Hiro was drenched with sweat and smelled weird, but I didn't care. I squeezed his sweater, trying to concentrate on keeping my trembling fingers still. All the while, I tried to explained what happened.
"I couldn't find you... I tried not to get caught but then there was a villain blocking the road, and then Furutani came and said she knew where you were...and heroes came but then I got caught again... Now Strawberry Shades is hurt because of me! I-I'm sorry. I just made things worse."
"You're going too fast, Rin!" Hiro said. His eyes peered down at me with a soothing look. "It's fine now, I'm here. We're going to get out of here, okay?"
That's right. Everything's alright now that he's here.
The villain wasn't defeated yet. She stumbled to her toes, ripping her glasses off her face whose lenses cracked from Hiro's attack. She let out a stifled cough and crudely wiped her mouth, smearing her red lipstick across her cheek. With the insane look in her eyes accompanying it, she resembled the Joker. Hiro pushed me behind him, ready to defend.
"You dare to taint my face with your filthy foot? I'll crush you to pieces!"
She lifted her hand and sent a metal orb at us. Hiro blocked it by lifting his arm. Pulling me up to my feet, we dashed behind a food stall to take cover.
"I don't even know why Kiyoshi bothers with you two," Ruby growled. "You're both terribly weak!"
Holding her hand out, she retracted the orb that hit Hiro. It flew up into the air. Holding her other arm to the side, I watched as the other orbs began to float into the sky.
"Rin, you need to listen to me carefully," Hiro began. "If we're gonna get out of here, I'm going to need your help. And before you go and say that you can't do anything, that you're powerless... That's a lie."
He placed his hand on my shoulder, staring at me deeply. He looked a bit pale, and I couldn't tell if it was because he was worn-out, worried, or afraid. Either way, the seriousness in his body language made my throat go dry.
"When that happened, I know you didn't mean for it to turn out that way. And I'll tell you again and again that I'm sorry. I'm sorry that they hurt you. I...I'm sorry that I wasn't there for you."
"Why are you...?" I stuttered. "I don't get it."
"Rin, I need you to remember. I need you to remember that time when you felt helpless. And that time, those times when it all boiled over. Those times when you couldn't stop yourself."
I was suddenly back in elementary school. The sounds of children laughing and running echoed in my eardrums as a boy stood in front of me. He wore a menacing smile that exposed his sharp canines. And then, I was being shoved inside the hallways. My sneakers were getting stolen, I was getting told to shut my mouth, I was watching my comics getting burned, I was surrounded by classmates whispering about me...
I was being treated wrongly all because I was Quirkless.
Thump... Thump... Thump...
I was face-to-face with that boy again. His name, what was it? I can't remember. He was rubbing his hands together while electricity began to build. He came to hit me. As he did, I suddenly saw Bakugo on the day Kiyoshi attacked us. He had his hand on my collar, his fist nearing my face. The images of the two boys began to overlap each other as I watched them go in for the punch. And then, I clenched my fists.
Shortly after, those same fists were stained with black ink. I was in my classroom. In my hands was permanent marker and in front of me was a lunchbox covered in scribbles. Kneeling on the ground was that boy, the one who tried to hurt me. He was apologizing to me. I pointed at the window and a classmate picked the lunchbox up. He tried to take it back when it went flying out the window.
"What? Are you gonna cry? Your big brother isn't coming! If you tell him about this, I'll beat you up!"
I was back with Bakugo again. I was on top of him, his shirt inside my palms, screaming my heart out.
"Midoriya shouldn't have saved you that day."
I think I wanted to hurt them. No, I think I did hurt them. After that, he fought back and that's how Hiro got roped into my mess.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
I felt Hiro's grip on me grow tighter. He stared straight into my eyes. I wanted to look away but I couldn't. He spoke to me so quietly that I barely heard him.
"I need to you remember what happened by the river that day. And what you..." Hiro stopped midsentence. He flickered his eyes down. "Forget it. I...shouldn't force you to remember that. There's a reason why you forgot about it in the first place."
His hand fell from my shoulder and he stood up, ready to face Ruby. Ruby had gathered all of her metal orbs now, and they filled the sky. There was no way that this flimsy food stall was gonna shield us long enough. Despite that, I knew Hiro was hell bent on fighting until the very end whether or not he had my help.
"Rin. You need to get out of here."
I shook my head. "B-but you--"
"I'll be fine! You don't need to use your Quirk because I am here. You just need to concentrate on getting out of here, alright?" He gave me a smile to reassure me, but it only made me feel worse.
"You're only delaying the inevitable!" Ruby called.
She sent an onslaught of metal orbs at us. They slammed into the stall making wood chips fly. Meanwhile, Hiro tried his best to find an opening so he could attack, but there were too many of them.
"Fine! I'll force you out!"
Holding both her hands toward the metal pole, a loud creak echoed in the air. I watched in shock as the metal pole by the road begin to bend. The top of it snapped in half and levitated above the ground.
No, I had to remember! I had to remember to help Hiro! I knew that but when I tried, my head started to hurt. My chest kept tightening the harder I tried, and I didn't know why. Hiro's gonna die if I don't do something!
I squeezed my eyes shut, doing my best to ignore the loud metallic creaking in my ears.
The image of three high school boys standing next to a river flashed in my brain. They were standing in a circle, pounding away at someone...pounding away at Hiro. I ran up to them, my short fingers trying to pull one away. Hiro was getting jumped because of something I did. I remember trying to help but I got taken away...
"This is what you get for messing with little brother."
That's right. His little brother. I should've stopped after I defended myself that one time, but I kept going. I kept going and going and going until I became just like him. I became the very thing I resented. It wasn't long until he turned into me and became the one to retaliate. If only Hiro wasn't there to see that then he wouldn't have gotten jumped by his brother. Hiro wouldn't have gotten hurt, he wouldn't have gotten hurt.
Hiro got thrown into the river. I haven't felt that angry since I beat his brother up. I remember feeling angry, so angry that I could explode. Actually, I think I did. I exploded. The boy let go of me and I scrambled to the river. I remember his buddies running to him, yelling in a panic but I can't remember what they were saying. All I know is that was I was happy that I hurt him, but when I saw that he wasn't moving anymore...
Thump, thump, thump.
The broken metal zoomed at us. Hiro knew that there was no way we were evading that but even so, he stood in front to block the hit.
That was the day I stopped using my Quirk.
Before it could reach us, the makeshift pipe zipped out of our way and crashed into the stalls behind us. Hiro and I gazed at each other in puzzlement. We both knew that there was no way she could've missed us. After staring at me for a moment, Hiro's eyes flickered behind me. Following his gaze, I slowly turned around to see Corvade. Her violet eyes glowed in the dark, locking onto her target.
"Hmph! You again?! You fight well for an old woman," Ruby snarled.
Corvade's heels clicked on the road, ignoring her insult. "They were nothing to me. And here I thought Crimson Eclipse were made up of strong Quirk-users... But that doesn't matter. Now that I'm here..." She stopped, narrowing her eyes. "I can finally stop you."
"Oh, really now?" Hearing that, the villain grinned evilly. She held her hands out and the tiny orbs that were scattered on the floor rose up next to her. I also heard the metal pole screech again. Another scrap of the post hovered above her. "Enough hiding behind that mask. Let me rip it off before I end your life!"
They flew at her all at once. Hiro pulled me away, diving behind another stall. Using her baton, Corvade deflected the orbs. The metal pipe approached her and with the flick of her arm, it suddenly twisted the other way and started heading straight towards the villain.
"Nice moves!" she exclaimed, jumping out of the way. "But you forgot about them!"
Corvade immediately turned to us. Looking up, I saw another metal pipe directly above us. It dropped. On instinct, my fingers tightened up. Instead of getting smashed, the pipe zipped away and hit the ground. I look at Corvade in awe that she reacted that quickly.
"That power seems familiar..." Hiro remarked with wide eyes.
"I'm over here!" Ruby cried charging toward her.
A steel orb from her fingertips zoomed at her and Corvade slapped it away easily. She started to get attacked in a fury. Steel orbs zoomed back and forth as she repeatedly deflected them. They all looked like a gray blur, and I couldn't possibly keep up with that. While the villain was distracted, I jumped out of my hiding spot.
"Rin, what are you doing?" Hiro asked, grabbing my arm.
I told him that Strawberry Shades was out there and could get hurt in the crossfire. He told me it was too dangerous but I didn't care.
"I can't just leave them out there," I sternly remarked. Nudging his arm off, I told him it was the least I could do for him saving me.
"Rin, wait!" He looked at me with nervous eyes. "...Let me help."
Sprinting down the pathway, we did our bests to dodge any incoming orbs by ducking and hiding. We reached the strawberry vigilante who was still knocked out cold. Grabbing him by the arms, we dragged his body across the dirt. However, he was just as heavy as he looked. Luckily Hiro was here to help because it would take me ages to drag him by myself.
"You look like you're getting a bit tired, old woman!" Ruby taunted.
"Enough talk. Your voice is annoying," Corvade replied.
"Fufu! Are you too weak to talk and fight at the same time?"
A steel orb goes flying into Ruby's face. She wasn't able to dodge in time and it crushed her nose. The orb fell along with a trickle of blood. Her face contorting into rage, she gritted her teeth and raised her hand up. The entire flagpole that was near her began to rise. Seeing that, Corvade dashed forward to stop her. However, she used her free hand to send a group of orbs at her. It crashed into Corvade's side effectively halting her path and giving the villain just enough time to fully lift the pole from the ground.
"See if you can dodge this!" she howled with her face stained with sweat and blood. She launched the 20ft pole.
"Run!" Hiro exclaimed pulling me away.
"But Strawberry Shades is--"
He practically dragged me away from Strawberry Shades's body. Meanwhile, Corvade was just kneeling there. She was staring, not moving at all while a giant piece of metal nosedived at her. As strong as she was, I don't think she can survive being impaled by a 20ft pole!
That's when I noticed something in the distance. There was a glowing ball that illuminated the night sky, hurling in her direction. It was flying at top speed. At first, I couldn't tell if that was a star or a comet but as it grew closer, I saw the outline of a figure.
"Tch. Why's that old man here? I don't need his help," I heard Corvade mumble. She held her hands out towards the metal pole. Just as she held her hands out, a blast of fire erupted from the sky.
"Get down!" Hiro cried.
We both flopped onto our stomachs just as the blast hit. Using my hands to cover my head, I felt the intensity of the fire on my back. One slight movement and my skin was gonna get boiled. Amidst the flames, the pole got engulfed, instantly melting. Since the fire was coming directly above, some of the flames branched out on the ground and hit Corvade. However, there was a small gap between her and the flames. It was like there was an invisible force field around her body. I tried to search for Strawberry Shade's body, but it burned and I had to shut my eyes. After a few seconds, the fire vanished. What came after was the sound of someone's body hitting the ground. Slowly, I went onto my elbows and turned around.
Standing in-between Corvade and Ruby was Number 2 hero. His red flames blew in the wind with a few remaining flames flickering from his fists. His chiseled back was turned against me. Even without seeing his face, I felt the pressure of his appearance and could imagine that same harsh stare he gave me plastered on his face at this moment. I wasn't too concerned about him, though. I was trying to search for Strawberry Shades.
Looking behind the villain, I saw that he was still lying in the same spot. His cape was nearly gone and his outfit was a bit burned. There were blotches of sod over him, but he looked fine. Seeing that, relief washed over me. I'm not sure how he didn't become grilled since he was directly in front of the fire. Unless... Corvade somehow protected him too.
"You damn heroes never know when to give up a chase!" Ruby screeched, staggering up from the floor. She looked even worse than before. Strands of burnt hair were sticking up, and the rest were glued to her forehead with the amount of sweat that accumulated. She was so sweaty that her eyeliner and lipstick were melting off her face.
Before she had the chance to use her Quirk, Endeavor zipped to her with the blasts of his feet. His fists slammed into her stomach. Blood and spit spurted from her mouth, and she goes flying backwards. She crashed into the ground and before she could recover, Endeavor elbowed her face. He went to strike her again when his fists suddenly jerked to the right, missing by a millimeter. Turning around, Corvade was standing a few feet away from him. Her hand was outstretched toward him. Seeing the vigilante make her appearance, his eyes harden.
"Corvade," he said, his voice full of bitterness.
"That's enough, Endeavor. You damage her any further and she won't be able to speak," Corvade curtly responded.
Endeavor approached her with his eyes almost as intense as his flames. Stopping in front of her, he spoke. "An Illegal like you has no business here. Leave."
"And let you take all the credit for defeating a high-ranking Crimson Eclipse member? I did most of the work. If you would've just let me be, I would've finished her off too. I didn't tell you to come," she retorted. "I suppose you want to secure as many cases as you can to reach the top, right?"
She struck a chord, and she knew it. The fire in his eyes grew hotter and his flame mustache blazed. He looked ready to pummel her into the ground. Corvade turned around, ignoring his anger. Her cloak was completely tattered. A bit of her mask was ripped but not enough to expose her identity. Sweat also covered her face but she made an effort to wipe it with her sleeve.
"But that's none of my business. My business is taking these two to safety," she said. She turned back to Endeavor, informing him that she was gonna escort us out of here. She ordered him to take care of the remaining villains. In response, he let out a scoff.
"I won't take orders from an Illegal like you," he retorted.
Corvade narrowed her eyes at him. "Unless you want to stay with these two? I don't care who does it, but they're priority."
They glared at each other for a moment, and I could feel the bitterness emanating from them. Heroes and vigilantes usually don't get along in general, but it seemed like they really didn't get along. Did they have bad blood or something?
Now probably wasn't the best time to talk, but I did anyway. "You...saved us. Thank you," I said, turning to Corvade.
Corvade placed a hand on her hip, peering at me with a calculating gleam. "You're lucky that I came in time or else you would've been dead. The both of you." Her eyes lingered on Hiro for a second before breaking away. She turned her back to us. "Let's go. The force field is almost complete."
I only took one step when I saw a black and purple warp hole open behind Hiro. A pair of arms stretched from the darkness, arms that I recognized immediately upon seeing the snake tattoo. Before my saviors could react, Hiro gets snatched and sucked into the abyss. Not even a second later, I felt a breeze behind my back and just like Hiro, I got snatched. The last thing I saw before my vision went black was Corvade and Endeavor running after me.