The angst is getting heavy folks. And it'll get worse before it gets better ;-;
-----
It's cold when Hina woke up.
Goosebumps lined her skin and her fingers felt like ice from the frigid concrete floors and walls. She was sure it was from the fact all she wore was a hospital gown too.
Bleary eyed, she noticed the grays of the room playing with her perception of color until she focused on her wrists.
Brown leather cuffs were encircled on them, covering her tattoo and connected to chains which snake to the adjacent wall she laid against.
Her senses sharpened, and she sat up jerkily. Her breaths came out sparsely, and she tugged the chain experimentally. It was bolted to the wall. She then felt for her neck. She had a heavy metal collar circled at the base, a prick of a needle directly in her scent gland.
They suppressed her instincts.
She reached out for Katsuki in her empathy link and she felt that familiar numbness she felt when he's asleep. She huffed in relief; he must've exhausted himself last night if he hadn't woken up by now.
She tried to release her quirk but it wouldn't trigger. She stared at her palms in sorrow, in grief.
They suppressed her quirk too.
There was no chance she could break free without help.
She looked up to the door of the room—the only way in and out—and its hinges were bolted to the wall with a small window in the top half that was slid shut.
There was light in her cube-like room; it came through a small square window above the bolts of her chains, near the ceiling and made a spotlight in the center of the room, the shadows of bars diminishing any hope for escape. When she felt a draft pool in the room, she smelled salt and fish. And she watched the shadow of palm leaves eclipsed the light before swaying away.
She then focused on what she could hear: water crashing and rushing, crashing and rushing. She heard seagulls cry and wings flutter away, heard seals bark and flippers slap against sand.
Again, she was by the ocean in chains. Again, she was captive by the coast.
She stood up, walking to the center of the room, to see out the little window she had. All she could see was the dawn sky and the palm tree that swayed nearby.
The metal panel in the door was slid open, the sound of metal grating metal. She turned around, startled yet feigning courage.
On the other side, Aoi's face and shoulders came into view.
She rushed forward within an instant, but the chains were pulled taut just two steps away from the door, her hands being pulled backwards and straining her shoulders.
Aoi's eyes reflect pity and that only made Hina seethe in anger.
"Katsuki trusted you," She pulled the chains again, the metal jingling with the force of her pull. "And you used that trust to break him."
He didn't meet her eyes, his gaze falling to the cuffs on her wrists.
"You're on an island." He informed, his voice detached and forlorn. Hina felt sick inside. "It's a precaution set by Xerox to make sure Bakugo can't find you following your scent."
"The heroes will find me." She seethed.
"By the time they will, I'll be long gone."
She pulled again, screaming in anger at the man on the other side. She thought, maybe if she mimicked Katsuki's rage she could feel just as fearless as him.
Aoi didn't flinch, only stared at her, his tone detached and monotone.
"This is the last time you'll see me." He sighed, his shoulders sinking and his jaw clenching. "I'm going back home."
Hina's chest was expanding and deflating at a rapid rate, her anger at his guilt ridden face left her at no end. Just the audacity of the man facing her with fake remorse.
"If you think you can hide from the heroes, you are in for a treat."
"They can't find me if I go back to my universe."
Hina's eyes bulged in shock, the fight in her limbs slipping away like the waves rolling back into the ocean.
"What?"
Aoi's eyes welled with tears, and he lowered his head to hide his expression behind his blue hair.
"The NVA took me from my home. And the only way back was to complete their assignments." He whispered, his voice echoing in her prison. "Your capture was the last task."
Hina stepped back, biting her lower lip as she watched the broken man cry into his clenched fist.
"I didn't want to do all this." He wept, "I didn't want to betray the heroes' trust or hurt any of them. They became a family that reminded me of home. And that-" he heaved a breath, watery and torn. "-that broke me even more. Because I wanted to know how my family was. I just wanted to go back home."
His cries were sparse and few as he recollected himself. He tied his blue locks into a bun, sniffling and rubbing his nose with the back of his hand.
"I truly am sorry, Hina." He said, finally meeting his eyes—red-rimmed and blue irises that were deeper yet brighter than hers.
Hina didn't have the heart to hate him. Not when he was just as divided as she was. If anyone understood being stripped away from home and living in this hellhole the NVA subjugated them to, it was her.
"It's okay," She murmured eventually. "I understand."
His eyes widened, and his shoulders tensed. "You shouldn't- I didn't expect-"
"Aoi-kun." She interrupted, giving him a small smile, her clenched fists unfurling and letting go of the animosity she harbored for him. "I hope you reunite with your family soon. I hope your journey back home is well."
He swallowed, his lower lip wobbling as he smiled and nodded since he couldn't use his voice anymore.
A voice whispered out of Hina's view and Aoi's expression was torn between happiness and dread. With one last glance at Hina's frame, he turned around, walking away into the concrete maze.
That was the last time Hina saw Aoi.
The metal panel slid shut again, and Hina flinched from the suddenness of it. Then the lock of the door clicked, and it swung open with a loud creak of metal.
Hina tensed her muscles, ready to lunge at her captor the moment they were within range.
But then her frame froze, fear going down her spine as she took in the appearance of the person- the man.
He concealed his frame and his face within a black cloak, and covered his hands with sparkling white gloves.
With a chuckle, he reached into his large sleeves, pulling out a remote and pressing a button. The chains of her cuffs started to shorten and she was forced to step backwards as he stepped inside.
"Hello Tanaka-san." He groused, his red eyes glowing from the little light the room had. "I hope you enjoy your stay."
-----
Aoi's background gave no hints to what or where he could've taken Hina.
Katsuki nearly exploded his tablet when he received the news. He didn't though.
He just annihilated a punching bag off its chain with his bare hands. He knew that it wasn't the best of decisions considering his knuckles were split with blood beading with every flex of his hand. It didn't bother him as much. It just made his hands numb.
After venting his anger in the agency gym, he changed into a pair of casual clothes he kept in his office and fell asleep on the sofa that faced the interior crazy wall, staring at the new evidence he sorted out from the original mess he had.
He didn't know when his eyes closed shut, but he fell asleep staring at the yellow and red threads tangled with pins.
His dreams- nightmares- were of Hina hidden in the dark, her voice calling out to him, his danger sense triggering every other second in electric zaps down his spine, goosebumps lining his skin in fear. Fear of losing her.
The worst part was Dabi's voice echoing in his head.
And the enemy already knows the ending.
Katsuki's head jerked in his sleep, a whimper letting loose from his chest as he heard Dabi's deep foreboding chuckles. It jerked to the other side when the sadistic alpha with gray eyes joined in.
And the enemy already knows the ending.
His eyes shot open, the left side of his face buzzing with sharp pain as he gasped for breath.
He sat up, cradling his forehead with his hands, his elbows resting on his knees, biting as he tried to steady his breaths.
It was harder than usual.
He felt a restless panic crawl under his skin, felt an irrational fear grow in his chest and reach the base of his throat. Breathing wasn't getting easier, but he tried nonetheless. He timed each deep inhale through his nose, exhaling from his lips and puffing his cheeks to help relieve his anxiety.
Unable to steady his breaths, he stood up, stomping through his office doors and to the makeshift cafeteria a floor down. Too impatient to wait for the elevator, he took the stairs, his footsteps echoing in the high ceiling.
When he reached the door to the cafeteria, he noticed the lights were on and his restlessness only amplified. Stepping inside he saw Midoriya sitting at a table, nursing a cup of piping coffee in his hands.
Midoriya was the first to notice him, his curls haphazardly unordered as he smiled gently at Katsuki.
"Kacchan,"
"Deku," Katsuki acknowledged, walking to the sink.
His hand shook as he grabbed for a glass, and his grip was tight as he poured water into it.
"Are you okay?" Midoriya was suddenly beside him. When he got there, Katsuki had no clue.
"I'm fine-" He winced, his head suddenly stinging, a blunt pain blooming in his stomach followed shortly.
His eyes widened, the whites of his eyes framing his crimson irises.
"Kacchan?"
Katsuki puffed sparsely, dropping the glass that shattered in the sink. He leaned forward, the pain hitting repeatedly in his abdomen.
"What happened?" Eijiro asked, running through the door with Shoto close behind. "Is everyone okay?"
"Hina," Katsuki murmured, catching the three's attention as they stared at his tense frame. "She's in pain."
Their breath hitched as they watched Katsuki's eyes well with tears of both frustration and sorrow.
Katsuki was spiraling. He finally understood that the anxiety and fear he'd been feeling since the morning wasn't his but hers. The pain across his left side wasn't from his dream but from what she was going through at that moment.
And the thought of her going through the sharp pain he felt was both bubbling fury under his skin and freezing his heart from his defeat.
He couldn't protect her. And now she was suffering at the hands of the NVA.
"Katsuki," Shoto said tentatively, his hand gripping on Katsuki's shoulder and releasing familiar comforting pheromones that smelled like winter mint and strong ginger. "Breathe."
Katsuki tried to. He really did. But his lungs were seized in horror, his throat constricting as though a hand was encircling it, and a sharp pinprick on the side of his neck startled him .
"Fuckin'-" He bit and stopped when he could breathe again, heaving in air and slumping forward. Shoto and Deku caught him but he quickly sneered, grumbling for them to stay back.
Reluctantly they did, both coming near Eijiro's side who was behind Katsuki in case he fell the other way. They were worried for him, but they knew Katsuki's space was much more important when it came to helping him.
He turned around, his eyes not meeting theirs as he looked to the floor.
He wanted to tell them to not worry. Wanted to reassure that he's fine and that he can handle it. But he couldn't. He felt small and vulnerable, felt terribly weak. And it was all because he was a failure, a disgrace.
Because he couldn't protect the one person who was his whole world.
Eijiro and Shoto felt him sink in his thoughts through his burning scent, and both reached out to reassure and comfort in any way they could.
However, suddenly, Katsuki's scent plumed like it did yesterday. And Katsuki felt his danger sense spike up once again. Both Shoto and Eijiro winced from the strength of his pheromones, and Katsuki vaguely remembered Midoriya shouting at them to leave.
This time, alongside the trigger of his danger sense, he felt agonizing pain burn inside his gut, felt it spread through his limbs until all he could feel was pain.
He fell to his knees, grunting and whimpering, nearly in tears.
"Stay back, Deku!" He exclaimed in anger. "Leave!"
He cried, biting his lip, his tears searing paths on his cheeks.
The pain was too much. It was too much.
He couldn't see through his blurry vision, he couldn't smell anything other than fire and rotten wood, he couldn't speak, he couldn't even feel the reassuring arms curling around his shoulders.
All he could feel was the pain in his body, pricking every nerve ending, burning down every vein and artery, his skin spasming and stinging with every passing second.
He didn't know if minutes or if hours passed. But soon the torment started to recede, until it became a dull throb along his skin and muscles. And as it receded, his senses flooded back in slow waves.
And that is when he noticed the green curls from the corner of his eye, felt the firm arms still holding him tight.
"Deku," he winced from hearing his broken, shattered voice. "I told you to leave."
Midoriya squeezed harder, guiding Katsuki's head into his shoulder. And Katsuki couldn't help but hug back, his tears slowly slipping past his lashes once again.
"Kacchan, everything is going to be okay." Midoriya whispered, "Everything is going to be okay."
-----
The slap across her face made her skin buzz, made something in her mind open suddenly.
She swallowed, clenching her jaw and facing the alpha in front of her again.
Don't get her wrong. She was afraid. Terribly so. But she refused to let the fear-feeding man in front of her think he won. She refused.
So she pulled the chains holding down her wrists and ankles, trying not to hyperventilate in this new room that was very reminiscent of her time with the Doctor experimenting on her.
The alpha laughed, crouching down and resting his elbows on his knees, one hand holding the side of his face and the other grabbing her from the underside of her jaw and squeezing her cheeks.
"Ya need to learn manners, princess~" He cooed, his eyes glinting darker gray despite the brightly lit room.
Wrenching out of his grip, she spat at him, seething. "Don't call me princess."
His grin pulled wider, his teeth yellow and sharp glinting from the florescent lights above. "I was promised to play with your fears for burning my friends to dust. But that's after the NVA get one last sample of your..." He tapped her cheek with his pointer finger. "Oh, I don't know. Some sciencey thing."
"Of course you wouldn't know. After all, you're just some guy's lapdog."
He pulled her hair, bringing her chin up to expose her neck, his grip tight and firm. She winced from the pain but continued to glare at him, continued to scowl despite the fear trembling in her fingers.
"You're a tough one," He chuckled with a flutter of excitement, nearly singing with every inflection of his voice and releasing his hold to squeeze her throat.
"But your fear gives you away."
She wheezed, her head spinning and her panic rising. She couldn't breathe. She couldn't breathe.
With another laugh, he let go of her throat, humming when she coughed and sputtered for half, shuddering breaths.
But before she could breathe properly again, his shoe met with her abdomen with such force her lungs expelled all the air it recovered. And he did it again. And again, and again.
Until tears spilled from her eyes from both the pain and humiliation.
"That'll teach you a lesson." He spat when she curled into a ball. His quirk was feeding off of her and she could feel an unnatural weakness permeate through her skin. Such unnatural weakness that she didn't even realize she wasn't on the floor anymore, but on a metal table, tough yet smooth leather restraints holding her down from the wrists and ankle, from her biceps and thighs too.
She fidgeted, pulling loosely and seeing the slack in them was nearly null. Even with her quirk she couldn't get out. She'd only hurt herself if she tried.
The table was tilting so it looked as though she was half laying half standing.
She was still groggily feeling her surroundings. Still felt as though she was sunk underwater, like cotton was in her ears.
God, it was so hard to breathe.
Danger sense was flitting again and again. The panic and fear and worry and regret was channeling stronger with every breath. But she could barely comprehend the sensation, could barely acknowledge it.
Not until the Doctor walked through the metal door, a large injection in his hand, purple liquid shimmering within the clear cylindrical vial.
"No, no, no," She whimpered, the fight reclaiming her limbs, the need to get out, get out, taking over her mind. "get the hell away from me!"
Dr. Kyudai smiled kindly, his over grown mustache hiding his teeth and his overgrown unibrow framing the top of his bald head.
"This will hurt only a bit," he said, unclasping the collar from her neck. "But the things you will offer after the pain will only help speed up all my research." he sighed, boring into her eyes through his goggles making his eyes comically yet terrifyingly large. "You can take the pain away from tens of hundreds. No, thousands of people. Don't you want to help with saving all those innocent lives?You can do that. Right?"
His argument was agreeable to most heroes. Sacrifice yourself to save the masses. Wasn't that what all heroes did when putting their life on the line everyday fighting crime and villains?
But Hina wasn't a hero.
She was just a person. A human being treated less than she was.
And she honestly didn't care about the others suffering. Why was she the first one to get subjugated to this?
So she cried when the needle pierced her skin on the side of her neck, the fight in her leaving her like frightened birds fluttering from tree branches in the wake of a predator.
All since a thought suddenly lingered in her mind.
Maybe, if she gave in, the pain would stop and the nightmares would end.
It was a terrible thought though.
Because, the moment the thought came and went, the pain burned through her every nerve. Like she was on fire and frozen from within.
And all she could hear were her own screams ringing through her ears.