Smile for Me

Chapter 19: The Last Laugh

Joke POV

She woke up with a bandage around her stomach: where she had been stabbed. Vision still blurry, Ms.Joke fluttered her eyelids open to reveal a bright light in her face.

Where am I...What happened?

Her eyes adjusted to the light and she realized where she was.

No. NononononononoNO!

She pulled against the restraints desperately, hoping, praying for anyone to come save her.

They're going to "finish". I don't know what, but I don't want to find out! Please...

"Anyone! Please, help me!" she cried out in vain, "Mic! Midnight! Somebody, please!!"

She hung her her head in exhaustion and cried. Tears cascaded down her face and stung her cut lip.

This is it. I'm supposed to be a Hero, and this...I don't want to go like this..

"I-I'm....I'm scared." she whimpered.

The door opened to reveal the whole gang. Shigaraki, Toga, Twice, and a now conscious Dabi.

"I hope you had a nice nap, Joke." Shigaraki's voice echoed through the room, "because today, I believe my masterpiece will be finished."

The broken Hero lifted her head just enough to glare at him through her hair.

"Are you going to kill me?" she spat, still shaky from crying.

"Kill you? Oh, no; we're not going to kill you."

She lifts her head in confusion.

Toga slams the helmet back on her head, and skips back over to the group.

"We're going to use you."

***********************************************

(The clip above is the memory)

"You were going to surprise him with something, weren't you?"

"Tell me what it was." The voice says with false sympathy.

"...I-It was.. the  anniversary of the day we met. I w-was... I was going to finally confess to him for real that day..." Emi spat.

"And how did that work out for you?" the voice grinned.

"H-h-he... He was with another woman... I-I didn't even know her."

"That woman would be better for him. He didn't care when you saw either..."

"He found me l-later and asked me what was wrong!" she sniffed through her tears.

"Only to get you to stop whining. He told you he was having a "conference" with  potential new teacher, but do you really believe that?"

Emi breaks into more tears, as she feels herself on the breaking point.

"Can you lose something that was never yours?"

The shock of the moment hit her like a truck.

He doesn't care. He never will...

He needs to pay for that.

There's no chance...

For what he did to you..

He wanted to hurt me.

For what he did to us.

He needs to pay.

He needs to pay.

I can help you.

Help me what?

Get revenge on him.

...

Didn't you see what he did! He deserves to be punished! He calls himself a Hero and all he does is hurt you!

Her head was spinning.

He...H-he did hurt me.

Yes..

An eye for an eye..

YES.

One pain, for another.

Yes, yes! We will take control, and make him regret the day he rejected us.

Yes...

He will be at our mercy.

..Yes..

I know you're tired of fighting, Emi. Just give in, and all the pain will go away...

Just give in.

********************************************

The machine whirred, as the Villains saw angry tears streaming down Ms.Joke's face from under the helmet. They saw her struggle against the restraints and scream a blood-curdling scream of rage and pain.

Shigaraki smiled under his "mask".

"This will be a good start."

Under the helmet, Toga heard something as the room quieted down...

"Shh, guys! Did you hear that?"

The group quieted and listened.

A low giggle could be heard under the mask of Emi Fukukado. Her head hung low, she continued to giggle, slowly getting louder and more manic.

"heeheeheeehee. Hehehehehehe. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!" She cackled, throwing her head back, laughing seemingly with no control.

The team of Villains looked at her nervously, as Shigaraki walked over and took the helmet off of the cackling woman. The laughing slowed back to a low, but still manic giggle.

She looked up, hair messy, eyes manic and grinned.

"Hello!" she whispered. She turned to look at Dabi, "How's that gut doing?" she giggled.

He held his still bruised stomach and walked up to her, "Want me to return the favor, you-" he suddenly stopped.

"..heeheehee..." she looked up once again, "Wrong answer!" she giggled

Dabi coughed. Then again, and again. He giggled, then laughed loudly. He wheezed, gasping for air in uncontrollable laughter. Tears streamed down his face, and he was turning purple from lack of oxygen.

"Haha! Been waiting a while to do that." the woman grinned at Shigaraki.

"So. You gonna let me up, or what?"