Scars

Chapter 2

"That's Touya Todoroki, a member of the League," Kijo said as she backtracked to me. "But he prefers to go by Dabi. I hadn't even realized that I stopped in front of his cell, neither of us making a move or blinking. Of course I knew who those eyes belonged to. How could I not?

A few months prior, this man was all over the news, maniacally laughing as he revealed his true identity. He was the eldest son of Endeavor and with Endeavor not denying it, even after the chaos the league had created settled down, people knew it was true. One of the most sadistic villains out there was the number one hero's son. The irony.

Kijo stood there awkwardly for a moment, her eyes glancing between us. "Let's go," she muttered under her breath. My feet began to move until I saw his lips move. The thick glass completely blocked his voice so I couldn't hear what it was he was saying. I tilted my head, my eyes narrowed as I tried to read his lips. It didn't seem to be too complicated. His lips would only part a few times to let a small sentence leave his lips. Even so, I couldn't think of what it was he was saying. Whatever he said, a smirk curled on his lips. "Seishin," Kijo said more sharply. I was finally able to tear my eyes away from Dabi to look up at my boss. Her lips were pressed together in a firm line and her beady black eyes were filled with worry. Mikeranjero stood behind her with furrowed brows, probably wondering why I was staring down one of the criminals. I didn't even know why.

"Sorry," I let out an awkward laugh, bringing my hand up to my neck. "I'm just nervous is all," I said, keeping my voice low. Kijo glanced up at Dabi. She nodded her head before we started moving down the corridor again. With each cell we passed, Kijo explained their quirk and their crime. It wasn't long until we reached the end of the block. There were more guards at the end of the hall, standing on either side of the door. Before Kijo used her card that would lift the door for us, she leaned into one of the guard's vicinity and seemed to whisper something. The response was a short nod before he resumed his neutral position. Kijo pressed her access card to the reader, scanned her hand, and we left the cell. We entered an empty cafeteria. "How do you two feel?" she asked softly. I felt as though the question was directed more towards me than it was to Mikeranjero, but it was him that answered first. He shrugged his shoulders.

"It wasn't anything serious. They were behind glass, and a lot of them looked like they didn't need to be there."

"That's exactly why I took you two here today. I wanted to show that even the weakest looking people can potentially have the most dangerous quirks. There are two big things I've found that cause new heroes to hesitate when they're fighting. Fear," Kijo held up a red finger, her nails black and almost like claws, "and sympathy," she brought up another. "I find fear easier to overcome. But to look at another human being, someone who is frail or damaged, it can be hard to see the true danger they have underneath. A wolf in sheep's clothing, if you will."

Looking at them now, dressed in orange jumpsuits and trapped in their cells, it was easy to see them as criminals. But out on the street, would it be as easy to fight a teenage girl who was thin and seemed on the verge of starving to death? Would it be easy to fight a man who looked as if he had been dragged through the mud and then some? Would these people who looked as if their everyday lives were pathetic be as easy to fight as the criminals who were aggressive and rough? I wouldn't know until I actually found myself in that situation. I just hoped I would be able to tell the difference between a person trying to survive and a true danger to society.

We visited a few more blocks, Kijo describing the types of criminals that were in each cell and what types of restrictions the cells had to hold back their quirks. The longer we stayed in the prison, the more relaxed I got when it came to looking at the people trapped in there. Something stopped me from completely settling in, though. In the back of my mind, Dabi;s lips continuously ran like a movie playing over and over again. After a few hours, we stood in the lobby.

"This won't exactly stop you both from hesitating when you run into trouble with certain people, but I hope this better resolves any internal conflict about fighting those who seem weaker. It is better to overestimate someone and be able to restrict them easily than to underestimate and up seriously injured or even dead. Mikeranjero, you'll accompany me on patrol tomorrow. Seishin, you've got it friday. I'll see you both at your shifts." Kijo turned from us and headed back toward headquarters. We thanked her for her time. Mikeranjero started walking, but I couldn't move. I glanced back at the exterior of the prison, looking at the simple architecture of the building. I felt strange turning my back on it, knowing just who was contained within those walls. Dabi's scarred lips made an appearance in my mind once more and it was only then I realized what it was he had been saying to me.

I'm going to watch you burn.