Chapter Text
After he was separated from the rest of his group by a blinding explosion, Shou figured there was a slight chance that he probably screwed up. He snapped his fingers and a swell of light blossomed around him. As far as he could see, he was the only one in the gutted warehouse bay. He spun a cautious half circle to inspect the damage, trying not to jump when he caught a glimpse of his lengthening shadow along the scorched concrete wall.
He didn’t even know that concrete could burn like that.
(Okay, so maybe there was more than a slight chance that he messed up.)
Dammit, he seethed, balling his hands into tight fists. Hanazawa had warned him only moments before, but Shou ignored him and rushed deeper into the warehouse, chasing after ghosts.
Should have listened to Blondie, but that aura…it was so familiar. I know wh—
“Oi! That sure was a nasty one.”
A chipper voice sounded behind Shou.
What? He spun on his heels and gawked at his companion. I thought I was further than the others. When did this guy get ahead of me?
“Sure am glad I stuck close to you, huh?”
“How did you get here?”
Reigen picked himself off the ground, clicking his tongue as he brushed at the dirt stains on his suit.
It won’t make much of a difference. That suit’s done for. Surprised you’re still alive to wear it.
(Seriously. How is he still alive?)
Reigen grumbled something under his breath about securing an exit, but Shou couldn’t make out the rest.
Whatever the reason, we’re the only two left. I have no idea where the others are.
He kept his distance as he studied Reigen. His experiences with Kageyama’s master had been thoroughly inconsistent. He had witnessed a remarkable show of power during the takedown of the 7th Division and Reigen had managed to survive a concentrated blast of power from his father with Serizawa’s assistance. However, other than these conveniently timed demonstrations, he couldn’t detect any psychic abilities from Reigen. Similarly, Ritsu held a great distaste for him, further fueling Shou’s suspicions that the “World’s Greatest Psychic” was nothing more than a quick-talking conman.
Great. I’m going to have to fi—
“Hey! Did you hear me?”
Shou took a reflexive step back. Reigen was suddenly very close to him, gesturing at his forehead.
“Wha?”
“I said, are you alright? It looks like you might’ve hit your head.”
Shou tentatively prodded at his temple and winced at a sharp sting. When he pulled his hand away, his fingertips glistened. He brushed them against his jeans, destroying the evidence.
“Uh, yeah, fine.”
It’s just a scratch. I don’t see why he’s so concerned. My barrier kept most of the debris away. Shou’s gaze jumped from the torn holes near Reigen’s knees to the scuffs along his cheek.
Pfft. Why does he care anyway? He looks more banged up than me.
Reigen exhaled with a weak smile. “That’s a relief. You were closer to the blast than I was.” Shou shifted uneasily on his feet, a bit uncomfortable by Reigen’s worry. “You sure you’re alright?” Reigen rested a hand on his shoulder, but Shou immediately shrugged it off.
“I said I was fine.”
“Ah, okay, sure thing. If that’s the case, then our next course of action is to get out of here.” Reigen refocused on the smoldering carnage around them. He planted his hands on his hips and pivoted before whistling a shrill, lilting tone. “It’s a bit messy, but nothing too much for Reigen Ara—“
“Reigen-san,” Shou interrupted as he felt an icy prickle race down his spine. He could feel someone squeezing on his man-made lantern, squeezing at their light.
“Buuuut perhaps the best thing to do might be to wait for Mob and the others. You never know how unstable these old wareho—“
“Reigen-san!” Shou repeated louder. “Does it feel like it’s getting colder?”
“Eh?” Reigen taped on his chin and hummed under his breath as he considered the question. “No, not particularly. Maybe a little darker?” A beat of silence. “Why? Do you feel something?”
So he has no idea then? Someone’s coming. Shou shivered, despite himself.
With a fizzling pop, the room exploded in a burst of light as the aged lightbulbs overhead crackled and flared to life. Shou threw up his hands to shield his eyes. He squinted at the source: a darkened figure moving towards them.
“Oh hello! It’s been quite some time, Shou-kun!” Once his eyes adjusted to the light, he dropped his hands, keeping them to his side in a ready position. “My, you haven’t grown a bit since I last saw you.”
“Hisoka,” Shou spat. His lip curled in a sneer at the sight of his father’s former ally. Although he held little loyalty to his old man, he held even less of a fondness for selfish traitors.
“That’s no way to treat an old family friend.” The man grinned as he lurched forward. His expression was marred by a scar reaching across his left cheek—the punishment for opposing the leader of Claw.
The first to be scarred.
“You tried to overthrow Pops for personal gain.”
Shou kept his muscles tense, wary of the psychic in front of him. Excluding Kageyama, of his father’s rivals, Hisoka was the most dangerous. He kept the edge of his gaze trained on Hisoka’s fluctuating aura, swelling and retreating like the tides. Alone (with Reigen as his only ally, he considered himself pretty much on his own), Shou knew he had to be careful if he wanted to survive, much less win.
“He was weak. I heard about what happened to him a few months ago. Beaten by a middle schooler.” He surveyed Shou with hooded eyes. “Apparently weakness runs in the family.”
Shou forced a blank expression as Hisoka took a step closer. He couldn’t afford to show any weakness, especially those Hisoka mentioned. After all, it was his enemy’s greatest weapon: the ability to tear down auras and confidence with merciless ease.
Hisoka’s aura surged towards Shou. Reflexively, he threw up his own barrier for protection, a fiery, pulsing shield. Hisoka’s aura crashed into Shou’s with a violent hiss, sending up a sizzling cloud like a doused fire. Shou felt the temperature rise sharply and his palms grew clammy.
Crap! I forgot how strong he was!
Something trickled down his temple; he wasn’t sure if was blood or sweat.
“I heard about what you tried to do—stop your father to save the world. It was sickeningly sweet.” Hisoka shrugged again with a fond roll of his eyes. The left side of his face strained to keep up with gesture.
“But so naïve. In the end, you were still a little boy trying to run back to dear old daddy.”
Shou gritted his teeth as he poured more energy into his barrier. It crackled and popped as the heat swelled, evaporating the wetness along his brow. Hisoka sent another wave of power rushing towards Shou, knocking him backwards with the explosive force. Shou immediately threw his arms up in a defensive pose; anything that could keep him steady was sorely needed. He wasn’t sure how many more hits he could take.
“Pathetic. You’re just another failure in the Suzuki line. It’s a relief that it’ll end with you.”
Crash.
Hisoka’s aura beat against Shou again. He struggled to keep his head above the surface.
“What did you even hope to accomplish?”
Stzzzzt.
Again and again until Shou could feel the foreign coldness seeping in through the cracks in his barrier. He was going to suffocate.
“If your father wasn’t so damn weak, he should have killed you! It wouldn’t have been much of a loss.”
Wsshhh!
With each assault, Hisoka took another step forward, gaining ground quickly.
“You’re too weak to deserve anyone! Your friends, your father. You’re so weak your own mother didn’t even want you!”
With that final phrase, Hisoka shoved forward with all of his energy and sent a furious wave of his aura surging towards Shou. It struck his barrier with a terrifying sputter, but kept pressing until Shou could no longer hold it back. Hisoka’s power rushed over him, bowling him over like a piece of driftwood caught in the tide.
Shou struggled to his knees, chest heaving. He bent his head down, resting his forehead against the cold concrete as he struggled to catch his breath. He was drowning—shit, he was drowning—and he couldn’t save himself.
Snap…out of it. What he’s saying…it doesn’t matter… Get… ahold of yourself, you idiot….
You idiot… What’s wrong with you?
Stupid! Stupid! Stupid!
“Given up already? How very predictable. Your father would have lasted longer.”
Please…just move… Do something….
Shou felt a shadow cross over him and his slacked his shoulders, waiting for the final wave to drag him under. He lifted his head, mustering up his strength for one last glare, before he registered that it wasn’t Hisoka in front of him.
“Oi! Who the hell do you think you are, saying such things to a child?”
Reigen-san…? What—
Hisoka took half a step back, startled by Reigen’s audacity. He narrowed his eyes, scanning Reigen for any semblance of power.
“Who,” he scowled, “are you?”
“Who am I? Who am I?! You must be living under a rock if you’ve never heard of me, Reigen Arataka, Greatest Psychic of the 21st Century!” With a flurry of hand gestures, Reigen jerked a thumb towards himself and offered Hisoka a smug grin.
“Haven’t heard of you.”
“Uhm, ye-es… Well, as such a powerful psychic, I cannot allow you to say such horrible things to one of my students. It…tarnishes my reputation, of course. I simply will not allow it.”
Huh? One of his students? Shou craned his neck to better see the action unfolding above him. He still could not sense any power emitting from Kageyama’s master, but the scene was eerily familiar to him. He racked his brain to remember why, but his thoughts were too scrambled to form a coherent memory.
Reigen crossed his arms and tilted his head. “Quite frankly, what you just said was cruel and uncalled for, no matter who you’re talking to. You’re using underhanded tricks to destroy the confidence of a kid. You should be ashamed of yourself.”
Shou suppressed the urge to groan. What’s he doing? Couldn’t he see how Hisoka’s power works? Did he not see our barriers clashing?
“Is that so?” Hisoka mirrored Reigen’s pose, tilting his head as his darkened gaze picked at each detail of Reigen’s appearance. “Would you feel better if I went after you instead?”
“Uhm, no. No, thank you. I’m really starting to get the feeling that you didn’t listen to a word I just said.”
He’ll get torn to pieces in seconds.
Hisoka ignored him and zeroed in on Reigen’s tattered suit. “For the ‘Century’s Greatest Psychic,’ you’re very poorly dressed. Can’t you scrape together enough business to buy better suits?”
Reigen uncrossed his one of his arms, propping his left elbow in his right palm in an exasperated gesture.
“You’re going back to the insults? What’s wrong with you? You’re acting like a spoiled child!” If Shou had to guess, Reigen sounded more frustrated than shaken.
“You’re powerless! Weak! A fraud!”
“Are you done yet? You keep changing the topic and I want to get back to the awful lies you told this kid.”
Lies? What’s he talking about? Everything Hisoka said was true. That’s his gift—he picks out the truth.
“Now, I don’t know anything about his mother, but I happened to meet his father a few weeks ago.” Reigen phrased it so casually, almost as if Toichiro Suzuki hadn’t attempted to vaporize him while taking over the world. “I have to say, this kid is nothing like his father.”
Shou kept his bright gaze focused on his hands, gripping the concrete floor with white knuckles. He wished the ground would swallow him whole.
“He’s a heck of a lot more impressive.” Shou jerked his head up.
Huh?
“Instead of rolling over and letting a lot more innocent people get hurt, he kept fighting, even against his own father. That was a damn brave thing to do. And he didn’t give up, even when things,” Reigen paused to swallow and adjust his collar, “got pretty sticky.”
Reigen-san’s words poured out of his mouth and surrounded Shou as tight and warm as any protective barrier. Shou furrowed his brow and studied the man’s back, but a tangible manifestation of his power remained as elusive as ever.
What’s…going on?
“He’s helped out me and Mob and the others plenty of times since we’ve met. I know I’m grateful for his help. As for you, you’re the only one who seems to be useless around here. All you do is try to take cheap shots at insecurities. Didn’t anyone ever teach you that was wrong? This kid was raised by a delusional maniac and even he was bright enough to learn right from wrong. That’s a lot more remarkable than petty name-calling.”
(Shou thought he caught a glimpse of Reigen-san’s blurry, shimmering aura, but his vision cleared after he swiped at the wetness along his cheek.)
“The way I see it, you aren’t even half as good as him. Maybe when you finally grow up, you’ll be able to understand.” Reigen pinched the bridge of his nose and shook his head. Under his breath, Shou heard him mutter “grown-ass psychics acting like children.”
Although Hisoka had managed to keep a forced smile on his face throughout Reigen’s lengthy rant, by the conclusion his expression had become livid. With a sharp glint in his eye, Hisoka offered Reigen a crooked leer before lifting a single hand.
“Who are you to chastise me like a naughty child? You talk of power but you’re nothing.” With a dry laugh, Hisoka swept his arm towards Reigen and Shou. Reigen instantly stiffened, squeezing his eyes shut in anticipation, but the blow never came. He tentatively pried his eyes open before glancing over his shoulder.
Shou, standing again, held out two fingers on his left hand with a steely expression. Although Reigen couldn’t see the aura, for the first time, he could sense a crackling warmth enveloping them. His tense shoulders relaxed.
“Reigen-san is right.” Shou tilted his fingers, imitating one of the gestures he had seen Reigen do once. His vibrant aura pulsed, the searing tendrils lashing out at their enemy’s retreating aura. Hisoka took a hasty step back, but Shou’s power snapped at Hisoka’s barrier, causing steam to rise and gaps to form. “Do you think a few harsh words would be enough to take me down?”
“I—you—wea—“
“Pathetic,” Shou sneered as he flicked his wrist. Another swath of Hisoka’s barrier disappeared with a hazy sizzle.
“St—stop!”
“Do you wanna know another reason why I’m stronger than Pops?” Shou lowered his raised hand and offered Hisoka a toothy smile. “Because I don’t fall for lies.”
Shou spared a glance at Reigen. Not when I know others tell the truth.
(He sure as hell wasn’t going to say such a cliché line out loud. The line about lies was bad enough.)
(He was glad Ritsu wasn’t there. He wouldn’t let him live it down.)
With a final wave of his hand, Hisoka’s barrier disappeared and the rival psychic tumbled to the ground, unconscious.
Shou glanced from Hisoka’s unmoving form to his jittering fingers. He could still feel the residual power pooling in his fingertips and pounding deep in his chest.
It felt…good.
Reigen stirred beside him, burying a hand in his pant suit pocket. He planted his other hand on Shou’s shoulder, offering a tight squeeze.
“That was pretty impressive, kid. I knew you could handle it.”
Shou accepted the praise with mashed lips, resisting the urge to cover his reddened cheeks. He let Reigen’s hand stay on his shoulder for a moment longer before pulling away with a scoff.
“Geez, who do you think you are? My old man?”
Shou froze as a different sort of humiliation crashed over him. Crap! I didn’t mean to say that!
Reigen blinked, obviously started by the question. Before either could react, a resounding boom echoed from the walls of the warehouse as the metal crumpled outwards. Hanazawa appeared in the makeshift hole, holding out a glowing palm to light his way.
“Hey! Kageyama-kun! Brother-kun! I found them!”
Deeper within the tunnel, Shou heard Ritsu’s brother mumble something incoherent. Immediately, Reigen shot towards the opening, eager for the chance to escape.
“Oi! Mob! So glad to see you. Uh, you too Ritsu and uhm…right. Anyway, Mob—did you happen to—“
Shou shook his head with a fond smile before trailing after him. Ritsu waited with his arms crossed at the mouth of the tunnel. He nodded his head towards the unconscious esper, lying face down a few feet away.
“So your hunch was right?”
“Oh, yeah. And he was totally easy to beat. Not a problem at all.”
Ritsu hummed unconvincingly under his breath before turning to follow the others. Shou jogged to keep up, feeling the ache in his muscles more than ever. In hindsight, he really was grateful for Reigen-san’s interruption, though he hoped the old man wouldn’t make a habit of jumping out in front of actual espers.
He rolled his shoulders back, satisfied by the muted pop as his joints relaxed—a sign of a hard-fought battle. He shoved his hands in his pockets, nodding his head as he replayed the pivotal scene over and over again, knocking Hisoka to the ground with the sheer power of his personal barrier.
Yes, all he needed was a little break to catch his breath.
(That had to be the reason, right?)
“By the way, dude. Your master is a major badass! You sure he doesn’t ha—”
“He’s not my master!”