Chapter 1
The sun rose above the horizon, reaching its fingers high into the sky, spreading itself over the sleepy city. Towards the more residential areas of the city sat an impressive estate, a historical marvel guarded by a large and imposing gate. Within the confines of the estate, a girl watched the city come to life from her tower, sitting on the ledge of her open window as the view came to life.
She gently rested her head on her knee, light pink hair wafting to the side, a gentle smile caressing her lips as she looked out into the world she had never been a part of. The morning spring dew always marked the beginning of her ritual. Every morning she'd sit at her window, watching as the sun rose, and looking out as all the familiar blurry strangers that had inhabited her life began their days over and over again. She had names for most of them, and she made stories of what their lives where like. There was Tobi, who was always in a hurry, running to catch the bus. She liked to think that after his stressful days at work, he'd hit up karaoke bars and sing his heart out. And Yuki, who walked her children to school every morning. She liked to imagine that she had a beautiful garden growing in her backyard.
All she did was watch, that is until the estate began to wake as well. That was normally her queue to get dressed and ready for the day, knowing a familiar tap on her door would come any moment.
"Haruka, are you awake dear? It's time for work," a gentle voice asked from behind the door.
"Yes Ms. Yukina, I'll be right out," she replied as she put her hair up into a ponytail, making her way to the door.
Haruka, abandoned as a child, had worked for the estate for as long as she could remember. Her duties were monotonous and repetitive, but at least she had a place to stay. Ms. Yukina had especially cared for her, often considering the middle aged woman to be her mother. She had raised Haruka with the resources at her disposal, even going as far as providing her the best education from the best private tutors at the behest of a certain powerful friend. Ms. Yukina had hoped that Haruka's life would lead her far from this place, and had done everything in her power to make sure that she grew into a fearless and independent young lady.
However, as of 4 years ago, the head of the estate had recruited her for a special purpose. The mansion belonged to one of the longest standing yakuza families in the region, and as such were constantly involved in criminal and illicit activities. The family itself had always had a militia of sorts to surround themselves with, and the head of the house was rather thorough when choosing members. Only those with exceptionally strong quirks were allowed to join. Haruka was one of them.
Born with a gravity quirk, she is able to repel matter around her. The force of the repel is maximized by the energy exerted. The strength of a single punch can be increased tremendously by the amount of forced packed into it. As a child, the help of the main family tried to hide her flourishing quirk to no avail, as it was only a matter of time for the Oyabun to discover her gift.
Although her maintenance duties had been drastically lowered, she now underwent intense training with other members of the head's elite circle. Her domestic duties ended around 2 p.m. only to be replaced with combat training. Every night she would return to the workers quarters covered in bruises and scratches, exhausted and barely able to stand. The other workers would look away as she walked by, afraid to look at what had become of the young girl with the boisterous laugh who had brought so much joy to the home. All except Ms. Yukina, of course.
She would help Haruka to the baths every single night, making sure that medicinal tea was brewed, food was prepared, and that a secret combination of herbs was mixed into her bath. Every night Haruka would thank her for her kindness and she was brought to her room and Ms. Yukina would watch as the young girl fell asleep, upset as the cycle would only begin anew in the morning.
One night, under the guise of the darkened sky, Ms. Yukina had slipped away from the fading roar of the workers' quarters for a secret rendezvous.
"Good evening Inari," a pleasant voice whispered through the darkened garden, located under a large and beautiful wisteria. Standing beneath was an elegant figure, dressed in a a plain yet beautiful kimono.
"My Lady," Ms. Yukina responded, warmth in her voice.
"How is she doing- actually….don't tell me," her voice shook as she spoke. She shuffled through her garment, pulled out a wrapped parcel and handed it to the older woman, her hands brushing against Ms. Yukina's. "She grows more beautiful every day; I try to catch glimpses of her as often as I can," she began to gently cry as she spoke.
"My Lady," there was concern in Ms. Yukina's voice, "I fear that he is going to break her."
"He wouldn't, she's strong and that's what he wants. That's all he cares about. Power. And Haruka doesn't know anything, so she is useful to him, easy to mold," she looked up into the sky, her somber eyes catching a glimpse of the distant moon through the trees.
"Then he will turn her into a monster," retorted Ms. Yukina.
"Is she still as fearless and stubborn as ever?" The woman asked, still looking up at the sky.
"Yes, but-"
"Then there is nothing to worry about,"
"How do you know?"
"Because," the woman turned to look at Ms. Yukina, a smile spreading across her lips, tears still streaming down her face as she placed her hands over her heart, "I feel it in my heart, I am her mother after all."
Ms. Yukina furrowed her brown and sighed.
"I trust your judgement," the elderly woman looked down at the parcel in her hands, "just keep adding it to her bath right?"
"Yes, I put extra in there to help her heal faster,"
"You look exhausted My Lady,"
"My quirk is unfortunately of use to him, that is why he married me after all," she turned towards the darkened residence, "I should get back, I wouldn't want anyone getting suspicious. Thank you for caring for her, my friend."
"Of course, My Lady."
The sun rose again above the estate and Haruka began her usual routine. She got dressed, people watched, waited for Ms. Yukina, and went down stairs to quickly eat breakfast with the rest of the workers. Today was her turn to tend to the lavish gardens found around the estate, a task which gave her plenty of time to daydream.
Haruka liked to often think about having a normal life, going to normal school, making normal friends, falling in normal love, the usual stuff. Yet sometimes a peculiar idea would drift into her head, an idea she tried to push back and keep away as often as possible, simply because it was so unattainable and ridiculous that it saddened her to her core. What if she became a hero? There were times when she had watched pro heroes work from her perch up in the tower and recounted the sheer exhilaration she felt. That exhilaration was quickly washed with despair when she realized what her life was actually destined to be.
It was simply too much of a painful thought, so Haruka decided the dreams of a normal life were better, perhaps more attainable, than the latter. Unknown to her, a pair of eyes had be watching Haruka daydream this entire time. Snapping out of her daze, she briefly locked eyes with the lady of the house, Lady Yuga. Dressed in a beautiful green kimono decorated with images of colorful blossoms, she was definitely a sight. Her burgundy hair was up in a bun with a simple golden comb decorating it. Her frame was slender, her skin was pale, and her eyes were tired, but her face was kind as she looked at Haruka, a smile playing on her slips.
Stuck in her place, the pink haired girl did not know what to do and awkwardly flashed a nervous smile while mustering a weird half wave with her hand. Lady Yuga placed a few fingers in front of her lips as she lightly laughed at Haruka's flustered reaction. The moment was light and beautiful and Haruka did not understand why it had made her heart race. Why did this woman seem so familiar?
"HANA! I told you if you are to wander the estate I require you to have a guard," the words echoed down the covered walkway. They were harsh and demanding, belonging to the head of the house, the Oyabun of the clan, Master Isao Yuga. The moment had vanished only to be replaced by silence and fear.
Haruka quickly turned back towards her work as he approached his wife. Following closely behind were his longest standing guards: Katashi Fugino and Ryuji Sato. Katashi was a muscular man with short, bright red hair, tan skin and green eyes. A white sash was always decorating his forehead and his stance was always tense, ready to fight at any moment. Ryuji was more relaxed. He was very tall, muscular and prominent, his navy blue hair styled in a faux-hawk, and a mask covering his face. His skin was covered in diamond-hard scales which lightly glistened under the sun and his grey eyes provided a nice softness to the rest of his striking features.
"What are you doing out here anyways, you know we have very important matters to tend to today" Master Yuga sounded incredibly irritated. He was a tall slim man with white slick-backed hair and golden eyes. He would always wear expensive suits perfectly tailored to him and would never smile.
"Answer me Hana!" He barked, causing the woman in front of him to flinch.
"Y-yes my love," her words were meek as she responded.
"Oh no it looks like Lady Yuga is in trooooouuuuble," a sneering voice responded from the other side of the walk way. A slim woman approached, a cruel smile dancing on her lips. Her black hair was braided and her eyes were dark and menacing. She seemed to find absolute joy in Lady Yuga's distress.
"Shina, please take my wife to her chambers and make sure she doesn't wander off again."
"Yes My Lord," she sang and waited for the downtrodden lady of the house to begin to make her way to her chambers in order to follow closely behind.
Haruka pretended to not of heard the exchange as she continued to work. However, she could feel his eyes burn into the back of her neck.
"Katashi," he began, "please take care of this."
"Yes sir," the man responded. Haruka felt a cold sweat break through her skin as she listened to Master Yuga's footsteps get further and further away. Only Katashi remained, leaning against a column of the pergola, staring through her.
"Hey kid."
"Y-yes?" Haruka stuttered.
"Drop what you're doing and come with me," Katashi began to walk away as Haruka put down her supplies and began to follow. Their walk was long and silent and his aura was tense. The girl quickly realized that they were heading towards the training grounds.
"Um," she chimed, "excuse me training doesn't normally begin until the afterno-"
"There's been a change to your position," he sounded irritated, "from now on you will be living with us. Congratulations on your promotion."
Haruka felt a hard lump form in her throat. She tried to blink back tears as she followed the callous man in front of her, angry and afraid. She dreaded training, she dreaded being beaten, dragged and pushed past her limit. 'This isn't a promotion,' she thought through gritted teeth. Yet, her most troubling thought was the apparent separation from Ms. Yukina, the woman she had relied on all her life.
Lost in her thoughts, Haruka hadn't realized that she had been led to a dojo. The Dojo. The place where she spent countless times bleeding on the mat only to be forced to get back up again. Katashi stopped in front of the entrance and turned to look at her.
"Your training begins now, your belongings will be moved to your new quarters later in the day," his voice was flat and cold, "in one of the changing rooms you will find a gi. Please put it on and meet out on the mat."
Haruka stood there, frozen.
"Now please," barked Katashi. The girl quickly made it to the back of the dojo, finding the dressing room where her gi was located and quickly put it on. She tied her pink hair into a bun and took a few deep breaths before stepping out on to the mat. The red -haired man was standing on the opposite side of her looking right into her soul. His presence was overwhelming and Haruka feared the worst. Up until now, her training sessions had all begun the same way: stretch until her arms fall off, run until she puked, pull a boulder in every direction, master fighting form at an unrealistic speed, and be attacked only to be told to stand. She was waiting for him to bow so that he could pounce on her like a lion and shatter her into a million pieces.
To her surprise he kneeled before her and motioned for her to follow. 'He's going to break my knees' she panicked as she broke out into a sweat. Haruka kept her eyes glued on the man in front of her whose eyes were currently closed. He said nothing for what seemed like forever.
"From this day forward I will be taking over your training," the girl's eyes widened at his words. He was an elite member of the Oyabun's guard, and Haruka was less than a worm in comparison.
"The way I teach comes from a long line of master martial artists so you should be honored," he began, "your quirk will not be incorporated into your training until you get stronger. This is going to be completely traditional." Haruka swallowed hard as he spoke. She could only picture the worst.
"What you have endured up until now has been a test, we simply wanted to see if there was any substance to your character."
Haruka balled her fists as she felt her anger overflow and stood, firmly planting her feet in the ground. "Substance?! I almost die—-!" In an instant she found herself back on the floor, a hard thud echoing through the room. Her feet had been slipped from underneath but she swore she hadn't seen him move. She looked up at the man from her position on the floor in disbelief. 'What just happened?' She thought.
Katashi's face wasn't angry, only mildly annoyed. He coughed into a hand, clearing his throat before speaking again. "We've all been through the same test, don't think you're anything special."
Haruka sat up to resume her kneeling position, faintly noticing two red rings around her ankles. She looked puzzled at his words.
He let out an exasperated sigh and began, "The Yuga, Fugino, and Sato clans have shared a symbiotic relationship, each one providing a service to the other while receiving a service in return, for 500 years. The Yuga, having been the main clan for the last hundred years or so, have requested warriors from the other clans and in return said warriors were to guard the main family with their lives." He paused as he looked out into the swaying bamboo, "All Oyabuns in this period have required but one simple thing out of possible contenders: even if they are to fall, they are to get back up. That is why you, just like I and many others, were pushed to your limits."
Katashi continued to stare outside "Miraculously, you passed the merit with flying colors and as such have drastically elevated your status. Your perseverance and strong will coupled with your impressive quirk will serve the Yuga clan very well." He paused as he shifted his glance to Haruka, his vibrant green eyes softening a bit, "Of course you'll need a lot of fine tuning."
There was more she wanted to ask but she felt a strange kind of relief knowing that he had been through the same thing but lightly scowled at his final words.
He stared at her for a few moments, a glimmer of sadness peeking through his green eyes which forced her to switch her expression to slight surprise. "I'm going to explain my rules to you and I expect you to follow them, nod if you understand," and she did, "Good. From this day forward I am Sensei Fugino. Not Katashi, not Ka-san, or any other pet-name you can think of. Any questions that you have, you are to ask me and only me. You will not speak to the Master or Lady of the house unless prompted to do so. You will not speak to any of my colleagues. I expect you to follow me around like a shadow, completely silent. I expect you to obey all my rules. I expect you to train with little to no complaints. Out of the kindness of my heart I give you one complaint per session. And, most importantly, I expect you to understand that everything you do is to be for the good of the clan. Understood?"
"Y-yes," she replied.
"Yes what?" He asked sternly.
"Yes se-sensei."
"Good," surprisingly, he relaxed and let out a deep sigh.
"Okay now that we got this far," Katashi scratched the back of his head as he looked to the floor, "let's start with our first training session."
Haruka tensed up again. 'Here we go, here it comes,' she thought.
"Today, we are going to focus entirely on breathing."
Another moment of silence passed as she looked at her new teacher incredulously.
"WHAT?!"