Just so I'm not leaving anyone behind, where the timeline split between the SDS timeline and the MHA timeline is that quirks appeared in the beginning stages of humanity, rather than in modern times. Back when it wasn't homo sapiens sapiens, it was more Homo heidelbergensis, and Neandrathals. The quirk appearance changed everything. it slowed down technological development and sped up evolutionary development. Centuries of this led to completely new species and intensely powerful quirks that were simply seen as magic.

Those who were quirkless stayed on the familiar evolution pattern and eventually developed the ability to learn quirks. These learned abilities weren't quite as strong as the species who held that magic, but it was strong enough to be a force to be reckoned with.

~~~~~~~~~

Humans can feel so many complicated emotions. Like right now it was understandable that Hagakure couldn't figure out whether she wanted to hug Kai Chisaki or smack the shit out of him.

After almost two years of no contact whatsoever, here he was, and he had traded the simple black face mask that he hadn't taken off since the old man took him in for a gaudy bird beak that looked like something out of a book on the black plague.

And that feather boa? It certainly was a bold fashion choice.

Kai wasn't bothered by anything, which was normal. Here he was, standing out in the hot sun while wearing a fashionable jacket and black jeans, looking like he had gone to school with every member of a stereotypical punk rock band. She was simultaneously disappointed and pissed, especially because the last time they'd talked, he told her that he was just going on a quick assignment, he'd be back in less than a week.

"Hi, Toru."

... Two years. She knew he wasn't dead and, honestly, she wouldn't normally be this mad, because last she heard, he was fighting to get the Yakuza to recognize him as the de facto leader. However... Here he is and he doesn't even have the decency to apologize, or try to explain? Nothing?

That was a low bar, and somehow, he still managed to go lower.

Tick marks swirled around Hagakure's invisible head as she stared, there were definitely perks to being invisible... Not having to smile when you really just want to murder someone, as seen here!

"Kai." That was all she said, but everyone in the room (Just Kai and Dabi) flinched at the murderous intent that was pouring out of her with every second... Somehow, it was so much worse than it was just an outfit standing there patiently, looking like yet another weird episode of Doctor Who. Murderous clothes. Yeah, that sounded about right.

For as terribly stupid as he was, Kai did have some sense to know when his sister was pissed, or that he was about to meet his maker. He knew as soon as she walked in that this was about to be rough, but hey... He had to at least pretend everything was okay. He wasn't emotionally intelligent enough for this!

Like a two-year-old that knew his mom was mad, he shuffled from foot to foot, "So, uh, long time no see. How've you been?"

Even Dabi grimaced at that. He'd make sure the feather boa was buried with him.

If Hagakure could steam at the ears, that's what she'd be doing right now, "Seriously?" Her voice was quivering, "You didn't call or text me for two years. I knew you weren't dead, I was watching, but still. You didn't think that I would want to talk? And now we're in a whole new fucking world, surrounded by shit neither of us understands, and we were both basically kidnapped to come here. And the only words out of your STUPID FUCKING MOUTH, are 'LONG TIME NO SEE'?!!?"

The room seemed to shake as Hagakure yelled, but it was a testament to how good she was at controlling herself that she didn't move from the spot. Dabi was fully prepared to restrain her, but she didn't seem to need it yet. Color him impressed.

God, he wished he had a phone right now... The kicked puppy-esk face that the infamous Overhaul was wearing right now would shake the underworld at large and destroy Kai's reputation... Not that Dabi cared, he really really just wanted to show this moment to (Y/N), she would definitely appreciate it.

"Come on sis," The mask really just emphasized how close to tears the mob boss was, "You know I didn't mean to hurt you, life just..."

Hagakure, unsurprisingly, was not moved by the half-assed attempt at an apology, "Just what, Kai? Just got busy? Or did you forget about me after diving headfirst into a project just like you always do, and then feel guilty enough that you kept pushing it off? Don't give me some bullshit excuse."

Oof. Where was the popcorn? This was fucking gold.

As much as Dabi lived for these moments, he excused himself. He didn't need to know all of their dirty laundry and if he was reading the room right, Kai was about to get the dressing down of a lifetime. Not that Dabi would mind seeing that...

No, he had other shit to do, he couldn't be distracted by the leader of the Yakuza's obsession with skinny jeans.

The main room of the inn was bustling as people sat around tables, drinking and laughing, it seemed that no one had heard Hagakure's explosion, which was fine, but even if they had, Dabi wasn't too worried. If those two got capped by a group of drunk thugs, they didn't deserve their titles.

A few dirty looks and some unpleasant murmurs about his appearance followed him out the door, but they could suck his dick for all he cared, he had more important shit to get done. Sure Overhaul was the main reason they were here, but he'd kept his ear to the ground, and there were a few rumors worth looking into.

The only good thing about his scars was that they kept people away, but that was a double-edged sword when he needed to do some digging. He had to stick to the alleyways, skulk around in the dingiest of areas and always have one eye on his back because you never knew who was going to size you up and try to prove their worth.

Could he learn stuff still? Damn straight he could, but it made life fucking irritating.

If he got close to anyone gossiping, they noticed immediately, which was stupid, but that really only left him with two options. Pretending to be homeless and become the background, which took time, or beat the shit out of people until they told you what you were looking for.

One guess to see which one he was going to go with. If you guess wrong, you probably need help. Because this? This was absolutely up Dabi's alley.

That, of course, lead directly to what happened next. There were about... five minutes of skulking around the shadiest parts of the random town they were in before he was in a fully-fledged fistfight while he let a terrifying smile cover his face.

So far, three of the five guys were passed out cold on the dirt path with bruises and cuts covering their visible skin (which Dabi was absolutely responsible for), and more than half of their teeth missing (Not him), and the other two were cowering against the wall of the alleyway as Dabi's hand was starting to smoke.

"Man, look at all this suffering." Dabi's voice was cold, even as his face contorted into a terrifying grin, "I asked one question, this didn't have to happen. If you'd have just told me what you knew..." He faded off in that annoying way people do when they feel superior, a way that (Y/N) always used to irritate him when he got drunk.

One of the remaining two men who was trying to look tough, grimaced, "Asking? Fuck, man! You just launched in and hit Andreas upside the head! I didn't hear no question!"

The other nodded vigorously, which took Dabi aback. He swore he asked them... He definitely remembered walking up to the group and hearing something about purple... He had such a vivid memory of asking nicely though.

Not one to back down in a tough moment like this, Dabi only chuckled before wrapping his fist in the blue flames that persisted beneath his skin, "Oh? Didn't you hear me? I'm feeling nice tonight, so I'll repeat myself once. What do you know about purple smoke?" God, it'd been too long since he'd been able to rough someone up like this. The fear on their faces? A god-damned aphrodisiac.

"P-Purple sm-smoke?"

Dabi nodded and the blue flames grew menacingly, almost reaching out to their targets.

For a moment the two men shared a look and Dabi got the distinct feeling that they'd be laughing if it wasn't for Dabi's ability to cause fear... But if they wanted to live, that had better damn well not be the case!

"Uh, Sire, Knight, person," The taller of the two men said, seemingly unsure of how to address Dabi, "Purple smoke is..."

He faded out and the other guy took over, "A band of actors." Was that a slight smile? "They've been traveling to Camelot and they stopped at the inn... My wife says they're good."

Both men nodded like bobbleheads as they looked everywhere but at the goth grim reaper, "They've got pretty faces... Whatever that means."

The flames died out as Dabi stared at the two men, seemingly unable to comprehend what he was hearing... A troupe of actors named Purple Smoke? Don't get him wrong, he was 100% all aboard with random grunge bands that popped up, but to hear about it here? It felt wrong.

His confusion must have been evident because for a second the only sound in the alleyway was the tweety birds flying around those who'd been knocked out.

In fact, Dabi himself was staring real hard at the bricks next to one of the men's heads as he seemed to contemplate just how worth it (Y/N) was. Like... She was a good kid, definitely someone he wanted to save after that green-haired bastard stole her away, but... Like... He'd fought giant swamp snakes and dealt with Overhaul for approximately 5 hours longer than anyone should have to deal with Overhaul. Now there was a punk-rock-sounding actor troupe roaming the world and making him want to melt something.

"Are... Are you okay, sir?" This was said quietly and immediately afterward an elbow was thrown into the gut of the one who spoke.

Dabi didn't even flinch. PTDS? Who's that? He knows her, but he sure as shit wasn't going to admit it. He'd lived his whole life in deep denial so it wasn't anything new, but this was enough to knock him down and almost make him confront those uncomfortable feelings of abandonment and he did not fucking want to deal with this.

"Come on, man, let's just go."

The (totally innocent) assholes began to creep towards the mouth of the alleyway, but they made it maybe two steps before blue fire erupted around them and caging them in like little rats. The intensity of the fire made the world beyond the cage black, as though the sun had been extinguished and for a moment they were paralyzed.

That moment ended when Dabi's electric blue eyes began to glow in the imposed darkness, creating the appearance of a monster in human skin.

Screams filled the alleyway, three people had heart attacks on the spot, and Dabi felt much better.

***

The trip back to where Hagakure and Chisaki were was far more pleasant than the trip away had been, though it was irritating being covered in ash, he hardly cared. Except for the fact that his nice jacket was absolutely covered in it, as were his hands and his everything, but the jacket was the only thing he cared about.

Ugh, there weren't even any 24hr laundromats here, he was going to have to get someone to wash it by hand and how the fuck was he supposed to do that? Like he trusted some kid who was just trying to make enough money to not starve to also not destroy the one thing he liked.

He shouldered the door to their room open as he continued examining the damage and grumbling to himself. It was fun, but at some point, it just stopped being worth it, you know?

He looked up casually, half expecting to see Chisaki's fresh corpse in the room with Hagakure sipping a cup of tea over it (a frighteningly realistic possibility), but somehow what was happening was worse... or better? He had no fucking clue.

Whatever he expected, it was not Hagakure sitting in a chair, humming idly as Chisaki Stood over her, his hands sliding repeatedly through thin air as he wove something together. Dabi knew about hairstyles, he even learned a few to practice on his short-haired little sister, but he couldn't begin to grasp what Chisaki was doing.

Was he a genius, making a complex hairstyle out of invisible hair? Or was he just making the world's most invisible knot that Hagakure would have to comb out later?

No, Hagakure would've killed him if that's what he was doing...

Wait... Was Overhaul, the intimidating Yakuza Boss making a hair rose?

Huh.

As casually as he could, Dabi leaned against the wall, grimacing at the soot spot that formed the moment he touched the wall.

"What'd you find, oh explosive Dabi?" Hagakure stopped humming just long enough to shake her head, which Chisaki quickly rapped her head for, "Seriously man, subtlety is not your strong suit."

So what if they had seen the blue flames from here? The town was still standing, he hadn't blown anything up, had he? He did just fine.

The urge to stick out his tongue hit him and he paused, shaking his head. He hadn't wanted to do that since he still lived with his family, those rare moments when he was allowed to play with Natsuo or Fuyumi. He always found that a well-timed stuck-out tongue was the best when adding insult to injury.

Instead of that, he shook his head and ran a hand through his hair, which showered the floor in more soot, "Fuck off, At least I figured shit out. What did you two do? Have a tea party?"

A flash of light hit him, sending him reeling for a moment while Hagakure snorted, "Piss off, dude. At least we kept our heads down. What? Do we have to flee now after that spectacle? How many are dead?"

There was no hostility in her voice despite the question, it was more like she was poking him, hoping to hit the right button to make him explode.

Chisaki, who'd been quiet up till now, was grumbling under his breath, something about things being filthy? Dabi knew he was dirty, but it was sanitary at least! God, what a judgemental brat... Dabi's fire was way too hot to leave anything alive, let alone germs. Though, Hagakure was right about one thing at least.

"One dead... I think the others were pretty passed out, so I think they're alive," A blue flame began twirling around Dabi's fingers as that same maniacal grin started to grow again, "It only took a bit of persuading, but I got what I needed," He paused and looked towards the window, his grin softening as he scratched the back of his neck, "And you're probably not wrong, Hagakure, we should probably move out, the guards were sending me weird looks as I left."

Two things happened at once, Chisaki stared at Dabi, his eyes wide and the slightest amounts of red dusting his cheeks, and Hagakure stood up and grabbed the pack that was sitting under the stool, "Well, that does it then," She said, ramming her elbow into Chisaki's stomach hard enough to get him out of his stupor, "Where we going next?"

So they were off again, it was just another step, but this one felt important. Dabi walked to the window and unlatched it, "We should probably go this way, it'll be easier."

A new destination.

Camelot.