Lifeless

Chapter 16 - Nusquam Ire

(Tw!) This chapter contains manipulation, threats, death, and strangulation/ lack of airflow! I'll provide a summary if anybody needs one : ) This chapter probably has the most dialogue I've ever written for one chapter tbh, I just can't write dialogue very well lol :p Also, thank you to everybody commenting and voting on this story! Sometimes I get a little upset that this fic isn't getting as much attention as my other fic, but I always have to remind myself that this fic has only been posted for a few weeks, and that it'll pick up steam eventually.

Nusquam Ire - (Latin) Nowhere to go.

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Shigaraki scowled at the incoming call icon that was set up for his master, upset that he was going to be forced to interact with the man once again.

Picking up the phone gently, avoiding touching all of his fingers against the hard metal, Shigaraki answered the phone. The raspy voice of the man carried over the line slowly, an order for Kurogiri to hand the phone to Shigaraki. "It's me, Master." Shigaraki answered, his voice was hesitant, his reluctance to interact with the man was obvious.

Hisashi scowled a bit at his student's tone, but ignored the urge to call out the boy on it. "How is the woman's stay?" They both knew what he meant, the question was a thinly veiled threat to go through with Hisashi's order, to not stall anymore.

"It's going well, Master." Shigaraki slouched slightly in his seat, expecting some sort of reprimanding from the man on the other side of the line.

"I sure hope it is." His tone was dark but joking, almost daring Shigaraki to defy him. Hisashi was egging him on, luring him into slipping up and disrespecting him.

"I don't think I know what you mean, Master." Shigaraki was avoiding something that he himself didn't know, but his master's tone wasn't a good sign.

"I trust you, Shigaraki, so make sure you do well." His tone was strange, a mix of different emotions. Shigaraki was starting to get angry, the unidentifiable emotions in his master's voice paired with the doubt his master was pointing towards him.

"Yes, Master, I'll do fine." His tone was growing snippy, his anger slowly taking over a part of his rational brain.

"I know, Shigaraki, I just wanted to make sure." Hisashi was simply dragging out the conversation, muddling Shigaraki's mind with anger before he could realize what was happening.

"I will, Master! Haven't I said that already?! I'll 'take care' of your stupid wife!" Shigaraki ended his outburst suddenly, realizing his slip up mid sentence but unable to stop it.

"And who was it that told you that she was my wife, Shigaraki?" Hisashi's voice was deeper now, more threatening, but triumphant nonetheless. He had gotten what he wanted. Shigaraki grew frantic as he sensed his mistake.

"Well... the Doctor, but it's fine Master! I won't tell anyone, I promise, and... I'm sure he won't tell anyone!" Hisashi chuckled at the frantic tone of his understudy, his laugh itself was an answer to Shigaraki. "Please, Master, it wasn't that bad! I'll do anything! But it wasn't his fault! Please!" Shigaraki was pleading, he knew this is what his master had wanted the entire time, but he couldn't bring himself to care in the moment, he didn't want to be the cause of another death.

"If it isn't his fault, Shigaraki, then who shall I punish for their inexcusable behaviour?"

Shigaraki couldn't respond, the answer stuck on his tongue. He didn't like being punished, hated it. From being locked in a dark closet for days on end, to excruciating training, Shigaraki hated all of his punishments. But he also hated being the cause of someone else's death, something that had happened many times before, the crushing weight of his mind afterwards had always left him in agony.

"You can punish me, Master." The sentence was delivered in a defeated tone, Shigaraki utterly resigned to his fate.

Hisashi has to resist a giggle at the words, extremely excited to be given the chance at teaching his protege a lesson. "Shigaraki, you have both wronged me. The Doctor with his spreading of rumors, and you with believing them. Since you were kind enough to offer yourself up for the Doctor's punishment, he will still have one, but you won't be forced to watch it... this time. But Shigaraki, if you ever displease me like this again, I won't hesitate to carry through with the worst punishment yet. Tread carefully." With that Hisashi ended the call, leaving Shigaraki to dwell in his own thoughts.

Hisashi leant back in his chair before standing, leaving his office swiftly and making his way down into the winding halls of the office's basement. His destination was clear in his mind, and he had no doubts about his next actions.

To him, Ujiko was expendable. Nothing the man had done in the past year greatly benefited the League, and now, he was simply taking up room and supplies when Hisashi himself knew how to do all of the operations that the doctor did.

Hisashi didn't knock on the door to the observation room, nor did he spare more than one glance at the green haired boy fighting a nomu past the one way window, instead he walked straight towards Ujiko.

"Hello, Doctor." Hisashi was grinning, something that didn't quite frighten Ujiko, but it wasn't a common occurrence.

"Hello Master! I have good news! So it seems that the boy has been able to take in the quirk, but I do have a hunch that he can only do so with passive quirks! It is quite amazing." Ujiko looked back at the slight battle happening in front of them, ignoring his boss the moment the man didn't respond immediately.

"Ujiko, I regret to inform you that we will have to let you go." The man's tone was joking, taunting, but even Ujiko knew what being let go meant to the league.

Ujiko's frantic eyes met his master's, finding no mercy or sympathy. "Why, Master? why?! I've done everything right, haven't I?! I've been here the whole time, I've helped create all of the serums that the League uses! And now you want to kill me?! Why?!"

Hisashi smirked at the man's desperate pleads, finding nothing but glee from the absolutely destroyed tone. "I'm very sorry, but the League no longer finds your services of need. We hope, sincerely, that you move onto something better." Hisashi advanced on Ujiko, in one fluid motion, he had the man's quirk and said man laying on the ground in pain, without a quirk.

"I would usually say that if you were lucky, that your body would be used for research, or that maybe you will stay alive for a while longer in the name of science, but I find that no such measures will be necessary at this time."

Hisashi took a step towards Ujiko's crumpled form, his smile widening as he spotted the shivering that wracked the man's body. Maybe he should allow him to live for a while longer, just so that he can experience the drawbacks of having a quirk taken away before dying. No, that would take too long, and Hisashi had other traitors to deal with.

"If you really want to know, Ujiko, a little birdie told me that you were spreading some nasty little rumors about me, and you know that I'm not one to appreciate that. And then, a different little birdie told me that you have been allowing spies into our ranks, and we can't be having that, can we?" Hisashi grabbed the aging man's cheeks, forcing him to shake his head no. "It seems that you've gotten a bit too comfortable here, hasn't it?"

Hisashi laughed before standing swiftly and activating one of his quirks, Air Manipulation. Swirling a ball of wind around in his palm, taunting Ujiko. Although the man knew what was coming, the suspense dragging up towards it was equal to, if not worse than actually dying.

Hisashi took the air out of the doctor's lungs, gathering it in front of the man's face while he watched Ujiko squirm, gasping like a fish out of water.

A loud bang sounded in the room next to the observation room, and a quick glance that way revealed that Izuku was standing over a defeated nomu. Hisashi stepped over the dying Ujiko, walking closer to the one way glass. He pressed a button next to the window that called an assistant, ordering them briefly over the microphone to retrieve the boy.

Hisashi left the room slowly, not bothering to call anyone to retrieve the doctor's body, nor did he stay to watch the doctor's last moments. Instead he started down the hallway, it was time to deal with the spy.