A Dragon's Heart // Shoto Todoroki x Reader

Chapter 30: Bleed

I fumbled the thin parchment between my fingers as I gazed up at the decayed building. The scent of moss and mildew tainted the air around me. This was the right address, so why did it look abandoned? Even with my advanced hearing, I couldn't detect any signs of life within its walls. I tugged at the strap of my black bag, its contents feeling heavier by the second. I wore the newly adapted hero costume as instructed – though it was more of a villain costume for now. The police had made a few changes, extending the mask to cover most of my face and adding silver spikes around parts of the costume.

My ear perked up at the sound of heavy footsteps trudging towards me. My dark orbs snapped towards the source of the sound, and the sight before me startled me. A pale young man stood there in wispy black cloth. His dyed black hair spiked upwards, crossing low over his thin turquoise eyes. The feature that stood out the most was the patches of wrinkled, gnarled purple skin covering much of his lower face and neck.

"Did you get lost, My Lady?" the slim man asked, his hands buried deep within the pockets of his long black coat.

"I'm looking for the League of Villains. I have a note that says this is the right spot," I replied, my voice quaking more than I intended. Perhaps I was trying to compensate for the nerves gnawing at me. I felt unsure of how to act around this random guy, though he didn't look all that friendly.

"Well, you found us. Aizawa, right? I've seen pictures of you, but you look way hotter in real life," the man said flirtatiously. "Call me Dabi. Right this way, My Lady." Dabi quipped before slinking behind the building, out of sight. I scrambled to follow him.

The screams of imaginary alarm bells rang in my head, pleading for me to run away. But this is my job now – to gain inside information.

I swallowed my fear and followed the villain along the side of the decayed building. A side door appeared, and Dabi pushed it open, holding it for me. I cautiously inched towards the door, noting how much taller Dabi was than me.

The air frosted around me as I entered the villain's lair. The hairs on my arms stood on end as my dark eyes scanned the giant, dark space. I slid my helmet off, holding it for comfort. Dabi walked past me, and I noticed we were not alone. Several figures stood before us, watching me.

Never before in my life had I been so scared. My body became numb, and I felt like I was going to pass out.

"Amara! You finally made it?" The villain covered in hands rejoiced, though I was sure it was sarcastic. I believe his name was Shigaraki. With all the hands covering most of his features, I couldn't help but come up with an alternate name for him.

Hand job.

I chuckled awkwardly, realizing I was laughing to myself in front of these strangers. Very powerful and scary strangers.

"Yeah, I'm here," I voiced.

"I'm sure you're tired from the travel, Amara. This is Toga," Hand job said, gesturing at the blonde girl standing beside him. She wore a high school outfit, her amber-yellow orbs boring into me. "Toga, would you please show our guest around the mansion?"

"I wouldn't call it a mansion," Dabi interjected.

"Shut up. Just do it, Toga. Now," Hand job said irritably, causing both Toga and me to sigh. My dark orbs collided with her golden hues. Her ashy blonde hair was styled into two messy buns. Toga said nothing as she sauntered towards a hallway. I felt inclined to follow her, so I did. We walked in heavy silence. The floorboards creaked beneath me, reflecting the groaning heartache I felt.

We turned a dark corner before Toga pushed me into a dark room. The strap on my bag slipped, and it fell to the floor with a thud. I twirled around in time to see the devilish glint of metal shimmer in the dim light. Toga caught me off guard, leaving me no time to harden my skin. The knife sliced through the black fabric of the costume before digging deeply into my flesh. I staggered as the pain tore through me, the wound throbbing painfully. Toga inched closer, her porcelain fingers not leaving the knife's hilt.

"That's what you get for killing my sister," she whispered into my ear.

"I've never even met your sister!" I roared angrily as my pathetic legs gave out from under me. Toga stood over me, amber eyes gleaming. It was as if she enjoyed the pain contorting my features.

"She made the mistake of adopting you with her stupid husband. You killed them both the night of the fire," Toga spat before gleefully skipping back down the hallway we had come through.

I was in too much pain to hold onto anger. My breath hitched as I scrambled to stand up, the knife still stuck in my abdomen. I knew better than to pull it out, but it wasn't like I could get any medical attention now. It would blow my cover, or I would go to jail. I could almost laugh at the shitty situation I was in.

I bit my lip as my fingers wrapped around the knife's handle. I braced myself for more throbbing pain as I slid the knife out. Crimson red blood cascaded down my body like a waterfall. My shaky hand applied pressure to the wound. Adrenaline coursing through my veins made me feel nauseous, my eyes wide and alert. My free hand found a light switch, and with the room's light on, I was able to find a bathroom.

I need bandages before I bleed to death. Oh wait...

I hardened my skin around the wound, causing the bleeding to cease. Why didn't I think of that sooner? I mentally scolded myself, but it wasn't like I could keep my skin hardened forever. I didn't actually know how long my skin could stay hard for. Live and learn, I guess.

Blood pooled on the floorboards. I must have lost too much. I felt lightheaded, but I knew I had to unzip the costume and find bandages. Bandages...

My head spun, and nausea made itself apparent. It wasn't long until my body became weightless, and I fainted once more.

Meanwhile, Shoto's POV:

My hands trembled as I lowered the note. Why would Amara break up with me now? I thought things were going well with us. Determined to find her, I scrunched the note into a small ball and slid it into my uniform pocket. Bolting out of the room, I reached the common room and realized everyone had gathered. Misery lingered like a bad smell in the air around us. A lump formed in my throat as I inched towards the group. Midoriya glanced at me with a sad look in his green eyes. The rest of the class hung their heads low; it was as if I had walked into a funeral.

"Amara's gone," he told me. "She left a note saying she was going and didn't want to be followed." His voice was sad. I knew Amara and Midoriya got along really well. This was hard for me too.

"Stupid lizard," I heard Bakugo mutter to himself. I never really understood the nickname he had for Amara, but I didn't care about that now.

"She's such an idiot," I grumbled, clenching my hands by my sides. "I'm going to go find her—"

"No, Todoroki, you are not," Mr. Aizawa interrupted. He walked quietly into the room with his hands in his black pockets. He wore a stoic expression as Midoriya handed him the handwritten note Amara had left. Mr. Aizawa's hands held the note, and his dark charcoal orbs flickered with an emotion I couldn't understand.

"What do you mean?" I asked Mr. Aizawa.

"Don't concern yourself with her. I'll go to the police for help. Just focus on school," he simply said. The class erupted into an uproar, everyone annoyed that they couldn't help Amara. None of them more so than me. He was her father, yet he seemed to care the least that she was gone.

"QUIET," Mr. Aizawa screamed, and suddenly the uproar ceased. It was as if Mr. Aizawa's voice split the air around us. "I said I'd go to the police. Now I don't want to talk about it anymore. Go to class."

Back in my room, I sat down, feeling the weight of the situation crush me. Amara was gone, and I had no idea where she was or if she was safe. All I knew was that I had to find a way to bring her back, no matter what it took.