While all this lovely stuff was going down at UA, the LOV had a whole 'nother scene.

Dabi had had to report that the plan, had, regrettably failed.

Compress thought that two kids had at least died...until they saw the police report, then he was embarrassed about being fooled by "that little, presumptuous, upstart brat!" He swore revenge.

Luckily for Dabi, no one had been around to witness him let Shine go, and he'd been surrounded by flames anyway.  He told them that Todoroki had gotten in the way.

Since Camie was the reason for that, they all decided collectively to blame it on having an unknown factor there.

Once Shigaraki heard that, he yelled at all of them. "You mean to tell me all it took is one extra, pathetic, little prick to throw our whole plan off?"

"Well, boss, it was a delicate plan, and any unknown factor could have thrown it off," Compress said.

"Quiet! I'm talking!" Shigaraki said, "We must rectify this... Do we have any intel on why that wench was even there?"

"No," Dabi said, "Our mole said nothing about her...which means, they're sneaking her in. She's an X-factor, unpredictable. I do know she's from Shiketsu."

"I stole her blood, remember?" Toga held up a  knife. "I would have killed her too, if that stupid Bakugo hadn't gotten in my way. I like her-- I wouldn't mind killing her...you know, if you think a little infiltration would be good."

"Hmm," Shigaraki said, "Is there a chance she could keep interfering in our plans...? Why did we pick her again, remind me?"

"Our sources told us she had a quirk it would be easy to mimic," Compress recalled, "But we didn't know the full extent of it. Apparently she can imitate objects and rooms as well as people. It is good that Toga didn't try to fight like her."

Toga made a face at him.

"We're very lucky she didn't stick around her dumb class," Dabi said flatly, "The point is, the plan failed, and now they know... They won't trust us anymore... It's probably not worth it to keep trying."

"Why would you say that?" Spinner said. "We just have to be more careful next time... Call in some of the scrubs, maybe, not us. They don't know all our affiliates."

Dabi wanted to kill him...but thought better of reacting at all. He shrugged.

"That's so...yes... We can still rid ourselves of these pests..." Shigaraki said. "The new one too."

"The odds of her being around again, though, are slim," Compress said, "But if you prefer to be certain, then yes, we'll have to eliminate her. Maybe the exploding rat too. I have a score to settle with both of them."

Dabi frowned.

"Then take care of it," Shigaraki said, "And I don't want to have to bail you out again, Dabi. If you can't handle that Bakugo brat, then take back up. I should have just killed him myself."

"Why didn't you?" Spinner said.

Shigaraki tensed. "It was easier to move him...and I didn't think he'd rush right to where the other girl was. How do these heroes always find each other?"

"Oh, good. For a second there, it sounded like you might be scared of him," Dabi said.

"Shut up, Dabi! Focus on your own flaws in this operation!" Shigaraki snapped. "And the Pros will be looking for us again. Keep that contact of yours busy, so they don't try to find us too hard."

"Right..." Dabi said.

"And do it right this time! No more screw ups!" Shigaraki said, destroying a bottle.

* * *

Dabi went for a walk.
Of course he was still going to have to do it... No way to tell them that he was a gigantic wuss about it.

Why couldn't he just have killed her? Why did he have to hesitate?

And what he'd done after that...it was...crazy. And not normal crazy, like, really, really crazy.

He slammed his fist into a wall...which only made his knuckles bleed.

What possessed him anyway? He didn't care about them.

...Even if he had, it wouldn't matter, he thought. Since when did he get what he wanted?

The point was to get his revenge and then burn down hero society.

And it didn't matter if one person had been a little nicer... It was just one person-- it made no difference.

Heck, it's not like she even claimed hero society wasn't awful, so who was she to say this was wrong?

And if it was wrong, who made him this way? Heroes. They deserved this.

He pressed his eyes to block out the images of those kids' scared faces and the look in her eyes...

Blood pricked his face.

After all, he thought, I'm just a lunatic in the end. I kill people, then I cry blood... I'm a monster...and there's no way to change that. Might as well live up to it.

In the end, he'd begun putting people through the same hell he'd been through. Why shouldn't they suffer?

Really, why should anyone suffer? But they did. It didn't matter why. Likstar was nuts if she thought saying a few things and bringing people cookies would change anything.

Still...if there was one person who really shouldn't have had to be dragged into this... Why did she get involved? She didn't have to... Ugh, he should kill her for that.

Dabi hated himself, he knew he did. He didn't really care. He hated most people. But Likstar and her dopey boyfriend were just the kind of people he used to hope existed... After years of abuse and no one noticing, no one doing anything...he'd given up. And living on the streets hadn't done anything to improve him. Nothing ever made things any better. Faking his own death and leaving home didn't make the pain or injustice go away. 

Joining the League was one link to people who at least partially understood it, but he didn't even like them. They were cruel, selfish, sadistic freaks for the most part. The only one's he liked were still, he knew, crazy, even if they weren't all bad. He was one of them.

But he didn't fit in the League either. His personal vendetta didn't really suit their plans.

It was depressing, really. Why did he ever think anything would go right for him?

But he was stuck now. He had to go through with this...but he couldn't... He'd backed out once-- he'd never be able to do it again...

He stared up at the sky.

* * *

Shine was taking paperwork to the office and wondering what to do with Eri that day when her phone rang unexpectedly.

She didn't recognize the number.

"Hello?" She expected a telemarketer.

"Likstar?"

Shine almost dropped her phone. She looked around. 

"How did you get this number?"

"Not important...and it's not something you really need to know... This line isn't tapped, right?"

"Well...your dad bought this phone. I'm guessing it has top security, so yes," Shine said. "Unless UA tapped it..."

"They didn't," Dabi said, "Listen...you remember what happened the other day?"

Shine bit her lip. She felt cold all of the sudden. "How could I forget...? What is this about?" She moved slowly away from where anyone would see her and stepped into a service closet, keeping her voice low.

"That wasn't the last of it." Dabi was also talking low. "The League isn't just going to let you go around, now that the jig is up... They still want you dead...and I'm still on the job."

Shine swallowed. "And...are you going to go through with it? Is that why you're calling me?"

"Much as I'd like to..." Dabi paused. "I don't think I can. I...well, I'm just.... It's a long story. I wasn't going to talk to you, but then I realized this was the only way both of us can get what we want."

"What do you mean?" Shine said.

Dabi sighed. 

"I can't not follow orders...so, you're going to have to be smarter than the League, got it? You have to figure out a way to stop this. I can't help you. If we meet in person, I'll have to kill you. This is your only warning. Don't let that happen. Figure it out."

"Touya," Shine hissed, "warning or not, I have no way of knowing when you'll attack. I can't even leave campus."

"Frankly, you're not safe on campus either," Dabi said, "Not with the spy."

Shine bit her lip. "Then what do you expect me to do?"

Pause again.

"I don't know," Dabi said, "But I don't want to be in this position either... You're scary enough to probably help, right? Think of something. You survived the League this long because you're tricky, so, trick your way out of it."

"Not everything is a trick, you know," Shine said quietly, "You're asking me to save both of us. I can't save either of us, Touya."

"Stop calling me that."

"I don't want to risk someone hearing me call you by your other name, okay?... I can't do this. I appreciate you trying to warn me...but..."

"Likstar," Dabi interrupted, sounding pissed, "do you or do you not believe you have some kind of special help?"

"Well...yes..." Shine said. 

"And I'm guessing it wants you alive, right?"

"Well...I hope so..."

"Then, stay away from me. That's the end of it. Stay away from the League."

"I can't." Shine stared at the inside of the door and felt as if one of her strange knowings was coming to her. "As long as the LOV wars with UA and the students...and we're here...we'll be caught up in the fight, and I'll have to pick a side...and I can't pick the LOV.... And I don't know when our mission will be over. I can't promise anything."

Dabi swore so much that she held the phone away from her ear.

"Then what the ---- am I supposed to do...?" he wasn't even talking to her. He seemed to be talking to himself.

Shine felt helpless. This was almost worse than before.

"You know...you could...just...stop..." she said.

Silence.

"No," Dabi said, "That's impossible. You knew that. Fine, if you can't figure something out, then I guess that's the end of it. Should have just gone home."

Shine looked up at the roof. "If I knew when you'd attack, maybe I could work around it...but someone will catch on... How hard would it be? And if you fail repeatedly, you'll get in trouble... If both of us could be free of worrying about this. Dabi, give me a few days to pray about it. Something may come to me. Just...three days. Don't do anything, okay? Stall...and...if you could tell me...are the kids in danger?"

Pause.

"Yeah, all of them," Dabi said dully, "The one from Shiketsu too."

"Camie??" Shine gasped, "Oh no.... How can I protect her?"

"It's impossible. I don't know why I even bothered calling..." Dabi cursed, "We're both screwed. Eh...maybe I can work up to it after all."

"Don't talk to me about that," Shine said, suddenly angry, "Whatever sick, twisted thing you decide to do, don't you dare talk to me about it. Do you know what it felt like? Do you understand? I told you not to torture me with dragging it out. I considered us friends."

"Well, that was your mistake. We're not friends," Dabi said, "The only reason I didn't kill you was because it was underhanded. I prefer doing things for straight forward reasons."

"So glad you make a distinction there. Murder was so much better when it was straightforward," Shine said, "What about that boy? Huh? What did he ever do to deserve that?"

Dabi had no words.

"Believe it or not, Touya, I do have feelings," Shine said darkly, "I'm not going to act like I'm okay with any of this. I hate that we're having this conversation. I hate evil, do you understand? It's detestable... I felt sick every time I came to see you all. I felt like it was dirty."

"Then why the h--- did you show up??!" Dabi forgot to be quiet. Shine flinched.

"Because," she said in a low voice, "I still cared. I was told to, and the thing is, when we're told to go to someone, we're given a love and compassion for them. It's how it works for us. I could have died for that...but you know, I would have died to protect you also. I don't see any difference between you and the UA kids...except, no matter how much they think I'm crazy for doing this, they wouldn't betray me. That's the difference."

"I'm a villain," Dabi said.

"I don't care what you are," Shine snapped, "You knew it was wrong when you did it. That's why you chickened out. And if you come back and finish the job, you'd still know it was wrong. Don't give me that crap about your other reason. I meant what I said to you. I still do, but I'm angry.... Only, I can be angry, and still love you. I'm used to it, by now, believe me... I know it doesn't make any sense, but that's God. It doesn't make sense. I was kind to you because someone was kind to me... That's all. No other reason.... The rest of it was just to make it easier for the League to understand. You think I need this? I don't. I don't need you, Touya... I never did. But I cared anyway. I guess that's not enough. I know it can't be. One person can't fix everything that happened to you. I may never get another chance to say this, but...there is a way for you to be fixed. I wanted to give you that chance...to get your life back... Even if you don't want it anymore, didn't you, at one point, wish that? Don't you deserve a chance not to lose everything because of this world? And your family?"

"Stop--" Dabi tried to cut her off.

Shine didn't stop. "I'm not perfect, you know, but that's okay. I know what is... I didn't ever expect you to change because of me...never....but the offer...that's what changes things. If you take it. And for some reason...out of all the people I could have run into the first day I came here...I ran into you. That's significant. The role you have now...it's not the one you're supposed to have... It's...small. Change, real change...that was the Offer.... You know what is hurting me most is that you never seemed to consider it. I don't care about myself, really...not much...but...that...you've given up on yourself already, and that hurts."

"Why--" Dabi found his voice was not working, but he made it. "Why would you give one flying ---- about it? I did nothing in my whole life to make anyone think that I was worth anything. You can't expect me to believe this garbage..."

Shine drew a deep breath. "I know you can't believe it now.. Once, I wasn't that different from you...but I was different in one way. I had hope...and you don't. That's all I wanted to give you. Look...the worst criminal in the world, they still have worth. I don't think you're special or anything. I think...well, I was put in your path. It could have been a anyone, but these things aren't coincidences. Maybe there was something I could say that only you could understand. That's usually how it works... I hope I said it, that's all... I'm confusing you further, I can tell... and truthfully this may be a waste of my time. But I had to try. You are not making this easy for me."

"I wasn't trying to," Dabi spat, "I don't care about that... I just want to not be hassled by it...and your little charity thing you've got going, I don't care about that either. It's got nothing to do with me."

"You're a fool, then," Shine said cuttingly, "Because spitting in the face of something so much better, just because you prefer to be miserable where you are, is foolishness. To spite the Goodness in the world just because 'Good' people spited you is to show you never understood it at all... You think you've won because you're dismissing me? No...you've lost... I can't lose...but I can lose this... Do you think you've shaken my faith in the Path I follow by resisting it? Your compliance was never a factor in my belief, it was only the hoped outcome of it. I will not change. You will not break me... As upset at I am, I will recover from this. Will you?"

Silence again...pained silence.

"I never can understand the s--- you say," Dabi finally said bitterly, "This is pointless... You want three days to come up with a plan? Fine. That's it. I'm never talking to you again. I've held up my end here."

"If that's what you want," Shine said quietly, "I'll respect it... Three days."

"Fine." Dabi hung up.

Shine slowly put down the phone, and then she burst into tears and cried for at least half an hour.

She didn't come out until Wally found her in there because she hadn't come to get Eri.

* * *

"Really, Utsushimi, you can't stay out of trouble, can you?" Shishikura said when Camie came back to school that day, "What did you do this time?"

"Nothing." Camie wasn't in the mood for this.

"You know, your actions reflect on our school," Shishikura said, "But, I might have known, no good would come out of hanging around that Bakugo person. He has absolutely no clue what being a hero is about."

Camie stopped, then she turned. "Stop," she said.

Her other classmates looked at her nervously.

"Why? It's true," Shishikura said, "What were you doing there, anyway? We didn't say anything to anyone about it, but we want answers."

Camie normally would laugh this off--- but she just didn't feel like it after what happened. Remembering it made a difference. 

Very deliberately, she glared at Shishikura. "Screw. You," she said.

Shishikura's mouth dropped open. "Excuse me?"

"Oohhh," everyone in class who didn't like him (most of them) said.

Camie flipped him off. "Bro, that ain't it, chief. You got no clue what you're talking about. And you've never had to face down those freaks. No cap, you're just talking out of your a--."

Shishikura stared at her in astonishment.

"Yes..." muttered someone.

"So lay off," Camie finished, "And shut up about Bakugo. He saved my life, and that's way cooler than anything you've ever done, sucker. If you don't knock it off, I'mma kick your butt."

"Like you could--" Shishikura began.

Camie shrugged. "I dunno.  Maybe I could. Want to test that?"

Shishikura scowled. "Nevermind. This is a waste of my time." He walked away.

"Yeah, you better run..." Camie muttered after him.

"Wow...that was awesome," Yoarshi said, "I mean, I'm not sure it was good form, but you were so passionate."

"Yeah, wow, Camie, you told him."

"Jerk had it coming."

A bunch of other people commented.

It felt kind of good, but under it, Camie didn't really feel a whole lot better. Smacking Shishikura down didn't make anything better, and he's still served to remind her that this wasn't going to blow over quickly.

If only the UA students would actually talk to her about it. She needed some kind of strategy! This was torture just waiting to hear something.

* * *

Todoroki got a text from Yoarshi about what happened. Yoarshi wasn't the sharpest knife in the drawer, but he could guess something was probably upsetting Camie if she went off like that.

But Todoroki had no answers for him... He supposed it was his fault.

He found the DJs, who were sitting in the common area looking really somber.

Bakugo and Momo were sitting in the area too. Momo was pretending to be doing homework. Bakugo was actually doing it. That seemed backwards.

"Uh..." Todoroki avoided eye contact with Bakugo. "Maybe you should contact Camie... Yoarshi just texted me."

Bakugo sat up. "What happened?" he said in a dreadful voice.

"Apparently she snapped at Shishikura because he brought up the incident..." Todoroki said, "But he thinks it's kind of out of character. I guess she didn't tell them anything. Anyway, maybe you should make sure she's...you know...okay."

"Oh, like you did," Bakugo said.

"Bakugo, stop!" Momo looked up. "This is silly."

"Oh, really?!" Bakugo said.

"What's going on?" Wally said, "Why are you guys fighting?"

"It's because I--" Todoroki stopped. "I just thought you should know... Sorry."

"Shoto...what it is?" Shine looked up. "Please talk to us."

"It's that he's a gosh-dang failure," Bakugo said.

Shoto flinched.

"Bakugo!" Momo stood up. "Enough." Her tone was so sharp even Bakugo flinched.

Wally and Shine stared at all of them. Shine covered her face.

"Okay." Wally seemed on the verge of snapping too, but he kept it calm. "Time out... Uh, look, Todoroki, Bakugo's upset. Don't take all that too personally. Bakugo, please stop being a pill about this. It was just one mistake. We all make them."

"Don't talk to him like that," Shine said, not looking up, "It won't help."

"Well, I don't know what to say!" Wally waved his hands.

"Don't tell me what to do, clown!" Bakugo said.

"Can we not argue...?" Momo said.

"Hey." Shine looked up. "We're all upset. If we try to talk about it like this, we'll fight... Please...stop."

"I don't want to cause any more problems," Shoto said. He turned and walked away.

"Shoto..." Shine got up. "I'll talk to him."

"Shine, no. After the day you've had..." Wally said.

"It will hurt me more not to, Wally. I can't stand this." Shine went after him.

Wally sighed and sank into a chair.

Bakugo swore and kicked a different chair. "It's freaking true."

"No, it's not," Momo said, "Stop it. Why are you being so cruel to him?"

"If you're upset, dude, can you please take it out in healthier way?" Wally said, "Go blow up trashcans or something. Don't blow up at Todoroki. He's really upset about all this. You're not helping."

"Why should I care?" Bakugo said.

Wally frowned. "I don't know, because it's the human thing to do....
You do know what that meant, right?"

Bakugo opened the back door and went out. They heard something blow up a few seconds later.

Momo and Wally looked at each other.

"I guess I shouldn't have said that..." Wally said, "I got mad. I don't like bullies."

"I'm not sure he's actually trying to bully Todoroki. I think he honestly feels that way, and that's worse," Momo said.

"I don't know... I don't think he really blames him... He just needs to blame someone," Wally said. He got up. "Go check on Icyhot, okay? Shine might need some help. I'll try to talk to Blasty.... I suppose I should."

"Don't insult him, please," Momo said, "It only makes it worse."

"Yeah...I got that..." Wally sighed.

They both went separate ways.