Scars

Chapter 4

"Seishin... Seishin!" Kijo shouted, grabbing my attention from my daydream. My eyes widened for a moment and I had to pull my shoulder back in order to avoid hitting the civilian walking in my direction. The man grumbled as he passed me, something about heroes never watching where they were going. I awkwardly apologized before looking up at my boss. Her brows were furrowed in concern. "If you're not going to be able to focus, I'm going to send you home.  If you're not alert, you could miss something important."

"No, I'm sorry. I'll do better," I said before bringing my hands to my cheeks and giving myself a few light slaps in an attempt to wake myself up. "I just didn't get much sleep last night," I muttered. After my dream involving Dabi two nights prior, it felt impossible to go to sleep. Last night was no better. Every little creak in my apartment sent a stake of fear through my heart, shaking off any traces of sleep that had made its way into my mind.

"I can tell," Kijo mumbled as she returned her attention to the city. Her eyes moved along people, watching for any signs of suspicion or distress. Her and Mikeranjero didn't seem to run into any trouble on their shift the day before, so I didn't expect to deal with any incidents either. In fact, it was pretty boring. That might've another reason I was almost sleep walking. "Mikeranjero didn't seem to be this distracted yesterday, ya know," Kijo stated after a few moments of silence, sending a smug smirk in my direction. I pursed my lips in annoyance, my cheeks puffing up slightly. The chains leading from my neck to my wrists clanked together as my arms crossed over my chest.

Mikeranjero and I had been hired at the same time. He was older than me by a year and was a sidekick ever since he graduated high school. He still had to complete the initial training Kijo required for everyone in her agency, and every single day, he made it his goal to beat me. Not to succeed in order to look good for Kijo, but to make me look bad. There were only a few times where I had actually beat him, whether it was using the weak pressure points by his wings or tripping him in our sprints, but the look on his face each time was to die for. If we had been allowed to have our phones on us, I would've snapped a picture, but Kijo only let sidekicks have pagers so we "wouldn't get distracted on our phones during patrol." 

"Yea, well, he also sucks, so... not really sure he's exactly the person to make an example out of," I said. My insult was a little juvenile, yet another thing he was better than me out. He was very witty, and our arguments often ended with a smirk on his face and mine red from embarrassment and aggravation. We seemed to amuse Kijo though. 

"He does not suck," Kijo said, her voice wavering as she tried not to laugh. "And neither do you. I just need you to focus. You need to get more sleep at night. Your body will go through rough shifts as a hero, so you need to rest to heal faster."

I nodded. "I know. It can be hard sometimes when I live alone." I glanced at the ground. "After the prison visit... I guess I just felt a bit unsettled." It was half of the truth. I didn't want to explain the dream to her. I was worried she would look at me as if I was crazy. 

Kijo placed a hand on my shoulder, giving me a comforting smile. I let out a sigh of relief, placing my hand on hers. "You are more than welcome to stay with me at anytime if you're feeling unsafe in your own home. Even defending yourself can seem scary, having an attack directed at you. But I'll be here to help you if that time ever comes." 

"Thanks, Kijo." I had to admit, her words did untwist the knot in my stomach slightly. Our heartwarming moment was ripped away as we passed an alley next to some small diner. A cry for help rang in my ears and I turned to look in. A man was crumpled to the ground. 

"Help me," he cried out. I couldn't see his face. He had his hand to his chest, his head hanging down. "Please. I'm having a heart attack," he groaned. I stepped forward.

"It's okay, sir. I'll help. Kijo, call the-"

"Seishin, wai-" Kijo reached for my wrist as the man straightened up and revealed a gun in his hand. I gasped as I looked down the barrel.