"Morimoto Hiyori." It was a cold, deep voice that penetrated her dream. It repeated her name two more times before she stirred in her seat.
Yori lifted her head, but she couldn't move much more than that. Still restrained to the chair, in the bar that seemed to serve as the villain's hideout. Still with broken tails and now a noticeable pain in her ribs. She blinked up at the glowing yellow eyes of one of her captors and then lowered her head again.
"Morimoto Hiyori, I have brought your breakfast."
"I don't want it." Her voice came out weak and rougher than usual. She licked at her lips, trying to ignore the growl of her stomach. Not sure what time it was or where Shigaraki had gone. Yori had been forced to sit still and let him do as he pleased after he brought her to the hideout. He ran his fingers along her cheek and toyed with her hair. It was all just a little too unsettling.
The shadowy man, who she'd heard Shigaraki refer to as Kurogiri, was staring down at her with an unreadable expression. "You need to eat if you're going to heal."
"I'm not hungry." She glared at him through strands of long, white hair that fell over her eyes. I don't know that they wouldn't drug me. I have to get out of this place, but I don't know how! I can't even really use my quirk since my tails are broken. I don't know where I am or what they're going to do to me.
His glowing eyes narrowed and he went back to the counter. When he came back to Yori's chair, he was carrying something that made her blood run cold. "You need nutrients," he persisted, holding out the protein shake so the straw pointed at the hero. "You will drink this or I will get a funnel and force you to drink it."
She continued to glare at him, but she obeyed and took the straw between her lips. It was a chocolate-flavored protein shake and she'd expected to taste something medicinal mixed in, but it was just a simple protein shake. Yori drank about half of it before she attempted to get some information out of him.
"Who promised me to him?" It was a simple question. One that Shigaraki hadn't answered the previous day. Every time Yori asked, he would just say that it was always meant to be. That she was born to be his. She didn't really expect Kurogiri to give her an answer, but he surprised her.
"Toxicity made a deal with our master three years ago and offered you as payment." He was blunt in his answer and tried to get her to drink more. When she made it clear she wanted him to elaborate, he obliged. "In exchange for a second quirk, the villain Toxicity offered you to our master and it was decided that you would be given to Shigaraki Tomura."
It made her feel sick to her stomach. She took another sip from the straw to placate him when his glowing eyes narrowed. Meanwhile, she had to wonder why that villain would've offered her up as payment for a second quirk. How he knew her and how he thought that he had the right to trade her like that.
The villain called Toxicity was well known for a few things. The first was his easily recognizable set of black fangs and the second was his completely toxic attitude. There were rumors that he'd lost his mind early on in life and anyone that ever saw him called him feral. He didn't seem to care about being spotted by heroes or police officers; he'd just disappear into thin air before they could get him. Constantly spouting off the most offensive, degrading insults one could imagine and picking fights with people at random.
It perplexed her. How could a villain like that feel so entitled that he could trade her? She had never even met this man! Why did he choose her, out of so many other possible heroes and sidekicks? Was it just that he chose her at random?
"Have you finished?" Kurogiri carried the empty container back to the counter and acted as if he'd never gone near her. Picking up a white rag and proceeding to wipe down a glass.
Yori tested the restraints on her arms and legs, but to no avail. The straps were tight. Her muscles were starting to ache from being held in this position for so long and she winced when she rolled her neck, hearing a crackle.
Tears of frustration burned in her eyes and she gritted her teeth, trying to pull as hard as she could. The pain was swiftly returning to her broken ribs, her broken tails, her injured leg. She'd never felt so weak, so powerless. Stuck in that chair and all she could do was talk.
"Why me?" She couldn't help asking because it was a question that was torturing her. Yori looked in Kurogiri's direction as the tears started to run down her cheeks, dotting her lap. "Why was it me? Why did it have to be me?"
He paused what he was doing and regarded her with a certain air of curiosity. "What do you mean? Morimoto Hiyori, you should consider this an honor. Our master deemed you a worthy trade. You will be the first new member-"
"I don't want that! I'm a hero! All I've ever wanted was to be able to save people and you're taking that away from me! I'm not going to join you!" Her voice was even raspier than it usually was and she could feel it crack as it left her throat. She tugged harder at the straps holding her in the chair and her broken tails thumped pathetically beside her, venom drooling out of her stingers and speckling the floor black. "Just let me go! Please!"
"Why are you being so loud?" This came from the now open doorway to the left of the bar counter. Crimson eyes stared at her from behind a curtain of curling, messy blue hair.
"Please let me go! I don't want to join you! I need to go! Please!" Yori tried to meet his stare, but it was difficult. Without her glasses, the world was so blurry. She could see him coming closer, though, and it made her heart beat faster with terror. He was stalking toward her, taking his time, and when he stood directly in front of the woman, she saw him scowl down at her.
"Why would I let you go? I've been so patient. I waited three years for you…and now I finally have you. Why should I let you leave?" Shigaraki crouched down in front of her, tilting his head and itching at the side of his neck in irritation. "Come on. Say something. Maybe if you're convincing, I'll consider it!"
She shivered and tried to press back further into the chair when he leaned closer. A hand planted between her legs on the chair, keeping his little finger lifted so it wouldn't disintegrate. Yori's tails subconsciously twitched and the stingers clicked together nervously.
His chapped, scarred lips pulled into a wide grin that caused them to crack open a little. Blood dotted his mouth and he brought his face closer to hers. "What would you do to make me let you go, Grayscale? Would you sell out another hero? Or maybe you'd sell out one of your students? Do you want one of them to take your place here?"
The red-eyed man lifted his other hand and used two fingers to brush her long, white hair back from her face so he could stare directly into her wide, amber eyes. "Oh, but wait. They're not as experienced as you are. They wouldn't last five minutes with me! And even if they got close, who's to say I wouldn't just disintegrate them and come after you again?"
"N-no! Don't go near my students!" Yori winced as his cold fingertips skimmed over her cheek. She could hear the way his breathing hitched when he got closer. She could feel the heat of his body so close to hers that it made her squirm.
"I think you're worried about Eraserhead. You want to know if I killed him, don't you?"
The tears multiplied as she was instantly reminded of what happened to the male hero. She remembered how bloody he was, how his elbow looked like it'd been stripped of flesh. The brutal way that beast had handled him and tried to break him apart. Her heart felt like it was being squeezed, but she didn't answer the villain's question.
"You look so…cute…when you cry." Shigaraki leaned closer and, to her absolute horror, licked up along her cheek to taste her tears. He could feel her shuddering and it just drove him to repeat the action.
I have to get out of here! But if I do…what if I just bring danger everywhere I go? He's going to come after me if I escape. He might go after the students or Shouta or All Might. What am I going to do? If I stay here, though…what is he going to do to me? Will I even survive this? He'll kill me if he touches me with all five fingers!
"Finally mine. All mine. I waited so long for you, Grayscale. I'm so excited that I don't even know where to start. What should I do with you first?" He moved back to look her over, that grin never leaving his face.
"I-I need to see a doctor," she forced out. Maybe she could convince him that she needed a healer. If he brought in someone else, they might be able to help her. Or if he didn't have any choice besides taking her to a hospital, then someone would definitely notice that something was wrong.
"What are you talking about?" Tilting his head ever so slightly, he narrowed his eyes.
"I'm…injured. See my tails?" She tried to lift them, but it was torturous and just brought more tears. "They're broken. And so are some of my ribs. And maybe my leg. I need to go to a hospital. Please! It really hurts and I won't be able to help you if I'm injured like this!"
It wasn't as if Shigaraki didn't know. He'd seen her tails get broken by that Nomu when it swung her around. He'd seen all the blood underneath her when it slammed her down onto the tiles in the USJ. It was just that he knew she was using the injuries as an excuse. It was obvious from the way he was glaring down at her and itching at his neck even harder than before.
"Kurogiri. Her painkillers wore off. Why don't you give her some more so she'll stop complaining?" The villain moved back and pulled up a chair so he could sit in front of her to watch.
Behind the counter, the shadowy man was already working to fulfill the command. He brought out a small case from beneath the counter and carried it over. Kurogiri opened it and put it on Yori's lap, giving her a view of the contents. Syringes and vials met her wide, amber eyes and she felt her stomach churn with fear.
"N-no, it's okay! Please! I just wanted to have my injuries healed, but if you can't do that then it's totally fine! I don't want a shot! Please!"
"What are you so afraid of? You give shots all the time with your stingers. Don't tell me you're afraid of needles," Shigaraki taunted.
Kurogiri prepared a syringe with a fluid that Yori couldn't identify. With her glasses off, it was difficult to read any of the labels and even if she could, she might not be able to tell what they did. He watched her thrash against her restraints and turned his attention back to Shigaraki. "Do you want me to sedate her again?"
He was silent for a moment. Just watching her struggle and grinning to himself as he knew how futile of an effort it was. "No. I want her to stay awake. I have some questions for her. Give her just enough of the painkiller to make it stop hurting for a while."
"Please don't do this!" Panicked tears ran down her cheeks and she could feel the straps digging into her skin as she tried desperately to get loose.
The villain waited patiently for her to burn through what little energy she had before he slipped the needle beneath her skin and pushed down on the plunger. Cold liquid entered her veins and when he pulled the syringe out, a fat bead of blood formed on her skin. It rolled down her arm and soaked into her hero suit. She hadn't even noticed it until now; that a tear had been made in the fabric that covered her right arm.
"Aren't I generous?" Shigaraki taunted as he watched fresh tears leave her eyes. "I didn't have to do anything. I could've let you sit there in pain, but I let you have some relief. Why don't you show me how grateful you are?"
She bit her lower lip, hard, and lowered her head. "Th-thank you." Yori had seen how cruel he could be and she knew now that escaping on her own would be difficult. She would need to gain his trust and then hopefully she could leave.
"That's more like it." He watched Kurogiri go behind the counter before he got up to approach Yori again. This time he stayed standing and brushed three fingers beneath her chin to force her head up. "If you do what I want, then you won't have to suffer. See? Isn't that a fair trade?"
Goosebumps were raising all along her skin and she shivered under his stare. Yori wanted to look away, but couldn't tear her eyes from his. I have to do this! I have to just play a role until I can get away! I'm not sure what I can do if I escape, but I'll…keep away from everyone. I won't put the people around me in danger again!
"You…you said you had some questions for me?" She could feel the painkiller already starting to work. The sharp throb of her broken appendages and ribs was dulled to a mere ache.
"You're a good listener." As if he was giving her some kind of twisted reward, he stroked his thumb across her lower lip. "You can start by telling me about All Might. And then…I want you to tell me everything you know about UA."