Chapter One:

Fuyumi slid the sharp edge her car keys between her fingers as she walked through the parking lot. It was a habit, even though the neighborhood around her school was considered safe. She'd been working late and lost track of time. Now the parking lot was dark except for a sliver of moon overhead.

"It's too late for you to be out alone, Yumi," someone said behind her.

Only Fuyumi's family called her by her nickname, and she thought that voice sounded like her little brother. "Natsuo, what are you doing here—?" Her words froze in her throat as she turned around.

Dabi stood in the parking lot with his hands in the pockets of his trench coat. On television, he normally wore a ragged coat. This one looked jet black, perfectly tidy, and made of expensive wool. His white hair had curled, and his eyes gleamed red. But the scars on his face made him unmistakable.

Fuyumi had barely even noticed when Dabi had first popped up as the leader of the League of Villains. Another angry villain trying to kill All Might wasn't exactly breaking news. She cared more about Dabi after U.S.J., because the villains could have killed her little brother (though Shouto insisted that Dabi had never even gone near him.) She'd followed the news about the League of Villains because she had family who were heroes. Beyond that, it hadn't affected her daily life. Not until the League had caused All Might's retirement at Kamino Ward. That had affected everyone in Japan, but particularly her family, rocked by the aftereffects of Endeavor becoming the new number one hero.

After All for One had died at the hands of his own successor in the middle of a failed prison break, League of Villains activity had simply…stopped. Dabi seemed to have vanished. News pundits had speculated that the villains had fallen apart due to internal conflicts. Endeavor had complained loudly about losing his chance to prove himself. The heroes continued to search for the League's remnants, but with less urgency.

Fuyumi's heart hammered in her chest. How could the former leader of the League be here? Why had his voice sounded so familiar, so similar to Natsuo? What did he want with her?

As the daughter of the current number one hero, Fuyumi had anticipated that one day her father's enemies might target her. Dropping her keys in her haste, she grabbed the emergency button inside her purse and pressed it.

The clattering of metal on the pavement sounded loud. Fuyumi paled and wished she'd been more subtle. But Dabi made no move toward her. He smiled. "Your button won't call anyone. I have a quirk that can prevent electronic signals from being transmitted."

"Huh? You have a fire quirk." Fuyumi didn't believe it. Had Dabi lost his mind? Should she run? But if she ran, instinct told her that he would pounce. It would be better to keep him talking until help had time to arrive. Assuming her button worked. It had to work. "Um, you have a very strong quirk. With my family, I would know." Gods, that attempt at flattery sounded pathetic. What did she know about talking down a villain? She'd never even been able to calm down her own father.

"I have many quirks, now. I absorbed them from All for One before he died." Dabi touched his chest. "Although in a very real way, Sensei lives on inside of me."

Definitely mental. "What do you want from me?" Her voice shook.

Dabi chuckled. "Can't a big brother worry about his little sister's safety?"

404 Error Code. Fuyumi sputtered.

Dabi's voice filled with yearning. "It's been so long since I've seen your face, Yoichi—I mean, Yumi. I've missed you. This time around, I won't fail to protect you."

He took a step forward, and Fuyumi stepped backward. Her knees felt weak. "You're lying. This is sick. My older brother died as a child, and you, you can't just trample on his memory like this. Even making your voice sound like his." Tears choked her throat. She was scared, she was angry, and she wondered if she was about to die.

"Do you truly not recognize me, baby sister?" Dabi smiled, and somehow it was just like Touya's smile as a child after he'd committed some mischief. "I know secrets that only the two of us remember. Like that time you stole cookies from the jar in the kitchen and Mom blamed me. You were always the good kid, so no one would believe me. But I got my revenge by 'accidentally' setting your doll's hair on fire, didn't I?" He chuckled. "Here's another one. As a kid, you were obsessed with an old dawn of the age of quirks TV show called Avatar: The Last Airbender. Your favorite character was named Katara, and you tried to teach yourself to control people through their blood because she could do it. Of course it didn't work. Man, funny that I become the villain, right? One more story. I cried embarrassingly after you grew a millimeter taller than me, so you lied and said you had stood on your tiptoes when our mother measured us. You've always been kind."

Fuyumi wanted to deny it, to accuse him of mind-reading in addition to his supposed extra quirks. But even if someone else had somehow learned secrets about her childhood, it would be just like Touya to pick those particular stories to tell. He'd been obsessed with his height. How could an imposter understand his mental state so well? Her feet seeming to move on their own, Fuyumi stepped closer. She looked into Dabi's eyes and memorized the lines of his face. She could not deny what she saw there. "Oh my god." Tears overflowed from her eyes. "It really is you, T-Touya. You're alive. How can you be alive? Is this a dream?"

Dabi said, "All for One found me burned and mostly dead after Sekoto Peak. He saved my life and trained me as his successor. I truly thought of him as a new and improved father—at least until he tried to take over my body and erase me from existence." His lips twisted.

Fuyumi gasped. "Oh, Touya! I understand, you were brainwashed, and now you've turned against All for One." She placed her hand on his cheek. "Did you come to me for help? Do you want to turn yourself in? I'll do everything in my power for your sake. We'll get you the best lawyers in the country."

Dabi placed his hand on top of hers. His eyes fluttered half-shut, a look of ecstasy. "Oh, Yumi. My sweet, helpful, self-sacrificing, gullible little sister. Too kind for your own good. This is why you're not safe outside."

His grip tightened. Light arced from his fingers, along with a strange, sweet scent. Fuyumi's head spun, and she collapsed forward. Her brother's arms closed around her, and then she knew no more.

The Todoroki house looked like a mess, with laundry on the floor and takeout boxes spread across the table. Without Fuyumi there, no one cared enough to clean them up. Endeavor hadn't returned home since he'd learned of Fuyumi's kidnapping. He'd been out searching the city for her. Nearly every hero had joined in. Even All Might had returned from retirement to help. Shouto was not allowed to join the search, but he'd snuck out anyway. U.A. said a couple of his friends had gone missing from the dorms, too.

Natsuo sat on the couch and stared at the blank television screen. He had no will to turn it on. He felt lost. Fuyumi had always been the heart of the family. It seemed impossible for her to suddenly be gone. She'd chosen the nice, safe, normal life. Natsuo couldn't imagine anyone wanting to hurt Fuyumi, unless it was to get at Endeavor, but then there should have been a ransom note or a threat or a taunt or anything.

Filled with a sudden rage, Natsuo threw an empty soda can at the television screen. It bounced off, spilling drops on the carpet. Natsuo felt ashamed. His sister prided herself on keeping a clean house, and now look what he'd done. Yet he didn't have the will to clean it up.

Natsuo wanted to be out on the streets looking for Fuyumi, too. But Endeavor had ordered him not to leave the house, because of the risk that his other children might be targeted too. Endeavor had bluntly made it clear that Natsuo would only serve as a distraction for the rescuers if he got himself in trouble. It had burned—being told that he was weak, useless, quirkless. He'd always believed himself to be a disappointment to his parents because he'd been born without a quirk. But as much though he hated it, Natsuo knew his father was right. He had no useful skills to lend to the search party. And if he got captured too, then he'd make Yumi expendable as a hostage. Yet to sit here trying and failing to watch television was an agony. If only there was something he could do! Anything!

The first twenty-four hours of a search were critical in retrieving the victim alive. Natsuo had been watching the clock with religious fervor. It had been ten hours since Fuyumi had sent a text saying that she'd be working late at the school where she taught. It had been eight hours since Endeavor had gone looking for Fuyumi because she hadn't come home to make dinner or replied to his texts. He'd found her purse lying on the parking lot of the school. They did not know exactly when she'd been kidnapped. They did not even know if she was still alive.

"ARGH!" Natsuo threw back his head and screamed. His fingers dug into his hair. The pain felt satisfying. He deserved to suffer when he was useless and couldn't help his sister.

The doorbell rang.

The Todoroki mansion had been pestered by reporters for hours, but they'd left after Natsuo had thrown buckets of water at them. He was in the mood to do it again, and to hell with the consequences. His father's publicity wasn't his problem. He went to the hallway to check the cameras aimed at whoever stood at the mansion gate.

But it was not a reporter. Tenko Shimura waited at the gate doorway with a worried look on his face. Natsuo vaguely remembered Tenko coming over to their house for dinner once. He was the teaching assistant for Class 1-A, and his cousin Izuku Midoriya was a good friend of Shouto's. It was likely that Tenko had come to help or offer condolences and therefore did not deserve a surprise ice bath.

Natsuo called over the speaker: "Sorry, Endeavor isn't home, and I'm not in the mood for guests."

Tenko's eyes widened in confusion, then he noticed the speaker grate on the wall. He spoke into it: "I have a theory about Fuyumi Todoroki's kidnapping."

So did half of Japan. Natsuo nearly told him to fuck off. But then Natsuo would have to return to staring at a blank television again. If there was even a one in a million chance that Tenko's theory might have validity, then at least Natsuo would be doing something useful by hearing him out.

"Come in." Natsuo pressed a button to open the gate. Then he pressed another button to disable the alarms and let Tenko in. The mansion of every top-ranking hero had HPSC-mandated security, and right now they were in full lockdown mode.

Sitting at the dining room table, Tenko held a cup of green tea. "Is Endeavor home? No, of course he wouldn't be. Do you have his phone number? I wanted to talk to him."

Bluntly, Natsuo said, "I'm not disturbing my father from the search unless you convince me that you know something useful."

"Ah. Understandable." Tenko sipped his tea. "Can you tell me how your older brother died?"

Natsuo slammed his hand down on the table. "Do you have something relevant to say, or are you here to dig up more of my grief?"

Tenko's shoulders sagged. "I'm sorry. I was trying to figure out if my theory had any plausibility to it. But I will let you decide that." A distant look of memory came into his eyes. "I've worked with my uncle Toshinori for years, tracking All for One. The villain has a long-running enmity with my family."

"All for One? Isn't he dead? You think he had something to do with Fuyumi's disappearance?" Natsuo's voice rose to a shout. He forced himself to take deep breaths and sit down. "Go on."

"Sorry, I do think All for One is dead. Mostly dead. All for One had a history of collecting—or rather kidnapping—orphans to raise as future villains. He specifically targeted the families of heroes. He even came after my family once, but fortunately Uncle Toshinori found us in time and put us under his protection." Tenko shifted, biting his lip. "Our investigation recently uncovered that All for One planned to use one of his students as a new body. We believe he tried to transfer his mind into the villain Dabi, and failed. Or at least partially failed. Their personalities may have merged together. I'm hypothesizing here, but that might explain why Dabi's goals shifted so drastically afterward. It's a testament to Dabi's strength of will that he could resist an ancient supervillain and come out dominant. However, I believe parts of All for One remain. All for One had a deep obsession with his younger brother and locked him up under the guise of protecting him—"

Natsuo raised his hand. "I don't care about an old dead bastard's family issues or that edgelord Dabi. Please, get to the part about my sister."

Tenko exhaled. "I've spent hours comparing Dabi's profile to missing children. I did not find any matches among those reported missing, so I started checking the dead. His quirk and his physical appearance matches the late Touya Todoroki."

Natsuo's mind went white. "That's impossible! My brother is dead. I've felt his loss every single damn day since then. Get out of my house!"

Tenko stood up. "I'm sorry, I've upset you. I'll leave. It's just, I can't think of any reason why a villain would kidnap Fuyumi Todoroki but not use her to threaten Endeavor. Unless the target was never Endeavor, but Fuyumi herself."

Natsuo's chest heaved. He felt a pocket of tears under his chest, trying to break out. But he couldn't give in to his emotions at a time like this. He had to think rationally. If there was even a tiny chance that this might be true, the search party needed to know. Natsuo swallowed, hard. "I'll call my father and ask him to listen to your theory." He looked away. He still could not bring himself to believe this mad story. But it was at least worth investigating. "Sorry about freaking out at you when you're just trying to help."

"I know you're going through a lot right now," Tenko said gently.

The tears threatened to erupt again. Natsuo blinked them away. "If Dabi is really To—" He couldn't say it out loud. That might make it more real. "If Dabi kidnapped Yumi because All for One got into his head, then do you think he'd hurt her?"

Tenko flinched. "I-I don't know. All for One certainly hurt his own brother, but…he didn't want his brother dead."

Natsuo closed his eyes and exhaled. That was a very small bit of hope, at least.

Fuyumi woke up with tears in her eyes, as if she'd had a sad dream she couldn't quite remember. She reached for her alarm clock by habit, planning to turn it off since she'd woken without needing it. Her hand hit empty air.

"You're awake, little sister." The light flickered on, revealing Dabi sitting in a chair next to her bed.

It hadn't been a dream. Touya had returned from the dead and kidnapped her. Trying to take deep breaths and remain calm, Fuyumi looked around. The room had cream carpet and superhero posters all over the walls, but she could see the steel underneath. She was inside a metal box. The door had no handle. The space was large enough to contain a round bed, a sofa, a television, several bookshelves, and a truly massive wardrobe.

Dabi stood up. "I loaded the television with your favorite soap operas. There's a fridge." He gestured at the refrigerator next to the sofa. "I got ten flavors of ice cream, since you love it so much. I didn't know your current clothing size, so I hacked into several of your online shopping accounts and purchased all the clothing on your wish list." He opened the wardrobe door. It was stuffed with fancy dresses that Fuyumi had liked but hadn't been able to justify buying for herself given her casual workplace. While she was still trying to process this, he continued his tour. "The bathroom is here." He pointed at a corner boxed off with wooden panels. "Oh! And I brought your favorite comic books and your Captain Hero posters." He pointed at the wall.

Fuyumi liked ice cream and soap operas, but she'd never even heard of Captain Hero. Since heroes had become real, superhero comics only had a very small following. The art looked like something from the dawn of the age of quirks. The edges of the posters were yellow.

She did not know how to react to the million complicated feelings about her older brother returned to life. Though she was no longer certain she was speaking to her brother at all. Or at least not only him. "You said All for One tried to take over your body. Is he still in there?"

"Nope, just me now," Dabi said cheerfully. "I gave the old bastard a permanent eviction."

Fuyumi did not believe this. She remembered her brother calling her by the wrong name. Though All for One would have just killed her, so there must have be something of her brother in there. "Why did you kidnap me? As a hostage?"

Dabi recoiled. "Yumi, I know it's been years since you've seen me, but how could you even think that? I've always protected you! I raised you after our mother died!"

Fuyumi stared. "Mom isn't dead. She's in the hospital." And Fuyumi shuddered to think of how her disappearance might set back her mother's recovery, even before the part where her not-dead brother had kidnapped her.

Dabi didn't seem to hear her. "I hid you in the closet when Dad went on drunken rampages. I shielded you with my own body when he threw beer bottles at us. I mouthed off to him so that he'd stop beating you and turn on me instead." A dark scowl twisted his face. "I'm strong enough now…I can make him pay…"

"No!" Fuyumi leapt off the bed and grabbed her brother's hands. "Touya, our dad was never father of the year material, but he's not a drunk and he never beat me. I think you're remembering All for One's memories, not your own."

"The old bastard hated me when he learned of my power," Dabi mumbled, his eyes crossed. "He tried to kill me…he was afraid you'd have a power too, because of your white hair…I knew you'd be next…I had to stop him…"

Fuyumi took her brother by the shoulders. "Dad has a lot of problems but he was definitely very happy you had his quirk! He didn't want a quirkless child—just ask Natsuo about that."

Dabi spoke over her. "I had to get rid of him, to protect you. That's why I cut the brakes on his car." He looked up, his eyes wide and almost vulnerable. "Didn't I?"

Fuyumi saw her choice clearly. If she told her brother that their father still lived, he would go murder Endeavor or die trying. Voice trembling, she whispered, "Yes, our father is dead. It's all over."

"Mmm." Dabi collapsed into Fuyumi's arms. She hugged him by instinct, even as her eyes went to the door. Actually it seemed there were two doors on opposite walls. But she had no way of opening either one. For the first time, she realized she had a white cuff around her wrist.

"Touya? What's this?" She jerked at the cuff. It had no latch and wouldn't come off.

"It's a gift." Dabi beamed. "It can track you anywhere you go."

Fuyumi's ice lay dormant. The lack left her hollow inside. "Is it a quirk-suppressor too?"

"No, I took your quirk." Dabi sounded dreadfully casual about it. "It's like carrying around a piece of you with me everywhere. I love the feeling. Still, I might return your ability to you someday if I behave well enough to convince me."

Fuyumi took deep breaths. She was definitely not fighting her way out of here. Even if she'd had her quirk, it would have been hopeless. But she'd often tried to calm the men in her family with words. Not always successfully, but it was the only method she had. She stroked her brother's white hair. "Touya, I'm glad you're alive." It was true, in spite of everything else. "I want to hear all about what happened to you and who you are now. But I can't stay here."

"Oh yes you can." Dabi sounded smug. "I have everything you need here."

"But I have a life! Friends! A job as a teacher!"

"You don't have to work." Dabi grabbed her hands and spun her around. "I can look after you. I inherited Sensei's fortune and his bank vaults when I killed him. I'll bring you anything you want, my adorable little sister."

Fuyumi's head spun. She jerked her hands free to stop the spinning. "I want to return to my normal life. I like teaching."

Dabi frowned. "That's a little difficult. What's the name of your favorite student? I can kidnap one or maybe two for you."

"NO!" Fuyumi shrieked. Her heartrate spiked. No matter what, she couldn't allow her students to get caught up in this nightmare. She had a duty as a teacher. "Please, Touya, please don't touch them."

"Not if you don't want me to." Dabi shrugged. "I don't need brats running around here."

"So you won't kidnap anyone else?"

"None of your students, since you don't want them."

Fuyumi swallowed. That hadn't been a complete answer. "Please, please don't—" It was all too much for her. This felt like a nightmare she couldn't wake up from. She broke down crying. She needed to get ahold of herself, to be persuasive, to try to protect everyone in her family as she'd failed to in the past. But she couldn't stop sobbing.

Dabi put an arm around her and guided her back to the bed. "I understand why you're so upset. You're an older sibling, too. You can't remain calm when our little brothers are off wandering the dangerous world all alone. I'll bring them home, too. I promise you."

Fuyumi howled a protest, but it got garbled in her throat. Dabi wrapped a blanket around her, tight enough to bind her arms to her sides, and pushed her down on the bed. "There, there, little sister. I'll get Natsuo now. Shouto is going to be a little more challenging. Even the heroes don't know where to find him, and I've been monitoring their networks. But those idiots left Natsuo all by his lonesome."

"Please, don't! Let Natsuo be, please! I'll do whatever you want if you leave him alone!" Fuyumi struggled to sit up.

Dabi had turned away, humming as if he couldn't hear her. He walked straight through the steel wall, a quirk turning his body insubstantial.

Throwing off the blanket, Fuyumi ran forward and pounded on the wall. "Touya, please! Don't do this! Please!" She screamed until her throat gave out. But Dabi was long gone.

After putting Tenko in contact with the rescue team, there was once again nothing for Natsuo to do except wait.

Natsuo went to bed early, then tossed and turned, unable to fall asleep. He kept remembering playing with Touya as a child. He remembered seeing the burned ashes left on Sekoto Peak. His mother had tried to stop him, but he'd looked anyway. He'd had nightmares for years about how much anguish Touya must have suffered as he'd burned alive. It did not seem possible that Touya could have survived that inferno. But…if there was even the smallest chance…even if Touya came back as a villain…if only he could live…

"Touya," Natsuo murmured, squeezing his eyes shut harder to prevent tears from leaking out.

"I'm here, little brother." A scarred hand touched his cheek.

Natsuo's eyes shot open. Dabi lay on the bed next to him, on top of the sheets, a soft smile on his face. This close, Natsuo could clearly recognize his older brother's features under the scars. Suddenly, he could see what Tenko had seen. His mouth opened, but only a gurgle came out. The whole world felt strange and blurry. This could not be real.

Stroking Natsuo's hair, Dabi said, "Just like old times when I used to crawl into your bed to complain back when we were kids, right? I was summoned by your tears—and how our father hasn't changed the security system since I died. That was a big help."

"T-Touya?" Natsuo whimpered.

Dabi's grin widened. "You caught on faster than Yumi. This is why you're the one who gets me."

"I already had a big clue," Natsuo said numbly. Reality started to reassert itself, and with it his anger. "You'd better not have hurt Yumi!"

"She's fine. I'll let her reassure you herself." Dabi fastened a hand over Natsuo's face, and the flashing light brought unconsciousness.

Toshinori Yagi was in the police conference room when Endeavor received the message that his middle son had been kidnapped, too. The text arrived on Toshinori's phone at the same time. He watched as Endeavor's face crumpled and knew why. Endeavor sat with his head down and his arms hanging slack. He looked like a broken man.

Just months after becoming number one hero, Endeavor's dream had turned into a nightmare. Toshinori had enough self-awareness to know he was the last person Endeavor would want to receive comfort from. Instead, he stepped out of the room and called his successor.

Izuku picked up just before the call went to voicemail. He sounded breathless. "All Might, I'm sorry about running away from U.A. Are you angry?"

"I'm not angry. If anything, I'm proud of you," Toshinori said. "I picked you as my successor because of your natural heroism. Of course you would want to help a friend after his sister got kidnapped, even if it meant breaking the rules. You're a true hero." His tone sobered. "But the situation has changed. Natsuo Todoroki has been kidnapped, too."

On the other end, Izuku inhaled sharply.

Toshinori continued, "There's a pattern now. Shouto Todoroki will almost certainly be the next target. The cameras around the Todoroki mansion caught a silhouette that confirmed Dabi to be the culprit. Tenko has a very disturbing theory about Dabi's motivations. It's simply not safe for you, Young Todoroki, and your other friends to be running around the streets. I know you want to help, but Dabi has access to All for One's resources and you won't stumble over him randomly. You're not doing any good, and you're putting your friend in danger. Shouto Todoroki needs to get behind U.A.'s walls, where it's safe."

Izuku sighed. "I know, you're right. I'll convince Todoroki. The news about his brother will devastate him—he's already very broken up about his sister."

"I promise we will include you and your friends in the search. We'll keep you updated and we'll find ways for you to help." Even if it was busywork, Toshinori would find something. "Tell me as soon as you get back to U.A., because you and young Todoroki need to talk to Tenko."

After securing a promise, Toshinori hung up. Next he called Tenko, who was very distraught and blaming himself for leaving Natsuo alone. Then Toshinori headed to the Todoroki mansion to look for clues.

Toshinori would regret for the rest of his life that he'd told Izuku U.A. would be safe.

OMAKE TIME!

Omake: The Crack Ending

Dabi: I'm here to kidnap—ow!

Fuyumi: (Whacking him with a slipper) That's for trying to take over Japan, and that's for attacking me, and that's for never telling me that you're alive!

#

Omake: A Villain's Favorite Genre

Natsuo: Holy shit bro, do you have to creep up on me like a monster from a horror movie? You nearly gave me a heart attack.

Dabi: Count yourself lucky that my love of horror emerged dominant. All for One wanted to dress up like a demon king to kidnap you.

Natsuo: Was the comedy genre not an option? Or what about family friendly slice of life?

#

Omake: Battle of Wills

Illusion:

Tenko: It's a testament to Dabi's strength of will that he could resist an ancient supervillain and come out dominant.

Reality:

All for One: I'm going to become a villain just like the Demon King from my comic.

Dabi: Captain Hero went out of print a decade ago.

All for One: NOOOOOOOOOOOO!

#

Omake: The Encounter Class 1-A Narrowly Escaped

Dabi: (Pointing at Katsuki) Second is out to steal my brother again!

Katsuki: I am absolutely not.

Dabi: (Pointing at Izuku) I see you using Fa Jin, green-haired Third! I know you're just waiting to pounce on my brother and make out with him in front of me. I see the lust in those perverted little eyes.

Shouto: Big brother, I will surrender if you stop humiliating me.