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The divorce between Aki's parents had been rough, remnants of the last time the two spoke to each other lingering in the air in the courtroom as judgement was passed. Aki was too young to really understand what was going on or understand why her father was so desperate to gain custody of her. She found out all too quickly later that evening at her new home, not too long after her mother returned from a long day of moving boxes and items. She placed a set of boxes into Aki's temporary room, telling her to come out to the living room. Aki had started to go through her boxes, quickly finding the one that held her favourite doll. She pulled out the well loved doll of Midnight, the 18+ Only Hero. She gave it a large hug, feeling her worries melt away as she stood up and slowly walked towards the living room, her hand dragging against the wall to get her bearings. They had only just moved there and Aki was still trying to get used to it all. She whimpered as she smacked her toe against the wall, lingering just outside of what she could assume was the living room.

"Don't just stand there! Come here!" Her mother commanded, her voice firm as she slapped the table. Aki stood in the living room doorway in shock as she held onto her Midnight doll tightly. She didn't understand what was going on. Her mother, Otoha Touhou, had never spoken to her like that. Otoha was firm, yes, but the commanding tone was new to her. There was a large stack of papers on the coffee table as the 8 year-old Aki stood there, unsure of how to take it all in.

"It's all been arranged! Oh, darling! Isn't this exciting? I've planned out your entire life for you," Otoha said with glee, motioning for her to come over. Aki very slowly approached her mother, biting back a cry as she forcefully grabbed her by the arm and yanked her closer, holding up one of the papers.

"You should be very grateful, darling. I even got them printed up in braille for you to go over before bedtime," She smiled, the words sounding more like a command then a suggestion as she shoved the papers into her daughter's hands. "I've gotten it all under control for you. Just follow the life plan and it'll all be better~"

"Better… how?" Aki asked, running her thumb over the raised bumps on the page. " … Mommy, why doe--"

"It's Mother from now on," Otoha said firmly, an angry look in her eye. "None of this mommy or mama crap. You're going to become a lady worthy of the Touhou name. Speaking of which, I'll need to get the forms for the last name change. Just think, soon you'll be Aki Touhou! You won't have to carry around that faggot Kisaragi's last name anymore."

"Don't call Daddy that!" Aki protested, Otoha brushing it off with a scoff.

"He never amounted to anything with that music career of his and worst of all, he prefers sleeping with men?! He made an absolute fool of us!" She screeched, ripping the papers out of Aki's hands. "I left my family name behind because that pig said he was someone! He's nothing! Do you understand me?" Aki stood at her mother's side dumbfound. Why was she being so mean? Her dad never did anything wrong. He was a handsome man that loved to sing and cared for her more then anything. How could her mother say those things?

"We're not wasting anymore of our breath on him. Now, I'm setting you up with some play dates with outer members of the Touhou group, I expect you to make friends with these children. They're going to be your peers and maybe, one of them will lead to a potential marriage," Otoha said matter-of-factly. "I'd prefer to set you up with someone outside the group, but I'll have to play my cards right to catch any big fish."

She couldn't be serious… Could she?

"Mommy, I don't want to do this--" Aki spoke, being greeted with a slap across the face. Tears welled in her eyes as the sting of her cheek grew, biting her lip to avoid crying.

"How dare you speak to me that way?!" Otoha bellowed, Aki staying silent as she clung to her doll. "You will show me the respect I deserve if you know what's good for you, you little brat! Do you understand me?! WELL?!"

Aki held back a sniffle as she nodded, holding even tighter onto her doll. She was so confused and scared. She'd never seen her mother like this… Why did she suddenly change? She shook as she tried to hold back her now growing sobs, Otoha ignoring her as she went on in more detail for her plans, flipping through the papers laid out.

"You're going to be taking more intensive classes in school and you have a tutor coming to the house tomorrow to get you the help you need," She continued, pulling a carton of cigarettes out of her pocket. "I won't have my daughter go running around like some painted hussy, acting like a hero. You're going to be a proud Touhou Lady, even if I need to hold your hands every second of the way." She lit her cigarette, taking a long drag from it before waving her daughter away. "We'll talk more in the morning. Do you understand?"

"Yes, Mom--- Mother," Aki said, looking down at the floor. She left the room after a few minutes, quietly returning to her bedroom and slid the door shut. She let out a sob before she threw herself onto her bed, whimpering into the pillow as hot tears flowed down her cheeks. She didn't want this life! She wanted to go home, back to her dad in the tiny two bedroom apartment by the train station in her old town. She didn't want to be so far away from everyone. Aki cried into her pillow, trying to muffle her wails as the night progressed.

There wasn't any hero coming to save her from this.

---

"Two years of this… Why do I gotta dress like this…" Aki muttered to herself. She stood in the bathroom of a fancy hotel, staring into the mirror as she dusted off her bright pink skirt, frowning at the itchy puffed sleeves of her dress. Her mother had forced her into this sweet lolita type dress, complete with all the bows and frills before dragging her off to this hotel.

She leaned into closer to the mirror, her eyesight having gotten even worse over the past two years. She could barely see any of the details on the dress but from the feeling of the fabric against her hand, she could tell there was a floral print. She hated it. She hated that colour too. She hated how she had to get her thick hair curled and styled and how she had to wear these pinching shoes.

Aki hated the entire situation she was in. Ever since that faithful night two years ago, Aki's life had completely changed. She had become her mother's doll, in a sense. She did everything her mother told her to do, from extra credit at school to etiquette lessons. Aki had learned how to keep a smile on at all times, if even she wanted to cry. She learned how to cover her bruises and how long her mother's rage would last if she so much as stepped out of line. She found herself trying less and less to express herself and more hindered by her mother's wrath then anything. A simple task like leaving the house to buy a popsicle was so hard for her. She knew she could leave at anytime to go into the yard or get a snack, but an internal fear kept her planted. Leaving was an option but not one she could readily take.

She wouldn't dare let her mother know her true feelings about everything, nor her dream. She had only wanted to be an idol since she was small, but it wouldn't fit her mother's ideals. In fact, her mother refused to let her listen to anything that wasn't classical music, claiming that rock and roll and pop would turn Aki into a degenerate like her father.

"Darling, are you alright in there?" Otoha asked, her voice muffled by the closed door. "Do you need any help?"

"I'll be out in a moment," She replied, her voice sweet as honey as it contradicted the frown on her face. Aki stood up straight, fluffing her hair a bit as she gave the door the middle finger before she carefully walked over and unlocked the door, exiting to find her mother pacing outside.

"It's about time!" She huffed, grabbing Aki's hand. "This is a very important meeting, we can't mess this up! The Todoroki's are very busy, it's a miracle I even got though to them… "

The only Todoroki Aki knew was the Hero, Endeavour. She held back her excitement as she remembered the whole reason for this meeting. It was the same reason she had meet a lot of hero families. It was all about money. Otoha had been setting Aki up with different families in hopes of meeting with a potential suitor. While Otoha had done a great job at reclaiming her family name and status, she craved for more. Otoha had always had a taste for the high life, spending loads and loads of money on designer clothes and bags, foods and gadgets. This had been one of the many causes of divorce between her and her ex-husband,Yoshi. Otoha spent every penny the family earned on herself, not putting anything aside for Aki or Yoshi. She ignored the fact that Aki grew blinder every year, claiming:

"You come off more delicate and fragile this way. No man wants a headstrong wife!" It was the same excuse every time Aki brought up getting the surgery. Otoha wanted Aki to be docile and if denying her the ability to see was the way of doing it, so be it.

Otoha had been true to her word and was so proud of turning her daughter into the 'perfect Touhou lady', no matter the cost or toll in had on Aki. But now that Aki was ten, going on eleven, Otoha had started to furiously hunt around for a suitor for Aki. After all, as much as the Touhou name carried some dignity in for the older generation, Otoha was determined to marry off Aki into a well known and rich family. She had almost completely blown through the money her parents had left her in the two years and she was desprate to continue her fancy way of living, even if it meant selling off her daughter to the highest bidder.

Otoha had managed to meet with several rich families, including the Iidas, the Yaoyorozus, and now the Todorokis. Aki had been offered up like a prize to each of them, Otoha parading her around like she was a priceless gem, just waiting for the right person to take her in. She used a pathetic sob story of how Aki's father had blown all of their money and how poor, blind Aki was such a trooper for putting up with it all, dreaming of becoming a high class lady she could be proud of. The story very rarely won her any engagements, but it often ended up with Otoha receiving a rather large check in the mail.

"They weren't even that rich, I'll find you someone better," Otoha would say as she would leave Aki with her nanny, Ruby, spending every cent on lavish items for herself. She would return home sometimes days later with a new man draped over her arm and always with huge bags of designer clothes. Otoha lived the high life and it was paid for by her blind daughter.

Aki rarely had new clothing or toys and if for some reason she did get them, there was always strings attached. Like today, she was told if she was on her best behaviour, Otoha would buy her a doll or something. Aki didn't really listen to her, she knew whatever it was she promised her wouldn't come. As she was dragged down the hotel hallway, she knew her mother was plotting of ways to figure out how to get into the Todoroki family. She could practically hear the gears turning in her head and calculating how much money she could try to squeeze from them.

But Aki didn't want this. All she wanted was to be a kid and enjoy herself. But even that was a pipe dream.

----

"I cannot believe this! The fucking nerve of that man!" Otoha screamed, slamming the half empty bottle of wine down on the table as Aki cringed in her room, peeking through the open door as she mother yelled and cursed loudly. They had only arrived home about an hour ago before Otoha sent Aki to her room, demanding for her to change her clothes while she got herself a drink. Aki had changed into a t-shirt and shorts, clinging onto her Midnight doll as Otoha bickered to herself, the sound of shattering glass following shortly after. Aki shuddered as she heard her mother stumble about, slamming into the couch.

"The son of a bitch thinks he can talk down to me like that? The fucker has no idea who he's messing with!" Otoha muttered, chugging the wine from the bottle. "That Todoroki bastard is going to regret this."

Aki closed her door quietly, sliding down against the doorframe to the floor, hugging her doll. The meeting that day had gone terribly. Rather then meeting with Mrs. Todoroki, like Otoha had planned, they were met by Enji Todoroki himself. He belittled Otoha and called her out on her fake tales of woe, throwing out the evidence of her lies and deceit. He knew of her plan to try to marry Aki off to one of his three sons and wasn't pleased. Enji had turned to Aki at one point and asked her if this was what she wanted. Aki had foolishly told him no, praying he would somehow know that she wasn't in a safe situation, but he just scowled and continued to belittle Otoha. He denied her to chance to defend herself and told her to never contact the family again before personally kicking them out. Aki kept herself calm and composed as her mother drove them home, yelling and blaming the failure on Aki, claiming it was all her fault. She had hoped Otoha would have tired herself out by the time they arrived home, but to her dismay, she was angrier then ever. Aki hugged her doll once more as she heard her mother stomp down the hall, shoving the doll into her drawer as she scrambled up to her bed, Otoha kicking the door open.

"There you are! You were supposed to be on your best behaviour, young lady," Otoha hissed to her, her words slurring as she grabbed Aki's hand, squeezing it tightly as she dragged the girl out of her room, her scowl darker then ever. Aki held back her whine of pain, following after her mother as she threw her into the living room, grabbing the fireplace poker. Aki finched as she slammed the poker on the table, an evil smile overtaking her lips.

"Don't be scared, darling… I'll be very gentle with you," She cooed, her eyes growing wide as raised the poker, slamming it hard against Aki's shins. The small girl bit her lip, hold back the cry of pain as Otoha reeled back, getting ready to strike again. "Maybe this time, you'll learn to keep your mouth shut!"

Aki held her tongue as surges of pain flew up her legs, finally giving into the pain and wailed when the poker broke the skin, Otoha continuing her barrage of assault until she was exhausted. She dropped the poker onto the carpet, staring emptily down at the bloodily, crying mess she had made of her daughter. Aki sat on the floor, shivering and whimpering as blood pouring from the new wounds on her legs onto the carpet, bruises forming around the skin that hadn't ripped through. Otoha scoffed, grabbing a new bottle of wine from the cabinet before pausing in the doorway, glaring at Aki from over her shoulder.

"Let that be a reminder to you for disobeying," She sneered, walking out of the living room. Aki cried silently, trying her best not to be loud as she struggled to stand back up, the pain in her legs making it next to impossible to do. As the sound of footsteps rounded the corner, a fear lit in Aki's chest. Stood in the living room entryway was Ruby, her live-in nanny. Ruby sucked her teeth as she stared down at Aki, walking over to her.

"Ch, Ms. Touhou made such a mess," She muttered, grabbing Aki by the arm and yanked her off the carpet, Aki stumbling down onto the hardwood floor. "This will take forever to get clean!" Aki bit back a whimper as she stood back up, looking down at the ground as her knee buckled and shook. She quietly waited as Ruby took her by the shoulder and brought her to the kitchen, sitting down on a wooden stool as Ruby took a cloth and wiped the dried blood from her legs.

"You know, you should not make the lady angry," Ruby spoke, a foam started to form around her fingertips as a twisted smile formed on her lips, Aki squirming in on the stool as Ruby grabbed her legs, a low hissing sound emanating as she pressed her fingertips onto the wounds, Aki biting her lip to hold back her scream as the foam burned and stung. Ruby's quirk was Sanitization, she could create sanitizing foams of different strengths depending on what she needed. She could make a lower dosage for cuts and scrapes and a higher potent one for industrial cleaning. Aki knew the differences between her dosages, this one was closer to an industrial grade cleaner then it was a medical one. If it wasn't Otoha wrecking destruction on Aki's life, it was Ruby. There wasn't any end in sight, the two women coming at her for all sides.

"Ms. Touhou is a beautiful woman and you… You are so lovely when you stay quiet," Ruby smiled as she continued to clean her wounds, tears silently falling down Aki's cheeks as she worked. "You will go straight to your room, I must attended to the lady. She has had such a hard day because of you…" She slapped on bandages before standing up, pointing to Aki's room. "You are to stay there until morning. I'm sure your mother and I will have a proper punishment for a brat like you prepared then."

As Aki limped back to her room, she could hear her mother laughing in her bedroom, delightfully cheering as Ruby walked in. She could hear them chatting and laughing as she stood in the doorway of her room, a rage lighting inside her chest. She wiped away the tears from her face, a look of rage forming as she walked into her room, shutting the door and pulled a shoebox out from under her bed. She opened the lid, looking down into the box. Inside was a pile of crumpled postcards of All-Might, an MP3 player, some folded up notes and some money. She took out the first postcard, flipping it around and held it up close to her face.

The address of her father, Yoshiro Kisaragi, was printed on the back, the date of the postcard only dated from a month ago. Her father had been sending her a postcard every month for the past two years, Aki only finding them in the trash in her mother's office. She had collected them and hid them away with the pocket money she was given by Ruby, hoping to one day write a postcard back to him. His phone number was always written on the bottom of the cards, Aki having memorized it by heart.

She was going to be in for it. She could feel it in her bones. What she couldn't feel was her shins or most of her legs, but she could push through it like she always had. Otoha had been "kind" enough to spare Aki's torso and face during this "manners" lesson, and after her mother's rampage, Aki had finally had enough. If a hero wasn't coming to save her, she was going to get herself out of this situation. If running away to her father was the only way, then so be it.

She took a deep breath as she went to her dresser and quickly got changed, putting on some leggings and a comfy dress a grabbed another change of clothes. She put it on the bed and went into her closet, pulling out an old backpack and shoved the clothes inside. She put the money and MP3 player in the front pocket, shoving the note and a postcard in her pocket before putting the others in her backpack. She went to the dresser by her bed and opened the drawer, pulling out her Midnight doll. She held onto her doll tightly as she quickly finished packing her bag, throwing in a sweater and her diary. She carefully put her doll in the bag, zipped it up and put it on, patting the bag.

"Don't worry, I'll take you out when we get on the train," She said, before walking over to the bedroom door, locking it. Otoha and Ruby did have keys to her room, but she would have rather been safe then sorry. Aki shut off the lights and waited by the door, listening for anyone walking by. When the coast was clear, she found a pair of her old sneakers in the closet and slipped them on, climbing up onto her bed as she struggled to open the window. With a few weak yanks, it opened up. She climbed out of the window, closing it behind her.

With that, Aki took off to the train station, the fading light of the sun illuminating her way to a new life.

----

A new life was exactly what she had got.

Aki had arrived at the train station in the nick of time, a high school student helped her purchase a train ticket and escorted her to the platform. The high schooler waved down a conductor as the train pulled in, telling him that Aki was travelling alone. The conductor asked Aki if she had a form saying she could travel alone, as all children under the age of 13 needed one. Aki presented the folded up note to him, feeling proud of herself as he looked it over.

Otoha had filled the form out almost two years ago, but never dated it. She had the intention of letting Aki go back to Musufatu to visit her grandparents, but decided against it, throwing the form out. Aki had dug through the trash and kept the note safe since then. The conductor nodded as he handed the note back to her, escorting Aki onto the train and to her seat, where the high schooler sat across from her. Aki stared out the window, the blurred images passing by as the train pulled out of the station and towards town. She unzipped her bag and pulled out Midnight, holding onto her tightly as the train chugging along.

"Where are you heading?" Aki looked over at the high schooler, the blonde smiling at her. "You're not nervous, are you?"

"I… I kinda am," Aki replied. "I haven't seen my Daddy in a while and it's been a long time since I've been on a train by myself…"

"You'll be fine, besides, you have me here to keep you safe!" The girl laughed, pridefully flipping her hair. "I'm Yu Takeyama and I'm going to be a hero! I'm going to be so famous, just wait and see."

"You're going to be a hero?" Aki asked, her eyes lighting up. No wonder she was so nice! "Wow… What's your quirk? Do you have a name?"

"My quirk is Gigantification. I haven't decided on a name yet, but I love the idea of Mt. Lady. It has a fun ring to it, right?" Yu smiled, Aki nodding in reply. "What about you? What's your quirk?"

"Mine? … Harmonize," Aki said quietly, feeling a bit embarrassed. She hadn't been asked about her quirk in so long, it felt… weird for someone to ask. Yu looked at her questioningly, Aki taking a deep breath. She sang a nursery rhyme, her voice splitting in three to make a beautiful harmony, sheepishly stopped as Yu clapped for her with a smile on her face.

"That was so good! You'd be such a popular hero with a voice like that! Oh, you could be my sidekick, maybe even sing my theme song~?" Yu laughed, Aki giving her a faint smile.

"… Actually, I wanna be an idol," Aki spoke after a moment, Yu looking at her in surprise. "I think it would be fun."

"With a talent like that? Totally! When we both make it big, remember me, okay? I would totally want for you to sing my theme song," Yu grinned as Aki nodded, the teen pulling out her phone as she started texting away.

"Uh… Could I… borrow your phone?" Aki asked sheepishly, Yu giving her a confused look. "I told my Daddy I would call him when I got to the station," She lied, Yu shrugging as she handed over her phone. Aki looked at the phone as she stood up, walking to the quiet end of the train as she carefully dialled her dad's number, listen to the dial tone as it rang. After two rings, he picked up, Aki's heart stopping in fear.

"Hello?"

"Daddy? … Is that you?" Aki asked quietly. He sounded so… tired. She wasn't sure if it was him or not.

"… Aki? Sweetie, is that you?"

Within seconds, Aki burst into tears, trying her best to tell her father about where she was. Yoshiro calmly listened and waited for her to stop crying, telling her it would be okay. He told her he would meet her at the train station platform, Aki's stress starting to melt away as she hung up with him. She had been so nervous that he would've been mad with her, but that wasn't the case. She wiped away her tears as she walked back over to her seat, giving Yu back her phone. Yu gave her a quick grin before she went back to texting someone.

Aki watched her before taking on the MP3 player from her bag. She had found the MP3 player at a hotel ages ago and never turned it in. She had felt bad about it, as it wasn't hers, but Otoha had dragged them out of the hotel so quickly, she didn't have the chance. She put in the headphones as she turned it on, clicking on the first song to appear on the playlist. She hoped the person who it belonged to didn't have classic music. To her delight, it was an upbeat pop song. In fact, all of them where pop songs. Aki happily listened to the music as the train drove along, pulling into the station a few hours later.

Yu stood up at the train pulled into the station, Aki nervously watching her as the train came to a stop. She held out her hand, the smaller girl taking it carefully as they walked to the doors, the conductor letting them off with a goodbye. Yu looked around the platform, a new fear filling Aki's mind. What if her dad was angry she was there? What if he got mad at her like how Otoha did? What would she do? Her mind raced as they stood on the platform, Aki holding her doll tightly as people pushed past them and walked at their own pace.

Soon, a familiar messy mop of black hair emerged from the staircase, followed by the set of piercing blue eyes and a smokey voice Aki would recognize anywhere. Yoshiro stood at the top of the stairs, looking around. He wore a matching leather jacket and pants with a bright yellow shirt, his tanned skin standing out among the suits and uniforms that passed by. He caught Aki's eye, giving her a huge smile as he knelt down, holding his arms out to her. Aki felt the tears wheal up as she let go of Yu's hand, dashing over to Yoshiro.

"Daddy!" Aki burst into tears as she ran into her father's outstretched arms, letting out a loud sob as he swooped her up, kissing her forehead and hugged his little girl tightly. She let out a wail as he held her close, nodding his thanks to Yu as he pulled a lollipop from his pocket, giving it to her.

"Settle down, baby," He chuckled, the smell of cigarette smoke fresh on his breath as Aki took the lollipop, sniffling as he walked over to Yu. "Thank you for keeping an eye on her. I hope we didn't cause you any trouble."

"She was good, glad she found you so fast," Yu grinned, ruffling Aki's hair. "I'll see you around. Remember our deal?"

"I'm going to sing your theme song!" Aki nodded, trying to wipe away her tears, the teen laughing in reply.

"That's right, you are! I'll see you around!" With that, Yu turned away and disappeared into the crowd. Yoshiro held onto Aki tightly as he walked down the stairs and out of the station, Aki holding onto him. There was so much she needed to tell him, but she was getting to be so tired. It had been such a long day. She put the lollipop he gave her in her pocket as she tired to fight back a yawn, Yoshiro jogging down the street as they left the train station. Her eyelids grew heavy as she rested her head on his shoulder, sleep slowly taking over her. When Aki awoke the following morning, everything had changed.

Thankfully, it was for the better.

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The divorce between Aki's parents had been rough, remnants of the last time the two spoke to each other lingering in the air in the courtroom as judgement was passed. Aki was too young to really understand what was going on or understand why her father was so desperate to gain custody of her. She found out all too quickly later that evening at her new home, not too long after her mother returned from a long day of moving boxes and items. She placed a set of boxes into Aki's temporary room, telling her to come out to the living room. Aki had started to go through her boxes, quickly finding the one that held her favourite doll. She pulled out the well loved doll of Midnight, the 18+ Only Hero. She gave it a large hug, feeling her worries melt away as she stood up and slowly walked towards the living room, her hand dragging against the wall to get her bearings. They had only just moved there and Aki was still trying to get used to it all. She whimpered as she smacked her toe against the wall, lingering just outside of what she could assume was the living room.

"Don't just stand there! Come here!" Her mother commanded, her voice firm as she slapped the table. Aki stood in the living room doorway in shock as she held onto her Midnight doll tightly. She didn't understand what was going on. Her mother, Otoha Touhou, had never spoken to her like that. Otoha was firm, yes, but the commanding tone was new to her. There was a large stack of papers on the coffee table as the 8 year-old Aki stood there, unsure of how to take it all in.

"It's all been arranged! Oh, darling! Isn't this exciting? I've planned out your entire life for you," Otoha said with glee, motioning for her to come over. Aki very slowly approached her mother, biting back a cry as she forcefully grabbed her by the arm and yanked her closer, holding up one of the papers.

"You should be very grateful, darling. I even got them printed up in braille for you to go over before bedtime," She smiled, the words sounding more like a command then a suggestion as she shoved the papers into her daughter's hands. "I've gotten it all under control for you. Just follow the life plan and it'll all be better~"

"Better… how?" Aki asked, running her thumb over the raised bumps on the page. " … Mommy, why doe--"

"It's Mother from now on," Otoha said firmly, an angry look in her eye. "None of this mommy or mama crap. You're going to become a lady worthy of the Touhou name. Speaking of which, I'll need to get the forms for the last name change. Just think, soon you'll be Aki Touhou! You won't have to carry around that faggot Kisaragi's last name anymore."

"Don't call Daddy that!" Aki protested, Otoha brushing it off with a scoff.

"He never amounted to anything with that music career of his and worst of all, he prefers sleeping with men?! He made an absolute fool of us!" She screeched, ripping the papers out of Aki's hands. "I left my family name behind because that pig said he was someone! He's nothing! Do you understand me?" Aki stood at her mother's side dumbfound. Why was she being so mean? Her dad never did anything wrong. He was a handsome man that loved to sing and cared for her more then anything. How could her mother say those things?

"We're not wasting anymore of our breath on him. Now, I'm setting you up with some play dates with outer members of the Touhou group, I expect you to make friends with these children. They're going to be your peers and maybe, one of them will lead to a potential marriage," Otoha said matter-of-factly. "I'd prefer to set you up with someone outside the group, but I'll have to play my cards right to catch any big fish."

She couldn't be serious… Could she?

"Mommy, I don't want to do this--" Aki spoke, being greeted with a slap across the face. Tears welled in her eyes as the sting of her cheek grew, biting her lip to avoid crying.

"How dare you speak to me that way?!" Otoha bellowed, Aki staying silent as she clung to her doll. "You will show me the respect I deserve if you know what's good for you, you little brat! Do you understand me?! WELL?!"

Aki held back a sniffle as she nodded, holding even tighter onto her doll. She was so confused and scared. She'd never seen her mother like this… Why did she suddenly change? She shook as she tried to hold back her now growing sobs, Otoha ignoring her as she went on in more detail for her plans, flipping through the papers laid out.

"You're going to be taking more intensive classes in school and you have a tutor coming to the house tomorrow to get you the help you need," She continued, pulling a carton of cigarettes out of her pocket. "I won't have my daughter go running around like some painted hussy, acting like a hero. You're going to be a proud Touhou Lady, even if I need to hold your hands every second of the way." She lit her cigarette, taking a long drag from it before waving her daughter away. "We'll talk more in the morning. Do you understand?"

"Yes, Mom--- Mother," Aki said, looking down at the floor. She left the room after a few minutes, quietly returning to her bedroom and slid the door shut. She let out a sob before she threw herself onto her bed, whimpering into the pillow as hot tears flowed down her cheeks. She didn't want this life! She wanted to go home, back to her dad in the tiny two bedroom apartment by the train station in her old town. She didn't want to be so far away from everyone. Aki cried into her pillow, trying to muffle her wails as the night progressed.

There wasn't any hero coming to save her from this.

---

"Two years of this… Why do I gotta dress like this…" Aki muttered to herself. She stood in the bathroom of a fancy hotel, staring into the mirror as she dusted off her bright pink skirt, frowning at the itchy puffed sleeves of her dress. Her mother had forced her into this sweet lolita type dress, complete with all the bows and frills before dragging her off to this hotel.

She leaned into closer to the mirror, her eyesight having gotten even worse over the past two years. She could barely see any of the details on the dress but from the feeling of the fabric against her hand, she could tell there was a floral print. She hated it. She hated that colour too. She hated how she had to get her thick hair curled and styled and how she had to wear these pinching shoes.

Aki hated the entire situation she was in. Ever since that faithful night two years ago, Aki's life had completely changed. She had become her mother's doll, in a sense. She did everything her mother told her to do, from extra credit at school to etiquette lessons. Aki had learned how to keep a smile on at all times, if even she wanted to cry. She learned how to cover her bruises and how long her mother's rage would last if she so much as stepped out of line. She found herself trying less and less to express herself and more hindered by her mother's wrath then anything. A simple task like leaving the house to buy a popsicle was so hard for her. She knew she could leave at anytime to go into the yard or get a snack, but an internal fear kept her planted. Leaving was an option but not one she could readily take.

She wouldn't dare let her mother know her true feelings about everything, nor her dream. She had only wanted to be an idol since she was small, but it wouldn't fit her mother's ideals. In fact, her mother refused to let her listen to anything that wasn't classical music, claiming that rock and roll and pop would turn Aki into a degenerate like her father.

"Darling, are you alright in there?" Otoha asked, her voice muffled by the closed door. "Do you need any help?"

"I'll be out in a moment," She replied, her voice sweet as honey as it contradicted the frown on her face. Aki stood up straight, fluffing her hair a bit as she gave the door the middle finger before she carefully walked over and unlocked the door, exiting to find her mother pacing outside.

"It's about time!" She huffed, grabbing Aki's hand. "This is a very important meeting, we can't mess this up! The Todoroki's are very busy, it's a miracle I even got though to them… "

The only Todoroki Aki knew was the Hero, Endeavour. She held back her excitement as she remembered the whole reason for this meeting. It was the same reason she had meet a lot of hero families. It was all about money. Otoha had been setting Aki up with different families in hopes of meeting with a potential suitor. While Otoha had done a great job at reclaiming her family name and status, she craved for more. Otoha had always had a taste for the high life, spending loads and loads of money on designer clothes and bags, foods and gadgets. This had been one of the many causes of divorce between her and her ex-husband,Yoshi. Otoha spent every penny the family earned on herself, not putting anything aside for Aki or Yoshi. She ignored the fact that Aki grew blinder every year, claiming:

"You come off more delicate and fragile this way. No man wants a headstrong wife!" It was the same excuse every time Aki brought up getting the surgery. Otoha wanted Aki to be docile and if denying her the ability to see was the way of doing it, so be it.

Otoha had been true to her word and was so proud of turning her daughter into the 'perfect Touhou lady', no matter the cost or toll in had on Aki. But now that Aki was ten, going on eleven, Otoha had started to furiously hunt around for a suitor for Aki. After all, as much as the Touhou name carried some dignity in for the older generation, Otoha was determined to marry off Aki into a well known and rich family. She had almost completely blown through the money her parents had left her in the two years and she was desprate to continue her fancy way of living, even if it meant selling off her daughter to the highest bidder.

Otoha had managed to meet with several rich families, including the Iidas, the Yaoyorozus, and now the Todorokis. Aki had been offered up like a prize to each of them, Otoha parading her around like she was a priceless gem, just waiting for the right person to take her in. She used a pathetic sob story of how Aki's father had blown all of their money and how poor, blind Aki was such a trooper for putting up with it all, dreaming of becoming a high class lady she could be proud of. The story very rarely won her any engagements, but it often ended up with Otoha receiving a rather large check in the mail.

"They weren't even that rich, I'll find you someone better," Otoha would say as she would leave Aki with her nanny, Ruby, spending every cent on lavish items for herself. She would return home sometimes days later with a new man draped over her arm and always with huge bags of designer clothes. Otoha lived the high life and it was paid for by her blind daughter.

Aki rarely had new clothing or toys and if for some reason she did get them, there was always strings attached. Like today, she was told if she was on her best behaviour, Otoha would buy her a doll or something. Aki didn't really listen to her, she knew whatever it was she promised her wouldn't come. As she was dragged down the hotel hallway, she knew her mother was plotting of ways to figure out how to get into the Todoroki family. She could practically hear the gears turning in her head and calculating how much money she could try to squeeze from them.

But Aki didn't want this. All she wanted was to be a kid and enjoy herself. But even that was a pipe dream.

----

"I cannot believe this! The fucking nerve of that man!" Otoha screamed, slamming the half empty bottle of wine down on the table as Aki cringed in her room, peeking through the open door as she mother yelled and cursed loudly. They had only arrived home about an hour ago before Otoha sent Aki to her room, demanding for her to change her clothes while she got herself a drink. Aki had changed into a t-shirt and shorts, clinging onto her Midnight doll as Otoha bickered to herself, the sound of shattering glass following shortly after. Aki shuddered as she heard her mother stumble about, slamming into the couch.

"The son of a bitch thinks he can talk down to me like that? The fucker has no idea who he's messing with!" Otoha muttered, chugging the wine from the bottle. "That Todoroki bastard is going to regret this."

Aki closed her door quietly, sliding down against the doorframe to the floor, hugging her doll. The meeting that day had gone terribly. Rather then meeting with Mrs. Todoroki, like Otoha had planned, they were met by Enji Todoroki himself. He belittled Otoha and called her out on her fake tales of woe, throwing out the evidence of her lies and deceit. He knew of her plan to try to marry Aki off to one of his three sons and wasn't pleased. Enji had turned to Aki at one point and asked her if this was what she wanted. Aki had foolishly told him no, praying he would somehow know that she wasn't in a safe situation, but he just scowled and continued to belittle Otoha. He denied her to chance to defend herself and told her to never contact the family again before personally kicking them out. Aki kept herself calm and composed as her mother drove them home, yelling and blaming the failure on Aki, claiming it was all her fault. She had hoped Otoha would have tired herself out by the time they arrived home, but to her dismay, she was angrier then ever. Aki hugged her doll once more as she heard her mother stomp down the hall, shoving the doll into her drawer as she scrambled up to her bed, Otoha kicking the door open.

"There you are! You were supposed to be on your best behaviour, young lady," Otoha hissed to her, her words slurring as she grabbed Aki's hand, squeezing it tightly as she dragged the girl out of her room, her scowl darker then ever. Aki held back her whine of pain, following after her mother as she threw her into the living room, grabbing the fireplace poker. Aki finched as she slammed the poker on the table, an evil smile overtaking her lips.

"Don't be scared, darling… I'll be very gentle with you," She cooed, her eyes growing wide as raised the poker, slamming it hard against Aki's shins. The small girl bit her lip, hold back the cry of pain as Otoha reeled back, getting ready to strike again. "Maybe this time, you'll learn to keep your mouth shut!"

Aki held her tongue as surges of pain flew up her legs, finally giving into the pain and wailed when the poker broke the skin, Otoha continuing her barrage of assault until she was exhausted. She dropped the poker onto the carpet, staring emptily down at the bloodily, crying mess she had made of her daughter. Aki sat on the floor, shivering and whimpering as blood pouring from the new wounds on her legs onto the carpet, bruises forming around the skin that hadn't ripped through. Otoha scoffed, grabbing a new bottle of wine from the cabinet before pausing in the doorway, glaring at Aki from over her shoulder.

"Let that be a reminder to you for disobeying," She sneered, walking out of the living room. Aki cried silently, trying her best not to be loud as she struggled to stand back up, the pain in her legs making it next to impossible to do. As the sound of footsteps rounded the corner, a fear lit in Aki's chest. Stood in the living room entryway was Ruby, her live-in nanny. Ruby sucked her teeth as she stared down at Aki, walking over to her.

"Ch, Ms. Touhou made such a mess," She muttered, grabbing Aki by the arm and yanked her off the carpet, Aki stumbling down onto the hardwood floor. "This will take forever to get clean!" Aki bit back a whimper as she stood back up, looking down at the ground as her knee buckled and shook. She quietly waited as Ruby took her by the shoulder and brought her to the kitchen, sitting down on a wooden stool as Ruby took a cloth and wiped the dried blood from her legs.

"You know, you should not make the lady angry," Ruby spoke, a foam started to form around her fingertips as a twisted smile formed on her lips, Aki squirming in on the stool as Ruby grabbed her legs, a low hissing sound emanating as she pressed her fingertips onto the wounds, Aki biting her lip to hold back her scream as the foam burned and stung. Ruby's quirk was Sanitization, she could create sanitizing foams of different strengths depending on what she needed. She could make a lower dosage for cuts and scrapes and a higher potent one for industrial cleaning. Aki knew the differences between her dosages, this one was closer to an industrial grade cleaner then it was a medical one. If it wasn't Otoha wrecking destruction on Aki's life, it was Ruby. There wasn't any end in sight, the two women coming at her for all sides.

"Ms. Touhou is a beautiful woman and you… You are so lovely when you stay quiet," Ruby smiled as she continued to clean her wounds, tears silently falling down Aki's cheeks as she worked. "You will go straight to your room, I must attended to the lady. She has had such a hard day because of you…" She slapped on bandages before standing up, pointing to Aki's room. "You are to stay there until morning. I'm sure your mother and I will have a proper punishment for a brat like you prepared then."

As Aki limped back to her room, she could hear her mother laughing in her bedroom, delightfully cheering as Ruby walked in. She could hear them chatting and laughing as she stood in the doorway of her room, a rage lighting inside her chest. She wiped away the tears from her face, a look of rage forming as she walked into her room, shutting the door and pulled a shoebox out from under her bed. She opened the lid, looking down into the box. Inside was a pile of crumpled postcards of All-Might, an MP3 player, some folded up notes and some money. She took out the first postcard, flipping it around and held it up close to her face.

The address of her father, Yoshiro Kisaragi, was printed on the back, the date of the postcard only dated from a month ago. Her father had been sending her a postcard every month for the past two years, Aki only finding them in the trash in her mother's office. She had collected them and hid them away with the pocket money she was given by Ruby, hoping to one day write a postcard back to him. His phone number was always written on the bottom of the cards, Aki having memorized it by heart.

She was going to be in for it. She could feel it in her bones. What she couldn't feel was her shins or most of her legs, but she could push through it like she always had. Otoha had been "kind" enough to spare Aki's torso and face during this "manners" lesson, and after her mother's rampage, Aki had finally had enough. If a hero wasn't coming to save her, she was going to get herself out of this situation. If running away to her father was the only way, then so be it.

She took a deep breath as she went to her dresser and quickly got changed, putting on some leggings and a comfy dress a grabbed another change of clothes. She put it on the bed and went into her closet, pulling out an old backpack and shoved the clothes inside. She put the money and MP3 player in the front pocket, shoving the note and a postcard in her pocket before putting the others in her backpack. She went to the dresser by her bed and opened the drawer, pulling out her Midnight doll. She held onto her doll tightly as she quickly finished packing her bag, throwing in a sweater and her diary. She carefully put her doll in the bag, zipped it up and put it on, patting the bag.

"Don't worry, I'll take you out when we get on the train," She said, before walking over to the bedroom door, locking it. Otoha and Ruby did have keys to her room, but she would have rather been safe then sorry. Aki shut off the lights and waited by the door, listening for anyone walking by. When the coast was clear, she found a pair of her old sneakers in the closet and slipped them on, climbing up onto her bed as she struggled to open the window. With a few weak yanks, it opened up. She climbed out of the window, closing it behind her.

With that, Aki took off to the train station, the fading light of the sun illuminating her way to a new life.

----

A new life was exactly what she had got.

Aki had arrived at the train station in the nick of time, a high school student helped her purchase a train ticket and escorted her to the platform. The high schooler waved down a conductor as the train pulled in, telling him that Aki was travelling alone. The conductor asked Aki if she had a form saying she could travel alone, as all children under the age of 13 needed one. Aki presented the folded up note to him, feeling proud of herself as he looked it over.

Otoha had filled the form out almost two years ago, but never dated it. She had the intention of letting Aki go back to Musufatu to visit her grandparents, but decided against it, throwing the form out. Aki had dug through the trash and kept the note safe since then. The conductor nodded as he handed the note back to her, escorting Aki onto the train and to her seat, where the high schooler sat across from her. Aki stared out the window, the blurred images passing by as the train pulled out of the station and towards town. She unzipped her bag and pulled out Midnight, holding onto her tightly as the train chugging along.

"Where are you heading?" Aki looked over at the high schooler, the blonde smiling at her. "You're not nervous, are you?"

"I… I kinda am," Aki replied. "I haven't seen my Daddy in a while and it's been a long time since I've been on a train by myself…"

"You'll be fine, besides, you have me here to keep you safe!" The girl laughed, pridefully flipping her hair. "I'm Yu Takeyama and I'm going to be a hero! I'm going to be so famous, just wait and see."

"You're going to be a hero?" Aki asked, her eyes lighting up. No wonder she was so nice! "Wow… What's your quirk? Do you have a name?"

"My quirk is Gigantification. I haven't decided on a name yet, but I love the idea of Mt. Lady. It has a fun ring to it, right?" Yu smiled, Aki nodding in reply. "What about you? What's your quirk?"

"Mine? … Harmonize," Aki said quietly, feeling a bit embarrassed. She hadn't been asked about her quirk in so long, it felt… weird for someone to ask. Yu looked at her questioningly, Aki taking a deep breath. She sang a nursery rhyme, her voice splitting in three to make a beautiful harmony, sheepishly stopped as Yu clapped for her with a smile on her face.

"That was so good! You'd be such a popular hero with a voice like that! Oh, you could be my sidekick, maybe even sing my theme song~?" Yu laughed, Aki giving her a faint smile.

"… Actually, I wanna be an idol," Aki spoke after a moment, Yu looking at her in surprise. "I think it would be fun."

"With a talent like that? Totally! When we both make it big, remember me, okay? I would totally want for you to sing my theme song," Yu grinned as Aki nodded, the teen pulling out her phone as she started texting away.

"Uh… Could I… borrow your phone?" Aki asked sheepishly, Yu giving her a confused look. "I told my Daddy I would call him when I got to the station," She lied, Yu shrugging as she handed over her phone. Aki looked at the phone as she stood up, walking to the quiet end of the train as she carefully dialled her dad's number, listen to the dial tone as it rang. After two rings, he picked up, Aki's heart stopping in fear.

"Hello?"

"Daddy? … Is that you?" Aki asked quietly. He sounded so… tired. She wasn't sure if it was him or not.

"… Aki? Sweetie, is that you?"

Within seconds, Aki burst into tears, trying her best to tell her father about where she was. Yoshiro calmly listened and waited for her to stop crying, telling her it would be okay. He told her he would meet her at the train station platform, Aki's stress starting to melt away as she hung up with him. She had been so nervous that he would've been mad with her, but that wasn't the case. She wiped away her tears as she walked back over to her seat, giving Yu back her phone. Yu gave her a quick grin before she went back to texting someone.

Aki watched her before taking on the MP3 player from her bag. She had found the MP3 player at a hotel ages ago and never turned it in. She had felt bad about it, as it wasn't hers, but Otoha had dragged them out of the hotel so quickly, she didn't have the chance. She put in the headphones as she turned it on, clicking on the first song to appear on the playlist. She hoped the person who it belonged to didn't have classic music. To her delight, it was an upbeat pop song. In fact, all of them where pop songs. Aki happily listened to the music as the train drove along, pulling into the station a few hours later.

Yu stood up at the train pulled into the station, Aki nervously watching her as the train came to a stop. She held out her hand, the smaller girl taking it carefully as they walked to the doors, the conductor letting them off with a goodbye. Yu looked around the platform, a new fear filling Aki's mind. What if her dad was angry she was there? What if he got mad at her like how Otoha did? What would she do? Her mind raced as they stood on the platform, Aki holding her doll tightly as people pushed past them and walked at their own pace.

Soon, a familiar messy mop of black hair emerged from the staircase, followed by the set of piercing blue eyes and a smokey voice Aki would recognize anywhere. Yoshiro stood at the top of the stairs, looking around. He wore a matching leather jacket and pants with a bright yellow shirt, his tanned skin standing out among the suits and uniforms that passed by. He caught Aki's eye, giving her a huge smile as he knelt down, holding his arms out to her. Aki felt the tears wheal up as she let go of Yu's hand, dashing over to Yoshiro.

"Daddy!" Aki burst into tears as she ran into her father's outstretched arms, letting out a loud sob as he swooped her up, kissing her forehead and hugged his little girl tightly. She let out a wail as he held her close, nodding his thanks to Yu as he pulled a lollipop from his pocket, giving it to her.

"Settle down, baby," He chuckled, the smell of cigarette smoke fresh on his breath as Aki took the lollipop, sniffling as he walked over to Yu. "Thank you for keeping an eye on her. I hope we didn't cause you any trouble."

"She was good, glad she found you so fast," Yu grinned, ruffling Aki's hair. "I'll see you around. Remember our deal?"

"I'm going to sing your theme song!" Aki nodded, trying to wipe away her tears, the teen laughing in reply.

"That's right, you are! I'll see you around!" With that, Yu turned away and disappeared into the crowd. Yoshiro held onto Aki tightly as he walked down the stairs and out of the station, Aki holding onto him. There was so much she needed to tell him, but she was getting to be so tired. It had been such a long day. She put the lollipop he gave her in her pocket as she tired to fight back a yawn, Yoshiro jogging down the street as they left the train station. Her eyelids grew heavy as she rested her head on his shoulder, sleep slowly taking over her. When Aki awoke the following morning, everything had changed.

Thankfully, it was for the better.