I'm posting this chapter before I start hating it more than I already do. I had to get it out of the way. Please be gentle, I'm super nervous, and I would really appreciate feedback, if I did okay or not. What I can fix. I'm not used to writing action scenes, nor scenes with a bunch of different characters. I might come back and edit later, but probably not. It's a mess, but it's my mess, and I hope you like it anyways for all its messiness.

Also, stuff might not make sense this chapter. Please hold on until the next one: everything is explained.

I should have known.

Tomura finally lets me aboveground the next day. The lights are so much brighter that I temporarily lose my sight and am forced to squint for a good few moments, even though this is just normal lighting. Tomura likes his room dim, and with everything of importance being beneath the bar, I've grown adjusted to the darkness.

At long last, I focus on Kurogiri, who I haven't seen since the day I was captured. Tomura had been adamant about keeping me all to himself. Kurogiri greets Tomura but ignores me like I'm a decoration on his leader's arm, and that's more or less the case. I'm not offended by being ignored, but it does sting to remember that I'm really no more than Tomura's accessory, used and abused at his pleasure.

Which he apparently thinks is love.

I don't focus on that. Tomura grips my wrist tightly, and though I'm pretty sure I could break free, I don't, just standing still obediently.

"Are we ready?" Tomura asks.

"Yes," Kurogiri replies. "Everyone has been gathered."

Everyone? Who's everyone? I swallow hard. Have Dabi and Touga been recruited already? Has it been that long? It certainly feels like it, but it also means I've been long forgotten. If Takamura had ever sent out a search party for me—which I had certainly hoped for in the first week of my captivity—no one had found me. The few people I ever interacted with are certain I'm dead, surely.

I will be soon enough, anyways. There's no reason to remind Takamura, Awakasa, or Daichi that I exist. If they mourned me at all, even if only in the most distant of ways, there's no reason to let them know I was alive only to kill myself before anything else happened. That would just be selfish.

I don't know what it's like to want to kill yourself when there are people who will miss you, but the only person who will miss me is the person I'm trying to escape. I'm only hurting Tomura if I die, and that's the best revenge I can get, for all that it'll probably last a few days at most. Whatever he thinks he feels for me isn't real, and once I'm out of sight, inaccessible, he'll forget, too, and I'll go on to whatever afterlife awaits me.

I'm so caught up in my thoughts that I barely notice when Tomura drags me through Kurogiri's portal. However, the slight swooping sensation of warping in my stomach brings me back to the present.

We're in a warehouse full of small-time villains. I don't recognize any of them, but the sheer number of them tells me that this outing isn't one I'll likely be able to escape from.

We're going to USJ, I realize. Where Aizawa is nearly killed and All Might sustains heavy damage. Where it's only in the nick of time that the other teachers show up. No one is going to be able to save me, or even want to save me. They'll probably assume that I'm on Tomura's side, if the way he's now possessively gripping me to his side says anything.

I feel tears prick my eyes and Kurogiri warps and unfolds until he's the largest portal I've seen.

I'm sticking around a little longer, it seems. The consolation that good behavior will give me another opportunity doesn't make it feel better at all, and I find myself forcing back tears the best I can.

Maybe I can get hit in the crossfire… but I won't die. I won't escape. It'll just stop Tomura from taking me outside again.

I swallow a sob of failure, of soul-deep pain, and resign myself to staying on my best behavior. My heart throbs painfully in my chest, for a moment almost crippling. I ignore it. I hope it's a heart attack this time. I hope…

I wish I could help, I suddenly think. If I help, though, I'll face Tomura's wrath later. But he's going to ultimately lose, so I'm sure I'll face something horrible from him anyways. If I could help…

If I could protect myself… or them…

I remember Thirteen's collapsed body, suit torn wide open. I remember Aizawa's broken, bloody form being carted around by Izuku and Mineta. I remember the lack of smile on All Might's face, the twisted injury on his left side, the pain he endured and how close he came to death. The students had come out alright, but the people protecting them…

I wish I could help them. I wish I could do something to make this outcome even a little better. Even if I'll suffer at Tomura's hands later, if I could change the plot so that he loses earlier…

I wish for a lot of things, but none of them has ever come true. I doubt my wishes right now will mean anything.

Following Tomura through the portal, my first view of the Unforeseen Simulation Joint is blinded by the bright lights, and at the sight of the frightened students and unsuspecting Aizawa and Thirteen, my heart twists on itself, I feel a rush of heat, and my legs crumble beneath me as my vision blacks out.

At first, Aizawa is alarmed at the number of villains that pour out of a purplish-black portal. They all seem small-time, though, and he feels like he might be able to take them. Even a hulking beast in the very back, black and tall and beaked like a bird, while a threat, doesn't seem like the end of the world.

The thing is, it's all illogical unless they're going after the students, which—if they wanted that, they could have much more easily picked them off with several skilled fighters instead of a bunch of amateurs. What's the goal, here?

Then he sees the man at the epicenter of it all, embracing a collapsed woman. Civilian, from the looks of her. She has no special outfit to show off her quirk, nor is her quirk physically manifested, and her sudden weakness upon exiting the portal shows that she's not really built out of tough stuff.

Why bring a civilian? Is she a hostage? He's not going to endanger an entire class of promising students—his promising students—for one woman, no matter how bad he might feel for her to be in the clutches of a villain. It's not rational.

Then the blue-haired young man starts spouting about killing All Might, complaining that he's not here. The woman is left on the ground, unconscious as she is, but Aizawa notices that this… Shigaraki, his name is, stands close to her, protectively. Maybe a civilian accomplice; maybe a lover? Why bring along such easy leverage in an outright attack?

Aizawa puts the logistical anomaly out of his mind for the moment, instead choosing to dive into the fray to protect his students. He does notice, however, when the civilian struggles to her feet, and Shigaraki immediately takes notice and pulls her into him like she's something precious. Lover, then. He feels a ripple of disgust flow through him at the sight.

That's also put out of his mind when the warp portal separates his students and puts them all in grave danger en masse.

"…torture them to death, as a message to All Might," Shigaraki is saying.

Aizawa's going to kill that boy, no matter what he has to sacrifice.

I've never felt more helpless as the chaos unfolds around me. Captivity, somehow, wasn't worse than seeing people I knew, if only through a manga, being hurt. I knew it would work out okay, but nothing better than that. This is only the start of things getting bad; this is the beginning of the end.

I'd always sworn to myself that I'd stay out of the plot, but the plot has brought itself to me and here I am, held tightly in Tomura's arms, unable to do anything.

"Are you okay?" Tomura asks as he rests his chin on my shoulder. The severed hand, while well-preserved, is not my favorite thing to have close to me.

"I'm fine," I say shakily. "Just—the chest pain."

"We'll have to get it checked out," Tomura says distractedly, his eyes surveying the damage he's wreaking.

I don't bother responding; he's not paying attention to me anyways.

It's only when Izuku starts interfering that Tomura turns back to me. "I'm going to fix this little problem," he tells me. "Stay here, like a good girl."

And when he's reaching for Tsuyu's face, when Izuku cuts in with a singular punch that doesn't mangle him and it hits Nomu, damn me but I don't do anything. I just stand there like the helpless idiot I am and watch it unfold, numb with knowing it'll be okay, oh god, please let it be okay, and then Aizawa join the fray to save his students.

My heart pounds once, twice in my chest, then seems to still.

Nomu grabs Aizawa. I watch as blood flies through the air as one of Aizawa's arms is snapped at an inhuman angle, his strangled grunt of pain making my stomach turn to lead.

Oh god. I'm just enabling this. I'm just watching. I have to—I have to do something—

I take an aborted step forward before Tomura reappears before me, dragging my back to his chest. I have to stay still. There's no escaping this time, no death, no freedom. I have to watch it happen and do nothing, behave. Tears fill my eyes as Izuku cries out, as Aizawa's face is smashed hard enough into the ground to leave a crater. As Aizawa fights back, only to have his other arm broken in a closed, unthinking fist.

"I didn't know you got off to this," Tomura says huskily in my ear. I freeze at the words for a moment, not comprehending at all what he's saying while his fingers card through my sweat-slicked hair.

But as I take stock of my body, I realize where he could possibly get that impression. My chest is heaving, I'm panting heavily, my body has collapsed back into his for lack of ability to hold myself up. I'm sure my face is flushed in my upset, but he can't see that from where he's standing behind me, nor the tears.

Still, he couldn't be more wrong. My chest is heaving with air hunger, the feeling of breathlessness before a panic attack where you gasp for air but it's never enough, no matter how deep the breath. I'm panting to get that never-enough air, heated and flushed with roiling nausea. My body leans into his not for lust, not for comfort, but because I'm not sure how else to stand up against this. There is nothing I can do.

He takes my silence as agreement, and to my horror, he grinds his hard, lengthy member against my backside and nuzzles my cheek with that damn hand getting in the way. "You know, I feel the same way," Tomura confides like this is a surprise. His near-instantaneous transition from torturing me to raping me has made it pretty clear, though at first I didn't make the connection. Pain, fear—they get him off. But he's somehow figured in his head that I'm a willing participant in it all. Delusional might not be a strong enough word.

I can't bring myself to say anything.

He grinds against me again, then starts a rhythm against my rear. I feel lightheaded, struggling to cope with too many sensations, too many horrors at once. "I could bend you over and fuck you right here," he tells me in uncommon filthiness. "With everyone watching. They'll all know you're mine." He groans in my ear and his thrusts grow more heated, hands pulling my hips to grind back against him.

For some reason, in all the chaos—of my emotions, of my body, of the battlefield, of the world—my eyes find Aizawa. He's barely conscious, but I can't help but focus on his labored breathing, so similar to my own, the physical pain that surely rivals what I'm feeling right now. I feel a strange kind of kinship at that moment. This is because of Tomura. We've been hurt by the same person.

I can't take away my own pain, but in that moment, I wish I could take away his. My heart thuds into overtime as Tomura pants heavily in my ear, sounding like he's genuinely going to get off on this. The pain returns, reverberating with each beat of my heart.

It's not that overwhelming pain, though, the kind that brings me to my knees. It's sharp, focused, and something inside me twists ineffectually, like the right key put into the right lock but turned in the wrong direction.

Tomura muffles a groan into my shoulder, pounding himself against me. I can't tell if he's coming.

"Home," he mutters and stills, catching his breath. "We'll finish this at home. You're such a good girl, Akito-chan. Just stay still again. These brats are trying to cheat."

He darts away from me and I almost collapse without the support. My back is chilled, refreshingly cold after the heat of our bodies together. It brings me back to myself. Aizawa's breathing is still labored, but slow. He's unconscious. There was nothing I could have done to help him, I know, but it still hurts. Heart heavy, pain overwhelming again instead of pointed, I collapse to my knees, clutching my chest.

I don't cry out and it occurs to me too late that a scream of pain might have distracted Tomura and maybe even changed things for the better in that crucial moment of distraction. Or, more likely, he would have ignored it and 'trusted' me to stay alive until he was back.

And then there's a sudden, deafening crash. The sound is so loud that I can't help but snap to attention. Sharp, menacing footsteps, the figure who's just entered clearly displaying displeasure.

"Never fear," a deep, booming voice calls, echoing off the walls and piercing me straight to my core. A deep agony overcomes me and I clutch myself, nails digging into my arms. "Why?"

Before I even realize it, I choke on a sob, overwhelmed by emotion. I know what he's going to say next.

"Because I am here." The dust clears, and he is. He's here, unsmiling, to save the day.

He's here.

The inexplicable comfort of his presence, the knowledge that this man is going to save everyone, even if it's by the skin of his teeth, has me breaking down into inconsolable tears. He's here. He's here, the savior of this world, the Symbol of Peace. He's going to make everything alright again.

Fleetingly, I wonder, Could he make me alright again, too? The thought passes before it can gain any traction.

Through desolate eyes I watch as he whisks Izuku, Tsuyu, Mineta, and Aizawa—everyone—to safety. I see him stand his ground in front of Tomura, ready to take him down.

Kill him kill him kill him—

Of course, with a single word, Nomu is the in the way. There's a horrified silence as All Might's punch does nothing.

I shudder. It doesn't stop, it's not ending. I want this to be over. I want All Might to be okay, I want everyone to escape, I want it to be okay—

Oh god.

I do, I want it to be okay. Even if I never will be again. I want this day to end well, without All Might and Aizawa freshly injured and weakened. I want everyone to go home and not have to be afraid as they fall asleep, wondering what next trial Tomura will bring to U.A.

I want it all to be okay. No—I want it to be better.

Without realizing it, I start moving forward, getting to my feet, slowly, staggering at first. I start to trot, but it's like looking down on myself from above, dissociation. All Might is preparing to suplex Nomu. My pace picks up, and then, with a hard push to the ground, I vault through the air and slam both in the side, but mostly Nomu. For a moment, I falter, my impact seeming to mean nothing. Then Kurogiri is there, tightening his grip, and Tomura begins to explain their plan to kill All Might.

"Hang in there," I mutter. My voice is lost in the chaos and neither All Might, nor Nomu, have noticed me. I'm on the opposite side of Tomura's sight, for now hidden by two bulky bodies.

I grip Nomu's fingers as they dig into All Might's side. That's where he's injured. He's being hurt and I feel it like it's my own. I try to pry them away uselessly, still crying, still above myself, still watching, and general being a mess, and finally Tomura notices me.

You're making this worse, I tell myself, but my body doesn't seem to respond, just pulling and prying without effect. Oh, god, you're going to ruin it. It's going to end badly because of you… because of me.

"Akito, what are you doing?" Tomura demands, chill and steely. He takes a step forward.

My body doen't answer him, too busy trying to release Nomu's grip. I watch silently. That's all I can do, all I've ever been able to do—watch.

"Go to safety," I suddenly hear All Might grunt. He looks at me, his face sweating with extertion, fighting at the hands himself. "Young woman, you will be hurt—"

"Shut up," I tell him desperately. "I have to help. I have to help, I have to help, I have to do something, I have to help—" I can feel it in my very soul, that other Akito's desperation, and feel a tug towards her. We feel the same thing.

"Shigaraki Tomura—" Kurogiri starts to protest, but then Bakugou and Kirishima are back in the fray. All Might is released, releases Nomu, and I'm left there on my knees, panting and feeling useless but determined not to be. You're useless, I tell my body. You're going to get us killed.

My body struggles to my feet and faces down Nomu alongside All Might, small and ineffectual, but I feel it with her—we have to do something.

Something, something, I have to do something, I have to help, I have to help, if it's the last thing I do, I have to hel—

"Nomu," Tomura says coldly, and I'm jolted by his voice, suddenly jarred back into my body like I was never separated. I feel my trembling limbs, the pain in my heart, the inexorable fear. "Bring her here, and don't be gentle."

Nomu lunges, moving through the air so fast I can hardly see him. From my peripheral, I see All Might moving to save me, but, no—that's not right. All Might isn't supposed to be hurt trying to save me.

I hurl myself into Nomu's fist, distantly thinking that Nomus are probably not really built for capturing instead of killing. The fist flays right through me, nearly displacing my entire abdomen.

It hurts. Oh, it hurts like hell, but I think this might actually kill me, and All Might didn't get hurt. Through a daze of reflexive tears and pain, I look down and see parts of myself that I really shouldn't be able to see.

Blood gushes and I realize that I can die like this. In awe of the unintentional but successful suicide attempt, I barely notice as All Might lifts me up to get me to safety, out of the way like I should have been.

I can vaguely hear Tomura shrieking, and Nomu lets out a roaring caw.

"Stay calm," All Might says, taking in the damage as he leans to set me down with Todoroki, Izuku, Bakugou, and Kirishima, if I remember their names correctly. "It will be okay."

It's a lie, meant to comfort. I know it won't be okay as I survey the damage. It's healing, but sluggishly, unnoticeably. This is it. A sense of incomplete peace washes over me, and only one thing is missing.

I cough on blood, and before All Might sets me down I cling to him, wanting that last moment of a strong, comforting embrace before I die. Voices in the background; All Might isn't paying attention to me. My vision is fuzzing, darkening. I feel warm blood gush from my abdomen onto All Might. Well, I didn't mean to turn him into a gorefest, but it's not my problem anymore.

I did it. I'm dying. While it feels selfish to know that it might be at the expense of others' wellbeing, I can't bring myself to care.

Death. It's calling my name, beckoning me with open arms, warm and soft. I've never been so content.

As shock sets in and my pain eases, as death takes me in its embrace, I feel the pain in my chest disappear at long last. The key has been twisted in the right direction this time, and I can't help but feel that it's because of All Might, somehow. The comfort in my dying moments, perhaps, but I feel happy. My lungs heave for breath suddenly, and more blood gushes. It feels… cold, somehow, not warm.

Closing my eyes and accepting my fate, I vaguely hear All Might roar.

In pain.

And that's the last thing I know before death takes me away, a frown on my face as I die.

The story is not over, I promise. Sorry for the cliffy, but All Might's POV is coming next and holy shit but I need to really fine-tune that. Please don't kill me.

Again, please let me know if I did alright. I'm fucking terrified. *hides under covers*

P.S. I promise Akito actually did something really good in this chapter, didn't ruin anything, and was not as useless as she appeared. I won't say what good thing she did, but it changes the canon plot significantly. Let me know your predictions, because I'm pretty sure nobody is going to guess it but maybe it's more obvious than I thought!

Canon divergence after this chapter, and then we'll start focusing on healing, then romance. This isn't going to be super plot heavy, sorry if anyone got the wrong idea about it. It should still be fun though!

*goes back to hiding under covers*