blames it all on their upbringing.

In a swift motion, he wrapped his left arma round the man’s neck and, like cutting a slice of cheese, he slashed the man’s neck. He continued his slow march to the side.

And such logic also applies to someone who sits on the high chair, replacing the blood on his own hands with the green of notes and the gold of coin.

Behind Kizuna Takahashi, Ryuusei did exactly the same thign that he did to the man before him. After he was done, not one of the three man was still breathing. Ryuusei looked down at his own hands, at the blade dripping in still warm blood. He wanted to feel it. Anger, regret, despair, nauseous. But he was only na empty shell. The sight of three corpses lined up, the thought of him having been the one do decide their fates in such a twisted way… It was a test to himself, a test to see if he really was the person that he was afraid of becoming. The realization of the answer to such question left Ryuusei with much more doubt and fear than before.

He got closer to Tanaka. With some tissue that he had on his pockets Ryuusei cleaned the blade of the knife before extending his arm and offering it back to Tanaka. If Ryuusei was a monster he would say that his actions weren’t that important, that they were all death row inmates and were going to die sooner or later anyways. Ryuusei didn’t think like that, he only thought in the terms of Tanaka’s last sentence to him was: “The choice is yours”.

I’m assuming that this will stay between us.

He made the choice and did what he did because he wanted to. He felt a pain in his heart: not because of what he did, but because of what him being able to do it implied.


Notes: Welp, shit went down.
Words: 1,741.
Tags: Jasmine Noir

Dreams breathe life into men.
The stars... I'll reach them.

He felt the knife being pushed back. Was it not clean enough? Why wasn't Tanaka accepting it?

"Keep it"

Ryuusei Igarashi looked up to the man as he kept talking. The man continued to talk. It looked different, feeled different. Like there was some kind of real emotion in the words that came out of Tanaka's mouth. Ryuu found himself froze up for a bit with what Tanaka was saying to him. Was he... accepting him? Was it real okay for Ryuusei to have this dark, twisted side? It wasn't a problem?

He held the knife dearly and placed it inside the pockets of his sweater. It would always be with him. For all the reasons that Tanaka had mentioned and some are: it wouldn't be only a reminder of who Ryuusei was, but also a memento of who Tanaka was to him. A man that knew his place in the world and did not care what the world thought back.

Ryuusei wanted to say thanks, but that wouldn't feel right. There was no need for such thing.

I won't, replying to the comment of not forgetting it.

And with that, while the two guards cleaned the cell, Ryuusei and Tanaka left thaat darkness. Or perhaps the darkness would now always follow them

Notes: The knife being a gift from Tanaka will have so much meaning!!
Words: 213.
Tags: Jasmine Noir