Heroes in the Dark: Chapter 9
Tokoyami opened his eyes to a new place, one that was cold and bare. Him and the villains had been dropped off in some deserted location, probably far from the fight but not too distant from city life. Fractured windows lining the walls showed the lights of buildings a short distance away and a tinge of pink just starting to make its way into the dawn sky. Whatever this place was, they were the only ones here. Which was probably a good thing, because no one was happy after this major upset.
Tokoyami inched closer to the wall as something crashed near his feet. Shigaraki was in a fit of rage and frustration, picking up whatever was within reach for him to either disintegrate or throw in an indiscriminate direction. After suffering such a huge blow, this man had nothing left than to throw a tantrum. "WHY. WHY DID IT TURN OUT THIS WAY," he screeched, shattering a glass bottle against the far wall.
None of the others had any intent on approaching him in this state. But looking around in the dimly lit room, they had their own concerns. Mr. Compress was gently trying to shake Kurogiri awake. If anyone could offer guidance during these times, it was the one that had inadvertently brought them here. Magne had already disappeared somewhere, maybe to search the area. Toga was huddled over in the shadows, and it didn't look like she had any clothes. Whether as a consequence of her quirk or part of something else, he couldn't be sure. Spinner was dragging garbage and broken furniture into a pile in the corner and away from Shigaraki's reach, likely with the expectation that they might be here for a while. As for Twice and Dabi, they were lying on the ground not far from him, exhausted.
Dabi propped himself up with his arm, shifting to look around. "Shit, man, you need to calm down. What's done is done."
Shigaraki rounded on him dangerously. "I don't want to hear that from anyone, especially not you. If something were to happen to Master because of my mistakes then – "
"Then he'll get out of it," Mr. Compressed interrupted. "Please show more faith in him than to so quickly dismiss all his efforts. He's the strongest, most influential man alive, and I dare say he has you to show for it." He turned back to Kurogiri solemnly, who was beginning to stir.
Shigaraki groaned loudly in distress, but seeing the shape everyone was in must've done something to ease his boiling emotions. For everything he was, he was still something of a leader. He stumbled over to one of the windows and looked out over the cityscape with a hidden expression, where he stayed silently mulling over things to himself.
Magne came back with a stack of ratty blankets under her arm. "We're in an abandoned care facility, if anyone was wondering. There's beds and some old supplies, but nothing substantial." She handed a blanket to Toga and draped another one over the comatose Twice with a sigh. Then she came up to Tokoyami and offered one. "You doing all right, kid?" she asked in a kind, husky voice.
He didn't have a response to that, but accepted the blanket. It smelled musty and had numerous holes eaten into it, one of those paper thin sheets you'd expect to find in a hospital, but he bundled it into his lap anyway.
She casually tossed one over Shigaraki, who didn't even react, and proceeded to distribute them to everyone else, who took them in similar silence.
Time passed slowly in quiet tension. After everything they'd witnessed, it was difficult to know which direction to go from here. Tokoyami was also at a loss. He stayed put. Even when these villains are at their lowest, he knew better than to do anything out of place. They fought hard for him, after all. Or rather, they fought hard for Bakugou. But not everything can work out the way you want it, huh? He thought bitterly to himself. Nobody was exactly happy with any of this.
A clattering on the other side of the room drew his attention. Spinner was walking around somewhat aimlessly, his phone raised up to the sky as though as an offering of appeasement to some unseen force. He mumbled something, then stopped, cleared his throat, and spoke up. "H-hey guys, I got a signal and, well, there's a livestream of…of the fight. It's still going, but – "
Shigaraki was upon the lizard man in an instant, throwing the blanket from his back and crossing the room to appear next to him without hesitation.
Tokoyami jerked forward in anticipation, desperate to know what was happening. A tug on the hood of his coat made him turn swiftly, tensing in the off chance that he would be challenged, although he knew he wouldn't do much if someone were to ruffle his feathers.
"Cool your jets," Dabi grumbled, eyes steadied down towards his phone, which had miraculously stayed with him throughout all the chaos. Tokoyami would've thought that having been thrown around so much, it would've fallen from his loose pockets. "I'm pulling it up now, but don't expect to like what you see. I think it's almost over."
Tokoyami leered over his shoulder in nervous anticipation. Before long a few of the other villains had gathered around them to watch the progress, including Spinner, who had given up his phone rights to Shigaraki. It was hard to make everything out through the smoky haze of destruction being filmed, and the large crack that fractured the small screen didn't make things easier.
But sure enough, once the footage cleared up, they were standing there: All Might and All for One.
Tokoyami brought his hand to his beak, shocked at what was standing within the destruction of the city. There was the Master, only he was no longer the cool, composed figure that had sent him here. His arm was a hideous amalgamation of intertwining parts, abilities, and muscles, making him an entirely different being altogether. His trim suit was a mess of torn fabric, and yet still he held himself with such composure, as though he weren't fighting against the strongest hero. Although…it was pretty clear that the odds were stacked in his favor. One look at what was supposed to be the Symbol of Peace and anyone could see that something was very wrong.
All Might looked haggard, with ugly scars wrapping around a body that was not what he remembered. This All Might was lanky, his muscle mass almost deteriorating with every passing moment of continued strain. His golden hair hung limp and disheveled, framing a tired, angled face. He was coughing up blood, barely holding himself together, and through it all it was obvious that he was still clutching his injured side.
But all around him, heard clearly through the sound of falling buildings and shifting wreckage, were the cries of the people rallying for his success. Tokoyami could hear it yelling silently in his mind, this desire to see All Might win. Please! You have to keep fighting!
The two unstoppable forces flew at each other, fists blazing with energy that could be felt even through the little rectangular screen. The ground crumbled as they struggled against each other, driven to the brink by their own goals of heroism and villainy. An explosion of mass proportions surrounded them, and he could swear that it could be heard in the distance, even from here. Time slowed as they were pushed to their limits with what could only be their final blows. And then a sound rang out, clear as day, screaming right into the sky.
"United States of Smaaaaaash!"
All Might could be seen summoning every last remnant of strength residing within him, every last ounce of power, and focusing it all into a fist that went through the entirety of All for One's defenses in order to plant itself firmly into his already disfigured face. The sheer knockback sent the villain reeling into the ground with so such force that it made Tokoyami's own body physically hurt. But it was done. Finally, a victory worth celebrating! There was no sign that he would get up after that attack. Tokoyami jerked with excitement, fist raised slightly in discreet celebration.
"What?! No. Noooo!" Shigaraki wailed upon witnessing his Master's defeat. He cursed loudly and threw the phone against the ground, making Spinner wince. But Shigaraki picked it back up just as quickly, intent to see it out till the end.
Everyone turned back to Dabi's screen. All Might could be seen standing meekly over the still body of All for One. Even with the image quality being poor as a result of the cameras staying a fair distance away, he could see his chest gasping for air. With trembling arms, he raised his fist above his head in a sign of absolute victory. Cheers could be heard all around, and reinforcements moved in to secure the defeated villain. All Might;s fist stayed clenched in the air as the cameramen found it was safe to approach. Then it dropped slowly, and everyone saw that the Symbol of Peace was pointing directly at the camera – at him – with hard-set determined eyes. "You're next."
Tokoyami felt a chill run through him at the ominousness of those simple words. He had only a moment to think what they meant before All Might crumpled to the ground in a mess of fragile pieces. He laid there unmoving as people swarmed around him, calling for medics and telling everyone to back away. The camera went dark and the video went to a reporter standing within the crowds of people yelling in cheer for his victory and fear for his fate. For Tokoyami, he felt his breath catch in his throat upon witnessing the scene that had unraveled before him. It didn't look like they were going to get any more information on either one's condition, so Dabi turned off his phone and looked around.
"You all are still here? I think that's enough excitement for one day." He got up and brushed himself off, although he had to be careful because his clothes were a mess of burns and rips. "Hey, Magne, did you find any beds around here?"
"Huh? Oh, yeah, there's some rooms down the hall. But, uh, what do we do with Shigaraki?"
Kurogiri, who had finally come back fully to his senses, came up to them. "We'd best leave him be for the moment to sort himself out on his own time. Until then we could all afford to rest before the pace picks up again. It's been…a long night. And everyone, please do continue to show courtesy to our guest. We don't exactly have much else going for us." He looked around the room, the purple flame-like wisps of his body moving sluggishly. With a dejected sigh, he walked over to where Shigaraki was still staring intently at the phone, waiting impatiently for updates.
"Never mind that," Spinner muttered. "What about the kid?"
"How about you can keep an eye on him," Dabi said. "Now where were those beds at? Priorities here."
Spinner looked offended at the idea that he'd have to watch over Tokoyami, but every time he tried to object Dabi would shut him down. They all collectively left the room with Shigaraki and Kurogiri behind to find their own place to be. Magne had to hoist Twice over her shoulder, and everyone else trudged along with weariness in every step. Sure enough, there were rooms further down the hallway, each with four beds and heaps of thrashed items. Mr. Compress chauffeured them along, picking out a room that wasn't too bad looking and inviting Tokoyami, Spinner, and Dabi inside. The others picked out a separate room nearby.
Tokoyami gazed around the room with little interest. He wasn't as keen on acknowledging his surroundings as before. All he really cared about at this point was curling up where he wouldn't be bothered. The beds didn't look too inviting – flimsy steel frame laden with rusted springs on the bottom barely supporting an old mattress – but it was enough for him. He laid his blanket down on one near the window, where daylight was just starting to stream in, and plopped himself on it without waiting. Dabi and Mr. Compress made themselves as comfortable as possible in these conditions, although he could hear Mr. Compress grumbling about how bad these beds are for the bones of an old man like him. And yet it wasn't long until they had fallen asleep. Spinner had sat down on the last bed nearest his, arms crossed over his polka-dot shirt. His head kept dipping down before jerking back up with a start, fighting off the hardest battle of all that was sleep deprivation. After some time, he started whispering in a not-very-discreet manner.
"Psst, kid. Er, Tokoyami? You're still awake, right? So, hypothetically, if everyone here was asleep but you, you wouldn't like, do anything that would get me in trouble, right? Of course, I was given the responsibility of looking after you, and I intend to do that on my word, but you can't always know…uh…"
Tokoyami closed his eyes, promptly ignoring him. But when he did that, images of all the night's events came rushing back to him. Even with how exhausted he was, it was difficult to find any sort of comfort in sleep. Instead he stared out to where the sunlight of a new day was glistening and focused on that.
"Are you finding it hard to sleep? Just don't worry about anything, yeah?" Spinner said, refusing to be quiet. "Is that light keeping you up? I can probably – "
"No, leave it alone," Tokoyami said sharply.
Spinner grumbled something to himself but stopped talking after that. He could hear his breaths getting slower as sleep began to win the villain over. But still Tokoyami didn't move from his spot, not even to readjust himself or turn away from the rising sun. He resigned himself to this place and these villainous people, without knowing what the future would hold. He found that he was burdened by guilt that followed him even in his subconscious. But despite that, he continued to look through the window as the buildings of the distant yet tantalizingly close city became awash with sunlight, dispelling all the shadows of the night.