"H... Hunted?"

"Calm yourself," Dabi said once he noticed Mameko's trembling. "I don't give a crap about their missions, more so if it's thrown in by some foreigner wimp whom I don't even know and don't care about. You, on the other hand, are a kindred spirit, whose ideas I deeply admire just like Hero-Killer Stain's and your father's ones, and... to be honest, I could kind of say... you're a friend to me, even if I'm not so sure what true friendship can be like. I still don't trust you completely - you're of the opposite faction. One thing I know, though - I'd rather protect you from my organization than hand you over to them, Mameko-san."

Mameko stared at him in a stupor, happy that he had confessed he perceived her as a friend, and frightened that she was in his, a dangerous criminal's, hands, who had just admitted that they were of opposite factions hence he couldn't completely trust her. She knew it meant that he'd be ready to change his mind about her at any time if need be and that he was never going to show his cards. His presence, no matter that they counted themselves as each other's friends, was perilous.

Yet, her fear didn't last for long. Villain? Danger? - She was born and raised in danger and had lived out her childhood amongst prisoners and all kinds of villains right in the core of the blackened society. For her, the nearness of a villain felt more like home than being among heroes whose rows she strove so hard to join yet was always scorned. Due to her complicated visions, she was considered an outsider by both parties, just like her father before her. But Dabi - he was the first person to have accepted her for who she was, with all of her flaws, idealistic visions, and heroic dreams. Dabi - the dangerous criminal and a heartless murderer - had shown her kindness, utter and complete, for the first time in her life.

"Thank you, Sōen. I'll admit, I see you as a friend too. I cannot open up entirely either since I hold information which a villain like you should never get, but," - she smiled, - "what concerns only me, I shall freely disclose, for I do trust you with my life. I am straightforward in my relations, so even if you never tell me your true name and your whereabouts, I shall freely disclose mine."

As Dabi watched her with a faint beam which Mameko couldn't determine to be ironic, sincere, or both, the train stopped.

"Ah, we've arrived!"

Mameko grabbed his burnt hand and took him out of the train and then out of the station. They appeared in a broad street near a small restaurant. Dabi raised an eyebrow:

"Georgian cuisine?"

"Yup!" Mameko grinned. "Since you seem to dislike Japanese cuisine, I thought it'd be cool to invite you to my world, of meat, pastry, and vegetables."

Dabi chuckled:

"Sounds intriguing."

"Well then, let's go!"

Mameko took him into the restaurant. All tables were empty, save for a single one in the farthest corner, where a young boy and a woman, both with white hair, sat and conversed in a strange language that sounded coarse and rough to Dabi's ears, while to Mameko, it gave the feeling of the far-away home.

"I am here!" she cried in Georgian. 

Both the woman and the boy, and even the old man at the counter, glanced at her. They all brightened up and ran up to her. Dabi watched them converse in Georgian, hug and kiss Mameko, which was so unusual for Japanese society - kissing, hugging, speaking loudly right at the first encounter... It wasn't the first encounter, he could figure. They should be friends, at least, if not family. But still, so many kisses and hugs? It was foreign to him... partly because it was not according to Japanese customs, and mostly because his own family had been a pain to him, whence he had fled to never go back, and had shunned those memories into far corners of his heart. Now, it had all begun to emerge, for these foreign faces looked a bit nostalgic, mostly because of their hair colours: the whitened hair of the woman, who also had a cut-mark on her left eye as if five knives had scratched her deep; and the white hair of the boy, who happened to be a lot taller than him, just like a certain someone from his past.

Dabi awoke from the thoughts when Mameko switched to Japanese:

"So, anyway, Grandpa, I've come with a friend. Can you give us a table? I wanted to introduce him to our Georgian cuisine."

"Ah, sure, Momo!" The old man, whom she had called 'grandpa', smiled. He turned to Dabi: "I am Gia Kakinome. It is nice to meet you."

Kakinome?! Dabi widened his eyes. He recalled his colleagues had mentioned Momo Mameko's mother to be 'Nani Kakinome' - the same family name this old man carried. So this truly is her family...

"Kazuto Kiriyama. It's a pleasure."

He faintly bowed down as was his custom. Gia answered the same way, for he was deeply familiar with the Japanese rules. He had lived half of his life here, after all.

Momo looked up at Dabi in confusion once she heard the name he had introduced himself with - the name which, in fact, belonged to the character they had created together. Dabi eyed her with a significant gaze, giving her a sign that he did not plan to disclose his true identity or any of his aliases. Momo was not slow to comprehend the meaning of his stern look, so she smiled and turned to her family:

"Yeah, Kazuto's my friend. So, Kazuto-kun," she turned to Dabi, playing along with his choice, "Gia is my grandfather from my mother's side. This is his niece, Auntie Ani." She pointed to the white-haired scarred woman. Then she pointed to the boy: "This is her son and my distant cousin, Shota."

"It's a pleasure." Dabi faintly bowed again. 

"Same!" Ani and Shota answered the same way. Ani retook: "We don't have a lot of customers today. Choose any of the tables you like. You are special guests for us."

"Hehe, thanks, auntie!"

Mameko grabbed Dabi's hand and took him to one of the tables in a far corner. They took seats. When Ani handed them menus and left them alone, Dabi glared at Mameko:

"I told you a quiet and secluded place, and you bring me here?"

"Well, it is quiet - there are no people around." Mameko pointed around with an innocent smile. "Furthermore, I wanted you to meet my family."

"You're putting them in danger." Dabi furrowed his brow. "I've told you my organization is hunting for you, but I didn't tell you why. Now you must know - it is because of your mother, Nani Kakinome."

"What?" Mameko grew petrified, "H-How do you know my mother's name?"

"I've told you - the League knows everything now. They despise your mother because she is a descendant of their ancient enemy."

"What? How illogical can that be? I've had enough of being hunted because of my father, and now also because of my ancestor?!"

"Calm yourself, midget. I'm telling you all of this to protect you. If, as you've told me, these people are your mother's family, you must tell them to evacuate this place and hide as far as possible. The League has the necessary means and can track this place down. The man who ordered your murder and disclosed the details to us has introduced himself as Death Bearer, and he stated that he has a grudge against your father."

"Death Bearer?!"

Mameko grew pale and almost fell back. Dabi could notice how tears filled her big blue eyes, and a trembling palm of hers clutched his hand:

"Please, help me..."

"What is it? You know the guy?"

"He's one of the highest criminals in Georgia! He's a governor in disguise, Sōen!"

Dabi's eyes widened so much that his piercings clanked:

"What the?!"

He had known all sorts of bastards - his abusive father who happened to be a world-renowned hero, his rotten colleagues who had become villains due to their tragic childhood or their psychotic ways, unjust civil workers who thought they served justice, and a bunch of nobodies who claimed to be heroes... But an outrageous criminal in a governor's seat, who performed patriotic speeches by day and butchered innocent lives by night dressed in a villain's costume?! - That, he had heard for the first time in his life.