Rebirth and Blood

She hated the smell of concrete, loathed it with a passion as everyone who had been on the inside of a cell had. Yet she couldn't move at all inside the box they put her in, her limbs trapped tight by leather strips as she saw nothing but the blinding light of fluorescent bulbs and heard only the sound of her organs since she had long ago learned not to scream less they come and sedate her. This was hell and she knew without a doubt she deserved every second of it.

So much blood, so many delightful smells and screaming as she drank her fill. They didn't love her, she knew that too well. That's why she took and cut and stabbed, to just gain a meager sliver of their lives that were so much better than her own. Yet even now in the bed, unable to even scratch her nose she still could feel it, see it, even after years of it having passed. She could still feel her only real friend disappear in her arms as he saved her life.

She could still-

Her body sprang up with a jolt when a ringtone erupted from her nightstand. The room was dark and chilly from the winter air in the thin walls of her cheap apartment. Sweat covered every inch of her as she found herself struggling to catch her breath. A dream, it was just a dream. She wasn't in that place anymore, she got out and she'd never go back again.

She turned her head to the right, remembering the call and hurried to answer, knowing full well who would contact her at such an ungodly hour.

"Hello?"

Soft, sweet words filtered through the speaker that summoned up memories of her youth when she remembered the most enjoyable time of her life and the hijinx she used to play on this girl.

"Hey Himiko, I'm just calling to check up on you. Everything alright?"

She smiled meaningfully at the sentiment despite her being essentially her parole officer and sponsor, the Antigravity heroine felt like the closest thing she had to a positive human relationship in the sad shell of her life. 

"Yeah, I'm doing fine, Cheeky. I'm getting to my therapy sessions on time, I'm taking my pills and I'm not knicking myself like I used to. What about you?"

Uraraka was silent for an uncomfortable amount of time before she spoke with a heavy hesitation in her voice.

"Himiko...the reason I called was because your therapist contacted me saying you've been having...urges again."

The blonde rolled her eyes as she moved off her bed and toward the kitchen, her bare skin exposed to the cold night air while she walked.

"Unfortunately I know, but I can't lie about those things. If I do and one of those truth tellers finds out it'll violate my parole."

The sound of oxygen being sucked through teeth came from the speaker as the brunette responded.

"I know, but...given your past history, I just...worry about you."

Toga paused as she fished a can of energy drink from the fridge, deciding to get a head start on her article before the deadline starts.

"Are you calling as my PO or my friend?"

"Both. You've done so much with yourself and I just don't want to see you get dragged back to where you were. If you need to talk-"

"It isn't anything horrible Cheeks, I'm just fucking lonely and want somebody to nibble on while I get screwed. I just have messed up kinks, that's it."

"...So this isn't you getting "Thirsty" again like when we were teens?"

The tab of the drink cracked open, exposing the green liquid to the air as the former slasher sat on her couch.

"Not in the slightest, believe me I'd let you know if I was feeling that bad. A cup or two of cow's blood keeps me sane along with those pills the quacks keep giving me."

An audible sigh of relief filled the room as Uraraka decompressed.

"Well that's good to know. Anything else you need to talk about?"

She shrugged, taking a sip of the drink.

"Nothing much, same old shit...although I kinda wanna ask a favor."

Curiosity structured every bit of the response.

"Oh and what might that be?"

She paused, considering the best way to phrase the question.

"You know Sugarman right? Could you maybe let me know if he's gotten a new sidekick recently?"

A repressed fierceness rested in the heroine's words, surely seeing her now as a villain again like she did on occasion if things got bad enough.

"Why do you need to know that?"

She was too tired to really give a shit about how the girl felt.

"It isn't what you think. I met some loser on a bridge who was about to off himself because he was pissy at life and we...had a talk that eventually led to me suggesting he join the big guy's agency since he's practically quirkless himself and he told me he got the job and I just wanna make sure he isn't bullshitting me."

Now came a tone she was at times grateful and annoyed at, it was the older sister tone of voice the brunette was often to take in regards to her.

"A guy? Wait, you talked him off of jumping off a bridge, when was this?"

Against her better judgement she threw her hand up in the air to perhaps exercise some of the annoyance out of her.

"Two days ago. He's this geeky dumbass who gave up on his dreams since he was born quirkless and I got pissed off at him and decided to do something about it since…"

She felt herself choke a bit at the sudden memory.

"Since Jin would have done the same."

The emotional pain was momentary, having lost much of its sharper potency due to the passage of time. Still it hurts to see the masked face of one of the few, if only people who genuinely accepted her and her issues fade away right before her eyes. Silence followed afterwards, the heroine used to the second or two the simple name could take from her self carried charge. Best to just carry on the conversation to prevent a full on breakdown.

"He isn't like those other creeps you met before, right? I really don't wanna have to contact the public safety commission again because some psycho wants you to cut his junk off like last time."

Himiko shivered in disgust at the reference. Her dating life was nearly as catastrophic as the rest of what was left of her situation, only thanks to time and venturing in the niches of niche dating sites, she soon discovered people even more depraved and sick then she ever was in her teens. That one in particular was one of the more mild examples of the twisted souls she made the mistake of inviting to her life. 

"Thankfully no, he's the plainest guy around from what I can see."

Uraraka clearly wasn't convinced about the idea, but she still humored the girl.

"Assuming you aren't being played like those few times, what's this guy's name?"

The blonde shrugged to herself, taking another swig from the can.

"Izuku Midoriya. He's about five nine in height, probably one fifty five in weight, green hair, green eyes, a few freckles around his face and likely has the look of someone with a stick up their ass."

A raised eyebrow came over the line, typified in the brunette's voice to the tenth degree.

"You sound like you took quite a bit of attention over memorizing this dude, he's your new boyfriend or something?"

The blonde scoffed at the idea.

"He's just some schmuck I'm helping to make amends. Yeah, he's cute...in a not bloody way, but other than that he's a complete loser who just screams mommy's boy. Best I can tell, he's employed, but there's nothing else going on for him."

The eyebrow remained raised.

"So you mean to tell me you wouldn't drop your pants if this guy gave you his blood?"

Indignation was ripe in the former villainess' tone, her long, tangled hair furiously starting to go this way and that.

"How many times do I have to tell you, I haven't fucked anybody yet! All those other relationships, if you can even call them that, never got there since I kept getting weirdos who creeped me out before that could happen!"

Condescension shot back from the heroine now.

"Hey I'm only repeating what you keep fantasizing about. It ain't easy reviewing the smut you have to write for therapy, though to your credit, it's way better than the stuff you cranked out before you went clean. How did it go again? "I strap him down to the bed as I drink from the shallow cut on his arm, hearing him moan and howl in ecstasy while my hand caresses his manhood. All the while he's begging to give me more of his sanguine, struggling to touch my skin with those adoring, worshipping eyes drilling into my soul as black and tainted may it be." That sounds about right?"

A blush filtered Himiko's cheeks, turning her pale skin partially red with embarrassment.

"Well...I, ah forget about it. He's just some loser for right now that I'm working on because I don't have anything better to do and that's it."

An eye roll had happened, she knew it in her heart when Uraraka continued with that bitchy filter she could hold just as well as that angelic, sisterly side.

"Sure Miko, sure. Just let me know if this guy asks to have you carve out his spine like that other fella did a few years ago. Anyway, you need any stupid information?"

Finishing the drink, she crushed the can, throwing it to the floor as she moved to her laptop and opened her editor's workshop, careful to keep the phone to her ear.

"Always. People lap up the dumb shit celebrities get up to. Latest bit I got was some male idol member getting caught with the backup singer's dick in his mouth backstage. That and Lady Mushroom heading on a date with her sidekick, who happens to be five years younger than her. Aside from those, it's the usual BS. Mind if I ask anything about Dynomight? Everybody's chomping at the bit to figure out what he's been up to since he partially vanished from the public sector. Most anyone can tell is that he shows up to take on a bad guy if it's bad enough and vanishes."

Any hint of relaxation or familiarity vanished from the antigravity user, yet there was none of the suspicion that would usually come after such a question. Only a deep, unspoken discomfort and pity that Himiko hadn't heard even at her worst colored Uraraka's response, digging the interest more than it should have been.

"He's...fine. Katsuki is handling things in his own way and doing what he needs to do in order to help people."

It was now Himiko's turn to raise an eyebrow .

"Okay. I know shit was rough once you guys broke up, but I thought he'd at least keep in contact with you or somebody at least."

Pain lingered in the answer, one that gave no pleasure to the sadist.

"He does, we talk every so often, but he always brings up this Deku person and nobody has any idea who that is."

Himiko paused in her typing, feeling a hook get drawn in her brain.

"He's still on about that?"

A tired, worried sound came in the girl's response, made worse by years of watching a friend so full of life get hurt.

"Yes and the most any of us can make out is that it's a childhood friend of his."

A laugh came from the blonde at the mental picture of anyone actually willingly being that asshole's friend aside from doing it to get connections or a leg up in the industry.

"Maybe if I find this guy and interview him, I'll get awarded a Pulitzer for finally cracking the secret."

Another pause came as the sound of plastic bending snuck in through the speaker.

"I doubt it. I'm going to sign off for the night, Miko. Don't forget you have that meeting with me in two weeks."

Himiko waved a hand at the statement as her brain began to slink fully into her task.

"Yeah, yeah I remember Cheeky. Don't get drunk, don't smoke in the office, take my daily blood and make sure to test the amount of st-13 protein in my system so I don't go nuts. Same shit we've done since highschool."

The hero said nothing and cut the call off, leaving the survivor to her task. Yet all the while the blood drinker couldn't help but wonder about that name, "Deku". She had heard the man who became number one scream it like a battle cry only two times before in their professional relations, both filled with emotion and fire like one summoning some divine power or marker of courage or justice. Once in the raid on the bar when he was foolish enough to blast All For One himself in the face before fleeing and the other...was right before the bastard killed Tomura by combusting his head into a fine red paste after the AFO quirk left him.

Musing on the implications Himiko Toga couldn't help but to smile at the thought of finding this "Deku" person. Not to torture or maim them like her younger self would have for the sake of avenging her fallen leader, but to have them spill every little secret about the golden man which exposed that sham and laugh as the money flowed to her while the man who took everything from the only family she had burned under the public court of fame.

Maybe she'd even share the money with this Deku person, because after all with a horrible person like Katsuki Bakugou, there had to be every reason for this person to get even.