59 Chapter 59: Seeing The Light

Kiba was once again. Sitting in her room, watching T.V.

At this point, she wasn't even really watching, just staring blankly at the screen.

"ROARRRRR!"

Suddenly Kiba heard the familiar sound of Kai screaming roar and felt her room slightly shake a bit.

Kiba saw something outside her window, from the corner of her eye, and she quickly ran over to look at it.

Outside was a fantastic battle between Kai, Ochaco, Junken, and Nara.

Junken was in his Stinkfly form, shooting gunk into Kai's eyes, while Nara froze his feet to the ground as Articguana, and Ochaco kept hitting him with a big tree that she had grabbed.

But Kai was just powering through everything, thrashing about, trying to hit his opponents with his heads and feet.

It didn't take long for her to remember her own battles with Kai, and imagine herself fighting alongside them. Or even better! Maybe she could be fighting alongside Kai against his attackers! Leading him in battle!

Kiba shut her eyes and shook her head, trying(and failing) to get that thought out of her head. No. I'd probably fall and crash through the house. I might even hurt someone.

As quickly as the battle came, it left. With Kai flying away, somewhere out of sight, with Ken picking up Ochaco and Nara and flying after him.

Once they were all gone, Kiba balled up her fist and held in a scream of frustration.

She quickly ran over to her bed and screamed into her pillow.

No matter how much she tried, she couldn't quell the feeling of wanting to go outside and join them! It looked like so much more fun than staying stuck up in here!

I should just forget about it. Kiba told herself, as she bruised herself in her bed.

XXXXXXXXXX

Not too much longer, Kiba heard something else outside her window.

"TA-DA!" She heard another voice outside her window.

Out of curiosity, Kiba once again brought herself to the window and saw Shiruku, Eri, and Kei.

Eri was dressed in an apple red dress, that was a bit fancier than anything she would normally wear, looking more like something that would fit Kiba's attire. She was clearly embarrassed about it, as even from up there Kiba could see that Eri's face was about as Red as her dress.

Kei seemed far more ecstatic, looking down at her white, almost Toga-like dress, seeming like something fitting of her Medusa-like appearance, while also seeming fitting and pretty.

They both possessed the kind of regalness that Kiba loved in her clothes.

She couldn't hear much of what they were saying, but they did SEEM to be having fun, although Eri might have been struggling a bit, even if she looked absolutely precious.

Kiba's cheeks puffed up as she pouted. Couldn't they do this somewhere else!? Didn't they know how badly she wanted to jump down there and dress up with them! Laugh with them! Hug Eri because she is flipping adorable.

But she could tear apart the dress(which she often did), and she might accidentally do to Eri what she did to Fu on a constant basis, except Eri would actually get hurt.

Suddenly Mina came out and started talking to them. "Hey girls, let's go! We can try on even more cool clothes!"

Shiruku and Kei cheered, and Eri nodded as they all ran away.

Although, Eri lagged behind, before staring up at Kiba. With sad, begging eyes. As if asking why Kiba wasn't down there with them.

Kiba felt like she got stabbed with that look, so much so that she literally jumped back from her window, and onto the floor.

"Agghhhhhhh! Kiba wailed as she rolled around on the floor. "Not fair, not fair, not fair!"

It was all just so unfair. Why did she have to be born with such an uncontrollable quirk!? Why couldn't she ever turn it off like Ochaco could with her strength quirk? Why did she have to drink blood to use it!?

Kiba once again grabbed her pillow and screamed into it.

Hopefully, she could just ignore the world for the rest of the day.

XXXXXXXXXXX

"Alright! Let's get the meat-eating competition underway!" Kiba heard the loud voice of Mina Ashido outside her window once again.

"Meat waiting competition!? Oh, come on!" Kiba screamed, before shaking her head. "No! Nope! I'm not gonna look!"

"Our contestants are! Yami! Junken! And Kirishima!" Shouted Mina. "And our food, cooked personally by our head chef Sato! Are lots of Gyu Kushi Beef Skewers! Some Beef Tataki! Yakiniku! Loads of Hamburg! And lastly, we have oodles of steak! All perfectly cooked and freshly made!"

"Mmmmmmmmmmmm!" Kiba screamed into her pillow once more, as it was all she could do to keep herself from drooling at the sounds of some of her favorite foods, as well as new foods she really, REALLY wanted to try!

She'd just have to ask if she could have some later...very politely...and only a little!

"Alright! Begin!" Mina shouted.

Somehow, those boys managed to eat loud enough that Kiba could hear it ALL. THE WAY. FROM HER ROOM!

It would be impressive if it wasn't infuriating, as Kiba could hear just how much they enjoyed their food.

It was hell. And it was hell that continued, for almost half an hour!

"Alright! And the winner is Junken! Although he did use his quirk to turn into a giant orange dog, that wasn't against the rules so he wins!" Mina announced.

"RAGHHH!" Roared Junken as Wildmutt.

"Alright, with that done! Let's eat all of the leftover food and get outta here!" Mina shouted.

"MMMMMMGGHHHHH!" Kiba whined. Just ignore them Kiba! Don't think about all that delicious food you're not eating.

She'd just wait to be fed later at dinner time...in four hours.

XXXXXXXXXX

The forest was lighting up.

Kiba had absolutely no idea what was going on, all she saw was that there was a very bright glow in the forest of many different colors, and she couldn't see what was causing it.

And her curiosity was killing her.

Kiba bit her lip, and pried herself away from the window, and back onto her bed, hoping that not looking at it, would keep her from feeling tempted to explore what the heck was causing that.

It did...barely.

XXXXXXXXX

BOOM!

Kiba blinked in disbelief, as she heard something she couldn't believe.

KABOOM!

Fireworks. She could hear fireworks.

Immediately Kiba once again returned to her window.

And she did in fact see a firework...part of one.

BOOM!

A firework went off, and Kiba could just barely see a small part of it.

Kiba wanted to cry. In fact, she was actually tearing up from sadness and frustration.

She hated being stuck in this stupid room! It was literal hell! How the hell did Fuku manage to live like this!? She was very! Very! Tempted to just say screw it, and go outside to see the fireworks. Surely she could hold back her strength long enough to look at the fireworks!

You selfish girl! Shouted a voice in her mind that reminded her a bit too much like her mother for her comfort. Can't even stay in your room for a week you leech! After everything, he's done for you!

That stopped any feeling of temptation she had. And replaced it with sadness, guilt, and anger.

So Kiba just went away from her window, back onto her head, stuffed her face back into her pillow, and started crying.

Wondering just how many times she would have to repeat this over the course of her new life.

XXXXXXXXX

Kiba wanted to sleep so much.

It was now past midnight, and no matter how much she tried, she couldn't get a lick of sleep.

She was too busy thinking back to all the things she had missed today.

A huge fight with Kai, showing off some cool dresses, a meat-eating competition...whatever the heck that thing in the forest was, all ending off with a fireworks display at night!

That all sounded like it would have been a great day! A fantastic day!

And yet, it had actually been one of her WORST days ever since she had since she came here!

Would this be what her future had in store?

It was on that dreadful thought, that she finally fell into a dreamless sleep.

XXXXXXXX

Kiba was woken up by someone shaking her.

"Mmmm. Go away." Kiba still felt absolutely miserable, and she did not feel like getting up and facing reality.

"Absolutely not!" Said a familiar, but not too familiar voice.

Wait...Kiba was shocked when she recognized the voice and had to open her eyes to confirm what she was hearing. "Fukunoko?"

In front of her was Fuku, with her hoodie on, but the hood was down, and her face was revealed.

That was the first most shocking thing about her situation. The second was that she was outside! In the woods!

They were in a large clearing, next to a small lake, laying on the grass near the water.

"What the!? How did I get out of here!" Kiba panicked slightly once she realized she was out of her room.

"I took you here." Fuku shyly admitted, speaking just loud enough so Kiba could hear her.

"Huh! Why!?" Kiba was beyond confused. Sure she knew people weren't exactly happy about her staying in her room, but Fuku of all people!? Fuku did the exact same thing! And she was way too shy to do something like this.

And yet, here they were. Was this a dream?

Kiba pinched her cheek, confirming that she was in fact really here.

"I really can't believe you actually stayed inside the whole day!" Fuku pouted at her. "After everything we did to try and lure you out, I was sure you would leave!"

"Wait…" Kiba took in what Fuku just said with wide eyes. "You all...did that on purpose!"

Kiba's expression changed to that of pure fury!

All the pain and misery she felt today was on purpose!

"Why!?" Kiba shouted, tears of rage leaking down her face. "Why would you do that!? Just to lure me out!? You spend all your time in YOUR room! But it's bad when I do it!? Why won't you all just leave me alone! Why do you care!?

"Because I know how it feels!" Fuku shouted back, much to Kiba's shock. Fuku was also crying, but instead of running away or apologizing, she returned Kiba's furious look, with a determination in her eyes that Kiba would have never expected. "I know what it feels like to live that kind of life, and I hate it! I hate constantly being afraid to go outside and talk to people! I WANT to leave my room and have fun with my friends!"

Fuku took a moment to catch her breath after screaming out her thoughts, while Kiba was just taken back. She'd never imagined Fuku would be so suddenly...open with her. The last time she saw her face she'd ran away. And now she had her face out in the open to her, and was yelling, and expressing herself.

What was even going on here?

After catching her breath, Fuku continued speaking, a bit calmer this time. "...I've always been a big fan of your streams. At first, I just watched them because I wanted to know what was going on around the house. But...pretty soon I actually just started to like watching your videos because of...well...you. Y-You were always so brash and unafraid! Always doing new things and trying new things! And even willing to get hurt and just brush it off! It was...it felt like...like I was living through you. You always seemed so alive that it felt like I was living this amazing exciting life right alongside you. When Eri and Kei were busy, and I was stuck all alone in my room, I would watch your streams or your video's and I...I wouldn't feel alone. I was...I am a huge fan of yours! Even if...even if we haven't really met, or talked much, I know you. And I love you."

That statement smacked Kiba in the face. She was used to heaping praise upon herself, or others playing along with her act, or even Izuku's unrelenting and unending love.

But this was genuine, heartfelt praise. From someone other than Izuku.

"And I'm not the only one!" Fuku fumbled a bit, as she pulled her phone out of her pocket. "Take a look!"

Fuku held her phone up to Kiba's face. On it was a video from Kiba's channel, but it wasn't one that she made.

Instead, Fu was shown, sitting very close to the camera, and the video was titled "We need your help!"

"Hi everyone...you may have noticed, but Kiba hasn't uploaded in a while," Fu said to the camera. "Something bad happened. Dad collapsed from overwork. He's fine and he's recovering at home now, but, you've probably seen how much property damage Kiba causes, and so Kiba started blaming herself for it, she thinks she's some sort of burden or parasite. None of us can reach her alone, so we need your help to show Kiba just how much we appreciate her. Leave a comment showing your application, and we'll put the best ones in a video, to show Kiba. Please. If you're going to show your support, do it now. Otherwise, this may be the last video on this channel."

The video stopped, and immediately Fuku went onto the next video. This one is titled, appreciation for Kiba, and it started showing a slideshow of different comments.

"Kiba, as a father of five myself, I can say for certain that it was not your fault alone. The work that goes into raising children is a lot for any parent, let alone one raising that many children. And as a father myself, I can say for certain that it was worth it. Despite any difficulties he may have had with your wildness, I'm 100% sure that he was overjoyed at watching you having fun and living your life to the fullest. And as someone who just wants to watch children having fun and smiling while my own kids are leaving the nest, I beg you, please don't stop living your life."

"I don't think there is anyone else on this platform that makes videos anywhere near as lively as yours are. I'm going through a rough spot in my life right now, and having something cute and lively to comfort me is really helping me get through it. Thank you for everything you've done for me, and please don't stop being cute lady Kiba."

"How on earth can you be a parasite if you give us all so much joy?"

"These video's actually encouraged me to adopt a kid. Her name is Saiyo, and she's five, coming up on six. And that was easily the best decision of my life. She's the light of my life now, and while it may seem a bit presumptuous, I think I'm pretty important in her life too. She loves your videos, and watching them together has become a part of our weekly routine. Thank you for everything you've done for us. And please don't stop smiling."

"I don't have many friends, so watching you all hanging out and having fun, it made me feel not so lonely anymore. Please keep on making videos! I beg you!"

"My quirk gives my claw hands. I caused a LOT of problems for my parents as a kid. I get ripping up the furniture and accidentally scratching them. One time I tried wrapping up my hands. When I showed my parents, they looked horrified, and immediately scolded me. They said that they'd take all the pain in the world if it meant making sure I was happy, and that the scars they carried were proof of their love for me. I don't know Caretaker as a person all that well, but I do know that he does love you all. And no good parent would be happy if their child isn't."

"Please don't give up Kiba!"

"We love you Kiba!"

The messages went on and on, all showing Kiba heartfelt appreciation, and love.

Kiba didn't even realize when she started crying, she just couldn't look away from the video. She couldn't look away from the overwhelming support she was getting, as her heart felt like it was going to burst.

The comments eventually came to an end, as did the video.

Fuku put her phone back and looked at the now crying Kiba. "People want you to keep going. To be happy. Because you make them happy. Izuku too! Everyone at the house agreed to help because they were worried about you! Please don't do what Izuku did, and ignore everyone!"

Kiba hesitated a moment, sniffing as she spoke. "But...what about daddy? I-I don't want to cause trouble for him, but-but my quirk-"

Fuku went over and grabbed her shoulders. "It's ok. People aren't mad at you, and you can improve. I-I know...it might be hard to believe that. Because...there's this little voice in your head that's scared and keeps giving you bad advice! But you need to ignore it. Because if you listen to that voice, you will be miserable, and unhappy for the rest of your life. That way you felt today like you were missing out on life. Like everything is happening just outside your door, or your window. That's how you'll feel for the rest of your life! I know how hard it can be, but...I also know...that it's so worth it, for everyone's sake."

Kiba just looked at her, for a few moments, before her sobbing got even worse, as even more tears streamed down her eyes.

"H-huh! Wait! Did I do this wrong!?" Fuku started to doubt herself. "I'm-oaf!"

Kiba wrapped her arms around her and hugged her tightly while sobbing into her hoodie.

"Hey! Hey! Kiba! I said no one was upset, and that's true but please learn to restrain yourself a bit!" Fuku groaned out quickly. It was a good thing that Kiba had not drunk much blood that day, otherwise, this would be painful.

Kiba lightened up her hug but kept sobbing just as hard.

Fuku hesitantly wrapped her arms around Kiba and comforted her.

Eventually, Kiba stopped crying, and the two separated.

"T-Thanks." Kiba smiled at Fuku, causing Fuku to nervously smile back. "I...I was being foolish. Thank you for helping me."

"I-It wasn't just me, everyone was willing to help," Fuku told her sheepishly.

Kiba nodded. "I better give them all an extravagant thank you when tomorrow...I'm just really shocked you'd do all this. It...must have been hard."

Fuku shyly smiled. "Not...as hard as you'd think. I'm normally so worried about what's going to happen to me...but this time...I was too worried about you to think about it."

Kiba paused, and then gave Fuku a heartfelt, touched smile. "What a wonderful sister you are...I am...truly blessed."

XXXXXXXXXX

Izuku couldn't sleep.

He was so worried about Kiba. Even after all they'd done today, she still hadn't come out. And now everything rested on Fuku's shoulders.

Because what could he do? He had used up his credibility, with all the lies he told about his own health.

It's almost funny, because of his attempt to do everything himself, he now had to rely on others.

However, before Izuku could get into the self-deprecating rabbit hole, there was a knock on his bedroom door.

"Daddy? Can I come in?" Asked Kiba's voice on the other side of the door.

Izuku's eyes widened in shock, but his brain quickly caught up and responded. "Yes yes! Come in!"

Almost immediately after he said that Kiba burst through the door, and leaped onto his bed, before cuddling into his arm.

"I'm so dummmbbbbb." Kiba groaned, hiding her face in his arm. "Today sucked, and I did it all for nothing!"

Izuku paused for a moment, before taking in what she said, and realizing what had happened.

The teen dad smiled down at her and started petting the top of her head. Good job Fuku.

"It wasn't for nothing," Izuku told her. "I'm glad you were thinking of others. You just overreacted."

Kiba nodded and snuggled up closer to him. "I know...from now on, I'll train even harder to hold back my strength."

"That's the spirit," Izuku told her. "I'm just glad my little queen of eternal darkness is back to normal."

"Thanks, daddy," Fuku said.

"Aren't you going to call me caretaker again," Izuku asked her?

"I'll do it tomorrow," Kiba muttered. "I'm tired."

XXXXXXXXXX

"...Is it on?" Kiba said, as her audio came online, and she appeared on the screen.

"We're on!" Fu said from over at his computer.

It was a bright, and sunny day.

Kiba was outside, standing in front of a wooden table, with a huge array of meat dishes in front of her, and Junken a few feet away, with the same table, and the same amount of meat dishes.

And all the kids, along with class 1A and Izuku, were behind the cameras, watching the whole thing.

"Hello, my loyal minions! And rejoice!" Kiba said, immediately getting into the swing of things. "You all showed your faith in me! And I would be a terrible queen to not reward such heartfelt loyalty! I have not made one of these messages in quite some time, this of course needs to be immediately corrected! Which is what we're here to do today! For you see! Yesterday there was a meat-eating contest, which my rival Ken won."

"Naturally." Ken puffed out his chest arrogently, with a huge smirk on his face.

"But I was under a truly wicked spell, that caused me to forget who I truly was and fall into despair!" Kiba said dramatically. "Fortunately, it was thanks to all of you, as well as my siblings, and the wonderful Fukunoko-"

The camera's pointed up at Fukunoko's window, and Fuku briefly gave a thumbs up, before retreating back into her room.

"I have regained my sense of self!" Kiba shouted. "And as such, I can not allow the results of that contest to go uncontested! So! Without further ado-"

Ken brought up his watch and slammed down on it, and in a green flash, he transformed into Wildmutt.

"Let us begin!"