Author's Note: Some update of my artwork on Tokoyami and Dark Shadow. ^^

--

Midoriya knew what the class was doing and why they did it. As Recovery Girl had mentioned, Tokoyami's injuries were physically returning to him... Well, not physically per se. Tokoyami wasn't in any danger.

However, these injuries did actually happen to Tokoyami, which is the saddening part.

Midoriya did notice the bruise marks on Tokoyami necks, though it was hard to spot as his neck was usually covered by his red choker.

He felt his heart sank as he saw them. He couldn't even begin to imagine his friend being physically broken.

The slashing revealing itself on Tokoyami's arms were the cause of it.

It was when everyone thought...

Tokoyami's suffering shouldn't go unnoticed.

Turning away had the same effect as ignoring the bruises of an abused child pleading for your help.

Just because you didn't see it, doesn't mean it didn't happen.

The same goes for...

Tokoyami's demise.

How could this happen... How could I have lost a friend? One for all?

What joke.

Tokoyami's gone forever...

...

No, Tokoyami's soul is still here.

Because of dark shadow.

It wasn't a surprise to Midoriya now that they were brothers.

As Tokoyami had mentioned, Dark Shadow had crystals within him as well, Tokoyami had limited time.

And the class isn't going to waste time ignoring Tokoyami's sufferings.

However...

No one was prepared. No one can be prepared.

The knife wound moved... It forced its way in and pushed upwards towards Tokoyami's bird face. It pushed...

And it pulled... Skin... Eyes... Beak... Teeth... Tounge.

It was more graphic than any villain attacks and more realistic than any horror films.

It was too much, even for a full-grown adult.

It stung Midoriya's innocent mind.

His vision blurred, then went white...

Then black.

--

Ugh...

Hawks could only felt pain... Guilt.

His throat was sore from acidic substance mixed with bile. He had puked twice into a metal trash can.

Hawks closed his eyes, but the memory was still clear.

It played more grotesquely in his mind, more violently and exaggerated. However, Hawks stopped trying to hide from it.

Coward.

He told himself and finally opened his eyes.

The illusions faded away. The room seemed deserted.

Tokoyami was on his bed, shivering and shaking. His hands covering his eyes. Hawks vision tricked him into thinking the illusion was still ongoing, causing a glitchy effect where it flickers back and forth; between reality and fiction.

He didn't hear any sound coming from him.

His ears were ringing, still recovering from the grotesque sound that threatened his tolerance.

He silenced his ears using his hands, eliminating any environmental sound to stop the ringing.

As the ringing slowly faded away, he slowly uncover his ears...

A silent sobbing.

Hawks returned his gaze to the bird teen. The flickering stopped, probably due to recovering his hearing.

"Tokoyami..."

Hawks said out loud... Only to realise it came out as a thought.

He wanted to attempt again but decided getting closer to his son would be more sensible.

...

He couldn't move. Signals sent to his legs and hands were ignored. It was as if he were handcuffed to the bed.

Hawks internally frowned. He had used his hands to cover his ears before, now they annoyingly felt like lead.

His heart rate quickened, his breathing was short and rapid.

He felt himself being back in his dreams again, feeling an unknown force restricting his movements.

This time, Tokoyami's crying was real.

He was really there... Needing his help.

...

and he realised his restrictions were real too.

Doubts...

Doubts that I cannot save my son.

Doubts that he was still alive.

But most of all...

A garbled voice vibrated through his memories. It repeated itself again, as if trying to brute force its way to clarity.

His memories slowly formed, keeping his sanity at bay.

*mmghmmg*

"drmmgdry"

"Daddy."

His foot touched the cold concrete floor.

He is my son.

Tendrils of unknown force now felt weak and brittle as he started walking.

However...

*

Hmm?

Hawks looked at his feet, a physical obstacle was in his way.

It was a boy with a muscular tail with a hairy end.

It was Ojiro. In fact, he realised all of Class 1A were lying on the floor, unconscious.

He was lying on the bed, so it seemed like no one was in the room. However, Recovery Girl was nowhere to be found.

But he didn't care. His son needed him

He took another step. His movement was slow and sluggish, but it was progress. He wanted progress.

He wanted to rid of the black figures that were haunting Tokoyami, hurting his son.

Son... You have a lot to learn.

--

Why...

Was all he thought of.

He opened his eyes to find his classmates on the floor... Or worse.

"S... Shoji?"

"Koda?"

"Midoriya?"

"Can you hear me?"

No response.

Did I kill them?

His heart raced.

Was I all along... The killer?

With Dark Shadow out of his body, there was no other reason.

All these emotions, fuelled by me. Belenus was a victim... Dark Shadow was a victim...

And now, my entire family.

An image of the portals appeared in his mind, images of happy memories flickered through. A guy at the end wielded a knife, shattering each portal, one by one.

As the portal cracked, the images stopped flickering, slowly drained of its colour and distorted itself.

Smiling faces, touches of laughter, happy memories.

Static.

He yelled the man to stop.

But... There was no one there.

Only him... A knife in his hands.

He looked to the portal in front of him. Koda's innocence smiled back.

His knife drove through the portal, cutting right at his neck. The smile cracked, turning into 2 pieces, the left piece became monochrome.

Dark Shadow mocked him in his imaginations.

Tokoyami looked at the knife, his reflection was shown through the blade.

I knew it.

That's why it kept haunting me.

He stared at his reflection, knowing what was about to happen.

The reflection changed, mouth widening, eyes reddening. Teeth sharpening.

That thing... That was him.

Even Belenus was a victim.

Tokoyami stared back at it.

The reflection shook vigorously, it took him some time for him to realise it was due to his quivering hands.

Tokoyami closed his eyes.

I am a joke.

He grabbed the knife with two hands, pointed at himself.

Aiming straight for the neck.

*breathes in*

*breathes out*

*breathes in*

*breathes out*

*deep breathe inwards*

*...*

...

**

...

Tokoyami opened his eyes, gasping for air. A hand patted his shoulder.

Tokoyami saw his hands, halfway to his neck.

It didn't make it.

He glanced up quickly. Hawks stood beside his bed, one arm reached out to shake him out of his thoughts.

"It's ok, there's no need to worry."

Hawks voice sounded raspy.

"What..."

His voice sounded hoarse, as if he'd been crying. He felt his feathers were wet.

"I'm here."

Hawks simply said.

Hawks looked drained, as if he had been through thick and thin. However, he seemed grateful, smiling softly at Tokoyami.

Tokoyami cleared his throat.

"Get away from me. I don't want you to be another victim of my madness"

Hawks did not budge, instead, he followed where Tokoyami was looking... The bodies on the floor.

Hawks kneeled down to check on one of his classmates.

"They're in no danger, just unconscious."

"For now... It's only some time before they join the rest if they don't go."

Hawks stood up, Tokoyami did not meet his gaze. Instead, he just looked down at his fingers.

"Tokoyami, you didn't do anythi..."

"I did."

"You were just a victim."

"Could you say the same to what happened in the camp? What happened when I hurt Belenus?"

"You had no say in those things. "

"Hawks, you can't charge a fire for burning people into ashes. The person who had fueled the fire is guilty. That person is me."

"Did you intentionally fuel the fire?"

"I was reckless enough to do so."

"Tokoyami. The past is history. There's no need to dwell on those memories."

"I am already dead, Hawks!"

"Dark shadow was supposed to still be alive, not me!"

Tokoyami continued, shouting with misery.

"Your brother gave you his life for a reason, you should respect his decision."

Hawks said calmly.

"I don't deserve it... At all."

"Tokoyami. I made mistakes too. I didn't believe I deserved to live too."

"Like you, I was reckless, stubborn, careless."

"I could've killed people. Millions of people due to my actions."

Tokoyami interjected.

"You could... But I did."

...

"I killed my son."

"... You didn't kill me."

"Who was the one who got you kidnapped? Me."

"Like dark shadow had given you a second chance, you had given me a second chance as well.

" You taught me to be forward-looking. It doesn't matter what happened or what had happened. You need to set a goal for yourself like you had for me. "

Tokoyami remained silent.

Hawks sat beside him. Holding his hand.

Hawks gave him a few minutes to think, but Hawks was happy to spend precious time with his son. It reminded him of how dads used to tell stores with their children, waiting for them to sleep and have good dreams.

Hawks just hope for now... the sleep wasn't endless.

" Dad."

He began.

Tokoyami voice was soft now.

"I don't have long. How am I supposed to have a goal? "

"What do you want to achieve before you go, son?"

"I... I don't know."

"Did your brother gave you a reason?"

"... To give a proper farewell."

"Why do you think he wanted that?"

" He wanted me to reveal myself. He wanted me not to hide anymore."

"Reveal to anyone?"

"No... Just to my..."

Tokoyami couldn't find the word for it.

"If Dark Shadow is what you say he is, he must've known what you always longed for... "

Yes, that's right. Something I'd always wanted.

"A family."

Tokoyami and Hawks lay on the bed together, Hawks had an arm around his son, pulling him close. Hawks wings wrapped them both into a comfortable cocoon. He used his free hand to brush Tokoyami's feathers back, neatly grooming his plumage.

Tokoyami accidentally let out a rumble of pleasure, a short chirp. Before his hands covered his beak, Hawks reached first, silencing him first.

Hawks chuckled.

"Birb boi, you are sure cute."

Tokoyami gave him a look.

"Don't call me that, I demand something more fitting for me."

"Like what? Cacawyami?"

Tokoyami pulled out one of Hawks feathers.

"Ow."

Hawks pretended.

Tokoyami remembered Hawks could detach his feathers easily, unlike his own head of feathers.

*pluck*

"Ow! Okay, okay! You got me."

Tokoyami looked at the blond strand of hair in his fingers, satisfied.

Tokoyami lay back down, nestled into his father's wings.

"I wish... I wish Dark Shadow was here too. He'd be happy to have a father to lean on."

Tokoyami looked over Hawks' shoulder, where Dark Shadow's head would've been.

"A mother would be nice too."

Hawks softly murmured.

Tokoyami eyed him at the corner if his eyes.

"Getting married?"

"No no no, slow down, kiddo... "

"but it would be nice to have one don't you agree?"

Tokoyami silently nods.

They stay silent for a little longer, hearing the heartbeat monitor had a soporific effect on them.

However, Tokoyami stayed awake, fearing that he never wakes up. The crystals were beginning to feel numb, it's effects may begin to take a toll on his body.

"What do you think of your classmates?"

Hawks said suddenly.

Tokoyami heaved a sigh.

"They are an interesting bunch. All of them are uniquely different."

"At times, their voices pierced through my hearing, disturbed my soul, interrupted my charisma... Reckless, careless, moronic. Aggressive or passive... Shy or brave. Courageous or timid."

"Sometimes, I pretended I didn't know them. Others, I threatened them poetically to drive them away."

"but... I feel even after combining all their disgusting qualities... My disgusting qualities dwarf them in size.

"... How so? "

Hawks asked.

" You see, even though they all seem different, they share the same bond. A bond I didn't even share with my own biological family. "

" Yet, I was the one most distant... But I still can clearly see the strong relationships binding us together. I'm singlehandedly rejecting them. "

" Forced to, or...? "

" I didn't want to threaten them with an unstable and unpredictable brother. "

"But... They were the family I never had, and I had to forcefully reject them..."

Tokoyami looked to Hawks, emotion building up in his voice.

"Hawks, I wanted to talk to them, laugh with them, go out with them...

Yet I held back even a single wave of acknowledgement."

"I know how caring they are... But I feel they will never feel that I'm part of their family again. I can't blame them for it."

"Dad?"

"Yeah?"

"If I can't stay awake before they wake up, could you tell them that I had a great time with them?"

"Sure. Anything for you."

"I... I wanted to graduate with them. I wanted to be a hero and protect the city with them...."

"As a civilian, and once a sibling to them, encourage them from the sidelines..."

"I... I don't want to go, dad... I want to stay..."

Tokoyami took a shaky breath and smiled at Hawks.

"and I'll definitely miss...

Plus Ultra."

--

...

Class 1A was listening the entire time, awake from their slumber. Not wanting to disturb Tokoyami and Hawks, they listened intently from the floor.

With tears in their eyes.

They hear the next words from Tokoyami with the same goal in their hearts.

"I wished we were a family."

Author's note: Tokoyami finally finds the true goal of his return.

...

Kaminari accidentally bonks his head on the side of the bed, revealing Class 1A's eavesdroppings.

Thank you for almost 200 votes!

Thank you, readers, for supporting me through my fanfiction as we near the end. I will spend all my love and effort on the last few chapters to bring about a beautiful conclusion to this story. Hope you stay tuned till then!