𝔏𝔞𝔡𝔶 𝔐 𝔞𝔫𝔡 𝔱𝔥𝔢 𝔄𝔰𝔰𝔦𝔰𝔰𝔦𝔫

Lilly of the Valley

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Tomura Shigaraki cleaned the handle of his gun, cursing internally at the messy kill. The little piggy screamed and thrashed too much as he died.

Shigaraki stood up, tucking his gun away and cutting the fingers off of the deceased target. Another successful hit. The burner phone buzzed in his right pocket, and Shigaraki paused momentarily to stare at the lit screen of the device. ¥2820500.00*, as promised.

*¥2820500.00 = About $20,000 USD.

Pocketing the phone, Shigaraki resumed his task, looking distastefully at the fat mess on the floor. This kill was well known for his predatory behavior, yet never faced the consequences of the multiple rape cases he caused. This bloated, twisted man was able to slyly drop the charges with his honey-sweet bribes and fakery. Out of all his kills, this one was one of the most disgusting ones.

Zipping the black plastic bag closed, Shigaraki left the bloodied body for the maids to find and left as quietly he came.

As Shigaraki turned the corner, he dropped the burner phone and crushed it with the heel of his shoe, tossing it into the nearest dumpster. Returning to the shady bar, he tossed the bag onto the dirty countertop and grabbed a bar stool to sit on. Even at the early hours of the morning, there were still a few stragglers who kept to themselves in the dark corners of the bar.

"Back so soon?" The barkeep raised his eyebrows, setting down the glass he was polishing.

"Mm," Shigaraki answered, grabbing the glass of whiskey waiting for him. "He was a disgusting fucker." Shigaraki curled his upper lip in distaste.

"I see," The barkeep replied, picking up the black bag and setting it in the back.

"I have a new target for you." The barkeep called, returning with a file. "A customer requested that he be eliminated quietly. Make him look like he died in his sleep." The barkeep slid the file across the countertop to Shigaraki.

Shigaraki flipped open the file, his eyes widening imperceptibly. The face of Shoto Todoroki stared back at him.

"Shiggy!!!" An annoying voice called out.

Shigaraki sighed inwardly, bracing himself as a pair of arms were thrown around his neck.

"You already got the nasty guy? Did he scream like a little girl when he died? Who's the new target?" Toga fired off her questions, leaning over Shigaraki's shoulder curiously. "SHOTO TODOROKI?!?!" rang the annoying voice loudly right in his ear.

"Can you shut the fuck up." A bored voice joined the two as Shigaraki swatted away the blonde.

"You shut the fuck up, Dabi!" Toga snarked, flipping him off.

The scarred man rolled his eyes, returning the same gesture.

"Oh you're soooo fucked," Toga said, a crazed gleam entering her eyes as she whipped out her knives.

"You can try." Dabi rolled his shoulder, flicking his lighter to light the cigarette hanging from the corner of his mouth.

As everyone's attention was directed towards the bickering two, Shigaraki ignored them and closed the file. It was dangerous to let anyone in the bar full of assassins know of a target, and thanks to Toga, he had a shorter time frame to get the job done before another bottomfeeder stole the kill.

Another kill to make, Shigaraki sighed. A job is a job. And it was a job he needed to finish, fast.

"Eat ass, asshole!" Toga's voice interrupted Shigaraki's thoughts as she hurled her daggers at the tall arsonist. That was Shigaraki's cue to leave.

Tipping back the glass, Shigaraki savored the bitter taste as he entered the new client's number in a new burner phone. Standing up, Shigaraki quickly sidestepped the flying knife and left the bar.

Time to find his target.

=====

Shigaraki cleaned the blade of his knife, mulling over the scene before him. According to his client, the Lord Todoroki was supposed to appear for the evening's gala as a gracious host with the Lady on his arm, and then retire to his suite.

Through the open balcony window, he could easily spot the couple amidst the crowd of other nobles and aristocrats. Lord Todoroki was wearing a simple yet expensive suit; another easily dismissable highborn.

But it was the Lady who attracted Shigaraki's watchful eye. As the rumors and pictures proved, Lady Todoroki was easily the most attractive in the room. Her large emerald eyes framed with dark lashes sparkled with life, as wisps of her dark green hair swayed gently against her face. There was an aura of elegance around her, as she greeted each guest cordially with a polite smile. Shigaraki could only observe from afar, the gold on the folds of her dress glittering underneath the expensive lights, the delicate necklace set with the Todoroki family jewel: a blue sapphire. A trophy wife.

Shigaraki briefly pitied the woman. She'll be of no use once the Todoroki bloodline is ended.

Hours passed, and Shigaraki fought the urge to stretch out his limbs. His cramped muscles ached persistently, and Shigaraki cursed the upper class for having the most drawn out soirées. The clock chimed 12, signaling midnight as the gala came close to an end. Shigaraki waited patiently, waiting for the last of the guests to trickle out, while keeping a watchful eye on the Lord and Lady. They eventually retired to their suite, and Shigaraki waited until they turned off their lights to make a move.

Silently scaling further up the tree, Shigaraki balanced precariously on the branch, taking light steps. The short drop to the balcony was the easiest access into the Manor. Shigaraki didn't take the easy route.

Scaling to the top of the Manor was no easy feat. Shigaraki paused twice on the way to the suite window, freezing each time he heard the maids gossipping or a guard patrolling down the hallway. When his fingers finally reached the windowsill of the master suite, Shigaraki let out a slow exhale while gently coaxing the window open for him to climb through.

The pale light of the moon illuminated the two sleeping figures. Unfortunately for Shigaraki, Lord Todoroki was sleeping farthest from the window he entered through. Shigaraki walked softly, the lush carpet muffling his steps. A figure stirred, halting him in his tracks. A sleepy sigh from the Lady captured Shigaraki's attention as she turned over in her sleep, facing Shigaraki. Green locks fanned across the satin pillowcase, the shadow of lashes prominent against her cheek. Shigaraki could've sworn his heart stopped beating. Fuck. Keep moving.

Shigaraki waited a second more, hearing her breath evening out. He slowly resumed his path to his target, unsheathing his knife with a slight brush. Shigaraki cocked his head, listening for Lord Todoroki's breathing. He waited a couple more seconds, frowning. Is this guy dead already??

Shigaraki crept closer, placing his hand closer to the target's face, searching for any sign of an exhale against his skin. Nothing.

Shigaraki withdrew his hand, feeling emboldened by the anger that overtook him. Placing his fingers next to the target's jugular, he felt for a heartbeat. There was no sign of life.

Fuck! Shigaraki cursed himself. Checking the target's hands, Shigaraki found that the fingers were cut off. Some shitstain must've poisoned Lord Todoroki at the gala before Shigaraki even got a chance, leaving with the target's fingers. A missed kill.

Shigaraki had no choice but to leave, sheathing his knife and heading back to his escape route. Silently moving in the shadows, he looked back at Lady Todoroki one last time, her blissfully unaware sleeping form gently illuminated by the moonlight. Then, he left, quietly shutting the window behind him.

Inadvertently to Shigaraki, Lady Todoroki— no, Lady Midoriya starting today— opened her verdant eyes and slowly smiled in the dark.

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