Her Forgotten ~Tomura Shigaraki x OC AU~

Chapter 36: The Call

Tomura

"Are you listening, Shigaraki Tomura?"

The hairs on the back of my neck stand as my heart beats slowly and heavily. Across from me, Re-Destro sits, his phone laid on the table between us, the speaker static and coarse. At his sides, Compress and Dabi, both standing with gazes fixated on the device. And Spinner sits at my side.

And no one utters a word.

No one dares to speak, and so silence surrounds. The faintest utter of a breath doesn't even dare to break it. But I still feel their eyes flicker to me, curious and wondering. Waiting for something. But it is Re-Destro that speaks.

"Asahi, Akihiko, don't you two think you've gone too far?"

"On the contrary, sir, we've barely scratched the surface," one of them – I don't know which – says. His tone is callous and dark, taunting. "We could have done far, far worse."

I feel shivers dart through my body as my brows furrow, but before I have a chance to speak, Re-Destro replies, "Asahi, please. Be rational. What you're doing is –"

"With all due respect, sir, we are being rational. We are doing this for the greater good of the MLA."

"I understand that," Re-Destro sighs. He presses his fingers to his brows. "But as I've already mentioned, the MLA and the LOV are now joined under the same branding of the PLF. You can still work toward our goals. That hasn't changed."

"That is impossible," Asahi – I think it's still Asahi – says, his tone this strange curl. "My brother and I serve the MLA and its rightful leader, not a villain with some spoiled brat complex."

Eyes flicker to me. Waiting for a response. I inhale. "Asahi –"

"I don't answer to you, Shigaraki." His tone is bitter and cold. "Neither of us do. You are not our leader."

"Asahi," Re-Destro snaps. "Enough. Shigaraki Tomura is our Grand Commander and –"

"Re-Destro," Asahi says, his tone almost breathy. "Please, understand this, sir. My brother and I do not answer or report to him. You are our leader. You have always been our leader. You are who we turn to and report to. You are who we pledged our loyalty. There is no other."

"Then why are we having this conversation?" It is Dabi who speaks. He steps closer, leaning against the table. "It was you two dumbasses who called us. It was you two that asked for Shigaraki. It was you two that initiated this whole conversation. So, what's the point of any of this if you have nothing to say?"

"I'm sorry, but if I don't answer to Shigaraki, what makes you think I'll answer to a nobody like you?"

Dabi narrows his eyes and grits his teeth. "What the fuck do you want, asshat?"

Nothing.

"Answer me," Dabi growls.

Still nothing.

"Asahi," Re-Destro interjects, just as Dabi is about to spit another venomous demand.

Finally, a flat and even shift rises in his tone. "Shigaraki Tomura. Are you listening?"

All eyes fall on me. I nod. "Yes."

"Good. Obviously, you are aware of the situation in regards to the little mind quirk girl."

I swallow but keep a strong tone. "Yes." I feel so weak right now. Being at their mercy is disgusting. I hate it. It really pisses me off.

"And I assume you want her back." He doesn't ask – it's a statement.

"Yes."

"Good, good. And, well, my brother and I are willing to give her back. For a cost, of course."

"I'm listening."

"Relinquish your position. Return all power to Re-Destro and dissolve the LOV's involvement with the MLA. I don't want to see or hear about you delinquents stepping on MLA territory ever again."

I consider it. For a moment, the thought rolls through my head and I consider it. To give up my power – to hand it over to these idiots in exchange for her... I'm willing. If it brings her back, I am willing. I'm even about to open my mouth in compliance when Re-Destro speaks up.

"That is uncalled for, Asahi. Shigaraki has proven his worth more than enough to be our leader. If you had been there that day, you would have seen it for yourself."

They go back and forth, but I start to zone them out. Almost as if they are nothing but muffled sounds echoing somewhere far. Bickering, but I – surprisingly – don't care. I don't care.

And I don't care because as they go back and forth, my thoughts slip. Maybe it's the exhaustion. Maybe it's the stress. Or maybe it's the guilt because all I can see is her face. Her soft lilac hair cropped short, the ends curling wildly. Her deep, whisking powdery purple eyes always looking and observing. The gentle bow of her lips, so soft and touchable. That single mole on the side of her nose. Her body. The way she feels in my arms. Her voice. Her fearlessness. Her recklessness.

It's all her. Every little bit is her. And I hurt her. I almost took that away. I almost made her disappear. In the blink of an eye, she could have just... Poof, gone. I could have...

"Shigaraki, you're not actually considering this, are you?" It is Spinner. He is looking at me, his expression wide and curious. "Because you can't. You can't be thinking it."

"Spinner is right," Compress says, grasping my attention. "You have earned your role rightfully so."

"Agreed," Re-Destro nods. "You are our Grand Commander, Shigaraki. The power and spirit you displayed that day is the very reason you have been crowned this position, as Compress said, rightfully so. So, you shouldn't give it away."

I look at each, from face to face, until I meet Dabi's expression. He seems unimpressed and unamused but rolls his eyes. "If you're expecting something inspirational from me, then you're barking up the wrong tree." He crosses his arms over his chest. "That said, if you're this Grand Commander, then why be at their mercy?"

All eyes fall on me once again. I can feel the weight of their stares pressing on my chest, but instead of collapsing under the tension, the corners of my lips curl.

"Nakamura," I say, a new wave of electrical energy zapping through me.

"Hmm?" It's almost as if he wasn't listening to us. Good.

"I will not be doing that. Your demands will not be met. In other words, fuck you."

The others smile and cheer, but it is short-lived because, within moments, Asahi sighs, almost chuckling his response.

"Well, that's a shame. It looks like my brother and I will just have to find what to do with the damaged goods." My heart drops. "She has such a pretty face and nice physique, plus, she's a foreigner. I'm sure she'll go for a pretty penny on the black market. Then again, we could always have some fun with her ourselves." My blood turns cold. "But she does have that gnarly injury on her hand. She probably needs medical attention. In fact, if she gets an infection, it won't matter what we do. She'll be dead before we can act." My soul drains from my body.

"Oh, well." There is a smile in his tone. "I guess we'll just have fun until then. We did try, Shigaraki. We did try. Well, I guess any further conversations are pointless. Goodbye. Good luck to you all."

And before anyone can utter another word, he hangs up.

**Bello lovelies! Wow. I have not touched this for like, three days so this chapter is all over the place. So sorry for that. But as you can tell, that did not go according to plan (for anyone), which means getting Illika back is now going to be way more difficult. Surely, they'll come up with a plan, right? Fingers crossed! So, this book might be coming to a close very soon. Maybe. We'll see. Just be prepared! Well, that'll do for today! As always, thank y'all so, so much for everything! Y'all are the bee's knees! Wuv yous!! <3**

-Noel Ross