The Price of Pain

Chapter 11: What Could Have Been

Content Warning:

Mentions of past sexual assault and mentions of past underage sex (statutory rape because children can't give consent even if they say yes). Also trigger warning for unwanted touching and Six being a creep. No graphic descriptions of any of these things though.

Aki didn't have much in the way of savings, but she ignored Six's questions. She bought her younger half-siblings an All Might figurine, and a Mirko doll despite his disapproval. They then caught a train to the Shizuoku prefecture, which was about 40 minutes away from their current residence near Naruhata. She watched the people go by with a bored expression, but the growing pinch of anxiety caught her breath every so often. Her stomach turned heavily in her abdomen as she stood up and exited the train to their destination. Six, thankfully remained silent in her presence.

They walked until she found the address they were looking for. She stopped in front of the small house, staring in awe at the little girl playing outside with a ball. Brown fluffy hair bobbed innocently as she threw the ball up and down, trying to catch it with little success. She puffed out her cheeks and chucked the ball at her little brother who was running with some bubbles in hand. He fell to the ground and started crying.

A knife cutting through her brother's throat as he cried.

Aki took in a sharp breath and stepped away from the house, turning across the street, and moving around the corner. She sat down and buried her face into her knees and tried to breathe. A hand fell on her shoulder.

"I hate seeing you like this. It feels wrong boss," Six said unkindly.

His words were sharp, threatening. Aki looked up and felt her anxiety give way for survival. She smacked his hands away and bared her teeth at him. The danger he screamed instantly curtailed, and he withdrew himself from her, but his eyes remained ever presently boring into her soul.

"I will kill you, if you don't back off," she hissed in warning.

He smiled genuinely. "Good, this is the boss I know and love."

"Fuck you Six. This is… this is hard for me. If you're going to stand here and mock me for this brief moment of weakness, I'll fucking end you."

"You're seriously crying over a kid?" Six asked, snarling.

Aki stood up, feeling her nerves reach past the point of fraying. She activated her quirk on Six, and he convulsed, his breath hitching and his fear response kicking in. Aki could smell the smoke on him as his skin glowed, but instead of letting him continue she kicked him in his chest, knocking the wind out of him. He gasped on the ground, sweat beading down his face.

She knelt down in front of him. "Do you still think I'm weak, Six?"

He gasped for breath, but to her surprise he seemed to steel his nerves and look her directly in the eyes again. She had to give it to him, he was ballsy. He grinned up at her, manic, but genuinely happy.

"And this is w-why I call you boss. No one else makes me feel this way," he said.

Aki ignored his weirdness. Maybe he got a kick out of her abusing him. That wasn't exactly her problem, but it was still pretty fucked up. She gave him an extra kick for good measure because she was incredibly pissed off at him. He laughed in pain, and she walked back out into the open street, surprised that his threatening had completely gotten rid of her previous anxiety.

Had that been his plan? No way, Six was not that emotionally intelligent.

"Stay where you are Six. This is a family matter."

"Roger that, boss."

Aki went back out the front of the house, to see her siblings there as well at their mother. Yami seemed to notice her there, and some recognition flitted through her face.

"Riku, Nezumi step inside," she ordered.

"But kaasan, we wanna play," Nezumi grumbled, crossing her hands.

"Later. Get inside now and I'll get you some chocolate," Yami said.

That seemed to get her children to rush inside. Aki watched them run in a trance. They were her siblings. Her siblings.

Family.

"Please, come in," Yami said, opening the gate for her.

Aki didn't miss the way the woman was looking at her warily. She bowed her head slightly and made her way in, knowing she looked like shit. She was allowed into the front porch where she took a seat next to her new stepmother.

"I know who you are. My husband never mentioned you, but a hero came by asking about a Kuroishi Akiho, and imagine my surprise when I find out I have a stepchild out there."

Yami said it with an uncertainty in her voice that Aki knew wasn't acceptance. Maybe a bit of bitterness. That was expected when her husband had kept something as monumental as a child hidden from her. Aki brushed away all hope of being accepted into this little family regardless of what was said. Someone was targeting her, and not to mention she was openly involved in criminal activities now.

Would she have become a criminal if she had known about her siblings earlier?

She shook away those thoughts, pursing her lips. Yami sent her a worried look.

"Do you need me to call the police or the heroes to help?" Yami asked, looking pointedly at her bruised face.

Aki sighed. "Yami-san, do you know what I can do with my quirk?"

Yami paled. "A-are you threatening me?"

Aki shook her head. "I'm simply stating how dangerous I am. I don't wish or intend to hurt you or your family. I actually brought my… the kids some presents."

The bag of toy's wasn't enough to mull the lady. She clenched her fists worriedly, licking her lips, and not looking into Aki's eyes as much as she could. Aki couldn't fault her.

"What are you saying?" she asked.

"Your fear of me is natural. It's how everyone looks at me… or more precisely, how they do not look at me. I am well aware my father does not want me nor loves me."

"That's not—"

"Don't finish that sentence," she snapped.

The woman jolted and Aki grimaced at her loss of composure. She looked away from Yami pointedly and pulled on some sunnies to drive home how little she wanted to use her quirk.

"My apologies. Daiso is a sour topic. He neglected, starved, and then abandoned me despite my best efforts to be good for him. That was not your fault, so I have no ill feelings towards you. You are also… the mother to my siblings. Yami, there is no one in this world I would hurt less than you and your kids."

That seemed to ease the tension in her posture. The worry in her eyes turned to regret, and then concern.

"You're in trouble, aren't you?" she asked.

"Of sorts. I don't want to involve you or the kids… but can I… can I say hi to them?"

There it was again, the way her voice wavered. She felt small. Yami looked at her uncertainly and the idea of being barred from ever meeting her siblings made her want to puke.

The woman hesitated but eventually sighed and relented.

"I… please understand. I don't want them to get involved with such… dangerous things at their age. I can let you see them this once, but not again. Please don't tell them who you are," she said.

Aki nodded. It was a mother's right to protect her children. Still, to have held her departed little brother again, to have watched him grow… Aki had wished for nothing more in both her lives. She felt her chest tighten as she saw the kids watching her curiously from the window. Yami sighed and gestured for them to come out. Their large brown eyes sparkled with curiosity as they jumped outside to greet her.

Aki felt her hands tremble as she got up to look at them. Little Nezumi in her bright All Might hoodie, and little Riku in baby blues. They looked up at her with childlike curiosity.

"Who're you. You look like daddy a lot!" Nezumi said.

"A passing resemblance," Aki said shakily.

"Res-blance?" Nezumi asked.

"It means we look alike. That's why I'm here actually," Aki said, kneeling down in front of the kids. "I found out that there were two little kids who looked so much like me. And I had to get them some toys."

"Wha why?" Riku asked, his shy voice finally raising as he saw the Mirko doll.

"Because I really wanted to," Aki said.

"Wow is that All Might?! He's my favourite. How did you know?" Nezumi asked, taking the toy.

"An' Mirko's mine too!" Riku added.

Aki laughed, but it sounded wet. "Good guesses."

"What do we say when you get a gift?" Yami reminded her children.

"Thank you!" the kids chorused.

Aki nodded and realised too late she had gone and cried. Her little brother walked up and held her hand.

"Are you okay?" he asked softly.

Aki pulled the two kids into a hug. "I-I'm fine. You both just reminded me of someone."

She could stay like this forever, just hugging them, feeling their hearts beat alive and well. She could just sit on that porch and watch them play until she grew old and died. She wanted more than nothing to play ball with Nezumi and teach Riku how to climb trees quickly to pick the best fruit. She wanted to take them to school, and bicker, and play fight, and annoy them, actually fight, and then make up.

But eventually she pulled away wiping her tears and apologising to the worried and confused looking kids. She schooled her face and calmed her trembling hands as she stood back up and wiped her tears. When she was composed, she turned to face Yami.

"Where's Daiso?" she asked.

"He should be coming soon, from the office," she said.

Aki nodded and seeing the worried look on the woman's face decided to reassure her.

"I'll just be asking some questions, nothing more. Don't tell anyone, it's our secret."

Yami nodded, and Aki left. She didn't glance at her siblings again, certain that if she did, she wouldn't have the strength to leave with a straight face. She walked around back to where Six was waiting for her.

"Eventful talk?" he asked.

"Not really. The important conversation is just about to start. Look alive, my father's coming back from work."

"On it boss," Six said, smiling.

Six was gone in a blur, and when he came back it was holding a disgruntled blue-collar worker by his shirt. Aki watched her father dropped to his knees before her. He let out a sharp cry as he looked up to see her face. A brief flash of terror crossed his eyes as he stumbled back, only to hit Six's chest and realise he couldn't run.

"A-Akiho," he said.

Aki grimaced at her father's pathetic stuttering. "Relax Daiso. I'm not here to kill you or do any of the other painful things I wish I could sometimes."

That didn't seem to calm him down, but it gave him enough courage to at least stop shitting himself.

"What… what do you want?" he asked.

Aki scowled. "This time when I ask you who my mother is, I need a straight answer. Or I might just break my promise to Yami and torture you a little."

"Y-your mother," he said, paling even further if that was even possible.

"Yes, who is she? Do you have a way to contact her?" Aki asked.

Daiso looked almost like he was having war flashbacks from the way his eyes glazed over. Aki was getting irrationally upset at the sight of it. She pushed a knife to his throat to get his attention back to her. He gasped and cried out before devolving into sobs.

"Fucking hell… this is your father?" Six asked, looking disgusted.

Aki huffed. "I may have laid on to thick. Look here Daiso, you're my blood, so even if you are… like this, I won't actually kill you okay. Just tell me what you know, and I'll be out of your hair forever."

Daiso looked like getting the words out was too much for him. "S-she… I don't know."

Aki balked. "What do you mean you don't know?"

"I was stalked by her for weeks. N-No one believed me when I told them, but she came out of nowhere and… and she tied me up…" he said, as if reliving a horrible moment.

"She raped you," Aki said, knowing the story already.

"Wow that's actually messed up," Six said, sounding impressed for some reason.

Aki understood why her father didn't want to talk about it. Still it answered some questions at least. Her mother could have only been doing this for one reason; to give birth to someone with a strong quirk. Maybe she had even done it to other men before, but Aki doubted she could do it a lot, considering pregnancies were a long and tedious process for a woman in a safe setting, let alone someone who's dabbled in the criminal world. Very few Kunoichi conceived, and the ones that did often were lower on the chain, women who could sacrifice their time in service to nurture future forces. Aki had been barred from pregnancy during the war, not that she had been looking for it. Still, she understood eugenics quite intimately.

"Do you remember her appearance at least?" Aki asked.

Daiso shivered and shook his head. "She had black hair… s-she didn't have any distinguishing features. I can't… I blocked it out mostly."

Then he looked at Aki with a mix of sorrow, and regret. "You… you look so much like her. I'm sorry I couldn't do better for you."

It was coming together. Daiso saw his rapist in her. Every time he looked at her, he saw her mother. It was no wonder the man had gone through depression while he was raising her. Aki took a step back and dropped the scowl on her face. Her anger towards her father had always been brief, hitting her like a truck, and then leaving her with only the bitter after taste of a reality in which she was unwanted.

"You… just do better for my siblings. Give them a good life," Aki said, swallowing the growing lump in her throat.

Daiso nodded. Aki gestured for Six to follow as she left the alley. She pretended not to hear her father crying as he apologised to her again and again. That didn't change anything. That was the cry of a man who was sorrowful for having given her up, but not… regretful. Daiso would do it again. Aki was still unwanted.

A weight fell on her head and Aki looked up at Six. He ruffled her hair and she looked at him in confusion.

"You've got me boss," he said.

Aki chuckled. It came out dry and wholly fake.

After having found very little… which meant absolutely nothing, on her mother, Aki decided to check in with La Brava. The hacker contacted her on her phone this time, her signature heart emoji flashing on the phone screen.

"La Brava, I hope you're doing well," Aki greeted.

"I have to say, I could be better. Your background check is giving me a migraine," she said.

Aki grimaced. "I don't suppose you found anything on her then?"

"Not even a single trace. No listed quirks in any registry have anything similar to the affects you said you experienced. The ones that did, did not match a description of a female in her mid to late 40's, or even female at all. She's a ghost."

La Brava sounded frustrated, and Aki figured she knew why. For someone so used to accessing information, to find very little paper or digital trail must have been a blow to her ego. This simply cemented the fact to Aki that her mother was competent. Either that or she had an unconventional upbringing. Aki herself had made sure to not register her actual quirk in as a child. No matter how much testing they did, she simply caused overloads in the mice they had her use her quirk on. She didn't bother showcasing her other abilities. It could be that her mother had done something similar. Considering she was into eugenics it may have been another explanation entirely.

"She didn't hurt you again, did she?" La Brava asked suddenly, making Aki pause.

There was genuine worry in the hacker's voice. It was somewhat unfounded. Aki had never seen her teacher in person, and their lessons were mostly based around hacking with very little about their personal lives being shared. Aki did a simple background check and was aware of La Brava's hand in Gentle Criminals low level crimes. Frankly she thought the hacker was wasting her talents for someone not worth the effort. But she knew loyalty when she saw it, and she could respect that. La Brava was beginning to strike her as someone who cared easily.

Soft things die

"She has not found me since then… though I suspect she is keeping track of my actions," Aki admitted.

"Either she is entirely offline, or she's just as, if not more, skilled than me," La Brava said.

Well if that wasn't worrying, Aki thought humourlessly. Her mother was competent at the least. She would need to play it safe and keep an eye out for anything out of the ordinary for the next few days. If she had her chakra and her full usual resources, she would have requested for a sensor tag, as expensive as they were, to keep track of anyone who entered her premises. She did not have that, so Aki did the next best thing, she bought cameras. Hidden cameras she spent gruelling hours putting in the most optimal places, turning her furniture and anything she needed to into a Frankenstein monster before stitching it back together the best she could.

If anyone entered, it would alert her. Of course that also meant it would track the going on of Six and Dabi… but they didn't need to know that. Plus they were her test dummies to see if her surveillance was hidden well enough. And if they didn't catch it, well then it was a training exercise in vigilance for them.

After thanking La Brava for her efforts, Aki decided to hit the internet with a fervour she hadn't had before. Who would have guessed the active threat of danger was a good motivator. She pulled out a mirror, using her quirk on herself, pulling on the flood of Glutamate hormones. Using too much of such an excitatory hormone was dangerous. It could give her brain damage in the future, but she had practised just enough on some poor mice to know what exactly she was doing. She could temporarily increase functioning in her own brain to retain information and look at problem solving with a sharp clarity. Of course, she didn't maintain these levels of learning for long, but she did retain the information when she was done. It wasn't a massive boost of intelligence, but enough to make a difference.

Aki picked up information on the dark web about modern day illicit security tips, ways in which to mitigate and combat both mutant and emitter type quirks in wide varieties. How to minimise effects of quirk damage, and methods to analyse quirk effects with a look. The ability to tell a quirks property just by looking at the user was insanely important, the kind of important that she was surprised many people weren't already looking into. It was there that she stumbled into a hyper link taking her to a more innocent website, a forum by what looked like to be a rather normal civilian.

Quirk Habits in Emitters

Greenbean

23/08/20XX

Quirks are one of life's biggest mysteries. Where did it originate from? A genetic mutation spread by rats. A sporadic mutation of our genes that carried on to future generations. These are all theories of where quirks originated. However in reality, quirks are a little bit more complicated than that. It isn't simply the next evolutionary development of humanity, as it doesn't follow any scientific understanding of evolution, adaptation, or even natural selection. Natural evolution in organisms takes decades, hundreds of years even, with results that show the smallest increment of changes. Meanwhile many quirkless individuals have given birth to quirked individuals without having any prior history of quirks in their lineage. Unlike how blue eyes had once been passed down as recessive genes, and then spread through the world, not all quirked individuals are the descendant of Zhang Wei, the first quirked individual in history.

Emitters are one such mystery science has not been able to answer. Unlike mutant type quirks which are for the most part explanatory, emitter type quirks are often supernatural in quality. A famous example of such a quirk is Sir Nighteye's quirk 'foresight', which allows him to see into the future. Such an ability exists outside of nature. One can even say that he could have multiple quirks, if one took into consideration that his unusual hair colour is also not naturally occurring. Which brings us to the topic of Vestigial quirks, the type that many would consider not a quirk. I would disagree, after all, if we are defining quirks as natural evolution, then anything outside of the standard baseline before humans achieved quirks would be the norm. Traits such as green hair, vibrantly coloured eyes, and skin markings are part of quirks, even if they are only useful as aesthetics. Of course, most scientific journals would disagree with this take, however I think it's one of the many reasons why I consider quirks to be more supernatural than scientific.

Aki was a little interested in the quirk origin theory herself, but that wasn't what she had wanted to read when she had come into this article. What she really wanted to know was quirk identifiers. Still, her interest had been piqued and she continued reading.

These vestigial quirks are foundations of understanding the habits of quirks in individuals. Signifiers such as colours, markings, and even minor levitation abilities can be signifiers of a larger emitter quirk. Most ocular quirks give their users unusually coloured eyes, whether it be at all times, or when they are activating their quirks. Touch based emitter quirks also often have tells, with the users hands or feet (the generally agreed upon area of activation) being coloured or feeling different. These type of activation quirks are a little harder to spot as they are often subtle in their differences. Usually there are thicker pads of skin and a larger concentration of nerve bundles in activation areas. With full body activation quirks, this usually applies to individuals who can excrete some form of matter, whether it be gas, water, fire or viscous materials, there are more explicit tells, from larger pores to unusual skin colouring.

There it was the information she was looking for. She continued reading the article and was surprised by the number of citations and sources presented. Whoever this Greenbean was, was a genius. Curious about who this person was Aki decided to spend some time hacking into his Ip address. If she could get a third opinion on combating a quirk like her mother's that would be useful too. It seemed Greenbean had wrote multiple articles on all sorts of heroes, analysing them, and practically breaking down their weaknesses and strengths. No wonder why his work was blowing up on the dark web.

It didn't take long to hack into Greenbean's files. She pulled up his personal information, ignoring his lack of banking presence, and instead focusing on his current documents.

Midoriya Izuku

Male

14 years old

Quirkless

Well that was a surprise. Aki hadn't actually met anyone quirkless in this life. She wasn't sure if she felt sorry for him or not. People were practically obsessed about quirks in this world. Having a fortunate, useful, or aesthetically appealing quirk made life easier. Get stuck with a dangerous one like hers and people either wanted to use or ostracise you. Aki was actually a little surprised a shady organisation hadn't whisked her away to make use of her abilities as a kid. She considered herself lucky… but now that she thought about it, not that lucky. If she'd revealed the extent of her quirks abilities she had no doubt she would have been scouted.

She knew about Hawks. The Hero Commission's little golden boy. No one that young became a prominent hero that fast… well maybe except Mirko, but Aki thought that the rabbit hero was an exception to a lot of rules. Hawks was ranking in the billboards now, and he was fully commission backed, and Aki had seen enough videos to know proper training when she saw it. He responded to situations like a solider, not a hero, efficient and fast.

There was that level of power, and then quirkless people. Then again maybe someone with bubble-gum for hair would be equally useless as a quirkless person. Yet she had a feeling only one of them would be treated with more respect. Society was still ultimately shitty no matter what world it was.

She wondered if she should approach this boy. Clearly, he knew a lot about heroes, and even worse he was putting a target on himself. Not that she cared. His stupidity wasn't exactly her problem. But if she saw something like this, she couldn't imagine what other psycho would take a look at this and start considering kidnapping the kid and picking his brain apart for his hero analysis. If nothing she could strike a deal with him to give her his analysis, and use him as an informant. It would be a little difficult considering he was a hero fanboy, but she could always just pretend to be a friend. She could protect him from garnering the wrong kind of attention from someone who would hurt him.

"It's not my problem," she mumbled, grimacing to herself.

Why did she care if he was giving her free useful information about important things? Sure if he got hurt it would be a pity, but the kid was doing this to himself. He lived in Musutafu. Aki was not bothered to go travelling into Hero Central to accost a kid and tell him to stop being an idiot. He currently didn't have much of a following. It was one tiny link in the dark web… what were the odds of this becoming an issue?

"What's not your problem?" Six asked, walking in.

Aki frowned. Was there no privacy in this house? She was a little tired of being cramped into one room with three beds, and two adult men who now that she thought about it, was pretty inappropriate to share a room with.

"What's not my problem, is also not your problem," she pointed out.

"I got work," Six said, changing the conversation smoothly.

Aki raised a brow. "Doing what exactly?"

"Underground Fight Club is back up and running. It's going by the Smashery now," he said grinning.

"The smashery?" she snorted, finding the name rather amusing. "You're fighting?"

"No, just working as security. Dabi put in a word for me. Said I had to pay him back on his tab already."

Six propped himself next to her uninvited. Aki hadn't originally discouraged him from doing so when he was in his 'meat-sack' form, and ever since he'd had a bad habit of being in her personal space like this. She wouldn't let anyone do something as intimate as snuggle her, but Six had the privilege of sitting beside her the closest without her stabbing them. His presence was a mixture of comforting and grating. She would be lying if she missed the ease of which she could show physical affection while he was small and doll like. In the form of an adult man she had reservations of having him as close as she did in his other form.

"You're healing well," he said.

"I'd hope so. Should be field ready in the next week," Aki replied.

"You talk like a retired vet," Six noted.

"How do you know what that sounds like?" she countered.

Six frowned for a moment and then shrugged. "Reminds me of someone I should know but can't remember."

Aki supposed that would be rather frustrating. She turned back to Izuku Midoriya's page and decided to reach out to him. Six watched her work curiously, then when he saw she was on a hero-discussion forum, seemed to hold his attention on her work. She let him watch, if only to get a better understanding of the enigma of who he really was.

"Why are you talking to this Greenbean?" Six asked.

"His hero analysis is almost professional, the kind you'd normally have to pay a lot of money for. I'm going to delete the link to his work on the dark web and find a way to utilise his services for myself."

"That sounds useful. Do you need my help?"

"With this? No. Go pay off your debt to Dabi. We'll need money for a better place to rent, preferably with more than one bedroom," she said.

"Got it boss."

Aki would have let the conversation end there if 6 had not leant in to kiss her cheek. She froze, her brain stuttering to a halt, and by the time she could have pushed him away he was already off her bed and towards the door. She put a hand on her cheek, gaping at him. The man turned to her with a grin and Aki threw a pen at him which he dodged promptly. Six left without a word after that and Aki was left to increasingly confused thoughts.

"What the fuck…"

Had he really just kissed her? That couldn't have been what happened… could it? The last time anyone had kissed her on the cheek, it had been her father when she was a baby. It was a quick peck on the cheeks, but the affection was overwhelming. Aki wondered how something so small could rattle her so much. She wasn't exactly a virgin. She had been trained in honey-pot missions as a child. An older Shinobi had gone through the motions with her, a sort of theatrical form of sex where they kissed and fucked, and she moaned in the right pitch until he was satisfied with her acting. She wasn't exactly innocent, so something like a kiss shouldn't have flustered her so much.

Maybe that's what it was to Six, she reasoned. An act. This was, after all the same guy who had to remember his cue to laugh instead of reacting naturally. This was probably just what he thought was appropriate affection to demonstrate and establish himself in her good graces.

Unease churned in her stomach. The idea that the action was planned, not natural, made her want to vomit. It made the rooms damp stale smell amplify to a 100, it made the acidic taste of bile raise to her throat. It was such a violent reaction to a simple kiss on the cheek. Not the kiss, she reasoned, but the fakeness of it. She resolved to make sure he understood it was unnecessary going forward, that whatever they were to each other, did not need that kind of physical affection.

She remembered Ochaco's touches, the way the girl held her in an innocent little hug every time they met, grabbed her like it was normal to touch someone without intending to hurt them. Aki had never been uncomfortable or uneasy to those touches. Maybe a little awkward and without practice, but never startled or scared. For once she was met with someone with no ulterior motives, nothing but innocence and a desire to be friends. By contrast, she had no idea what Six wanted or expected of her.

"What the fuck," she whispered again, dragging a hand through her face and hair.

Then she gathered herself together. Something as small as a kiss on the cheek making her this much of a mess was ridiculous. She had more important things to worry about, like her maybe-mother stalking and threatening her, or Eraserhead being on her tail, and most importantly rent which was due in a week.

That did not stop the sense of unease that built up inside of her.

A/N

Sorry the creepiness is just beginning there. Also, I really want to emphasize that this is beyond fucked. Please don't take this as me condoning a relationship between Aki and Six. Even if they're both chronologically adults, one of them looks 14, and Six thinks she's 14 as well. Anyway, it will be expanded upon later why he's doing what he does, and I've decided against making it explicit since there's no real need for it plot-wise. Aki is mostly asexual and aromantic anyway.