| Zero Hour | 172732014

The Crossroads

The voices. Seek couldn't ignore the voices, staring into the abyss. His mind was a gaping hole filled with the memories of worlds that he visited, and those that he affected. He felt the strings tighten on his hands, watching the black ink stain along his fingers and palms. Only a few were affected amongst the many that still trapped him in this chaos, being pulled along for the ride, time and time again.

He heard those voices, all different, but still the same.

Midoriya.

Bakugou.

Todoroki.

Kirishima, Sero, Kaminari.

Shinsou.

Each of them gathered around his palms in the form of red strings, orbiting in and out of his vicinity. Time and time again he had travelled to many variations, into many variants, each of them playing out the way he hoped they would construct. Yet he was only an Anchor, the Winding Key, as dubbed by XIV. How he missed seeing her face despite her aloof and dismissive behavior, contemplating on how long he must endure to see their faces again.

If he ever could.

SPLASH

Water crashed atop Seek's head in an icy cold wave, waking him from his induced state. He gasped loudly from the chill that violently ran down his spine and stabbed at his shoulders.

"Oh look, he's awake," sarcastically mocked Bakugou before the sound of an empty bucket clashed in the basement. The rest of the men stared at one another, questioning Bakugou's actions in their silence.

"Hey, at least he didn't blast the guy," assured Kirishima with a lopsided grin.

Seek peered through his wet hair to find himself within the presence of the Heroes he had been playing with throughout Musatafu - all seven standing before him while he sat on the old creaky chair, hands bound and now dripping wet. However, their partners were nowhere to be seen, the ones he hoped to see again. He glanced at Kirishima who peered at him disapprovingly, that grin immediately fallen from his earlier quip.

"What happened?" Huskily asked Seek through the cold that clung onto his clothes.

"You passed out," answered Kirishima.

"Oh, finally. Sugar's kept me waiting for too long."

SMACK

Seek almost flew from his seat. The force of the punch swam through his head before he caught his footing. He peered through the pain to find Kaminari before him, his eyes casting a venomous glare into his own.

"Great to finally meet you in person, Chargebolt," he greeted, which earned another punch in the face, losing his footing and crashing onto the floor, still bound to the chair on his back.

"Kaminari!" Called out Kirishima, immediately grabbing hold of the blond's shoulders. "Dude, we're just as mad as you are."

"No, let him go Shitty Hair," interrupted Bakugou, smirking at the scene. "I'm impressed Dunce Face had it in him."

"We still need him. Alive," Shinsou sarcastically recalled in turn.

"I understand why you're all mad," muttered Seek with a grin, his snake eyes watching each of the men while he licked the corner of his lips, the taste of blood springing from within. "You can ask me anything. I'm an open book." Still on the cold floor, Seek eyed each of the Heroes, before finding Midoriya approaching him. Without a moment to speak, Seek felt his entire being carried back in place, chair and all by Midoriya, somewhat surprised by the ease of the Hero's strength to perform a feat. At the very least, he was sitting comfortably now.