"Natsuki!"

The girl's eyes shot open instantly. The shouting was something she long ago came to expect, but it still startled her every time it awoke her from her sleep. Why her dad couldn't use an alarm clock, she never knew.

Turning to her digital clock, Natsuki read the time. 4 AM.

"Great," She groaned under her breath. Normally, Natsuki's school days began at 6 AM sharp. However, it wasn't entirely uncommon for her father to wake up earlier than usual. Frankly, these days were often the worst, as her dad usually suffered some kind of hangover.

"NATSUKI!" Her dad's voice thundered. "It's time to get up!"

No it wasn't.

And yet Natsuki knew it was. She knew damn well that arguing with her father was a terribly dumb idea. So she wasted no time in sprinting down the stairs.

The sight that greeted her was not a pretty one. There, dressed in merely his underwear and a stained tank top, was Natsuki's Dad. As soon as the two made eye contact, he shot her a look of tired annoyance.

Natsuki unconsciously shot him one back. It had been the third day in a row where Natsuki had been awakened at such an early hour.

"Don't give me that," he snapped. "Go make yourself some damn eggs or something."

"We don't have eggs," Natsuki reminded him. "I put them on the list last week, remember?"

"Then run down to the store and get some," Her dad countered.

"At four in the morning? Isn't that dangerous?"

"You'll be fine," Natsuki's Dad assured. "Got any money?"

"Not really."

"Of course you don't," he growled, rising to his feet. "Probably spent it all on that trash in your room."

"You don't exactly give me an allowance," Natsuki fired back. This was a terribly bad idea, but she didn't care anymore.

Of course, this backtalk would have let to quite the shouting match. The two of them got into one about once a week, and neither seemed willing to back down now. Natsuki was really tired of living like this. Often she prayed for some sort of release from her dad's temper. Little did she know, however, that her prayers were about to be answered.

Suddenly and without warning, a dark-skinned fist smashed through the wall of the kitchen. The abrupt noise startled both Natsuki and her father. Soon, the head of a man emerged through the hole, his eyes filled with determination.

"OLD SPICE IS SO POWERFUL, IT CAN'T EVEN STAY IN ITS OWN COMMERCIAL!" A mysterious man exclaimed as he continued to destroy the wall to make way for his grand entrance. He was a man of legendary stature, and buff beyond all belief. Dressed in nothing but red shorts, he emerged gracefully yet fearfully from the hole he had made in the kitchen. He looked around at his newfound environment with no small amount of confusion.

"Wait a minute. . . This isn't the set?" He had clearly remembered that his co-star for this commercial was merely a single woman, not a father and his pink-haired daughter. Nevertheless, he approached the two, and his loud and boisterous demeanor vanished into that of a caring and patient man.

"Excuse me, sir. My name is Terry Crews. I'm sorry about your wall; I can pay for it if you need me to. Do you happen to know the address for-"

"Get out of my house!" Interrupted Natuski's father. "NOW!"

Terry raised his eyebrows, and for a brief moment his face was engulfed in mild shock. Nevertheless, he nodded politely and began to make his way to the front door.

But Natsuki did not want him to leave. There was another adult in the room, and her dad wasn't as prone to putting her down in the presence of company. Her desire to have him stay went beyond that, however. Brief as it was, she saw something within Terry the moment they made eye contact. They say the eyes are the windows to the soul, and Terry's soul was one that was immeasurably kind, brave, and just. Just gazing upon such a magnificent person had granted Natsuki the power she needed to speak out.

"Wait!" She exclaimed. "Mr. Crews?"

Terry turned around and gave her a kind smile. It served to embolden her further. "Yes, Miss?"

"Natsuki," She said, returning the smile. "Why don't you stay over for a while? You know, so we can work out a deal about this wall situation? I could make us all some cupcakes-"

"Oh there you go with your goddamn cupcakes again!" Natsuki's Dad interrupted. "Why can't you eat real food like an adult!? What happened to all them mangoes you keep in your room!?"

"Well, you don't give me any actual lunch money! And it's manga!" Natsuki snapped at her father. At this, both Terry and Dadsuki raised an eyebrow in surprise, though for different reasons.

"Did you just snap at me, young lady?" He uttered, making no effort to hide the spite in his voice.

"What if I just did!?" Natsuki shouted.

Smack!

A sharp, pitiful squeak came from Natsuki as she fell to the floor, hand over her cheek. For a moment, there was total silence within the household as all three parties took a moment to register what had just happened. Eventually, Natsuki's gentle sobs broke the silence, and her dad saw nothing less than total fear in her eyes. He couldn't help but smile at the level of control he had right now.

Or so he thought. You see, Terry Crews wasn't just a magnificent and lovable actor for Old Spice commercials. Indeed, there lied a greater cause in the bottom of his heart. For as long as he could remember, Terry wanted nothing more than to rid the world of abusers of all kinds and the pain they caused. Nobody deserved to go through the torment he had witnessed others struggle with. Most of the time, he had to go out of the way to hunt these people down. Now, however, such a creature had revealed himself entirely by accident. It was a mistake he would soon regret.

"You monster!" Terry exclaimed, absolutely enraged by this evil. "Do you not care enough for your child to feed her!?"

Not one to be easily intimidated, Natsuki's Dad approached our heroic intruder with a look of pure hatred in his eyes. The noxious odor of alcohol and piss would have been enough to fell even the likes of Goliath. However, Terry Crews was unfazed, protected by the shield of Old Spice Odor Blocker Bodywash.

"Look here buddy, how I parent my daughter is none of your damn business!" Natsuki's dad shouted, punctuating his point by jamming a finger in Terry's rock-hard abs. "You need to leave. Right. Now."

Of course, Terry Crews was by no means afraid of the aggressor. After all, it was not the first time he had encountered such a sorry excuse for a father. However, just as it always did, it made his blood boil whenever these abusers refused to repent.

"OH NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Terry exclaimed defiantly. To say his voice was booming would be a terrible understatement; indeed, it shattered windows and awoke families all across the neighborhood. They may have found it annoying at first, but they were fools if they believed justice could be any more quiet. As for Dadsuki, the sheer power of the voice alone had knocked him back a few feet. "Your parenting is disgraceful, man! It ends today, whether you like it or not!"

Natsuki's Dad merely guffawed at this threat. "That's what you think, deodorant dude!" He flexed, and in one swift millisecond, his shirt tore in two, revealing a body swole enough to rival Terry's own gains.

Natsuki shrieked. "Papa, please don't!"

"Shut up, Natsuki!" He shouted, and Natsuki instantly recoiled. Knowing that there was little she could do in this situation, she backed away as far as possible from the two men. However, she did not leave the room. "Last chance, Crews. Get outta here and mind your own business!"

Terry gulped. Admittedly, he had never encountered such a physically strong opponent before, and his confidence wavered. For the briefest of moments, he even considered taking Dadsuki's offer. However, he turned to Natsuki and looked her straight in the eye. It was a wordless exchange, but Terry saw that those were the eyes of a beautiful and loving girl that still had the chance for a bright future. He remembered why he fought for what he did, and he would not give up now.

With newfound determination, Terry charged towards his opponent with a haymaker ready to smash his jaw. He dashed gracefully and swiftly, and the first punch of the fight connected before Papa Natsuki could even register what happened. The pure, raw strength of Crews sent Dadsuki flying through the wall and into the next room with a loud crash.

However, Dadsuki soon emerged from the hole in the wall with little more than a bruise or two. On his face was a sly smirk, as if he had expected such, and one of his arms was behind his back, obviously hiding something. "Not a bad first move, Crews, but you will never stop me from abusing my daughter!"

"That's what you think!" Exclaimed Terry, already preparing to defend himself against a possible counterattack. "I'll destroy you like Old Spice destroys body odor!"

"You're a fool for supporting Old Spice, Crews. It is the weakest of all masculine body washes, and I shall prove it!" As Natsuki's Dad finished his sentence, he moved his arm out from behind his back to reveal a bottle of Axe Body Wash. As it turned out, the room Dadsuki had been knocked into was the bathroom, and fate had provided this evildoer with an equally vile weapon.

Terry's eyes widened in fear. "No! Axe Body Wash is clearly an inferior and more expensive product. You're making a big mistake, Dadsuki!"

Dadsuki's eyes narrowed. "Oh I don't think so."

In the span of half of a second, Dadsuki tossed the bottle containing the crude concoction at Crews. Time slowed down as Crews dove to his left. Nevertheless, when the bottle smashed against the kitchen floor, it exploded into fragments of plastic and globs of body wash. A small glob landed on one of Crews's glorious legs, causing him to scream in pain. If Old Spice gave Terry his great power, then all other brands were his kryptonite.

As our hero lied on the cold hardwood floor, writhing in great pain, Dadsuki triumphantly strut toward his adversary. In that moment, he was certain victory was his. Therefore, he turned his attention on his daughter. "Now just what makes you think you have the right to tell me what I can and can't do!? I gave you life, and a roof over your head! I work hard to provide for our family, you ungrateful little brat!"

A new breed of fear was brewing in Natsuki. Sure, this was nothing she wasn't used to hearing before. However, now she was cornered with a very angry, unstable man. Natsuki gazed into her father's eyes and found that they were like those of an lion ready to attack a gazelle. The poor little girl slumped to the ground, having lost all hope that she would get away from this horrible situation.

Little did she know, however, that the fight was far from over. Terry, despite his grievous injuries, watched intently at the danger unfolding in front of him. It angered him, it saddened him, but most importantly it lit a flame in his heart that could not be extinguished by any amount of Axe. With all his strength, Terry reached into the back of his red shorts, pulling out his own bottle of Old Spice. He soon uncapped it and began pouring the great-smelling substance all over his body. Soon, he emerged from his fetal position on the floor stronger than ever.

"BUH BUH BUH BUH BUH POWER! PICK ON SOMEONE YOUR OWN SIZE!"

Crews's resurrection had come at the nick of time. Just as things were about to get ugly, Dadsuki turned his attention away from his daughter to face down his true enemy. "Why won't you just stay down!?"

Terry stood with his head held high, prepared for a grand speech that would go on to shake the emotional foundations of millions. "Why won't I stay down?" He repeated rhetorically. "It's quite simple, really. If I stay down, then she stays down, forever trapped under the thumb of a hateful being unworthy of the term 'man'. I fight evildoers like you to bring hope and love to the lives of those who deserve better. Put it on record: My name is Terry Crews. Some would call me that guy from the Old Spice commercials, others would call me crazy. Me? I prefer the term 'hero'. And if there's one thing our world needs more of, it's strong and righteous men to defend the weak from those like you. So now I ask you this, why should I stay down!?"

Natsuki's Dad stood there for a moment, seemingly processing the legendary speech that he just heard. "Wow. That was rather poignant, Terry Crews. I wasn't really expecting something with such impact."

Terry's eyes brightened. Perhaps there was hope after all. "So you're saying you repent of your ways and wish to amend your relationship with your daughter?"

"Nah, I'm too blatantly evil for that," Dadsuki replied, reaching for his back pocket and drawing a Desert Eagle. He grinned victoriously as he aimed the weapon straight at Terry. "Now, time for you to perish!"

Before Terry even had time to react, Dadsuki pulled the trigger, sending a bullet flying straight to Crews's chest. However, the bullet merely bounced off his pecs like a rubber ball. Whether it was his fantastic muscles, the power of Old Spice, or divine intervention itself, Terry Crews had become bulletproof.

All this was shocking to Dadsuki. "How are you not dead?"

But Terry did not respond. He now knew that Natsuki's Dad was absolutely irredeemable and had to be destroyed. The power of Old Spice was now in his bloodstream, and his eyes began to gradually glow green. Steam began to blow from his earholes. His head trembled violently and rapidly. He had prepared his final attack.

Natsuki gasped. Having read enough manga, she knew exactly what her hero was doing. Yet she did not feel any sympathy for her father. Indeed, Crews's words had weighed heavily on her heart, and she found herself with a newfound sense of emotional liberation.

"OH NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Terry Crews exclaimed as he shot mini-Death Star lasers from his eyes. It was pretty cool to watch, and also the last thing Dadsuki ever saw. Before he had a chance to even react, he was nothing more than a pile of ashes on the floor.

Immediately afterward, Terry Crews returned to his normal state. Rather than the self-righteousness, however, Terry felt a pang of remorse. He wondered what exactly could drive anyone to behave in such a vile or hateful way. Perhaps this man had been a victim of abuse himself, and this was all he knew. Perhaps he was once a good man that was eventually broken by the stress and pressure burdened upon him by society. If such were the case, then it was a tragic end for a corrupted man. Nevertheless, Terry took something of a cold comfort that he had ended the suffering this man caused.

Natsuki rose from her spot on the floor and walked over to what was left of her father. She stared down at it cautiously, as if expecting the ash to attack at any moment. For more than a minute, there was a deafening silence throughout the house.

It was Natsuki that spoke first. "Did you just-"

"Kill your father?" Terry Crews interrupted, scratching the back of his head nervously. "Yeah, I guess I went a little overboard, but I can assure you it was-"

Crews was cut off with a warm and firm hug, courtesy of Natsuki. When she pulled back, there were tears streaming down her face. More importantly, however, there was a smile. That was how Crews knew he did the right thing.

"T-thank you," she murmured softly.

Crews returned her smile, as well as her hug. For the first time in her life, Natsuki found herself truly comfortable in the arms of a father figure. There was a true sensation of joy within her heart. For the first time in her life, she truly felt like she could do anything she set her mind to.

"What are we gonna do now?" Natsuki asked.

We. That was the hard part. As much as he wanted to permanently fill the void of love that Natsuki's father had left behind, Terry Crews knew that he could not stay with her. There were other children out there that needed his help, and it was his God-given duty to give it to them.

He pulled away gently, and Natsuki noticed the look of regret in his eyes. "I'm sorry, Natsuki," he began, a single remorseful tear rolling down his cheek. "I'm afraid. . . I'm afraid I can't stay with you."

Natsuki's smile dropped completely, and her eyes began to water once more. "What?" she choked out. "Y-you can't!"

Terry Crews sighed. He could only imagine how much emotional pain his words were causing her. In the end, though, a good father wouldn't lie to his child, and so he would not either. "Natsuki, there are other kids around the world that are trapped like you. They feel unloved, unwanted, and forgotten. They need to be rescued, you know? It's my job to do that."

"But. . . I need you more!" Natsuki exclaimed, tears streaming down her cheeks. "You just showed me what it means to have a good parent! For the first time in my life, I understand what it means to have the true love of a father!"

"I know," Terry responded, bowing his head in great shame. "But you must understand. If I stayed with the first child I saved from domestic abuse, I would have never had the chance to meet you."

Natsuki sniffled. "I know. It's just. . . I wish I could have someone like you all to myself."

"You don't need to worry, Natsuki," Terry told her reassuringly. Not three seconds later, however, his stomach emitted a rather loud growl. After all, it was breakfast time.

Natsuki couldn't help but chuckle a bit. "Sounds like you're a little hungry, Mr. Crews. Why don't you stay over for breakfast? I bake some pretty mean cupcakes."

Terry Crews laughed. "I suppose so."