章 3: Could Have Been Different
"You should be proud, Mr. and Mrs. Strauss! Your son has really great potential. With the right training, I guarantee he could become a top hero!" Elfman thought back to that fateful day as he held the hand of his dying mother and a crying girl in his arms. If only he knew back, then that those words would bring so much harm to his family, maybe things would have been different.
Elfman Strauss was a rather shy and introverted boy growing up. Often teased and called a sissy because of his name and small physique. He was an only child and lived with his mother and father. They were fairly poor, only barely making it by each month. The neighborhood they lived in was filled with crime and no one was around to stop it. But he didn't hate his life. To come home every day to a home-cooked meal. To the loving arms of his mother and father. He was content.
Of course, like most children, he wanted to give his parents a better life. To earn money to help give his parents the life he thought they deserved. If there was one thing Elfman cared about more than anything, it was his family.
Originally, he planned to possibly be a chef. His favorite hobby was helping his mother in the kitchen preparing their simple home-cooked meals. His quirk, 'Beast Soul', wasn't very useful for anything so he didn't have much hope trying to use it for much else.
That is, until 'He' showed up.
All Might
He almost seemed to come out of nowhere, and he absolutely took the world by storm. He defeated villains and criminals left and right, all the while saving people with a smile on his face.
People felt hope when they heard those famous words; "I am here!". He became a beacon to a new generation. He became the symbol of peace.
Elfman couldn't help but think, that's what a real man should strive to be. He had only just entered middle school, but he knew exactly what he wanted to be now.
He would be a hero. He would become strong to protect his family!
He would become the ideal MAN!
With that goal set, he started training. He pushed himself harder than he thought possible. He trained his muscles. He trained his quirk. He trained his character. He sweat, he cried, and bled, all to chase after that goal he set for himself. All to give his parents a better life.
So when he heard his evaluation that day, he was ecstatic. Far too ecstatic to notice the flash of greed that entered his father's eyes. Perhaps if he had, things could have been different.
For you see, although Elfman considered his life to be a decent one, his father thought otherwise.
Sure, he loved his frail wife and sissy son, but surely there was more to life than working a dead-end job from 9 to 5, live paycheck to paycheck? His life had to amount to more than that, right?
That's why when he heard his son's evaluation, he just knew his time had come. This was what his life was building up to. Therefore, he had to put up with all the pain and suffering. Of course. It was obvious. The answer was right in front of him all along.
That year, Elfman turned 15 and was accepted into the hero course at a modest high school. It was also the year that his little sister, Lisanna, was born.
He didn't think much of it back then. He figured his parents were probably feeling lonely now that he was growing older. It didn't matter much. Elfman loved his family, he loved his new sister. He wanted her to brag in the future that her big brother was a super cool hero. Maybe even join him as a hero and they could be a sibling super team! If only he noticed the weary look on his mother's face at the time, maybe things could have been different.
Elfman quickly rose to the top of his class and became a student many hero agencies were looking out for. He even somehow managed to get an internship with Endeavor like a real MAN! Things were looking up, and he knew it was only a matter of time before he could finally let his family live a relaxed and comfortable lifestyle with no worries.
After he started high school, Elfman didn't spend as much time at home as he used to. Always out training or studying. Always striving to be the best he could so he could take care of his family, ironically he started neglecting them a bit.
Maybe if he had taken better notice of the growing marks on both his mother and little sister, instead of only gazing into the future; maybe if he had noticed before that fateful day, things could have been different
4 years later, at 19, Elfman was given the only set of good news he would receive that year. That year that would only grow progressively worse as time when on.
His adorable little sister, Lisanna, had her quirk identified. Her quirk was very similar to his own, and she had called it 'Animal soul'
Admittedly, he was over the top ecstatic, as the hot-blooded youth he was, he wanted nothing more than to see his little sister right beside him, fighting to keep the peace. That said, in the end, it didn't matter to him. Even if she decided to do something else with her life, she was still his sister, his family. He resolved himself to protect her from whatever harm may come her way for the rest of her life. Be it, villains, or boys! For that is what a real MAN would do!
That's how he felt, and he was sure the rest of his family felt the same.
Though it was too late, it was finally then that he had noticed. Perhaps things weren't going as well as he had thought.
He had already graduated and moved out by then, having become a live-in sidekick to the endeavor agency. He accepted their offer because he wanted to ease the burden on their living expenses.
It was a regular day; he had just gotten off patrol and wanted to surprise his sister with a present after receiving news about her quirk. He also wanted to assure her that no matter what she did in life, he would always be there for her.
Perhaps if she had truly felt that way, if he had been more attentive, if she had a reason to believe he would be there for her, things could have been different.
Elfman made it to their rather run down home a little late but not quite night. He had tried to do some repairs himself over the years, but he wasn't very good at those kinds of things. When he started pulling in more money in the future, he'd buy his family the best house he could anyway, so it didn't matter much longer.
He wanted to surprise his sister, so he hadn't called in advance like he usually does. Even after all this time he never gave up his cooking hobby, as he still considered cooking with his mother one of his most fond memories. He wanted to try to share some of that with his sister, so he brought a few ingredients intending to cook for everyone today.
For dessert, he planned to have little Lisa help him bake a cake! Perhaps baking isn't the manliest thing in the world, but a real man would throw away his pride anytime for his family.
It was then that he heard something; it was still rather far away, but he could faintly make out yelling and cries of desperation. He knew exactly which direction it was coming from and immediately picked up the pace.
*Shatter*
Next, he heard a crash followed by more crying. Being a hero, he's already trained his senses extensively, so he knew it came from his home. He didn't hesitate even for a second and immediately rushed the door.
In his haste he didn't even think to unlock it and directly kicked it down, ready to activate his quirk at a moment's notice, knowing it's best not to pick any particular beast before first identifying his target.
However, he was not ready for the sight that befell him behind the closed door to his home.
Empty bottles and trash littered the area. Various pieces of furniture overturned or destroyed.
His mother, unclothed, beaten, bruised, and bloody unmoving on the floor.
His father with his pants down, surrounded by shards of glass, was also unmoving on the floor with blood quickly pooling on the floor beneath his head.
Only his sweet little sister remained conscious in the horrific scene. She too was bruised all over, with a particularly nasty one on her cheek, on her knees crying her eyes out as she clutched a broken beer bottle in her hand.
Elfman did not know what to make of this scene. He was worried. He was confused. He was angry. He was sick. He felt so many things in that moment that he was unable to move for several seconds. It was only when his mind caught up that he moved, and the first thing he did was slowly approaching and remove the shattered bottle from the hands of his crying sister and held her tight.
He wanted answers of course; he wanted to see if his parents were fine, but he couldn't ignore his crying sister either. He held her as she cried while using his other hand to call for an ambulance while checking his parents over.
By the time the ambulance arrived, his father had passed away.
His mother thankfully survived, and he finally learned the truth about his family, that he had overlooked for so many years.
After it was discovered he held a useful quirk, his father decided the best way to ensure their future was to have another child and train them to be a hero. This in itself might not have been so bad, had it not been for the fact that his own birth was already considered something of a miracle.
His mother had a very weak body and could barely handle the strain of childbirth the first time around. His father knew this but still forced her to have another child. Thus Lisanna was born and his mother grew weaker.
This wasn't the end of their suffering behind his back, however, as his father tried to force Lisa to train to be a hero from almost as soon as she could walk. Although his training only comprised beating her, to build up her endurance, or so he said.
This most recent event had happened as a result of Lisanna being born with a similar quirk to his own. Making his father feel vindicated in his choices. After another "training" session with his daughter, he tried to force his wife to have yet another golden goose.
His father then forced himself on his mother right in front of Lisanna, demanding she give him another child. Lisanna, afraid of what was happening and only desiring to protect her mother, used every ounce of strength she had and smashed one of his discarded beer bottles in the back of his head, killing him instantly.
She said they had not told him because they didn't want him to worry. This caused immense guilt to take hold of Elfman, as he knew if he had been even slightly more attentive to his family, he would have noticed himself and could have done something sooner.
But of course, this was not the only news he would receive. For they had notified him that his mother was indeed pregnant again, but this time she likely would not survive giving birth. Worse yet, she had decided to carry the baby to term.
He wanted to beg her not to have the child, but he didn't have the heart to suggest such a thing. He also knew exactly why she decided to keep the baby. Even if she decided not to have it, she didn't have much longer left to live either way. So many years of abuse had finally taken a toll on her, mentally and physically.
That said, she could never hate any of her children, even her unborn one. She knew she wouldn't make it, but she at least wanted to bring that child into the world and let them experience the wonders of life.
9 months later, Elfman at the age of 20 held the hands of his dying mother while his newborn little sister, Mira cried in his arms and his other wept at her bedside, still traumatized over taking their father's life. Elfman was reluctant to let go, he was unsure of himself and the future more than ever. For the first time in years, he felt lost.
Yet despite his feelings, as the tears rolled down his face, he smiled as she slowly lost strength in her hands and made a promise; no, a solemn vow to his mother so she could go on without worry.
"I promise, I'll protect them with my life. So rest easy ma, we'll be alright." and with a small smile on her face, she passed on leaving behind her three weeping children.
But if only Elfman knew that promise would be broken only a few years later, perhaps things could have been different.
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