Villain or Hero...?

Chapter 21: M E M O R I E S

Nothingsness.

Or, was it?

It was black, no white, no red?

Huh?

Was it an alley or was it a lab? Where was he?

Why was there blood?

There was no blood in his memories, he had never seen it except for small wounds, right?

Why were the walls full of blood?

Where was he?

Who was he?

His memories were a blur.

W h a t h a p p e n e d?

H i s w i f e a n d d a u g h t e r w a i t e d f o r h i m a t h o m e , r i g h t ?

N o , t h a t w a s n ' t r i g h t . . . h e h a d n o w i f e , n o t a n y m o r e , s h e d i e d b y t h e h a n d s o f s o m e h e r o . . .

No, wait, he wasn't even married?

What was happening?

The scenery changed.

There, in the middle of the room, stood two men. "Hello...?" asked Izuku as he stood still on the spot.

Both of their heads immediately snapped to him. Short brown hair and green eyes, mid-length black hair and dark blue eyes.

"You damn brat..! IT'S YOUR FAULT I DIED A POINTLESS DEATH!" A lifeless body in an alley.

"Was my death really necessary...?" Blank, dead eyes.

"I JUST WANTED TO SURVIVE, YOU STUPID SHIT!" I didn't want to kill you..

"I know that you didn't really have a say in this, but..." I'm sorry...

"DO YOU KNOW WHAT YOU DID BACK THEN, HUH?!" I-I know! I didn't know...

"I will never see them again, right...?" I am so sorry....

"YOU KILLED ME! KILLED ME!" I KNOW!

"I know that you're not at fault. I can't help but be sad though..." It really wasn't my intention...

"AND YET YOU ACT LIKE NOTHING HAPPENED!" He's right...

"I really loved them. My wife. My little daughter." I'm so sorry! I'm sorry! Please forgive me!

"THAT WASN'T NECESSARY!" I KNOW!!!!! But, I would've been killed if I hadn't killed you...

"It would've been nice to say bye to them. That I'm sorry. But..." Forgive me! Please forgive me!

"ROT IN HELL, YOU FUCKING PIECE OF SHIT!" I...

"I forgive you." But can I forgive myself...?

"I WILL NEVER FORGIVE YOU!" I know...

"It's your fault." said a new voice from behind him and he immediately turned around. "You killed them and like Yuudai said, acted like nothing happened."

Izuku stared incredulous at himself. "Wha...?"

"Don't you care about that one bit?"

"N-NO, I-I–"

"You don't care that they died because of you, admit it." interrupted the second Izuku and glared at the original. "I mean, why would you, right?" he said, now smiling. "Your success was guaranteed the moment you were born. You don't even need to try." His smile took on a malicious edge. "What's one less pawn in your game, am I right?"

Tears gathered in his eyes as he saw bits of the hero's live.

The air hero, AirCraft... Sugita Ryoichi. One wife, one daughter. Parents deceased. No other relatives.

{"Daddy, daddy! Can you tell me stories about your work again?!"

A laugh. "Gladly, my little princess."}

{"Hey, would you mind making dinner tonight? I wanted to go out with Stephanie," said a woman in her early-thirties.

"No, I don't mind at all. I'm free today and you need to relax once in a while too."}

{"MOM! I GOT MY HERO LICENSE!"

"That's great, Ryoichi! I'm sure that you're going to be a great hero!"}

{"M-Mom...? D-Dad...? W-What...?" He stared at the dead bodies of his mother and father.}

{"I WILL NEVER FORGIVE YOU! FIRST YOU TAKE THE LIFE OF MY MOTHER AND FATHER AND NOW YOU WANT TO 'CHANGE SOCIETY'? ARE YOU COMPLETELY INSANE?"

"That was an accident. 'Can't blame us for that forever."

"AN ACCIDENT?!"

"I must say that I am rather impressed that you found us."

"YOU WILL NOT CONTINUE THIS!"

"Hey, Alternate? Is he useful or not? I wanna go back and sleep."

"Nope, completely useless. Let's kill him!"

"Alternate, please refrain from making such rash decisions–" The person's eyes widened.

"Brother?" He turned to Ryoichi. "YOU BASTARD!" And lunged at him.}

{Two men and a child came into the room. "Do you want to try it alone?" Try what?

"He tried to kill one of our men" Was that his end? He would die here, right? Just because he was so dumb as to walk in there alone because of stupid revenge. "Izuku please, we need to look what your quirk can do – It can still be different than mine" What were they talking about?

He looked at the child. 'Izuku' looked outright terrified and came slowly toward him.

Yep, that was his end. The child would kill him. But the child looked like he didn't want to do it, so could Ryoichi be mad at him?

"I'm so sorry," mouthed the child and Ryoichi knew it was over.

His daughter and wife would be left all alone. He wanted to say sorry, apologize for dying pathetically, dirtying their name like that. What a great hero he is.

Ryoichi closed his eyes. He didn't dare open his eyes now.

Then there was pain and he screamed, desperately clawing on his bindings, trying to get free, trying to get out of this hell, this pain, it was like nothing else he ever experienced before. He screamed and screamed and screamed, but the pain didn't subside.

I'm sorry, he thought as he lost consciousness, dying in immense pain.}

"And remember, even if they forgive you, even if you seem to forgive yourself, I will never."

He woke up, screaming.

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