Later that night, after Eri is asleep, I pull out my phone and text my father.
Me: Can we talk?
I wait, my heart pounding in my chest. A few minutes later, my phone vibrates.
Dad: Meet me on top of the Sakura Building in an hour.
I sigh, getting dressed. I don't know what to expect, but I know this conversation is long overdue.
When I arrive at the Sakura Building, the city sprawls beneath me, a glittering tapestry of lights and shadows. All For One, or Hizashi, is already there, standing at the edge of the rooftop, his white hair swaying in the breeze.
"Tomura," he says, his voice soft.
"Dad," I reply, keeping my distance.
We stand in silence for a moment, the weight of the past hanging heavy between us.
"I know you've been avoiding me," he says, breaking the silence. "I can't say I blame you."
"Why did you save me?" I blurt out, the question burning in my throat. "Those thugs… why?"
He turns to face me, his red eyes filled with a sadness I've never seen before. "Because you're my son, Tomura. I may have made mistakes, terrible ones, but I never stopped caring about you."
"Caring?" I scoff, a bitter laugh escaping my lips. "Is that why you manipulated me, turned me into a weapon?"
"I was lost, Tomura," he says, his voice pleading. "Consumed by hatred and a desire for power." He sighs, looking out at the city. "I wanted to start again and be better after my death...and I tried to be. But I failed you. For that, I am truly sorry."
I stare at him, trying to reconcile the man standing before me with the monster I remember. "It doesn't change what you did," I say, my voice cold.
"I know," he replies, his head bowed. "I don't expect forgiveness. But I hope, one day, you can understand."
We talk for hours, rehashing old wounds, confronting uncomfortable truths. He tells me about his own struggles, his own regrets. He tells me about Izuku, about how proud he is of him. "He doesn't know about… us," he says, his voice laced with pain. "I don't know if I'll ever be able to tell him."
"He knows about us," I interrupt him. "I told him."
His head snaps up, his eyes wide with surprise. "You did?"
I nod. "He deserves to know the truth. And I'm not ashamed of who I am anymore."
He smiles, a genuine, heartfelt smile that reaches his eyes. "Thank you, Tomura. That means more than you know."
As the sun begins to rise, casting a soft glow over the city, a sense of clarity washes over me. The past will always be a part of me, a shadow that I can never fully escape. But it doesn't have to define me. I can choose to move forward, to build a better future for myself, for Eri, for my family.
"I want to try," I say, my voice barely a whisper. "To have a relationship. To be a family."
"Then let's start," he says, extending his hand.
I hesitate for a moment, then take his hand, a small spark of hope igniting within me.
I went home feeling lighter than I have in years. Knowing I was reconciling with those I had hurt most, and those who had hurt me made me feel… relieved. And for what felt like the first time in my life, I slept soundly.