Now onto Chapter twenty three! No hesitation, we're going now!"

!Trigger Warning! This Chapter mentions and deals with sexual assault. If you or someone you know has dealt with harassment, please make sure you or they are well and speak to a licensed professional.

)=(

"You will not take them!"

"I will defeat you, villain!"

"You're the villain of this story!"

Izuka woke up panting. Beads of cold sweat hung on her body as she looked around, her wild eyes searching for something… someone.

"Everything right 'zuka?" A mumble came from beside the young woman.

Mustard.

She was home. He was there with her. She was safe.

The young man lay with his head buried in a pillow. Beside him, the bedside clock read two fifty five.

"Y-yeah… just a nightmare…"

"Y'need water?"

Izuka nodded. "Yeah… and maybe the bathroom. I'll be back in a little bit."

The young man rolled over on his side. "I'll keep your side warm…"

Izuka nodded and stood up from the bed, before making her way over to her dresser. It was late, or early, depending on how one considered the time. Yet, Izuka didn't want to take any chances wandering the house in just her underwear.

The young woman opened her bottom drawer and pulled out a pair of sweatpants. After putting them on, she wiggled the top drawer out of the dresser, careful not to let it squeak. She quickly put on a shirt and slipped out of the room.

Izuka sighed as she tiptoed down the stairs and into the kitchen, where she found herself a glass and filled it halfway with water.

The young woman sat down at the kitchen table, curling her legs under her chair as she stared at the clear surface of her glass.

The warped, semitransparent reflection of her face would normally make it laugh, just like it used to with her mother.

Inko…

There wasn't a day when Izuka didn't wish her mother still lived. Lately, she had begun to feel more depressed at each thought.

The cloudy memories of Inos smile seemed more defined as of late.

'When did they get clearer in my mind…'

Izuka saw a flicker in the glass, and looked up at the kitchen entrance.

There was nothing to be seen.

With a bit of confusion, Izuka turned to look about the room.

Everything in the kitchen was in order. The white cupboards sparkled, do doubt from Mitsuki cleaning them two days prior. The mixer sat still, right next to a fruit bowl which housed a few apples and a mango. Near the toaster hung a bunch of bananas, which were slightly too unripe to be eaten.

"Izuka~"

The young woman whipped around as a whisper tickled her ear. There was nothing there, yet again.

Izuka sighed and shook her head, downing her glass of water before walking to the bathroom.

"Maybe I'm just crazy…" She chuckled, flicking the light on.

While she didn't have to go to the bathroom, she thought of splashing her face with water to snap out of a half sleep.

'Maybe then I can reset? Feels like everything is stuck between real and imaginary…'

Izuka turned on the faucet and began washing her face, before looking up at the bathroom mirror.

Staring back at her was the faceless man.

His teeth were perfectly straight, bared in a grin that was much too large to be possible. His nose and eyes were gone, covered in a mottled lump of twisted and scarred flesh.

Izuka's eyes dilated as she stepped back, throwing the soap dispenser on the counter into the glass, causing both to shatter.

The young woman stood panting, staring at the broken mirror, before blinking and clutching her head.

"Shit… Shit! That was aunt Mitsuki's favorite soap dispenser!"

The porcelain frog was now missing its eyes, and a decent chunk of its back had broken off as well, revealing the hollow chamber that could be refilled with soap.

Izuka reached forward to try to clean up, but slipped on a glob of soap and quickly moved to catch herself, slicing her hand open in the process.

Wincing at the hint of pain, Izuka clutched her hand. The cut wasn't super deep, but it was deep enough for her to see that she almost nicked an artery. The blood vessel stood out amongst the muscle, pulsing as blood pumped through it.

Izuka scrabbled around in panic, hoping to find a bandage to fix her hand. She didn't register how much blood she got on the sink until she grabbed the hand towel and used it to wrap her injury.

"Shit… and I thought it couldn't get any worse.

Izuka did her best to mop up the mess with a bath towel, before sweeping up the shards of glass and depositing them in the trash can.

After the adrenaline rush, she thought it best to step out for a breath of fresh air.

The night was cool. Not to warm, not to chilly, just at a perfect, soothing temperature.

Izuka took a breath in through her nose, and exhaled through her mouth, letting the air flow freely and take the heat away from her mind.

"Quite the slip you just had."

Izuka whipped to the side to find the face of her dead mother, staring at her from the depths of a few bushes.

"H-how… y-you're supposed to be d-dead…"

The apparition walked towards Izuka, a strangely eerie smile on her face. "My love… I will always be with you."

Izuka stepped back as the beings arms drifted forward, before the woman collapsed, her legs crushed by an unseen force.

Izuka held her breath in horror as not-Inko's face turned beet red, before fading to blue. The being slumped to the ground and melted away.

The young woman looked at the pavement where the image of her mother previously stood. Upon the slab of concrete sat a silver wedding band.

The wedding band that her mother used to wear.

Izuka looked around rapidly, hoping to catch a glimpse of Mitsuki, or even Katsuki playing a stupid prank.

Yet she found no one.

"What kind of s-sick joke…"

Izuka froze, seeing the faceless man grinning at her yet again from down the street.

The mans grin split as his lips formed words, none of which traveled far enough for Izuka to hear. But, she did find it easy to read his lips, and one word was being chanted on repeat.

Follow

Izuka shakily stepped onto the sidewalk, slowly creeping down the street towards the street light. When she reached it, she could see the man standing at the next corner, his grin still unwavering, his face still nonexistent.

Clouds passed overhead in the night sky, causing the moon to flicker as Izuka continued to follow the man.

Their little game of follow the leader wound through blocks, and out of the residential district, slipping into a bustling night street.

Several men with beards and tattoos laughed loudly, belching as they drank alcohol and hung with scantily clad women.

Izuka kept her head down, following the faceless man closer than before. She ducked under neon lights and slipped past piled up trash, before watching the man dip down into an alley.

As she turned, she saw single red door close, and so she walked up and entered whatever business was behind it.

A dimly lit bar, with a few ruffians playing cards or pool. A man with quite a few piercings sat behind the counter, pouring himself a double shot of what appeared to be souju.

Izuka looked around the room, but found nobody who looked like the man she had followed. Many of them had dyed hair or tattoos, and all of them had faces.

"Um… excuse me?" Izuka walked up to the bartender.

"Huh? What's a pretty girly like you doin' out… yer all dressed up in yer pajamas kid, someone might try to get lucky…"

Izuka shuddered as the mans eyes gleamed. She felt the eyes of every patron fall on her and instantly felt a wave of disgust travel down her body.

"I'm looking for someone… a man…"

"Well look no further." The bartender chuckled. "As long as you're prepared to be a woman!"

The bar erupted with laughter as Izuka rolled her eyes in disgust. "He has no face."

The bar went completely silent and the man looked her up and down. "No face… huh?"

Izuka nodded, causing the bartender to shift uncomfortably for a moment, before he handed her a business card.

"Red door on the left…" The man said. Izuka thanked him and walked to the door, looking at the card in the process.

"Giri's Tavern… hm."

As she stepped through the door, a gust of wind hit her in the face. Izuka blinked and looked up, finding herself outside again.

The young woman turned and found that the door she had walked through was gone. "What in the world?"

Izuka shook her head and walked out of the alley and onto an unfamiliar road. A train whizzed overhead, drawing the young womans attention upward, where she saw a billboard atop a shorter building.

"How in the hell am I in Kamino?"

)=(

Mustard yawned as his eyes flickered open.

'Izuka went to get a drink around two fifty eight… what time is it?'

The young man looked at the bedside clock, which read three o'clock.

'She's probably using the bathroom… I'll just wait for her to get back.'

The young man turned over and closed his eyes, not noticing the clock tick back to two fifty nine as he was once again consumed by sleep.

)=(

Izuka ducked behind the wall of a smoke shop as a few less than desirable characters walked by. Two men and a woman, all drunk or high. The larger of the two men chuckled as he smacked the woman's rear.

Izuka froze as the woman chuckled and kissed the man back, before they stumbled blindly into the alley she was currently hiding in.

Izuka covered her mouth as they began to strip, and quickly looked away as she tried to leave the alley.

"Hey there… you're a pretty lookin' one."

Izuka's eyes widened as her wrist was grabbed by the second man, who swung her around and pulled her face in close.

She could smell alcohol on the mans breath. The scent was thick and heavy, invading Izukas nose and causing her to hold back a cough.

"Come on butterfly… you wanna give me a good time?"

Izuka tried to pull away, but the man grabbed the back of her head and forced his face to his. The young woman gagged as she was forced into the kiss, and threw the man off in desperation.

"WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU?" She shouted. The man got to his feet and chuckled.

"A lot of things girly. I was hoping I wouldn't have to use this, but here goes nothing."

Izuka doubled over as the man appeared in front of her, his palm outstretched into her stomach. She could feel something burning as she crumpled, retching as the pain traveled through her gut.

"Get used to it hun. My quirk is called Harem master. Ready to serve me butterfly?"

Izuka grunted as her body moved on its own. She could still feel the burning sensation upon her stomach, which grew hotter and snapped as she rebelled.

Izuka yelped and fell to her knees, before yanking herself upwards. "Who the hell… do you think you are?"

"Oh that's cute… isn't it cute Shiro? She's trying to fight it."

Izua could hear the chuckle of the bigger man, who currently had the woman making some rather obscene noises. "Put her in her place Ken."

Izuka screamed as she forced her body to stand up, the burning sensation turning into a stabbing pain.

"If you resist my quirk effect for too long, it'll break your mind. You won't ever be the same. Come on butterfly. Just give in." The man grinned, showing yellowed teeth.

Izuka cried out as he grabbed for her clothing and tore it off. As he leapt atop her, her mind snapped.

The man shouted out as he was slammed headfirst into the ground. A few teardrops spatted next to him, causing him to look up at the girl who had fought back. "Feisty huh? I like 'em that way."

Izuka didn't care about the pain that continued to twist across her body. This man was a true villain. It didn't matter if he was drunk or influenced in some other way. He was pure evil.

"You do not deserve your quirk." Izuka snarled.

"Too bad you can't take it away. You're no eraserhead."

"But I can."

Izuka's eyes widened at the new voice. She turned to see the faceless man, his foot in the remains of the other mans head. The woman that he was with lay unconscious on the ground.

"Who the hell-"

"You're here…" Izuka whispered.

The faceless man's unhinged grin wasn't present upon his face as he walked towards Izuka and the rapist. "Drop him for me please."

Izuka obliged, letting the rapist scrabble to his feet. He tried to run, but was stopped as loose wires ensnared his body.

"You will stay put for a moment." The faceless man nodded, before turning to Izuka.

"I apologize… I did not wish to put you in danger."

"Who are you." Izuka shook her head. "Why do I keep seeing you? And why are you always by my mothers ghost?"

"Oh sweet one… I am sorry that I was too late… one of my quirks allows me to take memories, but if those memories are not restored, your mind will attempt to fill them. Most cases cause schizophrenia… I have done my best to restore your mind, but I fear that some of this has already set in…"

"Y-you're saying that… some of the stuff I see isn't real? Is Kiken real?"

The faceless man chuckled and roughed up Izuka's hair. "You overestimate your own disadvantage… He is quite real. I am glad you found a young man like him… Now let me see your stomach."

Izuka shivered as she uncovered her bare skin. The faceless man frowned as he saw… sensed? A change upon her body.

A black heart with a crown sat just below her belly button, bringing to mind slave crests from fantasy manga.

"What a disgusting power…" The faceless man shook his head. "I do not believe I can remove it… but you can push it off as a tattoo."

Izuka nodded glumly.

"Chin up." The faceless man's grin returned. "I have another moment to give you… try not to go too crazy."

Izuka felt two fingers get pressed to her forehead, before a lancing pain, ten times greater than the one from the rapist's quirk, ran from her head and into the rest of her body.

Izuka stumbled as her vision went spotty. The faceless man let her fall to the ground as the rapist squirmed.

"What the hell-"

"You hurt that girl… I thought that many would know better by now. Especially since I own these streets."

"You… You're him! You're that villain!"

Izuka's vision began to fade quicker as the faceless man grabbed the rapists face. "No… you misunderstand…"

Red lightning surrounded the two, and the rapist screamed.

"You're the villain of this story."

Izukas vision faded to black.

"You will not hurt her…"

"I will defeat you Villain!"

"You're the villain of this story…"

Izuka's eyes shone as she saw the faceless man, but with a face, facing off against a large muscled hero, as flames burned around the apartment. Inko was suspended in midair, arm outstretched as she reached towards Izuka. The heroes face bore a horrific snarl as the faceless man gathered fire in his palms.

"All Might…"

Izuka woke up panting. Beads of cold sweat hung on her body as she looked around, her wild eyes searching for something… someone.

"Everything right 'zuka?" A mumble came from beside the young woman.

Izuka turned to mustard, who's face was buried in his pillow. The clock read two fifty five.

"Yeah…"

Izuka looked at her hand, which was no longer bandaged and bore no cut or scar. The young woman blinked in disbelief, before nodding and laying down with her boyfriend.

"Everything's fine…"

)=(

And there's chapter twenty three!

One of my favorite chapters so far, to be honest.

Leave a review and I'll see you in the next chapter!"