After Burn

Debut

The air was cold as it forced itself into Yume's lungs—attacking the back of her throat with a light sting. She wiped off the sweat which was prickling onto her brow as she tracked Dabi with her gaze—looking beyond his searing blue flames to his active, yet calm, figure. He was fighting a red winged hero which she recognized as 'Hawks' from the news, while he was a damned good fighter—Dabi was just as good. Before now, Yume had assisted him from the sidelines, but now that she was eighteen, he allowed her to go out into the field and get her hands dirty. There was only one problem... how was she going to make her grand entrance?

Yume wasn't exactly what you would call a 'superficial' person, but things like this were to be taken with a certain level of grace! She wasn't going to just stumble into the fight and expect the world to recognize her as more than just a goon...she was going to do it right.

As if willed by her thoughts, Dabi was pushed back by Hawks' rouge feathers as they sliced through the air—giving her an opportunity to cut in.

"Looks like you're getting a little worn out, huh?" Hawks slyly remarked as he prepared another attack, trying to overshadow his own fatigue.

"Ya talking to him, or yourself, bird boy?" As Yume delivered the quick one-liner, Hawks' eyes grew and he whipped around to face her. He looked her over briefly before his expression relaxed and he turned back around to face Dabi.

"I'm in the middle of a fight right now so it would be best for you to step aside little lady." he retorted from over his shoulder.

Yume pouted as she realized that he registered her as just a 'little lady'. It didn't help that—ever since her 18th birthday—she still remained a whopping 5'4...solidifying her appearance as a child.

"Nah... I don't think so, my time on the sidelines is officially over." She announced, letting the words ease out of her as Hawks turned back around—a  newfound expression of concern on his face.

She smirked as he identified her as a threat, raising herself into the air before swiping the space in front of her—sending small bursts of sharp wind over to Hawks and littering his body with small cuts.

[HOKORI YUME QUIRK ANALYSIS: By controlling particles of dust, Yume can warp the area around her—usually resulting in some kind of light or wind manipulation. She can also amass the dust in the area into a somewhat-tangible material before sending it into a target's lungs and to choke them.]

Hawks stumbled back in surprise before quickly regaining composure. "Who are you? This fight is between me and him!" he yelled as he angrily gestured to Dabi who was intently watching the exchange.

Yume huffed in satisfaction—finally, a chance to introduce herself to the world. "You can call me DustBunny, the dust villain!" She announced proudly, constituting a couple of silent blinks from Hawks, followed by laughter.

"DustBunny? Kind of a cutesy name for a villain, don't you think—I mean I guess it tracks.." he looked her up and down before continuing "...you are just a little girl."

Yume's eyebrow twitched in protest before she snapped back into a fighting position . "Try calling me a little girl after I beat the shit out of you!" Before Hawks could fire back, the air underneath him swept his legs, sending his tailbone to the rough road underneath him. He grunted before bringing himself forward to throw an attack back. He wasn't messing around anymore...and neither was Yume.

After the brief intermission, Dabi joined in on the pummeling as-well—causing more heroes to show up—blue flames spreading throughout the city street, illuminating the pros' faces with their glow.

Though Yume was doing a decent job, it was becoming too much to handle as more heroes arrived to the fight. Even though they were in cahoots with other villains, it was just the two of them tonight and they had sorely misjudged their competition.

As the duo began to retreat, a barrage of flashes pulled Yume's attention. It was the press, and they were taking photo after photo... as she sped up her escape, a strange feeling overcame her. Her entire life she had mostly been in the shadows—not a single record of her existence manifesting after her graduation from middle school. The prospect of thousands suddenly knowing her face made a her excited. Though it was a bit terrifying, she now had some kind of reputation—one that she hoped would grow.

Her train of thought was choked out as she arrived to her and Dabi's hideout. "What was that Yume?" The words were less of a question and more of a statement as Dabi strung them together, crushing her mood.

"Whaddya' mean? You told me I could start participating now that I'm an adult." As she responded, Dabi's brow pinched together in frustration.

"What I mean, is that you obviously aren't ready. You were a mess out there and I've never seen you be so sloppy." Yume held her breath in response to his harsh words, not sure of what to say. She knew he could be a little heartless... but they were supposed to be partners.

"Why are you being like this? I thought I did pretty good out there." She spoke at a normal volume, yet, the words came out as a shaky whisper.

"If that's what you consider good maybe you should just continue being my girl in the chair." His tone could only be described as deadpan, yet it almost felt like he was yelling at her. Whatever the case, It wasn't anything she couldn't deal with.

"Fine then. I'm going to sleep." Dabi didn't give her the satisfaction of a response as he switched on the news, filtering through the channels. As Yume exited the room, she let her attention drag to the TV... her own face looking back at her. A small smirk grew on her face in pride of her appearance. 

It had been a while since she saw herself anywhere other than the bathroom mirror. Plus, it was a rather flattering photo—her purple, almost greyish, hair whipping in the wind—the blue light from Dabi's flames illuminating her face and figure as she hung in the air.  They even got her villain name; the words 'Dust Bunny' sliding across the screen. She lightly laughed before leaving the room and dragging herself into bed...