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agentark88 · 2 years

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Think: Chapter Seventy-Nine: Emotional Damage

My Hero Academia Fan Fiction by Agent ARK 88

Disclaimer: The following is a work of fan fiction using characters and settings from My Hero Academia/Boku no Hero Academia created by Kohei Horikoshi. I do not claim any ownership of characters present in this piece that are owned and created by Kohei Horikoshi. I do not own My Hero Academia/Boku no Hero Academia.

Any references to historical events, real people, or real locales are used fictitiously. Other names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination, and any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead is entirely coincidental.

Warnings: This work contains mild language, blood, death, and violence. If you are easily triggered by violent scenarios, please do not read this chapter. This chapter could be triggering to some readers. Reader discretion is advised.

Please be aware this piece is in second person perspective, following my original character, Think, Anna Kokoro, who is a transfer student from America.

Chapter Seventy-Nine: Emotional Damage

You crashed back into your head with cut breaks. Your mind jolted you awake with painful sparks of consciousness. Aches erupted through your senses as clarity came to your forefront. Your cheeks and eyes were raw with tears. Your wrists ached. Your quirk quivered in your mind as it gained some semblance of traction. You couldn’t remember what happened, not after Kobura appeared. Now that your quirk had come back to life, the fog in your head was lifted.

Bodies, blood, and death surrounded your restrained form. You choked out a noise. It was vile, absolutely horrifying to look at. You turned your attention away from the gore, uneasiness and fear settling in your chest. Your horrified stare finally met the back of Kobura’s head, his white hair stained with blood. One of his many knives were clutched into his hand. Kobura snatched Emiyo by the jacket. Her hand went weakly up to his wrist. Tears pooled in her eyes.

“Please! Mercy! Y-you weren’t supposed to be like this… You’re not a supervillain. You barely show up in the media! You have to understand! The last thing I wanted to do was hurt you! I just wanted you to care for me the way that I care for you!” Emiyo Miya begged for her life.

Nausea crept up your raw throat followed by an unbearable burning. Had you been screaming? You leaned forward, once again putting tension in your binds. Your eyes widened when Kobura angled his knife for her neck.

No. No more death. No more blood had to be shed. You just wanted to leave, wanted to go back to U.A.. Kobura didn’t have to stab anyone else, especially not if he thought it was helping you. He may have thought he was doing the best for you, when he was doing the worst. No one needed to die like this.

A pulsing energy rippled through your flickering quirk, expanding through the cavernous warehouse. The drug must not have completely run its course through your system because your quirk sputtered as you attempted to use it. You whipped a strand of your mind toward Kobura’s wrist, snagging it just before he was able to pierce into Emiyo’s neck.

Kobura’s callous expression was washed clean with realization. Guilt tugged his mouth into an uneasy frown. Your quirk faded slightly in its hold, and you could sense Kobura trying to fight against the strand of your mind.

“I can’t let you,” you choked out. “Stop.” You didn’t know what had happened since he appeared. Despite being tortured by her, Emiyo didn’t need to die. The police could hold her in custody. A true hero wouldn’t just sit by and let this happen.

Kobura took in a quivering breath. “Anna, close your eyes,” he said. “You shouldn’t watch me do this.”

You bit into your lip, tears burning at the edge of your vision. “No, you can’t,” you pleaded. “No one else has to die. Please.” Had Kobura really killed these people? Had he killed all of them for hurting you? You had hoped, begged for him to save you, and this is what became of your wish? You trusted him. You had faith that he would protect you, but you didn’t expect him to take it this far. He knew you were a hero in training. He had to know you would never agree with what he’d done.

Emiyo Miya was pleading for her life, and he was going to end it without remorse. There wasn’t a single ounce of hesitation. Had you not caught his wrist, he would have killed her. Was this truly what Kobura was capable of? Were you so enchanted by his words, you’d forgotten what he was capable of as a villain?

Kobura’s Adam’s apple bobbed as he gulped. Sadness pinched his expression. “Close your eyes,” he repeated.

Your quirk couldn’t hold him. Kobura put more force into pushing the blade toward Emiyo’s exposed neck, and your quirk weakly held on to him, losing strength by the second. Fresh blood began to trickle from the new cut on Emoticon’s skin, but you wouldn’t let go. You couldn’t let go. Your quirk flickered, and you thought all was lost, but you gained a sliver of control back. Your quirk wrapped tighter around Kobura’s wrist, only for your power to slowly trickle away again.

“Please! This is wrong!” You cried out. Your vision blurred from fatigue. Your quirk pushed back, angry that you were still fighting in this condition. Kobura’s thoughts flashed into your unstable mind.

If being a villain is the only way to ensure I never have to hear her scream in pain again, then that’s my only option. If killing someone, means Sweet Anna doesn’t have to suffer, it’s worth the distance it puts in my relationship with her. Emoticon needs to die for what’s she’s done, or she will do it again. His thoughts were resolute, pained but certain. He didn’t want to do this. He felt like he had to for you, and it made your heart ache.

“Close your eyes,” Kobura whispered. “Please, Sweet Anna.”

Your quirk burned down to a mere ember. With fresh tears streaming down your face, you obeyed Kobura’s request, shutting your eyes. Your quirk slipped from his wrist. You heard the blade plunge into Emiyo’s neck. She shrieked for a moment, until she couldn’t. You wanted to cover your ears to keep out the horrid gurgling noises she was making as she fought for breath. There was nothing you could do for her, and it made you sick. You choked on a sob. Kobura swore under his breath. Mercifully, you heard Kobura’s blade plunge into flesh one last time and then silence.

Cold. The room felt cold, lifeless. You would have collapsed had you been standing up. You flinched when something violently crashed ahead of you. It sounded like the tripod, the phone broadcasting this all live to the world. Kobura crossed the room to you in only a few paces, his footsteps echoed off of the concrete. His trembling hands tentatively reached for your face.

“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry I wasn’t here sooner. Please forgive me for what I had to do,” Kobura said. His thumb wiped at your tears but more fell. “I know. It’s terrible. This is terrible. I understand. I get it if you can’t stand me. But, I have to get you out of here. I need you to be safe.” He continued to talk as he cut your legs free first. “She would have threatened you again, kidnapped you again. The police would have done nothing. They’ve done nothing about her for years. She tortured you, Anna. You have to understand that she was hurting you, and I had no other choice.”

You remained quiet, eyes still shut as you tried to catch your breath. Kobura finally made it to your wrists. He carefully cut them free. You let your arms fall to your sides. Your body felt numb.

“Are you…? Are you okay, Anna?” he asked. His voice was laced with worry.

You opened your tear-filled eyes, meeting his concerned gaze. No. You were far from okay. You were captured, tortured. No one knew where you were but Kobura, and he came. Your head was a mess. You were terrified. But, looking into Kobura’s eyes, all you wanted to do was reach for him for a source of comfort. You sprung up from your chair, wrapping your arms around Kobura’s neck and burying your face into his chest.

“No. I’m not okay. I’m not,” you babbled helplessly into his shirt. “I was so scared.”

“Sweet Anna, my blood… I could infect you. You’re in a delicate state right now. I don’t know if your quirk will protect you.” Kobura refused to touch you with his wounded arm, holding it away from your trembling body.

“I didn’t think you were going to come. I thought no one was going to come.”

“Of course I came. I promised.” Kobura rubbed his clean hand over your back.

“But, all of those people…” you trailed off. He killed them.

“Can’t hurt you anymore,” Kobura’s voice deepened as he finished your sentence.

You pulled far enough away to look up at him, stare into those toxic green eyes of his. “But…” It was wrong for him to kill them. You wanted to shout it at him, berate him for the horrible things he’d done. How could he expect you to forgive him for that?

“They sat by and watched you be tortured, Sweet Anna. They helped kidnap you.” Kobura’s words were soft. He could hardly make eye-contact with you. “I killed them to save you. I’m not asking you to agree with it. You did your best to stop me. You’re the last person that needs to feel guilty for what they brought upon themselves.”

“But, you did it because of me,” you said. Guilt ripped through your already bleeding chest. If you weren’t involved, all of those people would have still been alive. You were a part of his villainy, regardless of how indirect that involvement was.

“I did it for you,” Kobura corrected. “It wasn’t because of you. None of the blame falls on your shoulders.” Kobura gripped one of your hands as you retreated further from him, shaking your head.

“I… I don’t know what to do,” you said, conflicting feelings revolving through you. “I shouldn’t be here. I shouldn’t trust you.”

“And, that’s your right. No matter how much I want us to be together, I would never force you to trust me, to stay with me.” Kobura slowly released the hand he had grabbed. “Let me get you out of here, take you back to U.A..”

Your eyes widened. “The School Festival,” you said breathlessly. A chill ran through you, and a wave of nausea spun its way back into your stomach. Your vision blurred.

“Sweet Anna? You’ve gone pale. Are you…?”

Your legs buckled beneath you. Kobura shot forward, grabbing you before you could collapse. He supported your limp body as if it were made of the finest glass.

“Was it my quirk? Stay with me, okay? Hold on. If you black out, I’m not sure I can do anything to help you. You can’t let the venom take over,” Kobura sputtered out. It was strange to hear him speaking so frantically.

“It’s not your quirk. She lost too much blood, Doku,” Toga said.

Kobura snapped his head in her direction, his expression engulfed by uneasiness.

“Mission accomplished! We saved the sweet angel! Are we sure she’s going to pull through? She looks half-dead,” Twice said.

Toga quickly stepped in front of the tall masked villain that you recognized as Twice. Kobura’s muscles had coiled, but when he glanced at her he relaxed a bit.

“We can’t stay here for obvious reasons. And, I don’t know about you, but bringing her back like this is going to cause issues. We need to get her medical attention without going to the hospital.”

“I need to get back for the School Festival,” you muttered deliriously. “Eri will be so sad if I don’t make it. Aizawa…” Nausea swept your voice away as you tried to hold back vomit.

Kobura clenched you tighter to him. Before you said anything else, he swept you up into his arms. “Anna, it’s going to be okay. We’ll get you back so you don’t need to worry. I managed to redirect your phone’s ping. They’ll think you’re still on campus, even when I tracked you here.” Kobura turned his attention back on Toga. “First, we get her out of here. Can you contact Spinner? The only place that I know there’s supplies is my apartment. We can’t bring her to the new hideout nor the hospital for obvious reasons.”

“Isn’t it a little early to bring a girl home? I’m sure it’s a great idea to bring a hero to your cozy secret base.” Twice crossed his arms over his chest, tilting his head.

“Her wellbeing matters more to me than my privacy. I have to move anyway because that psycho ransacked my place. I upgraded the system since, but who knows who else knows where I live. Besides, we’ll blindfold her to avoid the heroes interrogating her when she returns,” Kobura explained.

The three villains left the building with you. The sun was barely above the horizon, blinding, actually, compared to the darkness you escaped from. There was carnage out here too, but it was much less gruesome than what was inside. Kobura walked far enough away so you weren’t able to see anymore gore. The odd bunch of you huddled together as Toga called Spinner. She’d put the phone on speaker, waiting impatiently for him to pick up.

“Do you have any idea what time it is?” Spinner asked gruffly over the phone.

“We need a ride,” Toga said. “Can you come get us?”

“Boss didn’t say anything about needing a chauffeur, today. Who’s ‘us?’”

Toga glanced up at Kobura, shrugging. “Doku, Jin, and me, we need a ride. We have one extra passenger too.”

Spinner groaned. “I don’t suppose you cleared this with Shigaraki?” he asked. There was a long pause. “I’ll take your silence as a, ‘No.’ Sorry, Toga. I don’t do anything without the boss’s permission. Can’t you guys catch a cab or something?”

Kobura audibly ground his teeth together. Toga glanced at him, rolling her eyes.

“Can’t you help us out this one time? We promise we won’t say anything to Shiggy. We’re kind of in a hurry here. We wouldn’t ask if it wasn’t an emergency,” Toga explained.

“I didn’t sign up for this shit—”

That’s when Kobura lost his cool. In your hazy mind, you watched as he bared his fangs in anger. “Dammit, Spinner! Get the hell off your ass and come pick us up! It’s an emergency! What do you want? Money? A new van? Fine! I know you hate that shitty thing any way. I’ll buy you a brand new one, but you get here now!”

The line was quiet for a moment. “Could’ve just said please,” Spinner muttered. He sighed. “I’m coming. I’m coming. But, this van better be top tier, untraceable. And, this shit better be important because if Shiggy even catches a whiff of us using League property for whatever this is, I’m throwing all of you under the bus. I’m not getting disintegrated for any of you.”

“Just get here. You know I’m good for the money,” Kobura snapped.

“Send me the coordinates,” Spinner said, hanging up.

Toga moved away to send Spinner the details. Twice huddled beside her, curiously watching.

Kobura carefully set you down. He removed his jacket, cutting the seams of his ripped sleeve and removing it with one of his knives. He wrapped the jacket around your front. You’d almost forgotten your dress had ripped down the center. He unclipped a knife vest from over his t-shirt, holding it loosely in one hand before setting it aside. He removed his shirt in the next instant, tearing it apart into strips. He knelt down ahead of you, his abdominal muscles flexing on his exposed chest, barely shielded by another set of knives strapped across his body. The only imperfection visible turned out to be the whip wound on his midsection.

“Get a room. Nobody wants to see that. Woah, dude! You’re totally ripped!” Twice interjected, peering toward both of you over his shoulder.

Kobura ignored Twice, paying close attention to you. He scanned the length of your body, glancing away and clenching his teeth when he came to the puncture wound in your leg. “May I?” he asked, pointing to your leg.

“You can help,” you murmured.

Kobura wrapped the wound with the clean strips of his shirt. You clenched your teeth as he tied the fabric tightly around your thigh to help with the bleeding. “This should have never happened,” Kobura said softly. “And, I will make this up to you. I know it doesn’t seem like that’s possible right now, but I will.”

You remained silent with your eyes downcast and distant.

Kobura pressed his lips closed, clenching his fingers over his knees. He might have been shaking, but he was doing a decent job hiding it. “We’ll get you cleaned up. I’ll patch you up at my place. You can get back to U.A. for Eri, for yourself. You can continue like before. Become a hero like you want to. I’ll bring you back, and it will be like nothing happened.”

“But, something did happen,” you murmured, trembling.

“I can’t take it back,” Kobura bluntly stated. “I know it’s going to take time for you to process what—”

“Time?” you asked, cutting him off. “You killed those people! And…” you trailed off again, shutting your eyes. Your shout only made your sore throat burn, and you felt your open wounds ache under the slightest movement. “…all I could do was watch.” You winced, feeling pain sweep through you again. You doubled over, covering your mouth as you coughed.

Kobura moved to support you, but you raised your hand to fend him off. He clenched his fists at his sides, refusing to touch you without your consent. Your trembling fingers came away from your mouth with splotches of fresh blood. Kobura’s chest rose and fell rapidly as his attention trained on your hand. It was killing him to see you like this. His eyes were filled with worry and regret.

“I know I can’t take it back,” Kobura said, choosing his words carefully. “I just… I could never, no, I would never see you like that again. She was going to kill you, Anna. I know it seemed like she was remorseful, that she wanted to take it all back, but she was lying. Villains like her don’t change. It may seem like they will, but it is ingrained in them.”

You bit into your lip, anger welling in your chest. “What about you, then? Are you like her, like those villains you know so much about? Is it ingrained in you? Will you never change?” You glared at him with tear-filled eyes. You didn’t want to believe that. You never wanted to believe that no one could change, be better. You had hoped Kobura could be better. You believed he could change. Were you just lying to yourself?

Kobura scowled. “I’m nothing like the monster that was in there. She was devoid of anything honest. Her emotions were twisted. She’d gone far too long unchecked, unstoppable. If it weren’t you, it would have been someone else. She needed to be stopped. If she was sent to prison, she’d use her quirk to get out, and the cycle would begin again. She needed to die.”

“What gives you the right to decide that?” you pushed.

Kobura winced. “She challenged me, my devotion to you, and she lost. It had nothing to do with my right to kill her. I killed her because she played a game she couldn’t win.”

“But, she didn’t need to die,” you choked out. “People make mistakes. They do things that they don’t mean!”

“Only, it wasn’t just any ‘mistake!’ That mistake, that thing she ‘didn’t’ mean to do, was choosing to hurt you!” Kobura shouted.

You flinched, shrinking away from him. Kobura immediately retreated, realizing he’d scared you. He let out a defeated breath of air, pinching the bridge of his nose.

“I like a lovers’ quarrel as much as the next guy, but don’t you think the two of you are just talking in circles? Go on! It’s good to let off a little steam in a relationship! Shouting means that you’re communicating,” Twice piped up.

“Easy, Jin. It’s not our place to get involved,” Toga said.

“But, isn’t Kobura our friend? You’re right. Why should I care?”

“You’re fine, Twice. Just, give Sweet Anna some time. She went through a lot today. I deserve to be yelled at,” Kobura said. He stood up, combing a hand through his ghostly white hair and looking up to the sky. He sighed, sliding his hand over his face. He glanced at you between his fingers. “Again, I can’t take what I did back, no matter how upset you are about it. I can only say that I’m trying to be better for you. You don’t have to believe me. I don’t expect you to believe me. But, I want to focus on fixing you up. We can talk about this…” Kobura trailed off, probably realizing your phone was gone, and, even if you had one, you might not want to speak to him again. “Let’s just get you back to U.A. in better shape than you are now. I’m not worried about anything else. So, do you mind if we don’t argue about the situation now? I know that’s a tough ask, but I’m afraid your condition will only get worse if we continue like this.”

You considered his ask. Your throat could hardly handle speaking, let alone yelling. This situation was odd enough. You’d been rescued by villains, and they had no intention of using that to their advantage to kidnap you. You could sit on the discussion for now. Kobura had your best intentions at heart, even if they were twisted. He was still your only hope in getting back to U.A. without setting off any red flags and shutting the whole School Festival down. You didn’t have much choice at this point but to follow his lead.

You slowly nodded. Kobura gave you a small smile, kneeling down next to you again. He kept his hands away, but he scanned over you to ensure he was prepared for the damage he’d have to take care of at his place.

Spinner showed up about ten minutes later. You held on to consciousness with feeble fingers. Your quirk weighed heavily in your mind, and your eyes kept wanting to shut. Kobura went to lift you from your place just as Spinner stuck his lizard-like head from the van window.

“Oh, hell no! No one said anything about that kid! Wasn’t that the same U.A. student we kidnapped? We got our asses handed to us in that fight! Are you all insane? She could destroy The League of Villains from the inside out!” Spinner shouted out.

“We’re going to blindfold her,” Toga explained.

“Yeah? Well then, by all means,” Spinner said sarcastically.

“Really? He changed his mind fast,” Twice said.

“No! Idiot! She’s not getting into this van! I don’t have a death wish. If the Pro Heroes don’t catch us, then the boss is going to decay me!”

Kobura clenched his fists at his sides. He turned away from you, rushing up to the driver’s window. Spinner leaned back as he got up into his face. Kobura pulled his wallet out, shoving a wad of money at Spinner’s chest.

“This is only a piece of what I’ll give you. Get whatever car you want. Want a van, a truck? You name it, and it’s yours. I don’t care. Money isn’t a problem. But, don’t give me any more bullshit about not helping. You’re taking her wherever I need you to take her, got it?” Kobura said.

Spinner rolled his eyes, flicking through the bills with his eyes widening. “You carry this much cash on you?”

“Are you driving us or not?” Kobura snapped. “Sweet Anna’s health is on the line, and I’m losing my patience.”

Spinner shoved the wad of money into his pocket. “Get in. Shigaraki better not hear a damn word about this. You’ve got me for three hours. No more, no less. The boss will get suspicious otherwise.”

Kobura spun away from the van. He knelt down beside you. “Is this okay?” he asked, reaching his hands out to you.

You nodded, and he lifted you up. Toga and Twice clambered into the van. Twice handed over a small bundle of gauze to Kobura as he set you down.

“I’ve got to cover your eyes. It’s for your safety and ours, okay?” Kobura asked.

If you really wanted to, you could probably read his mind for the location, so you weren’t sure what all the precautions were for. Then again, your quirk was weak at best. If you knew where he lived, it would be one more secret you would need to keep from your classmates, from Aizawa.

You nodded again. Kobura wrapped the gauze around your head, until you couldn’t see at all. There was a little back and forth about location. All you could tell was that Kobura must have shown Spinner where they were going because he didn’t appear to know where exactly his apartment was. When the van started moving, you had to assume wherever you were going had been clearly communicated.

It took longer than expected for the van to stop again.

“Wait here. It might take a bit,” Kobura said. “I’ll move as quickly as I can.”

“Need any help?” Toga asked.

There was a pause. “No. I mean… Yes, she has wounds on her chest. But, only if it will be more comfortable for Anna if we are both there.”

There was another bout of silence. You hesitated before nodding again, realizing they had been waiting for your input.

“Ooh, three’s a company, and four’s a party. What do you say I come too? I see how it is. Four wheels aren’t good enough for you?” Twice said.

“Will someone make up their damn mind? Clock’s a ticking!” Spinner shouted from the front.

“We are! What’s it to you? You’ll get the money I promised,” Kobura hissed out in annoyance.

“Just saying that we’re wasting too much time on little things,” Spinner grumbled.

“It’s not that we don’t think you’re good enough, Jin. We just want to make sure Anna’s comfortable, okay? Besides, we need you to make sure Spinner doesn’t take off with our ride. Think you can handle that?” Toga said gently.

“Don’t need a babysitter. I’m not going to go back on our deal,” Spinner mumbled out.

“Aye, aye, Captain Toga! Your ship’s safe with me. Does that mean I get to man the wheel?”

Kobura sighed. The van door slid open. Kobura put a steadying hand on your shoulder, but he made sure it was light. “Anna, I’m going to lift you up, okay?” Kobura asked.

You nodded again. Kobura picked you up, entering a building and climbing a few flights of stairs before he stopped again. You barely heard Toga following behind him. A scanner buzzed, followed by Kobura typing into a keypad, and then the door set off a series of clicks indicating several locks opening.

“I thought those types of security systems could only be found in spy movies,” Toga said.

“Couldn’t have been too cautious after the first break-in. Don’t tell the landlord though. He’s not fond of unauthorized modifications to his building,” Kobura said. Kobura shifted you over again to open the door. He gently set you down in a chair. “One second.” Kobura left your side. A few things were shifted in the room. He drew the blinds. And, it sounded like something was aggressively thrown away.

Toga settled beside you. She leaned down to your ear. “He’s just trying to tidy up for you. You know how boys are when they show a girl their space,” she whispered.

You really didn’t know how that was. Kobura might have been the first person to directly invite you over to his place. It wasn’t as if you really had a choice in the invite, but you found it odd how Toga had completely bypassed the very abnormal situation by equating it to an average relationship step. You’d never been to a boy’s home before. It wasn’t like a dorm room. This was where Kobura had been living for a long time.

The blindfold was taken off. Kobura took a few steps away from you, smiling sheepishly. “Sorry for the mess. I would have cleaned up more if I knew you’d be here.”

The place was spotless. In fact, you were utterly amazed that someone had so recently broken in. All of Kobura’s things were organized or contained. The apartment room was modern and sleek. You imagined this is what it would look like if there was a room in a laptop. The color scheme of the place did not sway from green, black, and gray. He had a king-sized bed, with gray sheets and green accents. You’d been placed in a high-end computer chair that was black and electric green that sat in front of a hand built computer desktop with three screens. There were bins, labeled and sorted with all kinds of tech. They were pristinely stacked in a far corner. A small mini-fridge with a microwave seemed discarded in a more hidden area of the space behind a contemporary kitchen table and chairs. The only thing that seemed out of place was the wall behind you, which appeared to have been recently painted. There were several tack holes in the wall as if there were thousands of pictures once there and there was a dartboard that was heavily gashed by knife holes.

“It’s not much, I know. I plan to get a bigger space. One where I can have more company, you know? I’m very aware that this place is more like a Bachelor’s pad,” Kobura tried to explain himself. “I used to have a flat screen too, but you can imagine what happened to that.”

You continued to survey the large apartment in awe. He said it wasn’t much, but everything in the room looked expensive and was clearly bought with his aesthetic in mind. You could only imagine what was there before the break-in because the apartment was complete, as if it was meant for a magazine.

Kobura’s face was flush with embarrassment. He cleared his throat as you’d turned to his extensive keyboard that flashed different colors of the rainbow. You forced down the impulse to press a key. You peered back at Kobura, gulping. It was a lot to take in at once, but you weren’t here to admire his home décor.

Kobura handed you a pile of clean clothes. “I don’t have anything small enough for you, but at least it will be clean. If it’s okay with you, I was going to ask that Toga help you in the bathroom. I wouldn’t want you to fall. Once you’re done in there, you can come out here, and I’ll do what I can for some of the more serious wounds.”

“O-okay,” you said unsteadily. What were you doing? Only moments before, you were mortified by Kobura’s actions and now you were obediently following his orders? You clenched your knees tightly, looking to the floor. He killed people. He murdered someone who was begging for their life.

“Anna?” Toga asked. “You’re looking pale again. Do you feel lightheaded?”

You blinked, shaking your head. You snatched the clothes out of Kobura’s hands. You made a move to sprint to the bathroom, only to feel your own body betray you. Your knees buckled with your next step. Kobura snagged you by the waist before you fell, holding you tightly to his chest to support your body.

“Don’t move too fast. You need to be easy on yourself. You’re lucky that you’re still conscious with the wounds you sustained,” Kobura said with his breath brushing the edge of your ear.

You flushed. Once you’d gained your footing, you pulled away from him, throwing his hands off of you. Kobura didn’t reach out for you as you stormed toward the bathroom.

“I wouldn’t take it too hard on yourself, Doku. She’s been through a lot today,” Toga whispered.

Had you had more energy, you might have argued with her. Instead, you continued forward, knowing that time was of the essence to make it back to the School Festival. You paused in front of the enormous rain shower that was complete with extra jets. There were about four different knobs to turn on the shower, and you were scared to pick any of them.

Toga and Kobura were still talking quietly outside the bathroom. You wondered if you’d ruined your chances for help, until you heard the scrape of a chair from room over. Moments later, Toga came in carrying one of the kitchen chairs with her.

“What are you doing with that?” you asked her.

“Kobura said it was okay to bring this in the shower with you. It will be easier on you to sit down.” Toga shut the door behind her, locking it. “So he doesn’t get any ideas,” she said jokingly. She opened the large glass shower door, setting the chair inside.

“I-Isn’t that expensive? And, part of the dining set?” you asked.

Toga waved her hand dismissively toward the questions. “A chair is less important than your safety, Anna,” she said, her voice echoing off of the natural stone walls. She leaned forward, checking the knobs suspiciously. “I’m pretty sure it’s this one.” Toga let out an unearthly squeal as she turned the knob, and she was blasted by the jets in front of her. “Cold! Too cold! Shit!” She shut off the water, cursing under her breath. She turned on the correct one next and then slipped out of the shower, before she could be drenched further. “I’ll busy myself with prepping the first aid kit, so you won’t need to worry about me watching. Towels are there. Take your time. Kobura said to use the two bottles with flowers for your hair, and…” Toga scratched her head in thought. “…he also told me to apologize for the manly smelling soap. Let me know if you need a hand.” She smiled brightly at you, before she went to retrieve the medical kit from beneath the sink.

You watched Toga for a moment to see if she was being truthful about leaving you alone. Once she began laying things out over the sink, you felt comfortable enough to get in the shower. You went as quickly as your aching body would allow. You winced whenever you got close enough to a wound. There was a lot of blood, so much so you kept your eyes up. When you were done, you stood up from the chair and shut off the shower. You dried off as best as you could, having difficulty bending too much. You slipped on the loose fitting pants and sweatshirt that Kobura had provided, thankful to be out of that sacrificial white dress that was stained with blood.

“I’m done,” you said softly, shivering in place.

Toga spun back toward you, giving you a toothy grin. “Okay. Mind if I take a look at your chest wound?”

Thankfully, the cut on your chest was only a surface wound. The dress had taken the brunt of the lash, but it was still severe enough to need bandages. Toga applied them fast and efficiently. She checked your face next, gently tilting up your chin into the light. You winced when her fingertip skimmed what you could only assume was a fresh bruise.

Toga frowned. “I can’t believe she punched you while your hands were tied. I can cover this up with some makeup, but you’ll need to be careful not to wipe it off. It’s going to be difficult to hide the swelling, let alone the bruise, after it begins to heal.”

Toga was gentle when she applied the foundation, but it still stung. Looking in the mirror, you could hardly tell there was anything abnormal with your face. Toga had been right though, if you looked hard enough you could see the raised area of the bruise itself. You would need to take care to hide your face for a while. That was easier said than done when you had Bakugo as a classmate.

Toga wrinkled her nose at checking your leg. You knew that was going to be the worst of the wounds. It’s where most of the blood was leaving your body too, even if you’d left the shirt tied around your thigh. The longer the cut was left untreated the more dangerous it was for you. Still, she left it be as it was, telling you she was going to wait for Kobura to check it first.

Toga helped you out of the bathroom. You staggered, despite trying your best to seem fine. You were having a hard time keeping it together. Toga assisted you back into Kobura’s gaming chair. She rolled up your pant leg.

Kobura had changed into a fresh set of clothes, his bare chest no longer exposed to the world. He’d even bandaged up his arm. He knelt down in front of you, looking over the injury in worry, his eyebrows knitted together in concentration. Toga stood back with her arms crossed, looking just as uneasy.

“Has your quirk stabilized yet? Do you think it’s back in place for certain?” Kobura asked, peering up at you with his attentive green eyes.

“No,” you answered honestly. You’d felt it fluctuating since leaving the abandoned warehouse. There was no telling when it would come back fully.

“I’m scared to use my saliva on you like I’ve done before. You’re going to need stitches.”

Your eyes widened. “Stitches?” you squeaked out.

Kobura nodded solemnly. “If we don’t do something, it’s only going to get worse, and you’ll have to notify a teacher as soon as you make it back. I have experience with making stitches, but I won’t do it if you don’t want me to. It’s your choice.”

Choice? You didn’t have a choice. It was either get found out and ruin the School Festival, or get patched up and deal with it after. The hospital wasn’t an option. Recovery Girl wasn’t an option. Everyone’s hard work would go to waste if an investigation was initiated on what had happened. Eri wouldn’t be able to go to her first festival.

You clenched your fist at your side, biting hard into your lip. “Do it,” you said resolutely. “Please.”

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