𝙬𝙧𝙚𝙣

-

She walked through another alley, carrying a small duffel bag containing her my costume and quirk support equipment. No food, no water, only a small emerency supply of blood that was bound to go bad soon. Toga had been wandering for days after leaving the LOV, she was just as hungry and thirsty as she was with them, but now she felt more free, unrestricted. She seemed to have found a rythm in her walking, and had kept at if for hours. Only watching her feet, the hoodie she was wearing interfeared with her periferal vision, but she didnt care. she was confident in her ability to defent herself.

A tall, adult man with unnaturally greyed hair walked down the alleyway facing Toga. He was completely and utterly unreadable from his facial expression. There was nothing that could be used to tell what he was thinking; if he was happy or sad. There was nothing in his eye but concentration and a lack of emotion. And the only thing he was focused on was the blue, stained duffel bag in front of him.

A patch covered the man's right eye. He had a lean build, the one of a man who was constantly in action. Yet, he seemed completely calm and still. That was until he took another step towards Toga.

"What is in that bag?" He asked in a commanding voice. It was as if he wasn't even asking Toga to tell him what was in the bag but was rather telling them to open it up.

She stopped were she stood, only her eyes moving to look up at the man. "Whos asking?" She said with a slight attitude. She thought he looked familiar, but she wasnt in the mood to be her "friendly" self to the stranger, no matter how familiar.

"My name is Kirk Kensei." He responded in a gruff and tired voice.

Despite that, the way he spoke was strangely refined. He still came off as thuggish to most because of his voice and his unbuttoned longcoat making him stand out among the sea of highly-dressed salarymen in Japan. He dressed closer to a westerner or a priest of some kind with his long coat and short cap than any Japanese person.

He changed his expression and tone of voice upon realizing how young Toga was. He assumed she were an older person and suspected her of being a villain.

"But, I'm not here to harm or do anything to you. After all, there's no way someone so young could possibly do something wrong, right?" His tone was genuine. He really did believe in the innocence of the youth and didn't want his belief in their goodness to be broken.

"Youre a stupid man if you believe that, "Kirk", everyone as done something wrong. Age is just a number."

She slowly reached into her hoodie pocket, searching for one of her many knives she keeps for both self defense and her quirk.

Toga had recently learned that even those closest to her could let her down, lie, cheat, steal, manipulate, and she was smart enough to know not to trust just anyone who gave off a friendly aura. She didnt trust her judgement about people anymore, no matter how friendly they came off she knew she was always possibly in danger of being played or worse. The last people she trusted used her, manipulated her, put her in harms way for something she didnt believe in. She thought they were her friends. So why would she trust the stranger standing in front of her?

"That is true, but I find those who've lived longer in this world tend to be more susceptible to its evils. Though, I'm not an exemption of my own philosophy."

He saw Toga reach into her pocket. For what, he didn't know, but he already knew what it would most likely be.

Her presence was strange. There was something off about her, and he couldnt be sure of what exactly it was. It reminded him of the first villain he fought.

She gripped the sharp knifes handle with her small, scarred hand. "I think most adults are full of themselves, thinking that they know sooo much more, and have been through soooo much worse. But its not true. And you, old man, sound like one of those arrogant ones." She pulled the knife out, revealing it to her potential enemy, and watched to see the older mans reaction to it.

"A knife? Please, discard that. I still don't see you as my enemy so i ask that you not see me as yours."

Of course, Kirk was always prepared for the worst. He had two straight swords hidden well in his belt that he could use to subdue Toga with. But, that was the worst case scenario for him. He didn't want to harm any unnecessary people.

It truly does remind me of my first encounter, he thought, I was so young and they had charmed me into thinking they were harmless. Then they sunk a dagger into my back.

"I dont think I will." She tightened her grip, as she had both an instant deep trust and distrust in the man she had only met a moment ago. She didnt know why or what to do. She wanted to put the knife away and listen to what he had to say, and at the same time she wanted to bleed him dry in the middle of the dark alleyway.

"For your own safety. Put it away." Kirk wasn't one to say please too much. Sure, he would say it once or twice, but if what he wanted was ignored and he thought he was in the right, he'd just demand it happen.

Yes, they betrayed my trust... I don't know if I should trust this one in front of me. I don't even know her name. But, I still want to give people a chance. I don't see them as inhuman. Not yet. Humans deserve many chances.

Kirk's mind was clear. He was in a state of clarity. Toga made him remember the crucial part of his life that shaped him into what he was now, his origins. It was impossible for him to resist revisiting the thoughts even in such an odd moment.

For being attacked, I couldn't forgive them. I murdered them . My first battle had ended in murder. But, it made me realize that it was impossible to merely contain the societal threats known as villains. My insanity wouldn't allow me to merely forgive everyone in my path.

Feeling extremely conflicted, she put the knife back in her pocket, leaving her hands empty when she took them both out of her pockets. His comment about "her own safety" intrigued her, was he powerful?

"What do you want old man?" She was still 100% on guard, but she loosened up a bit, going from her near battle stance to a more relaxed, slouching form like any other teenager. But she still wasnt up for being her "bubbly" self .

"I simply want to know why you're acting the way you are. That is all. I have nothing to truly gain from talking to you or even potentially helping you."

Of course, he lied. 'Helping' people was extremely cathartic for him. Though he was never upset at his biological parents' deaths at the hands of villains, he was upset because he never got to meet them and understand who they were in the first place.

My insanity did allow me to do one thing though. It let me make the world a better place. I started to remove villains off the street. It took time, but I eventually made my hometown more peaceful because of it. But, that still wasn't enough. I won't be satisfied until I can know I've made all those worthy of happiness happy.

"All im doing is being cautious." She leaned against one of the brick walls creating the alley and finally made eye contact. Maybe if she could intimidate him she could end the conversation. Obviously that wouldnt have worked in the end. She longed to both run away from the man and her past and this city, but she also craved human interaction, even if it was as unfamiliar as this interaction was.

"My name is Toga."