A Dragon's Heart // Shoto Todoroki x OC

Chapter 33: The Void In Me

"Amara Aizawa." Shigaraki's shrill voice cut through the darkness.

"Hand Job? Is that you?" I sighed, feeling the cloth around my head being pulled off. Light pierced my eyes, and sure enough, Shigaraki stood before me. His dry, crinkly skin reminded me of the desert, reflecting his equally dry personality. "This isn't very funny," I muttered, my voice breaking despite my best efforts to stay composed.

"Don't be so shy," Hand Job murmured. He traced his dry fingers lightly along my shoulders, caressing my skin until he reached my face. "You shouldn't be shy – You're beautiful. My perfect masterpiece."

I clenched my fists, my breath quivering at the sensation of his touch. I avoided his gaze, unable to bear seeing my reflection in his eyes – hideous and warped. "You didn't make me," I spat.

"My master did," Hand Job replied. "What would you be without us? He's practically written himself along your skin. Here..." Hand Job's fingers continued to trail down my body, down to my forearm. "Everything you've survived, everything you've endured. You're so strong, is that not beautiful?"

His words were oddly reassuring, though his actions were far from comforting. I was still chained up. I swallowed my urge to kill him here and now, unsure if I was allowed to. "Why am I here? Whatever pervy ideas you have, I'm going to decline."

"It's time you fulfilled your purpose – the reason your quirks were given to you."

"What?" Irritation crept into my voice. He wasn't making any sense.

"Your life, your adoption, your rebirth from the flames. It was always meant to happen, you were always going to be blackmailed into joining us. You are my perfect weapon." Shigaraki murmured as he paced the room, weaving between computer monitors and strange medical equipment. "I'm going to fix you. You'll be the greatest Nomu ever created."

My heart rate quickened, and I called upon my fire to melt the iron shackles, but Shigaraki's shrill voice instilled a fear in me.

"Why are you fighting it? You know your life is over. You hurt your friends. You'll never be allowed back into that school. This was always your purpose."

I felt my dark eyes narrow as my breath left my chest, leaving me with the familiar sensation of numbness. "Wait, you blackmailed me into joining you?"

"Yes, that wasn't the real police that 'investigated you'; they were villains paid to act."

Anger swelled inside me. I had been such an idiot. "I'm going to kill you, and then I'm going to slaughter your entire 'League of Villains'," I growled, flames dancing around my skin as the metal shackles groaned in retaliation.

"Why bother? Your life is over."

I had been played. I gave up my life to protect Shoto and myself, but it was all a lie. I hurt my friends, I left Shoto. I punched Midoriya and even threatened to kill his mother. And it was all for nothing. What is my life? I forced a shaky sigh as I peered down at my arms. My flames flickered before they eventually shrank into tiny clouds of steam.

I didn't feel the pain of the needles Shigaraki injected into my flesh. I felt like a corpse. I was already dead. Strange-colored bags hung around me in a semicircle, the liquid dripping into my blood painlessly. Though I doubted I'd ever feel anything again.

"You are the perfect killing machine, Amara. You just need to be tweaked a little." Shigaraki placed a cold hand on the top of my head. His fingers gripped my dark hair, forcing me to meet his cold gaze. His soulless, tired eyes reflected an image of me I'd never seen before – a dark version of myself that I knew existed but couldn't bear to face. I kept her hidden away in the farthest reaches of my mind. My other personality – she scares me. "I need the dark version of you, the one that almost killed All Might in a fit of rage."

"How did you know about that?" I asked in a monotone.

"I've been watching you since day one."

My heart bled, sharp daggers twisting within my chest. I felt my breath hitch and fumble within my throat as I tried to keep myself from breaking. He was right. My life was over. There was no point in fighting back; I had lost. I hunched over, the needles ceaselessly poured the unknown liquid into me, making my vision hazy. This was the end of me.

Meanwhile, Midoriya POV

The memory of seeing Amara in the flesh haunted me. She had been missing for weeks, but it turns out she joined the Villains, the League of Villains of all places. I stirred within my bed, deciding to leave the dorm room and go for a walk – just to clear my head.

I stumbled upon Todoroki in the community kitchen. My eyes widened at the sight. Todoroki wore a baggy white shirt and grey tracksuit pants as he leaned against the kitchen counter. His bicolored eyes seemed lost within the ceramic cup he held in his fingers.

"Todoroki?" My voice was silent, barely above a whisper, yet Todoroki seemed to jump at my words.

"Oh, it's you." He mumbled before taking a sip of whatever liquid was in the cup. "It's coffee. I wonder why Amara liked it so much. It's bitter but kinda sweet." He informed me. I peered down at the cup before averting my gaze elsewhere.

"That's kind of like Amara. She seems bitter and unfriendly, but when you get to know her, she's just a shy, sweet girl. With a temper, of course." I smiled at the memory of Amara. I imagined her back in class with us, and everything felt normal again.

"Yeah, I guess you're right." Todoroki simply said.

"I need to talk to you," I said, keeping my voice low. What I was about to say would shatter the boy in front of me. Just thinking about seeing Amara at the mall made me shiver. I couldn't believe it. "It's about Amara."

Todoroki stiffened, his already pale face turning even whiter. "What about her?" He asked in a monotone.

"I don't know how to say this, but I saw her. She—" Todoroki cut me off, his fingers painfully gripping my shoulders. His eyebrows furrowed into a scowl as his bicolored eyes bore into me.

"Keep talking," he spat.

"She joined the League of Villains. I was at my work study when she saw me. She tried to knock me unconscious so that I wouldn't remember seeing her – but I remember. She threatened to kill my mom if I told anyone. It's really bad." I pursed my lips together, seeing Todoroki shift before me. His grip softened as he reverted to his stoic expression.

"She what? No, there must have been a mistake."

"I'm sorry, but I don't think she's on our side anymore." My voice quivered as I trailed off, lowering my gaze to the darkness of the room. Todoroki's eyes swelled with concern. He released his grip entirely, his hands falling to his sides.

"Where did you see her last?" He asked, an unusual stillness in his voice.

"At the mall, during my work study. Fire came out of nowhere, and she saved my life, and then, well..." I sighed. "I still have the bruises to prove it. She was quite angry." Todoroki stood in silence before gripping the coffee mug and drinking its contents in one gulp. He slammed the mug down onto the kitchen sink before pushing past me, storming down the hallway towards Mr. Aizawa's office. A shaky sigh left my lips before I trotted back to my dorm room. Maybe this time I could manage some sleep.Meanwhile, Amara POV:

The liquid coursing through my veins made my vision hazy. Shigaraki's words echoed in my mind, mingling with my own self-doubt and anger. I had been tricked, used, and now I was on the brink of losing everything I held dear. The thought of Shoto, my friends, and the life I could have had tormented me.

"Amara, are you still with me?" Shigaraki's voice cut through the fog. I blinked, trying to focus on his grotesque face.

"Get away from me," I hissed weakly, the fight draining out of me.

"You'll see, Amara. You'll be perfect. A masterpiece of destruction." His voice was almost soothing in its madness.

I felt my consciousness slipping, the world around me fading to black.