Till Death Do We Part

Chapter 2 Confinement

Dabi let his body go limp, as he was carried by two of the palace's guards, each holding one arm each. Dabi's face fell into his usual stoic expression as they all entered threw the palaces door. Dabi felt fear seize him but the remained looking neutral. He knew from the moment he even thought of going out of the palace he was in trouble.

Even if he knew it was happening it didn't make his dad any less terrifying. That was a thing he'd never tell a single soul. For all everyone else knew he was always impassive emotionless. Dabi was sat down by the two guards in front of his dad's huge throne which the man was sitting on.

Dabi looked down at the blood red carpet instead of his father's eyes. Oh, and the gold dragon with a bright silver sword in it's talons on the tapestries on the wall was fascinating as well to Dabi suddenly. "I take it you'll have a reasonable excuse to why you snuck out again?" Enji asked his booming voice sending shivers down Dabi's spine.

"Not my fault you don't keep me guarded enough." Dabi said shrugging his hands were quivering he locked them behind his head to hide that from his father. Enji scowled down at his son but said no more. "You will wear a dress for a proper marriage I hope you know." Enji said he waved a hand dismissively at Dabi.

Dabi allowed the guards to grab him with no protest. Their was no getting away anyways unless he wanted to burn himself and the entire palace to the ground. Some days he thought about it actually. Enji didn't care what Dabi wore normally or that he stole his brothers clothes. He wasn't the golden child who was always in the limelight having this portrait painted or attending balls.

That was the one thing Dabi was glad about not being the heir to the throne. He could get away with more due to him not being the one who was seen in the public. Not that he blamed his dad for that part he was covered in garish purple scars and medical staples. It was the only thing that held him together anymore.

The wedding was to be private at the request of Enji. Dabi supposed he didn't want anyone to see Dabi's short hair or his scars. And how dare he not wear proper clothing for his body. He hated to tell his father but his gender didn't match his body it never had and never would.

Dabi was to meet his husband tomorrow night he was loathing whenever the next sunrise would come. Dabi looked out his room window he could see the entire garden from there. It was beautiful Spring had just started leaving behind the cold blistery winds and snow of Winter.

The flowers were in full bloom red roses as deep and beautiful as rubies. Their were blues to deep azures like the outside part of his flames and lighter one like the inside. Dabi loved the garden he had helped his mother plant those flowers when he was littler. How he longed for the days when things were simpler. When things were easier. When the most important thought was what he was going to help his mother cook for dinner.

Rei never had to cook dinner for the family but she always insisted. Dabi often helped he loved spending time with her. That all changed though whenever Enji started preparing him for the thrown. Dabi was taught how to command armies and look proper in important console meetings. He always hated the tight corsets he had been forced to wear and the flowy red dresses that he tripped over more than once.

Dabi longed to be out in the garden even if his knees had often ached from being on them constantly tending to flower beds that needed more soil. His mother had stopped tending to the gardens around the time Dabi was thirteen. She never cooked, her once happy singing stopped, and the flowers died.

They had gardens now but it wasn't the same. Dabi would take the bug bites, dirt under this nails, and hot sun if it meant he could have one more afternoon of seeing her smile and hum. He would often make them both lemonade after a long day of planting roses and they would sit on the wooden swing just relaxing or talking.

The thing he regretted the most was forgetting about her after he started being trained to be the perfect heir. Dabi would spend all his time being trained by their father. Rei tried to get Enji to stop being hard on him. Enji always got so mad when he messed up on the smallest of things.

Dabi had seen no issue with it at the time. He was young and stupid he determined. He thought that was how you were supposed to treat a child. He know knew that wasn't correct at all. Despite, that he wanted to be in Shoto's place. He wanted his dad's attention even if the man could scare him to death most days.

Enji had never laid a hand on him before ignoring him unless he disobeyed his rules wasn't helping Dabi either. Dabi wanted the attention even if it wasn't the good kind. "What is wrong with me? Why can't I be normal?" Dabi asked himself he dug his finger nails into his scared arms despite the fact he wouldn't be able to feel a thing the nerves were dead there.

"Then again why be normal when I can be different?" Dabi asked himself as he smirked it hurt his staples but he found he didn't care. Dabi decided then he wouldn't be put down in the history books as a forgetful brother to Shoto married off because his father thought he was worthless and wanted a heir from him.

Dabi would make a mark. Dabi wasn't going to stand by and let his life unfold into one he didn't want. He was going to make a dramatic splash. The world was going to go up into smoke and blue flames.