A second chance

Unfortunately, Ochako was not stupid, and Himiko was nearly immediately submitted for a psychiatric evaluation. 

Himiko, had never gotten one of these before and after a substantial amount of lying and a staggering amount of questions that seemed entirely unrelated to the topic at hand, she was made to do the test again, and again. There was a man in the other room who had a lie detection quirk, and while he couldn't tell what she was lying about or why, he was aware she was lying. After Himiko figured that out, things got serious. 

She had been out for approximately 7 years give or take a month or two. Given that she hasn't interacted with another person, at least to her knowledge, or done anything for those 7 years Himiko expected she would have the same maturity as a 17 year old girl. It was clear enough she did not. She found she knew things that she definitely did not know before, she ran through her thoughts faster, she dissected people's facial expressions with more efficiency, and her deductive reasoning was getting outright ridiculous.

She hasn't matured, per say but she was well aware of the consequences. Given the choice to do something irresponsible or irrational Himiko believed she would, but opposed to being unaware they were irresponsible, Himiko would walk into those situations aware it was a bad idea.

So, despite not existing for 7 years, Himiko seemed like she had lived the 7 years that no one could find her. Which was odd to say the least. Himiko woke up exactly where she had died, with no sign anything had happened or changed about her other than her clothes and mild changes to her body shape.

The psych eval would recognize Himiko as a 24 year old woman with whatever mental issues Himiko had, not a 17 year old who happened to be in the body of a 24 year old. Which meant that Himiko couldn't just say she just woke up in the park, and had not remembered anything in the past 7 years because that's ridiculous. 

She would appear mentally like someone who lived through those years. 

But she didn't!

And given Himiko had never taken a psych eval, she couldn't copy the answers she had given when she was 17, she couldn't think of the answers 17 year olds would have put because 17 year olds didn't have people who cared enough about her to figure out what was wrong.

All in all, Himiko was fucked. There would be questions, she was sure of it. Questions she had herself, and questions she hadn't even considered: and she could answer none of them.

Hesitantly turning her evaluation to the police officer who likely had the truth quirk, she ran through her options. Perhaps he could vouch for her? 

No, there must be some serious limitations. If he knew what she was lying about there would have been no need for Himiko to retake the test, he likely can't decipher anything but whether she is lying or not. It's not based on her heart rate or tells she had, Himiko was smart enough to get rid of those when she was a villain.

So what gave her away? He would take the paper, walk maybe a few feet out of the room and then come back within a minute or two saying she had lied. Was it the pressure of the pencil lead? It didn't matter. She had filled it out, and if nothing else she would at least figure out what was wrong with her.

____________________

They did not tell Himiko what was wrong with her.

They took the paper, left her alone in the police interrogation room for about an hour or two (someone was behind the two way mirror, if Himiko had to bet she would place Jin’s blood on the fact it was Ochako) then shoved her into a waiting room as she watched people file in to the police chief's office.

Himiko is torn. She shouldn't run, that would be a horrible idea. Now that she knows Ochako happens to be at the center of this all she can safely assume that she is the safest she’s ever been. However, as more and more people filed into the chief's office, Himiko could feel the tension in the room rising. 

Notable faces were those whose love seemed to be ruined by Himiko's actions. Several UA students and a couple of the sons and daughters of Himiko’s victims, as well as a few people that could claim Himiko helped them. There were also some people who could claim Himiko helped them. Some young women she had freed from captivity because Himiko killed a gang leader, a petty thief or two that she may have scared into quitting a life of crime, and the grandmother from before.

They were vastly outnumbered, but Himiko smiled a bit at the fact they were even there. Some representation is better than no representation, she doesn't know how much help former hookers, a thief who is no longer a thief and some old lady will give, but it's the thought that counts.

The thought that counts. What a joke.

Ochako spoke the most, passionately, loudly and without any hesitation. If the room wasn't sound proof Himiko is positive she would have understood the whole conversation just based on her reactions. Unfortunately, it was, and the only reason Himiko knew Ochako was loud was because two men walked out of the room muttering to each other “god that girl is loud”

Whatever they were talking about wasnt her business “Seriously, guess it wasn't a joke when she said she made this whole thing for a murderer” Himiko didn't care. Why would she? Uravity was just another hero that would eventually become a part of and benefit a structurally corrupt system that pumped out more bad than good. 

“Maybe some of that girl’s crazy ended up in her huh?” Himiko didn't care, she didn't care when she was out on the street killing and she doesn't care now. She was in a police station, maybe if she saw these two talking shit again she’d make sure they couldn't ever again, but bottom line killing or maiming them would be a waste of time. 

Oh but it would be fun. 

The rush she would get from making someone bleed in a police station. How would they react? Did they even know the subject they were talking about was right there? The shock, the fear, all of it rushing to their face. She’d cut their face first, preferably above their eye so she could watch the blood mix in with their fear.

“Honestly can't believe they let her run around now, I mean villain blood or not she’s just a royal pain-” He didn't even get to scream, Himiko was out of her seat, behind the man, and wrapping the chain of her handcuffs around his throat before a single alarm was tripped off. 

This would cause problems for Ochako, she was trying so hard to help Himiko for no reason other than a simple blood transfusion. Thus would make whatever case she had built relevant. Himiko would have felt bad if there was a case to begin with. No matter how respected a hero Uravity was, the name Himiko Toga was nearly synonymous with the league of villains, and no amount of public service was going to change that.

The man he was talking to screamed and shouted, trying to pry Himiko off of his friend, only making the chain dig deeper into his throat. Her victim thrashed about, but no where he turned did he find reprieve. She managed to jam a corner of her cuffs under the man’s ear, finally giving Himiko what she wanted.

She wanted the man to choke on his words, he did.

She wanted to make the man bleed

So she did

She jerked his neck around, doing enough damage to need at least some speech therapy, and before any cop could even draw their guns Himiko was off him, and nestled back into her seat as if nothing had happened. They all pitifully slow, in a second or two she had ruined his voice, ruined his pride and managed to pickpocket him. His wallet, a small plastic baggie, a patch of fabric, and a piece of weirdly shaped plastic sat in her pocket coat, and unless someone said something that's where they would stay.

Himiko watched the man massage his throat, have his friend help him up, and discover his belongings were gone. “She fuck’n choked him! Do something, god do cops get more and more useless each year?” 

By this point the police force had their guns trained on Himiko, and the meeting in the chief's office was as good as over. Ochako’s face fell, what was once a sharp focused gaze melted. Her brows quivered in worry and she looked frantically between the police chief and Himiko, no doubt trying to explain away her behavior. “What the hell was that?” all bark and no bite, Ochako tried desperately to sound upset, to sound worried. All that was there was disappointment, the kind of tone you use with someone who you had no reason to believe changed, and thought they did anyways. 

“Impressive huh?”

“Himiko- please you've been so good so far why-” good so far, wasn't what she would have used to describe her behavior. Maybe ‘not yet destructive’ or ‘curious at best’ maybe docile was the word she was looking for. “Why would you do that?”

“I wanted to see him bleed”

Ochako rolled her eyes, got close and whispered “please he’s hardly bleeding. What was it? Does he owe you money? Was he a former target or colleague that ratted you out or something? If he’s a criminal your behavior can be pardoned”

“I wanted him to choke”

“Himiko please” she never thought she’d live to see the day a hero begged “lie if you have to we're so close”

“Close to what? Getting me labeled as some rescued dog? They were talking poorly about you, they were talking poorly about me, and from what I've seen their opinion is shared.” no one who is well liked, would have a picture of their tiered face on a billboard. No matter how tired Ochako was, there had to be at least one other picture that could have been used. It was silent, but Uravity was not entirely well received. Well liked maybe, but there was some level of resentment.

“No- no no no, Himiko-” Ochako crouched down to eye level.

“So familiar” Himiko laughed, on the edge of her seat as she spoke to Ochako. “I'd quit using that if I were you. Being chummy with a murderer isn't good for public image” she fiddled with the man's stuff in her pocket, watching him writhe across the room, yelling at the cops and pointing in her direction. The plastic tube, she realized, started feeling a little too much like a silencer. Ochako sighed sharply through her nose, placing a hand on the armrest of Himiko’s chair and looked down. “Would catching a smuggler help my case?”

The brunette looked up, eyes wide, “What?”

“I'm thinking about illegal weapons, drugs maybe?”

“Were you hiding with smugglers? Is that where you've been? We could put you in witness protection and make a trade. Information for pseudo freedom?”

“Witness protection? Please it's as if you don't even know me” Ochako let out a sad sigh, Himiko continued “No its deduction Ochako, what do you think would be the best way to go about that? Would giving up information be the best or do you want to reveal it?”

“Reveal- do what? Himiko what are you talking about”

“Maybe a show- here tackle me again, i'll try and run away and you can go ‘nooo Himikoooo come backkkkk this isn't you’ or something like that and i'll have a change of heart”

“What-” Ochako flushed “Okay I don't sound like that, and what's the tackle for if you're having a change of heart?”

“Dramatic affect, I don't know you seem to do that wherever we meet so i figured you’d just do it for fun”

“I do that because you're usually armed. With a knife. And trying to kill me” she deadpanned 

“Not trying to kill you, just kind off, having some fun. Girl activities right?-” Himiko was cut off, the man’s friend had gotten tired of waiting and began shouting in their direction. 

“They're plotting how to get her out of there! Why are we letting her just talk with a murder! She just tried to kill Dave and sat down thats fucking crazy, lock her ass up and get it done with come on”

An audible scoff could be heard behind a group of cops, pushing his way through with little regard for who he moves was Katsuki Bakugou- who Himiko was slightly surprised to not see on the billboard. Seemed he was a hero, but not better than the top 10. “No way you just accused a pro hero of conspiring with a known murderer to help her escape for an assault she committed in the middle of a police station and clearly didn't intend to follow through with?”

“Didn't mean to follow through with- she choked him out!”

“Dont fuck’n shout at me asshole, you think that blonde bitch couldnt kill you in a second if she wanted to?”

“I- then what else would they be talking about?”

“What a shit rebuttal, they must be talking about this, if not what else is there to talk about.” Katsuki spat with jazz hands, kicking the man in the back of the knee, making him kneel in front of him. “That's what you sound like” as Katsuki walked away, the man didnt dare get up “Yo round face, the fuck is up with your passion project?”

“Any shot you want to join the league now?” Himiko jokes. it did not land, Ochako pinched Himiko's arm and she let out a small ‘ow’

“I don't even know, and she's not a passion project she-”

“Right! The reason for your passion project. What's up, why’d you do it crazy? No way you're stupid enough to attack the guy with no reason” Himiko paused. Would telling him about the silencer now help? Maybe. Would it be better if she told Ochako, so she got the credit. That was the plan originally but now with the UA students out of the chief's office, and Katsuki right in front of her, there was no guarantee that she would get stopped by Ochako. Even if she knew Himiko planned to fake a run. “Are you?”

“If I tell you, will you get the credit?” Himiko felt there was no way to find out without asking.

“Credit? For what?”

“I had a reason, If I tell you now will you get the credit for figuring the information out” Himiko did not have a reason, but she had something that was good enough.

“I don't know? The fuck? Yo extra, how’s this shit work?” Katsuki stepped back and leaned on one of the policemen who still had his gun trained on Himiko. He delved into a long winded explanation on how plea bargains work and that credit was not necessarily something that was taken into account when a hero makes one as the state doesn't give them any bonuses or raises, since it's their job to mitigate harm doing their job doesn't get them any extra cash. “Okay that's stupid”

“I agree I feel like we should get some credit for ending a conflict before it could start” Ochako mused.

“It literally encourages violence” Himiko pointed out “No incentive to talk, why would you? Regardless, there is nothing that anyone can gain from, like, stopping a drug trade or illegal weapons dealing?” The two men tensed up, and began communicating via eye contact and vague hand gestures, pointing at their pockets and Himiko.

They were going to run. 

Could she get to them before then? Stop them from running? Ochako was vouching for her so if she stops criminals wouldn't that reflect well on her? No the police don't know its them yet, it would be the same as her attack based on emotion. 

What to do, what to do. If they hadn't talked shit about Ochako none of this would have happened. Really it's all their fault, why’s Himiko have to pay? The two men could claim they never had it on them, and that Himiko was just making things up.

That's if they didn't run, if they did… then that was an entirely different matter. Himiko wouldn't be able to stop them, but they wouldn't get out for the same reason she wouldn't: there are too many cops and Pro’s to make fleeing worth it. The problem lay with their intelligence (which Himiko didn't have high expectations in) if they knew what was good for them they would stay and blame Himiko. To that she would have no counter other than the police patting her down before she got there and didn't find it. The police would have no reason to defend her though, and could simply claim an incompetent cop did the pat down. 

They wanted her in prison. That much was clear.

Himiko tugged on the bottom of Ochako’s blazer, drawing her attention. She glanced down and raised her brow, still speaking with the police men and other cops as to the nature of whether or not bonuses should be a thing. Himiko gestured her head to the two men, and when Ochako looked back from them made a walking sign with her fingers. 

Ochako looked between Himiko and the men and nodded. A silent appreciation, if they run I will catch them.

…

If they didn't, not only would Himiko be blamed, but Ochako wont trust her anymore either. Did they know that? They were smirking, now whispering to each other, they knew. They knew they shouldn't run. They knew that if they didn't run they could blame her. 

She was fucked