Red in Different Shades

21. Price of Life

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Edited 22.OCT.24

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2 Days Earlier...

Niwa had known from the moment she had crashed against the empty floor of the bar, surrounded by multiple villains, that she was completely and utterly screwed.

Her eyes scanned the area while they all stood around the room, staring at her with surprise.

Yeah, even she was surprised at her stupidity. The pulsing adrenaline and her hyper-wired brain quickly realized just how far her stupidity reached.

"Oi..." Came the breathless tone of her friend.

Niwa's eyes snapped to Bakugou the instant she heard his voice. He was staring down at her, disbelief widening his eyes. She scanned his body head to toe then back up again as she checked for injuries, she found none but her gaze lingered on the hand still wrapped around the back of Bakugou's neck.

"You managed to slip through the portal, even from that distance?" mumbled the scarred, black-haired guy who held her friend by the neck. "Not bad."

Her eyes darted around again. Eight villains were gathered in the room—a bar?—and Niwa immediately recognized the one perched on a barstool. Shigaraki Tomura, lounging casually across the counter like a lazy, pampered cat.

While her brain processed the information at lightning speed, her thoughts screamed even louder.

Fuckity, fuckity, fuck, fuck, fuck. This was nuts. Absolute insanity.

"You are..." The grey-haired, handsy bastard, caught her attention instantly. This was the guy she needed to not kill her the most, considering he had already tried to once... "Niwa, right?"

Shigaraki sat up on the stool and leaned forward, towering over her as she sat on the wooden floor of the bar. Niwa could do nothing to reply, only stare at the lead villain with her eyes trained for any and all movement. She hated how still the room was. She wanted someone to move, to engage her reflexes, and end the suffocating tension.

"Did you come to save your classmate?" Shigaraki drawled in a bored tone but his words contained simple emotions like amusement and disgust, "How admirable, aspiring hero. Putting yourself in danger to save someone you barely know. But, I guess that's just how your heroes train you. Abandoning everything, even your own families, just to rescue some random."

Niwa knew from the last brief encounter she had with this guy, Shigaraki liked to talk. It was how All Might had stalled for so long back at USJ. Just let the bastard keep talking.

"Wasn't she on our kill list? Along with the rest of the students?" Said the brawny-looking guy with the sunglasses.

Shigaraki scratched at his neck, falling silent. Niwa guessed he was lost in thought, so she used the opportunity to scan the room again. The warp-gate guy stood behind the bar, wiping a glass with a white cloth. A blonde girl in a middle school uniform swung her legs from atop the bar. Bakugou and the black-haired villain were on her left, while a reptile-looking guy dressed like a bad Stain cosplay and three other villains stood at the far end of the room.

Now was not the time to act recklessly. She needed to be careful. Extra careful. She had to find a way to manipulate the situation in her favor

She had no idea what she was going to do.

Hell, if she was going to die then she might as well get something out of it. Even if she only managed to snap that bastard's neck, that would be more than enough.

Niwa's eyes flickered over to Bakugou.

He must have seen something in her expression, "Don't you fucking dare." He growled lowly but loud enough for the room to hear.