Blood-Letting - mha

23

She could hear everything. As soon as she reentered the waiting rooms, she heard the words of spectators. They labelled her as a villain, violent, uncaring, heartless, etcetera. Now that she'd had her fill of human blood, her senses were far more heightened to the criticism. Not as though she didn't deserve it though, she toyed with Bakugo. Then, she hurt him even more by allowing him through to the finals. The guilt was bound to be eating him alive.

Was it too cruel? No, she wasn't allowed to feel sorry for him, not after him betraying her. Collecting herself, Mizuki sighed frustratedly before changing her sports uniform into one that wasn't coaxed in blood and torn to shreds. That explosion did a number on her, but the healing nulled the pain she should've felt. It only made her wonder how powerful she could be if she was supplied with blood constantly. Surely she'd be unstoppable?

"No." She shushed herself. "You can't think like that. It was a mistake, and now you're paying for it. That's why you're in here, alone." She reasoned. Normally people congratulated each other after the matches, or console the loser. But Mizuki got nothing. No one.

Sensing a glimmer of hope, Mizuki heard footsteps outside the door. Maybe she wasn't a lost cause, not yet. However, when the door opened, she was met with the stoic gaze of Shoto Todoroki- the last person she expected to see after her match.

"Todoroki? What's up?" She wondered, not seeing why he bothered to see her.

"My match is in 15 minutes, I needed to get away from the crowds." He explained, taking a seat at the table. For a moment, Mizuki wondered if she was supposed to leave, but she wasn't instructed to, so she stayed put.

"What's everyone saying about my match?" She asked him, knowing he'd give her a straight up answer. However, he simply looked at her, confused for a moment on how to respond. It wasn't reassuring for the vampire. "Is it bad?" She panicked.

"Why did you let Bakugo win?" He replied instead, avoiding the obvious worry of Mizuki.

"Huh?" The girl didn't see why Todoroki cared so much, he was getting a fight either way. Maybe this was easier than putting him against a feral vampire that everyone already hated.

"You walked out of bounds. Why?" He rephrased.

"Because... it's personal." She stuttered. "Shit went down before the match, I warned him not to push me to do that, but he did it anyway." Todoroki simply nodded, not possessing the care to pry anymore. "Did Kirishima say anything about it?" The vampire added on, he was her closest friend, if anyone understood her then it'd be him.

"He's visiting Bakugo in Recovery Girls office. Four broken ribs, a fractured ankle, several lacerations, a concussion, puncture wounds. I almost thought that he'd forfeit the fight." The half and half boy informed her, watching as Mizuki's head dropped low in dismay.

"I should check on him? Right?" The girl suggested. "I know I was pissed out there, but I might have taken things too far."

How could she do that to him? Granted, he deserved every last punch, but would Recovery Girl even be able to heal that many injuries? The regret was bubbling up inside her, maybe she was supposed to apologise. Kirishima needed to hear her out too, he was her friend after all.

"I wouldn't go."

"What?" Mizuki's eyes widened.

"I need him to be focused for this fight. If you distract him, then it won't be an honourable victory." He explained. "You should go back to the class, you're not supposed to be down here unless you're advancing."

"Oh... right." She got to her feet, muttering a goodbye before leaving the waiting room. The interaction may have been cold, but she could understand the pressure Todoroki was under. Not only was it the final round, but his dad was watching him, Endeavour.

Nervously, the vampire made her way back towards her class, avoiding a few judgemental students walking through the hallways. When walking through the cafeteria, something felt different. Usually she'd feel the desire to devour every thing in sight, however, now she didn't. Her stomach wasn't aching to be fed and her eyes weren't difficult to keep open. Was this what it was like to drink blood?

Shaking her head, the girl pushed the thought aside. She couldn't get addicted to it. It was a worst case scenario to drink blood, she had to keep it that way.

"Hey! Akaguro." A feminine voice alerted her, to which she sharply moved her head in the direction to see Jiro and Yaoyorozu waving at her.

"Oh, hi?" She said awkwardly, not knowing if they were scared of her from the match.

"That was wicked. You showed him who's boss and don't get me started on how badass you looked when you walked out of bounds." Jiro rambled.

"I must say, I'm still confused as to why you surrendered. Surely if you'd have stayed, then you'd be in the finals." Yaoyorozu thought aloud.

Mizuki tilted her head in confusion. Were they stupid or did they miss the part where she tortured her opponent? "Wait, so you're not freaked out about me biting him?" She questioned, expecting the answer to be yes.

"Fuck no." Jiro laughed. "If someone put there hand in my mouth, I'd bite them too. He's such a jerk."

"Yeah, he kinda is." Mizuki laughed. "Todoroki told me you guys were all freaked out by his injuries. Got me scared for a minute or two."

"Nah, it's cool. I mean, some people are scared shitless, but they don't really matter." The purple haired girl crossed her arms.

"We were about to get some popcorn for the big match, would you like to join us?" Yaoyorozu invited.

"Couldn't you just make some with your quirk?" Said Mizuki.

"But then the economy-"

"Would be in ruins, blah-blah-blah." Jiro interrupted. "The popcorns gonna get cold if we don't pick up the pace." She insisted as all three of them made their way to the food stalls.

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When they reached their seating space, Mizuki couldn't help but notice a few uncomfortable stares. However, none of them originated from those she was close to, so she wasn't entirely bothered. Besides, she had popcorn to keep her company.

"Akaguro." Kirishima suddenly sat beside her, not displaying the awkwardness she'd previously expected. Todoroki's vagueness had really ruined her assumption on everyone's thoughts. "You were so cool out there. Super manly." He complimented, at least that's what Mizuki hoped.

"Manly?" She quirked a brow.

"Womanly?" The boy returned questioningly, hoping it was the right response. When Mizuki laughed at his response, he gathered he should widen his vocabulary. "Seriously though, did he say something to you? I tried asking him but he refused to give me a decent answer. Too busy rambling on about a fake victory."

Mizuki expected that much, but her surrender wasn't just to get under his skin- she needed to stick to her word. "Sort of. I told him not to make me drink blood, but I guess he did it anyway."

"You sure showed him." Kirishima smiled, creating a domino effect on the girl beside him.

"Damn right I did."

"All right folks! This is the big finale, and I'm sure we're all ready to get out socks blown off! Even though he was heavily injured in the last match, Katsuki Bakugo is back from the dead, zombie style! He'll be fighting against... Shoto Todoroki, the flashiest so far! Get your popcorn ready! It's about to go down!" Present Mic yelled out through the speakers as the contestants walked into the boundaries.

However, as the two walked out, Mizuki didn't fail to notice a red glare directed towards her. Filled with hatred, betrayal and even sadness. Maybe she was too cruel?