Hey everyone! Sorry this chapter was a couple days late. My beta was on vacation and could only get back to me now! Hopefully the quality is better to compensate!

Borderlands is owned by Gearbox and 2KGames and My Hero Academia is owned by Kohei Horikoshi and Funimation. Please support the official release.

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"This means someone is talking."

'This means someone is thinking to themselves.'

This means it's a flashback.

*This means it's a sound effect!*

{This means I'm speaking in a different language!}

Angel in a Gilded Cage

Not again.

Those were the first words that had escaped Ochako's mouth. Right after Mandalay's voice echoed in her head and Aizawa had bolted out of the supplemental classroom. They had been just starting their first lesson for the night when the alert had gone out.

Now she was stuck inside the lodge, hiding with the rest of her classmates and Vlad King who had stayed behind to keep them safe. That loud mouthed blonde boy from class B was there too, uncharacteristically subdued under the heavy atmosphere.

Figured that it took another hostile invasion to make him quiet.

Ochako stepped over to the window, placing her hand on the glass, her worried face looking back at her in her reflection as she stared outside. A great, blue blaze engulfed most of her vision, the forest fire cutting off any chance of spotting anyone amongst the trees. Fear and frustration looped itself inside her like a ball of yarn, twisting her nerves into knots.

'This wasn't supposed to happen. The camp trip was kept a secret, we were supposed to be safe!' She fretted, feeling more and more anxious as a feeling returned. One that she had felt all the way back at USJ.

She immediately knew why. Once more, she had been stuck in the backlines while the rest of her friends were scattered and lost, being hunted down by villains. At least last time she had helped Iida escape to call for help. Here she could do nothing more than gaze out and pray in the fleeting hope that everyone was going to be fine.

It made her clench her fists hard, enough that she felt she was going to cut half circles into her palms.

What point was all of her hard work, training and resolve if she couldn't help anyone? Right now, her friends were likely fighting for their lives and where was she? Safely indoors, under the protection of one of the teachers. How could she call herself a hero if she idly sat by? She knew it was a stupid idea to go out, that she'd just be putting herself at risk but she was gradually starting to think that she didn't care.

Again, what was the point of it all?

She wasn't the only one feeling unsatisfied or otherwise on edge. Tokoyami was seated at a table, glaring off into space from behind his steepled hands. Dark Shadow was making low whimpers from under his host, similarly affected by their emotional connection.

Kaminari sat next to him, his pointer finger incessantly tapping against the table's surface in an attempt to calm himself down. The noise continued to rattle on.

That left Hagakure, who had seemed to disappear at first glance, but was actually curled up in the far corner of the room. Every so often, Ochako would hear a wet sniffle.

Seeing her usually cheery friend like this tugged at Ochako's heart and she left the window, shuffling her shoes softly along the tile floor so as to not startle her.

"Hey." She said quietly, feeling more than seeing the invisible girl's eyes on her as she shifted. "How are you holding up?"

Hagakure shrugged. "Not so good. It's just… this wasn't supposed to happen again!" She cried, tears beading in midair. "I hate this! I hate feeling so scared!"

"Ssh, shh…" Ochako hushed, setting herself down next to her against the wall, and pulling her into a hug. "It's going to be…"

She paused, words stuck in her throat. She knew what she wanted to say, but how could she, when she didn't even believe it herself?

"It's… it's going to be okay." Ochako forced the promise out. Better some kind of platitude then none at all, even if she or Hagakure didn't believe it.

There was a sudden thundering outside, followed by a small tremor. She looked up to the window, the fire casting a ghostly, blue glow into the room.

'Deku, Angel, Tenya… everyone, please be safe!'

What now? Such a simple, two syllable question. It was unlikely the answer would be so brief, if Angel could think of anything at all.

Right now, both Ashido and Aoyama were staring at her expectantly, shivering and dripping wet. They couldn't stay where they were. For all they knew, Wilhelm would double back from whatever had called him away and she doubted the straw trick would work again. They couldn't wait for him to return or for one of his allies to find them.

"I say we keep moving towards the lodge." She finally answered, hobbling out of the lake. Wringing the water from her ponytail, she glanced about, trying to place their location in her head. "If we came from… that direction, the lodge should be… that way." She pointed towards the right of the path they came.

"That way, huh?" Ashido questioned, shaking off as much water from her clothes as she could.

"Should be." Angel nodded. "Even if it wasn't, it's away from Wilhelm. Don't want to deal with him again."

"Oui, I'd appreciate never crossing that savage again." Aoyama agreed, lifting a lake weed off his jacket sleeve with no small amount of revulsion.

"Let's try to be quiet and stick to the brush. They will be searching the paths I bet." She added, taking a step forward just to hiss from her aching ankle. She had almost forgotten, thanks to the cold water.

"Woah!" Ashido was at her side in a second. "Try not to push yourself! I've got you."

"Don't forget about moi!" Aoyama jumped to her other shoulder, lifting her up slightly.

Angel's pained grimace turned to a relieved smile. "T-Thanks guys. Really."

Both teens returned the look, though with Aoyama's busted face it was hard to look at.

"My pleasure. Now, allons-y!" Aoyama let out a quiet cheer. He took a step forward before pausing. "Pardon, but… which way was it again?" He asked sheepishly.

Despite the pain and the weight of the situation, Angel let out a low snort and pointed.

"Right. Let's go."

Their course set, the three teens re-entered the forest. They stuck to Angel's plan, keeping to the deep foliage. The branches and roots were a constant hindrance, especially with her wounded foot, but at least they were mostly hidden. She assumed she spoke for all of them that getting snagged on twigs and slapped by leaves was preferable to running into Wilhelm or a different villain.

Being carried along gave Angel some time to drift off and reconsider that particular subject. What was the extent of the cyborg's relationship with the League? The most likely scenario to her was that he had hired himself out to the organization under his mercenary persona, that Shigaraki wasn't even aware of his true objective to get closer to her. There was only one person he was loyal to; the highest bidder. And she was currently working under the assumption that the League didn't have nearly as money and influence as Wilhelm's true employer.

Which brought her to a more daunting possibility. What if the League was allied with him? She knew that man more than she'd like, including what methods he employed to get what he wanted. He would always send someone to do the dirty work, working through multiple layers of proxies and false aliases to prevent the crimes being connected back to him. She knew, acting as one for most of her life. It wouldn't be that much of a stretch that he would employ the League to capture her, with promises of the near limitless resources at his disposal.

It was a pattern she had seen before. If it was true, he would have hired the League to capture her with the assistance of his main enforcer. With it coinciding with their goal to strike at hero society, Shigaraki would be more than happy to accept, she guessed. Then once she was taken and handed over, the villain's would be immediately doublecrossed, tipped off to the authorities or taken out through more "permanent" means.

A warehouse engulfed in flames came to mind before she cast it away.

Regardless of whether the League had his support, it changed her current situation very little. All she needed to worry about right now was evading capture along with her friends. She needed to-

*Whack!*

A branch suddenly swatted her in the face, making her yelp and sputter.

"Oops! Are you alright?" Ashido asked, stopping the trio so she could lean in and inspect her for injuries.

Angel blew a raspberry, spitting out some seeds that had gotten in her mouth. "I'm fine. Ugh, that smarts."

"Sorry about that. Didn't catch that one."

"It's okay. Let's keep going." She stated, more than eager to put more distance between them and danger.

"Slow down. You need to pace yourself Mademoiselle." Aoyama gently chided as they returned to a slow, tilted gait. "We don't want you to get hurt even more."

"Easy for you to say pal." Ashido shot back. "You're not the one with a target on you."

"True, true. Though that makes me wonder…" He turned to Angel. "Why is the League after you?"

"Actually, yeah! What did you do? Don't tell me you know those guys too!" The pink girl wondered. Angel shook her head with a sigh,

"I think I might have an idea. You remember that Shigaraki guy?"

"Their leader? That weirdo with the hands?" Ashido blinked.

"That man with the horrid split ends?"

Both girls turned and stared at Aoyama who shrugged. "I've only seen pictures and that's what stood out to me. He really needs a proper shampoo and conditioner."

"Can't argue with that." Angel muttered. "But yeah, that guy. I stopped him from killing Midoriya at USJ. Almost… killed him by accident and shot him in the hand."

They both blinked in awe, regarding her in a new light.

"Damn, I wondered what that big laser beam was back then. You go girl!" Ashido gaped.

"You think he'd be that petty?" Aoyama questioned and Ashido gave him a dry look.

"You're asking if the unstable maniac who tried to kill All-Might wouldn't hold a grudge?"

"Touché. It just seems like a lot of effort to get Angel-chan of all people-err, no offense." He glanced nervously at Angel who just waved him off.

"No no, I get it. Honestly, I'm not that thrilled about being so da-, um, darn special here."

"I don't blame you. What about Bakugo-kun then?"

Angel froze. Right, she had almost forgotten. She wasn't the only one the League wanted. To be fair to her, one often forgets things in the harrowing escape from a rampaging cyborg hunter.

Aoyama hummed. "I've… got a theory. But you probably are not going to like it."

Both girls looked at him and he gave a grim expression. "The League probably think they can make him join them."

The trio immediately came to a halt.

"What the hell Aoyama-kun?! That's not cool!" Ashido hissed.

"Bakugo-kun is one of us, a hero student! He wouldn't throw it all away like that!" Angel protested in a mix of outrage and shock.

Aoyama raised a brow, the only one he could move with his black eye anyway. "I'm not saying he will, it's just… do you remember the last few months, the Sports Festival? Is that how a hero acts?"

Ashido hesitated. "I mean… Bakugo is, well… okay, he can be a bit of an ass, but do you really think he'd join the bad guys?"

"I bet they think so. From the outside looking in, he seems like a horrible person. I personally don't think he would, given the option, but to them? With his… violent nature and his powerful quirk, he must seem like a prime candidate."

They all went silent at that. He did bring up a good point. With how much he thrashed and screamed when he was trussed up on the winner's podium at the festival, he looked as far from a future hero as one could be.

Didn't mean that Angel agreed with the idea.

"I don't think so." She said, quietly. "Bakugo-kun is difficult, I'll admit. But… call me crazy, but I think he's the last person we have to worry about turning on us. None of us are."

Her carriers turned to her. Ashido had a grateful smile on her face and she laughed.

"I think so too! Bakugo-kun may be loud and abrasive, but I bet he's a big ol' softy under all of that attitude! Glad to know you think of me like that, not considering that I could be a bad guy!"

Angel sighed, relieved at her agreement.

"You really think of all of us that well?"

They turned to Aoyama, who had an odd look to him. Astonishment perhaps?

"Why wouldn't I?"

"We've only known each other for three months. Do you really have that much faith in all of us?"

Angel smiled. Was he surprised that she cared that much about him and everyone else that much? She didn't blame him. She found herself asking the inverse of that when it came to how her friend's regarded her a long while ago.

"Yep. Every single one of you."

"Not even Mineta?" Ashido quickly added, getting a snort out of her.

"Oh please. His biggest crime would be stealing from lingerie stores."

That made all three of them snicker and giggle. Nothing like a joke at the class pervert's expense to raise morale.

*Snap!*

The warm mood blew out like a candle and they all froze.

"What was that?!" Ashido whispered.

"Get down!" Angel said and they knelt down in the centre of some tall bushes. They remained quiet, straining their ears for whoever made that sound.

Then they heard it. A set of heavy footsteps. They were getting closer.

"I-Is it him?" Aoyama asked.

Angel shook her head. "It's not Wilhelm. I would have sensed the machines in his body."

"Then who?" Ashido wondered.

"Just keep quiet."

So they did, waiting with baited breath. The far off treading became a plodding stomp as it drew closer and closer.

"Hoooouahhhh…" A low groan reached their ears. Angel's mind raced. That didn't sound like any of her classmates, but it didn't rule out the chance that it was someone from 1-B instead.

The stomping approached closer still and she felt the weight of the new arrival through the ground.

She held a finger up to her mouth, signaling to her companions to keep silent. Then, as carefully as she could muster, she reached out and started peeling the brush back like a curtain. In a moment, she created a wide enough gap and she peered through.

As soon as Angel had, her offhand shot to her mouth to stifle a gasp. Standing amidst the trees was a bulky, male figure. A tall, muscular individual dressed in nothing but a tattered pair of shorts. Their skin was a sickly yellow pallor, ridden with green boils the size of golf balls, which bulged and pulsated in a grotesque manner. On the end of their arms were two large tentacles that wiggled this way and that, as if searching for something. Mounted on their head was some kind of bear trapped shaped contraption, a blank eyeball poking out from behind the serrated jaws. Their mouth hung open, a long tongue flopping in the air as listless moans escaped its maw.

Angel knew what it was. She had nearly erased one at USJ and had read about their involvement in the Hero Killer incident in Hosu. The League's biological weapons, the Nomu.

She hadn't even considered them in her earlier musings. She shuddered to think what he would do with these monsters, whatever they were. Their power was undeniable, solely in their logic defying capability to have more than one quirk, if she remembered the news articles correctly.

That black one from USJ. She still had nightmares of that monstrosity. Something that had taken the entirety of her powers and had gotten back up to fight the symbol of peace to a near standstill.

Now she was faced with another one and if she had to guess, it was looking for them.

It paced around a bit, slowly turning its head back and forth, scanning for prey. The entire time, it wouldn't stop making that unsettling groan.

Angel held her breath. It could have heightened senses for all she knew.

Right as she thought that, the Nomu's back stiffened and its head cocked up. Did it hear or smell her?

But it didn't turn or do anything actually. It just stood there, stiff as a board.

After several nail biting seconds and without warning, it turned away from Angel and started walking off in a different direction. One that might have made her curse if she wasn't so focused on staying undetected.

She kept staring after the abomination as it continued on its course, gradually getting further away and out of sight. Only then did she breathe out and slump to the ground.

"W-What was that? Are you okay?" Ashido whispered, the stinging scent of vinegar hitting Angel's nose from the traces of acid she was sweating.

She swallowed and nodded, running a hand through her hair. "I-It was a Nomu."

"Oh no… not those things!" Aoyama whimpered.

"Well, the good news is that it didn't spot us and he left. The bad news…" She grimaced. "The bad news is that it's heading towards the lodge. It's in our way."

"Ugggggh!" The pink girl whined, dragging her hands over the sides of her face and making it stretch. "Seriously?! Can't we catch a break?!"

"W-What now then?" Aoyama said, hugging his vulnerable stomach.

Angel nibbled her thumbnail. "If that thing is going that way, the lodge isn't an option anymore. We can't go back to the lake, but we need to keep moving. I guess our best choice is to move forward from here, head towards the clearing at the start of the trail. The Pussycats might still be there. We will be safer with them. Makes sense?"

Her friends nodded.

"Oui, it does."

"Better than anything I could come up with."

"Sounds like a great idea~!"

Angel had barely enough time to look up and see the dark shape drop from the treetops before something slammed down on Aoyama's head! He crumpled and the figure raised something that glinted in the scarce light, pointed downward at Ashido. She yelped and threw herself out of the way, making the blade whistle and cut only air. Rolling away, Angel stumbled to her feet, adrenaline helping her forget her ankle for a brief moment.

"Awww, don't be like that." A high pitched voice chided, the silhouette stepping over Aoyama's body and out of the shadows. It was a teenage girl, thin and pale skinned with a head of messy, sandy blonde hair, most of it tied up into spiky buns on either side of her head. She was dressed in a cream colored, oversized sweater and a blue, thigh low, pleated skirt. Combined with the brown shoes, thigh high socks and the red bow hanging on her chest, it looked like a high school uniform.

The normality ended there, Angel was sure no school had a scarf designed as a carnivorous mouth such as the one draped around her neck. Nor the apparatus worn on her back, with hoses attached to clear cylinder containers or the tactical gear pouches on a belt on her waist or tied around her legs.

"That's no way to treat new friends~!" The girl giggled from behind the breathing mask covering her mouth. Her eyes were like a cat, irises a vibrant gold and slit pupils.

Angel swallowed, her feet edging back an inch. It was only out of concern for her friends that she wasn't trying to run right now, sprain or not. Everything about this new girl was setting off alarm bells in her head. She looked to be her age, but she was already a dangerous criminal running around with the likes of the League? The way she tenderly held the knife in her hand like one would a beloved toy was enough to make her heart race. But there was something else about her, something that she couldn't quite place.

The scariest part was that it was familiar.

"Aoyama-kun!" Ashido yelled in shock. The boy's form was still, lying face first on the ground, a spot of red coloring his hair. She prayed he was only unconscious.

"Oh, don't worry about him! He's just taking a little nap!" The girl said without a care in the world, as if she wasn't trying to kill them. "Great, right? Now that the icky boy is out of the way, we girls can have some fun!" She cheered, hugging her knife to her chest.

"You psycho!" Ashido cried, drops of acid falling from her hands and hitting the grass with a hiss. "What do you w-want from us?!"

"Mm?" The girl tilted her head, tapping her finger against her mask. "What do I want? I want to make some new friends! It's so nice to meet you Mina-chan! Your skin is so cute!"

Both Angel and Ashido stiffened. "H-How do you know my name?"

"I get around." She answered and turned her head, her gaze landing on Angel. She pointed her blade. "And you must be Angel-chan! Such a pretty name! I'm sooo jealous!"

Angel grit her teeth. The League must have learned more about the class after the Sports Festival. That meant they knew what their quirks were and they didn't.

"Thanks. And you are?" She asked slowly.

"Oopsie! My bad!" The girl giggled again and gave a small curtsy. "I'm Himiko Toga! But you can call me Himi-chan! Or Koko, that's fun too!" She reached back and pulled out a small nozzle attached to a hose leading into her backpack, holding it in her free hand. "Anyway, I think it's time we got to know each other a little better, yeah? So if you don't mind…" A needle extended from the nozzle. "...could you share a little bit of your blood with me?"

Angel immediately shuddered, her foot inching back again. She hated needles on the best of days, let alone ones wielded by a maniac.

"Like it? It's not cute at all, but this machine is totes useful. Normally I have to cut you open and give you a little kiss. But with this I just need to make a little jab-jab and it'll do suck-suck all by itself! Wanna see?"

Angel's hand was up in an instant, pointed straight at Toga and markings alight.

"Stay! Back!" She spat, trying to keep her arm steady.

Toga's eyes glittered and she gasped in astonishment. "Ooo~! They said that you glowed, but it's so much better than I imagined! Mind if I get a closer look?"

Flipping her knife over in her hand, Toga lowered herself into a crouch and sprung!

"Mina-chan! She's coming! Keep her back!" Angel yelled.

"You got it!" Her friend responded, throwing her arms out.

The two girls opened fire, bolts flying out in a burst from Angel's finger, followed by a torrent of acid. In a surprising display of athletic prowess not expected of an average looking girl, Toga dashed back and forth, nimbly evading their initial salvo and taking cover behind the trees.

"She's too quick!" Ashido gasped.

"Keep it together! Just make sure not to hit Aoyama!" Angel told her, taking a page from Salvador's book by aiming both her hands separately. She was immediately struck with a sense of dejavu, back to her first lesson with Maya. She was better now, but if Toga got too close, she knew she'd suffer more than a finger to the throat.

Their assailant poked her head out from the side of the tree, waggling her fingers near her ears. "Peekaboo!"

Angel managed to fire four bolts off before Toga darted back behind the tree, the projectiles and Ashido's acid splashing against the bark. The blonde then leapt out from the other side, whipping her arm at them and there was a small glint. The next thing Angel knew, Toga's knife had embedded itself in her friend's thigh almost handle deep. With a screech, Ashido went down clutching her leg as dark red spilled out on her pink skin.

"Mina-chan!" Angel shouted, watching her drop before realizing that she should be focusing on the enemy. Said foe had taken the opportunity to close the distance considerably, only a couple meters away.

"You just wait right there Mina-chan! I'll be with you after me and Angel-chan get friendly!" The blonde said, another knife sliding into her palm with a flick of the wrist.

Her safe range compromised, Angel squared her shoulders, palms out and legs wide, entering her defensive stance. Her backfoot's ankle throbbed, but she remained steady.

She had just gathered enough energy in her hands when Toga pulled her arm back for a stab. She twisted her body away as soon as it came, her hand coming around and knocking the weapon aside. Her target left wide open, she wound her fist and slammed it into the other girl's stomach.

A burst of phase energy and Toga grunted as she was sent sprawling back several feet. She recovered quickly, hitting the ground in a roll before settling on one knee.

"Mmm…" She moaned, sounding alarmingly happy despite the circumstances, a light blush on her cheeks. She pulled the breath mask down and bared her teeth in a wide smile, her incisors longer and pointed. "Such fun! It's been so long since I've had someone to play with, especially one that lasts so long!" She said, retrieving another knife from behind her back.

'Of course she had a third knife.' Angel bemoaned, recharging her palms and staring down her opponent.

"Here I come!" The deranged schoolgirl called out, running wildly toward her. Angel tensed when Toga suddenly swung her arms again. It turned out Toga had quite a few more than three knives, as two more blades flew from her oversized sleeves, coming straight for her face!

They were fast, but the telekinetic tomato exercise had prepared her for speed, her arms flying up to swat the thrown knives one after the other, sparks flying from her hands with each deflection. When she brought her hands back down, she was met with the sight of Toga a foot away right before she rammed right into Angel's stomach, making her cough out in surprise. The blonde's arms wrapped around her torso while she tackled her.

Angel growled, trying to hold her ground. But much like the ill-fated Achilles, her weak heel or ankle in this case, failed her when she needed it most. It stung and her leg buckled, sending the two girls to the ground. She gasped, the impact and Toga's weight on her stomach knocking the wind out of her. In an instant, Toga was straddling her chest, her knees pinning Angel's arms down. Her captor threw her arms up and cheered.

"Yay! I win! Wasn't that fun Angel-chan?"

"G-Get off of me!" She grunted, trying to throw Toga off, but to no avail. She tilted her head to the side. Ashido was still on the ground, crying and clutching the blade lodged in her leg and Aoyama was still lying face down, the rise and fall of his body being the only indication he was alive. They were in dire straits. Here she was at the mercy of a lunatic while her friends either bled out or choked on his own tongue. How was she going to get out of this?

Her attention snapped back when Toga giggled again.

"Ohh, this day couldn't get any better!"I made some new friends and one of them is one of Shiggy's special targets!" She leaned down until their faces were a few inches apart. Angel's breath was short and erratic as she tried to tilt away as much as possible. Toga gasped and perked up. "Maybe he wants you to join us! Oh that would be the greatest! There aren't many girls in the League, mostly dumb dudes like that Muscular jerk!"

She moved down even closer and nuzzled Angel's cheek, letting out a low purr, blissfully ignoring the look of disgust on her captive's face. "I can't wait to get to know you better." She said in a husky whisper, making Angel's skin crawl. She was still getting used to physical contact, only becoming able to hug her friends just recently. She was definitely not comfortable with being touched so intimately by someone she didn't even know, let alone an unhinged killer.

Eventually Toga ceased the contact, making Angel thankful for small miracles.

"I've got to say Angel-chan, I am super jealous of your tattoos." She said, resting her blade on the glowing, circular marking in the centre of Angel's rapidly heaving chest. Her pulse spiked at the sight, that all it would take is one quick thrust and it'd be all over.

"People don't like tattoos around here, so you're really lucky that it's part of your power." Toga continued, moving the knife to her arm. She proceeded to drag the sharp tip along her arm, not pressing hard enough to break skin, rather just tickling Angel instead. She traced the gleaming swirls like she was playing connect the dots.

Angel peeked at Toga's face. Her golden eyes were wide and shimmering in the light from her prisoner's body, almost hypnotized.

"So pretty…so pretty… I wish I had them." She muttered, the blade stopping in the middle of Angel's palm. She could feel her pulse throbbing against the cool metal. "White goes so well with red, don't you agree?"

The knife made a quick swipe across her skin and Angel yelped from the sudden pain. Blood quickly started oozing from the wound.

"Aaaah~!" Toga sighed, her breathing becoming heavier as she held the knife up. Bringing it to her nose, she took a deep sniff. The whole time, Angel watched on in a horrified fascination, petrified by the sight of this girl enamored with her vital fluids. Her expression reminded her of someone taking in the scent of an expensive, delicious treat.

Toga's face reddened and she let out a little squeal, shimmying in place on top of her.

"Mmm! Your blood smells so sweet Angel-chan! I can't wait to try it!" She complimented, retrieving a small vial from her belt and flicking the few drops inside. While Angel tried to make sense of what she meant by that, she snapped a cap on and stowed it away, leaning back over. She gave her an exuberant smile, unmitigated joy swirling in her eyes. It only served to elevate Angel's dread, a small flash of another darker skinned face passing through her mind.

"I think blood is the cutest." Toga admitted. "It's the deepest thing that one can share. Money, gifts, secrets. They're all shit compared to blood. It's a part of you, so… uniquely your own."

She raised the needle in her other hand and pointed the tip down at Angel. Her fanged grin widened.

"Wanna share some more with me, bestest friend?"

With one last excited snicker, the needle plunged down.