Chapter Text
The world was collapsing. Every corner of the earth was caving in on itself. It folded and cracked and splintered. No person or animal was left alive, burned by the magma that engulfed them. The ground shook from the force of the earthquakes. Fires burned and explosions erupted, filling the air with smoke. The sky was bleak and gray from the ashes. No one could breathe.
Except for Kimika.
She stood in the middle of the chaos, untouched by the mayhem. Her pale skin was flawless and clean. Her pin-straight hair was still the color of snow. Her red eyes reflected the fires that burned in front of her.
Kimika watched the world end. She watched the home she once loved become nothing. She watched, alone.
At least, that's how it felt to her.
In reality, the world was fine. Sure, villains still roamed the streets and people died, but heroes were there to save the day and make sure everyone lived a peaceful life. In fact, her vivid daydreams of the world's destructions were just that: daydreams.
She was locked in her empty room, with no bed or desk orย anythingย to entertain her. The walls were made from a quirk: white walls that couldn't be broken by anything, not even her power. Inside that room, it was just her. Just her, and air. It was the one thing she couldn't touch.
The one thing she couldn't make disappear.
Kimika remembered the day when her quirk first manifested. It was the day when the fires sparked and engulfed everything in her mind. Her quirk had absolutely nothing to do with the flames, and yet there they were, turning every happy memory to ash. She didn't know why they were there. She didn't know how to get rid of them.
As she sat in that barren room only two years later, they haunted her.
A shaky breath escaped her lips. She pulled her knees to her chest, burying her face in her arms and letting herself sink farther and farther down the spiral. That's what it felt like to sit here for days on end. It was a spiral that circled to the depths of her consciousness. She could sense all the ghosts that haunted her, everything that disappeared thanks to her power.
She took a step down the spiral staircase of her mind.
There was a desk.
Another step.
A tree.
Another step.
A hairbrush.
Two more steps.
A gemstone. A baby bunny.
Three more steps.
A backpack. A door. A vial of medicine.
Another step.
The doctor who had first tried to help her.
Another step.
Two government officials.
It kept going and going for what seemed like miles. There was no end to it.
A loud click snapped her out of her thoughts. She quickly rose to her feet, her fingers wrung tightly in front of her. She kept them a safe distance from the plain white robe she wore. If she touched it-- it would disappear.
Kimika watched as a section of the white walls fell away and a man stepped inside. She shrank under the man's gaze. Dressed in a sleek black suit, holding a metal contraption in his hand, he called out to her.
"Vanish. You are required in level 3's main training facility."
There was a lump in Kimika's throat that she couldn't swallow. She felt the man apply the metal gadget to her wrists. They were cuffs. They fastened at the wrist, a long slab of platinum that divided her hands so they wouldn't, and couldn't, touch anything. It was the only thing they could do to prevent the effects of her power.
She followed limply behind the man, who escorted her down the many hallways and stairs toward the training facility.
The restrictions the government used on her were only a precaution, and she knew that. She understood why she needed to be cuffed, why she wasn't allowed anywhere else. She couldn't control her power. That's why she accepted these training sessions with open arms. If she learned how to make things disappear only when she wanted to, she could be free to wander the entire building.
She could only dream of that day.
The man's communicator rang. Lifting his wrist to his lips, he responded. "Copy that. Vanish is on her way."
Kimika watched as her bare feet stomped quietly against the tile flooring. One after another, she stepped forward. She knew exactly where she was going. She went there every day at the same time.
The man stopped, and Kimika followed suit. He fished a keycard out of his pocket and inserted it into a scanner. After three beeps, a section of the wall slid open to reveal the training room.
A large, open, and empty space that was made entirely of metal was the only other room Kimika was allowed in. Inside, stood one man. His name was Kenzo Hirose, and he was the man who trained her every day.
"Thank you." Hirose waved her escort away. His sharp black eyes pierced her like spears as the door shut behind her, sealing both of them inside. Hirose crept toward her with his arms behind his back. "Good morning, Vanish."
Kimika kept her head facing the ground. All she could manage was a mere hum of a hello. She had always found it hard to talk, but the mere thought of having a conversation with Hirose caused her to shake. He was a frightening man. His dark features allowed for a mysterious air to surround him, and he never once smiled. His voice was deep and sent shivers up anyone's spine. He was not someone to trifle with.
"Now, I want to work on your capacity today." Hirose circled her like a vulture examining its prey. "The higher-ups and I want to know if you have a limit. We usually only give you a small thing to use your quirk on, but today..." He snapped his fingers.
An array of objects suddenly appeared against the farthest wall. Boulders, tables, chairs, boxes, and even more she couldn't identify. Her hands trembled in my restraints. So, the usual routine, then.
"Now, we understand your quirk manifested only two years ago," Hirose continued, "but it is better to discover weaknesses before the training gets more difficult."
It was hard to imagine a harder level of training. To her six-year-old mind, the constant practice of filling her consciousness with objects is overwhelming. Kimika felt the cuffs on her wrists loosen until they released. She squeaked and stepped back, letting them collide with the ground instead of her bare toes.
Hirose was now several feet away from her, a distance at which he could avoid her now free hands. "Touch the box."
Kimika took careful steps until she was in front of the box he'd pointed to. It was made of simple cardboard and seemed to have nothing inside. Her hand shook as I reached it out. Her fingertips had barely even touched the cardboard when it suddenly disappeared in a flash of white light, leaving only air in its place.
"Well done." Hirose nodded stiffly.
A breathless gasp left Kimika's lips and she quickly brought her hands to her chest, feeling the heavy sensation of a new item in her quirk's inventory. She winced. Every time she touched a new object, it felt like a forty-pound weight was dropped on her head.
Hirose raised an eyebrow. "Is it that headache again?"
She answered with a brisk hum.
"You'll get used to it. Again."
In the span of twenty minutes, Kimika used my quirk on thirty-six other objects. At this point, her head was pounding violently, and every time she clenched her jaw it erupted in pain. Her muscles were tight. She could barely move her arms anymore. She willed the tears not to escape her eyes.
Hirose rubbed his temple in frustration. "You can't seriously be tired already? When you first arrived here, you could go through at least sixty items a day. What's with you lately?" His black eyes glared so sharply that it felt like she was getting stabbed.
In all honesty, Kimika had no idea what's been going on with her quirk. Two years ago, her headache would only come at around fifty objects. Now, twenty-five would make her freeze up. It felt like every day her limit would come sooner and sooner.
Three loud beeps sounded from the entrance of the training room, and the door slid open with a quiet hiss. Hirose's dangerous eyes snapped to the doorway. Standing there was Aimi Fujikawa. She was one of the nicer government officials, though they all were still bad apples. She had a head full of curly rose-red hair and eyes as blue as the summer sky.
Hirose sneered at the newcomer. "Fujikawa. What are you doing here? I've clocked this session to train Vanish." He shot a hand out at Kimika, who mistook it for a violent gesture and jerked out of the way. His eye twitched.
Fujikawa answered as politely as ever. "Hello, Mr. Hirose. The higher-ups have recalculated the training facility's hours. We have a new addition."
"New addition?" Kimika imagined steam spilling from Hirose's red ears. "You mean to tell me--"
"Come, come." Fujikawa reached behind her and gently pulled a young boy into the room.
Dressed in white plainclothes, he was obviously a new pet of the government, just like me. He shamelessly held Fujikawa's hand like a lost puppy. He had unruly blonde hair that sprouted in every possible direction. It was clear he was a mutant-type thanks to the big red wings that sprouted from his back. His eyes were almost as sharp as the black marking at the corners, their golden hues falling over every object in the room as he took it all in. Then, his eyes stopped on Kimika.
Interest flashed across his features. His body straightened at the sight of a child his age. His eyes widened and his lips twitched into a small smile. He offered a timid wave as a hello.
Kimika squeaked and went to hide behind Hirose. Despite his terrifying demeanor and horrible attitude, he was familiar-- and familiar beat unfamiliar in Kimika's eyes.
Hirose shot a disgusted stare at the girl behind his leg and moved swiftly away from her. "Don't touch me, you." Kimika hung her head in shame and squeezed her palms together as she gazed at her toes. Hirose shook his head and brushed off his sleek blue suit. "I wasn't aware we'd found a new one. His quirk?"
Fujikawa's fingers tightened around the boy's, trying to catch his attention once more, but his golden eyes were glued to the little girl on the other side of the room. She sighed, giving up. "It's called Fierce Wings. He's able to control the feathers from his wings. At least, heย willย be able to."
"If you would like, I can take over his training." Hirose offered. It was clear he just wanted to be rid of the creature standing a few feet away. The little girl seemed to shrink in on herself even more at the thought.
Fujikawa held up her free hand. "There's no need. The higher-ups want the two to start training together once they have a good handle on their quirks. It will give them a good sense of real-life situations in battle."
Kimika's lips formed a straight line. She never thought she'd have to fight someone else. She winced at the thought. The pain she felt from using her power on a person was worse than the effect of an inanimate object. Besides, what if... What if she accidentally zapped him away?
The idea made her headache twice as bad.
"Now, if you don't mind, we will be using the training facility," Fujikawa cleared her throat.
Hirose growled fiercely, snapping his fingers. The leftover items from my session popped away. He produced the metal cuffs. "Vanish." At the call of her alias, Kimika swiftly held her hands out. The restraints were clipped on in a matter of seconds.
Kimika followed briskly behind Hirose as he stomped out of the facility. She tried to keep her gaze on her feet as she padded along, but couldn't help herself. She glanced up.
Gold met red and she stopped in her shoes. Kimika simply stared at him, unsure of what to do with herself. She wanted to run away and hide in her room. She wanted to squeeze her palms together until they simply fell off. Until the boy, whose name she didn't know, smiled at her.
All of a sudden, she wanted to stay. She wanted to stay under that comforting and warm gaze of his. She wanted to stay and have him smile at her for the rest of forever.
The moment ended too soon.
"Vanish! We're going now." Hirose snatched her arm and harshly tugged her out of the room and into the corridor. Kimika winced as she felt his tight grip dig into her skin.
The last thing she saw before the door closed was the boy's quizzical eyes as his gaze followed her.
Then the door clicked shut.