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THIRD POV
      ITSUMI SIGHS AS she walks the darkened streets of Musutafu, it was just after her shift at the restaurant, and she was feeling exhausted. Especially, she didn't sleep the night before...or the night before that. Honestly, she doesn't remember when she had the time to actually sleep, but one thing she does know, is that she's ready to drop dead. The late teen is so sleep deprived that she can't even feel her face. 

To make matters worse, Itsumi knew that she was going to have another sleepless night. 

The amount of school work could be the cause of her sleepless death by how much they pile on. Honors English was killing her with the lengthy paper her class was assigned, even more so when they just turned in their last assignment. First she had to pick an english novel to read, then write a five thousand word essay about their point of view if they got to live in the story plot - of how will they react, what they would do, why they did that, etc, along with making their own ending. Basically they had to write their own version of the book they read. 

Itsumi picked the book that was published almost two-hundred years ago, The Catcher in the Rye. The green haired girl can sort of see herself in Holder's character - the rebellion, the confusion, the despair that she's feeling, the similar downwards spiral. She relates to the character, but of course she still has her differences. 

But if she was given the chance to runaway like how Holder offered Sally, Itsumi would have taken it. Unfortunately, this is reality, and she's stuck with the pressures of life, with the expectations, despite her inner turmoil. 

Sighing, Itsumi lingers in the street to breathe, for some free time alone. All day, everyday, she's stuck in some sort of pressure. In school she plays the perfect student, perfect attendance, and perfect grades. In the grocery store she works with patience and humility, doing what she's told whilst listening to numerous shoppers. At the restaurant, she plays the part of the respectful server, doing her job and keeping her mouth shut. Then at home, she keeps the role of the doting sister and dutiful daughter.

All in all, she always pigeon holed herself into a certain character. She was never herself.

Walking over a bypass, the green haired teen stops in the middle and watches the blinding lights on the sides of the building. She turns and leans on the railing to watch the cars pass under her.

Closing her red eyes, Itsumi listens to the rushing traffic beneath her, and feels the cool air on her skin.

What if I jumped, she pondered suddenly.

She stepped on the bottom of the railing and leaned forward, suspending her upper half body in the air. She spreads her arms as if she's going to fly.

"You're not going to jump, are you? It wouldn't exactly be a great end to my day," a voice states from her right.

With a sigh, Itsumi leans back and steps down from the railing. Her crimson eyes meet an equally red gaze.

"Well, I wouldn't want to inconvenience you, now would I," she retorts, amused. "Such a shame, tonight would've been a good night to end it."

"Tch, are you usually this crude," the pale man scoffs.

Itsumi smiles. "What, you mean having a dark sense of humor? Then yes, I am. It makes my life a little bit easier, that, and lying to everyone's faces," she mumbles, just loud enough for him to hear.

The dark clad man crosses his arms, narrowing his crimson gaze.  "I hate people who lie, they're just cowards who can't face the consequences."

"That may be true, but it's not like I can exactly show my true colors. The things I'm thinking of, of what I want to do, and how I want to execute them," she says with a manic laugh, her eyes darkening yet sparkling. Clearing her throat, Itsumi steps away from the man. "I shouldn't be telling you this, you're just a stranger."

The man gives her a dark laugh. "Well, we can always acquaint ourselves," he suggests. 

"Hmm," Itsumi's eyes pass over him, noticing his dark clothes and pale characteristics. Her mind clicks in remembrance. "Well, seeing as this is our second time crossing paths, both in the same day, we are well acquainted by now." She smirks, looking at him over her shoulder. 

"So, you'll share your secrets with me," he inquires, tilting his head to the side. 

The action makes him look familiar. She knows that look on his face, because she wears that exact expression. The look of satisfaction, one that's acquired with dark intentions. It's like looking in a mirror. 

Can this be her moment to escape? To run away from the pressures of her life? 

Itsumi can practically hear her heartbeat in her ears as time seems to freeze. She can run away at this exact moment, with this stranger of a man. She can feel the tides turning, this moment can change everything! Staring into the man's eyes, the freckled girl can feel the shackles on her body literally fall from her body. She feels free. Itsumi's finger twitch as they ache to reach towards savior. 

Though, as time froze, her chance slips away when it comes back to life. With seconds ticking by, the teenager can feel the weight fall back on her shoulders, the shackles gripping around her limbs even tighter than before. She can feel her hope crashing to the floor in fragments.

Closing her eyes in silent pain, she gives him a saccharine smile. "Not this time. Maybe when we cross paths again. As the saying goes, the third time's the charm," she says, opening her eyes. 

The two ruby pairs clash, a sign of understanding. 

Because, he, too, recognized the look on her face. That fake smile said everything. It made sense now, her dark humor was just her way of coping the fact that she hides her real self. He saw her eyes sparkling at the words she spoke, of what she wanted to do. They shined with a dark malice. 

She was just like him, however unlike him, she was trapped in the norms of society. Forced to play a role of the typical garden variety. 

"Until next time," Itsumi dismisses with a simple wave, and Shigaraki is left watching as she walks away from him.

I should have known better. Freedom is never so easy, Itsumi huffs dejectedly. I'm a fool to believe otherwise. 

With every step, her heart breaks a little more. 

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      ONCE SHE'S HOME, Itsumi walks straight to her room and immediately falls on her bed. She wants to cry, to yell, to sink into her mattress because the feeling of defeat is too much for her. She wants out of her life, to call it quits, anything to free herself from her invisible prison! The pressure is too much. The loneliness is unbearable. She's so sick of hiding herself in a plastic molding, the fake personas are tearing at her sanity, driving her crazy. 

Because the audacity of being herself, oh the shame it would bring to her family! How could she? 

Maybe that's why Sally didn't go with Holder, because of the shame and guilt she would have felt for those she left behind. Maybe she wasn't as bold as she assumed she was. No matter how much she compared herself to Holder, and how much hate she's bottling, she could never hurt her family. The man was a liar and manipulative just like she was, but he didn't care about the consequences - she did. 

Oh, she hated heroes so much that she wanted to show them their place with heinous actions, but what if her actions led to getting her mother in trouble? What if she broke the laws, and the police chose to interrogate her mother instead of her? She couldn't live with herself if her mother got the blame for her actions. However, for that fact, she was now stuck in her current position. The girl's state of mind was so unhinged, and Itsumi knew she was cracking under the pressure. 

Pressure this.

Pressure that. 

The word itself drove her insane. 

Everyday everyone told her something new to add to the weight, and the Midoriya girl could see herself finally snapping. It was only a matter of 'when'? 

And when that happened, she was afraid that no one could stop her from doing what she really wanted.

Itsumi smiles at the thought of finally being free, soon. It won't be long before I stop hiding.

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That was Chapter Four folks! I now this chapter was fairly shorter than the others, but like I said, these are just build ups for when she turns dark side! 

Oop - Itsumi is showing some manic tendencies. This chapter was just an insight of how unhinged she already is, of how her everyday pressure is effecting her mentality. And the fact that she keeps everything to herself only makes it worse. I mean, imagine being the perfect top ranked student working two part time jobs and worrying about your family's living arrangements, only to worry about money for school and rent and having sleep - no wonder Itsumi is unhinged. 

Why do I never make my characters simple? 

Oof - another Shigaraki appearance. The fact that she sees him as a catalyst to her freedom is so uwu . They only met two times, but I'm already loving them together! 

I just want to hug Itsumi, but I get the feeling that she would just hurt me, lol :D

Anyways, thanks for reading!

Comment what you thought - What you liked, disliked, or just whatever!

Until then! 

Word Count: 1,641