Future (MHA Fanfic)

Chapter 4 - Time

(Picture above is Yosuke - Don't Own)

Annika POV

Holding Shimura's hand, pinky out, we head over to the hero agency. As soon as we stepped in, Shimura's eyes darts everywhere, looking at the heroes walking by us. I greeted a few, and they did the same, smiling down at the memorized boy.

Walking into the elevator, I click the button, making it glow. Going up to the 7th floor, I walk by, smiling at the other heroes that rush by us. Heading down the hallway, I knock on the door. Hearing a faint come in I open the door, meeting the gaze of Yosuke and another hero.

He smiles at me and stands, "Annika."

Walking over to me, he pulls me into a warm hug. During my time as a hero, I would often travel to heal other heroes in need of my assistance. At the time Yosuke was on duty, his time off turned to work, and I ended up healing him during one of my trips to Japan. We quickly became friends, and he helped me settle in Japan when I first moved here.

Now he sends me reports on major crime or unfortunate accidents related to villains, so I stay in the loop with the hero world. Seeing Shimura, he smiles, "Hey there."

Shimura hides behind my legs making me chuckle, "It's ok Shimura, he's a friend of mine." Shimura speaks up, "Hello."

Yosuke smiles at him; the other hero in the room introduces himself, probably a sidekick. Showing off his quirk, he talks with Shimura, even though the little boy is exchanging little to no words. The man was just a talker, so Shimura listened. Turning to Yosuke, he asks, "So who's the kid?"

I answer truthfully, "Tenko Shimura."

His eyes widen, "The one from-"

I nod, "Yes, I've had him for a couple of weeks. Pure coincidence, really, found him in an ally all alone, so I brought him in. It was the same day I got the file, and I made the connection. His quirk is Decay; it gives him the power to turn everything to dust within seconds of touching it. I've trained him a bit, so he's able to control it better than before."

Yosuke process my words, "Does he know?"

I sigh, "He might not remember as a whole, but I think he's been having nightmares about the whole ordeal. I would hear him call out his family, crying. I assume there, you know."

He nods, "Yeah, all of them. His quirk is powerful, that's for sure; it must have manifested during a burst of strong emotions. You said you you've been training him a bit?"

I nod, smiling a bit, "He wants to be a hero when he grows up, so I taught him out to tame his quirk. We practice every day; he's warmed up to me a lot."

Looking at the board boy, I feel a sense of warmth spread through me. "Annika?"

I turn to him, "I want him to stay with me; I feel like it would do him good."

"Are you sure? This is a lot, especially with his past."

I nod, "I know I can handle it; I see a lot of potential in him."

Yosuke sighs before rubbing the back of his neck, "Consider it done; I'll send you the paperwork when everything goes through. With your background and quirk, you may be the best for the job."

Bow politely, "Thank you so much."

"No problem. Saburo, leave the poor kid alone."

Saburo turns and nods sheepishly, "Sorry, boss."

Smiling at Shimura, I hold out my hand for him to take. Giving my final farewells, we head back, picking up some sweets to celebrate on our way back. "So, did you like the agency? Sorry, Saburo was taking an ear full."

Shimura nods, "I liked it."

Seeing the smile on his face, I look forward, "One day, you'll be in your own agency, with sidekicks, taking down bad guys left and right."

Meeting Shimura's soft red eyes, he nods, smiling so cutely. He's really going to be the death of me!

Making it back, I place the sweets down, heading over to the kitchen to get us some milk. Seeing Shimura staring off into space, I tap his shoulder, "Shimura?"

Surprised , he pushes my hand, a thin layer of skin slowly crumbs. I bite my tongue to hold back a yelp; Shimura falls back, shocked. Scared, tears fall from his eyes as he starts mumbling under his breath. Sitting in front of him, I give him a soft smile, "It's ok, Shimura, look."

Looking down at my red hand, I pull out the other, activating my quirk; a green light glows as the skin regenerates to its former glory. I show him, "See! Good as new."

He starts to calm down a bit, stroking his hair, "I'm sorry for startling you."

His mumbles become a bit audible as more tears spill from his eyes, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to. I'm sorry, I'm sor-"

Cutting him off, I pull him into a warm hug, "It's ok, it was an accident, and I'm all healed up, no harm done." Gripping onto my shirt, he continues to cry; I rub his back gently. Looking up he sniffles, I smile down at him, "Want some sweets? I already got the milk."

Rubbing his eye gently, he nods, setting him down beside me on the couch; we snack on the soft cookies, watching hero interviews. Shimura falls asleep after finishing his milk; picking him up, I tuck him in. Stroking his hair before turning on his various nightlights and heading to the living room to clean up.

Washing the dishes, I hum to myself, knowing it will take time for his wounds to heal. But I know deep in my bones that he'll be the best hero this world has to offer.