Tokasu Himidora

          Being hunted by a villain...? What did that mean? Was it someone from the League of Villains? Someone he knew? Like hell if he would just... allow them to do that, but .. now, he found himself in a moral dilemma. What if, if he denies the League her capture, they take their anger out on his family? What will he do? What can he do?

          ... Focus. It’s not the end of the world just yet. He still had a story to listen to, after all.

          That was.. surprising. To hear something like that, out of Himei--.. No. Out of.. Katherine? She’s not who he thought she was, and she’s not what he thought she was. There was something mysterious, something very, very worrying about the way she seemed to clam up all of the sudden. Curiosity remained clear as day on his features as he stepped forward and spoke with a small sense of urgency that he doesn’t usually show.

   His words touched her, Tokasu once again proving to be a strong pillar of support within her life….A support that probably deserves to know just how dangerous things were at the moment. 

          ‘Something she needs to tell him’? Seems he was right about that as well. A curious noise, a grunt, likely, left his throat as he rose his hand up to his chin and gently brushed it in thought.

         So she was willing to share this kind of stuff with him, right? God, this sucks. Now it feels like he has to do the same.

          Not that he’s going to.

   Letting out a small breath, she felt her shoulders relax as she looked up at him. If he hadn’t said yes…she didn’t know what she would do. She knew most of her friends were already planning on attending but she worried about him. Now that her father was here and looking for her, she was certain he’d pull something during the party and the safest place for her friends would be within the ball with the other pro-heroes around.

   “Ah-”

   Himei’s face flushed, the sound of her heartbeat pounding within her ears. Reaching a hand up, she pushed her bangs back behind her ear.

          That’s better. Much better, he thought.

          He could immediately tell something was troubling her. She almost seemed afraid at the thought of not being able to go to the masquerade dance. He had to wonder why, but since she wasn’t asking questions about his reasoning, he wouldn’t do the same. The last thing he wants is to start a cycle of difficult questions he’d be bound to answer.

          After all, at this point, his top priority was not being found out. He steps forward, a gloved hand coming to rest upon her shoulder as he gripped it gently, not with enough force to grasp, but with enough that it’d assure her. The warmth of his touch wasn’t dangerously hot, thanks to his special gloves, but he made sure the affectionate show of touch didn’t last too long.

   Hearing his response caused the tension within her to release, her stomach no longer bothering her but now being replaced by a heavy weight. Guilt. The warning sat within her and soon enough she had convinced herself she was simply dragging him along.

          “I said yes, didn’t I?” His tone wasn’t necessarily meant to be rude, but more.. re-assuring. However, the natural tension in his voice suggested that wasn’t all there was, and some rather heavy thought went into his decision.

          “I have a lot of things on my plate. I was just making sure I would be able to attend.” A flat lie, but he played it off quite well. He couldn’t let her know about his secret, and so he might as well keep it.

   Had she really been that transparent? A lump began to form within her throat, the very act of speaking almost seeming impossible.

   “Well, yes….”

   Peering down at her hands, she fiddled with the chipped polish upon her nails, unable to bring herself to look at him.

          So it was exactly that...

          How unfortunate.

          He’d actually grown to like her somewhat. She’s a lot more tolerable than many of the other  people in his school, even some of the teachers. However, he can’t afford to do something like this. He knows he’s here to gather information and such, but...

......

          Actually, that is what they would want, wouldn’t it? Even irrelevant or redundant information could prove useful for them. It’s not like they were literally monitoring him, but they still had him by the throat. They’d know if he was supplying them false info, too...

          If he was lucky, they wouldn’t be curious about some party like this. Either way, it’s a catch 22. If he decides not to go, he runs the risk of the league damning him for his inability, and consequently hurting his family.

          If he does, well...

          ... Maybe they wouldn’t ask about it.

  She couldn’t pinpoint just why her stomach felt as though it was wound in knots. Perhaps it had something to do with her lunch that she ate earlier but she knew in the back of her mind that wasn’t it at all.

  His response was along the lines of what she expected. She wasn’t about to lie to him and say yes just to have someone she knows go as well….

          A curious glance over her nervous-looking self suggested that something about her question was getting her to act somewhat... strangely. If the previous hints of all those people saying that she had to ‘hots’ for him had anything to do with it - although he wasn’t making any immediate assumptions- then he could probably take an educated guess at what she wishes to ask of him.

   A deep sigh escaped Himei but she soon turned back to Tokasu, her smile returning.

   “Ah, yeah he was. She was taking care of a vigilante when the guy broke down the door. I guess it’s good to know that mom has a lot of allies now because she treats them so well.”

          Seems he meant that with a burning passion in his heart. He hated when villains specifically aimed facilities that were near-defenseless. Even though..

          .. no. Those are thoughts for another time. He brings his hand up to his hair and brushes his fingers carefully through his scalp before letting out a tired-sounding sigh.

          “I’ll think about it. Don’t count on me getting injured, though,” he mentioned with a slight smirk, tapping two fingers against his head. “Unlike some people in this school, I don’t get into situations where I’m bound to take a beating. ... Maybe I will visit at some point, though. Maybe.”

          That was a no.

          He can’t risk luring them to that clinic.

   Himei’s gaze drifted over the gloves, emerald irises studying the details of article of clothing. Most likely something to aid his quirk… The concerned question broke her concentration, her eyes zipping back up to his.

          But what justifies as the ‘right thing’ in society today is established by the justice system. A soft grunt left his throat as he bickered internally at the thought of it, but with a shake of his head, he shook off the bad feelings so that his full attention could be spared to Himei.

          “What a shame,” he starts. To think that a villain would attack such a defenseless place.. tch. Just like them, he thought. Just like him, too, unfortunately.