Aesthete

Chapter 23.

Who the hell was on me?

My body was slammed into the ground, right when I was noticing billows of smoke drifting through different areas of the forest. I was trekking through the path, preparing myself for any scares, but it was unusually silent. No one jumped out at me, playing a measly attempt at a haunted woods game constructed by the Wild, Wild Pussycats. The stars were shining brightly, my eyes were gazing at the moon studying the craters the way I always did.

That's when my peripheral vision caught the smoke that surpassed the highest blades of trees. I don't think there should be smoke, is everything alright? I took a step forward, turning at the last millisecond to see a small figure pounce on me, removing the last breaths of oxygen from my lungs as the pressure on my chest grew. I squeaked, summoning a vine to wrap around the female's waist to throw her off.

A blade sliced through the vine, moving to press against my neck. I glared at the blonde girl with cat-like yellow eyes. I was stuck, useless as her knees pressed into my wrists heavily.

"Who the fuck are you?" I spat, but in my chest, I knew. My body sensed the danger before my mind did.

"I just joined the League of Villains! I love cutting up pretty people, and you're so pretty, can I pretty please cut you up?" She insisted, a manic flush to her appearance as she giggled insanely. I groaned, trying to lift my knee and pierce her, anything to get her off me.

"You're on the kill list! Florence Reyna, I know Reyna means queen in Spanish, and you look like one. Will you be my beautiful queen? I'll tell you all my little secrets!" Her voice dug under my skin, my fear and irritation spiked as the blade pressed deeper against my throat.

"Get off me. I don't want to be anyone's fucking queen." I growled, slowly calling to the stone near the tree behind her, preparing to pierce her head and harden my skin with bark, simultaneously protecting myself.

"You're in love! I know it because I look like that too! I'm in love with someone on the kill list, oh, what do you think Shigaraki will say when he finds out? I'm Himiko Toga by the way, I don't want to kill you, I just want to cut you up and be yours." Nausea embedded my system at her words, what kill list is she referring to? Terror gnawed on my bones. What if someone else is on the kill list? Someone... I care about.

The bright-eyed girl pressed her body against mine, nearly crashing into my face, only inches away. "Tell me who you're falling for, and it won't hurt as bad, I promise." Her expression was hard to decipher, she was glowing with the discussion of love, but also lustful for something contradictory to that.

She wanted blood to be shed. She craved blood more than she loved love, that much I could tell.

"Look, Toga or whatever the hell you are, I don't care for games, if you're gonna kill me, just do it already." I was trying to pressure her to make a move, and I succeeded as she moved the blade to swing it in the air and stab me. The brick-sized stone rammed into her head, knocking her unconscious as I wrapped her around the tree in vines, tightening her connection to the tree. I hoped someone would collect her, I jammed my hands into my pockets, damn it, I left my phone in my bag.

Where's Bakugo? Jirou? I knew Denki was at Aizawa's side and I couldn't be more grateful, his safety was guaranteed more than the others.

Izuku! Damn it, and Kota! Shit, he was probably at his "secret base."

I slammed my palms into the ground, closing my eyes. Concentrate, Florence, please. After a minute, I felt him. My eyes flew open as dread instilled itself into me. There were three people at the cliff. I was certain the first two were Kota and Izuku, but who was the last?