After the success of my first outing, things started to get into somewhat of a routine. Toga no longer drew my blood, yet we still got together regularly to share candy. Kurogiri seemed to enjoy surprising me with American food. It was strangely comforting to eat a greasy cheeseburger or over-seasoned Tex-Mex.

Dabi and I hooked up whenever we had a chance. He seemed different, somehow, from before. I wondered if watching me kill, had done something for him.

Shigaraki was away more and more. I had a feeling that the plan they had needed me for was getting close.

I awoke one night to a distant commotion. It was mostly dark, the only light coming from a street lamp outside my window. Suddenly the door slammed open, hitting the wall. Toga was there, looking at me with wide-eyed panic. "They're coming. Grab your stuff and be ready to move." She left again just as quickly.

Fear quickened my heart. Who was coming? Heroes, or other villains? I hurried to dress in my battle gear. I started to pull my gloves on, but on second thought, I stuffed them into a pocket of my bag. Lastly, I pulled on my shoes and jacket. I paced the room, waiting for whatever was next.

The fray grew steadily closer, until it seemed to be just outside my door. From the sound of it, we were under attack. I moved to the wall beside the door, hoping I could get the drop on whoever, or whatever, was coming. The noises grew still, and I braced myself.

The door swung open. Footsteps. I saw a man dressed all in black, and I readied myself to strike. Then I saw his scarf, and I realized who it was. "Eraser?" I heard myself say. He spun to face me. There was a splash of blood on his cheek, and his yellow glasses covered his eyes.

"Finally, there you are," he said, relieved. "Let's get you out of here." He reached his hand out to me.

I felt myself step back, away from him. Was this for real?

He noticed my hesitation. His stance changed, and he pulled the glasses down so I could see his eyes. "It's okay now, I'm here." He reached his hand out and touched my cheek. I felt my breath hitch; he was canceling out my power to remind me of who he was.

I put my hand over his. "It's over?"

He nodded. "Yes, but we need to go. It's not safe here." He took my wrist, and I let him lead me out of the room.

As we went through the doors, I saw the two guards lying on the floor, beaten and unconscious. I felt a wave of guilt rise in my chest. I didn't even know their names, but they had been kind, talking with me or playing card games to pass the time.

Eraser pulled me along the dim hallway. Some of the lights flickered out as we hurried along. As we rounded a corner, I noticed another body on the floor. This one was small and thin. I slowed to look. Light blond hair, and a white blouse stained with blood. It was Toga. I found myself turning back, unable to pull my eyes away. I wrenched my arm from Eraser's grasp, then rushed back and knelt to the ground. Toga's eyes were closed. There was a deep gash across her throat. One arm was bent at an unnatural angle. Her fingernails were still the color I had painted them, though now badly chipped. I reached out and touched her hand, and barely felt a spark. She was too far gone. I brushed my fingers over her forehead, feeling my eyes fill with tears. "I'm so sorry," I told her, knowing she wouldn't hear me.

Eraser grabbed me by the shoulders and pulled me to my feet. "Come on, there's no time!"

My feet wouldn't move. "Did they get anyone out alive?"

After a long pause, he shook his head. It was too late; there was nothing I could do. He put a hand on my arm and urged me along. I stumbled along with him for a while, until the grief finally overwhelmed me.

"No," I heard myself say, planting my feet. He stopped to look at me, confusion and disbelief on his face. I shook my head. "I have to find them. I'm sorry. I need to know." With that, I turned and ran back the other way.

I pushed open door after door, searching for the others, hoping I wouldn't find anything. At the far end of the hall, I came across another body lying on the floor. This one was Dabi. A strange sound left my throat as I ran to his side. He was flat on his back, and there was a huge, gaping wound in his stomach. I dropped to the floor beside him. His eyes were open, but seeing nothing.

I heard Eraser come in behind me. "Rogue, please. I have to get you out of here."

"This is my fault," I said. "They got hurt because of me." I turned back to Dabi. I bent down and gently kissed his cheek. His skin was cold.

Tears filled my eyes until I could barely see. I turned to Eraser, and he offered me a hand up. I let him lead me out of the room and back down the hallway. Guilt and shame filled me. If only I'd had more time, maybe I could have helped them.

They were no different than me. In my past, I had sometimes chosen the wrong side. All it took was to be scared enough, angry enough. I was no better than any of these villains. The only difference was that I'd been given another chance. They were exactly like me, but they ran out of time. It wasn't fair.

Strangely enough, what finally broke me was a hand. I spotted one of Shigaraki's pale, disembodied hands, lying discarded on the floor. He would never just leave it behind. Something inside me shattered.

"No," I said, pulling away again. "They didn't deserve this."

He gave me a stern yet gentle look. "You can't help them now. Let me get you to safety."

"I can't leave them like this."

Eraser was growing impatient. "It's too late to do anything."

"No." He reached for me, and I shoved him away, backing myself into a corner, growing more hysterical by the second. "No!" I screamed, putting my hands up to block him. He could try to drag me out of here, but he would have to blink eventually.

I heard another voice from down the hallway. "That's enough." From where I stood, I couldn't see who was speaking. I was frozen in place.

Eraser did not flinch. He glared at me, trying to decide what to do with me.

"I said that's enough." The voice was familiar.

Eraser put his hands on his hips and pouted. It looked wrong. "Come on, it was just getting fun!"

I pushed myself out of the corner and peered down the hallway. Dabi was walking towards us. My breath caught in my throat. I had seen with my own eyes that he'd been fatally injured, and yet, there he was, striding down the hallway like nothing was wrong.

I looked at Eraser. He seemed unconcerned that a villain was just yards away. Instead, he was grinning at me in an odd way I had never seen before.

"What is this?" I demanded. Panic and confusion were muddling my thoughts.

Dabi answered. "It was a test, and you passed." The massive wound in his stomach was no longer there.

I started to feel dizzy. I backed up against the wall again so I wouldn't have to look at him.

Before me, Eraser's body shifted and changed, pieces falling to the ground in soggy clumps. I felt absolutely certain I was losing my mind. In under a minute, Eraser was gone, and Toga stood in his place, completely naked. She beamed at me. "You did so great," she chirped. "It was super nice what you said about me."

I couldn't look directly at her. "You were dead."

She shrugged. "That was just a copy of me. I'm fine." She patted her throat, which was unmarred. "See?"

I looked at Dabi as he rounded the corner. "Were you a copy, too?"

"You catch on quick."

I ran to him, and pressed my hands against his stomach, which had been a bloody crater just minutes ago. I looked into his eyes, which had been dull and lifeless, but now sparkled with mischief. Then I shoved him as hard as I could. "How could you?" I felt ready to snap. "How could you!"

He smirked, and I slapped him across the cheek. That only made him laugh. "Nice to know you care."

My legs started to give out, and I reached for the wall, easing myself to the floor. Then I realized that the dead Toga was lying across from me. Every detail was perfect, down to the chipped nail polish. Sobs shook my chest as I tried to make sense of it. The other, living Toga, joined us, and Dabi put his long jacket over her, covering her nakedness.

Toga noticed what I was staring at. "Pretty realistic, huh? Jin makes such perfect copies." She picked up a piece of twisted metal from the ground. "Guess we don't need you any more." She began to stab the lifeless body, again and again.

I clapped a hand over my mouth, trying to hold back a scream. It felt like I was an inch away from a complete meltdown. I had seen more than my share of violent, horrific things in my life, but this was another level.

Toga was getting annoyed. "Come on, die already!" Suddenly, the body dissolved into a puddle of shapeless goo.

Dabi pulled me to my feet. "Let's get you back to your room."

I let him lead me back the way we had come, and I quickly collapsed on the bed. I didn't even bother to take off my shoes. Dabi sat down beside me and ran his hand over my back. "You did well," he said softly. "The boss was impressed."

"Yeah… I saw one of his hands in the hallway." My words sounded as unhinged as I felt.

"No, not Shigaraki," Dabi corrected. "His boss."

I squinted up at him. "I'm gonna need a drink."