Author's Note: I understand this chapter comes after having not updated for a while. I can't promise that updates will be consistent after this, but rest assured the story is still on-going and I thank you all for your continued patience. I have other projects going on, and with recent manga events I've been trying to plan for the fast approaching ending as best I can, but it's hard to upload with as much frequency as I used to. Regardless, please enjoy. My chapters are longer than ever before, so I hope that makes up for it!

Sir Nighteye, to his credit, had tried on numerous occasions in the days to follow to properly contact Tokoyami about the events that had unfolded. Tokoyami, meanwhile, wasn't entirely uncooperative – the fact that he'd held onto yet another questionable communication device was proof of that. Nevertheless, he was still adamant about not becoming too heavily invested in the business of heroes. It hadn't done him any service in the past, and that was unlikely to change now. It was only out of respect for Sir that Tokoyami ever responded at all. And considering the trouble the mentor-figure had been having with Midoriya recently, that was more than he could ever hope for from the self-made vigilante. What cruel twist of fate had made Tokoyami better at communication than the people actually working under the heroes? Bitterly, he realized that it made sense – he'd grown so used to working on a team and practicing with others. The fact that he could stand here at all was by no means a self-made accomplishment, and so his ability to cooperative despite the lingering feelings of remorse and betrayal instilled in him had continued to persist.

Even still… he wasn't contracted to follow the orders put out by anyone else. If anything, he hoped to act in direct defiance of such things if they conflicted with his own goals in any way. Such as it was, Sir Nighteye had left him with very explicit instructions following the resolved conflict with Lady Nagant: no matter what, he was not to approach the League of Villain's newest hideout.

The defeated hero-turned-villainess had told Tokoyami the League's whereabouts before passing out. To her knowledge, they could be found in an abandoned mansion in Haibori Woods. With that tidbit of information, Sir Night had worked swiftly with the pros to organize a specialized party and make contact. If they were successful, they could put an end to the rising threat before they had time to properly recover in the aftermath of the war.

Tokoyami had no doubt that Miss Tsutsumi had spoken her truth. But with such a long history of deception dogging his heels, he couldn't dismiss the budding suspicion that had rooted firmly in his heart. A place like that had sounded… familiar, and a quick search on his phone had revealed why. It'd been the previous base of the CRC group. Articles dated to about half a year ago revealed that the hateful group had been obliterated in their own building in what had been deemed a vicious squabble amongst villain groups.

Tokoyami knew better. The League had raided the CRC for supplies and valuables. But more importantly, Spinner had been able to deal a blow to the clan responsible for countless atrocities against heteromorphs. He'd spoken with Spinner about the group in the past, when they had time to spar with swords or play video games. The act itself had been admittedly gruesome, making Spinner grateful that Tokoyami hadn't been with the League that day. But their unclaimed victory in that mansion had meant a lot to the self-proclaimed vigilante.

Was that blood-soaked mansion really supposed to be their new hideout? Knowing Spinner's feelings about the location, he found it difficult to believe. Even if he thought that the rest of the League could discount each other's emotions if it meant having a reliable roof over their head… he couldn't buy it. After all, they'd stayed in that abandoned cabin in the woods for months, and never once suggested claiming the CRC's territory for their own.

In that case, would only All for One be there? But that also wasn't right – Tokoyami couldn't see him separating from his strongest remaining allies. Shigaraki would never stand for that.

It was only fitting that he took matters into his own hands. Heroes be damned, if there was a way to reach out to the villains, then he needed to do it before the heroes acted.

With how quickly the hero side could mobilize, he'd acted fast. Having given himself a single night of fitful sleep, he'd flown out the very next night to Haibori Woods. He'd left any communicators that'd been given to him by a hero, but had taken the one given to him by Dr. Ujiko long ago. Just in case.

On the edge of a dense forest that crowded the ruins of a forgotten mansion, Tokoyami had stopped. Crouched in the branches of a large tree, he'd peered through dark windows and waited through the night. He'd been able to smell stagnant blood on the wind and listen to the groan of old wood, but beyond that, nothing had stirred. Even when he'd whispered into the communication device, as he was already subject to do, there had been nothing. Not that that'd been a surprise, but he'd still felt the absence personally.

There had been nothing about the gloomy mansion that had made him feel like the League might be inside. Even if they'd been hiding in the furthest reaches of the building… he'd felt nothing. Ultimately, he hadn't even bothered to step foot inside.

He'd have to keep searching elsewhere.

Later on, Tokoyami had reported that the Haibori Woods mansion was a trap. Sir could only chew him out for his recklessness for so long before he'd had to act fast and change the plans. His warning had come right as the hero team had been about to infiltrate the mansion.

There'd been an automated message from All for One and a destructive detonation waiting for them. Luckily, nobody had been horribly injured. But it'd been a close call.

After that incident, he'd turned off Nighteye's communicator and stowed it away. He decided he would turn it on if he ever needed anything from the hero, and not the other way around. He wasn't Midoriya. He'd cooperated with them for the sake of neutralizing Miss Nagant, a realization that still weighed heavily on his aching shoulders… though putting Chisaki back into a high security jail cell had given him a filthy sense of satisfaction.

From there, Tokoyami could only return to his weird new normal. He kept to the territory that had been essentially claimed under him, where minor crimes happened as a consequence of the lifestyles led by the civilians. But no major villains or destructive groups encroached on the slum-like part of the city, and heroes and police forces had already abandoned the place long ago. He never had to venture far, so long as he used his medical supplies sparingly, and he rarely approached grocery stores if he could help it. It was less trouble that way for everyone involved, even if his ramen supply was getting noticeably low.

He hadn't bothered keeping track of the days. It was a constant cycle of resting whenever he could, interspersed with semi-frequent night patrols and bouts of training new skills with his quirk. Most nights, he went unrecognized. But already he had a reputation for himself, and he was starting to have more visits from villains that were intentionally seeking him out as part of their efforts to reform the newest faction in the PLF army. He'd been able to turn such pursuers away for now, but he was keenly aware that he wouldn't be able to stay in this area much longer if his location became jeopardized. And as strange as it was, the idea of having to leave the filthy, unkempt hole-in-the-wall place was saddening. He didn't want to let go of this connection, even if it originated from a most unfortunate situation.

He tried to be extra careful on his return trips, never using the same route and remaining vigilant all the while. Despite this, it wasn't enough to throw off everyone who wished to track him down for one reason or another. So when the night came upon him that he'd finally run his luck, he glumly realized that it'd only been a matter of time.

We're being followed, Dark Shadow informed him.

…I know. I just can't tell who it is. Can you see whether it's hero or villain? There was no clear division as friend or foe anymore. If anything, he was just as likely to receive trouble from one affiliation as he would another, not to mention the mixed bag that was the general population. But if he knew if the person trailing him was hero or villain, then he could at least guess what kind of interactions might take place.

Dark Shadow swiveled his head beneath his cloak, concentrating hard. Tokoyami, meanwhile, landed on the roof of the rundown hotel that he'd made his base. Regardless of what happened, it seemed too late to pretend that he wasn't associate with this place. Outsiders had already been trying to triangulate this location from when Dabi had resided here – why would it be any different now?

I don't think this is someone we need to worry about, the shadowy entity decided. Their movements don't seem threatening… but it's also not calculated enough to be someone as experienced as a pro, I'm thinking.

Tokoyami considered that. Pro or not, they'd managed to trail him a not insignificant distance in the middle of the night. For that, he had to commend their efforts. Very well. Let's see who it is.

They waited on the roof for a few moments, looking out over the light-polluted sky before resolutely making their way over to the door. Dimly, he recalled the nights he'd spend on this roof with Dabi whenever he was in need of air, and the tradition that had continued when they'd inevitably made their move to the PLF villa. Then he slowly closed the door behind him, leaving it unlocked as he descended the flights of cement stairs that would take him to his floor.

Only he didn't go straight back to his room. No, this was as close as he was willing to let somebody go. He slipped into a hallway just one floor shy of his own and steadied his breathing, practically melting into the shadows cast by the dim, flickering lights that illuminated the stairwell. And he waited that little bit longer.

His patience was rewarded when the sound of a door slowly creaking open heralded the arrival of his follower. Tokoyami stayed put, hidden out of sight, and listened to the painfully slow steps of somebody walking with both obvious caution and an incomplete understanding of stealth. To their credit, this was unknown terrain. Even still… there was no way this pursuer could actually believe that they could get the jump on him. If anything, it was about to be the other way around.

Tokoyami and Dark Shadow were an entirely undiscernible presence, all the way up until the shadow of a young man passed the opening of the hallway they were hidden in.

In one fell swoop, Tokoyami raised his clawed gauntlets – three on one hand, two on the other – and stepped right behind his target like a deathly shadow, intending to catch them off guard and restrain them for questioning.

Wait, wait!

Tokoyami stumbled right as his claws had been nearing his unassuming target's throat, and a gasp for breath broke the illusion of trained stealth that had gotten him this far. The pursuer whipped around, heterochromatic eyes stretching wide in shock.

"Todoroki!" Tokoyami snapped, backpeddling until his back was to the flimsy metal railing. With an obvious flick of his wrists, he sheathed his claws back into place. "Why are you following me? I almost did something regrettable there!"

Todoroki teetered on the edge of the landing before stabilizing himself with one hand to the wall and another to his forehead. "I—what?! What does that even mean? You'd never hurt me, I already know that." But his eyes were still wide, as if he was still reeling from the close call.

Tokoyami sighed and pinched the bridge of his beak. "True as that may be, I didn't know it was you at first. You've no idea how many kinds of people tail after me night and day, do you? I've never let anyone get this close to my base. But if it's you, then…" Then I think it's okay to let this happen.

Todoroki looked around them, having regained his breath and quickly dismissed the looming threat that Tokoyami had posed to him mere moments ago. Granted, Tokoyami had no intention of killing anyone on his doorstep, but things tended to get unequivocally messy when people in his grasp began to struggle.

Todoroki, to his credit, was unbothered by the close call. "So this is your base."

Tokoyami frowned, his eyes narrowing to suspicious slits. "You mean you weren't certain? And you followed me inside anyway, not knowing what you'd find?"

Todoroki straightened his posture and met his gaze. "I'm here of my own merit, if that's what you're wondering. Nobody sent me here… and nobody else knows where I am." Despite the declaration, his old classmate must've been able to discern the distrust that Tokoyami stubbornly clung to. "I promise! There's nothing on me! I just… really needed to talk with someone who might be able to help us. All I had to do was ask around, and that made finding the areas you frequent easy to track down."

Tokoyami silently cursed his insolence. If it was really that easy, then this building was already a liability. But that issue would have to be temporarily set aside. For now, there were other problems to consider. "You said "we." Is it safe to assume that this involves the whole class?" he inquired, before lowering his voice to a growl. "Or is this a problem amongst the heroes?"

"It's about our class!" Todoroki hastily assured, a pained expression flashing across his face. His hand went to his throat as the exclamation turned to a wheeze, and Tokoyami felt his suspicions melt into sympathy. So he still hadn't fully recovered, either. "…And that means it involves you, too, Tokoyami."

Doesn't everything?

It's up to you if you wanna sit this one out, Fumikage, Dark Shadow gently told him. But the least we can do is hear what he has to say.

The least we can do is nothing at all. But… you're right. I could never settle for that option. "Very well, Todoroki. Even though I am no longer of Class 1A, I will be a willing audience in all this." He swept past the hero, noting the relief on his face, and continued down the stairwell.

It felt odd being shadowed by someone who wasn't his quirk in this place. He kept looking over his shoulder despite himself, and each time Todoroki would be looking back with ever-increasing uncertainty.

"What made you choose this hotel? Was this a good location to operate from?" Todoroki asked neutrally enough.

Tokoyami cringed at the reasonable speculation. "Er, not exactly… though I suppose it kept me hidden for a while." Until you followed me. Anyone else in this area would know better than do something so reckless.

Todoroki looked around at the water-stained walls and mildew-ridden carpet that emerged underfoot as Tokoyami guided him down a hallway. "Do other people live here?"

"Perhaps," Tokoyami admitted. "But they already knew to stay away from this floor before I moved in." He navigated the odd twists and turns based on muscle memory alone. Behind him, Todoroki summoned a small orange flame into his left hand.

Watching his shadow suddenly appear on the wall in the light of the fire made him stop. He could feel the warmth on his back and the slightly acrid scent, though it wasn't accompanied by the familiar reek of burnt flesh. Tokoyami turned his neck sharply, fixing the fire user with eyes blown wide in recognition.

"Sorry!" Todoroki yelped in an admission of guilt before quickly snuffing the flame. In the newly heralded darkness, he couldn't see Tokoyami's crestfallen expression. "I couldn't see and I… I should've known better than to use fire around you."

Tokoyami's shoulders sagged wearily. "No. No, it's alright. My memories of training with fire… they aren't bad, if that's what you think. Grueling, at times, but I don't hate it. If anything, I was able to learn a lot from them. I know what a gentle fire is. I could never fear them. I was just… surprised to see it in this place again."

Even through the darkness, Tokoyami could feel Todoroki's eyes boring into the back of his head. Despite his reassurance, Todoroki didn't try to light a fire again, and he asked no further questions until they inevitably reached the door to his room.

Tokoyami deftly unlocked it and stepped through. The flickering light of the parking lot streetlamp filtered in through the wooden boards nailed across the broken window, casting the otherwise dark space into an eerie atmosphere. Tokoyami pocketed his key and switched on the lamp that Dabi had gotten him so that he never had to be left in darkness. Making himself at home, he unclasped his cloak and flung it over the couch beside his blankets before doing the same with his tattered scarf.

"Don't be shy, now – this is as good as it gets, so if you plan to be here long then you may as well get comfortable," Tokoyami advised. Though he said that, he couldn't imagine someone of Todoroki's background lingering in a room like this once he'd said his part, even if it meant a long trip home through the dark. He was well aware that his conditions were less than ideal, and if he could help it then he'd rather not change it… though if people continued to track him down, he'd have no choice.

"This place reeks of smoke," Todoroki noted from the open doorway, wrinkling his nose. "Won't that make it harder for your lungs to recover?"

Tokoyami offered a one-shoulder shrug. "I've grown accustomed to it. If anything, it's what I'm most used to now. Does it matter?"

Todoroki shuffled nervously, perhaps realizing a bit too late that this room was in some way forsaken to him. "My dad… that is to say, one of Endeavor's biggest lessons is to remind me of the dangers smoke inhalation can have on normal civilians. That's a big risk factor when fire-intensive fights are going on. I should be okay, because by the end I got off… easier than I could've hoped. But if this is something you've been exposed to a lot, then you should be careful of permanent breathing problems."

Even though they'd been in that fight with Dabi together and had dealt with the same flames, Tokoyami didn't miss the abject concern directed at him. It left an unpleasant taste in his mouth. "I'm fine, aren't I?" Tokoyami gritted out. "I got out of that easy, too." Otherwise, I wouldn't still be here.

Tokoyami disappeared into the bathroom. Although he tried not to let it show, Todoroki's warning had needled its way beneath his flesh. After Nagant had warned him about the burns on his throat, he'd gotten better about renewing the bandages on them – even if it meant burning through his resources faster. His shoulder, at least, would be fine for the rest of the night. But the slowly healing burns on his throat itched something fierce.

Tokoyami closed the door to the smallest of cracks and set about swapping his dirty bandages while Todoroki mulled over whether or not he wanted to enter the gross hotel room he called home.

In the end, he heard Todoroki close the door to the room and walk around the small space. There wasn't much to see. Not much to do, either, except wait around and ask questions.

"Are you… comfortable here?"

"Not particularly, no," Tokoyami answered honestly.

"Do you miss UA?"

"Sometimes. There's many things I miss, but I've gotten used to being without."

"Are you happy here?"

Tokoyami hurriedly taped the bandage into place, wincing at the movement, and swung the bathroom door open with a growl forming in the back of his throat. "You can't honestly expect me to believe that you came out all this way to—hey, put that down!"

Todoroki had settled down on the grimy couch that served as his bed. On the nearby end table, he'd picked up the partially melted handheld gaming system that Tokoyami always kept close. "…And why do you have big bro Natsu's DS? This went missing forever ago." His mismatched eyes flicked up from the glowing screen to Tokoyami, more calculated than anything he'd been shown by the youngest Todoroki sibling thus far.

Okay. Tokoyami didn't have a good answer for that one. "I, uh, Dabi, he… I didn't have very much here. But… but that was in his belongings, and he let me have it. Sorry, I… I didn't know…"

Todoroki closed the system and delicately set it aside. His gaze roamed the soot-covered walls and blackened carpet, noting everything the small room did and didn't have. "So this is where Toya lived. And this is where you were being held, at least for a while. Those locks on the door… this was your shitty jail cell. And you came back to it? Why?"

Tokoyami slowly crossed the room, making his way to the single closed door with intentional steps. "It was… the only place I could think to go. And I believe it was the right choice, because Dabi had been expecting me to return."

Todoroki went rigid, moving to the edge of the seat as if he could jump into action at the drop of a pin. "Toya came back here?! That's crucial information!"

"He wasn't here very long," Tokoyami grumbled. "He just needed to leave me a few things, that's all."

Todoroki deflated at the easy explanation, attention drifting down to the filthy floor. "He really cared about you, didn't he? I didn't… think someone seemingly so detached could still form connections like that."

He doesn't think Dabi will hold back against anyone else, Dark Shadow observed.

He won't hold back if it means hurting Endeavor in the worst way possible, but…

Tokoyami easily pushed open the adjacent door, watching it swing open into darkness. The pervading stench of burnt flesh was much more localized in this space.

Todoroki was on his feet in an instant, meeting him with deliberate steps and wide, intensely curious eyes.

"I had a lot of time to figure out who your brother was. I'm sorry the same cannot be said for you," Tokoyami said, walking inside the room and flicking on the light. Nothing about this putrid area had been altered since the first time he'd ever snuck in, telling him that there were few secrets left to uncover. Now that everything was out in the open, that was even truer.

Todoroki picked his way carefully through the room as if he expected an ambush. Or… or something to happen. A place so sad and unspectacular… this couldn't really be it, could it? But that was an intrinsic part of being a villain to society. There was very little to gain from it, beyond the motivation driven by hatred and revenge. For far too long, it'd been the key factor keeping Dabi going, and that was reflected here.

Tokoyami lowered himself onto the ash-dusted floor beside the bed, stretching his hand out in search of something. Todoroki stood by and could only watch as his fingers brushed a smooth surface and, reaching further, managed to drag out an old, dusty kickball. "He kept this under his bed, though I never knew of any attachment he might've had," Tokoyami explained, waiting to hear if perhaps the villain's younger brother had a good idea of what it might mean.

Todoroki nodded slowly. "I was jealous, you know. Toya got to play with my other siblings, while all my time was spent training. We were all so young… I didn't know how badly he'd rather be training instead. But whenever I saw them all playing together in the courtyard, it looked to me like there could be nothing better." He hesitated, wondering how much more to say, but proceeded anyway when he realized that Tokoyami was already privy to so much about the Todoroki family that nobody else knew. "The ball they played with as kids sits on Toya's alter, gathering dust. I'm sure Fuyumi and Natsu still have fond memories of playing with him, even if things got… heated… in the end."

Tokoyami tossed the ball to him, where it landed softly in his hands with a sad wheeze of escaped air. "If that's the case, then I doubt he's ever actually used this ball for anything other than being a memento to times now gone. It doesn't look used at all. It's just… been here the whole time."

Todoroki silently turned the ball over in his hands, mulling over its significance.

Tokoyami moved on, past the melted tv and the wall of eviscerated paper scraps that were once posters and newspaper cut-outs hanging on the walls, until he came to a box of magazine pages and miscellaneous papers. He picked up one near the top.

"It took me a long time to figure him out, but I always had ample clues. Something I always wondered about was this newspaper clipping." He held it out, letting Todoroki take hold of it before walking back out into the living space he was most comfortable with. The hero followed him out, giving the room one last sullen look before closing the door behind him. Tokoyami couldn't be sure if Dabi would be mad at him for showing his little brother his abandoned room, or if the fact that these relics had remained in his absence suggested that they were meant to be found.

He settled back onto his couch with a sigh, letting his body sink into the threadbare cushions as he explained the nearly year-old article in Todoroki's hands. "I'm sure you remember getting second place in the tournament last year. It was all the newspapers talked about for a while. At first I'd assumed that he had that clipping in his personal belongings because of Bakugou, since that was who Shigaraki was after. Or maybe he had it to learn more about me, but back then I wasn't even considered a part of their plans. At some point, I realized he kept that picture because he wanted to see you on that podium. What his actual feelings about that might be remain unclear. That's just the extent of my observations."

Todoroki studied the picture with a blank expression, bangs hanging listlessly over his eyes. "But Toya hates us. He wants me and Dad dead. What does this have to do with anything, except as a means to remind himself of the anger he feels towards us?"

"It's true that he carries a lot of resentment," Tokoyami admitted, training his sights on the flame-licked ceiling above him. "But I think… more than anything, he wants to challenge you. With every fiber of his body, he wants to win. That's something I could never do, even if I wanted to. I could never beat him. But someday, when we inevitably face him on the battlefield again, you're going to have to defeat him. And if you don't do it fast enough, then he might just… burn out, rather than deal with the anguish of losing against you."

Todoroki numbly stood before him and handed the withered page back, only for Tokoyami to shake his head. With a displeased hum, he folded the clipping and tucked it into his pocket. "This isn't why I came here," Todoroki solemnly admitted. "I didn't… think there was still so much to learn. But even now, I feel like I'm living in a family of strangers." He looked up, and the hollowness in his eyes resolved itself to something decisively more determined. "My actions and the things I do as a hero… I do them for the sake of the people around me. My family means everything to me, and I'm thankful that you can help me through this uncertainty where Dabi is involved. But right now, I need your help with something… with someone else."

Tokoyami couldn't help the initial feeling of disappointment that welled up in him. But that was to be expected. He was so focused on finding the villains that he'd left behind, that so much else felt inconsequential in comparison. The struggles of the people living in this hellish society were plentiful as it was, and Tokoyami himself had his own problems. Who out there sought to rival him, and what could he possibly hope to contribute if it wasn't something that already aligned with his goals? "Go on," he said instead, burrowing the nagging feeling of feigned disinterest in his heart.

"It's about Midoriya."

Tokoyami closed his eyes with a tired groan. Of course it was about Midoriya. And that, by proxy, meant he had to care. He couldn't not care, after everything they'd both endured and the similarities they inexplicably shared. "Who's after him now? Bear in mind, the more involved I get with him, the greater the target on my own back gets… and I'm not vying for the spotlight, as it were."

"We're after him."

Tokoyami's head lolled to the side so that he could get a good look at Todoroki. But no, he was being deathly serious. "Elaborate. Has he done something wrong?"

"Well… no," Todoroki mumbled, his shoulders slumping. "But the things he's doing, and the pace he's setting for himself… it's not good for him!"

Tokoyami blinked slowly. "So you're just concerned for him?"

He didn't… look that great under the mask when we last caught up to him, Dark Shadow kindly reminded, to which Tokoyami agreed with an audible hum. He'd appeared awfully roughened by the sudden, strenuous change in lifestyle. Considering the rate at which he was running around, solving crime and being chased by villains, it had come as no surprise. At least Tokoyami had the feeble luxury of walking the fine line of vigilantism and keeping his head low, rather than willingly putting himself out there as a target for All for One to latch onto. That was too exhausting a burden to bear for any one person.

"Did Sir Nighteye inform you about all this? He's awfully hard to catch up to, if you weren't already aware."

Todoroki nodded. "Yes. He told us that he hasn't been eating or sleeping. And odd rumors are starting to go around, talking about a ragged individual that's caked with blood and dirt who helps people in the night. Though the civilians who encounter this person say he looks more like a noumu…"

Tokoyami clenched his teeth and suppressed a shudder. He'd been told in the past that he looked like a noumu. It didn't help that there might still be a noumu out there that was made in his likeness, though much of the knowledge concerning that part of the war had been hidden from him.

It's possible that some of these rumors could also be sightings of us. Even though we're not as active as Midoriya, it's hard to ignore the fact that we popped up in the unnamed hero space at the same time. But you've already wondered what other people might think of you, haven't you?

Tokoyami dug the balls of his hands into his eyes and silently willed his quirk to stop talking. It wasn't helping, even if it was just an echo of his own internal thoughts. "And what do you expect me to do about that?!" he snapped, a bit more vehement than he'd intended.

Todoroki didn't shy away from the discomfort of the subject matter. "My dad gave me his GPS tracker. We're planning on finding him and bringing him back to UA. We want… we have to get through to him somehow, and open up that communication so that he finally realizes that he doesn't need to be alone. Even if he believes he can do these things by himself. Even if he's doing it so that nobody else has to get hurt… if he still wants to leave UA after that, we'll let him. But not until he takes the time to talk with us first. And we want you to be there for that, to help Midoriya see reason."

With a deep breath, Tokoyami settled his hands into his lap and ever so slowly leaned forward. "That… may be in his best interest, I suppose. But why involve me at all? His bonds with you and his other classmates should be plenty, if he still holds that connection dear. I fear I may only be an outsider in all this, wouldn't you agree?"

"…That's the other thing."

Tokoyami felt his muscles tense. "Oh?"

"We're also taking you back with us. To UA. To your family." And then Todoroki stretched his hand out to him. Here, in this scummy hotel room in the dead of night, when Tokoyami had already been dreading the idea of visitors and surprise expectations. Now, as if in an afterthought when they'd only wanted his help in reclaiming Midoriya. After everything he strived to accomplish on his own merit, and with everything he had to lose hanging in the balance.

It was laughable, to say the least. "I don't believe you," Tokoyami drawled, his eyes narrowing and hands clenching into loose fists in his lap.

"I'm serious!"

"So am I!" Tokoyami carefully pushed the hand away from him and stood to his full height before Todoroki. He looked up at his old classmate, several inches shy of meeting him on his level. "Todoroki, I value you as an ally in all this, and I will accept aiding you in retrieving Midoriya if that is what you truly wish. But I…" Todoroki had been facing him with a steely expression set in determination, but Tokoyami couldn't help the overflowing feelings of frustration that welled forth from him. "I still haven't found anything! And if I step too far in one direction… be it hero or villain… then I'll lose that connection that I'm trying so hard to locate! So no. When this is over, I will not be going back to UA." With a steadying breath, Tokoyami took a step back and evened his tone, lest he strain himself. "But… I'll make sure he is secure with you before I take my leave. You won't be able to sway me on this, so don't even bother."

Todoroki's hand had curled loosely into a fist once he'd come to the realization that his declaration, admirable as it might've sounded, had been for naught. Even still, he kept his disappointment well hidden, if he even felt it at all. "Alright… alright, we'll focus on Midoriya first. But… if you ever run into trouble, or find that you're not where you want to be, you'll let us know, won't you?"

I don't know. "Yes. I'll do just that."

The smallest of relieved smiles flitted across his face. "I'm glad to hear it." And then he switched back to a manner of business. "Midoriya's been dealing with the increased crime rates in Yokohama City." Tokoyami wilted under the weight of the simple explanation. That was the location of Kamino Ward. It was no wonder that it'd become the target of increased crime considering all that had taken place there. "The rest of the class will reach the city by early tomorrow, and I'll be waiting for them in one of Endeavor's office branches. I can text you my location at that point… or you can come with me tonight, and we can meet up with the others together."

Tokoyami began walking towards the exit, not bothering to reach for his cloak and scarf. "That's… rather sudden, at least for my liking. And it still feels awfully hypocritical of me to work so closely with the people I so readily left behind, even if we're doing it for Midoriya's sake." He opened the door leading out, and rather than take his leave beckoned for Todoroki to do so instead. "I'll be present, but I'd rather remain scarce. It's easier that way."

Todoroki hesitated, looking between him and the door as if he wasn't entirely convinced that Tokoyami would show up at all. And then he stepped out, opting to respect his boundaries rather than test his patience. "Just remember – we need you for this," Todoroki quietly declared.

I'm not sure if I believe you. "Okay. I hear you. I'll see you tomorrow." And with that, he closed the door behind his old classmate. Tokoyami waited, keenly aware of how Todoroki was stalled on the other side. After a few precarious moments, the dull thud of retreating footsteps signaled his leave.

Tokoyami leaned his weary head against the old, smoke-ridden door with a heavy sigh.

"Are we actually gonna go tomorrow?" Dark Shadow asked, having materialized beside him now that their company was gone.

"I don't see why we wouldn't," Tokoyami grumbled. "I already said we would. If I'd refused, he would've just persisted. And if we don't appear tomorrow, then he's going to think something is wrong. Besides… maybe there is some good we can do there, if it means reuniting Midoriya with the others."

"What if it's a set-up to drag us back to UA, too?" Dark Shadow fretted, wiggling through the air above him.

"It already is," Tokoyami said, locking the door into place and turning back towards the meager comfort provided by the couch. "It'll just be up to us to dissuade any need for concern, that's all. The less we dwell on it, the better. I'd rather we get the whole thing over and done with so that we may return to our new normal unchallenged."

The coordinates for Class 1A's agreed meeting place came to him before the crack of dawn. Tokoyami squinted blearily at his phone, annoyed in his half-awake state by the unjustness of it all.

He pushed himself up off the couch with a groan, his shoulder stiffly protesting in a way that was distinctly familiar. He pulled up the location and judged the distance. It was… a couple hundred kilometers. How inconsiderate – he'd be flying for hours just to reach them. But if he left now, feathers ruffled by sleep and bandages askew, then he could at least claim to make good time.

There's nothing to be done about it now, I suppose, Tokoyami decided.

Endeavor has an agency branch in Osaka, right? That's probably why Todoroki was able to track us in the first place. Otherwise, I can't imagine very many others would go out of their way to find us between all their other obligations.

Tokoyami dully agreed, pulling on his boots and equipping the gear that was strewn about the room before heading out.

Tokoyami slipped between the narrow boards barring the living room window and jumped from it without a second thought. Dark Shadow's claws manifested around him instantaneously, catching him before he could fall and dragging him into the somber twilight sky.

It'd been a while since he'd had to fly so far. And with no breaks to interrupt them, no less. When Todoroki had confronted him, he'd been… rather dismissive, as if he intended on dragging his feet through the whole ordeal. But here, with nobody around to scrutinize him, he flew on inky winds driven by determination and an incessant need to do something right for the people he'd left behind.

Truthfully, the thought of interacting with his old classmates again unnerved him to a startling degree.

Then don't get too close.

Tokoyami buried his beak into the folds of his scarf to stave off the chill of dawn. I don't intend to.

As the first rays of sunshine spilled over the horizon, Dark Shadow receded into his cloak, where he would remain for the remainder of their flight.

Long swaths of forest and rolling hills of farmland faded into suburbs and then sprawling cityscapes. He checked his map periodically, but after a while realized that he wouldn't be needing it. With a sinking heart, he realized just how close their mission had taken them to the heart of Kamino Ward. In looking for his classmates, he found himself instead gazing down upon a large statue of a great, beloved hero standing proudly over a world of ruin and resentment.

Tokoyami stalled, taking a few meaningless seconds to bask in the graffiti and angry messages left behind. Of all the ways he'd wanted to see All Might, this was not one of them. It left him with a wretched taste of bile in his mouth, and he silently swore to the heroic effigy that he would make things right again.

The sunlight from before had been drowned out by thick, heavy clouds that obscured the sky and smelled of rain. In the gloom of a storm waiting eagerly to break, he circled in on the coordinates before settling down on a small office building that offered a good vantage point in every direction.

He could hear voices rising up from the ground, too many overlapping at once to be anything discreet, and crept to the edge of the building where he made himself small by pressing against the white stone rampart encircling it. He peered around it, keeping his beak low, and looked down into the dark streets beneath him.

There they were. Every last member of Class 1A, gathered on an abandoned street in the shadow of a large building complex that protected them from prying eyes on every side but the one he'd chosen. It felt strange, seeing them all standing together in their hero uniforms with none of their teachers around to supervise. When he saw them like this, it was easy to believe that this was a proper hero's mission, rather than an assignment that'd been handed to them by another.

They've grown, Dark Shadow needlessly noted.

That makes no difference to us. They can all do as they please – we're just here to deliver Midoriya back to them. For his sake.

You trust yourself not to get caught up with them?

Of course, Tokoyami said, pushing down the possibility that he might be lying to himself.

Yaomomo actively paced in the center of the group. Through the echoed words that bounced off the concrete walls, he could just barely hear her. "Is Tokoyami really going to be here?" she fretted, turning to a visibly unsure Todoroki. "You said he would, but I don't see him anywhere."

A ripple of uncertainty and hesitant optimism traveled through the colorful array of students.

Todoroki mumbled something quietly, his eyes traveling to the ground, and he didn't need to wait long to understand what had been said.

"What do you mean you don't know?!" Bakugou roared. "He should be here! I knew I should've gone with you."

Tokoyami winced at the outburst. I'm glad you weren't, actually. You're still so loud… and harder to refuse, never mind lie to. With a discontented scoff, Tokoyami fished around in his belt pouch and pulled out his phone. He took a moment to decide if this was something he really wanted to do before opening up the messaging app and pulling up the old Class 1A group chat he'd been added to back during their very first term together.

Yeah im here. we can start anytime. Send.

A flurry of notification sounds and buzzes went off throughout the group of students. Everyone reached instinctively for their phone and took respective glances at the brief message.

"What the hell?" Bakugou growled, searching his surroundings alongside countless others. Tokoyami shrank further into the meager shelter offered by the lip of the roof, melting into the shadows with his vantablack cloak. "Where are you?!" It was a challenge, and not the kind he was willing to accept.

Around the explosive teen, the others expressed agreement, scouring the area for any sign of him with comments of concern and disbelief.

"…He's close enough," Shouji finally confirmed, making Tokoyami wish he could vanish altogether with a feeling of remorse. "We should get started, before Midoriya gets further away from us."

A round of agreement followed, though Tokoyami noted the disappointment on several people's faces.

They were looking forward to seeing you, huh? Dark Shadow said.

Those feelings will pass once they're reminded of why they're here in the first place.

The heroes in training moved out as one, albeit all in their own ways. To their credit, they all moved fast and efficiently, navigating the streets and rooftops of this area with confidence and discipline. He made it a point to stay perfectly still as they did so, until they all passed him by.

Tokoyami waited – one second, two seconds, counting in his head to an arbitrary number – until he felt like enough distance existed between them. After all, now that they were within his sights, he had no doubt that he would be able to match their pace wherever they went.

Only then did he slip off the building roof and rise up into the sky, where he'd have a proper aerial view of whatever happened. He figured, if anything, he could patrol the outskirts of the area and ensure that Midoriya never got too far away from them. Like a dog herding a sheep back towards its flock.

The rainclouds burst with a suddenness that sent a chill through his spine. Water droplets began to collect in his feathers and splatter his cloak. More crows than he remembered seeing in the city sky beforehand began to circulate the air around him, as if listening past the hiss of rain.

Tokoyami watched from the sky as a scene unfolded below him. Evidently, their timing had been uncanny, as the class had chanced upon Midoriya's location just as he was facing a troublesome villain. The class quickly became split, working either to appeal to the green-clad hero or subjugating the villain and ensuring that the citizens caught in the crossfire were properly taken out of harm's way.

Even from a distance, Tokoyami could see that Midoriya… or rather, Deku, looked even more haggard than their last encounter several days prior. His hero outfit was coming apart at the seams, and his body armor was impossibly chipped and jagged from constant overuse, with no time taken for maintenance. Flashes of green electricity sparked around him, and tendrils of inky black energy trailed from him, as if waiting to be utilized at a moment's notice. His face was shrouded in the darkness of his dilapidated bunny hood, revealing no trace of emotion or humanity.

Tokoyami prayed he didn't appear that way to others. He could understand, now, why the heroes and students would decide to rein the dark hero in. He would only end up deteriorating further at this rate.

We're not that way, Dark Shadow assured him internally. We know our limits. Because we've already overcome so many of them. Our path is not a downwards spiral from which we can't ascend from.

Tokoyami nodded along slowly to the comforting words, even as a shiver of cold threatened to take hold of him.

He was here. But this wasn't about him.

Bakugou, Iida, and Uraraka were talking to him. They were Midoriya's closest friends, last time he checked. He'd expressed his concerns to Midoriya last time they'd met, but if anyone could talk some sense into the falling hero, it would be them.

There was no warning, and yet Tokoyami should've known what was about to happen. A smokescreen that spanned the length of the roof and the sky above billowed forth, obscuring the area and casting all of Class 1A into a state of partial blindness. It was the same ability Tokoyami had seen him use in the fight against Nagant and, knowing him, Midoriya would be quick to find the best way out.

From there, everything happened at once, even before Tokoyami could interfere.

Bakugou lit up the air with a concentrated blast that cleared away the smokescreen in an instant. The crows that'd been flapping around him mere seconds earlier divebombed their target, bidden by Kouda's quirk. Midoriya evaded the feathery swarm with his Black Whips, only have his movement interfered by Sero's tape. Jirou yelled out to him, trying to stall with her boombursts only for Midoriya to quickly tear through the tape around his wrist and continue his evasive maneuvers. Several other students moved to intercept him, and he fought to evade them every step of the way, always in the same direction.

He'll try to lose them through a building, just like with Nagant. There's too many people on his tail to flee over the buildings, unless he forces them into an unfamiliar space. Tokoyami took careful note of the path that the chain of different quirks was unintentionally directing him in. And he saw that Midoriya was trying to escape towards a large, dark skyscraper.

Acting quickly, as nothing more than a blur of shadow in the pouring rain, Tokoyami dived down and through a cracked window, letting the glass scratch at his clothes and covering his head before catching his bearings. Tokoyami only had a few fleeting seconds to take account of his surroundings – wide open space, boxes, perhaps a storage level for an office building no longer in use – before he was interrupted.

Midoriya crashed through a separate window of the abandoned building, sending with him a shower of broken glass and debris that rained down onto the ground with a sharp clatter. The bedraggled hero hit the floor with a roll before springing back up in one swift movement, continuing his momentum while seeking an escape from his relentless friends.

Tokoyami stalked the shadows of the empty space, unseen and unnoticed, never taking his eyes off of his target. The others were closing in quickly, already nearing the shattered window. But they wouldn't be fast enough if they wished to continue their pursuit. Otherwise they risked losing him.

Tokoyami moved unnervingly fast, his presence nigh undetectable and his breathing stilled. He ducked behind a row of boxes that ran parallel with the room, lurking through the shadows until coming to a stop at an opening where he knew Midoriya was about to pass by. Tokoyami suppressed the instinctive urge to unsheathe his steel claws and silently equipped Dark Shadow's instead.

Piercing Twilight Claws.

The shadowy appendages surged forward with alarming speed at the same time as a green blur surged past a gap between the boxes. Like a bird and the worm, aching to be caught.

At least. That's how it should've been. But before Midoriya had even properly come into sight, he was pushing up into the air and twisting with his entire body, flawlessly evading his lightning-fast attack.

But how?!

The answer came to him before he could properly finish the thought. The moment Midoriya hit the ground again, he was rounding on Tokoyami with his black whips. They lashed out with a degree of ruthlessness similar to his own, seizing hold of his wrist and tugging hard to subjugate him.

A gasp of pain and surprise slipped from Tokoyami's beak.

Above him, Dark Shadow reared out from under his cloak with a furious hiss.

Midoriya stumbled for the first time since the fight against his classmates had begun. He released the inky tendrils from Tokoyami half a second before he could knock him to the ground.

"Tokoyami?! What are you doing – you set off my Danger Sense!" Midoriya gasped, backing away as if worried that they might actually end up hurting each other.

Midoriya? Hurt me? That would never happen.

He didn't have time to process what that thought meant. He already knew that their goal was to restrain the renegade hero through whatever means possibly, and he was doing exactly that. He just wasn't sure how to do that in a way that didn't involve attacking outright.

"You need to go home," Tokoyami snarled, cloaking Dark Shadows claws over his hands and taking a threatening step forward. "If you continue down this path, you'll only wear yourself down. And you're no good to anyone if you're dead."

Midoriya's indeterminate expression broke for a spare moment, his dull green eyes stretching wide in alarm beneath his tattered mask. "You did mean to hurt me, didn't you?"

Tokoyami recoiled in shock, his breath catching in his throat. "No, I would never!"

An explosion rumbled the outside of the building. All too quickly, a wave of heroes rushed in, quirks blazing. They locked onto Midoriya, standing breathlessly off to one side of the room in a stand-off against Tokoyami. To them, it must look like he had somehow managed to stop the previously uncatchable green blur. But for Tokoyami, he wished only that a greater distance might separate them.

"Tokoyami, get him!" Kaminari yelled over the din of classmates infiltrating the room.

Tokoyami took a step back, his apprehension made readily available. At the very least, he was blocking the passage Midoriya had meant to escape through, but he was expected to do more. After all, he was strong – everyone knew what he was capable of.

Instead, Tokoyami gave Midoriya a half-hearted swipe of shadowy claws, too slow to be deemed a threat and easily avoidable. The green-clad hero hopped nimbly out of the way with a baleful parting glance before redirecting his path through the swarm of classmates that was bearing down upon him.

Bakugou landed between him and the spot where Midoriya had just stood, his face set into a frustrated scowl. His eyes flashed briefly at Tokoyami – surprised, confused – and he opened his mouth to say something before doubling down on his decision to pursue his true classmate and trusted ally.

Others sprinted past him, their target in sight, but he didn't miss the spared glances in his direction that spoke of their hope and suspended disbelief, seeing that he was working with them after all.

Shinsou and Jirou paused, for some reason torn, before the clamor to help them restrain Midoriya drew their attention away again.

Tokoyami backed up into a hallway that led out of the room, praying that everyone else was far too preoccupied with their intended target to give him the light of day.

Until a voice stopped him, and he was forced to look up.

"Fumikage, there you are." Tsu stood in the open doorway, peering out at him with big, curious eyes, and she held a finger up to her cheek in consideration. "I thought you were here, but I couldn't see you. Even still, you're helping us, aren't you? Whenever we're not looking, I mean."

Tokoyami met her with a feeling of guilt that he couldn't properly place. "I… I'm here, yes. And I'm trying to help, but I really don't think…"

Tsu smiled wide. "It's okay. We're all trying our best, and that's what matters. I'm just glad you're here." Then she turned, ready to leap back into the action. "Now come on – before he gets away again."

That wasn't what I had in mind, though.

Tokoyami made as if to follow her, his footsteps obvious on the cold tile flooring as she bounded off. Then he slipped back into the shadows and made himself scarce, quick to lose her. She didn't even look back until it was far too late, and by then Midoriya was already gone with half the class in hot pursuit once more.

To the credit of his old classmates, they'd managed to restrain Midoriya inside this building for all of four seconds before breaking free of the metal contraption that Yaomomo had ensnared him in. He could see the fragmented remains of it from the shadows, and decided that he was glad that the heroes in training weren't set on bringing him down in the same way.

That's different, though, Dark Shadow assured. Despite everything, we're still complying! I think that's already more than they expected, especially with how hard Midoriya's fighting back.

Tokoyami glowered, not sure if he liked the implications of that. I'll feel better when we see this through to the end.

Tokoyami swiftly found his way to a broken windowpane that looked out over the gray city, noting the receding array of explosives, ice blocks, and miscellaneous quirk uses being fired off in the wake of something greater than himself. He allowed himself a moment to ponder if he was truly needed for this after all, especially after the expression that Midoriya had imparted on him.

He wouldn't have hurt Midoriya. He knew that as an intrinsic part of himself. And yet, somehow, he'd been deemed more of a threat than any of the others chasing him down. Tokoyami couldn't help thinking that such a thing was unfair, though the thought felt juvenile. Nevertheless, their mission hadn't been accomplished yet. This wasn't over until the others could finish it where he could not.

He once more jumped from the empty window on silent wings that swiftly brought him back to the center of this grand mess. And in the maelstrom of quirks and shouting, he could hear Midoriya clear as day.

"Stop! Stop, already!" their desperate classmate wailed. "Get away from me, I'm begging you! I mean it, I'm fine!"

Such empty words would only fall on deaf ears. He had nothing to back up those pitiful votes of comments. Rather, it only seemed to unbind the threads keeping him together at a faster rate as his movements became more erratic and clumsy. At this rate, he was easy to catch up to by everyone involved. They were wearing him down.

Midoriya crashed into Todoroki's wall of ice, sending deep fractures through it and vanishing behind a curtain of frozen white shards. "Midoriya!" the fire-and-ice user cried, closing in on him. "Did you ever think that maybe All for One wants you in this state? He might seize this chance to attack UA! So let us join your fight!"

Tokoyami slithered his way past his onlooking classmates and past those who'd gotten as close as they were willing to get to Todoroki's obstruction. With something this big in the field, the others were better off hovering in wait for what would happen next. But Tokoyami had no such qualms, knowing that something like that wouldn't encase him for long, much like every attempt to come before. So he circled the base of the ice, where only Todoroki could vaguely make him out, and watched as the ice monument gave a great shudder.

Midoriya exploded from the icy prison, his mask gone and eyes wild. "You all… can't keep up!"

Tokoyami struck fast, knowing he had no time to hesitate. There were consequences for being too slow.

Dark Shadow's claw pierced upwards, directly in Midoriya's path and with an intensity much like before. Only this time, when Midoriya looked down at him with startled, unfocused eyes, he didn't have the time to evade.

The claw clipped his ankle, slicing through his shoe and messing up his trajectory. He could've… he could've grabbed him. Maybe even dragged him down to the pavement of the trash-strewn streets. But that had felt… wrong somehow.

So instead, Tokoyami and Dark Shadow watched as his ex-classmate was thrown off course, his spped cut in half as he struggled to regain himself. Black Whip emerged from either side of him to find purchase between two buildings and stabilize himself momentarily, only for the lull in his movements to give way to the others bearing down on him.

"You're not going anywhere!" Uraraka shouted, her voice sounding dull in Tokoyami's head as he turned away from the action. He'd done enough. It was in their hands now. Behind him, Class 1A was throwing everything they had at Midoriya in their final stretch. A ramp of ice emerged, extending out to where Midoriya was desperately trying to escape through the air. Everyone else was there for this moment, all of them trying their best to climb higher and higher, one after another, in their hopes to reach him.

While all this was happening, Tokoyami found himself settling on a lone rooftop, watching from a safe distance.

Tokoyami could hardly keep up with what was happening. Not because he wasn't fast enough – he could trace every movement, anticipate the exact moment a move was to be used, and keep track of several people at once in their sporadic travel patterns. But what he couldn't understand was the heartfelt exchange of words and the desperate pleas tearing forth from the throats of so many people. All these memories being shared through tearful cries, reminding Midoriya of their time together and the influence he'd had on them as a classmate, a friend, a hero.

Midoriya had been with his class through all of it, writing the pages of history alongside them within the light of devotion and tenacity…!

Tokoyami had not been there.

And so he watched from his dark perch overlooking the city. Rain doused his shoulders, and he pulled his scarf tighter around him to keep the water from seeping into his bandages.

Iida, their trusted class president and loyal friend, screamed something purposeful and integral to Midoriya. For Tokoyami, it was drowned out by the rain, the whir of his engines, and the distance between them.

But at least they had him now.

Iida took hold of Midoriya's hand. He clutched on as if he never wanted to let go, the dynamic duo hurtling through the sky in a funnel of jet streams and raindrops. From there, it was a steady de-escalation, where everyone was able to catch up and rise to meet Midoriya when he finally… finally came to a rocky stop on the open roof of a building, a tangle of bruised limbs and relentless decrees of affirmation.

Bakugou was talking to him again, this time in a way that felt comforting and decisive. Tokoyami couldn't help feeling surprised with how calm and level-headed the normally explosive kid appeared in light of the hassle that had brought them to this point.

Tokoyami faintly wished he had something… anything to offer Midoriya in his time of need. And he did have things he wanted to say – recollections of times where Midoriya had bravely fought alongside him. Fought for him. And, to a smaller degree… fought because of him, as well.

It wouldn't feel right, adding my voice to theirs, Tokoyami numbly decided, nestling his beak further into the folds of his scarf. I will always be willing to help them in any way possible, but I won't pretend that I share their world and views the way Midoriya does. That's precisely why he went so far off the deep end when he took on this strenuous task of martyrdom. I won't make that same mistake.

You think you know better than them? Dark Shadow asked, not unkindly.

I think our values, while overlapping, aren't quite the shining ambitions that the others can lay claim to. I'm merely acting in my own self-interest at this point.

Tokoyami turned away from the scene, shrugging off the discomfort of sitting in on something he didn't feel entirely privy to. And he would've happily left it at that, had there not been someone climbing the fire escape against the adjacent wall of the building he stood on.

He tensed, and his quirk coiled loosely around him as they eyed the rattling metal stairway. A head of pointed white hair drifted into view, followed by a large body, and Tokoyami allowed himself to relax despite his previous misgivings.

"Shouji," Tokoyami called, taking a few uncertain steps to meet him halfway. "You're not with the rest of the class. Shouldn't you be there for Midoriya, when he needs you most?"

Shouji's eyes flashed momentarily, taken aback by the bluntness of his words, only to quickly settle down again. "I wanted to check on you. You're not there yourself, even though you made the difficult decision to fight alongside us. Why is that?"

Tokoyami looked back over his shoulder to the rooftop his old class had gathered on. Midoriya appeared to have finally collapsed, right into Bakugou's arms. He should be taken care of now – there was no need to worry further. "I didn't think it would make much difference," Tokoyami admitted. "The issue seems to be resolved, and so I've done all I could."

"It's not, though."

Tokoyami grimaced. "How do you mean?"

Shouji fixed him with an apologetic expression. "Our classmates, everyone, they wanted to work with you for this mission. They thought that you'd remember how well you do as part of a team striving towards a single, united goal. But even when you were present, you never wanted to show yourself."

Shouji wouldn't speak this much if it wasn't important. With a jolt, Tokoyami realized that his old friend must've been more intent on tracking his movements over Midoriya's this whole time, but he'd evaded them all at every opportunity under the pretense of working in tandem.

"…Oh." Tokoyami hung his head. His actions here hadn't surprised him… but he hadn't expected his lack of involvement to get called to attention like this. He couldn't decide if the fact that it was Shouji telling him this made it better or worse. Did it sting less if it was only one person, or was it made harder knowing that it was one of the few people that had truly been his friend from the beginning? "I just… I couldn't relate to everyone. Fighting out in the open – together – and making their voices heard so proudly. That's not something I'm used to. Too many of the fights I've been through now were bitter… and ungratifying and fueled by the need to live rather than the need to do good. So I really can't compare to… everyone else."

"Tokoyami, that's not true," Shouji said softly. He began to reach out a hand, much like so many others had done for Midoriya, only to come up impossibly short. "You must understand that you're missed, right? It's not right that you're out here, just you and your quirk."

At least he knows you're not alone – most people seem to forget that! Dark Shadow chortled.

Tokoyami took a deep breath. It was the only thing that could settle his nerves right now. "Please, tell me outright, Shouji: what is it you ask of me, now that Midoriya has been recovered?"

"I want you to come back with us."

Tokoyami scowled, hunching his shoulders defensively at the bold yet expected proclamation. How predictable.

Shouji rushed to clarify. "It doesn't have to be all the way! Nobody will force you to do something you don't want. I'm asking as your friend – could you please join the escort back to UA? At least until the walls come into view, and then you can do what you like."

It felt like a danger, putting himself out there with the others when his old classmates were already so emotionally vulnerable. But what Shouji asked of him shouldn't have been hard. In fact, it was supposed to be the easy option in all this. He wasn't the one collapsed on a roof, surrounded by concerned faces that'd given their all to bring him down far enough to talk to.

Tokoyami closed his eyes and dipped his head. "Alright," he agreed with a shuttered breath. "I'll accompany you back to UA. But if you try to do to me what you did to Midoriya, then I will not go down as easily as he did."