As Kurogiri's portal opened up in Hawks' apartment, Hikari stumbled out of the purple vortex before immediately feeling her legs start to give out a second later, the girl flopping ungracefully onto the side of the mattress with a groan.

She would've hoped that her awful symptoms of her past decisions would have been gone by now but sadly it only seemed to be the opposite. In fact, her hangover was getting progressively worse the more she moved around, the girl closing her eyes as a new wave of dizziness and nausea circled around her.

Thinking more clearly, she probably shouldn't have gone out drinking last night but she also knew that if she hadn't, then the girl would've been far more conflicted than how it was now. Yes, the memories and the annoying feelings towards her brother hadn't changed but it seemed the alcohol did take a bit of the edge off.

Now at least she could breathe. It was the start in the right direction.

But of course now she had other things to figure out, like how in the hell she was going to get past Keigo without him noticing the fact that she was internally dying right now. He was stupid sure, but he definitely wasn't that stupid.

Well...maybe...Yeah no, he's probably not that stupid. That's just wishful thinking I suppose. He's got that commission dog training after all. He'll be sure to smell anything weird.

Groaning to herself, Hikari threw open the door to her room before moving to the kitchen in order to get some more water to help with her hangover. And lucky for her, the space was very quiet. Ahh, maybe Hawks was gone already

She could only hope.

Although her hope was quickly dashed when her brother practically shouted back to her in cheerful glee, causing Hikari to immediately close her eyes at the pained headache that had suddenly increased thanks for him.

"Hika-chan! Good morning little sis! How are you on this fine morning?"

God, he was so annoying. So much so that the girl found herself forcing down a colorful insult before trying to even her tone as much as possible in order for him to not catch anything wrong. "Ah, good morning Kei.."

Yet her words came out rather quiet, far quiet than she had hoped as Hawks twisted his head in slight concern, already making his way over to her. "Hey, you good? You seem different."

Ugh, yep he goes that plan.

Forcing a giggle, Hikari forced herself to look up at her brother before taking a step backward, not wanting him to touch her or even go near her in the slightest. "Yeah, I think I just haven't been sleeping that well. It's okay.."

Buy it already, you stupid bird. Buy the excuse and leave me alone. I can't do this right now.

Although it seemed like her words had the opposite effect, Hawks morphing into an expression with something that looked like "pity" before placing a hand on her arm lightly. "Nightmares?"

And god, she hated that look from him the most, staring at her with such disgusting pity, the kind that made her want to smash his face in with her fist. Yeah, her excuse may have been closer to the truth than she would've liked.

Of course she had nightmares, of course she had flashbacks to all of the mental and physical torture she had to live through, of course she couldn't help but recall the past, to dwell in the quietest of moments like a slow moving poison.

But it's not like he had any business knowing that.

Looking down at his mocking hand on her arm, Hikari couldn't help but let her expression fall before taking another step back in order for his hand to drop, forcing a small smile onto her face.

"I don't know what you're talking about Kei-chan. It's not anything like that, I've just been sleeping wrong. That's all."

Yet Hawks knew he couldn't be fooled by that. The look in her eyes, they matched the same hopeless ones he saw staring back at him in the mirror. It was a look that only years of regret, guilt and fear could manifest.

He wasn't an idiot, the bird knew that whatever happened to his sister had mentally scared her in some sort of manner. She just wasn't open enough with him about it yet, her blanket lies and moving away from him confirmed that.

And it's not like he could blame her for that method of coping, but it was moments like this that showed him how fragile and easily frightened she probably was. He wanted to be wrong but something inside knew that she was haunted by something, something big.

You don't just go missing for years and come back fine. Physically sure, but mentally? Hawks knew that was unlikely, even if that reality broke his heart.

But for her, he pretended not to notice, forcing up his happy commission like facade in order to make her feel safe. "Ah okay! Sorry, I was getting ahead of myself I guess. You know I can't help but worry about ya Hika-chan."

And seeing him relax made her relax as well, watching the girl lower her shoulders before turning to move past him around the island in the middle of the kitchen. "Yeah.."

With the intent to leave as fast as possible, the girl pushed down a moment of nausea before quickly forcing her feet forward and muttering. "Now, I'm going to go lie down..."

Although seeing her leave carved a hole in her brother's chest, the man desperate to be around her some more, to learn about her and get the girl to trust him.

He couldn't help but remember her shaking arms and terrified expression a couple days ago, wanting to give her everything he had missed out on all these years.

Hawks then quickly grabbed onto her arm before she was completely out of reach, turning the poor girl around in the circle in order to get to stop moving.

"H-Hey, hold on there. You haven't even had breakfast yet.…"

In that one motion though, Hikari felt her headache pound through her brain, the girl groaning at the dizzying motion before stumbling on her feet and placed a sloppy hand on the kitchen counter to stop the world from spinning.

Ugh, why did he have to spin her like that? He was making things a hundred times worse just by being here.

And of course Hawks noticed this, causing his sister to sigh in defeat at her failed act before pathetically shrinking towards the floor with her hand on her head in a curse. "Shit.."

Widening his eyes in newfound panic, the bird kneed before Hikari in an instant, placing his arms out in front of her, the man's voice far too loud then she would've liked.

"Hikari?! What's wrong? Hey, come here let me see…"

He placed a light hand on her shoulder as the girl only shook her head, obviously trying to make her pain seem less terrible then it actually was. "N-No, I'm okay. Just give me a second.."

Although that was quickly thrown out when Hawks groaned before forcing his large hand to her forehead, the bird widening his eyes resulted in heavy concern. "No you're not. You have a fever. I knew there was something you weren't telling me.."

It wasn't just a fever either, in fact that bird felt his palms heat up at the touch, the girl looking more and more pale by the moment.

It seemed she didn't realize it either though, his words made her twist her eyes in confusion. "Huh? No I don't…"

Hikari couldn't believe her ears, a fever? No, only idiots got sick like that. There was no way she had a fever. The girl was just hungover from last night. Yeah, that had to be it.

Although that's when she remembered her grazed bullet wound from that commission asshole that wasn't treated yet, the girl cursing to herself at the careless nature. She was so busy with Keigo and Dabi that she had forgotten to fix it up.

So that's why her symptoms weren't getting any better. Just great. She had screwed herself over, didn't she?

Groaning at the idea, she vaguely heard Hawks answer. "Yes, you do. God, I'm so stupid why didn't I notice it before? It's okay Hika-chan, it's okay…"

He sounded slightly panicked, causing the girl to grumble under her breath before feeling her body being lifted into the arm as her brother pushed his sister into his chest in a hurry.

"Okay okay, I can do this. I can fix this. Don't worry Hikari, your big brother's got you!"

Gasping at the sudden contact, Hikari immediately looked towards Hawks before immediately trying to jump out of his arms, feeling very uncomfortable in this position. "Whaaa, Kei-chan, what are you doing?!"

Yet Hawks was either too distracted or too anxious to notice the displeasure in her tone, the bird turning around in three small circles before running from the kitchen to the living room. He looked like a chicken with his head cut off.

"What do I do first? Food? No no you should rest first. Yeah, that's right! What else do you need? Blankets, yes yes you need blankets so you don't lose your body heat!"

And Hawks was indeed terrified, knowing that his sister was counting on him to know exactly what to do in this situation. But that sad part is, he really didn't.

Sure, the man had his hero training but all of that seemingly flew out of the window with just the thought of his baby sister being weak, helpless and sick in his arms. He wanted to fix this, he wanted to help her but the bird was frantic, his mind running at a million miles an hour.

Hell, even at that commission when he was sick the president would just tell him to get over it and push him even further in training so show him how weak he actually was. No, he didn't want that for her.

He wanted to show her that he was a big brother that she could depend on.

In that passion, the hero felt his feathers disappear before returning with a multitude of things in order to help Hiakri get over her cold. "No no, that's not good enough. It needs to be a weighted blanket, it needs to be perfect…"

Hearing him mutter to himself, Hikari couldn't help to close her eyes in frustration before calling back to the idiot through her headache. "Kei-chan…"

Yet she was quickly talked over as her brother continued with his rambles. "What else, what else? I should make tea, and porridge. I read that somewhere I think, that's what normal people do, right?"

Hikari felt her head pound with even more pressure as she tried again to reach the spiraling bird. "Kei…"

Although that was to no avail either, Hawks only lifting his wings out in a frenzy. "Maybe I should look it up, just to be sure? Ahh I don't know, what else do I need…?"

That's when Hikari had enough, the girl gritting her teeth before forcing her body to turn towards her brother and placing a hand on either side of his face, slapping the surface with a shout.

"Keigo! Cut it out already, would you?!"

Her voice was far louder than his this time, causing Hawks to immediately stop as she pushed her hands closer together so his cheeks morphed into a pout before looking at his struggling sister as she seethed.

"Y-You're...not...helping…"

Feeling her breath turn heavy, suddenly a new wave of pain crashed into the girl as she shielded her eyes from the light, cursing under her breath at the sensation. "Ugh, I hate this.."

Her sentence had multiple meanings, Keigo's ramblings, her hungover and fever symptoms, but lucky enough the bird only caught one of those things, focusing on the girl before him.

What was he even doing? He couldn't think about this now. Hikari needed him, she needed him to not freak out, to keep this head on straight.

Letting his wings fall in shame, the hero then twisted his eyes to his sister before letting out an anxious breath, all of the energy draining with it. "Sorry, you're right. I guess I am freaking out a bit too much.."

And because of her headache, the girl uncharacteristically said something that was supposed to only be in her mind out loud, a scoff apparent in her voice at his antics.

"A bit?"

Chucking at her blunt nature, Hawks shook his head before turning his body around and moving towards her bedroom slowly. "Alright alright, you got me. I guess I'm freaking out a lot. I just want to help you, that's all.."

The hero then pushed open the surface before carefully laying his sister onto her bed and using one of his feathers to undo the cover for her as Hikari watched with confusion. What was he even doing?

Although then she watched as the bird used a couple more of his feathers to bring in three extra blankets and a glass of water to place by her desk before Hawks pushed his sister into the covers.

Watching him with confusion, the girl muttered back. "What are you doing?"

Yet the bird only hummed before reaching around the carefully tucking in each blanket so that she was wrapped up in the warmth, his eyes sharing a gentle tone she wasn't used to.

"What does it look like I'm doing? I'm tucking you in, silly birdie."

Knowing that wasn't the meaning of her question, the girl couldn't help but narrowed her eyes. She couldn't deny that the newfound warmth was nice though, almost like a hug she never got the change to receive. It was nostalgic, in all the worst ways.

She didn't understand why her idiot brother was going to such lengths, especially with someone that didn't care about her. He was being cruel again.

"But why? You don't have to do this.."

Yet Hawks only smiled before replaying the truth to her, his hands continuing to tuck her in. "Don't worry baby sister, I got you. I'm going to take care of you, okay? You don't have to worry about a thing.."

And fuck, did those words feel good. They felt so good that Hikari couldn't help but soften her expression at his tone, wishing that she had heard those exact words years six ago.

Why was he always late, why was he always saying these things even though it didn't matter anymore? He was lying, he had to be lying because there was no way that Hawks would ever care about her like that.

He must have been messing with her again.

Oh god, it's happening again. Just when I thought I was good, you just come in and make me remember the past again, don't you?

That same horrible longing crept into her throat again before Hikari closed her eyes in order to shove the comfortable feeling away.

But man, did it feel nice to be surrounded by warmth instead of the cold freezing streets she had come to know.

And to continue his cruelty, the hero then placed a warm gentle hand on her hand before smiling down on her with unknown sadness. "Just stay here and rest, okay? I'll be right next door if you need anything. Anything at all, don't be afraid to ask, okay?"

Hikari felt her eyes open at his sweet fake words only to see him suddenly covered in blood, dripping from his face as his entire face was burnt to a crisp, staring at her with heavy lifeless eyes that showed no signs of life.

He looked dead, like Dabi had already killed him.

The girl gasped in fear as her eyes hallowed at the sight of her brother, Hikari taking in a sharp breath before blinking once as all of the horrible images melted away into the same perfectly annoying face she had come to know.

Seeing her clearly afraid, Hawks quickly put a hand to her forehead as the girl flinched at the touch, his voice laced with anxiety at the sight. "H-Hikari? Hey, what's wrong?"

Although even Hikari had no idea what had happened. What the hell, she wasn't even sleeping. Were the nightmares filtering into real life now? God, she sure hoped not. She was already fucked up enough without adding that to the mix.

It could have been the fever though. Yeah, that was it. It was making her hallucinate all of her fears and worries, all of the things that she forced down over and over again. Her brother's death, Dabi, it was leaking out. That's all it was.

The girl then forced out a calming breath before shaking her head, unable to hide the same stutter to her voice as she did so. "S-Sorry, it's nothing. I'm just...I'm really tired…"

Yet her words didn't sound convincing in the slightest, causing her brother to frown before whipping a piece of hair from her eyes quietly. There it was again. She was shutting him out again.

"Just rest, okay? I'm not leaving you sis. Nothing's going to happen. You're safe."

And though his words were foolish, Hikari couldn't help but feel her body relax at them, the girl's eyelids growing heavier and heavier by the second. It felt like her entire body was lead, melting under his fingertips without a second thought.

Safe.

She had never felt safe before. It was something that the girl had long forgotten about. Always being ready for an attack, always checking over her shoulders, always putting on an act for everyone so they could never see the real her.

Whenever someone touched her it was to hurt her, whatever they told her was always with the intention to see her break. That's how it was, that's how it had always been,

But safe? Now that was something that Hikari didn't even begin to comprehend, couldn't even imagine having. In those cold lonely streets, in those metal chains and prison cells, in those torture chambers, in those horrible wandering hands and eyes that followed her everywhere…

Sure, Keigo may have seen the term as the easiest thing in the word. Up in his cushy penthouse apartment with everything he could have ever wanted. Fans to adore him, the commission supporting his every move, and people that loved him every step of the way..

But for his sister, it is quite the opposite instead.

Humming at his words, the girl then closed her eyes as Hawks watched her with such unknown sadness, brushing another piece of hair from her face as she finally relaxed under the comfort and the weight of the blankets.

Allowing his fake facade to crumble now that she wasn't watching, Keigo pushed her hair behind her ears before brokenly speaking to his sister as he voiced his inner turmoil to himself quietly.

"What are you hiding from me? What am I missing?"

Pushing her arms around herself in order to escape the freezing winter weather that had seeped through the cracks in the foundation, thirteen year old Hikari sniffled her tears away under her breath before feeling her own teeth start to chatter.

It was dark in the abandoned warehouse, occupying the usual scum of the street that she had come to know. Prostitutes selling their bodies, people exchanging money for illegal drugs and just plain old criminals were milling around by the thousand.

And every time one passed her by, the girl felt her breath catch in her throat before pushing her arms around her body in an attempt to make them leave. And most did, thankfully.

Her limited feathers began to shutter at the cold before Hikari felt herself whimper once more as a group of unsavory sleazy men passed by, their drunk fingers pointed towards the destroyed wings on her back before laughing and throwing an empty bottle of alcohol at her head a moment later.

But because he was drunk, the glass didn't end up shattering, only bouncing off her head and leaving a mark as Hikari covered her face with her hands as they drunkenly slurred.

"Look, it's the neighborhood freak! Such an ugly little bird. Why are you always here, huh? No one wanted you, did they?"

And his words were thick like poison, causing the girl to avoid eye contact in hopes that they would give up and leave quickly. Talking back usually resulted in them only getting more interested, and that was something she didn't want.

Lucky enough for her, the silence seemed to work, causing the man to scoff before spitting in her direction and stumbling away, the saliva hitting her face as Hikari closed her eyes in humiliation at their words.

"Bitch."

Once again she was left with the silence, causing her more tears to rise into her cheeks. It wasn't supposed to be like this. She was supposed to be with her brother, he was supposed to take care of her like he promised.

But instead she was here, just barely hanging onto life as the girl pushed her shaking arms over her body a moment later. She hated him for forgetting her and yet somewhere inside her, the girl still longed for her brother's warmth. "K-Keigo..I want to go home..."

That's when her feathers heard another set of footsteps approach, causing Hikari to shake her head and bury her tear filled face into her knees. Why couldn't everyone just leave her alone, why were they still torturing her?!

So much so, that the girl gritted her teeth before using one of her feathers to detach from her wings as the object pointed right in front of the stranger in order to get him not to move closer, in fear of what intentions they had.

"D-Don't come a-any closer…I'm w-warning you…"

Although a familiar voice cut through the space a moment later, the girl widening her eyes at the tone. "Is that anyway to greet your savior?"

Lifting her head up from her safety of her own body, Hikari looked up with tear filled eyes only to see the very same boy that had rescued her from those horrible commission agents, his cerulean eyes staring back at her with unknown intent.

The girl then sucked in a breath before stuttering back. "Y-You're…"

His stance seemed slightly mocking, a curved smirk on his face. "Yeah. I hate to break it to you but you look like shit."

Feeling slightly self conscious about her looks, Hikari felt herself sniff away her tears. "W-Why are you here..?"

The strange boy only closed his eyes though because moving next to the girl and flopping down next to her as Hikari flinched a moment later, her wings closing in fear of being hurt again.

"Bored, just trying to waste some time I guess."

This caused the girl to twist her head to him and catch the sight of multiple bandages around his arms, carefully wrapped and tightened against his pale skin.

She never really had a chance to look at him after the whole incident, but seeing the boy now, it was obvious to tell that he was almost the same age as the girl, maybe a couple years older or younger, with blinding white hair that pointed on the ends.

He definitely stood out against the grey and dirty scale of the abandoned warehouse and Hikari wondered what caused him to waste his time here of all places.

"B-But, why?"

Looking down at his arms, the boy stayed silent for a minute before rubbing the bandaged surface twice before speaking back with a sad smirk.

"No reason. The only time I get a reaction is when I'm gone, so I like to fuck with them. That's all."

His words were strange, causing Hikari to push her arms closer around herself silently. Get a reaction? What did that even mean? Was he looking for some kind of attention or something? What for?

At the time, she didn't know.

"I-I don't understand.."

At the word, the white haired the boy growled under his breath before pushing his head up towards the ceiling. "Don't worry about it. It's none of your damn business."

She felt herself flitch at his words before lowering her head. This was the first person that had approached her without the intention to hurt her and she had just insulted him, didn't she? "S-Sorry.."

The air was silent for a moment, Hikari pushing her head back into her knees with a shaking breath before the boy spoke up a moment later, his voice far lower than before.

"Let's just say, you're not the only one with a shitty family…."

Widening her eyes at his words, the blonde haired girl turned back only to meet his intense stare. Wait, how did he know about her family or her brother?

"H-How do you know about my family?"

The boy seemed taken back at that, blinking in surprise before coughing once and relaxing his face back into a carefree smirk, one that confused the girl entirely.

"It doesn't take an genius to know who you're related to with wings and hair like that. Besides, it's a known fact that anyone that's ended up here didn't have the best life..."

At the mention of her wings, Hikari felt all of her feathers twitch before hiding them behind her back the best she could, a heavy ball of shame in her throat as he stared at the hideous sight.

She just wanted to cut them off, to not be constantly reminded of the future that was destroyed because she wasn't good enough for the world, for her brother.

Feeling her teeth grit together at the very thought, Hikari found herself seething back with clear self hatred and devastation. "I hate them."

And it seemed like the boy knew exactly what she meant, his eyes traveling towards his bandaged arms once more before pushing them down so the girl wouldn't realize what he was staring at.

"Yeah, I can understand that much.."

Closing his eyes, the white haired boy then moved towards his feet with an unreadable expression as Hikari watched him dust off his black jacket silently.

She wondered if she said something bad, if the girl had chased him away with her monstrous wings and depressed attitude. He didn't want him to go, she didn't want him to disappear. He was one person that didn't laugh at her, the one person that approached her for a good reason.

Well, good was an overstatement but Hikari was just happy to talk to someone, even if it was just out of boredom on his side. It was the first time she felt at ease in weeks.

Watching him walk away, Hikari felt her feather twitch before calling back to the strange white haired boy, her words rushed and nervous. "I'm sorry.."

That caused him to stop before turning around to look at the small girl, his brow turning in slight amused and confusion as he shoved his hands in his pockets. "What?"

Pushing her lips together, the girl stared back at his intense cerulean gaze noticing something else in his stare. She didn't know why but the girl felt like he was sad too.

His situation, it sounded similar to her and Hikari wondered if he felt the same kind of crushing devastation that she had been drowning in the last couple weeks? Sure, he acted like he didn't care but she wasn't sure if that was true.

Maybe he was pretending not to care, like she tried to do sometimes.

"I'm sorry, about your family …"

A breeze blew into the space then, causing Hikari to shutter at the cold before hugging her knees in an attempt of warmth before finishing quietly.

"If it means anything, I liked talking to you..."

The boy seemed to stare at her then and she wished she knew what he was thinking. Was he offended, was he angry at her words? She didn't know. In fact, all Hikari saw in that intense stare was an expression she couldn't quite point out.

Although that's when the stranger let out a shaky sigh, his voice laced with something that kind of reminded Hikari of her own self hatred.

"It doesn't."

This caused Hikari to frown before her vision was blocked by a chunk of black fabric, the girl pulling it down only to find the boy's black jacket in her hands.

Looking up with confusion, he only shoved his hands into his pant pockets before shrugging.

"If you keep shivering like that, you're going to freeze to death and make my decision to save your chicken finger ass worthless…"

The girl couldn't help but blink in surprise, the warmth of the fabric already drawing her in with every touch. He just gave up with his jacket for her? Why, what was the purpose? She clearly didn't help his sadness in any way, the boy said it himself.

"But what about you?"

Smirking to himself, the boy only chuckled. "Oh Princess, you really gotta start thinking about yourself if you wanna make it out here. What you just said was some kind of selfless hero trait. That won't fly here, trust me."

Hikari didn't understand though, frowning at the name. "W-What did you just call me?"

Seeing that she clearly didn't like her new name caused the white haired boy to chuckle before taking his hands out of his pockets and crossing them over his chest in the carefree playful nature.

"You heard me birdie. I think it fits you. I mean, everything about you screams damsel in distress. No wonder you're an easy target to everyone here."

His words caused Hikari's face to heat up with unsaid anger, not liking the idea of being some kind of damsel in distress. "I-I'm not.."

Yet she was quickly cut off by the boy, him clearly enjoying her annoyance. "You know what, because of that I think you owe me now Princess. Besides, without my help you'd be dead after all.."

Widening her eyes at his words, HIkari felt her breath get caught in her throat before holding her body closer to herself in fear.

She owed him? What did that mean, what did she owe him? Was he going to force himself on her, was he going to torture her, was he going to make her to horrible things and be a slave like her father had made her do as a child?

No no no, she didn't want that, she didn't want any of that.

It was obvious that she was scared by his words, causing the boy to lower his eyes slightly before finishing lightly, his tone of voice showing no signs of any of the horrible ideas Hikari had imagined.

"Don't flatter yourself Princess, that's not what I meant. I told you, I need to kill time, an excuse to stay out, something to distract me. That's all."

Hikari didn't fully understand though, still slightly afraid. She didn't know what kind of distractions he had in mind but she didn't seem scared about the idea, that was if it meant having more conversations like this.

It seemed like he shut down idea of anything to do with torture or sex, causing Hawks' sister to feel her wings relax. Did he really want to see her again, just to talk? The girl didn't understand, she wasn't that interesting.

She knew it was only in boredom but the idea of anyone visiting her seemed nice, even if she didn't know anything about the white haired bandaged boy in front of her.

"W-What's your name?"

At her words, the boy pushed his lips together, like he was at war with himself as Hikari immediately faltered. It was obvious he didn't want anyone to know about his name or else she would've known it by now.

But Hikari was certainly surprised when the boy pushed his eyes to meet hers before answering plainly, the blue in his eyes and his words leaving her absolutely breathless.

"Call me Touya."

Groaning as she lulled herself awake, Hikari moaned as her headache creeped back in from her deep state of sleep. Ugh, it felt like she was hit by a truck or something. No, scratch it, like a hundred trucks.

She couldn't help but recall the bitter memory that had revealed itself for some reason. It was probably because her brother had tucked her into the bed like the idiot he was. It was bringing up all of these stupid feelings, wasn't it?

Although her mind was quickly distracted when Hikari couldn't help but smell smoke, the girl freezing immediately before twisting her head towards the door in front of her.

In her hazy state, the first person that came to mind was Dabi, the girl yawning until she realized that it was impossible for the villain to be here.

Unless…

That horrible image of Keigo burned and broken flashed into her mind again, causing Hikari to feel her heart completely stop as she wiggled out of her blankets as fast as possible. No no no no, please no. She was just imagining things again, right?

Stumbling towards her feet, the girl threw open her door before sloppily running towards the smoke and burning smell, hoping it wasn't her brother's charred flesh.

Although as soon as she turned the corner, Hikari saw a large fire stemming from the stove top as Hawks watched the flames in frozen fear as he muttered to himself.

"Well, that's not supposed to happen…"

Twisting her head in annoyance, Hikari then ran towards the nearest cup before filling it with water and throwing it on the fire as the flames slowly dissipated, the girl still breathing heavily from the adrenaline.

"W-What are you doing?! You're going to burn the house down!"

She huffed out a breath when the coast was finally clear, causing her brother to place a nervous hand to his neck before pointing to the pot on the stovetop.

"Yeah..sorry about that Hika-chan. I was just trying to cook for once, but I don't think I did it quite right…"

Not understanding, the girl moved up to the pot before opening the top and seeing the saddest piece of shriveled up fish she had ever seen stuck to the bottom.

What the hell was he even doing? Keigo didn't cook. That was one thing she definitely knew. The guy always seemed to eat out for every meal.

"Why were you trying to cook?"

Hawks took in her words before letting his eyes fall in shame. "It was for you, to make you feel better. But it looks like I even failed at that."

This caused the girl to stop in her tracks before turning to her brother with newfound surprise. He was cooking for her? Why? that was just stupid. They both knew he was terrible at it.

He really was taking this too far. "Kei…"

Yet that's when the hero brightened up about something, running over to another bowl on the counter before uncovering the top with a smile. "Oh! But I did manage to make some rice portage for ya.."

When he uncovered the top, Hikari looked at that food before widening her eyes at how much it didn't look like food. The porridge looked to be completely overcooked and undercooked at the same time, with the entire top being burnt to crisp while the bottom matched a sludge-like consistency.

She didn't even know how the bird had managed to get it to look like this, Hawks' sister covering up a gag as one the areas began to bubble.

"Oh, how sweet Kei-chan, but you really didn't have to do that.."

Hawks wasn't about to let her escape the torture though, already reaching for a spoon as it disappeared into the mysterious liquid. "Nonsense! Anything for my little sis! Now eat up so you can get better!"

Forcing out a fake laugh, Hikari tried her best to get out of the situation, staring at the toxic waste before rubbing her stomach with a fake smile. "I would but I'm not really hungry right now. I'll eat later…"

Although she was interrupted when a spoon forced its way into her mouth, the thick and watery substance touched her tongue as Hawks fed her happy, not seeing a problem with it in the slightest.

"Now come on, you won't get better if you don't at least have a little."

The minute she tasted the porridge, Hikari felt her gag reflex kick in, the poor girl forcing the bite down before rushing towards the kitchen and grabbing a drink of water before chugging it down and gasping.

Ugh, the things I do for this goddamn job, I swear.

Feeling herself finally able to breathe, the girl coughed roughly as Hawks ran over and rubbed her back slowly, a look of pity on his face.

"Man, I thought I did that right at least. I guess not. Sorry Hika-chan. I guess I really am no good at these things after all."

She watched his wings deflate at his words, causing the girl to scoff into her water. Of course it was disgusting, what kind of person would think that kind of food was even remotely editable?!

The girl couldn't help but pause though when she heard her brother continue. "I'm gonna be honest with ya, I never really learned how to do these things. I thought they'd be easy but it seems I overestimated myself."

She then watched as Hawks laughed to himself before pointing to the sofa near the living room before forcibly trying to perk himself up. "Ah well. I guess I should clean this up. Go relax, you shouldn't be up right now. Besides, it's the least I can do after trying to poison you with my cooking."

The hero then turned his back before grabbing the rejected food as Hikari watched him with a hidden expression. He really looked depressed about all this? It's like he wanted to be some kind of mother duck or something.

She never asked for that, so she didn't understand why he was trying so hard.

What are you even trying to do? You don't seriously believe these stupid things could erase the hurt you caused? Keep dreaming big brother. Nothing can change that.

Sighing at her swirling thoughts, Hikari flopped down on the sofa before covering her eyes with her hands in a silent huff. Why couldn't everything just be over already? All of this pretending and fake behavior, it was making her go crazy..

I need more alcohol

As soon as Hawks finished cleaning, he turned towards the sofa only to find that his sister had fallen asleep while he wasn't looking, the hero's face curving upwards at the sight. "Oh Hika-chan.."

Then very carefully, her brother leaned down before brushing a piece of hair from her face as the girl groaned, fixing her brow into a frown, almost like she was pained by something.

Feeling his smile drop, he saddened at the sight, wondering what kind of demons she was currently fighting alone, about the things that scared her beyond belief?

Although that's when Hikari turned her head before muttering through her sleep filled bliss. "Mmmm N-No...no...don't go away..."

Hawks' fingers froze before watching her face contort into pain before she added something that made her brother widen his eyes in a single motion.

"Touya.."

The air grew strangely silent as the blonde haired girl turned her head away from him, as Hawks thought about the name almost immediately.

Touya, that name really did bring back memories, bitter and terrible memories that he thought he had forced down years ago. Well, at least he thought he had forced it down but just the idea of the boy was enough to make the hero take a shaky breath.

He couldn't help but remember the cruel words in the back of his mind, the ones that haunted him constantly. His anger, his pure raw hatred, the bird could remember it like it was yesterday.

Fuck you Keigo, you deserve to burn, you deserve to burn like Endeavor!

Feeling his feather twitch and flitch at the meaning, Hawks dipped his head before forcing the memories away. No, he couldn't think about that. What's done is done. There is no changing it.

It didn't matter anyways. Touya, his old friend, he was dead now.

Shaking his head, the hero paused as his phone began to ring in his back pocket, Hawks taking it out and answering in a hushed down in order not to disturb his sleeping sister. "This is Hawks.."

Although the voice on the other end was surprising, recognizing a sidekick from his agency as he spoke back formally. "Sorry to interrupt. but you might want to come in today."

His tone sounded rather serious, causing the hero to move to his feet. "What is it?"

Yet that's when his sidekick said something that caused all of his feathers to stand on edge, not knowing that the very sentence he was about to hear was going to start a chain of events he would soon regret.

"It's about the break in at your agency Sir. We found fingerprints."

Alright, his chapter has a ton of foreshadowing for the future and is very important to the main story, which I can't wait to get into. About Touya and Hikari, I'm going to reveal their story and their history as it develops. The more Hawks finds out about what's really going on, is when I will fully share the history that led to this point.

Think of it as you are learning with Hawks as he figures everything out.

But what we do know now..oof... Touya knows Keigo and Touya knows Hikari. Coincidence? Mmmmm I don't know. I guess you'll have to see.

The big reveal will happen, don't worry but I got plans. Trust the painful process. Heheh

Thank you for the support on this story and all the comments. It makes for faster updates.

Next chapter: Hawks screws his sister over without realizing it.