Todotori had done nothing but stare at the ceiling for hours, the moon's light coating his room in a pale blue hue. He lay in bed, avoiding the shadows taunting him from their mysterious corners. An unexplainable chill slithered down his spine as the night grew closer to morning, his mind blank yet unable to sleep.
He couldn't remember exactly what happened. The fight in the alley, the woman of darkness, the thin line between life and death, the pact. Had any of it truly happened, or was it all simply a dream? The only thing that convinced him of the night's reality was the small mark that suddenly appeared below the middle of his chest. It was black and seamless, like a tattoo.
'II.'
He had no idea what it meant.
Hours before, Todotori woke up in the alleyway to a new body, unbruised and unbroken like what he remembered. His head no longer throbbed in excruciating pain, and his lungs inhaled deeply without struggle. There wasn't a single scratch of evidence that he was ever on the brink of death, and it made him uneasy.
Morning was in no hurry, sluggishly painting everything in a horrid orange tone. Todotori embraced the warm autumn air as he stepped out of his apartment, watching people emerge from their homes and travel to work. It was always strikingly quiet, even in the city's busiest sections, and everyone moved along in tranquil coexistence. For once, there wasn't a thought in his mind as he walked the city streets.
A pleasant chime sounded throughout the store as he entered, and the potent fragrance of petals and fertilizer instantly gave him a headache. Vibrant flowers and petite bushes of all kinds lined every inch of the room. Shelves were crowded with makeshift flowerpots, utilizing anything from a shoe to an old mug as housing for budding blossoms. A rigged out sprinkling system was hooked to the ceiling, unevenly spraying everything in a gentle mist and amplifying the annoying smell.
Todotori moped through the shop, weaving through hanging vines and outstretched leaves, swatting away plants that reached too close to his face. He crinkled his nose as he desperately tried to avoid a sneeze. Where was that pesky little woman?
"Oh good, you're here!"
He flinched as a tiny creature suddenly materialized behind him.
"I was wondering when I'd see you again, Tori. I need you to come look at my abelias. They're on the top shelf, and I haven't been able to reach them for a week. Come, come!"
She brushed past his hip, holding a tiny pot up to her eye as she hurried through the aisle. It was an elderly woman, her wild white hair pulled into a careless jumble on the back of her head. She wore rusting glasses slightly too large for her nose, with dirt and fertilizer smeared onto her cheeks and chin. A stained white shirt and rolled-up, thrifted trousers completed her disorganized look. For some reason, she never wore shoes, her bare toes crunching on fallen twigs as she rushed about.
Her name was Ms. Cohan.
"Are you coming?!" she shouted, disappearing behind a shelf.
Todotori followed the elf of a woman around her dizzying maze, ignoring her high-pitched rambling and unfiltered thoughts along the way. Finally, they made it to the abelias. Without a word, he reached up and handed the plant to Ms. Cohan.
"Aw! My poor babies! Mama hasn't forgotten about you, I promise! Oh, Tori, look at how sad they are," the woman pouted at the wilted plant in her hands. "I know exactly what this needs. Here, take this. Sing to them until I get back. Sing to them!" Ms. Cohan shoved the pot into Todotori's hands and disappeared into the wilderness.
"Hey, wait! Ms. Cohan! I didn't come here to talk to a bush!" It was too late; she'd vanished. Todotori sighed in defeat, glaring at the ugly white shrub before him. It did look somewhat depressed. "What's up?" he reluctantly whispered at the plant.
After a few clangs and crashes from the back of the store, Ms. Cohan finally emerged again, carrying a blue spray bottle. She snatched the pot from Todotori and sprayed the abelia in a hurry.
"I created this mixture a long time ago," she explained. "It rehydrates the stems and revives even the driest flower. Watch as this-"
"Ms. Cohan," Todotori interrupted, "I came to give you this."
He reached into his back pocket, revealing a dingy stone necklace. A stiff string dangled it back and forth between his fingers. The deep gray pendant was made of a stone that looked like it had been picked up off the side of the street, dull and lifeless.
Ms. Cohan's wrinkled eyes widened with excitement, and she let out a shrieking gasp. "You found it! Oh, my sweet boy!" she beamed, immediately setting aside her previous obsession and taking the necklace from his hand. "Where did you find this? Actually, don't tell me."
"I just happened to stumble across it," Todotori lied. "I remember you thought it was stolen."
"I did! I never thought I would see this beauty again! Thank you so much, young man!"
"It was no problem." Another lie.
Ms. Cohan gawked at the stone. "This thing has magical powers, you know!"
"Sure it does." Todotori had to fight not to roll his eyes.
"I'm serious, Tori! I know you don't believe in that kind of thing, but it's true. They say this stone grants the wearer free will. Isn't that neat?"
"Free will?" Todotori repeated, skeptical. "Doesn't everyone have free will?"
Ms. Cohan raised her eyebrows. "You would think that, wouldn't you?"
She had always been a conspiracy theorist, rambling endlessly about aliens, ghosts, and magic whenever she had the chance. He learned to mostly dismiss it in the short time they'd known each other. Once, she claimed she only moved to the city to escape evil spirits that haunted the country region where she was from. Todotori had to admit that her speculations were at least entertaining.
Suddenly, after staring at the pendant for a moment, Ms. Cohan held the necklace out and shoved it into his chest. "You keep it," she demanded.
"What?"
"I said you keep it!" the old woman repeated. "You went through all that trouble to find it, so you should have it."
Todotori took a step back, waving his hands in surrender. "No, I can't," he refused. "I'm not going to wear it anyway."
Ms. Cohan turned her head away defiantly, still holding out the pendant. "Then give it to a pretty woman or something. Either way, you take it!"
He was so confused. Why did she have such a sudden change of heart? He glared at the hideous necklace. There was no way anyone would wear that rancid thing. However, Todotori knew he was fighting a losing battle.
He reached, grabbing the necklace from Ms. Cohan's cold, bony hands.
"Fine." Stubborn woman.
"Good," Ms. Cohan chirped, her manic eyes returning to normal with a smile. She spun around frantically. "Now, where was I? Oh! Let me show you these grape hyacinths. They're out of season, but I made this contraption and-"
Todotori managed to slip out without being noticed, but Ms. Cohan was likely still talking to herself long after he was gone.
----
"Can you stop doing that? It's creeping me out."
"Doing what?"
"You know what you're doing."
The two of them had a lengthy walk back into the city, the sky already turning yellow as the sun peaked over the horizon. Lazzir and Tilluan had trekked nearly three miles through the woods, wandering a forgotten path until golden fields finally became visible outside the city. Gravel and dirt ground under Lazzir's feet as she trudged along, her thin socks in no way cushioning her steps.
"I guess you're right," Tilluan sighed, his body slowly becoming visible again. He walked beside Lazzir, hands casually placed behind his head. "There's no point in using invisibility if you know I'm here anyway. This whole thing is kind of silly to me."
"Tell me about it."
It was part of the compromise they'd made with Mai. Tilluan was essentially assigned to babysitting duty, tasked with following Lazzir everywhere she went in case she tried to escape. The three of them didn't entirely trust her yet, and she definitely didn't trust them. The deal was that Lazzir had to return to the church every night until she developed her Angel abilities, whatever that meant. In turn, they wouldn't murder her. It was a pretty screwed-up agreement.
"How's your arm?" Tilluan asked, glancing over at Lazzir as they walked.
Lazzir looked to her left shoulder, swiveling the joint carefully in a circular motion. "It's like it was never broken," she replied in disbelief. "How is that possible?"
"That's Mai for you," Tilluan smirked. "I'd be dead by now if it weren't for her."
"So she has healing abilities, too, huh?" Lazzir still couldn't understand the whole idea. The concept of humans possessing real-life superpowers took too much to comprehend, especially while running on minimal sleep.
"To be honest, I don't think there's much Mai can't do," Tilluan admitted, lazily swatting at the tall grass along the road. He snatched a piece and put it between his lips, puffing on it and pretending it was a cigarette. "She can heal human tissue and control the muscle movement of others. I'm also pretty sure I watched her cause a man's heart to stop beating once. Let's just say I'm glad she's on my side."
"If only she were on my side," Lazzir huffed. She shuttered at the very thought of that woman. Her soulless eyes and the chill of her voice were scarred into her brain.
"Eh, she's just got a tough shell. We've all been through a lot, so it's hard to let new people in sometimes. She'll come around eventually," he assured her. "At least she got you fixed up."
It was the truth. Every bruise and scratch on Lazzir's body was gone, and her head was no longer spinning like before. It only took Mai an hour to heal her entire body, though she almost refused it at first. How could she sort reality from a dream in a world where such things were possible?
"I guess you're right," Lazzir mumbled. The distant sunlight was beginning to irritate her dry eyes. "This is all so weird. I can't wait to get home and pretend that nothing ever happened."
Tilluan nudged her with his elbow, golden grass still hanging from his beaming teeth. "Until tonight anyway," he corrected. "Then you'll return with me, and we'll start your training!"
"What happens if I don't want to?" Lazzir asked, her feet dragging in the dirt. With every step, she was growing more agitated, more aggressive. "You know, I had a perfectly comfortable life before you guys kidnapped me. Now everything is all out of whack."
"Come on, it's not our fault your life is all messed up. Technically, it's because of that thing." Tilluan leaned over, plucked the grass from his mouth, and waved it at her neck.
Lazzir reached up and touched the right side of her neck. Before she left, the three of them insisted she cover up the small black mark with a wound patch. It was yet another thing she didn't understand.
"If we didn't snatch you up, someone else would have," Tilluan continued, his face going somber, "and they would have killed you."
Lazzir rolled her eyes. "Is it really that big of a deal? I don't think anyone will even know what the mark means."
"Don't underestimate what people are willing to do when it comes to power," he warned. "To the average person, it may just look like a normal tattoo. However, when caught by the wrong eyes, it's an excuse to kill."
She lowered her head. Even if it wasn't as severe as Tilluan was making it out to be, Lazzir would be wise to keep the mark hidden. She didn't fully grasp the situation, so a decision would be premature. For now, she would play along to their little rules, even if it was the last thing she wanted to do.
It took over an hour before they reached the city's outskirts, and by the time Lazzir finally made it to the market district, she'd contemplated stopping for a nap several times. The air was now mellow and warm, the sun splashing the streets with its usual pleasant tint of orange. There wasn't much traffic on this side of town, and people rarely walked about.
Renu City. It had changed a lot over the years. It hadn't always been this dull. Since a depression hit the region, most were forced to move out and find more affordable housing. The gangs and tribes that ruined the most abandoned sections of the city were referred to as scum. They controlled many areas, even pushing out law enforcement with their twisted atrocities. The center of the city was still considered safe, but only the rich could afford to live there.
Tilluan disappeared sometime before entering the city limits, and she hadn't heard a word from him since. Knowing that someone unseen was watching her every move was an unsettling feeling.
When Lazzir made it to the gym, she sighed with deep relief. Her mangled motorcycle still sat on the sidewalk just outside, and she scoffed at the sight. Of all the things that happened the night before, destroying her bike had to be the worst.
The front door bells hadn't stopped jingling behind her before chaos ensued.
"Laz! Look, it's Laz!'
"Lazzie!"
"Oh my goodness, she's here!"
Before she could react, Lazzir was ambushed by three tiny humans. One was latched onto her left leg, another to her right, and the third attempted to climb her shoulders like an under-skilled monkey. They were Aylor, Pat, and Corey, the only consistent customers at the gym. Each of them were under eight.
"Laz, are you going to teach us today?!" Aylor yelled up from Lazzir's feet.
"Oh, oh! Can you please teach us today?" Pat begged as he ascended the back of her shirt.
She fought to keep her balance, attempting to pry the children from her body like leeches to her skin. "Woah, woah, woah!" Lazzir shouted as she pinched one of them off. "Absolutely not! Misu teaches you boys on Mondays. I'm too tired today."
"You look tired," Corey chirped, unprompted.
"Aw, man!" Aylor began to pout, clinging tighter to her leg. "I really want you to teach us today!"
"What's wrong with your socks?" Corey asked, unprompted yet again.
Lazzir looked down at her free foot, where the once-white sock was now mostly muddy and full of holes. Such was the aftermath of walking seven miserable miles without shoes. That was where she drew the line.
"Everybody off!" she yelled, her voice roaring through the empty gym.
Immediately, all three boys bolted in fear. They stood at attention, guilty shock smeared across their chubby faces. Lazzir took a moment to catch her breath, energy seeping from her body with every passing second. As much as she adored the little twerps, she couldn't handle much more excitement.
After gathering herself, she stood straight and began to walk towards the stairs at the far end. "Listen, I want to teach you guys, but I would hate to take away from Misu's lessons," Lazzir explained as she adjusted the stretched collar of her shirt. "The old man loves leading you boys, so I'll just teach another time-"
"It's fine, Lazzir. You can lead the lesson today."
Misu appeared abruptly, causing her to jolt. He stepped beside her, a broad, wrinkled grin across his face. He chuckled as the kids jumped with joy at his words, rocking back and forth on his feet gleefully. He wore a white tank and long, baggy sweats, his peaking belly signifying that it was time to size up. His gray and brown hair was sloppy, as was his beard.
There was never a moment when he didn't have that innocent twinkle in his eyes. However, Lazzir wasn't fooled by his wholesome appearance. She knew exactly what he was doing.
"Oh, no," she objected, "it's your turn this time, Misu."
The man patted her shoulder cheerfully. "I overheard you saying you wanted to. I don't mind stepping aside for today."
Steam was practically fuming from Lazzir's ears. This was Misu's way of punishing her for being out all night. No doubt he'd seen her bike out front, too. He knew she'd been up to no good and wanted to make her suffer for it.
"Back off, you geezer, I haven't slept all night," Lazzir threatened through gritted teeth.
"That's not my problem," Misu rebutted through a smile.
There was no winning. Lazzir groaned, sulking back into the open gym. "Okay, kids, let's go," she instructed, "but if you ask too many questions, I'm quitting."
While she coached the boys, Misu cleaned the floors and gym equipment. It was just the two of them who ran the space. When she was a kid, there were plenty of staff and an abundance of customers. They never had to tag team lessons or wash the windows. It used to be buzzing with people from all over coming to train under Misu. It was unlikely that it would ever be the same again.
"You boys are unteachable, I swear," Lazzir huffed, watching as they wobbled on their mats. "Your dominant foot goes back. I said back, Aylor!"
They were hopeless.
Suddenly, the clanging of bells sounded across the room. All three of the children faltered as they turned to see who was entering, falling over their mats and each other clumsily. They gasped collectively once they noticed who it was.
"Tori!" they shouted in sync.
The man stood still, fully prepared for the attack. The boys pounced, striking him with the same ferocity as they had Lazzir, embracing him relentlessly. He was always so much better at escaping the beasts than she was.
"Hey, boys," Todotori peeled the children from his ankles. "I missed you too."
"Tori, I didn't know you were coming!" Pat shouted, his excitement boiling.
"Yeah, now you can teach us instead of Laz!"
Lazzir placed her hands on her hips, enjoying a moment out of the limelight. Todotori seemed almost as exhausted as she was, though his rugged and intense appearance was usually a more permanent look. He had messy, dark-colored hair that was lighter at the ends from time spent in the sun, and a light stubble that softened out his sharp facial features. His jeans and jacket were old, with stains and loose seams visible here and there. Somehow, he was always able to make the unkept getup look attractive.
His face was constantly stuck in a state of serious, deep thought. Even as a kid, he rarely smiled. Sometimes, Lazzir could crack him with a well-timed joke, but she was the only one.
Despite this, Todotori was strangely admired by children, likely due to his incredible talent for listening. Unfortunately, his charm ran dry when it came to adults, who often viewed him as cold and brooding.
"Trust me, you'd rather have Laz as your coach," Todotori assured the boys. He patted their heads, finally standing straight.
Why was he staring at her like that? His eyes widened ever so slightly, his jaw clenched. It wasn't an expression of fear; instead, it was as if he were suspended in time, unable to move.
"What are you looking at?" Lazzir barked.
He was freaking her out.
Instantly, Todotori's trance was broken. "Laz, you look..." he paused, still acting peculiarly.
"Like shit? Yeah, I know, so do you," she rebutted.
That cracked him. A light smile crept onto Todotori's lips, and his posture slackened. The children were still jumping in circles around him, causing a ruckus. His gaze dropped for a moment. "What happened to your socks?"
Lazzir huffed, a nerve obviously struck. "Why does nobody around here mind their own business?" she asked. "What are you doing here anyway? Don't you have work?"
She couldn't remember the last time Todotori spent at the gym. When they were kids, the two of them would spar almost every day, and he was the only person who could keep Lazzir on her toes. However, he suddenly stopped visiting sometime in their late teens to indulge in more perilous activities. She missed when he would come around and hated the thought of what he did when she wasn't with him. Why she cared so much, she wasn't sure.
Todotori shoved a hand in his front pocket. "I just came to drop something off," he explained.
From his pocket, he revealed a small necklace. It was simple and noticeably old. From the thin, black string, a dark gray pendant hung. It was smooth like the rocks from the river. Todotori watched her as she studied it.
"A necklace?" she asked.
He'd never gotten her a gift before.
"It was Ms. Cohan's. She didn't want it and offered it to me. I think it's hideous," he replied with a shrug.
"So you're giving it to me? Gee... thanks," Lazzir crossed her arms over her chest and raised a brow at him. She should have known better than to assume Todotori could be thoughtful.
He continued holding the necklace out for her, ignoring her dramatic attitude. "Will you just take it?" Todotori insisted.
She blinked, deciding whether she was going to continue being stubborn. Maybe he was genuine, after all. She reached and took the small stone and string.
"T-thanks," Lazzir mumbled, remaining slightly shocked.
It was ugly, but it had a mysterious charm to it. She stood there staring at it, almost unable to look away.
Suddenly, Corey jumped between them, pulling her back to reality. The child bounced up and down, swinging his arms awkwardly from side to side in an uncoordinated dance. "Hey, Laz, are you and Tori going to hide in the closet again?"
"Huh?"
The room went silent.
"You remember," Corey continued, "one time when Tori was here, you guys hid in the closet for an hour, and nobody could find you."
Lazzir's cheeks flushed, and Todotori hid his face behind the lapel of his jacket. Her face grew hot as she sensed Misu chuckling to himself from the other side of the room.
"You kids need to get back to work!" she shouted, pointing violently at their empty mats on the floor. It was too late to attempt masking her embarrassment. "I'm going to make you regret waking up this morning!"
Lazzir scolded the three children as they zipped back to the training area without another word. She turned when she heard the bells clanging at the entryway. Todotori stood with the glass door half open, looking back at her with a gentle glance.
"Anyway, that's all I came for," he stated dully. "I've got to get to work."
The door tapped closed behind him, and Lazzir was left standing in his wake. She was stunned. It had to have been the strangest interaction the two of them ever had. She tried to brush it off, convincing herself that Todotori wasn't used to being kind to people. After all, their relationship mainly consisted of sarcastic jabs and snarky comments. They possessed a sort of unspoken consideration for each other. However, the two struggled to express anything deeper than that.
Lazzir looked down at the necklace between her fingers. Todotori didn't know how to show emotions without inadvertently coming off cold, but she understood him. It was the only gift he'd ever given her.
She loved it.
----
"Tori, you lazy son-of-a-bitch, do you realize what time it is?!"
His boss waddled up to him, dirt smeared across his face, and mud caked over his overalls. He had a nearly-dead cigarette dangling between his lips and a hammer in each hand. As he approached, the rugged man waved one of the tools in Todotori's face.
"Do you have any idea how much shit goes wrong when you're not here?" he growled, sweat streaming down his creased forehead. "The new guy has no idea how to operate a backhoe, and I don't have time to babysit his ass. Get over there and take over before I lose my shit!"
Todotori let out a deep breath, disregarding his superior's glare of hatred as he walked past. "Someone's swear-happy today," he cut.
"My bad, princess, I didn't know I was in the presence of a damn moralist," the man sneered. "You're lucky I don't fire you, you ungrateful-"
He was gone before he could suffer the rest. Todotori strolled through the work site without urgency. Rain from the night before packed in the dust that usually suffocated the space, making it easier to see the surrounding buildings. It was a sizeable lot in the central city area, with large beams ascending from the foundation and already touching a few hundred feet. Men scrambled everywhere, shouting across the lot and pretending to be busy.
Todotori had only been working there for a few months, and he appreciated how he could go most of the day unbothered so long as he kept quiet. Some guys acted like big shots, but he'd never had any issues.
When Todotori arrived at his appointed station, he was thrilled to see that trouble was already brewing.
"What do you think you're doing, you twerp?!" Shouts rang out from a few yards away, where two men were standing beside a parked backhoe. "Are you stupid?! Who taught you how to operate?!"
"Uh- uh..." The boy couldn't have been over the age of seventeen, shaking and cowering in the shadow of the husky man before him. No doubt, he was the new guy.
"Speak up! Are you mute?!" The muscular man stood with his chest in the boy's face, inching closer intimidatingly.
"N- no, sir," the boy stuttered, "I didn't mean to- I mean, I didn't know how to-"
The larger man grabbed the boy by the collar, pulling him in to look him in the eye. He ground his teeth in disgust. "Stop talking, you mutt. How about I kill you for trying to take my head off?" he threatened.
"Back off, he's new."
"Huh?" The burly man spun, the boy's collar still rolled up in his fist.
"I said he's new," Todotori repeated as he approached them. "I'll take over from here, so there won't be any more problems."
The man's eyes were wild, and rage bubbled up through the veins of his neck. "New or not, he almost killed me. I'm not going to let that slide."
"Don't get so worked up. It was just a mistake. If you're really worried about it, then go write up an incident report. Otherwise, I'd like to get back to work," Todotori replied. He couldn't help but sound disinterested in the whole ordeal. De-escalation wasn't his strong suit.
"I don't think so," the man growled. He faced the boy once more, nearly lifting him from the ground by his shirt. "Consider what I'm about to do to you as on-the-job training."
Suddenly, there was a hand on the man's arm.
"I told you to back off. Don't make me repeat myself again." Todotori gripped the man's arm firmly, glaring at him with bitter eyes. His searing expression was twisted into something between annoyance and savagery.
"Or what, pretty boy?" the man chuckled, unintimidated. "There's nothing you can do to-"
Without anticipation, scorches covered the man's forearm. Heat began to come off of his skin, which was beginning to splinter and boil. The man screamed in excruciating pain.
Surrounding workers stopped what they were doing, whipping their heads to see what had happened. The man jerked away his arm, releasing the boy and stumbling back as he screeched. He held out his forearm, revealing a red, swelling wound in the shape of a hand.
"What did you do?!" he shrilled. His entire body shaking in suffering. "What is on your hand?!"
Todotori blinked. He glanced down at his hand, confused. He hadn't done anything.
The man continued to wail, staring at his skin in disbelief. The wound began to spot, his skin flaking away from the surface. It was as if he were decaying.
"I'm going to kill you!" the man boomed. "I'm going to kill you!"
The man charged like a bull, frantically swiping his uninjured arm at Todotori. Swiftly, Todotori stepped to the side, evading the lousy attack. As the man barreled past, he stuck out his foot and kicked him in the rear. Holding none of his balance, the man instantly slammed into the ground.
Todotori watched the husky man as he wallowed in the dirt. What had he done to cause a grown man so much pain? The boy stood next to him, similarly confused and shivering with fear.
"Y-you... just now..." the boy stammered, "with your hand..." He lifted a shaky finger, pointing at Todotori in pure shock.
"What?"
"You did that... to his arm!"
"No I didn't," Todotori insisted.
He couldn't have done it. All he did was lay his hand on the man's arm.
"Todotori! Did I see what I thought I just saw?!" It was the boss man. He was approaching, hammers waving. "Your sorry ass is fired!"