"Matt, where is your sister?" Ichigo asked.
"I not know." He shrugged and kept playing his video game. It was his day off and he had heard his sister come in earlier, but he hadn't heard anything since Ichigo had left. "Not hear anything after you left." He had started playing video games soon after…
"She got into trouble last night and I helped her out, but she's not in her room."
"Oh… Enji's. Lucy go to him when can't sleep." Matt waved the man off. "No worry. He patrol last night, so they both safe."
"Why didn't I think of that?" Ichigo walked off, smacking his head with his hand and calling himself an idiot.
"Fuck." Matt swore as he died in game. He was glad Lucy wasn't home, she wouldn't like him knowing that word. The game automatically returned him to his checkpoint. "Yes." He hissed happily when he spotted something new.
Luciana whimpered as she fought her attackers. No! Matt needs me! I need Enji! Stop! She tried to scream. Nothing would come out and her movements were sluggish compared to her attackers. Everything melted into pain and hurt as each scene, each torture was inflicted on her over and over with Matt and Enji watching and receiving as well. She tried to scream again.
Thom appeared in front of her, shaking his head in disappointment, her mask in his hand. A knife, metaphorical and literal, stabbed her. She died emotionally and physically as everyone watched on in disgust and disappointment.
"Luciana! Wake up!" Enji urgent voice broke through the terror and pain.
"Enji!" she sobbed hoarsely and clung to him. Her breath came in short gasps
"Sh… it's fine. You aren't hurt, I've got you." Her held her to his chest and rocked back and forth. "Matt is at home, Ichigo is fine. Everyone is fine." One of his hands was running through her hair. "Breath with me." He guided her until she was breathing normally. He had guided her through a lot of these panicky wake ups.
They stayed like that for several minutes before Luciana pulled away.
"I-I'm so-sorr-ry," she hiccuped.
"Hush, beautiful. It's fine." The big man stopped her from speaking again by kissing her.
When he pulled away, he rested his forehead against hers. "I love you. I don't care that you woke me up and got tears and snot on my chest, it's worth it to protect you." As he spoke he wiped a tear away from her cheek.
"I l-l-love you, t-too." She sniffled. Luciana leaned away and grabbed a couple of tissues, using one to blow her nose and the other to clean her boyfriend's chest.
"Do you want to talk about it?"
"It's the same one as always… there's nothing to talk about," she whispered when she stopped sniffling and hiccuping. He knew all about the dream, except the last part. No one needed to hear that.
"That's ok. Sometimes it helps to talk about it."
"Please?" she begged.
"I'm not going to force you," he yawned. "Now let's go back to sleep." Enji pulled her down to lay with him.
"Ok." she acquiesced, her voice small. Enji began running his hand through her hair. Luciana fell asleep quickly after, the warmth and soothing motion relaxing her.
It was the middle of the day and Redcat was out.
An unusual occurrence, but not unseen before. The female villain was walking along the alleyways with a confidence that belied any nervousness. Unlike the villains normal appearance, she now wore a very large shirt over her normal outfit. Her shoes were completely new.
The woman crouched on a fire escape above the alley, waiting. When an employee exited the building with a trash bag and propped the door open, she used this opportunity to slip in soundlessly. The villain walked through the back area, filling a large wagon with food.
"What are you doing?" A man asked.
"Great… change of plans then." The woman's distorted voice rang through the area. "Come here." A gun appeared in her hand from under the large shirt.
"W-what do you want?" The man took a step back.
"Food, if you wouldn't mind." She dashed at him and tackled him. "Now, please stand and give me a hand." Redcat forced him to his feet with the gun pressed into his back. "Manager-san, why don't you show me around the store."
"S-sure." He stuttered. "Where do you want t-to go?"
"Let's go to the safe, please." She said politely. I hate this. The gun pressed gently into his back, they entered the office area. She dragged the wagon of food with her other hand.
"Unlock it and fill this, if you would." She requested and pressed a cloth bag into his hands. "Don't try any funny business, please. I would really hate to have to do something awful, but this particular trip is important." While he did as instructed, Redcat leaned against the wall under the window.
"Here." He said shakily and offered her the full sack. "Please don't hurt anyone."
"I don't plan to. I'm sorry about this, but sometimes… I have to hurt to help." Her voice, even distorted, sounded sad. A slip of paper, the written apology, was laid on the desk. "Walk out with me, please." She grabbed the back of his neck and made him walk in front of her.
"Is my grip hurting you?" She asked softly.
"No," the man replied laxly. His walk was getting looser and more relaxed as he slowed down.
"That's good, it means I got it right." They stopped outside the door and she helped him sit. "Just stay here and go to sleep, then forget anything happened at all."
"That sounds wonderful." He murmured before he fell asleep.
"Perfect," Redcat muttered as she opened the door. Outside, she wandered through a maze of alleys, seemingly pointlessly before she stopped. The bag of cash was already buried and her mask and hair-cover joined it before the wagon was covered by a tarp. She turned down the alley to her right and walked onto the streets. The mess of alley's in her side of town made things so much easier.
Luciana's phone began ringing. She pulled it out and answered.
"Luciana, what on earth do you think you're doing?" Ichigo demanded without even saying hello.
"Why hello to you too." The woman chuckled. "I'm out on a stroll. I wanted some food and I decided to get some." It was almost the truth and completely believable, because she had gone to eat something before her special errand. So it was doubly true if she thought about it.
"You could have asked me, or made something yourself, or ordered it. I was worried when you weren't home or at Enji's. Please don't disappear without telling me." His voice sounded strained.
"I swear… if Ren is doing that again you won't have a boyfriend anymore. Besides, I told Matt. Wait- are you guys in my apartment? Is Matt there? Is there a chance he could see you two?" Her voice began rising in pitch with each sentence.
Ichigo sighed -he probably rolled his eyes too- and said, "Ren was trying to, but you scared him off. No, we're in my apartment. Matt's out with friends from school." He answered all her questions easily.
"Sorry… It's harder to let go of control than you'd think. Matt's gotten so big and he can live on his own, aside from cooking, perfectly fine." Luciana sighed and dodged past one of the rougher looking druggies slowly trying to get her wagon.
"I know sweetie, I know. Think how I feel about it. I've helped you since you moved back here and before you left. It's hard, but that's life. Besides, you got a hot hunk to keep you happy." Ichigo comforted in his own way.
"You need to quit ogling him. It's not fair to me. I don't ogle yours."
"Well, yours is just so sculpted!"
"You think I don't know that? And do you know how glad I am such an amazing guy fell for me?"
"I know, I feel the same about my man."
"You guys have been together for seven years? Or eight?"
"Six." The man sighed dreamily.
"And I've been with Enji for a whole year and a half." Luciana sighed happily. "Anyway, I've got to go, but… I was thinking… Since we're all free tonight, why don't we all go on a double date? Let me know when I get back, 'Kay?"
"Absolutely, bye. Thanks and loves." The man practically squealed.
"Thanks and loves." Luciana replied before hanging up. She was in a bad part of town before, but now…
She turned down an alleyway and began dragging the wagon around the trash.
"Hey there. What's a pretty lady like you doing around here?" A man's deep voice asked. He was standing behind the corner of a branching alley ahead of her.
"What is a piece of trash like you doing up?" She asked sweetly as she continued walking around garbage and a couple dead bodies.
"Now, now, let's not be hasty." He stepped into the light. Sizewise, he was almost as big as Ren -who was built- but for shorter and fatter. He was more like a walking ball of fat than a tank. The light was too dim to make out much of anything else aside from worn, full-body covering clothes-work clothes. "I just want to have a little fun."
A sardonic smile bloomed on her face, "Is that it? Well, maybe I can help you." The gun from earlier was in her hand. "This enough fun for you?" Her voice dripped with false sweetness.
"Ooh, honey. That's not going to help you. You see, I've got an advantage here." His clothes changed into a shiny metal.
"Titanium manium. Why if I didn't know any better, I'd think you were serious business." Her smile grew sweet again. "I'm busy, so if you'd fuck off, I'd appreciate it greatly. I don't need any more trash today. There's plenty around already."
"Why, I'd be offended if I didn't know how you felt about me." She had served him once at Lucky Tab's and he thought her politeness was liking. He was also a troublesome villain the heroes couldn't catch.
"Aw, so you finally came for me?" She asked with false shyness. "I'm so glad. Now why don't we move on to more fun things. Such as getting rid of unnecessary things." She toyed with the neckline of her -technically Enji's- shirt.
"I knew you were waiting for me!" The delusional idiot deactivated his quirk and began walking towards her.
A shot rang out and blood spurted from the man's chest. He gasped in pain and shock and fell backwards into his butt. It wasn't a fatal wound, but still a painful one.
She glared down at him coldly. "I'm fed up with you, pedophile. You rape children, rob people of their hard-earned money for no reason, lie and cheat then expect me to love you because of your 'feelings'. I am glad to add a little bit more blood to my hands if it means getting rid of scum like you." A bone-chilling smile graced her lips. Her golden eyes were dark and lifeless, adding to her terrifying aura.
"W-wait! I'll give you anything, everything, you want! Just please don't kill me!" He pleaded and tried to scramble away backwards.
"Coward." A shot rang and he fell back, dead from a clean shot through the head. Blood splattered her a blood red shield protecting her clothing and face.
"Worthless trash. Not even good enough for real insults." She sighed. Luciana was sad about the wasted and lost life. He could have been so much more, but he decided to be worthless and try to steal from her. He tried to steal Matt from her by taking her away.
"I'm sorry," she whispered. She deactivated her quirk and the little bit of blood fell. The barrier was just a shade closer to blood. "I'm sorry I had to do this." She hated hurting people, yet people forced her to do that. The world did. All Might did. She did.
She stayed beside the dead man for a little bit. When the melancholy mood faded, she dragged the wagon over everything on a path of red light. It only took her another half hour to reach her destination. Before approaching the rundown, hidden warehouse, the woman put her mask and hair cover back on.
"Knock knock," she called at a dirty door. Her voice was distorted by the machine attached to the inside of her mask.
"Who's there?" A child responded.
"Meow."
"Meow who?"
"Meow is that any way to greet a pal?" As soon as she finished speaking, the door flew open and a small body tackled her middle.
"Cat!" The child cried happily.
"Hey Pup. Get everyone in the den together. I brought food." The villain pet the child's hair.
"Ok!" They nodded vigorously before dashing inside. Redcat followed the child inside and shut the door. She could still hear Pup running and shouting about her arrival. Continuing down the hallway, she entered a large section of the warehouse. The inside had been sectioned off a lot, leaving one, large central area and lots of smaller area leading from it.
Children and a few adults ran in from all directions, many of them calling out to her happily.
"Kitten!" The villain greeted happily. "How was everyone? I see you got new recruits." The band of orphans she helped out had grown from twenty-six to thirty-two in the month since her last visit.
"Yeah, we've even got more jobs!" A pretty, young brunette woman wrapped her arms around their visitor. "We're that much closer to supporting ourselves and getting a new home!"
"I brought supplies. These should last, but if they don't… you still have a stash of burner phones." She handed Kitten the handle of the wagon. "I need to talk to you alone before I leave. It's important."
Kitten nodded.
"Thank you." She whispered before yelling, "Who wants to play?" A surge of yells erupted from the gathered children of varying ages. "Ok! Snake, Rat, Pup, and you." She pointed at a new child. "What's your name?"
"I was given the new name shark, cuz my quirk." The little girl smiled. Her teeth were very sharp.
"Well, Shark, you're going to be a team leader. We're playing colors today." A cheer erupted from most of the children.
"What's that?" A child asked.
"Well, it's a game." Redcat sat down and began to explain the game and meet the new kids.
