Fly High, Burn Bright

Chapter 48

I stayed on the rooftop, curled into myself until the sobs all left my body and there weren't any tears left - only anger now. I was angry at Keigo, I was angry at the world, but most of all, I was angry at myself. I'd had it so good before, but I just had to go and mess it all up. Only when the sun was already setting and I shivered in the wind did I stand up again. My entire body shook from the gentle breeze, partially because the air was growing colder with every passing minute, and because I hadn't eaten properly in a week. 

Still, I managed to collect myself enough to at least make it look like I was perfectly fine. I put on a confident smile, but my hands never strayed too far from the hilts of my knives, just in case someone chose to try and take me down while I was still low. At least I was calm now. I cried out all of the sadness, and the deadly cool rage was all that remained now. With my back straight and chin held up, I marched back to the trapdoor, ignoring the elevator and choosing the stairs instead, and I did my best to recall the exact direction that Dabi had left in after every one of his visits.

It wasn't hard to do - thanks to the cover of the night, barely anyone paid attention to me, and at this point, I'd seen the first part of Dabi's route enough times to memorize it by heart. It didn't take long until I was stalking through yet another abandoned alley, my body oddly relaxed despite the fact that I was going directly into enemy territory. When the route as I knew it came to an end, I started searching for hints and clues to find my next steps. It wasn't anything much, a burn mark here, a singed window there, but it was enough to lead me further and further into the dark of the looming stores around me. 

Maybe the alleys really were empty, or maybe no one dared get close to me now that they'd seen me mutilate people on live television. Frankly, I didn't care enough to try and find out. I crouched quickly beside yet another burn mark, the signs becoming harder and harder to see as the light faded, but I was more than determined enough to keep searching. The moon was directly above me now, and I strode down one last alley that led directly into a clearing, along with an outlook to the beach. The very same beach that I'd loved to walk along with Keigo. Get that asshole out of your head, I scolded myself. Thinking about him won't get you anywhere.

High walls from surrounding apartments enclosed a small, flat square of pavement that couldn't have been more than five meters in length. The ground was riddled with empty beer bottles and crushed cans, not to mention glass shards sticking up from every little spot that promised to leave anyone who dared walk barefoot scarred, bleeding, and limping for days. One side, however, didn't have the usual wall behind it, with a small railing that faced the sandy plains of the beach. I found it a little interesting - no amount of patrols or stroll along the beach had ever led me to this little world of its own, and I couldn't help but wonder how I missed it before. 

Still, he was here. That was all that mattered. He hadn't even noticed me yet as he leaned against the railing, gazing out to the crashing waves, and I purposefully stepped on an already-shattered glass bottle with the heel of my boot to announce my arrival. Dabi immediately whirled around, hands flying up into the natural defensive position, but he relaxed slightly when he saw it was just me. The comfort, however, didn't last as he tensed up again, the welcoming smile turning into a glare that made my blood run cold. Even when we fought before, hero against villain, he hadn't seemed so hostile.

"What, come to cut me into strips, Kira?" Dabi snarled at me, pushing back his sleeves as if he was expecting a fight. I, instead, stood completely still, my hands hanging limply at my sides to show I wasn't planning on attacking any time soon. He hadn't even used his stupid nickname for me. Maybe that villain had been his friend or something.

"I thought you of all people would be happy," I responded, still not moving, but my tone matched his. There were no more jokes between us now.

"Sorry, Kira, but I'm really not," he scoffed, turning back to face the ocean once he realized I wasn't planning on being violent just yet. "You just had to go ahead and ruin one of the only things I could hold over you, didn't you?"

"Two, actually," I decided point out. "I'm done with Keigo. You have no control over me now."

"Perfect. This is just perfect for me, you know?" Dabi sighed, leaning close to the railing, and I hesitantly joined him, staring out to the moonlight beach. "Shiggy's going to murder me."

"About that," I started, keeping my voice calm and even. Not a single tremor was allowed to escape - it could very well be the death of me. "I want to join."

One second, two seconds passed, and Dabi burst out laughing - an honest, genuine laugh that sounded like a waterfall on a perfect summer day. I just watched him, wondering for a second just how long it had been since he last laughed like this. Never before had I heard this laugh from him - before, they'd always been just condescending chuckles or snarky smiles that left me wanting to punch him in the gut - but this was like a warm hug after a day spent in the winter air. It felt good, knowing at least someone still enjoyed my presence, even if it was the very same villain  that I was supposed to despise with my whole heart.

That's right. He's a villain, and if I don't stop being an idiot right now, I'll become one, too. I had no real reason for joining the League. They couldn't manipulate me into joining, and I had nothing to gain from the decision. And yet, it lured me in. That night, I'd felt powerful, so powerful, as I'd carved the runes into the flesh of the villain. I felt strong, like I could take down anyone without even trying. If that's what the League had to offer, then I wouldn't miss out on it, especially since the one person who was holding me back was no longer by my side to keep me sane through this raging hurricane.

This wasn't right. It wasn't just the fact that I was willing to leave years of training behind in favor of becoming a villain, it was the fact that I wanted to do it so that I could hurt Keigo. I wanted him to feel just as hurt as I did when I heard him say those words. I wanted him to regret ever saying them. I wanted him to understand that I wasn't just a powerful ally - I was a dangerous foe, too, and it just so happened to be that Keigo was now on my bad side. A shame, really, that he chose to leave me behind like that, but he had to pay for it now. He hurt me, so I had to hurt him now, too, or else it wouldn't be fair.

Dabi's laugh only now started to calm down, but he was doubled over, trying to catch his breath. He looked so genuinely happy, as if I told him the best joke he's ever heard, and although I was dead serious, I felt myself smile a little. It felt good, knowing that I'd made someone's day just a little better, even if that someone was a villain. Stop thinking of him as a villain, I corrected myself. I'm going to be just like him now. Hero, villain, it doesn't matter. We're all human, and either way, I'll be making sure that the evildoers of this world get punished. I'll just go about it in a different way, then.

"You're funny, princess," Dabi managed as he tried to right himself. "It's been a while since I laughed like that. I believed you there for a second, y'know? I really thought that the great and powerful pro hero Vizion that despised the League so much really wanted to join us." By now, his voice didn't have the smallest trace of a laugh, and he sighed in disappointment instead. "You got me good, though. God, I'm an idiot, aren't I?"

He returned back to his previous position, leaning over the railing to face the beach. The moon left a silver streak on the water, slightly illuminating the sad smile that stretched over Dabi's scarred face. "I'm serious," I replied, still not quite believing what I was about to say. "I want to join the League of Villains."