Chapter Text
"Welcome, take a seat," a man says from behind a cooking pot. He handles a pair of chopsticks with ease, not bothering to look in Touya and the navigator's direction. Something buried in Touya sighs at the warmth encasing the restaurant, smells similar to those of his mother's own cooking wrapping him in welcome.
"Is the back room available?" The disguised mythical beast threads a hand into his pocket, face placid.
"What are you having?" Eyes jump to Touya and the navigator.
"The steak combo please, the one that'll make us see the light—make it for one." He gestures to Touya idly.
"Combo for one, eh? How do you want that cooked?"
"Grilled slowly over a low flame till done, please." Something in the cook's face shifts at this, and he returns to mixing the contents of the pot.
"Got it—see yourselves to the back room."
The navigator leads them through the restaurant, eventually shouldering through a red and yellow accented door. He beckons to the rounded table centre to the room. "All right, wait here. You're lucky to be one of the ones who've made it to this point."
Touya folds his arms, sharing a nod of gratitude. "Thanks, I'll see you 'round." He walks to a chair as the door closes, slumping forward.
He wonders if Shoto would've fallen prey to Enji's full-time training now that he isn't there. The answer is obvious though. It hangs around his every though like a phantom, invisible but present. Why wouldn't the power-hungry monster revel at Touya's absence, finally able to put full intentions on his little golden child? It's only a couple months, he reminds himself. Have faith in Fuyumi and Nat—even Mom for that matter. They'll keep each other alive, they've done it before and can do it again.
Touya remembers the tears that came with his leave, his mother weeping into his shoulder at his announced intentions. She practically begged, the thought of seeing her eldest leave her wing a stab to the chest. Yet he still walked away from her final embrace, because his mind had been made from the start. The very moment he collapsed at Enji's disposal, the moment he watched his siblings take the wrath of Endeavor.
Become a hunter. That's the ultimate goal, isn't it? Take Enji down from his own ranks by becoming a hunter, see the plead in his eyes as he promises a change, right as Touya burns the life out of him. Even after he'll take the monster right to the depths of hell with him, his own son, a failed project. Such a shame neither Endeavor nor himself would see as Dabi crawls from the ashes, a reformed hell to reign the earth.
. . .
Touya stands when the elevator stutters to rest, kicking the chair to its home and sauntering through the open doors. Its silent enough to hear a pin drop as Touya's surroundings filter in, air tasting of concrete and freshness that follows a thunderstorm. He barely gets a glimpse of the other hundred or so applicants when a voice draws Touya's sight down.
"Take your number badge, please and thank you," the voice is high in pitch, almost whiney. It brings Touya back to the times where Shoto spat in his sibling's directions, perfect definition of a brat. "Refrain from losing it and keep it on your chest at all times, participant number 223." A stubby, lime-coloured palm holds the badge out of Touya. He accepts it with a cautious touch, hooking it onto his tank top and acknowledging him.
"Thanks, slime-guy," Touya responds, looking around. So the hunter exam starts in a beat up tunnel with a bunch of exotic looking wannabe hunters? Not exactly Touya's thoughts of a difficult first phase. He's heard the stories of it all—mainly from Enji's ramblings at dinner, or when his voice carries too far from Shoto's training room—but wasn't it meant to be more...interesting, perhaps?
Touya glances to the 223 on his chest, residing to stand at the tunnel's left. So who are these applicants? He leans against the wall, looking over the variety of faces clustering around the exam site. His eyes catch on a pair of curious gold, but they disappear the moment Touya can see their owner.
"Excuse me!" An unbelievably wicked smile blocks his view, and Touya's heart sinks. It's Himiko Toga, the psycho he thought he left behind in the early preliminary phase. Apparently it takes more than a kiriko to knock the irritating yellow glint in her eyes out. "It's Todoroki, right?" Toga chimes, and Touya physically flinches at that name.
Touya frowns, recovering his mask and leaning forward to flick her in the head, dead eyes boring into those of pure mischief. "It's Touya—Dabi if you prefer," he rasps, voice unfamiliar in his own throat.
"Dabi, okay, I can definitely do that, Dabi." Toga ducks out of his sight, suddenly walking two strangers in Touya's direction. They both protest, whatever stern demeanours they had melting away at Toga's persistent smile. "This is Shigaraki—Tomura." Toga indicates a withered-looking teen with—is that hands?—all over his lanky frame. Touya can't see the guy's face, which in the slightest unnerves him.
"And here's Twice, he's a lovely guy, promise!" continues Toga, linking arms with the second stranger. Twice wears a grey and black bodysuit, mask covering what probably would be a look of disgust.
"Toga, you're really starting to piss me off," Twice begins, then seems to backtrack, altering the conversation completely when he says, "you trust Toga's word, I'm an alright kind of guy. Hi Dabi, I'm pleased to meet you."
"Likewise," Touya grunts in response, ducking his head to his chest.
. . .
"Welcome to the 390th Hunter Exam. I am Satotz, first examiner for this course. The first phase begins now, follow me." Scarecrow—Satotz—spins on his heels, breaking into a wide-stepping walk. It may as well have been called a jog with the way he pounced ahead. Applicants surge after him, most rivalling to get ahead of one another.
Touya slips his hands out of his pockets, tacking onto the back of the group. He doesn't see Toga or the other's he's met, which is a relief. Who needs people trying to weigh him down anyway? Just finish the exam, as simple as that.
The people in front of Touya begin to run, footsteps echoing around the tunnel. The end isn't in sight. Touya decides to move toward the front, weaving his way past panting applicants. He hasn't felt the burn of running bite his ankles yet, which he supposes is a good sign. Touya can see the crown of pink hair up ahead now, the scarecrow examiner dancing forward to keep a strong, leading pace.
Touya can imagine the glee on his sibling's faces if they were here, running alongside him, Nat's laughter and Fuyumi's lecturing—even little Shoto would be happy to have a break from everything at home. He wonders if Natsuo and Fuyumi would take the hunter exam, even after they never discovered their Nen like himself and soon to be Shoto, Enji always said they were too weak to become hunters, that there wasn't any need for them to find their Nen type. His siblings have strong aura, thanks to their parents—shame Endeavor took no less than the best.
He activates Zetsu, and feels some fatigue leave his body. Unlikely any of the other applicants have even awakened their Nen, let alone opened the aura nodes in their eyes, he deems it safe to leave himself partly vulnerable, at least long enough to gather his stamina.
Touya feels drawn to a wave of aura approaching him. Play it smart—concealing his own aura as to not reveal his Nen; or play it to rival Enji's training—forcing all his aura outwards, threatening the Nen user with his own control of aura? Touya doesn't even get the chance to question when a golden gaze stares into his own turquoise, seemingly aware of Touya's Zetsu.
He smirks, and releases his aura—Endeavor be damned—to reactivate Ten.
A boy—probably his age—jogs at Touya's side, powerful aura blurring at the edges of his figure. It reminds him of his own aura. The boy's wearing tan cargo pants, paired with a skin-tight top that defines his frame. The number 22 hangs off his chest.
"Hey," the boy speaks, golden glint of his eyes watching Touya with interest, "show me your Ren." Blond hair falls over the boy's face, a perfect complexion of windswept and unruly.