Author's Notes: Chapter edited and corrected by Vongrak.
Izumi POV.
"A strategic alliance? When did that happen? " I asked Nezu, surprised, as we walked back toward the room where Harbinger was still locked up. Well, Taylor and I were walking, Nezu was perched on my shoulder without a care in the world, and Mai was firmly on my hip in her sword form.
Miorine had stayed in our room while she worked and made calls to the contacts she had made during the party, and in fact, also to her father; the announcement would definitely be something everyone would be talking about, and should be.
Japan, Korea, and the United States were among the strongest countries. Well, Japan technically 'was' among them; our situation is weak due to the retirement of our national hunters, but even so, with more than a dozen S-ranks, we held our own.
And I had no doubt that this type of alliance would attract attention, both positive and negative. Probably more negative than positive. There were more countries that would likely feel threatened by such an alliance than relieved or pleased.
The fact that the three nations united meant either they had secured significant concessions for themselves, or it was truly necessary. And the only thing I could think of that would have made both Korea and the United States give in was All For One.
Once I had stopped really holding back about what I told Nezu about my 'visions', I had been quite candid about where the fight against All for One would lead once he recovered.
"When you were locked up," Principal Nezu said cheerfully. I looked at him incredulously.
"You managed to agree on an alliance with Korea and the United States in less than a day?" I asked, almost reverently. Nezu burst out laughing.
"It was fun to do," Nezu said cheerfully. "And make no mistake. There are still days, maybe weeks, of negotiating the details. But yes, it's practically sealed and ready," Nezu said gently. "It's a big step in the right direction," Nezu said with a smile. I could only stare at him in surprise.
"It's... incredible." Taylor said beside me, sounding just as amazed as I was. Nezu chuckled softly.
"It is," Nezu said, nodding. "And with that said, there are... several conditions regarding Harbinger, young Taylor," Nezu said seriously. His eyes widened slightly.
"Conditions?" she asked, confused. Nezu nodded seriously.
"There's no doubt that Harbinger is a creature above rank S. Korea, the United States, and Japan couldn't release that kind of creature, and by extension, you. So, concessions were made," Nezu said easily.
"Did I... oh... cause any problems?" Taylor asked, sounding regretful. Nezu shook her head as she laughed.
"Of course not. In fact, you've given us an excellent opportunity," Nezu said cheerfully. We just stared at him, confused, but he didn't explain; he simply continued, "To put it simply, from now on, you are the personal operator of the ant monster known as Harbinger. You will return to Japan with us and train at UA as usual."
"But Korea has just as much right to deploy Harbinger, and by extension, you, if necessary. They'll try to minimize it during your university years. But once you graduate, you may find yourself deployed quite often in both Korea and Japan," Nezu said with an apologetic look.
"Oh... I... I don't have a problem with that," Taylor said with a sigh. "I guess it's right after practically snatching away what is essentially a weapon of mass destruction." Taylor said with a grimace. Nezu just nodded slightly.
"It is," Nezu said before smiling. "By the way, you'll have to learn Korean," Nezu said easily. Taylor grimaced before turning in my direction.
"Don't worry, I'll show you," I said playfully. " And by the way, only deployments in Korea? Not the United States? " I asked curiously. Taylor's eyes widened slightly. Nezu just chuckled softly.
"One of the points of the alliance is that, from now on, the US government, and by extension the PRT, commits to not interfering with the autonomy of young Taylor and Harbinger, and will even accept a complete disassociation should you decide to request it," Nezu said with a broad smile. Taylor stopped stiffly, her eyes wide, and I was the same.
"You-I-" Taylor tried to stammer incredulously as she opened and closed her mouth.
"And they accepted that?" I asked incredulously. Nezu laughed.
"It's not like they have a choice." Nezu laughed almost sadistically. Taylor finally recovered.
"So... does that mean I don't have to worry about the PRT anymore?" Taylor asked, almost hopefully. Nezu smiled gently and shook his head.
"If you don't want to, then don't," Nezu said gently. "You can think it over carefully if you want. They're still part of the PRT, but the deal is that if you want to leave the PRT, they won't stand in your way in any way."
"Will they try to stay on your good side? Definitely. But nothing as abrupt and firm as they would have been otherwise. It will just be a softer sale, let's say. But you can walk away and never work with them again if that's what you want."
"But... think about it carefully. Your autonomy now allows you to come and go from the United States without their interference. You won't be obligated to work for them, but you can work WITH them."
"The PRT and the Federal Hunter Bureau can send requests for your deployment, but they're not mandatory like they were with Korea, so it's your decision. You mentioned you made some colleagues and friends in Brockton Bay; you don't have to give them up for good," Nezu said gently. Taylor could only nod, confused.
"I... thank you." Taylor murmured, still sounding really lost and slightly dizzy. Nezu just laughed happily.
We continued onward until we finally reached the large containment room where Harbinger, the second Taylor, was. I could see that Aizawa, Rebecca Costa-Brown, and chairwoman Go were already there, along with several doctors, soldiers, and researchers. But my gaze fell on someone in particular.
"Amy?!" Taylor exclaimed in shock as she looked at Amy Dallon, Panacea, standing almost awkwardly next to Rebecca Costa-Brown. Taylor immediately approached her.
"Taylor," Amy sighed as she approached us. "Looks like you've gotten yourself into a big mess." Amy said with a small smile. Taylor smiled crookedly.
"Would you believe me if I told you that trouble finds me?" Taylor asked awkwardly. Amy just snorted.
"It was all broadcast nationwide, you're not fooling anyone," Amy said dryly. Taylor blushed slightly.
"It seemed like a good idea at the time," Taylor said in her defense.
"It seemed like a stupid idea back then, you said so yourself. And it still is. The fact that it worked doesn't make it any less stupid," Amy said dryly. Taylor blushed even more.
"Why are you here?" Taylor snapped, quickly changing the subject. Amy just raised an eyebrow, but only snorted while smiling.
"You don't like my presence that much. I thought we were friends," Amy said curtly. Taylor blushed slightly.
"It's good to see you again, Amy," Taylor said, clearing her throat in embarrassment. Amy snorted playfully, smiling slightly, then glanced at Rebecca Costa-Brown.
"The Chief Director hired me to come here. Although she didn't have much to do when she said it was to help you. Apparently, I'm the best person to try and find out, or at least try to find out, what's going on with you and that monster," Amy said, shrugging. " And by the way, it's good to see you again, too," Amy added gently. Taylor just smiled slightly.
"Thank you for coming." Taylor sighed softly as she smiled. Then Amy smiled more mischievously.
"That's the best way to be able to travel and leave the country as an S-rank officer for the first time in a long time. It's nice, even if it's a work trip," Amy said cheerfully. "I suppose something good will come of this strategic alliance," Amy added playfully.
"Thank you for accepting, Miss Dallon," Costa-Brown said, approaching her. Amy simply nodded.
"It's no problem at all," Amy said simply. Then she looked at me. "And you... you must be Izumi Miyamura," Amy said, taking a step forward. I took a step forward to match her and smiled broadly.
"And you, you must be Amy Dallon." I mimicked her playfully.
"Kinger," Amy said, her eyes sparkling with recognition. I smiled more broadly.
"My biggest fan," I said happily. Amy's eyes shone brightly.
"Do you have my commission?" Amy asked directly. I burst out laughing.
"Yes, 38,000 words, almost double what we agreed on, but it was worth it. And by the way, the bonus will be free; I had fun writing it. I need to finish editing it before sending it to you," I said playfully. Amy's eyes sparkled even more.
"Perfect," Amy said, sounding excited. "I still can't believe you didn't think to write about it," Amy said, sounding disappointed. I just sighed ruefully.
"Honestly, I'm disappointed in myself," I told Amy ruefully.
"They're talking about that filth they call, Smut or whatever, right?" Taylor sighed, sounding genuinely disappointed as she massaged her temple.
""It's not filth, it's art!"" we exclaimed at the same time. Amy and I looked at each other before nodding firmly.
"It's poorly written porn." Taylor grumbled, and Amy and I looked at her indignantly.
"Actually, it wasn't so bad," Nezu said, still perched on my shoulder, much to my surprise. We turned and stared at him incredulously. "I mean, I can't see the appeal of two humans copulating 'wildly,' but the plot was well-written and it was entertaining," Nezu said with an amused smile.
"Principal!?" Taylor asked incredulously. Nezu just laughed before extending his small hand with my scroll in it.
"Thank you for lending me your scroll, young Izumi, it's been very helpful," Nezu said cheerfully. "And by the way, I took the trouble to edit it when I had some free time. So don't worry about it," Nezu added lightly. I could only stare at him in disbelief.
"Your principal is freaking brilliant," Amy said incredulously. I burst out laughing. Finally, it seemed Costa-Brown wanted to change the subject and cleared his throat.
"Miss Dallon, if you could…" Costa-Brown said with a sigh.
"Yes, yes, yes, I'll do it." Amy said boredly and turned to look at Taylor, who had a very pained expression. Amy just smiled mockingly. "Do I have permission to heal you?" Amy asked simply.
"Yes, you have permission," Taylor said, extending her hand. Amy took it before humming softly.
"It's been over a month since I last healed you. My quirk allows me to see the biology of anyone I touch. Down to the smallest detail. I take the trouble to memorize those I... consider close to me. I easily remember yours."
"Your body... has changed a bit more than you would expect in just a month, even with any extreme training you've done; it shouldn't happen. Most of your organs have been pushed to work harder, but not as efficiently. It wouldn't have been dangerous immediately, but it would have been fatal in the long run."
"But... your aura and a healing quirk corrected that defect. I can see the newly healed parts, like your arm that grew back less than two days ago. I don't know... what you've done, but practically all of your systems have been modified. Heart, blood vessels, lungs, muscles, metabolism, and even part of your nervous system."
"As if someone had tried to push them to work beyond their maximum limit. The thing is, the organs aren't made for that... leap in performance. The growth was imperfect and self-destructive."
"Your heart might beat faster, but that would put it under more stress with each contraction. Your muscles might produce more force, but you would have accumulated microscopic damage much faster than normal. Your blood vessels would have been enduring pressures they weren't originally designed for. Even your cells were producing absurd amounts of energy, generating more heat inside your body," Amy said solemnly. My eyes widened. Wow… that… I'd admit it, her power was incredible. Or rather, she was, if she could perceive all of that with just a touch.
"Is... is it dangerous?" Taylor asked worriedly. Amy immediately shook her head.
"No," Amy said immediately. "Any danger it might have posed was cured by the healing quirk that healed you, and your aura maintains it. It won't be a problem. Even so, I'm adjusting a few things; they won't change anything, but you won't have any problems in the future." She said easily, her eyes slightly glazed as she used her power.
"Thank you, Amy." Taylor said, sighing with relief. Amy just nodded.
"Even so, I'd like to know what the hell you did to your own body to do that. It's not something you can do through training. At least, not in a normal way. And since when do you have a... a birthmark on your neck? No, it looks like it was done recently." Amy said, confused, before pulling at the collar of Taylor's shirt with her free hand to see the Demon Slayer Mark.
"I... I have no idea, it just appeared after Jeju," Taylor said uncertainly.
"I can answer that myself," I interjected. Everyone stared at me as I began to undress. Finally, I took off my shirt without any shame. Amy's eyes went straight to my chest. I sighed as I raised my arm. "This... is the same mark Taylor has," I said easily, pointing to my ribs and where the birthmark was.
"Wait-what?" Amy asked, confused, her eyes wide open as she finally focused. I could see everyone else staring at the mark. "That... looks like some kind of tribal tattoo. Are you telling me it's a brand?" Amy asked incredulously.
"Taylor's mark looks like insect wings. Mine are tribal markings," I said, shrugging. Then I held out my hand to Amy, who immediately took it, taking it as consent to use her power. Amy's eyes glazed over slightly.
"Wait... how dense are your muscles?" Amy asked incredulously. "They seem to be made of steel! Not literally, obviously, but the density of the fibers, the insertions, the tendons... what the heck? "
"Not just your muscles. Your bones, your organs, your nervous system, basically your entire body is simply better. I'm trying to find something wrong, but you're the healthiest person, with the most efficient and monstrous body I've ever met."
"I'm not even talking about it being adapted by some quirk with some mutation, you don't have anything extra that I can't recognize, no muscles, or muscle fibers, or bones or anything made of unknown materials or in a strange way like I've seen in other people, no, nothing like that."
"It's not just that your body is... a perfected form of the normal human body. Everything works better and is much more optimized on several scales. It's... incredible." Amy said, sounding genuinely fascinated.
"Could it be thanks to Miyamura's quirk?" offered Chief Director Costa-Brown. Amy just blinked.
"I... I have no idea, but it's almost certainly not. His quirk has something to do with shadows, right? And that other one too, to make food tastier. They both seem very specific and very different, and neither should change his body like that." Amy said with a grimace. "I can't see his quirk doing anything internally that's improving him or anything," she added, frowning.
"Thank you, but it wasn't all me. My mom did a great job. As a baker, I'm sure she'll be pleased to know that her greatest creation was such a success." I said haughtily with an arrogant smile. Amy snorted amusedly. Taylor just snorted mockingly.
"I'll be telling her you said that. Word for word." Taylor said dryly. I just smiled without feeling embarrassed.
"However... interesting it may be, shall we fly to the mark?" principal Nezu said gently. Amy simply nodded.
"The brand is the same. Or at least, I can feel they're similar. It's just that Miyamura's is older," Amy said without hesitation.
"I was born with it," I said gently. Amy just raised a curious eyebrow. "Did Taylor tell you about the Total Concentration Breathing technique?" I asked gently. Amy just nodded.
"A breathing technique that allows you to get more oxygen into your lungs and then accelerate your blood flow to carry that oxygen faster throughout your body and gain more strength, endurance, and reaction time. Yes, she told me that, and that's not how biology is supposed to work, but it does." Amy said dryly. I chuckled.
"I was born with the mark. At first, no one paid any attention to it; I mean, with the sheer number of quirks, a mark on your body isn't really a problem. But I was born with absurd physical and perceptual abilities, and my quirk wasn't related to my physical strength at all."
"So the brand was all that was left. And even though it was instinctive, I knew it, my brand was related to my strength, even if I didn't know why. Honestly… I didn't think it could be passed on, at least not from person to person."
"But... this is just a theory, and it could be complete nonsense. Just... play along." I said with a sneer, licking my lips. "As you mentioned, my body seems to be the most efficient and strongest in existence. Taylor's body reached an upper limit where it was basically faced with two alternatives: either fail or reconfigure itself to survive."
"So the body simply decides to reconfigure itself, and Total Concentration Breathing helps it survive through that. Total Concentration Breathing helps develop an extraordinarily fine perception, to the point of being able to follow other people's breathing, body rhythm, muscle tension, movement cadence, and much more."
"Taylor has seen and adapted to mine. And I suppose... subconsciously, her body tried to reconfigure itself like mine to try to survive? Only her body isn't... used to that adaptation, and then she didn't know how to return to a previous state, so that's why it was very possible that she failed? Or... something like that." I said with a grimace. Everyone looked at me like I was crazy.
"Perception? I can easily read micro-expressions, what level of perception are we talking about?" Costa-Brown asked, frowning.
"Oh, too much," I said immediately. "The highest level I have, I call Transparent World. It allows me to 'see' blood flow, breathing, muscle contractions, joint movements, organs, and basically the entire inside of a creature."
"Contrary to appearances, it's not actually an eye ability; it's more of a sixth sense, like Observation Haki. My senses are so sensitive that they gather all the information about the creature in front of me with terrifying detail, and my brain rearranges it in a way that I can understand."
"Even if I were blind, I would still be able to perceive the inner workings of the creatures in front of me," I said honestly. Everyone looked at me in surprise.
"So... that doesn't count as a quirk?" Amy asked incredulously before snorting and shaking her head.
"Even so, I'm... pretty sure bodies don't work that way," Taylor said uncertainly.
"No, no, no. It makes sense." Amy murmured as she took one of my hands and Taylor's other. "Now that you mention it, there are... so many similarities in how both our bodies work that it's impossible not to notice now that you've brought it up."
"They shouldn't be that similar, especially not between the two of you who have completely different ancestry. That makes it even more extraordinary. Truly fascinating. If what you mentioned is true, it seems that your autonomic nervous system actually learned how his body works and tried to emulate it, only it doesn't have the necessary hardware to keep it running. Yes… that would explain everything," Amy said, fascinated.
"As interesting as it may be, and truly strange, is young Taylor completely healthy? And if she was able to do it, does that mean the other companions of young Izumi will be able to as well? Will they have any problems? " Nezu asked gently. Amy blinked and shook her head.
"No, there's no problem with Taylor, she's completely healthy," she said without hesitation. "And if there's someone else capable of generating one of those marks, they shouldn't have a problem either. Their aura should be more than capable of keeping them alive and healing any temporary injuries, and over time it will continue to heal any problems until their body truly adapts and is able to maintain it. Using healing quirks will only accelerate the adaptation."
"It shouldn't cause any problems overall," Amy said without hesitation. I sighed with relief.
"Thank you," I said to Amy. She just nodded.
"Thank you, Amy," Taylor said with a smile. Amy finally let go of our hands.
"You're welcome. And that's part one. Now... it's time to see that mutant ant. Let's see what she's made of." Amy said with a gleam of excitement in her eyes as she turned to Harbinger.
AUTHOR'S NOTES: Excuse the babbling! First of all, I have no idea about actual biology, so you can really ignore it, especially since trying to find a 'real' biological way for the Demon Slayer mark to spread other than through magic was complicated!
A/N: If you liked the story, join my patreon, patreon.com/Camellya_Addams, there are up to 10 chapters in advance, thank you. Or you can also visit my Ko-Fi, ko-fi.com/camellya_addams.