One minute after Kei Karuizawa left her apartment…
'FWOOOSH!' A familiar purple vortex materialized out of thin air. From it came a man who was all too familiar though his face was kept hidden by a black hoodie drenching it in shadow. The man was Kakeru Ryuuen and the reason why he was here in the apartment of someone he had no relation up to this point was to capture her by any means necessary. However, after taking a moment to scan the bedroom of the girl he was looking for, that girl, Kei Karuizawa was nowhere to be found.
"Tch." Ryuuen clicked his tongue as he swept the hood covering his face over his head. In the process of doing so, the bedroom's lamp light lit up his face and revealed the plethora of purple patches of gnarled, wrinkled purple skin on his face. He was beginning to look more and more like a certain villain from the world that Izuku Midoriya used to call home. An utterly deplorable villain who had killed several pro heroes and countless civilians. The villain named Dabi. However, in comparison to Dabi who's kill count was quite high even for a villain among the League of Villains, the amount of people that Ryuuen had killed could all be counted one hand.
It was sufficient to say that Ryuuen wasn't a huge threat compared to his counterpart from that world. Though he had little to no knowledge of Dabi or even the fact that Midoriya was an outsider not born in his own world. So, it wasn't that Ryuuen thought inadequate. But what irked him to no end was the constant stream of failures he had been on the other end of. He had failed to put a metaphorical collar around Suzune Horikita's neck thus making her his property. He had failed to obtain revenge on Izuku Midoriya on multiple occasions. He was even beaten in a fight by someone he considered nothing more than an utter buffoon. He couldn't take much more of this. He even considered letting off some steam and causing a bit of damage. But before he could-
"I suppose you clicking your tongue out of annoyance is proof that Karuizawa is not here?" Kiyotaka asked a rhetorical question as he emerged from the purple vortex of his Quirk Warp Gate. Ryuuen's hand was currently burning bright blue. Ayanokoji noticed this immediately.
"Not here. I'd rather not have Izuku Midoriya thinking that we kidnapped Karuizawa. Not 'yet' at least. Considering that Karuizawa's gone, this means that she left her apartment out of her own volition. If I had to venture a guess, I'd say she ran out of food. I'm going to go check the fridge. I'll be right back. So, don't even think of letting this place on fire." Kiyotaka continued before leaving the room. This left Ryuuen alone as he grew more and more annoyed of his Master treating him like a dog. This is because he always wanted to be the top dog, the ultimate alpha male.
But this was rendered impossible when he realized just how dangerous his Master was. With the sheer number of Quirks that Kiyotaka Ayanokoji has at his disposal, it was as if he was a walking hydrogen bomb. Even Ryuuen knew that if he dared to try and disarm the metaphorical bomb that was Ayanokoji, it would only blow up in his face and spell his untimely demise. This is why he had no choice but to put up with his Master's antics if he wished to see another day and more importantly take his revenge.
However, this did not mean he would obey every order his Master gave him. Ryuuen decided on a whim to search through the drawer right beside Karuizawa's bed. It's not that he wanted to find the young girl's undergarments, or anything perverted. He was just trying to kill some time. But what he did find was a notebook. That wouldn't normally surprise him, and he would just forget about it without a second thought. Or that would be the case if there wasn't a speck of blood on the cover. Now Ryuuen was curious, so he pulled out the notebook from the drawer and began skimming through it. But just when he was about to find something interesting-
'Creak.' Kiyotaka opened the bedroom door and walked in to find Ryuuen caught red handed at the scene of the crime. Ryuuen froze in place as his Master slowly walked behind him until he closed the distance between them. But when he thought that Ayanokoji was about to teach him a lesson he wouldn't be forgetting anytime soon, he simply stuck out his hand in front of the disfigured man.
"Give that to me." Kiyotaka ordered as Ryuuen had no choice but to give him the notebook, begrudgingly so. It was then that Ayanokoji flipped all the way to the last page of the notebook before flipping a bit more in the opposite direction to find something that even he did not expect to find. He had been fully aware of the incident pertaining to Karuizawa where she murdered someone in self-defense. However, he wasn't all too aware of the details because there was only so much information that he could be given by the internet. He doubted that even if he were to use his father's connections that would bear little fruit. But what he found here was-
'Today… why? What did I do to deserve that? I've never done anything wrong to him. I loved him! I loved him with every fiber of my being! So, why!? Why after everything me and Ken have been through together would he try to rape me?! I… I didn't want to kill him! But I had no choice! I'm sorry! I'M SORRY!' All to telling of what really occurred. This may not seem so at face value since it was written in Karuizawa's handwriting. However, it was the way it was written that spoke volumes. This is because of the fact that Japan has three distinct writing systems of writing: Kanji, Hiragana, and Katakana.
Kanji is the most formal way of writing and as a result the most complex, consisting of thousands of characters, a good percentage of which are borrowed from China. This makes it incredibly difficult to learn, much less write. Some people have the advantage of knowing Chinese since birth like Class A student Mei-Yu Wang. Others like Kiyotaka had little to no issue memorizing Kanji to the point of mastery at age five. But those were the exceptions of exceptions. Karuizawa tended to write in hiragana for all of her diary entries with the occasional switch to Katakana when dealing with foreign words. So, this all begs to question…
… Just why on earth did she switch to Kanji for this one? Especially considering the traumatic event she had undergone shortly before writing it. It didn't add up. It was almost as if another person had written it using her hand. Actually, if we were to go with this theory then that would start making things a bit clearer. The reason why Karuizawa chose to write in Kanji was because it would be viewed by other people, specifically the police and the judge of her court case that was kept under wraps. Even though she was still in middle school, she would have been expected to write in Kanji.
However, how would Karuizawa realize that while the stress of the incident that took place moments prior make her realize that fact? It wouldn't. She would have written in Hiragana, no question. And if that's the case… then you could also say that this is all…
"Interesting… very interesting indeed." Kiyotaka muttered to himself before closing the notebook and putting it back in the drawer. But he chose to purposely leave the drawer open with the notebook facing up so that when Izuku Midoriya inevitably shows up it would undoubtably catch his attention. Though that's not all he wanted to leave for the young man seeking to find the young woman they were both looking for. Knowing that fact, Kiyotaka decided to walk into the bathroom that was in Karuizawa's bedroom. The door was all the way open, so there wasn't any chance she was hiding there. And upon opening the shower curtain-
'Quirk: Bomb. Ten minutes.' Kiyotaka thought internally before a bomb materialized in his hands. He then placed the bomb in the shower before closing the curtains and leaving the bathroom door shut. This Quirk he just used named 'Bomb' is exactly what the name suggests. The user is able to create a miniature bomb. The effects of the Quirk's power output vary on several conditions. Such as how close in proximity are the bomb and the Quirk's user? The closer he is to the bomb; the less destruction is unleased. But the opposite qualifies in more destruction, making it a tool that would be perfect for political assassinations if the opportunity ever arises.
However, there was a caveat to this Quirk. And that could be seen when Kiyotaka gave the bomb a time limit. That is to say that the bomb needs a time limit for it to self-destruct. If it's not given a time limit it would automatically explode hence the importance of giving it a time limit. Ayanokoji chose ten minutes specifically given the capabilities of Midoriya. He has no doubt he'll arrive within the next five minutes. But since he's going to read Karuizawa's diary while he's at it, that would take an additional three minutes even if he skims through it. Plus, the fact that he will no doubt investigate her apartment a bit slowly then ten minutes is an ideal deduction for how long it will take for him to arrive in her bathroom.
"You can go now." Kiyotaka announced before snapping his fingers and in the process creating one of Warp Gate's signature vortexes in the process. He did this all while looking at Ryuuen. Realizing that his participation is no longer necessary, Ryuuen clicked his tongue once more before walking through the gate that led back to their shared hideout. But before the gate closed behind him-
"Also, try not to burn your friends in a fit of rage." Kiyotaka warned Ryuuen who blinked his eyes out of sheer surprise while uttering a 'Huh?' Under his breath right as the vortex dispersed. Right now, Ryuuen's friends Mio Ibuki and Albert Yamada were back at the hideout just as Kiyotaka instructed them to do so with the promise of Ryuuen showing up in a timely manner. And considering how Ryuuen like to cause property damage whenever he gets pissed, it's safe to say he'll be burning some stuff while he's at it. And considering that both of his friends haven't fulfilled their roles yet…
… Their respective deaths would be untimely at this current point in time. That's the only reason why Ayanokoji let Ryuuen know that piece of information. Nothing more, nothing less. Either way, hanging around here for any longer would result in a confrontation with Izuku Midoriya, something that he had to avoid at this juncture, given the Doctor's tendencies. But what momentarily surprised Kiyotaka was that Garaki allowed him to use the Bomb Quirk. And considering that old man is inside of him and capable of reading his every thought, he decided to comment shortly after the thought crossed Ayanokoji's mind.
'I highly doubt something as minuscule as a bomb can create any lasting damage on Izuku Midoriya. It will just scare him a bit. But that's all fine and dandy. Hahaha.' Garaki replied within Kiyotaka's subconscious. Ayanokoji acknowledged this with a nod in affirmation before creating another vortex with Warp Gate, one that led to the city surrounding AN, and somewhere that might not be far off of where Karuizawa is currently. He then walked through it and noticed that there were virtually no people around. This is a given considering that the majority of the island's residents were students who were supposed to be in school right now.
However, given the fact that there were security cameras overlooking him right now, he knew that it would only be a matter of time before his father sends his own specialized force of elite personnel specialized in espionage posing as regular police officers to his location. Knowing that, why not use this to his advantage? And that's exactly what he was going to do by pulling out his phone with his father's contact info in it. He had taken out the tracer that his father implanted in it. But that would do little knowing that his father will be informed of his location soon enough given that he's broad daylight at this very moment.
'Ring~Ring.' He then called his father while an obnoxious ringtone played before the latter answered the call his son was giving him. There was a brief silence that occurred right after that, that lasted for a few seconds until Kiyotaka realized that he was being put in the position to speak first.
"It's me." He replied unenthusiastically while looking at nothing in particular. His father Atsuomi chuckled to himself right after.
"Ready to admit defeat and come home, my boy?" Atsuomi asked if Kiyotaka had the possibility of evading capture. It would only be a matter of moments before he was swarmed with police cars given that there wasn't anybody around aside from the people in the local shops who were most certainly on break with no customers in sight. Even if Kiyotaka used Warp Gate to escape it would only be a matter of time before his elite personnel find the location of the hideout. In fact, they were getting dangerously close to discovering it. This meant that it was pointless to resist capture any longer.
"Sure. However, I have something that I want you to do for me first." Kiyotaka asked before his father laughed a bit once more.
"Bargaining with your old man when you are in no position to do so? … Sure. What do you want?" Atsuomi replied as he was more than amused to hear his son out. Not only that but this was the very first time his son made a request. He had never done this in the past, not even during Christmas when it was expected to receive a present or two from your family. But now here he is asking for something? Atsuomi was too amused to ignore such a request. So, he indulged in his son's whims. This was just as Kiyotaka predicted.
"You have access to all of the cameras, right? I'm sure you have someone looking at me right now. So, use him to find Kei Karuizawa and I'll do whatever you ask." Kiyotaka replied while staring at a nearby security camera that was looking straight at him before he ended the phone call right when he was finished speaking. Now all he had to do was sit back and let his father find Karuizawa for him. And considering that her fridge had no food in it whatsoever, she was most likely buying something at a convenience store right about now. But with the plethora of convenience stores there are around the school…
… Just which one was she at right now?
"Shouldn't you be in class right now, missy?" The Convenience Store Clerk asked with a frown on her face. She was old enough to be my grandma. But I didn't pay her any heed. I was too deep in thought to even register what she said. It was as if she didn't speak a single word. Or that might as well have been how it was for me. Because ever since my memories of my past resurfaced, all I've been thinking about is one thing and one thing only. Or more specifically, a single person. That person being-
'But even if you don't want to talk about it, we can still be here for each other. Words alone don't need to be said for what we had to go through. What matters is that we're here right now. We both got through it even though it was tough. Others might find you weak for just taking all those hits without fighting back. But I disagree. Karuizawa, you are strong. You showed them. You showed them how strong you are. I wish… that I was as strong as you.' Izuku Midoriya and the words that he said to me that I believed saved me all those months ago.
However, that was a foolish belief of mine. Did they actually save me? No. Of course not. He only judged me back then at face value. He had no clue what my past actually entailed and the sins that I committed. Especially if he had known the latter, then he would have never in a million years have said something so genuinely sincere to me. In fact, he would hate me for what I am, a murderer. Because even if it was my alternate personality that was the reason for Ken's death, that doesn't change the fact that I still have his blood on my hands. Blood that I haven't even begun to cleanse myself of.
But why am I thinking about him now? No. Why is the only thing on my mind, Izuku Midoriya? That was a difficult question to give an answer to. One that my mind was struggling to comprehend. Though it finally became crystal clear to me when I remembered those kind words that he said before. The same ones that I used to make me feel better about myself. They were such nice, honest, heartfelt words that it was impossible for me to reject them. And how did I treat him before that?
'Are you joking? You do realize if people catch us hanging out together that could create rumors? You might not know gossip cause you're not a girl. I am. So, I know how fast that stuff can travel. And before you know it, it's already too late. So, no. I'll be doing my own thing until then. If something happens, I'll send out a text.' Cruelly. I cruelly used him to my own benefit. And I cruelly rejected him when he tried to lend me a helping hand. Why was I so cruel to him back then?
Even worse, I thought that he may have been trying to be nice to me just so he could sleep with me. Even though all he had been doing was showering me with kindness, all I was giving him in return was either superficial appreciation or rejections. Back then, I didn't understand why I had done this. Not to say that I didn't have my suspicions of him actually being a sleezy guy acting like a nice guy. But now I truly understand why I had been so mean to him before I foolishly assumed that his words saved me. It was because-
'I'll tell you the truth… for a while I've had my eye on you. You might think there's nothing 'special' about you. But that couldn't be further from the truth. You are actually quite beautiful. And I'm sure with the right makeup your looks would be amplified tenfold. Anyway, what I'm trying to say is I was wondering if you'll be my girlfriend?' I instinctively thought back to how Ken 'acted' before he revealed his true colors to me. A part of me couldn't accept that such a nice guy like Izuku Midoriya existed.
'Kei. I have a confession to make. You see, I wasn't entirely honest with myself when we first met. When I made you my girlfriend, it wasn't because I actually had feelings for you. I mean for starters; you had no presence within the classroom. You had no friends. You barely spoke. You were just a nobody. You might as well have been nonexistent. But that made you the perfect target. If you had someone, anyone who actually gave a shit about you then none of this would actually be happening.' Perhaps I was still under the belief that Ken's words were right?
Either way, I couldn't help but reject Izuku because of how similar he and Ken were. Both were goofy nice guys with hearts of gold who only treated me with kindness. Except, Ken's heart might as well have been nonexistent given his true nature. I believed that no one could possibly be so nice. But I was wrong. I was so scared that he may have betrayed me in the future. But instead, I betrayed him. I wanted to believe that I was actually strong like he said I was. But I never used any of that 'strength' to help him when he desperately needed it. I only took his own strength away from him to make me believe that I was strong. In fact, that's what I am…
… A parasite. A parasite who attaches themselves to someone who only takes and takes without giving anything in return. That's what I've been for so long.
However, I don't want to be that anymore. I've known for so long what I am. But I never tried to change myself. I might have apologized to him back then. But was that a genuine apology or me trying to save face for what I did? After all, I said nothing when Izuku was accused of having sexually assaulted me. Even though I knew deep down after what he told me back then that he would never try to hurt me like Ken did. But even if that makes me a hypocrite I don't want to stay as one! I want to apologize! No! I need to apologize! Only then can I finally start moving forward to becoming the person I want to be! But…
… Who do I even want to be in the future? I don't know. But that's okay. I can figure that part out later. Now I have to do what I should have done a long time ago. He's probably in class right now. But even still I have to make an effort to make up for my past mistakes! Because I don't want these regrets of mine to end up consuming me! These will be my last regrets! What begins next is the new me! The new Kei Karuizawa! At least that's what I wanted to believe as I took out my phone and called Izuku Midoriya.
'Ring~Ring.' But as my phone's ringtone played, I couldn't help but think when was the last time I called him or anyone for that matter? No. I can't think that way. I've been wasting away, wasting my life. I can't do that anymore. I need to become a better person. Someone that other people can depend upon in the future! But now that I think about it, is that the kind of person that I want to be? If that's the case, then when did I start enjoying pushing people around? When did I start enjoying the quiet suffering of others? When did…
… This world not feel like my home anymore?
'Whoosh!' But as soon as that thought crossed my mind, I heard the doors of the convenience store open and with it the cool autumn air. But at the same time, I heard footsteps. Not just from one person. But a group of them that were steadily approaching me from behind. And then came the worst part-
"Well, well, well. Look who it is? It's been a while hasn't it…" The all-too-familiar voice resonated within my ears as my blood went cold. But their voice trailed off until they closed the distance between us and pulled the hoodie covering my face. And then…
"… Kei Karuizawa." The voice belonging to Manabe whispered in my ears as my eyes went wide. It was almost as if an exclamation point appeared right alongside me. It might as well have been because this was all too sudden! Just how the hell did she find me so suddenly?! But as my throat grew dry and the need to scratch it arose, my phone suddenly stopped ringing as the person on the other end of the line answered.
"Kei! Is that you!? Where are you?!" Midoriya yelled out from my phone's speaker as I unconsciously began to smile. I felt an overwhelming sense of relief that he would save me like he did back then on the cruise ship. After all, he was a superhero. He can do anything! But as I stared at my phone, the girl staring back at me couldn't be more enraged to see the look on my face. Her hands reached for something deep within her pocket and gripped it tightly. But she quickly realized that wasn't the best course of action to use 'that' right here. In fact, it was time that they go somewhere that's a bit more 'isolated.' But before that, Manabe took the phone out of Karuizawa's hands.
"Oh hey. It's been a while since I heard your voice. How's it hanging, Karuizawa's boyfriend?" Manabe asked with a gleeful look on her face that couldn't have been more fake. Izuku had heard the voice before and instantly recognized it as the leader of the group of girls who bullied Karuizawa back on the cruise ship.
"You! What have you done!?" Midoriya snapped back as Manabe quietly laughed in delight. He must be all too worried that his girl is in trouble. Or at least that's what Manabe assumed. But she wasn't that far from the truth. Izuku had been desperately trying to find Karuizawa to no avail. And now the moment he gets a lead, the person that so cruelly assaulted her is the one to pick up the phone. It's so twisted that it made his blood boil. But even though Manabe only had a rough idea of what was going on in his mind, she wasn't going to leave him just when it was getting good!
"Nothing… yet. But that depends on how quickly you can get here. Me and your girlfriend are currently at the Owson Convenience Store. Though I think we're just about ready to leave. Isn't that right, Kei Karuizawa?" Manabe asked with a sadistic grin on her face as Karuizawa looked back at her to see that her eyes were bloodshot. A chill ran up her spine as she realized just how unhinged the girl was acting. She's dangerous! There's no telling what she might do if they are alone. She had to get out of here before that possibility becomes reality! That's why she made a mad dash for the front door, only to be thwarted by Manabe's friends!
"You're not going anywhere!" Yamashita shouted while she and Yabu restrained Karuizawa. But the Convenience Store Clerk quickly took note of the altercation happening in her store.
"What do you whippersnappers think you're doing?! You better get out of here before I call the cops!" The Convenience Store Clerk threatened as she realized that there wasn't much, she could do in a sight against three women much younger than her. In fact, all there needed to be was one of them to put her six feet under. Manabe knew what the old woman was shouting was false bravado. That brought a smile to her face.
"We were just about to leave you old crone! But if you thought we're scared of you then I assure you, you're sadly mistaken!" Manabe declared before pulling out what she had in her pocket, a switchblade. The old woman noticed it immediately and screamed until she unceremoniously collapsed on the ground. This caught Yamashita and Yabu off guard as they approached the Clerk from behind her front desk only to noticing that her body was shaking violently. This alarmed the both of them.
"Manabe! I think she's having a seizure!" Yabu yelled out with a panicked look on her face. Yamashita was the same as they didn't want to be the cause of some old lady's untimely demise. Though Manabe couldn't care less about some old crone.
"Who the fuck cares?! It's not like she'll be around for much longer! But I guess I can say the same about you too." Manabe snapped back before turning her attention back to Karuizawa. The switchblade pointed at her throat.
"Izuku! Please get here as fast as you can! GAH!" Karuizawa shouted at her phone that was still in Manabe's hands before being ruthlessly kicked by the latter. Manabe then said, 'Be seeing you soon.' making sure that Midoriya heard it before she tossed Kei's phone against the nearby wall, breaking the screen into many pieces. The result made the screen appear to be the web of a spider as if it was representing that its previous owner was caught in the trap laid for it and was about to be devoured whole. All that could be heard as Karuizawa was being led out of the Convenience Store was Izuku's shouting until the doors closed behind them.
'Whoosh!' The cold autumn air hit me in the face again as I had no choice but to comply with Manabe's orders. Anything less than total obedience will result in the blade of the switchblade being brought into my body. But even though I was being held at knifepoint, I wasn't all that scared. After all, Izuku Midoriya will save me! I know he will! He knows my location so he definitely will! After all, he's my he-
"This way." Manabe declared while pointing the tip of her blade in the direction of an alleyway. It was right next to the Convenience Store! So even if Izuku thinks I'm in there for a moment, he'll definitely realize where I really am! Then he'll come to save me! Just like he did back then! I'm sure of it! But as I was trying to desperately convince myself of that idyllic notion at the same time, I was led deeper and deeper into the alleyway before Manabe stopped me from moving any further by saying 'That's far enough. Now turn around.' I had no choice but to do as I was ordered. She then unzipped the jacket that was covering my chest before lifting up my shirt.
"So, the rumors were true about that 'scar.' I wonder what caused that? Better question, who? Was it someone who hated you? Or maybe…" Manabe spoke while staring at me with a devious look in her eyes that matched the look on her face. And then…
'It was you.'
'STAB!' Before lunging her blade forward and stabbing me where my scar was. An uncontrollable sense of pain coursed through my body as blood began to spill from my mouth as I screamed bloody murder. This caught the attention of Yamashita and Yabu who couldn't be more surprised at what their friend had just done.
"What are you doing, Manabe?!" Yamashita yelled out as she fell onto her butt as she began blinking uncontrollably at the ghastly sight before her eyes! At the same time Yabu screamed. This was because they were both under the impression that Manabe was just going to threaten Karuizawa, not kill her! But her friends' incessant screaming only pissed her off.
"Shut the fuck up! Don't you have any idea what's she done?! The pain and suffering that we had to endure just because we roughed her up a bit?! What I'm giving her now is just desserts! This what you get for ruining my life you bitch!" Manabe declared before jamming the blade as far it could go into Karuizawa's stomach. Though the blade was short and didn't so much as come close to making a wound on the other side of her body. But even still she twisted the switchblade as Karuizawa screamed at the top of her lungs.
'It's no use! She's actually going to kill me!' Karuizawa thought internally as her fingers became numb and she was on the verge of losing consciousness. But if that were to happen then she really will die. Karuizawa refused to let that happen. Especially when she had regained her will to move forward! That was when she looked at her hands. Right now, the clear see through gloves was still covering her hands. But if she were to take them off then all her problems would simply disappear. She thought about it for a moment before gritting her teeth at the thought of her killing someone again. But Manabe picked up on what was going on.
"Eh? Why the hell are you wearing gloves? What? Do you got the flu or something? How about we take those off." Manabe spoke sinisterly as she reached for Karuizawa's hands. But at the same moment, Kei's eyes went wide as she kicked Manabe in the gut!
"Don't you dare! Anything but that!" Karuizawa snapped back while hyper ventilating as it was taking all of her willpower to not pass out. Even still her performing that kick along with the fact that she was still standing was a miracle in of itself. Manabe spat out some of her blood onto the ground after taking a few steps back due to the blow that landed on her stomach. A devious smirk then rose to her face as she pointed at Karuizawa before giving the signal for her friends to restrain her. But to her utmost surprise they remained motionless out of fright. But once again this only further pissed Manabe off.
"Restrain her now… or I'll make damn sure you regret it!" Manabe threatened with bloodshot eyes. Yabu noticed instantly that her friend meant business, so she cornered Karuizawa and restrained her while Yamashita watched it all unfold on the ground. Manabe then closed the distance between her and Karuizawa all while the latter continued to scream bloody murder.
"Please! You have no idea what you're doing! You're going to die for this!" Karuizawa yelled out as Manabe mistook her last words as a threat. She then scoffed at her prey before responding to her.
"I'm going to 'die?' Hahaha… no. The only one who's going to die… IS YOU!" Manabe declared before forcefully ripping off the glove on Karuizawa's right hand. But in the process, her and Kei's fingers touched each other. And in that moment-
"NOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Karuizawa screamed at the top of her lungs as Manabe's hand rapidly decayed right in front of her eyes. At the same time, Manabe stared at hand as it vanished from existence. There wasn't any pain. Even still her hand was no more. And her entire arm was decaying rapidly too. Yabu witnessing all of this could only projectile vomit over what was occurring right in front of her before falling on her butt. Manabe's eyes twitched as soon her entire arm was gone. But even that wasn't enough, because her entire body was rapidly decaying.
"WHAT THE HELL IS THIS?! WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING TO ME KARUIZAWA?! MAKE IT STOP! MAKE IT ST- Manabe shouted at the top of her lungs as she was cut off as her lungs were decayed to nothing. Manabe then began to cry as she soon realized there was nothing that was going to save her. But that didn't last for long as she vanished off the face of the earth. Not even her clothes remained. It was as if the person named Shiho Manabe never existed in the first place. All her friends could do was scream before running away from the scene of the crime and the murder that took place there.
'No, no, no, no, no! Not again! I didn't mean to!' I thought internally as tears spilled from my eyes as Manabe's friends ran away from me as if I was the devil. I tried reaching out for them in an effort to stop them. But that didn't work. Nor did any words escape my throat. I felt like I was going crazy. Just how the hell could this have happened?! I didn't want to kill her! Why the hell did she have to take off my gloves! I told her not too! But even still she… oh god. What the hell am I even supposed to do now?! But as I was losing my mind, he appeared. The same man who promised to save me. And seeing him made me smile.
"Izuku… please… save me." I asked him as tears spilled down my cheeks. I was practically begging him on my knees. I was so sure he would save me. After all, he said that he would. However, he remained silent as he closed the distance between us. I stood in place before titling my head out of confusion and muttering a 'huh?' Before he aggressively pushed me to the ground. He then stood above me while glaring daggers at me. No. Don't look at me like that. You said you were going to save me. So, why? Why are you looking at me like I'm some kind of mu-
"Because that's what you are. A murderer. You'll never be anything less. You killed someone didn't you? And now you killed again. The ruthless killer Kei Karuizawa. Doesn't it have a nice ring to it? Now…" Midoriya spoke before leaning in close to whisper something in my ear as my eyes began blinking uncontrollably. He then landed the final blow, ridding me of that fleeting feeling of hope.
"… Spread your legs." Midoriya finished with eyes without any hint of pity or remorse in them and a voice that matched it. It was then that I realized that I couldn't have been more wrong. He really was after my body all along. He wanted to destroy me. Just like Ken was. All of the sweet words that he told me were nothing more than lies. It was all a clever trap just to convince me that he was on my side. That I could believe in him as if he were my hero. But I was wrong. It was then that something snapped within inside of me as everything became dark. I then fell into the darkness and was consumed by it.
'Why does everyone hate me? What did I do to deserve to be hated? Was I cursed? Was my birth a mistake? Just why the hell is this world so… cruel?' These were my fleeting thoughts as I was submerged further and further into the pool of pitch-black darkness that had no end in sight. But then I felt someone's hand reach for my shoulder. Their cold foreign hand ruthlessly gripped it as I turned around with one thought and one thought only…
… Who is that?
Chapter 57: Decay
"Who is that you ask? That's something that should be obvious with a single glance, don't you think?" A person replied with a voice that was identical to mine and a face that matched it. But her hair was white as snow. And her outfit consisted of a regular shirt and pants. But they were pitch black. I haven't worn that outfit before. Or did I? As my mind was in an absolute haze of what was reality and not, I struggled to reject this person. They seemed so familiar to me. It was almost as if they saved me before.
"That's right. I saved you not too long ago. I can do it again… if you surrender your body to me? Then I'll be able to give you the most wonderful dream. Doesn't that sound nice, Kei?" The person with the same name asked me with a smile as I too began smiling out of relief. I then nodded in affirmation as I fell deeper and deeper into the depths of the darkness below me while she rose higher and higher as she soon would accomplish what she promised. My last thoughts were…
… 'I can't wait to see that wonderful dream.' Before my consciousness faded to nothingness.
To Be Continued…
Next Chapter: The Death of Kei Karuizawa
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