Sorry if it didn't look like this on your end. #L

Hehheheheehheeheh, MONSTER BRAIN-ROT TIME

This is Grimmer btw ^-^

I'm sorry for that.

Seriously tho, if you're 18+, and are okay with watching gore, suicide, and nudity (one scene literally has all three lol), watch Monster.

As long as there were no way to get oxygen to yourself, the most likely reason you would die (in a coffin) would be to run out of air (asphyxiation). The average volume of a coffin, in liters, is 886. The average human body is about 75 liters, leaving 811 liters of gasses, about 20% of that is oxygen. That leaves 162 liters oxygen. The average human, while resting, uses about 23 liters of oxygen per hour. This leaves approximately seven hours. If suffocating in a coffin does not seem appealing to you, there is some good news: before you die of asphyxiation, you will fall asleep. Hope this helps. - Cole K.
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     It was quiet. Only you flipping through pages and sighing painfully after seeing how many were left. You'd been so busy lately that you weren't sure you'd be able to finish the required reading for the semester. And though this senior year of yours wasn't quite as full of activities, that didn't make the work any less daunting... Huh. Wonder how Tenko's fairing with Endeavor as his mentor. Was he crammed for time like you? From what you remembered from the anime, the guy wasn't a terrible teacher, but... You still didn't like the idea of those two associating with each other. Hhhhh... Oh well. Tenko was in charge of his own life. Hopefully, he wouldn't be dragged into all that Todoroki drama.

     Your phone buzzed on the opposite side of your bedroom. You tried to ignore it for a while, but the caller was persistent. It didn't stop until you begrudgingly crossed the room and answered. Ugh. It was Hokusei? What did he have to say at this hour? "If this is about that raise, I'm-"

     ""-I suspect you know of me already, but I'll introduce myself just in case... My name is Stain; yes, the Hero Killer."" A lump gathered in your throat, preventing you from swallowing. You stared ahead at the random video-game poster you had hanging up. ""Three hours ago, your friend Spinner and I captured your sidekick and partner in crime... Know that I do not tolerate crime, but what makes my blood REALLY boil is crime acted out by the so called he--roes of this society like you and him. I WILL kill him, unless~... Come to the Bukimina Mall in Maebashi. There, we can discuss the terms for his release."

     "Meh. You can keep him. You'd be doing me a favor, actually." You shrugged.

     ""You really are a heartless, merciless, despicable monster of a-""

     "-Is that it? -Okay cool bye." You hung up and dropped the phone on the carpet floor. It started to buzz again, face up, as you walked away from the device. You sat down and opened your text book. However, you couldn't focus on your reading. Not as long as your phone danced around on the floor. An ache knotted in your chest. Again, you wondered why you would so easily dismiss another man's life. Again, you wondered what a real hero would do...

     You picked up the phone and answered its call again.

     ""(Y/n), please! I know you hate me, but I don't want to die!!"" Your brows furrowed, actually listening now. Hoku's breathing was erratic, his words cutting. Obviously, this wasn't a prank. Just took you a moment to recognize how serious this situation was.

     You held the phone close. "Stain, can you hear me?"

     ""Yeah.""

     "I'm coming. Be there in an hour."

     ""You have thirty minutes to get here. Take any longer and your accomplice is dead meat."" He knew cutting your time like that was impossible. Unless...he was already well aware of just how fast you could go ..if pushed. This man had done his research, hadn't he?

     You sighed and nodded. "Okay." You hung up and set your phone down. "Thirty minutes, huh?"

| 8:22 |

     You changed into gray sweatpants and a pale blue hoodie saying " '𝓰𝓮𝓽 𝓻𝓮𝓴𝓽 ' " on the front.

| 8:25 |

     "Where are you going?"

     You looked up from your phone, interrupted from your speed walking toward the gate. On screen was a map tracking the flow of traffic from everything from cars to trains. "Uh, to grab a snack!"

     Outside, another brushed by. "Ayee, where are you going so late?"

     You smiled and laughed. "Just to the convenience store!"

| 8:31 |

     In the end, you had convinced yourself. You stopped at the convenience store by the train station to grab something sweet. The light was flickering and buzzing in the background as you picked out a basic pastry.

     "That'll be _____...." You were too dazed, staring at a flailing moth, to even listen. "You alright, ma'am?"

     "Oh!.. Yeah. Sorry. Is this enough?"

     "Yes, thank you. And please come again!"

     "Uhuh."

     Your foot tapped wildly as you waited for the train. Every small noise somehow managed to tick you off. Every minor movement catching your eye immediately.

     This wasn't good. A quick snack and train ride was supposed to be the thing that calmed you down, not made it worse!

     No, no, this was okay... Jump into something like this too soon and you were bound to make a mistake. You needed time to think.

| 8:35 |

     In the train, you munched on the sweet slowly, trying and failing to savor the taste. You kept getting texts from curious minds. An annoying distraction, but a manageable one.

Killjoy Zeyzey:
You're on the move without my permission. Explain yourself.

You:
Nah

Keitomygo:
Ms. Zeya's saying you blocked her..

You:
Wow, word spreads fast.

Keitomygo:
What happened this time?

You:
Leave me alone.

     It probably wasn't the best idea to make enemies of your allies now, but you'd been put in a thoroughly sour mood. The last thing you wanted was to get everyone else involved. Would be better to let them think you were being rebellious and get a slap on the wrist for it later.

     You used this valuable quiet time to stretch and prepare for the likely chance things get serious.

     These kinds of problems are best dealt with on your own anyway.

| 8:46 |

     The next stop was so secluded, it wasn't hard to find a dark place to strip off your hood. You still wore an undershirt, don't worry!. You double tied the hoodie sleeves around your waist for the time-being. Six wings sprung out and carried you into the sky. You checked the clock on your phone midair. Only five minutes remaining. Well, at least now you were better adjusted to the task ahead.

     One last thing: you removed the tracker from around your ankle and set it on the ground. Hey, may as well. Getting others involved in this fight would just be embarrassing.

     You knew the enemies ahead better than anyone. It was... better not to let others fight blind.

     And by any means necessary... you would NOT let Tenko get involved.

| 8:51 |

     You arrived one minute early. You hastily redid your ponytail. Had just enough time to break through the chained-off entrance, swerve between the old craters in the halls, and reach the big drop.

     You hung over the railing, peering down into the dark, tube-like abyss. This mall fell eight stories deep. Below were the rings of other levels much like the one you stood on right now. Moonlight filtered through a rumbling river overhead. Though the glass was several feet thick and strong enough to survive a punch from All Might -- not two though -- it was still unnerving to not only know of but also see the river overhead. The window sadly failed to illuminate the lowest floor.

     The shops were all but empty and abandoned by now. There was nothing here to rob except for maybe the gold colored paint decorating the pristine, but dusty, white floors and walls. Craters, scratch marks, and bullet holes from a villain attack five years ago decorated the enclosure. That was the reason this place was abandoned. The act of terrorism made the mall's structure too unsafe for commerce, but, for legal reasons, the mall itself couldn't be torn down or rebuilt, leaving an empty shell of what once drew-in tourism from all corners of the country.

| 8:52 |

     Every minor sound you made easily echoed off these walls. Using this to your advantage, you yelled down into the darkness. "Hello!! I'm here!" The slight shuffling of feet was the only sound from below. Cautiously, you hopped over the glass railings and activated Sight. You descended gracefully, wings still active. The lower you went, the more lost articles of shops long gone were scattered around the floor. From papers to products. There wasn't much, but, it was enough to tell a story of panic and fear... There were even a few blood stains.

     When you landed, the echo bounced all the way back up to the top. The rumbling of the river above was much gentler now. Calm, peaceful even. Only the faintest of moonlight stretched this low.

     "Hellooo~!" You called. After a few moments' silence, shoes scraped over the marble floor. Spinner appeared in a fit much like Stain's. Yep, he'd gone rogue for sure.

     He clapped slowly. "Nice of you to finally show up."

     You smirked over your shoulder at him. "Teh, don't go around saying crap like that. You're cringe enough, mr. antihero~"

     "Don't say it like there's something wrong with that!" Didn't take much to agitate him. "Unlike you, I actually care that heroes live up to their title! Heroism doesn't exist unless it is acting out of selflessness; selflessness which you lack! To even think you've gotten this far. A testament to how corrupt our so-"

     "Yeah okay cool." Shoving your hands in your pockets. "So is Stain here or not?"

     Iguchi slapped his forehead. "He's with Hokusei... Not here. We knew you'd try to save him if he were actually here." You cursed under your breath. There goes plan A.

     "Show me him before we begin."

     "I was about to do that anyway." Iguchi pulled out his phone. A second or two later, he turned the screen around, allowing you to see Stain standing beside an arm-bound Hokusei.

     ""Are you ready to bargain for this man's life?""

     "First." Clearing your throat. "Hoku, you speak English, right?"

     ""Yeah?""

     "Ok so to know if it's really you I need you to do exactly as I say." He nodded. Heh. "To the left." He looked down and took an iddy biddy step to the left. "To the right now y'all." He mirrored his previous action. "One hop this time. Two hops this time." He curiously followed. The only one entertained by this was you. "Now, hands on your knees, hands on your knees.."

     ""Why do I feel like this is one of those stupid American songs??"" You couldn't hold back your smile any longer.

     "STOP TURNING THIS INTO A JOKE, (Y/N)!" Iguchi pulled out his sword and held it a mere hair length away from your throat. He was breathing heavily, hatred pouring from his eyes. His gaze twitched, revealing sorrow for a second. "Where did the old (Y/n) go..? The one who actually cared about her friends..?" You side-eyed him bitterly.

     "...You want me to be serious?" You whispered.

     "Yes! Duh!"

     "Okay." Your eyes widened as all emotion drained from your face. Like a shell shocked soldier, you grabbed Iguchi's blade while turning toward him. Blood dripped from your palm, but you pressed on, walking closer and closer until the tip of the katana was pressed into and slowly pierced through your throat. With that same, unfazed but also shell-shocked gaze, you marched forward, allowing your path to drip with blood. Iguchi tried to tug his blade free but you wouldn't let go. Pretty soon you were leaning over the other, the blood from your hand and throat dripping onto his clothes. You never flinched, not even once. "What did you want to talk about?"

     "Uu.. uuuuuh..." Spinner squeezed his eyes shut and shook his head. He released the blade, stepping back quickly. You removed the metal from your neck and dropped the weapon on the floor. "Fo-for his life, all we ask is that you-- demand! I mean demand!  All we demand is for you to take this drug to permanently remove your quirk!!" He veaguely gestured to a silver box in his vest pocket containing said drug.

     "How about no?" You looked down at the screen Iguchi was still somewhat holding up. "Stain, release Hokusei or I will kill your prorogue."

     The elder laughed. ""You can't kill him!! He's immortal just like you~!"" He wasn't..entirely wrong.

     "And we both know who would win in a fight." Iguchi added.

     "I was limited to one quirk."

     "Well Stain still has a few samples of your blood remaining." He leaned and whispered the next part. "I wouldn't pick a fight if I was you. We've been planning this whole thing for quiiiiite some time now... And we're prepared for anything and everything you've got. Plus~" Showing you the screen again. Stain meanwhile held a katana centimeters from the teen's neck. "I know the two of you don't get along, but I can bet if there's a sliver of soul remaining in your empty heart, you wouldn't like knowing you could have prevented his death."

     Your shoulders dropped slightly. "True." You can always just run to Kai and get em back anyway. "Just.. promise not to kill me?"

     Iguchi stepped even further away from his fallen katana and held up his hands. "You have my word and my honor to back it." You considered the issue a few seconds more. You had a terrible sinking feeling there was some horrible trap waiting around the corner. But, at the same time, you knew Iguchi wasn't the kind of person to pull stunts like that. Neither was Stain. And, if all they wanted was for your quirks to be gone and your titles as heroes to be relinquished, that was low-key respectable.

     After glancing one last time at Hoku, you sighed. "Yeah... I agree to these terms. But, please, release Hokusei first." Through the screen, Stain and Spinner nodded to each other. Hokusei's binds were cut and he was kicked toward the door. Excited, the kid ran free and out of sight. Now, it was your turn. Again and again, as the silver case came closer and the quirk erasing drug revealed, you told yourself this was worth it. That, no matter who, it was all worth it to save a life.

     This is the kind of thing real heroes do, after all. Putting their life on the line for complete strangers; enemies, even. You had to remind yourself that in living life as a hero you weren't supposed to make everything about you.

     You wish you could have at least gotten a thanks, though. That would have been nice.

     After a quick jab in the neck, all that power you were used to faded from your veins. It was hard to describe the sudden weakness washing over you. Last time you were to drunk to even notice this feeling!.. It felt awful.

     As Iguchi slid the phone screen out of view, Stain drew two of his katanas. You caught but a brief glimpse of it. ""I'll finish off the drug lord and his family. You handle the girl and her companions.""

     "Yes sir."

     Your eyes widened. Iguchi grabbed a shorter blade and bolted at you. He seemed so much faster now that your quirks were gone!

     But you weren't without training.

     You rolled back, grabbing the other's katana with your own trembling hands. "You said you wouldn't kill us!!" You screamed. For the first time in a while, your voice was breaking. It'd been a loooong time since you felt fear this extreme. Made it hard to think.

     "We never said HOW long we would keep our promises!" Spinner laughed.

-----

     Hoku dove out of the shadows, entering a dimly lit street. He bumped into an old lady. "S-s-sorry!!" He turned to sprint so suddenly be nearly fell over and resorted to using his hands for momentum. His lungs ached and he struggled to breathe. He didn't know this area nor where to go! But, he knew where you were.

     The young man picked up a rock and held it threateningly over his head while running up to the nearest, wandering man. "GIVE ME YOUR PHONE NOW!!!"

-----

     Spinner dove at you again. You used the Katana to block his attack, but his power level was so overwhelming, you were knocked into the distant wall by the force of the impact. Your body stung and ached, and the pain wasn't going away. Your head throbbed. Miserably, you staggered to your feet and felt around for the katana.

     Spinner seemingly teleported next to you, kicking you into the nearest pillar. Again, spikes of pain rattled your spine all the way up to your neck. Your hearing faltered. You were used to pain by now, yes, but you were equally used to it healing asap! This wasn't fair!! Spinner grabbed your throat and dragged you up onto your knees.

     "Listen, Spinner, please listen!! Use your head! You know I wouldn't do a bunch of evil things for the sake of being evil, right?!" Gasping. "I- I swear what I have in mind is to help others! To save people from illnesses and problems we can't even fathom right now! Everything else too!"

-----

     Hoku was trembling as he made phone call after phone call. A small noise caught his attention. He looked up, spotting Stain's silhouette crouching on the roof directly above him.

-----

     "I don't know what you know, but I'm just like you! Doing things that LOOK bad on the outside but are actually GOOD! I promise, please understand me! I'm NOT a villain! I'm really NOT!" Tears came easily to your pathetic, pleading self. Iguchi's expression was noticably softer now as he listened and watched. He was taken aback by your behavior: acting like a wild animal once it's been cornered. Those things never know when to shut up.

     Iguchi slammed your back into the pillar. You blacked out for a second. Iguchi was already shouting when reality faded back in. "-SAY STUFF LIKE THAT?! LIAR! LIAR!"

-----

     Hoku attempted to use the phone as a shield. Stain's blade cut right through and into the meat of his hand. He balled his bleeding hand into a fist and went wild with punches. Didn't even feel the pain of Stain's slashes.

-----

     "YOU SIDE WITH DEVILS AND CALL YOURSELF GOOD!"

-----

     He figured it out. As Stain pulled his bloodied blade up to his face, the young man lunged forward, jaws clamping on the metal, keeping it away. He glared at the villain with a wild look on his eyes. His arms struggled to restrain the villain's. The blade started to cut into his cheek. He grabbed a rock.

-----

     "YOU'RE SO FAR GONE THAT YOU DON'T EVEN REALIZE WHAT A MONSTER YOU ARE!" Choking you already, he lifted his short sword and prepared to stab you through the skull for a quick death. But... He froze. His grip loosened as he started to cry. He dropped the blade so he could wipe his eyes dry using the mask on his face. "..How could you go from one of my best friends to this...? What did... What did I ever do to deserve this?..." He was much quieter now as he cried. The tightness around your throat had almost completely released.

-----

     The brunette lay on the ground, the entire left side of his face cut open. His jaw completely out of place. As Stain stood over him, readying to impale his heart, a bright orange light enveloped the scene.

-----

     Before you could even consider a response, a soft noise was uttered from your right. Both you and Iguchi gasped.

      Panting, he wiped sweat from his forehead. "I came here.. I came here as quickly as possible. Buhh... Iguchi..?" The boy's, Tenko's, eyes held such shock and sorrow.

     Iguchi released your neck and stepped back away from both of you. "Ho-how did you find us?!"

     "Hoku... called..." Still catching his breath. "Endeavor should be rescuing him as we speak. I...used a combination of quirks.. to... get us here."

     Iguchi swallowed nervously, his arms and legs trembling. Your reaction was much the same.

     ...This was the very situation you were trying to avoid.

     Tenko should NOT be here.

.

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.

.

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=================
Felt cute. Might add more words later.
(did)

But seriously. I haven't written a chapter so short for this book in a LONG time! I usually go by story-beats tho and this one was rather fast paced. 😅 I'm not shoving the whole fight into one chapter like last time!