A Bit of Fun
There was a strict "no bags in the ward" rule that the prison followed. Ochako understood why as she had spent quite a bit of time around the prison system during her years as a pro-hero. A person was never rid of that life style, perhaps that's why she had come back here.
Using the tip of her shoe, Ochako pulled the metal chair to the center of the concrete room, letting it scrap to a stop at an angle that was mostly facing the thick pane of glass that dominated the wall.
Ochako dropped into the chair, causing it to skid roughly against the ground. She ran her hands down the side of legs smoothing her skirt down around her thighs. A disheveled blonde woman stared at her through the multi-paned glass. Her eyelids were swollen, pink and only half covered her bloodshot eyes. The smile on her face seemed etched eerily into her lips, pulling the skin of her cheeks until they were rosy from the tension.
"You're looking lovely today, Ochako-chan," said Himiko Toga in a sing-song tone.
"They tell me you aren't eating." Ochako glance off to her side and then turned back to the other woman. "And that you tried to escape again," she added as she brushed a tendril of hair away from her cheek. "Is that why you're in the restraints."
Himiko giggled. "They sent me a cute guard with a cut on his cheek. Don't think he even noticed it; I just had to get a taste."
"Then you sat in here disguised as him. They tackled and hurt that man him because they thought you'd gotten out."
Himiko chortled, raising her hands up as close to her face as she could as she laughed. The coloring on her cheeks reddened further and she jerked forward against her bindings. "That wasn't an escape attempt. It was just a bit of fun."
Ochako's eyes flicked from side to side and she brought her hands to rest on her knees. A time passed where she couldn't look at Himiko, couldn't even look in her general direction. She shook her head and laughed under her breath. "A bit of fun," she scoffed.
"Why has it been so long since you've come?" Asked Himiko. "We're still friends right Ochako-chan?"
Ochako sighed, her eyes falling to focus on the drab gray floor. "Yes, Himiko. We're friends," she said with an exasperated sigh.
"Good," Himiko said. "I started to think you were mad at me or didn't like me anymore." Himiko moved her hips side to side as much as she was allowed.
For a moment Ochako glanced at her former nemesis, but she didn't dare meet the other woman's eyes. Himiko wasn't stupid and if there was anything in her expression that tipped the other woman off to what she was thinking about, Himiko would dredge up the last thing that Uraraka ever wanted to think about.
"You know, they don't let me know much of what's going on outside of this place," Himiko said.
"Miss Uravity," came a voice over the PA. No one had called her that name in maybe six years; it took her a while to realize that they were talking to her. "Please refrain from giving the prisoner detailed information about yourself or the outside world."
Uraraka nodded.
"It's okay," Himiko pressed her finger to her lips, probably more calm than Ochako had ever seen her. "The boys ran off to play without you too. I always told you that we're the same."
"Just stop, Himiko."
"I'm only telling you this because we're friends," Himiko replied bouncing in her chair. "The only difference is they call me villain," Himiko added.
"They call you that because you murdered dozens of people and… did other things," said Ochako.
Ochako had lost the other woman's attention. Himiko shuffled her feet against the floor as if trying to find a comfortable position. Years of medication made it easier to speak with Toga. She more often than not made sense, though she still had a child's temperament and sensibilities. It had never been clear to Ochako what had happened to Himiko Toga: was she born this way or…
"Do you think we could have been teammates? I'd like to think that we would have been awesome together."
"Oh yeah? You, me, and the guy with the disembodied hands all over? Oh, and are we including the literal child in the gas mask who had a gun that time? How about…never mind," Uraraka stopped herself.
Sure, Ochako knew their names; they were etched into her mind, but speaking them felt like a betrayal. Remembering that part of her past did too. Ochako didn't really know why she still talked to Himiko or really why Himiko still talked to her. It wasn't like they were truly friends, Ochako had been the one who finally put Himiko Toga or Simulacrum as the media had come to call her) away.
That was the final time that things felt really normal. Three years ago, right before the accident that took Bakugo away and right before she found out what had happened with Deku. Everything had been going so well and had all fallen apart in what felt like an instant. Tomura Shigaraki was so embarrassed and appalled by the idea that Bakugo brutalized him and beat him relentlessly in front of the world that he set out to prove that the so-called heroes weren't any different than the villains.
When he first made the threat via a data-drive delivered to the news agencies the collective of professional heroes thought that it was more brash talk from the League of Villains, but when he made good on his threat by torturing and killing Mitsuki Bakugo on a live internet feed everyone knew a line was crossed.
After that Katsuki was like a force of nature. Ochako and the others had never seen anything like this before. He tore the country apart hunting for any league member. In all he killed four of them before he got hold of Shigaraki. Ochako had been there that last day and saw what Bakugo did to the man that killed his mother.
She knew what was coming and it made her want to quit on the spot, but she stuck it out through the media coverage and the damning inquiries by the government.
She stuck it out at Deku's side because they were in love, even though they had never put the words out there. They'd never even officially said they were dating; things kind of progressed like that for the brief time that they were all in the spotlight. Even when it felt like Hero Society was coming to an end, she knew she could face whatever was next with Deku.
Then the government brought Himiko Toga to testify before The National Diet legislature of Japan.
Himiko stirred in her chair, trying to bring her hands up near her face. "You're not still mad at Deku, are you? Midoriya didn't know. Like I said before…"
Ochako cut Himiko off. "It was just a bit of fun," she muttered.
Himiko swayed side to side, tugging the restraints and making her chair strain under the awkward pressure. "At least now you know he really loves you more," she said, almost as an aside. "When I told them it was me…you're the one who said I couldn't lie…"
"If I had known what you did," Ochako said, her mask of control slipping now. "You told the whole world that you had sex with the man I…with Deku disguised as me." Ochako leaned forward, jabbing a finger into the center of her own chest. She moved back to her upright position, sure that the guard was about the reprimand her for getting too close to the glass.
Months had passed since she or anyone else she knew had talked to Izuku Midoriya. He, Shoto Todoroki and Mei Hatsume had gone into hiding and become proper vigilantes. For a while he would surface to communicate with his mom or try and leave Ochako some cryptic message, but it was just putting them in danger and making their lives harder. And Ochako just couldn't look at him the same way anymore.
Himiko smiled, shaking her head as if what she had done was some fond memory. "But it's okay. You won, Ochako-chan. He loves you more. And now you and I shared someone special."
"I have to go," said Ochako. She stood up and made for the door in one rapid motion.
"Wait," Himiko called.
Ochako slammed her fist against the door. "I'm done. Let me out, please. Now!" Ochako's voice cracked. "Let me out."
"I wanted to ask about that Bakugo boy," said Himiko, her smile melting into a dopey expression of embarrassment. "He's cute—I've seen him in the boy's ward. Could you pretty please give him a message for me?"
A loud buzzer sounded and the magnetic latches that held the huge blast door shut released, Ochako squeezed out as soon as enough space became available for her body to slide into. She tried to drown out the sound of Himiko Toga screaming her name through fits of giggles as she made her way back up the long hall that led out of the women's ward of Tartarus Maximum Security Prison.
Why had she come here? Why did she waste any time on her visit with Bakugo to do this. She shook the thought off, rubbing a budding tear from the corner of her eye as she prepared to make the long trip into the men's wing. Her skin tensed—she wasn't sure if she was ready to see all of those old faces.