Of Wings and Flames - Dabi x OC x Hawks

Capture [16]

"Sun Keeper, I'm here, what now?" Amethyst spoke into the mic a little timidly. She wasn't used to being in a place crawling with villains, much less an auction. My heart twisted for her, but I had my sidekicks on standby if she got into any trouble. I prayed with every fiber of my being that she wouldn't need.

"I need you to figure out who is behind the dealings of these kids. We can't take down the whole operation behind the auction, but we can stop the human trafficking of those poor souls," I spoke calmly into the mic. I paced back and forth in my apartment, my body tense. Those kids were manipulated and lied to, convinced that they were going to be safe and loved. It made me see red, and memories that I thought were lovely and rose coloured were covered in sharp thorns and vines, fabricated by those who would rather watch you bleed for sport than to help you. Sickening. That's all you could call it.

I heard her heartbeat in the mic, the shallowness of her breath. She was panicking, and I cursed silently. "Amethyst, relax," I ordered, and I heard her swallow dryly.

"I-I can't." she whispered, her voice shaking. "What if I mess up? What if everything goes wrong?" She sniffled. I gritted my teeth. Something, I could do something, couldn't I? I sucked in a stabilizing breath. If she told anyone about this I was gonna beat her black and blue. I softly hummed a song into the mic, and her short breaths stopped. Even miles apart, I felt her relaxing as she lost herself in my song. In the distance on her end, voices came through the feed.

"... Fine crop of kids today, hmm?" One of them mentioned easily. A lady laughed. It seemed... Familiar, but I couldn't pin it.

One of them bragged, "Well, nothing is ever as good as Mother... Err, what's your name again?" The man asked sheepishly. The lady giggled flirtatiously.

"Mother Crystalle, of Lost Child Reconciliation Center," she purred, informing him. My stomach dropped. That's why I could recognize her voice. Bile crawled up the back of my throat, my lungs constricting. Of course, that witch was still there.

Mother Crystalle...

"Amethyst, I need you to get closer to them. I don't care how you do it, but you need to mention my name and Sun Keeper in passing. It's Josephine Seraya," I told her, and she gasped in shock. "If they ask you about their connection, explain that they are the same person. It's absolutely crucial that you make the connection known. It might not make sense now, and it won't for a while but... I promise to explain everything to you when the time comes," I vowed.

"Josephine... Seraya? Wait that-" I hushed her, and Amethyst fell silent.

"Ames, I'm counting on you," I pressed, and she sighed before she walked up to the group.

"Is it just me, or should we start worrying about that Josephine girl," She began, and the group hushed a little bit. Crystalle spoke up.

"Josephine?" She asked, the curiousity in her voice a clear cover for the realisation she had felt. She probably hadn't heard of that name in years. "Who's Josephine?"

Amethyst gasped. "O-Oh, sorry. Josephine Seraya is known by her hero name, Sun Keeper. I forgot, haha," she chattered, her voice a little too high for my liking, but it was fine. Apparently she was quite good at acting ditzy.

"Seraya?" Crystalle's voice wavered slightly, on the brink of breaking her false character. "Josephine Seraya I had never heard of, but Sun Keeper... Well, I'm sure she won't be a problem for long," she reassured, and her voice began to sound farther away. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I must take care of some... Personal matters," she explained, before the sound of her quickly walking away disappeared.

I remained silent, fully aware of what was going to happen next. I shifted myself and stopped pacing and looked to my door. I maybe had three hours before they found me. "Ames," I began softly, "When you are able, get out of there. I won't have a lot of time now, so I'll text you the next details of my mission. Good work, I'll make sure you are compensated properly. She couldn't reply since she was busy in conversation, but by the edge in her voice I knew she had heard me. "Take care," I whispered.

After about ten minutes I had drafted the text message.

9:37 PM
Josephine S: Amethyst, thanks to you, the success of this operation is underway. I know this isn't what we planned, but hear me out. If you do not hear from me for a week, please call these two numbers, and from your own phone, not my work number. Explain to them the situation. Send them the location that I am linking to you right now. If neither of them pick up, please call any pro hero and send them my way if you still haven't heard from me in a week. I'm counting on you to keep the place running while I'm gone. Don't hate me for this, but I've got it under control. Take care.

I loosed a shuddering breath as my finger hovered over the send button. Would I regret this? Would those two even help if they did pick up? I closed my eyes and pressed send, and the sound bloop! came from my phone. My knees wobbled, and I leaned against the couch, staring at my phone. This had to be the right decision, there was no other way. My heart was heavy, and my body was filled to the brim with anxiety, but if it wasn't me that took this step, then who? Who else could take them down?

I dropped my phone as a knock on my door sounded. "Just a minute!" I reflexively called, and I clenched my fists. It was now or never.

I slowly opened up the door and gasped, backing away. My eyes were wide with fear as I took her in. She was the exact same as she was before. Everything about her was so disgustingly motherly and nice it hurt to see. Her blond hair was wrapped up in a bun to the side, her blue eyes icy and hard as she looked at me, her smile frozen in place. A large-brimmed black hat was tilted to the side, covering half of her face. She wore an elegant black gown that fanned out on the floor, her black gloved hands tightly clasped in front of her. Evil rolled off of her in waves, and she tilted her head as she looked at me.

"Mother... Crystalle," I seethed, backing away as she came into my apartment as though she owned the place. "What are you doing here," I hissed. Her brows furrowed as she looked at me, her smile curling cruelly.

"I thought I'd visit my favourite runaway," she explained, and shook her head as she tutted. "I didn't raise you to make such an ugly face at guests." Even though it was just an act on my part, my expression twisted into something hard and raging.

I forced my voice to work properly as I spoke. "How did you find me, after all of these years-"

She cut me off, laughing. "I heard from a source that you were still kicking. Quite frankly, I was shocked. I had searched for you for at least a year before I gave up. I assumed you were dead," she explained. "I'm very happy to see that I was wrong, and that you are in fact as strong as I thought you would become." I remained frozen in place as she dragged a gloved finger over my cheek, her blue eyes calculating. They were nothing like Dabi's. His had genuine emotion, Crystalle's carried hidden secrets, and malicious desires. "You've become quite valuable, my dear," she cooed, and I snapped.

"I'm not your property!" I screamed, raising my hand to push her away, and she gripped my chin and stared into me, her eyes flashing green. My body fell limp, my expression slack-jawed.

"Do not fight back, and follow me," she suggested, and I nodded numbly. She stepped back and sighed, fanning herself with her hand as she looked around the place. "What a dump," she commented, her nose scrunching. "Looks like the hero life wasn't treating you all that well, Sun Keeper. Such a shame," she sighed, shrugging her shoulders. She snapped her fingers and men in black attire came in and shackled my wrists. The flame that was burning inside of my heart suddenly winked out, and I was left cool and empty. I couldn't fight back, and I couldn't speak out against her.

"Come, child," she beseeched, her eyes flashing again, "it's time for a retrial."