He hadn't thought the pain would ever end. Nothing he'd been through before had compared to it.
He'd of course been victim to Overhaul's quirk before. But the man had never held it for so long before. He just kept ripping Hitoshi apart and putting him back together, over and over and over again. At some point, Hitoshi had passed out from the pain. Next thing he knew, he was back in his cell, left alone to dwell on his failure.
God, he'd fucked up so badly. He was just a little too slow and it cost them their freedom. They'd all probably be more cautious around them now. He doubted he'd ever get a chance like that again.
His thoughts turned to Eri. He hoped she didn't hate him for failing her. He hoped Overhaul didn't hurt her, though he knew that was wishful thinking. He hoped it wasn't too bad, at least. He hoped she didn't blame him.
He deserved her blame and hatred, though. It was his fault they'd been captured again. It was his fault she'd no doubt been hurt again. If he weren't such a useless fuck-up, she'd be free and safe by now.
But she wasn't. And Hitoshi was the only one to blame for it.
A few days had passed since then, though Hitoshi wasn't sure how many. He'd been given water a grand total of twice. Food wasn't even in the equation. His throat had never felt so dry before and he swore his stomach was beginning to eat itself.
This was probably an extended punishment, he realized. Normally after being disassembled or beaten or treated to whatever other particular method of instilling obedience chosen, that was the end of it. He wouldn't be hurt again until his next transgression. But this wasn't like it normally was.
No, he'd tried to escape. Probably the worst thing he could've done next to directly attacking Overhaul. Of course he'd want Hitoshi to pay the price for it. It shouldn't have been surprising that he'd do whatever he could to prevent him from trying that again. And what better way to accomplish that than starvation? It ensured a constant, relentless pain Hitoshi couldn't break free from while weakening him day by day, until he was so weak there wasn't the slightest chance of escape. Every second he endured it drove him madder and madder. He didn't think he could stand it much longer. Not that he had much of a choice in the matter.
The cold wasn't helping things, either. His prison was cold enough normally as it was, and the malnutrition certainly wasn't helping things. It had only been a few days like this, but he could scarcely remember feeling warm. He felt like a frightened kitten with the way he was shaking on his cold cell floor. He was certain if Overhaul could see him - and hell, for all Hitoshi knew, he could - he'd be laughing at him. The thought stung more than the cold.
He hoped at the very least Eri was being treated a little better. No way would she have gotten off scot-free, but maybe they'd go easier on her since she didn't have any part in planning it or directly helping them escape - she had just been dragged along for the ride. Surely they'd see that much and show a little mercy, right?
It was wishful thinking and he knew it. Hitoshi had been here long enough to know none of his captors had any concept of mercy. There was no point in trying to delude himself with forced optimism. He knew that all too well. It didn't stop him from trying, though. He couldn't stop believing she would be alright. Not when she was the only reason he was still alive. And he meant that very literally.
He'd only been offered water twice since the escape attempt. He'd very seriously considered refusing it, letting himself succumb to dehydration. He also had half a mind to try breaking the glass itself and slitting his wrists, or perhaps his throat if he was feeling particularly bold. It would've been a lot faster than dehydration.
When he went to break it, though, all he could see was Eri's big, sad eyes staring up at him. In that moment, the thought of leaving her behind before making sure she was safe was simply unthinkable. He couldn't do it.
Eri's well-being was the only reason he'd had hope before he tried to break free. Now, it was the only reason he had left to live.
Another week had passed by when Hitoshi woke up to utter chaos.
Well, he was pretty sure it had been a week. He had no way to know for sure, though. It wasn't like he had a clock or anything in his cell. He couldn't even rely on his sleep cycles to tell how much time had passed anymore. Malnourishment was exhausting, so Hitoshi spent most of his time asleep. He'd been fed once during that time, but the portions that were far too small to be called a meal weren't enough to alleviate the bone-deep tiredness.
He'd been asleep once more when the door to his cell swung open. He stood up as quickly as his weary body could manage, expecting Overhaul to have called for him once more, but paused as he went to take a step forward.
A man with long black hair and eye bags dark enough to match stood in the doorway. He was wearing a black jumpsuit with a belt around his waist, a white scarf wrapped around his neck. The unusual attire alone would've been enough for Hitoshi to realize he wasn't one of the guards, though the distant shouting he could hear from outside helped plenty in realizing something was off, as well.
The man tilted his head toward the hall, gesturing to Hitoshi to take his leave. "Come on, kid. Let's go. You need to get out of here."
Everything was happening so fast that Hitoshi wasn't entirely sure how to react. What the hell was happening? Just who the hell was this guy, anyway? Well, he supposed those things didn't matter. There was only one thing he cared about right now.
"Not without Eri!" he protested. The man raised an eyebrow, silently asking who he was talking about. "There's a little girl here! Around five or six, if I had to guess. Grey hair, red eyes. And she's got a horn. Have you helped her yet?"
"I haven't seen anyone like that. I'll do what I can for her, but you have to go. You can't help her if you die here."
"Her cell is literally right there!" He pointed to it. The man stepped back a bit to look where he was pointing, allowing Hitoshi a fuller view of the hallway.
All the cells to the right of his were open, while all the left ones were closed. None of the ones across the hall, Eri's side, were open, either. He's been slowly making his way down the hall, then. Is he the only one over here, though? He guessed that couldn't be too surprising, though. There were a ton of guards to deal with, not to mention Overhaul himself. There were likely other halls filled with cells, too. They probably couldn't spare more than one person to come open the cells here directly.
The man seemed to realize this wasn't a battle worth fighting. He walked to Eri's cell, holding keys clearly stolen from a guard - and was that blood covering them? - and unlocking it.
Hitoshi rushed forward out of a need to see Eri, stopping behind the man who'd freed the both of them as a thought struck him. She probably doesn't even want to see me. I'm the reason we got caught in the first place. She hates me, doesn't sh-?
His thoughts were cut off with a cry of "Hitoshi!" as the small girl slammed into his torso, wrapping her arms around him. He'd raised his arms in shock before slowly lowering them, returning the girl's hug. She was sobbing into his shirt, a litany of words he couldn't quite understand pouring out of her mouth. She…doesn't hate me?
The moment was broken as the man cleared his throat, thrusting an object into Hitoshi's hands the moment he'd pulled away from the hug. He blinked down at it. "…A knife?"
"I keep a few on me at all times. Never know when you might need one." The man sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Look, you two are a whole lot younger and in a lot worse shape than anyone else we've freed so far. I don't want to let you go with nothing. There should be enough other heroes around you won't need to defend yourself, but take it just in case."
Hitoshi's eyes widened at the implication he caught in that last sentence - was this guy a fucking hero? - but he quickly shook himself out of his stupor. There'd be time to dwell on that later. For now, he needed to get Eri out of here. "Thank you," he murmured softly. The man nodded in acknowledgment before turning to the next locked cell. Hitoshi grabbed Eri's hand with his free one and ran as fast as he could, not risking even a glance back at their savior.
He was grateful for his previous escape attempt. He at least knew where to go to get out because of it. There were still way more hallways than there was any right being to make their way through - the whole place was a convoluted mess; honestly, who the hell designed it anyway? - but they were making their way through much faster than they otherwise would have.
He hadn't seen any heroes like the man said, though he could hear sounds of them fighting loud and clear. It didn't matter too much, though. He hadn't run into anyone who'd try to stop them; they didn't need any heroes to protect them.
Besides, they were almost out. It wasn't too much farther till they'd reach their exit. He turned a corner sharply, so focused on his thoughts of freedom he didn't pay any attention to where he was going. He collided into something in front of him at full speed, sending him stumbling.
He blinked, disbelieving, before finding himself frozen in place. Had he really run into Overhaul again? This had to be some kind of cruel joke. What were the odds? It was like the man was keeping an eye out for them specifically. It didn't make any sense.
The man was missing a glove, Hitoshi noted. He only ever took them off to use his quirk; anyone who knew him knew that. It was entirely possible there had been heroes in this area that Overhaul had taken out.
He wasn't sure what to do. He should probably run or even attack him, right? But obedience had been beaten into him - quite literally. The thought of going against Overhaul when he was right there, could make him regret it any moment, had Hitoshi frozen in fear.
Or that was the case until the man walked forward, reaching out for Eri. It was with his gloved hand - he wouldn't have been able to use his quirk on her - but the realization didn't register in Hitoshi's mind till after the fact. He'd failed Eri once before, and that was one time too many. He couldn't let her get hurt again. Fueled by an adrenaline-boosted rage and a need to protect so intense it hurt, his feet unstuck from the ground as he launched himself at their tormentor.
Overhaul was clearly caught off guard, eyes widening as the boy knocked him to the ground. The surprise was probably the only reason it did any good against him. It was the boldest thing Hitoshi had ever done to the man. Normally he wouldn't have dared to do anything anywhere near this bad to him, not when he was all too aware of the consequences. But this was different. Eri was at stake. And when it came to Eri, all Hitoshi's logic was thrown at the window. His usual fear was replaced with nothing but fury.
Hitoshi drove the knife through his ungloved hand on pure instinct, a visceral reaction at the knowledge his quirk could be used any moment. It worked out to his advantage, though. It would make it harder for him to move his hand to use his quirk in the first place and ensured he'd have great difficulty throwing Hitoshi off.
Overhaul cried out in pain as blood seeped out of the wound. He kept the knife firmly in place, ensuring his hand would stay where it was. "I won't let you so much as lay a finger on her ever again," Hitoshi hissed, hatred lacing his voice. He twisted the knife slightly, which was still firmly embedded in the man's hand. He was filled with a sadistic sort of glee at the cry of pain it elicited.
He wasn't able to keep Overhaul down for long, however, something he should've known. He was small, weak, and malnourished. Too focused on watching his torturer finally on the receiving end of pain for once, he completely missed the gloved fist swinging toward his skull.
The force knocked him back; the knife, which he still held tightly, was ripped out as he fell. Overhaul shrieked once again as the knife was forcibly removed. The man didn't let it slow him down, though, swiftly delivering another blow that sent Hitoshi completely to the ground and knocked the knife from his hands. Distantly, he heard the sound of Eri crying behind him.
He pushed himself up, which was met with a forceful kick to the ribs before he could get to his feet. He grit his teeth, gripping where he'd been hit. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Overhaul's glove fall to the ground. Adrenaline flooded through him once more, allowing him to roll out of the way and pick himself back up before he could be disassembled.
Overhaul walked toward him at a relaxed pace, though the glare in his eyes was anything but. The slow movements got the point across - he didn't seem Hitoshi a threat, not even slightly. He was probably right to think so. Hitoshi was a weak, malnourished kid with a quirk Overhaul could easily avoid; now that the man stood between him and the knife, he'd lost any advantage he'd had.
Suddenly, he heard the sound of footsteps from behind Overhaul. The man whipped around at the sound, only to find himself bound in white cloth. His eyes widened. The man from before had come back.
He tsked, glancing at Hitoshi. "I thought I told you to get out of here. You really don't listen very well, do you?" He turned his attention back to Overhaul, maintaining eye contact, eyes now red. Hitoshi couldn't help but grin at the man's comment despite the situation; the relief flooding his body was too much for him not to react like that.
Hitoshi's rescuer blinked, eyes once again black and hair falling around his shoulders. At some point, Overhaul had managed to get a hand twisted around to where he could place his fingers on the scarf. Whatever had stopped him from using his quirk before - probably the hero's quirk - was no longer working. The other man's eyes widened as the scarf started disassembling, pulling his scarf back.
Overhaul, now free, charged toward the man, who was admitted quite good at dodging. Unfortunately, so was Overhaul. Without the element of surprise on his side, the hero was unable to once again bind the man.
While they were distracted, Hitoshi rushed forward, grabbing his knife. He kept close watch on the two as they fought, weapon at the ready. He didn't want to make a move yet in fear of making things harder on the hero and potentially allowing Overhaul to gain the upper hand, but he was ready to step in if it looked like he needed to.
The man activated his quirk again, which Hitoshi assumed somehow prevented Overhaul from using his own. Unfortunately, it was pointless; he had to take focus off of his scarf to keep eye contact despite how much his eyes surely stung by now. The longer it drew on, the more he began to falter. Before long, Overhaul closed the distance between them, punching him squarely in the jaw and forcing them to break eye contact.
He couldn't stand there any longer. As Overhaul reached to grab the man and disassemble him, Hitoshi sprinted forward, barreling into him and knocking him off his feet. He glared, beginning to speak. "You-" He didn't bother to hear what Overhaul had to say. He lifted the weapon. He didn't even hesitate.
He plunged the knife into Overhaul's chest, barely registering the man's shriek. He stared blankly down at him, not feeling entirely present in the moment. Ah. He was dissociating again. That was fun. The man beneath him stilled, and Hitoshi wasn't entirely sure if he was dead or simply unconscious. Not that it made much of a difference. If he wasn't dead now, he doubted it would take long. That wasn't an injury you could just bounce back from.
Some distant part of him noted hands grabbing him, lifting him to his feet. He didn't stand willingly, though he didn't resist, either. He was nothing more than a dead weight at that moment. A voice was speaking to him, but he couldn't hear a single word that was said to him. Everything felt so far away, even his own body.
He was led out of the room and, eventually, outside. The sun was shining down on him and a light breeze blew through his hair. He was free. Eri was free. This was what he'd wanted more than anything, wasn't it? He should feel happy, right? But he didn't.
Hitoshi didn't feel anything at all.