Everything after that was a haze that Tokoyami waded through in an almost dream-like state. The world of dust and ruin felt numb to him. His energy had been utterly drained. His limbs were heavy, dragging him closer to battle-ravaged earth. All he could feel with complete certainty was the residual sensation of Shigaraki's hand grasping onto his. Dark Shadow shifted in his mind, seeping with exhaustion much like himself. Other than these slightest of movements, they stood still in the heart of Deika City's destruction.
While he stood motionless, his surroundings moved on without him. He could feel the tremors in the earth of countless people milling around him, but he was deaf to their voices and movements. Tokoyami didn't track how much time passed like this – it was hard enough just to keep his eyes open. Despite everything, Tokoyami didn't feel like he could rest just yet. Maybe because it didn't feel justifiable, as if coming up short at the very end of this taxing battle made him vulnerable. Or perhaps, given the track record these villains had, he couldn't trust that he'd wake up if he was to pass out in the dirt at this very moment.
Whatever the case, he remained situated like a statue amidst the accumulating crowds that spilled into the crater left behind by Shigaraki. Cars and quirk users delivered people and medical supplies before disappearing beyond the edge of collapsed buildings in a cycle of rescue and recovery. All the while, his own fate felt so damn uncertain.
Tokoyami was beginning to sway on his feet. He started wondering if there was anyone out there that would give him a reason to relax. That'd be selfish, though. There had to be countless people that were killed and injured here today, civilians and Liberation soldiers that were certain to be in horrid condition. Hell, even other members of the League hadn't gotten off lightly this time.
At least in the aftermath of the battle against Overhaul he was able to sleep soundly knowing that he'd been the one worse off.
You slept soundly because you were comatose, idiot, Dark Shadow berated weakly from the recesses of his thoughts.
Tokoyami's chest throbbed with the faint beginnings of a laugh. How amusing, it seemed, that of all the words his quirk had to say that it would be such a targeted criticism. Needless to say, it was fairly put. Be glad we're not worse off this time around, then.
An irritated squirm. That's not comforting.
Tokoyami released a breath that rattled his whole body, and he felt his knees begin to give in beneath him. Perhaps he'd reached a conclusion too soon.
A tentative hand grabbed his shoulder, sending a jolt through him. His feathers bristled in an instant, and he instinctively grabbed for a weapon that was no longer there. He wasn't ready for another fight, but if there was anything left within him then he'd be happy to deliver.
"Easy there, lad! I only have one hand to aid you with. Don't turn your beak up at me after all this!"
Tokoyami blinked away the blurriness, looking up at the light of day. As things began to come into focus, he realized that Mr. Compress was standing at his side. Much like everyone else, he'd seen better days, but all things considered didn't appear too much worse than when he'd last left him. His clothes were more battered and his mask was broken by a large crack that revealed part of his face, but otherwise he hadn't sustained any serious injuries. Which was good because he didn't think the guy could handle very many more of those.
Tokoyami tried to speak, his first words emerging as dusty wheezes before he properly cleared his throat. "I…don't know w-what to do now," Tokoyami sighed, the words choking him like shards of glass. It was about all he could manage to get out, but it communicated all that it needed.
The hold of him became a reassuring pat on the back that, even from this weak old man, threatened to knock him over. Mr. Compress didn't notice him stagger, proceeding undaunted. "Fret not! All is being taken care of. Who would've guessed that Shigaraki could be so, ah, convincing?"
Yeah I know what you mean.
"In any case, Re-Destro's men are already preparing for the merging of our forces. Exciting, is it not? They've already prioritized the more heavily injured – Re-Destro and Shigaraki included – but there's a personal ride waiting to escort us to our new headquarters."
Tokoyami rubbed dust from his eyes. Gazing around at his surroundings and the impact they'd had on this capsized city, it felt hard to just leave it all behind. Would it solve anything if he chose to stand here forever in vigil, overlooking the newly carved graves of so many unnamed people? It wasn't an option, of course, but it was something that he couldn't help contemplating. If there was any sort of justice to have, then he wanted to grab onto it and never let go.
But he wasn't a fool. The world, no matter what state it was in, wasn't so clear-cut. And it wasn't going to wait for him, either, even if he willed it to slow down. What happened here couldn't be erased. Or forgiven or even conciliated with. Nothing about this devastation could ever be made better, and just like every other layer of hell that had brought him to this moment he'd have to live with it forever in his mind.
Mr. Compress slowly marched him in the direction of a van that was parked near the edge of the crater. Against all odds, there was something resembling a road that was being utilized by emergency responders. In the distance he could see a helicopter rising from the ground. There were considerably less people now, but he was still keenly aware of eyes boring into him from every direction. It'd be more unnerving if he hadn't come to expect it. Reflecting back on it, he'd done a lot here. He'd borne witness to almost every considerable fight along the way, if only in bits and pieces. So when he walked, he felt recognized. These people knew who he was – and despised him all the more for it.
As it turned out, the ride awaiting them was pretty cramped. The van meant to relocate them to MLA headquarters already had its passengers either seated inside or milling around waiting for them. Spinner jogged over to meet them while Dabi waited by the vehicle. Once again, neither one of them looked much worse off than when he'd last seen them, but it was worrying that they were the only recognizable faces to greet him.
"Where's…" Tokoyami rasped.
Spinner came to his other side and helped him along the rest of the way. His hair had streaks of dried blood in it and it looked like his scaly snout had been hit but some brute forse, but he didn't appear overly concerned with his current condition… So Tokoyami wasn't going to worry about it either. The others, on the other hand, were definitely worth worrying about, considering where he'd last left them.
Once again, Mr. Compress understood what he wanted to say. "Once word had spread – rather quickly, I might add! – of Shigaraki's victory, there was quite a change of heart in our foes, you see. Toga was quickly given priority flight back to headquarters to treat her condition before it worsened. Twice readily accompanied her, so we'll have to meet up with them later on."
"…They're already gone?" How long had I been left standing there?
Time passes quicker in your mind.
I shouldn't be so oblivious to my surroundings, though. That's dangerous.
…We froze. That's all, Dark Shadow decided, curling up tighter in the depths of his inner self.
Spinner nodded, the simple movement bringing him back to attention. "That guy we were fighting – I guess everyone calls him Trumpet – has a lot of influence on communication between MLA factions. So when we saw the result of Shigaraki's battle, that pretty much decided everything. Every other battle came to an end, and the soldiers became way more agreeable to work with."
They reached the non-descript van. A driver with a strained pleasant expression opened the side door for them to climb inside. Tokoyami could feel the thinly veiled resentment radiating off their chauffeur. If this was truly a unification of the League and the MLA, then it was going to take a lot of getting used to for both sides. The last time Shigaraki had joined up with another group it hadn't gone over so well. Would it be so different, even if they were the ones that had managed to come out on top in spite of it all?
Dabi peeled himself away from the side of the van to join them in clambering into the back. Even at a glance, Tokoyami could tell that his burns were… more ghastly than usual. It was like his skin wanted desperately to leave his flesh, the staples barely enough to properly hold him together. And yet when he stood facing Tokoyami, a familiar smirk split his blistered lips. "You made it pretty far, didn't you? You're just full of surprises, sticking that beak into other peoples' business, huh?" Tokoyami couldn't tell if he was being complimentary or critical of his actions. He opened his mouth to argue either way, but Dabi had already turned his back to them. "Anyway, my fight didn't get much farther after you left. I almost had him, though. He couldn't even hurt me," he sneered with all the confidence of someone who did far more damage to himself than any one person could ever do to him.
Almost had him, huh? Tokoyami wondered where that person was now. He'd had a lot to say about quirks, and it stood to reason that Dabi's opponent – much like everyone else – wasn't going to be as agreeable as Re-Destro had been in his moment of defeat. Pondering it further, if they were truly coming together within the same space… then wouldn't the whole situation be tense as hell? Tokoyami could already imagine the unpleasantries associated with running into the loyal Liberation soldiers he'd contested with.
At the same time, Tokoyami was surprised that Dabi didn't have anything else to say. Sure, their engagements during this period of strife had been brief at best, but had Dabi not been supporting him from afar in those final moments? Thinking about it now, it felt strange. Especially with how detached Dabi was acting now, as if his fight had been the only thing that mattered throughout this whole ordeal.
Mr. Compress sighed wearily. "I wish I could say the same," he mumbled behind his broken mask.
Curious as he was, the time for words left him the moment he felt like he could actually rest. Tokoyami practically collapsed into the seat he was offered in the car. He readily sank into the cushiony leather and when the door closed next to him he leaned his head against the tinted window, reveling in the coolness of the glass. The others piled in next to him, making it cramped but not uncomfortable. If anything, the only discomfort came from the row of MLA passengers situated directly behind them and staring daggers at the back of their heads. Whether or not the League of Villains would be considered special guests in the MLA didn't matter – they only had so many working vehicles in the aftermath of Shigaraki's quirk, so they'd be carpooling the rest of the way. If Tokoyami closed his eyes, he could almost hear the Liberator's toxic thoughts cursing the League of Villains' existence.
When the engine started and the car began moving across the rocky terrain, he opened his eyes in the thinnest of slits to watch the tattered landscape be left behind. His breath fogged up the window, and he looked out through a cloudy lens.
Something flying through the open sky caught his attention, if only for a split second. Tokoyami sat bolt upright, earning a disgruntled complaint from Spinner sitting adjacent to him. Beak pressed to the glass, he scoured the sky for the flash of red that had demanded his attention. But it was already gone, faster than anyone else could possibly detect, and Tokoyami settled deeper into his seat with a feeling of defeat heavier than ever before.
At this point, it'd be more comforting if he was seeing imaginary things.
Exhausted, Tokoyami let his eyes close and allowed an empty darkness to take hold of him. None of these thoughts of dread or consequence – just the hollow comfort of a listless sleep.
When next he awoke, he was surprised to find that it wasn't within the confines of the van. Instead Tokoyami found himself in a neat, sparsely decorated hospital room. Ah, hospital bed. We meet again.
Dark Shadow yawned in his head, and Tokoyami did the same outwardly. This one's nicer, though.
Tokoyami sank his head back into the fluffed pillow and squinted up at the ceiling. I didn't think you were taking note of such mundane things after that last fated battle.
Hm? Of course I was. I was worried, you know. About dying and all that. But that's not a worry this time, so it should be alright.
Tokoyami mulled over that while cherishing the comfort of the bed. It'd been months since he'd last been in a proper place where he might actually have a chance of rest. We'll just have to see how far we can get here. I'm not about to raise my hopes in anticipation of a decent recovery.
Seeing how far we can go starts with getting up, though.
…Is that a challenge?
Tokoyami began pushing himself up and off the bed while Dark Shadow's frustrated complaints spilled through his thoughts. "Don't worry, I'm not so hurt that I can't stand… I think," Tokoyami reassured to the tune of his quirk's fretted hisses.
His body protested, yelling at him to lie back down if he knew what was good for him, and Dark Shadow wasn't much encouragement either. Regardless, Tokoyami managed to get himself into a sitting position that gave him a better idea of his surroundings.
Bandages covered his arms, concealing the burns and scratches he'd sustained against Curious. He could feel squares of gauze taped to his back where glass and shrapnel had once been deeply embedded. Moving aside the light blanket that had been placed over him revealed a patchwork of band-aids and wrappings protecting his torso. The edge of his scar from Overhaul peeked out from the swaths of freshly applied dressings. Despite the level of care that had been taken to cover all his injuries, Tokoyami still didn't think it was that bad.
That doesn't mean you can jump right back into the fray, you know, Dark Shadow warned. I don't even want to hear a peep about training for at least a few days!
Tokoyami hummed in agreement. That last move we did was something else, he thought, thinking back on when he'd tried so desperately to keep Gigantomachia at bay. I can't let go of that feeling. We can hone it, I'm sure. Be bigger – more controlled.
Yeah. That move definitely needs a cool name, the quirk mused. Not exactly what Tokoyami had in mind, but at least the quirk sounded optimistic for something that was sure to be a grueling training process for the future. That and…
And?
I didn't know we could fl—
Before Tokoyami could finish that thought, a sniffle from somewhere else in the room made him tense. He'd have time to discuss everything that had happened during their onslaught of different fights later. For now, Tokoyami wasn't content with how little he knew of their surroundings. Sure, he probably had nothing to fear from the people that had brought him into the infirmary and patched his wounds, but there was no doubt in his mind that there would also be foes seeking him out with a vengeance.
Tokoyami took careful note of his location. His bed was surrounded by a privacy curtain, so there had to be multiple beds in the room. If it was other patients that shared the space, that was fine. But he wasn't about to be caught off guard by a grudge-possessed assailant.
Tokoyami slid carefully off the bed. He wasn't quite prepared for the moment when he applied weight to his weakened legs. Instead of coming to a quiet stand, he stumbled into the bedside table and clutched onto it for stability. A half-empty bottle of antiseptic toppled to the ground, and a pile of haphazardly placed items clattered across the wooden surface. Cursing his carelessness, Tokoyami glared at just what had given away his position.
He stood there, staring down at the personalized mound of possessions. Waiting next to his bedside was his tattered cloak. It should've been practically shredded to ribbons by this point, but that'd be hard to tell from how carefully it was folded into a neat little square. Resting on top of it was the hilt of his discarded sword, which had been kept safe even through the chaos. These two items were virtually unusable by this point, but that didn't entirely matter. Somewhere along the way, the villains had learned a lesson in sentimentality.
He wasn't about to admit how important it was that they'd held onto these things for him. At the same time, he'd definitely need to find a good place to keep these… if that was an option for him, of course.
"…Kid? Is that you?"
Tokoyami breathed a sigh of relief. So much for his attempt at caution. He knew that voice anywhere. "Y-yeah, I'm good," he rasped in what he hoped was a convincing tone.
Hardly, Dark Shadow scoffed. You sound like you're on the verge of death again.
But I'm not, Tokoyami pointed out. And maybe that wasn't the most convincing response, but it didn't have to be. At least he was standing, right? The same couldn't be said for others in the room.
On the shelf beneath his belongings was a set of gray cotton clothes. He changed into them, tying the strings of the one-size-too-large tight around his waist and wincing as he pulled the soft shirt over his bandaged arms. The floor beneath him was surprisingly warm – heated tiles? – so he didn't bother looking for footwear.
Tokoyami peeled back the curtain, squinting through the glaring fluorescent lights. The room was bigger than he thought, certainly large enough to accommodate at least a dozen patients. But none of the other curtains were drawn, bringing his attention directly towards the only other two people in the room.
"Twice?" Tokoyami rasped tentatively, shuffling unsteadily towards the only other occupied bed. He could hear the man's relief come out in one big breath of air. Twice got up from his seat, as if to go welcome him, but in a moment of indecisiveness his feet didn't budge from their place. Tokoyami noted his arm, newly bandaged and secured in a sling. He felt guilt begin to claw at him, remembering how he'd been just a few moments too late when reaching Twice. Everything else that had come after had been a regrettable inevitability. A lot of things could've been prevented. Not to mention…
Tokoyami joined Twice, coming to his side so that he wouldn't have to leave the bedside to greet him. "How's she doing?"
Twice's shoulders slumped, and he slumped back into the chair that had been provided. His voice quivered ever so slightly. "She still hasn't woken up."
"…Is that so?" Tokoyami murmured. He looked down at Toga. She was wrapped up to an almost excessive degree – every little scrape and bruise that she might've sustained had a bandage for it, just in case. A considerable amount of attention had been given to her neck and right eye, which had sustained considerable damage. And even though it wasn't visible, he was certain that the considerable amount of internal damage would keep her bed-bound for days to come – a feeling he could relate to. It just felt strange. Tokoyami was so used to her bubbly and excitable nature at this point that he wasn't used to seeing her like this. It was hard to look at – he got the feeling that he was prying, getting a glimpse at something not meant for his eyes. Or maybe he didn't deserve to be at her bedside, the way someone as caring as Twice was. Not after he wasn't able to help her. Not after he'd carried her, bloodied and dying, through the streets while thinking of wretched possibilities. Why had I thought… that killing her at her most vulnerable was an option? I could n-never…
You'd never kill someone?
Tokoyami knelt onto the floor and crossed his arms onto her bed, resting weary head on carefully draped blankets. When he was recovering in the underground hospital following the yakuza mission, Toga had been pretty comfortable sitting on his bed. He'd gotten used to it over the course of his time recovering there, despite how much it'd initially unnerved him. He couldn't claim that Toga's never done anything to help him, regardless of her sometimes nefarious reasonings. Too much has happened over the course of his months spent with the League, and it wasn't something that could be easily ignored. Even if he could ignore it, would he want to?
I never meant to sign an emotionally binding contract.
Is that what you felt while protecting them?
I'm still not sure if that's what I did.
"If only sacrifices didn't have to be made," Twice hiccupped, the beginnings of a repressed sob choking the back of his throat. "I wish everyone could've been here, so that Toga could've known how important she was to Toga. I wish they both could've pulled through."
"Yeaaah," Tokoyami sighed, agreeing somberly before taking a moment to process what Twice was communicating. "…I beg your pardon?"
"No, you don't have to do that!" Twice adamantly decided. "Ah! I'm so sorry! I sent you off into that dangerous city not knowing what would happen, even after doing so much to help me. That was so stupid! Those clones didn't last very long at all – not even Toga's, even though I wanted her to know how much I cared…"
Tokoyami steadied himself using the bed and shoved himself back onto his feet. Twice was starting to get upset, and maybe a bit louder than what he realized. "Hey, it's alright," Tokoyami said in what he hoped was a soothing voice. He patted Twice awkwardly on the back, still not fully used to confiding this sort of emotional integrity to these people but desperately wanting to all the same. If people like Twice were asking for his trust, then he didn't want to be the one to turn it aside. Not when it was so genuinely placed.
"I want her to be okay, even if that makes me selfish. She may be gone, but I'll never forget her," Twice mumbled, settling down again with a leveled breath. Using his good arm, he fished out his phone from the pocket of his monochrome villain suit. "We had to leave her behind. All my clones, too, but they were all close to falling apart anyway. I don't know. They could still be out there, melting into the dirt. We had to leave so soon, but at least I'll be able to cherish their memories." He turned the phone towards Tokoyami, revealing a picture of Toga in her worst condition. Only it wasn't the real Toga – he could tell because there was a corner of the image where the real Toga could be seen. This was an immortalization of the clone that Twice had had to aid in the blood transfusion.
There were a few other pictures that Tokoyami could see, stills of events that had taken place after he'd left. Mostly blurred images of Twice clones arguing over phone rights. "So that's what you're so torn up over?" Tokoyami asked.
Twice nodded sullenly. "I'm happy knowing that this Toga is expected to make a full recovery. But I'm not good at leaving others behind."
Tokoyami sighed. "That's because you're a good person," he said easily. He thought about how earnestly Twice had wanted to help, how adamant he'd been about ensuring the safety of anyone he'd deemed his friend. Tokoyami didn't think he'd ever want to betray that trust. "You should know that those clones you sent with me were serious life-savers. They helped me get to Dabi and Spinner. I didn't like it when they fell apart, but they sustained damage that might've otherwise have gone to me. Your clones fought a hard fight, so not all was in vain. If anything, you were the one who came out on top. You should…" Tokoyami hesitated, the words not feeling entirely right in his mouth. But Twice was looking directly at him, the face behind that tattered mask filled with mixed feelings of despair and hope. "You should be proud."
That made Twice go quiet. Someone who usually had so much to say suddenly had nothing at all. Tokoyami noted his trembling hand, and Twice pocketed his phone again. This time, though, his hand retrieved something else – a simple square of fabric. Tokoyami couldn't quite place it, but the handkerchief that Twice used to dab at the tears spilling from under his mask looked awfully familiar.
In the few wordless moments that passed between them, Tokoyami picked up on the slightest of movements coming from behind the door of the infirmary. If somebody was there, they made no attempt to enter.
Twice shifted, bringing his attention back around. "I appreciate it, but you don't gotta worry about me," he chuckled. Tokoyami could sense the smile hiding under his mask, even though he still looked so sad sitting next to Toga's side. "You did a lot out there, kid. I'm glad you're up so quickly, too. Everyone thought you'd be out for the night."
"I can't fathom being bedridden at a time like this," Tokoyami mumbled.
Oh can you now? 'Cause I wouldn't mind going back to bed.
Twice fiddled with the handkerchief, folding and unfolding it to keep his mind preoccupied. "This might actually be the best chance you're gonna get to rest, so take it easy while you still can."
"Has that already been decided?"
"I… I don't know," Twice admitted. "We haven't been here very long at all, but Shigaraki is already pretty deeply involved with negotiations with these MLA people. I don't know how much of it you're going to hear, but I'll try and keep you informed. Developments are, uh, happening pretty fast, from what's already been discussed."
Tokoyami glanced back to the room's exit. "…Am I free to explore, then?"
"Huh?! Um, if you're feeling alright, then I don't see why not…?" Not exactly a confident answer, but Tokoyami was committed to accepting it. "Just so long as you take good care of yourself while recovering, and all. We were all pretty worried. You know, after you went so far to find everyone. You should stay here if you think you need it, but otherwise there should be a room for you in the new League of Villains quarters."
"So then this is…"
"The Meta Liberation Army Mansion and our current home for however long this alliance thing lasts!" Twice announced happily, as if this was the kind of positive outcome that they'd so desperately needed. And it most certainly was, but that didn't stop it from feeling like such an alien concept given the League's typical luck. Tokoyami would prefer to err on the side of caution.
"So it's true, then. All those people we were fighting earlier today, within that storm of chaos and bloodshed…"
"They can be our buddies now! Ahhh, that's way too simple, those guys hate us for sure. Good riddance, I say! A bunch of bastards, the whole lot of them. But a bastard wouldn't have done so much to treat our injuries. That Re-Destro guy weirds me out. He wouldn't stop smiling while showing us around this place.
Tokoyami processed every new piece of information as best as he could while trying to keep an open mind. He desperately hoped that this new villain facility didn't house any abhorrent secrets the likes of which he'd found within Overhaul's hideout. He wanted nothing more than peace of mind, if that was still something accessible to a person like him. "We'll be here for a while, I take it?"
"I hope so! This is already the best place I've had for a while! I guess we can make it work."
Tokoyami left Twice's side, drifting away from Toga's bedside until he reached the only door in the room.
"…Tokoyami? Are you looking for the bathroom?"
He opened the door. There was nobody waiting on the other side for him. There was, however, a short connecting hallway that lead to a large sitting room spread out before him, filled with luxurious furniture and promotional company artwork. This was definitely the territory of a rival villain, that much was abundantly clear. While a separate hall stretched out in the other direction, Tokoyami gravitated towards this new space. Because behind it all was an enormous window that provided some insight into where they were. Looking through the intricately connected panes of glass, Tokoyami looked out over a sprawling mountain-side and countless acres of forested terrain leading down into a distant city.
So this is where we've ended up. For what, I wonder.
From his perspective, the twilit sky had never looked so close.