I was running out of stamina.
The burning flames had grown stronger and the smoke thickened. I could barely breathe at this point. I needed to move but my lungs couldn't take anymore. I was crouched behind a tree trunk to catch my breath, but I could hear Dabi and Twice approaching from behind. I couldn't stop yet.
I switched forward and sprinted blindly through the trees. I tried my best, but I lost my ability to keep track of where I was. I didn't know where the camp or the clearing was. I was completely and utterly lost.
Blue flames blazed up beside me as I jumped away from Dabi's next attack. The villain was relentless and intelligent. His mental prowess was likely way above mine. I didn't know if I'd be able to outsmart him, but I couldn't start doubting myself now.
"Come on, Izumi, stop playing around," Dabi called into the trees. "Why don't you be a good girl and come to Dabi?"
Damnit. Switching myself into a tree, I got ready to go something crazy. I took a hold of the vine and gave it a good tug to make sure it was stable. Then as my location was pointed out, I jump. My momentum and position sent the vine flying forward, and Dabi did just as I'd hoped.
His flames surrounded the vine and as it snapped, my body was sent surging through the air. The force wouldn't care me far, but far enough. Another blast of blue flames flew just behind me, exploding into the night sky in a flash of light.
I rose above the treetops for only a moment but it took me out of their sight. In addition, it gave me a birds-eye view. Doing a rapid spin, I studied my surroundings to figure out where I was. The clearing wasn't far. I'd been steered a little off course, but I knew where to go now.
I used the impact from my fall to roll across the ground to minimize injuries. I was back on my feet immediately as I charged forward through the trees towards my destination. It was so close. I had to reach it if I wanted a chance!
"Dabi, there she is!"
I switched up onto a tree branch just as the flames exploded below. The leaves around me caught aflame, and the blast sent me flying back down to the ground. Dabi was over me in a second, a hand on my throat.
"Are you finished?" the man snarled as his face narrowed in on mine.
I weakly shook my head, "never."
Dabi let out a screech of anger when Twice appeared where I had been and I quickly ran back into the trees. I kept myself moving diagonally forward in random patterns to prevent them from predicting my movements. I could see the light up ahead! The tree line!
I let myself get distracted.
I was encased by heat as his fire caused another explosive blast and my body was sent flying forwards. I flew through the tree line and landed in the dirt. I rolled to the right, narrowly dodging another blast as the two villains (and the clone) stalked out of the trees.
"Izumi? What's going on?" Mandalay demanded as she blocked another hit from the reptilian, Spinner.
The villain's head shot in my direction, and I quickly activated my quirk. Standing in front of Tiger, I watched the man with the magnet quirk was barely able to dodge his comrade's sword. The eyes of the villains had all rested on me.
"This is getting tedious," Dabi growled in my direction.
Spinner was quickly charging me again, but Tiger had moved in front of me in seconds to block the hit and knock the villain back. Spinner skidded across the ground, his eyes narrowing under the white mask he wore to admire Stain.
"So this is the famous Izumi, huh?" Spinner chuckled. "Shigaraki's told us all about his little sister. It's time to come home to your real family. You're a villain like us, remember? You don't belong at UA."
His speech was a diversion. I should have known. Arms wrapped around me from behind as Twice and Dabi (the clone, I think) pulled me into their grasp. Just before my vision was covered, I was able to replace myself with the magnet-quirk guy.
"The villains that are chasing me are Dabi and Twice. Dabi's quirk allows him to create these blue flames. He's been firing a lot of it around, but I haven't seen him run out yet. His stamina is well-trained. Twice, on the other hand, can create clones — that's why there are two Dabis. The real one is much more powerful, but it's nearly impossible to tell which is which without seeing their attack power."
The Pussycats had quickly gone back to combat, trying to keep the villains back as I dodged out of the way of attacks. They all hovered protectively before me, trying to keep the villains away. Still, there were too many villains for them to take on alone — especially with Pixie-Bob badly injured.
"Attacking her in a group won't work," Dabi sighed. "She can just make us hit each other. Twice and I will capture her, the rest of you stay here and keep the Pussycats busy."
The flames flared up in front of me, forcing me to jump back. They were trying to force me out of the clearing. I tried to move around the wall, but Dabi was fast. I had nowhere else to run but into the trees, and the flames were far too dense to see through them. With no other options, I ran into the forest once again.
"Attention, everyone!" Mandalay's voice rang through my mind. "We've discovered an additional target. A student named Izumi is currently being chased by two villains - she says one is able to create clones and the other can create powerful blue flames. She looked exhausted when she ran through the clearing. It's likely they've been chasing her for a while now. If anyone is close by, please help her get back to camp!"
Thanks, Mandalay. Now all I have to do is keep running and prey that someone will show up to help me. The forest around me was burning, and the flames grew stronger and brighter with every attack. At least it wouldn't be too difficult for everyone to know my location, although the smoke wouldn't make it easy to reach me.
I was about to switch out of an attack when my vision blurred slightly, and a cry of pain left my lips as I could feel my skin getting scorched. N-No! Don't remember. Don't remember! Trying to force them away from my mind, all I could focus on was the haunting memories of Endeavour as my vision finally let out.
Damn it.
"Izumi!"
A pair of arms wrapped around me and leaped to the side as the air chilled. My saviour's icy breath gave away his identity, as I wrapped my arms around Todoroki's torso. I don't know where we had landed, but he'd gotten me away from what was likely another blast.
"How's your vision?" his voice entered straight into my ear.
"Gone," I answered breathlessly. "I had to keep running. It was the only way I had a chance. I tried to make my vision last as long as possible, but the strain on my eyes became too much."
"Alright, just leave it to us. We'll protect you — you and Bakugou."
"I DON'T NEED PROTECTING, ICYHOT!"
"Who else is here?" I asked him.
"Shoji, Midoriya, Tokoyami, Bakugou, and someone from class b — he's unconscious though and Midoriya is too severely injured to fight."
"I can take the class b student if you're going to carry Izumi," Shoji offered.
I could only assume that the dupli-arm quirk-user had done just as he offered, and Todoroki placed me down onto the ground. Tokoyami announced he was behind just before a pair of hands was placed on my waist and I was lifted up. I ended up on Todoroki's back as his arms reached under my legs to hold me up. My arms wrapped loosely around his neck, making sure I wasn't going to choke him.
They quickly shifted into a run, and Todoroki's temperature, as well as the air around us, began to freeze. His grip around my legs tightened, "I created a large-scale ice wall. It should give us a bit of time to get ahead."
Our direction quickly shifted and I could feel how fast we were moving by the vibrations from Todoroki's footsteps. We had to ditch Dabi and Twice, even if it was only for a minute. It could give us enough time to return to camp.
"Uraraka!" Shoji's voice rang out.
"Help her guys!" I think that was Tsu.
Our group skidded to a stop as we encountered more of our classmates. Uraraka had called out to go after the villain but was quickly shot down by Tsu reminding her of the danger. We had no idea what kinds of abilities 'she' had, not that I'd gotten a good look at her.
"Who was that girl just now?" Todoroki demanded.
"One of the villains," Tsu replied. "She was crazy!"
"Uraraka, you're hurt!" Midoriya's voice came from slightly behind me, but to the side.
"It's not bad. I can still walk okay. You're the one who looks terrible."
"We can't stand here and talk," Shoji reminded the group. "The villains that were chasing Izumi will catch up soon. Let's move."
"Join our group," Midoriya told the girls. "We're protecting Kaachan and Izumi and making our way back to camp. We could use your help."
"If you're protecting Bakugou, then shouldn't he be with you guys?"
"What are you talking about? He's right over here behind us—"
The world lightened up a bit as I could make out the colours of Todoroki's hair, even if it was very blurry. I only needed to rely on my friends for a bit longer, then I could help them protect me and protect Bakugou. First, we'd have to find him.
"Nice trick, eh?" I followed the voice with my head and was able to make out something humanoid standing in a tree above us. "I took the lad you're talking about with my magic. A talent like his would be squandered were he cast as a hero. We'll provide him with a grander stage where he can truly shine."
"Give him back!" Midoriya's enraged voice cut into the night.
"Give him back? What an odd thing to say. Bakugou doesn't belong to anyone. He's his own person. Don't be so arrogant. Izumi, on the other hand, belongs to the League of Villains. So hand her over."
"No way! We'll stop you!" Midoriya snarled.
"Right now!" Ice quickly travelled along the earth from Todoroki's leg, although the villain jumped out of the way just before it reached him. No sooner than it had formed, the spikes were encased by blue flames and melted into nothing but a puddle.
"Why the aggression? We merely wish to show him that there are options besides the fanatical world of heroism he's drowning in — and Izumi is one of us. All Might stole her away five years ago, we're just trying to take her back home."
"It's not just Bakugou, Tokoyami's gone!" Shoji shouted.
"If you're monologuing because you think you've beaten us, you're mistaken."
"Bad habit of mine. I was once an entertaining. Taking Tokoyami was a bit of improv, on my part."
"You bastard, you can't take them!"
"Midoriya, calm down."
"Uraraka, take Izumi for me!"
Todoroki's grip on my legs lessened as I was dropped onto the ground. Uraraka's hand wrapped around my wrist to pull me closer. I only needed a bit more time. I'm sorry, everyone. I want to help you but my quirk isn't strong enough yet. If I could only see well enough, then I'm sure I could help.
Todoroki's ice exploded into a massive wall, freezing almost the entire forest-area around us. Still, the damned villain was able to avoid the attack with ease as he called out a few taunting words. Something covered my eyes and arms tightly wrapped around my torso as mine and Uraraka's hands were dragged apart.
"Izumi!"
"I told you this was a dangerous game," Dabi's voice whispered darkly in my ear.
"They can't!" Midoriya cried out.
"You're right!" Todoroki charged forward as the others followed. "We'll stop them!"
The grip around me tightened, "Mr. Compress. Let's split up. I'll use my flames to obscure their vision and head straight to the meeting point. You're much faster, and uninjured, so you can circle around a bit to tired them out. It'll give everyone more time to gather."
"Got it."
It suddenly got a lot hotted and one of Dabi's hands moved to cover my mouth so I wouldn't be able to make any sounds. Despite my struggling, I couldn't shove him off. I wasn't physically strong enough. I'm too weak!
We landed soon enough and Twice began to talk to another villain, a female by the voice. The girl was definitely insane, by the way, she spoke, whilst Twice's personality seemed to switch every couple of seconds. In the end, Dabi just ordered them to shut the fuck up.
"So, this is Shigaraki's little sister, huh? Oh, please, can't we be friends? We can have sleepovers and do each other's makeup and talk about cute boys! I'm Himiko Toga, by the way. We're gonna be best friends!"
"Keep your hands away from her!" Dabi's body jolted forward as the sound of a slap echoed back from the trees.
"Shigaraki wants her alive and well. She was already injured during the chase earlier — the brat put up quite a fight. It really pissed me off. We have to be careful with her."
"Aww, then I guess we won't be able to play together until we get back, huh. I'm totally excited! Wow, I haven't had a sleepover since I was a little girl and from what Shigaraki tells me, you've never had one. Your first sleepover, how exciting!"
There was a loud cry from above and the ground shook as something made a large impact. Dabi dropped me so my feet were touching the dirt, but kept an arm wrapped tightly around me to prevent my escape.
"Woah, Woah, what's this?" Twice called from beside me. "Hey, wait. I know these kids! Who are they?"
What the fuck is wrong with the weirdo and all the vocal tones? Pushing that thought aside, I tried to focus on the situation at hand. How could I get free? I needed to get free somehow! His grip was too tight. They blindfolded me. I was out of ideas.
"Give Kacchan, Tokoyami and Izumi back to us!"
"Out of the way, Compress," Dabi's voice was right in my ear as the temperature right beside me grew much hotter. My body flinched away with it, trying to sink further back into his chest and away from the fire. I had nowhere else to go. Even if I did get free, I couldn't see. He could easily blast me and recapture me.
The clearing went to chaos as sounds of combat filled the night, and clashes of quirks and weapons echoed off the trees. Everyone was fighting. I had to fight too. I had to try and get loose! I couldn't give up. My classmates were fighting for me, so I had to keep fighting too.
"Don't even think about it, little girl," Dabi's whisper entered directly into my ear, causing shivers down my spine. "Or I'll burn your skin clean off."
"I can't believe you wrecked my exit! Unrehearsed amateurs..."
"You got Bakugou?" Dabi spoke to a voice that sounded like Mr. Compress.
"Of course."
"Midoriya! Todoroki! We're done," Shoji called out. "He gave away his best trick. I'm not sure what your quirk is but it had to do with those little marbles, right? The ones you stashed in your pocket. So I'm guessing these are Tokoyami and Bakugou."
"Haha! Well, colour me impressed — just what I'd expect from someone with so many hands. How splendid."
I wasn't completely sure what was happening from all the running around and sounds of combat, but Dabi was very quickly dragging me back as he sent out another burst of flame. With a cry from Midoriya, I realized that I was next on their 'to save' list.
"It's been 5 minutes since the signal. Let's go, Dabi."
"Sorry, Izuku but I'll see you later! Izumi, I'm totally excited about our sleepover, come on!"
"Hold on," Dabi called out. "We're not leaving without the other kid."
"Don't worry," Mr. Compress chuckled from behind. "They were so proud of themselves for rooting through my pockets that I thought I'd let them gloat — but allow me to explain the basic tenant of magic. If I'm flaunting something shiny, it's because there's something else I don't want you to see. A little bit of misdirection, forgive me. I do so adore a twist ending."
There was a sudden sound of an attack and Mr. Compress coughed heavily. The grip around my waist tightened to a point where I could barely breathe as Dabi lunged forward, "Well isn't that a tragedy," he chuckled darkly, "poor little Shoto Todoroki. Confirm it now. Release them."
Another body appeared beside me as Dabi began to take slow steps back, "Checkmate."
"Kacchan, no!"
"Izumi!"
"Kacchan!"
"Stay back... Deku..." the voice stuttered out from beside me.
Dabi's grip loosened and my legs let out from under me as I collapsed to the floor. I could hear Bakugou's screeches of protest as he attempted to fight the villains off, but there were too many of them. His voice muffled and chains rattled. I reached up to my head and tore off the blindfold. Maybe I could get us out of this!
The room was dark, with only scattered candles to light it. The walls were stained in red from the countless times that blood splattered during training. The couch was falling apart from the number of times it had been hit with quirks as my father dragged me out from beneath it. No... Not here. Anywhere but here.
"Welcome home, little sister. Do you recognize it? It's just the same as when you were little. Your father came in to fix it up just for us."
I bumped into something when I stepped back, and there was a loud shattering as something hit the floor. A cry of fear left my lips, and I blindly charged through the darkness. I could feel myself running into things, knocking things over. I can't see. It's too dark. I can't remember the layout.
I slammed into the front door, feeling it up and down with a sob. There was still no doorknob on the inside. I need out! I need out! I pounded my fists against it, to not prevail. There were shouts from behind me and I stumbled away from the door. Grabbing a handle, I threw it towards one of those who approached me.
His blue flames lit up the area within seconds, and he caught the candle and extinguished it with only his fingers. Drawing closer, his hand slammed into the door behind me as the light dimmed. I can't see. I could feel him growing closer as his body moved right against mine, and the heat started up again.
"Looks like I won our game, kid. You shouldn't have played with fire."
Something connected with my skull and my consciousness faded as I collapsed into Dabi's chest.