Eleven

Rei

I take a deep breath. I have cried so much already, why can't I just stop crying today? I didn't even have tears for my mother, but Toya, I can't lose him.

What will I tell Astrid? I wish he'd come back to life, I wish my damn healing quirk could bring him to life, but it can't.

I watch as Toya's father goes first to say his goodbyes at the dead man in a coffin.

The tears come back watching a big man like him cry so hard for his son. I knew him for a short while but I could see it the very first day we met how much he loved his son. He always treated Toya like his pride and joy, he was also very strict, but out of love.

I wish I didn't listen to Kai and came here when I wanted too. I wish I got a chance to say goodbye.

Kai squats down beside me and gives me a hug. I take a deep breath and calm down. I'm so grateful he's here. I would've completely fallen apart if he wasn't by my side.

Astrid wakes up and I quickly rise picking her up before she wakes her brothers. She looks around and my heart just burns so much, it's like active lava burning at maximum heat. She can only be looking around for her father.

"Dada." Astrid calls out still looking around.

I hug her tighter begging the tears to go back into my eyes.

That's my baby girls first word. Ever. Toya you damn bastard you missed it.

She starts crying and I walk over to the coffin, just seeing him should do. She giggles so loudly when she sees his face I could practically feel everyone's heart breaking all at once.

She jumps out of my arms towards him and I catch her. I just let her sit on his lifeless body. I close my eyes when she starts crying again.

She won't stop until he wakes up. She never stops until he wakes up.

I turn around looking for Kaiya, she's the only one I can count on to make Astrid feel better.

"Kaiya?" I wipe my tears away. My voice is so weak I doubt she heard me. I look at Kai who whispers in her ear. She runs to my side and pecks Astrid on the cheeks who stops crying instantly.

Kaiya's hands start glowing. I've never seen her use her power before, in fact, Kai never even told me what it is, then again I never asked.

She touches Toya and jumps away.

Kai comes closer and she looks at me then looks away.

I was about to speak but then Astrid touched Toya's face and a burst of electricity from her hands shocked his whole body.

It's called a healing burst, in my family it happens the first time your power manifests. It's the most powerful force, you only get it the first time, after that you'll need to train for years to be able to create a healing burst at will.

And I mean a really long time.

Kaiya rests her hand on Toya's forehead, "I swear I heard him do it again." She says very adamant about it this time.

Whatever it is, she's not making sense to me.

"What do you mean?" I squat down beside her so she can be a little comfortable.

"I can't explain it, but to me, he's not dead, " She leans in closer like she's listening for something.

Astrid giggles again.

"See, she can hear it too." Kaiya says like we're doubting her. I step on Kai's foot. I believe every word coming from her mouth, he's the reason she's so unsure of herself.

Astrid rests her hand slowly on top of Kaiya's and I can feel her burst coming. It's always so powerful, but I've never felt anything like this before, it's so much stronger then mine.

Kai steps forward and I stop him.

"Shh, it's coming."

I watch as Astrid's hair changes, the tips are now red like mine and she has red streaks.

The is a light from the collision of Kaiya and Astrid's powers, such a sight to see.

At this moment I just feel a calm I've never felt before. I pay close attention and notice Kaiya is using her quirk on Toya.

Astrid is unconscious, she must have released her burst already, weird, I didn't feel it, that's unusual. I pick her up to pass her on to her grand father, her second favorite person.

Yup. I'm third on her list of favorites.

She's such a daddy's girl.

I stand by Kai's side. Somehow, Astrid didn't release her burst but passed it on to Kaiya who is combining it with her power.

I know Kai's ability is transmutation, I assumed Kaiya's is the same but that's not the case at all.

"Yes!" Kaiya celebrates before collapsing.

Kai and I reach for her at the same time but we're blown back by a short burst of power, it's whatever was left of Astrid's healing burst now combined with Kaiya's power.

I look and I was thrown a good distance away, the burst didn't go far though, only covered the few people that we're close, that being only Kai and I, Toya too if we include him.

My eyes widen when Toya gets out of the coffin. He looks so much younger though. I look at Kai and he's younger too. I stand up and grope my chest, yup, yah girl is younger too, these babies did not grow in until my twenties, I was flat chested for a very long time.

I run into Toya's arms.

"Please tell me you're really here. Please."

He pecks my forehead and looks around. He's looking for Astrid. He runs to his father and picks her up. The other two are still sleeping, we know better then to interrupt their sleep.

I try to pick up Kaiya but her father takes over.

I look him in the eyes and he's furious. I cup his cheeks, "Kai, look at me." He looks at me and then looks away, he persists to walk away pissed. I notice Toya give Astrid to his father then runs after Kai.

Why is he so angry? He knows I'd never let anything happen to Kaiya. I knew she wouldn't get hurt. I knew that very well.

~

Kai

"Riden." Toya stands in front of me and smiles, "Look, I may not understand what's going on here, but I know I have you to thank for finding my way to my family."

He holds his hand out and I take it.

"What do you remember exactly?" I ask.

"Everything except for events relating to my death, it's like it was completely erased from time. Like it never happened. In my mind we just came back from the museum and all the events that happened that day. Somehow I feel different."

He looks me up and down then laughs at me for a good while until I smile too. So I guess it was a bad call trying to put him in the grave, I could tolerate him until someone else kills him.

"I'm the one that killed you." I look him in the eyes being completely honest. If our paths crossing ends here let it end here.

"I don't care. You failed, and miserably too." He just laughs away and I'm confused. Why does he find that funny?

I look behind us and Rei is approaching. She stands in front of me and wipes a stray tear away.

"Kai, I am so sorry, I want you to know that I would never do anything to hurt her, I swear. I'm so sorry I upset you, I wasn't thinking straight at the time. I can't explain it but I knew she'd be okay, please believe me." She rests her hand on top of mine reassuring me.

"I know, but there were too many people here, if people start hearing about my daughter bringing a dead man to life, she has a target on her back."

Rei smiles, "Don't worry, she can't actually bring the dead back to life, it was the combination of hers and Astrid's powers combined that did so."

Toya glares at her and she covers her mouth only now getting why we're worried. Someone present at the funeral overhearing that they need both children to bring back the dead would not hesitate to come after them.

That's the one thing Rei does not know about the Hiryu and Riden families, we're family as long as it's convenient, there are people who will do despicable things to further their own personal agenda's, to call this a family gathering is one big lie.

This is a gathering of enemies bound by blood, pretending to give a damn for the sake of public image, behind the curtain it's every wolf pack for its self.

I just need to get my daughter home.

"Hey, you promised we'd move. Don't go back on your word, you're not taking her back to the that damned city." Rei squeezes my hand tighter and glares at me when I think of leaving anyway.

I hate it when she reads me like that. Why do we still need to attend the funeral? Toya is alive.

"Fine, I'll meet you at the house. I just want to get out of here."

"Great. Toya has some family time to spend." She pulls him away smiling, I can tell she's still not okay, her smile is weak, she always has an ear to ear smile, this one is faint.

They walk away and I drive Kaiya away. I get us a room in a hotel and let her sleep.

This just feels like the calm before the storm. I don't like this.

~

Toya

I hold Kasai and he's just sitting in my arms, I don't ever want to let them go.

Can't believe it took actual death for me to get some damn perspective. Honestly speaking I was just putting on a performance for everyone, especially my dad.

I may have been genuinely caught of guard about having three kids at the same time, and emotional about my mother missing the naming ceremony but either then that I really don't think I was being genuine.

I only gave a damn about protecting my own flesh and blood after that poisoning incident, had it not been for that I really can't even imagine what kind of father I would have been.

I kiss the top of his head and hold him tight. He snuggles in my arms and I hold him like that until he sleeps. I play with Kaen until he's exhausted and as usual, when the twins sleep Astrid wakes up.

My kids love me so much and their barely old enough to say it, but I can't be so oblivious.

Rei hasn't left my side the whole day today.

My sister told me all about her crying, and how broken she was.

I didn't even give a damn about her, I mean, I kept telling myself if it wasn't for the kids we wouldn't have met. I told myself so many lies. I just wanted her because I didn't want Kai to have her.

I look at Astrid, "I treat your mother like shit and I expect a man to treat you differently one day, what a joke."

Rei hugs me and pecks my cheek, "I knew you'd come around."

"You deserve better."

"Oh, I know. So you better get better." She smiles at Astrid, my little girl always just looks at me like I'm the only person in the world that exists. I don't think I've ever felt so vulnerable before.

To have someone accept you with open arms just like that, she's so fragile.

I have become so out of touch with reality, being so up close and personal with such a fragile being like this, really brings some damn perspective in a mans life.

"Hey, you should know something." I turn to Rei and she kisses me on the lips, "What?"

"Kai is the one who killed me, not directly but he sent somebody to do it. Kendo, and I thought he worked for me. I had forgotten until he told me the truth. So before you run along to be with him I just want you to know that."

I cup her cheeks and kiss her, "I'm sorry, but I still stand by what I said, I don't want to trick you into being with me. I'm a bad guy, trouble follows me everywhere I go and I can't guarantee any real love from me. That's a part of me I need to find all over again, so hey, maybe once I figure it out you and Riden will be done with."

She rests her head on my shoulder, "I can't love you both, so no, I won't let you just run from me."

"Rei don't be so self righteous. There's nothing wrong with loving us both, eventually you'll love him more then me."

"Is that what you think? That you are so unlovable if I had to choose I would want him?" She shakes her head at me, "You don't get to push me away and play the victim, I am directly begging you to stay right now, whatever you choose it's your choice and no one's fault."

"Fine, then I am choosing to not want to be with you."

"Am I that unattractive?" She sulks and I laugh.

"Hell no, you're a truly amazing woman. I knew that right from the start, I even told Kai you were a good woman. I know I'll regret this, but I want you to be happy. Kai really wants to try for you."

"You just told me he's the reason I was almost a single mother of triplets, no way."

"Don't bullshit yourself Rei, he was there, you wouldn't have had to worry about a father figure in our kids lives. They would've had him, and what he did is just personal between him and I. We didn't always grow up liking each other."

Rei looks at me shocked, "You guys were childhood friends?"

"Friends? Yeah right, I hated him since middle school. I've tried to kill him more times than you'd like to know. I didn't tell you so you could hate him, I told you so I could make it clear to you to stay out of our personal grudge. We just don't like each other, that's just how it is."

"That's so weird, never heard of that before. So how does it work? You take turns trying to kill each other? Have you tried going after Kaiya?"

"Neh, I backed off from killing him after she came into the picture. We just stopped talking to each other though, then of course you came into the picture. I can tolerate him a little though, so I guess after trying to kill me we can put aside our differences and call it a truce."

"Well, Toya I'm begging you to be with me." She turns my head her way and looks me in the eyes.

I lean in putting our foreheads together, I want this, I really do, but I just can't.

"Rei, no. I have no intention of being open and honest with you and I won't pretend any more with you. I am done pretending for everybody else. A relationship needs those qualities above all else, either wise it'll be gOod at first and then go down hill fast. So no."

She frowns slightly, I don't think she's noticed that.

I kiss her and she kisses back. I cup her cheeks bringing her in closer. I swear I really want this, more then anything. I want to walk away from my secret life but I just can't. it's not that easy and I can't have Rei getting close to me, I'll only break her heart.

"I'm so sorry, I really am." I look away and Astrid and is munching senselessly on her teething toy staring at us wide eyed.

How reckless acting like that in front of my little girl. She's a very impressionable young lady, none of that in front of her Toya. Stop it.