I Am Not Number Seven (TUA/MHA Crossover)

5. Vanya: Leaving

The walk down to the atrium was solemn, Vanya and Grace did not speak but they remained close to each other. The android's hand did not leave her daughter's shoulder and the daughter didn't want it to.

The elevator's ding! sounded a million times louder than it usually did, resounding out like a church bell. The doors parted to reveal her siblings all standing there, with vulnerable looks on their faces, wearing their carry-on bags on their shoulders and standing beside their own trolleys. Vanya rushed forward, dragging her trolley behind her. Her siblings rushed to meet her, enveloping her in a giant hug. Klaus was openly sobbing, burying his face in Vanya's shoulder, while the others just held onto her tightly. Slowly, they released her, and Diego, who had been standing in front of Vanya, looked over her shoulder and choked, "Mom...", his face pinching up.

The click of Grace's heels came up from behind her and Vanya turned, feeling her mother place a hand on her and Klaus' shoulder, perfectly sliding into the little circle they had made. Unlike everyone else, Grace was beaming, "My darlings, our time together is ending, but your lives are just beginning. It will be hard but try to be excited for this new chapter of your lives. It will all be okay." she comforted the teenagers. None of the siblings looked convinced, but they all smiled at Grace. The fact that she believed in them was enough to give them strength, even if it only lasted for a while.

The harsh clearing of a throat drew everyone's attention to the top of the stairs. There, stood Pogo and Reginald Hargreeves.

Their father, most likely a clone, though there was no way to ever know which one was the original, was wearing his signature three-piece suit but in a different color than yesterday and his monocle glinted harshly in the light of the afternoon.

Reginald stared down at them coldly and took a breath, "You have graduated from the academy. Congratulations. But this does not mean that you can slack off now. Your skills will give you an advantage in your entrance exams but make no mistake, you are a pitiful excuse compared to the average pro-hero. Learn from your schools, should you even be accepted. And remember this, if you manage to not get accepted into a single school in your chosen country, the Umbrella Academy will not allow you back here. I will financially provide for you until you are 18, as is required by law, but you will never be allowed back to this estate. Should you choose to reveal your origins at your schools, you will be viewed as representatives of the Academy. Do well to remember what is at stake here. That is all, you are dismissed."

Without any further words, Reginald turned and walked back, disappearing down the hallway he had come from. Grace's sigh from behind them was so quiet, it was almost imperceivable. The siblings turned and looked at each other, disappointed but not surprised by the final words that their adoptive father gave them. They all turned back to Pogo who had made his way down the stairs while Reginald was speaking and had reached them.

Pogo was the head butler in the manor, he was smart, diligent, and empathetic to the teenagers' situation while also obeying Reginald's words. He managed household affairs and student records, tedious things that Reginald deemed below him, so he passed them onto Pogo. The butler never took offense to this and he always completed each task swiftly and with great care. Pogo was the dream head butler any boss could ask for, though there was something different that separated him from the average butler.

Pogo was not human. In fact, he was a chimpanzee.