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euphoriajunkie000 · 3 months

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underdog. prologue

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-7 years ago-

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“The Jian, also known as the bird who shares wings. Only possesses one wing. Unless two people lean on each other and act like one, they’re incapable of flight. They’re imperfect, incomplete creatures.”

"But, for some reason, their way of life struck me as profoundly beautiful.....It was beautiful, I felt."

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...How do you explain to a child that their parents have just been murdered...?

...A seven year old child no less...

...Do you sugar coat it...?

...Or do you tell them the horrible truth...?

...Do you lie and say that they are in a better place now…

...A place wyoue they’re flying with beautiful, white wings…

...A place wyoue angels thrive…

...Or do you say the five words that nobody ever wants to hear…

“I’m sorry for your loss.”

...No one would ever want to be the person to break the news...

...But that was okay...

...Do you know why...?

...It's because you had to experience it yourself...

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My darling,

It was late at night. The moon was shining over the dark night as stripes of the luminescent light was making its way through the windows. The scenery was still. It was beautiful. Too beautiful to even be real. But not everything had to have a grim setting in a tragedy like the stories your mother would read to you. No. This was your reality. And honestly, you didn't want anything to do with it anymore.

By the time you read this, everything has changed.

The moonlight was your one and only light source as you could only see what had laid out in front of you. You were crouching behind a rather large sofa, your hands over your mouth. The screams of escaping your parent's lips were horrifying. They kept on bouncing off the walls and you already knew that those wails of pain would forever haunt your dreams. You felt your heartbeat rising faster and faster as you broke out in a cold sweat. Your eyes were practically bulging out your head as you were afraid. Afraid of what would happen if you came out of your hiding spot. Afraid of what might happen if you even let out a squeak. Afraid of the dark figure that was in your house.

I won’t be able to wake up to your beautiful smile everyday.

When it all went quiet, you turned your head to the side to see what had exactly transpired. There was a man looming over your parents. He held a knife that was dripping with thick pearls of blood. "Where is she!" he yelled. "I’m not going to let any witnesses out of this damn house if it's the last thing I do!"

Or be able to see you on your wedding day.

"Get the hell out of my house!" your father yelled. His piercing blue eyes were gazing dangerously into the murderer's eyes. If he even did have the ability to move, there was no question he would kill the murderer with his own two hands. He would do anything to protect the only family that he had.

But I hope you know that your dad and I would do anything for you.

"Don't you even dare touch my darling!" your mother snapped with tears rolling down her face.

I hope when you're older, you can find this letter.

The man let out a *tsk* sound as the knife clattered to the floor. "Whatever," he said in a dangerously low voice. But you could tell that there was an evident smirk on his face. He grabbed the shirt collar of your father and raised him up. He gnashed his teeth together and slammed your father's head to the ground. He didn’t move after that. The villain bellowed at the top of his lungs, "I’ll search every square inch of this house if I have to!” You heard the creak of the white, carpeted staircase as the murderer began walking up the stairs slowly. Once it was dead silent, you had immediately scrambled away from the sofa.

As you looked around, your throat tightened up. There on the ground were your parents. It wouldn't even matter if the ambulance had arrived because by that time, they would have already left this world.

I know it hurts to finally realize that we’re gone by the time you read this.

Your breath hitched. your mother’s beautiful, long, pink hair was laid out in a fan. Her hair and clothes were drenched in blood. Some of it had started clotting around her recent wounds. Your father's black hair that was once combed neatly was now tangled up in a rat's nest. He had stab wounds that littered his body trying to protect your mother. They were laying on the once white carpet floor as their skin tones were a sickly pale color. The red liquid was everywhere. Not only was the blood dripping down the walls, but it was splattered on the floor in a horrifying manner. But the most heart-stricken thing you saw was your parent's eyes. They looked so dull and empty to the point you couldn't bear to look at them anymore. Your mother's once sparkling sea-foam green eyes and your father's deep, ocean blue eyes were now gray. Like they had lost any emotion connected to them in the world. You saw them barely move their fingers as they both tried to cling onto the last threads of life.

But it won't matter.

YOU FELT LIKE YOU COULDN'T BREATH.

Do you know why?

The most depressing part was the fact that they didn’t have the chance to name you. When holding the infant in their arms, they had a million thoughts running in their minds that were only filled with love. They had thought of a thousand dreams of what they wanted their beautiful little girl to achieve. Too bad they didn’t have the chance to see what their child grew up to be.

It's because we’ll be with you every step of the way.

Their names and actions would forever be engraved in your memory. If only someone could stop what was going to happen to you and the adversities you would be forced to face.

Our ghostly fingertips will forever be connected to you, heart, mind, and soul.

It truly was such a shame for them to have died such a young age and quirkless as well. No wonder you felt so helpless, you felt like you were nothing. You felt like a zero, like you were worthless.

You are worth so much.

You. Had. Nothing.

Don’t feel grieved by what you couldn’t save.

If you had been a bit stronger, you could have saved them from this cruel fate. Your stomach was doing flips and front handsprings. You felt like you were about to puke. You had to get out of here, fast. You didn't want to see the sickly pale corpses of your parents.

If you ever miss us, call our names.

"M-mom? D-dad?"

If you can learn to do just that, you will be okay.

You didn’t know what to do other than to drop down onto your knees and intertwin your small fingers with theirs. Your lips began trembling as clear tears were about to flow down your face.

Don’t hide away.

You tried not to cry. You didn’t deserve to.

Never hold back your tears, you're trying so hard to be strong.

But as that same action replayed in your head, you couldn't hold it back anymore. "P-please... D-don't leave me... This is a joke right...?" You gripped harder. "...so please..." You inhaled a deep breath as you snapped your head to look at the ceiling, your beautiful wide eyes letting the tears cascade down your face. "...wake...up..."

I love you.

"...Darling..?" You lowered your head towards your mother. "...Darling... are you here...?" you mother asked. Her sweet as honey voice was now dry and cracked as it wavered in the air.

Do you know why?

"Ye-yeah, I'm here, Mom..." You said with a shaky voice.

It’s because.

"I just- I just want to let you know that we love you so much, darling. You have always been the light of our lives. And I know you're such a bright girl. I'm just- I'm just so sad that I'm never gonna see you when you grow older..."

You.

Your heart sank to the bottom of your chest. "This can't be happening-"

are.

She lifted up her hand as she gently caressed your face and wiped your tears away. She had put on a small smile yet, it held so much pain. "Hey, hey, hey. As long as I get to see you one last time, I already know that I can finally rest happy... Be the hero you want to be... And… I love you so much..."

my.

And then, she went limp.

everything,

The perfect wings that had once adorned your body were now ripped from your body as they would forever leave a wounded battle scar. They were your wings, and then they were ripped apart from your future in a blink of an eye. There was a hole in your heart that you couldn't cover up. But one thing’s for sure, you have finally found your name; it's...

Absolute Zero.

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Bursting through the doors, you could never fathom the thought of any innocent people dying. From that day on, you wanted to be a hero. A melancholic smile appeared as you recollected your memories. You wanted to do what you couldn’t have done for your parents. You honestly didn’t know where you were going. All of that didn’t matter anymore because you just ran; with you tears overflowing until all you saw was darkness. The sting of the snow sticking onto you feet was just enough for you to stop moving.

It was such a shame that you didn’t notice the taller figure watching your every move.

As he aimed the tranquilizer at your neck, he shot it. He bounced off of the dark tree. He smiled painfully as he was pleased to say for a fact that you were unconscious. Bringing his mouth close to the communication device he only said one thing.

“Phase 1 is complete.”

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The tall figure reached down and you in his arms. The touch of your skin was starting to get colder and colder with each passing second. He traced the features of your face with an indescribable look. He looked solemnly at you, as if he was recalling something from his past. You were only a child. He bit his lip and positioned his eyes to view the night above him. Sighing to himself, he slowly carried your unconscious body towards the center of the forest, where you were originally running into.

The silhouette of the tall trees surrounded him. A rush of wind and snow blew through his hair, he felt a shiver run up his spine. He closed his eyes out of instinct while holding the girl closer to his chest. As he peered around through the dark night, he had come to notice a very distinct concrete square. Piercing eyes stared down at the potential gateway.

Now stepping onto a concrete square, there was a certain symbol embedded onto the surface. It was a zero with a line slashing the number diagonally, left to right. As he rested his hand directly onto the emblem, he only whispered one thing, “Code:1016.” It glowed a beautiful blue hue. Suddenly a rush of azure and green colors came to life. They blasted upwards to the sky, the colors that had mingled together could put the northern lights to shame. When the light died down, you both were gone.

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And there he was. 1016 stood on a clear launchpad that looked to be used for astrology and rockets. The pad looked to be strikingly similar to the hues of colors that the figure had experienced only a few minutes ago. The colors had a mind of their own as they began thrashing around wildly until they cooled down into a more peaceful state. Though, it wouldn’t matter because the tensile strength of the glass was unreal because it never let the colors out.

1016 looked around in his surroundings and it never failed to take his breath away. Above him was a transparent dome which led him to see the galactic hues up close and personal. It was almost as if the barrier wasn’t there and he could have just brushed his fingertips against the stars. The floor was made of tungsten or some other metal he couldn’t identify. Tubes that were filled to the brim with all the shades of the color wheel, ranging from green, blue, and purple. They glistened and glowed with sparks of light that appeared to be stars in each individual one. Black wires were everywhere, interconnecting within each other. But the one thing that he noticed was the hospital bed that laid in the corner. There was a recurring aesthetic of galaxy colors, tubes, and glass. But that was no different. The hospital bed was big with a clear, thin cylinder surrounding it. The top and the bottom that sealed the ends of the chute were both made of connected metals with an abundance of buttons on each side. A pillow rested peacefully against the mattress accompanied by delicate, white blankets.

Suddenly a soothing voice asked,“Did you get her?”

1016 nodded his head. “Yes, I did.”

A relieved chuckle was to be heard. And there he was. There was another young man sitting on a chair looking through a grand telescope. It was enormous. A tense silence filled the air until 1016 took a deep breath. “Can’t we think of another plan… You know one that doesn’t involve her?” As soon as those words fell out of his mouth there was a dangerous aura that radiated from the teen that was now standing in front of 1016.

An airy laugh left his lips until he exploded.

“Do you still don’t understand?!” he demanded. There was a menacing glint in his eyes. He gritted his teeth together while gripping the 1016’s wrist tightly and dragged him to a telescope. Pushing him down into the chair, he said, “Look.” As the teenager looked to the dark night, he was absolutely spell bound by what he saw. It was absolutely beautiful. Splotches of purples, blues and pinks filled the nights until they were all mushed together in a brand new color. Stars were swirling around as they brightened luminously. It was perfect, too perfect. That is, until he spotted it. It was a meteorite hurtling towards them.

“Now do you understand?!” he yelled. He pulled 1016 away from the telescope and forced his head to look up at the sky. He pointed to the meteor and fumed, “In about a few years or so, that fucker is literally about to obliterate the entire Earth! And do you know who has to pay up for our screw ups?! Us, you idiot! And that includes me.” The male pinched the bridge of his nose until he dragged his legs to sit in his chair. An inaudible ‘sorry’ whimpered out of the once furious man. He leaned his back against the cool metal chair with his palms pressed against his eyes. “What are we going to do…?”

1016 was shocked by the sudden outburst. In all his life when working with his partner, named 1004, he had almost always kept a cool composure. Sure, he would occasionally crack a few jokes or two, but he would never blow a fuse. As a result, 1016’s stomach churned with uncertainty.

1004’s gaze was cast down. “Look, 1016,” he started to grieve. “It's been around 20,000 years since you fell from grace and when I got banished.” There was a long pause. “We did something that we weren’t supposed to do. And this, this is the punishment for our actions.” A deep breath was to be heard from 1004 as he continued. “But you know the deal. In our punishment, we’re supposed to protect this planet, but because of our actions, we had most of our powers stripped!” 1004 groaned. “I mean- if we fail to protect this planet, it’s really going to be over.”

1016 thought hard for a moment, trying his best to think of any possible answer. “Oh-! I got it!” 1016 snapped his fingers. He grabbed 1004’s shoulder and looked him in the eye. “I know what to do but you have to trust me.” Quickly, 1016 grabbed your body and handed you to 1004. Pushing one of the buttons of the capsule he laid you on the hospital bed. He attached a gasmask to your head. On the back were numerous ports that were connected to an abundance of the same wires he saw earlier. Gripping the black wires in his hand, 1016 plug each into a very large computer.

In a flash 1016 fingers typed at an alarmingly fast pace, his eyes never leaving the keyboard. 1004 looked over at his shoulder and raised an eyebrow. “What are you doing this time?”

But 1016 ignored the question of his partner. “You said that they only deleted some of our powers right? Well if you still have your time powers, I need you to stop time itself. Only for 2,000 years. This is the only way.” He looked directly at the screen that had an illuminated blue and continued. “I’m loading some data into her head. I honestly don’t know how it will work, but she’ll mentally be ancients of years old, though her physical appearance wouldn’t change. There are some things we have to alter though, understand?”

1004 nodded his head in agreement. 1016 grabbed a pen as well as a piece of blank paper. When he was done, 1016 slipped the paper to 1004. “At this exact time and place, I need you to release you. This is crucial. Like I said, you need to trust me.”

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Your eyes opened.

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You were starving. The piercing internal jab that kept on stabbing your abdomen was getting severe. Living on the streets was hard. How many years have passed? Three? No, four? You had lost count after a while. You found solace in a beaten up cardboard box. It was placed in a very dark alley as there were piles of garbage growing bigger with each passing day. You had managed to survive only on the table scraps that restaurants had no use for. Using the garbage bags as pillows, you curled into a ball on your right side and you waited for the night to engulf the city whole.

If anyone thought that the days were bad, the nights were hell in comparison. Heavy gunshots echoed between the alleyways while the air smelled like liquor. There would always be blood splattered on the concrete while drunk laughs and hiccups were heard from nearby bars. Neon signs that ranged from pink to blue and even a purple appeared everywhere if someone had just simply opened their eyes. It honestly would have been comforting knowing that the darkness wasn’t the only thing that consumed everything; if only the signs weren’t promoting sketched out night clubs.

You really did try resting your eyes but as soon as you did so, you woke up again. But no matter how much your eyes were battling the urge to close them, you couldn’t even sleep. You couldn’t take it anymore. You could survive. No. You needed to survive. You would do anything to see the next sunrise, even if you did get your hands a little dirty.

You pulled yourself together, what else could you do? Taking a deep breath, you set off to the neon lit streets. As you started walking, you ran into a boy who looked a bit older than you, not by much, however. You bumped into him, fully expecting pain to follow through, but nothing happened. In fact, he seemed quite fluffy, like an enormous teddy bear, the kind you would see in those rigged carnival games.

“I’m so sorry!” you gasped.

But the person you ran into just smiled and waved his hand dismissively. You almost laughed because of how unreal he looked. He looked tall, though. If you had to give an estimate, your bet would be around 195 centimeters. He looked wide and friendly with his big smile touching the corners of his cheeks. It was as if the main fat animal from Studio Ghibli’s My Neighbor Totaro came to life and had sandy blonde hair.

“Are you okay?” he asked, with genuine concern overflowing from his facial expression.

Your face shamelessly heated up. He was too nice, it almost made you feel guilty for what you were about to do next. “Yeah!” you grinned. And unbeknownst to you, his face had also heated up. Although the dirt and grime was muddled in your hair, it didn’t take away from the shine in your eyes. He actually thought you looked… pretty cute, in a way. A short silence had ensued and you quickly broke the ice. “Thank you for worrying about my safety,” you expressed, but then you quickly started to run in the direction you had previously gone and lazily waved your hand. “You should go home before your parents start to worry!”

“W-Wait!” the middle schooler stuttered. “I didn’t catch your name!”

You bit your lip at the sudden words. It certainly has been a long time since you’ve had a friend. But, what if you scared them away because of the way you lived? You gulped and pushed those disgusting doubts away. You grinned, “You’ll know soon enough!” And with that, you ran, and you didn’t look back.

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Once you were alone, you sighed. You were scared that you were going to get caught. In between the dark alleys, you sighed and leaned your back against the cold cement. You opened up a wallet, a wallet that did not belong to you. You had pickpocketed that nice middle-school boy who had tried to make sure you were okay. God, you were such a scumbag. You knew it wasn’t right, but life wasn’t fair. Survival of the fittest, right? That was the phrase that you had used to single-handedly justify your poor actions. You shrugged it off, you’ll pay him back soon enough. As you looked at the contents of the wallet, you saw and identification photo and name of the same boy you had ran into and his home address, along with–

“30,000 yen!” you gulped. Oh shit. You didn’t need this much money to enable you to do what you needed to do tonight. You bit the inside of your cheek, you weren’t going to use all of his money, just enough to help you survive this night. You smiled sadly, showing remorse for your actions as tears began to well up.

“Thanks, Taishiro Toyomitsu…”

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As you navigated the grimy stairs that led to the underground tunnel, you scrunched up your nose. The air smelled of grime and dried blood. It made your stomach churn and your eyes very, very unhappy. The concrete below your feet was stained with water and mold started to form on the walls. The dull lights that illuminated the tunnel looked unstable, flickering as if they were about to burst a fuse at any second. You finally reached it, the front desk. The lady looked at you with sad eyes. Probably wondering why a young girl such as yourself would be in a place like this.

“May I help you?” she said.

“Yeah,” you said bitterly, but you tried your best not to show it. She didn’t do anything to you, so why should you take your anger out on her? Save it for the fight, you always remind yourself over and over again. “I’m here to compete, actually.”

“O-Oh,” the lady spluttered. “What’s your quirk?”

“You can’t turn me away,” you said apologetically. “This ring allows anyone of any age to compete. And, unfortunately, I don’t have one.”

“N-No! Sorry, that’s not what I meant. I just mean that there is an entry fee of 10,000 yen! I’m just not sure if someone as young as yourself can come up with that kind of cash-”

But before the last could say anything, you slided the demanded amount of money (thanks to Taishiro) on the cheap, plastic table she was sitting behind. She counted the money and nodded for you to go in.

You gulped, half terrified for what was to come next. You were about to fight for money in an underground martial arts ring,

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Your duffle bag had already been waiting for you in the women’s locker room, you just needed to grab the bag with your belongings. You got ready in the dimly lit, unsanitized bathroom. Your long hair was tied back into a ponytail and you put on the rest of your uniform. It consisted of loose parachute pants that had hung by your hips, a sports bra, and a tight fitted black shirt. No quirks, and no armor to protect yourself, this was definitely going to be a long night. You shoved Taishiro’s wallet in your bag with the clothes you wore. You gripped your towel and your water bottle and pushed the bathroom door open. You shuffled through the packed stadium with your head feeling light. You knew that in the shady parts of the big city, people paid to see fighters dual it out in illegal rings. In addition to this, you also knew that fighters could enter by paying a rather hefty fee, but if they made a good enough show, they would also get paid a rather hefty fee. In the years you fought, you made a name for yourself. You weren’t the best by any means, but you were… respected among your peers. They were a lot older than you, and they knew that you didn’t have anything. No job, no education, no family, no quirk, and no future. During practice when you sparred against them, they didn’t hold back at all. They didn’t need to because you could get up by yourself. After a brutal beat down, they’d buy you snacks as a little token of their appreciation. And you’d graciously take it. You always did.

Now, you were watching the fight that had unfolded in front of you. You sat in the front row, the ring itself was a lot lower than where the audience sat. It was a safety precaution for if any fighter had a dangerous quirk, at least the difference in height between the ring and the stadium could offer protection. The element of the ring would change, it would offer a water based zone, earth based, you could name it all; anything to keep their patrons hooked. As you gazed below, your cheek resting on your forearm which was in turn resting on the railing. Although the cheers were so loud that you could have sworn that your ear drums would burst, you managed to block them out. You had other things to worry about. You looked at the one victor that had stood proudly. And you looked at the victim with such sadness, he was obliterated. Blood gushed from heavy hitting wounds with a black eye to match. You grimaced. That was going to be you.

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“And now!” the announcer boomed. “What you have all been waiting for. The darling of this ring! Although she may look small in stature, I promise you that she kicks one hell of a punch! Give it up for… Honeysuckle!”

Cheers erupted from the crowd and claps filled the air. You smiled ever so graciously and you waved a hand in the air, pretending that this crowd won’t know what your bloodied face will look like in the span of twenty minutes. You had to pretend. You were good at pretending. So, you pretended that everything was fine. You looked up to see your opponent's face. He was a large, muscular man. A torn up wife-beater was tightly worn on his body with black cargo pants to match. And when you looked at his face, his right eye was completely white with a nasty scar that made its way from the right side of his forehead, through his eye, and ended at the corner of his lip. And your heart dropped. You studied all of the opponents in the databases this ring had to offer. And his quirk was nothing to sneeze at. It was shock absorption. Everytime you hit, he could hit harder. Everytime you kicked, he kicked harder. This felt like a sick joke. You were only a teenager for fucks sake, a teenager living out in the streets trying to make ends meet. You were angry at the organizers of your event. You were quirkless trying to face upon a stone, cold fighting machine. Your mouth ran dry, ‘Oh shit.’

“Ready! Three! Two! One! Fight!”

The man made no hesitation to strike first. He threw a right hook at your face and you dodged, only by a millisecond to lose. You gasped, you didn’t expect him to be this fast. While he was still fixed in his position, you gathered up the strength to kick him square in the ribs. It was powerful and you could hear the audience mourn in favor of him. You looked up and he only paid you a sickening grin. He harshly gripped your foot that had kicked him and he spun you around like a rotating top. You felt the air whipping your hair carelessly until he let go. Your back had hit the wall of the ring, hard. You felt yourself coughing up blood and you saw double. However, your opponent didn’t spare you any mercy as he kicked your ribs and you have sworn you felt your spine crack.

‘Get up!’ you pleaded with yourself.

‘Get up!’

‘Goddamnit! Get up, Absolute Zero!’

Unbeknownst to you, he had grabbed a hold of a boulder. You felt the shadow looming over you and your eyes were blown wide open. He was about to smash your skull into a pulp. ‘Are they even allowed to do this!?’ you screeched. And with every fiber of your being, you did get up. With your hands planted on the ground, you pushed your torso from the ground up and moved your legs in a windmill fashion and kicked his legs with such an unwavering force that he fell down, boulder in hand. And you did it, you did manage to get up on your feet. But, he didn’t like that at all. Unfortunately, he recovered quickly as he started to bolt at you.

“You think you’re so cocky, huh?” he spat, lifting you in the air by gripping your collar.

You must have had a death wish because before you could stop yourself, you shot back, “Yeah, a cocky brat that knows how to use mouthwash.”

He wiped the smug grin off your face by giving you a punch square in the jaw and on your eye too. Pain coursed through your body, but you weren’t done yet. You moistened your lips and with your core strength you swung your legs and crossed them over the arm he was grabbing you with. With one fell swoop, you rotated your body on top and his back hit the floor. While on the dirt of the ring, you knew you had to act fast. In all the years you have been fighting, you knew that you couldn’t win by brute strength alone. Endless night you have been studying about the pressure points located in the bodies of humans. Everyone has a constant flow of energy that allows them to use their quirks. Once you block that energy flow, you block their quirks, temporarily. It was this small piece of knowledge that was going to make you win the battles to come. Without a second to lose, you positioned your hands in order to make a certain formation. Your pinky and ring fingers were held down by your thumbs leaving your middle in pointer fingers extended. You jabbed the pressure points located in his neck, shoulders, arms, legs, and chest. The stadium soon fell silent. As your opponent came to his senses, he groggily tried to get up, although his eyes looked tired and clouded. He tried to throw a right hook at your face, but you dodged. You grinned, his movements were significantly slowed and it felt like fighting a drunk. Slowly breathing in then out, you enacted a front handspring and finally jumped so high as to see the top of your opponent’s head and you used a hook kick that took him down from the neck where your leg made contact. He fell, and you were victorious.

Everyone applauded you and you offered them a lazy grin. This was the first fight that you weren’t beaten into a pulp. You were escorted out of the ring with a genuine smile plastered across your face. You went to the bathroom and took a hot shower and cleaned yourself up. It felt like a reward in itself. You changed into a baggy crew neck and equally baggy cargo pants as well. Your hair was still wet, but you couldn’t care less. As you looked at your complexion in the mirror, you touched your jaw gently and you hissed with pain. Although you won, you didn’t feel like a winner. You felt like a girl who had escaped getting killed on the field and was given a head splitting migraine.

Putting on your shoes and clutching your duffle bag, you left the bathroom for a final time. You met the lady at the front desk; the same location in which you had given her the entry fee. She smiled ear to ear once she saw you.

“I’m so glad that you made it out okay!” she beamed. “I watched the footage and you truly are the darling of this ring! I made a bet on you because I knew you could do it!”

“Thank you,” you smiled shyly, “I’m glad that you didn’t lose your money.”

“Are you kidding me? I’m glad that you made it out in one piece! Which reminds me!” You saw her lean down and grip a safe that was hidden from others in plain sight. She placed it on the desk and opened it using a combination. “You award for tonight!” With that, she pushed a check for 550,000 yen to you.

You couldn’t believe your eyes. “550,000 yen?” Your voice wavered, this was ten times the amount that you were supposed to earn for this one night. “I-Is this a joke?”

The lady looked at you with concern. “N-No! It’s all authentic darling. I actually spoke with some of your friends that train with you. And they say that they want you to have a better life than this.” She sighed, “Their words not mine, but they say that you aren’t very good at hiding that you are homeless. Since your first day at fighting, they were actually matching the amount of money you earned and putting a deposit in a separate account once they think the money they will give you can support you, for fighting for good, or something like that. They overheard that you had dreams of becoming a hero and they wanted to help you reach that threshold.”

As the lady babbled on and on, your voice began to crack and you couldn’t hold back your tears any longer. The years of busting your ass trying to survive off in the streets, even opting to sleep in public restrooms for safety—it was all going to end today. “I-I don’t know what to say.”

“You could say thank you.”

You heard a familiar voice and you whipped your head to see your friends who you fought with standing at the end of the tunnel. You gripped the check in your hand and you raced toward the people you could have called your family. You jumped and hugged everyone that was there. Your hug was filled with gratitude and love for the people there. Heartbeats mingled into one unwavering rhythm.

“Why would you guys do this?” you asked with such happiness in your eyes.

“Because!” one of your friends said. “You’re too damn young and too damn kind to be living like this. You deserve the whole world for making it out this far.” He looked at you with tired eyes that had seen the world for decades now. “We all want to see you thrive, and smile like there’s not a care in the world. We all want you to make it to U.A. and become a hero!”

Now, you were just a mess. Ugly crying was to be heard along with sniffles and smiles along the way. “I don’t know what to say other than…

Thank you!”

As you ran outside of the underground tunnel, you heard one of your friends joke around and say, “If we don’t see you on the big screens, we want our money back!”

You laughed and waved. “Don’t worry! I’ll be sure to give it back with added interest!”

Ღ

As you gazed at the high-end houses that stood neatly next to each other, you walked and looked at the addresses that could potentially match the one you were looking for. Then you saw him. For what you could assume to be his bedroom light, you could have sworn the boy you had met earlier had walked briskly past the window. It looked as if he was pacing back and forth frantically. Your shoes pattered against the sidewalk until you reached the front door of his house. His room was on the second floor and you cursed. Although you were good at hand to hand combat, you weren’t good at climbing people’s walls Rapunzel style. You were, unfortunately, not Flynn Rider. As you scaled the wall silently, as to not wake up any of the neighbors, you managed to find a resting stop under the presumed Taishiros window sill which was a minor roof that jutted out from the main body of the house. As you stood up on your tippy toes, you saw Taishiro pacing back and forth in a hurry. It looked like he was on the phone with his mom.

“I-I don’t know where I put it! I’m so screwed!”

The pit of guilt in your stomach just sank lower. God, you were just a selfish jackass weren’t you. Shaking your head, to get rid of those thoughts, you carefully opened his window once you saw his retreating figure head to another room. And carefully placed his wallet on the window sill. You heard his footsteps come closer and closer and you began to panic. You lost your balance and fell onto the ground. Thank god a rose bush was there to help the fall, not. You groaned but then as soon as you remembered your current situation, you ran as fast as you could into the moonlight.

ღ

“You know what, I think my teacher likes me, maybe she’ll be more lenient-” but Taishiro’s voice stopped to a halt. He looked at his window. He… He never remembered opening it up at this hour. “Hold on, I’ll call you back…” he said hesitantly and hung up the phone before the person on the other end could say anything. As he started to walk closer and closer to the window, he found the wallet he had been looking for, the wallet that made him nearly lose his mind over.

Opening the wallet, he saw a note tucked in the clear, plastic protector allocated for his middle school ID photo. It read:

“hey! absolute zero here! i just wanted to say that you lost your wallet somewhere and thank god there was an address along with your shining face :D here’s my number if you wanna talk (xxx)-xxx-xxxx”

Taishiro’s face burst into flames and he looked outside to see if you were there. You weren’t, but nonetheless, he grinned. As he counted the money in his wallet once more, he noticed the extra wadded up 1000 yen bill that was to be seen between the stacks of 10,000 yen bills. And he gave a boisterous laugh that echoed in the halls of his home.

Word count: 6775

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