Chapter 3: Easy
A year had passed by much faster than Akaeru expected. Asami had taken a leave of absence from her restaurant, dedicating herself to showering him with enough love and attention to fill a lifetime, while Nejire, ever the enthusiastic host, dragged Akaeru to the park every sunny afternoon, introducing him to all the neighborhood kids, though he never formed a friendship with any of them.
Over the last few days, he had grown somewhat of a superiority complex, and they didn't like how he talked down to them.
One such afternoon, they found themselves sprawled beneath the shade of a sprawling oak tree. Asami chatted with another parent on a nearby bench, Nejire attempted to teach Akaeru the finer points of hopscotch, while he, in turn, creeped everyone out because of his lack of social skills.
He'd taken to explaining the intricacies of his quirk, "Time Warp," with a condescending air, as if bestowing knowledge upon the intellectually inferior.
The neighborhood kids, once wide-eyed with fascination, now scattered at his approach. Their giggles had been replaced by nervous glances and whispered accusations of "show-off."
Just then, a shadow fell across the blanket they were using as a makeshift picnic mat.
"Hey, quit bragging about your crappy quirk! I, Bakugo, would blow you up before you could even do anything!"
A spiky blonde haired boy with an aggressive atmosphere yelled a threat as little explosions crackled in his left palm as he pointed at Akaeru with his right hand.
"You want to test that out?" Akaeru asked the boy with a playful look in his eyes. He wasn't confident in losing.
Seeing that Akaeru was about to get in a fight and probably hurt Bakugo, Nejire ran up to them from the sidewalk where the hopscotch game was, and stood next to Akaeru.
"Guys, stop! Both of your quirks are special, it doesn't matter who's stronger," she said, trying to defuse the situation, but Bakugo didn't seem to calm down at all, and out of nowhere, he directed his palm towards them, but before he could do anything, Akaeru's hand was already out, and just as Bakugo's explosion was about to hit them, it suddenly retracted into Bakugo's palm.
Still, he didn't give up, and Bakugo attacked again, this time with his fist, but before he could reach them, Akaeru directed his palm towards the ground beneath Bakugo and sped time up for the Earth.
The ground started to change shape beneath Bakugo, causing him to trip and scrape his knee on a rock, and before he could pick himself up, Akaeru suddenly reverted everything back to how it was before, with Bakugo standing in front of him, and he kicked Bakugo in the stomach before he even realized what was happening.
The air crackled with Bakugo's fury. Smoke billowed from his palms as he charged at Akaeru again, a feral snarl contorting his face. This time, Akaeru didn't flinch. He met Bakugo's furious gaze with a cold glint in his own eyes. The playful facade he'd worn earlier was gone, replaced by a steely resolve.
"Looking for a fight?" Akaeru challenged, a hint of amusement dancing on his lips. "Fine, let me show you your place. Beneath me, that is."
Bakugo roared, his voice cracking. He launched himself at Akaeru, a fiery explosion erupting from his palm. Akaeru, faster than Bakugo could perceive, flicked his wrist, sending a ripple of green energy through the air. Time, in a localized bubble around Bakugo, stuttered and rewound. The explosion fizzled out mid-air, leaving behind a bewildered Bakugo hovering inches from Akaeru's face.
"What the…?!" Bakugo sputtered, confusion momentarily overriding his anger. He tried to pull back his fist, but it was frozen in mid-motion. Panic flickered in his crimson eyes as he realized he was trapped in a time loop of Akaeru's making.
"See this, Bakugo?" Akaeru taunted, his voice laced with a newfound arrogance. "This is the difference between us. A quirk that can bend time itself to my will. Yours...?" He glanced at Bakugo's sputtering palms, "just makes a loud bang."
Bakugo, his pride wounded, let out a frustrated scream. He struggled against the invisible restraints, his explosions sputtering pathetically before rewinding back into his palms. "Let me go, you time freak!" he bellowed, his voice strained with exertion.
"Not until you learn some manners," Akaeru retorted, his voice surprisingly firm. He'd spent his life feeling powerless, but now, with this power coursing through him, he felt a surge of dominance.
"Seems you need a reality check." He flicked his wrist again, and time sped up around Bakugo. The world blurred past him in a dizzying rush. One moment he was trapped, the next he was stumbling forward, tripping over his own feet as the ground beneath him re-solidified. Before Bakugo could react, Akaeru delivered a swift kick to his chest, sending him sprawling onto the grass.
Bakugo lay there, stunned and sputtering. The air had been knocked out of him, and for the first time in his life, fear gnawed at the edges of his rage. He'd always believed his quirk made him superior, a walking explosion waiting to happen. But Akaeru, with his unseen manipulation of time, had made him look like a child playing with firecrackers.
Akaeru stood above him, a smug smirk twisting his lips. "There you go, Bakugo," he said, his voice dripping with condescension. "Maybe next time you'll think twice before picking a fight with someone who can make you look so… pathetic."
Nejire, who had been watching the fight unfold with a mixture of horror and awe, now rushed to his side. "Akaeru! That was too much!" she exclaimed, her voice laced with worry.
But Akaeru ignored her. He had finally tasted power, and it felt intoxicating. He had shown Bakugo, and perhaps even himself, who was truly in control.
Just then, a shadow fell over them. Asami, her face etched with concern, stood beside them. "What happened here?" she asked, taking in the scene—the disheveled Bakugo, the tense air, and Akaeru standing over it all.
Akaeru's bravado faltered. He opened his mouth to explain, but the words wouldn't come.
Asami knelt beside Bakugo, checking him over. "Are you alright, young man?" she asked gently.
Bakugo, pride momentarily forgotten, mumbled a curse before pushing himself up, glaring at Akaeru with a simmering rage that promised retribution. "I just tripped, and he was healing me." With that, he stormed off, leaving a trail of acrid smoke in his wake.
The air hung heavy with unspoken tension. Asami straightened up, her gaze turning to Akaeru. "Akaeru," she began, her voice firm but laced with concern, "what happened here?"
Akaeru fidgeted under his mother's gaze. Shame began to creep in, replacing the smug satisfaction he'd felt moments before. He mumbled a half-truth about Bakugo starting the fight and him only defending himself.
Asami listened patiently, then sighed. "That may be true, but there's a difference between defending yourself and resorting to cruelty. Your quirk is powerful, Akaeru, but power isn't everything. True strength comes from using your abilities to help others, not to dominate them."
Her words resonated with Akaeru. He saw the disappointment in her eyes, and a pang of guilt hit him. He hadn't meant to be cruel, but the power had gone to his head. He looked down at his shoes, unable to meet her gaze.
Seeing his remorse, Asami softened her tone. "Come on," she said gently, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Let's go for a walk and talk about this."
As they walked away from the park, Nejire skipped silently beside them, her usual bubbly demeanor replaced by a worried frown. The weight of his actions settled on Akaeru like a lead blanket. He knew his mother was right. He had a lot to learn about controlling his quirk, and more importantly, himself.
The next day, Akaeru decided to go to the park again, a strange hope flickering in his chest. He hoped to find Bakugo and apologize, but the blonde boy was nowhere to be seen. Instead, as he was playing on the playground, hidden behind the slide, he saw a blonde girl with pigtails and golden eyes crouching over something.
"What are you doing?" Akaeru asked, his voice breaking the silence.
Startled, the girl looked up, her face splitting into a wide, creepy grin. "Hehe look at it. Isn't it so pretty?" she asked, holding up a dead bird for him to see.
Akaeru stared at the lifeless bird in the girl's hand, a knot of unease forming in his stomach. The morbid curiosity in her golden eyes sent shivers down his spine. "What's your name?" he asked, his voice devoid of its usual bravado.
"Toga Himiko," she chirped, tilting her head to the side. "Isn't it pretty though...?"
"No, Himiko," he countered, the name rolling awkwardly off his tongue. "It's not pretty. It's dead." There was a blunt honesty in his voice, a stark contrast to the girl's unsettling cheerfulness.
A flicker of sadness replaced the morbid fascination in Himiko's eyes. "Oh..."
"But beauty is subjective," Akaeru continued, unsure why he was engaging with her. "I don't think it's pretty, but you can think whatever you want."
His words seemed to spark a morbid light back into Himiko's eyes. A manic grin stretched across her face. "Do you want me to heal it? Like, bring it back to life?"
The question hung in the air, a challenge laced with morbid curiosity. An idea sparked in Akaeru's mind. He'd never attempted to use his quirk on something truly dead. It was a test, a push of his boundaries, and a potential apology.
"Maybe," he said cautiously, unsure of the limits of his power. "I've never tried before."
Himiko's grin widened further, a high-pitched giggle escaping her lips that sent chills down Akaeru's spine. "That would be awesome! We could play with it again!"
Akaeru hesitated. The idea of using his quirk for such a purpose felt wrong, a perversion of its potential. But the morbid curiosity gnawed at him, and the desire to test his limits fueled his indecision.
"Give it here," he finally said, extending a hand. While he could use his quirk from a distance, direct contact made it easier to focus.
Himiko placed the dead bird in his grasp, her golden eyes gleaming with anticipation. Akaeru closed his eyes, focusing on the bird, willing his quirk to rewind time, to undo the damage that had been done. A green aura pulsed from his palm, bathing the bird in an ethereal glow.
For a moment, nothing happened. Disappointment gnawed at Akaeru. Maybe his quirk wasn't powerful enough. Perhaps life and death were boundaries he couldn't manipulate.
Just then, a faint tremor shook the ground. Himiko squealed with delight, her golden eyes sparkling with morbid fascination. The bird's body twitched, a single feather fluttering in the breeze. Slowly, almost imperceptibly, the green glow intensified.
A gasp escaped Akaeru's lips. The bird's chest began to rise and fall in a shallow, labored breath. Its lifeless eyes fluttered open, blinking in confusion. Then, with a weak chirp, it flapped its wings weakly and took flight, escaping his grasp and soaring clumsily into the clear blue sky.
Himiko erupted in a fit of giggles, clapping her hands with glee. "You did it! You brought it back! You're amazing, Akaeru!"
Akaeru, however, felt a wave of dizziness wash over him. The effort had been taxing, pushing his quirk to its limits. He slumped back against the slide, wiping a bead of sweat from his brow.
"Woah, are you okay?" Himiko asked, her manic cheer momentarily replaced by something resembling concern.
"Yeah, I'm fine," Akaeru mumbled, catching his breath. "Just a little tired."
As he lay on the ground, looking up at the perfectly shaped clouds, Himiko suddenly climbed on top of him.
"What are you doing?" he blurted out, surprised by the sudden movement.
Without answering, Himiko leaned down and lowered her face towards his neck. Though he didn't necessarily mind the closeness, the situation felt strange and unsettling.
Then, a sharp prick on his neck made him understand. "Hah... weirdo," he whispered, but made no effort to stop her.
"Have your fill I guess," he continued, his voice low. "I can just get the blood back."
A predatory smile spread across Himiko's face. Hearing his words, she sucked even more greedily, her grip tightening on him.
CREATORS' THOUGHTS 
Kw0z
Kw0z Gimme power stones
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone