A/N: You can see an art of Tsuyo unmasked on Patreon. It's a big spoiler so definitely look at your own risk.

Violet POV:

"I've waited a long time to finally kill you." Tsuyo stated to Endeavor, hovering the glowing jewel above their hand.

The ground practically shook with the surprising revelation from someone unexpected. The space went lethally silent as our group took in the magnitude of Tsuyo's words, but not for very long...

Touya's chuckle started out quiet, causing me, Shouto, and Endeavor to look over at him before he lost it.

He was having the time of his life with the way things were unveiling, laughing loudly now at the confused look of Endeavor and his youngest brother still knocked onto the ground with his, now bloody, nose, thanks to Tsuyo's jewel explosion.

"Hah! Join the club!" Touya cackled to Tsuyo, barely side glancing at his father with his next words. "Ah. Look at that? You just piss everyone off, huh? Seems like a you problem."

Endeavor seemed unfazed by the threat from the masked person. For that, I can't blame him. As the number one hero, there are countless people who want to kill him everyday. I'm sure to him, Tsuyo is no different than the average troubled cliche.

But, once again, his flaws to underestimate will be the thing to kill him. Especially when it comes to Tsuyo. The person strong enough to compete as Midas' right hand person for so many years. The poor soul that was locked away like an animal for eternity, having been trained to kill anything that dares to breathe in a way Midas disapproves of.

Tsuyo's not heartless. But, they've been convinced to think they are. They've been persuaded to think they have nothing to lose. Nothing to live for. And that's just as dangerous.

If Endeavor thinks he'll be having an easy win against Tsuyo, he's fatally mistaken.

But, judging from the composure in his arrogant, blue Todoroki eyes, it seems my assumptions were correct.

"If you'd like to have any chance of surviving tonight, I highly suggest you don't try." Endeavor stated lowly, releasing his bleeding shoulder to stand up straight. "My son is inside that building with his life on the line. If saving him means I go directly through you, I won't hesitate to end you where you stand."

Finally letting the true nature of their emotions crack through their stoic exterior, Tsuyo blurted out a genuine chuckle at Endeavor's words, swiping the glowing jewel out of midair to taunt him a little more.

My brows furrowed as their body language slowly gained back its humanity-watching them lift their arms and shift their feet with growing adrenaline instead of standing so mechanical and dead the way they always do.

Even the way they spoke their next words came out different, unable to play the part of the heartless robot any longer as they'd finally shattered.

And it seems that was how they wanted it, tired of hiding-no longer caring.

"Oo. How noble you are." They mocked, wiggling their gloved fingers in the air with feigned wickedness. "Your words don't scare me, you know. Regardless, I don't plan on surviving anyways, so long as you die. You won't be getting through that front door, I'll make sure of it. Not for Midas. Or his stupid, fucked up plans. Or for anyone else."

Gripping their gloved fist tightly, Tsuyo exploded Midas' jewel in their hand, letting the ethereal ashes of it sprinkle away into the wind.

"No. This one's for me. Allll for me." The masked person almost gloated, slowly starting to unravel their human emotions before everyone's eyes. "And, for once, it's nice to use people to get what I want instead of always-always being the one used in every person's life."

A loud breath exhaled past their mask, looking down at the roof they stood on with a shake of their head.

Kaito remained dazed and sprawled on his stomach, thanks to Endeavor's earlier fire attack. Walking a few steps forward, Tsuyo slammed their foot into Kaito's stomach, causing the iron man to wheeze as the force had him rolling to the very edge of the roof.

Slowly and tauntingly, Tsuyo followed the iron man's path, looming over him without sympathy as they spoke to the group.

"Wanna know a secret? I never liked Midas." They whispered mockingly, giving Kaito's injured shoulder a kick. "Ugh and I despised this guy-and fuck, I hated this mansion! Hated every second I had to spend here! Ohhhh, not that you'd care, Endeavor. Not that I'd ever want you to. The last thing I'd ever want is your stupid sympathy."

Tsuyo slammed their boot down atop Kaito's shoulder now, causing him to grit his teeth. The masked person kept the iron man steeled under their foot with more pent up resentment than ever before.

"But, for the first time in my life, it feels like all that suffering finally paid off, because I'll use everything I've learned to my advantage. Midas' jewels. His resources. His innocent soldiers who don't have a real clue about what they're even dying for." Their voice came out lower.

It sounded like they had broken more than anything else. They were hurt. They were angry.

And they were desperately wanting to believe their own words. They desperately wanted to convince themselves they were this heartless person Midas forced them into being for years.

"Agh. Tsuyo..." Kaito wheezed hoarsely from under their foot, subtly trying to wiggle out.

But, Tsuyo only punished him for trying, shoving their boot further into his frame until his upper body hung over the edge of the roof.

The iron man let out an instinctual yell of panic now as his arms and head hung over the roof, flailing his legs in an attempt to bring himself back up.

"I'll use everyone for my own benefit tonight, and I won't give a damn about who it hurts." The masked person continued threateningly, keeping their weight grounded on Kaito's writhing frame. "I'll treat everyone else how they always treated me and finally see how it feels to be on the other side."

Slowly lifting a hand to their suit, Tsuyo pulled an onyx jewel off it, letting it hover in their palm and glow maliciously in the air. "And if you don't believe me, maybe they will change your mind."

The earth slowly began to rumble underneath our feet as the faint sound of something filled the space behind Midas' mansion.

I didn't want to think about what it could possibly be now, feeling dread starting to lurch in the pit of my stomach.

And then, in the dark of night, head after head appeared from the midnight shadows, showing themselves in the moonlight like a bunch of owls opening their eyes in a dark cave.

Hundreds-no-maybe thousands of faces, all vacant and empty of who they used to be, walking side by side like an army. Each one was trapped in a binding, life-ending contract they never agreed to, all orchestrated from the black glowing jewels chained around their necks.

"Harmless civilians. All of their minds, locked in a non consensual, eternal pledge to Midas." Tsuyo announced over the sound of their marching feet, lifting the glowing onyx jewel higher into the sky.

Endeavor's eyes widened slightly for the amount of innocent people gathering on the front lines. Clearly, the numbers are bigger than he expected.

Tsuyo clicked their tongue and looked down from the top of the mansion, placing a feigned hand of pity to their heart as Kaito continued to dangle halfway off the roof.

"Ahh. It's so tragic, isn't it?" They sighed before waving their hand away unhinged. "But, then again, who cares?! After all, no one was ever there to save me when I fell victim to it, so why should I give a damn about them? If I treat them how I was always treated, then I'd say they're the perfect pawns for my own game, don't you think? The perfect way to overpower your fighters and have your last bits of life all to myself."

The army of innocent soldiers stood in front of Midas' mansion, blocking the opening and looking at our small, pathetic group without an ounce of life.

"Oh. But, what will you do, Endeavor?" Tsuyo asked, tilting their masked head to the side in mocking question. "Surely, having the blood of innocents on your hands is nothing new to you. Maybe you could at least admit that much."

Blinking his pupils a few times, Endeavor looked at the scene before him with unease before barely glancing in Touya's direction.

"I....I'm not denying I've made a lot of mistakes." The number one hero said, blinking away his vulnerabilities as he looked at the countless civilians under Midas' control. "But, these people didn't. These people are innocent. Release the hold on them, and let them go."

Tsuyo's fist balled tightly at the words. They were a person lost and confused, with no one but Endeavor of all people to talk them off the ledge. The outcomes don't look good.

They directed their masked eyes around our small group, surpassing me and landing on Touya.

"You know, as much as that backwards dipshit had a lot of things wrong, he always had the right idea when it came to you, Endeavor." Tsuyo said of Touya. "Making you pay for your sins. The past never forgets, or whatever it was he always jarred his delusional mouth about. I agreed with him."

Touya barely raised his brows with satisfaction to the new knowledge, crossing his arms smugly for being heard-and right in front of the man himself.

"Every time it came to you, I'd silently cheer for him." Tsuyo admitted, voice cracking with shakiness at the end. "I'd cheer that someone finally had the courage to give you what you always deserved. That someone else saw you for the devil you truly are. It wasn't just me, and man, I felt so validated by that."

Tsuyo's breaths became heavier and even if this was supposed to be their moment of revenge, they couldn't have sounded more devastated. Desperately willingly to give it back in a heartbeat, if it meant turning back the clock of their past.

It sounded like they were close to crying-perhaps, already crying underneath their mask.

And they deserve to cry. After years of being unable to, they deserve to let their emotions out...

It's just tragic to watch them destroy themselves in the process of finally breaking free.

"A-As if a few worthless tears and useless apologies could ever redeem you." Their voice wavered, sucking in a harsh breath as they pointed at Endeavor accusatorially. "Pathetic! Selfish! Fucking disgraceful of you to ever think you've atoned for a damn thing!"

Touya smirked smugly and shook his head with satisfaction. Even if he always dreamed of being the one to make his dad hurt, it seems watching someone else give the man a taste of his own medicine satiated him just a bit.

"Day by day, you walk around with your thick head held higher than everyone else. I just wanna know something though..." The masked person trailed off, slapping a hand over their concealed mouth shortly after.

It was now that Tsuyo couldn't hold it together, noticeably starting to break down underneath their mask. Their tears came out with a heavy mixture of pain and anger-so much anger, I could feel it from here.

Their body shook, muscles tightly wound as they glared at Endeavor through their mask.

"How could you do it?" They drawled out unevenly, seeming completely lost in their own hysterical prison. "How did you do it? How did you ever sleep at night, knowing what you've done?"

Endeavor furrowed his brows in confusion, trying to see Tsuyo through the dark-through their mask and figure out who they truly were.

It was now that he started to gather how personal Tsuyo's words were. They weren't just another cliche villain seeking pointless revenge on the hero. Their words-their pain had a purpose. A purpose completely directed at him for a reason he was unaware of.

"What? You're...you're clearly delusional..." The number one hero said, voice coming out quieter and more uncertain-almost as if he pitied this person above him. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Not the first time you don't have a clue." Touya scoffed, refusing to look at his father as he watched the masked person crumbling on the roof.

I won't say he had sympathy for Tsuyo, but I believe he had a new sense of understanding for them. Perhaps, even a new sense of respect and relatability to the person, sharing a harboring pain with them and seeing himself through their breakdown.

"W-Wow, it still gets my heart racing after all this time. When I think about it. When I think about you. I...goddd." Tsuyo choked out hoarsely, grazing their hand to their chest as they started to get worked up. "For as long as I can remember, I've fantasized about all the different ways I'd kill you, Endeavor. How much it would fucking hurt you. How gratifying it would be to see the fear behind your eyes. The karma and penance. The absolute justice you deserve, delivered by my hands."

They held their hands out after speaking their words, body starting to tremble the more they spoke. "I-I can't wait to remove this stupid mask. For you to look me in the eyes as you die and finally-finally acknowledge your unforgivable mistakes. And I can hardly contain myself to wait another second."

Through a shaky gloved hand, Tsuyo snapped their fingers, causing the glowing rays of Midas' black jewel to instantly split into thousands of beams.

On cue, the vacant eyes of the civilian soldiers lit up the same color as the onyx jewel, their bodies tightening with adrenaline, their faces ready with the look to strike.

"So give it your best, number one. Give me everything you've got. Because it will be the last fight you ever have, and the last breath you ever take. I'll make sure of it." Tsuyo stated, slamming their hands together and causing the jewel to explode in the air.

It was the signal of chaos.

On command, the civilian army instantly charged forward towards me, Touya, Shouto, and Endeavor.

It was devastating. People of all ages-even children in the crowd, holding weapons incorrectly that Midas carelessly shoved into their hands, thirsting for a taste of blood because they were forced to.

Endeavor's pupils held a tremor as he looked at all the innocent people charging straight for him, completely shaken by Tsuyo's words. Completely shaken on what to do.

"Dad, your orders." Shouto stated, watching the soldiers starting to close in on our group.

Clearly, the half and half boy was unsure how to proceed as well, gritting his teeth at the women and children glaring at him with their weapons.

Endeavor said nothing, completely frozen and staring at the mass of people. It only made Shouto more frantic, opening his hand with uncertainty, barely letting ice swirl around his palm before deactivating his quirk.

"Dad, they're coming!" Shouto exclaimed with more panic now, looking over at his stunned father for an answer. "What do we do!? I need your orders!"

Touya chuckled as he stepped forward now, opening his palm and letting his blue flames swirl around his arm.

"Don't bother trying to get dad's attention, Shouto. He's always been useless." The white haired man mused, keeping his eyes on the incoming army. "Take a lesson from your big brother-if ya want anything done around here, you gotta do it yourself."

Oh no...

My gaze widened as I watched Touya barrel a line of fire straight towards the civilians without warning, watching it head straight for the group without mercy.

Shit. He really said 'fuck the kids.'

"Touya, no!!!" I yelled, attempting to activate my crystals and block the fire.

But, Shouto was quicker and closer, instantly sending a barricade of ice in front of Touya's flames, causing the blue fire to slam into it and die away before reaching anyone.

"What are you doing!?" Shouto reprimanded, causing Touya to scoff and roll his eyes.

"The fuck does it look like? If you wanna be torn to shreds by a bunch of mindless idiots, I won't stop you." He waved off his little brother, smirking smugly with his next words. "Quite the opposite-I'll cheer them on."

Shouto turned to his older brother with grit teeth, momentarily ignoring the incoming army of death just a few feet away.

"You can't kill them. They're innocent. They don't know what they're doing." The half and half boy argued, walking a few steps towards Touya.

Touya simply crossed his arms and refused to look at his brother, casually watching the army getting closer. "Hm? They don't look that innocent to me. If they're coming at me with a fucking knife or grenade, they ain't exempt in my book."

He glanced over at his dad now, chuckling and reveling in the way the man looked completely grave and defeated.

"Oh? And what's this? What will you do, oh 'Great' Number One?" Touya mocked, looking at me a bit gloatingly now. "Here you were, Grape, thinking he'd be all useful and shit. Right now, it's more tempting to join those guys and stomp on his beaten corpse, if ya ask me."

I can't argue with him there. The whole reason I told him to spare Endeavor was because I thought he'd be useful in this battle...

But, between seeing his first born son in the flesh again, Tsuyo's confusing speech of revenge, and the front line army of women, children and innocent civilians, he'd completely froze, looking more like a deer in the headlights than anything else.

He was completely out of his usual mindset, eyes grave with dark circles as he tried to turn to his eldest son again in the middle of a damn battle.

"T-Touya-"

"No! Don't talk to him now." I groaned, feeling the ground starting to shake harder as the army got closer.

And, yet Touya didn't seem to give a damn anymore, keeping his piercing, hateful gaze on his father, daring him to speak another word.

"Well? What'll it be, Endeavor?" He drawled out lowly, starting to itch with blood lust again at the sight of such vulnerability. "If you don't make yourself useful, what other reason is there to keep you around? Oh, ho, doesn't that feel familiar? Karma sure is a funny little bitch."

Endeavor's muscles began to shake, feeling utterly overwhelmed by the moment as he fell to his knees.

"I...I..."

He was too late.

Endeavor didn't get the chance to say another word as the first wave of soldiers finally reached our space.

The first person to arrive came in Shouto's direction, gritting their teeth and raising an ax over the half and half boy's head and forcing him to start activating his ice.

But, the civilian never got the chance to make contact as they were instantly lifted off the ground, whisked away through the air in the blink of an eye.

I didn't have time to question who had arrived as a shower of red feathers rained down in the night, landing on the incoming army. They snatched up person after person, leaving them a hovering, flailing, angry mess in the air.

"Hawks!" Shouto exclaimed, looking up and watching the number two hero valiantly extend his wings beneath the milky full moon.

"You know it! The reinforcements have arrived." Hawks announced from the air cooly, aviators glinting against the moonlight.

His feathers continued to disperse from his wings, attacking the civilians-rather, the shirts of the civilians, before whisking them away with ease.

He remained in the sky, looking down at our small group before spotting the number one hero kneeled on the ground. "Woah. Hey, Shouto, who broke Endeavor?"

The question didn't need to be answered when he spotted Touya a few feet away, watching the feral stitched man smirk and light his arm up blue.

"The same one who's about to fry those wings right off your back." He chuckled lowly, licking his textured lips at the flying, winged target in the sky.

Jesus. Why does Touya have to start a confrontation with every single person he meets!?

"Ah, Dabi-or, should I say, Touya." Hawks said less enthusiastically, running a hand through his messy locks. "Too soon to say you're under arrest, or what?"

"Heh. If ya wanna come down here and tell me that, I won't complain." The stitched man grinned, causing Hawks to lazily shrug his shoulders.

"Mm. As much as I'd love to, you can see I'm a little busy here, right?"

"Convenient excuse."

"Gotta get up, Endeavor. C'mon. We need you, number one." Hawks redirected his attention, continuing to swipe up as many soldiers as his quirk could hold. "For now, we can't hurt the civilians and there's too many to hoist all of 'em up in the air with my feathers at once. Cementoss, start creating jail cells to detain 'em for now. We can drop them in there until we figure out another plan."

"On it." The concrete hero nodded and ran to the open space on the lawn, starting to form holding cells from his quirk as quickly as possible.

Tsuyo watched atop the roof as reinforcement after reinforcement showed up, getting a quick look at the heroes' plan as Hawks began dropping people into the detained jail cells Cementoss made.

"Shit. Hey, hey, make yourself useful and go do something, stupid." Tsuyo snapped at Kaito, finally kicking the iron man completely off the roof. "Distract the others while I go for Endeavor."

Kaito yelled from the fall and grunted loudly once he hit the floor, wiping the blood from his nose and scrambling to his feet.

"Y-Yeah. Got it." He said hoarsely, raising his hands in the air and activating his quirk quickly.

Boulder after boulder. Giant after iron giant began to form from Kaito's body, all lined up and ready to go.

His first target was the obvious one in the sky causing the most damage, sending three large boulders straight at Hawks to try and clip him out of the air.

It gave the number two hero the unwanted distraction-or multiple distractions-having to simultaneously dodge Kaito's hits, ensure civilians didn't get hit with the boulders, and also drop them into the jail cells.

Other heroes were concerned with detaining the civilians that Hawks couldn't keep up with, forced to engage in combat with the stronger ones and get physical.

It was exactly what Tsuyo was hoping for as they leapt off the roof, disappearing into the crowd of chaos with Endeavor in their sights.

But, I kept my eyes on them, instantly scaling the battlefield and making a beeline for their position.

I wanted to stop them. Not for Endeavor's sake, but rather, Tsuyo's sake. They clearly have a death wish. They aren't thinking clearly and I understand their retaliation is out of anger.

However, with all the reinforcements around and Endeavor himself, they will most definitely die by trying to kill the number one hero. I'm sure they know that-and hell, it's probably what they'd even want.

But, I want to save them. I always wanted to save them. They deserve for someone to finally pull them out of all the hell they've had to experience over the years.

They don't deserve to die like this. Such a horrible, tragic death.

My pulse skyrocketed in adrenaline as I ran towards them as fast as I could go, forced to dodge a few hits from soldiers and Kaito's boulders along the way.

I'd split from Touya and the group, but it didn't matter anymore. With all the reinforcements and fighters on the ground right now, it would have been impossible for all of us to stay together.

I kept my vision on the fabric of Tsuyo's uniform with as much intensity as I could muster, set on desperately trying not to lose track of where they were heading.

And it paid off when I finally came face to face with them a few moments later, watching their quick moving feet come to a faltering halt.

We simply stared at each other in silence on the battlefield, completely immune to the loud chaos of quirks shooting and people yelling all around us.

Not wanting to confront me, they simply attempted to side step around me, forced to stop again when I mimicked their actions and stood in front of them.

They sighed knowingly for my clear intentions to stop them, giving their head a soft shake.

"Move, Violet." Their voice came out as a warning, holding hints of familiarity and concern for my well being.

They didn't want to fight me.

But, regardless, I stood my ground, balling my fists and trying to meet their eyes through the confines of their mask.

"Tsuyo, you're better than this. Please! You are-" I started off, instantly cut off when Tsuyo's arm moved abruptly.

A harsh whip across my cheek and a stinging pain later, I was on the ground, coughing and realizing I'd just been struck in the face.

"Oh, am I better than this? Do you still think so after that?" They mocked, clearly having no patience for whatever conversation I wanted to have. "You shouldn't. You don't know a damn thing about me. You never did."

Hoping I'd stop there, Tsuyo simply stepped over my slumped frame, starting to walk away.

But, I grit my teeth and grabbed onto their ankle once they were within my reach, kicking my feet into the back of their knees and knocking them down with me.

"I do know you! I know because you and I aren't so different!" I yelled, blocking the next heavy handed hit they tried to land into my stomach.

Realizing they wouldn't be able to ignore me, Tsuyo began getting more physical now, attempting to drive their elbow into my eye socket before I quickly ducked.

I broke away from them and rolled back a few inches, stumbling to my feet for a more fair fight.

Even if I've never been the best fighter, ground fighting is a big weakness for me.

Groaning in frustration for my stubbornness, Tsuyo hopped back up to their feet, not bothering to get any of their weapons out as they held their hands up in a simple fight stance now.

I mimicked their actions and slowly began to circle them, trying to get my words out because this would be the only time I could say them.

"I...I feel a bond with you." I explained, trying to stall their next attack. "I'm sure there's a reason for it, even if I don't understand the reason myself. But, as your friend...I just need to tell you-"

My words were cut off as Tsuyo charged at me, trying to block out my voice and ensure they wouldn't hear a single thing I had to say.

They attempted to land a flying kick to my face before I choppily blocked it.

"I-It's so easy to get caught up in your hatred, and I'm sure however Endeavor wronged you? Your anger is completely justified." I continued, quickly batting away their jab towards my stomach. "But-"

"Justified!?" They laughed with interruption, mocking the word as it came from their own mouth. "No. There is nothing in the world that could ever justify what he did. Nothing that could ever fix anything and bring it back..."

Tsuyo's fight focus faltered at they took in the magnitude of their own words, letting their next thoughts slip from their mouth automatically.

"Bring them back..."

Them?

Their words that time held more nostalgia. More regret and grief.

I furrowed my brows empathetically to their words, able to see the suffering on them so clearly even if I couldn't see their face.

Reflecting on their mysterious past, Tsuyo's hands slowly fell from their fight stance, letting civilian soldiers knock into them as they ran by without care.

The two of us stood in the middle of the battlefield, with Tsuyo staring at the ground completely empty.

"Violet. You silly, stupid girl. You don't understand. You never have." They stated lowly, sounding so incredibly disappointed. "God, you just blindly pick sides and think you're making the right choice without really knowing the truth. It's always drove me crazy-how naive you've always been. How long I've kept the secret and let it eat away at me every single day of my existence."

Looking back up to me, they walked forward, not with the intention to fight this time, but rather...the intention to make me understand.

"Endeavor didn't just wrong me, Violet. He ruined my entire life." They stated, causing my eyes to widen in surprise.

"What do you mean?"

Tsuyo balled their fists, shoulders shaking and breath heavy as they dropped a bomb on me I never expected to hear.

"Endeavor murdered my entire family. I watched him do it, and was too powerless to do a damn thing to stop it at the time. Because I was weak and afraid." Tsuyo revealed, voice wavering after every word.

"And because he did that, it led me here." They said, imprisoned in jewels with the foundation of Midas' mansion behind their back. "It left me forgotten. Tortured. Stolen away from the world by that demon of a man inside of that very house-aghhhhh, t-that man I despise so fucking much."

Tsuyo threw both hands at the base of their masked head, acting as if they wanted to pull their brain free from their skull.

They melted into a crouch position in the middle of the battlefield, holding their head between their arms as if it was the only way they knew how to comfort themselves.

"The man-Midas-who trapped me in this hell hole forever with my soul completely eaten away from my body. The man who ruined me. The man who...w-who violated me in every sick way you could imagine." They practically choked out, clutching their chest at the memories.

My face paled upon hearing their words-their revelations-all of them heartbreaking and worse than anything I could have imagined myself.

I figured out that Midas treated Tsuyo horribly after getting to know the two, but I never knew just how horrible he really was to this poor person. How much he truly took advantage of them and made them live through tortuous hell every day.

"Oh, Tsuyo..." I breathed out sadly, looking at them with somber sympathy.

"God. I...want to vomit just having to relive it now." Tsuyo croaked out, shaking their head rapidly. "I wanted to die every time he looked in my direction. Every time he forced his touch upon me. Do you understand? I want to die. I..."

They looked up to the darkened sky, heaving out a heavy breath, yet seeking no escape, starting to drown under the weighted jewels on their uniform and the suffocation of the mansion so close within their reach.

And then...

They screamed.

It was a loud, agonizing scream. One so raw-so mourning and eternally sad, it tore my heart out. It ripped their vocal chords to shreds and tensed every muscle in their body until all they could do was hunch over.

"I didn't used to be like this!!!" Tsuyo screamed, clutching at the suffocating mask on their head. "I-I used to be happy!!! I-aghh!!!"

I didn't know what to say. Never did I know Tsuyo held this much grief inside their soul, because they always concealed it. They always pretended it never existed, and I think-along with me, they are also just finding out that it never left them. And because of that, they are consumed with it. Unable to control it for another second.

A hysterical mental breakdown. Something I'm no stranger to, and neither is Touya. I understand Tsuyo-sure, I don't understand their exact pain because our situations are very different. But, I understand what it feels like to explode from the inside out and reflect on all the good memories of my life I won't ever get back.

"I used to love my life, Violet. You have no idea how great it was. I-fuck, I had everything. I...I......" They trailed off, starting to ramble all the thoughts from their head like word vomit. "I used to love living. I loved waking up every day and getting to breathe."

Their masked head trailed along the packed battlefield, landing on the number one hero who had somehow made his way to his feet some time ago.

"But, all of it is gone. Nothing more than a cruel memory I can't forget, no matter how hard I tried. Endeavor destroyed everything for me." They stated lowly, keeping their masked gaze on the man in question. "And, for so long, I sat by and waited. Waited for the only thing that kept me going. The chance to give it right back to him. To get stronger-as strong as possible to be able to finally kill him for what he did."

"That was the only way to cope with it all, and Midas knew that, whispering the temptation into my ear with every breath I took. Murmuring it upon my lips in my most delirious, tortured moments. 'My darling this. My darling that. My beautiful. Just hold on, Tsuyo. Survive. How will you ever get your revenge if you give up on me now? You won't. You can't leave me. You're nothing without me.You'll never be able to rest until you kill him. Right? You'll never be able to kill him without me.'" Tsuyo mocked the jeweled man hauntingly, causing chills to run down my spine.

Because I can picture the words coming from that evil man's mouth. I can picture the manipulation he did on Tsuyo's mind, trying to twist and manipulate all of their pain for his own selfish benefits.

They sniffled slightly and shook away the thoughts. "That was the only way he got me to stay alive. Holding it over my head and repeating it like a mantra until it drove me insane. Until I didn't know anything different. Until I believed it and truly needed him."

Turning their gaze back to me, they buried down their sorrow as best they could, trying to focus back on their tragic goal as they rose back to standing.

"So, I did. I lived and breathed for it. For him. I survived for it. Also for him. It was the only light in my time of darkness. Nothing in my life ever had any meaning. Nothing except this moment right here. I have no purpose...other than to kill. So, I might as well kill the man who started it all." Tsuyo stated emptily, swaying back and forth on their feet as if they were nothing more than a corpse.

My mind was swimming with thoughts, blinking a bit frantically at this person-this person who was clearly asking to be saved even if they didn't know it.

And I owe them that much. After all the times Tsuyo has saved my life and looked out for me-stuck their neck out for me and bore the consequences for my mistakes...

They deserve for someone to finally return the favor.

"Those are Midas' words talking." I explained hoarsely, holding my hands up cautiously. "His way to keep a hold on your mind. Your soul."

Tsuyo simply shrugged and waved me off. "Yeah, and what of it? It's too late to save me now. I'm used up in every way. Broken. Worthless. Let me have this one moment of reprieve before I go. Don't take that from me. Without it, I have nothing."

My brows furrowed in pity and before I knew it, I was reaching out for them, gripping their wrist on instinct.

Even under their uniform, I could feel the warmth of their body and the bones of their arm, feeling their muscles twitch in my hold.

"You do have meaning." I stated, trying to look them right into their concealed eyes. "Just from the way you talk. From the good person you've proven yourself to be, despite all the obstacles and hardships he's put you through. From the way you still carry so many emotions inside your heart..."

They shook their head in denial, trying to empty my words from their brain, but I wouldn't allow it.

"You matter, Tsuyo! You matter to me!" I yelled, gripping them tighter with a desperation to keep them here.

Their shoulders wracked with a hysterical breath, laughing sadly upon hearing what I had to say.

"Ah. It's nice to hear. I'm surprised such simple words still affect me after all this time." They murmured, holding just a little more familiarity with their tone of warmth and empathy.

They looked down at my hand on their wrist with a heavy sigh, admitting something I never thought I'd hear out loud...

"And you matter to me, Violet."

My brows raised and I felt my throat choking up at their honesty. It sounded so genuine. So passionate and true, I couldn't help but believe it.

But, still, it didn't matter.

Because in the next moment, Tsuyo grabbed my hand and gently pried it free from their wrist, looking down at the ground in a mixture of guilt and somberness as they said...

"I'm just sorry it's not enough."

With that, they spun on their heel and landed a kick straight to my temple, blurring my vision and sending me off my feet.

It was an intentional hit. One that would put me out of the fight and force me to lose track of them in the crowd.

They buried their masked face in their hand with overwhelming sorrow once I hit the floor, forcing themselves to step over my body.

But, instead of leaving right then and there, Tsuyo slowly halted in their tracks, barely turning in my direction.

Hesitantly, they lifted the bottom of their mask just enough for me to barely see the outline of their mouth in the dark.

Their voice came out hoarse, but still unrecognizable as the jewels atop their uniform glowed brightly.

"Hey, Violet. When I die, and you finally see me for who I really am, I just want you to remember this conversation, okay?" Tsuyo stated softly. "Our last conversation. I....I hate for it to be like this, and I never wanted it to end this way. Not with you."

"Tsuyo. Please..." I croaked out from the ground, trying to calm my dizzying vision enough to stand.

"I just want you to remember why I did it, and how much pain I was in every day because of it." They explained, looking down at their gloved hand. "It won't justify any of it. But....maybe....just maybe....it will help you not despise me."

I closed my eyes in defeat once they started to melt into the countless bodies, hearing their last words echo into my head one more time.

"Now let me go and let me die. I look forward to finding peace in hell." Tsuyo parted, slowly lowering their mask back down their face.

With that, they were gone, successfully disappearing into the crowd of chaos.