Akane awoke to the sound of screaming. She felt like she had just shut her eyes when she was suddenly jolted back to consciousness. As she sat up, she saw Eris staring attentively down the hallway, the same one Shigaraki had rushed to when they first arrived.
"No…no... No?! Fuck!" She could hear him yelling from the other room, followed by a crashing noise like something breakable being thrown.
Akane quickly looked around for the rest of the League, trying to gauge what was going on. They were all gathered around a TV across the room from her. Magne, Spinner, and Twice had woken back up while Dabi was still unconscious a few feet away from her.
The TV seemed to be playing live footage of All Might and All For One's fight. All For One was unconscious on the ground, while All Might, at least what looked like All Might but much skinnier, almost emaciated, stood over his body.
"Now it's your turn." The man said, pointing at the cameras. All For One's unconscious body was then bound and dragged towards a heavily armored police vehicle. The footage cut off then while the news anchors talked about how he would be sent to the maximum security prison, Tartarus.
"Damn it!" Tomura screamed from the other room. Akane could hear Kurogiri's voice too, sounding like he was trying to comfort the boy, but he was cut off by another sound of crashing and glass breaking.
Dabi, who had been unconscious through everything thus far, bolted up at the sound of glass breaking. His expression was fierce, with fireballs in both hands as he looked around frantically.
"Dabi, it's ok. We're safe." Akane said, moving into his line of sight and placing her hand gently on his shoulder for a brief moment, trying to snap him back to reality. His face softened slightly as she touched him. He put out his fire, and took a steadying breath as she removed her hand from him.
"Aka…Kana, what happened?" He asked, looking around the room, taking in the unfamiliar surroundings.
"Well, we were trapped by the heroes, but Tomura's master, All For One, teleported us and Bakugo to his location across town. All Might eventually followed and caught up to us. Then Bakugo got away. So All For One sent us here while they fought." She looked back at the TV, the news was replaying bits of the fight now. Dabi turned to look too, seeing All For One defeated in a devastatingly powerful punch.
"So we lost. But we're still alive. If it wasn't for that old bastard…" He said, trailing off while standing up, rubbing the back of his head where Gran Torino had kicked him.
"Yeah, that old guy got us good! I barely felt a thing." Twice called from the couch on the other side of the room. Akane and Dabi walked over to join the others.
"Welcome back, Dabi. It seems our little show might be at an end." Compress said, gesturing at the TV. There was silence as the group watched. The reporters were letting people know that other members of the League were still on the run as their real names and pictures of them flashed across the screen.
"Getting around is going to be a lot harder now…" Akane commented. Dabi still seemed to be the only person they hadn't figured out yet.
"Should we go check on Shigaraki? It's been quiet in there for a while." Spinner noted, looking towards Tomura's room.
"Was that guy like his dad or something?" Toga asked. No one in the room seemed to have an answer. If anything, Kurogiri seemed like he would fill that role.
"Well, let's go check on the kid then." Big Sis Mag said, getting up from the chair she was in. Spinner and Compress followed behind her.
"Who cares? I do hope he's alright. Let's go Toga!" Twice called out as he headed towards the room, Toga right behind him. Akane gave a hand signal for Eris to follow and keep watch.
She was about to join them herself, but before she got to the hall, Dabi reached out his arm and stopped her.
"You're bleeding again."
Akane froze and looked down at her bandaged arm. He was right, red was steadily soaking through the white of the bandages, but it wasn't severe. Given all the action from just an hour ago, she wasn't surprised her wounds had reopened.
"Shit. Thanks for the heads up." She said, scanning the doors of the hallway until she saw an open bathroom a little further down. She walked in and flicked the light switch while starting to look for any first aid supplies. Luckily, there was a kit under the sink. She pulled it out and began unwrapping her bandages.
Dabi had followed and stood in the doorway silently for a moment before speaking up.
"Here. Let me do it." He said, grabbing some of the medical supplies from the counter.
"You don't have to-" Dabi cut her off before she could finish speaking.
"If anyone knows how to deal with burns, it's me." He said in a hushed voice.
She relented, looking closer at the burn scars that covered most of his body. She had never asked what happened to him. The League made a habit of not asking for more information from each other if it wasn't freely given. It had to have been horrific though, with how much those scars covered his body and face, but they did look well taken care of all things considered.
She hopped up on the sink, and rested her arm on her knee, giving him easier access to tend to her injuries. He continued unwrapping her bandages, throwing them into a trash can by the sink when he was done. Her arm was steadily bleeding, but he wiped away the new and dried blood with a wet cloth. She hadn't actually seen the damage to her arm yet. The cut had been deeper than any she had before, there was bruising around her jagged charred together skin. Had it not been what saved her life, it would have been a gruesome sight.
"Thanks again." She said quietly.
"You don't need to do that." He responded flatly.
She nodded at him, picking up that he didn't seem to like acknowledgement for helping others, like he wasn't used to it. He pulled out a tube of medicated burn gel from a pouch attached to his belt and gently started applying it to her arm.
"With All For One down, I'm not sure what comes next. Nothing we did went to plan, and Shigaraki doesn't seem in the best state." She said, bracing against the stinging pain in her arm.
"With or without the League, I've got my own goals I plan to follow through." He remarked. She flinched as he hit a particularly painful spot, and he looked up at her apologetically.
"Well, if this all goes to hell and you need an ally for your plans, let me know." He had saved her life, she still felt indebted to him even if the score was even now.
He was quiet in thought for a moment as he finished cleaning her burns and started rewrapping her arm.
"You're still intending on going after Endeavor, right?" He asked, breaking the silence.
"That's the idea, yeah."
She sighed.
"He was there tonight. I didn't actually see him, but he was one of the heroes waiting outside for us. If I could have broken out of that wood guy's hold…" She trailed off, feeling herself getting angry. Dabi finished tying off her bandages, his expression had stiffened somewhat as she spoke before relaxing again.
"Even if the League splits up, I'll be there when you go after him then." He said, his voice sounding a little harsher, but he gave her a half smile, his turquoise eyes staring into hers.
"Thanks, that means a lot. I've been on my own for…a long time now." Akane did her best to smile back at him through the pain and exhaustion that was settling in. Ever since the forest, there was something different in the way he was treating and looking at her. She couldn't quite place what it was. At first, she thought he was just disappointed or angry at her for getting hurt on the mission. But, with how he was talking now, that didn't seem to be the case. There was tension, but it wasn't negative.
"We should get back to the others." She said, hopping down from the counter. She looked down and rotated her arm around, admiring his work. He definitely had some experience with this.
He nodded his head in response and led the way to Shigaraki's room.
They entered Tomura's room as quietly as they could. Eris had been keeping watch in the doorway. Akane patted her head as she walked by, still wanting her to stay back, given Shigaraki's current mood.
The room looked like any normal teenager's room would. A computer was set up against the wall, and there were shelves lined with books and action figures. Trash bags, empty water bottles, and cans were strewn about the room, and a recently broken mirror hung on the wall, glass surrounding it. Shigaraki was standing near his bed, wearing a hoodie with the hood pulled up. His arms were crossed, clutching each other tightly like he was comforting himself. His eyes were wide with a mix of fear and rage. The rest of the League was spread out across the room. Spinner and Twice were sitting on the floor, Kurogiri was standing not far from Shigaraki keeping an eye on out, and Magne had propped herself up on his desk.
Akane saw Compress and Toga talking quietly towards the back and joined them.
"-I thought the man was just a myth." She heard Compress whisper to Toga as she approached.
"How's he doing?" Akane asked.
"Well, he's been like that since we came in, but he hasn't kicked us out yet, so that's something. Toga was just asking about his master, All For One. Do you know anything about him, given your history at U.A.?"
"No, not really. U.A. didn't teach us anything about him. I've seen that name in a history book before, and I know he's something of an urban legend in the underworld. But, he has to be incredibly old if that guy was the same person." Akane tried to wrack her brain for any more information about him, but didn't come up with anything.
The man was incredibly powerful to have put All Might out of commission like that. He had abilities beyond anything she had seen before. With how strong he was, she was amazed that the public didn't seem to know anything about him.
Shigaraki spoke up, disturbing her thoughts.
"We're going to make them pay…" He growled. She wasn't sure if he was talking to the League or himself. Kurogiri walked up to him, placing a hand on his shoulder, Shigaraki didn't move away from the contact.
"That we will, Tomura. But for now, we should lie low and avoid the heroes. We can regroup and take our vengeance when their attention has shifted away from us." Kurogiri told the boy.
Shigaraki nodded.
"Yeah…right now they'd take us out all too easily. We need to level up before we face the final boss again."
The room was quiet for a moment before he spoke up again, actively addressing the League this time.
"We should split up for a while, it won't take them long to find this place, and if we're scattered they can't take us all out in one move. We can meet up again in a few weeks when they aren't hunting us down as aggressively."
"You're all welcome to rest here for tonight. We can go our separate ways once you get some sleep. I'll keep an eye out for the heroes if they come." Kurogiri said, beginning to walk out of the room.
"Shigaraki, do you want us to leave or stay here with you?" Spinner asked their leader hesitantly.
"Huh, I-" Shigaraki seemed startled by the question. The rage that had covered his face began to melt away as he looked around at the other members of the League, realizing they were still there.
"...you guys can stay. If you want." He said in a faint voice.
"Alright! Sleepover in Tomura's room! Big Sis Mag, come help me find some blankets." Toga exclaimed before skipping down the hall.
Mag chuckled to herself and followed after the younger girl. While Compress started using his quirk to get rid of all the trash scattered around the room, with Akane and Dabi helping him.
"Some calm music might help us unwind after everything that happened today. Let's put on a horror movie!" Twice said as he went to turn on Shigaraki's computer.
Shigaraki was frozen in the middle of the room, watching the others get everything set up. It seemed like he wasn't used to people doing kind things for him like this. Spinner wordlessly handed him a pair of two-fingered gloves that were sitting on a shelf. Akane figured he knew where they were kept, given that Spinner was the only one who had been here before since the two sometimes played video games together. With Shigaraki's quirk, wearing those gloves was really the only safe way for him to interact with most objects or people without decaying them.
Once Shigaraki had them on, Akane motioned for Eris to relax and come into the room. Toga and Mag came back moments later, both their arms piled high with blankets and pillows that Kurogiri helped them retrieve. They began dispersing them to everyone in the room. Twice ended up finding some movies on Tomura's hard drive and put on one about a demon that killed people inside their dreams, made before a time quirks existed.
Shigaraki had finally relaxed a little and was sitting on the edge of his bed with Spinner, while the heteromorph talked to him about video games, trying to keep his mind occupied. No one else talked much as they began settling in for the night. They were all exhausted and in pain, and their future was uncertain. But those were things they could worry about tomorrow. For now, they were safe and content in each other's company. Even though none of them knew what to say, they weren't going to leave their leader to suffer on his own.
Akane woke when the morning light began to just barely shine through the curtains of Shigaraki's room. Besides Twice snoring, the room was relatively quiet and peaceful. Toga was wrapped around Akane's right arm, biting her gently in her sleep. While Eris was curled up on her left side. Dabi wasn't too far from them, his back leaned against the wall and his head resting against his knees. The position couldn't have been comfortable, but he wasn't the type to let his guard down even when asleep. The two had been making light jokes about the movie and how he resembled the burnt dream demon before she had fallen asleep.
Akane gently removed herself from Toga's grip without waking the girl, and Eris sleepily looked up at her and stretched out a little before closing her eyes again. In her sleep, Toga wrapped an arm around the dog in place of Akane.
She stood up as quietly as she could without waking the others. It seemed like Mag had fallen asleep with her head on Compress' chest, and Twice was sprawled out next to them, his arm against Compress' face.
She turned to see that Shigaraki had fallen asleep sitting against the wall on his bed, with his head resting peacefully on Spinner's shoulder. Despite how terrifying he could be, he looked almost gentle while he slept. The morning light illuminated his softer features under his messy hair. Spinner was the only one awake besides her. He gave her a small wave, and she smiled at the two. If there had been enough light, she was sure she would have seen him blushing.
Akane left the room and made her way down the hall, smelling the comforting scent of coffee brewing. She walked in to see Kurogiri making a light breakfast with toast, eggs, and fresh fruit.
"Good morning, Kanashimi. Did you sleep well?" The shadowy man turned to ask her.
"You can just call me Akane now, Kurogiri. No need for a secret identity when the entire public knows I'm with the League."
"Understood. There's coffee in the pot, and breakfast is almost done. I also have some medication for pain set out for anyone who needs them after last night's events. When you're done eating, I can send a portal to wherever you'd like to hide out until the police slow their pursuit of us." He said, returning to his cooking.
"Thanks, that sounds great." Akane walked over to the coffee pot on the kitchen counter, grabbing one of the mugs already laid out.
Dabi entered the room as she finished pouring herself a cup. She downed some pain meds and then walked back to the dining area. Her arm still hurt like hell, and her limbs were sore from being constricted so tightly by Kamui Woods.
"Morning." He called out to both of them. "Kurogiri, can you set up a portal for me?"
"Would you like breakfast before you leave, Dabi?" Kurogiri asked politely.
He waved a hand dismissively. "No thanks, I want to get a head start out there before the heroes get to work on finding us. I'm going to try to find us some new recruits while we're separated."
Kurogiri nodded and stopped what he was doing as he readied a portal for Dabi.
Once it was open, he finally acknowledged Akane, looking back at her with an expression she couldn't place.
"Do you want to…" Dabi stopped himself from continuing. An almost sad look flashed across his face. He closed his eyes briefly before looking back at her with a sly smile.
"Don't get caught out there. I'll see you again soon."
Akane smiled back at him.
"Same to you. Going around unnoticed is what I'm best at."
He let out a small laugh, and then walked through. The portal closed shortly after. With her coffee still in hand, she sat down at the dining room table and wondered when she would see him or the League again.
Spotify Link: https/spotify.link/j1bDUes9KDb
Song Inspirations:
None of these songs fit the chapter exactly, they're more so for the weeks that everyone is separated from each other.
Afterlife by Holding Absence
I discovered this song a few weeks ago and I haven't been able to get it out of my head since. The lyrics fit both Dabi and Akane so well.
I know I'm out of sight
But am I out of mind?
And when I close my eyes
I dream I'll see you in the afterlife
Even when the life leaves your bones
Your soul will follow me wherever I go
It's in the way I feel your fire even when I sleep at night
I stay inside your glow
You'll live forever in the back of my mind
Re:Re: (From Erased) by AmaLee
This one is solely for Akane, just expanding on her feelings about losing Touya. Which she is definitely reflecting on while she's on her own.
I waited for you - And waited for you
And made a mistake I can never undo
And now I look back but then I lose track
I spent so much time I can never get back
Could wait forever, but then I won't learn
That memories fade, no matter how much it hurts
And on the inside, I feel my heart cry
I'm tearing at the walls in the corners of my mind
I still remember the tangle we were
But in the end, what did we give it up for?
It was something so small, worth nothing at all
But it was my everything and now I've lost it all
Now I will never get the chance to tell you
Know that, there's a scar with your name in my heart
That never will heal or fade with time
If it were to vanish, then I'd forget
But this scar in me, stays
As your laughter, it fades
I plead, so it won't be erased