This is my first story. Critism no matter how harsh is welcome.

19 years ago:

"It's time to settle," Riku blinked. Then blinked again. Then replayed what was just said to him back in his mind. Yes, he understood the words spoken to him by themselves, but even so Jin might've as well have been speaking an Alien language. What he just heard simply made no sense. It did not. It could not. Jin sitting across from him in his cheaply made suit, could have declared, that clouds were made out of marshmallows. And still would've made more sense than what he just said.

"Hello?" Riku realized he needed to say something and tried to ask without stuttering, "c-could you please repeat what you just said? I fear I may have misheard you." He could not keep the tinge of desperation from request. Jin, his lawyer, his last hope, with no sort of malice or satisfaction in his tone simply reiterated the same words. "It's time to settle"

Again Riku understood the words but couldn't fathom the message being conveyed. He tried once more "I'm sorry but I don-" The Lawyer put up his hand to beacon Riku to stop and calmly explained

"You will not get a better deal. When you came to my firm I promised you if you hired us to represent you and your fellow victims I would go through hell for you to get the best settlement I could for you. I feel that I fulfilled my promise. I never lied about our chances of success. I was candid in the beginning that even though you would get nothing less than my and my firm's best you may and your fellow victims may still get nothing. That anyone saying you'll definitely be seeing tens of billions of yen at the end of this would either be an idealistic fool or would be lying to you. That this would be one of the hardest things you and your family would go through. I believe you hired me on for this type of candor. Because you were wise enough to see the only other types to show interests in your case were charlatens. All the big prestigious firms refused you for they knew this-the settlement-the one I'm pressing to sighn you right now-would be the best you could have ever reasonbly hoped for. You trusted that I would speak the truth to you and nothing else. You must not lose faith in me now. It's. Time To settle.

Riku eyes darted down to the stack of documents being presented to him. The amount being offered was not enough. Not even close. The hospital bills for his boy, the therapy for wife, the rent, this measly amount could not save them. At best it would help for a couple months. This was wrong.

Riku began to shake. Over a year of litigation, of having to deal with death threats by crazed followers of that psychopath, of trying to keep his family together through the worst time in their lives-and basically nothing to show for it.

He felt tired. He felt dejected. But more so than anything at that moment he was feeling something he's become accustomed to since the ' accident'. Hatred. Hatred for himself for failing to be a man and keeping his family safe when they needed him, hatred for the "Hero" who took everything from him and his family, and at the moment he held the most hatred for the Lawyer who swore he'd help them. He wanted to scream, grab the desk the lawyer, was sitting behind and throw it out out the window, spear the lawyer and scream for him to get a better deal, he wanted make the Lawyer feel helpless, and afraid. Make him feel like Riku.

But Riku knew he wouldn't. And he didn't.

"Look at my face."

A pointless request. No one around him could ever not look at his face ever since it was lost to the flames.

"When I walk down the street people gawk, do their damnedest to walk around me as if I'm afflicted with the plague. I cannot kiss my wife's lips without seeing a look of pity on here face. I cannot feel my wife's lips because mine have been burnt off. Every time I look in the mirror I will see a failure-a man who failed to protect his family when it really counted."

Riku took a deep breath to and steady himself so he doesn't burst into tears as he continues"My son was put on life-support due to the 'accident' . Every Yen me and my wife scrounge up has gone to keeping our boy alive and paying you to try to get the bastard who made him this way help out. And this offer will barely help keep a roof over heads for the next couple months. My wife needs therapy and medicine to keep from utterly breaking down. But even they aren't enough. My little girl often has to be there to calm her down when I'm not there. Tell me thats a responsibility a 12 year old girl should bear. This can't be the best deal. Don't tell me this is the best you could do. This cant be it. I-it shouldn't be it!"

The Lawyer listened patiently to Riku's rant. There was little point in even really responding given both he and Riku knew Riku would settle. As the lead plaintiff to the case he knew rejecting this over would alienate the few others claimants in his class suit he had left who've staked their own financial futures in this endeavor hoping justice to be done.

This was the best offer.

Riku knew this.

But he needed to someone, something he could lash out and the lawyer was the closest thing he could at the moment. Both Jin and Riku understood this.

Riku signed the papers.

On his way homble he wondered how he could break the news to his beloved. To the other claimants who've lost loved ones and their bodies to the 'Hero'.

He decided to be direct and tell them the simple truth.

It was time to settle.