It Can't Be Him... (Villain Kaminari Story)

CHAPTER 10: Kyoka (Part 2)

I open my mouth to speak, when suddenly, Jirou releases the hug and punches me in the stomach. Hard.

That bitch.

I fall to the floor, do a somersault and knock my head hard on the wall of her room. I cough up a mouthful of blood, which lands all over my hero costume. It was like she had trained for this specific moment. Trying my best to hide my anger, I look back up at her in pain. She's still crying but she was now in a fighting stance.

"That's what you get for leaving us!" she cries, "For hurting Kirishima, for becoming a villain, for lying to us all...Just because I miss you, doesn't mean I don't want to hurt you." I try my best to stand up, but a painful jab on my hip stops me.

"Kkkh!" I inhale a sharp breath. Before I know it, Kyoka is kneeling down in front of me, watching me. Then...

Slap!

She slaps me.

"And that's what you get for breaking my heart!" she cries, "For going on those stupid fake dates with you, for making me believe what we had was real, for making me fall for someone like you. I can't believe you!" She yells into my face and turned the other way, her arms crossed.

Now, I'm sitting there, baffled at this situation. So just a few minutes ago, you were crying into my costume, whining about how much you missed me, and now you're trying to beat me up and make me look weak? 

A small flash of lightning emerged from my index finger, and I slowly pointed it in the direction of Kyoka's back. What a perfect opportunity. I could kill her right then and there. And run away without getting caught. 

But I came here to play. To have fun. I can't end this game that quickly.

Be the Kaminari Denki she once knew.

I exhale a sigh and the feeling of rage disappears with it.

"Kyoka, babe, listen to me," I plead instead, hoping the crack in my voice was convincing, "Look. I'm so sorry."

She scoffs.

"Look, maybe I did tell the League of Villains your location that day at training. Maybe it was a bad idea forming a connection with a villains—and becoming one. But not a day goes by where I don't think about you and the others. About becoming a hero with you guys, training with you guys, there's nothing I would like more."

The girl turns back around to face me, looking me in the eye. Her eyes are now kinder, more understanding. She helps me stand back up and pulls up a chair for me to sit on. Then, she grabs a napkin and wipes the blood off my mouth.

"Tell me one thing, then," she says, "Why did you attack Kirishima that day?"

I flinch.

"You can tell me Denki. I will listen to you," she says softly.

No. Shut up. No one does. The voice inside my head wants to say.

"That was just an accident, and it won't happen again," I manage to blurt out. I say nothing more. However, it wasn't enough to satisfy Kyoka. She frowns and pinches my ear real hard.

"Owieeee! Kyoka, stop!" I squeak painfully.

"Promising it won't happen in the future isn't enough," she says, "Kirishima was the most motivated to getting you back. He tried everything to convince us you were innocent, and that none of this was your fault. He truly cared for you, he even considered you one of his dearest friends, and you return his care with strokes of lightning through every inch of his body. You need to apologize to him!"

I resist the urge to scoff. Apologize? For what? That shitty "excuse-for-a-friend" deserved what came to him. Saying how he could "help" me go back to the way I was, how he "trusts" me. I didn't do anything wrong, he was just selfish, and thought "rescuing" me would make him a better hero. A better person. I don't need rescuing from someone like him. That's right. I don't need any 'friends'. 

"Kyoka," I say, "You don't know how many times I've wanted to apologize...but I can't. Shigaraki and the others would be angry with me."

"So what? This is your friend you're talking about!" she protests, "You don't have to join our side just to say 'sorry', right?!"

"It's not that easy!" I yell. Jirou jolts in surprise. In recognition of my mistake, I continue in a more soothing tone, "I'm sorry, Kyoka. Please don't get angry again. I'm just...scared, you know? I mean, I haven't seen Kirishima for over a year, and when I accidentally attacked him with that lightning, I feel stupid...I feel broken. I don't think he deserves to even see me again after that." I decide to give Kyoka the answer she wants. In other words, lying.

Kyoka nods in comprehension, and before she could speak again, I quickly change the subject by pointing at her desk.

"Hey, why is there so many papers on your desk?" I ask. Then I pat her head with a sympathetic look, "Kyoka, I hope you're not overworking yourself again." Kyoka blushed, and ducked her head down to hide her face.

"That's...nothing. It's just homework," she adds quickly. My mental lie detector senses that she was lying, so I got up and inch towards the mountain of paperwork on her desk. I was right. It wasn't homework at all. It was music, with scribbles, notes, and musical chords written everywhere. 

"Has Aizawa Sensei begun teaching you guys music theory now?" I laugh, holding up one of the sheets to analyze.

Kyoka gasps and aggressively grabbs the paper I was holding and shoves it in her desk. I look at her, confused. She was blushing, and she wouldn't look me in the eye.

"Y-You're not allowed to look at that!" she exclaims, standing in front of the trash can defensively, "Or any of those other papers! I raised an eyebrow.

"Why not?" I inquire.

"B-Because...it's not ready yet!" she stammers. She adds, "Idiot! Stop looking at them!" when I turn my head towards the desk again.

"Sorry." was all I could say as I look away from the papers. After a few silent seconds, Kyoka heaves a sigh.

"Ugh, well, I'm finished writing it, but you can't see it yet," she says, "I wrote this song...thinking about you," she said. I expected another lie to come out, but no. She is telling the truth. She continues, "That's why you can't see it yet. But maybe if you visit—when you really visit someday—" I assume she had almost forgotten that she was in a 'dream' for a second, "I'll let you see it. When you visit, I'll play it for you on my guitar, let you read it, and then we'll compose another song together...just the two of us. Wouldn't that be nice?" She suddenly gets emotional and more tears flood down her cheek. 

"So that's why...you'd better come back for me, you fucking idiot." she whimpers. 

Ahhh, sorry this is so long! The next part is a lot shorter, I promise.