Chapter Text
“Oh help me.” Nao whimpered into her hands with a smile, acting like she was crying into her hands in fear. “There are so many villains here.”
“Don’t worry, damsel! We are here!” Tenko and Hana cheered in unison as they ran into the room, punched the air a bit and then struck a pose.
“We have defeated all the villains, civilian! You’re safe now.” Hana said proudly as her younger brother nodded.
“Oh thank you, heroes. I already feel much safer.” The mother laughed, only for her to see Kotaro behind their children, glaring at them before coughing in his fist, drawing their attention towards him as well.
“Didn’t I tell you two to stop with this hero nonsense?” The man asked with an annoyed look. Seeing this, the Shimura siblings’ smiles immediately fell.
“Sorry, papa.” They sighed as they removed the blankets they used as capes, looking utterly defeated.
“…*sigh* You two wanted a dog right?” The father asked, causing his children's faces to light up again.
“Yes, papa!”
“Well I’ve given it some thought and if you two promise to take good care of them, we can go to the pound for a small dog.”
“Thank you papa!” The siblings cheered as they ran to get their coats, leaving Kotaro with his wife.
“So we’re getting a dog now.” Nao asked with a passive aggressive smile.
“I’m sure Hana and Tenko are responsible enough for a dog.”
“Are you sure you’re not just distracting them so they won’t play hero games?”
“…Do you want to come too or not?”
“Kotaro, we’re back.” Nao called out as she folded her umbrella. “Tenko, Mon, don’t forget to use the doormat.”
“Yes momma.” The little boy mumbled as he wiped his mud covered boots on the mat before putting them in the shoe rack.
“Welcome back, you two. Did you enjoy your walk, Mon?” Kotaro asked as Hana went to pet their corgi.
“Yes papa, we even saw,” Tenko began enthusiastically, only to stop himself, something Kotaro caught onto.
“You saw what?” The man asked skeptically as his son looked at his feet. “I asked you something, Tenko.”
“We just saw some heroes, Kotaro. We watched for a bit until we could move on.” Nao sighed as she urged Tenko towards his room.
Where he could hide Crust’s autograph.
“Tenko! Have you been inside my study?!” Kotaro yelled at his son, who was playing in the backyard with Mon.
“N-no!” The five year old stuttered in terror.
“Don’t lie to me, Tenko!”
“It was Hana’s idea! W-we’re sorry-BAM!” As Tenko tried to apologize, his father slapped him across the face.
“I told the two of you to never enter my study-SLAP!” Just as Kotaro was about to continue scolding Tenko, Nao ran out of the house and slapped her husband across the face before standing in front of Tenko.
“Keep your hands off my son!” Nao screamed before turning to her boy. “Tenko sweetie, go inside to your sister.”
“B-but momma.”
“Inside, Tenko.” The brunette ordered sternly as it became clear to Tenko that his parents wanted to talk alone. So like a good boy, he ran inside straight into Hana’s arms with Mon following him.
Now that the children were gone, Nao turned back to Kotaro.
“He’s just a child, Kotaro. Couldn’t you just have let it slide for once. Or just explain it to him and Hana. I’m sure they would have understood.” Nao pleaded with a pained facial expression.
“I told them not to go into my study and what did they do? Go into my study. It’s a simple rule they should know how to follow.”
“They’re children! With how big and important you make your study sound, Tenko and Hana were probably just curious!” Nao yelled furiously. “And this whole no hero rule has gotten out of hand!”
“It’s for their own good.” Kotaro growled as he stomped off. But then, his wife spoke up again .
“Take one more fucking step towards them and I swear to god, I’m taking Hana and Tenko. Because right now, you are not the man I loved!” The brunette mother yelled as tears ran down her face. Kotaro meanwhile stared at her with widened eyes. “For once in your life, think how your issues has affected our family.”
“…I’m going for a stroll.” The black haired man grumbled as he walked towards the porch before turning around. “I’ll apologize to Tenko after I’m back.”
“Not man enough to do it right now?” Nao growled, only for her husband to ignore her as he walked onto the sidewalk.
“Hana, are momma and papa done with arguing yet?” Tenko muttered as he hid with his older sister behind the couch.
“No, Tenko. They're still going at it
“I'm not sure. I don’t see papa anymore.” Hana muttered before turning to Tenko. “Why did you have to take that photo instead of just putting it back?”
“Father looked happy in it. So I wanted to show it to make him happy again.” Her less than one year younger brother mumbled. “But I didn’t have the time.”
“Well he sure isn’t happy right now.” Hana growled as she looked over the couch, trying to see where Kotaro went. At the same time, Tenko made himself as small as possible before he furiously began scratching his eyes.
“Why doesn’t he just be nice to us? I apologize so it should be alright, right?” The little boy groaned as his sister continued listening. “I…hate…him. I hate dad for yelling at us. I hate that he hits him. I hate that he scares mom and makes her cry. I HATE IT ALL!” The boy roared as he tried to get up. But as soon as he touched the floor, the itching decreased as the room began to break.
As soon as Mon turned into dust, Hana ran out of the house, right into her mom outside. “Momma, something is wrong with Tenko!” She cried. “He killed Mon.”
“…Hana, I need you to go find your dad. He can’t be far from here. So just follow the sidewalk.” She had to sent Hana away, because this could get ugly. So once Hana left the garden, Nao ran into the house. “Tenko! Where are you?!” She yelled as her body slowly fell apart. Once she found her son, whose hair had turned blue, most of her toes and fingers were gone as her left arm was already shorter than her right one. “Tenko, what's going on?”
Instead of answering her, Tenko began to vomit as Nao looked around the room. There was dust everywhere, with parts of Mon laying in a puddle of blood.
“M-m-momm-ma…it hurts!” Tenko screamed as Nao had to act quickly. But what could she do?
Hug her baby. Make him feel safe, protected and calm so he could stop his quirk. So she got up and pulled him into a hug. “Try breathing in and out, baby. Can you do that?” Nao asked as her legs fell off. “It’s going to be alright, Tenko. I love you so much.”
As she whispered sweet words into his ears, Tenko slowly but surely calmed down as the decay stopped.
And Nao was fading fast.
“M-Momma!” Tenko screamed as he hugged his mom. “Someone! Help us! Please!” He pleaded as his dying mother didn’t let go of him.
“I’m…sorry…sweetie…I never…stop..him.” Nao apologized with a strained voice. “I ... .was a…terrible ... .mother.”
“Stop it!” Tenko screamed through his tears as Nao just smiled. “Help us! Someone! Heroes!” Tenko continued as he softly got out of Nao’s grip, accidentally breaking off her other arms. “N-No,”
“It’s alright, sweetie..” Nao said with a pained smile. “Accidents…happen..”
“But!”-“ But nobody came to save you two. ”
Tenko turned around to see a tall man with a black hat and suit. The man grinned down at the boy and his dying mom before speaking again as he extended his hand. “Clearly, you two have met a terrible fate. But I’ll help you.”
That was the last thing Nao heard before going to the light, at rest because someone was willing to help her babies.
But just as she was about to enter the light, she heard the mysterious man’s voice again. “ Don’t worry, Tenko, your mother is going to make it through..technically. ”
Not in her wildest nightmares did Nao expect that he meant he would turn her into a zombie maid.
But the tearful look on her son’ face when he saw her again, begging her not to leave him again, made it alright.
Human or not, as long as she had her son, she would be their mom. That, and her current state allowed her to go and find her husband and daughter.
When Kotaro was pulled to the house by Hana, it was all gone.
His house, his belongings, his wife, his son, all it was just gone.
“Nao…Tenko..” Kotaro mumbled in shock as the wind blew away some of the dust, revealing something that survived the destruction.
It was a photo of him and his family. And while Nao and Hana smiled, he himself looked annoyed while Tenko looked nervous.
“What have I done?” The man mumbled as he fell to his knees, all the while staring at the photo. Hana immediately went to hug her dad, but it didn’t make him feel a lot better.
His family, who he took for granted because of his personal vendetta against his mother, was gone. And the only one still here loved him, despite him having done nothing to deserve it.
“..Hana,”
“Y-Yes, daddy?
“Nao and Tenko might still be alive. Maybe they got kidnapped.” Kotaro said determinedly as he folded the photo and put it in his pocket. “And if that’s the case, I’ll save them and make up for my sins. But for that, I might need the help of a heroine.”