【𝐂𝐑𝐎𝐒𝐒𝐅𝐈𝐑𝐄 • 𝐕𝐈𝐋𝐋𝐀𝐈𝐍 𝐃𝐄𝐊𝐔 𝐗 𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐃𝐄𝐑】

70| Monster

❧

You would notice that bright red hair anywhere. That happy smile, delighted to see you and Midoriya again. The freckles dotting his cheeks.

The face you've cried for, worried for, and would die for, standing in front of you like everything's fine. If you've learned anything the past few months, it's that things aren't always as they seem.

The doors are suddenly unlocked and opened, and Shinimi just stands there, like a puppet with limp strings. You slowly climb out, putting a finger to your lips so Midoriya will stay quiet.

A thumping in your chest and a throbbing in your head, you sneak closer to Shinimi with Midoriya right beside you. 

His breathing is slow. He's almost completely silent.

And then he starts to cry.

All your walls crumble when you see his tears streaming down the young boy's face.

"Shinimi?" You say, furrowing your brows, "What's wrong? Where are we? Why are you here?"

It seems to be an alley, with only the teenager standing there. He's alone.

Completely alone.

You embrace the boy, all of your emotions festering in that one moment.

"Are you okay? How's the Liquid Fire? Does it still hurt?" You whisper to him, "What happened to your brother?"

"He killed them all," Shinimi tells you, "He killed every last one of them."

"Who?" Midoriya asks the teen, "Who did he kill? The heroes?"

"Everyone who wanted him gone. Everyone who was helping the Agitator. He killed them all."

You glance at Midoriya, not sure what to do. You should be glad; the Agitator and his helpers are gone. So why is Shinimi crying?

"Was it scary?" You ask him, your voice soft with sympathy.

He nods, falling to the ground. "Their fear. It was everywhere. I can still feel it, heavy on my shoulders like a burden. I got out of their heads before they died, but it was so . . . it was unlike anything I'd felt before."

"How'd you get away?" Midoriya asks him, kneeling down, "Where's Kurai?"

"He's gone crazy. Completely crazy." Shinimi shakes his head. "All I wanted was to say goodbye to my brother. But instead I was trapped with a monster."

"This still doesn't make sense," you mutter, standing with Midoriya, "why did the driver run away? How did Shinimi find us so easily? Where are the heroes? They wouldn't have just left us here . . . right?"

The green haired man pulls you close, his voice barely a whisper.

"He's an illusion, he's gotta be. This is too weird. It's some sort of trap, I just don't know what."

You nod. "But how do we know for sure?"

Midoriya pulls something out of his pocket then, and you stare at the knife in his hand until Shinimi grows suspicious. You smile at the teen then turn back to Midoriya.

"You can't."

He shrugs, something sad in his eyes. "Oh, I sure can."

"I've missed you, Shinimi," Deku says, stepping forward and hugging the teenager. "Glad you're back."

When he pulls away, the red-haired boy falls to the ground, the knife buried in his spine. It protrudes like a broken rib, blood soaking his clothes before he can scream. Then they come, erupting from his mouth like sirens, and he wails like he wants the whole world to hear him.

You choke back a sob, covering your mouth with your hands.

"Midoriya! Midoriya, that was him!"

Before you can run forward, Midoriya has grabbed you, both of his arms encasing your shaking body. 

You stand there, helpless, as the boy reaches behind himself, trying to pull the knife from his own back. 

And you realize you've heard the same cry before; one of a wounded animal, lost in the woods, looking for his pack. One of an animal with nothing to live for.

Abandoned. Alone. Afraid.

You yell his name, struggling in Midoriya's arms until Shinimi lays quiet.

The alley goes quiet.

The body lay still.

Midoriya lets you go, and you fall to the concrete, scraping  your palms without a care.

"Very funny," Midoriya calls out to the rooftops, "I hope you enjoyed watching your brother die like that."

His voice echoes, reverberating off the walls of the buildings surrounding you both.

You can't even cry as you stare at the boy, his eyes frozen in a permanent scream for help. Pain laced in every corner of his being, blood staining the concrete.

You turn to Midoriya. "You monster."

He only smiles, despite the grim situation. 

"If that was really him," he explains, "I would've turned to ash the moment his blood touched my skin. The Liquid Fire inside of him would've engulfed us both in seconds."

At his words, the body disappears, along with the blood coating the alleyway. The knife clatters to the ground, no longer in use.

Your eyes widen as you look up, anger filling your veins like blood. It courses through you, heart pounding and hands shaking.

Kurai stands unaffected, not even flinching as he stares at where he made his brother die.

Shinimi was only an illusion, cast by none other than the Agitator himself.

❧