Where is he.

We need to find him.

Tokoyami turned down another alley only to find it blocked off by destroyed rubble. He could hear the sounds of shifting stone as though the barricade was truly that precarious, and he stepped away from it quickly before it could come crumbling down.

Should we really leave it like this? What if someone trying to escape the area tries to climb over it? Dark Shadow asked nervously.

Tokoyami hesitated, but continued stepping back anyway. N-no, it's fine. We haven't seen any more people since then, so I think Hawks has already seen to it that this area is evacuated.

But… you're still here.

I know.

Impossible heat scorched the sky, searing it orange, and Tokoyami gasped at the intense feeling that filled the air. But when he looked up, he couldn't see the source of it. He ducked under an awning to avoid the embers that drifted towards him. This sky battle was meant to take the damage as far away from the streets as possible. Even still, some things were unavoidable.

Just a few blocks away, a large crash could be heard, like a meteor hitting the earth followed by silence.

Tokoyami hesitantly peeked his head out from the cover. But when he looked, the sky was empty of heroes and nomu. Uneasiness crawled beneath his skin. Tokoyami's hand clenched around the hilt of his sword, so hard that his knuckles began to turn white and tremble. Something about this felt familiar, and he couldn't help remembering the night that All Might had tried to save him. "Dabi, I don't know what it is you desire, but the world can't afford to lose another number one hero. Not now."

He plunged his way through the empty streets, listening to the sound of screams and blaring sirens fading off into the distance. By now, it definitely looked like most if not all civilians were gone from the area around the building that had been felled. But Tokoyami was no fool. Battle and chaos traveled far quicker than the panicked legs of a normal person, and if this act of terrorism didn't reach its resolution soon than there would be no place where people could run to fast enough.

From above came a new sound, and he looked up in time to see a news helicopter flying over the buildings. Tokoyami felt his breath catch in his throat, and he pressed himself against a nearby concrete wall, desperate to be as innocuous as a shadow.

Fumikage…?

I…don't want them to see me. It doesn't matter what I do or if I'm just trying to help – if I'm seen here, where nomu are attacking and havoc is being wreaked against the city, they're going to associate me with it. I don't want to be lumped together with damage and terror any more than I already am.

Dark Shadow pouted. There was no news people around when you gave your all to fight Overhaul. Where were they then? Why can't you do your best in a positive light?

Tokoyami grimaced, quietly cursing his fate of defamation until the helicopter had passed. With a heavy sigh, he pressed on, fully aware of the situation he'd been presented with.

Tokoyami wasn't sure how long the sky battle had lapsed into uneasy quiet, but it wasn't long before he could feel it in the air again. He couldn't make much sense of his surroundings, navigating the unfamiliar streets while playing everything by ear, unable to see past the extensive blocks of solid buildings.

The buildings finally opened up again into a city street. Seeing what was before him, he wished he could creep back into the shadows and pretend he wasn't a part of this. But that would be denying the responsibility he held in this matter.

More destruction. More devastated buildings. A few scattered bodies of lesser nomus gurgled and screeched, struggling to stand after being struck down by feathers and falling debris. The air, for how hot it was, was making it hard to breath, and his chest heaved at the lack of oxygen. He found his eyes focus in on a pile of rubble. There was an unmistakable splatter of blood covering the broken concrete. It covered a large section of the pile, dripping down onto the road beneath. But there was no source – just trails of burn marks.

He knew he should be more cautious. That he should flee the open space and continue his search for the stapled fiend orchestrating this whole thing. Instead he began walking out into the open area. He could hear the buzz of the helicopter nearby, but its cameras were focused elsewhere.

A raspy hiss sounded off behind him, way to close for comfort, and he spun on his heel to see an injured nomu hobbling slowly towards him like something out of a horror movie.

Tsk. Tokoyami unsheathed his sword with a grimace.

I can help, and then we can be done with it quicker.

…Only if you have the power to spare, Tokoyami agreed. He eyed the ugly wound that was already hacked across the monster's chest – as good a weak spot as any. He circled around it, keeping some distance while it staggered towards him. In a quick movement, Tokoyami lunged forward. Right before the sword could slash into the nomu, his quirk wrapped the sword in shadows. The rough edge sheared through grotesque flesh, while the dark power shoved it back. With a groan, the creature toppled backwards and onto the ground. It hissed angrily, but even that felt weaker as it lay prone on the ground.

Tokoyami ran past it, not wanted to initiate further battle with a sorry foe such as that. If it wasn't posing a threat anymore, then he could move on. But exactly where he was supposed to go, he wasn't exactly sure. The road was empty of people, but it wasn't hard to follow the path of destruction. He could see it clearly – crushed rooftops and ash-stricken walls, cracked facades and still-burning flames. And if he looked closely, there were some very burnt feathers on the ground that twitched in an effort to follow commands despite their state.

Another flare lit up the sky, but this one was greater than any heat he'd felt before. It rolled out of the sky like a wave, forcing him back a step. Even though the sun was beginning to set, the amount of light that filled the sky in that moment was enough to make Dark Shadow wilt.

He could see them again – Hawks and Endeavor, battling within the wide-open space above the buildings against the high-end. In the moment he felt… small, standing in the middle of that road while the whole world seemed to burn around him. He knew how big he could be if he had the power, and knew that if he tried, then maybe he could make a difference – to help people, to mitigate damage, to be a hero. But watching them now, he felt so far away.

And yet, even from a distance, he could see and feel what was happening in the battle. Feathers whisked past him, headed towards the battle. But they weren't returning to Hawks – they were going to Endeavor, helping him instead. The temperature in the air was increasing – faster, faster. It felt like they were gearing towards a final move to finish off the fight, something that would take everything they had from a joint effort to bring an end to the manufactured enemy.

Feeling the heat, seeing the feathers turn to kindling, and watching the heroes give their all… something clicked in Tokoyami's head.

His feet began to move, directly towards the heat of battle. His chest heaved and his cloak felt suffocating, but he ran for all he was worth. This fight had dragged on for far too long, and still there hadn't been any evidence of Dabi throughout any of the action.

Because Dabi was so far from what a hero was. He wouldn't dare stand on the frontlines or show up until it was necessary. Of course he hadn't been able to find him yet, because he didn't want to be seen yet. He was waiting for the heroes to be on death's door.

"Hawks!" Tokoyami yelled, desperate to get his attention as he kept running towards the scene of the fight. But just like that night on the roof, his call of desperation was willfully ignored.

And then he was standing almost directly below it. Embers and hellfire rained down all around him. Craning his neck towards the sky, he watched Endeavor be the one to fly higher, ever higher on wings of fire made from every feather Hawks had to spare, with a flame-engulfed fist rammed into the nomu. He could hear their screams of pain and exertion, could feel the pressure in the air as these powerful forces clashed. And then he couldn't see either of the forms. Fire warped the very air, and a conflagration stretched out over the sky from the point of impact. A supermove. Fueled by sheer determination and the need to win. It was an incredible force that he felt, even from his lonely front-row seat so far beneath the combat. So this is the strength of the new top hero.

The high-end nomu was gone from this world. Tokoyami couldn't quite explain his reason for knowing this, but he could just feel that that was the case. And honestly, it brought him an unprecedented amount of relief, as though a personal burden had been lifted from him.

The grand fireball that had filled the sky began to dissipate, and with it so too did the temperature begin to go back down. Only that wasn't the end of it.

The battle between the heroes and the nomu was definitely over. But at the moment, there was still an immediate risk at hand. That grand fireball was now hurtling towards the ground – Endeavor and the heavily charred corpse of his opponent. And Tokoyami was still standing in the open, beneath where the action had come to an end.

Nearby voices brought him back to the reality of what was going on, and with a start he was reminded of how bad it would be if he was seen here. Panic flared within him. Clear as day, he could see the news helicopters hovering within his line of sight, their focus on the hero plummeting towards him, and other heroes were rounding the corner to help.

Tokoyami booked it to whatever could be considered cover, clutching the hood of his cloak tightly over his head to keep his feathers from sticking up. He wasn't fast enough – never had been – and out of the corner of his eye saw some local heroes come onto the scene. Their main priority was Endeavor, and yet one of them still took notice of him fleeing and called out.

"Hey! Are you ok—?"

Tokoyami didn't get the chance to catch the last of what he had to say before he felt himself get involuntarily lifted off the ground. Something snagged him by the fabric of his cloak, uncomfortably close to the base of the neck. He wheezed in surprise as the ground flew out from beneath him, and it took him a second to process what was happening.

A large feather was dragging him quickly away from the heroes, as if to acknowledge that he didn't belong next to them. The central street was left behind before he could even properly react, and then he was back in the shadows of the narrow side-paths.

Tokoyami swatted at the feather directing his movement, trying with futile efforts to dislodge it from his hood. "Haaawks! I know you can see me! Let me go, or talk to me, or do something! But don't you dare pretend that I'm not here!"

The feather reached its end when it embedded itself into the wall of the back alley, pinning him. Tokoyami hit the wall harder than he would've liked. He hissed in pain and anger, shaking his head to rid himself of the dark blotches that momentarily filled his sight. "Bastard," he groaned, hoping Hawks was hearing all this. "If you wanted to hurt me further, I know you have the ability to do so…"

He… really didn't want us there on the scene, huh? Dark Shadow whimpered.

The hum of the helicopter was still present, but it was blocked out by buildings again. If he listened closely, he could hear the heroes regrouping back where he'd been. Shouts of concern and relief, followed soon thereafter by a chorus of cheering from crowds of people heard blocks away. Sounds like people were already celebrating their victory.

But if that was the case, and the heroes had given everything they had just to defeat a single enemy, then that would make this the best chance for Dabi to move in and cause some last-minute chaos. Tokoyami can't imagine he'd just be watching from the sidelines forever. Not when he had some kind of agenda against the number one hero.

Tokoyami swiped at the feather pinning him to the wall. It had gone completely still. His feet just barely touched the ground, and he had to strain for a foothold. Did Hawks forget how short he was or did the winged asshole just not care?

Tokoyami gave up quickly on the feather and unbuttoned his cloak, stumbling to the ground with a gasp. He took a moment to catch his breath and gain his bearings. He had a few new scrapes since the start of this whole escapade, but that was nothing compared to how dangerous this was to other people.

"Now give me back my cape," Tokoyami growled, stretching up his arms to tug the feather out of the wall. It slid from the stone with some resistance, but at least he could say that he had his cloak back. He retrieved the pile of fabric from the dirty alleyway floor, sighing at the sizable rip in it from the feather's sharp edge.

Aw, I liked this one! What the heck, that was mean! I bet he didn't rip the suits of those civilians, Dark Shadow lamented.

I can't tell if he's trying to make a statement or if he was just being careless.

Oh yeah? Since when does he ever do anything with those feathers by accident, huh?

Tokoyami appraised the messenger's tool with a critical glare. The culprit was a primary feather – the biggest ones that Hawks had – and looking at it made him grimace. It hadn't looked like he had any more of these feathers left after helping Endeavor the way he had. He got the impression that his wings were probably tiny by now. So where had this feather been, and why had he been so quick to use it against him instead of keeping it at his side? For some reason, looking at the hero's main weapon made him uncomfortable.

He left it behind, casting the feather aside while he ran back to where the heroes were regrouping. If Hawks needed it, it would come to him. He had a decent idea of the range of his old mentor's quirk. Even after a fight like this, he could still be deadly if he wanted.

Tokoyami's ran down the narrow pathway, the sounds of his boots hitting stone echoing off the empty walls while his ripped cloak fluttered out beneath him. He'd appreciated the growing shadows of dusk, but where he was going he could see the faint glow of dying orange fires. He didn't hear any sounds of combat, so when he saw the main road again he slowed. Maybe… he won't show up after all. There's too many people, too many things that could go wrong if he acted out now.

If only that could've been the case.

Tokoyami recognized the deep voice as the one that had called out from the Sports Festival. "It's you! The one who murdered Snatch! The League of Villains… Dabi!" Endeavor.

Curse my doubt.

Tokoyami wasn't even given the time to peek his head out of the shadows before an enormous wall of blue flame separated him from whatever was going on. He backpedaled swiftly, avoiding the fire but not the nauseating amount of heat that came with it. The flames leaped upwards, extending far above his head – keeping out anyone who wanted to interfere while trapping the others in.

This… was a lot of fire to be controlling, even for Dabi. And as strange as it was to be worried about someone trying to cause harm unto others, that's exactly what he felt. It hurt for him to be standing so close to this much fire, but he could bear it. Over the sound of flicking flames, he could still hear some of what was happening beyond the fire. And if he focused and looked closely, he could see the dark, hazy shapes of the people inside.

"Come on, I'm just here to collect the nomu. There's no way I could actually win, right?" he sneered. "…Against the top two heroes, already beat up and bloodied!"

Tokoyami watched as the dark figure hidden in the flames lurched towards the two others trapped inside with him, moving in for the attack. His lungs were beginning to burn from all the smoke and heat, and his chest was aching. He couldn't see anything, couldn't move forward or ever even hope to break past those flames. But he wanted to be heard. He wanted Dabi – and Hawks and Endeavor and whoever else was in that ring of fire – to know that he was here.

"Dabi!" Tokoyami yelled at the top of his lungs. "You have to stop!"

He didn't think the man, standing in the ring of his own fire, would hear him. Or even give him the damn time of day. But he did. And he paused.

Maybe it was just surprise, or the fact that he'd momentarily lost his focus, but in front of Tokoyami the flames died down ever so slightly, revealing the smallest of gaps in the great wall of inferno.

Tokoyami felt his gut lurch. Dabi was just standing there, body swathed in licks of blue flame that ate away at his already burned skin. This whole time, ever since Tokoyami had arrived in this city of chaos, he'd been looking for a terrorist. That had to be the best word for it, because he knew no other. And yet when he gave the villain a hard look, Tokoyami felt only misery. There was an unfathomable amount of pain and despair beneath his crazed appearance. This didn't look like someone who'd orchestrated this whole thing just to hurt people. Tokoyami had seen what it took for Dabi to hurt others carelessly – he could even claim to know firsthand what hurting people felt like – and it wasn't this. No, this was much more personal than that.

In that moment, as strange as it was to come out all this way, it felt like he was interrupting something not meant for his eyes. But at least in the moment, he noticed that the flames had died down ever so slightly and that he'd been caught off guard.

…He stopped, Dark Shadow noted.

No. this is but a fleeting moment. We alone don't have the power to change his will. Otherwise he wouldn't be here. We wouldn't be here.

That's a two-way street, right? We can't change him, but at the same time the villains can't change us… Fumikage?

I… hm?

Apparently both Tokoyami and Dabi had been distracted, because neither of them noticed the shadow dropping down from the sky until it was too late.

The impact of the hero that entered the playing field out of nowhere caused him to stagger back. Tokoyami coughed from the smoke that swirled off of the disturbed flames and ducked to avoid a small rain of rubble. The force of the blow must've caught Dabi off guard just as much, because the flames in front of him opened up to where Tokoyami could finally get a good look at the situation. Now he definitely felt out of place, but that hardly mattered anymore. He could see Dabi clearly, the staples of his face pulled uncomfortably taunt, to where he saw ribbons of raw flesh between the gaps. He could see Hawks, his wings pathetically small. And on the ground next to him, struggling, was the beat-up body of Endeavor, an ugly red scar ripped down the left side of his face in a way that was almost uncanny. For once, Tokoyami felt like he wasn't getting the worse outcome from all this hellish activity. H wished he could say that that was a relief, but he hadn't wanted to see anyone get hurt from all this if it could've been helped. Not that there was a whole lot he could've done to prevent any of this.

"I saw the news and came hopping! Endeavor, Hawks! You boys don't get to have all the fun!"

Rabbit Hero: Mirko. Not the kind of person he'd expect to see on the scene, but she looked ready for a fight.

And fight she did.

Before anyone could react, she followed up her entrance with a flying kick aimed at Dabi.

He narrowly avoided taking the brunt of the damage, but Tokoyami still winced, watching the high-powered hit graze the villain's shoulder.

"You're with the League, right? Get ready, 'cause I'm gonna kick your ass!" Mirko declared cheerily, bringing her leg back and getting ready for another kick.

Tokoyami caught the blistering glare that Dabi gave him, looking past Mirko. He could feel the villain's eminent disappointment from where he was standing. Tokoyami could only be left to wonder if this was any place for him to intervene further. He would personally rather not get kicked by Mirko if it came down to that. But even though he came here in defiance of Dabi, he didn't want to see the villain get hurt. He just wanted him to stop.

Dabi must've seen this as the end of his mission. Or whatever the hell this was supposed to be for him. Nomu testing? A declaration? Or some off-putting form of revenge?

Tokoyami didn't get the kind of clarity on the matter that he would've hoped for. But it did seem as though he got at least some kind of half-baked answer.

Tokoyami retreated back from the flames, coughing from the smoke. His head was starting to get dizzy, so it seemed as though he'd reached his limit for how long he could tolerate being on the scene.

Another burst of fire drove a distance between Dabi and the offensive hero that had "hopped" into his way. It was hard to make sense of what was happening or what was being said. But nobody could ignore the last words Dabi said, yelling them for everyone to hear before effectively fleeing:

"I'm sure we'll get another chance to talk, but until then just keep doing your thing and don't go dying on me, 'kay?! Enji Todoroki!"

And then he was gone in a swirl of black sludge, leaving the heroes with nothing to attack or even look at. His grandiose wall of blue fire died down. Ujiko had gotten him out of here before any real exchange could be made.

The moment Dabi disappeared from sight, Tokoyami felt a familiar nausea overcome him.

No, no! Not yet! I still need to…

Tokoyami called out in the briefest of moments that he had left.

"Hawks! We need to –! "

The rabbit hero perked her ears and turned swiftly, acknowledging him for the first time. Her eyes widened in surprise. And that was the only response he got.

Darkness came over him, the sludge taking ahold of his body and warping him away from the scene. Away from heroes and witnesses and everything else. Just as he should've expected.

Only he didn't end up back in the living room where he was supposed to reside. Nor did he find himself in a place where he could see Dabi, or anyone for that matter that he'd want to talk to. But when his senses did finally come back to him, he discovered with a sinking feeling of horror that he did, in fact, recognize where he'd ended up.

"…talk." Tokoyami clutched his chest, still aching. Everything still smelled of smoke and destruction, and ashes clung to his clothes. His head was fuzzy, and every breath came out more like a wheeze, but he forced himself to stand up straighter. He didn't want to look weak – not in a place like this.

A few dismal fluorescent lights lit up the cluttered space. Just like last time, tubes and cords were tangled on the ground, thick as a carpet. If he looked around long enough, he knew he'd find himself looking into the soulless eye sockets of unfinished nomu. But he didn't find himself as worried about them as he'd first been. Because the biggest cause for concern in this room was seated over by an elaborate control panel, watching monitors of different locations flash by.

"I must say, you surprised me with that request. But who was I to say no to your noble desires?"

The doctor turned in his chair. He was concealed within the shadows of his lab, but Tokoyami could still make out the gleam of his strange glasses.

Tokoyami scowled. "You can just do that whenever you want, huh? You think you have that kind of control over me?"

Ujiko regarded him carefully, as though inspecting a unique specimen. The way those glasses fixated on him made him shudder, and he became aware of just how cold it was in this room compared to all the heat from before. Dark Shadow squirmed within his mind, his quirk's nervousness unfurling. At the time that he'd first been here, Dark Shadow still hadn't been responsive. But he'd still heard everything the doctor had said in regards to him.

"You shouldn't concern yourself too much with that. Besides, if I may make some amendments, I do believe we got off on the wrong foot. So I'm using this brief chance to remedy that," he purred.

Tokoyami backed up as far as he could, until he felt his back press up against one of the test tubes. "What do you want?" he growled. "If you do anything to me, Dabi won't work with you anymore. You wouldn't risk that." He didn't actually know if that was true. At the moment, it sure did feel like he was an expendable piece, at least in some capacity. That had been his impression from the very beginning, anyway, and now that he'd only succeeded in growing weaker he couldn't fathom being central to any of Shigaraki's big, aspirational plans. The only silver lining to any of this was when the League actually acted like they kind of cared about what would happen to him. Not that he could take gestures from them too much to heart… even if he did appreciate them.

"Perish the thought," Ujiko chuckled. "I'm just trying to build a little bit of trust! Won't you allow me just that little bit? It could be of benefit to you!"

Tokoyami didn't relax. But he did silently agree to hear him out. Ujiko must've rightfully taken his silence as a good enough response, because he continued.

"Now, I understand your options at the moment are rather limited. Personally, I consider it a good thing that you didn't get stuck with young Tomura's party. They've, ah, been a bit preoccupied lately, you see." The doctor looked behind him to where a monitor showed what looked like a warzone. Tokoyami squinted, curious, and made out the prominent form of that mountainous man, Gigantomachia. A few tiny, fly-like figures were attempting to attack him. How long had this been going on? It looked rather intense. It hadn't occurred to him that maybe someone like Shigaraki had been training even harder than he had. "That being said, I believe it's important for me to establish proper connections with all of Shigaraki's allies."

Fumikage, I don't trust like this. He freaks me out, Dark Shadow said.

I know. But I don't think we can afford to back out of this if it could prove useful.

…You're not gonna let him do anything to me, right?

Tokoyami flinched. No! I wouldn't think of it! I'm not going to let anything happen to you. I'm sorry if I didn't make that clear the last time we were here. I was scared too, you know. But things are different now. I'm trying to stand for us here.

Tokoyami quieted his quirk's worries and took a deep breath to stifle his own. "I'm listening, Doctor. What did you have in mind, if you truly wish to have my compliance?"

"It's nothing really." Much like the last time Tokoyami had been in this lab, a metal arm engaged itself from his complicated chair and extended itself towards them. Tokoyami was admittedly rather taken aback by it, but didn't protest when a small box was offered to him like a peace offering. "I just feel as though it could behoove the two of us to stay in touch."

"…This is the same communication device you gave the others," Tokoyami noted, accepting the small earpiece from the box. "Why not give one to me in the first place? Or did you not want to?"

"My dear boy, appearances are everything! It makes no difference if you don't trust me, but I wasn't about to do anything unnecessary in front of Tomura's little friend group. Especially not after the way they talked about you. I was under the impression that you were just a prisoner to them, but might I deduce that there's a bit more sympathy in this arrangement?"

"You're getting off track!" Tokoyami snapped, side-stepping the inquiry. What did he know, anyway, about the nature of villains? "Just tell me what you expect to see from this exchange, and what I get in turn."

The doctor turned back around to face his many screens. "I want a record of your progress with your quirk. Nothing significant, just a basic understanding of your week by week improvements. Dabi doesn't ever say much, focused as he is instead with the nomu I gave him… But that's destroyed now. I'm a bit annoyed with him, but it's nothing to get worked up over. You, however, can still be a vital well of information. As you saw today, Johnny's impressive transportation quirk is quite useful. If you help me in recording information, then I can provide you some limited access to the outside world, per your discretion. Now isn't that a good deal?"

Tokoyami stared at the back of his chair in amazement. "You'd do that?!"

"…To a certain extent, it's of no concern. I can't exactly let you slip into the public, but I figured you'd been cooped up long enough. I let you accompany Dabi in Hood's testing phase, did I not? So long as your request in within reason and doesn't disclose your status amongst the League, then I will accept the occasional request for freedom," the doctor explained.

Tokoyami looked at the small communicator resting in the palm of his hand, mulling over the possibilities. He closed his hand over it. "…I accept your terms."

"Fantastic! Tokoyami, it has been a pleasure to talk with you again. With that in mind, I ought to get you back to Dabi's residence." His weird little nomu slithered out of the shadows, its bulbous eyes glinting mischievously and black sludge already dripping from its mouth. "I do believe this is goodbye for now. Oh, and don't tell Dabi that you were here. I'll be speaking with him shortly about the state of the nomu testing anyways, so let's not complicate that report further, yes?"

The little nomu used its quirk, and Tokoyami felt himself being transported yet again.

He left behind the scene of the doctor's lab, only to be dropped back into the main room of their place at the hotel. He got the precise coordinates right this time, instead of landing them on the roof of the building, Tokoyami noted.

The room was empty. Dabi was nowhere to be seen and the room looked the same as when he'd left it. Dark Shadow materialized beside him, small and nervous.

"Why are you trusting him?"

Tokoyami looked at the device he's been given again. "Because I think it just opened up more possibilities for me, as much as I hate to admit it."

Tokoyami sat down heavily on the couch, just glad that it was over and done with. He had a lot to think about now that he was back in the hotel.

Back to where he'd been before. But not quite in the same way.