[DISCONTINUED] reaper | todoroki shouto

2 | HIM

Todoroki least expected his morning to be dreaded with disembodied bodies and crimson floors.

The vicinity in the sunny morning brought the light into the once dark alley, unveiling the hidden bloodshed caused by the unknown sinister (he assumed). Tape lines prevented those who entered without authorization, shutters of cameras snapped the scene, forensic scientists and investigators did all they could to determine the plausibility of a threat.

There, hero Shouto stood as he observed the once filthy, murky alley filled with trash bags that was now filled with a count of six men stabbed in their chest, abdomen with one missing an arm and three almost going headless.

This was the work of a villain, he thought.

"If this were a normal day, we would've been done with the investigation by now," Tsukauchi said as he looked through the notes while standing beside the stoic pro hero. "I wish I could assume this was the work of a villain trying to rob the victims, but I don't think a villain would target a group of lowlife thugs as their victims. Not to mention the massacre."

"So you're saying?"

"Seemingly, this is similar to the other case a few weeks ago." The detective didn't answer his question, yet. "Another group—or gang, I could say—was found dead at the docks near the district park. It almost caused a stir among the public but we were quick to react. Now that we're facing a similar case, I'm starting to think this is some kind of a specified goal the culprit was going for. Drug dealers, criminal organizations of some sort."

"So a vigilante is running around in town then," Shouto concluded, the answer he was looking for.

Tsukauchi nodded. "Correct. And this vigilante is somewhat cautious. Previously, there were other four cases involving gangs too which means whoever this person is, he's been working around the clock to avoid chaos within the law. I admit he's doing a great job at it."

"This person's also doing a great job at hiding their tracks too. No bloody footprints or trails or anything to leave behind. This isn't any vigilante we're talking about. Whoever it is, he's quiet."

A few months ago, he was called in to accompany Tsukauchi to investigate a commotion in an alley behind a bar in which the bar had a hidden basement packed with drugs that were illegal in Japan. By the time they got there, about twelve people wearing tags were dead, but Shouto knew that the culprit made the commotion on purpose just so their crimes would be exposed. Still, that didn't justify whoever did this.

Heroes and villains are two sides of the same coin—just like how angels and demons are. But vigilantes? They're on both sides. Perhaps the copper between two surfaces—the middle of both worlds.

Vigilantes are like the angels disguised as demons or even demons disguised as angels. Perhaps they could be a Nephalem—an offspring of both angels and demons. They're the balance of both worlds, but are more weighted on the dark side—merciless, ruthless against the fallen angels who dared betray the god of life and corrupted the world of humans with the influence of wicked power and of greed.

Vigilantes have their own sense of justice driven by revenge or maybe the law was starting to irk them. Shouto knew that. He himself doesn't know whether he's comfortable with them. He doesn't dislike them but maybe the way they showed their justice was a little too much. It was as if humanity left their souls, to begin with, but enough amount of sane to control themselves.

Needless to say, vigilantes are unforgiving, but will they be forgiven by society?

No. They probably won't.

They can only forgive themselves—redeem themselves as a foreign in the human world.

"Sir, sorry to interrupt you but we found this."