Esther's POV ~ Twenty Two Years Ago

Rain poured around me as I ran through the woods, my short hair fell in front of my face and threatened to cut off my view of the world around me: Short strands sticking to the droplets of water scattered across my face. Even through the challenging landscape of the woods I pushed forward. Trees tried their best to cut off my path but there was no stopping me: I had to get to Ita.

She'd called me only fifteen minutes ago in a panic; Voice stricken with anxiety as she tried her best to keep herself together. Ultimately she failed but before I could get any details the call ended, leaving me to wonder what could get her so worked up. Ita was one of the strongest Talons: Only second to Moria's powerful strikes of her chains. The fact that she was scared worried me.

Ita was a close friend of Cane's and by association she'd become a friend of mine. Over the past year we've had to work closely together resulting in an unusually strong bond to form between us in a short amount of time. Usually I'd keep to myself but something about Ita just seemed to draw me to her: Maybe it was that kind smile she'd offer me every time she saw me or it could be the motherly way she forced me to sleep after several restless nights.

There was a difference between the kind woman I'd learned to call my friend and the other coldhearted Talons. She'd always be smiling even after a mission went south: Nobody knew why she always had that smile on her face but it was there and it comforted our hearts to know that even in hard times someone could smile. I wonder how long that smile will stay on her beautiful face. With everything we do I expect it to be gone sooner rather than late, but who knows perhaps she'll keep it up for the sake of everyone else.

My thighs ached as I approached the clearing at the top of the hill. Sitting inside the small space of land was a traditional Japanese house, Ita had always loved the culture of Japan so it didn't surprise me when I found out this was her home. The home she loved so dear gave off an eerie feeling: Shadowed by the clouds high above as rain pelted against it's roof. It was as though it knew something bad had happened and wished to mourn for the person who had shown it so much love.

Break time would come soon enough, right now Ita needed my help. Continuing in a slow job I made my way to the door of her house and slid it open. There were no lights on and the only sounds were the loud pelting of rain from outside. Taking a step in I could smell the lingering wift of what they had for dinner earlier tonight: Soba.

"Ita?" My voice rang through the silent house and brought to life the deathly quiet room. After a second of no response I wandered further into the house, my footsteps so quiet that the sound of rain alone was able to drown them out. I need to be careful. There's no telling what was lurking inside the dark corners of this house.

Stepping further from the entrance I didn't bother to take my shoes off. Ita could get mad later but for now I needed to know that she was okay. I walked down the hall, my eyes wandering into the few doors that were creaked open but yet I saw no sign of life. The hairs on the back of my neck were on edge and something was telling me to turn back, but yet I pushed forward into the depths of the house.

At the end of the hall there was a door; I outstretched my hand and hesitated before sliding it open. After working in a criminal organization for a year you get a sense of what to do and what you absolutely shouldn't do: That same sense was telling me to run. I'm a confident person, not easily scared by things, but behind that door I could just feel the death emanating .

Closing my eyes and taking a deep breath I searched for an answer. If I opened this door I could be injured or worse, killed, but if I don't Ita could die, so what do I do? Is self-preservation more important than my best friend and if it is what do I tell everyone else? These were the situations I tried to avoid at all cost but here I am in the middle of one.

I pushed the door open. My stomach dropped to the floor as I saw two bodies sprawled across the wooden floors, the blood dripping from them seemed to have no end. Shards of glass embedded themselves within their bodies, hundreds of sharp jagged pieces piercing the soft golden skin of Ita.

The two backdoors, once made of glass, had completely disappeared: Not a trace of them was left anywhere throughout the room. Standing in their place was a tall man with a face shrouded by a black mask. Behind that I could see a dangerous red gleaming with bloodlust. After a second that vicious scarlet eyes died down to a black that matched the darkness of his soul.

He'd used her own home against her. It had meant so much to Ita but in the end it had become her downfall.

"Who are you," Venom dripped from my words and I thought for a moment they alone would kill him.

Those deep dark eyes of his bore into my soul and engraved their message into my mind: Don't move a muscle. Just looking at him and what he had done to Ita I could tell that he was stronger, probably stronger than me. Right now that didn't matter to me, I wanted revenge for my fallen friend. My best friend.

There was a sudden clap of thunder and he disappeared like my sense of security.

"Esther." A sudden voice cut through the air and chilled my skin. She was alive, but from the sound of her voice she wouldn't be for long. I turned and looked at Ita, her (E/C) eyes half lidded so that I could only see a small sliver of their shining color.

I quickly dropped to my knees beside her and pulled her head into my lap. My hands found their way into her long (H/C) hair tangled by her own blood. A finger grazed the back of her neck and I felt the warm blood that gushed from an open wound. It'd kill her in a couple of minutes and there was nothing I could do to help her.

Cane should've sent Malik. He could've already saved her but I can't do anything; Only watch as she takes short, shallow breaths. It was pitiful to see someone so strong in such a weak state. She'd been my stability and yet in this moment our roles were reversed.

"Ita," My voice was low and sweet: A sound that was foreign even to me, I'd never had a voice so filled with emotions. "What happened."

She let out a small cough, droplets of blood dripping from her mouth. "He- he wanted revenge for his daughter and her husband. A glass manipulation quirk is hard to avoid, so I couldn't do much to protect us."

I wiped away the blood that dripped from her mouth. She was so beautiful even now as she knocked on death's door. The way her (E/C) eyes twinkled with kindness and how her long hair fell across her gently crafted face- She was a goddess that graced the presence of men. It was scary to me how even now there was a smile on her plump pink lips.

"You know he wouldn't blame you. Your husband knew what he got himself into when he married you so don't think that it's your fault." Behind that smile I could sense the pain. Ita wanted to cry but was keeping herself together for me.

Ita's hollow laugh echoed through the quiet house as she did her best to stay alive, but no one knows how long she'll be able to keep this up. "I know he wouldn't. I'm just sad that I couldn't make it out of Phoenix in time, if only I had tried harder. We continue living life as a perfect family."

"You can continue living!" My shouts were weak as I begged Ita to stay alive just a bit longer, I couldn't bear to watch her die. Not when we'd work together for so long. "Stay with me Ita, please. I need you. I can't get out alone, but if you're with me I know I can."

Shakily, she raised one of her small hands and cupped my cheek. Her soft skinned hands ran across my face as she whipped the tears that fell from her eyes. Even in her final moments she was acting like a mother to a child learning to control it's emotions.

There was a cry that sounded throughout the house, my body chilling as I recognized the cry of a baby. Ita's eyes opened wide for a second before closing. "Give her a good life, okay? Please teach her that Phoenix isn't a good path to take. Make sure my little (Y/N) knows that she deserves a life better than what I had."

"Ita..." My voice trailed off as I realized she'd gone limp, arm falling across her stomach as she took her last shallow breath. I held in my tears, my time to mourn wasn't now.

Standing up I staggered through the house and followed the loud cries of a child, eventually finding myself inside a nursery. The room was dark but it was filled with the cries of an orphaned baby. I walked through the room and peaked over the side of the crib.

She couldn't have been older than two months, such a young age to lose her mother. My hands snaked around the small child and I lifted her into my arms. Almost instantly she stopped her wailing and snuggled into my chest, she was comforted by my presence as if I were the mother she'd just lost. Her (E/C) eyes matched Ita's in a way that I nearly forgot the woman had died in my arms only seconds ago.

"You're so adorable." The baby giggled as she reached for one of my fingers, grabbing it as tight as she could with her young hands. "I don't know what your future has in store for you, young one, but I promise I'll do what I can for you."

There was a click from behind me, a soft sound that nearly escaped even my well-trained ears. I turned and looked to see a man standing in the doorway with his gun raised high. Our eyes met and from that cold dead stare I knew that he was ready to kill, one shot and he could take me out without harming (Y/N).

"Hito right?" He didn't respond so I took it as a chance to continue. "Are you going to kill your sister's best friend? If you do please be sure to not harm (Y/N)."

"For someone so feared you sure are weak aren't you? Even now you know that I could so easily kill, yet you don't even flinch to tell me that I should." This fact seemed to excite him in ways that a normal person wouldn't be. A game that he wanted to play but was waiting for his turn. "I like that quality Esther. For that I'm going to let you live for a while longer."

His amber gaze gleamed with exhilaration as if I were just a piece of prey to him- A sheep to a wolf. "Why? You don't know what happened here so why would you let me leave, and with your niece at that."

"Because," I looked down at the child in my arms as I realized she'd already fallen back asleep. That was good, she was too young to understand what was happening anyway. "I want to take you down but I also want to take my time with it. I'll take down all of Phoenix and have some fun. Then when I'm done I'll be promoted to a government position."

"So you're going to let me leave just like that?" Everything in me told me to lash out but I couldn't with young (Y/N) in my arms. How could he let me go when he didn't know if I killed Ita or not.

Hito nodded and lowered the weapon in his hand. He stepped to the side and offered me an exit to the room. At first I was hesitant to take it before I realized something- Hito didn't give a damn about (Y/N). She was nothing to him so he wouldn't care if I walked away with her. I took the chance and quickly walked through the door and into the hall.

"By the way," Hito didn't hesitate to call out as I approached the front door. "Train her well. If I have to fight my own niece in the future then I want it to be a fun fight."

I was determined not to let that outcome happen.

~~~

Present - Esther's POV

~~~

My hand was wrapped securely around Hito's neck as I finished my story of that night. Even after two decades it was still engraved into my mind like the nightmares I controlled. Could be because they plague my dreams every night, the downside to my quirk: Every time I slept I'd be trapped in a nightmare like the ones I created for other people.

"Let me know if I'm right Hito." Everyone was silent and was focused on my voice. "You weren't there to help your sister, you were there to kill her."

Hito let out an airy laugh as his lungs worked to get the needed oxygen. "I told you that I would be the one to take down Phoenix. Starting with my no good sister who betrayed our family to join that bastard Cane. There was no information about Phoenix but I knew about her, so I was willing to take the chance."

I released him from my hold and he fell to the floor, struggling to reign in his breathing. "You weren't just going to kill Ita, if I hadn't been there you would've killed (Y/N) and her husband. Erase any legacy of them so they don't stain any part of your good name."

It made my blood boil when all he did was shrug from his place on the floor. Casually he stretched his arms as if taking a break from the game we were playing. "Who knows. I wasn't the one to do anything so there's nothing really against me now is there?

My hand clenched as I held myself back from punching the idiotic man in the face. He'd not only allowed me to take (Y/N) but he would've killed her. I stalked towards him, my body towering over him as I leaned down to get closer to his face.

"I'll be helping (Y/N) get revenge. If you get in the way Hito I'll kill you, okay? My little birdie may have found her morals but I assure that I have not." My voice was barley above a whisper, so low that he could barley hear it himself. "So we'll be leaving now, and I expect you to allow it. No one follows us and we just take our leave."

"Okay." I hadn't expected him to agree which is why I found his compromise so strange. He wasn't lying about his strange agreement, or he was just really good at it. "Go. I'll have you locked away eventually so what's the harm in letting you help that little girl try and fail to bring down Phoenix. It's not like there's hope for her to defeat the most well-known criminal organization out there."

I looked around the room and my eyes landed on (Y/N), her body was so tense that I knew something was up. A part of me wanted to ask what was wrong but I know that I have no right to do so. Instead I let her be, fist clenched and eyes glued to the floor.

"I have faith in that kid. She'll bring Cane down with the help of those around her, and then she'll free the other Talons."

"Good luck with that. I can't wait to see her fail."