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It's finally nice outside, which is a relief that becomes more exciting every year. While winters in Japan certainly aren't the worst in the world, it still takes a lot of work for me to stay awake. Just one of my many differences in life I have to make adjustments for.
Now that I can finally leave headquarters without Dabi having to warm me up at all times, I came out to a park that's nearby. It's nice finally being alone. And in the sun.
Life carries on for the public, it seems. A lot of parents brought their kids, who are playing in the sandbox together. Couples stroll arm in arm. Some families even brought picnics.
How can they always just carry on like that? Like there's nothing wrong with the world? Like they have nothing to worry about? Surely they have problems, right?
It was a thought I'd had often. As a kid, staring out from my hiding place halfway down a slide; as a teenager, hiding my face as best as I could just to walk across my neighborhood; and now as an adult, thoughts of Stain's words cycling through my mind.
They can tell something's wrong. So why not do something? Why not be moved?
A cluster of kids draw closer, skipping hand in hand, and sit down a few feet from me, giggling about something. I don't mean to watch them. That'd be creepy. But it's easy to overhear children speaking to each other like that, voices loud and happy.
"I'm tired of playing tag," says one of the girls. "We should play house instead!"
There are four kids. The girl who spoke, black hair in pigtails, a boy with pink hair, another boy, this one's hair bright green, and a heteromorph covered in light fur. She has friends. I smile in spite of myself.
"I don't wanna though…" says the boy with green hair. "You always make me be the daddy."
"Because you're cute, and I'm the mommy," the girl says matter-of-factly. "And Saku's the kid, and Jishi is the puppy."
"But I don't wanna be the puppy," says the girl, playing with her fur. "I wanna be the kid. Just once?"
"No," green hair snaps. "You can't be the kid. You're a dog, so you should be the dog." Oh. So that's what it is. The same thing as always.
For a moment, I find myself hoping that she's satisfied. That she'll just nod and agree. That it'll all be okay. But that's selfish. She should stand up for herself, even though I already feel my mind slipping back to my own days as a kid.
And then another selfish part of me is jealous. She has a more desirable mutation, after all. Actual dogs are praised, treated kindly, almost like children. Looking like a gecko just earns you dirt in your mouth and taunts that it's where you belong.
But that's another thought that needs to be eradicated if I'm to be like Stain. There's no such thing as unequal discrimination. Every problem is a problem, no matter any other factors alongside it.
Jishi, pushes her hair through her fur again. "Please, Masaru? I can be the puppy next time."
"But Jishi," the girl named Masaru whines. "Please? I'll be your best friend."
It takes a moment, but Jishi nods. "Okay. Fine."
Maybe that'll be the end of it. Maybe it'll be smooth from here. Maybe Masaru and Saku and green hair aren't so bad. They're kids, after all, and young ones at that. It could have just been a brief miscommunication.
I open up my phone, scrolling aimlessly through my texts. Watching kids is creepy, I remind myself. I'm already suspicious for even existing, I don't need anyone thinking I'm some pedophile or something.
"It was a bright and sunny day," says green hair, "and Masaru had made breakfast for her husband."
Masaru giggles and scoops up a rock. "Here's your food, honey."
He accepts the rock with a bow. "Thank you. Where's the dumb dog? She hasn't gotten the paper yet."
"Just over there, Dad. She's been sleeping."
Jishi waddles over in a squat. "Here's your paper."
Green hair swats her over the head. "Dogs don't talk."
I look up, staring in shock. Where are her mom and dad? Where are these other kids' parents? She blushes, shrinking into herself in an all-too-familiar way. "Sorry."
The only people I can think of are the man and the woman next to me on my bench. The man's hair is almost the same color as her fur, and who else but the parents of a heteromorph would willingly sit next to one?
"Shut up, Jishi," continues Masaru from a bit of conversation I missed. "If you're not gonna wear a collar, then you can at least play fetch, you mutt."
I see her eyes begin to water as my gut ties itself into a knot. "Masa, can you please not call me that? It hurts my feelings."
"Dogs don't even have feelings," Saku says, pushing her down onto her hands and knees, a whimper forced out of her throat. "And you're just a dog."
I drown my anxiety in anger, and lean over to tap the woman on the shoulder. "Excuse me?"
She jumps a little. "Oh! Yes, sorry?"
"Is that your daughter?" I ask quietly, gesturing to the scene in front of us. "Some of the other kids are---"
She laughs. "It's fine. Right, hun?"
Her husband nods. "Kids have always been like that. I thought you'd know that out of everybody, Mr. Snake."
"So...Not your kid then?"
She shakes her head. "Why do you care?"
I feel my face go hot. "Sorry."
I'm not sorry. But I have very few responses that I can comfortably say. So that's what I go with, putting my phone in my pocket. What do I do? What now?
"Just stay on the ground, you freak!" green hair yells, pushing Jishi's face into the ground.
Before I know what's happening, I've stood up and dashed over. No time to think. What do I do? What do I do?
Jishi's curled into herself, whimpering, the other three kids staring up at me with wide eyes and gaping mouths. "Leave her alone," I say, wishing my voice wasn't so shakily angry.
Saku's the first to scramble off, followed by the other Masaru. Green hair takes a power stance, hands shaking. "What do you want, freak?"
I don't need to bother with him. I start to kneel down, and that sends him off too. Whatever. "Jishi? That's your name, yeah?"
She jumps at my voice, cupping her hands over her ears. "Please don't hurt me."
"I won't," I say gently. "My name Suichi. It's nice to meet you. Can I help you up?"
Her gold-green eyes peer out from behind her arm, watering rapidly. "You have a mutation quirk too?"
I see people staring, eyes piercing into my back. I just have to ignore it. I smile. "Yeah, pretty cool, huh? Reptile ones are rare."
"I like your scales," she says in a hushed voice. "They're really pretty."
I extend my hand for her to take. "Not as pretty as your fur."
She accepts my grasp, smooth hand contrasting with only a few inches up her arm. "Are they gone?"
I nod. "I'm not gonna let anybody hurt you. Are you doing okay?"
She nods in return as I help her stand. "I'll be fine."
"Which ones are your parents?" I ask, looking around. Maybe they just didn't see. Maybe they had no idea.
"They went home already," she says quietly.
"Oh." They probably live close. That'd be understandable. It's good to teach kids some independence. "Can I walk you home?"
She nods. "That would be nice. Thank you."
I don't reach for her hand, most people don't want to make contact with my scales unless they've known me for a while, but she grabs it anyway. "Alright, lead the way."
For a while, it's okay. A five minute walking range from a park isn't bad. But once she keeps going for ten minutes, fifteen minutes, twenty minutes…
"So, what's your family like?" I ask, trying to sound casual.
Her gaze falls to the sidewalk, feet continuing to kick the pebbles we pass. "They're alright." Then silence.
I'll have to pry, won't I? I could just take her at her word, but then how am I any better than those Stain stands against? I need to be the one to do something. To be moved.
"Do you have any brothers or sisters?"
She looks up at me, eyes a little suspicious. "You're not one of the bad people, right? You're not gonna kidnap me?"
I almost make a joke about being a villain vital to the kidnapping of a hero-in-training, but I decide it wouldn't be helpful. "No. I just wanna make conversation is all."
She nods. "An older brother."
"Do you go places a lot with them?"
"No. They take him out a lot though. I don't think they like me much. I don't know why though. I follow all the rules and everything." She looks sad as she says it, though her tone remains light.
It's familiar. Disturbingly so. I'm going to do something stupid, aren't I? "Do they like your fur? Or not so much?"
She shakes her head. "They try not to touch me. I think they think I'm weird."
I'm by no means a good person to do this. I'm a villain. I have nothing to my name. Basically no place to call home. So what am I doing?
I stop moving forward. She pauses beside me. "What is it, sir?"
"Do you want, uh…" the words catch in my throat, but I cough to clear it. "Do you want to live where I live? We take care of people like us. And we try to fix things."
She looks up at me, eyes sparkling as her face spreads into a grin. "That'd be awesome!"