A girl with intertwining dark green and crimson red locks suddenly appeared in the office of Sir Nighteye; she donned an annoyed expression, her lips turned in a deep scowl as she clutched a manilla folder. Standing in front of her was a blonde high-school-looking kid, older than her, and the man himself: Sir Nighteye. Inside his stern expression lay a hint of surprise as he shot up from his chair.
Bubble Girl burst through the door, throwing out a few apologies. "I'm sorry, Sir! I-I couldn't stop her and she didn't wanna wait!"
"Sir, do you want me to-" the blonde boy was interrupted by Sir Nighteye.
"No, it's fine. I don't think she's here to cause harm," Nighteye paused for a moment, staring intently at the young girl. "Why are you here?"
There was something cold about his voice that the girl couldn't place. She walked up to Nighteye's desk and placed the folder down, flipping it open.
"I need a DNA test," she said nervously, despite her frustrated-upset demeanour.
"What," Nighteye said, sounding dumbfounded.
Bubble Girl and the blonde boy echoed his statement.
"I didn't know you had a kid, Sir," the boy said.
Nighteye started at the girl, seemingly taking in her appearance for a few moments before glancing down at the paper in the folder.
"Mirio, Bubble Girl, step out for a few minutes."
Bubble Girl and the blonde, Mirio, acknowledged him and walked out, closing the door behind them.
There were a few moments of silence; seeing Nighteye up close made her realize how much of a resemblance there is between them. From the dual-coloured hair, yellow eyes, to the lean frame (though the difference in height was quite vast.)
"I'm starting to feel as if the birth certificate is enough," the girl said, quiet.
Nighteye's cold demeanour dropped; his expression was softer, his eyes sad with bits of guilt flecked in. "Hoshino Kazue," he paused for a moment, staring down at the birth certificate in front of him, "Is Shizuka doing well?"
The girl, Kazue, looked down. He couldn't possibly know yet his question made her upset. She bit part of her cheek, "The- the funeral was a few days ago."
Her eyes stung with tears that she didn't want to release. She was just now meeting this man for this first time, and she felt as if she couldn't show vulnerability even though that's exactly what he was doing with her—she thought so at least, judging by the sad guilty eyes and soft expression he wore.
When she looked up, Nighteye's eyes were filled with regret and tears that just spilled and spilled and spilled and wouldn't stop. When she was little, she really liked watching All Might and Nighteye on TV while they were still working together. She always thought Nighteye was so cool in a way that All Might just wasn't—he was quieter and more serious but still carried a strong presence. It was… almost uncomfortable to see him this way.
"I don't… I don't know what to say," he wiped away a few tears and made himself stop crying before his eyes could get red.
"You don't have 'ta say much, just…" Kazue stopped talking for a moment, hesitant to speak, this was an odd situation that moved at a pace that didn't even make sense. Nothing made sense to her anymore. She let out a long-held breath and proceeded to gulp in more air than she needed. "Do you want me or no?"
Nighteye had a look of surprise again, and everything seemed to instantly click in his head. Alone. That's what she'd be if he said no.
"If… If you need to think on it, here's my address," she was already grabbing some paper and a pen from her bag as she said it, "I'll be there for another week." She tried to keep her voice as steady as she could when she spoke, doing her best not to stutter.
She handed him the scrap of paper, left the birth certificate and began to walk away. Just as she got to the door, she heard Nighteye call out, "Wait! I'll be there soon, with an answer. It's a lot to take in right now, I'm sorry."
"It's okay."
She walked away.
҉
Kazue stared in the mirror as she washed her hair, eyeing the bruises she still had from that villain attack. It'd only been a little over a week since it happened, but every day felt like months. She'd fall into the intrusive thoughts, humour them for what felt like hours and then come to realize that in reality, it had only been a few minutes.
She worked some conditioner into her hair, not as precisely as she usually did, however.
Every day was a day spent in anguish. When she found the birth certificate tucked in with a few photos in an old lock box, she felt shocked and hopeful and afraid and upset and it was so confusing. Her mom used to tell her stories about her father, but she was always vague, left him nameless for reasons she didn't ask about. If Mama wasn't going to talk about it, she didn't have to. Kazue heard the good, Kazue heard the bad.
Thinking about her mom was painful; it was touch and go in the hospital, but the doctors said they were optimistic, hopeful. Those words didn't help in the end and had sparked the sudden feeling of resentment in her.
She finished rinsing out the conditioner and went to dry off, get dressed.
Her meeting with Sir Nighteye the other day bothered her in ways that felt too confusing, too conflicting. She wasn't sure what to make of it. She used to admire him so much, but now, realizing who he is and what he's done? She's upset. She's angry. Kazue has a short temper, but something about the anger she feels towards him is different. Maybe it's the grief clouding her mind.
The living room felt empty, lifeless. A fond smile placed itself upon her as she thinks back to all the times mom was able to greet her. She was always so cheerful, lighting up every room she entered. She sat down on the couch, wrapping a minky blanket around herself and imagined her mother sitting next to her. The thought of it was comforting.
She sat in a silence of false peace and comfort until she dozed off.
҉
A loud ring sang through the apartment and Kazue awoke with a jolt, grabbed a throw pillow and used it to cover her ears. She groaned as another ring went off a few moments later. She stood, the blanket still around her as she shuffled across the floor; she stood on her tip-toes to peer through the peephole and then opened the door.
"Why'd 'ya ring it twice, it's so loud," Kazue yawned and rubbed her eye.
Nighteye gave her an odd look, "You didn't answer the first time."
Kazue didn't answer, choosing to just open the door and step to the side. The man walked in and looked around the apartment. It was small and a bit of a mess; few pictures hung on the walls and decoration was scarce, there was a slightly beat-up couch just across from an old television.
"Do you have anywhere to go?" Nighteye asked as he continued glancing around.
She hesitated for a moment, slightly ashamed of what she had to say. "No… All I had was mom," she stared down at the carpet.
Nighteye turned towards Kazue, holding a gentle expression, soft smile. "Come live with me," he paused for a moment, "I have an extra room if you'd like it. I won't force you."
Kazue looked up at him and made herself smile. "I'm all packed if you wanna help me carry stuff."
"I'm happy to," his smile looked genuine.
҉
Nighteye's apartment wasn't anything incredibly special; it looked nice, modest, and most likely didn't cost an arm and a leg. It was definitely nicer than her place, and that was an interesting change. The room Nighteye let her have already had a bed with plain green sheets, a few shelves, a desk, chair, and a bedside table. He left her to unpack on her own, probably to give her some privacy.
She sat down on the bed; it was placed in the corner of the room so she leaned against the wall, pulled her legs against her chest so she could rest her chin on her knees. She just wanted a moment to breathe and it felt impossible to do so. It had only been three days since she visited Nighteye's agency, and they'd barely had something that counted as a conversation. They didn't talk much while taking boxes to his car, and she'd only just arrived at his home several minutes ago.
She looked to her left where her hair fell. Green and crimson.
Surprised I didn't realize we were related before. She combed her fingers through her hair, bringing it in front of her for a moment before letting it fall. The resemblance is almost uncanny.
She wondered if he only invited her out of pity. She wouldn't be surprised, especially with the look he got at her neighbourhood and apartment. Or maybe it was the regret that had shown so clearly in his eyes when Kazue had told him of her mother's funeral.
She took a deep breath in, a deep breath out, and stood up. She opened a box of books and hero merch. She ran her hands upon the books, making them disappear, and one by one they appeared on a shelf in her room. Kazue liked her quirk; it made everything so much easier sometimes.
Nighteye knocked and walked in as she was unpacking the second box. "Can we have a conversation?"
"What about?" she asked as she finished teleporting the remaining contents of her second box.
Nighteye sat on her bed, "What do you want to be?"
Kazue was in the middle of opening her third box but stopped and turned towards him. "I applied for the hero course at U.A."
"I see," he paused, continuing a moment later, "Tell me about your quirk. Is there anything in addition to teleporting objects and yourself?"
She thought for a moment, unsure if she should actually bring it up, but chose to anyway. "Sometimes there are these little clips; it doesn't really happen very much, but sometimes I think I can see something that could happen, y'know?"
Nighteye looked intrigued. "What you see, is that always what happens?"
She stood, walking towards the chair, "Not always. Remember the other day when Bubble Girl slammed your office door open when I got inside? She didn't hit me 'cause I knew to move outta the way," she brought the chair close to the bed and sat down. "Why do you ask?"
"Curiosity," he said, "That quirk isn't very good for the entrance exam."
"Mmm," she hummed, "I'll figure something out." Kazue grabbed her phone to check the time, 2:15 p.m. "I have a question."
"Yes?"
Through all of her fear, she managed to speak, "Exactly why did you invite me here? I get that I'm your kid 'n stuff, Nighteye, but we just met."
A blip of pain flashed across his face, "Call me Mirai. There's no need for hero names here," he said.
The pause felt like an end.
"So, Mirai-"
"I asked you-"
Kazue and Mirai cut each off, the former giggling for a moment before saying, "You go."
Mirai smiled at her. "I asked you here because I've made a lot of mistakes, I wronged Shizuku," he paused, "You're my daughter. I never even knew about you until three days ago—I won't abandon you just after meeting you." He took off his glasses for a moment to rub his eyes. "I may not be a father figure, but I can give you a home."
That was enough for Kazue, and she gave him a tight hug that Mirai returned.
҉
Kazue lied in bed, scrolling through the pictures on her phone. There were a few from the day of the attack; one of her and Mama eating crepes, another of Mama in an absurd pair of sunglasses—the lenses were the size of Kazue's palm. She smiled, finding comfort in seeing herself and Mama having fun and being so happy together.
She hoped to be that happy again, one day.
Her stomach growled. She hadn't eaten much because of recent events, her stomach hurt a bit and she didn't feel like getting up. Her new bed was really cosy and squishy.
Everything feels like it's been a dream.
She mulled over the events of the past week and a handful of days, trying to process it, let it sink in. It just felt too surreal.
The nightmares took her for the night.
҉
The scent of sizzling eggs wafted through the apartment, acting as a gentle awakening to Kazue's nightmare-filled slumber. She stood, finger-combed her hair and pulled it into a side ponytail as she walked to the kitchen. Mirai was in front of the stove, cooking breakfast.
"Morning," Kazue yawned.
"Good morning," he flipped something in the pan, "Did you sleep well?"
She sat at the table, "The bed was super cosy."
"I'm glad you like it," he said. "I hope you like breakfast too, I don't cook very often."
Kazue smiled a bit, "Can't be worse than Mama's cooking. She's the worst."
"Don't remind me," he said jokingly. Mirai started plating some food, setting it in front of Kazue. "After the first time I ate Shizuka's food, I made sure to always do the cooking."
Sitting on the table was steamed rice, fried eggs, bacon, and a mix of fruit. It felt like a lot compared to what she'd been eating recently. "Thank you!" she smiled.
Mirai sat down as well, "You're welcome."
The conversation died down for a few minutes as they ate, finally being broken by Mirai. "How much control do you have of your quirk?"
She idly chewed on some berries in her mouth, deep in thought. "I think I have pretty decent control with the teleportation aspect. It doesn't take that much thought if it's an object I'm moving."
"I see," he paused, quickly eating a forkful of rice, "You should work on that before entrance exams."
She nodded, "I've been workin' on it a bit. Teleporting myself can be a bit a lot more draining than an object, and it's disorienting. Makes me dizzy sometimes."
"The more you use it, the easier it'll be," he said.
Kazue hummed in response, finishing the rest of her food. "Do you have work today?"
"I do," he answered, "Do you have anything to do tomorrow?"
She shook her head no. "I think I might check in with my friend, though. It won't be much longer till school ends."
"Stop by the agency when you're done. I have an intern from U.A if you'd like to talk to him."
"That blonde kid from when I was in your office? Don't you two have the same name," she giggled.
"His name is Mirio, I suppose it's close."
The dishes clinked as they were placed in the sink; Kazue picked on up and started washing it off. "He seemed really happy the other day, is he nice?"
"One of the kindest people you'll ever meet."
She smiled.
