Chapter 28

The two enemies--the two friends sit next to each other, burning holes into each other's forms. If looks could kill, the two would've been dead ten times over. In the food court, in one of the booths, Tomura is holding Izuku hostage without anyone's notice. One hand on his waist with a finger hovering over the hip. Izuku is rigid, staring into the depth of his drink as if it held the answers to the world-some deep psychological proverb that can magically get him out of this situation, but nothing is there. The silence between them is deafening. Shigaraki is studying the boy that he can easily kill, tightening his hand on his hip and earning a sharp intake of breath and a snort. He squirms under his touch which lets the villain know something he did not want anyone to know.

He's ticklish. Damn. He hopes the man-child doesn't have the brains to figure it out. Oh thank god, he doesn't. Midoriya glances away, hoping to catch sight from one particular person from his peripheral vision to no avail.

"What do you want to know Shigaraki?" Then a sly and cheeky smile comes to his face. "And what makes you think that I will give you any true answers?" He reaches up and takes his sunglasses off, revealing toxic eyes. He knows that this insane man-child can kill everyone around him and he has to play his cards right, or a massacre will occur and he can see just how many. They hold shadows thaY cling to them like a lifeline, for they are signs of the end of the people's lifeline.

"You're the type who always goes to the heart of the problem." The fortunate thing is, Beetle is not there to make a statement like saying hearts are delicious or something dumb like that. The only fortunate thing, but seriously, he needs assistance that damn bastard. "You're right. Of course, you don't have to be truthful or anything, you just won't learn anything useful for your-ah-beautiful Crimson Artist."

There is no way you know anything about her. You are lying, trying to get into my head. "I know enough about her," he lies in attempt to sound convincing.

"Yes, but do you know who exactly she is?" He grins slightly in victory when he sees the contemplative gleam in those eyes. Curiosity is the key to one's downfall. "That's what I thought. An exchange of information. That's all I want," he proposes as he grips his hip tighter. "And I won't lie to you as long as you don't lie to me."

Midoriya clenches his teeth. He cannot take the deal no matter what. He can't. After all, he can't know who she is. How could he? "You've met her?"

He shrugs, moving his hand up to his shoulder.

"I'm here because of her. She wants you in her grasp, but that's never going to happen. No, I won't let her get her dirty hands on you." He gives him a sickly sweet smile as he drags a finger down the side of his face. "She will have to pry you from my cold dead hands. You interest me, Izuku."

His body goes rigid, tension filling his muscles. His eyes on the tall villain who is ready to kill him at any moment. "Why?"

"Why? Because I don't take orders from stingy witches, and like I said, you interest me." I mean, someone who can't die? Well, I want to know how many times you have to die before your mind gets muddled with a variety of memories? Yes, I watched you that night in Hosu, I saw you take that blade and rise right back up, like it was nothing after three minutes. You can't hide anything from me, Izu.

"Witch? Did she-? Never mind. I don't believe you.

You don't know who she is."

He clicks his tongue at him, wagging a finger in front of his face. He enjoys this. He dangles everything the boy needs to know in front of him and yanks it away. He just needs to continue playing. "You don't know that and we're running out of time."

"Honestly, good. Maybe then someone wi-never mind. They're too oblivious. No wonder many people get kidnapped or killed in public places," he mutters as he pulls his phone out. He sighs at seeing the video and the message below.

Have fun seeing my new victim. - Crimson.

"Oh? She has your number, that's nice. You can see as she tortures her victims." Tomura snatches his phone and plays the video, forcing him to watch it. Izuku tenses at seeing the night vision.

"Yes, I heard about this type of torture. Put them in a dark room and watch how their sanity crumbles." He laughs as he sees the expression of trepidation on the hero's face. The way his eyes widen and his lips part then brought in by his teeth, chewing on the dead skin. "I can help you, Midoriya, but I want something in return. If you want her gone, you just have to trust me." He turns up the volume so that he can hear the screaming and crying of the tortured man. His grin widens as he watches the man tear at his own flesh, ripping it apart and letting blood splash onto the ground.

"Stop," he murmurs, looking away and feeling sick to his stomach. Here he is, having a grand ole time with his friends while someone is getting tortured to madness. "Stop it, please. I-Fine. I'll answer your questions. Just ... stop. This-This isn't funny."

Shigaraki grins in triumph. He turns the phone off, placing it on the table. He turns towards him, sticking his hand out. "Deal?"

Flicking his eyes down at his hand, then up at his face, he lets out a breath. Izuku reaches up and shakes his hand, glad that Tomura was being mindful on one finger. "Deal," he responds reluctantly. He should get dual fingered gloves so that he doesn't-

"Arg-!" he cuts himself off as to not bring any attention to them, clenching his fist. On his left hand, a sigil appears. Three big delicate swirls two having dark and thick ends, two small swirls in between two of the bigger ones on the right. Two branches jut out facing into the middle from the inside of the curve on the bottom. On the left there's a line with two curved lines going through it. A small horn like shape above the last swirl. A few more details that he can see but cannot focus on. It's blurry to him. He glances up to see Shigaraki wearing the same pained expression.

"What the hell is that?" Tomura asks growling at the sight of the sigil on their left hands. He moves his hand so that he can see it better. The dark marking stands out against the pale hand, almost looking like a tattoo. The golden light around the edges slowly fading as the sigil stands out and shows what that small handshake had done.

"A sigil. If I'm not mistaken a contract sigil, the one that I made a few weeks ago. I didn't think they'd work," he mutters. "Now, we both cannot lie and have to uphold our ends of the deal. You tell me what you know and I' answer any questions you have."

Shigaraki is thoughtful and for a second Izuku believes that he might not have known anything after all. He's hopeful, but it doesn't last long.

"Alright and if we don't?"

"If you lie, you suffer the consequences. I don't know if it's different every time or not," he falls into an explanation that last a few minutes long, hating the fact he had made a contract with this asshole and that he has to tell him everything. He cannot believe he fell for that trick.

An ugly smile comes onto his face as he realizes something. I've got you trapped, Midoriya Izuku.

You won't be able to uphold yours, you won't have time. "Alright, I'll go first."

"Wait, what are you wanting to know?"

"Your relation with death and everything that deals with it."

His brain comes to a screeching halt. Shit, he thinks. Maybe that display in the US] was not a good thing -he blames Death for being in this situation. Fuck, fuck, fucking hell! He cannot tell him just how the hell-no! Dammit! Okay, he has to calm down and if he doesn't he's going to show him how freaked he is. "I-

"Nak-ah! I'm going first. I'm telling you what you want to know. After all, it's better to get this bitch off the streets, don't you think?"

Fucking manipulator!"| guess. But-"

"But nothing!" I have you where I want you and I

didn't even have to kidnap you. Wait til we have you in our hands, you won't be able to do

anything. I wouldn't let you -just cannot wait for

the look on All Might's face.

"Fine. Go ahead and tell me what you know."

Shigaraki leans down a little, making a show by

covering the side of his mouth. Izuku smacks the villain's forehead. "Just tell me and stop messing around, bastard," he mutters.

Shigaraki rolls his eyes and tells him all that he knows. He gives him an description. "Red hair,

really pale skin-I mean does she even go out into

the sun? She's whiter than milk itself. Okay-carrying on, stop giving me that look-she has a mole on her chin. Probably around a hundred and

seventy centimeters."

"What about her eyes?"

"Bro-" he cus himself off with a cry of pain as his hand feels like it's on fire. "Okay, okay, it's hazel,"

he corrects himself, moving his hand away from

the green-haired teen with a hiss as he stares at the red on his hand. It looks almost like a sunburn.

"Okay, ow."

Izuku sighs and rubs his temple. "Sometimes I wonder how much of a mastermind you really are," he mutters with a shake of his head. "Is that all-maybe a name? A place where she lives?"

"Nope. Nothing. Come on, you've met her. I'm surprise you haven't pieced it together. Aren't you supposed to be this brilliant profiler?"

He glares heatedly at the pasty villain that he wants to shove his scythe into-repeatedly, over a hundred times for being annoying and a little shit.

Honestly, yes, Izuku is a little shit too, but this guy is just the type that will be thrown out of a window if they were on a high building. "I may be a-wait, how did you know that I'm a profiler?"

The cold fingers wrap around his neck once again, pulling him back from where he had scooted away.

"Nah-ah, don't want to be running now. I can kill so many people right now." That threat would have been just a threat if Izuku hadn't been able to see the shadows clinging to people. "I promise you, I don't know anything more. That should be helpful, don't you think? You can narrow down the search."

"How old?"

"What?"

"How old did she look?"

"Around late thirties, early forties."

"That shouldn't be possible," he mutters. "I know she's an old Champion, but, fifteen years? I'm one of the four of my generation, but, who are they?"

"Champion?" He doesn't let him speak. "Now, you're to hold up your end of the contract," he murmurs grinning. "If you don't, not at the moment then by the next we meet, want everything.

He makes it sound like he has planned it all out. If so, that means he may try to cut this meeting short.

"Deku?" A wavering smile appears on her face as she stares in worry. That damn bastard knew this might've happened. "Is that a ... friend? No, it-it can't be.

They look up in unison, staring at the girl with bobbed, brown hair. Her eyes are wide as she stares at her friend being threatened. "It's okay, Uraraka," he says forcing a smile. It does not reassure her.

"Hey ... let him go."

He gets to his feet, grinning to himself. "Oh! I didn't know you were with friends!" he lies, smiling at the girl. "I'll leave you alone now." He disappears into the crowd, taking the drink he had forced Midoriya to buy. Another day Izuku. Uraraka snaps out of her stupor and takes out her phone.

Izuku is staring at his hand, the one with the sigil on it. The contract that he has yet to fulfill. He doesn't blame Ochako since she didn't know, but Tomura-that bastard. The next time they meet, he hopes it's in a high building, maybe then he'll see him fly out a godforsaken window.

Tsukauchi arrives at the scene as quickly as he can with Toshinori at his heels. Once his dark eyes land on the green, curly-haired boy, he places his hands on Izuku's shoulders as he worriedly looks over him. He wants to make sure that he hadn't been terribly injured. While checking him, he pointedly ignores the officer who is smirking at him, taking pictures to show the other policemen. The woman walks over to Uraraka, asking her a few questions while muttering, "you're such a dad. Just adopt him already as she passes by him.

"Are you okay, Midori? What did Shigaraki want with you?"

"I'm fine, Nao," he answers tryin to give a reassuring smile which comes out as as a grimace.

He looks down at his hand. "He wanted to know a few questions." He turns his head away in shame.

"I-I made a deal with him," he murmurs low enough for only Toshinori and Naomasa to hear.

He shows them the contract sigil. "A contract sigil and I didn't uphold my end just yet."

Izuku explains to them what Shigaraki said, telling them he was sent by Crimson and he gave a description of her. He tells them everything that's important, leaving out the banter they had because he does not want to deal with those looks of exasperation and disapproval. He tells them that he wanted to know about his relationship with Death because of his display at the US] from when he was slowly being overtaken by Death. He turns his head away, glaring at the ground while clenching and unclenching his fists.

"So you two made a contract and now, you have yet to uphold it? What happens if you don't fulfill your end?"

Midoriya sucks in a harsh and shaky breath, rubbing his hands together and looking up at Tsukauchi. Toshinori is there behind him, staring at the two. "-I have no-" a sigh "I'm not entirely sure, but I'm sure it's not good."

Shigaraki arrives at the bar, grinning like a maniac.

He scratches at his neck, pacing around to the annoyance of Dabi and Kurogiri. The scarred, black-haired male is giving him one the dirtiest looks he can muster up. "Shigaraki, stop that," commands the bartender, his golden eyes land on his left hand, seeing the tattoo-like symbol on it and they narrow. "What is that on your hand?"

"The brat called it a contract sigil," he answers, looking at it. The sigil fades out of existence leaving him to shrug. "The witch said that if I made a contract with him, I'd have to make sure that he wouldn't be able to uphold his end of the deal. She said that she'd tell me more about it later, once I completed it."

"And you did," pipes up the venomous voice.

Those hazel irises holding a murderous gleam as they fall onto the leader of the league. "But you gave me away! You stupid bast-!"

He grabs her wrist with all five fingers, watching as her flesh slowly starts to flake off. "You shouldn't speak to me that way. Be glad I didn't tell him where he can find you, witch," he hisses, narrowing his red eyes at her. "Crimson Artist-or should I say Hikawa Achara."

"That name does not apply to me anymore, you son of-" she screams once again and rips her hand away from him again, backing up. "You-I will make sure you will regret this!" With that she leaves the bar.

"Wow, what a drama queen," mutters Dabi, rolling his blue eyes. He glances over at Toga Himiko who is pouting. "What's wrong with you?"

"she's what's wrong with me! She's able to spill blood but I can't?"

"You do it all the time!"

"I don't care! She gets to have fun and torture, why can't I?"

Tomura whips around to her, his gaze fixated on her. "Then go ahead. Who's stopping you?" He scratches at his neck. "You'll be able to spill all the blood you want, torture all you want, but first, you have to bring me, Midoriya Izuku."