CHAPTER 14: MOVING ON, PART 1

"If the past is not resolved, future relationships will suffer. Let your heart heal before you open the door to another."

-Leon Brown


The life of Tenko Shimura has been spun into a complete lack of control in the past few days, but it has now come under control once again.

His life was once lived as a villain known by the name of Tomura Shigaraki, part of a gang of other villains dedicated to waging war against heroes and the very idea of their existence. He had left that behind when he met a young woman named Naomi, returning with her to the States in a shotgun marriage that has resulted in 4 children so far into their personal union.

His new life was the best kind of deal that anyone in his situation could ask for: A stable, happy marriage, children who love him and he loves, and an easy ride through life to retirement on the horizon. Together with a family that he can call his own and that he can care for, he has at last found peace in his life.

Unfortunately, that peace had come under jeopardy when one of those 4 children, the firstborn boy of twins named Daisuke, was kidnapped and held hostage in exchange for a large sum of money. Rather than succumb to the extortionist fee, Tenko instead decided to use his Quirk of Decay, a power he had not used in over half a decade, to eliminate the threat and safely return his son home.

The experience had left Daisuke frightened and terrified of his father, and only with the persuasion of his mother did he speak of what happened, after a long period of trying to hide the truth while working through his trauma. When the truth had eventually come out, a fight between husband and wife had ensued, but soon found itself resolved with talk and reconciliation.

All seemed to be going well for the family once again, but another developing plot caused another problem for the family. Catching ear of the method of which the kidnappers were killed, the heroes of Class 1-A came to investigate, suspecting that Tomura Shigaraki was hiding in the city.

Their suspicions were proven wrong with a visit from Deku to the former villain, seeing him and his family for himself, but they were soon found not to be the only ones with such suspicions. 4 Nomu arrived in the city of Los Angeles, coming in search of Tomura Shigaraki to see him returned to Japan as well.

Allying himself with the heroes that he once fought and came to imprison him, Tenko successfully destroyed all 4 of the attackers, earning the trust of the heroes and fully redeeming himself in their eyes. Leaving him with his family to live in peace, the heroes of Class 1-A then returned to Japan, deeming their mission a success.

Now, Tenko Shimura has found peace again.

And with that newfound peace for himself, there is peace returning to the rest of the family, beginning with Daisuke's return to his school's counselor. Previous visits showed very little in the way of improvement for the boy, but this visit showed a vast improvement in the child, almost as if no issues were present in the first place.

Present in the counselor's office with both of his parents, Daisuke concluded the last of his session with a high note.

"Well, Daisuke, you've certainly shown a lot of improvement in just the last few days. You look like you've gotten a lot better." The counselor said.

"Yeah. I'm a lot better now. I guess I felt a lot better after I sat down with my Daddy and talked to him." Daisuke said.

"Communication is one of the most important things in any relationship, between anyone from a friend up to family. It's always vital to let people know what you're thinking and feeling to make sure nothing's wrong."

"Yeah. I'm really glad to have Daddy as my Daddy."

Smiling in response to Daisuke's innocent demeanor, the counselor stood up from his chair, announcing the session over and shaking hands with the parents.

"Okay, well, it looks like our time's just about up. I don't think we'll really need to have any more sessions after this, but you're of course welcome to come back anytime you want. You, your mom, or your dad." The counselor said.

"Thank you very much, and thanks again for all your help." Naomi said.

"Yes. Thank you for helping out Daisuke." Tenko said.

"I'm always happy to help out families. Again, anything you ever need, don't hesitate to come to my office." The counselor said.

Exiting the office with a final goodbye to the counselor, Tenko and Naomi stepped out with Daisuke, leading him on to his next class.

"Hey, Mommy? Do you think we can get some ice cream after school?" Daisuke asked.

"Ice cream again after so many days in a row?" Tenko asked.

"Yeah."

"Any reason for this time around?"

"Because I like ice cream."

"Well, you can't really argue with that logic, now, can you?" Naomi asked.

"I guess not." Tenko said.

"Okay, baby, but we'll have to pick up your brother and sisters for ice cream, too."

"Okay." Daisuke said.

Led to his next class, the family met up with a group of children congregating to the classroom, greeted by the teacher leading the children along. Finding Naomi and the rare appearance of Tenko coming to her door, the teacher greeted both parents happily as they arrived.

"Hello again, Naomi- Oh! And this must be Daisuke's daddy!" The teacher said.

"Yeah. I'm Tenko. Nice to meet you." Tenko said.

Tenko reached out for a handshake, which the teacher enthusiastically grabbed and shook with a firm hold on his hand.

"Oh, yes, so very nice to meet you, too! I always hear so much about you, but never had the chance to meet you." The teacher said.

"I leave a lot of the school stuff to Naomi. I'm more of the stay-at-home dad." Tenko said.

"Wow. I almost never see the man do the housework and take care of the kids. That is so great to see a husband take the role. And you certainly haven't let it get to you, you must spend a lot of that time alone working out, huh?"

Reading into the teacher's thinly-veiled flirtation and continued grip on his hand, Naomi interjected by grabbing Tenko's hand and pulling it away, putting it to a quick end.

"Yes, well, I did marry him for a lot of reasons. That's why he's married to me, because I'm the only woman he can touch or sleep with and nobody else." Naomi said.

Receiving Naomi's firm speech with a stern smile on her face, the teacher stopped all flirtations against Tenko, moving their conversation back to civility.

"Oh, uh, ahem, yes. Well, you certainly hit the jackpot with this one." The teacher said.

"That's right, bitch." Naomi said.

"What?"

"I said, 'he's the right fish'. You know, 'fish in the sea', 'caught a good fish'? You know, those old fishing analogies?"

"Oh, right, right. Silly little things, metaphors and whatnot. Speaking of which, I've got an English class to teach, so I'm going to have to ask you guys to scoot, okay?"

"No problem. We're on our way out."

Naomi knelt down to Daisuke, bidding him a temporary goodbye before school.

"I'll see you later, okay? Me and Daddy." Naomi said.

"Okay. Don't forget the ice cream!" Daisuke said.

Naomi pulled in her son for a kiss, placing it on his forehead.

"Ice cream it is. Do good in school today, okay?" Naomi asked.

Sending Daisuke off to his class, Naomi and Tenko watched the classroom door shut, sending them on their way out of the school. Making their departure from the school, Naomi laid her arms around Tenko, laying her head against his body as they made their way home.

"I'm really proud." Naomi said.

"Yeah, me too. I'm glad to Daisuke better so soon." Tenko said.

"Not just him. I'm proud of you, too."

"Me? What for?"

"For being a hero."

Taking a sense of pride out of his wife's compliment, Tenko leaned against Naomi, repaying her kindness with physical affection.


The day progressed smoothly and normally for the Shimura family as it had done many times before, moving on past work for Naomi and school for the children, to a stop for ice cream on the way home for all, and eventually to a home-cooked meal prepared by Tenko when the family arrived home.

The gesture from Tenko is one much appreciated, and the family all thoroughly enjoy the fruits of his labor. Furthermore, there is still a collective pride in the heroic deeds of the day before, and all members of the family make their pride clearly known through their smiles and attitudes towards the father. The day is still peaceful enough, and it extends throughout most of the dinner...

...but there is one change of events in which changes the mood of the evening...

"Hey, Daddy?" Daisuke asked.

"We made something at school today." Hannah said.

...one that Tenko does not suspect at first...

"Oh, really, now? What'd you make?" Tenko asked.

...one brought about in physical form by the twins, running off from the dinner table and returning with a crudely-wrapped gift...

"We made you this!" Hannah said.

"Yeah! Open it, open it!" Daisuke said.

...one placed in the hands of Tenko, who opened it up with a feigned sense of excitement, replaced by a shock that put him to a complete silence...

"Oh... oh..." Tenko stammered.

...one that put him in a maelstrom of uncertain emotions, brought in the form of a certificate made in crayon that read: 'WORLD'S GREATEST HERO!'.

"Well, Daddy, do you like it?" Daisuke asked.

"Yeah, yeah, do you like it?" Hannah asked.

Taking in the sentiment given by his children, Tenko received overwhelming waves of emotion coming over him, making him sit in silence for a long period of time. Seeing his heroic deeds not only recognized, but also given a physical sentiment in repayment for his actions; a dream that he has had since he was as young as his children are now.

For one sweet moment, he feels his dream realized, brought forth by his own children, unable to express himself at the moment.

"Daddy? Are you okay? You're not saying anything." Hannah said.

Bringing his attention back to his children, Tenko leaned forward and hugged both the twins, receiving hugs back in return.

"I- I'm sorry, kids. I just never got anything like this before. I'm very happy for this gift you gave me." Tenko said.

"We're glad you like it, Daddy!" Hannah exclaimed.

"Yeah, we worked really hard on that!" Daisuke exclaimed.

"Pfft. That's stupid." Heisei snarked.

"No, it wasn't, you big butt! Our Daddy's a hero, and he deserves to know that!"

"Nuh-uh! He said he's a villain! I wish I knew he was a villain way sooner! That just makes him way cooler now!"

"Daddy's not a villain anymore! He's a hero now!" Hannah interjected.

"Is not!"

"Is too!"

"Is not!"

"Is too!"

"KIDS!" Tenko shouted.

Silencing themselves under the duressed shout of their father, the children glued their attention to him. Holding his face in his palm in an attempt to catch his composure once again, finding it mostly pushed to its limits from the persistent arguing of his children over the topics of heroism and villainy, Tenko let out one final breath to address them and clear the matter completely.

"Kids... listen... Please, can you sit back down at the table? Daddy wants to talk about something with you." Tenko said.

Daisuke and Hannah, following the instructions of their father, returned to their seats at the dinner table, continuing to put their attention on him.

"I... want to tell you about something. I want to tell you about how I became a villain. How I became Tomura Shigaraki." Tenko said.

"Hey, wait a minute, the Tomura Shigaraki? The one who fought those stupid heroes in Class 1-A? That's you, daddy?" Heisei asked.

Annoyed by the enthusastic tone in Heisei's question, Tenko hung his head in a fit of shame before finally and unhappily answering...

"Yes." Tenko said.

The majority of the family took to the news with gravity; the twins Daisuke and Hannah listened with serious looks on their faces, and Naomi, though well aware of his past already, listened along as well to allow Tenko a chance to speak his mind in full, supporting him completely as she always did.

Heisei, on the other hand, took to the news with enthusiastic joy; the innocent child with no understanding of these topics as he is.

"YES! MY DADDY'S A SUPERVILLAIN! MY DADDY'S A SUPERVILLAIN!" Heisei sang.

Reaching a scolding hand to her son, Naomi seated the boy back down, putting an end to his outburst of singsong.

"Heisei. Quiet. This isn't fun time. This is your father trying to say something serious. Sit down and listen." Naomi said.

Seated back down, Heisei folded his arms in frustration, turning his head to the side in defiance.

"Fine." Heisei groaned.

Following his youngest son's outburst of energy, Tenko once again took to the task of telling his family his backstory, pushing himself on a task which he took no pleasure or even interest in following through with. Desiring an end to be put to the task immediately, he also desired a transparency and clearness with his family about himself, and he knew that could not be accomplished without talking.

Letting out yet another exhale, Tenko began his story.

"I was in a family of four. There was my father, my mother, my sister Hana, and me. We also had a dog named Mon." Tenko said.

"Hey, my name's Hannah, too!" Hannah said.

"Yes. I named you after her. It means 'flower' in Japanese."

"But I thought I was a princess!"

"You are, but you're also pretty to look at, just like a flower. You look a lot like her, you know."

"Can we also have a dog like her, too?"

Once again playing the peacekeeper in the speech, Naomi silenced Hannah with a shush, allowing Tenko to continue uninterrupted.

"There was no worship of heroes allowed in my family. My father was dead-set against it. He would get angry and even hit us if we did. But most of the time he would hit me." Tenko said.

"That's awful! Why would he do that?" Daisuke asked.

"Because he believed that his own mother had left him to keep being a hero. His mother, my grandmother, your great-grandmother, was Nana Shimura. She was the person who taught All Might, who in turn taught Deku."

"So does that make Deku our... great-uncle, or cousin, or something?" Hannah asked.

"It's... a bit more complex than that. But that's not the point. See, my father blamed a lot of problems in his life on Nana for leaving him as a child. She put him in foster care because she wanted him to be raised decently so she could still protect people as a pro hero. He felt like she abandoned him, and blamed being her for being a hero for doing it. That's why he hated heroes."

"He sounds pretty cool so far." Heisei said.

"Heisei." Naomi scorned.

Receiving yet another scorn from his mother, Heisei turned away with a pout yet again.

"It wasn't until I was about your ages when I found out who my grandmother was. Me and my sister went snooping around and found a picture of her. My dad found out and he hit me over it. Hard. It felt terrible. I felt terrible." Tenko said.

Progressing the story to its least comfortable and most devastating part, Tenko's voice and composure began to fail under the distress of the memories recalled.

"I... I was sitting by myself in the backyard, trying to find a happy place to myself. I was so angry at my father and my sister and my mother and everyone. Mon came up to me and I hugged him to try to feel better. It wasn't working. All the anger, all the pain I was feeling, it all seemed to bottle up inside me and didn't have anywhere else to go. So it just... went out of me. It awakened my Quirk. Mine is called Decay." Tenko said.

Tenko reached into his pocket and placed a bottle of his Quirk Suppressant on the table, displaying it to the family.

"My Quirk causes anything I touch with all 5 of my fingers to disintegrate. It also makes my hair turn blue and my skin start to dry and itch." Tenko said.

"So that's why you wouldn't let me hold your hand when you came to save me." Daisuke said.

"Correct. I have to take these pills in order to make sure I don't hurt anyone, especially not any of you, when I touch them. These make my Quirk go away so it doesn't do that. But I didn't have this back then. I didn't even know that I was going to have a Quirk like that."

"So what happened?" Hannah asked.

"I was holding Mon when it happened, and... he crumbled to dust. Right in front of me."

The imagery of a dead dog placed despair and fear into the minds of the children, moreso than ever hearing it come from their father in a firsthand testimony of his life as a child. The twins instinctively clung to their mother for a sense of safety, but Heisei listened on with intrigue; his interest in villains peaking and elevating with the story.

"I didn't understand what happened or how it happened at the time, but it was too late for me to do anything. Hana had come out around that time, just to find out what I did. She ran off to our parents, scared out of her mind, and I tried to stop her. But I grabbed her in the process." Tenko said.

The information settled into the children's mind with a heavy weight, making the twins gasp out loud.

"So... you... you killed her, too?" Daisuke asked.

The question is one that brought great shame upon the father, but Tenko nonetheless answered his son truthfully with a...

"Yes. I did. And it happened right as our parents stepped out to watch that, too. My mom and dad had come out and seen what happened, my mother ran right towards me, I tried to grab her and try to calm down, and I..." Tenko trailed.

Reliving his worst memories make all ability to compose himself start to leave his immediate control, leaving Tenko to tremble in his words and body.

"When... When she went, too... I just lost all control of myself. All the anger that I felt over my father over the years, it all came up right then and there, and he was the only one still standing, so... I jumped forward and killed the bastard." Tenko said.

The twins once again let out frightened shocks out from their father's speech, still clinging onto their mother for a place of comfort to ride out the fear and terror instilled in their minds. Naomi is already more than familiar with this story, choosing to marry Tenko in spite of the tragedy, but the story is nonetheless no easier for her to hear than it is for their own children.

"I killed Hana and Mon and my mother all by accident... but that was the first time I actually murdered someone on purpose. The first time that I wanted to do it. And it wasn't the last. Not for a long while would it be my last. And even that I messed up. I just got so angry and hateful for everything that he did to me, and all I knew is that I had the means to make him stop once and for all. So I took it. The worst part about it isn't that I still remember what it was like watching my father die. The worst part is that, to this day... I still don't feel bad about killing him." Tenko said.

Tenko's confession continued to draw not only fear from his family, but also their utmost sympathy for his plight and bottled feelings, reacting with gasps and tears.

"I wandered the streets after that for awhile, up until I found... someone." Tenko said.

"Who?" Hannah asked.

"The person who made me Tomura Shigaraki. A very bad person who taught me very bad things. But I didn't know that at the time. I was just a kid, like you are now, and I didn't have any family. All that I understood is that I found some family in him. The wrong kind of family. The one that makes you do bad things and grow up thinking it's good. And then you have to spend the rest of your life trying to unlearn it and be someone better. Like I am now. Like I'm constantly trying to do." Tenko said.

Concluding his story, Tenko let out a heavy sigh into his hands, trying to relieve himself after a long and grueling reliving of the worst moments of his life. Collecting himself is a hard task to accomplish after such a painful trip, but he still managed to find himself enough to speak to his children again.

"I'm telling you this because I want you to know something. I want you to know the person who I used to be, and how hard I fought to be a better person for you. I know that I sometimes might get mad at seemingly nothing or I might make a big deal out of something little, or I might even go over the top and do the wrong thing at the wrong time, but that doesn't mean that I don't love you any less or I don't love you at all. It the exact opposite. I love you all with all my heart. I'm just not very good at expressing it or doing a good job of being a daddy for you. All that I want is for you to understand that." Tenko said.

Once again, Tenko's composure began to fail him, leading him to detract into tears and light sobs.

"And if... If any of you hate me or think any less of me or are disappointed with me for the things I've done, I completely understand. I know what I did was wrong, and I know that there's nothing I could possibly do to make up for all the hurt and pain that I've caused. I made a lot of mistakes, and other people have paid for those mistakes. The least I can do is try to heal things here. I... I got so goddamn lucky just to be able to sit here with you all at the dinner table one more time. I didn't think I would be able to get this chance again. I got so lucky. I got lucky." Tenko wept.

Temporarily leaving their place of comfort in their mother, the twins left Naomi to instead offer their comfort to their father, sharing it with the person most in need of it. The simple touch of his children in a loving embrace is all the indication of their feelings that he needs to know, but they nonetheless confirm their stance on their father with their forgiving words.

"We still love you, daddy. We'll never, ever be disappointed in you." Daisuke said.

"Of course. You're our daddy. We'll never stop loving you or hate you ever." Hannah said.

Tenko raised his arms and wrapped them around his children tight with a returned hug, shedding tears of joy as he did so.

"Thank you. Thank you. Thank you." Tenko cried.

The sight of unconditional love and forgiveness is one that brings joy to all present, drawing tears from all members of the family from the confessing Tenko, his loving children, and the observing Naomi. For one brief moment in time, it seems as though all problems of the family are long gone and past, and only happy times for the Shimura family remain from here on out.

However, not every member of the family is completely engrossed in the moment. Heisei, still carrying his childish worship of villains, did not make the same reactions nor take away the same conclusions as his siblings did. Instead, the story only emboldened and engrossed him further, giving him a desire to hear more.

And that childish curiosity is what brings the sweet moment to a bitter end.

"Wow! That was the coolest story ever!" Heisei shouted.

The expression of joy contrasting with the somber mood of deep and extremely personal details shared with the family drew gasps out from the open mouths of the parents and other children alike, all looking to Heisei in complete disbelief, as they cannot comprehend that such words would come out of his mouth.

Alas, they did indeed, and not a sliver of shame was to be found in the face of the boy. Looks demanding shame came forth from the faces of his family, followed by sharp demands from his mother that his offensive statement be taken back as sincerely and as soon as possible.

But just as ever to Heisei's love of villains, he does retract his statement.

"Heisei! That was not the right thing to say." Naomi said.

"Why not? It was daddy's supervillain origin story! That's always so fun to hear! We get to know all the bad things that they first did to be bad guys in the first place!" Heisei said.

"That's not what this is, Heisei! This isn't a comic book or cartoon. This is your father telling you things he did when he was a little boy that he's had to live with all his life. He's done many things that were wrong, and he's not proud of them at all."

"But I am. My daddy's one of the biggest supervillains ever, and no one ever told me before? This is so cool! All the kids at school are gonna be so jealous."

Fearing the very idea of Heisei making Tenko's past life public, Naomi and Tenko himself jumped in fear at their son's thought.

"NO!" The parents shouted in unison.

"Heisei, you can't tell people about that. This is something I told for you and the family only." Tenko said.

"If you tell people about that, then people will come to take your daddy away, like Deku almost did! Is that what you want? After fighting when you were to keep him here?" Naomi asked.

"Fine, then. It'll be something just for me to know! I'll be known as the son of Tomura Shigaraki when I'm older and can do whatever I want! People'll be really scared of me then!" Heisei said.

"Heisei, this is not the time to be talking about wanting to be a villain. If you want to play pretend and have your fun, that's one thing. But what happened to your daddy is not something that you want to repeat. You saw him crying right in front of you. You saw how bad he felt when he remembered what he did. Is that really who you want to grow up to be?"

"Yeah, Heisei, you're being a real butthead. Daddy's feelings were really hurt from having to talk about all that stuff, and you made it even worse. I really wish you weren't my brother sometimes." Daisuke said.

"Me too. You're a real jerk, Heisei. You just make everything about villains all the time, and want to make things bad for everybody." Hannah said.

Watching the family meeting spiral out of control from its original intention of openness and dialogue into fights and verbal abuse, the parents attempted to quell the situation from getting any worse, but all hopes in salvaging the tender family moment were soon gone and past...

...and the final straw came with Heisei's response to his siblings' horrible statements.

"Fine, then. Forget all of you! When I get my Quirk, I'm gonna use it to kill both of you and become the biggest, scariest, most evil villain who ever lived, just like daddy!" Heisei shouted.

Unable to stomach his son's arguments as they stood, Tenko finally found the last of his patience dwindle at Heisei's last comment, turning his frustration to pure rage in a matter of seconds. His anger led him to clench his hands into fists, driving them onto the table in a furious fit, silencing all at the table in fear.

"HEISEI! I'VE HEARD ENOUGH! I DON'T WANT TO HEAR ANY MORE OUT OF YOU!" Tenko shouted.

Not expecting the angry outburst from his father, Heisei cowered into the dining table; all anger directed at him making him remain more fearful than the rest of the family.

"B-But... But..." Heisei stammered.

"WHAT YOU SAID TO ME WAS MORE THAN DISRESPECTFUL! NOT ONLY TO ME, BUT TO THE REST OF YOUR FAMILY! YOU DO NOT SAY THINGS LIKE THAT TO YOUR FAMILY!" Tenko shouted.

"But- But, father, I only wanted to tell you I was proud of you."

"I'M NOT PROUD OF WHAT I DID! I'M NOT PROUD, AND I DON'T WANT ANY OF YOU TO BE PROUD, EITHER! WHAT I DID WAS HORRIBLE! I WAS A HORRIBLE PERSON! I REFUSE TO LET ANY OF YOU BE LIKE THAT! I'VE HAD ABSOLUTELY ENOUGH OF THIS SHIT, YOU GO TO YOUR ROOM AND GO STRAIGHT TO BED RIGHT NOW!"

"What?! But... But..."

"NO 'BUTS'! GO TO YOUR ROOM! YOU GET NO DINNER OR DESSERT TONIGHT FOR WHAT YOU SAID!"

"But, father, I just thought you were cool for being a villain! I thought you were awesome!"

Regardless of the appeal attempted by Heisei, Tenko's anger was still made all the worse, elevated by one of his hands slamming on the table, and another pointing directly in the face of his son. The increased confrontation put a further shame and terror in Heisei, demeaning him in a way no child could withstand reasonably.

"HEISEI SHIMURA, YOU GO TO YOUR ROOM RIGHT FUCKING NOW, OR I WILL MAKE YOU SORRY YOU SAID THAT FOR THE REST OF YOUR MISERABLE FUCKING LIFE, YOU LITTLE SHIT! GO!" Tenko shouted.

Having his fill of humiliating shouts from his father, Heisei teared up from the shouting and coarse language, closings his eyes to prevent any tears from showing. The attempt led to naught; his imminent crying became verbal as well as visual, audibly sobbing after the berating he received.

Pushing his chair away from the table, he stood up and proceeded to run to his room as commanded, defiantly shouting his insults to the bitter end.

"FINE! I'LL BE A BIG AND SCARY VILLAIN WITHOUT YOU, FATHER! I'LL MAKE YOU ALL SORRY FOR TREATING ME SO MEAN! I HATE YOU! I HATE YOU ALL!" Heisei shouted.

Running into his room, Heisei slammed the door behind him, exiling himself within and keeping himself separate from the family which shunned him for his comments.

Left without one of their children at the table, the family stood in a complete silence, save for the crying of Akane in her booster seat. Excusing herself from the table, Naomi picked up the baby girl and lightly bounced her in her arms, gently shushing her to quiet her down again.

Even in her task of tending to the baby, most of her attention laid on her husband, as did the twins. Never seeing such an angry outburst of emotion from the father of the family, none knew how to fully process the event, only able to stare at the furious man in wait to see what he would do next.

Tenko's next action came not from taking notice of his family's reactions, though their stunned silence and looks were of no help to his emotional state as it was, but instead from a lone strand of blue hair hanging from his head. Looking down to the table, he noticed that the one hand he placed on it began to deteriorate the table under his Quirk of Decay; his powers unintentionally reactivating under stress.

Feeling just as humiliated as his own punished son, Tenko snatched up the Quirk Suppressant pill on the table and downed it with his drink, excusing himself just as quickly.

"I... I'm sorry. I... have to... I have to go to my room, too." Tenko said.

No longer able to be seen by his family after his actions, Tenko walked away from the table, trying to find a place where he might find peace and solitude to work out the complex feelings in his mind. His destination is his game room, hoping that his recreational area would give him enough isolation to think clearly over his actions.

Leaving his family in the room without a second thought, Tenko's departure left behind a distraught wife and children, watching as father of the family leave after his explosive act of anger; a rarity both in frequency and to the scale which it was expressed to the family in.

Knowing Tenko as a quieter man with near-endless patience for his children, there is no way for the minds of the children to comprehend what they have seen or understand their father's actions. Without one parental figure to look to for answers, their eyes are instead set on the other.

"Mommy? Why did daddy yell so loudly?" Daisuke asked.

"I've never seen daddy yell like that. He seemed, like, really, really angry. I never saw him that angry before." Hannah asked.

Naomi herself is just as hard-pressed to understand what she has seen, but still does she make an attempt to put the minds of the children at ease.

"It's... Daddy's just very sensitive about his past. He didn't mean to yell like that, but daddy can get his feelings hurt if people talk about his past like that. Look, mommy's got to take care of Akane, why don't you go take your dinner in the living room and eat there?" Naomi asked.

"What? But we're never allowed to eat in the living-" Hannah began to say.

"Kids, please, just... do as I say, okay?"

The twins complied with their mother's request, taking their plates of food into the living room to finish their meals and playing as they ate. Keeping her now-freed attention placed on the baby Akane, Naomi lulled the infant girl back to sleep, settling her in her crib to slumber peacefully.

Taking the unfinished plate of food from Heisei's seat at the table, Naomi began walking to his room, lightly knocking the door before stepping inside. Upon entering the room, she walked to the bed to find the young boy stuffing his face in a pillow, crying loudly into the pillow to stifle his noisy sobs.

In hopes of alleviating the emotional pain her son suffered, Naomi laid a gentle hand on his back, rubbing him with a 'shush'.

"Shh. It's okay, Heisei." Naomi said.

"Leave me, mother! I refuse to be seen in a moment of weakness!" Heisei shouted.

"Please don't be sad, Heisei. It's okay. You're okay."

"Why did father have to yell at me so? I just wanted to tell him that I was proud of him!"

"Don't worry about that right now, Heisei. Here. I brought you your dinner. Come sit up and eat."

Responding to the promise of food, Heisei sat up to see his mother holding his plate of food, offering it to him to finish. Still hungry and willing to finish his plate, Heisei took the plate and began chowing down on the food as he did before, hungrily snarfing it down to sustain his growing body.

Though not fully over his anger and emotional abuse, he became more open to speak to his mother, beginning with a repeat of his question.

"Why did father yell at me? I thought it was really cool that he used to be a supervillain. I thought he'd be happy to know that I was proud of him." Heisei said.

"Well, honey, daddy wasn't proud of these things. He doesn't look back on that part of his life as 'him'. He doesn't like that he used to be that person. He used to be someone different, and he wants to be a different person for you and for all of us." Naomi said.

"But I don't understand. I thought you said that families were supposed to love each other no matter what. Er, not that I care about that, mind you, but I thought you'd like that I found an acceptable way to do it."

"Because this isn't an acceptable way to do it. Remember the time when you peed yourself when Daisuke used his Quirk on you?"

"Yes. I'll still have his head on a stake for that, you know."

"...Right. Well, how would you like it if people said that they were proud of you for peeing yourself? Would it be something that made you happy and proud?"

"Of course not! What self-respecting supervillain would pee himself?!"

"Well, that's sort of what daddy feels like when you told him that. He doesn't like people reminding him that because it doesn't show his best qualities, and he had to fight very hard to get his best qualities."

"So you mean daddy peed himself and he doesn't want anyone to know?"

Finding Heisei's fundamental misunderstanding of her point cute, Naomi giggled at his innocent question.

"No, Heisei. What I mean is that I think you should be proud of daddy for the person he is now, and the things that he does for you and the family. He does a lot to take care of us and show us that he loves us, maybe we should try to show him the same level of appreciation, too." Naomi said.

Interested only in becoming a villain himself someday, the very idea of showing any degree of kindness and love is a bridge too far for him to cross, but, as a child, his own dreams and desires are still subject to an immature and growing mind; never able to keep a train of thought that far into the future. As such, there is an initial resistance to complying to his mother's request...

...but, superseding all other thoughts, there is still the memory of his father's rage fresh in his mind. Looking up to Tenko, even more so with his recent revelation of his past life as Tomura Shigaraki, there is not a single part of his being that wishes to anger or displease him any further.

And so, it is with that mindset that he responds to his mother, vowing to fulfill her request.

"Okay. I'll try, mother." Heisei said.

Rewarding her son with a kiss on the head, Naomi held it close to her chest, rubbing his hair with her hands.

"Good. Thank you, Heisei." Naomi said.

Finishing the rest of his food, Heisei handed the empty plate to his mother to take away.

"I've finished my meal, mother. Cleanse this and dispose of the scraps." Heisei said.

Taking the plate as 'ordered', Naomi set it to the side, laying her son down in his bed and putting his blanket over him.

"I'm not sleepy yet, mother. I have no intentions of going to sleep." Heisei said.

"It's getting a little late, we should all be in bed soon. You've got school tomorrow, you know." Naomi said.

"Hmph. Fine. I shall take a small nap to recollect my mind. That is all. Leave me now so I may rest."

"Okay. But please try to be quiet for Akane. She need to sleep, too."

After exiting with the empty dinner plate, Naomi returned with the baby Akane, laying the infant gently in her crib, covering her with a blanket and laying a kiss on her head. Laying one more kiss on Heisei's head, Naomi bid both of her youngest children a good night.

"Goodnight, Heisei." Naomi said.

"Goodnight, mother." Heisei said.

Turning off the light and closing the door behind her, Naomi left her children to sleep in peace, putting their room in dark to allow them a more fitting environment to sleep. Akane was quick to slumber under the dark of the room, lightly drifting into a peaceful sleep, but Heisei proved far more resilient than his younger sister.

Resistant to all in his childish ways, Heisei kept his eyes wide open, resisting himself to the night and attempting to keep himself awake as long as he saw fit. Attempting to defy his mother's wishes and his own natural need to sleep, he tried to keep his mind as active as he could to stave off his sleep.

But, following enough time in the dark with a full meal sitting in his stomach, Heisei's bodily fatigue followed to his mind, lulling him into a sleepy daze. Feeling unable to keep himself awake any longer, his eyes closed in on themselves, and his breaths soon turned to snores, whisking away the child into sleep at last.

Resting quietly in his bed, in defiance of his supposed villainous nature, Heisei found a sense of peace only reserved for a child, and indulged in it well.


Having attended to two of the children in her family, Naomi stepped into the living room to tend to the other two, taking their plates to clean at the sink along with Heisei's. After cleansing off the silverware and dishes, subsequently setting them in the dishwasher, she moved back to the living room to the twins, joining Daisuke and Hannah to move them along to bed.

"Okay, guys. It's just about time for bed, okay?" Naomi asked.

"Aww, mommy! Do we have to go to bed now?" Daisuke asked.

"Yes, honey. You guys have school tomorrow, you know."

"But it's gonna be Friday tomorrow, it's not really gonna matter. Can't we play just a bit longer?" Hannah asked.

"No, Hannah. You and your brother need your sleep. C'mon, time to brush your teeth and change into your jammies."

Waving the children along from their toys and playtime, Naomi led them to the bathroom to brush their teeth as asked. Each taking their respective toothbrushes and a portioning of toothpaste, the two brushed their teeth together, beginning and ending at the same time; a sign of synchronicity between the twins.

Spitting out the toothpaste and washing it out of their mouths, they then moved to their room to change into their pajamas, moving to their beds. The many chores of pre-bedtime rituals was a long one in the young minds of Daisuke and Hannah, but they had all of their efforts rewarded with their mother tucking them in with a kiss on the head each, gaining the sweet sound that every child loves to hear before they sleep.

"Good night, Daisuke. Good night, Hannah." Naomi said.

"Goodnight, mommy." Daisuke and Hannah said in unison.

Turning off the light and closing the door to the twins' room, Naomi let out a sigh of relief upon handling the last of the children, allowing herself the free time to tend to the final, and perhaps most important member of the family in her eyes. There is no certain idea in her mind on how to speak to or approach her husband regarding his outburst at the dinner table...

...but the uncertainty ultimately means nothing, for all that matters to her is that her husband is happy and at peace.

Walking to Tenko's game room, she found him sitting at his chair, playing a platformer video game by himself. From what could be gathered of the video game, it was required for his character to jump onto a ledge to reach a series of stairs to progress to the next part of the level, but Tenko made no such attempt to complete the task.

Instead, all that he could manage to do was to aimlessly move the character in circles without any sense of direction or care. His approach to the game is apathetic and detached; his mind is somewhere else and focused on matters too grounded in the real world to indulge in any form of escapism.

Taking concern with her husband's troubled state of mind, Naomi approached him and laid a hand on his shoulder to catch his attention.

"Tenko, honey?" Naomi asked.

Reacting instinctively to the touch of her hand, Tenko's head snapped towards Naomi in fear, his wide eyes lowering to normal upon seeing her face.

"Oh. Hi, princess." Tenko said.

"Tenko, what's wrong, sweetie?" Naomi asked.

"What's wrong? Well, I don't know, maybe it's the fact that I just screamed at our son to the point where he started to cry. How do you think that's making me feel?"

Unflattered by Tenko's short response to her question, Naomi expressed her own discontent for the reply.

"Probably about as good as it feels being talked to like that by my husband. But since I know you're in a mood right now, I'm going to ignore that part, because I'm more concerned for what's going on with you." Naomi said.

Feeling instant regret for speaking ill to his wife, Tenko let out a sigh and rephrased himself to give a clearer and more compassionate response.

"I'm... I'm sorry, princess. I just... I just can't believe that I would yell at him like that. What he said to me, it just made me so angry, like everything I've tried to hard to get away from just won't stop coming back. For fuck's sake, what am I supposed to do? Did I not try hard enough to be the good guy? Am I just damned to be Tomura Shigaraki until the day I die? Do I really have to live with that stain on my life?" Tenko asked.

"Baby, you're worrying so much. You lost yourself for a minute, but it happens. I talked to Heisei and gave him his dinner. He's doing okay. He'll be fine by tomorrow." Naomi said.

"Until he has that memory on him drive him to do something bad, like I did. Like I was trying to avoid all this time."

"You are not your father, Tenko. I may not have known him, but I know he was a piece of shit that you didn't deserve. He's the one and only person I don't feel bad about you killing."

"Oh, so now you're getting apologetic to my past, too? Am I just growing a big fan club all of a sudden?"

"I accept your past no matter what you did. So do the kids. They might take some time to fully understand it, but they'll still love you nonetheless. We all love you."

"I love all of you, too, but it's sure as hell not good enough to fix what happened. No matter what I do, there's always some part of my past that just keeps coming back to fucking haunt me. I try to save Daisuke from some kidnappers, I get chased down by the heroes I fought years ago. I avoid punishment from them, I'm forced to fight Nomu. I beat them, I have to deal with one of my children idolizing me when I was a monster. What do- Goddammit, get on the fucking platform, you dumbass piece of shit!"

Redirecting his attention back to the game mid-sentence, Tenko finally moved his character to progress further into the level, moving his avatar to another platform. In response, Naomi stepped in front of the television, blocking his view and forcing him to pause his game.

"Princess, what are you-?" Tenko began to ask.

Taking the controller out of his hands, Naomi set it aside to force Tenko to place all his attention on her. Instead of verbally chastise him for his anger, she instead put her hands on his face, directing his directly at her own. Making full eye contact with each other, Naomi's gesture put Tenko in an emotional pause; the forced change of situation drawing out a new emotion out of him.

After lightly caressing his face, Naomi put his head against her chest, lightly rubbing it and stroking his hair. Once again receiving a sensory input of touch from his wife, the physical connection brought an incoming sense of peace out of him, beginning to overtake his fury and anger.

Listening to her heatbeat thump away at a gentle pace, Tenko also found solace in this auditory sensory input, nodding off to the steady rhythm of her heart, as if a child still in the womb. In the arms of a woman he loves the most, the setting is not to different from a womb; it provides him with the most sincere peace he can receive.

"I... I'm sorry, princess. I don't know why I can't handle my anger sometimes... I just get so mad and I don't know what to do about it..." Tenko said.

"Don't worry, guy. You don't have to worry about that. That's what I'm here for. Here, lean down a little more." Naomi said.

Leaning down further as ordered, Tenko felt Naomi's hands running to his back and shoulders, beginning to lightly rub against his muscle and tissue in a massage. Though the sense of touch Tenko received was as calming as ever, the input Naomi received was more distressing to her, for his body was tense and all muscles hard and firm, an unhealthy state for his back and shoulders.

"Oh, Jesus, Tenko. You're so tense. All that stress and anger's just making you all sore and bad. That's no good. Here, let's get you to the bedroom." Naomi said.

Lifting Tenko out of his chair, Naomi guided him to their bedroom, lifting his shirt off and sending him to lay down face-first on the bed.

"Naomi, you don't have to do this, you know. I'll be alright." Tenko said.

"No, I have to do this. Just like when you're supposed to be taking care of me when I'm down, I'm supposed to be taking care of you when you're down. Just lay down and relax." Naomi said.

Disregarding her husband's protest, Naomi laid her hands on his back, beginning to rub into his back and shoulders again. Unrestricted by the poor setting of a gaming chair, Naomi was now free to reach all parts of his body, and her touch unspoiled by the barrier of any clothing.

Her touch itself once again put Tenko into a state of calm, but its work did not stop at the touch itself. Pressing her fingers deep into the tense muscle and tissue of his back and shoulders, she began to knead into the hard fibers, relaxing them into a loose state once again.

This touch, unlike the caresses of earlier, sent an even deeper and more penetrating sense of relief come to him, intimate in its application and reception. Tenko's breaths began to come out as quivers and gasps, involuntarily reacting positively to his wife's efforts.

Running her hands up and down his body, the sensations Naomi gave both continued and spread throughout Tenko's body, overwhelming his mind to a point where all conscious thought began to degrade to naught. Were there any less strength in his mind, he would have already passed into sleep by the point of her deeper massages.

Upon moving her hand to a lower part of his back, however, she felt a tense knot in his muscles greater than any other spot on his back, requiring her full attention to the one specific spot away from the rest. Placing both her hands to the knot, she prepared to press down and relieve the tension causing it.

"Uh-oh. Hold on, honey. There's a really bad knot right here. I'm gonna need to go a little deeper to get it." Naomi said.

"What do you mean deeper- AH!" Tenko moaned.

Feeling the knot release and contract after Naomi's sharp press into it, Tenko felt an immediate relief on top of the relief he had already received, taking away the last of the tension in his body. Put to an even deeper state of relaxation, Tenko's nearly fell into sleep from the one motion.

Overall, the massage had done its effect of taking away his negative emotions, putting his mind out of the self-imposed slump it was in and into a healthier state. The touch received was an experience that nearly eradicated all his anger and stress, but her work had not yet concluded with massages and touches.

"Feeling better, honey?" Naomi asked.

"Mmm-hmm..." Tenko moaned.

"Good."

After letting out her reply in a goofy tone, she leaned down to Tenko's back, keeping her hands placed on it, and laid a kiss on his spine, drawing yet another surprised gasp out of him and nearly making him flinch from the contact. Her kiss was not something like a simple peck on the cheek, but instead a prolonged touch and suction that left a strong impression on his mind.

Making another kiss further up his back, reaching his shoulders and neck, gaining more flinches from Tenko along with the occasional moan, her mouth eventually met with Tenko's, placing the two in a full and proper kiss once again. Receiving a romantic brush against his lips from Naomi's, his unconscious mind returned back to full awareness, doing so with the incentive of being with Naomi in a loving touch.

Breaking off contact at last, Tenko and Naomi shared further eye contact with one another, taking the time to fully look into each other's eyes.

"Do you feel better now?" Naomi asked.

"Yes... Yes, I do. But..." Tenko trailed.

"But what?"

"I'm getting real sleepy now."

Naomi giggled at his response, followed by a yawn.

"Yeah, I'm getting sleepy, too. Here, scoot over." Naomi said.

Climbing into the bed with Tenko, Naomi placed herself behind her husband, wrapping her arms around his chest and laying her head on his shoulders. Gaining yet another intimate touch from his wife, the sensory input provided even stronger desire to sleep, and Naomi soon began to share the need to sleep as well.

Closing their eyes, they began to drift off to sleep.

Before they could achieve their rest, however, their minds were both brought to the attention of a light knock on the door, followed by the door to their bedroom opening. Stepping through were the twin children of Daisuke and Hannah, the latter holding her teddy bear named Cody, walking up to their parents' bed.

"Mommy? Daddy? Can we sleep with you tonight?" Hannah asked.

"We were having nightmares." Daisuke said.

"Hmm? Sure, climb on up." Tenko moaned.

Climbing up onto the bed, the children laid themselves on their father, taking refuge in the physical contact shared with him. Daisuke took the place on the bed between his father and mother, and Hannah took the other side, remaining in sole contact with her father.

"Daddy? How come you're not wearing a shirt?" Daisuke asked.

"Mmm... Your mommy was giving me a massage." Tenko groaned.

"Really? Can I have one, too, mommy?"

"Maybe another time, Daisuke, it's time for bed now. But I need to use the bathroom first. I'll be right back." Naomi said.

Getting up from the bed, careful as not to push anyone off the bed, Naomi stepped off to use the bathroom, leaving Tenko and the children to themselves temporarily. Slowly moving back to sleep, the three found a peaceful journey ahead of them to slumber...

...but that was shortly interrupted by Hannah, having a question for her father.

"Daddy?" Hannah asked.

"Hmm? Yes?" Tenko groaned.

"Do you still love us?"

Shocked and surprised by the question, Tenko's groggy state of sleep soon left himself as Hannah asked such a deeply personal question, requring his full attention.

"What? Of course I do. Why would you think otherwise?" Tenko asked.

"Because you seemed really mad at Heisei, like you don't love him anymore." Hannah said.

"No, no, princess, that's not true."

"It's okay if you don't love him. He's nothing but a big bully."

"Hannah, don't say that. Don't ever say that. He's not just a 'big bully'. He's your little brother. Brothers will act up every now and then, but they're still your brother no matter what."

"Daisuke's my brother, too, and he doesn't act like that."

"Daisuke's a little older than Heisei, and he's a different person from Heisei, too. You shouldn't compare your siblings, either. Everyone's different and has different wants and needs. But that doesn't mean you shouldn't love them, just like how I love you, Heisei, Daisuke, Akane, and your mommy. Like I love my whole family. Like you should love your whole family."

Holding her teddy bear up to her father, she requested he extend that notion to her favorite toy.

"Do you love Cody, too?" Hannah asked.

"Cody's a part of who you are, so I love him like I love the rest of you. Like your cute little face." Tenko said.

Tenko lightly tickled Hannah on the cheek, making her giggle softly under his tease.

"Now, try to get some sleep, okay, princess?" Tenko asked.

"Okay. I love you, daddy." Hannah said.

"I love you too, princess."

Laying back on her father, Hannah joined her brother in falling asleep, and Tenko soon followed suit, putting the three in a shared slumber together.

Returning from her trip to the bathroom, Naomi stepped to the bed to first check on her husband and children, finding them in a better state than she expected them to be in. Cuddling up together, the father and twins rested in a deep sleep, showing no signs of waking until the morning.

After taking a moment to appreciate the sight, smiling in joy at the loving display between the three, feeling a sense of pride in the family she spent many years raising, Naomi carefully climbed back into the bed to join them. Taking a place behind Tenko once again, she wrapped her hands around him, holding both her husband and children for the family to sleep as one.

And sleep they do.