I have returned! Sorry for the wait, the end of my semester was hell, and I didn't find the time to write D: Anyway, I hope you'll like this chapter :D
My Hero Academiafan 27: Hi! No, she isn't ^^ well, not in the previous chapters anyways ^^
Guest: Hi! Yes, my goal has always been for Momo to join Shigaraki. I wanted to explore their relationship – given that she's actually Hana. It won't be all lovey-dovey obviously, but Momo loves him more than anything. Shigaraki's still a bit confused. They will definitely balance each other, but you'll see more in the future chapters ^^
Chapter 11.
The drugs were finally wearing out. Dabi could feel a familiar warm sensation beneath his skin, his flames begging him to release them. The fire in his body was at first gentle, flickering softly, a warm fire in a chimney. But soon, it began to roar and trash, akin to a wild animal trapped in a cage. The young man smirked; he was not about to deny this beast a nice feast. The cultists would make good fuel for his starving flames.
The villain walked to the bars of his cell, looking at his guard. He seemed pretty much as stupid as the previous one, which meant it would be pretty easy. The best way to find out was to ask the same question as he did to the previous guard. Once he would have the wacko's attention, he only needed to provoke him enough to make him want to beat the shit out of Dabi – it should probably be easy. He could melt the bars, but if his firepower was not completely back – which was very likely –, it would take more time than he could afford. The guard would run calling for reinforcements, and Dabi would lose the element of surprise.
"Hey man, you got a cigarette? Been dyin' to smoke somethin'."
"No, I don't. Contrary to mere villains, I remain healthy", the other scoffed.
Dabi knew at this very moment that he was going to enjoy this. The man facing was as dumb as the other one – it probably was a requirement for cults – and killing him would bring the villain some satisfaction, especially after days of captivity.
"Yeah, but I at least know how to have fun. I mean, have you seen the chick you guys call Mother? Have you guys had some fun with her?"
"What?", the other snarled, jumping to his feet, already shaking with fury. It really was easy. A lazy grin danced on Dabi's face.
"Come on, you know what I mean. She's got nice tits, doesn't she? Sure, she's a bit young, but virgins are always the best in bed."
Dabi hoped it would work. He was asexual and gay, so his appreciation for women's body was pretty much in the negative, especially a sixteen-year-old one. He was twenty-two, soon-to-be twenty-three. Even if he was into sex and women, he would not lust after the kid. Still, he had heard men talk about girls in the past. As far as Dabi knew, it had always seemed to be a list of stuff that would definitely not get girls in their bed. Lewd comments, some rape shit, and other stuff of the kind. Bars were useful.
"You bastard! How dare you say such thing about Mother!"
"I'm only speakin' the truth, man. If you ain't happy 'bout it, make me shut up."
"You!"
"Would love to rail a girl with this kind of breasts. I bet she's a screamer."
The guard ran to the door of his cell, yanking it open and jumping on him to pummel him. Dabi smirked, heating up his hands. He had won. As soon as the man entered, the villain delivered a powerful left hook to the guy's face. The cultist staggered back, spitting some blood and a tooth. People tended to underestimate his hand-to-hand combat abilities, which they were stupid to do. People who had evident drawbacks to their quirk like him ought to learn about hand-to-hand combat, and that was exactly what he had done. Plus, his piece of shit of a father had trained him before discarding him.
Dabi slammed the man to the ground, kicking him in the ribs. He then smashed the man's hands, stomping on his fingers repeatedly. A manic smile appeared on his face. The screams and whimpers of pain were music to his ears, and he could not wait to hear more of the sounds the cultists would make whilst dying. Once the whimpers turned into cries of pain, Dabi lit the man on fire. His victim screamed in pain, fire engulfing him wildly. The villain smirked at the smell of burnt flesh. He left the cell, smiling to himself. The smell of burning flesh was one of his favourites.
Now was time to unleash hell.
000
Digging through the life of an exemplary detective based on a heroine's suspicion proved harder than planned. Endeavour found himself battling with the judge, the argument going back and forth. They did not have enough evidence to warrant a thorough research of Tsukaushi's life despite their suspicions. Nevertheless, after a lengthy telephonic battle of three hours, the judge finally authorized him and Mirko to look into the detective's life. Upon receiving the news, they had immediately dived into the files regarding the man's familial history, and what they found left Mirko almost shell-shocked in her chair.
Naomasa Tsukaushi had grown up in the same orphanage as the Yaoyorozus. On the outside, the story was heart-warming. Emi and Kota had grown up together and fallen in love with each other ever since their early teenage years, Naomasa Tsukaushi had joined the police on his eighteenth birthday, climbing the rank thanks to his quirk and excellent work. Nevertheless, he had kept close ties with the orphanage which had raised him, sending money.
"I trusted him", Mirko breathed out. "I worked with him. But he was part of this all along… I should have known. The second he expressed interest in Creati's quirk, I should have known."
"You're no telepath, Mirko. Blaming yourself won't help to rescue Creati. No one could predict that Tsukaushi would be part of a bloody cult. I've worked with him too, and I never suspected anything either. But we're not guilty of someone else's crimes. Let's focus on saving your student, alright?"
She nodded, and Endeavour pressed her shoulder. Mirko was a strong heroine and smart woman, but Creati was her first intern. She must feel so guilty and incompetent at the very moment. He only hoped they would be able to rescue the young girl unscathed, otherwise, his colleague would never forgive herself.
The Flame Hero refocused his attention on the information they now had about their traitor and read into more detail the paragraphs regarding the orphanage.
"The Prophet prays on orphans to grow his ranks. We can assume all the people from this orphanage are part of the cult. Hence the brother and sister nickname. They must see each other as family", he concluded.
"Plus, it's in a secluded area; there's no neighbour to notice any strange activity. It's the perfect place to hide a cult's headquarters", Mirko added.
The heroes exchanged a glance. They needed to investigate this place.
000
Night had fallen not so long ago, the perfect hour to join the Sanctuary. Naomasa relaxed during the journey, glancing from time to time in his rear-view mirror, making sure he was not being followed. Luckily, God was on his side and no one was trailing him. He had always had a knack for this. It went well with his blessing, after all. The road to the Sanctuary was long from his house, about an hour and a half, but he did not mind; he would travel a thousand miles for God and the Ashuva Church. Especially now that they were finally reaching their goal. The Church had suffered a devastating blow with the arrival of the heroic era, but it would rise from its ashes like the phoenix.
As he came out from his car parked beneath an old elm, someone kicked the trunk open. Naomasa rushed to the trunk, hand going to grab his gun, but it was too late. A silhouette jumped out and Naomasa let out a gargled cry as a knife went through his side. The gun was kicked out of his hand and the silhouette fell upon him, slamming a hand on his mouth. The pale gloom of the moon finally fell on the person's face, revealing Himiko Toga's expression of cold-blooded fury.
"You hurt Tomura-kun and Dabi-kun. I hate people who hurt my friends."
Her knife descended on him, and the world turned into pain as blood poured from his slit throat. He choked on his blood, hands desperately flying to his wound. The girl stood up, looming over him as he could feel his life escaping him. He could not die here, not now! The Sacred Union was meant for tomorrow, he was meant to see Mother and Father being united. He had waited for this day his whole life! Tears started to run down his cheeks, blending with the blood gushing from his wound. He wanted to see the Prophet one last time. He wanted to see the man who had raised him one last time.
Yet, his wish was not granted, and Naomasa's vision darkened slowly as his life ended.
Himiko stared at the body beneath her. She hated him, even more than she hated heroes and her parents. He was the worst. Because of him, his friends had been hurt, and there was nothing she hated more than seeing her friends hurt. The young woman tossed the body in the trunk, taking some of the detective's blood in order to take his appearance. Before turning into the man, she grabbed her phone and dialed Mister's number, eyes focused on the building she was to infiltrate. She needed to rescue Dabi-kun and Tomura-kun before the rest of the Paranormal Liberation Front arrived, so they may all go wild on the cultists. Moreover, they had no idea when the heroes would arrive, and she would not let Tomura-kun and Dabi-kun be arrested.
"Hello?"
"I'm there. Track my phone, I'm going in."
"Stay safe."
"I will, don't worry."
Himiko hung up and removed her clothes, taking the appearance of the detective. She grabbed his phone, going through it and recuperating as many information as she could. Naomasa Tsukaushi was apparently a low-ranking member of the cult, clearly not an Archangel. It annoyed Himiko; it would probably restrict her access to some parts of the building. Oh well, it was better than nothing, she should at least be able to sneak around unnoticed. She bit her lip, grabbed her bag, breathed deeply, and mimicked the man's posture before walking towards the building.
At the entrance stood two men, one wearing a white robe, the other a black one. She observed them from the shadows, trying to figure out if there was something she should be saying or not. From what the texts she had found said, lots of people were meant to arrive tonight in order to celebrate the Union of Mother and Father the next day. She clenched her fist, imagining what they had done to Tomura-kun and Dabi-kun. She wanted to turn them into piles of blood and gore for what they had done.
Soon, other people arrived, dressed in an outfit similar to the detective's one, and Himiko congratulated herself for mimicking the man's clothes, even if it meant having to end up naked when she would transform back into herself. Himiko observed the way they bowed to the people guarding the entrance and entered the building. She came out of her hiding place and bowed the same way.
"Brother Naomasa, please come in", one of them said.
She complied, passing the carved mahogany doors. Her senses were in high alert, and her eyes darted around the hall she was in. It was filled with dozens of people chatting excitedly. She heard bribes of conversation as she slid between the groups, looking for something, anything that might look like a way to the cells her friends were most likely locked in. She was aghast to find children running between the different groups of adults, playing as if they were at a nice family reunion. It felt completely surreal, and Himiko felt like killing everyone. Children were innocent, they needed to be left alone. No one should tell children who they were meant to be, and she had no doubt that it was exactly what the cult did to them.
As she passed next to another group speaking of the Union which would take place tomorrow, there was a sudden almost deafening explosion. Himiko froze and looked at the corridor the noise was coming from, startled but hopeful. An attack from the inside of the building felt like someone escaping, and she had a sneaky suspicion of who was behind this explosion. Blue flames erupted wildly, greedily gulping on the curtains and wooden furniture. A wide smile appeared on Himiko's face as a familiar silhouette stepped through the roaring flames she knew so well.
Dabi was out.
Himiko ran to him, pushing people aside, mission forgotten. She wanted to jump in his arms and hug him forever, no matter how much he hated physical contact. As her friend stepped out of the flames, his heavily lidded turquoise eyes wandered on the crowd of cultists. Her smile grew at the sight of his laid-back posture; he was fine, he was safe.
"Well, that makes a lot of people. Nice, I need to blow up some steam."
His raspy voice and deadpan tone tore a laugh from Himiko's throat. She had missed him so much! She had been so worried!
"Dabi-kun!" she exclaimed in a voice that was not hers.
He glanced at her, brows furrowing before a smirk appeared on his face as she wiped out a knife. She smiled and, before any of the cultists could react, stabbed the closest one in the neck, blood gushing out of the wounds. Using the momentary general disbelief of the crowd, she reached Dabi in one jump and landed right next to him, transforming back into herself. Lucky for her, she still had her bag and some clothes in it, meaning she would not have to go around naked.
"Nice to see ya, crazy."
"Cover me two minutes, I'm gettin' dressed."
He nodded, stepping in front of her as she grabbed her underwear quickly – she hated it when people saw her naked. She put on her skirt and her shirt, before adjusting her equipment. She did not have to redo her hair or adjust her mask but having her knives on her always made her feel better. Alarms were going off everywhere in the building, and masses of cultists were amassing in the hall, ready to fight but obviously waiting for orders. Himiko breathed deeply. She had some of Ochako's blood left. She wished she could conserve it for another day, but she would most likely need to use it at some point. The cultists were numerous after all, and she was not much of a melee fighter. Oh, she could definitely handle herself against a group of opponents, but she much preferred assassinations and stealth. It was more her domain.
000
Momo jumped in surprise when the deafening sound of an alarm blared throughout the building. She had been giving Tenko the information she had on the Yaoyorozus and some heroes he had asked about. She was not yet completely fond of the idea of betraying her classmates' trust in her, but Tenko had not asked anything about them. It was so kind of him; he knew it would take her time to get over class 1-A. Despite representing the system that had wronged her and Tenko, she still had some fondness for them. She was not surprised. He had told her he would not ask of her something she was not ready to give. Deep down, he had not changed, he was still a kind boy.
"The fuck's goin' on, now?", her brother groaned.
"They must be under attack. Someone found us."
"If it's the bloody heroes, I'm blowin' myself up. Time to break down this fuckin' door."
Momo nodded. They had not tried to do so beforehand because of how pointless it would be. They were deprived of their quirks whereas their enemies outnumbered them and were armed. Fighting them two on one with Dabi locked up somewhere was suicide. Moreover, their wings were still sensitive, and if they were hit, the pain would most likely hellish. Statistically speaking, their chances of simply fighting their way out while the cult was standing strong were almost null. However, now was their chance. She did not know who was attacking the cult, but if they failed to act now, they would miss their only shot at escaping relatively unscathed.
Tenko kicked the door with all of his strength, but it did not move. Frustrated, he tried again. Momo instead chose to look for something to pick the lock. There was not much she could use. Thus, she had to fall back on a fork. Kneeling before the door, she immediately went to work.
"They teach that in hero school?" Tenko scoffed, but she could hear his surprise and, if she dared say so, his appreciation.
"Midoriya-san knows a lot about every subject you can think of. He's always more than happy to share his knowledge, although he sometimes overshares."
She was being polite. Midoriya-san could be quite annoying when he wanted to, and she had learnt to tune him out whenever he started rambling. Everyone in the class had learnt this skill, for it was necessary. Once launched, the green-haired boy was unstoppable. Momo often took pride in her patience, but it sometimes felt as if the student was trying to test everyone's nerves.
"Of fuckin' course this kid does."
"Do you have something against him? I mean, personally, beyond him being a hero student."
"Long story. I'll tell you all about it once we're outta here", he replied, and she could almost hear him shrug.
"Alright. Try kicking it open, I've loosened the lock", she said, moving aside.
He nodded and gave a powerful roundhouse kick right on the lock. It almost exploded on the impact, and the doorknob was now dangling pitifully. Momo felt a wide smile appear on her face and opened the door, revealing the corridor. They exchanged a glance and stepped outside, finally free of this wretched room. They could hear the sounds of a battle going on below them, on the first floor, and exchanged a quick glance.
"Let's see what the fuck is goin' on", Tenko decided, and Momo nodded.