??? POV
Tokyo Central Graveyard
Standing on a hill overlooking most of the other graves, a single grave stood out, built and maintained in pristine condition. Usually, only two people regularly visited it. But today, a new figure had come to pay his respects to the long-deceased man and father.
A green-haired woman was already at the grave when he arrived. She didn't notice him at first, focused on her prayer. When he cleared his throat behind her, she snapped her head to the side and apologized immediately.
With a raspy voice, the man answered, "Don't mind me. I'm just here to pay my respects, same as you," his hands raised defensively. The woman got a good look at them, halfway stitched together with synthetic skin. And now that she really looked, she saw more patches of synthetic skin across his face and neck, along with piercings in his ears and nose. Even more interesting was the small white snake with blue eyes lightly coiled around his neck.
"It's just... I wasn't aware anyone besides me and my son visited his grave," she said, fidgeting with her hands. She watched him take out a bouquet of black roses and kneel down to place them on the grave. "I'm sorry if I'm being too intrusive, but... are you maybe part of his family?"
The man chuckled. "Maybe not by blood, but he was the closest thing to a real father figure I ever got. Even if it was only for one adventure." He pulled out a lighter that the woman recognized instantly.
"So he gave his old lighter to you?" she asked, eyeing the ornate design. It was black, engraved with the initials H & M, which flashed blue when he flicked the blue flame to life. He smiled, then set the roses on fire, watching them burn to ash atop the grave.
"Wherever we went, he always burned a rose to leave his mark. So from time to time, I return the favor," the man said as he stood back up.
"I thought that lighter only worked with his Quirk," the woman said.
"It does. But my Quirk works with it too," he answered honestly, chuckling as he slid the lighter back into his coat pocket.
"Well, Mr... oh, I never got your name," she realized, covering her mouth in embarrassment.
"You can just call me Ember. It's a nickname he gave me," he replied with a dismissive wave.
"Then it's been lovely meeting you, Mr. Ember. I hope we can meet again someday and maybe exchange our stories," she said.
"I'd love to, Inko. But that may have to wait. I'm probably going to be pretty busy in the near future," Ember responded with a chuckle before waving her off.
As she was walking back to the entrance, a thought crossed her mind ' Strange, I don't recall telling him my name'
He decided to stay a bit longer. Eventually after about five minutes alone , he caught a peculiar cherry-blossom scent drifting through the air. Turning his head, he found a figure leaning against a tree.
"You got something good to show me?"
The man under the tree simply tossed him a folder labeled:
THE LEAGUE OF VILLAINS