Sunday
Ayaka's Residence
"Bottom line is, MI6 Agents have been running around Japan under the radar as of last month. They were sniffing out some leads and eventually came across our pitiful cases." Kenji explained over the phone what he had dug up for the past ten minutes. "I count a dozen, maybe even more. I looked through every airport's database and there are a lot of familiar faces. All trained killers."
As dire as our situation was, my mind was wandering somewhere else at the moment.
Ever since yesterday, I just couldn't get my mother out of my head. Knowing she's here brought up a lot of unchecked emotions that I'd rather not get into.
But it was there, and it wasn't going away any time soon, no matter how much I wanted it to. So instead of fighting it, I tried to remember everything that I could about her.
Eleanor Blake was, ironically, a primary school teacher back when we lived in a quaint little town in England; meaning she loved children, just not her own.
For years, she and her husband physically abused their only daughter in order to suppress the power she possessed. All they really wanted was a normal, quirkless child who didn't make the whole house levitate off it's foundations whenever she had nightmares.
I was born from two normal people, so my quirk made me a threat to their mundane way of living.
"Ayaka?" Kenji's voice on the other line derailed my train of thoughts. "Still there?"
I shook my head and resumed stuffing my clothes into my suitcase. "Yeah, sorry. What were you saying?"
"I said we'd be taking separate flights tomorrow as a precaution. Dad's taking his jet, Quincy has her own, and I got mom's. Some of our siblings flew in just this morning. What about you?"
"I'll be flying coach."
"You know you could stand to spoil yourself a little. You're practically the richest 16-year old in the world yet you act like you're still that meek little girl from the stick from back then."
I smiled, recalling the memory. "You remember?"
"You make it sound like I forgot." He sighed. "Please just take my jet, you'll be safer that way. I don't want you going in some public plane that may or may not be boarded by MI6."
"I'll be okay Kenji, don't worry. And besides, if you wanna lure out a big predator, you first gotta show vulnerability as prey right?" I smirked. "This year's hunting season will be even more fun if they get involved."
My brother clicked his tongue in annoyance. "You and your crazy ass. Alright, I trust you'll get to the lodge unharmed. Just call me up if you notice anything unusual."
"Okay. I'll see you then."
"Stay safe."
"You too." I laid back on my bed after we hung up and stared at the ceiling. With my eyes closed, I took in a deep breath and sighed.
If my memory serves me right, Eleanor met my father, Riker, at a common place where their jobs took them. Riker worked as a-
"Huh?"
I know I was young when Altair took me in, but I should at least remember what my dad did for a living, shouldn't I?
I stayed awake that night just thinking about them. My mom and my dad, and how my life used to be. I remember Eleanor whispering to me in my sleep, wishing I was never born. Riker once strangled me that I passed out. Little Ayaka, barely 5 years old, struggling to survive another day in what was said to be a loving household.
Though there were definitely a lot of holes in my memories, it had me thinking that maybe it's for the best that I don't remember them at all.
I reached for my bedside drawer and picked up the silver ring that's been sitting there for quite some time collecting dust. I haven't worn it since the Sports Fest in my fight against my brother.
A lot of things crossed my mind that night, but somehow I ended up thinking of Katsuki instead. That hot-headed bastard who nearly killed my brother.
At times like this, he'd be the first one on call. Actually, if he were the one with me during the mall incident, he never would've left my side. He'd be downstairs making food in an attempt to cheer me up.
I really miss him.
~
7:24 AM
I rolled out of bed and went downstairs once I heard the doorbell on my front door ring.
"Ayaka? It's Kirishima." He said behind the door. "I know I'm a little early but I just thought I'd get you breakfast this morning."
I opened the door and greeted him with a smile. "Morning."
"Morning." The redhead pressed a kiss to the side of my temple before walking over to the island counter to set down the paperbag he was holding, then proceeded to take out its contents. "You look like you barely slept."
"Yep, barely. So what's for breakfast?"
"Chicken and waffles." He looked back on me and grinned. "Also, I got you some medicine just in case you wanna sleep on the plane."
"Ah, Kiri just marry me already."
As we ate breakfast, I couldn't help but notice how Kiri wasn't in his usual upbeat mood, like something was bothering him. I opened my mouth to ask what was wrong, but he beat me to it.
"I don't have a chance with you, do I?" He asked out of the blue, making me choke on my food.
"I-I'm sorry, what?"
"Well, there's Katsuki. A very formidable foe and my best friend, at least he used to be." The redhead put down his fork and looked over to me. "I actually want to fix things between him and me, but that would be impossible if I'm to be with you. I know I can't choose both, but I can't just choose just one either." He sighed. "I mean, I don't know. Is there any way I can keep both you and my best friend? 'Cause if there was, I'd do it in a heartbeat."
Kirishima was in a bit of a predicament himself- I can't believe I haven't noticed. I've only been thinking about myself all this time, I failed to see how someone else was hurting because of it.
I moving closer to the redhead then wrapped my arms around his side.
He turned to his shoulder and left a kiss on my arm. "You think we'll be okay?"
"Yeah, I think we'll be fine."
"After our trip, I'll go straight to him." He smiled, dead set on his decision. "I'm going to get my best friend back."
~
Haneda Airport, Tokyo
10:22 AM
Ego dropped us off at the airport's entrance where we were met with two flight attendants who carried our bags inside.
"Good morning, Ms. Ayaka Mo." One of them said.
"Let me guess, Kenji told you to fetch me?"
He nodded. "Mr. Mo also asked us to upgrade you to first class. Everything's been taken care of and your private room is ready."
Kiri nudged my side and chuckled. "Even the airport knows your family? Just how rich are you?"
I rolled my eyes, smiling, then turned back to the attendant. "Is there any way we can get another ticket for my friend here? I forgot to tell my brother about bringing company."
"Of course, I'll see what I can do. Please follow me, ma'am, sir."
We did as we were told and went through all the procedures we had to- checking our passports, weighing our baggage, and screening us at security before we were finally allowed to board the plane.
Kiri jumped to his spacious seat and visibly melted. "I could get used to this."
I plopped down next to him in my own seat and asked one of the cabin crew for some pillows. "First thing's first- our schedule."
"Alright, hit me."
"We'll land around 1 in the afternoon and have lunch at the airport. Afterwards, the family car will be waiting to pick us up and drop us off at a ranch. From there, we'll have to travel by horse to reach the Lodge House."
"Sounds good."
"Also," I paused, making sure he was listening well for this part. "You may want to test the waters first before meeting my family. They're still kinda pissed about the whole me-going-to-jail debacle. Just stick with me and Kenji for a while, yeah?"
He laughed nervously. "Noted."
By the time our plane touched down in Noto Airport in Wajima, the cold breeze hit us hard. I honestly felt like I was gonna freeze my ears off if it wasn't for Kiri giving me his earmuffs.
We reached the stables just before the sun had set and took a few minutes to watch it sink behind the tall, snowy mountains.
"Ah, Ayaka! Welcome back!" Mr. Teno, the caretaker of the stables walked out to greet us.
"Good to be back!" I ran up to hug my old friend and introduced him to Kirishima- who had a knack for socializing with elderly people, as it turns out.
The two hit it off quickly as if they've known each other for as long as I have.
"Well it's good to meet you, Mr. Eijirou. Any friend of Ayaka is a friend of mine. Say, do you know how to ride?"
The redhead scratched the back of his head bashfully. "Is it bad if I say I don't?"
I jumped in on the conversation when I saw the old man's concerned expression. "No worries, he'll be riding up with me. Eula's got us covered."
"Oh, I do apologize for the mix up." He pulled his knitted cap down to his chest and anxiously fiddled with it. "I'm afraid your brother took Eula with him earlier today. He has a guest, you see."
A guest? Kenji never gave me any heads up about that- but then again, I did bring a guest of my own without consulting him. Guess that makes us even now.
I huffed in defeat and shook my head. "It's fine. As long as we get up there before nightfall, there shouldn't be a problem."
Without further delay, Mr. Teno pulled the reins on two stallions and had both of them drink up from a nearby trough before leading them to us. "Careful now, these younglings are still getting used to the terrain and never failed to prove themselves to be a handful." He handed one of the horse's reins to Kiri who visibly swallowed the lump in his throat. "This here is Carter, he's a lot playful compared to the older stallions, but he's the fastest of all of them."
Kiri blinked at his hand then back up at the stable keeper. "What about you? Will you be going up to the Lodge with us?"
"Of course. I'll be riding with Willow over here along with your luggages. After all, Master Altair invited all the staff for a grand feast tonight at the Lodge, and I wouldn't miss it for the world."
I nodded, brushing my hand along Carter's neck. "We should be going then. Don't wanna keep them waiting."
The beginning of the trail that led up to the Lodge House was steep, one wrong step and our horses could fall off the edge, but we managed until we reached a much wider path into the forest.
We tread carefully across the terrain with Kiri holding me from behind as I guided Carter through the tall pine trees. Along the way, I managed to give Kiri a quick rundown on equestrian lessons and let him take the reins for a while. At one point, he made a quick turn around a corner and our horse's butt accidentally hit a tree trunk, making snow fall off the branches and on us.
We laughed it off but quickly regretted it when the cold from our damp clothes settled in.
Luckily, we were nearing the Lodge so I took control of Carter again and led us to the stables. We passed the large residence on the way there, to which Kiri shook my shoulders in awe.
"This is your vacation home? Goddamn- it's like a whole village lives here!"
"Weird fact, an entire village did take shelter here during a crazy-strong blizzard. You have no idea how frequent those things are around here."
This seemed to worry the redhead. "Please don't tell me there's a storm coming while we're here."
"I checked the weather reports three days ago and there may be one on the way, but it doesn't hit until the end of week so we'll be gone before then."
He sighed in relief.
The blizzards out here are deadly if you decide to go out during one. On top of that, medical aid won't be able to reach you until the storm blows over, not even via chopper.
I know what you're thinking. Why in the hell would Altair set up a rest house all the way up here and take such an unnecessary risk? Well, the answer is simple.
He's got something up here, something he doesn't want anyone to find out about. That's why we come up here every year, so he can make sure it hasn't been compromised in any way.
However, that whole thing has only been a rumor between us siblings. Even Kenji isn't sure if it's true.
All we know is that there's a reason why the Lodge House is so needlessly big.
As Kiri and I unmounted Carter, we heard footsteps approaching us from the entrance of the stables.
My first guess was my younger siblings trying to surprise me, they usually give a warm welcome by tackling me with bear hugs and kisses before we could even head inside.
But that wasn't the case tonight. What I expected wasn't even close to what I got.
"Heyo- oh shit." It was my dumbass brother who walked in and stared at Kiri next to me. "Well, this is awkward."
And following right behind him was the one person I was hoping to avoid this semestral break.
Katsuki and I made eye contact for a second, but I quickly averted my gaze elsewhere.
This is gonna be a long fucking week.
"Nee-chan!"
We all turned to the young girl who ran past Kenji and made her way up to me.
"Rose!" I scooped her up in my arms and carried her in an embrace. "Woah, did you grow taller while I was away?"
"Mhm! I've grown 5 centimeters since!" She grinned, then turned to the redhead next to me and extended her hand. "Hi, I'm Rosamund Mo. Nice to meet you."
It warmed my heart to see this girl so comfortable around other people now. I remember she used to flinch at the presence of others, now she's practically the sunshine child that everyone wants to be around.
Kiri smiled and shook her hand. "I'm Kirishima Eijirou, nice to meet you too little lady."
Not even a second passed when more of our younger siblings came running through the entrance and jumped me on the spot for hugs.
"One at a time! One at a time, you hooligans!" Luckily, Kenji came to my rescue and practically threw the kids off me. "Give your big sister a break, she just got here."
They all apologized, on the verge of tears. Poor babies.
~ Katsuki's Point Of View ~
I leaned against the doorframe and watched as the snot-nosed little runts nearly tore Ayaka limb from limb, only to have them scolded by metal boy.
"Why don't we all meet at the dining hall and then I'll whip up some hot cocoa for everyone. Sound good?"
They all cheered in unison as they scurried out of the stables.
"Thank you Nee-san!"
"You're the best!"
"Kenji Nii-san, you suck!"
"Hey! Who said that?"
Ayaka laughed when Kenji chased after the kids outside.
I think this is the first time I've seen her smile in a while, and I found myself doing the same.
"Bakugou."
Almost forgot that Kirishima was here too. Wasn't until he was right in front of me that I remembered. "Hm?"
"Let's talk." He draped his arm over my shoulders, then turned back to Ayaka. "We'll be heading inside. See you at dinner, okay?"
She nodded. "Your rooms are on the second floor right across the common space. Ask Kenji for the keys- and please try not to get lost in the house. Have one of my siblings show you around."
That would've been good advice for the two of us, if only we didn't put so much faith in our ability to memorize each hallway of this big-ass Lodge.
What kind of idiot thinks he can navigate his way around new territory on the spot?
The redhead scratched the back of his head, clearly unsure which of the forked corridors we should take.
"So this is your plan? To get us lost when Ayaka literally just said not to?"
"Give me a break, it's my first time here too. If I'd known this place was as big as it is I would've asked for a map."
I rolled my eyes then started to walk in the opposite direction. "Whatever. I'm heading back outside."
"You know where?"
I stopped in my tracks when I realized I wasn't gonna get anywhere in this godforsaken maze.
"Hey, um." Kirishima hesitated. "I give up."
"As you should."
"No, I meant with Ayaka."
"And that's supposed to make me feel better?" I can tell that's not the answer he was expecting. "I'm not even sure what I'm doing here, but you're lucky enough to be invited by the one girl that keeps me up at night. I thought maybe tagging along would give me closure, but now it's just making me feel like a goddamn fool for hoping for something else."
The redhead looked down on the ground and stuffed his hands in his pockets.
"When you have someone like Ayaka, you don't just 'give up'." I sighed. "Let's just try and find someone. Maybe they'll know where the dining hall is, we're already late."
"Okay." He said. "But whether you'll still be my friend or not in the end is entirely up to you. I just thought you should know that your friendship means more to me than what might have been."
And the thing is, I believe you. I'm just too hungry to come up with a snarky remark right now.
It tooks us a few minutes to find a room with a door slightly ajar with the lights on inside.
I knocked and asked if anyone was inside. To our relief, a little girl slowly poked her head out of the room. But something wasn't right.
Her crimson eyes looked tired and her skin was so pale it was almost gray. And to top off everything that looked wrong with the picture, she had a metal guard that covered half of her face which made her look menacing.
"Oh, uh. Hi, I'm Kirishima and this is Bakugou."
The kid's movements were similar to a sloth, even the way she blinked.
"So we're trying to find our way to the dining hall. Are you by any chance heading there as well?"
I couldn't get a single word out of my mouth. This girl looked like she was being held captive and she's far from the picture of health. I just knew she needed help.
On impulse, I knelt down to her level and tried to remove the face guard, but she responded by jumping back and letting out a low growl.
A growl, as if she wasn't human.
"Hey!"
We looked down the hall to see metal boy jogging towards us.
I felt my blood boil. "Is this how you treat all the kids you take in? By muzzling them like some kind of wild animal?!"
Kenji raised his hands in defense. "Woah, woah. Ease up, big guy. Sabine's just not used to people yet."
I clenched my fist, feeling the heat on my palm. "Don't talk like she's some fucking dog."
"Can I explain first before you go all bat shit crazy on me? Please?"
The redhead next to me agreed and told me to calm down.
"Her name is Sabine Faux. She's only recently been adopted and she's been having a hard time getting along with.. humans." He paused to pick her up in his arms. "You see, she's a shapeshifter. The day she was born she was blessed with the ability to transform into an apex predator."
I watched the girl wrap her tiny little arms around him as he spoke.
"This face guard keeps her from taking a bite out of our own unintentionally." He brushed her unkempt hair to the side of her face to which she responded by nuzzling into his neck. "Because of her abusive relationship with her previous family, she tends to lose control sometimes. So I made the mask to prevent her from shapeshifting- with her consent, of course."
That.. kind of checks out, I guess? A child wouldn't be that comfortable around some stranger if she didn't trust him, that's for sure.
Kirishima stepped closer to the girl who only hid her face away. "Does it hurt her, though?"
"No, not really. It's an adaptive metal alloy that takes the shape of whatever it's latched on, but I put a limiter on it so she can't transform." He moved her in his arms so she was facing us. "Sab, honey, could we possibly take off the guard for a quick second? I just wanna show our guests who's the cutest girl here."
She slowly shook her head yes and took off the mask herself.
My eyes widened at the sight of rows of sharp teeth lining up like that of a wolf. She also had a prominent scar running down her cheek.
What the hell happened to this girl?
"There's my pretty little angel." Kenji kissed her cheek, making the girl giggle. "Are you hungry? Of course you are, you had a long flight with dad. Why don't we head down to the dining room for dinner, yeah?"
Sabine nodded in delight.
"You too, boys. Let's go."