9 Promises

Honestly, I have no idea how these chapters end up being so long. I write them and make sure to foreshadow and show details and next thing you know we are 4k words in or something. Luckily UA starts officially next chapter.

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Kai casually stepped out of UA's gates.

He yawned quietly, a bit tired from being healed by Recovery Boy and a nap not sounding too bad at the moment.

Thankfully, the exams were over, and not only did he believe he passed with flying colors, he also felt he achieved giving Bakugou a wake up call, or something akin to it. There was just no telling how she would react, or if she did in the first place. If there was anyone who was going to blow off their bet, she would be the one to do it. On the other hand, maybe her pride would kick in and force her to admit she lost, anything other than the previous being 'beneath' her or something only extras would do.

Kai glanced at the crowd of students around him, some looking hopeful, others smug, but the majority wearing downtrodden faces as they left UA for what could possibly be the last time. He could sympathize with their worries, he remembered how nervous he was the first time high school reared its ugly head.

He hoped this time his time in school would not be cut short, but future events did not seem to agree with his wishes, most anime's never letting the main cast ever finish school religiously. Perhaps, Kai could change that particular issue, but something told him that was less plausible than All for One suddenly surrendering outright and all of Kai's worries vanishing up in smoke.

He grumbled as he got out his smartphone, lazily going to his messages and seeing the fifty texts from Momoto, most of them repeating the same topic but in different ways. 'Did you pass?' or 'Are you too injured to respond?' were the main things Kai could notice, and he wondered when in his four years living as a Yaoyorozu did Momoto begin to fuss over him like this. He was the older brother after all, but he guessed Momoto was just worried about his well being.

Only if he carried the same sentiment during their spars, because Kai was contemplating going in in full armor from now on to save himself the extra trips to the Yaoyorozu's personal hospital. Although, the last time he wore something metal he got a blue flame thrower to the face, so he wouldn't be doing it anytime soon.

Glancing around, Kai watched the bustling city of Musutafu, smiling a little as he saw civilians walking about, cars honking, children playing, and heroes patrolling.

The place honestly felt more like America than Japan, and Kai guessed when most people rarely looked Japanese, nationality and such was a bit harder to define. Quirks took most ethnicities and threw them out the window to die. An example being a boy born from white skinned European parents ending up with dark skin as a result of his Quirk causing mutations to help aid him in its use.

Although, much of the etiquette of Japan was still present. The use of last names, bowing, the stiff attitude to strangers, the absolute abysmal work life balance and so on.

It never helped much that the number one hero of the country always wore the USA Flag, the thing plastered on every street corner in the city more so than the actual Japanese flag at this point.

Kia yawned again, texting Momoto he was fine and getting a response in thirty seconds flat. He rolled his eyes and quickly texted him about meeting up with a friend, making sure to leave out the fact she was female and also twenty two; also the part where she was the sixth ranked hero at the moment.

Who needs details anyways?

Kai shot Hawks a text as well, a little puzzled as he received a response from the supposedly busy hero almost immediately as well. Apparently, she would be getting off patrol early. Her excitement was clear from the "Everything is ready" with five winky faces after.

Kai raised a single brow at the response, still not sure if he would ever understand the creatures called women. He couldn't tell if she was flirting with him, being her usual over confident self, or doing it to tease him as she found joy in getting reactions out of him.

They were close, and Kai really had no experience when it came to female friends. Two years of high school did very little to have him pick up on obvious social cues that adults probably could gleam from the smallest detail.

Rebirth or not, he still had zero experience romantically or sexually with the opposite sex, which was tragic in its own right.

He wondered if this was the part where he flirted back, or should he instead go for a light tease, perhaps even ignore it outright like she didn't have an effect on him?

'Women.' Kai summarized, pocketing his smartphone and glancing up at the sky, the beautiful baby blue expanse dotted with white clouds lazily stretching across it like painted streaks on a canvas. He watched them amble about aimlessly, feet carrying him by instinct toward a small street market he regularly frequented.

Although, as he arrived at his destination, he refocused, moving quickly and stealthy through the crowded street and finding the mochi slash candy stand he always bought his sweets from. The old lady with hair that was actually black licorice smiled brightly upon seeing him.

Kai nodded, "The regular."

"Hai, just a moment sweetie." She said as she rose from her lawn chair and went to the freezers with glass openings to look inside.

After getting his ice cream, and making small talk with the lady who ran the stand, Kai left with a small apology about his sudden departure. He would rather not listen to the woman try to play matchmaker and try and convince him to date her daughter again. He meant no offense to girl, but her Quirk made her produce honey instead of sweat.

It sounded… too sticky for his tastes, plus attending UA would take up most of his time. He didn't need more people All for One could threaten, so if Kai did pursue someone in the future, she would have to be strong enough to fend for herself.

Kai hummed happily as he enjoyed the sweet taste of Vanilla Bean, continuing to walk around the city, eventually throwing his small bowl away in a convenience store before leaping up to sit atop a small office building. With his legs dangling off the side, he took the peaceful quietness to watch everyone below.

"Huh," Kai laid down, hands behind his head as he once again began to look at the clouds. "No one really talks about the down time between all the battles, death, and plotting."

It was true, he had just participated in UA's entrance exam, and it was only the twenty-first of February. UA did not start until April, so Kai had two more months of schooling at Somei Junior High. Those next two months would be agonizing, he just knew it. In the anime, the time passed in a few minutes spanning an episode, but Kai would experience every second of those two months.

Fortunately, after another hour of trying to find a cloud shaped like All Might, he was given the address via a text sent by Hawks; the message followed by another round of emojis Kai failed to decipher.

So, with a casual jump downwards, he landed on the street below. Although doing so accidentally startled a group of kids who stared wide eyed at him and annoyingly followed him an entire street's length while asking if he was a hero. Eventually, they got bored and went on to harass a woman who was fifteen feet tall, much to her own peril if her eye twitching was any indication.

Poor soul.

Twenty minutes later, and with a quick train ride, Kai found himself in an upper middle class district, a swathe of apartment buildings and parks situated next to an area of the prefecture where start up agencies usually began.

Debuting Pro Heroes would regularly rent out the many floors in the surrounding skyscrapers for their marketing, analysis, finance, repair for costumes, and anything else they needed.

Hawks was a big name, but if anyone really took the time to dig deep enough, they would realize none of the offices here were rented under her hero name. No, all of her information came from Facility Alpha situated on the outskirts of the city.

She only lived here for appearances sake.

Kai noticed how many heroes appeared on the street, along with tired business men and women and plenty of places to eat. He was tempted to try a street truck, but the line was too long for the one he wanted and he could guess Hawks would have them eat something anyways.

He found her apartment complex near the center, the white and steel architecture accompanied by plenty of glass to go around stood upwards of fifty floors. There were even long balconies with a few open gardens situated on some of the larger ones. The place was definitely not cheap, and thankfully the clothes Kai wore made most security guards and heroes not focus on him for too long.

After talking to a lady at the front, and getting confirmation from Hawks about the code to give her, Kai headed up an elevator made completely of glass, watching the street below as it grew farther and farther away. The elevator came to a stop, the circular glass door sliding back and letting him off. He gave a curt nod to the few employees going about and also the few up and coming heroes out of costume he recognized.

The fact they so blatantly walked around with a carefree attitude was a little puzzling, but from his memories of the top one hundred current heroes he knew most of them did not incorporate masks into their hero costumes, meaning they probably didn't care if they were noticed out of costume much.

Three hallways down, Kai found the number 611 etched into a metal door with gold, and Kai stood in front of it and stared, contemplating if he should knock or text her.

He opted for the first, holding up a hand and rapping his knuckles against it.

However, the door opened on the first touch, darkness greeting him on the other side, and Kai slowly summoned One for All as he used the light from his purple lighting to illuminate the room.

With the light, he was able to see the silver and purple ribbons hung on the ceiling, along with the silhouette of a person with wings.

"Hawks?"

The lights clicked on, and there stood Kaya with a pout on her face.

"Way to ruin the surprise."

Kai scoffed, "You expect me to walk into a dark room without any light, you do realize how dumb that sounds right?"

Kaya huffed in response, closing her eyes and exhaling in defeat before opening them and spreading her arms and red wings wide.

"Well… surprise."

Kai blinked slowly, glancing around the open space of the apartment to see the decorations. They were really cheesy, the feeling they brought akin to celebrating his birthday, and if he was five for said birthday.

"Too much?"

He turned to look at Hawks, the outfit she wore still her Pro Hero costume sans her glasses and boots. Her hair was pulled into a ponytail, she wore a form fitting black top that stopped at her belly, a bomber jacket, and khaki pants that matched her jacket. The only odd thing were the Endeavor slippers she wore, which brought a mental chuckle to Kai as he noticed them.

"It's perfect." He said.

Kaya smiled brightly, coming over from where she stood in the middle of the living room and standing before Kai.

"I just want to let you know how much I appreciate you."

Kai, for once, grew embarrassed at the genuineness that dripped with each of her words, "Thanks really, you didn't have to."

Kaya rolled her eyes, her arms wrapping around him and bringing him close, not caring that with her compression shirt he could practically feel everything.

They were soft, and that was all he would say on the subject, and instead focused on the half lidded eyes of Kaya as she looked up at him.

"You did pass right?"

Of course, like always, she ruined the moment with her sharp tongue.

Kai nodded, "I did. The entrance exam was a breeze, though the test was definitely geared toward more strength and physical Quirks."

Kaya hummed, "Well yeah, UA is all about going big or going home, look at all their alumni, big hitters like the top three heroes all coming from one school. I'm a little jealous to be honest, those balding egoists at the HPSC decided my high school for me. What did you do for them to let you pick yourself?"

Kai cocked his head, "Ah, I just had to take out a few families, nothing major."

Kaya blinked once, leaning back and staring at him quietly.

"What?" Kai chuckled. "It was just a joke. I'm guessing it wasn't funny…"

Kaya stood there for almost a full five seconds, the smile she lost coming back in full as she cackled like a mad witch.

"THAT was a joke, man you suck ass, leave anything close to humor for professionals like me." She even went as far as wiping away a real tear away from laughing so much. "Man, that made my whole week."

"Oi," Kai started as he furrowed his brows. "I was trying my best, and it got you to laugh anyways."

Kaya waved him off, pulling away from their embrace and taking off her jacket as she turned, walking toward a hallway that led off to more rooms.

"Your best is downright terrible, stick to the whole emotionless guy with a good heart, suits you better."

Kai watched her go, glancing down to see her tight lower back muscles. The sight sent tingles down his spine. He immediately clamped down on whatever the feeling was out of spite for what she said.

"Yeah yeah, have your fun Granny, now what's next? Wait, did you even congratulate me yet? I guess your age is catching up to you and you forgot?"

Kaya's wings folded on her back, and she turned to look at him, her cheeks puffed up as well, "Next, I change out of my hero clothes because I was pushing 200 miles per hour and barely made it. After that, cake, and after-after that, well…"

She shrugged and then disappeared around the corner, causing Kai to roll his eyes in response. He eventually shrugged himself, walking over to the long beige sofa and plopping down, realizing just how big it was as he did so; the size most likely due to Kaya's wings.

"Oh, I almost forgot," She poked her head back around the corner. "Congratulations Kai, one step closer to being number one."

He grinned back, not regretting telling her some parts of his plans for the future. They knew each other enough that Kai could guarantee her secrecy, and also because he had dirt on her as well. The time she came crashing into the Tea Garden a drunk mess, and spilled a lot of her heart out while hugging him over a year ago had prompted his willingness to let a few things slip.

He wanted to be number one because All Might was going about it wrong, and also because the big hunk of a woman was single minded. She was definitely a great hero, but very rarely did she go patrolling during the night. All Might was a daylight hero through and through, doing work so efficiently most smart criminals just waited for dark, and All Might's time limit played a factor as well.

It was why the Shigaraki and Overhauls went unmolested through the beginnings of their debuts, building up enough power to then eventually do things in the daylight with enough confidence to get away. If Kai succeeded in being number one, it would be because he moved both as an underground hero and a limelight one as well. He would be a different symbol, one of power, an impenetrable wall, an unyielding rock within a raging river.

Although, it wasn't his top priority, hell the goal was probably fifteenth of his list of things to accomplish in his new life. Hero society might not even exist when everything was said and done, and there were bigger issues to tackle than Kai wanting to stand at the top.

"Sorry for the wait."

Kai turned, eyes scanning Kaya and seeing she opted for a simple white shirt like always with black shorts that rode up high on her thighs. Kai smirked internally upon seeing she still wore the Endeavor slippers.

"Done looking, it's time for cake." She said in her usually teasing voice, heading toward the fridge and blatantly bending over when she opened it.

Kai averted his gaze, taking the moment to look around the apartment. It was cozy, a bit messy, and a little crowded with all the over the top decorations of purple and silver. The problem lay in the fact there was an obvious lack of anything personal, nothing besides plain looking artwork and a single plushie of a chicken on a shelf of books Kai knew Hawks had yet to read since most of them were dictionaries to begin with.

He got up after his quick survey, walking over to the island counter of marble, all while still not looking at Kaya who was now obviously swinging her hips side to side to mess with him. Thankfully, she found whatever she was looking for, standing up and turning to show she held a white box.

The grin on her face made Kai sigh.

With a small thud, the box was placed on the counter, and without much fanfare she opened it. Inside, a chocolate cake could be seen. The cake was adorned with cherries and white frosting shaped into a ring.

"A black forest cake, how did you-" he began, only to get cut off.

"You mentioned it once, about three years ago, I um… happen to remember."

Kaya looked nervous as she said it, eyes focused on the cake while her hands lightly shook as she held the box with the cake inside.

"Thank you Kaya, you're the best."

Kaya chuckled softly, "I know."

"And you ruined it." Kai deadpanned as he went to the cabinets and looked for plates. He found them, along with the forks in drawers attached to the island. All the while, Kaya was slicing the cake, humming happily as she did so.

Equipped with a plate and fork, the two settled down on two barstools, sitting opposite of one another and both taking a piece from the cake. In unison, they shoveled a part of the slice into their mouths, Kaya squealing and holding her cheek while Kai grunted in acknowledgement.

"Still the best." he whispered, mind drifting back to a time so far away.

He looked up to see Kaya's reaction, and for a split second he saw both of his old parents sitting there, not her. Kai shook his head, now able to see Kaya who practically devoured the cake as if it was her last meal.

He was tempted to point out the fact the cake was meant for him and passing the entrance exam, but he decided to let the girl enjoy herself. With the HPSC constantly breathing down her neck, the media, and actual hero work on top of her missions, she was probably exhausted.

So, he stayed silent, enjoying his favorite cake and tuning out the obnoxious woman across from it for most of it.

"This was great." She started with a different tone, setting down her empty plate and licking her lips. "I would finish the whole thing but I think you should take the rest home."

Kai nodded, "Thanks again, this felt rewarding, and I actually like your place, not bad."

Kaya put both her elbows on the table, resting her chin on her fingers which were clasped together as she leaned forward with a raised brow, "What did you expect?"

"Twigs, leaves, and hay, a birdnest to be honest." Kai said through a grin.

"Hah, your comebacks are really nice, when you go Pro stick to those, you only do good at bouncing off others." She said, staring at him with a proud smile.

Kai nodded, "Any other tips?"

Kaya furrowed her eyebrows, "Yeah, always hire a secretary that is the same sex as you, never have your media team post ill things about another hero, that is career suicide because everyone will gang up on you, and also never check your bank account unless you need to."

"Why the last one?" Kai asked.

The girl swiveled in a circle, spinning slowly while yawning, "You start to equate saving people to an exact amount of money, if you check often enough you will realize how the government takes each of your cases and breaks it down into saves, villains caught, casualties, and property damage and how much money is given and subtracted because of it. The whole thing is…. sick."

Kai grew still, the image of Pro Heroes obsessing over every cent they made and how each yen was linked to actual human lives, a simple game of numbers over literal life and death.

"I'll remember those."

"Good, now enough gloom, I picked out some movies we can watch, or board games we can play."

Kai spun in his own seat, "We aren't going out to do something?"

Kaya shook her head, plucking a feather from her wings and tossing it outwards lazily. The feather zoomed across the room and picked up a stack of movie cases with perfect grace.

"Nah, today is about you, don't want other people to ruin it. I have plenty of bad romance and horror movies to show you." She said as her red feather came back with its payload and handed them off to its owner.

Kai's gaze sharpened, "You like bad movies too?"

Kaya grinned like the devil, "Why of course young padawan, I am versed in the ancient text."

Kai held up his hand, "Day in the Life as a Pro Hero?"

"Easy, I watched it ten times." She shot back.

"Villain Ghost 1 through 3?"

Kaya scoffed, "Try twenty, next."

Kai thumbed his chin, "Fifty shades of Midnight, Vigilante Heart, A Hero's Secret Killer?"

The two suddenly dove into a very articulate conversation about how the market was saturated with movies based on heroics, and also how some Pro Heroes should stick to saving the day, not acting.

Eventually, after an hour of bonding over a past time they just discovered they shared, the duo soon found themselves on the couch watching a few classics.

The romances were raunchy, the jump scares were cheap, the tropes and cliches were abundant, and the one liners were nothing short of criminal.

All was well, and Kai believed that today was one of the best days in his new life so far, since most of his time was usually spent training or stuck in his head about the future. It was a nice reprieve to just live in the present and not having to constantly worry about the future.

He even pictured, as wild as the idea was, He and Kaya enjoying movies with a kid between where they sat and happily laughing along with them.

The image came and left quickly, and after coming back from the small trance he looked at the big flat holographic television to see that the raunchy romance movie was going through a horribly done sex scene.

Kai may still be a virgin, but the amount of covers on top of the couple would have them practically cooked like a well done steak in a few minutes flat, it was totally unrealistic.

Still, hearing the fake moans from the woman and the over the top grunts from the man as whatever they were supposedly doing under the covers was going on, made the air fill with awkward tension.

Kai sat only two feet away from Kaya, her left wing pressed against his forearm due to their size, and glanced at her to see her reaction.

Her cheeks were pink, so subtly colored Kai only noticed because of proximity, and her eyes that usually looked relaxed were wide and stuck firmly on the screen.

"You know I'm a virgin, funnily enough."

The words hadn't come from him, but the Pro Hero beside him, much to his surprise.

"What?"

Kaya did not turn, eyes trained on the screen and nowhere else, "The HPSC taught me about seduction, as I'm sure they did for you to some extent. They wanted me to use my charms to make it up the hero ladder, those sleazy old men even offering to teach me themselves. Thankfully, because of Japan's slight wide spread perversion, most of the top fifty are females, thank All Might for that."

Kai's hands clenched into fists, "I'm sorry."

Kaya turned to him, "I know you are, because behind the emotionless mask, and through those vibrant purple eyes I know you care about things people usually don't. I see the way you gaze at families with a fire in your eyes, I notice how you clean around the mansion on occasion to make the maids and butlers lives a little easier. I know how you go on runs and talk to older people who won't live for much longer despite you being someone who likes to time crunch. I know whenever you get nervous, you rub on my feather in your left pocket."

Kai, for all that he was trained to do, sat stunned.

Kaya moved with speed Kai could barely react to, her thighs pressed against his as she sat in his lap and leaned forward.

"I know about the way you look at heroes in active duty with judgemental eyes, knowing they could do better, I know you care little about looks, seeing as you never once seemed to notice my body or try to wiggle your way through hoops to have it. I k-know that I want my first time to be with you."

Kai's mind shut down for a moment, and he peered up to see Kaya's nose touching his own, her yellow eyes no longer shy as she stared. Her hands were pressed against the back of the couch, trapping him, and her breasts touched his bare neck.

"That's-"

"A lot." She whispered. "I'm sorry, but Kai, you are all I have."

He practically blanked at that.

"Every friendship, every conversation, every day, every step I take, every breath I allow inside my lungs; I do for the HPSC. I understand the need, but none of it ever feels genuine. Then, when I went to greet the initiate who beat my record only out of worry that he could possibly replace me, color me surprised when the little nine year old acted years above his age and even asked me to meet him again."

"Kaya-"

"Let me finish, please." Her breath brushed against Kai's lips from their closeness, and he only met her gaze in kind while staying silent. "Four years, I got to know the real you, and I realized I enjoy every bit of it. I know how wrong a relationship with me and you would be, and if the media or the HPSC got a whiff of it our lives would become nothing short of difficult. I don't know how they let you go free without a tight leash, but that's not important. I am willing to wait until you finish high school so we can revisit whatever this is. But, I can't wait another four years to have you closer to me Kai. It doesn't have to be serious if you want."

Kai sat there, stunned but not completely surprised, he had noted a few clues and could predict something of this nature happening.

However, so soon and when canon had officially started was the worst timing, but he could't up and blame Kaya. She didn't know the severity of what would befall the small island called Japan, and he would not burden her with it if he could. It would take time to prove it to her, and even then he might lose her trust if he did not play his cards right.

So, as he sat there, with a beautiful young woman atop him as their scents mixed together and their breathing mirrored one another with lips inches apart.

He decided.

The jolt of shock as he kissed someone for the first time was exhilarating to say the least, and the hum of hunger that rose through Kaya's throat did him no favors; neither did the way she moaned his name as they pulled away.

"Kai~" She purred. "Is that a yes?"

He smiled weakly, "It's a maybe."

Kaya frowned, "What, why?"

He swallowed, fighting off his mind that replayed the kiss over and over again and etched the softness of her thin lips into his memory forever to instead ask a question he needed an answer to.

"Would you pick the HPSC or me?"

The coming silence was heavy, heavier than any weight he had lifted, the feeling pressing down on him as yellow eyes bore into his soul.

"I don't know." She said almost breathlessly. Tears started to form in her eyes. "I don't know, I don't know, I don't-"

She stopped when Kai held her, his muscular arms wrapping around her gently, "You have four years to find out the answer, I can wait. Why don't we make a promise?"

Kaya smiled softly, "Yeah, a promise sounds nice, one to revisit this in four years?"

Kai held his pinky up, "Let's make it official."

Instead of holding up her own pinky, Kaya leaned forward and kissed him again, this one longer, deeper, more emotionally charged.

She pulled back only thirty seconds later, the redness on her cheeks now entirely visible, "A promise sealed with a kiss."

Kai cringed, "The Sand Hero in Egypt?"

The woman atop him nodded happily, "Bingo."

The silence came back, but this time completely different, softer and warmer than before.

Kai couldn't tell anyone how they so easily shifted back to watching movies after the whole ordeal, but he didn't regret not going further than just a kiss. Agent Red Wing was a variable he needed either to know how she would react or be gone.

He wouldn't let himself fail because of it.

However, as Kaya stayed close to him, her wings wrapped around him so tightly as if scared he might disappear, he did find it enjoyable that they had crossed a certain barrier between them; metaphorically and physically.

He did not know when he fell asleep, but he didn't care, and because of it he now knew women made the best pillows in the world.

Especially Kaya.