Chapter Text
As a hero, you see a lot of things that can twist your stomach, be it the crimes of villains or what it takes to defeat them.
But there is one thing I can never get used to: the aftermath of a fight. Streets and buildings ruined, families crying, people shouting for their lost family, and worst of all, the casualties.
Today was one of those days. The fight had taken place in a peaceful neighbourhood. The villain, after I injured his hand, rammed into a house.
I followed quickly, fearing a hostage situation. Just as I’m about to cross the threshold of the door, a huge wave of electricity bursts from the villain. The surge of electricity is joined by fire coming from the left.
The house is absolute chaos, things levitating, fire spreading, electricity running rampant, and the screams of a child.
The smoke must be getting to my head. Why else would there be flowers blooming on the walls?
The next 10 minutes are a blur in my memory as I fight the villain in the crumbling house.
Eventually, both me and the villain are trapped in the kitchen as the whole house is engulfed by flames, casting strange shadows on the walls.
My consciousness starts to fade, my vision turning weird shades of red.
‘What a lovely scent of flowers,’ I think to myself as the world goes black.
-<:3>-
I woke up the next day in the hospital. My right leg is gone, as it was ripped off by falling debris. I have scars all over my body and can no longer feel the left side of my body, but all that I could have borne.
My agent comes in right after the doctor leaves to read me the report.
“The villain is in intensive care at the hospital. He will be moved to Tartarus when he is stable. He has received a life sentence after taking into account the murder of the Midoryas. All three members of the family were declared dead after yesterday’s incident.”
The agent kept talking about media coverage, but I couldn’t hear him anymore.
The villain I was chasing was a renowned drug dealer and the boss of an illegal gambling den, but he had never killed before.
If I had tried to arrest him at his den instead of on the street, then… (I) or if I had called for backup… (It’s my fault) or if I had aimed for his leg instead of his arm… (They’re dead because of) If… if…
If I were a better hero… (I killed them.)
“I can’t do this anymore.” My voice cuts through the air, but it feels so distant. I Ignore the flabbergasted and confused face and keep talking. “I quit heroics. I’m done. I can’t do this anymore.”
“I give up...”
-<:3>-
The news broadcast later that day was packed, from the arrest of Der Junge and the uprooting of his gambling den to the hectic arrest which led to the tragic passing of a family of three, including their four-year-old son. This was followed by a speech from the hero Rodnil, with him announcing his retirement after 16 years of service.
After that day Rodnil completely diapered from the news, rumors floated of him reputedly being sent to the hospital due to his injuries, but nothing was ever confirmed.
-<:3>-
Watanabe Takeshi, former Rodnil, went on to become a helper of the police, being called for advice or when his Quirk, Terra Mirage, was useful to an investigation.
He was given the title of Officer Take even if only to hide him better and skip a lot of paperwork.
Though even his appearances as Officer Take started becoming less and less.
9 years had passed since the incident, and despite only being 47 years old, his years seemed to be catching up to him, or more like his injuries from the battle 9 years ago.
Now he was once more lying on a hospital bed, and something in him told him that it would be his last, so he called his pupil, a young hero he had taken under his wing.
The young one was currently sitting next to me, facing the window while cutting an apple.
“Keigo, we both know today is my last day,” I state. The rascal doesn’t even turn around, but his shoulders drop.
“My boy, 9 years ago on that cursed day…” Keigo’s head shoots up and his wings bristle. Slowly, he turns to look at me. “In the house, there were flowers. Such beautiful flowers with a scent I had never smelled before. They were red, just like your wings, blooming from the walls, and flowers with long and elegant petals.”
“You… you never , the report didn’t mention any flowers.” Keigo croaks, slowly moving closer to his sensei.
A breathy laugh escapes me as I shake my head. “Back then I thought I was hallucinating, but the more I think back, the more I’m sure that I wasn’t.”
Keigo is now right next to the bed. His wings are slightly vibrating, urging his sensei to keep talking.
Takeshi looks over at his pupil. “I will not live to ever see the flower, but if you find it, can you bring it to my grave?”
The younger one wants to refute his imminent death, but he knows by just a glance that his sensei will not live to see tomorrow.
“Yes, I’ll bring you the flower.” The 20 year old mumbled reluctantly.
Visiting hours passed, and the young one packs his things and bids his mentor farewell, leaving with a heavy heart for the last time.
The next day, Keigo gets the news of Takeshi’s death. He had passed in his sleep without pain. Takeshi didn’t have any family, so all his belongings went to Keigo, and along with them came a drawing of the aforementioned flower.
The funeral was a cold and lonely day. Only 5 people came to say goodbye, all of whom had worked with him in the past as colleagues.
The 4 mourning men gave their condolences to Keigo. Officer Tsukauchi stayed the longest, silently standing next to Keigo, and when the young hero broke down, he was the one to hold onto him, keeping his head above water.
The 20-year-old clung to the officer while clutching the drawing in his hands, vowing to find it no matter what.
-<:3>-
2 years had passed without Hawks ever seeing a flower like the one his sensei had described, and if he were honest with himself, he had moved all the memory of his sensei to the back of his mind. He still looked, but not as actively anymore.
Without the protection of his sensei, he was back to being a dog for the HPSC. His health had taken a big hit. He wasn’t even allowed to formally grieve his sensei after the funeral.
Now he was stuck in another mission, running for his life from a group of villains who had gotten the jump on him.
He was running and partially gliding toward Iwata, trying his best to move his perilous wings, the needle still stuck in his right wing.
The villains had cornered him against the shores of the Ota-Gawa River, knowing that his wings wouldn’t carry him across the waters anymore.
The shore drew closer when he saw something in the corner of his eye.
Red
A beautiful red flower, its petals like the tails of a fox, swaying gently in the wind.
The scent of sweet death and rot flooded his senses, and without a second thought, he rushed toward the abandoned apartment building.
In the back of his mind, he remembered a report of this strange disaster of a building consumed by rotting plants.
Like a man possessed, he started climbing the stairs of the six-story tall building. On floor 2 the fauna started getting denser, but that didn’t stop one of the villains from nailing a knife into his shoulder blade.
His step faltered for only a second before he continued to drag his body higher up the stairs.
On floor 3 he swore he saw a shiny human skull but he didn’t dare waste time on that right now.
By floor4, he could barely move as the plants seemed to encircle him. That’s when his mind supplied why this building was never touched.
“The Crystal Gang, consisting of 24 members, were all found dead. Only their bones remained, despite only having entered the building two hours ago. It is assumed that they were killed by the building after trying to make it their base. The bones were found in perfect condition without any form of blunt damage. The leader…”
He remembered one of his handlers saying with a bored expression. The handler kept rambling on, talking about the deaths of 24 as if it were the weather.
On floor 5, his movements were completely halted, and he could hear the men in pursuit screaming out.
Hawks looked around, trying to find anything that could get him out of this death trap. He glanced behind him to see one of the villains cutting down a flower. Not even a second later, he was being strangled and covered in acid.
The other villains who harmed the fauna suffered the same fate. The ones that froze in fear lived longer until they trampled the plants.
His mind was going a thousand kilometers an hour until one idea surfaced, and he screamed out, “I’m not here to hurt you. I needed a place to be safe. I never wished to harm you!”
The plants around him softened, slowly backing away and making a path for him to walk, but as he was about to take his first steps, his body gave out. The blood loss and pereliser had caught up to him.
His vision went blurry, and the last thing he saw was the beautiful red flower and a child…
-<:3>-
10 years ago
Izuku was scared.
Mommy was screaming and hugging him tightly, so tight he couldn’t breathe.
Daddy was breathing fire at something in the living room.
And I’m scared.
I don’t understand what’s happening. Why is mommy crying? It’s my birthday. Everyone should be happy.
I’m scared.
I want it to stop.
Please make it stop!
Suddenly, I feel something crawling on my skin. I open my eyes to see a flower.
It’s red.
It’s not alone.
They’re all around me now.
They’re covering me.
They’re singing to me. They make me feel safe.
“Mommy, I’m tired,” I hear myself whisper, but why does it sound so far away?
Well, at least the screaming is also getting further away.
I don’t know how much time has passed, but it’s so warm here, and I have my plush All Might with me, so everything will be okay, well, at least that’s what the flower is singing to me.