Chapter 76

The insistent ringing of my phone ripped me from sleep. It was Simon.

"Anos, we've got trouble. Forest fire near the east side, nobody else can get to it. Can you handle it?"

I glanced at Katsume and Diamond, still asleep on the couch. "Yeah, I'm on it."

I changed quickly and headed out, the familiar thrill of adrenaline pumping through my veins. Time to work. I flew towards there and saw the forest going up in flames, so I went in to rescue everyone.

I landed near the blaze, the heat blistering my skin. I scanned the area, searching for survivors and that's when I saw him, a child with blue wings, sobbing uncontrollably near the edge of the fire. He had white and blue hair and was clearly upset.

I scooped him up, pulling him away from the flames. The heat was unbearable. He wasn't badly burned, just shaken and terrified. I soothed him, asking his name.

"Ti…Tiku…" he mumbled, before passing out from exhaustion and trauma. He didn't give a last name.

I extinguished the remaining flames, feeling a pang of pity for the kid. I turned to leave, ready to bring him to foster care until I was violently yanked into a dark alleyway.

Dabi.

His scarred face was twisted in a scowl. We hadn't spoken in months, not since I'd distanced myself from the League of Villains. We were friends

"What do you want?" I asked.

He grabbed my shirt. "That kid. Is he mine?" he mumbled, his voice dangerously low.

I shrugged him off, surprised by his question. "No idea. Found him near the fire. Said his name was Tiku. Looks about five or six."

Dabi's expression softened slightly. He nodded, then took the unconscious child from my arms.

"I'll deal with it," he muttered, disappearing into the shadows.

I watched him go, a knot of unease tightening in my stomach. Dabi, a father? The thought was… unsettling.

I went home, showered, and brewed myself a pot of coffee. The adrenaline had faded, leaving behind a dull ache of exhaustion. I sat down to tackle the mountain of schoolwork that awaited me. Four more months until third year, thank God. But I didn't want to leave Akira alone and she just started at U.A.

I sighed and pulled out my phone, and decided to text Momo. I hadn't spoken to her in weeks.

Anos: Momo, hey. I know it's been a while.

I stared at the screen, my heart pounding. What was I even going to say?

Momo: Anos! It's good to hear from you. I was starting to worry.

Anos: I'm sorry. I've been going through some things. Things I can't really explain. I needed some time to… figure things out.

Momo: I understand. But you know you can talk to me, right? About anything.

Anos: I know, I know. It's just… complicated. It's not you, Momo. Never you.

Momo: I never thought that. I just miss you.

Anos: I miss you too. More than you know.

Momo: Are you okay? Really?

Anos: I will be. I promise. I love you, Momo.

Momo: I love you too, Anos. Please don't shut me out again.

I stared at the message, my chest tight. I couldn't tell her about my life at Dark Red, or the people I saved, or the darkness I embraced to do it. I couldn't burden her with the guilt that gnawed at me every day. All I could offer her was a half-truth, a promise that things would get better.

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. Tomorrow, I would go to U.A. I would see Izuku, see mom and dad. Maybe, just maybe, I could find a way to bridge the gap between the life I was living and the life I desperately wanted.