Illusion: RE
Current Arc: The Beginnings
Chapter 1: The Sun Will Shine on Me
tw: graphic violence (labeled by ~~)
Etso has always loved the way the cherry blossoms bloomed, and she couldn't help but find herself in love with the spring. She always favored it as a kid, but now, the fresh air holds a new meaning to her heart, and Etso can never help it when the sun teases a smile out of her, lips pulling gently in fondness.
She loves the way the breeze teases at her hair, grey strands that sway like silk, and Etso catches the way that blue streaks shimmer in the light of the setting sun.
The world may not love her, it'll hurt her over and over again, she knows.
Her pain has just begun.
But the sun will never stop shining on her, even if it feels like it's disappeared around the Earth, she knows it'll be back around to greet her in the east, and to bid farewell in the west.
She's survived many nights, ones filled with blood, sweat, and tears, and wars she never wanted to fight.
But she knows, even with the dark of the night, that makes her shiver, the sun will rise again.
And she'll gaze at it through her window, as it comes up again to shimmer in the east, and blue, deep blue like sapphire, eyes will gaze back at it, and pale, milky white skin will glow, and her soul will glisten like stars.
"I don't wanna get up."
"Seiko, it's the first day of school."
"It's UA, they should spare their students and make school start later."
"Stop being a grump and get up, imagine being late to the first day of real hero school."
Etso is still clad in pajamas, black pants that she drowns in, and a grey hoodie that tickles her skin with soft fleece.
Seiko, her twin, is buried under layers of thick blankets, hiding from the world. Grey hairs, streaked with red, poke out from under the covers that Seiko holds diligently over his head, and he groans from under the covers "Five more minutes."
"You specifically told me to wake you up when I do."
"That was last night's version of me." Seiko pouted, and he finally peeks out from under the blanket, revealing eyes of ruby and eyebrows pressed into a scowl.
"This explains why I was born first," Etso surmised, "Just get your ass outta bed, sleepyhead."
Etso sighs, and walks with quiet, ghostlike steps, and walks out through the open door frame, closing it behind her to leave just a crack of his room to be seen.
She trudges down the hall, past the bathroom to the stairs, where she hops down them quickly.
Unlike a cliche anime school girl, she isn't running out of the house with toast in her mouth and a messy bun. She gets up at a reasonable time, like a responsible 15-year old that's going to the best high school in the nation.
If anything, Seiko would be the schoolgirl, and the image brings a sly grin to her face. That'd be funny.
Her hair now, though, is messy, as it's worse for wear from the night before. Stepping down the final step, and landing on the first floor, she pulls off the hair tie that struggles to hold wisps of some of her hair and collects her hair into another ponytail behind her head. That's gonna be fun to brush, she muses as her finger gets caught on a knot.
She takes a couple of steps into the kitchen, and opens the fridge, and finds her wrapped up breakfast sandwich. She takes the sandwich and eats it cold, it'd be a sin to microwave avocados. It tastes like heaven, and she thanks her past self for the nice future gift.
These next few years are gonna be great, the absolute best, she's astronomically excited for this, it's her passion, her dream, might as well treat herself for the great fun she's about to have.
She laughs at the thought, the thoughts sounding like wistful Shakespeare, sarcastic.
Seiko drags himself out into the kitchen in the next couple minutes, rifling to find the second sandwich Etso made while Seiko was running around and gushing about going to UA high school the next day.
Time is of the essence, and her hair doesn't seem to be gracious to her today, so Etso finishes the last of the bites of her sandwich as Seiko plops down in his chair, his bed hair raging and his eyes sagging. Food will wake him up, so Etso takes her plate to the sink.
Etso grabs the kettle, opening it under the sink and flicking the faucet.
"Seiko, do you want any iced coffee or some shit? We can put it in our bottles and take it with us."
"Can you put water for hot cocoa coffee please?" Seiko says from the table, and Etso's head turns to face behind her as Akane appears.
Akane's eyebags rage and blue-grey eyes sag in almost a scowl. Akane isn't a morning person, but to work she must go, so the world awaits her.
Akane is her adoptive mother, along with Celeste, who won't be getting up for another hour.
Akane's black hair is ratted, but she has just as much time as they do to depart and arrive at the middle school class she teaches.
"Can you also put water for coffee for me, please,"
"Sure thing," she says and lets the kettle fill near full, "I'll be right back, I'm gonna go get some mint."
She makes her way back across the dining room and opens out the sliding door to the backyard. While her house may not be huge, what they lack in indoor space, it's made up for in a backyard.
She slides the door open, taking the screen door with it. The world is peaceful on this wonderful spring day, the breeze is slight but Etso can feel it on her skin, and she can't help but stop and treasure the moment, eyes sliding shut and a weight slipping off her shoulders with a sigh. She inhales through her nose, smelling flowers fragrance, and the breath reaches deep in her lungs before she sighs it out. Being outside just takes a weight off her shoulders she doesn't even notice she has.
The backyard is long, but it's a sanctuary. Two fences line the sides, and the yard spans far back. A path branches through the luscious garden, filled with trees to canopy the sky, and bright blooming flowers and vibrant leaves. The paths that guide the ground are made with stones that lead the way to the hidden treasures of the yard.
The sun is rising, and it gives the garden a lush morning glow. She steps onto the porch and follows the path, passing by the tables meant for get-togethers, she takes a couple of steps before she lands at her destination, but the path leads to many places she doesn't visit for now. If she went the other ways, she'd find the koi pond and the canopy. But she's not here for the views, she's here for what they grow.
Specifically, mint.
She finds herself in the corner beside the shed where there's a large space dedicated to the flourishing mint plant. There's enough mint to feed an army of rabbits, but instead, they're meant for her, the gifts the world will give her.
She plucks leaf after leaf and fills her hands with leaves galore.
It's the least the earth can give her, after all, it's thrown at her.
She makes her way back down the path and slides the screen door to let herself back into the safety of the indoors, slipping off her outdoor slippers and bringing her treasure back to the kitchen, where Akane begrudgingly makes eggs that crackle and sizzle in the pan, humming lightly under her breathe.
She places the mint in a pile on the counter. The kettle is nowhere near screaming yet.
She takes a step and fishes a strainer out from the bottom cabinet, and collects her mint again and runs it under the faucet. After giving them a good rinse, she bumps the strainer on the edge of the sink to let the water droplets splatter about. Etso opens an overhead cabinet and pulls out her and Seiko's reusable bottles, and the metal clangs as she puts it on the counter.
She opens the drawer right below her and is met with the sheets made for Etso's tea. It's ends of a large teabag, all ends hemmed together except one, and she stuffs the leaves in, grabbing a pre-threaded needle, and makes quick work of sloppily sewing the end shut, knotting it and breaking the rest of the thread with her teeth. She opens her bottle and tosses it in, and adds a couple of spoonfuls of sugar. She leaves the bottle, waiting for the water would be pointless, and instead goes upstairs to finally get herself ready.
Teeth are brushed, and Etso catches the glint of a scar on her wrist that she ignores, and brushes faster. She finally tackles her hair, knotted, and brushes it smooth as it hangs all the way down to her waist.
She grabs a spray bottle and is dampening her hair for a braid. Deciding on a double french braid, she parts her hair and gets to work.
With her hair in the perfect place, smooth, proper, and damply shining, she gets out of the bathroom, she hears Seiko shuffling in his room next-door and finds her uniform hanging on the closet door.
She stops, pausing.
She doesn't have to go if she wants to. She really doesn't. Nobody would blame her. It's not like she ever wanted to be a hero in the first place.
She doesn't have to be.
Ruby eyes, small ones, surrounded by baby fat, they plead to her. A rag is being shoved in Seiko's mouth, running between his lips and pulling his cheeks back, and it suppresses his protests.
His eyes are wide, rubies that drip crystalline tears.
She can see him pleading.
She can hear crickets and wind chimes, their neighbors. Seiko would always like to brush his fingers through them, and they got their own after Seiko's interest peaked.
The sun is just beginning to rise, and it peeks at her from behind Seiko's shoulder, showing itself in all of its glory to the east.
Seiko's body is thrashing in fear, and tears wet the rag over Seiko's mouth.
Soon, a cloth, she can smell it from here, is shoved over his mouth and his eyes are drooping.
Seiko goes limp in their grip, and Etso is still, eyes wide.
She was never the brave one. She's thrown in the truck last, and she's smelling that cloth again, and before doors are closing Etso sees it.
The sun, shining at her.
She didn't see the sun for a while after that.
She was never the brave one, but she had to be.
She puts on the damn uniform and ignores pinched scars.
She's ready before Seiko, emerald green skirt swishing against tights she's pulled on over the legs that she doesn't want anyone to see and stare at.
The kettle screams when she gets downstairs, and she pours the water into her bottle, filling it to the brim. She mimics that with Seikos drink, pouring water through a strainer to make coffee, adding chocolate powder, milk, and finishing with ice.
She puts the kettle back on the stove for Akane, she's too particular with her coffee.
Etso caps both their drinks, stuffing the red one into the side of Seiko's bag and shoving hers in her bag too.
"Seiko! 2 minutes!" She shouts upstairs, hoping he hears her.
Etso doesn't need to marvel at the size of UA because she's already been there.
She's never been a student, but she's visited the halls before when she was with Aizawa.
They told her they'd give her a spot with Seiko, they've shown their potential, but she doesn't have to take it.
This was Seiko's dream, ever so brave and diligent.
But Seiko, as kind and earnest as he is.
There is a lot he doesn't know.
There is so much he doesn't know.
Time has been lost to him, Etso still wonders, and hopes she'll help someday.
Seiko doesn't know, but Etso, she knows.
This is what she has to do. Seiko doesn't know the world she's grown in.
Etso, Etso, baby, protect him, Seiko's your last lifeline, hold him tight.
She won't let go, she promised herself that a long time ago. She gave a lot to that promise.
Maybe too much, but still, it's a promise she will keep to.
She'll protect Seiko at all costs, as she's done for a long time now.
She couldn't bear to see any scars on him.
Music trills in her earbuds, a light beat the beginning of a new song.
She yanks them out now, though, because she and Seiko now stand at the towering door of Class 1-A. She frantically rolls up her earbuds.
Fuck it, let's go.
The room's volume decreases, and most of the room's eyes lie onto her and Seiko.
Seiko's arm moves beside her, and Seiko awkwardly waves and Etso is this close to facepalming.
They step in further and the door closes behind them
Soon, someone's coming up beside them and the twins glance over to them. They tower over Etso and are couple inches taller than Seiko.
"My name is Iida Tenya! Nice to meet you!" He moves robotically, holding a straight and firm arm out towards Seiko, to which Seiko shakes heartily.
"I'm Seiko Akaria!" Seiko exclaims, smiling bright and stiffening up.
Iida extends his arm towards her, and She wearily returns the gesture, Iida's firm hand practically snapping her wrist, "And I'm Etso Akaria."
Before they can keep talking, the door opens again, and a boy appears
He stops as if he were shocked, stammering, and anxious, he lets out a yelp after he almost bumps into them as the door opens. His hair is curly, and a deep shade of green, and his eyes match the shade.
"Oh Hi! I remember you from the entrance exam!" A new, feminine voice pitches in and Etso turns her head towards the new source, and is met with a brunette girl with a smile on her face and soft brown eyes that look towards the new boy, "You were so cool when you punched that robot!" She gestures a punching motion, and the boy must be too stunned to respond to her, his face turning beet red. He's funny.
The girl turns towards them next, "I'm Uraraka Ochaco! Nice to meet you! I didn't see either of you at the entrance exam but you should've seen him," She points at the anxious boy with her thumb, "He was so cool, he took down this huge robot!"
"I'm Midoriya... Izuku Midoriya." He waves shyly.
Iida steps toward Midoriya, "I am Iida Tenya, from Somei Private Academy! Nice to meet you," Iida relaxes from his tensed stance, and his tone changes, "Midoriya, you realized there was something more to that practical exam, didn't you?" Iida raises his arms, a wistful, devastated look on his face, "I had no idea… I misjudged you! I hate to admit it," Iidas face turns as he grimaces, "But you are better than me."
Etso watches in confusion, this guy is so over the top...
"If you're here to just make friends, you should go somewhere else." A drab, dark voice cuts in, and she recognizes it immediately. Aizawa. He's standing outside the door, swaddled in his sleeping bag. He looks at them with dead eyes, and a grin sits on her face.
Oh, Aizawa, don't talk about not making friends in the hero course, go say that to Present Mic, how bout that?
"This is the hero course." Aizawa drawls, unzipping his cocoon, "Okay, it took you eight seconds to get quiet. Time is limited," Aizawa looks her in the eyes, and Etso listens intently. "and you kids are not rational enough."
The rest of her classmates are looking at Aizawa, trying to figure out his character, and Etso grins.
I wonder how terrified he will make them.
"I am your homeroom teacher Aizawa Shouta. Nice to meet you."
The students let out gasps, and sounds of surprise, but Etso can only smile at him.
"It's kind of sudden," He says to the class as he pulls out a UA track uniform, "But put these on and go out onto the field."
The rest of her classmates, beside Seiko, gape at him.
This might actually be worthwhile.
They end up on the field in no time.
Quirk Apprehension Test.
"What about the entrance ceremony? Or the orientation?" Ochako exclaims from next to her.
Aizawa has his back turned, facing the field, "If you are going to be heroes you don't have time for such leisurely events," Aizawa looks back at them, "U.A.'s selling point is how unrestricted its school traditions are. That's also how the teachers run their classes." He pulls out his phone, "You've been doing these tests since junior high, haven't you? This time, now you will be able to use your quirks."
Aizawa straightens and addresses someone in the crowd. "Bakugou, you finished at the top of the practical exam, correct? What was your best result from the softball throw?"
"67 meters."
"Then let's try it with your quirk."
Pulls out a ball and tosses it to Bakugou, which he catches easily.
"You can do anything as long as you stay in the circle." Aizawa drawls, "Hurry up, give it your best shot"
Bakugou frowns and pulls his arm back, stretching out his arm and reaching high.
All a sudden his arm rears back, and an explosion lights, and the ball is sent far, with a fiery streak behind it. The kid screams with fury, "DIE!"
Well. That's….. That's fucking weird.
The ball falls towards the ground, and Aizawa comments, "Know your own maximum first." He turns back to the class, "that is the most rational way to form the foundation of a hero. 750 meters."
The class gasps, letting out a murmur and various voices pick in excitement.
"What's this! It looks fun!" some girl in the crowd exclaims, exuberant.
"We can use our quirks as much as we want!"
Aizawa's voice catches in her ears from within the clamor, a shadow over his face, "'it looks fun' huh…" His voice picks up, "You have three years to become a hero. Will you have an attitude like that the whole time?" Aizawa grins, and Etso knows he's planning something. "All right then. The person that comes in the last place will be deemed to have no potential and will be punished with expulsion."
The whole class gasps in terror around her, the air shifting quickly but Etso knows. Aizawa doesn't do that. He might drop someone, but it's not because they come last, but rather, they genuinely don't have potential. It's the first day, Aizawa isn't stupid.
He's fucking with them.
Etso resists the urge to laugh and knows that her peers think Aizawa is dead serious.
"Teachers at U.A. are free to do what they want with their students." Aizawa gives them an evil grin, what a bastard, "Welcome to the hero course!"
Etso completes the tests without worry, she knows Aizawa.
Even though the rest of the class sits in anticipation and fear, Etso knows Aizawa's not stupid enough to only rely on 20 minutes of knowing an entire class.
Upcoming heroes should not be judged by their cover, Aizawa knows that.
The first test, though, the 50-meter dash, shows off her best ability. Speed.
Her quirk can speed up her brain process, slowing her surroundings and giving her speed like lightning.
She's got the reflexes of the gods.
She's up against Iida in the first round, and with all his bulk, she can bet that she's faster than he is.
The robot calls them to start, and Etso already slows down time. The engines on Iida's calves are starting to just glow, and the others are just starting their slow motioned movements.
Etso's slim, and she glides through the air like a paper plane.
The world is infinitely slow around, she sees a fly slowly floating and descending, and Iida is starting to move behind her. The world takes on a specific blurriness, lines not as crisp, as she speeds too fast for her optic nerve to get a perfect image. Still, it's good enough, and Etso lands at the finish line in just over a second and a half.
That's about 40 meters a second. Not near her max, when she was at her peak. Her maximum was 133 meters a second, which was almost 300 miles per hour.
The robot drawls out her time "One point five-seven seconds."
Etso lets her quirk fade from her influence, and the world snaps back to clarity and speed like a rubber band. In the next second, Iida is pulling up to the finish line, passing at 3.04 seconds and looking at Etso with incredulous eyes as she stands there, totally relaxed.
Etso smiles, seeing Aizawa's lips move slightly, probably saying something to himself, and Iida is looking at her with wide eyes.
"Akaria? What is your quirk! How did you get there so fast!?"
"Oh uh… I have a speed quirk, makes my brain work faster, but it's more along the lines that I can slow time."
"That is so fascinating!" Iida explains, continuing to jerk robotically. "Your quirk is so useful, Akaria!"
"You can just call me Etso since my brother and I have the same surname."
"As you wish, Etso."
Etso sees people lining up for the next race, preparing themselves, quirks activating. She steps out of the way and makes her way back to the rest of the students.
Seiko is stretching, and his quirk is identical to their fathers, a quirk that allows Seiko's muscles to heal much faster, and make his muscles stronger, basically super strength. It was a generic, versatile quirk.
She passes by an idle Aizawa and decides to tease him.
"Oh so we're not supposed to make friends, I'll go tell Mic then," Etso grins, giving him a side-eye, and he scrunches his eyebrows and glares at her, and she has to resist the urge to laugh at him, "You don't need to scare them so much, Aizawa."
"It's Aizawa sensei to you." he countered.
"Alright sensei, but you don't need to be so harsh on them, they're younglings."
"That's exactly why I need to be harsh on them."
"You're funny." She laughs
"Go off, problem child, I need to keep up with the tests." His eyes look into hers, and it's been a while since she's seen Aizawa outside of school preparations, and Aizawa looks at her softly.
You don't need to treat me like glass, I'm not that fragile.
"I can talk to you two later. Maybe I'll be kind enough to give you two a ride instead of making you take the train." he pointed out, suggesting.
"Alright sensei, I won't tell them your bullshitting, have fun." She quips back, and deep down she knows she misses Aizawa, and even though he reminds her of things she'd like to forget, he also reminds her of things she wants to remember.
Then again, everything reminds her of what she'd like to forget. Time heals all wounds, they'd try and tell her.
Time also means the longer you've lived without the things you've lost.
Time doesn't change the fact that there are things she cannot get back, every time she sees a little girl beaming up at her mother that smiles back to her, or when a father holds his daughter tightly in the air.
She takes what she gets though because time will take, but time will also give.
She can still try and pull the holes in the walls of her heart with plaster and pray it'll stay.
She can be a hero, find a way to save him from hell.
He never needs to know, to feel, to see what she's seen.
It's revealed, to the crushing relief of the rest of her classmates, that nobody will be expelled, even in Midoriya's panic after getting the last place.
The end of the day arrives, and the weight fell off her shoulders as her classmates dissipated.
"Hey, Etso!" Ochako calls to her. They both sit in the back row, Etso sits between Ochako whose in the corner, and some brooding boy named Todoroki, who was practically silent the whole class time.
"Hi, Uraraka. What do you think of your first day?" Etso asks politely, glancing over at the girl as she packs away her things. Ochako seems bubbly and kind, if not a bit naive. But Etso can tell she's got the fighting spirit.
"It felt so weird! The way they teach at U.A. is so unconventional. And to even mention Aizawa's way of teaching, I can't believe he lied to us!" Ochako explains, almost getting a little fired up, if not angry.
Etso sighs, I wonder if he's gonna make all of them hate his ass, "Don't worry Uraraka, he's probably trying to scare everyone into making sure they shape up, y'kno?"
"I guess, it was still a startle though, cuz I'd expected U.A. to be a lot more formal…"
"I think classes and everything will kick start into full gear soon, just a bit of a rocky start," Etso reassures, "Don't sweat it."
"You're so calm about this whole thing," Ochako comments, "And I never saw you at the entrance exams with Seiko either?"
"We got in by recommendation."
"But I thought there could only be four recommended students?" Ochako's head tilts in confusion.
"It was…" Etso tries to find the best explanation for her, "It's a bit complicated…"
She didn't think it would be the best idea to tell her that she personally knows most UA staff.
But then again she's a special case. She's the first of her kind that UA has tackled for themselves. But apparently they had hero potential, and already had solid foundations.
Etso had a feeling it was because of her roots, and that same foundation, that she's held close to U.A.
They wouldn't want Etso going down the wrong path, now would they.
And plus, she knows a lot.
She knows too much, all too well.
"It's alright Etso, you don't need to explain!" Ochako smiles considerately at her, "Anyway's, I gotta head out so I don't miss my train! See you tomorrow!"
"Yep, I'll see you tomorrow!" Etso can't help the smile that teases her face.
When was the last time she had a friend?
She had Seiko, but he's her brother, and the relationship they have has been getting more complicated year by year.
Etso shoves the last of her things in her bag, slinging it over her shoulder and tapping Seiko on the back. He sits right in front of her.
He's been chatting with Iida just across him, and Seiko's attention is drawn towards her.
"It's time to head out Seiko," Etso tells him, and rubies look down at her.
"Okay! Sorry, Iida, I've got to go! Have a great day," Seiko flashes a smile, "See you tomorrow!"
"Farewell Seiko! I will see you tomorrow as well." Iida makes a jerky movement and is off on his own as well.
When it's just them, Etso leads Seiko out of the classroom. Nobody is near enough to listen to them. "Aizawa's gonna drive us home. I have a thing of cat grass I've been growing, so we can give it to him as taxi fare."
"Okay, cool!"
Seiko wasn't as close to the teachers or Aizawa because of one simple fact.
Seiko didn't know anything. He didn't have any information about anything that happened. It was as if Seiko had never been where Etso had been.
He didn't have the aftereffects, so while Seiko was with Celeste and Akane planting the first flowers of their garden, at a ripe young age full of hope, Etso was with Aizawa, shaking on his bathroom floor.
Etso didn't move in with Celeste and Akane fully for a while, and Etso is always welcome at Aizawa's house either way.
Seiko was too, but Seiko isn't a part of the world Etso's from.
They near the teachers' lounge, where they can see bustling through the windows, the teachers are no doubt shouting amicably with each other about their classes and homerooms.
Etso knocks on the door easily, and a teacher comes quickly to answer it.
"Etso! Seiko! The young ones have returned!" Present Mic, in all of his speakers and leather glory, grins down at her in greeting, and a small smile teases Etso's lip.
Various teachers greet her, they know her by now, Snipe nods at her and Etso grins at him too.
"ETSO! My young one!" A feminine yell, and all a sudden she's enveloped in a huge hug and knows it's Kayama.
"Kayama, don't smother her on the first day," Present Mic scolds her, but Midnight only continues to hug her.
"It's okay," Her words are muffled on Midnight's shoulder, "I'm not suffocating yet."
Present Mic seems to make conversation with Seiko, asking him what he's excited for, is he excited to learn English in a real classroom now, and Etso tunes out their conversation.
Midnight talks in a lower voice, "How have you been? Have you been getting better?" Midnight says in a lower voice, still hugging her tightly with her words light in her ears.
"I'm better. I'm getting better."
"I'm glad!" Kayama breaks the hug, blue eyes looking into blue, her voice goes low again, "You can always talk to auntie Kayama, remember that."
"Yeah!" Etso beams, "Don't worry about me, I'm getting by just fine!"
"Perfect, but what brings you lovelies here?" Midnight's words catch Seiko's attention.
"Aizawa actually offered us a ride home," Etso said, and suddenly it's as if Aizawa appears from thin air, holding a bag and making his way towards the door.
"I'm heading out now, so if you want that ride of yours, you've gotta leave now." Aizawa drawls, already pushing his way out of the door.
"I guess that means we have to go now," Etso comments, and Seiko cuts in for her.
"I'm glad I got to see you guys again! Happy teaching," And with that Seiko's stepping out too.
Etso isn't nearly as enthusiastic as her brother, but her words come with the same sentiment, "Thank you, guys. I'm really glad to see you guys too thank you, but I gotta go before Aizawa leaves me on the side of the road."
Aizawa's car pulls up their house, finally.
"Thanks for giving us the ride Aizawa, it's been too long since we've seen you!" Seiko chirps.
Seiko is already getting out of the car, and Etso is just about to when she remembers.
"Oh Aizawa, I have something for you. Can I run and grab it?"
He pauses, she can see him glance at her from the rearview mirror, "Sure, don't take to long, I have a nap to take,"
Etso gets out of the car fast, shutting the door and running to the side gate of their garden, Seiko has left the padlock sliding door undone for her, and she opens it enough to get through. She drops her backpack right by the door and runs down the hallway, and bounds up the stairs still in her shoes. She opens the door to her room and finds it sitting on her window sill.
A little jar that sprouts cat grass.
She grabs it, heading back with leaps and bounds, and snaps open the screen door quickly.
Shutting it behind her, she makes it back to his car, where he leans against the driver's door.
He looks at her and Etso holds out the plant.
"It's cat grass. I finally got some seeds to actually grow this time." Etso says, knowing her old plants had kept dying before she'd give them to him.
Aizawa looks at her with black, droopy eyes, and is hopeful. Maybe he'll like it, maybe the cats will, too.
"Thanks, Etso, I'm sure the cats will enjoy it." He says and holds the delicate jar in his hands.
Etso finds her weariness rising to the surface, with Aizawa it was easy, she didn't have to explain herself and she made sense because he knew.
"Aizawa….." Her voice trails off and she doesn't know what to say, bouncing on her toes. She hears him put the jar on the top of his car.
Etso can't help to hug him.
"I don't know what I'm doing, I dunno," Etso confesses.
"You don't have to be a hero if you don't want to, Etso," He mentions, "Just because you were given the spot doesn't mean you'd have to take it."
"But I have to, I have to put myself to use and protect him cuz if I don't what will happen the-"
"Etso," He says sternly, gaining her attention again, "You do what's right for you, not what you think that you're supposed to do. It's your life to lead, it should be on your own terms,"
"You know I lost that privilege a long time ago. My life is nowhere near my own."
"They're not going to come back for you, Etso," Aizawa declares.
"I wish you were right," Etso sighs, her soul hanging heavy, "But we both know that's not true."
Aizawa's eyes narrow, "U.A. will stop them if they dare."
"You know more than anyone that once you're in the underworld, you can never leave."
Etso glances down, and her uniform sleeve pulls back just enough to see the fading edges of the tattoo. She pulls the sleeve up, parting from Aizawa's hug, her right arm showing all its glory. The box of black ink, the cloud, and the bolt of lightning that streaks down her forearm and ends at her wrist.
Aizawa looks at it too. The emblem isn't new.
"You should know better than anyone, the underworld never rests, and never, ever let's go." Etso feels limp, the cool breeze teasing her uniform skirt against her thighs.
"Have you seen if you could get that shit removed?"
"Yeah, it won't work because it's multiple layers, and they've got purple somewhere in there, and you can't get out purple tats."
Aizawa looks at it with a scowl "So you won't be able to fully remove it."
"It's almost as if they're meant to be unremovable." Etso retorts sarcastically, and changes the topic, "What do you think of 1-A?"
"They're not bad, some of them aren't good though."
"Ouch," She mocks, and continues, "I can see some good potential though, they might shape up to be good heroes. Try not to expel everyone too early."
"Ill expel you if you get on my nerves."
"Alright, sure, Mr. Cat-Grass, I'll see you later, have fun taking naps. Say hi to the cat for me!"
When Etso gets inside, she deems it time for a nap.
She sheds her crisp uniform and laced up shoes.
Light music bleeds through the walls between Etso and Seiko's room, but it's all she needs to doze off.
Etso knows where she is when her eyes open. The pit.
Alas, a place she will never escape from.
She's kneeling in the pit, and crowds of rowdy people are screaming from beyond the barriers.
They don't play music in here, but she wishes they did.
It would drown out the gasps.
When people die, they don't scream and cry, they don't say final speeches as they did in the movies.
When people die, their hearts stutter, their lungs try their hardest to breathe, and other than the gasps, death is silent.
Eyes will search for help, but the only sounds they make are weak, shaking inhales, but as they die, there's nothing they'll do.
Etso will try to spare them, here, she'll close their eyes for them, and whisper in their ear, "Nunc vacat vobis, liberum." She'll whisper into their ears.
They die, freed.
She closes her eyes too, and when she opens them, she's not in the pit, she knows where she is but she doesn't want to admit it to herself.
Silk is grasped within her fingers, soft, clean, loved, and she loops her legs, one after the other, She does a move that makes them clap, but she doesn't know what she's doing because he's calling, and all the sudden she's got a vodka soda, that tastes like acid on her tongue, and would rather taste blood.
But a vodka soda never hurt anyone.
She lets the liquid burn down to her belly, closing her eyes and downing the whole thing.
When she opens them, she's somewhere new again.
"Etso, stab him."
No, no, there's a boy and she's not seeing straight but she has a knife in her hands and the boys got fear in his eyes.
"Etso, fucking kill him."
The boy shakes, how old is he, younger than her, he's got wide brown eyes and scuffed up hair blond-brown hair.
"Etso I wanna see his intestines on the floor or there will be consequences."
It never gets easier, and she reminds herself that she prefers the vodka soda.
"Destroy his guts my little one."
She approaches him, and mumbles in this poor boy's ear, "I'm sorry."
I'm sorry I'm so sorry I'm so so sorry.
Etso puts calloused fingers on his ears, her nails in his soft hair, and her heart aches.
She snaps his neck first, to spare him, the bones making a sharp sound that makes her want to be sick.
The knife is in Etso's hand again, and she slashes across his stomach, her inches long knife buried to the hilt in his stomach, and she yanks.
"What I don't understand is why you have to mercy kill them first. Someday I'll make you gut the runts alive"
Blood is gushing, warm and thick, through her fingers, and she doesn't miss the iron tang in the air, and she digs her knife in harder through his guts, destroying this little boy's body to shreds. She doesn't want to face consequences anymore, so shes shoving her hand into guts and can't help but her stomach rolling at the feeling.
Etso shows this fucker guts, alright.
His intestine in her hand, she lets it go and leaves this poor boy alone, in her heart she mourns.
Nunc vacat vobis, liberum, little boy,
i'm sorry
Etso shakes now, tears pouring out of her eyes before she can stop them. Why, why, why.
"What was his name," Her voice shakes out a whisper.
He doesn't respond.
"What was his fucking name!" Her voice escalates, and she wants to scream.
There's a moment of silence before he responds. "I don't know." He doesn't even sound guilty.
He didn't even fucking know, didn't bother to find out. What did this little boy like to do, to play in the sun, to smile to his mother who misses him now because he's missing and he will be forever because he's dead.
"Someday, little one, it's your cowardice to face your fate that will be the death of you." He muses, and his eyes turn dark within the shadows, "This is forever, little one."
Hi! How's everyone doing! This is the 3 years awaited chapter 1 for Illusion. I'm so pleased with how this turned out! I hope you are excited about this just as much as I am!
Trigger warnings will be given at the beginning of chapters and will be labeled, at the beginning and end of the scenes. This work is going to be very dark and graphic, so please take caution when reading, thank you!
{This fic is also a crossover with the fic called Shadows Into Light by MalvaAtropa, and each fic shares characters across different the story universes. Go read her fic, its a very far along, epic fic, lemme tell you, so go on over there and enjoy it too!}[you don't have to read that fic to read this one, they are independent works with some shared characters]
Please leave comments! I'd love to hear your thoughts!