Exhausted and sporting a headache rivaling one that occurred due to the overuse of her quirk, Hina trudged closer towards the school, not looking forward to the mountain of leftover paperwork that would greet her there. Midnight and Toshinori had both finished up their work the night before, but the Life Skills teacher and several others still had a ways to to before taming their piles. At this point, it wouldn't have surprised her if they had multiplied during the night. Knowing her luck, hers definitely would have.
No one paid any mind to the hungover UA teacher as she made her way, wearing sunglasses to reduce the sunlight blinding her and carrying her bag strapped over her shoulder, as her slow footsteps brought her closer to her destination. Another vibration from her pocket, another text from Midnight, and she sighed to herself, shaking her head but ultimately ignoring the notification.
Her usual coffee place was on the way there, and after much debate, she finally decided to stop and grab something before getting to the school, knowing she'd need at least a little something to get her through the day. Mixing caffeine with a hangover wasn't wise. Sure it would feel like it was helping at first and even alleviate some of the pounding pain in her head, but the eventual crash would be awful. It always went this way, but so long as she continually drank it throughout the day, it would keep her awake long enough to get her through all of her work to do.
Sunrise Coffee was a small, bright yellow shack set on the corner of two main roads. Despite looking rather ramshackle and unorthodox in comparison to the higher-rise building it sat directly next to, it was quite popular and bragged the award for best espresso two years running among the local shops. This of course meant longer lines most of the time, but Hina could overlook small things like that in order to get her hands on her daily Mocha blend.
Except, today, a familiar looking face stood in the line close to the front, which caught her attention in a distracting manner.
"Aizawa?" She asked, narrowing her eyes as if she wasn't seeing properly. Was her hangover making her see things too?
He turned her way and raised his brows. His eyes flicked over the sunglasses and lackluster hairstyle she'd thrown together that morning. "Scarlet. You look..."371Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3dkoLcf3e4
"Hungover?" She finished for him, and he nodded. Her hand brushed over her temple and she sighed in slight pain. Her pocket vibrated. She ignored it once more. "Yeah, well...that's what I get for downing five shots last night, I guess."
He nodded quietly, saying nothing more on the matter. She was thankful he didn't bring up her awkward and embarrassing actions from the bar, hoping to put the matter behind her. What followed after wasn't all that bad, she supposed, but the beginning of the night could be purged entirely from her mind for all she cared.
"I didn't know you bought coffee here." She pointed out, dragging the conversation back to some semblance of normal, morning small talk. "I haven't seen you here before."
He shrugged, looking back up at the available drinks. "It was on the way. Figured I'd try it out. The school's coffee can get old after awhile."
"I'd recommend the Chocolate Mocha, but you and I don't exactly agree on what constitutes good coffee." She quipped with a smile, and he nodded seriously.
The line moved forward, with only one person ahead of him. She seemed to notice that she'd simply inserted herself into the line unintentionally, and took a step back. "Oh, I'd better get in line and wait my turn. Don't want to be accused of line cutting."
"Let me buy you coffee." He said evenly, suddenly catching her surprised eye.
Her hands raised up in denial. "You don't have to do that-"
"I promised to take you out for some, didn't I? After USJ." He reminded her, and she did suddenly recall his offer. She hadn't thought much about it since then, too much else going on to have remembered. Ugh, yet another vibration ignored, for the third time. Midnight was not taking the hint.
"Ah, yeah you did. Well, thank you then. I appreciate it." It would be rude to decline now, going back on her word to accept his offer from back then. And she did not want to be rude.
He ordered their drinks and they stood back a ways from the counter to wait for them to be ready. The redhead was a little antsy, shifting on her feet as she stood next to him. She kept glancing Aizawa's direction, wondering if he felt any semblance of the unease she did. His outward expression was calm, composed, and practically the same neutral emotion he displayed for most things. He gave nothing away.
Hina couldn't help but recall the way he'd held her close, against the wall of her apartment building the night before to keep her steady. His small smile accompanied with his teasing had filtered through her mind on repeat all night long, invading even her sleep. She was embarrassed to admit that he'd starred in a very tense dream she'd had, fixing her with that amused smile as he pressed her up against her bedroom wall, promising things with his eyes that she desperately wanted to come true in the moment. But boy had it been shameful to recall that morning as she woke up.
He seemed oblivious to her internal guilt, and she did her best not to show any of it through her body language, but some leaked through despite it all.
Before long their drinks were ready and they were walking towards the school side by side, sipping away at their respective coffees. She supposed he simply chalked up her shameful behavior last night as a drunken mistake, and thought nothing more of it. Perhaps she should try to emulate that same thinking.
Her concentration was broken by a fourth vibration in her pocket and she sighed heavily before reaching down to grab it. "For fuck's sake..." She muttered, scrolling through her messages to just get the notifications off of her screen. Aizawa noticed her frustration.
"Telemarketers?" He asked as they crossed the street among the other civilians, but she shook her head.
"Midnight. She's trying to get me to tell her any gossip I might have heard last night, but doesn't believe I don't know anything. She's a pain in my ass sometimes..." Hina remarked, tapping back a fast and annoyed reply to hopefully stop the continuous stream of messages, before stuffing the device back in her pocket.
Aizawa nodded in understanding. "Midnight is like Mic in that regard. He's nosy and persistent as well. Somehow he always manages to drag me into some nonsense or another, though."
She smiled. "Is that how you ended up commentating for the sports festival? It didn't sound like you'd volunteered to be there."
"Yes, unfortunately. There wasn't much I could really do to stop him at the time." He admitted, taking another sip from his black coffee. "It's not like I did much anyway. Mic did most of the talking."
"Maybe he just didn't want to be alone up there all day long?" She mused to herself.
"Probably."
Hina shook her head, forced to step closer to him to avoid a couple standing in the middle of the sidewalk. "I still can't wrap my head around you two as friends. You're so different from each other. How did that happen, anyway?"
"It was back in high school." He explained with a neutral expression. "We sat next to each other and he seemed to take that as some sort of sign that we were supposed to be friends. I was one of the few people who put up with his personality without ridiculing him. He never left me alone and...well, that's basically it."
"So, he just dogged you so much that you begrudgingly became his friend?" She asked in amusement, but he winced.
"I didn't become his friend out of pity, if that's what you're asking. He just stuck with me and I didn't mind having him around." He said, then drank the rest of his coffee in one long gulp. His now empty cup was tossed in the nearest trash can on the sidewalk. "After high school, we went separate ways for awhile, but we both ended up back at UA as teachers. He acted as if no time had passed at all."
Hina still wasn't even halfway done with her coffee, preferring to savor the creamy flavor for as long as she could. "Well, it's clear that you two work very well together. I'm glad you have a friend like that." Then, she tilted her head in thought. "I hope I don't come across as pushy or bothersome. I know I can ramble if I don't catch myself..."
"You don't." He said quickly, catching her eye. "I don't mind your company. If I thought you were bothersome, you'd know it."
Hina smiled at his admission, seeing the gates of the school up ahead. His words did more to dispel her nerves than any number of cups of coffee could. "I'm glad."
Hina was a few hours deep into laying on the couch and doing absolutely nothing, thankful that her efforts of slaving away at the many internship applications and assignments to grade had paid off in the end. Her desk was clear and devoid of current responsibilities, and she was, for once, able to relax without knowing there was an ever-present job to do somewhere else.
Her tv was lit up with some wildlife documentary, showing high-definition videos of animals in their natural habitat. It wasn't anything of particular interest to her, but it was better than what most other channels were currently showing. Her bowl of popcorn was nearly empty, and she set the bowl aside, no longer hungry or in the mood to eat.
She heard a few hard thumps above her, and she looked up at the ceiling. Her upstairs neighbors had a habit of stomping at odd hours of the day, or dropping things on the floor. She could never quite tell what they were doing. All she knew was that it was annoying. Her middle finger flicked outwards, directed at whoever lived above her.
She yawned, stretching her back to pop the joints. It was early but the day had been long enough that she wouldn't mind heading to bed soon. A full night's rest sounded lovely. Standing and turning off the tv, she grabbed her phone and went to start turning off the lights in her apartment.
The phone buzzed, and at first she rolled her eyes, thinking it was Midnight trying a second time to squeeze her for information, but it kept ringing. She turned the phone in her hand to see the screen, and was surprised to recognize the police Commissioner's contact on her phone.
"This is Scarlet Seer?" She answered in confusion, wondering why on earth he'd be calling her, of all heroes. She wasn't particularly active, which the Commissioner was aware of.
"Scarlet Seer, this is Commissioner Jino. We are requesting your immediate assistance at Musutafu General Hospital." He said without hesitation or delay. There was a full second's pause before she had the ability to reply back, shocked by what he'd said.
"Ah...yes, of course. I'll be there right away..." She stuttered out, fast footsteps carrying her to her bedroom where her hero costume was hanging after being washed. "May I ask...what's going on?"
"We aren't sure. That's why your presence here is imperative." He said, not unkindly. The Commissioner was a duty-driven man, who didn't beat around the bush or seemingly participate in small talk of any kind. "We are certain you will understand when you arrive."
"I see." She said, swallowing back her nerves. "I should be there within five minutes."
With that, the line disconnected, and she stared at her screen, still bewildered by what had just happened. Then, knowing she was expected there as soon as possible, she tossed her phone to the bed and stripped off her pajamas, tossing them to the floor carelessly.
Living close to the academy meant she was also nearby to the general hospital, and she made quick work of the route to get there. Not bothering with a taxi or other vehicle, she elected to use her nimbleness to create her own shortcuts from the buildings' roofs. She was there in no time, barely breaking a sweat. If there was one thing she could at least boast about, it was her stamina.
She dropped to the ground from a nearby building and jogged over to the hospital's main entrance. A police officer stood there, waiting for her. He gestured inside when she approached.
"Please, come this way."
"Can you tell me what is going on?" She inquired, but he shook his head, leading her towards the hospital elevators.
"The Commissioner doesn't want too many details of this getting out to the public. He will brief you once you arrive." The man explained evenly as the doors opened. They stepped inside and he pressed the button for the 4th floor.
Hina was still very confused, completely in the dark as to what was going on. The cabin began to move, lifting them up until it came to a stop on the designated floor. The small screen at the front displayed the number '4' and dinged loudly.
"Follow me." The man instructed, gesturing for her to do so when he stepped out of the cabin. They passed a nurse's station, which was devoid of any staff, strangely enough. This wing of the hospital was eerily quiet, and she glanced behind her out of instinct. Nothing was waiting behind her to attack, but she couldn't help but feel something wasn't right. Maybe an empty hospital corridor was just creepy in of itself, and she tried to shake the feeling off.
"In here." The man approached a door and opened it, holding it so she could enter the room. Hina stepped inside the brightly room suite, three beds set against the left wall. A handful of uniformed policemen took up the room, outnumbered only by the hospital staff actively treating the three patients, checking vitals and hanging new IV bags. The odd one out among those inside was Aizawa, who stood with crossed arms speaking to one of the policemen.
He glanced at her as she entered, and his arms released themselves. The man he'd been talking to turned in place, and greeted her with an extended hand. "Scarlet Seer, thank you for coming at such short notice."
Hina recognized the voice and knew this to be the Commissioner. It had been awhile since she'd seen him face to face, but that voice was distinct and unforgettable. "It's no problem. Can you please tell me what's going on?"
Jino gestured to the left where the bedridden patients were. "Three heroes over the past week have been found in a comatose state. No apparent damage to their body, but unresponsive to any stimulus we've tried. They're all but dead, though their bodies are still functioning as they should be."
Hina frowned, watching as he turned to regard them all. "Slugger. Mr. Brave. And just tonight," his hand drifted to the further bed from them, "Eraserhead found Rock Lock in the same state while on patrol."
"Who was the first victim?" She asked, looking over to her colleagues. "When were they found?"
"Slugger was the first to be discovered." The Commissioner replied, ushering them over to his bed. She noticed a bat and his hero uniform folded in a pile beside the bed, recognizing his signature umpire-inspired mask on top of it. "Mt. Lady found him laying in an alleyway six days ago. No visible wounds, and according to the medical professionals, no internal injuries either. There's no apparent reason these heroes should be this way. They're healthy as horses."
He turned back to Hina. "Eraserhead recommended we call you for assistance."
The redhead looked at Aizawa, then understood why she was here. "You want me to search their minds, see what might have happened?" Both men nodded, and she looked over at the heroes again. "Ok...I'll see what I can do."
By some unspoken signal, the law enforcement and medical professionals all gave her some space as she approached Slugger. His face was calm, eyes closed. For all intents and purposes, he was just sleeping, but for some reason lacked the ability to wake up or react to anything around him. Hina let out a breath before sitting on the chair beside the bed. Activating her quirk at the fullest of her power, her eyes glowed a cyan blue, and everything around her faded as she delved into the man's psyche.
Minds were a beautiful, delicate thing. The few that she was able to touch to this level throughout her life had all been very different and unique in practice, akin to the people they belonged to, but structurally similar. She'd been expecting a place of significance as the backdrop to what could be described as the 'central core' of Slugger's mind--hers was the shoreline with a view of the ocean, as it had always brought her a sense of calm and peace--but she saw nothing but darkness around her. A darkness no light could penetrate.
An intense feeling of fear washed over her as she stood in what could only be described as pitch black emptiness. Intruding on someone's mind always came with the risk of being overtaken by the emotions they were currently feeling, and this was no different. He was stricken with intense fear, paralyzing and terrifying and too encroaching for him to overcome in his current state.
Well...the 'room' wasn't completely empty, now that she looked around closely. Tiny shards of shimmering, red crystal-like material suspended in the space around her, rotating and spinning in place. She reached out to touch it, but it cut her finger like glass. A drop of blood welled up at the tip of her pointer finger, and she held it to her mouth.
Breathing heavy from the thick layer of intimidation that wrapped around his mind, she stepped forward, spotting his individual representation curled up in the middle of the smattering of red crystals with weak sobs. The central point.
"Slugger." She called, her voice shaking a little from the heavy feeling of fear sinking into her. He did not respond other than continuing to weep. She knelt beside him, touching his back gently, which was bare. In fact, he was completely naked, curled into himself in shame and vulnerability. Stripped down to his most basic human state.
She looked around for the small orb that should represent his mind as a whole. The 'command console,' as she'd always liked to refer to them as. With it, she'd have access to his mind, thoughts, feelings, and memories without the need to brute force her way through. Everyone had one, painted a shade of color that represented them on a basic level. Hers was blue. His...well, she couldn't even find his.
Her eyes searched the darkness for something, anything, that might indicate where the orb was, but then she stopped as it all clicked together. The red crystals that shimmered and danced in place all around her...she understood now, and suddenly the fear that draped her shoulders wasn't all the byproduct of Slugger's intense terror. Hina pulled herself from his mind hurriedly, snapping back to reality with a sharp intake of breath.
"Scarlet?" Aizawa asked in concern, but she had already turned her head to Mr. Brave and dived into the next hero's mind before she could reply, eyes flaring back to life in a glowing, cyan hue.
Darkness. Shards of glimmering, forest green crystal. And extreme, intense, physical pain that hit her like a speeding bullet. She gasped aloud, but it was drowned out by a man's voice. Mr. Brave was screaming, voice hoarse and raw, and he clutched at his head in desperation. Equally as naked as Slugger had been, his image writhed on the ground in continuous and unimaginable pain.
Hina grit her teeth, feeling as though her body was being torn apart at all angles, before pulling back immediately from his mind. The white walls and floors of the hospital room lay before her, and she felt a tear leak from one eye. She felt a hand on her shoulder to provide her support. She knew it was Aizawa, but didn't bother to look up at him or acknowledge he was there, reeling from the sudden shift in environment and emotions.
Her eyes glowed blue once more, and the inky blackness surrounded her again. She was hit with a wave of debilitating grief, and she couldn't stop herself from crying the moment she found herself in Rock Lock's mind. His sorrow was a keening wail, his naked body bent over and straining against his own grief.
His shards were pale yellow, in as small of pieces as Mr. Brave's and Slugger's were. Fragmented and scattered, like a starry sky above her head. Through her tears, Hina went over to him, kneeling before him to try to get his attention.
"Rock Lock! I need you to look at me!" Her voice wavered, tears still slipping down her cheeks, but he only shook his head.
"They're gone..." He cried out in agony, hands fisting together and pressing against the ground. "Both of them...just gone!"
"Rock Lock..." She tried again, wishing that she knew his real name, but he was lost in his grief and paid her no further attention. Saddened by the state of him, she realized there was nothing further she could do, and pulled back from his mind.
Her body shook with lingering emotions from all three heroes, and she quickly wiped away at the tears at her cheeks. Aizawa's hand still rested on her shoulder, and she looked up at him in gratitude. He returned her stare, worry hidden behind his neutral expression.
"Is there anything you can tell us as to what might be happening?" Jino asked, gaining her attention. She nodded morosely, taking a moment to even out her throat. It was dry and felt scratchy, as if she'd been screaming for an hour.
"Their minds are completely shattered." His eyebrows raised in surprise, not expecting that answer. "All that's left is...fragments, shards. It's practically disintegrated. Like their subconscious was put through a shredder and spat out the other end."
"You have an idea for what caused this, don't you?" The police Commissioner suspected, and she nodded, eyes drifting back over to the comatose heroes.
"A mental-based assault wouldn't leave visible injuries and could cause this sort of damage. This just looks like basic brute force turned up to a sadistic degree..." She sighed, wishing things hadn't turned out this way. "I think my brother is responsible for this."
"He did escape the prison just before the first attack. And there aren't many mental-based quirk users in the city." Another policeman commented, standing nearby. The police Commissioner nodded thoughtfully.
"It does fit the timeline..." He looked over the heroes again as well. Hina took the opportunity to compose herself. "Does Daichi possess the power necessary to do something like this? I'm aware you helped bring him in the first time."
"Yes, he does. His quirk is more powerful than mine."
"Then we will want to bring this to the attention of all heroes in the area to warn them." He said. "He seems to only be targeting heroes, no civilians have been found in this condition. Until that changes, we should assume he has some sort of vendetta against heroes, or the system at the very least. I want to find out why these three in particular were targeted."
Hina looked down at her lap, as the policemen went about their way discussing theories and compiling their evidence. She felt useless once more, unable to help these heroes recover their broken minds. The pieces were too small, too fragmented, and a mind was a complex machine. Putting it back together from tattered pieces was no easy feat.
Aizawa's squeezed her shoulder, and she glanced upwards at his concerned expression. "You should go home. Rest."
"I doubt I'll get much sleep after this..." She muttered, but stood nonetheless. There was no further need for her here.
He ushered her to the door, nodding to the nearest policeman as they passed. The hallway outside the treatment room was still quiet and eerie, which wasn't helping her calm down from what she'd just experienced.
"How bad was it?" Aizawa questioned once they were in the elevator, seeing her visible discomfort.
Hina searched for the right way to describe it before finally answering, her eyes straight ahead. "When you enter someone's mind to that level, you are essentially stepping into the very core of their being. Generally, it manifests itself as a room, which portrays itself as a place that is significant to the individual." They arrived to the ground floor and stepped out into the lobby. She gestured in the direction of the beach. "Mine is the shoreline."
Hina shook her head sadly as they stepped out into the evening air. "All I could see was darkness, and the shattered remains of their psyche. Slugger felt this unimaginable fear. Mr. Brave is in continuous physical pain. And Rock Lock is experiencing grief of his loved ones."
"Grief?" Aizawa seemed confused. "His wife and daughter are fine."
"He believes completely that they're dead. Just listening to his sorrow was...tough. It's difficult not to take on those emotions when you step into their heads...
"What Daichi did..." Hina struggled to come up with how she felt about it, "Whatever he showed them, whatever he used to break down their minds...that leaves permanent scarring. I don't know if they will ever recover from that, even if somehow they're able to piece their psyche back together . I have no clue how to fix something like that and I have the quirk used to cause it..."
"Then focus on what you can control." He suggested, stepping in front of her to stop their walking. She looked up at him, seeing the determination of a professional hero return to his eyes. "Train your quirk to protect yourself. That's all you have the power to control right now. So do what you can and let others who can help worry about the rest. And if we're lucky, you'll figure something out to help them as you go."
Hina watched him for a second, eyes flicking between his, unsure of what to say. His infallible logic and unwavering bravery was more than she cold handle sometimes. Altogether, he was a hero she strived to be more like. Strong and brave and admirable.
"I don't know how you do it, Aizawa...you never seemed fazed by anything. You always have a plan for when things go wrong. You're a remarkable man."
"I'm not fearless, Scarlet." He said, looking away in embarrassment at her words. "I just know what I can and can't control. It's logical." His hands tucked themselves into his pockets. She conjured up a small smile and a shake of her head, then moved to stand in his line of sight again. He could be so formal all the time.
"You can call me Hina, you know. All my friends do."
Aizawa didn't seem to know how to respond and simply stared at her with a strange expression, before turning back the direction they were heading.
"Come on, let's get you home." He said, and she followed obediently.
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