Chapter Text
Everything hurts. His head throbbed, and his vision blurred. Colors and shapes merged together, making it difficult to map out the environment that surrounded him. He felt his bones stretching, breaking, and shifting into new positions. Crumpling onto the forest floor, he let out an agonized groan. His legs were no longer able to keep him upright. His vision started to blacken, but before he could pass out, something had graced his ears.
“EEUUGH, WHAT IS THAT?”
“Could it be an invader?”
“Impossible, it doesn’t look like any invader we’ve fought before. Look closer. It’s wearing Aotsuki’s clothes.”
“It is! But why is—”
“IS THAT THING EITO?”
Voices.
They sounded as if his head were dunked underwater, but he heard voices. Beautiful, normal, lovely, melodic voices.
Eito felt a scream erupt from his throat as the bones of his torso shifted and rubbed against each other. His neck was disappearing as his head sank down onto his shoulders.
Everything went dark.
---
Soft, warm blankets welcomed him as he awoke. Artificial light and the sound of running water also greeted him. Drowsiness escaped him as he realized that he was back in the Last Defense Academy’s courtyard. He was back in the giant cage where he had been before his escape. He couldn’t help but notice that he wasn’t alone.
“That’s Eito? What happened to him?” questioned a pink-haired girl. Both of her small, delicate hands reached up to cover her noise as she stepped closer to the bars of the enormous bird cage that held him.
Kako?
“Sister dearest, careful! We don’t know what Mister Aotsuki has! It could be contagious!” A purple-haired boy urged as he quickly grabbed Kako by her shoulders and took several steps back. A medical mask covered half of his face, yet his eyes and eyebrows were left uncovered and scrunched up. A clear look of disgust.
That one must be Ima.
“Kyohohoho! Do you think he was cursed by an evil forest witch?” cackled a girl with dyed blue hair with black roots tied up into two pigtails. “Maybe he called her a ‘VILE, DISGUSTING, NASTY MONSTER,’ so she cursed him.” She smiled as she did finger-gun motions with her hands. A wooden clothespin pinched her nose. Her bright pink irises moved rapidly around to look at everyone in the courtyard with the exception of Eito.
Darumi.
A masked girl with long white hair braided to one side asked, “Did you see what happened to him when you found him?” Her body was turned to face the cage, yet her head was turned to the side, facing the boy next to her. Her light violet eyes refused to leave him.
“No, we just heard a scream followed by some pained groans. When we found Eito, his body was already transforming into how he looks now.” Answered a boy with bright red hair wearing an identical medical mask. His ultramarine blue eyes looked over to him for a split second and quickly back to the white-haired girl. The rings of red that circled his pupils were a gorgeous contrast.
“I still can’t believe you carried that thing. You’d have to pay me to make me carry THAT.” Shouted a black-haired boy wearing a ripped blue hat. He pointed directly at Eito and immediately tried to suppress a gag. Both of his hands quickly moved to cover his mouth and nose, which were already protected by a multitude of medical masks.
Nozomi. Takumi. Gaku.
He could see others farther away. Talking in groups. A dark purple-haired girl wearing glasses speaking to a different blue-haired individual wearing an eyepatch.
Even further away, there was a girl with long platinum blonde hair tied into a low ponytail, dry heaving as she covered her mouth with her hands. Another girl with black hair tied into a high ponytail patted her back while a green tomato-masked person and a woman with flowing deep purple hair with a bright purple streak dressed in a bodysuit stood by.
Hiruko, Yugamu, Tsubasa, Kyoshika, Kurara, and Eva.
They all looked beautiful.
They looked normal. Normal, like him. But they all seemed to avoid looking at him.
He could not seem to remember why his body morphed before he passed out from the pain. He shuffled about on the bed, slowly testing the mobility of his body. He couldn’t turn his head. He’d have to turn his entire body to look around. Whatever happened to his form could surely be fixed. Right?
Now for what reason were they covering their noses?
He opened his mouth to ask, but the voice that came out wasn’t what he was accustomed to.
“WHAT IS—”
Screaming. Immediate screaming. Everyone covered their ears.
“Stop! Just stop talking!” Shouted Takumi as he squeezed his eyes shut.
“We should put duct tape over his mouth so he won’t damage my eardrums!” Yelled Kurara, her hands balled into fists at her sides.
“Oh, for the love of murder. Not only has his body been deformed while emanating a horrid stench, but his voice is absolutely dreadful to listen to.” Yugamu sighed while crossing his arms. “And unfortunately, I have no idea what happened to him, nor do I know how to turn him back.” His blue eyes glanced over at him. “I was excited when you said you wanted me to examine Eito, but I was expecting a cute boy, not some kind of deformed frog.” The one blue eye then landed on Hiruko.
Hiruko’s pale, slender fingers pushed up her glasses. “Then I suppose there’s nothing that we could do for him.” A sigh could be heard beneath her mask.
“At ease, soldiers! Why is everyone acting like this is a bad thing?” A cheery voice boomed throughout the courtyard.
Seemingly appearing out of nowhere was Sirei, popping a confetti popper.
“We have successfully captured the traitor. Which means he won’t be able to plot against the Special Defense Unit anymore. Especially not in that new frog body he has.” The egg-shaped robot pointed out. His voice was filled with positivity.
Nozomi twiddled her fingers nervously. “Sirei, if Eito’s data is added back into Revive-O-Matic, that would bring back his normal body if he dies, right?”
“Why, of course, Miss Kirifugi. But that’s not going to happen. Mister Aotsuki here doesn’t seem to be a danger if he’s in this form.” Sirei’s transparent body waddled over to Takumi. “Isn’t that right, Sumino?”
Takumi looked around. Everyone was staring at him. Waiting. He balled his hands into fists. His eyes looked uncertain about the choice that he was about to make.
“Sirei’s right. Eito wants us dead, but if he’s stuck in that body, he won’t be able to kill us.”
“Good answer, Sumino!”
“Wait!” shouted Nozomi. “We should change him back once the one hundred days are up. It just seems cruel to leave him like this.” Her eyes were soft and filled with sympathy, yet they still refused to look over at Eito.
Silence filled the room. It was so quiet you could hear a pin drop…and Tsubasa’s gagging.
The Special Defense Unit all exchanged looks, unsure if Nozomi’s suggestion was a good idea.
Sirei sighed. “We’ll see, Miss Kirifuji.”
Even though everyone in the courtyard was a delight to look at and their voices were lovely to listen to, Eito couldn’t help but zone out due to being distracted by his own hands. His own deformed hands elongated into boneless-looking fingers with rounded suction-cup tips. Stretching out the digits, he could see ropes of transparent green slime desperately clinging between them. The smell was something akin to rot soaked in sewage water.
He could hear his heart beating loudly and his ears ringing.
Darkness welcomed him with open arms once more.
---
There was never a time when Eito didn’t prefer to be by himself. He was always afraid. Afraid of his classmates, teachers, and even his parents. Who wouldn’t be when everyone around you was a monster? Everywhere he looked, there would be bulbous protruding eyes, inflamed, sickly-looking skin, and holes oozing putrid liquid. He would always prefer to be by his lonesome. Either locked up in his childhood bedroom, the room he occupied in the hospital, or tucked away in a corner of the hospital’s library. Far from the smell of festering garbage that escaped those hideous beings. Away from the bloodcurdling voices like nails on a chalkboard.
The feeling of guilt became foreign to him after he read that book about the atrocities of humanity. He felt rather accomplished when the hospital exploded. He was proud of himself when he finally got rid of the bodies of his parents. He didn’t need their lies. There was no need to hear anyone out. Especially since he figured out the reason why everyone looked the way they did. With his righteous eyes, he could see humanity for what it is. Simply put, everyone’s outside would match their inside, and there was no reason to listen to anyone’s excuses or manipulation.
He had truly believed he was given these eyes for a reason.
So then why did this happen? Why must he be cursed so suddenly with such a disgusting body? What was the cause? Why him? He was doing everything he thought was right.
After he escaped his cage and the academy for the second time, he wandered off into the forest hoping his luck would be of use. Who would’ve thought he would turn into this?
He was closer to the ground than ever before. His body had not only shrunk, but his entire skeletal structure had changed. His neck was gone. He could not turn, tilt, lower, or raise his head. His legs and feet were elongated. Crawling around the floor had taken some getting used to.
His clothes had become troublesome to wear. They were much too baggy now, and they practically swallowed him whole.
Thankfully, he hasn’t been able to see his reflection yet. Every passing day he tells himself it’s just a nightmare. He’ll wake up soon. The Revive-O-Matic can fix him. He’ll just have to wait.
Day after day, a different member of the Special Defense Unit would come and bring him food. Whoever entered would barely look at him. They would hold their breath and leave as quickly as possible.
Nobody would stay longer than necessary.
Shouma probably would have, but he hasn’t seen him since he returned. Gaku had, one day, mumbled something along the lines of “If only Shouma were here” while complaining and giving Eito his breakfast. Obviously indicating that the self-loathing boy was no longer with them.
The sound of footsteps approaching his cage snapped Eito out of his thoughts.
Tsubasa slowly made her way to the front of his cage, her left hand clutching the mask that covered her nose and mouth. She held a tray of food with her right hand. Her beautiful tan face was tinted green.
“I-I, um.” She squeezed her eyes shut as she gagged. “It’s a good thing I haven’t eaten in a while.” She mumbled to herself.
She removed the hand clutching her masked face to dig into her pants pocket. “I’m just here to give you your food. Uh, please don’t attack me.” Her voice was quavering as she fished out the key with trembling hands.
Although she looked like she was about to vomit, she still looked radiant. A black strap-back hat sat on her head. Under it, long platinum blonde hair was tied into a low ponytail with a black ribbon. A side-swept fringe fell below her eyebrows and covered the entirety of her forehead. One face-framing lock of hair is on her right side. Grey-brown eyes darted around. A small beauty mark lay just below her rosy bottom lip.
It just wasn’t fair.
Never in his life had he been able to properly enjoy the company of another. He had seen monsters holding each other. Their revolting puss-filled bodies smashing together in a hug. Threads of slime glisten as they would pull apart. Tentacles interlocking as they walk down the street.
Now that he finally saw others as he saw himself, nobody wants anything to do with him. Not that it’s surprising, really. Not only was he a traitor but a disgusting, revolting, dreadful, hideous, smelly traitor.
His vision was suddenly blurry.
“Are you… okay?” Tsubasa’s soft voice asked.
He couldn’t see her facial features at the moment. She looked more or less like a watercolor blob.
“I mean, obviously you’re not really okay since, well, your body is completely transformed, but um.” Tsubasa’s body was midway through a crouch; her arm was extended downwards. She slowly lowered her body to set down the tray of food.
“If you’re in pain, I could tell Yugamu.” Her eyes finally made contact with Eito's.
Surprised, khaki eyes met sorrowful periwinkle eyes.
Eito felt big, fat tears roll down his slimy face.
The blonde girl’s eyebrows knitted together as she tilted her head. “You haven’t flinched or looked away from me yet. You’ve just been staring.”
Eito could practically see the gears in Tsubasa’s head turning as the sound of the nearby fountain water filled the air.
“Eito, can you see me?”