2 Chapter 2 - New Face = New Identities

Entering the Sargasso Sea, the USA's Exclusive Economic Zone

Talos was with Yuna on his ship's navigation bridge; both were quiet and solemnly watching ahead. "I'm glad they did not trail us. God knows we have nothing to protect us with." Talos commented, breaking the silence.

"It was because of Atreus..." she whispered, but Talos heard it. As a sign of respect, he dropped his hat and placed it near his abdomen. "Aye. The lad did this his duty, to protect you both."

Talos looked at her with pity. She was now a widow from the looks of it, he thought. They concluded Atreus sacrificed himself, but Yuna was hoping for a miracle.

"How's the young lad? I take it he's confused with everything that's happening." Talos voiced out, showing his concern for Leo. Yuna nodded at his statement, "I worded it differently for now. 'We won't be seeing Papa for some time.' I told him. He's still too young to understand."

"Sigh. Did All Might not warn you of anything? Anything at all?" Talos asked, still feeling angered by the prospect of negligence on the hero's part.

She worded nothing, only a shake of the head. Yuna was burdened, burdened by everything that was going on. The likely death of her husband, Leo's safety and well-being, and their future.

"Anyway. We are nearing the United States zone of responsibility. And with you and your sons' face appearing in the States, the danger will come back in full swing."

Hearing Talos' words, the mother's shoulders slumped. "T-there's nothing I could do, can I? I feel like a dog with an encroaching leash!" she said the last part in anguish.

Placing a hand on her shoulder, Talos gave an assuring look. "Aye. There's nothing you can do." Those words confused Yuna. His face didn't match the daggers spilling from his voice.

"But I can still do something," and there it was, the missing piece. "I'm a shape-shifter, aye. But I have never said the other part of my quirk."

"I can change the appearance of people too," is what he finished with, but his face didn't show positivity. Yuna caught on to it too. "What's the catch?" she asked as she stared into his eyes. Anything for safety, she would latch on.

Giving it to her straight, "It hurts like a bitch. But that's not the hard part. The hard part is that it stays permanent. Do you understand what that means?"

"Leonidas S. Angelos and I, Yuna Shimura-Angelos, would be no more." She intoned. "But isn't this more like a blessing? Wouldn't this make us finally free from our past?"

Talos nodded, "I suppose people in your situation will see it as a blessing. But not everyone can truly leave their past. After all, it is a part of you."

Sarcastically snorting, "A past that wants to harm needs cutting off." And without a moment to think, she agreed. "But why did you not offer this before?"

"Careful," Talos warned. He didn't want the grieving mother spouting regrets in times of grief. "Simple because the situation never called for it, and everything was perfect. Was it not? And the Greek Government already has eyes on me because of my Shape-Shifting quirk. Suddenly changing your appearances would sound the alarms."

Yuna, in her somewhat muddled mind, took a moment to reflect. 'Yuna, that was stupid. He's already helping you and your son.'

"Sorry," was all she could say, but Talos accepted it. "Then go get the young lad; an American vessel is popping up on the radar. They would soon make radio contact with us."

Without a fuss, she left, but not before Talos' reminder. "DRINK A SHOT OF WHISKEY; YOU'RE GONNA NEED IT!"

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Appearing in their assigned cabin, Yuna walks over to the bundle covered in a blanket. 'Ahh. It hurts seeing him become like this. But I must be strong, for the both of us.'

Sitting on the bedside, she placed a hand on it. "Leo," she used her son's nickname. It got the bundle to move, a sign of being awake. "There is something you and Mama need to do, okay?"

"Y-you see, bad people are chasing us. The monsters in our nightmares are chasing us. And hiding our real faces would shoo them away."

"Do you think our little hero Leo can do it?" Yuna used every ounce of child language in her body so that Leo would understand and agree.

Children are the worst and best actors. As long as they believed they were something, they will embody it.

Leo, who was listening, slowly got up and revealed himself from the blankets. "Then papa will come soon, right?" Hearing this dropped Yuna's mood a little, but she had to lie. "Don't worry. Papa will be right behind us, watching." Yuna said while giving a belly kiss.

"Hahaha! Silly mama, papa can't watch us. There are walls everywhere," Ah. The innocence and ignorance of a child truly is a treasure, at times.

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Appearing once again on the bridge, the two came back. Talos looked at Yuna and nodded. After seeing her somewhat flushed face. 'At least she took my advice. A child's bones are softer, after all.'

"Now," he said while handing them a tablet. "Pick the face and features that you wish. The further you look from your current would be better."

In this area, Yuna took the reins. She didn't want her son picking, children and all. After some time, Yuna finally chose their future looks. Since they would have a second chance at life and a new face, why not splurge a little?

The face of reference had more western than eastern features. Everything looked perfect, as perfect can be. It had wide eyes, full cheeks, a refined nose, and, best of all, eyes of gold.

People underrate the eyes, but in Yuna's opinion, the beauty of the eyes imprints in a stranger's memory. You will appreciate the cheeks and the lips, but nothing beats the eyes.

To go even further away from their past, Yuna added platinum-gold hair to the suggestion. The picture only was a reference.

To honor her husband, Yuna showed golden markings on Atreus' burly arms. She got some of it. But, of course, implemented the markings femininely.

But to differ from her son, Yuna chose hazel brown eyes, her husband's.

Yuna, satisfied with her work, showed it to Leo. When Leo saw the look, he immediately beamed at the golden markings. It was like his papa's.

Officially, the public does not know about the markings because of his costume. So, it was safe to have similar markings, nothing to tie them to Atreus.

When everything was in order, Talos did his thing. Placing his hand on their foreheads, he concentrated hard and did his magic. There were uncomfortable grunts from Leo. But compared to his mom, Yuna's reaction was silently severe.

If Yuna had her thoughts broadcasted, a series of curses would be the only ones heard. After minutes of mild pain, the two adults slumped down on the deck, save for the child.

"Huff... That took a lot out of these old bones!" Talos exclaimed in exasperation. "Glad I changed your fingerprints too, though I only jumbled them up. Ha Ha!"

Yuna ignored the elder and grabbed Leo close to examine him, "Does anything hurt, sweety?" With wide eyes, she asked. She felt odd; Yuna knew she was holding her son but, same time, did not.

"Awww, Leo, dear. Your raven locks are gone!" Yuna blurted. Leo's Japanese features were visually gone, and so did his Shimura-like hair. The Shimura-like hair was essentially a Saiyan-like black hair — it looked unique. Soft, messy platinum gold hair appeared in its place, and it slowly shaped to be a long mane!

Leo, who was in his mother's hold, somewhat pried himself free to look at her mom, "Woah! M-mom! You look so different!" What Leo saw was golden, streamlined hair in a bob-cut-like style.

"Haha. Yes... Mom does look different." Yuna said, fighting to show all was well. A bit; the process did quite hurt.

"While I hate to ruin the mood, here are your temporary papers," Talos said, handing Yuna a thick-looking brown envelope. "I had them printed just below deck when I contacted a person who does these sorts of things." When Yuna received them, he continued, "bugger owed me after I did something similar for them, and now it has come back."

Hearing those words, Yuna hugged him. But careful, not including her quirk. Or else his spine would snap like a twig. "Yes, yes. I am great. Although, your names had to change. I'm sorry for that."

"No, no! Changing my face already prepared me for that. In fact, I was planning to go through the legal asylum act with Leo." Yuna spoke while scanning the documents.

"Leo Morningstar(Leonidas was once his full first name) and Lucy Morningstar(Yuna), huh?" Yuna, or Lucy now, said out loud. "Aye. I chose those names. Morningstar, since the young lad lights up like an ol' Christmas tree," Talos voiced with a smug grin. He was proud of those names.

Before they could say anything else, the radio spoke out. [This is Captain Abraham Shaw of USS Disney. You are entering U.S. waters. Please state your intentions.]

Hearing this, Talos immediately ran over to the comms and conversed with the Captain, stating that they were returning U.S. citizens that merely had a vacation by the sea. While he did so, his face morphed into that of a natural-looking American.

'Huh. Who knew I was friends with a smuggler.' Yuna internalized.

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CHEERS!