The alarm reminded you that you were alive.
You groggily rolled out of bed, tidied up your bed out of habit, and grabbed your school uniform, which was all wadded up on your dresser.
Dragging your feet into the hall, your drudging was stopped by a timber voice calling your name. "(Y/n)! I was wondering when exactly would would wake up." Your dad smiled. You squinted down the hall. He sat in the living room not far away on one of the two couches. Leaning his head back, the man smiled at you kindly.
"Th' h### you doing in here?" Your voice was deep and raspy.
"I live here now, (Y/n)." Grinning. He pointed down the hall that continued on past the casual community center. "Just moved my things in last night."
"S###..." Didn't you originally move here to escape this guy? Was it really your luck to end up losing the one place you felt comfortable...again??
"Are you not happy to see me?"
"No, not really."
"(Y/nn).. watch your tone."
"What?? Would you prefer I lie??"
"Hh, no, not really." You took his following silence as a great opportunity to leave. You entered the bathroom, changed, brushed your teeth and hair, and darkened your eyelashes and eyebrows a little with makeup. A habit you'd gotten into within the past couple years thanks to all the comments you used to get about them. When you finally exited the bathroom, your dad was still there watching the TV on silent with the captions on to not disturb anyone else.
"Do you not have...a job or something?" You asked while on your way to reach the front door.
"Not in the traditional sense.."
"Mm."
"Hey, (Y/n)?"
"Yeah?"
Your father snapped his fingers, summoning the wispy Nomu at his side. "Would you like Kurogiri to teleport you nearer to the school?"
Your eyebrows tightened. "I...guess?" Sure would be quicker. And if you did that every day, then maybe you wouldn't have to wake up so early!
"When does your school usually end?"
"Three, usually."
"Then I'll send Kurogiri to the same location you arrived from as well."
You caught yourself smiling faintly. "Really?? That would..save me so much time."
"Great. You can eat breakfast with that the extra time." He gestured toward the kitchen. Your eyes wandered that way, landing on a pot of something cooking and a pan beside it keeping things warm.
"I... Thanks-" Your eyes flew open. Why did that word slip out?! 'thanks'??? For him?! He didn't deserve anything of the sort!
"You're welcome." Your dad chuckled warmly, ignoring the fact that you just froze. "Don't worry about eating too much either. From spending more than a lifetime with your mother, I quickly learned just how necessary food was to fuel her quirk."
Cold eyes locked on the kitchen ahead. "-Did you beat her?" The question just kinda slipped out without really thinking about it.
"I-- pardon me?"
"Did you beat her?"
For a while, his voice was caught in his throat.
" . . . I'd rather not say."
RAGE like none other filled your veins. Your violent thoughts flew wild, a terrible itch gripping your face and throat. You gave in somewhat, scratching your neck with one hand and cheek with the other as you stumbled into the kitchen. You knocked over the pot then threw down the pan! Soup of some kind covered the entire kitchen floor. "I'M NOT EATING YOUR D### FOOD!" Your shoes were a mess. Something you'd have to deal with later. "Kurogiri, t-ake me to school!" A portal opened and you stomped through without hesitation.
Your face was dry. The sidewalk was damp and shiny from a recent rain. You fell to your knees and trembled, scratching and itching the skin around your eyes. You asked because you wanted a quick reason to hate him, but now here you were regretting it!
Imagining your father beating your mother was horrid. Even if he grew out of it and got better by the time you were born, that still couldn't change the fact that he did it!
Kurogiri's portal slipped away, leaving you alone by the entrance to UA.
You sniffed and sobbed quietly, ugly tears slipping out to sting your dry face.
Kagami stopped on his walk to school at the sight of you. He didn't recognize you at first, but the UA uniform at least meant you were a student here. Carefully, he approached, appalled by how violently you were scratching at your own face and neck as tears flowed down your face. The mascara on your eyelashes washed away, creating disturbing, dark streaks down your face. The classmate approached from behind. Standing beside you, he placed a reassuring hand on your shoulder.
Embarrassment brought about anger. Anger to hatred for this random stranger. You gripped his sleeve. The sleeve then crumbled away. Both of you gasped, jumping away from each other. Fear took hold of you at once. You stood up quickly and staggered back. "I- I'm so sorry! At least I didn't kill you-!" Crap, maybe you shouldn't have said that.
The long, dark haired boy with his hair tied up in a ponytail nearly fell over. You towered over him, the cracky face and smeared streams of eyeliner a terrifying combination.
The boy was so scared he could barely breathe. His heart thumped loudly in his ears. All he could think about was the fact that his sleeve had crumbled away so quickly, as well as the hint that you were capable of doing far worse.
"D-on't hurt me!" The boy murmured. Feet moving under him without thinking, he scurried off in the direction of the school. You stared down at your trembling hand. D###, why was Decay even active?! You thought it wouldn't DO anything until turned on!
You shoved both of your hands into your pockets, hung your head low, and strode shamefully into the school. Your first stop was the bathroom. You had a lot of things to clean up.
----------
"Everyone, get into your hero costumes and head outside. We're doing our first training exercise." The class was full of gasps and cheers.
----------
You stepped out of the changing room to join with the others in a specially tailored dark gray suit. You just liked suits, you found out. And a hero dressed in a suit would certainly stand out. Your hair was tied back as well, looking extra classy.
Your face was still a little crusty, but thankfully the itch had subsided. You just needed to keep your mind clear of horrible thoughts.
"Wow! Looking nice, Diforester!" Kobayashi complimented. Oh, you forgot that was your placeholder name for a second.
You smirked a tad. "Thanks. Thought it'd stand out a little in the hero community." You then turned to Tenko not far away, whose eyes were the size of melons, face red as a cherry. "Ay! Oo~! Based yours off your grandma's I see~!"
"Um um..yeah." 👉👈 "Yours-yours looks pretty cool." You chuckled and slapped the boy's back as you passed him. Spinner wore baggy tan pants that tightened around the ankles, black boots, A dark red shirt, and a black cloth mask around his eyes.
"Nice outfit, man!"
"Tch. It's nothing special." Iguchi crossed his arms. You smirked and ruffled his pink hair, which he griped at you for. He was just so tiny and cute.
----------
In today's training exercise, everyone was paired up and given rolls of either villain or hero. The villains were assigned to guard a fake missile, while the heroes were assigned to tag it. If the heroes couldn't touch it in time, they lost. If they did, they won. You can also arrest each other.
W
oah. :0 Another thing from the anime. Guess this school is pretty formulaic.
You were on the villain team and your partner was Kato, aka weather boy. On the opposing team were Luuki and...Kagami. ..Crap.
. . .
Spinner was in the first match, one of his opponent's being Senjiro, rich origami guy. It was pretty cinematic, actually. Both villains guarding the rocket decided to leave their post, Senjiro creating an army of origami frogs to defend their post. From there, Senjiro mainly wiped the floor with their opponents! Iguchi fought hard and almost made it, but he quickly learned why this kid was recommended. It wasn't all talk and money. Senjiro clearly had been well trained, knew how to strategize, and could read his opponents like a script.
Iguchi eventually had to accept his defeat as he was tied up by Senjiro's partner, Seigyo.
. . .
The next two games didn't involve anyone you knew, so you didn't care as much. You watched their quirks with interest, however. Honda could apparently roll up walls when going fast enough! Something that, judging by her reaction, was only then discovered. Ito intrigued you as well, his skin was made up of paper, which he could draw on to give himself abilities. Kobayashi could apparently control bugs like some hivemind. Made sense. Pretty cool.
. . .
The second to last game involved Tenko and his partner, Rami. His opponents were Moritsuka, antler guy, and Chikara, little pink haired hyper lad. Sucks, because Tenko was forced to resort to using his quirk in order to even stand a chance.
Turns out Moritsuka's quirk acts very similarly to OFA, except it gathers energy from the plants around him, strengthening and enhancing his body with that energy. Though put at a severe disadvantage down here, Moritsuka had enough energy stored up to take out Rami almost instantly, destroying the plan he and Tenko had made.
Chikara's clones all around him and Moritsuka on the way, Tenko was forced to break his arm again by punching a hole through the ceiling. It was a risky move, but he tried to lower the power of OFA in his legs and leap! Didn't work. He slammed into the ceiling above. Again with only one working limb, Tenko grabbed a hold of the hole before falling into the dark maze again. The clones all climbed on top of each other in a frenzy to reach him. Tenko was too deep in this. He couldn't give up now that he had already shattered his limbs. Tenko crawled out of the hole and laid on his side. Just behind him was the rocket.
You clenched your fists, gritting your teeth. To see him in such pain like that, especially now that you knew that pain yourself! Made you positively sick. Yet even in all of that, the boy was still fighting.
On his side, Tenko flicked his finger at the ground, a gust of wind propelling him back, like a shrimp. Right before Moritsuka could reach him as well. Tenko's back slammed into the fake rocket, smashing through it. Everyone held their breaths.
After an uncomfortable pause, Tenko held a thumbs up through the hole in the rocket, two of his fingers broken as well. A bitter sigh in relief left you.
According to the rules, Tenko's team won. But...no doubt Aizawa would have a serious talking-o to the young Shimura after this. And if he continued to break himself, then...you might just have to get involved as well.
. . .
And finally, it was your turn.
"You stay here and guard the rocket-thing. I should be able to drive them out of that maze myself." You stepped out of the top room, leaving the weather boy.
"Ehehh, good idea!"
Rathering pain over lost time, you jumped down the shaft instead of climbing down the ladder provided. There were a couple different stairs as well, but this was good. Once on the first level, which was dark and dreary, you grazed your hand along the wall, walking along casually as your Decay tore through the metal. Your opponents' best defense here was the maze. Made it hard to chase after them. So, why not simply eliminate that problem?" Occasionally, you looked up for any signs of danger or chances for the second floor to cave in. So far so good. You focused primarily on opening up the spaces around the stairs and ladder to ensure no one could sneak upstairs.
Your footsteps were heavy, they the only sounds that filled these halls. That and of course the crunching and popping of metal and rock being atomized.
Tap-tap-tap-tap
You turned just in time to spot one of your opponents. Kagami. The boy entered into a panic the moment he saw you. A wall of glass formed from his fingertips. You grabbed a rock and inflicted it with Decay, then tossed it before it could break. Its weak remains crumbled against the glass, but from three points where the pebble touched, Decay started to spread throughout the glass. It spread super slowly, though. But that was enough to frighten the other teen even more. Panting frantically, he cut the glass wall off of the rest of himself, dropping it and letting it shatter on the ground. Yet you stood between him and the stairs. The place was already so cleared out that he could see the other flight of stairs from here as well. Dust covered the whole ground.
Kagami whimpered softly as he tried and failed to think up a plan. If you so much as flinched, he would run away.
"Hey... Chill out. I'm not going to kill you." You tried to chuckle to bring some fun into this. But it didn't help.
"Did you kill people in the past!?" You diverted your eyes, biting your lips. "Well DID you!?"
"Nawhh, I didn't."
"I can't believe that!! And why were you crying earlier today?! What did you do!?"
"..What did I do?" Placing a hand on your chest. You scoffed. But then you sighed and shook your head slowly. "Come here... Sit with me for a second." You then slid your back down the nearest wall, which was already half destroyed, and sat casually against it. Kagami whimpered. He considered bolting past you, but..this was a little more important than a game. And you knew that. Following steps of hesitation, Kagami sat down a few feet away with his back to the wall, staring at the darkness and two well-lit stairs ahead.
"...So what happened?"
You slid your shoulders back a little, getting comfortable before you spoke. "As you might have guessed already, it is hard for a quirk like mine to be seen as a hero's quirk... My dad had one just like it. He became a villain with it, and he terrorized and killed many because of it." The other held his breath, making you chuckle. "I know.. My mother wasn't a fan of it either. In fact, after my quirk manifested, turning out to be just like his..she tried to kill me." A fake smile parted your lips. The kind that shook, trying and failing to hide the bitterness behind it. "I accidentally killed her with my quirk trying to defend myself. As for why I was crying this morning, you just caught me at a really bad time..." Another chuckle, accompanied by a half attempted smile that was obviously fake. "You can fear me as much as you want. Heh.. I won't blame you one bit. But just know that I would never try to hurt anyone. Just let me know ahead of time... I'll keep myself in check."
BRAP!
" "The hero team has won! Everyone, make your way outside!" "
"What!?!" You looked over at the other kid, who just shrugged.
"Luuki can still technically touch things in ghost form." So essentially she was unstoppable in this game. So you were basically doomed from the start. And Kagami was just the decoy... Great.
"Kfffff..." Your palm hit your forehead. You groaned, sighed, then laughed. "Well, gg, mate." You pushed yourself up until you were standing, then stretched out a hand to the other who still sat. "Don't worry. My quirk isn't active." You smiled down at him. He stared at your hand for a moment. Grabbing it would take a serious amount of trust, which he had. You helped Kagami up to his feet easily, rubbing your hands together once done. "I guess wearing gloves would help, eh?"
"Yeah, that would definitely make things easier."
----------
Tenko woke up earlier than last time in the hospital bed. Though he was technically healed, his whole body felt terrible. Faint tapping to his left brought his attention to you reclining in the chair next to his bed. You were presently in a heated debate with Hari over text about whose turn it was to scrub the toilet nearest your rooms. The boy laying beside you just watched, remaining silent. He was scared that the moment he showed any signs of being conscious again, you'd get up and leave like last time. So he stayed put and listened to the occasional groan and swear under your breath. Finally, you put the phone down and rubbed your face... You lost.
You side eyed the other teen, noting that his eyes were now open. "Oh, you're awake." Tenko had to think quickly now if he wanted to converse with you a little longer. Besides, there were actually a lot of things he needed to address.
"-Kagami told me about your dad." He blurted. "..That he was a villain...and that your mother..yeah." Maybe this wasn't the best thing to bring up right after waking.
You scanned the room, double checking for Any prying eyes or listening ears. "Hhh, yeah.."
"Why didn't you tell me?" You pivoted your head at a tilt to look at the other. The poor guy looked so genuinely hurt. "..I used to tell you about everything that was going on with my dad."
"Yeahh but--" You picked up one of your legs to place under the other knee, face aiming down. "How are you supposed to tell your hero-crazy friend that your dad is a villain?.. And not only that, but a really..really bad one..." You glanced over. The empathy in his eyes was immense! You'd never seen so much in one place before! An empty chuckle. Your right hand rose to comb through the strands of hair that had fallen into your face. "Eheh.."
"...Why didn't you tell me about this yesterday?..or even the day before that?"
"You never asked." You played a fake grin. He didn't laugh. "Hh.. I... It may have not felt like very long to you. But, I changed a lot since then... Can't even begin to explain everything that went down after that."
"..I can imagine it was rough-"
"-but even when we were friends... I dunno... I never felt like myself. And maybe that was just me... Heh, probably was. Oh who am I kidding? I still act differently around every other person I meet!" Your back hit against the back of the chair, head leaning against the wall. You stared up at the ceiling hazily. "...Guess I've never really known who I am." As far back as your memory stretched, you had been this way. Even in your past life. Always one mask after another, fake laughing all the way... You closed your eyes and heaved another long, mournful sigh.
After a moment of contemplation, you again sat slouched over your own lap, right hand idly scratching under your chin at a faint itch that had been bothering you. Tenko's eyes studied your skin for a moment. The dryness around your face. Your eyes especially.
"Hey, (Y/n)!" The teen giggled, sitting himself. Your head turned his way again. Tenko's smile was so warm as he sat with his wrapped legs crossed on the bed facing you. "Remember when we were little kids?? I had a terrible itch like that too, but you gave me some of that cream that fixed it! I don't remember the brand. Do you??"
"Hff.." Your eyes dropped to the ground, fingers gliding back to rub the spine of your neck instead. "I...no. I can't remember it either... I'm surprised you even remember that."
"Of course! That was when we really became friends!" Tenko's smile beamed so bright it might blind you. You had to look away. Thoughts of doubt and guilt filled your head.
"Hey, Tenny...?" Voice softer now.
"Yeah??"
"Do you...ever get tired of smiling?"
"Well, yeah I guess. And there are even times when I'm so sad or mad that I can't!.. Buuut, I try to stay positive as much as possible!"
"Hm..." The sides of your lips shook upwards a tiny bit. "Sounds nice."
"...I'm not all sunshine and rainbows, (Y/n)." Suddenly, the other's smile dropped. He rested his elbows on his knees, leaning over his lap. "In fact I.. to be honest, I've had a pretty rough three years too."
"..Hm?"
"After you left, I started to blame myself for a lot of things. And..to be honest.. I even considered ending my own life a couple of times." Your mouth fell open. "--But, I'm better now, honest!.. I think seeing you now, alive and well, is really all I needed." It was your turn to intently stare at your friend with the empathetic look... It made him blush. "A-a-anyway.." Diverting his eyes quickly and rubbing his head of messy hair, "We should probably tell the nurse that I'm feeling better."
"Oh yeah, that reminds me." Standing up, you sternly peered down at your friend. "You better find a better way to use your quirk soon, alright?"
-_- "Sensei Aizawa already scolded me about this."
"Well then here's another. Because, if you keep recklessly hurting yourself like this.." Your eyes narrowed think. "I may just have to take back that quirk." Even though it was meant well, the threat shook Tenko to his core..as it was meant to.
Tenko nodded profusely. "Y-y-yes, ma'am!" You in turn snickered. Almost laughed.
"You don't have to take that threat super seriously or anything.... Just know that I care... You matter to me, Tenko."
----------
"What are you doing in my room?" Kai glared at you from the doorway. You, caught, swung your head around with the biggest, bluest owl-like eyes. Your hands were presently digging through his glove drawer.
"Uhhh, looking for gloves my size... Mind if I borrow these~?" Picking up two in particular.
Kai rubbed the bridge of his nose as he sighed. "You know what? Just take them all. You've already got your filth all over them."
"Thank you!" You held the bottom of your shirt out and scooped all the white gloves into the big pocket it made. Then you scampered past Kai, just across the hallway from his room, and slid into your own. Making these gloves part of your uniform was sure to help with controlling your quirk as well as make your classmates feel safe around you.
----------
You were at your desk making sure you didn't fall behind on homework when suddenly there was a knock at your door. "EH?" You'd already had dinner, so it couldn't be for that.
"(Y/n), I require your assistance for something." Your father's voice slipped through. Your whole body flinched, again not expecting to hear his voice in this place. He hadn't been here for dinner either, so a part of you hoped he would be gone for a while. Judging by the tone in his voice, it didn't sound like he was making any room for your complaining.
You stood up and crossed the room, cracking the door open just a little. "What is it?"
"Get dressed at once." Half whispering. "There is something I would like to show you." He grinned slightly. Your face contorted curiously. What did this man have in mind now??
You shut the door and changed into something casual to wear. You had no idea of the event, so you hadn't a clue what to prepare for. You exited your room with some basic black athletic shorts and a gray hoodie on. Once dressed, you entered the living room where both your father and Kurogiri stood, a portal having already formed. You squinted at the jar of leftover food and dog dish held in your dad's hands.
"After you, (Y/n)." He gestured. Though a little hesitant, you entered through the portal.
. . .
It was a cool, crisp night. The distance howls and whisps of cars racing by on the highway drowned out the calming sounds of nature. A lone lamp buzzed overhead, occasionally flickering, threatening to die out for good. The ground was wet and muddy. Dirt mixed with a thin, sticky gravel. Piles upon piles of trash were built up, in the darkness appearing as mountains on the horizon.
The soggy ground dirtied your slippers. Already, you regretted wearing them. A wretched stench filled your nose. Feces and rotting food. An unmistakable scent. In the distance, its back to a line of forest brush, stood a lone house. Only one light was on. The place was terribly run down and poorly kept. Beside the house was a large, makeshift doghouse of sorts.
Your father emerged from the portal not long after you, a hum of discontentment filling the air around him. "You see it.. don't you?" You scanned the piles of trash, but eventually had to admit that you couldn't. "Look over there." He pointed at the doghouse. It was all so horribly lit that there wasn't much of a point in looking. Finally, though, a large lump, at first mistaken for a pile of trash, shifted slightly. Wait a minute, that was a creature! Almost human! Leaning in closer, the glint of metal guided your eyes to a chain that held the creature via the neck to the house which it was supposed to reside in. It was, however, now too big to fit inside such a house. No wonder. The creature was a little larger than you.
You leaned your father's way a to whisper. "What is that?"
The man sighed. "A beast bordering the line between human and not. Poor things have to suffer a plight for no other reason than being born with the wrong quirk. It isn't as uncommon as you would think, I'm afraid." He then gestured his hand to the living mound, continuing to speak softly. "Because of the raw power this one's quirk provides, forcing it to prioritize physical strength over brains, his life has been reduced to the role of a dog. After all, in this society, no man has any worth if he is unable to keep up with its strict standards. And it is cheaper to raise an animal than it is a human."
Your jaw fell slack, plain empathy vivid in your eyes. "..Oh my... Well, can we help him??"
"That is why we are here." Smiling, your dad started stepping toward the lump lit just barely by the singular light of the house. You paid close attention, hanging back at a distance. Your father knelt in front of the creature not far away from it and began to open the container of leftovers without fear. Meanwhile, the beast stirred, rotating itself until he could view the new arrival. The monster's- no, the man's skin was rock-like, its jaw bulky and strong. It had brown spiky hair as well. Wait- You felt you recognized this beast already..
"Why are you here on Master's property? Master doesn't like visitors!" The creature growled. His claws dug into the ground under him threateningly.
"Calm down, I am only here to see you."
His eyes suddenly widened. "M-me?"
"Yes. Now what is your name, young man?"
The creature looked untrusting of your father, but he went along with it simply because this was a new experience for him. "M-Machia. Master calls me Machia."
"Is that so~?" Your father smiled as he opened the lid to the food container. "Well, Machia, I have brought you some food in case you were hungry." The other's face contorted into something far less trusting.
"Master says I cannot eat today! Master only lets me eat his food!"
"And who is this master of yours?"
"Master lives in that house." Pointing to the pathetic excuse of one beside him. "He made me and grew me up, so only Master can feed me."
"Oh really~?" Your father dumped all from the container into the large dish. "Well that is rather unfortunate, because I brought all of this fine food here just for you." Machia sniffed the air, saliva quickly beginning to slip from his mouth. Your dad then slid the bowl Machia's way and sat on his knees. "It sure would be a shame to let all this food go to waste.."
"It would." Machia turned his back to it, so tempted by the smell that his body was visibly shaking.
"I promise not to tell your master. He will never know you had any." The barely dressed other whimpered, so torn between betrayal and trust. After about a minute of fighting it, Machia turned his body to the dish again, this time his attention souly on that.
"One little bite wouldn't anger Master." His face dove into the dish to scoop food in between his jaw. Delight filled him. "This is better than Master's food!" He remarked happily. As though on a short time limit, Machia scarfed down the food, taking his next bite before he'd even swallowed the last. In this newfound silence, now just listening to the stranger of sorts eat, your father pivoted his chin over his shoulder at you.
"(Y/n), why don't you call me your master?" He asked plainly.
"Uhh, are you insinuating that you want me to?" Glaring just in case.
"No. I am merely asking what you think the difference is between a master and a father are." You could tell that Machia was listening to everything this man had to say.
You rolled your eyes and crossed your arms. "Well, guess the biggest difference would be that father's typically care more about you. And it isn't in the description to always do as a father says."
"Is that so?" The silver haired man pursed his lips into a thin smile. "Hm, no wonder the two of us are seldom on the same page."
"Huh??"
"A father typically cares for his child more, yes, but it is vitally important for a Master to do so also if he wants to raise his disciple well. The difference is that in one scenario, respect between the two should be expected, wherein the other it must be earned. You respect your father automatically because he is the one who created you and provided for you. And in turn the father is expected to love what he has created. With a master-pupil relationship, however, the student only respects the master if they understand his teaching, and the master only loves the student if they follow his instruction." Turning now to the other. "Young man, your Master isn't treating you he as he should. Not as your father, or your master."
Machia's head shot up at once. "No-not true! Master cares for me!!"
"Does he, now~?" Tilting his head. "I must be mistaken. Where I come from, tying up your children and starving them is an act of abuse. And no abuser truly loves the ones they torture."
"Well my master does! He just teached me to be better!"
"I see.." Not willing to argue any further, All For One left Machia to eat again. He stood up and walked over to the nearest pile of trash, finding a stack of tires to sit on and watch from. You eventually sat beside him on a fallen fridge. Not because you wanted, but because again it was the closest thing and your legs were a little tired. After some time, the old man spoke in a low, distant sort of tone. "...What would you do if you just found out your wife had eaten your son?" You leaned forward, turning your face to the man with the most flabbergasted look. He held no expression. None at all. He just stared dully ahead. "My son. Like you, my most perfect creation. You were my angel... and he was my star. So bright and beautiful, I thought I'd melt every time I held him in my arms... Look me in the eyes and tell me with certainty that you wouldn't act a little violently toward the one who had just taken that all away." Your eyes scanned his face for some kind of help. Help to why he genuinely looked a little sad.
You couldn't do as he'd asked. You couldn't say that you wouldn't do the same.
"Hfff't..." Gaze dropping to the ground. "Well, it was your fault. She wouldn't have done that had you not.. you know."
His fists clenched on his lap, the following words sliding out lowly. "..The price to pay for bringing a god into this world I suppose."
"...What?"
The man than smiled at you. "That's right. There is a reason I have occasionally called you a goddess. Because you are that. With the powers of both your father and your mother, you alone hold the power to conquer the world and so much more." His hand reached over, grabbed yours, and held it snugly. "You are one step away from perfection, my dear. Then.. you'll be able to do what I never could."
You stared up at him again, confused. "Which is?"
Your old man smiled a broad, closed grin which held so much pride. Opening his mouth, "whatever you like. Because the world'll be all yours."
Your eyebrows contorted curiously. There must be some kind of lie in this. "I thought you wanted to rule the world and all that."
"I still do. I want to destroy it. But.. it isn't nearly as high on my priority list as it used to be. No.. that honor goes to ensuring you are capable of living-on should I die. It's what all parents want at the end of the day; for their offspring to live the life they never could."
...
Your hand gripped his hand back, a little hand hug at play. This man may be the most despicable person you ever met.. but at least he cared about you. Genuinely.
...At least hopefully.
You didn't know what to think of him anymore...
After Machia was finished, your father retrieved the dish that had been completely cleaned out and ordered for Kurogiri to create another portal. After that, he turned and handed the empty dish over to you. Smiling at your curious face, the man answered your thoughts. "I want you to take over this task. Come here daily, about this time each night and feed him the same way I did... Remember to be polite and show him true kindness. Though it may take a couple years at this rate," thankfully you guys were too far away for Machia to hear as you stepped through the portal, "he will grow to trust you more than his own Master... It is then that you will ask that you be his new master. If he accepts, you will have your first loyal follower." Aaand, you'd be saving another villain from going down a dark path as well!
You nodded, smiling a little. "Yessir." Inside the house, the portal now closed, your father cupped his hand around the back of your neck, pulled you a little closer, and kissed the top of your head.
"Good night, my angel."