Chapter 43: Hostage Situation
'WHOOOSH!' I used my hands to turn the wheels of my wheelchair excessively as I had no time to lose! Shiina is being held hostage by Nagumo on the roof of the karaoke building! If I don't make it to them within the hour, she'll be killed! But I can't do this alone! That's why when I made my way to a redlight where cars passed by, I was forced to stop. I couldn't risk making my way onto the street and getting hurt. Because if that happens then Shiina really will be killed. And if that happens, I might as well die with her.
But that's not going to happen so I grabbed out my phone the moment I stopped moving my wheels and speed-dialed the people who could help me out during this crisis, my friends! But to my utmost surprise the call ended right as it started ringing. I couldn't believe it and tired again only for the same thing to happen once more. I even tried sending out a text that explained the situation but that didn't work too. And that's when I realized that it was due to the lack of cellular service!
'You've got to be kidding me!? Nagumo just called me a minute ago! Why the hell is happening now when I really need to call them?!' I thought internally as I began sweating profusely over remembering what happened to Sakura. The image of her being ruthlessly killed, something that I would never be able to forget played on repeat as it was all I could see. But as I my eyes closed on her face, it changed to Shiina's face. Unbeknownst to me, I had been hyperventilating and drew the attention of some people nearby.
"Hey, are you alright?" A girl around my age asked with a slightly worried look on her face. The instant I saw it I was brought back to reality and realized what I was doing. My panicking won't save anyone. It will only make things worse in the long run. But is this a chance? This girl has to have a phone on her right? If so, then-
"May I borrow your phone. It's an emergency. I promise to give it back right after I finish calling someone… please." I asked with a pleading look on my face as I couldn't do a single thing to hide my desperation over this turn of events. The girl noticed this and nodded. She then said, 'Here you go.' Before handing me her phone. I thanked her from the bottom of my heart while taking her phone. But then…
"W-Why…" I muttered with a horrified look on my face as the result was the same. That being that her phone had no cellular service as well. I couldn't understand why this was happening but not a moment later, I noticed that several students were just as confused as I was and were complaining about the lack of cellular service on their phones as well. It was then that I realized that this wasn't just affecting my phone but everyone in close proximity to me. But it would be rather strange if it was just affecting this little area. Which means…
… That the entire island must be experiencing the same thing. The only possible explanation is that 'he' was responsible for this. My 'mortal enemy' or at least that's how Jokata described him to be. The Doctor.
"… Garaki!" I muttered while gritting my teeth as if I could hear him laughing at me. Not that I knew his voice or what he looked like. But even still, I knew at this moment he had read my moves like a game of chess and had responded accordingly. He couldn't let the pieces that I had possession take out any of his pieces. Which is why he cheated by putting an impenetrable wall around my friends. One that would not be able to be broken no matter what I did. But as the light turned green, I was reminded of what I had to do by the person that I least expected to hear it from-
'… You can do it, Deku.' A voice muttered to me, one that I would never be able to forget for as long as I lived. That's why I recognized it instantly and along with the fact that it was her last words, it was without a shadow of a doubt the voice of none other than Airi Sakura. I looked around me only to see no trace of the pink haired girl in the slightest. But my eyes then went wide as I noticed below my feet was one single cherry blossom. How did that get there? No, there's no point in overanalyzing this situation. Not when…
… The girl I love is in danger!
"Thanks!" I replied before handing back the phone to the girl who lent it to me before putting the pedal to the metal so to speak by moving my wheels as fast as possible in order to reach my destination! But in the midst of that I couldn't help but reflect on what had happened before this. So many things have happened to me over the course of my time in this world, too many to count. In that time, I have gained people that I consider precious to me. But in that time, I have lost people who were undoubtably very important to me too.
'Young Midoriya… evade your eyes for what comes next is not something I would ever want you to see.' I've lost.
'Of course not. I don't have any strength to fight you with. If I did, I would have used it after everything you did to the person I love. Hahaha… how is it now that I can say how I really feel about you without any problems, Deku?' And lost.
'Midoriya, I appreciate those words. You are… so kind to me even when I don't deserve it. But… I can't just move on that easily. I still love you. And that's why I need to be alone for a while. It's probably going to be a while before we next see each other… but when we do… I'm going to smile again. Just… wait for that, okay?' And lost again. I've lost quite a few times over the course of this journey. But even though I have no right to call myself a hero anymore. Even still I…
'Deku… help… me.' LIKE HELL I'M GOING TO LOSE HER TOO! That thought along with my memories of her propelled me forward until I reached my destination, the karaoke building. It took me over forty minutes to reach it. This is due to the fact that Ichinose's place was quite far from the karaoke building. This left with under twenty minutes to get to the roof. That's why I wasted no time entering the building and making my way to the elevator. But as I pressed the button nothing happened. I didn't hear a single sound of the elevator moving down toward the first floor nor did I see the button turn another color to showcase that it was working. And then…
"Sorry kid. This elevator is out of service. Been like this for over an hour now. Can't tell you why though. It was working just fine this morning." A person who worked at the front desk explained to me while smoking a cigarette as I clenched my fists. Once again, things had not been in my favor. Not that it didn't make sense. The timeframe matches up since Nagumo must have held Shiina hostage for over an hour by now at the bare minimum. There's no way that's a coincidence. But even so I-
"Wait a second! You can't just go up the stairs in your condition!" The same person from before yelled out as their cigarette fell fight out of their mouth. But I ignored them completely as I opened the door to the emergency staircase and went through it as it slammed shut behind me. I then locked the door so that the person wouldn't be able to stop me before I got out of my wheelchair. I managed to stand up. But just as I moved a few steps forward-
'BAM!' I fell right on my face as the hard metal floor bruised me. Walking a few steps had been all I could manage up to this point in time. Any more than that and I would collapse like a house of cards. But I knew that would happen. But even still, I didn't let that stop me. Because if I can't use my legs…
… Then I'll use my arms! I then grabbed onto the nearby stairs and pulled myself toward them. I repeated the same motion as I crawled up the staircase, but by the time I had reached the second floor, five minutes had already passed. There were another three floors to scale and that would put me in the danger zone of reaching the time limit. But even so, I moved forward because I had no desire to lose anything else. But time began to slow down as it was a hurdle just making it over a single one of the stairs.
Fifteen minutes left!
'It must have been hard… losing someone that you cared so much about. I'm sorry for your loss.' Shiina's words played in my head as I crawled up the staircase while I made my way to the third year. Each of her kind words pushed me on further and further beyond my limits!
Ten minutes left!
'I haven't met a single hero in my life until I met you! You gave me the strength and courage to make a change! Gave me the power to smile in spite of it all! Gave me the power to smile every single day! Now it's my turn to be the one to make you smile!' Shiina's words played in my head again as I continued crawling up the staircase while making my way to the fourth floor. That's right. I don't believe that I'm a hero anymore. I couldn't even save a girl who was right in front of me. But Shiina believed in me. So, if I can only be a single person's hero…
… Then I'll just have to be her hero!
Five minutes left!
'How could you call Midoriya a coward after he fought for the sake of everyone? He didn't have to. In fact, he could have just run away, and no one would have blamed him. But he didn't. He fought so that no one would have been hurt by that monster. Knowing that, you still have the audacity to call that same man nothing more than a lowly, despicable coward? Sounds to me like the person you were trying to describe, was you.' The words of Shiina played in my mind once more as I crawled up the staircase and made my way toward the final floor.
But it was then that I had an epiphany and realized when and where I had fallen for Shiina. It was there in my classroom when she defended me with those very words. The sight of her standing tall with her arm outstretched and pointing at Kushida had been burned into my retinas. (It was also really cool.) And her words only made me admire her more. But I thought that was all there was too it, while noticing the tell-tale signs, specifically that my heart was beating over it and my cheeks were flushed. But even still, I summed them up as something I couldn't understand. Even though something similar had happened to me before this.
'Let him go back to his hero academy!' The words Uraraka said were just as passionate as the ones Shiina had used. That was probably when I fell in love with Uraraka… wasn't it? But even though they had similarities in the sense that they were defending me and that their words came from the heart, their delivery was all too different. Uraraka's voice was loud (Since she was using a megaphone) because she wanted her voice to be heard by everyone.
However, in stellar contrast to Uraraka, Shiina's voice was just her usual way of speaking. I don't think I had ever heard her raise her voice. And that's because she had no intention of doing so. She wanted her words to be heard, sure. But she could care less if other people ignored her. That's why she focused on one person, the culprit behind those traumatic events mine that resulted in my reputation among my classmates being shattered to pieces almost as if it was a piece of glass in the shape of a heart. Kushida intentionally had no qualms about breaking it and pretending that it wasn't her intention to do so to everyone but me.
I wholeheartedly believe that if Uraraka was in her place she would try to pick up those pieces and put them back together the best she could and show them to me with a smile on her face. But that's not what Shiina did in the slightest. Instead, she took those pieces and threw them right back at Kushida! I had never been defended like that before by a person who was willing to use what she had to prove the point that she was making even if her words were as sharp as a katana's blade. And that hidden side to her that I discovered in that moment…
… Was what without a shadow of a doubt made me fall head over heels for her. Time passed by as I accepted this internal realization as I closed in on the roof and used my arms to propel me forward until I-
'BAM!' Punched the door so hard that's its hinges were completely broken. The steel door fell to the ground as the two people on the roof were alerted to my presence. One was the blonde-haired man that had abducted the girl I sought to save. And the other person was that same girl, who I had fallen in love with for quite some time now. Both of which were surprised to see me as they stood at the edge of the roof. But even still I-
"I… made it… just in time." I said as I was gasping for breath over using my body that was still worn out over my fight with the High-End Nomu. It had only been a month and a half, and my body was still recovering from being overexerted to the point that it was a miracle that I was still among the living. I was definitely going to feel this in the morning, but I didn't care. I had no intention of letting any harm come to Shiina. That's why-
"… I'm here… to save you… Shiina." I declared with a face full of nothing but conviction and resolve as I stared into Shiina's eyes. The latter of which muttered 'Midoriya' under her breath and with tears in her eyes. But I didn't hear that, and if I did, it would have been a dead giveaway that something was amiss. However, I was too hyper focused on saving the girl in front of me that I didn't hear her words in the slightest. Instead, I focused on her appearance. She was wearing her school uniform, and she didn't seem to be hurt in the slightest. This made me breathe a sigh of relief, as I turned my attention from Shiina, to Nagumo.
"Let her go. I won't be asking you a third time, Nagumo." I continued with a voice that matched the look on my face as I glared daggers at Nagumo. It was then that I noticed the outfit that he was wearing which was quite different in comparison to the school uniform or tracksuit that I had seen on him previously. In its place was a black suit with a white shirt and collar poking out. I gritted my teeth as not only did he look like Monoma, but he dressed like him too. Even including small details like the necktie being blue.
There was no way this was a coincidence. This is all part of Garaki's plans. Which means that Nagumo is working for the Doctor. And combined with his uncanny resemblance to Monoma, I can deduce that Garaki gave Nagumo the Quirk Copy. Which does just as the same suggests. It allows the user to 'copy' any Quirk of their choosing, but they can only copy up to four Quirks at a time and the duration of each copy only lasts roughly five minutes.
I doubt the Doctor would want Nagumo to copy Obliterator so he must have let him copy several other dangerous Quirks such as Ryuuen's Blueflame Quirk. But knowing that, that only makes this situation all the more dire for me. If this was before the fight with the High-End Nomu I could have easily defeated him before he could blink. However, in my current predicament I can barely move my two feet forward. And with Shiina in his possession, the situation is not in my favor in the slightest. And Nagumo knows these facts all too well. Which is why he laughed.
"Hahaha. And what do you think you can do when you can't even walk? You are so pathetic. You should have just let this loser die. Then you would have been able to walk away with your dignity. Oh wait. You can't even do that. Hahaha." Nagumo replied with a sinister smile on his face before laughing once more as it suddenly began to rain. This made him click his tongue in disappointment.
"Shit. Now I'm starting to get a bit annoyed. I mean, you can't blame me if I suddenly let go of her and she slips, right? Midoriya?" Nagumo asked as he was briefly visibly annoyed before quickly regaining his calm and composed attitude. But this gave me an idea. If a little rain is enough to make him mad, then all I have to do is bait him into coming to me!
"I'm not so sure. The floor might be a bit slippery but it's all on you if you choose to let her fall. Unless… you want Shiina to fall so that you could avoid fighting me, knowing full well that no matter what you do, you will lose in every single scenario. That kind of thinking is something only a coward would do. So how about you fight me like a man. Unless you aren't one… Nagumo?" I asked with a serious look on my face as I attempted to mimic something that Shiina would say while using the same tactic that allowed me to win against Sakayanagi's father and Koenji. Plus, he's probably just like Ryuuen so I could see him taking the bait. But then…
"Oh really? Do you honestly expect me to fall for that shit? Sure, if I closed the distance, you could probably kill me with a single punch. But that's only IF I did so. That's why I much prefer where I'm standing right now. I have the high ground. And I don't intend to give that up. So, don't you dare take me for some uneducated brute who can only solve things by punching everything in sight. I much prefer going about things without even having to lift a single finger." Nagumo replied while maintaining his smile. My plan had completely failed. I couldn't help but let it show on my face and that made his smile grow even wider.
"That way, I won't have to risk anything. A life without risks, that's the kind of life I want to live. Where I have everything to gain and nothing to lose. That's why I wanted to buy Ichinose. She would become my property. A good-natured girl like her wouldn't even consider betraying me if I made it worth her while. And with her in my possession I would have been able to have done anything I desired to her without any risks to speak of." Nagumo continued but his smile soon faded as his face grew serious.
"But that was until you came in. Now no matter what I do, she will never accept an outcome that doesn't let her have you. You see, Ichinose is a lot like me. I can tell when I see someone like me from a mile away. It's something that is all too clear to me. That's why I know that girl won't let anyone, but you have her. She only wants you to possess her and likewise she wants to have possession of you. That's all there is to it." Nagumo finished as I clenched my fists while slowly moving toward him so that I wouldn't fall.
"What do you know? Nothing. You don't know a damn thing about Ichinose." I declared as I fully believed in my words. Ichinose was a sweet and kind girl who was nothing like Nagumo. She would never use such despicable methods to gain possession of someone as if they were a thing and not a person. I was sure of that. But then…
"Oh really? Then why… did she kiss you right when this girl was looking at the both of you?" Nagumo asked as I stopped in my tracks while my eyes went wide out of sheer surprise. I couldn't even say a single word as I genuinely couldn't comprehend what Nagumo had just said to me. He noticed this as his grin returned.
"Ooh, she didn't tell you that. Man, and I thought I was a bastard. But no, she's worse than me. At least I admitted what I wanted right to her face without any kind of deception to speak of. But she used her predicament to her advantage by putting you in a situation where you couldn't refuse what she wanted. All while making her rival be defeated at the drop of a hat. Talk about cunning. I might cruel but that girl is ruthless in obtaining what she wanted. And in the end, she won with a complete victory. Or at least that's how it should have gone." Nagumo continued as his grin grew wider with the passing of each second.
"But it didn't! Somehow, against all odds she lost spectacularly! By all accounts you and her should be fucking each other as we speak but that's not what's happening, isn't it? Instead, here you are, trying to save some girl. Why is that? Don't tell me… you actually like this girl more than her?" Nagumo asked while I remained silent, but my silence answered his question as he began laughing hysterically.
"No fucking way! I thought it was just a one-sided attraction! But no! You actually both love each other! It's like Romeo and Juliet come to life! A romance that is doomed to end with their deaths! This is priceless! I couldn't have imagined this day getting any better but holy shit was I wrong! I wouldn't give this up even if I got to fuck Ichinose ten times! Though maybe a hundred would suffice." Nagumo admitted as I realized that he was just like Ryuuen and Kushida. A monster wearing the skin of a human and pretending to be one.
That's why I knew full well that no matter what I told him he would never let Shiina go. I can't let her die. I refuse to let that happen above everything else. Then the only way I can save Shiina is by fighting Nagumo. But he isn't going to go down without a fight. And if I so much as hurt him ever so slightly, he'll definitely let Shiina fall off the roof. Which is why I'm left with no choice but to use Obliterator again. I never had any intention of using that Quirk ever again now that I'm not a hero anymore. But if I'm only going to be Shiina's hero from now on…
… Then I don't have to save him.
"If you let Shiina fall… I'm going to kill you." I declared with a serious expression on my face as my choice of words matched it. But even though I was dead serious, Nagumo only laughed in response.
"Spoken like a true hero. Then… take your best shot." Nagumo replied with a confident smile on his face while using a hand motion that signaled me to 'Use everything I have.' I responded in turn by charging an air bullet with my index finger with the power to annihilate Nagumo off the face of the earth. There wouldn't be anything left of him. The battle would be over. And I would have saved Shiina. That's all I want to gain from this encounter. I could care less whether he loses everything because I'm going to take everything back. At least that's what I wanted to believe. But then…
"… No… I can't do that… above all else… I don't want to take a life unless it's absolutely necessary. And even then… I don't want to kill anyone else again. I've killed far too many people already. I don't wish to stain my hands with any more blood, not yours or anyone else's. Just let Shiina go. That's all I'm asking you to do. What could Shiina's demise even give you? Nothing. You wouldn't be gaining anything from it Nagumo. So… just give up. Please." I asked while maintaining my serious look as Nagumo looked visibly surprised.
'D-Did I get through to him?' I thought internally as I was about to say something but before I could, Nagumo beat me to the punch.
"You're right. I'm not really gaining anything by letting this girl die. I mean all I would be doing is hurting someone. That's not gaining anything, so it completely goes against my philosophy. You know maybe this is a sign… maybe I should change… maybe this is my second… and last… chance… maybe… I was wrong. Thank you for helping me see the error of my ways, Midoriya." Nagumo admitted as he gave me what I believed to be a genuine smile as I smiled too. But then…
"Nah." Nagumo continued before pushing Shiina off the roof of the building as my eyes shot wide open.
"NAGUMO! YOU BASTARD!" I shouted at the top of my lungs as I was about to release my air bullet while Nagumo began laughing hysterically with a sadistic smile on his face. But before I could do a single thing-
'WHOOOSH!' Shiina appeared right back on the roof before I could even blink my eyes all while Nagumo stood in place with his horrific smile and before he could even react to what just happened-
'WHAM!' He was punched right in the face as he was sent crashing into the ground! It was a decisive blow as Nagumo had been knocked out in that single attack! But it was then while Nagumo was smiling as he was unconscious with several of his teeth scattered across the ground that I noticed the person towering above him. It was the same person that saved Shiina before I could even realize what had happened. That combined with his appearance made it all too clear that the person who came to my rescue was none other than-
"H-H-Hirata!" I yelled out with a relived look on my face and tears in my eyes. I was astonished dover the sight of him in the rain having saved both me and Shiina in the nick of time! Just how did he arrive here in time?! But he realized what I was thinking and showed me his phone as I noticed a text message on it. Wait! That was my-
"That's right. Your text message just arrived. When I saw it, I used my Quirk to get here as fast as I could manage. And it looks like I arrived just in time. That's why none of this was in vain, Midoriya. Your efforts to reach out to us… they succeeded." Hirata replied with a gentle smile on his face as tears continued to spill from my eyes. I was so relieved that I wasn't paying attention to the other person still conscious on the roof. And in that moment when everything seemed like it had reached a happy ending, she, no…
… 'He' made his move.
'Spearlike Bones.' The man pretending to be the girl named Hiyori Shiina muttered under his breath as his body began protruding several bones in the shape of spears. However, due to Overclock, Hirata was able to notice this as well as the blank face on the face of the person he had just saved. A look that he had never seen before on Shiina's face before. One full of nothing to speak of as she focused on her target. Not Hirata, but Izuku Midoriya.
'I can't believe I actually TRUSTED you! How could I be so stupid?! I genuinely thought of us as friends. But you fooled me! You fooled us all! That's why no matter what punishment you are given it will NEVER be enough to satisfy me! To satisfy how much I hate you! So, if it means getting suspended along with you… then so be it.' The cruel words that he had uttered before spurred him forward as he ran faster than Midoriya could perceive with his eyes that were stained with his tears. He then pushed him out of the way right when-
'BAM!' One of the Spearlike Bones pierced him right in his chest. Blood dripped out of Hirata's mouth as he noticed the bone in the shape of a spear piercing his upper chest. His vision soon began to fade as he began to black out, but the remaining sense of pain kept him awake long enough to hear what his attacker had wanted to say to him.
"Checkmate." The man pretending to be Hiyori Shiina declared as the Spearlike Bone was ruthlessly pulled out of Hirata's body as the latter slumped to his knees before collapsing on the floor. Izuku Midoriya witnessed all of this as his eyes shot wide open upon noticing the blood leaking out of his friend's chest. He then looked up to see that the person who had landed a ruthless blow onto him was none other than the girl he was in love with. But that last part was nothing more than a lie. Midoriya knew this. And struggled to hold himself back because he had just one question for the person using the face of someone he loved. Which was-
"Is Shiina… all right?" I asked as I glared daggers at the pretender as I wanted nothing more than to Obliterate him off the face of the earth.
'Do you wish to obliterate him?' Jokata asked but I avoided answering the question because I needed to find an answer to the one that was on my mind. The person pretending to be her, tilted her head out of confusion before nodding in affirmation.
"…" Not even a second later I breathed a sigh of relief knowing full well that there was no reason that this imposter would lie to me when he held all the chips in his hand. There was nothing that I could do to beat him. Even if I chose to unleash an air bullet at his head, it would only kill him. I wanted to tear that monster limb from limb for hurting the people I cared about. But that wouldn't solve anything in my current predicament. Right now, I have to focus my efforts on saving Shiina.
But there's a chance that I could inquire about that. After all, I already had an inkling of who this person was. And that was only confirmed by his face suddenly changing. It must have been the effects of the Transformation Quirk that once belonged to Himiko Toga, he could only keep his disguise up for so long and it was now beginning to crumble before my eyes. But in the place of the person who looked just like Shiina was a man that looked oddly familiar, he had dead looking eyes that matched the color of his hair. And it was those eyes that made me remember-
'I saw Karuizawa being led by some girls into the direction of where the ship's basement was in. I wasn't sure who they were. Perhaps Class C?' It was the same man who told me where Karuizawa was on the cruise! But how did he acquire such knowledge in the first place!? I didn't think of it at the time, because I was so worked up over saving Karuizawa that I didn't realize something was amiss. After all, how did this person know Karuizawa by name when he wasn't even part of our class?! Which can only mean… that this person is…
"It was YOU. You're… the traitor." I declared while burning the sight of this person into my retinas so that the next moment I see him, I wouldn't let him escape. The man nodded in affirmation.
"I suppose you can call me that. Not that I would tell you my true name even if you asked me too. I've got to say, I didn't see Hirata showing up all of a sudden. I was so sure that no one but you would show up. Ujiko had made sure that none of the phones would receive cellular service since he had the only cell phone tower on this island lose all of its power. But I suppose he had to have it turned back on or mass hysteria would break out over all of these specimens not knowing what to do with themselves." The Traitor replied as I gritted my teeth over him referring to humans by such a mean-spirited term.
"Just… who the hell are you?" I asked under my breath knowing full well that I wouldn't get the answer I was hoping for. After all, there was nothing that could be done right now. Hirata needed medical attention ASAP if he was going to survive and if I considered fighting this person, I would surely meet my end. This would accomplish nothing. And the man knew this. Which was why he conjured a purple vortex that I recognized as Kurogiri's Quirk Warp Gate! Which means he has multiple Quirks! There's no doubt about it! This is the same person that has been collaborating with the Doctor! But before he left-
"Oh, I just remembered. Ujiko wanted me to tell you something if we ever met face to face like this." The man spoke while pulling Nagumo by his leg. But before he took his leave, he turned his head toward me and pausing for a brief moment that lasted for what felt like an eternity until-
"I'm… All For One." The man finished before walking through the purple vortex with Nagumo before vanishing without a trace. It was then that I collapsed to my knees and screamed at the top of my lungs. I screamed and screamed as loud as I could. Not just because I wanted someone to help Hirata get to a hospital. But also, because I couldn't resist screaming over the realization that the monster that I thought I had destroyed long ago…
… Had found new life in another person. And that person, Kiyotaka Ayanokoji, would soon become the greatest threat to the entire world.
To Be Continued…
Next Chapter: I Know Pain and Suffering
Go Beyond!
Plus Ultra!