Chapter 7: Broken Pieces

"I already told you; the only thing I'm interested in talking about is All-for-One. I'm not interested in ratting out the League, and I'm not here to get chummy with you." Tenko crossed his arms over his chest, glaring at the spectacled woman across from him with a defiant air to his motions and an annoyed look in his eyes.

The older therapist nodded, her composure calm as always as she agreed with him, "I wasn't asking for you to tell me anything incriminating about your friends, Mr. Shimura; I only hoped for some insights into your more recent relationships. I understand if you feel reluctant to share yourself when you feel like I am the enemy."

She steepled her fingers, "How about this; let's talk about All-for-One again..."

Tenko snorted, feeling exasperated, "I already told you everything I know about him! Bad enough that I doubt it even does anything to him for you to know that much, especially seeing as he's already locked up."

Continuing as if the young man had not interrupted her, she elaborated, "...but this time instead of focusing on what you know of All-for-One himself, let's talk about how the things he said and did made you feel..."

Making an emphatic gesture, Shimura shouted in irritation, "What the fuck is that supposed to do? Are you going to try to tell me that I actually want to hear all of your psycho-babble? Your job is a joke, and so is whatever you're trying to pull here."

Always unruffled, the woman splayed a hand as a subtle cue to calm down as she replied to his ranting, "Well even if you are uninterested in your own rehabilitation Mr. Shimura, you are still obligated and required to attend these sessions, and I will still try my best to help you see things from another viewpoint."

"That said, maybe there is something in discussing your past feelings that might help you with the dilemma you face now."

The gray-haired boy frowned, lifting an eyebrow at her, "What are you talking about?"

Spreading her hands palm up, the therapist explained, "Memory and feeling have always been tied together by subconscious strands within the human mind; remembering how you felt when you were around that man might assist you in remembering details still clouded by time and trauma."

Considering her words, he grit his teeth, "Are you saying that if I rehash that shit he did to me, I could get more dirt on the asshole that you could use against him? Still... not sure what the point is... not like he can be more incarcerated."

Peering at him over her spectacles, the older woman nodded, "Yes, you could use this as an opportunity to seek more ammunition, to hurt All-for-One further, as his time spent under isolated confinement without appeal is proportionate to the amount of evidence gathered concerning his inhumane activities thus far."

"However, I think it would be far healthier and in your best interests to listen to your own reasonings concerning the validity of continuing to kick that man while he is down. A far more useful way of looking at this might be to think of it as an opportunity to understand All-for-One and what he did, as well as what sort of man he is."

Clenching his hands in anger, Tenko put his shaking fists on his knees, leaning forward to glare at her menacingly, "How the fuck is that useful?! Besides, I know exactly what kind of asshole that fucker is, and even if I didn't, I don't need to understand a man to hate him for what he did to me!"

She nodded solemnly, returning his gaze evenly, "Indeed, it is almost a requirement for misunderstanding to exist between two people for one to hate the other."

"What?!" Tenko's face was livid, "Are you trying to say I should forgive that asshole because he was misunderstood or something?!"

The psychiatrist shook her head, "No. I was only pointing out that it is more difficult to hate someone when you truly understand them. Knowing someone entirely creates empathy for that person, their thoughts, motives and actions. That does not mean forgiveness, but understanding can help to spare you from the burden of hate."

He swiped a hand through the air dismissively at her, turning his head away as he harrumphed, "Maybe it's a burden to you, but being pissed off is where I need to be right now; keeps me focused on what matters."

She raised an eyebrow at him, "Does it? Is meeting your current goal going to make you happier? Are you certain of what your goal entails? You admitted yourself that you don't believe that All-for-One can receive a more severe sentence than he is already suffering. I say your hatred is a burden because as long as you hold onto it, you are not happy right now."

Tenko tsked, "With as much as you know, you must be some kind of super optimistic basket-case if you think I've got enough reason to be happy now."

As usual, she agreed with him, "I can see that, but while happiness today might not be possible, we could at least lay the foundation for tomorrow. What I was talking about earlier wasn't forgiving All-for-One. While that would be very progressive and mature of you, I'm talking about a simpler item, which is simple closure."

He frowned at her, but didn't interrupt again. She smiled and went on, "If you can come to terms with what happened between the two of you in your past, then maybe you can find some peace of mind, and remove the shadow of his influence from your own actions, right?"

For a long time, Shimura Tenko did not reply to his shrink, just staring off at nothing, clearly lost in his own thoughts. At last, he gave her a lopsided sneer, "Fine, let's talk some more on how I felt concerning what that bastard did to me... just remember I'm only doing this to dig up more dirt on that asshole, though; I'm not interested in your care-bear philosophies."

.*.

Todoroki Enji was furious. His bright turquoise eyes glared at Principal Nezu as his large frame towered over the diminutive mouse, "What do you mean I can't be my own son's councilor?" The flames that framed his face flared with the intensity of his annoyance, "How in the world could there be any one more suited to teach him than his father?"

Nezu shook his head, the tiny mouse's hands clasped behind his back as he stood upon his desk looking up at the relatively mountainous hero, "I never said that you can't take on the role of an advisor. You can certainly visit Todoroki Toya, but we ask that you in turn take council from our professionals before trying anything radical with him."

"Radical?!" The big man's hands clenched into tight fights, his blood pressure rising the more they spoke on the matter, "You lot think I haven't learned from my mistakes? You think I'm going to do the same things I did the first time? I won't. Just let me do as I must, only watch me."

The Principal shook his head, "No, we need to be more careful than that. It isn't that we don't trust you because of your history with your son, Mr. Todoroki; it's the fact that your son's trauma and psychological disturbances are almost all entirely centered around you personally. As it is, I was advised that you shouldn't be able to see him at all until some progress has been made with his various anger issues."

Endeavor growled, "Those fools think it will help him not to see me at all? How in the world is he going to face the problem if he can't face me?"

Nezu nodded, "I agree with you on this point, though he might not be ready to face his problems head on yet. The entire catastrophe that led to his most serious injuries revolved around his inability to handle the stress he was facing and its relation to his quirk, which reacts strongly to his emotions. Let us proceed slowly, and in time you will be able to do as you like."

Enji was unhappy but he knew a note of finality when he heard one; Nezu had already made up his mind, and the panel of doctors and therapists that oversaw his son's case likely wouldn't budge either. "This program keeps him out of Tartarus, so I will comply. If I am not to be the hero that serves as his guardian, who is?"

With a smile Nezu replied, "Todoroki Shoto."

Endeavor's eyes bulged in surprise, "What?! Toya hates his brother almost as much as he hates me, and has threatened to kill him more than once! My eldest son has always believed that Shoto was somehow responsible for a perceived loss of favor with me, and resents him greatly. If you assign Shoto as his mentor it's going to create the same problems!"

Shaking his head, Principal Nezu held up a hand, "I don't believe that Toya blames Shoto in the same way that he blames you. That young man is intelligent, and I think he knows deep down that his brother never harbored ill will towards him, and can no more be responsible for his destiny at birth that Toya himself."

"Furthermore, Todoroki Shoto has shown himself to be an exemplary example of patience and understanding. I've had the privilege of watching that young man grow, and I must say that seeing him reach out his hand to his mother after what happened between them told me enough about his character."

"Not only am I convinced that our aspiring hero has the right mentality for this task in helping his elder brother from a place of calm reasoning, where Toya's quirk will be less likely to cause more harm, if by chance Toya was to still lose control..."

Enji blinked, understanding the other reason that Nezu chose Shoto, "You want him to be able to use his ice quirk to control Toya's flames."

Nodding, his smile growing, Nezu beamed, "Precisely! As the young Todoroki will still need to be attending his various responsibilities at the school and abroad, he will have less time for the program than other heroes, so we have made some allowance to Toya's roster so that others can visit and assist."

His eyebrow arching, Endeavor queried, "Who?"

.*.

Dabi stared at the television, watching a rerun of an old show without actually paying any attention to what was going on. The T.V. was mounted on the wall across from his hospital bed, angled so that whomever was in the bed could easily see it from its position high up. Instead of the program that was on, his mind was turned inwards.

Across from him Natsuo lay back onto the guest couch, a handheld video game lighting up his face in soft blue lights since it was night time and Toya's mother had decided to turn off the main overhead lights, leaving the room lit only by the small safety lights, the lights from the displays of the machines he was hooked into, and Natsuo's gaming device.

His younger brother was immersed in whatever digital world he was exploring, and didn't see when Dabi glanced over his way. Which was fine; Toya didn't know what to say to his brother any more. He looked over at his mother, whom was sitting in a chair on the other side of the room. She had been watching the T.V. too, but noticed when Dabi's gaze settled on her.

She smiled at him, and Toya quickly looked away, suddenly self-conscious and not wanting her to think that he wanted conversation. So far all of their attempts at small talk had been incredibly clumsy and awkward, or at least that was how Dabi had felt about it. Perhaps it was only him, but he just couldn't pretend everything was normal.

The weirdest part was that everyone seemed to be genuinely interested in trying to make him feel better, despite everything that he had done. It felt surreal to be in such a situation, having his family continually dote on him when he had gone so far to hurt them all. So, he had just sat there passively until they left him alone, lost in his own thoughts.

Spiraling, confused thoughts. He was still grievously injured, he knew that; the doctors spoke to his mother and father in hushed tones, and he had to wonder what they were saying that they wouldn't tell their patient directly. Morphine was constantly being pumped into him, which made him sluggish and unable to feel his quirk.

At first, he had thought that was the primary reason he was drugged, but his doctor had assured him that due to his internal injuries, the medicine was needed to keep him from being in terrible pain all of the time. Apparently, Recovery Girl was limited in what she could do with the stamina he had to heal himself with, and returning to health was going to be a rough road.

He had dryly chuckled at the doctor when he had gotten the news that he had done considerable damage to his organs and might face long-term consequences. If anyone in this world knew how much it hurt to be burned, it was Todoroki Toya.

.*.

Kai Chisaki stared openmouthed towards the small building in front of him, his eyebrows arched upwards in surprise. He saw a familiar blue-gray-headed little girl huddled on the steps of that building, and it took him a few moments to find his voice, "You mean she was here...?"

The man known as 'Eraser Head' had taken charge of things the moment he had heard Kai ask him for his help. Commanding the youth to get up, Aizawa had led him back out of the hospital and to his car again, without sharing what his intentions were until they had already started driving back to U.A. "If you're going to try an apology as a start, let's make it count," he had said.

Chisaki had guessed at what he had meant; if there was a person he needed to say he was sorry to after his boss, it was definitely Eri, the granddaughter of the former leader of the Shie Hassaikai. He had assumed they were returning to his new home at U.A. for the time being while Eraser made the arrangements needed for him to see her.

What he had not expected was to find the girl on the campus, a stone's throw from the building where the rehab program was located. Shota had parked the car a fair clip away from the big wall leading into the correctional facility, so Kai had figured perhaps that it was so that they could get some fresh air as they walked back.

Instead, Aizawa had led him across the short-cut lawns of the school to a small building, and on the stoop of that building perched Eri, whom watched them approach with wide, curious eyes. At first, she had seemed excited when she saw Shota coming, but when she saw Chisaki, her expression became guarded, and she sat still, watching him warily.

A blonde headed boy sat next to her. Chisaki recognized him as 'Lemillion', a now former hero due to Kai using his anti-quirk drug to permanently remove the young man's quirk. Togata Mirio seemed puzzled by Kai's sudden appearance too, but there was no fear or anger in the boy's face. Instead, he smiled a moment later as he waved to Eraser.

"Sensei! You still came by, despite your obligations!" Mirio leaped down the stairs nimbly to stand next to Aizawa, "Though it looks like you brought your work with you? Are they letting the hero guardians take inmates out of there, or is this a special case?"

Shota waved a hand dismissively, "We can worry about the red tape later. I secured permission to bring him to a hospital, and now we are technically in transit to return home. Since Kai Chisaki has been expressing a state of penitence, I decided it might be good for both him and Eri to bring him by."

Chisaki's face heated a little at Aizawa's words. Was that what he was, penitent? He had been struggling with his guilt, but did that mean he really wanted to make amends with everyone? Kai had agreed to apologizing to Eri because she was the boss' granddaughter. Because she was an innocent even by his standards.

But if he let Eraser tell others that he was seeking redemption, it made it seem like all that he had done had been wrong. He blinked, remembering shamefully how he had begged for help. His pride was still alive, as a part of him that didn't want to stop being a yakuza boss railed against the notion that he regretted all of it.

And what was with Lemillion? As the boy continued to smile and speak cheerily Chisaki blinked at him, unable to process how the young man could be so glib in front of him. After all, Kai Chisaki had removed the gift of his powers from him permanently. Was he somehow happy that Kai had taken away his quirk?

Did he somehow not remember the event? That seemed very unlikely, for something so life-changing. Without his powers he would be unable to work as a hero. Chisaki did not know Mirio, but from their meeting when they had fought each other back at the Shie Hassaikai headquarters, Kai had gotten the impression that Mirio's hero work was important to him.

As usual, Aizawa's own face was devoid of emotion despite the enthusiasm of his former hero comrade. He greeted Mirio blandly before walking up the steps to lean close to Eri. Chisaki couldn't hear what was being said, but the long-haired little girl nodded and stood, looking at Kai resolutely and descending the stair to stand before him.

Awkward silence passed during which even boisterous Togata didn't say anything, all eyes on Kai Chisaki as the armless man stood there staring down at the little girl whom stared back up at him. Eventually Shota cleared his throat, "Didn't you have something you wanted to say, Mr. Kai?"

He felt like he was watching his own life from the outside, the surreal feeling from before having reached a climax within him as Kai stared down at the little girl. He had never imagined this meeting happening during the height of his depression in prison, and when Eraser had suggested it, he hadn't imagined it would happen so soon.

Without enough time to process the choice, he was left on shaky ground as to how to proceed. With the boss he had known his own heart and mind, and known at least that he wanted to apologize in whatever way he could. With Eri he felt guilt, but now that she could hear his words, now that he could reach her with his feelings...

Closing his eyes against the torrent of conflicting thoughts Chisaki focused on what he had determined concerning his obligation to his mentor. He might not know exactly what to say, but he knew how to start. Dropping to his knees with his head bowed in shame he apologized simply, "I'm s-sorry."

Licking his lips as he thought, he elaborated, "I-I betrayed my honored sensei in how I treated you, a-and I was cruel to you. I don't ask for your forgiveness since I know that I have done far too much to deserve it, but I want you to know that I regret what I did to you..."

He opened his eyes again, his eyes searching the dirt in front of his bent knees. Would the boss be pleased with such an offering? Did this even matter?

"Okay."

Looking up, Kai stared at her as she regarded him, her red eyes still intently watching him. Seeing that he looked confused, she elaborated, "You were very mean to me..." she glanced down a moment, perhaps remembering the pain he had caused her and trembling a little, but then steeling herself to look up at him again, "...but I forgive you."

Chisaki wasn't the only person shocked by the ease with which the child said the words, but Aizawa, Mirio and Kai would a moment later reflect on the fact that she was still very young. The extremely youthful had a propensity to forgive far more easily than their elders. Still, Chisaki didn't feel as if her words eased his burden at all.

In fact, her willingness to let go of any well-deserved animosity she might feel for him simply because he had said he was sorry only made him feel that much worse for what he had done to her. He was in his own mind painted as even more of a monster to have intentionally and repeatedly harmed such a kind and innocent soul.

Dropping his face down level with the turf at his feet, Chisaki allowed emotion to flow into his voice as he apologized again, "I-I'm really very sorry!" He meant it a lot more this time, but still, saying it loudly and humbling himself before her did not help with the gnawing feeling in his gut. She was just a child! He couldn't let her treat this lightly, but what was there to say?

A hand clasped his shoulder, forcing him to rise to his feet. He looked up to see that Mirio had picked him up, the former hero smiling politely at him, "She heard you, Mr. Kai; no need for theatrics."

In other words, stop doing that, you're going to freak the kid out. She had already answered his apology, after all, so he was putting her on the spot. That would be even more unfair seeing as a child couldn't be expected to do more than she already had.

Aizawa gestured at Chisaki, his flat eyes scanning the former yakuza, "Right. You've stated how you feel, like you did at the hospital, so again I ask you; what now?"

Kai's brow knitted as he stared off at nothing, thinking. "You want me to put my words into action of some kind? What am I supposed to do?" He waved his crippled arms as he spoke, accentuating his helplessness to be productive.

Shota scowled at him, "You want me to figure everything out for you? I thought you were supposed to be clever..."

Even Togata winced at Eraser's complete lack of tact, patting Kai on the back as if they were old friends, "Well I for one don't mind giving suggestions if you want to do something along the lines of community service. I'm certain the reps for the program you're in would jump at the chance for something along the lines of giving back and reintegrating, right?"

Chisaki frowned; that hadn't really been what he had meant, and the idea of doing 'community service' rubbed him raw in the same way that Shota's comment about him being 'penitent' had. He opened his mouth to object, but stopped when he saw how Eri was looking at him. She looked... expectant. Perhaps even hopeful.

In the face of those small crimson eyes, he could only feel shame for not doing whatever these people decided he needed to do to prove that he meant what he had said. He stared at the ground, chagrined, and nodded instead, "...Very well. I'll do whatever I can within my power, limited as it has become." His frown grew deeper as he wondered where this was going to lead him.