Heroes in the Dark

by Iffondrel

Taking place during the School Trip Arc, we center on Tokoyami in the aftermath of Dark Shadow's rampage. Villains wanting to capture Bakugou set their sights on Tokoyami, and the connection these two have had since fighting in the Sport's Festival will decide what'll happen to them after being brought over by Tomura's League of Villains, with devastating consequences for Tokoyami.

58. Chapter 58

Heroes in the Dark: Shadow of the Aftermath (chapter 52.5)

Technically saying, they'd been victorious. Of course they had been – after fighting so hard for a singular cause, the mission had been a success. But it had come at a cost, and even the rewards for their efforts felt like it was missing someone that couldn't just be ignored.

Only a few of the heroes and students active in the raid had been left in critical condition, but it was nothing they wouldn't be able to bounce back from. Kirishima and Fatgum had faced a difficult battle and had come out of it with bad injuries, but they'd been wrapped up well enough at the hospital and discharged not long thereafter. Rock Lock had suffered a nasty stab, and yet he was also well taken care of, enough that his family had been able to visit his bedside. As for Sir Nighteye, it had looked grim at first, but he hadn't suffered any major internal damage during the apparent standoff between him and Overhaul. The biggest wound had been his arm, which had been ripped almost completely off with one of those deadly spikes that had been created in that underground hell. The most important thing was that he'd been stabilized and wasn't in any danger. But given his condition, it seemed likely that he wouldn't be going back to his hero duties while undergoing rehab. He could help with certain aspects of his agency while his sidekicks took charge, but for the most part he would be taking a recovery break, much like Best Jeanist had following the Kamino incident. Aizawa wasn't sure how he was supposed to keep finding heroes for his students to intern under if things like this kept happening. It felt like some heroes were even starting to avoid the students, with all the liability they were becoming associated with. Most notably, this was the case with the number two hero, who was adamant about not taking in another U.A. intern throughout all this. But Aizawa supposed those were more somber conditions.

It sounded like Nighteye still wanted to offer up his services to his young interns, but officially it would be difficult to take them back in the condition his agency was in. It was evident that he and Midoriya were still keeping in contact, though, even though their internship had been put on hold. Whatever reasons they had, it seemed important, like an unspoken mentorship, so Aizawa decided it'd be best to leave those matters to them. Whatever they were working through now, he wished them the best. He knew how much the young student had looked up to All Might before his passing, so he was just grateful that Midoriya didn't have to watch another valued hero reach the end of his life.

As for Midoriya, he had come out of the whole thing in better physical condition than anyone else, much to the doctor's surprise. But Aizawa knew the cause of it and was fully aware of the power that Eri possessed. This much, at least, was something that he could be grateful for. He was able to explain the situation surrounding the little girl not long after the dust had settled and tentative plans for what would happen from then on. However, that had been a few days ago and developments had shifted a bit more since then as decisions were made. He hadn't expected to be taking on new responsibilities.

It'd been over a week since the day of the raid. Aizawa wanted to be thankful that all the people that had fought so hard were in a state of recovery and would be able to bounce back. But some things looked more permanent than others, and he couldn't rid himself of the mistakes that had been made during this whole messy process. For the aspiring hero Mirio Togata, it looked like his career had been cut short all too quickly. His scars would heal, but the absence of his quirk had proved to be a heavy loss, especially for someone who had shown so much promise. It was always hard to see a future in heroism cut down like that. Apparently the cause had something to do with a permanent tool of quirk erasure, something that's been the new hot subject matter in the underground. Had he not been preoccupied with teaching the next generation of heroes, Aizawa had no doubt that the Hero Public Safety Commission would have him investigating the matter, since he'd proven in the past that he was good at finding info on such things in the underground as one of few "less flashy" heroes. But as it stood, the subject of Overhaul's little weapons didn't seem so promising. In an unforeseeable act of terrorism, when everyone had been at their weakest and picking themselves up in the shadow of the fallout, the heroes had been made a fool of.

Aizawa felt distress pick at his mind just knowing that something like this had been allowed to happen. All their efforts, and the root of the problems they were hoping to investigate had been snatched right from underneath them. And also… Snatch didn't deserve that. There should've been more heroes on the scene. We were foolish to think we had everything under control when we knew damn well that the League was in on this too.

That had to be Aizawa's biggest regret from the mission – the way that he'd underestimated the League of Villains' involvement. None of them had any idea what role they had to play in this greater evil, and that had proved to be a grievous oversight on their part that had cost them dearly. Hell, outside of the knowledge that Tokoyami was there in Overhaul's domain, they hadn't been able to confirm beforehand that any League members would be on the scene. So when they began causing havoc at the sight of the raid only to vanish, they hadn't been ready. When they were there to reclaim Tokoyami back into their ranks, his judgment in sending only Shinsou felt like a horrible mistake that could only be a horrible error on his part. When his student had run back to him, empty-handed and distressed with a new bloody gash on his arm and a missing capture weapon, Aizawa had felt his heart sink as the realization of his fault settled upon him. He'd sent his student out alone into uncertain territory in the aftermath of a massive villain fight. It was bad enough that his quick decision had resulted in Tokoyami falling back into the sinister hands of the League while his condition and state was left cruelly uncertain. There were many ways he could've handled that better, but given the situation at hand he'd panicked and sent the closest able-bodied person he could trust. But following that, he had to deal not only with his own failure but also with the state that the incident had left Shinsou in. Aizawa remembered clearly how frustrated the kid had been to fail something so important, even though it was clear from the details that he had been outmatched. By all rights it was not Shinsou's fault that they couldn't get Tokoyami back. But the student didn't feel the same, and with that the glum hero-in-training had joined the ranks of people that felt responsible for Tokoyami's absence. Aizawa had said that he'd trusted the student to be the first one to find Tokoyami, but that simply hadn't been the case.

When the dust had settled and everyone had been admitted to the hospital, the downtrodden intern had approached him again when nobody else was around. Shinsou had looked up at him with tired eyes, a frown tugging the edges of his face. He was picking uncomfortable at the bandage wrapped around his arm where he'd been stabbed. "Aizawa… I know you told me that it's not my problem what happened, but I can't stop thinking about it. And you never were able to give me a good answer to my question."

Aizawa had remembered that, but still he wasn't able to provide an honest answer. "I'm sorry. The truth is I still don't know." And that actually was the truth. The Hero Public Safety Commission had been strangely quiet about the whole situation regarding Tokoyami. They'd been like that the first time, too, where they'd tried to keep as much info as possible away from the public following Tokoyami's subsequent abductions. It was as though they didn't want to place any fault upon themselves or reveal any evidence that the League were capable of outsmarting them and taking students from the heroes so easily.

Shinsou had gone quiet after that, as though he was contemplating whether or not to say something. Aizawa didn't want to prompt him – it was better if the student took his time to work things through. But sure enough he still had thoughts that he needed to voice, and after a moment of hesitation dived into it. "I know you said that because the situation was so perilous, we were supposed to treat him like a liability. But he did so much alongside all the other heroes that… it's hard to believe that we ever doubted him. I know what it's like to be treated like a villain, and even though this situation was different, I can't help what I feel."

Aizawa didn't have a response to that. He'd been against that order as well, and it had felt wrong when he'd had to use his quirk on the student the first time when he'd first entered the scene. And then the battle had evolved from there in the worst way possible, to where he could hardly believe that such monstrous powers were fighting it out with such ferocity. The second time he'd used his quirk on Tokoyami that day had felt necessary, seeing the student spiraling out of control even after the defeat of their shared enemy. And still it had felt misguided when suddenly the student had been flung away from them thanks to his spontaneous quirk. But now that much couldn't be helped anymore. What happened was over and they all just had to deal with the consequences until something more could be done. Although… the bird-headed student had last been seen in very poor condition, a sentiment that only made him more worried. But Shinsou hadn't been done.

"Tokoyami… he said he was sorry. He looked so bad, I hated seeing him struggle like that. But he apologized and I don't even know what he did wrong except for become the target of evil. But not only that –" Shinsou's eyes hardened, as though he were determined to deliver an important message. "He said that he'll get back to us, to the heroes. Aizawa, he doesn't want to give up. Isn't there a chance that heroes can try to find and save him the same way we did for Bakugou and Eri? Why can we never get him back?"

That had stuck with Aizawa for days now, the idea that they could maybe find him if they just pooled their resources and did more – did something – to locate him and finally put a stop to the League of Villains. That group of villains were just here, right below their noses! It was insulting at this point how they were able to continue getting away with this. And if their re-capture of Tokoyami hadn't been enough, then the destruction wrecked by their planned assault on the police units transporting Overhaul was a final twist of the knife before they'd vanished off the radar yet again. It was so infuriating to fight so hard to reach your goal just to get so callously blindsided.

Society barely had time to process all that had happened over such a short span of time before they were collectively forced to accept what had happened and moved on. Though feelings were still bitter and hearts heavy over the failures that had seeped into their success, they all had to keep going in order to do right by the next generation that was right in front of him.

Eri had been put into his care. It had been a surprising responsibility, but the role he played both in society and in the mission had made him a prime candidate. He hadn't really been prepared to take a dependent into his apartment, but her other options had looked grim and they needed a way to keep her under close investigation due to the nature of her power. The most important factor was that she was safe, and between his teaching and hero jobs he was determined to do what he could for the child. To that end, he'd received funding from the Commission. It's only been a few days since she'd been discharged from the hospital and put in his care, but the rest of U.A. had taken notice of this development. His associates and fellow faculty members had assured him that they would be happy to help him, like they already had been when clothes shopping for the little girl. He didn't understand what the fuss was, but Yamada and Kayama were determined in helping him.

It hadn't come without the troubles he had imagined he'd be encountering, though. Eri had shown herself to be a very quiet and withdrawn child, a fact that left him troubled when compared to others her age but not surprised. Aizawa was always very careful about what he said around her, but he was still trying to figure out what upsets her and how to avoid it in the future. It was all he could do.

At least he knew what made her face light up. She always perked up around talk of heroes. Whenever young Midoriya or Togata were around, she seemed to be more at ease. She was warming up to Shinsou, too, although she thought the student looked scary at first.

There was one other person she really wanted to see, though, and every time she brought it up Aizawa felt the guilt in him stir just that little bit more. She was still in the hospital when she'd first asked, looking up with worried red eyes while he brushed her tattered hair.

"Is Tsukoyomi going to come see me?"

Aizawa had paused the brush in the middle of the movement, confused. "Tsuko… oh." Tokoyami. She uses his hero name, just like for Midoriya. She might be the only one who does. "I think it'll be a while before you can see him." At the time, he hadn't had the heart to tell her what happened, since there were strict orders to make sure she doesn't get overwhelmed or upset in the off-chance that her power goes off and does something damaging. It doesn't seem as though she can currently use her quirk at all, though, judging by the size of her horn, but he always wanted to tread carefully for her sake as well.

Since then, she's been able to see quite a few different people. She was put at ease to see Midoriya, and happy when Togata came to visit the first time, and every time after that. But Aizawa could tell from the tendrils of sadness that continued to cling to her that she was still holding out to see someone else, and it felt like a crime whenever he had to gently reflect her inquiries. The longer he spent with the little girl, slowly piecing together her personality, desires, and traumas, the more he began to understand why it was so important for her to see him again. When he'd asked how long she knew Tsukoyomi, she'd hesitantly admitted that it was only a few days. But that they were important to her. He didn't want to push her further than that, in case it ended up bringing about bad memories. But in the days where he was able to get to know her more, there were times where he got hints into things that had happened.

She flinched easily at loud noises, but never once did he see her scream or cry. She was a very quiet child, something that he could understand but worried about nonetheless. In the rare instances where she talked openly and without prompting, he would listen quietly.

Despite everything she'd been through, she was doing significantly better and he was able to support her. With the combined efforts of his students' pestering and his influence, Aizawa was even able to get Nezu on board with having her attend the cultural festival that the school was putting on. October had already come upon them – it was always amazing how the passage of time could change everything. There was still so much bitterness to be had, thinking about what had already happened, but that didn't change the fact that they still had to look forward to what the future would bring. Because the progression of seasons and classes alike weren't going to pause for anyone, no matter what happened.

And now he was finally getting the chance to bring Eri to U.A. for her to witness for the first time. After he'd finished up Homeroom teaching, he went and picked up her and Togata so that they could walk around together and look at all the preparations that were being made for the upcoming festival. A big concern was that the festival itself might be too overbearing for the young girl, so the teachers had decided it'd be best to ease her into being around people and the school.

Togata had led Eri excitedly ahead of him. It looked like he was trying to do something obnoxious to make light of the situation, but it didn't particularly matter because the moment Eri came into sight the class was already clamoring over her instead. The students had been waiting for this, never knowing when it was going to happen but always asking him about how she was doing. It was kind of sweet, actually, how much they wanted to see her, and he suppressed a smile when the cutely dressed child became the spotlight of their attention.

Aizawa walked past the bush where Togata had been trying to do something… funny? He couldn't really tell.

"We got permission from the principal," Aizawa explained patiently to the startled students. "Just to make sure she doesn't get shocked or panicked, we're bringing her here beforehand to get used to the place." Togata had already insisted on being her guide for the afternoon, leading her around campus. With his teacher duties, it was the only way that she really would've been able to wander around. Otherwise she might've just been cooped up in his office with him while he was busy grading papers.

Aizawa wasn't sure how comfortable Eri was here, but she looked relieved to see Midoriya. Other classmates greeted her cheerily, and the girls took to her quickly, awing over her. It was safe to say that she was in a good place.

In the far back of the small crowd of students eager to greet Eri was Bakugou, standing back from it all. Yet another case that he couldn't help but feel responsible for. No matter how many times he tried to be a helpful resource to the student, he'd remained distant. He'd managed to get into remedial classes to make up for his poor performance in the hope of getting a license, but it still looked as though he were struggling. He was still a powerful student, but something about his strong-willed demeanor felt dull. And still he kept quiet, something that didn't feel right given the kind of person Aizawa had seen in him pre-Kamino. Aizawa worried the student might be inadvertently isolating himself from the rest of the class. And yet, as much as he hated fearing that one of his students might be going through some troubling problems, he knew he couldn't help someone that didn't want to be helped. Aizawa was already spreading himself thin between his hero, teacher, and now parental duties. The extra responsibilities piled on him over the past several weeks, with the Overhaul mission and Shinsou's continued training, had also proved to be taxing. He wanted to support the usually hot-headed kid, but it was becoming more difficult as time passed. I really ought to say something to him soon…

His train of thought shifted quickly when Midoriya approached, inquisitive about the situation. "Is this really alright? I was surprised to see you bring her here on such short notice!" he mused, his bright green eyes watching her carefully. Aizawa could sense just how protective the student was of Eri, and he fought back a fond smile as he watched his class interact with the little kid that had come into his life. "I think it's fine with Togata here to look after her for a bit."

Midoriya perked up at that. "C-could I also…?"

Aizawa breathed a small laugh. "I'm sure she'd appreciate that immensely. She's always talking about her heroes, after all." Before he could stop himself, the feeling of contentedness that had put him at ease was sharply replaced with a consequential memory. Midoriya, perhaps sensing this shift or maybe just noticing the hesitation, turned back to him.

Aizawa lowered his voice discreetly while the small crowd of students bubbled with excitement. He didn't want any unnecessary attention, but even still he could tell that others like Togata were close enough to listen in. "In spite of everything, Eri is still a very curious child. I feel I should warn you that she asks a lot of questions."

Midoriya smiled lightly. His shoulders relaxed, like he was afraid he was going to be told something bad. "That's a good thing, though. She's probably been sheltered for so long that I want her to be able to see as much of the good in the world as possible. That's why we're getting her to the festival, right?"

"…Right. But there's just a few things I've been cautious to talk to her about, is all. You'd be wise to pick your words carefully as well around her," Aizawa advised, stunting his own explanation so as not to make a scene if it could be avoided. Under his careful eye, Eri had already made herself comfortable in the presence of the students. She'd seated herself in the grass while they asked her what it was like to live with Aizawa, to which she responded with meek answers while her thoughts drifted to more important things, like the flowers in the grass.

Midoriya nodded his head in firm understanding, bringing Aizawa's attention back around to him. This time though, Togata had stepped up next to him. The third-year student responded in his stead, holding onto the same convictions. "You don't have to worry about that. We're going to ensure that she gets the best possible experience from this."

Before Aizawa could voice his gratitude, a different voice caught his ear from over where Eri was seated.

"Aww, are you making a little flower chain?" Uraraka asked. "That's so cute, I love those! How'd you learn to do something like that?"

Aizawa turned right as Eri was holding up the beginnings of her project in her determined little hands. It occurred to him too late that he probably should've kept her closer, but she was already answering Uraraka with a quiet voice that managed to reach the ears of everyone present. "It was Tsukoyomi. He showed me this and told me not to give up, so that's what I'm doing."

A sudden and ominous hush fell across the collection of students at the mention of that name. Eri dropped her flowers in alarm at the unexpected response, and held her hand to her chest like she was afraid she'd be slapped on the wrist. Concerned whispers flitted amongst the students, sympathetic and judgmental.

"Tokoyami…huh," Shouji breathed, his sorrow-laden words muffled by his mask.

Aizawa moved to get to Eri's side. The sudden change of mood had left her startled and confused, and that was the last thing he wanted her to be feeling on a day that was supposed to be fun for her. Of course, class 1-A knew that Tokoyami had been involved in the Overhaul raid on the villain's side – that much could never have been hoped to be concealed, much as the Commission wanted to preserve that information – but nobody outside the incident fully understood exactly what had gone down.

Right before reaching Eri's side, Aizawa looked out over his students. Almost everyone was looking on with curiosity and dread, countless questions going unvoiced. The only ones with eyes turned away was Bakugou in the back trying to keep away from any involvement and a sullen Shinsou who was keeping his gaze locked firmly on the ground as though he were weighed down by a heavy burden. Both of them radiated with regret, even from a distance, and it infuriated him that he couldn't do more to ease their respective hardships. For all the years he'd spent teaching the next generation of heroes, Aizawa couldn't help but wonder if he truly was good with kids.

Aizawa's shadow fell across Eri, making her jump, and he called out her name gently. She stood quickly by his side, looking warily at the older kids around her.

Uraraka held up her hands innocently, flustered by the change. "A-ah, sorry! I didn't mean to scare you there, I was just surprised is all. I guess I wasn't… expecting that."

Asui knelt down to Eri's level while still giving her space. "You got to spend some time with Tsukoyomi, is that it? I'm glad to hear that. He's a good person, isn't he?"

The whole class seemed to be watching with bated breath. But Eri didn't take notice of this. Instead she relaxed, the panic in her eyes becoming replaced by memories. She nodded her head slowly. "I'm happy I met him. He wanted to be there for me, and I know he did his best. He's a hero, so of course he's a good person, right? I want to see him again, too."

Asui smiled sadly at her. "That sounds really nice, Eri. Thank you for telling me this."

Aizawa gently took Eri's hand and led her over to where Midoriya and Togata were standing sullenly off to the side. "Could you please keep a close eye on her? I need to take my leave for now, but I'll take her back at the end of the day. Let me know if she starts to get tired early."

Eri looked between them and left his side to walk alongside the two heroes she admired. He really hoped that this would be worthwhile for her, considering how difficult it was to get her here in the first place. More than that, he hoped she was able to have fun, especially with how sullen the mood had become in her wake.

Apparently his faith in the two students leading her around was well placed. Every so often throughout the day Shinsou would find him in his office or after meetings and tell him about how they were doing. And by the end of the school day, Eri was returned back to him with bright eyes and excitement in her voice at everything she'd seen. The preparations for the cultural festival were already in full swing, so there was a lot of interesting stuff to see, the likes of which she'd never witnessed before. The two students that had served as her guide were also happy with her enthusiasm. Apparently Midoriya had promised to get her a candy apple on the day of the festival, something that she was determined already to not forget. The festival itself wasn't for a few more weeks, but her nervous excitement was something he doubted would die down in that time.

He bid the students a good rest of the day, not without reminding them about upcoming homework, and left them to their own devices while he walked Eri back to his car.

The ride home was filled with her chatter as she talked about everything she'd seen, as explained through the imaginative mind of a six year old. Though she couldn't see it, her descriptions brought a smile to him, as he'd never heard her talk so much about something she cared about. It made him hopeful of her recovery and potential for a happy future.

But, inevitably, that died down until there was no more words being spoken between them. He wondered if she'd run out of things to talk about. Looking in the mirror, she appeared to have drifted off in thought. He recognized that expression in her eyes, and after a short span of time he couldn't hold back any longer.

"You look troubled. What's wrong?" Aizawa asked, making her jump to attention in her seat. He always felt bad spooking her like that, even if it was never intentional.

But she settled back down quickly enough, folding her hands into her lap while a frown pulled at her face. The small horn protruding from her temple shined with light from the road. "He wasn't there, either," Eri murmured quietly. "I was hoping he would be, but he's missing, isn't he?"

Aizawa took a deep breath. He knew he couldn't keep avoiding the subject like this. That wasn't fair to her. And she was a bright kid – she could tell better than anyone else when something was wrong. "I'm not sure when you'll be able to see him again," he began hesitantly. "Everyone's grateful to have gotten you out of that… situation. But I'm afraid that Fumikage Tokoyami, the person you know as Tsukoyomi, was not as fortunate. We hope he might still be out there, and we're still wanting to get him back, but it might take a while. In the end, we failed to do him justice. And I'm admittedly partly to blame for that. I'm sorry."

Eri stayed quiet for a prolonged moment that hung in the air. She looked out the car window at everything passing her by, deep in thought. Aizawa wondered if that was the end of the conversation, but he knew the child had so much more to say. It was just up to her if it would be spoken or not.

"The bad guys took him back," she eventually sighed, almost knowingly.

"…Yeah. The people he entered the underground with were the same ones who took him back."

Eri looked up from her hands, and Aizawa could feel her intense red eyes bore into the back of his head while he focused on driving. "But the heroes are going to get him back?"

"We're going to try our best," Aizawa assured. And yet a part of him hated that that was the best answer he could give in full honesty. Shinsou's report that day hadn't boded well for the crow-headed student's fate, after all. Currently, nobody could even be certain he was still alive. But given how far his tenacity had brought him thus far, they would be better off assuming something more positive. At least that way they wouldn't be left surprised the next time they encounter the villains.

Eri returned to looking outside the window. "I hope so. I want to know I'm doing good. And also… I really need to say sorry when I get the chance. He did a lot, but I know how much it hurt, and I didn't want that to happen."

Somehow, this felt all too familiar to Aizawa. He wondered if he would always be responsible for such reckless students. But more important now was the need to console the little kid looking to him now, much as he had before on a dark night in the woods where everything had gone wrong. It somehow seemed fitting that he spoke to Eri the same way he did to young Kouta after Midoriya had passed him into his arms before the student had flung himself back into the fray. "We'll get him back, and when the whole ordeal is over you'll get to see him again. In the meantime, instead of thinking of how you can apologize, I want you to think of how you can say "thank you." I think Tsukoyomi would appreciate that."

This time when Eri drifted back into silence she was more contemplative, thinking over his words. It gave her something to look forward to, even if the gratitude would be a long time in waiting. That only gave Aizawa yet another reason to get Tokoyami back as soon as possible. With so few leads, it was sure to be an arduous task for anyone investigating it, but this was something that needed to happen.

How much longer does it have to be like this?