MHA: The Hero With the Sun [DISCONTINUED]

Kenji stood stiffly in the police station, his hands clenched into fists at his sides. Beside him, Todoroki and Iida wore equally grim expressions. The air in the room was heavy, weighed down by the reality of what they had done.

Across from them, Kenji could feel the piercing gaze of the Hosu Police Chief.

The grizzled officer, his face lined with years of experience, let out a deep sigh. "Let me get this straight you three, without provisional hero licenses, engaged in combat with a known serial killer, nearly got yourselves killed, and caused major disruption during an active emergency?"

Kenji didn't speak. He couldn't.

Because every word was true.

The chief's harsh glare swept over them before settling on Iida. "And you, your brother is a well-respected hero. But instead of letting the pros handle things, you went out for revenge. You could've died."

Iida lowered his head, guilt evident in his stiff posture.

The officer's voice didn't waver. "And if you had? What would your family have done? What would your classmates have thought?"

Silence.

Then, the chief turned his attention to Kenji and Todoroki. "You two may not have been acting out of revenge, but you still disobeyed the law. You stepped into something you weren't ready for."

Kenji's fists tightened. "We couldn't let Iida fight him alone."

The officer's sharp eyes flickered toward him. "And that's why I'm not throwing you three in a cell."

Kenji stiffened.

The chief sighed, rubbing his temple. "Look, I get it. You stopped Stain. You did what you thought was right." His voice softened, just slightly. "And you saved lives. That counts for something."

For a brief moment, Kenji felt a flicker of relief.

Then "But that doesn't mean you're off the hook."

The chief's expression hardened. "Because you don't have licenses, you don't get the credit. The law is clear your supervising pro hero takes responsibility for both the success and the failure of their interns."

Kenji's stomach dropped.

Endeavor.

Endeavor would take the credit for Stain's defeat.

Todoroki's jaw clenched. Kenji didn't have to guess he hated this just as much.

"On top of that," the chief continued, "your recklessness nearly made things worse. If Stain had managed to kill even one of you, your deaths would've overshadowed everything."

Kenji felt the weight of those words.

Dying wasn't heroic. It was reckless.

The officer exhaled. "You're lucky you survived. Next time, you might not."

The silence that followed was suffocating.

Then "Get out of here."

Kenji barely managed a nod. He turned on his heel and walked out of the room, Todoroki and Iida following close behind.

They didn't speak as they exited the station. The air outside was crisp, but it did nothing to ease the weight in Kenji's chest.

Aftermath: A Lesson Learned

Later that night, Kenji sat alone in the dorm's common area, staring blankly at his hands. His fingers curled into his palms.

He'd won.

But it didn't feel like a victory.

He thought back to the fight to how easily Stain had outmaneuvered them, how close they had come to losing.

And worst of all…

How powerless he had felt when Stain's Quirk took effect.

A soft sigh broke his thoughts.

Kenji looked up to see Momo standing near the couch, arms crossed, concern clear in her dark eyes.

"You're thinking too hard," she said, offering a small smile.

Kenji huffed. "Can you blame me?"

Momo sat beside him. "No. But dwelling on it won't change what happened."

Kenji exhaled slowly. "I know." He hesitated before adding, "I just... I felt useless."

Momo frowned slightly. "You weren't useless, Kenji. You helped stop Stain."

"But not without making a mess of things," he muttered. "The police chief was right. If we had died, we wouldn't have been heroes. We would've been failures."

Momo was quiet for a moment before speaking again, voice softer. "Then learn from it."

Kenji blinked.

Momo turned to him, expression firm. "You can't change the past, but you can be better. You can grow."

Kenji absorbed her words.

She was right.

Sitting here and brooding wouldn't change anything. But training harder? Learning from his mistakes? That would.

Kenji let out a small chuckle, shaking his head. "You always know what to say."

Momo smiled. "Someone has to keep you from self-destructing."

Kenji laughed, the tension in his chest easing just a little.

Maybe this wasn't a victory.

But it was a lesson.

And he'd make damn sure he never made the same mistake again.

Word Count: 1,359

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Still doing this in class so busy with work man...