The void swallowed the previous memory whole.
For a moment, there was nothing again. Just me floating in this weird limbo between consciousness and... whatever this was.
Then light. It was different this time. A little warmer.
Colors bled in slowly and softly. Then, an apartment came into view. It was somewhat modern and clean, completely different from the one we currently live in.
Young Kaito sat on a couch, swinging his legs. Six years old now. A bit taller but still that same confident energy radiating off him.
The door opened.
His parents walked in—a tired-looking man in work clothes and a woman with kind eyes. Between them, wrapped in a blanket, was a baby.
Is that... Hana?
My chest tightened. Even as a ghost watching this play out, seeing her that small, that helpless—and in the arms of my so-called parents.
My heart was raging. But I soon calmed down.
"Kaito!" His mother smiled. "Come meet your new sister!"
"Sister?!" Young Kaito jumped off the couch so fast he tripped over his own feet. He then recovered and ran over. "Really? A real sister?!"
His father knelt down, adjusting the blanket so Kaito could see her face. "Yep. Her name is Hana."
The baby—couldn't have been more than a few months old—stared up with wide, curious eyes.
"Where'd you find her?" Kaito asked, poking her tiny hand gently.
Straight to the point, huh. Well, to be honest, even I am curious.
His mother hesitated and looked at his father.
"We found her," his father said carefully. "Near a park. With some cats and dogs."
"Someone left her?!" Kaito's face scrunched up in confusion. "That's stupid! Who leaves a baby with cats in the middle of nowhere?"
"Bad people," his mother said softly. "But we're not bad people. We were thinking of taking her to police, but couldn't. Her smile captivated us. So we brought her home."
You're not one of those bad people? Her smile captivated you? What in the hell are those lies?
If you were really that loving and caring, why would you leave your children all alone and sell your only child to some mad scientist?
Bullshit. Complete bullshit.
Suddenly, baby Hana's face scrunched up. Then—a toothless smile. Tiny hands reaching up.
Young Kaito's eyes went huge. "She smiled at me! Did you see? She likes me already!"
"Of course she does," his mother laughed. "You're her big brother now."
"Big brother..." Kaito tested the words. Then grinned, wider than I'd seen yet. "I'm a big brother! That means I gotta protect her, right? From villains and bad guys!"
"You have to protect her from everything," his father said seriously. "That's what big brothers do."
"I will! I promise!" Kaito puffed out his chest. "My Quirk is super strong now! Way stronger than last year! I can lift really heavy stuff! No villain's gonna touch my sister!"
He made that promise so easily. Without thinking twice.
And I broke it.
I had done a similar promise with my sister in my old world.
And that too was broken.
I'm a liar, aren't I?
The scene shifted. His parents were leaving—going to handle adoption papers, legal stuff. His mother looked worried.
"Are you sure you can watch her? She's very small—"
"I'm six, Mama! I'm not a baby anymore!" Kaito stood tall. "I'll take care of her! I promise!"
His father ruffled his hair. "We'll only be gone an hour. If she cries, there's a bottle in the fridge. Don't drop her."
"I won't drop her! Jeez!"
The door closed.
Young Kaito stared at baby Hana. She stared back.
"So..." He crouched down. "You're my sister now. That's pretty cool. I always wanted a sibling! Masaru has two brothers and he's always talking about them and I was like 'man, I want a brother or sister too!' and now I got one!"
Hana made a gurgling sound.
Masaru has two brothers? Must be hard.
"Oh! Right! You can't talk yet. That's okay! I'll teach you!" He ran to his room. Came back with an armful of action figures. "First lesson—heroes!"
Oh no. That's not even close to one of the first things that should be taught to a toddler!
He spread them out on the floor. A lot of All Might figures in multiple poses. They were all of different sizes.
"This is All Might!" He held up the biggest one. "He's the Number One Hero! The best! He saves everyone with a smile!"
Hana's eyes followed the figure.
"See? You already love him! Good taste, baby sister!" He grabbed a villain figure—some generic monster looking thing. "And this is a bad guy! Bad guys hurt people! But All Might stops them!"
He made exaggerated fighting sounds. Posed the All Might figure dramatically.
"DETROIT SMASH!" He slammed the All Might figure into the villain. The villain went flying across the room. "BAM! See? All Might always wins!"
Hana clapped. Sort of. More like flailed her arms.
But Kaito's face lit up like she'd just given him a trophy.
"You clapped! You think All Might's cool too!" He did the move again. "TEXAS SMASH!"
Another villain flew.
Hana gurgled happily.
He's showing a baby who can't even sit up action figures and genuinely thinks she's enjoying it.
This is the dumbest thing I've ever seen.
But it's also... kind of sweet.
I hated admitting that. But watching him, so excited to share his interests with this tiny human who couldn't possibly understand—
It was genuine and pure. The kind of sibling bond that forms before you know what bonds are.
"Okay! Now for the REAL thing!" Kaito jumped up. Ran to the TV. Turned it on.
Fumbled with a VHS tape.
VHS. Right. He's six. This was what, nine years ago? Makes sense.
The TV flickered. A news broadcast. Old footage.
All Might on screen, facing down what looked like a dozen villains at once.
"This is my FAVORITE!" Kaito bounced on his heels. "Watch! Watch!"
On screen, All Might moved like lightning. Punch. Kick. Throw. Every movement precise and powerful. The villains didn't stand a chance.
Then—the pose.
Arms spread wide. That legendary smile stretching across his face.
"I AM HERE!"
The words boomed through the tinny TV speakers.
Young Kaito's eyes were stars. "That's the coolest line EVER! When I'm a hero, I'm gonna say that too!"
Baby Hana's eyes were wide. Not understanding. Just reacting to the noise and bright colors.
But Kaito didn't care.
"Wait! WAIT!" He ran back to his room. Crash sounds started to emerge. Then, the sound of drawers opening. "Don't go anywhere!"
She's a baby. Where would she go?
He emerged wearing—oh god.
All Might pajamas. Red, white, and blue. With a cape. And the signature hair tufts sewn onto the hood.
"Check it OUT!" He struck a pose. Arms out and one foot forward.
Hana gurgled.
"Not yet! I gotta do it right!" He climbed onto the couch. Stood on the cushions. His mother would've had a heart attack.
He spread his arms wide.
Puffed out his chest.
Put on the most serious face a six-year-old could manage.
"I! AM! HERE!"
And immediately—
His pajama pants, not tied properly, slid down to his ankles.
Standing there in his All Might underwear. Arms still spread wide. Face still serious.
For three full seconds, he didn't move. Didn't realize.
Then he looked down.
His face went red. Tomato red.
"NO! WAIT! THAT WASN'T—" He scrambled to pull them up. Lost his balance. Fell off the couch. Landed on the floor in a heap.
Hana, somehow, made a sound that might've been a laugh.
Young Kaito lay there, pants around his ankles, cape tangled over his face.
Then—
He started laughing.
Not embarrassed giggles. Full belly laughs. The kind that make you can't breathe.
"I—I can't even—" He gasped between laughs. "I forgot to tie them! I was trying to be cool and—"
More laughter.
He pulled the cape off his face. Looked at Hana, who was definitely smiling now.
"Don't tell Mama, okay? She'll laugh at me forever!"
He could laugh at himself. Even at six. Even when trying to be cool.
I've been taking myself too seriously. Treating everything like life and death.
When sometimes you just gotta laugh when your pants fall down.
The memory started fading. Colors washing out.
But I could still hear it. Young Kaito's laughter. Baby Hana's happy sounds.
And that promise.
"I'll protect you. Always. That's what big brothers do."
The void returned.
I floated there, processing.
That's when she came into his life. When he became a big brother.
He loved her immediately. Without question. Without hesitation.
Showed her his heroes. Shared his dreams. Made promises he meant with his whole heart.
And I—
My non-existent chest felt heavy.
I let her get taken. Despite knowing the story. Despite having power that could level cities.
I was too busy being paranoid. Too focused on myself.
That six-year-old was braver than I've been in three months.
The void shifted again. Another memory forming in the distance.
How many more? How much more of his life would I witness?
How many more ways would I realize I'd failed to live up to the person whose body I stole?
But maybe—
Maybe that was the point.
To stop comparing. To stop hiding behind excuses.
To actually become the person Hana deserved.
The light grew brighter and I steeled myself.
TO BE CONTINUED...