Disclaimer: I don't own jack!
Pairing: Multiple
Summary: Memories were like hauntings. They are always there, offering reminders of the past best forgotten.
The Ghost of You
Kagome combed her fingers through her hair nervously. She bit into her bottom lip as the gale of wind and rain slammed through the tiny village. It was the third storm this week to hit them so harshly. Any more and the town would be blown away.
"Kagome," Rin curled into her side as her features went pale with fear. "Will it ever stop?"
To a child, the most frightening thing was nature itself. Storms, thunder, lightning and anything that was beyond their control. It was a natural fear inherent in all of them.
The young woman smoothed her hair down affectionately, "It will." She cast her a calming smile, "The rain will eventually stop. No matter how bad a storm is, it cannot last forever." She gestured towards the thicket of shrubs just beyond the open slat for a window, "When it does the flowers will bloom and the earth will renew itself once more. So just bear with it for a little while longer. As scary as it may seem, there is always good that comes from it."
It was something her grandfather had told her many years ago. He'd been a fool and a con in many respects, but he had still been wise beyond his years when it came to the natural cycles of the earth.
Rin buried herself further into her arms.
It would be some time yet before the rain would let up, so the best thing she could do now was keep her calm.
Azure eyes slid towards the haunting figure resting in the far side of her tiny home. His silvery silhouette barely registered before but now she was hyper aware of his presence. How long did he plan on making camp inside of her house? She was more than fine with Rin staying with her but Sesshoumaru was an entirely different story. The whole point of Rin learning under her was so that she could eventually choose whether she wanted to live among humans or remain with Sesshoumaru in his manor of youkai noblemen.
That wouldn't exactly be possible if he kept hovering around them like an overprotective hen.
She shot the male a baleful look over the hearth fire.
"I believe that you said that you needed to attend to important business matters," Her gaze hardened at him sharply. "Don't you think it's about time for you to take care of them?"
Just how long was he planning on staying anyways?
"Do you intend to force me out into that storm? Surely a priestess would have more consideration than such." The tone he used wasn't one she'd call caustic but it was certainly close enough. There was a flicker in his golden gaze, as if daring her to push the subject with him.
She tipped her nose up in frustration, "Priestess or not you've moved into my home with no notice. That's impolite of someone who's deemed himself a nobleman."
Sesshoumaru snorted, "Your own lack of manners require addressing as well."
She felt herself bristle at the not-so-subtle barb.
First he perched himself in her home and now he was insulting her? If it weren't for Rin's presence, she'd have half the mind to use his hide for target practice!
The three paused as a clash of lightning struck a thick tree stump just beyond her engawa.
Rin jolted, crying out as she tucked her head into the crook of her neck.
Kagome sighed, cradling the girl as the storm pressed on.
"It won't be much longer now," She cooed next to her ear. "In the mean time, why don't I tell you a story?"
The child blinked and shivered, glancing up at her once the low rumble of thunder had passed.
"It was a long time ago, but there was once a priestess who lived in a world far, far away from here." Her expression softened as she began her tale.
It was so long ago now but it still pained her like no other.
The world of power, quirks and suffering.
The world of which she was born.
The world where Todoroki Touya no longer existed.
The world she'd fled in the dead of night...
Hawks pressed his palm to the back of his neck. This was quickly becoming the most difficult mission he'd ever taken on in his entire career. His orders were simple enough. Infiltrate the League of Villains and keep an eye on their movements. He was supposed to gain their trust and slowly work his way up through the ranks. Currently his mission required him to put a major focus on the League's heavy fighter—Dabi.
His brows furrowed at the thought.
Since the Kamino Incident, they hadn't really done much to stand out but Dabi was clearly working on recruitment missions. According to him, Shigaraki had assigned him that task since he had a better grasp of what the League needed for their fresh blood.
Now it seemed that something had changed.
Golden eyes flicked to the man's tense form. His jaw was clenched as azure eyes burned brightly against the darkness that'd surrounded them.
Now this was a sight he was getting used to. Dabi was killing with more frequency these days. Usually his targets were small time villains but it seemed that they all had one thing in common.
They were being hunted by Endeavor.
"Feeling a little bloodthirsty today?" Hawks pressed the heel of his boot against the corpse of a man that laid sprawled across the concrete. The stranger's body was burned so badly that he couldn't even recognize their face. The stench of scorched flesh stung his nose and he fought the urge to retch at the sight before him.
Dabi tucked his hands into his pockets, "It ain't blood lust. This is just a message."
Cold eyes stared down at the body still before them.
"Endeavor is going to be down on his knees begging for death by the time I'm done with him." The man pulled a small note from his pocket, throwing it on top of the corpse without a word.
Hawks peered down at it curiously, "What, you leaving a love letter?"
"Not in the least. Let's just call it a hint. The old man isn't going to be able to bury her forever. I'll make sure of it." Dabi turned on the ball of his heel.
The blond paused.
Her?
Who was he talking about and what connection did she have to Dabi? Let alone Endeavor?
Hawks chased after him, "I never took you for the sentimental type." He threw him a quick glance, "So who's the girl you're talking about? An ex girlfriend?"
It was meant to be a teasing jab but the other male simply shot him a piercing glance.
"Not quite. She's someone Endeavor tried to bury. Only person in the world that had enough dirt on him to destroy his entire career." Dabi pressed the pad of his thumb against the burned flesh beneath his eye, "So what do you do with someone who threatens your entire existence?"
A sinking feeling pooled in the pit of his stomach.
"You're not saying Endeavor killed an innocent person?" In all of his time working as both a pro hero and an informant, he'd never once come across such information.
Endeavor was many things. Brash, unapologetic and completely in over his head when it came to making amends with his family. However cold-blooded killer didn't quite seem to fit him. It didn't sound right.
"Not by his own hand. He just backed her into a corner until she felt that she had no other options left than to take her own life," Azure eyes flicked to him. "She was fifteen when she died. It's been three years since then and Endeavor's done everything he can to eradicate any evidence of her existence. She's the only thing he fears even in death."
Fifteen?
Just what exactly had happened to this girl and why did it involve Dabi in the first place?
"You're pretty invested in this," It was a simple connection but he wanted to learn more. He needed to dig further into this in order to uncover the truth for himself. Was this girl's death somehow the catalyst to Dabi's own decision to turn villain?
"If you want to know more, then just ask him about 'Higurashi'. He'll know what you mean." His tone was clipped, signaling the end of their brief conversation. Dabi had never been the type to talk endlessly but this seemed even shorter than usual. The man's focus was solely on getting him to investigate this 'Higurashi' person.
His brows furrowed.
It felt like a bait.
Something to lure him in and get him to drop his guard. Higurashi could easily be a falsified name. In fact, he was almost certain of it. Dabi had his reasons for hating Endeavor. That much he could figure. What he couldn't figure out was the man's need to bring up a phantom that likely never existed in the first place.
Was this just Dabi's way of testing his allegiance or was there actually something more to this girl named 'Higurashi'?
Golden eyes thinned at the other man's rigid frame.
Something was off about this.
"Endeavor has his pride. If word ever got out about what he forced that kid to do then the world would revile him." Dabi strolled towards the main door of the warehouse they'd found themselves in.
Hawks glanced up at the man cautiously, "So what did he do?"
He'd take the bait just this once. If only so he could cross reference the story later. He didn't buy a word Dabi said but that didn't mean there wasn't some kernel of truth to this tale.
"He bought her," Dabi paused as he flung open the twisted metal doors. They heaved and screeched as if they'd never been use once since the day they'd been made. "I'll let you figure out the rest."
The man stepped out towards the open clearing that surrounded the facility.
"Start with Higurashi Norio," Dabi warned him. "Once you see what kind of man would sell out his own flesh and blood, then you'll understand what sort of person Endeavor was to buy her."
The doors squealed shut as his 'colleague' left.
Higurashi Norio.
The name was vaguely familiar but he couldn't quite place a face to it.
Hawks scratched at his chin thoughtfully, "I'll definitely have to check into this."
If for nothing else than to see what tree Dabi was trying to lead him to. Nothing that man did ever was without purpose. If this truly was just a phantom existence then he would find out one way or another.
The blond paused.
He never gave him the girl's name either. Just that her surname was 'Higurashi'.
His brows furrowed.
No matter, if she was real then he'd find her one way or another.
It was his job after all.
He was a hero.
Froggy's Notes: So there's about a half dozen things for me to work on but this ended up stealing my attention. It started out as a drabble but I decided to pair a couple of the written snippets together and make the chapters a little longer than usual. Probably going to try to keep to a weekly update with this one so I don't get too overwhelmed. XD