Plague Rat (BNHA)

Chapter Five

Bella's POV

"Daddy, are you feeling okay?" I asked quietly as I looked up at my stepfather. His usually warm caramel eyes were darting around frantically up and down the street. His eyes were glazed over and flitting about wildly.

"Daddy's fine." He attempted to reassure me with a smile, "I think we're being followed."

I looked around the street but saw nothing out of the ordinary. "What do you mean?"

He knelt down so he was at eye level with me, "That man over there, he's got a gun and he is looking over here suspiciously."

I followed his gaze to an elderly man sitting on a bench. He didn't have a gun, just a cane and he was blind not looking in any particular direction. "Daddy, that man can't see..."

"Come on, Bella, I have to get you somewhere safe. I promise, I'll always keep you safe." He scooped me up into his arms and hurried through the crowd as paranoia began to take hold.

I caught the knife aimed for my back with a sigh as I pulled myself from my reminiscing. "Himiko-chan, you shouldn't come in here unprotected, these flowers can kill you." I turned to the entryway of my greenhouse and spotted Toga standing in the doorway with a gasmask on her face. "Oh, well so long as you don't touch anything I guess you'll be alright." I shrugged. "What brings you here?"

"Bella-chan, how did you get that scar?" Toga asked curiously her voice somewhat muffled due to the gas mask.

Sighing I got to my feet, it was laundry day and the few clothes I owned were currently hanging out to dry above my poisonous blossoms leaving me in the only clean pair of undergarments I had left. "I was in a building when it collapsed and got trapped in the rubble." I turned and couldn't help but roll my eyes as I saw Toga swooning in the doorway with her arms wrapped around herself, her cheeks were bright red and there was a wicked gleam in her eyes.

"Bella-chan is so pretty," Her bright golden amber eyes flicked to the scars lining my mostly naked body.

I tossed the knife to her so it would land at her feet before going to check the clothes hanging on the line.

"Do you live here all by yourself, Bella-chan?"

"I do, but I'm going to be moving again soon, too many people know about this place." I said somewhat sadly, I'd miss my rooftop poison garden. The hair on the back of my neck stood on end and I felt my stomach churn unpleasantly, something was coming.

I reached over to where Toga had wandered closer to me and hurriedly shoved her behind me before turning to face the doorway holding my hands out at my sides palm up as a deadly black mist began to seep from my palms, lingering in the air around my hands. A black shadowy mist appeared near the door and I thrust my hand forward sending a wave of toxic mist at the shadowy vortex.

"Bella-chan protected me." Toga giggled sounding a little more unhinged than usual. I sensed she was going to try to stab me in the back and rolled my eyes.

"Himiko-chan. Stay behind me and remember what I told you." I lifted my hands to show her the black mist hovering around them, "If you come into contact with this, it will kill you."

She hesitated behind me but reluctantly lowered her weapon.

Two men stepped from the shadowy vortex. The two men from the bar the night before. I held out my hand stopping the mist from coming into contact with them but held my position making no move to lower my defenses or drop my guard.

"Well this is quite the reception." Shadow Man chuckled as he took in my current half naked appearance.

"Just say whatever you came here to say." I said blankly still maintaining my defensive stance. "Are we in, or not?"