The Way Through Stone Village (Naruto)

48: A Patch of Blue

[OP: "Pale White Horse"-- The Oh Hellos]

Meanwhile Shine was giving Dabi a very stern look.

"I don't need to remind you," she said, "that you get leeway here partially because you are older than most of them and we can't treat you like a child--and partially because we make allowances for you not having a good role model for so many years and having to start at the bottom. However, I know you're capable of acting better than this, if you want to. So what's the deal?"

"I just made a little joke." Dabi shuffled. "What do you expect me to do?"

"I know," Shine said. "You want to be the bad guy, right? Mr. Edgelord."

"Okay, Shine, for real, when you say that it just takes all the coolness out of that term," Dabi said. "It's like if a teacher tried to use street slang in class."

"I find that charming, actually, but whatever." Shine didn't much care. "You know you don't scare me or Wally, so what's with the attitude here? Can you not speak to me clearly?"

"What do you want me to say? I don't really like kissing up to people."

"Is it kissing up to people to show them a little courtesy or compassion?"

"It's not really my style." With a frown.

"Make it your style then. You know you're not exempt from our standards of living. We only cut you slack because you've had less time and training in them, but you're not a crazy lunatic with a chip on his shoulder anymore, however much you try to act like one. You were healed--isn't it time to act like it?"

"So, what, I can't be myself?"

"What is yourself?" Shine replied roundly. "Is it this? Just someone who cuts down everyone else but doesn't try to improve himself? I really shouldn't have to talk to you about this, since you're 25 and I'm younger than you. It's a little awkward for me to need to say all this to someone who should know it already. But you've really left me no choice."

"Is this about protecting Sasuke?" Dabi asked directly. "You're worried about his sensitive feelings."

"If it was?" Shine didn't back down from that the way many people would have if accused of taking it easy on a person everyone else held in so much suspicion.

"I just think you can't expect me to share your concern for that punk," Dabi said.

"I know you share more of it than the others do, in your way," Shine said. "You have so much in common, and I'm sure that you are rooting for him to completely climb out of this pit he's dug himself into."

"Yeah, well, he's showing some progress," Dabi said. "But I don't know if that thing in Stone really was what you might think. Trust me, it could have been for selfish reasons."

"I know," Shine said. "I really haven't asked him what it was for. He tried to make some excuses and lectured me on taking stupid risks. Whatever you make of that. But I feel I don't need to repeat all that to you."

"He made excuses?" Dabi said. "Heck, maybe he was worried about you. Hey, isn't that sweet? Now I want to throw up."

"Do you? Is it so bad to care about me? Why are people so embarrassed to admit it?"

"Because you bust our chops, and admitting that we like it would be weird," Dabi replied. "And I actually don't like it that much. No one does."

"No...well, I don't actually enjoy it either," Shine said. "Do you know how exhausting it is to be the supervisor for so many people, many of whom are tempestuous, rowdy teenagers who have low self awareness and high self-centeredness because that's just how teens are?" [With exceptions.]