A Rekindling Flame

Chapter Seven

Dabis POV
I know I'm insane. I mean, have you met me? Of course I'm insane. But I didn't notice how much till now.

It started when I ran into Shoto on that rooftop. When I saw Shoto again, when he used his ice on me, that's what triggered it. And he hasn't left me alone since.

"I'm really getting tired of these hallucinations." I said as I took another breath of smoke in from my cigarette. "You're really starting to get on my nerves, kid." I said, turning to look at the young boy. His white hair, his sad turquoise eyes, and his bandaged arms. As usual, he didn't say anything.

"Stupid kid." I muttered. "Can't you just go away? Why are you even here?!" I yelled at the child. Yeah I really am crazy. I'm on a rooftop yelling at a hallucination of my younger self, after all.

"Your everything I hate. I mean, you look just like him." I said in disgust. "You're so weak. Couldn't protect anyone. I hate you." He looked at me with a blank expression. "I've worked so hard to forget the past, why wont you just leave me alone!!!" I yelled, tears streaming down my face.

I collapsed to the ground, taking another hit of my cigarette. I felt a small hand on my shoulder, and turned to see Touya looking at me with sadness. "Is it really me you hate, or the you you've become?" He said, speaking for the first time since he first appeared. "Does it matter? We are the same person anyway." I muttered, annoyed. He didn't speak again.

A few days passed, and I decided to take a little field trip. I had been ignoring the younger me-hallucination, but he was still annoying. I wanted him to go away. Instead, I went to a place I hadn't been since I became Dabi. The old house that I was trained, or rather tortured, so I could become the next greatest hero. As you can see, that didn't work.

The building was nothing but charred remains now, after I had burned it to the ground and killed Touya Todoroki along with it.

I walked down the hall I used to cry in daily. My memory turned the charred remains into the mansion it once was. I watched as my hallucination-self ran down the hall, and followed him out to the courtyard. There was Fuyumi and Natsuo. I remembered this day. I had just finished what my father called 'training' and was now out to play with my younger siblings. We raced around, laughing happily as we kicked a ball around.

The scene faded and turned into a different one. Shoto crying on the floor, and me holding him in my lap, my own tears in my eyes.I was going to my first day at UA the next day. After Shoto was born, father stopped believing in me. He switched all his attention to Shoto, who had just barely discovered his quirk. I tried to protect Shoto, but was treated with beating after beating from my father everyday. I couldn't protect him.

I know what happened next. I was sent away to UA and had the best year of my life. I worried everyday about the situation at home, and even though I was there after school, I could no longer do anything to help Shoto. Father had cut shoto away from the rest of the family Away from all the "Failures" We were all just experiments to him. And so he shielded shoto, the one who succeeded, away from us.

Yet at UA, I met Keigo Takami. We trained together and quickly became best friends. I still don't know why the bright young boy ever befriended me, but I was never happier.There was finally someone who cared about me, and didn't need me to protect him. He was strong, I admired him.I loved him, but of course I never told him that. He would quickly unfriend me if I did, I was sure. He met my family, and would stay over a lot. With him around, my home changed. My younger siblings loved him.

Well, not shoto. Father never let Shoto out of his sight, and wouldn't let him play with us. I did my best to keep Keigo away from my father. I shielded him from the truth, that Endeavor was really a monster.

The scene faded once more, and my heart broke as I immediately recognized where I was now. It was that day. Touya walked over to Shoto, who was crying in the courtyard. He saw what had happened to him. While I was at UA, Shoto changed. His eyes were empty. His arms were bandaged, and... his face. His left eye was covered by a bandage. My heart broke again just like it did on that day. I saw howI had failed. I failed my little brother. I didn't protect him. And now, when shoto looked at me, he had fear in his eyes. I looked at my reflection,but I no longer saw myself. I saw an older man with the same eyes and hair as me. I saw my father.

Shoto ran away from me. He ran, and I couldn't do anything. I looked back at my reflection, and my anger, my sadness, engulfed me. And so did my flames. That was the day I decided I was no longer Touya Todoroki. I wanted to die. I wanted to end my useless life. And I had every intent to.

I woke up the next day, with charred remains around me. Every inch of me felt like it was on fire. And I cried, and my tears were not even tears but flames. I wished I died, but I didn't. Except, no-one else knew that. I learned the whole world thought I died. I even attended my own funeral. I saw Keigo there. The pain in his eyes was too much for me. But there was one person who didn't even bother to attend my funeral. My own father.

The whole world thought I was dead, and that was the moment I decided that I was. Ever since that day, I was no longer Touya Todoroki.Touya Todoroki was dead. Now, I was Dabi. And I, I was a villain.

pff longest chapter yet. And i actually split this chapter into two- lol.