Trigger Warning: Suicidal ideation and mention of assault.


Two weeks had passed since All for One's defeat, and All Might's retirement. With the Symbol of Peace gone, people began to get bold and petty crimes were on the rise. Fear and panic began to fester within the public. To combat their anxieties, some civilians got their hands on black market support gear to protect themselves, which almost always ended up causing more harm than good. And a quirk-enhancing drug called Trigger was quickly becoming a problem in major cities. The same type of drug Akane's mom had investigated with some unknown hero before her unfortunate accident fifteen years ago.

Fights on the streets became more common, and most local heroes were busy trying to clean up the mess. No one felt safe anymore. Luckily, the chaos made it easier for the League to slip through the cracks, unnoticed. Akane and Eris managed to get by and stay out of sight with relative ease, especially since they had already gotten used to dodging cops during Akane's stint as a vigilante.

Everyone tried to keep up with each other's locations as much as possible while waiting to regroup. Toga had a plan to go to U.A. to get blood from Izuku, the student she had a crush on that Tomura had also started taking an interest in. Mag had gone to visit her sister, and the others just tried to lay low in disguise in neighboring cities.

Akane was walking down an alley when Tomura sent out a message to them all that he was finally ready for them to regroup and plan their next move. He wanted them to meet in Osaka at an abandoned warehouse by a pier the next night. Only about an hour away from where Akane was hiding out. Apparently, All for One had bought out a number of condemned buildings all across Japan to have on reserve in case he needed them for storage or research, like the warehouse full of Nomu back in Kamino.

Kurogiri was currently busy hunting down some asset of All for One's for Shigaraki, so they weren't going to be able to portal over. With Akane already nearby, she agreed to stake it out early and make sure it was secure before the rest of the League arrived.

The next morning, she and Eris left for Osaka. The warehouse was in a near-deserted part of the city. There were signs posted in various places marking the building as condemned and warnings about trespassers being shot, but they were worn and looked like they were put up years ago. A single chain link fence circled the perimeter.

After hopping the fence, Akane and Eris made their way inside. Not much was left in the warehouse, just old crates, empty storage containers, and some dusty office furniture. There were signs on the upper levels that it used to be a place where squatters gathered with shredded blankets and food wrappers covering the floor, but they were long gone now. Akane's footsteps echoed through the halls of the decaying building as she and Eris made sure it was completely abandoned.

The place would serve well enough as a temporary base of operations for now. There was plenty of space, and as long as someone was on lookout, they'd be able to spot the police or heroes coming from a few miles away. The back of the building only led to a pier where the warehouse used to receive deliveries by cargo ships. By the time she was done checking everything, the sun was starting to set.

With the building secure, she went downstairs and stepped outside to the pier, watching the darkening purple-gold glow of the sunset reflect off the water. Eris hung back and guarded the doorway, listening for any threat that might approach the building. Akane checked her text messages and saw that none of the others would be there for at least another hour or two.

Knowing she'd have some time to herself, Akane took a seat by the edge of the dock, her legs dangling off the edge, listening to the gentle rocking of the waves. She hadn't had a moment to relax since the League split up. Even sleep didn't offer comfort, as she had only dreamt of Touya and the night he died for the last week. Being alone, in the silence, gave her time to think of the future and what the League might do next, but her thoughts kept drifting back to her lost friend.

The nightmares, in part, had to be caused by seeing that Endeavor had finally achieved a dream he had sought for so long that he bred children for it—becoming the Number One hero. It was to be expected, with All Might retiring and Endeavor being the Number Two hero for years, but seeing those words for the first time still made her blood boil. She was in a convenience store to steal some food when she saw that headline, and had to restrain herself and quickly leave before she broke the poor shop owner's T.V.

Endeavor didn't deserve that title, he never would, and he won it in the most pathetic way possible. She hoped that at least ate away at him, the fact that he was only granted the title because All Might stepped down, not for any heroic deed he accomplished. She wanted that to haunt him. Make him feel as small and pathetic as she knew he was.

However, under all the anger she felt, was grief. Sometimes it felt ridiculous, mourning a boy who had been dead nearly twice the amount of time she had even known him. But those five years with him in her life were everything to her. Despite all the terrible things that happened when they were kids, that was the happiest she had ever been. The only time in her life she had someone to rely on, to trust, and to have fun with.

With Endeavor becoming Number One, she had failed to keep her promise once again. It felt like all she had done since the night he died was fail him. She didn't get into Class A at U.A. She didn't even get close to ranking in the Top Ten of the Hero Charts. She lost her license only a few years after becoming a hero. Even joining the League of Villains resulted in failure. Endeavor was right outside their door, and she was powerless to do anything about it.

The sky continued to get darker as her thoughts consumed her. The gold glow of the clouds was quickly taken over by purple and dark blue as the sun sank lower. The colors reminded her of watching sunsets on the mountain where she and Touya would practice using their quirks in secret.

A heavy sigh escaped her lips. With the other League members still being a few hours away, she figured she'd have time to get lost in her own melancholy. At least for a while. She hadn't let herself actually feel those feelings in a long time. They were always just at the edge of her mind, occasionally sneaking through before she'd have to build that emotional wall up again. If there was anything she hated more than Endeavor and hero society as a whole, it was people seeing her vulnerable and weak. But with just her and the waves, and Eris standing guard, she could afford to break.

Akane unlocked her phone and searched through old photos and videos until she found what she was looking for. Pictures of her and Touya walking through Sekoto Peak, videos of them training and sparring matches they had, ridiculous selfies they took in brief moments of levity, along with some screenshots of texts they had sent to each other, and group pictures of them and his siblings playing. No matter how many phones she went through over the years, even if they were just burners, she always made sure to transfer these files over. They were all she had left of him.

The longer she looked through them, the more her emotions began to overwhelm her, and a hollow feeling spread. A few tears fell down her face that she didn't bother to wipe away. Sometimes it felt like she missed him more than she remembered him. The aching void in her heart had become more familiar than his face.

The sound of his voice and the color of his eyes had been getting harder and harder to remember as time went on. There were videos and pictures of moments she couldn't actually recall, as much as she wished she could. She had tried so hard not to let any part of him slip away and fade from her memory, but almost a decade had passed, and she couldn't hold on to everything. At least in these images, these captured moments of time, he was preserved.

After some time, Akane caught up to the last picture they had taken together. It was winter, and they were together in the forest. Touya had his arm draped around her shoulders. His turquoise eyes stood out amongst the white of his hair and the snow on the ground. Though they were smiling, their eyes looked tired, with less life to them than other pictures they had taken together. This must have been only a few weeks before he died. They had both been so stressed out back then; his mom just got sent to a mental institution for burning Shoto's face, and Akane's mom was finally nearing death's door.

You won't be alone for much longer, Touya. She thought as she continued to stare at the picture on her phone.

Did she actually want to die? She had been dealing with that question since the night she lost him. She had tried to join him in death a handful of times before getting into U.A., but either her father had found her and brought her to the hospital just in time, or her healing factor wouldn't stop working long enough to let her slip away into nothingness.

When she lost her hero license, she was tempted to try once more, but she couldn't leave Eris behind like that, and she didn't believe in any sort of afterlife. There was no other side for Touya to wait for her at, as comforting as that thought might be.

But, even so, did she still want that? All she really wanted out of this life now was to wipe Endeavor off the face of the earth. Make him suffer for what he put his son through. She couldn't imagine anything after that. Maybe she just assumed she would die in the attempt.

She wanted to at least help the League realize their goals too, she owed them that much. And she'd have to make sure Eris had a safe place to live out the rest of her life in peace. But if she accomplished those things, what was keeping her here after that?

She had been fighting her whole life with everything she had. And as much as she didn't want to admit it, she was tired.

Akane was so lost in those thoughts, in her grief, while looking at that picture, she didn't even hear the footsteps approaching behind her.

"Is that the friend you lost?"

Dabi had arrived early. He was only a few steps away from her and was staring down at her phone, absentmindedly petting Eris who was leaning into his side.

Akane flinched and turned to look at him, embarrassed that she was so consumed by her emotions that she didn't hear anyone coming through. Eris hadn't even alerted her.

Some guard dog you are.

If it had been a hero, she would have been done for. She wiped some of the still wet tears on her face away with her sleeve as best as she could without him noticing.

"Uh…yeah, that's him… Is everyone else here?" She asked, her voice shaking slightly. She quickly put her phone away as Dabi came to sit on the edge of the dock a few feet down from her. One leg propped up on the pier, his other leg dangling off the edge.

"No, just me so far. The others will still be a while."

"That's good then." She sighed. The sun had fully set now. The sky was pitch black, and bright stars shone above them. Eris returned to her post to wait for the other League members to arrive.

"So… where'd you end up going?" She asked him, regaining her composure and trying to hide the emotions she was feeling. She didn't want to appear weak in front of him of all people.

"Not far, really. Tried to find some new recruits to add to our numbers, but didn't find anyone worthy. I did get to burn some trash though." He laughed sarcastically before continuing. "What about you?"

"Nothing exciting on my end. Like I told you, I'm good at staying out of sight. I heard Toga managed to get some blood from one of the kids at U.A., so that's something."

"I guess so." He looked over at her and down at her bandaged left arm. "How's that doing?"

"Not too bad. Still stings a bit, but I heal a little faster than normal people, even with wounds not caused by my quirk." She extended said arm out. It had improved quite a bit since she last saw him, though she couldn't fight with that arm just yet without risking severe injury to the still healing burns.

The two were quiet for a moment, the gentle rhythm of the waves the only sound. They both stared off into the distance, enjoying the brief moment of peace before the others arrived.

Dabi eventually broke the silence.

"So, want to tell me why you really want to kill Endeavor?"

Akane froze for a split second, the blunt question catching her off guard.

"It's a long story… Like I said, he took away someone important to me. You don't really want to hear some tragic sob story, do you?" She asked, trying to play it off jokingly, even though the pain was fresh on her mind.

"We've got the time. And if we want to be of use to each other, it'd help me to know exactly what I'm getting myself into. He is the new Number One, after all." Dabi said. The last part had come out as a growl, and his cold blue eyes burned with anger.

Akane paused to think. He had a point. If they wanted to help each other's personal goals in addition to the League's, they needed more information about each other. She couldn't deny that she was curious about him. Though she got along with him the most, she knew less about him than anyone else. Other than that it seemed he had a grudge against the Number One hero as well. If there was anyone she could open up to, it might as well be him. Dabi had saved her life and looked out for her just as much as she had for him; he deserved to know whatever he wanted about her. Especially if he was going to help her enact her vengeance. And Touya's story deserved to be told. She had tried to get people to listen to her for years about everything he went through, about how awful Endeavor was, but no one ever cared enough to listen or believe her.

Now was her chance.

"I guess you're right... You sure you want the long version?" She asked, tilting her head at him.

"Every detail." He said with some intensity.

She took a breath and turned to fully face him while she spoke.

"The person he took away, my best friend, was Touya Todoroki. Endeavor's eldest child. Endeavor only wanted children to have an heir that could surpass All Might as the Number One hero, since he couldn't reach that goal himself. Until now…" That thought still filled her with anger, but she continued.

"He found a family with a long line of ice quirks and paid them off to marry their daughter. He wanted to produce a kid that could use both fire and ice to their fullest extent, so they could reach power he never could. Touya was the first. He didn't have his mother's ice abilities, but his fire was stronger than Endeavor's. So he put all those aspirations of surpassing All Might on his five year old shoulders and started training him. But Touya's quirk started to burn him as he got older. Enji quickly tossed him aside, believing he'd never be able to usurp All Might, and due to that, he wasn't worth paying attention to. So, he forced Touya's mom to keep having children until she had one with the power he was looking for. And after two other kids, Shoto came. Endeavor's little fucking masterpiece. You met him in the forest."

Akane's voice had started getting louder as rage slowly built within her. Dabi's face was blank as she spoke, but he seemed to be listening intently. She took a moment to calm down before she continued.

"We met when I was eight. My mom was sick, so my Dad and I moved to be near better hospitals. Both our families were fucked up, so we quickly grew close. We felt like we were the only ones who truly understood each other. Despite how much he hated his Dad, he wanted to prove to him that his existence wasn't meaningless. He was determined to be a hero, and I just wanted to watch him succeed. So we promised to become heroes together and started training to go to U.A. one day." She laughed sadly at the memory.

"Anyway… We spent a few years like that—school, training, venting about our lives. Things only got worse as we got older. My mom essentially died, and my dad became an alcoholic who barely realized I was there half the time. Endeavor began training Shoto, which caused Touya to be even more desperate to prove himself than usual. Then Touya's mom attacked Shoto, and Endeavor had her put away. Which just left him to look after the family, and…" Talking began getting more difficult as she got closer to how Touya met his end. She looked away into the distance of the ocean before speaking again.

"One day, Touya wanted me to come to Sekoto Peak, where we used to train, to show me something he had learned to do on his own. He was going to get his dad to come too. I had never seen him so happy… but, I couldn't make it… and apparently, when he told his dad, he yelled at him for using his quirk instead of actually listening. So, Touya ran off. Endeavor didn't go after him… And the whole mountain burned down with him…." Her voice broke as she spoke, and a couple of tears streamed down her face. She bit her bottom lip and dug her nails into the wood of the deck, trying to ground herself.

She looked back up at Dabi and saw that the burnt skin underneath one of his eyes was starting to bleed.

"What did you do after that?" He asked softly as he wiped the blood off his face.

She sighed heavily, the sadness shifting to annoyance.

"I tried to follow our dream alone. I got into U.A. and threw myself into training. He wasn't around to be Number One anymore, so I wanted to do it for him. And when I got there, I'd let the world know what a monster Endeavor was. After I left U.A. I did the hero thing for a while, but I wasn't good enough to even be in the Top Ten." She chuckled bitterly.

"I began to see how more heroes than just Endeavor were corrupt. Some paid criminals to commit crimes, only for them to catch them to improve their numbers. Some refused to help heteromorphs. A lot of them were only in it for fame and money. And, of course, there were more abusive spouses than just Endeavor. It began to wear down on me. One day, an old classmate from U.A.'s support course confided in me that a relatively popular new hero had assaulted her. She knew how outspoken I was about that sort of thing, and I tried to help her. Tried to get the HPSC to do something about him, but they told me there wasn't enough proof. Luckily, a few months later he and I showed up to the same crumbling building to help evacuate some civilians after an earthquake. Everyone inside survived, but I conveniently didn't save him." The memory of seeing him crushed under rubble, his pathetic face as he begged for his life while he slowly bled out, played through her mind.

"Sounds like you did something more heroic than any of those so-called Pros." Dabi complimented her.

Akane smiled.

"They could never prove I killed him, but they did take away my license after for 'failing to help a fellow hero' or some bullshit like that. With his death, more victims felt safe enough to come forward, so I felt like I had done my job. I don't have any regrets. But, having my license revoked left me with no way to make a living. All I had ever trained for was hero work. I didn't have any other skills. I was trying and failing at being a vigilante when I saw Stain's message. I realized I wasn't alone, that other people had been let down by heroes too. After so many years of no one listening or believing me, I finally felt like I could make an actual change. So I met with Giran, and got him to bring me to the League." She was silent after finishing her tale. She wasn't used to talking that long. Her throat was sore, and she felt emotionally exhausted from the raw feelings from earlier.

"So, you really did all of this for some kid that no one cared about who died ten years ago?" Dabi asked incredulously.

"Yeah…I guess I did…It's the least I could do for him, though. Endeavor wasn't the only one who failed him…" She said in a quiet voice as she glanced away from him and pulled her knees to her chest.

He tilted his head slightly at her.

"What do you mean?"

"I was supposed to be at Sekoto Peak the night he died. I promised him I'd be there… But… my mom was dying, my dad forced me to go with him to the hospital. And I couldn't get in contact with him… I wasn't there. Touya died alone…We were supposed to protect each other, and I failed him. If I had just left the hospital, ignored my father…maybe he'd still be here…" Her voice caught as she spoke, a new wave of tears streaming down her face. The guilt had been eating away at her for years, but this was the first time she had ever gotten to say those words out loud.

The scars underneath Dabi's eyes began bleeding again. Blood dripped down onto his white shirt, staining it. There was a long silence before he responded.

"I don't…I don't think he'd blame you. You couldn't have known what would happen that night." Dabi said, his eyes distant. Blood continued to flow from his burns, but he didn't bother with wiping it away.

"I know he wouldn't… But, I still do. I can't let that go, not when I know I could have saved him…" She hugged her knees closer to her chest and had to take a shuddering breath to keep herself from crying more than she already was.

"If one of us had to die, it should have been me. He would have been so much better at all of this." She muttered quietly, mostly to herself.

Silence passed between the two. Akane couldn't think straight enough to keep the conversation going. A lot of heavy emotions were hitting her all at once, and her head was spinning. She didn't mean to break down like this while telling her story.

A few minutes later, they both got a text message. Shigaraki would be there in twenty minutes. Akane closed her eyes and rested her forehead against her knees, trying to recover. After a moment, she looked up to see Dabi standing above her, extending a hand out to her. His turquoise eyes stared into hers, a melancholic expression on his face. Right before she reached out to take his hand, an image of a boy with white hair extending his hand out to her as a kid on a sunny mountain after a break from training flashed through her mind.

"You ready to go?" He asked, smiling warmly at her.

"They'll be here soon, are you ready?" Dabi asked her.

Akane's heart skipped several beats. As she slowly took his hand and stood up, her eyes never left his. They were the same shade as Touya's. A unique blue-green that was the only trait he had inherited from Endeavor besides his fire.

He's dead…he can't be…

But things began to click in her mind in rapid fire. The burns covering his body, the way he fought, how she felt immediately drawn to him, the way he reacted when she brought up Endeavor.

How did she not see it before?

Time slowed down around her.

Dabi gave her a concerned look.

"Are you oka-"

"Touya…?" She whispered his name quietly, interrupting him. She could hear her own heartbeat pounding in her head as she hung on to blind hope like a lifeline.

He flinched as she said his name. His eyes searched hers. Seeing the recognition on her face caused his blank expression to melt away. His eyes lit up, and a smile that she would recognize anywhere spread across his face.

"...Akane!"

She didn't remember moving, but in the blink of an eye, she had thrown her arms around his neck and hugged him with enough force to spin them around. Clinging to him like she was afraid if she let go, he'd disappear again. He didn't react at first, long enough for her to almost let go, afraid she had reacted too soon and crossed a boundary. But just as that thought entered her mind, his arms wrapped tightly around her, one arm around her waist and a hand on the back of her neck, pulling her as close to him as he could. Tears spilled from her eyes as she buried her head into his chest, she could feel his heart racing through their embrace.

His face was still bleeding when she looked back up at him, his expression a mix of sadness and relief as he stared down at her. Looking at him now, she couldn't believe she didn't recognize who he was. He had grown up, his hair was darker, and he was covered in burn scars, but his main features were still the same.

She moved a hand up to wipe away the blood that was trailing down his cheek, like she had wiped away his tears so often before. But she hesitated just before she made contact. Really taking in the scars that covered his body. She had missed so much. Her hand hovered for a moment before he gently leaned his face into her touch.

"It doesn't hurt, I can't feel a thing." He assured her, almost sadly. Staring at her with the softest look on his face that made her heart clench in pain.

She wiped the blood away, feeling the difference between his rough, scarred skin, the smooth skin above his cheekbones, and the metal piercings that connected the two. Her hand settled on his face for a moment before she lowered it.

"How…How are you here?" She asked quietly through tears that continued to fall. Unsure if she was dreaming, or even dead herself. None of this felt real. Everything she had wanted for the last decade was right here in front of her, and he had been for weeks.

"That's another long story. And we don't have time. But, I am here. I promise I never meant to leave you behind." He said, voice heavy with emotion, close to breaking. He pulled her closer to him, his entire body trembled as he leaned his head on her shoulder.

That was all it took. This was real. The last bit of control she had over her emotions faded away, and a choked sob came out. All of those years they had lost. Everything she had been through. But he was alive.

Still holding her, he pulled them to the ground, his back leaning against an empty shipping container. He was running a shaking hand through her hair comfortingly, just like when they were kids, as he held her close to his chest while she cried.

"I can't believe you did all of that for me…" He whispered to her softly.

"You would have done the same." She mumbled back, trying to breathe normally again. "If I had known you were alive….I would have done anything to find you, Touya."

He simply nodded, then moved his free hand to wipe the tears from her face.

"I missed you so much, Akane. I'm sorry, I should have come back for you…"

The two held each other in silence, bathed in the light of the moon. Knowing they didn't have much longer till the others arrived, and they'd have to pretend this didn't happen.

There were a million questions running through her mind. Where had he been? What happened to him? Did he know who she was this whole time? There was so much left unsaid. But all of that could wait. The only thing that mattered now was that he was here, in her arms. She wasn't going to lose him again.


Author's Note:

We're finally here, the long-awaited reunion. This scene came to me months ago, and was what inspired me to start writing this story in the first place, even though I had never written fanfiction before. Hopefully I did it justice. If you've stuck around with me for this long, thank you so much for reading! I truly appreciate it.

I have some things going on in my personal life, so I will probably be taking a break from writing for a little bit. But, I promise I'll be back. I have so much more I want to do with this story.

Spotify Link: https/spotify.link/Wz5dQCDq8Db

Song Inspirations:

Rolling Girl by Lollia ft. RichaadEB

I think this song describes Akane's determination to keep fighting, despite every failure she's faced along the way, really well. And at the end, Touya's there saying she can finally rest.

"No problem" she tells herself today

But what she says repeats in the grey

Fail again, failing again

Fussing over mistakes she thinks would remain

But then she starts all over again

Just once more, just once more

What's the point of living if pain′s never ending

Please, just let me stop my breath

Right now

"No problem" she breathes another lie

The pain and guilt she feels amplifies

"Just once more?" "No, no more"

Take my hand and come with me

Tell me your story

Please, just let me hold your breath

For now

Dearly Beloved by RichaadEB

I adore this cover. It's what I hear while Akane's telling her story, and when she realizes who Dabi actually is. Highly recommend reading those sections with this playing, I think it hits the emotional beats I'm trying to convey well.

Everything Stays by Olivia Olson (Adventure Time)

Papermoon by RichaadEB ft. Lollia

A reprise of this one. Probably my favorite version of this song. The lyrics in general match her feelings for Touya and how much she wanted to protect him growing up, but this section is perfect for their reunion.

Before I met you, I was lost

Convinced myself that I could live on my own in darkness

Yet still you stood beside me

Resounding, your words fill my empty heart

You finally saved me

If I'm James Dean, You're Audrey Hepburn by Sleeping With Sirens

This entire song is theirs, it encapsulates their relationship from here on perfectly.

Stay for tonight if you want to

I can show you what my dreams are made of

As I'm dreamin' of your face

I've been away for a long time

Such a long time, and I miss you there

I can't imagine being' anywhere else

I can't imagine being' anywhere else but here

They say that love is forever

Your forever is all that I need

Please stay as long as you need

Can't promise that things won't be broken

But I swear that I will never leave

Please stay forever with me