"Hey. Hey, Mido, it's time to wake up."
"Hm…?"
"Morning, Bedhead. Sleep well?"
"Mmnn… S'not fair, Touya. Not all'f us can have natur'ly straight hair."
"Heh. Sure, man."
"How long've I been out?"
"About seven hours."
"What!?"
"I would've let you sleep longer, but-"
"Touya, I have to get back! They're already gonna be suspicious since I didn't make it in time for Sensei to renew his quirk, but now-!"
"Whoa whoa, Mido calm down! You haven't done anything in the last few hours that you can't tell the truth about, remember? You were getting information on a potential rival organization, got distracted, and then passed out from sheer exhaustion. None of that is false."
"Tenko's gonna figure me out! Touya, you shouldn't have let me sleep that long-!"
"You needed the sleep, Mido."
"Well, maybe, but-"
"And the damage is already done either way. Might as well stick around and hear what info I have, right?"
"Nnngh… Yeah. Yeah, I guess you're right."
"Wow. Winning twice against you in as many days. You must be feeling particularly generous after your nap. Guess it was worth threatening to knock you out then."
"Shut up. So? What did you learn?"
"I thought you wanted me to shut up?"
"Touya…"
"Fine, fine. Chisaki's even more of a bastard than we initially thought. Those anti-quirk drugs he hinted he's working on? He's experimenting on a six year old girl to make them."
"How the hell would he…? Is it because of her quirk?"
"Yeah. I don't know what it is for sure yet, but I am in a better position to find out than I was before."
"Oh?"
"Yeah. Turns out the kid tried making a run for it the same night as the Hosu attack, so her warden got ripped apart by Overhaul. Since she happened to bump into me on the way out and didn't run away, I've been made her new caretaker."
"Sounds like the job has a pretty high mortality rate…"
"True, but it also puts me in an ideal position to assist in a rescue, whether by the heroes or the VN."
"No, not the heroes. We'll do this one ourselves."
"Fine by me, but why so adamant?"
"I still haven't figured out who Daruma's informants are in the HPSC. If any of them were to catch wind of a child whose quirk could be the basis of a quirk-eliminating drug, then what do you think he'd do?"
"Ah."
"Yeah. I'm not gonna risk a child being forced to trade one prison for another."
"Fair enough."
"Anyway, anything else significant to tell?"
"Not yet. I now have access to the lab section of the compound though, so I'll start mapping that out and get it to you as soon as I can. I just thought you'd wanna know that tidbit in the meantime."
"You know me so well. I'll get working on a plan as soon as I can."
"Just don't overexert yourself like that again. I can't always slip away to give you a sleep intervention."
"Heh. No promises, but I'll bear it in mind. Now to get back and face Tenko's inevitable tantrum…"
"Why do you call him that?"
"What?"
"Why do you still call Shigaraki 'Tenko'? You've gotta know by now that it won't do any good; any memories he had of his old life are long-buried by All for One's lies by now."
"…I know that. But I still call him that as a personal reminder."
"A personal reminder of what?"
"As a reminder of who Shigaraki Tomura once was-and what I myself could become if I let my guard down."
"You, Midoriya Izuku, the guy who got himself stabbed for a total stranger because he dived into a fight even though it was his first time using a quirk, become like Shigaraki? I wouldn't bet on it."
"He was like me once, Touya. Like us. A little kid with big dreams of becoming a hero, beaten down and rejected until he broke. Don't pretend you haven't wondered what it would be like at least once. To just… give in. Stop fighting "
"Hhhhh… Fine, I get it. But I still don't think you're gonna become like Shigaraki."
"Oh? Why's that?"
"Because you're a stubborn jackass, that's why."
"Wh-! Hey!"
.oOo.
"Any news?"
Touya stopped his obsessive pacing just long enough to glance up at the slim, short woman entering the alleyway.
Koudatsu Tsukihime. Yuki-onna.
"You're late," he growled shortly, taking up his march once again.
"I'm actually twenty minutes early," his fellow vigilante replied, leaning against the wall. She had cast aside her usual eye-catching scarlet for this mission and instead wore a plain mask and a skintight, bluish-gray jumpsuit with a narrow V-neckline that dipped just low enough to show a hint of cleavage. She wore matching, knee-high boots as well and had a series of knives strapped to both of her thighs. Additionally her gloves-he knew from experience-were tipped with wickedly sharp miniature blades, like steel-tipped claws. She'd still braided her hair in a tight updo, but it obviously wasn't for fashion this time; rather, it was to ensure it wouldn't fall in her face, nor would it serve as a way for a villain to grab her. "Anyway, where's Jingwei?"
"Up top."
"Keeping an eye on the recon unit?"
"Something like that."
"No word yet, then."
"Nope."
"…He's going to be okay, Touya."
Touya glanced up, meeting the young woman's soft, pitch-black eyes with a flash of aggravation. "You don't know that, Hime!"
"No, but I do know Izuku, and so do you. If anyone can get through this, it's him," she insisted, reaching to rub her left wrist in what had become a familiar gesture over the years. She was trying to reassure herself as much as she was trying to reassure him, it would seem.
Touya sighed, leaning back against the opposite wall. He hated just sitting here when his friend-dare he say his family-was in danger. Sure, they couldn't do much of anything without Shadow Dancer there to complete their team anyway, but he didn't even have enough information to come up with a plan-!
"Phoenix."
Touya's head shot up as the familiar voice crackled in his ear, straightening back up. "Gin? What's the report?" he snapped, tapping his comm link to allow the other vigilante to hear his voice, noting Hime straighten up as well, her jet eyes sharp and attentive.
"Intel's good. Wr-Deku's inside," came the immediate response. Touya's heart leaped with a strange mixture of relief and anticipation. Gin's ability to see inside the heads of the people around her bothered him most of the time but damn was he grateful for it now.
"Can Archie create the rendering?"
"Still working on getting him close enough to the building itself, but I can already tell you that they're on the South side of the building."
"They?"
"Yeah. He's not alone. All for One, Shigaraki, Kurogiri, and a number of other members of the League are there as well."
"Damn it…" Touya hissed, peeking around the corner of the alley towards the Nomu warehouse. They couldn't possibly risk taking on that many of the League at once, especially not if All for One himself was present! They'd have to wait and hope that the League cleared out, or maybe as the night dragged on some of them would go to sleep-?
"Phoenix, there's more," Gin said quietly.
"What is it?"
"Deku… he's not in good shape."
"You're not saying-"
"He's still alive," Gin assured him, "and I don't think there's any immediate risk of that changing. But his thoughts were entirely incoherent from the amount of pain he's in; I almost blacked out the moment I made contact. He's barely hanging on to consciousness, and I doubt he'll be able to walk on his own."
"…Understood," Touya ground out, barely smothering the hot rage burning in his chest as he thought of what Mido was likely having to go through. "That complicates matters with Yuki-onna here, but we'll make it work."
"Gin! Archie!"
"Jingwei? What's-?"
"Brace yourselves!"
Not a moment later, a yell and a crash broke through the evening, and Touya and Hime flinched back from the mouth of the alley as a blast of air rushed past them. "Jingwei, what's happening?!" Touya snapped into his comm.
"The heroes have arrived. The giant lady just destroyed the warehouse and a number of other heroes are cleaning up the Nomu."
"Heroes?! What the hell are they doing here!?"
"I have eyes on a full police regiment and seven pros," Yuki-onna called over her shoulder. "Mount Lady, Gang Orca, Edgeshot, Endeavor-" (Touya bit back a growl) "-Best Jeanist, Eraserhead, and-"
"SMASH!" a familiar voice roared, cutting off Yuki-onna's report. They'd brought All Might?! Then were they here to face All for One?
All for One-!
"Gin, what's the League up to?!" Touya demanded in a sudden panic. With Kurogiri present in the warehouse, they could spirit Mido away in an instant; the Network could lose him for good if that happened!
"I… I-I think the League is leaving!" Gin panted back, sounding almost dizzy. "They were on the side of the building that wasn't destroyed. Ugh, curse these Nomu; how can a mind so empty be so darn loud!?"
"Where's Mido?!"
"I-I think he's still inside! All for One is, too!" Gin coughed.
What? What the hell is All for One's game here? If he teleported the rest of the League away, why would he stay himself? And why keep Izuku, unless…
Shit. Shit, shit, SHIT!
"We need to get him out of there! Now!" Touya snapped at his partner.
"Plan?" Yuki-onna replied, her voice tight yet attentive.
"Archie, any chance on getting that rendering?!"
"No good; he's unconscious! He managed to get onto the wall and was knocked back by Mount Lady's attack!"
"Damn," Touya hissed.
"My, my, my. What an unwelcome interruption."
Touya froze and Hime flinched, her jet eyes blowing wide as she fought not to hyperventilate. Touya stepped quickly forward, peering around the corner where he could just see All for One exiting a portion of the destroyed building. So that's where Izuku should be, right?
"YOU!" All Might snarled.
"Time to get rid of the pests," the bastard grinned, red lightning sparking around his arms.
"JEANIST GET BACK!" All Might roared as Touya seized Tsukihime by the arm and hauled her to the ground with him, covering her body with his own not a moment too soon.
The two vigilantes grunted as the wind pressure ripped above them, cringing away from the building beside them as it cracked and shattered, the bricks quite literally blown away, although thankfully not in their direction.
"Dammit…" Touya hissed as little bits of shrapnel cut into the sensitive skin of his scars, rolling off of his friend as every scrap of information Mido had given him on All for One cycled through his mind.
"Wh-What now?" Hime whispered, her eyes glowing silver now that he was in the proximity of her quirk.
"He uses an Infrared quirk to see," Touya muttered. "My body heat runs lower than most; that means I'll be less noticeable. Not to mention, it doesn't give him three-sixty degree awareness. That means I have a chance of sneaking around and getting inside. You stay here and stay in contact; keep on the lookout for Shadow Dancer to arrive."
"Okay."
"Gin, are you still there?"
"Y-Yeah…"
"Guide me in. I'm heading for the warehouse."
"Ok-kay."
"DAMN YOU, ALL FOR ONE!" All Might bellowed as Touya began to sprint around the battlefield, gritting his teeth against the screeches of the Nomu and the cries of pain of the police officers. As much as he hated it, he would have to put his faith in the heroes for the moment. Even frickin' Endeavor.
Another explosion nearly knocked him-and all of the pro heroes-off his feet as All for One sent All Might flying. Damn, he can't fight at full strength with all these people here! The best he can hope for is nullifying some of the blast!
"What an amusing combination," All for One hummed. "Perhaps I can add a few more strength enhancers next time. What do you think, Izuku my boy?"
Touya froze, his head snapping up as a glob of black liquid appeared beside All for One, and a bruised and bloody Izuku collapsed onto the ground beside the monster. On the one hand, he felt a strange sense of relief seeing his pseudo younger brother alive, knowing that there was still a chance to save him.
On the other, there was no way to get him to safety without risk of combat now.
"Phoenix! Wraith just disapp-"
"I know, he's out here!"
"What now?" Yuki-onna asked, sounding about as terrified as he felt.
"Get into position to flank him! Jingwei, stand by!"
"It really is such a shame, even after all of your careful planning," All for One continued. The Goddamn bastard was gloating! "You know, I always knew that you would likely betray me one day, although I remained hopeful; your talent really did catch my eye all those years ago. But ultimately you proved far too stubborn for me to sway you. Ah well, I suppose we no longer need you to tell us what information you've passed along to the heroes; it's become quite clear now. Consider this my final gift to you, my boy: a chance to see your failed handiwork before I end your pitiful existence once and for all."
Touya snarled as Mido cried out, black and red spikes stabbing him in the shoulders and legs and dragging into a standing position.
"Phoenix-!"
"Behold, All Might! Witness the death of the child you've failed to save for a second time!"
"YOU BASTARD!"
We're out of time! "Yuki, distraction!"
"Get the hell away from him you son of a bitch!" Yuki-onna screamed, charging across the battlefield with a foot-long knife clutched in each hand.
All for One spared a glance for her, and Touya could just picture the cruel smile twisting his lips under his fancy support mask as he laughed, "Yuki-onna-"
"Jingwei, now!"
Blue flames roared from Touya's arm, flying towards the bastard that had dared to hurt his family. He knew that the spike of heat he was giving off was intense-apparently enough for All for One to notice even when he was attacking from behind. Still, there was no way that he could fully dodge all of Touya's fire. Unfortunately though, he did manage to step backwards just enough to avoid Jingewei's bullet to his brain.
It did however manage to clip the edge of his life support mask. Pure oxygen combined with flames over seven hundred sixty degrees and all of the debris in the air just waiting to be ignited? The explosion was enough to send even the Lord of the Underworld staggering back with a cry of pain, instinctively recoiling and dropping Mido's limp body on the ground.
An instant later, All Might's fist found its mark, slamming into the side of All for One's head and throwing him backwards and giving Touya his opening to sprint forward, rapidly closing the distance between himself and the green-haired boy on the ground. Yuki-onna kept her distance, standing guard with knives brandished as Touya quickly hauled Mido into a fireman's carry, momentarily ignoring his weak groan.
"Phoenix, is he okay?" Jingwei's voice crackled in his ear as the three of them raced away from the oscillating waves of force that All Might was struggling to hold in check.
"He's alive," Touya panted back. "Do what you can from up top Jingwei, then clear out. Gin, grab Archie and join the evacuees. There's nothing else you can do here."
"Understood."
"O-Okay."
"T-Tou-" the green-haired boy began before coughing harshly alongside his ear.
"Don't try to talk, idiot," the fire-wielder growled back, eyes flicking away from their goal as a tan-skinned Nomu came at them, screeching harshly. Yuki-onna's speed instantly skyrocketed, intercepting the monster in an instant and using its own leg as a springboard to launch herself onto its shoulders, wrap her legs around its neck and drive her daggers into its exposed brain, eyes burning silver and lips twisted in a soundless snarl as blood splattered her cheek and she demonstrated how she had once earned the nickname Yokai Queen.
Touya didn't stop running until they had cleared the main impact zone; honestly, he was surprised that they didn't encounter more trouble along the way, be it from more Nomus or even the heroes, but a glance backward showed that Yuki-onna had a great deal to do with that. She had already left the bodies of two Nomu in her wake, and even now was charging a third. He suspected Jingwei had a fair bit to do with the other bodies littering the area, but that was not his main concern for the time being.
Mido groaned as Touya lowered him carefully to the ground against a half-broken brick wall at the fringe of the warzone. His face was pale and streaked with sweat, his normally bright eyes glazed over in pain, and he was very obviously trying and failing not to put his weight on his back. Touya quickly moved to help him lean forward, only to freeze as he stared in horror at the state of his friend.
He was trembling, random tremors and muscle spasms clearly visible because the skin of his back was gone, leaving it caked in blood-half-broken scabs, wet streaks and dark drops seeping from the cracks. How he hadn't passed out from blood loss alone yet was nothing short of a miracle.
"What the hell did they do to you!?" the fire-user hissed between his teeth.
"T-Tenko. Quirk cont-trol prac-tice," Mido gasped back, still dazed with pain.
"Are you telling me that bastard disintegrated the skin off your back!?" Touya snarled, feeling heat spike around his fingertips as fury poured through his veins.
"Y-Yeah… C-Couldn't fight bac-ck."
"Quirk suppressants?"
"Ye-eah."
"Izuku!"
Touya's head snapped up and he leaped to his feet, blue flames springing from his fingers as a blond boy with crimson red eyes sprinted around the corner, staggering to a halt, chest heaving, relief pouring into his expression as he saw Mido weakly raise his head.
Honestly, that was the only reason Touya didn't fry him on the spot.
"K-Kac-chan?" the green-haired boy beside him croaked, eliciting a sharp look from the fire-wielder.
Kacchan? The Kacchan? Friend-turned-reformed-bully-Kacchan? The Kacchan Mido got himself caught by the League for? What the hell was he doing here?!
"Wh-What are you-?" Mido began, echoing Touya's thoughts before quickly devolving into another coughing fit, his entire body shuddering in pain.
"Izuku!" the blonde cried, hand partially extended, taking another few steps forward before Touya stepped between them. "Dammit, Hot Hands!" the kid scowled, eyes flicking between him, his fiery hands, and Midoriya.
"How am I supposed to know you're who you say you are?" Touya growled warningly.
"Goddammit, what the hell do you want me to say, huh?!" the blonde snarled. "You obviously don't have a truth quirk like Trench Coat! What, should I recite Padlock's whole damn driving playlist or something!?"
Touya blinked and lowered his hands. "Yeah, alright, it's you."
Bakugou Katsuki didn't waste another moment in rushing to Mido's side, dropping to one knee and hovering awkwardly over him, like he wanted to help but didn't know how. "Shit, what the hell did they do to you!?" he seethed. "Dammit, if only… If only I'd been…"
"'M'sor-ry," Mido mumbled, his voice terribly weak.
"Idiot, what the hell do you have to apologize for, you shitty nerd?" Bakugou choked back, scrubbing fiercely at his eyes.
"'M'sorry… I left."
"Yeah well, I have a hell of a lot more to apologize for than that."
"You two idiots can argue about who's to blame later," Touya rolled his eyes, kneeling at his other side, rummaging in his pocket.
"Whoa, what the hell is that for?" Bakugou growled, glaring at the capped syringe as he pulled it out, leaning protectively over Mido.
"It's a cocktail of adrenaline and a couple other drugs that should help his body flush out the suppressants in his system," Touya explained briefly, taking his friend's arm.
"I-Ice sent you… with the good st-tuff, huh?" Mido smirked faintly, exhausted though he was.
"Don't be an idiot about it, Mido!" the fire-user snapped warningly as he found a vein and stuck in the needle. "This is only so you can use your quirk to defend yourself, not so you can be a damn martyr!"
"I'll second that," Bakugou growled.
"R-Right."
"Katsuki!"
Bakugou's head immediately snapped up at the sound of the voice. Where he was pressing the plunger and trying not to cringe at the sight of Mido's grimace, Touya didn't bother initially.
"The hell are you numbskulls doing here?" the blonde growled.
The vigilante's eyes flicked up as he withdrew the syringe and recapped the needle, tucking it back in his pocket for the moment. A group of three hero students had entered their little haven, including a kid with bright red hair and sharp teeth bared in a worried grimace, a girl with dark hair tied in a spiky ponytail, and-
Touya froze, unable to keep his lips from parting in shock. Whatever answer the redhead gave was lost to him as he met a heterochromatic gaze, each eye color so familiar, and yet somehow so foreign.
"T-Touya?" Shouto whispered, practically drowned out by whatever argument Bakugou and his friend were having.
Any half-baked plans or prepared speeches Touya had thought up for the moment he would see his biological family again flew out the window in that moment, and all he could do was stare, eyes flicking rapidly over Shouto's features, taking in the half-red-half-white hair, the vicious scar covering the left side of his face, the simple white t-shirt, but more than anything his eyes. They were just so much older, guarded in a way they hadn't been when he was a child, yet so wide and shocked and, in a strange way, full of wonder.
They were still his baby brother's eyes.
"Oh my God."
Touya startled harshly, his head swivelling towards the tall raven-haired girl, who he only now realized had moved to kneel down beside him, taking in the sight of his friend's mutilated back with wide, horrified black eyes.
"I-It looks worse… than it f-feels," Mido managed with a weak, grimace-y smile.
"Don't give me that shit; it's just the drugs talking," Touya quipped automatically, putting the matter of Shouto and their ten year estrangement aside for the moment.
"We need to get him to the ambulance!"
"No," Touya shot her down immediately.
The raven-haired girl sent him a sharp, no-nonsense look that probably didn't have as much effect as she was anticipating; he was friends with Yuki-onna after all. "You must be joking! Deku-san is severely injured; we must get him treated immediately!"
"Yeah, and if we stick him on an ambulance, they'll lock him away for who knows how long immediately after!" Touya snapped back, anger flaring.
"You seriously intend to risk his life over that?!"
"Who ever said that-!"
"Um, guys?"
The pair of arguments immediately cut off at the sound of the quiet voice, heads turning towards the source in various degrees of irritation.
"Ah, shit," Bakugou groaned, accurately summarizing the situation in Touya's opinion.
Two more UA students-a familiar brunette and a dark-haired boy with square glasses-were approaching, each of them looking more than a little uncomfortable with their arms pinned to their sides by several layers of off-white cloth, closely followed by a tall man in a black jumpsuit with long black hair and a ferocious scowl.
"Just what the hell is going on here?" Eraserhead growled, glowering at his six students.
"Uh…" the sharp-toothed redhead managed eloquently.
"The police made it pretty damn clear that they didn't care whether or not Izuku lived or died," Bakugou snarled, his expression entirely unrepentant.
"So you made the ill-advised and completely idiotic decision to try to save him yourselves?!" Eraserhead barked, and then, turning on Touya, snarled, "And you enabled them!?"
"Like hell would I drag a bunch of kids into an operation like this," the vigilante scoffed, pointedly not making eye contact with any of the students as he heard someone huff in irritation. "I had no idea they would be here until they showed up five minutes ago."
"THEN HOW THE HELL DID MY STUDENTS END UP IN A WARZONE!?" Eraserhead roared, his eyes flashing crimson and his hair standing on end in his fury.
"Sensei!" Mido's girlfriend cried, courageously positioning herself between the two vigilantes and the underground hero despite still being tangled up in his scarf. "Yes. You're right. Coming here was idiotic, irresponsible, and extremely dangerous," she said quietly, somehow managing to meet that furious red gaze head-on, "but the fact of the matter is, we are here, and you're short-handed."
"What the hell do you think you're suggesting, Uraraka?" Eraserhead growled, his hair falling back down.
"All Might is fighting All for One and losing right now," Uraraka snapped back, "and he's losing because he can't fight at full strength while there are still so many people nearby! The heroes are holding back the Nomu, sure, but there are still dozens of civilians trapped in all the debris. If All Might is going to have even the slightest chance of stopping All for One, you're going to need all the help you can get to clear out the area first! We don't have to be involved in the fighting! Just let us help with the rescue!"
"Uraraka-!"
"Come to think of it," Touya interrupted, "why the hell aren't you out there helping All Might? All for One relies way too heavily on his quirk; you could take away his biggest advantage in an instant!"
"You think I don't know that?!" Eraserhead snapped. "My quirk is non-discriminatory towards all those in my line of sight! If I take away All for One's quirk, then I'll take All Might's as well, and then he'll be left vulnerable to an attack from behind, not to mention he won't be able to deal any kind of finishing blow to All for One!"
"Aizawa-s-sensei."
Touya glanced up with surprise as Mido carefully pushed himself fully upright, his expression still set in a tight grimace, but his green eyes brighter and far more alert than they had previously been. Obviously, the adrenaline cocktail was beginning to do its work.
"If I may," he rasped, "I have an idea."
.oOo.
'First things first, Phoenix needs to get in position.'
Things didn't look good as Touya picked his way back through the battlefield, newly equipped with a second comm link from that girl Yaoyorozu. (Talk about an incredible quirk, creating complex circuitry from the fat on her body! He wished they had an ability like that in the VN; it would cut back on their expenses considerably.) The Nomu were all but destroyed, quite a few of them with knife wounds signature to Yuki-onna and others with bullet holes in their foreheads courtesy of Jingwei. Quite a few more had blackened skin from the forehead down; obviously Endeavor was putting up quite a fight as well.
'Why can't we just use All Might?'
All Might, however, wasn't doing quite as well. That was hardly his fault, being forced to concentrate on holding back shockwave after shockwave for upwards of ten minutes while the other heroes took down the Nomu and began a rescue effort. Eraserhead had reluctantly given his permission for his students to join in that effort on the condition that they worked directly under the heroes and stayed away from the crater, knowing that he didn't have the resources to keep them out of trouble by any other means and that they were indeed, as Mido's girlfriend had put it, extremely short-handed. Still, the sight of All Might in that shriveled form Mido had told him about, blood spilling down his chin and thin arms streaked with soot, didn't exactly inspire much confidence.
'Because of the transformative nature of his quirk. With him weakening over the course of the battle, I can't predict the size and shape of his body accurately enough to viably protect him, especially given his short-range usage of his quirk. Phoenix's abilities are much more practical for this operation, not to mention his naturally low body heat will give him an advantage in approaching All for One. Besides, we have no way to tell All Might the plan beforehand.'
At least All for One's tendency to gloat and All Might's irrepressible optimism made for a great distraction as Touya circled carefully behind them.
"Well well, All Might," All for One laughed mockingly, "where is your smile now? How amusing! It seems I've taken a piece of you after all!"
"I… already knew," All Might whispered, head bowed, silent tears sliding down his cheeks. "Midoriya-shounen warned me in his notebook, that Shigaraki is my master's grandson. I knew… I just didn't want to believe it."
"Midoriya-shounen?" All for One repeated, sounding vaguely amused. "Quite the address for the boy that betrayed your trust four years ago, spied on your students and used his knowledge of them against you."
"Shut up," All Might growled, a little bit of fire returning to his eyes. "That boy was used and manipulated, just like you always do to people, and yet he saw through you, and did everything he could to help those who fought against you! Midoriya Izuku is a hero, a hero with so much to protect!" (Oh boy, if Mido can hear this, he's probably balling by now.) "I'm ashamed of myself that I wasn't able to see it all those years ago, but that's exactly why I must defeat you now!"
"That's it isn't it," All for One chuckled, beginning to rise into the air. "That's the last of your power! A wounded hero is truly a most frightening animal!"
'You're absolutely sure this will work? That you can use your quirk to protect your friend from mine?'
He should've been out of power ages ago, Touya thought, watching yellow sparks, like lightning, flash around All Might's right arm as he finally managing to position himself more or less behind All for One. If they were gonna do this, they had to do it now, before All Might attacked or one of the other heroes tried to step in.
'Positive.'
"Ready?" he whispered into his link.
"Whenever you are."
"NOW!"
All for One glanced down and All Might glanced up, each of them with expressions of surprise before suddenly both of their quirks were gone, the muscles in All Might's arm completely vanishing and All for One falling through the air with a snarl of frustration. For his part, Touya leaped forward, charging the Lord of the Underworld as he hit the ground hard, his teeth gritted beyond his ruptured oxygen mask.
"Foolish boy!" he snarled past a cough, obviously injured by the fall but confident that his Super Regeneration quirk would kick in shortly. "What can you possibly do while Eraserhead's quirk-?"
Sky blue flames erupting from Touya's body cut All for One off. Even without Infrared active, Touya knew that he could feel the heat flooding off of him. "Impossible…" he whispered, his eyeless face registering pure shock.
"You should know better than to believe that when Mido's involved," Touya grinned fiercely, and let fly.
All for One screamed as Cremation struck him on one side so as not to break Eraserhead's eye contact, his suit almost instantly vaporizing, the steel portions of his mask glowing red hot and the acrid scent of burning plastic and flesh filling Touya's nostrils. Touya's own skin screamed in protest, blisters forming across the surface of his already-scarred skin before biting even deeper than that, but he grit his teeth and didn't give a damn.
If this is what it took to keep Mido from being hurt by this bastard again, then he'd gladly do it.
"D-DAMN YOU, BOY!" All for One screeched through the excruciating agony as his flesh was all but melted from his arm, muscles and soon bone beginning to appear through the dancing flames. "I REFUSE TO DIE… WITHOUT TAKING SOMETHING WITH ME!"
Black and red spears shot from All for One's body, streaking across the crater.
Dammit, Eraserhead must've had to blink! "Move, All Might!" Touya shouted.
The Symbol of Peace barely managed to dodge out of the way, still choking on his own blood, watching attentively for the rivets to turn and attempt to strike him once again. Only, they didn't stop. They continued in their inexorable path-
-directly towards a short figure with bobbed hair crouched at the lip of the crater, helping a struggling civilian to her feet.
"URARAKA-SHOUJO!" All Might bellowed, the cry mixed with terror and anguish.
"DIE, ONE FOR ALL!"
"No!"
"IZUKU!"
Ice seemed to flood Touya's veins as he saw a familiar figure shove Uraraka Ochaco out of the way, watched helplessly as a dark substance that he knew to be blood flew into the air, and heard a raw scream that he belatedly realized was coming from his own throat, the intensity of his flames spiking, any attempt at retaining control lost in his fury.
With one last, hollow screech, All for One's body collapsed, nothing more than a smoldering heap in the center of the crater. All Might was staring at it, at Touya, but the fire-wielder couldn't bring himself to care. He just sprinted up the side of the crater, adrenaline pushing him ever faster until he reached Mido's side.
Bakugou, Eraserhead, and Uraraka were already there trying to help him, the former pulling off his shirt and wadding it up to press over the gaping hole just under Mido's sternum while Eraserhead sliced off a portion of his scarf to tie it into place and Uraraka cradled Mido's head in her lap as he coughed and hacked up sprays of blood, sweat streaking his pale face, eyes scrunched closed and expression twisted with pain, the white bandages Yaoyorozu had made to wrap his previous wounds already stained red.
"Dek- M-Midoriya-kun! C-Come on, stay awake! Please, you have to stay awake!" Uraraka cried, tears spilling down her cheeks and onto his.
"Dammit Izuku, don't you dare die on me like this!" Bakugou choked, fighting tears of his own. "Stay awake, dammit! What'm I supposed t'tell your mom if you freakin' die like this?! Izuku!"
"No no no no," Touya hissed, dropping to his knees beside them as well. "Mido! Midoriya! Dammit, you promised! You promised this wouldn't be a Goddamn suicide mission! Mido!"
"Phoenix!"
Touya's head snapped up as a young woman with long brown hair and a medical mask sprinted up the slope, looking terrified yet determined. "Shadow Dancer!"
"Oh my gosh oh my gosh oh my gosh," she whispered, eyes wide with horror, looking like she might be sick as she reached their group, but for the first time in what felt like an eternity, Touya felt a flicker of hope.
"Give him here," Touya ordered, hauling Mido into his arms despite vehement protests. "Let's get him to Izanami."
"R-Right," Shadow Dancer nodded, pushing through the group to his side. "I'm gonna need some light."
"I'll handle that," Touya growled. "I'd advise you all to get back."
"Wait, what are you-?!"
Touya didn't even feel the heat this time as the fire burst from his shoulder, casting long, wild shadows down the edge of the crater. (Somewhere in the back of his mind he knew that was a bad sign, but just then he didn't care.) Shadow Dancer's eyes glowed briefly violet as she pulled her shadow around them, gripping his other arm with one hand and Mido's with the other to ensure they would travel together.
His face twitched at her touch, dull emerald eyes cracking open the barest millimeter as the world fell away and they dropped into darkness.
He'll be alright, Touya thought desperately. He will be alright.
He has to be.
Please don't kill me for this...
Anywho, WHOO, one more chapter and an epilogue to go guys! Then considering that it's been almost a full year since I started posting Liar Liar, I thought I would do an end-of-story Q&A, so start preparing your questions now! Our last chapter will be coming out March 18th, narrated by our sweet little Unicorn Girl. :) Hope to see you then!