Chapter Text
‘Everything about this contract stays between us.’
That was the first rule between a man who has lived many lifetimes and a woman who’s heritage was stained with too much red. They were not friends, not lovers; merely two people who seek similar destruction.
All for One never partnered with anyone. This was a known fact. He’s never seen anyone as anything close to an equal, and for good reason. Who could possibly stand on equal ground with the ruler of the criminal underworld?
Of course, any villain with good enough ears would know there is one answer. That is the Akatani family.
They’ve ruled in the shadows for hundreds of years, with speed, skills, knowledge, and power too great to be human. While the rest of Japan obtained strange quirks that would change society as more than they could ever know, the Akatanis grew in numbers, wealth, and most of all, power.
With each generation of Akatanis, the abilities they held became more refined and infinitely more feared. How could someone possibly predict the moves of a family of cold-blooded killers that have been separated from society since the start of their family tree?
As years passed by, the genes of Akatanis split into two categories. One with ungodly strength and speed, and the other with more average abilities. The only way these categories could be told apart at first glance is the difference in appearance. The Akatanis with immense power always had green hair and green eyes. This became known as ‘The Midori Gene’.
This small bit of knowledge managed to spread throughout the criminal underworld. It was said that if you saw the emerald eyes of an Akatani, you would not live another day. These eyes were the most valuable thing in Japan at one point. The Akatanis have already made it to the top of the assassin business, and due to the accuracy of their killings, the profit from these deeds kept rolling in. At one black market auction, it is said that one of the items displayed was the green eyes stolen from the corpse of an Akatani. The item sold for 6.8 billion yen.
It is also said that not a single person inside that building lived to the next day.
The Akatanis have a certain style of assassination. It was quick, painless, and unavoidable. That is, until one young Akatani was born. She grew up without parents to teach her the techniques of an Akatani, so she made up her own. Inko Akatani shocked not only Japan, but the world with her apathetic killings. It is said that her death count was higher than the past three generations of Akatanis combined. She was very beautiful in the eyes of the world, with a slim yet curvy figure, straight dark green hair and, of course, those piercing green eyes. She rumoured to have murdered everyone in an apartment building while wearing a backless dress and high heels.
That started the desire for ‘Akatani style’ clothing, which consisted of black and red with the back of the wearer being bared for the world to see. Around the fourth generation of Akatanis, a special ink was discovered that would burn deep into the skin and alter the colour of it forever. This started an Akatani tradition of, when an Akatani child turned four years old, they would have the family name’s kanji burned into their back. Depending on whether the child had green hair and eyes or not, this is also around the time when they would start their assassin training. The branding process was said to be long and terribly painful. Proud Akatanis presented their family name on their backs by wearing backless tops (mainly for the women) and sheer shirts (mainly for the men).
Inko Akatani was currently placing a black box in front of All for One himself. This was another part of their contract. For five whole years, Inko Akatani would kill, torture or capture whoever All for One requested, and if told to kill, she would bring him the target’s heart as proof.
A few years prior to this, All for One recognized that Inko Akatani was swiftly becoming one of the most feared people in Japan. With her incredible abilities and the already existing Akatani reputation, she was globally seen as ‘that woman you don’t want to mess with’.
He did not feel threatened. He’s seen the works of many Akatanis in his (much too long) lifetime.
However, as Inko’s kill count grew, so did her reputation. She was known throughout the underworld, hero society and parts of the civilian population. All for One knew that this increase in popularity only made Inko’s killing numbers grow. She was young; barely 26 if his calculations were correct (and they always are). He realized the most logical way to get Inko on his side was by doing something he’d never had to do before.
He requested a truce.
More of a deal, if you will. For the next five years, Inko would work for All for One. She would kill who he wanted, torture who he wanted, and get any information he wanted; no questions asked. Her side of the deal was simple.
She wanted to have the perfect child. She was quite the perfectionist, if you will. She wanted a perfect Akatani child with green eyes and hair to match hers. And who better to combine her Akatani DNA with than the king of the underworld himself?
It was a small price to pay for All for One. God, his brother would have gawked at this exchange. He wasn’t even completely sure if he was still fertile or not. Nonetheless, after the five years had finished, he sent her the sample she requested and they went their separate ways.
He didn’t love her and felt no obligation to the child she ended up conceiving. He only cared that he is still seated at the top of the underworld and that he won’t have to form any further deals with the Akatani family.
Because although his power is superior, Inko Akatani’s is a close second.
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Mikumo Akatani didn’t ask for the life he lives. He was born on September 17th to his mother and, from the second he opened his wide green eyes, he had his future shaped for him.
He was often alone. To the young boy, this was confusing for a while.
‘Why won’t any of the butlers look at me?’, And ‘Where does mother go during the day?’ Were common thoughts for young Mikumo Akatani. But, as humans do, he learned to adapt.
The manor’s ceilings were tall and never failed to make him feel tiny. The floors were always cold. The Akatani Residence wasn’t a home to Mikumo. If anything, it was more of a cage. A very dark and brooding cage.
He wasn’t allowed in the gardens. Mother told him it was because ‘if he focused his green eyes on the plants, they’d wither into nothing.’ His eyes were bad. Mikumo really didn’t like his eyes.
He never stared at the garden too long because of this. He was deadly, and he didn’t want to kill the plants that the gardener worked to keep alive. Mikumo was too dangerous around plants.
For the first three years of his life, he stayed quiet. He followed the rules and did what he was told. Mother wouldn’t lie to him. Mother loved him. She told him herself.
His somewhat peaceful (alone, quiet, dark) life flipped upside down when he turned four. That dreaded day of being yanked from his (much too large) bed by tall people in white coats.
They injected something into him with a needle. It made him feel tingly and numb. He couldn’t decide if he disliked the feeling as he was then strapped face down onto a medical bed. His eyes started to water, but he didn’t let them fall. Mother told him his tears held poison.
Mikumo really didn’t like his eyes.
Where was his mother? He wished she were here. She would pull him into her chest and stroke his hair. She was the only one immune to him. She was the only person he could touch who wouldn’t get hurt.
His thoughts came back to his situation as a blinding white pain shot through his back. He recognized the buzzing as something electrical. Before he could try to think what it may be, the pain came back full force; this time focused on a more specific part of his back, right along his upper vertebrae. He couldn’t contain the scream that ripped from his throat at the feeling. So intense, it all felt so permanent. Like the feeling would never end.
As more lines were burned on his back, he eventually passed out. That tingly feeling from earlier had morphed into overwhelming exhaustion and he could no longer keep his (dangerous, terrible, scary) eyes open. When he came back to consciousness, it was to the tall people in white coats from before talking. He couldn’t feel his entire back. He had a bad headache.
Four year old Mikumo couldn’t contain the whimper that forced its way past his lips from the pain and numbness. The tall people stopped talking and he felt the restraints on his wrists and ankles loosen before coming off completely— It was a small relief, but a relief nonetheless.
He must have fallen back into unconsciousness not too long after, as he woke up alone in his room with thick white bandages around his entire torso. He moved to shift up but it caused him a sharp pain, so he laid back down with a sob. He wanted his mother. Where was his mother? She should be keeping him safe. What did the tall people in white coats do to him?
Now that he was alone (he had to be alone. It was too quiet for him not to be. No subtle sounds of breathing or shifting of another person could be heard) he felt the tears from the stress of the past few hours (it could’ve been days. Who knows how long whatever process the people in coats did to him had taken? Mikumo sure didn’t) roll down his cheeks. Trying— and failing— to hold back his sobs, he carefully manoeuvred his small body into a ball of sorts. He hugged his knees tightly near his chest, which heaved with the sobs that escaped his throat.
He doesn’t know how long he laid there, breaking down alone in the darkness of his room, but he was barely staying awake when the large wooden door creaked open. The last things he heard before passing out once again was:
“He’s ready, Mistress. The process was a success.”
And the next words, uttered in sickening glee by the horribly familiar voice of the woman who he thought would never let him get hurt.
“Perfect.”