"Man, I hate this part!" she hears Yoarashi mutter from behind her. "But ya scream good, Princess! I'm sure they heard that from a mile away!"
Inexplicably, the grasp on her loosens, and Iida and Yoarashi leave her on a heap on the bed. Iida, with a disgusted look on his face, takes the torn pieces of her shirt and shows this to Shouto. "Is this good enough, my Prince?"
He nods. "Yoarashi."
"You got it, yer highness!" From behind his massive cape, Yoarashi pulls out a bag with sharp edges jutting out from within. Ochako watches in awe as the giant man empties the contents onto the floor, letting them bounce and roll around under the moonlight.
"Bones?" she mutters under her breath. She watches in further confusion as Iida throws her torn shirt over the mess of bones, bows in front of Shouto, and marches his way to Ochako.
"I advise you to look away from the ensuing event, your highness!" he says, directing her to the direction of the wall.
She doesn't do as he says, of course, and keeps her eyes on the Prince. He nods once to Yoarashi, and holds his left arm out, an animalistic growl escaping from his throat.
Orange flames emerge from the monster side of him, consuming the bones and cloth in a fearsome fire with heat that reaches her from where she stands at a distance. Yoarashi controls the wind around them so finely so that the fire spreads away from them and out the window so that it burns bright against the night sky.
They keep the fires going for a while. Eventually Shouto pulls his clawed hand back. Yoarashi stops his magic as well, and soon there's nothing but charred bones and very few remains of her shirt in the pyre.
Ochako stares at the burnt bones, and then up at Shouto, who only looks back at her with an unreadable look in his eyes.
"So! If anyone asks, we killed ya already!" Yoarashi tells her with a big smile.
"Indeed," Iida answers with distaste, throwing his cape around her bare shoulders, "Although they would not ask her if they assume that she is truly expired."
She looks at them dumbly, and with a quivering voice, mutters, "You could have just explained it to me from the start..."
Shouto looks at her blankly. "You didn't look like you trusted me enough to listen."
Her mouth twists sardonically. "Well, beg yer pardon for not trusting a guy who told me he'd kill me," she mutters under her breath. And he looks like he could do it too--all that raw power in his left side can incinerate any woman from where she stands in an instant.
He huffs, amused. "You are correct not to. I did just kill you, after all. Like I did all the other unfortunate maidens brought to this tower by my very concerned King."
He says King with distaste, making it obvious that they do not get along and he disapproves of this scheme of kidnapping women just to see if they match. But it doesn't change the fact that he hasn't done enough to stop his father from doing so.
"So... I assume that once you've 'killed' these women, you strip them of their name and stature and have them live their lives as an entire different person?"
Shouto nods. "Otherwise, it's up to the King to make sure they keep silent over my situation."
"Silent?"
He looks at her meaningfully. "He has many officers and soldiers who will do his bidding without question. Do you remember Hawks? He has more abilities than what he might have already shown you. And he is the most loyal to the king."
She remembers how easily Hawks brought down five men bigger than him with just the power of his wings, and how he captured her and incapacitated her within seconds. She shudders to think of what he has done and what he could do to the other women who did not meet their requirements.
"It's true," Iida adds quietly. "While not ideal, this is the best solution that we have come up with, your highness. Admittedly, it is more complicated than before, because this is the first that we'd have to deal with nobility."
"Yeah," Yoarashi says, scratching the back of his shaven head with a giant gloved hand. "I mean, even if it's just pretend, ain't a simple thing to just kill a princess off. Can ya imagine what would happen in the country when that gets out?"
"There would be war," Iida concurs grimly. He looks at Shouto with a questioning glance. "Are we to proceed with our plan, Highness?"
Shouto crosses his arms thoughtfully. "It's enough just for King Enji and Hawks to assume that she's dead." He gestures to the mess of bones on the floor. "The two of you will escort her through the underground passages as planned, but see to it that she makes it to her kingdom safe."
She looks up at him, surprise plain on her face. "You mean--"
He nods. "You get to go home."
"But--" she stammers, as the two knights also stare at him in confusion. "It's that simple? After being kidnapped by your king, and... and being attacked, and you and your curse--"
Shouto tilts his head in genuine curiosity. "You do not seem as thrilled as I expected you to be."
She shakes her head. "No, I mean... aren't you worried about what will happen to our kingdoms? Aren't you scared that I will tell everyone about what I've seen here, and what you did with all those women?"
"No," Shouto replies simply, much to the consternation of his knights.
"But your highness!" Iida protests in worry. "While it pains me to admit that we have done Princess Uraraka-kun wrong and that we ought to do better, it shall be a disaster of epic proportions if these atrocities were made public! Not to mention the retaliation we expect of their kingdom--"
" And Kanagawa's, as well," Ochako adds quietly. When the men in the room stare at her in confusion, she says, "... I am to be bethrothed to their Prince, you see."
Iida wails in disdain as Yoarashi goes "Aw man, you're engaged yer majesty?! I totally didn't expect that, I thought Hawks would at least kidnap someone who's single!!"
Shouto, meanwhile, stares at her with an unreadable expression on his face. "I see. Then this just makes this situation worse, doesn't it."
"So ya mean--"
"Take her back. In disguise, " Shouto reiterates, eyes flashing with authority. "She has a kingdom waiting for her, and someone to come home to. It's unacceptable to steal that away from her because the King is so desperate to be rid of this curse on his heir."
Ochako feels a twinge in her chest hearing this from her captor, of all people. Who knew that he had a sentimentality to him, despite his cold aura? A part of her wants to tell them that she doesn't really want to come home to someone like Prince Neito, even though it is definitely more advantageous to pretend that she is.
"But what about--"
"All of this is the King's doing. And it will be his problem to solve." He gives them a look that tells them that the conversation is over.
Reluctantly, the two tall knights bow, and gesture for Ochako to follow them. Suddenly out of words to say, Ochako wordlessly follows them out.
Before the door closes behind them, Ochako glances over her shoulder to see the Prince with his back turned to them. He stares out the window, out in the rain. The demonic side of him shifts under the pale light of the moon, his claw flexing as if restless. His right hand keeps this still, as his human side grimaces in obvious pain.
Ochako wonders how it is to be so alone just as the door closes.
