Top pic credit: unknown

~ 2 MONTHS LATER ~

Keigo POV:

"Gahhh, it's no use!!! I'm never gonna get it, Red!!" Twice wailed out in disappointment, slamming his head down on the desk in frustration.

"What?! No-hey, c'mon now. No downer spirits allowed! Sure you can, buddy. It's not that hard. Plus, we haven't even gotten to the good stuff, yet. This is all just the basics." I reassured cheerfully, quickly writing more information on the whiteboard for my 'student' to learn.

"How is that comment supposed to make me feel better?" Twice pouted sadly, his words coming out muffled as he kept his face squished against the desk.

I chuckled softly at his antics, not wanting his mood to dampen so easily.

"Well, because....erm...let's see, how do I put this....oh! I know! It's supposed to make you feel better, because once you get the basics down, then everything will come easier, right?" I chirped out, admittedly reveling in this small break I was able to have with Twice, instead of engaging in my usual, grueling schedule.

I always look forward to chatting with him, compared to the other chumps here.

"Uhhhh, I dunno. Are you asking me if it's gonna get easier, or are you telling me?-wait, is that question on the test!??" Twice gasped in genuine concern, causing my smile of amusement to grow a bit wider.

"Pal, focus. Now, listen here. I'm only gonna say this part for the last time. I told ya, there ain't gonna be a test-"

"Then, what's my consequence if I get the answers wrong?!" He asked stressfully, causing me to turn away from the whiteboard so I could face him.

I held in a laugh at the sight of a trembling Twice, watching the way he was nervously trying to bite his gloved nails...with his mask on.

Man, I love this guy.

Wanting to add a little bit of fun to my dreary life, I shot him a playful smirk, stroking my chin in pondering thought as I pretended to mull over a 'consequence.'

"Hm....let's see...." I started off with over-dramatic anticipation, causing Twice to practically vibrate in his boots from nerves.

"I could give Dabi a good ol' sock in the face, if you get the answer wrong. How about that?" I suggested, twirling the whiteboard marker between my fingers.

Twice quirked his head to the side in confusion, pressing his pointer finger to his chin in question.

"Huh?! But, Dabi's not even here-"

"That's the spirit-okayyy, anywayyy! Moving on. Now, take a look at what I've written on the whiteboard here: What You Need To Know About MLA Structure-" I started explaining, before my pupil already had another question.

"M-L-who? Red, I thought we were talking about the LPF, not the MLA?"

"It's not 'LPF,' but PLF-the paranormal liberation front, remember? And the MLA-Meta Liberation Army, came before the PLF. The league of villains and MLA merged to create the PLF." I explained patiently to Twice for the countless time.

I didn't mind explaining it again. These little tutoring sessions I give Twice, about the MLA history, are...admittedly, the best parts of my day, if I'm being honest. It gives me a little mental break from all the chaos.

And call me crazy, but he's really not a bad guy.

"Man, you're smart. I dunno how you can remember all of that. It's even more impressive, cause you're a hero. I didn't think those guys knew so much about the liberation stuff." Twice pointed out innocently, probably just trying to change the subject as an excuse to get out of today's education lesson.

Or, maybe he's saying that, because he's suspicious of me.

Or....maybe, he's not.

I shrugged nonchalantly to Twice's comment, feeling a bit more relaxed with him, after spending these past two months straight with the guy.

"Yeah, I guess they don't, huh? The stuff just sticks with me, cause I really empathize with their cause-uh, I mean...our cause." I reasoned, letting the words fall from my mouth a little too naturally.

Twice nodded in understanding, making me, simultaneously uncomfortable and intrigued, at the genuine interest he had in what I had to say.

He does that a lot, and I dunno how to take it. It's not really somethin' I'm used to from anyone else, besides Ari.

Starting to feel a bit awkward, I let out a small, dismissive chuckle, before quickly turning my attention back to the whiteboard. For some reason, I didn't want him to see my face.

However, before I could move on and change the subject...

"Hey, you know what? I don't think I ever asked ya, Hawks. But, what made you wanna join all of this hoopla, anyways? I already told ya my story. But, I'm only realizing now that I never asked about yours. Why did you turn your back on the hero society?" Twice asked curiously, causing me to stop writing once again as I took in his question.

I was more taking in the way his question affected me. Hearing him say I turned my back on hero society definitely didn't have me rolling around in tears.

Should it have?

It didn't really have me feeling...anything. And I don't know how I should take that.

Letting out a small sigh, I didn't have to think very long about the response I wanted to give Twice. Mostly, because this time, I didn't second guess my answer, or use manipulation.

I was just getting really tired of doing so.

"Well.....I turned my back on 'em, cause it just turned out to be...a lie. Deceit. Like, the world I always admired and dreamt of joining....turned out to be a birdcage, lockin' me up...." I started out a little softer, pursing my lips in disappointed thought for my honest words.

I had mixed feelings about my statement. Part of me felt rebellious, and even a little bit better after saying such a cathartic statement to Twice.

But, the other part of me. The commission-groomed part of me, began involuntarily reprimanding my psyche for saying such a thing, and to a villain, no less.

What am I thinking? I can't be spewing this stuff so honestly. I can't get attached. Not here. Not now. Not to another person.

Definitely, not to Twice.

Sure, I may get fed up with Diane, sometimes. I still have plans to leave the hero world, at some point. But, how dare I bite the hand that feeds me, and cared for me all of these-

"Wait-did you really get locked up in a birdcage, Hawks!!? That's horrible!! And people say we're the villains. Sheesh!" Twice said in shock, shaking his head in disapproval for the hero commission.

Putting my double-sided conscience on the back burner for just a moment longer, I felt inclined to indulge Twice with a little more meaning.

"Hah, well, the whole birdcage thing was just meant to be a metaphor, buddy. But, now that I think about it, I actually did get locked up in a real cage, too. For training exercises, and all..." I pondered 'carelessly,' internally wondering why I felt the need to tell Twice such a thing.

The truth, I mean.

But, he didn't give me the time, or the chance to second guess my response.

"But, you've got those big, red wings! How're those people gonna lock you up, when you're meant to fly around?" He validated, spreading out his arms to emphasize his point.

That's a good question, Twice.

"Y-Yeah. Yeah, right? A cage isn't where I belong, huh. I wanna....I wanna fly free. Fly high." I uttered genuinely, unable to stop a real smiling from barely curling onto my face as I spoke the last words.

Mostly, because they reminded me of the girl who's been occupying my mind for the past two months straight. That's what I always tell her, after all. Admittedly, I purposely said those words, because I wanted to think about her again.

It's been two months, since I've seen my Ari. The last time I was able to talk with her, or even lay eyes on her, was the day she left the PLF mansion, to return to UA.

I don't know how she's doing. I don't know what she's been up to.

But, don't think that means I've forgotten about her, now. Nah, I couldn't get that little chick outta my head, even if I tried.

Not that I would try. With the cameras on my wings never once letting me take a breath of fresh air, the only refuge I have to escape to is the sanctuary inside my own mind. That's my safe place. And if that's the only place I can see Ari, then you bet your feathered ass I ain't gonna kick her outta there. No way. She can stay in my head any time she wants.

I think about her a lot. And frequently, the timing of my Ari daydreams is pretty inconvenient for whatever situation I'm in.

But, hey, you'd be in my position, too, if you saw that smile. I know you would be...

And as ironic as it sounds, I feel as though I've gotten closer to Ari in these past two months, even though I haven't had the chance to, so much as even, look at her.

That's because, I've really come to depend on her, a lot. More than I did before.

There aren't a lot of things that bring me happiness these days. I'm around the villains, 24/7, with no chance to relax. I've spent the last two months completely cut off from normal civilization, and the hero world, with Dabi's nagging in one ear, and Re-Destro's talk to destroy Japan in the other ear.

I can't remember the last time I had a conversation that didn't involve liberation, the murder of innocent people, or Dabi calling me a 'dumbass.'

Life at the mansion has been chaotic these last two months.

And, man, is it starting to show.

I haven't, so much as, had time to even eat properly, these days, as the simple thought of a chicken sandwich has my mouth watering beyond belief, right now. I've had to tighten up my belt loop three extra notches, with the way I've been unintentionally dropping pounds. Three!!

I feel weaker, than I did two months ago. Mentally and physically. I feel stressed to my limit. And quite honestly, I'm starting to feel a little delirious with the build-up of sleepless nights that are permanently damaging my psyche.

Maybe, that's the reason I've found myself enjoying Twice's company so much. Yeah, that's it, I'm sure.

Skeptic's been watching my monitors every waking, and sleeping, moment. Ever since those 'technical difficulties' that happened with the cameras, two months ago, he hasn't left me alone at all.

No breaks. No time to breathe.

I know I'm slipping. I'd be lying to myself, if I said I haven't come close to losing it a few times.

But, of course, I can't be the one to lose it, so instead of losing it, I hold in all of my stresses, until they're eventually forced to release themselves in the form of silent panic attacks. Most of them happen at night, but with my 24 hour surveillance....all I can do is squeeze my eyes shut tightly, to stop the room from spinning, and motionlessly endure the tachycardia and hyperventilation, that make me feel as if I'm dying. Sometimes, it gets so bad and out of control, that I really think I am dying.

That is, until I think of Ari.

Yeah, yeah. I know. It's cheesy, right? It sounds just like every other sappy love story you probably read about. Heh, but I'm not even mad about that. Go ahead and laugh, if ya want, cause I'll just laugh with you, in agreement. I'm a good sport about that kinda stuff-making fun of myself, and all...

Man, but it's true. Ari always told me that when I feel out of control, I should think about the things that make me happy, in order to center myself again.

So, I do. I think of her.

When the room is spinning and my vision goes blurry, I simply close my eyes and envision her there with me. I try to imagine her soft, delicate hands gently touching my trembling, clammy arms. I replace the sharp ringing of my eardrums with the sound of her voice, telling me that's everything's going to be okay. I think about our memories. The good parts. The good times.

The future that we still have to look forward to.

I know, I almost lost her. I was genuinely prepared to let her go, because I truly wanted her to be happy. It killed me, but also brought me back to life when she decided to stay.

I wasn't lying when I said she's the real angel.

And as this war gets closer, my original motives still stand true. The same motives I've had for the last eleven months, now.

Actually, scratch that....

The same motives I've had for the last, almost nine, years. From the moment I saved little Ari Parker and became her angel of the sky....

And those motives are to protect her. No matter what. From the very first time I saw her, I was drawn to her. Drawn to helping her. Drawn to ensuring that she was okay, and shielding her from it all.

Throughout all of this, whatever happens in these next two months, it remains the same...

I will do everything in my power to protect Ari Parker. I won't let anything or anyone stand in my way of doing so.

'Cause I'm her angel of the sky, and I will make sure to put her at ease, no matter what happens.

When that time comes....

And, as much as my gut is screaming doubts and second thoughts at me, about my situation.....as much as I can almost physically sense something big and horrible coming right around the corner...

I need to be faster. I can't stop.

Not yet. Not when I'm this close to ending it all.

Self-sacrifice. This is the mission I agreed to. I'm almost there. I've almost fulfilled my task.

I can feel it in my soul. I can feel that my time here is coming to an end.

Whether I'm referring to my time at the PLF mansion, my infiltration mission, or my life....I'm not really sure. But, I can just sense, that the end is coming for me with something, some time soon.

But, it's not as if my physical and mental sacrifices aren't paying off. I've managed to build quite the stack of valuable PLF information, over the course of these two months. I couldn't sleep even if I wanted to, because I know that every second of rest could be spent gaining intel, and moving this whole thing along even quicker.

I am the man who's too fast for his own good, y'know. Gotta stick with that reputation while I can.

The fate of the country and the heroes all depend on how much I accomplish in my given timeline. And the timeline is already halfway done.

And I've gotta remember stuff like this, when I find myself getting too close to Twice.

It was a few weeks ago, when we started these little tutoring sessions. He asked me to tutor him on the MLA history. With the sole intention to get closer to him and gain his trust, I enthusiastically agreed.

After all, everything I do here has a purpose. Nothing is ever genuine. Don't forget that.

But...

Twice. He's always been a bit different from the rest. There's always been somethin' about him that involuntarily makes me let my guard down, and want to help him.

Who cares, Keigo? It's mistakes such as these, that have the potential to ruin this entire mission, and everything you've worked so hard for, during the past eleven months.

Yes, I'm right. Right?

Right?

.....told ya, I'm losing it.

Yeah, sure, he's a nice guy. He's funny, and he's good natured. But, I can't let something, such as mere sentiment, trip me up. Not at this stage in the game, not ever.

When Twice told me his story, when he opened up his feelings, genuinely, and told me of how he overcame his trauma, I got chills.

I got chills for a few reasons. A part of me was slightly....surprised that he was able to do such a thing. It made me realize that I had underestimated him from the start. It made me see him in a different light.

But, I also got chills for the strength and lethal danger he now possesses within his grasp.

My stomach stirred uncomfortably, and admittedly, a little somberly, when I realized that Twice suddenly went from a minor, happy-go-lucky villain, to the strongest, most dangerous murderer that I have to watch out for.

While Twice was just happily and innocently telling me some stuff about his life struggles, the only thing I'd been thinking about was how I'd need to be prepared to take full action against him, when the time comes. How I'd need to remember that he's a killer and a villain, who deserves everythin' that's coming to him.

And I still need to remember that.

Yeah. That's it. See? He deserves everything that's coming to him. He does, Hawks. He does.

This is the correct decision. Don't waste the past eleven months. This is the greater good.

.......right?

"Hm, I dunno, Hawks. Seems like you're starting to become a little mixed up about it all." Twice pondered out loud, quickly breaking the glass bubble of daydreams that I'd been zoning out in.

I quickly turned my bloodshot eyes on him in a daze, realizing I didn't register what he'd said prior.

"What?" I asked blankly, watching him keep his focus on his notes.

"Well, I just asked you which side you liked better-the MLA side, or the league's side, and instead of answering, all ya did was give that odd stare, like you gotta take a dump, or somethin.'" Twice explained casually, throwing up his hands in confusion as he continued sitting criss cross on the floor.

I couldn't help but chuckle lightly at his way of phrasing things, feeling my inner thoughts becoming blurred once again as I got back into the conversation.

"Well, pal. I couldn't have answered that question, even if I wanted to. Never wanna divide sides, y'know." I shrugged, shifting my eyes towards my wings, so he'd remember about-

"The cameras on your feathers! That's right. I'm sure Mr. Long Black Hair is listening in on all of this action, huh." Twice pouted, not being subtle about any of this in the slightest, before he continued.

"But, man, Hawks. I hope they are listening, so they can see and hear about what a hard worker you are. I mean, really, everytime I see ya around, you're always doing somethin.' You work yourself to the bone for us." He said in slight pity, causing me to smile tiredly.

I let out a soft sigh at his talk of my accurate strife, about to respond, when my feathers suddenly fluttered up with new sound waves.

That's right. Speaking of working myself to the bone....

My burner phone. It's vibrating in my pocket. I'm not surprised. I am expecting a very important phone call today.

And it's probably best that I don't be late for it.

Clearing my throat lightly, I set the whiteboard marker I was holding back down in it's place, casually walking towards Twice to let him know that time is up.

"Ah, it's alright. Besides, pretty soon all this hard work will pay off, right?" I smiled reassuringly, fully meaning the words I was saying-but, not for the context he thinks.

Twice sluggishly stood up from the floor, stretching his arms high over his head as he walked out the door with me.

"True that. I mean, just think about when Shigaraki's done powering up his quirk at the hospital. That's a lotta hard work that will pay off, right there!-gah, I wish they'd stop spying on you, already, so you can finally meet him. I know he'd really like you!" Twice beamed, as we strolled down the many floors of the PLF mansion.

I couldn't help the way my attention hyper-focused at the name I've been tracking for eleven months, unable to stop myself from trying to pry a bit.

"Yeah. Eleven months later, and I still haven't gotten to meet him, huh...." I uttered casually, trying to be as subtle as possible to leech as much information out of Twice as I could.

Sorry, Twice. It's nothing personal.

"Well, maybe, once this whole take-over-the-world thing blows over, we can all go out for some ramen, or something? I'm sure the Shig-ster wouldn't mind a break, and you've earned yourself a well deserved one, too." He suggested hopefully, as we finally reached the lobby of the mansion.

He threw his masked head back in content as we walked outside, apparently still able to feel the sunset breeze hitting his face.

Admittedly, I did the same thing, reveling in this small break we had from the dreary inside walls of the mansion. It's a nice day outside. The sky is orange with soft evening, the air is perfect. Perfect for flying.

It made me feel at peace.

"Hmm? Ramen, you said? Sure, noodles are always good. But, you know, I'm more of a yakitori kinda guy." I explained softly, keeping my relaxed face on the setting sky as Twice and I walked down the empty path together.

"Why not both? Hey, when this all finally settles down, you and I should go out and just eat to our heart's content. We can get yakitori and ramen. What do ya say?" He asked genuinely, making me smile at the honesty he held in his voice.

It's a rare thing, these days. Villain or hero, the point is....honesty is rare.

"Yeah, sure, man. I'll eat with ya. Why not? Could use a good meal." I sighed lightly, lazily shoving my hands in my pockets as we neared the end of the sidewalk.

This is where we'd split up. Twice would continue going in the same direction, and I would take a different path.

"Well, good. I'd really like that." He said just a tad quieter, realizing we'd be parting ways now.

Feeling a dull pain inside my heart, I simply smiled sadly, giving him a small nod to silently tell him to keep walking.

I shouldn't be so sad about this.

Twice gave me a nod goodbye, slowly turning around to start walking closer to the sunset.

I had only just started to let my fake smile fall-that is, before he suddenly turned around to face me again.

I forced my eyes to quickly lighten back up again, curling my lips unnaturally to portray some illusion of happiness.

Twice stood in front of me, with the soft rays of the setting sun glowing behind his back, as he spoke his next words.

"Hawks....I just wanted to thank you for what you shared with me today. About your past with the heroes, and how they locked you up in a cage. That stuff's not fair. I know that couldn't have been easy to share, but....just know.....I get how you feel. Okay?" He said, tilting his head to the side softly as I'm sure he was probably smiling under his mask.

And just like that, I felt the dull pain in my heart becoming sharper and more pronounced, as if it refused to be ignored by me, anymore.

"Okay." I simply said, letting the words come out unintentionally choked up as I blankly kept the sad smile plastered to my face.

Luckily, Twice was too happy and supportive to notice.

"And, hey, all of that stuff you said about wanting to fly free? Well, you deserve that. You're not a bad guy, Hawks. Anyone who helps his friends can't be all that bad. So, let's fly free together. Alright?" He asked hopefully, giving me an encouraging thumbs up to emphasize his point.

I felt my subconscious thrashing around inside my head and my heart, trashing my, already grey, morality with a chaotic mixture of guilt and sadness. Depression and anguish. Betrayal and early apology for something I haven't even done, yet.

And most confusing of all....

Hope and possibility. Hope and possibility for him, and the good-natured person that I know he is.

How's that for inner conflict?

And before I knew it, my pained smile naturally relaxed into something even more genuine and sorry. The guilt was concealed by the rays of pinkish sun that reflected off my aviators, tinting my honest eyes from Twice. But, I knew it was there, even if he didn't.

Not even thinking about the next, authentic words that left my mouth...

"Sure, friend. I'll fly free with you, someday. You can count on it." I said soft as feathers, noticing how at peace Twice looked with my answer.

Because, he truly trusted me, and believed it.

Finally content with leaving now, he gave me a happy wave, before he turned around to continue his walk into the sunset....leaving me alone with my inner demons, once again.

I couldn't help but blankly watch him disappear down the path, unable to wallow in the shitty person I am, as my phone began vibrating once more.

Looks like talking with Twice has made me late for that phone call, after all.

Letting out an inaudible scoff of annoyance for my situation, I quickly turned on my heel, briskly veering towards the open training areas of the mansion to get a good, clean take off into the sky.

However, I wasn't able to get very far, when I heard good ol' Slidin' Go shredding up his vocal chords from the ground.

Every. Fucking. Time.

Land people, I tell ya...

"Ah, sorry, what!?" I called out to him from the sky, in half hearted interest, still trying to recover from my talk with Twice. I reluctantly hovered my flight path a little lower to allow him time to speak.

Not like I really respect the guy, or anything like that. But, you know how it is here. I kiss more ass than a public toilet seat.

"I saiddd, just where do you think you're going, Hawks?! Did Skeptic give you permission to fly off the premise?!" Slidin' Go yelled angrily, wagging his finger around at me animatedly since I was too far out of his reach for him to do anything else.

I gave him a small, victorious chuckle, trying to get back into the mindset of Hawks, as I lazily crossed my arms and carelessly swayed back and forth in the sky.

"Oh yeah? Who wants to know? Miss me already?" I smirked, giving my head the familiar lopsided tilt that I knew would irritate the shit outta him.

And while I was pretty far away from the ground now, I still noticed the way he grit his teeth in frustration.

Kinda makes me happy.

"No, I do not miss you! I'm simply ensuring the safety and preservation of the Paranormal Liberation Front, from little punks like you! I still don't trust you!" Slidin' Go accused loudly, drawing a few wandering eyes with a statement like that.

But, unlike a few months ago...I've tactfully spent my time here, building a solid repertoire with these people.

Inserting myself into groups. Getting familiar with people's likes and dislikes-and playing off those aspects to my favor. Volunteering to help out with the chores and tasks that no one else wants to do.

Manipulation at its finest.

As I've said before, every conversation. Every smile. Every question I ask...

All of it has a purpose. A malicious purpose. A purpose for destruction. Mere sentiment will not trip me up. Nope.

Hawks has been doing his job very well for these past two months, and there's no way I'll let Keigo fuck it all up.

And it looks like my hard work has been paying off, since no one blinked twice about Slidin' Go's accusation against me this time, simply shaking their heads dismissively and going back to whatever they were doing before.

I'm glad my flight jacket was zipped up past my mouth, because I couldn't stop the dark smirk from curling up onto my face slightly at my progress.

That's it. See? This is exactly what I'm working for. My purpose, here. The pieces are finally falling into place. I've got them all right where I want 'em now. They trust me.

Time to seal the deal and continue acting like the clueless, happy-go-lucky idiot.

Like clockwork, I feigned heartache-slapping a gloved hand over my chest, and making it dramatic enough so it could be seen from my position in the sky.

"Ouch, buddy. That one hurt! What's not to trust? Ah, well, anyways...if you're really curious about where I'm headed, why don't you come with me? Or, better yet, I could bring you somethin' back? I'm going on a coffee run. Like I always tell you, that black sludge ya got here ain't for me." I explained breezily, starting to flap my wings again to lift myself higher into the sky.

Seeing he had no way to stop me from leaving, Slidin' Go let out a yell of frustration from the ground.

"You better be back in an hour. No later!" He yelled.

"Two hours. Got it!" I retorted with passive aggressive cheer, shooting him a sloppy salute before speeding off into the sunset sky.

I'm sure he said somethin' else, but who cares, right?

The moment I flew past the toxic place of the PLF mansion, I finally let the fake grin fall off my face in one fell swoop.

I flew in silence for a few moments, legitimately reveling in this minuscule break I had from being Hawks.

For the first time in months, I let my shoulders slouch naturally. A cathartic sigh escaped my lips. My brain felt exhausted. My eyes deflated to blank and half lidded.....and the sunken look on my face probably made it look as if I had died mid flight.

And I am so grateful I actually get to show that for once, even if it's just to the clouds and pigeons in the sky. My face muscles were actually starting to ache from the unnatural cheer I've been forcing around.

Finally alone. Finally myself.......

For a single minute, before I pulled my vibrating phone out of my pocket and tortured myself more.

I did debate on dropping the damn thing for a minute, not gonna lie...

"Hey." I blandly greeted through the phone, too done with my life to give a shit about things like formalities.

"Hawks, your assistance is needed in the city tonight. Are you able to drop by and fight some crime?" Diane rehearsed flawlessly, speaking in code since she wasn't sure if we were alone.

I allowed myself to roll my eyes in annoyance, simply just because I finally could, before answering tiredly.

"You can drop the act. It's just us. No cameras are monitoring our surveillance right now." I uttered softly, giving my vocal chords a rest from the animated drawl that Hawks uses everyday.

"Oh? And how in the world did you manage to pull that off?" Diane asked naturally now, with a slight hint of surprise hidden in her voice.

I took my time in answering, simultaneously trying to revel in my peaceful flight, while also engaging in this toxic conversation.

That multi-tasking strategy ain't going very well, I'll be honest. One of these tasks overpowers the other. Obviously.

"A lotta patience. Spent the last month and a half sporadically crushing up sleeping pills, whenever I got the chance. Skeptic's been on my ass lately with those damn monitors, so it wasn't an easy task. Had to do it one pill, like, every other week. But, I got it done. Slipped the crushed up powder in his coffee this morning, and he's been sleeping ever since." I explained blankly, feeling Diane's proud chuckle grating harshly against my eardrums.

My wings involuntarily sharpened up a bit at the sound, before I quickly relaxed them.

"Excellent work, little Keigo. Your tactics are getting more clever with each day. But, what about Dabi? If I've been reading your coded messages correctly, then you've been telling me that he also has access to the cameras, right?" She asked.

I pursed my lips in pondering thought to her words. Of course, I've already thought that point through, before I left to call Diane. But, the situation with Dabi, itself, still intrigued me, anyways.

"Dabi....has never really been interested in watching the cameras. I don't know why. It seems like he couldn't care less about it all. Odd, considering he always seems so suspicious of me. But, regardless, he left the premise today. Won't be back for another hour." I sighed tiredly, distractedly shooing away a bird that began veering too close to my flight path.

Always those damn pigeons.

"Yes, that's odd, indeed. But, considering that he's the only other person, besides Skeptic, who has access to your wing monitors, we'll count his disinterest in you as a blessing. For now." She stated casually, clearly wanting to move onto other matters.

That's just another way for her to say that whether Dabi is plotting something against me, or not....my well being is not what's most important, right now. The focus should be elsewhere.

And, yeah, she's not wrong.

I puffed out my cheeks softly as I slowed my flight path, not wanting to drift too far away from the PLF mansion base.

I left a feather in Skeptic's room to detect when he wakes up. The further away I travel from that area, the less accurate my feather senses are in detecting sound waves.

"Yeah, sure. Let's just move on, then." I said nonchalantly, mentally preparing all of the notes about my progress over the past two months.

"Excellent. Now, I'm sure we don't have a lot of time to chat, so catch me up. What's the situation with the war?" Diane asked, causing my anxiety to rise from everything I already knew.

Diane's gonna be damn pissed when I tell her what I'm about to tell her. She's gonna wanna take her anger out on someone, and I don't really feel like being her verbal punching bag today. The job gets tiring, after sixteen years, if you can imagine that.

Sooo....how do I explain this lightly?

"The timeline is still the same. I'll code ya the exact date, but basically...two months from now is when it's set to happen. I've got some new info on how they plan to do it-they're gonna hit all the major cities at once, throughout the nation..." I started off, hearing Diane curse under her breath.

"So, they're basically trying to organize one giant terrorist attack? Is that it? Damn uneducated fools actually think they have a shot at this, huh." She sighed in pointless clarification, clearly already knowing the answer.

I nodded softly, even though she couldn't see me, forcing myself to continue speaking.

"Yeah, but make no mistake. These guys ain't no mindless goons. They've got a perfect system for all of it. You see, by attacking everythin' at once, they're hoping to cause a lawless chaos amongst the people. They're hoping to take down hero society-not just physically, but also in spirit with the citizens. They want 'em to lose hope in the heroes, and enthrone Shigaraki as the new leader atop all of that rubble he's gonna create." I explained, trying to get my conversations with Twice out of my head as I continued betraying his trust.

As I said before, I shouldn't feel bad about spilling this information to Diane.

And I guess, spilling the information, itself, to Diane isn't actually what I feel bad about...

Diane didn't respond for a moment, humming to herself in pondering thought as she took in the magnitude of my words.

"Lawless chaos. Lost hope. Shigaraki. With this new information in mind, it seems that we have no other choice but to catch them off guard. Correct...?" She started off slowly, probably tapping her nails against her desk.

Her question kinda sounded like she was setting me up for something. But, all I can do is go along with it and get torn apart, I guess. Whatever.

"Well-yeah. That's correct-" I began saying, before she cut me off unexpectedly.

"Okay. So, then, what are you waiting for, little Keigo?" She chucked dryly, voice dripping with a mocking, condescending tone.

And there it is. The set-up I was expecting.

I rolled my eyes deflatedly as I continued flying, trying to get the hazing period of this conversation over with as quickly as possible.

"....what do you mean-" I started off knowingly, before she was quick to beat me to the punch.

"What do I mean? Nothing really-it's just that, you keep saying we have all this time. First, it was four months. Then, three. Now, two. But obviously, if we plan to catch these pieces of scum off guard, then we don't really have two months, do we?" She asked insincerely, clearly wanting me to verbally prove that I was wrong about something.

But, I'm just as much a stubborn jackass as she is.

"Hm. Dunno. Is that a trick question, or somethin'? Gimme a hint, maybe?" I asked defiantly, already knowing the answer I should have said.

Luckily, Diane was starting to become too angry and stressed about the war to retaliate with discipline, deciding to simply move on and state her point quickly. For once.

"We need to strike now, before the day the terrorist attack is set to happen." She commanded impatiently, clearly hitting her fist against the desk as the small sound was heard through the phone.

I closed my eyes tiredly at her words, not giving a shit about paying attention to my flight path as I absorbed all of her negative energy into my veins.

"I hear ya. I know, I know-Look, I'm workin' on it, alright? This stuff takes time and certain tactics-"

"Well, you need to work quicker. There's no more time for you to play buddy-buddy with these people. Be more bold. Take more risks. Exhaust yourself beyond your limits, if you have to. You've been at this infiltration mission for eleven months now. If there's a time to start taking chances, it's now." She advised firmly, acting as if she knew all the answers.

Easy for her to say when she's not the one doing it.

"It's not as if I'm sitting by, twiddling my thumbs, y'know. I've got an agenda going. Whether we strike tomorrow, or wait until the day before the planned attack is set to happen, both of those times are considered early. I'm already working on my next plan of action-my final plan of action for this mission. That's how close I am. Once I have that information, we're all set to operate the attack. Remember, it'll be simultaneous hits on the two PLF powerhouses-the mansion, and the hospital, where Shigaraki is being taken care of." I explained, mostly trying to ease my own anxieties with that statement, since I realize I'm falling short with this mission.

In Diane's eyes, I'm currently failing the job.

"And do you have a location on Shigaraki's whereabouts, yet?" Diane mocked out knowingly, causing my jaw to tense tightly in frustration.

But, honestly I don't know if the frustration was meant for her, or myself.

"I'm.....I promise, I'm working on it. I really am trying here." I practically seethed out for the countless time, hearing Diane chuckle bitterly.

"Mhm, sure. That's always been your go-to response for things you want to ignore. Can you blame me for wanting an answer to, at least, one of my questions? I've been waiting patiently. For eleven months-no, for sixteen years....almost seventeen years, I've been waiting patiently for you to be the hero I know you're capable of being. But, you just always seem to fall off short." She uttered with a small tsk, saying the insults as if they weren't a big deal.

And, they aren't. They aren't a big deal. They don't hurt me, anymore. I just feel numb to them, now. I feel done.

Especially, after spending so much time apart from Diane in these last two months.

I feel completely done with her.

"Mhm. Okay. Great." I simply hummed, letting my disinterest with the matter slip a little too much.

Normally, I'm able to put on the act better. But, after playing the part of Hawks, relentlessly, at the PLF mansion, for so long....I couldn't bring myself to say anything else to satisfy her need for a fight. Or a bully session.

And, apparently, that was a big mistake on my part.

"That was a very deflated, disrespectful way of responding to your superior, little Keigo. Even though you've always been the snarky one of the bunch, you've never sounded that.....we'll say, tired, before. What's wrong? Did I hurt your feelings? Is the infiltration mission getting you down?" She asked patronizingly, yet her voice still tactfully held that small hint of 'warmth.'

Just another mind trick.

"Ah, no way. It's all peachy over here. What's there to be down about?" I asked emotionlessly, forcing myself to add just a bit of Hawks flare towards the end-just so she would get off my ass.

I'm tired.

"Sure, if that's really how you feel about it. Or, maybe you need a little motivation to get the job done quicker." She suggested casually, causing me to hold back a yawn as I began to zone out of the conversation.

"I dunno. If you say so, then it must be true. What kinda motivation are we talkin'?" I questioned mechanically, giving a friendly nod to one of the pigeons I flew by.

"Glad you asked. It's a pretty serious motivation. The motivation of a life. A certain life, that I know you're......rather fond of." She said vaguely, causing the checked-out look in my eyes to slowly fade as her words quickly caught my attention.

Immediately, I didn't need a further explanation to who she was talking about. I knew, just from the way she said it. Not to mention, I already felt the twisting dread forming in my gut.

That's right. I almost forgot that Diane has found her way to keep me under control. And that's through my true, vulnerable emotions.

Gripping the phone a little tighter between my gloved hands, I tried to remain as calm as possible.

"What did you do?" I asked darkly, keeping my voice low and quiet so she wouldn't be able to hear my growing anger, as well.

But, nothing gets past this woman.

"Oh? For someone who doesn't give me any answers, you're sure very demanding with your questions. But, since you want to know....unlike you, I've been doing a lot, during these past two months. A lot to prepare for this war. Of course, this includes getting our defense forces together, and a certain, little hero has...bravely agreed to contribute to the cause." Diane countered in sick sweetness, causing my heart to already start pounding out of my chest.

My eyes widened out of my head, as I felt my hands starting to shake. The anxious anticipation caused my flight path to become less controlled, as a million thoughts began running through my head as to what the hell's been going on, in these past two months.

I didn't answer right away, trying to keep my panic, and my anger for Diane under control; Trying to prepare for whatever information I was about to learn about Ari-who was, no doubt, in some sort of danger.

The possibilities are endless, and that's what scares me the most.

Taking a slow, deep breath, I forced my voice to stay steady, as I finally spoke.

"You've never been one to beat around the bush. So, why start now, right?" I drawled out lazily. My voice betrayed my true feelings with a giant, raspy crack at the end.

I know, that no matter how much I tried to keep myself composed, Diane could still sense my growing panic.

It was enough for her to feel accomplished and finally get to the agonizing point.

"Keigo, Ari has agreed to a very important mission. I'll send you all the specifics as soon as possible, but...since you want to get right to the point so bad, here it is-She has agreed to sacrifice herself, in order to singlehandedly apprehend Tomura Shigaraki for us." She explained emotionlessly, causing my blood to immediately run cold.

My breath caught in my throat, causing me to choke and involuntarily give my wings a powerful flap backwards to stop my flight path, mid-air.

My jaw fell slack, as I hovered myself motionlessly in the sunset sky. My words fell silent. I couldn't have spoken a coherent sentence, even if I wanted to, after hearing something so outrageous. Something so sick and twisted. Something that equated to one of my worst fears.

But, through it all, my frazzled mind gave me no time to lose it, quickly going into a silent survival mode, as I was already thinking of my next plan of attack.

How. Why. Is Ari being threatened into this? She has to be. Is she okay? Is she scared? Maybe I can send her a feather somehow, and-

"Keigo, I've known you since you've been a boy, so I know what you're probably thinking. Before you use this uncharacteristic silence to plan my demise, or turn against the hero commission, I need you to know that Ari agreed to this. She willingly agreed to this. I'm not the bad guy here." She reassured horribly, only making my empty, starving stomach lurch with nonexistent vomit.

I gripped the burner phone tighter in my shaking hand, feeling my teeth grinding together harshly as I finally found the words to speak.

"Anyone else. You could have picked anyone else, besides a new grad hero, to do your fucking dirty work. But, you didn't. Nah, this was planned from you. Seems a little fishy on your part, I've gotta say, boss. Better be careful there. People might start talkin'-or, perhaps....someone may even give them a reason to." I threatened out with full accusation, not even caring that I just took a blatant stab at Diane's true intentions.

However, she didn't even seem fazed or offended by my statement, clearly having her own motives for telling me such a thing. Of course.

"Oh, Keigo, please. I can assure you that I'm on your side. This is just natural selection doing its part. Not to mention, Ari's quirk is a skill that is very much needed, in order to apprehend Shigaraki. It's not as if I randomly picked her, with the malicious intent to get her killed. Besides, who knows....maybe she'll even live. Don't think so poorly of her skills." She pointed out, the casual, unbothered tone of her voice making me silently go livid with rage.

She's speaking about Ari's life as if it's nothing more than a piece of gum on the bottom of someone's shoe.

"We'll never need to find out. Cause, I won't let that happen. I refuse to let Ari take on Shigaraki." I commanded, saying the words as if I actually had a say in the matter.

I meant every word I said, but to Diane, my statement probably came out empty. I've got all the odds against me, I'm extremely far away from Ari at the moment, and I've got a million cameras on my back. One wrong move from either side, and I'll be dead in minutes. From her perspective, or anyone else's, it doesn't seem possible for me to be able to insert myself into this, anyway.

But, I've always been a determined guy. I always have a plan, even when no one thinks that I do. So, even if I don't have an official say in the matter to Ari's mission, that doesn't change the fact that I'll follow through on my words. No matter what-

"And you just might get your wish, with that." Diane responded immediately, not even bothering to fight with me, as she was clearly expecting my infuriated reaction.

I remained hovering in the air, narrowing my wild, exhausted eyes in full suspicion to her words.

"Feel free to elaborate on that sentence, any time. I don't have all damn day, here." I retorted with rude impatience, giving no fucks about the fact that I was seriously pushing my disrespect limits for the day.

"Very well. How's this for elaboration and clarity? Our strategy is, officially, to try and catch the villains off guard with their plan; which mean, executing our take-down mission early. So, here's my deal for you, Keigo-You get me Shigaraki's location. Get me the name of the hospital he's undergoing his treatment at, any time before the villains are set to strike, and I will cancel Ari's entire involvement in the mission. She will remain safe, and out of harm's way. She will be guaranteed to live. There's your motivation to get things done quicker." She explained clearly, causing my burning lungs to exhale a shaky sigh of new, elevated pressure that I didn't think was possible for my anxiety ridden body.

Warning bells. Alarms. Horrible gut feelings are all blurring my mental state, as I took in Diane's words.

She's giving me an ultimatum-I either succeed in this mission, or my failure sends Ari to her death. Typical Diane fashion.

It's not the ultimatum I wanted. It's definitely not the situation I wanted. And as much as I wanna ditch all of undercover duties, fly to Ari, and hide her somewhere safe....

I can't. Because she's not within my grasp, at the moment. She's in Diane's. I know that, I'm not that reckless and stupid. One wrong move from me, over here, and Diane will take my mess ups out on Ari, faster than I can fly there. A mental breakdown on my part, right now, will do more harm to her, than good.

So, I need to play my cards right. Be patient with my timing. Being so far away from her, with monitors on my back, I'll just have to deal with it.

For now, anyways.

"And how do I know you're telling the truth?" I asked warily, still not fully convinced of her intentions.

Diane chuckled softly at my interrogation tactics, seeming as if she found me very less than intimidating.

"Have I ever lied to you?" She asked in amusement, causing me to scoff bitterly.

"Want the truthful answer to that question? Or should I use some of the lying skills you taught me to answer it, instead?" I asked in full pettiness.

"Fair point. But, think of it this way, Keigo. If I really wanted to kill Ari Parker, then why would I have told you my plans to do so, and risk ruining that chance? The answer is, I wouldn't. I would keep this a secret from you, up until the point that Ari's corpse is already delivered on my door step."

"So, what's your point?"

"My point is that I'm giving you the chance to do something about this. I'm giving you the power to save Ari's life. I'm giving you the power to stop it all, and finally put an end to all of this. And it's a simple task, really. You save Ari by doing your job correctly. It's as easy as that. So, do we have a deal?" She asked firmly, before I felt my wings starting to vibrate with new sound waves.

They're from the feather I'm hiding in Skeptic's room. He's starting to come out of his REM sleep, meaning he'll probably wake up soon.

I sighed in annoyance, making a quick turn around in the sky, and silently...and reluctantly hurrying up this conversation with Diane.

Even though it's only just gotten to the point where I want to hear more of what she has to say.

And even though I've got a million second thoughts and apprehensions screaming inside my head, I did the only logical thing I could do. The only thing I had the power to do at this moment.

"As long as Ari's life isn't put in danger, I'll do things your way." I said truthfully, choosing to exclude the things I would do if Ari's life were to be put in danger.

I've got a couple ways I would go about that approach.

But, I won't tell anyone those specific plans, unless it comes time to carry them out.

Not even you. Quite honestly, if I told you....I think you'd finally call me crazy. But, I do hope you'd understand.

And I hope you don't hate me for the things I would do to keep my loved ones safe. I hope it never comes down to that point. But, if it ever does....

Then, I apologize in advance for what you will see from me. I apologize to you, too, Ari...

Ah....but I'm getting ahead of myself, aren't I? We're not there. Not yet.

So, for now, I'll continue playing my part. I'll continue being the puppet for everyone else, and wither away my sanity more and more. Until there's nothing left.

I only wonder how long it will take, before I completely and fully lose it.

I'm not sure, but I can tell you one thing-it won't be long now.

************************************************

Next Chapter Title: Happy Days.