MHA: Dark Matter

I stared at the girl, my mind blank. I could easily push her away. That was probably why her hug didn't trigger any fear. Or maybe I just didn't understand anything. No, I really didn't understand anything.

"Little girl, are you sure you haven't mistaken me for someone else?"

Her face scrunched up slightly. The glow in her eyes intensified for a moment, then faded.

"No."

She said, still hugging me. Just great. I looked around, trying to spot her parents. No one. A few passersby glanced at us, but none of them looked like her guardian. I looked back at the girl.

"Could you let go of me?"

"No."

The answer came instantly. My right eye twitched.

"But this is uncomfortable for me. Could you let go?"

"No."

I had never been in a situation like this before. Standing in the middle of the street with a girl clinging to me was not part of my plans. I tried to gently push her away, but she held on tighter. As strong as she was, I was stronger. Just as I was about to pry her off, tears started welling up in her eyes.

I froze. She latched onto me like a tick. A few passersby shook their heads disapprovingly, looking at me. I had to suppress the urge to scream, "I'm not the bad guy here!" I felt like a villain for almost making a little girl cry.

The stupidest part was that I actually was a villain. Ticci Micc was a murderer. Damn.

"Little girl, where are your parents?"

She didn't answer. She pressed her forehead against me.

I could only sigh. It seemed I wouldn't be able to resolve this quickly.

"Fine. My name is Ken Hoshino. Can you tell me your name?"

A quiet answer came from the girl, her face still pressed against me.

"Hana Yoshioka."

"Okay. Why were you looking for me? Have we met before?"

I asked calmly, trying to figure out why she seemed familiar. She finally lifted her head. Looking into her gray eyes, I began to understand where I had seen them.

"Yes. You had a beautiful mask with a red smile."

My face went still. A cold feeling spread through my insides. Something vile began to grow inside me.

"How did you find me?"

"My Quirk lets me see glowing trails that people leave behind. I remembered yours."

I stared at her without blinking.

"Haven't you told anyone about this?"

"No."

The solution was simple. She knew my secret. That threatened all my plans. I just needed to make sure no one suspected me or noticed anything. I had plenty of experience with that. It would be easy. One hand would be enough. It would only take a second.

*Her weak breathing was barely audible in the quiet room. Her gray eyes stared motionlessly at the wall.*

I put my hand on her head.

"Let's sit down."

She nodded. We walked to a nearby bench. Hana kept one hand on my clothes, afraid to let me go.

Looking at her, I couldn't find the strength to do what I was thinking. If I did, I wouldn't just be killing her. I would be killing a part of myself too. A heavy feeling grew in my chest.

If she told anyone, I would have to run. Abandon everything. There would be no more Ken Hoshino. Only the villain Ticci Micc would remain.

My pessimistic thoughts were interrupted by the girl's quiet voice.

"Big brother, I won't tell anyone about that night. But on one condition…"

Wait a minute. My mind couldn't keep up. Since when did I become "big brother"? And didn't her words sound a little too strange?

"…you have to stay with me."

I was dreaming. That was the only explanation. Only in a dream could a little girl blackmail a killer of dozens of people and demand that he stay with her.

I pinched myself.

Nothing.

I frowned at the red mark on my hand and looked back at Hana, who was waiting for my answer. Her gray eyes watched my every move. This was real.

Damn.

Reality sucks.

Okay, Ken, pull yourself together. This is just a conversation with a little girl whose kidnappers you killed, and now she's blackmailing you with the secret of your villain identity.

Damn.

"Why do you want me to stay with you?"

I decided to find out how deep this rabbit hole went.

"I like it when you're near me."

Was this the so called suspension bridge effect? When a person, due to fear and excitement, thinks they've fallen in love with the first person they see. That was just what I needed.

"Hana chan, you do understand that I can't be with you all the time, right? Let's talk to your pa… your guardian instead."

Her face had started to scrunch up, but then relaxed at the change in my words. I almost forgot her past reaction to questions about her parents. After a moment's thought, she nodded.

"Where is your guardian?"

"Over there."

She pointed behind me. I turned and looked at the crowd. Among them, a panicking young woman in white clothes stood out, asking passersby questions. Her black hair was styled in a way that framed her face. I grimaced slightly at the white color. My aversion to that color still hadn't gone away.

Hana, sitting next to me, waved her hand. The woman noticed and quickly walked toward us.

Soft facial features with a slightly pointed chin, reddish eyes, a voluminous chest, a well proportioned figure. In terms of beauty, she was in no way inferior to the 18+ hero, Midnight. And I might have involuntarily admired her if her ward wasn't blackmailing me with the knowledge of my second identity.

Inhale.

"Hello…"

Ignoring me, she quickly hugged Hana.

"Hana chan, are you okay? Don't ever do that again. You don't know how scared I was when I didn't see you near the store. I thought you had been taken again…"

She started crying, hugging the girl tightly. At this sight, I felt like a third wheel. I would have tactfully slipped away if not for the little blackmailer's insistent gaze on me. So I pretended to be a stone statue. Passersby also tactfully ignored us, occasionally glancing our way.

Five minutes later, the woman calmed down and finally deigned to notice me.

"I'm sorry for my behavior. My name is Ayame Yoshioka. Hana chan hasn't been bothering you, has she?"

My lips twitched involuntarily. "Has she been bothering you, the person who is blackmailing me?" How could I approach this topic tactfully?

Having made up my mind, I was about to speak when Hana chimed in innocently.

"Onee san, I want big brother to come visit us."

Ayame looked at the girl in shock, while I just wanted to sink through the ground. Since when had talking to a child and her guardian, whom she called her older sister, become more difficult than killing a gang of villains?

"Young man, I'd like to speak with you."

Ayame looked at me with slightly narrowed eyes and a polite smile on her face. But I felt the unspoken threat. At the absurdity of the situation, I blurted out:

"I'm not to blame. She blackmailed me!"

I pointed at the ten year old girl.

Only a second later did I realize what I had said. I covered my face with my hands, noting to myself that the stunned Ayame looked attractive.

********A/N*******

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