̶U̶n̶ Scathed

-8-

Shigaraki's POV

When I come to, a blurred scene is frozen on the projector and Dabi is losing his fight. As three people come at him from different sides, I see the different parts of the plan coming together. He can't safely use his quirk without burning down the whole building, so we have the advantage.

Toga charged at him, wielding a pair of butterfly knives. He dodges, and winds up outside the circle of people. I watch him sprint to the door and throw his full weight against it, but it seems to be locked.

I glance over to Kisho, who mischievously grins and shows me a small key.

"What the hell is going on?" Dabi asks, betrayal and hurt flitting across his face.

Pity sparks deep within me, but I suppress it. Dabi rams his shoulder into the door again, but it doesn't even move on it's hinges. As he readies another barrage, Spinner runs up behind him and locks an arm around his neck.

Dabi's eyes widen. He scrabbles against Spinners grip, coughing and protesting as he slowly loses strength.

His objections fade out, becoming more weakened and strangled as he struggles less and less. I can't make out much of what he's trying to say, but I can clearly hear his last few words.

"Please, Sh- Shigaraki.... you don't know.... what you're doing..." He goes limp and Spinner carefully lowers him to the ground.

Toga pulls off her sweater and stuffs it underneath his head as a sort of pillow . I hand her the ThingyMcBobber and she places it atop his raven hair.

"Well, I guess I was right about him having secrets." Kisho spins in his chair, turning to look at us.

"Question?" He spins back around to his computer, taking a sip from the drink next to him as he does so.

Everyone looks at each other.

"Where did he get his scars?" Magne hesitantly asks. I'm about to override her, but then I think about it a bit more.

Dabi's scars seem to be self-inflicted, at least from an outsider's perspective. Every time he uses his quirk the seams of the burnt skin smokes, and he can't use his quirk for extended periods. But if he's really Touya Todoroki, and his dad has a fire quirk as well....

In general, no one becomes a villain for fun. Aside from Compress, I haven't met any villains who didn't have a crappy childhood. I look closer at Dabi's unconscious form. His nose has a slight crook in the middle like it had been broken. He flinches when people move towards him, even if its just to walk by.

He doesn't know how to play Uno. He didn't understand the joke Spinner made about watching TV as a kid. Last year, he was surprised when we celebrated Toga's birthday, mumbling something about how he didn't know that birthdays were deserving of a celebration.

Above all, his father is the most power hungry hero in the country, if not the world.

The things I never noticed hit me in a rush, and I almost stagger from the weight of all the things I should have asked him, should have said to him about his childhood.

"All right! We're rolling," Kisho interrupts my thoughts.

The first thing that appears on the screen is a tatami mat. I realize that Dabi is looking at the floor, and a glob of blood flies past the screen where he presumably coughed it up. His head lifts, and I see that he's wearing a t-shirt and shorts. Aside from that, every available inch of his skin is covered in bandages, some of them slightly yellowed and charred at the edges, others fresh and white.

Enji Todoroki stands in front of him, arms crossed and a scowl forming on his lips.

"Again, or I'm bringing Shouto in instead," He growls, and uncrosses his arms.