Author's Notes: Chapter edited and corrected by Vongrak.
Izumi POV.
( Dracula – The Master's Song )
♫Trust me; I always know what he's thinking
♫I always know where he's sinking those sharp teeth
♫I know where to send the wreath!
♫Master, they think a locked door prevents you
♫You're on your way I can sense you
♫Through the window, through the grating
♫Through the floorboard, through the fanlight
♫Comes the mist
♫And your kiss!
♫Master, they think a locked door prevents you.
I finished my song as I leaned against the bulletproof glass and began to laugh sinisterly. I could see the incredulous and slightly fearful looks of the people behind the glass, and then I heard slow applause.
"Impressive. And very unsettling." Mai said dryly from behind me. "By the way, what musical was it from?" Mai asked, confused. I groaned loudly as I turned to face her.
"Dracula! It was Dracula! The Master's Song is iconic! It's sung by Renfield, Dracula's servant, who's locked up in an asylum! I'm not even talking about the musical, you've never even read Dracula?!" I asked incredulously. Mai shrugged.
"Of course not. You're asking the wrong person," Mai said simply. I just groaned loudly.
"Ugh, the betrayal, the disappointment." I sighed wearily before clapping. "Very well! We'll start from the beginning then!" I said cheerfully. "I have the entire soundtrack on Taylor's Scroll," I said happily. Mai just groaned.
"Please, don't do a musical performance here," Mai pleaded. I just huffed and crossed my arms.
"What a spoilsport." I grumbled as I walked back to my seat. Then I chose another song and started singing.
( Twenty One Pilots - Heathens )
♫All my friends are heathens, take it slow
♫Wait for them to ask you who you know
♫Please don't make any sudden moves
♫You don't know the half of the abuse
"You already sang it, which doesn't bother me, it's a good song, but I wanted to mention it." Mai interrupted me playfully. I moaned even louder.
"Do you know how hard it is to find prison-themed songs or something similar after several hours?!" I asked, pouting. Mai giggled. I just sighed wearily.
We were beneath the building, the headquarters of the Korean Hunter Association. In a massive, reinforced containment chamber. It had enormous shields and barriers powered by dust and essence stones, which, in theory, should withstand attacks from S-Rank hunters, though I didn't know how true that was, and they definitely wouldn't let me test it.
But yes, we were put here several hours ago. The room had been divided in two. In one of the halves, in the center, was Ant King. Completely tied up and restrained to prevent it from moving in any way. Although, so far, Ant King remained completely unconscious, not moving an inch other than breathing.
Then, on the other side, there we were. Taylor was lying comfortably in a hospital bed with several machines connected to her to monitor her health. I had removed her costume and put on her nursing uniform, and I had been working alongside the doctors, assisting them with everything they needed.
When I finally undressed her, I could see the Demon Slayer mark. It seemed to start at the nape of her neck and extend around her neck, down part of her back, and slightly up to her collarbones. It wasn't too big; it looked like fine, messy lines, some almost invisible. They resembled insect wings, like the pattern on her haori.
I must admit, it suited her. She looked attractive. But putting that aside, I let the doctors begin treating her. Luckily, my healing quirk license allowed me to assist them.
I had to thank Recovery Girl and Maria for that. Thanks to them, I was able to be present and help, and with my familiarity with Taylor's body, most of the tests and studies were greatly expedited. There were details I missed since I didn't know certain terms and procedures because my studies weren't that in-depth, but I was able to understand most things.
It had all ended with Taylor simply exhausted—mentally, physically, and spiritually. Even so, physically she was completely healthy. Her aura was regenerating at its normal rate; it was already almost halfway back and continuing to increase over time.
And finally, the mental aspect. There was something strange. In the sense that there was brain activity, especially in the dedicated organ she had for her quirk. But since it was unique to Taylor, none of the doctors could really understand what was happening. They did believe, however, that she would awaken eventually.
Studies on the Ant King proved equally useless. Or at least, most of them did. The Ant King was so different from normal Jeju ants that the few examples that had been studied were almost entirely useless, and they had to start deciphering everything from scratch.
And none of us wanted to do anything too invasive for fear of waking her up. So, all we could do was wait here. During that time, the first thing I did was take Taylor's scroll, since I'd left mine with Nezu, and he still had it. I just hoped he wouldn't go through it too thoroughly. I mean, there wasn't anything important besides a lot of explicit photos and videos of the girls, so there wasn't much to hide beyond that.
But putting that aside, with Taylor's scroll, I immediately got in touch with everyone else in Japan and kept them updated. Especially Mom, whom I had to convince, with great determination, that she didn't need to fly to Korea.
And now… all we could do was wait. Mai and I were in here too; I was lying lazily on a hospital bed they had brought in for us to rest on, while Mai was in an armchair stretching lazily.
There wasn't much to do in here, really. I'd left a lot of things I kept hidden in my shadows back in Japan so they wouldn't get dragged away during the fight, so there wasn't much to keep us entertained. Luckily, one of the room's walls was a huge pane of glass, so I could watch the staff and guards coming and going. I just hummed a tune before stopping abruptly.
"Mai." I blurted out without hesitation as I pressed the alarm near me. Mai didn't even hesitate and transformed into a sword, and I approached Ant King. I could see the crowd behind the glass beginning to move quickly and urgently. I just got ready.
I saw Ant King's head begin to move slightly, and I froze. I could feel Taylor waking up at the same time. I frowned. My Rabbit Escape was still sacrificed, so its power was still lingering in my quirk. I pushed it toward me and created a shadow clone, using it to approach Taylor.
"Izumi?" Taylor murmured, slowly opening her eyes. I froze when I heard the ant click its mandibles and hiss hoarsely. I frowned. No… I couldn't sense the same malice from Ant King as before; it felt… calm, a little bewildered and confused, almost… familiar, I'd say, but not dangerous.
"How are you, Cuddlebug?" I asked with my clone in Taylor's direction.
"I'm... fine. What happened?" Taylor asked slowly as she tried to sit up. Once again, Ant King clicked her jaws and then tried to move, making me tense. My clone helped Taylor slowly stand up before she stopped, just like Ant King's movements.
Then my clone handed her some water. Taylor took it with both hands and drank it eagerly as if she were dying of thirst. She sighed with relief when she finished, and I took the opportunity to put her glasses on her. Taylor blinked several times before becoming alarmed once more.
"Wait, Jeju!" Taylor said, moving quickly; Ant King's movements also increased.
"Calm down, everything's okay," I told Taylor, trying to reassure her. Taylor stared at me, almost wide-eyed, before her eyes focused and she began to calm down as she remembered everything. She breathed heavily.
"Okay, okay, okay," Taylor said calmly. "I—" she tried to say before glancing to her side and seeing Ant King. "Oh… no wonder I was seeing double." Taylor said, puzzled, then turned over in bed and slowly stood up. My clone was beside her to help, but it wasn't really necessary. Taylor was perfectly fine, so she simply stood calmly and started walking toward Ant King.
"So, you can really control it?" I asked playfully. Taylor stood in front of Ant King before beginning to move her head from side to side. Ant King followed her movements with ease. Finally, Taylor smiled broadly.
"Yes, I do," Taylor said excitedly. "I can't believe it... I... I really did it," Taylor said, almost breathless. I finally lowered my guard slightly. I chuckled.
"Yes, you did it." I said to Taylor gently. Taylor turned to face me with a huge, bright smile, then rushed towards me and hugged me while giggling softly. "Thank you," Taylor said breathlessly.
"For helping you do something stupid? Anytime," I said playfully as I returned the hug. Taylor pulled away and looked at me gently.
"Because you believed I could do it," Taylor said warmly. I just smiled back, leaned in, and lightly captured her lips.
"Always," I told Taylor. Taylor rested her forehead against mine while laughing softly.
"By the way, where are we?" Taylor asked, confused, glancing around before her gaze fell on the reinforced, transparent wall, where dozens of people were staring at us, completely on guard. This included most of the S-ranks and high-ranking officers from every country. To my surprise, that included Go Gunhee and Rebecca Costa-Brown. I snapped out of my daze and looked at Taylor again.
"In confinement. We were arrested for bringing an S-rank monster to Seoul," I told Taylor with a wide smile. Taylor stopped and began to pale slightly.
"You're not under arrest," Nezu said playfully as he and Aizawa entered the room. Then the room sealed itself once more. "It's for protection, in case the monster designated as Harbinger isn't under your control," he explained. Taylor breathed a sigh of relief before punching me in the shoulder.
"Idiot," Taylor growled. I chuckled.
"It's a fancy way of saying we're under arrest," I said, shaking my head playfully. Nezu chuckled and nodded.
"Putting that aside. How are you feeling, Young Taylor? Are you having any problems? Do you feel any discomfort? Does your quirk feel different? Do you have complete control over Harbinger? Do you feel her presence inside her, or is it just you? Do you think there's any risk you might lose control?" Nezu asked lightly, though there was a hint of seriousness. Taylor straightened up.
"I... I feel fine. A little tired still, but I don't feel any pain or discomfort anywhere. In fact... I feel stronger, lighter. My... my quirk doesn't feel any different. My range is a little less than normal, I guess because I'm tired, four and a half blocks, maybe a little less, but my control is just as precise as ever."
"The only difference is Harbinger, you named it? It feels different. Or rather, her senses and abilities are far superior to those of any insect I've ever controlled, so she feels... much more comfortable to control."
"And... no. I don't sense Harbinger's presence. It's not there... that uncontrollable fury and malice I felt from her during the fight. I also don't feel like she's pushing against my quirk or anything, like... there's nothing inside her. My control over her should be just as perfect as over my other insects. So I don't think I'll lose control." Taylor said without hesitation. Nezu just nodded seriously.
"Young Izumi, get ready," Nezu said immediately. I just raised an eyebrow, confused. "Shota, if you could," Nezu said seriously. Shota frowned before looking at Taylor. My eyes widened as I immediately raised my guard when Aizawa activated his quirk on Taylor. Taylor shuddered slightly before clutching her head. "Young Taylor, are you alright?" Nezu asked gently.
"Yeah, yeah, just... the usual discomfort of losing my quirk," Taylor said, composing herself. My gaze was fixed on Ant King. Well, on Harbinger, now. I could see she looked a little bewildered as she clicked her jaw and hissed quietly. I looked at her, confused, and walked over.
"Do you understand me?" I asked Harbinger. Harbinger looked up and met my gaze before clicking her jaw. I used my quirk before feeling something I immediately recognized. "Taylor?" I asked Harbinger incredulously.
"What? What's going on?" Taylor asked from beside me.
"No, no, not you. Her." I pointed at Harbinger. "I... I can sense you inside her, even with Aizawa's quirk activated." I said, surprised.
"Wait-what?" Taylor asked, confused. I just looked at Harbinger.
"Taylor... do you understand? Nod and shake your head." I said to Harbinger. Harbinger looked at me before nodding slowly. "Are you Taylor?" I asked her once more. Harbinger nodded again. Then she looked at the real Taylor, confused.
"What the hell?" Taylor asked incredulously as she approached and looked at Harbinger. They both looked at each other, confused, while I thought quickly.
"Shota. Turn off your quirk." Nezu said seriously. Aizawa did so immediately, and Taylor and Harbinger groaned slightly.
"What the hell?" Taylor murmured, confused. "Did I... did I just receive her memories of the last few seconds?" Taylor murmured incredulously.
"Do you remember everything, Taylor?" Nezu asked immediately. "How do you feel? Did you have control over Harbinger? Did you feel like it was attacking at any point? Like you were about to lose control?" Nezu asked quickly.
"N-no. It... it felt normal. Like... like it was my body. I didn't even feel any discomfort about having that body. Well, other than not having legs and arms to move around. But... I didn't feel any discomfort, it was just... it was my body, I controlled it, I gave the orders, there was no one else up there but me." Taylor said quickly. I stopped to look at her, surprised.
"Extraordinary." Nezu murmured in surprise. "That means you somehow now own and completely control Harbinger's body, even if you're far away. No, rather, you left a small part of your consciousness in her, enough to continue controlling her independently. Is it... something to do with your Quirk? Or is it Harbinger's fault?" Nezu asked, sounding slightly excited.
"I... I don't know?" Taylor said uncertainly.
"What happened?" I asked immediately, and she turned to look at me. I tapped the floor impatiently. "During Jeju, while you were trying to control her. What did you feel? Everything, down to the last detail." I told her anxiously. Taylor licked her lips.
"I... Harbinger was too strong. Her... will, I'd say? She was capable of shattering my quirk if I tried to push against her. She... shattered it many times. I tried pushing and pushing and straining my quirk over and over. It didn't work. I needed to get closer to gain strength."
"I... once I was in front of her, I kept hitting harder until... something gave way inside me? I was able to impose my will on her, but I still felt... like my quirk had... fragmented? I think. It's... complicated."
"Once I was inside her, I destroyed everything in my path so I could take control. And... I think that's it," Taylor said uncertainly. I looked at her incredulously.
"I do stupid things, you do suicidal things," I said incredulously. Taylor looked at me, almost offended.
"For you, there's no difference." Taylor defended herself incredulously.
"I agree with young Miyamura, that... was incredibly reckless. Forcing your quirk like that," Nezu said seriously. Taylor shuddered slightly.
"It... worked?" Taylor tried to defend herself.
"That doesn't make it any better," Aizawa growled, glaring at her. "You'll be punished when we get back, and we'll have a long talk about the safe use of Quirks," he added coldly. Taylor just sighed.
"Yes, sensei." Taylor sighed before looking at me. "So... I... what happened? I still don't understand." Taylor said uncertainly. I could only sigh before looking at Nezu.
"I have a theory. A very good one, and very well supported." I told Nezu before glancing at the glass where everyone else was. The crowd was watching and listening to us. Nezu just stopped and nodded.
"There's no need to hide it," Nezu said calmly. I nodded.
"Yes... what Taylor felt is real... that she fragmented her own quirk and sent it towards Harbinger. I don't know how she did it, but it seems she did. Maybe it was because of overexerting it and having it shattered dozens of times by Harbinger, which left her quirk more... fragile than it should have been, so she was able to fragment it at the last moment and send it to Harbinger."
"And she... not only did that, but she also erased Harbinger's consciousness while she was up there. So now you have the body of an empty, brain-dead monster, and a quirk. And as we learned in the fight against All For One... quirks... have remnants."
"Taylor didn't just send part of her quirk, she sent a vestige of herself, a part, a replica of her consciousness, and being in a body without consciousness, the vestige in the quirk took control of the body, making it its own."
"Now... there's a second Taylor in Harbinger's body. She's no longer a monster to be controlled... she's not the Harbinger ant that Taylor controls, SHE is Taylor now, a second Taylor." I said solemnly. I could see everyone's eyes widen.
"Oh shit." Taylor said palely, trembling slightly. Yeah, definitely, oh shit.