I don't own anything except any original characters (including the Reader's concept) and/or any original plot

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Chapter Twenty-Five - A Game of Chess

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"Breaking news! Earlier today the warden of Tartarus prison confirmed that famed villain All for One died last night. The cause is undetermined, but no foul play is suspected. According to the medical staff at the prison, all brain function stopped early this morning and bodily functions ceased soon after. More on this story as it develops-"

Shutting the TV off, you turned to face the League. All of them were silent, each stuck in a different state of shock. When it was clear no one was going to speak, you gladly broke the silence.

"Things will continue as planned. This doesn't change anything, even if it feels like it. No one here will even suggest stopping what the Doctor is doing, got it?"

"Shigaraki should know. That guy was like his dad," Shuichi argued.

"That guy is now dead, useless. There's no reason we should stop our plans because of that. Tomura is nearly done with treatment, let's not forget that. All that changes is that we won't need to break All for One out of prison anymore. It's one less step. His death makes things easier if anything."

Eyes shining with more interest than his face showed, Dabi asked, "Isn't he going to freak out when he finds out?"

Dabi knew. The two of you made eye contact and you could tell he knew. It didn't matter. The two of you had already discussed what he wanted to do during the war and what could possibly come after. This wouldn't change that, it wouldn't break the trust you had formed. Not when Dabi already knew what you were going to do.

"Tomura is smart enough to hold back any tantrums long enough to get things done." at the group's dubious looks you added, "He is now, at least. I've known him the longest, and I know he'll be able to do this. His relationship with All for One has always been... complicated. I'll hold a meeting with the squads later today to tell them what I told you and go over the plan again. This changes nothing."

This changes everything.

Either nodding or muttering their agreements, the League stayed in the living while you walked away. You'd spend time with them tomorrow. Right now you had one more thing to do before you could finally relax.

The days were counting down, and it felt like there were too many things to do before your time was up. You didn't have much time until the war would begin-

No, not a war, you mentally scolded yourself, It will be over far before it can come to that

Spotting familiar red wings in front of you, you sped up to catch up with your prey. When you were close enough you reached out and plucked a feather from the back of his wings. He spun around immediately, hands going up in a defensive stance. His reaction was probably because of where he was. He'd never do that to a touchy fan, no matter how uncomfortable it made him.

Chuckling, you held up the feather with a small smile. Play it off, play it cool. You and Hawks knew too much about each other to be true enemies or true friends, that much had become clear after Nabu. It left you in a gray area. Neither of you would make a move against the other first, not without the risk of destroying yourselves in the process.

"You control these telekinetically, right?" You played it off like you were an excited teen, too young and naive for the world around you. He likely knew it was a facade by now, but it wasn't just him walking around the mansion. The rest of the Paranormal Liberation Front viewed you as a teenager who got in over their head and got really good at things really fast. The immature act was your best friend in getting information. Adults never watched their words when they assumed young people wouldn't understand them.

"Yeah, they're like extra arms basically."

"Can you feel what they feel? Pain, vibrations, stuff like that?"

"Not unless I focus on it. Vibrations are tricky, and normally not worth it if they're just a distraction. Once a feather isn't useful anymore I basically cut it off from my mind and move on."

"You must have good focus then," you mused, plucking two more feathers with ease. He wanted you to take them, "I wanna test the lasting energy in these. Maybe I'll figure out some secrets about your Quirk you don't even know. See ya later!"

Tucking the feathers into your pocket, you continued casually back to your room. Every so often you gave a greeting to an eager member you passed, but for the most part, you were left undisturbed.

Settling in your room, you put the three feathers around your body in a half-circle. The feathers themselves remained motionless, but you could feel the Quirk energy within them. They were still connected to Hawks, waiting for information.

"I had to be more obvious than I wanted to so I could see if my hunch was correct. You're awfully good at using your Quirk for someone so young, so I did some digging. Sold by your own parents to be a child soldier, must have been rough, huh? I bet they taught you all sorts of things, like translating vibrations into noises..." You spoke at the wall across from you, trying not to feel ridiculous, "By this point, The League - probably Twice, let's be honest - has likely spilled something important, and you've probably taken that information to other heroes. After all, you're the Hero Commission's little puppet.

"You want to be free, don't you? I know that part of your act is true. I want to be free too, so let's help each other. You don't need to be what they created. Don't you hate them? They took everything from you... but you can still get your life back if you make the right choices. Hawks, I'm going to give you a warning because I like you, and so does Dabi. I don't kill innocents, but if you hurt my family then there is nowhere you can go where I won't find you."

Picking up all three feathers, you rapidly heated up your hand and burned them to a crisp, dropping the ashes in the trashcan within your room. With a sigh, you stood and stretched- suddenly very tired. You hadn't done much that day aside from sitting in on meetings for Tomura and mentally plan, but a bone-deep exhaustion had settled in you recently. You had plenty of theories as to why, each one just as plausible as the last.

Deciding to just shower and go to bed, you wandered into your en suite bathroom. Looking in the mirror, you realized you were still wearing your mask. Pulling it off, you set it on the counter and stared at it. When had you become so used to wearing it? Was it years ago? Months ago? Days ago?

"Energy," you ran a finger over the plain design, then looked up at the mirror, "(Y/n). Energy. (Y/n). Me. Them. Us."

Staring at the mask for a few more seconds, you shook your head and looked away, suddenly feeling a bit nauseous at the sight of it. Ignoring your queasy stomach, you stripped off the rest of your clothes and stepped into the shower, relaxing under the hot spray of water. A few more days. A few more days and it would all be over and you could finally rest.

Breathing in deeply, you paused when your breath hitched, quickly gaining the composure you didn't know you were losing. Tears and regret weren't an option anymore. You'd made your choice and you didn't regret it... but not regretting it didn't mean there weren't other emotions there.

Dipping your face under the water, you held your breath and allowed your thoughts to wander.

All for One, years ago I pledged my loyalty to you. Since then we've been playing an endless game of chess. You assumed I was a pawn- perhaps a knight when I was useful. It wasn't until you faced me head-on you realized I was the queen. I always held the most power.

Reaching for the shampoo, you poured some into your hand and lathered it into your hair, enjoying the small comfort that came from it as you did so.

Tomura, you're still so new to the game. You've just figured out how to play. Even then, the bodies of pawns have piled up beneath your throne- pawns I loved and pawns I didn't. I once vowed to stand beside your throne even if it crumbled. I would have held your crown as it fell apart in my hands. I'd be beside you until I heard "checkmate."

Wrapping a towel around yourself, you quickly dried your hair off and got into a comfortable set of pajamas. Sliding under your covers, you checked your phone for messages and found several.

Kind of a Cult

HarleyQuinn: It still feels wrong to keep this from Shigaraki-chan

MultiplePersonalities: I think (Y/n)'s right

MultiplePersonalities: THAT BITCH IS CRAZY

MultiplePersonalities: im conflicted too

BurntChickenNugget: asking the doctor to stop now would undo everything we've been working for. Stop and think for once in your lives

HarleyQuinn: RUDE!

DIYCosplayer: I hate to admit it but Dabi kind of has a point. If we stop whatever the doctor is doing just to tell Shigaraki AFO died, there's no telling what he'll do

DoubleQuirkedUp: I'm glad you've come to see my reasoning

DIYCosplayer: I felt like if I didn't try you'd hurt me

LoseMyMarbles: It would probably be slow and painful too

DIYCosplayer: Thanks for the input alcoholic

LoseMyMarbles: I AM NOT AN ALCOHOLIC

LoseMyMarbles: I SIMPLY ENJOY A GOOD GLASS OF WINE YOU UNCULTERED SWINE

Not wanting to hear the rest of the argument, you quickly muted the group chat and moved on.

Unknown: Very good (Y/n), everything went off without a hitch and there is no suspicion of foul play

It's thanks to you and your freaky knowledge of how to get around Tartarus unseen

Unknown: Knowledge is power.

Unknown: Soon

Finished with that conversation quickly, you smiled when you saw you had a message from Katsuki- that smile quickly dropped when you read what it was.

MyAngryPomeranian: We got briefed on a mission today. The heroes are real antsy about it, secretive even though we're a part of it.

And?

MyAngryPomeranian: I know you've got something to do with it

MyAngryPomeranian: There were a lot of heroes at the meeting, powerful heroes. I don't think you're gonna win this one

That's not up to you to decide Katsuki

Katsuki's icon indicated he was typing for quite a while until the text finally came through.

MyAngryPomeranian: They still don't know who you are. You could come out of the woodwork, play dumb, and pretend you were held captive as an experiment and got out.

MyAngryPomeranian: You don't have to get hurt in this fight. You can leave

Shutting your phone off, you closed your eyes and took a few seconds to just breathe through your turbulent emotions, acknowledging them and trying to move past them once you did. When you felt composed enough you turned your phone back on and sent a text back.

I can't do that. Not now

Do you trust me?

MyAngryPomeranian: I don't know

MyAngryPomeranian: I don't want you to die in this fight

You tried not to feel hurt at Katsuki's doubts. Whenever you'd asked for his trust in his past he'd never given an outright affirmative. He didn't have a reason to. Now you were in a relationship, and things still hadn't changed much there. At least his reasoning now was in favor of your well-being and not because you'd proven yourself untrustworthy. That soothed the hurt a bit.

You're gonna be there too

I can't lose you

It was the closest admittance of love you'd give each other. It was enough for now.

When no reply came you set your phone on your nightstand and closed your eyes, your exhaustion dragging you under in mere moments.

~*~

You felt their energy signatures before anything else. There were hundreds of them, the power so overwhelming that you couldn't bring yourself to focus on individual signatures. They all blended together into one big mass of heroic Quirks.

Sucking in a deep breath, you reached under your bed and grabbed your backpack, slipping it over your shoulders and tightening the straps so it'd be less likely to fall off when the fighting began.

They're here

BurntChickenNugget: This is the test of true love for both of us, huh?

You're such an idiot

Don't get sappy on me now, it's not a good look on you

I'll have to leave the mansion as soon as I can. Protect the others, play your little video, and don't be stupid. The best thing you can do is ruin him and live

BurntChickenNugget: Yeah yeah... you think he'll actually turn?

No. But I think a compromise can be found. See you in a minute

CONVERSATION DELETED

As soon as you stepped out of your room the foundations of the mansion shook. Closing your eyes to center yourself, you weren't sure whether to smile or cry. Things could go well or terribly, either way, there was the potential for great suffering on both sides. It was the biggest gamble of your life. Nothing would be the same.

"Checkmate, Tomura."