Heroes in the Dark chapter 32
Tokoyami struggled to recall the last time he'd been so tired. Probably… not since that night in Kamino, but that came with its own slew of unpleasant memories. And yet it always seemed like there was something to haunt him, the new and old, building up over time with no release other than by means of plaguing his thoughts. Maybe that's what wore him down the most. And how could he not think of everything that had happened? How hopeless everything seemed as his grasp of the situation spiraled further and further from his grasp? Swallow your thoughts. Don't think about it. If only he could find more peace in his sleep. If only his exhaustion could leave his mind a blank slate and allow him just a momentary reprieve from his heckling thoughts. Just sleep.
In his dreams, a hand reached out to him. Perfectly normal, perfectly immaculate. But he knew that hand, could sense it's sinister intent, and it filled him with fear, a weakness he would never want to admit to. But he knew what that hand meant, was all too familiar with what happened when a quirk could snuff out a life in an instant. It was just like the scarred hand that had dragged him into the darkness of that portal the first time. It was just like that pale, bony hand that had wrapped around his neck in the woods that one night. And as it came closer, the only thing that stood between him and that threat were his words.
Don't touch me…!
The sound of a rapid succession of knocks startled him from his restless sleep. Tokoyami gasped and sat up in his bed, his heart thumping wildly in his chest. He scanned the room frantically, looking for the threats that lurked in the shadows cast by the lamp. Seeing nothing, he forced himself to take a steady breath as his senses came back to him.
"It's morning; time to wake up. A new day means that you're needed elsewhere, now get ready," came a muffled voice on the other side.
Tokoyami didn't respond immediately, taking his time to make sense of his surroundings. This prompted another round of persistent knocks. "Come now, let's be civil. I simply can't allow for time to be wasted like this, Fumikage Tokoyami."
The realization of who it was came to him. And the logical conclusion he could make from that was the fact that Overhaul had sent him. He wondered if it would be asking for too much if he just stayed in his room… didn't venture out or face the threats that awaited him beyond the questionable safety of this space.
Against his better judgment, he finally did rip himself from the scattered blankets of his bed and with great apprehension crossed the floor. The person waiting on him was quiet as he approached, expecting their attempts to be rightfully rewarded. And certainly they were, once Tokoyami reached for the doorknob and opened it ever so slightly to look out into the occupied hallway. Chrono stepped back from the door and let out a satisfied hum. Tokoyami couldn't share his imminent enthusiasm. "What business do you have here?"
"You and the others are to properly demonstrate what you have to offer, and to that end have been summoned to come before the Eight Precepts once more," Chrono explained patiently.
"Th…that doesn't concern me." Tokoyami tentatively began to close to door, wishing to be exempt from this situation. But as he already damn well knew, it wasn't quite so simple.
Chrono stopped the door before it could close, gently pressing it back open with a condescending shake of his head. "What gave you the impression that I was asking? No, this is an order from Overhaul. Despite your desires, you of all people should know that that's not something so easy to ignore."
Tokoyami tensed. Does he know about my encounter with Overhaul yesterday? Right, of course he does. He's his closest follower, he'd have to know about the occurrence of such things revolving around his boss. And yet… "Be that as it may, I'm not here to show off my quirk to you people. I shouldn't be so easily lumped together with the likes of Toga and Twice." But despite his best efforts, he knew his voice didn't sound quite so convincing. There was a lack of confidence in it that stemmed from an ever-growing sense of uncertainty that was being kindled within him.
Chrono opened up the door further, putting more strength into it until Tokoyami stopped resisting entirely and dropped his hand from the handle. There was no retreating into his room now. "That doesn't matter, now does it? You're but a chickling, and yet you have such audacity? This doesn't have to be so difficult. I'm not asking for much. If you hurry now and remain conscious of your position, then I won't need to tell the boss that you ever gave me any trouble. Does that sound like a deal?"
Just then the door directly opposite his opened up and Toga strutted into the hallway, looking no different than she ever did before. "Oh! Hello~ Were you coming with us? What a pleasant surprise! Let's have some more fun today, too, alright Fumikage?"
Tokoyami furrowed his brow. Her unnatural cheeriness would also unsettle him. It were as though she hadn't been getting so aggressive with him just yesterday, like there was nothing between them that needed to be said other than a forceful greeting spewed forth from a friendly façade.
"…Right," Tokoyami agreed, acquiescing without much more of a fight. "Chrono, I would ask that you please leave my room so that I can get ready for the day."
The yakuza dipped his mask in confirmation and stepped out of his room. Tokoyami couldn't close the door fast enough, but at least for the next few minutes he had time to gather his thoughts while he prepared himself both mentally and physically for what this day would bring. Toga had said that they were going to have "fun," but he could no sooner trust her words than he could even comprehend her philosophy. It was frustrating, to say the least.
Tokoyami willed Dark Shadow to materialize and aid him in his morning routine. Regardless of where the events of the day would go, at least right now it was his choice to have his quirk out. Not due to necessity, or because he was forced into a corner, or even because of another's desire to train him, but merely for the fact that it felt right to have his quirk be around him for the company of it. It didn't used to be this way, that something so simple as having his quirk around for reasons other than practical ones had become something of importance to him. But when members of the League had encouraged it, he didn't have to stop and think why it would stand to benefit him.
Dark Shadow dug through the dresser with him as he looked for clothes for the day, scattering various articles across the floor. He appreciated the help. But they would have to clean it up later. Looking across the room, it was evident that they'd left it in a significant mess after only a single day of use. Between scouring the room's contents and using the small space for training of their own, there was little left to the imagination. He was confident that he'd woken Twice up at one point when a shadowy claw had accidentally slammed into the wall they shared. He didn't want to think what time of night that had been at, though. A part of him worried that he'd caused the man needless concern. The other part waved that thought aside and kept training.
Tokoyami found a dark gray dress shirt with half-rolled sleeves and black slacks. He ran some water quickly through his feathers and hoped that his appearance wasn't quite so offensive to the yakuza boss. Tokoyami took a deep breath and, tugging the cloak that had become so familiar around him, set off towards the door.
At this point it was really no surprise to see the people waiting on him. Twice had joined them in the hall before his arrival, so now they were lounging impatiently in the narrow corridor on the other side of his door. Everyone turned their attention to him as his beak peaked outside of his room.
"I'm glad to have you all coming along as willing participants," Chrono said, the hints of a snicker in his voice. Tokoyami nodded solemnly and followed behind him, trailing after the League members as well.
Chrono walked through the hallways very purposefully, never hesitating at the various twists and turns. Tokoyami tried to keep track of where they were headed. In hindsight, it was embarrassing that he'd managed to get himself so lost yesterday, and hoped that he might familiarize at least part of the underground so that he could find the rooms that mattered. The doors that held secrets behind them, both known and unknown, he needed to know where they were. But just like yesterday, everything looked the same, and despite his efforts nothing stood out in a way that suggested that Eri's room might be around here.
Although Chrono kept his gaze trained firmly ahead, it was after a while that he could no longer ignore the discreet glances being cast at him by Toga and Twice. It looked like they wanted to get his attention, with Twice giving him a curious look and Toga's smile brightening every time it looked like he might have noticed her, only to twist into a scowl when Tokoyami pretended not to notice her. Whatever they wanted from him this time, it would have to wait. What could be so important that they had to bring it up next to Overhaul's advisor? Unless perhaps they sought only idle chit-chat, in which case their intentions were wasted. He supposed it was fine if they were eager to ensure his well-being, or if they could help him in some way, but the idea of something more casual than that still bothered him. And yet, after a night of thinking and dreams plagued by people that most definitely were not them, this was truly the best he had.
When Tokoyami concluded that he had thoroughly lost track of the hallways and could do no more to keep up the mental image of a map, only then did he acknowledge the two League members. He looked towards them, tilting his head inquisitively to the side. Toga bounced in delight and Twice beckoned for him to walk closer to them. Before he could regret his decision, he quickened his pace to stand between them, knowing that they weren't the worst individuals to be standing alongside. Toga leaned towards him with a mischievous twinkle in her eye, looking like she desperately wanted to whisper something to him. But before that could happen, their guide had come to a stop.
"We've arrived," Chrono declared, stopping before a set of white double doors. "This is an enclosed room specifically for freely using quirks. Since such powers can get messy depending on who you are, Overhaul prefers that anything significantly quirk-related be done here, unless orders are made to say otherwise. Granted, quirk incidents are bound to happen down here regardless, since it's something that's difficult to strictly maintain… but we do what we can."
Tokoyami wringed his hands nervously under the veil of his cloak, confident that the words were once again being directed at him. But that concern didn't last long when the doors opened and presented him with a new slew of problems that couldn't be avoided.
Just like yesterday, they were waiting on them, and several sets of eyes were trained upon their entry in an instant. Beak-like masks became pointed in their direction, and the collective calm that had held the yakuza mere seconds before was now rife with a dangerous energy.
And yet things were different than they had been since their last meeting. For one, a certain ruckus presence was missing, and after some thought Tokoyami was able to put a name to the missing puppet – the entity they called Irinaka was absent, which seemed strange if he was truly the general manager. Another Precept was also missing, the great hulking figure that had been referred to as Katsukame. Perhaps Overhaul had had another use for them on this day.
Chrono led them into the room, a large open space with pipes that crossed the ceiling and fluorescent lights that flickered every so often. Patches in the stone walls spoke of this place's history and whatever fights might've occurred here in the past. The far side of the room hosted a small stage with a dark nondescript door next to it. It seemed like a strange decision to have a place permitted for unconstrained quirk usage also double as an assembly hall, but this was the conclusion that Tokoyami had been left with.
Tokoyami could only look around the room for so long until he was forced to acknowledge the people who actually were present and giving him his undivided attention. He was almost thankful to recognize the three unthreatening faces of the Expendables he'd conversed with last night. Hojo nodded his head slightly towards him in a way that might've been construed as encouraging, and certainly it was the one comfort he could take away from this. He didn't have to be too concerned about them, thankfully, but remembering what they said about the rest of the precepts, he decided to put names to faces. Just as described, he could easily identify the person in the traditional plague doctor garb, Nemoto. That was the one he had to be careful talking to, although he wasn't sure exactly what that meant for him. Perhaps he could avoid discussion with him entirely? Off to the side of him was a figure with dark straight hair that seemed lost in his own thoughts, swaying gently from side to side. It didn't look like he wanted to be here. Tokoyami wondered if this was Sakaki as he steadily went about narrowing down the members of the Eight Precepts of Death. That left two more, and he wasn't sure now to feel when the larger of the duo lit up upon seeing them enter. True to his description, the monk-like individual, Tengai, appeared reserved. And then there was Rappa, whose identity he didn't even have to question. The same one who had attacked him that night was now no less eager to spar with him again than he was before, and he was unsettled when the large man lifted his wrapped fists in front of him in anticipation for a fight.
But despite that, the muscle-bound revenge seeker was not his biggest concern. No, the biggest threat to his feeling of security stood calmly in the center of them all, a bored expression on his face. For someone who had gone through the trouble of summoning them here, he certainly didn't seem very interested to see them. Tokoyami could almost believe that he could turn back now without any repercussions, but no, that was not to be the case. He was acutely aware of the way that those unapologetically cold amber eyes drilled into him, picking apart his every last detail. To say that seeing him again so soon left him deeply unsettled would be an understatement, but there was nothing he could do to escape it other than steel himself for what the yakuza would bring to him this day.
"I would like to welcome you to our makeshift battle grounds this fine afternoon. I do believe you've been given ample time to settle in," Overhaul said evenly, not looking like he particularly cared if they were settled in or not.
Wh – is it not the morning? Fumikage, how long were you asleep?
Tokoyami grimaced. I don't feel inclined to know that…
Chrono went to stand intentionally beside him, never missing the chance to showcase where his priorities lay. That left the trio of stand-outs idly in the center of the room. With quick, inconspicuous glances, Tokoyami could confirm that neither Toga nor Twice appeared particularly bothered by this event. Not on the outside, in any case. But despite everything they had seen from the man and the terror he had wrought, Tokoyami decided that he was significantly more entitled to his feeling of apprehension after his last encounter with Overhaul, an experience that had made his feelings of apprehension raw with the panic that had settled in his chest. They couldn't understand in the way he did how this man had so casually piled so many possible threats upon him and come out of it with a one-sided deal being made. There was no way of being sure if these feelings were truly justified, but they were all he had to go off of. At least now he had a purpose in all this, even if the likelihood of it hinged on Overhaul's whim. When everything was said and done, all he had was the promise of an unsympathetic yakuza boss. But if it got him to where he needed to be in all this, then he'd do whatever it took to reach it. For although the idea of approaching Overhaul again left him feeling nauseous, he understood the necessity of it if he were to see Eri again. His first time seeing the young girl had been luck, but it was guaranteed by now that a second time with her would not be possible without Overhaul's approval.
"I want us all to get along, really, I do," Overhaul continued. "You may think of me and my actions however you will, but that won't change what I have planned for you three going forward. With that in mind, and after considering the usefulness and extent of your quirks, I've deemed it appropriate to see how they work in action. I don't imagine that'll be asking for too much?" He phrased the last part like a question, but knowing him it was painfully evident that there was only one appropriate answer. None of them could offer up a definite response, although Tokoyami picked up the quiet huff of agitated breath that came from Toga.
"If for some reason you remain apprehensive, then all I can do is tell you that such a mindset is not appreciated here," Overhaul warned, cutting through whatever hesitant thoughts any of them might've had. There was truly no good way to refute him. Not here, and certainly not now in the position that he was in.
"You're awfully quick to spring this on us, huh? Couldn't wait to try out your new toys?" Toga sneered. Although Tokoyami couldn't help but pick up on the level of self-deprecation hidden under her taunting tone. She was fully aware of the position they were all in, and yet still had the audacity to taunt him like this. More so now than ever, she was playing a dangerous game.
But if Overhaul was in any way fazed by her comment, he didn't let it show. "I have to make sure they're not broken, don't I?" Overhaul shot back coolly. "I'd hate to have gone through all this trouble just to discover that what I had wanted was not what I got. Why, that would be embarrassing. I'd hate to have to throw them away, as you can imagine." He was devoid of remorse, and Tokoyami found it easy to remember just how easy it was for someone like him to dispose of something he didn't agree with or failed to find useful.
"So what do you expect from us, huh? You want us to put on a little show?! I'm not sure I properly prepared for this, though…" Twice said in both retaliation and relent.
Overhaul's eyes sparked with amusement. "You'll do fine, I'm sure. You may not have been here very long, but I'm sure you three don't want to disappoint me. Isn't that right?"
Tokoyami had no way of being certain, but it felt like Overhaul was speaking more to him than the others. As far as he knew, he was the only one of the three to have the displeasure of speaking to him alone in an empty hallway. Perhaps it was because of that that Tokoyami wanted to believe that he had a better understanding of Overhaul than the others. And perhaps that was a good thing, being able to read the warning signs that might leak from this man, but right now it felt like the worse possible thing.
"Except for Tokoyami. He doesn't need to show off his quirk, so instead how about he come stand beside me while I see what the rest of you League Villains have to offer. Now doesn't that sound like fun?"