[Masao Ando]

She was once again in her room, typing away at her laptop as she finished writing up a paper about the weapon she had manufactured for Enma. Okami was not only an incredible weapon for him, and she was happy he was able to put it to good use, but it also served as a benchmark for her to record her progress. Physical proof to her teachers that she was improving as a manufacturer. With a sigh she closed her computer and took a hair tie out of her hair to let her red locks flow free. She could always print the paper later so that it was ready to be handed in by Monday. For now, she had practice with Enma.

Standing up she stretched her arms above her head, feeling a little lightheaded as she didn't realize how many hours she had been sitting still for. With a yawn she walked over to her full body mirror and checked out her hair. Then she changed into some standard UAU gym clothes that would be more suitable for training. She couldn't help but check herself out in the mirror again, she needed to make sure she looked good for him at all times after all! When it came to her public appearance she was more concerned about being seen in a good light as Enma's girlfriend than as the successor to the Paragon hero name.

Was it the spite for her father that drove her to take this perspective, or her love for Enma? Maybe a bit of both?

She looked over at her bed as she remembered that night they shared together, blushing at the thought. She longed to be with him like that again, but as hero students their schedules were just so busy. She grabbed her sword Rosaria and fastened it to her hip, just in case Enma needed to spar against another sword for his training. She didn't know what he had planned for his super move, but she knew what she was going to practice.

However, as she left her dorm room all she could think about was how she looked forward to seeing Enma, and how she should suggest that they take a vacation together sometime. She texted him that she was on her way to the training grounds, just in case he was already waiting for her.

...

The thought gave her pause as horror crossed her stoic expression.

...Hopefully she hadn't made him wait if that was the case.

enma

[enma]

[attr="class","body"]

Masao and Enma have done a lot together. She's thrust him into a journey of finding love and trust with another. She's gifted him with a window into the next stage of his journey by making Okami, the sword that rests in wait while Raiju's portrait becomes filled with visages of his life experiences. Okami was still well-maintained as a labor of love for it and its creator. Thinking about the step they took together and the added trauma they would share, he knew he needed to broaden his arsenal even more.

Many possessed abilities known as Super Moves, a marketable and digestible way of showing how one masters and pushes the limits of their quirk. For a while, Enma focused on relying solely on his innate ability and denied that his quirk was part of it. Quirks felt like magic, which they still possessed mystique having only been around for a few decades by this point. A lot of great and terrible discoveries were made and still needed to be made.

With the raid upcoming, Enma needed to make sure that if anybody dared threaten the people he loved, they would regret it. No, that's the darkness and the fear in your heart speaking... Clearing his throat and continuing to setup their training session, he adjusted his thoughts. What Enma needed was a way of pushing himself beyond the normal, mortal limits that many had to live by. The greater the evil, the greater the force was needed to repel it.

Masao inspired him, as usual, to take this step. The Paragon moniker and armor was a sensitive subject, something he could relate on. Bridging the gap between Inkheart and Enma would help prepare him for the terrible battles ahead. As she texted him, he smiled and sent her a quick message back with a red heart. When she arrived, he wouldn't hesitate to greet her with a kiss. "I think...I am ready to work on my quirk rather than my body for once. I was inspired by you, my love."

---

Masao Ando

[newclass=.body b]color:#e04d4d[/newclass]

[Masao Ando]

A message back with a red heart emoji attached to it. It was such a simple gesture and yet it perfectly encapsulated who her soulmate was, her warrior poet, a romantic to his very core. She smiled to herself as her heart beat faster, and her steps subconsciously got a little faster. When she finally arrived she wrapped her arms around Enma and kissed him back, holding him there for a moment so she could feel his presence and quietly let him know she had missed him. ''Is that so? Here I had been thinking I wanted to improve on my body rather than my quirk.'' She chuckled awkwardly, blushing from being called his love. ''You can probably guess who gave me the idea.'' She let her delicate fingers trace across his biceps. ''I hope I didn't make you wait long, I took a little longer getting ready today.''

Unable to resist him, she put her hand under his chin and lifted it gently before kissing him again. ''I brought my sword if you needed someone to spar with.'' She stepped away and indicated the rose she kept on her person. ''I wasn't certain what plans you had for your super move. If you just want to brainstorm that is fine too.'' She smiled warmly. ''I already know what I want to practice, since I have already technically pulled it off once.'' That evening when the cybernetic assailant ambushed them in Tokyo, she had hastily used a modified version of her ultimate move to momentarily create a blinding light that she used against the villain to create an opening for Enma. ''However, since mine has to do with quirk control, something which I am not used to, I am going to have to take it slow today.''

enma

[enma]

[attr="class","body"]

The way they communicated physically was like how paint needed a brush to sing, and sing those two things did all along a blank canvass. Beautiful portraits were painted when those two notes came together and beautiful things happened when Masao and Enma came together. They brewed wonderful ideas, inspired each other to do great, and love bloomed. The way they touched each other as second nature was a sign of their personal growth.

Without skipping the beat, the secret poet spoke to his blooming bed of roses. "Your body is perfect to me, love." Was Enma speaking with cheek? A secret kept between them was just how blush-inducing they could be. As they shared their kiss, it almost felt as if it ended too early. No, they needed to stop that there or else they wouldn't get anything done. "Recently, I've been embracing my quirk and showing it...more publicly. I even did something cute."

The deadpan Enma saying he did something cute was likely jarring to most. He tapped his foot as the ground manifested a painted portrait of pusheen Paragon. "I think it's time that I make the Journey a product of my own thoughts. Papa Arashi taught me to use it to make a blade unbreakable..." Looking to the bokken that they'd use for training and seeing Masao bring her own weapon, he scratched the back of his neck.

"I do...need the armor in its strongest form. Honey, I can't risk hurting you but I think I have an idea of what I can do." The Journey represented the progression of story, the development of one's being and the most important aspect of life. Everything was about the Journey building to the destination, but the destination was wished to be the farthest thing away. Still, the building onto it was critical.

The Journey could be interpreted in many ways, but he knew in his heart that his quirk needed more offensive representation. It was taught as a tool to support what his body could do with a sword, but quirks were complex for good reason. Reaching into one's heart, resonating it with one's body and mind could lead to beautiful catalysts for creation. This was yet another element of art seeping into the battlefield.

"The way my quirk works draws upon my body for energy. I know my feelings give it shape and that it repairs the things I hold dear in a literal sense. If I can give it shape to protect what I hold and repair it, I think...I can amplify it. Use it as a weapon." Looking to Masao for advice, insight into the process of pushing the boundaries of one's quirk, he wondered if his hypothesis held water. Enma was smart in his own way, but Masao was a genius. It took a genius to enable her craft.

This was a massive leap in strengthening the bond between his quirk and himself, inevitably owning an inherited quirk to be his own.

---

Masao Ando

[newclass=.body b]color:#e04d4d[/newclass]

[Masao Ando]

His compliment of her body only made her blush deeper. ''I-I mean, I can be stronger, faster..'' She added sheepishly. If his intention was to make her flustered with his cheeky answer then he had certainly succeeded. ''Something cute?'' She blinked her eyes at him, thinking back to the piece he painted for her. It was the only reference she could think of where Inkheart looked especially cute, but it could not have prepared her for what he did next.

''It's... a cat.'' She stood there in awe looking at the little armored Pusheen. Was that her Paragon armor? She felt so delighted she couldn't help but let out a little chuckle. ''It's cute, you're full of surprises, Enma-kun!'' She related all too much to the fact that his father had taught him. Arashi Sr. had taught him the basics, but to truly make the quirk his own he needed to explore it more thoroughly and do with it exactly what he wanted to do, not what someone else had told him to. ''I see.'' She gave a relieved smile, glad that she could be of help to him. ''You don't have to worry about me, my armor is as sturdy as they come.'' Was he still worried about harming her? She had to admit, the first time they sparred she couldn't help but feel a little scared, but that was because she didn't realize just how weak she was, just how much unexplored potential she had yet to tap into. Enma on the other hand was a sparkling gemstone, a diamond dazzling, and dancing with a multi-colored gleam. He wasn't just a born fighter, he was a warrior who had worked hard to get where he was. It was so awe-inspiring it helped her get over herself and find new ways to train her body and mind. ''Enma-kun.'' She smiled back at him, hoping she wasn't getting too sappy. ''I'm proud of you. You've come a long way with letting others see your power.'' She still felt it needed to be said. He deserved to know when he was being amazing after all.

''It reacts to your feelings? If you tap into your emotions, can you feel your quirk intensifying? That is where I would start. My armor responds to my well-being, but the trigger is love. Love drives me to want to protect.'' Protect her cute boyfriend who won her heart all over again every time she saw him. ''For instance, if I think about wanting to protect you and your cute drawings, activating my quirk is no issue at all.'' She walked a little closer to him, realizing they weren't going to jump right into training. ''The best advice I can give is to use your quirk as much as possible. Don't just feel familiar with activating it, but having it active too. Only once you are fully immersed in your power can you hope to push the right button to amplify it. To make your power your own, you need to use it so much that you get sick of it.'' She smiled, putting a reassuring hand on his shoulder. ''Don't worry, I'm right here in case you need me.''

enma

[enma]

[attr="class","body"]

Paragon was a mighty symbol. The name had meaning, the name was earned by the armor of love she carried. Quirks were not simply a genetic presence, but also an evolving thing like one's body or mind. Some may argue the existence of the soul, but regardless he would see inspiration in Paragon, the armor and the hero-to-be. As he thought this, he would be pleased to see his love's reaction to his freely-expressed quirk.

This...felt good. To do it felt better than to be so reserved. It felt like all sorts of rainbows could fly freely from his fingertips. Maybe he didn't have to be cloaked in shadow or be some brooding hunter. That aspiration was slowly dying as wonder began to take him. "I'm glad you love it, my dear. I...am constantly surprising myself." As they prepared for combat, he would slowly extend a rosy aura over his bokken.

As she commended him on being open about his quirk, he felt like there was one thing she was wrong about. "I...see, I am afraid to show people my power still. I think that's because I don't see my quirk as my power." Twisting his grip on the enchanted bokken, a possibility due to his connection to Masao, he wondered if that darkness would truly go away. Thinking of the assailant, the lack of discipline he had and the wildness of his destructive force, he wondered what defined power.

"I don't know what my power is. I can destroy, I can create." Looking away in pondering, he wasn't ready to meet Masao's eyes until he was certain. Or, at least, until she could help center his thought. When he did, he wondered if she would help quell the fears he had regarding who he became when he needed to protect. "I want to be Helsing as a way to say that I will vanquish evil. Slay the worst of monsters. But...I didn't like how I felt like a monster."

Shaking his head, he let out a deep breath. "I agree with using my quirk often. I've removed that limitation from my life. Thanks to you, of course." Tilting his head and giving a warm smile while looking up at Masao, he rested his cheek on the hilt of the bokken. The aura around it wasn't so dark, it was more of a pinkish red. A change. "But yes, I...feel it's reactive because my hormones is actually the fuel."

Emotions were deep and complex even when they seemed straight forward. Even though the result seemed like such, these feelings were not a monolith. "Maybe I can command the mystic effect of my quirk through that. If it can paint images, it can paint power...maybe I can paint possibility." Through shifting shades of red, there was a formless nature to the aura this time around. It was like Enma during his emotional uncertainty, the quirk itself was just as uncertain.

Did it want to radiate monstrosity or serenity?

"Regardless, I want to spar a bit to gain an esoteric direction. I think that will help aimless overthought, my love. Do you agree?"

---

Masao Ando

[newclass=.body b]color:#e04d4d[/newclass]

[Masao Ando]

''You are afraid, and yet you still do it.'' In many ways she was still making her armor her own too. Teaching herself new tricks and telling herself her father wasn't infallible. However, one thing he had told her was a few words of wisdom she could pass on to Enma. ''I started training my quirk from an early age. My father always used to tell me that fear is not to be looked down on. Fear is but the precursor to valor.'' She smiled warmly. ''You are not letting your fear stop you, that is worthy of praise.''

In a flash of light she donned her armor. ''I want to see it too. Show me the Helsing that you want to become. Whether you felt like a monster, you will never be one to me, h-honey..'' She gave a thumbs up, trying to say it as smoothly as he did, but using such a word didn't roll off the tongue quite as naturally for her.

''I agree wholeheartedly. Paint the possibilities that you want to create with your Journey, and carve the path that only you can take with each swing of your blade.'' She wanted to kiss him, but it felt a bit awkward when they were about to spar. She could always kiss him for a job well done after the fact. ''Enma-kun.'' She suddenly looked more serious. ''I will try to knock you out or restrain you. Try to think of me as just another villain while we train.''

Then once he was ready, she took off charging ahead, trying to bulldoze him down using all of her added weight and size.

enma

[enma]

[attr="class","body"]

While Papa Arashi taught ruthlessness and to sparingly grace evil with mercy, Enma was learning that times were different and the meaning behind heroism was complex. The Journey was Enma's because he had the power to evolve beyond what any Arashi had ever been. In fact, Papa Arashi once told him of a cousin of the boy's that almost had the potential to bring about change, but that the soul of their Inkheart was rotten.

The portraits painted by that cousin did not contain vast possibility like Enma inked. While there was rigidity in Papa Arashi's lessons, the power of choice was the ultimate lesson. One had to earn it and it required the courage to make it. As Masao encouraged him, he knew it to be true that the power she focused on was beautiful and deserved to be shown without fear. There was facets to what Enma's power looked like.

Enma was a warrior, protector, hero, friend, lover, bearer of woes; all these facets were powerful. His greatest fear now was what he would do with the lingering darkness. As that fear curdled within his heart, a dark aura began glowing off of him. Veins blackened, the pain he experienced within was turning into raw energy. As 'Possibility' began to shape something new in his power, he knew that their spar would help decipher it.

"I feel pain in the dark corners of my power, but pain can be a tool." Meeting Bokken to sword, there was a burst of kinetic energy that needed somewhere to go. Tearing the ground around them, this would be the first time he would experience Masao's strength in her armor and it actually rivaled his own. Shocked, a smile went across his face. Was he...happy that he could let loose? That was part of the satisfaction of the assailant.

That was one of the dark emotions. It wasn't fiery vengeance rebuking from him, but potent desire to not restrain. Thrusting Masao off of him, he rotated the bokken until its point was aimed at her armor. As this new potential still needed to transform and speak a language that he could understand in order to command it, he pressed forward. A three-pronged attack would be directed to keep Masao's defense spread thin. If she could match his might, she would need to match his tempo as well.

A trained fighter who could not simply overpower someone would resort instead to finding weaknesses. As soon as she revealed hers, he would switch from a bokken strike to a quick jab. Once he struck her armor, the pain against his knuckles would riddle that hand with dark blotches. That is when the truth of what his new power could be would reveal itself. He could feel the rising tension in his fist.

---

Masao Ando

[newclass=.body b]color:#e04d4d[/newclass]

[Masao Ando]

She couldn't help but look concerned when the dark aura began illuminating from him, but she knew that this was a necessary step in his training. A necessary hurdle for the both of them to overcome together. ''Then use that pain.'' She smiled reassuringly, trying her best to comfort him while also posing as his opponent. ''I'll be right here to help you control it.''

She was relieved that he managed to smile before thrusting her away. That told her that he at least was enjoying this to a certain degree. It was only a shame she couldn't kiss him back in the middle of the fight. Even so, the image of Enma smiling at the idea that he could cut loose would become a cherished core memory in her mind. Was there a better feeling in this world than seeing your partner happy? Despite her strength matching his, Enma was quick to push her on the defensive. Her quirk boosted her strength and durability, but the armor did nothing to make her faster.

She grit her teeth as she took a jab, she wasn't hurting badly or anything, but she wasn't completely invulnerable either. She skidded back a couple of steps from the strike and took a moment to catch her breath. Was that... Did he punch her armor with his hand? ''Careful Enma-kun, I don't want you to break your hands.'' She trailed off when she looked down at his hand and noticed the dark blotches. She kept her guard up, but she hesitated to retaliate and instead checked in on him. ''Are you okay? I have never seen your quirk do that before.'' She said with a hint of concern. She was going to keep helping him with his training, but that didn't mean she couldn't worry about him at the same time, he was her boyfriend after all. ''Show me what else you can do.'' She finished with a smirk.

enma