Whispers of the South Wind

Chapter 15

"Nugget!" A voice suddenly cried out, causing him to scowl as he pressed his back further against the rough wood of the barn. His palms burned, forcing him to pull them away from the wall before he managed to set the entire barn ablaze as he watched Keigo through narrowed eyes. It wasn't hard to hear the devastation in the other man's voice as he ran towards the dead chicken, but it was honestly pathetic. Who the hell goes through the trouble of naming a chicken? It was just a bird for God's sake, food at best, so why the hell was he acting as if he'd killed his favorite dog?

He warned the fucker to stay away, but apparently cracking his head off the window of his truck wasn't enough to get the message across. He should've finished the fucking job Dabi started in Japan and set him on fire when he had the chance. The drugs really must've damaged his fucking damn brain, because, despite his warning, he continued to hang around with Anthony anyway. This meant he was obviously still seeing her because It wasn't like Anthony did much without her nearby. Seeing them together today has just confirmed what he'd already known to be the truth.

He heard footsteps walking across the barn floor and he steeled himself, gently easing himself to the side to get a better view of what was happening, finding the perfect spot to keep concealed but still providing a decent view of the scene in front of him.

He rolled his eyes, watching as he cradled the damn thing in his arms like a baby, the blood soaking into the fabric of his shirt. Asher's gaze flickered over to Y/N, unable to stop the smug smile from his face as she watched Keigo with wide eyes.

Finally, she could see who he truly was, weak, pathetic, and someone she had absolutely no business interacting with, especially considering his role in the goddamn war. He'd recognized him in the market that day easily, the markings around his eyes a dead giveaway. He'd spent the next few days googling everything he could find, reading the articles about how he'd become an addict after losing his quirk, how he'd almost died in a damn alleyway and that nobody in Japan really knew where he'd ended up. He'd apparently cut all ties, fleeing after leaving rehab, never to be seen again.

Well he'd finally managed to find out where Japan's infamous rogue hero had disappeared to.

What were the fucking chances?

And for him to end up interested in her, of all fucking people. It was beyond infuriating. But at least he'd now shown her the truth about who he is and now he could go back to his habit and she could walk away and finally be with a real man. Someone who would actually fucking protect her, heal her heart the way she deserved.

He'd known her since she was eighteen and he was twenty-two, when he was just the assistant manager of the market stand. She was fucking beautiful even back then, capturing his attention almost immediately, but sadly, she was already taken.

He liked Luke enough, respected him and kept his distance as their little trio navigated their lives together. Anthony and Y/N came to work for him at the market and Luke went off to basic, putting a damn ring on her finger before he did. In the end, he had very quickly accepted his loss. Her and Luke were happy, that was all that really mattered.

He even gladly attended their wedding almost four years later, observing them dance and laugh, blissfully unaware that not even two months later Luke would be deployed and would never come home. He would be lost in a conflict that had nothing to do with them, a war that could have been fucking prevented if Japan had managed to get its shit together sooner.

God, it was a nightmare. He would never forget walking out of his office that day, the market eerily silent except for the sound of whatever dumb song was playing on the radio. Two uniformed men stood in front of the counter, Anthony and Y/N staring back at them, eyes wide. His own eyes quickly landed on the folded flag in their hands, his heart stopping in his chest as he finally put it together.