Then I'll Stay **Tamaki Amajiki**

Chapter Thirty Seven

"But you were dead!" Aika yelled. "I know you were! I identified your body!" She said, trying to make sense of everything in her head. She took a few deep breaths, trying to set the shock aside so she could save her friends as soon as the first opportunity arose.

"It was a nice trick." He admitted, smirking. "I was even impressed with myself over that one. I fooled a pro-hero, for God's sake. You have to admit that it was pretty impressive."

Aika rolled her eyes, refusing to allow him to see how shaken he had made her. "Transformation quirk, right?" She hissed. "You sacrificed one of your lackeys' lives. Made them transform into you and get killed. I'm willing to bet that was actually mom, though. You wouldn't hesitate to kill her." Aika refused to look at the two heroes behind her. She had hoped that she would never have to face her father again.

"You're right." He admitted to her. "I was so excited when I learned she was dead. The only reason I married her was to combine our quirks into a child. And it worked magnificently! Until you decided that you didn't want to be a villain." He ranted. "You were always such a little disappointment."

"That holds very little weight coming from you." Aika spat back at him. He frowned. Amajiki and Kirishima were both impressed by her refusal to be scared, and they were both terrified for her.

"Look." Her father said, taking a deep breath. He was trying to give himself patience. "You always were so infuriating to deal with. But I brought you here! I wanted to give you another chance, now that you're grown. I wanted to convince you to join me! I know how to train your quirk. You aren't at your full potential yet! Join me, and you will be stronger than you know."

There was a moment of silence.

"Tch." Aika said, not taking her eyes off of him. "That's just like you. Trying to win your daughter back by torturing her?"

"I wanted to show you how free we are." He said to her. "We can do whatever makes us happy. I'm sure you noticed how much fun he had while he was cutting you up. Don't you want to feel that type of joy everyday?"

"Not if I have to hurt someone to obtain it." She glared at him. "I feel that joy when I save someone, or help someone. Not when I hurt them. Not when someone cries. I'm not like you. I never was. Isn't that why you abandoned me?" She hissed. Venom dripped from her voice. Amajiki and Kirishima had remained silent, not sure of how to interject into this family feud.

"Y'know, I was going to do all of this back when you were in high school." Her father said. "Kidnap you and force you to change your mind... by any means necessary." He added. Aika knew he meant by beating her senseless. "But your mother was insistent that you would come to us on your own. She said once you learned how confined you would be in the hero world you would come to us for sure. I hated her, but I hoped she was right. I kept track of the years. I told myself I'd give you a couple of years after your graduation. If you hadn't come to me by then, I'd take extreme measures. I haven't taken those measures yet. I've been trying to be nice. But you're going to force my hand.." He said threateningly. Aika braced herself, prepared to fight. She knew she would have to.

He lunged at her, using his strength enhancing quirk to increase his speed. But Aika had built up her reflexes by dueling with Bakugo and Midoriya, who used similar moves. She concentrated on her restraints, and just as she hoped, they were the same ones that were used on her when they first kidnapped her. They hadn't counted on her power increasing, at least not as much as she had. She heard the small pop as they released their hold on her. She grabbed them in her fist, keeping some of the hard metal over her knuckles as she wound her arm back, springing it forward to punch him in the face. It worked and he wasn't expecting it. He flew back into the rock-wall.