Chapter 12.
The sun was setting, casting long, orange shadows across the quiet neighborhood. The air was crisp, smelling of evening meals being prepared.
Kaito walked slowly down the familiar street, his hand resting heavily on Tokoyami's shoulder. The sound of their footsteps was the only thing guiding him.
"How long has it been since I came here?" Tokoyami rumbled. "Three years?"
"I'm sorry about this," Kaito muttered.
"You have nothing to apologize for," Tokoyami replied.
They walked in silence for a moment.
"So," Tokoyami asked, "what is the plan?"
"Recovery Girl said my vision should return in a day or less. It's just strain."
"That is not what I asked," Tokoyami said, stopping. They were in front of Kaito's house. "I am talking about her. How are you going to explain this to your mother? She barely let you go this morning."
Kaito sighed, his breath hitching. "That... is the hard part."
Tokoyami rang the doorbell.
Moments later, the door opened. Aoi stood there, wiping her hands on an apron. "Kaito! Welcome ba—"
She froze. Her smile faltered as she saw Kaito's hand gripping Tokoyami's forearm, his posture stiff and uncertain. She looked at his eyes—black, dull, unmoving.
"Hello, Mrs. Kurosawa," Tokoyami bowed slightly.
"Tokoyami-kun," she breathed. "Why...?"
"Don't worry, Mom," Kaito interrupted quickly, sensing the rising panic in her silence even without his Quirk. "It's not permanent. They said it's just strain. Eye strain."
"I... see," she said, though her voice was faint.
"I should be going," Tokoyami said. "It is late."
"Thank you, Tokoyami-kun," Aoi said mechanically.
Kaito stepped forward, his hand brushing the doorframe as he entered. Aoi watched him pass, her hand still on the doorknob, shaking slightly. She closed the door.
THUD.
She spun around. Kaito was on the floor. He had tripped over the small step of the genkan, usually something he navigated with ease.
"Kaito!" She rushed to him, kneeling. "Are you okay?!"
"I'm fine, I'm fine!" Kaito scrambled up, his face burning with shame. He kept his hands out, feeling for the wall. "Don't worry. I... I'm just tired. I'm going to sleep. I don't want dinner."
"Kaito, wait," Aoi said, her voice trembling. She stood up. "Tell me seriously. What is happening?"
Kaito stopped, his hand on the wall. He didn't turn around. He stood frozen, his shoulders slumped in defeat.
"I can't see anything, Mom," he whispered. "The world is full of darkness."
Aoi covered her mouth. "What about your sensing ability?"
"I overused it," he said, his voice flat. "Recovery Girl said it happens. Like a muscle cramp. It will be back tomorrow."
He reached out with his foot, finding the first step of the stairs. He began to climb, slowly, painfully, disappearing into the shadows of the upper floor.
Aoi stood in the hallway, staring at the empty stairs. Her face was a mask of devastating sadness, but she did not cry. She just stood there, the silence of the house heavier than ever before.
Dinner was a quiet, somber affair. Haru and Aoi sat across from each other, the food largely untouched.
"So, that's it," Haru said, leaning back in his chair. "I understand."
"You're strangely calm," Aoi said quietly.
"Kaito said it would return tomorrow, right?" Haru looked at her. "I want to trust that possibility. Quirks don't just vanish into the void, even with overuse. His senses will return."
"Even if they do," Aoi said, staring at her tea, "doesn't this prove he is still in danger? What if this happens on a battlefield? What if he goes blind in front of a villain?"
"It's better not to overthink it right now," Haru said gently. "Let's hope he discovers the limits of his senses. If he gets into U.A., he will learn everything about his ability there. How to strengthen it. How to maintain it."
"I forgot to ask him about the exam," Aoi realized with a start. "With everything that happened..."
"Leave it for tomorrow," Haru said. "He doesn't seem to want to talk."
Upstairs, Kaito lay on his bed in the dark. It didn't matter if his eyes were open or closed; the view was the same.
He replayed the exam in his mind. The rush of the start. The weight of the robots. The desperate flight to the rooftop. And that boy... Midoriya.
I wish I could have seen him, Kaito thought, staring into the black ceiling. I wish I could have seen that reckless boy clearly in that moment.
Insomnia gripped him. The fear gnawed at his gut. What if it doesn't come back? What if Recovery Girl was wrong? What if I broke it?
The thoughts circled like vultures until, finally, exhaustion dragged him into a fitful sleep.
"Kaito! Breakfast is ready!"
His mother's voice pulled him from the depths of slumber.
Kaito groaned, shifting under the covers. He opened his eyes instinctively, expecting the familiar, comfortable void, waiting for the violet outlines to boot up.
Light.
Painful, blinding light flooded his vision. He squinted, his hands flying to his face.
As his pupils constricted, the chaos of light began to settle. Shapes formed. Not outlines. Not energy signatures.
Surfaces.
The wooden texture of his ceiling. The beige paint of the walls. The cluttered desk with his braille books. The blue blanket covering his legs.
Colors. Real, vivid, impossible colors.
Kaito lay frozen. His pitch-black eyes were wide open, his eyebrows raised high, his jaw slack. He didn't breathe. He didn't move.
The silence in the room was absolute, a heavy, pregnant pause before the shattering of a world.
He could see.
.
.
.
Plz help the story with your power stones.
~ More Chapters;
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[A/N]
Alright, starting from the next chapter, the upcoming chapters will be much longer, and I've also tried to raise the overall quality of the story in the next parts. Honestly, I prefer this version far more than the previous one. Not to mention, I'm truly enjoying writing it, so I hope you're enjoying reading it as well.
I might not be lucky enough starting tomorrow to publish more than one chapter per day, since the longer chapters take more time to write.
So, I'll see you in the next chapter.