The Burning Dawn @konraddams - Tumblr Blog

OC in 15

Rules: share 15 or fewer lines of dialogue from an OC, ideally lines that capture the character/personality/vibe of the OC. Bonus points for just using dialogue without other details about the scene, but you're free to include those as well!

Thanks for tagging me in this @snaggz! For the most part I followed the prompt, but I'm incapable of not rambling too much, and decided to use some of these as an opportunity to rough draft some scenes I have towards the end of my fic, if I ever get that far. I'll put those under the others, a few of them are long as hell, but are full of League of Villains related angst.

OC: Akane Akiyama

“If I could kill any hero? That honor goes to Endeavor.”

"You all look up to them now. I don't blame you. I did too, at your age. But it won't take long till they disappoint you. These people only care about fame and money while framing it as being invested in the future heroes of this world. You'll see how fake they are soon enough. The second you make a mistake, they'll leave you all behind.”

"Okay, let's do it then. We'll go to UA and become heroes. Together.”

"I was supposed to be at Sekoto Peak the night he died. I promised him I'd be there… But… my mom was dying, my dad forced me to go with him to the hospital. And I couldn't get in contact with him… I wasn't there. Touya died alone…We were supposed to protect each other, and I failed him. If I had just left the hospital, ignored my father…maybe he'd still be here…”

"I know he wouldn't… But, I still do. I can't let that go, not when I know I could have saved him…" She hugged her knees closer to her chest and had to take a shuddering breath to keep herself from crying more than she already was. "If one of us had to die, it should have been me. He would have been so much better at all of this," she muttered quietly, mostly to herself.

"If I had known you were alive….I would have done anything to find you, Touya.”

"That promise when we were kids never had anything to do with heroics for me. I didn't care about that, for me it was just about staying by your side no matter what life threw at us. So, hero, vigilante, villain - the label means nothing. As long as I'm by your side fighting with you that's all that matters."

8. Akane finished replacing the last piercing under Touya's eye, securing it with a click. She had finally succeeded in changing out every single one of his over a hundred piercings and staples for brand new ones.

"Finally done," she said as she removed herself from her position of straddling his waist on the couch.

"Yeah? Can I open my eyes yet or is this still somehow a surprise?" He asked with an amused but tired huff.

"One second," she answered, as she walked over to grab the hand mirror she left on the dresser earlier. She brought it back, and sat next to him, though didn't hand it over just yet. “So, first thing, if you don't like them we can order something else and do this all over again-"

"Sounds exhausting," he complained lightly, his eyes still shut.

"Second," she continued. "I had the idea initially for pure functionality purposes. But after thinking about it, there's a bit more to it too, metaphorically speaking."

“How the hell does that make sense? It's just metal."

She laughed and handed off the mirror.

"See for yourself, I'll explain after."

Touya finally opened his eyes, and stared into the mirror, surprise briefly flickering through his expression.

"Gold, huh? Never considered that," he muttered as he took a look at his reflection. Angling his face in different ways as he got used to the new accessories. She'd even changed out his nose and ear piercings to match them. The new piercings really paired well with the color of his eyes. Accentuating the turquoise more with the way the gold contrasted with his pale skin compared to the silver ones he had before.

"Not bad. Might take some getting used to, but I don't mind it," he dropped the mirror on the table, turning his wrist as he did to look at the new golden piercings there as well and how they caught the light of their room. “So, functionality?"

"Your piercings were silver before. Gold has a higher melting point than silver does, so these should withstand your flames a bit better than your old ones," she explained. "Figured since the Meta Liberation Army is bankrolling us now they could afford it if I filed it away as a necessary expense. Though I think Skeptic nearly had an aneurysm when he saw that I made them spend thousands for some piercings," she smirked.

Touya barked a laugh at that, tormenting their practically corporate sponsors always brought him some joy.

"Brilliant work. And if they really can last longer that is helpful." He idly started spinning a few of the piercings along his hand.

"Not seeing how them being gold instead could be metaphorical though," he said, tilting his head to the side as he looked at her. The gold really did look good on him, and she wasn't even that big of a fan of the metal for herself by any means, but it worked on him.

"Right, well...be warned, this is about to get extremely sentimental.” She ran her hand through her dark hair almost anxiously, like she wasn't among the most feared villains in Japan. Touya grabbed her hand though, recognizing that nervous tic.

"I like when you're sentimental. Tell me anyway," he pulled her hand closer and started lightly massaging it, she hadn't even realized how cramped it felt from spending so long changing out his piercings till now.

Akane sighed a little exaggeratedly, putting her feelings into words had always been difficult, especially when it came to things like this.

"I'm assuming you know what kintsugi is?"

Touya smirked, like he was already connecting the dots now that he understood where she was going with this. "Fixing broken pottery with gold or something else like that. Highlights where shit broke instead of just putting it back together like nothing happened, right?"

She nodded. "Right. I figure that's kind of what you're doing isn't it? By confronting your family soon, you're letting them know that you're still alive. That despite everything that happened to you, you're still here and stronger than ever before. You aren't going to act like nothing happened like the others. You're going to fight and let the world know exactly how fucked up your father is. So, why not highlight your actual scars with gold too?"

"I get it, wouldn't have thought about that on my own. But it works."

A beat passed, and he smiled to himself.

"They match your eyes too," he said, bringing up his hand to cup her cheek, his eyes darting between hers and the piercings lining his wrist. “Almost exactly."

That caught Akane off guard. "Wait, what? I didn't even reali-"

"Of course you didn't. Typical of you to not ever think of yourself," he leaned his forehead against hers for a second before pulling back. "If you're wanting to stick to that kintsugi metaphor, it works for that too. You've always been the one to pick up my broken pieces. You're what's holding me together even now."

9. "Wait, Compress, don't-" she struggled roughly against Best Jeanist's cables that were holding her in place. She forced her quirk to pierce through her skin and attempt to slice through the steel fibers to no avail, only causing her arms to bleed from the strain. She could see what was about to play out. Knew Compress well enough to know what he would do. What he had always done and sacrificed for the League.

"Sorry my dear, but I cannot allow the show to end yet. None of us have achieved our goals, so I refuse to let the curtains fall," he said as the theatrical tone that typically surrounded his voice dropped. His next words were just for her and Spinner. "I loved being in the League. Now get the others out of here."

With that he used his quirk to blast a large portion of his shoulder away, enough to slip through the hero's restraints. As she watched him bleed viciously from the wound and run towards them to help them escape, Shigaraki's words echoed hauntingly in her mind once again. The same way they did when she found Twice's dead body. 'Watch out for the others while I'm gone. I trust you to make sure they don't get themselves killed before I wake up.'

Just another promise she failed to keep.

10. Akane was exhausted from the battle, from everything that had just gone down. Twice and Compress were dead, they had lost the Meta Liberation Army's Villa that had served as their home for the last several months, and Shigaraki was...not talking like himself. She and Spinner held on tight to the giant Nomu that carried them away from the war zone.

Touya was nearly asleep against her, worn out from the battle and from the adrenaline crash. He had popped out of the marble Compress had him in a little after they made their getaway, and the implication of that made her throat tighten. The smell of newly burnt flesh clung to him, the golden piercings and staples lining his skin had popped open in places along his jaw, and more of his face was burned away now.

He had pushed himself too far, but she was glad that he finally had his moment. Finally faced down his father properly, revealing himself to the world. Though deep down part of her couldn't help but feel relief that Best Jeanist's cables stopped Touya from whatever he had been about to do when he jumped down from Gigantomachia after his speech. Was he about to kill himself right then and there, take out his brother and father in one self-destructive act? They'd talk about that later. She couldn't even blame him really for being that impulsive when he'd waited for that moment for so, so long.

A few stubborn heroes were still tailing after them, though the other Nomu made quick work of them. Until one got close enough that it nearly made it to the one they were all riding on. The hero flew through the air, close enough that Akane let go of Touya to stand up and attack them herself. But before she was able to attack, one of the Nomu next to theirs, the female one, had produced a scythe of what looked like solidified blood from its body that then reduced the hero to shreds in seconds. Then the scythe retracted back into the Nomu.

Akane froze staring into the space where that just transpired. Trying to make sense of what she saw as her eyes followed the female Nomu returning to its original location in the pack. It was almost how Vlad King's powers worked, but not quite. A quirk that she had only seen in action a handful of times in person, and in a few videos her father recorded years ago.

'That was...Mom's quirk?'

11. Akane sat with her back against the wall of the dimly lit cave. Watching silently over Tomura who occasionally burst into pained screams, and incoherent yelling. His body contorted horribly in ways a human shouldn't be able to move. Touya had gone to keep training his flames not far off in the secluded forest, Toga was out wandering the city somewhere, and Spinner was taking his turn to sleep after watching Tomura the entire day before. Leaving just Akane sitting with their leader as he suffered the aftereffects of his battle with Star and Stripe. While All For One watched on in detached amusement from his makeshift throne, with two of his Nomu beside him. Including the one who had her mother's stolen quirk.

Every pained yell, every time Shigaraki writhed in agony, caused rage to boil inside of her. All directed at the man responsible in front of her.

"Akane, I can feel your hostility from here you know. We're on the same side aren't we? Our plans may be delayed, but removing New Order from the board was an important step. This is all for Tomura's sake."

Akane tensed, her eyes narrowing at him. Like hell she believed that. None of them did. Not after hearing how often he referred to Shigaraki as his other self, and the way he took full control of him at times. And yet, all the League could do was go along with All For One's plans, because that was the only way any of them were going to accomplish their goals. At this point, Akane's only objectives were to make sure Touya got his revenge, and to do what she could to protect Toga, Spinner, and Tomura. Not that she was succeeding in any of that so far.

All For One could see she wasn't taking the bait, and switched tactics. He placed a hand on the back of the female Nomu on his right.

"It's truly a shame you ended up with such a weak quirk. Your mother’s complements our Nomu quite nicely. With the way they're designed they can take more advantage of it than she ever could when she was alive. Yours, unfortunately, could never measure up. Copying it would merely be a waste of our efforts."

The insult didn't faze her, she knew her quirk had never been as strong as her mom's. But that was never a point of shame for her.

"You know, I could offer you another one. You desire to fight by Touya's side, don't you? I could give you quirks to rival his power, or withstand the heat of his flames better. You two could be truly unstoppable on the battlefield together, as it stands now...you only get in his way," he said disparagingly, with that same twisted smile.

She refused to answer. Akane knew he was just trying to get a rise out of her, for some reason he seemed to especially enjoy tormenting her.

Touya acted detached towards everyone except her, Toga was hardly ever there, and All For One knew Spinner would do anything for Tomura and manipulated that to his advantage. Which just left Akane as the dissenting party. Despite how much she held her tongue, his ability to detect lies and hostility made it impossible for her to pretend to be neutral around him. And bringing up her mother as the monster who held her quirk stood next to him didn't help that.

She clenched her fist in her lap and just stared up at the ceiling. Breathing through the anger and reminding herself to stay calm for all of their sakes. His smile grew wider, he was testing her vulnerabilities. She focused her attention on Tomura instead, it seemed his body had settled, possibly sleeping again.

"Speaking of Touya, he's been training his quirk more and more lately, hasn't he? His flames truly do surpass Endeavor's. Though I have to wonder if there will be anything left of him when he's finished."

Akane wondered that herself most days, he couldn't hurt her with that.

"And when he's gone there's truly no point in keeping you around afterwards, is there?" His tone dropped, no more of the mock niceties, just maliciousness. Akane finally spoke up.

"I guess not. Not that I care in the slightest what use you have for me.”

"Is that so? In that case why shouldn't I just get rid of you now. It would be so easy, it'd all be over before you can blink," he said with a casual wave of his hand.

"Then you lose Touya as a pawn, unless you're planning on getting rid of him too," she responded numbly. This was all just empty, idle threats from a man who enjoyed preying on people's weaknesses, right?

"I do admit Touya has his uses. For now he's a valuable piece on my board, though not one that can't be replaced. However, even if I did kill you right now, would he really be so quick to turn against me?"

Akane paused, and looked over at him.

"...what the fuck is that supposed to mean?"

"I'm his best chance at getting him a clear shot to his father. If he tried to do things on his own, all the other heroes would get in his way first. He'd be overwhelmed. Touya's quirk may be powerful, his body however can't handle it for long periods of time. So he needs my numbers to remove his obstacles to survive long enough to reach Endeavor. Otherwise with how impatient he's been, he'd have handled it himself already."

All For One wasn't wrong, they did need numbers on their side, and Touya had to choose his moments to fight carefully with how damaging his quirk was. But was this asshole really implying that he could get away with murdering her without Touya fighting back or caring? Just because he'd have a better shot at killing Endeavor?

"That doesn't mean-" He cut off her argument.

"Something to consider Akane, what do you think is stronger, his love for you or his hatred for his father?"

Before this, she was sure she'd known the answer. But now that they'd lost so much, that he was burning himself away at this very moment training his flames, she couldn't say. She hated the fucker for getting under her skin like this.

"Maybe I don't know which is stronger...but I do know he wouldn't just let you get away with killing me," she replied coldly, still trying to keep her emotions in check.

All For One shrugged impassively. "Maybe not. You are his collateral, and someone unstable like Touya does need a good leash. So I could threaten you all day and it wouldn't mean anything to you. Since keeping you alive keeps him in check for now. However," he continued with a smug smile, like he had just caught her in a trap that finally sprung. "You actually have a heart. Unlike him, you care about those on your side. Guess those hero instincts are hard to snuff out completely. So to keep you in line.... I'll simply kill Shuichi Iguchi should you do anything I don't like."

That threw her off. Her calm composure broke as her eyes widened. Panic briefly setting in.

"You...you need him, don't you? He's devoted to Tomura, he's the face of the heteromorph rebellion," she explained, almost to reassure herself that he had to be lying. But the look on All For One's face let her know that he wasn't.

"You'll find a martyr often motivates a rebellion even more. And his love for Tomura is as unneeded as you are. So unless you want our Iguchi to suffer... you'll sit quietly and stay out of my way until this war is over.”

12. "Spinner, you don't have to do this," Akane pleaded quietly. Even though he didn't have eyes, she could feel All For One staring at her with twisted amusement.

Spinner looked up, glancing between her and Touya slowly.

"I'm not like you two...I want to be strong enough to protect the people I care about..." His voice was rough, heavy with resignation.

Akane's throat worked like she wanted to argue further, to say something that stopped this, that stopped whatever the hell All For One had planned for him by offering to give him another quirk. But All For One cut her off.

"Akane, let dear Iguchi here make his own decisions. He simply wants the same thing as you after all. To help Tomura, as his most devoted follower." He sneered at her under the fake politeness of his tone. It made her feel sick. She gritted her teeth to say more, but Touya caught her wrist before she could do anything that might get her killed.

Her eyes met Spinner's again, wordlessly pleading for him to reject All For One's offer, but with a broken and exhausted sigh, he turned away from her. Touya held onto her wrist tightly and started walking them towards the hallway, getting them both away from whatever was about to happen. All For One's grin never faded.

Akane didn't turn away even as she lost sight of them both when they turned the corner as Touya all but dragged her down the hall as fast as he could. After a moment there were pained noises and a broken growl coming from where they just were, shadows played on the cave walls and she saw Spinner's form twist and change, growing larger. Her blood felt like it froze in her veins. She wrenched free of Touya's grasp and tried to run back. No plan, just blind desperation to somehow save one of the last few people she still had. Touya's arms wrapped around her waist before she got far, pulling her close to him and turning her away from the sight of the distorted shadows. One of his hands went to the back of her neck, gently tangling in her hair as he pressed her head against his chest.

"It was his choice... There's nothing we can do now," he whispered steadily. Touya and Spinner had never gotten along too well, but the hand Touya had resting on her back clenched into a tight fist as another agonized cry from Spinner reverberated around the cave.

13. "Touya, I need you to promise me something before we go into this battle," she started, glancing away from him to stare up into the dark clouded sky above. Bracing herself for this conversation she felt like she'd rehearsed a dozen times.

He said nothing, but tilted his head at her in curiosity. She hesitantly continued.

"If...things start going south, if you feel yourself burning away to a point you can't come back from... Find me, and take me with you." Her eyes met his again, studying his reaction.

Touya was silent for a moment, his face for the most part blank. Until it seemed like he fully processed what she was asking of him. His eyes widened slightly, the muscles in his face twitched as his jaw tightened.

"Akane...you can't seriously be asking me to-"

"I am," she responded flatly. An almost cold determination in her eyes. "I'm not blind. I've seen how you've been throwing yourself at training lately... You're burning more of yourself away everyday. And I've seen the fucking funeral wear you got for the battle that's coming," she tried to keep her voice calm and even, but that part couldn't get out without it breaking just slightly.

"You're reading too much into it. That's just to psyche Endeavor out," he shook his head trying to dismiss that point.

"That really all it is?" She asked, but he didn't say anything further, just looked away from her. He was a good liar by all accounts, but he never had been with her. His reaction only confirmed her suspicions about his plans. Her breath suddenly caught in her throat, and her hand shot out to grab his, holding on tight enough to hurt if he was still able to feel pain.

"I know you Touya. You told me once how you wanted this all to end. You told me that changed when we found each other again...but after losing Twice and Compress, our home at the Villa...you haven't been the same. So I have an idea of what's coming." Of course he wasn't the only one affected by what they had lost, all of them were considerably worse off now. And while part of her wanted to argue about reasons he should stay alive past killing Endeavor, those reasons would feel hollow now after everything, and they had already had that conversation several times. She was tired.

His hand closed around hers, letting his other come up to run through his hair. His grip tightening slightly on the strands for a moment, his usual reaction when he was feeling too much stress to physically contain, before dropping that hand to his side limply.

"You've known from the start that we're probably on borrowed time. Don't think I was ever supposed to make it this long anyway. My body's been falling apart slowly the entire time, and not just because of my flames."

It was true, even after making him visit various doctors during their time with the MLA they couldn't explain how he was still up and breathing. The damage to his organs from the fire that almost claimed his life back then was extensive, and even with various medications and possible surgeries they could have done if they'd had time before the heroes ruined everything, it still wouldn't have let him live a long life. But they'd have had more time than this.

"Only thing that's kept me going this long is making sure that bastard fucking suffers," he growled, but his tone gentled as he looked back up at her. "Until we found each other again... You made me believe that there could be an after to my revenge. Even if we wouldn't have as much time as we should, we'd at least spend it together in whatever chaos we left the world with after the League won...but the way things are turning out now, I-I don't know anymore," he sighed heavily.

She knew what he meant. The Paranormal Liberation War destroyed all of their plans. Their friends were dead, that brief sense of home they had within the PLF destroyed, and their leader was possessed by an overpowered narcissist who seemed to almost delight in torturing Tomura's allies as a form of twisted punishment for him resisting being taken over and used as a puppet. Even if they won this war, it wouldn't be the future they originally pictured back when the League was whole. And All For One was likely to try to get rid of them the second he no longer found a use for them. Not that they'd go down to that asshole without a fight.

Touya brought his free hand up to her face, thumb brushing over a scar on her cheek, before moving further up to thread his fingers through her hair. The scars under his eyes began to bleed.

"Not saying I'm trying to actively kill myself, but if that's the only way I can reach my goal... When I burn out, I don't want you to join me in the ashes."

When, not if. He could say he wasn't trying to die all he wanted, she knew he was just trying to comfort her. Which just made it hurt more.

Akane let out a tense breath and moved to lean her forehead against his, one of the last places on his face he could even still feel her touch now. Her arms wrapped around his neck for a moment, but then she pulled back enough to meet his eyes. Wiping the blood from under his scars away before she spoke.

"If you get to choose how you die, then why can't I?" She felt his entire body tense at the question.

"Touya, please. I know what I'm asking for isn't fair. I know that, but I-" A shuddering breath left her throat without permission. But she refused to cry. Not yet.

"I've had to watch so many people I care about die. Mom, you, Magne. Then Twice and Compress. And now..." Her sharp canine bit into her lip hard enough to bleed in an attempt to keep her voice steady. "Toga's at her breaking point from losing Jin. All For One turned Spinner into...that, and I don't know if he can ever return back to normal. And Tomura...I don't even know how to start to save him from what he's going through. Even if we managed to kill All For One ourselves, would that stop his possession?"

Touya moved his hand to wipe the blood from her lip, not saying anything, but the look in his eyes let her know he wasn't okay with what was happening to their friends either.

"All I've ever wanted was to protect the few people I actually fucking cared about in this world...and I have failed every fucking time. I'm so tired of losing people...of being the one that's left behind, that has to keep fighting while everyone I love dies around me," the first tear finally slid down her face. "I can't handle watching you die a second time on top of all of that..."

Touya took a moment to absorb her words. Of course he knew her well enough to know how much all of that was killing her inside. And she'd told him plenty of times before that she wouldn't make it if he died again. She hated putting him through this. If he had asked the same of her, she wouldn't be able to do it. But she could tell he was actually thinking it over. Instead of outright denying her morbid request. Eventually he let out a shaky breath, his eyes downcast.

"It's not a peaceful way to go out...burning like that. Can't feel pain anymore, but I still remember what that felt like vividly," he said roughly looking back up at her.

"Yeah...I know that. Can't hurt more than losing you a second time though. Plus, I've seen how fast you can turn people to ash. You'd make it quick," she said with a hollow, grim smile.

Touya just stared at her, his jaw tightening at how casually she said that. Like killing her was nothing to him. She dropped the forced smile, and ran her hand through his hair apologetically.

"Look, the way I see it...if you die, whether the heroes or All For One wins, there's no point in my being alive either way. If the heroes win, they either kill me like they killed Twice or lock me away forever. If All For One wins, the second you're gone, he kills me for the fun of it. I'm not strong enough to fight him to avenge mom or to get Tomura back on my own," she admitted hoarsely, internally hating how weak she felt despite how much stronger her quirk had gotten. "But this way, I'd at least get to choose how I go. And I'd rather spend my last moments in your arms, surrounded by your flames."

They sat and stared into each other's eyes for a moment. She could practically see Touya's thoughts racing, attempting to come up with some arguments to counter her points. Several different emotions passed through his face, before he landed on one. A look of pained resignation, because all of what she said was true. And maybe he didn't want to die alone this time.

"...alright. If things start going that direction, if that's the only way to kill that bastard and his masterpiece... I'll find you first. One last dance, just you and me. Promise," he said, sealing that oath with a kiss that tasted like his blood and her tears.

Akane let out a sigh of almost relief, and kissed him back, holding onto him tightly. Him promising to kill her shouldn't have felt like a weight taken off her shoulders, but after everything they'd been through, and all of what was to come, it was the most comfort she'd felt in weeks.

"That's only if though," he responded dryly when they eventually separated. "I'm not planning on dying there. Definitely not fucking now. We still gotta save the boss from that eyeless freak, right? Maybe he can fix whatever happened to Spinner, and if we win, we'll make sure Toga doesn't get her psychotic ass killed trying to get revenge for Twice," that familiar sarcastic smile lit up his face, it had been so long since she'd seen that look. Something about it didn't quite meet his eyes, but right now she was choosing to ignore that. She'd take whatever fragile reassurance she could get at the moment. The smile on his face then dropped into a warmer one, one that had always just been reserved for her.

"I sure as hell won't let the heroes or All For One get close enough to fucking touch you either, not that you even need the help. Plenty capable of slitting those fuckers’ throats on your own, but still."

Maybe all of it was a lie, some small hope to try to get her through until the final battle. But he promised her he'd take her with him if he was going to die, that was the important thing. They always kept their word to each other if they could after all. And if he didn't make it to her before he burned up, he wouldn't be alone for long. She'd be right behind him.

"Thanks, Touya."

14. This was it. Touya was too far gone, had pushed himself too far in that fight with Shoto. As he walked closer, his flames grew hotter than ever as he quickly learned to copy Shoto's Phosphor move that brought him down just a moment ago. New purple flames flickered across his chest in the pattern of an X, just as ethereally beautiful as his usual blue. His face and body were entirely charred, the flesh along his jaw burnt completely away, fully exposing his teeth. The fact that he was still moving astounded her. His fire kept the heroes away, carving a path between the two of them. He was keeping his promise to her, letting her die in his arms before he went to find and finish off his father before it was too late for him as well.

Adrenaline coursed through Akane’s veins, knowing this was the end. But out of all the ways to die, at least she chose this. At least she didn't have to live through losing him a second time.

Touya walked closer, only a few feet from her now, and reached out his hand for her to take, like he was still giving her a chance to opt out. Akane didn't hesitate, even as his flames started burning the flesh off of her fingers. Her eyes didn't leave his. She wanted his face, as maimed as it was right now, to be the last thing she saw. Their hands almost touched, fingertips just barely connecting, and then...

He pulled his hand away, and stepped back.

She tilted her head at him, her heart hammering from the adrenaline. Then her eyes widened as she realized he couldn't follow through with their plan.

"Touya, wait... don't. Don't do this."

You promised.

"I'm sorry..." She could barely hear his rough voice over the roar of the flames and the heroes yelling just behind them.

He looked down at her hand that she still held towards him, three of her fingers were nearly burnt to the bone. It should hurt, it was probably excruciating. But between the adrenaline and the dawning horror of what was about to happen, everything else faded away.

Akane didn't dare take a step towards him in case he took off the moment she did, and she wasn't cruel enough to force her death on him by running into his fire, even with how easy it would be to do.

Touya stood there silently, just gazing at her with a gentleness that stood in contrast to the chaos around them and his near undead features.

She wanted to be angry, to yell how he promised her he'd live, or at least let her die with him. How he told her All For One was wrong, that he loved her more than he hated his father...but that wasn't true, was it? Not when he let the fight with Shoto go this far. But, she didn't want her last moment with him to be in anger, not when he was standing there giving her something she never had with anyone she'd ever lost.

The chance to say goodbye.

So she bit down the anger, that didn't matter now. She tried to speak through the way her throat was constricting.

"Just...make Endeavor fucking pay for it..." She managed to get out, directing all of her bitter feelings and anger at the person who was responsible for all of this in the end. "I love you Touya...I always will."

I'll be right behind you.

It wasn't fair that she couldn't even hug him goodbye, couldn't touch him at all as his flames were consuming him. But this was more than she had last time.

"I love you too, Akane. You...you always deserved better than this. But thanks, for being the only one who ever saw me...and for loving me anyway." And before she could say or do more, his blue flames ignited under his feet. Launching him into the air.

All she could do was watch, refusing to take her eyes off of him for a second. Some of his lingering flames keeping the heroes at bay died down and she heard Shoto yelling somewhere to her right before Touya got too far.

"Get back here! I'm still standing, don't you want to kill me too?!"

Touya turned slightly in the air, glaring down at him, before his eyes briefly found hers again. He made no move to come back down though. His voice came out as a growl almost as intense as his flames.

"Shoto, you're a hero right?! Then honor your brother's dying wish, keep her safe."

And then he took off again.

She noticed Shoto glance at her out of the corner of her eye, saw how some of the heroes began to approach as the flames died down. But all of that faded, as she watched him fly further off to hunt down his father. Somewhere in the back of her mind she registered that Skeptic's voice was coming through her comm system, and then suddenly one of Kurogiri's shadowy portals opened in front of where Touya was flying, before closing as soon as it appeared, likely taking him wherever Endeavor was located now.

Once Touya wasn't in her line of sight, reality set in. He was gone. He was going to die, again, and she couldn't do a fucking thing about it. The love they had for each other couldn't save either of them, and she wasn't strong enough to protect him from himself. Tears finally began flowing uncontrollably and her knees hit the pavement as her body collapsed in on itself. A broken sound she didn't know she was capable of making tore through her throat.

15. "...akane...don't...don't go." Touya's voice was so quiet and strained, she felt his frozen charred hand grab hers with what little strength he had. Aizawa was waiting by one of Kurogiri's shadowy portals as Shoto and Endeavor found the strength to get up, to join the final stand against All For One. She didn't have long.

Akane looked back down at Touya, she didn't understand how he was still alive, much less conscious. He looked almost skeletal, bone was peeking through in various areas, one of his arms was gone entirely. What was left of his face was contorted in pain, not physical though, he was long past being able to feel that.

She knelt down by the stretcher he was laying on. Her fingers ghosted over his face, too afraid to touch him fully in case he crumbled away to nothing.

"I...I have to Touya. All For One hasn't gone down yet, he's still possessing Tomura."

"...let...the heroes...handle it.." his voice cracked, breath labored.

"All the heroes see is a villain that needs to be taken down, no matter the cost. I doubt they even understand that it's not him in control right now. They don't care about Shigaraki. I... no one else can help him. I'm the only person in the League left standing," a realization that still pained her. "If he's still in there, if I can still reach him, I can't just let them kill him...for once in my fucking life, maybe...maybe I can actually save someone."

Touya let out an anguished noise.

"...can't lose you...please Akane..."

Tears fell down her face, then froze to her skin in the still icy air. She wanted to stay, in case something happened to him. The idea of leaving him behind to possibly die alone again was agonizing. But...she couldn't just sit idly by, the others were moving to leave. There wasn't anything she could do to help Touya now as he slipped in and out of consciousness. And Tomura needed her more. If the heroes couldn't stop All For One, Touya living through this wouldn't matter anyway. And she didn't trust them to get the job done.

For herself, for her mom, for Touya and the rest of the League, and for a chance at a future together, she had to go. She needed to be there when All For One finally fell.

"I'm sorry Touya. I have to do this..." She leaned her forehead against his gently, then moved to kiss his cheek. The ice frosting what was left of his skin was cold and sharp against her lips, and she stared into his eyes that miraculously stayed intact despite what the fire did to the rest of his body. Committing this moment to memory in case it was actually their last this time.

"I'll be back. I promise," the words rung a little hollow, there was no guarantee she would survive this fight. It was a promise as binding as the one he made to her. "So you better fucking stay alive too, okay?"

Touya looked like he wanted to beg her to stay again, but gave up. Rei at that point, who was on a stretcher beside him, weakly sat up, putting her hand gently on his stretcher just above his shoulder. Akane hadn't spoken to her since she was just a kid, before she got committed. But there was a fierce determination in her eyes now that was never there before in the time Akane knew her.

"He'll be safe, I'll be with him till you get back," Rei told her.

Akane nodded, grateful for the reassurance, and the fact that at least he wouldn't be alone.

"Make the bastard suffer then...and I'll kill Shigaraki myself if you die saving his ass..."

She smiled at that, Touya still had some fight in him at least, even in this state.

"love you..." He whispered, his eyes slowly closing.

"I love you too, Touya." And before she could reconsider, she forced herself to stand and turn away. Steeling herself for the battle to come.

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