MANIA - Katsuki Bakugou

what's right ━

chapter 61

Chaos reigned upon Nagano City for as far as the eye could see.

The earth shook with the power of a thousand planets. The ground before them practically split in two at the sheer movement of the tectonic plates beneath their feet. And yet, even with all the destruction unveiling before them, the only thing Tikki Shimamura could hear was her cousin's proud laughter. The ground trembled and quaked through it all. The madness was only beginning to unfold.

The white haired woman stumbled as she tried to stabilize herself on the uneven ground. Her foot slipped from underneath her on the shifting pile of rock and dirt and she fell backwards, but a hand gripped onto her arm and pulled her back upright. Her head lifted to see a pair of golden eyes staring back at her.

"Don't fall, T. This is just the start," Kimiko said to her with a cocky smirk.

Shimamura smiled back. Glancing down, she could see Kimiko's feet and calves were nothing but blackened smoke as she levitated above the shifting ground. Her quirk helped her stand firm on such an uneven surface so she hardly felt the effects of the earthquake at all. Shimamura stood and tried to hold herself up without the help of a quirk like the Wraith's, but it was difficult.

Surrounding her on all sides were the rest of the Seijin... well, the ones that Kimiko held closer to her, anyway. None of them were recognizable to Shimamura. As far as Kimiko was concerned, she kept Shimamura separate and away from most of her legion of villains. The hero perceived it as a way of keeping her safe from the villains since she was not one herself. They would've ridiculed her and harassed her. Or, conversely, it was a way for Kimiko to protect herself. Shimamura was a source of weakness for Kimiko. They were family.

Dabi was nowhere to be seen. Kimiko explained to Shimamura that she had sent him to deal with the masses, cause fear and panic through the city as an add-on to the current earthquake they were dealing to the citizens. It was unnecessary, but Kimiko didn't want the pyromaniac anywhere near her, as far as Shimamura could tell.

There had been days when Shimamura lost faith in Kimiko. Times where Shimamura thought that Kimiko didn't truly care about her... but those thoughts were long gone. Kimiko was there for her after Kagoshima. She shared their hatred for Shimamura's aunt—Kimiko's mother. She shared in her grief for the loss of Shimamura's mother. She shared in the belief that the world could be a better place. There was hope. And Kimiko brought that hope to life for Shimamura.

"You didn't really think that you were just here to bum pills off of me and transfer information did you?" Kimiko asked her.

Shimamura paused, fumbling with the refilled pill bottle in her hands. "No. I knew there was something more to it."

Shimamura could remember the day like it was yesterday. The day that Kimiko finally confessed her true plans with the Seijin to Shimamura...

Kimiko extended her arms to her sides. "Look around you, T. We live in a world with corrupt heroes and antiheroes who do nothing but get paid to do God's honest work. They want nothing more than the rewards and the benefits that come with the hero's life. And regular folks in Japan? They're no better. They wander around aimlessly to useless jobs and pitiful lives with no purpose other than to exist. The Seijin are here to make the world fit for kings. Everyone should have such a purpose in life. We just need to help them get there."

Shimamura bit her lip. "You want to help them."

"That's all I've ever wanted."

"But you need me."