Chapter 8: Protect You

The house stood in front of them. The wealthy exterior showed a prominent family living there. The building looked more cozy than flamboyant. The home reminded Shigaraki of his old one but then shook the thoughts out.

A few enforcers lingered nearby in front, but their behaviour didn't indicate they took protecting seriously. They were not patrolling anything but just clustered together, smoking and laughing. Some even pulled out dice and played with their coworker to the side. 

The children felt relieved to observe the enforcers acting this way; the task appeared much easier.

Vi quickly overviewed the situation, shifting her gaze from the enforcers to the back of the house, then looked to the group, whispering and pointing,

"Mylo, you see the backdoor? That's where we will need you. Claggor, get ready to pass anything needed for Mylo. I'll scout inside more while Powder and Shigaraki keep watch on those enforcers. If they come, let us know, and we will move… over there." Vi started giving instructions, then looked at a bush nearby to hide behind should the enforcers come to check.

The atmosphere turned serious as Mylo crouched and slowly approached the side door, his movements exaggerated. Shigaraki felt his mouth twitch slightly, but he ultimately made it through.

Mylo pressed his ear to the door, listening intently while gradually turning the doorknob, alternating between nodding and frowning. Everyone watched him in silence, but Vi's face kept getting darker and darker. Mylo seemed to feel a chill on his back, so he raised his hands...

"Okay, Okay, I'm just trying to give the new guy a sense of immersion… Really? Nothing… Fine, pass the lockpicks," Mylo whispered angrily as if the audience couldn't appreciate talent.

With the actual tools being used, it looked almost the same thing, and Shigaraki nearly thought he was joking again but soon noticed a key difference, with small clicking sounds,

"Just a bit here… and there… almost… ready… and… completed!" Mylo exclaimed excitedly after finishing, realizing too late that he had spoken loudly. He quickly let go of his tools to cover his mouth but forgot that the clatter of the tools hitting the ground would still make noise. Thankfully, Vi reacted swiftly and caught them just before they fell, but this caught the attention of Shigaraki, who furrowed his brows slightly in response.

'Her reaction speed was fast… very fast.' Shigaraki felt weary beside someone like that. He realized he wouldn't be able to defeat her if she got up close. With speed like that, she could easily dodge his strikes and beat him down harshly. This new knowledge of her made his insecurity rise. If she wasn't his friend, he already had thoughts of killing her.

"Mylo, be careful next time," Vi spoke unpleasantly.

Powder, who was still on the lookout doing her job diligently, moved her head back down from overlooking the hedge. "It's okay, they didn't notice anything," she whispered.

"That's good, Powder. You did a good job." Vi's soft, caring voice earned Powder a proud smile.

"Okay, we will all move in and search for anything valuable. We play it by ear if a new situation arises, but if enforcers come, we run. Claggor, have you found the area?" Vi continued leading.

"I have observed. We can go back the same way we came. We have two options: one from this back door and run where we came from over, and the other is from the second floor if we get trapped, jumping down onto these hedges to cushion our fall." He said a lot in one breath; his face was also red, and there were signs of adrenaline coursing. After all, they were on the verge of taking a risky action. Even if the enforcers outside were inactive, the mere sight of them is intimidating, particularly given their proximity.

"Remember, no one is left behind; we will wait for you outside the house and try to help each other if we get caught." Vi's reassurance was another boost to everyone's confidence, even to Shigaraki.

"You hear that new guy? if you get caught, looks like we wil-"

Vi rolled her eyes and smacked Mylo on the back of his head, interrupting his speech. Mylo pouted and shook his head. Vi stepped forward, gently opening the door. The scent of an old, pine-scented house wafted through the air, captivating their senses.

The inside was empty, with see-through drapes covering many pieces of furniture. The walls and floors were meticulously cleaned. Portraits of a bunch of the same young man on the walls, the person living here showed great care towards whoever this person was. 

The group slowly moved through empty corridors, each step leaving a slight crick in this silent home, but the walls prevented the noise from leaking anywhere outside. Some small trinkets were picked up on the way by Mylo and Claggor, and they finally arrived at the living room. From here, the house branched into three different places,

"Okay, I will explore the kitchen. Mylo and Claggor, you will explore the rest of the bottom floor. Powder, you and Shigaraki will explore the upstairs. Remember to be quiet. We leave once you have grabbed things that can fill your hands or bags." Vi assumed control once more, issuing commands that everyone accepted and followed.

Shigaraki felt his heart beat faster with each step up the second floor. This was the first time he had ever done something like this; it was a new experience compared to just killing, and an emotion of joy was drawn out of him.

The upstairs was very different from the downstairs. It felt empty; clearly, the house owner was moving somewhere else. Three rooms had closed doors. Powder and Shigaraki chose the closest one. A striking Hammer symbol was engraved into the wood, showing fine craftsmanship.

When they opened it, they saw several scattered machine parts, trophies, and a photo frame of a young boy with an older figure holding a heavy hammer. Still, the pair's attention was more attracted to a singular chiselled blue shard vibrating with a slow blue hum. But then Powder's eyes shifted to the broken machine parts everywhere, and she felt like she was in heaven.

"Holy crap! I needed this part and this one, too. Did we steal from an inventor!?" She was ecstatic but knew her purpose here and started to fill in her bag, 

The sounds of metal clanked together as they moved into her bag one at a time, and Shigaraki's thoughts were still on the blue glow. 

He moved slightly to it, reaching out a finger to touch it; when he made contact, he felt his pulse stop, then beat extremely quickly. A massive sense of terror and ecstasy washed over him, and he instinctively went to grab it but stopped just short. Instead, he stepped back, attracting Powder's attention. Her almost-filled bag was heavy, and she struggled to move it but never wanted to drop anything.

"Shigaraki, what happened?"

"I… I don't know… do you not feel anything about that blue thing?" Shigaraki asked, a bit greedy in his tone, though he tried to hide it.

"Hmm, am I supposed to?" she asked rhetorically, which made Shigaraki frown even more. 'Why am I reacting this way? This instinct tells me it's dangerous, but it should be something controllable.'

"I want to take this, do you-"

"Here, ya go." Powder handed over a container. Shigaraki looked confused, as the moulding was perfect, almost as if she had known this would be here. She seemed to notice his confusion.

"Pfft. I found it beside it," she said, her hands still gesturing for him to take it. Then, pointing to the mould and the shards, she continued, "It's meant to go in here. I think the owner will come get it back later and must have forgotten it," she finished with a mischievous grin.

Shigaraki carefully took the small container, moving his other hand to grab the shards. On contact, another thrill coursed through his body. He didn't understand it but thought of his dad and uncle back home. They must know the reason.

As he clicked the container shut, Shigaraki slid it into his pants pocket. Its bulging shape made its location obvious, but it would suffice for now. He glanced at Powder, who was also finishing up clearing the once-cluttered workshop. Broken pieces of scrap metal and rusted gears were now stashed in her bag, a testament to how one person's trash could be another's treasure.

"Hey," Powder spoke up, interrupting the silence. Her curious eyes flicked to Shigaraki's hands. "Why don't you ever touch stuff with all five fingers? You never answered Mylo this morning."

Shigaraki's body tensed as he avoided her gaze. It had only been a day, yet he'd already encountered multiple chances to reveal his Quirk. Still, he hesitated, searching for a way to divert the conversation. "I-I…" he stammered, the words sticking in his throat.

"C'mon," she teased, mistaking his anxiety for shyness. Trying to snap him out of it, she swiped a shiny trinket from her bag and tossed it playfully. "Shigaraki, think fast!"

Distracted by his thoughts, Shigaraki instinctively reached out to catch the trinket. His fingers closed around it, and in a single second, it crumbled into dust. Horror sank into his stomach like a stone.

For a beat, neither of them spoke. Shigaraki stared at the gray remnants drifting from his hand, his breath catching in his throat. Powder's eyes went wide, darting between the debris and his trembling fingers.

"You… you…" she stuttered, pointing in disbelief.

Shigaraki's other hand dug his nails into his palm, bracing for the recoil he expected: fear, disgust, abandonment. 'She's going to call me a freak… She's going to leave…' The despair churned in his chest, leading to a self-depreciative mumble. 'Friends were a stupid idea anyway.'

He didn't notice that something else lit up in Powder's eyes. "That's… amazing," she breathed, genuine awe lacing her voice.

He blinked, heart pounding in his chest. "W-what?"

Powder motioned to the swirling dust in the air. "No wonder you use only four fingers. If you use all five… poof! Gone!" She tried a small, cautious laugh, but seeing the colour drain from his face, she spoke more seriously, still with a carefree smile. "And I'm not afraid of you, Shigaraki. If I had powers like yours, no one would ever be able to bully me or my sister."

Relief and panic tangled in his chest. The fact that she wanted his awful Quirk caught him off guard, twisting his emotions. "You… you wouldn't want it," he said, his voice shaky. "It doesn't just destroy objects…it destroys people, too."

Powder shrugged, undeterred. "That's even better," she said bluntly with a childlike innocence. "Then I'd really be useful to everyone here. No one would mess with us."

Shigaraki felt a sting of anger spark. "Useful?" he laughed bitterly as his voice raised a bit in shame and fear. "I lost my family to this power! Don't you understand? It's not just some handy trick…" his face visibly paling, the memories still haunting him to this day. He thought the transition from Tenko to Shigaraki had already steeled him, but he knew he might never be able to be free from it truly…

Powder's eyes widened, the weight of his words finally sinking in. "Your family…?"

He closed his eyes in pain and spoke at a gruelling pace. "It… happened… in one night. I-I didn't mean to do it…" his face contorting. "My mom, my sister, my grandparents… They were there, and then in an instant…" His throat felt tight, and his eyes widened; he felt he was about to relive it all again. He could even see their crumbling forms as he forced the words out, "They were gone… crumbled to not just dust, but bloody meat bags…" He felt he was about to gag and caught himself, falling back as he touched the corner of the table, decaying at the edge of it, but he quickly let go,

Powder's expression sobered. Seeing Shigaraki in pain, she released herself from the feelings of torment and shock. Then, with newfound compassion, she stepped closer to him, not in an intimidating way but in comfort. "Shigaraki… I… I'm so sorry."

"Don't pity me; I don't need it." His voice grew louder, transitioning from a whisper. He heard sounds coming from outside the door but dismissed them as irrelevant. With the first words spoken, he couldn't stop now. His chest felt like it was caving in as he continued his initial narrative. 

"I wasn't in control," his voice now rasped. "Until… I saw my dad… I thought he was supposed to protect me, but he never did… Instead, he smacked me with something hard enough to ring my brain, and when I realized what had happened, rage had taken over me… then I used it on him. And for a moment, I… I liked it," his expression showed a proud, evil smile. "I felt powerful. But when I finally came back, I was no longer in my home, but on the streets being chased by those Enforcers… then now I am here."

After unburdening himself, Shigaraki realized he spoke true to his heart, and his emotions carried them. He dropped his crazy grin and seriously reflected on what he had just done…

In truth, he had said more than he intended, more than he wanted to. Only after venting did he feel a sense of calm, but that calm was not reassurance; it was dread. His new idea for friendship was going to end here. 'Who in their right mind would want to stay after hearing that I still kill people? That I'm a monster.' 

His mind flashed with memories of children crying and running away from him, some too terrified to even get near him… Shigaraki hoped for this friendship to work. When his dad brought him to that dim bar and met the girls for the first time, he felt a special bond with the one with blue hair, the same age as him and the same blue colour pallet. 

He dreamed of this friendship lasting, yet he recognized he couldn't constantly conceal his ability and the dark truth that followed. He knew this day would eventually arrive, but he never expected it to happen on the same day and with the person he never wished knew. He sensed that life was unfolding another tragedy for him.

The room stayed silent as he began sinking more into self-doubt. He didn't want to kill Powder, even if she knew, but slowly, his thoughts were taking control. 'Kill her, she knows, if no one knows, then they can't jud-'

Suddenly, a beam of light cracked through the darkness that was about to devour him. Before he could comprehend why, he felt a pair of small arms pull him into a caring embrace. 

Only now, he realized, Powder had hugged him. He only felt the same touch he had with Hana, his Mother, even his new dad… Tears started to form in his eyes. 'Why?… Wasn't I a monster?… Someone who kills?…'

Shigaraki's heart hammered, and he couldn't understand why she would even touch him after knowing everything. 

After a few seconds, she drew back, her blue eyes searching his. "Feel any better?" she asked, a gentle smile touching her lips.

His words faltered, caught in his throat. Finally, he managed a stiff nod, unsure of how to respond.

Powder shyly tucked a piece of blue hair behind her ear and said with a sad smile. "I lost my mom a while ago. It still feels fresh sometimes. But you know," she said, her voice taking on a determined edge, "Everyone in Undercity has a sad story, but that doesn't mean it has to stay sad." Her smile gradually got warmer. "We can only make it better."

Shigaraki stared, a slow warmth spreading in his chest. He had expected condemnation, but instead, he found acceptance.

But he still expressed the lingering darkness inside him. "But… But I have killed…" he said quietly, voice trembling. "I've also killed more people since then. I'm… I'm just a villain. There's nothing good left in me. I… I am a murderer. A monster." He paused, staring at her still with tearful eyes. "Do you really still want to be my friend? Even though I am dangerous?"

Powder's lips formed into a tiny smirk, surprising him. "If you're so dangerous," she said with a playful tilt of her head and a joking expression, "then that means you are strong enough to protect me, right?"

Her cheerful response hit him like a soft breeze clearing away dark clouds. Shigaraki felt a moment of surprise at the authenticity of her smile, seeing that she was unafraid and at ease. Something intense and new sparked in his chest, and in that moment, he understood that she had firmly established a place in his heart. He wasn't sure if it was because she was the second person to see him without fear or the warm embrace he still feels now, or many other reasons he had, but he decided to take her small joke seriously,

"I… I will," he whispered, his voice cracking with resolve and uncertainty. He couldn't quite explain why her words calmed him, but they did.

Powder was a little surprised at getting a response but then exhaled softly. She felt a stronger connection with Shigaraki. This talk had brought the two closer than they each would have expected,

Powder thought of something with a low pout, and then a hint of worry crept into her voice. "But, um… you promise not to use your power on our friends. Especially my sister, okay? I mean, I know accidents happen, but…" She paused, glancing at him with steadfast determination.

Shigaraki listened tentatively but considered many problems. Given Powder's sister's quick reflexes and the attention she had given him since they met, he felt this promise may be broken. However, seeing Powder's grieving face as he took longer to reply, he forced himself to nod. "I… I promise, " he said, but she didn't notice a tinge of guilt in his tone.

"Great! Don't worry; I will keep your ability a secret," she said gleefully,

Shigaraki wanted to respond to her, but she spoke faster

"Okay, I collected everything I wanted. We should get moving now." Powder smiled as she started to tug at the heavy bag. "Don't worry; Claggor can carry this…. We have to make it to hi-"

Powder's words were cut off. 

A voice full of surprise rang out behind them.

"Children?"