Chapter 18
Izuku is in so much pain, it feels like he's tearing at the seams.
It starts with cramps and spasms, but slowly progresses to a stabbing ache that rips through his body. His tolerance is high but he's shaking so hard, it feels like the floor is trembling beneath him. There's a heavy scent of blood in the air. How did this even happen? What is happening?
"Yaoyorozu," Izuku whispers, mostly to himself. She's much closer, so unlike Uraraka, there's more to her than just a fuzzy outline.
"Uraraka is doing everything she can to help you," Yaoyorozu assures him, seating herself next to him. "Do you need assistance?"
"Everything hurts," he whimpers, breathless as tears roll down his cheeks. He doesn't know why he's crying but his emotions feel like they're out of control. "Am I losing the pups?" "It's likely." That's Uraraka's voice now, and Izuku feels something soft press between his legs. A cloth, probably to soak up the blood. "Midoriya, did you take anything to miscarry? I need to know right now because whatever you took could have been lethal to you."
Izuku shakes his head, trying to keep his eyes on the ceiling. There's black spots scattered across his vision and he feels so distant, so far away. He
knows he wanted to get rid of the pups, but his hormones are going haywire. His omega body is distressed at the possibility of losing a litter, the heavy weight of despair crushing him and grinding his sanity to dust.
He reaches forward to grip Yaoyorozu's hand, holding it tightly as his heart leaps in his chest. It's pounding harder and faster than it ever has before and he feels like he's dying, he feels like this is going to kill him. Another gush of slick oozes from him and he cries out, toes curling as his breathing quickens. He's panicking, he's gulping down air while his nails dig red crescents into Yaoyorozu's skin.
The pups are going to die. The pups are going to die. He wanted this, fuck, he wanted them gone, didn't he? Why the hell does he feel like this, then? Why does he feel like a part of him is being torn out, flayed and raw?
"Yaoyorozu," he sobs, desperate to catch his breath.
"Your highness, please calm down," she says as she squeezes his hand. "Inhale through your nose, exhale through your mouth."
But he's hyperventilating now and his omegan hindbrain is positively terrified. He's never felt so scared in his life even if he knows it's just instinct. This stupid body wanted to hold Bakugou's pups, and now that they're threatened, it's going completely insane.
"Hold him up," Uraraka tells Yaoyorozu, and Izuku gives another sharp cry as he's forced into a sitting position. The world is a blur of color around him and he feels sick, so fucking sick. Then something cold presses against his lips and he realizes it's glass: Uraraka is making him drink a concoction, some disgusting blend of warm water and bitter herbs. He nearly chokes on it, trying to spit it out until Yaoyorozu uses her strength to keep his jaws shut.
"I'm sorry, your highness. It's the only way to get the poison out of your
system," Yaoyorozu whispers, rubbing her thumb along his bobbing Adam's apple. It encourages his omega instincts to swallow even if he doesn't want to, even with tears stinging his eyes, but thankfully Yaoyorozu releases him afterwards.
"The slick will flush it out, but it'll still take a while," Uraraka quickly explains. She takes her medicine bag and sets it right beside Yaoyorozu, shifting through its contents. "For now, we need to—" "We have a problem."
Izuku stiffens at the sound of that voice, eyes widening as they snap towards the front door. It's hard to see with blurry surroundings, but his panic immediately grows tenfold.
Kirishima.
He's right there and Izuku feels his skin crawl. No, the beta wouldn't dare try anything now. Even if Bakugou is gone, Uraraka and Yaoyorozu are both here. So why the Hell did he come?
"What's going on?" Uraraka asks, a little tense as she continues searching through her bag.
"Katsuki is pissed," Kirishima says. He's drawing closer and Izuku can make out a growing, fuzzy outline as he approaches. His hair is still red, but it's blackened since Izuku last saw him... maybe it's his natural hair color. "There's trouble in the throne room. He's going to kill Queen Mitsuki because he thinks she tried to hurt his mate."
For the first time, Izuku sees something in Yaoyorozu's eyes. It's faint, but he senses the slightest bit of fear. Genuine fear, as well as worry.
"She would never do that," Yaoyorozu says firmly, grip tightening around Izuku's hand.
Kirishima crosses his arms. "Katsuki thinks that you poisoned him for her."
"Even if the Queen had told me to, I would have been unable to complete the task," Yaoyorozu insists, and even if she's keeping her cool, there's something brewing beneath the surface. "Midoriya Izuku is next in line, and it is my duty to protect him."
"You have to help the Queen, then. Before it's too late."
Wait a second.
"Yaoyorozu," Izuku says urgently, holding onto her. "Don't leave me."
"Your highness—"
"This is an order! Don't you dare leave me!"
They can't be separated. Kirishima is going to do something when Yaoyorozu goes, but Izuku will look like a lunatic if he says that. He's at his weakest point and there's no way in Hell he'd be able to fight. But there's a guilty look in Yaoyorozu's eyes and Izuku knows Kirishima has won. Despite her loyalty to both Izuku and the Queen, she'll inevitably choose Mitsuki during a time like this. Her attachment is simply too strong.
"Uraraka, make sure to remove every ounce of poison from his system," Yaoyorozu says, and Uraraka nods. Then, she turns back to Izuku. "I'm sorry, your highness. I'm so very sorry."
No, he has to do something, anything. But she's rising to her feet, and as
Izuku tries to cry out to her, another spike of pain makes his chest hitch with a sob. His head is static, buzzing with a dull ache as Yaoyorozu's form quickly disappears from his line of sight. Oh God, oh fuck, what is he going to do?
"Uraraka," he whispers softly. "Kirishima is going to kill me."
She presses another cool towel against Izuku's forehead. "These are mood swings, Midoriya. They get really bad when omega instincts are convinced that you'll lose your pups."
"No, no," Izuku continues, watching Kirishima as he slowly approaches. "I'm serious, I'm really serious."
"I'm not going to hurt him," Kirishima says once he crouches down next to Uraraka. She seems peeved that he's in her personal space, but she begins to look a little wary as Izuku flinches back. "My mother had a lot of paranoia when he started to have more frequent miscarriages. Omegas are just like that."
An omega mother? Maybe that has something to do with why Kirishima despises him so much. But right now, he has to find a weapon, or something to use as one. His eyes frantically dart around him searching for anything to possibly defend himself, but a sudden spike of agony rips through him once more. It tears a pained, breathless sob from his lips again and his vision almost completely blackens for a moment.
"Kirishima, could you get me the prenatal supplements?" Uraraka asks, keeping her voice even. "I need them."
He dips his head and stands again, retreating towards Bakugou's dresser. It's only then when her brow furrows, like she's thinking. Like she's putting the pieces together even if Izuku doesn't understand what's happening at
all.
And suddenly, Uraraka's hand is at her belt in a flash. She pulls a dagger from her sheath and whirls around right as Kirishima pulls the pouch out of the drawer. On instinct, he draws his sword and points it towards her, tilting his head with mock confusion. Izuku is a little confused too, since he didn't sense anything off in Kirishima's demeanor. Well, besides already knowing that the beta wants to end his life, but Uraraka didn't know that at first... right? "How long?" she asks coldly.
"How long what?" Kirishima echoes.
"How long have you been switching out the supplements?"
There's a long, silent pause and everything suddenly clicks. Izuku was wrong: Kirishima wasn't trying to get him alone. He was lurking about, waiting for the times when the room was unattended so he could replace the supplements with something else. God knows what Izuku has been taking, but it's obvious now that it's led to this.
"It doesn't matter at this point," Kirishima says to break the silence, a smile slowly spreading across his lips. But it doesn't seem like he's grinning, no, he's baring his teeth. "Didn't expect you to pick up on shit so fast, though."
"I never told you where the supplements were, and you never had any reason to know about them." She cocks her head. "Maybe you were so excited to finally kill Midoriya, you forgot about that crucial detail."
Izuku stays quiet, even as another jarring ache pulses between his legs. It's a little less painful now, but he's dripping slick all over the nest. The bleeding hasn't subsided much, though Izuku assumes that it's just lining from the womb because he doesn't feel as woozy as before. Still, he's barely
recovering from the spasms and he feels so, so weak. There's no way he could overpower Kirishima in this state.
Only Uraraka stands between them and she doesn't seem like she'll be moving anytime soon. She's stubborn and probably pissed, and for the first time, Izuku actually doesn't mind her being here. He'd probably be dead if Yaoyorozu left him alone with Kirishima.
"It doesn't have to be like this, you know," Kirishima murmurs, lowering his sword slightly. "If you walk away right now, I'll tell Katsuki that you had nothing to do with Izuku's death."
Uraraka narrows her eyes. "I'm not going anywhere."
"You're just a doctor," he says coolly. "Fight me and you'll die."
"And I'd rather die than betray Bakugou," she growls.
"Why? Because he saved your life?"
"Because I care about him for who he is, unlike you. You're obsessed with this romanticized, alpha version of him. Some ideal vision of what you think an alpha should be." Kirishima clearly takes offense to that: his grip tightens on his sword, shoulders stiffening. If he were a cat, his hackles would be raised high. Insulting his dedication must hit a nerve.
"You're nothing but a stupid little brainwashed bitch," Kirishima snarls, and while Uraraka doesn't flinch at that, the venom in his voice chills Izuku to the bone. "You don't know shit about what's good for him, which is why you're
defending that thing ."
"I'll gladly stand by my choice," she says, pointing her dagger straight towards Kirishima. "And if you're going to try and kill Bakugou's mate, then you'll have to get through me first."
Izuku reaches through the bond, desperately trying to beckon Bakugou. It's the first time he's ever tried and he feels something soft, something warm, but it's not enough. Maybe Bakugou is so used to feeling his distress from the last thirty minutes, he won't even sense Izuku calling for help.
This is bad. Very, very bad. Kirishima was right when he said that Uraraka probably won't stand a chance, since this would be a fight between a military general and a simple doctor. But Izuku has a strange feeling that Bakugou must have kept Uraraka around for a reason. He wouldn't save a girl's life out of the goodness of his heart, so maybe there is hope. Maybe Uraraka can do more damage than Izuku thinks.
And if she can't... then they'll both die here.
Kirishima lunges first but Uraraka holds her ground, only taking a few steps forward to keep him from getting any closer to Izuku. There's a sharp clash of metal against metal, but Kirishima is much bigger and much stronger than Uraraka, and he manages to overwhelm her for a split second. He throws his weight into his sword to push against Uraraka, forcing her to take one step back.
Is there anything Izuku can do to help? He grips the corner of the nightstand, trying to pull himself up off the ground. But he cries out as his knees buckle, another wave of agony snatching his breath away.
"Stay where you are!" Uraraka orders, and Izuku feels like he actually has no choice at this point. Trying to get up was a mistake and it's hard to stay focused on what's going on around him when the edges of his vision
darkened so suddenly.
Izuku squeezes his eyes shut for just a moment to keep himself conscious. He inhales, holds it for a few moments, and exhales just like Yaoyorozu told him to. Uraraka and Kirishima are still fighting and he knows that she could lose at any moment, but he can't pass out right now. All he can hope is that Uraraka can handle herself. But suddenly, there's a scream. It's Kirishima's, and when Izuku looks up, he sees the most disgustingly gruesome scene he's ever seen: Uraraka had slashed his arm open, so wide open that Izuku sees a flash of white bone along Kirishima's wrist. But Uraraka doesn't seem repulsed or horrified by the sight. Not even with blood splattered across her face, dripping from her brow.
Her eyes are hard with fierce determination, and maybe that's what made Bakugou recruit her. It almost reminds Izuku of himself. She's just another version of him from another life and a different set of circumstances. What a fine line.
"You cunt," Kirishima spits, and Izuku's stomach twists with nausea. He says it with so much loathing, so much hatred. There's a wild rage in his eyes, glassy and unhinged in a terrifying way. "I'm going to fucking kill you."
And he's moving. He's moving so fast, too fast for Uraraka to react, and Izuku's eyes widen. Time seems to slow and Izuku wants to do something. Anything, but Kirishima is already lunging forward. By the time Uraraka changes her stance to block the attack, Kirishima has gotten far too close: he drives his sword straight through her stomach and out the other side, a sickening squelch filling the air.
Uraraka chokes out a scream, something raw, something guttural. It chills Izuku to the bone as he shrinks back against the wall, his pulse hammering in his ears. Kirishima grunts and twists the blade inside her, forcing another pained cry from her lips before he kicks her off his blade. It's a slick,
disgusting sound as she hits the floor with a deafening thud.
Red soaks the shredded threads of Uraraka's cloak, blood steadily oozing from the wound. Izuku can't keep his eyes off her, frozen with shock. Meanwhile, there's a loud clatter and he catches a glimpse of Kirishima tossing his sword aside. The beta instead picks up the dagger that rolled out of Uraraka's hand, gripping it tightly before he spits on her.
Fuck.
Oh fuck.
Fear spikes in Izuku's blood and he curls his fingers around the fabric of his robe, clutching it with fear. He tries to breathe but it's difficult, so difficult as the edges of his vision blur with darkness. There's a pulsing ache between his legs but he can't afford to concentrate on it. He can't afford to think about it, not as Kirishima rises to his feet and starts to advance.
"I had an omega mother who was just like you," Kirishima mutters softly. There's no weight to his words, like he's delirious or teetering on the edge of hysteria. "He disgusted me. Made me sick with the way he'd get on his knees and fuck anything that looked like a cock. The stupid bitch couldn't stop pumping litter after litter out of his fucking womb, even if he couldn't take care of any of us." Izuku swallows, shrinking down as Kirishima towers above him. Those red eyes are worse, so much worse than Bakugou's: they're wide with giddy excitement and Izuku has never felt more scared in his life.
"So you know what I did?" Kirishima asks, running a shaky hand through his hair.
Izuku would shake his head, he would say something if he wasn't frozen to the spot. But it seems like Kirishima doesn't care about an actual response, since he answers his own question despite the silence.
"I poisoned him, just like I poisoned you," he whispers. "And he miscarried and miscarried and miscarried, but he didn't know why it kept happening. Eventually, the hormones ate him up. He felt so depressed and so fucking miserable, he slit his own throat."
Izuku trembles, a sick feeling in his guts as Kirishima slowly lowers himself to the floor. There's blood dripping from his wounded arm and Izuku tries not to look at that white, exposed bone through the sinewed flesh.
"Every time I look at you, all I think about is him." A small smile spreads across Kirishima's lips, and it would seem genuine and warm if this weren't happening right now. "And when I kill you, I'll feel just as satisfied as when I killed him."
And Kirishima lunges.
He thrusts the dagger forward and Izuku barely dodges in time, flinching hard as it lodges in the wall right next to his throat. The man snarls, and as he tries to yank the blade back out, Izuku manages to scramble away even as a sharp pain spreads below his waistline. Still, he doesn't get far: Kirishima catches his ankle and drags him back towards him, even as Izuku cries out and tries to pull away.
This time, the dagger barely misses his head, a deafening slam next to his ear as the blade wedges in the floorboards. Kirishima straddles his waist and the heavy pressure on his belly makes his vision blacken with agony, tears rolling down his cheeks as he struggles.
"Katsuki!" Izuku screams, squirming beneath Kirishima, pressing up against the beta's chest as he sobs. "Katsuki, help me!"
In any other situation, he wouldn't be seeking help from that bastard. He'd never, but right now, he has no choice but to reach through the bond one
last time in a panicked attempt to save himself from death.
"I'm gonna gut you like a pig," Kirishima laughs, pulling the dagger from the floor and raising it above his head. "I'll carve up your fucking womb until you bleed out." He's aiming for Izuku's belly. He's bringing the blade down, down, down to kill Izuku, to kill the pups. A violent, protective omega instinct shocks his senses and the world seems to come to a standstill around him. His mind swallows him up, pulling him into the familiar, empty depths to keep him safe. To keep him sane after everything he's seen and heard and experienced.
Like the flick of a switch, another side of him quickly bubbles to the surface. The desire to protect his litter consumes him, and the bond opens wide as Deku snarls with feral, omega rage.
Before Kirishima swings the dagger in its full arc, Deku lunges forward and snaps his jaws around the beta's throat. He doesn't think, he doesn't even hesitate before sinking his teeth into Kirishima's flesh. Sharp omega fangs easily pierce skin, tissue, and eventually muscle as Deku tears through every layer.
Red sprays from Kirishima's pulsing neck, splattering across Deku's face. Kirishima screams but it comes out as a sick gurgle as blood fills his windpipe. There's a loud clunk beside him, which must be from the dagger dropping from Kirishima's hand, but Deku doesn't let go. Not even as blood drips down his chin, not even as its metallic taste makes his tongue thrash. He jerks his head to sink his fangs even deeper to kill the stupid, stupid man who tried to take the life of his pups and their mother.
Kirishima chokes as he tries to pry him off, but Deku has his teeth locked around his mangled throat. They're so deep and Kirishima is bleeding far too much, a large puddle of blood soaking Deku's robes. At some point, Kirishima grows so weak that he collapses on top of Deku, chest hitching with shallow
breaths as he quivers and trembles.
Several seconds pass, and it stops altogether.
Kirishima lies still above him, but Deku keeps his fangs lodged deeply in his neck. He's panting heavily with blood smeared across his face, his mouth, his entire body. The scent of it is thick and heavy but there's adrenaline pumping through his system, numbing any shock or pain he might feel. All he can think about are his pups. Kacchan's pups. The litter, the life they created together.
Deku pushes Kirishima off him and the body rolls over with a thud. His eyes are still wide open, reflecting light off their glassy, lifeless surface. Even if the threat is gone, Deku doesn't feel safe. He feels empty, like his pups aren't with him. Sliding a hand over his slightly-swollen belly, he feels even more panicked as he sees the sheer amount of slick and blood between his legs.
Did he lose his litter? The thought makes his breath catch. He couldn't have... right? That man didn't succeed in piercing the womb, but Deku knows his body and he knows his pups. Right now, he doesn't feel them there and it terrifies him.
It makes him feel worthless.
Kacchan is going to be angry. Kacchan is going to hate him if he's lost their pups because it's all Deku's fault. He doesn't know how it is, but there must be something wrong with him. He needs another litter and he needs to be filled with pups again or he doesn't know what he'll do. Being Kacchan's mate... that's who he is. That's who he always will be.
Kacchan.
Kacchan.
Kacchan.
Deku whines loudly, reaching through the bond to call for him. He needs his mate right now because he's scared and cold and confused. He wants to be held and touched right now, and he wants to be protected by Kacchan. He feels miserable, like he wants to cry, like he wants to laugh, like he wants to die, like he wants to present to an alpha and be filled to the brim with cock because he's anxious, so nervous and worried and he doesn't know how to calm himself down. His nerves are jittery and the tips of his fingers won't stop buzzing and he feels like he's going insane, he's going insane, he's going to go insane—
And right then, he hears a thump.
Deku glances towards the direction of the sound, eyes widening as he sees a man standing before him. He's tall, much taller than Deku, and his armor looks much lighter than Bakugou's or Kirishima's. The man also dons a heavy cloak with a hood that shadows part of his face, but even then, Deku still catches a glimpse of the eyepatch covering his right socket.
The window is wide open but Deku hadn't heard him climb up or come in. Deku slackens his jaw to taste the air, a little nervous at first, at least until he the scent of alpha makes his mouth water. Kacchan... Kacchan isn't here right now. But this man is, and Deku needs to fill himself with pups again as soon as possible. If he doesn't get the comfort of a knot, he'll be shaking harder than he is right now.
"Izuku," the alpha murmurs, taking a few steps forward. "You're... what happened here?"
Deku blinks a few times, and when he glances downwards, he realizes why the man might be concerned. He's positively drenched in blood and it's
smeared across his mouth, even still dripping down his chin. In an attempt to look presentable, or at least presentable enough to mate with, Deku licks his lips and tries grooming his bloody hands with his tongue.
The alpha cautiously steps past Kirishima's body and Deku feels a little giddy as he approaches, crawling forward to meet him halfway. The man kneels before him, taking a deep breath as he opens Deku's robe. It reveals slick and blood soaking everything from the waist down.
"Are you hurt?" he asks, seeming genuinely worried.
Deku shakes his head, but once the alpha catches a glimpse of his slightly swollen belly, his face falls. It makes Deku a little nervous... is he angry? Upset? Does he not want to mate with him now? No, he just seems shocked. Maybe there's still a chance, then.
"I'm sorry," the alpha whispers, pained. "I'm so sorry. I never should have left you."
Deku frowns, because he doesn't understand. But he doesn't think about it for long, since the alpha's fingers combing through his hair distracts him plenty. However, when the man's eyes fall on Uraraka, his shoulders stiffen. He releases Deku at once and kneels beside her instead, rolling Uraraka over with trembling hands. The alpha touches her, sliding his hand under her head to tilt it. Examine it.
Deku seats himself beside the man, whining softly. He's a little jealous and he wants to be held again, but the alpha's mind is elsewhere. The man drags Uraraka's medicine bag towards him, taking bandages and gauzes and ointments from the pockets. It's like he knows where they are already.
"Izuku, listen to me," he says, ripping open Uraraka's shirt. The wound is
ghastly and Deku whimpers at the sight. "I'd get you out of here right now if I could but we have to be patient. If I took you now, Prince Bakugou would find us in hours at least, in days at most. There's a way to end this, but we have to be strategic about it."
End this? Nothing needs to end. Deku needs pups and he needs them now, either from this man right now or Kacchan himself. Or... maybe this new alpha wants to fight Kacchan for breeding rights? It's the most sensible option, and Deku supposes he'll allow it to happen. He doesn't have much of a choice in the matter.
"I'm going to return again in thirty days," the alpha continues. He's already quickly cleaned the wound and he's dressed it with ointment, even smoothing is across Uraraka's back. Whatever was in the mixture was thick and sticky enough to keep any more blood from oozing through. "By then, I'll know if this plan will work. If it won't, we'll figure it out together." Deku isn't even listening, every word going in one ear and out the other. Is this alpha's cock bigger than Kacchan's? Hopefully he'll find out soon enough, but Deku worries that he's so bloody right now, nobody will want to fuck him. He's already feeling panicked from feeling so empty and he's growing more and more terrified of not being bred again. What would he do with himself? What could he do with himself? Kacchan has to fuck him again. He promised that he'd keep Deku full with pups for as long as it takes to have a proper heir.
But if he doesn't...
After the man wraps bandages around Uraraka's waist, he rises from the floor. It snaps Deku from his thoughts and he sits up a little, clinging to the alpha's trousers with a whimper. He can't stand because Kacchan always told him he belongs on his knees, but he's afraid that if he doesn't, the alpha might leave before filling him with another litter.
"I'll be back," the man assures him, but Deku is already trying to unbutton his
pants. It makes him recoil suddenly, pulling back, and Deku whines loudly. "Izuku, what the hell?"
There's tears in the omega's eyes because he's desperate, he wants his pups back and he's so angry with himself for losing them. Deku grabs the alpha's trousers a bit more firmly this time, yanking him forward so hard that the man nearly stumbles.
"Izuku, no—"
But Deku curls his lips with a threatening snarl, throwing his entire weight into the alpha to topple him to the floor. The man groans and tries to knock Deku off, but the omega is already straddling him with his hands fisted in the alpha's cloak. He needs pups now or he'll be useless, worthless, Kacchan will throw him away. Just thinking about it makes him more scared than he's ever been.
Suddenly, he's being flipped over, handled like he's nothing. There's a tight grip on both of his wrists as he's slammed into the floorboards, and now the alpha on top of him. Deku's heart thumps in his chest and he gives a needy sound, lifting his hips to grind against him. But the man pins the omega's waist down with his knee to force Deku against the ground.
"I said no," the alpha growls, and Deku shrinks back with tears in his eyes. "You miscarried, I can smell it. Ochako did all she could but your pups are gone. You can't get more through me."
Those words hit him like a sucker punch to the gut. It didn't fully sink in before, but now that an alpha is telling him this... his breathing comes quicker, more panicked as a sob hitches in his chest. If there's no hope, if there's no way to get them back, what is he supposed to do? "I know it hurts," the man continues firmly. "I know that it's painful but you're not thinking straight right now. I need to leave because even if there's a lot of blood, it won't be enough to hide my scent if I stay too long. Neither of us can
afford it."
No, Deku doesn't want him to go. He needs pups, he needs another litter. When the alpha releases him, Deku tries to cling again with a long whine, but his hands catch air as the man steps away from him. Losing the alpha's presence makes him want to cry, and he tries his hardest to reach through the bond to call out to Kacchan once more.
And this time, he feels something.
There's warmth filling the bond and his fingers brush against the side of his neck, touching the mark as it heats up. It means that Kacchan is coming, he's coming right now and Deku's heart leaps with excitement. The other alpha is already entirely forgotten, the memory of him whisked aside in favor of his true mate, and all Deku hopes is to be filled once more. He takes no notice of the heavy scent of blood and gore, licking red off his fingers, his hands, his arms so he'll be clean enough for Kacchan when he arrives. Nothing is more important than that at the moment.
Kirishima's lifeless eyes stare all the while, glassy, dead, and ignored.