Not A Villain

XII

Tenko groaned as his consciousness began to return, slowly forcing his eyes open despite wanting to stay blissfully unconscious. He wheezed in pain as he glanced around the room, unable to move his hands. He was sitting in a chair in the middle of an empty room, his arms tied up behind him in a way he couldn't touch anything at all. The rope that held him was further up his arm, so it'd be impossible for him to grab it at all, and there was no chance for him to move enough to touch the chair. He winced in pain as he tried to think of an escape, squinting as the door suddenly opened and the two criminals he'd seen walked in.

Komodo glared back at her companion as he followed her into the room.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" She hissed. "Stop following me around like a lost dog! Go do something useful!" Headgear immediately grunted and turned, slamming the door shut as he left. She huffed and looked at Tenko, who glared at her silently.

"So, Tomura," she spoke, smiling sweetly. "Are you really a hero now?"

He glared at her.

She blinked at him annoyedly. "Come on, you can't possibly say you've just decided to be good now!" She exclaimed. "All of us were really rooting for you, you know."

"Can I leave?" Tenko questioned, and she growled.

"You're kidding!" She yelled, starting to pace the room. "You seriously set us all up with this new hope that you'd actually do shit, and now you're one of them??" She paused, glaring back at him as a grin spread across her lips. "No matter... You'll die anyway."

She began to snicker as his expression shifted slightly. "I guess you don't know much about komodo dragons~" She hummed and clasped her claws behind her back, moving in front of Tenko and leaning down so her snout was right in front of his face.

"That nasty scratch is going to kill you sooner or later," she started, smiling wider. "Komodo dragons have a nasty bite, sure, but my claws have the same venom as my teeth do because of my quirk." She paused. "Oh, and even if I hadn't scratched or bitten you, my feathers are pretty paralyzing too, even if they aren't as potent. I take it you've never heard of an ifrit?"

Tenko stayed silent. She frowned.

"Man, you're no fun at all anymore!" She stood up straight and shrugged. "You'll die from the venom soon anyway." She reached up a claw to settle on the door handle, opening it. "Whatever, we'll just find someone new to follow anyway." She giggled. "Your old friend Compress is really starting to fascinate us criminals~"

Tenko's expression turned dark at the mention of the name. "Yeah? What is that asshole doing that's got your attention, huh?"

"Ohh, I found a sore spot~" Komodo teased, looking back at him. "But I don't care. You're no longer a villain, so why would I tell you anything? You're just lucky my venom takes so long to take full effect." She sighed and glanced back out the door, smiling widely. "Well, farewell, hero."

Tenko watched her leave the room and shut the door behind her, the silence that followed uneasy as he flinched from the pain that shot through his face. He felt that he could move, although he wondered why the temporary paralysis wore off if Komodo's venom was still circulating through his body. He shook his head.

That doesn't matter, he thought. I just need to get out of here.

He looked around the room once more, displeased when he just found the same empty space he had before. He shifted in the chair, ignoring the pain that shot through his chest. He tried his best to wriggle the rope down, but it was tightly wound around his arms and he found it impossible to do so.