Author's Note: Yes! Chapter 20 is here! We're going to skip ahead on some things for story sake. And yes, I hinted at a specific character in the last chapter and this one. He won't be a huge main character any more than Jin. Also the chapters are going to get much longer now as we go over more things and speed up some of the Commission stuff. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own MHA or it's characters. Original characters are mine. This story is an AU and rated for content and mentions of rape, child abuse, assault and other adult and sensative content.

Chapter 20 - Changes

Keigo did one more week of tests, exams and quirk assessments before Agent Bend informed him that he would be beginning his educational classes with Class B. This was for children ages 4 to 8 because he had some catching up to do, but they felt he would be able to catch up and surpass the other students by the end of the year. His physical training would also be for the Class B age range, and his quirk assessment was going to be replaced with Hero Training. The third week at the Commission and first week of classes was stressful on him because it was a new routine.

The children in his school classes seemed to ignore him, while the children of his physical classes were being rough and aggressive. There had been more than one fight broken up, Keigo curling up with his wings around his protectively because he refused to fight them back. Agent Bend tried to tell him it was ok to fight them back, encouraged even, but he refused. When he got to his hero training, he was so flustered and frustrated he was unable to concentrate, and his trainer went hard on him about using his feathers for moving and carrying things. Keigo was so upset he went quiet to Agent Bend and the car ride home.

That weekend, Sion, Jin, his father Shin and Soji all helped Keigo and Azumi move their apartment from the 6th floor to the 4th, on the opposite side of the elevators from where Jin lived. The new apartment was twice the size of their old one and laid out the same way as Sion's. The living room looked bare with just their L shaped sofa and coffee table. The wall mount for the TV had to be reinstalled so for now it was resting on the floor. They had no kitchen table or chairs. So the kitchen was quickly filled with their own kitchenware, Soji offered to bring a small collapsible table and chairs from his sister's house and was soon gone while Jin's father brought in the top bunk from Jin's bed to use as a bed for Keigo in his own room now.

Between the three households, the new apartment was pretty empty, but easily unpacked and comfortable by the end of Saturday. When everyone left, Soji promised to come by the next day to take them both to a nearby food festival Azumi and Keigo sprawled out on the sofa. Keigo had his head in Azumi's lap and she was playing with his blonde hair, her fingers finding small red downy feathers around the hairline at his neck. He trilled softly, his eyes half closed as he leaned into the soft touch. Azumi peered down at him and spoke softly. "I got a call from your aid, Miss Bend this morning before the move." He looked up at her and bit his lip looking away.

Azumi moved her hands down his back and gently rubbed the base of his wings, where they moved into his back and shoulder blades. "Do you want to talk about it?" He didn't reply right away and she waited. He finally spoke quietly. "The other kids don't like me. They don't talk to me, they don't try to help me and they even beat me up. I don't like it." He buried his face in her lap as she kept working her hands up to his wings. "Well, they don't know you like I do. Like Jin does or anyone else. It's only been a week with those children, right?" He nodded, face still hidden as she continued. "You need to let them get to know you. Be friendly, smile that handsome smile I love to see from you. They'll come around."

He sat up to look at her, his wings stretching before he looked down at his hands, fingers fiddling together. "I don't think I'm going to be good enough. I can't do what they want. It's too hard!" Keigo tried not to whine as she moved a hand to brush his temple. "All new things are hard, you just need to try harder and not give up." He looked at her and nodded slowly as he turned to grab a workbook for math and held it up. "Can we do this together?" She grinned and took the workbook, heading for the new kitchen to make dinner while he worked on math.

/

Keigo was blindfolded. He was wearing his gym clothes and the instructor had told him his sensory abilities of his feathers were going to be the main focus of his hero class today. It had been a month since the move to the new apartment. And Azumi's words still ringing in his mind to try harder and not give up as he released half of his feathers throughout the room. A month of training and he was not able to release them, move them and reattach them without any pain. They moved at his will, each individual feather could do as he bid in a thought. By only releasing half, he could still fly and maneuver fast if he had to. There were four people in the room, including Agent Bend sitting at the sidelines.

He could tell the door opened and a few more people came into the room. Keigo pulled a wing around as a shield in front of him, the other up in warning behind him. His instructor, a man named Ken, spoke with a cold hardness. "If you attack a civilian, you fail. If a villain lands a hit on you. You fail." Keigo nodded and tried to sense which bodies were different or distinguishable. There must have been dummies set up because he felt them around but they weren't breathing. Someone came at him from the side and he hardened his wing to take the blow, his hands reaching for his assailant's hand and flipping them to the ground.

Keigo felt movement as someone was running towards one of the dummies and realized the dummies were civilians, the mobile people were villains. Leaping into action, his shot feathers to pin the moving man to the mat before they could reach the dummy, ducking as he felt a pressure move towards him. He avoided getting hit and kicked out to knock down the third person Agent Bend clapping and whispering, "Good boy Keigo." He flushed with the praise until a blow struck him on the back of the neck and he went down. He squawked at the attack and his feathers reacting to the assault and rushing to defend him and attack whoever hit him. Ken yelled and stomped a foot on the mat. "Stop!" Everything went still. Keigo couldn't move, his feathers couldn't move, everything was still from the Instructor's quirk.

"Blindfold off!" Keigo hurried to take the blindfold off once he could move, getting a sense he was in trouble but he wasn't sure why. When he released the blindfold, he saw three dummies positioned all around the room. They seemed fine. No feathers stuck in them or having cut them. He saw three men on the ground, one pinned by feathers that quickly returned to his back. Behind him, when he turned, was Agent Bend holding a wooden practise weapon. A smirk on her face that hurt his chest a little bit to see. No one told him she was going to be a bad guy today, plus she had praised him for his good job. Ken stomped over to Keigo and put his hands on his hips. "What do you have to say for yourself?" He tried not to shrink back, his wings struggling to stay still as he blinked at his instructor.

"Um, you didn't tell me Miss Bend was going to be part of the practice today?" Ken folded his arms looking down at Keigo. "I shouldn't have to tell you. Agent Bend motioned towards a practise weapon. I nodded agreement. Agent Bend picked it up. You should have noticed these things during your session. But you were too distracted by a few praises to pay attention to her coming up at you and in the end. You failed." Keigo looked down and his wings drooped a little. He wasn't sure what hurt worse, failing or Miss- Agent Bend being the reason for it. Ken sighed andpointes to the doorway. "Not only that, you made that squawk bird noise thing and how many times do I have to tell you that is unacceptable in my classes. Go to the gym and do a full warm up routine for your failure." Keigo nodded and walked off as Bend leaned on the practise weapon.

"He's been here almost two months and this is the second time he has failed at something asked of him. He also keeps making those noises, chirps and coo's. When are you going to allow us to discipline him Instructor Yamodo?" The instructor scoffed and dismissed the assistants as he began to clean up. "The Commission hired me to make him efficient quickly. He is leaps ahead of where he was two months ago. I will do things my way, not yours. If you don't like it, discipline him yourself. Or will that ruin your subtle mind games you are playing with him?" She grinned and walked smoothly to put the wooden weapon on the wall. "You sent him to the gym where the older kids are training, including Slicer's bundle of insane joy, expecting him to find the equipment needed to do as you asked, and you tell me I am playing mind games?" As if on cue an explosion rocked the room and smoke billowed down the hallway setting off smoke detectors and sprinkler systems as both Agent Bend and Instructor Ken ran towards the Gym.

Keigo had walked into the gym to find almost all of the equipment was in use. These kids were a few years older then he was, their Instructor ignoring him as he helped a few young men get used to new weights they would be lifting, helping to spot them. Not all of the kids here were buff and muscular. There were a few who seemed to be building up lean muscles, working in treadmills, and a few girls in this class that were working on punching bags and kick gloves. Keigo wandered over to a sit up T bar that was free and sat down. He hooked his feet under and began to do some sit ups, his hands behind his head, wings splayed out to not be in the way.

His normal warm up routine was 100 sit ups, 100 squats, 100 pushups and 100 twists. He ignored the eyes he could feel on himself, like predators eyeing a meal. He released some of his smaller feathers around to give him some sensory assistance if he needed it. Did his instructor know there were other kids in here? A tall young boy with red hair and thick arm muscles grabbed the top of the upside down T bar and Keigo paused looking at him. "Is something wrong?" The kid's eyes looked like they were rings instead of pupils and irises, and he motioned towards the door. "You ain't supposed to be here. Get out." Keigo rolled his eyes and kept doing his sit ups. Maybe it was because he was upset, maybe it was because he felt betrayed, but he wasn't in a very submissive obedient mood right now.

"Aren't. You aren't supposed to be here is the correct way to say that." Keigo spoke without missing a beat in his sit ups. The T bar suddenly glowed yellow and Keigo barely had time to roll away before it melted and seemed to bubble from the heat. "Are you makin' fun of me!?" The kid yelled as he took a step. Keigo's feathers seemed to get razor sharp, sensing the danger he was in from this person, but someone stepped in front of him and spoke with a lazy sort of drawl. "You do that yourself with your poor grammar skills, Habito. Leave him alone, he probably has a reason for being here." Keigo blinked at the skinny tall kid in front of him. He also had red hair, but his skin seemed wrinkled like healed scars all along his arms and the back of his neck.

The tall kid turned back briefly, turquoise eyes seemed to glow as he saw Keigo staring back at him. "You ok?" Keigo nodded before pointing at the bigger kid. Habito was pushing a hand out to grab the other red head when Keigo saw an insane gleam in the skinny kids eyes, followed by a grin that made Keigo shudder. The kid didn't even turn around as he brought a hand up and blue flames exploded out at the bigger kid, racing around the room and causing Keigo to bring his wings around himself protectively. Smoke and blue flames rushed around the room, kids screamed and tried to defend themselves from the searing blue flames. Sprinklers went off and the fire alarm on this floor was shooting water everywhere to thin out the smoke and simmer down the flames. When Keigo dared to open his eyes and peek out of his wings, the tall skinny redhead was crouched down to look at him, his arm burnt to a sickening red.

"Come out. I won't hurt you. I won't let anyone hurt you little bro." Keigo stared at the blue eyes that were obviously insane and not looking at him, but at someone else that Keigo was being mistaken for. He hesitated to uncurl himself when an unknown man came through the smoke and tackled the tall skinny kid to the ground, a needle going into his neck. Agent Bend and Instructor Ken ran into the room and she kneeled down by Keigo, hands gently on his shoulders as she looked him over for injury. "Are you ok Keigo? Did he hurt you at all?" Keigo shook his head, eyes staring at the now sedated redhead before he realized there was only ashes where the other kid stood. He was helped up and hurried from the room, Agent Bend trying to wipe soot and ash off his wings and face.

She tried to talk to him, to reassure him that everything was going to be ok, but all he could see was the pile of ashes where the bigger kid had been. "Is he dead?" Keigo looked at her. His eyes were hard and fierce, causing her to lean back a moment. She knew if she lied, she could lose all the work she had done, but if he knew a kid had been killed in front of him, the guilt of not being able to stop it could do more harm than good. She opted for part of the truth and spoke softly. "I don't know. We have to wait for a head count and full search of the gym. There are students who have teleporting abilities, while Toya's flames are hot enough to incinerate cells in an instant." Keigo tilted his head taking his regular clothes from her and filed that name away. He needed to figure out what happened but obviously today was not the day.

/

He was going home early so they could clean up. Azumi was called and assured them she would be home to get him. Keigo remained quiet the entire trip home and ignored Guen's glances in the rear view mirror. His mind was stuck on that kid Toya, the way his eyes gleamed and the look on his face right before he…. Keigo shook his head to clear the image and looked out the window at his building to see Azumi wasn't there. His heart went into his throat and he barely waited for the car to stop before he was running out of the door and up the stairs. Guen yelled for him to wait and parked the car, scrambling to catch up until Keigo went airborne, flying up and around the building to their new balcony. He had helped Azumi paint flowers on their new windows, and they agreed to always leave the balcony door unlocked.

He was hoping she had fallen asleep, or forgotten he was coming home early. Maybe she was on her way down and he would have her come in after Guen explained he had taken off. He opened the balcony doors and saw everything was normal. Lights on, stove off, front door locked. He hurried into her room and saw she wasn't in bed, a glance at the coat hooks showed her large brown sweater was gone. She had gone out because the weather was warming up. But Azumi insisted on wearing her sweater until later in the year. She said she couldn't afford to get sick and not take care of him. He ran to the door and unlocked it, looking out at the hallway to see his fear a reality. Azumi had collapsed on the floor as if she had fallen over heading to the elevator. Keigo ran to her and kneeled, checking her pulse and eyes to see the same dilated look in one and blown pupil in the other.

The elevator dinged and Gueb stepped out looking both ways as if trying to see where Keigo had gone. His eyes locked on Azumi laying on the ground and Keigo kneeling by her, his wings curved protectively around him and Azumi, eyes glaring at Guen. The driver pulled out his phone to call an ambulance as he stepped closer, only to have his phone yanked from his hand by one of Keigo's feathers. It carried the device to the young boy who hit end call as Guen put both hands out cautiously. "Kid, I have to call an ambulance. Your mom obviously had an accident and needs help." Keigo shook his head no, gripping the phone with his eyes still locked on Guen. "You can't call them! They'll send her away and then I won't have my mom anymore. Please. Just help me get her inside on the sofa until she wakes up. Please!"

Guen was conflicted about what to do. He was told to report anything unusual to the Commission on his drives to and from picking up Keigo. Whether it was something Keigo said or Azumi showing she was incapable of taking care of him. Basically anything the Commission could use to claim full custody of him. Azumi passing out on her way to pick him up would certainly qualify, but Keigo looked so scared and willing to threaten Guen with those dangerous feathers. Like hundreds of small knives pointed at him, Guen could see a hint of desperation on his little face. It took a moment for Guen to realize this was the same kid who thanked him every day when he got out of the car. Who said hello and asked how he was doing. Shared cookies and jokes with him and even told him about his daily life when he was frustrated at his classes. In all of his years as a bodyguard and driver, none of his targets had ever done that for him, gotten to know him or cared. Even the woman passed out on the floor had given him hot tea once or twice on extremely cold mornings. A kind word when he opened the door for Keigo, or a wave goodbye.

"Alright. Alright I won't call anyone. You have to let me help you, Keigo. She needs help and can't just lay on a sofa until she wakes up. I can't just leave you like that." Keigo bit his bottom lip and nodded as his wings relaxed to flutter behind him. "We can call Mr. Soji. I called him last time this happened and he came over and helped." Guen nodded as he moved closer to crouch down, hands still out palms up. "May I pick up your mom?" Keigo nodded, still holding Guen's phone as the tall man gently rolled her to put an arm under her knees and the other around her upper back to roll her into his arms bridal style. Keigo led him to their front door and into the apartment. She was gently placed on the sofa and Keigo checked her eye, helping to put pillows behind her to sit her up, remembering what Soji had done before.

Guen stood back watching as Keigo got an icepack from the freezer compartment in the small fridge and wrapped it in a towel. He placed it on her head as he handed Guen back his phone and held Azumi's hand, watching her face anxiously for any change. Guen blinked and looked from his phone to the two and back. "I'm going to move the car and come right back up. I won't call anyone, but I'm not leaving until she wakes up or an adult comes. Got it?" Keigo nodded and kept his hold on her hand. "I'll call Mr. Soji." Guen went back downstairs thinking as he saw his car was still there, despite the keys left in it and the car running in idle in this neighborhood. He moved the car to a nearby parking lot and locked it up before heading back upstairs. He knocked on the door before hearing Keigo call for him to come in.

Azumi still wasn't awake and Keigo had moved from his spot, her cell phone on the table next time, Guen assuming he had called someone. Looking around the place, it was very empty as far as furniture and personal effects. It had pictures and shelves of books, but it was as if they didn't own enough things for the bigger apartment. "Are you supposed to eat dinner right now?" Guen looked at him trying to think of something he could do. Keigo bit his lip and curled one of his wings around himself and the other over Azumi. "Mama usually makes something after I've told her about my day and she tells me about hers. Mr. Soji is on his way over, he'll be here soon." Keigo replied as he watched Azumi sleeping. Guen moved to stand behind the sofa watching them. "Had this happened before?"

Keigo's flinch was all Guen needed as confirmation. He sighed and rubbed the side of his face. "I'm not gonna tell anyone this time, I like your mom and it wouldn't be right because technically I wouldn't have known if you had just walked into the building instead of flying off in a panic. But next time I have to say something. It's my job to make sure you are safe and well while you are with me. Whether she picks you up or not, you can't expect me to be ok with this." Keigo spoke up. A glance at Guen as he spoke. "If they find out they could take me away from Mama, or put her in a special home. That's what Mr. Soji said." Guen moved to being one of the folding chairs over grumbling. "He isn't wrong. Your mom should have a panic button or something. A device she can press or that goes off if she collapsed in the future. What if you weren't coming home early and she collapsed in your apartment and was left like this for another hour?

Keigo curled into himself but then perked as Azumi groaned and fluttered her eyes open. Keigo tightened his grip and grinned. "Mama! You're awake!" She looked at him and then over at Guen and looked confused trying to sit up more. Guen stood and walked over to gently rest a hand on her shoulder. "Rest, Miss Tayaka. You had a tumble in the hallway." She blinked owlishly at him as the front door opened and Soji stepped in glancing around with concern on his face. "Keigo?" Guen stepped back as Keigo hurried to get the ice pack off her head and the lawyer walked over kneeling by Azumi taking one of her hands. "Hey beautiful, you ok?" It took a few moments for Azumi to catch up with what happened, and Soji seemed uncertain about Guen being there until Keigo told him how the driver helped get her into the apartment.

It took another ten minutes for Azumi to steady herself enough to stand and offer to make dinner for everyone. Guen refused politely as he said he needed to get the car back and drive another child home later. He agreed not to say anything, but reiterated his idea for a panic button for Azumi. Soji asked to walk him out as Azumi slowly started making dinner, Keigo helping. He watched her carefully. Having to remind her where the spoons and bowls were to mix up the batter for the fried chicken she was making. Waiting for Soji to come back, Keigo declared he wanted help with some English work and tugged Soji out to the living room. Once there, he spoke quietly as he glanced at the kitchen doorway.

"Guen admitted to me that he was supposed to the Commission if something happened like this. He said he wouldn't tell this time, and the only reason he knew was because I panic'd and flew to the balcony. Should we get Mama a panic button or someone to be with her just in case?" Soji rubbed the back of his neck thinking as he shook his head. "If we get someone to stay with her it's as good as admitting she can't take care of herself let alone you." Keigo looked down and then pointed towards the door. "What about Ms. Sion? Jin's grandmother. She lives down the hall and is home all the time." Soji thought about it and nodded. "That would actually be ideal. Which apartment is she in? I can stop by after dinner this evening."

/

Guen only asked about Azumi's collapse once after the incident. He made sure to watch Keigo carefully when he got in and out of the car in case he seemed to be in a panic again. Keigo learned to keep control of his emotions whenever he didn't see Azumi waiting outside the building in the afternoon. By the time they were well into summer, she had collapsed four more times and been rushed to the hospital with at least one seizure. Soji had gotten her a panic device that alerted him via text message and set off an alarm in Sion's apartment. The device went off if it was horizontal or if Azumi pressed the button, when she had double vision or muffled hearing.

In school, Keigo was doing better at his classes, getting some help from Azumi and Soji when he brought home his problem questions or subjects he was having trouble in. His physical health was improving as well. By the time fall began. He was losing his baby fat and building lean muscles in places to help him be more agile, faster and more flexible. his wings were developing more and they were going to begin adding self defense and combat training into his physical routines. His hero training was also becoming more intense. Since his failure involving Agent Bend and the mannequins, he was aware of every person and every change in his classes. He was becoming proficient in assessing the situation and reacting. He never tried to assume anything when his instructor told him what was going on, and always explained his course of action if it wasn't what Ken had been expecting.

When Agent Bend went to give her report to the Vice President, it was filled with progress and fast learning. The Commission was unable to break Keigo of his bird traits however. Whenever he squawked or chirped, they could only scold and

tell him not to do it again. When he stress gripped, they could only wait for him to release because any form of discipline that they would do to other assets could leave marks on him, or be seen as unacceptable by his mother, and they hadn't found any proof that her brain injury was cause for them to take custody of him. They had a limited amount of time to get custody before the annual review of his contract. They were certain his lawyer was going to find a way to change custody in the next review, and they had to get Azumi out of the picture or have Keigo express how much he wanted to stay with the Commission.

Agent Bend was not having the luck she wanted in manipulating Keigo to see her as a maternal figure instead of Azumi. This was mostly because he went home to Azumi every night and because Agent Bend wasn't able to be that authority figure to him within the Commission. She had hoped that being present every day, helping him with issues he had involving other kids, or even trying to be friendly would let her find something with him that she could connect with. She had assured him that the boy Toya had burned was still alive. In critical condition but alive. Because Keigo was segregated from the other assets during physical and hero training he wasn't able to connect with them or see them and the Commission was unable to get the strict company results they wanted while he was only with them for part of his day.

When the Christmas holidays were approaching, Agent Bend was giving her report to the Vice President when he stopped her mid sentence with a hand held up. "Stop. You are failing in the task we have given you. The boy is still too dependent on his foster mother and that lawyer. I am taking this out of your hands and into the hands of another. Tell the boy he will have the week of the holidays off to spend with his family. I am having someone else handle the situation now." She blinked and frowned, closing the folder with her report and dared to ask a question as she realized she should be bowing and leaving. "Sir, will I still be his aid when he comes back from the holidays?" The Vice President shook his head.

"No. You will be his handler."