Chapter 38 - I Love You More Than Life

You lay in your bed, the soft hum of the night filling the air, when a sudden thud echoed through the room, jerking you awake. Your eyes shot open, heart racing, and you blinked in confusion as the figure of Dabi appeared in the dim light. He looked uneasy, his sharp gaze flicking toward the window.

"Hrrm, what's happening?" you asked, your voice heavy with sleep, but the tension in his posture was unmistakable.

Dabi shook his head sharply, his usually calm demeanor replaced by urgency. "The heroes... they're outside," he muttered, his voice low and strained. His eyes darted toward you, panic flickering behind the usually cool façade. "We need to move, now."

You pushed yourself up, rubbing your eyes as the sudden rush of adrenaline began to kick in. But as you turned your back to him, frustration and anger bubbled up inside of you. He moved quickly, approaching you with a sense of desperation that was hard to ignore.

"Please, don't move too much," Dabi said, his voice softer now, but no less urgent.

Before you could protest, he placed a cold handcuff around your wrist, the cold metal biting into your skin. You growled, but his grip was firm as he pulled you up, maneuvering you out of the room and down into the alleyway. Despite the chains binding you, a fire ignited within you, and you could feel your strength surging. The minute you were out of his grip, you shifted back into your human form, your body flexing with newfound strength.

"Let me go," you hissed, the words clawing their way past your teeth. But Dabi didn't flinch. He only smirked, his eyes glinting dangerously as he brought his hand closer to your face.

He spoke with a low, dangerous voice, "If you don't want me to burn your eye out, I suggest you keep quiet." The blue glow of his flames ignited as he waved his hand near your face, and the air around you began to crackle with heat.

Your gaze turned sharp, and your lips curled into a snarl, but before you could make another move, a strange gas swept through the alley. It stung your senses, and you heard a faint gasp as Dabi's grip faltered. His eyes rolled back into his head, and he crumpled to the ground, unconscious.

A figure emerged from the shadows, graceful and fluid in her movements—Midnight. She was smiling brightly, her arms reaching out as she enveloped you in a sudden, unexpected embrace. "There you are," she said cheerfully, though there was a hint of concern in her eyes. She pulled your face into her arms, her touch surprisingly gentle. "Hey, folks! I found L/N!" she shouted, and within moments, the sound of footsteps filled the alley.

Heroes arrived quickly, more than you expected—some from your own class, and others from Class B and General Studies. Your classmates, their faces a mixture of relief and concern, flooded the scene, and before you knew it, Izuku was at your side, pulling you into a tight hug.

"You're alive," he whispered, his voice trembling with emotion, as though he couldn't believe what he was seeing. His grip around you tightened as if he feared you might slip away again.

You felt a strange, conflicting wave of relief and guilt wash over you. You hadn't expected them to find you. To see Izuku's face, filled with concern, and to hear the tremor in his voice—it made everything feel more real.

But the moment was short-lived. The sound of a struggle brought you back to the harsh reality around you. Kamui Woods, the tree hero, had dragged Shigaraki into the open, his strong branches tightening around him. Kurogiri was there too, but the mist villain had been knocked out cold.

Shigaraki's voice rang out through the alley, laced with fury. "No, you can't take her! She's mine!" he screamed, thrashing in Kamui's grasp.

Kamui scoffed, his voice calm yet disinterested. "Oblivious little ferret," he muttered as he held Shigaraki in place. The villain's struggles were futile against the strength of the tree hero, but his eyes still burned with a manic rage.

Shigaraki's attention shifted to you, his gaze narrowing, filled with possessiveness. "You belong to me," he hissed, his eyes fixated on you. But you didn't hear him—not in the way you once might have. Your eyes had slitted, the irises a glowing, unnatural purple, and the air around you seemed to pulse with dark energy. Tendrils of smoke escaped from your lips as you stared at Shigaraki, the world blurring at the edges.

Izuku's voice cracked, and he took a cautious step back, his eyes wide with worry. "Uh, Y/N?" he asked, his tone barely above a whisper. His hands hovered uncertainly, as if he didn't know whether to reach for you or not.

A sickening dread settled in Izuku's stomach as he watched you. 'Not this again,' he thought, his heart racing as the familiar feeling of your aura surged. It wasn't you—not really. Something inside of you was waking up, and the heroes around you, along with your classmates, could only watch as it unfolded.

"Oi, lazy dragon, snap out of it!" Bakugou's voice sliced through the tension in the air, sharp and demanding. His palms crackled with energy as he stepped forward, his usual fiery temper igniting in the face of your strange behavior. "It's no one here to control you now, you're safe," he added, his voice rough, but his eyes flickered with a glint of concern. He reached out toward you, but the moment his hand came too close, your eyes shimmered—a deep, unnerving purple. Your lips curled into a snarl, teeth bared as you shook your head fiercely, warning him off.

"She's fighting it off, though," Uraraka spoke up softly, her voice laced with worry as she watched you, her hands nervously clasped in front of her. She took a hesitant step forward but paused, unsure of how to approach.

"Yeah, see?" Momo said, her tone more hopeful yet just as concerned, pointing to your tail, which began to thrash violently behind you. The silver and black scales glittered under the dim light, lashing from side to side as you struggled against the powerful grip of the dragon's control. The shift in your movements was subtle at first, a quiet defiance that seemed to fight against the foreign influence trying to take over. Your muscles tensed, your body coiling as if ready to spring.

Then, in one swift motion, you jerked your head back, tilting your face toward the sky. A primal, bone-rattling howl erupted from your throat, a sound so feral and unearthly that even Shigaraki grimaced, his expression twisting in disgust. The sound was not that of a human being, but something much older, more dangerous. It was the sound of a beast rejecting its chains.

For a moment, everything fell silent except for your howling. The air around you seemed to thicken, charged with the energy you were unleashing in your attempt to fight off the control. Even Shigaraki, ever the composed villain, had to avert his gaze for a second, his lips curling in distaste. He had been given Stain's cursed little dagger to control you, a tool that he had used while you were unconscious, stabbing you so that if this moment ever came—if you ever tried to resist—the blade would serve as a leash. It was meant to keep you obedient, to bend you to his will. But this wasn't going as planned.

You were fighting harder now than you ever had before, your resistance growing stronger with each passing second. The dagger's control—the force that had once bound you—was now a distant whisper against the roar of your spirit. Something inside of you had awakened, a ferocity that hadn't been there when Stain first manipulated you, something deeper than the dragon's rage.

Bakugou scowled, his hands crackling with frustration. "Come on, you damn dragon, fight it," he muttered to himself, stepping closer, unwilling to back down, despite the fierce tension in the air. He knew you could win, that the real you—your true self—could break through this. But your fight was only beginning. And as you struggled, fighting the very instincts that had been forced into you, the weight of Shigaraki's control pressed down, and the battle between your will and the venomous influence of the blade waged on.

Izuku stepped closer, determination etched on his face, his gaze locked on you as you thrashed, struggling against the invisible chains that bound you. He glanced at Bakugou, who, despite the tension, didn't scowl—just a flicker of something softer in his eyes. It was rare, but in this moment, they were aligned, a quiet understanding between them. Bakugou didn't have to speak for Izuku to know what to do.

With a steady breath, Izuku reached out, his hand finding Bakugou's. They held on tight, and without another word, they stepped forward together, side by side. "Please, Y/N, snap out of it," Izuku's voice was strained but full of emotion, his focus intense on your dragon snout. His words were quiet but filled with urgency, each one coated in a plea, a call for you to break free. "Please. You are my best friend, bud," Izuku said, his voice shaking as he nodded toward your muzzle, willing you to hear him, to remember the bond you shared. The sincerity in his words made the air feel heavy.

Bakugou, standing a little behind him, wasn't one for gentle words, but he mirrored Izuku's urgency. "Our best friend. Our best girl, please," he added, his voice rougher but no less genuine. His eyes softened, something raw hidden behind that usual fiery mask. Even Bakugou, who often fought alone, couldn't stand by and let you fall into the dragon's control—not without a fight.

For a moment, everything froze. Your pupils, once wild and dilated, jittered and flickered as if torn between the forces warring inside of you. Then, with a shudder, they slowly began to dilate fully. The struggle within you intensified, but then, in a soft, almost soothing way, you cooed sympathetically, your feral energy slowing as the weight of their words seemed to ground you. The warmth in Izuku's and Bakugou's voices was enough to break through the haze.

Izuku's breath hitched, and a small, tearful laugh escaped him. "There you are, girl. That's it, here we are," he whispered, his hands trembling as they touched your face, gently, reverently. A smile broke out on his face, and for a brief second, all the fear, all the worry, melted away as he saw you starting to regain control.

Bakugou, his usual fiery demeanor gone for the moment, nodded and placed a hand on your head, a soft gesture that was almost tender. "Yeah, there you are, damn it," he muttered, though his voice held an unmistakable sense of relief.

Around them, the rest of Class 1-A—along with some from Class B—began to cheer, their voices a collective sound of hope and triumph. The weight of the moment, the tension that had built up, seemed to lift as they watched you fight your way back.

But in the distance, amidst the chaos, Shigaraki's voice cut through the air, raw and frantic. "What? No!" His fury and disbelief were palpable, but there was nothing he could do to stop it now. You had broken free from his control, and no matter how hard he tried, the bond you shared with your friends was stronger than anything he could manipulate.

The battle wasn't over, but this was a victory. And it was one you shared with those who truly cared for you.

You stood tall, a slow, steady growl rumbling in your chest as your eyes locked onto Shigaraki. Every muscle in your body screamed for release as the power flared behind you, but this time, you weren't the one in chains. He was.

You stepped forward, pushing past Izuku and Bakugou without a second glance. "You tried to control me, Shigaraki," you said, your voice low and dangerous, but with an undercurrent of finality. "It didn't work. I'm done with you."

Your wings unfurled slowly, their massive span casting a shadow over the ground beneath you. Your claws scraped the pavement as you rose to your hind legs, towering over him with a presence so powerful that even the nearby pro heroes flinched.

Shigaraki's red, jittering eyes were wide with fear now. The desperation in his voice cut through the silence. "What? No, please!" His voice cracked as he tried to reach for you, tears welling in his eyes, but they only seemed to fuel the fire of your resolve. "I'll do anything!" he pleaded, but you were no longer listening.

Without hesitation, you summoned your power, a bright pulse of energy growing in your throat. In an instant, a plasma ball shot toward Shigaraki, narrowly missing his feet. The blast sent cracks in the pavement around him, and the force of it made him stagger back, eyes wide with terror.

"Run, and never return," you snarled, your voice a dark promise. "Run, Shigaraki, and if I see you here again, I will kill you."

Your wings fluttered slightly as you stood your ground. Shigaraki trembled, his face pale and contorted with anguish, but he didn't move.

The others, your classmates, gathered behind you, their expressions a mixture of awe, fear, and hope. But just then, Dabi, who had been unconscious until now, groaned and stirred, rubbing his head. He blinked slowly, his eyes widening as he saw the scene unfolding before him.

"Wha...?" he muttered, his voice low, and then his gaze caught yours. His throat tightened as he caught the intensity of your stare, your purple glare like a warning sign.

"Uh, I-I'm gonna book it," Dabi muttered under his breath, his hands raised defensively, and with a gulp, he shakily got to his feet, backing away slowly. You held his gaze for a long moment, considering your next move, but you knew Dabi wasn't the one who had controlled you. He hadn't used you like a pawn.

With a slight, dismissive flick of your tail, you let him go. "Go," you said softly, but there was an undeniable power in the word. "You're not my enemy."

He took the cue and quickly turned, darting off into the distance, his footsteps echoing as he disappeared into the shadows.

Your attention snapped back to Shigaraki, who was still crying, his red eyes twitching uncontrollably as he desperately looked for an escape. The sight of him, so broken, almost made you hesitate—but you knew you couldn't afford to show mercy, not after everything he had done.

"Run," you commanded again, your voice cold and unwavering.

Shigaraki's sobs only grew louder, his body shaking violently. His hands trembled as he tried to push himself up, blood staining his palms, but it wasn't enough. He couldn't control you. He couldn't even stand against you anymore.

With a final, guttural sob, he scrambled to his feet and ran, his ragged breath tearing at the air, his eyes wild with fear as he disappeared into the night.

As the tension finally began to ease, you took a deep breath, your wings folding back into place. Hawks, who had been preparing to go after Shigaraki, stopped in his tracks, but you raised a wing to stop him. "Let him go," you said quietly, a softer edge to your voice now. "He's suffered enough."

The air seemed to calm as the other heroes breathed a collective sigh of relief. You turned to face them, your heart pounding in your chest, but the battle was over.

Izuku and Uraraka were the first to rush forward, throwing their arms around you, both crying openly with joy and relief. You chuckled softly, pulling them into a tight hug, your voice cracking as you spoke. "Thank you, guys. I don't know what I'd do without you."

Aizawa stood nearby, his expression stoic but his eyes softened slightly. He gave a small nod in your direction. "Anytime, L/N," he said gruffly, as if this were just another day.

All Might, ever the hero, flexed his muscles with a grin. "You did great, kid," he said, his voice booming with pride. You smiled at him and dipped your head, your gratitude and respect clear.

"Call me Y/N," you said with a soft chuckle. "After all, you're worth more than life to me."

You turned to face your classmates, your heart swelling with emotion. The people who had fought by your side, who had never once abandoned you. "I love you all more than life," you said, your voice breaking as you looked into each of their faces. "Thank you for never giving up on me."

And in that moment, surrounded by the friends who had fought for you, you knew that you were never truly alone.