Heroes in the Dark chapter 37

Although the skirmish with the Precept was over, Tokoyami was still dealing with another fight: the battle against his whirling thoughts and rapidly beating heart. He struggled to keep his composure as he followed Overhaul around the corner, checking his pocket all the while to make sure that the card was actually there. He had an idea of how he wanted to use it, but traversing the halls without arising suspicion would be a difficult task…

And yet he wasn't able to dwell on this long.

Waiting next to the entrance of the building was Chronostasis, and at his side was Eri, securely holding onto his hand. Chrono made no indication that his presence had affected him in any way, but when Eri caught sight of him in Overhaul's shadow, her expression twisted into one of blatant concern, worried that something bad might've happened to him. The flowers that had been in her hair had already been discarded somewhere, but clutched to her chest was a slightly longer chain of haphazardly connected flowers.

Tokoyami realized with an internal groan that he hadn't been able to recover anymore flowers for her. In fact, they'd probably been thoroughly destroyed in the heat of that skirmish… not that she has to know the details. But still it left him feeling more disappointed with himself than he would've expected. All things considering, the last thing he wanted to do was give the little girl a reason to be upset. It was bad enough that this outside excursion had to be cut short because of his careless actions.

That just means we'll have to make it up to her, right?

Of course I intend to, but I don't know when I'll get that chance next. It might only get more difficult to see her under these conditions. And I'm no longer sure how much I can promise her in confidence under Overhaul.

Overhaul stood between them, a physical rift as he appraised their reactions. "I hope you two were able to have fun in all this. Was it worth it? Admittedly, it didn't put as much of a wrench in my schedule as I thought it would, but don't take this for granted. I loosened my hold this one time for Eri and as per our deal, but I haven't decided if the results made any of this truly worth it." He let out a tired sigh and crouched down in front of the small girl. "You understand what I'm saying, right?"

Eri's eyes shot to the ground and she nodded. "No more outdoor time?"

"I wouldn't be so needlessly cruel as to promise such a thing, but you're going to have to prove to me that you're a good girl that deserves these sorts of rewards," he soothed in a calm, chill tone. Tokoyami couldn't help but feel bile rise in his throat with the ever-so-intentional phrasing of these words. He was getting better at comprehending why the yakuza boss says the things he does, but it was even more evident when he was speaking to another. Dangling something in front of the vulnerable, without any guarantee that a prize will be given, but knowing that the target will reach out for it regardless. It was manipulative – it was easy – and to the best of his knowledge it worked every time. After all, hadn't he wanted the same thing – the mere possibility of a reward? And it had been reckless, he knew, but at the same time refusal hadn't been an option. And now, watching these two interact, he got the same feeling.

"I'm sorry," Eri mumbled dejectedly.

"I know you are. Now come along." Overhaul straightened back to his full height. "Tokoyami, I'm sure you must be tired already from the day's events. Why don't I have Chrono escort you back to your room once we get back to the underground? We can discuss the matter of you and your quirk going forward at a later time. I'm sure you don't mind."

Tokoyami stiffened, and Eri took notice of his discomfort. "What is there to discuss? It's enough just to see it, is it not?"

Overhaul entertained that thought for but a moment and without any seriousness. It was, after all, a meaningless suggestion to him. "Really, now, Tokoyami, this isn't the best of time. Not in such an open place. But if you must know the necessity of it, then I'll simply state that I want a proper read on your… violent tendencies. It would be poor supervision on my part if I allowed you to run amuck more than I deemed desirable."

You're the one who was so eager to see it in the first place, though. Or are you already realizing your mistakes?

No that can't be it. He knows what he's dealing with.

Then let's subvert his expectations.

While this exchange was happening, Eri's initial concern had turned into a feeling of confusion. She could only guess from her own experiences what had already transpired between the two. Her own conversations with the bird-headed boy were still fresh in her mind, so although she'd – hopefully – seen nothing of Dark Shadow, the young girl probably had an idea of what was going on.

Tokoyami fiddled nervously with the hem of his cloak under the villain's scrutinizing amber gaze. "And I suppose we can't have that. Right, understandable."

He seemed content with that. "I knew you would agree." And then he opened the door to the building and ushered them inside, away from the possibility of prying eyes. Then, when it shut behind them, the world suddenly felt a lot colder, like he was stepping back into a cage of heavy steel bars. But there was nothing he could say against it, and just like with every other experience he'd gone through over the past several weeks, it was just another inevitability.

Overhaul took the lead again, and Chrono was left to look after them from behind. When he crouched down to pick up Eri, she shook her head stubbornly this time. Perhaps the little bit of outside time had been enough good after all, if she was adamant about committing to walking back herself. Tokoyami huffed the smallest of laughs at her determination playing at Chrono's expense. The raincoat-wearing yakuza shot him a look that, under his mask, was probably one of annoyance. No matter, though. If Eri wanted to do something for herself, far be it him or some yakuza underling to stop her.

With a dejected sigh, Chrono fell in behind them, but was always careful to keep Eri an arm's reach away.

Even though he was in such close proximity of these yakuza, it felt as though his time left with Eri was near its limit, and he still wanted to talk with her. But he knew that if he even began to say anything out of line, Overhaul wouldn't hesitate to stop him.

"Eri," he whispered, and the small girl looked up at him with wide eyes. He didn't miss the way Overhaul glanced back at him momentarily, either. "Are you alright? It is my regret that I left you like that – I hadn't anticipated being gone so long… and it's because of me that our time was cut short."

"It's fine," she said in an equally quiet voice, but somehow he wasn't convinced. It was the kind of response that she might've given regardless of how she truly felt, as though she were trained to accept anything that happened without complaint.

"You say that, but I wasn't even able to get you those flowers I promised…" he said, urging a response from her. When she looked away, instead focusing on her small chain of flowers, he decided to change the subject. "But I see you were able to attain a mastery of flower chaining in my absence. I had faith that you'd be able to improve yourself without me."

She was quiet for a moment, and then she held it up with a hint of uncertain pride. "You think so?"

Tokoyami extended his hand out to her. "Might I see? I promise to be careful." She dutifully handed it over to him. Since last seeing her, a few flowers had been messily added. The holes were a bit big and the flowers could fall out easily, but it was still admirable for someone as young as her just picking it up. "It's not enough to make a crown, but I can turn it into a bracelet for you to wear, if you'll allow me." Another nod from her, and Tokoyami carefully tied it into a small ring before handing it back to her. She marveled at it like some new groundbreaking revelation, and happily donned it upon her wrist. The faint beginning of a smile made this all worth it. And, to a certain extent, Tokoyami decided that there was merit in being here after all.

"You're slowing us down." Chrono hissed from behind them, disturbing his peace of mind. Tokoyami started, instantly put back on guard, and he silently cursed himself for allowing these feelings to get to him while his own position was still so perilous. Because sure enough Overhaul was ahead of them by quite a few steps, waiting by the hidden entrance to the underground. He'd already opened it while he was distracted, and dissatisfaction settled back into Tokoyami at the lack of control he seemed to have.

I don't want to leave her alone again so soon, though. Least of all with Overhaul.

Then you're going to have to change this with your own actions, Dark Shadow said. But he didn't sound very excited about it, as though his quirk too saw the futility of it all.

Don't you want to save her too?

If that's what you want, then yes.

They followed Overhaul down into the dank tunnels, leaving behind the illusion of comfort that the sparsely decorated household and green outdoors represented. When Tokoyami took the last step and found himself back on a solid concrete floor, he found that his feelings hadn't actually changed, and that this place was just as much a prison as literally every other place he'd been inhabiting since his involvement with the villains.

"Well, Eri," Overhaul said, looking between the two children, "It's time you said your goodbyes for now. We really must get you back to your room so you can rest up while you can."

Chrono perked up at that. "Boss? Are you going through with today's appointment? I thought you said you were going to cancel it."

He absently inspected his glove for dust. "Because I thought it might be too much, but if she – " He caught himself just then, as if remembering exactly who was present. "I'll brief you on my decision when you get back from taking Tokoyami to his room. Don't waste any time, Chrono." Overhaul beckoned for the young girl to follow him down the tunnel, and she stuck to his side like it was common sense. "Now come along, it's been quite a day for you, hasn't it?"

"I have to say goodbye again?" Eri asked.

"Yes, but just maybe you'll be able to see our new recruit again. Would you like that?"

Eri looked back at Tokoyami before the two of them could round the corner out of sight. "Ts-tsukoyomi helped me make this." Tokoyami began walking forward out of instinct as she faded from sight, the last thing he saw being her holding up the flower bracelet proudly. It felt so wrong to leave her with that man after everything he was led to believe. But Chrono quickly barred his path with an outstretched arm.

Overhaul's exasperated voice could be heard through the halls. "I can't believe I let you play in the dirt for so long." The annoyance in his tone was readily evident, and the change in attitude mere moments after leaving them behind made Tokoyami's heart fall. "You have grass-stains on your dress. And those are weeds you are wearing around your wrist. They're not supposed to be desirable, you must understand. So don't be disappointed when they shrivel up and die after being picked like that. But I can have the mediator fetch you some fake flowers, if you love them so much…"

Tokoyami and Chrono both seemed to be holding their breaths as the voices faded into the distance, and let them out in long sighs when Overhaul could no longer be heard. Chrono's arm finally dropped back to his side, and Tokoyami stepped back from him warily with a small, indignant flourish of his cloak.

Chronostasis adjusted his mask with a wretched huff. Tokoyami hadn't expected to see this level of weariness from the yakuza, though it would make sense if Overhaul was having him run around constantly with various demands. He acknowledged that this was the Boss's assistant and right-hand man. This was also the first time he'd been left alone with the individual, and he had yet to make a proper assessment of the kind of person he was. Every encounter with him thus far had been infringed upon by Toga's exploits and her desire to piss him off. For those that had wronged her in any way, she was a truly merciless adversary.

So by this point, the greatest indicator of what this subservient yakuza was all about laid rooted in the brief explanation that Hojo had given him: a young man who's always been disgustingly loyal to Overhaul, even before becoming the Boss.

"Is something wrong?" Tokoyami asked. "Shouldn't you be escorting me back to my chambers?"

Chronostasis took another longing look in the direction that Overhaul had disappeared down. He didn't say anything for a moment, listening to make sure they were alone. Then he straightened and, much to Tokoyami's surprise, removed the mask from his face. It looked like this had suddenly turned into a more serious matter being held for discussion. Tokoyami couldn't help but wonder if this was a spontaneous move or something the yakuza had wanted since their initial meeting – a one-on-one.

"Not until I ask you a few questions. It'd be more convenient if Nemoto was here, but I can't have too much attention being drawn, so I'll make this quick. What are you hiding? It's easy to tell that your two buddies are scheming something, but I can't understand what an ex-hero like you would be trying to accomplish. So where do you stand? Why are you trying to get so close to Eri and Kai?" Chrono demanded in a hoarse whisper.

Tokoyami's feathers prickled in dismay at the abruptness of it all. "I beg your pardon? You can't just throw these types of questions at me and demand an answer. And who's Kai?"

Chrono wilted, realizing the folly of his outburst. The hold on his mask tightened, the clawed ends of his yellow gloves sinking into the leather of his mask as he searched for more reasonable words. "A-ah, the Boss! Overhaul!" His voice squeaked, and he forced himself back to a quieter tone. "Why would someone like you be so compliant to his demands. I don't understand why he would take such an interest in collateral like you."

"Are you doubting his decisions?" Tokoyami shot back.

Chrono took a deep breath before continuing, gathering his composure. Clearly he wouldn't be able to do this much longer, here in this hallway while Overhaul was likely awaiting his eminent return. So when he spoke next, it was quick and to the point. "Don't get me wrong, I can't afford to ignore any one of you "temporary recruits," but you're the one that's left me the most suspicious. I pinned you as the most reasonable of the trio, and I figured you were just naïve. But now you've been getting too close to the heart of our operations and everything that we've worked for my liking, and I want to know why. So what drew you to Eri?"

Tokoyami tilted his beak up defiantly, sizing himself up against the wary yakuza. "I merely stand for those who are in need of help. Or is that such a foreign concept to the likes of you, who has no qualms against having that young girl be in such a condition?"

Chrono's eyes narrowed dangerously, but compared to Overhaul he didn't represent a threat to his safety. "And just what have you learned about the girl since being here?"

He's guarded. Don't answer outright, make him work for the response he wants, Dark Shadow hissed.

"That's an odd question to ask. I've overheard a lot in the short time since I've been here, so what are you referring to that's so particularly upsetting? It's likely that I could already know it," Tokoyami said with a vague air.

Tokoyami had assumed that the removal of the mask had been to signify the shift into a serious discussion, but at the moment all it conveyed was the annoyance on Chrono's face. He pursed his lips and furrowed his brow in displeasure. "Figures. Overhaul was intrigued by how readily you seem to wander this place, but I find no solace in it. Truthfully, it puts me on edge knowing that you and the other two are happily lurking this sanctuary we've built. I could never question Overhaul on it, but if you refuse to answer me then I'll leave you with this: if you ever do anything to jeopardize what he's worked so hard to accomplish, if you slip up under his supervision or take a single step in the wrong direction, then I won't hesitate to end your traitorous existence."

Tokoyami bristled at the nerve of this man. He didn't have the same hold of the situation that Overhaul did, and the threat felt empty without the approval of the Boss. So of course he pushed the conversation and questioned it.

"Just who would I be a traitor to? It's no secret that you all are villains, even my so-called companions. And besides that, what makes you think that I'm the one that will be stepping out of line? You base your findings on nothing," Tokoyami snarled, with more venom than he thought he'd be mustering.

"Not entirely so, young hero. You're loyal to Eri, that much is certain, and so you've chosen to follow a dangerous path. But she's too important for your involvement to get in the way. Overhaul is having fun, you see, watching you bend over backwards for a kid you just met – far be it me to object to that. But take my advice, because I'll only offer it once: don't stick your beak into something that you were never supposed to play a part in. You have a role to play here, and I can assure you that it does not involve young Eri. So next time Overhaul asks something of you, don't try and set your own conditions. It'll only end up backfiring."

"You want me to stop requesting to see her?"

"More precisely, I want you to forget about her," Chrono insisted. "Because if you truly have heard the rumors that float about this place as you so claim, then you'd know that nothing good will come of being around her." With a final, frustrated sigh, he stepped back and placed the mask back onto his face, stifling his voice. "Didn't you ever learn not to play with fire?"

Tokoyami held back a laugh as the hooded figure turned away to check the halls. On the contrary, I've gotten quite good at it.

Chrono waved him over. Without being able to see his expression, it was difficult to read him. But he wasn't giving it further comment, so Tokoyami supposed that he'd said everything he'd been wanting to. At the end of it all, Tokoyami could only be left reeling at the content of that conversation. Chrono was no longer willing to talk as he led the way through the labyrinthine underground, his previous interest in him now gone in favor of upholding his responsibilities. Whether or not he'd even gotten the answers he'd wanted, that much wasn't sure. But he'd put an end to their brief conversation and was now picking up the pace in compensation. Sometimes Tokoyami would catch a faint mutter under his breath, or the way he'd look back to make sure he was still following. It was likely that there was more he still wanted to discuss, but at least he had properly stated his warning. And thinking about it now, it didn't seem to be entirely at Tokoyami's detriment. Perhaps Chrono thought that this truly had been solid advice on his part, and that he'd be foolish not to heed it.

Unfortunately I don't think that's something we can afford to do.

I knew you wouldn't just ignore this, his quirk sighed. But if you're going to do what I know you're going to do, then all I ask is that you try not to become too reckless for the sake of others. That doesn't usually end well for either of us.

But we're past that now, so it's fine, isn't it? We're in control, even when we aren't. Overhaul can do many things, but I won't allow him to manipulate the way I choose to use you.

That's not…

Chrono coughed to get his attention, and Tokoyami snapped back to reality in time to realize that he was just about to walk past the door to his own room where the yakuza was standing. Without Toga to bother him or Overhaul to lead him astray through the halls, they'd actually been able to make it back to his room in good time.

"I'll leave you here for now. But already a lot has happened to you today, so I strongly advise that you understand your boundaries. Try not to stray too far from the path that leads to the cafeteria. Because anything else you find, as you might've guessed, is not your concern."