Blossoms of the Dark Continued

CCXXVIII Selene: Sugar

Trigger Warning:

- major character deaths

- death

- blood

- gore

- mutilation

- decapitation

- gouged out behind (I don't know how to explain this one. If you've read the manga / seen the anime, you'll understand.)

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My first order of business is rescuing Daruma-san.

Last I saw him, he was an anxious, rambling mess of nerves and tremors.

If just having his hideout caught by the heroes was enough to incite panic inside him, I wonder how badly he must be faring having spent a few hours as their captive.

The footage on Skeptic's computer revealed the Doctor being forcefully escorted into a police car by Present Mic-sensei. One man who cannot speak without taking a pause and another who must bellow every statement. What a combination. They could have been friends under different circumstances.

Saving Daruma-san is easier than I anticipated. Perhaps it is the lingering numbness of having killed so many earlier in the day that ambushing the four innocent police officers is nothing more than child's play. One knife embeds in the back of the skull. A second in the kidney. A third deputy with one dagger in the shin and another in the nape. The fourth constable had reached for his gun. Before he could shoot, I twisted his arm and nocked it against his temple. Boom!

That left Present Mic-sensei.

Watching the carnage unfold in front of him, he grabbed for Daruma-san. Headlocking him into a chokehold, he gritted out, "I'm sure you know who I am. Do anything, and this piece of shit dies."

With the way his teeth grind against each other and eyes narrow to slits, I am tempted to believe that it is not a hollow threat. Sensei's quirk lies in his voice. He could easily screech like a banshee at levels over 150 decibels without regard to his own wellbeing. At that point, everyone's ears will bleed. Daruma-san might just have cardiac arrest the longer the auditory torture continues.

I try to ignore Daruma-san's desperate rasps for air. That would belay weakness. Instead, I tilt my head to the side and hum, "Are you sure you are in a position of negotiation?"

Sensei's eyes widen. "Hanada?" he whispers.

My only response to his question is a wicked smile and an attack. He may have shielded his front with the Doctor's body, but not the other parts. I dash toward his side and aim for his lung. Sensei is quick to retaliate. Never letting go of his grip on the Doctor, he brings his free arm down to block the blade.

But it is a feint.

He never sees the other dagger slip down my wrist into my palm before it is too late. By the time he notices, I have jabbed the point deep into his vocal cords. My true aim. If I had stabbed his chest, no doubt he would have tried to kill us with his voice as a last attempt. The blade pierces through metal and flesh with ease. The black jacket begins to shine as liquid trickles from the puncture site. Blood spurts from Present Mic-sensei's mouth, falling atop Daruma-san's bald head. The poor mad scientist wails.

Sensei releases Daruma-san, and I catch him before he can make a fool of himself any more.

"I don't deserve it, but I should say it anyway," I murmur as Sensei takes his final breaths. "Forgive me. I hated your boisterous voice, but you were a lively teacher. More pleasant than Aizawa-sensei."