Hello, Ashley here! Before you read I just wanna let you know that I decided to break the last parts of the battle into two parts so that way you guys can get them faster and I can go into more detail. So after this chapter, we will have two more left. (Well kinda, but I'll explain that later.)

Thank you for your wonderful support and comments, hope you enjoy! :)


Burning hot embers licked the side of her face before Amari waited for her very painful end, knowing that Dabi had already had a track record of trying to kill her many times before, and this time he was actually going to go through with it.

It seemed just in a way, like everything had come full circle. She couldn't run from her future anymore, the girl knew that much.

Although after a few moments of painstaking silence, she was awoken by the sound of a low dark chuckle, shocking Amari to her core, the girl now opening her eyes to understand what had changed in her situation.

Gazing towards Dabi's outstretched hand, she saw his flames flicker in warning just a couple inches from her face as All for One's voice came into her ears a moment later.

His tone was almost mocking and Bakugo soon realized that he wasn't laughing at her. No, he was laughing at the stitched man in front of her. "You can stop now Dabi, I knew you wouldn't have the heart."

Widening her eyes in disbelief, Amari forced herself to look up only to see something rather particular on Dabi's face. It looked like a mix of anger, contempt and conflict, stewing inside of him with unsaid waver. Wait what was he doing?

Bakugo always thought that the villain would've taken the opportunity to destroy her in a heartbeat. She had harassed him for the past year, constantly pushed him into something he wasn't comfortable with and made him reopen old wounds after all. On any account he should've just killed her sorely just to prove the point he was always trying to make.

But if that was the case when why was he just standing there, why did he look so pained? It made her want to reach out to him, to cradle his cheek like in that alleyway when he seemed so distraught. This wasn't the Dabi she knew, he seemed more fragile than before.

And it seemed like Dabi himself also seemed confused by his own actions, causing All for One to continue plainly. "I noticed it from the beginning, how different you act whenever I mention my little one, how against you were with the plan of kidnapping her dear true love. You've grown attached to her."

He laughed at that idea causing the purple skinned man to drop his hand in shock, taking in All for One's words like a car ramming into his body, shattering his denial in a single moment. It was almost as if Dabi himself didn't realize his protective nature towards the girl until it was spoken out loud.

Although he was quickly snapped out of his own thoughts when the villain said something that made his entire blood run cold. "What a pity, first as a hero and then a villain. Seems you're a failure on all accounts Dabi."

Almost immediately Dabi's hands flicked with flames as Amari quickly opened her mouth in order to speak out against her captor. She didn't like seeing the utter torment on Dabi's face and she didn't like the way it reminded her of herself just last year. "H-He's not..!"

Yet she was quickly cut off as All for One tightened his hold on Amari's throat, squeezing her airway in order to stop talking and instead gasp for breath as she clawed at his hands in a desperate attempt to break free.

But for Dabi, it was as if time had completely stopped, like everything had been stilled the moment that All for One uttered those horrible words, the same words that his father used to tell him as a scared little child.

Gritting his teeth so hard that it drew blood, Dabi tasted the metallic substance before an undenying rage overtook him, his hands moving into a fist as he was taken back to that horrible state of mind, the one he had tried to erase for so long.

Back in his silent dark bedroom, back when the level of desperation to prove his worth as his fathers words slammed into him over and over again, those horrible words twisting around his throat before the small boy blamed himself for his failure, for his depression until the day it crushed him completely.

You are the failure to me

You are useless to me

It doesn't matter what you do, you will always be a failure

Stop trying, it will change nothing

He wanted to put his hands over his ears in order to stop the shouting, to stop the ringing that was berating him over and over again but he forced himself to remain frozen as All for One called back plain. "Such a weak minded man unable to follow orders. I suppose you are useless after all…"

And there it was, the words that haunted Dabi's entire life, the reason he broke away from that corrupt hero society. They always said that he had never been good enough but it seemed nothing had changed since then.

He was still looked at as a disgrace, as disposable and the man fucking hated it, he hated being born into a life where no one would stay with him, where no one would even look at him without an once of disgust.

He hated it, he hated everything, he wanted to burn it down, to destroy every one of those rotten and corrupted heroes that uttered their filthy lies and delusions. That's why he became a villain, that's why he ran away from it all. His family, his life, his dreams. He ran from them all.

But staring in front of him, Dabi realized that he was faced with those same feelings, those same terrible awful emotions that pulled him into the darkness in the first palace.

Somehow he had even survived his attempts to end it all, his final wish as Toya denied. The world was cruel, everyone was cruel. It forced him to life, it forced him to suffer for wanting to belong.

Suddenly, Dabi felt all of the air leave his lungs as All for One threw a powerful hit towards the man, throwing him across the floor as the oldest Todoroki hit the floor with an aggressive crack.

Widening her eyes in terror, All for One then let his hold on Amari's throat release as she gasped and coughed on the ground, now seeing the villain change his course over to the purple skinned man instead. "N-No.."

Although All for One didn't listen to her pleas as he carefully strolled up to Dabi, now watching him cough out a spit of blood as he stumbled back to his feet, fire at the ready and rage etched in his eyes..

The villain only smirked at his defense though before using his spider like veins to reach for the man as Dabi's fingers swirled with warning, ready to attack.

Yet just before the veins met the man, Dabi blinked in disbelief as a light gold shield appeared in front of him for a split second before the impact shattered the barrier a moment later.

Twisting his brow in confusion, the man then immediately turned back towards Amari only to see her hand outstretched, gold particles bouncing off her shaking fingers from the use of her quirk as a trail of blood escaped her lips. "T-Toya..run…"

This made the man even more enraged then before, knowing the girl was probably on death's door but yet she was still using her strength to help him. He didn't understand it, he didn't understand how stupid her thought process was. She should have been saving herself, not him.

All for One only found amusement in her attack though, pausing for a moment to mock her weak attempt. "Ah, and it seems the girl has grown attached to you as well. How interesting. Could it be because you both feel so utterly alone?"

Gritting her teeth in order to force her body to move, Amari screwed her shut at the burning inside her chest before shouting back towards Dabi roughly. "T-Toya, don't listen to him. I'm right here..I'm…"

Although her words were quickly cut off as All for One's spider veins raced towards her before embedding themself into her back with immense force as they stabbed through her skin with no mercy.

Amari squeezed her eyes tightly at the sensation but forced her own screams down, not wanting to give him the satisfaction of her injury and screwing her lips shut to stop any noise.

Seeing the bloody veins detract from Bakugo's back as she struggled in agony, Dabi felt his whole entire body heat up with unexplainable rage. Rage for her, rage for him, rage for people like them that were disposed of so quickly.

All for One quickly than saw as a wall of blue fire come barreling towards him before the man swatted it away like nothing, turning back to see Dabi's skin practically smoking in unsaid emotion. "It's useless boy, you're useless. So let's stop with these games now, hmm? It's rather unbecoming."

He could still feel the villains' words mixing with his fathers as the man growled back with pure fury. In this moment, All for One remained him so much of his father that he was making in loose touch on reality, on the mask and the defense that he had put up after so many years of hatred and devastation.

Seeing a burst of wind appear in his field of vision, Dabi narrowed his eyes before lifting his hand ups as a wave of fire started to glow in the center of his hands.

He had enough of these terrible feelings, of these recurring thoughts. They needed to burn, just like him. "Just for that I'm going to make your death extra painful."

All for One's attack came full force as Dabi's fire grew in intensity but once again, just before he was able to attack, a flicking wall of gold blocked his vision, shattering on impact as Dabi's flames blew through the space and dissipated a moment later.

Widening his eyes in annoyance, the man then turned back towards Amari before seeing her hands still outstretched, obviously fighting her own pain as drops of blood leaked onto the floor. It was almost as if she wasn't letting him fight, and that enraged him even more.

There was no need for this, there was no need for her to kill herself like this. It was stupid. He could handle himself, he could kill this guy alone. "What are you doing, stop protecting me. You do know you're dying, right?"

Yet Amari only shook her head before dropping her hand onto the cold ground before coughing back in order to speak loud enough for him to hear. "I-I don't care...you can't fight...you can't die...they need you…s-stop being an idiot and run..."

Although Dabi had far other things on his mind, staring at the girl in disbelief. He was a villain, he had blinded her in her left eye and she was still fighting for him, even now. And what was that bullshit about her saying that he wasn't alone? Of course he was alone, he has always been alone. She needed to let it go already. That family didn't want a villain.

All for One couldn't help chuckle at her words though, finding amusement in her defiance as her word gave him a little more information about the man in question. "Oh? It seems you've been rejected by the people you love as well. How tragic, being so disposable..."

His words made Dabi see red immediately. He was not useless, he was not disposable like her, he was not some scared little boy that could be thrown away. He would not let All for One push him around like his father, like everybody has in his entire goddamn life. No he was going to break the cycle by burning it down, that was the only way.

So much so that Dabi felt his entire body rise with heat before immediately racing forward towards All For One and throwing the hottest flames he had ever produced at the man in question, at the man that reminded him of Endeavor. "Shut the fuck up, you don't understand anything! You and everyone else in this goddamn world think you're so perfect, so fucking perfect and can say whatever the fuck you want but I'm going to stop that right now, I'm going to make you regret saying that…"

The flames were so intense that Dabi's skin immediately started to smoke as the man pushed his quirk further into the man, ramblingly as if he didn't have any control on what he was saying, like he was a new kind of unhinged that scared even himself. "Useless, disposable? You don't have the right to say that to me, you don't have the fucking right to tell me what I am! No one does, no one understands what I've been fucking dealing with…"

Seeing the man grow even more crazed at his own words, Amari widened her eyes before noticing the absolute terror, rage and devastation in his expression. It wasn't hidden as well as it usually was, now being stripped down by All for One's careless words and actions.

His quirk was causing him to overheat, to grow frantic and insane as he burned the man with no mercy or care for his own personal safety. It seemed like his mind was somewhere else, not in the battle as it was before. "T-Toya.."

But for Dabi, it was as if he was staring into the eyes of Endeavor, of all of the negative emotions he had been trying to shove down for years. They were coming up faster than he could process them, smirking cyclically at his own fire, his own rage. "So what if I'm not good enough for you, I'm not good enough for anyone! Not for my dear old dad, not for hero society, not for fucking anything! Is that what you wanna hear, is that what you want me to say?!"

The destructive words kept slamming into his mind as tears worked their way to his eyes only to burn away a second later as his entire body shook at the overuse of his quirk and internal agony. "But even if I don't get it, I'm still here, I'm still fucking here even though I don't want to be! How fucking ironic, isn't it?! The world doesn't want me but it also won't let me die. So instead I'm going to burn with it, burn so that I can see all of you mother fuckers in hell with me!"

His tone then grew even more frantic before his fire turned bright white in intense heat as even more tears burned across his eyes, disappearing into the air at the same time as his persona did.

Now his voice was cracked, broken and forced, almost like a little child, almost like he was reverting back to the same emotional and broken little Todoroki he was before. "A-All of you, all of you are such goddamn hypocrites, why won't you see me, why won't anyone see us?! We aren't useless, I am not useless Endeavor...!"

Almost immediately, Toya's eyes widened at the choice of his words before immediately feeling his palms drop, allowing the white fury of flames to dissipate as well.

Breathing heavily, his eyes then traveled towards Amari as she stood equally stunned, disbelieving the words that came out of his mouth. He had just said his fathers hero name, almost like he was speaking to him.

The air stood still between them as the two scared kids bored into each other's eyes before a thousand of unsaid words passed through them. How foolish he was, thinking that he was better than Bakugo, that he handled his grief better for all these years.

But turning his fingers towards his face in a shaky smoking mess, Toya realized that it seemed he was fooling himself as well. He hadn't stopped being a child, he hadn't stopped being that small scared little Todoroki he hated.

No, Toya was still here, and it was eating him up inside because of it.

Breathing heavily, Toya tried to process his actions as he turned to the villain that made this side of him come back. At least that bastard was dead, at least he had burned away that "Endeavor like" man

Although he was quickly stopped when a hand reached out through the newly made smoke before carefully brushing his suit off carefully before plainly speaking back with no scratches on him in slight. "Are you done with your temper tantrum now? I suppose it's my turn."

Widening his eyes, Toya just barely had time to gasp before a large gust of wind knocked all the air out his lungs, sending him flying into the nearest wall as it crumbled under the pressure of his body.

Amari watched everything happen in slow motion as she gasped out in fear, reaching her hand out in order to protect him but immediately scrunched up in agony when she tried to activate her quirk. "N-No...s-stop it..!"

As much as she hated it, She wasn't fast enough, she wasn't strong enough to stop anything. She could only watch as Dabi caved through the wall with immense force.

Twisting his eyes in pain as he hit the newly formed rubble, Toya coughed back as he wiped the blood dripping down his face, the room spinning immediately at the force of the hit.

Bakugo scanned the scene with horror before looking down at her legs and cursing them to move, to protect the oldest Todoroki with everything she had. It couldn't end now, she wouldn't let it.

Digging her nails into the hard concrete, Amari forced her body to move as each inch made her entire being scream with pain from her injuries and overused quirk. But she wasn't about to give up.

Blood started to appear from under the area of her nails as she crawled but the girl didn't seem to register it, forcing to keep going as she pathetically crawled across to the floor to meet Toya.

She wasn't dead yet, which meant she had to keep fighting for everyone's futures, futures she knew she wouldn't get to see. But even so, that didn't mean she could give up.

Hearing her grunts of force as she moved her limbs across the floor, All for One turned around with curiosity, now seeing his creation so desperate. Just the thought made him curious. "Oh little one, what do you think you're doing?"

Although the girl didn't stop, still moving as All for One casually strolled back up to her before picking the small blonde haired girl up by the throat, holding onto her with interest. "How interesting. You really care for that broken excuse of a man, don't you? Maybe I should kill him then.."

Widening her eyes, Amari began to weakly claw at his throat before a wave of fire caused the villain to drop the girl in interest, turning to see Dabi standing behind him with intensity.

He hated that All for One was ignoring him, treating him like he wasn't a threat, that he could be killed so easily. Yes that's right, he was ignoring him, just like Endeavor, just like everyone else in his life. "Don't ignore me. I'm not finished with you yet."

Coughing on the ground, Amari gasped for air before gazing at the oldest Todoroki with fear. She knew he was serious, that he wanted to prove himself but even she knew it was a losing battle. He couldn't win against the most powerful villain, he just couldn't.

His rage and anger was blocking any sort of logical thinking and that terrified the girl, speaking back with absolute desperation in her voice. "P-Please, d-don't...you c-can't…"

Yet the man only shook his head before already feeling his fingers flick with fire. "Shut up sweetheart, you don't get to tell me what to do. Just sit back and watch."

Although All for One didn't seem intimated in the slightest, sighing to himself before turning on his heels towards the boy, giving him exactly what he wanted. "Honestly, you're just as frustrating as Bakugo is. Don't you see that these things you tell yourself, these lies are only for you to believe some kind of false reality. You say you aren't weak because that is how you what to see yourself, that is what you desire to be. But unfortunately boy, I see something else…"

Looking to his left, the villain then quickly grabbed onto one of the supporting pillars next to them before ripping it off its hinges with ease as Amari gasped with horror. He was going to kill Toya, he was going to kill him to prove a point.

All for One then turned back to the man before speaking plainly. "I see a scared little boy that likes to play pretend, that likes to think he's strong and useful but is actually just a pathetic, unsightly mistake…"

Then before anyone could process it, All for One threw the large pillar towards Toya's direction as the man snapped out of his own delusions before trying to counteract the object with his fire.

But as he was distracted with the large barreling object, he just barely heard Amari's screams across the floor before turning around at the sound of her terrified voice. "L-Look out!"

He had just enough time to turn before All for One appeared right behind him, almost as if he had teleported across the room before hitting Toya with a punch, blowing the man away before he could even process it.

Although before he hit the back of the warehouse, Toya saw his skin turn gold before slamming his body into the concrete with an immense force, so much so that the gold immediately disappeared with it.

Knowing it was Amari's quirk that had lessened the fall, he quickly turned to her only for the girl to cough out even more blood violently, a sign that she was losing time, especially if she kept using her quirk like that.

Toya struggled to get to his feet only for All for One stroll up to him without a care in the words, fixing the cuff links on his suit before sighing in disappointment. "What a shame, seems like I have to open your eyes, just like with Bakugo."

Amari couldn't help but widen her eyes at that, knowing he was going to torture Toya in the same way that she had been twisted as a child, by pointing out his insecurities and killing him with this own negative thoughts. It was cruel, so cruel and Bakugo didn't want that for him.

It was extremely clear that All for One didn't need the man alive, which meant that he was dead unless she did something, unless she pushed herself to her furthest limit.

Suddenly, a rush to adrenaline poured into her veins as Amari dug her nails into the ground before gritting her teeth as she shakily forced herself to find her legs, screaming at herself to keep moving, to not give up for him.

Hearing the taunting footsteps of the villain's calm movements, the man then began to move towards the struggling Todoroki with a calm and terror inducing tone. "I mean honestly, you think someone with such big ambitions would've been more impressive. No wonder why your loved ones abandoned you. I see nothing special."

Toya's teeth clicked together at his words before forcing his hands onto the ground in an attempt to rise from the ground, although it seemed like that last hit had knocked out all of the air in his lungs. "Nothing special, you don't have the fucking right to say that. I'm going to make you regret that..."

Yet All for One hummed in response, continuing his journey towards the man at a painstaking pace, a response immediately at the ready "Oh? Well I would certainly love to see it. Although your performance in these last few moments was hardly anything to praise. Your words are like a dog in some respect, barking with no purpose. It's almost as if you know the things I say are true.."

And as much as Toya fucking hated it, on some level he knew the man was right. His family didn't want him, the hero's didn't want him, the villains didn't want him, no one wanted him. It was the sad truth that the man realized a long time ago. He really was just a scared little boy, screaming out into an empty void.

Noticing he had emotionally broken the man down enough for his pleasure, All for One then lifted his hand before growing determined to finish his task, to finish his point. " A failure as a hero and as a villain, seems like you belong nowhere Dabi. If you look at it that way, it's as if I'm doing the entire world a favor by putting you down…"

Suddenly, All for One lifted his hand out as the black spider veins jumped out his sleeve before barreling straight for Toya with no apparent signs of stopping, determined to kill the oldest Todoroki without a second thought.

And as much as Toya wanted to fight back, the mix of his injuries on top of that villain's cruel words were making him insane, blurry to what was going on in reality, unaware of his upcoming death as the man tried to process everything at once.

Although just before the attack reached the man, a flash of gold suddenly appeared in front of his vision as the black veins dug themselves into the stranger instead, blood spilling onto the floor at the action.

Gasping out for breath, the stranger groaned in pain before Toya blinked in surprise, now recognizing a very familiar shade of blonde hair registering in his mind as he noticed the very prominent stab wounds in her arms, chest and legs.

It was Bakugo Amari, and she had just ran in front of him to save his life.

The black veins immediately retracted a moment later as a sickening type of tearing sound echoed through the space before Amari immediately fell to her knees, the blood of her injuries pooling around her as soon as she hit the ground.

Toya couldn't help but stare in disbelief at the action, now seeing the unmoving small girl in front of him with difficulty. She had dove in front of him knowing she was going to get hurt, she did that for him. Why, he didn't deserve it, he didn't earn that kind of sacrifice. So why the hell did she do it?!

Even All for One seemed confused, looking at his creation with disappointment. "Oh little one, what have you done? I wasn't aiming at you. Why would you do such a thing?"

Reaching a shaky hand forward, Toya lightly touched Amari's shoulder before she let out a muffled groan, signaling that she was still alive for now before All for One lifted his hand away in her direction. "Now move aside little Bakugo, it seems your spend on your quirk. You know it's useless to protect the boy, so just let me do as I please.."

Yet just as he said those words, Toya watched with widened eyes at Amari stubbled onto her shaky feet, coughing up flecks of blood in the process before turning back to glare at All for One before lifting her arms out, protecting the man in question without another moment of hesitation.

It was a sign of defiance, a sign of strength as the oldest Todoroki watched her hands shake in front of him before stuttering back. "N-No, nothing is useless as long as I'm still alive. As long as I'm just breathing I will fight you with everything I have! You can torture me all you want but I won't let you touch him, I won't let you hurt him anymore! I'll protect him even if it's the last thing I do…!"

All for One just seemed amusement by her words though. "Oh, and why is that? Why would you risk your life for him, little one? Please do tell.."

Spitting out another drop of blood, Amari continued coldly. "Because Toya is not who you think. He is not weak, he is not disposable, he is not useless so you better shut your goddamn mouth. Yes he's annoying but this man has also saved me more times than I can count, tried to look out for me, and made me rethink my terrible decisions over and over again. He's always been looking out for me since day one, so I will gladly do the same for him…"

Bakugo then shut her lips as a sharp burn appeared all across her body, forcing her body not to cave in on herself. Everything hurt to move, never mind stand but Amari wasn't about to falter under the weight, under the words that she believed so passionately.

But Toya on the other hand just stood silent, stunned by what this little girl had just said. Her words were so new, something that he had never heard throughout his entire life. He knew Bakugo only cared about him because of Little Sho, because of her useless delusions of bringing his family back together.

Yet seeing her blood start to coat the floor even more prominently, the fact that she was still trying to protect him with nothing left and the words she just uttered, Toya couldn't help but sense something else in her tone.

When she said those things, she wasn't talking about his brother. No, she was talking about him. But that didn't make any sense. Why was she going so far if it wasn't for Little Sho, why was she killing herself over him? He hated it, he hated the very idea. It should have been obvious he wasn't worth saving.

Although he quickly snapped out of his thoughts when Bakugo glanced over her shoulder towards the large window against his back, calling back to him quickly. "T-Toya, the window. Go, get out of here, your family is waiting down there. Natsuo, Fuyumi, Shoto, I made it so you could see them again.…"

Almost absentmindedly, Toya turned towards the window before thinking about his younger siblings, about how close they were. They were here, just a few feet away?

Although then he thought about the possible escape route, about how he could just leave Bakugo here with All for One and save himself. It would've been simple enough to do and it would've been the obvious choice if he didn't realize what that meant.

Because looking at her now, the oldest Todoroki knew that if he left her here, then she would die. She wasn't strong enough to face All for One, she wasn't healthy enough to take on him alone. Didn't she understand that? Didn't she realize what that meant?

Although Amari must've noticed his sense of longing and conflict because a moment later he saw that same annoyingly sad smile that she had given him during their fight downstairs. It was a smile of acceptance, a smile of understanding. "It's okay, go on. Your family, they need you…"

And that proved it, she was asking for him to without her, to leave her to die while he escaped unnoticed. How stupid, how pathetic of her to think that he'd hesitate leaving her for himself or could it be that she knew he wouldn't hesitate, that she was expecting him to take the chance.

Toya hated the second idea even more, the one where Amari fully understood that he would betray her and leave her for dead. It was just like when he was ordered to kill her and she had just accepted it with no resistance. Why was she doing so much for him, why was she going to kill herself so another villain could live free?

At first he thought it was because of his brother, because of her unwavering an undying love for him. He was just a piece in Bakugo's game to make Little Sho happy, it wasn't about him, it never was.

But seeing her now, Toya couldn't help but falter just slightly. His brother wasn't here and they hadn't spoken about him throughout the whole battle. The explanation she gave to All for One was also only about him, about how much he had helped her even though Dabi didn't really mean for that to happen in the first place.

First it was the similarities and the connection to his brother, that was the only reason why he had shown interest in Bakugo in the first place. That's all it was, wanting to enlighten her about the cruelness of people like them in the hero society. Maybe he was hoping to save her from that on some level.

But once she found out about his identity, their relationship switched into something different, into this unwavering passion and soon Toya realized that she had not turned into a copy of himself like he predicted.

He hated to admit it, but this girl turned into so much more.

Toya watched that press conference and the provisional exams as well, seeing all of the support and love he never got, the one's he always craved silently as a child. Even his father had taken a liking to her, expressed his pride in ways that a small little red haired boy only dreamed about.

He didn't get it, they started out exactly the same, weak and longing for approval but it seemed like Bakugo had achieved everything he had ever desired. Her brother loved her, Endeavor supported her, and everyone stood by her.

Maybe she didn't realize it but he was jealous, jealous of her accomplishments, of her ongoing success and Toya always thought that it would end in a flash, that soon the world would wake up and realize that she was the same kind of scared little child as he was, that she wasn't strong at all.

And he had seen it in her eyes time and time again, that same kind of helpless and broken appearance that haunted his memories as a child. She wasn't strong, she wasn't unbreakable, and yet nothing had changed. They still loved her, and that was something Toya couldn't understand.

Even now, she was standing in front of him half dead and yet the girl was only thinking of him, of his own happiness. A happiness that he always knew was impossible, a happiness that was useless to even try to achieve.

His family didn't need him, the world didn't need him, that much was obvious. He had done nothing for them and Toya knew that if he appeared in front of his siblings they would be disgusted and ashamed of him, of what he had become.

He couldn't change their thinking, he couldn't change anything.

But Amari, Amari could.

Toya then watched as All for One fixed his sleeves in annoyance with the start of another attack as Bakugo stood still in order to protect him, in order to take the hit for him once again.

And Amari knew this as well, narrowing her eyes to the villain before thinking of her next plan. She knew she wouldn't make it past this battle but also she knew one thing. Toya had to be saved, she needed him to be saved, and if the price for that was her life then she would gladly comply.

Although she stopped when the girl felt a light hand touch her shoulder from behind, now feeling Toya's fingers curve around the surface with a kind of gentle touch she had never seen from him before.

It made her falter for a moment, now choosing to glance back towards him as the man called back so incredibly fragile, something that she had never heard before. "You're wrong sweetheart."

Twisting her brow in confusion, she opened her mouth to question his words when Toya continued a moment later, his voice laced with some sort of unspoken clarity. "They don't need me, they need you…"

Suddenly, Amari felt her body being yanked backwards and Dabi strengthened his hold on her shoulder before moving in front of her so that he was the one protecting her.

Then all at once, Bakugo heard a loud shatter as the window caved under her weight as soon as Dabi lifted his hands up and let out a massive wave of fire towards the villains without a second thought.

A multitude of flames soon filled the space as All for One countered with an attack of his own, the force pushing against the fire so quickly that the reaction forced a loud booming explosion to fill the entire room.

The blast was so powerful that Amari immediately felt pieces of ash and debris force themselves into her eyes as her body immediately screamed in heat before she plummeted out the side of the building to the ground below.

Everything happened so fast that Bakugo's heart felt like she was screaming, or maybe she actually was screaming? It was hard to tell what was the reality as the girl felt her eyes force close, fighting unconsciousness as the ground approached closer and closer.

Except this time she didn't have the strength to stop it


Todoroki's eyes were betraying him more than ever as the drugs lulled him into a dreamlike state, forgetting the past panic and forcing his body to give into the unconscious desire that it wanted so desperately.

He was trying to hang on, to stay awake but soon the boy realized that he had forgotten the very reason why he was so anxious, now wanting that sense of calm more than ever. What if he just rested, just for a minute…

Although just as his eyes started to close, a loud boom snapped his body awake as the ground shook underneath him. Todoroki then turned in the direction of the blast only to see a large hole in the side of the warehouse, the very warehouse Amari was in…

Wait, that's right. Amari was in there. Oh god, she was in trouble, she was going to sacrifice herself for him. That explosion, what if she was a part of it, what if she was already…

Forcing the idea down, Todoroki then looked over to the tubes connected to his body before ripping them off and once as he forced his body to sit up and fight the will to sleep.

He was the only one that knew about Sir Nighteye's predation, he was the only one that knew the stakes of her decision.

And he was not just going to sit by and let her die, Todoroki refused. It didn't matter what she wanted, he was going to get her out of there, to break her fate if it was the last thing he did.

He was going to save her


As Bakugo felt herself slip away from her own body, a lull of false calm washed over her. Her body was now closer towards the ground than before but Amari didn't notice, she couldn't process anything except the sound of the wind whipping through her ears.

She forgot what she was fighting for, what had happened in these last few minutes, now choosing to give into the darkness that crashed into her so suddenly instead.

Just then, a wave of warmth crashed into her as strong hands cradled her back against and his chest without a second thought. As she leaned against the surface, the girl felt their heartbeat beat erratically, almost like they were terrified.

Forcing her eyes only at the sound of mumbled words, Amari heard a voice through the drowned fog, and the crimson red wings that accompanied it. "C-Chickadee! Oh god, hey h-hey talk to me kid. I need you to open your eyes for me, yeah? P-Please answer me..shit shit shit..n-not yet..you can't die on me kid!"

His words seeped into her all at once before twisting her brow in confusion, why did he seem so afraid, everything was so nice, so calm right now. "K-Kei.."

At the start of his name, Hawks immediately perked up before brushing a sweaty piece of hair from her face, panic laced in every word. "Y-Yeah, yeah it's me kid, it's Keigo. I'm h-here, I'm right here for you chickadee.."

Humming at his words, Amari felt her lips twist into a grimace before feeling her body relax as that sense of warmth pushed back into the darkness. "Mmmm it's warm.."

Although almost immediately, she felt her body being tossed from side to side as Hawks spoke louder with a slight sob. "N-No, no no no don't do that. D-Don't close your eyes like that. I need you to wake up, I need you to remember where we are, okay? Do that for me kid, p-please…"

Where they were? Honestly the girl didn't know but tried anyway for her friend, forcing her eyes open to stare as a now very scared winged hero. "W-Why are you sad…?"

She saw him take in a sharp breath before speaking a moment later, just thankful that she was still talking. "C-Cause your hurt c-chickadee. You're hurt r-real bad and I w-wasn't there to stop it. I-I think you're .."

Although Hawks seemingly stopped, not wanting to say that the reality that she was actually dying right now. "W-Why did you take my phone, why did you do this alone..I could've helped I could've..."

Yet Amari only turned her head to the side before answering back with a slight groan. "B-Because I didn't want you to get hurt.."

And that broke the hero's heart, now staring at the bloody, ashen and weak mess that was his trainee. His gaze then flickered towards injuries, taking in her multiple stab wounds, quirk over usage and her left eye that was completely burned, probably permanently.

It made the hero want to cry, seeing this little girl so broken so helpless. She kept him out of the plan to keep her safe but the hero only felt shame because of it. "I-I don't care about that. I care about you kid…"

Yet Bakugo knew that there was more than that, more of a reason why she left him out of the rescue mission, but the girl couldn't think of it. Why was she so desperate, what did he know that no one else did.

Although that's when a flicker of blue flames flashed into her mind as Amari immediately tested the words on her tongue, not understanding them yet but knowing they held some kind of power. "T-Toya.."

Widening his eyes at those words, Hawks turned back to the girl before placing a soft hand to her face, recalling the oldest Todoroki son that was also a villain. "W-What did you just say?"

All at once the memories started to come back as Amari started to remember the events of the last couple hours in painstaking detail, playing like a terrible movie in her own mind. Saving Todoroki's life, the fight inside the warehouse and Toya..

Todoroki Toya, the man that she had protected with her life, the man that she was going to die for, and the very same man that had just pushed himself in front of him in order to fight All for One alone.

Immediately springing to life, Amari's body sparked to life with panic as an agonizing groan escaped her throat with gritted teeth. Everything felt like he was on fire, like she was burning from both the inside and out as she felt her own body shake. "N-No...no no no..I have to..I have to…."

Seeing her panic, Hawks tightened his hold on her girl as she opened her wounds further, his voice shaky and quick as she tried to fight him. 'Wh-whoa whoa hold on there. You shouldn't be moving right now. Here, let's get you to the medic and then we can.."

Although the girl immediately grabbed into the heroes jacket with a silent plea, feeling her mind scream with a newfound desire.

Toya was in there, in that warehouse right now. Not Dabi, Toya. "N-No, I have to find Endeavor..I have to tell him about Toya…"

Forcing her body to move, Amari immediately ceased up in agony as Hawks hastily replied. "K-Kid, you can't be serious. You're dying and you still want to find Endeavor? It can wait, we need to get you help first.."

Although Amari knew that she didn't have as much time as Hawks said she did. She needed to finish what she started, she needed for Endeavor and his family to see their son before she died, before she couldn't help anymore..

Bakugo then gritted her teeth together before tightening her shaking hands onto Hawks' jacket was a gentle broken plea. "I-I have to tell them, they need to know he's in there. P-Please Keigo. I'm begging you, I need to tell him before I'm…"

She was going to say 'dead' but the pain caused her to close her lips tightly without another word, causing Hawks to notice her absolute desperation. She really wanted this, didn't she?

And as much as he hated it, the hero knew that he had to be there for her, to help her with her request. "A-Alright, listen. I'll go get Endeavor and bring him to you but you gotta promise me to get checked out, okay?"

Nodding back weakly, Hawks then quickly took off without a second thought, flying as fast as he could to the medic in the front of the battle with worried eyes. He knew Bakugo was coherent right now but who knows when that could end.

He held the broken child in his arms before calling out to the nurses roughly. "H-Help, I need someone quickly. She's hurt.."

Almost immediately an older woman he knew as Recovery Girl appeared before taking the small girl from his arms as she laid Bakugo down onto one of the nearest med bay beds and checking over her injuries with horrified eyes. "This poor girl, whatever did she go through..?"

Hawks gulped at the response before seeing Amari squeezing her eyes against the light, obviously still in agonizing pain from her injuries. It broke him to see her like this. "You can help her though, right? Like healing and stuff…"

Although that's when the woman's eyes saddened before turning back to the winged hero. "She didn't tell you?"

Her words made the hero's heart stop in his chest before stepping forward with panic. "What did you mean, what are you talking about?"

Recovery Girl was silent for a moment before looking at Amari with a dejected expression. "I can't heal her. You see, my quirk requires the use of stamina but Bakugo's health won't allow her to take large amounts of it at a time. If I use my quirk on her, she will die. Of course, she's known this since the start of school and yet continues to hurt herself like this. The poor dear."

Widening his eyes, Hawks immediately turned towards Bakugo before a sob forced his way into his throat. She couldn't heal her which meant Amari might actually not make it.

The hero then closed his eyes before shoving the idea from his mind, focusing on other matters at hand. She asked him to get Endeavor, so that's exactly what he was going to do.

Moving up the small girl, Hawks forced a small smile before placing a hand to her head as the sweat seeped across his fingers. "Hey, I'm going to go get Endeavor for ya, okay? Stay right there, I'll be back."

Bakugo forced herself to nod a response before another wave of plain coursed through her body causing Hawks' fake happy facade to crumble as he turned away before focusing on her wish with his wings outstretched.

Recovery Girl called over to her a moment later as well. "Dear, I'm going to get some pain medicine for you since I can't use my quirk. I'll be right back, okay?"

Then she hurried out of the room before Amari tightened her eyes at the impending light from the tent, her mind wanting to move but her body refusing to let it. Every muscle, every fiber of herself felt like it was getting torn apart by the second and Bakugo couldn't help but think back to her childhood when she felt like this everyday.

She then decided to focus on other things, hearing a couple nurses pass by her bed in harsh whispers as Amari listened in for hopes of distraction from the pain. "Hey, any words from that missing boy?"

The other nurse answered back a moment later, slight fear in her expression. "No, nothing. I mean, a couple people said they saw him making his way back into the building but I highly doubt that. It would be a suicide mission to go back in there."

Twisting her brow, Amari then listened in closer as the other woman seemingly looked down at her clipboard and searched for something. "It looks like that boy takes after his father after all."

Although what the nurse replied with caused Bakugo to immediately wake up from her dazed state, forcing her arms forwards as a very familiar name echoed through the air. "That is true. I would expect nothing less from Endeavor's youngest son.."

Widening her eyes, Amari felt her burning body suddenly turn cold as she processed their words. Todoroki was missing, he went back into the building?! No no no, she tried so hard to keep him out of this, to keep him safe. What the hell was he doing?!

It was as if those very words had shocked Bakugo out of her own pain before forcing her body to sit itself up a moment later. No, she couldn't let this happen, she wasn't going to let him fight alone and die like this.

It didn't matter if her body couldn't move, it didn't matter if she had used all of the strength. Amari would find more, she would create more just to see that her love was safe.

Because if she knew anything, it was that Todoroki was not going to be her sacrifice.

Not if she had anything to do with it.


Quickly flying through the war that was waging outside, Hawks found Endeavor a moment later, taking care of one of the Nomu that was attacking the side of the warehouse with a burst of fire.

Narrowing his eyes, the bird then willed a couple of his feathers to help the man, Todoroki's father watching as the crimson objects longed themselves into the monsters' back before plummeting to the floor.

Since Endeavor knew who those feathers belonged to, he called back towards the bird roughly. "It's about time you showed up, you useless bird."

Although as soon as he saw the hero's face, the man faltered just slightly. He seemed panicked and rushed. "E-Endeavor there you are! You have to follow me, quickly…"

Yet the man didn't understand the urgency, glancing towards a group of Nomu's that other pro's were fighting. "And why would I do that?"

Hawks then lifting up his wings before calling out pathetically. "It's B-Bakugo, she needs to talk to you. We don't have a lot of time and she asked me to get you so.."

His words seemed ominous, causing the man to raise a brow. "What about Bakugo, what happened?"

Yet that's when he Hawk's eyes crumble. "S-She's hurt man, really bad. I don't know if she's gonna make it so you gotta come with me. She wants to see you."

At that, Endeavor felt his heart drop in his chest before immediately turning back towards the bird, his steps quick as he made his way towards the medic with anxiety. "She's what? Hurry up Hawks and show me."

Nodding his head, Hawks quickly moved towards the infirmary before reaching the end section where Amari was before taking a breath and turning to the hero sadly. "Hold on, before you go on, you gotta know..she doesn't look good…."

Yet Endeavor could hardly care, already pushing past the man to open the curtain. "I don't care, just let me through already.."

Prepared for the worst, the hero then took a breath before forcing his way through the curtains only to find not what he expected.

The bed was empty.

Almost immediately he turned to Hawks before glaring. "Is this some kind of joke Hawks?"

Not fully understanding, the bird made his way into the room before gasping at the sight, his feathers immediately twitching in fear. "No..no...she was right here….where did she go..?!"

That's when Hawks turned back towards the warehouse with hallowed eyes. No, she wouldn't have..

Although that's when another nurse burst into the room before heading straight towards Endeavor. "Finally, Endeavor. We've been looking for you. Your son, he's missing."

Widening his eyes at the words, Endeavor sharply turned to the woman before answering back painfully cold. "What do you mean missing..? Wasn't he supposed to be right here."

The lady couldn't help but shiver at the calm hatred in his tone, causing the woman to shrink away. "Y-Yeah but, when we went to go check on other patients while the anesthesia kicked in he disappeared. Some said they saw him going back into the building but I…"

Slamming his fists on the nearest table, the woman squeaked in fear as Endeavor stared down at her with a mix of fury and unsaid concern. Why would Shoto have just left, why would he go back into that building when he was already hurt?!

Although, that's when a new thought popped into his mind, turning back to the lady with a heavy glare. "Did Bakugo know about this?"

Gulping back, the woman stuttered. 'Uhh I don't know. I know a lot of nurses were talking about it, about what to do. It's possible she overheard."

Endeavor couldn't help but curse at that, knowing fully well why Amari had disappeared as well, turning his back in anxiety as Hawks seemingly tried to catch up. "You don't think she went back in there because of your son? That's crazy, she couldn't even move the last time I saw her.."

Yet Todoroki's father was far wiser. "It doesn't matter. If she heard he was in trouble then I know that girl would do anything to stop it. Shoto and Bakugo, they are both in that building."

Quickly turning his head towards the building, Hawk began to curse as well before he saw Endeavor immediately leave. "Whoa whoa, where are you going?!"

Although the man only answered plainly. "I'm going to go get them."

Seeing him continue to leave, Hawks immediately began to panic internally, thinking about his broken trainee and about how desperate she was to tell Endeavor about Dabi. She just walked away from that, from the one thing she pleaded him for.

So much so that Hawks reached forward before grabbing onto Endeavors arm, stopping his movements immediately and knowing what he had to do for her. "Wait! Before you go, there is something you should know, something that Bakugo wanted to tell you…"

Twisting his brow in confusion, the man turned before huffing back. "What is it?"

Hawks then took a breath of courage before speaking the words that he knew Bakugo wanted to say. Since he wasn't there before, he was certainly going to be there for her now.

If this turned out to be her last wish then Hawks wanted to grant it.

"This may sound crazy, but it's about your son, Toya."


This was so much fun to write omg. Here we see that Dabi is just another version of Amari in a way. The overthinking, the self hatred, the trauma, he just likes to hide it better when Amari deals with it head on.

Next Chapter: ..