3rd person POV
I can't do this. I can't do this. I can't do this!
The League led Emi and Aizawa down a hallway that became increasingly familiar. Emi began to remember more and more of the layout of this building as their captors dragged them into a room that made Aizawa shutter. The door shut behind them and Emi's eyes widened in fear.
No. No, please no!
In front of them sat not one, but two of the chairs from her dream. One of them looked relatively new and the other showed wear on the wrist straps. The helmets were already hooked up to the machine and sat on a small shelf attached above the chairs.
Emi and Aizawa struggled against their captors vainly as they threw them into the chairs and strapped them in.
"Let her go you bastards!" Aizawa shouted with rage.
"Wait... Oh~ I see!" Toga squealed, skipping over to Aizawa's ear so only he could hear.
"You like her, don't you?~" she giggled.
Aizawa shot daggers at the blonde schoolgirl out of the corner of his eye, not saying anything. Toga giggled once more then skipped back over to Shigaraki. "Hey, Shigaraki! Guess what!"
"I know." he said, before she could continue.
"Aww. You spoiled my fun..." she pouted, going to sit on a small counter in the room.
"Emi Fukukado..." Shigaraki said, strolling over to her chair as she struggled. "Otherwise known as Ms.Joke; the Smile Hero. Well, that's if you can even call yourself a Hero anymore." The blue haired villain then strolled over to the dark haired Hero.
*video at the top*
"And you. How are you any better?" he chuckled, looking to his colleagues. "Why do human think they can rectify one evil with another? I mean; this is truly the first time this reptile has truly loved a woman, and this is his reward!"
He then turned back towards Emi and raised his hand.
"Get away from her!" Aizawa growled, pulling against his restraints.
Aizawa heard a loud, hard smack as he looked over to see Emi's face thrown to the side, blood coming out of her mouth.
"Isn't it funny?" Dabi said, getting in Aizawa's vengeful face. "The one who cause all of this pain to her is going to be here all the way to the end!"
"What do you mean?" Aizawa said, praying Dabi didn't mean what he thought he meant.
"Oh, just that you're what we used as prerogative to give in to the brainwashing! I mean the things you said to her? Perfect! They were the perfect formula to brainwash her into joining us!"
So I did do this to her...It's all my fault.
Aizawa hung is head defeated, not daring to meet Emi's eyes.
"No, don't be like that," Dabi said, forcing Aizawa's head to look at the screen to his left. "We want you to see it too..."
Images and clips flashed across the screen, showing all the horrible things he did and said to her; the things that they tortured her with. He was filled with shame and rage.
"We played these on repeat in her head until she probably had them memorized."
"You bastards..." he growled sadly. He could hear Emi's breath quicken as she began to get light headed from fear.
"Now...Toga, if you and Twice would hook them up to the machine?"
"Sure thing- Anything for you, boss!" Twice said, grabbing Emi's helmet and Toga following.
"No! NO! I WON'T GO BACK, YOU CAN'T MAKE ME! PLEASE LET ME GO!!" Emi screamed as she and Aizawa were strapped into their helmets.
"Don't worry, we're not going to turn you evil again, Ms.Joke. We're just going to play with you two for a bit before we kill you!" They heard Toga say from under the helmets. "But first..."
Emi heard a switch flipped, electricity whir, and Aizawa scream out.
"Let him go! Just let him go!" She cried, tears falling from the mask of the helmet.
After a few seconds, it stopped, and she could hear Aizawa panting for air.
"Now, then. We have all we need, so lets get started. Dabi?"
Aizawa heard Dabi chuckle. "With pleasure."
Another switch was heard, and he expected another shock, but instead memories flashed in his head.
Back off, Joke.
As usual, you're impossible, Joke.
"A mutual love bloomed!" No, it didn't.
What is it now?
Images of times he had with Ms.Joke flashed through his mind as he felt guilt wash over him all over again.
Finally, the helmet was ripped from his head as he tried to catch his breath. Aizawa looked over and saw Emi hyperventilating. Images flashed through her head seemingly at light speed.
////////memory/////////
"Well well well! look what the cat dragged in!" Emi laughed at her "clever" cat pun.
*Ha ha! Maybe he'll like that pun! It is about cats after all..*
"Ugh, can it wait Joke? I need to get home."
*Dang. Foiled again. Wait! Not yet. It's his birthday, Emi. Convince him to stay!*
"What, so you can spend your birthday alone again? I don't think so."
He turned to her in surprise.
*Oh! A reaction! At least it's something..*
"Wait, how did you know that?" Her tall dark and handsome crush asked her.
"Hizashi told me!" She beamed, blushing as she did so.
"Ugh, of coarse he did." He turned around to walk home.
*********
"That's it... He doesn't love you. Hell, he doesn't even like you in general."
"Why did even think he might..."
The Smile Hero's eyes fill with tears threatening to cascade down her face.
"He would never... I'm not worth..."
"He's the reason you feel this way, Joke. That's what he called you, isn't it? Joke?"
The tears streamed down her face as she stared blankly at the memory playing on repeat again.
"What do you want me to say: 'I love you'?"
"What do you want me to say: 'I love you'?"
"What do you want me to say: 'I love you'?"
********************
"Can you lose something that was never yours?"
The shock of the moment hit her like a truck.
He doesn't care. He never will...
He needs to pay for that.
There's no chance...
//////////////////////////////////////////////////
Emi writhed and screamed under her restraints, losing control. She was remembering everything all at once. Everything she couldn't grasp before was being thrown at her in the same moment at the trigger. She panted and heaved, losing control of herself and her quirk.
Suddenly, the entire room started laughing except Emi. They cackled and wheezed, gasping desperately for air, including Aizawa. Things and people started crashing to the floor in the chaos, causing the room to be a clamor of sound. Aizawa managed to snatch a knife from Toga while she was distracted and falling and he cut himself loose. The Hero struggled to stand not only from his mental and physical injuries but now the overwhelming laughter. He stumbled over to Emi with the little strength he had. The wreck of a woman was still struggling and screaming, having had an emotional trigger to her torture and all her memories being thrown at her at once.
Halfway to her, he fell to the ground.
Come on. Get up, dammit! She needs you!
Aizawa shakily crawled over to her and tugged his way up the chair, tossing the helmet off her head before cutting her loose.
"Emi, l-listen to me! Y-You need to b-b-breathe!" He yelled over his own laughter. The other villains in the room began to pass out due to lack of oxygen and Aizawa knew the same would happen to him soon if he didn't calm her down.
The room began to shake, and he saw that Shigaraki's hand had touched the counter, causing it to crack and shake, creating more chaos. Aizawa watched helplessly as Shigaraki's other hand touched the floor and he began to crack. The room shook and rumbled, threatening to collapse.
"I can't! I-I can't control it! It's too much!" she shouted, clutching her head. The struggling male Hero clutched both sides of the screaming woman's face, forcing her to look him in the eyes.
"I'm not l-leaving you! I promised I w-won't let you fall, a-and I won't! I've got y-you and I'm n-not letting go!" He yelled, choking on his words from the oxygen leaving him. "Please, Emi! I need you to let go, and I promise I'll catch you!"
She saw the severity and pleading in his eyes and was deeply shaken as the room crumbled around her. She felt like this "outburst" was going to kill everyone in this room...but not today. She refused to let more people get hurt because of her. She took a deep breath and smiled at the man she loved.
"I trust you."
It took all she had to calm down enough to let go of her quirk. She released the hold on the people in the room, and collapsed out of the chair into Aizawa's arms.
"Emi? Emi, say something!" Aizawa shouted, trying not to shake her too much. As the room continued to collapse.
She coughed and looked up at the the face of the man that was cradling her head.
"I r-remember, Eraser...heh...I remember everything." she smiled.
Aizawa smiled with tears in his eyes and hugged her to his chest. "Dammit, Joke. You just had to get me all worried, didn't you?"
Emi glanced around through his arms to find that Aizawa and her were the only ones awake in the room. Everyone else had passed out. Then she felt something warm near Aizawa's stomach. She pulled back just a bit and lightly put her hand on the spot, causing him to wince. Emi pulled her hand back and saw red on her fingers.
Is that...Blood?
"Come on, the room is coming down!" He shouted, forcing her to stand with him.
The two broken Heroes stumbled out of the room just before it collapsed, falling through several floors. The two looked at each other and fell into each others arms, gasping for air. Before he could protest, Emi lifted his shirt and saw that he was bleeding through a bandage wrapped around his torso.
"You told me you weren't injured!"She said with frustration.
"It's nothing. Come on, we need to get out of h-her before they wake up and follow us." he said, using her to help him stand.
"'Nothing' my ass. You look like hell, Eraser." she said, wrapping his arm around her to help steady him.
"Shouta....Please, call me Shouta." he said, not looking her in the eyes.
"...O-okay. Now, come on. We need to get out before they come to." Emi said.
***************************
Now all they have to do is make it out of the building...sort of. It won't be easy with those injuries...
-Sarah