My Hero Academia: Split Path

Chapter 3: Stranger

The mother and son arrive home to see Henso's car pull up in the driveway behind them. The sight fills the boy with nervous excitement, knowing that his father had gone to take a look at the lab that would give him a quirk. "Hey, Saki. Sora." The officer smiles to them both, kissing his wife on the cheek and ruffling his son's hair. "Henso? You seem...happy?" Saki squints at the man, unsure of what to make of the man's giddy attitude. "Dad! Dad! Did you go? Did you!?" Henso gazes down at the boy as he jumps up and down at his side. Picking the boy up in his arms, he begins walking towards the house. "Come on. Let's have lunch and I'll tell you why I'm in such a good mood." While Saki is still confused about her husbands mood, she complies, following behind them into the house.

A short time passes and the smell of freshly cooked food fills the dining room. The mother and son pair take a seat at the table as Henso places their meals before them. The scent catches their attention immediately, causing the young boy to salivate and Saki to let out an audible gulp. "Henso, where did you learn to cook like this?" The officer lets a short chuckle escape his mouth. "I guess I have a few tricks left in me." The father of one sits at the head of the table, waiting patiently for his family to begin eating. "Well? Eat up." The family complies, partaking in a meal that transcends their understanding. The moment the steaming meal touches their tongues, time seems to slow down as they complete their meal in record time.

Sora lets out a small burp before quickly covering his mouth with both hands. "S-Sorry." He quickly apologises, expecting to be reprimanded for his poor table manners. To the boy's surprise however, Henso lets out a loud burp of his own. "Don't worry about it, Sora. burping just means you enjoyed it." Saki stares at the two males, flabbergasted by the exchange. "Anyway, now that we've finished eating, I've got some news I think you'll like." Henso leans forward, a smile on his face as he reaches into his pocket. He withdraws the familiar, rectangular card and places it down on the table. "You went to look?" "I did." The moment the words left his father's mouth, the little, black haired boy sits at attention, a sparkle in his wide eyes. "Everything seems to be in order. It's safe, the people there have the proper credentials and they're all much smarter than I could ever hope to be. Sora won't even be the first one they've helped." By this point, the officer had gained his family's full attention. "People from all walks of life. You should have seen the looks on their faces when they were testing out their quirks."

Sora almost leaps out of his chair in excitement. "So does that mean I can get a quirk!?" Henso chuckles at the sight of his excited child. "Yeah. It looks that way." Hearing the good news, Sora lets out a squeal before hopping down from the table and running over to his father, almost tripping on the way. "Be careful, Sora. No running in the house, remember?" "S-Sorry, Mum..." Sora looks towards the ground for a moment in shame before remembering why he was so excited. He walks at a fast pace the rest of the way to his father and hugs him without warning. "I love you, Dad!" The words, though muffled by his father's embrace, Strike a chord with Saki, finally bringing a warm smile to her face. Perhaps their family was not doomed to fail after all.

                                 ~~~~~

That night, within the dilapidated lab used by Danzo and his oddball workers, the man in question stands over a group of men and women working tirelessly at their computers. He gazes over their shoulders as they file reports on complicated genetic makeup. The most ambitious man in the room and he barely understands an iota of the intricacies involved in their work. His mere presence however, lit a spark under the workers behinds. They all know about his quirk. They have seen it in action. Someone would be caught slacking, make a mistake in their work or otherwise annoy their boss and they would be called to his office, not unlike a school student is called upon by their principal; they were terrified. Any who were called upon would come back later as an entirely different person. As though their mind, their very personality had been rewritten.