Chapter Thirty-Seven

**DISCLAIMER : TW - This chapter contains blood, violence, and gore.

I huff, struggling to catch my breath as I fight to stand. Juro has multiple wounds healing, but he still wears a smile on his face... I haven't been so lucky. My side throbs with a fresh gaping wound, my head aches with the pressure of my quirk, and my nerves feel fried beyond repair. It feels like it's been hours here in this room, Shiori passed out at my feet and Juro countering almost every move. As we've been fighting, I've noticed that his technique isn't really better than mine... it's his healing and strength that make him so formidable.

"Don't tell me you're tired already, Kaida..." he taunts, eyeing me like I'm food. I bare my teeth at him, fury still making me strong. Screw the pain. Screw my shaking hands. I won't let him win for as long as I'm still breathing. I launch off the ground, my energy blasting me forward so fast that when I slam into him, it feels like getting shot a thousand times over. I howl when we crash into the wall behind him, my elbow crushing his wind pipe and my energy burning through my limbs with incredible force.

"How does it feel, Juro?" I hiss through my teeth, rocking back to slam him into the wall again, relishing in the way his eyes bulge and his skin grows red from the lack of oxygen.

"How does it feel to choke on your fear? To be at my mercy?" I spit, my rage a ravenous and ugly thing. He laughs, a strangled and raspy sound, blood dripping down his chin as he smiles at me.

"Do you... want me to beg... for my life?" he chuckles darkly, shaking his head as best he can. For a moment, I almost feel like I have the upper hand, but the moment shatters when he slams both fists into my gut, shoving me backwards and sending me flying through the air. I gasp as my body crashes into the far wall, cracking it in half. Pain explodes within me and more of my own blood fills my mouth as I stumble to the ground, legs shaking with the effort. But... I glare up at him, unable to give up. This man is my mother's killer... my sister's kidnapper... I can't let him win. I take a step forward, body aching with the effort as my vision fades in and out. I shake my head, forcing myself to pull it together. No. He won't win.

"I want you dead" I rasp and as my heartbeat increases, my energy glides over my skin, forming a barrier over it just like when I was training with Bakugo. The energy fills my body with sudden power, stealing away my pain and weakness and I clench my fist. I can do this.

"Kaida..." Shiori's voice is soft and scared when it calls my name, stopping me in my tracks. My eyes widen as I look down at her, seeing her sitting up and staring at me with a face full of terror. How much has she seen? What is she seeing now? My eyes dart between her and Juro, desperation making my stomach quiver. Juro laughs outright, a sadistic tone to the sound.

"Now this... is a party!" he exclaims.

"Shiori, stay down!" I shout, pushing off the ground again before she can try to hold me back. I hear her try to call out after me, but her voice is raspy and weak and all I can think about now is protecting her from this psychopath. Energy wraps around my fist, causing power to surge through my arm like a rocket. I land the blow, thrusting Juro into the wall again and creating a crater the entire length of it. He chokes out a gasp, retching as my hit burrows through him. I clench my jaw against the force of it, feeling the impact all the way down into my bones. It feels like my entire body is rattling with it, but now, Juro's getting angry. His fist comes up and grips me by the throat, lifting me from the ground and I cough against his hold, body struggling for air. Damn it... I gasp, my eyes wheeling as I look for my sister.

"Sh-Shiori... get..." I struggle for the words, trying desperately to form them as Juro squeezes the life out of me.

"G-get... down..." I manage. Out of the corner of my eye, I see her lie flat to the ground, moving so quickly that I don't even have to think about my next move. I grab Juro's wrist tightly, a vicious smile on my bloodied face.

"Fuck you" I spit and my body explodes with my quirk. I think back to the first time this happened and the way I hurt so many people unintentionally. I think about the way my body sometimes barely feels like it can contain the power thrumming beneath my skin. I close my eyes, my pulse tearing its way out of me and destroying the room around us. Twisting tendrils of raw energy whip around me, slashing through the air and slamming into the walls around us, bringing the very foundation of the room to a crippling shell. The back wall explodes outward, brick, mortar, and metal crumbling apart and I'm ripped out of Juro's hands, thrown to the ground. I cough violently as I slide across the floor towards Shiori and cover her head with my upper body. She doesn't seem to be any more hurt than before which makes me breathe a sigh of relief and when I look at Juro, he looks like shit. I look towards the hole my energy created in the wall and pull Shiori up, scrambling to get her free.

"Kaida!" Juro bellows, as furious as I've ever seen him. My head whips back to him, heart hammering. Shit... come on!

"Ito! Here!" my whole body fills to the brim with an emotion I haven't felt this entire time. Hope. Hawks holds out a hand towards us urgently as he appears just outside, his eyes wide on the two of us. My immediate thought is Shiori. Get her out, get her safe.

"Kaida!" another voice behind me rips my attention in half and I look behind me, eyes wide as Bakugo bursts through the door, looking like hell and glory all at once. Katsuki... everything after that happens in slow motion. I manage to get my sister to Hawks, tossing her into his arms and trying to ignore the biting pain in my chest when she cries out for me, her voice nothing but a breath. Then I whip back around, watching as Bakugo falls into the ultimate trap. His eyes widen as Juro's arm encircles his throat, a jagged piece of metal strategically placed at his spine. No... Juro's eyes meet mine over Bakugo's shoulder, a promise in them that I can't deny and I know what I have to do. I know the price I have to pay for Bakugo's life.

It takes a split second for me to make my decision and I throw myself towards them, forcing out the last bit of energy I have left to propel myself across the room as fast as I can. My heart races, muscles shuddering with my power and I can see the fear in Bakugo's eyes... the uncertainty; all of it seems to register in my mind one single agonizing second at a time. Behind his bravado, Bakugo can sense it too, sense the imminent danger we're all in and for a moment, everything disappears into the background but the look on his face. My fist finds purchase on the collar of his shirt and I yank him towards me, the power in my grip too much for even him to resist.

"Don't come after me" I breathe against his ear, twisting us around and blasting him away from me with my pulse. He shoots backwards, body colliding with Hawks, my sister, and the gathering group of heroes as Juro's arms wrap tightly around the top of my torso. I suck in a breath, his impressive strength making pain shoot all the way down into my fingertips as my friends start for us. Shiori shrieks from Hawks' arms, her voice a rattling breath, Bakugo races forward with Shoto at his side, their mouths open wide in screams I can't hear behind the roaring in my ears and both Deku and Endeavor arrive at the last second, staring after us in wide eyed horror. Juro whistles, a loud and piercing sound, and within seconds, Hiroto arrives. My heart drops, fear making my stomach tie itself in knots. He's too strong... I don't have a choice. My eyes lock with the people I care the most about in the world, sharing a single moment of heartbreak. I hope they can see it in my eyes... feel the love I have for them and know that this was the only way I knew how to save them. Hiroto suddenly takes to the sky, taking us with her effortlessly and I struggle to hold back the tears when I realize... I may never see anyone I love again.

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Juro keeps me in a dark room for what I estimate to be at least three days. No sunlight, little food or water, and constant surveillance as my body tries to heal itself. After our fight was over and the energy burned out of me, I was little more than a shell of a person, collapsing to the floor and sitting slumped over in the same position most of the night. The looks on my sister's and Bakugo's faces... the shouting and wondering if I'd made the right choice... all of it plagued me. Washing over my already battered body with an extra wave of punishment. What have I done? Is Shiori okay? Will they ever forgive me?

"Dinner" a voice interrupts my reverie and a tray slides under the door. Two pieces of bread. Four ounces of water. I grit my teeth, barely having the energy to be angry anymore, but I know that's part of their plan. I grab a piece of the bread, fingers shaking as I hold it up and examine it a moment. This asshole. I throw it at the door, heart racing.

"Screw you, asshole!" I scream, praying he can hear me from where ever he is. Three days. I've barely slept or healed at all, but I refuse to let it shape me into what they want. I'll never be one of his compliant little puppets. I'd rather die.

"Such a temper..." I hear Juro tsk as the door to my cell opens, letting in a light much too intense for my eyes to adjust to quickly. I squint against it, trying to shield myself as he saunters in, clothing fresh and shoes tapping against the floor.

"Enough time has passed, I think, to allow us a conversation" he tells me. I blink rapidly, barely able to see him.

"I don't want to talk to you" I growl, but he seems unbothered.

"You feel weak now, don't you? Defeated? Can't you see that you're in no position to argue with me?" he demands. I glare at him, eyes finally adjusting enough that I know where he is. He doesn't even look like I touched him in our fight. What the hell?

"You don't get to tell me how I feel" I snarl, stomach growling and throbbing with hunger. He chuckles, eyes glinting.

"But you've already given me so much more than you ever said you would. Look at you, Kaida!" he grins, gesturing at me almost proudly. I flinch, heart aching. What is he talking about?

"You're even more of a dream than your mother ever was... so self-sacrificing. If I'd known then that threatening your loved ones would've given you the push you needed, I might've done it sooner" he muses and my stomach drops. Mom... I can only imagine how disappointed she'd be in me. How angry... pain surges through me, making me feel powerless and lost.

"I was doing the right thing" I say, but my conviction isn't as strong as it was three days ago. Hell, I'm not as strong as I was three days ago. Juro makes a small noise of sympathy.

"I know... of course you were. But didn't you see the looks on those heroes' faces? You're not one of them anymore, Kaida. You're an outcast. A villain. The murderous look in your eyes? It was a thing of beauty, truly. I've never come across a hero so hell bent on revenge" Juro says almost gleefully. My heart stutters, eyes widening... but it's not true, is it? I chose this for a reason, but... I still chose Juro. And to fight him the way that I did... with the intent to kill... whether it was to save my friends or not... I made that decision myself. I swallow hard, feeling the weight of the world on my chest.

"A villain..." I whisper, my voice shuddering over the word.

"It's freeing, isn't it? To have the cage opened and the blindfold removed? Don't you feel... unburdened?" he asks, but I feel the opposite. My stomach aches and my body is no better. I can feel the panic rising, breath quickening. My energy vibrates just beneath my skin, but I'm too weak for even that to have much of an effect on anything. I'm alone... at the mercy of villains... I FAILED. The word failure burns through me again and it has a paralyzing effect. I can feel myself spiraling, remembering the monster I became for the sake of saving my sister... for the sake of revenge. My eyes widen, body shaking. No... I'm everything I was afraid of. Everything Shiori told me I'd become. Part of me desperately seeks the hand that found me last time... the warmth of his embrace... the smell of soap and smoke and sweetness... but he's gone. I gasp, chest heaving as I try to focus on my surroundings. Katsuki... Shiori... please... anyone... but no one is here. No one is coming to find me this time. Please, somebody help me...

"Kaida..." the hand that jerks me back to reality is Juro's and I look up at him startled and wide eyed, heart stuttering.

"I..."

"You're alright here. You're finally safe" he tells me. I shake my head, refusing to believe it, but my heart begins to slow and my eyes fill with tears. What's happening to me?

"You'll never have to be anyone's monster here" he adds, striking a painful chord. My whole body freezes, his words echoing through my head. I'll never... have to be a monster...

"Stop talking" I breathe, heart racing. Juro tilts his head, his expression making my head hurt. Please stop... please...

"Juro... it's time" a deep voice says from the doorway and the two of us look up, Juro in interest, and me in fear. Juro smiles at me, a sickeningly kind expression, before looking back at who I now recognize to be Aneurysm.

"Come with me" he insists. I try to fight him, but while he's back at his full strength, my body feels about as effective as a blade of grass at this point. Juro pulls me up and drags me along with him, his hand disturbingly gentle on my arm. When we get out of my cell, I see that we're in a surprisingly large building, all clean marble floors and soft white colors. My eyes widen as they absorb my surroundings, but I don't have time to think about where the exits might be, instead, Juro moves so quickly through the place that I'm forced to focus on staying upright.

"I want you to see this" Juro tells me, guiding me up to a large door and opening it with ease, pushing me inside and following closely behind. I stumble over my own feet, surprised to see a small lounging area and a wall lined with floor to ceiling windows.

"Wh-where...?" my voice trails off as a familiar woman with silken black hair rolls off the couch and stretches like a cat, tilting her head at us curiously. Hiroto.

"You were able to convince her?" she wonders, eyeing me. I swallow, trying to bury the hatred I feel for her. Juro chuckles, brushing my hair back from my face. I flinch away from him, feeling like a cornered animal.

"Not quite... that's what we're here for" he tells her and she smiles, a slow and sensual expression that makes my skin crawl. She walks up to us, her eyes glued to Juro in a way that makes me incredibly uncomfortable.

"I'm ready" she tells him. Juro releases me to Aneurysm's hold and I watch in confused fear as he guides her back to the couch and sits her down. She sweeps her hair to one side, revealing her neck and tilting her head to expose more of it. Juro smiles.

"Good girl" he murmurs, grabbing a small case sitting nearby. I tense, already feeling like I need to run. What the hell is going on here? My heart races as he pulls out a syringe, gently rolling it between his hands to mix the solution inside. My eyes widen as Hiroto bites her lower lip in anticipation and I immediately try to pull away from Aneurysm, adrenaline spiking when his grip tightens. No... I don't want to be here...

"Deep breath" Juro says and instantly plunges a long needle into Hiroto's neck. She gasps, half pleasure and half pain as he presses the injection into her bloodstream and I feel like vomiting, my body convulsing with the urge. Juro removes the needle expertly and watches with fascination as Hiroto sucks in a breath through her teeth, body shuddering, making terror wash through me. No... this can't be...

"How do you feel?" he asks her and when she opens her eyes, they flash an inhuman shade, flickering like flames.

"Powerful" she breathes, flexing her fists. Juro caresses her cheek with his thumb, staring at her like she's the most beautiful creation he's ever seen.

"Show me" he murmurs and Hiroto smiles, rolling her shoulders back. The hair on the back of my neck stands up and my heart thunders against my ribs. Hiroto blinks, eyelashes brushing against her cheekbones, and in an instant, all of the windows in the room shatter, wind whistling inside with violent force. My eyes widen and it feels like a punch to the gut. No one... no one is that strong. No one should be... panic courses through me. I have to get out. I need to tell someone... Juro's gaze flicks to me expectantly, a disgusting smile on his face.

"It's your turn" he says and my stomach drops, hopelessness burning through me. What the hell have I done?