Author's note: A brief reminder that this fic (mostly) follows the manga and therefore contains spoilers. This chapter has several (though it was written during the Jaku arc, so some things are me either ignoring canon or not wanting to rewrite things.) If you don't want spoilers, you have been warned!

Most people would refrain from asking where someone had gotten their scars, but they almost always wanted to know. This, Tobi knew. He'd gotten his when he was relatively young. It was how they learned what his quirk was, actually.

He'd been out playing with his friends when they came across an old, abandoned building. Deciding it looked like a great place to play, they slipped through the fence warning them to stay out and went inside. They messed around for a while, pretending they were exploring ancient ruins, but then disaster stuck.

One of Tobi's friends tripped and hit an unstable support beam. Tobi noticed and shoved them out of the way right as the beam gave way and the ceiling came down on top of him. His friends ran to their parents, terrified for Tobi's life.

When the rescue crew arrived, however, they found Tobi stuck but completely uninjured aside from several healed scars that he hadn't had when he'd left home that day.

It had been scary, but Tobi didn't regret it. He learned that he could heal. His friends wouldn't have. They got out unscathed because of him. He wore his scars like a badge of honor.

He could always tell when someone wanted to ask about them. Their eyes always lingered, but they bit their tongue for fear of offending him or bringing up painful memories or something. Tobi would always cheerfully ask if they'd like to know the story; he was more than willing to share, after all.

Kids were fun. They had no filter and would always just ask without a thought. He always thought it was so funny how embarrassed their parents would get when their child bluntly asked what had happened to his face.

Lots of people had scars, especially heroes. Endeavor, Mirko, Aizawa, even All Might.

Even students had them sometimes. Endeavor's son had that big one across half his face. That Deku kid he'd seen in passing had a few on his hands.

To Tobi, they told stories of their dedication to save people or make it through difficult times in life. That was why he couldn't understand why Scout tried so hard to hide hers.

There were several that she couldn't hide, like the ones down her face and the ones on her legs and tail that were visible when she shifted. (The latter of which were bite marks. That made him very curious.)

On the first day of classes, he'd pointed out how they sorta matched with their face scars. She'd immediately shrunk down as if she were ashamed of them. He was careful not to mention it again, but it honestly made him sad that she was so uncomfortable with them.

When he met her brother, he learned that whatever caused Scout's scars had happened to Warren too. He wondered if Warren was as uncomfortable with his scars as his sister. He didn't seem to try to hide them, but he was also stuck in his chimera form. A different type of scar, Tobi noted.

Scars told stories, and Tobi wanted Scout to be proud of her own story. He just didn't know how to go about it.

"Hey, Warren?"

Warren looked up from where he was lounging in a patch of sun and churred in question.

"Can I talk to you for a moment?" Inuyasu asked, looking uncharacteristically… normal.

Warren nodded and shifted his position so Inuyasu could sit in the grass next to him. He had grown accustomed to other students talking to him about problems and other things. He wasn't quite sure why; he just came across as a good listener, he supposed. Even now that he'd been fitted with a translator collar like the one on Scout's hero costume, he preferred to listen.

Once Tobi had made himself comfortable, he asked a question that took Warren off guard.

"How do you feel about your scars?"

Warren blinked and thought that over for a moment.

"I don't really like them," he finally said.

Inuyasu frowned, but Warren continued with a shrug, "But it's not like they're going away. They're just… a part of me now."

His classmate nodded slowly, "True."

Warren wondered if Tobi was feeling self conscious about his own scars and was about to say something more when he spoke up again.

"To me, your scars show that you've been through a lot, but you've had the strength to keep on going."

Warren blinked. He hadn't really thought of it that way… he'd also never seen Inuyasu this thoughtful. It was surprisingly unnerving, seeing as the kid was usually at least somewhat manic in demeanor.

"I don't know what you guys have been through," Tobi said, "But you've both worked hard to get where you are. I can tell."

He paused, "Scout… she doesn't like her scars much, does she?"

Warren heaved a sigh and shook his head, "To her they're a constant reminder of something she'd rather forget."

Tobi rested his elbows on his knees and put his chin in his hands, "I want to help her."

That really took Warren by surprise. He chirped in question.

"Both of you are strong. You've been through a lot. You should be proud of yourselves for making it this far." Inuyasu continued, "I just want her to stop seeing her scars as a reminder of the bad things and see them as a reminder of how far she's come."

Warren sat quietly for a moment. He wanted that for her too.

Finally, he simply said, "Show her."

Tobi seemed to mull that over for a moment before his usual manic smile returned, "I think I will. Thanks Warren!"

The boy got up and jogged back into the dorms, leaving a slightly concerned Warren behind him.

Tobi walked up to Aizawa after the rest of the class had left one day.

"Aizawa-sensei?"

The teacher paused from picking up his sleeping bag, "Yes?"

"Could you help me with a project I'm working on?" Tobi asked.

"That depends," Aizawa deadpanned, "What are you doing?"

"I'm making a video interviewing different people about-"

"I don't like being filmed," the teacher responded, starting to fold up his bag once again.

"I'm not planning on posting it anywhere! It's… mostly for one person, honestly," Tobi explained quickly.

Aizawa raised an eyebrow, "Who?"

"Um, well… it's for Scout," Tobi admitted, "I want to ask people about their scars-if they're ok with it-to help her be more comfortable with hers… though I suppose anyone who needs it could use it..."

Aizawa's face was impossible to read, "I'll think about it."

Tobi grinned, "Thanks Sensei!"

"Hey, Scout!"

Scout and her friends glanced up from where they were doing homework at one of the common room tables. She blinked upon seeing Inuyasu grinning at her.

"Um… hi?" she greeted uncertainly.

"Here," he said, tossing something at her.

With a surprised chirp, Scout threw up her hands quickly enough to catch it.

"See ya' round Scout!" He called over his shoulder as he made his way over to Mion.

"What is it?" Mari asked, leaning over Scout's shoulder.

"It's… a USB?" Scout answered as she inspected it.

"What do you suppose is on it?" Haruku asked.

"And why did he give it to you?" Mari questioned.

"I have no idea," Scout responded, "and I'm kinda scared to find out."

External storage detected

Files: (1)

for_scout. mov

…

"Hey Scout! This video is just for you!" Inuyasu's grinning face introduced the video, "It took a while to put together, so I hope you like it!"

The video cut to a small group of UA students. The camera focused on a very plain-looking but familiar boy with green hair.

"Um, hi! I'm Izuku Midoriya! You might know me as Deku, I guess," he waved to the camera with an awkward grin, "I'm in class 3A. Um… you wanted to know about my scars?"

"Yeah!" came Inuyasu's voice from behind the camera.

"Alright then. Well, I have quite a few," Midoriya shrugged off his jacket to show the marks that marred his arms, as well as the ones crossing his hand, "They're not very pretty, but um… they're a reminder to me to work hard to become the hero I want to be, and a reminder of how far I've come, but also how far I still have to go."

He smiled and buttoned his jacket back up, seeming reminiscent, "My quirk used to hurt me, but now I've been able to use it to help others!"

The green-haired boy finished with a determined grin and turned to his friends, "Do any of you guys wanna share?"

Midoriya seemed pleasantly surprised when one of them spoke up.

"I'm Shouto," he said flatly and looked at the floor as he continued speaking, "My scars are a reminder of the kind of person I don't want to become."

Shouto then went quiet, apparently done speaking.

A tall, blue-haired student stepped up next.

"I'm Tenya Iida," he said, animatedly chopping the air, "My scars came from a decision I made with poor judgment. Luckily my classmates helped me realize that what I was doing was wrong, and now I have these scars as a reminder to not be so rash with my decisions and to trust in my associates and friends as I move forward in my hero career."

He finished off with a sharp bow and the video cut again. This time to a UA teacher, pro hero Thirteen.

"You can't see them," they said, "which is probably for the best, but I don't regret it. Even though I have these scars now, I know that every student that was in the USJ that day made it out safely, and I wouldn't change that for anything."

The video cut again to Midnight, "Scars? Oh yes, I have some I could show~"

She started to tug at her collar, but Inuyasu yelped and the camera blurred as he turned and ran before the scene cut.

Aizawa scratched at his stubble as he stared into the camera with his one eye.

"In a dangerous line of work like heroism, it's only logical that one would get scars."

His gaze slid to one side, "Most of mine are from saving my students at the USJ and from the events of Jaku City."

His fingers subtly traced one of the scars that marred his face, "Some of them can be a hindrance at times, but I was doing my duty as a hero. There's no place for regrets."

The teacher looked back at the camera, "Whether or not a hero has scars means nothing. What they do to earn the right to call themself a hero is all that matters."

The video cut again, this time to Nekana and Einosuke. The latter began to sign.

"I wasn't born deaf," he said, "I was in an accident when I was little. Lost my hearing."

He shrugged, "Can be hard, but I'm used to it now. It's just a part of me and that's okay! I've learned so many things because of it, and I've made a lot of good friends!"

He looked over at Nekana and smiled.

Nekana rubbed the back of his neck, "Um, you've never seen my scars, and I'm not gonna show them right now, but they remind me that there's always someone looking out for me, and they also remind me that I want to be there for others too."

He smiled a little and waved before the scene changed again, this time to Teruyoshi.

"Yeah, uh, the cross here on my face?" they pointed to the patch of fur, "It's from running into a wall when I was little."

There was a beat of silence before Inuyasu spoke up from behind the camera, "Is it a reminder of anything?"

Teruyoshi blinked, looking a bit confused, "... Don't run into walls?"

There was a soft huff of laughter from behind the camera, "Okay."

The next scene showed Matsukaze. He ruffled his wings a bit as the video focused on him.

"I have… a few scars. Most of 'em are under my clothes though, so I'm not gonna show them right this moment. I do have this one, though," he pushed back his fluffy hair and pointed to a small scar that went through his eyebrow.

"It's small, but I was really embarrassed by it for a long time," he let his hair fall back into place, "I got it when I was learning to fly. I fell. A lot. For a while, I almost gave up, but I'm so glad I didn't!"

His wings fluttered a little behind him and he grinned, "Now my scars are a bit of encouragement to me to always get back up when I fall, even if it's hard."

Another transition, and Principal Nedzu sat in front of the camera.

"My scars are a constant reminder," he said with a grin, clasping his paws in front of him.

"A reminder?" Inuyasu pressed.

"Yes," the principal responded with a strange smile, "I'll never forget."

"...Alright."

The scene changed and All Might's gaunt face was grinning at the screen.

"I have quite a few scars," he said gently, "Some worse than others. I… used to think they were a sign of weakness, that having them meant I wasn't strong enough."

He sighed and then looked reminiscent, "But a student of mine showed me that it's not all about physical strength. People still look up to me and I can still be a symbol of peace in other ways."

All Might grinned, "And right now, that's by helping future heroes like you!"

Again the video cut, this time showing another UA student. He wore his uniform very casually, with his shirt untucked and completely forgoing a tie. He seemed standoffish as he glared at the camera.

"Yeah, I have scars," he growled, "What of it? You think it's 'cause I'm weak?"

The camera shook a bit, probably due to Inuyasu shaking his head, "Of course not! I think scars show strength! They mean you've made it through some tough stuff!"

The spikey-haired student huffed, "You're [beep] right."

He frowned, "I've been through a lot of garbage, but I always come out victorious. No stupid [beep]in' scars are gonna change that."

He snarled at the camera and started reaching towards it, "Alright, now get that [beep] camera outta my face."

Inuyasu wisely made a quick retreat, calling out behind him before stopping the video, "Thanks Bakugou!"

The camera turned on again to show Inuyasu pointing the camera at himself. He waved with his usual manic grin on his face.

"Hey! I uh, I hope this video wasn't overstepping on my part, but… I dunno," he shrugged, "I guess it's an important topic to me."

His grin softened a little, "I know it's probably hard for you to understand, but… I'm proud of my scars. They're a reminder to me that I can be a hero and keep others from getting hurt… I just hope that someday, yours can be a good reminder to you instead of a sad one."

His smile returned, "But! In any case! There's one more person I interviewed, so I'll let him finish off this video!"

The last scene showed Warren, sitting awkwardly outside of Alliance Heights. He ducked his head a little and chirruped softly.

"I don't like my scars much either, Scout," he chuffed, "but they're a part of me now. They're… I guess they make me who I am. Neither of us would probably be here in UA if it hadn't been for… for Wildcard, terrible as that sounds."

He tilted his head and looked to one side, ears flicking as he thought of what to say, "In a way… I'm glad I have these scars now. They help me know I can make it through hard things, that it could've been a lot worse."

Warren looked back up at the camera, "And I can definitely tell you that I would rather have you here with scars than have lost you completely. I love ya' Scout, and I'm glad you're here."

With that, the video ended.

Scout stared at the screen for a bit after the video ended. She wiped vigorously at her eyes as she felt tears making their way down her cheeks. Warren's words echoed in her mind. She was glad he was still with her too, scars or not. It wasn't something that she'd even had to think about.

She thought back on all of the people who'd spoken; some she knew, and quite a few she didn't. Inuyasu had really gone through the effort of making a whole video, of interviewing all those people… for her?

Scout traced the scars that ran down the side of her face. She didn't like them. It wasn't that she was embarrassed by how they looked; she just hated the fact that they made people stare. She thought that they probably thought she was weak. What kind of wannabe hero had so many scars? But… throughout the video she realized; she'd never thought that about her teachers. She'd never thought that about her classmates. She'd definitely never thought that about Warren.

She rubbed absently at the cloth she always had wrapped around her neck. Maybe… maybe she should stop thinking that about herself.

Slowly, she reached up and unwrapped the fabric until her neck was bare. She swallowed and saw her face reflected in the computer monitor past the open video. To her, the bite mark over her throat stood out strongly, even in the unclear reflection.

Still. It was a part of her now, wasn't it. That was the whole message of that video Inuyasu made. She took a breath. She could do it, one step at a time.

Scout walked into class last. She'd made sure no one had seen her that morning, other than Warren, of course. She stepped into the room and hesitated for a moment, her ears already rabbity.

A few of her classmates looked up and waved, and a couple said good morning. Nobody seemed to care that she wasn't covering her neck.

She looked towards Inuyasu's desk. He glanced up when he realized she was looking at him. He almost looked nervous, but his eyes flicked to her throat and a surprisingly soft smile came across his face. He gave Scout a little thumbs up.

Slowly, Scout smiled back as she made her way to her desk. She could do this.

Author's note:

Lots of traumatized kids in this class, ey?

Please come yell at me on discord! Link on my profile!

As always, reviews are appreciated! Take care of yourselves, yeah?

-Jai