Unfortunately, this will be the last chapter I will post on Fanfic, as things are going to escalate quickly. Check for the rest of this story on AO3; where it is also named Tomura's Torment. I'm sorry to switch sites after giving you such a small taste, but from here on out my stuff won't comply with Fanfic's terms.

In a way, Dabi's mother had been a kidnapping victim. His first murders had been of his grandparents; the ones who sold her to Endeavor like a prized broodmare. He couldn't help but be aware of Sanada, who didn't make a peep. Though Rei Todoroki had known she would be beaten or degraded, she had been vocal and tenacious in her unrelenting desire to protect her children. Not that it ever worked. He wondered what was closer to normalcy - his mother's screams or Sanada's commitment to silence. "If you want it cooked, you'd better ask nicely," he gestured to the wood burning stove with a blue flame filling his palm. He never expected for her to take a bite of the raw trout. Dabi smirked, his turquoise eyes meeting her amber ones. He stood and lit the kindling anyway.

"Disgusting," Spinner muttered. "Behaving like an animal."

Dabi cooked his food and ate in silence. Spinner and Compress discussed what the League should do next. Dabi tuned them out, as he was familiar with the topic. Find allies. He smirked at Sanada's stubbornness as she finished the rest of the fish perfectly raw. As soon as he was done, he jerked his head. "Let's go," he said to her. To Spinner and Compress, he relayed, "we'll be back," before heading out the door. There was no taxi that would pick him up, not that he had the money for it, so he had to come across a new method of travel. Dabi tugged a phone from his pocket and dialed one of the few numbers in its contacts. He heard the door pause in its swing before shutting. "Oi, Ujiko. Take me and the healer back to the city."

He didn't even flinch when black sludge poured from his mouth. He almost laughed when he saw Sanada's look of revulsion. Once the sludge cleared, the fresh forest air was replaced with the thin haze of an overpopulated city. Dabi slid his hands into his pockets and began walking. He knew exactly where they were going, as did Sanada if she had any sort of brains. They rounded corner after corner, eventually arriving at their destination. Dabi stepped back and let Sanada punch in the code.

She knew resistance would be futile. As much as she'd survived, Dabi's cremation would easily be the death of her. I've done everything they've asked!, she thought hollowly, as if unable to comprehend why they were there. Sanada remained a pace behind Dabi as walked up the stairs. She had been out for a jog when they took her. When they reached her unit, Dabi gestured pointedly, which Akemi took as her cue to unlock the door. Slowly, she fished her key from her pocket and jabbed it into the hole. Slowly, she twisted and heard the bolt disengage.

"Akemi?" Her mother asked. When Akemi didn't instantly respond, her mother stormed out from her room. Average height and with slightly darker blue hair tugged into a severe bun at the base of her neck, she looked like a stereotypical librarian. The mother's golden eyes lazily moved over Dabi. "You've been gone all night, then you come back with this delinquent?" Dabi put his hand up and leaned back, as if positioning himself for a significant force. "Get out of my face-" He blasted the older woman to smithereens, eliminating the scourge of Akemi's life in a matter of seconds.

Dabi strolled to the kitchen sink and filled a nearby bowl. "Was that your mom?" Dabi plopped a fair amount of water on the smoldering ashes, leaving only a scuff mark of cinders where the woman had had been incinerated. Akemi was too shocked to register that the sodden pile of matter was her mother. She numbly watched Dabi scoop up the remnants and toss them down the sink. Dabi noticed the silence and decided to comment. "What will it take to get a normal reaction out of you? Most people kick and scream when they see family members killed."

He dropped the bowl; allowing the glass shatter and roll along the finely polished floors. She made sure everything always looked perfect. Akemi didn't know what to do, as he hadn't given a command, so she stood perfectly still. Resistance generally led to a punishment. She couldn't find a shred of sorrow for the woman who had raised her into what she was today.

"Lemmie guess. You were beat as a kid." Dabi poured himself a glass of water and raided the fridge.

Akemi shook her head. Almost immediately, Dabi fired a shot to her feet, only narrowly avoiding burning her running shoes. Akemi stayed still and closed her eyes for only a second. As soon as she felt she'd calmed the panic, she focused on Dabi again. "Liars are such a drag." His low voice was a warning. Dabi came closer, leering tauntingly. His fingers grabbed her chin and forced her to look him square in the face. Akemi couldn't help but want to heal his desecrated features, but kept herself perfectly still. She knew that any motion could set him off. As her amber eyes met his turquoise ones, Akemi knew that nothing about Dabi would be stereotypical.

Dabi couldn't fathom how she could make such a face. She didn't dare look defiant, but there was no empathy for her freshly murdered mother. He could tell she was a kindred spirit - another grown child ruined by the mistakes of others. The fact that the healer was so quiet only fueled his suspicion that she had stared madness in the face many times before. "I can see why nobody will miss you. You're a stone cold bitch." Yet he couldn't help but be fascinated. Dabi released his grip along her jawbone and walked around the too clean home. He strolled to the kitchen and opened a cabinet at random, only to be greeted by a perfectly stacked set of pots. "How fucking anal can you get?" Dabi muttered, slamming the door shut with a loud clatter. The healer stayed still, which angered and amused him in equal measure. He had gotten used to people fighting back. "Does anyone else live here?" He wanted to know just how much time they'd have before someone found them.

"No," she answered, her eyes never leaving him.

"Good." Dabi pulled a flip phone from his back pocket and dialed one of the few numbers he bothered to memorize. "Hey, get over to," he gave the address of Sanada's apartment. "Shigaraki wants to meet you." He only waited for the affirmative answer before he hung up. He couldn't help but stare at the healer, waiting for her to look anything other than distant. Taunting her hadn't worked. He rolled through what else he could do to get a reaction. "Give me your hand." He didn't walk over, but waited expectantly for her to follow the direction.

Unlike Rei Todoroki, Akemi Sanada did as she was told. Before she had taken her second step, he retracted the command. "Stop." He grinned when she did. "You better resist more or I'll make your life hell. Don't you know how to be a hostage? It's about entertaining me, not appeasing me." At last, she seemed to find another emotion. He saw how confused she was and chuckled. "Fight back." He shoved his fingers through her hair and knotted the cobalt strands into his fist. "Quit acting like a fucking slave." He watched the prolonged uncertainty flicker in her eyes. She was only a few centimeters taller than Toga. "How old are you?"

"Twenty."

"You don't look that old." He tugged harder, but she didn't wince. "Why aren't you sniveling and screaming like a normal person?"

Much to his surprise, she shrugged. "Sorry."

The fact that she apologized had him hooked. Dabi adjusted his hold until he had his palm over the nape of her neck. "We'll have a visitor shortly that I need to test. You will beg him to save you and act like a coward. If he takes you, you're allowed to go. I'll tell Shigaraki I killed you. If he doesn't buy your act or doesn't help you out of here, then you're stuck with us for whatever short, sad life you have left." He saw the obvious distrust flicker across his face, flanked swiftly by begrudging acceptance. For others, the changes were minute and subtle, but Dabi could read the microexpressions like his life depended on it.

Hawks checked the number of the apartment twice before knocking, and once more when a startlingly beautiful woman answered the door. "I'm supposed to meet a friend here," he said casually, tugging one of his hands from his pockets to scratch at his head.

"He's in the bathroom," she assured him.

Hawks had to fight from letting his feathers investigate the claim. At every turn in his investigation, he felt as if he was a donkey strung along for the promise of a carrot. The government told him to spy on the League. The League told him to show his earnestness. No matter what he did, he was playing for one side or the other. Thus was the life of a double agent. "May I come in?" He had to show trust, or the relationship wouldn't get far. She nodded, so he took a few steps and began to remove his shoes. Belatedly, he noticed hers were still on and kept his as well. He noted the glass on the floor and a fresh scorch mark. "I haven't seen you around before. Are you new?" While waiting for Dabi, he may as well try to make conversation.

"I'm a hostage," she admitted.

It's a test. He knew to tread carefully. "What's your name?" His urge to be trusted and his want to save someone battled fiercely within him.

"Sanada Akemi."

The name didn't ring any bells. "Well, Sanada, that sucks that you're kidnapped." Hawks felt heartless as he said it. He ran through different ideas in his head, but could find no way to save her without making his involvement blatantly obvious. It'll have to be weeks or months from now, so someone else can notice her. By then… He didn't hold out hopes that she would last long. She looked to be physically average, which was a great deal less fit than most of the heroes and villains in the world; especially the battle hardened members of the League.

Sanada made it hard to ignore her cry for help. "Please," she said lowly, her voice cautious and anxious. "Shigaraki said he wanted me to be his punching bag. He keeps hurting me. I need help."

The government had told him to do whatever it took to gain the League's trust. Not only would they not care about Sanada's death. They'd encourage it - so long as her corpse served as a stepping stone on their path to victory. Unfortunately, Sanada was unimportant. Dispensable in the grand scheme of things. Hawks forced his voice to sound nonchalant for is response. "Sorry, lady. I'm not gonna help you. Call a friend for that." Hawks was the perfect actor. He sounded so dismissive that it made his soul hurt.

"I don't have any friends." She sounded defeated, as if there was nothing she could do to fix it.

He had to play along. "It sounds to me like you should have reevaluated your life long before being taken captive." Dabi slow clapped as he rounded the corner. As Hawks expected, the man had been listening the entire time. Sanada seemed to deflate in Dabi's presence. She didn't hunch or flinch, but the few emotions she'd showed before seemed to wither into uncertainty. Hawks couldn't blame her. Dabi was a maniac.

"That was a better act than you put on earlier," Dabi said, his eyes on Hawks. "I almost thought you didn't care." Dabi brushed her long blue hair over Sanada's left shoulder and put his hand on the small of the healers back. "Stab her or I'll burn her."

If he knew all along, then why'd he drag me out here? Hawks brushed away his confusion and pulled out one of his swords. Sanada's hand twitched automatically, but he wasn't sure what to make of the minute motion. There was hardly a good place to impale someone, but he had to listen. For the good of others, he'd sell his soul. Heroes have a right to be bored. He jabbed his long, blade-like feather into Sanada's forearm, careful to avoid any major arteries. He hadn't been told to kill. Hawks couldn't help but notice that she didn't wince. How long has Shigaraki had her? If he got out of the apartment, he could report to headquarters immediately and begin a search. Surely she had some family that missed her.

"Leave it there." Dabi instructed and Hawks relinquished his hold, leaving the feather embedded in her flesh. Hawks saw Sanada take a shaky breath. "Don't you want to stab him back?"

Dabi only used the very tips of his fingers to lightly incinerate Sanada. His cremation broke through her tank top and flesh easily enough. It was restraining himself that took the most effort. In his own way, he planned on forcing Sanada to stop being such a coward and to face her assailants. I'm being a hero, Dad. Aren't you proud? If she insisted on being a puppet, he would at least give her some longer strings. He stopped his quirk when he saw her hand raise. She slowly tugged the blade from her flesh, her only sign of pain was a slightly longer blink, as if she didn't want to wince.

The last thing he expected was for her to turn towards him and try to slash his gut. He incinerated the blade and snickered. "Not bad, Healer." He glanced at Hawks. "Restrain her gently, would ya? I don't wanna get too close." Dabi wanted to see how far Hawks was willing to take his act of villainy. The pro hero swiftly pulled both of Sanada's hands into his grip and held her steady. "You're both tools," Dabi told them. He began with Hawks. "You were clearly told to spy on us. You're not a particularly motivated guy, but here you are playing along with the corrupt government; posing as an idol." His next words were for Sanada. "You've clearly been beaten for a long time. Use your quirk and make yourself a spine, already."

He saw his words hit home on both of the captures. Dabi knew people well and prided himself on seeing into a person's true nature. That's how he could tell when a recruit was the real deal or not. That is how he decided to follow Shigaraki, even when the maniac proved he wouldn't hold to Stain's ideals. Dabi wanted the world to burn. Though neither of them seemed to know it yet, they were both the real deal and would become loyal assets to the League. Society had fucked them too badly for them to not want a change.

Sanada never had anyone care enough to see why she was so quiet. Her silence was taken as arrogance and bitchiness. Every moment she was at home, Sanada had been forced to study from the rows of perfect, unmarked textbooks lining her room. She felt Hawks' hands brush against the bare, raw burn at her back. After so many years of beatings, she subconsciously suppressed the pain that was supposed to accompany it.

All she could think to do was stomp on Hawks' foot. She figured it wouldn't work. He was the number two hero, after all. Maybe it was dumb luck, or maybe Dabi had struck a chord with the pro, but she managed to startle him enough to loosen his grip. It was enough for her to tug one arm free, but not so much that she was totally released. Hawks gripped her remaining wrist tighter and twisted, making her arm bend behind her back and slam into her fresh injury.

She wanted to be mad, but all she could feel was the familiar sense of defeat. Dabi sent a blast of fire at both. Hawks dodged, taking Sanada with him. She and Hawks dropped to the ground. Immediately afterwards, Hawks rolled to the side, where he hovered over her. While not straddling her, one knee was on her chest while the other was on the ground. Shards of glass cut into her limbs, creating slices over her skin. Sanada used her free hand to grab a hefty hunk of broken bowl an stab it into Hawks' thigh. Hawks winced and drew back, giving her some much needed space.

Sanada heard a chair slide and twist. She looked away from Hawks to see Dabi take a seat, a large grin settled on his marred features. "Good enough."