Wandering around the side of the urban river, Inko and Eri were spending time as a family with one another as the cool spring breeze brushed over the city without a care in the world. The conscientious child kept the words of her parents in mind as she peered down into the river running through the city.

Haru and Inko were both diligent in teaching Eri about common sense. Basic safety and precautions needed to be reinforced for a curious girl like Eri. Someone as intelligent as her needed parameters set so that she didn't experiment her own wellbeing haphazardly.

Inko watched her adoptive daughter with a smile on her face. Seeing such a precious child under her care after the nightmare that the girl had to endure felt like a blessing. This precious girl who possessed such a bright personality while demonstrating intellect unlike other children her age felt more like a blessing more than anything.

She reflected so many qualities from her father that it genuinely surprised her that the girl was, in fact, adopted. Their white hair and similar pension to act rather wise were traits they somehow managed to match in like a true father and daughter pair.

That thought alone left the mother feeling a bit down once again. After reading her lover's somber farewell, Inko had been on a bit of an autopilot ever since the letter had made its way to her dining room table. None of what he said felt real as he now left behind their family in pursuit of fending off what could only be described as the challenges of the entire world for the ones he loved so dearly. From what Inko had been privy enough to see, she could only imagine whatever else he must be going through by himself for his family's sake.

The mother and daughter eventually stopped next to a small park next to the river. Inko needed a moment to sit and collect her thoughts while Eri began to explore the park itself behind the bench overlooking the wide stream passing by.

Somehow, the young child just knew that her mom needed space to think things over and began distracting herself with the things all around her at the park.

There were birds, butterflies, other weird bugs, flowers, sand, etc. for Eri to just observe and study. Being a child who came from a harsh environment, the girl found the smaller things in life extremely fascinating enough to never take them for granted ever again. Memorizing all the little details of nature's simple creatures gave the girl so much joy with how amazing it was all to just watch.

While distracting herself with a caterpillar making its cocoon; a sudden prickling on the back of Eri's neck had the girl curiously turning to the end of a nearby wall. One thing that certainly seemed rather special about Eri was how perceptive she was. Being adopted, she somehow demonstrated the same inkling of perception her old man also possessed. This wasn't exactly a learned trait, considering that one's ability to detect the usually undetectable depended on a number of factors; which also happen to include genetics. Her father and her were more similar than what even nature would have intended, had these two been actually related by blood.

Around the corner of said wall had been none other than the man who struggled to keep his distance away from his own child. He cursed his own desires to just see Eri one last time before leaving for god knows how long while remaining hidden from view. It certainly didn't help that the woman he loved so much sat just a stone's throw away from where he stood.

Dressed in dark jeans, inconspicuous sneakers, and a dark hoodie, Nakamura kept a low profile while biting back his own heartbreak with as much strength as he could muster up.

Seeing Eri still able to enjoy looking at all the little wonders at the park filled the man with an extremely bitter feeling of joy. His daughter was safe. The woman he loved was safe. His son was…

That train of thought still felt just about ready to derail itself into a wreck of anguish and rage at this moment of time. Although he knew that this outcome was of his own making, that part of him that hated himself so much left the man tired and worn out beyond imagination. Just because this was what he wanted, didn't mean he still couldn't hate it still.

This was it. Now he would become a ghost in the lives of those he helped personally up until now. Staying any longer than necessary would only endanger those he fought to protect.

Just as Haru was about to leave, a small voice he genuinely jumped at a little kept him from departing silently.

"Daddy? Is that you?"

Just meeting his eyes to his little girl prevented him from leaving without a word. Eri missed her father, and the glassy way her eyes looked only reinforced how much he needed to say something to his own child.

"... Hey, baby girl. It's me."

Without another second to spare, Haru knelt down as Eri raced into her dad's open arms so that they could hug each other tightly. As much of a front that Eri tried to put up, her sniffles and small hiccups against the crook of Haru's neck told the man enough about how much she missed her pops.

They remained like this for a good amount of time. When the child felt herself satisfied enough with the impromptu reunion, she gladly accepted the blue silk handkerchief given to her by her dad to help clean her face.

He even held the cloth to her nose so that she could blow out the snot choking up her sinuses.

From there, the older man allowed his girl to keep the handkerchief for her own needs while silently studying her face one last time. Eri rarely had ever seen her father look so vulnerable. Such a look on his face had her concerned for the one who adopted her and called her his daughter without any hesitation on his part.

"... Eri, I want you to listen to me."

She gave Haru all of her undivided attention as he spoke to Eri with his heart on his sleeve.

"I have to go away for a while now. I can't be there for you everyday like before. I'll do my best to come back for you as much as possible, but that won't be often. Do you understand?"

It hurt to hear the truth from her father. Still, he saved her from the hopeless depths of darkness by plunging headfirst into it after her. Now, she wasn't sure if he would ever come back out if he were to return to that darkness.

"I am so sorry, Eri. I… I want to be here to give you a normal life. But I-"

His voice cracked for a second as he told his child something he never wanted to do to them.

"... But I can't. I… I have to be away from you and mommy… Because I want you all to be safe."

A tender hand rested on the side of the child's face. Only the faintest scent of decadent ingredients imbued into his palms could be detected as Eri grasped at the hand resting on her left cheek.

"I-"

"Okay."

Hearing his young child give such a mature answer without hesitation both filled Haru with pride and wounded him as well. No child deserved to grow up without their father, yet here he was doing exactly that. Her maturity came at a cost to her own life experience. It would have been easier if she just begged or said that she hated him.

"... Oh, I am so sorry."

All Haru could do was embrace his daughter while choking back the tears he didn't want to spill in front of her. This child held more burdens than she deserved and it was all his fault. Now she's the one to suffer from his decisions and he was here asking for permission to do so.

"I'm so sorry, Eri. I-I'm a terrible father for leaving you alone like this. I love you so much, and I'm hurting you!"

Keeping the intensity of his voice down felt like a losing battle. More of his tears leaked out as he failed to keep things under wraps while giving his daughter a meaningful hug.

"You don't deserve this… I'm so-"

"It's okay, papa. I understand."

Pulling her father away so that she could look him in the eyes, Eri demonstrated a unique kindness that only reinforced why her dad loved her so much.

"I will never hate you. Me, mommy, Kei-oneesan, Izuku-oneesan, and everyone else will wait. Don't worry, we'll be okay."

Hearing his daughter say that she would never resent him for his horrible decision both reinforced and shook Haru's resolve. He needed to protect his loved ones, yet they were more deserving of someone who wasn't the monster he was.

"I love you so much, my beautiful daughter."

They both tearfully smiled one last time as they closed their eyes to touch foreheads. Nakamura had already overstayed his welcome with this last goodbye with his daughter. Standing up and pulling his hood back over his head, Haru turned to leave for the work he needed to accomplish.

"We'll wait for you."

That wasn't Eri's voice he heard.

Knowing who it was that spoke from around the corner of the cinder block wall, neither he nor the one addressing him could face one another. If this was going to be a goodbye, they needed to make sure that they were capable of separating. Seeing each other would make things far too difficult for both of them.

"..."

"I know you love us. Love our sons. Love me. So know that you have a home here. Just promise me this…"

The pregnant pause as Inko centered herself before speaking felt like an eternity as Haru waited for the woman he loved to make her everlasting request to him.

"Come back to us. Just make sure you'll find your way home. We'll be waiting for you, no matter what."

Not a lot else could be added on after such a heavy interaction between them.

All Inko could hear were the footsteps fading away into the distance behind her while her adoptive daughter hugged her mother while they helped comfort each other through this hard time.

Sometimes, Inko couldn't help but curse her luck. Her son's safety and health, her lover's presence in her life; all she wanted was to have a normal life with those she so dearly loved. She never asked for any of this.

Was it too much to ask for a simple life with a normal family?

For now, Inko held onto her daughter and did her best to comfort the child. They needed each other now more than ever.