Golden Ashes

Chapter 26

We all run outside, confused, just as something starts yelling. "Finally... I found you... I've been hoping for a signal this whole time. So you are the successor of All For One?"

Shigaraki smiles, pulling the hand up slightly on his face. "Is this the 'power' Kurogiri?!" He glances at me.

I just stare at the giant creature. It kind of looks like a giant dude mixed with a tree. I laugh a little as it throws something on the ground. I walk to it. A radio, huh.

Shigaraki and the thing keep talking but I sit there, fiddling with the dials. It makes little buzzing noises. Almost sounds like someone's saying Shigaraki's name. Weird.

Suddenly everyone erupts into chaos, fighting the giant dude. Compress gets thrown and I go flailing back as he rams into me.

All the air in my lungs fly out and I land on him, groaning. "What...the fuck! Com-Compress!" I yell at him, sort of, and stumble back to the radio.

He mutters out an apology, getting back up.

I rub my ribs. It hurts!

Suddenly the radio starts talking. I scream and stumble back, startled.

"You seem like you're stuck...Shigaraki!"

Shigaraki looks at me, mumbling. "Doctor..."

I can't help but worry as I watch Shigaraki try, for the millionth time, to defeat the thing. I can actually feel my heart clenching everytime he gets hit.

The radio keeps saying things but I'm too distracted to tell. Everyone's fighting but me...I should help, shouldn't I? But before I get the chance, Toga cries out.

"It's not working Dabi!"

I look at him. Not even fire affects the thing!

And then it leans over, grabbing the radio.

I take my chance and run over to Shigaraki, making sure he's okay.

"What the hell are you doing Amaya?" He pushes my hands away.

"Are you okay?" I ask, nervously.

He nods, watching the creature. Then the radio gets louder. "He's calmed down now, yes?"

Shigaraki slumps. "I don't want this thing."

Radio answers. "Oh, you don't? Even after all this, you still think you can obtain anything just by wishing for it?!"

"Huh?" He pulls the hand off his face, looking down at it.

"You've spent too much time with Kurogiri. Open your eyes already." The radio answers.

"What the hell, doc? That's awfully cold of you." He leans over slightly towards me and I wrap an arm around his waist.

He must be exhausted...

"Hrm... A moment, please. Heave-ho..." The radio, err, doctor hums.

I look at Shigaraki. "What's he-" I burp...sort of. It feels like something's crawling out my throat and I can't breathe. I grab Shigaraki tightly. But the same is happening to him.

Black stuff shoots out of our throats. And then it's over and we're standing in some sort of room. Things are in giant tubes, like experiments.

I cough, my hands on my knees. I feel an arm wrap around me, Shigaraki's voice closer. "This place is..."

A loud voice makes me jump and nearly trip on all the pipes and stuff on the ground. "Hoho? So you can tell the difference! Hoho! Hoho! You really do have a good eye! Yes they're 'high-end'! My super nomu that are one step closer to a masterpiece!" A guy in the back of the room, down a dark hallway, yells at us.

I can't see anything but a shadow.

"Amazed aren't you? Compared to the old nomu, they're a whole new breed!"

Shigaraki takes a step forward, his hand sliding to my own. "Doctor, I've been searching for you because I had a request of my own. I want you to duplicate a certain bullet for me."

"Your hair's grown longer, Shigaraki! Are your father and everyone else well?"

He looks annoyed as he answers the Doctor. "Yeah."

I squint. "That's the Doctor? I can't even make him out with all that darkness." I lean forward slightly.

Shigaraki's hand tightens in mine just as the Doctor screams. "STAY AWAY! Hoho! My apologies, but don't come near me, understood? I'll be the one who comes to you when I want to. If you violate this rule, I'll return you to your original location right away, and have Gigantomachia obliterate you."

I roll my eyes. "What a big baby."

The doctor keeps going and I glance around the room. Crazy tubes and wires on the ground. Strange Nomu in stranger tubes. I don't like this place.

"But you've accomplished nothing. So do tell me, what are you worthless twenty somethings, the trash of society, going to show me, Tomura Shigaraki?" Suddenly the Doctor snaps my attention back to him.

My head whips around to look at the Doctor. Worthless? I take a step forward, wanting to say something back, but Shigaraki squeezes my hands, as if telling me no.

And then he gets lost in his memories, talking through them.