I stared at myself in the reflection. I didn't realize it until now, but I didn't look so great. I don't know how much blood they drained, but it was enough to make the bags under my eyes noticeable. My hair needed a good comb, and I was in desperate need of some chapstick.
"Let's make a deal. If you join Crimson Eclipse, I promise that I'll help you avenge your brother."
I knew that he was trying to manipulate me for his own gains. Everything about his offer was terrible. Why would I join Crimson Eclipse, an evil cult that wants to wipe out the weak? Why would I want to follow him, the one who assaulted two kids in the street and kidnapped Hiro? Why would I want to kill another human being?
Human being? No, that villain wasn't human. He murdered my brother.
I sat down on the bed staring at my bare feet. My head hurt from all this thinking. I wasn't sure how to feel. What was I supposed to do? I doubt he'll let me go scot-free. No matter if I accepted Kiyoshi's offer or not, I was going to be stuck here.
Thump...thump...thump...
Even so, my heart began to beat faster. A wave of vigor overcame me. I had the sudden urge to get up and call out to him because, for the first time in my life, I found something that I wanted to achieve. Something that I wanted to do. His offer enticed me; it fueled a strong emotion inside of me that I always wanted to experience. I never wanted to let go of it, even if it hurts.
I've never felt so alive.
I could feel my blood pulse through my entire body. I was nervous, so very nervous that I began to tremble. Or...was it excitement? Whatever it was, I didn't care. All that matters is finding Shigaraki.
But before I could, the world began to shake. My bedpost rattled on the floors, and my body jiggled on the bed. I heard a loud crash from the floor above followed by a horde of footsteps and voices. Something was happening. An attack? Or maybe...a rescue?
»»—- —-««
"Prepare to be planted!" Strawberry Shades exclaimed. A brown seed shot out of his palm and into the villain's face. Sprinting up to him, the hero expertly jumped up. He used his face as a stepping stool and flew up in the air. Locking his eyes onto a Crimson Eclipse member, he dove straight toward them and knocked them to the ground.
"Heroes are infiltrating! Grab the supplies and run!" the Crimson Eclipse announcing through the intercom warned. "There's no time to fight back! Head to the tunnels and-"
Before he could finish, the sound of a door getting kicked down is heard. After some sounds of struggle, a loud and jubilant voice spoke.
"Hey, y'all! I'm unlocking all the doors!"
Corvade who had just finished assisting Strawberry Shades, winced. Can Present Mic speak even louder? Peering in the hallway, she recalled that the layout of the base was similar to the one the heroes raided months ago. That'll help in maneuvering through the place much easier. However, even after more Crimson Eclipse grunts came and time passed, there were still no signs of the girl.
"What's the current situation on the rescue?" Corvade asked through the earpiece.
"According to a Crimson Eclipse, they are holding Onishi Rin somewhere in this facility," Gunhead replied amidst fighting. "We're still trying to pinpoint the exact location. But since Present Mic and others have raided the Control Room, we may be able to find where she's at."
So it seems like their hypothesis was correct; she was in here somewhere. As Corvade ran through the hall full of heroes and villains, she asked Present Mic on Rin's potential whereabouts. He (loudly) informed her that there were several secret rooms hidden in the facility. Many of them are already getting checked out by heroes.
"Hey! I need one of you to come with me! I was given orders to gather some heroes up to check out a room that the hostage might be at!" the Chivalrous Hero: Crimson Riot piped.
"Strawberry Shades," Corvade spoke, smoothly dodging a whirl of sharp leaves. She sent the leaves flying back at the attacker, who tried to dodge it. In the process, another hero knocks her down with a cement block. The strawberry hero turned toward his boss.
"On it!" Strawberry Shades bubbly replied. He scampered over to Crimson Riot and they both ran down the left hall.
"Present Mic. Are they any other locations that Rin may be held captive at?" Corvade questioned.
"Yes ma'am! There's one on the opposite side of the base!"
Present Mic began giving directions to Corvade as she speedily ran through the base while assisting some heroes on the way. She spotted a particular gloomy gal fighting from her usual dark corner and ordered her to tag along. As they ran through, a voice buzzed into their radios.
"Requesting backup in the cafeteria!"
What a coincidence. The two women just happened to be heading straight toward the cafeteria. It didn't take long for them to arrive.
Unlike the dark and somewhat unnerving design of the hallways, the cafeteria was much lighter. The walls were white with red paneling plastered onto the walls. Rows of white tables with black chairs were flipped over the floor. Along with that, three other heroes were laying unconscious. Standing in the middle was a tall and lanky man. He didn't look too muscular. From the looks of it, Corvade assumed he was an Emitter.
"Be on your guard," she spoke. She pulled out her lightweight baton and the two girls sprint over.
The tall and lanky man zips up to Corvade ready to pack a punch. With a quick swipe, his arm gets pulled back, and she jabs her baton into his stomach. Thanks to his thin build, he moved with such speed that she didn't have time to redirect his attack. Grappling her arms, he pulled her over his head and attempted to smash her into the ground.
Furutani's dark arm grabs his lean arms. With the attack occurring, that gave Corvade time to wrap her long legs around his throat. When he let go, she flipped herself backward sending the man toward the ground. As expected, he wasn't going down with one blow, and Corvade and Furutani both went on guard as the villain staggers toward them.
"You underestimate me. You think I'm going down with a measly hit like that?" he growled, with blood dripping down his forehead. "You're never going to find the girl!"
He began to clash against the two women with Corvade packing as many hits as she could and Furutani supporting her from the side. Corvade noticed that with each swing, it was getting harder to deflect the force of his palms. Physically, he didn't look strong. It's almost like he was applying some sort of outside pressure to his fists.
"Boss, go..." Furutani rasped, as she blocked an attack with her shadow arm. "I...will hold him off. So please...find Onishi...chan..."
Corvade hated running away. There was no way she was going to let her underling become bait. The bodies that littered the ground didn't convince her either. But when she looked at her, the usual solemn and melancholic look on her gray face was gone. Instead, her black eyes lit up in determination and they gleamed with trust.
Corvade let out a sigh. Seeing the rare expression on Furutani's face, Corvade had no choice but to comply. Besides, this is what working in a team is all about. Even after forming Blackbird seven years ago, she sometimes still struggled with the concept of teamwork.
"Fine. You better hold him off."
Furutani opened her heavy cloak as the darkness inside began to swell. "I'll give you time."
"Where did you think she's going?! She's not going anywhere!" the villain exclaimed.
On cue, a cloud of pitch black covered the entire area. Corvade felt Furutani's hand pushed her out of the cloud and back into the light. Corvade ran through the hallway pushing down any Crimson Eclipse grunts that got in her way.
"Present Mic. You said there was an elevator hidden in the wall. Where is it?" she asked through her earpiece.
"You're spot on, lady!" his shrill voice chirped. "So what you gotta do is take a left!"
Corvade turned to see a Crimson Eclipse waiting for her. He went to slice her with his long claws when a bullet pummels him into the ground. Corvade speedily ran pass him, while Gunhead gave her a reassuring thumbs-up.
"And then, you gotta go down the stairs!"
Skidding to a stop, she saw that a group of Crimson Eclipse was gathered at the bottom. Seeing her make her appearance, they turned to her ready to attack. Corvade sprinted forward and leaped up as a flurry of pebbles, water, and fire charged at her. Using her quirk, she deflected the attacks and sent them flying back at them. Crimson Eclipse members got hit while others continue to barrage her with attacks. She began stepping on their heads to get across.
"We got you covered, Corvade!" she heard Gunhead say from the stairs. "Duck!"
She lowered her head just as a block of cement flew over. Instead of crashing into the wall, it stayed in place. Stepping on another villain's face, Corvade jumped onto the floating cement block and smoothly landed behind the crowd. Peering back, she saw that Gunhead was with several other heroes. The one who assisted her, Rock Lock, gave her a stern but trusting nod. Corvade turned back and sprinted off.
"Where next?" she asked, looking around her. She was in another hallway that looked exactly the same as the one before. She didn't see any signs of an elevator.
"Stop, stop, stop!" Present Mic's voice blared. His ear-piercing screech made the inside of her ears ring, and Corvade winced once more. "Go back a bit! About four steps!"
She did as she was told. Her heels clicked on the metal floors as she turned toward the walls. There was nothing. She let out an annoyed huff. "Where is it?" she demanded.
"What's with the upset face? Smile, lady! Let out a battle cry to pump you up!"
He was met with complete silence as she peered up at the black camera that was sitting on the ceiling. She gave him a look of disapproval. "You're no fun, my gal! Just like Eraserhead!" Present Mic piped not at all affected by her lack of vigor. "Anyway, I'll open it for you!"
The wall that Corvade was standing in front of suddenly began to dissemble as a steel elevator emerged. It let out a ding! The raven hero went inside. To her surprise, there were no buttons to press for the floors. There was only one, which she assumed was for closing the door. She didn't get the chance to test that theory because the door closes immediately after walking in.
"Here we go!" Present Mic excitedly said. The elevator began to descend before the sound of electricity crackling occurred, shaking the entire elevator. The light flickered off and the elevator groaned to a stop.
Corvade pressed her earpiece and asked him why it wasn't moving. He replied but incomprehensibly. She figured it was due to how deep underground she was. Since the elevator wasn't working, she was going to have to find another way down. Standing on top of the metal railings lined on the walls, she began to pry the air duct on the ceiling with her baton. Within seconds, it popped off and she climbed up into even darker blackness. Luckily her baton was equipped with light, and it illuminated throughout the pitfall. Then without hesitation, she jumped off.
Pulling out her zipline device, she sent it surging on the wall near the doorway. It latched just as she neared the ground. Then shooting an explosion at the steel door in front from the tip of her baton, she swung into a dimly lit room and nearly got hit by a flying boomerang when disconnecting her zipline. Smoothly avoiding the attack by kneeling on the ground, she watched as the boomerang flew back at a red-clothed man. He held a long, black bladed weapon his right hand and the boomerang in his left. Obscuring his face was a white mask with a red moon. There was a glass window behind him looking into a very bright room. Inside was a white bed and Onishi Rin.
"They were quick to create another Crescent Reaper, weren't they?" Corvade muttered numbly, standing up. She flipped the switch on her baton and it extended. "What a pain."
The Crescent Reaper charges at her. He swings his weapon at her neck at a frightening speed. However, Corvade steps back and ducks toward his torso. She goes to jab his stomach when his boomerang comes flying at her. When did he throw that? But she didn't have time to think about that. On cue, the boomerang lowers and grazes her chin. While that happened, the Crescent Reaper knees her in the chest. The air was knocked out of her lungs but nevertheless, she could still fight.
With the help of his knee that sent her upward, she used that as leverage to hit him in the chin. Her head collided with his chin, and he stumbled back. She sends a flurry of baton attacks that the Crescent Reaper avoided and blocked. Then flipping backward, he pulls out a dagger and hurls it at her midair. Activating her quirk, it surges left and she catches it with her hand. She sends it back at him. It grazes the side of his mask and hits the window behind him. A crack formed in the glass.
She peers at Rin whose back was facing them. She found it strange that she wasn't acknowledging the commotion outside her cell. Was it soundproof? Whatever it was, Corvade didn't have the time fighting this villain. Their top priority was rescuing Rin.
"Playtime is over. Now if you'll excuse me," Corvade spoke. Within a second, Corvade surges pass the villain and jumped through the window. Glass shattered everywhere but not a shard pierced her pale skin. Upon landing in the room, she heard static muffling in her ear.
"Cor... We... Locate... The..." Eraserhead's voice crackled.
"I cannot understand," Corvade replied.
The sound of power charging was heard. She heard the elevator begin to descend down to the floor. Along with that, Eraserhead's voice became clear. "We have found Onishi Rin. She's being held by a Crimson Eclipse. We require backup, immediately."
"What? She's here with me."
That's when she noticed that something looked off about the girl. Marching over, she inspected her. Her body looked hazy and fuzzy, almost as if it was a casted image. Swiping her hand across her face, Corvade's hand went through her body.
Eraserhead's voice came back on the radio. "What are you talking about?"
Before she could reply, she spotted the Crescent Reaper standing in the elevator. In his hand was a button. Upon clicking it, she heard the sounds of a timer begin to tick. Sprinting through the broken window, she attempted to reach the elevator but was too late. The heavy doors shut on her, and it began to ascend.
The ticking began to quicken. Corvade speedily inspected the room for any kind of bomb she could deactivate. But as she searched, she couldn't find anything. She let out a curse.
"Corvade? Are you still here?"
"Yes, I am," she replied as she stood at the edge of the empty doorway. It was way too late for her to latch onto the elevator now. She was going to have to aim as high as the zipline could reach. The line flew out of her device and into the darkness. The sharp pins latched onto the wall. "There's a bomb that's about to explode, so prepare for the aftershock."
"What-"
The ticking stopped and when it did, the underground cell and the shaft went up in flames.
»»—- —-««
Another explosion was heard, this time from underneath me. The ground rattled under my bare feet making it difficult to run. It didn't help that the villain clutching my arm was holding it with all her strength. It hurt when she pulled.
When the first explosion happened, I was immediately taken out of my cell. The heroes have somehow found our location. They weren't letting me go just yet, so I was to escape by taking the emergency tunnels that lead out somewhere safer. A Crimson Eclipse with particularly oily skin fetched me. By exiting through secret stairs hidden in the room next to my cell, we climbed up into the ground floor and made our escape.
It was surreal running through the base. Heroes and Crimson Eclipse members were battling each other all because of me. I've been a hostage a handful of times but this rescue was intense. Seeing how hard people worked to protect me kind of made me feel validated.
I don't know about this anymore... Is joining Crimson Eclipse the best idea? But when I thought back to the images that the lady showed me, it made my chest hurt. The way Hiro desperately fought back against the League of Villains made me sick. Not to mention, the inaudible scream that followed when that monster disintegrated his arm. There really is no other way. Despite their best efforts, the authorities haven't been unable to track down the League of Villains. If I stay here, I know exactly where they're at. Where he's at.
She pulled me through the Great Hall. The entire place was empty. It was only the two of us. It was somewhat uncomfortable hearing our heavy breaths and rapid footsteps. But then, voices and footsteps began to echo from behind. A flurry of seeds come in our direction, and the villain holding me pushes me down. We both avoid getting hit. Turning around, I saw three heroes coming our way: Crimson Riot, Eraserhead, and...
The look Strawberry Shades gave me heavied my heart. His expression said "relief" but screamed "anger". The usual shining grin on his face was gone. Instead, his lips were formed into a thin line. It unsettled me how serious he looked.
"You... What do you think you're doing with Rin?" Strawberry Shades asked in a low voice.
The Crimson Eclipse member muttered bitterly. She cursed that she was alone during this time and wondered where the rest of the people were at.
"It's simple! They were defeated by us, the heroes!" Crimson Riot boldly exclaimed, throwing his fist back. He missed the shot, and the villain sprayed a jet of oil from her palms. As Strawberry Shades came up, she began to ready another jet when nothing came out. That's when she noticed that Eraserhead was staring directly at her with glowing, red eyes.
Crimson Riot's hair turned black and he headbutts the villain. Following up, Strawberry Shades jabs a giant seed into her left side.
They're saving me. I'm going to be rescued, aren't I? It annoyed me so much. Especially Strawberry Shades. He was here to save me for the thousandth time. That's right; he's always coming to my rescue. I'm just heavy baggage. Deadweight. Joining Crimson Eclipse, Kiyoshi promised he'll give me power. He promised to tell me everything about my unknown quirk. He'll make me strong.
My body moved on its own. Turning around, I bolted away from the fight and toward the exit. They were all shocked by my sudden escape, and Eraserhead ordered Strawberry Shades to follow me.
My bare feet slapped the cold, steel floors as I sprinted down the hall. I had no idea where I was supposed to go but I kept running. Strawberry Shades was getting closer and closer to me by the second. He called out to me. "Rin! Stop! I'm here to save you!"
I didn't reply or look back. I kept on running even despite his protests and the burning in my legs. I was so tired. I just want to go to sleep. Then, I heard the sounds of tiny seeds approaching me from behind.
There's no way he's stopping me.
There was no impact. The seeds made a metallic sound as they bounced off the walls. One even skidded right beside me.
"What are you doing? Stop!" he pleaded.
It took a bit longer than expected for him to catch up. When he did, he tackled me onto the floor. It hurt, and the fact that he had an athletic build didn't ease it. I tried to wriggle out of his grasps as he tried to hold me still.
"Why are you trying to run away? Did they do something to your head?" he asked. "Rin-chan, stop! Don't you see? It's me, Strawberry Shades! I'm the fabulous hero that you met on the train! And the one who rescued you from those hotdogs! Remember the time at the beach? And the sing-off! You must remember the sing-off, for sure! You absolutely demolished the host!
I ignored him and kneed in the crotch. He yelped out in pain. That loosened the grip on my wrists and I scrambled away. I didn't get very far because his rubber gloves wrapped around my ankle and pulled me back. He staggered over to me and lifted me. He began to stiffly walk me back to the Great Hall.
"Wren Inc? The building collapsed, didn't it? But you got saved! How about the Hero Festival? I came right in time, twice, actually! You helped me take out those villains, and you tried to drag me to safety!"
Memories of the Hero Festival replayed in my head. I saw the image of Strawberry Shade's reassuring grin along with the worn-out face he wore when battling the Crimson Eclipse villainess.
"Don't you remember?" Strawberry Shades said. "That was the first time you called me your friend!"
"Of course I remember!" I snapped. I stopped resisting, and he halted. My heart was beating so fast that it began to hurt. Sweat stained my face and back. I hung my head low. "How could I forget? I remember everything."
"S-so why did you run away?" he asked. "Why were you trying to escape?"
"Don't you see? I wanted to."
He fell silent for a moment. I spoke. "...I'm going to join Crimson Eclipse," I started. "I know who killed Hiro. Kiyoshi wants that villain dead too. He said he'll help me avenge him. He'll give me strength and power... I'm not going to be dead weight anymore. I'm not going to be a victim, s-so...you don't have to save me anymore."
"No! That is a terrible idea! That villain is manipulating you! He's taking advantage of your frail health."
"You don't understand! I saw who killed Hiro! I-I-I saw how he died, okay? You're a hero. You're supposed to know how it feels to give villains what they deserve."
"Killing that villain isn't going to bring back Hiro!"
Thump. Thump. Thump.
My throat tightened. The blood rushed up to my cheeks as my eyes moistened. I bit my lip, frustratingly. "Just...let me be. Stop worrying about me all the time."
He stood there for a moment. Then, he lowered me down on the ground. My toes touched the metal floors. Turning around, I was given the chance to finally look at him. His previous cross expression disappeared. Through his cat-eyed sunglasses, his eyes were wide in shock. The corners of his lips were turned down. His thick eyebrows were scrunched together and his face flushed. I never knew that such a look was able to make me feel so terrible. It made me freeze.
"Rin... It pains me seeing you like this. I know you're hurting a lot," he softly spoke. "You're my precious friend. I cherish our friendship and the magnificent moments we spend together."
I began to shake my head in protest. "N-no... No! I...I'm not even that special," I began. with a tremor in my voice. "I'm nothing without him! Hiro, h-he...he was...he was the reason why I was strong. N-now, he's gone!"
I ran past him but he grabbed me. I tried to pry his hand off but he held a monster grip.
"You have a habit of demeaning your worth! You are quite amazing!" he started. "Your eerily collected temperament is something I am jealous of along with the ability to keep a clear head during the chaos! Oddly, you have a way of calming me down with your presence alone. You always give it your all and even when you fail, you still get up and try again. Not to mention, your helpful nature."
I tugged and pulled and even tried hitting his crotch again, but it was no use. He wasn't letting me go anywhere. I stopped fighting and let my arm go limp. Strawberry Shades's eyes stared at me as he spoke. "You claim that you dislike conflict, but yet I always see you running into it...purposefully," he started. "Rin, you're much more heroic than you think."
The hero gave me a gentle yet deflated smile. "You may think you're not special, or outstanding, or anyone at all, but I do. Blackbird does. Your friends do. Your dad and mom think so... And I know Hiro did."
The fueling fire inside of me began to die down. My heart still hurts but not because I was angry. I trembled as I swallowed dryly. I was on the brink of spilling over and so were the tears that had pooled in my eyes. I lowered my head down in shame.
Suddenly, the entire building began to tremble. Strawberry Shades wrapped his arms around me to keep me on balance. The lights began to quickly flicker around us as Strawberry Shades spoke to the other heroes through his earpiece. I couldn't hear what they were speaking about amidst all the rumbling but the concerned expression on his face was enough to say. Turning back to me, he informed me that the base was going to collapse and if we didn't get out of here in time, we were toast. He began to pull me back to the Great Hall when I stopped him.
"W-we won't make it in time," I said. "There's another exit; through the tunnels. I think it's just up ahead."
His eyes lingered on me for a moment. Then clicking his earpiece, he informed them that we were going to escape through another way.
The two of us sprinted down the hallway the best we could. It was difficult too with all the tremors and the flickering lights. It didn't take long for us to reach a small intersection with two lanes on the right and left. There was a large, gaping hole in the wall. It looked like a sewer tunnel without all the gunk.
"In here!" Strawberry Shades said, beckoning me inside. I climbed inside and onto my knees. The tunnel wasn't exactly the most comfortable. If it already was for me, I couldn't imagine how bad it was for Strawberry Shades. However, as I scooted inside to give him room to climb in, a black boomerang comes flying at him. He smoothly dodged it, and I went closer to get a better view.
Standing in front of Strawberry Shades was the Crescent Reaper. Seeing him stand there as the whole world trembled and in the dim light made chills run down my back. The bladed weapon in his hand glowed red. He slowly turned to look at me.
"Stay away, villain!" Strawberry Shades exclaimed, shooting a seed at him. The Crescent Reaper sliced it apart with his blade. Strawberry Shades sprinted up to him and punched him in the gut. "Go!"
I immediately turned around and scrambled into the darkness. I could barely see my fingers as I crawled away. The villain's burning blade and seeds echoed through the tunnel. The base shook and groaned. I lost my balance. I face-planted into the cold metal accidentally biting my tongue in the process. The metallic taste of blood began to fill my mouth.
I peered behind me at the light. I couldn't see much, but they were definitely still battling. The Crescent Reaper was swinging his blade as Strawberry Shades avoided getting burned.
A deafening crash filled the air and the sounds of a wall breaking resounded. The base wasn't going to hold, and Strawberry Shades was still back there.
I can't go back to him. I can't return to my old life anymore. I needed to abandon everything in order to find Shigaraki.
I'm sorry Strawberry Shades, Blackbird, Todoroki, Tsuyu, Iida... Mom and Dad.
But as I outstretched my hand, I found that I couldn't move. My legs weren't going. I was glued to my spot.
"You may think you're not special, or outstanding, or anyone at all, but I do. Blackbird does. Your friends do. Your dad and mom think so... And I know Hiro did."
I recalled driving the pregnant Ms. Wren to the hospital as Deja Vu blares along with the sounds of the police. Then, my first meeting with Strawberry Shades on the train. After, the hotdog hostage. Like a tape, all the trouble that I ran into replayed in my head along with the people involved in them. Strawberry Shade's ridiculous schemes, Masterbaiter's and Static's silly disputes, Furutani's delight for the dark arts, Mitsumu's intrusive info gathering... I can't forget Todoroki's habit of sending me cat videos, and Iida's odd hand gestures along with my animated conversations about Rings of the Lord with Tsuyu. Despite the chaos and absurdity of it all, a tender feeling filled me. At the same time, it filled me with wistfulness.
That's when I realized that I was wrong about everything.
Maneuvering myself the best I could, I manage to turn the opposite way. I scrambled back toward the entrance as fast as I could. Frantic thoughts raced in my mind as my heartbeat accelerated. I was nearly out of breath, but all I cared about was getting back to him. I don't care that I was on the verge of escaping. I don't care if the Crescent Reaper is out there. I don't care about Crimson Eclipse, Kiyoshi, or Shigaraki. I don't if I ended up losing my life. He mattered more.
Despite not having a quirk, I moved.