Part 2

Epilogue Convalescent

Years after the war that brought chaos to Japan, a little over a decade after, the stability on what was expected out of heroes was more humane. The horror of all those body bags of children and veterans shed light on what the public had pushed onto the heroes, leading them to the point of being understaffed and underappreciated on the sacrifices they've done to protect all their lives. It took many years for the ranks of heroes to be replenished with the surviving students from the hero-course and the less injured pro heroes from the war. Due to the war, many heroes that became handicapped turned to teaching with the expectation to grow and to better prepare the next generation of heroes from their past experiences. Even the aftermath of experiencing war had brought in new faces that were determined to become heroes just like their idols when they'd watched them battle with their lives online and on live television. It had inspired the next classes of hero course students to be just like that… While others inspired to try to reestablish the hero ties with the community and relations.

"Welcome back to another addition to Diaries with Convalescent!" A radiant smile graced the screen of thousands of fans, with friendly red eyes. The new hero took the media by storm, while other heroes expressed their strength and popularity through fighting crime – this rising star was known for her team support as the hero medic. But what really made people love her was the fact that she connected with the community by sharing her experience of heroism and spending her time at local places to get to know the citizens in her districts by enjoying the foods and landmarks.

Many fans were curious on her upbringing and the only known detail of her personal life was her adopted father, retired hero Erasure Head. Everything else she kept quiet about whenever commenters had asked her more about her private life. Her live stream chats consist of engaging with fans on the goings on the day by day of hero life, earning more admirers for heroes by building up the hero-esteem that had almost been decimated years ago.

Eri ended her live stream, smiling warmly as she finished her breakfast at the local shop. She enjoyed getting to know people, being around to talk to them like they were regular people and to make them feel safe. She didn't look for the glory or popularity, she was just happy to heal someone and let them know that they are important. Eri was aware that many of her fans and the marketing team for the hero industry wanted her to have her own brand of hero products like so many other heroes. But many times, she insisted she didn't need action figures, photo signings, t-shirts – all she wanted was to be someone people could always count on, not idolize.

She liked to see herself as one of those heroes that enjoyed chatting with the public and eat with them, be amongst them as a regular person rather be up high on a pedestal where many heroes were viewed to be untouchable and were detached from the public – separate from them. Eri smiled lightly, many of her senpais warned her to not be so casual, that she needed to be seen as some type of authority than be a friend. But she always waved them off, just something inside of her just wanted to be amongst the people… regardless of their background. Maybe her time with the Yakuza made her want to help everyone, to connect with them, and she wanted people to reach out to her, not afraid to be judged – to not be labeled. She knew what it was like to be in a dark place where everything seemed it could never get better – that there was no one to save her, and she wanted to be that hero in that dark place for anyone… To pull them out of that darkness.

Eri's smile turned sad, thinking of her grandfather knowing he must have had so many things running in his head on how she would have turned out after his decision to let her go to the heroes versus if he had just kept her. Like many of her past classmates in the hero course, their parents were hesitant of them being in that profession. But Eri was sure her grandfather was more concerned of her falling into a hero that stereotyped people – she remembered how Kai Chisaki would talk about the hero's inability to look past one's lifestyle, how the Shie Hassaikai compound was always on surveillance just because of the ifs of catching something illegal. Eri didn't want to have that bias, didn't want to push people away or have them feel neglected, she wanted to be a person and hero that everyone could count on to help.

A big reason why she was doing medical field work then regular heroing was so she could tend to the wounded no matter their background – good, bad, she just wanted to help everyone. She's more of a part-time hero to focus more on studying in the medical department from the university to better her field work.

Her attention was brought to her phone as it continuously buzzed from comments after the blog. Most comments consisted of enjoying the videos, and she made the effort in liking each one. Being deprived from socializing with many people as a child, she always enjoyed the new opportunity to interact with others through her social media and field work. Sometimes she would get the occasional question that she tried to respond to, but anything prying, she avoided with vagueness. Her eyes focused on her inbox of direct messages, most fans would comment directly on the video streams; and she experienced the fans that would direct message her that wanted to talk about something private – she was hesitant with those, but if they weren't threatening, she would reach back to them.

This particular message made her pause, "You've grown, Erasure Head did right on his guardianship in raising you." Eri stared at the message, wondering if maybe it was him. The profile didn't have a picture and it was created didn't want to jump to conclusions, but a regular viewer of her streams wouldn't have said grown unless they've known her since she was a child. She was hesitant at first, wondering if it was really okay to open that door again… but her mind went to the old man that had let her go to ensure she had more opportunities for her future.

Eri took a deep breath and responded, "Did 'right'?" She waited, curious if the anonymous user would respond back.

She jumped onto her phone quickly as she finally got a response back, "You don't see yourself above the regular person, many heroes can't differentiate that." She frowned at the next message, "He's proud of the image you made of yourself."

Her eyes widened, realizing just who she really was talking to, It has to be Kai Chisaki. The message was cryptic and out of context anyone would think nothing of the anonymous user meaning behind the words. She wanted some confirmation, "Is this who I think this is?" Eri waited, a response didn't come for a while, she was worried she scared him off.

Her heart skipped a beat as a picture was sent to her, a younger picture of her with her grandfather. It has to be him. Her eyes lit up as a message came through, "He's getting up there in his age, if you want to see him, visit when you get a chance." A link was sent, Eri's eyes widened as a hotel page in Taiwan came up.

Eri reread the last sentence, He's getting up there in his age… Her heart ached, realizing her grandfather must be in his late seventies by now. She responded swiftly, "Okay, I will see him when I'm off during spring break."

Just as quickly, the response back was "Good, he will be excited to see you."

"A week trip? What about your work?" Erasure Head frowned as he watched Eri pack her suitcase.

"Every single school break I'm working or training, wouldn't it be alright for once if I can go on a girl's trip on spring break like any normal college student?" Eri asked.

"But why Taiwan? There's plenty of beaches in Japan –."

"If I stay in Japan, it would be like I'm on call and it wouldn't really be a vacation."

Erasure sighed, unable to really argue with that. "It comes with the job, sometimes you can't take vacations as a hero. But if you want to experience a vacation before you get busier with college and heroing go ahead, I can see if I can get someone else to manage the hero course spring training camp –."

"You don't have to do that! It's going to be a girl's trip; I can't have my dad killing the vibe."

Erasure winced, forgetting for a moment on how teenagers get embarrassed by parents, Eri was no exception from time to time. "I don't know if I feel comfortable letting eighteen-year-old girls going outside the country…"

"Don't underestimate us. We will be fine, half the girls going are already set up to be sidekicks for pros. Please?" Eri pleaded.

"Am I that embarrassing?" Erasure asked, he wondered what exact he did that could be the definition of embarrassing.

Eri smiled sweetly, "Sometimes you can be a little creepy."

"Creepy…?" Erasure sweat dropped, sure his sense of humor could be viewed as morbid...

Eri patted his arm, "Don't worry, I still love you with all your eccentricities."

Erasure remarked, "I will take that as a compliment then. Fine, you can go, but I want to hear from you every day you are there – no buts."

"Yes sir!" Eri beamed happily as she continued in finishing her packing. She had reached out to her former classmates on this trip and luckily, she had an alibi as the girls were excited to enjoy the change of scenery and the amenities within the hotel. She was slightly nervous of being near the Shie Hassaikai once she stepped into Taiwan, but she was practically an adult now and it has been a long time since she was scared of him. Like the message he sent to her, it was about her grandfather seeing her again, it didn't seem like Kai Chisaki wanted her for her quirk like he had in the past… But she would remain vigilant just in case.

Erasure walked her through the airport, wanting to verify which old classmates of hers were going on the trip. He groaned, recognizing the former students and hearing how rowdy they were from his fellow teachers that dealt with the upperclassmen. I guess I will have to be more prepared for this since she's going to stay on the college campus next semester and she wants to experience life… At least she told me about this trip and I know where she is, can't say she will give me the rundown of her days in college.

"Eri!" Excited waves drew her near them. The girls cheered, chatting away on the first things they want to do once they arrive at the hotel.

Erasure smiled tiredly, before they decided to walk further into the airport, "Ladies, I hope you are responsible. Yes, you are vacationing, but you are all still representing a pro hero so please be responsible…"

The girls saluted, "Yes, Mr. Aizawa sir!"

"No, no need for that. Today I am just a father." Erasure sighed, rubbing his eye – he didn't sleep at all, guessing it was the stress – Eri was growing up so fast and he was having trouble to not hold on too tight. It was normal for kids to experience the world… but he was still worried and protective of the little girl that grew to become his daughter.

Eri smiled sadly seeing the stress in Erasure's face, feeling a little guilty for making him worry, "I promise I will be responsible; I will see you in a week. Plus, I will send you pictures and you can watch my streams on the trip. Thank you for trusting me to go."

Erasure sighed hugging her tightly, "Just be careful, okay? If you get in a dicey situation, don't forget that combat training."

Eri giggled, ever since she was dropped off to the heroes by Kai, Erasure Head had her sit in on trainings and workouts with his students so she could get a head start in protecting herself in case something ever like that happened again. "Okay, I will make sure I use the training you gave me to good use if anything happens!"

Erasure nodded, nudging her to start going so they didn't have to worry about missing their flight and for him to not change his mind in letting her go. "Have a safe trip."

Eri and her girl friends excitedly exited the plane, in awe to finally leave the country. Since the huge war, Japan had been bordered tight in rebuilding the country and customs had been very tough to ensure no outside threats could enter the country during the time of recovery. Many flights and cruises had to be redirected to different ports until the whole country was ready to bring back tourism, even now the travel in and out of Japan has drastically decreased from a decade ago.

"Okay, cocktails at the pool are calling my name…" One of the girls sighed smiling at the perfect weather.

Eri nodded, pulling up the directions to the hotel as they flagged down a cab outside the airport. I should probably message him to see when it's a good time so I can plan around our vacation schedule… She didn't necessarily tell her friends why Taiwan should be their vacation destination, only that she was interested in the sightseeing.

"Where is the location to the compound? I can plan my sightseeing trip near it." Eri messaged the user that she was certain was Kai Chisaki.

Eri frowned as she didn't get a response back right away, she gazed out the window taking in the new scenery. Curious if her grandfather was finally sitting down somewhere and relaxing, knowing it must have been a hard couple of years to practically start with nothing and have to build something in a new place. She felt her phone buzz for a notification, trying to not be quick to react to draw attention, she glanced at the response.

"I will send the kid to you; he will be your tour guide."

Eri stared at the message in confusion, He's sending a person as a tour guide? She peered towards her friends as they pointed towards all the locations they wanted to try out when they go sightseeing. It clicked, Oh… he doesn't want to leave a paper trail. He isn't sure if I came alone and wanted to keep the compound safe. It had been over ten years and she didn't really leave the Yakuza with a vow to keep everything confidential, but she didn't give the authorities any clues to where the remainder of the Hassaikai may have gone. Guess he couldn't be too careful…or maybe he actually supplied her with a tour guide to make traveling safer and easier with a person that knows the area and language.

The hotel was in range, they were in awe by the landscape of a forest hugging the hotel in view of the city. Wow, so beautiful… She had to admit, the hotel he recommended with his link really was spectacular. Eri and the rest of the girls jumped out of the cab heading for the lobby to check in. Eri smiled lightly, she was a little nervous to see her grandfather after so many years, but she was glad she had someone else that had her on his mind. There's so much to talk about I don't know where to begin when I see him. She wasn't sure when the best time would be to see her grandfather, the boy Kai was sending over could come any time or day and it wasn't like she could leave without raising questions.

Eri nonchalantly pulled out her phone, "I'm seeing him today?"

"You got something better to do?" Eri winced at the remark, she forgot how intense and direct he was. She avoided responding back, worried anything she might say could potentially backfire on her.

In the lobby, the girls eagerly looked through the beautiful large windows that displayed the breathtaking view of the mountainous forest and city. "Look where the pool is and there is a hot spring near here too!"

Eri smiled, she was sure she will be able to enjoy the vacation even if it revolved around a family affair. The girls headed to the front desk, Eri stepped forward to check in the suite, "Checking in for Aizawa."

The woman at the front desk glanced over the computer, she paused noticing the change in the reservation, "Ah yes, it appears your suite has been upgraded."

"Upgraded?" Eri asked.

"Yes, here are your keys to the room. We will provide you with a bellhop for your luggage." The woman bowed, lifting her hand to direct them to the hallway with bustling hotel workers.

One of the girls heard the upgrade, "Wow, Aizawa-sensei is going all out for this vacation."

Eri nodded absentmindedly, Did the Shie Hassaikai upgrade the room? Should I have used a different name?

Heading towards the hallway, a bellhop boy ran straight towards her group and bowed, "Ms. Convalescent! It's an honor!"

Eri blushed, not expecting to be recognized, "Thank you… You don't need to be so formal –."

"Of course! Sorry, just I'm excited for being in your service – I will also be your tour guide to ensure your stay is a pleasant one." The teenage boy grinned at her, rubbing the back of his head in a nervous and excited gesture.

Eri's eyes widened, Is this the boy Kai said he would send?

The girls in her group laughed at the energetic bellhop, "Wow Eri, you are so popular you even have fans outside of Japan."

Eri smiled uneasily, not prepared for this encounter. The bellhop brought over a luggage cart to put their suitcases together, "Oh, I'm originally from Japan. I moved here after the whole destructive war and all. I couldn't help checking in on what's new in my homeland and I really got hooked on Diaries with Convalescent. Like the first-aid tutorials were so helpful and educational!" The boy rambled on, motioning them to follow him as he proceeded to the elevator.

I wonder if he is a real fan or if he was assigned to get to know everything about me to be a good tour guide? Eri didn't find it to be a coincidence for her tour guide to also be her fan.

The bellhop scanned the key onto the elevator reader and proceeded to press the floor level. He continued, "If there were any locations you are interested in going or have any questions on the hot spots for places to see just let me know." He pulled out a business card handing it to one of the girls, "I'm on the clock between 12 to 6, I also chauffer for the hotel."

The girls giggled peering at his card, "Thank you Yuji Muta, we will keep that in mind."

He smirked at them just as the elevator door opened to reveal the penthouse suite.

Eri's eyes widened surprised at how large the room was as it took over the whole floor. This must have been expensive…

"Oh my god! Eri, you need to tell your dad he is amazing!" The girls explored the large suite as the bellhop put the luggage in the entranceway.

Yuji turned, noticing Eri hadn't moved from the elevator, "Nice huh? The Boss wanted the best room that was available."

Eri's eyes snapped to the bellhop seeing him smiling at her. "So, you are with them?"

Yuji tilted his head slightly noticing the slight nervousness from her, "Well yeah, the clan owns the hotel. I thought you would know that since you came here and all…" He frowned, not expecting the lack of response, "Okay, so here's the deal. I was given three hours to bring you back with me. Find an excuse to leave your group and meet me down at the lobby." He gave her his card, she glanced down noticing additional information was written compared to the other card, "This is my other phone to reach me for the meet up."

He waved his goodbye before the other girls caught them talking.

Eri was able to leave on her own with the front of doing some sightseeing while the other girls wanted to relax by the pool. She sighed, having mixed feelings of being able to sneak off. She peeked around the corner from the elevator, scanning the lobby for the bellhop. Maybe I'm too early?

"Ms. Convalescent."

Eri jumped in surprise, he stood right next to her smirking sheepishly, He's good at hiding his presence.

"Sorry for startling you, I forget to always announce myself at a further distance." Yuji apologized, scratching the back of his head. "Are you ready to go?"

She peered around as other guests and staff moved around them, "Is it okay for you to leave work?"

"Oh yeah, it's a part of my job title. Besides, I run these errands all the time for the Boss." He shrugged as he escorted her through the hotel.

"So, I'm just a homework assignment that you read up on?" Eri remarked flatly, not really surprised. She didn't want to come off rude but it rubbed her the wrong way when someone faked their interest in things.

Yuji hesitated, "…Actually, I really am a big fan." Eri stared at him bewilderedly as he chuckled nervously, "Yeah I got in trouble for being on my phone and before I could get severely punished, your blog saved me."

"So, you were the link." Eri had wondered how they found her, she doubted the Yakuza would stay in tune with what's new revolving around heroes, but apparently the younger generation were more neutral on media.

He smiled, "My mind was blown away, imagine the blogger you enjoy was high up in the hierarchy of your own organization?! Like that info isn't anywhere in your hero biography or anything – ah, that came out wrong – it's not like I'm a stalker I swear!" He faced palmed getting red faced by his own comment.

Eri blinked at him in confusion, shocked that someone like him would even be a Yakuza – the members she remembered were always reserved, cunning, or scary, but this guy was awkward and chatty. They came to a car; he opened the passenger car door for her and made his way to the driver's seat. She wondered, "Are you a real member?"

Yuji peered at her quizzingly as he reversed the vehicle, "Like full-fledged with tattoos and all? Yup, just got started on them."

"You aren't like the others." She remarked peering out to the window.

He kept his eyes on the road, "I guess, I like people and apparently, I have a knack of bringing in tourism with my charisma." He grinned giving her a thumbs up.

"Why join a crime syndicate if you can get a legal profession that revolves around tourism?" Eri always wondered what brought people to organized crime syndicates. What were the appeal to them that others could not see?

Yuji stared at her critically, "Well my father is in the Shie Hassaikai and when everything went to shit in Japan, he got word that the clan had emerged from the ashes within Taiwan and all members would be welcomed back with open arms."

Eri frowned, thinking back on how distraught her grandfather was when he learned the Yakuza had been decimated by Overhaul's lack of discreetness towards heroes. She remembered how guilt-stricken Kai was when he had to lay down everything he had done towards her grandfather's organization – the desperation to help restore it. I guess he accomplished his vow towards restoring the Shie Hassaikai.

Yuji peered at her slightly, a question on his mind that may be prying, "Did the war separate you from the clan or was it when it was disbanded in Japan? My dad was in prison and got out when the prisoners escaped and he went straight to my mom and me and we high tailed out of there before the border closed."

Eri self-consciously clutched on her arms, as though she could still feel the rough scars on them, "I was saved by heroes when the compound was raided."

Yuji swirled his head to her about to voice his wonder until he noticed the pale uncomfortable look on her face with her hands gripping tightly on her arms. He closed his mouth focusing on the road once more, slowly piecing together that she wasn't at all as closely affiliated as he had thought. "We can make a small detour if you'd like."

Eri shook her head, healing that old scar of her past, "No, it's okay. I need to see my grandfather." She needed to thank him properly and tell him it was because of him that she is who she is today, for he had allowed her to continue staying with the heroes.

"Grandfather?" He frowned, there wasn't any really older men in the clan other than – The old oyabun huh…? So, she is high in the hierarchy then.

She nodded lightly, glancing out of the window again. Throughout the drive she hasn't seen any police cars nor heroes patrolling. So, it's true that Taiwan doesn't have a hero program. When she was in hero course, she remembered each country had their different ways of evolving their government with quirks. Many had hero agencies with programs, others initiate military units upon aspects of quirks, and some countries just continue to thrive within life as if evolution hadn't happened. It seemed Taiwan didn't evolve with the times in professionalizing quirks with Heroes, their community had been thriving without any Pro Hero programs, continuing with the regular jobs that had incorporated quirks to benefit the work efficiency.

Eri watched as they drove by homes and markets, seeing the locals going about their day. An old memory resurfaced from her mind, her grandfather tucking her in at night expressing that he will teach her that the people within the community were important… How his organization will do right by the people within his community because it was a symbiotic relationship. He had felt that the heroes had lost that way of thinking through fame and popularity and had lost sight of protecting local businesses. Perhaps her way of heroing was influenced more than she thought on her grandfather's ideologies of community.

The drive continued in silence with the low hum of a song, Eri was thankful for the silence, allowing herself some time to collect her thoughts in preparation of what she will say. Asking about how life has been for her grandfather could be a sore subject, especially with how they went separate ways – her best chance may be to follow her grandfather's lead on topics to avoid awkwardness and uncomfortable conversations. I could tell him about schooling. She remembered what Kai said in the message of how her grandfather was proud of who she had become. I'm thinking too much about this, I'm sure he will be happy with anything we talk about.

Her attention went back to the window noticing the car inclining up a mountain with the ocean in the distance. I didn't realize we drove out of the city. Eri peered towards the boy that drove her, "I will be able to leave whenever I want, right?"

"…I don't think you will be held against your will. If you were, you would have been gagged and thrown into the trunk." He tried to lighten the mood but awkwardly looked back on the road. He could feel a slight tension in the air as the car drove through the front gate of the Yakuza outpost, There is definitely a story behind this…

He parked the car on the driveway, there was a few underlings around the perimeter. Jumping out of the car, he went towards the passenger door for her. Eri stepped out, taking everything in – It's more modernized than the old compound. She stayed vigilant seeing the underlings eyeing her curiously.

Yuji led her to the front door, "Right this way."

Eri stepped through the door, surprised by the open concept with large glass windows that brightened the whole area of the view of the ocean. She followed the teenage boy through the house as he led her to the back of the house.

She nervously stopped as he knocked on a door waiting for a response. Opening the door, Eri was ushered in by Yuji and he bowed towards the man that sat in front of a desk.

Eri froze meeting the gaze of gold once again.

Kai Chisaki smirked at her, "Welcome back Eri-chan."

"Where's my grandfather?" Eri asked, feeling worried when a fleeting thought suggested another munity.

Kai frowned at her, "He's in the backyard enjoying the weather. Honestly, and here I thought we knew each other better than that to go straight to assumptions."

Eri nervously watched his demeanor, worried she angered him, but he smirked slightly as though he was amused. She tested his new found temperament and remarked, "Couldn't hurt to ask since we know each other."

Kai sneered, "You have gotten so bold, but I assume that phase goes through all teenagers. I give props to Erasure Head in dealing with that daily." His gold eyes went to the boy, "You are excused."

He bowed, "Yes Boss." The boy glanced towards Eri, "I will be by the car to escort you back."

Eri nervously watched as he left her alone with Kai, her red eyes went back to the gold ones that intently studied her.

"Surprised of my title?" He asked, curious on what the girl thought about all this. He was sure the girl expected him to still be the obedient bodyguard he vowed to be for Pops.

Eri shook her head, "No, I figured you would become the Boss eventually, especially if you proved to my grandfather of how serious you were to reinstate the Yakuza. How long did it take to get him to trust you again?"

Kai scowled slightly, "Six years, but it takes more than simply following orders to earn his trust again." Protecting the clan from threats and stabilizing it with work and businesses had caught Pops' eyes of just how serious he was in fixing all the wrongs he had done that initially brought them to that low point.

"I'm glad his life is a little better." Eri responded, she was a little glad Kai was the leader now so her grandfather could settle down after she was sure were a number of years through stress and hardships.

"There is nothing else on this whole island that will dishearten him." Kai smirked. The Triad wasn't an issue anymore, for after many attempts to verbally start a turf war, they were able to come to a settlement of resolving grievances through a one-to-one fight that was over looked by the two Heads of the two respected clans. Kai so happened to resolve their issue with the Fu Shan Chu under legitimate guidelines through the clans.

Eri noticed the slight sinister gleam in his eyes after his statement – she was sure they had to do many questionable things it order to be so secured in this new territory.

Kai stood from his desk, "I'm sure you are eager to speak to the old man. A fair warning, I didn't tell him you were coming."

Eri stared at him in surprise, "Why didn't you tell him?"

"I wanted to give him a surprise, especially since it was my fault that you didn't grow up with him." His gold eyes searched her face, noticing the surprised and saddened expression on her features.

Eri gulped, self consciously grabbing at her arm as she looked back at those gold eyes, "Yeah it was your fault that I couldn't learn anything about myself through my family. You took that away for me."

Kai held her gaze that turned angry, "I know what happened in the past could never be excused nor changed, but please be open in trying to reestablish those severed ties in the present… There is still a chance for you two to be more acquainted now that you are older and can understand different occupations." He frowned as he bowed slightly, "I doubt this would mean much, but I apologize for what I've done to you."

Eri watched in shock as the once cold arrogant Overhaul bowed to her. He straightened himself, solemnly watching her as she stood there too stunned for words. Eri couldn't believe it, not once has he ever apologized to her for what he had done to her – he had apologized and guilted over what he had done to Pops but he had never said those words to her. "Don't apologize if you don't mean it." She remembered he had said that to her, that was the ideology he went by and it was now being applied to what he had done to her.

Eri held her hand to her mouth, as she felt tears in her eyes. She felt so many emotions hitting her with reliving that torture, overcoming the damage, accepting what had been done to her, and to fully receive an honest apology that she never thought she needed to hear.

He gave her space as he moved passed her towards the door, he waited for her to compose herself or to say her peace before he sends her off to the old man.

"You really mean it?" Eri asked, stopping the tears as she wiped them away.

Kai gazed at her, "Yes, I've thought it over for years… I should have said it when I dropped you off at the hero's fortress, I just didn't know how to say it." His gaze looked away from her as he frowned in memory of that day where he had debated to turn back to say something to her but never did. "I should have also thanked you for giving me the opportunity to be by Pops' side again, you could have got him to turn me away, but you didn't… I reached out to you because you deserve to know him, to stay in contact with him – I wanted to fulfill the debt I owed you for allowing me to have that second chance, I just want you to get that chance with him."

Eri smiled lightly, glad that she will be able to speak with her grandfather without past fears and resentment because Kai was laying out everything that was unspoken and had been festering with uncertainty for years. She felt lighter as though the dark shadow that had always hovered over her since leaving the compound had finally ascended.

"That means a lot." Eri whispered wiping away more tears as the thought of finally being able to move on from the guilt of having to force her grandfather's hand to let her go to the heroes – that she could create that relationship that he always meant to have with her.

Kai took in her response, the uncertainty of opening old terrors was pushed aside when she actually seemed to benefit from his words. The light pressure within his chest lessened, relieved that there was a possibility that the old man and kid could reestablish what was broken.

He opened the door to the office, gesturing her to follow, "He's this way."

Eri followed, as they went towards the living room, she noticed how the underlings bowed as they passed them. Her eyes widened with emotion as Kai escorted her to the backyard where there was a gazebo with the old man casually playing a match of shogi with Kurono.

Kai stepped aside to allow her through the door, Eri held her breath as her grandfather peered up to the noise of the door opening – their eyes met for the first time in almost a decade. Pops' shocked expression grew into a joyful smile, "Eri, you've grown so much."

Eri could feel tears watering in her eyes as her grandfather stood up from where he sat and strode towards her. He paused before her, just short of arm's length, Eri recognized his uncertainty and decided to follow through with his action by wrapping her arms around him in a hug.

Pops held onto her, pulling away only to look at her face, "It's so good to see you again."

Eri smiled up at him, "I was reached out to see you."

Pops' surprised eyes glanced towards Kai who avoided eye contact quickly. The old man smiled looking back down at the girl, "Come, let's sit and catch up. I've recently became aware of your stories; I want to hear everything."

Kurono moved from the gazabo to allow the girl and old man a place where they could talk, he walked towards the Yakuza Boss that lightly watched the interaction from a further distance. "You made it happen."

Kai snapped his eyes towards him, "It's the least I could do, he deserves all the happiness he could get after everything… He should have a connection to her."

Kurono hummed, standing beside him as they watched the duo speak to one another with the ease as if they had just seen each other recently rather than years. "You took a leap of faith; she could have easily sent Japan's authorities to our location."

"I took the chance to trust that she wanted to make up to Pops just as much as I did." Kai remarked, turning away to give Eri and Pops some privacy. Kurono followed, glancing back at the pair seeing the excited rambling of Eri and the small happy smile from the old man.

Eri finished her tale of being accepted into the hero program and working her way into medical school, blushing slightly at the gentle smile her grandfather had on his face. She took a deep breath, clutching her hands together nervously, "I want to let you know I am grateful to you. If you didn't let me go that day I might have never been the person I am today… Looking back on it, I realized just how selfish I was – I forced you to decide that the heroes were a better alternative for my future, rather than you. I'm so sorry –."

"There's no need to apologize, it was my decision." Pops assured her as he held her hands and squeezed them comfortingly. His grey eyes saddened, "You weren't the first person I had to let go to ensure a better future… I had to do the same thing for your mother, sometimes I have to remind myself that the organization can be both a blessing and a burden." The Yakuza came with the protection from outside groups, but keeping the organization together through trying times had cost him time with his family.

Eri nodded, "The picture of her you left in my backpack allowed me to find her, I had spoken to her through letters here and there…" It took about two years for Erasure Head to finally track down her mother through the photo by cross referencing the last name of her passport through search databases and face recognition. When Erasure found her, it took her mother months to fully talk to him and only would allow letters to be sent for communication… she was too scared to meet Eri in person.

Pops' sad smile grew, "I'm glad to hear she is willing to talk to you."

Eri gazed down, "I'm sorry I brought up a sad topic –."

"Nonsense, it is a part of life to go through the good things and bad." Pops smiled, peering towards the view of the ocean in the distance. He pulled out his phone to change the subject, "I'm not really good at using this thing other than to make calls, Kai found you through this app and he showed me some of your stories. I really enjoyed who you have become when I saw them, I just wish I can find where they are."

"Here I can make it easier." Eri smiled warmly as her grandfather handed her his phone, she sat next to him to show him the process of finding her page and followed it. "There will be a notification that pops up on your home screen so you won't miss any new post."

Pops smiled at her fondly as she handed back his phone with her page open. The old man gazed at her, "I know you have your own life in Japan being busy with work and school, but I hope you can take some time to either call or visit so I can hear more about your days."

Eri lightly patted his hand, "Yeah I would like that, I could even video call you." She pulled out her phone to give him her personal number and to show him how the video call worked. She felt her heart patter by the hopeful and fond expression he gave her once she explained the different ways they can stay in contact. She was happy to know her once broken family was slowly mending itself back together…

"How was your trip?" Erasure Head asked as he picked her up from the airport.

Eri beamed at him, "It was eye opening and beautiful. I learned a lot, the culture, the foods, the people – I found myself a new vacation destination." She was pleased with rekindling her relationship with her grandfather and she looked forward in making more streams of her daily ongoings of work and school to keep him updated on her life when she couldn't find a time by herself to personally talk to him. She felt a lot lighter without the guilt and stress from her time with the Shie Hassaikai, enabling her to fully move on from the past after seeing what they have become.

Erasure peered at her slightly, "From the posts it looked like you had a fun time, seems like there was a boy in some of the angles with you girls."

Eri nudged him, "Don't be like that, it's just Yuji, he was our tour guide from the hotel."

Erasure sighed, "Couldn't help asking, one minute you want me to read you cat bedtime stories and then the next I know you are going off on a vacation and college."

Eri smiled apologetically, she already went through that moment with her grandfather, "I'm sorry I'm growing up so fast, but you know I would always open my schedule up just for you."

"You better, I don't want to hear you were too busy or I will not allow you to live on the college campus." Erasure scolded her lightly as he focused on the road once again.

"How about this, every other Saturday we go to our favorite cat café?" Eri compromised with a sweet smile.

"You have yourself a deal." Erasure Head smiled, glad that no matter how old Eri got, she will still find time for her family.

Thank you so much for reading this story! For everyone who Favorited, Followed, and Reviewed I really appreciate it, this story is what it is because of all of you guys!

I hope you all enjoyed this take on My Hero Academia for the Tartarus Escapee Arc and Final War Arc.

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