I
TOUYA
The clamor of the crowd was deafening, I'd never seen so many people gathered in one place. That day I decided not to wear my hero costume, I wanted to enjoy the festivities as a civilian. For almost a century our world had been held captive by the horrible grip of terror and fear; a dark shadow had been hovering over us all, the shadow of the most feared villain of all times: All Might.
But at long last that sorrowful era had come to an end, thanks to the greatest hero that ever lived: All for One.
I stood on my tiptoes and peered, trying to catch a glimpse of the stage at the end of the square; luckily he hadn't arrived yet. I absolutely wanted to be in the front row when I got to cheer on my hero.
I took a step towards the stage, but stopped when I heard the high pitched whine of a child nearby, and I ran towards him.
« What happened, kid? »
The child's dark eyes were wet with tears, his face puffy and red.
« Someone pushed me and I slipped, my All for One cloak got stuck, » he cried.
I smiled and patted his head trying to calm him down, the replica of All for One's signature purple mantle was stuck under wooden boards and other construction material someone had left there after building the stage. How irresponsible. The child seemed to be more worried about his cloak being ruined than his bruised knee.
« I don't want to tear it! » he held the purple cloth tight in his little hands.
« That won't happen. Trust me, okay? »
I rested my right hand on the wooden boards and in a second they were enveloped by warm blue flames; I made sure to lower the temperature of the fire near the cloth so as not to burn it, then I blew the ashes away.
« But… but, you're Phoenix! The hero who made it to the top 20 last week! » the kid shouted in excitement, his eyes flashing with joy.
I nodded, It was me. After a lifetime of struggles, I had overcome my limits and made my father's dream my own. To him, I'd never have been enough: I wasn't Shouto, his perfect little experiment. Still, I was a pro hero, and I'd become that of my own free will, with my own strength.
The kid hugged me and ran away giggling. I dove into the tide of cheering people, and avoiding a few nudges and shoves I managed to get to the first row.
« Touya! I was wondering where you were! » Shimura greeted. He tied his bluish hair in a tail, he too wasn't wearing his hero costume. Smart move, we would've stood out too much.
« I thought you'd make me fly over the whole city to get you! » said Hawks, with an arm around my shoulder.
« I can manage on my own just fine, bird brain. » I smirked back at him. Hawks playfully pressed his forehead to mine.
« We both know that's not true, little brother »
My answer got lost in the excited roar that rose up from the crowd, chanting one sole thing: Symbol of Peace.
A figure moved on the side of the stage, and a moment later a man in a wheelchair appeared from behind the heavy velvet curtains. His face was concealed by a black glass helmet, from which a series of tubes were tangled above and into his chest. When he got to the center of the stage, everyone hushed.
He no longer seemed the powerful man he used to be. All for One had given countless interviews following the terrible battle against the Symbol of Terror, yet no one had seen him after that fight, and he'd never appeared on cameras: now I understood the reason why.
« My beloved citizens! I don't want to see you so saddened by my current appearance. I am here now, alive and well. »
He raised his arms, but it was clear that gesture cost him a lot.
« All Might, the Symbol of Terror is gone for good. And I don't wish for this moment, which should be filled with nothing but unbridled happiness, to be spoiled by these conditions of mine. »
He took a long pause, as if waiting for our applause or looking for our smiles, but nothing happened. The crowd was petrified, all we could do was gawk.
All for One cleared his voice.
« Fighting evil takes its toll, it demands sacrifices. Heroes put the welfare of citizens above everything, even above themselves: that's how they earn their name. And that is why I shall never give up, as long as there is even one child crying out for help in this world, I will never cease to exist. I will never step back! »
I glanced at the dumbfounded crowd, and did something terribly out of character: I raised my arms and shouted Symbol of Peace's name.
Hawks and Shimura exchanged looks and then followed me, and one voice after another, the chorus became deafening. I couldn't be sure, but I could almost feel All for One's smile from behind his dark helmet.
After they awarded All for One with the title of 'Protector of the World', Hawks, Shimura and I set out to the agency office where we worked. To be precise, Endeavor's agency. I know it sounded as if I'd used my father's influence to get where I was, but that was not the case; to be honest it had been all Hawk's idea: he said it'd grant me the chance to prove to him how strong I really was, and that one day I would have overpowered even him. My hero teammate found the whole situation hilarious. Bird brain had a weird sense of humour.
« You know, we'll have to think of a more serious name for our trio, » said Hawks, « I mean, we do all our missions together... and the name Icarus doesn't fit the new team at all. We should be more memorable! »
Shimura burst into a laugh, « memorable? You're too obsessed with popularity, I'm telling you. »
« And you care too little, I'm telling you. »
I chuckled and the scar on my left cheek gave me a twinge. Hawks flew upside down right in front of my face, that annoying pidgeon.
« And why are you so quiet today? »
I just shook my head and shoved him out of the way.
« We're here, » I said, pressing the intercom.
« You're so ready to change the subject only when something's buzzing in that fried little head of yours. You haven't changed much since we were kids. »
I ignored him, but damn, was he right. I sighed and opened the door.
« Touya, finally! You're late. » said my father.
He was standing in the center of the room, with his arms crossed and his usual scowl surrounded by flames.
« We were at the Number One's award show, » I shrugged.
Even though I'd forgiven him and put our past behind me, I couldn't help but enjoy the sight of my father livid with rage for being the forever Number Two hero. It served him right.
« UA called, Shouto did it again; they want to talk to a family member. You'll get him right after patrol. »
I blanched. My little brother had a bit of an anger issue, which was understandable given who had raised him, but lately he had started to get in trouble for it. « And you want to send me? Why? »
« Aren't you a hero, Phoenix? » He said, his voice dry, and I realized the conversation was over.
I glared. Was he implying that Shou needed to be saved? I knew that quite well, but I also knew whose fault it was. Apparently, father didn't. If he couldn't even bother to counsel his own favorite son, then I would; I wasn't going to abandon my brother like he did with me all those years ago.
Before I left the room, Hawks grasped my arm.
« If you need me, I'm here. »
I smiled. That's right, I wasn't the angsty kid I used to be: I had my friends.
« I know. »