Queen Karma

Chapter 5: Dabi the Hero?!

"You've come up with a lot of out of the box plans, Hawks, but this one takes the cake." The president of the Heroic Public Safety Commission rubbed the bridge of her nose as she addressed the two men in her office.

"To be fair only half of this was my plan." Hawks laughed it off and glanced over at Dabi who was covered head to toe in order to hide his identity.

"Don't lump me in with you. My idea was to become a vigilante, but you insisted we make it legit to cover our tracks better. It's a batshit crazy idea."

"You do of course realize that if anyone discovers who he truly is it'll cause controversy that we can't afford. The public is already up in the air due to All Might's retirement speech."

"You recruited me despite my involvement with my father's criminal record." Hawks pointed out.

"That's different, you were an influential kid we could raise and mold. Not to mention no one knew your name or face, and you showed heroic qualities. He's a blacklisted criminal who became famous for being the man who killed Endeavor."

"I never said I was proud of it. Besides I was only involved in the cover-up… Izumi killed him by sheer accident, and then we used the staged broadcast to cover her tracks. Nakahara was very similar, Shigaraki was the one who killed Nakahara, but Karma wanted to make a statement so she altered the footage with the help of The Black Market Network informants on her team."

"Did you just say-" The president started to interject, intrigued by the mention of the Black Market Network.

"This is what I'm talking about." Hawks pointed at Dabi looking excited. "This kind of information is not something we can get unless we have the right ally. We finally have some concrete information on the Black Market Network, something we haven't been able to pin down in years."

"You do have a point…" she sat back down and folded her hands. She glanced at Dabi. "What exactly do you want out of this?"

"I only want one thing." Dabi informed them and took two steps forward. "I want Izumi Midoriya back on the path to sanity and rehabilitation."

"Rehabilitation? You want us to reform her rather than incarcerate her like the villain she is."

"She's not a villain, she's a naive kid playing games with the world and pretending to be an adult." Dabi argued.

"She murdered Endeavor…"

"By accident, and the other deaths were either self defense or encouraged by Shigaraki's influence. She doesn't enjoy murder. Hell, she had two U.A students at her disposal and she could have very well killed them right then and there but she couldn't bring herself to do it. In order to appease Shigaraki and the rest of the league she came up with this elaborate ruse to use them as bait to trap All Might and even then she had no intention of killing him."

"We can't just forgive her for the crimes she's committed or yours for that matter."

"I'm not asking you to forgive either of us. I'm asking you to do your job as heroes and help save her. All for One and Shigaraki broke her. Her mind is at the edge of sanity, and trust me you do not want to see her tip over. I've witnessed Karma's rage and raw power overwhelm a top hero within seconds. When she loses control of her emotions she's even more dangerous than when she's thinking clearly. The more Shigaraki makes her unstable with his twisted version of love and loyalty, the more villainous she becomes. She needs to be captured, quarantined, and put on the path of mental stability... Or the world is fucked."

The president remained silent, clearly contemplating the scenario. She slowly rose from her seat.

"If we attempt this… and manage to capture Karma… you will give up any and all information you have? You'll work directly under me as Hawks' partner and obey any orders I give you."

"So long as you don't ask me to kill Izumi, anything is on the table. She is the only person I care about." He held up a piece of paper and flicked it onto her desk. "We can start here. Consider it an act of faith in our new partnership."

The president picked up the note and read it thoroughly. Her brows knit together at its contents… then widened in realization. Her eyes flicked back up to him and she folded the paper back up.

"Very well… I approve of your proposition… but if we're doing this, we're doing this right." She picked phone and dialed a number. "Jean? Get Dr. L.C. Kravitz on the phone. Tell him I have a special project that I need his immediate attention for."

"You're calling Kravitz in? Well this just got more interesting." Hawks slapped a palm against Dabi's back. "Welcome aboard… Hero Dabi."

"Heh…" Dabi smirked and gave a shrug. "You can call me Toya."

~Meanwhile~

Karma pounded her fists into the trunk of the tree. The rope and cloth she used to cushion the trunk was now worn down and fraying from her consistent abuse. She pulled her hair up and out of her face, sweat beading at the temples, and her breath uneven from exertion and the rush of adrenaline.

Her and Tomura had been going back and forth on how to handle Overhaul. There was potential there, potential for an alliance that would give them the leverage they needed to have the world bow down and listen for a change. Overhaul had a good head on his shoulders, from what she saw. He planned, and calculated, and seemed to know something of science which would make him very useful.

However... Their first meeting had left her on edge.

She could have died. No… she HAD died. Then was brought back to life by the sheer will of someone else. Worst off was the fact Overhaul had made her feel defenseless by removing her quirk. She'd felt an instance of helplessness followed by temporary yet excruciating pain and death. It was a feeling she never wanted to experience again, and wouldn't wish upon anyone in her family.

So she was divided between protecting her family, or moving forward with her plans. Either trip had its ups and downs, pros and cons, and nothing seemed to tip the scale too far into the other one's favor.

"Damn it!" She let loose a rapid fire of punches, leaves shaking off the tree from the brutal vibration. "God! Freaking! DAMN IT!"

"Geez what did mother nature ever do to you?" Twice asked as he, and Toga approached her from behind. "You sick tree hugger."

"Didn't I ask not to be disturbed! Are you looking to get decapitated?" She threatened and wiped the sweat from her brow. "What do you want? Did the two of you need something from me or are you just here to bug the ever loving crap outta me me?" She sent a spiraling kick and the rope fell limp as the final blow unraveled it from the trunk.

"Geez, someone's testy." Twice leaned in to whisper to Toga. "Maybe we should hold on on telling her, until she's in a better mood."

"No, this is urgent, jin. She needs to know!" Toga insisted.

"Need to know what?" Karma crossed her arms and looked between the two of them. Both Toga and Twice looked at each other. "What are you hiding?"

"Queeny…" Toga lay a hand on her shoulder, eyes so serious that it made Izumi's arms go limp.

"What is it? What happened?" Panic started to bubble up thinking something might've happened to Tomura. "Tell me!"

"Ace and Broadcast have been compromised." Twice told her solemnly.

"WHAT?!" Not the news she was expecting, but far from the news she wanted to hear, Izumi went into full on ballistic mode. "WHEN? HOW? WERE THEY ARRESTED?"

"No, they both managed to get wind of it ahead of time before the police came with the warrant and arrest." Twice assured.

"They're leaving the country just to be safe, but unfortunately the Black Market Network has been shut down as a result of their absence." Toga handed her a letter. "Ace asked us to give you this."

Izumi grit her teeth as she took the letter and read it line for line.

~ Black becomes White. White takes Knight, and aims to check Black King with their next turn. Black Queen is in line to intercept, but needs Bishop to complete the block, otherwise it's checkmate. Need new tactics. Move with caution.

Good Game~

Izumi held the note to her chest as tears slipped down.

"Damn you, Dabi." She covered her face with her hand. "Why? Why are you siding with them?"

"What? What is it, what did he say?" Twice took the note and read it aloud. Both her and Toga raise their brows. "I don't get it."

"Dabi has joined the heroes and is planning to take out Tomura. He's sided with them!" Izumi got to her feet, rubbing the tears off her cheeks. "He's giving away all our most valuable info. Our identities, our hiding places, and what our strategy is."

"So what now? What are we gonna do queeny?" Toga fidgeted.

"We need a new plan and a new ally…" she took a deep breath and slowly lifted her head up. "One Dabi doesn't know about."

"You don't mean…" Twice eyed Izumi as she pulled out a card from her back pocket. The number for the Shie Hassaikai on the back.

"Give Tomura the message, and tell him to meet me at the abandoned hideout." She snagged her trench and tossed it over her shoulders. "It's time we gave Overhaul our answer."

~Back with the heroes~

"Are you sure this is necessary?" Hawks questioned from inside the waiting room of the private hospital. "Seems like a lot of work for an undercover job."

"He has to be unrecognizable to the public if we're gonna make this work." The president assured him. "Training him and giving him a crash course in hero duties isn't gonna be enough. We need to completely shift his persona, and give him a face that the public can put their faith and trust in."

"If you say so…" he turned around as Dr. L.C. Kravitz walked into the room.

"Recovery is going well. We'll be able to remove the bandages soon. I couldn't repair all the damage so there will be some minor scarring along his cheek and jawline from the staples. I've managed to rejuvenate the skin cells and repair the rest of the skin on his body. I would ask that he undergo a few more salve treatments just to treat the new skin, but all in all I'm fairly satisfied with my work." Kravitz boasted.

"Can we see the progression?" The president asked and got a nod of approval. All three of them stepped into the room. Dabi lay on the bed, sleeping off the anesthesia. His face and body were completely bandaged up and the room was thick with a medicinal herb scent.

"Well that's definitely an improvement." Hawks chuckled and leaned in towards the bed. "How long before he wakes up?"

"Soon, and once he is, we can remove a small portion of bandages to see if the treatment has set in." He glanced down as Dabi stirred. "Ah there we are."

"Morning sunshine…" Hawks teased leaning on the bed rail. His eyes met Dabi's blue dazed ones. "Did you have a nice dream?"

"I dreamt I was bird watching. I saw this annoying Hawk perched above my head and so I threw a rock at him." He slowly raised his hand to shove Hawks' face away.

"Ouch, rude." Hawks rubbed his nose, but laughed. "How're you feeling?"

"Tingly… kinda like a leg that's fallen asleep but it's my whole body." Dabi blinked and turned his head side to side.

"That would be the salve at work. It's making sure your cells stay active." Kravitz rose the bed up into a sitting position. He took Dabi's hand and raised it up slowly. "Wiggle your fingers for me." He nodded in approval when Dabi did so. "Great now…"

"Hold the phone…" Dabi raises his hand to his face. "There's nothing…" he touched hisbface and tried to rip at the bandages.

"Whoa, whoa hold on there, you can't just-" Kravitz snagged his hands

"Mirror, a mirror, get me a mirror!" He demanded, shoving the doctor aside and holding out his still bandaged hand. "Now!"

"Easy…" Hawks offered him the hand mirror from the side table, while Kravitz got to work removing the bandages from his face. Dabi held it up as the bandages slipped away. His eyes went wide.

There were slight red marks along the cheek where the stitching and staples had been. For the most part it was his face, but he hardly recognized himself anymore. Tears filled and slipped down and Dabi raised a hand to touch them.

"Whoa…"

"Whoa is right…" Hawks leaned in and poked the skin of his cheek. "Smooth… you can barely see the scars. How did you repair his tear ducts?"

"Trade secret…" Kravitz grinned and turned to his patient. "So, Toya is it? What do you think?"

"I think…" he lowered the mirror and let out a shuddering breath. "...if the old lady permits… I need to pay someone a visit."

"Depends on who you're planning to go see." She informed and tapped her fingers along her forearms. "I'm already risking a great deal here and I'm not one to accommodate villains."

Dabi nodded in understanding and tugged on one of his black strands of hair.

"Well I'll hope you'll grant me this one request, at least."

~Karma and Tomura~

"Without Ace and Broadcast we lost our main source of intimidation. Not to mention the many contacts with the underground we've been selling our products to." Tomura paced the room. "This is just fucking perfect!"

"I know, love." Karma soothed her lover, stopping his motion to stroke her hands over his shoulders and back. "That deserted island is sounding really good right now, huh?" She flinched a little when Tomura jerked away from her. Tomura instantly saw the reaction and his temper cooled. He turned to face her fully and cupped her face in his gloved hands.

"Dabi will pay for his treachery… but we've got bigger fish to fry." He kissed her forehead. "Getting outside help may be our only option, but I'm still not quite ready to put our fate in the hands of that Overhaul prick."

"I'm not saying we should trust him explicitly. Remember what I said before? We only have to use him to get what we want. We'll play by his rules for a short while… and then when the time is right, we'll make our move."

"Well I do like the idea of pulling the rug out from under that false ruler." Tomura had to smirk. "You sure we can make this work?"

"Trust me." She smiled slyly and moved into his arms. She slipped the card under his nose, waving it teasingly. "Should I call him, or you?"

"Let me deal with the prick." he nuzzled her head so that it tilted and exposed her neck. He then placed small kisses on the open skin, which left him tempted to bite and mark her. "You don't have a scratch on you… it's as if I'd never touched you."

"Do you want to?" She turned her face in and brushed noses with him. "You can if you want. I won't resist you."

"I don't want to hurt you anymore… there's no point in it." He lowered his head defeatedly. "What good will making you fear me do?"

"I'm not afraid of you, Tomura." She lifted his face back up. "I've never been afraid of you… only of losing you. No man, not Dabi, not Kacchan, no one has made me feel like this before. In the very pit of my stomach I feared what would happen if you'd chosen All for One and left me behind. Honestly I…" tears formed. "I don't know what I would do if you tossed me out of your life now that you've become so vital to it."

"I can't… you've made it impossible for me to live without you." He crushed her to him and breathed her in. "This world is nothing if you're not in it. I could burn it to ash and stone and I wouldn't care because you're not there by my side."

"Luckily for both of us, we don't have to worry about living without the other." She lifted her head. "I made a careless mistake by underestimating Overhaul. I won't do it again. I promise the moment we're done with him, he's dead. We'll kill him together."

"I like the sound of that." He tapped her nose and kissed her long and possessively. Karma moaned in response, and let herself be lifted up and laid out on the broken couch. She felt the sting of the uneven springs in her back, but the heat and pleasure of the kiss balanced out the pain.

Everytime he touched her, she was always enthralled and invigorated. What the hell had she been thinking testing the waters when she had such an eager lover like Tomura. Dabi had been a mistake, one she would not dare repeat. From now on, everyone but the two of them were her game pieces. She would use them until they fulfilled their purpose, then discard them. Her King, however, was a different story.

A Queen should always protect her King.

~Hospital~

The president turned out to be more accommodating than she had intended. She granted Dabi permission to visit his mother but she made the stipulation of Hawks going with to supervise. With HPSC permission, and Hawks' charm it was easy enough to get the nurses to let them in the front door. Still the closer Dabi got to the appointed room, the more he lost his nerve.

"Maybe this isn't such a good idea." He tugged the hood further down on his face. "What if she just gets worse from seeing me?"

"You won't know what she'll say or do until you get it over with." Hawks gave his back a hard pat. "Come on. This is your first step down a better path, Toya."

"Feels weird to hear others call me that…" he groaned and then took a ong deep breath. "Okay… let's do it."

"That's the spirit!" Hawks pat his shoulder again, then gave the door a gentle knock before opening. "Good afternoon, Mrs. Todoroki."

"Yes?" Rei looked up from reading Shoto's latest letter about receiving his hero's license. "Can I help you gentleman?"

"Pardon the intrusion ma'am, my name is Hawks, and I'm just here to supervise him." He jerked a thumb behind him.

"Hmmm?" Rei looked unbeknownst at her son. Though she did sense a familiarity. "Who are you?"

"It's me… mom." Dabi hesitated before slowly pulling his hood down and off. He'd washed the dye from his hair that morning, and more had hair that was stark white, but for a few stubborn red strands. "Toya."

Rei stared at her eldest son with pure shock written on her face. Tears filled and slipped down and she had to cover her mouth to prevent the small gasp that escaped her throat.

Toya very nearly backed out of the room, but Hawks placed a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"You two probably have a lot of catching up to do. I'll stand watch at the door, let me know when you've said your peace." He gave Toya a little nudge forward then stepped outside. Toya glanced back at him, his hands fisting and unflinching nervously.

"Toya…" Rei whispered his name so that he looked back at her. Though Tears continued to fall she smiled at him. "Welcome back, Toya."

Toya felt all his nerves vanish and be replaced by shame. He crossed to her, engulfing his mother in a huge hug.

"I'm back…"

~Ask BriRy~

Bri: I'm thinking I may like Dabi a little too much. Lol. This is the kind of ending I'd always hoped for him… but sadly it was not meant to be. 😭

Next Chapter: The Yakuza Agreement