Tokoyami wished he could say that he could just relax for a few weeks following the event in Kyushu. Bet even after the air had settled and he'd found himself back into something of a routine, there was still an ominous feeling that enveloped him like a cloud that refused to go away. It was harrowing, the way his nerves refused to relax, and it made him think that maybe there was something on the horizon. But if that were the case, Dabi gave no indication.

Some days he trained. Others he stayed in the room while Dabi was out conducting business, whatever the hell that was. During those times where he had those moments to himself, he upheld his promise to the doctor and reported in on how his recovery was coming along. He never actually heard from the doctor, talking into the device one-sidedly, and only the occasion beep on the other end assured him that this was being recorded. The doctor, just like the rest of the League, had gone unusually quiet for all intended purposes. He wasn't sure if that was supposed to mean something.

It wasn't as though he was much better at holding conversations with Dabi, despite him being the only other human present. Perhaps the only meaningful exchange had been one night when they were walking back from the abandoned parking garage. Tokoyami kept stumbling on the hem of his cloak. It was supposed to be new, but ever since Kyushu he worried that it was only going to get more tattered.

Dabi wasn't blind. "That cape of yours better not be getting in your way," he growled.

"It's not!" Tokoyami said quickly, taking the cloak off. "It's just that…Is there anything we can do to fix this rip?" Tokoyami held up the cleanly sliced fabric. The threads around it were coming unraveled, and it made the whole swath of cloth look more worn-down than it actually was. He'd hoped that he would've found a way of fixing it sooner, but that didn't happen. He'd continued wearing it, though, and each subsequent outing only stretched the tear in it further.

Dabi quirked an eyebrow, appraising the damaged garment with a critical eye. "What the hell happened to it?"

"I, uh," Tokoyami fumbled. "A-a nomu ripped it."

Oof. That was a bad lie. Maybe you can let me handle it next time.

Tokoyami's feathers prickled indignantly. You're worse than me!

Dabi's critical look sharpened to a glare. "For a slice like that? Sounds fake, but okay."

…Though I guess lying doesn't matter if he doesn't actually care, huh? Dark Shadow mused.

Tokoyami rolled his eyes. It was starting to feel like both of the entities that he was left to talk with weren't exactly the most useful conversationalists. Which would be a shame, because his limited options in past months have already left him feeling rather desolate and withdrawn from the rest of the world.

"So is there anything we can do to fix it or not?" Tokoyami asked. "A thread and needle would be enough, I think."

Dabi was considering the available options seriously, so maybe that's why the only suggestion he had felt like a joke. "All I have are staples," he deadpanned.

Tokoyami bundled up his cloak and clutched it close. "For mending clothes?"

He shrugged. Why was this being treated like the most logical outcome? "Look, I don't know what else you expected of me. It's what I have on hand, alright?"

That had been… less of a surprise than he should've guessed. Whatever the case, it was true. So when they got back to the room, Dabi helped him fix the rip. Tokoyami couldn't help the mixed feelings that were welling up at the time. It felt like there was something to be said about the fact that he was having to fix a rip caused by Hawks. And by the time his cloak had been awkwardly mended by the metal staples that now ran along it, he got the impression that that was the only thing holding it together.

Do you think the rest of the League will say anything next time we see them? Dark Shadow asked.

Tokoyami grimaced while trailing his fingers along the finished mending. I hope not. Regardless, it's no business of theirs… Well, Mr. Compress might be a bit upset, but that's besides the point. Tokoyami folded up the garment carefully and set it aside while Dabi returned to his room with the stapler gun. I doubt we'll be seeing them anytime soon, anyway. They seem rather preoccupied at the moment.

You don't think Shigaraki could be getting close to the end of his training?

With a monster like Gigantomachia? I highly doubt it. All the League ever does is take cheap shots and prey on weaknesses. I don't think someone like Shigaraki has what it takes to truly fight against an opponent like that.

What about everyone else?

Tokoyami's eyes wandered over to Dabi's closed door. Together, they're an incredible team of diverse powers. But they're all so different. I'd hardly say that they're united under a common goal, and yet here we are – proof of what can happen when there's something they really want or need to do.

Dark Shadow shifted nervously in his mind. Er, I'm still not so sure that we're exactly what they had in mind when they went out that night to capture a student.

Yeah. Neither was Bakugo, though.

…The difference here is that he got out a long time ago. He's back with the heroes again.

Tokoyami laid down on the couch. With a deft movement, he took out the communicator device that had been given to him and began to fiddle with it. I'm not lost in all this. I'm just waiting to see where this all goes. What the villains do… and what the heroes do. I don't know what's going to happen from here on out, but I want to.

It was with thoughts and feelings like these that time continued to pass. The nights got longer and the days colder. Watching the seasons pass felt discouraging, knowing how long he'd been in this situation. He worried he was starting to grow numb to it, but he held out, healed, and strove to improve. Because that was about all he could do.

Meanwhile, he was starting to wonder what was going on with the rest of the League. Tokoyami had trouble keeping up with the passage of time, but he knew it had to be around mid-December by now, meaning that it had been something like one and a half months since he'd last seen them. Hell, he didn't even know if Shigaraki was still alive at this point, considering the monumental task he'd been given. If something had happened, Dabi wasn't saying anything. He couldn't be sure that they were even in contact still, with how little information was provided to him.

But because anything could change in the turbulent world of villains, the uncertain peace didn't last long. And on the morning that the cloud broke open, it stormed.

Dabi was gone at the moment, though he was supposed to be back soon. Tokoyami was waiting for water to boil, lounging in the kitchen, when the harsh sound of static reached him. It caught him off guard before realizing that it was coming from his communicator. He studied it, but the sound continued, and he wondered if there was some kind of interference. If he listened closely, though, he could hear voices from the rest of the League – Shigaraki, Twice, everyone. And a voice that he didn't recognize. But he couldn't make out what they were saying.

Tokoyami took the pot off the burner and tried listening in close. He didn't understand why now of all times the thing was working like this. He'd never had it do this, but all of a sudden he could hear snippets of conversation coming from the rest of the group. So they're all alive after all. He couldn't decide if that was a relief to him, but it did something to settle his nerves. And yet, the closer he listened, the more he could pick up the sounds of panic and outrage.

Hey, hey, what's happening on their end? Dark Shadow asked. He appeared into the air, hovering close to the small device in Tokoyami's hand.

I'm not sure…

The more he listened, the more he was convinced that something had gone wrong somewhere within the League. And if past experiences were any indication, then he was probably going to end up wrapped within the restraints of their problems.

"—Who's this?"

"First the yakuza, now the Li—"

"—Come back to bite us—"

Tokoyami was having trouble understanding what was being said. By the sounds of what little he was picking up, trouble was fast approaching. It made him wonder just what the hell the League had done this time. Rather, they might not be the instigators in this case. It's more like…

Tokoyami tapped the small device, brow furrowed in concentration, and listened close. There was a lot of jumbled banter that was difficult to distinguish. A shrill sound broke through the static, and he heard Twice yelling above it all: "We gotta go save him now!"

Tokoyami stared at the device in amazement. Then it went back to static. "No, wait, hang on," he hissed quietly, trying to figure out how to get the sound back. Who are they trying to save?!

Dark Shadow tapped his claws nervously on the countertop. Er, they've lost quite a few members, haven't they? Stain, Shigaraki's Master, and Kurogiri are all trapped in Tartarus right now.

But this is different. It just has to be. Who else do they care about…?

The static buzzed down to a gentle hum. Tokoyami took the opportunity to sit down on one of the available stools and place the communicator on the counter.

Shigaraki, speaking clear as day. "Doctor? Did you catch all that?"

Something clicked on the device, and Tokoyami suppressed a shiver when the Doctor's voice came in through it all. Once that happened, he wasn't able to pick up on the voices of the rest of the League. He could only assume that the Doctor must've done something like switch the voice channels. Whatever the case, he didn't have to strain to hear through static anymore. But he was still sorely lacking context, which was the one thing he had hoped to gain from all of this.

"Listening to villain radio is my new favorite hobby, so yes," Dr. Ujiko chortled on the other end. You bastard. I haven't heard a damn thing from you this whole time! Rather than stay mad, he listened in, and was finally able to learn something that he hadn't seen coming. "So the Meta Liberation Army is back from the dead! What a surprise! The waves you all are making in the Underworld keep dredging these people up."

Dark Shadow tilted his head to the side. "Meta Liberation Army?"

Tokoyami grimaced. "I… don't know who they are," he admitted, searching his memories for a villain group of that name. It sounded like this was another case of the League getting wrapped up in a confrontation with another group. They'd mentioned the yakuza, and he distinctly remembered that Overhaul's intent was to expand his notoriety by banding with the League for profits and expansion purposes. It was villainous business at the end of the day. Which had worked out horribly for him in the end.

"But you wish it had been even worse for him, don't you?" Dark Shadow said, and Tokoyami fought to bury the sour feelings he still had regarding the disbanded gangsters.

"Not happening," the Doctor said in response to something. "My other little ones aren't at the testing stage just yet! Perhaps if Dabi had succeeded in retrieving Hood's body, but alas… Without All for One around, producing more of them is no small feat!"

Dark Shadow looked up from the device and whispered. "Talking about the nomu now?"

Tokoyami nodded stiffly. Whatever this situation entails, at the very least it won't involve any nomu. That's perhaps the one good thing to have come from Dabi's recklessness, is the fact that at least one high-end nomu is permanently finished. I'd hate to ever see it again.

"But if we get caught up in another bad situation thanks to the League, wouldn't having nomu's as allies have been good?"

No. They only cause needless destruction. We're better than that, Tokoyami assured.

"…If you really think so."

The communicator stayed quiet for a few moments too long. Tokoyami was beginning to wonder if that was the end, or if he had missed something entirely. But it sounded like the device was still active on the other end. And then: "At the moment… on the border between Mie and Shiga Prefectures… And he's still on the outskirts of Osaka, where's he's been this whole time."

The device cut out from there, leaving him with nothing else to gauge information from. Tokoyami picked up the device, desperate for anything but to no avail. "No, no, no, don't leave me with just that. Hey! Doctor, what's happening over there!"

"Are we in trouble?" Dark Shadow fretted, drifting around him in panicked spurts while Tokoyami tried to get more from the device. But the conversation, at least what had been audible on his end, was over.

Tokoyami didn't have an answer for that, he was still staring at the damn thing in shock. But if, for some reason, they were in trouble, then he couldn't be entirely sure that he was ready for whatever was about to happen. He'd worried about this before, always with a gnawing sensation in the pit of his stomach, of a repeat of the devastation he'd encountered under Overhaul. That was the only thing he had to compare, so it really set the bar.

"If it's the League… then I don't think we have a choice but to get caught up in this," Tokoyami said, more accepting than he thought he'd be.

Tokoyami was hardly given the time to ponder this further when the front door began to rattle, scaring him out of his premeditative thoughts. Someone on the other side was desperate to get in. Of course, he had the key, so it was after only a few rough seconds that Dabi was able to barge into the room.

Tokoyami concealed the device swiftly and stood up. Dark Shadow let out a little sound in surprise and reeled himself in to be as close to Tokoyami as possible.

Meanwhile, Dabi was standing there breathing heavily, an annoyed expression draped across his patchwork face. Globs of dark residue were still dripping from his body, instantly recognizable as that damned warping quirk the Doctor was responsible for. His phone was blowing up with texts, probably adding to his frustration.

"Alright, I get it!" he said, slamming his phone on the counter next to Tokoyami and making a beeline for his room. "Tokoyami, grab your sword – you're a part of this too."

Tokoyami felt his heart drop. "I am? At least tell me what's going on!"

"Check the messages," was the only response he got before he was off in his bedroom getting whatever he needed.

Tokoyami hesitated for only a moment, watching the inky pools left on the ground disappear into nothing. Then he tentatively picked up Dabi's poor neglected phone. There'd always been a large crack in it, and the sides were warped from heat. But more to the point, message after message was coming in on the screen. They were coming in under the names of Crazy Chick, Leader, and… Twice. Most messages were coming in from Twice, so he went to those. Dabi hadn't responded to any of them, but each one felt panicked.

DABS YOU GTTA GET OVER HERE!1!

THEY HAVE GIRAN

CANT BELEAVE HE GOT CABTURED xd

PLZ WE NEED TO SAVE HIM :(((

And above all that (and more to come, since Twice was still typing) was a link to a news report. Tokoyami glanced over to where Dabi was still in his room. He hadn't been handed a phone like this in the entire time that he'd been here… He sighed and clicked the link, which brought him to a video posted today covering the bizarre phenomena that had put the League of Villains in such a compromised situation.

"Breaking news! Following yesterday's events, another finger has been found—"

"A finger…?" Tokoyami mused uncertainly. But the more he listened to the report, the more a sense of dread came over him.

"—Three days ago, outside the residence of the leader of the Eight Precepts of Death group, a registered villain organization… a severed middle finger was discovered." Tokoyami shuddered at the sight of the building that had been his personal hell for all of several days. The sight made his scars ache. It looked so empty now, without guards patrolling the perimeter, and there were still signs of battle further back in the image. We did that, huh? That did little to prepare him for the rest of this unprecedented trip down memory lane.

"Then, in front of the Hosu City terminal, an index finger."

– That was the sight of the Stain incident. While I feel for my classmates, that's one encounter I'm thankful to have never been a part of… even though Stain's cursed followers have proved to be my undoing.

Yeah, but it's not like they're the worst, right? Dark Shadow urged knowingly.

Mph.

"Yesterday, a ring finger appeared on the central highway where a prisoner transport vehicle was attacked several months ago."

…That must be the League's revenge against Overhaul, Tokoyami thought, remembering Dabi's vague account of the incident.

Or was it just a pit stop on their way to pick us up?

"Then, at ground zero in Kamino Ward… a thumb."

…That All Might statue is new. Tokoyami felt a pang of guilt, seeing the old hero memorialized in a place filled with so much pain.

"And just moments ago, in Central Fukuoka, at the site of Endeavor's fierce battle that is still fresh in our minds… A pinkie finger."

…

…

"The fingers all seem to belong to the same individual. In addition, a scarf, sunglasses and other items of clothing thought to be the personal possessions of the victim were discovered at each scene. Police are treating this as a crime meant as a statement by some organization or other…"

The video ended and the screen went dark.

Tokoyami took a deep breath, processing all that he'd seen. It left him rattled in a way he couldn't quite describe. He quickly put two and two together, concluding that this group antagonizing the League must have Giran. He vaguely recognized the items shown in the video – though the mangled fingers were blurred out. Giran… That's the broker guy. I remember he came by to help Mr. Compress with his new arm. He got caught up in something unpleasant…

Dark Shadow inspected the phone, wondering if there was more. Every so often, a new message would light up the screen, another complaint or cry for help from the League. They were tenacious. "They're awfully quick to jump into some mess for one guy?"

Tokoyami grimaced. "I mean… if it's one of their own. A hero would jump in to save anyone. But this was made a personal dilemma. And if it's a callout for the League, then I doubt this group would stop here. It looks like this "Meta Liberation Army" has a vendetta against them, so who knows how far they'd go."

"Where do these villain guys keep coming from…"

"I don't know. I'm wondering – "

Dabi came out of his room, slamming the door behind him and immediately reaching his hand out to take his phone back. Tokoyami jolted out of his musings and numbly gave it back. "So you ready or what?" he snapped.

Tokoyami crossed the room quickly, taking up his sword and fastening his cloak and medical pouch to him. "Yes, I'm ready for anything, but do I have to be? Why are you dragging me into this…?"

Dabi hesitated, hanging onto his words. Another message popped up on his phone, which he spared an annoyed glance. "God, just shut the hell up…" He leaned heavily against the counter, slipping his phone into his pocket. "Everybody's up in arms about the whole thing. For the record, they picked a fight with us, alright? That doesn't make you exempt from any of this. Those punks in monkey suits want a fight with the League of Villains, and that meant all of us. Anything less than that and they were saying some shit about sicking the heroes on us. Not sure where the two of us are in all this, but it didn't look good, alright? So you're coming with us, and if anything happens in the fallout, you'll be there to see it."

Tokoyami adjusted the sword at his side. "How ominous… this isn't my fight to fight, yet you give me no say in the matter."

"Think of it this way. Just don't get caught by them. Because however bad you think we are, at least we don't pick fights by torturing people just to send a message. I'm annoyed that they're dragging us into this, but at the end of the day there's something to be gained here. This is ultimately a rescue mission… and revenge."