Chapter 13 : A Home At Last

Author : "Hello boys! I'm baaaaaaaaaaaaaaack! Now this chapter is really the start of something new. I don't want to spoil it, but - "

Spoiler : "Koto is now living with Ms. Joke and now has to go to school."

Author : "SPOILERRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR! SPOILER, NO SPOILING! SPOILER, NO SPOILING!!!"

Spoiler : "ANd aT thE ScHoOl KoTo fINds oUt tHa-"

*Tackling noises*

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

________________________________________________________________________________

It was late at night and Ms. Joke was finally headed home. It had been a busy day and she couldn't wait to fall face first into her soft queen sized bed with the heated pillows. Right after she took a shower and ate some food. She recently was gifted a new car by the H.P.S.C., a reward for her hard work, and was driving it home. The air was pleasantly warm and humid. It had just began softly began to rain as thunder rumbled in the distance.

She pulled into the driveway, the vibrations within the car changing slightly as the wheels came into contact with the smooth pavement. She put the car into park and switched off the engine, pulling out the keys lazily. She walked up to the door, punching in the six digit passcode and keying the lock. As mildly annoying the multi-layered security was, a hero's home had to be at least this secure after all. She quietly opened the door. She didn't expect Koto to be up this late, but she normal behavioral pattern was changing to accommodate the guardianship. She habitually called out quietly as soon as she walked in the door.

Ms. Joke : "I'm home."

??? : "Stand back, miss. This is a crime scene. Someone has been murdered."

Ms. Joke : "Eh?"

Ms. Joke looked down. In front of her was Koto, wearing a child sized police uniform. He even had a fake mustache to go along with it.

Police Chief Koto : "It's a crime scene, see? So stand back. Its official police business."

He pointed to the corner of the room. It had been sectioned off with duck tape that had "POLICE DO NOT CROSS" written all along it with black marker. In the corner was the white taped outline of a body. Chalk didn't do so well on hardwood floors. Around the body's outline were three more Koto's. Clones. Two of them were also dressed in officer uniforms, but the other was dressed like one of those mystery detectives. He was even "smoking" a plastic bubble pipe.

Tired as she was, Ms. Joke couldn't help but laugh as she put her bag on the kitchen counter that was adjacent to the living room where the "crime" was taking place. Detective Koto puffed on his pipe, bubbles floating in the air around him.

Detective Koto : "Don't worry, ma'am. We will be done shortly. I know exactly who the killer is."

One of the officers next to him tilted his head.

Officer Koto #1: "You do?"

The detective nodded.

Detective Koto : "Yup. And they in this very room."

Everyone did a dramatic collective gasp. Ms. Joke was chuckling behind the kitchen counter. It wasn't the first time Koto welcomed her home with a skit. The detective continued, dramatically swishing his brown coat around for effect and to clear up the floating bubbles.

Detective Koto : "Yes. It took me a second because they were hiding in plain site...using a disguise..."

Everyone looked at each other nervously.

Police Chief Koto : "So, you're saying that its one of us?!?"

Detective Koto : "Yes..."

Police Chief Koto : "Well who?!?"

Detective Koto raise a finger dramatically pointing towards the direction of the chief, who had put a sofa between himself and everyone else at the crime scene. Including the detective.

Detective Koto : "IT WAS YOU!"

The other officers gasped. The chief's face turned purple.

Police Chief Koto : "Are you messing with me?! Why would kill the man?! I have no motive?! Is this some prank?!"

The detective slapped a hand to his forehead, shaking it side to side.

Detective Koto : "NO! Not you! I mean the sofa!"

Police Chief Koto : "WHAT?!"

Officer's Koto #1 and #2: "WHAT?!"

Ms. Joke : "PFFF!"

The detective started walking around the sofa.

Detective Koto : "Yes. I almost couldn't believe it myself. But this sofa is actually a sentient being."

The chief looked at the sofa suspiciously.

Police Chief Koto : "Are you saying its someone with a couch quirk?"

Detective Koto : "What? No. That's stupid. What are you, six?"

The chief deadpanned. More laughter from the "audience". The detective continued.

Detective Koto : "No. This sofa is not a person with a couch quirk, but actually a couch who was given sentience by someone else's quirk. A leftover anomaly. Destined to be forgotten. At 5 PM, the victim had walked into the living room to watch some tv because they were bored. They didn't hear the scraping of the furniture behind them. And by the time they did, it was too late. With a solid crack, they used one of their legs to bludgeon the victim to death. That's why we couldn't find the murder weapon. It is the weapon. Now stop faking! I saw you move earlier. There's no point in hiding. Reveal yourself!"

The room went silent. More a few moments nothing happened. Then there was a scraping noise, and a tiny head popped up from between the couch cushions of the sofa.

Another dramatic collective gasp. Ms. Joke laughed again, leaning on the counter for support.

It was Koto. The original one. He grinned wickedly as he spoke in a condescending tone.

Cushion Killer Koto : "Well well well, I knew you would find out eventually. They always do. Tell me. What gave it away?"

Detective Koto : "I saw you move earlier."

Cushion Killer Koto : "Detective. Lets both pretend were intelligent beings for a few moments. We both know that is not true. This sofa was as still as a rock. So tell me. What was it that really gave it away?"

The detective grinned.

Detective Koto : "It was the skid marks. Normally it would be hard for someone of a small stature to move such a large piece of furniture, and the victim was home alone. He couldn't have moved it. And the skid marks were fresh. It had been moved that very day. Additionally..."

The detective pointed bluntly.

Detective Koto : "There is blood on the bottom half of your front left leg. Indisputable evidence. But I'll admit, I still don't have all the answers. There is one more mystery. One more question to be answered. And only you Cushion Killer can answer it. Tell us. Why did you kill Mr. Phart Botim."

Cushion Killer gave a smirk.

Cushion Killer Koto : "Why? Why! I'll tell you why. That vile, disgusting, evil man...he...he..."

Cushion Killer's voice broke.

Cushion Killer Koto : "He farted on me!..."

Cushion Killer Koto was crying now.

Cushion Killer Koto : "I told him to stop farting on me, but he wouldn't stop! *sniff* He called me an old rickety piece of furniture! *hic* A lazy boy! *hic* I do my best to be supportive, but all he did was push me down! *hic* I'm sick of it! *hic* I tried to help around the house. But he said sofa's only belong in the living room! *hic* And when he came home late, I asked where he had been. *hic,* He said he went to an IKEA. AN IKEA! After all we have been though! *hic* He couldn't settle for just one couch! *hic* And today - *hic, wah* before he farted on me - *hic, wah* - HE HAD TACO BELL FOR DINNER! TACO BELLLLLLLL!"

Every one gasped. The detective had tears in his eyes at this point and a hand over his mouth. So did Ms. Joke. She was dying of laughter.

Detective Koto : "I completely understand you. I have had similar experiences. If I was your friend and not a detective, I would have helped you bury the body. But I am not your friend. And you are going to jail for murder. Hopefully the judge will pity you and get you a reduced sentence."

Cushion Killer Koto : "NO! I'm not going to jail! He deserved to die! You can't make me!"

Koto wiggled within the abyss behind the cushions of the sofa. He inched it millimeter by millimeter toward the front door.

Police Chief Koto : "Stop him! He's escaping!"

Everyone dogpiled on the Cushion Killer, stopping it in its tracks. It let out one last scream of defiance and despair.

Cushion Killer Koto : "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!"

The clones disappeared in a puff of smoke and Koto wiggled his way out from between thcouch cushions. He got up and dusted himself off before going to the kitchen and hugging Ms. Joke, who was still laughing. Still hugging, he looked up at her and gave her a warm smile with a (nwn) face.

Koto : "Welcome home. How was work? Did you fight bad guys? Are you hungwy?"

Ms. Joke laughed again as she hugged Koto tighter. He was just too cute when he did that. Maybe it was his quirk? Lol. She couldn't tell.

Ms. Joke : "Work was great! I'm pretty tired, though. So..."

A shadow fell over Ms. Joke's face.

Ms. Joke : "I heard the nanny I had hired for you apparently had to go home early today. She didn't say why..."

Even though Koto's adorable puppy eyes face could kill the weak hearted, Ms. Joke wasn't weak. She was a hero after all. She had babysat kids before and knew that they were aware of how their perceived innocence could affect those around them. Whether it was to get more sweets or to get out of trouble.

Ms. Joke : "Do you know the reason?"

Ms. Joke stared at Koto's face for any sign of mischief. Koto just beamed at her, eye's sparkling.

Koto : "Nope! But she was on the phone earlier. Maybe it was something to do with that? I don't really know."

Ms. Joke : "Haha! So you didn't get to take a bath, then?"

Koto froze. He had been wanting to avoid this scenario. But of all things, he forgot to take a bath. The situation had just gotten significantly more dangerous for him. He had been trying to avoid situations leading to certain possible outcomes.

Koto : "I um. I forgot."

Ms. Joke : "Mmm"

Ms. Joke looked at the time. She bent down and pulled Koto closer to her. She sniffed his head and sighed.

Ms. Joke : "I guess this is passable. It's late. Time to get ready for bed. Haha! We'll just both have to take a bath in the morning."

Koto : "Ok. But not together? Right?"

Ms. Joke : "Sure we can do it together!"

Koto : "NOOOO! That's - uh- bad! It's indecent! A boy and a girl can't take a bath together!"

Ms. Joke burst out laughing.

Ms. Joke : "HAHAHAHAHA! Don't worry. It's ok. It's fine if your a kid."

Koto : "NO ITS NOT! Cuz - um - its gross! And there's cooties! Yeah! Cooties!"

Ms. Joke couldn't stop laughing. Koto looked even more adorable when he was flustered.

Ms. Joke : "Hahahaha! Ok! Don't worry. We'll take them separately tomorrow morning."

She picked him up and took him to his room. He wasn't heavy, but he didn't feel light either. Maybe it was just because she was tired, but his body just seemed denser than most peoples. But he was still small, so it didn't really seem to matter all that much. But still. It was odd. It wasn't like he was fat or had large muscles. But she could feel it somehow. As if underneath that innocent layer of baby fat lies a dormant power. Waiting to be awakened.

She set Koto on the bed before tucking him in. Before she left the room, she leaned back through the doorway.

Ms. Joke : "Good night. Sweet dreams."

Koto nodded peacefully as she closed the door.

The room was quiet with the only sound being the small vibrations Koto felt echo in the interior material of the house. Due to his nanobot's activity, all of his senses were heightened to superhuman levels. He didn't need x-ray vision. He was basically Dare Devil at this point. He let his breathing slow down to a comfortable level before focusing his thoughts, interacting with the nanotech in his brain.

Koto : "Alfred? Come in Alfred. You there?"

He felt a slight nudge in his mind as a response came.

Alfred : "As always, sir. How may I be of assistance?"

Koto : "It's time to resume Project Lucid. Link the nano systems to the processing servers. Make sure the connection is secure and fortified. I don't want to accidentally fry my brain."

Alfred : "Very well, sir. What did you want to simulate in tonight's session?"

Koto : "The usual pain train of interrogation and torture, scaling in difficulty. But for the remaining two thirds, I want unending hordes of various monsters, animals, and other hostiles to begin their assault on me in an area with a terrain that changes every 5 minutes with gravitational and weather anomalies. Can you also simulate my quirk as well? I need to train my mental capacity for it."

Alfred : "Try not to go too overboard sir. The DOL levels are already at thirty-four percent. Anymore in a session like this and your body will go into shock. Also, the nanobots in your body and brain will need a hardware update soon. Don't forget to consume the necessary vitamins. You will need them to initiate the process."

Koto : "Alright, alright. Just boot up the simulation."

Alfred : "Very well. Launching...stand bye...Please state the initiating passphrase..."

Koto closed his eyes. The view behind his eyelids was almost like a static black. He muttered the password.

Koto : "Link Start."

[11 : 00 PM]

A moment later his vision went white with splashes of rainbow as the nanobots in his brain overwrote the signals his brain was receiving from his main senses. The artificial dream was starting to manifest. He found himself strapped to a metal chair in a dark and damp room. A single lightbulb was the only source of illumination. In the room was a man in a militaristic uniform. He glared intently at Koto. When he spoke his voice showed no hint of mercy. He moved closer to Koto.

The General : "I don't care who you are. Your age is irrelevant. What matters is what you know. If you fail to give me the information I need I cannot save you from the consequences. Tell me..."

The man got really close to Koto's face. He whispered in his ear.

The General : "What is the recipe for Coca-Cola?"

This was a type of pain endurance training that Koto though up for the simulation. He wanted to get used to feeling pain till that his brain registered it as mere information and nothing more. He added a bit of roleplay so it didn't get too boring. It wasn't like he was a masochist. It was strictly for training his mind.

Koto smiled and spat in the general's face, then snarled.

Koto : "Bite me!"

The general stood up and wiped the slime off of his face. He looked at it and with a sigh, backhanded Koto so hard that Koto was knocked over onto the floor. Koto's head hit the concrete with a audible smack. One side of his face burned while the other lost its warmth on the cold concrete floor. His head throbbed as his head bled from a cut that the fall gave him. The general spoke again, but with a noticeable irritation in his voice.

The General : "Very well. If you will not give us what we want, the we will give you what you clearly want. Lets see how long you'll last."

And with that said the general left the room. Shortly after he left Koto heard a low electrical humming, steadily increasing in pitch. He craned his neck to look behind him. It was then he saw thick electrical cords running from his chair into the darkness behind him. He couldn't see what lay in the darkness, but he could hear it. It whirred and arcs of electricity ran from the darkness and along the cords towards him. Koto sighed.

He always hated this part.

________________________________________________________________________________

[9 hours later - 8 AM]

Koto opened his eyes slowly. Ghost pains were making his body feel sore and stiff. He knew it was just all in his head. And that was the point. Some pain training to start and then combat and quirk training. That's what he did every night in his sleep. Well. I guess you could say that he never slept. It didn't effect his body or mind the same way, though. When he is in the artificial dream, his body is at rest and the nanotech in his brain works to drain him of his mental fatigue, replacing his need to sleep. With this, its possible for him to get rest even when he's awake. Its just his nanobots taking up the work to keep him functioning even when the rest of his brain needs a break. It was like having an extra brain to do all the hard work for you when needed. Still, he woke up cranky and groggy like everyone else.

Koto yawned and stretched. He used his forearm to wipe the grime from his eyes. It was then he realized that something was different. He was not on his bed. He was on the sofa in the living room. And his clothes were different than the ones he went to bed with. He also noticed he smelled significantly of flowers.

Oh no. Oh no no no no no no no.

She didn't.

It was then Koto noticed the other smells coming from the kitchen. Smells of bacon, eggs, sweet syrup and pancakes. He looked over at the kitchen to see Ms. Joke, cooking a breakfast of champions. And most importantly.

She had her hair up in a towel.

Ms. Joke realized that Koto had awoke when she heard a cry of agony...and humiliation. She giggled a little and looked over to see Koto, face and ears red with embarrassment. His eyes screamed betrayal. He pointed a finger accusingly.

Koto : "You! You! You. You..."

He couldn't even say it. But he didn't need to. Ms. Joke laughed.

Ms. Joke : "Hahaha! Sorry! But you were sleeping so soundly that I couldn't wake you up. So I gave you a bath. Hahaha!"

Koto started breathing faster. He put his hands over his burning face.

And screamed.

Koto : "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARG!"

________________________________________________________________________________

[A few moments later]

Koto sat at the dining table. A plate of half eaten food in front of him and Ms. Joke across from him.

Koto : "I have been...defiled..."

Ms. Joke burst into laughter.

Ms. Joke : "PFFFHAHAHAHAHA! Ok! Hahaha! Geez. It ain't that bad. Lol."

Koto : "All of my secrets have been revealed. You have seen everything."

Ms. Joke : "Haha! Don't worry! There wasn't anything to see. Lol."

Koto just stared at her for a moment, face turning red.

Koto : "What's that supposed to mean?! Are you making fun of me?!"

Ms. Joke : "PFFFFFFFFF HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Oh man! You're so funny! HAHAHAHA! No. Don't worry about it. Bad joke...So..."

Ms. Joke's attitude changed. She almost seemed almost concerned, with a soft look in her eyes.

Ms. Joke : "Are you...ok?"

Koto just stared at his food in silence. He knew what she was talking about. She had seen the scars on his body. But its more than just the scars. Koto had bigger problems. He had secrets to keep. Secrets about himself and the future that he didn't want anyone else to know. Secrets that would put lives in danger if told to the wrong person. He couldn't risk opening up. But sometimes, it made him feel...lonely.

Tears started streaming from his eyes as flashes of his past went through his mind.

When Koto didn't respond, Ms. Joke got up from her chair and walked over to where he was sitting. She leaned down and hugged him, running her fingers through his hair. She spoke softly, her humorous personality put on hold.

Ms. Joke : "I know it must be hard. But don't worry. You're not alone. You have people you can trust. So you can come to me when there is something bothering you. Or even Mr. Mouse. He cares a lot about you. You don't have to tell me what's wrong, although I would prefer if you did so we can better help you. I won't abandon you, even if you try to distance yourself from others. I know that there are some things you aren't ready for. But that's ok. Step by step, we'll get through this together. I love you."

Koto was fully crying now. His sobs interrupted by fits of hiccupping. Ms. Joke hugged him tighter continued to softly speak encouraging things to him. He started to hug her back. They stayed like this for awhile, any thought of time or food forgotten. After about ten minutes, they parted. Koto was mostly calmed down, but Ms. Joke continued to run her fingers through his hair.

Ms. Joke : "Feeling better?"

Koto nodded. Ms. Joke smiled.

Ms. Joke : "Good. Now, lets clean up. The foods gone cold, but that's ok. We'll just save it for leftovers. I made too much anyways."

Koto looked up at Ms. Joke.

Koto : "Hey. Ms. Joke."

Ms. Joke : "You can call me Emi."

Koto : "Ok. Emi. I was wondering if I could call you Aunty J."

Ms. Joke smiled.

Ms. Joke : "Sure honey. You can call me whatever you want."

Koto smiled.

Koto : "Then I'll be calling you Aunty J. from now on!"

Ms. Joke laughed.

Ms. Joke : "Sure thing. Oh. I almost forgot to tell ya."

Koto looked at her inquisitively.

Koto : "Tell me what?"

Ms. Joke knelt down and used her fingers to force a smile on Koto's face. Koto kept the smile on his face, but Ms. Joke didn't remove her hands.

Ms. Joke : "You're going to school in a few days!"

Ms. Joke felt Koto's facial muscles go slack.

Koto : "WHAAAAT!?! NOOO!"

Ms. Joke burst out laughing again as Koto struggled to get out of her grasp. He failed. She didn't want him to be left home alone when she's busy doing hero work. So she enrolled him in a nearby school. It was relatively nearby. Koto could get there by walking or she could drop him off. She still didn't want Koto to be left alone when he got home, so she asked if the school had any after school daycare. They said they had something like that.

Koto was still struggling, so she started tickling him. It seemed as if such a thing wouldn't work on him. But a few moments later the kitchen was filled with the sound of laughter punctuated by high pitched squeals. Ms. Joke was laughing too.

Ms. Joke had bought Koto some new clothes. Ones that covered up his scars. The only one she couldn't cover was the one on his face, but thankfully it looked similar to a cat scratch. Koto had to be as approachable as possible if he wanted to make friends. And for Ms. Joke, that was something she hoped for Koto.

She wanted him to make lots of friends. But she would still be satisfied if he just made one for now. He will meet more people as time moved on. There was just one problem. She had to find a sitter for the weekends.

Or sitters.

________________________________________________________________________________~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I like this ending. It's wholesome.

As for the skit. I realized its a bit unhinged but I'm gonna keep it in anyways. I had a good reaction for the 28 stab wounds bonus chapter, so I might do more stuff like that.

Sometimes, we all need that shoulder to cry on. If any of you have something that's eating at you, grab a family member. Or a friend if they are not nearby. Tell them what's bothering you. Or not. You could just tell them that you are going through some struggles and are in need of a hug. It seems that there is a large need for hugs in the world, so don't be afraid to reach out.

See you next chapter!

Good night!

...or morning...

Also! Comment! I love hearing from you guys!