Burnt to Ashes - Kenichi Todoroki

Maxwell's Origin

I sat in the front seat of my dad's car as we silently drove home. He didn't look to happy to pick me up from school, and he had never picked me up before..

"Your mom decided to neglect her motherly duties today." He started. "I married this woman so she could actually be useful to me and take care of the kids she thought we should've had. Take one thing from this, Max, never ever listen to a woman's opinion. They're all blinded by emotions and what they think is right, but a woman is never right."

I stayed silent.

"This is the only reason I'm glad you're a boy now, because your idiot brothers would just nag and nag and nag and defend women. At least you're going to hell for a good reason." He continued. "It's your mother's fault, messing with your head like this, making me do this, a woman's job. Giving you all these messed up ideas about gender roles while your brain is still loose and stupid."

Silence.

"If you become a faggot later in life, it's not my fault." He went on. "But I won't see you in hell. I'll be up in Heaven with the lord, looking down on you and that.. that snake, what's its name?"

"Naga.." I said.

"Yeah, that thing." He said. "You don't talk much for a kid related to your mother. When I first met her and her mom— your grandma —they both talked my ear off the entire time! It's one thing for a woman to talk a lot, but when she's voicing her shitty opinions and morals while doing it, you know she's a pain in the ass. And it was mostly your grandma, I would've killed your mom by now if she talked as much as her mom did."

I stared at my dad blankly.

"No really!" He hissed. "Your grandma talked herself to death; literally. She got killed by talking to one of those quirk-abusing criminals into not killing her, which is the stupidest thing I've ever heard. If I was at the scene, as a hero you're supposed to take care of them quick and not let anyone get hurt, but the heroes today are just attention seeking fucks who are there for the fame and fortune. It's truly pathetic."

My dad pulled up to the house and got out the car. I followed him into the house and immediately froze when I saw my mom sitting on the couch, waiting expectantly. I didn't want to be in the middle of any argument, so I immediately ran to the kitchen to feed Naga, keeping a close eye on the conversation.

"What? Why are you just eyeing me down like that? Expecting something else from me?" My dad asked. "Well I picked up your child when I was very much busy, and you knew that his school was forever away!"

"He is your fucking kid too!" My mom snapped. "He was made with your sperm, he's your kid!"

"And he has your genetics! That snake of his who's always eating our food, messing everything up, and the reason why I have to waste my time, gas, and money at that dumb school-"

"Oh, so you're blaming genetics now?" My mom hissed. "I don't even know anyone in my family with that quirk, it's an alien! It's not supposed to be here!"

I could hear Naga hiss and curl her neck, which put me into panic mode. "Naga, shh, it's okay.."

"Oh enough with the hissing!" My dad yelled from the living room. "If you don't control that thing I'm beating your ass and I'm killing it!"

"I don't know how!" I said. "She understands you, if you weren't being mean to her-"

"Oh for gosh sake." My dad stomped towards me and grabbed Naga by the throat. My eyes widened as I could see Naga's eyes grow orange like mine.

"Stop it!" I shrieked. "Dad, stop!"

My siblings came into the living room and watched my dad choke Naga to death. I felt as if I couldn't breathe and I fell to my knees as if my dad was choking me instead.

He glared at me and let go of Naga. "What the hell?"

Naga slithered around my neck as I was still coughing and I felt her fang's dig into the back of my neck, right into my vocal cords. It didn't hurt as much as I thought it would, but I quickly realized my body was under her control.

"Run."

Naga pulled her fangs out and I watched as she grew into a bigger snake and charged towards my dad.

"WHAT THE FUCK?" Naga slithered up my dad, and though he tried to fling her off, she bit my dad right in the neck and his esophagus exploded.

"NAGA STOP!" I yelled panicked.

She didn't stop.

I ran after her as she tried to get my mother, and I tried pulling her but she whacked me into a wall. My mom shrieked and screamed and tried getting away, but she fell to the ground without being touched by Naga. I could hear my siblings screaming in another room too.

Was this.. a nightmare?

My consciousness started to fade in and out and I held my head. I could see her eating my dad's stomach. I reached my hand out in an effort to say stop, but I fell to the ground, unconscious.

"I'm going to hell, Izora!" I cried into her chest. "I'll never be forgiven!"

"I think you can be forgiven, it wasn't your fault." She comforted.

I was sent to my grandparents to live after the accident. I had to call 911 on myself and they tried taking Naga, but I had to explain to them that she was apart of my quirk and we couldn't be separated.

Now I'm in confinement with supervision from my school.

I was never going to be forgiven for what I did. Izora wouldnt understand, she doesn't even know anything about god. My grandparents are even sure I'm going to be sent to hell.

This is all Naga's fault!

And as time passed, sins only started to pile up. Every mistake I made, every time I would miss a prayer and fall asleep, and then I realized I liked men..

I wish I wasn't born like this. I wish I was normal.

This is all Naga's fault.

I knew everyone's future. I knew everyone's thoughts. I could do anything I wanted with Naga's help, but I always had a resentment towards Naga. I couldn't even hate her because I shouldn't hate anyone. The Bible said so.

I hate that stupid Bible.

And I hate Naga.

And I hate Maxwell.

But I loved Nora.