Strings (BNHA x OC) [Rewrite]

60 || Truth

It took many strings and a few minutes before Kirishima started to tire and Tokoyami stepped into the fight.

Puppet's focus had to shift again as the redheaded teen got a fair distance from her and Dark Shadow swatted at her to keep her back.

"Back away!" Tokoyami yelled.

Puppet was forced to jump back as Dark Shadow lashed out with a claw. The shadowy entity kept swinging again and again, and she used the opportunity to give herself a small break from attacking.

Eventually, Dark Shadow landed a back-handed hit and knocked Puppet to the side. It didn't knock her back too far, but she very nearly collided with a tree.

From the shadows of the trees behind her, Kirishima rushed out and pounced. He jumped on the villain from behind and locked his strong and jagged arms tightly around her arms and midriff.

She quickly bashed her foot back into the hero trainee's leg, but it did nothing; he didn't budge and the hold on her didn't loosen. To her, it felt like she had kicked a rock.

"I've got her! Do it!!" Kirishima yelled.

Tokoyami jumped forward and raised his arms. "Now, Dark Shadow!"

Puppet's gaze snapped up and she watched a monstrous shadow creature form. Tokoyami brought his arms down and his monster of a quirk charged at her and his classmate with a deafening roar.

Puppet's eyes widened. Shit!!

Dark Shadow collided hard with Puppet and Kiriahima. Trees were ripped up from their roots as the redhead and the villain were sent flying back and into the air.

Puppet grit her teeth as she watched the three souls she used to defend herself easily be destroyed.

She knew that couldn't waste this time within arms reach of Kirishima. He had taken the full blow of the monstrous quirk, so he had been momentarily stunned.

In a flurry of strings, the villain had entwined the redhead's chest. She swung as hard as she could, sending him straight into the ground.

Puppet landed right next to him, her knees nearly buckling at the force of the impact combined with her exertion. She ended up in a crouched position.

Kirishima stayed motionless, lying on his back within a crater in the earth. His face was frozen with his mouth agape and his eyes shut. His hardened skin slowly shifted back into smooth flesh.

Puppet looked over at the unconscious teen. "One trick pony," she muttered condescendingly, slowly rising to her feet.

"Grab her!!"

She spun around quickly as a large shadowy claw reached out to grab her. She quickly retaliated, wrapping strings around Dark Shadow's arm and then his head. She wrapped the same strings around branches of the trees around her and pulled, hoisting Dark Shadow up and into a fixed position where he was held in place and couldn't get free.

The villain then fixed her gaze on the avian-like teen. "You left yourself open."

She rushed towards Tokoyami, throwing out a few strings and grabbing one of his arms. The teen swiftly pulled a small knife from his belt and sliced through the strands.

Changing her tactic, Puppet moved as fast as she could and rammed herself into the hero trainee. She threw him off his feet and they both landed hard on the ground. The impact knocked the knife from the teen's hand.

Tokoyami twisted, trying to reach for his knife, but Puppet was faster. She pinned him on his stomach, sitting on his waist from behind and locking his wrists together against the small of his back.

"Get off!!" he yelled, struggling futility against her grip. She held him still, though he was putting up more of a fight than she expected.

"What were you told about the fight between me, Endeavor, and Hawks?" she asked forcefully.

"That doesn't matter!" he yelled back, straining against her hold on him. "Get off!"

She forced him firmer to the ground, her arm pressed tightly across the back of his shoulders.  "What were you told?"

He finally relented, answering her. "We... were told that they caught you by surprise. There ended up being several casualties. They said that you got away, but they arrested Hawks—"

"Hawks is dead."

That made Tokoyami still and quiet, his features contorting in confusion. He didn't know. What he had just relayed to Puppet was what the Hero Public Safety Commission had told the press. He even watched the fight live on the news that day, but he didn't know.

The villain's frown deepened. "Guess the heroes did well covering that one up."

"What... happened?" Tokoyami asked, willing his voice not to waver.

"Endeavor killed him — dropped him out of the sky while he had no feathers and let him slam into the ground." The memories relayed in Puppet's mind like a vivid dream, clear and precise. "I don't remember much about what happened after, only that I wanted to kill Endeavor and all his sidekicks."

Her grip on Tokoyami subconsciously tightened and her nails slightly dug into his flesh. He let out a quiet breath of pain.

She noticed and loosened up, letting out a heavy sigh. "Of course they had to send you after me; you're the one I don't want to hurt. Hawks talked about you, cared for you. Think of this as me sparing you from a bitter fate." She shifted her hold and began to release him. "You know the best option here. You can't beat me, so run — just run and find cover. Don't fight anyone from the League, they won't be as forgiving towards you as I am."

With that, Puppet let go of him and took several steps back. She kept her eyes locked on him. He was still a hero in training, and she wasn't going to make the mistake of taking her eyes off him.

She moved her fingers and loosened the strings holding back Dark Shadow, enough for him to be able to wriggle his way out.

Tokoyami slowly rose to his feet. He was wise, and kept his eyes locked on the villain as he slowly side-stepped over to the KO'ed Kirishima laying nearby.

Carefully moving, Tokoyami hoisted his classmate's unconscious figure onto his back. Simultaneously, Dark Shadow went and picked up the bug-like teen, Kamakiri, from where he laid motionless on the ground.

Tokoyami looked to where Amajiki was tied against a tree, then to Puppet. "Will you let me take Suneater?"

The villain searched his eyes for a moment, looking for any signs of deception. But it really wouldn't matter, she was much stronger than him and could overpower him, especially if he was trying to protect his comrades.

"Fine, then run back to the school," she said.

The teen nodded, then instructed Dark Shadow to go and collect Amajiki.