Lily looked down at the game pad in her hands, her fingers moving automatically even though she wasn't looking at the screen. She snuck a glance at her father where he sat beside her, his intense gaze honed on the cartoony combat of the game they were playing. If she didn't know better, she would think he was staring down an enemy. The glare on his face was so fierce, it was amazing the screen hadn't spontaneously combusted. Just sitting next to him had goosebumps rising on Lily's skin and she could only wonder if this was how his opponent felt, or if it was worse when he actually wanted to hurt someone.

Could…could she radiate rage like that? Was this part of the energy manipulation Miss Fubuki was talking about? They had already started one on one training, but with little luck. Whenever she tried to follow her leader's advice and access the power that was supposedly within her, she ended up with indigestion. It was disheartening, to say the least, but she kept at it. Miss Fubuki insisted she ask her father about it, and she knew she should, but it was so hard. He never wanted to talk about Heroics when they were together. She understood that. He was a Hero all the time, but when she was with him he was just her dad. Keeping home and work life separate was something even ordinary salarymen had to learn to do. She couldn't imagine the kind of life he'd lived before she tracked him down. He was always so happy when she visited, so eager to play with her. She had her mother waiting for her at home, but he had no one…

"What's wrong, Lily?"

She looked up in surprise. There was a victory animation playing on the screen, her father's character dancing while hers sobbed in a corner. She swallowed thickly and smiled guiltily up at her father.

"Oops," she said nervously. "Sorry."

The corners of his narrow mouth were drawn down in a stern frown as he regarded her and she barely resisted the urge to shrink in on herself. Her father was a kind, gentle hearted man, but his face was terrifying when he frowned like that. Even though she knew he would never hurt her, she was still a little afraid of his disapproval. So, then she opened her mouth to dispel the silence that was growing between them, it wasn't to ask the question that she knew would upset him.

"Did you want to meet my mother?"

Nor was it to ask that! What the heck? Where had that come from?

Her own panic was reflected on her father's face, his blue eyes wide and the terrifying aura he was exuding disappeared as his mouth fell open in a comical gape. Lily immediately started scrambling for some way to salvage the situation.

"She's nice! A-and she's super fun, and she's been really supportive of my Hero career, even though it scares her. And—," she cut herself off, the pained look on her father's face bringing her back to reality. She turned away, ashamed. Why had she brought up her mother? If King wanted to meet her, he would have brought it up, himself, right? She wanted to avoid upsetting him with questions about her powers, but it looked like she had, anyway.

"I'm sorry," she said quietly, carefully looking at anything but him. "I shouldn't have said anything."

Her heart sank even further into her gut when he didn't respond right away. Was he very angry? Had she ruined the relationship they'd worked to build over the last couple months?

She jumped when a large hand came to rest heavily on her head, crushing the lily flower she wore against her dark hair. The sudden affection cleared her mind of all rational thought. Though she came over to his apartment and played games for hours at least once a week, when she could manage it—less, now that she was training with Miss Fubuki—they weren't exactly the most affection parent-child pair. In fact, they rarely touched each other, at all, and when they did it was almost always by accident. She hadn't really thought about it, given how long they'd spent completely unaware of each other's existence. The startling warmth of her father's awkward touch filled her eyes with tears. She didn't know she wanted this.

"No, I'm sorry," he sighed. "I should have asked about her before this. At the very least, I should thank her for raising such an incredible child."

A wobbly smile spread across Lily's face of its own accord, but she smothered it when she heard her father sigh. He pulled his hand away and left her feeling strangely bereft, already acclimatized to the small bit of affection he'd allowed himself.

"I can't honestly say I remember your mother very well," he confessed, and she somehow found the courage to look up at him. He looked…pained, brows furrowed in a way that twisted the iconic scars on his face. This wasn't the conversation she wanted to have with him, and it was hard to see him struggle with it, but she was privately a little glad it was happening. She'd be lying if she said she hadn't wondered about what kind of relationship her parents might have if they met. "And I don't think she remembers me, either, or you wouldn't have been the one to track me down."

He had a point. King was a famous Hero, after all, his face plastered on merchandise in every store in the country. If her mother remembered him, she would have said something, right?

"Still," he said, breaking her chain of thought. "I should speak with her. Especially since you're here so often."

She turned to face him fully, excitement cutting through her nerves. "Really?"

He smiled at her, the expression softening his harsh features. He lifted a hand and for a moment she thought—hoped—he would reach out and pat her head again, but he didn't. Instead, he ran long fingers through his blond hair, shaking his head ruefully.

"Don't tell her who I am," he requested softly. "If she doesn't remember me, then she probably won't believe you if you do. It might be better to let her see for herself."

Lily smiled a little and shook her head, too. "Yeah. She doesn't really keep up with Heroes, though. Maybe she just doesn't know you are one."

It sounded weak, even to her, but her father's smile widened. "If only."

...

Rose hummed quietly to herself as she chopped through vegetables. The television was on, playing some news story in the background as she made preparations for dinner. Her daughter had promised to come home in time for a family meal, today, so Rose was putting a little extra effort into it than when she knew she would be eating alone. It was hard, sometimes, being a Hero's parent, especially when that Hero should be in middle school, instead of fighting life threatening forces that left the city in shambles.

Not for the first time, Rose found herself thinking that her daughter was too young for Hero work. Miss Fubuki, the kind woman in charge of the Heroics group her daughter joined, had told made no secret of the fact that Lily was the youngest of her subordinates and promised to take extra care of her because of it. Rose couldn't understand why her daughter went out of her way to put herself in danger. Why, when she was that age—.

When Rose was Lily's age, she was pregnant.

Yeah, she didn't have a lot of high ground when it came to living like a normal fourteen year old. It made criticizing her daughter's life choices a little difficult. Still, having a baby surely wasn't on the same level of risk as Heroism. She was also Lily's mother, though, so she was allowed to voice her concerns when her child's life was at stake. Not that the girl ever listened. She was even spending more time away from home! She said it was for special training with Miss Fubuki, but Rose couldn't help but worry when she went days without seeing her child.

Even so, she had to admit Lily was good at what she did. Rose didn't need to know anything about Heroes to know that B Class at fourteen was incredibly rare and she could see the satisfied smiles on her daughter's face whenever she contributed to a fight. Clearly, Lily had talent—and likely a future—in Heroism, and she knew she needed to respect her daughter's wishes, but her heart still pounded in her chest whenever the Blizzard Group was mentioned in the news, worry for her only child making her too weak to stand in some cases.

She could only pray that, if she couldn't persuade her daughter to take a different path, she would be strong enough to protect herself.

A knock on the door brought her out of her melancholy thoughts and she looked at the monstrous pile of vegetables with some chagrin. She hadn't meant to cut so many, but she was lost in thought and just continued on autopilot. Oh well, she'd just have to set some aside for tomorrow.

Another knock sounded, and Rose set her knife aside. It was a little early for Lily to be home. Had she forgotten her keys? She could have just sent a text.

As she approached the front door, she became aware of a strange rumbling sound but dismissed it. In a city full of monsters and Heroes, construction was constant.

When she opened the door, she immediately regretted that assumption. Had she taken a moment to consider other possibilities, she might not have been caught so off guard by the reality standing on her porch.

The man standing in her doorway was tall enough to make her crane her neck back to see his face, which was frighteningly familiar.

Was…was that King?

She knew who he was, but only because he was one of the most famous Heroes at the moment. He was often in the news whenever a particularly bad catastrophe hit the country, but she never really paid attention unless the Blizzard Group was mentioned. Still, having such an important man on her porch was concerning. Had…had something happened to Lily?

Her mind spun as she began considering all manner of terrible situations that would warrant a visit from a man as important as King.

"Ahem." Somehow, he reminded her of a stray puppy left out in the rain, the light in his blue eyes sad and afraid. "May I come in?"

Abruptly, she realized how rude she was being, leaving such a powerful Hero on her doorstep.

"I'm s-so sorry," she stammered, stepping back ang gesturing for the tall man to enter. "Please, come in."

He stepped into her home, stooping to fit through the doorframe. Rose rushed ahead as he took off his shoes, returning to the kitchen and her too many vegetables.

"Would you like some tea," she managed to ask over her shoulder. He was s big important Hero, of course he wanted tea.

"No, thank you," he said, voice quiet. "I would like to speak to you, if you have the time."

That sounded serious. Was it serious? Was Lily involved in something serious?

"Please," he continued, oblivious to her mounting panic. "Have a seat."

That didn't help! What terrible news did he have to give her that she needed to be seated to receive?

She followed him into the living room where the television was still on, a commercial for a new cereal brand playing an obnoxious song that didn't relieve the tension, at all. Still, she didn't turn it off, too worried about what the tall man sitting on her couch might say.

Finally, she found the courage to speak. "Is Lily alright?"

His angular face lit up with surprise, the scars over his eye bending oddly as he rushed to speak. For a moment, she almost thought she recognized him from somewhere, but he was famous. It only made sense.

"She's fine," he assured her, raising large hands as thought o ward off the notion that her daughter was in any danger. "Lily is fine, but—" oh no "—she is the reason I'm here."

Rose leaned forward, forgetting for a moment just who she was speaking to. "What happened? She's not in trouble, is she?"

She looked up into his blue eyes, the shade of them hauntingly familiar. He held her gaze for a long moment before turning away, running a hand through his hair and rubbing at the back of his neck with what Rose might have called nerves, if he was anyone else.

"She's not," he assured her, again. "It's just…" he trailed off, looking away. "You used to live in City V, right?"

Eh? How did he know that?

He didn't wait for her answer as he continued. "When I was fourteen, my cousin and I visited City V during the summer break. He took me to a party, where I made…a few bad decisions. I can't remember much of what happened, but I left the next day and forgot my copy Magi-Pri." He turned to look at her, that strangely familiar look in his eyes suddenly a lot less mysterious. "I understand you have it."

With every word he spoke, memories of her own childhood came rushing to the forefront of her mind. A slow realization was rising inside her and her hands came up to cover her mouth.

No way. There was just no way. She could barely remember Lily's father—the result of too much to drink addling a too young mind—but King's face was so distinct, so unique even in a world filled with strange mutations and mystical powers. Surely, she would have remembered him. He couldn't possibly be…

He looked down and away, his brows furrowing and creasing his scars again. The light from the television reflected in his blue eyes and she was suddenly struck by a memory of those same eyes, sans scars, staring intently at a much smaller screen as their owner excitedly explained the mechanics of game that would soon be abandoned, the only memento of a life changing night.

"Impossible," she whispered through her fingers, staring at one of the most famous Heroes of their generation. "You can't be…"

He huffed a little laugh, the sound almost too low for her to hear, and turned to look at her. There were tears in his eyes, she realized with a start. They spilled over as he blinked, following the path carved into his face by his iconic scars.

"Rose," the sound of her name was surreal, echoing in her head like a word whispered in a dream. "I can't do this anymore. I-I'm not meant for this life. I'm weak, and a coward! I don't want to live like this, anymore. I-if you're willing," he swallowed audibly, his hands holding his knees in white knuckled grips. "I'll quit! I'll leave it all behind and just…just be Lily's father. That's what matters to me, now. If I'd known about her, I would have been there every day, and I will be, if you let me."

Rose stared at King's striking profile. His eyes were screwed shut, tears flowing freely down his gaunt cheeks. Now that she knew…the resemblance between father and daughter was actually quite obvious. The earnest way he spoke, the humility despite his strength, the taste in video games…

He opened his eyes to look at her, the blue glittering with tears.

Lily was 100% his daughter. Rose didn't need a DNA test to prove it. This big man was looking at her with the same face Lily used when she desperately wanted something, a face Rose still wasn't immune to, even after fourteen years.

Rose looked away sharply, hands moving to cover burning cheeks. No way. There was no way such a man was attracted to her. Her. Of all people. Sure, she was the mother of his child, but she was hardly the girl he'd spent a night with all those years ago. She was a single mother with only a child worth bragging about. Compared to him, she was nothing. It had to be for Lily. There was no other reason for him to say such things. He was trying to be a good father and give their child a whole family for the first time in her life. Rose could understand that.

Still, what woman wouldn't be moved by a grand overture like that? Rose could barely resist the urge to fan her increasingly hot face. It was like she was the main character in one of Lily's dating games, the prince tossing everything aside to declare his love for a peasant girl.

Impulsively, she reached out, fisting her hands in his shirt, and pulled him forward, pressing her lips against his in an ultimate act of wish fulfilment. He was stiff under her hands for a moment, his heart beating so hard she could hear it in the air around them. Her own heart was pounding, the reality of what she'd just done filling her with dread. Just as she made to pull back and apologize, he reached up with trembling hands and gripped her shoulders, holding her in place and returning her kiss. As thrilling as that was, she'd had her flight of fancy. She was no longer a child who believed in fairy tales.

She pulled back after one more moment, breaking the kiss and looking away from King with a furious blush. She needed to get herself under control. The real world was no place for silly fantasies.

Even if—.

No. She had to be firm.

It was with great effort that she managed to put on her Mom Face™, locking her emotions and desires away behind her love and concern for Lily.

"King," she said, voice trembling a little before she cleared it. "This can't happen. I can tell that you love Lily, and I'm so grateful for that. But," she faltered, trying to choose her words carefully. "Lily loves being a Hero. Even after everything I've said to dissuade her, she's adamant about what she wants. Looking at you now, I know where that came from. You don't have to leave your passion behind just for me, and definitely not for Lily. She would never forgive me if I forced you to abandon your life's work, and I don't want you to resent me for it in the future. Besides," she smiled bitterly. "I'm not like you two. I can't fight monsters or defend myself against criminals. I'm a burden, even to Lily, and I'll be an even greater one to you."

It hurt to admit her own uselessness, but these were things that needed to be said. She met King's gaze and held it, the sadness she saw there almost enough to make her change her mind. Almost.

"Lily needs you," she said confidently. "She needs a parent who understands the Hero's life; who can stand by her in that world; who can wait in line at three in the morning for the latest Magi-Pri release." She smiled up at him, the expression not as honest as she wanted it to be. "So don't worry about me, alright? I'm glad you came to see me—it certainly answered a lot of questions—but the world needs you more than I do. Lily needs you."

...

A gaping maw opened in the earth beneath King's feet, swallowing his plunging heart whole. He looked down at Lily's mother, so shocked he couldn't even cry. He wanted to. His eyes burned with the need to sob over the cruel fate the universe had cursed him with. A curse was the only explanation. Why else would someone listen to him say he was weak and a coward and somehow hear a declaration of love? There was some kind of cosmic joke at work and he sincerely hoped the punchline was coming soon.

Wholly disheartened, he offered no resistance as Rose guided him out the front door, closing it with a last soft, blushing glance. He stood there, stock still, for a long moment, his soul still lost in the bowels of the earth. When his body did move, it did so woodenly, like a puppet controlled by a drunk. The thud of his feet hitting the pavement was grounding, reminding him that he had a physical body and trying in vain to pull his mind back from the shadows that threatened to consume him.

"Eh? King?"

That gentle voice burst the bubble of loathing that surrounded him, forcing him to confront the reality he was so carefully avoiding. He turned sluggishly to look at his daughter as she ran up to him, the smile on her face too similar to her mother's for comfort. In fact, if he didn't know for a fact that she was his, he'd never make the connection. The resemblance between mother and child was so strong, he couldn't find anything he might have contributed. And he'd looked. Lily was a shorter, thinner Rose, not even his height making an impact.

Maybe it was petty, but he was a little bitter about it. Why were the only things his daughter inherited from him troublesome? Why couldn't she get something nice? Like his hair color, or something?

The smile on her face faded as she approached him, no doubt in response to his grim expression.

"How did it go," she asked nervously. "Did she take it well?"

For a moment, he was tempted to come clean. To tell his child exactly what kind of man her father was. To rid himself of the bone crushing anxiety that plagued him every time she got too close to the truth. He even opened his mouth to do it, but the way she was looking at him, with utmost trust and expectation, had him changing his mind.

"We've decided to keep contact to a minimum," he said with a sigh, trying not to wince at the disappointed face she made. "Given how dangerous my job is, it will be better for everyone if I keep my distance. Your mother can't defend herself the way you can, and if one of my enemies were to make the connection between us, the results would be…"

There was a sad smile on his daughter's face, her resignation clear for anyone to see.

"I thought that might be the case," she admitted softly. "Still, I hoped…"

Right. It was so easy to forget that Lily was still a child. He may have been her age when she was conceived, but he was not the most mature fourteen year old. Rose may have attributed their child's amazing skill and emotional control to him, but he was nearly thirty and still playing Magi-Pri. Lily was incredible because she was Lily. It had nothing to do with him.

Looking at his child, King was filled with shame. She'd lived all her life without him, and when she found him what did he do? Play video games once a week? Was that what constituted a father these days?

He reached out and placed a hand on her head, mussing her two toned ponytail and crumpling the decorative flower she wore. As she protested weakly, he felt both like an old man and a…

A father. He felt like a father, doting on his daughter as she laughingly dodged his affections.

Warmth filled his chest, plugging all the holes his conversation with Rose had poked in his being, inflating his dilapidated soul back to its full height. So what if he had to lie? So what if the universe wanted him to face dangers that would haunt his nightmares 'til his death? If it meant she would smile at him like that, then—.

"Oh," she said, blue eyes widening in realization. "Miss Fubuki wanted me to ask you something." She looked suddenly timid, almost afraid. When she continued, her voice was so quiet and rushed he almost didn't understand her. "Um, do you think I'll ever be able to learn the Ultimate Hellfire Wavemotion Cannon?"

And, just like that, the paternal high he was riding crashed right back down to reality.

The Ultimate Hellfire Wavemotion Cannon. A move he'd made up on the spot when the Association asked for something other than the Engine to add to his file. It was an amalgamation of many fictional attacks and he'd watched the small time Hero inputting his information like a hawk, waiting to be called out for his deception. He still couldn't believe he got away with that, and it wasn't something anyone ever brought up, so he'd almost forgotten about it. He should have know Lily would be able to dig it up. She'd tracked him down, after all.

Ah, he should have just confessed. Now, he had to come up with something that would get her off the trail of yet another of his many lies.

"Can you tell me why you're asking," he managed. "The Ultimate Hellfire Wavemotion Cannon is something I created after years of trial and error. I don't think it's something that can even be taught, and, if it is, you might not be able to learn it. You may have inherited the Engine, but that doesn't mean you'll get all of my techniques. Nor should you try to. You're your own person, Lily. Don't try to be me."

Please, don't try. Ever. He wasn't a person to be emulated. Especially not by someone as precious as Lily.

His daughter looked a little embarrassed by his impromptu speech—he was getting better at them, was that a dad talent? She looked up at him with eyes that made his knees and resolve weak.

"Miss Fubuki has been training me," she admitted. "She doesn't want the Engine to get me into fights I can't win, so she's been trying to help me develop new techniques. Because you have an energy manipulation technique in your files, we've been working on that, but I haven't made much progress. The most I've ever done is give myself a stomach ache."

He was honestly amazed she managed that much, given the fact he didn't have an energy manipulation technique. How the hell was he supposed to handle this?

He crossed his arms over his chest, letting some of his internal struggle show on his face. "Well, it's possible that you simply didn't inherit the ability to manipulate energy in the first place. That being said," he scrambled to continue, the dejection on her face driving him to come up with something that would raise her spirits again. "You may just be going about it wrong. Tell me, Lily, how often do you meditate?"

Ah. Here he goes again, spinning lies about himself. With every new fib, the fear that Lily might learn the truth increased a thousand fold. Still, he couldn't stop himself. He wanted her to have confidence in herself, but that meant fooling her into having confidence in him, which meant lying to the one person he really wanted to be honest with.

Fate really was cruel.

"If you want to develop an energy technique," he continued, quoting a shounen manga almost word for word. "You need to keep you mind clear and calm. A muddled mind will make it harder to find and control your center, and, even if you don't have the power to manipulate energy, you'll still benefit from meditation as it helps with emotional and impulse control. Lily," he placed both his hands on her narrow shoulders. "There is no such thing as a short cut. Every Hero who has reached the top has done so after years of hard work. I know it's probably tempting to look at me as an example, but you're not me, Lily. You shouldn't be trying to become me. You have your own skills and talents and you should develop them the way you want to. Sometimes, like with the Engine, I might have a few tips and tricks I can teach you, but in the end, what kind of Hero you become is completely up to you."

She looked up at him with tears in her eyes and he had to look away before he joined her in a father-daughter tear fest. Most of that was taken from the various manga and games he'd used to create the monstrous name of the Ultimate Hellfire Wavemotion Cannon, but the feelings behind the words were sincere. Even if he wasn't a complete fraud, he was sure he would be encouraging his child to chase her own dreams rather than try to walk in his shoes. That was a fatherly thing to do, right? Most manga protagonists were orphans, so he didn't have much to work with, but it felt right. Like he'd said something profound.

"I understand," she said quietly. "I'll do my best to develop my own technique, just like you! I won't let you down, dad!"

The shock at once again being misunderstood was completely overshadowed by the lightning bolt to his heart that was the word 'dad'.

They stood there, staring at each other, both equally shocked by Lily's slip up. A blush rose in Lily's face and she stammered out an apology, looking at anything but him. There was a blush on his face, too, but he was more concerned by the tears rolling down his face.

"It's fine," he said roughly, trying to hide his emotional outburst from Lily. "I-I don't mind."

Two sets of watery blue eyes met and they gave in, King opening his arms and Lily stepping into his embrace, crying into his shirt even as his tears watered the flower in her hair.