I am... so... tired.
When Kakashi stepped into the house, exhaustion hit him like a truck. He had been moving on autopilot for most of the past few hours, and now he felt like collapsing and never waking up.
"Kakashi." Aizawa's voice was soft. "Come on."
Kakashi nodded dazedly and he shut the door behind him. "I...."
"You don't have to say anything, we understand." Aizawa gently held his shoulders and guided him into his room.
"I... don't think I want to be a hero."
"Honestly? Sometimes, neither do I." Aizawa sighed sadly. "But for now, go to bed."
Kakashi nodded again and collapsed onto his bed.
~~~
"And you were unable to get either of the children?" All for One growled.
"Yes, but the drug is working better than we thought." Shigaraki responded hastily.
"I see." You could hear the smile in All for One's voice. "So all he needs is one more push?"
"Not even a push, if we just let his life run its course, things will turn out well for us." Kurogiri said. He'd been despondent since he returned from the Hero Commission. Shigaraki had been worried that they'd gotten to him, but All for One assured him that wasn't the case. Shigaraki trusted All for one, he had no reason to lie.
"And Spinner, Muscular, and Leviathan are dead?" All for One confirmed.
"They are." Shigaraki grimaced. "They were useless in the end."
"No matter, their deaths aren't of consequence."
"But Sensei-"
"Calm yourself Shigaraki. Your time will come very soon."
Shigaraki trusted All for One, but trust was a fickle thing, easily cracked and easily broken. Shigaraki was certain that All for One had never lied to him, Kurogiri was certain that half the words out of All for One's mouth were lies. Both of them still believed in him unwaveringly.
Shigaraki trusted All for One for the simple reason that he had never known anything different.
Kurogiri believed in All for One because he was not allowed to think otherwise.
Smaller villains had faith in All for One's strength because their desperate need for power outweighed their logic.
Little things built up, like water behind a dam, and the only thing stopping them from overflowing was All for One.
~~~
Dabi and Shukaku watched as Endeavor took down a villain on the news. Dabi's fists were clenched so tightly that the staples were starting to pull at his skin. Dabi downed another shot and set it on the table firmly.
Shukaku's immune system was fine with the amount of alcohol that they were consuming, but Dabi's didn't seem to like it at all.
The news changed to the recent attack on Yuuei's training camp. Shukaku narrowed his eyes at the screen, they hadn't said anything about what happened to the villains or students yet, so he was guessing something had gone very wrong.
They were walking back from yet another fight club when Dabi stopped walking. Shukaku also stopped and turned around.
"You know, don't you?" Dabi asked. His voice was hollow, but there was no need to specify.
"Yes."
"Then you also know about my siblings."
"I'm aware of that too."
"I don't...." Dabi sighed heavily, Shukaku waited while Dabi figured out what he wanted to say. "How would you feel about a media stunt?"
Shukaku paused, then grinned. "Oh I would love one."
~~~
Kakashi's skates slow to a full stop.
The sun has begun to set, he notes absentmindedly.
The turns to face the moon. It's almost pitch black. The sunset isn't a mix of reds, pinks, and oranges. It's only gray, gray, and black.
The ice beneath him cracks.
Frantic, Kakashi tries to work up enough momentum to get away.
It's then he realizes that there's no one behind him, and there likely hasn't been for quite some time.
He trips and lands on the ice. He slips again when he tries to get up.
He sees hands come up from underneath the ice.
Delicate, fragile hands.
Hands that could once cook, fight, and clean have now been frozen solid. Devoid of any warmth they once held.
The water is harsh and he feels himself being pulled under.
Strangely enough, he does not resist.
When he hits the water, he feels cold. Cold. Cold. Warm.
Warmth spreads through his body and he closes his eyes.
The moon is no longer tainted black.
It's white, and Kakashi thinks....
He couldn't be happier.
Annnnnnnd cut. I'm so hyped! I wrote that last bit at like 4am when I was trying to sleep, and it just came to me.
So there's going to be a bit of a break between now and the next part. I can't believe I actually updated almost every day.
Yeah, so that's it for part 3. Part 4's gonna be out... at some point. It probably won't take very long, I just need to write up the outline for it and get some stuff set up before I post anything for sure.
Anywho, until then,
- Freddie