Top pic credit: riso_10

Touya POV: ~ nine years ago continued ~

Winter eventually faded away, and Keigo went with it...leaving nothing left, but the shell that is to be known as Hawks.

It's not right to blame him for it. No. He tried to fight it. He really did. He's been trying, ever since he was forced into this role.

But, eventually, they wore him down enough.

We kept up our nightly hangouts. Though, as the months dragged on, they slowly became less. Never for lack of trying on my part....

I gotta give Diane the credit for that. I always had a feeling that she knew of her pack mule-I mean, her protégé's, secret friendship with the weakest guy in the program. I had a hunch that it was her knowledge of our friendship that made her so much more aggressive towards me, compared to the other trainers. She probably thought that I was keeping Keigo....well, as Keigo.

But, she also knows how to play her cards right. She knows Keigo, possibly even better than I do. She knows how sensitive and mentally fragile he can be. She knows that if she were to expose our friendship and force him never to speak with me again, he would only regress in his progress, instead of flourish.

So, instead, she made it appear as if drifting away from his only friend was his choice. And what better way to do that, than to exhaust him so hard, that he doesn't even have time to stay awake after training hours?

"Sorry, Tou. Just so tired tonight. They ran me real ragged today. Gotta sleep. We'll talk tomorrow." He would mumble to me exhaustedly from the other side of his door, so fatigued from training, that he was unable to even use a feather to open it for me.

Only tomorrow never came, because Keigo was too tired tomorrow, as well.

By the time spring rolled around, the trainee numbers went down from twenty boys, to fifteen. The 'contest' would eventually end with a final test, that's meant to practically kill the rest of the group. The ones who survive it would finally move on past this four year hazing period, and continue on into the next and final stage of the hero training.

I had no doubt that Keigo would pass the test with flying colors. That's what he's been raised to do, after all.

As for me, I've been trying to train myself harder as well. Of course, it's a little harder to train when I don't have a million different trainers helping me with my quirk, the same way Keigo does.

Seriously. It's like any time the kid even sneezes, some guy in a fancy suit is there with a tissue. They've really made him depend on them for everything.

It's not as if I'm looking for a life like that. I don't want a posse of fake ass corporate people, who are constantly breathing down my neck, waiting for the first possible moment to kiss my ass.

But, it's a little annoying when I'm literally burning myself to the ground with my quirk, and no one blinks an eye....and then a few feet away, I see Keigo trying out another new flying technique he learned with his own, private training.

Yeah, how could you not be so strong, when you get everything handed to you, like that? How could you not be so strong, when you're everyone's favorite?

Well, I don't know. I don't know what it's like to be someone's favorite.

Hence why I'm currently in the hallway of the HPSC Headquarters, limping my way across the spotless, marble white tiles with a shitty piece of gauze in my charred hand.

It was because I tried to push my body again. But, only punished myself for it, when I saw the blister burns starting to lick up my pathetically frail arms.

I had turned to the trainer who was supposed to be assessing me, noticing the way he hadn't even been paying attention to my demonstration.

My brows furrowed in pure irritation, as I opened my mouth to speak, before opting to just follow his line of distraction with my own eyes, instead.

And, then, I realized....the reason he didn't see me burning myself, was because he was too busy looking at Hawks-who was zooming through the sky with ease, dodging the shower of rubber bullets the other trainers shot at him from the sky.

I felt my cerulean orbs turning blank as I watched Keigo spiral into a fancy dodge, mid air, shooting out his feathers towards the rubber bullet to deflect them back down to the ground.

"Yeah! That's it, Hawks! Your feathers will be faster than a bullet, if you keep this up! Come on, boy. Come on, I said! Push, push, push!! Push yourself harder! I wanna see you go faster than that! I know you can!" The trainer yelled from the ground, smiling in greedy pride for his test subject flying around in the sky.

And, instead of his usual, timid attitude of silence or a quiet "mhm" of understanding, my brows raised in slight shock as I heard Keigo yell confidently from his position in the sky-shooting a smirk so cocky and full of it, that I could see it so clearly, all the way from down here.

"Faster, you say? Sure! No problem. Hey, I'll be the fastest guy you've ever seen-hell, I'll be even faster than my own good. How 'bout that, pal? Is that what ya wanna hear? Huh? Is that how Hawks would act?" Keigo chuckled like an absolute dick, lazily dodging a countless bullet with ease.

I could sense the passive aggressiveness of the statement with his last sentence. I could tell he was getting angry and stressed that he was being pushed so far past his limit, but he masked his true feelings with a smile and a chuckle, not once showing the trainers that he was actually irritated with them.

He's gotten better at that now, huh.

Although, even though he was trying to channel Hawks to substitute his true personality, his words still came out so unnatural. So forced. Even a little awkward, as I could tell that Keigo was pushing himself out of his comfort zone by being so loud and out there.

But, while it was pretty forced sounding, he wasn't as awkward as he's been in the past. He's gotten better at being a puppet. And I'm sure he will continue to keep getting better, everyday.

The trainers absolutely ate up the dickish attitude-including the one who was supposed to be helping me, as his chuckle of proud amusement grated harshly against my eardrums.

I slowly turned my attention back to the hero trainer, watching his awe struck eyes never leave Hawks' position in the air.

"Man, I love that kid. He's so damn talented. I guarantee, he's going to be a big time hero, in a few years. Just you watch..." My trainer sighed in content, before finally trailing his eyes back down to me.

The pride and excitement he had for Hawks immediately vanished into irritated disappointment when he saw me, scoffing in pure burdened annoyance at getting stuck with training me today.

"Hey, why can't you be more like him, Touya?" He started off coldly, before his eyes trailed to my blistering, smoky arms.

My eyes flinched closed as I heard his sound of utter disgust, before he groaned in growing irritation for my lack of strength.

Whatever. Nothing I'm not used to at this point.

"Ugh. And your arms look absolutely disgusting. No one's gonna want a hero with scars everywhere. Head to the infirmary, so they can give you some scar cream. After all, the most important part of being a hero is appearance." The trainer pointed out, carelessly giving me a shove to the side as he walked over to Hawks' training area instead.

Appearance is the most important part of being a hero? Well, that's good to know. Yeah, not like saving people is what it's all about, right?

And, I'll never admit to anyone that his words actually got to me a bit. Not the hero appearance thing....but, the part of how any scars I might obtain from my quirk are considered disgusting.

As my dad always says, scars are a sign of weakness. A sign that your body failed you.

And, I don't want to look weak. I'm tired of looking weak. So, I headed to the infirmary.

But, when I'd gotten there, she was all booked up...caring for the other cadets who injured themselves during training today. There were a lot.

Maybe, cause everyone else was too focused on Hawks, too....

Anyways, it's not like the nurse looked surprised to see me. I'm in the infirmary every other week from my quirk. If anything, she looked annoyed that I'd shown up again.

"Just take this and do it yourself, Touya. You should know how to wrap your own bandages by now. Especially, if you're planning to hurt yourself, every single day." The nurse huffed at me, tossing some random medical tape and an entire roll of gauze into my hands, before turning her back on me.

And that's how I ended up with the gauze in my hand, still limping down the hallway as I attempted to roll the bandage onto my wrist with one arm.

The task was made even harder as I kept my strictly, portioned out lunch box tightly under my arm. I'd grabbed the food on the way back, knowing that I wouldn't have enough time to eat it slowly, since I wasted that precious moment of rest by going to the infirmary.

My next training session is in ten minutes, and I'll train until I go to bed.

And, as much as I don't want to say it....I'm not sure how Keigo survives his sessions that are double the amount of mine.

I'm also not sure how I'm supposed to continue using my quirk for the rest of the day, because these burns are looking a bit worse than the usual ones. They don't look like they'll heal as quickly.

I hissed in pain as I attempted to wrap the gauze around my raw wrist, cursing to myself at the stinging sensation that rang through my body, every time the soft bandage grazed the irritated skin.

"Why....is it so....damn...difficult-" I hissed out to myself in frustration, before I felt my lunch slip out from underneath my arm.

An audible curse of knowing dread left my mouth as soon as I heard my lunch crash to the spotless floor, watching the usual, flavorless, prepped meal of steamed rice, tofu, and broccoli soil the expensive, white marble tile with ease.

Damn. I am so dead if someone sees I spilled my food all over their precious floor.

But, I gotta admit....it's also a bit satisfying that people will, unknowingly, march their overpriced dress shoes through the invisible residue of this mess at some point today. After all, the maids don't come until everyone's asleep.

Regardless, I slowly dropped to my knees...cringing softly along the way as I felt every muscle creak in pain.

Lost in my own world, I began grabbing clumps of tofu, rice, and broccoli...putting the soiled food back into the bento box container. I won't be getting another lunch today, so looks like it will have to do.

Noticing a clump of rice that was a bit further away from the rest, I crawled forward to grab it....before stopping my actions when I came face to face with a pair of running shoes.

Tiny running shoes. Girl running shoes.

My brows furrowed in confusion before I slowly began trailing my eyes up this mysterious person....finally finding their face a few moments later.

So, it is a girl....

A young girl, in fact. She looked to be no older than ten, with the brightest green eyes I've ever seen, and long brown hair tied back into a ponytail.

She was wearing the same uniform as me-the assigned training joggers and jacket uniform of the hero commission.

And, apparently, she's a trainee from the girl's side. That's right. I heard that the girl's side got a new batch of recruits in a few months ago. But, we're never allowed to interact with the girls. It's rare we even see them, even though we're all living in the same vicinity.

But, even though this mysterious girl probably knew that, I was caught off guard when I saw her lips curl up into one of the kindest, purest smiles I've ever seen in my life, before she slowly dropped to her knees to get to my eye level.

I didn't say anything for a moment, looking at her curiously. She met my eyes for a literal second, before shyly looking away....wordlessly starting to grab the leftover clumps of my lunch that were still scattered across the floor.

Her actions quickly brought me back to reality, as I gently grabbed her arm to stop her.

"Hey-no. It's fine, don't worry about it. My mess. I'll clean it, alright?" I muttered to her quietly, watching her eyes trail down to my hand on her wrist, cocking her head in curiosity to my blistered, burned skin.

Oh. That's right. Scars are gross. She's probably gonna get scared of me, if she has to look at them any longer-

"You're hurt." The girl stated matter of factly a few seconds later, pursing her lips in thought to the blister burn on my wrist.

And while she only said a simple two words, the tone of her voice surprised me. She seemed so shy a few seconds ago; not wanting to meet my gaze; giving a soft, wordless smile to say hello.

But, her voice was confident-still very approachable. And very relaxed.

It made me feel more comfortable, and less worried about my charred wrist.

"Uh..." I started off almost inaudibly, quickly clearing my throat before turning my attention back to cleaning my mess of food off the floor.

"Yeah. Yeah, I am. Looks pretty gross, right?" I asked almost rhetorically, not really wanting an answer, but not knowing what else to say.

Frankly, we shouldn't even be talking. If someone caught us, we would be in serious trouble.

The green eyed girl chuckled softly, but it wasn't malicious. It didn't sound like she was taunting me or making fun of me. She just seemed....happy.

Despite my earlier protests for her help, she began to pick up pieces of tofu and broccoli with a smile, trailing her eyes to me, every now and then.

"Not gross. I think it looks cool-I mean, it's not cool that you got hurt. But....I dunno, it makes you look tough. Nothing to be ashamed of. Heroes are supposed to be tough." She grinned, meeting my eye contact again which caused her cheeks to suddenly heat up.

A little girl who's not grossed out by my burn scars? Is that normal? I've never really been around girls to know. It doesn't seem like it is. Right?

But, I could tell she wasn't bullshitting me. She was genuine in her answers, humming to herself peacefully, as she continued placing pieces of broken food back into my bento box.

Realizing I probably had a dumbfounded look on my face, watching this weird girl picking food off the ground, I quickly turned my attention back to the floor, suddenly very interested in getting every single piece of rice off it.

"Guess so. Anyways....what are you even doing back here?" I asked lowly, not meaning for my voice to come out so accusatory.

I wasn't even trying to accuse her of anything. I just don't know why she's here, or why she's even talking to-

"Oh, I got sent on an errand run to the boys side. Heh, it sounds funny even saying that-The Boy's Side, like you're all a bunch of monsters! I'm just supposed to drop this envelope off to one of your trainers. Some of the other girls got asked before me, but all of them were too scared to come over here, by themselves. But, I accepted! Anything to get me out of that drabby cafeteria." The girl said, letting out a small huff of annoyance to emphasize her mood.

It was only then that I noticed she had her own bento box, set down neatly next to her as she continued to clean up mine.

She's very animated with her expressions. Very lively.

I couldn't help but scoff a bit in amusement with it, feeling myself becoming just a tad more intrigued.

"Well, who's to say that boys aren't a bunch of monsters? You already met that many boys in your life to know, little one?" I uttered with just a hint of tease, not having made enough jokes in my lifetime to know if she'd be able to tell I'm kidding.

But, this girl didn't even seem to register my first point, letting her jaw drop in sassy offense for my second one.

"Little?! I'm not little!! I'm ten years old. And I'm already the fastest one in my class." She bragged proudly, yet it was still innocent enough to threaten my lips to wanna smile.

I shook my head in light amusement, tossing another block of tofu back in the box.

"Oh? You are now? Guess you're already letting it go to your head then. And you are little-" I countered, cutting my words short when I felt my burning skin starting to sting a little more.

I thought I'd been quick enough to hide the wince of pain that flashed across my face, but apparently the green-eyed girl noticed, anyways.

She stopped picking up the food for a moment, turning her attention back to me with small concern.

Before I could tell her not to worry about it, she quickly snatched up the medical tape and gauze roll sitting next to me, giving a click of disapproval with her tongue.

"Now, I've only been in first aid class for a few weeks.......butttt, I'm pretty sure you need some ointment for those blisters. Do you have any?" She asked patiently, casually tossing the medical items back to me.

I caught them with a small huff, giving my eyes a small roll of annoyance for her question.

"Yeah. Cause I always carry ointment around with me." I stated with small sarcasm, causing the girl to smile in amusement.

"Well, maybe you should. It's better than being in pain like that." She pointed out, scrunching her nose up in disgust for the piece of my broccoli she just picked up.

She thinks my oozing, burn blister is cool, but looks at broccoli as if it's literal shit on a stick? Interesting.

"Yeah, yeah. Medical advice from a ten year old is always welcomed." I retorted, not expecting her to have such a witty response in immediate reply.

"It's not medical advice. It's just common sense. And it looks like you could use some." She grinned mischievously, unable to say anything else as a faint beeping sound started coming from her watch.

The mysterious, little girl's smile immediately fell upon hearing the beep, causing her carefree attitude to suddenly take a complete 180.

Grabbing the last specks of food from the floor, she let out a small, tired sigh; grabbing her lunch box and the letter she was supposed to deliver, before slowly rising to her feet.

I quickly rose with her, grabbing my cleaned up lunch from the ground.

The girl's eyes trailed to my messy food for a moment, before she kindly extended her own lunch box towards my direction.

Now, she's trying to give me her lunch? What's wrong with her?

Immediately, I shook my head, waving her offer away from me.

"No. I don't need it. I'm just gonna eat this. The floors are polished. It's not like it can be that gross..." I stated firmly, trailing off when the girl comfortably stuck her fingers into my open lunch box....

....before easily pulling out a chewed up piece of gum that had been mixed in from the floor.

"Not as clean as you think...." She started off with a small grimace of disgust for the gum, waving her lunchbox at me again.

"Seriously, take it. It's fine. I had a big breakfast. I'm not hungry." She stated unconvincingly, having the worst lying skills I've ever seen.

Her face had just started to relax, before her watch began beeping again, signaling that the time she had for whatever errand she was supposed to run, was starting to run out.

I scoffed in annoyance for her stubbornness, firmly shoving her lunch back into her own hands.

"I told you, I don't need-" I started saying, before she let out a small groan of defeat.

"Fine. Fineee. Don't take it, then. But, like I said, I'm not very hungry. Sooo, I'm just gonna....you know.........leave it right here..." She suggested not so subtly, carefully setting her unopened bento box on the floor-so slowly, it's like she thought that maybe I wouldn't notice.

I shot her a deadpanned, unconvinced look, crossing my arms as she gave me another bright, beaming smile.

Before I could say anything in reply, her watch beeped a final time, causing her to sigh in disappointment.

I was surprised when I felt my own shoulders slumping slightly at her departure, not wanting to admit how intrigued this girl had me.

But, of course, I'd never admit that. So, I didn't say anything....watching her quickly turn off the beeping on her watch, before slowly backing away from me.

"Well, I've got to get going now. I'll be in a lot of trouble, if I'm not back soon. But, it was nice talking with you. I guess the boys aren't monsters, after all." She grinned, about to leave before she quickly remembered something.

"Oh, and I'm sorry if my lunch isn't as filling as what you're used to. They portion out my food, so I stay really thin. But, I figure it's better than eating someone's chewed up gum. Bye, now!" The little girl said, giving me a small wave before she quickly turned on her heel to leave.

Too distracted by a bright, bubbly personality that I've never encountered from anyone in my life, I didn't even register her words about the food, until she was already too far down the hallway.

Snapping back to reality, I let out a small groan as I attempted to try and get her attention.

"Oi, I said I don't....need it..." I trailed off pointlessly, realizing she wouldn't take the box, even if she had been able to hear me.

I let out a small, tired sigh for the situation as I picked the mysterious girl's lunchbox off the ground, immediately opening it cause I was curious to see what she had in there.

And she wasn't kidding about the small portions, as her meal was less than half the size of my usual lunch.

She also didn't have tofu, like I did. She had the standard fish that most people get. But, I can't stand the taste of fish.

I also noticed she had carrots as her side, instead of the standard broccoli option. That's when I noticed a little note taped to the side of the bento box in some adult's writing, curiously pulling it off so I could read it....

Lunch for: Ari Parker, 10 years old ~ absolutely refuses to eat the broccoli at all costs. Says they look like little trees. Please give her something else.

My brows raised in pure amusement to the contents of the note, and I surprised myself when I felt a small, genuine laugh vibrating from the back of my throat, not bothering to hide the smile on my face, anymore, since no one was around.

I looked back up from the note to the hallway, no longer seeing this Ari Parker in my line of sight, anymore. She was long gone.

I pursed my lips deflatedly at the realization, yet, I was no longer focused on the stinging pain of my burned wrist, anymore.

Instead, I grabbed the chopsticks that were stuck to the side of the bento box, starting to walk and eat as I made my way back to the training grounds.

The smile was still faint on my face as I began to eat the small portion of food, before I even felt myself chuckle lightly again.

"Ari Parker, huh? I can already tell that she's a handful." I uttered to myself in amusement, taking a piece of fish into my mouth without a second thought.

************************************************

"Psssst! Yo, Touya. Open up." I vaguely heard someone whispering outside my door, forcing my half asleep eyes to open.

Thinking I may have been dreaming the noise, I didn't move for a moment, rubbing my tired eyes a bit to get myself more awake-

"Touyaaa. C'mon, dude. If I stay out here any longer, I'm gonna get caught. Hurry up." I heard that whisper sound again, causing a small groan to escape my throat as I recognized that familiar tone.

Not even bothering to reply, I lazily tossed the thin blanket off my body, trudging over to my door like a sleeping zombie.

I immediately threw open the door a second later, coming face to face with a smiling Keigo.

"What the hell do you want?" I spat out crankily, rubbing my tired face with my hands as I impatiently waited for an answer.

My harsh tone of voice caused Keigo's beaming smile to drop a bit, as it came across that I wasn't interested in talking to him right now.

Can't say that's a totally false assumption, either.

"Huh?-oh, y'know. I just came to hangout. See how you were doing after today, and all." He shrugged contently, quickly brushing past me to let himself inside.

I sighed softly at his practically forced entry, not bothering to tell him to leave, as I decided to just close the door behind him instead.

"After today, you said? What does that mean? Why would today be any different, than the other days?" I muttered out tiredly, clearing my throat a bit to get the remaining sleep out of it.

Keigo hopped up onto my window sill to take a seat, since there were no other pieces of furniture in the room, besides the bed.

He was still short enough to where his legs dangled off the floor, causing him to softly swing them back and forth in the air.

"Well, it's not much different, honestly. I just noticed how you were burning up today, more than usual. Saw the trainer guy send ya off to the infirmary. So, you good?" Keigo asked in soft concern, tugging at the collar of a new, expensive looking, unfamiliar jacket he was currently wearing.

In fact, every article of clothing he had on at the moment was brand new. It wasn't the standard training uniform of the hero commission. No, it was some flight uniform-a thick brown jacket, joggers to match that had no rips or tears like our gym pants did. Nice looking black boots, with high quality black gloves to match. A black, undershirt with the hero commission's symbol underneath-it all fit around his wings, meaning that it was probably tailored for him, specifically.

But, what really caught my eyes were the grade A aviators that were resting atop his head. I could tell that if he were to put them on right now, I probably wouldn't even recognize him.

I stared at his outfit blankly, feeling a sudden wave of something negative wash over inside me at the sight. But, I couldn't exactly figure out what the emotion, itself, was.

So, instead of drawing attention to it, like I'm sure he wanted me to-hell, that's probably the only reason why he's here, right? To rub it in my face? It's not like he's been by to see me, on any other day-

Anyways, instead of drawing attention to it, I ignored his costume, quickly clearing my throat and turning my gaze back up to his curious looking eyes instead.

"I'm surprised you even noticed what I was doing, with everyone else fawning all over you. Must be hard to focus on anything else, when everyone is kissing your scrawny, little ass. Right?" I blurted out dryly, not meaning to even go there. I meant to just give him a generic answer and tell him that everything was fine.

I guess being woken up in the middle of the night just makes me cranky.

Keigo's brows furrowed down slightly at my words. His wings drooped a bit, making me realize that I hurt his feelings, but I really don't care. He'll get over it. Hawks always does.

"I just-hey, look, can we not talk about that? I come to hangout with you to forget about all of that stuff, and get away from it. I just wanna talk to my friend-" He started saying softly, before I couldn't help but cut him off.

"Oh yeah? So to forget about it, you decided to wear that shitty, flashy new costume they gave you, over here? Looks really expensive, Hawks. You must be damn amazing. Is that what you wanted to hear? Is that why you wore it here?" I accused out impatiently, causing Keigo to gently rest his head back against the closed window deflatedly.

"No. That's not why I wore it here, at all. I wore it here, because I knew that if I went back to my room to change, I'd collapse on my bed, and fall asleep. I wanted to talk and hangout with you, so I wore it here. I didn't even think you'd notice-much less, make this big'a deal outta it." Keigo rasped out exhaustedly, closing his eyes in slight agitation when he heard me scoff in reply.

"Me? I'm not making a big deal out of anything. Especially, when it comes to you. No, everyone else already makes a big deal out of everything you do. There's no way I'll be the one to add to that. I don't give a shit." I retorted in growing irritation, crossing my arms stubbornly as I spoke the words.

This time, Keigo's eyes opened at my statement, furrowing his brows in annoyed confusion as he turned his gaze on me.

"Wow. Okay. What the hell is your problem? I only came here to check up on you, because I saw you burn yourself today...." Keigo started off in defense, eyes losing their irritation as if he also reminded himself why he was here.

He sighed softly to hold his patience, running a hand through his hair as he attempted to try again.

"Touya, I've been watchin' you train, lately. You're pushing yourself too hard, man. I can see it......listen, y'gotta-I mean-you have to relax, a little. Your skin....it's fragile, remember? It can't take all of that heat-" Keigo tried to warn with genuine concern, yet there was one word about his statement that elevated my growing anger above all the rest.

"Fragile?-look, I don't need some kid, who's feet can't even touch the floor when he sits down, to tell me how weak I am, alright? I hear it enough from everyone else. I don't need to hear it from you-"

"Woah, hold on-I said your skin is fragile! And I only used the word fragile, because that's something you told me! I never said you were weak!!" Keigo explained pointlessly, causing my fiery blue eyes to whip back at him with a glare of losing patience.

"Yeah, sure. You never said it! But, I know you think it! Everyone does-" I stated, before Keigo hopped off the window sill to walk towards me.

"But, I'm not everyone, Touya! I'm your best friend! Why're you tryna loop me in with everyone else?!-" He started off, coming just close enough for my anger to lash out at him.

Without even thinking, I slammed both palms into his chest, catching him off guard and causing him to fly backwards onto the floor from my push.

His golden eyes widened in pure surprise that I would do such a thing. He remained on the floor in disbelieving question, looking up at my face of growing anger.

"Because that's who you're becoming, Keigo!! Actually, fuck it-That's who you are! Just like them! Just like everyone else! You even told me a few months ago, that you would willingly throw yourself away, in order to be just like them. You want to be just like them!" I pointed out angrily, causing Keigo to quickly shuffle to his feet with determination.

"Touya. Haven't you heard anything I've told you in these past four years?! I don't have a choice. I have to be here. I have to do this-"

"Everyone's gotta choice. You just don't wanna end up failing and disappointing everyone, cause you're a fucking people pleaser. You don't know what it's like to disappoint people, and it terrifies you too much to find out!" I retorted, causing him to look at me like I was insane.

"Yeah, sure, I don't wanna be a disappointment! And is that so bad?! I wanna succeed!! I want to be a hero! I want to save people, and I wanna be damn good at it. So what?! That's my dream! I wanna be special, and I already told ya that I'm willing to make some sacrifices to get there." He defended, causing me to chuckle maliciously, as I lightly shoved his small body backwards again.

He didn't fall this time, simply stumbling backwards on his feet a bit. But, I could tell the action of me doing that was starting to get to him, ever so slightly.

"That's bullshit. You just wanna defy your murderer father's wishes for you, by doing the complete opposite of what he did. And you're a damn fool if you think these people will ever consider you special. They think of you as trash, Keigo. Trash! They only just started warming up to you, because you kneel at their feet like a fucking dog and practically lick the ground they walk on. Those are the types of people you want approval from. Those are the types of people you wanna be like." I told the fourteen year old-who probably really didn't even know what he wanted, but went along with my words anyways, because he had no idea what else to say.

"Yeah, well, obviously you wanna be just like 'em, too!! Don't act like you're such a saint here, Tou. You're at this place with tha-the same motivation as me. You want it, too! Don't lie. Don't act like what I want is so wrong, when you've been suffering through this hell right alongside me for four years." He stated naively, causing me to chuckle bitterly at the irony of his words.

He's got no idea that I'm only here, because my father forced me. He's got no idea that everyone's already given up on me.

Like I said, I never told him my dad was Endeavor for the same reason we try never to talk about the hero commission, when we're alone.

It's because we talk to eachother to forget about that stuff. But, it seems now, that this stuff is too rooted in him to even forget about, anymore.

"You've got no idea why I'm here, Keigo. You've got no idea how much I fucking hate it here! You've got no idea about my life!! No idea!!!" I seethed out without even thinking, feeling my teeth grinding together in the anger I've tried so hard to conceal for the entire duration of my life.

The bird boy simply rolled his eyes, not blinking an eye to my statement as he spoke with a lack of sympathy.

"Yeah, yeah. As if that makes you so special. Everyone hates it here, pal! It ain't no fun getting your ass kicked, everyday-but, y'know, if you seriously can't take it that much, then maybe you should leave!! It'd stop you from complaining about it, every damn day, that's for sure!" Keigo spat out in his own anger, ruffling his wings up in agitation as I could tell I was getting on his last nerve.

And, even though he was starting to get on mine as well....my words fell silent at his statement, feeling my mind take it all in.

The air between us was quiet with a tense silence, with Keigo and I mulling over our own words within in our own minds.

But, while I was using Keigo's words to reflect on my next steps, feeling the anger for the situation consume me...

He was different. I saw the anger immediately dissipate from his golden eyes a few seconds later, slowly opening his mouth with regret as I'm sure he was about to apologize. That's how he is, after all. Always wanting to please everyone. Never wanting anyone to be mad at him. That's definitely a Keigo thing, as Hawks couldn't give a shit about who he offends with his words.

Only, I didn't wanna hear it. I didn't want an apology. I didn't wanna hear anything from him.

"Touya. I'm sor-"

"Get out." I stated lowly, before he had a chance to say anything more.

And he didn't fight me this time, knowing how serious I was. Knowing that I needed my space.

Instead, he sighed deflatedly, wings drooping to the floor as he slowly made his way towards my door in silence.

He hesitated to leave, stopping for a moment as he had his hand on the doorknob, before turning to me.

"I'll talk to ya tomorrow." He stated blankly, not opening the door for a moment to see if I would respond.

And I did. Responding the way I did with the sole purpose of letting him know that he can't always be a people pleaser to everyone.

"Don't worry about it. I'm sure you're a busy guy. Go play the hero, somewhere else, because that's worth nothing to me, and neither is Hawks." I stated coldly, feeling a dry smile curl on my lips as I heard the door slam closed a few seconds later.

************************************************

A few days had passed, when I found myself on the rooftop of the HPSC building. It was around lunchtime, and I normally come up here when I really want to get some peace and quiet...

....and when I seriously need a smoke.

Yeah, that's right. Peace and quiet are nice, but what's also nice is that the rooftop of the HPSC headquarters is one of the only places in the entire premise that doesn't have security cameras. It's not uncommon for me to come up here on my lunch break, and brood away, looking at the stupid sky.

So, that's exactly what I planned to do, as I plopped down to sitting on the floor, pulling the pack of cigarettes out of my pocket, along with the lighter-

"You know, I heard those things are really bad for you." I heard a sweet, girlie voice sing out from behind me, causing me to jump in surprise and quickly turn around.

And, what do you know? There was Ari Parker, lounging flat on her back as she continued looking at the sky, lazily keeping one of her arms lifted above her head as if she was trying to touch the clouds.

I felt my high alert mode quickly fizzle away as I took in the sight of the unexpected visitor, ignoring the way I subtly felt my mood lift at the surprise of actually seeing her again.

Ignoring her advice, I kept my attention on her presence as I tauntingly pressed down on the lighter to gather a flame.

The small, sparking sound caused her to roll her eyes in amusement, before she lazily turned her head to the side to see my face.

"I'm gonna tell on you." She stated with mock seriousness, her joking tone made evident by the teasing smirk on her face.

I simply shrugged dismissively at her fake threat, getting a good light on the cigarette, before blowing the smoke near her direction. She was far enough away to where it wouldn't affect her.

"Oh, yeah? Well if you tell on me for that, then I'll tell on you for following me up here and stalking me." I joked back, although my teases didn't come out as natural and fun as hers.

And it wasn't all that much of a tease. It was mostly just my way of asking her what she was doing up here, without wanting to seem too curious.

She was still smart enough to pick up on the teasing part, yet, the last part of my sentence seemed to be the thing that caused her jaw to drop in fake offense.

"Stalking you?! I was not stalking you! I've been coming up to this spot for ages! You do know that this is the only part of the building without security cameras, right?" She huffed out softly, slowly starting to shrug herself up to sitting so she could have a better look at my face.

Wow, she figured that out already? Smart girl. Interesting.

I took another hit of my cigarette as I kept my attention on her curiously, letting out a small hum of agreement to that fact.

"Mhm. And how long is ages for you exactly, little one? Two days?" I taunted again, actually feeling myself crack a small smirk when I saw her get annoyed with me again.

It's pretty amusing, seeing her so huffy and mad.

"I told you to stop calling me little one-and let's see....how long is ages? Well, I've been here for three....no, four months now? So, that long. But, I don't usually come up during lunch hours. I'll come during the break in the security guards night rotation." She explained, causing my brows to raise at my lack of understanding to some info that I didn't know.

"Security guard? Night rotation?" I asked in confusion, rotating my body slightly so I'd face her straight on.

Ari nodded at me in affirmation as she crossed her legs for a proper seat. That beaming smile was still very present on her face.

"Yeah-wait, you didn't know? Man, you're lucky you haven't gotten caught up here, then. The security guards don't patrol this area during lunch hours. But, there's also a break in the schedule from midnight to three in the morning. That's when I'm usually here, since I can't sleep." She said, only exceeding my expectations for a ten year old even more.

I've been here four years, and I didn't even know that information.

I pursed my lips in thought to her point, shrugging in affirmative understanding. I didn't feel the need to talk with her all that much. Her company was nice and relaxing, in itself.

And, plus, she seems like the type to do most of the talking-

"But, anyways, what about you? How long have you been coming up here? Ages?" She grinned, crawling on her knees to come just a bit closer to my sitting position.

Not bothering to move from my spot, I began blowing my smoke in the opposite direction now, since Ari would be near enough to accidentally inhale it.

"Yeah. I'd say so. Four years now." I uttered shortly, looking over at her when I saw her jaw drop from my peripheral vision.

"Four years?! You've been here for four years!!? Wow, you really are one of the big kids, I see. You've probably learned so much, huh?" Ari asked excitedly, looking at me in a way that absolutely no one in my entire life has ever looked at me.

And that would be the look of...awe.

It caught me off guard; seeing her so interested in me. In, what she thinks, are my amazing hero talents-when, really, I've just been barely scooting by on the bare minimum.

But, regardless, I couldn't say it wasn't a little...refreshing seeing someone look at me that way, for once.

It made me a little more interested in talking to her. It made me forget a bit about the horrors of it all, and feel just a bit less angry about the whole thing. For now, anyways.

I shrugged my shoulders softly at her words, feeling myself warming up to her weird, little presence against my will.

"Sure, I guess. I dunno, I'm still working on it, as you can see." I stated honestly, showing Ari the reminder that was my bandaged up wrist-looking even worse than a few days ago.

I watched Ari's reaction closely, trying to see if she had any natural micro-expressions of disgust or horror for my peeling, oozing, burnt skin.

But, the only thing I got was a visible reminder of something flash across her eyes, before she quickly reached into the pockets of her training jacket.

"Oh, yes! That's right. I've got something for you." She stated happily, quickly checking her other pocket instead as she found nothing in the first one.

My face contorted into intrigued confusion at her statement, causing me to tilt my head to the side as she continued rummaging through her pockets.

"You've got something for me? How did you know that you were gonna see me again? Looks like you really were stalking me, after all. Huh, little one?" I stated, feeling a small, barely there laugh reverberate from the back of my throat when I saw Ari giggle genuinely at my words.

She crawled on her knees as she continued looking through her jacket pockets, scooting right up next to me and invading my personal space bubble as she made herself comfortable.

So trusting. I could be a mass murderer for all this girl knows. She's gotta be more careful.

But, interestingly enough, her close proximity didn't bother me, the way it does with everyone else. I didn't feel claustrophobic, or as if I needed to create more distance between us.

So, I didn't....choosing to lean back on my hands peacefully, instead, as I watched her determined, flushed face search her pockets.

"Hah, I promise I wasn't stalking you. I just decided to keep this on me at all times, in case I ever ran into you again-and I did, so looks like it was a pretty smart move." She chatted, before finally pulling an item out of her pocket.

It was an unopened container of burn cream. The good quality kind that the infirmary carries.

My eyes widened in surprise at the medical cream, almost feeling the shriveling chars on my skin being alleviated and soothed just from the sight of it.

"Woah-what the hell? how did you get this? The entire tub!?" I asked in shock, not even bothering to hide how caught off guard she took me.

Ari's grin widened at my pleasant surprise, before she happily placed the beloved, expensive item into my bandaged hands.

"Mhm! Wasn't too hard. There's kids in the infirmary everyday, and the amount is only increasing. I simply walked in during the busiest hours and swiped it off the shelf. The nurse had her back turned the entire time; didnt even see me come in." She explained, speaking a mile a minute as she realized it was something that made me perk up a bit.

Ignoring how sad it was that a kid like me would be this excited about burn cream, I couldn't stop the tiny, genuine smile from barely curving on my lips as I willingly took the cream from Ari.

Wanting to rid the agonizing burning and itching that my skin has been feeling constantly for the past few days, I wasted no time in uncapping the medical cream, about to remove the bandages from my wrist, before I hesitated.

Ari's eager smile faltered slightly at my hesitation, turning to me in question.

"It's....really gross. Maybe you should, like...I dunno, look away, or something?" I mumbled unsurely, admittedly still feeling a bit weird about someone else seeing my growing scars.

The green eyed girl shook her head stubbornly, making the bold move of reaching her hands out to carefully touch the bandaged parts of my wrist.

My brows raised in obviously surprised alarm at her sudden touch, causing her to pause and halt any sudden movements.

"Hey, I really don't mind. Like I told you, it's nothing to be ashamed of. I could even give you a hand, if you'd like." She suggested softly, not moving her fingers on my bandages anymore, until I gave her the go-ahead.

I stared at her blankly for a moment in legitimate contemplation to her offer, before I decided to reject it.

No. My burns are a pretty vulnerable thing to me. It would take a very special person for me to allow them to fix me up like that. I highly doubt that there's anyone like that out there.

Normally, if I were to reject something, I'd just flat out say the first thought that popped into my head....which was normally something dry, and a bit cold. Keigo can tell you that, first hand.

But, for some reason, I felt my subconscience hesitating with a reply, as I realized that I actually didn't wanna hurt Ari's feelings, by telling her no.

So....trying to channel my diminished soft side...

"Uh......n...no. Like I said....don't worry about it. You got the cream for me. That's enough." I uttered awkwardly, quickly yanking my hand out of her grasp a little too abruptly.

Ari jumped slightly at my sudden motion, causing me to internally flinch at my shitty social skills and immediately feel bad.

And, yet, I still said nothing for a moment after. Not knowing how to approach the situation. I haven't received any soft or tender care in years. I don't know how I'm supposed to go about this stuff, anymore.

"Y-Yeah, of course. I-I'm sorry if I hurt your feelings. I didn't mean to." She stated meekly, absentmindedly watching the way I turned my body away from hers so that I could remove the bandage and apply the cream without her seeing.

Shit-no, don't apologize. You didn't do anything wrong-

Trying to mend the situation as best I could, I kept my back turned to Ari for a moment, letting the soothing cream seep into my charred skin, while speaking to her.

"Huh? Oh-it's....it's fine. I just-so, anyways, you said you swiped this thing off the shelf, without the nurse seeing you? Sounds like some pretty special spy stuff to me." I quickly changed the subject, hoping the new topic would be enough to move past this weird, awkward moment.

I couldn't see Ari's face anymore from my position, and the fact that she was silent-not giving me an immediate reply, like she's been doing, either means that she finally figured out I'm weird and she's gonna leave, or she's just still trying to get a feel for my personality.

And, judging by her next actions, I quickly found out the answer.

"Oh....yeah!-Well, spy stuff? I dunno about that. But, special stuff? Hopefully! I mean, that's kind of the whole reason why I'm here. To be a special hero!" She exclaimed innocently, causing my actions to freeze and my blood to run cold as I heard her mimic Diane Himuras's exact words.

Words that were so evil and destructive when that demon of a woman said them. Words that were becoming so resentful and full of anger to me when I heard Keigo say them...

However, coming from Ari? They were words that sounded so warm. So full of hope and happiness for a bright sounding future.

But, regardless of how happy the words may have sounded, I already knew exactly who they really came from, which caused me to pry a little more.

"Special hero, huh? Let me guess, you're another one of Diane Himura's little puppets-I mean...protégés." I quickly corrected, not wanting to lash out at her and treat her the same way I always treat Keigo.

I never treat him well, and I always continue to do so, because I know that, no matter what I say, he'll always be there. Yes, I take advantage of that. Yeah, that's a dick move. I know.

But, I almost feel as if I gotta walk on eggshells with Ari, until I get to know her a little better. I don't want to hurt her feelings.

She quickly relaxed again, seeing that I was still interested in talking, before she settled back into a seat on the ground to get comfortable.

"Mhm! I've been training for Diane, since the beginner's stage." She started off, causing my heart to drop.

Yep. Just like Keigo-

"But, I only just started that stage four months ago. I've still got a long way to go-wait, hold on. Did you say another? As in....there's another student here, who trains under Diane?" Ari asked curiously, causing me to roll my eyes softly at myself for blabbing my mouth with too much information.

Not to mention, Keigo's the last person I want to talk about right now.

Quickly finishing up the re-wrapping of my bandages, I turned my attention back towards Ari, sighing softly as I remembered the fight that me and that stupid bird had yesterday.

I'm still angry about it.

"Another? I dunno-I'm just saying. Forget about it, will you?-look, I hope you don't let her push you around." I stated with light warning, seeing that same innocent look in her eyes that I used to see in Keigo's before he changed.

I didn't want that to happen again. I didn't want that to happen to her.

Ari had no idea of my thoughts obviously, as she simply chuckled with delight, grabbing one of the pebbles on the roof, before twiddling it between her fingers.

"Oh, well...i-it's alright! It won't last forever. After all, once I become a grown-up, I'll become one of the pros! Do you know that my dream is to make the top ten, once I turn eighteen?-man, those guys are so cool. I even have a hero name picked out! Yeah, I was thinking, like Ari Safari-or, Ari The Great. Starry Ari!!!-" She started suggesting enthusiastically, causing me to let a small cackle of amusement slip from my mouth as I felt my anger for the situation fading away again.

"Ari Safari? Ari The Great? Starry Ari?? Those are horrible names." I blurted out through my laughs, unable to second guess if my statement offended her as she seemed pretty unbothered by it.

She simply rolled her eyes at me dismissively, flipping her chocolate, long hair off her shoulder with sass as she smirked proudly.

"No way! And, whatever, cause any hero alias I have? I know it's gonna be amazing." She reassured happily, turning her attention down to her hands distractedly as she continued to play with the pebble between her fingers.

I couldn't help but watch her, feeling the small smile curl a little more on my face as I leaned back on my hands again and looked up at the sky.

"How about Little Ari, cause you're so little-" I teased lightly, chuckling again as the brown haired sunshine gently shoved my shoulder in reply.

She stopped fiddling the pebble between her hands a few moments later, realizing something about our conversation.

"Oh. Whoops. I guess, I kinda...accidentally just told you my name." She smiled sheepishly, causing me to lazily turn my head towards her in question.

I already knew it. Not in a creepy way, though...

"And what's wrong with that?" I asked softly, watching her as she continued to look at the pebble between her hands.

Ari shrugged a bit, slowly redirecting her gaze back up to me.

"Well. It's just that...trainees aren't supposed to know eachother's names, cause they aren't allowed to be friends, remember?" She stated quietly, that bright, bubbly mood of hers slowly taking a swan dive down into the darkness that constantly surrounds myself.

The moment I saw her mood drop, it caused my own attitude to fall as well....making me realize that whatever happiness I'd been feeling for these past few minutes was only possible, because Little Ari was here to make me smile.

And, while I already know how this story will play out. While I already saw the entire process happen once with my best friend, Keigo....

While I know Ari will eventually lose her innocence, too, and succumb to everything I hate...

My heart couldn't help, but fall for it all over again....desperately wanting to find happiness. Desperately wanting a friend.

Desperately not wanting to be alone. And desperately willing to give it all another chance.

One more chance.

"Touya." I stated a few moments later, keeping my hopeful eyes on the white, puffy clouds.

Ari's brows furrowed in confusion to my simple word, slowly turning her head to me in silent question.

Her attention caused me to smile as I brought my eyes back down to hers, speaking again to solidify the moment.

"My real name is Touya, and now you know. So, that makes us friends."

***********************************************

Next Chapter Title: Memories That Turned To Ash Part 3/3