Silence Unwarranted

The History of a Scar

Kenji was at UA, THE UA. He never imagined he'd set foot here, not with how many times he had tried and failed to get in. Then again, he was only going to be here temporarily.

It had been about two days since he agreed to help them, even when he was told it might be unnerving. Apparently, the kid in the wheelchair was the "Deku" they were talking about. He hadn't gotten a good look at him before, and he was not at all expecting what he saw. The sight alone scared him slightly, making him nervous about what was to come.

I could just back out, he thought to himself, but no, that boy had something horrible happen to him and he had the ability to find out just what. Well, not exactly... as he explained to the group before. Living things are so complex, and so much happens to them daily, that his quirk just can't keep up. The only information he would receive would be limited to the exact space he touched. But according to the girl, that was perfect.

Information from the scars would work.

They said that they had to get some things set up before they would start. He didn't see what the big deal was, all he had to do was touch him.

He was taken into a room with a monitor set up and a device next to it. There were a few police officers and a man who he assumed was a detective which made him feel even more self-conscious.

"Don't worry about the weird-looking machine, it's so that we can see and record what you see," Eraserhead said from behind him.

Kenji nervously said, "That kind of thing exists? Are you going to hook me up to it?"

"I just said don't worry."

They hooked him up to it. He hoped he didn't look as stupid as he felt. The monitor was showing what he was seeing, which he had to admit was pretty cool.

The two students he met, along with the wheelchair kid, entered the room. They wheeled him over and put him in front of Kenji.

"Just a reminder, we don't even know what he's been through, so just brace yourself for some horrifying sights," Eraserhead stated.

Kenji nodded, feeling a bit of stage fright, "Where should I start?"

"I think we should start with the biggest ones, so let's figure out what happened to his legs first," Iida suggested.

Kenji reached over and placed his hand on the stump of his leg, awkwardly. Suddenly he was overcome with terror as he watched through the eyes of Deku, first his ankles being grabbed and disintegrated, then having to cut off his own legs before it spread.

He quickly retracted his hand, and breathing heavily he said, "I- I don't- I don't think I can do this."

Everyone else in the room looked equally disturbed.

"Please, we- we need you," Uraraka looked like she was going to burst into tears, "We need some clue- as to what happened to him. Maybe then, we'll know how to fix him."

"You need... me?" Kenji said, thinking that he might be the only person who could help this boy.

A silly sort of bravery emerged from within him, possibly having something to do with the tearful girl in front of him, or maybe thanks to that hero fantasy he'd always had.

"We aren't forcing you to stay here, so if you really feel that this is too much, you can leave," Eraserhead explained.

Kenji steeled his nerves and replied, "N-no, I can do this."

He held his breath and shakily touched the biggest scar on his body, which ran down his chest from his shoulder to his stomach. He was met with more terror as a man whipped him over and over and over. He was lucky he couldn't feel any of this.