"and that was the thing about her,
she kept on surviving." - k.azizian
My eyes opened groggily, my mind rerunning the memory of the laser when it pierced, that undeniable pain. It had felt like a hot knife scraping horizontally down my side then repeatedly stabbing into the already open wound, before twisting around. It sucked. Each breath was labored, but my whole side was numb at the moment.
"Hello?" I asked, voice raspy and cracking. I was at the bar, but I wasn't in my room, I was on a bed that was stripped of the sheets. I turned my head and smiled a little. I was in Tenko's room.
"Y/N?" Kurogiri asked, floating in. I was slightly embarrassed, as I was completely topless with only a towel covering my breasts, but I wasn't too worried as I knew that I could've died if they hadn't fixed me up. "Are you up?"
"Yeah..." I exhaled as I forced myself to sit up, ignoring the pain and holding the towel firm against my chest. Kuro's glowing eyes met mine and saw my discomfort, and chuckled.
"Don't worry. The towel was only off when it was only Toga in the room, cleaning up the spilled blood and stopping the flow. When Dabi and I helped sew you up, she covered your chest. We didn't see anything. Tomura wanted to help, but I wouldn't let him, it's way too risky. He just watched."
"Tomura wanted to help?" My eyebrows raised, and Kurogiri nodded. I turned my head, glancing down at the newly stitched wound, gauze covering it, the edges stained with blood, and cracked a smile. "Did Toga take some blood?"
"You should've heard her, raving about how excited she was to turn into you."
I laughed, but felt the burning pain and stopped myself.
"Where are they? Where is Tomura?"
Kurogiri's expression shifted slightly, like he was teasing me. "Tomura is fine. And they're downstairs with Bakugo." I blushed, knowing how obvious I was. He opened up a portal before disappearing as Toga popped out with a big smile.
"Hi, Y/N!" She grabbed my bra from the table near Tenko's bed, and I couldn't help but think of how uncomfortable that would be out of context as I dropped my towel and Himiko helped me into my bra. I sat back down, already exhausted. "Um, your shirt was all torn apart from the blast, and all bloody, so we threw it out. Is there something in your room?"
"Yeah." I replied, gritting my teeth at how it hurt to literally do anything. "There's a black sweatshirt on my bed in my room." Toga scurried out and was back quickly, the sweatshirt out in front of her as she shut the door gently with her foot, eyes wide.
"Y/N! This is a boy's sweatshirt!" She squealed.
"Uh, I like big hoodies." I lied, but she saw right through me.
"This has to be Shigaraki's! Is it his?!"
Blushing, I rolled my eyes.
"Yeah, so?"
"You like him! He is who you like!" Toga exclaimed. "You're blushing like crazy!"
"Shut up! Get out!" My face was burning.
"How are you gonna get this on if I leave?" She winked, and I groaned, slowly and painfully lifting my arms as she helped me pull it on and thread my arms in the sleeves, and stared at me expectantly once I was fully dressed.
"Toga..." I bit back a grin, trailing off.
"OH MY GOD! YOU DO!"
"We never had this conversation." I smirked, tugging up the hood and balling my hands in the sleeves, picturing Tenko in it. She squealed once again, but skipped out and downstairs.
Kuro. I thought at him from where he was downstairs. Can you warp me down there? I can't exactly walk down. Before I knew it, the gate swallowed me up and I was gently set on a stool beside Shigaraki, whose concerned look betrayed the intimidating demeanor he was portraying with Father on his face. I smiled quickly at him, ignoring the pain, and redirected my grin to the pissed-off blonde tied to a heavy wooden chair.
"Hey kiddo." I waved with the arm on my unhurt side. The TV wasn't on Audio Only as the actual news channel played, an interview with Eraserhead, Vlad King, and Nezu, the principal of UA, wrapping up.
"Why're they criticizing the heroes, huh?" Tenko asked, sliding off the stool beside me and stretching his arms wide. "Their only fault was acting too little, too late. It's their job to protect people, but everyone screws up sometimes... Why do people expect them to be perfect every time?" He chuckled, slowing his speech a little. "Heroes today sure do have it rough, huh, Bakugo?"
"The minute that protecting people earned a paycheck, heroes stopped being heroes. That is what Stain has taught us." Spinner chimed in. Tenko looked annoyed.
"Maybe not the time, fanboy." I said, holding my side as random pains coursed through it.
"Save someone, you get money and fame...sounds weird to me." Tenko continued. "And even in this rule-filled society, nobody is cheering on the losers! They're blaming them, blaming us... Our little war...is based on a few simple questions; 'What is a hero?', 'What is justice?', or maybe 'Why them?'. Once people really understand this, we've won. And I know how much you love to win, Katsuki Bakugo." He made chilling eye contact with the angry UA student. "Dabi, untie him."
"He'll go wild." Dabi replied, suspicious.
"Treat him as an equal. And Ghost, stay out of his head."
"Whatever." I sighed, pouting a little.
"Ghost, why don't you untie him?" Dabi held out the keys to the restraints expectantly.
"You blind, Dabi?" I chuckled. "I can't exactly move around at the moment. You stitched me up." He rolled his eyes, turning to Twice.
"Twice. Untie him."
"Huh, me?! No thanks!" Twice protested but continued to open the restraints anyway.
"We apologize for our...forceful methods in getting you here." Compress tilted his hat slightly. "We need you to understand that we aren't a gang, or thugs, working in 'aimless' evil. Not at all. It wasn't an accident we spirited you away."
"Everyone here has a different story to tell," I exhaled sharply at the sudden tang of pain in my side, pressing a hand to it lightly. "But we've all suffered thanks to fake heroes and...other people." Bakugo's eyes shot up to me, burning with anger as Twice finished untying him.
"We've been suffocated!" Tenko continued. "You, more than anyone, would-"
An explosion cut him short, the dust and smoke blinding me. As it cleared, I saw Bakugo's steaming palms and Father... off Tomura's face and resting on the ground near the toes of my boots.
"Tomura..." I warned, his eyes empty as he stared down at the hand on the ground by my feet, before quickly flicking up to mine and back down to the ground.
"I can't stand morons like you that can't get to the point!" Bakugo roared. "You're basically just saying, 'We wanna cause trouble, BE OUR PAL!'! What a damned joke." He forced a smile and my stomach turned as I dipped into his head despite what Tenko told me and saw that he was smiling to be strong...like All Might. "I've always admired All Might's triumphs, and nothing you jerks can say will change that! I have permission to fight back!" Explosions popped at his hands.
"He really knows his position. Clever little thing!" Magne clapped excitedly. I thrusted out my hand, energy tingling at my fingertips.
"Tomura?" I asked, narrowing my eyes.
"N-no." His voice darkened, but he didn't take his eyes away from Father. "No. You can't physically handle it anyway, Ghost. Stand down." Scoffing, I dropped my hand.
"Um. Can I stab him?" Toga asked, holding a knife she pulled from seemingly nowhere.
"No, you idiot." Dabi hissed.
"If this is your attitude, why not just pretend we won you over? I'm confused." Mr. Compress asked. The blonde shrugged, falling into a fighting stance easily.
"If I don't like something, I ain't gonna lie about it." Bakugo replied. "I'm not hanging around this dump any longer."
"Father." Tenko whispered, still distracted.
"Don't." I warned again. Katsuki's eyes darted from him to I, alarmed.
"You mustn't, Tomura Shigaraki..." Kurogiri trailed off as Tenko froze, glaring at Bakugo but holding up his hand to stop Kurogiri and I.
"Stay back, all of you... This kid is an important pawn..." He placed Father back on his face, shakily exhaling. "I wish you'd have listened, Bakugo... Maybe we'd understand each other."
"Nope!"
"We got word of the heroes' investigation. We don't have time to waste persuading you." I rolled my eyes. "Master." The screen flickered black.
"Lend me your power." Tomura spoke, low and gravelly. It turned off, and I smiled a little. He was listening.
.
.
.
"Kamino Pizza delivery!" An unfamiliar male voice said after a knock at the bar door.
"Which one of you morons ordered a pizza...?" I mumbled, 'opening' up my mind to outside thoughts, and gasped. "EVERYONE, GET DOWN!" I screamed as a figure smashed through our brick wall. Dabi quickly grabbed my arm, yanking me away from the impact, slinging my arm around his shoulders to help me stand. My side burned.
"Kurogiri! Warp us!" Tenko yelled, but as Kuro began to swirl to teleport us, thick wood branches suddenly were on us, wrapping us up tightly. The bark circled Dabi and I, tightening and smashing our backs together and our arms by our sides. My elbow dug into my wound from the pressure, and with every movement the hero wielding the branches made, it pushed it harder against it. I don't normally make a lot of noise when I'm hurt, I just yell out a little or grit my teeth and deal with it, but I screamed in pain, vision almost doubling. I could feel the warm blood coat my torso as I felt the stitches tear a little, tears building at my eyes.
"Let her go, she's hurt!" Twice yelled as Dabi tried to talk to me.
"Y/N, just breathe! C'mon, breathe! Wood?! This won't hold me-" Dabi growled, fire started to burn the branches apart before a small old man whizzed by us, kicking him in the back of the neck and knocking him out. I pushed my back against his, leaning my head back and trying to wake him despite the agony I was in. Tears were falling down my face now as I yelled at him.
"Dabi, wake the fuck up! This is not the time to be unconscious!" The branches tightened and I yelled out again, voice cracking. "Tomura!"His bloodshot orbs shot over to me and I saw his facial expression shift completely. All Might was monologuing like a moron, but I could barely hear him over the ringing in my ears.
"Kamino Pizza is more than just us here. Endeavor is outside, with other heroes and the police." Edgeshot's voice broke through to me and I scoffed, trying to control my breathing. Blood was on the bark now.
"Good job, kid, that must have been scary." I heard All Might say to Bakugo, shooting him a thumbs up. His voice... His voice alone made me beyond furious."It's okay now!"
"As if! I almost had 'em!" Bakugo argued, clearly embarrassed.
"All of our scheming and plotting...and the final boss comes to our doorstep. No use then... We're not the only ones you need to worry about." Tenko's raspy voice was rougher than normal, and his eyes remained glued on me. I tried to struggle against the wood, but it tightened and I gasped. "Kurogiri, bring all the Nomu out to play..!"
"They're gone." Kurogiri said after a moment. "The heroes..."
"You're defeated." All Might said, snapping me out of my trance. "Your mischief has gone on long enough, Tomura Shigaraki. It ends here!"
"Does it..?" My voice sounded broken as it slipped from my lips. The Symbol of Peace turned to me, his eyes widening. I was crying now without making any noise, the pain from my side too much. "Hey, Dad." I chuckled despite my discomfort. The League, besides Tenko and an out-cold Dabi, looked shocked.
"What?! Why didn't you tell us?!" Spinner yelled, tone accusing.
"It had no effect on t-the mission." I choked out. "I was gonna tell you guys, when it was necessary." The bar fell silent.
"Y/N. Why-" All Might began.
"You wanna know why?!" I hissed, my breathing beyond labored. I thought sitting up was rough. "Because my mom wasn't anyone, she was just some random chick you paired off with... Didn't expect the playboy lifestyle from you." I laughed, but gasped for air. "S-she didn't want a kid, so she dumped me off at the orphanage once I could barely speak, barely walk. I remember everything that happened to me there... You probably don't want the details, you tend to lean towards a PG rating, right?"
I coughed, tasting blood. With every word I said, I could see Tenko getting angrier and angrier, more unhinged by the second, so I kept going, keeping his attention on me while I assumed Tenko was planning something, dropping my voice to an eerie calm.
"I loved you. I wrote to you in letters, emails on your website, everything. I even wore this goddamn ugly All Might hoodie until the seams popped because I grew out of it. Mom told them you were my father and they reached out, but you never even responded. You never did. Anyone interested in adopting the mighty All Might's kid left the second they found out I was quirkless. But Master found me...gave me power. Gave me life. Where was my hero before All for One saved me?"
That did it.
"I HATE YOU, ALL MIGHT! I HATE YOU!" Tenko suddenly yelled, and black goo exploded around the bar. It wasn't from him, it was from Master, but he was livid. Nomu crawled out of the gooey portals before the slime went to all of us, forcing itself over our bodies and down our throats. I gasped for air.
"Tomura!" I croaked out, managing to catch a glimpse of him as our eyes locked before everything was dark. It felt like I was drowning in the sludge, swimming to an inevitable death. I tried to scream his name, reaching out into the black like there was a slight chance he'd be there, but the goo cut my voice off.
Suddenly, I could see, and opened my eyes, nauseous and dizzy. Dim light from the evening sky worsened my dizziness and spotty vision and I puked up the remaining sludge in my throat and mouth. I was on my hands and knees, coughing, when a hand patted my head, pushing my hair back. With burning, teary eyes, I looked up and saw Master. All For One. I shakily reached out a hand to him.
"Master."
Someone slammed down onto the ground beside me, startling me, but it was just Bakugo, who coughed and spat out the goo from his system, glaring at All For One, who took a few steps back from me when he crashed to the ground. More and more appeared, and Tenko hit the dirt on my other side, the wounded side, and I saw him look at it with eyes wide after puking up the sludge as well, as you could see the blood trickling down my skirt and wetting his hoodie. He looked up at Master with urgency as he finally began to speak.
"You've failed again, Tomura, but you must not lose heart. Neither shall you, Y/N. There will be more chances for the two of you to set things right, that's why I brought along your little band. And the boy, because Tomura, you determined he was an important piece of the puzzle. I've given Y/N what she needs to succeed already... but you must try again, Tomura. I'll help you, as I helped Y/N. It's... All For You." Master's voice was firm.
"Master-" Tenko began, but a flash of power crashed into All For One, breaking off his words.
"Back so quickly, All Might?" I choked out, clutching my side.
"YOU'RE GOING TO GIVE IT BACK, ALL FOR ONE!" He yelled.
"Here to kill me again, All Might?" Master asked calmly, and they began to speak, but like in the bar, it was white noise to me, my brain refusing to process it. The pain, both physical and mental, was unbearable.
All For One's power lashed out and stabbed into my wound, a quirk rushing into my body. The shock made me cry out and fall to my side, but the quirk closed my wound, the blood fading away. I pressed my hands to it, staring as he stabbed Kuro as well, taking his quirk temporarily to open a huge warp gate for us to escape.
"Go." He ordered.
"What..?" My voice hitched.
"What about you, Master?" Tenko sounded scared, unusual for him.
"Always think ahead, you two. You still have much room to grow. Take your pawn-"
In a flash, Bakugo was gone. Horrified, I looked up to see Endeavor's kid, Izuku, a redhead, and a kid who looked like Ingenium flying across the sky with the kid. My fingers ripped through my hair, angry, before Magne's quirk jolted me backwards as she magnetized us all together. The men, including a compressed Dabi in Compress' pocket all flew towards Toga and I; being women, we're north poles. I screamed in anger and fought her quirk with my telekinesis, trying to stay where I was. Tenko was getting dragged towards me. Blood flowed from my ears and nose as Magne's quirk overpowered mine, and I reached out for Master, desperate. With that body, it's unsafe for him to fight... that suit is basically the only thing keeping him alive.
"That body... it's no good!" Tenko recited my thoughts, yelling. A surge in Big Sis' quirk beat my strength and he crashed into me, both of us flying towards the gate. His voice broke as he screamed out one more time, making more tears slip down my cheeks; "I'M NOT READY!"
"You will continue this fight." Master's voice echoed in the gate as it closed, and within seconds, we were in some random building, the fight far away from us, and I couldn't help myself. I slumped onto my knees and dug my face in my hands, holding myself from crying.
I didn't want the League to see me cry.