Gasping up from the mattress immediately, Hikari's shaking hands immediately found her erratic heart and closed her eyes with overwhelming nausea before looking around the dark unrecognizable space.
Ah, that's right. She was still in the liberation mansion. Gross.
She then forced herself to take another shaky breath before finally letting her hand fall onto the bed with a light thud. What was with these nightmares? It was becoming an everyday thing now and she hated it.
Although this time they weren't about Riku or her past. No, they were all about Dabi, about the person he was before and about the consequences to the dangerous game she was currently playing with her brother.
And for some sick reason, every single one of them ended with Keigo dying in some way or another.
Hikari twisted her brow at the memory before running a couple shaking fingers through her hair. What even was this, some kind of fucked up premonition? She sure hoped not.
Yes, she knew that Dabi wanted to kill Kei, that much was obvious. Yet, he never seemed to tell her why. Perhaps it was some sort of hero vendetta? That had to be it, that's why he always seemed to reject her question whenever she asked.
It was true, by "saving" her brother that meant going against the man she loved but Hikari still couldn't help but be rather disheartened by it. Hiding this from him, she felt dirty because of it.
How funny, right? That man had screwed her over more times then she could count and she was the one that felt bad about lying to him? Maybe Kei was right after all, maybe this whole thing was toxic.
Because no matter how many times she tried, Hikari just couldn't forget him.
Even now, she found herself pushing one of her legs to her chest with a lonely sense of longing. She hadn't seen him in two days and yet it still felt like forever.
Before she could even stop herself, Hikari then felt herself grab her phone off of the desk before flipping open the surface and finding Dabi's number across the screen, her finger dancing over the call button with unknown anxiety. Crap, I miss him. I want to see him.
It stayed in that same exact spot for what seemed like forever, her finger growing numb from the weightlessness before Hikari finally gave up in order to shut the surface a moment later. She was being stupid, he probably wouldn't even answer or care if she called.
Yet before she could do so, she paused, noticing the tiny date in the upper corner of the screen, a date that made her heart drop inside her chest all at once.
That's why she was acting so weird and clingy and pathetic all of a sudden.
It was because it was the worst day of the year, the anniversary of Touya's death.
A day that Hikari tried not to think about, a day that she always seemed to feel like an absolute clingy bitch on. It was the day Todoroki Touya tried to take his own life three years ago.
Flashing back to the day she heard the news, the girl felt her hands start to shake. That was one of the worst days of her life, having to process the fact that her best friend had killed himself and she didn't do anything to stop it.
She didn't even find out until a couple days after.
That was something she'd never forgive herself for, not being about to help him when he needed it most. It turned out all of those cute little words of encouragement and rooftops chats didn't really do anything in the end.
Funny right? She was so stupid back then, thinking she was helping.
And then there was that fight, the last time she ever saw Todoroki Touya.
Perhaps that had something to do with it also.
Perhaps she had a hand in it after all, in his demise.
Shaking away the horrible thoughts, Hikari pushed her lips together in order to shove down her emotions. No, she couldn't do this. Bad things happened when she let herself grieve, when she faced the reality that maybe she had something to do with Touya's death.
He was still here after all, in some sort of form, and that was all that mattered.
Was he even okay? Did he know what day it was? What was he even doing? Hikari honestly didn't know and that seemed to hurt her heart even more, burying her head into her knees with a weighted sigh. Come on Hikari, this is just embarrassing. He wants you to move on so just move on. You're the one that's lying and working with his dad anyways.
At the thought, Hikari couldn't help but frown at the night before, recalling Endeavor's stupid face when she revealed Hawks' plan. Out of everyone in the entire world, why did it have to be him? Why did it have to be the one that ruined Touya's life?
It seemed like some kind of sick irony to be honest.
Well, at least he didn't recognize her, that was something she supposed. That would have been extra bad, considering everything that happened back then.
That's right, she just needed to keep her distance, that way he'd never know who she was. She didn't need him to figure out anything, especially her connection to his dead son.
Now that would be awkward, in more ways than one.
Snapping her head upward, Hikari froze immediately as the door to her room starting to crack open only for any lingering emotion to completely disappear at the sound of a threat.
What kind of idiot would attack her like this?
She then narrowed her eyes before one sharp lethal feather zoomed from under her pillow, stopping a couple inches from the stranger's face as they quickly put their hands up in defence with a harsh whisper. "H-Hey, hey hey! It's just me, it's your brother!"
Ah, that makes sense. Now I know what kind of idiot would do that.
At the sound of his voice, Hikari's defense seemed to drop immediately, Hawks quickly stepping inside the room before the girl groaned and the feather floated away. "God Kei, give me some warning. It's like you want me to shish kabob you."
Quickly hurrying over to her bed, the bird felt his wings flap once in anxiety before ignoring her commnet and speaking at a million miles per minute. "Sorry sorry, I was walking down the hall and heard that guy watching the cameras, Skeptic, say that he was going to the bathroom so I ran here as quickly as possible before he came back. We don't have a lot of time so I didn't think about knocking..sorry..."
Groaning at the massive dump of information, Hikari frowned, watching her brother pace back and forth like a crazy person. "You already said that, idiot. Why in the hell are you even walking at 4am? You look awful."
That caused her brother to stop, his feet frozen to the floor as his eyes played in some kind of guilt or shame, trying to smooth out his obviously frazzled nature and bloodshot gaze.
Yet, what Hikari didn't know at the time was that her brother had woken up to similar nightmares, except these seemed to revolve around an old familiar white haired friend of his named Touya.
For as busy as Hawks was, he was also very aware of what day it was today.
Although the bird chose not to speak on it, knowing his problems and regrets weren't the priority, they never were. The mission was. "Just couldn't sleep, that's all. But that's not what's important.."
Then before she could question it, the hero spoke over himself as he restarted his pacing once more. "I just wanted to apologize for being pushy at that meeting. There's a lot of stakes riding on this mission and I guess I just freaked out and I wasn't really thinking..."
Blinking in surprise, the girl couldn't help very slowly process his words. He came all the way over here to apologize, even knowing it could ruin the mission? He really felt that bad about hurting her feeling that he did all that? "Kei.."
Yet the bird was far too wound up to listen, words spilling out of his lips before he could even process them. "I never wanted to make you feel uncomfortable or anything, that's the last thing I want for you, and I don't want you to think I'm like that guy that hurt you before cause I'm not. The last thing I want is for you to leave or give up because I.."
Hikari only shook her head though. What was he even saying? She had already agreed to his plans, there was no reason for him to stress like this. "Keigo.."
Once more, the bird only tripped over his own words though, letting information slip that Hikari wouldn't understand until much later. "It's just, things have happened when I only think for myself sometimes and that's really ruined friendships and stuff and I don't want that to happen for you. I don't wanna move too fast and cause you to hate me because of something I didn't realize. I don't want the past to repeat itself and.."
Although that's when Hikari had enough, speaking loudly enough to crack his anxious bubble all at once. "Kei, I gave the plans to Endeavor already."
And that did indeed stop him, her brother freezing immediately as if the words were too crazy for him to process. "H-Huh?"
Sighing at his clueless stupidity, Hikari clarified, knowing she would have to be exact for him to understand. "He knows about the war and I already agreed to feed him information."
Hawks felt himself blink in utter shock at her words, never expecting his villain sister to ever agree to his plan. She seemed really against it the last time they spoke. "W-Wha, why? But the last time you said.."
She only rolled her eyes though, stopping his speech with a hand and a groan. "I know what I said and if you say it again I'm going to change my mind."
Silence entered the space then, allowing Hikari to give a dejected sigh as she scratched the back of her neck with discomfort. "I still hate the guy, but you're right. We need outside help for this to work and my contacts as Val would take far longer than working with Endeavor."
Hawks still couldn't believe what he was hearing, the words processing ever so slowly before realization and pride lit up in his eyes. His little sister was going to help them, she was going to help the heroes?!
The idea made him so incredibly happy inside, her brother's wings opening with joy as he leaned forward and hugged Hikari with as much force as possible and lifted her upwards off the bed. "Awww Hika-chan! Look at you, I'm so proud!!"
Widening her eyes at the close contact, the girl immediately began to freak, pushing her hands back in order to detach from the psychotic bird. "Hey, what are you doing, get off of me!! I'm still not helping with anything, he gets the file and then it's his problem to figure out, not mine."
Hawks didn't seem bothered though, nodding happily as he beamed with so much overwhelming relief to know she was on their side. "Thank you thank you thank you thank you! You are a lifesaver Hika-chan! WIth this we finally stand a chance. You're the best little sis!!"
Already regretting her decision, Hikari felt her fingers work to her temple in the start of a headache. "Sure, just don't talk about it. Makes me sick just thinking about it."
Yet that's when something else seemingly came to his mind, Hawks' hero side pushing forward as he recalled the conversation he overheard a couple moments prior. "Oh! That means you can tell him what I found out tonight. I have more names of liberation members, heard them talking about em through my feathers. Here, I'll write them down so you can deliver them today."
Watching as her brother's feathers started to look for a pen and paper, Hikari's face couldn't help but drop at what he was implying. Sure, she had agreed to using Endeavor for the case, but out of all days, why today?
Why did she have to see the man that indirectly killed Touya on the anniversary of his death? That sounds like another kind of cruel joke, far crueler than the last.
Touya's face flashed inside her mind then, the girl already getting up from her spot on the bed before stopping her brother's frantic mind. "Whoa whoa, hold on. I already saw that shit stain last night, I am not going through that again, especially not today."
Of course, Hawks was clueless though, not knowing that the reason had something to do with the boy that plagued both their nightmares. "Why not today?"
Closing her eyes at hidden memory, Hikari felt herself suck in a heavy breath before giving a bland response, knowing it wouldn't convince the commission side of him. "It's just...a bad day for it.."
But why else could she say? It was her own past she wanted to run from after all.
And as expected, Hawks didn't understand, only seeing the logic side of the request and slightly panicking at the defiance. "Hika-chan, we only have three weeks. We need to feed him all the information we can. Who knows when Skeptic will step away from the camera again? I might not be able to feed you information again until it's too late."
Then before he could finish, the bird's feathers began to twitch as Hawks' face lost color immediately. "Shit, he's coming back. I'm running out of time."
Knowing her brother would be gone soon, Hikari played the options in her mind. She knew Kei was right, she knew Endeavor needed this information to build up a defense, she knew had to quit being a big baby and just do it.
Yet somewhere in the back of her mind, Hikari was reluctant to agree, knowing that seeing Endeavor on such a horrible day would probably end in disaster.
She probably wouldn't be able to keep her mouth shut.
Hikari soon realized she didn't have a choice though, watching her brother bounce nervously and caving in the next moment. "Ughhh whatever fine, just write down the names and get out of my face alrighty."
Not fully understanding, his feathers seemingly grabbed the pen and paper once more before Hawks quickly finished his work, raising an eye in anxiety at the confirmation. "Really? Then you'll deliver them today?"
Groaning at the very idea, Hikari only waved him away though, purposely stomping over to her bed and throwing the comforter over her head to end the conversation."Yes, yes, fine. Just let me go back to sleep first."
And hearing that caused her brother to let his shoulders collapse with relief, knowing that the plan was in good hands with her. For even though she claimed to be a villain, Hawks trusted her all the same. "Ah, Hika-chan you're the best! I know this isn't ideal but I promise we'll get through this."
Rolling her eyes under the covers, Hikari then froze when she felt a warm hand lightly touch the top of the comforter before his gentle brotherly voice whispered lightly. "Love ya little sis, talk to you when I can."
Then once he was gone, Hikari threw off the covers before staring up at the ceiling with a heavy groan. Why did she even just agree to that? Was it because he asked her so honestly? Was it because she was still so weak when it came to him?
And now, she had to visit Endeavor on one of the worst days of her life, simply because her big brother asked her to. When did I get this soft?
"You always have the worst timing, dontcha Kei?"
------------
Eventually, Hikari found herself standing a couple feet away from the Todoroki estate, dreading every step it took to get there. Out of all places, why did Alpha have to say Endeavor was here?
She never thought she'd be back here to be completely honest, already glancing towards the street poll on her left, the one that she hid behind after her first mission with Riku.
God, it's like nothing has changed. Everything still looks the same.
Carefully moving towards the front gate, Hikari pulled out the piece of paper Hawks had given her before lifting up the flap to the mailbox in order to drop it in. Sure it wasn't what her brother wanted but this was better than having to enter that house.
Yet before she could let go of the paper, the girl heard a voice call out behind her, causing her body to completely freeze with fear. "Hello? Can I help you?"
Already cursing to herself in a hundred different ways, Hikari remained still for a couple more seconds before closing her eyes in defeat. Please don't recognize me, please don't recognize me.
Then she slowly turned around only to meet a very familiar pair of cerulean eyes and white hair with tiny red flecks across the top. "Oh, ummm yeah sorry. I was just trying to drop this off for Endeavor. I'm a sidekick for Hawks' agency."
Giving a fake nervous laugh, Hikari and the woman stood in silence as the bird felt her heartbeat out of her chest. Come on, say something already. You're killing me Fuyumi.
After what seemed like forever, Fuyumi finally smiled back, stepping forward as she lugged two large bags of groceries in her hands. "Oh! I'm sorry, I didn't mean to seem suspicious or anything. It's nice to meet you, I'm Todoroki Fuyumi."
Already knowing who the girl was, Hikari quickly gave a halfhearted nod before eyeing her escape routes. This wasn't good, she needed to get out of here fast. "Yeah, cool. Anyways, I'm just gonna leave this here and.."
Yet Fuyumi seemed to have other plans, giving a warm smile in reply as she eyed her lightweight jacket. "Dad said he'll be home soon and It's getting kind of chilly out here, why don't you come inside and wait for him there? Then you can give him that paper yourself."
Although to Hikari, that sounded like the worst idea ever, the girl immediately putting her hands up and trying to find some kind of excuse. "Ah, yeah I think I'll pass. I don't want to intrude and..."
The woman didn't seem to listen though, already playfully pushing her hands into Hikari's back as she pulled her across the gates and towards the front step. "Nonsense. I was just about to make dinner anyway. It will be no trouble at all!"
Well shit, she forgot how forceful Touya's sister could be sometimes. It was very clear that she had already decided that Hikari was going to join them, one way or another.
Realizing she was already halfway through the door, Hikari gave up on fighting back, knowing it was best to lay low then to say anything that would cause Fuyumi to remember her.
Yet as she crossed into the dinning room, the girl couldn't help but catch something that made her freeze and fill her heart with overwhelming sadness and guilt.
Standing there, in a small picture frame was Touya, surrounded by a small memorial of two unlit candles and an empty flower vase.
Seeing his picture for the first time in years, Hikari felt her throat immediately close, already taking one step closer in order to see his features and savor them even more.
Suddenly it felt hard to breathe, each intake of air suffocating as tears brimmed the corners of her eyes. Why did it feel so good and yet so awful to see him after so long? She had forgotten what he even looked like anymore until now.
Her Touya, her best friend, her first love.
Just then, Hikari felt a tap on her shoulder, causing the girl to flitch at an immediate turn only to find Fuyumi rather concerned. "Hey, are you okay? You look kind of sick. Do you want me to call a maid in?"
Immediately blinking her tears away, the blonde haired girl quickly shoved down all her emotions before replying with a slight stutter, knowing she couldn't look so suspicious. "N-No, sorry. I just...someone I know has one of these also.."
Fuyumi's face seemed to fall then, recalling her own memories before giving a small sad smile in understanding. "I see, I won't bring it up if you're uncomfortable. Why don't you wait for Dad in the dining room and I'll get you something to eat? That always seems to help."
Knowing it was better just to accept, Hikari nodded her head silently before Fuyumi moved to the opposite direction, clearly dead set on preparing dinner. She was always so kind and sweet, even back then.
She was glad that part of her never went away.
Hikari then sucked in a heavy breath before turning into the dinning room only to meet with another very familiar face, the man standing to meet her. "You must be that sidekick Fuyumi mentioned. It's good to meet you, I'm Natsuo."
Seeing him stare straight into her face, Hikari immediately shielded her eyes, already trying to walk away. "Hi."
Yet it seemed Natsuo was far smarter, pausing for a moment as his eyes played in confusion before pointing at the girl in question. "Hey, do I know you from somewhere?"
Widening her eyes ever so slightly, Hikari snapped up her fake facade all at once before turning her head to the side in question ."No, why?"
Natsuo still only seemed confused though, racking his brain silently. "I don't know, you just look kinda familiar somehow. I can't put my finger on it though."
Feeling his eyes bore into her soul, Hikari silently cursed to herself as she watched him try to connect all the pieces in his mind. Shit shit shit, I'm so screwed, I'm so beyond screwed. How am I gonna explain this?
Yet that's when another voice appeared, this one far more monotone in size. "Natsuo, you're scaring her."
Almost immediately Natsuo's face seemed to beam with realization though, finally breaking eye contact with a lighthearted chuckle. "Ah, sorry about that. Go ahead and take a seat."
A heavy weight of relief flooded into the girl at that, causing her shoulders to slump as she quickly nodded and hurried over to sit next to the one that had saved her from disaster.
And on further inspection, Hikari realized that she didn't know this kid, not in the slightest. Of course he had red and white hair but his face was really different, showing some kind of scar across his left eye. "Thanks..uhh...."
The boy only turned at her voice, still as blank faced and monotone as before. "Shoto."
And that was when Hikari connected the pieces immediately. This was Shoto? The one that replaced Touya in the running to be the Todoroki successor? This was Endeavor's golden child? Well, he sure didn't look like much.
Not wanting to leave the silence for too long, Hikari forced out an answer. "Well, thanks for that, but how did you know he was scaring me?"
Shoto only looked down at his hand though, recalling something unknown to the girl before he replied. "Sometimes people say things and I don't know how to respond either."
Not understanding how intense this kid was, Hikari remained stunned. Was this really the boy that Endeavor claimed was better than Touya? "Are you always like this?"
The boy only turned his head at the question. "Like what?"
Realizing he lacked any form of social cue, Hikari shook her head in defeat before turning back towards. "Nevermind, kid. Forget I said anything."
Just then, the front door slammed closed as she heard Fuyumi's joyful voice echo through the hall as heavy footsteps moved past. "Ah, dad! Welcome back. I made some dinner for you!"
Hearing the door to the dining room slide open, Endeavor finally stopped when he caught sight of Hawks' sidekick a couple feet away, his brow already turned down in annoyance. "You, what are you doing here?"
Yet that was the phrase Hikari needed to finally hop from her seat, already digging into her pockets to pull out the paper her brother had filled out in hopes to be done quickly. "Oh thank god, here take this so I can leave."
Handing the paper to the hero, Endeavor only looked down, afraid that she was trying to trick him again or something. "What is this?"
Hikari only ignored him though, pushing the paper into his chest roughly so he was forced to take it with a roll of her eyes. "More liberation members. Hawks overheard the leaders talking about them. Although, we don't know their quirks yet so it looked like you gotta figure that out on your own."
Then before he could even process the information, the girl was already mostly out of the room, lifting a halfhearted hand in the Todoroki's direction as she left. "Great, I did my job. I'm leaving. Bye."
Fuyumi only seemed confused though, already dead set on chasing after Hawks' sidekick with an outstretched hand. "Wait, you didn't even have dinner..."
Yet just as Hikari was about to turn around, the bird seemingly bumped into something crossing her path, both her and the nearby maid falling down as the box the woman was holding fell onto the ground. "Ah, sorry miss! I didn't see you there."
Gasping at the impact, Fuyumi immediately raced forward, her hand outstretched in Hikari's direction with worry. "Are you okay? Here, let me help you!"
Although that's when the red and white haired woman paused, looking at all the items across the floor before realizing something odd. "Wait, these are Touya's things."
Picking up a small red car, Endeavor watched the action carefully, his voice already low and slightly worried. "Fuyumi.."
At the discovery, Natsuo seemed to join in, leaning down in front of his sister before picking up a singular bright blue childs shoe with question. "Hey, you're right. But why is a maid taking Touya's stuff like this?"
That's when Endeavor's shoulders seemed to slump on themselves, the man sighing in heavy defeat, almost like he didn't want his kids to know this. "I think it's time, so I asked them to donate the remainder of his room."
Almost immediately, everything erupted into chaos, Natsuo's voice raised in absolute disbelief for what their father was trying to do. "What?! You can't do that!! That's like throwing him away!"
And although Fuyumi shared the same ideals, her approach was a little softer, the woman clutching the red toy car to her chest with a frown. "Natsu, stop. I know you're upset but we can talk about this more reasonably. I also don't think taking away his stuff is right but.."
Her brother cut her off immediately though, his fury far too massive to defuse. "But nothing, he just wants to forget that Touya ever existed! He wants to forget everything about his mistakes!!
Endeavor only lowered his eyes at that, taking all his sons' invisible punches with little to no defense, only a small dejected sigh. "That's not it, Natsuo. It would be better this way."
The boy couldn't see the point though, knowing the only reason his dad wanted this was to forget about his older brother. "How is this better?!"
Once again, Fuyumi began to deescalate the situation, placing a calming hand to her brother's shoulder before twisting her brow in silent thought. "Hey come on, there has to be something else we can do besides giving to a stranger. Why don't we give it to one of Touya's old friends?"
Natsuo only seemed to scoff at that though, rolling his eyes at the idea. "What friends? You and I both know that he never did anything but try to prove he was good enough to Dad."
Knowing he was partly right, his sister began to rack her brain even further, waving her arms around as she did so in an attempt to stop the fight somehow. "Hey, that's not true. There was..uhh...that girl, the one he brought over that one time, remember?"
He only frowned though, rolling his eyes at the very girl in question. "You don't mean the one that helped him crash that engagement party? Fuyumi, we met her once, three years ago and we didn't even get her name. How would we even find her? Dad scared her off anyways."
Endeavor seemed bothered by that statement though, clearly remembering that night as something different entirely. "I did no such thing. That dirty homeless child was only after our name from the beginning. She wouldn't have made a good match for him anyways. Her quirk was.."
Natsuo only replied with anger though, the veins on his forehead popping out as he did so. "You didn't even let him try!! You labeled her a disappointment and a reject just like Touya, just like you always do!!"
Fuyumi only shook her head though, a sad look on her face. From what she remembered of that day, it certainly didn't seem like that girl was out for their title. No, she genuinely seemed to like Touya, and Fuyumi was sure it was probably the same for her big brother as well.
"I agree with Natsu. You didn't see the way he looked at her, the way they looked at each other. That was the first time I saw Touya smile in years."
Gritting his teeth in absolute fury, the white haired Todoroki then began to stomp towards his father, absolute hatred lining his features. "Just face it, you knew that Touya didn't want a quirk marriage and you pushed it anyway cause you wanted to get rid of him!! Even when my brother was tearing himself apart to be part of this family, you tried to ship him off..."
Natsuo then lifted his arms out and scoffed in distaste at the man before him. "And instead of talking to him about what he wanted, you took your anger out on that poor girl that helped him crash his own party. Real nice."
And although all of his words were true, Endeavor still never really noticed any of them, his eyes playing in newfound shame as he tried to shut the conversation down once and for all. "Why are we bringing up things that don't even matter? The girl is gone and so is my son. There is nothing left to do but to atone."
Hikari on the other hand, missed over half of the conversation, the girl instead hearing the drowned out yelling as she stared at a singular file on the floor, a file that read Riku Suzuki: The Takami Gang's Illegal Ring.
Wait, why did Touya have a file about Riku, about the gang she was a part of as a kid? Did he put this together himself? It looked kinda homemade. But why? What was the purpose and why was it in his old things?
Ignoring all the fighting, Hikari's shaking hands found the file before lifting it up over her head as her back still remained hidden. "What is this?"
Endeavor looked over at the girl immediately, his eyes glued to the file only to quickly brush it off verbally. "It's just some case that Touya used to pester me to look into."
Yet Hikari had a million other questions in her mind. Touya asked his dad to look into her fathers gang, into Riku? Why would he ever do that? Unless..
That's when the realization smacked into her immediately.
This wasn't just some case, this was her case.
Touya was trying to save her, wasn't he?
All this time, Todoroki Touya was trying to get her away from Riku. He was trying to get his dad to take down the gang so she could be free. He was trying to be her hero.
But that didn't make any sense. She knew Touya, she knew he only thought about himself. So what benefit would he have had to look into this? Why did he put this entire file together and then show his dad? She didn't get it.
Feeling a mix of pain inside her chest, Hikari's next words were laced with thick straight intent, her voice emotional and short. "Why didn't you?"
Endeavor only frowned though, seeing the answer is obvious and reciting the same thing he used to tell his son. "I had my hands full preparing Shoto, and I can't look into every single case someone brings me. That's not how it works. You can't save everyone."
Although it was simple to him, his answer was devastating to Hikari, knowing that he could've saved her all those years ago. He just didn't want to. "Right, but did you even look inside?"
And that silence was realization was enough to make Hikari snap as a low chuckle erupted from her lips. All those years, all that abuse and forced missions and Endeavor just stood by, he didn't even look at her case.
Even when Touya put it in front of his face, he just dismissed it.
"Of course not, right? When Touya gave you this file I bet you just threw it back in his face. Because why would a hero ever help someone that won't help his career, right? Why would he even lift a finger if it didn't benefit him.."
Shaking her head in disbelief, Hikari then turned around before slowly moving closer to Endeavor, her eyes never leaving him for a single second. "My god, you heroes are really something, aren't ya? I swear, all of you are cut from the same cloth, saying you want to help but then turning your back on the people that really need you. I mean just look at your dead son, he's a prime example.."
Growling at the implications, Endeavor's rough voice tried to counteract, thinking that this sidekick was out of line. "You know nothing about my son.."
Yet Hikari only laughed cyclically at his words, finding the comedy in how wrong he actually was. "No? Well, let me guess then. I bet he worked days on end, breaking his body down, crying tears you never heard, I bet he wished with everything to be like you, to even get one single once of your approval so he could keep on living. I bet he tried for years only to be pushed down, rejected and turned away because of his quirk defect, the one that made him not as powerful as his little brother..."
Then she shoved the case file that Touya had made into Endeavor's face, Hikari's voice growing even more cruel with each passing word. "But just like this fucking file, I bet you never once even tried to care, to even look at him or notice the mistakes because that would hurt your little hero pride, knowing that it was you that fucked up your oldest child, not anyone else. No, the number two hero fucked up his son so much that he killed himself trying to be just like you."
And even though she felt her necklace start to shake and twitch underneath her, Hikari hardly paid any mind, instead choosing to focus on the man in front of her so he could finally feel the smallest amount of pain Touya felt. No, he needed to know how much of a scumbag he really was.
Laughing maniacally at the very thought, the girl then pushed the file down before shrugging her shoulders at the irony around her. "It's funny, right? How much heroes hate villains when they are essentially the same thing. At least we are open with our crimes. Heros keep them hidden, ashamed of the people they really are underneath all the fans, the spandex and the glory."
And as the emotions in her chest grew heavier, Hikari's necklace began to shake even more, the pure fury from her own unhinged feelings causing her to completely lose sight of everything but the one in front of her.
Completely cutting off her own laugh, the bird's voice turned cold, making sure that every single syllable affected him. "And when you sit alone at the end of the night, I bet it consumes you, the guilt, the pain, the regret. I bet it drowns you so much that you wish you could do something different, although you know your pride will never allow it. I bet you hate yourself, you hate the person you see every goddamn day."
Pushing her finger into his chest, Endeavor felt her stare into his soul, her entire face twisting with pure and absolute hatred. "And you should, because you are just as much of a monster as any other person out there. You are exactly the same as the people you put in those prisons every single day. Never forget that, Todoroki Enji, never forget what you are, a slimy, disgusting, fucked up villain."
Then to finish it off, Hikari threw the file in the number one hero's face, all of the contents spilling onto the floor as she hissed. "So go ahead and throw away Touya's things, never look into those files and call that girl dirty and homless but it won't change a fucking thing. It won't change that you had a hand in killing your son, and I know for a fact you'll neverbe able to forget that."
Just then, a small crack was overheard and for a split second, everyone saw a flash of large red defromed wings from behind Hikari, the illusion flickering in and out in a single instant.
But just as they appeared, they disappeared in the next moment, causing all of the color to drain from Hikari's face as she looked down to find a small crack inside her crystal pendant. "Shit..."
Immediately turning around, Hikari then raced towards the exit, afraid that the necklace would glitch again and ruin everything as Fuyumi and Natsuo yelled after her with confusion and fear.
Yet she didn't pay any mind, only stopping at the entrance of the estate to inspect the crystal between her fingers. Yep, it was cracked, right down the middle also.
Well this was bad, now the suppression was messed up.
Cursing to herself Hikari twisted the crystal around in her fingers before a new voice stopped her in her tracks, small and yet authoritative "Where did you get that?"
She widening her eyes almost instantly, she turned to find Natsuo staring at her necklace with such intensity and fear. Oh crap, did he figure it out?
Thinking fast, the girl lied as smooth as possible. "A gift shop. Why?"
He continued to stare for a couple more seconds, examining the object as best as he could before finally giving up and sighing. "It's nothing, I just...my friend from middle school used to make support items that look like that. It was like some sort of suppression tool I think."
Already knowing that information, Hikari nodded half heartedly before her phone buzzed inside her pocket, the girl pulling out the surface with a hum of disinterest. "Oh? That's
cool."
Natsuo only lowered his eyes though, rubbing the back of his neck in anxiety as he tried to explain his weird actions. "Yeah, Touya actually asked me to get one for him awhile back. So I just thought.."
Yet anything he said next was drowned out by the text message that flashed across Hikari's screen, her heart twisting inside her chest when she realized who it was from.
From Dabi:
I need you
And just like that, those three little words seemed to awaken something inside her, Hikari immediately narrowing her eyes in concern. Why was he saying that? It wasn't like him. Maybe he's drunk or high, or both? Yeah it was probably both.
Pushing a few buttons, Hikari then noticed she had a voicemail, the girl pushing the object to her ears only to hear his deep, raspy and slurred speech a moment later.
"Princess, where are you? You can't leave me. I don't want you to leave me. I wanna see your shitty wings, come to me. I'm waiting for yow. Hey, why aren't you here yet? I'm gonna cremate this place if you don't show up, I'm warning you."
She couldn't help but close her eyes at the sound. Yeah he was definitely drunk or high somewhere, that proved it. But why was he calling her? She thought he was still acting like a two year old because of their fight.
Shaking her head at the idea, Hikari then closed her phone before finally turning to Natsuo with a half hearted hand to stop his rambling. "Mmhmm very interesting. Something just came up so I gotta go. See ya."
Then she turned on her heels, dead set on picking up whatever shit show she was about to walk in on as Natsuo called after all with confusion. "B-But, wait!...hold on..I..."
Yet the only thing he heard in response was a low mutter from Hikari, her hands running through her hair as she went.
"You Todoroki's will be the death of me, I swear."
----------
Still blinking in surprise at the sudden scene that just unfolded, Endeavor soaked in Hikari's pure hatred before lowering his eyes to the floor in overwhelming guilt and shame.
That girl, how did she know so much?
It was like she knew exactly what he was feeling, how much he hated himself for Touya's death, and how much he wished he could've changed it. But she didn't even know them, she was just some no named sidekick that Hawks had picked up, right?
Catching the sight of the discarded file by his feet, Endeavor then leaned down before picking one of the random papers and reading the top. She seemed really angry about this also, he wondered why.
Just then, a very familiar name jumped out at him from the multiple of words, causing the hero to pause immediately at the implications of it and narrow his eyes in silent thought.
Takami Hikari.
For some reason, that name seemed familiar.
But where had he heard that before?
-----------------
Endeavor is inching towards Hikari's identity while Natsu and Fuyumi are suspicious. And now we have soft drunk Dabi? I wonder where that will lead.
Also yes, go off queen. Tell Endeavor off, we love to see it.
This has some foreshadowing to a past chapter that's coming up where Hikari first meet's Touya's siblings, along with the engagement party thing that's mentioned in here as well. Everything will fit together, I promise.
Next Chapter: Soft drunk Dabi? Impossible, or is it?