Birds were chirping outside the window. Rin was breathing heavily and put her hand to her throat to rub it. It was burning still. Kenji knocked on the door. "Rin are you okay?" he said. Sweat dropped down Rin's forehead and she took one last deep breath. It was just a nightmare. "I'm fine sir. Just had a bad dream" Rin's voice cracked as she spoke. "I'm wanting to go back to school sir. I just want to pretend nothing has happened". There was a silence between them. She could tell Kenji was thinking about it thoroughly. "I really don't recommend it in your condition, but I'll talk to U.A." Kenji sighed. Rin pushed back the covers of her bed and stood up. Her balance was off, and she almost fell. She felt dizzy. "Maria made us breakfast when you're ready" Kenji walked down the hallway. It was stupid for Rin to use up her energy to go to school but if she was determined, he wouldn't stop her. Rin took one last look at her arm. The black in her veins was gone. "What?" Rin said rubbing her wrist. It was all a dream then. It had to be. She took a deep breath once again and walked out of her room to the kitchen. They had made eggs and bacon. Maria and Kenji sat in silence. Rin had been so occupied by her nightmare she forgot what was happening. The world came crashing back down on top of her. Her parent's funeral. She slowly put her food in her mouth. Kenji and Maria were patient with Rin. They wanted to be good guardians. "We'll be going in about 30 minutes Rin" Kenji spoke quietly. Rin nodded. There was nothing they could say to each other. They had both lost someone special to them.
Rin walked into her room and put on a black dress Alira had bought her a few years back for her birthday. It was a skater dress, but it was the only dress she had. She looked at Gunslinger's jacket folded neatly on the desk. Rin walked over to it and held it in her hands. All she could do was stare at it. She remembered when Gunslinger had got hurt in battle. She went to the hospital. "Don't worry! I'm fine. Everything will be fine!" he said. He was shot in the chest. He had surgery and came home a week later. She remembered hugging him and even though he was in pain, he hugged her back and didn't let go. This jacket was his signature look. She put it on and put on his exoskeleton glove. She would live up to his name. She turned around and opened her wardrobe. A life-sized mirror was on the inside. She looked at herself with pain in her eyes. To her, her scar was disgusting and she was only a shell of what Gunslinger could be. She clenched her fist. "I'll make you proud" Rin said closing the cupboard and walking to the living room to meet Kenji.
Kenji looked at her almost stunned. "You look exactly like your mother... but with Arthur's clothes" he smiled at Rin afterwards, almost admiring her. "I want to live up to their name" Rin said breathing deeply. Kenji's smile turned to a concerned look. He didn't know the emphasis of her words. This was her life goal. Kenji and Maria looked at each other. "Let's go" Kenji said, swinging his keys around his paw. They all got into his car and drove to a forestry looking area. Rin had never seen this place before. They got out and started to walk. Trees surrounded them and light from the sun glistened through the trees. The grass was healthy and green. They entered a clearing to see a cliff that overlooked the ocean. A priest was there, and a lot of people Rin didn't know or remember. She saw the two holes and two caskets. They weren't waiting for her. "Why here?" she muttered, turning to Kenji for reassurance. "They got married here Rin. This was the place your mother used to go to see Arthur. It was their secret place. It was taboo for a hero and a villain to be together," Kenji proudly smiled as he spoke. "She wasn't a villain after that". They sat down in the chairs placed in front of the casket. Rin couldn't hear anything the priest was saying. She just heard murmurs as she stared at the casket. They were truly gone. It was time to accept it. Rin pulled Gunslinger's coat to cover her more. She suddenly remembered something Gunslinger had said. She looked up at the sky and saw the clouds moving slowly across the sky. He always told her if anything happened to him in his line of work, to look up and he would be looking down at her. Alira and him would always be there pushing Rin to her next adventure. A tear ran down Rin's cheek. It was over. Her heart was in pain, but she felt nothing. She was numb. The priest had stopped talking and the caskets lowered down. She watched as they shovelled dirt on top of it. She stood in front of the casket and just stared at the gravestone.
'Here lies the hero Gunslinger Maxson and his wife Alira Maxson. Both were kind people and loving parents'. Rin sat down on the grass. She was lost. Before she noticed, it had got dark. The people were gone, and she was still sitting in front of her parents. She remembered some people walking up to her to comfort her, but she said nothing. Just stared at the gravestones. She was hoping they'd come back. She faced her back towards their graves and then lied down between them. Rin started to cry. She wanted them to hold her and be with her once more. It was over. Everything was over. She looked at her left hand. She still had Gunslinger's glove on, but she had a bruise on the side of her hand from when she hit the desk. It stung. It started to slowly disappear and heal. She sat up observing her hand. She looked at the grass around Alira's grave. Even now, she was caring for Rin. "Thank you, mum" Rin said. She looked up at the sky once more. The sky was dark with hundreds of stars scattered through it. A full moon shun down on her. How long did she spend sitting with them? "Thank you for watching me dad" Rin said wiping her eyes. Kenji kneeled in front of her and held out a tissue. "You'll make them proud Rin" he said. She grabbed his hand, he pulled her up and passed her the tissue. "Let's go get some rest" Kenji said grabbing Rin's hand to hold it. "Yeah" Rin whispered. She stared at the graves of her parents. She was useless.
Maria and Kenji didn't want to force Rin to speak. It was almost like she was in a trance. Like her body was here but her mind wasn't. They watched her walk to her room. She didn't want to see Atlas again, so she stared at the roof. She thought of nothing. Everything was empty. Her phone started to buzz. It was Aizawa. She stared at it as he asked if she was okay and the things they did at school. She didn't have the motivation to respond and laid on her bed in silence. She picked up the phone to text him. She stared at the letters on her keyboard. There was nothing she wanted to say or do. 'I can see you've read my message' Aizawa messaged her once again 'Please speak to me. I need to know you're okay'. Rin sighed. She didn't want to put in the effort to speak to him. She knew she would be leaving him to become a villain. Was this even worth it? Rin replied with only 'Come over tomorrow'. Kenji had previously given Aizawa his address. She put her phone on silent and passed out. She was in the same room as the night before. In the darkness, Atlas stood before her. He said nothing but stared at her. "I have no empathy for you" he said as he turned around. "I don't give a shit what you have for me" Rin replied. She clenched her fist while Atlas turned around. "Don't act tough" he snarled as he spoke. She said nothing but stared at the floor. Atlas observed her. "If your emotions get to you then you're weak child". She sighed loudly. She wouldn't humour him by falling into his trap. She woke up to the next day. Kenji knocked on the door once again.
"Rin just letting you know Maria and I won't be home tonight. We have a police event to go to". Rin bit her lip. "Aizawa is coming over" she said as she angrily grabbed the sheets of her bed. "Okay, we'll be leaving around the night time. Be safe" Kenji walked off as he spoke once again. Did he not realise she didn't have excellent hearing? She was angry and irritated. She stood up and sat down against the wall. Rin put her head on her knees and sat there. It was cold. She wrapped her arms around her legs. "They didn't deserve this" she said as she clenched her teeth.
[5]
Everything was silent. Rin was still siting with her back to the wall. She had started to calm down. She had slept in Gunslinger's coat and glove. She stared at his glove. He took down countless villains and saved many with this. She slowly put her hand down to her side and looked up at the ceiling. Nothing was worth it. She didn't have the energy to cry or even move. She sat there motionless. Kenji once again knocked on the door. Rin wished he would just leave her alone. "Hey kiddo. I know you're probably wanting your time alone, but I just wanted to say before I left for work that U.A said you could come back woof. They said it wasn't favourable because of you in your condition but if you wished to learn to be a hero again... Then it's fine with them" Rin said nothing back to him. She just took a deep breath. She could see Kenji's shoes underneath the door. "I'm going now. I've left you breakfast on the table" he said walking away. The front door opened and closed. He was gone. Rin lifted herself up and managed to stand. She had no appetite, but she wanted to pretend she was okay. She opened her wardrobe and looked into the mirror. For some reason, she hated her look more than she did yesterday. She felt horrible looking at herself. 'I really look like this?' she thought. The more she stared the angrier Rin got. She would never be Gunslinger. She would never be worthy enough to be their daughter. She started to breathe heavier before she screamed and punched the glass with her right hand. It broke and made a loud sound. "I can never be them!" she shouted as Maria knocked loudly on the door. Rin's expression dropped, and she started to breathe slower to calm herself down. "Rin what was that?! Are you okay? Please open the door" Maria pleaded as she tried the door handle. It was locked. Rin looked at her hand. It had started to bleed as glass was in it. She pulled the glass pieces out and blood dripped to the floor. She took one last look at herself. "I hate me"
The door swung open. Maria had kicked it with some force. She ran over to Rin. "Rin why would you do that?!" she cried as she put a cloth over Rin's right hand. She applied pressure. "I snapped" Rin whispered. Her tone sounded emotionless. Maria was worried. Rin only looked in the mirror even though it had cracks all through it now. Maria said nothing for a bit. She only cleaned the blood off Rin's hand. "I'm taking you to the hospital" she said as she looked at Rin with determined eyes. She dragged Rin to her car and drove off. It was obvious Maria was terrified and upset over this. Rin however felt nothing. She looked at her hand. The cloth had gone red with blood. She didn't even feel guilty. Maria had dragged Rin all the way to the hospital. A nurse with a healing quirk had managed to clean and fix her injury. "Can I ask what happened?" The nurse said. "I punched a mirror" Rin replied, watching how the nurse was using her quirk. The nurse started to ask if everything was okay at home and tried her best to find out why this would have happened. She was talking to Maria, but Rin was only focused on the woman's quirk. She could barely hear them. She still felt nothing. Just focused on the green glow over her hand. "I think she should see a psychologist. She needs help" the Nurse said. Before Rin knew it, she was in the car driving back home. Maria looked at her and said "I think we should see a psychologist for you. Just so you know some coping methods". Rin closed her eyes. "I don't want to waste my time on coping methods". Maria said nothing but sighed loudly. They had returned home, and Rin walked to her room. Kenji was sitting there in the living room watching her. He wanted to speak but she ignored his presence and closed her door. "I think we should stay home" Maria said turning to Kenji. "We can't. As much as I want to this is a compulsory event. I'm hoping Aizawa at least will get through to her". Rin walked over to her table. There was still a tiny shard of glass on the floor. She picked it up and sliced it against her left hand. She started to bleed. Rin put her right hand over her left and copied the way the nurse was using her fingers with her quirk. A green aura had appeared, and the wound started to heal. Atlas wasn't lying when he said he swapped their quirks. Rin healed the wound and walked over to the smashed mirror. She tried to use the healing quirk she collected to heal the scar on her face. She stood there for ten minutes holding the glow to her face. It wasn't working. She dropped her arms in defeat and cleaned up the rest of the glass on the floor. She threw it in the bin and sat on her bed. She wanted to die.
There was a knock on the door. "Don't lecture me Kenji" Rin shouted. There was a pause until Aizawa spoke "lecture you about what exactly?". Her face lit up. She was both happy and in shock. She forgot about the text. "Nothing" Rin responded, getting up to unlock the door. She opened it. Kenji and Maria were behind him. "We have to go now. Please call us if you need us" Maria said. Kenji stared at Rin. He had failed as her father. Their eyes met, and he smiled at Rin. He was praying she would be safe. They locked the door behind them and left. "I heard about you punching a mirror. Can I ask why you would do that?" Aizawa gave a concerned look to Rin. "I was angry Sho"
"That doesn't give you an excuse to punch a mirror. I know it's been a hard few days. I wish I could do more for you" Aizawa had walked closer to her and embraced her in a long hug. He stroked the back of her head. "I'm here now" he said. Rin slowly raised her arms and hugged him back. She thought about what the Chief said. She would be on the opposite side when the project was activated. She could protect him not only from other villains but herself. She felt like this was the last day they could spend together properly. She wanted to say it was over, but she couldn't. She couldn't lose him too. Rin walked to her room and dragged Aizawa there too. He was still in his school uniform. Her mind wasn't in the right place. She said nothing as they stood in front of each other. She didn't want him to forget her. Her heart was beating fast. She walked forward and put her hand on his cheek. She started to kiss him over and over again. It was slow at first, but they started to kiss each other faster. Aizawa put his arm on her hip. He was nervous. Rin pulled on his tie and started to undo it. "W-what are you doing" Aizawa said. "I want you" Rin whispered staring into his eyes. "Wait serious? I'm not ready for-" Before Aizawa could finish she pushed him onto her bed and lied on top of him. She started to kiss his neck. "Rin seriously stop" he said pushing her off of him. He sat up. She was facing him sitting on his lap. "What?" Rin replied. She stared at his shirt and not at him. "I don't want to do this. I know you don't know how to act after everything that's happened but don't do this. We've barely even kissed before". Rin sat in silence. "Don't you want me?"
Aizawa gulped. "Of course, I do but we're rushing this". Rin clenched her fists and her teeth. Why did it make her angry? Because she didn't want herself? Rin sighed and moved so she was sitting next to him. "What's going through your head right now? You've never been like this before" he said. There was silence in the room. Aizawa turned to face her. "I don't know how long I have left Sho" Rin squinted her eyes. Aizawa's shot her a confused look. He couldn't comprehend what she meant. "What? What does that mean? What are you planning?"
"I'm not planning anything"
"Then why are you acting like this? Why did you say that? It hurts me for you to say that about yourself. I don't want you to die"
Rin tried to think of how to respond but she couldn't. She didn't even know herself. She started to cry. "I don't know what to do Sho. I don't know how my life will turn out" Aizawa had no idea about her becoming a villain. Rin knew she could never tell him until the day came. It would hurt him, but she would become stronger being a villain. That way she could protect him and understand why her parents were attacked. Aizawa held her hand and pulled her in to hug him. He laid back. She had her head on his chest. His heart was going crazy. He wrapped his arms around her. "No one knows what will happen in life Rin. Not even I do. Not even people with a quirk that sees the future. Anything can happen. I'll make sure your life is happy and I'll stay with you forever. We'll decide the future together" Rin's heart dropped. They couldn't be together forever. She started to have second thoughts about becoming a villain. There were pros and cons on either side. In her heart she had one feeling. She wanted to at least confront the man who killed her parents. It was the easiest way and the quickest. The more she lived the more she wondered. She didn't want to wait and wanted to resolve the issue quickly. "I love you Rin" Aizawa whispered as he closed his eyes. Rin didn't say anything until she came back to her body. "I love you too".
They laid there for hours. Even if they just got to stay in each other's arms it was worth it. Aizawa had fallen asleep hugging her. Rin stayed awake. Aizawa's body was warm. She didn't want this to end. In her head she wondered what was worth it. She loved him, but she couldn't do anything about her parents. The police weren't doing anything about her mother either. She decided she would do this, so she could protect him. In her eyes she was nothing. Aizawa had a good life ahead of him. He didn't need her. There was a knock on the door. "Hey kid. You two okay?" Kenji worryingly said. "He's asleep" Rin replied. "He should probably head home, it's getting late. He'll see you at U.A tomorrow" Rin took one last look at Aizawa's face. He had imperfections but to her he was perfect. She shook him, and he woke up. "S-sorry I must have passed out" Aizawa tiredly said. "It's getting dark. I don't want you to leave but I'm coming back to U.A tomorrow" Aizawa smiled. "I'm glad". They said their goodbyes and he walked home. Kenji looked at her concerned. "What happened while I was gone?" He put his hands on his hips. "Nothing, he fell asleep, so we slept for a while. I'm still tired so I'm going to bed" Kenji sighed. "Sleep well"
Rin didn't sleep that night. Today was the day she was going back to U.A. She was nervous.
