STRINGS // KATSUKI BAKUGO [2]

Chapter 37 // Karma

You watched as Dabi, Touya, tormented his family by bringing up the past, all the trauma he has endured due to his abusive father.

You'd like nothing more than to surge forward and pummel the villain, but it wasn't your place. Just as Shigaraki was yours to handle, Dabi was Endeavor's to handle, Todoroki's to handle, so you remained silent.

As Dabi continued to bloat, you slowly began to move, inching your way closer to the gigantic creature.

You peered up at the monster's extended hand to see Shigaraki's right hand dangling off of the creature's palm, signaling he was still within reach and still unmoving.

You quietly threw up a string and wrapped it around Shigaraki's limp hand, tightening it around his wrist before beginning to slowly pull the villain down.

You managed to get Shigaraki's body halfway off the creature's hand before it felt the movement and glanced down.

The gigantic monster roared at the sight of you attempting to steal Shigaraki, causing you to yank the villain the rest of the way down.

You caught the limp man's body in your arms and began to bolt in the opposite direction as the monster swiped is humongous arm across the battlefield, creating a cloud of smoke and debris.

You lifted Shigaraki to lay over your shoulder as you glanced behind you to find the creature now chasing you, roaring in anger, the League of Villains still stationed on his back. The exception to this was Dabi, who had stayed behind to challenge his father and brother.

As the creature grew closer, you were momentarily concerned about being stomped. However, you were reassured when black wires shot out from every direction and snaked around the gigantic monster, pinning him to the ground.

You slowed to a stop and fully turned around, observing as Best Jeanist hovered in the air, having been the one to trap the creature using his quirk.

'Jeanist,' you thought shortly, smiling. It had been a long time since you saw your first mentor.

As you watched the League of Villains struggle within their restraints, you realized this was your chance to escape with Shigaraki's body.

You took that chance.

You spun around and started running, not having any particular destination in mind. You just needed to keep moving.

You couldn't let the villains take back Shigaraki's body. You couldn't let him grow any stronger, inherit any more quirks.

"Machia..."

You inhaled sharply at the sound of Shigaraki quiet and typical raspy voice, but you didn't stop. You simply glanced over your shoulder at the villain's face as you continued sprinting.

"Destroy it all, Machia."

At the sound of a booming roar, you skidded to a stop and whipped around, eyes widening at the sight of the gigantic creature, Machia, breaking through the wires pinning him down.

"Looks like you're not the only Puppeteer around here."

You huffed at Shigaraki's sarcastic remark and threw the villain to the ground, who weakly coughed at the rough impact.

"I'm starting to get real sick of your shit," you spat, channeling the strength of One For All, which still faintly resided inside you.

You raised your right foot before slamming the sole of your boot down onto Shigaraki's left forearm with inhuman strength.

Shigaraki let out a pain filled shriek as his left arm was crushed, parted from the rest of his body. A pool of blood immediately began to form beneath him.

You raised your foot once more, bringing it down on his other arm this time, and then his right leg, and then his left, and you didn't stop until all of his limbs were detached from his body.

You knew he'd regenerate them with time, but you didn't care about that. You cared about now. You cared about making him feel pain, the same pain that's been brewing inside you since you entered the hero course, since you chose this path.

"You are a coward," you hissed, digging the heel of your foot into the villain's throat, causing him to release a strangled yelp. "You have no right to call yourself a survivor, and you have no right to say what you're doing is okay or the fault of us heroes because, in the end, you chose to succumb to your trauma. You chose to be a villain, Tenko Shimura, and you know what that means?"

You crouched down, grabbing Shigaraki by his charred jaw and forcing him to look you in the eyes, and, for once, the blood red eyes of the villain showed fear, not concern flooding his ego that he was faced with someone possibly more powerful than him, but genuine fear.

"I'm your karma."

You pressed your foot harder into the man's throat, effectively crushing his vocal cords but not completely obliterating his neck.

You could kill him right now, turn him into a pile of flesh and blood, but you didn't want to win this way. You didn't want to win by hitting him while he was already down.

You wanted to fight him again, when both of you were at your full strength. When this war started over, when Shigaraki completed his perfect body, you'd be the one to take him down. You wanted him to realize that, despite all of his efforts, he'd never be able to win his way, not with his mindset.

Therefore, instead of killing him, you gave in to your exhaustion and welcomed the darkness.

[EDITED]