Top pic credit: Sleepwalkers Queen

Keigo POV:

"I've...been...compromised." I heard Ari say through my feathers, repeating back my message to her in a surprised, yet also expecting, tone of voice.

I should have been ecstatic when I heard her say the words. I should have a feeling of relief, knowing that she has some sort of an idea as to what's going on now.

But, I'm not. I'm anything but relieved.

It seems that my predictions from a month ago were correct, when I assumed that Ari would eventually catch on to my strange behavior, and figure out that something was wrong.

But, that's all I wanted her to find out. That something was wrong.

I never had any intention of specifically telling Ari the details of my mission, because I never wanted her to get too involved and close to what I was doing. The only thing I wanted her to know from the very beginning was that I needed to cut my ties with her, until this was all over and it's safe for us to be together again.

I just wanted her to figure out that I didn't break up with her because I wanted to, but only because I'm in a situation where I absolutely had to.

But, of course....like most things in my life, the plan I had didn't work out the way I wanted it to.

Today was the first day I've seen Ari in over a month, and right from the start...I could already tell that she was suspicious about the intentions of my breakup.

I'm sure my little moment of weakness with her, flying through the sky, didn't do anything to dull these suspicions, either. Don't even get me started on how bad I feel about that.

I couldn't help myself. I just missed her so much. I'll admit, I got a little carried away.....

Sure, I understood that she was also conflicted, and....and...hurt. But, the point is, I could see the wheels turning inside her cute head to show that she had already caught on to the fact that there's something lying beneath the surface of this whole thing.

Seeing that would have been enough for me to stay quiet today. It would have given me enough relief in knowing that she understood what I wanted her to, and allowed me to fly off without sending her the specific message that I'm being closely monitored.

No. Ari isn't the reason why I had to write that message in the sandbox and explain what's going on with me today.

The reason is because of Endeavor.

I mean, god damn it, why didn't he just open the book, the way I asked him to?

Sure, there's a chance he'll open it later today when he gets off work, maybe it's even for the best that he opens it when I'm not around. I mean, I'm sure his poker face is horrible and that if he just so happened to figure out what the hell was happening with my coded message, his eyes would bug out of his head like a pair of marbles and I'd be completely done for, right then and there.

But, the problem was that he didn't even look at it.

Listen, I tried, alright? I tried to give him every clue and hint that I could, without blowing my cover.

The weird words....

"Glance at my favorite sections of the book, Endeavor. That's my second recommendation in so many words."

"I even highlighted my favorite parts!"

The looks I gave him. The way I was purposely trying to act a little bit strange in hopes that he would catch on...

But, he didn't-At least....I don't think he did. If he actually managed to outplay me this time and simply act as if he didn't know what was happening, well I'd be pretty impressed. That would be a severe underestimation of Endeavor on my part.

But, see that's the difficult thing about this job. I need to overestimate my opponents, while underestimating the smarts of my allies, to make sure I relay things to them as clear as possible.

So, simply hoping that dense Endeavor picked up one of my hints from today, was not enough of a guarantee that will help me get my thirty minutes of sleep at night.

No. Especially, with what's to come in these next four months.

There's not enough time to do this gradually, or base the fate of the world on silly 'what ifs.' The heroes need to know now so that they have the necessary time to prepare themselves for what's to come.

And it's because of these reasons that I had no other choice but to basically spill the beans to Ari, about what's happening on my end, so she can spread the information for me to the others.

If I could have trusted anyone else, I would have left her out of this. I would have never gotten her this closely involved.

This is everything I was trying to avoid.

But, I don't trust anyone else. Especially, not after the shit I've seen some high and mighty 'heroes' do for the liberation army in this past month. Psh, traitors.

No. Everything Endeavor needs to know is in the text I gave him, and I'm confident now that Ari will figure out the book has a hidden message from me and find a way to tell him this.

And...

I'm now also confident that Ari has taken a dangerous step closer to my infiltration mission today. How could she not? Only her and Endeavor will know of the coded information I gave about the war that's coming in four months.

I've reluctantly just placed an enormous amount of pressure and responsibility into Ari's hands that was never supposed to be for her. That's my pressure. My responsibility. I feel guilty that I'm basically having her help me do my job.

But, I'm desperate. And I really have no other choice.

I need help. I can only do so much with these camera monitors on my wings. Skeptic wasn't jokin' around when he said I'll be watched 24/7. That's an understatement, if I've ever heard one.

Ari's the only person I can trust. Well, her and Endeavor, if he ever figures it out.

I've done all I can for now. All that's left to do is watch, wait, and send coded messages through Ari when I can.

Me. Endeavor. Ari.

Two kids and a boomer now hold the fate of the entire country, and possibly the entire world, in their hands.

Oh boy. This is about to get interesting, huh?

Not being able to let out so much as a sigh of annoyance for the situation, I simply continued onward with my treacherous trek back to the PLF mansion, seeing that familiar house coming up in my vision all too soon.

Forcing a smile on my face early, so that I'd be ready to charm people the moment I entered their line of sight, I noticed the traitor pro hero, Slidin' Go, already waiting for me at the front gate.

God. I hate that guy so much.

And for good reason, too, as I could already hear him yelling something at me from the ground, even though I was still making my descent from the sky.

What the hell does he want this time, that little piece of-

"Heyooo! I'm back!" I chirped to him with pep, shooting out a small smirk as I took my sweet time floating myself down to the ground.

But, unfortunately, the time went by too fast as I was now in a perfect position to be able to converse with the bastard normally, unable to use my usual excuse of not being able to hear what he's saying from all the way up in the sky, teehee! Gross.

"And just where did you go this time, Hawks!? Your absences from the mansion, over the course of this last month, only last approximately one hour. Sometimes, an hour and fifteen minutes if I've noticed you came back with takeout for yourself. But today, you were gone for over two hours and nine minutes, and I demand to know why!" Slidin' Go yapped out at me with discipline, forcing me to hold in my annoyances as I finally landed on the ground in front of him.

See what I mean? I told ya I'm being watched closely. I can't so much as go get a quick bite of yakitori without the entire god damn facility knowing about it.

Luckily, the only ones who have access to the actual camera footage on my wings are Skeptic and Dabi. So, I guess that's some type of privacy from everyone else, right?

But, of course, that's just a phrase I've been repeating in my head for the last month, so I don't go certifiably insane. Can't say it's helping all that much, though.

"Oh! Well, I just went to go get some fresh air and see some old friends. That's all. Sorry, buddy, was that somethin' I needed your permission for? Ah, please tell me if it is, so I can make sure to check back with you next time!" I exclaimed in mock cluelessness, trying to get a subtle dig at Slidin' Go, as I already know I don't need his permission to go anywhere. I just wanna hear him admit that.

I watched him immediately shuffle around uncomfortably on his feet at my comment, giving me a temporary, fleeting moment of small satisfaction.

And yet....

"Y-You absolutely do need my permission! That's how it works when I'm older than you!" He lied loudly, making me about to 'cluelessly' prove him wrong again, before Skeptic cut in from behind me.

"Oh, don't go around spreading things that you perfectly well know are lies, Tatsuyuki." Skeptic scoffed out in anger, clearly more fed up with this douchebag than I was.

Slidin' Go's mouth dropped open, clearly appalled and embarrassed by Skeptic's words.

"What!!? I'm just trying to be useful to the cause and help out!! Listen, here. I've always thought something was off about Hawks! I'm telling you-"

"Agh, then go do the dishes or somethin' if you wanna be useful to the cause so bad!! Go on! Get!!" Skeptic spat out angrily, this sudden change of events forcing me to hold in a small snicker of victory.

Slidin' Go shot Skeptic a heartbroken look, only making me want to laugh even louder, before his eyes turned to me in begrudging annoyance.

Not helping the problem in the slightest, I continued standing behind Skeptic, giving Slidin' Go a snarky wink and condescending wave goodbye-which caused him to huff and turn on his heel to head inside.

Hah. He probably really is going to do those dishes. Kiss ass.

Skeptic let out a loud groan of exasperation as he watched Slidin' Go leave, turning to face me a few seconds later.

While I felt a moment of relief that Skeptic was quick to dismiss Slidin' Go's accurate accusations about me, the moment was immediately replaced with a sense of unease when I got a read on the guy's face.

He had used one of his hands to move the jet black bangs away from his vision, intentionally glaring one of his psychotic eyes right at me in a very suspicious manner.

"I know your secret." Skeptic drawled out to me threateningly, causing my heart to quickly jump in immediate panic at what he just said.

If anyone here is going to be the one to figure out my secret, it's Skeptic or Dabi. Those are the only two people who have 24/7 access to the cameras on my wings.

Skeptic really could know my secret.

Does he know about the coded message I gave to Endeavor?

Does he know I found a way to contact Ari?

Fuck, I've put her in so much danger with this already.

But, even though a million thoughts were running rampant through my head at such a bold statement, I completely kept my composure under his burning gaze.

Keeping my shoulders relaxed and my hands lazily in my pockets, I shot Skeptic a stupid looking, half lidded smile that makes it look as though I just smoked a cereal bowl full of joints.

"Oh yeah? The secret about me sleeping in nothin' but my socks at night? Aw, I told Twice that in confidence. Gotta admit, I feel a littleeee betrayed that he went around, tellin' everybody-"

"Not that secret, Hawks. I know your secret. About the books." Skeptic quickly cut me off, narrowing his crazy eyes at me even more aggressively now.

Ah. Well, that statement did absolutely nothing to ease my nerves.

And while his accusations began escalating, so did my anxiety.

Oh. Fuck.

Does he actually know I sent Endeavor a coded message!!? Someone, send help.

No, no, no. C'mon, Hawks. You can do this. Deny. Gotta deny, no matter what. Keep your cool.

"Hm? The books, you say? Sorry, pal. But, now I really don't know what you're talking about-"

"Don't try and deny it! How many times do I have to tell you that you're only allowed to take one MLA book per day to hand out to people. Yet, you took four extras from the storage room today for those UA brats?! Are you the one who's paying bills around here? I don't think so. Those books cost money to make!" Skeptic reprimanded impatiently, wagging his finger around in my face.

Oh. Thank god.

I let out a silent breath I didn't even know I was holding, waiting for him to finish out his, now completely meaningless, rant.

I'm still safe.

"Ah, I'm real sorry about that one, boss. Guess I just got a little overeager about spreadin' the word, y'know. Aren't you always the one, telling me I should be using my platform as the number two hero to do stuff like this? I'm just trying to get everyone onboard this whole liberation thing! Don't need those lousy heroes poisoning the minds of kids anymore than they already have, right?" I questioned innocently, shooting him a beaming smile of pure and utter bullshit.

I'm not worried now. I know he'll take the bait. The thing about these MLA guys, is that they're nowhere near as smart as the league members.

As predicted, Skeptic's glare immediately faltered into conflict upon hearing my words, starting to stumble around to come up with a reply.

"Well-you can't-yes, okay. Yes. You should be using your platform. But-"

"Hey, and you know what? People are really digging the book! I can already tell our numbers should be increasing by the end of the week, with the way people are fawning over it. And it's all because of you for allowing me to come onboard! You deserve all the praise." I smiled in sick kindness, having no problem using some psychological manipulation on this guy to get myself outta this situation.

Skeptic's pretty easy to control. The only thing that makes him a tough opponent for me, is the fact that he's able to monitor everything I do.

Heh. But, I seem to be getting around that now, too.

The grunge guy responded by letting out a small, stubborn scoff-yet, I didn't miss the sudden change in his reprimanding demeanor as I know my words still struck a positive nerve with him, even if he won't admit it.

"Nice save." He muttered a few seconds later, letting his bangs fall back into his face.

There we go.

I gave him a departing smile, thinking I'd been let off the hook, until he quickly held out his hand to stop me.

"Nuh-uh-uh. Not so fast. The guys would like a word with you about your progress. All of 'em." Skeptic explained, causing my teeth to grit in frustration as I've been here long enough to know what that meant.

Great. A meeting with all of the league members/leaders of the PLF. Me against nine people. It's a meeting that happens multiple times a week now. Always unannounced, in an attempt to catch me by surprise.

Always a stressful situation that could expose me at any moment. Especially, after the calculated risks I took today.

But, even so....I can never deny.

Flashing Skeptic a small smirk, I nodded for him to go first and lead the way.

"Then, what are we still doing here? Let's go." I shrugged out nonchalantly, already mentally planning out the things I'd say once I got there.

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

"I've been spreading the good word about liberation ideology!" I chirped out confidently, placing my hands behind my back as I looked ahead at the panel of judges in front of me.

Of course, they weren't technically a panel of judges, and this wasn't some singing show where you audition your talents and await for these guys to tell you whether it's a yes or no.

But, I've gotta admit, sometimes it does feel as if I've just sang an incredibly shitty....or shittier rendition of one of those stupid, heavy metal songs that I hear Dabi blasting from his room in the middle of the night, and that I'm just waiting for the verdict to find out whether or not I move onto the next round of the competition.

Of course, the next round of the competition in this case is....living!

And judging by the pin dropping silence my fake statement was currently being met with, I couldn't deny that I felt just a tad uneasy.

No matter, though. It's not as if I'll break under the pressure.

The torturous silence continued on for a little longer, causing me to 'lazily' trail my eyes over each and every villain in front of me to try and gage how they were feeling.

Do they know?

Does anyone here....know my secret?

The abrupt sound of excited clapping suddenly filled the air, causing me to quickly look over at the culprit in elevated stress.

"Wow, Hawks!!! That's seriously amazing! You've been with the Paranormal Liberation stuff for a shorter amount of time than I have, yet you're already a natural at spreading the word. I'll have to take some tips from you later, if that's okay with you!" Twice exclaimed in awe, clapping his hands together even faster now.

Thank you, Twice. You're making me look good without even trying.

"Hah! It's not that hard. It's actually pretty fun. I'd be more than happy to help you, buddy!" I smiled, giving him a small thumbs up of encouragement before a certain emo fuck had to go and ruin the fun, as usual.

"Oh, give me a break. You're acting as if the moron just got here yesterday and he's already gone on a life changing journey in that amount of time. He only got here a few days later than you, Twice. He's had four weeks to work, so don't go around making him sound like he's so special." Dabi muttered bitterly, crossing his arms as he sagged lower in his chair.

"Oh yeah? And how many MLA books have you given out, Dabi? If you ask me, it doesn't seem like you're in the liberation spirit all that much. Maybe, you should also take lessons from me on how to be better. No charge." I smirked confidently, keeping my wings cross tucked tightly behind my back to ensure I didn't make any sudden movements.

Dabi kept his arms crossed, letting out a small snort of annoyance at my words.

"Well, good thing no one fucking asked you." He retorted, his overly-brooding, mopey tone of voice causing me to genuinely laugh.

Against our own wishes, Dabi and I have been forced to spend the majority of our days together, this past month. It seems that while the Meta Liberation Army and the League of Villains have combined to form The Paranormal Liberation Front, the people within these ranks are still incredibly divided.

By that, I mean that while everyone here shares one facility, they still flock to the same people they know as if this were a group of stereotypical high school cliques.

League members stay with league members. Liberation members stay with liberation members.

I've kinda been all over the place. But, I've found myself running into Dabi almost daily now. And, y'know, the more time I actually spend with Dabi, it gets me thinkin'.....

The guy's not actually that creepy.

Sure, he's a murderer. And a kidnapper. And a psychopath. And he did try to kill and take my girlfriend away from me quite a few times.....

Where was I going with this again...

Oh yeah! Sure, he's a big asshole, but I don't think he's as menacing as he pretends to be.

He's quiet and reserved, a lot of the time....even socially awkward towards others, as he's usually by himself in the corner when we talk to the liberation members. His humor is weird, and I think he knows it's weird as he frequently tries to conceal any laughs or smiles at the jokes people make, or the hilarious antics of Twice.

He's an insecure guy, who's clearly had a lot of pain in his life.

And, it's interesting....

Kinda nostalgic in a way.

Because, sometimes-only sometimes, Dabi reminds me of a guy-sorry, a kid I used to know...a very long time ago.

My only friend during the early days of my hero commission training, if you really wanna get into it.

Yeah. I don't really talk about him, anymore. I mean, what's there to talk about, right? It's not as if the friendship lasted.

But, I guess Dabi's quirkiness unintentionally opened up some old memories about my old life that I'd been trying so hard to forget. Guess that's just another side effect of the blurred line that is Hawks and Keigo. I find myself suddenly remembering things that Diane and the others desperately tried to beat outta me.

But, apparently, it wasn't beat out of me. I still remember. And that kid I used to know acted a little bit like Dabi-I just mean those two have some of the same humor and demeanor, at times. For example, Dabi will occasionally say or do something a certain way, and it gives me just a minuscule flash of reminisce for my old training buddy.

But, while Dabi and my old friend are similar, they also couldn't be more different.

My childhood pal....he was never quite so angry, the way Dabi always is. Irritated? Sure. My friend was pretty annoyed a lot of the time. Heh, he hated the hero commission and Diane, just as much, if not...more than I did. It definitely made for some entertaining conversations between the two of us.

But, even through his broody moods, and unlike Dabi, my childhood friend could still find things to laugh about. I mean, sure, it's not as if the guy was the class clown, or anything like that. From the start....for me, too.....there's not much that can bring you joy and make you laugh, when you're enduring the hero commission's training regiment.

But, there were still a few times I heard him chuckle or make a joke. Like, when I flew into that window during a close quarters training drill. Hah! He wouldn't stop laughing about that. He made fun of me for weeks, afterwards.

Or, the time when he dared me to steal a pack of chocolate bars from Diane's office. Well, you bet I won't turn down a dare. No way! Especially, one that involves sweets. Unsurprisingly, I ended up doing the dare, and my friend and I stayed up past our curfews to enjoy that candy. That was one of the times I was able to have...fun. For a few hours, anyways.

I only later found out that the chocolate was apparently reserved for one of the other trainees. Mhm, A little girl, actually. Apparently, the only way they could get her to listen, in the beginning, was by feeding her chocolate. Never saw her face, or anything like that. It's just something I heard through gossip.

But, man, I miss my old friend. While I shouldn't be thinkin' about him, anymore, I can't help but wonder, from time to time, about what happened to him. One day, he was there, and the next day....

He was just....gone. Disappeared. Vanished, like a thief in the night.

Leaving me all alone.

Ah, but it was probably for the best-Well, that's what they drilled into my head, anyways. Once my friend, Touya, had disappeared from the hero commission, there was no longer anything to distract me or get in my way.

Diane was thrilled about that, because Touya's disappearance was one of the catalysts that allowed me to fully separate myself from humanity and become the hero I am today. After he left, I had no one. And that's exactly what she wanted, so I'd have no choice, but to depend on her for every aspect of my life.

And I did, for awhile. I depended on Diane for everything from socialization, to advice, to a parental figure. I had no one-you know, until Ari came into my life like a wrecking ball and broke the unbreakable foundation that is Hawks.

Touya and Ari. The only friends I've ever had.

And now, one is gone, probably dead somewhere. And the other is slipping through my grasp, right before my very eyes-and it's my own fault.

I'm alone again. And I have no one to blame but myself. I know that. I ain't lookin' for a pity party. I've made my grave, now it's time for me to lie in it.

But...that doesn't change the fact that it hurts.

Ah, well, anyways, it's not the time for me to be thinking about distracting things like this. My past. Ari.

In regards to Touya, he's been gone for ages. Nothing I can do about it now. Like I said, I've already forgotten about him.

And I'm sure....if there's a slim chance that he's actually alive....Touya has forgotten about me, too.

"I wouldn't be so sure about that." Dabi suddenly retorted, causing my eyes to quickly lose their reminiscent glaze and turn back to him.

He wasn't even talking to me, anymore. He was bitching to Twice about something he'd apparently said.

I didn't catch whatever it was that Twice said, though, making me realize that I'd dangerously zoned out about my past while still standing in front of the PLF leaders.

Shit. I can't be doing stuff like that.

This is why Diane tried to make you throw away your name, Keigo. Because she said your old life was a distraction.

Don't prove her right.

Rookie mistake, Hawks. C'mon. What're you doing...

"Oh come on, Dabi. That's not a very nice thing to say about Hawks. You might hurt his feelings." Twice pouted out, causing me to subtly gape like a deer in the headlights as I realized they were still talking about me.

Dabi was talking shit about me? What else is new.

Clearing my throat, I was about to get back in the roasting game with these two idiots, before a new voice quickly cut in-reminding me that there were others here, besides my pals Twice and FuckFace.

"Alright, everybody! Alright. Let's all just relax. We may disagree on some things, but we're all here for the same cause, right? And that's liberation!!" Re-Destro exclaimed, shooting everyone a smile that looked much too fake to hold any genuine happiness.

Re-Destro. The former leader of the Meta Liberation Army. His fight with Shigaraki is what resulted in the entire tragedy of Deika City. Obviously, he lost to Shigaraki and that's where this PLF merger came from.

Gotta admit, I'm a little envious of him. Not for the evils that he's done, obviously. But, for the fact that he's gotten to meet Shigaraki, and I haven't.

"Exactly! All for liberation, right?" I chirped out vibrantly, quickly throwing my hand to my forehead with the correct salute of the PLF.

Can't afford to mess up something like that during one of these meetings. That would be way too dangerous.

"That's right, Hawks! Excellent work today with the UA students. Skeptic gave everyone today's footage from the cameras in your wings, and it's very clear to see you're a true supporter to the cause." Re-Destro praised, quickly returning my salute before turning his attention to a very surprising person.

"Alright, Hawks' progress report is done. Next up on the agenda, is a pitch from one of our PLF commanders, Dabi! You said there was something you wanted to propose to the group. Is that still correct?" Re-Destro asked, quickly looking down at his notes to make sure he was still correct in his assumption.

Wait. What....

Fuck. I already hate where this is going.

I barely managed to hide the shock on my face at Re-Destro's words, feeling my brows subtly furrow in unease at the realization that Dabi wants to say something.

Usually, he never says more than two words during these meetings, because he never cares enough about anything to chime in.

So, clearly, whatever he's about to say....is something important. And no doubt, probably going to put more stress on me, somehow.

...and I take back what I said earlier. He's definitely as creepy as he looks.

Dabi held back a malicious smirk as he slowly stood up....pulling out a hard drive from his pocket, as if he was preparing some epic PowerPoint presentation, before sticking it into Skeptic's computer hard drive.

"I'll make this short and sweet, cause I'd really just like to get the fuck outta here and go to bed, more than anything. But, basically....well, just see for yourself." Dabi muttered, quickly tapping a button on the computer, before the screen suddenly projected on the giant wall ahead for everyone to see.

I quickly turned my attention towards the visual, feeling my blood run ice cold at who I saw smiling in the picture in front of me.

It's-

"Ari!!" Toga cheered like a maniac, her eyes quickly lighting up as she got a look at the giant screen.

Yep. It sure is. It's Ari.

Forcing myself to keep my composure in front of the nine leaders of the PLF, I simply remained silent as I blankly stared up at the screen....torturously waiting for Dabi to continue with whatever bullshit he was about to say.

"This is the girl I was telling you guys about earlier. These crazy idiots have already met her." Dabi started off, before gesturing to the league members as the idiots he was talking about.

My eyes very subtly peered over to Re-Destro and Skeptic, hoping they looked completely bored out of their minds with whatever Dabi was gonna say about Ari.

But, it was actually quite the opposite.

"Wait a minute..." Skeptic started off, getting one more good look at Ari's face before immediately turning to me.

Oh shit-

"Isn't this the girl you saw today, Hawks? The one you took for a flight, and almost slacked off your duties for? You two seemed to be close." The grunge guy accused, quickly lifting the long bangs from his forehead so he could give me the evil eye.

I let out a small, dismissive chuckle at Skeptic's words, suddenly finding myself in a major pickle.

I want to lie. I want to say that Ari has nothing to do with me. I'm sure I'd find a pretty good excuse, too.

But, Dabi and the members of the league are here, and they know Ari and I were in a relationship. Or, at least, Dabi knows. I'm sure he told the other league members.

If I lie now, it will only make me look more suspicious in their eyes.

"Well, actually....Ari and I-"

"The bird knows the number one hero, and Ari's the number one's intern. Why wouldn't the number two moron know her?" Dabi quickly intervened, causing my mouth to immediately fall silent as I slowly turned my gaze on him now.

And I have to admit, that hiding my surprise was starting to get difficult.

Did Dabi just.....cover for me?

Why-

"Correct me if I'm wrong, bird? Or have you lost the ability to speak now?" Dabi immediately blurted out again, clearly trying to ensure I didn't have time to decide if I wanted to play this game with him or not.

Don't do it, Keigo. Whatever Dabi's intentions are with this, you already know they aren't good.

And yet...

"Nah, you're right, Dabi! Of course I know Ari. Kind of. She's alright, I guess." I stated happily, feeling my stomach suddenly roll over in itself as I realized I probably just sold my soul to Dabi somehow, by going along with his plan.

It's not as if I wanted to, but the more the PLF knows about me, in terms of my personal life, the more they have over my head.

The more they can put Ari in danger and use her against me, the first moment I piss them off.

I mean, just look at Dabi. He uses Ari against me every chance he gets. Imagine what these guys are capable of.

Dabi's blue eyed gaze burned into me, the corners of his mouth turning up in a small smirk as he's probably more than aware of how stressed I am with the turn this situation took.

To my dread, he continued speaking a moment later.

"Good. Glad we cleared that up, bird..." Dabi started off, before turning his attention back to the group.

And you can bet, I almost threw up at his next words.

"Ari Parker is going to be my new recruit for the Paranormal Liberation Army." He stated loudly to ensure that everyone heard him as clear as they possibly could.

Feeling my hands starting to shake, in a concoction of fury and stress, I quickly shoved them in my pockets, grinding my teeth together so hard...I was sure my jaw would snap in half.

Keeping a small, mechanical smile forced onto my face, I quickly surveyed the reactions of the group, feeling pure and utter hope when I noticed that Re-Destro and Skeptic looked completely unconvinced.

"Hm...really? Her? I was expecting someone a bit....stronger looking. Or older. What does this Ari Parker do, Dabi?" Re-Destro asked in mock interest, clearly just trying to support Dabi's rare moment of liberation spirit as he dismissively stared at Ari's picture.

Dabi gave a feral grin at the challenge from Re-Destro-of course, to Re-Destro, it was literally just a simple, innocent question. But, you know how Dabi is.

"She's top of her class at UA High School. The best hero school in the country. She's gonna enter the number ten spot of Japan's Pro Hero Billboard Charts, the moment she graduates. She's a good addition. See?" He explained flawlessly, pressing a button on the screen to play a video clip of Ari in action.

My eyes hopelessly rolled back into my head for a moment as Dabi pressed play, making me go certifiably insane inside my mind since all I could do was simply watch this whole thing play out.

I can't argue with Dabi, the way I do when we're alone.

Everyone here knows, myself included, that I'm the only one in this entire mansion who's being watched like a hawk. No one trusts me. I know that. So, the moment I get, even just a little bit, confrontational with someone, is the same moment I'm booted out.

Dabi knows that well. So, I'm sure he's enjoying this quite a bit.

Somberly, I turned my attention to the screen, feeling my heart twinge as I saw my girl in action.

Guilt consumed my body when she flashed the biggest, most brightest smile to the crowd, giving her beautiful, long hair a flip off her shoulder, even though it was tied back in an attempt to keep it out of her way. Heh, y'know, she never likes it when her hair's in her face during a fight.

Everyone in the room was silent as we watched the news footage of Ari fighting a villain, while she simultaneously charmed the crowd. If only Dabi didn't pick a video where she looked so perfectly powerful.

But, then again, that's impossible since this is how she always is.

"Oh-and here's where it gets good. Watch how many things she can do at once, during this part." Dabi announced to the group, dull blue eyes subtly coming to life as he watched Ari with some unreadable emotion I couldn't quite detect.

I narrowed my gaze at him in suspicion, yet it was obvious that I wasn't the one who had his attention right now.

Quickly turning my eyes back to the screen, I watched Ari outstretch both of her hands...quickly freezing two villains in their tracks.

Keeping the villains immobilized in place, She took a slide under the kick of another enemy, quickly jumping on his back and giving his temple a harsh jab with her elbow.

That guy was done for, slumping to the floor, yet Ari didn't even take a chance to breathe as she stopped another villain, midair with her quirk, before giving a powerful punch across his face.

And that was the part that caught Re-Destro's attention.

"Wait a minute. What? She stopped that guy from coming at her in midair? He was like three times her size!" Re-Destro exclaimed, quickly standing up from his seat as he watched Ari fight with a new perspective filling his eyes.

A new perspective that made my heart drop.

Dabi's smirk got wider upon hearing Re-Destro's excitement, giving a small shrug in acknowledgement.

"Yeah. Her quirk is immobilization. It means she can stop three things in place for forty-five seconds each. She has combat training, too." Dabi explained to the group, his explanation causing a weird surge of fury to light up within myself for the way he was so casually talking about her.

He acts as if he knows her so damn well. Like he's the 'Ari Expert.' And it really pisses me off. Just how much research has he done to find out information on her? I wanna know....

How many hours has this guy spent stalking my girlfriend...watching videos of her....finding stuff out about her family and her personal life....

Dabi, I hope you're not starting to get mixed up about how you see Ari. Cause if I find out that you are....

I'll make sure to remind you of your place in the most unheroic way possible. And your place is in the garbage, like the worthless trash you are.

"She can stop things fully then? Even people who are clearly stronger than her?" Skeptic asked, only becoming interested in Ari when he saw that Re-Destro was also interested.

"Yep. A pretty good asset for the shit we're trying to pull, right? If we have Ari in our ranks, she can stop anyone who tries to come at us. Not everyone, but the strongest ones. Like Endeavor, for example. This girl can stop the number one hero without even touching him. It would be so easy. You simply order her to activate her quirk on whoever you want. Then, that allows you to murder this person while they're stuck in place. That's how easy this war can be won." He explained with a nod, making me furrow my brows to this plan that Dabi had been hiding.

Re-Destro's excited 'wow' caused everyone to jump slightly, including Dabi and I.

"You must bring this girl over here, right away! She's the game changer we need in all of this." Re-Destro beamed, before Skeptic cut him off with his doubts.

I've never been so happy to hear Skeptic speak...

"Eh, hold on a second, boss. How can you just guarantee this kid'll come to our side? The last thing we need in this whole thing is a traitor amongst our ranks." He pointed out warily, causing my heart to jump in panic at the word.

I quickly swept my eyes over the group to see if anyone's body language had re-directed towards me at the word 'traitor.'

But...no one did.

"Don't worry. I've got this girl under my thumb. I've got a big enough threat, hanging over her head to where she'll do anything I say...." Dabi started off, before turning his eyes on me to say his final word.

"Anything." He emphasized, causing me to silently match rage glares with Dabi that went completely unnoticed by the rest of the group.

The longer I kept my mouth shut, the more I could feel the anger boiling up inside of me, threatening to explode any second.

"Well, then it's settled!! Bring this Ari Parker by right away! I want to get her familiar with everything as quickly as possible, and I'd definitely like to see her in action for myself." Re-Destro exclaimed excitedly, before quickly closing his binder of notes to signal that the meeting was now adjourned.

"You got it. I was thinking about paying her a visit very soon, anyways." Dabi smirked, before standing up and giving his arms a lazy stretch over his head.

As for me, I forced the death glare away from my eyes, distantly giving Re-Destro and the others a bow of 'respect.'

I don't have my wits right now. I'm too frazzled and angry. Just stay as quiet as possible, before you say something you'll regret, Keigo.

Unsurprisingly, Dabi was the first to make his way towards the door, purposely knocking into my shoulder along the way before he continued his walk.

Against my better judgment, I followed after him, noticing that the rest of the PLF commanders were too engrossed in loud, casual conversation with each other to notice, or even care, that Dabi and I had left first.

Before departing the room completely, my keen eyes subtly narrowed to a particular person with a certain intent already in my mind.

Skeptic. He's talking to Re-Destro and Twice. That means, he's not monitoring my movements at this very moment. Plus, I highly doubt he'll check this footage later. I've only just left the room. He knows I can't do much in this time.

Which means, this is my very first moment of not being watched in four weeks. And you bet I'm gonna spend these two minutes of sweet freedom very wisely. Yep....very wisely.

Stepping out of the room as calmly as I could muster, I spotted Dabi walking down the empty hallway, before he turned a dark corner.

Storming after him, I let my face scrunch up in a sour glare, the way it's been wanting to for the past hour, before quickly turning the same corner Dabi did.

The moment I turned the corner, he was already facing me expectantly, knowing I'd been following him.

"Got something to say, bird-" He started saying, before I unleashed a bit of my fury by grabbing his collar and slamming him back against the wall.

He didn't fight back. He didn't even look like he cared. He just gave me that look-the same look he always gives that says, 'I won.'

"What the hell are you playin' at now, huh?! Why can't you just leave her alone already?" I growled out furiously, giving him another harsh shove back into the wall.

Dabi simply chuckled, giving his shoulders a careless shrug.

"What are you talking about, pigeon dick? I'm just spreading the word about this shit, the same way you are. How's that for, what was it you said earlier? Liberation Spirit? Looks like I've got some of that, after all." He grinned, his eyes glinting with demented delight when he saw my anger growing.

"Why do you have such an interest in her?" I asked in frustration, feeling my voice come out raspy and rough as I tried to keep my bubbling fury down.

Dabi pursed his lips in thought for a moment, clearly trying to purposely make me wait on him longer than I wanted to.

"I dunno." He uttered after a few moments, voice blank and unreadable as he said it.

"Don't gimme that-"

"No, seriously. I dunno. Don't know why I'm so interested in her. But, I am." Dabi explained, his voice cutting back on the malice slightly as he said the strange words.

I furrowed my brows in confusion, glaring at him in pondering thought as I tried to figure out what the hell that meant.

Is that his way....of saying he has actual feelings for her...? I can't tell.

Becoming peeved at the thought, I shoved Dabi back into the wall for the countless time, surprised that he let me do it again, before I made it a point to hit him where it hurts.

"Oi, you do know that she finds you absolutely repulsive, right? You'd never have a chance with her. She hates you, Dabi. She wants you dead. She tells me all the time...and then I kiss her to comfort her and make her feel better." I smirked at him with malicious pride, reminding him that she's my girlfriend.

Dabi let out a bitter chuckle at my words, giving a slow nod of challenge.

"Don't tell me....you're jealous?" He asked in amusement, raising his brows in genuine satisfaction at the new dirt he thought he had over my head.

I scoffed in disbelief, shaking my head in denial.

"Not jealous. I already know she'd never go for you. Ari would never get with someone who wants to kill her family. If you even wanted her to look in your direction, should have left the threats and stalker tendencies at home, buddy. Although...even then....who could love a face like that, huh?" I blurted out darkly, suddenly feeling a twinge of....guilt....? inside my heart after I spoke the last words.

Alright, I'll admit, the comment about his face was kinda low....

But, it's not as if this guy's an old friend of mine. He's the enemy.

And he's got me way too worked up.

Even so, I didn't miss the small, incredibly quick flash of sting that flew by Dabi's eyes at my words. He wasn't in a joking mood, anymore.

Getting angry, himself, now...Dabi harshly ripped my hands away from his shirt collar, before roughly pushing me out of the way so he could walk away.

"I'm sure you know the reason I covered for you today in there, right bird?" He asked, ignoring my comment about his face as he turned around to look at me once again.

My mind began replaying the events of today, trying to process which part he was talking about-

"When I told those fuckers that you and Ari had nothing to do with each other. I noticed your hesitation to confirm your past with her, so I covered for you. But, of course....you know that comes with a price?" Dabi questioned, yet his tone came out as more of a threat than a question.

I grit my teeth in frustration at the blackmail that I knew was coming. I was expecting it, but that doesn't mean it made things any easier.

Taking my reaction as an answer, Dabi quickly spoke again.

"Good. So, here's the deal. Don't interfere. I mean it. I'm going to bring Ari to this mansion and recruit her into the Paranormal Liberation Army, and you're not gonna do anything about it. You're gonna stay out of it and simply watch it happen. Otherwise, I'll tell everyone that you two used to be in a relationship. How will it look then, when you already told them you had nothing to do with her? You'd be caught in a straight up lie, with the exact people you're trying to make trust you, wouldn't you?" He mocked out with a tilt of his head.

So, that's why he wanted me to go along with his lie about me not really knowing Ari....

This was his plan from the very beginning. His bit of security to make sure I can't mess up his precious time with Ari.

He knows I can't get caught in a lie. He knows everyone from the Meta Liberation side is suspicious of me.

But, I can't say his threat is really enough to stop me from keeping Ari safe.

It's the same as always....if Ari's life is in immediate danger, I'll blow my cover to make sure she's safe.

So....sorry, not sorry, to say Dabi...but if Ari ends up at this PLF mansion, it doesn't mean you'll be getting a free pass with her. Not on my watch.

I'll still protect her, the way I always have. I'll just have to be more careful.

For now though....I'll pretend. I'll play into his game and act as if he's finally managed to get me to back down.

"Fine. I'll stay out of your way. Just don't hurt her." I stated firmly, balling my fists together tighter in my pockets as I heard the words leave my mouth.

Dabi couldn't stop the grin of demented excitement from spreading across his face, letting out a small laugh before he turned his back to me and continued walking.

"Wouldn't dream of it, bird. After all, I ain't one of those suckers who hurts their friends." He called to me strangely, not even turning around as he disappeared around the corner and out of my sight.

I couldn't help but chuckle bitterly as Dabi left me alone in the dark corridor of the hallway, reflecting on the words he just said.

It's funny, y'know. His last statement....

It's somethin' my old friend Touya always used to say.

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Next Chapter Title: The Dysfunctional Trinity.