My New Hero

A Hero?

Hero. Such a small word for such a big thing.

Today, for the first time ever, someone called me a hero. I was bleeding and dirty and dazed from pain. To be honest, I didn't look heroic at all. But still, I was called a hero.

The boy Yuudai and I saved ended up being fine, thanks to the efforts of a woman that had a small horn and a soft voice. Apparently, she could reverse injuries, which was very helpful after the exams.

I sat patiently as she checked on all the students that seemed to be injured. I ended up being one of the last people being treated, not that I minded much; there were kids in worse conditions than me.

While I was waiting though, I saw a woman and man that looked starkly similar to the orange haired boy. The boy had the woman's eyes and the man's fiery hair. The woman seemed like she had been crying quite a lot while the man seemed to be barely holding it together.

I felt a spark of sympathy well up in my chest. A part of me wanted to approach them, but they seemed to beat me to it. They spotted and made a beeline for me.

At first, I thought they were going to be angry at me for not protecting him well enough to prevent him from sustaining such serious injuries or something like that. And when the man reached his hand up, it almost confirmed my suspicions and I flinched, expecting a strike from his hand. Instead, I got an awkward, but well-meaning, head pat.

Blinking, I looked up at him, surprised, to say the least. His face was an open book to me. I could tell he was trying to express his gratitude to me with those teary eyes of his, but he wasn't quite sure how.

The woman seemed to be more vocal and started to sob out 'thank yous'. Never in my life did I think I'd be in this situation. I would think about becoming a hero, but I never thought of this part of the process, especially recently. It just didn't seem right, it made no sense for someone to look at me so gently and full of gratitude.

I awkwardly tried to reassure her that I just did what anyone would do, it was a hero test, after all. But she wasn't having it, and instead said something that pierced me right through my very soul. "I couldn't care less if it was a hero test or not, you saved my boy; our world. You saved our world, and that makes you a hero to me."

Hero.

A hero.

"A hero, huh?" I whispered to myself. The words burned on my tongue, like a burning cole was shoved into my mouth. As if it wasn't meant to be a title for me to say about myself.

I couldn't get the words out of my head as I walked to my apartment. It echoed through my mind like it was an empty cave. Sighing, I shoved it down. I can think about it when I get home.

I walked on my sore and tired legs, carrying myself all the way to the apartment I lived in. Dragging myself through the door of the apartment building, I greeted my landlord who was sitting casually by the entrance.

His name is Ito and he's one of the best landlords I've had. In the past, when I haven't been able to make ends meet, he's been incredibly understanding of my odd situation. Occasionally, we'd have a nice chat over some tea.

He was an older fellow that didn't have any children, and whose wife had died a few years back, so I tried to make sure to check up on him, and he made sure to check up on me.

I believe he's the only one that I've really let get to know me that hasn't been my coworkers, though I have the habit of calling them family. In some ways, they truly are. They were the ones to help me get ready for the exam, after all.

When I was struggling to get enough money to get by, they took me in and taught me everything I know. And when I told them about my past wish to become a hero, they encouraged me to enroll in UA.

Even when I was heading to UA, my landlord wished luck and gave me a sweet little pep talk. In the past, I've had horrible experiences with landlords, and I had to jump from city to city to find work, but now I have a home where I can finally rest.

So I guess you can say we're friends of sorts.

"Hey Ito! I'm back from the exams!" I said with a smile on my face. Ito jumps from his seat, slightly startled, but also seemingly relieved to see me, "Jeez, Eden, don't scare me like that! I'll let it slide this time, I'm just glad to see you back in one piece."

"Aww, were you waiting for me, old man? Well, don't worry, I'm all right," I smile wider, teasing him a little. Leaning against the wall, I let out a sigh. I won't admit it, but it's nice to see a friendly face after such a long day. Although, I'm sure he knows; he's a perceptive old man.

He shakes his head, letting out a chuckle, "Now, now, respect your elders!"

I roll my eyes in playful boredom, like I'm getting a long, boring lecture.

"Would you like some tea?" He asks, "I've made it just how you like it, and I have a surprise for you as well." This piqued my interest, and the idea of some tea just sounded too welcoming to resist. "Sure, that sounds lovely."

...

The heavenly taste of the honey and herbal tea relaxes my sore muscles, I can't help but hum in satisfaction. What can I say, he's damn good at making tea; must be an old man thing. I snicker at my own thoughts, and I catch Itos face soften by my gentle laugh.

I pretend to not notice since I know he can get easily embarrassed when I point those kinds of things out. So instead, I started to prod him about what the surprise was. "So what's this magical surprise? Let me guess, another one of those funny smelling incense," I joke, even though I actually like the incense he gives me.

He just hums in response, telling me to be patient. After a minute of us just sitting in silence, sipping tea, I hear beeping from the kitchen. Ito quickly got up, looking excited. He cooked something for me, huh? I smiled at the thought of him trying to figure out how to cook something special.

When he came back, he placed down his creation proudly. Looking at the table, I realized it wasn't some Japanese meal, but instead a Russian classic; borscht. It's been two years since I've had any real Russian food. I couldn't afford something like that in Japan typically.

But looking at the food laid before me, it reminded me of the few times my mother would actually cook dinner for us instead of our chef. She could make a mean borscht, or at least she used too. It's not like I've tasted her cooking in years.

Jumping up from my seat, I hugged Ito tightly. "Thank you," I whispered. This surprised Ito a bit, causing him to stumble back. But, after a moment, he hugged back, smiling. "So I'm guessing you like it?" Ito said. I laughed, pulling away from the hug and sitting back down. "Yeah, I really do."

...

After we finished eating all we could stuff ourselves with, I started picking up my dirty dishes but Ito swatted me away. "Nono, I will clean the dishes, you should get some rest," he said.

I shook my head. "Stubborn as always, huh?" I could tell he cracked a smile through that strict, wrinkly face of his. I got up and walked to the door slowly, but just before I opened the door, some part of me stopped myself. "Am I really the heroic type, Ito?" I asked, the words slipping out of my mouth before I could stop them.

I heard the clinking of glass and silverware stop at my words. "I don't know what you mean by 'heroic', but I do know that you're a good kid; and a smart one at that," he said in a gentle tone.

A good kid? That was the last thing I was. "Thanks," I said curtly, twisting the doorknob and walking out before he could say anything else. "A good kid?" I said to myself. It left a bitter taste in my mouth after saying it. I wasn't a good kid. If anything, I was a runt with a will to survive... through any means necessary.

A part of me had given up on becoming a hero long ago. So why was I here? Why do I keep going?

It was a fire. A fire that kept me going. It told me that no matter what, I was going to drag the ugliness down with me. All of it.

The title of hero didn't fit. Not yet, at least. Not to me.