Midori the Phoenix
Chapter 15: A Mother's Love
"Dad...Dad…" Finnick sat on Dabi's stomach shaking him trying to get him to wake up. Dabi in turn groaned in complaint and shifted tossing his son to the side of him.
"Go away…" he groaned.
"Come on Dad you promised...Dad... dad…" Finnick huffed and his eyes narrowed. His quirk activated with his temper, a spark of fire igniting and burning Dabi's pillowcase. "DAD!"
"GAH FUCK JESUS FINNICK!" Dabi jolted awake and rubbed his ear feeling the heat of it. "Alright, alright I'm up, no need to set the damn house on fire."
Finnick Todoroki
Quirk: Pyrokenisis, can mentally ignite an object or person through intense visual contact.
"You promised to train me when I got my quirk. You promised!"
"Yeah, but not at five fucking o clock in the morning." He yawned and pulled himself out of bed. He slumped to the closet grabbing a pair of pants and a shirt. Finnick sat on the edge of the bed watching him eagerly. "Why are you so damn excited about this anyway?"
"Shigaraki said training is a fun father-son activity. It'll strengthen our bond." He grinned widely.
"What the hell would Shigaraki know about father son bonding?" He muttered and shoved his t shirt on. "Training didn't exactly help my father and I bond. It made me hate his guts."
"Huh?" Finnick blinked and his expression turned worried. "It-It did?"
"Yeah, but…" Dabi sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. "I'm not gonna train you like he did. My father was an asshole who was obsessed with power."
"Oh…" Finnick giggled. "Well you're nothing like that, dad, so we should be okay, right?"
"Right…" he smiled and ruffled his hair. "Though if you keep waking me up at the butt-crack of dawn I may very well consider putting you up for adoption."
"Hahaha," Finnick laughed, knowing it was a joke.
"I'm not all that athletic myself, Finn, but I can teach you some basics." He took him by the hand and walked him out towards the back. When they arrived they saw Kota, shirtless, and already deep into his calisthenics. "Looks like we're not the only ones up at the butt crack of dawn."
Kota paused mid-handstand and adjusted his stance to look at the two upside down.
"Who can sleep? I've got such an adrenaline rush going right now." He backflipped several times before landing on his feet and stretching. The kid was only ten, but thanks to the addition of Muscular's quirk he already had some impressive looking guns. Strong arms, strong legs, and his growth spurt put him just at five feet. Dabi thought by the time the kid was sixteen he'd be over six feet tall.
"No more sugar before bed for you." Dabi walked over placing his hands on Kota's forehead. "Are you staying hydrated? With your quirk it's double important for you to keep your body's fluid count up."
"Yes, daaad…." Kota rolled his eyes then looked to Finnick who was pouting. "Ignore me and look after your own, huh?" He slapped Dabi's arm and strutted to the tree where he'd left his water jug.
"Heh, right," he turned to Finnick and motioned him over. Finnick's pout immediately dropped and he ran over all smiles. Dabi crouched down and he ran fingers gently through the red mop of curls. "From what Rob said, the key to your quirk is eye contact, and focus." He pointed outward. The backyard blended in with the natural surroundings which was a wide open field that leads into a forest area. In that field was a group of targets, and outlined areas they used for training purposes. "Do you see the center target straight ahead of us?"
"Yeah…" Finnick squinted a little but nodded in affirmation.
"That's your center point. I want you to focus on that and only that." He moved Finnick so the boy stood in front of him. "Close your eyes…"
"Huh? If I do that I won't see the-" Finnick started to interject but stopped when Dabi grabbed both sides of his head and kept him positioned forward.
"Just trust me, okay?" He waited until Finnick nodded before moving onto the next part. "Relax every part or your body, take a couple of long deep breaths. In… out… in… out…" He placed his hand on his son's stomach making sure he kept the steady breathing rhythm. "Keep going."
Finnick wasn't sure what his father was about… but he trusted that the man knew what he was doing. He took those deep breaths… felt his tense body go loose and the excitement ebb into patience, and concentration.
"Good… now picture the target in your mind. You've got a good imagination Finn, so use it now. Picture the target… picture where it is, what it looks like, and imagine it getting closer, and closer until you feel like you can touch it."
"Okay…" Finnick obeyed him, the picture clear as crystal in his mind. He took in another long deep breath, feeling a bit odd and tingly inside, as if something was crawling just inside his skin.
"Good… now on the count of three, I want you to open your eyes, and when you do imagine that target going up in flames." He waited a beat, waiting for Finn to take in the message he gave. "One… two…" He looked over his head at the target. "Three!"
Finnick's eyes snapped open, the green orbs going sharp and bright as his quirk triggered almost automatically. The target not only caught fire, but exploded with a rippling flame that turned it to ash within a minute. Dabi's grin couldn't be wider as pride swam in him.
"That's my boy." He cuddled the boy as both of them laughed with elation.
"That was awesome, dad!" Finnick turned in his arms and hugged him. "It happened so fast! Normally I have to look at something for a REALLY long time."
"Focus is the key, Finnick." He tapped his forehead. "Your mom would tell you that your mind is more important than your quirk, and she'd be right about that. I can't tell you how many times that brain of hers saved our skin."
"Is it true she's alive?" Finnick looked up bright eyed. "Will I really be able to meet her?"
"That's right, Finn. The heroes have her trapped, for now, but I bet you anything she's doing everything she can to break free and come see you." He picked him up and looked out at the smoking ashes of the target. "When your mom sets her sight on something… she doesn't let go or give up until she gets what she wants."
~Detstar JDC~
"GET HER!"
Midori scrambled as she was spotted, and a half a dozen pre-teens charged towards her. The so-called recreational activity she was being forced to participate in was a remodeled version of hide and seek that the supervisor's called "Predator Vs. Prey." The selected group of kids were separated into two teams: Predator and Prey. The Prey were set loose in a fenced off area that had trees, bushes, and a man made river to provide various different types of environments. The Predators had to hunt after the prey, and either capture them, or force them to yield before the time limit.
Unfortunately for her, she was too young and weak in everyone's eyes and ended up joining the prey team. Her teammates had long abandoned her, not wanting to get held back by a toddler. The joke was on them though, as she managed to find a nice quiet place to hide, and outlasted her now captive teammates.
"Nowhere to run, yah shrimp!" One of the preteens, a tall boy with burnt orange hair by the name of Max, was hot on her tail. "No way I'm letting a little small fry like you keep me from total victory!"
Midori skidded and barely managed to dodge as a taller and skinnier kid came leaping up out of the bushes. Instead of getting her though, he ran straight into Max, the two of them colliding and causing the group to collapse in a big pile. Midori took this opportunity to get out of the way and climb up a nearby tree and out of reach.
"Get the fuck off me, slim!" Max shoved the skinny boy off him and got to his feet rubbing the blood from the new cut on his lip. "Damn brat! Get down here!"
"Oh yeah, like shouting at me is really gonna make me come down!" Midori retorted and stuck out her tongue. "Come and get me if you're so big and strong!"
"Grrrr…" Max cracked his knuckles then looked to his team. "Well you heard her. Someone climb up and teach that brat a lesson."
"Not me, I'm afraid of heights." One kid said. "I'll pass."
"I'm too damn tired to climb up that, why don't you do it?" another complained.
"Ugh, you're all a bunch of fucking losers!" Max whirled on them. "Do I have to do everything myself."
"Chill Max, I got this." Yuuichi spoke up as he walked to the tree. He gave Midori an apologetic look and easily scaled up the tree. Midori hugged the branch looking ready to cling on for dear life. "You really wanna make this hard, Midori? You're fighting a losing battle, yah know."
"I only lose if I give up." Midori retorted and clung on tighter. "You want me down, you're gonna have to drag me."
"What the hell are you waiting for, Wolf Boy?" Max shouted up at Yuuichi. "We've only got five minutes left. Grab the brat and let's go!"
"I really don't wanna hurt you, Midori. Come on…" He held out his hand for hers. "Don't make this harder on yourself."
Midori looked at his hand then up into his eyes. Her first instinct was to take it, and accept the loss… but in the back of her head she heard karma hiss with annoyance and it made her eyes go hard.
"I said, no! If I last another five minutes then my team wins! I'm not giving up!" She slapped his hand away and she shocks everyone by climbing even higher in the tree. Yuuichi sighed heavily and followed her up.
"Hey, come on, the branches up there are a lot weaker, you're gonna fall if you-"
As if on cue, the branch Midori grabbed onto suddenly snapped and she gasped as her body falls backwards. She lets out a little scream closing her eyes and waiting for the impact of the ground. Instead she feels a hand clamp around her wrist, jarring her shoulder but keeping her from smacking her head on the ground or breaking a limb.
"I got yah!" Yuuichi told her, hanging upside from the branch and holding her up. Midori looked up at him, her eyes wide and teary. "Don't wriggle or I'm liable to drop you."
Midori nodded and she stretched out her other hand to try and grab his free one. She let out a yelp as a pair of hands grab her ankles and yank her free. Midori found herself falling again, but the drop wasn't as harsh. She collapsed to the ground wincing as she was held down in place.
"Nice work, wolf boy!" Max grinned and grabbed Midori by the hair. "You're the last of the prey, and I'm gonna enjoy dragging you back to base."
"Easy max, we've got her, no need to abuse her." Yuuichi climbed the rest of the way down and grabbed his shoulder trying to ease him off. Max shoved him off and yanked Midori to her feet by the scruff of her neck.
"It's her own damn fault. Look what that little runt did to me." He motioned to the cut on his lip. "I was supposed to win flawlessly, but this tiny annoyance ruined it for me… and in the words of a famous villain-" he let Midori go long enough to backhand her. "Karma's a bitch!"
Midori collapsed to the ground holding her face and feeling it swell. She heard the screams of rage inside her head, but she ignored them. Instead her eyes turned cold and angry, and she looked up at Max.
"You have no idea."
~Cafeteria~
The exercise came to a close, and the predator team was given the clear win. Still the fact that a four, soon to be five, year old had managed to outwit a group of preteens became a hot discussion topic.
Max didn't take it too well. Like many other bullies he had a fragile pride, and decided to make Midori's life a living hell for the next several hours as they went through activity after activity. He shoved her around, called her names, and picked on every single flaw she showed. It just added insult to injury that Midori couldn't even pick a fight. Whenever she attempted to defend herself, the supervisor's and coaches scolded her.
It was made clear to her by their treatment that the adults of this place had figured out that she wasn't Karma's offspring, but instead was the genuine article. They had their beady little eyes trained on her, and was just waiting for an excuse to put her in a cell.
"Tch…" She held the ice pack to her jaw, her arms and legs bandaged from the various scrapes and bruises she'd gained from the activities and Max's torment. She didn't mind a little pain, but the throbbing in her cheek was too apparent to ignore. If she was gonna have any chance of surviving this place she really needed to find a way to let out some aggression.
What she really wanted to do was put her fist right through Max's smug face. That would instantly make her feel better. She heard a tray hit the table and her eyes glanced up as Yuuichi sat down and gave her a grin.
"Hey, how are you holding up, champ?"
"Well enough I guess…" She grunted and set the ice pack down. "If you came for my food, you're welcomed to it. I can't really chew anything right now." She shoved her tray across the table at him and opened her journal so she could doodle in it. She tapped the pen on the top of the page, and glanced up when Yuuichi scooted a pudding cup against her hand.
"This should be easy on your mouth." He gave a gentle smile. "I'm sorry about before. I guess I should have just let you stay in the tree."
"You were only playing to the rules of the activity." She eyed the pudding cup, grimacing when her stomach growled against her will. "It's not your fault, Max is a jerk."
"I know, but I'm still sorry for it." He nodded for her to eat. "You should eat something. The tests are only gonna get harder from here, and for whatever reason the coaches seem to have it out for you. Especially Captain Akira."
"I don't think it's me they're after… but thanks for the concern." She popped open the pudding and dipped the spoon in. "Which one is Akira again?"
"Big guy, silver hair, has a little goatee here that he thinks makes him look domestic, but makes him look like a dweeb instead." Yuuichi jerked a thumb to his chin and crossed his eyes. Midori laughed at his impression and spooned some pudding into her mouth.
"Oh.. hehehe… you're right, it does." Her eyes softened on him when he grinned back at her. "Truth be told, I know why the adults all hate me, but..." Midori paused and she rubbed at her chest. She would put up with anything if it meant finding out what this ache inside her was. Ever since the doctor's had dug into her mind and given her a glimpse of her past, Midori couldn't help but feel like there was something or someone waiting for her. All the faces and names she'd doodled in her book: Touya, Tomura, Toga, Twice, Kota, Eri... they were all important to her. Still there was someone else... someone Karma was hiding, probably to protect them... but it only made her more curious and anxious to find out. "...I really don't care."
"Good, because you shouldn't." Yuuichi leaned in. "You're better than they are Midori… I don't know what your quirk is, or why you're here… but I watched you during all our activities today. You're smart, smarter than most of the kids here… and it's intimidating."
"Mmmm, thanks Yuuichi." She gave him a sweet smile. "Having a friend like you here, makes this place a little more bearable."
"Good, because we are friends." He took her hand and rub it. "... and I always take care of my friends."
"Same here. I wanna tell you I-" She lets out a grunt when her chair gets knocked from behind. She sees Yuuichi's smile fade and a low growl escape his lips as Max and his crew gathered around behind her.
"Whoops, my bad, didn't see yah down their shrimp." Max leaned on her head and laughed when she jerked away. "Aww is the little munchkin still pouting over her loss?"
"It was a team exercise, Max, not a game." Yuuichi corrected and slung an arm over the back of his chair. "Leave the girl alone. She's had enough of your bullying today."
"You watch your mouth, wolfboy." Max shoved a finger at him. "Only reason why I don't mess with you is because you're actually somewhat competent… but little pipsqueaks like her need to be taught how the food chain works around here." He then pointed to Midori who bent over her notebook and was doing her best to try and ignore him.
"I don't think she gives a damn about you or your food chain. So why don't you find someone else who will listen to your pathetic attempts to make yourself feel superior?" He spat back and bit into a chicken leg.
"Tch…" Max narrowed his eyes on Yuiichi then down at Midori. When he saw she indeed was ignoring him he reached down and snagged the notebook.
"HEY! Give that back!" Midori reached for it and grunted when he shoved her back down in her chair.
"You were ignoring me while I was giving you a lecture, which is rude." He kept her down using one hand and holding up the notebook with the other. He waved it around tauntingly. "Can a twerp like you even write?"
"Far better than you, dumbass!" Midori bit back and that earned some oohs from Max's posse.
"The twerp's got some real sass. I think she needs to be taught another lesson, Max." Slim laughed looking excited at the prospect of violence. Yuuichi got to his feet knowing where this was going.
"Max don't, you're just gonna get in trouble with-"
"Shut up, wolfboy. I don't care if the damn docs are watching." Max grabbed Midori by the scruff of her shirt and gave her a little shake. "This miniature bitch needs to be taught a lesson." he looked up at the notebook, and suddenly got a wicked idea. "...and she's gonna get one. Slim, you still got that lighter you jacked from the guard?"
"Yeah…" Slim pulled it out, careful not to show the adults what he carried. "Are we gonna play a little game of hot foot?"
"Nah… I got something way better than that." He passed the notebook behind him and to Slim. "Turn it to ash."
"What? NO!" Midori screamed, her voice echoing and catching the attention of nearby onlookers.
"Max stop! That's going too far!" Yuuichi made a grab for the journal but Max grabbed him around the neck forcing him into a choke hold. Midori jumped at Slim trying to reach for her notebook but the hall gangly teen just laughed and held it out of reach.
"Stop with the goody-two-shoes act, Yuuichi. We all know who the real beast is around here." Max laughed and forced him to watch as Midori got desperate and was attempting to climb onto Slim to get her notebook back. He shoved her back forcing her to land on her ass on the floor. Kids nearby suddenly scrambled away from the scuffle not wanting to get involved, and the guard's radios were going off alerting the heads about the violence, but they made no move to stop the bullying.
"No one around here cares about her, Yuuichi, so stop trying to protect her." Max told him. "The adults aren't doing shit to stop us. They want to see her suffer. You should try it… it feels damn good."
"Damn straight it does," Slim agreed and laughed. "I haven't let loose like this in a long time." He flipped on the lighter, his eyes sparking with delight. Midori saw the look, reacted to it and the flame in his hand. Her temples started to pound as it triggered a memory.
Where are the heroes? Why aren't they doing anything to help?!
Mama! Mama!
What can you possibly do? You're less than these losers, you're quirkless!
"Mnnng… stop it…. Stop it!" Midori held her head as the pain intensified. The images of bakugo blowing up her journal, and the sight of her apartment going up in flames were so clear in her head now that they blended in with her reality. "STOP IT!"
Her skin started to heat up as her quirk tried to activate, but the binds refused to let them loose. Sweat dripped down her temples and her eyes sharpened and turned dark as Karma came free. In a blur of movement that caught everyone by surprise Midori grabbed her chair and swung it around knocking Slim back and off his feet. Winded and knocked off guard he couldn't defend against Midori's foot to his balls and he curled up in automatic defense, unable to move.
"Holy-" Max barely got the words out before Yuuichi shoved him back into the wall and got him off. He then immediately went to Midori who was taking her aggression out on Slim who could only lay there and take it.
"Midori, Midori stop it!" He grabbed her, but not before she sent her foot right into Slim's throat making him cough and choke. "MIDORI!"
"I'm not weak! I'm not weak! I'll never be weak again!" That was enough to have the guards taking action. They took Midori away from Yuuichi, tasering her to put her down. She screamed out against the pain and then collapsed onto her hands and knees.
"That's enough, you delinquent." Captain Akira stormed over, pushing past the guards to sneer down at the girl. "Get her back to her room, and set the locks to maximum security. No visitors, no recreation. She's on ISO."
"Yes sir!" The guard stood at attention and dragged Midori's limp body out of the cafeteria. Akira turned to the boys now and frowned at them.
"You've had your fun, but I'm gonna have to ask you not to associate yourselves with that girl. She's nothing but trouble." He looked to Slim and snagged the lighter from the floor. "As for you Salinski. If I catch you with stolen property again, you'll be joining the brat in ISO."
"Y-Yes sir…" Slim wheezed as he slowly managed to get to his feet. Yuuichi watched Akira strut out and then glanced down at the floor where Midori's journal lay. He picked it up, dusted it off, and couldn't help but peek at the first few pages. What he saw inside made his eyes widen and he quickly closed it before anyone else could see.
"God damn…" He looked up where Midori had been dragged off. "So that's what's going on. No wonder Akira hates you so much… you killed his best friend."
~Ask Briry~
Briry: This chapter came out a little shorter than I intended, but I had to delete some content because I didn't like the way it made the story flow. Hope you enjoyed nonetheless.
Next Chapter: Isolation