Third Person P.O.V.

"Now, what should I do with you, Eraser?" Puppet slowly started to bend his arms in an unnatural way behind his back. "Break your bones as you did mine?"

Eraser Head grit his teeth, trying not to say anything.

She bent his arms further. This time his body reacted to try and move away from the pain, his back and shoulders shifting to try and relieve the pressure. His heartbeat picked up and his breathing became heavier. He was afraid, and as far as he was concerned, anyone who wasn't in a situation like this was a fool.

"There we go~" Puppet released some of the pressure off his arms, letting his muscles relax.

With the pressure removed off his arms, Eraser Head tried to move his legs under him. If he could succeed in doing so he might be able to push her off. Unfortunately, he found that his feet only slipped along the dirt uselessly.

"You're stuck, you know that. So why do you still try?" She asked, and she was genuinely curious. How did heroes have so much drive in them? "Is it because there's nothing left to do? Because you feel it's your responsibility to get rid of me? Or is it some other reason?"

"Get off.." He growled back. He didn't have many ideas left. Puppet had been smart, she dragged Shinso all the way out here to lure Eraser Head in. All of the other fights were happening in different areas, so there likely wasn't anyone around to call for help. Unlike most of her comrades, Puppet could be very careful not to draw attention to herself. Most of the other fights were flashy and loud while she in comparison was silent.

"You know, you taught me not to rely on my

quirk." She said, "Even now, I'm not using any strings to restrain you, I'm only using my body weight and my hands."

"Are you trying to make small talk? If so that's atrocious." He grumbled.

"No, I'm not." She denied. "I just thought of sharing something that you taught me. I guess what I'm trying to say is that you're capable at teaching more than heroes in training."

Puppet hummed in thought. Strings wrapped around Eraser Heads wrists, locking them tight in place behind his back. "That's better."

Puppet reached around and took a hold of part of the capture weapon around Eraser Head's neck. With surprising gentleness, she wrapped it over his eyes and around his head, tying the fabric into a loose knot behind his head to hold it on.

He was now blindfolded. Not only was he unable to see her or her actions, but he couldn't use his quirk. The unease began to set in and he could only intently listen to get a grasp on the situation as it progressed.

"You don't need this, do you?" Puppet asked.

Eraser Head heard the sliding of metal on metal as his dagger was pulled from its sheath.

Puppet placed the dull end of the blade against the middle of his back. He make sure to keep still, he knew his dagger was sharp, he had the foresight to sharpen it a few days ago in preparation for a moment just like this... but he would've hoped the situation was in reverse. He didn't expect himself to be at the mercy of his own weapon.

Puppet clicked her tongue. "What to do, what to do." She murmured, tapping the blade against his back.

She quickly flipped the blade and now pushed the sharp edge to his back.

He willed himself not to move, to not amuse her antics. But that only caused her press the blade more and more.

At a point, the blade felt like it was going to pierce his skin. He sucked in a sharp breath and flinched, his muscles pulling taut.

"You really went rigid there... so it does hurt."

"MMMPH!!" Someone's muffled voice yelled. Puppet turned to look at Shinso. He had tried to yell at her, and he was pulling at the strings restraining him. He seemed much more alive now.

"Shinso-" Eraser Head was cut off as Puppet pressed the dagger to his back more firmly.

She leaned over to his ear, "I'm pretty sure he wants me to stop torturing you. What do you think?"

"I think you should listen to the child you tortured before me." Eraser Head seethed. "Get off me."

Without another word, she quickly moved away and roughly pulled him up to his feet with a harsh grip on the back of his uniform.

Before he could get his footing, she spun him around shoved him against a tree. She held him there briefly with her forearm pressed against his collarbone. Strings came from her fingers as she wrapped them tightly around him and the tree.

She gently reached out and pulled the cloth from over his eyes, letting it fall back into place around his neck.

Puppet reached up and pulled her mask from her face. "Look at me, Eraser."

He did not, in fact, he looked away.

She reached her hand out and turned his head, looking directly into his eyes. He returned her gaze, a chill going through his entire body.

He slowly inhaled and let it out in the form of a slow, somewhat shaky exhale. He wasn't fond of having her this close to him- especially if he had no control over the situation.

"What do I look like to you?" She paused, her hand falling away from his face. "Be honest."

Her voice was sincere — an honest question.

"You look like an unhinged murderer," he sneered.

"Try again." She said, her expression vacant.

Now he did look at her. He looked at the singes and dirt on her clothes, the crack in the mask held in her hand, and he looked at her expression. He knew that expression all too well — it was one he often wore when teaching a class or talking to others.

He finally answered. "Like you're tired."

A faint smile appeared on Puppet's face, and it just as quickly disappeared. She leaned forward and rested her forehead against the trunk of the tree beside Eraser Head's shoulder. She let out a heavy sigh.

"I am." She admitted. "I'm tired of it all; the chasing, the killing, I don't even want souls anymore.."

Even though he was restrained, Eraser Head found it odd that she would let her guard down like this. It was unlike her, and that made him uneasy.

She was calm right now, and if he could keep her that way, he might be able to stall for backup. There was also the slight chance that he could negotiate himself and Shinso out of this mess.

"Do you think I'm not?" He asked, not looking at her, instead looking at the grass in front of him.

She gave a questioning hum.

"You're not the only one who's worn out." He said. "I'm tired of chasing you around, of worrying when you'll next show up to taunt me or threaten lives."

"I can't walk away. I can't up and retire as a villain — that's not how it works. Do you know why?"

He did. He knew well enough how the system worked. Once wanted, always wanted. There was no escape for someone like her.

He took a breath. "Because you'll be hunted the rest of your life."

She wordlessly nodded.

It was silent for a long moment, Eraser Head could even hear the not-too-far sounds of other battles on the UA campus.

Puppet leaned back and stood up straight with a sigh. "Would you mourn?"

Now he looked at her. "What?"

"If I'm hunted down, would you mourn for me if I died?"

"No one mourns the wicked," he said coolly, and instantly regretted his tone when her demeanor changed.

"I'm flattered," her tone was deadpan now, as was her expression. "You think I'm so bad that you'd call me wicked?"

No going back now.

"Yes." He growled back. "Why would I think any less when you've made the past six months of my life a living hell?"

She leaned ever so slightly closer. "I could make it worse."

"MMMMPHH!!"

Puppet rolled her eyes and turned away from Eraser Head. She ejected a throwing knife into her hand and looked at Shinso.

"Don't hurt him! You've already done enough!" Eraser Head yelled, pulling against the strings around him.

"I'm not going to chuck the knife into his skull, so stop your yapping." Puppet threw the knife in Shinso's direction. The knife cut the string that held up Shinso's left arm, and it dropped down. Now the only thing holding him up was the string around his right arm, and he could feel it straining his shoulder.

"Shut up." She said darkly. "I might have worse aim on my next throw."

Puppet fixed her mask back onto her face. She looked at Eraser Head.

"Well, I'm glad we settled that."

She ejected another knife into her hand, turning on Eraser. He cringed back in preparation for the blade to be driven into his flesh.

"MMMMPPPHH!!!!"

"Oh shut up already!" Puppet snapped, now whirling towards Shinso. Then she suddenly went still, frozen stiff like a statue.

For a moment, she didn't move and didn't talk.

Eraser Head leaned forward and looked closer at her eyes; they were blank. That's when the realization struck him.

Shinso had got her.

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A/N: Fanart!

Fanart by Crystalivy90