I'll Be Your Hero

Chapter 6: For Eiko

Mistress stood on the other end of the alleyway, a fight strategy already on her mind.
Knowing she would need it, she turned on her gloves, which shone a bright shade of electric green that clashed well with her black outfit.
She aimed her fists at Takahashi. "Put her down." She demanded. "It's either she drops or your dead body does."

"I'd rather die a painful ass death than return her to you, you monster." Takahashi spat, knowing full well that each insult her threw at her just raised his chances of getting killed. "Besides, I know you wouldn't shoot, I have your daughter with me. I can just use her as a human shield and protect me from you."

These words made Eiko frantic. She struggled and shook in place, trying to break free from Takahashi but with each movement his grip got tighter.

"So you're out of luck," the sky, cunning man continued. "I have your kid, and an easy way out. You've got nothing."

He turned around to leave, only to be shot in the back of his right shoulder by a plasma bullet launched by Mistress. He fell to the ground, yet somehow managed to continue shielding the child and protecting her from her mother, who began slowly walking toward them.

"Nothing, my ass." Mistress spat. Before her hand could touch the man, she flipped to his back and shot her. He missed, as she was quick enough to move to the side before the bullet hit her. It was so close, she could feel the wind behind it brush against her cheek and hair.

She kicked him in the crotch, but he was quick enough to shoot her again, this time she narrowly missing, causing a scratch to be made on Mistress' pants.
He got to his feet, put his hands on her shoulders and hit her head as hard as he could with his. She almost fell backward, but was able to shoot a couple plasma bullets at him. She missed.

Takahashi took the child and tried to run away, but Mistress caught him by the back of his coat and pinned him to the wall, the plasma right next to his neck, threatening to kill him.

"Last words, rat?" She asked him slyly.
Takahashi said nothing. All he did was let go of the little girl and push her quickly to let her know she could escape now. To his surprise, Mistress didn't even notice.

Just as she was about to shoot him, she felt something soft on her lower back. It was fingertips, tiny, soft fingertips.

Within seconds, Mistress was suddenly turned into a blowfish. Spikes emerged from her skin and body, ripping her into a mix of bloody pieces. Blood splattered onto Takahashi, onto the ground, the wall, and of course, on Eiko.

"Eiko..." Takahashi's tone was soft and gentle. He knelt down to wipe the blood of the wide-eyed girl's face. "Are you o-"
"I killed her," she said. "I killed my mommy! I killed her! I'm no better than her! I kill people!"
"You did it out of self-defence, you had t-" Takahashi tried to calm her down.
Eiko started to wonder if she should've listened to her mother in the first place. Maybe if she didn't escape, Mistress would still be alive. But to what? To ruthlessly murder whoever came in her way? To slaughter her victims mercilessly as she fed o. Their screams for help? To overuse Eiko's Quirk for her own well-being?

Eventually, police came into the scene. Takahashi explained it all, and once he was proven guilty, he as well as Dabi and several, but not all, of Mistress's bodyguards and workers were arrested for several accounts of murder and human trafficking. The traumatised Eiko was sent to a mental hospital for a while, just so her trauma can die down and she could get the proper medical treatment for her mental health.

Every visiting day, Eiko would visit Takahashi in prison. She would tell him about what was going on in school and how she's been getting better with each passing day.

"You know, little Eiko," he said one day. "Despite being who I am, doing what I do, and being here right now, I guess we can both agree that, on that day I became your hero."