This is it, gang. The next three chapters are my absolute favorites, and I'm so excited to share them with you at last.

Chapter 18: The Traitor and the Truth

This is the second time in a month Hawks has woken strapped down to a chair, his head fuzzy with the aftereffects of a drug and something very wrong with his wings. He's in an unfamiliar room with dim lights, and when he blinks and turns his head he sees no signs of Tokoyami. He's back to square one.

Shit.

He seems to be in one of the old classrooms the League hasn't repurposed yet. There's a chalkboard on the wall in front of him, and a few rusted desks and chairs are scattered around the room. The paint is peeling off the walls and there's a distinct smell of mold in the air, lessened by the breeze floating through a broken window. The window is boarded over, but a few rays of late afternoon sunlight manage to sneak through the cracks between the boards. It's good to feel the air after so long underground, but it also reminds him of his latest failure. He should have been more careful about the doctor; should have fought him instead of running; should have…

Hawks digs his nails into his palms in an effort to ground himself. What's done is done. He needs to concentrate on what he can do now. He knows where he is, he knows that he's in danger. He tests his body, stretching and moving as much as he can and cataloguing anything that hurts. His feathers are a little sluggish, but he can sense them again. The doctor's drug is wearing off. That's good news, especially considering the footsteps outside the door. Hawks is facing away from the hallway, but he doesn't need his eyes to recognize smell of smoke.

Dabi comes at Hawks from behind and grips his hair, forcing his head back so that he has to look at Dabi upside-down. "I hear you had some fun last night while we were out working. You're going to regret it now."

"Not as much as you lot, I'm sure. How's everyone doing? Toga was having a hard time last I saw," says Hawks.

He's rewarded with a fist to the face, the force hard enough to rip his hair from Dabi's hands. Hawks groans and slowly turns to the side, surprised to see Mr. Compress.

"Don't even say her name. It's your fault the heroes took her," he growls.

Hawks raises an eyebrow. "My fault? It wasn't even my face she was stealing last night. If she screwed up, that's not on me."

"You're the one who got Tsukuyomi to lie. We nearly had him until youshowed up," Mr. Compress replies.

That sobers Hawks' mood immediately. He remembers Shigaraki's promised retribution if Tokoyami betrayed them. "What have you done to him?"

Dabi circles Hawks with a grin sharper than a shark's. "Oh, it's not what we're going to do to him. It's what you're going to do to him."

"I'm not going to touch a feather on his head. You couldn't even convince a clone of me to do that," says Hawks.

Mr. Compress clicks his tongue and crosses his arms. "Is that so? Because as I recall, you're the one who convinced the police Tsukuyomi was murdered by a second-rate villain, ensuring his extended stay with us."

"I was ensuring his safety. You broke the deal when you torturedhim," Hawks snarls.

"Come on, Hawks, we both know you never had any intention of saving the kid, not until you got caught," Dabi counters. "You've never been one of those altruistic fools – it's the only thing I like about you."

Hawks grits his teeth. "Fine, you're right. I betrayed him, I failed him, it's my fault he's hurt. It's my fault Toga's gone, too. So hurt me, kill me, do whatever you want. Just leave Tsukuyomi alone."

"Are you joking? We've sunk months of resources into the brat, and now you've both got a lot to answer for," Dabi replies. He sits on one of the desks, sending up a cloud of dust.

"Then use him!" says Hawks. "Trade him for Toga. You want her back, right? Tell them you want a prisoner exchange."

"The Commission for Public Safety doesn't negotiate with villains," Mr. Compress says.

"Go through U.A. – it's been less than a day, right? Toga's probably still in their custody. They'd trade her for Tsukuyomi in a heartbeat if you can prove he's alive," Hawks insists.

"Sorry, birdy. The boss already made up his mind. You two are finally going to earn your keep, and I have to say, I'm actually pretty excited about it," says Dabi. He leans forward, hands on his knees, and watches Hawks with no little delight. "The doc's been itching to get his hands on you for weeks, and Shigaraki finally agreed. Then he and the doc came up with the best goddamn idea I've ever heard: you're gonna kill each other."

"You're going to fight each other," Mr. Compress says, sounding significantly less enthused. "Only the loser dies, if it comes to that."

"Details," says Dabi, waving him off. "The point is, Ujiko has some experiment set up, and he wants to know which one of you is stronger. The rest of us get to sit back and watch the show!"

"I'm still not sure about this," Mr. Compress mutters. "Hawks is a pro hero and Tsukuyomi is a child. Is that really a fair matchup?"

Dabi rolls his eyes. "Don't go soft on me now, Mister. That child lied to us, ruined our mission, got Toga captured, and gave Spinner one hell of a concussion. He'll get what's coming to him. As for a fair fight, Hawks doesn't have any firepower. When the lights go out, I think we'll see they're on an even playing field."

"More than even," says Hawks. "I'm not fighting. He can kill me if he wants. He deserves to. But I'm not going to hurt him."

Dabi looks Hawks over for a moment, then slides off the desk to squat in front of him and speak eye-to-eye. "Let me give you one last bit of intel, for old time's sake. The loser only dies. That's not so bad, really. We're all headed that way, and maybe if you're good you can make it nice and quick for the kid. The winner, though, they're not going to die. They'll be reborn: taken apart and put back together one bloody piece at a time. So are you gonna leave the kid to go through it alone, or be a hero and fight to take his place?"

Hawks' mind races, pulling together a thousand details and snippets of conversations until he finally sees the big picture:

"I mean there's one thing about the nomu we know for sure: they used to be people, which means that for every one we capture the villains are finding a way to make more," says Eraserhead.

"They wouldn't," Hawks whispers.

"They would," he insists. "I've seen the nomu, too. They've attacked my students multiple times. They won't back down just because he's a minor."

…

"The League has a vested interest in your blood supply. I myself am far more interested in these." The doctor releases Hawks' wrist to caress his wings. "I wish they hadn't plucked your feathers so roughly. You won't be much of a test subject like this. I suppose I shall just have to be patient…"

…

"You see?" Shigaraki hisses. "He must be the one. How else could he have stopped me? We brought every light we could into this room. He shouldn't have been able to use his quirk."

"And yet he did," says the doctor, leaning over Tokoyami. "I doubt very much his quirk is what you think. However, it is certainly worthy of study. You said it seemed sentient?"

…

"Without my master any nomu I create are incomplete. But I continue my research, and I believe I'm getting closer to the ultimate creature."

The blood drains from Hawks' face. He's had some idea of Ujiko's plans since the beginning. Dreams of his skin flayed and his back carved open kept him up for hours in a cold sweat, curled in a corner to keep from waking Tokoyami. Dabi's right; it's a fate worse than death. He'd give up his wings to avoid it. But how can he leave Tokoyami to face such a nightmare alone?

"So, hero," says Dabi. "What's it gonna be?"

XXX

Tokoyami wakes in the same, bright room he's been trapped in since his first days with the League, alone and restrained. The only difference is the flashlights trained on him to replace the broken lamps. For a moment, he wonders if the past few weeks were a dream – wishful thinking turned into a nightmare, brought on by his own desperate need for companionship and rescue.

"Not dreaming." It's the barest whisper of a thought that's not his own, and Tokoyami has never been happier to hear it.

"Dark Shadow?"

"Here."

He sighs in relief. "Thank goodness. I thought I lost you."

"Not your fault. Couldn't protect you. Sorry," Dark Shadow replies. His thoughts come across disjointed, but it's better than the silence left behind when the doctor's dart first hit Tokoyami.

"It wasn't your fault, either. I'm sorry I couldn't protect you," Tokoyami thinks. "We need to get out of here. They know I lied; the only reason we're still alive now is so they can make us suffer for it. We'll…we'll find Hawks, we'll forget the roof and go out a window if we have to."

"You're scared."

"I am," he admits. He's never been able to hide his true feelings from Dark Shadow, so there is no point in denying it. "We're going to try anyway."

The door clicks open and Tokoyami startles, squinting past the lights. He doesn't recognize Twice until the man is right in front of him. For a moment they just stare at one another. Then Twice sighs and crosses his arms. "You really made a mess of things this time."

"By refusing to betray my friends, or by seizing the chance to escape those who have repeatedly threatened my life?" Tokoyami says.

"Both," Twice replies. "Neither. You – we weren't that bad to you! Sure it's not a vacation, but we had some good talks, right?"

Tokoyami lifts his hand as much as he can and twitches his injured fingers. They are far from his only injuries, but they remain the most obvious. "Actions speak louder than words, as the saying goes."

"That wasn't me. You weren't cooperating!" Twice shouts. He grips his head and groans. "Toga's gone. Toga's gone and it's your fault!"

"I'm not sorry for it. She's a murderer, and no matter what happens now at least one of you villains is off the streets."

"I'll kill you for that!" Twice snarls. He darts forward and wraps his hands around Tokoyami's neck. He squeezes once, just enough for Tokoyami to feel his airway constrict, then pulls away. "No, I came here to save you! You're split, just like me. You – you're nothing like me. You got her caught, you hurt Toga and you're not even sorry!"

Tokoyami can almost see Twice splitting apart at the seams. The man holds his head in his hands and presses himself together while he struggles and mutters. Unsure which side of Twice's personality will win out, Tokoyami tries to get his hands free while Dark Shadow coils within him, ready to lash out. Tokoyami almost has one hand free, the strap caught around the widest part of it, when Twice rounds on him and grabs the back of the chair, nearly toppling him over.

"It wasn't your idea, right? It was Hawks. He made you do it," Twice says desperately.

Tokoyami shakes his head. "Hawks has never forced me to do anything. He inspires me to act, but the choice was mine. Red Riot and Suneater did not deserve to die like that, nor did my classmates deserve to be murdered in their beds without warning. You are the ones who forced my hand."

"After all this, how can you still trust him?" Twice asks.

"Hawks is the only one here I can trust," Tokoyami replies.

"Hawks is a traitor," says Twice.

"Hawks saved me!" Tokoyami shouts. "He came for me when no one else did!"

"Alright, so you're loyal. That's good. That's a terrible quality," says Twice. "You could be loyal to us."

Tokoyami stares at him. "Why would I do that?"

Twice glances at the door. He barely speaks above a whisper, although they appear to be alone. "I really shouldn't say this, but I feel like we were getting along just fine and I don't want to see anything awful happen to you. Join us now. I'll vouch for you and everything. Join us, or…"

"Or die? You've used that threat before," says Tokoyami.

"There are worse things than dying," Twice replies. "You don't want to find out what they are."

"Then help me," Tokoyami says, trying to appeal to the side of Twice that has taken a liking to him. "Let me go, and maybe I canhelp Toga."

"Would you?" Twice seems to consider this for a moment, until his face twists violently. "No, I can't let you go. You're a liar and I'll watch you rot. But you won't rot. You'll – change. It's better to die. Better to do it myself!"

His grip shifts from the chair to Tokoyami's neck again, just as Tokoyami finally manages to work one hand free. He claws at Twice's wrist, and Dark Shadow manifests just enough to swipe at the villain's face.

"Enough!"

The pressure on Tokoyami's throat releases and Dark Shadow dissipates. Shigaraki glares at Twice from the doorway. "I told you to get him ready, not kill him!"

"I was only killing him a little bit!" Twice argues.

"We are not killing him at all," Shigaraki replies. Tokoyami supposes he should be relieved to hear that. Unfortunately, he has a feeling that Twice wasn't lying about whatever else lies in store for him.

"Toga would want-" Twice starts.

"Toga isn't here. Honestly, you lot have no sense of how much sweeter revenge can be when you take the time to plan it properly. You remember Overhaul, don't you? Didn't we give Magne a proper send off?" says Shigaraki.

"That was fun. I had nothing to do with it!" Twice says.

Shigaraki narrows his eyes. "I rather think you had quite a lot to do with what happened then. Good thing we're not here to discuss your mistakes. We're here to discuss his."

Shigaraki turns to Tokoyami, his red eyes glinting dangerously. He isn't wearing the hands today, and somehow the exposure of his dry, scabbed skin makes him seem even more intimidating. Tokoyami's heart pounds in his chest.

"He can't hurt you. I won't let him," Dark Shadow promises.

"Nor will I allow any harm to come to you," Tokoyami replies. He sits up straight and meets Shigaraki's glare with one of his own. "I'm not sorry to have spoiled your plans."

"You will be," says Shigaraki. "Twice – get him up. It's time."

Twice releases the remaining restraints and jerks Tokoyami to his feet. There's no time for Tokoyami to run. Twice quickly cuffs his wrists behind his back and both villains retrieve one of the large flashlights from the floor. They keep the lights on him as they lead him into the hallway, taking the same route he and Hawks had the night before.

"Where is Hawks?"

"Waiting for you," Shigaraki replies, "though you shouldn't be so eager to see him."

"Why? What have you done?" Tokoyami asks.

"Nothing at all," says Shigaraki. "I'm quite finished with the two of you. You're more trouble than you're worth."

Cold dread floods Tokoyami as they go up the stairs to the first floor and then turn down a corridor he doesn't recognize. He stops walking. "This is death row. You lead me to my execution."

Shigaraki moves the flashlight, momentarily blinding him with the beam. "Executions are quick, and I want to see you suffer. Whether this ends in death or not is entirely up to you."

Tokoyami swallows. "What must I do?"

"Fight," says Shigaraki. "Prove that you are stronger than your opponent."

"Easy! I am always strongest. I will destroy them!" Dark Shadow thinks.

"Who is my opponent?" Tokoyami asks.

Shigaraki smirks. "Someone who has already killed you once."

Tokoyami's stomach twists. It's the worst match up he can imagine, even worse than Bakugo or Todoroki. Dabi has the power to incinerate Tokoyami and Dark Shadow in an instant, and there is very little Tokoyami can do to defend himself, let alone fight back.

Shigaraki shoves Tokoyami until he starts moving forward again, and Twice shakes his head sadly. "I tried to warn you."

"Warn me?" Tokoyami says. "You tried to strangle me. Although I suppose that would be kinder than burning alive."

"No, not that," says Twice. "That's right! That was for Toga you traitor!"

"I have always been honest as to where my loyalties lie," Tokoyami replies. "It was no betrayal to protect my friends."

"Did you forget my promise? You may have delayed our victory, but those friends you tried so hard to save are dead," Shigaraki says.

"You used Red Riot's blood and ID to get into U.A. They'll send someone to protect him and Suneater," Tokoyami replies.

Shigaraki stops in front of a large set of double doors and stares Tokoyami down. "What makes you think they had the time? I told you we have connections at that hospital, but it seems you have trouble hearing: Your friends. Are. Dead."

"You…You're a monster!" Tokoyami lunges at Shigaraki with his hands still cuffed behind his back, tendrils of shadow swirling over his skin as Dark Shadow rises in response to his rage.

Shigaraki shifts the beam of the flashlight and laughs when the quirk stops short. "You've barely begun to understand what a monster is. But you-"

Tokoyami's open beak smashes into the side of Shigaraki's jaw hard enough to split the skin and snap his face to the side. He doesn't wait for the villain to recover from his shock; he slams his knee into Shigaraki's crotch and pecks the back of his neck as Shigaraki doubles over. Twice manages to grab his arms and pull him back, but Dark Shadow pushes out of Tokoyami's back and shoves Twice against the opposite wall.

"No one knows monsters better than us," Tokoyami growls, his voice reverberating with an echo from Dark Shadow. He starts to rush Shigaraki again, but the doors burst open and Tokoyami has to jump back to avoid being caught in a blast of flames.

Dabi steps through the doorway, more fire ready at his fingertips. He glances impassively between Tokoyami and Shigaraki bleeding on the floor. "Twice. Better get a band-aid for the boss."

Twice skirts his way around the shrunken Dark Shadow and hurries to Shigaraki's side. Shigaraki shoves him away, so he hovers nearby as Shigaraki slowly rises to his feet.

Dabi turns his attention to Tokoyami. "It took you long enough to fight back. You'd better save some of that hate for the one who really deserves it."

"Why, were you the one who murdered my friends? I don't care what your quirk is. You killed them, you killed me, so now I'll kill you for this!" Tokoyami shouts. Dark Shadow slices through the chain between the handcuffs, freeing Tokoyami's hands so that he can bring them up as fists.

"I'm being blamed for an awful lot here, and I'm starting to feel a little offended," says Dabi. "I haven't touched your friends – well, not since yesterday – and since you're still standing there, I'd say it's pretty clear I haven't killed you either."

"You made everyone believe I was dead! You're the reason no one came to help me, the reason I'm alone!" Tokoyami yells. "If you're going to kill me now than do it! I'm not afraid of some - some knockoff Endeavor!"

Dabi grabs Tokoyami by the neck and lifts him off the ground. "Listen here you little shit. The only reason you aren't a pile of ash right now is because the doc needs all your pieces, and I'm not the one who's supposed to kill you. I never have been. You want to know the real reason no one's going to save you? He's right through here."

He throws Tokoyami through the door, and only Dark Shadow saves him from smacking his head on the rotting wooden floorboards. Tokoyami looks up slowly. The space around him is expansive, glowing orange in the light of the sunset from a few large windows lining the top half of the room and the flickering overhead lights. Yellowed paint is peeling off the walls above sets of half-collapsed bleachers. There's a basketball hoop without a net on the opposite end of the room. Beneath it stands -

"Hawks!" Tokoyami chokes out.

"Tsukuyomi." Hawks stands with his head bowed and his wings folded behind him, one long feather in his hand. When he looks up Tokoyami glimpses the sadness in his expression, but it's quickly replaced by shock. He rushes forward. "What the hell happened? Your beak is bleeding."

"It's not mine," Tokoyami replies. He wipes at the blood with his shirt sleeve.

"Your little crow still has some fight left in him. He sliced up Shigaraki's face and kneed him in the balls," says Dabi. "Turns out your job won't be so easy after all."

"Wait – you kneed Shigaraki in the balls?" Hawks says. The stiff line of his mouth turns up at the corner.

"He killed my friends. The ones in the hospital," Tokoyami replies.

Hawks' smile drops. "I'm sorry."

"Oh, you were talking about those two? Damnit, I told Shigaraki I wanted to watch," says Dabi.

"We'll kill you!" Dark Shadow hisses and lashes out at the villain. Dabi flicks flames at his face, forcing the shadow back.

"Hey, I'm just the referee. Your opponent is over there." Dabi points to Hawks.

"Tsukuyomi, listen to me," says Hawks. "We don't have to play their game. They're manipulating us."

"That's rich, coming from the one who manipulated the whole world into thinking he was dead," says Dabi.

Tokoyami freezes. "What?"

Dabi blinks in surprise. "Wait…did he seriously not tell you?"

"It doesn't matter now," Hawks replies. He sounds defeated, and he refuses to look at either of them.

"Holy shit, you didn't tell him. Damn, Hawks, I knew you were an asshole, but that's messed up. You've been manipulating the brat this whole time?"

"That's not it at all," says Hawks.

"Then why lie?"

"To protect him!"

"To protect him, or to protect yourself?" Dabi says.

Hawks opens his mouth, but nothing comes out. That frightens Tokoyami more than anything he's seen so far. His heart pounds against his ribs and his lungs refuse to take in enough air. Dark Shadow buzzes under his skin like a hive of angry bees. "What the hell are you talking about?"

"Haven't you figured it out by now? Your hero betrayed you at every turn," says Dabi. "He used your feathers to send the pros in the wrong direction. When that wasn't enough, he soaked your clothes in someone else's blood and dumped them in a river."

Tokoyami shakes his head and backs away. Behind him, Dark Shadow grows larger. He hurt you. He betrayed us. Kill him. "No. He wouldn't. I know Hawks, and he would never-"

"What the fuck do you know about him?" says Dabi. "He's as good a magician as Mr. Compress. He's got the art of distraction down to a science. Look at his flashy smile and big wings and you'll never notice what he's really doing with those feathers. He didn't even come here to save you. He doesn't care, he never did."

"That's a lie!" Tokoyami shouts. "Hawks, tell him – tell me that's a lie!"

Hawks hesitates, and Dark Shadow's rage threatens to overwhelm their bond. Tokoyami holds him back. He needs to hear the truth, one way or another.

"I care now," Hawks says quietly, "more than I ever expected to."

"Not enough,"Dark Shadow hisses. It's only when both Hawks and Dabi glance up that Tokoyami realizes the voice is no longer inside his head. "That's not enough. ANSWER US."

"We want the truth, Hawks," says Tokoyami. "Did you leave us for dead, and make sure everyone else did the same?"

Hawks takes a breath, then finally meets Tokoyami's eyes. "Yes. I sabotaged the investigation under orders from both the League and the Commission. I thought it was the only way I could learn what they were up to – on both sides – and save as many civilians as I could. But hear me out, because this is the absolute truth: I always planned to come for you. I got caught because when they asked me to really hurt you, I couldn't do it. I swear, I never wanted to leave you here alone."

"You did it anyway," Tokoyami whispers. He can barely hear over the white noise of Dark Shadow's outrage and the pounding of his own heart. "You told us to have hope, but you knew the whole time it was useless. You knew no one was coming, you knew we would die here and you used us! You said you were my friend!"

"I was – I am!"

"We don't believe you!" Dark Shadow snarls.

"Calm down, Tsukuyomi, please! This is exactly what they want. They're manipulating us!" Hawks shouts.

"Of course we are, but at least we're honest about it," says Dabi. He's slowly moving back towards the doors, avoiding the thrashing strands of darkness pouring from Tokoyami and his quirk.

"We will destroy all of you!"Dark Shadow roars. "I'll smash you to pieces!"

"Dark Shadow…" It starts off like Tokoyami's usual plea to calm the beast, but halfway through he realizes that he doesn't want to. He's furious and devastated and terrified all at once, and he's so tired of trying to bury it all away. What's the point of holding back now? He wants to tear the entire building to the ground, and he doesn't care if he goes with it.

"Let go, Fumi," Dark Shadow whispers. "Let go. Give me control, and I will give you strength. We'll smash it all – the villains, the heroes, the whole world – and no one will ever hurt us again."

"Tsukuyomi – Tokoyami!" Hawks shouts.

"Okay."

Dark Shadow's laugh sounds like the cackle of a thousand crows. His body grows and his jaws stretch until he can swallow his host whole. Tokoyami lets it happen. He feeds Dark Shadow with his anger and pain while he fades into the abyss. The gym doors slam shut behind Dabi with a clink of heavy chains and bolts. Seconds later, the lights go out.