PUPPET // KATSUKI BAKUGO [1]

Chapter 64 // Thoughts and Talks

You sat at the edge of your bed, staring at the bare wall ahead of you. It was night, and everyone was asleep with the exception of Chisaki, who left to run some last minute errands.

You were bored. You weren't tired, and there wasn't much to do with the place you lived in. The only proactive activity you could indulge in was walking the halls. You had already trained to the maximum extent. You couldn't get any better than you already were.

You raised a hand to rest your cheek against, but when your palm touched your face, you jerked your hand back.

Your skin was so smooth, oddly smooth, and it was almost cold. It felt like a still breeze. It felt strange. It didn't feel like skin. It felt like a part, like you were a machine.

You stood and rushed to your bathroom, flicked on the light, leaned over the sink, and looked into the mirror.

This face, your face, you didn't recognize it. You couldn't pinpoint a memory. Shouldn't you recognize your own face? Shouldn't you remember what you look like?

Your eyes remained dull and cold no matter how hard you tried to express emotion, and, no matter how hard you tried, your lips wouldn't curl up into a smile, and your skin wouldn't crease.

You were a machine, a blank slate. Your mind wandered elsewhere, but your body remained controlled by Chisaki, and there was nothing you could do about it. You were no longer alive. At least, not on the outside. You simply existed.

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Bakugo knocked on door of the address Aizawa had given him and tapped his foot impatiently as he waited to be let inside. The door opened a minute later to reveal the boy Bakugo was waiting to see.

"Bakugo," Shinso said, leaning back in shock. He clearly wasn't expecting the other boy. "What're you doing here?"

Shinso looked worse. Bakugo could see that. The lilac haired boy's eye bags had gotten much darker, and he could barely keep his eyes open. His hair was much more untamed. He wasn't taking care of himself, and Bakugo knew the reason. It was the same reason he's been so depressed lately.

"Came to talk," Bakugo answered shortly.

"About?" Shinso wondered.

"[L/N]."

Shino stilled and visibly tensed, but he eventually stepped aside to allow Bakugo inside.

"What about her?" Shinso asked as he closed the door. "Was she found?"

"In some way," Bakugo began, thinking back to the day before. "I had a run-in with her, but she's...different now."

"Different how?" Shinso asked frantically. "Is she okay?"

"She's...alive," Bakugo huffed out, "but the people who took her did something to her. She's...colder. She didn't recognize me. She attacked me, and she has at least one other quirk now. Those bastards experimented on her."

Shinso stared at Bakugo, shocked and dumbfounded, but he eventually managed to ask, "did you catch her?"

"She got away," Bakugo sighed, "but we have a general location. As soon as we get an exact one, we're gonna jump 'em. I want you to be there."

"Wha...can you even do that?" Shinso asked. "I'm not a hero. I'm not in the heroics course. I don't have a license. I can't just tag along because you want me to."

"Says you," Bakugo stated. "Listen. [L/N] has clearly been brainwashed, but I'm confident we can get her memories back. We just have to find her, and, when we do, we'll need someone around who can spark those memories. You're her best friend. You've been together your whole lives."

"But you're together, the two of you," Shinso said. "She's loves you. You love her. If someone's gonna bring her back, it should be you."

"Just—" Bakugo paused, frustrated with Shinso's arguing. "It'll be better if we have more people there who are close to her. Better chance."

"Does Aizawa know about this?" Shinso asked.

"Nope, and he's not gonna know. I don't need permission from him about making decisions for my girlfriend," Bakugo replied. "If he says shit, ignore it. You're coming. I'll let you know when the date comes."

"Bakugo, you can't just make reckless choices—"

"Take care of yourself."

Bakugo's words silenced Shinso, and the lilac haired boy watched, dumbfounded, as the blond opened the front door and stepped out onto the porch.

"[L/N] is gonna wanna see you at your best when we rescue her," Bakugo continued, "and we're gonna rescue her."

[EDITED]