{A/N: I've lost my momentum with this story, I'll try and get through it but dont expect to many chapters (even though I havent uploaded many). This story isn't getting dropped.}
*Lol I forgot to actually upload the chapter
October 22nd, 2414 — Musutafu District 2 — Musutafu, Japan
Looking at the indicated piece of debris, Himiko seemed to think for a second before cautiously sitting down on the rusty oil drum. Turning her canary yellow eyes toward the seated Sage, her earlier manic energy dulled into a wary alertness.
Leaning back on her makeshift seat, Sage began looking at Himiko less as an enemy and more as a broken girl. The silence stretched between them, broken only by the distant crash of waves against the garbage-covered shoreline and the occasional groan of shifting debris.
"So," Sage began, her voice cutting through the night air, "your quirk. It's called Transform, right? You need to ingest someone's blood to copy their appearance."
Himiko's entire body went rigid. "How did you—"
"I have my ways." Sage waved dismissively. "What I'm more interested in is why you're out here alone, attacking random strangers for blood. That's not exactly sustainable long-term."
The blonde's face cycled through several emotions before settling on a bitter smile. "I know it's not sustainable..."
She chuckled in a self-deprecating manner, meeting Sage's gaze with a tear in her eye and a deranged smile on her face. "But what am I supposed to do instead? My parents think I'm a freak, society thinks I'm a monster, and the only thing that makes me feel... anything... is when I can taste someone's blood and become them."
Sage felt an unexpected pang of sympathy looking at the girl broken by society's expectations, though she kept her expression neutral. "And how's that working out for you? The whole 'stabbing strangers' approach to social interaction?"
Himiko's manic grin returned, though it seemed more fragile now. "Not great, obviously. But what else am I supposed to do? Walk up to people and ask nicely for their blood? 'Excuse me, sir, could you spare a pint? It's for a good cause!'"
Despite herself, Sage found herself feeling pity. "Himiko, you don't need to ask for blood from strangers. There are places where you can buy blood legally. I'm assuming, though, based on your situation, no one ever told you about that."
For a few seconds, Himiko sat in stunned silence before slowly beginning to laugh in a crazed manner. "Seriously! How long's that been a thing?!"
Her laugh petered off and slowly turned into sad sobs. Reaching over, Sage gently laid her hand on Himiko's shoulder as she sobbed. Internally, Sage could only reflect on Himiko's circumstances—she'd spent her entire life being told that her desire for blood was sick and wrong when it was just a natural urge caused by her quirk. Her parents were obviously horrible people.
Sitting in silence for a few minutes, Sage let the blonde cry out her grievances. Eventually her tears dried up as her sobs calmed down.
Looking up from where her head rested in her palms, Himiko looked at her with clear vulnerability showing in her yellow eyes. "What am I meant to do now? I know it's wrong, but I can't help wanting to see people bleed. You're probably going to turn me in to some heroes."
Sighing, Sage looked out at the dark ocean stretched beyond the mounds of garbage, each piece of rubbish an indicator of society's apathy. Falling into thought, she began considering her potential options.
'I could turn Himiko into the police and be rid of her, or...'
Looking at the mentally unstable girl barely a year older than her, Sage came to a decision. "Himiko... how do you feel about a job? Your quirk has amazing potential in spying and espionage. There's so much you could do with the right support."
She paused, watching Himiko's reaction. "If you come work for me, I can give you jobs that allow you to attack people and make them bleed. All I ask is for your loyalty."
Offering out her hand, Sage waited as Himiko thought over the offer. Looking at the vulnerable blonde in front of her, Sage internally felt a small amount of guilt for trying to use her vulnerable mental state.
Snapped out of her thoughts, Sage looked down as Himiko took her offered hand. Then, looking back up to her face, a crazed grin split the vampire girl's features. "I'll take you up on that offer. Can I expect some more details?"
Smiling lightly, Sage took back her hand. "I don't have any tasks for you at the moment, and even if I did, you need training first."
Himiko pouted in response but quickly recovered and returned to her usual personality. Feeling curious, Sage voiced her thoughts.
"Say... why did you decide to attack me? Was there any particular reason?"
Tapping her pointer finger against her chin, Himiko hummed in thought. After figuring it out, she looked Sage in the eyes. "I suppose I attacked you because you looked upset and distracted. I find upset people don't tend to fight back as much, or are too caught up in their worries to even react. Why were you upset though?"
Nodding in understanding, Sage gestured toward the mounds of garbage surrounding them. "Tell me honestly—what do you think about all this?"
Himiko followed her gesture, confusion spanning her expression. "The... garbage?"
"The state of the world," Sage clarified, her voice hardening. "Look around us, Himiko. This beach used to be beautiful. Now it's a monument to humanity's apathy. The oceans are dying, the air is poison, and everyone just... doesn't care."
The blonde blinked in surprise at the sudden shift in topic. "I... hadn't really thought about it? I mean, yeah, it's gross, but—"
"But you've had bigger problems to worry about," Sage finished. "I get that. When you're struggling to survive, it's hard to think about the bigger picture."
They fell into silence again, the weight of the conversation heavy on their minds. Awkwardly picking at a loose thread in her fraying school uniform, Himiko seemed to try and find some way to change the conversation.
Finally, Himiko broke the quiet. "Why were you so violent back there?" Her voice was curious rather than accusatory. "I mean, I get that I attacked you first, but... you seemed to enjoy it. The fighting."
Chuckling lightly, Sage thought over the question, absentmindedly fiddling with one of her many rings. "It's a combination of things, I guess. My quirk makes me more battle-hungry than normal, and I do enjoy a good fight—it's just a simple battle of skill and instinct with no lies or pretences."
Nodding slowly, Himiko fiddled with her broken blade. "I get that, I suppose. It's probably similar to blood for me."
Feeling the conversation was coming to a close, Sage stood up and stretched. As she did, a cloud of steam engulfed her. When it cleared, Sage stood a few inches taller in his male form.
"Wha...?"
Looking at the confused Himiko, he chuckled lightly while offering his hand. "It's a side effect of my quirk. Don't pay it too much attention."
Looking between the outstretched hand and his face, Himiko slowly reached out and took his hand. "I guess everyone has their own little quirks, so... what now, boss?"
Dusting off his hands, Sage absentmindedly waved HLN-A over. "For now we're heading home. I'll get your criminal record sorted out and start your training in the morning." He turned to address the loyal robotic assistant. "Hela, could you contact the staff manager and ask him to organize an extra room for Himiko? Thanks."
Gently pulling Himiko to her feet, Sage tightened his grip on her hand before addressing her directly. "I'm going to need you to close your eyes and follow as close as possible. Remember—don't open your eyes until I say so, or it'll hurt."
Tilting her head in confusion, Himiko looked up into his eyes while adjusting her hold. "Why can't I open my eyes?"
Sighing lightly, Sage internally acknowledged that it was a long shot for her to instantly trust him and reluctantly explained. "I'm going to use my power to transport us back to my house, but my power works by stepping through a higher spatial dimension. Humans aren't built to see that and tend to go mad, so keep your eyes closed."
Nodding reluctantly, Sage got the feeling she was likely going to peek but decided that would be her choice. "Okay, follow me and keep your eyes shut."
Walking slowly along the small strip of sand revealed beneath the mounds of garbage, Sage mentally accessed his quirk. While constantly thinking of his house, space began to distort around him.
As they walked through the higher dimension, countless images flashed around him from all angles—some notable like the Great Wall of China or the Eiffel Tower, but all of them a garbled mess of colours in which every part internal or not was visible at once.
Tuning out the surrounding sights, Sage felt his head begin to ache lightly from the effort of bringing another person with him. Over the years, he had worked tirelessly to train his quirk in order to better control it. With the help of HLN-A and the tether system his dad made, he was able to slowly train himself to bring things with him.
Stepping back down into three-dimensional space, Sage felt a wave of exhaustion not dissimilar to running a two-hundred-meter race wash over him. Beside him, Himiko gasped sharply as her body scrambled to readjust itself.
"Okay, you can open your eyes now. We're here."
Slowly, Himiko cracked her eyes open before wincing slightly and stumbling. Catching her by the shoulder, Sage waited for her to regain her balance before moving.
After she regained her footing, Sage released her hand and stepped back slightly as she straightened up. "Urgh, my head feels funny. I thought you said I'd be fine if I didn't open my eyes."
Looking at the pouting blonde in front of him, Sage couldn't help but laugh as her image overlapped with that of an upset bunny. "I didn't say you'd be fine—I said you wouldn't be in tons of pain or insane. It's expected that you're a bit discombobulated. Come on now, we should get you settled."
Turning, Sage began walking toward the nearest building. After pushing open the door, he waited a few seconds for Himiko to catch up. Inside the building, a few of the groundskeepers walked around using the facilities before bed. Occasionally, Sage greeted some as he passed.
Weaving through the wooden corridors, he eventually arrived at the employees' dining room where an elderly man in a neat tuxedo stood waiting next to a corridor on the far side. Crossing the room, Sage greeted the man before stepping behind Himiko.
"Good evening, Geralt. I hope my request wasn't too difficult?"
Smiling lightly, Geralt grabbed a key from his pocket before turning to Himiko. "Don't worry about it, young master. I assume this young lady is the one I was told about?"
Stepping forward, Himiko eyed the man with a crazed look in her eyes. Resting his hand on her shoulder, Sage gently pulled her out of Geralt's personal space as she excitedly introduced herself.
"Hello, old man! My name is Himiko. Can I taste your blood?"
Easily maintaining his composure, Geralt returned her greeting in kind before going over a few formalities and handing her the key.
As the two turned to leave, Sage stopped Geralt and spoke softly. "I'm aware I brought her here, but she is highly unstable, so I would like it if the night shift could be notified about her. Also, can you show her to the chef later so she can organize some blood for her quirk? Thanks in advance."
Nodding, Geralt turned and walked off to guide Himiko to her room. Sighing, Sage watched them turn the corner before leaving the building himself.
Walking the short distance over to his house, Sage enjoyed the cool night air while thinking. Checking his watch, he sped up so as not to be late for dinner.
Inside his house, Sage made his way to the kitchen where his mom was happily serving up dinner. Smiling, Sage walked over and grabbed the plates to take to the table before sitting down and waiting for both his parents to sit as well.
After a delicious dinner, Sage made his way back up to his room where he washed up and got his pyjamas on, before he made his way to his desk.
Sitting down, he began rapidly scribbling down all the ideas flying through his mind. From simple non-mechanical devices to chemical solutions and advanced robotics, Sage's mind was a treasure trove of innovative ideas all revolving around the single goal of fixing the world.
At some point during his work, Sage switched back to her female form and while her mind was a bit slower, her body was far faster, and she continued to scratch down her ideas. Pausing briefly, Sage shook out her hand to get rid of the cramp.
Looking down at the notebook, she found it already half full with hundreds of ideas, all of which were permanently engraved in her mind by her eidetic memory skill she got from studying.
Smiling in satisfaction, she glanced offhandedly at her clock and blanched slightly. 'Damn, 4:52 AM. I should try and get at least a few hours of sleep.'
Moving over to her bed, she was about to get under the covers when a quest popped up.
[ *New* Side Quest: Sleepless ]
Goal: Sleep is an essential aspect of all living creatures. Unfortunately for you, in order to function properly, you must sacrifice multiple hours each day to sleep. Go three days with zero sleep. 0.8/3
Reward: 400xp, Skill — USWS, Item — Dreamcatcher]
Grimacing, Sage looked between the quest and her bed with a torn expression. Sighing reluctantly, she decided it was worth the investment and dropped her covers.
"Well, I might as well put some more work into completing my other quests. First though, I need coffee."