Giving the cheesiest smile of his life, Hawks' wings puffed out in excitement as he gestured to the blonde haired girl next to him. His voice was practically brimming with confidence as he spoke, allowing the tone to carry across the entire agency.

"Heyo everyone! If I could get your attention please. I would like you all to meet the newest sidekick to the Hawks agency! This is Hikari, a good friend of mine and I hope you will welcome her with open arms!"

Everyone around their boss immediately turned towards the girl, expecting the usual response from her, just like every other wide eyed hopeful hero did when they were given such an opportunity.

It was a big deal after all, being recognized by one of the top heroes in Japan. Anyone would be completely honored to be in that position.

Although what they received was complete and utter silence, the blonde haired girl remaining silent as she crossed her arms over her chest with a heavy frown, almost like she was uncomfortable to be among all of these people.

Well, that certainly wasn't the response everyone was expecting in the slightest, their eyes turned down in annoyance as Hawks elbowed his sister in the side not so secretly, knowing the atmosphere was getting worse by the second.

Feeling the slight jab, Hikari quickly got the memo before sighing a loud heavy breath, almost like it was the absolute burden to give him what he wanted. "Hi."

And even though it was the bare minimum, Hawks kept up the happy facade, giving a fake laugh through the awkward air before trying something else. "Ah, don't worry about her. She's just a little nervous. Hey, why don't you tell them a little about yourself, kid?"

Giving her a look of encouragement, the bird's eyes grew hopeful once again as soon as he saw Hikari open her mouth. There you go sis, break out of your shell, you can do it.

Also that's when she responded, just as plain and uninterested as before. "I don't want to be here."

Widening his eyes at her blunt wording, Hawks immediately felt himself give another forced laugh before elbowing Hikari in the side once more, except this time it was far harder. "Ha ha ha wow! Isn't she a comedian this one? Ah, I think that's enough for today! Carry one everyone.."

Then he quickly grabbed onto his sister arm before pulling her away from the very confused and slightly annoyed sidekicks in order for her to not say anything else stupid.

This was going to be a whole lot harder than he thought.

Once they were away from the group, Hawks shook his head in exasperation with a frown. "What are you doing?"

Although Hikari only turned her head to the side in fake innocence, knowing fully well that she had pissed him off and taking great pleasure from it. "What?"

Hawks seemed to pick on this as well though, his throat giving a frustrated groan as the two turned the corner together a moment later. "You couldn't have tried to be a little more enthusiastic back there?"

At that, Hikari's eyes seemed to blink to a newfound realization before allowing her voice to coat itself in an overwhelming amount of sickly sweet passion. "Oh you're right, let me try that again for you."

Then, the hero watched as she took one step forward, blocking his pathway before speaking comically loud, so much so that everyone in the surrounding area couldn't help but listen.

"Oh, I am so honored that the great and powerful Hawks has allowed me to stay by his side and breathe his air! I am truly unworthy to be in such a presence for even a mere minute, neither mind as a sidekick! Ah, my life is truly blessed today!"

To add to the effect, Hikari then lifted her arms up and down to mock bow to him, like he was some kind of god as the bird immediately felt a wave of embarrassment wash over him.

Lifting his wings up in anxiety, Hawks immediately widened his eyes before quickly stopping her bowing arms and practically dragging her away from the scene "Okay okay okay, I get it! Just stop it! Everyone's staring."

Yet the girl didn't seem to care, giggling under her breath at his misfortune before replying. "Oh? I'm sorry, I thought you liked having your ego stroked."

Groaning once more, Hawks then used one of his feathers to open the office door before turning back to the wandering eyes and trying to cover up the situation with a nervous laugh. "Uhh, she's just really excited. That's all."

Although Hikari was quick to respond, muttering under her breath. "That's the overstatement of the century."

Feeling his patience completely snap, the hero then used his wings to push his sister through the door a moment later, his voice laced with a heavy amount of annoyance and frustration."Just, get inside, will you?!"

Once she was away from interfering again, the bird turned towards his sidekicks one final time as he quickly reached for the door handle in order to shut himself away from the problem.

"Ha ha ha she's kidding. Nothing to see here. Just carry on with what you're doing. Good work everyone!"

Slamming the door closed, Hawks then gave an aggravated sigh before finding that his sister had already made her way over to his desk, sitting in his chair as she rudely shoved her shoes on the surface in purposeful disrespect.

The hero felt his throat ring in irritation at the sight, stomping up to her before his wings lifted out in anxiety. "What is your problem?! Are you trying to make my life difficult?"

Although that's when his sister smirked. "Well yeah, that's like the whole point."

Widening his eyes at her response, the bird couldn't help but run a hand through his hair with a heavy groan. Well that proved it, she was doing all of this on purpose to piss him off, and it was working.

When he got the idea of Hikari to follow in his footsteps the bird never thought that it would be this exhausting. The way she was acting was like an unruly toddler and he couldn't help but be reminded of another annoying presence that was very similar.

Rubbing his temples at the forming headache, Hawks sighed. "Now I know why you and Dabi are friends. You are both stubborn and insufferable, like children."

And seeing her brother so furious was music to her ears, Hikari batting her eyes with fake pity once more. "What's wrong brother? Is this not everything you dreamed of? You're the one that came up with this whole idea of "playing pretend" You should be happy."

Throwing his hands in the air, Hawks then stomped up to her before letting his voice raise for the first time today, all the patience he had mustered up now completely gone. She was making him go insane.

"I'll be happy when you start to take this seriously! Listen, if you want to be here and be a hero then we need to cover some ground rules.."

Although the villain wasn't pleased with his word choice, lifting a hand up immediately. "Correction Hawks, I don't want to be here and I definitely don't want to be a hero. I'm not here to join your group of hypocritical band of freaks. Don't get it mixed up."

And that caused Hawks to stop for a moment, wondering what exactly she could have meant by that sentence. Sure, he knew she wasn't serious about becoming a hero but that wasn't any reason to call them such colorful names.

"What are you talking about? We aren't hypocritical. Now you're just making things up."

Hikari seemed happy to hear his accusation though, already placing her feet back down on the ground in order to lean forward with cyclical amusement, almost like she was waiting for the moment to prove him wrong.

"Mmm? Well, don't you preach that all heroes are supposed to be honest? If that's the case then why don't you explain it to me again, good friend of mine?"

And although her words felt like a knife in his side, Hawks realized that she was partly right. He did just lie to his sidekicks, but then again there was a reason for it.

That's when a clear realization crossed his face before the hero felt his throat fill with heavy emotion. That must be why she was so upset before, because he lied and told everyone that she was only a good friend and not his sister.

And yes, he knew it was awful but what choice did he have in anything else? His hands were tied in all directions and the last thing he wanted was for his sidekicks to know that he was lying for years, manipulating and deceiving him under their noses.

That's not a good quality to have as a hero after all.

Yes it was bad, but why couldn't she understand, why couldn't she see that this was just as hard for him as it was for her? Why couldn't she realize that he was out of options? It was frustrating to him, how little she understood.

"Oh, so that's what this is about? Come on Hikari, you know I couldn't have introduced you as my sister. All these people already think that I.."

Hikari was quick to respond though, scoffing under her breath at his ridiculous words.

"Oh of course, we don't want to ruin the great Hawks' reputation by being related to a villain now, would we? Don't try and sugar coat it, I know it's in your best interest for you to stay an only child.

And that phrase hurt Hawks a million times more, knowing that somewhere in her harsh words she was speaking the truth again. She was right, he was a disgusting and horrible person, so much so that he used his own sister as bait for the sake of a mission.

Usually his sins were hidden but seeing it thrown in his face by his sister couldn't help but create a sense of shame in the bird. He wanted to do anything to help her but Hawks also knew that he was caged himself. His capabilities and limits were just too little.

And although the hero was drowning in his own misery, Hikari only waved her hand away, taking in his devastation with great pleasure. "Oh please, don't start crying or something. I'm not bothered by it, I was just giving an example of how much bullshit you throw out on a day to day basis, that's all. How your so-called "rules" can flip at the drop of a hat."

Taking in a shaky uneven breath, the bird couldn't help but shake his head. Yes, he was awful, that much he understood but Hawks knew he still cared for his sister, and he wanted her to know that.

He hated the idea of her thinking the opposite, of her pushing herself down for years because she thought that her big brother didn't care, that he had abandoned her on purpose.

The hero then moved forward before placing a hand on the desk in front of him, leaning down so that the two siblings were eye level. "Let's get this straight Hikari, I am not ashamed of you. Stop putting words in my mouth, okay? I love you, I always have and.."

The girl didn't miss a beat though, lowering her eyes immediately in challenge, almost like she was expecting his bullshit response.

"If that's true then go out there and tell them."

Blinking in surprise, he couldn't help but speak before processing the words. "H-Huh?"

Hikari had no problem explaining though, her face unchanging as she watched him visibly panic and squirm under her gaze."Go out there and tell all of your little sidekicks who I am, how you just lied to their innocent little faces and how much you mean to me. If you aren't ashamed then it shouldn't be too hard, right?"

Standing still for a moment, the bird felt all of his feathers twitch with anxiety as he soaked in her words. What was she even suggesting right now? Of course he would do that if he was able to. But things weren't so easy after all, she was a villain and he was...well not.

Yes, what she was suggesting was so incredibly simple to anyone else in the world, like it was the easiest thing to do, but for Hawks it was anything but that. There were too many factors at play and the hero knew he couldn't be naive.

The commission, her being a villain and him a hero, it was something that Hawks couldn't find the courage to do. Not when there was so much riding on him, not when the world was counting on him.

And it killed him to not give his sister such a simple request but the bird knew somewhere deep down that he didn't have the freedom that others had.

If only Hikari had a better brother than him, then she wouldn't have been so heartbroken all the time.

Feeling his lips twist in conflict, he then tried to form a logical explanation for her, his voice rather shaky and small. If only she understood how much he wanted to give her that small request. "Hikari, listen...I want to...but things have gotten really complicated and I.."

The girl seemed to expect his rejection though, shrugging her shoulders and being as blunt as possible, something Hawks didn't want to do himself out of shame.

Hikari had no problem with it though, almost eager to make him feel absolutely terrible for his hard decision. "Can't do it? Of course you can't. I know exactly how you are Hawks, I know exactly how every single little hero in this agency is so let's just be completely transparent here, shall we?"

And hearing that made her brother shut his mouth in unsaid hurt, knowing that Hikari had thrown his explanations and rejection away like they were nothing, like she had already expected them, like she already knew he was going to let her down.

It was almost as if his sister had already completely given up on him, and that very thought destroyed Hawks more than anything.

He needed to say something, anything to make it better, or else he knew he wouldn't have been able to forgive himself for the damage he knowingly caused for all of these years, for all of these horribly wrong decisions.

Twisting his eyes in unsaid sadness, he couldn't help but speak back, desperate to make the situation better and for her to at least understand his position.

"I-I'm sorry Hika-chan I...but it's not as easy as you think it is. The commission is on my back constantly. If I mess up the life they already established for me they'll know, and I can't risk that for you."

Although as soon as the commission was mentioned, the bird watched as Hikari's face flashed with slight anger before leaning back in her chair with a scoff.

There was hatred in her voice now, the usually uncaring attitude slightly shattered as soon as he brought up the place that molded him into a hero. "Oh please, cry me a river and stop acting like you're trying to do the right thing, like it's for me. It's pathetic to listen to, how you kiss their asses like it's nothing.."

Hikari then noticed that her brother was staring at her for some reason, causing the girl to turn her head to the side in slight annoyance, almost like he was trying to figure something out. "What?"

Narrowing his eyes in order to read her, the bird couldn't help but point a finger at her in question. "You're doing it again. Every time I mention the commission you change your tone. What's up with that?"

Widening her eyes ever so slightly, a bitter distaste worked its way into her throat before Hikari immediately shoved it down. He was getting too close to personal information and it was making her uncomfortable.

She then forced her voice to become as unbothered and as calm as possible in order for him not to read her again. "I don't know what you're talking about. Now you're the one making things up."

Yet Hawks was faster this time, shaking his finger once in disapproval. "No no, I'm not. I've noticed it before. Speaking of which, you never told me why you want to tear down the commission and go through all of this in the first place."

And that was true. In the time Hikari lived with him Hawks noticed it time and time again. Everytime he even mentioned the commission the girl would immediately change her tone and attitude. It was like she absolutely despised the place and Hawks couldn't understand why.

That place had taken him in after all, they had built him into a useful hero so he couldn't understand why Hikari would have such a furious reaction every time he brought it up.

Yet, this went past just dislike. No, the emotions she had for the commission seemed far more personal than that and Hawks was desperate the reason for the torment behind his sister's eyes.

Although for Hikari, his words caused her mouth to run utterly dry as horrible and unpleasant horribles flashes through her mind before forcing her gaze away from her brother. Why did he have to bring that kind of thing up now?

Yes it was pretty transparent that she hated the commission, Hikari knew that. But telling her brother that they were the reason her life was ruined, now that was something the girl wasn't prepared for.

Yeah, call it stupid or whatever but that was the one thing the Hikari was scared of.

For as brave and headstrong as she was, the girl was still utterly terrified of that conversation, mostly because somewhere deep down, she knew how it was probably going to go, what he would respond with if he ever found out.

It was obvious, her brother would take the commission's side.

She knew it, she knew that somehow, he would justify their behavior and dismiss their horrible actions as nothing more than a mistake, as something that couldn't be their fault.

And that very idea shouldn't have bothered her because she expected from the beginning, she has prepared herself for his response since the beginning. That's how she lived and coped all of these years after all.

You see, Hikari had taken countless moments of heartbreak and rejection, of her brother abandoning her and telling her lie after lie to make himself feel better. Because of that, she had learned built up a thousands walls to where his hurtful comments were already expected before he even said them.

Leaving her alone for years to fend for herself, using her for bait for some stupid mission, telling Dabi that she meant nothing to him, she took all of that like nothing.

It was nothing, she made it become nothing so that it wouldn't hurt.

It was in Hawks' nature to betray her and put himself over everyone else, it was a pattern that Hikari had gotten familiar with over the years and it was something she should've guessed would happen from the start.

But as soon as he found out about the commission's attack, about her wings and how they destroyed her life, Hikari wasn't sure if he would actually defend her, and for some reason that utterly terrified the girl more than anything.

Hawks loved the commission after all and if her big brother took their side after everything, after the abuse and the terror they caused her, after the countless nights of tears and nightmares, of panic attacks and anxiety..

Hikari wasn't sure if she could actually handle that, if she could handle that kind of devastating heartbreak.

For as strong as she claimed to be, Hikari knew that the rejection would break her, in a way that she had never been broken before.

And that's why the girl remained silent, why she brushed off his question with a shrug as she played it off like nothing. She didn't believe he'd defend her, so there was no reason to bring it up.

No, he couldn't know, not yet anyway. She wouldn't be able to handle it.

Pushing her lips together, Hikari then shoved down all of her lingering feelings before answering as lazy and amused as always, hiding her terror away in the form of a small smirk.

"I just like a little bit of chaos, that's all. I'm a villain, I don't need a reason."

Hawks could sense the torment in her face though, twisting his eyes in confusion before recalling every interaction and conversation he had with her regarding the commission. She was lying, he knew she was, almost like she was trying to hide something.

But what could there be to hide? What did he not know?

"That can't be all it is. I mean, what about..."

Yet he was quickly cut off when Hikari waved a hand away, speaking rather fast in order for him to abandon the current thought in his mind. "You want to talk about rules or whatever then hurry up with it already before I zone out completely."

Feeling all his words stop immediately, the bird couldn't help but blink in surprise. Oh, so now she wanted to listen to him, so that he could drop the conversation?

That proved it to Hawks, there was something else here, something Hiakri didn't want him to find about the commission and her.

And as much as he wanted to interrogate her further, the hero also saw this as an opportunity for her to finally listen to him for the first time since they got stuck together.

It seemed like she wanted to talk about anything but the commission and the hero knew he had to use that to his advantage, so they could at least make a little progress without her fighting him every step of the way.

So, after cataloging their current conversation in the back of his mind for later, Hawks decided to give in, letting out a heavy sigh before speaking as professionally as possible.

"Fine, you may not want to be here but you want to get close to the commission right? Well, this is the way to do it so don't try to sabotage yourself and listen to me for once. I've been in this life for years, I know what you should be doing to blend in."

And his suspicions were correct as Hikari only crossed her arms over her chest before remaining silent, something she had yet to do in the slightest. It seemed even she knew her hands were tied right now.

Feeling a breath of relief escape his lips, Hawks then continued a little bit more confidently, knowing she wouldn't interrupt and be rude this time.

"First of all, even if you feel that way, you can't say you don't want to be here. That will make you stick out like a sore thumb immediately. Most sidekicks apply to work here so it's strange that one wouldn't want the job after accepting."

Although the silence didn't last long as Hikari spoke up a moment later, almost like she couldn't help herself but fire back with a response. "Sounds boring to me. So you're saying I gotta be a little pansy like all of you? I'll pass.."

Groaning in response, Hawks then shook his hand before locking eyes with his sister in order to clarify the plan. Why did she always have to make everything so difficult all the time?

"All I'm saying is you have to at least try, Hikari. Even if it is just pretend for you, the commission will never notice someone that doesn't act serious. Do you think you can at least do that?"

Hikari seemed to take in his words immediately, swirling them around in her mind before begrudgingly shoving her shoes off of her brother's desk and swinging her body off the chair in order to stand.

It was pretty obvious the last thing she wanted to do was what he suggested but both of the siblings somehow knew that her hands were tied, that it would be foolish not to follow such a promising lead in the first place.

Squeezing her eyes shut in annoyance, the girl then moved towards the office door before speaking again with heavy irritation, knowing her brother had won but not wanting to outright say it.

"Whatever. The sooner this is over, the sooner I can finally leave and forget about you and everything else. Let's just get this over with."

Yet, as annoyed and reluctant as it was, it was confirmation Hawks needed to feel a little more at ease with the topic. At least she wasn't going to try and outright sabotage him anymore.

And who knows, maybe this was the start of his sister finally realizing that being a villain wasn't the right path for her, maybe this was how he fixed her into becoming better. That's all he could hope for.

Taking that hope to heart, the bird then lifted out his wings in relief before nodding his head once, ignoring her harsh words and only focusing on the meaning of them. "Well, at least we are getting somewhere. I'll take it."

Hawks then clapped his hands together in excitement before starting a new topic, hopefully something that would bring a lighter mood. "Well, now that we got that settled, I guess I'll tell you about the little suprise I set up for you!"

And although the girl was certainly curious, she couldn't help but feel the dread already appearing in the back of her throat, knowing whatever it was, it couldn't be good. "Oh? Sorry, I'm gonna have to pass on that one.."

Although her brother didn't seem to take no for an answer, ignoring that his sister was already reaching for the door handle to leave as he proclaimed with excitement. "Ah, don't be like that sis, you're gonna love it."

Twisting the door handle to the left, Hawks then finished his announcement happily, hoping it would cause her to stop. "I arranged for you to be part of a little training session for new sidekicks, you know so you can get used to everything!"

And Hikari did stop at his words, although it wasn't for the reason he thought, her hand freezing on the doorknob as soon as the phrase "training" slipped from his lips.

Her eyes couldn't help but widen in automatic response, a spike of fear coursing through her body before feeling her fingers start to shake at the very idea. Out of all the words in the dictionary, why did it have to be that one?

Hard memories seemed to surface before Hikari shoved them down immediately, not wanting to risk a panic attack next to her brother of all people.

Scoffing at the very idea, she tried to reply as even as possible. Yet, the girl couldn't help but release a small bit of anger and unkempt emotion as well. "What makes you think I would do that?"

Hawks seemed to ignore the response though, taking her tone as something she always did and brushed it off. "Well, it's mandatory for all sidekicks and I thought it would be good for you..."

The girl cut him off immediately though, almost like she didn't even want to hear what he was suggesting. "Yeah well, you thought wrong. It's mandatory for actual sidekicks, not me."

Realizing this was going to be far harder than he thought, Hawks felt himself sigh in frustration before lifting his hands out to the girl that was still faced away from him.

She literally just said that she'd follow his lead, why was she going back on her promise so quickly? Was it just to piss him off, to make things harder on him? "Hikari, didn't you just promise me you were going to try? If you don't show up everyone is already going to be suspicious of you. Just give it a shot, please."

Shaking her head back and forth, Hikari felt her hands ball into fists at the very idea. He had no idea what he was actually suggesting, and it was pissing her off. "I don't care, it's not happening."

Hawks narrowed his eyes at her defiance though, already knowing what he was going to follow up with immediately. "Alright then, forget the training and let's talk about why you hate the commission so much…"

Her brother then watched as Hikari's spine straightened up in studden surprise before she wiped her body around to face his, pure anger and fury in her stance now. It was as if his last words turned some kind of switch in her mind.

Stomping up to mind him, the girl threw a finger in his face before seething out with hidden venom, the intent far more unhinged and dangerous than it was before.

"Fuck you, I don't have to tell you shit. Besides, I already said there's nothing to tell, or are you too stupid to remember that?"

Her utter rejection only did the opposite for Hawks though, knowing that he had struck a nerve somewhere inside her uncaring heart and played it to the fullest, his voice unbothered and plain.

"Fine, it's your choice. Pick one."

Turning her head to the side at his blatant challenge, Hikari felt herself screw her lips closed in order not to throw a sling of curse words at him, something that would play into his satisfaction and make him win.

She hated it but the two options he had given her were both terrible in their own regard and Hikari was so pissed that he would even make her choose between two trauma filled moments in her past.

Things she wanted to bury deep, things she never wanted to acknowledge, her brother was just throwing them in her face without knowing the meaning or the understanding of how much they hurt.

But he was right, she had no choice but to pick one, leaving her with this unkempt fury that was practically bursting at the seams the more she thought about it.

She couldn't even blame him justly as he didn't know what he was doing.

And that just pissed her off even more.

Shaking her head once again to get rid of the seething fury inside herself, Hikari then forced herself to turn away before throwing the door to his office open without another second.

The door hit the back wall with a hard slam as Hikari stood silent in the middle of the frame, her mind in constant chaos as she just barely managed to seethe out.

"Fine. You want me to play pretend, I'll play fucking pretend. Let's just get this over with."

Then the girl slammed the door shut as Hawks eyed the empty surface with curiosity and slight surprise. She really just agreed to his request just to get out of talking about her hatred for the commission again.

She really was lying before, wasn't she?

Because, If it really was nothing then Hikari wouldn't have acted that way, she wouldn't have purposely dodged the conversation. It wasn't like her. Hell, that girl loved to show everyone up whenever she had the chance.

So why did she just go along with it this time? Why was the response different?

Hawks didn't know, but he was desperate to find out, one way or another.

The minute the two siblings stepped into the training grounds, Hawks watched as the girl played with the strings of her jacket before shifting the weight of her feet from side to side.

On closer inspection, she also seemed to be biting her bottom lip with an unreadable expression, almost like she was in a whole other world, like her mind was consumed with wandering thoughts.

If Hawks didn't know better, It almost looked as if she was nervous for this class.

But that couldn't be right, the girl was a villain. If anything, a class geared towards fighting should've been easy for her. He certainly saw enough a couple nights ago when Hikari almost scratched that random girl's eyes out of the club.

This wasn't any different than before, so why did she look so bothered by it?

Shaking off the idea, her brother then placed a reassuring hand to her shoulder in order to give her some energetic words of encouragement, something that would hopefully get her out of the trance she was in. "Come on Hikari, there's no need to be nervous. You are gonna do great! Just remember what we talked about and you'll be fine."

Although his words seemed to have the opposite effect, the girl quickly stepping away so his hand fell away from her body before shaking her head once, almost like she was completely consumed by the situation.

Her voice was strained and rough, annoyance and anxiety covering every inch as she managed to bring a phrase to her lips and hiss back. "Just shut up."

Then she wordlessly walked into the room, leaving her brother behind before unzipping her grey colored jacket and taking it off to reveal her solid black colored tank top.

Yet, as soon as the girl threw the object to the side, Hawks couldn't help but widen his eyes at the sight before him, and the utter horror and implications that appeared immediately.

There across her back was not one, but hundreds of little tiny scars, cascaded along the tip of her neck and following into the area under her tank top. They seemed to be endless, covering the entity of her back and arms.

Back in Kyushu Hawks were only able to see a couple of them but now it was plain to see that there were so many more, all of them old and slightly faded, as if they had been there for years without him even knowing.

And it was strange because the marks only seemed to cover the entirety of her back and arms, like they stopped before they reached anywhere lower or higher, almost like they were deliberate, like someone had chosen where they were placed.

The very idea made the hero see red, wondering what kind of sick bastard would do such a thing, and what kind of horrors had his sister been living through while he was utterly blind.

Did Dabi know about these? Was he there when she got them? Was anyone there when she got them? Was she crying? Did she call out to him? Did she wish for him to save her?

A part of him didn't want to know the answer.

All Hawks could do was watch his sister leave his sight a moment later, the bird desperately wanting to call back to her, to have her explain herself on what he had just seen.

Although, what was there to even say, what could he possibly even say to fix that?

A lump of shame crept into his chest at the idea as he watched his sister join the small group of sidekicks on the ground as the hero felt his body force itself into the viewing platform on the second floor.

That conversation would come another time. Right now he had the obligation to watch her, to see how she fared with the other heroes and sidekicks.

He had to see if she would pass the test.

Hikari reluctantly shuffled into line before the main instructor seemed to notice her presence, clearing his throat as everyone next to her started to stare. "You must be the new sidekick Hawks told me about. He said you would be joining us today."

And although the girl really wanted to give a smart ass remark back, she withheld her tongue, knowing that she had to play the part in order to seem like a real sidekick in training.

So instead, Hikari nodded her hand once, allowing her voice to come out slightly softer and more fake than before. "That's me. The name is Hikari sir."

Wanting to gag at the sound of her own words, the man seemed rather pleased, glancing towards his boss on the second floor before crossing his arms. "Well Hikari, it seems like Hawks has great expectations for you, he's even watching our class today. Might I ask, what is your quirk young lady?"

Expectations I'm sure my dear old brother is going to be disappointed with.

Already expecting this question, Hikari then forced her eyes to turn sad so that the pathetic man would pity her for the response. "Oh, I'm quirkless."

Yeah, that was a big fat lie but it wasn't like she could go around showing people her wings like nothing. The minute the commission caught wind of that she'd be dead and this entire rodeo would be for nothing.

So instead, it was much better to lie, so that no one really found out who she was.

The leader of the class seemed to melt at her sad reply though, his eyes widening his surprise. Even the rest of the kids from the group seemed to snicker and gossip because of it.

Apparently a "quirkless" hero wasn't the norm around here. Pity.

"O-Oh, well that's quite alright. If the boss recruited you then you must be something special. I look forward to seeing your talent then."

Buddy, you have no idea.

In reality, the girl mustered a small plastic smile, enough for the conversation to end.

Then the man cleared his throat before finally turning away from Hikari in order to take out ten small red pieces of cloth from his back pocket and holding them up proudly. "Alright now it's time for your first exercise. We want to see what all of you are capable of so we'll start off with something very simple."

Waving the cloth in the air, the man beamed. "The rules are simple, all of you will start off with a red piece of fabric. You can tie it anywhere around you to begin but once the buzzer rings you will be responsible for removing another person's marker. Once your marker is taken, you will be out of the running. The last one standing will show Hawks and I who are really serious about becoming a sidekick."

To Hikari, the game sounded annoying and tedious, the girl groaning as she received her red piece of fabric before choosing to tie it around her wrist in a single knot. This was stupid, why was her brother making her do this?

Turning her head to lock eyes with the man himself, Hikari couldn't help but groan when she watched him give her a cheesy thumbs up through the window, causing her eyes to roll. Can you be any more of an idiot?

A few of the sidekicks seemed to notice the exchange though, their eyes turned down in disapproval before one of them purposely bumped her shoulder with a hum. "Hey Hikari, it seems like Hawks really likes you, huh? How lucky. Even though you're quirkless, It seems like you're a favorite."

Noticing that the girl was probably jealous of her getting their bosses attention so easily, she didn't pay any mind, placing a hand to her shoulder before rubbing it once. "Believe me, I don't want to be. Besides, that flighty little idiot gives everyone that kind of attention. I'm not special."

The girl only seemed more annoyed with that though, her lilac hair twirling around her fingers as she narrowed her eyes in response. "What do you mean? I've been trying to get his attention for weeks and he just brushes me off. He hangs around you every second he gets. You know how annoying that is? How you get some kind of special treatment while the rest of us are left on the sidelines?"

Hikari supposed that the girl was trying to be intimidating, to get her to stop seeing her brother or whatever but what that bitch didn't know was that her insults were weak at best, only causing the villain to laugh comically.

"Sounds like a personal problem to me. Although, I don't have the time or energy to listen to whatever little hate boner you have for me right now. So, if you wanna bully me then how about you actually come out and say it instead of beating around the bush like the little pussy hero you are."

She then watched as the jealous girl widened her eyes in pure shock, blinking in surprise that a quirkless sidekick would ever say something like that. "What did you just say?"

Although Hikari only lowered her eyes into a knowing gaze before shrugging her shoulders and moving to the opposite end of the arena, her words clearly meant to piss her off even further.

"I don't think I need to repeat myself, unless you really are dumber than I thought."

She didn't even watch as the purple haired girl felt her cheeks light up with fury before the instructor raised his hand, obviously waiting for the signal to start. "And one more thing, this exercise will be entirely quirkless so we can see your skills first hand. Also we want to make it even for our new addition today."

The man then gestured to Hikari only for a few kids to glare in her direction. Just great, now they were pitying her because she couldn't use her quirk. The very idea brought a nostalgic ball of disappointment into her chest because of it.

For a moment it felt like she was back when she was thirteen years old, useless and stupid, when she couldn't defend herself and caused Touya to get hurt because of her own ridiculous desires to help.

Shaking the idea away as fast as possible, the girl then narrowed her eyes before surveying the situation in order to remove everything from her mind. That's right, she needed to stop thinking before things turned bad.

The worst things seemed to happen when she let her mind wander like that after all. It was best to leave it alone, to remain numb or else everything would slowly unravel like it usually did. The location was bad enough, she didn't need anymore reminders of things she would like to forget.

And just like that, a small buzzer was overheard before the entire arena went crazy, kids attacking and chasing each other as Hikari sighed out a bored breath. Alright, let's just get this over with.

Almost immediately a boy with frizzy red hair raced towards her, obviously thinking she was an easy target before reaching his hand out to grab her red scarf only for Hikari to smirk and immediately step to the side. "Oh? You're going to have to try harder than that."

Feeling slightly dazed because of the miss, the boy then turned around only to find the blonde haired girl grinning at him before using her booted foot to kick him in the sweet spot of his spine, causing him to crumble in an instant. "At least give me a challenge."

The boy groaned at the hit before immediately reaching his hands forward in order to grab onto her left leg and forced it forward, causing the Hikari to quickly lose her footing and tumble to the ground a moment later with a thud.

Pulling her backwards with all of his strength, the girl only narrowed her eyes before using her free shoe to kick the kid straight in the face, the impact enough for him to lose a little bit of grip strength on her leg, just enough for her to break free.

Hikari then used her newfound freedom to her advantage, quickly turning around before easily dodging another blind hand and grabbing onto the red piece of fabric around his forearm and ripping it off a second later.

The instructor made some commentary about the action but Hikari was too distracted to notice, already scanning the cowards in order to find her next prey.

All of the nerves and anxiety were now completely gone, only replaced by a raging adrenaline that coursed through her veins like a drug. She couldn't think of anything else, only fighting.

Quickly finding a tall skinny blonde boy in the corner, Hikari felt her lips turn up without permission before allowing her feet to take control, her booted footsteps hitting the floor ever so slightly as she reached her hand up to grab his tie around his wrist.

He seemed to notice her presence though, immediately shielding himself to block her first before trying to deliver another of his own, quickly and precisely. But Hikari seemed to expect this, ducking under his arm before moving towards his blind spot and throwing another hit in his direction.

This time the boy wasn't as fast as her, causing Hikari to easily land a hit into his side before reaching forward and grabbing his wrist in order to twist it in an unnatural direction.

Crying out in pain, the kid groaned, already squirming around under his grasp before Hikari gave a low laugh, using her foot to kick joints in the back of his legs with heavy force as all of his lower muscles turned into mush a moment later.

He then felt his unusable legs hit the bottom of the floor before Hikari carefully untied his red marker with slow precision, knowing that she was messing with him in order for him to feel pathetic and useless.

Pulling it from his skin, the girl then flashed it in front of his face, taking joy in the disappointment and shame that filled his cheeks at the sight. Poor kid, he never even stood a chance. Pity.

Although she was quickly pulled out of her own enjoyment when a group of kids started to laugh cynically under their breath, Hikari turning to find the lilac haired bitch from before, along with two male and two females by her side.

What the hell, did they make some kind of alliance or something? Gross.

Crossing her arms over her chest, the girl turned her head in pure confidence, obviously thinking she had already won. "You should watch yourself, Hikari. You don't want to make enemies here. See all these people here, they already don't like you."

Hikari then scanned the small group only to find all of the kids frowning or glaring, their emotions clearly on their sleeves for everyone to see. Ugh, heroes really were so exhausting. "Oh, what a shame. You know, what you're saying is very interesting, considering hero's are supposed to be the good guys, right?"

Obviously that wasn't the response everyone had expected, the girl practically fuming as she took a threatening step forward. "What are you trying to say, new girl?"

Hikari had no problem repeating her accusation though, knowing that it would piss her off even more. Didn't Hawks just say that heros weren't hypocritical? Well, it looks like he was wrong after all.

"I'm saying that what you just said didn't sound like a hero, sweetheart. Oh my, won't Hawks be disappointed in you once he hears that one. I guess you'll never get his pathetic approval now."

Watching her eyes light up with pure hatred, the girl then turned to her friends before hissing out with dark intent, something that Hikari only took as a challenge. "Come on, I've heard enough. You know what to do."

All at once, all five kids moved closer as Hikari instinctually took one step back. Oh, so they were going to gang up on her now? Really classy. Now their actions just proved her point further.

Snapping out of her thoughts quickly, a hand made its way into her space bubble as Hikari dodged gracefully only for another kid to be there waiting for her as they grabbed onto her arm.

A spike of fear couldn't help but enter her throat as Hikari quickly shoved it down, slapping the attackers hand away and kicking them in the stomach to create some distance between the five of them. Now it was more of a manhunt than anything.

Just then, the girl felt her shirt yank backwards as the lilac chick forced her back a couple feet before Hikari quickly turned and used her foot to blindly kick her away with as much force as possible.

The move was successful, causing her to loosen just enough for Hikari to break free only to come face to face with everyone surrounding her in a suffocating circle and no escape route in sight. So this must have been their plan.

Hunger filled eyes watched her from every direction as Hikari played every strategy in her mind only to notice that her breathing had grown thin from the very position she was in.

Then without permission, her mind began to wander, to connect this experience with a very similar one from her past, something that she always forbade herself to do in battles like these.

Although this time she couldn't help it, the unkempt feelings and situations plowing into her without a second thought.

And suddenly she was back at the orphanage, back as a six year old child when all of the kids used to pick on her and bully her for being related to a villain. How they would chase and punch and scream at her for being a murderer, how they would corner her in place just like this..

Feeling her own hands begin to shake at the memory, Hikari tried to will it away but found the emotions too strong as past fear, anxiety and terror worked their way into her chest a moment later as she took a step back in dizzy nostalgia.

Yet, the kids only took one close, closing her into her own walls as her own breath turned dangerously fast, her mind spinning in circles as another horrible memory appeared suddenly, far faster then Hikari could stop it.

There were voices now, all of them pieces of the past as the familiar position shoved her back into that time, the time when she was useless, the time before she was ever destroyed to begin with.

"Yeah, you're right! Hikari would be perfect. Looks like we found our villain!"

"Alright heroes, everyone get the villain, don't even try to run...!"

She pictured herself as she was before, utterly terrified as each of the sidekicks took a step closer in order to do the same exact thing Hikari grew up with.

To take the villain down, to punish them for seemingly wanting to exist in the same world as them.

The kids from the orphanage, and these sidekicks before her, she couldn't tell the difference. They were all too similar, all too disturbingly similar and Hikari couldn't take it. No, no, stop it. Stop thinking about it. Stop it, it's not the same.

That's when she just barely heard the lilac haired girl speak, her voice shattering any sense of control she had in a single instance. "You shouldn't have played with me, new girl."

"N-No no please. I'm not a villain, I don't wanna be a villain…I don't wanna play.."

Hikari then remembered how she used to cry back then, how she used to utterly crumble and break under their little "game" every single time.

Even though she didn't want to play, even though she never asked to be stepped on and abused time and time again, even though she just wanted to be like everyone else.

Not a villain, but a person, an individual.

But unfortunately that was never how it worked out for her. In fact, it almost felt like the world had pushed her on this path, like it was fate to be changed into something so sinister.

It was like her life entire up entire now was just like that stupid little game they played as kids, in every single painfull little way.

How comedic that a little child's game symbolized so much, like some kind of twisted metaphor that appeared time and time again, no matter how much she tried to ignore it.

Pleading for the world to be kind, crying out for a hero that would never recuse her, wishing for them to be finished, to leave her alone and let her have a moment of peace, those emotions followed her through her entire life.

She could always feel the pull, the offer of just giving up, of letting a jury decide her fate and what role she was destined to play since the beginning, the role that made her just like her father, evil in all regards.

And she fought it, she fought it for years, resisted the pull of villainy and destruction, pushed to keep her heart innocent, hopeful so that one day she would be rewarded for her efforts.

Although that day never came, and even Hikari realized that the world never was that kind to people like her, to people like Dabi, to villains like them.

So she gave in, just like everyone else wanted her to. She became stronger and succumbed to the path that was laid out from her from the beginning, ever since those orphanage kids decided she was the villain.

That's right, she wasn't that scared little kid anymore, and she wasn't going to take their punches anymore. She was exactly what everyone wanted from her, what they unknowingly created in the shadows of their own twisted perfection.

And unlike when she was a child, the idea of the "game" only brought a cynical smile to her face, darkness over taking her entire features as Hikari felt her crystal pendant vibrate across her collarbone in slight anticipation.

Then the girl gave a dark chuckle, her mind turning clouded as the past and the future blurred together to create a horrible painting of who she was as a person, and who the heroes changed her to be.

"Oh, you wanna play? Well then, let's play."

Almost immediately Hawks could feel the atmosphere shift into something darker, the bird leaning forward in order to get a better look. What was happening down there? Why was she just standing there and why did it seem so tense?

Although he quickly got his answer when Hikari raced forward a moment later, her targets slightly panicked as another dry chuckle escaped her lips before she even had a chance to process it.

Blinded by her own delusions, the girl then balled her shaking hands quickly before ducking an oncoming hit and violently using her own elbow to ram it into the boy's eye a second later.

The boy doubled over in pain immediately as Hikari used the opportunity to knee him in the stomach a moment later and then punching him straight in the head right after, almost like she wasn't thinking about the actions, only doing it out of pure instinct.

Falling down and turning unconscious, the girl didn't even bother with the red marker as she set her sights on the next target, fear and adrenaline coursing through her system like a drug while her whole body shook.

Quickly falling back into old habits automatically, she felt a hand touch her only for Hikari to flitch and immediately turn around before grabbing onto the attacker's arm and pull so hard that it dislocated from his socket, taking a step back as a muffled scream echoed back.

Her vision began to see complete white as a thousand unsaid memories and feelings smashed into her without a second thought, Hikari's own shaky breath being the only thing she heard through the rising chaos.

Suddenly she was pushing the lilac haired sidekick to the ground, using her own hands to slam the girl's head into the floor over and over again as the girl screamed for her to stop.

But she couldn't' she couldn't stop. If she did then she would be weak, she wouldn't be good enough, she wouldn't be able to live with herself, she would be that same little kid that begged for her bullies to stop.

Feeling her teeth grit with immense force, Hikari tasted the metallic substance on the inside of her tongue before her whole body began to shake with muscle memory in an instant.

I have to be faster, I have to win. If I don't win I'll be punished, I'll get another scar. I don't want to get hurt, I don't want to be touched, I don't want to fail. Come on Hikari, be better, be stronger, be what they want you to be, be perfect. It's you or them. It has to be you, it always has to be you. No one else cares, no one will save you so you have to save yourself. Come on, Come on, COME ON!

Suddenly she felt a hand touch her arm, pulling her away from the whimpering sidekick as it practically yanked Hikari from her own spiraling thoughts, panic and fear laced in his voice. "Hikari! Stop, stop it, she's had enough!"

Registering the touch a moment later, HIkari felt herself flinch immediately, snapping her arm away as her heart hammered into her chest so fast that she thought she was going to pass out.

Fear crossed her features at the motion, causing the man to pause ever so slightly, devastation in his stance as Hikari finally came down from the self induced high she had given herself.

Blinking in surprise, the white in her vision seemed to dissipate as well, recognizing his concerned amber filled eyes and messy blonde hair before her heart filled with an emotion that used to be extremely distant for her.

It was a strange mix of joy and relief, her mouth hanging open at the sight of the one person she told herself would never appear, the one person she stopped calling out for years ago.

And in a brief second, all Hikari could think of was one singular thing.

He's here, Kei-chan is here. He saved me.

Still feeling in a daze, Hawks avoided touching her this time, choosing to speak loudly in her direction as Hikari's eyes filled with life once again. "Hikari! Are you even listening? I asked what was that..?!"

Although with his words came the reality and the realization of the situation at hand, Hikari blanky looked down only to find the lilac haired sidekick crying underneath her as a small pool of blood dripped around her.

She was still conscious and the blood wasn't fatal so it seemed like Hawks pulled her away before things got too bad. Although, that didn't ease the shame in Hikari's heart at the sight.

She knew this would happen, ever since she heard the words "training" she knew it wasn't going to end well. Everything was just too similar, similar to things that needed to be forgotten.

She let herself think again, she let herself wander again and looked at what happened.

Locking her heart and her emotions down once more, Hikari wordlessly stood up before already turning towards the exit as Hawks seemingly followed her a moment later, the bird just utterly confused and terrified at what had occurred.

"H-Hikari..?"

Although the girl only stopped for a moment, looking down at her feet before her raspy emotional voice cut through his entire soul, devastation in every syllable. "Just leave me alone Hawks. I've had enough."

Then just like that, she was gone, leaving Hawks wondering what the hell he had just witnessed with his own eyes.

Perhaps Hikari was far more broken than he originally thought.

Oof this was a big boy. But it is very important to see the person Hikari has become. Next chapter will explain why she freaked out the way she did and how she got the scars on her back. Also we love those callbacks to the first chapter.

Next chapter: Past chapter: we got into Hikari's "training" into becoming stronger and see the start of the corruption firsthand.