Yo, we gon' ghost town this Motown
With yo' sound, you in the blink
Gon' bite the dust, can't fight with us
With yo' sound, you kill the Inc.
So don't stop, get it, get it (get it)- Feel Good Inc. by Gorillaz

Bordeaux...

The back door creaked open and we darted out into the dark. I closed the door quietly, the click of closing the last sound on a silent night. I held my bundle close, snugging the blanket across my shoulders.

Bakugo lowered his profile, and pointed, "There seems to be a barn or something that way. Run as low to the ground as you can, try to stay in the shadows." He gave me a grin of all things, "Just follow me."

I nodded and dashed after him into the night. Shadows from strands of trees, tall and forbidding in the night, even with a bright moon outlining them, hid us from casual sight. Tall grass waved in the cold wind that thankfully was not inclined to blow very hard. We ran until I was breathing heavily, my back and thighs burning from running in a crouch.

"We'll stay here." Katsuki stopped at a large structure, the smell of a damp earth rich in our noses. He motioned to me, and I followed him around the corner where he found a human sized door, and we went in.

"It's quiet." I noted, looking around, "I don't see any animals, but the hayloft will be a good place, don't you think?"

He nodded, "There should be a ladder, but I think it's time you showed me your quirk."

"I.." I swallowed, Dabi and I had really only practiced my ability to lift inanimate objects and myself. "I think that I can." I swiveled my feet, searching the eaves for a fat pile of hay to land in. Finding one, I pointed, "Stand underneath, I can't control anything other than up."

He walked to the patch of dirt I'd indicated, and waited patiently. I reached out, and pressed five fingertips to his only exposed skin, his cheek, and he flinched. "Sorry," I said, even as his feet lifted, and his body floated upward. I pressed my own cheek, and pushed off the ground at the same time.

I grabbed his sleeve as I moved alongside him and held on until we were just over the pile. I let my dress bundle drop safely into the hay, then steepled my fingers, dropping us into the musty feed.

I coughed roughly while Katsuki sneezed in a bizarre concert. Just the hilarity of our reactions and the stress of the last few hours had me wheezing, trying not to laugh. The hay made the whole thing worse, it's jabbing ends and sour smell nearly making me choke again.

Katsuki pulled my bundle over, "I'm starved."

"We should drink the milk first?" I frowned as he smiled, "What?"

"Have you had milk before? It's rare back home."

"I have. Once, in the Federation." I pulled an apple from the velvet confines, "It wasn't very good, it's just that..." I sighed, I was already in enough trouble, I shouldn't be parroting Dabi's name. Or anyone's. Omissions aren't a lie when they might save my life. "My boyfriend told me that it goes bad."

He popped the lid, taking a few droughts before handing the bottle over, "You, too. Hydration and nutrition in one gulp." I shuddered my way though a few drinks as well before replacing the lid and propping it into the hay next to me.

I untied the blanket and standing, kicked a hole in the hay. I doubled over, sneezing and choking on the fouled air, "I'm freezing. Are we sharing?"

Katsuki pinked, his ears staining even in the dimness of the barn, "You're okay with that?"

"We only have one blanket," I pointed out. "So, yeah. Come on, bring the food."

He scooped up my dress, and dropped into the space I'd made, holding the cloth to his stomach as I settled in next to him, and draped the blanket over us. It was instantly warmer, and I didn't fight the urge to cuddle close to Katsuki's side. It reminded me of the way where ever Dabi was was always the warmest place on the ship.

Katsuki cleared his throat, "Your boyfriend won't mind?"

"I think he'd mind me freezing or getting sick more." I sighed, "Partners, remember?"

"Partners." Katsuki settled in, tucking the blanket under himself. "So, I can't sleep just yet, and I still had questions."

"Fine." I was still awake anyway, "But I don't want to lie, so no questions about the crew of the ship, okay?"

"Tch. Do you have any idea where we are?" His cherry colored eyes seemed to glow in the dark with his intensity, "Did those idiots say anything?"

I shook my head, "No, but I bet we're in France."

He was about to ask another when we heard the creaking of the barn door. He instead gripped my hand and we both held our breath. The one who I met as their 'doctor' walked in silently, followed by one I didn't recognize. He wore a mask with a very tall top hat and tails, of all things. Top Hat walked with a swagger as he stepped into the old barn.

"They've pulled a fantastic magic trick, disappearing like that." He snorted, "Unless you can locate their footprints."

"I'm native Hawaiian, hepa. I surf not track."

Masked guy scoffed, "Whatever. Shigaraki said he'd gotten what he was after. The girl was just in the way."

"Then why aren't they dead?" The dark complected man craned his neck to look at the eves, his eyes skating past our hiding spot without pause. "They should be dead if we didn't need them. They could cause trouble. We need to find them before the kahuna gets back."

Mask guy shrugged, the full moon limning his shoulders. He gestured widely, "This is the only place they could be unless they continued running." He pulled his coat tight, "Which is what I would have done. So look."

They peeled away from the door, each man trying to make something out in the dark. The barn was surprisingly sound, only a few shafts of moonlight made things hard to see at best. When the dark haired man stopped right about where we'd left Earth to lay in this stinking hay, I was quaking. Katsuki's hand on mine loosened, leaving a sticky residue.

His eyes narrowed but he didn't make any further movements as the doctor swerved toward the ladder. It was as quiet as the grave before he reached out, making the ladder groan. He grabbed the first rung on the ladder and I had an overwhelming urge to back up, to stand and run, to shout; but Katsuki's hand tightened again, hang in there, it's presence seemed to whisper at me, so I closed my eyes.

"Why continue this farce?" Mask shook his head, his top hat waggling in the dark, "Just tell Shigaraki we killed them. What can they do? It's kilometers to the nearest town, probably days to the nearest radio. By that time..." He made a broad sweeping motion, and the door creaked again followed by the sounds of the men leaving.

"Time for what?" Katsuki muttered almost too low to hear, "You were just a bonus, huh?"

"We have to make it to Paris." I whispered even though I tightened my fists. "To a radio, even."

He nodded, his mouth in a definite downturn, "Yeah. If we're in France, even. Where? I know less about this place than the moon."

"We are," I confirmed. "We have to be! They said Shigaraki, right? He's..."

"The Izanami," Katsuki interrupted slowly, the gears meshing again, "Right. We had a lead that they were in Southern France." He knocked his fist against his thigh before laying back, "So if we're South, we need to go North. In the morning, we'll start walking."

"Okay," I agreed, "Good night, Katsuki." I lay as close to him as I could. I wanted to get sick even less than I wanted to be lost in a foreign land.

He hesitated, maybe he wanted to ask more questions, or was nervous. Whichever it was he finally slid his arm around me, "Night."

Le Bloc d'Enchères - Dabi - [Words] are in French :)

The door was hidden behind some warped boards plastered with ancient posters. I wondered what they were. Advertisements? Public artwork? It ultimately didn't matter, I suppose. I pointed to the side, another bunch of wood and metal debris cluttered the alley. We moved into the mess, and found a hidden pocket to stow our gear.

I eyed Shinso as he stood, "It's time. You're my slave, and you're supposed to be the eye candy."

He snorted, "We'd both better look the part."

Shinso slipped out of his coat and shoved it deep into our pocket. He stood in jeans with a soft fray on the hem and an acid splotch over a slim hip. His shirt was neater, being one of his uniform sets. He pulled it free, unbuttoning the top four buttons, and I pulled it to the side, revealing more creamy skin over his collarbone.

I handed him my trench-coat, and stripped out of the buttoned shirt I always wore on the ship revealing a tank with a low neck that showcased the edge of my scarring and smooth well muscled chest. Ochaco had nearly swallowed her tongue the first time she saw it, so I hoped that meant I looked sexy as hell.

He handed the trench back, and I shrugged into it before slipping my hand around his shoulders and into the opening I'd made. Shinso tensed, but immediately shook off the tightness in his shoulders, and put on a face so languid, that his eyes went from looking 'sleepy' to 'lustful'.

"You ready, lover?"

I leaned into his ear to purr, and he snuggled against me, "Don't fall for me, I'll break your heart."

I chuckled, and we went back to the door where I gave the knock Yamada had showed me. A slit opened to bleed light into the darkness, "[What's your business?]"

"[Impolite bastard.]" I stroked Shinso's collarbone, "[I'm here for drinks and maybe a new playmate.]"

The man behind the door grunted, "[Cattle are on Thursdays now. But we have alcohol.]" He opened the door and music slithered out to join the night.

"[Brault here? I was told I might be able to sell my little bull calf.]" I pushed Shinso ahead of me into the tavern. The bouncer looked him up and down, a knowing light sparking in his otherwise unremarkable face. He simply pointed, and together Shinso and I walked in the direction of what was obviously a VIP area. It was rung round by velvet rope, and in the center, a man sat wearing a tattered top hat with a jeweled pin that must have cost a fortune and killing what was obviously not his first bottle tonight.

There were people of all kinds crammed into the confines of the club. Music was blaring, bass notes vibrating in my body and shivering my skin which was in turn being kissed by what looked like a complicated rig of colored strobes and flickering Edisons. Men and women in every combination were represented; all dancing, drinking, fornicating or all three at once.

I snuck a look at Shinso, and though the languid look had been usurped in favor of distaste, it still worked. I put on my own face, picturing Ochaco as I last saw her: wriggling into a velvet dress that I'd bought to compliment her hair. A smile spread on my lips, and we reached the ropes. A lucky blue light highlighted the exotic boy just as Barult noticed us.

"[My, my.]" He snapped his fingers, causing the others clustered around the table to scramble, "[What do we have here?]"

"[Let us up,]" I stroked a finger over Hitoshi's cheek, making the younger man to lean into my touch with a warm smile, "[And I can show you.]"

Barult gave his security a nod, and a burly specimen with knobby growths dotting his skin unstrung the rope for us. Hitoshi strode to the table and sat with a fluid motion, his eyes starting to go back to his bedroom look. I pushed him into the bench, and sat next to him, laying my long fingered hands crowned with staples and scorched skin on the table.

"[My name is Uso, my boy is Hoshi.]"

Barult gave Shinso a smile, and regarded me with serious eyes, though they were swimming in alcohol. "[And why are you here? What can I do for you?]"

"[I hadn't heard that you had set days for cattle sales...]" I glanced at a now simpering Hitoshi and I wished I could tell him to just relax. I rolled my eyes, "[As you can see, he's beautiful but as smart as a box of hair.]"

The other man burst off a belly chuckle, "[I can't believe you care! If he's for sale?]" I nodded, "[May I have a sample?]"

"[He's a handful, maybe we could go somewhere private?]"

Barult examined Hitoshi, "[Does he speak French?]"

"[Enough, I think.]" I whispered in Shinso's ear, "Talk to him, ask him nicely to go to his private rooms."

Shinso nodded, turning his sleepy eyes on the older man, "[You want to touch?]"

Barult's eyes lost their luster as Shinso's words did the trick, "[Yes.]"

Shinso knuckled me and we both stood over the portly businessman, "[You will take me to your room.]" He snuck a look at me, "I don't know anything more useful."

Barult moved away, and I was instantly glad that he'd been drinking. That made it all the more believable. He was stiff-legged and ungraceful as he stumbled off the platform. I whispered at Hitoshi, and he relayed the simple command, "[Act natural.]" He pushed under his arm, and I followed behind as the security opened the ropes again, and we moved toward the back stairs.

We crashed into people, as Shinso's brainwashing was kind of a blunt weapon. It would allow us to get Barult somewhere where we could talk to him, but we can't force him to do anything. That included acting or even walking normally, it seemed. The man obviously just wanted to go the most direct route, no matter what was in his way.

Which made me nervous again. I already knew that answering questions that required actual thought was right out. We'd try to see if 'yes' or 'no' was easy enough before Shinso let him go, and I took my turn at asking questions. In any case, Shinso was behaving admirably, and I was glad that he'd agreed to come.

Finally making it to the stairs, Barult stumbled up them with Shinso's help, me tagging behind like a puppy. He paused at the head, and then moved to the end of a hallway that shielded us from the noise in the bar. the man stood there dumbly, and I reached in to open the door which was, predictably, locked. With a groan, I delved into his pockets, thankfully finding a small key ring in his breast pocket.

We went into the room where Shinso ordered him to stand while I looked around. It was nicely appointed, if a bit on the gaudy trash bin side. The bedding was shiny, probably satin or some kind of nonsense. The wall paper looked like it had come from the era before the wars. It was a hideous mash-up of geometrics and squiggles. I let my eyes track to the ceiling where I was strangely unsurprised to see the rigging for a sex swing.

"Hot damn." I shook my head, and went to the only chair that we could tie him into, an old fashioned kitchen chair that he was using for a desk set. "Set him here. This room makes me think we'll find handcuffs or rope of some kind. See if you can get him to answer a simple question."

"Okay," Shinso said dubiously, steering Barult into the chair, letting him drop into it. "Okay, uh, maybe..." His brows drew down, "[Is the sky blue?]" He shook his head, "It's like I can feel it, he can't even formulate the words." His eyes closed in remembered horror, "Even under torture I couldn't get people to answer questions. I could make him go to bed, or dance, or whatever, but not talk."

"Anything you'd like to do before you wake him up?"

"After. I want to hit him as hard as I can."

"Sure." That was the very least this slave trading, drug selling asshole deserved. I was going to have to get a start on some of his other just desserts. I rooted around his side cabinet, and found a set of handcuffs, cuffing his hands to the chair before tying his legs together with a silk scarf that had been carelessly tossed on the bed.

"Now."

"[My head,]" Barult shook his head, making his hat fall off, "[What's this?]" He jerked on his restraints, "[What happened? Answer me!]"

I imagined this fool had never had someone do what he did to other people to him, so I answered him, "[I'd answer my questions quietly and truthfully if you don't want me to leave you here for Hoshi to play with.]" If he was like me, he'd know what happened by now. You could feel Shinso in your mind for a few minutes afterward. It was very unnerving.

I'd hit the right tone if the way Barult's eyes widened when Shinso smiled at him was any indication. His mouth drew tight even as he nodded.

"[The Izanami. Where does she berth?]"

A bead of sweat rolled down his forehead from a greasy hairline, "[They'll kill me.]"

I lit my hand, rolling a tendril of searing blue flame into a ball, round and glowing. "[I could kill you now. But I really need the answer.]" Another wisp crawled over the staples on the right side of my lips, making him shake in fear. "[We can leave your name out of it. As far as I'm concerned, this never happened. I never met such a disgusting, weak human in my life.]"

I could see the fire reflected in his eyes, as they watered from the heat slowly cooking his skin. "[The one known as 'Compress' said he hated the countryside. They're in wine country. I know no more, I swear it!]"

"What do you think, Hoshi?"

"That name is terrible." Shinso studied the older man, "He looks scared though, he's probably not lying."

"I agree." I turned my gaze back to Barult, "I want you to put him to sleep, then we can go."

I swiped the credits off Barult's desk, making the man start to yelp before I shot him another smile. Shinso stood to address Barult, "I hate you." He balled his fist, and I could see that I would need to teach him how to make a fist that'll shatter a man's jaw without breaking his own hand. He swung, knocking the man down, bestowing what would be a lovely bruise in time. "[That feel good?]"

Barult didn't get a chance to answer before his head flopped back to the carpet, wet breathing from the blood running from one nostril followed us out.


AN/ Hepa is Hawaiian for 'moron', kahuna means something like captain, head honcho... Kapu was added to my index 2. 'Uso' means something like 'liar' and Hoshi is a name meaning 'heavenly body'. Yikes lots of late night typing went into this chapter judging by the spelling! LOL Thank you, Mosevic, for being my knight in cyber armor!