About an hour after Akane woke up, Bakugo finally began to stir. Shigaraki had turned on one of the TVs in the bar that was currently playing press coverage of a panel of U.A. teachers. They seemed to be hosting the conference to make a public apology as the press questioned how they could be so negligent in letting twenty-seven students get injured during the League's raid of the forest training camp. Akane saw that Vlad was part of the press conference and laughed quietly to herself.
This must be tearing the poor guy up.
Despite how intimidating he looked, Vlad was a softie and much younger than he appeared. Akane used to respect him; he was a good teacher, and he had even helped get her a place to stay at U.A. when her Dad died. But now, she just felt disappointed in him and angry. In a cruel twist of irony, the man who had helped her the most on her journey to become a hero was also the one commanded by the Hero Public Safety Commission to inform her that she had lost her Hero License. They exploited their bond, and to Akane it seemed like Vlad did nothing to defend her against their claims. That was the last time she had seen him. Hearing his voice on the TV now only stirred up her resentment.
Out of the corner of her eye, Akane saw Bakugo's head begin to rise up, his eyes opening slowly in a daze between waking and sleeping. Thankful for the distraction, Akane motioned over to Shigaraki, alerting him that their guest was finally awake.
Shigaraki nodded his head in acknowledgment, turning in his chair to face them. Everyone else in the room seemed to notice the shift of energy in the air and prepared themselves for what was likely to be a tense conversation. Compress reached down to the sleeping Eris at his feet and marbelized her before tucking her away in one of his pockets. They had discussed earlier that if the conversation went south, a growling dog who didn't understand what was going on might not settle the tension. And it would be safer for her if a fight broke out.
As Bakugo started looking around the room, confusion and then anger were visible on his face as he realized where he was. The conference on the TV was discussing the threat the League posed now that they had successfully kidnapped a student right from under the teacher's noses only months after they had broken into the school itself.
"I'm so grateful to the media for all the free publicity lately." Shigaraki said, staring at Bakugo behind the hand covering his face from his seat at the bar. Dabi and Akane stood defensively on either side of him, keeping watch in case the kid somehow broke out of his restraints and decided to attack.
Bakugo was silent, glaring daggers at everyone in the room.
"Let's get right to business, Katsuki Bakugo, wannabe hero. Will you join the League of Villains?" Shigaraki asked, an air of menace emanating from him.
"You can shove your offer and go to hell." The teenager growled back at him with a smile full of rage.
Shigaraki was quiet. Akane could only guess he was annoyed under the hand covering his face. She had still yet to see him without it.
The conference resumed on the TV, and the press continued to berate the U.A. staff about their negligence while they made a brief statement about how they had upped surveillance at the school.
"Well, isn't that strange? The heroes are becoming the bad guys. Seems like they're not dealing with this very well at all—so much criticism. But everyone makes a mistake or two, right? It's not like they're supposed to be perfect. Modern-day heroes sure have it rough. Don't you think Bakugo?" Shigaraki posed the question to the kid.
"The minute that protecting people started coming with a paycheck, heroes stopped being heroes. That's what Stain has taught us." Spinner added from the back of the room.
"Take it from me, I speak from experience. The second you make a mistake, those heroes you look up to so much will turn their back on you. They don't even support their own friends. How are we supposed to believe that they actually care about civilians instead of just a paycheck?" Akane said, crossing her arms in front of her.
"A hero in this current system only cares about money and glory. And since society buys into those idiotic rules, anyone deemed a loser is shoved aside. Our war is based on a few simple questions. What is a hero? What is justice? Is this society truly fair? Soon, everyone will be asking. That's when we'll know we've won. And I know you love to win." Shigaraki said, staring at Bakugo intensely.
Bakugo only let out an angry huff in response.
"Dabi, let him go." Shigaraki commanded.
"You know he'll just fight." Dabi pointed out, confused by their leader's request.
"That's fine. We're recruiting him, so we should treat him as an equal. Besides, he's smart enough to know he can't take us all, right? After all, U.A. students are so clever." Shigaraki reassured him.
Akane agreed with Dabi, the kid would definitely try to attack. If nothing else, U.A. did teach its students to never give up and to fight back at all costs. She braced herself, even though she might be a bit restricted with only one arm being useful currently. Luckily, the painkillers Compress had given her were doing their job, and she only felt a slight stinging pain in her left arm.
"Hey, Twice. You do it." Dabi suggested.
"Sure thing, no way." The masked man said as he shook his head.
"Do it." Dabi told him again in a more commanding tone.
"Oh, man…" Twice grumbled as he walked over, bending down to undo the kid's handcuffs.
"I do apologize for such forceful measures, but please understand that we aren't some kind of unruly mob committing crimes without a third act in mind. We didn't kidnap you by accident." Compress explained, trying to pacify Bakugo long enough to hear them out.
Twice finished unlocking the shackles, and they clattered loudly to the ground. Bakugo rubbed his wrists now that he was unrestrained.
Shigaraki continued speaking as he got out of his chair and walked towards Bakugo.
"Even though our backgrounds are different, everyone here has suffered. Because of people. Rules. And heroes who try to hold us back. We've felt suffocated. You more than anyone should-"
As soon as Shigaraki was within striking range, Bakugo reached out and set off an explosion right in Tomura's face, causing the detached hand covering it to go flying off.
"Shigaraki!" Twice called out, concerned.
Akane reflexively extended a blade out of her right arm, ready to put an end to the kid.
"I'm done listening to your endless talking. Can you not get to the point, or do you just like the sound of your own voice? Basically, what you're saying is you wanna cause some trouble, and you want me to join you. Well, fuck you. I like to win. I wanna win just like All Might. No matter what you have to offer me, that will never change, do you understand?!" Bakugo yelled out condescendingly.
Shigaraki didn't react. He was staring down at the hand that flew off his face a few feet to his right.
"Father…?" Akane heard him mumble under his breath.
The room was still as the rest of the League waited for Shigaraki's next command. In the silence, she could hear the press conference continue on. The reporters seemed to be asking about the kidnapped student. No one in the bar made a move for a moment as they all listened.
"Can you provide proof that that boy still has a future? That he won't be manipulated by the League? We all saw his violent behavior at the Sports Festival." One reporter commented.
A teacher, Eraserhead Akane realized, responded back. "Any lapse in his behavior is my failing. Still, he acted that way at the Sports Festival because he has such strong convictions and ideals. More than anyone, he pursues the title of top hero with everything he's got. If the villains mistake that for a weakness, then their thought process is indeed superficial."
Nezu, the small mouse who happened to be the principal, finished their statement.
"We're hardly approaching this passively. Currently, I am personally cooperating with the police in their ongoing investigation. Make no mistake, we will retrieve the student who was taken from us."
"Huh? Did ya hear the teachers? They get me more than I thought. I'll never join your League of Bastards! We may not be at camp, but I'm still allowed to fight!" Bakugo shouted, getting into a fighting stance. A cocky grin spread across his face.
"He must have figured out he's important to us. Clever boy." Mag noted.
"No. He's a fool." Dabi said coldly, glaring at the student.
"Let me stab him!" Toga yelled excitedly from behind the bar.
Akane looked over at Toga and shook her head. "Not yet." She told the younger girl. Toga pouted at her response, seeming bored of the situation.
"A clever performer would have acted like we were winning him over. Now that he's broken character, he's finished." Compress shrugged, clearly disappointed.
"I only do whatever I want to, and I won't even pretend otherwise. And I'm tired of being surrounded by a bunch of lame-ass wannabes." Bakugo growled at them, sparks beginning to appear from his hands—that same unshakable confidence still on his face.
Tomura hadn't moved, still staring at the detached hand on the ground. He began to reach out his own hand in front of him.
"No, Tomura Shigaraki, you must be calm!" Kurogiri yelled in a panicked voice, beginning to rush over to the boy to stop him from attacking.
Shigaraki put his hand in front of Kurogiri to stop him and anyone else from approaching, still remaining calm. Akane wasn't sure what the hands on his body were for or what they meant to him, but she noted, given Kurogiri's response, that they must typically cause a violent reaction from Tomura when they're messed with.
"Don't lay a finger on him. Any of you." Shigaraki commanded as he picked up the hand off the floor and gently placed it back on his face.
"This hero is still a valuable piece. I wish you would've listened to what I had to say. I thought you and I could come to an understanding." Shigaraki sighed, trying to hide the annoyance in his voice.
"What, you think we're the same? Not a chance." Bakugo sneered at the villain.
"Then I have no choice. The heroes said they'd continue their investigation of our group, so we don't have time to stand here and talk." Shigiraki looked back at the computer monitor sitting on the bar at the back of the room.
"Master, lend me your power."
A new voice Akane didn't recognize began to come from the monitor, startling her slightly. She knew the League had some secret benefactor, but she had yet to encounter them, until now.
"That is a wise decision, Tomura Shigaraki." The voice complimented him.
Akane wondered just how much the man on the other end listened in on the League. She didn't like not knowing she was being watched. Dabi locked eyes with her briefly, giving her a look that said he didn't know what to think of the situation either.
"A master? I thought you were the boss around here. But you're a sidekick." Bakugo laughed sarcastically.
"Kurogiri, Compress. It's time to put him back to sleep." Shigaraki told the group.
"I can't believe he's such a bad audience member. It's almost impressive." Compress said as he walked towards them.
"You don't realize it yet, but you chose to put your faith in the wrong people." Akane glared at the kid. She moved to stand between him and Shigaraki, holding her blade out as a threat in case he decided to attack again.
"If you want me to listen, get on your knees and beg!" Bakugo yelled at them, prepared to fight.
The air was thick with tension until a sudden knock came from the bar's front door. They all turned and stared in confusion.
"Hello, I got a pizza delivery here." A voice called out from behind the door.
Everyone stayed still, looking around at each other. Maybe the guy was given the wrong address, Akane thought to herself. Spinner went to move towards the door, but as he took his first step, the wall beside him came crashing down over him and Compress as someone burst through the building, causing the very foundations to shake. A large man with blonde hair towered over all of them. It could only be All Might. The Number One hero himself had arrived.
"What the?" Spinner mumbled, rubbing his head as he tried to stand up.
"Kurogiri! Warp us!" Shigaraki yelled in a panic.
Kurogiri didn't get the chance to move before giant tree branches burst through the opening All Might made in the concrete wall, wrapping around Kurogiri first, then seizing everyone else in the room. The thick branches were coming from a new hero Akane had seen briefly in some news clips. His body seemed to be made entirely of wood. A branch grabbed her before she could dodge out of the way. Akane's limbs were bound so tight she couldn't move. The blade in her arm was rendered useless. Even if she could move enough to cut her way through, her body was still recovering from blood loss, and she could end up opening her wounds again.
Akane saw smoke as Dabi started catching the branch binding him on fire. She trusted that he could easily handle burning through their restraints so they could make their escape
"That's it? Like this could hold…" He didn't get to finish his sentence as a short old man in yellow seemed to appear out of thin air, kicking him hard in the back of the head. Dabi's body went limp, his eyes were wide and bloodshot. It seemed that he immediately passed out on impact.
Fuck.
"Don't do anything foolish. It's in your best interest to cooperate with us." The old man warned them.
Akane hoped Dabi was okay. Any hope of an easy escape was beginning to fade with him and Kurogiri out of commission. The heroes wouldn't actually kill them here, would they?
"Just what I'd expect from a competent new hero, and a veteran pro who moves faster than the eye can see. You can't run any more League of Villains, understand? Because we are here now!" All Might's voice boomed as he looked proudly at his companions.
"Right after the press conference? They had this ruse planned the whole time!" Compress exclaimed.
"Tree man, you're hugging me too tight! Harder!" Twice yelled next to her.
Akane was thankful she and Compress had the foresight to hide Eris away before all of this. She didn't want to imagine what might have happened otherwise.
"One tends to neglect defense when they're on the offense, but we didn't come alone." A man with long gray hair in a red and blue ninja costume said as he came through the door, with a handful of police following behind him. Akane recognized him as Edgeshot. When she was a student, she had actually done a brief internship with his agency. She had always liked him, he was one of the only top pros she considered genuine. But she was prepared to kill him to protect the League if she had to.
"We brought the police and powerful heroes such as Endeavor." Edgeshot continued as Akane began to hear the sound of helicopters and police sirens outside. Her heart started beating faster, rage building up in the back of her mind. The reason she joined the League, the reason Touya was gone, was right outside this building. And she couldn't get to him.
That bastard…
Akane tried to desperately think of a way out of this mess. She wouldn't lose the League. She was just starting to trust and enjoy being around other people again. Compress, Twice, Spinner, Toga, and Dabi didn't deserve whatever punishment the heroes might dish out. They weren't mindless goons looking for profit. They all deserved better than what life gave them. She could barely move, but her blade was still active. She did her best to start sawing frantically through the wood wrapped around her without the heroes noticing. If she could bust out and take out Kamui Woods, that might give Kurogiri enough time to teleport them all out of here.
"Ah, you must have been scared, but you stayed strong. I'm sorry. You're safe now, young man." All Might addressed Bakugo, patting him gently on the shoulder.
"What? I wasn't scared, not even close!" Bakugo snapped at the hero.
Shigaraki finally spoke up, having been silently seething since they got captured.
"After I went through all the trouble of preparing this, the final boss goes and shows up on my doorstep. Kurogiri! Warp over as many as you can!" He screamed at the shadowy man.
"The Nomu, right?" All Might asked calmly.
There was silence. Kurogiri hadn't activated any portals.
"What are you waiting for, damn it?!" Shigiraki yelled.
"I'm sorry, Tomura Shigaraki. The Nomu were supposed to be in a fixed location, but they're gone." Kurogiri said with remorse.
"What?" Shigaraki asked, startled at the information.
"It seems you have a lot to learn, Shigaraki. You're still green. Your little League underestimated all of us. The soul of this young man. The police's diligent investigations. And our righteous fury. Enough is enough! The game has come to an end, Tomura Shigaraki." All Might told their leader in a confident voice.
"All Might, you're the only hero Stain respected." Spinner muttered, sounding defeated.
Akane believed in Stain's principles too, but she wasn't going to roll over for these heroes. She had her own goals set, most of which involved ruining the man right outside this building. She tried harder to cut her way through, but she was barely making progress.
"You think it's over, don't be stupid. I've only just begun to play. Justice, peace, you created a perfect society by lifting up such ridiculous ideals. That's why I targeted you, All Might. It's why I started gathering people to my cause. If you think this is the end, then you've lost. Kurogiri!" Shigaraki yelled out for his protector once more to help them escape.
There was a burst of wind, and then Akane saw Kurogiri's body jerk around like he had been electrocuted before he slumped over.
"What just happened? I didn't see anything. Did they kill him?" Mag asked, looking around with concern.
"I played around with his insides and knocked him unconscious. He was such a nuisance. He had to sleep." Edgeshot explained. Akane growled and kept trying to cut through the wood holding her, but it only got tighter, keeping her from making any more progress
"Weren't you listening earlier? You'll all be better off if you take us seriously. Kenji Hikiishi, Atsuhiro Sako, Shuichi Iguchi, Himiko Toga, Jin Bubaigawara, Akane Akiyama. Working with so little intel, and even less time, the police managed to figure out your secret identities. Get it? There is nowhere else to run. So, Shigaraki, where is your boss hiding?" Gran Torino asked demandingly.
This was her first time hearing her new companions' full names. She wasn't surprised the heroes had figured out who she was, she wasn't exactly hiding it well, and her quirk would immediately give her away. The alias 'Kanashimi' was only a precaution she used before she started trusting the League anyway. Akane did notice that they didn't seem to have Dabi's information, though. In any other situation, she'd have been intrigued by that.
Shigaraki was starting to get more panicked and violent. "You gotta be fucking kidding me. This can't…this can't… Defeated, just like that? No. No fucking way." He muttered to himself, his voice getting louder.
"Where is he?! Shigaraki!" All Might tried to yell over him.
"Get out of here, and go to hell! I hate you!" Shigaraki screamed at the heroes.
At that moment, two portals, much different than Kurogiri's, appeared behind Tomura. The portals looked like they were made of thick black tar. Two Nomu crawled out of them, while two more portals appeared on the other side of the room carrying more. The portals seemed to only be tied to the creatures attached to them instead of a location, as they disappeared once the Nomu had crawled completely out.
Akane heard the heroes react in shock at their new guests.
"Edgeshot! Did Kurogiri…?" Gran Torino asked, frantically.
"It wasn't him! He's out cold!" Edgeshot yelled back at the old man in a panic.
Three more portals materialized. The heroes couldn't keep up with the monsters.
"Don't you dare let them go, Kamui Woods!" All Might cried out.
Bakugo began coughing up that same tar. All Might ran over to the kid, but it was too late. Bakugo disappeared, taken wherever the portal had sent him.
"Master…" Shigaraki mumbled quietly, as he watched Bakugo disappear.
Toga started coughing up tar next. Akane shortly behind her, until all of the League members were coughing it up. The tar was suffocating, clogging up her throat. It almost felt like she was drowning.
"Damn it, they're all getting whisked away! Take me too!" She heard All Might yell before everything went dark.
Suddenly, she was falling, then she hit the ground hard, landing on her knees. She coughed up tar that had made its way down her throat. It tasted disgusting.
She looked around. They were in a new location entirely. The sound of sirens were far in the distance, the streets empty. All the other League members were recovering from the experience around her. Dabi was still passed out on the ground, but at least it looked like he was still breathing. She saw Bakugo standing beside a tall man in a suit, with a thick black helmet covering his head and neck.
"That was so gross!" Toga exclaimed, spitting out the sludge.
"This black stuff reeks! I love it!" She heard Twice to her right.
"I prefer Kurogiri's method of travel." Akane commented, coughing up the last bit of tar stuck in her throat. Once she felt like she could breathe again, she stood up and made her way toward Dabi. Kneeling beside him protectively in case they were attacked again. Her limbs were sore from being bound so tight, and her right arm was steadily bleeding from where her blade was still extended. But it seemed she and the rest of the League got away unscathed for the most part.
"So you've failed once more, Tomura. But you must not be discouraged. You'll try again. That's why I brought your associates back with you. Even this child, because you judged that he was an important piece on your game board. Start over as many times as it takes. I am here to provide you with help. All of this is for you." The helmeted man said as he walked over to Tomura. This must have been the man she heard from the monitor, Shigaraki's master.
The man abruptly paused and turned his head upwards as if he heard something before Shigaraki could respond.
"Ah, there you are, All Might."
Akane began to hear and feel wind rapidly approaching. Then All Might was upon them, attempting to punch the masked man. But he had grabbed All Might's fists before he made contact.
"I'll have to take back my student, All For One." All Might said, doing his best to fight against the other man who was holding him back.
Akane vaguely recalled that name from history books she read at U.A. He was a supervillain beyond renown decades ago, but there was no way he was still alive after all this time. It had to be a title that was passed down, or someone adopting the moniker.
"Come to kill me a second time, All Might?" All For One asked, pushing back against him.
The force of the two powerhouses pushing against each other caused a whirlwind that propelled the League members and Bakugo back several feet. Akane grabbed onto Dabi's jacket, trying to make sure he didn't get knocked into anything as they flew back.
Akane landed hard on the ground. The elbow of her burnt arm slammed into the dirt while she tried to prevent Dabi from hitting his head into a concrete wall. The impact knocked her arm painfully out of socket. She heard All For One and All Might exchange what sounded like insults back and forth, but she couldn't make out the words over the sound of their fighting.
All For One held out a hand and blasted All Might with incredible force through several buildings. Bakugo cried out the hero's name in concern.
"Don't fret. That won't be enough to kill him." He reassured the U.A. student before turning his attention toward Shigaraki.
"You need to flee Tomura. Take the boy with you. Kurogiri will help you escape." Long, sharp tendrils began to extend from All For One's hand as he spoke, arching over to Kurogiri like lightning, stabbing into his body in various places.
"Hey, the poor guy's been knocked unconscious. I'm not sure what's going on, but if you can teleport, why don't you teleport us out of here?" Magne asked uneasily.
"My warp power is still new, Magne. There is much I need to learn about it. Its distance is limited, and while he can teleport to specific coordinates, I only transport people to and from my own location. Or, with focus, to and from someone I'm very familiar with. That is all. It's easier to have Kurogiri do it." He spoke as Kurogiri's body seemed to writhe in pain.
Akane hoped he was still alive, she was truly uncomfortable with the way All For One was forcibly using his quirk. She sensed something much darker in him than in any of her comrades, and a cold chill went down her spine.
This was who they were working for? Tomura was a little unstable, sure. But for the most part, she agreed with his vision for the future. All For One was something entirely different. She didn't know what his endgame was or what his motives were, but she didn't trust him.
A second later, a large shadowy portal opened behind them, and All For One retracted the tendrils stabbing Kurogiri back into his hand.
"Leave this place." He told Shigaraki.
"What about you?" Shigaraki asked him, sounding worried.
The wind whipped around them again as All Might had just made his way back. All For One easily dodged a punch aimed at him.
"You're not thinking, Tomura. There remains much room for you to grow." He said as he held off All Might.
"You're mine!" All Might yelled, finally landing a hit on the masked man.
"Master!" Shigaraki cried out.
Compress quickly ran over to Akane and Dabi. He bent down to compress Dabi into a marble before handing him and Eris off to her. Akane tucked them away in her jacket pocket. Now that she didn't have to worry about guarding him, she shifted her shoulder back into place. If they made it out of this, she was going to be in a lot of pain in the morning. The two older men continued fighting in the distance.
"Let's go, Shigaraki! While our masked leader is keeping All Might entertained. Claim your prize!" Compress said, trying to snap Tomura out of it as he hadn't moved, stuck watching his master fight.
Toga and Twice took the initiative and went to grab Bakugo to force him into the portal. But before they could reach him, there was a loud bang from the alleyway. Three people were suddenly flying through the air thirty feet above them. A red-headed boy with them extended his arm towards Bakugo from above and yelled for him.
"Come on!"
Bakugo immediately launched himself into the sky with explosions bursting out of his palms to reach his saviors, whom Akane could only assume were other students. He was faster than the League could keep up with.
"Why do you keep showing up everywhere?" Shigaraki growled, glaring at the kids flying off in the distance.
"Don't let them get away! Who can do distance?" Compress asked, looking around at the others.
"Kurogiri and Dabi, but they're both down." Spinner stated.
"You two come here," Magne called over to them.
But before Mag could do anything, the three of them and Twice seemed to be struck by something, knocking all of them unconscious at once. Gran Torino had reentered the battlefield.
"Three left over here. I'll handle them." The old man told All Might.
Toga, Shigaraki, and Akane were the only ones still left standing. Toga looked scared, something Akane had never seen from her before.
"Tomura, Kana, I do not wanna die in this place!" She said, looking between the other two, her arms anxiously folding in on herself.
Akane ran over and put herself in front of Toga, her blade still out and ready.
"We're not dying yet. The heroes may have the upper hand, but I'm not losing anyone tonight." She tried to assure the younger girl.
All For One deflected one of All Might's blows, pushing him back long enough for him to speak to Tomura again.
"They got us, turned the tide of this battle with a single move." He observed. He extended the tendrils from his hand again, shooting them into Magne, forcibly activating her quirk. With Toga and Akane nearest to the portals, the bodies of the unconscious boys and Mag came flying towards the two. Akane quickly retracted her blade, not wanting to accidentally hurt the others.
"Hey! Watch out, you guys, you're coming too fast!" Toga exclaimed before the boys smacked into both of them, pushing them all into the portal. They landed on the other side, hitting the wooden floor of a house.
Tomura was the last one through a few seconds later, causing the portal to close. His eyes were wide, full of fear. He paused, staring at where the portal had just been before quickly running to another room in the house.
Akane took a deep breath, relaxing her aching body on the cool floor. It was quiet. They were safe, and they had all made it out of there alive. She wasn't sure what would happen to All For One during his fight with All Might. He seemed to be losing, but honestly, she didn't care. She was disgusted with how he was using the other members of the League like tools instead of people. She was worried about Tomura, though. She didn't know his relationship with the man, but he seemed incredibly dependent on him. If All For One fell to the heroes, she wasn't sure what would become of the League.
Akane checked her pockets while lying on the ground, making sure she still had the marbles Dabi and Eris were in. She pulled them out and placed them on the floor beside her.
The rest of the League seemed to be okay as well. Kurogiri had woken up and followed after Tomura. Magne, Spinner, and Twice were still passed out, piled on the floor on the other side of the room. Toga had stood up and was dusting herself off. While Compress was sitting on the ground a few feet away, holding his head in pain. He noticed Akane looking at him and snapped his fingers, releasing Dabi and Eris.
The doberman flinched as she popped back into reality. She looked around confused, sniffing the unfamiliar air. Once she realized it was safe, she trotted over to Akane. Whining affectionately as Akane scratched behind her ears.
Dabi was still unconscious next to her, breathing steadily. Akane stared at him for a moment, trying to assess his injuries, but luckily he seemed fine.
Now we're even.
Akane's eyes started closing slowly, able to rest now that she knew her new family was finally safe.