{AN before this starts: I'm trying something new in writing this, so don't mind some quality slips in later chapters. Enjoy and make sure to tell me if there are any serious mistakes, BUT note that there may be some minor changes here and there. Now in the early story though, lol.}
Musutafu always glowed brightest before it burned.
The sun dipped low on the horizon, throwing golden streaks across the rooftops. Crows perched on old antenna towers, their silhouettes sharp against the orange sky. Below, the city murmured—a low, endless hum of passing trains, chattering pedestrians, and distant hero activity.
On one particular rooftop sat a pair of siblings.
Aoi Itsuno leaned back on her elbows, legs crossed at the ankles, her hero training uniform rolled down to her waist with the sleeves tied around her hips. Her undershirt clung to her from the afternoon heat, and her dark, short hair swayed slightly in the wind. Her eyes were fixed on the clouds, but her voice was aimed at the boy beside her.
"You skipped class again, didn't you?" she asked.
Takuma didn't respond at first. Thirteen years old, quiet-eyed, and razor-sharp behind a thin layer of apathy. His legs dangled over the ledge, head tilted slightly to the side as he watched a news chopper hovering over the business district.
Aoi nudged his arm. "You think Mom doesn't notice, but she does."
"Studying's boring," he said simply. "Besides… I learn more out here."
Aoi sighed, but smiled despite herself. "You're a pain in the ass."
"Love you too."
They watched in silence for a while.
Below them, an underground train rumbled past. Billboards flashed advertisements for the new All Might merch drop. Kids with replica gauntlets ran down the street, pretending to be Ground Zero.
Heroes were everywhere. On screens, in books, on cereal boxes.
"Do you think I'm ready?" Aoi asked suddenly.
Takuma blinked, caught off guard. "For what?"
"For the provisional license exam," she said, voice softer. "For real combat. For… saving people."
Takuma turned to look at her. "You've been ready since the day you decided to be a hero."
She smiled again, but it didn't reach her eyes this time.
"I don't know. I've been getting weird looks at the agency lately. Some of the older pros treat me like I'm fragile. Like they're just waiting for me to break."
Takuma's voice was firm. "You won't. You're stronger than them. Smarter too."
Aoi gave a dry laugh. "Since when do you praise people?"
He shrugged. "Since I realized you're the only person I can't beat at chess."
"That's because you never bluff."
"Bluffing is for people who don't have real plans," he shot back.
She raised an eyebrow. "Says the guy who once tried to blackmail the math teacher for changing his grade."
"I had evidence."
"You forged the evidence."
A beat passed, then they both burst into quiet laughter.
The wind changed.
Suddenly, Aoi's phone buzzed. She pulled it from her pocket, her expression shifting instantly as she scanned the message.
"Patrol call," she said, standing. Her voice had changed—sharper now, focused.
"Want me to come with?" Takuma offered, standing beside her.
She shook her head. "Low priority. Probably nothing. I'll be back in thirty."
He frowned. "I don't like it."
"You never like it when I leave," she teased.
"I'm serious."
She placed her hand on his head, ruffling his messy black hair. "You worry too much."
"You go out on patrols alone more than your classmates. You're too brave for your own good."
She turned to the edge of the rooftop and stretched, light from her Quirk—a shimmering veil of aurora-colored energy—rippling across her shoulders like heat waves.
"Someone has to go where the heroes don't," she said. "Besides… I have a promise to keep."
Takuma looked at her, unsure. "Promise?"
She nodded. "To change things. To make it so kids like you don't have to live in a city that hides its rot under neon lights."
That made him pause.
"You're the only person who talks like that," he said quietly. "Like heroes still mean something."
Aoi gave him one last smile.
"Then maybe that's why I have to win."
She launched from the rooftop, a pulse of aurora light cracking beneath her heels as she soared into the air.
Takuma watched until she vanished.
He didn't go home.
He waited ten minutes, then followed.
It wasn't just paranoia. It wasn't just brotherly instinct.
There was something else—something in the wind that felt wrong.
The police radio frequencies he'd tapped into earlier that week came back to him. There had been chatter—criminal movement in District 9. Unusual foot traffic. Gangs disappearing from sight, not because they'd been arrested… but because something worse had moved in.
Takuma moved like a ghost. He didn't have Aoi's flashy light or speed, but he had something better: silence, caution, and knowledge. He knew the alleys. The blind spots in surveillance. The buildings too old to have cameras. He had mapped the city like a puzzle, piece by piece.
He didn't run. He stalked.
And when he reached the edge of the alley—when he heard her voice—
He knew he had been right.
"I said STAY BACK!"
Then the sound of breaking glass.