ashes and blood, +18 fanfic đEndeavorXOCđ đŠâ¤ď¸âđĽđŞ
The story goes like this: Nao gets a call from Aizawa, letting her know she has a niece who desperately needs her. That niece? None other than Eri. So, our protagonist jumps from one continent to another to take care of the five-year-old girl whoâs about to turn her life upside down. Things get even more intense when Nao learns about the hell Eri went through with Overhaul.
Oh, and did I mention? Nao ran away from the Shie Hassaikai ten years agoânot just because she didnât want anything to do with the yakuza, but also because she was running from a certain pro hero. Married. With kids. The one she fell for whenâŚ
Well, youâll have to read to find out. But any guesses who it might be?
°â§đŤ§â.ŕłŕż*:ｼ°â§đŤ§â.ŕłŕż*:ｼ°â§đŤ§â.ŕłŕż*:ｼ°â§đŤ§â.ŕłŕż*:ｼ°â§đŤ§â.ŕłŕż*:ｼ°â§đŤ§â.ŕłŕż*:ｼ
Also, just a quick note: I, the author, am a native Spanish speaker, and Iâm translating this with the help of AI. So, if there are any mistakes or something doesnât quite make sense, I hope youâll forgive me! â¸(ď˝ĄË áľ Ë)â¸âĄ Sofi-
đŠâ¤ď¸âđĽđŞ
Nao carefully went through the files, double-checking to make sure she hadnât made any mistakes, even though her hands were trembling slightly. Once she handed this over, it would all be over. She didnât want to talk about it ever again. The meetings, the pressure from the Hero Commission, the interrogationsâbeing a damn double agent betraying her family for the sake of society.
When she finished, she left the massive folder of informationâwhich would undoubtedly destroy a significant part of her familyâs influence within the yakuzaâon Enjiâs desk. Damn it, itâs Endeavor, not Enji, she reminded herself for the fifth time that day as she debated whether it was okay to linger a few seconds longer in his agency. In less than twenty-four hours, sheâd be in New York, and she had no plans to watch international news. For all she cared, they could burn her fatherâs entire residence to the ground, and that would be just fine.
Minutes later, Nao stood on the rooftop, lighting a cigarette. She hated smoking, but it was an effective way to steady her nerves. Hosu City looked beautiful from up there, and she found herself wondering why the hell she hadnât come up more often. After all, sheâd spent more time at the agency in recent months than in her own apartment.
"If youâre trying to kill yourself, just jump," Enji said, his arms crossed as he approached. Nao was leaning casually over the railing, but his presence felt like a bonfire crackling violentlyâboth cold and unyielding. She almost smiled, knowing he hated seeing her smoke.
"How sweet of you, Todoroki," she replied, watching him lean slightly against the railing to mirror her. They exchanged sidelong glances, and she offered him her cigarette. To her surprise, he took it, taking a slow, deliberate drag.
Nao knew better than to let her guard down around him. This was part of the deal with the Commissionâthey were working together because he was the only pro hero bold enough to strike a blow against the yakuza. It wasnât as if he wanted her around⌠right? For the first time, she noticed he seemed calmer than usual, his turquoise eyes resting on the city below.
"Youâre doing the right thing, Shiranui, even if it feels like youâre going against everything you know," he said, his voice steady and almost⌠warm. "Youâre taking a path most people would avoid, and thatâs what heroes do."
It was the closest thing to a compliment sheâd ever gotten from him, and it caught her off guard. She looked at him with a mix of surprise and vulnerability, the weight of his words settling heavily on her shoulders.
She knew, deep down, her family wasnât entirely evil. They had raised her surrounded by luxury, carefully avoiding words like "mafia" or "gangster." But when her father suggested her older sister should marry some idiot from another organization for political reasonsâand hinted that Nao would be next, paired with someone with a strong quirk like hersâa part of her broke. A small voice in her head told her she needed to get out.
"Iâm no hero," she countered, taking back the cigarette and earning a curious glance from Enji. She hadnât expected him to react to that. "Iâm just⌠an idiot who ran away from home, pretending she understands all this shit and knows what sheâs doing."
Her voice wavered slightly at the end as she placed the cigarette back between her lips, secretly enjoying the indirect kiss it gave her with Enji.
"From the moment you walked into my agency, demanding my attention to show me the information youâd spent months collecting, I knew you werenât an idiot. But I think you already know that," Enji said, his voice unusually soft and sincere.
Then, he did something even rarerâhe turned slightly to face her, reaching out to pluck the cigarette from her fingers and drop it to the ground. It was as if he wanted her full attention.
"I donât usually pay attention to things outside of work," he admitted, his words deliberate, "but ever since you showed up, itâs been hard not to notice you, Nao."
What? Thatâs what she wouldâve said if it didnât feel like the rooftop was dissolving beneath her feet. Why does my name sound so good when he says it? Her thoughts betrayed her as she stared at him, their gazes locked.
The air grew heavy between them. Enji averted his eyes slightly, as if uncertain about what heâd just said. Nao couldnât stop staring at his imposing figure, standing just inches away. If she reached out, she could touch his crimson hair, let her fingers tangle in it, pull him closer if they kissed. If...
"Once I hand these files to the Commission, thereâll be nothing left for me here in Japan, Enji," she said, her words hovering somewhere between a statement and a question. Deep down, she was hoping for somethingâanythingâfrom him. She wanted him to ask her to stay, to say theyâd face the chaos with her family together.
But her words hung in the air as he straightened up, his posture cold once more, his eyes unreadable. It was as if heâd donned armor to shield his thoughts and feelings.
"You should leave before you miss your flight."
Nao blinked, the impact of his words hitting her like a punch to the gut. She didnât understand why she had ever thought falling for him was a good idea, but thatâs exactly what sheâd done. If Enji had asked her to stayâeven if he was still with Reiâshe wouldâve stayed. And that disgusted her.
Thinking about how messed up both their families were, how corrupt heroes and villains alike seemed, how everything that glittered was rusted beneathâŚ
She didnât wait for the elevator. Instead, she took the stairs, not wanting to cry where he might see her. That was her farewellâforever. She wouldnât allow herself to feel so weak again.
Tears streaming down her face, her heart aching as if it had been set ablaze, she descended the stairs with one thought in her mind:
Enji wasnât going to save her, which meant sheâd have to save herself.
I lock my phone immediately, the image of the little girl still burned into my mind as if it were seared there. Damn Aizawa sent it to me barely two seconds after we ended the short call where he dropped the bombshell: I have a niece. And I have to go back to take care of her because everyone in my family is either dead or in prison.
How could I say no when looking at her feels like looking at my sister? Like looking at myselfâthose reddish eyes full of fear.
Damn it. The pilot announces our descent, and part of me wants to ask him to crash the plane into a building just to avoid this. Because I know that once I see her, thereâs no turning back. Iâll be her world, the only stable thing sheâll have.
And itâs ironic because I was never planning on becoming a mother. I donât even particularly like kids. Yet here I am, having rented an apartment with multiple rooms and near a park so she can play with other children.
Isnât that what moms do? Be all mushy, cry over little milestones, plan playdates and all that?
Damn it. I take a long sip of the whiskey in my hands and try to relax because this is just the beginning. And I have the sinking feeling that the ghosts of my past are starting to hunt me down.
I wonder if heâs still as terrible as I remember. A dry laugh escapes my lips as I down the rest of the whiskey, secretly enjoying the clinking of the ice. I guess not. Heâs probably so much worse now.
đ˘Ö´ŕťâď¸â§Ë ŕź âTo be continued...đ˘Ö´ŕťâď¸â§Ë ŕź â
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