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cartoonfuel · 2 years ago

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Mind Games: Chapter 15

Chapter 15: Mind Games

Rating: Teen

TW: Graphic depictions of violence/gore, some sexual situations (included for comedy and/or plot progression), MC is a bit unstable, mental health, occasional uses of the f-word, quirk addiction

Chapter 1: She’s Awake

~~~~~

“We’ve been over this, Osamu,” you groaned, sitting across from the restrained villain inside one of Tartarus’ many interrogation rooms. “The League of Villains used you to get to All Might, there’s nothing more to it. So shut up about it already.” Your metal hand moved to scratch the opposite elbow. “Ugh, this uniform is so freakin’ itchy. Now, tell me about your progress. Feeling better than last week?”

You noticed Doppelgänger’s hands both twitch inside his straight jacket, the man’s face parallel to the bright lights on the ceiling above him. “I just feel… tired…”

“I’m sorry your only option was going cold turkey, which may make you feel fatigued,” you snapped. “But you do absolutely nothing all day, so how do you expect me to believe that is the only emotion you’re feeling?”

I miss it.

I hate them.

I hate everyone.

Why would they throw me away like that?

Heroes ignore me.

Villains don’t respect me.

Civilians don’t need me.

We shouldn’t need to deal with a divide between quirkless and gifted.

Yet even with a cool quirk, why does nobody want me?

After staring upward for most of today’s exchange, Doppelgänger swung his head down and looked directly at you through the glass.

Aya, why did people hate me when I was quirkless?

They didn’t even know me.

Tomura said I had potential.

You rolled your eyes. “I agree with him. You do have potential, Osamu.”

Thank you for coming to see me again.

It’s so much easier thinking than actually saying stuff out loud.

No one does this better than you do.

I enjoy our visits.

But since you’ll never give me what I want, I’ll always hate you.

“Using your quirk is one thing, but your quirk requires getting other people involved. I know it was hard going through life without a quirk, but you should’ve thought about that. The only possible way you’d get to use Doppelgänger again is if you were to use it against wrongdoers to help heroes or police subdue them, but with as long as a sentence as you have, I don’t think you’ll get that chance.”

“I know, I know!” he cried out in response to you, flailing in his chair. “Don’t remind me! I messed up, I know!”

Your theory about Ito Osamu’s quirk addiction turned out to be true. He was a young man who received his power roughly fifteen years late compared to everyone else, the new ability quickly taking over his mind and controlling him.

“Just one more time, just let me do it one more time! I can do it to you, even! All you gotta do is take the cuffs off! I’ll let you recover your quirk right away, I just want to feel and see it again! Is that so bad?”

“Yes, it is bad,” you sighed, writing notes down on your clipboard.

“No, it’s not! It’s perfectly normal! I could separate you from your quirk and you could kill it over and over, it’s painless! I could even tell it to kill itself, you wouldn’t have to do anything but stand there! Or sit, lie down, I don’t give a shit! It’d be like a mutualistic relationship!”

“I wouldn’t want that. That would be a parasitic relationship if anything.”

Parasitic?

Is that how you see me?

Just some parasite?

“The League did the same to you, didn’t they, Osamu? Do you really want to make someone else feel the way you do right now?”

Why should I care?

“I guess not,” Doppelgänger snapped in contrast to his thoughts.

“You liar, you should care. Lying is useless when you’re with me, remember?”

“Whatever.”

Although…

“Do you know anything about the League of Villains? Why they tossed me to the side?” Doppelgänger asked, a tear rolling down his cheek. “Why would they abandon me after one failed mission? I thought I’d be useful to them, but they didn’t manage to reach All Might. They didn’t get what they wanted…”

You nervously furrowed your brow.

…Unless they did.

Did they?

Do you know if they were after anything else, Aya?

You gulped. “I’m not sure. You’d know more than me.”

I saw the way Tomura looked at you, right after he tried to decay my arm.

“Maybe they had what they wanted long before you showed up. They pick their members wisely, you know.”

Doppelgänger’s crying continued, more and more tears streaming down his smiling face.

You’re connected to him, aren’t you?

“I can tell because that’s how True Vision works!” Doppelgänger raised his voice, going back and forth between thoughts and speech.

But how?

Were you his girlfriend?

Sister?

Mother?

Your clipboard fell to the floor as you stood up, anger festering within you as you slammed your fists on the window between you and him. “You think I look old enough to be his mother, bastard?! He’s older than me, dammit!”

“I’m just spitballing here!” Doppelgänger giggled endlessly, wiping his wet face on his shoulders. “You’re so angry, Aya-kun! Not to mention predictable! You must be his past lover or his sister then, and we wouldn’t want people to mix those up, so might as well spill the beans! Don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone!”

It can be our little secret.

He stared at you, a different look in his eye now that you were standing so much closer to him.

You know, I wasn’t sure if I’d ever get to see you again, Aya.

You were seething.

You and that pretty little face of yours.

Abruptly, some Tartarus guards opened the door behind you, rushing in to calm you down. It didn’t take them long to snap you out of it, encouraging you to move on to your next assignment. On your way out, your pride kept you from holding your tongue.

“Half,” you growled at Doppelgänger as you left the room.

“Until next time, Aya! I do hope you’ll allow me to use Doppelgänger again someday.”

It felt so lovely the last time.

Working at Tartarus as a guard specializing in interrogation wasn’t easy, but you had grown to love challenges over the past few months. The facility itself had three different tier levels of security, with you being part of the lowest. You were the youngest person ever hired, but your higher-ups didn’t want to miss out on the opportunity of offering someone like you a job. You weren’t thinking this would be your forever career, but it was at least a solid start.

Given your recent success at the institution, your boss, along with the Japanese government, eventually decided to task you with interrogating All For One. You were a mere three weeks out from your scheduled meeting with him, trying not to think about it as much as humanly possible.

“They want me to interrogate All For One,” you told Midoriya over the phone. “And I’m really anxious about it.” Not only because you’d be face to face with All Might’s rival, but because of your familial connection to All For One’s little puppet, Shigaraki. Midoriya wasn’t aware of this, of course, jumping the gun and trying to determine ways he’d be able to benefit from you interrogating the manipulative overlord.

“No way, that’s insane,” Midoriya told you. “All I know is that he’s locked up tight, so you should be safe. That’s still daunting though. Are you thinking you’ll need any additional moral support? I can always give All Might a call.”

“No, I don’t think that will be necessary, but thanks.”

“I hope you don’t mind me asking, but do you think you could find out as much as you can about his connection to Tomura Shigaraki and the League of Villains?”

“I’ll try,” you responded, collapsing onto your bed. “How’s working with Endeavor?”

“It’s definitely interesting.”

You chuckled at his answer, causally undoing one of the buttons on your pajama top. “Care to expand on that, Deku?”

“It’s complicated and a bit hectic at times, but things are good overall. Kacchan, Todoroki and I are sure learning a lot!”

“That’s great.” Coddling your phone, you rolled onto your side.

“How’s Eri?”

“She’s doing so well! I visit her fairly often. She’s going to grow into an amazing person.”

“I bet! She’ll make a great hero, especially with a quirk like hers.”

“Hey, I should probably get some rest. We can talk about all this more tomorrow.”

“Sure, I’m pretty tired myself.” Midoriya’s voice was soothing as always. “Goodnight, Aya!”

“Goodnight.” You hung up, shifting onto your back and initiating another staring contest with the ceiling.

Before you knew it, you’d passed out.

Not long after, a terrifying voice reverberated all around you, your eyes shooting open in an instant.

“So you’re the one distracting Tomura.”

You wanted to sit up and look in the direction of the mysterious voice, but there was a problem.

“Interesting. Not a bad quirk, either.”

You couldn’t move a muscle. It felt as though a heavy blanket had been draped over you, paralyzing you.

“I wonder what kind of pawn you’ll become.”

The dark figure stalked towards you, now standing at the side of your bed.

“I hear you’re coming to see me in a few weeks. Won’t that be exciting?”

The man towered over you, his hands presumably hidden behind his back.

“I don’t get many visitors.”

You wanted nothing more than to get up and run away from this monster. To make matters worse, you couldn’t read his mind.

“It bothers me that a little cockroach like you snuck around undetected for as long as you did. Oh, I’m sorry. Did I not properly introduce myself?”

Trembling, you tried to focus your eyes on the person’s silhouetted face, though he didn’t appear to have much of a face at all. Was this…?

“I am Tomura’s Master, Shigaraki.”

Gently, you shut your eyes.

All For One.

You finally shot forward and sat up in bed, breathing heavily. Thinking All For One was still nearby, you adjusted your mechanical hand and took aim at him.

But there was no one there.

What made life in your little studio apartment a whole lot tougher was the sleep paralysis that came with working at such a place as Tartarus. You weren’t sure why—maybe it was due to regularly interacting with nightmarish villains like Moonfish and Stain—but night terrors became more and more common leading up to your little date with All For One.

“Shishikura Sir, I don’t think I’m ready to interrogate All For One,” you explained to your boss, seated across from him inside his monochrome office. “Is there really no one out there with a mind reading quirk like mine? No one that you can send instead?”

“We wish not to drag anyone else into this mess if possible,” Shishikura replied, lightly tapping his fingers on his desk. “Because of your involvement with UA High and the League, sending you makes the most logical sense. Why are you doubting yourself now?”

Telling him it was because of nightmares would be foolish, but he didn’t seem to be giving you many options. “I just have a bad feeling, sir,” you said as you adjusted your uniform’s hat.

“Bullshit, we didn’t hire you to waste my time with excuses like that.”

“This is All For One we’re talking about! You mean to tell me you have no qualms about sending an eighteen year old girl to chat with All For One? Listen to yourself!”

“Listen to yourself if you want to keep your job.”

Ugh, this world was so cruel.

That night, you paced inside your apartment. It was a tough pill to swallow, but interacting with All For One was going to happen whether you felt ready for it or not. After finding a few different ways to relax, you snuggled up into bed and drifted away.

Chilled by an unexpected breeze in the middle of the night, your eyes fluttered open, you grimacing at the source. Your sliding back door was wide open, allowing the icy winter air to waft into the apartment.

“Dammit, not again,” you muttered out loud. “Wait,” you whispered with wide eyes, realizing you were able to move your mouth. You slowly sat up, beginning to wonder if you weren’t alone in the room. Unable to hear any nearby thoughts, you assumed you were relatively safe and climbed out of bed to inspect the door. Stepping out on the deck, you surveyed the area for anything suspicious. Being three floors up, you were rather bewildered, every hair of yours standing on its end. Transforming your hand into its gun form, you tiptoed just inside the apartment, eyes scanning the moonlit room. You reached for the lamp nearby, switching it on—or so you thought. Unfortunately, the light never came.

“Sorry to barge in on you like this, but the front door was locked,” a deep voice interjected the silence, fear mixed with confusion coursing through your veins.

“So was the back door,” you countered, squinting your eyes to try and make out the figure now sitting comfortably on your bed. His thoughts matched his words and actions.

“Oops! I guess I must’ve broken it then.” You stole a glance at the door, surprised to see the handle was missing entirely.

Hand on the trigger, you lowered your gun. “Who are you?”

“Ouch.” The character stood up, stalking towards you with a slight limp. “That hurts, Aya. I know it’s been a few months, but there’s no need to embarrass me like that. Am I truly that forgettable?”

Tomura Shigaraki stepped into the moonlight a few feet away, successfully backing you into the corner of your apartment. The glass of the back door was cold against your shoulder, reminding you of the rather vulnerable sleepwear you had on. Feeling humiliated in your tank top and sweatpants, you took aim at the villain again, glaring venomous daggers at him. “You look different.”

“I feel different,” Shigaraki replied, looking down at the palm of his injured hand. His hair glowed white, thick bandages wrapped around his arm and leg.

He seemed more muscular than you remembered, too. “You been working out?"

“I guess you could say that.”

“Dyed your hair, I see.”

“Shut up,” he paused. “I’m here to deliver a message.”

Your brow furrowed. “You?”

“Would you have rather me sent Twice to do my personal shit for me? Compress?” Shigaraki’s tall frame was suddenly much closer than it was a moment ago. “Listen,” he moved again. “This may very well be the last time we speak to one another.”

“One step further, and you’re dead,” you hissed, rudely ignoring his sentiment.

He smirked, taking another step anyway. “Why haven’t you shot me then, hm?” Your face fell, feeling as if he were a whole foot taller than you now. “You can’t, can you?”

Knew it.

“Same reason you aren’t killing me, probably,” you snapped, biting the inside of your cheek to help calm you.

"I see UA kicked you to the curb."

"Not necessarily.”

“And for what? Differing opinions, was it? Different insight?”

“They had good intentions.”

“Did they really?” Shigaraki laughed, making you wish this were only a nightmare. "You sound so unsure of yourself, still going to bat for them! When are you going to switch teams, Aya? I can see it in your eyes. You're still looking for somewhere to belong.”

"You're despicable.”

“I almost feel bad for telling Dabi to tattle on you for your little fumble,” he snickered, frustrating you further. “I figured those scumbags would have you thrown out, and for such a minuscule reason, too. I would never do that to you.”

“You did it to Doppelgänger. Now go away already, I like my life right now."

“What, pretending to care about all those loose canons locked up in Tartarus?” Shigaraki sneered, unexpectedly changing the subject a second later. "Tell me more about your mother."

You obliged, nervously clearing your throat. "She was a very kind woman who had many secrets. Growing up, she would act as if she had always been quirkless, kinda like my dad. Truth was, she had lost her quirk in a battle. After that, she wanted nothing to do with quirks or heroes. Married a quirkless guy, even."

"Typical of a hero,” he scoffed. “Do you know what her quirk was?"

"No, I never found out, didn’t bother to. Why do you ask?"

“First things first, I’m trying to get you to understand heroes. They only care about themselves, your mother included. She lied to her husband for years, hiding her entire life and your true identity from him.“

You simply shied away.

"Secondly, there are only so many ways an individual can permanently lose their quirk, you know. I was curious.”

Registering a freakish thought of his, you began to panic. "Are you here to take my quirk?" you blurted, pressing the barrel of your gun to his forehead.

"I wouldn't dare do that to you," he replied with glowing red eyes, handing you a small slip of paper. "If you change your mind and wish to join the Paranormal Liberation Front, give this number a call. You’re running out of time though, so better act quick." As soon as Shigaraki noticed your fingers leave the trigger, he swiped your mechanical hand away from his face and pinned it to the wall next to you. "This is some cool tech you've got here," he hummed as you struggled against him, anger boiling within you. "But even with this little upgrade of yours, you're still just a little girl." You swung your other fist, him overpowering it in an instant and pinning that one as well, this time above you against the glass door. "With the strength of one, too."

You finally burst, violently kicking the villain in the bad leg and rolling away. You climbed on top of your futon and stood tall, twirling around to face him. “You’re crazy! You show up in the middle of the night trying to play the brother card? I won’t have it!”

“The only card I’m playing is the truth one,” Shigaraki replied, dramatically rolling his vermilion eyes. “Our father hated heroes, too. In some ways, I turned out to be like him.”

“You and your daddy issues. I don’t care!”

“Don’t you wish to know about your father?”

“No, I don’t! You can’t just show up in my life and try to mold it into what you want, Tomura!”

“I don’t care either, so congratulations.” Shigaraki reached behind him and pulled out a hand—your hand. “Which reminds me, I don’t need this anymore.” He gently set it on the coffee table in front of you.

“Ew, I don’t want that,” you growled, hopping down from the couch.

“Sure you do.” Shigaraki wandered towards the back door again, facing away from you. “Enough of these mind games. I prefer shogi, anyway. But I’m warning you, things are about to get—“

The sound of you firing interrupted him, cutting him off and sending him to his knees.

You’d done it.

You’d shot him in the back.

“I’m impressed,” Shigaraki chuckled darkly. “You are something else. Unlike me, you have no problem killing family. Not suited for heroics, not suited for villainy, yet you want to be a part of something. But who cares about all that, anyway?” You blinked nervously, watching in horror as Shigaraki turned to look at you with brown eyes instead of red. “Both are just tools for violence and you know it.”

“I don’t…disagree,” you commented quietly.

Evidently, all Shigaraki had left to offer you was a sinister smile as he melted away, leaving a filthy pile of mud situated just inside your apartment. You sighed deeply, still trying to process what that was. Exhausted, you shut the sliding door and grabbed a mop out of the closet.

You eventually crawled back into bed, catching a glimpse of the detached hand still on your coffee table. You yawned deeply and, just before falling asleep, made note of the small piece of paper resting neatly in its palm.

Name: Aya Shimura

Alias: TBD

Age: 18

Quirk: Mindscape

She can hear the thoughts of anyone within 10-20 meters of her, whether they consent to it or not. It’s actually quite creepy! Over time she has learned to control her quirk and focus it on individual targets. In other words, there’s no keeping secrets from this chick!

~~~~~

A/N: Thank you so much for reading! I hope you enjoyed Mind Games. 🫣 Just so ya know, a potential "Mind Games Part II: Vigilante Arc" could be a future work of mine! Don’t forget to tune in Spring of 2023 to see if I’ve posted! Thanks again for reading + commenting and I’ll catch ya later!

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