He wasn't waiting around in the hopes that somebody else would come. How could he, when they were all already gone? Even when Tokoyami couldn't see them, he could still hear the fighting and destruction taking place. By all rights, that should've been reason enough to slip away for the last time, leaving behind the villain headquarters and everything it represented.

Instead he held back. And for what? To mourn a little longer? To bleed out a little more? When everything he did felt like an action made in vain, how was he supposed to reconcile with the path that awaited him? Maybe he could've said something different, done a little more – anything to have convinced Toga to his side.

But that hadn't worked. Not for Toga, or Twice, or Dabi. And he was beginning to worry that this wasn't exactly working for him, either

So Tokoyami took this time for himself, desperate for the cloudiness to leave his head. He could hear his quirk, too, mumbling things – meaningful things, maybe – but it was far too difficult to reach him in this muddled state. Tokoyami had stumbled his way over to the railing, leaning heavily across it with white knuckles and raspy breaths while Dark Shadow flitted around him in abject concern. The shadowy beast nuzzled against the side of his head, but Tokoyami could only flinch as if the contact might hurt him further. Then he felt considerate claws start to loop their way around his abdomen. Those, too, he batted away with a hiss of disdain.

Don't take me away! I'm not done here!

But you know we need to leave.

Tokoyami squeezed his eyes tight, hoping to block out some of the despair seeping into him.

"Fumikage. We need to leave!"

"I know!" he snapped, swiping at the persistent quirk. "Can we just… wait for the tremors to pass?"

Maybe that was a bad incentive. They both knew that they'd be better off freeing themselves of this place before anything more could befall them. They could go back to the heroes, find whomever was willing to help them, and promptly pass out.

But it couldn't possibly be that easy. He'd never be able to wash the blood from his hands if he committed to such a comfortable retirement. For fuck's sake, there was a war going on around him. Shouldn't he be fighting to protect someone – anyone?!

"You've done enough. We did our best," Dark Shadow soothed, pressing his head against his uninjured shoulder. "We'll find them again. We won't let another person die if he can help it. But right now, we're of no help to anyone like this…"

Tokoyami wiped angry tears from his eyes. He could feel the earth's tremors fading out into the distance, the din of battlecries dying down from heroes and villains alike succumbing to injury or capture. He couldn't help feeling like he was being left behind in the midst of it all.

"So be it," Tokoyami sighed with a shuttered breath. "I'm ready. Let's… let's find where that hero went."

Dark Shadow scooped him off his feet and slowly brought him out from the shade of the dilapidated gazebo. The quirk scanned the skies, ensuring that the coast was clear before flying him towards the nearby forest. Around them, trees shook and waved their branches with the force of monumental attacks.

Battles are still taking place nearby… should we try and go around? Dark Shadow asked, maneuvering them through the forest.

Tokoyami shook his head numbly. It makes no difference now who I run into. Anyone would be a damn fool to make a target of me at this point, even in spite of my condition.

Dark Shadow provided an uncertain hum, but continued on all the same.

Then he stopped suddenly, causing Tokoyami's body to sway in the air. It was quickly made evident what had given the quirk pause, and he surveyed the land they needed to cross with an ominous feeling in his chest. The forest before them was ravaged by a force of nature, where trees were snapped like twigs and boulders were dug up from packed dirt. Forming a rift in a valley, the path of destruction had laid waste to the earth, all while staying in one direction. Somehow, it seemed eerily familiar.

When Tokoyami looked, he could see them – impossibly big, unnervingly strong. The monster was even bigger than when he'd fought against the MLA back in Deika City. And yet it wasn't just Gigantomachia – he'd be hard-pressed to ignore the equally staggering presence of Mt. Lady, the giant hero that was being dragged behind him with little consequence. It might've looked amusing if the circumstances weren't so horrific. It only lasted so long, too, before Mt. Lady was ripped off of Gigantomachia and thrown aside like a mere plaything.

How… how did I ever think we could stand before something like that with any chance of victory?!

Look – there's others fighting to hold them back, too.

Tokoyami strained his eyes long enough to see the small flecks diving relentlessly at Gigantomachia only to be swept aside like pesky flies. It was hard to miss the brilliant plume of blue flame that rolled off the giant's back to keep them at bay. With the recognition came a queasy feeling in the pit of his gut, and Tokoyami felt another wave of regret wash over him. The League was up there, no doubt in his mind. And just as well, those flies… they could be anyone, but he couldn't help feeling that they were students. Too many pro heroes were already preoccupied with fighting on the frontlines, so who else would be left to match the retreating villains?

I wish I could help them.

Which ones?

Tokoyami's hand closed into a fist as he watched those forlorn flames go off again. They alighted the tops of trees and spread rapidly amongst the foliage. Who else?! My… my classmates! That's… the correct answer.

Dark Shadow hovered warily. If Dabi's up there, then would the others also be on Gigantomachia? I hope Toga made it there safely… and Spinner and Mr. Compress and…

Tokoyami began making his way down onto the broken earth, right up until Dark Shadow came to his senses long enough to realize what he was doing and acted quickly to support his movements. They glided over the wreckage, low to the ground so as not to attract attention, and skirted the path of destruction en route to the medical camp that had been promised to them. By now Tokoyami had grown numb to his injuries, which maybe wasn't a good thing, but it at least made it easier to keep moving without stopping.

If he could've made it straight back to the heroes, he would've. But upon reaching the dense foliage waiting for him on the other side of Gigantomachia's warpath, a muffled scream reached him.

Tokoyami lifted his bedraggled head, where previously he'd had it hanging limply in his quirk's hold. The sound had come from somewhere nearby, and was followed by smaller, more sinister noises of cruel laughter. Alarm bells went off in his head, and he knew he couldn't just leave this alone.

Dark Shadow. Set me down.

But you're…

Please!

The quirk relented with a disgruntled growl, setting him down lightly and stabilizing him when he lurched on his feet. The quirk poised over him, claws at the ready should things go south as everything else had. He made his way across the short distance of uneven ground, while Dark Shadow parted ferns and thorns for him. As he walked closer, he could hear the voices clearly. There was no way he could deny that whatever awaited him was the handiwork of his Regiment.

Tokoyami tugged on his tattered cloak, aligning it to hide the mess of dried blood from his shoulder, and held his head high as he walked free of the bushes that had concealed him.

Before him lay a truly grisly scene. Bile and rage welled up within him all at once.

Several associates of the PLF circled the small clearing, picking their way across upturned rocks and fallen trees left in Gigantomachia's wake. They quickly took notice of his sudden appearance, stepping aside diligently so that he could locate the source of the commotion. One by one, they ceased their laughter and acknowledged him with reverence and perhaps even fear.

With the crowd parted, he could see them clearly. A dark figure hovered over her, relishing such an easy victory. And laying on the ground, broken and bloodied as shallow breaths left red lips, was his old Art History teacher from U.A. She was a hero, ready and willing to put her life on the line for the greater good. For the betterment of society. For her students. But not like this. It never should have been like this.

Tokoyami met her eyes, filled with pain and a flickering light of defiance that was quickly going out. How long she'd been here, surrounded by enemies with every intention of snuffing out her life, he couldn't be sure. But perhaps if not for their needless cruelty, he would've found something far worse. And he couldn't stand to have another life lost.

Not Midnight. Not his teacher.

Through the broken teacher's fog of pain, recognition sparked between them. Should he have been disappointed to see uncertainty alter her expression, rather than hope of relief? No. It didn't matter.

"I am Fumikage Tokoyami, Lieutenant of the Violet Regiment!" Tokoyami said sternly, marching forward with all the authority he could muster. "Who initiated this fight?"

A masked face turned to face him, revealing no hint of emotion. Hollow eyes were set into the skull-shaped façade, and a thick tube trailed down from the headgear and into a pouch clipped to his side. The man was fully decked in military-grade gear, and remnants of energy from his quirk faded around his hands as Tokoyami approached him.

"Second Advisor of Violet, what is the meaning of this?!" Tokoyami demanded, stepping right up to the looming man. Times like these, he really wished he was tall enough to meet others eye-to-eye. Thankfully, Dark Shadow occupied the otherwise empty space above him, eyes blazing and claws twitching while he faced off with the PLF fanatic. "Is this your doing?"

The villain looked between him and his quirk, unamused. "Yessir," he drawled, flexing his hands in anticipation. "I was just about to finish off this damned hero! You don't have a problem with that, do ya?"

Tokoyami tensed. He knew just how dangerous this man was. As one of the top-ranking officials assigned to the Violet Regiment by Re-Destro, he held a lot of core values leftover from the MLA. Tokoyami had just assumed that news of betrayal hadn't yet reached too far, but if he was wrong, and these were all his enemies…

A cackle sounded from above them. Tokoyami glanced up just long enough to pinpoint who it was before focusing back onto his subordinate. Great. They're here, too. Perched over their heads on a large chunk of unearthed stone was a small, unassuming figure cloaked in black garb with a bright, feathered collar – a somewhat impish individual. Admittedly, he didn't know much about the Second Advisor of Brown. Other than that, despite ranking lower than the likes of Voltage, they could be a lot of trouble in their own right. Considering that they didn't appear to be avidly taking part in the bloodshed, though, Tokoyami hoped to label the onlooker as a neutral party.

"You're not giving your Lieutenant trouble, are you?" they chortled, swinging their spindly legs back and forth.

The skull-masked man let out a deep breath that traveled through his gear like a raspy growl from some mechanical beast. "What difference does it make? Our orders are to dispatch whatever enemy crosses our path. This one just happened to be easy pickings."

A deep-etched scowl appeared on Tokoyami's face, and he stepped forward until he was toe-to-toe with the heavily armed man. He heard a crunch under his boot as Midnight's glasses broke beneath him. Midnight winced beneath him, and Tokoyami felt his heart twist, knowing that he must be a frightening presence. Nevertheless, he faithfully kept up his dark demeanor. "Why are you wasting your time with enemies that are already defeated?!" Tokoyami challenged. "Do you have any idea what's happening back at base? We're losing! To heroes that still have a lot of fight left in them! And you're trailing after Gigantomachia like crows trailing a wolf! If you're not doing anything useful to the cause, then get back to the mansion and keep fighting!"

The two villains exchanged a knowing look, and Tokoyami felt unease prickling through him. This could go bad quickly, but he'd be foolish to back down now and admit weakness. His only stake in this confrontation is that he's still considered a co-commander to them. Otherwise, it'd be a one-sided ordeal.

"You say we're losing…" the advisor from Brown mused. "If that's the case, then it wouldn't be much of a tactical advantage for us to go back, just to be overpowered."

The Violet subordinate seemed to be weighing his options. "What's the status of Re-Destro and Geten?"

"Last I saw them, they were still fighting strong," Tokoyami lied. "But I was sent out to retrieve loose soldiers that might've lost their way, since it became quickly apparent that we weren't fighting at maximum capacity."

Tokoyami could feel suspicion resonating from the intimidating man situated before him. "Geten made one of our strongest fighters a messenger?"

"Because I'm fast," he insisted, puffing his chest out for all the good it might do him. "And stray liberation warriors will listen to me!"

"Don't make a fool of me," he growled. "You're barely standing, aren't you? Those damned heroes… they even caught someone like you off guard? If that's the case, then there's no point risking arrest here."

Tokoyami staggered back as his advisor shoved past him. "B-but, you're a loyal warrior of the Paranormal Liberation Front! Does that mean nothing to you?"

"PLF… MLA… it doesn't matter!" he decreed, rallying the other soldiers around him. "So long as we're around to deliver the truth the world needs to hear, then we'll always be Liberated!" All around him, the others followed and listened attentively. Their calls of support and outrage at the injustices done unto them filled the air – a dark anthem to a new era. "Lieutenant Tokoyami, I should probably thank you for delivering the news. If you were smart, you'd follow my lead. Hopefully that means we may yet join forces again one day, don't you think?"

Tokoyami remained quiet as the masked villain began to guide his followers in a new direction. One of the soldiers mumbled in disappointment, just loud enough for all to hear: "But what about the hero?"

The skull-shaped mask turned back, appraising the way that Tokoyami stood rigidly over Midnight's body. "Leave it. You know of the Lieutenant's background, don't you? I bet he just wants to finish her off himself – so I'll let him. It's not our business anymore!"

Tokoyami wanted to vomit. To even insinuate that some sort of sick revenge against the heroes was his reason for being here made him nauseous to his core. It took every fiber of his being not to start shaking where he stood.

The black-cloaked villain hopped down from their perch, deciding to follow along. As they passed by Tokoyami, they paused to whisper. "That scar of yours looks pretty nasty. If you make it far enough, maybe try visiting the underground clinic at Jaku General Hospital? Now that I think about it, I believe the rest of your party is headed that way, too." And then they were gone, running after the group of vagabond liberation warriors.

Tokoyami waited. He waited with each second hurting him more and more, because he had to be sure they were gone. Their lives hinged on them becoming too self-involved to bother with the likes of them.

Only when he was certain they weren't coming back did he break down. He fell to his knees next to Midnight, carefully holding her head up ever so slightly so she could breathe better. She'd sustained countless injuries, none of them particularly deep, but her arm was twisted at a bad angle and he had no idea just how much internal damage there was.

"Professor Midnight, I'm so sorry!" Tokoyami bawled, letting panic and frustration take over him. "Th-they shouldn't have been out here, I didn't know what was happening! I – I would never kill – I would never hurt you! How could this have happened w-when they were supposed to be on the frontlines and…!"

Midnight moved her hand over his, a gesture of reassurance in place of words that couldn't be said. He wasn't sure how long they'd been hanging around Midnight, prolonging what should've been her demise, but if he didn't do something soon then it all would've been for nothing anyway.

He'd hoped that once Hawks had been passed off to another, that he'd be done with this wretched feeling of uselessness that plagued him. Instead, here he was again. His trembling hands did little to support his old teacher, and he could feel her growing cold.

"Dark Shadow!" Tokoyami snapped, getting his distressed quirk's attention. "I need you to pick up Midnight. And no matter what happens, you have to hold her steady! Is that understood?"

"A…aye," the quirk sniffled, reaching out to the hero. Once she was safely cradled in his claws, he turned back to Tokoyami. "B-but, what will you do if you fall? I won't be able to help you."

Tokoyami grit his teeth and swayed onto his feet. "Then I just won't fall! Now come on, we can still make it to the medic camp."

Dazed and encumbered, Tokoyami began to stagger his way through the undergrowth. Dark Shadow hovered along beside him, nudging Tokoyami every so often with his head or pressing his serpentine body next to him to provide a fleeting bit of support. Nevertheless, the longer they traveled, the more he found himself stumbling. Even small roots impeded his miserable progress, and briars bored into the raw flesh of his hands every time he tried to catch himself.

Despite his best efforts, he could only make it so far. Progress was already so slow and painful. On the third time his hands hit the dirt, he found himself unable to push himself back up. It hurt to breathe, and his gasps for air did little to help him. But he couldn't ask for his quirk's help, because he was so afraid of setting Midnight down and losing her.

Tokoyami stayed prone, elbows braced at both sides and beak touching the mulchy ground.

"Heeelp!" Tokoyami screamed into the earth. "I already know I can't do this alone! So please, come help me! She's hurt!" He fell down further, until he was practically lying on the damp forest floor. "And so am I," he said quietly, just for himself, just to remind himself of why he was struggling so much yet again to save a single person.

He couldn't have been there much longer than a minute. Who was he to properly judge time, though? But soon enough, the bushes to his right began to shake with the presence of someone new. At least, he hoped it was somebody new, and not the return of his ex-PLF advisors.

"Tokoyami? Oh shit, is it actually you?!"

He was so, so relieved to recognize this voice.

"Kaminari… you're here!" Tokoyami rasped, moving again to push himself up off the ground.

And sure enough, it was him. He had his familiar monochrome hero outfit on, along with some advanced gear he was unfamiliar with – some sort of strange crossbow? He didn't look to be in the best condition, with blood dripping down his forehead and his arm draped around another student for support – I remember her… from class 1B, during the summer trip. Hmm… Ghost Girl? – but they were in far better condition than what he could claim to be.

Although Kaminari had just been leaning on the other student for support, he broke away from her immediately to run up to him. "Oh my god, it is! What the hell happened?" Uncertain hands grabbed him by the arm, and Kaminari awkwardly tried to hoist him up onto his feet.

Tokoyami hissed in pain as the frantic kid brushed against a sore spot. He should've known that hero training wasn't enough to prepare them for the real deal. Kaminari stumbled out an apology and readjusted, careful to avoid his left side.

"Hang on, Chargebolt!" his companion warned, hovering off to the side. "This could be a set-up. We have no idea what's happened with Tokoyami and – Midnight?!" she gasped. Without heeding her own words of caution, she rushed up to her teacher. "But Creati was just talking with you," she whispered hoarsely. "Who did this?!"

Dark Shadow cowered under the ghost girl's scrutiny, curling his claws protectively over the battered hero. "Th-they were attacking her," he whimpered, tears brimming in his yellow eyes. "We intervened, but I dunno how long she'll last… so please! I can carry her, but not if Fumikage can't move!"

She stepped back, her hand hovering where once it'd been reaching out to her teacher. Despite her previous unsureness, she closed her hand in resolve. "Let me take her. My quirk, Poltergeist, allows me to telekinetically move objects and people. She'll be safe with me, if it means that you can take care of Tokoyami."

Dark Shadow looked from her to Tokoyami, his beak drooping. When Tokoyami gave a nod of encouragement, the quirk held Midnight out with as much care as he could muster. She used her ability as promised, levitating the hero out of his arms with a purple energy and keeping her close. She held her arms at a strange angle as she moved, but acted with immense attention for her surroundings. At least this way, Midnight wouldn't be jostled by travel on their way to the medics – a concern that he hadn't exactly extended to Hawks during their escape.

Kaminari didn't let go of him, as if worried what might happen if he did. Would he slip through the cracks if he dared to release his hold, or stop being real altogether? He hadn't seen one of his old classmates since the Overhaul incident. The last one he'd seen was… Shinsou, if his hazy memory served him well. But Kaminari? His last memory of the electrified kid was from way back at camp, during a summer that felt decades old.

"Come on – let's get you to safety," he said with a surprisingly reassuring smile.

Dark Shadow took Tokoyami from him, which, despite the hero-in-training's bravado, must've been something of a relief. He looked exhausted. But while Poltergeist focused on levitating Midnight through the labyrinth of trees and Dark Shadow became Tokoyami's wings once more, Kaminari was able to stumble through the forest on his own.

"How did you find us?" Tokoyami rasped, opening up to conversation now that they were progressing to their destination.

"By chance, I suppose," the 1B student mused.

"Me and Emily were swept aside by that giant villain, and… and Shouji told us to go visit the medics," Kaminari explained. "He pointed us in this direction. I thought that was weird, though, since it was a kinda roundabout way to get to camp."

Shouji…?

I wonder if he knew what was happening over here.

The girl – Emily, as she'd been called – picked up where he'd trailed off. "I hadn't thought we were entirely out of the fight, but now it seems we made the right choice. It's good that we retreated when we did."

Kaminari went on. "The rest of our class, they should still be fighting. We were trying to take down that big guy… um…"

"Gigantomachia," Tokoyami offered.

"Yeah! And, well, those League of Villains guys were on his back, so it was really hard to do anything!" Kaminari grew sullen. "We thought, maybe, if those guys were up there, then you would be too. I didn't see you… before getting hit by a rock… haha. I dunno if I was supposed to be worried or relieved. But you were actually out here! So how'd you do it? How'd you escape those villains? …Tokoyami?"

Tokoyami thought about each word as it reached him. He wanted to ask which members of the League had been present. If they were okay. But he couldn't do that. Not when his old classmates were being hurt by them, fighting for a just cause against their evil. While earth was being torn up by a mountainous man and forests were set ablaze by blue flames, he couldn't voice his concern for the wrong side. Not now.

"Where… are they going?"

Emily stayed quiet while Kaminari racked his brain for information. "Oh! Right. You must've seen all the heroes fighting in the mansion, yeah? But not everyone is there. It's a two-step attack!" he said, holding up one finger on each hand. "This is the main advance, which I guess has been planned for a while. But it couldn't be set into motion until we knew more about the secondary location. So whoever's not here is over in Jaku City, where Shigaraki and the nomu are supposed to be!"

A cold shiver took hold of Tokoyami. Dark Shadow buried his head deeper into the folds of his cloak. "Do any of you… have any idea how dangerous that is?" Tokoyami growled.

"Eh?" Kaminari blinked, not quite sure how to respond. "Uh, well, I don't," he admitted. "But we got so many strong heroes! Aizawa's there, and the Number One, and so many strong students! All they gotta do is take out some nomu, right? And Shigaraki's the big bad, but they said he won't even be in fighting condition, so it's gonna be alright!"

"Chargebolt, you should save your energy," Emily advised, which was probably the nicest way of telling him to shut up.

Tokoyami shook his head gravely. "No. Shigaraki's awake. Or… whatever he is. I'm not sure exactly. But someone had to have called for Gigantomachia, otherwise he wouldn't be on the move. And if that's the case, then I have no doubt… that there will be casualties beyond your imagination."

Kaminari and Emily looked to him with eyes wide in horror. Had he spoken too casually? It was merely the truth, much as it pained him to say it. And if his efforts to rescue the heroes he had today were any indication, then casualties were to be expected.

But if there was going to be a follow-up to his disturbing message, he didn't get the chance. Instead, Kaminari, at the head of their rag-tag group, parted some ferns and emerged into a clearing filled with people. Tents and temporary facilities were pitched amongst the trees, though a few had already been brought down by large rocks that'd been hurtled in their direction from Gigantomachia. Kaminari just about tripped over himself, calling out for medical aid and breaking away from them to get the attention of the field doctors that were set up. Midnight was telekinetically lifted the rest of the way as people dressed in white uniforms busied themselves. Gurneys were brought out, urgent calls filled the air, and the medical camp was made abuzz with activity like a beehive that'd been swatted.

Dark Shadow set down Tokoyami at the edge of the tree line overlooking the newly awakened bustle. So this is the rear guard…

Do you think Hawks and Suneater made it back here safely? Dark Shadow asked, coiling anxiously underneath his cloak.

Kaminari took notice of his apprehension when faced with so many unknown people and returned to his side. "Hey, Tokoyami!" he whispered to him. "Everything'll be alright, the heroes have everything taken care of, so you don't gotta worry anymore!" That's what I'm afraid of. "Let's just get you to a doctor, okay? They're here to help!"

Kaminari successfully coaxed Tokoyami out from the foliage, where they began making their way towards one of the temporary medical facilities that'd been set up. Tokoyami felt his old classmate's hand touch his back in what might've been an act of support, only to recoil in horror.

"Shit, dude, your whole back is covered in blood!" Kaminari gasped. "I thought it was just your shoulder that was messed up – where's this injury?" He reached to lift up the blood-splattered cloak, only to see the small form of Dark Shadow looking up at him sadly.

That was as far as he got before Tokoyami snatched his cloak out from Kaminari's grasp and turned on him, teeth clenched in anger.

"It's. Not. Mine."

He'd never seen someone back off faster. Kaminari raised his hands in an honest attempt to placate him, quietly mouthing okay as he stepped back.

Maybe that should've been a good indicator of just how much he didn't want to be touched right now. So he shouldn't have been surprised when a medical attendant emerged from the tent before them and ushered them in. Whispers flitted between the people in the space. Unrecognizable heroes stationed inside for security rose from their seats. Tokoyami couldn't help feeling like there was a certain level of animosity in the air, and it fluffed every feather on his head.

If Kaminari got that same impression, he didn't let it show. "Hey, can we get a chair or something? He's hurt pretty bad!"

Tokoyami was guided into a seat while Kaminari was led to the other side of the tent for his own injuries. Even though it was just a short distance, he was… sad? To see him go, anyway. Or maybe it was the loss of that familiarity that he was clinging to that made his heart start to beat faster.

Gloved hands reached for him out of the corner of his vision, and he pulled back instinctively.

"Please calm down," came a woman's voice, muffled as it was behind her mask.

He paused, struggling to find his breath, up until the moment someone on his other side unclasped his cloak and went to remove it. Dark Shadow spilled out from the folds of the fabric, and everyone retreated fearfully. The Heroes stationed there for security stepped forward instead, and Dark Shadow let out a poorly timed hiss.

Kaminari stood up, a half-wrapped bandage falling from his head. "Hey, hold on! His quirk's not dangerous, you just surprised it!"

Does he really think I'm not dangerous? Dark Shadow asked, coiling protectively around Tokoyami.

He knows we don't want to hurt anyone, and that's enough. It's… actually something of a relief, having someone who can vouch for me. Tokoyami began to stroke his quirk's head, hand shaking. But even still… it might be best if you go away for a bit. I don't think they'll want to help me with you hovering over their shoulders.

Are you sure?

I don't think we have a choice.

Dark Shadow dissolved under his hand, leaving him grasping at nothing. Only then did the medics try again, approaching him from both sides. They peeled the cloak from his shoulders, the fabric catching where dried blood had glued it to the rough edges of his wound. Disconcerted murmurs arose at the sight of the damage.

"Severed tendon and muscles…"

"How awful. What did those villains do?"

Tokoyami couldn't stop himself from trembling. They had him take off his gauntlets, which he was very careful not to trigger into their unsheathed, claw-like form. He didn't need to make himself look worse than he already was. That, of course, revealed the thick scars on his arms that'd been dealt to him by the high end nomu. A medic appraised one of them, but let go when they realized it was an old injury.

Someone began cutting through the material of his shirt, carefully pulling the fabric free so that they could access the wound underneath. He grunted in discomfort as the medic set about cleaning it. His relentless fidgeting made their job all the more difficult, but that was the most he could offer them.

"Where all were you hurt?"

Tokoyami stared off into space. An IV getting hooked up to his wrist brought him back to attention. "Sh…shoulder. Head. Hands… and throat," he croaked.

He was presented with an assortment of medication and was given water to drink. A hand combed through the feathers of his head, carefully feeling out the large bumps and burns left behind by Dabi's boot. The burns on his hands were cleansed and given antibiotic ointments before getting bandaged.

When someone reached for his throat and the angry red bands that decorated them, he turned away defiantly – fearfully?

"Serious smoke inhalation."

"Just like with Hawks…"

Tokoyami flinched away from the person addressing his shoulder. "Hawks!" he wheezed, staggering out of his chair. "Where is he?!"

The medics backed away, gauze and utensils in hand. They looked between each other, much more concerned about giving away information than Kaminari had been.

"Hawks was your mentor, right?" Kaminari supplied helpfully. "I think the heroes on the frontlines were supposed to meet up with him. It makes sense that you'd be worried about him."

Tokoyami glowered at the words, his dark expression sending an ominous vibe through the tent. The doctors were much more apprehensive to approach him.

"Sir, your injuries…"

A hero stepped up with a loathsome amount of conviction. "Would it be easier to sedate him? You know, so he doesn't hurt himself."

Tokoyami rounded on the hero. "You wouldn't dare!" he seethed, strands of darkness falling off him. A doctor tried to approach him, and he made the poor decision of raising his arm defensively. "Stay back!"

The hero made a grab for his arm, which he ripped free in turn. Staggering backwards with the momentum, the back of Tokoyami's legs hit his seat and sent him sprawling onto the ground. The IV drip swiftly followed, toppling down alongside him. Cold from the earth seeped into his back, and a high-pitched whine filled his head, drowning out the frantic conversation being exchanged around him. When his vision came back into focus and allowed him to raise his head, it was no medic or hero that was there to help him. Instead, Dark Shadow had re-emerged, face twisted in concern. Behind him, Kaminari was talking earnestly with the people surrounding them, begging them to step back.

Dark Shadow gently dragged him into a proper sitting position, where he would remain for a while, head supported on his knees and back hunched against the wimpy siding of the tent. He wasn't approached again by an official, a fact he hated to be relieved about. How was he supposed to get better if he made himself unapproachable?

But they'd done little to earn his trust either, ridiculous as it sounded. His level of discomfort had only increased since stepping foot in this place, and he felt himself threatened as a consequential result. Even though he knew these were medical officials. Even though this space was protected by heroes. There was a layer of dehumanization at work that he couldn't quite process.

"Hey, er, Tokoyami? You still there?"

Tokoyami looked up with slitted red eyes. Dark Shadow drifted to his side, staying close while providing just enough space for one person to draw near. Kaminari crouched down, eyes level with him. "I talked with the team. They won't turn away someone who's hurt, but it's also getting harder to help you out. It's getting kinda dicey, so I don't really know…"

Tokoyami let out a long, shuttered breath. "Get me bandages and needle and thread. I'll do it myself."

Kaminari exchanged a worried look with the medics, but nobody protested the idea. If he sounded confident enough that he could do it himself, then how could they deny him?

He was given the supplies, though the onlookers still muttered amongst themselves. Not letting the audience deter him, he took off his torn-up shirt and craned his head over his shoulder, setting to work on the wound. He couldn't feel the needle, and blood began oozing slowly from the large gash again. Dark Shadow hovered over him, cloth in hand to help if needed. It was slow and tedious work, and he found himself growing faint, but he'd become quite capable with a needle because of his need to mend clothes. He was no expert, but it was enough. Time passed and the people in the room drifted away from him, finding that they were needed elsewhere, until just Kaminari and a medical assistant were keeping watch.

While in the final steps of his mediocre mending, a hero in the corner fiddled with a radio, listening for reports in the outside world.

"—Target has still not been stopped – passing through countryside headed towards the first city on the way to ground zero! All cities in his path have been given notices for emergency evacuation. Due to the extensive damage zone, any residence within five kilometers of the projected path must be evacuated. Hero support is needed. I repeat, additional hero support is needed! They are headed to the Jaku City ruins!"

Tokoyami quietly continued patching his injury, laying a square of gauze over the unsightly injury and holding it there while Dark Shadow wrapped it, passing the bandages under his arm, across his chest and ending around his neck, where they concealed the still-tender burns.

They're getting farther away, Tokoyami noted.

…You don't want to leave the League like this, do you?

Tokoyami grimaced. He couldn't keep secrets from his own quirk. The shadowy entity knew what he was thinking, even if he didn't let the thoughts spill from his subconscious. Maybe they didn't always have the same goals or forge the same connections. But even still, they were always there for each other.

Tokoyami was acutely aware of the solace he needed. Despite being tired and dizzy and… maybe even safe, in uncertain terms, his restlessness gnawed at him progressively more with every passing second. He couldn't live like this – nor could he ever die without resolution. Because nobody should be out of his reach. He'd done everything he could for the heroes in his life, even when he didn't like it. Could the same selflessness really be extended to villains? If it meant that they could go on to hurt the innocent, should there really be people out there trying to rescue the damned?

Maybe an argument existed there, one that highlighted the worst in people and the expectations of good roles in society. But Tokoyami had forfeited that type of morality long ago.

With his injuries wrapped tight, he put his mangled shirt back on and Dark Shadow helped him stand up. He swayed on his feet, fighting back nausea, and pulled the IV from his wrist.

"That's not a good idea!" a doctor warned, standing hastily to approach him. "Let's get you to a bed and have you on some medication—"

"I'm just getting some air," Tokoyami calmly explained, taking slow, deliberate steps towards the exit. He equipped his gauntlets and grabbed his tattered, blood-soaked cloak on the way out, donning it with a sweep of one arm.

Kaminari frowned and, sensing something was up, followed just a step behind.

Tokoyami paused just shy of the tent flap. He could hear voices on the other side. It all seemed so familiar, and he felt like he should know them all. But they overlapped and spoke with such strange sadness and urgency. They felt alien to him in a way that didn't quite register. If he was excited, then he would rush out there, wouldn't he? But he was already so damn tired and… and so much had changed. One person had made him feel welcomed, but could the same be said for everyone else, with their own thoughts and feelings?

Dark Shadow pushed back the tent flap for him before receding back into the comfortable darkness offered by his clothes. He didn't need to worry about stepping out on his own to meet who awaited him, for it was laid before him instead.

"It's them…" he whispered hoarsely, voice catching in his damaged throat.

Kaminari stepped out ahead of him, rushing to greet the rest of class 1A and 1B with barely contained excitement. But he rushed into a solemn meeting, filled with downcast eyes and injured bodies. Tokoyami recognized the look of defeat anywhere.

He could only put so many names to faces before he began to tire. It was Shouji, searching the camp with his quirk's use of extra eyes and ears, that located him first. His eyes widened in amazement, as if he hadn't been believing his own senses this whole time.

Tokoyami slowly walked out from the awning, squinting in the light of day. He'd always seen himself as a pretty easily recognizable person, but would they be able to see how much he'd changed since they were last together? In retrospect, he… he didn't know these people very much. It'd only been a few months that they'd spent together, and that was so far away now.

Jiro looked up too, following Shouji's direct line of sight, and Tokoyami saw the way she reached for her earphone jack – and bore witness to the burns that decorated it.

Yaomomo was deep in conversation with one of the camp attendants, updating them on the situation while also learning of what happened here while they were gone. Even from a distance, she stood and spoke with much more confidence than she had during the Sports Festival, where he'd fought against her. So she didn't notice when he began to approach.

"T…Tokoyami?! You're alive!" Mina gasped, taking a few uncertain steps forward.

Kirishima, Ojiro, Sero, Sato… they all looked to him as if he were a ghost. And the 1B students, too, though he couldn't quite remember their names beyond Kendo. Out of the corner of his vision, he noticed that Suneater was back in the camp, too, and was talking at length with a large man in a bright orange hoodie.

Tokoyami was clamored on all sides by his classmates, tired and stressed as they were. Whatever hardships they'd just endured, the fact that they'd regained their missing classmate at long last was the greatest relief they could've attained in that moment. Questions about his well-being and what all had happened to him came as a barrage that threatened to overwhelm him. And yes, a part of him wanted to stay in this place, knowing he was safe and secure, and be in the company of people that could at the very least pretend to know him. But he couldn't.

Shouji reached out a hand, stopping just shy, like he wasn't sure how Tokoyami would respond to the contact. And maybe that uncertainty should've been discouraging, but Tokoyami was quietly thankful for the distance. These were still his friends and classmates, people he wouldn't want to see get hurt. And he hoped that being back with them meant reforging these connections. But right now, he just couldn't enjoy their company.

"We didn't know what'd happened to you!" Ojiro said, limping towards him.

"Tsu said you were hurt pretty bad…" Jiro chimed in nervously, searching his face for familiarity.

Kirishima came close, hand covering the most apologetic expression. "I… I really want to talk with you, although judging by that look I'm not sure if now's a good chance. There's so much to say, but not enough time. Am I right?"

Tokoyami drew back from them, turning his head up to the smoke-clogged air. A silence fell over the group as shadowy claws wrapped around him, spreading out into wings on either side of him. "I… I can't stay here. I'm needed out there, where the League is heading."

Kaminari gave him a strained smile, his brow twisting in confusion. "T-that's funny and all, but you can't actually be serious, right? You're…!"

Tokoyami shook his head sadly. "I don't know if anyone needs or even wants me out there, but there's someone out there that I'm determined to save no matter what."

"We just got you back, though!" Mina fretted. "What if I say that you're needed here, would that make things better?"

"There's some things you just need to trust the heroes to take care of," Sero insisted as he walked past them all, undaunted by their pleas.

"I don't know if I can believe that anymore," Tokoyami sighed. "In any case, give my regards to Hawks and Midnight when they awaken. I'll… I'll be back."

Kaminari looked like he wanted to object so badly, knowing the extent of his injuries. Everyone else just seemed confused or bewildered by his suddenness. He was finally back amongst them all, and now he was leaving all too quickly.

"Waaait!" came a desperate cry from the other side of the small crowd. Yaomomo staggered towards him. She looked absolutely exhausted, and yet her eyes gleamed in determination. She came right up to him, and Tokoyami retreated a step as she looked down at him. "I… I don't know what you have planned, or even if you'll be okay where you're going. But if you really need to go somewhere, then we won't stop you. So please! Stay safe out there! And when this is all over, make sure you come back to us, okay?"

Yaomomo pulled two small devices from her midriff and presented one to him. "Communicators. I'll be on the other side of the line if… if you wanna talk. I just… don't want you to leave and never hear back. I trust you, it's just that I – we don't want to lose you again. Do I make myself clear?"

Tokoyami stared down at the little device with a bittersweet smile. "Th…thank you. I'll be back. I promise."

"Good luck," Shouji mumbled behind him. That was the most reassuring message he could've readily accepted in that moment.

Tokoyami retreated from the group of students, communicator in hand, and took off from the ground. If he was fast, he could meet them all in Jaku City – or what remained after Shigaraki's awakening. Calls of support followed him from the ground, coupled with heroes yelling for him to turn around. When he looked back, he could see Suneater holding back a visibly exasperated pro, the one he'd been talking with earlier.

He really did hope he'd get the chance to catch up with everyone when all this was over.

Tokoyami turned off the communicator and stowed it away in his pocket. He followed the path of destruction that stretched out towards the horizon, bracing himself all the while for who awaited him at the end of it.