Blood & Fire

Touya

Trigger Warning: Suicidal ideation and mention of assault.

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Two weeks had passed since All for One's defeat, and All Might's retirement. With the Symbol of Peace gone, people began to get bold and petty crimes were on the rise. Fear and panic began to fester within the public. To combat their anxieties, some civilians got their hands on black market support gear to protect themselves, which almost always ended up causing more harm than good. And a quirk-enhancing drug called Trigger was quickly becoming a problem in major cities. The same type of drug Akane's mom had investigated with some unknown hero before her unfortunate accident fifteen years ago.

Fights on the streets became more common, and most local heroes were busy trying to clean up the mess. No one felt safe anymore. Luckily, the chaos made it easier for the League to slip through the cracks, unnoticed. Akane and Eris managed to get by and stay out of sight with relative ease, especially since they had already gotten used to dodging cops during Akane's stint as a vigilante. 

Everyone tried to keep up with each other's locations as much as possible while waiting to regroup. Toga had a plan to go to U.A. to get blood from Izuku, the student she had a crush on that Tomura had also started taking an interest in. Mag had gone to visit her sister, and the others just tried to lay low in disguise in neighboring cities.

Akane was walking down an alley when Tomura sent out a message to them all that he was finally ready for them to regroup and plan their next move. He wanted them to meet in Osaka at an abandoned warehouse by a pier the next night. Only about an hour away from where Akane was hiding out. Apparently, All for One had bought out a number of condemned buildings all across Japan to have on reserve in case he needed them for storage or research, like the warehouse full of Nomu back in Kamino.

Kurogiri was currently busy hunting down some asset of All for One's for Shigaraki, so they weren't going to be able to portal over. With Akane already nearby, she agreed to stake it out early and make sure it was secure before the rest of the League arrived. 

The next morning, she and Eris left for Osaka.  The warehouse was in a near-deserted part of the city. There were signs posted in various places marking the building as condemned and warnings about trespassers being shot, but they were worn and looked like they were put up years ago. A single chain link fence circled the perimeter.

After hopping the fence, Akane and Eris made their way inside. Not much was left in the warehouse, just old crates, empty storage containers, and some dusty office furniture. There were signs on the upper levels that it used to be a place where squatters gathered with shredded blankets and food wrappers covering the floor, but they were long gone now. Akane's footsteps echoed through the halls of the decaying building as she and Eris made sure it was completely abandoned. 

The place would serve well enough as a temporary base of operations for now. There was plenty of space, and as long as someone was on lookout, they'd be able to spot the police or heroes coming from a few miles away. The back of the building only led to a pier where the warehouse used to receive deliveries by cargo ships.  By the time she was done checking everything, the sun was starting to set.

With the building secure, she went downstairs and stepped outside to the pier, watching the darkening purple-gold glow of the sunset reflect off the water. Eris hung back and guarded the doorway, listening for any threat that might approach the building. Akane checked her text messages and saw that none of the others would be there for at least another hour or two.

Knowing she'd have some time to herself, Akane took a seat by the edge of the dock, her legs dangling off the edge, listening to the gentle rocking of the waves. She hadn't had a moment to relax since the League split up. Even sleep didn't offer comfort, as she had only dreamt of Touya and the night he died for the last week. Being alone, in the silence, gave her time to think of the future and what the League might do next, but her thoughts kept drifting back to her lost friend.