"I'm listening, brat." There it was again – that absolute confidence and certainty. Sukuna spoke as though every single thing would go his way, as though he'd laid every single piece on the board and had predicted every single move his opponent was going to do. She hated it – that hubris. It felt as though Sukuna, the monster that he was, saw everything and everyone as beneath him, beneath his notice, that he had no equal. It was the absolute certainty that everything would go his way. But that was also his weakness, a window of opportunity that she could exploit. It meant he'd underestimate her. So, she had to be smart about this.

Before she could lay out her terms, Taylor had to consider just who she was dealing with. She'd once read a spy novel, which belonged to her mom, wherein the character monologues about the nature of diplomacy and negotiation, and of the most important things for either of those things was knowing one's counterpart.

So, what did she know about Sukuna?

Well, she knew that he was a murderer and had no qualms about killing people – innocent or otherwise, minor or adult. And he made it clear that the incident at Winslow was not the first or the last time he'd taken lives. Based entirely on his words, Taylor figured that, at the very least, Sukuna was a cannibal. The thought made her pale and nauseous. Taylor gulped. Here she was, about to make a deal with someone who was bad enough to be a member of the Slaughterhouse Nine. Honestly, she wanted to cry and bang her head against the nearest wall for even considering this, but... Sukuna was right... she always wanted to be a hero, to be a paragon of virtue, like Alexandria. Taylor shook her head and focused. She also knew that he had the power to slice and dice well... anything around him. Taylor didn't know the limits of that particular power, but it was probably his main offensive ability. The most surprising thing had been the fact that he could heal people.

Sukuna healed her father, after all.

So, the monster had the power to kill and preserve life.

Truthfully, Taylor had never even heard of anyone who possessed an ability like that. But, all things considered, it should hide her, somewhat, if she was recognized as a healer and not the human slicer.

An image of Emma's final moments flashed in her mind's eye, her former best-friend reduced to ribbons and cubes, and Taylor nearly doubled over and puked right then and there. But she held herself. She couldn't afford to appear weak in front of Sukuna.

So, in conclusion, the only way this could work was if she stopped Sukuna from killing entirely, but that'd be akin to dangling a juicy piece of meat in front of a lion and expecting it not to bite down; so, her next best course of action, loathe as she was admit it, was to control who Sukuna killed. The monster was a psychopath who didn't discern between civilians and capes; he was going to kill anyway, no matter what Taylor wanted. This was the next best thing, right?

And so, Taylor breathed in, keeping her face straight and narrow and as serious as she could make it out to be. "You let me heal thirty people. And, after the thirtieth, you come out for three hours, but you're only allowed to kill the people I tell you to."

Of course, the reflection on the mirror cackled with unrestrained laughter. "Hahahaha! You're an amusing little brat, aren't you? Acting strong and tough, when we both know you're just a scared little girl, who's in way over her head."

Taylor's fists clenched at the insult. She would've shot back a reply if Sukuna hadn't continued. As he spoke, that infuriating, confident grin did not disappear. "But, I can see where your head's at, little heroine. Tell you what, since I'm feeling gracious; forty people – you can heal forty people. After which I take over your body for five hours and I only kill villains. No one else gets hurt."

Villains... only villains, like herself... but also people like Hookwolf and Kaiser, Lung and Oni Lee, the villains who've been around for a very long time and have brought nothing but misery to Brockton Bay. People used to joke that Brockton Bay was a breeding ground for villains and, compared to the rest of America, those people had a point. There were so many villains here that it seemed like new ones popped out every few months or so, including the ones who wore no costumes and did not run around with a fancy name or gimmick. But... was it okay to kill them?

Taylor frowned. But, then again, what about all the people they've killed? Did they ask that question? Did it even matter to them? Did they think that their lives were somehow more important because they had powers? It was only fair, wasn't it? The mere idea of killing others made her feel sick, but she was already a murderer, wasn't she? It didn't matter anymore. She'd already crossed the line that she should not have crossed. It was a little too late to pretend to be a saint, wasn't it? By this point, Taylor was already a villain. The most she could do to atone was to heal and save as many people as she possibly could, because that was the only thing she can do. And there patients in this understaffed hospital who'd die slow and painful deaths without her help, unless Panacea suddenly arrived and cured everyone of everything.

Taylor breathed in. Think... think of the long-term consequences.

As long as Sukuna truly followed this Binding Vow thing he mentioned, then Taylor... didn't see a lot of consequences, honestly. Unless they changed the rules, then she foresaw nothing going wrong. She was curious, however, as to how a Binding Vow actually worked and why a monster, like Sukuna, would bother following it. The only possible answer was, once again, it had something to do with the nature of its power, a consequence of some kind, one that was hazardous enough that even a monster would be forced to follow. She could only hope it was something of that nature; otherwise, why would Sukuna even suggest it?

Right, moving on.

She'll need a costume – two costumes, actually. One, she'd wear as a healer. And another for Sukuna to wear, separating the both of them; it'd have to cover her hair and, really, all of her features so make sure it couldn't be traced to her. Either way, she didn't want anyone to know that she had powers at all – if what she had could even be called a power. If anything, it felt like she was merely a jailer. "You can take over approximately one hour after I heal the fortieth person or until I allow you to, and you'll have to wear a costume."

Despite everything, Tailor already had a bunch of ideas in mind.

Her reflection's grin did not fade. "You're lame, but I can live with that. However, since I'm stuck with you, I'd like to add that, in the case of an emergency, like if you're knocked out cold or otherwise in mortal danger and can do nothing about it, then I'll come out and stay out just until you're awake or until the danger is gone – same rules apply. Sound good, brat?"

Taylor breathed in, running every possible scenario and situation in her head, where this might come back to bite her in the ass and she found... well... nothing. As long as Sukuna kept his word, then all was well. The terms of their 'vow' were clear enough that there were no ways to actually wiggle through them. Yep. Safe. Completely safe. She'd be a hero – a healer at that. She could save a lot of people. After a moment, Taylor breathed in and nodded. Everything sounded well and good... well... good enough, at least, for someone who was dealing with a monster. Oh god... I hope this doesn't come back to haunt me.

"I accept," She said.

And her reflection's grin faded into a slight smile as it laid a finger over the left side of its chest, over Taylor's heart. And then, Taylor felt something wrapped around her, like spectral chains. There was an energy to it, she noted, like a field of thick air or something. She could almost reach out to it, but its very presence was discomforting in the extreme, like every single bad dream she'd ever had, rolled into one. A single tear fell from her eye as Sukuna spoke, her reflection staring at her with crimson eyes. "A vow has been made, Taylor Hebert. Neither you nor I can break it. This should be fun."

Taylor did not miss the grin on her reflection's face just before the tattoos and the crimson eyes faded away, revealing only her oh-so mundane face.

She walked out of the bathroom and marched back into the ICU. When she arrived, her father was already free of bandages, sitting on the edge of his bed, and chatting with the same doctor from before; he looked healthy – alive, unburnt. He turned to her and his eyes widened. Taylor walked up to him. "Dad... you're okay."

Her dad smiled. "Yeah. I'm okay, kiddo. Doctor Halsey's just finishing up with... uhm... what were you doing, doc?"

"Checking your blood pressure," Doctor Halsey replied. "Should be done in a moment- and, there we go. Your blood pressure's normal – as is everything else. With that out of the way, I formally declare you fit to get out of here, because someone else could use this bed. Don't worry about the paper work; it's already done. Mister Hebert, there are some clothes over there – donations and stuff. Pick one – or don't. I don't really care."

"Remember," Doctor Halsey finished, her gaze turning to Taylor. "I won't tell anyone as long as no one comes asking. If the police or the PRT comes knocking on my door, looking for you, then my lips ain't sealed."

"Thank you for everything, doctor," Her dad said, nodding as he stood up and walked towards a crate that was filled with clothes. Taylor turned away as her dad got rid of the hospital gown and began rummaging through the donated clothes. It took him only a moment to fit a pair of jeans that were too large for him and a red shirt that clearly used to be white, but at least fit him well enough. They then walked out of the hospital, together. "We've got a lot to talk about, kiddo. The doctor said we shouldn't talk about it here, however. Let's go home."

"I want to help these people, dad," Taylor said, her eyes glued to all the injured and the sick and the dying. "I have the power to help them."

"There are cameras here, Taylor." Her dad said, his voice rising as he glanced around. Sure enough, there were plenty of cameras, one in every corner of the hospital. Taylor was pretty sure that only some of them still worked, but she'd never know. She wasn't sure why her dad was afraid, however. "Let's just... keep this to ourselves until we get home, okay? Let's talk about it properly there and we can both decide what to do about... all of this. I'm not against you in this, kiddo, but we need to sort this thing through – properly."

Taylor wanted to protest. She was here right now and there were people who could use her help immediately. Why did she have to wait? What was there to talk about? And then, it hit her. Of course. I don't have a costume.

She wasn't like Panacea. And she certainly didn't want to join the Wards and all the teenage drama that particular option entailed. Taylor didn't want her face plastered all over television, either. She didn't want fame. She just... she just wanted to be a hero, to help people. For now, however, she'd need a cape name and two costumes. Taylor frowned. The first one was easy, but... she had no idea how to make a costume.

AN: Advanced chapters are out on (Pat)reon! Check out the "Factioneer too" tier for advanced chapters, up to Chapter 6