Cages

Rusted and Guilded

Two little peas in a sad, sorry pod, aren't we, Tomura?

Once upon a bad old time, we were mistreated, abused even. Both of us by our fathers, though I don't know exactly what you're did. You don't talk about it.

But given how badly you crave affection and touch, and how you flinch at sudden movements, I can take a guess, I think.

At five, I was taken away by the commission to be trained as the perfect little hero, even losing my name a little in the process. I still know it, its Keigo Takami, but all I respond to really these days is Hawks.

Two years after I was taken, you suffered a tragedy at five years old too. Your quirk activated for the first time and you lost control. You killed your family, but I personally can't be mad at you. You were a kid, you couldn't control it.

Then, All For One took you in, right? Raised you to be his successor? And you too lost your birth name. Gifted the name Tomura Shigaraki, replacing Tenko Shimura.

And now here we sit.

Silent pawns in a mad game of chess I guess.

Puppets in an elaborate pantomime.

No will of our own, not totally.

And I guess that's what really bugs me about this... Whatever it is.

I was disillusioned to my cage awhile ago once I met you, Dabi, Twice, Toga... All if you. A jeweled and golden cage that gleams in the sun it all well and dandy I guess. Until, the sun goes down and lights go out.

My shiny cage looks just like your own rusted, decrepit one in the dark.

But you don't see your cage. Either you can't, or you choose to ignore it.

And I pity you for it.

It no longer shocks me that I agree with you all in a lot of ways or get along with you all. No, I just bothers me how you, Tomura, don't try to break free. You have a better shot than me, that's for damn certain.

I dunno. I just want you to be happy, Tomura. Just not in your normal destructive way, yanno?