Trigger Warning:

- burns

- graphic injuries

There are particular moments in life where you wish nothing more than to erase a memory forever.

Where you want to rewind time and rewrite history.

Now is one of those moments.

No one will never know what transpired through my mind, so what reason is there to be embarrassed or ashamed? Still, it is a thought so revolting that I wish to get rid of it forever.

The angel of death I wished to thank is no angel. It is a devil in disguise. It never cared about saving my life or Dad's or Bakugou's. There was some ulterior agenda behind that. I know that from what it is doing now.

She. What she is doing now.

I have been watching the devil for long enough to notice that it is a girl. Black peacock wings. Long, black hair tied up. Black mask. Black everything. Except for her shirt, where it once was white but is now stained all shades of red. Right up to the collar. And her sword. The shaft gleams silver, but the end drips with blood.

Her aesthetic reminds me too much of Selene. But there is no way it can be her. She is back at the dormitory, and she would never side with the villains.

The resemblance is unnerving, nonetheless.

I set Dad and Bakugou down, quickly launching myself back into the air to catch a falling and immobile Midoriya. As I get closer, I can see what the devil is up to.

Shigaraki is completely knocked out. She wraps her arms around his waist, preventing his descent. Her wings flap with so much ferocity, I can feel the gusts all the way from here. But that is all she does. She was doing the same thing earlier when she flew back up. I have no idea what happened between him, her, and Midoriya hundreds of feet into the air. The three of them had been hovering, saying nothing, doing nothing. And then a flash of light. So bright that someone could have told me that a nuclear bomb blasted, and I would believe them.

I couldn't do anything earlier. But I can do something now.

Shigaraki is vulnerable. This is the best opportunity I will get to take him down. To take both of them down. I have no reason to feel gratitude for a villain who tries to save the villain of villains. Grabbing Midoriya with my right hand, I aim my left at the devil. A perfect arrow of fire hits those goddamned wings straight in the back.

The devil shrieks. Good. Suffer, you witch! I brace myself for a counterattack. Surely, she wouldn't hesitate to hurt the very guy she saved after I backstabbed her. But she does nothing of the sort. Instead, she glances behind to give me a brief look before she moves those singed wings up higher. Why? Why is she not retaliating?

I don't like her reaction one bit.

I speed to get Midoriya to safety. Dad and Bakugou still haven't recovered consciousness. "They're still alive! Hang in there, you guys. I'll take care of this."

For the third time today, I propel myself like a rocket. Higher and higher. Whatever it is you are trying to do, I won't let you do it. The determination is enough to send bursts of courage through my nerves. It becomes easier to forget the growing distance between me and the ground. Between me and a chance for help. My vision tunnels. All I can see is the narrowing gap between me and the two demons.

And finally, the devil does something.

First the sounds hit me. Screams. Screams so high. So loud. Enough to damage vocal cords and make ears bleed. Her shrieks are so horrifying that they are hellish. If hell is real, then I imagine that is the sound that souls make as they suffer in hellfire for eternity.

How fitting the devil screams in her own flames.

But even thinking that leaves a bitter tang on my tongue. As much as I loathe her and Shigaraki, I would never wish such a brutal fate on my worst enemy.

Then the sights materialize. Every wound inflicted on Shigaraki's body manifests on the devil's body. Burnt, hanging pieces of flesh. Open fractures. Deep gashes. Bruises and contusions. Necroses. The devil looks like the creation of Frankenstein during the process. Yet as miraculously as those wounds appear on her body, they disappear on Shigaraki's.

And that's when I understand. By transferring his injuries onto herself, she is healing him. Giving him another chance to almost wreck us all.

The devil looks every bit the way I imagine a demon would. Hideous. Vile. Filthy. And yet, I have to admire her tenacity. So I feel a little regretful as spires of ice fly toward her with a wave of my hand. It's a dirty move. A very dirty one. I try to console myself that the villains have been playing dirty all day today, so my act is nothing in comparison. Still, when her feathers rip to shreds and impale her limbs, a tear slips from my eyes.

I'm sorry, I think. But it is futile to think such a thing after the act has been done.

Some shards hit Shigaraki, too. Again, his wounds immediately move to her. But I've used up my opportunity. Had I possessed gear like Endeavor's blazing boots or power like Bakugou's explosions, I could stay in midair for longer. However, projectile motion dictates that what has risen into the air must come down. There is no exception for me. I use my quirks to descend before gravity can flatten me like a pancake.

Still, as the gap widens between my foes and me, I catch glimpses of the devil and Shigaraki. Her wings drop one by one, but her injuries slowly close up. As if the wounds were never there to begin with. She possesses the same regeneration ability as Shigaraki. That's why she was willing to take such a lethal risk. I should be upset that she is still able to fight, but I cannot help the little upward turn of the corners of my mouth. She made it. My devil made it.

I can fight you head on soon.

The honor with direct confrontation will absolve me of any undesirable guilt I feel from cheating.

That 'soon' comes much earlier than I anticipated. The utter torture ravaged on her body has finally taken its toll. Inert, her grip slips on Shigaraki, and she drifts like a feather. I am not going to wait for her to die before subduing her. Sprinting toward the place she will land, I hope to break her fall.

I never get the chance to.

Because of our cursed luck and the devil's perseverance, Shigaraki is back. The spears with which he maimed Bakugou return, greater in number and greater in ferocity. One of those spears coils around the devil's body and pull her toward him. The remaining move like spider legs, keeping him aloft. Plumes of dust rise wherever they stab the earth.

"... Tomura," he mutters. "Stop it … Step down …" Then, "You ca-can't t-tell me what-"

Huh?

It's useless to ponder on a villain's erratic behavior. What matters is that his sentence is left unfinished by reinforcements. Hado-senpai's curlicue waves smack those spider legs. I turn around to spot Iida dashing to my side. "A giant villain is approaching the vicinity!" he exclaims on route. "We've hereby informed the heroes engaging in combat with the noumu!"

Oh, just fucking great! As if the Shigaraki and devil were not enough! I keep the retorts to myself, though. If our problems have increased, then our solutions have, too. Keeping an optimistic attitude is most important. "Iida! Great timing!" I point toward Aizawa-sensei, Endeavor, and my friends. "Get the casualties out of here!"

"This is why you haven't returned!"

I give him a sheepish nod. "Yeah … Sorry for bailing out on you like that."

He shakes it off, but Midoriya is more stubborn. "I … have to stick … to Shigaraki!" he rasps, voice box battered beyond comprehension. "He's still after me! Just take Kacchan … and Endeavor!"

"His regeneration has slowed!" I counter. "We can take him on!"

No more sneak attacks. We're doing this face to face. Even Shigaraki has the same idea. "Maggots … swarming by the thousands." Oh, we'll see who's the maggot after I kick your sorry butt into prison!

All of a sudden, the earth rumbles again. I thought there would be nothing more to decimate after Shigaraki's initial rampage, but fate is a brat who always finds a way to disappoint you in the worst ways possible. Rocks soar into the air, landing like missiles on our heads. Crashes and booms. What little infrastructure remained is flattened to rubble.

There's a saying out there about never celebrating too early. Something about how even a second can change everything? Well, whichever idiot came up with that quote, I freaking hate them for it. Because that idiot was right.

I am idiot, too.

The 'giant villain' Iida was talking about has come to join the party. And he has brought a plus one with him. Many plus ones. The League of Villains plus ones.

And just like that, the stakes have rised.

Shigaraki takes advantage of our surprise to cover the distance between me and him. One second I am gaping at the titan of a monster and the next is another monster right up in my face. Even a second can change everything, dammit! Taking that giant and Shigaraki on at the same time is way too much! I must defeat Shigaraki first!

Before his spider-spears can impale me, I roughen the terrain with ice boulders. The legs stumble around, seeking smooth purchase. Hado-senpai utilizes this moment to attack, and without words, we reach a silent pact. Her max power surge, my thermal revolution, the frigid ice … together, we unleash a fusion of quirks at Shigaraki point-blank. The ice cooled the surrounding air, and the fire immediately raised the temperature, amplifying the scale of the offense exponentially.

I almost can't believe that it works.

And I shouldn't.

That synchronized attack took about half of my energy in an instant. What was the outcome? The giant villain scoops up Shigaraki as though he's not a parasite but a handful of water from a river. His voice is gruff. Like he brushes his teeth with sandpaper every morning. Very suiting for his physique. "Master!" he heaves. "I have come! Please give me your next order! Anything you want!"

Master is no shape to respond. Neither is the devil he was protecting. I made sure that when my blast hit Shigaraki, it incapacitated her, too.

Dad asks if I'm alright. I never get a chance to respond because the one villain I resent possibly more than Shigaraki interrupts. Good old patchwork face. Douchebag Dabi.

"Oh, there you are!" he hollers, sarcasm oozing with every word. "From here you all look like a bunch of ants." And you look like the first place winner for the 'Mr. Ugliest Loser in the World' competition! "Hey!

Shouto's here too. Wonderful! Long time no see."

A dumbfounded "Huh?" leaves my mouth at the same time that Endeavor calls out his name. Then I beat myself up internally for coming up with such a pathetic retort. Just looking at that crazy grin of his summons memories from last summer like a torrent. Right from my grasp, he took Selene away. I was left on my knees, shouting her name. Pleading for her safety. He relished my misery.

Just as he is savoring it now. I refuse to give him the satisfaction.

"Aw! Don't be that way!" he taunts, pulling a water bottle from seemingly out of nowhere. "Why must you call me by my villain moniker …" he pours the contents over his head. His dark hair bleeds black dye. Wait, dye? I thought black was his natural hair color. But what surfaces is white. White, spiky hair. A shade of white that too closely resembles mine. "When I have such a respectable name … which is Touya!"

No …

No. No. No. It cannot be. A funeral happened when I was five years old. An isshuki when I was six. A san-kaiki when at seven. And a death anniversary ceremony every year to come. My oldest brother died at the age of thirteen in a fire accident. His quirk got out of control, and help came too late. All the police found at the scene was a jawbone fragment. I didn't have any clear memories of my brother, but the hollowness I felt in my heart every time I knelt at his altar at home was undeniable.

Now this villain dares to trample on my brother's name, proclaiming to be him. I should attack him right now. Shut his shithole of a mouth. But I can't bring myself to.

He continues, "Sure, my face may have ended up like this, but I had hoped that my own family at least would recognize me. But I never forgot. I watched your activities from afar. People like to think of their actions as free from guilt, but they're not." Is that why he called me by full name that night? "My pre-recorded life story is being broadcasted right now all around the airwaves and the Internet!" Oh God, no! Dabi - Touya - begins to dance. A jig, emphasizing every bit of the rebellious villain he is. Rubbing his hands together as though it's not his sins but dust dirtying them, he jeers in glee, "How exhilarating! Your disgraceful fall as a hero has begun! Ever since that day, the only thing I could think about was thinking of ways I could maximize the destruction of your career.

"Did you know that I used to go to Natsuo-kun every day, asking him in tears why I existed? At first, my plan was to wait until your little doll Shouto had gotten all big and famous. Then I'd kill Shouto! But then in an absurdly convenient turn of events, you finally become Number One! I couldn't stand watching you wallow yourself in your dream like that."

Distantly, I notice Shigaraki recuperating. He sits up and pulls the devil with him. Whilst wrapping one arm around her shoulders, he produces two syringes of different colors with the other. One green, one clear. Shigaraki plunges both of them into the devil's neck. Her body jolts. Shudders course up and down her spine before ceasing. She's alert.

I should do something to stop them. I should have done something to stop them. However, my back from the dead brother's revelation has frozen my feet in place. It's frozen my whole body in place. My breath lodges itself in my throat, and I swear, my heart stops beating, too. Dabi/Touya spins around, dancing as his own partner. "You wouldn't die in Kyushu either! My heart sank! I even sent 'The Emperor of Fallen Light' and 'Ending' to you and you still survived like the cockroach that you are! That Number One title you've always wanted is a lot of pressure, huh? Has you heart been purified with all that praise from the public?" Sweat beads on my forehead. "Does your newfound vigor as a father to your children make you feel as though you're developing a 'familial bond' with them?!" More sweat coalesces. It runs down my face. "You seriously thought that if you kept your eyes forward toward the future the past would just forget itself, didn't you?! It's time for someone to give you a little life lesson!"

And then Dabi/Touya makes the most sadistic face I have ever seen. One that will be forever etched into the deepest recesses of my memory. One that will haunt me until my death. Eyes almost popping out of his skull and smile so wide it rips his piercings. The finale of his dance of madness. "THE PAST NEVER FORGETS!"

"What a 'you reap what you sow' moment! Let us fall together, Todoroki Enji! Come dance with your son in hell!" he concludes.

I had already been crouching from exhaustion from the joint attack on Shigaraki.

Now, what little strength was keeping me steady leaves my body.

My knees buckle.

I think Dad's does, too.

Tears spill from the corners of my eyes.

I think Dad's do, too.

A second can change everything …

In just one second, my life has upended for good.

Note: I have copied some dialogue from one of the English-translated versions of the manga. The links to the chapters are here:

.online/manga/boku-no-hero-academia-chapter-289/

.online/manga/boku-no-hero-academia-chapter-290/