My Hero Academia: The Promises We Make

Chapter 4: Fear and Regret

I paused as I stared down the manhole, the shadow man already half-way down the ladder. The stench, even from here, was revolting. I could tell it bothered Clay too as she used her right hand to cover her nose and mouth, her eyes crisply closed in disgust.

"Well, are you coming?" He called up from the sewer, waiting for us to follow.

"I can't exactly see this being any better than our old house, so I think we'll pass."

There was a slight clinking noise as the man climbed back up the ladder. Eventually his head poked back above the top of the hole, his face pursed in disappointment.

"You aren't scared of the dark, are you?"

I jumped back slightly, revulsion at the comment surging through every inch of me.

"No, of course not!"

"Then what's the problem?"

My mouth stood agape.

"My problem? It's a sewer!" I pointed at the manhole cover for emphasis, as if the smell alone wasn't proof enough.

"Ah, but you see, that's the beauty of it! The one place in the city that no one would think to look for you, and yet you can go anywhere!" His white eyes ducked back underneath the opening.

"And I promise the smell isn't as bad as you think!" His voice echoed up, as he continued to climb further down.

I clenched my fist.

"Alright, come on." I dragged Clayra closer to the hole, letting go of her hand only as I needed it to start making my descent.

The ladder wasn't as deep as I originally thought, and my shoes hit the ground with a slight click as I stepped off the final rung. Reaching up, I grabbed Clayra's shoulders and helped her off the ladder.

My eyes stung from the stench. This would not be easy.

"Okay kids! Right this way!"

He lead us down deeper into the sewer until eventually all I saw were dark cavern walls which were only lit by the occasional hanging light. As we walked farther, whether it be from the distance itself, or the fact that we had been down there so long, the stench became a distant memory.

We turned a corner, and to my surprise there was a door with a worn metal knob.

The shadow man turned around, a deep smile in his white eyes. With a flamboyant gesture he flew open the door.

"Bienvenue à la maison!"

I walked forward slightly, Clayra in close step next to me. The rocky cavern walls were illuminated by the hanging fluorescent lights. A small wooden table with chairs sat in the center, a camping stove propped nearby, along with a conglomeration of various canned goods, bags of rice and chips, and a very distinctly yellow package of pineapple flavored candies. Along the far wall, two cots with pillows and sheets were spread out. Clayra instantly ran towards the cot, hugging the pillow and bouncing slightly on the mattress.

I couldn't keep myself from smiling. How long had it been since she'd been able to sleep in a real bed?

"How'd you find this place?"

The man's face seemed to darken, half of his face clouded with shadow, his white eyes serving as a stark contrast.

"Let's just say... my last job didn't go too well, and I had to lay low for a while." There was a loud echo as he coughed, which he immediately set out to suppress. As his body lurched from the motion, my attention was drawn once more to the scar that marred his cheek. I couldn't help but wonder... if he had others just like that. Exterior representations of much more serious inner damage.

My lips pressed together as a dark thought plagued my mind.

"What's the catch?" I eyed him viciously. "So what do we have to do?"

As his coughing subsided, he turned back to face me, Clayra's slight jumping momentarily halted as she felt the tension build.

"For now? Nothing much truly." He clasped his hands together. "We will need to train, primarily. Your abilities will only be useful to me as much as you hone them. You cannot build an empire on half-baked plans after all."

"Train?" I cocked my head. It seemed almost wrong. All of this seemed too good to be true. We were being offered a home and food away from the darkness that plagued us, and the unique opportunity to train our abilities and get stronger. There didn't seem to be much of a downside, aside from the fact that we were hitching a ride with the man who seemed to be hiding more than just a few scars.

"But that should all be left for tomorrow!" He rubbed his hands together and clicked his heels slightly. "Tonight, I shall leave you to get comfortable and rest! I have my own room just a few meters that way," he pointed to his right. "So if you should need anything please don't hesitate to call on me."

Then without so much as another word, he left the room, closing the door behind him.

Clayra walked up to me, placing her hand in mine.

"We'll be okay for tonight, won't we?"

The light reflected off of her hair slightly, making it almost feel like it was glowing. I took my free hand and ruffled my own ratted mess of white hair.

"Yea, we'll be okay."

I squeezed her hand in reassurance, but in all honesty, I was reassuring myself as well. There was still too much we didn't know. And there was too much I feared we would regret.