' of queens and pawns '

━━━━━

Mizuki Kaede is a queen in this chessboard. She is violent, explosive, and powerful. She is a storm that takes and takes and takes, leaving nothing but tales of her wickedness. She spins deceit with beautiful eyes, visages worthy of portraits, and a tongue spilling honey coated words. A storm of hate, envy and discord. Of retribution to those who dare vex her. Those Niobes and Cassioepia who are but specks of dust to her glory.

"Impressive recovery, Kaede."

Darkness and with a wave of sensei's powers, the heroes are enveloped in doom. Best Jeanist, Mt. Lady, Tiger, Ragdoll. Almost wiped out in the blink of an eye. And Kaede shakes her head in distaste.

"You're making it too easy, sensei," she tells him. "Look, they survived. You say my recovery is impressive. I cannot say the same for that attack."

"I'm growing senile, dear," the man answers with a cordial smile on his face as he strides toward the fallen form of Best Jeanist, shoes making marks in the soil and Kaede watches, because this is sensei's time to shine and she's too weak to even move from her standing position.

She insisted. She insisted to watch this attack, because a part of her is trying to prove something. That those people from U.A. do not matter anymore and she will move forward just as easily. That even if a teacher, student or even Bakugou himself gets injured, she wouldn't blink an eye. She wouldn't care, because in the first place, why would she?

They dimmed the stars she worked so hard to brighten, jaded her brilliance. She must discard them, she will discard them. Unneeded feelings, sentiments.

This is proof.

Tomoe didn't come. Kaede didn't bother asking him why, because she wouldn't like his answer. Lying was unacceptable either so it was one of those things where silence was the best of options.

"Your quirk," Kaede hears the word tumble out of sensei's lips like an irrevocable verdict. The distant sound of the gavel pound against the wooden surface. "Doesn't suit Tomura's personality."

Kaede watches, smile capturing her lips at the anguish and pain carried in screams punctured with groans and the sound of tearing flesh. Yes, this is what made her happy. Halcyon days spent in soft light filtering through the canopy of trees and mellifluous laughter. That kind of happiness was a big fat sham. This was reality.

Fear wraps everything like a perfect wrapper complete with ribbons and a card. Her gaze is unnerving and it would have remained that way if you hadn't noticed the slight twitch of her lips, fists clenched beneath
worn out pants at the sudden appearance of Katsuki Bakugou.

"What the hell is this?!" the blond asks at the wake of the dark liquid used to deracinate him from the compromised bar to the destroyed factory.

"You're here," Kaede whispers, unclenches her fists and does her best to hold the placid facade she has plastered on her face. He probably won't notice her. With that cover on her mouth and the grey beanie and scarf to keep the cold. Bloodred eyes are the only thing visible.

"I'm sorry, Bakugou," All For One says and turns to the blond who's naturally confused by his appearance and the words escaping his lips. He was a peculiar, unnatural, gruesome sight that would have sent children cowering underneath their blankets. A compendium of the cliché things mothers tell their children at night to make them stay in check and believe in the hope that is heroes in glittering capes and masks.

More blots of the same dark liquid appear out of thin air, one two three four five six at first with the most noticeable figure being Shigaraki Tomura with one hand on his wretched face.

"You've failed again, huh, Tomura?" Anyone would have hypothesized that All For One, cold and evil would get rid of his failing subordinate. He would have, no questions asked, but Tomura wasn't just a subordinate. He was the prized protégé. The successor and when the motivational speech comes- words of wisdom perfect for Twitter biographies- Kaede's ears don't bother detailing the conversation.

"Everything," a hand is reached out and the failed student looks up and she can feel the mix apprehension and fear from the other personages in the area, but she's kept her feelings in check and held the envy back. She may be a queen in this chessboard, powerful and important, but the game was over the moment the king dies. "Is for your sake."

"How dramatic," she merely says and turns her head, raises an eyebrow at the upcoming personage.

( Kaede is a queen. A queen queen queen. Even when Tomura has more value than her. Even when sensei clearly favors Tomoe and Tomura over her. She is still a queen. )

"It looks like he's coming afterall," that was sensei and Kaede whirls to face him, eyebrows all scrunched up and blood red eyes inquisitive.

"Is it time for us to escape?" she asks. She may have prided herself with her powers, but she wasn't so blinded by power to know that she wouldn't stand a chance against professional heroes if push came to shove.

"It's too late," was the only reply she received and she took a step back as All Might soared across the sky, a trail of smoke behind him and a powerful lunge at sensei signaling the beginning of a legendary battle that was going to be talked about even if a hundred years passed.

"I'm gonna make you give everything back." Those words made her want to laugh. Was that what it meant to stay in the side of good? Believing that you could have everything back if you just tried hard enough? Kaede's fine with being a villain, thank you very much.

All For One has killed too much, destroyed too many things precious to him. All Might will never really truly defeat him, because he's already lost the moment he failed to protect those he loved.

"You're going to kill me again, All Might?!"

And chaos ensues in less than ten seconds: seven and a half to be precise.

"The bar isn't more than five kilometers away from here," Sensei says and turns to Kaede for confirmation and aforementioned personage nods in agreement.

"Three kilometers and eleven meters," she muttered under her breath. "To be precise. It took fifty-seven seconds for him to arrive after the release of the Noumo."

"It took well over thirty seconds after I sent the Noumo for you to arrive..." Sensei chuckles as the smoke wrapping everything up clears. Tension arises too and goosebumps are littering the expanse of her skin. "You've gone soft, huh, All Might?"

Another taunt is thrown by the Symbol of Peace and Kaede really can't do anything but watch so that's exactly what she does. It's better to be focused on the affairs of All Might and All For One over trifling U.A. kids. It's better and uncomplicated for everyone that way.

Blood red eyes are too preoccupied with watching that she doesn't even notice that she's kneeling and clutching on a piece of debris to steady herself from the shockwaves. The beanie is still miraculously on her head, askew but held together by pins and the scarf is flowing out of her grasp but she catches it.

( Kaede is nothing compared to the Symbol of Peace. She is vulnerable, powerless and pitiful. Fingernails dig into flesh, eyes burning with crimson fury. But she is still a queen. )

"I won't make the same mistake I made five years ago, All For One," All Might stated, but if Kaede connected the dots properly and counted right, it was approximately four years and eleven months. Short of days and hours and minutes.

"I'm going to take young Bakugou!" he announces and Kaede's eyes immediately darts to the blonde haired kind who's steadying himself using the soil. "And this time around, you're getting locked away for good."

All Might lunging, passing across her causes her to fall on the ground again and she bites her lips, looks at the hero with fury which could not have gotten stronger, but did after the words, "Your League of Villains puppets too!"

( Puppets. Puppets. Puppets. Puppets. All Might called them puppets. Teeth grit on carnation lips, drawing blood that trickles to the debris. Eyes sharpen in fury. Puppets? Preposterous. Kaede is a queen. )

Sensei retaliates and a there's a ghost of a smile playing on her lips and thank power for silencing that hero with his fabulous lies and hypocrisy. Even when she's blown away along with everyone else during the shockwaves.

"All Might!" Bakugou yells and Kaede marvels at the fact that he cares about someone who has more power than him. He should have directed that concern to the lesser. Disgust coats her being, how could she even like this person?

"He obviously won't die from something like that," Kaede says, not for Bakugou of course and turns to All For One. "I suppose you did that to save time. Is it time for us to leave?"

"Wrong choice of pronouns Kaede," and she knows it the moment he says it. Self-sacrifice is the foundation of heroes, not for the likes of them, but in a different perspective, something other than righteous people, All For One was sacrificing himself to ensure their escape. A villain- most evil of them all- was sacrificing himself for others. Irony at its finest.

"Get out of here, Tomura," he tells his prodigious student, the one with blue hair and crimson eyes. "And bring the kid with you."

"He'll never be swayed, you know," Kaede offered, but sensei didn't say anything. Trusting Tomura's judgment. His misconception of the enigma that is Katsuki Bakugou. By association, his thoughts were biased too.

( No one listens. She may as well be voiceless. But Kaede is a queen

...right? )

The first she sees is ice, a big ramp of ice and Kaede takes fourteen steps towards the warp gate, her farewells tucked on her tongue. Never said.

To Class 1-A;

The people who mattered to me most.

A scream and from the corner of her eyes, she sees Iida. Oh Iida. Cool and passionate and square and caring.

Thank you. No need to tell you to be a splendid leader and friend, because you already are.

Warm mocha hair and the girl who was smiling through it all.

Uraraka, you're the warm ray of sunshine this world needs. I'm one of the thousands- millions who thank you for it.

Soft voice, soft heart, but strong will.

Koda Koji. You're the hero of this class. If Uraraka's sunshine, you're the shade which keeps us calm and cool. Your existence is a blessing.

Papers passed during classes and chill grins.

Sero, bro, we're the golden duo. You and I.

Boy meant for the stars, who climbed through hardships and survived arduous tasks. Boy who cared and had heroism burning through his heart.

You precious thing. I want to keep you. But no one can. You're the sky, Izuku. You cannot be contained, you're vast and great and so needed.

And then Todoroki, Shouto who smiled with her, who she clutched close to her heart underneath the evening stars.

You're family and that is all that matters.

And Bakugou, Katsuki who's reaching his hands unto Kirishima in that brilliant, reckless action and sends one last look at her direction.

We were almost in love. And it's the almost that hurts the most.

( Wrong. Wrong. Wrong. Wrong.

She is no queen.

Mizuki Kaede is nothing but a broken pawn in this game. )

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