I woke up in pain.

A startled yelp escaped my throat as I leapt up onto my four legs, spinning to snap at whatever was causing me pain. A flailing coil of pale grey hung from my hind leg, but it refused to release me as my jaws clamped around what I could reach.

Just my luck, a fucking snake!

It felt as though I were chasing my tail, spinning in circles as a low growl erupted from my throat until I realised there was no way I would be able to get it off in such a way. Even when I deactivated my quirk, the reptilian bastard didn't let go.
"Motherfucker..!" I snarled viciously as I grabbed hold of it as close as I could to the head, ignoring the strange tingle in my hand as I ripped it from my ankle.

Blood, and what looked to be venom, dribbled from its unsheathed fangs, and the snake hissed loudly in my grip, which continued to tighten, just like my pain continued to grow. After a long while, the snake began to go limp, and I still chose not to release it when it stopped moving altogether.

It hurts...It's throbbing...

Where my knowledge of mammals was strong, reptiles were something I knew very little about. Of course, my father had always tried to educate me, but I hadn't been interested. How could it be helpful to my quirk when they weren't a part of its design?
"Killed you first, you slithery shit..." I growled under my breath, discarding the snake and standing up, choosing to avoid inspecting the wound on my ankle, which continued to bleed and throb.

My gaze settled upon the radio, right where I had left it, and I felt myself relax. That was really the only thing that mattered. I could worry about some stupid bite once I had done my job for Shigaraki. After scooping it up, I could feel the ache in my entire body as I morphed back into a wolf dog, my muscles and joints voicing their complaints about the overuse of my quirk, but I just let then scream. One job. That was my focus.

I've done a good job. I'm a good girl.

A short time passed as I headed due west, and all was well. That was, until my mouth dried up. It felt like I had wads of cotton stuffed inside, and no matter how much I hacked or tried to produce saliva, it just wasn't working for me. Not long after, my vision began to haze. The light was excruciating, and everything in front of me was unfocused and dappled with spots. What really impaired me though, was my legs. My hind legs, to be precise. The more I moved, the more they failed me. Soon, I was struggling to keep them straight, my hind quarters sagging low to the ground, yet I kept heading west.

"What a mess you are, girl! I have to commend you, though...You really are doing your best!"

I froze, ears pricking to try and pick up on the direction of the crackling voice. Baring my teeth, I waited, the erratic thudding of my pulse nearly deafening me.

"You aren't feeling too good, are you? I can't blame you...Running after being bitten by a pit viper? Why, I'm surprised you can still move at all after pumping that kind of venom throughout your whole system!"

Who..? Who the fuck is talking?! Show yourself!

I growled loudly, snapping my jaws, but it sounded pathetic. Whoever or whatever was addressing me could easily take me down in the state I was in, and I panicked. I couldn't die before I delivered the radio to Shigaraki.

"Easy does it, girl. I can see your quirk is making you a little antsy...I'm well acquainted with Tomura. You remember Tomura, don't you?"

That was all it took for my scrambled brain. At the mention of his name, I completely relaxed, at least as much as I could with venom coursing through my veins. I at least managed to realise where the voice was coming from. The radio. I had no idea how it could still function after being compacted by my quirk, but that was the only logical explanation.

"Your companions are a little busy with a friend of mine, right now, and I'm sure they're all wondering where on earth we are. What do you say I help you get there in one piece, hmmm? After we all have a little chat, I'm sure I can fix you right up, good as new. Does that sound like a plan?"

My ears itched as the mystery man spoke to me, but I didn't have much of a choice. If the venom had that much of a hold of me already, then it would likely kill me if I tried to continue. I wasn't even sure if I could still move.

"I'm going to take your silence as a yes. Off we go, then!"

I began to choke. The feeling wasn't at all foreign, and the moment thick, black gunk began to ooze from my orifices I remembered it. It was the exact same thing that had happened to the lot of us, back in Kamino. My entire body shuddered and seized as it overtook me, and before I knew it, I was at the edge of the forest.

What the hell...is..?

Chaos was in full swing ahead of me. Debris flew through the air, dust showing no sign of settling. With my blurring vision I could barely see the cause, but I could make out something...big. No, not big. Gigantic.
"KUROGIRI, IS THIS IT?!"

Tomura.

My hind legs were completely incapacitated now, but that didn't stop me. I began to drag myself towards the commotion without fear of getting swept up in it. Only a little bit further, and I could finally complete my mission without a hitch. At least that was what I was thinking.

"Just a little closer, my dear. One of your companions will spot you soon enough."

The voice urged me, and I shuddered, the vibrations of it crawling up my spine. Amidst the dust, I could smell something strikingly familiar. At first I couldn't tell what it was, until a flash of burning cerulean whirled skyward in the distance.

Touya...How could I forget my Touya..?

"Gah, you oversized scunner!" My ears pricked ever so slightly when I heard somebody grunt somewhere close by, and I let out a sharp, albeit weakened yap to get their attention. Through the thick clouds of upturned earth, a familiar masked figure appeared, the left arm of their coat knotted just above the elbow. "(Y/N), is that you?"

I forgot what real voices sounded like...

I stayed put as he approached, dipping my head a little when he crouched before me.
"You poor darling...What happened to you..?" He murmured, slowly reaching out to run his hand down the back of my scruffy neck. I whined at the contact, dizziness grasping at me as I craned my neck to give the lower edge of his mask a timid lick.

Take me to Tomura...before I go to sleep...

I nudged him in the chest, towards the continuing battle, but he didn't budge.
"You are in no condition to be a part of this, (Y/N)." He said firmly, shaking his head. "Please, allow me to use my quirk to keep you sa-"

He almost fell backwards when I shifted back into a human, which honestly took most of the energy I had left in me. My throat felt like it was being squeezed by hot little hands, and the urge to let myself fall to the ground was close to winning, but I wasn't done yet.
"T..Tomura...I need to get...to Tomura..." I rasped, staring past his head into the fray. Mr. Compress was about to argue with me, but then he paused, face tilted down towards the radio in my arms.

"Alright...I'll get you to him. Come on, luv..." He had to take almost all of my weight when he pulled me to a stand, but I felt no guilt. All I felt was urgency as he helped me limp forward, straight towards whatever ginormous creature was causing the mayhem.

The metal of the device felt much too cold against my hands, and I swallowed back gulps of bile as it tried to bubble up and out of my mouth. I could just make out Shigaraki now, backing away cautiously from the humongous brute, but my legs wouldn't carry me any faster.
"T..To-"

"Machia~"

Everything around us seemed to freeze in time when that crisp, clear voice spoke from the speaker, but it hadn't belonged to the mystery man. No, even I knew that dark, eerie voice, even though I had only heard it once or twice before. All For One.

The giant humanoid creature's head snapped towards my direction, and without a second to lose it began to sprint. Compress leapt in front of me, his single hand outstretched and ready to confine our nemesis with his quirk, but he was nothing but a fly to the beast. With barely a nudge the masked man went flying, and I just stood there, swaying and snarling.

"Gigantomachia~"

Again, AFO's voice rang out, and the creature dropped to its knees, lowering it's face down towards the radio and simultaneously taking me in its hands, nuzzling it's oversized face into the meshed speaker. My aggression dulled once I heard the strange purring sound, akin to a motercyle rev. It was nothing but an overgrown pet.

"Doctor?" Shigaraki had approached from the side, and the ears which I still donned pricked towards him, the worst parts of me praying to be praised for my success. I was barely standing, and I found myself leaning back into the hands of the creature referred to as Gigantomachia.

"A recording of All For One's voice. Just the trick to calm the big guy down."

Radio man; or rather the Doctor, chuckled, and the slight feedback from the noise split my head in two.
"We don't want this guy..." Shigaraki muttered, glaring at the box I held in my hands. I wanted nothing more than to hand the radio over to him, but I knew it would likely cause the giant to go into another rage, so I pushed it closer into his face, falling backwards when he moved his hulking hands to grab it.

When I didn't hit the ground, I opened my eyes, seeing double of patchwork skin and ocean blue.
"Hey...what happened to you? You're really sick..." Dabi's concern drowned out the Doctor's rambling, and I groaned, trying to push myself up to a sitting position. "Stay down, you idiot! Stay down..." There wasn't any anger in his tone, only worry, but I didn't have the time for it.

"Did he...say I did a good job..?" I croaked, head hanging so I could feel the sweat drip from my prickling (S/C) skin.
"You did so good, Tenderfoot..." Dabi responded quickly, trying to pick me up, but I squirmed away from his arms, nearly falling to the side into the dirt.
"No...Not you...Did he say I did good..?" I reiterated, feeling a deep regret I couldn't quite place begin to swell in my stomach, along with whatever damage the venom was doing.

"H..he..?" The ravonet trailed off for a moment as he tried to figure out what I meant, but it didn't take him long. I could tell by the way his body seized against mine, and by his slow intake of breath. "...Yeah...He said so..."

Good...I did good...

"...Hmmmph...Give me a minute..."

I tuned back into that mysterious voice, and I was glad that I did. If I hadn't, then the tar-like substance that again began to ooze from my throat would have startled me a lot more. Dabi held me close as we were stolen away from our crumbled little shack, and didn't once make a move to release me, even after we arrived in a place that stank of copper and chemical.

The stench was the final straw, and once the black substance had cleared from my throat, my own disgusting gunk spilled out, down my front, over Dabi's arms and onto the floor between my splayed legs.
"O..oi! Come on, stay with me..!" Dabi lifted my head from my chest to clear my airway, and another pair of hands began to fuss over my hair and face.
"There's something seriously wrong with her! (N/N), snap out of it!"

"Before we make our introductions, I think I should probably take care of your little animal girl there..."

.
.
.
.
.

***So, yeah, I went ham and changed this whole bit from the manga. This will also serve as a big turning point for the reader...

Also I have come to love Mr. Compress, so I will only accept love and appreciation of him in this household from now on.

Also also Kurogiri x Compress is a thing and it's called Black Magic and it's my new OTP.

Next Time: Doctor, Doctor...***