#fireburial

Standing  at  the  alley's  entrance,  the  night  air  buzzed  with  its  usual  energy.  Neon  lights  from  far-off  billboards  flickered  overhead,  creating  distorted  reflections  on  the  slick  pavement.  𝚃𝚑𝚎  𝚌𝚒𝚝𝚢  𝚝𝚑𝚛𝚞𝚖𝚖𝚎𝚍  𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑  𝚕𝚒𝚏𝚎,  𝚒𝚝𝚜  𝚛𝚑𝚢𝚝𝚑𝚖  𝚚𝚞𝚒𝚌𝚔𝚎𝚗𝚒𝚗𝚐  𝚊𝚖𝚒𝚍  𝚝𝚑𝚎  𝚚𝚞𝚒𝚎𝚝  𝚌𝚑𝚊𝚘𝚜  𝚘𝚏  𝚊  𝚙𝚕𝚊𝚌𝚎  𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝  𝚗𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚛  𝚝𝚛𝚞𝚕𝚢  𝚛𝚎𝚜𝚝𝚎𝚍.  Lucien  had  lingered  in  the  shadows  long  enough  to  become  part  of  the  local  criminal  scene.  He  was  skilled  at  blending  in,  but  tonight  felt  different.  He  sensed  a  watchful  presence.  It  wasn't  just  a  fleeting  thought;  it  was  a  sharp  awareness.

Someone  had  been  following  him  for  nearly  an  hour.  Lucien  narrowed  his  eyes,  yet  moved  casually  —  smooth  and  intentional.  He  wouldn't  let  this  situation  catch  him  off  guard.  The  footsteps  behind  him  grew  louder,  but  he  didn't  look  back.  He  didn't  need  to.  Lucien  had  a  knack  for  reading  situations  before  they  fully  developed.  He  noticed  a  movement  and  then  heard  it  —  a  voice  that  lingered  in  the  air  like  the  opening  notes  of  a  song.  It  wasn't  a  warning,  more  of  an  observation.  But  the  tone  carried  an  urgency  that  Lucien  couldn't  dismiss.  He  felt  a  shift  in  the  atmosphere  that  tugged  at  his  awareness.  Though  he  remained  still,  his  mind  raced  through  countless  possible  scenarios.  This  was  no  coincidence,  especially  with  someone  like  that  now  in  front  of  him.  He  could  see  how  the  man  held  himself,  how  the  shadows  seemed  to  cling  to  him,  and  how  the  air  grew  heavier  in  his  presence. 

She hasn't felt fear like that for a long time... and she can't even remember what the dream was about, now. But the vulnerability she's feeling prickles at her skin, leaving her frustrated and itchy, maybe in the way that Tomura seems to get all the time. The thought of going to one of the League crosses her mind, but instead of making her feel better, her stomach drops in an instant and anguish hits her as the face of Twice appears in her mind's eye.

That's right... how could she forget? Jin isn't here anymore. Suddenly, Himiko feels like she's about to cry - but the overwhelming sorrow is quickly replaced with a simmering rage that has her clenching her fists so hard they shake. It's not exactly a comfort, the anger - but she's grateful that it's at least given her a sense of direction, and helped her realize the truth about heroes she hadn't fully grasped until now. Tomura had been right from the start... all of it should just be destroyed...

Dabi's presence is one she hadn't noticed until now, but when she becomes aware that he's near, she swallows down the mess of emotions in her throat and forces her hands to uncurl until they're still. She won't let the heroes take away anything else that's important to her. With that said, though... lately, it hasn't just been the heroes she's been worried about.

"How did it go?" she asks, as if she hadn't been sleeping just moments ago. "About Tomura-kun... nothing's changed, right?" Even if he's Tomura's "Master", and has the power they need to tear everything down... something about All for One has been making her feel ill for a while.

"... Don't tell me you've had a change of heart now." his statement is flat. Bitter.

It was over, the Heroes won. The group separated and even he -- Tomura Shigaraki... or was it Tenko? He didn't know anymore-- still had no place of his own. Who would possibly give the former Symbol of Fear a chance at life after everything he did. ... But it wasn't him.

NIGHT  CITY’S  rain  always  fell  dirty  —  neon-pink,  blue  and  acid-green  bleeding  together  on  the  cracked  concrete  as  V  kicked  the  Kusanagi’s  engine  alive.  the  bike  purred  like  a  wild  cat  under  her  palms,  vibrating  with  that  familiar  razor-sharp  growl  that  only  Yaibas  had.

“yo!”  she  called  over  her  shoulder,  chin  tipping  toward  the  stranger  lounging  in  the  mouth  of  the  alley.  spiky  black  hair,  scars  like  molten  metal,  attitude  like  trouble  wrapped  in  leather  —  yeah,  she’d  clocked  him  a  mile  away.

“DABI,  right?”  she  added,  helmet  hanging  loosely  from  two  fingers.  “heard  you  needed  a  lift.  League  business.”  the  engine  revved  again,  bright  red  chassis  humming  under the streetlights.  she  slid  the  helmet  toward  him  with  a  little  toss  —  not  caring  whether  he  caught  it  one-handed  or  let  it  hit  the  ground.

"To travel the world." That wasn't difficult for her and was the first thing that came to mind. "I want to see everything. Someone told me a while ago that there are things in the world worth seeing, people worth meeting and adventures that will turn everything upside down. That's what I want."

"Tough question." Vika crossed her arms behind her back and looked up at the sky. This time, going into the forest was different. There was a sky above and Vika was sure that no one was tricking Dabi or her. This time she could really enjoy being out with him. "I don't get angry that often. At least that's what I'd say now." She looked at him and smirked. "So maybe never be envious. It's something I deal with a lot." He was probably the first person she'd told this to, but talking to Dabi was easy. They were both so different and yet so alike in some ways.

   that still doesn't explain why dabi was there, but she doesn't want to ask. probably wouldn't like the answer, anyway.