Now that it was clear she was missing, he had to come up with a plan. The fact that her phone went to voicemail was a red flag. The timid medic was responsible, kind. There was no way that she would ignore a call. That could only mean one thing.

As he looked at the other villain, he felt his pulse becoming uneven. A lump formed in his throat as he looked toward the door. She was so shy, so afraid. The idea that she might be waiting outside was quickly cast aside.

"Why are you making so much noise? I could hear you from the third floor. You're going to draw attention." Shigaraki's grumbling came from the top of the stairs and he glowered down at the two as they turned to look up at him. "What is it? You both look like-"

"Kae-chan's missing!" Twice blurted out, turning fully to face him. Still wringing his mask in his hands worriedly.

"I sent her to wait for me here while I finished up some business with Twice, but now it seems like she's disappeared without a trace. She isn't answering her phone, either." Compress held up his cellphone, displaying her name on the screen. "It isn't dead. It rang through to her voicemail so-"

"She doesn't even have her phone with her. Dabi took it," Shigaraki interrupted. He started down the stairs, his eyes narrowing. "You lost track of our only healer?"

"I'm afraid we've lost sight of her, but that doesn't mean she can't be found," Compress assured him. "You know her well, don't you? One might even call you friends; my beloved said that she plays games with you and Spinner in her free time. So surely you know her personality almost as well as I do. Kae is cautious. She's intelligent. I doubt that she got far if she did leave the hideout."

"If our healer got taken, we're out of luck. It's hard enough to find a healer. Getting someone to join…" Shigaraki placed Father over his face as he started chewing at his lip. "I thought you were competent, but apparently I was wrong. I should've made Dabi her guard instead."

His pulse was now hard and fast as well as erratic. Putting his mask back on, he hid his frown. While Twice protested and claimed he was going to find her and protect her, his eyes narrowed. He took a deep breath as he tried to calm his racing heart, but there was no coming down from the panic.

Compress turned on his heel without a word and strode out into the warm noon sunlight. His mind ticked through every place she had ever mentioned in conversation as being somewhere she visited or somewhere she liked. He knew she was an orphan and she was not close with her extended family. She had no friends outside of the League. It narrowed down the places he would need to search, but he still had a sick, twisting feeling in his gut.

Of all of the valuables that had passed through his hands over the years, of all of the losses he had ever suffered, this was the first to ever make him feel like a knife was going into his heart. The thought of her being dead in the street somewhere or captured and being thrown into a prison cell. He had to try to push these thoughts away so he could maintain his composure.

Compress felt his left arm throbbing a little where his prosthetic was attached and winced behind his mask. My darling Kae. I hate to think of her being on her own. I had such a perfect day planned for us and now I may have lost her. I know that it's futile to try to fool myself. She didn't leave of her own accord; she's a lady. She wouldn't go without saying something to me first. This means that someone or something lured her away or took her by force.

He brooded silently as he walked, rubbing at his arm to try to ease the pain. It was a dull pain, but it was persisting. Compress heard running footsteps approaching him and looked back to find Twice approaching. "I intend to find my beloved on my own," he advised, holding up a hand. "This isn't a team effort. I'm perfectly capable of taking care of my dear, sweet Kae without help. This is a matter between soulmates, after all."

I'll have to ask her to take a look at my arm when I find her. The villain realized that Twice was staring at him curiously and he shook his head, sighing. "Or did you have some idea where she may have gone?"

"I…I've got nothing," he confessed, fidgeting with a lighter. "Maybe…" The blond licked his lips as he thought about what he was going to say next. "Maybe Dabi knows. He's always watching her. Every time I go to her place, he's hanging around. And he's got her phone."

"Not a bad idea." Compress rested a hand on his shoulder and nodded. "I can't say that I trust Dabi with her. The way that he scorched her ankle and the way he watches her."

"He's…like a stalker," Twice commented.

"Precisely! I never feel great about leaving my darling alone with him." Compress dug in his pocket for his phone again. "Well, then. I'll take the initiative to call Dabi. Why don't you search the area just in case she just happens to be around?" he suggested. He had a feeling that Dabi would know where she was and he had every intention of being the one to reach her first.

He watched Twice set off to search for her and smiled behind his mask. My dear Kae. When we're reunited, I would like nothing more than to hold you in my arms and spend the rest of the day with you alone. I'll do anything to make this happen!

Shift P.O.V

"You know a lot about medical stuff, right? Like where you can stab someone without making them bleed to death?" Toga's hopeful stare, coupled with the bubbly tone of her voice, made Kaere take a step back.

There was blood on Toga's cheek. There was blood on Toga's hands and on her knees from kneeling on the messy ground. Not that Kaere was in better shape; there was blood on her hands, under her nails, splattered in droplets on her shirt, and smeared on her cheek and neck from Toga giving her a carelessly bloody hug.

She nudged her glasses higher as she stared past Toga at the dying man on the ground behind her. Lying slumped against the wall of the alley. Kaere had flashbacks to when she was training with her quirk. Horrible, messy things she had hoped to push to the back of her mind and out of existence.

Kaere nodded slowly. "Yeah…um…I know where the most lethal spots are. And where you could penetrate the body without doing potentially lethal damage, but…I really don't want to do this, Toga-chan. Please. Can we…can we go back to the hideout?"

Toga pouted and tilted her head. "But if you wanna get better, you have to practice!" she argued.

"I did it, though! I-I cut him with my scalpel so I did it! Please! I really…I really just want to go back! Please!" Tears blurred her vision as she looked at the man again. He was trembling, bleeding. For a second, as she stared at him, she saw her father instead of the young man Toga had picked as their target. Bleeding, damaged, dying in front of her.

The blonde girl stepped closer and put a hand on Kaere's cheek. "Kae-chan, come on! You have to finish it or he's gonna tell someone! Next time we can leave them, but not this time, okay? He's gonna die anyway." She leaned closer, leaning her forehead against Kaere's and feeling the medic's cheeks heat up under her fingertips.

Toga grinned and finally leaned back to take in the sight of Kaere's blushing face and widened hazel eyes. "You're so cute, Kae-chan, but you've gotta toughen up a little!"

Kaere trembled, tears overflowing and rolling over Toga's fingers as she met the girl's shining yellow eyes and flushed cheeks. "I-I can't do it. I just want to go back. Please. I can't do this!"

Rolling her eyes, the other girl lowered her hand. She unsheathed her knife and started to turn toward their victim. "Fine. I'll finish him, but you have to-!" Toga was grabbed by the man, who had struggled to his feet while the two girls were distracted. Before she could stab into him with her knife, he gripped the back of her head and slammed her forehead against the wall.

No! Kaere covered her mouth with a hand and stared as her friend fell limply onto the ground. Her eyes darted to the man and she took a few steps back, but a grin was spreading across his bloody face as he picked up Toga's knife. "I…I'm sorry! I'm so sorry! Please don't hurt her! Please-!"

"Shouldn't be her that you're worried about. She's not the bitch that cut me up! Come here and I'll make it quick!" He lunged at her, reaching for her arm.

Now that she knew she was his target, she felt better about running. Kaere rushed down the alley, tears blurring her vision and heart beating out of control from fear. Not knowing what his quirk was. Not knowing just what sort of horrible fate awaited her if he caught up to her.

Why?! Why can't I have a quirk that helps me protect myself? I can't even protect Toga-chan like this! All I can do is run away and try to heal her and that's only if I survive this! She was nearing the street and knew that if she could get out there, a few things could determine what happened.

The first was that her being so bloody would look suspicious. The second was that this man was covered in stab wounds and cuts. The third was that he was chasing her with a knife. People would see the blood and the knife before anything else and she could only hope they would help her instead of realizing what had actually happened.

As she neared the street, she heard his footsteps getting closer. Bloody fingers tangled in her hair and she was yanked further into alley. She opened her mouth to scream, but the hand moved from her hair to her throat and gripped tightly. The girl was lifted and slammed against the wall, tears pouring down her cheeks as she was forced to look at the man she had mutilated for the sake of practicing with a scalpel as a weapon.

Her lips moved in a frantic apology as her air supply was cut off. Black spots appeared at the edges of her already blurry vision and she tried to kick at him, but her attacks were weakened by her lack of oxygen. Her small, cold hands clawed at his larger hand and when he leaned down with Toga's knife, she felt her heart drop into her stomach.

"You have fun using me like a pin cushion? Because I'm gonna have some fun before I return the favor!"

A fist connected with her stomach and he tossed her onto the cold, hard ground. She coughed, struggling to get more air, and turned. Kaere managed to push herself up and start running. Getting close to the street again and trying to scream for help, but her voice was hoarse and as hard as she tried, she was unable to get it above a whisper.

His hand gripped her wrist and he yanked her toward him, his free hand slashing with the knife. It would have sliced her from her right hip to her left shoulder, but at the last second something happened. Someone moved in front of her, taking the damage to his own abdomen instead and biting back a cry of pain.

Kaere stared at him with wide eyes, breathing raggedly. "Y-you…what did you…what did you do? What did you do? What…did you do?!" Her assailant's grip on her wrist disappeared as Twice shoved her further behind him and the villain's fist collided with the man's face; sending him sprawling onto the ground on his back. There was a sickening thud as his head hit the pavement and he went still.

Her hands gripped the fabric of Twice's shirt as she trembled and rested her forehead against his back, biting her lip. "He didn't…he didn't hurt you, did he? You…dodged it…right?"

The blond man was silent for a moment. "Just stay behind me. Please."

"No! Tell me you're okay! Please!" Her arms slid around his midsection and her fingertips came into contact with the warm, slickness of blood. It's my fault. This is all my fault. I'm the reason why he got hurt. I couldn't protect him or Toga-chan! I made him get hurt and now he's-!

"Kae-chan…I'm not gonna be able to hold it together much longer," he muttered, a hand resting over hers. "I'm gonna take you over to Toga-chan, okay? Close your eyes. I don't want you to see this."

She reluctantly complied and she was lifted in his arms. He held her securely against his chest, ignoring the way that his blood was soaking into her shirt. Kaere quietly sobbed as she wrapped her arms around his neck. I have to save him! I have to do something! I'll just patch him up! I have to! I can't let him bleed out and I…I don't want to lose him!

Twice set her down next to Toga's unconscious form on the ground and collapsed at her side. "Get Toga-chan's phone and call Compress. He can…he can do a better job of protecting you," he mumbled, his gray-blue eyes starting to close. His breathing was ragged as he slumped over across her lap.

Kaere saw the gash running diagonally across his chest and bit her lip so hard that she tasted blood. "Twice…?" There was no answer, but he was still breathing. She typed a message to Compress with trembling hands and shared her location.

By the time the other masked villain appeared, he found her holding Twice against her chest and sobbing. Compress knelt next to her and gently caressed her cheek with gloved fingers. "It's alright, my dear. Everything will be alright. I'm here now and I won't let any further harm come to you. Let's get these two moved somewhere safe now, shall we?"