Planning to sneak off again was easy for Shine and Wally.

The only difficulty was being able to do it together, so they planned it for evening. This was three days after Shine visited the Todoroki house, and it was a school night, so all the kids were in bed by about 10--11pm. Shine and Wally met outside.

Shine looked nervous.

Wally wasn't actually as confident as he tried to appear, but he smiled. "Ready?"

"As I'll ever be," Shine said. 

Wally took her hand. "It'll be fine."

"Okay, get us out of here," Shine said.

Wally dashed them off campus, and Shine portaled them through the wall. This was to avoid the cameras seeing her light go off.

Dabi was actually home. Well, sort of. It was really Twice's house, his latest anyway. He was just sitting in front of the TV while Twice argued with himself about what to have for dinner--there wasn't anything but microwavable food anyway, but the argument happened every day and Dabi had just learned to block it out by now--when the light flashed in the room like some kind of angelic visitation.

Dabi jumped back so fast he fell off the edge of the couch.

The mystery woman and super-speed man from before were standing in the room, looking around like they couldn't see that well in the dim light.

Dabi blazed up his hand. "What the he-- are you doing in here?!"

"This is my house!" Twice yelled. "No, it's not," said his other voice.

"It's that two personality guy," the woman turned to the man and said. 

"Oh... I feel kind of bad for him, though," the man said, "Should we talk to him?"

"At this stage, he can't benefit from it," the woman said, "If he comes in here you'll see."

Twice came in right then.

"Who are you talking to Dabi?" he said in his more amiable voice, then he saw them, gave a huge jump, and raced out of the room.

Twice was a weirdo, but he was not usually a coward. Dabi was baffled by his behavior.

"What is you deal anyway? How do you keep finding me?"

"It's easy to find you," the woman said, "I just think of you, and I make a portal."

Dabi scowled, but he figured it was time to put an end to this charade.

He stood straighter. "All right, the jig is up. Shine Likstar, Wally West, what exactly are you two freak shows doing here?"

Shine looked at him oddly. 

"Did you tell him our names?" Wally asked, "'Cause the way he said it, it was totally like a big dramatic reveal moment."

Shine snorted. "Yes, he's quite the drama queen...but no, I didn't..." She looked at Dabi closely.

"You have a spy at UA," she said.

Dabi was a little surprised that it took her only 3 seconds to get that. He'd figured he'd have to drop a few more hints at least for it to become obvious.

"What makes you say that?" he said flatly.

"No one outside UA knows our names except one person, who I have confidence you wouldn't have contacted," Shine said, "And, we have no records. Which you no doubt know by now... Only having a spy at UA explains how you'd even get our names. And we've wondered for some time how the LOV keeps showing up wherever they are. That explains everything, but thank you for confirming our suspicious...Surely, the staff has realized this by now too."

"Why do they think it's us if they already know there's a spy?" Wally said, "Isn't that kind of dumb?"

"Because they prefer to waste time, " Shine said flatly, "And they cant flush out the spy because it would take too many brain-cells to do it. Or they think it's a student and are watching them at the campus. It sucks that we're standing in front of someone who could clear this up, and he won't do it."

She shook her head.

"If you're so clever, why not figure out who it is yourself, Likstar?" Dabi said dryly, "Why use a villain for help? Don't tell me that's the reason you came here. That'd be so dull after all the stuff you kept hinting at before. Really, I started to think you chickened out."

"No." Shine leaned on the couch. "We just took a few days to learn some stuff, and think, and rest. These little encounters are kind of exhausting for us. How about just you and I talk for a bit? One on one. Maybe we should leave this house. I don't think Twice should hear this."

"Why not?" Dabi said, "He's a member too."

"Let me rephrase-- You won't want him to hear this," Shine said.

Something about her tone made Dabi think he should listen...Well, Twice was useless right now anyway. 

"Fine, you want to go for a walk, sure. Beats having someone see you in here anyway," he said carelessly, "But you should be careful-- someone might get the wrong idea about your reputation, supervisor."

"I think yours is more likely to suffer than mine," Shine said coolly, pulling out her sword and twisting it so it gleamed even in the faint light, "Let's go."

A minute later they were outside. "Why's your partner not coming?" Dabi asked, wondering if he should really leave Twice alone with that clown.

"He will be watching us to make sure you don't try something," Shine said calmly, "But we decided it was smarter this way. Besides, I'm the talker. Come, let's get farther away. Preferably where it would be hard to be overheard at all."

"Wow, you know, if I didn't know better, I'd say this sounded like a proposition," Dabi said slyly. 

Shine turned to look at him with disgust. "Is that the best line you can come up with? Please, I've heard it before...or have I? Come to think of it, this doesn't often happen to me. I'm not stupid like that. I wouldn't make any more remarks like that if I were you. Wally will be happy to punch you."

"You asked for this," Dabi muttered sullenly.

He didn't want to get punched at high speed if he could avoid it. Sounded like it would do a lot of damage he didn't care to explain to the rest of the league.

Shine seemed to know how to get to the less populated part of the city, which this already was... toward the beach, even. Once she was fairly sure no one of consequence was going to be around, she stopped in an empty lot, under one solitary streetlight that wasn't very bright.

"Did you think about what we suggested last time?" she asked, "About telling us what the league wants to do?"

"My answer is the same," Dabi said, "Don't know what you expected. I'm not giving something unless I get something in return. You live at UA, you are around those little brats constantly, you can offer something. I don't work for free."

"I do," Shine said, "But that's another story. I think I might have found some information that will interest you. But I'm not sure how to go about this... I've never had to do this in exactly this way before." She leaned on one hand. "Let's start with a question: Why did you attack Endeavor? With the Nomu?"

The effect was instantaneous: Dabi's face hardened. "What's that to you?"

"You are so very unsubtle," Shine said dryly, "Anyone can see you have a vendetta. Endeavor himself told me what happened."

"You talked to Endeavor?" Dabi was clearly stunned, "That a--h--- actually talked to a nobody like you? Wow... you're good, I'll admit."

"Oh, you just wait," Shine muttered half to herself, "Yes, Endeavor was quite helpful. In fact, the first Pro who actually answered a straight question for me. From all I've heard, that's actually rather surprising. I must just have that magnetic charm or something."

"Probably he had a use for your information." Dabi wasn't buying that. "So you're investigating for him? He wants a round two? I'd be happy to oblige." He looked around. "Is he here? Clever." He grabbed Shine's wrist. "But he'll have to be faster than that." His hand blazed up.

To his surprise, neither Endeavor nor West appeared. Instead, Shine kicked him hard and twisted her sword in her hand to smack him in the face. He let go for some reason, though normally he'd be able to take that, but the hard metal just seemed to break his focus.

 Shine stepped back a few paces. "Will you calm down?" she said, like that had been normal, "Endeavor is not here. I wouldn't work with that man... and he's injured anyway. Did you forget that? It was your fault after all. Try using your brain instead of your temper, Dabi."

"You never know." Dabi brushed himself off. "If this isn't a set up then what is it?"

"If you'd let me finish, I'd tell you," Shine said impatiently, "and don't grab me like that again. Next time I'll hit harder. Or let Wally do it. And please, keep the flames away from me. I know how dangerous they are, and I like my skin just the way it is."

"Don't play with fire if you can't take the burn, " Dabi retorted.

"Like you did," Shine gestured to his face. 

He frowned. "Get to the point already."

Shine shoved her hair back nervously. "I had a hunch it was you, somehow, but once Endeavor told me it was, I knew something was up. But the thing is, no one knows anything about you. No one could tell me anything except recent events. You're hardly even a criminal yet, and then you just jumped into LOV activities with all the vim and vigor of  new convert to a bad religion...so,  it was baffling. But, we found out the truth."

She reached into her pocket and pulled out what looked like a photo. "I made a copy of this, because I'm not a thief, though it was tricky to do it... But, this is you, isn't it?"

Dabi hadn't known what to expect, but as soon as he saw a photo, his blood ran cold. Before he could even see who it was, he had a very dark feeling of foreboding, but of course, all he could do was come close enough to look. Though he kept his face mostly calm, Shine saw his eyes widen.

Then he grabbed the photo and set it on fire. "Who'd you steal this from?" he said, in a quiet but deadly voice, "You have 5 seconds to explain before I kill you."

Shine scraped her sword tip across the ground in front of her, which made a groove in the asphalt.

"You're him, aren't you?" She said, "You're Touya Todoroki."

The silence was dreadful. Dabi stared at her like he was trying to decide whether to kill her or to torture her for information. There was no sound except for crickets and the wind in the alleyways.

Shine thought it best not to break the silence herself, but as it dragged on she started wondering if she should, and just when she couldn't stand it anymore, Dabi finally spoke

"Who gave you that picture? No one has that. No one knows anything about him. He's dead."

"I can't answer that question," Shine said, "until I know something else for sure. But, he is not dead, he is you. The resemblance is unmistakable, and all the motivations line up. Shoto Todoroki told me you addressed him by his name once... You hate Endeavor, and no one has ever heard of you. You are presumed dead, it's true."

She put a hand to her face. "There was a fire, wasn't there? But you didn't die, you ran away, changed your name, and hid from your family for years... until you got the chance to get revenge. Is that about right?"

"You don't know anything about it," Dabi said, "Touya Todoroki is dead. I'm Dabi, and wherever you got that from, I suggest you stay the he-- out of their business. We're done here." He raised his hand.

"You try something right now," Shine said in a dreadfully calm voice, "and I will vanish, and you will not get to negotiate any terms about how to treat this information. I will use it as I see fit."

Dabi froze... then he cursed, because, of course, she had him.

"You can't prove anything," he said.

"I don't think anyone will care. The idea itself is enough to do damage with," Shine said, "But I have no intention of going to the police with this or to Endeavor. Or to the school."

"If I agree to do what you want," Dabi guessed.

"No, you're too desperate for me to think threatening you will accomplish anything," Shine said, "I'm only offering you a chance to tell me what you want. I would be an useful ally for you. But if I push you, I think you'll snap. And I won't be the one who suffers for it. So, I'm not turning you in... Anyway, you must have left for a good reason, and I am not the judge of who should go back to their abusive and messed up family."

Dabi didn't believe her.

"Yeah, sure, you just came here to keep me informed. You don't want anything... Well, joke's on you, I don't care if you expose what you think is the truth anyway. It won't stop me from getting what I want."

"No, because you intend to expose it yourself, in time," Shine caught him off guard again by saying.

"You left plenty of hints, you aren't really trying to hide it. And you intend to do it when it will sting. But if I do it prematurely, you have no issue adjusting your plans. In fact, it may even work out in your favor, to your way of thinking. Which is also why I won't do it. Let you have your own fun. It's no difference to me how it gets out. I wouldn't even say it has to, though it's a shame. But now that I know this, I have even more questions."

"And you aren't going to get any answers," Dabi said. Still not believing this at all. "So go on and tell, see if I care. You can't just waltz into my house and threaten me and expect me to cooperate, I'm not that much of a coward. Maybe I can't kill you, yet... but I don't have to listen either. We're done here." He turned.

"What will you accomplish by leaving?" Shine asked him.

"Not playing this game with you, freak," Dabi said.

"Am I the freak?" Shine said.

He whirled around. "You know what made me this way?! B---h! Maybe you should march back to that sick psycho Endeavor and ask him about that kid who died 12 years ago!"

Shine didn't expect such a  violent reaction to that word.

"Hey, I'm not judging you," she said, crossing her arms. "You refuse to talk. You don't want to play that game, you say? Seems you don't think things through. What do you gain by storming away? Nothing."

"I don't want to work with you, whatever you want, I'm not interested," Dabi snapped. "You think you've got something on me just because you dug up some old photo," he laughed psychotically. "Please, that's nothing to what I'll do to you if you try to cross me... or maybe to your little friends."

Shine's eyes narrowed. "You'd threaten them? Even though I'm not affiliated with UA officially?"

"Why should I care about titles?" Dabi said.

"As I thought," Shine said. "You're a hypocrite. You claim to have a value system, but at the end of the day, you'll break even your icon's rules if it gets you what you want. You're the same as the other villains, then. With the dark past and all, I hoped for something a bit more original, Dabi, but, if you threaten those kids, then I have nothing more to say to you." 

Her eyes narrowed. "But let's get one thing straight. You so much as set foot on that campus, or in one of their homes, with your fire, and threaten any of them, you will go to prison. End of story."

Dabi looked at her narrowly. "You'd turn me in after all, so much for promises."

"That was on the condition you weren't going to threaten the kids over this," Shine said firmly. "But if you do, deal's off, I'd hate to have to do that to you, but I will not let murder occur just to spare your dignity. You got a problem with that, you can say so now. I won't tell them who you are but it'll come out. I will report this threat and offer to turn you in, however. I can do it."

Dabi considered this. "But as long as this stays personal, you're more interested in dealing with me, is that right?"

"You can threaten me all you like and I won't turn you in," Shine held up her hand. "I don't care if you threaten me, but drag anyone innocent into it, and that promise is out. Whatever we talk about stays between us and the wall. Which means, I don't go to the police, and you don't make threats against those students just because I ticked you off. Can you control yourself enough to agree to that, or should I put you in the same category as Toga?"

Dabi hissed. "Don't bring her up, she's a lunatic..." he looked up at the sky, then back down at her.

"You've got some nerve, I'll give you that... I'd almost respect that... Fine. Assuming you hold up your end of this and keep this little secret to yourself and that stupid ginger, I'll leave the kids out of it. Only the kids though. They aren't really my target anyway. But the pros are off the negotiation table. That's the league's department."

"I can accept that," Shine said. "Because what happens to them off Campus is not something I can exactly control anyway, but on campus, I have a responsibility to protect the students... But I won't give you info on the Pros either. I won't help you hurt them, I don't want that. I just won't turn you in, that's all. There are rules to this sort of thing for me."

"You sound like quite the enigma. How would those heroes feel about you making deals with their sworn enemies?" Dabi said, with an unpleasant grin.

"About the same as your father would feel if he hears about this," Shine retorted mercilessly.

He glared. "Don't ever refer to him as that again, got it?"

"If you wish. Don't refer to me as making deals with sworn enemies," Shine said. "It's rather rude, considering I'm being to so nice to you."

"This benefits you in some way, and let's not pretend otherwise," Dabi put his hands in his pockets. "So what do you want? Miss Nice-non-traitor?"

"Answers," Shine put her sword away warily. "I want to know why you joined the league... I mean, I know why, but why them? What do they offer you? Without naming names, or giving me any info that would help me defeat them, can you answer that?"

"Names and weakness would be more useful. Why are you censoring them?" Dabi asked.

"Because you won't tell me anyway," Shine said.

Dabi actually smiled like this amused him. "You're not totally stupid, I guess....just mostly. Well... fine... The League gives me the breathing room I need to do as I want. I can't get very far alone, my power is too visible, and too uncontrollable to use in public a lot without getting every pro there in the area after me. The League gives me cover, back up, and allies."

"That makes sense and is already what I thought," Shine rubbed her chin thoughtfully. "But you don't align yourself fully with their morals? Is that the case?"

"Well, that's tricky," Dabi looked around carelessly. "All of us want different stuff, but we agree heroes should suffer. Some of us want to eradicate all of them, others just want the unworthy ones, but for now, those two goals aren't mutually exclusive."

"Yes, I could draw a Venn diagram of the overlap," Shine said dryly. "It would be: killing heroes."

Dabi raised an eyebrow. "You sound judgey for someone in a morally ambiguous area themselves, Sword-girl."

"I don't consider that an insult," Shine said. "And I'm not morally ambiguous. I am simply bound by different rules in these situations. Ones I don't think I'll explain to you just now. You would only scorn them. Suffice it to say, I am not helping you because I doubt the good and evil of the situation, I am doing it because I understand them better than the pros do, and my place in them is more clear to me than it is to them."

"That's an interesting statement," Dabi said. "Sounds like one a radical would make. Are you a closet Stain admirer?"

"Oh, gosh no," Shine made a face that was a way too normal for the situation at hand. "That guy's gross, and he murdered people."

"So? They had it coming. They were fakes," Dabi said. "Why are you all so quick to judge the murdering thing. It gets results, doesn't it? And some trash should just be removed from the world." He looked much crazier when he said that.

Shine only seemed to ponder what he said, with neither disgust nor sympathy.

https://youtu.be/Wh1GINmXSdY

 [Centuries--Fall Out Boy]

"So you are saying that pros are worthless if they are fakes?" she said.

"Yeah, that about sums it up," Dabi said. "And any other garbage excuses for human beings."

"Most of the people you killed were not heroes," Shine noted. "And... I don't know why I am saying it so calmly, but... why did you kill them, then?"

"The weren't worth keeping alive," Dabi said. "They didn't deserve to join the league, they were better as fuel for my fire."

"You're an extremist, and a purist, in a very weird sense of the word," Shine said, strangely. "But, yet, people like Twice and Toga and Shigaraki, who don't, as far as I can glean, even follow Stain, are worthy?"

"I wasn't enthused about Crazy, but that was Shigaraki's call. I don't like him either, but he's the one pulling the strings, so for now, I have to work for him, at least he takes care of his followers, not like that cheap Chisaki dips--- " Dabi said casually. "Have you heard enough yet? You're disgusted with the monster before you, right? Changed your mind?"

"If you think any of this is shocking to me and that I didn't factor it in before coming, you have grossly underestimated me," Shine said flatly, surprising him a bit. "Please, go on explaining why your double standard applies only to people more powerful than you."

Silence for a moment. 

"Well, I don't pick fights I can't finish," Dabi said.

"I see. Well, you're sadly not very original there," Shine said. "These death cults so often have this power hierarchy, it's not much like a real belief system. I'll say this much for Stain, he truly didn't seem to care about that. Attacking  a Nomu indicates he was crazy enough to fight whoever got in his way. Don't agree with him at all, but I can't deny his courage of his convictions. It's sad it was wasted in such a manner." She shook her head. "I see few greater tragedies than misguided conviction and fervor for what has the appearance of righteousness..
but you are not so simple, are you? You are not just trying to do what Stain wanted, or you'd never work with the LOV. Your goals are bigger... or smaller. Such as helping them destroy hero society."

"You were paying attention, then," Dabi shrugged. "Yeah, maybe Stain just didn't think big enough. He'd probably agree though. He just lacked the man power for it."

"You're not a die hard follower then," Shine said. "Well, I don't know whether that's good or bad. You have more of a sense of self, but less of a sense of hypocrisy."

"Hey, no one said these rules were black and white," Dabi said, a bit testily. "And it's not really your place to tell me what to think, is it? You asked, I answered. Are we done?"

"No," Shine said, "I want to know more... Those people you killed, how much did you know about them?"

"There were lowlifes." Dabi said. "What does it matter?"

"I just wanted to know how you decided they weren't worthy," Shine said. "Because they were weaker than you? Because of their character? Is it possible you knew all of them beforehand?"

"No, but I didn't need to. I know the type, I lived on the streets for years before joining the league," Dabi said. "And my guess is, for all your fine talk, if you know all this, you've seen some of it yourself. You don't look like the type of chick who'd hang around parts of town like this, but you didn't hesitate."

"Yes, I've been in bad neighborhoods quite a bit. I regularly work with kids from those backgrounds," Shine said. "And I've faced down far scarier villains than you who could rip me to shreds with their bare hands, so you could say I'm not in an ordinary middle class position, which is no doubt what you mean. I don't think that stuff matters."

"How original," Dabi said sardonically. "Even if I believed you, that's got nothing to do with this."

"What about their families?" Shine asked, making him recoil in shock. "I don't know why that popped into my head, but I guess it's a good question," she tilted her head. "You look like you just saw a snake."

"Why do you all ask the same question?" Dabi muttered.

"Do you ever think about that?" Shine asked.

Dabi looked up with eyes full of both pain and hatred. "I thought about it until I went crazy."

Shine looked at him a long moment. "I see," she said quietly, "I'm sorry."

"What?" Dabi spat. "What do you mean by that?" He supposed this meant she was going back on the deal already. That didn't take long.

"I'm sorry that happened to you," Shine said. Her voice grew full of something... was it.. sympathy?

"Even if you are certifiably crazy now, clearly you weren't always that way. I'm really very sorry you suffered so much it made you snap. I've known people like you before, but never quite this far gone into it... It makes my heart ache to listen to you speak callously of people you probably once would have helped...Looking at what you've become, Dabi, I could only feel pity for you, not fear."

Dabi would have preferred fear.

"Don't pity me, it's a waste of time," he growled. "I don't want it. All that false sympathy you all have makes me sick. If any of you gave a sh-- about people like us, in the league, there wouldn't be a league. So drop the act."

"I don't know what people I am like," Shine said. "I don't think you've ever met anyone like me before, not many have... but if you mean the pro heroes... I can't disagree, but, I do actually care. I don't expect you to believe that. You have no reason to, but I will not lie to you. I hope that's not a problem." She straightened. 

Dabi didn't know how to take that. It made no sense to him. She made no sense. She might be crazier than he was, he decided.

"What are you trying to figure out with all these stupid questions anyway?" he said.

"Why are you answering them if they're stupid? Could it be no one has ever asked you before, and you've been dying for a chance to rail against heroes?" Shine retorted, yet again catching him off guard.

"I know your type, Dabi. You hate so much, you can't wait for chance to talk about it... People who hate everyone are generally like that. And people who are jealous."

"Jealous? I'm not jealous, why would I be?" Dabi was offended. "That's just insulting. Even for you."

"Even for me? You think I'm even trying here? I could do much better than that," Shine said roundly, "But, you are jealous, that's very apparent. You envy the happiness other people have, so you reject it and hate them, and hate yourself, from the looks of it. I can't say if there's any family jealousy in there too. I don't know you that well, but it would be common in cases like this. I know it was in mine...but that's not what I am here to learn today. I just wanted your motives, and you have certainly explained them."

Dabi was still reeling from that last part and said nothing, but glared at her murderously.

"I don't want to push you too far," Shine went on. "You've been very nice about this, for now... but, when did you learn who we were? I won't ask who the mole is. No doubt, I'll find out soon enough, but when? And why?"

"The why is you're acting weird, and I like to know who's stalking me," Dabi said. "Not that I learned much. How is it you're illegal but living at the top hero school? Guess even UA has its dirty secrets."

"You have no idea," Shine said dryly. "I wish we were the worst of it...Well...and what did they tell you about us? Our name and occupation, clearly. What about our powers?"

"That's the conundrum," Dabi said. "No one really knows, do they? You can warp, but you also have that weird stick there and something about glowing eyes, too. And you can deflect power? But I didn't know what to believe. You want to clear that up for me?"

"I'm not stupid enough to tell you all that," Shine said lightly. "My eyes do glow, but I can't tell when it happens. If you see it it means I said something important, usually, but I don't even know what half the time... and yes, I portal, you knew that already, not warping. It's totally different. My sword is my primary weapon... but the rest, I hope you will have no need to learn this."

The implication there was clear.

"Are you planning to make these visits a regular thing?" Dabi asked. "Or are you done? Got what you needed?"

"Oh, we're just getting started," Shine said. "I want to know a lot more about the League, and unlike the pros, I don't need logistics. I'm interested primarily in the ideology. Since that can't hurt you to tell me, I'll be back, but it's dangerous to prolong this meeting any longer. It's too long as it is. And we need to meet in a safer location--either your house, alone, or somewhere else. And it better not be a trap."

"And if it is,"  Dabi said. 

"Well, I'd like to meet your boss too, but I prefer to meet him on smaller scale than that," Shine said. "I'll be in touch. What day works for you?"

"What? Are you kidding?" Dabi said.

"So any day I can show up where and when I want?" Shine said.

"What? No!" Dabi cried. "I don't want you to show up at all. Is this some kind of game to you?"

"Not, but I do enjoy playing it," Shine said. "Now, please, a date, a time, a day..."

"If you insist, do it at night," Dabi said, "but don't come at all. This is already more than I wanted to take. If it wasn't for that stupid redhead, I'd not have even let you go on this long."

"I'm glad you recognize you're outmatched. I think I'll make it Friday, then," Shine said. "A school night is better for me. Be in a safe spot on that day, please." She made some signal. "Goodbye, Dabi."

"Hey, stop--" Dabi didn't think she was getting the message, but there was a flash of someone moving and she was gone, presumably with her partner, and then he saw a light flash out of an alley.