The teams were split up. Aizawa was going to keep an eye on Jiro and Kaminari. Miss Joke was going to stay with Hawks because they were too visible with their appearances, so they were going to keep watch from outside until there was a need of them.

Mirko refused to be kept outside, so Shine said she could join her (as no one else would be able to keep her in check at all, probably) and Bakugo.

Momo, Todoroki, and Dabi were left. 

Dabi thought he should stay with Shine, really, but Shine objected to trying to keep both Mirko and him under control (though she didn't say that was the reason) and said they could manage to work together for a bit.

"But," Shoto didn't like the arrangement either, "our powers are too similar. It'd be more useful to split up more diversely, wouldn't it?"

"That doesn't matter so much," Shine said, "Anyway, neither of you can use your power that much indoors, so you're just there for backup. Momo can balance you out... Come on, Shoto. We just need to be fast. And if a fire did start, you could put it out the fastest, couldn't you?"

That was true...

"Well, I guess it beats Hawks," Dabi said, "but I'm not thrilled about it. Can't we switch or something?"

"There is no telling who we'll end up with by the end of today," Shine said, "so stop complaining. It's not top priority to team up based on who you like."

At the moment, she wouldn't have teamed up with half of them if that was the case. They were getting on her nerves.

"Let's just get on with it." Mirko was impatient. "Standing around gives me the heebie jeebies."

"I wish we could go in though," Hawks muttered, "I mean, I know if I stay out here and track you all with my feathers, I can rescue anyone and move you around a lot faster...but it feels wrong."

"You don't need to always be the hero, though," Shine said, "Let's go now. Rumi is right. Enough wasted time."

They spread out slowly to surround the compound area... They kept a look out for more people. It seemed weird no guards were out to stop them... Then they reasoned the whole point of the gang was to avoid detection right now. They wouldn't expect anyone to have found them yet, so they would stay out of sight.

* * *

Shine, Mirko, and Bakugo snuck in the south side of the set of buildings. Shine was unusually quiet. She was focusing...using her sensing powers as much as she could. Not that they told her where to go, but they told her other things.

Mirko's ears quivered as she strained to pick up on any threats... The place gave her the creeps too.

Shine touched a wall and then shuddered.

"What?" Mirko didn't hear anything.

Shine pursed her lips. "It's no wonder I can't see much around here. The darkness is so thick about this place...I don't sense any light at all."

"Are we talking about literal darkness?" Mirko eyed the faded light-bulbs.

"No...and yes..." Shine said, "What is literal? To me figurative and literal are often the same thing... Sorry if I sound cryptic. I don't know how else to put it. Well, there is One who isn't blinded by darkness... I know He has Eri in His sight..."

"I'm not clear really on what, but I gather you're religious in some way," Mirko noted, "No offense, but that stuff is a huge waste of time."

"Since my whole life is built around 'that stuff' I suppose I can only not take offense because you said not to," Shine replied faintly.

"I don't have anything against people like that. Only I think it's weak, thinking some weird power will bail you out," Mirko said, "Keeps people from taking action-- they can just pray it away...and it's lazy...that's all. I guess the charity stuff is fine."

"This is you trying to be tolerant, isn't it?" Shine said.

"Yeah...so what?" Mirko said.

"So...I don't know. None of you heroes have really had much use for a religion," Shine said, "except Ibara... You all 'respect it' but think it's weak or archaic or just a ritual to do to feel at peace with the world. Seeing someone take it seriously makes you annoyed or even afraid. But it's funny, because you're all so deeply religious yourselves."

Mirko cocked one ear. "How's that?"

"You believe wholeheartedly in Heroes," Shine said, "in All Might...in all of it. Everything must be sacrificed to that ideal... Everything is, from all I can see. And yet you all call me a radical. You are all far more radical than I am. I don't send children into battle for my religion's sake and force society to conform to it-- and reject people who don't fit the mold I make over it. The ironic thing? I may be religious in name, but I feel I pale in comparison in practice to the lot of you. I don't know that I would give as much of my soul to acting on it for so little reward. I expect to get something from God in return for my devotion, but you all don't get anything but the occasional applause and a sense of superiority for yours, but you're still devoted. It is truly astounding how low your self respect can be but how inflated your egos...but, pardon me, no offense."

Bakugo snorted. 

Mirko glared at her. "That's not at all right."

"Isn't it? I don't really care if you deny it," Shine said, "But is this the time to argue? I want to find Eri."

"And if not for heroes, what would have happened to her, huh?" Mirko shot back, "Like all there is to the job is what you just said...applause."

"Anyone who needs someone's permission to do the right thing is religious more than I am." Shine spoke a very cutting sentence indeed. "And that's all I need to say about it. Come back to it when you've done something of your own free will because it was the right thing to do."

Mirko went silent for a while.

"Likstar," Bakugo spoke up, "if that's all true, then isn't this something we're doing without being told? I didn't ask for permission to be here."

"No, you didn't," Shine agreed. 

"Then what the h---? Isn't that good enough?" Bakugo sounded urgent about it.

"I think it is, Katsuki, but perhaps I'm not the one you need to take that up with." Shine glanced upward meaningfully, then back down at him. "The question is, when can enough ever be enough? I know this much: When I went to God, I gave him all of what I was. But I didn't give Him any more than what I could be. And since meeting Heroes, I have been pushed to be more than anyone could be... It seems to me that is is less fanatical to give all you are than it is to be asked to become more than you are to satisfy an ever growing need of the world... To me, Christianity is cold, hard, common sense about what people truly are like, and Hero Society is the strange idealism...but that is my bias, is it not? And what really matters is what you think about what's expected of you. What do you care about?"

/In this farewell, there's no blood, there's no alibi. 'Cause I've drawn regret from the truth of a thousand lies. So let mercy come, and wash away, what I've done!

I'll face myself, to cross out what I've become. Erase myself. Let go of what I've done.

Put to rest what you thought of me, while I clean the slate with the hands of uncertainty. So let mercy come and wash away what I've done!

For what I've done, I'll start again. Whatever pain may come, today this ends. I'm forgiving what I've done!/

After a pause for a while, Mirko sniffed. "Always on about that... Who does she think she is?"

Shine wasn't listening. She'd gone a little ahead of them. She rather easily walked faster, after all.

Bakugo looked over at the Rabbit Hero with disgust. "Likstar doesn't bs anyone. She tells them exactly what she really thinks. How many other people do that? You're so stupid, for a Pro. You just said she's lazy and weak because she believes in something higher than us? Maybe you think that's a stupid thing to believe in, but she's here. She's doing this even though there's a crap ton of pressure from what happened on all of us, and she's b----ing about it less than you are. So maybe you should shut up and stop looking down on someone just because they don't think like you."

Mirko's eyes widened at the nerve of this kid--but she didn't retaliate for some reason, just huffily sped up.

[Note: The point here is not really to demonize Heroes, though it may seem that way, but to honestly look at what the result of their philosophy is. Why does it clash so strongly with a more traditional system of values? Because it's undeniably a more humanistic worldview. It's not even much like the traditional religions of Japan, which makes it more interesting, as that's where it's set in.

I doubt anyone really wants to debate this anyway, but I do love comparing philosophy, and this story gives me the chance to do it all the time. Still, if anyone does have further comments on it, I always read them. :)]

* * *

From the North side, Momo, Shoto, and Dabi broke in through a window, which wasn't too hard.

Momo had a flashlight handy. 

"Are you okay making so many things?" Shoto said.

"It's all right." Momo held up a small package. "I finally took Shine and Wally's advice and started carrying food with me in case I need to refuel... I can't understand why I didn't do that before."

"It does seem kind of obvious." Shoto really didn't mean that to be as insulting at it sounded.

Dabi snorted but said nothing. 

They began wending their way farther into the compound, looking for any sign of a stair, elevator, trapdoor, anything that would take them farther down into the actual ground.

"I'm worried this will take too long," Momo said in a hushed tone, "Poor Eri... I can't even think about what they could have done to her... I hope we find her soon."

"I'm sure one of us will. The odds have to be in favor of it," Shoto said.

Dabi made a scoffing sound.

"But if she's in distress, can we help her?" Momo said, "Aizawa could, or Shine, but I don't know what to do."

"I'm sure it'll be all right," Shoto said, "She'll just be glad to see any of us."

Dabi rolled his eyes pointedly.

"Is there a problem you have with our conversation?" Shoto asked him.

"Nothing," Dabi said, "You're just...really naive. But go on, say comforting bulls--- to each other. Don't let me stop you."

"We're just trying to keep up a hopeful attitude," Momo said, "We know it could be worse, but maybe it won't be."

"I think the worse is more likely to be the case. Overhaul's a crazy SOB," Dabi said.

"Is he really that much different than you?" Shoto said.

Dabi clenched a fist. "Watch it, Snowflake. I'll get offended."

"I don't see why your League thinks you're better than him." Shoto didn't quit.

"Well, let's see...we're helping you save the kid, and he's the one who kidnapped her and abused her to begin with... Gee, I wonder," Dabi said.

"But you kidnapped Bakugo, a kid--and me and Camie...and tried to murder us." Shoto was mad. "I don't see a difference. Eri's a little younger, but still."

"Well, first of all, we were never going to murder Bakugo's useless a--" Dabi said, "Except maybe Toga, but she doesn't count."

"And last time-- attacking us all?"

"I never killed any of you."

"But you tried. I don't care if you changed your mind. You're still a monster." Shoto was livid. "I'm only working with you because Shine insisted you could help, but I don't trust you, and I can't just forgive you for what you did either. I'll never understand her."

"Todoroki..." Momo said gently, "perhaps now is not the time--"

"Oh, that's fine, Princess. You don't have to stop him. I can take a little attitude," Dabi said, leering at them menacingly, "But I really wonder why the Son of Endeavor thinks he's so high and mighty."

Shoto stopped to glare at him directly. "I've got nothing to do with my old man... I just happen to be his son, that's all. We're not alike. Whatever you have against him, I don't really care. Even he's better than someone like you."

"That's so ironic," Dabi said.

"I don't see why," Shoto growled. 

Momo put a finger to her lips. "I think we should be quieter."

They had come to some kind of indoor courtyard, though it clearly wasn't always indoors. There was just a thin roof over it to turn it into some kind of gathering area. They just needed to figure out which way to turn now. Other halls jutted off from it.

But the boys took the chance to stop walking, so they could argue without distraction.

"Your family is pretty twisted, isn't it?" Dabi said to Shoto with obvious enjoyment of how angry it was making him, "So why should you look down on me? I'm just eliminating the problem, right?"

"You don't know anything about my family, and it's none of your d--- business," Shoto said.

Momo wearily began checking the hallways for any sign of a lead. The one farthest from them, she saw a doorway at the end of the hall in. But more importantly, there was an elevator in the wall. She pressed a button to see if it would work. And it did. The lights lit up, and the door opened in front of her.

Unfortunately it wasn't empty.

* * *

"I know plenty." Dabi was losing his cool more than he thought he would. "And trust me, I'd be doing you a favor by killing Endeavor. That's the whole reason I became a villain to begin with-- Pros like him."

"He's not a bad hero, even if he's not...perfect." Shoto wasn't willing to go into his family history with this guy, of all people.

"Oh, sure, I guess keeping up a barely acceptable public image makes him a good hero. Your society is so fricked up," Dabi said.

"The LOV is more corrupt than society, even if it's not perfect." Shoto was angry. "And what you do is not excused by not liking my father. You don't know him personally or what he may be trying to do to rectify his mistakes..."

"Rectify? He'd have to go back in time!" Dabi at that point forgot his caution. He started sounding like he was taking this personally.

Shoto, dense as he was, thought this was weird. 

"What did he ever do to you that was so bad?" he said, annoyed, "It's not like he even knows who you are. Did your family or friends suffer because of him or something?"

Like Inasa, maybe, he thought.

"Yeah, you could say that." Dabi was bitter.

"Well, that's not right, but it was in the past." Shoto would never have defended his father this much to anyone but a villain, but he hated them more than Endeavor. "He's trying to change. So ignoring that is just refusing to acknowledge the truth."

"The truth, huh?" Dabi said, "When's Endeavor going to acknowledge the truth about things, then? Has he ever acknowledged the truth about his wife?"

Shoto froze. "What?"

"Oh, don't think I don't know about that." Dabi had forgotten entirely he was supposed to be keeping a low profile. "I know all about that. What's the name of that mental hospital she's in now, huh? Why'd she get put in there, again? Hmm, something about boiling water..."

He looked at Shoto darkly.

Shoto felt sick. How did a villain know about that? No one knew about that.

"Did you spy on my family?" he said furiously.

"Like I'd bother with that," Dabi said flatly.

"Don't talk about my mom!" Shoto redoubled his fury. "You have no right to talk about her! The likes of you!"

Dabi completely lost it then, with some reason, one had to admit.

"Oh no? Why not? She was my mom too, wasn't she?" he spat before he knew what he was saying.

Silence.

Shoto thought he'd lost his mind. "Are you accusing my mom of having an affair? How dare you!"

Wow, his denseness knew no bounds. Dabi wasn't going to explain, but that just pissed him off too much.

(To be honest, he'd really been dying to go off about this for a long time and only held back to not blow his cover. But now he didn't care.)

"No, you freaking moron," he said, "Wow...you really don't get it yet? You are truly the stupidest person on this planet."

"What are you saying, then?" Shoto glared at him.

Dabi wanted to punch him.

"You know...if you can't put it together, I really don't need to explain," he said, turning his back on him, but Shoto grabbed him and yanked him back around.

"Explain yourself! You can't just say something like that and not--are you threatening my mom in some way, you monster?!"

Dabi shoved him off. "Aw, did little Shoto Todoroki get worried about his mommy? Maybe thinking the same thing will happen to her as his brother, hmm?"

"My..." Shoto blinked. "How did you know about that...? No one knows about that..."

Dabi waited...but the light-bulb still hadn't gone on.

Well, too late to turn back now.

He flicked fire into his hand. "How do you think I know about it?"

Silence. Shoto stared at him like he was trying really hard to piece it all together.

"Did you...kill him?"

Dabi almost laughed, but he actually felt more like crying. In an effort to push it away, he just sneered. "Yeah, sure, I killed him... Guess that is true."

"You---you what?!" Shoto was livid again. "Why?"

"He was a weakling," Dabi said, walking away, "He was never going to survive... I did him a favor."

"You murdered him!"

"Better than living as a failure for the rest of his life..."

"That's not your call!" Shoto's fire blazed up in sheer anger. "What gave you the right to do that?"

Dabi lost all will to fight this anymore... This kid was just too dumb.

He turned around and, in the deadest tone ever, he said, "Shoto, I am Touya Todoroki."

There was a very terrible pause-- only the crackling of Shoto's fire, which then died out.

"You're...lying..." he said finally, in a dreadful voice.

"Whatever. It doesn't matter," Dabi said, "Touya is dead. I'm Dabi now. Don't bother trying to figure it out. You clearly can't."

"Why would I believe you? Touya died. We all know that," Shoto said.

"Did you see a body?"

"No, but...but..." Shoto choked.

"I know the whole thing was hushed up, but, wow...they don't tell you anything, huh?" Dabi was disgusted. "Whatever... Where's the girl?" He noticed that the ponytailed chick had been gone for some time... When had she gone out of sight?

Shoto looked around. "Yaoyurozu? But she was right here."

"And that's what happens when you get distracted." Dabi was oddly calm now that he'd let the cat out of the bag... Maybe it was the calm of someone who knows there's no going back now. "I guess we'd better find her, then. Maybe she broke a nail or something."

"I--" Shoto swallowed. "I still don't believe you, but I'll focus on finding Yaoyurozu for now. We'll sort this out later, got it? And you'll tell me the truth." He stormed off towards one of the halls.

"Don't think you can handle it," Dabi muttered to himself flatly.

[Who was not expecting that to come out at this point? I don't think Dabi could help himself, though. You just know he was dying to lord this over his family like the angsty, emo prick he can be.

Still love him though.]