It was so hot. My eyes were stinging with tears as I tried to navigate out of the flames. I tried my best to follow the sounds of the voices from outside and out of the fiery vortex. Accidentally inhaling some of the air, my chest tightened and my throat screamed for moisture. I began to cough in a fit that stopped me in my tracks.
"Hey! There's an opening over here!" I heard a voice call.
Flickering my eyes toward the voice, I saw that there was a gaping hole amidst the vortex. There was a tall, thin, man conducting people out. Civilians were scurrying out in desperation as the hole began to shrink. I began to make my way over when I heard a loud cackling come from behind.
Another villain attack? This situation feels oddly familiar.
Despite the chaos around me, I thought back to yesterday.
»»—- —-««
The mission was a success. I was rescued from Crimson Eclipse and taken to safety. Due to quirk overuse and other injuries, I was taken to the hospital. Dad and Mom refused to leave my side once I got there. Mom kept shedding waterfalls, and Dad, for the first time in forever, looked like he was about to cry. A few other heroes, including Corvade, Strawberry Shades, and Furutani, got patched up too. Furutani was the most injured person. The villain she was battling allowed him to change gravitational pull. The pressure must've gotten too strong so I can imagine why most of her bones were broken and why she had bleeding in her brain. Apparently, that villain was the reason why the base began to collapse. Furutani was able to prolong the collapse though. Thanks to that, Blackbird garnered a lot of respect from the authorities.
The doctors found that a significant amount of blood was drawn from my body so I was forced to stay in the hospital for a week. Luckily, I didn't have to take my history exam on the Meji Restoration (though, I did feel a bit bad that I wasted Iida's time). Most of the stay, I watched tv, talked to the doctors and authorities, and slept.
People visited. Some of the local heroes such as Kamui Woods and Eraserhead checked up on me. A few of my classmates from school swung by, including Midoriya. Upon seeing me in the bed, he cried a river. He also bought me a bunch of snacks from the convenience store. Bakugo's family came too. Bakugo tagged along and didn't give me laser eyes the entire time (surprisingly). Tsuyu and her family came as well. I'm not one for hugs, but Tsuyu and her siblings had a way of making me enjoy them. I ate tacos with Mrs. Wren, Junichi, and Iida. Although Mrs. Wren claimed that she wasn't hungry, she ended up eating three of them. Junichi ate a lot as expected, but maybe a bit too much because he threw up all over her white dress. She flipped, and Iida couldn't stop apologizing to me after that. Todoroki and I had an hour-long conversation about conspiracy theories, and his sister brought me carnations. Surprisingly, Himawari and her parents swung by too. She drew me a picture of me and her at the beach and said once I got better, she'll take me there.
It was a bit tiring to receive all those visitors. At the same time, it made my chest less heavy whenever someone's head would pop through the door. It was strange to see that all these people cared about me. It also made me feel even more guilty for thinking about leaving and joining Kiyoshi. I couldn't believe that I was going to leave everyone behind. Because of that, I spent a lot of time feeling guilty. The only person who knew was Strawberry Shades, but I haven't seen him since the rescue. Actually, I haven't seen any of Blackbird. I know that they were probably busy doing hero stuff, but I wanted to see their faces again and properly thank them.
"The doctors say that you'll be able to leave today..." Dad awkwardly said. He was left to start the conversation since Mom left to get some vending machine snacks. "...How about we try that new taco place in Tokyo? The reviews say that it has good food."
I nodded. He could tell that something was on my mind and asked me what was wrong. I told him it was nothing.
"Rin... I..." he said in a quiet voice. "When we found out you got kidnapped, we were so terrified. We didn't know what they were going to do."
He was quiet for a moment to collect his thoughts. "...We couldn't bear losing another family member. I just...want you to know that we are here. I understand that I'm not the most approachable person and we are not as close, but at least confide with your mother. I know it's hard. It's very hard for me too."
His eyes peered down. "I'm sorry that I'm not a better father. I was supposed to protect you, but I failed. I'm not asking for forgiveness, but I wanted to tell you that I care for you."
Please don't look like that. It's not your fault. It's mine. As much as I wanted to tell him that, the lump in my throat was preventing me. Instead, I pathetically looked away.
"It...hurts knowing that you were taken advantage of. Usually, I would ground you for doing something like that... I'll let this slide."
That's weird of him to mention that. Does that mean...?
The door opened. Mom walked in with snacks. Shutting the door behind them softly, Mom spoke. "Rin, may I ask you something?"
"Ok..." I cautiously replied as she set the snacks down at my bedside.
"...Why didn't you tell us about your quirk?"
Huh?
Dad's eyes flickered at her. It was silent. Neither of them spoke. They were waiting for my answer. Seeing that I wasn't going to respond, Mom continued. "Asu-Corvade mentioned that your quirk manifested. You used it to protect her. How come you didn't tell us?"
"I...I...don't know." I stared at the palm of my hand. "I guess I was sort of shocked. I didn't know I was capable of doing something so...powerful..."
I could tell that they had something else to add. However, they didn't speak further about it. I wanted to ask them, but at the same time, I didn't want to talk about quirks anymore since it'll remind me of him again. For the rest of the time, we spoke about our trip to the taco restaurant.
Later that night, I found it so hard to sleep despite finally being in my own bed. Everything that had led up to that moment kept replaying in my head. An uncomfortable heaviness weighed my chest down the more I thought about it and I kept waking up. Around 2 am, I finally gave up and decided to grab a glass of water to clear my head. Shuffling my bare feet off my sweaty sheets, I walked out of my room. Creeping down the stairs, I noticed that the kitchen light was on. I saw Dad's stocky shadow on the tan tiles. Accompanying him was another. It didn't look like Mom; Mom didn't have curly hair.
"I think it's about time you tell her," a female voice spoke.
"And what? Not tell her about you?" Dad gruffly replied. "I know how she is. She'll figure out sooner or later."
"Then let her figure it out."
"Just like she did with her quirk? For God's sake, she's going to high school next year. I can't keep lying to her anymore. She's old enough to understand these things."
Gently placing my hands on the wall, I peeked into the kitchen. Dad was leaning on the kitchen counter with his arms folded. Across from him was Corvade. What was she doing here? Why is she talking to Dad? What are they even talking about?
"I was there when she used her quirk. It was powerful. The amount of pent up anger inside of her is dangerous," Corvade said. "She doesn't need to get dragged into our drama; we shouldn't pass on our problems onto her. She's been through enough already. I don't want her to end up like Kiyoshi. Or worse, like fa-"
Corvade's eyes suddenly jerked to me and I stiffened. Dad noticed my appearance too. He tensely asked me what I was doing here. I told him I came down here to drink some water. The entire time, the two of them stared me down. Awkwardly walking into the kitchen, I asked, "So...uh, why's Corvade here?"
"How much did you hear?" Dad asked.
"...Stuff about my quirk," I replied. "Dad... Have you always known about my quirk?"
A nervous gleam flashed on his face as he looked away. He took a moment to respond. Maybe he took too long because Corvade replied for him. "Yes. He's known since the Makoro Space Tower Incident."
The foggy memory of that day: 7-year-old me and Dad was up on the space tower. Mom and Hiro were riding down the elevator. We couldn't go in since it was jam-packed so we had to wait for our turn. The sky was dark. Stars were twinkling along with the illuminating lights of the city. Cars zoomed down the streets like tiny blurs. Everything was fine. And that was when it happened.
The side of the building explodes. I can still smell the fire and smoke. It smelled like burning metal. People were screaming for help as they raced toward the elevator. Villains burst through the open gap in the tower seizing anyone they could touch. One tried to grab me, but Dad protected me. As we scrambled to the elevator, there was another blast. He couldn't protect himself and nearly fell out of the tower...if I didn't protect him. Or should I say, force the villain's weapon to change its direction. The next thing I knew, I began tumbling down in the open air with Dad's horrified face and my feeble outstretched hands. I should've died that day but I didn't. A figure in black that had a scar somehow saved me.
That's right. How didn't I notice this before? It wasn't dumb luck or bad aim; it was my quirk. I used my quirk to save Dad. I don't understand why he didn't tell me about this. Doesn't he know how much suffering Hiro had to go through due to my lack of power?
"I've lived my whole life feeling so weak and helpless; I felt like a burden to anyone who would rescue me from trouble. Why...didn't you tell me about this sooner?" I questioned Dad.
"It was to protect you."
"P-protect me? Aren't quirks supposed to be used to protect people?"
"You don't understand."
"I thought you said that I was old enough to get these sorts of things."
That hit him and he held his tongue. An unsettling silence fell on him. I gripped my pajama pants with my fingers. "I was so scared of dying that day. But when that villain swung that blade at your neck, I became even more scared losing you. My body moved on its own. The same thing happened with Corvade. When Kiyoshi tried to kill her, I couldn't bear witnessing someone die for my sake so that's why I ran. I knew that's what a hero would do... What he would do."
It went quiet. Dad didn't respond. He didn't look at me. It almost seemed like he was ashamed.
Corvade turned to him informing that they'll continue this discussion later. Then stopping in front of me, she said, "You are a strong girl with a versatile quirk. I know you'll be smart about this. Just know that whatever path you choose, your life will never be the same."
I didn't bother asking her why she was even here. There were too many thoughts running in my head. Walking away from me, she went out of the front door.
I don't know why, but my heart began to quickly thump. A feeling that felt weird but familiar began to rise in my chest. I had a sudden urge to turn around and call out to her; to speak to her. Not just about my quirk, but about everything; about Crimson Eclipse, about Kiyoshi, about Blackbird, about her.
About this unnatural energy pulsating inside of me.
I scampered out of the kitchen and followed Corvade outside. She was already at the end of the street. She was speaking to someone on her phone; I'm assuming Blackjack. Upon hearing me call her name, she turned around.
"What are you doing here? Go back inside. Your father is already upset enough; coming out here will upset him further," she sternly said.
"I need to ask you something," I started. I peered down at my palm. "...That night when Kiyoshi came, he told me something. He said that he knew who I inherited my quirk from."
I glanced back at her. "I don't know how you and Dad are related, but you know what my quirk is. I doubt Dad is gonna tell me about my quirk, but you might."
Corvade's piercing eyes stared at me for a moment. The intense gaze she gave me reminded me of Dad's. Then kneeling down, she picked up a pebble and suddenly threw it at my face. I flinched and curled my fingers on instinct. The pebble zipped away from my face and tumbled back onto the street.
"Tell me what happened," she said.
"Uh... You threw a pebble at me?"
"And then?"
I pointed at the pebble. "And then it went the other way when I...clenched my hands."
She bent down and picked it up again. "I'm going to throw it again. This time, try swiping your hand to the left."
Before I had time to prepare, she chucks it at me. The stone hits my shoulder, and it hurt. Corvade told me to try again. She picked the pebble up and threw it but I moved my hand too late and got hit again.
"It's all about timing. Pick it up and throw it at my face."
I bent down and grabbed the rock, giving her an uncertain look. Nevertheless, I threw the rock. It never hit her face because she swiped her hand left, almost as if she was swatting a fly. The rock smoothly changes its direction and starts surging at me. I instinctively moved my hand too and it zipped back to her and she caught it.
"What...was that?" I began cautiously. "How did you do that? How did I do that?"
"Redirection."
Then reaching into her cloak, she sent out a zipline at a nearby roof. Before leaving, I said to her, "Corvade... Since I've been rescued, I've been feeling...off. I feel all giddy and my heart can't stop beating so fast. It's weird but I'm actually kinda excited to my next villain encounter because I know I can finally protect myself and maybe protect others. Seeing you and Blackbird saving people all the time that...comforted me. Do...do you think I can do that too?"
Her glowing violet eyes settled on me. "You've been doing that your entire life. You were just too dense to notice. You're much courageous than you think. Being a hero comes naturally to you."
I didn't have time to question her further because she goes soaring away. When I got back inside, Dad wasn't in the kitchen anymore. He must've gone upstairs. Locking the front door and walking upstairs, I saw that Hiro's bedroom door was opened. Peeking inside, I saw Dad sitting on his bed. He was holding Hiro's picture of us on our Kyoto trip.
He noticed me standing in the doorway and quickly wiped his eyes. Placing the photo down, he asked me if I locked the front door. I told him that I did. We stood there in silence for a moment. I haven't realized now, but Dad seemed a lot more tired and I don't think it was because he was awake at this hour. His eyes seemed weary and a bit sad. His face looked worn out.
Muttering a quiet "good night", I left him to mourn and climbed back into my bed.
Could I actually become one? Could I become someone people can depend on, someone that can comfort others when they're in trouble?
Become a Hiro?
My eyelids began to grow heavy as I drifted off the sleep. Little did I know that my will would be tested the next day.
Dad went running some errands at the grocery store. Despite Mom's efforts to keep me home, I insisted on going with him. We never arrived because a villain attacked. There was a loud boom. And then, fire everywhere. It was just like the Sludge Incident. Someone was getting held hostage while everyone fleed and watched. Heroes tried to rescue Dad but the fiery vortex proved to be too difficult to trudge through.
In an instant, a surge of fire goes bursting up into the air just inches away from my back, breaking me from my thoughts. The intensity of the heat burned my eyes as I staggered forward. Turning around, I saw the villain emerge. As his body was made out of the fire, he was easily able to walk through the flames. He was a distance away from me, so I still had a good chance of making it out. Not to mention, I wasn't getting targeted. He was going after someone else. He was slowly approaching Dad. For a split second, we locked eyes. Although I was surrounded by flames, the expression he gave me sent cold chills down my back.
"Rin, run!" Dad ordered.
I turned around and ran toward the opening without thinking. As I did, the Dad's face flashed in my head. Without knowing, I had slowed to a stop.
It didn't feel right to leave Dad behind and have him fend against that villain by himself. Something inside was telling me to go back.
"What are you doing?! Hurry!"
The opening was almost gone. The man was still standing there waiting for me to pass. He was waving at me frantically.
I should leave. There's no way I can go against a villain. What was a middle schooler going to do? I can hardly save myself; how was I supposed to save another person? I'll make things worse. I was helpless, weary, and weak. I can't do anything. I have no power. I have no quirk.
He was gone, and you were quirkless.
"Rin! Go!" Dad exclaimed.
I ignored that Dad's orders. I ignored that the hole was closing. I ignored the embers that were burning my skin. I ignored the voice inside. Because I knew that it was wrong. That I was wrong. I saved Mrs. Wren and her baby. I saved Himawari. I saved Strawberry Shades and Masterbaiter. I saved Bakugo. I saved Corvade.
And I can save Dad too.
"One thing that defines a hero is their ability to respond to cries of help without hesitation."
"Rin! What are you doing?!" Dad exclaimed as I sprinted to him.
I gave him a weak grin. "I don't know!"
"What?!"
The villain slammed his flaming fist and he quickly jumped away. Noticing me, he sends a fireball at us. I redirected his attack and it soars into the wall of flames.
"Tell me the meaning of this! How did you-" Dad spoke before getting interrupted by another attack. He hardly manages to dodge that one. His fiery fists slightly graze his shoulder and Dad grimaced from the burn.
"Another hostage! This is perfect!" the villain cackled.
He begins barraging me with fireballs. Some I dodged, but others I used my quirk. It was messy and I was rough, but I didn't care. All that matters is rescuing Dad.
I somehow managed to get close enough to him. His pulsating eyes glared at me. I realized how much bigger he was than me. He must've reached 7ft. Now that I'm here, what the heck am I supposed to do?
"Enough playtime, girlie!" the villain said. "It's time to-"
My flipflop goes soaring at him and smacks him straight in the eyeball. He lets out an angry grunt as I chucked my other sandal at him and it hits his other eye. Thank you Midoriya for that idea.
I scurried over to Dad. His face and clothes were covered in black ashes. Sweat ran down his wrinkled face and I'm sure the heat was burning the rest of his remaining hairs.
"I thought I told you to go!" he scolded.
"Uh, no time for talk. We gotta go!" I interrupted. I grabbed his wrist and dragged him away. Meanwhile, the villain recovered himself and followed closely behind.
"Where are you going?! I'll set you both on fire!"
A line of fire surges at us. Instead of jumping the same way, we went opposite ways. I ran left and Dad ran right. A firewall separated us now. The flames intensified drying the moisture from my eyes. Tears watered in my eyes as I tried to search for Dad. The wall between us was too big, so I called out to him but he didn't reply.
Keep calm Rin. Dad will be okay; he's much tougher than you think. I mean, he beat up three Ronald Mcdonalds at Burger King!
The fire settled a bit and I let out a sigh of relief seeing Dad on the other side. He was unhurt. I began to search for a way to cross the fire when he held his hand out to beckon me to stay. The fire villain was bolting straight at him; he was hellbent on capturing him.
"Rin, you have to go! Now! This is an order!" he yelled.
"No! I'm not leaving!"
"You're going to be grounded!"
"I'm not gonna stand by and be deadweight anymore!" I refused.
"You're too late!" the villain cackled. He jumped in front of Dad, smashing the cement. Pieces of it flew up in Dad's face obstructing his view. Then throwing his fist back, the villain smacks Dad. Dad skids a few feet away with pieces of his shirt burned.
Dang it, I need to find a way to get through this fire!
Inspecting the line, I saw that it ran a good 20 ft. It reached a height of 33 inches. I don't think I'll be able to make it in time if I were to go around. But I can't just stand here and do nothing! I was going to save Dad, no matter what. If I want to be like Blackbird, I have to run headfirst into danger, just like Strawberry Shades. What would Strawberry Shades do?
I gave myself a bit of distance from the fire to warm up. I tried taking a deep breath but ended up inhaling more smoke into my lungs. It hurt and tears stung my eyes as I coughed. I pulled my sleeves up and rolled my shoulders in preparation.
It's okay. I got this. I can jump over. I have to envision that I am a weird guy wearing a bright pink suit with a strawberry mask.
I took off running toward the fire. My socks pounded on the steaming cement as I got closer and closer. Dad was faring pretty well against the villain, but I could tell that he was getting lightheaded. The smoke and heat must be getting to him. I was tired too but I couldn't faint now. I had a job to do.
"S-s-stop in the name of justice!" I sheepishly exclaimed, jumping over the fire. My landing was terrible, and I tripped over my feet. I fall face-forward to the ground just as a fireball surges over my head. Dad scrambled over and pulled me up.
"You are grounded!" his sweat-stained face scolded.
Staggering up, I stood in front of him holding both my hands out. I let out a dry cough. "That's fine. You could ground me forever, and I still wouldn't care."
The villain marched over to us barring his teeth in delight. "You really want to get captured, don't you?! Well, fine with me! Eat this!"
He hurls a huge flaming ball at us. Dad tried to pull me away but I didn't budge one bit. My veins pulsated with power and my entire body tingled. That feeling came back again; the feeling I felt when I ran in front of Corvade. Only this time, it didn't hurt. This time, it felt wonderful, like a fresh start.
I knew that I could do this. I'm not weak because I've survived countless villain attacks all by myself. I'm not useless because I've saved people with my own will. I'm not quirkless because I wasn't alone. Strawberry Shades and all of Blackbird, along with Todoroki, Iida, Tsuyu, and Midoriya were with me. Dad and Mom are here. Even Hiro, who was gone, was here too.
I glanced at Dad. His face was worn out from the battle. His eyes were filled with worry. I gave him a reassuring nod. Seeing the determined expression on my face, he nodded back. I turned back around to face the enormous ball of fire.
I can be a hero too.
At the right moment, I moved both my arms left. My arms trembled in pain and a small headache began to start. However, I didn't care because it worked. I made the fireball change its direction. I redirected its attack.
—- —-
Ｏｎｉｓｈｉ Ｒｉｎ
Ｑｕｉｒｋ： Ｒｅｄｉｒｅｃｔｉｏｎ
Ｓｈｅ ｉｓ ａｂｌｅ ｔｏ ｃｈａｎｇｅ ｔｈｅ ｄｉｒｅｃｔｉｏｎ ｏｆ ｏｂｊｅｃｔｓ ｏｒ ａｔｔａｃｋｓ ｔｈａｔ ａｒｅ ｉｎ ｍｏｔｉｏｎ！
—- —-
"I've had enough!" the villain screamed. "Just die already!"
Before he could send out another fireball, a stream of water splashes onto his face. He shrieked in a mixture of shock, anger, and pain as the fire around us began to die down. The flames on his body shrunk exposing a short, stocky, man.
"No need to fear because Strawberry Shades is here!" I heard a voice announce.
The corners of my lips curled up upon seeing the figures of a ragtag group of heroes jump down from the floating card from above. Strawberry Shades shoots out a giant seed into his back as giggling Mitsumu landed right on the villain smashing his white Converses into his head. Shortly after, a thin wire with a large fishing lure connected to it wrapped around the villain's legs. The villain tumbled forward landing on his face. Static lands on his back and the sounds of his bone cracking was heard.
"Whoops! My bad!" she said. Despite that, she carelessly walks over him. After stretching her arms for a bit, she held her hand up. "By the power invested in me, it is time for me to revoke your moving privileges."
She began to slap him, hard. The force of it was so strong that I saw a wave of air accompany each hit. The villain was fully incapacitated now thanks to her abilities, and he laid there like a fly in a spider's web.
"You idiot! You weren't supposed to attack yet! We were supposed to wait for Eraserhead to disable his quirk first," Masterbaiter scolded, smacking Strawberry Shades in the shoulder. Strawberry Shades paid no attention to his critical words, and said, "It still worked out in the end, all thanks to my awesome attack!"
"What awesome attack?! As if!"
"Awh man, there's no need to get your panties in a twist," Static teased, giving him a poke. Immediately doing so, he grabbed her hand and squeezed it. The two of them began to argue again as the fire around us got washed away. Dad and I got a bit wet but it felt so refreshing.
The rest of the heroes arrived and the police apprehended the villain. The paramedics checked Dad and me for any injuries. Dad received some burns from the villain but it wasn't anything too drastic. As usual, newscasters and journalists flooded to the scene to annoy them. However, Strawberry Shades was happy to answer all their questions.
"Yes! It's thanks to me that the civilians were saved! It's in my nature to take down evil!" he boasted.
While Strawberry Shades, Masterbaiter, Static, and Mitsumu got interviewed, a familiar woman approached me. Besides her was Blackjack.
"How are you feeling?" Corvade said sternly despite the sincere nature of the question.
"I'm okay, I guess," I replied.
Dad's eyes cautiously flickered to her. Whatever was going on between them was still happening, and I shifted uncomfortably.
"That is good news," Blackjack remarked, breaking the tension. "We have to say, your determination to protect your father was simply magnificent. Your display of bravery and power delighted us."
"Wait, you saw everything?" I asked.
"Yes..." a dull woman spoke. My eyes flickered to Furutani who stood solemnly behind them. Despite the injury she received a week prior, she looked better. I mentally let out a relieved sigh.
"Furutani, you're back already? But what about your, uh, head injury?"
She shook her head slowly. "I am fine...thanks to...my helpers..."
"Help...ers?" Dad muttered.
"Yep! Furutani is all right!" Mitsumu piped. Following him was the rest of the gang.
Static leaned toward me with her hands on her hips. "How come you didn't tell us how strong your quirk was, Riny? We could totally use someone like you in Blackbird."
Masterbaiter let out a scoff. "She's not old enough."
She gave him a shrug. "Hey, I joined when I was sixteen. Why can't Riny join?"
"There's no way I'm letting my daughter join your little club," Dad sternly remarked.
Once more, the two of them began to bicker over trivial things. This time, Dad and Masterbaiter ganged up on her. Strawberry Shades turned to me and gave me a thumbs up. "You did a fantastic job, Rin-chan! Seeing you protect your father like that brought a little tear to my eyes. Not to mention, hearing you yell out my catchphrase!"
My face warmed and I scratched my cheek sheepishly. "Erm, you heard that?" I mumbled.
He let out a chuckle and ruffled my hair. "Heh! Seeing how much you adore me, maybe I'll take you as my sidekick!"
"Hey, no fair!" Static whined as she pushed Mastebaiter's face away. "I want another sidekick though!"
"I'm not your sidekick! Get it through your thick head!" her companion barked, jabbing her in the stomach.
"My daughter is never becoming a sidekick of yours!" Dad added.
Blackjack shook his head in disappointment and told the heroes that they were being childish. Furutani let out a small sigh, Mitsumu giggled in amusement, and Corvade rubbed her temples wearily.
Seeing them all here in front of me lifted my spirits. A tender feeling whirled in me. At the same time, I felt a bit melancholic. It reminded me of the outrageous yet hilarious days of the past when life was okay. There was no Crimson Eclipse or no Kiyoshi. Most of all, there was still Hiro.
I felt something wet drip down my cheek. They all took notice of me and stopped. Seeing their eyes on me, I quickly wiped my tear away. However, more began to slip out and I couldn't stop it.
"R-Rin-chan, what is the matter?" Strawberry Shades frantically asked.
Dad came to my side and gently placed his hand on my shoulder in concern.
Why am I crying? I don't even know why. Was it because I missed Hiro? Or was it because I missed Blackbird? Or...was it because I realized how much everyone truly cared for me? How much they all meant to me?
"Thank you. Th-thank you all so much," I croaked. "Thank you all for rescuing me and protecting me. Thank you for always staying by my side even when I pushed you away. Y-you, guys... I don't know what I would do without you. Since Hiro died, I thought I became quirkless; I was weak without him. But now, I know that I'm not. Because you're here."
I sniffed and wiped the remaining tears in my eyes. Peering up at them, I gave them a smile. "Thank you for being my heroes."
They stared at me for a moment. Then out of nowhere, they exploded. Strawberry Shades and Static entangled me into a hug as they both cried dramatically.
"Y-yes! You are very welcome! You can always depend on us!" Strawberry Shades exclaimed.
"All aboard the feels train..." Static whimpered.
"U-uh guys, it's okay," I awkwardly said.
Mitsumu joined the hug. "Awh~! Isn't this just the sweetest? Come join the hug, Mizu-chan and Furu!"
Masterbaiter's cheeks tinted pink and he folded his arms. "Y-you're so dense. Of course, we'll look out for you. You're getting into trouble every single day. And no, I'm not joining the hug!"
Furutani shivered to herself. "How do you hug...?"
Static and Strawberry Shades pull them into the hug further squishing me with their bodies. Tears continued to stream down their cheeks while Mitsumu giggled to himself as Masterbaiter and Furutani awkwardly squeezed me. Dad, Corvade, and Blackjack watched from the sidelines. Even though I was practically getting smashed, I couldn't help but grin.
I peered at Dad who was watching me. The usual rough and rigid expression on his face was gone. Instead, a soft look overcame him. Seeing that expression made me understand why Mom married him; he had such a comforting expression.
Untangling from Blackbird's grasp, I walked over to Dad. "I'm...sorry that I snapped at you yesterday. I was too focused on my feelings to realize how much you were going through."
He shook his head. "I should be the one apologizing. It was cruel of me to let you live your life with a lie. I should've told you about your quirk, but I was..."
Before he could finish, I gave him a hug. He immediately stiffened up. After a moment, I felt his hand gently stroke my head.
"Thank you, Rin," he quietly said. "For being my hero today."
The emotion that I felt that day when I witnessed the actions of a classmate I hardly knew, rose. The spark, no, it wasn't a spark anymore. It was something much more than that. It enveloped my entire being; it felt more like an ocean. My heart began to quicken in excitement and I pulsated with vigor. It reminded me of the feeling I felt when I nearly joined Crimson Eclipse, but at the same time, it didn't hurt. It didn't feel like a knife was stabbing my chest. It was warm and gentle like the hug Blackbird and Dad gave me, like the ones Hiro will give me when he would save me. I felt happy.
If there's one thing I've realized from all the years I've been alive, it's that people with strong quirks are privileged. Now, I don't mean to get all preachy on you but I'm just saying that people with quirks often abuse their power, and to be honest probably won't be able to live life without them. They take their God-given powers for granted. They think that just because they were gifted with inhuman abilities that they can go around wreaking havoc and do as they please without anyone's concern for others. Don't they know that some people just want to live a normal life?
I waved goodbye to my peppermint haired friend as I jogged out of the train station. The cold chill of winter air blew in my face as the unexpectedly warm sun beamed down on me. It felt really nice to finally get out of that cramped train. My phone buzzed and I saw that Iida texted me.
【 ᴛʜᴇ ꜱᴛᴜᴅʏ ꜱᴇꜱꜱɪᴏɴ ᴡɪʟʟ ʙᴇ ʜᴇʟᴅ ᴛʜɪꜱ ꜱᴀᴛᴜʀᴅᴀʏ ᴀᴛ 11 ᴀᴍ. ᴅᴏᴇꜱ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ꜱᴏᴜɴᴅ ᴏᴋᴀʏ? ? 】 ₇:₄₀ ₐₘ
I quickly texted him a thumbs-up emoji and closed my phone with my froggy keychain Tsuyu gave to me dangling out of my jacket's pocket. Reaching into my other side, I pulled out Midoriya's seemingly unlimited supply of curry bread and taking a bite, I hurriedly made my way to school feeling excited for the first time in forever.
"There's a villain attack!" a civilian warned.
In front of me, I saw a huge snow monster trudging through the street. His claws were made out of sharp icicles that he used to destroy surrounding cars. He began to hurl snowballs at nearby pedestrians. One flew toward me but I didn't need to worry. As it plopped on the cement beside me, a familiar strawberry hero swooped down.
"Good morning, Rin-chan! I see you're ready to get into the action already!" he happily chirped.
I shrugged. "Um, I can't really help it. I'm always surrounded by villains."
He let out a cheeky laugh. "Fear not! When you become a great hero like me, you'll be used to dealing with villains. You'll be a pro before you know it!"
The villain launched another snowball at us, and we both dodged.
"Are you ready, my trusty sidekick?" Strawberry Shades asked me.
Reaching into my backpack, I pulled out a black facemask and wrapped the strings around my ears. "Er, sidekick? When did that happen?"
He gave me that dazzling grin of his. "We must make haste, my sidekick! Justice must be served!"
He took off running toward the snow monster, and I let out a tired sigh. But even so, I felt giddy inside. My fingers prickled with excitement and energy as I bolted after him.
However, not everyone is like that. There are others with strong quirks who use their power to protect us. They are the ones who are fighting for peace every single day so we can live a normal life. They take their God-given powers and use it for good. They are the ones who run headfirst into danger regardless of the risks, the ones who stop evil sludge villains, the ones who catch thieves on the train, the ones who battle against an evil organization, the ones who inspire others to become better people, and the ones who reassure us that everything will be okay. They were our heroes; my heroes.
And for the first time in my life, I was finally here.
【End of Book 1】