Vow [Katsuki Bakugou x Reader]

[Chapter 54]: Miscalculation

"You... I've met you before." You shakily spoke. The air felt heavy to the point that inhaling only weighed you down.

"So you don't need to see my face to remember who I am?" The man in the wheelchairs voice was low and sinister. "Interesting..." He was facing away from you, but the presence emitting from him was more than enough to confirm your suspicion.

"I thought it was all a bad dream. But here you are, real and the mastermind behind all this shit..."

A hand suddenly grasped the back of your head and forced you onto your knees roughly.

"Watch your mouth in front of the mas-"

"Shigaraki Tomura, release her."

The pale man almost growled before he reluctantly let go of your hair. You took another breath and rubbed the back of your head, slowly lifting your gaze to meet the man. His face was matted over with dark scarring, most of his features disappearing beneath it.

"You were there, about a year ago in my cell one night... Back when I was still being held by the military." Flashbacks rolled through your head like a movie. You thought little of it now. It must have just been a terrible nightmare, the scarred man being nothing more than a manifestation of your own inner demons.

How did he...

Your eyes shot over the shadowy man known as Kurogiri.

I see... Then it really was real. Those words, what did he say again?

"I will free you from your curse." He spoke once more, causing your breath to hitch at his words. It was almost as though he could read your thoughts and tell what you were thinking about.

I will free you from your curse.

It all came flooding back. At the time, you could only stare with dead eyes as he reached out to rest his palm on your forehead.

"I thought you were going to kill me back then..." 

That's right. That night I didn't retaliate.

Because at the time, maybe there was a part of me that wanted to die.

The man lifted his palm from the armrest of his chair.

"You're wrong." He stoically responded. "I tried taking your quirk for myself that night." Your eyes widened and your mouth fell open slightly.

"That's... That's impossible."

"It's not; for my quirk All for One makes it very possible." He chuckled, his confidence seething from his grin to the point that you couldn't help but believe him.

There was a dryness in your throat. The situation was terrifying. He looked like not much, just a man injured to the point that he was stuck in a wheelchair.

But why am I getting the sense that this guy could put an end to me instantly?

"So then, why didn't you take it?" You tried your best to remain calm and question him.

"For the same reason that Eraserhead can't nullify it. With the way it was forcibly integrated into your DNA, perhaps it can hardly be considered a real quirk? Perhaps you aren't even human anymore?"

You had to resist the urge to rip him apart right there with no regards to your own life.

"YOU PIECE OF SHIT, I'LL NEVER CORPORATE WITH YOU!"

"You will." He sternly demanded. The words stopped coming out and your fist tightened. "I have your dear brothers life at my disposal. You will."

He's right...

Your body sank further down, eyes casting at the floor. There was nothing more to say. You were stuck. His words continued.

"You have two choices. You may rise up and join the League of Villains as our equal, or you may submit yourself to being nothing more than a tool."

This is nothing more than a game of pick your poison... If I choose to join them, maybe I could live a decent enough life-

Images of the people who cared for you rolled through your head.

Takashi, Aizawa, Izuku, Ochaco, Shouto...

Katsuki...

Slowly you began to stand, your weak legs quivering as you mustered all the strength you could manage. Your eyes burned into the man with an intensity unbeknownst to yourself.

"Fuck you."

The hand that had been resting against All for One's temple had shifted at your words.

"So be it. Take her away." Before you even knew what hit you, the feeling of a needle plunged through the skin of your neck. All the muscles in your body felt numb and quickly fumbled beneath you. And then your vision left, your consciousness slipping away in what felt like an instant.

- - -

"Master... What the hell is that girl worth anyways? She's too much trouble." Shigaraki growled, watching as a few men restrained you and dragged you out of the room.

"Shigaraki Tomaru, worry not. I did not take such a big risk with no plan in mind... Our contact has confirmed the details of her power." All for One responded, slowly rising out of his chair to stand. "Through highly advanced and expensive technology, the core of an atom can be split to generate a force equivalent to 21,000 tons of TNT so long as it's surrounded by radioactive material. This is commonly known as an atomic bomb. That girl... (Y/n)... While she can forcibly pull apart molecular bonds and create unstable biomass, she has been unable to actually split an atom's core. Of course, that only makes sense. No one has ever taught her anything. But Shigaraki Tomaru, do you know what this means?  To have a hold of her power is to have hold of an unlimited supply of atomic bombs. The world would have no choice but to bend to our will."

"Ahhh I see I see." Shigaraki snickered. "But master, why did you not just take her with you a year ago then?"

All for One walked forward and picked up the empty syringe that had been used to knock you out. He played with it in his hands for a few moments before answering.

"I wanted her to sit there and experience the horrors of those who are perceived to be good. People are much easier to control when they have the proper motivation." He crushed the glass tube in his palm. "It was unexpected for the Heroes Association to take her in with such care, and even more unexpected that she gained a sense of purpose from them. But worse yet is that somebody pulled her out of her pit and made her happy."

As the glass shards fell from his palm and crackled against the floor, a malicious grin came over what was left of All for One's face.

"It was a miscalculation on my part, and it won't happen again."