I Can't Lose You Again

Chapter 43: Revelry in the Dark

Hanging up the phone, Dabi pocketed the burner he received from Kurogiri while he walked past the gang of villains they were able to gather, a few arriving later tomorrow by information he was called about. He stalked through the thousands of trees that would soon be sparked with flames within the next night, the black-haired man making his way toward the boy that sat with a still posture on the edge of the land.

Stopping just behind him, Dabi ran a hand through his hair as he called down to the black-haired boy, "Akatani-"

Forgetting how the kid 'functioned', Midoriya immediately stood up and headed into the trees in the same route Dabi had taken to get to him. The action slightly angered him for two different reasons; taking the time to walk his ass over to get him and the reason behind why Akatani 'Yamikumo' Mikumo, aka Midoriya Izuku acted the way he did.

He still remembered the conversation he had with Shigaraki; the pale adult pulling him away from the others to talk to him:

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"What did you want to talk about, boss?" Dabi blinked carelessly with narrowed eyes as the crimson gaze of Shigaraki Tomura bore into his.

"For the mission, I'm asking you to take the lead of the Vanguard Action Squad." Shigaraki leaned against the wall with his arms crossed over his black shirt.

"'Vanguard Action Squad'? What kind of half-assed name is that-?" Dabi scoffed in a remark.

"Izuku's going to be there with you." Shigaraki interrupted the flame user, Dabi's azure gaze faintly narrowing.

"Why put me in charge if the kid's going; you've known him longer than me." Dabi bit his tongue on the insult rising up, waiting as he still had questions relating to the teenage boy and saw this as the opportunity to get some.

The atmosphere grew tense as his words hung in the air, the man's only answer at the moment being Shigaraki's scarlet eyed glare.

"To get straight to the point, Izuku's not himself at the moment. All for One did something to him after our attack on Hosu that turned him into a Nomu." Shigaraki spat out the word of the criminal mastermind and the humanoid creature with hatred, a fire lighting inside Dabi at the description. Pushing himself off the wall and reaching out a hand toward the burned adult, he explained his reasoning for pulling him aside, "I'm putting you to be in charge of the group and Izuku. Out of everyone here, I'm choosing to trust you so don't you fucking dare make me regret. Izuku is one of the only people I care about in this messed up world so if anything happens to him, I'll kill you."

Dabi stayed completely silent as Shigaraki put his hand back down, their eyes focused completely and only on the other.

" Protect him like a brother. "

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''Protect him like a brother', huh...?'

Dabi sighed out as those words played through his head over and over again, bringing back memories through his head along with it that he wished to forget. Slowly pausing in the pathway, he glanced back at the lone building that was almost hidden by the limited lighting it gave off.

'Shoto-kun... try not to get hurt tomorrow...' Dabi let a part of his past self show before he turned away from it, continuing on his way back to the others and where Midoriya was by now.

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The students had a not-so-nice wake up call by all six of the pro heroes; practically dragging the thirty-nine of them out of their rooms while reminding them that if they didn't make breakfast before a certain time, they'd have to wait until early evening to eat. Either way, they'd be tired but they would be tired and starving by then, so each one of them woke themselves and others up and started the soon to be second day of training for the week. Still a long way to go.