Sister Mine (Dabi X OC)

Raise A Little Hell

Tossing in her own sleep filled dream, Hikari felt the feathers inside her pockets twitch at the sound of someone approaching, their shoes lightly creaking against the floorboards in an anxious manner.

At first the girl didn't pay any mind to it, willing the movement away before the mysterious presence seemed to stop in front of her in order to reach down with a silent shaking hand. Wait, this wasn't a dream. Was it?

Wrapping their fingers around the crystal pendant around her neck, Hikari's brain immediately turned back on in alarm, immediately slamming open her eyes before grabbing onto the intruder's arms with an aggressive pull and a glare.

The voice gasped in surprise, helpless as Hikari twisted their arm behind their back without a single hesitation, eyes wild and ready for a fight.

Yet even so her brain was still half asleep, surveying the attacker only to recognize a familiar shade of white in the corner of the vision. Wait a minute..

Just then, the man quickly turned his head in fear as Natsuo's panicked voice rang back in full apology. "Ah! I'm sorry I'm sorry! I didn't mean to..!!"

Blinking at the voice, the bird felt her feathers soften all at once, before unlatching her death grip as the man quickly backed away, obviously still afraid she was going to attack him again. "Natsuo? What the hell.."

The white haired Todoroki only put his hands in defense though. "I-I'm sorry, I was just trying to get a closer look at your necklace, that's all. I wasn't trying to attack you or anything. I swear."

Quickly looking down at the crystal across her collarbone, Hikari felt her hand absentmindedly cover the object in suspicion. He acted like what he was trying to do wasn't a big deal when in actuality it was probably one the worst things he could've ever done.

It was a good thing she woke up before he ripped it off, otherwise it would've been impossible for her to deny that she was the girl who knew his big brother back when he was still alive.

Still realizing that she was uncomfortable, the man tried again. "This is gonna sound silly but there is something really familiar about it. That's why I wanted to see, that's all. I just thought that maybe you were.."

Before he could finish his sentence though, Hikari cut him off. It's not like she didn't know what he was going to say anyways. "I don't know why it would be familiar. I got it from a small gift shop in Okinawa three years ago. It's just a souvenir, nothing more"

He seemed to believe her lie right away, the boy's eyes filling up with shame before shaking his head with a small chuckle. "Ah, so that's how it is. Sorry, I guess I was just hoping for something different, that's all."

She could see the disappointment in his eyes, the ones that wished that she was Touya's best friend from all those years ago. And a part of her pitied the man for it, although the other part knew it was better this way.

Natsuo always had such good memories and words when he talked about his big brother, words of admiration for standing up to his father, words of shame for not being able to save him and Hikari knew that the reality wasn't as pretty as he would've liked.

So instead it was better to keep the Todoroki at a distance in hopes of keeping their blinded eyes shut. That way they wouldn't realize what horrors had changed their big brother.

Sensing the awkward atmosphere, Natsuo then cleared his throat before trying to ease the tension a bit more. "Speaking of which, I'm glad I caught you. I wanted to talk to you about that dinner.."

Recalling the horrible display, Hikari couldn't help but grow skeptical. Why was he bringing this up now? "What about it?"

Once again, the boy seemed nervous, Natsuo choosing to shift around on his feet before giving a shy small smile under his breath. "I know this is gonna sound weird but, I wanted to thank you. Thank you for standing up for my brother. I think a lot of people just forgive Dad for everything but it was refreshing to see someone finally tell it like it is for once, you know?"

Catching Hikari by surprise, the bird couldn't help but widen her eyes at that. Was he thanking her for hating and yelling at Endeavor? Well, that was certainly new. I mean, it's not like he didn't deserve it but she had never heard that before.

Natsuo seemed to realize his odd phrasing through, the white haired Todoroki lowering his eyes to the floor in order to clarify. "My brother and my sister, they seem to forgive that guy more easily but I won't. I'll never forget how he ruined this family, how he ruined Touya."

Balling his hands into fists, it was clear to the bird that the boy in front of her truly believed his words, sensing his unkempt frustration and anger from the sensitivity of her feathers.

And whether she wanted to realize it or not, the boy really did look like Touya like this.

Although the nostalgia was quickly whipped away when Natsuo turned his cerulean gaze back to hers in order to bring himself back to reality. "So even though you didn't know him, thank you for taking his side for once."

The words were deliberate, and Hikari knew the meaning of every word. Touya was always cast aside after all, he was alway overlooked and pushed down for his own goals and desires Even his siblings sided away from him half the time, and from the dejected look on Natsuo's face, it seemed he knew that also.

Hugging her own arms around herself at the meaning, the girl pushed her own eyes away. It's true, she was the only one that always took Touya's side, even when he probably didn't deserve it. Even when he cheated on her, and stepped on her feelings, she still crawled back every chance she got.

Just then, Hikari's mind flashed the events of last night, her lips twisting down in memory. That was the first time she had ever betrayed him like that. For years she had done nothing but follow him and now things had finally changed

Funny how she was the one regretting her actions when he was the one who slept with another woman and hurt her with her own naive desires over and over again.

She knew he was hurt by it also, considering the bloody tears that pained Dabi's face in her memory. God, why did Natsu's words hurt so much? It's like he was absentmindedly reminding her of her betrayal.

Desperate to steer away from the topic of Touya and/or Dabi, the girl instead focused on the topic of the sentence, stating the obvious given the boy's harsh words. "Guess that means you want the guy gone then."

Yet that seemed to make him pause, his eyes playing with hidden conflict, almost like the answer wasn't so obvious after all. "I don't know, it's complicated."

This caused the bird to pause, turning her head at the meaning. "Complicated? What could be so complicated? If you hate the guy then you should want him gone. That's usually how it works."

Natsuo twisted his brow in conflict at her words before giving a heavy weighted sigh. "I will never forget the past but I don't want the future to be the same kind of pain. We've all just had so much tragedy in our lives, I don't think we can handle another, especially Fuyumi and Shoto."

And that was true, the man knowing that his family had been tortured and torn apart time and time again and he knew somewhere deep down that if his father died, then it would just be more of the same. More pain, more grief, more regrets for his siblings.

No, he saw the mere idea of fathers disappearance as completely selfish. There was no way in hell he was just going to ruin his family and then leave forever. "So even though I hate my dad and will never forgive him, I don't want him to disappear. I don't want him to die. I don't want him to give us another bad memory that will haunt us for years."

Hikari couldn't help but stand stunned at his explanation. She had never thought about it that way. It seemed like Todoroki expected his father to atone for the rest of his life, even though it would never mean forgiveness in the end.

Strange, usually people just wanted the people they hated out of their lives completely. In fact, that's what Dabi wanted, he wanted the man dead so he could burn in hell. But Natsuo was talking about his atoning as a punishment in itself, one that he wasn't going to let him get away from.

Realizing his serious tone, Natsuo then blinked in surprise before giving a halfhearted chuckle in order to rub the back of his neck in anxiety. "Sorry, I'm probably not making any sense. You shouldn't even have to hear our family drama. I'm sure you've got enough in your life to worry about as is."

And although that was true, Hikari knew that her ties to his family wasn't something she could wipe away so quickly. No, whether he realized it or not, the bird knew firsthand the kinds of horribles they experienced throughout the years.

Because of that, Hikari couldn't help but scoff at the idea, rolling her eyes at the dismissal. "You have no idea, Natsu."

Just then, Shoto seemed to appear from the side of the door, his eyes softening at her presence in order to break the two's bubble immediately. "There you are, Hikari. My old man wanted me to tell you that we should be leaving soon. He's rescheduling a group meeting with all the other heroes and he wants you to be there."

Twisting his eyes in confusion, his brother frowned. "What do you mean reschedule?"

Not wanting to fully get into it, Shoto replied shortly. "The last one was canceled due to a commission agent that showed up unannounced."

At that, Natsuo couldn't help but twist his lips together in distaste. He didn't know much about the commission but he knew about Touya's time there and how they let him hurt himself for his quirk. "Commission agent? Why am I not surprised?"

Nodding once, the teenage boy then turned to Hikari before lifting out his hand for her to take. "Yes, anyways we should get going. I will escort you there."

Immediately taking a step back, the bird couldn't help but scoff. What was this kid saying? "Whoa, back it up there. I don't need a bodyguard or anything. I think I can manage on my own. Who do you think you are even talking to?"

Not understanding her sarcasm, the boy only answered plainly. "I am talking to you, Hikari, and absolutely not. That villain is still out there and may take the opportunity to attack again."

At the mention of Dabi, the bird's eyes softened. He was sweet for worrying about her but the stitched man wasn't really something he had to protect her from. But how could she say that? It wasn't like she could reveal their relationship. That would bring even more questions.

Trying her best, she searched for a logical answer. "Shoto..listen.."

Yet at the mere suggestion of rejecting his offer, the boy frowned, already putting a hand up in order to shut down her excuse. No, he wasn't going to be foolish and let her get hurt again, not on his watch. "No. I must make sure you are safe."

Groaning at his protective nature, Hikari rolled her eyes before racking her brain for another excuse. She couldn't have some stupid kid follow her. What if someone wanted to attack Valkyrie? What if Dabi did show up again? What if he figured out something from spending too much time with her? The disasters were endless.

Hikari then looked down at her burned and torn jacket before trying again. "Right, but first I have to go get a change of clothes. I can't show up to Endeavor's like this so there's really no point in you.."

Yet once again, Shoto only nodded. "I have no problem accompanying you."

Realizing she wasn't going to shake off the heroic boy, Hikari frowned in annoyance. He really was stubborn wasn't he? Just like his big brother. "You really aren't gonna budge on this, are ya?"

The boy only shook his head at that, causing the bird to sigh in defeat. She supposed the kid would be good for a human shield in order to keep the villains off her back. If they stayed in broad daylight then they should be fine. "Fine. Let's just get this over with then."

Happy that she wasn't trying to get out of his escort, Shoto nodded in understanding before stepping aside in order to let her pass first. "After you."

The gesture only made Hikari giggle though, her smile lighthearted as she simply walked by the boy in order to wave his formality away. "Oh please Shoto, cool it with the formal speech. It's not like I'm some kind of princess or something."

Twisting his borrow in confusion, the boy frowned. "Why not? I think you're pretty enough to be one."

Hikari couldn't help but smile at the compliment though, recalling the first time Touya uttered that ridiculous nickname "Cute, but don't start. I've already heard that stupid name way to much in my life."

Shoto didn't seem to pay any mind to her words but Natsuo couldn't help but widen his eyes at them, immediately turning to the blonde hair with a sense of strange familiar nostalgia before the two of them completely left his sights.

Princess, that's what Touya used to call his friend back when he was still alive.

First the necklace and now that name, that couldn't be a coincidence.

It just couldn't.

---------------------

Shoving her hands in her pants pockets, Hikari sighed as she walked side by side with the youngest Todoroki to a place she never thought she'd never go again.

But unfortunately the options for a change of clothes were limited, given that she didn't have any money on her and she couldn't just take Shoto to her villain hideout on the villain side of the city.

So that only left one option, the bird keeping her head down as the two turned the corner towards the abandoned part of town only for Hikari to catch sight of a very familiar large factory type building in the distance, the entire place laced with caution tape and broken windows.

Riku's old compound, it was just spine chilling as she remembered it to be even after all these years. She hated even looking at it but Hikari knew that this was the only other place that had clothes of her size and taste.

Seeing the bird duck under the tape in order to reach the rusted metal door in front of her, Shoto couldn't help but turn his head in confusion. "Hikari, what is this place?"

Hikari rolled her eyes at that, turning around with her arms crossed in an annoyed huff. "You wanna tag along? Then don't ask questions. Just stay there, I'll be back."

Not paying any mind to the boy, the girl then narrowed her eyes before the large metal door opened under her fingers only to turn and find Shoto standing right beside her, silent and staring ahead.

Realizing he disobeyed her one request, Hikari frowned at the monotone boy. "You don't listen very well, do you kid?"

Nodding once, Shoto seemed to agree. "That's what Aizawa says as well."

Hikari couldn't help but smirk at that. She guessed rebellion was in the Todoroki genes after all. Ah well, it's not like that there was anyone in this place. Her feathers had already scanned the area. "I'm sure he does. Whatever, just keep up."

And as Shoto stepped inside the large empty and abandoned space, his heart couldn't help but twitch with discomfort. There was something about this place that made him uneasy, he just couldn't put his finger on it.

Even though he wasn't certain, something told him that something really bad happened here.

Following the bird silently, the two passed a long gray colored corridor with small tiny rooms across the sides, all of them almost more like prison cells or cages rather than proper sleeping quarters. Just what was this place?

Hikari then stopped at the only closed door in the space before giving a heavy sigh, almost like she was trying to motivate herself to push forward. "Hey Shoto, look over there."

Pointing to her left, the boy immediately felt himself on guard, turning his head in her direction in order to glare into the dark corridors with concern.

Not understanding, Shoto then turned back to the woman for an explanation only to find that the door in front of them was now wide open, the boy blinking in surprise as a flash of red flew past his vision and into her sleeve. "What just..."

Hikari didn't elaborate though, only stepping into the space before immediately forcing her eyes on a small stack of clothes in the corner in order to filter through them with silent intent. It was almost like she didn't want to look at the rest of the space.

Shoto was completely different though, stepping inside the small boxed space before spotting a small old mattress along with a variety of large and small black spots all across the floor, the stains forever ingrained into the concrete surface.

Leaning down, the boy ran a finger over the spot only to find it completely dried almost like the person hadn't cared to clean it, or rather was too rushed to do so in the first place. How strange.

Although that's when Shoto flickered his gaze to the corner only to find two bottles of black hair dye, empty and discarded. Wait, the spots on the floor, was that hair dye? But why?

The boy turned back to Hikari only to find her completely engrossed in picking out a set of clothes. It's almost like she didn't even notice the room, or rather didn't want to notice it.

No, she simply just kept her eyes locked to the ground before removing her destroyed black hoodie in order to replace it with a simple black jacket that tied around the waist.

He then watched as the girl shoved her hands in the pockets, only to freeze and take out a folded piece of paper between her fingers, Shoto seeing the vague colors of yellow, black, red and the letter H from the inner corners.

Hikari then shook her head before shoving the folded paper back into the pocket with a pained sigh, the girl not even bothering to open the surface, almost as if she already knew the contents inside. How strange.

That's when Shoto realized that he didn't know much about the girl before him. Sure, she was Touya's friend in the past but that didn't explain anything. She also said something about being let down by heroes but that's it. That wasn't much to go on at all. Was that her goal, was she trying to be vague in order to stay a mystery?

The boy didn't know.

Just then, something shimmered from the corner of his eye, causing Shoto to turn around only to find a long red gown hanging up on the back of the door, the ends dirited and muddy from the outside streets.

But unlike the bottles of hair dye, the lazy black spots and the clothes in a pile, this dress was the only thing that seemed to be taken care of. It wasn't crumbled in a heap like the rest of the belongings in here.

No, this dress was loved. He could tell. It must have held a special memory.

Because of that, Shoto couldn't help but reach forward in order to feel the fabric between his fingers. It felt luxurious and expensive, far more than anything else in this small little room.

Almost on cue, Hikari's voice sounded right behind him, the boy turning to find her staring at the same red colored fabric. Except her expression seemed far more sad, like she was reliving a silent haunting moment. "Never had the heart to throw it away, even after everything.."

The boy didn't understand a word but he also seemed to understand that her words were not spoken for that purpose. No, they seemed rather personal, like she was talking to herself.

And as much as he wanted to ask her a million questions, Hikari only gave him a sad smile before throwing open the door so that way the gown was hidden from her view. "Alright, I have what I came here for. Now it's time to go to that old fire geezer's meeting, I guess."

Chuckling at her own insult, the bird then left the mysterious room without another words, leaving Shoto with far more questions than he had previously.

Although what Shoto didn't know was that three years ago in this place, in that room, was the very place where Hikari had given up everything, where she had decided to bury her naive innocent self.

And where the villain, Valkyrie, was born.

--------------------

Arriving at Endeavor's agency, the two mulled through the large number of heroes before walking into the training hall only to find almost everyone already present, including Deku and Bakugo who gave a little wave and small grunt at their presence.

As Shoto moved over to his friends, Hikari then sighed to herself before hearing a very unpleasant voice behind her, causing the girl to immediately jump at the implications. There was no way.. "Hello, Hikari. Nice to see you again."

Quickly turning around, the girl was shocked to find Shadow standing before her, his tattooed arms crossed in an unpleasant frown as Hikari gasped. "What? I thought you were kicked out?"

The commissioned agent only gave a smug smirk in reply, knowing how bothered she was by his presence and feeding off of it. "Endeavor graciously invited me back."

Just then, the man in question seemed to appear from nowhere, his voice rough and full of heavy authority as he approached the two. "You're forgetting half the conversation, boy. I said you could come back only if you didn't cause any disturbances and interruptions to my team."

Not paying any mind to the man, Endeavor then turned to Hikari before pointing behind him with a gruff sigh of annoyance. "You, you're late. Get with the others so we can begin."

Normally she would've called him out for such a demand but since his suggestion seemed like the best option to get away from this crazed commissioned psychopath, she decided to listen for once, turning around to join Deku and his friends instead.

Yet before she could get there, Shadow roughly passed by her, bumping the girl in the shoulder as his voice lowered to a dangerously low hiss. "Don't think I've given up."

Rolling her eyes at his threat, Hikari then found herself sandwiched between Shoto and Endeavor's sidekick Burnin before turning towards the number one hero all at once. At least the guy wasn't going to attack her outright for now. That was something at least.

Although her own thoughts quieted down, the bird couldn't help but notice something strange about the atmosphere around the room. Maybe it was because there were a lot of heroes she didn't know, but the girl felt on edge and anxious for some reason.

Sure, usually she felt anxious given that she was a villain in a room full of heroes, but somehow this was different. There seemed to be this tension that no one else seemed to realize but her around the space. Maybe it was just her highly sensitive feathers but she wasn't sure what she was feeling right now.

And as Endeavor reached the center of the space and began talking about their plans, Hikari couldn't help but feel her mind going back to that odd uncomfortable feeling that seemed to be growing with every singular moment.

"Thank you everyone for joining my agency today in the fight to stop the liberation. At the moment we are the only thing standing between peace and an all out war and I believe.."

Feeling her feathers start to sharpen automatically, Hikari then looked around the space and the surrounding heroes only to find many of them displaying odd behavior. They almost looked nervous.

Sure, they were talking about a war, that would make anyone nervous, but it was the way some of them balled their fists or twitched their hands, or even held their support weapons that made them stand out from the rest of them.

And Hikari couldn't help but focus in on them, pausing at a no named hero that seemed to be holding the hilt of his sword next to her with a slight bounce on his heels and an anxious tap of his fingers. It almost seems like he was waiting for something. But what?

Hearing Endeavor's speech in the back of her ears, the bird still couldn't seem to focus, his words sounding underwater as Hikari's eyes only focused on the strange hero next to her, using her feathers to focus on his elevated heart rate and breath.

"That is why we must take down this villainous branch, so that society can rest safely again. I expect that we.."

The girl could only drift further and further away though, closing her eyes as she tried to reach her feathers' sensitivity to the rest of the large group in front of her.

Wait a minute, it wasn't just this guy in front of her that was acting strange, it seemed to be over a third of the heroes here. But why?

Twisting her lips into a frown, Hikari's feathers suddenly turned razor sharp as her necklace tightened itself in pain, causing the girl to open her eyes rapidly only to see the hero before her draw his sword without hesitation in order to plunge it straight into her chest.

The girl quickly sensed the movement, stepping away automatically only for the man's razor sword to instead ram itself into Endeavor' sidekick, Burnin falling to the ground with a pained cry as blood painted the floors.

Staring in utter disbelief, Hikari then turned back to the unnamed hero only for his lips to curl into a twisted smirk. "Re-Destro says you are not fit for his perfect society, Traitor."

And that's when everything turned into chaos.

All at once, the bird's feathers felt a massive presence approach them, causing the woman to immediately widen her eyes in a matter of seconds. Shit, no. It can't be. Did the league really give them...

Although In a millisecond, her fears were realized when a large Nomu broke through the entirety of the glass, it's massive giant body breaking the side of the building as it lunged in a very calculated direction.

Widening her eyes, Hikari quickly focused on her feathers in order to find out the target of the massive beast only to turn her head in horrible painstaking realization.

It's target was Touya's little brother.

The Nomu snarled in challenge before lifting his large claws at the boy, only for Todoroki to widen his eyes and throw a wave of ice at the same exact moment in order to slow its movements.

Raining chunk of ice crashed into the monster only for it to quickly break and discard the pieces with ease as the large mass seemed ready to engulf him all at once, Shoto feeling his entire body shake with fear. Was this how he was going to die? Just like this?

Yet that's when Hikari felt her legs move on their own.

At the same time Endeavor raced forward to help his son, the woman pushed her hands out in order to shove the youngest Todoroki away before the Nomu made full impact. "Shoto!"

All at once, the pure force of the monster crashed into Hikari, immediately pushing her off her feet and into the number one hero behind her before it's claws dug itself into her shoulders in order to throw both Endeavor and the girl through the floor beneath their feet.

The man seemed to realize this though, quickly turning so his body took all the impact before wrapping the blonde haired girl in his arms to lessen the fall as the Nomu pushed them through floor after floor.

It didn't stop there though, the Nomu not satisfied until it had taken the two through over twelve floors and into the basement, their bodies slamming against the hard concrete floor with a hard sickening crack once they reached the bottom.

Rolling out of Endeavor's arms, Hikari coughed weakly on her hands and knees, her entire vision blurry as white broken plaster rained all around them. Shit, what the hell was that? Did Re-Destro screw me over? Were all those heroes traitors? Fuck, we are so screwed..

The hero seemed far worse for the wear though, the old man coughing out a spit of blood before stumbling onto his knees as well. "D-Did you do all of this? Was this your plan..?"

Rolling her eyes at his accusation, Hikari couldn't help but scoff. Did he really think had orchestrated all this? What a joke. "Y-Yeah sure, I totally planned on getting the shit beat out of me this entire time. That was my grand plan. Aren't I a genius?

The man seemed to take her sarcasm as fact though, sucking in a heavy pained breath before looking up at the fall they had just taken. "We have to get back up there. I have to make sure Shoto is.."

Yet their moment of peace was quickly interrupted by a small chuckle. "Oh, I wouldn't worry about that right now, Endeavor. Seems you have other things you have to take care of first."

Turning towards the voice in question, they found Geten stepping out of the shadows with his hands inside his coat pocket, the white in his hair causing a swirl of nostalgia to appear in both Hikari and Endeavor's throat. Mostly because that color reminded them of Touya.

Hikari was quick to overcome the odd feeling though, groaning at the reappearance of the troubled teen. Out of everyone, why did Re-Destro have to send this kid again? "Ice Bitch? God, why am I not surprised?"

Genten frowned at the nickname before flashing his eyes towards the blonde woman with slight curiosity. "I didn't expect to see you here. The plan was to trap and kill only Endeavor down here."

The flamed hero didn't seem to like that plan very much though, Endeavor quickly stumbling onto his feet as he shouted back with extreme authority. "You'll never get the chance, villain."

The white haired kid could only chuckle at that though, lowering his voice into a threateningly low response, one that shook the whole room. "Cocky, aren't we? I wouldn't be saying that just yet, number one. Not until you take a look at the present the liberation has sent you personally.."

Just then, Hikari's feathers began to sharpen and twitch in anxiety as five large massive presences seemed to approach them, the girl immediately searching the darkness in order to find out just what the hell Geten had done..

Yet her fears were soon revealed as five high end Nomu's appeared from the darkness, surrounding them in a deadly suffocating circle and blocking them inside the small space.

Well shit, that was even worse than she thought it would be.

Five Nomu? Well it was obviously clear that they really wanted Endeavor dead if they brought out five of the most advanced and calculated monsters to corner him in with. Perhaps the liberation really was afraid of the hero messing up their plans. That's why they wanted to get rid of him quickly.

It would've been interesting to think about if Hikari hadn't found herself in the same position, the girl stumbling to her own feet before narrowing her eyes at the fight ahead.

Two people against Genten and five high end Nomu was a death wish, and it seemed like those cult freaks knew that firsthand.

Although almost as if he read her mind, Endeavor seemingly shut down her plans all at once, turning towards the reckless blonde girl before pushing his hands out in order to shoo her away. "Takami, stay back. Without a quirk it's useless to fight them."

Scoffing at the mere idea, Hikari couldn't help but pause. That's right, she couldn't use her quirk like this, not in such a small space. Even the feathers in her pocket would surely be recognized by Endeavor in this environment, and that's the last thing she wanted.

Whether she liked it or not, the man had a point. Without a quirk she couldn't possibly beat these monsters, and she wasn't about to ruin everything for some pathetic little hero.

Yet it also seemed like the man was taking his own self worth a little too far as well, Hikari eyeing the blood on his face from their fall before shaking her head. Idiot, he was just as screwed as her. "And without backup you're as good as dead. You do realize that, don't you?"

Endeavor's eyes seemed to move downwards towards the floor, confirming that he knew that very fact. The truth was, the man had only defeated one high end Nomu before, and that was only just barely. That thing nearly killed him last time so he knew this fight wasn't going to be easy.

But that's when the man looked upwards through the hole in the ceiling only for his hands to ball into determined fists, the number one hero deciding his choice and his path all at once.

All throughout his life he had been a coward. He had run away from Touya's problems and shut them down, he had ignored his family for his own selfish desires, and he had always put himself first.

But not anymore, he wasn't going to let those villains take away his son or his family, he wasn't going to stand back ever again. For once, he was going to be a father, he was going to take care of them.

Igniting his quirk so that his flames reached around his arms, Endeavor then narrowed his eyes, only focusing on one single solitary thing. "If the only way to get to my son is to go through them, then so be it."

Then Hikari watched as the number one hero raced straight towards the roaring monsters, the man signing his own fate and willingly entering his own sucide mission before her very eyes.

And that sight was something the villain woman couldn't process, her heart freezing as large golden colored flames filled the space all at once. He wasn't that much of an idiot, was he? He couldn't fight all these things by himself. It was a death wish.

Endeavor didn't seem to care though, using a fire fist to punch the large monster in the side only for his large taloned claws to swing and just barely miss the hero a moment later.

Feeling her entire body turn numb, the girl simply did as Endeavor has told her to do, choosing to stand aside knowing that she shouldn't have even cared about his idiotic man in the first place. If he wanted to die this way then so be it. It's what he deserved anyways.

It's what Dabi always wanted in the first place after all, for this man to burn and suffer, for him to die in the cruelest way possible for the pain he inflicted on his own family.

He had said it so much that the very idea had been ingrained in Hikari's mind as well, forced to share the villain's ideals as it just seemed right.

Hell, even her first interactions with the man were never great, the bird recalling how he screamed in her face and hurt her wing during that engagement party. She hated him, simply because Touya did as well. That's why she always went along with his sick fantasies and plans for the number one asshole.

For years the only thing she had heard and seen was that he was a monster, an unfeeling cruel tyrant that only thought of himself and shut everyone else down. That was a vision she had built up in her mind, the one that was easy enough to separate him from the rest of reality. In their eyes, he was always the villain.

Yet for some reason, Hikari's eyes couldn't help but blankly stare at the hero as he tried his best to single handedly defeat the Nomu before him, one of the monsters throwing its long arms at the man only for him to fly across the room and crash into the nearby wall a moment later.

And although the woman couldn't help it, Hikari felt her heart jump at the scene.

Wait, jump? Why the hell was she nervous? Why was she flinching and jumping? That man was just getting what he deserved. He deserved to suffer and get hurt like this. She should've been enjoying this, not fearing it.

Yet the more she watched the old tired man stumble back on his feet, the more her heart began to beat uneasily. Without backup he was as good as dead. It was obvious to tell that he was hurting from before and had probably broken something when the two fell twelve floors down.

Of course, he wouldn't have gotten hurt in the first place if he hadn't shifted his body to take most of the fall and protect Hikari from getting injured. That idiot, he shouldn't just fend for himself like usual, then he wouldn't have been so out of commission to fight right now.

Maybe if he had just let her get hurt insead, then he'd have a fighting chance right now.

A familiar pool of shame and self hatred appeared in her throat at the actions, knowing the reason he was so hurt was because of her in the first place. Although it's not like she asked him to save her or anything. He shouldn't have done that.

In fact, he shouldn't have done a lot of things in these past couple weeks.

He shouldn't have cared, she was just a villain after all. His sworn enemy, someone that was going to betray him in the future anyways.

When they fell through those floors he should've pushed her away or used her as a human shield or something. That's what she would've done if the positions were switched.

But then again, Endeavor also shouldn't have offered her an education, he shouldn't have asked to help her brother or even suggest that she become a dirty little hero. If he truly knew she was a villain, then he shouldn't have done anything for her.

He should've written her off as a monster just like she and Dabi did to him.

Shaking her head with unnecessary anxiety, the bird then watched as another Nomu came up behind the man before swiping his claws down into the hero's chest, causing Endeavor to grunt and cry out in pain as it's talons lodged itself further.

The silent splatter of blood soon painted the floor as the hero used his fire to burn the creature away, sending it reeling back as the old man stumbled backwards with a heavy breath.

And Hikari could clearly see the place where that beast had latched into the man, his entire chest now smeared and dripping with four large holes that made the Endeavor sway back and forth in order to fight consciousness.

It was no secret, he was dying for sure.

The very thought made the woman bite her lip as a wave of unexpected emotion poured into her without permission. The sight of the hero painted in blood, the lost dazed look in his eyes, it was something that couldn't help but make her head reel with unkempt and unimaginable feelings.

He was going to die, Endeavor was finally going to die.

Finally, right? That's what they always wanted in the first place. It's what Dabi had dreamed about for years, it's what the rest of the Todoroki deserved. It's what would finally set them free and live peacefully for once in their lives.

Yet that's when Shoto's words seemed to slap her across the face, haunting her with every heavy breath and drop of blood that poured from Endeavor's chest in silent wait.

"I do not forgive my father for what happened to my mother or my entire family. Although, he says that he wishes to atone for the rest of his life, so I will allow him that."

The idea was ridiculous to say the least. Wouldn't it just be better for his father to just disappear forever? Then he'd never have to experience disappointment again, he'd never have to be let down or hurt for wanting to believe him. He'd never have to trust him again.

That's what she wanted from Keigo after all, to never be hurt by him again.

It's why she pretended that she was dead for years, so that her brother would never enter her life again and hurt her just like the past. She always thought it was easier that way, choosing to ignore and force herself to forget her own suffering rather than having to relive it all over again.

Just as she thought that though, Natsuo's words appeared faster than she could process, Hikari watching with hollowed eyes as Endeavor was struck by another Nomu attack in the process.

"So even though I hate my dad and will never forgive him, I don't want him to disappear. I don't want him to die. I don't want him to give us another bad memory that will haunt us for years."

And that's when Hikari seemed to realize that Natsuo and her shared the same outlook on things, simply because that was the same way she treated everyone around her, including her delusional big brother.

If she really wanted to get rid of her problems then she would've killed Keigo herself three years ago, she would've painted the walls with his blood and never thought about that stupid boy ever again.

But then again, Valkyrie had never agreed with the idea of death, wanting to hold her victims on a string for the rest of their lives. She supposed it was the same thing for Keigo as well considering she had never bothered to actually get rid of or kill him all these years.

No, she ran away from her problems but she never actually ended them.

Masochistic sure, but the girl had seemed to develop that little annoying habitat, the one that wanted everyone to suffer but also wanted them to live and survive just close enough in her reach. It was conflicting, and something that neither her victims nor her could understand half of the time.

And Endeavor was the same, wasn't he?

At first she thought the rules were different from him, that she could kill him without an ounce of remorse given all the things he had done in the past. That's what Dabi would've done. That's what he thrived on, ending and finalizing all of his problems into ash.

But Hikari could see more than that, she could see not only his crimes but also the clear regret and age on his face, she could see his desperation to change the future and she could see how hard he was fighting to make sure Shoto was alright.

And because of that the girl couldn't help but compare him to a certain red winged idiot.

God damn it, Endeavor was just like Keigo, wasn't he? That's why he pissed her off so much. The mistakes he made in the past, being blind to those around him, wanting to atone and more forward to help his family? That's all the shit her brother had said before.

She wondered if he knew that, that his idol Endeavor was far more like him than he would've liked?

Although that's when Hikari was taken out of her own internal thoughts as Geten turned in her direction, clearly bothered by the way Endeavor was defending and protecting the girl from harm's way. It was annoying to say the least. "Don't think you can get away from this so easily, Takami."

Raising an eye in question, the boy was happy to continue his threat. "Sure, Endeavor may be protecting you now but I know for a fact that Re-Destro has already started speaking your precious little name all across the underworld. It's only a matter of time before they come for your head also.."

And that caused the female villain to completely freeze.

Wait, Re-Destro had broken their deal? He had publicly revealed her name? Shit, no it couldn't be. That meant that the commission would know her whereabouts and find her, it meant that everything she had tried to build was going to be destroyed.

Feeling her hands start to shake at the implications, Geten only chuckled as he enjoyed the clear look of panic and fear in the blonde's eyes. "Maybe you should've thought twice before double crossing us.."

The white haired teen then lowered his head before finishing his words before throwing a hand in her direction as one of the Nomu raced towards her without a second thought. "You know, something tells me that there are many people out there that would love to kill a Takami."

And even so, the girl remained still, watching as the bloodthirsty monster ran at her with terrifying speed, the bird's mind too far gone and terrified to get her muscles to move in any way.

This was it, wasn't it?

Nothing mattered anymore. Even if she got out of this fight it wasn't going to change anything. Soon the commission would be out to get her, soon she would have to leave her brother, soon this perfect little naive fantasy was going to come to an end.

Hikari vaguely saw the Nomu lift its claws up towards her in attack only for a wave of fire to appear out of nowhere a second later, burning the monster and causing it to reel backwards with a growl and a yelp.

Then the girl watched as Endeavor stumbled in front of her before pushing the girl backwards by the shoulders in a rough shove, his voice extremely fast and serious. "You have to get out of here and find Shoto. I'll hold them back.."

Yet once again, the girl seemed stunned, causing the man to groan in frustration before throwing another fire filled wave at the monster in order to gain some distance. What the hell was this idiot doing?! Now was not the time to zone out. "Takami, are you listening?!"

For Hikari though, the girl could only feel the acceleration of her brain swirl around in a thousand unexplainable circles of dread. For years she had hid her identity, for years she had hid in the shadows and now it meant absolutely nothing.

Now she would have to disappear again, now she'd have to cut ties with everyone in her life and hide away again. Even after the liberation was defeated Hikari knew she could never go back to that perfect little pretend life she had built this last year.

Re-Destro had already destroyed everything for her.

Feeling the crystal pendant around her twitch in realization, the girl absently placed a hand over the surface before lowering her eyes. If all that was true then what was the point in hiding anymore? It's not like she could stick around after everything.

No, Re-Destro wasn't going to end everything on her behalf, she wasn't going to go down without a fight, he wasn't going to leave her without a choice, just like every other bastard in her life.

Because if everything was going to end anyways then she was going to decide how to finish it herself.

Sure, the end result wasn't going to change, Hikari knew that. She knew that no matter what, leaving today meant having to give up her identity once more, it meant going into hiding and disappearing from her big brother, Dabi and everyone's sights. She knew that.

But if the result was still the same, then why go down without a fight? Why not burn the entire place down in memory of the life she was leaving behind..

Why not raise a little hell in the process?

Giving a feral psychotic smile under her breath at her internal choice, the female villain then slowly strolled towards the flamed hero before stepping in front of him and into the line of fire for the first time since the fight.

And the response was strange to the man, knowing she couldn't win against these monsters with no quirk. That was just impossible. "Takami, what are you doing?! I told you, you can't fight these things without a quirk!!"

Yet the girl only chuckled darkly at his comment before Endeavor realized that something in the room had shifted, eyeing the strange blonde female with a concerned stare. Just what the hell was she doing?

Reaching her hand up to the crystal pendant on her neck, Hikari's fingers wrapped around the surface before speaking low and calculated. "Hey Endeavor, I have a question I've always been meaning to ask you..."

Not understanding, Hikari then closed her eyes before ripping the crystal from her neck as her large grotesque wings lifted outwards in an ominous shadow, covering the entire hero as his eyes widened his pure realization and nostalgic horror.

Those wings, no. It couldn't be. There was no way..

Sensing his hands start to shake from her presence, the villain then glanced backwards as her golden amber glare met his, each word dripping with sarcastic poison and intent.

"Still think I'll never amount to anything?"

The words crashed into him immediately, recalling the same ones he spoke to Touya's date during that disastrous engagement party. All this time, right under his nose, this girl, she was the same girl from the past. She was his son's friend, she was the one that he yelled at and hurt in his own anger.

How could he have been so stupid? He always thought he understood his mistakes and her hatred towards him but that didn't seem to be the case at all. No, in actuality the man hadn't even begun to discover the tip of the iceberg. How foolish, blind again from what was in front of him.

Not being able to find the words, Endeavor felt his own voice stutter back. "Y-You..Y-You're...all this time...y-you were...."

Hikari only frowned though, finding his mental breakdown rather uninteresting as she heard Geten scream in fear at the very sight before him. "The boss said your quirk was ugly but I didn't think it would be like this. No wonder why you keep that necklace on.."

Feeding off his terror, the villain then turned towards the white haired kid and the Nomu before her before carefully removing the only long feather from her wings in order to swirl the sword around between her fingertips. "How about I show you just what this ugly quirk can really do?"

Then all at once, five extremely sharp feathers escaped from her wings before barreling straight at the monsters ahead of her, each of them forcing its way through each one of their twisted legs before cutting through the bone and coming out the other side bloody and crimson red.

The Nomu roared in response, all of them setting their sights on the girl only for her to smirk, already expecting that kind of reaction. These things were created by the League of Villains after all, which meant that Dabi had already disclosed their weaknesses to her years ago.

Sure, she had fought these things before in Kyushu quite differently, but at that time she was honestly just playing around with the creature in order to inflict as much pain as possible and prolong it's death as much as possible. What could she say, she was pissed at Keigo back then and needed to let off some steam.

But right now Hikari didn't have all the time in the world to play with the creature. No, right now she needed to get this done quickly so she could find Touya's younger brother and make sure he was alive. That's all that mattered right now.

So because of that, the girl didn't hesitate in the slightest, watching as the Nomu leapt towards her in attack only for Hikari to narrow her eyes and drive her long feathered sword straight into it's jugular, not caring about the blood that spurted out from the sides and onto her clothes.

Eyes deadly serious, she then watched as the monster wiggle around in agony before she twisted her sword in order to lodge the blade even further until it protruded from the other side as the Nomu slumped in an lifeless lump around it.

Forcing her sword from the dead creature, Hikari then turned her back to glare at the very silent and still Endeavor before speaking plain and serious. "The neck, it's the weak spot. You want to save Shoto, then make yourself useful, old man."

Not even checking if he registered her command, the woman then simply turned back just in time to come face to face with another thunderous creature, this one with a long lanky body and wings. In fact, it was the very one that had pushed her and the hero down through the floor.

Narrowing her eyes at its upwards attack, Hikari managed to roll out of the way in time, falling onto her hands and knees before four feathers escaped her wings in order to forcefully lodge itself into the monster's eyes and make him blind.

It roared in unspeakable pain before throwing its claws all around in furious response, allowing the girl to dodge more easily now that she had the upper hand.

Hikari then removed three more feathers from her wings before attaching them onto her clothes in order to float upwards towards the monster and jump on top of its scaly and leather filled skin as it profusely tried to knock her off immediately like a bucking bull.

The villain was quick to act though, using her feathered sword to drive her blade right in the center of the winged Nomu's back, causing the monster to scream again before taking off into the sky and bumping itself around on the walls one by one.

Gripping the sword with all her strength, Hikari forced herself to stay upright before using her hands to roughly grab onto its wings and twist them unnaturally with as much force as possible, causing the Nomu to roar and falter in the air.

She then released five more feathers from her wings before the lethally sharp bristles lodged themselves into its wings over and over again, coming out the other side in order to poke messy and tearing holes until the Nomu crashed down towards the floor.

Smirking to herself, the girl then forcibly removed the sword from the beast's back as it roared in pain before releasing one of the sharpest feathers from her wings in order for it to strike the Nomu right in the center of his weak spot, killing it immediately.

And as the monster fell down in the lifeless thud, Hikari's feather reappeared on the other side of the Nomu's neck, the girl grabbing the blood colored bristles between her fingers with ease before hopping down to survey her work.

Yet the silence was quickly interrupted when she sensed another large monster outstretching it's talons behind her, the girl frowning before turning around in order to tighten her hold on her bloody sword.

But before the Nomu could make contact, a bright ball of golden fire appeared from the center of its throat, the entire surface burning away into nothing before it collapsed onto the ground only to reveal a very exhausted and frazzled Endeavor behind it.

The two looked at each other with a heavy breath before Hikari glanced behind the hero only to find that the rest of the Nomu were somehow destroyed as well. Damn, he worked fast. Guess that's why he was the number one hero.

It also seemed like Geten had run away in the middle of the fight, probably too scared now that he was outnumbered in order to go back to Re-Destro instead. What a baby.

But now that the entire room was silent, the giant elephant in the room remained, Endeavor swallowing his pride before opening his mouth and finding no words. What was there to even say anyways?

He had never thought he'd see this girl again after Touya's engagement party.

And it was obvious that Hikari didn't seem in the mood for conversation either, the female simply allowing one feather to float into her palm before it zoomed upwards through the hole in the ceiling and into the fight above.

Turning her back to him, the girl then stepped away only for Endeavor finally found something to say, his voice rushed and uncertain. "Takami..."

Hikari didn't want to hear it though, the girl simply tightening the hold on her sword before glancing back at Touya's father with a dark heavy glare. "Save it. You have more important things to do."

And although that was true, the man couldn't help but wish for more time for them to figure all of this out. But of course that's not how things were, considering there was a war going on just above their heads, one that needed his help.

Seeing her walk towards the staircase in the corner, Endeavor couldn't help but blink in surprise, wondering just who this girl was before him. "Where are you going?"

This caused the girl to pause for a moment before reaching into her pocket and pulling out the crystal pendant and closing her fingers around it in silent thought.

Then Hikari glanced behind her before uttering words that she was sure Endeavor was going to understand, given that now he knew exactly who she was.

"I'm going to make sure another Todoroki doesn't get hurt."

-------------

Following in the path of her feather, Hikari raced up the back stairs as fast as she could, ignoring the sounds of explosions and raging fire in the back of her ears. Shit, these liberation freaks really planned on getting rid of everyone right now, didn't they?

Stupid stuck up pointy nosed freak. He probably planned on screwing her over from the beginning. Honestly, how rude.

Hikari groaned to herself before focusing on the feather just out of her reach in order to hear any signs of life from the youngest Todoroki. If he was dead already then she honestly didn't know what she'd do.

She had already failed Touya all those years ago, she couldn't fail Shoto as well. He was still too young to deal with all this shit.

Pausing for a brief second, the girl looked up only to find the path in front of her to be blocked by running plaster and pieces of building that had crumbled down into the stairwell. Well shit, this was going to be a lot harder than she thought.

Hikari frowned at the destroyed area before pushing herself into the door beside it, hoping there would be another way up or another staircase on the other side of this room. Stupid wings, if only she could fly and then things wouldn't have been so complicated.

Sighing to herself, the girl ran across the open space in an instant, the girl dodging fire filled projectiles and falling pieces of ceiling before a figure seemed to emerge from a couple feet in front of her, his voice full of cynical glee. "I knew you were hiding something under that necklace. So this is your true form, isn't it?"

Then all at once, Shadow's features morphed from the black misty figure, the man gazing at her newly revealed red wings with a sense of victory. Valkyrie's victims always talked about the color red. Now he seemed to know what that meant.

Hikari on the other hand was only annoyed, groaning at his newfound presence. "Oh come on, the last thing I need right now is you. Get out of the way before we have a problem."

The agent only laughed at that though, not budging in the slightest. "You really think I'm that foolish? Why would I let you go when we have just been fully acquainted? Isn't that right, Valkyrie?"

Groaning at her villain name, the girl was on her last bit of patience. "Look asshole, I don't have time for this. I need to get to the kid.."

Once again, the man only cut her off, already suspecting her words as plain lies, just like they always were.

No, right now he had her just where he wanted her, and the agent wasn't about to just let his target go. "Enough, I'm taking you straight to the commission right now. Say goodbye to your villainous little life, because the only thing you are going to see from now on is prison bars."

Hikari only rolled her eyes at his clear rejection though, a hand traveling to her face before running an anxious finger through her hair. She was wasting time like this. "Look, as much as I love this little game of cat and mouse you have going on, we can do all this later. Right now we need to get everyone out and.."

Yet once again, the agent shut her down, not interested in whatever tall tale she was trying to sell him this time. He was not that gullible. "Oh please, like I would believe anything you say. You've been lying to me since day one. Why would I ever believe anything out of your mouth of a pathological liar? Everything about you is a fake, villain. I don't think you even know how to tell the truth."

This caused the woman to pause before giving a heavy defended sigh. For as much as she hated the guy, he did have a point. She did always lie to him so it made sense why he wasn't listening to her right now.

Well, that came back to bite her in the ass, didn't it?

Although that's when the feather Hikari was following gave a slight twitch, the woman's ears perked up as she heard a gruff exhausted voice of Todoroki Shoto from just a floor above her. Oh thank god, there he was. He wasn't dead.

Her relief was soon dissipated though as she got a sense for his vitals before her heart dropped inside her stomach. His breathing seemed to be erratic and feared, like he was anxious about the situation around him. What the hell was happening up there? She needed to find out.

Turning back to Shadow, Hikari then lowered her eyes in a knowing realization. This man would never let her go, not unless she proved that she was actually telling the truth. But then again, that also meant proving that she was capable of such a thing.

The bird then gave a heavy weighted sigh before taking a threatening step towards the commissioned agent. What was the point of keeping everything a secret if he was just going to find out anyways? "You want the truth then I'll give you the truth."

Taking another step closer, Shadow then watched as the villain before him lifted out her broken and grotesque wings before speaking with a sense of seriousness he had never seen from the girl, each of her words making him freeze in an instant.

"My name may be Valkyrie but it's also Takami Hikari. I am the daughter of the infamous serial murderer Takami. My so-called wings were destroyed when your people, the commission, decided that I could not be saved and cast me out into the streets after assaulting me and leaving me to die."

Shadow couldn't help but widen his eyes at that, too focused on the rest of her story to realize that she actually just admitted to being the villain he was searching for.

No, in fact the agent couldn't help but feel like he had been punched in the face, searching the girl's face for any sort of lie only to come up blank in every single way.

What was this girl saying? There was no way the president destroyed her wings like that. Sure, the commission was tough but they weren't villains, they weren't cruel. Those were the types of things heroes fight against after all. What she was saying, it had to be a lie. "What.."

Seeing that he was finally listening to her for once, Hikari then reached down before grabbing onto Shadow's jacket in order to pull him forward so that she was staring straight into his shocked and stunned gaze.

And when she spoke, it was loud and jarring, forcing him to wake up out of his own delusions and dreams. "You have your truth, but that's not what matters right now. What matters is that there are kids up there and if you really call yourself a hero then you'll put all this shit aside and help me get them out!!"

Shaking the man around beneath her fingertips, Shadow took in everything about her features, searching her clearly panicked and anxious gaze before shoving her hands off him in order to take a step back to think logically. "Y-You don't seriously expect me to believe any of that. Villains don't save anybody."

Hikari seemed to realize that as well, looking up towards the ceiling as if to find some kind of answer before giving a heavy weighted sigh. "Maybe not, but until all of this is over, I'm going to do what you spineless heroes are useless at, actually being there for people that need them."

Turning her back on the agent, the woman then simply lifted up her wings before setting her sights on the very boy that needed her. "So if you wanna chase after me when all this is done, then so be it, but I'm not going down without a fight and I'm certainly not going to let those kids die today."

Then the girl ran past the commissioned agent in order to get to the stairs as Shadow couldn't help but remain silent, watching the blonde go and not doing anything about it.

He couldn't help it, the man was just too stunned.

Everything he thought he knew about Valkyrie, everything he thought she'd be was completely and utterly off. Hell, this girl had just openly confessed and ratted herself out so that he'd finally believe her words and help some random hero kids.

It was odd to say the least. He knew every villain like the back of his hand, they were slimy and distrustful and always thought for themselves.

But Valkyrie, it seemed like that woman was quite different and that was a realization that Shadow couldn't begin to understand.

Because if she really was a villain, then why was she risking everything just to save someone else?

------------

As Shoto threw another wave of ice at his current attacker, the boy couldn't help but let out a chilled breath in return. He had been fighting these villains for forever now and it was starting to leave patches of frostbite on his arms and face.

But even still, the boy kept going, looking over at his friends that were facing their own battles before silently hoping that Touya's friend was okay. She had to be, or else he didn't know what he'd do.

When he felt her arms push him away in order to take that sacrifice herself instead of him, the boy couldn't help but feel his heart cease up with unexplainable terror. If only he was smarter, faster, then his friends wouldn't have been hurt like that.

He needed to be better, for them.

Throwing a burst of fire in the direction of the villain in front of him, Todoroki then widened his eyes as a new attacker appeared from the corner of his vision, not allowing the boy time to react as they aimed their quirk in his direction.

Ah, crap. He shouldn't have zoned out so much.

Yet before the man could even make contact, a red blur zoomed right past Shoto's head before ramming itself straight into the villain's chest before making a disturbing crack type sound as he fell to his knees.

Widening his eyes at the brutal attack, he then watched as the red object seemingly appeared from the other side of the villain's body, bloody and crimson before zooming past him again into a stranger's fingers.

Desperate to look behind him, the boy then paused when he felt a chunk of black fabric plop onto his head warmly before a very familiar voice filled his ears. "You did good, Shoto. Thanks for not dying. Now you can relax."

Slowly moving past him, the boy felt his eyes widen instantly as Shoto gazed at her ominous broken red wings for the very first time, the skeletal structure of them causing an unexpected chill to run across his spine at the sight.

Wait, what was that? Hikari had a quirk all this time? She was lying to them? But why and how come her wings looked so destroyed and broken like that?

Hikari didn't even bother to look at his reaction, hearing soft gasps from the people around her as she eyed her prey with a silent stare. This was the guy that tried to stab her in the beginning of all of this. How ironic. "Now, let's see what we have here.."

Feeling intimidated by her outstretched wingspan, the man began to tremble, scooting away from the girl as she approached closer by the second. "M-Monster.."

The words only felt comical on her tongue though, already knowing exactly what she was. "Oh, don't tell me you tried to attack me earlier without knowing who I was? That's not very nice.."

Taking another step closer, the villain gasped before throwing his hands down in an overwhelming shout of threats and terror, grasping at anything he could. "Y-You get away from me..Re-Destro will.."

Once again, Hikari only laughed at his attempts, lifting her wings outwards even further to make him shrink inside himself. "He'll what? He's the one that invited me to this little function after all. Don't you remember the name of the first commander in his pathetic little army?"

Widening his eyes immediately, the man seemed to understand what she was saying in a heartbeat, his skin growing even more pale at the realization. "N-No, there's no way..you're V-Valkyrie?"

At her villain name, the woman only narrowed her eyes, not caring who heard it anymore. It's not like any of them would see her ever again after this. "That's right, and even still you had the audacity to attack me and little Shoto here? Looks like you just made a big mistake, didn't you?"

Deku, Bakugo and Todoroki couldn't help but gasp at the name though, knowing the villain persona from recent news articles and papers. Wait, was Hikari really a villain all this time? She was Valkyrie? But that didn't make any sense, she was always so nice to them.

The villain on the other hand was outright terrified by the name, already moving to a bow in order to ask for the demon's forgiveness to spare his life. "I'm sorry...I'm sorry I didn't..."

Hikari only glared in response, having heard enough before allowing four of her feathers to detach from her wings in order to brutally stab the villain through his non vital organs and render him unconscious. "Save it."

Once he had fallen down, the woman simply called the bloody feathers back to her hand before laying them into her palm with silent thought and turning back to the stunned children behind her.

Their eyes traveled from the bloody feathers in her palm to her monstrous form and wings before Shoto finally gained the courage to speak, his voice shaky and small. "H-Hikari, you're wings, they're.."

Hearing the stutter. Hikari only closed her eyes though, almost in acceptance before moving past the children and gesturing behind her with silent serious eyes. "Listen kid, you can be scared, that's fine but we gotta get you and your friends out of here before this place comes down."

And although her words were terrifying to say the least, Shoto only seemed to focus on the first part, twisting his eyes in confusion and slight concern. "What do you mean, I'm not.."

Hikari only cut him off though, almost like she didn't want to hear his words. "Come on, the exit is this way..!"

Feeling the floor rumble beneath their feet, the three kids then looked to each other before following the strange blonde across the space and into a long hallway.

She was right, their questions and curiosity would have to wait for now. Right now they all had to get out of here in one piece.

And as Hikari's heart began to beat erratically inside her chest, her feathers could sense the foundations of the building crumbling faster by the moment. Shit shit shit, these stupid useless wings. If only I could fly em out of here. Then we wouldn't be racing against the clock!

Yet just as she thought that, the bird felt another presence run towards them as Hikari quickly readied her feather sword and prepared for another fight. Just great, now who the hell was this?

Turning the corner, the woman didn't even hesitate before swinging her sword at her attacker only for the opposite party to do the same, almost sensing her movements as well before a matching feather sword clanged against hers.

Hikari couldn't help but blink in surprise at that, turning her head upwards only to find a very familiar and panicked set of amber eyes staring back at her.

Widening her eyes at the newfound presence, the girl immediately withdrew her sword with a gasp. What the hell was he doing here?! "Kei?!"

At the same time, the kids couldn't help but gasp as well. "Hawks?!"

Blinking to reality himself, Hawks then registered his little sister's face before his soldier-like facade melted away in an instant before grabbing onto her shoulders with a breath of releif. "Hika-chan, oh thank god. I thought I was too late. I'm sorry, I didn't know anything about any of this.."

Yet as much as she wanted to talk to him about many things, Hikari only seemed to sense the oncoming danger, feeling another rumble under her feet before glancing at her brothers' large wings and gaining an idea.

Then grabbed back onto his shoulders, the girl rushed out quickly. "Kei, grab the kids and get them out of here.."

Not fully understanding, the man couldn't help but pause at that. Not because she had just blown off his conversation. Nah, he was used to that part of her personality.

But because the very first thing she had asked him to do was to help someone else, was to save someone else.

And normally that wouldn't have been a problem but this was Hikari they were talking about, the most stubborn and self centered person around. She was a villain and had always prided herself on her hatred for heroes since the day they had met.

So the fact that she was begging him to save these kids, it was really strange. Just what has happened in these last couple weeks? Had Hikari changed that much? He didn't know.

Because of that, Hawks couldn't help but draw a blank, trying to process her words and failing all at once. "H-Huh?"

Hikari only frowned at that though, opting to slap her brother upside the head in order to wake him up. "Don't huh me, just do it you stupid bird!! We are running out of time!!"

That seemed to do the trick though as right after her hit, Hawks began to feel the building shake beneath his feet, seeing the newfound urgency of the situation. Shit, he was so wrapped up on finding his sister that he hadn't even noticed the state of the building until now.

So much so that the bird nodded his head in understanding before turning back to his sister with a knowing look of concern. She was talking so much about these kids but he hadn't heard anything about how she was going to get out of this.

And that idea terrified him immensely. "What about you?"

Shaking her head, Hikari only frowned, clearly taking herself as second priority. "I'll be fine, just make sure they get out.."

She could tell he was still hesitant though, not wanting to leave his little sister alone in a crumbling building that was surrounded by villains. Understandable honestly.

But Hikari also knew that she wasn't an ordinary person and that her safety wasn't the most important thing right now. Besides, it's not that she was going to let herself die before tearing down the liberation and making them regret this little stunt.

Sighing to herself, Hikari then lowered her eyes before speaking honestly to her brother, not an inch of villainous tone or demeanor in her voice. "Kei-chan, please.."

And at the sound of her old nickname for him, Hawks felt himself crumble entirely. The last time she said it, it was clear that the girl had let the name slip without meaning to but right now Hawks could tell that was not the case.

No, she was calling him that willingly and she wanted him to believe in his little sister.

Because of that, the hero's lips couldn't help but twist in conflict before giving his own heavy sigh. Hikari was right. He had to trust her on this one. She wasn't some little kid after all. "Alright fine, but after I get them down I'm coming back for you, you got that?"

Nodding her head absentmindedly, Hikari replied half heartedly.. "Mhmm sure sure, Just hurry."

And that seemed to be enough for the bird, Hawks turning back to the kids before taking a step closer to them with a goofy smile in order to distract them from the situation they were in. "You heard the lady, come on kids!"

Todoroki seemed to have second thoughts though, turning to the bird with heavy concern for the plan. "Wait, we can't just leave, what about Hikari.."

Hawks then watched as his once villainous sister gave a small gentle laugh before twisting her lips into the gentlest smile he had ever seen from her. "Don't underestimate me, kids. I never go down without a fight."

Then just like that, the girl disappeared down the hall in order to find an exit of her own as Hawks couldn't help but stare in disbelief. His sister, something had definitely changed in her, that was for sure.

Desperate for answers, the bird spoke. "Hey kids, you seem really close to her. Is that true?"

The three kids then looked between each other before Deku smiled softly in response, the boy meaning his every word. "Of course, she's our friend."

That was something Hawks had never expected to hear in a million years. Hikari the villain, friends with a group of hero kids? How strange indeed.

And yet somehow, he couldn't help but be proud of her for it.

"Friend, huh? Well, gotta say I never thought I'd hear that one."

------

Running as fast as she could, Hikari dodged through large chunks of fire before the building began to cave in on itself ever faster, causing the girl to stumble and fall every few feet.

Yet even so, she didn't give up, opting to fumble back to her feet every single time in order for her feathers to take out any attackers that stood in her way. She just needed to last long enough for those kids to be safe.

Sensing a chunk of plaster fall towards her, Hikari quickly used her feathers to drag two empty wooden desks into the path in order to create a sort of dome to shield her from the dangerous rainfall.

And as the ceiling started to come down even faster, the girl realized she was running out of options, glancing towards a large glass window in the corner of the room. Oh there was no way in hell I'm going to put my life into Keigo's arms like that. What if he didn't come and grab me in time? Then I would be as good as dead.

But that was always the thing, wasn't it?

Trust.

It was something that was so incredibly dangerous, something that was so vulnerable, and it was something that Hikari was outright terrified of.

And that was simply because as a child she was always far too trusting, trusting of Keigo to come back to his family, trusting of the commission to see her as worthy, trusting of Riku to make her stronger, trusting of Touya to give her heart and body away in a single instant.

The truth was, every single time she had thought she was safe, thought she was loved and protected, the opposite would always occur. She was always so sick of it, sick of being used and manipulated because of her outlook for wanting something more than what the universe gave her.

Time and time again she had been punished for opening herself up to people which was why the idea of trusting her brother again was so incredibly scary, because once she took that leap again there was no going back.

Yet somehow, staring out at that clear glass window, Hikari's mind began to run with that same naive possibility that always destroyed her every single time before. The possibility of trust.

Because the girl very well knew she could take that leap of faith again, choosing to jump through that window in hopes that her big brother would be there for her and catch her fall, but then again if she was wrong then that was it.

She'd be dead.

Could she really risk everything for him again, could she really trust him to be there for her this time? Hikari didn't know, and that not knowing was incredibly scary to her.

But then again, nothing was ever one hundred percent, was it?

Knowing that someone is going to stay by your side, being absolutely certain that they wouldn't ever hurt you, that stuff just wasn't real. You just have to hope and believe and pray that you are right.

But then again, if you never take that chance then would anything ever change in the end? Or would you be left alone and isolated because you simply ignored a chance at happiness, because you were simply scared?

Twisting her brow in conflict, Hikari felt the floor beneath her feet begin to shake.

Somewhere in her heart she did want her and her brother to grow closer and try to fix their mistakes, she wanted them to go back to the past when nothing ever mattered except for each other. She wanted to be his little sister again, she wanted to be loved by him again.

Yet, she also knew that would never happen if she didn't take a first step also.

Yes it was scary, but would Keigo really love her again if she opened her heart to him? Would he accept her scars and tears and let her cry on his shoulder? Would they finally go back to being inseparable again?

Was that possibly enough for Hikari to finally take that one final leap of trust?

Having her answer immediately, the girl closed her eyes in realization before setting her sights on the large window before her. One last chance, one last moment of trust, a do or die situation, that's what's awaited her.

Hikari then slowly began to rise to her feet before racing towards the window ahead of her, her heart beating inside her ears as she reached the window before using her feathers to break the glass and jump into the open air before her.

One last leap of faith.

As the air immediately rushed through her hair and her lungs, the girl looked down at the oncoming pavement before closing her eyes in order for her body to fall all at once. Perhaps it was a lost cause after all, but even so she had to know.

Moment by moment passed by like an entry as tears began to prick the corners of Hikari's eyes, the panic in her heart from her fall and the pain from her mind at what she had just done began to overwhelm her in an instant.

She supposed this was it.

Her trust in Keigo, it was all for nothing again, wasn't it?

Yet that's when her body seemingly crashed into something warm, the girl shaking out her own delusion only to come face to face with her big brother, his voice drowned out from the sound of the wind. "Ah, just in time, right? Maybe next time you could warn me before you jump out of another window. You nearly gave me a heart attack, Hika-chan."

Blinking in stunned shock, the girl looked around the space only to find the two of them hovering in the air silently, her eyes pooling with tears in an instant. He was right here, Keigo hadn't abandoned her again.

And she believed him this time.

The emotions were so overwhelming that Hikari felt her arms immediately reach upwards before hugging her big brother in a warm embrace, surprising the bird immediately. "Whoa whoa, hey it's okay. I gotchu sis."

Yet that's when he heard her mutter something against his jacket, the word causing Keigo's eyes to widen instantly. "I love you, brother."

Immediately looking down at his sister, the bird couldn't help but feel his heart twist in an uneven and emotional way. Did he just hear that right? No, it couldn't be, Hikari always said she hated him. He must be going crazy.

Although as the silence continued, realization began to cross his face before lightly a hand up in order to place it on the girl's head, his own voice wavering and tears forming at her words. "I-I love ya too, sis. Always have."

Clearing his throat, the bird then fluttered down towards the ground before placing his sister back on her feet, watching as she wiped away her own tears before he spoke. "I'm glad you're alright, Hika-chan. I swear, I got here as fast as I could. The liberation changed the plans so suddenly and I was afraid that you would be.."

Hikari only seemed to chuckle at that though, pushing her brother's shoulder playfully. "Come on, Kei-chan, give me some credit. I'm not that hopeless."

Catching the use of his sister's nickname for him, the bird couldn't help but smile at her response, pride in his eyes for just how capable she actually was. "Yeah, I know."

Just then, a loud collection of voices shouted over the two of them, the girl turning to find Deku and Todoroki running straight at her as Bakugo trailed behind. "Hikari, you're okay!!"

Plowing into the girl all at once, Hikari felt herself stumble on her feet before awkwardly hugging the overly emotional teens with a light pat. "Oof, okay okay kids. Stop it, get off of me. I told ya I'd be fine."

That's when another voice entered the space, Endeavor's rough voice causing Hikari to freeze all at once. "Takami."

The man certainly looked worse for the wear as well, the hero leaning against a nearby wall in order to gain his balance as he eyed the blonde haired woman with a thousand unspoken words.

Hawks didn't seem to recognize the atmosphere though, happily strolling up the man before raising his hand in a goofy greeting, something that didn't fit the situation at all. "Ey! If it isn't my old pal Endeavor, what's up man?"

The flamed hero only frowned in response though, pointing to his broken and dilapidated agency before answering plainly. "What's up is that my entire agency is destroyed."

Whistling out in fake pity, the hero matched his frown before speaking without a care."Oof, yeah that really sucks. Sorry about that. I tried to get here as fast as I could but after my fight with Dabi I was a little slower than usual.."

Yet his words caused Hikari to immediately freeze, turning towards the bird with a dark threatening look. "What do you mean fight with Dabi?"

Shrugging his shoulders, the bird only hummed in response. "Oh, it was nothing. He just wanted to know about why you were actin weird so I told him."

Almost immediately, Hikari's eyes widened in anger. So all that bullshit she went though, that entire fight with Dabi was because Hawks just casually told him about their plans?!

Shouting in his direction, the girl turned with wild furious eyes. "That was you?!"

Sensing her anger, the bird couldn't help but shrink back. He had told Dabi about their plans just because he thought that was the right thing to do. The villain wanted the truth after all and that's what he gave him.

Although somehow, he couldn't help but feel like he misstepped.

"Was that bad?"

Shaking her head around, Hikari couldn't help but roll her eyes before shouting back her anger-filled response. "You bird brain, of course it was bad! You did the worst possible thing!! I swear I'm gonna.."

Hawks then saw her feathers slowly remove from her wings as the man quickly lifted his hands to his face in a weak defense. Yep, definitely misstepped. "Whoa whoa, alright I get it, I'm sorry, just not the face!!"

The girl only shook her head though, stomping up her brother before slapping him upside the head harshly as she glared. "I'm gonna do a whole lot worse then mess up ya face, ya stupid pigeon!"

Yet in her fit of rage, Hikari didn't even notice her Kyushu accent had started to slip, causing Endeavor to immediately turn towards the two birds in front of him. Wait, now that he mentioned it, those two looked rather familiar next to each other...

Recalling Hikari's file, the hero then turned to Hawks before widening his eyes in a newfound light. That girl's brother had wings also and that file said that his records were classified to the country of Japan.

Wait, Hawks worked for the commission didn't he? Then it would make sense for his records to be wiped away by that president of his. Wait, it couldn't be, there was no way..

Was Hawks her brother?

Voicing his suspicions, the man couldn't help but gasp, pointing to the bird in question. "Takami, is he.."

Yet almost immediately, Hikari spoke over him, her topic completely different from the one Endeavor had brought up, almost like she already knew what he was trying to imply. "Listen, whatever, what's done is done, alright? We have bigger things to worry about, like the fact that the liberation just brought this war to our doorsteps."

And that seemed to confirm everything for the man. If Hikari shut him down that quickly then that could only mean one thing, he was right and she wanted to keep Hawks' real identity a secret.

So for that reason, the man withdrew, giving her what she wanted in order to go along with her statement. "I'm with the girl, I'll gather up the uninjured heroes. It's time we finish this once and for all."

Deku seemed to be on board with this as well, his arms raised upwards in determination. "We'll help anyway that we can!"

Nodding once, Todoroki replied a moment later. "I agree."

Even Bakugo seemed to be eager for a fight, his palms already crackling and sparking from the mere idea of showing up those liberation freaks. "Damn right! Let's show these bastards who they are messing with!!"

Knowing everything was coming to an end, Hikari then turned to her brother only for him to smile in her direction and reply. "Let's do it, Hika-chan. Let's end all of this together."

And as Hikari realized what all this truly meant, the girl couldn't help but feel her own feathers twitch in silent anticipation. This was it, one last mission and then she would disappear for good before the commision found her.

Might as well go all out, right?

"Look out Re-Destro, I'm coming for you."

--------------

36 pages let's go! This one had so much character development in it, dang. I mean, Hikari saving Endeavor, revealing her villain traits to the kids, finally trusting her brother again after all these years and saying she loves him? My heart.

As you remember, in the first couple chapters, Hikari couldn't even begin to say the word love without gagging and now look at her. She's really ready to accept Keigo back into her life.

Man, this is really happy. I hope nothing bad happens that destroys everything...but that would never happen right?

Don't forget to comment this chapter took me forever. RIP

Next chapter: Can't give too much away but I can give you the chapter name. "Just Like His Father"