ｓｅｖｅｎ

ｄｒｅａｍ

Inko woke up in a dark room. She didn't know where she was or what she was doing there, but she couldn't move a single bit. She felt her wrists and elbows restrained- along with her ankles and head. She wanted to cry out for help, but her mouth felt like cotton. She stared into darkness and for some reason, it looked like it was moving back and forth- like it was trying to get her attention. She caught sight of it and let her eyes follow it like a metronome.

Just when darkness started to take shape, a ring of candles became lit all at once.

Inko's heart stopped.

She knows this place- remembers this place.

It's the place from her nightmares.

Inko sat in a dentist's chair and to her right was a small stand full of tools she didn't want to have anything to do with- but she knew how each tool and how they were going to be used. There was blood splattered across the floor- her blood that has left a crimson stain on the white tiles.

Inko could faintly hear the echoes of her past wails bouncing from wall to wall and then back to her. Inko tried to writhe out of her bindings but a scrape from the back corner stopped her.

"You're back, Inko"

Inko stopped moving when Izuku moved next the table and slung the hedge clippers on the table- making the whole table shake. She was somewhat confused because all the other personalities looked like a three year old Izuku. However, this particular Izuku was much older (he looked like Hisashi at first glance) and was dressed in a suit and tie with his sleeves rolled up. He made eye contact, with his ebony eyes, with Inko and she felt like her soul was being sucked out of her eyes. He hummed a tune, breaking the unblinking stare, and the sudden noise brought Inko out of her thoughts and to the task at hand. Izuku picked up and looked at the hedge clippers in awe while Inko leaned forward and saw that it had her name written in it multiple times. Many with a permanent marker, a couple times in blood, and once etched into the handle of the hedge clippers.

"Why do you look like this?" Inko blurted out- making Sloth stop in movement. He resumed and went to the sharpening wheel to Inko's left.

"I choose to look like this because I am more sophisticated and belong in a body that resembles one. Not the body of a three year old" He smiled wickedly as sparks began to fly.

"Good- I wouldn't want to see my precious Izuku in a place like this, Sloth" Inko smirked weakly.+

"Gluttony can't keep his mouth shut at all" Sloth chuckled but stopped. Turning to look at Inko he added, "That comment had a little bite to it. Didn't know you had it in you"

Sloth chuckled and kept sharpening his tool. Inko looked at the shadows and she strongly thought she saw two eyes staring back at her. When she squinted, the shadows seemed to vibrate, before becoming still as night.

"Alright" Sloth said right next to Inko's ear- scaring her. "Start counting Inko"

Inko sighed and started counting. She didn't get to the number three before her eyes clamped shut because she felt the hedge clippers under her index fingers. Sloth paused and waited for her to say another number before shutting the clippers. Inko's finger was flung into the air- to which Sloth caught with his mouth and ate. Inko would always vomit at the immense pain but Sloth would ridicule her for her weak pain tolerance and then laugh at her vulnerability. Then, when his guffaws died down, he'd nudge Inko to start counting and through her cries of fear and pain while delectable rubies poured like water from a faucet from her finger and onto the thirsty tiles below.