Your mother really wasn't lying when she said she wouldn't let you even be a room apart ever again.

     I mean, you sort of understood why. You were a young child gifted a LOT of dangerous power. But...did she have to be THIS possessive of you?!

----------

     "Haha! Eat metal, leatherhead!!" Sitting cross-legged in front of the TV, your hands mashed away at the game controller, aggressively pressing each and every button in quick succession! The player currently locked in a 1-to-1 gunfight with you exploded in a mass of color and ammo! "Yesss!" Your avatar danced on his grave.

     "Ohhh, heck you!" Tenko whined on the other end, audible via headset. He had that cute little pre-pubescent voice and voice cracks you often teased him about. "I thought you didn't even like playing this game!!"

     "Ohh-hohohoh, but would I grind for three days straight just to beat you~?" Snickering darkly, you leaned over your lap. "Yes I would~"

     "I have bad internet over here! So that's basically cheating!"

     "Not my fault your mom's poor."

     "Heyy!!"

     "Too far? Sorry." Yet, you still chuckled darkly.

     "(Y/n)!! I need you to come with me to the store!" Your mom called, leaving the kitchen into the entryway beside you.

     "Uugghhhh!" You flopped onto your back, groaning loudly. "Sorry, Tenny, but I gotta go."

     "Again??! Ughh, didn't you have to leave with your mom a few minutes ago just to water the flowers outside?!"

     "Yeah.."

     "Your mom is weird."

     "No kidding." You chuckled dully.

     "(Y/n)!"

     "Ugh! Coming, Mom!" You shot up and shut off the TV, then raced to the front door where you slid your shoes on. Your mom was still a little cross. The both of you were.

     "Do I need to revoke your gaming privileges?? I swear, you've been getting an attitude the more you play that thing."

     You recognized the error in your ways right away, stooping your head quickly and equipping a much more meek persona. "Sorry, Mom..."

     "..Hhh... Aww... I can never stay angry with you for long..." Chloe bent down to give you a hug. Now, at age thirteen, you were nearing her height at last! You began to theorize that you'd end up a bit taller than her than even in your past life thanks to the DNA from your father's side! "Come on, now. This trip should be quick."

----------

     You liked leaving the house, even if it was only for short bursts at a time. Before entering the public sphere, you started touching your mother's head to turn your hair the same ginger color as hers. And thanks to your inherited crystal blue eyes from her as well, it was often for strangers to comment on how alike the two of you looked.

     You liked shopping with Mom. She never left you behind like your old mom. Sometimes, though it was rare, she'd even buy you sugary treats and toys to enjoy at home.

     This day while at the store, you just so happened to run into a rather interesting sight.

     You couldn't take your eyes off of the young hero. You simply couldn't.

     Aizawa turned his head from the cereal box he was holding to peer down at you. It was...so weird finally getting to see him in real life. Right in front of your very eyes..

     "What?" The darkly clothed man stared down at your forcefully dolled-up self. (Still, your mother LOVED to buy you cute clothes and dress your hair with pretty ribbons.) The hero, who was at this point essentially a nobody, rose a brow curiously. You were just staring stupidly! Unfortunately, you couldn't really think of anything to say to him. Nothing that wouldn't completely give up your near-omnipotent level knowledge about him.

     "I... I like your scarf." You limply pointed.

     "Uhuhh... Thanks.." He returned to reading the ingredients on the cereal box. By far the least interesting run-in with a canon character so far... But still noteworthy.

     Of course, you were so used to living in this world now that whenever anyone from the show popped up, you simply thought of it like meeting a celebrity. No longer was there this strange, out-of-body experience that made you question everything. It was just a fun thing that happened on occasion. And only sometimes now would you sit down during a moment of silence...allowing your mind to drift: 'Man... This was all just a show once...' Great existential crisis fuel!

----------

     It was nearing Mommy's birthday. You and your dad stayed up late one afternoon sitting on the couch conspiring what you could get her for a present.

     "I think Mommy would like an anime figure." You thought aloud, rubbing your chin.

     No doubt your mom was intently listening from her bedroom, but it was only rarely now that she even gave you the chance to sit one-to-one with your father like this. The poor man had to choose between getting barely any room on his own bed because she insisted you always sleep with her, or he'd be stuck sleeping on the bed in your room which was supposed to replace your old burnt bed.

     Your mother never let you sleep alone. She never let you eat alone. And, weirdly enough, sometimes she still didn't even let you go to the bathroom alone. You loved your mom and all of her infinite love, but...

     ...Wasn't this a bit much?..

     "Hmm," continuing the conversation about the gift, your dad scratched his chin. "Problem is, she doesn't exactly make it obvious which shows she likes anymore."

      Hmmm. The two of you used some deductive reasoning, eventually settling on some merch for the anime the two of you had seen her watching most recently. It was better than nothing at least.

     "Alright, now that that's settled, how about you get ready for bed?" Dad smiled and rubbed your back.

     "Wait-" You stayed seated beside him on the couch, peering up into his big red eyes. "What do you want for your birthday?"

     " . . . " Your father chuckled, leaning back into the couch a little, eyes drifting off and stretching up to study the ceiling. "Oh my... I can't say that I've even thought about that in over a hundred years.."

     "Really??!"

     "You know, there really isn't much a man like myself can ask for... My plans of world domination are all playing out beautifully, I have an adorable daughter and a beautiful wife, and my interests are far less in physical things, instead revolving more around power and quirks."

     You gasped, smiling wide. "I can get you a quirk for your birthday!" Your dad side eyed you as be chuckled.

     "That certainly would be a thing only you could do.." Smirking.

     "If you could have ANY quirk, what would it be?!" Your childish enthusiasm shown through, a truly adorable sight. Your dad didn't need very much time to think about it and you knew why.

     "Well..." His arm rested on the back of the couch, knuckles rising to prop up his chin. His legs were crossed as well as he sat beside you. "...I suppose, there is a quirk, which I already know about, which is something I would like.." You leaned in with great interest. Yes..? Yes.?? "...You remember the stories I told you about my brother, correct?" You nodded. "Well, there is even more to this complicated tale of ours.. .. After I was certain he would die soon with no intervention, I sought out a creative way to restore his health with the magic of quirks... Unfortunately, healing quirks were a rarity at the time. And those who possessed such quirks were so heavily guarded, they could have been compared to royalty, or even prisoners in that day. In short.. there was no chance a villain such as myself would get my hands on a quirk that could restore my brother to his prime.

     ...It was a risk, but one worth taking. .. Since his illness was, at its core, caused by an overwhelming pile-on of quirks in his youth, I began to consider the possibility that perhaps I could trick his body into healing itself if I gave him a very specific, seemingly useless quirk. It really wasn't much. A stockpiling quirk... I hoped then that such an ability might begin to draw from him any excess energy remaining from past quirks within his body, finally giving such phantom traces of energy a place to go without harming him. And, in time, perhaps he would return to normal? Again, I was running on a hunch here. I didn't really have anything to back my theory... But the quirk on its own was weak enough that it would be worth a shot."

     "Ohh? Was.. Did it look like it was helping??" You placed your hands on your father's lap as you leaned in, invested now in a side of the story you had never heard before.

     "I didn't really have the time to run any tests. He was taken from me shortly after, and my brother, in all his ignorance," your dad gritted his teeth, a rare show of emotion that startled you. The hand on his lap clenched into a tight fist. "..passed on that quirk of his to another. The quirk that was supposed to heal him. ... Because, turns out, he did have a quirk all along... One not even we knew about until it finally had a use.. And that quirk was the ability to pass on other quirks. ... Thanks to the stockpiling quirk I had given him, the two merged, forming an ability not too dissimilar to my own..." You hummed thoughtfully at his side, tiredly leaning against him with a sigh.

     "..Why do you want that quirk so badly?.. Is it...really powerful now?"

     Dad chuckled. "Hardly... In fact, that quirk doesn't stand a chance against my own.. Not to mention such a quirk now only shortens the lifespans of its users thanks to the many other quirks thrown into the mix." Your brows furrowed, suspecting he wouldn't be thinking such things in a couple of years. But then...

     "Why, then..?" Your neck strained, peering up the man's arm to get a glimpse of his head.

. . .

     Dad leaned forward, legs uncrossing, position completely changing. His elbows rested on his knees, fingers woven together to prop up his chin. Sitting up, you stared in awe at the distant look in his eye... As if he was trying to keep himself from crying...

     "...Because my brother is still in there..." That forced whisper hit you right in the gut. Waitwaitwait, was he really..sad? "I couldn't save him while he was alive.. so at the very least, I want to make things up to him now.

     Heh... I guess you could say I simply want to see him again..

     ...I want to make our dream of world domination into a reality..."

     ...Our?

     "But those wretched heroes keep getting in my way..." His hands dropped, head holding itself up now. "They have no idea what they possess! They throw my brother's very soul around like it is just some special power-up, forgetting all the while just how fragile a life can be, including their own!.. For if one of those pathetic fools just so happens to die without passing the quirk on, well, there goes what remains of my brother as well... And a hero could so easily die as well. Even in the mundane, like slipping down the stairs or drowning in a puddle. Though they like to think they are invincible, I'm certain.. even the mighty All Might could be brought down with a single bullet if he drops his guard." Dad rested his chin on his woven hands against this time glaring again. "That is why the only place my brother is truly safe...is with me..."

     "...Woa..."

     "Heheh.. Sorry if I got a little intense there, my angel. But that is why such a quirk is so important to me.

...

     A-a-anyways.. You should probably be heading to bed now."

     "O-okay, Dad."

     This war...just got a whole lot more complicated...

----------

     "Mama, Mama, I have your present!!" You scurried into the kitchen with the newly bought figurine in hand. Chloe declared she didn't want any kind of special birthday party or cake, so you concluded that now would just have to be the time you surprised her with a present! It was her birthday, after all! Her 181st to be exact!

     You stopped in the entryway of your kitchen, gasping at the sight of your mother on the floor. The kitchen cabinets cast a sharp shadow over her hunched body. Her back to you, the woman cupped her face in her hands, sobbing on the kitchen floor. ... Her tears collected on the kitchen tile.

     Why was she.. Why was she crying?? She didn't look hurt!

     "Mommy, are you okay?!" You stumbled toward her. Your own heart ached, wanting to see your mother sad no longer.

     "Hang on, Emmy! Mommy's having a moment right now.." She stretched her hand out behind herself to stop you. You halted in the middle of the kitchen, mouth slightly agape.

     "...Mom.. I'm not Emmy."

     "Right, right, Lizzy, I'm sorry..."

     "No..... I'm (Y/n).." You began to worry. Was she alright?.. To forget her own child's name? You knew she had in the past adopted many children before, but, that was AGES ago!

     "(Y/N)???!" Your mother's head spun around, hands flat on the kitchen floor. You flinched back a step, terrified by the intensity in her suddenly darkened eyes. The way they shook, bearing into your very soul as if staring right through you. There was..so much confusion. So much fear... So much hatred.. All directed your way. ... Such terrifying eyes watered again. "...No... No, you're not my (Y/n).."

     "Wh... What?"

     "THIRTY-SEVEN!"

     ...Was that it? Was that all she was going to give you? Your mom's head spun back around, returned to sobbing on the ground.

     ..This must be some kind of age thing. Like how old people often get amnesia before they die. Maybe the case is that no one is supposed to live this long. At least not as long as your mother.. So the time was finally taking a toll on her body and mind.

     But... Dad was still alright. Unless he was just really good at hiding it, he seemed to be handling the extra years quite alright.

     So then..what was it...?

     "Mm....Mommy?" You inched closer, clutching her unboxed present between your hands. Your bare feet rubbed over the cold tile, approaching carefully, cautiously. Paranoia swirled around in your mind. It got so bad that your eyes started to water. What was happening to Mom??? "Mommy, am I a clone?"

     "Wh?!.. No.."

     "Can you please tell me what's wrong?"

     "I can't."

     "Please!! I want to help you!"

     "Then SHUT UP!!" Your mother side-eyed you angrily. Your breath caught in your throat. Standing there stiffly, figuring tucked against your chest, your eyes began to spill worrisome tears. You sniffed, making weak, futile attempts to calm yourself down.

     Truth is.. this was a cry long overdue. You worried something was terribly wrong under the surface for years now... And now that your mother was making no sense, crying on the floor and calling you by different names, you feared your paranoia might just be right..

     Truth was, your own parents still felt like mere strangers to you... You loved them, yes, but there was so little you could list about them other than the fact that they loved you. Your dad loved you, was evil, liked quirks, and wanted his brother back. Your mother loved you, was by far the most caring person you ever met, and loved anime! They had personalities behind that, you bet. But...they were so secretive about it. Even as a baby, you picked up on this, like there was something they were hiding from you.

     You clutched the figurine in your hand tightly, it a perfect example of this. .. Despite knowing her as a friend for years and later as a mother for a decade more..you had no idea which show and character she liked the most! It was a weird sensation..realizing you knew so little.

     ...Was it because you failed to care? You just kept hogging all the love without giving ANY back?! Were you responsible for this strange gap between the two of you? Was there something you needed to change about yourself?!

     Or...was this all doomed from the start to end in vain..?

     Was life just that hopeless?

C'k...

     It was a small noise, but it was followed by the figuring crumbling into dust between your hands. Like ash or fell to the floor... Your eyes widened. Oh no. The tiles cracked beneath you, as they, grew, your fear grew, which only fed into the growing cracks. NONONONONO, NOT THIS! You knew what happened when this quirk was activated!! There was a hopelessness here. Overwhelming you. Blinding you. You couldn't see much ahead. Just jagged patterns and blurry shapes.

     The silhouette of your mother rose at once. "NO, MOM, STAY BACK!!!" You shrieked, reaching a hand out to her. Your hopelessness only fueled this quirk, the cracks crawling up the walls and crumbling apart the floor. Why couldn't you... deactivate the quirk?! Your mother leaped toward you. "NOOOO!" As her feet landed on the cracks in the floor, cracks sprung up her legs, and they turned an ashy gray. You closed your eyes and fell into a ball on the ground. Hopeless. She would be dead soon! "I'M SORRY! I'M SORRY, MOM-"

     Your mother grabbed you and shoved you into her lap between her arms. Her hands held on dearly. You kept your hands balled into fists to prevent any further damage, but her body already was half full with cracks and the dull, pale color of death.

     "Shhh-shhhh... It's okay, (Y/n)..." She stroked her hand through your hair soothingly. "I'm okay my baby.. Mommy's fine.." Her voice cracked, a couple tears dripping into your hair. She rest her chin atop your head, pulling your body as close to her own as possible. You shivered in her arms, counting down the seconds you had with her.

.

.

.

     She was... still here!! Your eyes shot wide open. Even after a minute of the Decay quirk being activated, she remained.

     But...how?! The floor, cabinets, and walls.. all completely destroyed around you!

     You pushed back, staring down at her legs which had been so terribly cracked before. They were...restored! Her pants, however, ehhh~ not so lucky..

     "Mom?!... H-how!?!"

     Your mother chuckled warmly. She grabbed one of your hands. "How does this quirk work?"

     "U-um.. Yu-you can't touch me with all five toes! I- I mean, I can destroy things if I touch it with all five toes or fingers!" Immediately, she forced all five of your fingers to touch her arm. You gasped and whimpered as cracks broke out through her skin. "M-mmom!!"

     "Relax~ ..See?" She guided your attention down to her skin. The color in her flesh fought back, somehow both keeping the cracks from spreading AND reversing it!! You gasped.

     "How!?!"

     "My quirk..." She hummed. Such soft, loving eyes through this whole ordeal. There were only minor signs shown that this pained her at all, expressed through the tightness in her jaw or minute flinching of her injured appendages.

     Your heart-rate decreased. Tears flooded your eyes. You hugged your mother -- fingers curled to not touch -- and cried into her shoulder.

     You didn't understand what was going on, how she managed to survive, or what this meant in the grand scheme of things...

     ...But you were worlds grateful that she was alive.