My Old Hero

55: Been Through

Melissa had to sit outside for a second because she couldn't see her friend, Izumi, in pain. 

"Here." Emra said, handing her a water bottle. 

"Thanks, you seemed pretty calm watching that." Melissa said, grabbing the water bottle. 

"I've gotten used to seeing this kind of stuff, and I know exactly how it feels myself. Izumi is all I have left and I want to be the big sister she always wanted." Emra said. 

"What about your family? Your parents?" Melissa asked. 

"My father was arrested for illegal quirk trafficking before I was born. I haven't seen him, ever. My mother passed away in a car accident right before I got my own quirk. Though my mother does have some distant relatives that managed to raise me... I never considered them family." Emra said.

"Distant relatives?" 

"Ever heard of Gem Industries? My mom is related to the founders of that company. But my mom wanted to be a hero instead of a business woman, and my mom did become a hero at a young age. She became a professional hero at age 16, and everyone knew her in America. She retired from hero stuff after she got married and got pregnant with me. But after my mother died, my distant relatives 'took me in' and basically tried to raise me like I was a machine. I became a prodigy child when I was 10 because of how smart I was. I ended up graduating school at the age 13 and became a professional hero at 15. I was considered the youngest and most successful hero in America, but it didn't always stay like that." Emra said.

"What happened?" Melissa asked. 

"I'd rather not talk about it, I'm still recovering from it and still can't manage to speak about it." Emra said. 

"From what it sounds like, your family didn't really appreciate your talent and took advantage of you." Melissa said. 

"You're right about that." Emra said. 

"But wait- isn't Gem Industries founded in New England?" Melissa asked.

"Yeah, but some of my relatives moved to America to spread the business. I was a puppet for so long... I struggled with what it was like to have a real family. Then, Aunt Inko called me, and she asked me how I was. She said I was always welcome to come here if need be, and it made me feel safe. I would call Aunt Inko every night before I went to bed, and she would always tell me what Izumi did that day. Because of how much she told me Izumi wanted to be a hero, it's what inspired me to try and be a hero too. Though I wasn't a hero that long, I still enjoyed being one, it was thrilling and drove me to prove more for myself. But after I quit being a hero... I didn't talk to Aunt Inko for a while... not until I got a call one day that Izumi tried to commit suicide by jumping off a 10 story building." Emra said.

"W-What- Izumi never told me that!!!" 

"She hasn't told a lot of people for reasons, reasons being that she is afraid to talk about. It can sometimes cause her mentality to go in shock and can't think straight. Luckily, Izumi told her mom that she wanted to move to America to finish high school, and I volunteered to take care of her right away. Izumi was depressed for a very long time, and then Kendra appeared and made Izumi's depression fade into nothing. That's why I'm thankful to Kendra, she was there when I felt like I couldn't help Izumi. But when I heard that Dynamite has been bothering her a bit recently, I wasn't sure if that was alright. I want Izumi to be safe, and Dynamite is not the kind of person that does that. Though I don't know what Dynamite has gone through, and I don't care, he's not the person that Izumi should be around to be considered healthy and safe." Emra said.

The door opened and Izumi came out with her right arm in a sling. 

"How're you feeling, Izumi?" Emra asked.