Keigo is just getting back to his agency when his phone rings. His brow furrows when he recognizes Reina's ringtone going off in his headphones, reaching up to click the button that answers the call. His stomach is twisting and turning as he hears the click and the little ding to follow to signal the call connecting. Already he can hear her sniffling, and his stomach drops.

"Kei, where are you?" Reina asks, her voice thick and hoarse. He blinks slightly, gesturing for his sidekicks to head into the building before him, standing outside.

"I'm outside my building, what's up?" he replies, looking up as he crosses his arms over his chest. A few passerbys wave and smile at him, to which he returns and tilts his head. "What's going on, Rei?"

"Um, there was an incident at the summer camp Lei's class was attending," she tells him, hiccuping. "I-I'm already here, a few injuries, but no one's really that hurt except one kid who smashed his arms to hell and back."

"Okay...was she involved?" He drops his voice a bit, heading into the building and waving to the receptionist as he heads to the elevator to take him to his office. "Reina, what happened exactly?"

"Well...she was and she wasn't," Reina replies, her voice hesitant. "They were participating in a test of courage set up by the Pussycats, and there was an attack. And um, two kids were-"

"There was an attack?" he says, his voice incredulous as the elevator doors open and he steps out, running his hands over his face and resisting the urge to bust through his office window and fly to wherever the hell the camp was. "Like USJ, or Leinei lost control?"

"Like the USJ," she assures. "Leinei didn't lose control of her quirk. But a small group of villains attacked the camp, which they're still trying to figure out how considering only a handful of people knew where the camp was, and a few of them were apprehended but…"

"But what, Reina? Where's Lei? Put her on, I want to make sure she's okay. Where's Leinei?"

"Keigo, um, two kids were kidnapped." His stomach falls straight to his feet, his legs nearly giving out from under him as he stumbles back into a wall. He doesn't even have to ask who, he already knows one of them is his sister. "Leinei and Katsuki were taken. They..have a few ideas where they are, but nothing concrete yet. The police are waiting for a few of the kids who were attacked to wake up and give statements."

"Where are you at right now?"

"Eraserhead called me as soon as he had counts taken, and I got to the camp as fast as I could. Um, Ragdoll from the Pussycats was taken too, but I'm getting Leinei's stuff right now, and Katsuki's too to take to his mom and dad."

"Why are you talking like they aren't going to find them?"

"Because these monsters just set an entire forest full of children on fire, Kei," she hisses, her tone making his face turn dark. "They kidnapped Leinei and Katsuki like it was nothing. From what I understand from what Eraser has told me so far, it doesn't look good. This was a planned attack, Kei."

"The camp was supposed to be secure," he growls, one hand covering his eyes. "How did..how did they find out? Who fucking told them?"

"I don't know. They're trying to figure that out too. There's a lot of unknowns right now and I wish I had more answers. But getting pissed off at me isn't going to get her home any faster. If we see her-"

"If?! I know you really didn't just fucking say if to me, Reina. I know that word didn't just come out of your fucking mouth. There is no if. We will see her again, because Leinei is a fucking fighter, and she won't let anything happen to her or that boy, or pomeranians parading in a human trench coat, whatever the fuck he is. You're her fucking sister and you-"

"Keigo, I am not dealing with your fucking attitude about this right now. I'm being realistic. You know the statistics on people coming back alive from a kidnapping. First forty eight hours are crucial, and we already lost three. We're gonna lose at least twelve more waiting on kids to wake up for statements. And you know how hard it is to mobilize a large scale force because you know they're gonna need multiple Pros as well as the police, because we don't have the power to book anyone. That's at least a day right there. And most of them-Keigo they had fucking Moonfish and Muscular bounced from Tartarus. Who knows who else they had?"

"I'm sorry. Did you just say this happened three hours ago and I'm just now hearing about this?" he says incredulously, scoffing after as he runs his fingers through his hair, trying hard not to laugh at the sheer audacity Reina has. "What the fuck have you been doing? Sitting with a fucking dick in your ass while our sister is being tortured?"

"No, dipshit, I was a little preoccupied with getting my patrol covered by Toda and getting my ass here. The Pussycats' reserve isn't exactly right outside city limits, asshole. Y'know what, I can't deal with this right now, I will call you back later when you've calmed down. Bye, Keigo."

"Reina I swear to god if you hang up-" He hears the click of the call disconnecting in his headphones and bites down on his tongue to keep from screaming. His hands find their way into his hair, curling into fists and pulling at the roots. He slides down the wall and sits with his knees against his chest as he struggles to breathe, feeling like a thousand pound weight is sitting on his lungs.

Why am I not surprised Reina would talk the way she did? She doesn't...No, Keigo, that isn't fair. She's probably freaking out just as much as you are...and she's there, she can have the details quicker. I should go too, but the Commission...fuck, I can't just up and leave. I'm not like Reina, I can't just say fuck it and leave my agency to a sidekick who doesn't understand what I'm doing. But Leinei-please, please Lei Bay, be okay. I can't lose you again. Please.

He feels so sick, flashes of her in the mental hospital with bandages covering up to her elbows flitting in front of his eyes. The dead look in her eyes, the pained smile she gave them when they came to visit, the apologies-oh god he could hear the apologies now. Apologizing for being kidnapped, for being too weak or too slow, for getting herself caught and letting that boy get caught too. She'd apologize for everything under the sun, but he doesn't care, he doesn't want to hear that. He just wants to hear her voice again, to make sure she was okay and alive, and hug her one more time. He wants to trade every phone call, every video chat, everything, for just one more minute in person with her. He wants to trade everything to be there, to have been able to swoop in and save her because that's what heroes do. That's what his job is. And yet, he couldn't even save his own sister.

Please...just hang on. We'll save you, Leinei. I won't let you die.

"Lein...wake...come on...wake up…!"

Leinei's eyes slowly flutter open, her vision still blurry from the sedative. Her body feels so heavy still, her brain foggy and spinning. She goes to rub her eyes and sees quirk dampening cuffs on her wrists. Her brow furrows, confusion swirling in her drugged up brain as she lowers her hands back to lap. Out of her right ear, she can hear Bakugo hissing her name, almost desperately, needing some kind of reassurance she was okay. She looks up from her lap, her vision finally coming into focus as she sees the villains sitting around the room, lounging almost, as if they hadn't just kidnapped two kids from one of the most prestigious hero courses in the country. She takes in each one of them, trying to keep her brain working and trying to work the sedative out of her body by rolling her shoulders, by moving her legs, anything to keep her body awake. But the more she looks, she swears up and down she's missing one, the one that had personally come after her. Where-

"It seems the mouse is awake," the familiar raspy voice purrs, a hand coming to grab her throat from behind. She stiffens, her eyes wide as Bakugo chokes down a growl. "I was beginning to worry I used too much on you, since it seemed like you wouldn't wake up. Your friend here was so worried about you, little mouse."

"I-I told you to stop calling me that," she says, her voice breaking as her heart slams into her ribcage. Fear floods her system, anxiety chasing it the longer she sits there with his hand wrapped around her throat. Her eyes flicker to the powder blue haired man sitting at the bar, messing with a glass of water. "You-you all know you messed up doing this, right?" she asks, trying to talk their way out of this issue. "They're going to find us, and they're going to-"

Dabi's hand tightens around her neck, effectively cutting her sentence off. She hears Bakugo's restraints shift, looking at him out of the corner of her eye to see his lips curled into a snarl, his eyes burning with anger and concern. She strains a smile, relaxing herself in the chair. Dabi slowly pulls his hand away, her chin falling forward before she snaps her head back and catches him in the mouth. He cusses, punching the back of her head so hard she can feel her brain bounce back and forth in her skull. Her jaw makes a sickening crack as her head snaps forward after the punch, starting to ache with blood tricking into her mouth.

"You fucking bitch," he growls, holding his mouth where she had hit him and knocked a tooth and a few staples loose. "And here I was trying to be nice."

"Dabi, you have to be kind to our guests," Compress scolds, sitting upright with his hands interlocked around his knee at one of the tables. "After all, we didn't kidnap them for no reason, now did we, Shigaraki?"

"Of course not," the man replies, his hoarse voice sending chills down Leinei's spine. Bakugo glared at him, sitting back in his chair as the purple haired girl next to him takes slow deep breaths to keep the growing feeling of nausea manageable. "We actually brought you here to ask you to join us. See, I think you two would be perfect for our little league, given the way hero society has treated both of you. If you'd hear us out, that is."

"If you want us to listen, then get on your knees and beg," Bakugo barks at them, his snarl replaced by a cocky smirk. "Otherwise go throw yourselves off a building. I'd be happy to be the one to push you."

"I'd watch my mouth if I were you, boy," Dabi replies, coming around and sitting on one of the barstools. He still has his hand over the staples that were knocked loose, trying to keep his skin together. "We're only looking to recruit one of you, and trust me, I'd much rather have the girl than a loudmouth like you."

"Then why grab two of us?" Leinei asks, hunched forward a bit. Her head is throbbing from his punch. "If you only want one."

"The other is collateral for us to play with," Toga pipes up, a sick smile on her face to show her fangs. "But Dabi already called first on you, so I'll just get to play with Katsuki if you decide to join us! Isn't that right, Katsuki?"

"Eat shit and die."

"Hmpf, that's no way to talk to your friends, you meanie."

"We are in no way any of your friends," Bakugo snaps at her, bristling at her familiar tone with him. "So you can just fucking kill yourself."

"Katsu," Leinei murmurs, keeping her eyes flickering between Shigaraki and Dabi. Dabi's own brilliant blue eyes hadn't left her since he sat down, staring so hard at her, she was sure it would have burned holes into her if his quirk worked that way. "Just, let's hear them out, okay? It won't hurt to listen."

"Are you fucking serious, Salinsa?" he hisses, turning his angry glare to her. "They're insane, there's no actual reasoning behind this!"

"That's why it can't hurt to listen, right?" She reasons, nodding her head slowly so he would catch on. "So why don't you tell us what's your actual reasoning for bringing us here?"

"Clever girl," Dabi coos. "You catch on quick."

"Just what I'd expect of the Shiketsu Slaughterer," Shigaraki adds on, a chuckle following as she stiffens. Bakugo's brow furrows as he looks between them, confused and irritated by the obvious look of horror on her face and the knowing looks on all of the villains. "Oh, it seems your friend isn't aware of what happened. Shall we enlighten him for you?"

"No," she says a little too quickly, her chest feeling tight as her headache worsens. "No, you can't-how do you even know-how?!"

"Salinsa, what the hell are they talking about?"

"Oh this is entertaining if I do say so myself," Compress says, leaning forward and balancing his elbow on his knee to hold his chin. "Please, continue this wonderful exchange."

"Your friend here is a bonafide murderer," Shigaraki continues, shrugging his shoulders with his hands out to either side of him, palms towards the ceiling. "Haven't you ever wondered why she transferred to UA, why she took that year off from school? You never heard the whispers of the Shiketsu Incident that happened just last year?"

"Please, please don't," she pleads, shaking her head. "Katsu, you-it-please I can explain. Shut up, don't say another word!"

"Or you'll do what, little mouse?" Dabi coos, tilting his head one way with a sick smile. "Kill us too?"

"Shut your mouths," Bakugo snaps at them. "Salinsa would never do anything like that, she-she's a good person and a good hero."

"Aw, he thinks he knows her!" Toga giggles. "Oh, Katsuki, we have her whole life on paper."

"And I know her in person," he retorts. "Salinsa would never do something like that! She's one of the kindest people I know! You fucking extras spreading lies-"

"Katsu…"

He stops and looks at her, seeing the tears in her eyes. His eyes widen as he sees her shoulders slump and the pale color to her cheeks. She's biting her bottom lip, blinking fast to keep the tears from falling. No, no, they can't be telling the truth…

"She killed six people," Shigaraki continues. "Three students, two teachers, and one retired Pro. And instead of facing consequences, she was let off with a slap on the wrist and the incident was covered up, calling it a tragic accident where three students killed themselves, two teachers had a heart attack, and a retired pro had a stroke in his sleep. She's the ideal villainess, someone who can quite literally get away with murder. Why wouldn't we want her? Why wouldn't we show what she can do?"

Leinei is quiet, her head down. She couldn't look at Bakugo, she couldn't. She didn't want to see the disgust in his eyes when he finally found out what she had done, what she had caused because of her quirk. She hated being reminded of it, because she reminds herself enough. I can't even remember their names...I can't even remember their faces.

"And you, Katsuki Bakugo, chained like a dog, muzzled like a mongrel, all for acting a little out of line. How can society call themselves decent if they're willing to do that to someone who just wanted to prove himself? Why would either of you want to go back to that school when you can reach your fullest potential and level up to the max here with us?"

"Because, we want to help people," Bakugo growls, his voice softer than before. "Salinsa and I-we want to be heroes to help people. You do nothing but destroy and kill and disrupt everything the ones before us tried to build."

"The ones before you are the reason we are the way we are," Dabi says, rolling his eyes as he stands up and walks over to Bakugo. Leinei is still staring at her lap, not moving and seemingly giving up. "They're the reason society is the way it is today. The reason stupid kids like you idolize the lifestyle so much they wanna replicate it. But you know something?" Dabi leans next to his ear, his hand on the opposite shoulder. "You'll never be able to. All you're doing is chasing a false image, an idol you've placed so high on a pedestal that you'll never be able to attain that level because you're too busy kicking yourself in the ass for stumbling at the smallest cracks in the road."

"You-"

"Katsu, there's no reasoning with them," Leinei says weakly, finally looking up at the two of them. Dabi chuckles as he leans away from Bakugo, watching the ashen blond's eyes darken. "I-I…"

"Salinsa, I really don't want to hear it right now. We can talk later. In the meantime, I guess you didn't hit him hard enough in the mouth because he's still spewing bullshit."

"Oh ho, you still have that much of a mouth on you? Shigaraki, permission?" he says, lifting one hand up as smoke starts to seep through his skin. Leinei's eyes widen and she looks between him and Bakugo, her heart slamming in her chest as Shigaraki sighs and gives the go ahead.

"No!" she says, cringing as Dabi gives her a side glance. Bakugo looks at her, narrowing his eyes and opening his mouth to protest. "You said you only need one of us right? The other is just a playtoy for all of you. Bakugo has better skills, better instinct, he's my superior in every way possible. If you want either of us, it's him."

"I'm sorry, it almost sounds like you're telling us to torture you," Spinner speaks up, blinking in disbelief. "Why would you even-"

"Because he has a better shot of achieving whatever path he takes," she replies, glancing at Bakugo as Dabi tilts his head either way. "He's stronger, he's faster, he's smart. I'm nothing compared to him, so if you really want either of us, it's him."

As she says this, Aizawa's words from before echoes in her head. A lack of self preservation gets you killed. You can't balance the red in your ledger if you're dead.

I can save at least one more person. If anyone is going to die here, I'd rather it be me. Katsu has so much more to live for, to do with his life. I'm just a murderer who evaded capture for so long, karma decided to do it for them. Katsu, I'm sorry.

"If you're going to hurt or kill anyone, do it to me," she says breathlessly, feeling her blood run cold as she says the words. "Because at least then, you can die knowing you slaughtered a defenseless kid as my brother rends the fucking flesh from your bones."

"Heh, I like that attitude," Dabi purrs, stepping away from Bakugo and towards her. He grabs her chin, tilting her head back to look at him. She grits her teeth, feeling his fingers dig into her jaw. Without thinking, she spits in his face, watching him blink in surprise before driving her knee into his stomach.

"I never said I'd go quietly," she replies, watching him hold his stomach with one hand, rub the spit away with another. "My life may be over but I can at least ruin yours before I head out."

I'm in love.