Notes: This was a difficult chapter for me to write: one) we finally find out how Todoroki is (and it's not pleasant); two) we find out more about how Deku was turned into what he is now; and three) we meet the Big Bad. I usually try to stay away from writing OCs in fanfics, but short of breaking out All for One (which I know will probably happen eventually but I'm an anime watcher and catching up on the manga), it had to happen. I actually like them though. Also poor Todoroki.
"I'm right and wrong, moral and immoral, good and bad, a hero and a villain, and I've been just as capable of truth as I have been lies."
― Katie McGarry, Chasing Impossible
It was only a matter of time before she left the false security of this room and was fully emerged into this house of horrors. Uraraka both wanted it and dreaded it at the same time. Every second she spent inside the room, safely kept away from the other villains, was a second that Todoroki was on the outside with them. She couldn't stop thinking about it. What was happening to him? It couldn't be good. All she could imagine was that door opening and Todoroki stepping inside with a faint, eerie smile on his face. It was enough to have her shaking.
Deku had left her alone again. She'd tried the door shortly after he left, but it was locked from the outside. Her quirk was still deactivated as well. She had wasted too much time trying to call it back, but it was a habit. She could not remember her life before her quirk. Her mother could cancel out the gravity of small things, so when a four year-old Uraraka had floated half the living room and then promptly puked, her parents had been surprised. Not being able to do a damn thing had shaken her more than she wanted to admit.
A search through the room proved both fruitless and sad. There was a shoebox under his bed that held pictures of her and some of their friends in the past few months. If Bakugou happened to be in one, his face was scratched out, even if he was nowhere near her in the picture. Todoroki's face had been circled in a few while there were question marks near Asui's and Iida's, as if he didn't know what he wanted to do with them. There was even a picture of her and Deku from two years ago. She wasn't sure how he'd gotten that, but didn't have time to question just how many times he'd been in her apartment over the past eleven months.
There was a rolled up poster of All Might back in his glory with multiple slits in it. She glanced back at the door and noticed grooves in it as well. It looked as if he had hung the poster up and thrown knives at it. She didn't know what that meant exactly, but it didn't feel good in her gut. What were Deku's feelings towards his mentor and the man that had given him All for One? He had been closed-lipped about All Might so far. Was he a target or was he considered useless because he could no longer physically fight?
In the closet were a handful of clothes, suits like the one he'd worn to break into her place, along with his villain costume. She'd almost thought of it as a hero costume at first, so used to the term, but no, that wasn't right. The one that he wore now was all wrong. It was dark and hid him in shadows, except for those red gloves and boots that reminded her of blood. In the very back of the closet was a mirror, hidden in the dark, but it was cracked in the center, like it had been punched and broken.
A small bathroom proved to be unremarkable as well. Besides a towel, a few toiletries, and a first aid kit that had clearly been used, it was empty, only there as a necessary function. She noted that there were two toothbrushes in there now. It was so normal that it felt abnormal and she shut the bathroom door feeling off-kilter.
The room was bland in a way that she did not associate with Deku. He had a terrible sense in decorating. His dorm at UA had been a hero fanboy's dream. When he'd gotten older, he had tried to be more adult, but tended to go for things that didn't match or fit any color theme. He had really liked hanging pictures in all sorts of different frames, but there was nothing hung up in this room. The only personal touch seemed to be the music player. There was an assortment of playlists, including a few that sounded just like someone talking.
And then with Uraraka's own voice over her home phone. She stumbled away, staring at it in shock. The villains had tapped her phone line and she hadn't even known. Had she ever been safe or alone? She could picture Deku lying alone in bed here, staring up at the ceiling, listening to her talk through everyday conversations, imagining that he was right there in the room with her. She knew he'd done it because she had pictured the same thing. She would be on the phone with Tsu and would close her eyes, seeing Deku taking a nap on the couch behind her, but when she opened her eyes, he wasn't there.
The discovery unsettled her and she staggered backwards until the back of her legs hit the bed and she fell back down in it.
Not longer after that, Uraraka heard the door being unlocked and warily watched it open. It was only Deku, the circles under his eyes darker than before, but she couldn't relax. He rubbed at his face as he shut the door. When he turned to face her, she saw that his green eyes were dim, as if the light had been drawn out of them, but he offered her a tired smile.
"Are you alright?" Uraraka found herself asking.
Deku waved a hand, but was either not capable of responding back out loud right now or didn't want to waste the energy. There was something jerky and sluggish about his movements as he shuffled around the room, her eyes never once leaving him, until finally he made his way over towards her. Even as her heart thumped fearfully in her chest, she opened her arms up to him. He fell on the bed next to her and wrapped his arms around her, burying his face in the crook of her neck.
"'m tired," Deku mumbled, his breath hot as his lips brushed against her skin unintentionally.
Uraraka breathed deeply, willing her heart to calm down. "Okay."
Carefully, she leaned back on the bed, pulling Deku down with her. It took some maneuvering, but by the time they were situated, they were fit together in such a familiar way that it felt as if something was tightly clutching her heart. He had his arms around her middle, his head resting on her stomach, lying half on top of her with one of his legs over hers. She kept one hand resting on his arm and she threaded another through his hair. It was still so fluffy and wild.
The urge to cry welled up inside of her so painfully that she had to actually blink back some tears.
She couldn't say how long she stayed there. She certainly couldn't sleep. Whatever they'd given her to inhibit her quirk had knocked her out for a while and she was too on edge to fall back under if she tried, afraid that she would wake up and find everything burning down around her. That nightmare from the safe house came back to her, Bakugou's and Tsu's blood on her hands, and the thought that if she rested for even a second would end in disaster crept back into her mind.
She knew that eventually the adrenaline would wear off and she'd fall asleep, but for now, she was on high alert, even as Deku's breath evened out and she saw the telltale sign of fluttering under his eyelids telling her that he was dreaming. What did he dream about these days? Were they good dreams? Bad ones? So much had been done to twist his mind. She could only imagine what it had done to his subconscious that controlled his dreams.
When Deku came to some time later, Uraraka was still staring up at the ceiling, thoughts of the others on her mind. Had anyone died? Deku would've told her, right? She couldn't help but worry about Kaminari, who they had gone to save, or Tsu who she hadn't seen before Deku's last attack.
And Bakugou. Her heart seized at the thought of him. She could only imagine the fury and shame that was no doubt swirling around him now. Was he sleeping? Had he been healed? It wasn't his fault, but he took everything so personally. She couldn't let him get hurt. She couldn't let something like that happen to him. She cared too much. She would not fail him as she had failed Deku.
He's alive, she kept telling herself. At least he's alive.
Some things were worse than death.
Deku shifted his head so that his chin was propped up on her stomach and his eyes were locked onto hers. There was so much that rested in between them that either she couldn't say or he couldn't get out of his mind. It was like there were words locked in his head and she was struggling to find the key.
"I wish we could just stay like this," Deku finally said.
She tried not to tense up underneath him, but it was hard when an alarm began to rattle in her head again. In here, safe, together, where they could both hide under the illusion that everything was normal and they could be happy. On the other side of that door was a world that she couldn't possibly understand and didn't want to know, but had to get immersed in if she was ever going to bring Deku back into the light. And it terrified her. It could kill her, no matter how much Deku proclaimed to want to her protect her.
The others would not be so kind.
Letting out a sigh, Deku pulled away from her and sat up, rubbing at his eyes again. When his hand fell down, he blinked a few times, but the light was gone from his eyes again. "There's someone you need to meet anyways." As he stood up and stretched, she swallowed thickly and then let herself be pulled up by Deku until she was on her feet next to him. He smoothed her hair down, cupping her face again, and then gave her a big smile. "It'll be fine. You're incredible."
"What about Todoroki?" Uraraka asked, the words coming out of her mouth before she could stop them. She had to know that he was okay - or at least in one piece.
"I'll take you to see him too," Deku reassured her, although she did not feel comforted at all. "I know you must be worried about him." He examined her curiously. "You two grew closer."
Uraraka fiddled with her fingers. "I wouldn't say closer. Maybe more understanding of each other." She bit her lip. "He tried to be so strong for me, you know, and it was hard for him to admit that he was broken up." It was one thing to know that they could not save everyone; it was another to reckon with the fact that they hadn't been able to save one of their own.
Looking back on that time after Deku's death was hard. Even harder to think about how everyone else had struggled with grief while she had felt swallowed by her own. That first week, she had pushed nearly everyone away, not wanting their pity, accepting calls from only Deku's mother, Tsu, and Todoroki. Bakugou had not come around until the second week. There had been a few nights where she and Todoroki would just sit on her fire escape and look into the street, tea long gone cold sitting next to them. It had been all either of them had been able to do for each other, but she knew that he'd appreciated it as much as she had.
Would that she could do something for him now. It would have to be more than sitting in silence. Uraraka was going to have to fight.
"Don't worry so much, okay?" Deku told her. Incredulous laughter almost slipped out of Uraraka's mouth, but she caught herself. Don't worry? She was with the League of Villains, all of whom knew her as a hero that had put people away. The only reason she wouldn't be confronted by the ones that she'd captured was because Deku had done away with them already. She was universally hated here. "Back here, they're more bark than bite." She had a hard time believing that. "Besides, they won't mess with you with me around. They know better."
That she could believe.
She had to get out of this room. What she really needed to do was see the layout of wherever they were at. She couldn't tell a damn thing from this room. There were no windows, no obvious smells or sounds, like the room was soundproofed. Honestly she wouldn't be surprised if it was. She hadn't heard much of anything when she had pressed her ear to the door and listened here and there.
Allowing him to take her hand again, Deku opened the door and guided her outside. The hallway looked much like the room they were in, same walls and floor, no windows or decor. It was dimmer out here and the doors were all shut. Were they other bedrooms? Was this a house? An underground bunker? The first known hideout for the original League of Villains had been a bar. It was hard to determine what this one was.
She flexed the fingers of her free hand, wishing she could feel her quirk returning to her fingertips, but nothing happened. How long would she be under the effects before they would have to dose her again? And how were they deactivating quirks? The more she thought about it, the more likely she thought that someone had a quirk similar to Aizawa's. That was how they had been able to keep Deku subdued before they'd forced him onto their side. If not, he would've been able to break out of their hold.
One door ahead of them was open, light from the room flooding into the hallway. Deku walked past it without even acknowledging it, but Uraraka glanced inside despite fear settling in her gut. The normalcy of the room shocked her. It looked like a small kitchen area. The only difference was that there were a handful of people inside, all of whom were villains, including Dabi, who raised an eyebrow in half-assed interest.
They were out of her sight as they continued on, but the villains weren't done with them, as a man's excited voice called out behind them, "Oi, Midoriya, is that your girl you've been hiding?"
Deku came to such a sudden halt that she almost bumped into his back. When he turned around, she took a step back into him, but he was already pulling her closer. In front of them were four people, three villains that she didn't recognize in regular clothes. Dabi was leaning against the threshold of the door, his arms folded across his ruined chest, and wearing a faint knowing grin that made her want to squirm. There was a man who looked about ten years older than them, peering at her too intently, and a young brunette woman with sharp facial features. Another man hung behind them in their shadows, but unlike the others, he was glowering in a sullen manner.
There was a bright look on Deku's face, a sheepish smile, but she also caught the tension in his body as he held himself tightly. "I guess I have been."
"I can see why," the woman cooed. "She's cute."
"Don't let that distract you," Dabi drawled, not looking away from her. She stared right back with a challenging gaze, even if her stomach was twisting. "I've seen her drop half a building on someone before."
"Strong and cute," the woman said, nudging the villain that had first spoken. "No wonder Midoriya is so enamored with her." She stepped forward to inspect Uraraka closer. Uraraka didn't flinch away, but Deku tightened his grip on her ever so slightly. "Look at those cheeks." She took a long deep sniff, which finally made Uraraka pull back, considering how weird it was. "Oh she smells good too. Like strawberries, sweat, and…" Her smile turned as sharp as a knife. "Nitroglycerin."
Uraraka swat the woman's hand away as she reached out to tug on Uraraka's hair. The woman just giggled and stepped back in line with the others. Uraraka was almost positive that the woman had said that on purpose and that she didn't smell like that at all. The word was obviously a trigger for Deku, whose gaze went from shiny and nervous to blank and cold in a second. The woman glanced back at Dabi, who shook his head, as if to tell her not to push her luck. There were some buttons that should be ignored for their own good.
"On the way to see the boss man?" the first villain questioned. Deku simply nodded his head, but it took everything in Uraraka not to react. This was the first time someone had specifically mentioned whoever was in charge. This had to be the person that Deku wanted her to meet - maybe even the person that had screwed with his mind.
"Ask him when we can go out," the woman sighed. "I'm getting bored. It reeks in here."
"We're all getting restless," Deku responded, though there was little to no warmth in his voice, "but we have to be patient. We'll strike next when the time is right."
That didn't settle well in Uraraka's mind at all. Maybe she could pry some information about their next attack out of Deku. He still rambled like he used to apparently. If she could get him talking, she might be able to find out something. Not that it would help with her being stuck in here.
"Tell Shoto I said hi," Dabi said.
Deku nodded his head, but he was already turning around and pulling Uraraka with him. "Yes, yes."
Uraraka was too taken aback by the whole exchange to say anything at all. Dabi's familiarity with Todoroki made her deeply uncomfortable, but she couldn't tell if he was doing it on purpose for that very reason or if it was real. His eyes and those deep purple bags of skin under them gave nothing away. Before she completely turned back around, she caught eyes with the one villain that hadn't said anything and he glared at her so intensely that it made her blink in shock. That kind of glare always gave a promise of violence.
No, she couldn't rely on Deku to completely protect her. Some of the work she would have to do herself. After all, he wouldn't always be around to step in. He'd trusted her to be able to take care of herself when he wasn't around to give a helping hand. He'd had faith in her abilities. She had to do the same.
They stepped into a room near the end of the hallway. So far, she hadn't seen a single window and she didn't think she was likely to see one any time soon. It was hard to tell, but she had a feeling that they had gone further into whatever building they were in. The room they were in now looked almost cozy with plush furniture and even a fireplace. The soft ambience that attempted to placate only made Uraraka more anxious though. It was like she was in a movie but the only person that knew besides the director.
"Ah, Midoriya, I see you were able to get some rest. You look much better."
Uraraka whipped her head around to watch as an unfamiliar man stepped into the room through another door. The man was older than them, perhaps in his late thirties. He was tall with a medium build, white hair that was parted to the side and hung slightly in what she would've considered a moderately attractive face. He was wearing a nice long, black coat that reached his knees with a black button-up shirt and black slacks underneath. What really threw her off was the warm expression on his face. If she had seen him on the street, she never would have guessed that he was a villain.
However, the aura that he gave off was unmistakable. Even with that warm face, the second his dark brown eyes latched onto hers, she could feel the dangerous aura radiating from him, just as it did Deku now. It was the same kind, she realized, and her heart skipped a beat.
This was him. This was who had twisted her Deku into this broken copy.
His lips curled into a smile, as if he knew that Uraraka had come to the conclusion, but then he turned back to look at Deku. "I'm sorry it took so much out of you. It should be easier next time, don't you think?"
Deku nodded his head. "I think so." He had come back to the room looking thoroughly worn down. She wondered what this horrendous man could've done to take so much of the life out of Deku. It couldn't be good. Was his quirk somehow draining? "I thought it was time Ochako meet you." He pulled her forward, even though her feet were almost begging to stay glued to the spot behind him. "And she wants to see Shoto."
"You do as well, don't you?" the man said in a slightly teasing tone.
Deku's smile was sheepish, but he nodded his head. "I want to see how he's doing."
"We're in the beginning stages," the man told him. "You know how...ugly it can get. It might be upsetting."
"It's necessary," Deku said firmly.
It must have been the right thing to say because the man looked thoroughly pleased, like a parent when their child does something good. It didn't sound good to Uraraka at all. They were going to hurt Todoroki - or had hurt him already. Her mind screamed at her to do something, but she knew that there was next to nothing she could do right now She had to bid her time and wait for an opening.
"Would you mind if I speak to her alone first?" the man asked, though she highly doubted he had to ask.
"Of course not," Deku replied. "There's something I need to do besides." Uraraka tightened her grip on Deku's hand, opening her mouth to stop him from leaving, but he cut her off, "Don't worry. He won't hurt you."
He lifted her hand to his lips and kissed it before pulling his hand out of hers and slipping out of the room like a shadow, leaving her alone in the room with a man whose energy was electric with danger and power. He didn't look like much physically - she could probably take him - but there was something about him that made her want to keep as much distance from him as possible.
"You must have so many questions, Ochako Uraraka," the man began as he sat down in one of the chairs. If he expected her to sit across from him, he had another thing coming. As far as she was concerned, she wasn't going to get anywhere near him. She was trying to stay calm, but the blood rushing in her ears made her heartbeat sound as loud to her as Jirou's when she plugged her earjacks into her speakers.
Uraraka clenched her hands at her side and wished for the thousandth time that she could activate her quirk. She felt so open to attack without it. "Who are you?"
"I go by Kyōmu these days, but that's not really what you want to ask, now is it?" He fixed her with a knowing look, leaning back comfortably in the seat while she stood tersely by the door.
"What did you do to him?" Uraraka demanded. Her hands were starting to shake from clenching them so tightly. All she could think about doing was punching him in his stupid face, but that sounded more like something that Bakugou would do than her if he had been in her position. Maybe she should've done it, consequences be damned. "What did you do to Deku?"
"I merely freed his mind," Kyōmu replied, holding his hands out palm up.
Anger flared hotly in Uraraka's chest. "You call that free? You're controlling him! You...you're turning him into a shadow of who he was!" Tears sprung to her eyes, but she didn't let them fall. No way was she going to cry in front of this monster. "You're using him to fulfill whatever evil plans you have in mind."
"On the contrary, Midoriya does everything of his own accord and mostly what he feels like half the time," Kyōmu countered, threading his fingers together in front of himself. "Do you think I would've let him keep you if I was completely controlling him?" There was amusement in his gaze, not the coldness that she would have expected from a villain like him. "I would've had him kill you. Driven him into a corner with jealous rage. You being dead would have made things much easier for me."
It was a horrifying thing to consider, but instead of making her more afraid, it made her angrier. "Then why let me live?"
"Because, although it forces me to use my quirk more often, it makes Midoriya more cooperative," Kyōmu explained in a cut and dry tone that reminded her of Aizawa on some level. He was being totally upfront with her, which meant that he had no intentions of letting her out of the villain's grasp, at least not alive. She had a feeling that he would make sure Deku wouldn't let her. "And it's so touching to see him this happy. We did what we could for him and I was wary to bring you into the fold, fearing you might break him, but I do believe your presence has given him some peace."
Uraraka did not like the sound of that. He made it seem like her being here was helping Deku stay a villain instead of bringing him back into the light. No, she wouldn't let that happen. She had to make sure that he didn't grow complacent now that she was here. If he fully accepted what he had become, who knew what he would be capable of? It already seemed so awful now.
"The periods in which I have to use my quirk on him are growing longer with time," Kyōmu told her, looking quite pleased with himself. "It's still him in there, the boy that you loved. Let's just say he that lives in a world with a few key differences from what he actually experienced."
"You altered his memories?" Uraraka questioned.
"Among other things," Kyōmu confirmed. "It's a trying, painful, exhausting process. I'm afraid I had to use it on him earlier to reinforce a few things. Dealing with his past tends to make things confusing for him." He smiled and straightened up, eyeing her carefully. "That young man is your Deku. These are his choices. He even came back to me willingly to be, ah, readjusted."
"No." Uraraka shook her head, pressing herself back against the door to get as far away from him as possible. "No, I don't believe it. Some of it might be him now, but not all of it."
Kyōmu sighed goodnaturedly. He wasn't even frustrated with her for calling him out, most likely because he had expected her disbelief. In fact, it looked like this was good fun for him, like it was some sort of game. He was toying with her, dangling just enough of Deku in front of her to upset her. "You got me there. I'll admit that I had to use extra force when it came to a few things." He tsked. "He really did not want to kill Shoto Todoroki. He was resistant about Teyna Iida and Tsuyu Asui as well, so I had to put them on the backburner in his mind, so to speak."
So there were more targets. The other two weren't rising quite as fast as Todoroki and Bakugou in the hero ranks, although Teyna was doing an excellent job taking on his older brother's name.
"You're taking out people that might break your control over him," Uraraka realized.
"You being the exception," Kyōmu confirmed, "so I'd feel special if I were you."
She didn't feel special at all; she could only feel sick to her stomach. Certain things did make sense now. Deku almost completely ignoring Iida and Tsu when they had been so close before. It was like his eyes practically slid over them or he didn't consider them as more than a nuisance while hyper-fixating on Todoroki and Bakugou.
"I did try in the beginning to force him to kill you, of course, but the process was so against his desire that it would actually snap him out of the control of my quirk," Kyōmu continued, thoughtfully tapping his chin. "It was difficult enough convincing him that killing Todoroki was a priority and even then I don't think it fully set in, judging by how easily swayed he was by Dabi. No matter though. It all worked out in the end."
Uraraka swallowed. "So you what? Morphed his refusal to kill me into something that would work for you?"
Kyōmu smiled and it actually looked genuine, his brown eyes shining in the light of the fireplace. "Ah, he did tell me that you were clever at understanding how people think."
This villain had turned Deku's love for her against him. He'd not only used Deku as a weapon in his schemes, but he had used her as well. It was one thing to twist his mind and quite another to twist one of the best things in their lives. She didn't know how exactly this man had done it and she doubted that he would go into more detail about his quirk after giving away so much already, but it broke her heart. To think that something so good could be transformed into something so awful devastated her. It would've been better had he forgotten her.
"You're only alive because of our dear Deku," Kyōmu told her. "He doesn't want you touched, but it's only a matter of time before he's completely on our side and, well, then you can be too. Unless the process kills you, of course. Not everyone can take it." He snapped his fingers loudly and the door shifted behind her so she had to step closer to him. Deku obediently slipped back inside and shut the door before turning to put a comforting hand on the small of her back. She didn't lean into his touch no matter how much she wanted to, standing ramrod straight and still. "Shall we see how Todoroki handles it?" He pressed a button on what looked like an intercom on the stand by his chair. "Bring him in."
Uraraka steeled herself to see Todoroki, terrified of what state he might be in. Had they hurt him any? Had Kyōmu already used his quirk on him? It sounded as if he needed to use it multiple times for it to work as thoroughly. Harder to put a person under control, but stronger and more effective than Shinsou's brainwashing quirk. The door that Kyōmu had come through earlier opened and the man that had put them under rolled Todoroki in a wheelchair-type seat.
Even though she had prepared herself for the worst, seeing Todoroki still made one of Uraraka's hands fly to her mouth to stifle any noise that might come out. Metal braces strapped his wrists and ankles to the chair. He was slumped forward, his head hanging so that his hair was hiding his face, as if he couldn't hold himself up. Either sweat or water dripped from his nose and hair onto his knees. Unlike her, he was still in his hero costume, torn and damaged as it was, minus the temperature control bracer around his neck. He was panting heavily, but she thought that he might be conscious this time at least.
"Todoroki?" Without thinking, Uraraka took a tentative step forward, but then Deku moved a foot in front of her, stopping her cold.
Slowly, Todoroki raised his head, bobbing a little as he did so, until his mismatched eyes found Uraraka's brown ones. They were foggy at first, but different from Deku's. It looked more like he was coming to after being unconscious for a while. That didn't mean Kyōmu hadn't used his quirk once already on him though, just not today. Whatever day it was. This place had a way of making time bleed together for anyone that wasn't let out.
Awareness crept into Todoroki's eyes and he gasped sharply as he jerked upright the entire way, the back of his slamming into the chair. "Uraraka." She could tell that he was struggling to breathe, just as she had when she'd come to after being dosed with that quirk inhibitor drug. It looked fresh on him though. She wondered if they had been forced to give him more because of his strength or if it simply affected quirks or people differently. "They got you too."
"Oh no," Deku interjected brightly as he wrapped an arm around her waist, "she came on her own."
Confusion swarmed Todoroki's face as he stared at Deku. She'd never seen him so open before; it was like he didn't have the energy to hide how he felt. "What?"
"She asked me to take her!" Deku shook his head. "See, I told you she would."
"I had to," Uraraka cut in, causing Todoroki's eyes to swing back to her. She hesitated to answer him despite his hurt and questioning gaze. If it sounded like she had only come to save Bakugou and not for Deku, she was afraid of what might happen. Maybe he wouldn't let her see Todoroki again as punishment. She just had to hope that Todoroki was able to figure it out himself for now. "It was the only thing I could think to do. There wasn't another choice."
Todoroki stared at her for what felt like a century. She watched as realization bloomed in his eyes, only to see it fade again as he attempted to slip on a mask. It was harder though with drug coursing through his veins and whatever had already been done to him by Kyōmu. He looked worn down to the bone, but they both knew that he wasn't done yet. This was just the beginning.
Not everyone can take it.
She wasn't sure that Todoroki would want to if given the option, but he had no choice in the matter.
Kyōmu stood up, pulling their focus to him. She was again struck by the dangerous aura that hung around him, but also the way her eyes had trouble resting on him for long. It was like something was tugging on her to look away, like he wasn't there even though she knew that she should pay attention to him. He moved around the room like a graceful shadow until he was standing behind Todoroki, who was starting to breathe heavily through his nose in anticipation.
Oh, he had gone through this before.
"Let's take another look inside," Kyōmu announced before digging his fingers into Todoroki's hair as if he was trying to shove his fingers directly into Todoroki's skull.
Immediately, Todoroki lunged forward in pain, gritting his teeth and squeezing his eyes shut, but Kyōmu kept a tight hold on him. He had closed his eyes as well, but she could see them moving behind his eyelids, like he was scrolling through a book. When Todoroki started to shake from the effort of trying to fight off Kyōmu's quirk, Uraraka jerked forward, but then Deku snatched her by the wrist to hold her back.
"Stop it!" she shrieked. "Stop it, you're hurting him!"
"It's only hurting because he's fighting it," Deku murmured, half to himself, as he watched the scene. Uraraka glanced back at him, half in horror and half in anger, but he wasn't looking at her, focused entirely on Todoroki. She did notice that he was tapping his fingers against his thighs again. It had to be an unconscious act.
"Oh," Kyōmu said, his eyes snapping open, "there's something good."
And then Todoroki let out a long blood-curdling scream, his body seizing painfully and hanging forward, his fingers gripping the arms of the chair so tightly that she thought they might break.
"Stop!" Uraraka screamed, throwing a hand out to reach him and lunging as hard as she could. She tried to dig the balls of her feet into the ground for more traction, but then Deku had both arms around her middle and lifted her off the ground, pulling her back. Tears streamed down her face as they did Todoroki's, his sweat and tears falling in drops onto the ground. He was still screaming as he began to slam his head into the back of the chair repeatedly, Kyōmu never once letting go. "Let go of me, Deku! Let go of me!" She kicked and punched, flailing in his arms, and kept smacking his forearm with her hand, but her quirk wouldn't come to her no matter how much she begged for it. "You're killing him! He's killing him! Stop it!"
It lasted far longer than what seemed necessary. It lasted a lifetime. By the time Kyōmu lifted his hands, Todoroki's screams had turned raw and hoarse, as if he'd burned his throat. He slumped back in the chair, the side of his face resting against his right shoulder. His entire body was limp, even his hair, the only movement coming from his chest as he shallowly breathed.
Only then did Deku set her down and loosen his grip on her enough so that she was able to tear away from him and stumble towards Todoroki. She almost fell on her knees when she reached him, her hands grabbing his arms to steady herself. "I'm here, Todoroki, I'm here," she breathed, sliding a hand under his cheek and raising his head into a straight position, but he couldn't hold it up himself, leaving it to rest in her hand. Her lips trembled as she looked over his pale face. "Shoto, please."
His eyelids dragged themselves open, but only halfway, and he gazed at her with such a distant look that she wasn't even sure if he recognized her or not. But then he hoarsely whispered, "U-Uraraka?" and she smiled through the tears and nodded her head, her heart skipping a beat.
"It's me," Uraraka told him quietly, only for him. "I've got you."
Todoroki closed his eyes again, but he let out a weak humming sound. "You gotta…" He took a shaky breath. "I can't…"
She didn't know what he was trying to tell her, but she could guess well enough. She had to get out of here. That last part had her worried though. He couldn't what? He couldn't fight this? No, she didn't believe it. Todoroki could fight anything. He was unconscious again before she could say anything else.
"Shoto?" She shook him. "Shoto?"
Someone pulled her away and then the other man grabbed hold of the chair and began to wheel Todoroki away. Uraraka yelled and fought back, stomping down on a foot and throwing back an elbow, but the person caught her elbow with the palm of their hand and their grip on her waist spun her around. She came face-to-face with Deku, who was wearing a guarded expression on his pale face.
"Why would you do this?" Uraraka demanded. "Why would you let them hurt him like they did you?"
"It's for the best," Deku said like an automated machine, but she thought she saw a hint of something else in his eyes. He tried to blink it away, but it was still there for her to see. "He can take it - he's strong - and he'll feel so much better afterwards." He cupped her face and gave her a shaky smile. "I know it hurts seeing him like that, but it's good for him. All you can do to help is be strong for him too."
Uraraka ripped herself out of his grip, too distraught to be touched by him right now. She couldn't take that gentle hold on her. It made her want to throw up. She was breathing heavily, close to hyperventilating, and she knew that she had to calm down, but she couldn't. She was just so damn furious. She wanted… Gods, she wanted so many things. She wanted to scream, cry, destroy every piece of furniture in this room. She wanted to shake some damn sense into Deku and punch Kyōmu right in his smug face. She wanted to chase after Todoroki and take him away from this place.
(She wanted Bakugou to hold her in that way that made her feel like she could be stronger.)
Unfortunately, Uraraka knew that she could have none of those things and she attempted to swallow down all the overwhelming feelings. The tears wouldn't leave her eyes though - they would spill any second no matter what she did - and so she turned to face Kyōmu with a shiny film of tears over her eyes anyways.
Kyōmu was standing before them, head tilted all the way back and hands on his face covering his eyes, his mouth held agape and his hair falling back in a mess. He looked like he'd either just run a mile or was the conductor of a very enthusiastic symphony. "That was better than I expected." He was breathing deeply, but she couldn't tell if it was from the work his quirk caused or excitement from what he'd seen. "Midoriya had plenty to work with, but Todoroki is a plethora of dark caverns just waiting to explore."
"You're a monster," Uraraka seethed. In the corner of her eyes, she saw Deku stiffen, but she didn't react.
After dropping one hand to his side, Kyōmu raked his fingers through his hair with the other hand and then dropped his head back down so that his focus could fall on her. There was something off about his eyes. It was like they weren't here in the room; they were back in Todoroki's mind, digging around in it. "Am I though? I don't think you've really seen a monster, not like your dear Todoroki has apparently." He took in a deep breath. "I'm honestly impressed. With a father like that, I'm shocked he didn't become a villain." He chuckled, as if something he'd just thought of amused him. "Luckily it's never too late to change one's mind."
Uraraka took a step toward him, but stopped herself and pulled her arm away before Deku could grab it again. He got the picture, retracting his hand and looking like she'd slapped him. "Todoroki is a hero."
"So was Midoriya," Kyōmu pointed out. "Do you want to be one now?"
Deku shook his head. "My place is here."
Kyōmu fixed his hair and then began to straighten out his jacket. "Do you see it now, Uraraka? It doesn't take much. A push here, a change there, a bit of goading, a careful touch - and you can be someone completely different." His eyes roved up and down her in a way that made her want to fold her arms across her chest. "I could show you, if you like. It's very enlightening."
This time, Deku stepped forward and placed an arm in front of her, effectively separating the two of them. "You're not touching her. You promised." It sounded like something a child would say, if that child was capable of radiating a threat that would send people running in the opposite direction.
Considering that he had been the one to create Deku, Kyōmu's reaction was interesting. He didn't rear back in anger or indignation at being spoken to so brusquely. Instead, he nodded his head and calmly replied, "Of course." It was definitely placating behavior, the same kind she had used with him back in his room. Was he concerned that Deku wasn't stable enough to not hurt him should he threaten Uraraka? Maybe it was a side effect of Kyōmu's quirk being used on Deku too much. "I was only offering if she wanted to share yours and Todoroki's release. I would never use my quirk on her without your permission."
"Just so we're clear." Deku stepped back, perhaps sensing how much she didn't want him to touch her, and opened the door.
Uraraka took one last look at Kyōmu, glaring at him with the heated promise that she would find a way to break his hold, and then stormed out of the room, brushing past Deku. Kyōmu had only gazed back at her coolly, although he still looked out of breath after using his quirk on Todoroki. Deku followed after her silently, probably to protect her from the other villains should they want to cause issues again, but Uraraka felt like she was at Bakugou level rage. She knew how to fight without her quirk. Part of her wished one of them would appear so she could throw them across a room. She couldn't remember feeling so angry and upset in her life.
The moment she burst into his room, Deku shut the door and started, "Ochako, wait-"
"Don't talk to me, Deku!" Uraraka snapped, rounding on him so viciously that he actually recoiled from her. Deku, the guy who had taken out an entire street a day or two ago and knocked out multiple heroes with one punch to the ground, flinched because of her. "Don't touch me! Don't do anything!"
Deku reached out for her. "Ochako, please-"
Uraraka smacked his hand away from her. "No!"
A part of her knew that she should be calmer - that she couldn't let her emotions get the best of her in case it caused Deku to let his emotions get the best of him - but there was nothing she could do about it. She could feel herself spiraling in everything she'd tried to bottle up in a faulty attempt to remain strong and put together. Seeing Todoroki tortured like that had shaken her up so much that she was trembling and the tears welling in her eyes made it difficult for her to see so she had to wipe them away with her arm.
Even though the tears had started to fall down her face, Uraraka aggressively rubbed them from her cheeks and then took a few deep breaths, trying to calm the rattled feeling in her chest. Deku had said that she was not to be touched, but then what if he eventually changed his mind? What would happen to Todoroki? How many more sessions of those could he handle before he was like Deku? What did he feel right now? Gods, he was alone, locked up in a cage somewhere, unable to call up his quirk for comfort.
Uraraka wanted to scream.
Instead, she stood up straight and let out a shaky breath.
"I know seeing him like that was hard and I knew it would hurt you," Deku said in a quiet but fervent voice, "but it's for the best, I swear."
"How can you say that after seeing him suffer so much?" Uraraka asked him. "So soon after you suffered?"
"It doesn't hurt much now," Deku murmured, as if that made the whole thing any better.
She could only stare back at him in horror and disbelief. His words were like a slap in the face. How could he say such things? Todoroki had been (was) his best friend and his mind was being picked apart and pieced back together differently. "I don't understand," she managed. "You have to know that this is wrong."
"It's not wrong, Ochako," Deku snapped, for the first time sounding angry with her. She almost flinched, but held her ground instead. She was not going to show him any fear, no matter how much her heart had jumped into her throat at that tone. He caught himself, wiping the frustrated look off his face and replacing it with a much softer pleading one. "You have to understand. Shoto will feel so much better afterwards. There is so much holding him back. He's been through a lot. This will be good for him. There won't be any chains tying him down to society's or anyone's expectations of him."
Did he not see that he was in a different set of chains now? Did he not recognize them wrapped around his wrists, ankles, and neck? Did he not feel them? Were they not choking him?
Uraraka swallowed and turned away from him. "I can't… I can't be around you right now." She knew that it might hurt both of them. Maybe it would anger him, but she couldn't do it. She couldn't handle seeing him right now after he had let that happen and defended it. "I don't care what you do with me. Throw me in the cells with Shoto. Lock me up anywhere. I just want to be alone."
Silence settled in the room between them. She could feel him wanting to come up behind her and wrap his arms around her, bleed comfort into her, give her strength. He could do none of that. She knew that if he tried, she would shove him away and she couldn't do that either. Not with how precarious things were. A part of her longed to be treated the same way as Shoto, so that she wouldn't feel so ashamed or guilty, but then she was afraid of that as well.
"I'll give you some time," Deku told her in a strange voice. He sounded a little sad, but mostly hollow.
She heard him walk away, the door open and shut, and the clicking sound that let her know she was being locked inside. This room might have had a bed, closet, bathroom, and dim lighting, but the comfort was false. None of it was real. This room was a cell - for her and Deku.
Falling into a crouch in the middle of the room, Uraraka huddled into a ball and hid her face in her hands. The tears slid down her cheeks unchecked, coating her palms, quiet sobs wracking her chest. She only allowed a minute or two of these before she pulled herself back up, sniffed a few times, and wiped her face. She took a deep, shuddering breath.
"I'm going to save you, Todoroki," Uraraka swore under her breath, even if she had no idea how right now. "I'm going to save us both."
It was either that or probably die trying at this point.