Fly High, Burn Bright

Chapter 20

Shit. This can't be happening. We finally get our hands on a member of the League, and then he escapes? It took all of my self control not to punch something, but I made do with digging my nails into the palm of my hand to the point where four red crescent-shapes were starting to swell with blood. I tried to take calm, deep breaths, but it was hard to do. After so long, we finally had a chance at cracking the League open, and that chance was harshly torn right out of our grasp. It wasn't fair. We were the heroes - we had to have the upper hand. How could we, heroes that went out of our way to make sure others were always safe, be outmatched by a group of filthy criminals that took pride in ruining the lives of innocent people?

"How?" My hand trembled slightly, my phone dangerously close to falling. 

On the other side of the phone, Keigo sighed. "I don't know. None of the cameras even show him escaping the cell. It's like he just... disappeared."

I held back a groan of defeat. "I'll be there soon. Has anyone checked the cell for clues yet?"

"Not that I know of. I called right when we found out he was missing."

"Alright, I'll be there in ten minutes." I started changing out of the clothes I slept in, putting on my spare hero costume instead. 

"Ten minutes? Aren't you being a little unrea-" 

My finger pressed on the button to end the call without letting Keigo finish, and I tied my belts on, checking that everything was present as I rushed to the bathroom to splash some water on my face and quickly wash up. Two minutes later, I was already sprinting down the street towards the agency, a small backpack with my keys, phone, wallet, and hero license hanging over my shoulders as I turned at an intersection, the towering building of the agency looming ahead of me. My black hair whipped in the wind behind me as I ran, and I already dreaded having to untangle the knots later, but that wasn't my concern now. I came to an abrupt stop outside the doors of the agency, breathing a little heavier than usual.

Still, I pushed them open and ignored the stares of those in the lobby, heading straight for the elevator, and, just as yesterday, pressing the two bottom buttons. Seconds later, I got to the floor of the interrogation rooms, and turned down the hall to get to a staircase that lead to the holding cells. I quickly climbed down, running through the long hall of empty cells to where Keigo and Kagami stood near the end, along with a few officers. Keigo glanced up, doing a double take when he realized that I really managed to get here so fast, but waved me over. I gave the two heroes a nod in greeting, turning my attention instead to the very same officers that had taken Dabi away last night.

I could feel rage swell up inside me upon seeing them - it had to be their fault that Dabi had managed to escape. There was no other explanation. No one has managed to escape from the cells before, and it was impossible for any members of the League to get into the agency, much less to know where the cells were located. One of the officers must've somehow helped Dabi escape. No, I told myself. I don't know that for sure. I don't have any proof. I'm just angry that he somehow slipped right from under our nose again. It's not their fault. I was mildly aware that everyone was staring at me now, but chose to ignore it. Instead, I took a deep breath to steady my nerves.

With a nod to one of the officers, they handed me the key to the cell, which I quickly inserted into the keyhole to unlock it, typing a code into the second digital lock that came up in response for extra security. The door of the cell slid open and I stepped in, already scanning for anything that could show how Dabi had managed to escape. My eyes landed on a small piece of paper that lay behind the cold mattress, positioned perfectly to make sure that it wouldn't be seen by anyone who was just looking from outside the cell. Behind me, the others were talking about some theory on how Dabi might've escaped, not as eager as me to investigate the room, and I lifted the paper up, reading the rushed handwriting of four simple words that sent chills down my spine, making it more than obvious that the note was directed towards me. 

'See you soon, princess.'

Enraged by that stupid nickname of his, I crumpled the paper, hiding it in my hand when Keigo finally entered the room. I couldn't let him see it - he'd just assume the worst. Then again, if he'd been asleep throughout the entire interrogation as I thought he was, then there was no way he'd know about Dabi calling me 'princess', so there was the possibility that he'd think it was addressed to someone else, but on the off chance that Keigo put two and two together, it would be a real pain to explain why a villain said he'd see me soon, especially if I didn't know what Dabi meant, either. 

"Find anything?" I turned to the officer who'd spoken, shaking my head in response. The part of me that was still hopeful wanted to show the paper to everyone else, but the older, abandoned side of me won, and I slightly tightened my fist on the paper in my hand.

"Nothing. It's like Keigo told me - seems like he disappeared into thin air." The small slip of paper seemed to weigh so much heavier in my hand than it should've. "There's no finding him now."

Keigo groaned with exasperation, throwing his head back and running his hand through his hair. "Shit. We had the golden opportunity, and now it's gone because that damned villain es-"

"Dabi," I said quietly, and everyone's attention snapped to me. I realized I'd spoken out loud, and immediately grew a little flustered, but managed to bring myself under control, clearing my throat before repeating myself. "That's, uh, his name. Dabi. That's pretty much all I got out of him last night."

Keigo and Kagami exchanged a confused glance, and it suddenly felt like the room was a lot hotter, or maybe I was just getting embarrassed. "Right. Dabi," Keigo echoed, the name sounding foreign coming from him. "Too bad we couldn't get more out of him."

I hung my head slightly, feeling partially guilty that I'd spent so long with the villain but had barely gotten anything out of him. Still, I followed Keigo as we trudged back to the elevator and headed to our separate offices. Disappointment rolled over me when I found that I'd have the whole day to dedicate to the paperwork regarding all of yesterday, and with a defeated sigh I got to work on the never-ending forms that took hours upon hours to fill out. It took me all day, and by the time I was done, it was already almost midnight. I dragged myself to Keigo's office, where he was finishing up with his own papers. I hugged him from behind, resting my chin on top of his head as he filled in the few final forms.

The working day had been over for a long time now, and even Niko wasn't anywhere in sight. We walked home, and I stayed as close to Keigo as possible the entire time, with one of his crimson wings wrapped around me in an overprotective manner. By the time we got home, I was ready to collapse right onto the bed, but forced myself to wash up first, with Keigo doing the same. We curled up beside one another, Keigo hugging me close to him, and I buried my face in the crook of his shoulder, falling asleep in each other's comfort. 

Despite the fact that I was returned to patrols the next day, it was boringly uneventful, with only the typical petty crimes becoming even more rare than usual. The day after was just as plain, except for the fact that I'd finally gotten to that meeting with the media department. Turns out, I was right earlier - it was just an excuse for Niko to scold me even more for making their job that much harder. A week passed, and then a month, with everything being uncomfortably silent - The League attacked twice in less than a week, and now hadn't done a single thing for an entire month. It should've made me calm down, but that slip of paper left by Dabi, which I'd know hidden in my phone case, always stayed at the back of my mind.

Losing the chance to interrogate a member of the League of Villains hit me harder than I wanted to admit. Even after a month passed, rage still fueled me at the thought of Dabi. I wanted to hurt him. I wanted to make him pay. I wanted to find him and make him wish he'd never been born. I found myself getting even more ruthless, and several times I had to hold myself back from going too hard on petty criminals. Still, when my walkie-talkie buzzed, calling for back-up less than three kilometers away from where I was patrolling, a concerning rush of excited adrenaline coursed through my veins, and I sprinted straight to the path of danger.