Breaking News [ ON HIATUS/HAWKS ]

009. heights.

➥ DEATH BY PEN.

Hiyoko deserved a shopping day. She had done the first part of her deal. Sending the image of the dead hero to the League of Villains earned her some praise. She looked for some new work clothes, always vigilant.

She already had bags upon bags of items. It wasn't that she had a retail therapy problem. I'm not materialistic, I just like things. She tried to justify the enormous amount of money she just spent by thinking about it as an investment.

She stopped when she reached a familiar white dress. Hiyoko pulled it out, gazing at it.

She stood at the front of the class, wearing a white dress. The mistress started with her makeup, delicately applying it in all of the right places.

"Your goal is to make them forget about their sad miserable lives. That's how you make it in."

Hiyoko felt her mistress dab some berry lipstick on her lipstick. Hiyoko stared at herself in the mirror. Her long blonde hair was curled and pinned to look innocent enough. Her dramatic eye makeup made up for it.

"This is your greatest weapon. Become their fantasy. It's the only way to earn trust immediately. Zero, you will test this theory in your next trial."

Images of her experience with the wealthy business man flooded her memory. The way she felt when he touched her, when she finally took the knife to his forehead, killing him in the sloppiest way possible. The disappointment and punishment she gained from her Mistress.

"You fail again, Zero," Tsubaki said, pushing Hiyoko to the ground during their practice. She leaned over Hiyoko. "You didn't even let him fuck you. Coward."

She noticed her fingers clutching the white dress tightly. Hiyoko exhaled, shoving the dress back into the rack. Putting on her sunglasses, she left the store. Her memories were the only thing out of her control.

Packing up her clothing in the car, she began driving back to her apartment. It was becoming the late evening hours and she had a report to write. She sat curled up on her kitchen chair, clicking through her notes on her computer. She couldn't think of anything.

Politics almost took a backseat to hero work in this world. It was strange to her. She wrote her report, stopping at one of the images her photographer captured. It was— Hawks. That hero. His messy blonde hair shone in the sunlight, making that stupid face he always makes when he's thinking.

Hiyoko stared at it a little bit longer. He's kind of cute. She shook her head, tucking some strands of blonde hair behind her ear. It was growing a little long for her taste, but she figured she was due for a change.

Sleep never came easy for Hiyoko. She had to do a lot to get to that place. At least thirty minutes of meditation, lavender, and sleepy time tea. Even then, her dreams would be plagued with the people she killed. And the people she didn't.

"Good morning, Hiyoko," one of the interns said as she passed through the next morning. It was an unfortunate night. Hiyoko only got two hours of sleep.

She didn't respond, heading straight for her desk. She covered up her lack of sleep well with some makeup. Toshito knocked on her desk while she ran through some tapes. She lowered her headphones.