"Don't let me go."
"Don't worry, I won't ever let you go. I promise."
Ikari's scar is the first thing that people notice. And it drives them away, since it is the symbol of her father, one of the most feared villains of all time... before he died.
...
"Maybe I do like him. What if I do like him? He doesn't deserve to be with a scumbag like you."—Hebinoya Ikari
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*warning: this chapter contains bullying
POV—Hebinoya Ikari
Alliance Pt 2
Don't let me go.
When I was young, Father taught me to hate heroes.
Look at them, he said.
Sitting atop their thrones like kings, while we suffer in the dark.
Be like me, Ikari.
And you'll be free.
Don't let me go.
Endeavor's agency is huge. Looming above us like a faux villain, the skyscraper casts a shadow over us as Alessia and I walk in. The doors automatically slide open. Burnt paper singes my nose, making me wrinkle it in distaste. Unlike the air conditioned space in Alessia's lobby, this one is sweltering hot. Dozens of others— interns, assistants, sidekicks— rushes around us, each possessing some kind of fire Quirk. They don't greet us. Some stop to eye us warily as we approach the front desk.
Alessia exchanges a few words with the receptionist.
"Head to the topmost floor through the elevator to your right. You'll find Endeavor's office there," the receptionist directs. We both thank her.
Alessia guides me to the elevator, where we step into it with two other people. I uncomfortably pick at my nails, agitated by the small space. Other than the jazzy elevator music, the ride is silent. A sweat bead slides down my face. I fan my cheeks, still unused to the heat.
The humiliation I had suffered yesterday is still freshly burnt into my mind. I'm unsure if I'll ever recover from such a failure. Not only did I let the villain escape, I only caused more problems for Alessia. She hasn't spoken a word to me since, and that just adds to my rapidly mounting guilt.
I eye her once more, silently begging her to say something, but her steely eyes stay forward.
The two people accompanying us get off at two different floors. I wait until the elevator chimes for the third time. I step out, faced with large wooden doors. Alessia sighs again, finally giving me a small glance, and says,
"Work your hardest."
"Yes, ma'am."
She raps on the door. It swings open, Shoto behind it, and I have to stop myself from grinning stupidly, no matter how bad I feel.
