chapter fifteen;

     "I'M SORRY YOKO, BUT I'LL BE LEAVING WITH TWICE FOR A MOMENT", toga apologized as she was braiding the little girl's soft black hair.

youko stopped humming as she glanced at toga from the mirror's reflection.

"where are you and twice going?? when will you two be back?", youko asked, worried that the both of them will leave and never be back like magne.

"we're...working for duke chisaki for a while", toga  solemnly answered, not having the same spark in her voice ever since that day.

     "duke chisaki? is he nice?? will you two be okay?", youko asked as toga finished up braiding the little girl's hair.

     "we'll be fine", toga replied, ignoring the questoon about whether chisaki was nice or not.

     as toga picked youko up, the little princess smiled, cupping toga's cheeks as she gave the blonde girl a kiss to the nose.

     "I got us these matching hair clips. big sis magne also has the same set!", youko exclaimed as she pulled them out of her pocket and placed the flower clips in toga's messy locks.

toga's eyes widened a bit before her face had fallen into a natural smile.

"yoko, you're always the cutest!", the bubbly girl giggled as she placed a kiss on top of the little princess's forehead.

"thank you!! oh! and can you give this to twice please? I haven't been able to find him at all for some reason...", youko said.

"of course!"

toga knew exactly why twice hasn't been around the current base much.

the man was mourning; mourning over the loss of magne and compress's arm; mourning over his mistake.

"and tell him to come back safely please!"

"of course...yoko".

_♚_

     as twice and toga departed to duke chisaki's mansion, youko sighed as she now had nothing to do other than to train her quick, which she had definitely gotten better at using.

     youko plopped down on her back as johnny just sat beside the girl with his red wool scarf that youko had bought him, not matching his tennis shoes at all.

     "your highness, are you feeling well?", kurogiri asked as he suddenly entered the room that the league all shared.

     youko immediately sat up as she felt the blood rushing to her brain, making the girl's vision a bit woozy for a second.

     "h-huh? yeah I'm fine, why do you ask kuro?"

"you were lying on the floor", kurogiri replied, placing a kettle of tea on the short rectangular table that was at the center of the entire room.

youko scooted towards the mats that were beside the table as she took two teacups and turned them facing upwards.

kurogiri carefully poured the piping hot tea as youko blew across her cup, forcing the steam to waver every which way.

although youko much more preferred freshly butchered apple juice, she knew that the league was currently in a bit of a pickle.

     "I was just thinking kuro...why did the people from the hero's kingdom come attack us?", youko asked, to which kurogiri had an immediate reply.

     "it seems that they weren't happy about us trying to invite one of their knights over to our side", the mist man answered.

     "why not? we gave them toshi...and he seems to be doing fine over there from what I saw. isn't it sort of like trading?"

     "indeed your highness. you're so very brilliant for your age", kurogiri praised, to which youko just smiled.

     "it's all because you're my teacher! but why did they take grandpa and I away? they called us villains too. are we bad? are they bad?", youko inquired, bombarding the man with questions.

     "they took you both away because the heroes wanted to anger his majesty. they knew that that would hurt him the most", kurogiri replied.

     "and good or bad, everyone has a different perspective. what is it that you think, your highness?"

     "mmm...."

     youko pondered a bit, considering all the events that had happened.

     kurogiri anticipated the girl's answer, as he was partially glad that all for one had already foreseen this, to which he had already trained kurogiri on what he should and shouldn't say.

"well...I think that...everyone is good and bad", youko vaguely answered.

"but the heroes do seem a bit mean...", youko mumbled, thinking back to the story all for one had told her about her father.

     'no hero tried to save him. in fact, no one did, until I showed up'.

     "your highness understands so much at such a young age. as your educator, I am truly proud", kurogiri complimented.

     youko perked up at that.

     "say kuro, can you tell me how you met papa?", the little girl curiously asked.

     "hmm...I met his majesty when he was very young, around your highness's age actually", kurogiri reminisced.

     "what was papa like? did he have black hair like me, or was it always blue??"

     "his majesty was quite curious like your highness; big and round red eyes skimming around the castle grounds. and I believe his majesty had very light blue hair by the time his imperial majesty took him in", kurogiri answered.

     "so that's like...."

     youko started counting on her little fingers, as she then realized that she didn't even know how old her father was.

     "it's been nearly 15 long years", kurogiri said, seeming to know what youko was trying to count.

"wowwww...that means you've been with papa for a longggggg time!", youko giggled. "but you don't seem that old at the same time..."

youko then mentally facepalmed herself. of course kurogiri didn't look old, there was murky mist shielding his entire body!

"did you always work for grandpa? did grandpa also take you in? where's your family kuro?"

     if kurogiri was a robot, he would've malfunctioned right then and there.

     for some reason, he couldn't remember anything about his past. there was a dark fog hindering his memory, locking it away almost. all for one had not taught him how to answer such questions, as no one has ever asked him that before.

     simply put, kurogiri wasn't programmed to answer that.

     youko worried that she had accidentally said the wrong thing. she had felt bad for being so nosy. hence, the little girl cleared her throat as she stood up, making her way to kurogiri, who was still sitting and contemplating on how he should answer the question.

     "it's okay kuro...you're my family. and I know you're like a second father to papa", youko smiled, wrapping her arms around the tall metal choker that kurogiri seemed to always have on.

     the mist man simply patted the little girl's back, thanking the princess as he wasn't sure what more to do.

     "my loyalty forever lies with his majesty and your highness", kurogiri promised.

     "oh stop it kuro! family don't need pledge loyalty. it's just natural!!", youko exclaimed, to which one of the thin doors to the room slid open, revealing an irritated shigaraki.

     "PAPA!! how was work??", youko laughed as she ran over to the blue-haired male with her arms wide open.

     "fine", shigaraki grumpily answered as he picked youko up, only to sit down with her in his lap.

     kurogiri automatically poured shigaraki a cup of tea to soothe him, as he hastily got up to leave.

     "I shall see your majesty and your highness at dinner. please excus—"

     "cut it with the 'your majesty' crap. tomura's just fine", shigaraki cut in.

     "and youko for me!! or yoko, whichever you prefer", the little girl chimed in, before kurogiri simply bowed and exited the room.

     the mist man trudged towards the kitchen to get a head start on dinner as he kept in mind the two royals' last words.

     "family..."

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