Almost two weeks after that conversation, Dabi contacted her saying that he had something important to discuss with her.
Now, it was half-past midnight in the beginnings of winter, and Mariko was in a back alley in the middle of one of the worst neighborhoods in the city. She was tired, she was cold, and she was uncomfortable. Those emotions translated into an expression of pure irritation as she waited for Dabi to show up. With conditions like these, the least he could've done was be punctual.
"So, you actually had the guts to show up. Didn't anyone ever teach you that girls shouldn't be out alone at night?" A deep voice whispered in her ear.
Mariko immediately reacted to the foreign sound and faster than Dabi could block, she elbowed him just below his ribs, knocking the wind out of him, and pivoted to face her "attacker." Seeing it was him though, she relaxed and stared down at him, unimpressed as he coughed painfully. "You're here now aren't you? And you're twenty-five minutes late. One more and I would've left your ass. Didn't anyone ever tell you that it's rude to be late to an arrangement you made?" she sassed, not sparing any mercy to the male.
Dabi grit his teeth as he straightened himself up. This was the second time she'd gotten the jump on him in a fight. He tilted his head thoughtfully as he looked her up and down. No matter how many times he looked at her picture or thought back on their short interactions, he couldn't for the life of him figure out how they knew each other.
"It's also rude to stare," she pointed out.
The male cracked a cocky smile, "Do I seem like someone who gives a shit about social propriety?"
"Hah. You've always had a foul mouth, or so I've heard. At least when daddy dearest wasn't around," she quipped.
Dabi's teal eyes brightened with fury and fear. "Who the fuck told you about that?" he growled menacingly.
"Someone at the HPSC training facility," she answered shortly. Mariko did know Dabi. Sort of. The two had never formally met, but she had read his file years ago. Division 1 had been considering requesting that he join her team. As captain, the responsibility of doing the final review fell on her shoulders. She'd gone over to do an analysis and she'd seen him unconscious in the facility's medical bay where she had a chat with his group supervisor. "He had red hair then, but his eyes are still the same," she thought, thinking back to a 14-year-old Dabi.
It was pure luck that she'd recognized him though. Rarely, Mariko's quirk would familiarize itself with a person's internal body signature if she spent a long enough time healing them making her able to tell if she'd healed someone before. She recognized someone of the burns that she'd healed, the new cells she'd created resonating with her quirk.
The male fought back the urge to flinch at the mention of that place. "Looks like the little government agent's got connections."
She shrugged, "More or less... but that's beside the point. I don't think you asked me to come all the way out here just for a reunion right?" she asked.
The ravenette glared at her. She acted like she knew everything even though she didn't know shit. "That bastard Shigaraki decided to accept your shitty offer," he started. A malicious glint flashed across his eyes as he towered over her. "On behalf of the League of Villains, I sincerely hope you regret this decision."
His frown deepened when the petite woman laughed at him. She laughed at him. As if she were dismissing a mere child claiming that he was going to rule the world someday.
"You've got personality, that's for sure," she said once her laughter had died down. A sinister smile crept across her lips: "On behalf of the Japanese Empire and Military Force... welcome to hell."