The Hellfire Child

Chapter 7

(You're 27 and Enji is 8 going on 9)
//2 years later\\

August 8

Ever since you woke up you've been filled with energy, hope, and the feeling you get when your proud of someone else's accomplishments. You got prepared for your day of hero work with a spring in your step and a smile spread across your face. Your eyes had a sparkle in it and today you wanted to push yourself to the limit. You wanted to try harder than ever before, but... when you looked at the calendar on the fridge you realized it's best not to go into work today. The hope filled smile turned into a gentle smile as you looked at the date.

Your little boy turns 9 today. You rummage through the cabinets and through the fridge trying to figure out a special breakfast. In the end, you weren't very successful in figuring out a special breakfast so you make the traditional bacon, eggs, toast, and cut up fruit on the side; you make it with extra love and a side of good fortune.

When breakfast is done you set the food down on the table and walk into Enji's room and sneak over to his bed, gently shaking him.

You speak softly but loud enough for him to wake up, "Good morning Birthday boy." To which you receive a groan.

"Just a little longer Mama."

"I made breakfast."

"But you always make breakfast."

This erks you a little bit, "Well it's different than usual."

Enji rolla over curious and rubbed his sleepy eyes then looks up at you, "How so Mama."

"Cause I made it with extra love and I'm going to stay home with you all day, it is the weekend after all."

Enji fully awake now, sits up quickly while smiling wide, "Mama never takes a day off!"

You smile because of his smile (and chuckle a little at his reaction). "Well it is your birthday after all so, of course I'd take a day off of my hero work. Nothing makes me more happy than to see you happy."

Enji climbs out of bed quickly and rushes to the living/dining room, he jumps onto his chair and sits there impatiently as you walk into the room and sit down on your chair like a normal person. Both of you give thanks for the food and begin to eat the "special" breakfast.

"How did you sleep last night?"

"I slept good last night Mama! I had a dream where villians were holding you hostage and I ran out of the classroom to go save you and I beat the villians butt and I became the youngest Hero and you made a big dinner and we moved into a house and got a dog and a cat and a large bird." As Enji rambled on about his dream with a spark in his eye and a smile spread across your face, you can't help but to be happy as your heart melts. Your little boy really, really, really wants to be a Hero but he already knows how hard the Hero world can be. Fear, that's what you fall a sleep with every night. Fear that you're not a good mother, fear that Enji isn't getting a proper childhood...fear that he's being exposed to the harsh world too soon. You shake it off quickly and continue listen to Enji's dream.

It's important to have dreams, they often tell you what you're worried about or what's on your mind. Dreams bring out your deepest desires.

"Do you know what the large bird was?" You ask with curiosity. Enji shook his head; "How about you describe it too me."

He sat there poundering for a bit and didn't touch his food, "It was big but not too big, it had brown, black, and I think a bit of white feathers, a brownish beak and...red wings?"

You chuckle, "It might have been a hawk, but hawks don't have red wings."

Enji grins and continues eating, "If it's a hawk then maybe one day I'll see a hawk with red wings, Mama!"

There it was again, that sparkle in his eyes. You smile happily and gently, "It's possible but if you do meet a hawk with red wings someday then I want you take a picture and show me."

"I don't think I'll take a picture to show you." Enji frowns.

"Why?"

Enji then smiles tricking you with that frown making you thinm he was upset, "Cause you'll be with me when I see it Mama!"

You laugh, "You're right, cause you'll be a Hero by then!" He nods and then asks you if you could tell him a story of one of your missions.

You tell him about one of your first missions (when you didn't know you were pregnant with him, but you left out that part). It was a trip up to the mountains; there had been an avalanche. No one was lost or dead but hundreds were greatly injured. Many medic heroes were told to drop or finish up quickly what they were doing and go to the location. You explained the points of injuries and whether they were really bad or an easy fix up. What you didn't explain were things like "he had a compound facture at his deltoid tuberosity" and "her parietal had been depressed and she was rushed to the closest hospital as a result of brain damage and a broken skull". 

After the story and breakfast was done, Enji sat in front of the TV while you washed and put away the dishes. You listened to the kids cartoons and chuckled silently at the innuendos. You didn't really like having your child watching and hearing the innuendos, yet you knew he was still too young to understand them...and they were very vague.

While you were finishing up washing the last dish the background noise changes and you knew what was happening. You put the last dish away and dry your hands then walk out and sit on the couch. Enji is holding the remote changing the channel. He pouts and hands you the remote.

"Mama, I can't find the channel with heroes on it." You ruffle his bed head and smile then begin to press the numbers for the Hero News; that's when you saw it.

The area was burning, the sky was dark; it was footage they were showing of  an incident last night. The new Hero that debuted. Everyone was panicking yet staring in awe, you could hear the screams.

"W-what?! Who is this guy?! He's saved a hundred people and it hasn't even been 10 minutes! Wh-This is insane!"

A figure appears from behind the fallen over and burning bus; your eyes begin to brim with tears of joy as you cover your mouth and clutch the top of your sweater. You already knew who it was and you are filled with pride and joy at the sound of those words...

"I Am Here!"