This is one of the chapters I've had in mind since the beginning, and it's the only one from a different POV - well, sort of. Dark Shadow is one of the most interesting characters/quirks in all of BNHA to me. He's got a well-developed personality, but his entire existence is a mystery. This chapter explores more of his relationship with Tokoyami, both emotionally and physiologically. That being said...

WARNING: Graphic descriptions of injury. Ujiko is the one who does a lot of the exploring, and we've seen how well that goes.

Ch. 20: Dark Shadow's Choice

"Shadow…can you hear me?"

The voice is muffled through layers of skin and muscle. Dark Shadow ignores it and curls deeper into his nest. He knows that voice. He doesn't want to talk to it. He doesn't want to talk to anyone except Tokoyami, and Tokoyami is not responding.

He does not understand why he is awake when Tokoyami is not. When his brother is deeply asleep or unconscious then Dark Shadow must sleep, too. He can't stay awake even if he tries (and he has tried). He will never try again. He doesn't like this at all.

"Shadow - that's your name, isn't it? Dark Shadow. Come out, Dark Shadow. The lights are gone."

He can't quite figure out what's led to this. He remembers bright blue burning hot – and just before that, the terrible echo of Tokoyami's pain. He can still hear it in the unsteady rhythm of his heart and the strange whistling sound in his lungs.

"Dark Shadow, there is no time. This boy is dying. He cannot speak for you, and I need answers. Come out, or I will slit his throat and be done with it."

Dark Shadow surges forward, flesh giving way to him like water. He hovers above his brother and hisses at the doctor. "You will not touch him!"

Ujiko steps backwards into a ring of light that surrounds them, leaving Dark Shadow in the only dim spot. He holds up his hands, displaying bloody gloves. "I hope you will change your mind about that. I don't mean any harm – quite the opposite, in fact. See for yourself."

Dark Shadow looks down. Tokoyami's body is unnervingly still beneath him, except for his ragged breathing. There are fresh burns along his side and a thick bandage over the wound on his chest, already spotted through with blood. Dark Shadow places his hands on top of it and presses down, as he and Tokoyami learned to do during a lesson on emergency medicine. He was proud to learn beside his brother that day, to be used for something beyond offense and defense. He never expected to use it on their own body.

"You have hurt him," Dark Shadow says.

"I have caused him pain, but only with the intent to heal. It was your so-called hero who did this," Ujiko explains. He steps aside so that Dark Shadow can see the body on a table across from them. Hawks is also unconscious, covered in burns and the bloody evidence of claws. That doesn't stop Dark Shadow from lunging at him with a roar. "He hurt Fumikage!"

"Keep pressure on that wound!" the doctor shouts.

Dark Shadow immediately shrinks and presses down on Tokoyami's chest. The knife wound may be from Hawks, but the bruises and burns are not. He hangs his head. "I hurt Fumikage, too."

"You caused him pain, as I did," Ujiko says. "You protected him."

"I failed," Dark Shadow says. "Why am I awake if Fumi is sleeping?"

"A drug that stimulates quirk activity. Truthfully, I was not sure it would work. It does little to unconscious patients, unless their quirk is passively active – or can activate itself," Ujiko replies. "It is quite the honor, Dark Shadow. I have wanted to talk to you since the day you saved this boy from Shigaraki."

The doctor bows. Dark Shadow hisses in return. "I don't want to talk to you. I want to talk to Fumikage."

"Can you hear him? Do the two of you communicate telepathically?" Ujiko asks.

"I don't want to talk to you! I want Fumi!" Dark Shadow shouts.

Ujiko sighs. "I doubt he can respond. The knife punctured his lung. Luckily for you, I am a doctor of great skill."

"Your quirk?" Dark Shadow asks.

"No. Medicine and science. My quirk has given me the lifespan of many men, and I have used that time to become the very best at what I do. I can save a man on the brink of death, and sometimes even after."

"You will save him, then," Dark Shadow says. He does not like the idea of the doctor getting any closer, but he hashealed Tokoyami before.

"I can save him. But nothing in this world is free," Ujiko replies.

Dark Shadow watches Tokoyami breathe and remembers the terrible whistling sound. He does not know what will happen if Tokoyami dies. If there is an afterlife, then he hopes that he will join Tokoyami there. If not, then he hopes they will drift into the dark together. It is not death itself that frightens him, but loneliness. He is terrified that one of them will cease to exist and the other will be all alone.

"What do you want?" he asks.

"I told you. I want to talk to you, and you alone," says Ujiko. "Can you hear Fumikage?"

"No. I don't know if he can hear me," Dark Shadow says.

Ujiko pulls out a tablet and begins rapidly taking notes. "And how do you normally communicate?"

Dark Shadow thinks that's a stupid question, but he answers anyway. "We talk."

"Out loud, or telepathically – in your head?"

"Both."

"How do you feel about your host?"

"Fumikage is my brother, and I love him," Dark Shadow replies. He glances down at Tokoyami. The bleeding beneath his hands has slowed but not stopped. "If there is no time, why are we talking?"

"Because I want to know more about you before I ask you to make a choice. What will happen to you if he dies?"

"I don't like your question," he growls.

"I didn't expect you to. We could always wait and learn the answer together," says Ujiko.

"No!" Dark Shadow shouts. "I answered, now you save him!"

"You haven't answered my last question. What happens to you if he dies?" Ujiko repeats.

"We don't know!"

"I thought as much. Does that frighten you?"

"Yes."

"Good. I don't want you to die or disappear, you're far too interesting. A sentient quirk is practically unheard of. Are you even a quirk at all? The quirk drugs worked, so your existence must be related to the boy's quirk factor, at the very least…"

"I exist. I am. That is enough," says Dark Shadow.

"Is it, or have you ever wanted more?" Ujiko replies. "You see, Dark Shadow, I can save Tokoyami's life – or I can give you a new one. A life of your own where you are not called on like a servant or a pet. You would decide when and how you wish to act. What do you think of that?"

Dark Shadow has thought about it – a life where he gets to make the decisions, not Tokoyami. One where Tokoyami's emotions do not feed into his own and make everything confusing. One where he is a person and not a nightmare.

He glances down at the battered body he shares with his brother, then back at the doctor. "What happens to Fumi?"

Ujiko hums. "That depends. You could have this body if you are attached to it. However, I'd much rather give you something stronger, something more fitting of your power. As for Fumikage, I am not one to ponder the nature of a soul, but I do know a great deal about the brain. Should you decide to vacate this form, I have other uses for it. Fumikage would remain, more or less."

"Or less?"

"It's complicated."

Dark Shadow growls. "I am not stupid."

Ujiko grins. "So I see! Otherwise you would not make so excellent a conversation partner."

"Then explain."

"Time is of the essence, so I will give you the short version. I have found a way to revive and alter cells, a way to make them stronger and bind them with new quirks. I admit it does not work for everyone, but your Fumikage has proven quite resilient. I am confident he would survive. The ambiguity of your composition makes for a more difficult estimate. However, I am fairly certain I can successfully excise and implant you."

Dark Shadow listens carefully. Tokoyami likes science, and they have talked about biology often. Dark Shadow is both physical and not, so he has a unique understanding of the subject. He is familiar with his brother's body in a way he doubts any human could be, and yet he cannot share Tokoyami's sense of the physical world. Pain is a dull and distant thing, except for burns that send white-hot agony through his entire being. He is never hungry, though he has some sense of taste and texture. He has no sense of smell, and the closest human match to his sense of touch is according to Tokoyami, like being underwater.

Dark Shadow has always wondered what it would be like to experience the world the way Tokoyami does…and yet, if he were to accept the doctor's offer, he wouldn't be able to share any of it with him. He'd have flowers and food and pain and soft and sharp, but he would experience it all alone.

He turns to the doctor. "It isn't my decision to make."

Ujiko raises an eyebrow. "You would give up your freedom for this…host? He makes all of the choices and locks you away when you disagree. Why not do something for yourself?"

Dark Shadow's eyes narrow. "You do not understand us at all. It is Tsukuyomi who makes big decisions, not Fumikage."

"Tsukuyomi is just Fumikage's hero name. What difference does that make for you?"

"It makes all the difference, because Tsukuyomiis not Fumikage. Tsukuyomi is us. We decide together."

"Fascinating," Ujiko says, sounding genuinely delighted by the idea, "but I am afraid Tsukuyomi is only half here. Dark Shadow, you must make a choice, or time will make it for you."

Dark Shadow hesitates, then asks, "What if that is our choice? Would you let us die in peace? Would you bring us home to our family?"

Ujiko shakes his head. "I'm afraid I can't allow that. You and Hawks are some of the best subjects I've had access to in years. Even if this body dies, I will revive what I need. I have lost too many children already."

"What will you do to us?"

In answer, Ujiko moves to the table where Hawks lies still and silent on his side. He runs his hands over what remains of Hawks' right wing, lifting it up so that Dark Shadow can see. "He has such a strong quirk, don't you agree?"

Dark Shadow hunches protectively over Fumikage and hisses. "I hate him. I don't care about his quirk."

Ujiko chuckles. "That's fair. Think of it as payback, then. Recompense for your pain and suffering. I will give back what nature has robbed you of – one whole bird."

"NO!" Dark Shadow shrieks and lunges at the doctor. This time it isn't the lights that stop him, but a sharp tug on his connection to Tokoyami. Tokoyami's breathing stutters, and Dark Shadow races back to him. Putting pressure on his chest only seems to make things worse. "Fumi! Fumi, I'm here, what do I do?"

Ujiko joins him in three short strides. He reaches for Tokoyami, but Dark Shadow shoves him away. "DO NOT TOUCH!"

"Turn his head to the side, then, or you will die choking on blood instead of drowning in it," Ujiko says.

Dark Shadow does as he's told and blood trickles out the side of Tokoyami's beak. "What now? How do I help him?"

Ujiko taps his fingers against the side of his glasses. "You know the price of my help. I'd very much like to continue talking with you, but I'll make do with whatever I can salvage after brain death occurs."

"No!"

"No? Then make your choice. Time's up."

Dark Shadow hesitates for only a moment longer, enough time to gently right some of Tokoyami's feathers with his claws. Then he meets the doctor's eyes. "I want to stay with Fumikage. We want to live."