Disclaimer: This is a work of pure fanfiction using characters, settings, abilities, etc. from My Hero Academia; and A Certain Scientific Dark Matter and A Certain Magical Index, which are trademarked and owned by Kohei Horikoshi and Kazuma Kamachi, respectively and all their related animation and publishing entities. I do NOT claim any ownership. I do NOT make any money off of this fanfiction. Please support the original creators Kohei Horikoshi and Kazuma Kamachi and their respective animation studios/publishers for making such awesome works.

Please do not repost Dark Wings of Freedom anywhere else.

Chapter 2: The Girl With the Horn

"So… pretty…"

Teitoku frowned at the soft words spoken to him by the little girl right before him. Her red eyes were wide open with a look of absolute awe on her face. The Level 5 glanced more carefully at the appearance of the girl, noticing her disheveled white hair, small side horn jutting out of her forehead, and tan shift that seemed more like a rag than anything else. Clearly, whoever had been in charge of taking care of her wellbeing was doing a shit job. The girl moved slightly, pulling out her arms from underneath the thick blanket. She slowly lifted them up as if trying to reach out and touch his Dark Matter wings.

He saw the bandages. There were several layers of them crisscrossed all around her frail arms. Realizing that he was staring at her limbs, the girl let out a small "Eep!" pulling the covers upwards and hiding her arms under them. What she did not realize was that by doing so, she exposed her legs to Teitoku. They were no different. Haphazardly wrapped in a series of white bandages that extended from thighs to her ankles.

For a moment, Teitoku saw red, clenching his fists tightly in an attempt to get his murderous rage under control. All six of Teitoku's wings vibrated as his ability fluctuated with the rapid change in emotions. Perhaps it was the words this girl had uttered; the same ones both his childhood friend and Ringo had whispered in his ear all that time ago. Or the clear evidence of abuse and experimentation marking this feeble girl's skin that reminded him of all the horrid experiments Ringo had to endure under the insanity of the Kiharas.

Teitoku exhaled slowly as he reined in his temper. If he let loose now, the girl in front of him would surely die at his hands. "Kid, wh-"

"... Eri…" The girl meekly said.

He brushed aside the fact that she had interrupted him. The kid has some spine, after all. Teitoku leaned over slightly as the girl's voice was too meek. "Huh?"

"My name… is Eri." Big red eyes stared at Teitoku.

"... So, kid, you didn't answer my question earlier, where exactly am I?"

"Um, you're in my room."

Teitoku placed his right palm against his forehead. This is why I don't like being around kids. Right, but I shouldn't expect much from a brat. Perhaps, he would find more information outside. He looked around, seeing the metal door of the bedroom. Taking a few brisk steps, Teitoku grabbed the handle. He attempted to open it and leave, but the door would not budge. It's locked.

"They lock it, so I don't try running away at night." Eri's voice quietly sounded from behind him.

Teitoku sighed. "And who's 'they?' The people who did all that to you?" He pointed at the bandages around Eri's limbs.

Eri did not give him a verbal response at first, but she did shakily nod her head. "The scary bird masks."

"Are they your family?"

She shook her head.

"What about your parents then?" Teitoku asked, though he had a feeling he knew the answer already.

Tears welled up in Eri's eyes and her fists tightened around her blanket. "Papa… Papa… he's… gone... and Mama left me with Grandad."

So the kid's an orphan too? No wonder she looks so miserable. "So your Grandad's all right with all this being done to you?"

Eri shook her head once again. "No, Grandad… he's… um… co-comma… uh…"

Teitoku raised an eyebrow. "Comatose?"

"Mhm, that's the word." Eri nodded her head several times.

The Level 5 simply sighed. While this girl's life was clearly tragic, it was no business of his. Teitoku's priority was returning to his base of operations in Academy City and continuing to strategize on a proper approach to be able to deal with Aleister. So, he turned around to break through the door.

"Um… where are you going?"

"What does it look like, kid? I'm leaving." Teitoku scoffed as he glanced back. He was aware that it was unusual for him to delay for so long just to speak with Eri, but the memories of Ringo were still raw.

Eri shook her head rapidly. "But you can't!"

It was the first time during this entire exchange that he had heard the girl raise her voice. "Oh?" His voice dropped to a dangerous tone. "And why not, you cheeky brat?"

The insulting term caused Eri to recoil slightly. But the strange mien in her eyes did not waver. She threw the blanket off her small body, and took a few steps forward toward the Level 5. Eri took an audible gasp before speaking. "Because you have to take me with you. You have to help me!"

"Kakine...save… me."

Teitoku's breath hitched and his body froze. The painful reminder of a young dark haired girl sitting across from him, pleading with Teitoku to take her out of Academy City. In this moment, Eri's eyes were filled with the same desperation and faint light of hope as Ringo's. No… Teitoku could not save her… just like he had failed to save Ringo…

In an attempt to bury the visceral emotions that threatened to shatter his composure, Teitoku let out a bitter laugh. "Huh, if you're looking for a hero, kid, then go ask someone else. I'm not one of them."

He had said a variation of these same words to Ringo all that time ago. Kakine Teitoku was no hero. For all his power as the Level 5 who Touched the Territory of God, Teitoku could never save anyone. Least of all, those he cared about. Having descended into the depths of human darkness in Academy City, Teitoku was ultimately no savior.

"I know... You're not a hero." Eri's soft words echoed in the bedroom.

"... Then why are you asking me for help?"

Eri squeezed the hem of her clothes as she bravely stared directly into Teitoku's cold, piercing gaze.

"Because you're my guardian angel! And Papa said my angel would always be there to save me. But you're late!"

Something shattered within Teitoku.

The mental barrier that repressed his traumas; the tragedies that had transformed him into the person he was today. The death of his first friend. His failure to protect Ringo. Such intense experiences had shaped his cruel and callous perspective on life. But here, this girl Eri, who was not aware of any of Teitoku's past deeds and for all intents and purposes was a complete stranger, held such deep faith in him. In his power to not just help assuage her pain but to truly save her.

The brat's right. I'm no hero. But… Teitoku turned around, confusing Eri.

"Where… are you going?" Eri asked as he continued stepping forward.

Teitoku did not stop to respond until he was just a few centimeters away from the vaulted metal door. "Hey, kid, close your eyes, cover your ears and stay put. I'll be back."

She followed his instructions without question, and to Eri's continued awe, Teitoku's pretty wings seemed to stretch backwards in a single movement.

"Man, why am I the one who has to do this?"

Setsuno Toya let out a sigh that was slightly muffled by his plague mask as he patrolled the underground corridor. As a member of the Eight Bullets, Toya was fiercely loyal to the Shie Hassaikai's leader Chisaki Kai. He owed everything to the man who had saved him from utter despair and abandonment. As a result, Toya believed that he was even more than willing to give up his own life for the sake of the organization's head. Still, this tedious task of a nighttime patrol of the sector around the girl's room was agonizingly boring for the more frantic-paced Toya. He briefly wondered if he could pass off the responsibility to one of the grunts aboveplace, but Overhaul had explicitly forbid any of the non-Eight Bullets members from entering this area.

Toya stopped as he arrived at the girl's bedroom door. Unsurprisingly, the door remained shut as it should have been. Well, no surprise there. In fact, Toya wondered why his leader was even worried about the girl potentially escaping. He shuddered slightly just considering the potential ramifications at the hands of Overhaul for such a brazen deed. His stomach grumbled. Maybe I should go grab a late night snack before I make rounds again. Toya took a few steps away from the room.

BOOM!

He could not have expected the explosion that ripped through the corridor from the bedroom door, throwing him violently toward the opposite wall. Toya wheezed and loudly groaned as he felt the full impact and brutal crunch of his body making contact with the hard concrete. His head throbbed intensely, and Toya struggled to keep conscious. Despite his disorientation, Toya dimly noticed the lack of acrid smoke that would normally accompany such a blast. "Ughhhh. What… the fuck… was that?"

"Oh, what luck. I already found someone with a bird mask."

Toya's bloodshot eyes widened at the sound of the distinctly male voice. It was not one he at all recognized. The Eight Bullets member heard the soft clack of footsteps approaching him. Looking up from his prone position, Toya saw a young man slowly walking toward him.

"Who… the fuck are…you?!" Toya gasped, every movement of his chest still painful from the impact. How did this guy get in here?! I have to warn the others!

The stranger did not reply as he stood over Toya. The Eight Bullets member tried to rise but was shocked as he discovered that he could not move at all. An unrelenting, invisible pressure forced him on the ground, his bones creaking as he tried to lift himself up against it. What the heck is this?! Toya's eyes darted to glance at the intruder, perhaps it was his Quirk that had done this to him. But the young man had not even lifted so much as a finger at Toya.

"Whoever you are, you bitch, you're dea-Gaaaaah!" Toya roared in pain, his muscles spasming as his body was still unable to move.

The stranger had lifted his right leg only to have it slam down on Toya's right arm, causing a sickening snap to echo throughout the hallway.

Toya desperately blinked away the tears as he struggled to ignore his physical suffering. However, what shocked the Eight Bullets member the most was the utterly apathetic expression on his assailant's face. As if causing Toya this excruciating pain had been no different from stepping on an ant.

"Well, that's no way to greet a guest." The young man simply stated as he grinded his foot on Toya's broken limb, forcing Toya to scream into his mask. "Losers like you should really learn some manners."

Toya had thought that he would no longer fear death upon joining the Eight Bullets. After all, it was Overhaul who had given him a new reason to live; the opportunity to make something of his once pathetic life. He owed the leader of the Shie Hassaikai everything. But experiencing firsthand the sheer callousness and sense of impending doom emanating from this intruder, Toya realized that what he felt in this particular moment was the terror that he would go through a fate worse than mere death at the hands of this individual. Thus, a petrified Toya could only watch in horror as the stranger asked him a simple question.

"Now then. Where's your boss?"

Author's Note

Thank you so much for checking out this story! And thank you for your patience with this update.

I wanted to have more of an interaction between Eri and Teitoku before the inevitable "fight" scenes. Yeah, the level 5 Dark Matter versus Yakuza members, even with Quirks… I'm sure you all can tell how that'd go.

Next Chapter: Hostile Takeover