In the shadow of bright light

5 - Good 4 u

Chapter 5

"So, Touya Todoroki, was it?" My mother broke the silence. It was all her fault there was a silence in the first place. By his appearance she probably figured out he's Dabi at this point, yet he's still sitting at the kitchen table.

"Was there a reason you arrived at out doorstep this early in the morning?" She smiled as she handed him a bowl of rice, but I couldn't tell if this smile was genuine or faked, though I hoped for the latter.

"Thank you," He placed the bowl down, "I actually had something I wanted to discuss with your daughter, but it can wait." He seemed terribly calm under the situation, but with the flash of his eyes that kept shooting millisecond long glances at my left neighbor, Oboro.

"Matters you say? Don't tell me you had a lover's quarrel?" I believe a couple of rice grains shot down the wrong hole. I was frantically coughing, trying not to choke.

"L-Lovers? Surely not!! I would've known if she had a boyfriend! You would've told me, right Narumi?!" Oboro hysterically tried proving I was still single.

Once I got back to my steady breathing, I nodded at Oboro's question. "We're nothing more than acquaintances." I clarified. Dabi, who had remained calm throughout the whole ordeal, finally spoke up.

"Really? I thought we were friends at a certain point in time." Neither his voice nor his face showed any intent of provoking a reaction in me. Is he being serious?

"We were never friends." Another silence, like the one when we just sat down, occurred. My mom was once again the one to break it with a chuckle. "Well, it sounds like you to should go and discuss your 'matters' then."

"Actually," I got up, my chair wobbling from the sudden motion. "I have to go and find Aizawa. He's the only one I'll be discussing any matters with right now." I hoped nobody but Dabi understood what matters I was talking about.

"Ah... well, I'll see you in class then?" Oboro got up too, brushing off his school uniform before arching into a slight bow. "Thank you for the lovely breakfast, Ms. Hitonise."

The two of us headed towards the door, only to be followed by a third. I looked at him like saying he shouldn't follow us, when I realized I wouldn't want him to stay alone at my house.

"Mom!! We're off!" The breeze coming from outside welcomed me into the muggy atmosphere outside. Oboro and I walked in front as Dabi followed behind. It started to seem as if he was following us. Doesn't he need to stray from the main road somewhere?

"Alright, I'm taking this right." Oboro waved as he spoke, until he stopped in his tracks. Glancing at Dabi, who was still following us. "Be careful alright? See you soon."

I halted as well, watching Oboro take the exit and waiting for Dabi to catch up with me. When he noticed I was waiting for him, his face showed more emotion than it had since I found him this morning at the door. Was it hope that laced his face? Or guilt?

"Where are you headed?" I asked. He nodded forward. "Straight ahead. You?" He came and stood by my side. "Same."

The two of us awkwardly continued our path along the boring street. I arrived where I needed to be, and to my shock Dabi entered the same building as I did. "What're you-"

I paused my sentence as I noticed a sign behind him. 'Elysium', it read. I would've never thought Elysium was located in such a common building. It really was the polar opposite of Tartarus.

Elysium was like Tartarus, a prison. But unlike Tartarus, which is facing several human rights violations, Elysium was the heaven among prisons. It treated lesser criminals than in Tartarus, most of which made a miraculous recovery and sometimes even rejoined society.

No matter if they recovered from their evil mindset or not, they never moved out of here unless they finished their sentence, something Dabi would need two lifetimes for.

"They put you in Elysium?" My gaze shifted from the sign to his face. He cleared his throat before giving me a confirming nod.

No matter how you look at it, Elysium is a prison nonetheless. He'll live out the rest of his life behind the bars of faux 'heaven'. "Isn't there a lot of security in there? I've only ever heard rumors."

My question was completely ignored by the raven-haired man.

"Well, I'll be headed up, see y-" Wait no. Did you just almost say 'see you later'? Like hell I will.

I ignored my own mistake and turned around without waiting for a reaction. "If you're curious, why don't you come visit some time?"

I paused almost mid-step, but slowly set my foot down to prevent myself from falling. Did he really just suggest I visit him? After everything that happened between us, and the lives I took because he posed a danger to society?

Yet, why did saying 'no' feel too cruel?

"Maybe." That one hesitant word sparked up hope in his eyes. Idiot. You huge, huge idiot. All I ever did was lie to you. How can you even stand the sight of me? "I'll be looking forward to it."

"I didn't say 'yes', you know?" I remarked. "If you meant 'no' you would've said it straight to my face." He seems awfully cocky, walking away without wait for an answer like I did before.

Maybe means maybe. Besides, I need to talk to Aizawa first before I decide if I want anything to do with you ever again. With that I made my way up the stairs.

Published: 05/06/2021
.
.
.
I'm back!!
.
I know I mentioned before I might not edit this book series but I probably will. It hurts to read how badly written some parts are (that may or may not include this chapter).