Capítulo 124: Phase II (2).
[Musutafu, Japan]
"... and they are my daughters."
This sentence alone sent Rei to the depths of her mind, and she thought of various possibilities. She blinked a few times to come out of her stupor and look at the two supposed daughters of Fuyumi. She looked at them, and it was clear from the first sight that there was clearly no resemblance between Fuyumi and the girls.
So it was the case that either Fuyumi was in a relationship with a man with kids or adopted two girls and became a single mother. Rei chose to continue her approach of asking over overthinking. Things will take their course; there was not much benefit in thinking about it over and over again.
"With whom?" Rei asked.
"With Shido," Fuyumi replied straightforwardly. She knew it would be difficult for her to tell about her status as a mother to Rei.
Rei was still too confused and was unable to comprehend the situation. Seeing her in this state, Himiko went forward and tugged Rei's sleeve. This confused Rei and turned her attention to the blonde-haired little girl named Himiko.
"Is something wrong, Mama's mama?" Himiko asked with a hint of worry in her voice.
Even if Rei knew nothing about her, this small act of care had an excellent impression on her. Rei slowly put her hand on Himiko's head and lightly caressed it.
"Everything's fine, Himiko-chan... Nice to meet you; I am Rei Todoroki, Fuyumi's mother. You can call me Oba-chan if you want..." Rei said softly. But Rei's introduction made Himiko tense up. Himiko quickly backed a few steps and stood like a soldier.
"My name is Himiko Kanzaki, Daughter of Papa and Mama. Nice to meet you." She said and bowed. Himiko introduced herself very formally, though the middle part of the introduction was a bit obvious. She then went back close to Rei with eagerness. It was clear she was looking for praise for what she did.
This awkward introduction earned nothing but confused expressions from Rei and Fuyumi. Only Eri knew what was going on, and she facepalmed when she saw Himiko doing that introduction. Eri saw the confused face on Rei and Fuyumi, so she moved forward.
"Good Morning, Oba-san. I am Eri Kanzaki; Nice to meet you. Papa taught us that if you are meeting someone, You should give your introduction if the other party has given theirs, and it is polite to give your introduction before asking for the other's introduction... Since you gave your introduction, Himiko found it important to give hers as well" Eri explained the situation to the adults.
'It's clear she is going to get scolded by Mama now. She just made a fool of herself in front of Oba-san. The First Impression is the most important, and she just acted as a dimwit she is, in front of Oba-san. Now... Now... I am the one who will be laughing, and you will be crying. Dimwit - 0 and Eri - 1.' Eri thought. She explained it because she thought Himiko would be scolded for not doing things in the right way.
But to Eri's dismay, Rei smiled and caressed Himiko's head, "You did well." She praised Himiko, and Himiko smiled widely. Seeing this, Eri tasted defeat once again. Another day, another loss. But this still didn't waiver her determination as the daughter of Night Slash didn't know to give up.
In Himiko's mind, she got praised because of Eri explaining her actions to the adults.
'Thank you, Eri nee-chan!' Himiko thanked Eri in her mind for being the good Onee-chan she was.
....
Like this, Himiko and Eri were introduced to Rei, and after a brief explanation from Fuyumi, she understood everything. Eri and Himiko are the daughters of Shido, and since Fuyumi is his girlfriend, she helped him in taking care of the kids. This led to Fuyumi and kids bonding with each other, and a mother-child dynamic has been established between them.
After that, Rei spent time with Eri and Himiko and got to know them better. Himiko was energetic and friendly, while Eri was calm and composed. She only talked when she was asked a question. Fuyumi was just looking at them with a smile on her face.
While spending her time with them, Rei felt the joy of being with her family for a moment. But even if it was momentary, She liked it.
With this, 45 minutes passed, and a knock on Rei's door interrupted them. The door opened, and Natsuo, the younger brother of Fuyumi, entered the room.
"Am I interrupting you guys?" He asked with his hand behind his head as he entered the room.
Rei - "No" || Fuyumi - "Yes"
Natsuo stopped in his tracks when he heard the two opposing answers. So he just said the reason what he came for.
"Well, I am here for the kids. Nee-chan called me to pick them up after college, so I came as soon as possible. But I have to go to the sports club event at 2 PM, so I'm sorry I won't be able to stay. Come on, kids, we need to hurry up; the Taxi is waiting." Natsuo said.
Himiko jumped off the bed, "Bye Bye Oba-chan! I will meet you soon. I will be leaving with Jii-san."
"Even if I am technically your uncle, don't call me Jii-san. I am not that old. Call me Nii-san or something."
"Hai hai Jii-Jii, Let's go!!"
Natsuo could only sigh at Himiko's antics. Eri was also leaving the bed, but Rei stopped her and whispered in her ear, "If you want to express something, just let it out. It is bad to repress any emotion for long, whether be it happiness, sadness, love, or a grudge for a family member..."
Eri's eyes widened when she heard what Rei said to her. She didn't know how, but Rei could see right through her facade acting as a good big sister. Rei then patted Eri's shoulder and pointed towards the waiting Natsuo. The distraught Eri moved slowly towards Natsuo, but Rei's words kept playing in her mind on and on.
'Express it out... Even if it is a grudge for a family member.'
She absentmindedly walked to Natsuo, standing with Himiko's hand in his. Natuso took Eri's hand in his grasp and then stepped out of the room.
When she was about to pass through the door, Eri turned and saw Rei smiling warmly at her. With Rei's words resonating in her mind, Eri left with Natsuo and Himiko.
...
Soon the kids and Natsuo were out of the room, and now Rei and Fuyumi were the only ones in the room. The atmosphere inside the room was getting a bit weird as both of them were not saying anything. Rei turned to Fuyumi and saw Fuyumi having a complicated expression on her face. It was as if she wanted to say something but couldn't do it for some reason.
"Not leaving with them?" Rei asked to which Fuyumi just shook her head.
"Want to talk about something?" She asked again, and Fuyumi nodded.
Seeing Fuyumi responding only by shaking her head and having a sullen expression on her face gave the message that Fuyumi was not feeling good. Rei gently patted on the bed beside her, signaling Fuyumi to sit beside her.
Fuyumi complied and sat next to Rei. She then slowly leaned and rested her head on Rei's lap. Rei placed her hand on Fuyumi's head and caressed her head. Fuyumi closed her eyes as she felt Rei's hand moving through her hair.
"What is it, Fuyumi? Why are you sad?"
"... It's about Shido..." Fuyumi answered in a low tone.
"What about him?" Rei asked. She thought it would be some lover quarrel between the two, or the relationship is currently going through a rough time.
"... I fear... I fear that he would leave me..." Fuyumi finally told Rei her fear.
"Why? Is he seeing someone else, or is he spending less time with you?"
"No... It's the opposite. He isn't seeing someone, and he spent his entire last week with the kids and me..."
"Then why would you fear that he would leave you?"
"Because I manipulated him to spend more time with me... I manipulated him, shouted at him. Just so that he spent more time with us, and he did. He spent more time with us, but he had to cut his happiness to make more time for us. Now when I think about it, It just eats me from inside.
I don't know how to look at him face-to-face when he is back. I am just plain horrible. That's the reason. Once he finds out what I did, he would leave me... for sure," Fuyumi explained things to Rei, which made Rei's eyebrows furrow.
"Don't tell me that all the things that you just said were only your thoughts, and you've never talked to Shido-Kun about this..."
"...."
Fuyumi's silence was all it took to answer Rei's question. Rei had to sigh when she saw the state her daughter was in. She understood that what Fuyumi was going through was the problem of overthinking. She is overthinking about a possible situation that may happen in the future and now fears that that probable situation will become the future if she doesn't do anything to stop it.
"So... If it really comes to this and Shido-kun leaves and you would be no longer able to see him or the kids, What would you do?" Rei asked. She wanted to know the extent up to which Fuyumi has thought this through.
"I would kill myself..." Fuyumi said with no hesitation in her voice.
Rei's hands stopped when she heard what Fuyumi said. She looked down and saw no change in emotions on Fuyumi's face.
"Did you just say that you would kill yourself if Shido-kun left you?!" Rei asked in a high tone. Doing this was out of her character but what Fuyumi just said was out of her wildest imagination.
"Yes..."
"What about asking for forgiveness or a second chance? You don't just say that you would commit suicide if your partner left you. Do you love him to this extent that you find it worth more to end your life than finding someone else?" Rei tried to convince Fuyumi to change her mind about this.
"Yes... A life without Shido is not something I want to live. That's final..."
'Love makes people act young and dumb...' Rei shook her head when she heard her daughter acting like a teenager in love.
"So Shido-kun and the kids are the only things that give meaning to your life, and without them, you are nothing?"
"Yes..."
"Then Fuyumi, you need help... You are going on the wrong track."
"Why? Is it wrong to love someone with your whole being?"
"No... it is not wrong. But you are being codependent on Shido-kun and the kids. You are overly reliant on Shido-kun and the kids to derive the meaning of your life, and it is the wrong thing."
"I am still not able to see where it's wrong." Fuyumi sat up straight and asked Rei while looking directly into her eyes.
"Fuyumi... Listen, You are going through two things right now. First is the Fear of Abandonment, and the second is Codependency. You need to fix yourself before it hurts your relationship. It may not look like something consequential now, but in the long run, These problems will indeed damage your relationship if you continue to neglect these problems in you.
You would become a weight that your loved ones would've to carry because they love you. A weight that they love so they cannot abandon it. But sooner or later, their love for you will turn into resentment because you are nothing more than a useless weight to them that they have to carry.
Maybe, they won't resent you. Instead, they will stop feeling anything about you. A blank feeling. No hate, No Love. The opposite of love is not hate... it's indifference," Rei said in a grave tone. Fuyumi was really in turmoil. Not in a physical situation but mentally. Rei decided to help her daughter out of this turmoil as much as she could.
When Rei said about the damage to the relationship and being hated by Shido and the kids, Fuyumi went silent and let Rei do the talking.
"You are already suffering because of it, Fuyumi. You have the fear of abandonment because your father changed after Shoto's birth. He started neglecting you, Touya, and Natsuo after he saw what Shoto was capable of. I know you were close to him before Shoto's birth and him neglecting you really scarred you.
And now you fear your significant other leaving you. That is fear of abandonment and now because Shido-kun is not here with you right now, your fear of abandonment manifested. Your trait of overthinking things led you to think about the outcome where Shido-kun leaves you, and your Codependency made you believe it is justifiable to kill yourself if Shido-kun abandons you because without him you are nothing. Without him, you are just an empty husk with no soul inside.
Codependency may not seem harmful at first sight, but one day will come when you will start resenting Shido-kun and the kids for not spending their every waking moment with you. Adding the fear of abandonment, You would become possessive and overprotective of them. What they need is a wife and a mother, not a warden who watches their every moment.
Fuyumi, you need to fix yourself up before taking up the immense task of being a mother and a good partner. And if you don't, you will start projecting these problems onto them... which isn't good. You need to take care of yourself first before you take care of others," Rei explained Fuyumi how her current situation is.
"But Mom... I cannot just neglect this feeling that he might leave me one day... Why?!"
"Fuyumi, Listen carefully, Shido-kun is really serious about this relationship, and there is barely a chance he would leave you, but if you don't stop acting like this, he might one day leave you."
"How are you so sure that he won't leave me?"
"Because there are children involved in this... and when there are kids involved, things are much bigger than a casual girlfriend-boyfriend or a husband-wife dynamic. If he was a tad bit uncertain about pursuing a future with you, then he wouldn't have let you bond with his children to this extent in the first place. He wouldn't have let his kids call you Mama.
If he has chosen to let you take care of his kids while he is not here... it means he trusts you. And the kids think of you as their mother, and he is okay with it.
What more confirmation do you want from him, Fuyumi? An Engagement Ring?"
The moment Rei said about the engagement ring, a huge blush appeared on Fuyumi's face. Fuyumi lowered her head in shame.
"If he does... I wouldn't mind it..." Fuyumi said with a low tone and with this the seriousness of the conversation lowered a bit.
Rei was feeling good and bad at the same time. Feeling Good for the fact that she finally was helpful to her daughter and could see her daughter find a partner for life but felt terrible because she had to see her adult daughter act like a teenager. It may look adorable to Shido, but it was pure cringe to Rei.
"So Fuyumi, Help yourself first, then you can act as a good partner to Shido-kun and be a good mother to Eri and Himiko. Understood?"
"Yes, but how do I do that?"
"First, talk to Shido-kun and tell him everything... Face to face and then be yourself. I know you very well, Fuyumi. You already have the qualities to become a good mother and a partner. You just need to remove these problems and talk to your partner. Words are underestimated, but they sometimes do wonders that even actions are incapable of doing..."
"... Are you certain it would work?" Fuyumi asked as she was still a bit doubtful about this approach.
"I don't know... It may work, or it may not work. The relationship may be saved, or it will be tanked. But... I don't want you to make the same mistake as I did... Just say it, Even if it goes to failure," Rei said to Fuyumi in a sad tone.
"Just say talk to him. The worst possibility is that he won't talk to you or ask for some space from you... You can ask for forgiveness and a second chance. But on the bright side, your relationship won't be standing on the faulty foundation of misunderstandings... You two can start anew.
After talking to Shido-kun, I can say that things will be taking a good turn after you reveal everything. He is way too serious when it comes to you. I have seen that. When I told him your dad wouldn't accept your relationship, he just thanked me and left. And then you told me that he fought him for his approval. He, a quirkless person, fought your father, the No.2 Hero, for his approval on your relationship. Do you think he would leave you for something trivial?"
Fuyumi slightly chuckled when Rei addressed Shido as Quirkless, "He is not a normal Quirkless person, Mom. He is bigger than that, even bigger than the heroes..."
"Oh yeah? Well, every girl in love says their boyfriend is better than every man on this planet, but the reality says otherwise."
"You would see..." Fuyumi said and checked on her phone. It was 12 PM. The appointed time for a meeting is only 1 hour. So she would have to leave now. She quickly packed her bag and turned to leave, but she turned to Rei before she passed through the door.
"Mom, How do you know so many technical words of Psychology?"
To which Rei answered with a laugh, "When you talk to psychologists and therapists three days a week for a decade, You pick a word or two from their lingo."
Fuyumi smiled at her answer, "Bye, Mom!" Fuyumi said and left Rei's room.
'Bye Fuyumi... I hope you find the happiness you missed in your childhood and don't have to go through the pain that I had to go through...' Rei thought.
Fuyumi walked out of the hospital with a bright smile on her face and a determined expression.
'I will fix my problems as soon as possible and become the best wife and the best mother the world has ever seen!'
___________________________________
[Los Angeles, USA]
Shido was strolling through the hallways of a massive mansion without the fear of detection as he was using {AEZAKMI} to hide his presence.
From the size and the decorations of the Mansion, it was evident that the owner of the Mansion was someone rich and powerful. Indeed that was the case. The Mansion was of Osvaldo Avelino, the biggest Shark of the American Underworld and he is referred to by the title 'The King of the Underworld.'
...
Half an hour ago,
After the announcement that Shido is now intent on finding and defeating Genesis, Everybody placed their full power to complete the final mission of Night Raid. Knuckleduster imported files from the AVL. These files contained information about the Leaders of the Underworld who liked to address themselves as 'Sharks.' He then gave the files to La Brava, who ran the data through her computer and tracked these leaders.
Some were outside the US, but the most important was sitting straight in Los Angeles. His name is Osvaldo Avelino or most famously known as 'The King of the Underworld.' He is currently in his Mansion on a hill right beside the ocean. With this, They formulated the Plan for the raid.
Shido, Danjuro, and Kaina prepared for the raid, and the Plan was something like this, Shido would be entering the Mansion in his concealed presence state and directly going to where Avelino is.
Kaina would be on the lookout to prevent Avelino's escape on the land, and Danjuro is assigned to avoid any getaway through the air. Knuckleduster was told to stay outside the Mansion and check if something went wrong. Whether Avelino would be able to run away was unpredictable, but you cannot be too sure when the other guy has the title of King of the Underworld.
La Brava was sent to Gru's Basement Hideout to be alone in the base. She would be checking the Police and Heroes' activity from afar.
With everything ready, The Night Raid went out for their final raid.
...
Present,
Kaina, Knuckleduster, and Danjuro, Everyone was at their position.
As Shido walked through the silent hallways of the Mansion, the eerieness increased. He thought the raid would require him to make some stealth kills, but since he has entered the Mansion, he has not seen a single guard. There were a few guards outside the Mansion, but no one was inside.
*BANG*
He then heard a loud banging sound followed by the sound of shots being fired. Shido ran towards the source and found himself standing in front of a giant wooden gate. He observed the gate, and indeed, the sound was coming from behind the door.
He looked around but couldn't find a way to get inside other than opening the massive door, which would alert the people inside, but he decided to do it anyway. It was not like someone was able to see him.
Shido moved forward to open the door, but he sensed something terrible, so he jumped sideways. When Shido jumped to the side, the massive wooden gate blasted to splinters as a huge man burst through the door and crashed into the wall. He tried to stand up, but a bullet came out of nowhere and went straight into his head. The huge guy fell as his strength left his body and dropped dead.
Shido thanked the dead man for making a way to enter the room for him and then walked inside the room. Inside, what he saw looked like it came straight from the Matrix movies. Hundreds of bullets surrounded a man, but the bullets were not moving as if they were stuck in the air.
"Avelino, Avelino, Oh my poor Avelino. Not only did you stop my supply of Trigger, You just ordered your guards to attack me. It seems you have a death wish. Did you really think that your puny guns would kill me? It seems you forgot how it feels to fear someone. So let me reteach the lesson that I taught you a month ago..." The man walked forward, and the bullets moved with him.
In front of the man was a tall man wearing a formal suit, but he was not normal as he was burly and had blue skin, four eyes, and four arms. Shido recognized this man and was none other than the 'King of the Underworld' Osvaldo Avelino.
You would think that someone like him would be vicious or have an aura of authority around him, but it was the opposite. Avelino had a panicked expression on his face, and he trembled like a tree in front of a tornado.
"G-Ge-Genesis... L-Listen to me, I didn't stop your Trigger Shipment from Japan. It was the other Sharks. They wanted to take over your shipment and sell it in their regions. I s-swear... I didn't do anything," Avelino expressed his case in front of the man walking towards him, and it turns out the man was Genesis.
"That's the problem, Avelino. You did nothing. I made a deal with you, so you were responsible for getting the Trigger shipment on ETA. Now Phase III is looming over my head, and I have no preparations done... Shido is busting his ass out there in Phase II, and here I am, wasting my time in front of you, and the main ingredient of Phase III is not in my hands! And it's SIR for you!" Genesis shouted at Avelino, and Avelino started to walk backward.
He neither knew who Shido was nor did he know what Phase II or III are, but one thing he knew. It was out of Genesis' goofy character to shout in anger, but he was doing it right now, and it meant one thing. That is, Genesis is pissed. Really Really Pissed.
"I-I promise, sir. I will deliver the shipment by tonight. Please... Please... Don't kill--"
"Sorry, Avelino... The time for negotiations ended when I said I would take the shipment a month later. It's time for repayment."
The moment Genesis' sentence ended, Caos appeared next to him.
"Master..." Caos bowed a little towards Genesis.
"Kill Her! I don't think he can control that many bullets to save her!" One of the Guards shouted and started shooting at Caos. Other guards followed suit and fired their bullets aiming at Caos. But those bullets had the same fate as the others. All of them stopped around Genesis.
"Can I have a conversation in peace?!" Genesis shouted and waved his hand. The Bullets that were stuck around Genesis started rotating and now were aimed at the guards. He then snapped his fingers and all the bullets started moving and the next second all the guards dropped dead.
"Now where were we? Yes... Caos, I will talk to you after dealing with Avelino, okay?"
Caos nodded and took a step back. Genesis then turned to Avelino.
"If you want something done, do it yourself. Hmm... Avelino, Do you know this quote?"
"Y-Yes... Sir. I know the quote"
Genesis then took a coin out of his pocket and the coin started rotating in his palm. The speed of the rotation exponentially increased with each passing moment.
"That's good. So... I will be taking over now"
"NOO--" Avelino shouted but he couldn't even complete that as his head detached from his shoulders and a bloodied coin returned back to Genesis' hands.
"Fuh~ I never really liked him. The guy looked like the rip-off version of Fourarms from Ben-10. I guess I am the King of the Underworld now." He then turned to Caos "So what was it, Caos?"
"Master Shido has completed Phase II," Caos said to Genesis.
"Wha-What? I mean, How? It's been only 4 hours since Phase II started. How come he completed Phase II so fast?" Genesis was completely flabbergasted by Caos' claim.
"I don't know that. You can ask Master Shido about it," Caos said and pointed at thin air.
Genesis was first confused about what she was pointing at but then he understood what she meant.
"Why did he decide to come to Avelino's Mansion? He knew my real name right? He should've gone to my past home and looked for details and discovered more about me... He didn't do any of that... Why?" Genesis asked Caos.
"I thought Avelino might've some idea where to find you but I didn't know I would be so lucky to find you... So, Shall we start Phase III now?" Shido came out of his concealed state by deactivating {AEZAKMI} and started walking towards Genesis.
"Hohoho... Quite excited you are for this to end. Even if the preparations are not done, but on popular demand, I, Genesis, will be starting the final act of this wonderful game, Phase III... Woo~Hoo~" Genesis said and took out a walkie-talkie.
"Do it..." Genesis said to the walkie-talkie and put it back.
Shido stopped and started looking around thinking something might happen but nothing happened.
La Brava - :: Chief... Chief... A convoy of five trucks is heading towards Avelino's mansion. Is everything okay there?::
Hearing La Brava's message over the Comms, Shido looked at Genesis.
"Again. As the new King of the Underworld, I congratulate you on completing Phase II. See you tomorrow for Phase III. Caos, let's go" Genesis said and disappeared with Caos.
And then the next moment, a loud crashing sound came from outside the mansion.
Knuckleduster - :: Night Slash, Is everything okay inside?::
Shido - "Yeah..."
Knuckleduster - :: Five PX-41 Mutants just came out of a convoy of trucks and now are attacking us::
"Okay, Hold on... I will be out in a second and help you" Shido said and ran towards the wall of the hallway.
Knuckleduster - :: Who said I need help?::
He jumped out of the mansion by smashing through the wall and outside he saw Knuckleduster, Nova (Kaina), and Mr. Fantastic (Danjuro) fighting 5 PX-41 Mutants. Well, the term fighting was not quite the right word to use here.
The trio was basically running and attacking the Mutants to keep them busy. There was no way they could hurt the mutants but someone had a few tricks up his sleeves to defeat these Mutants. The trio attacked them in patterns and the Mutants were now gathered at a single point.
Well, It was the plan of the old Vigilante all along.
With a grin on his face, Knuckleduster opened his overcoat, revealing the stack of unusual equipment. He took out a few vials of surströmming liquid and threw them at the Mutants.
As soon as the vials hit the ground, a strong pungent smell wafted around. The Mutants started puking profusely as the smell reached their noses. Few of them fell on their knees while vomiting. He then took out his old reliable toy-looking taser gun and shot each of them. The shock from the taser gun was enough to make these 'invulnerable' soldiers lose their consciousness.
What Knuckleduster did was to take advantage of PX-41 Mutants' Weakness. PX-41 Mutants have heightened senses thus, this seemingly good ability can be used to their own disadvantage by overloading their sensitive senses. Bad smell is one of the weapons to do so.
When Shido reached the trio, the Mutants were already unconscious from being tased.
"If you didn't need my help, then why did you call me?"
"So you could see my awesomeness. You dumb or what? You are the team leader, I had to report to you that we are being attacked. Even I told you that I don't need your help."
Shido rolled his eyes when he heard Knuckleduster's answer. A worried Kaina came close to Shido from behind.
"Shido-Nii... Is everything alright? What happened inside?" She asked as she placed her hand on Shido's shoulder.
Shido didn't mind this harmless physical contact and told the teammates about their current situation.
"Phase II is completed and... we are in the endgame now."
PENSAMENTOS DOS CRIADORES 
Gonshido
Gonshido Thanks for reading!
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