NeonHorizon: A quick warning. Dabi does something kind of dark around the first part of the chapter. So if violence makes you uncomfy, skip his part.
Dabi typed a message to Sayuri as he trudged down the alley. The only light in the dark passageway was from the screen of his phone, held in his left hand. His right hand gripped the back of his assailant's shirt. The stranger was badly burned and beaten. Barely alive at this point, but Dabi had at least managed to get a little information out of him before he went unresponsive.
His message to Sayuri was something simple. A question about the names of her pet rats. Something that she would obviously know. Shirayuki and Kamishiro, he remembered as he licked his lips. Come on. Say it.
When the answer came, he read it a few times over. "Call them whatever you want. Take them with you." Are you serious? She'd…never let someone else take care of those two. Dabi reached the edge of the darkness and stopped before he could step into the light pouring in from a nearby streetlight. He released the man's shirt collar, but stepped down on the man's broken leg to keep him from getting away.
"Who's got her phone?" He glared down at the man, who released a sharp wheezing sound in response. "Come on. You think keeping quiet is gonna save you? Is it that bastard with the white hair? He's the one that wanted her, right?"
Truthfully, the man was as good as dead. Broken bones, covered in bruises and burns. Barely even able to stay conscious. He probably wished he was dead at this point, but Dabi was keeping him alive to try to get some more information. They both knew there was no way he was getting out of this alive; the best he could hope for was a quick death.
He saw the man's lips move, but only a raspy wheezing noise came out. What Dabi had managed to glean from this would-be assassin, was that he had been hired by someone to get rid of him. Someone that wanted Sayuri. Thankfully, that narrowed it down pretty well since she only seemed to interact with a few people other than Dabi.
It should have been his first guess when he got the break up message from her phone, but he had been blinded by his jealousy and anger. He honestly thought she had broken up with him so of course he figured she had gone to the Todoroki house or somewhere else. It would have been weird for her to actually go to the place she said she was going if she wanted to avoid him.
That guy doesn't know that I know where she went. Stupid. Dabi looked up from his phone screen and then glared down at the man on the ground. "So what am I gonna do with you? I got everything I can out of you so you're pretty much useless." His lips pulled into a grin and he leaned down. Sharp turquoise eyes focused on the man's look of terror. "Hope you didn't want a burial; the best I can do is a cremation."
Dabi gripped the back of the man's head and slammed it against the ground as he released bright blue flames from his hand. The pungent smell of burning flesh and hair filled the air around him. Smoke and ashes. Guttural cries of agony. His grin spread and he felt a staple at the corner of his lips tear his skin. Drops of blood splattered the burning corpse before he stepped back.
Wiping his mouth on the back of his hand, he continued to grin. Started to go crazy for a second there. I have to keep it together. His fingertips got wet as he rubbed at the tear in his skin, smearing blood. Which way was that house?
He set off using the back alleys to keep people from spotting him. Stalking like a predator hunting for prey. Hands in his pockets and licking blood from the corner of his mouth. He could already imagine what Sayuri would say about his appearance right now and it made him snicker.
She would chastise him for being covered in ashes and smelling like burnt meat. She would probably get mad at him for tearing the corner of his mouth and she would want to take his injury for him. Of course, this was a wound he would never let her have. In the past, he might not have cared about letting someone else tear their face for him, but this was different.
Sayuri was his light. She was his healer. His only source of comfort and normalcy. Something he had to protect. Something he was not going to let someone else take from him. She had taken care of him over the past months without complaint and now it was his turn. Not that he had zero expectations of her repaying him in the future.
It took a while for him to retrace his steps, but he found it. The big, fancy house that Sayuri had disappeared into with that pale-haired man. There was a wall around the perimeter and the gate was locked, but Dabi remembered it. The place was traditional style, kind of like the Todoroki house, but there was something "off" about the place.
How am I supposed to get in? Slinking along the shadows, wary of security cameras, Dabi realized how high the walls were. Not exactly something he could just hop over. Even if he did get inside, he needed to be sure of where Sayuri was. Going in and just burning the place to the ground was what he really wanted to do, but he wanted to keep her alive.
Running his fingers through his dark hair, he released an irritated sigh. I guess I should get the kid, too. That's what Sayuri would want me to do. Great. Didn't really want to raise some other guy's kid, but she's not going to give me a choice. If I want to keep her, I'll have to save that kid. He heard footsteps in the distance and moved along, listening intently.
A group of four guys were returning to the house. Judging by what they were saying, it sounded like they had been searching for him and come up empty-handed. As it dawned on them that someone was missing from their group, Dabi slipped into an alley across the street and tried calling Sayuri's phone again.
Shift P.O.V
When she first woke up, it took a moment for her brain to register where she was. Sayuri was so used to waking up next to Dabi in her bed and spending a while just basking in the warmth radiating off of him before she rushed to get ready for work. This was the first time in months that she was waking up alone and she felt instant loneliness.
She went over to the window and peered outside. The sun was already up. Usually at this time of day, she would be starting class. Shaking her head, Sayuri turned away from the window. I can't focus on stuff like that right now. I have to keep myself from getting depressed. I have to think about what I can do here.
Looking around the room, her gaze settled on the dresser and she nodded to herself. A schedule. Start with something simple to focus on and it will keep me sharp. Right? So where do I start? Getting ready for the day, like it's any other day. Like I'm not being held here against my will by a sociopath.
Sayuri ran a bath and reluctantly picked out some clothes from the selection in the dresser. It was obvious that whoever bought the clothes had a certain aesthetic in mind that was not hers. She bathed and brushed her teeth, but hesitated to put on the new clothes. Something about putting on clothing that someone else had picked for her felt unsettling. Like she was a doll that was being dressed up, even though she was dressing herself.
Her heart raced as she heard the bedroom door click unlocked and open before closing again. The young woman's stomach churned as she looked toward the closed bathroom door. There was no lock on this one. Sayuri's eyes widened when she heard footsteps approach the door, but then retreat. However, her bedroom door did not open again.
With trembling hands, she got dressed. Putting on her old, dirty clothes would make Chisaki angry and all it took was the memory of his hand on her cheek to make her bite back fearful nausea. The white knee-length dress and the soft pink cardigan made her look more like a teacher while simultaneously making her look like someone that was wearing a costume. Uncomfortable in the comfortable fabrics as she felt like she was being forced.
Sayuri took a deep breath and opened the door. Expecting to find Chisaki waiting there, but instead seeing Kurono. Sitting at the table with a tray of what seemed to be an attempt at breakfast and flipping through one of the recipe books. "Where's Chisaki? And Eri? I need to see Eri."
Kurono glanced her way briefly. "Eri's having treatment right now," he started explaining without emotion. "Kai told me to keep you company until she's done. I brought you some food. I figured you'd be hungry."
She was hesitant to eat anything. Sayuri had been on high alert before when Chisaki had tried to offer her food, but now she was almost positive that he would drug her if he felt like it. Approaching the table slowly, she sat across from Kurono and frowned. "Eri's having treatment? What does that mean?"
He closed the book and stared at her for a moment. Cold gray eyes looking her up and down before lowering to the plate of toast. "She gets treatment every other day. She'll be done around noon. Eat something."
"I'm not hungry." She saw him raise an eyebrow. "But thank you. I appreciate this; I'm just kind of nervous," she murmured, hoping to stay on his good side. Sayuri saw him nod before he took the top piece of toast and start eating. It might be fine, but I'm still not going to eat anything that I don't make myself.
The pale-haired man made unsettling eye contact with her as he chewed. When he finally finished, he moved around to her side of the table and gripped her chin in his hand. Leaning down, his eyebrows furrowed. Kurono released her without a word and dug in his pocket for something.
"Kurono-san?" Sayuri's pulse was beating rapidly and she started to form a plan in case he was about to pull out a weapon. If she leaned back, she could avoid being cut, but that would only work if he had a knife and then she still had to worry about escaping. Never mind if he had a gun; at this close range she had no chance.
He produced a small makeup compact and opened it. "Kai won't want to see that mark on your neck. Hold still."
"Oh. Right. Th-thank you." She sat unmoving as Kurono covered Dabi's mark. Wondering if there was any chance of actually winning him over. It seems like he doesn't want Chisaki to kill me. But he's definitely on Chisaki's side. Is there any way I could get him to like me enough to help me escape?
The young woman waited until he had closed the compact before she spoke again. "So…Eri's treatment. Is she sick?"
The man's naturally narrow eyes narrowed a bit more and he smirked. "If you ask Kai, we're all sick. But some of us can cure it."
She remembered what he had said about Chisaki and Eri being healers. The thought of Chisaki in a healer role was unsettling, to say the least. Just having him in the same room as her was enough to give her goose bumps. The idea of being sick and looking to that man for comfort and healing made her uneasy. "I see."
"No. But you will." A hand reached out and smoothed her hair away from her face. A simple gesture, but when paired with the impassive way he was looking at her, it seemed almost menacing. A cold smirk lifted the corner of his lips as he seemed to sense her unease and he leaned toward her. "Just be a good girl and nothing bad will happen to you, got it? You want to get along with Kai. Trust me."
"I do…for Eri's sake," she replied. Sayuri knew what to say. Agree too eagerly and he would be suspicious. Her answer had truth behind it and she could tell right away that he was pleased.
"Want to tell me about your boyfriend? Oh, sorry." His smirk fell as he pulled her phone out of his pocket. "Your ex-boyfriend. He's just not giving up. I even sent some guys to try to get rid of him, but now we're missing someone. Why don't you tell me about him since we've got some time to kill?"
Sayuri's eyes widened and she felt a tightness forming in her chest. Dabi! No! Why?! Is he alright? The memory of when she first met him, of when she found him half-dead in the snow, flashed vividly in her mind and she felt tears forming at the corners of her eyes. "I…honestly don't know that much about him," she answered truthfully. "I only know his name and his quirk; cremation."
Kurono's eyebrows furrowed. "What kind of relationship is that? How long were you together? You barely even knew him."
He's right. But I guess it's for the best. The less I know about Dabi, the less they can use against him. Still, it made her chest hurt to realize how little he told her about himself. Even after everything she had confessed to him.
She eventually gave in to her hunger and quietly ate while glancing over at Kurono. He was engrossed in the recipe book again; flipping through the pages until he appeared to have found something he was interested in. The pale-haired man was sitting next to her at this point and pushed the book toward her while telling her what she should make for dinner.
It almost felt alright. If not for the bars on the window and the knowledge that her life was in danger, Sayuri might have been able to convince herself that she was just having a normal conversation with Kurono. The second that the bedroom door opened, she tensed and lifted her lilac eyes to meet golden ones.
Chisaki wordlessly entered the room. Eyes lowering from her face as he approached. He walked around the table once, looking from every angle, before he stopped behind her. A gloved hand went beneath her chin and tipped her head back so she was forced to look up at him. "I'm glad to see that you've decided to cooperate and accept your new role."
