Fly High, Burn Bright

Chapter 52

My ears were ringing and my vision swam, but I managed to focus myself hard enough to realize that I was in a cell of sorts. I lay on a plain mattress with a single cover over me, and I was no longer wearing the black outfit that I'd been in previously, though the flannel was draped over the back of a chair that stood near a minimalistic desk. A change of clothes lay on the table, and, clutching my head in an attempt to ease the pain, I tried to get out of the bed, but was only greeted by an even worse ache instead.

Still, I forced myself to sit up, eyes landing on a mirror that was hung on the wall just above the desk, and I sighed. It couldn't be more obvious that the mirror was a one-way glass pane, and there was definitely someone from the League watching my every move now. I managed to get to my feet and stumble to the door at the far end of the room, but sure enough, it was locked. I grabbed onto the chair to support myself, swaying on my feet. I tried to stay as still as possible until I was stable enough to at least stand upright, but there was still that feeling like I could collapse at any minute. 

I tried to push it away, instead taking into account everything around me. I was wearing gray sweatpants and a large shirt, though both were definitely not my own. My old clothing, except for the flannel, was nowhere to be found, but thankfully, my two knives and belt were laying next to the neatly-folded extras. Thank God that the knives were there. Otherwise, I'd have gone crazy in the cell - I remembered the fight, Shigaraki's order for the villains to attack, and Dabi's concern and relief that I was alright. There was no other explanation to it, so I must be held captive by the League now, though the room seemed to be a little too nice to be that of a prisoner. Maybe Shigaraki had decided to accept me into the League after all. 

I strapped the belt on, though it definitely wasn't quite as efficient as it could've been because of the sweatpants, and slid the knives into their holsters. My stomach growled loudly, and even though I tried to silence myself, I couldn't deny the fact that I was starving. Maybe the lack of food was why I felt so weak. By now, the room had stopped spinning, and I stood up more or less straight. I stood in the plain room, not looking at anything in particular. Now what? I was in some room, at the hands of the League of Villains, and completely out of my home turf. I'd made an irreversibly potentially bad decision, and there wasn't a single thing I could do about it now.

I sighed quietly, unhooking one of the knives and tossing it up in the air. The blade spun once, twice, three times before landing neatly in my hand again, and I, out of pure boredom, did the same thing again and again. With each throw, the knife would flip in the air a few times before coming back down, and although it wasn't particularly fun, it helped me pass the time. The League was surely monitoring me, and had seen I was awake by now - the one-way mirror was there for a reason, after all - so now, they must be watching my every move. Playing with knives at a hostile place like this probably wasn't the best idea, but it wasn't like the League had left me a coloring book and pencils to pass the time.

My head snapped to face the door as it opened, and I almost sighed in relief when I saw Dabi. His hand, which was previously in his pocket, came up to wave at me, and I had the sudden urge to drop everything and tackle him in a hug. I was in the League, and Dabi was beside me, and I could leave behind the life that I'd previously known now. It was going to be hard, and there would be rumors about what happened to the pro hero Vizion who'd gone crazy and butchered a villain, but maybe, the League would give me the shelter that I needed. 

"Good to see you're awake," Dabi smiled, taking another step into the room. "Would you mind maybe putting the knife away so I know you won't skewer me?"

"Oh! Uh, right. Sorry," I exclaimed, fumbling with the blade to shove it back in the holster. "So. Am I, like, part of the League now, or are you guys holding me as hostage in hopes that someone will come rescue me? Because if it's the hostage thing, then I promise it's useless. I'm not exactly the most appreciated hero out there, and I can assure you, Hawks couldn't care less about where I am."

"Hey, princess, have some self confidence!" Dabi offered a grin, but it didn't quite reach his eyes, or maybe I was just going insane. "I'm sure your boy toy is searching everywhere for you!"

"He called me batshit crazy and outright said that he feared for his life when he was around me."

"Oh. Well, um, your family is definitely worried about you now!"

"They left me as soon as I moved in with Hawks and haven't checked on me since."

"Well then your friends must be going crazy without you!" 

"My closest friend is a short angry head of the media department that takes pleasure in scolding me for every mistake I make and reminds me every day that I make his job too difficult. I think they're grateful I'm gone." I sighed and sat down on the bed, the mattress sinking under my weight. "Dabi, if this is your way of trying to make me feel better, then you really don't have to."

The mattress dipped again as Dabi sat beside me, giving up on the 'make Kira feel appreciated' game. A few moments passed in silence as I waited for Dabi to answer my previous question, but even now, the quiet was comfortable, and, to some degree, familiar. "Shiggy accepted you into the League," he finally said, and I thought I heard the smallest hint of regret in his voice. Then again, I'd also thought the Keigo would be by my side forever and that I'd be happy as long as I had him, so it probably didn't matter, or I was just imagining things.

"I should hope so," I snorted, crossing my arms over my chest. "He sent you to bother me for how long - two months? Three? It'd be sort of dumb of him to just reject me now."

"Hey," Dabi protested, "that wasn't bothering! That was recruiting! There's a difference!" I raised an eyebrow, but let him continue talking. "Anyway, he asked me to keep an eye on you for now. He said he didn't trust you yet and didn't want you to go running back to the agency."

"Wha- I had the chance to kill him but he's still alive! I am more than trustworthy," I protested, but at least I'd have Dabi with me now.

He frowned, but I could tell he was trying very hard not to laugh. "You and I have a different definition of trustworthy," he pointed out, and I elbowed him in the ribs. "Just think of me as your 'guide' for now. Shiggy wanted to ask you some questions about the agencies, but, uh, it might be a little more like an interrogation than just a friendly questioning. How are you feeling?"

"A little tired, and pretty sore. Not sure why, though," I replied, falling backwards onto the mattress to stare up at the ceiling. Probably not the best idea, since I had two knives hanging off my belt, but I hadn't been impaled so that was already good enough. My mind flashed to the time I'd interrogated Dabi, and I had the sudden urge to apologize for breaking his nose, but decided not to - too much time had already passed since then, and it would just be awkward if I brought it up now. A few more moments passed in silence, until my stomach growled loudly again, and I shot up, eyes wide open in embarrassment. Dabi stifled a laugh, and I felt my cheeks grow hot. "Shut up," I muttered to him, "it's not my fault I'm hungry."

He shook his head slightly in response before standing up and offering me a hand to help me up, which I accepted. "Come on. Let's get you some food, alright? Maybe you'll feel better then." 

I nodded and followed Dabi as he left the room, doing my best to memorize every turn of the hallways that we took, but it was too much at once, and I ended up getting too lost to remember even the general direction of my room. All I could tell was that the base must've been massive, and was definitely underground - it had that musty smell and damp feeling that only came from beneath the ground, and yet, it was at least ten times nicer than any basement I'd ever seen. Eventually, we came to a stop in front of a plain white door, and after he gave me a quick look of reassurance, Dabi pushed it open, just for me to see a dozen or so villains.