My Hero Academia: Advent of Rogue Hero [Future AU] [Open FF]

Chapter 3: Agony

Song: Liberations -Johannes Bornlof

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"Darling! What are you doing?!" I could hear mom cry from across the house, shaking me from my slumber. The bitter scent of smoke struck my nostrils and sent me into a rough coughing fit. What is going on?! I wondered, and my heart crashed against my chest furiously. Flames audibly crackled around the house, and I stumbled across the floor to get to the source of my mother's pained whimpering and screaming.

The air was hot and musty, and I could barely breathe with all the smoke. My eyes watered painfully. "Mommy?! Daddy?!" I cried out and doubled over as my lungs tried to hack themselves up.

"Sweetie, stay where you are!" mom called out, her voice shaky and strained. I didn't listen. Despite my heaving chest, I trundled onwards through the smoke to my parents' room, and screamed out loud when I saw the scene unfold before me.

Dad struck out at mom with a blade of blazing, red ice, and while she dodged most of the weapon, it struck her back, right between her shoulders and seemed to strike something vital, as she collapsed in a useless heap against the carpet as flames roared around them.

"Dad!" I screamed at him, and he turned to glare at me - his eyes were dark, red and emotionless. He began to stride towards me, deadly blade in hand, his wife paralysed and bleeding out behind him. I knew he was going to kill me too, this was it-

"Stay out of this," was all he grumbled to me as he pushed past me and left the room. I could hear a loud crash as he broke down the front door and left the building. I rushed to mom and hugged her tight as I cried her name into her shoulder.

Those four words stuck with me ever since - he didn't want me to stop him, and he knew I couldn't even if I tried.

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Jinke's eyes eased open, golden sunset light flittering through his eyelashes and into his retinas. He lifted a hand to block out the blazing light and groaned groggily. What happened to him? He winced as pain sprouted all across his body, almost every inch roaring with agony.

"Oh, shit..." he grumbled, and yelped in pain as he was jostled around suddenly.

"Oh, crap, sorry about that, Jinke," a soothing voice echoed from beside him. He looked to his right and saw a head of shoulder-length, neat-cut black hair. Mrs. Mado, seated at the wheel of the car. "You're finally awake, huh?" Jinke groaned in response. "Good, good. I thought Nigaita had knocked you out cold." She sighed and pulled into a parking spot on the side of the road. "Jin, what happened out there?"

It took him a moment to gather up the pieces of his scattered mind, but eventually they formed semi-coherent thoughts. "I- well, Nigaita- I mean I-" It was difficult to speak through his swollen lip and cheek. He stopped talking when he saw the exasperated, but concerned expression plastered on Mado's features. "I'm sorry Mrs. Mado-"

"Jinke, I told you this, when we're out of school, you can call me Maki," she scoffed and flicked Jinke lightly against the forehead, the one spot he wasn't sore.

Maki's been friends with mom ever since I brought her in for a parent-teacher day at school, and she's kinda been like a second mom to me at school and on field trips. Always has to clean up after the messes I make.

"Right, sorry Maki. Nigaita... told me not to try for the U.A. entrance exam." He waited for a response, but her expression was blank.