As Hawks made his way towards the Todoroki household, the bird couldn't help but grow slightly anxious. Sure, he had met Endeavor a bunch of times but the other kids? Now that was something that the man was slightly afraid of.
Shoto didn't seem as bothered though, simply moving three steps in front of the bird at all times. So much so that Hawks couldn't help but grow a slight sense of deja vu from the action as he recalled a very similar white haired boy doing the same many years ago.
Even his voice, it was always engraved in the back of his head, haunting him for the rest of his life. "Come on stupid piegon, hurry up or I'm gonna leave you"
Grimacing at the memory, the bird quickly shook it away before looking down at his hand in sadness. So much has changed since then. They had both changed since then. If only he could just go back and fix everything, then Touya wouldn't have turned out like this.
Just another mistake he had caused by merely existing.
Feeling himself bump into Shoto a moment later, Hawks quickly snapped out of his own depression to find that the boy had stopped moving completely. Well, a little warning would've been nice. "Whoa, what's with the sudden pause?"
He only turned before silently pointing at the house estate behind him with a simple reply. "We're here."
Just then, the gates to the lavish mansion opened up as the bird took an uncertain step inside. Whoa, this place was insanely large, and growing up from the poorest part of Kyushu, it was definitely quite a culture shock for the poor bird.So this was where Touya grew up.
Soon he found himself in the grand entryway as Shoto simply closed the door behind him as if this was nothing all that special to behold. But Hawks couldn't help but think differently, practically gawking over every last detail.
He may have been the number two hero but the man had only ever seen things that the commission had paid for, like his apartment or his tiny windowless room at the base. His cage was never that grand. The president seemed to make sure of that.
Suddenly, a slew of voices echoed to his right, causing the man to internally flinch as two white haired individuals appeared out of nowhere, eyeing the bird with curiosity.
After a moment they seemed to realize their staring before the woman perked up with a small smile. "Oh? Hello, you must be Hawks. It's nice to meet you. I'm Fuyumi and this is my brother Natsuo."
Throwing up his signature mask, the blonde haired hero forced a toothy grin up to his lips in order to reply. The last he wanted was for these kids to think he was weak. "That's me. And you must be the Todoroki kids. Nice to meetcha."
Hawks then gave an awkward laugh only to realize that Natsuo seemed to be strangely quiet in response, the white haired man only choosing to stare at the bird instead of giving him a normal answer.
So much so, that the hero started to feel slightly self conscious about the actions, forcing his body to turn away from them so that they couldn't stare at his wingless back or the thick bandages that lined his arms and chest. They must be disappointed to see him like this.
Yet that's when Fuyumi frowned before elbowing her little brother in the ribs in order to break him out of whatever trance he was in. "Natsu, say something."
Blinking in surprise, Natsuo finally tore his eyes away from Hawks before shamefully pushing them towards the ground in embarrassment. "Ah, sorry it's just...you look just like her. I can't believe I never noticed it before.."
Not understanding, Hawks frowned. "Like who?"
Fiddling with his fingers, the white haired Todoroki seemed rather ashamed as his voice barely went before a whisper. "Your sister."
At the mention of Hikari, Hawks couldn't help but visibly flinch, picturing her currently being tortured and interigated in an empty room all by himself. Just the thought of her hurt so much that he couldn't breathe.
Feeling his voice crack on the words, the bird replied. "Y-You know Hikari?"
Natsuo nodded in response before turning strangely silent as his eyes seemed to grow far more troubled with memories that the bird couldn't understand. Was it really true? Did Hikari know these kids?
Fuyumi seemed to sense his unease as well, choosing to answer for him with a heavy weighted sigh of shame. "Sort of. We used to play together with Touya when we were kids. She never told us her name but after looking at that broadcast, it seemed everything fell into place for us."
The information was certainly surprising to Hawks, not having heard anything like that until now. Hikari was around the Todoroki's when she was younger? Well, he supposed that made sense considering her close relationship with Touya/Dabi. The way they acted, the way they looked at each other, that could have only been established through years of proximity.
But even so, the bird couldn't help but feel his eyes dip downward at that. Hikari was so close to him this entire time, running in similar circles and not once had he run into her. The irony.
Feeling his own words run dry, Hawks whispered back brokenly. "Oh..I never knew that.."
Just then, his thoughts began to overrun with unpleasant insults and memories as his own iris's grew dull and lifeless. There was that silence again, torturing him with every waking moment. Why couldn't it just leave him alone?!
Although that's when Shoto's monotone voice seemed to ring through the space, pausing his breakdown as he gestured to the room around him. "I told Hawks he could stay here."
Blinking in surprise, the bird turned his head towards the boy only to find him staring at the hero in some sort of specific manner, almost like he knew the dark thoughts that threatened to surface in Hawks' mind.
Was that why he had changed the subject away from his sister so abruptly?
Fuyumi didn't seem to have a problem with that though, her face lighting up with both surprise and excitement for the new house guest. "O-Oh yes, of course he can! Since Dad is still in the hospital I'm sure we won't mind. I'll even make you some dinner if you haven't had any."
Ignoring the low rumble in his stomach, Hawks shook his head in reply. He didn't think he could stomach anything right now. "Ah, that's okay I'm not really.."
Fuyumi only waved him away though, not taking any of his words to heart as she gushed back. "Nonsense! I'm sure the hospital food wasn't the best. Allow me to cook you a real meal for a change. Besides, you're beginning to look like skin and bones. We need to fix that!"
Then before he could protest, Fuyumi had already disappeared from the conversation all together, the action causing Natsu to chuckle under his breath in order to elbow the bird. "Andddd she's gone. Sorry, we don't get a lot of guests so she gets easily excited. Here, I'll show you to the guest bedroom."
Making his way down the hallways, Hawks was forced to follow as the hero recalled the light atmosphere he had just bared witness to. Natsuo and Fuyumi, both of them seemed at ease with each other, so much so that it confused the man. Hikari and him weren't like that in the slightest. Was that how most sibling relationships were supposed to be?
So much so that Hawks asked his next question without realizing it. "You two seem close."
Humming in reply, Natsu shrugged behind him. "Yeah well, when you're separated from your other siblings you get close to the ones you do get to see. It's not the same with Shoto, I hardly know anything about him.."
It was obvious that someone was missing from his answer as the blonde haired hero felt his eyes drop ever so slightly. "And Touya, were you close to him?"
At his big brother's name, Natsuo's feet immediately froze before turning back to the bird in question. That's when Hawks realized he had misstepped.
This kid wouldn't have known his connection to Touya, so of course it seems strange to mention the previously pronounced dead boy. Dabi's broadcast mentioned Keigo as a bad hero and a traitor, but he never mentioned anything about being friends with him at the commission.
That was something only Hawks knew.
After a moment, Natsu's skepticism died down before coming up with a logical solution of his own. "Hikari must have told you. What did your sister say about him?"
Hikari hadn't said anything about Touya to him, but that didn't stop Hawks from rolling with that lie in order to hide his own spill up. But even though his sister may have not said anything about the oldest Todoroki to him, Keigo already knew plenty.
Simply because the two shared a bedroom at their time during the commission.
Recalling his old best friend's words, Hawks answered back plainly. "That he wasn't close to you."
Knowing that he was right, Hawks then watched as Natsu's eyes widened slightly before giving a sad defeated chuckle to himself. "Distant is a better term. Dear old dad had him believing he was the world's next best hero, that he was better than us rejects, so much so that he started to believe it."
Then the Todoroki boy shook his head in hidden disgust at the memory. "Touya's ego, it was something else entirely and no matter how hard Fuyumi and I tried to play with him, he just shrugged us off, like we were beneath him. Like we were nothing. It was like that until he was sent to the commission for a special training program."
At the sound of his old training program, the bird felt himself suck in a heavy breath. He knew many things about his previous roommate but he never knew how he treated his other siblings. Actually, Touya hardly talked about any of them, almost like they weren't worth his time.
Continuing, Natsu's voice turned cold. "That's when I stopped trying to please him and decided to live my own life. For thirteen years he looked at me like I was garbage, so I gave up. I engrossed myself with my own high school life and forgot about my big brother, ignoring everything about him simply because it was easier."
The hero wondered how many years this kid had tried to be-friend his brother, how many failed attempts he had to suffer through only to be turned away? It must've hurt, just like it probably had hurt Hikari when he unknowingly pushed her aside as well.
Seeing his eyes grow cloudy, Natsu then began to shake his head, almost like his own words caused an invisible emotional pain. "And when Shoto became Dad's new favorite son, Touya changed into something different. He was far more desperate for attention than before. So much so that he would do all these reckless and dangerous things just to get us to notice him. But we didn't, not once."
The white haired Todoroki then finished sadly as tears threatened to break across his eyes. "And now he's...I don't even recognize him anymore. That broadcast, I couldn't see my big brother at all in that villain. I still can't, as sad as it may be."
His words were heartbreaking of course, but Hawks couldn't help but see a correlation between who Touya was and who Hikari was. Their stories were so incredibly similar in so many heartbreaking ways. Was that why they two had gotten so close over the years?
They were practically interchangeable, Hikari looking for her big brother's love and acceptance while Touya was looking for his families. They were like two sides of the same coin, both of them lonely and heartbroken by the rejection before them.
Snapping back to reality, he then watched as Natsuo whipped the corner of his eyes in order to rid himself of the tears clouding his vision. It was obvious to tell that Touya's brother was still affected by this even today.
And when he spoke, it was full of so much shame and heartbreak that Hawks felt his own throat tighten up at the raw emotion. "I never knew how much he was suffering, how lost he was without any kind of approval."
Nodding his head absentmindedly, Hawks agreed with the boy. It's true, he didn't know that Touya was suffering that much either, he didn't know how fragile and broken that boy was until it was too late.
So much so that began to whisper under his breath. "Me neither.."
Natsu felt his own eyes widen at that, turning towards the number two hero as confusion painted across his face "Huh?"
Realizing he had fucked up, Hawks immediately slapped a hand across his lips before giving an anxious chuckle in order to change the conversation and fast. The last thing he needed was for Natsuo to know that he was responsible for his big brother's death.
"Uhh I mean, Hikari, how did you meet her?"
At the mention of the girl, Natsuo seemed to take the bait, the man turning his back in order to answer as he walked. "He brought her over here once but I knew from the moment he looked at her, that the two had history. It was hard to ignore, the way they acted around each other. It was like for the first time, I saw a completely new side of him."
And that was surprising, considering neither Touya or Dabi were the best at making friends or even talking to other people. Hell, even Keigo had to ask the boy a million times before he reluctantly agreed to keep him around. So the fact that he was so open with Hikari, it seemed really out of character for him.
Just then, Dabi's cruel words of betrayal seeped into the bird, causing his chest to twist with unkempt anger. That villain said that he used Hikari's weak heart in order to use her. Did that mean that his entire past with her, those glances and actions that Natsu just talked about were fake also?
Hawks honestly wasn't sure what lay behind Touya's confusing past.
So much so that the bird couldn't help but inquire about it himself. "You think he loved her?"
Natsu seemed to pause for a moment before allowing his lips to curve upwards in a sly smirk as he walked. "I know he practically screamed at me in a store when I asked him. That reaction doesn't come from indifference, that's for sure. I mean, I saw firsthand the way he'd always get jealous around her or how he'd always cave to make her happy. If you ask me, I think my big brother already knew the answer to my question but didn't want to admit it for some weird reason."
Just then, the man stopped before pointing to a plain looking room to his right. "We're here. Sorry it's not that extravagant. All the other rooms are being cleaned."
Pushing the door open a little more, Hawks stepped inside the plain white walls before turning back to the Todoroki kid with a small smile. "No worries man, I'm just grateful for your invitation."
Natsu nodded once at that before his eyes shifted down the hallway with a shrug. "Just prepare your stomach for my sister's cooking later. I just know she's gonna overdue it and make an entire feast for you."
And as he began to chuckle to himself, Hawks couldn't help but admire the happiness in his eyes when he talked about the goofy antics of his little sister. "I wish my relationship with Hikari was as strong as you and your sister."
Softening his eyes so slightly, Natsuo smiled to himself in reply. "Well, that's what happens when you rely on each other to get through everything. As a kid, I knew that even if my dad and the entire world ended up turning against me, I would always have my sister by my side."
Then the man quickly perked up before turning toward the door with a small wave, not wanting to think too much about his sappy feelings. "Anyways, I'll leave you to relax. Someone will send for you when dinner is ready."
And once he was gone, Hawks started to feel that loneliness in his chest once more.
So much so that the bird felt his fingers reach into his jacket before pulling out the small polaroid picture of his little sister in that princess dress, the one he kept on him at all times. Hikari may have found it hard to believe but Hawks had truly never left his room without it.
Looking at the cheesy smile of the five year old girl, the bird felt his heart twist unnaturally. The sad part was the world had turned against her and yet he hadn't taken her side like Natsuo had for his sister. No, She didn't have that hope he had explained.
Hawks then sighed to himself before turning towards the nightstand next to him in order to prop the small photo by the bed so he could be reminded how shameful he was as a brother.
Turning around, the bird then paused when he kicked something expected under the bed, causing him to carefully reach his hand underneath in order to pull out a small cardboard box with a variety of things inside.
At first, the items seemed rather meaningless. A singular blue child's size shoe, a red toy car and an old half deflated soccer ball. Yet that's when Hawks seemed to spot something rather familiar.
Picking up a small leather bound book with a black metal clasp, the bird turned it over in his hands before painful memories began to resurface without his permission. He remembered his book anywhere, his was Touya's journal at the commission.
They had all received one during the first day of training with the purpose to track quirk progressions, eating habits and changes through the course. Even Keigo had one, it was standard to all kids in the program.
Looking at the small set of numbers across the clasp, the bird frowned before recalling the traditional number cipher that he was taught for secret coding before his fingers graced other the buttons and typed the numbers 14-21-13-2-5-18-1, translating to N-U-M-B-E-R-1.
It was Touya's code, the one he shared with Keigo all those nights ago.
The latch popped open at that, allowing the bird to open the cover only to realize that almost the entire journal had been destroyed. Pages were ripped out, corners burnt and even the spine itself was close to falling apart. Whatever it was, it was intentional.
In fact the only thing that remained of the tattered book were three singular pages, each of them ripped and charred on the edges. But even so, three handwritten pages remained.
Letting curiosity get the better of him, Hawks began to read the first entry slightly.
This is it,
This is my final chance to prove to Dad that I'm worthy enough to be the Todoroki's successor, that I can beat All Might. I can't fuck it up, not this time. It doesn't matter if my body is failing me, I'll force it to listen. It has to listen because there is no other option other than this.
My stupid roommate has been making it hard though, forcing me to talk about pointless things other than training while he squawks about his stupid little sister that he left behind. I don't care, I don't care about any of it, and yet I can't help but listen. I can't help but think about the fact that this stupid bird thinks I'm the coolest thing he's ever seen. The admiration, the compliments, it's addicting. I haven't had that from dad in so long. So perhaps, maybe I'll let him rant a little longer.
He talks of friends, as if I would ever stoop so low.
As if I would ever give into such a pathetic weak idea.
His words, they sound like a diary, something that even Keigo didn't know he kept. Did he document his entire time at the commission? But that was against the rules, they weren't supposed to put anything personal in these journals. That's why they were taken away and given to the president at the end of the year.
Because of that, the bird couldn't help but continue, noticing that the second pages seemed far more ripped and torn than the first.
He found out about my failure of a body, he found out and he understood. How strange, wanting to keep around a reject like myself. He saw me burning up in my bed, screaming with pathetic tears and yet the only thing he did was stay by my side. Not disgusted, or ashamed or looked at with pity, but rather with care.
What a disgusting display of weakness, and yet Keigo didn't withdraw his offer of friendship. It's strange, this feeling of trust.
I've never had that before and I'm sure Dad wouldn't feel the same way. No, I'd be replaced in a second if he ever found out that my fire is killing me. That's what I thought would happen with Keigo also. It's what he should've done.
But he didn't, he simply agreed to keep my secret.
And I believe him.
Friends? Maybe that term isn't so bad after all.
Almost ripped his eyes away from the page, Hawks felt his chest twist with overwhelming shame and hurt. Touya sounded so happy here, happy to finally have a friend that accepted him as he was.
And Keigo ruined it, he ruined it to pursue his own twisted future.
His emotions were so overwhelming that Hawks felt tears begin to coat the corner of his eyes. He didn't know, he didn't know that the commission program was his last chance at being accepted into his family, he didn't know that he had taken his only dream away until it was over.
How selfish, how cruel, what an awful shitty little bird.
Forcing himself to flip to the last page, the bird gasped as dark black ominous ink greeted him, the edges lined with dark dried blood as they spelled the true descent of his once best friend.
Liar
Liar
Burn
He needs to burn
I'll make him BURN
JUST LIKE EVERYONE ELSE
Throwing the leather bound book out of his grasp, the object fell onto the mattress as Keigo felt himself cower in fear, his own hands covering his face as hot tears poured across his cheeks.
He didn't know, he didn't know it would end like this. He was just a kid back then, he didn't know what would've happened, he thought he was helping him in the end. But even so, it seemed like Keigo was unknowingly destroying another life other than his little sister's.
Choking on another suffocating breath, the truth wrapped around him like poison before brokenly calling out into the silence, wishing for forgiveness for what he had done to his best friend without knowing it.
"I-I'm sorry, I'm sorry T-Touya. I didn't know..I didn't know I was killing you..."
But even still, the truth and the reality didn't change.
--------
As Shadow stepped inside the president's office, he wasn't exactly sure why he had made his way over here in the first place. It's just, he couldn't shake what Valkyrie had told him for whatever reason.
It was obvious that she was wrong, that was for sure. Valkyrie was known for her manipulative behavior and the agent wasn't going to fall for one of her tricks.
But even still, the idea of his little brother unknowingly suffering was enough for him to lose enough sleep in order to come here and calm his mind. He just needed his boss to tell him that everything was okay and then that would be it.
As soon as the president recognized his presence, the woman hummed with slight interest. "Shadow, what can I do for you at this hour?"
She sounded happy, which was rare for the old woman. Usually she didn't like any sort of disturbance from her usual schedule. This got Shadow curious. "Can I infer that you received some good news?"
Chuckling slightly, the lady gave a knowing look. "I'm just waiting for my new plaything to come back and realize that she had no choice but to work with me. It's only a matter of time before Valkyrie and Touya will be mine."
Shadow couldn't help but be skeptical though, knowing that the woman had left the commission in a hurry for some reason. "How can you be so sure? You let her go, she probably went straight for the villain without your permission."
Yet she didn't seem concerned in the slightest, the woman pulling out Hikari's crystal pendant before rolling the stone around in her fingers with a cruel smile. "Oh I'm sure of it, but I'm also sure that Dabi won't ever tell her the truth about his real intentions. You see, that child was always quite stubborn. No matter what she tries, the only thing she will receive from him is the cold shoulder. That's when she'll realize it's pointless and come crawling back."
Pushing the necklace down onto her desk, the president then turned her eyes upwards to stare at the agent with curiosity. "Now then, what is the reason for this unannounced visit of yours?"
Just then, the room seemed to drop in temperature as Shadow felt himself take a shaky breath of his own. Maybe it was foolish to even inquire about all this in the first place but he needed to know. "I was wondering if we could talk about my brother, Yuto. I want to know how he's been."
All at once, the president's happy and calm demeanor seemed to turn sour as she raised an eye. "I thought we agreed you wouldn't ask about him anymore. That was our agreement, wasn't it? I sponsor your little brother's surgery and you stop asking about him."
Feeling himself internally flitch, Shadow forced himself to nod back. "I-I know, but it's been years. I don't have to see him, I just wanted to know how he's doing. He's my only family and I.."
"Hotaru."
At the sound of his real name, the agent flinched once more before his entire body rang with fear. He had angered her, that much was obvious.
Tapping her fingers on her desk in silent irritation, her tone grew far more sharp. "You need not concern yourself with the outside world. That boy stopped becoming your family the day that you left him without so much as a goodbye. Don't forget that."
Shadow knew he should've just agreed to her statement but the idea of completely forgetting who he was, who his little brother was, seemed absolutely impossible. It didn't matter if he left his old name and life behind, he knew in his heart that he was still Hotaru.
Yet that's when the president's voice broke through his own thoughts, causing the entire room to turn completely still. "Besides, I don't know where that boy is. He dropped off the map shortly after receiving the surgery."
Not processing her words immediately, Shadow began to feel lighthearted. Did she just say what he thought she did? No, it couldn't be. He must've misunderstood. There was no way Yuto was missing for that long, without him knowing.
Panic sparked inside his veins at the very idea, causing his words to run dry as he tried to piece together what she was saying to him. "W-What?"
Lowering her eyes, the woman answered back mindlessly, almost like she didn't care about the topic at all. "How ungrateful that little brat was, going missing after I spent my money on him. It made the entire appointment worthless in the end."
It sounded like she was complaining, like she was bothered by the young boy's disappearance simply because it wasted her money. It didn't even sound like she was concerned about the missing kid.
Feeling his mind run far too fast, Shadow shook his head in disbelief as a pure raw fury tore through him without permission for her careless words. "'W-What? What do you mean you don't know where he is? You said..!"
Yet at his tone, the woman immediately rose from the seat, silencing the tattooed man in front of her as she snapped back. "Don't you dare raise your tone at me, Hotaru. I did as you asked and sponsored his surgery, I even dropped him off with a distant aunt of his. What happened after that wasn't my responsibility."
The agent hardly saw her actions as pure hearted though, knowing that he had trusted her to watch over his brother in order to make sure he had a happy life. He didn't want her to just drop him off and leave. That's not what the agreement was. He never wanted Yuto to be abandoned.
His entire body began to shake as tears clouded his devastated eyes. "W-What, why am I just hearing about this now, how long ago was this?"
The president only frowned though, slowly making her way towards the man as she coaxed. "You needed to be focused on your training, nothing else mattered. That's why I got rid of Keigo's useless sister in the first place, because the lives you had before needed to be erased. Families, past relationships, they only cloud judgment and make you weak."
Stopping in front of Shadow, she finished coldly. "And my agent's are anything but weak."
The way she described his brother, the way she described Keigo's sister seemed to be just like another piece on the board for her, a way to control the agent's she selected in order to keep them focused.
And it disgusted Shadow to know that Valkyrie was right after all.
Seeing his silence, the woman took a step closer, lowering her voice from anger into a false calm as she smiled at his strife. "Don't you see, Hotaru? You're bigger than all of this. You are the type of hero that we need. That's why I do this, so I can create the strongest, most capable agent's out there, ones that can change the entire world."
The woman then began to circle around the agent, intent on her every step as she continued plainly. "Your brother, Takami Hikari, they mean nothing in the grand scheme of things. They will not be the ones that will be remembered, you are. My most trusted agent in this entire field, your legacy will live on forever."
Giving a low murmur of laughter at her ideology, she then stopped in front of him once more before placing her hands onto his shoulders in order to apply a heavy pressure. "Don't you see, I did you a favor by removing the weakness in your life. You should be thanking me if anything."
Yet Shadow couldn't help but feel sick, the words twisting around him as he felt himself scoff towards the woman that held his chains. "You want me to thank you for abandoning my brother?"
That's when the old woman's calm demeanor seemed to melt away, leaving only a cruel, calculating monster as she hissed. "I didn't abandon him, you did."
And that seemed to be the slap in the face she needed for Shadow to crumble under her cruel stare as the agent's eyes fell to the floor. Because he knew she was right, he had abandoned his little brother, just like Hawks did with Hikari.
A smirk of victory poured onto her lips then, brushing off the man's shoulder before turning back around in order to undermine the devastation around him. "Now then, I'm tired of this conversation. Go on and fix that unbecoming expression on your face before you leave. I have to prepare for Valkyrie to return as our newest commission agent."
Yet try as he may, Shadow couldn't get his feet to move, the man standing frozen as she narrowed her eyes at the disrespect. "That is an order, Hotaru. Don't make me say it again."
Almost robotically, the agent felt his body move towards the door then, his mind still in chaos before absentmindedly touching his belt loops, expecting to feel the cool metal of the support item that laid there.
But as his fingers brushed past the space, he felt nothing.
So much so that Shadow felt himself look down only for his grief to change into surprise and shock. They were gone. But how? What could've..
That's when Valkyrie's cruel cynical smirk appeared inside his mind.
That bitch, she really was trying to piss him off on purpose. He knew it.
Just then, the president's voice rang back, just as cold as ever. "What is it now?"
Flinching at the tone, Shadow opened his mouth to report the mistake, to tell the woman that Valkyrie had tricked him, that she had run off with the memory seeing support item and that she needed to be stopped.
Yet the words never came, the agent staring back towards the empty space as he answered back plainly.
"Nothing, never mind. Thank you for answering my question, ma'am. I can see things much more clearly now."
-------------
Matching his footsteps to the cold chill, Dabi exited his latest nightclub before immediately pulling a cigarette out of his pocket in order to place it between his lips. Another endless night, another pointless bitch shaking her ass in his face.
Whatever, nothing interested him, nothing but the sweet promise of revenge in the corner of his vision at all times. That's why he did all of this in the first place, why he was crushed to survive his own sucicide attempt all those years ago.
If only he had died that day, then none of this would have had to happen.
Igniting his fingers in fire inferno, the villain then leaned forward until the tip of the cigarette was engulfed in a familiar light before pressing the stick back into his mouth. Soon, soon all of this would be over.
Dabi then used his stitched fingers to flick off a piece of ash before turning around in order to leave the area all at once. The last thing he needed was for some hero or police officer prick to find him before everything was finished. No, he needed to be smart with his movements.
Yet as soon as his back rotated around, the villain felt himself pause as the air around the alleyway fell dark and slightly murderous.
And almost immediately the man seemed to realize that he was no longer alone.
The possibilities of the new intruder were many, considering Dabi had pissed a lot of people off in his piss poor life, that or it could be a local crackhead or druggie looking for some trouble. Either way, the man wasn't intimated in the slightest.
Although by the heavy silence, it seemed like the villain knew exactly who was watching him from the shadows even without looking as he called back. "Took you long enough. The commission finally loosened your collar?"
He didn't receive a response, causing Dabi to take another long drag of his cigarette before blowing out the smoke with a hidden smirk. It was obvious to tell what she wanted with her prolonged silence. She wanted his full attention.
And for a moment he thought about continuing the tension before the villain felt his body turn around with slight curiosity just to see the look on her pretty little face. "What's wrong, Princess? You came all this way to destroy me, didn't you? Just as expected."
It was something Dabi was very clearly aware of, knowing that Valkyrie was never one to ignore a betrayal or to turn the other cheek. No, he knew exactly what would happen if he played around with her.
Staring towards the dark shadow in the distance, the man gazed upon the silhouette of wings painted in black before taking a challenging step forward. How ironic, his princess, looking like an angel of death in this exact moment.
Almost like this was his fate from the start.
Her blonde hair began to peek through the dirty streetlamp ever so slightly a moment later, her steps calculating and quiet as she stared at the man that had broken her heart in complete and utter silence.
Watching her every move, Dabi caught the utter hatred and anger beneath her amber gaze before unintentionally flashing his eyes up and down her body with a lick of his lips.
And for a moment, Dabi seemed to forget about his crimes, wanting nothing more than to race forward in order to grab her slim exposed neck and to claim her as his own. To fuck her and make her scream her hatred at him in the process. How funny? even at this moment all he could think with was his dick.
But that's what got him into all of this in the first place.
Quickly blinking the idea away, the stitched man then watched as she opened her mouth to speak for the first time since his betrayal, the tone so full of authority. "I thought about a lot of things in that prison cell. Over and over again, on a repeat..so many things went through my head.."
Choosing to stay silent, Dabi let the woman continue as each of her feathers began to twitch and sharpen in quiet wait. "I thought about how much I hated you, about how angry I was, about how I wanted nothing more than to tear you apart and make you regret ever screwing with me in the first place.."
The man didn't seem surprised at her words though, allowing his lips to twist upwards in a cruel smirk at her anger. Of course she would hate him after all of this, that's just how he expected to be after all.
So he waited, he waited for her first attack, the one that would inevitably come sooner or later. Even his fingers seemed to smoke at the hidden intensity in the air. And he would be ready, ready to counter whatever fury comes his way.
Yet he was slightly surprised when she only continued in a calm manner, her words extremely calculated and heavy. "I thought about every single moment we spend together in order to paint it with your ideology of betrayal. All those years, you said they meant nothing. That I meant nothing. So what was the point of even holding onto those memories if they were truly lies, right? I should just get rid of them."
A cruel chuckle escaped her lips then, chilling the entire space as she reflected on her own mistakes from the past. "And I tried, I tried so hard to reason with everything you told me, to take your words as face value in order to make sense of everything that seemed to tell me differently. It's just my delusions after all, the thing that looks for something good even when there isn't anything there in the first place. My downfall.."
Itching for a comeback, Dabi felt his own lips part a moment later only for Hikari to cut him off before he could ever speak. "But then, two little questions popped inside my head."
Then the bird finished her sentence, eyes piercing into the man's soul in order to gauge his entire reaction. "Why did you give me to the commission? Why didn't you just kill me back at the liberation if your revenge is truly complete?"
And that question seemed to catch the villain off guard, not expecting this kind of conversation. He thought that she would've still been blinded in anger just like at the liberation, yearning for her revenge for his little diabolical plan.
He certainly hadn't expected her to question his actions.
So much so that Dabi felt his lips curve upwards into a smirk before shrugging his shoulders absentmindedly with a hidden chuckle of his own. "Why? Easy, because I knew it was the place you hated most. It's punishment for working with that fire fuck behind my back. That's it, Princess. I did it out of revenge like I do everything else for."
It was a simple enough answer, one that seemed to fit his villain persona well enough. But unfortunately, Hikari seemed to take his response another way.
Lowing her eyes in skepticism, the woman replied. "That may be so, but you also knew it was the one place I've been trying to get close to for years, the one place I couldn't infiltrate, until now."
At that, the villain's lips couldn't help but twist in utter distaste and what she was suggesting. She wasn't serious, was she? He thought he had straightened everything out about her delusional behavior. Apparently not.
Finding her words rather humorous, the stitched man spoke with disbelief. "You think I did it to help you?"
The alley seemed to fall silent at that, giving Dabi an immediate answer. She really was serious. Are you kidding me? That bird was far more brain dead than he remembered her to be.
So much so that the villain felt his voice echo back through the darkness as he mocked her horribly wrong assumptions about him being some sort of good guy. "You're even more stupid than I thought you were. Didn't I tell you before that you were living in a fantasy world. I'm not a hero, I'm not your spineless pigeon dicked big brother. I don't help people and I certainly don't help you."
He expected her to flitch at that, to recoil and back away just like she had always done when the girl overstepped. But not this time, no this time Hikari only seemed unbothered, like she had half expected his answer already.
And that pissed him off.
Rolling the words on her tongue, the blonde replied back plainly. "Possibly, but Keigo once told me that there are only two ways to get close to the commission and that's by either becoming an asset to them or by becoming their prisoner. By giving me to that woman, you accomplished both."
The villain felt his skin start to smoke and spark to life at her comments as the sweat on his brow seemed to accumulate more and more. So much so that he felt his mouth open immediately after to reply and deny her seemingly ridiculous statements.
But Hikari seemed to expect this as well, the woman cutting him off once more in order to force him to listen to what she was saying. "You said that I'm useless to you now that you're done with Keigo. If that's true, then why did you let me live, why are you giving me the opportunity to destroy you now? You said it yourself. It's easier to just finish it off. You don't have time for mistakes. But Touya, leaving me alive, letting me come after you, now that was a mistake you very clearly knew was coming. And yet, I'm still here. That's not like you, having loose ends."
Everything crashed into him like venom, seeping into his dead skin as the man immediately felt himself scoff as an automatic response. It didn't matter if she was right, it didn't matter if he was contradicting himself, it didn't even matter that he was getting caught in own messy actions. No, the only thing his mentally unstable brain could think about was denying whatever came out of her mouth.
Because agreeing, that would only lead to the destruction of both of them.
So much so that the villain felt himself hunch over in uncontrollable giggles before shaking his head absentmindedly in return. "Haven't you learned anything, Princess? You never knew anything about me to begin with. It was all in your head, shitty bird."
Yet once again, his reaction and unraveling wasn't surprising to Hikari, the women only watching silently before speaking slowly. "Hmmm, that's what you want me to think, what I first believed. But that presidential bitch taught me something, I know you very well, Touya. More than you ever wanted me to. I know how you work, I know exactly where to find you and I know that the way you've acted in these last years has contradicted your behavior again and again."
Taking another step out of the darkness, Hikari then lifted her hand before pulling out her longest feather, the object sharpening immediately. "There is something you're hiding, something you can't admit, and you're gonna tell me what it is, one way or another."
Not knowing what else to do, the villain couldn't help but laugh at the girl in front of her, mocking her as he held his stomach in order to ignore his ever smoking skin. She was ridiculous, utterly ridiculous in every single way.
So much so that Dabi felt his lips curve into a feral smirk at the idea, shouting into the alleyway as he lifted his arms outwards in order to exaggerate just how idiotic she was. "Your delusions really have reached a whole other level, Princess. Why can't you just get it through your head that you are just a dumb bitch that I used for revenge? You mean nothing to me, everything you're saying doesn't mean shit. It's just your pathetic, lonely, sad, little crybaby brain making it up."
Pushing his arms down, his laughs grew far more unhinged by the moment. "You were easy, you were desperate, you were his sister, that's it. That's the only reason I hung around you. In fact, if I have to cremate you right now just to prove that fact then so be it. I'll take pleasure in dragging your dead, rotting corpse on your big brother's doorstep just to show you that."
And as the sound bounced off the alley walls, Dabi continued on, the smoke on his skin ever apparent in the air "I fucked you because I felt like it, because I knew it would hurt your dear big brother. I knew about your past, about how much experience you had giving yourself to everyone else and decided to take advantage of it. I mean, how could I not when you were willing to whore yourself out to me with no questions asked!!"
Shutting his mouth, the villain felt his chest heave up and down as his own heartbeat pounded out of his chest. That would show her, that would get through her thick skull. Now all she could do was hate him, just like he always wanted.
Yet as emotional and unhinged as Dabi was, it seemed that Hikari remained the opposite, her calm demeanor unchanging as she lowered her eyes in knowing thought. It was almost as if his words hadn't affected her at all.
Or almost like she had already confirmed that they were lies.
That's when the blonde haired bird shook her head in some kind of hidden disappointment before muttering back roughly. "Fine, have it your way."
Then as quick as lightning, Hikari raced forward a moment later, forcing an excited chuckle to Dabi's lips as his entire body engulfed in inferno. Now this was more like it. He is what he expected from the beginning, her hatred. "Finally, show me what you got Princess."
Throwing a large wave of fire towards the bird, he then watched as Hikari's feathers quickly latched onto her clothes before lifting her upward in order to jump over his attack and land on the other side of the alley with a light tap.
Dabi was quick though, turning his body around with another flash of flames as Hikari easily dodged his advance, the flames just barely licking her shoulder as he grinned. "Come on, you can do better than that. Did those commission dogs make you weak?"
He expected her to frown at that, to growl or glare at him like she usually did when she was pissed off. But instead, the girl remained as calm as ever, her face stoic and monotone as she dodged another attack.
What the fuck? What was up with her?
Desperate to get a reaction from his Princess, Dabi then forced his flames to grow even hotter before throwing his hand towards her body with a shout. "Leaving yourself open, now that's not like you, Princess."
Yet Hikari's body moved far faster than he anticipated as two stray feathers flew at him in order for the woman to easily slide under the fast moving fire so that she was once again behind the stitched man.
Quickly whirling around, Dabi then absentmindedly threw his hands downward only for Hikari's slim fingers to wrap around his wrist his ease, stopping his quirk mere inches from her face.
Gazing down at the blonde, Dabi felt his lips return to a smirk, knowing that he had already won their battle in a matter of seconds. How careless of her. Perhaps his betrayal really had weakened her after all.
He felt her hand tremble under his burning skin before Dabi pushed his fire filled hands towards her pretty little face all at once.
Yet that's when one of her fingers simply slipped from the hold on his wrist only to reveal a soft green glow admitting from the area beneath her hand. Wait, what the hell was that?
Suddenly, he watched as Hikari's eyes snapped to his before pushing her free hand for him to see the same strange green glowing bracelet that he had on her wrist as well.
Dabi couldn't help but frown at the sight, wondering what she was trying to do. "The fuck are you..?"
Yet that's when Hikari launched her body forward, catching the villain completely off guard as she pressed her body against his chest before whispering into his lips with a low murmur. "You're gonna to tell me, one way or another."
Then before he could process it, Hikari's lips crashed into the villain's, pushing into him with the kind of rough aggression he would've never predicted in time.
He was always the one that instigated anything sexual, never her. He always thought she was too innocent for such a thing. Apparently not.
Widening his eyes at the action, he then watched as Hikari pushed her wrist up towards Dabi's before forcibly connecting the two together as a green glow flashed inside his vision before everything turned black.
And whether he liked it or not, everything he had worked for, began to crumble at that very moment.
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It is time! Next chapter is Touya/Dabi past time! It's gonna change the events of the whole story and I'm excited for it!
Also we have Hawks development, kinda. I know he's useless in this book but it's all for a reason. You gotta remember, Keigo is still in the commission cage. He can't really do anything "without their permission." But don't worry, he'll get some balls soon.
Also ooooh Shadow is pisseddd. He even covered for Hikari about the support item.
Next Chapter: Finally we get Touya's perspective.