Kimika darted out of the bathroom, racing down the hallway as panicked thoughts swirled in her mind.
Horns... Her horns. Once tall and proud, they had, for some inexplicable reason, shrunk into tiny stubs barely protruding from her skin. Her eyes... the same heterochromatic eyes she had once been so proud of were now lifeless, colorless, like dull glass that let no life through.
A single urge consumed her — to escape. To get as far away from this place as possible.
She rushed toward the stairs. Her legs, as if not her own, slid on the steps; each stride threatened to send her tumbling down, but somehow, she made it to the bottom. The living room lay ahead. Barely able to move her feet, she practically stumbled into the doorway, clutching at its wooden frame when two pulsating strikes suddenly exploded in her mind.
A wave of pain surged through her, forcing her to clutch her head with both hands and shut her eyes tightly.
"Ugh…" a raspy sound escaped her throat, nearly drowned out by her labored breathing.
And then… voices.
They appeared out of nowhere — two voices arguing, muffled and indistinct. Their words, though unclear, sounded as if the source was right beside her.
Clinging to the doorframe, Kimika opened her eyes and cast a quick glance into the living room. Empty. Just like the space around her — no one was there. Yet the voices didn't fade. They kept arguing, as if invisible figures were standing nearby.
The first was a man's voice. It spoke sharply, loudly, and with a torrent of emotion.
Then came a woman's voice. Softer, emotional… painfully familiar.
"Mom…" Kimika whispered, her heart tightening into a painful knot.
The woman was shouting at the man. She wasn't just arguing — she was pleading, defending someone. Desperation resonated in every word she spoke. And amidst all the chaos, Kimika managed to catch only one word. "Toga."
Suddenly, her mother's voice broke off, replaced by sobbing. At first quiet, then growing louder and louder. Just when it seemed like the crying would overwhelm everything, another voice emerged.
Her own.
Kimika froze, staring into the darkness as her body was seized by trembling, as though it already knew what was about to happen.
"I hate you!"
"No!" she screamed, denying her own words. Tears filled her eyes. "THAT'S NOT TRUE! I LOVE YOU! I would never… never say that!"
But it didn't stop there. Her voice continued to scream at her mother while the sound of sobbing echoed in the background.
She clutched her head, desperate to escape her own mind. "Stop… Be quiet…"
And suddenly, as if in response to her plea, everything went silent.
Only she remained, standing in the midst of a stillness that had suddenly become even more terrifying than all the voices combined.
"What's wrong with me…"
And in place of the urge to run, a new, even stronger desire took hold—a longing to return home, to her mother, and apologize, even if those impossible and nonsensical words were nothing more than a figment of her imagination.
Kimika quickly began scanning the living room in search of an exit.
Her eyes caught various items: a couch and table cluttered with papers, knives, clothes — Toga's things. A small safe on the table, the one they had found long ago in a café during one of their first missions. A large armchair that faced the door. The door...
The door!
"Mom... wait for me!" she whispered, clenching her fists.
Ignoring the weakness in her body, Kimika slowly but determinedly started moving toward the door.
Her trembling fingers grasped the cold metal handle. She pressed it...
"Where are you going, sweetheart?" came the familiar and incredibly desired voice from behind.
"Toga?" Kimika said, bewildered, not understanding how this was even possible. She had searched every room, called for her friend countless times, fallen loudly, and she hadn't come. Even now, as Kimika was scanning the room, Toga wasn't there. And now she appeared... from behind?
Without wasting any time, Kimika sharply turned around and saw... herself? Her exact copy, comfortably settled in a chair, was looking directly into her eyes. This sight made Kimika utter a single unfamiliar word: "Chrona?"
But at that very moment, her head seemed to crack — a painful flash that made her scream from the unbearable pain and fall to her knees.
"Ho? Memories are starting to break through without my intervention? Eye, it seems that this time things will go differently," murmured Chrona?, getting up from the chair. She approached the desk and, with a sly smile, raised her hand towards the safe, but upon seeing that her hand simply passed through it, she barely whispered, "Tch."
But this did not change her good mood at all, and with the same, even slightly sincere smile, Chrona approached Kimika. Sitting down beside her, she began to gently stroke her head, despite the fact that her hand simply passed through her.
"It seems you're in a lot of pain, so much so that you probably can't even hear me... Ah, I can't just watch as my future body suffers," Chrona said, beginning to shrink before her eyes.
With each passing second, Chrona kept shrinking more and more, and the clothes on her changed so quickly that it was almost unnoticeable. Wounds appeared on her body, only to vanish in the next moment, and within a minute, where Chrona — who looked like a 15-year-old Kimika — had been, a small, 5-year-old Kimika appeared, wearing a child's outfit with a print of All Might.
On the print, he stood in a proud pose, hands on his hips, with dozens of bound criminals behind him, whom he had ruthlessly defeated, pointing at them as if they were trophies.
"Seriously? You ever wore this? It's such a shame that changing this outfit requires powers I don't have..."
As Chrona's appearance continued to change, Kimika became less and less twisted in pain, and her moans grew quieter and quieter.
Pulling away her small hand, on the palm of which black droplets were visible, quickly absorbing into her body, Chrona rose, examining Kimika, who no longer showed any trace of the pain she had felt at the beginning.
"Perfect. Now let's get started with our little introduction, before your Eye decides it wants to intervene," Chrona added, standing up and slowly beginning to walk around the room.
"So, I'm no Chrona! I am Hatred, but that's not really a name, so call me Kurami. I am the embodiment of what everyone calls power!" Kurami declared proudly, striking a lofty pose. However, in her childlike form, she looked more comical than threatening. "I am your most perfect and inseparable part, living right in your heart. And by the way, you let me into your body yourself!"
Kimika, utterly confused, stared directly at Kurami, who was proudly talking about herself in her noble pose. She didn't know what to say or do, and all of this seemed like some kind of incomprehensible nightmare.
Kurami, clearly seeing her confusion, let out a heavy sigh and then, without saying a word, walked over to the mirror.
"You know, I could've waited until you gathered yourself and understood the meaning of every word I said, but that would take too long. And I don't have much time... Now, with the return to the past, I need to fall into regular hibernation. And also, this cursed eye has awakened and will soon start causing trouble if we delay..."
Starting to carefully examine her face in the mirror, she continued:
"So, I'll briefly tell you what you've forgotten, but in a way that won't trigger flashbacks and make your head start splitting into pieces again. You don't want to suffer more, do you?"
Without waiting for a response and beginning to inspect her horns, Kurami continued.
"So, you and Toga went on the final mission, after which you planned to live happily somewhere in a cottage by the sea. Then, you both fell into Nezu's trap, believing in yourselves incredibly strongly, and in the end, you lost to your idol." Kurami paused, and with a sigh of sadness, she shifted her gaze to Kimika, as she grew tired of imagining the sight of herself in the mirror.
"Then, losing consciousness, you met that same Chrona you mentioned when looking at me. And when you wished to save Toga, you allowed me to enter your body, just as you allowed the eye to awaken. But, even with me, you lost. And not wanting to fall into the hands of the heroes, with the last drops of my strength, I pierced your heart, forcing the eye to save you by sending us back in time. By the way, that was a one-time opportunity that could have been used at a much more important moment... The eye took payment for that, and unfortunately, it didn't save Toga. She's now in the hands of the heroes."
Kurami continued to look at Kimika, whose mind was unsuccessfully trying to process the flood of information. Her confused expression spoke for itself: a mix of confusion, fear, and despair tangled together in a knot. Kurami simply smiled, and then, despite Kimika's state, she continued:
"And by the way, if you were planning to go to your mom, cancel that plan. You might have already remembered how, in a fit of emotions, you yelled at her and ran away. Also... you killed two people, and she knows that very well. And I highly doubt that the heroes who patrol the area around your house 24/7 will even let you get close to it."
Finishing the brief tour of Kimika's forgotten memories, Kurami finally allowed her a moment to process what had been said.
Kimika seemed to be caught between several thoughts, each tearing apart her mind. Her lips trembled, and her eyes widened with fear. "I... killed? Heroes... Nezu... Mom..." the words broke apart, as if they were too hard to even say. Her eyes shimmered with tears. "Toga... Toga! I... I have to save her!" — she whispered, slowly rising to her feet.
*Click!*
Her hand was almost on the doorknob when the sound of a click made her stop. Right in front of her appeared Kurami, her small figure blocking the way.
But this time, she was not the joyful, little figure. There was something different in her gaze — as if she had shed the mask she had been wearing, and before Kimika stood no longer the cheerful Kurami.
"How noble. And... utterly predictable," she remarked with a sarcastic tone in her voice, narrowing her eyes. "You, Kimika, are thinking first about Toga, whom you want to save, and about your mother, to whom you want to apologize. Amazing. Of course, I can't stop you from going — you're free to do your foolishness — but let's at least think for a moment. What will you do in your pitiful state? Without a quirk, without me, exhausted and confused?"
She scoffed contemptuously. "Now think about Toga. What will she feel if the heroes catch you? What will she say when she realizes you sacrificed yourself for a foolish impulse? And the funniest thing..." her eyes gleamed ominously, "is that she doesn't even want you to try to save her."
"What..." Kimika swallowed, Kurami's words echoed in her mind, leaving only more questions behind.
"Look here," a calm voice sounded from behind. Kimika flinched: a second ago, Kurami was by the door, and now her thin silhouette emerged by the table, like a shadow that lives its own life. Her hand pointed at a small safe. "Come closer and open it. Inside, there's something that will finally make you start thinking with your head. A message from Toga."
Kimika's heart seemed to shatter at the very mention of that word. Her tangled thoughts scattered into pieces, giving way to a single one — seeing what Toga had left for her. She lunged forward sharply, though weakness crept through every muscle, and each step was a noticeable effort.
Only now, on her way to the safe, the horrifying truth that Kurami had spoken began to sink into her mind: in her current state, she wouldn't just be unable to reach the Hero Academy, she wouldn't even make it halfway, collapsing exhausted somewhere at the very beginning.
With trembling fingers, she touched the safe and tried to open it, but the lid didn't even budge. There was a code on it. A four-digit code. Her gaze shot sharply to Kurami — eyes filled with silent pleading.
Kurami merely sighed heavily upon seeing this. Her lips twisted into an ironic smile. She squinted, then, with weary annoyance, placed her palm to her face. "Your birth year"
Kimika leaned over the safe, cautiously typing in the four familiar digits with trembling fingers. As soon as the numbers were entered, she heard a brief click. The safe opened, and a genuine look of surprise appeared on her face.
And Kurami, as if understanding her thoughts, smiled sincerely and whispered, "And Toga is still the same."
Without hearing this comment, Kimika opened the safe. Inside was a whole stack of photos. To her surprise, most of them were just her portraits — from childhood to the most recent days.
There were photos where she was alone, posing near some places where Toga had made her take pictures. There were also couple photos with Toga, but... none where Toga was alone.
"How is this possible?" Kimika whispered, not believing her eyes. "I've photographed her countless times..."
Nearby lay a thick notebook, which, judging by its appearance, seemed to be a diary. It looked worn out, as if it had been opened and reread hundreds of times.
Kimika carefully picked up the diary, and when she opened the first page, her gaze fell on the blurry, tear-streaked words:
"Today, my parents once again said that I'm abnormal..."
"How I wish someone would love me..."
She froze, feeling her throat tighten with emotion. Each word pierced deep into her soul, tearing it apart.
"The message on the last page," Kurami's voice rang out sharply, pulling Kimika away from the diary. "Reading someone else's diary is... well... rude. But if you've decided to gather some motivation and dive into the suffering of your 'best friend' to become stronger, you can do that later."
Kimika flipped the diary to the last page. Her gaze immediately caught on the familiar handwriting, where words, written in uneven letters, were circled with a red heart:
"Kimi, if you're reading this, it means I'm either already gone... or the heroes have caught me. If it's the first, I beg you... be strong! Keep living. Don't waste your heart on pain, you know I hate it when you cry. Find happiness and feel it with every little bit of your wonderful soul. But if I've been captured... Kimi, promise me you won't play the knight in shining armor! Don't do anything stupid and don't come to save me. I'll handle it myself. Wait for me. I'll find you. No matter where you are—I'll come.
By the way, here's a little cheat sheet for self-defense!
First, always carry something sharp. Second, smile when you strike. People resist less when they think you're friendly. And remember — cut on the diagonal, it's deeper.
By the way..."
After a detailed description of how to properly eat sweets, a list of places with the best ice cream, and a catalog of every knife from Toga's collection, with its name and purpose:
"P.S. My little innocent white kitten, you know I love you more than anything in the world. And if, by any chance, some girl or, God forbid, some guy — especially Izuku — starts chasing after you, promise me... stab that person right in the heart and twist the knife a few times! Otherwise, I will find a way to come back to life just to do it myself!"
At the end:
"Love you,
Your Toga <3"
"Toga…" Kimika whispered, tears streaming down her cheeks like hot trails. Her hands trembled, clutching the pages of the diary, while her chest burned with a desperate desire to become the very knight who would save her, despite all of Toga's words not to become like that.
Kurami, standing beside her and watching her inner struggle, couldn't help but smile and ask the very first question, the very first words she had said to her in their conversation. "So, what's it gonna be, sleepyhead? Where are you going?"
Kimika, with determination in her eyes, closed the diary and, wiping her face with her sleeve, replied: "If I can't save her myself... I'll go to Giran."
These words triggered an uncontrollable laugh from Kurami, filling the room, accompanied by a warm blush on her cheeks. Her eyes narrowed, and her lips spread into a wide, almost predatory grin.
"Oh, I can't wait for the moment when you break, and I can take control of your body," her voice became sharp, then suddenly shifted to a softer tone. "But for now... you can have my power to become stronger."
Kimika flinched slightly but silently placed all the photographs and the diary into the safe. Lifting it, she walked out of the house with a slow yet determined pace.
Left alone in the empty house, Kurami snapped her fingers, turning off the lights. A moment later, vanishing from the visible world, she began to watch Kimika through the space between reality and shadows. Her smile grew even wider, and her eyes blazed with a predatory fire.
"Everything's going completely differently this time... and that makes it all the more interesting," she almost sang the words, savoring every moment unfolding before her eyes.
///
The name Kurami was created by chance! When I came up with it, I wasn't trying to imitate the name Kurumi!!! And overall, it's the best option I could come up with... Akumu or Tokima wouldn't have worked...
But if you'd like, on my Patreon channel, you can vote for a name change and suggest your own!
Want to see the continuation even faster than the next day? Or perhaps you want even more chapters? Head over to my Patreon — it's all there! But don't worry, sooner or later, it will be here too! patreon.com/Zoi4erom
///