Atonement [Bakugo Katsuki]

🤍 Chapter 103 🤍

"You're so cruel, Kimitsuki-Chan," whispered Shigaraki Tomura. "To think... ha... I don't hate you at all... no... no... you know me better than anyone. You know me... because we are the same... I have known you all my life yet... why do I have to be like you...? I don't hate you... but I absolutely despise that you can pretend to be this... hero... how can you smile and stand with those who failed you?"

"That's all the more reason for you to know that we couldn't be more different," Kimitsuki told him, disgusted to even think about reducing herself into hatred. "How can you question –"

Both Kimitsuki and Shigaraki groaned in unison as lightning struck through their heads simultaneously. She was sure that she heard something or someone, someone with a very deep voice but she could not recognise it. But it appeared like he could.

"My head... it hurts..." gritted Shigaraki out through his clenched teeth. "It's nice... to be able to use Decay however I want... but..." He picked something up from the machine. "Now... it looks like the situation isn't that great... it was supposed to start when I woke up, right...? But you woke me up ahead of time, Kimitsuki-Chan... you're such a bad person..."

Reaching up to use a communication device, Shigaraki spoke gently into it, "Come, Machia. There's someone I want you to meet. Let's start with everyone. Right now, from here, I want to destroy everything,"

As he lowered the device down from his ear, Shigaraki turned to look at Kimitsuki as she stood back on her feet, her violet eyes meeting with his red eyes – and they both knew that the conversation between the two of them was over. From here onwards, there could not be a moment where she could look away from him –

"One... for All...!"

Lightning struck through the two of them once more as that voice re-entered Kimitsuki's head through the threaded connection she had made with Shigaraki – and this time around, she managed to recognise who was speaking: it was none other than the man she dreaded the most, All for One. She reeled back from the shock and Shigaraki seemed equally confused.

"What was that just now?" whispered Shigaraki as he grabbed onto his head. "Is this another one of your cruel pranks, Kimitsuki-Chan? How truly terrible your Quirk is... to be able to strip a mind of all its defences... you've connected me to yourself... could it be that you, too, feel the same way about me...?"

Standing across from him, Kimitsuki's own mind was working overtime as she tried to comprehend a plan to stop him. She had heard that voice, and how it had called for her own friend's Quirk out. She had lost her sword and her Capturing Weapon in the fight against the Nomu, and she did not want to risk touching Shigaraki.

There was no way that Kimitsuki wanted to get close to Shigaraki – yet she had an inkling that he may not attempt to kill her immediately. When he had touched her in that Illusionary World of hers, he had reacted with fear upon doing something so reckless. That had told her that he was not going to have her die so easily on him. She couldn't let him go after Izuku.

"Shigaraki!"

Endeavor appeared in the distant sky like a dying star as he rushed toward where Kimitsuki and Shigaraki stood in the middle of the rubble that had once been Jaku City. Shigaraki did not move his eyes away from Kimitsuki and she could see the annoyance on his face that they had been interrupted.

"Oh, man, the Number One Hero right after I wake up?" asked Shigaraki. "When I sought warmth, it was yours, Kimitsuki-Chan. But tell me – if I kill him, would I be the number one in your heart? Or am I seeking the wrong man, Kimitsuki-Chan?"

Throwing both of his fists back as he concentrated the force of all of his flames into a single point, Endeavor suddenly swept them forward, emitting a massive blanket of flames came hurtling in the direction of where Kimitsuki and Shigaraki stood together.