Blossoms of the Dark Continued

CCXXVII Shouto: Tides

Trigger Warning:

- major character death

- death

- blood

- gore

- burns

- decapitation

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Count your blessings, not your problems.

Easy to say off the battlefield.

Because the tides of victory are more capricious than a stormy ocean.

Here and there. Heroes to villains; villains to heroes. Every five minutes a new development arises which completely changes the fight. Best Jeanist was alive and restrained the behemoth. Woohoo for us! The devil killed him and freed the titan. Dammit! Hado-senpai was ready to deal a massive blow. Sweet! She got burnt on impact. Crap! Mirio-senpai joined us. Yay! So did the noumu freaks. Sure sucks to be here. Bakugou's alive. Holy sweet gods, thank goodness! But he is re-entering the fray with that hole-damaged body of his. Idiot! The devil teleported God knows where. At least she's not a threat for a while. She resuscitated Shigaraki. Fuck.

As if it's not enough that I must subdue my not-so-dead deranged brother, I also have to keep an eye out for the devil. I had already gleaned from her wound transfer act that she was willing to go any length for Shigaraki. And from what few glimpses I caught of her since then, she seemed equally important to Shigaraki. So much so that he would bring her back to consciousness and whisper stuff into her ear.

Some attack strategy, no doubt.

Whatever evil agenda she has gone to complete, it cannot bode well for the Pro-Heroes. If only I knew where she had gone, I could follow her. Stop her before she causes any more damage. And then what would you do, Shouto? If you prioritize her, then who will manage the rest of the villains?

Us heroes are struggling as it is. We need as many reinforcements as we can get.

The reminder is made more profound as Touya embraces me in a chokehold. Our flames dance around each other. Blue and orange mix together to make burnt sienna. I cannot tell where our powers begin and end. All I know is that it hurts. "Looks like they're having fun over there," Touya murmurs into my ear. The hot breath makes my nerves crawl. "Even though you're in such agony, how pitiable."

I try to push him away. But he has pressed me against him so tightly, my flailing movements are futile. I change tactics. "But you ... your body ... will burn!"

Should have known that it would not work. "You've grown up to be so considerate. I'm happy for you, little bro. I'm fine! In fact, I'm overjoyed right now! Look at that face!" I do not have to turn around to know who he is talking about. Since learning that his deceased son never died, that man has lost the will to revolt. "Even when his masterpiece, his greatest doll, is about to perish by his failure's flames ..." He bursts into peals of laughter. This close, they sound like banging drums. "Hey, take a look! He's totally broken!" The temperature responds to his emotions, amplifying exponentially. "Shouto! If you burn up in my flames, I wonder what kind of face dear old Dad will be making then!"

I! CAN'T! BREAK! FREE!

This must be it. Touya will have his revenge. Dad will lose another son whom he shoved all his aspirations onto. My eyes close, accepting my fate.

Then I feel the heat lessen immediately. I'm flung back, landing hard on the damaged ground, the wind knocked out of me. But it is a welcome change. Far more acceptable than being cooked alive. I lift my head up. It was Midoriya who intervened in the nick of time. Bloody, wrecked, critical state ... yet this overly reckless doofus just saved my life.