Chapter 137 - Imperfect Masquerade

|Siege Engine Collision - 01:45:47|

The inner workings of the Siege Engine were elaborate to say the least. With dozens of heroes working tirelessly to destroy the floating fortress from within, as well as survive against the countless waves of Fallen that spewed from the woodworks, it made it a challenge to catch a break, not that they had the luxury. Less than two hours left before Tokyo would be reduced to ruins by the dreadnaught, and there was much left to be uncovered, safe from the exterior's defences.

"This way," Yuki ushered the group forward as she pulled apart the console in front of her, triggering the bolts to hiss and make a small gap in the doorway, giving Endeavor and Izuku the chance to pry it open entirely. "Anything?" Her question was directed to Kyoka who unplugged her jack.

"Nothing nearby, we can move," She stated, and the heroes quickly rushed forward to what appeared to be an observation deck with panes of glass overlooking a maintenance work area below, heavy machinery dotting the chamber as flashes of gunfire could be seen. "Fallen below, and I think I hear someone panting?" Kyoka leaned around for a better angle.

"Maybe other heroes who got caught?" Ochaco guessed.

"From what we can see, our only route is through this maintenance hanger," Endeavor said as he craned his fist back, flames building. "So why not break a few things, it'll only replace itself anyway!" With a grunt, he smashed the glass, showering the Splicers below.

"Always with the brute force," Hawks smirked as he took flight, giving the teens a wink and salute. "Seeya ground level,"

Following the Pros, the group floated down thanks to Ochaco while Izuku used Float, carrying Yuki in his arms, Upon landing, they spotted Endeavor and Hawks waiting behind a few supply crates, only they didn't quickly engage as planned. "What's up? Aren't we... helping... them?" Even Kyoka's words died in her throat at what they all came to see.

Down from the elevated space, wire rounds punctured the ground while molten metal burned through the tools and machinery as three throwing picks dug into the heads of two more Vandals, dropping them. In a quick flash of silver, a knife found itself wedged into the Dreg's head, tackling it to the ground to be repeatedly stabbed until it stopped twitching. Blackish-purple fluid stained the person's blazer but they didn't seem to mind, golden-yellow eyes burning into their next victim.

Her casual outfit consisted of a plain seifuku, both the skirt and the shirt dark blue with a double white trim, which is paired with a red scarf tied loosely below. She sports knee-length black socks and dark brown dress shoes with thick heels. There were boxes of knives strapped around her thighs, and a blue utility belt around her waist with more little green boxes attached to it on either side. A loose black mask around her neck, which is decorated with pieces of pale metal in the shape of a carnivorous grin.

Three large silver canisters are attached to the sides of her mask, with needles poking out of their tips and wires on their bases, which connect them to the two larger cylinders strapped to the back of her belt. Although the cylinders had notable damage, as well as burns decorated her right arm due to an explosion that ripped through her sleeve, as well as other cuts and bruises.

"Will ya do me a big favour and bleed a little!?" Toga rasped, diving to avoid another round of molten slag as she rushed the leader of the band of Splicers, cutting down two more Dregs with clean cuts to the throat. She slammed her left blade against a forearm only for the only lower arm to grab her scarf and sling her across the hanger, her back smacking off a large cargo crate as she hitched a cry.

The Fallen Captain had only three arms, two right one left. His collar was surrounded by a silvery mane, the helmet shaped like a crescent disk along the top with two large cylinders above the ice-blue eyes, another cylinder jutting from the left cheek. A cape of the Devils around his shoulders and in a sash between his legs. He growled, warping in front of Toga to slam the ground. She slashed his hip, rolling at the last second as the shockwave tossed her like a ragdoll.

"I've enjoyed this cat and mouse, but you're out of your league," He stated loftily, gesturing to the wounds quickly healing up. "You cannot defeat NARA, little girl."

Toga pushed to her feet, grinning sharply like a mad animal. "Funny, when I hear you say that I can't help but smile, kinda reminds me of Izuku!" She launched herself toward him again, tossing several knives before kicking a canister at the ground, producing smoke before red flames ripped through the cloud, clearing the area but there was no longer any sign of Toga.

"GRah!" The Captain snarled, stomping as a knife wedged itself into his right eye, his thrashing tearing a long gash across his other eye as he slammed his shrapnel launcher into the girl's gut, blood dripping to the ground as she flew backward. "You little runt!"

"Why is he attacking Toga? Aren't they supposed to be allies?" Izuku murmured, keeping himself hidden, but he felt that aching urge to step in and help her. Toga was grinning as blood dripped down her chin, but she wasn't giving up.

"That chick's all sorts of messed up, I mean, she's obsessed with you, Green Sprout," Kyoka paled, watching the Captain and Toga attack each other again, the knives dug through the soft spots between the armour but when the creature was comprised mostly of machinery that healed almost instantly, it was a losing battle.

"She's suffering..." Ochaco whispered, biting the inside of her cheek.

"I'd say we just blast through 'em both," Katsuki got up to move but was yanked by the collar from Yuki, "Oi, what's your problem, Mut-"

He glowered at her only to see her mask's eyes fixated on the battle, he knew that stare even through the mask, she was at a crossroads again, one he wasn't overly keen on sharing but remained put despite his interests. Seeing as she and Ochaco held the same expression he bit his tongue.

"We gotta go through them to pass, right?" Hawks perked up, choking back his own feelings on the matter considering the person Toga cared for most, that man's blood now stained the hero's hands. "Endeavor?" The Flame Hero was silent, observing the girl as she panted on the spot, wiping the blood off her face.

"Talk a big game, you chumps can't even handle a fight without that super healing, so quit whining when I stab you where it hurts!" She protested, reaching for another knife as she saw the Fallen pluck her lost one from his collarbone. Underneath her crocodile grin, Toga was panicking. "Crap, I'm starting to feel fatigued, I need blood but mine's no good..."

The grand stage had been set, like a thick cloud you could cut with a knife hung around, waiting to be severed by the heroes' arrival. Kovik watched diligently, he had only a few more moves to make before the process with Shigaraki would be complete, one such move just waltz into the observation wing. "Toga. You haven't given anyone notice of your visit," He stated as she wandered in with her hands behind her head, smiling casually like an innocent little girl.

"Hah. Oops, my bad. I've been so casual with everyone for too long, forgot all about that reporting-every-detail-of-my-life-to-the-boss thing. Sorry, Leader," She gave a playful salute back. "But you know I can't go all the way up to the top of the command tower, so I have to ask you to stoop to my level for a little bit."

Kovik didn't even turn his head, "Your sarcasm isn't doing us any good, Toga. We need to remain in constant contact at this crucial point, and we should strive not to add any more personal conflicts between us."

"Right, right, crystal clear," She cocked her head, lowering her hands to her waist. "Say, can I ask you something? Just before I jump off back to my post and all?"

"What?"

"Your big ol' goal, after this, what's that? I mean, you promised Tomura and us we'd get to do whatever we want, but how's that work if most of the country's all bloodied and ruined? Not that I mind a little bloodbath and some fire and ruins, but there's stuff I wanna do but if no ones left then how's that any fun?" She pouted, scratching her cheek. "Like, I wanna take Izuku and Yuyu out, oh-oh, and Ochaco and Tsu too, but I can't do that if there's nothing to show them, you know?" Then the blonde giggled, waving her hand dismissively. "Sorry, going off on a rant again,"

Kovik stood up, looking around at the complex and to the window in particular. "To be brief, I will return to my world and rebuild my House, uniting the others with NARA so the Great Machine will pay for abandoning us, after which, I will lead us to reclaim our homeworld, or what's left of it, with NARA, the Whirlwind will not take from us again," He patted his chest lightly. "It has remained in my mind for centuries, so your plight is understandable, to want to perserve what gives your life meaning,"

"But that means Izuku and Yuki have to die?"

"Not if they stay out of our way, which I doubt," He shook his head, turning to Toga. "The fact of the matter is, our fates are too closely tied thanks to SIVA, so long as it remains, so long as One For All remains, this conflict will be inevitable. If you can persuade them, good, but I cannot be held accountable for their deaths,"

"As for my true intensions with the Skytree and Siege Engine, our victory will give those like you across the world the advantage they need to turn their beliefs into action. Those oppressed require hope, and our warriors here have expressed their earnest desire to be that source of hope. Everyone's wishes find harmony here, and the responsibility to see those wishes come to fruition belongs to us, the Paranormal Liberation Front and Devil Splicers," Kovik waved one arm wide, expressing further.

"This will you the freedom you long for. I assure you, beyond doubt. People like you who take action for themselves and their free lives, scattered across various cities, as well as those heroes who wish to chain you. You will drink deeply of the chaos between cities and countries, and it will nourish you. After Japan falls, no country will be safe. Your kind will find more room to thrive, and your people will prosper."

Toga gave a clap, cooing at the speech with her permanent blush increasing slightly with a rush of adrenaline. "Ooh, sounds like fun. Just going off the idea that heroes will suffer for the downfall, I'm totally on board." She raised her thumbs, but silence filled the air before Kovik spoke again.

"Tell me, Toga, what doubts do you still have? What resentment do you hold for me?"

She tapped her chin, then crossed her arms into an 'X'. "None. You've made a great case. Want another standing ovation?"

"No need." He raised his hand slightly.

"You're really good at riling up people with words, I feel all giddy just thinking about it! Well, I'm all out of questions," Then she looked around, tapping her right foot off the ground. "Hey, I'm not asking too many, am I? Sorry to make you waste so much time explaining it all to me."

Kovik shook his head, right hand raising a bit to gesture to her, "If transparency can resolve the misunderstanding between us, I won't be stingy with our time, regardless of what's to come. I will continue to draw up our future plans with Shigaraki before my departure. Hopefully this can slightly increase the trust between us."

"Really? I'm touched." She beamed.

"Of course," Kovik agreed.

Toga never liked this freak. The Kovik the Barons talked so nice about in private is so insanely boring. And this Kovik talking to her right now is just another lying bastard. Oh, not to say there's anything wrong with lying. Toga's lied a lot. Nothing stronger than a well-placed lie, except maybe a knife. The truth is like a cup of water. What good does it do when the whole house is on fire? Dabi would agree.

No, but when Toga lied, she knew her lies were just random thoughts she spat into ears just to save face. But this alien insect, though, he lies like it was all he's ever done, like the words were straight from someone else's throat. Doesn't matter who he's talking to. It's not just tweaking a couple points to cover up his true plans. How he spoke was an entire personality switch, from that fanatic she first met to the tactful mind he was now, just feeding Toga nonsense she wanted to hear, what everyone wanted to hear.

Red Dragon was by far the only one who seemed to see what Toga sees, but he was old, dying, there wasn't much he could do now, the chess board was already in play, all she was doing was flicking a few pieces over behind their backs. Maybe Kovik was like an onion? You keep peeling off layer after layer until you realize there's nothing inside?

"I mean it," He ended, his hand adjusting slightly. That made Toga's lips twitch upright. She knew that trick, she saw what he did to Yuki that day on repeat, to Izuku and his rotten heroes.

Something pulls away the air in front of her, and in a split second it'll melt away her whole body. "Hah! Don't tell me you're ready to kill me after a little bit of teasing!?" A rushing wave of plasma strips away at the ground to Toga's right as she rolled, drawing on her knives and something special she plucked off Drevis a while ago.

All this time, Toga was Kovik's prey, she really should've known but Twice... she couldn't really be mad at him for believing the shit coming out of Kovik's mouth. It's why he's not here anymore. "Kinda obvious, insect. The old Kovik wouldn't have showed his cards to some dirt bag human, you've really slipped up 'cause of Izuku and Yuyu!"

Grabbing a grenade from her coat, Toga flung it between them as it exploded shortly afterwards. Another small device she tossed out moments earlier while she was talking, fell to the ground and blooms into a ball of flame before her. A wave of heat rushed toward her. But it wasn't hers. Kovik's strike landed, but all he saw was the burnt remains of a brown cardigan, and Toga nowhere in sight.

"You're such a hard worker, Kovik. You even went through all that trouble to play twenty questions with me. I knew it, you really would make a great actor," She teased, jabbing the inside of his right knee with a thick blade, twisting until she slashed the front of the knee, rolling back from his stomp. He didn't even buckle, the wound closed up faster than any other Splicer. "Even that didn't get a grunt, really making me rethink my earlier compliment."

"Much like Twice, you need to learn-" He vanished, she was prepared for that, but when he said his name, her body went rigid. "-to know when you're beaten." The air grew hot, and Toga leapt away, flashes of searing hot pain tearing at her back as she flung several knives in that instance, digging their edges through several vital points. Kovik flinched but didn't show much annoyance at the discomfort as she did.

But Kovik paused, flexing his arm where one of the knives were devoured by NARA. "Your little tricks are actually able to neutralize my NARA? I might have underestimated you." Rather, he wondered how she obtained the ability to do so with just her knives. Something was inside of them, a strand of NARA? No... "These blades, SIVA and NARA?"

"Hey, these 'little tricks' took me hours to put together, I'm a dropout. Show some respect, huh?" She mentally thanked Izuku for being the adorable genius he was. Had she not convinced Dabi to let her go and explore where the old Barons strongholds were, she'd have never gotten her hands on these.

"You came prepared. You planned to attack me from the very beginning," He didn't seem angry, he half expected as much since their last talk. "Is this because of what happened to Twice? Or your quirk? Perhaps this runs deeper..."

Toga snickered, sticking her tongue out, "You made the first move, insect. Are you trying to torch me because I'm a pain, or do you wanna shut me up because I've seen through you?" She leered.

Kovik continued to layer the air in explosive clusters, keeping the madwoman at bay as he dug further, "I know you hate these words, Toga. You also hate me for pointing out your purpose, you flaws." Her brow twitched but she grinned regardless.

"Aw, thanks for being so considerate. You think you can rile me up with the right phrasing?" She threw down another two shock grenades, using up most of her stolen supply to keep the clusters from reaching her. "And my 'purpose'? How many people you plan to kill has nothing to do with me. You've been spinning up all these plot twists and storylines and you're gonna prod around for mine, really? How dull can you get?" She deadpanned, ignoring the pain from her burns.

"Toga... You want to prevent me from using the Siege Engine on the Tokyo Skytree," Her brow quirked so he continued. "If you simply wanted revenge for Twice's death and Compress' capture, you could've chosen another moment. If you wanted to kill me, Toga, you could have waited until both myself and the heroes were incapacitated. That would have been the wise move, but I'm asking too much of you,"

Another flash of light, and Toga avoided her head being crushed by his foot. "Despite your insufferable attitude, I'm fond of you, Toga. You're good comic relief. And I have no desire to execute a harmless jester, however... a silly little girl having regrets who will use any methods available to kill me has no right to judge good and evil, let alone claim to understand my motives," He tried to crush her again, but the girl was nimble despite her injuries. "You may have been driven mad by your insatiable hunger for blood, but that time's passed, hasn't it? Now, you can't stop because you have nothing left to return to, not your old life, not a new one. Your place in hell has been sealed the moment you walked this path,"

Now, Toga was starting to get mad, her fangs born at the Splicer. "Would you shut up already-"

He held up one finger, "You wish to stop the Siege Engine, to stop the destruction of Japan to convince yourself you are redeemable. Those are your intentions," Kovik tisked, watching the little brat tremble before him, her anger clear as day. "Toga, Toga... You're all too easy to read. I didn't even need to make any plans to investigate you. You came here wearing your heart on your sleeves like a lost puppy," He raised his hand again. "How Twice must feel knowing you too betrayed him, all of them, but I cannot hold it against you. This world buried you in the mud, just like me."

Another blast of plasma tore through Toga's right arm, shredding her sleeve with burns as she screamed, tumbling straight into a steel leg that slammed her into the observation glass, sending cracks across the surface as she coughed up blood from the force, bleeding through her nose too. "I think we're done discussing morals, don't you think?" He asked, plucking her up by the hair as she winced, jabbing another knife through his palm that caught it before it could touch his Core. "Oh? Still some fight?"

"*Cough-Cough*... like I'd be killed easily... by some... insect..." She wheezed, pressed against the cold glass. She gave him her winning smile, hacking up spit in the process. "Don't get too cocky... *cough-cough*... little insect. Say, are you... even the same person? Right now, even I... don't really wanna know."

"What I am now to you is no longer your concern," He dropped her, gathering heat and nanites between his claws until the sheer density masked his hand as a black silhouette. "Goodbye, Toga, join them in a hell beyond."

Was she going to die? She guessed so. But what's so bad about death? There are many things worse than dying. So, when you feel like you're done for... As long as you've prepared for the stuff worse than death, you'll even manage to surprise yourself. Toga wiggled on the ground like a worm, pulling herself onto all fours. "Now... I think, it's about time I also blow this joint..." A ring clattered to the floor.

*BOOM!*

The grenade detonated between them, shattering the windows as Toga's body fell into the open air, whisking her away from Kovik's grasp. He stood there, his armour smoothing out the damage. "Hm, so she had one left concealed under her skirt? It seems you're far more resourceful than I thought, very well, Avarokk."

From the dark rafters above, a large Captain landed to kneel, bowing in a traditional Eliksni stance. "Yes, my Kell?"

"Hunt her down, corpse or not, make sure of it," Kovik stated, turning around to return to business.

"Right away," He bowed, and disappeared beneath his cloak.

It was frustrating how much Kovik prodded into her head, to a degree she couldn't begin to fathom. Well, not like it matters now, she was seconds away from death now because of her choice. Spitting out a glob of blood and spit, she took the last knife tinged with the program Izuku had used to mess with NARA, inverting it in her right while she juggled a shock grenade in her left. Explosives aren't her style, but against something that could regenerate from being cut in half she'd make the exception.

Avarokk sneered at her constant endurance, "You know, there's no reason to fear the inevitable,"

Toga huffed, grinning madly, "Gee, thanks for the concern but if this is it, I'm going out my way!" She reached for the last supply of blood she had, Twice's. "How's about we go out with a bang!? One last Sad Man's Parade!?" She dared, her threat forcing the Captain to warp inches from her face, pointing his launcher at her face. In one trigger pull, her face would be molten slag. "Not even giving me a chance to sacrifice myself? You really are a buzz kill!"

A roar of flames burned into the ground beside Toga, her arms snaking around to jam the grenade between the handle of the weapon and Avarokk's fist. In seconds, the grenade detonated in a field of static, shredding his arm and leaving him recoiling from the blast. She stumbled back, reaching for a new knife when pain erupted from her side, his body twisted at an angle not humanly possible, and slammed the full weight of his leg into her side, effectively tossing her off the Siege Engine through the large gaps in the hanger bay.

She was going to fall to her death.

It was fitting, a little ironic when you considered what she's done to end up this way.

She didn't give Avarokk the satisfaction of her screams, she just closed her eyes, accepting her well-deserved death.

"SMaaSh!" Two fists collided with Avarokk the moment he turned his head to focus on Toga's body, the force of the shockwave flinging his body through the far left wall with a crash. "Uravity, Froppy!" Izuku called out as Yuki ran ahead to bring her arm back, burning azure light between her fingers as she watched Avarokk crawl from his hole.

"Devil's Ruin!" She hollered, and before he could evade, he once more became buried under scrap and deadly heat, leaving the area a burning wreck.

"Release," Ochaco tapped her fingers as Katsuki propelled himself over the objects, lining up his fist against his palm. AP Machine Gun battered the machinery into a smouldering comet, colliding with Avarokk's location as it exploded.

Izuku ran past them and dove straight into the open air, he spotted Toga immediately, threshing his left arm forward as a blackwhip caught her ankle, surprising the girl enough to open her eyes and stare bug-eyed at the teen as Tsu's tongue wrapped around his waist, pulling him back while he adjusted his trajectory with Float and another two blackwhips to pull himself backward and through the gap again, Toga tumbling next to him.

"Huh... Izu... Yu... why...?" Toga couldn't believe it, she came to terms with her death from the get-go, hell, she nearly bit the bullet then and there, and... they saved her, why? Well, the answer was obvious, but recently, Toga wasn't sure what was right and wrong anymore, as Kovik said, she didn't have the right to judge the two in her state. What bullshit, when it was obviously standing in front of her.

"You okay?" Yuki asked, kneeling beside Toga to inspect her wounds. "Multiple burns, cuts, bruising, Great Machine, what did you do, fight a moving blender called Trevor?"

"...sure seems that way," Toga murmured, wincing from her flaring wounds from before. She snorted, frowning at her predicament. "That asshole saw through me... here I thought I had him..."

"Who... you mean Kovik!?" Izuku stared at the blonde with bewildered eyes, even the others looked completely stumped. He then shook his head, handing Yuki a roll of bandages from one of his packs. "We'll worry about that later, just so long as you won't attack us..."

"I'm all spent, Izuku, nothing I can do now," Toga smiled a little more honestly, withholding her urges, or rather, they were all numb given her condition, eyeing Ochaco. "Ocha?"

The brunette hadn't taken her eyes off the deranged girl who looked around, completely docile despite the blood everywhere from her fight. She had an idea on what to say, if only a portion of it. "...I guess you were right, about being the same, I... did exactly what you used to do, hiding my feelings to save face, that is."

"Uravity?" Tsu blinked but Ochaco smiled at her concerned friends, then stared back at Toga awaiting the rest of the answer as Yuki used the bandages in tandem with SIVA to patch up the burns across Toga's right arm.

"That must've come off as offensive to you, I'm sorry, but I'm not hiding how I feel about things anymore, I'll be honest and say I am sorry for what you've been through, and I wish things could've been different, even if I know that won't happen given what you've done," She concluded, and Toga looked... content, she rolled her eyes over to Endeavor and... Hawks, then back to the four of them.

"Your quirk was supressed, and as a result you snapped and couldn't stop, heroes or the police should've done something, instead... here we are," Yuki grimaced, knowing well how that felt, being left to suffer day after day to no end. "But thank you for saving me back then,"

"'Me', and 'save', don't think that belongs in the same sentence," Toga winced but Yuki shook her head, eyes curved upright.

"You kept my spirit alive a little longer where I couldn't, I appreciate that," And she meant it with all of her heart.

"The sins you've committed can't be erased, and it's clear people will resent you, but..." Izuku smiled slightly, helping to tie the bandages tightly. "We'll know that there's still goodness in you, choosing to walk away from Kovik's plans clearly wasn't easy,"

Toga was at a loss for words that she was certain this was just that thought before death thing she's heard of. They had every right to hate her, she was obsessed with the four of them, two more than others, but she didn't feel that sense of 'love' like before, it had changed, it festered into a new form of love she wasn't used to, rather, she never felt since she was born. It was different from when she joined the league, something similar to her kinship with Twice, different then her long-winded conversations with Red Dragon. It made her feel... normal, a real normal.

Kovik made it all sound like she had committed to the wrong choice. No, she just didn't realize how obvious it was.

"Jin... he..." Toga sounded lost, almost empty as she spoke of her side of the tale that happened that day, Hawks immediately listened, taking his eyes away from the wreckage the Captain was buried under.

The remains of the Villa Hideout were crumbling at a faster rate thanks to Dabi's flames, or, that's what Toga thought at first, but the flames were dark red this time, so that meant someone else was tearing the foundations apart. She and Compress were saved by Twice's timely arrival but he stood there, shaking as the clumps of clay slipped down his body, he was struggling to maintain his form.

"Sorry... you two... it's my fault again," He apologized for being such an idiot, twice in one day he was fooled, twice he let them down. Huh, funny, given his name. "Hawks... pulled one over on me... I was... duped again, sorry," He closed his fist as best he could, "And that... Thing... he doesn't care... lying sack of shit..."

Then her perked up, ignoring the look of confusion and worry on Toga's face when he noticed the dirt clinging to her. "Ah, Toga, oh no! That cute face of yours got hurt again?" He stumbled toward her, pulling out the pink cloth she once wrapped around his face to clean her cheeks. "Lemme give you back... you hankie."

"Twice!?" Compress gasped, but what could he do? This... wasn't the real Twice's body.

Toga pressed her hand to his, but it felt like soft putty now, he was starting to break apart, her heart had nearly forgotten to beat, watching him dissolve before her very eyes. "Can't... make... more of me. He... can't be... trusted... sorry, for... everything... I mean it." His hand dissolved from her own.

"Jin," She found her voice again, he was about to disappear. She had to do something before that happened! She reached out, wrapping her arms around his body tightly. "Thank you for saving me!"

Right there and then, Toga lost one of her closest friends to a hero... and to a monster.

She recounted her side with a bitter tongue, glowering over to Hawks. "I hate heroes, the ones that act like they have any right when people like us were treated worse than dirt, we're just the lowest scum of the earth in their eyes," She burrowed her hatred into the Number Two Hero's forlorn eyes. He had no right looking that way, but Toga didn't care, there was someone worse in her mind. "But that insect, he took all our dreams and twisted them, I don't think the others know either, Dabi's too fire-crazed with Infernal now, and Mr. Doryu is... well, I dunno what he's thinking, Spinner's in the same boat, I couldn't convince him without making things obvious, tch, I really fucked up this time,"

Whatever he is | Kovik is dead and gone | If he was so eager to slay his own comrades

"Twice... Jin, he didn't deserve that," Izuku whispered, feeling it was another life he could've understood, perhaps even change, but it was out of his hands this time, many miles from his own battle.

Toga smiled sadly, "He kept saying he was a failure, but he's not, he was really helpful and funny, he just trusted too easily but he was one of us, people just... brushed him aside too," She rubbed her left cheek again, wiping the dried blood off her face. "Tomura, I think he was messed up alot because of Kovik, what I say won't change things now," She sat up, hissing at her injuries as she reached for a new pair of knives, of course, the two Heroes flinched to act before she could try anything but instead, Toga turned on her knees just as Kyoka pulled her jacks from the ground.

"He's getting up!" She called as a red flash appeared behind her. "Crap!" Her eyes dilated.

"Kyo-"

In a flash of silver, Toga's blades dug into Avarokk's chest, using this forward momentum, she dove back, kicking his jaw as the Captain stumbled away. Kyoka retaliated in kind, launching Sonic Leap from her palm, the bolt of vibrations slamming into the Fallen's forearm, bending it sharply. "Thank you for monologing, Toga, and to think, I ran into the very people my Kell hated most,"

The heroes all took their stand against Avarokk who tapped his foot twice, summoning a new wave of Devil Splicers from the doorways dotting the hanger. He had ample time to summon reinforcements thanks to Toga, now, he had them surrounded. But the blonde just took a few steps back, and, in swinging her arm wide, she left a thin gash across Izuku's cheek.

"Deku!?" Several called out as Toga smiled in her sinister way, licking her tongue down the length of her knife as part of her face and her left arm bubbled and warped, becoming much like Izuku's. He watched her in shock at what she intended to do, his face twisted into panic but he couldn't stop her as she shoved him back into Yuki's arms.

"Hehehehehahahaha!" She cackled madly, bending her index and middle fingers against her thumb, feeling pressure and heat building tremendously. "What's the name again, Izuku!? Oh, right! Delaware Smash!" Like a frenzied beast, Toga held nothing back, flicking her fingers directly at Avarokk.

A great suction of wind pressure ripped a massive trench through the ground, pulling lighter objects into the whirlwind that burrowed and collapsed the wall ahead, thousands of nanites left scattered and buried. Off to the far right of the blast radius, Avarokk growled in rage, huffing as his whole right side was torn and twisted by the force, NARA quickly repairing the damage as he reeled back in a blood curdling roar.

Toga recoiled herself, gasping as Izuku's partial form dripped off her skin, leaving her with two broken fingers, bloodied and purple from the shockwave. "Shit, that really hurts!" She held her toothy grin, drawing her knife despite the pain shooting up from her hand. "What was that about hating Yuki and Izuku? Sorry, but, they're off limits, they're mine and mine alone," She dared the Captain to approach, her eyes bleeding resentment so potent that Avarokk's servos locked up in fear. "If you touch them in any way, I'll make you pay..."

"What? You think you can still redeem yourself!?" Avarokk taunted, pointing a finger at her mockingly. "Spin it however you want, little girl, you're a murderer just like us, you will never be free, even if you survive, you'll be locked up for the rest of your pathetic life,"

The shadows over her eyes only lasted a few seconds as she drew on a second knife, "...so what?" She lowered herself into a hunch. "I want to protect the things I love, one of those things was taken from me, and the rest saved me when I have no reason to live, so if that means bringing this crappy spaceship down on top of our great leader, then I'd happily throw my life away,"

"Toga..." Yuki reached out but the blonde craned her head back with a sweet smile, blushing all the same.

"The thing Kovik used to do all this is in the far back of this place, but Mr. Doryu's gonna be waiting," She turned back, ready for round two. "Go on already, I can take this guy."

"Kill her," Avarokk snapped his fingers.

"We gotta move, the wall's closing up!" Kyoka pointed out, NARA seeping around the hole, mending cracks and welding burns shut. Hawks took the lead, clearing the way of Splicers with well places slashes with his katana in replacement for his feathers.

"Yo, Endeavor, you heard the lady, let's move it!" Hawks wanted to say more to Toga, about Twice, about everything but this was neither the time nor the place. Implying she didn't die in here. But the smug hero gave a surprised look when he saw two people stand with Toga. Ochaco levitated some of the debris for Tsu to swat with her tongue, pelting the Fallen with a wide arc of shrapnel, Toga's expression warped in confusion at their aid.

"You guys keep goiing, you have your own mission!" Ochaco declared.

"What the hell's that mean!?" Katsuki spun on his heel to grab her but Ochaco shook her head.

"Go, Katsuki, we can handle one villain, just you wait!" Her confidence made his blood boil, it was stupid, but that damn look in her eyes was asking him to trust her. He swallowed, and muttered under his breath.

"You better be safe... Move it, Deku!" He shoved Izuku's shoulder in passing.

"But, Urav-" Izuku tried but Tsu looked back at him.

"Leave the distraction to us, we can help Toga with this guy, ribbit," They couldn't afford to slow, not with precious time going to waste.

"Okay..." Izuku turned around. "Good Luck!" He yelled, vaulting toward the closing exit to the hanger while Endeavor shot through the air alongside Yuki with a disapproving scowl.

"I don't agree with this plan, you place too much trust in her," He berated as they landed on the opposite side of the wall, the large holes closing up behind them.

"Good, because I don't care," Yuki brushed off, looking back at the sealed wall, tapping her mask twice for them. "Hansuke was mistreated and no one was there to save him, both he and Toga had their powers supressed and it led to them falling so far... even I was like them at one point, I just got lucky when All Might saved me," Shaking her head clear of those thoughts, she held her thumb up to the flame hero. "Have faith, Toga's got their backs."

"It's not her I have faith in," He sighed, looking ahead down the smaller hallway running parallel with where they just were. "Let's set that aside for now, move, we have ground to cover again."

"Good news then," Hawks perked up, holding out his wrist to bring up a holographic display of the map. "Looks like a bunch of routes line up on our level, we've got a pretty straight path to the midsection."

"Yeah, well, we've got a bunch of movement up ahead before that," Kyoka noted, plugging her jacks into her wrist gauntlets. "Ready?"

"Tch, like that wasn't obvious!" Katsuki blasted his way forward, immediately flanking the left hall with a roar of explosions, ripping apart the invisible Vandals before they knew what hit them. He landed, cracking his neck.

"Always has to show us up..." Yuki rolled her eyes but followed his lead. "Let's move it,"

"Right behind you," Izuku agreed, body sparking to life. "Thank you, Uraraka, Tsu, Toga..."

On the other side of the wall, the three girls stood with their backs together, the Splicers closing in with their shock weapons, Avarokk standing by, chuckling darkly at their pitiful resistance.

"...Good Luck."

To Be Continued...

This was a real hard one to put into words, I needed to ground Toga's 'betrayal' in her personality, Kovik made it easy since he basically hates everyone aside from Infernal, Drevis, and Doryu since they're the ones that openly are loyal to him whereas even Shigaraki holds some skepticism but doesn't particular care because their motives benefit each other. Toga's life sucks, I honestly wish I had a better grasp of her story early on, might have made her a redeemed character even earlier, I think this alot for many plot points as I've written Perfected.

I may be an experienced writer but I'm still very clueless to obvious tropes I can take advantage of, such as redeeming Toga or more interactions with the League with Yuki, stuff like that but it took my alot to just rewrite one of my stories in the past, so the idea of doing so again makes me want to scream. Still, hope Toga's sway of heart was worthwhile, plus, she'll still suffer the consequences for murder and what not but that's later stuff.

I hope you enjoyed, I appreciate the support as always; seeya in the next chapter, Heroes!

Next Chapter Intermission: Kindred Perfection

Across the scorched earth, two brothers cross paths to settle the score years in the making...