Little Maid

TWELVE

You and Dabi sat in the back of a car.

"Where are we going?" You said.

"Ah, we're going to a pretty bad part of Japan to do some damage control. The villains there are overdoing it, so they're perfect people to test your new jail system."

"Oh," you said. "Are you sure we should go? I don't want you getting hurt."

Dabi chuckled. "Anyone that disobeys me is getting cremated, it's quite simple."

You scrunched up your nose.

Dabi put his hand on your head. "Don't worry. I won't let my pretty little maid see that kind of stuff. Your purpose is to help the locals. Get a feel of their wants and needs. Find out how we can help them. You can stop here," he told the driver.

You two got out of the car. The streets were practically deserved, yet covered in garbage and the occasional roadkill. Graffiti littered every structure up the block you were on.

You casually walked down the street beside Dabi. Dabi grabbed your wrist and pulled you to his right side.

"Is something wrong?" You said.

"Don't stand by the curb," he said.

"Um, okay," you said.

Dabi noticed how casually you walked through the streets, completely unfazed by the overall dirty state of the streets.

'Maybe she's been around this kind of environment before,' he thought. 'I know, even when I was first on my own, cities like this freaked me out.'

Then, you notice someone step out of an alleyway and start to follow you. Dabi tucked his hands in his pockets. You glanced at him.

"Something up?" Dabi said.

"No," you said.

'Does he not notice the person following us?' You thought.

You two turned the corner, and the stranger did the same. You grabbed Dabi's hand and held his arm. "Someone's following us," you said, just above a whisper.

"Really? How do you know?" Dabi said.

"I can hear him," you said. "His footsteps and his breathing pattern is different from ours."

Dabi stopped walking and looked at the stranger. "What's up?" He said.

"You're Dabi?" He said. "What are you doing here?"

"Minding my business," Dabi said. "Why are you following us?"

The guy stepped back. He looked dirty, but you could tell some of the dirty places on his body were covered in cuts and bruises. He looked frail compared to his ripped, baggy clothes.

"What's wrong?" You said in a gentle voice. "We're here to help."

The man collapsed to his knees and a low bow. "Please help us!" He exclaimed. "We're being terrorized by villains in this town! We can't go to stores, go to work, most of us are afraid to leave our houses!"

You crouched down in front of him and tucked your hair behind your ear. "Please, pick your head up. We'll help you, right Master Dabi?"

"Yeah, sure," he said.

The man looked up at you. His eyes widened.

"You're an angel," he said. "A saint."

"I wouldn't go that far," you said.

"Just tell us where this villain is," Dabi said.

"There's three of them," he said. "They usually stay in the center of town."