How long had it been?

Shine sleepily looked around the dimly lit room... how long had she been in this cell?

Days? One day? Hours?

She'd been loopy for so long, she barely remembered what it felt like to think clearly.

She was also hungry...and thirsty...she felt like she'd been in a desert for three days with no rest stops...

Not even a chance to go to the bathroom either...but with the dehydration, that almost didn't matter...yet.

She wished Wally was there...being alone in here was driving her mad...when had they split again? Her thoughts were all in confusion.

When are you going to come get me? She wondered...or maybe she said it outloud, she wasn't sure.

Was she talking to God or to her boyfriend? Or both...

One clear thought, she really didn't want Hantai to come back...she was pretty sure she knew what that guy was about, drugged or not...

He'd been in here twice already, and how much longer would this process of wearing her down be enough to entertain him?

Someone really needed to come before then...someone...anyone...

Things faded out of focus again...

***

Mirko and Shigaraki had very little trouble destroying their way to where Medea had said.

No sign of her or Monama though. Had they gone on already?

"Well, if they were smart, they took West and ran for it. Getting two out would be riskier..." Mikro reasoned to herself.

There were other cells, but most of them appeared empty.

They found a row of cells that didn't seem that heavily guarded.

Shigaraki didn't know why, but he almost thought he could sense Kurogiri was either there, in some capacity, even if it was invisible, or he had been there. Something about the corridor just reminded him of the guy.

Mirko cocked her ears. "Most of these are empty..." she noted. "I almost would say, they didn't put any prisoner near her because of what happened last time she was by other prisoners...which would be hilarious if it was true."

She finally pointed. "I hear something in that one...just very faint breathing, but it sounds like her, or someone her size."

That wouldn't be too many people.

Shigaraki moved toward the door. "Anyone coming?"

"I don't think so..." Mirko said. "We must have taken most of them out already."

Which seemed a little too easy.

Now that it came to it she actually felt kind of nervous.

Shigaraki disintegrated the door with seemingly no qualms. He thought it was a matter of course, busting your allies out of evil organization's strongholds by now.

[Lol]

Inside the room was only dimly lit by one lightbulb.

But sure enough, they found Shine, though she didn't look like her usual, peppy self.

She was pale, and cuffed the the wall, with her hair all over the place and her lips looked parched.

She raised her head only slightly to look at them with some confusion.

Mirko had seen enough on the job to recognize the glazed look in her eyes.

"She's been drugged," she said. "I'd swear to it."

"Of course they would do that," Shigaraki said disdainfully. "Let's hope she can still walk...do you think she knows we're here."

"Depends on how long the effects have been going, she might think she's hallucinating this, I don't know." Mirko said, biting her lip.

It was weird seeing Shine like this.

She came closer. "Hey, do you know what's going on?"

Shine blinked at her sleepily. "I've been kidnapped, I think." She said in a parched voice.

"Well, she's observant as ever." Shigaraki didn't even know if he was being sarcastic or not. All things considered, her awareness of that fact might be impressive.

Mirko was ready. "Okay, destroy the cuffs...but why didn't she use her sword? I meant why didn't you?" she shook Shine slightly.

"Can't..." Shine said slowly.

Shigaraki gingerly destroyed the cuffs, trying not to get her wrists also.

Of course she was numb so she fell forward immediately.

Mirko caught her and then sat her down. She started rubbing her feet, trying to get the blood flowing again.

Being moved seemed to bring Shine a little out of her daze. "Oh...this is really happening huh..." she rubbed her wrists. "I half thought I was just seeing more visions from the past..."

"Past?" Shigaraki was confused.

"Did Lethe come in here yet?" Mirko said.

"Lethe...yes, you know that's a clever name," Shine said dully. "He came in here...I've lost sense of time, it must have been yesterday probably by now...after they drugged me the first time."

"First time?" Mirko's eyes hardened. "How many times did they do it?"

"First one wore off...I don't know after how long..." Shine closed her eyes. "Started to remember what was going on, then he came back in and said something about needing to keep the weakening process going for longer, and stuck me again...somehow I couldn't fight either time...How did you know about it?"

"It wasn't exactly hard to guess," Mirko said darkly.

"Look at this," Shigaraki had been looking around the cell, which looked like a room. "There's water over here, and food. Why is it sitting over here?"

"Ah...I remember that now," Shine said slowly. "That was to torture me...I mostly tried not to look at it," she laughed in a lightheaded way. "Didn't work after a while. Not real hungry right now, though."

"I bet." Mirko said. "That's just sick."

"It is a clever way to torture someone without actually hurting them," Shigaraki mused.

"Stop being impressed by how sick these people are," Mirko said.

"I wasn't saying I was impressed, I was just acknowledging their tactics," Shigaraki said.

"Same thing," Mirko said.

She turned back to Shine. "Can you get up now? You're kind of a lot to carry...maybe you should drink some of that... if it's not tampered with."

"It's in a sealed bottle." Shigaraki said. "If they didn't intend to actually let her have it, I doubt they'd...tamper with it."

Mirko opened the water and inspected it. "I don't think it is..." She tried a drop. "Yeah...it tastes normal to me...it was probably just to torment her, but dehydration is a big part of this, so it's a start. You need to be ready to fight."

"Do I?" Shine said dully. "This must be pretty bad then. I am really thirsty. I don't think I've had water since I was put in here...my head is pounding too." She covered her mouth suddenly.

"Yeah, that tracks..." Mirko said.

"If she's like this, it's faster to just warp out of here." Shigaraki said.

"No, you idiot, if she's like this, you could kill her doing that," Mirko said sharply. "It's a strain on her to use those warps, and it blocked her powers...if Kurogiri didn't already do that. It might be way too much right now. I think walking is the only way we're getting her out of here in one piece...unless we find West."

Shine looked up at that name. "Do you know where Wally is? I haven't seen him since we were separated."

"Medea already found him, so he's probably out by now," Mirko said.

"Medea?" Shine said. "Huh...Well, good." She sipped the water slowly. 

"Someone's going to be in here soon," Mirko mused.

"Why is there a bed in here if she was chained to the wall?" Shigaraki wondered.

Mirko gave him a look...then looked at Shine askance.

Shine didn't seem to get it.

Mirko decided against sharing her theory aloud.

As if on cue to Mirko's prior statement, a few guards came in the room right then.

"The alarm didn't go off," Mirko heard one saying before they went in, "but no one else is at their post and--what happened to the d---door?"

They came in with guns ready.

Mirko was already behind the door frame when they did.

Shine looked up at them.

Shigaraki was in the far corner, and he kind of blended in, with his washed out colors, so for a second the guards didn't notice him, just that the prisoner was sitting on the floor drinking water.

They pointed their guns at her. "You...how did you get out?"

"She's a spirit woman, I'm telling you." One said, like they'd had this conversation prior to now.

Shine laughed lightly. Not so hoarse now. "You know one when you see one."

Wow Mirko thought to herself. Even drugged, you just cannot take the cryptic sayings out of this woman...Didn't realize how much I missed that until now.

"Just...uh...get back into your restraints..." said one shakily.

"Wait, they're gone," said the first. "Totally gone. Nothing here."

"What?" They all looked spooked.

"Maybe it was an angel." Shine said, with a trace of her normal humor.

"Or a devil." Said the second.

They backed up. "Don't hurt us, okay? We're just doing our jobs."

Shine slowly got to her feet. Holding the water still and eyeing them cautiously. "I don't want to hurt anyone...Are you gonna stop me from leaving?"

Mirko could tell she wasn't even trying to be threatening, she would have been a lot scarier if she was...but the three guards were on the edge, and anything sounded like a threat to them.

"N-no, we're not trying to stop you." They stuttered. 

They lowered their guns. "Just uh...you know...don't kill us."

"You guys are cowards." Shine said oddly, like it was a new revelation to her.

"You've got be kidding me," Shigaraki said incredulously.

Mirko could have strangled him, they would have left! Stupid idiot, why did he talk?

The guards all jumped and looked at him.

He did kind of look imposing in his all black with those scars, and they were scared already.

"Ah! A goblin!" They cried.

Quirkless people are dumb...Mirko thought. Then realized that might be a kind of bigoted thing to think.

She tossed her hair and kick slammed all of them into the ground before they could aim their guns again.

They yelped in fear as she pinned them, then knocked them out.

"That was violent." Shine said. "They weren't fighting you, you know."

"Not giving them the chance," Mirko spat hair out of her mouth. "Nice going there, genius. They would've just walked out."

"And if they walked out they would have alerted the first person they saw," Shigaraki said, pretending he had actually planned this instead of it being a genuine blunder--which it had.

"Well," Mirko said. "Time to go."

"I suppose." Shine said. "But, can I ask you, what's your name?"

***

The pause that followed Shine's question was dreadful.

"What did you say?" Shigaraki finally said.

"I'm sorry, am I not allowed to ask that?" Shine said, "my mind's still foggy..." She rubbed her forehead. "But...I mean, I wanted to call you something...if you're leading me out of here...your people right? You don't seem like spirits."

Leave it to Shine to make that sound like a normal question.

"Uh...you don't know our names?" Shigaraki spoke.

Mirko was speechless with horror...she had a horrid sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach.

The one thing she'd been trying not to think of this whole time, sure that Shine and Wally would be immune to it, protect in some way...it could be staring them in the face.

She felt dizzy.

"I'm sorry...should I?" Shine said. "Did we meet before? I've met so many people here....uh, this is Remnant right?"

[If you watch RWBY, you know why this question makes sense.]

"Is it...where?" Shigaraki was someone not fully getting it yet.

"I thought it was," Shine said. "You know the planet...Remnant? Because of her." She nodded at Mirko. "The faunus...am I not there, is this somewhere else totally different?"

"What do you mean, you know where this is," Shigaraki said.

Mirko was just standing there, looking sick. Her mind felt like it was going to hurl from the wrongness of this situation.

[Nasty feeling when that happens, it's happened to me.]

"I really don't know how I got here." Shine said, with her strange calmness. "I wasn't sure where it was, until you came in...at least I thought. I thought it was Vacuo maybe...but...where am I then?" She began to look worried now. "And...if you're not with my friends, then how did you know I was here?"

"But we are with your friends," Shigaraki said. "You know both of us, don't act like you don't."

"She's forgotten..." Mirko finally spoke in the ghost of a voice.

"I have?" Shine said, now a little panicked. "I've forgotten?...But...no...no, not again!" She put her hand to her head. "But I remember being here before...or I thought I did...I remember who I am...it's not a total wash yet, right? I mean, without the drugs, surely the effect will wear off."

"If you don't remember then it's not the drugs, it was Lethe," Shigaraki wasn't helping anything by saying. "So we need to find him."

"Lethe? Oh...right..." Shine suddenly seemed to put it together. "Lethe...he did this, didn't he... I didn't realize that until..." she suddenly started crying. "I'm very sorry, I'm sure I ought to know who you are, this really sucks...and for the second time, no less...don't take it personally..."

"I'm not taking it personally," Shigaraki was incredulous. "Get a grip Likstar. What are you blubbering about? We have to find him and get him to give those memories back. Or I'll kill him."

"You'll...kill him?" Shine looked up. "But he's just a kid...you know they're forcing him to do it, you mustn't blame him the same way you'd blame someone else. Have some pity."

"Yeah, well, I see they didn't change your personality at all," Shigaraki grumbled.

"Why the frick are you so calm about this?" Mirko said, suddenly. "This is horrible."

"It wasn't entirely unexpected," Shigaraki made her angrier by replying deadpan. "And it's simple enough to rectify."

"But he won't give them back," Shine somehow was tracking with him better than Mirko was, and she was coming off a drug induced daze. "I'm sorry, he's much too scared of the ninja. And you can't kill him...please. If we are friends, I'm sure you'd know that would upset me, right?"

"So they said, but you would know, if you remember, that you can't tell me what to do." Shigaraki said.

Shine looked at him oddly. "Are you a villain or rebel?"

"Huh?"

"Well...I can't say for sure by looking at you...but I get along really well with villains and rebels both, usually," she rubbed her head. "I just thought...you know..."

Mirko was too upset to find that funny. It was more horrible. "Stop it..." she muttered.

"More guards will be here if we just keep standing around talking," Shigaraki said. "If we're not warping then we'd better start walking."

"How do I know I can trust you," Shine suddenly backed up. "I just realized, you could be lying to me about me knowing you...if you know what I am, like these guys do. This isn't a trick is it?"

Shigaraki didn't know how to answer that...

"It's not." He said.

"Prove it." Shine said.

"How would I prove that?" Shigaraki said.

"I don't know...but I'm not exactly feeling myself right now," Shine seemed on the verge of breaking down again.

"Well," Shigaraki looked at Mirko. "Do something."

"What am I supposed to do?!" Mirko cried.

"You're her friend right, you should know how to help."

"Why would I know? This isn't my thing!" Mirko said. "This is her thing, I just punch people!"

"And I just destroy things!" 

"Are you two..." Shine looked concerned. "I mean...partners or something? You seem like partners."

"No!" They both said.

"Sorry, keep forgetting, it's not Remnant..." Shine muttered. "Oh this is just the worst..." she sank back to the floor and put her head in her hands.

"See, she's not working right, do something." Shigaraki cried.

"And what would I do?" Mirko was actually on the verge of crying herself now. "She wouldn't remember anything I'd have to talk about...right now it's like we're total strangers."

"Don't ask me!" Shigaraki said.

[Design by Onerose, original template by original creator]

While they were arguing, Shine herself was lost in thought.

She'd felt off, even when they came in...but she was used to seeing odd people, so their look didn't throw her entirely...even if the man there was very zombie looking, and the woman had animal body parts...she'd seen the like before, right? She could stay calm...

But not remembering she knew them and they seemed pretty upset about this...

It was so frustrating...why did this happen again? She had always thought it would never happen to her again...

She really wished Wally was there...it was so unnerving to be with two people who are arguing and who she didn't know...and she still felt very sick from the drug and the lack of food and only a little water...

She tuned them out for while.

Finally the woman seemed to give in and turned to her.

"Uh...look..." she said, looking nervous. More frightened than Shine herself by this, which seemed ironic. "We are friends...I...I mean, I don't know how to explain it...you're a major pain most of the time, but you're kind of cool at times. I don't have a lot of friends, I don't really know how this works...I mean what do you say to someone who can't remember you?"

"You're asking me?" Shine had an edge of frustration in her tone despite her knowing it was no use.

"I know, I know..." Mirko sighed. "Look...uh...I don't know, would we be arguing about this if we were just trying to trick you? Don't you think we'd have better excuses planned out...that sounds like something you'd say."

Shine bit her lip. "Dang it...it does kind of...you have a slight point, I guess...I don't really feel like you're lying."

It was was true, her gut said that was genuine concern...maybe she'd better just follow them.

"I guess anything is better than staying in this accursed cell," she sighed. "Are you going to take me to Wally?"

She knew she sounded pathetic, but she was past caring.

"Yeah, we're gonna try," the bunny woman seemed to find that a comforting thought. "Maybe he'll know how to help...if...he's..."

Shine swallowed. "Oh, he'd better be fine."

"I..uh, guess I better tell you...I'm Mirko." the bunny woman said. "But you call me Rumi."

"Why do I call you that? It sounds nothing like the other."

"That's my real name, Mirko is my hero name, you don't like using people's hero names." Mirko said.

"Hero...oh...okay." Shine said.

Well, she'd been to several worlds with superheroes or vigilantes, so she could only assume this had to be one of those.

"And you?" she glanced at the ghostly looking guy, he seemed kind of depressed.

"Shigaraki." he said sullenly. "And no nicknames, or I'll kill you."

Shine did a double take. "Wow...okay...are you always like that?"

"Don't talk like you don't know." Shigaraki said. "It's annoying. When we find Lethe he'll fix this, and then we can put this whole mess behind us."

"Like it'll be that easy," the woman, Rumi, said bitterly. "Didn't think you were the optimist."

"You know, she might be right," Shine got up shakily. "I...kind of am not sure it's that simple. Memory alteration rarely is, you know."

"Likstar, your know-it-all way of talking was annoying  when you knew who I was, but it's worse now," Shigaraki said snidely. "How about you just stop lecturing and let us handle this. You don't even know where you are, let alone who we're up against, what makes you think you know better?"

Shine's mouth dropped open.

Wow, this guy was mean...

"Are we actually friends?" she said. "I think you might be one of the ones who hate me, be honest."

"I hate everyone," Shigaraki said.

"Oh...so I'm not special here, you're just a jerk." Shine said.

The bunny woman--that is Rumi, winced. "Yeah, normally that would be funny, but...it just isn't."

"I'm sorry," Shine said.

"Stop apologizing, you're the victim here, quit trying to act like you're not." Rumi said.

"Not acting like a victim...it's kind of how I roll," Shine said. "How well do you know me again? Look, I'm sorry," she rubbed her hair. "I'm very stressed right now, and I'm trying to to lose it, can you just let me cope? This is how I cope. If I focus on how I feel, I'll sit down and start--" her voice quivered. "Start crying right now...is that what you want?"

"No." Shigaraki said.

"Then you'll have to put up with me trying to be helpful." Shine drew some deep breaths. "Okay?"

"Right...fine..." Rumi sighed. "I can't take this...we need to find Lethe fast...I'll break every bone in his body until he fixes this."

"And they say I'm the mean one." Shigaraki muttered.

"No one says that." Rumi sniffed. "Come on...Shine, let's just go...just stop talking, okay?"

"Why not" Shine said.

"Because I can't stand listening to you talking like yourself, but not remembering who you're talking to," Rumi said, almost in tears again.

Shine shut up, she didn't want to see someone cry right now.

***

The weirdness of the situation was only matched by how horrifying it was, at least for the two women.

Shine was a wreck, and trying to keep it together.

Mirko was a wreck and less successfully hiding it.

Shigaraki was wondering why he was staying calm...it was a pretty bad situation, but it seemed oddly normal to him...

About half way down the firs hall, it hit him: It was because it was like Kurogiri...this all was just too familiar by now, no wonder it didn't feel like a real shock, he'd been thinking about this exact situation for months now.

Like the dense dork he was, he actually said this aloud. "It's like Kurogiri."

"Huh?" Mirko looked up.

"Her not remembering, that's why it's not bothering me."

"Or you're just heartless," Mirko said darkly.

"That might be true," Shigaraki allowed. "But it's just not shocking."

"Kurogiri..." Shine frowned. "Oh...yeah... he was here too."

"That's right, you talked to him didn't you?" Shigaraki said. "What did he say?"

Mirko shoved him. "Don't ask her that!"

"It's okay," Shine said. "I'm actually relieved he referenced something I remember... I mean, I don't claim to know who he is personally, but I do know he was here, and I know I talked to him...he's a troubled person, I know that..I don't remember all of what I said though...I couldn't even tell you if that's because of the kid, or the drugs..." She paused, suddenly putting a hand to her chest. "Okay this much walking is not easy..."

"We've gone down one hall..." Mirko said.

She took her arm. "I'll help you, but if we run into more trouble--which we will--you have to run on your own."

"Can I ask...where are you taking me?" Shine said weakly. "I know, it's upsetting but---"

"No need to try to be considerate Likstar, it's a reasonable question." Shigaraki dismissed her concern. "And the answer is, we're trying to find Lethe, and once we do, we'll take you...well, out of here. I guess back to UA probably."

"Doesn't your head hurt? Mirko said suddenly. "Anything trying to come back, it shouldn't be hurt just talking to us, right?"

Shine sighed. "It's been pounding from the drugs anyway, how could I tell?"

She thought that these people were a little slow on the uptake--no that wasn't fair...they were just scared, right?

She needed to stop thinking about the situation.

"You know," she spoke more lightly. "You're very pretty," to Rumi.

Mirko gave her the strangest look. "What?"

"Sorry...I like to compliment people...just trying to think of something else." Shine wondered if this was a sore point with her.

Mirko shook her head. "I don't really care about it...but that came out of nowhere."

"And...do you have powers?" Shine said. "I mean, you said you had a hero name, I didn't know that that meant."

"I...can't explain it like you don't know..." Mirko faltered.

"She's a hero, I'm a villain," Shigaraki remained the calmest.

"Oh...wow...and you're working together, nice." Shine said.

"Of course you would say that..." Mirko moaned.

"I mean it's always a good sign, right?" Shine said. "Common cause. Oh shoot, am I the reason? that would be so sweet...but also I'd hope there was a bigger reason, like maybe the heroes are actually not in the right here and they're realizing that...or the villains are realizing they shouldn't be villains anymore, which is it?"

The both gave her looks.

[Zing, girl knows her stuff, you have to admit.]

"Oh..right, you don't want to answer that..." Shine deflated again. "Sorry...um...I get excited, you  know."

"At a time like this?" Shigaraki gave her a weird look.

Shine laughed. "You know you're kind of funny, even if you are a jerk there, Shigaraki right?"

Her accent changed on the name like she was struggling to know how to say it. "Did I pronounce that right? Is that Japanese?"

"Yes, this is Japan." Shigaraki said.

"Oh...oh wow, cool, I've never been there." Shine said.

Seeing their looks. "I mean.. uh, I don't remember being there..." she amended. "But it's fun to try new countries..."

"You know..." Mirko turned to Shigaraki. "This is the worst, but, you know who'd be able to help more? Those three kids...Bakugo, Yaoyerozu, and Todoroki. They've know he the longest, if I remember right, and they must have heard something about all this from her early on. They probably know how to explain it then...if we find them first, they'd be better at this...plus, I just don't think I can take much more of this."

"Why are this this bothering you so much? It's not like it's her fault." Shigaraki said.

"That's why it's bothering me, doesn't it freak you out, seeing someone this helpless and not being able to do anything about it?" Mirko looked nervous. "I mean...uh sorry, for saying that in front of you, but I just...I can't.."

"No, I get it." Shine put a hand on her arm. "I really do. I've been there...I get the feeling you and I must be kind of alike in this way, you hate not being able to help, right?"

"Stop!" Mirko said. "That's what I can't stand, it's you but it's not you, Likstar."

Shine looked at her oddly. "Rumi right? I'm still me...You mean, it's not me because experiences shape us, if we forget them, we're lesser right? And you know, I think you're right, I feel that way about it...I feel cheated...but, the last time this happened, my partner, Wally, (I assume you've met him,) he told me later that, who I was didn't really change with our with my memory, other than I became a bit more afraid and skittish, but the stress itself would do that--what he was tyri to say was...there's things you can forget with your head, but you can't with your heart"

She managed a tiny smile finally. "I'm sure, deep down, if we are friends, I must know you...I hate this, you know. I hate not remembering, I feel I could scream any second for it." She shivered suddenly. "But if I think too, you're my friend, and you're helping me, then that's also reassuring in a way...I can go back and forth between those two feelings right now, but I really don't want to panic...and you shouldn't either. It's not exactly that I don't know you, I just don't with my head, you see? If that helps. It helps me not lose it."

"You know, oddly enough, I get it." Shigaraki said. "You won't remember this, but I've lost memories too and had them come back very inconveniently, but I don't know if I forgot in one way, it was still motivation."

"To kill people..." Mirko muttered grimly.

"That's a motivation" Shigaraki said shortly.

"I...don't get that," Shine said oddly, "but if you do know what it's like, then maybe it's auspicious you were the one who found me. You seem to be keeping your head, that's good...someone has to...so yeah, um I'll just follow your lead I guess."

"If you knew better, you wouldn't do that." Mirko said flatly. "This guy's a real piece of work. The fact that he's not more upset by this is kind of telling isn't it."

"Oh...well, it is," Shine seemed to feel better now that she could analyze. "But also, could just mean he's used to seeing really crazy things, and it no longer fazes him...I mean people get mad at me for acting calm all the time, but when you've seen so much, minor weirdness just doesn't faze you anymore. So...I mean, either he's a sociopath or he's just battle hardened, you have to take your pick. I don't get major sociopath vibes from him though, and I do know, I have met plenty. I know that..."

Mirko shook her head. "Yeah, okay, still you...fine, let's just try..."

Shigaraki just stared at Shine, then shook himself. "Yeah, hurry up."