A/N: This chapter goes over a point in the manga of Dabi's past that I always had a question about. His jawbone was found, but Dabi is alive. This raises the question of does Dabi not have a jawbone, or was someone up there with him that day? This chapter is my own head canon on what I believe happened that day. Hope you all enjoy and let me know what you think!
Chapter 40
Present Day – Day 44
Their legs intertwine with one another as the sheets tangle between their bare bodies. They are both sore from their relentless exercise and take a break as they lay down next to one another. Asami rests her head against his mismatched chest, tracing his staples with the pad of her middle finger as his steady breathing rocks her head back and forth. Dabi hugs her closely to his chest, his hand entangled in her hair as he brushes his fingers through her purple locks; each flick of his wrist wafting her pleasant floral smell through his nostrils.
He lies there for a moment, blinking up at the ceiling as he contemplates her question. He doesn't like talking about that day, but he supposes he owes her some sort of explanation. He takes in a sharp breath, lifting her head with his chest before extending his freehand towards the ceiling. He looks at the marred flesh of his forearm as it crudely stitches up his palm. He hasn't overused his Quirk in a long time, and hasn't has to reposition the stitches in a while.
He clenches and unclenches his fists as he examines the muscles move under his damaged flesh. She doesn't shy away from his revolting skin grafts, choosing to lay on his completely disfigured left side. She's not bothered by the rough texture of his flesh brushing against her soft cheek, nor do her eyes linger on his shirtless form when they entangle with one another, making him feel fully comfortable to lay naked with her.
There doesn't seem to be any reservation in her eyes when she looks at him, and her gaze doesn't linger on his stitches as they once did. This has become her normal. He has become her normal.
"It was a new power move," his voice finally finds the strength to answer her question. "It acted similar to Prominence Burn. I called it Solar Flare," he begins to explain as she continues to trace his chest. "Unlike a concentrated beam of fire, Solar Flare was an explosive burst of fire that engulfed the target with a single eruption from my body." His eyes continue to examine his damaged arms as he reaches for nothing.
"It could be used as a stun technique, or to vaporize a target altogether. It burned a hundred times hotter than Prominence Burn, and even though it was not as draining of a power move, it was much more effective against a target and didn't have as much collateral damage as Prominence Burn."
He continues to clench his fist as he examines his damaged body, "After about a month of perfecting the power move, I began to experiment with it and add more complex variants to the move. I started to experiment with something I called Mass Plasma Explosion which implanted small high-density explosions within Solar Flare's execution." He shakes his head, "I couldn't get the damn move down; the explosions were either outside of the Solar Flare's range, or wouldn't ignite. It became so frustrating but I persisted, because all I wanted was him to no longer regret creating me."
Asami shuts her eyes at his words, feeling a welling in her tear ducts at the pain Touya was going through. All he needed was his father to notice him and everything could have been different.
"My flames were turning blue by this point and burning so hot that it hurt like hell every time I trained. But he always told me to fight through the pain, turn up the heat, and keep going…" His features harden as the thought penetrates his skull with a throbbing itch. "He only ever taught me how to turn up the heat…" he shakes his head.
Her timid voice reels back through his skull as he tries to formulate an answer to her question. "What happened that day?" Where does he even go from here?
"I didn't go up there to kill myself," he assesses strongly, throwing that assumption out the door immediately. "I liked…" he pops his lips shut knowing that it's not a true statement to say that he liked his life. "I had a direction in life that I was headed down," he settles on instead. "I wasn't tryna throw it all away."
Asami nervously chews on her lower lip, worried with where this retelling will be going. She always wondered what Touya went through that day on the hill, and seeing the state his body is in now, she realizes it was worse than what she had ever imagined because he had to have suffered.
"I wanted to prove…" he stumbles on his words, trying hard not to place the blame on her final words to him. Those words drove him up the mountain—there's no doubt of that—but they were not the words that led to his flames consuming his body. "I just wanted him to look at me. I wanted to give him something to see and be proud of."
Asami's body tenses under him and he pulls her into a tighter hug. She plants her hand firmly on his chest as she embraces his hug and nestles against his collarbone.
"When he didn't show," he continues with an exasperated sigh, "I found myself getting so angry. He couldn't just take two seconds away from training Shouto to just look at me. I had mastered Solar Flare, and I was certain that if he was watching me, I'd master Mass Plasma Explosion… but he never showed. I was so angry, so hot with rage, I felt my flames eating away at my heart until…" his throat tightens up and his extended arm falls to the bed with a heavy thump. Fuck, those flames burned like hell.
"I tried…" his throat is clogged with the anxiety of that day and he can't speak.
He releases a few heavy breaths, rocking Asami's head up and down as she tightens her grip on his chest. She can hear his heartrate increase as it thumps wildly in his torso. His body temperature is rising and she lifts her head from his chest to look onto him. She's struck by the sight of his features down turning and tugging into a grimace that looks painful against his staples.
She places her hand on his cheek, feeling the heat of his staples sting against her bare skin, but she doesn't dare to let go of him. "It's alright," her voice pacifies him as his brightly lit eyes flash to her. "You're here," she reminds him with a sorrowful smile.
He releases a harsh breath and smashes his lips painfully to her temple. "Yeah," he rasps, reminding himself that he's finally where he's always wanted to be.
After a moment of silence, the question still lingers in Asami's head like an itch that she cannot scratch. It's been a question that she's had since she realized that Touya survived those flames. "What about the bones?" she croaks out before she can talk herself out of it, feeling him stiffen under her. "End—" she stops herself with a harsh clenching of her jaw. "He found your bones. How…" she can't finish asking the question of where the bones came from. All that was left of Touya that day was his jawbone, the rest was a pile of ash. Yet here he stands with his jaw intact. Was it his? Was there someone else up there with him?
He inhales deeply and she can tell by the stiffening of his shoulders that he doesn't seem too keen on answering her. This notion is confirmed when he kisses her once more on her temple and shifts in the bed. "Come on," his voice is a deep command, "We should probably join the others; been fuckin' in here for days, we ought to make an appearance."
His crass response has her frowning with wonder in how he managed to survive the flames that consumed him. She can tell he was in pain and it was a traumatic ordeal, but he survived, and he is here now with her. She just wishes she knew the whole story so she could help him.
"I don't even know what to call you anymore," she admits with a soft whine, thinking about how everything she's known about him has crashed and burned in front of her, and now she's unsure if she can just sit here and pretend all is back to normal in front of the rest of the League.
Dabi's face grimaces slightly, "When we're around the rest of 'em, it's Dabi," he says to her as if it were a warning.
"You're not going to tell them?" she asks him.
"When they need to know, they'll know. But for now, it's just gonna muddy the situation."
"What about Touya?" she asks him, wondering when she can call him by his name.
He sighs heavily once more with a light shrug, "Gotta admit, somethin' about you moaning my birthname turns me on. But Daddy works fine too," he responds with a cheeky grin.
She lifts her hand to slap his chest, but his reflexes are faster than hers and he snatches her palm in his grip with a tight but loving squeeze. "I'm starting to think you enjoy being spanked with how naughty you like to act," he teases her with a tilt of his head as he examines the adorable look of anger cross her features.
"Just get up and shower," she returns with unimpressed lidded eyes at his wide childish grin.
While in the bathroom waiting for the water to heat up, Asami leans over the vanity to examine her neck. She groans as she lightly touches the bruised and burned marks along her neck and down her collarbone. "D'ya really have to make your mark on me when you kiss me?" she grumbles as she watches him from his reflection in the mirror.
She's returned with a deviant grin plastered on his face as he approaches her, hands landing on each side of her hips while he presses his groin to her exposed ass. "Want them all to know," he informs her. "You're mine, this way they won't forget it."
"I doubt marks on my neck would stop some lowlife villain in the MLA from taking advantage of me," she retorts.
His bright eyes watch hers through the mirror and he doesn't want to admit the marks are not a warning to some fuckhead from the MLA, but rather that flying piece of shit Hawks. He's been more prevalent around the compound, and it's clear that he's searching for her or playing nice with Twice to weasel his way into the League. Either way, should Dabi be unable to keep the two from bumping into one another at the compound, the marks on her neck will be a clear indicator to the hero that his girl belongs to Dabi now.
They shower with one another and ready themselves to face the other members of the League. They haven't been seen since the mall, only sneaking off to eat when everyone was asleep, but she figured she would have to join reality sometime or another.
Once they round the corner to the lobby, the members of the League all turn to look at the couple. "Well, well, look who decided to grace us with their presence," Spinner grumbles as the pair make their way into the common room.
Dabi shoots him a wide knowing grin, because denying what they've been up to at this point is a wasted endeavor.
"Ah, good of you to join us!" Compress states in a more welcoming tone. "We have some left over breakfast if you two would like?" he offers as the smell of the food brings them into the kitchen.
Asami looks around, seeing Toga and Twice speaking with one another, while Shigaraki leans back in his chair. She's struck by the sight of him as his ruby eyes watch her every move through his unruly white strands. She shoots him a halfhearted smile, and his harsh gaze doesn't soften up. She wonders if he's angry with her for distracting Dabi from his missions with the PLF. For the past few days, he hasn't left her room to go on assignments for the man, probably causing him to harbor some resentment towards her.
"Hey Asami," Toga's sing-song voice snaps her out of her thoughts of Shigaraki and she turns her attention back on the blonde. "The next time we need supplies, we should go shopping together. It's starting to get hotter and I need a cute light coat for this warmer weather."
"Sure Himiko," Asami responds with a closed-eyed smile. "Only you'll have to promise me you won't run off the second we head to the mall?" she scolds her and the blonde simply returns with a manic giggle.
"I think it's actually my turn to go on a little adventure with the newest member," Shigaraki's voice rasps with a hint of a predatory growl to his tone.
Dabi's body stiffens next to her as he clutches unto his plate of food to stabilize his shaking hands.
Asami glances over at her childhood lover through the corner of her eyes without moving her neck to see the tension in his posture. She can see his jaw tensing beneath his damaged skin and a faint hint of a snarl in his upper lip.
She turns around and glances at the white-haired villain who watches her through wayward strands with tense ruby eyes. She places a fake smile on her lips and addresses him, "That sounds like fun, what do you have in mind?"
Dabi is tight standing next to her, refusing to turn towards the decay villain as he speaks with his lover. He's worried what the impulsive maniac will do with her when he has her alone, knowing that he won't make a sexual pass at her—being the weird virgin he undoubtedly is—but he's worried he will lose his temper with her and without a Quirk to protect herself, she is at the whim of his fickle mind.
Dabi doesn't even hear what the two have planned and when Asami moves to step away from him, he turns on his heel and snatches her shoulder with his large hand. He turns her towards him, pulling her in and taking her face into his grip. He grasps her jaw and pulls her into his space, forcing his lips onto hers in front of all of the League members. She stiffens in his hold and tries to pull away, but he doesn't allow her to. He makes a show of it to the others, but especially Shigaraki that she is his, and should he do anything to her, he will retaliate.
He pulls away from her, seeing the annoyed look on her face as she clearly reads his predatorial intentions for what it is. He smiles at her with a snide grin, "Have fun on your little adventure," he mocks Shigaraki but his eyes remain on her harsh gaze.
She rolls her eyes, slightly shaking her head as she expected better from him than this childish show of dominance. She knows it's not for her, but for Shigaraki. Even so, the fact that he doesn't trust her enough to push the Leader away aggravates her.
"Don't wait up if we stay out too late," she returns with an equally condescending tone as she turns on her heels and leaves him there behind.
Asami heads to her room, getting dressed in comfortable clothes and placing the ballcap on her head so not to be recognized. After she's finished getting ready, she meets with Shigaraki in the main lobby where he stands, hands in the pockets of his dark jeans, tapping his foot impatiently.
Once they are together, he escorts her from the building. She turns around, looking back once more at Dabi before leaving, seeing the genuine look of worry touch his eyes before she's out of sight.
Dabi growls to himself as she rounds the corner with the white-haired villain and is no longer in his line of sight and protection. He doesn't know what the crusty bastard wants with her, but he can't deny the worry clutching onto his heart when he thinks about him taking her away.
"Ah come on Dabi, don't be in a sour mood, she'll be back in no time!" Twice assures him. "She's running away with him!" his other side snidely adds.
"Shut up, Twice," Dabi exhales with little enthusiasm.
"We have a meeting with the MLA leaders," Spinner begins, "Better get ready."
After finishing his food, Dabi follows the rest of the members of the League into the boardroom where they occasionally meet with the high-ranking members of the MLA to discuss their standing as the PLF. Dabi has trouble already concentrating at these sorts of things, but doubly so with the idea of Shigaraki doing god only knows what with Asami. He doesn't even find delight in the appearance of Hawks as he enters the room.
Ever since Dabi allowed Hawks into their ranks, the MLA loves peddling the hero to their masses. If the Number Two Hero is a sympathizer to their cause, fangirls are bound to pile on in for the chance to be in the same room as him. Dabi can see it all for what it is: an act, but he keeps his knowledge from the hero. Let him think he has the upper hand on the villain for now; he will learn soon enough that Dabi is not as simple as he may think.
Dabi keeps his eyes on his laptop as Hawks and Fivehead go on about the Liberation ideals and how the hero is peddling that boring ass book of theirs to wannabe heroes. Instead, the scarred villain's attention is focused on searching the local news. No one has mentioned a group of people being decayed so there's a silver lining there.
He finds an article with recent photos of his father and his precious little masterpiece taking down a villain. He has to admit that sending Ending to get to Natsuo and scar the Number One wasn't his finest work; it just solidified him more as a hero in the eyes of the public, and kickstarted the beginning of Natsu and Endeavor mending their fractured relationship. His intention was to kill Natsuo and destroy the hero little by little. He was angry with Asami for the shit she pulled at the mall and he wanted her to pay for it. Now, he's almost grateful the villain failed.
He sifts through the images in which Masterpiece and Shitstain were photographed together, along with those other two UA brats. Dabi knows everything about UA and their class regiment since his plan as a young child was to go there and follow in his father's footsteps. Shouto shouldn't be going through another work studies this year, they should be focusing on their core workload. He contemplates for a moment why all the first years are back at another round of work studies, and with high esteemed heroes no less.
An idea strikes Dabi and he feels the bile in his stomach rising to his throat. The school and Hero Commission can't seriously be having the kids completing another round of work studies to prepare them for a fight against the PLF, could they? Dabi drums his fingers anxiously as he searches the internet for more UA students, finding them all enrolled in work studies with higher ranking heroes.
Ever since the battle of Deika City and Asami peddling the narrative that average citizens were able to fight back against the villains and protect their city before the heroes could think to arrive, the number of active and aspiring heroes has greatly diminished. Most of these civilians are critiquing the way the Public Hero Safety Commission goes about their hero selection process and are defecting to the MLA's vastly growing numbers.
Dabi thinks about the possibility of the Hero Commission panicking at the growing numbers of the MLA and using the underage students as fodder for the upcoming war they suspect on the horizon. Dabi doesn't give a fuck about Shouto, or any of those wannabe hero brats; in fact, he can't wait to incinerate the little shits in front of his dear ol' dad before revealing his identity to show the flaming asshole just how much he fucking failed him, but…
"You make me want to be a better man."
He sighs exhaustedly. They're just kids, and the Hero Commission is so worried about the MLA gaining power, they're willing to let them die for their cause. It makes Dabi wonder what his life would have been like if he was able to become a hero. Would he be preparing for a battle? Would he be looking to little kids for assistance on the field, training them and their Quirks up just to have them decayed under a pile of ash?
The Public Hero Safety Commission has to have information that the League has merged with the Meta Liberation Army and is plotting an attack against Japan, and if that's the case, that means that Hawks has done exactly what he expected the hero to do.
"As far as I'm aware, we're not even on the Commission's radar yet," the voice of Hawks brings Dabi's mind back into the room. "They're investigating the League's involvement in the Deika City incident. But our troops are staying off their radars. Meanwhile we're starting to influence the next generation of heroes with this book and the effortless work of the Quirkless Ambassador."
Dabi's eyes land on the hero as he watches him carefully. Their gaze lingers on one another and he wonders if he's managed to piece it together that Asami is the Quirkless Ambassador and informed the Commission, since they are well aware of the merger.
"Too bad they're not here, I'd love to meet 'em!" Hawks says with a false sense of lightheartedness.
"Busy I'm afraid," Dabi speaks up. "Dismantling the hero society can't be done in one day."
Hawks blinks at the scarred villain, trying to hold back the dry swallow in his throat at the villain's words as he's reeled back to the words of Asami's clone when she shut down the slanderous words that the real Asami sent out to reach for him.
"Understandable!" he smiles with crescent moon eyes. "I'd still love to set up a meeting. I think with my public image and they're ability to reach people virtually we can really—"
"We'll see what the boss says," Dabi shuts him down.
"Omigod! It's Izuku!" Toga shrieks like a fangirl before Hawks can press the villain any further. She looks down at another photo of the boys aiding Endeavor in another battle.
"From what I see, UA students haven't really grown all that much," Dabi jeers, looking at the photo. He knows these boys are a force to be reckoned with, especially Shouto with his perfect little Quirk, but they are still children, and the Commission's willingness to turn them into fodder makes him sneer with resentment towards hero society as a whole.
Hawks chuckles at his assessment, "Well you are talking about a bunch of highschoolers," he says dismissing the strength of the students. Dabi smiles to himself, understanding what the hero is doing. He intends on making it seem as if the students are less prepared than what they are to face the villains, that way, when D-Day comes, the villains will be unprepared.
The only problem with the hero's plan is the Dabi knows more than anyone just how powerful Shouto really is and will never make the mistake of underestimate his little brother.
Asami robotically follows behind Shigaraki, keeping a safe distance behind him while he leads her to an undisclosed location. They don't speak to one another, nor are they headed to the store to pick up supplies for the League, so she's unsure what the purpose of this outing truly is for the villain.
Asami's eyes follow the stiff movements of Shigaraki as he walks in front of her. His shoulders are tense and hunched as he walks with a purpose in his stride, but she's unsure to what his purpose is. She glances down to see the scars from his battle with Re-Destro crawling down his arm to his hand and prosthetic fingers. A lot of the scarring is covered by the sleeve of his hoodie, but she can still see a lot of the damage peaking through the fabric.
"H…have you been healing well?" her voice awkwardly cracks as she tries to find the strength to speak up.
Shigaraki turns his head slightly over his shoulder to glare at her through stray strands of white hair. He nods once before moving his head back to look ahead. She nods as well, "It's good that you're still able to use your Quirk with your hand…" her meek voice fails her when she sees how tight his shoulders are, clearly painting how little he wants to speak with her. She clamps her lips shut and continues to follow him to whatever destination he has in mind with her. She doesn't even care to ask where he's taking her because she doubts that he would even tell her.
Asami fiddles with her hands, wringing her fingers and picking at her nails. She can hear her father scolding her for her disgusting habit, but she can't help but feel frightened around Shigaraki when he's this tight and unnerved.
He finally leads her to an alleyway that corners to a dead end. She swallows hard as her legs begin shaking when she approaches the end of the line. He's going to kill me. He found out about us going to the Todoroki residence and now he's going to kill me.
He turns to her, his movements harsh, blocky, and robotic. His ruby eyes are on hers with a harsh gaze that makes her hope it'll be painless. "My master wants to see you," his voice speaks up, drawing her from her fatal thoughts.
"Master?" her voice quivers out.
"We're ready Ujiko," he calls out and before she can ask anything, a black goo spills from their mouths and Asami feels like she's gagging. Tears threaten the edges of her eyes as she's paralyzed by the goo dripping from her lips. She feels her body being tugged and she closes her eyes, wondering if she's dying or if this is someone's Quirk.
When she opens her eyes, she's in a dark room with purple lighting illuminating glass containers. She blinks, suddenly feeling like she's no longer being tugged or gagged. She realizes that it's some warp-gate-type Quirk and remembers something like it when she was pulled from the battle at Deika City. The goo came from Dabi's mouth as he held onto her, and she was also delusional from the fear of dying that she wasn't really taking in her surroundings at the time.
She decides not to allow the panic of what is going on around her to flood her mind and makes a point to take in her surroundings this time. The dark room is lit with up lighting that illuminates glass containers, but when she looks at the containers, she realizes there are dozens of them, and inside each one of them are—
Asami reels back when she sees the disfigured and monstrous bodies of Nomu inside each chamber of water. She releases an involuntary shriek of fear, never once seeing a Nomu this close up, and finding the monster grotesque.
"Where am—"
"Asami Hatsuse," a foreign voice calls out to her and she stiffens at the mention of her name. She turns around to see an older pudgy man sitting at a desk with dozens of computer monitors. She cannot see his eyes beyond his glasses and she feels an overweighing feeling of dread overcome her.
"Wh…who are you?" her voice shakes in her throat as she feels her arms crawling with nerves like a thousand ants assaulting her skin.
"Daruma Ujiko," the man introduces himself, but makes no point to bow or lift himself from his chair.
"Are you… Shigaraki's Master?" she asks him, head turning to find that Shigaraki is nowhere in sight.
The man huffs out a humored scoff that shakes his large belly behind his lab coat. "No," he kindly responds, "Just a simple subservient of the man himself."
"Do you know why I'm here?" she asks him.
"To meet him. You've made quite the impression on him," he smiles at her, and with the lack of contact to his eyes from the reflection in his glasses, she finds the gesture to be all the more jarring.
Before she can speak again, a screen turns on with bright blue letters that read 'audio only.' She looks at the monitor when a dark voice lifts from the speakers. "Asami Hatsuse, it's a pleasure to finally meet you."
The voice is unrecognizable to her, so it's clear that she's never met the man before, but she's heard of the rumors since the incident in Kamino and the downfall of the then Number One Hero, All Might. He was the boogeyman every parent warned their children of growing up. He was a fantasy from her childhood, a faceless enemy lurking in the shadows waiting to swipe up naughty children. As she grew older and her investigative abilities improved, she learned of people discussing the man as myth or legend. But never did she think he was real until the fall of All Might, where their battle was televised for all to see.
"All For One?" her voice barely manages as her wide eyes stare at the blank screen.
"Ah I see introductions are unnecessary," his voice returns with what sounds like a smile on his lips.
"You're Shigaraki's Master? The mind behind the League?" she asks him with a shaking tone.
"And you have made quite the impression in your short time with the League," All For One responds. "I have to say, you piqued my interest when Dabi first brought you under his wing, but solidified your position by aiding in the League's public image."
Asami's throat tightens as she licks her dry lips at his assessment that she's part of the League. Despite everything she's done to aid them, it was all in the name of survival. It was all to get her one step closer to escape. She will take Touya and they will leave, he doesn't need the League and together they can have a better—
"Though I admit, I am not blind to the danger you pose the League," his voice pulls her from her thoughts and she looks at the monitor with furrowing brows. "A small world we truly live in when two childhood lovers are reunited in such a way. I was watching from the sidelines just eagerly waiting for you two to figure it out."
Asami releases an involuntary gasp, her legs giving in under the weight of her body as she staggers back from the monitor. She cannot see the sinister smile undoubtedly painted on his lips as he watches her wide-eyed panic spill from her expressions.
"What…?" she can't even think of what to say or how to respond, wondering if she even heard him correctly or if this is her mind playing tricks on her.
"I understand you've been searching for the League's intentions since the beginning," he continues through her shellshocked body. "Since the beginning, I've searched for those the system of heroes have failed. With young Tomura—discarded and castoff like a piece of trash—no hero was willing to extend their hand to the young boy and offer him a helping and generous hand. To him, it was the role of heroes to save those crying for help, but when he wailed, no one came."
Asami tries to listen to the villain, but her hearing is muffled and she feels her heart beating in her throat as the panic of the situation hits her. The way he's talking about saving Shigaraki as a child, Dabi's refusal to tell her the whole story of his survival when—
"For Touya it was entirely different," he begins and Asami's heart falls in the deepest pits of despair and she wants to scream. No, it can't be.
"Son of the Number Two Hero, you'd think the boy would've had a better shot in the society heroes created. He was one of their kin, cut from the same cloth. But fate had other plans." His voice grows sinister and her eyes water with helplessness.
She clutches onto her chest as he continues, "After being cast to the shadows by my rivals, my methods of saving those thrown out by the heroes required overhauling. Ujiko became a clear player in my game as Japan's leading Quirk doctor." Her eyes flash to the man who watches her with an expressionless response. "Concerned parents bringing their Quirkless children, desperate people wanting a change of their current power, or in the case of Endeavor: a merger of competing Quirks that created the perfect formula for imperfection were among his clientele."
Asami feels herself getting sick as she thinks of the doctor working with the villain to prey on those lost and looking for answers. "When the boy was presented to us, we found the perfect opportunity. As the hero was informed of the downfall of his son's construction, he characteristically tossed him aside as they so often do. We watched as the boy continued to spiral downwards past the point of no return. And when the hero left him once again, waiting and wanting on that mountain for his attention, we knew it was our time to step in."
Tears now waywardly fall down her eyes as she pieces together the plot and the helplessness creeping into her chest at the realization that she could have stopped this makes her feel utterly useless.
"His body ignited quickly, and burned with a heat that we'd never seen. He was melting faster than we intended and intervention was necessary," All For One says and Asami releases a building sob. Her shaking hand covers her lips as she tries to compose herself in front of the villain that tells her about her childhood lover's fate.
"When we warped him to us, he had already lost consciousness from the pain. Most of his skin was burned off and a piece of his jaw was missing." Asami's body shudders with painful sobs as he ruthlessly continues with his retelling. "It took weeks of intensive surgery to stitch the boy and bring him back to life, but in the end, little Touya survived the event."
Asami finally opens her eyes, looking at the screen and trying to gain her composure. She wished Dabi told her the whole story, but she can now finally see why he didn't tell her. Because acknowledging to it would admit that he sold his soul to the devil.
"Since that day, Dabi has been our underground agent, waiting in the sidelines until he was needed. And when the moment finally, he joined Tomura and the others as the time had finally come; One For All was finally transferred."
"You…" Asami's voice cracks, but she won't allow it to fail her as a snarl touches her lips. "You have the power to remove or transfer Quirks," she begins. "You could have given him a fire-resistance-type Quirk. You could have saved him from that fire! He's been destroying his body for you and you're doing nothing to stop it!" her voice raises as she balls her fists, digging her nails into her palms. "He's done everything for you and you're doing nothing for him!"
The man is quiet for a moment and she wants to continue to yell at him when he finally speaks up. "Dabi is proving himself useful undoubtedly," he begins, "But you never give a man all that he wants all at once, you simply sprinkle incentives here and there until they've made themselves dependent to you."
Asami shakes her head, "He didn't deserve all that pain. He's hurting every moment of the day and you're waiting for what?"
"For him to prove his allegiance," his voice sharpens. "The boy hasn't killed since your capture, and why? Because he thinks himself your hero?" All For One laughs at this and Asami gasps at his sinister tone. "For you he will abandon the League and everything we've built to destroy. How inconvenient he found you again," he grinds his teeth.
"So that's why I'm here then. Is this some scare tactic?" she glares at the monitor.
"Not a scare tactic, but rather a mutually beneficial proposition."
Asami stiffens as her whole body goes rigid with a cold feeling of dread overcoming her extremities.
"You use your influence on Touya to convince him to turn his head back to dismantling the hero society and the sick complacency that the civilians of Japan have with their flawed heroes. If you do, you can have everything you want with him; a peaceful life without the League, a fire-resistant Quirk for his body, and a chance in the new world with each other free from villainy and heroism."
Asami's jaw tenses as tears fall down her cheeks. "And if I refuse?"
After a long and painful pause his threatening voice speaks up, "Then you will relive the sting of losing your childhood lover once more, as you are forced to watch him destroy his own body from the inside out."