"Snow of black in the cold of night. Orbs of red locked behind blind eyes. Seeking that of evil and ill. A known unknown will forward what's due."

"What does that mean?"

The screams of frightened children filled the air; however, the atmosphere was perfectly clear. It was a beautiful night, and I had nothing of importance to do, so Kota and I decided to pass the time together. We talked about video games, then made fun of the heroes, and then we began talking about poetry.

Kota had mentioned the ashes in the sky and remarked the beauty it held.

Death is a beautiful thing, after all.

"The ashes kinda remind me of black snow ― and it's cold outside tonight. Snow of black in the cold of night."

He turned his gaze from the forest, set ablaze with the blue fires of Satan, and stared at me as I explained my poem.

"Anger is often portrayed as red. Orbs — meaning eyes. Angry eyes locked behind those that refuse to acknowledge them. Orbs of red locked behind blind eyes."

He watched in an awe-filled gaze as I further explained the words I had uttered, softly in the light of the fire and moon.

That wasn't exactly it, though. I have been pushing my anger down, under the excuse that I wanted to wait for the right time. However, it has been over a year since I had been planning, scheming, waiting — for the perfect time to strike; for the perfect time to reveal myself; for the perfect time to enact my revenge on my so-called family.

Yet, time and time again, when a chance arises, I falter and utter that same excuse: It's not the right time, yet.

The time has been right, I'm the only one who has not been ready, yet.

Orbs of red locked behind blind eyes. Anger and vengeance locked behind the chains of doubt and unsureness.

"Seeking that of evil and ill. Exactly how it's spoken. Out for vengeance and chaos."

Finally...

"A known unknown will forward what's due. A familiar—thought to be gone—will pay forward the wrongs and injustices they had been subjected to. Basically, like how when you die — as a ghost — you haunt the people that have wronged you."

"Wow, that's so cool! I want to try!"

A small smile spread across my face as I watched Kota's eyes brighten in the elegant light of the moon. Although small, it was still present.

The smile.

He adapted a face of constipation as he tried to think really hard. It was honestly quite adorable.

"I've got it!" His voice cut through the night air, only to be cut off by a ringing on my phone.

"Just a sec..." I spoke ― checking the caller-ID and answering.

"Hey, Kurogiri. What's up?"

"We got him."

My mouth was dry. My eyelids were heavy. My arms felt raw, and my legs were jelly. My nose twitched as I breathed in the most foul-smelling odor I'd ever had the displeasure of breathing in. It smelled like burning flesh and metal.

I attempted to lift my arms — in hopes of covering my nose — but my movements were restricted. I tried to move my chest, legs, every limb I could control, but nothing worked. Mustering up as much energy as I could, I opened my eyes.

I was met with chains. Chains and metal-binding my limbs to a large, metal chair. Bolted to the floor. My breathing began to quicken as I struggled to move. My heartbeat sounded loud in my ears. I felt trapped.

I was trapped.

A door opened, revealing the man I had hoped to see all along.

Izuku.

"My, my, Todoroki Shoto. What a coincidence seeing you here. It's a pleasure seeing you with such a gorgeous expression on."

If I'd have to guess, I looked like a mess. My hair was plastered to my forehead with sweat. My eyes held only fear, and my pupils contracted and shook. My shirt was bloody, and I was hyperventilating from being bound to a chair in an unknown location.

"So, shall we start?"

Todoroki had been chained up in the League Of Villains' base for the past few days, and I was given the liberty of doing whatever the hell I wanted to him.

I should have known he didn't mean 'anything'...

"Remember that day?"

He looked up at me — not meeting my eyes — with blood flowing from his mouth and head. His eyes were shrouded in a fog of regret and despair.

Good.

"Y'know... The one when you and your little posse told me to jump off a fucking roof?"

His eyes darted to the floor as my words of poison flowed past my lips ― obviously from guilt. He was only here because of that one little comment. He was only here because of everything he had done to me.

Though I would have loved to kill him now, it crossed my mind that I could still use him. He might have been strong; however, no one was unbreakable.

I lifted my foot as I spoke and kicked him in the stomach, knocking the wind out of his lungs. He began gasping for air, yet still refrained from speaking to me.

"Aw, it bites me that you won't speak to me..."

He looked up at me — gasping for air hungrily — as I held my hand over my heart dramatically.

"Interesting... You seemed much more willing to do anything for me last week? What changed, I wonder..."

"I deserve this..."

I looked at him, grinning at his words. So, he was acknowledging that this is all his fault.

Good.

At least he wasn't pinning the blame onto someone else or something shitty like that.

"I'm sorry, Yagi. I deserve to die for what I did to you."

So, that was why he refused to join the League...

He thought he didn't deserve a second chance.

He didn't; however, I needed him.

I wanted a pet — a powerful one.

"You do deserve to die for what you did." My voice rang out in his ears as I crouched down to his eye level and grabbed his hair.

Pulling him towards me, I made him look me in the eyes for the first time since I had brought him here.

"But it just so happens that I'm feeling merciful right now." My smirk struck fear into his eyes.

I loved seeing him cower in fear.

"I'm willing to forgive you..."

No, I'm not.

"If"

Nothing will make me forgive him.

"You join the League..."

However, there was a catch.

"And..."

He watched my movements, getting lost in my glowing green eyes as I spoke.

"If you do everything I say."

I was holding back the tears that threatened to spill from my eyes as he pulled my hair with as much force as possible.

"Think about it..." His voice rung out in my ears as I processed his words.

He would forgive me?

All I had to do was join the League of Villains and obey him?

Seeing the glimmer in my eyes, he let go of my hair and began to walk away.

"I want your answer by tomorrow."

I'd do anything to make this right ― to make him forgive me. I couldn't erase all the pain I had caused him in the past; however, I could do what he'd just asked of me.

The sound of the door shutting behind him brought me out of my thoughts.

"I'll do it!"

I was enveloped in darkness as I heard the click of the lights being shut off.

"Izuku, I'll do it!"

I felt hot tears stream down my face as I screamed those few words ― in hopes that Izuku would hear me.

He didn't come back.

I suppose he didn't want me to choose yet. It was a big decision, and I shouldn't choose right away. I assumed his unspoken options were either recruit me or kill me — and it was apparent that he would be fine either way.

All I needed was to know that he was ok. All I needed was to know that he was happy. All I needed was his friendship, and I'd do whatever it takes to get it.

"Izuku, I'll do it!"

His words repeated in my head as I was being drowned in an ocean of metal.

Red metal.

Not metal.

I gasped for air as I opened my eyes to see myself floating. I sat on the top of the ocean of blood, gasping for the air I had been lacking. My whole life flashed through my mind.

I calmed myself and slowed my heartbeat, before looking around.

One.

Two.

Three.

Four.

Five.

Six.

Seven.

Eight.

The numbers only grew. Silhouettes surrounded me as I sat on a solid surface. They laughed as I sat defenseless on the floor ― watching them all. It felt as if I were back to where I started.

"Stop."

Laughter.

"Shut up."

Laughter.

"Shut up!"

Silence.

I shut my eyes as I gripped my hair; meanwhile, the voices disappeared. Hearing only a dripping sound, I tried to calm my pulsating heart. The dripping began to sound like a stream, then a waterfall — flowing faster and stronger than before.

My outfit began to soak as I felt the water invading every crevice of my clothing. Opening my eyes rapidly, I saw myself in a box ― a glass box, speedily filling with water.

I could see people outside of the box. They were watching me ― they were whispering as I was struggling to stop the water.

Bakugou.

Izumi.

Todoroki.

Inko.

Toshinori.

Everyone else who'd ever hurt me.

They were watching me. The water was about to reach the top of the box, filling my only source of oxygen with water, until I woke up.

Gasping for air, I shot up from my bed.

That's a new one...

I'd never had a dream like that before. It all felt so real ― as if I were truly being drowned. As if those people were truly watching me. As if I was dying.

I knew what it represented.

Standing up, I walked to my bathroom — thinking of nothing but that dream.

I understood the second part.

I stripped myself of my clothing and stepped into the shower. Feeling the warm water cascade down my body, I started to lose myself in my thoughts.

The glass box was a representation of my hesitance. The water was my anger and resentment.

I'm being trapped by the small strand of who I once was — I'm being drowned in my anger and rage.

The longer I would wait to enact my revenge, the longer I would be suffocating myself in those pent-up feelings I held locked inside my heart.

I needed to end this...

Now.

After I finished washing myself, I turned off the tap, and began to clothe myself ― putting on a black hoodie overtop a white T-shirt, and a pair of ripped black jeans.

I was into the greyscale.

Leaving my room, I walked into the bar and greeted my friends, before sitting down to eat Kurogiri's yakizakana and steamed rice.

"How is your progress going, Izuku?" Tomura struck up a conversation.

"I think he's starting to crack. I just need a little while longer..." I answered smiling.

Finishing my food, I excused myself from the bar. I needed a moment to myself. A moment to clear my head a bit.

I needed a smoke.

It was a bright day, and I hadn't been outside in a while. At least not during bright hours. It was almost blinding. Hiding from the light in the darkest places of the alleyway, I took out a pack.

I lit my cigarette and took a deep breath of the tobacco, nicotine, and carbon monoxide being emitted from the stick. Then, I sorted through my thoughts.

After I had finished, I went back into the room I had been keeping Todoroki.

"Knock, knock. How's it going?"

He looked up at me with a look of desperation. I could see the crazed glint his eyes held.

Four days, nine hours, thirty-seven minutes.

That's how long he had been here.

That's how long it took him to snap.

"I'll do it."

"What was that?"

A grin spread across my face as I watched Todoroki's eyes flicker with a hint of lunacy.

"I said I'll do it."

"Then let's get started."

It had been nine hours. Nine hours since Todoroki had officially announced his allegiance to my cause, and nine hours since I had been altering a Todoroki's mind, to make him more susceptible to my words.

I mean, I couldn't have him double-crossing me, now could I?

The League discovered a drug recently called Scopolamine. This drug — for a short period of time, and with the right dosage — could make the user more susceptible to suggestion; however, too much of this drug could result in death.

That fact made this much more difficult. There was no telling how soon the drug would have worn off, and if we had used more than the designated amount, Todoroki could have died. So, we sent the drug to The Doctor.

The Doctor was All For One's doctor. I had never properly met him — no one in the League has — but he agreed to help us with our bio-mechanical problem. He took the original product and modified it ― creating a new substance in the process: Scopolamine-X.

This was a more condensed form of the drug. It would do the original task, but for much longer than would have if we had used the original drug.

We would have around three weeks with Todoroki before the drug would wear off, and once it had, Todoroki would remember everything he had done. Yet another flaw with the original product.

What's the point in using Todoroki if he couldn't remember anything?

The frontal cortex is the part of the brain that makes decisions, so it's only natural that we'd try to inject the drug there, which had also taken a lot of time. Brain operations were long and grueling. One wrong move and it would have been all over.

Any behavioral changes could have been explained by being held in captivity and highly tortured for as long as he had been.

I was about to wake him up, when all of a sudden, I heard a loud crashing noise coming from the bar.

I ran as fast as I could to see what the hell was happening and was met with all of my comrades restrained with wooden branches. Then I heard a voice that made my blood boil.

Anger and vengeance locked behind chains of doubt and unsureness.

It's time that I stop holding back and procrastinating my revenge.

This is the reveal.

"I-Izuku?