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Blue Lock : The Spirit of The Greatest
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NEW SIVER MEMBERS:-Nameless, Mahyeeka Munroe
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A slice life chapter, get ready for some fluff
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The morning sun passed through the high windows, casting long beams of light across the charcoal-gray room. It was a Tuesday, a school day for most, but for the residents of the top-floor suite of Heights Alliance, the world had stopped turning for just a moment.
Akaza woke up first, as he always did. But for the first time in two lifetimes, he didn't wake up with a jolt, his body coiled for a fight. He woke up in peace.
He shifted slightly, careful not to disturb the two figures sleeping beside him. Rumi was sprawled out on his left, one arm thrown possessively over his chest. And tucked into the crook of his right arm, curled into a tiny ball, was Eri.
The little girl was wearing an oversized t-shirt Rumi had lent her, her small hand gripping Akaza's bicep like a lifeline. The tension that had been a constant in her life seemed to have melted away in the safety of the night.
Akaza lay there for a long time, just watching the dust particles dance in the light.
Peace, he thought, the word feeling strange and heavy in his mind. This is peace.
"Mmm... stop thinking so loud, Aki," Rumi mumbled, her eyes still closed, burrowing deeper into his side.
"I didn't say anything," Akaza whispered.
"I can hear your brain gears turning. It's annoying," she grumbled, cracking one amber eye open. She looked at him, then down at the sleeping Eri, and her expression softened instantly. "She sleep okay?"
"Yeah," Akaza said softly. "Didn't wake up once."
Rumi sat up slowly, stretching her arms high above her head, her joints popping. "Good. She needed it. We all did." She hopped off the bed, padding over to the closet. "Get up, lazybones. We have a big day. Nezu gave us the green light."
Akaza carefully pulled his arm from Eri's grip, replacing it with a pillow. "A big day?"
Rumi threw a hoodie at his face. "We're going out. A family outing. No heroes, no villains, no training. Just us."
An hour later, they stepped out of their room and into the hallway. Eri held Akaza's hand, her eyes wide and darting nervously as they approached the common room.
The moment they appeared, the chatter in the kitchen area died down.
The students of Class 1-A, who were finishing up breakfast, froze as they saw the tiny girl hiding behind Akaza's leg.
"A kid?" Kaminari whispered, his eyes wide. "Who is that?" "Is she lost?" Mina asked, taking a step forward, her expression friendly. "Hey there, little one! Are you-"
Eri flinched violently, squeezing her eyes shut and burying her face into Akaza's leg. The sudden attention was too much. To her, strangers meant danger. Strangers meant pain.
Akaza's reaction was instant. His calm demeanor vanished. He stepped in front of Eri, shielding her completely, and leveled a glare at the room.
The class, having learned their lesson from the training camp aftermath, collectively gulped and took several large steps back. Mina raised her hands in surrender. "Sorry! Sorry! Didn't mean to scare her!"
"Back off," Akaza growled, his voice low.
He then turned, his expression softening instantly as he knelt down. He gently patted Eri's back. "It's okay. They're loud, but they won't hurt you. I won't let them."
He picked her up as he scanned the room and locked eyes with Momo.
"Yaoyorozu," he said. "We need clothes for Eri. Something comfortable. Red, maybe. Could you help us with that?"
Momo, recovering from the shock, nodded quickly. "Of course! I can create something right now." She hurried over, keeping a respectful distance, and produced a cute red dress and matching shoes.
"Thank you," Akaza said, taking the clothes.
Across the room, Izuku, Ochaco, and Tsuyu watched the scene with heavy hearts. They recognized her. The girl from the photo Nighteye had shown them. The girl they had failed to save in the alley. They had been briefed by Aizawa: the "vigilante" who had decimated the Hassaikai had left the girl in U.A.'s care to recover.
But seeing her now, clinging to Akaza, looking at him with absolute trust while shrinking away from everyone else, they understood. The "vigilante" story was a cover. They knew exactly who had saved her. And they knew exactly what kind of methods he had used.
Izuku looked at Akaza, then at Eri. He remembered his own hesitation, his own failure. And then he looked at Akaza's fierce protectiveness. He saved her, Izuku thought, a complex mix of relief and guilt swirling in his chest. He did what I couldn't.
Ochaco met Izuku's gaze and gave a small, sad nod. Tsuyu did the same.
They would keep the secret. They owed him that much.
An hour later, Akaza, Rumi, and Eri were walking through the gates of U.A., a strange trio that drew more than a few curious glances from the other students.
Akaza wore casual black cargo pants and a white t-shirt, his hair tied back loosely. Rumi was in a denim skirt and a crop top. And in Akaza's arms, looking around with wide eyes, was Eri.
She was dressed in the cute red dress Momo had made. She looked adorable, but she was vibrating with anxiety. The world outside the dark room was bright, loud, and terrifyingly big.
"It's okay," Akaza murmured, shifting her weight so she sat higher in his arms. He rubbed her back with a slow, soothing motion. "I've got you. Nothing can touch you here."
Eri looked at him, her small hands clutching his shirt. "You... you promise?"
"I promise."
They took the train into the city. Rumi insisted on going to the Kiyashi Ward Shopping Mall, but not for hero gear this time.
"First stop," Rumi declared, pointing to a colorful storefront that smelled of sugar and butter. "Crepes!"
Eri stared at the menu board, overwhelmed by the pictures of fruit, cream, and chocolate. She had never made a choice before. Her life had been a series of orders and pain.
"What do you think, Eri-chan?" Rumi asked, leaning down. "Strawberry? Banana? Chocolate? Or we could go crazy and get the 'Mega-Mix'!"
Eri looked at Rumi, then at the pictures, then back at Akaza. "I... I don't know..." she whispered, shrinking back.
"That's okay," Akaza said gently. "How about we try apples? Do you like apples?"
Eri thought for a moment. She remembered a vague, distant memory of a fruit. "Apples... are sweet."
"Apples it is," Rumi grinned. She ordered three 'Apple Pie Supreme' crepes.
When she handed one to Eri, the little girl held it with two hands, staring at the mountain of whipped cream and apple slices as if it were an alien artifact. She then took a small bite.
Nom
Her eyes went wide. The sweetness exploded on her tongue, a stark, violent contrast to the sterile, bitter taste of her life before.
"It's..." she swallowed, a tiny smear of cream on her nose. "It's... sweet."
"Good sweet?" Akaza asked, wiping her nose with his thumb.
Eri looked up at him, and slowly, hesitantly, the corners of her mouth twitched upward. "Yes. Very good sweet."
It wasn't a full smile yet, but it was a start. Rumi let out a squeal and hugged her from the side, nearly knocking the crepe out of her hand.
"See! I told you! Sugar fixes everything!"
They spent the rest of the afternoon wandering. They went to a toy store, where Eri was baffled by the sheer number of plushies. Rumi tried to bury her in a pile of rabbit dolls, while Akaza steered her toward a section with smaller toys. She eventually picked out a small, soft black cat plushie, with black eyes that reminded her of Akaza.
They walked through the park, watching other families. Children ran around, screaming and laughing. Parents chased them. Eri watched them with curiosity, safe in the fortress of Akaza's arms.
For the first time, Akaza didn't feel like a fighter. He didn't feel like Asura. He wasn't scanning the rooftops for snipers or checking the crowd for battle spirits. He was just... walking. He was pointing out birds to the little girl in his arms. He was listening to Rumi rant about a new kickboxing gym she wanted to try.
He felt light.
"Hey, look at that!" Rumi pointed to a street performer making giant bubbles.
Eri gasped as a massive, shimmering bubble floated toward them. She reached out a timid hand to touch it.
Pop
It vanished in a spray of mist. She flinched, then looked at her wet hand, surprised.
"It's just soap," Akaza explained, chuckling. "Do it again."
She did. And this time, when the bubble popped, a small, bell-like sound escaped her throat. A sweet giggle.
Akaza and Rumi froze. They looked at each other over Eri's head, a silent communication passing between them. Did you hear that?
It was the most beautiful sound in the world.
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As the afternoon wore on, the energy began to fade. The adrenaline of the new world was wearing off, replaced by a heavy, comfortable exhaustion. Eri's head began to droop onto Akaza's shoulder. Her grip on his shirt loosened slightly.
"Looks like the battery is running low," Rumi whispered, smiling softly.
"Yeah," Akaza agreed. "Let's find a place to sit."
They found a bench on a small hill overlooking the city, facing the west.
The sun was beginning to set, painting the sky in brilliant strokes of orange, purple, and red.
Akaza sat down, adjusting Eri so she was cradled comfortably against his chest. Rumi sat close to him, pressing her side against his, her head resting on his shoulder, careful of the sleeping girl.
They sat in silence for a long time, just watching the colors change. The wind rustled the leaves of the trees behind them, a gentle, hushing sound.
"You know," Rumi said quietly, her voice lacking its usual brash energy.
"People were staring at us today."
"I noticed," Akaza said. "My eyes. Your scar. The kid with the horn. We're a weird group."
"No," Rumi shook her head against his shoulder. "I mean... yeah, they looked at that stuff. But... they were smiling. An old lady at the crepe stand told me I had a beautiful daughter."
Akaza stiffened slightly. "What did you say?"
Rumi chuckled. "I didn't correct her. It felt... nice. Not the 'daughter' part, obviously, we're too young for that, but... the unit part."
She looked down at Eri, reaching out to gently stroke the girl's hair.
"Holding her... walking with you... bickering about what flavor of ice cream to get... it felt real. It didn't feel like a mission. It felt like..."
She paused, searching for the word.
"Like a family," she finished softly. "A weird, broken, cobbled-together family. But a family."
Akaza looked at the sleeping girl in his arms. He looked at the beautiful girl leaning against him. He thought of the emptiness that had defined his life for so long. His previous life. The grave he visited alone. The rage that had been his only companion.
And then he felt the warmth of Rumi's side. The weight of Eri in his arms. The steady, beating hearts of the people who needed him, and whom he needed in return.
"Yeah," he whispered, his throat tight. "It does."
He rested his cheek on the top of Rumi's head, his eyes fixed on the horizon.
Yuna, he thought, casting his mind back to the sister he had lost, the memory that had driven him for so long. I promised you I'd live. I promised I'd find happiness.
He tightened his hold on Eri slightly, a silent vow of protection.
I think I found it, sis. It's not the life we talked about. It's messy. It's dangerous. But... it's mine.
He looked at the sky, where the first stars were beginning to peek through the twilight.
"Guess I have a little family of my own now, sis," he said aloud, his voice a soft murmur lost in the wind.
Rumi didn't ask who he was talking to. She just squeezed his arm, a silent acknowledgment of the ghosts he carried and the future they were building.
The sun dipped below the horizon, plunging the world into the night. But on that hill, surrounded by the dark, Akaza had never felt more full of light.
(And soft landing.......)
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