Opening Song – Black Gold, by Flying Lotus & Thundercat

Summary: True to the title.

As he slowly peeled his eyes open, Ren surveyed his surroundings once more as he sat back up, sighing in relief as he recognized the attic of Cafe Leblanc.

What a strange dream… but it felt so real. He remembers it all so clearly… but He still can't make heads or tails of anything it meant. He did remember a feminine voice saying 'That he wasn't ready

"Hey, kid. You up?" Ren turned to the stairs leading to his room, watching as Sojiro climbed to the top of the stairwell. His outfit had changed little, only ditching the apron for a white blazer and sporting a white trilby with a red-white-and-blue hatband. "Oh, good. Make sure to wash up. We're going to be leaving soon to the mall."

" Thank you, Sakura-san," Ren nodded, pulling his blanket off of his feet and kicking them over the bed.

" Yeah. Just get downstairs and wash your face, at least. Then we can head out," Sojiro said before turning around and stomping down the steps. "Sheesh… only women are usually allowed in my passenger seat…" Ren heard him mutter, the Raven-haired teen could laugh weakly in response.

He swallowed some of the spit that gathered in his mouth and sighed yet again, looking at the wall with his blurry vision in thought.

Maybe all of that was just a dream... he's been having a lot of stress, right? Yeah, that's it…and he'll probably have to get some Glasses

The drive to the mall wasn't long, though Ren guessed that was probably because they had left before the traffic had really started to build up. Ren took a moment to stare up at the intimidating building, which resembled a complex prison more than a mall. Multiple stories of shops and vendors. Yea this was gonna take a while...

Take Your Time…(Transition of the scene)

They didn't exchange a word until they hit the main streets of Mustafa, where they immediately ran into one of Mustafa's infamous traffic jams. Ren found Sojiro's yellow VW Beetle to be comfy. Which was convenient, as they were stuck in that current situation.

The cars only had just enough room to inch along their current lane and there was no way for them to switch to a local road from their current position. Sojiro was grumbling about Ren window shopping and only coming away with a pair of glasses, and a couple of shirts in the number of hours they spent there.

"Damn it, this traffic is going nowhere!" Sojiro cursed in irritation, glancing at Ren sternly. "You're going to start writing a list of what you want from now on before we go anywhere, starting today." 'Geez, you really are her son if you can window shop for hours and only come away with a couple of things'

"What a troublesome kid I've taken in," sighed Sojiro.

"What do you think caused this?" Ren muttered curiously, gazing across the line of cars before them, with his newly acquired glasses.

"Who knows. We are in Mustafa, after all. It's probably just another traffic jam. Though from what I hear, those random villain attacks are probably behind it, too. A lot of problems all around, " Sojiro sighed, leaning on his free hand in boredom as he barely needed to move the car. "And by the way, those glasses look good on you, they fit you perfectly like a-"

"Look, it's All Might!"

Ren and Sojiro froze at the announcement, most likely from a driver in another car. Without warning, He basically starts to hang out the car window like how one would see a dog doing.

"H-hey! What are you doing?!" Sojiro protested, his eyes wide at his ward's sudden impulsiveness.

His protests fell on deaf ears as Ren continued to lean out of the window. Ren's eyes had a spark the barista had never seen from him at the mere mention of the Number One Hero. Several other people had done the same, most of them hoping to catch a glimpse of the Symbol of Peace. The coffee shop owner groaned tiredly as he stepped out himself. Even if he was in the middle of a crowded street, most of the other drivers had done the same. He might as well get a show while he waited.

"There he is!" Ren pointed out with Sojiro following his line of sight. Jumping through the air was indeed All Might. He wore his classic blue and red spandex, his cape billowing in the air behind him. Under his arm, there was some overly large and slightly deformed man, most likely due to his Quirk, beaten unconscious. Lifting his head somewhat, Sojiro could hear the boisterous laughter of the number one hero echoing through the air.

The coffee shop owner couldn't stop the smirk from edging at the corner of his mouth. He would never admit it, but even a hardened cynic like him was happy to see All Might in action. He wasn't a huge fan, but it was hard not to admire the so-called World's Greatest Hero.

But Ren was grinning like a kid in a candy store, his glittering Steeled eyes hiding no small amount of his admiration.

"So cool… I actually got to see him… He looks even cooler in person..."

"Careful, kid. You'll fall out at this rate," Sojiro pointed out with a small chuckle, glancing at Ren from the side stilling hanging from the window. Despite taking notice of Sojiro this time, Ren's smile would not fade as he gazed at his guardian. "Didn't realize you were such a huge All Might fan. Though maybe it's normal for kids your age to look up to that guy."

"Of course! All Might is amazing in every sense of the word!" Ren declared without hesitation, looking back to the sky to watch as the hero continued to jump from building to building, his figure slowly shrinking in the distance.

"Ever since I was little, I've always wanted to be a Hero just like… just like…" Ren's grin finally began to disappear, his shoulders and pupils falling as he spoke. Harsh reality quickly evaporated what was left of his energetic stupor.

"Oh… right…"

Sojiro couldn't stop the sympathetic frown from spreading down his lips. Until now, Ren had been a meek, stammering mess. But after seeing the Symbol of Peace, he had almost become a completely different person. It surprised Sojiro more than anything that a feeble kid like Ren wanted to be a hero, but it was obvious how passionate he was about the idea. Sojiro didn't say it, but he was well aware of Ren's Quirklessness.

He wasn't sure if he should admire the boy's tenacity up to this point or if or be dumbstruck at his stupidity for still wanting to become a Hero without a Quirk. It was almost like he'd been forced to play a game that had been rigged against him from the very start...

Poor kid.

The moment Ren and Sojiro arrived at Leblanc, Ren returned to his room without a sound. Sojiro had deigned to leave him alone, wordlessly looking around his shop and checking for any problems. The traffic had been backed up for miles and the day was practically over already, so there was no reason for the shopkeeper to open up.

The Raven-haired teen pulled the box of his belongings out from underneath the workbench, flipping open the top and peeking inside. Having spent most of the previous day cleaning, Ren missed the chance to take a look inside before. As he expected, Baba had packed his memorabilia of different heroes that he's collected. The first thing he spotted was a rolled-up poster of Pro Hero Midnight. It wasn't anything provocative like her usual stuff, but for some reason, he just couldn't bring himself to feel something for the Pro Hero like many other boys his age like there was an invisible taboo around it.

Next to it were articles of folded clothing as well as the video games and movies he's collected.

Ren first pulled out the poster but kept it rolled up as he set it aside. He then moved to the movies, pulling them out and walking back to the right front corner of his room, and setting them down. He placed the games right next to the movies. He glanced around the room, trying to come up with other ways to use the space he has.

"Hey. I forgot to give this to you earlier, but…" Sojiro began as he reached into his pocket. As he looked up at Ren and saw the Midnight poster, he immediately froze and felt his jaw slacken. "Holy shit, kid… aren't you a little young to be having that…"

"huh?" Ren blinked in confusion at first, glancing at the Poster in his hand before immediately putting two and two together.

"N-no, Sakura-san! It's N-not like that, I swear! " He yelped, furiously waving his arms in the air in hopes of alleviating Sojiro's concern. "It's not what you think!"

"Alright, alright, kid. I believe you. Just… don't think about doing that now, you're too young, and give me that poster!" He snatched the Poster away with a sigh then he started reaching into his pocket again and pulling out a small notebook.

"I need to give you this. It's a diary. Since you're going to be staying here, your mother wanted me to report your daily activities. That's a pretty big hassle, so I want you to just write it all down in that diary for me. You don't have to, but your mother would prefer it."

"My mother wants me to write in a diary..?" Sojiro Nods

"She does know that I'm a boy right?"

Sojiro Chuckles "Think of it as a Life Journal, writing your experiences or what happened that day."

That's totally a Diary…

"A-ah, I see. I'll be sure to do that…" Ren nodded, just relieved that Sojiro didn't think he was trying to…Wait what did he think I was trying to do..?

"Anyways, that's about it. I'm going to head home now and start dinner," Ren opened his mouth to say something but stopped himself. Sojiro phone started buzzing and turned from his ward

"Well, that's my signal to take off. By the way, I left you a plate of curry wrapped up if you're hungry. I noticed you didn't eat the one before, but I'm guessing you were just beat from cleaning up all day. Give it a taste, it might surprise you."

"I-uh, right. I'll be sure to have some tonight. Sorry for wasting the previous plate," Ren apologized. He was actually famished now that he thought about it. He hadn't eaten a thing in two days because of how hectic things had been. He would definitely devour the plate once he was done organizing the room.

"Don't worry about it. Considering its special house, you'll have plenty of other chances to try it," Sojiro chuckled before turning around. "Alright, see you in the morning," He bid farewell, descending the stairs.

Ren returned to organizing his room.

After that, he went over to his storage box and changed out of his clothes and into a black long sleeve top and aqua sweatpants. He lay on his bed preparing to sleep the rest of the day away until…

*ring ring*

It took a moment for Ren to realize the phone was ringing. With a slow bat of his eyes, Ren finally picked himself up off the bed, ignoring the groaning of the mattress under him. He reached into his pocket and checked his phone, though realized it wasn't his own that was ringing.

"It's coming from downstairs…," he muttered, his movements numb as he walked forward and down the steps. A yellow rotary phone was ringing away on the counter of the bar, the receiver hopping up each time the bell tolled. Ren wondered who could possibly be calling the cafe at this time but decided to just answer and find out.

"... Hello?" Ren slowly answered, unsure if it was okay for him to do so in Sojiro's shop.

"Yo, it's me."

Ren blinked. "Sakura-san?"

"Yeah. Sorry to interrupt you if you were still cleaning out, but I need a small favor. Could you flip the open sign to close for me? I forgot to do it on my way out."

"S-sure, Sakura-san. I don't mind," Ren glanced at the sign through the shop entrance.

"Thanks. I got so caught up in work that I forgot. Just flip it and that's all."

"Understood, Sakura-san."

"... you alright kid? You sound pretty beat."

Ren blinked after hearing that, surprised that Sojiro was able to pick up on his tiredness at all. "I-I'm fine, Sakura-san. Thank you for asking."

"... Alright, if you say so. Just try to get some rest. I know it's been a long day." With that, Sojiro hung up. Ren stood there for a moment before sighing, setting the phone back into the receiver.

With nothing else to do, Ren went outside and flipped the sign before heading to bed. He didn't bother to try and clean any more than he already had…

Dreams of chain and captivity plague his sleep...

xxx(Take Your Time)xxx

Date: 07/23/XX

Time: Early Morning.

Location: Leblanc Cafe.

Ren lazily stomped down the stairs from his room. Normally the prospect of a new city to be in would scare the daylights out of him, but so many emotions were swirling inside of him that he didn't have the energy to focus on any of them. He was sure he'd be a loner again once he arrives at the new school after summer is over, but it felt like an afterthought at this point.

He looked himself over to see if he was wearing a new pair of clothes most likely snuck in by his mother. He'll thank her for the gesture, but she's not around. The Clothes can be considered plain but he's not too picky on things like that. He wore a white plain t-shirt. The Jeans were dark blue, finished with the new shoes that he bought yesterday, white sneakers with red treads.

On his face were the new oversize black rim glasses that he bought yesterday.

He didn't care if anyone thought the clothes he was wearing were plain, but as long as he thought they were good.

"Hey. Heading out so soon?" Ren heard Sojiro, glancing to the side to see the shopkeep standing behind the counter with an apron on. Aside from the two of them, and a lady at the counter, the shop was relatively still empty. "You've got time, so take a seat. I'll feed you."

"Th-thank you," Ren nodded, sitting at the bar, popping his back and stretching. "Can I have a cup of orange juice as well?" Ren also takes notice of the young woman sitting there with dark purple hair, drinking a cup of coffee, she seemed familiar...

The request brought a sweatdrop to Sojiro's face. "I have to say, I forgot I can't give coffee to you because it'll stunt your growth...maybe. We'll need to go to the grocery store after I close the store so we can get you all the food, and snacks that you need."

"Do I also have to write a shopping list too?"

The question brought a smirk to Sojiro's face "Are you trying to impress me or something?"

"nothing like that…" Ren dismissed, shaking his head, waving his hand off. "Back at Baba's home, she would always go to the grocery store by herself. I think I'm just used to not going to it now."

"I see. Didn't realize you were such a sheltered child" Sojiro scoffed before nodding. "Alright, one orange juice coming up. Here's your plate while you wait."

He placed a plate of curry and rice in front of Ren, the black-haired teen blinking in surprise.

"Curry?"

"As I said, it's the house special. Might seem a bit early for it, but give it a shot," Sojiro told him as he continued to pour the orange juice for him. Ren hesitated, picking up his fork and gingerly holding it over his plate. It wasn't that he disliked curry, but it was a strange thing to have for breakfast.

Still, he didn't want to waste Sojiro's food again after missing his dinners twice now, so he dug in. Much to his surprise, the curry was far more flavorful than anything he was expecting. It was all kinds of sweet, savory, and spicy, but all of the flavors synchronized with each other rather than overwhelming one or the other. He remembered once that Baba told him she was trying to replicate a curry recipe belonging to a friend of my mother's. He guessed that it was this one.

"Th-this is… really good!" Ren praised after swallowing his first bite. He then proceeded to shovel more into his mouth, now realizing how hungry he was after missing dinner for two nights in a row.

"Told you to try it when I made those plates before," Sojiro smirked proudly, placing a freshly squeezed cup of orange juice next to Ren's plate. "Try it with coffee once you're older. I think you'll like the combo."

"Over eighty people were injured yesterday after a train was overturned as it approached the train station." Ren paused midbite in his meal when he heard the television, glancing up to the side to see a newscaster speaking, "It was originally suspected to be the work of an unknown Quirk, but it seems to just be another freak accident caused by the driver."

"So that's why traffic was so packed yesterday," Sojiro hummed aloud. "I thought it was whoever All Might was carrying-off, but I guess that was a different issue. Careful on your way exploring around the neighborhood."

"Y-yes, Sakura-san," Ren nodded before finishing off his plate and downing the Juice. He jumped off of his stool "Thank you for breakfast. I'll be going now."

"Sure. Just be careful not to get lost, alright?" Sojiro nodded before turning his attention to the woman at his counter, Ren nodded in agreement. He didn't want to say anything but the lady at the counter kept taking sneak glances at him.

Maybe she's a regular and wondering why there's a kid in here or maybe she's actually a child kidnapper...wow that's...dark...

Once Ren left the door… Sojiro and the mysterious woman talked

"How is he taking the transition?" The Mysterious woman asked cusping a cup of coffee gently with both hands.

"Depends, if he's in a good mood or not." Sojiro answers

The woman sighs " I-i can't thank you enough for taking him in for me, I want him to-"

"Hey look, I understand no need to tell me why. Being a Pro Hero is already hard enough, having a son to take care of also is... strenuous. I'm sure he would understand." Sojiro says putting his hands up in placating manner

"What if he doesn't?"

"I'll make him understand."

She sighs and slides an envelope across the counter to him "Here, this is for him"

Sojiro takes a look in the envelope, and almost has his eyes bulge out if they weren't connected to his skull " Ar-are you serious? This is a lot of money for a twelve-year-old!"

She nods "I want him to be supported and not to be worried about anything. Being quirkless is hard enough already." she mutters the last part but sojiro still hears her.

"I'll make sure he receives it when he comes back"

She shakes her head and says " No, give it to him on his birthday so he won't get suspicious about this" He nods.

She gets up from her stool, and slides her payment across the counter "I'll be going now, thank you Sakura-san."

"Anything for you Nemuri"

With that concluded the Woman known as Nemuri leaves the Cafe.

"Kid, you don't know how much your mother loves you," Sojiro mutters, returning his attention to the Cafe, and…

Years Flew Buy…

Ending Song – A Sky Full of Stars, a Persona 4 Golden soundtrack.