Aizawa heard them coming before they'd turned the corner of the hospital's third floor hallway. They really weren't subtle, and Hizashi's voice in particular had a tendency to carry no matter what environment he was in. Eyes closed and leaning back against the hallway's wall, he listened as they grew closer to where he sat on the chair the nurses had provided him with. He could tell the moment they turned the corner, hearing them call-
"Aizawa!" Came Ectoplasm's enthusiastic greeting, and the erasure hero finally opened his eyes, watching him, Snipe, Cementoss and Mic approach. "Hina is in room 335, right? We checked, but she wasn't inside."
He nodded, but stood and held up a hand to stop them from continuing forward. He stuck a thumb behind him to indicate a room further down the hallway. "She's with the psychologist. They'll be done soon, you should be able to see her afterwards."
They nodded, and settled in to wait in the hallway with the erasure hero. Snipe cleared his throat. "So...how is she? Nezu didn't go into detail when he told us she was awake."
In response, Aizawa sighed and closed his eyes with a shake of his head. "I'm not sure. She's conscious, but...she's been through a lot."
He couldn't get the image of the confusing mixture of terror and relief that filled her expression when he'd rushed into her hospital room. He'd mourned her expression's lack of life the night before, but now he was fearful of just how much her face gave away. Eyes wide, pupil's dilated into small dots. She stared at him like she was seeing a ghost. The way her hands had shaken an alarming degree, and how she'd jerked them away when he'd reached out to take them in his own hands, screaming as if in pain.
The nurses had described how she'd been inconsolable before he'd arrived, and although she'd still sobbed and took stuttering breaths after he'd shown up, she'd at least stopped struggling against her IV tubes and stopped her escape attempts.
After an hour of refusing to let him leave her side, and with the help of some sedatives to allow her to calm down, she'd finally fallen into a fitful sleep with her forehead against his chest. Aizawa had been updated on everything that had occurred beforehand, and the appropriate calls had been made to those who needed to be informed of her awakening.
Mic raised a brow, inspecting the man closer. "Yo, you're looking exhausted. Even more so than usual, which is saying something!"
He nodded, blinking away some of the bleariness in his vision. "At first, Hina would panic if she didn't see someone she recognized close by, so I stayed here last night. Her nightmares wake her up frequently. Neither of us really got any sleep."
A sympathetic wince echoed across their expressions, but they all turned to see the door to just past Aizawa open, and a tall, thin man wearing a suit stepped out, holding a briefcase. He looked up, not having expected so many people out here. He closed the door gently, then turned to greet them.
"Hello. Are you here for Scarlet Seer?" He inquired, and the group nodded.
"These are our co-workers." Aizawa explained, and the man's expression changed, holding out his hand to shake those of the fellow heroes.
"Ah, yes of course! My apologies, it took me a moment to recognize you. I work with many pro heroes, you see. I am Dr. Toshiro Fukuma, the psychologist handling her case. You are more than welcome to visit with her, but I must warn caution if you do." The psychologist said seriously, standing erect once handshakes had been given to everyone there.
"Scarlet Seer is in a state of extreme emotional instability. Her experience in her brother's captivity has had lasting impacts that we are still attempting to dissect and understand. As of yet, we are unsure if there are any 'triggers' that could worsen her state of mind, so please choose your words and questions carefully when speaking with her."
They all seemed a little stunned at the candid description, but Cementoss seemed to recover first. "Is there anything else we should know before seeing her?"
Toshiro thought for a moment, before nodding. "She speaks very little about what her brother actually put her through, so please try to avoid asking what happened. She is not ready to talk about it."
"Her hands are in a lot of pain." Aizawa added on, arms crossed. "Any wounds she has are psychosomatic, but they've bandaged them anyway to help her calm down. So it would be best not to touch her."
"Why her hands?" Snipe asked.
"Hina would probably explain it better, but from what she told me, the shards of her mind were sharp and would cut her hands as she pieced it back together. Pain she experiences while using her quirk does not leave physical wounds, but she can still feel it as if it was real." He tried summarizing, which only seemed to cause more concern in his coworkers' faces.
The psychologist cleared his throat and gave a nod. "I must go attend to other cases. But please, do not let these factors prevent you from visiting. She could use a reminder that she has many friends wishing her well. I think it would do wonders to positively lift her spirits. Good day to you all." The psychologist passed them down the hallway, returning the way they'd come.
Mic gestured to the door behind Aizawa. "Should we go in?"
"Hold on." The man said, going to the door and entering after a soft knock.
Hina sat staring out the window of the little recreational wound that the psychologist had taken her to for their appointment. Her simple white shirt and soft, cotton pants made her already pale skin even more washed out, but they were breathable and comfortable, and non-offensive. As if the wrong color would reduce her to a sobbing mess again.
Hearing someone enter, she looked up and saw Aizawa, a little smile lifting the corner of her mouth. But it was a far cry to the usual bubbly one that he was used to. She was much calmer than she had been when he'd first seen her awake, but he could clearly see the dark circles under her eyes.
"You have some visitors." He explained, and she frowned in confusion. "Snipe, Mic, Ectoplasm and Cementoss are here to see you. If you're not up to socializing, I can let them know to come back later." He offered, but her widened eyes and emphatic shake to her head dismissed that.
"No, let them come in. Please." She added, near desperation laced just under her whispered plead. "I'd like to see them."
Aizawa nodded and poked his head out of the door again, waving the other pros into the rec room.
Her wide eyes took them all in one by one as they entered, taking seats around the couches and such across from her. They all greeted her enthusiastically, but she didn't respond, just sat staring at them all as if she hadn't for ten years. Aizawa watched as her eyes began to mist over and the first few tears slid down her cheeks.
Mic noticed and held up his hands. "Oh, Hina, we're sorry! We can leave if we're overwhelming you."
"Would you like us to come back another time?" Ectoplasm asked, but she seemed to snap back into the moment and shook her head vigorously. Her bandaged and shaky hands raised slightly, as if to stop them from thinking that.
"No, no no...I'm sorry for crying, half the time I can't help it. Please stay. I'm just...really happy you're all safe and ok..." Her tiny, relieved smile returned and she looked them all over again with a profound appreciation.
Aizawa saw them all glance at him in confusion, but he just shook his head from beside her, warning them not to ask as he felt it would encroach too closely on a dark topic for her. A reminder that they didn't know what might trigger an adverse reaction. The confusion still present, they forged on ahead without questioning as to why they wouldn't have been ok in the first place. After all, she'd been the one in danger.
Snipe pointed towards her hands, which he noticed she kept carefully resting on her thighs and not touching anything. They were angled so the palms faced upwards, fingers lax and separated. "Those aren't hurting you too badly, are they?"
She looked down at the twitching appendages and shrugged. "They still hurt. I think it will be awhile before they stop. They're only bandaged so I don't have to see that nothing's wrong."
"How do you mean?" Cementoss tilted his head.
"It's...hard to explain." She said, looking away and thinking about how to word it. "I know that there aren't any actual cuts there and it's just the lingering echo, I guess you could call it, but it stresses me out to feel all this pain and not see any reason for it. So I asked them to cover it all up."
"Makes sense. It's like when you feel something crawling on your arm but nothing's there!" Mic said with a shudder, no doubt thinking about bugs in particular. Hina's smile grew a little, and she nodded.
"Yeah, something like that." Her eyes dropped back to the bandages. "Part of me is still afraid that they are actually sliced up and...I'm still back in my own head. I'd rather just not even look at them."
"Well...it's great to see you back on your feet." Snipe said as a way of changing the subject away from her injuries, and the others nodded. "We didn't know what to think when we found out what had happened. No one seemed to have any answers, either."
"Any idea when they'll let you return to work?" Ectoplasm continued.
"I'm not sure. I'm supposed to see several professionals while I'm here recovering. To make sure I'm of sound mind and fit to work again."
"At least you seem to be making good progress." Mic said, gesturing to her.
"Don't let me fool you. You caught me during one of my good moments." She admitted with a sigh. "Right now, I'm being given pain and antipsychotic medication to stabilize my emotions as much as possible. I've still got a lot to work through."
"Take your time healing." Cementoss stated casually. "There is no rush back to normal."
She nodded, and for a moment, no one seemed sure of what to say next, but then Hina looked around. "How is everyone else? And the students? And...I'm sure Nezu would have needed to find a replacement for me while I was...out." She hesitated on the word, swallowing with discomfort.
"He did," Mic started with a shrug, "but they were always aware the job could be-would be-temporary." He rushed to correct his wording, grimacing with worry. "They know that once you're back to 100% you'll be resuming your position."
Hina didn't outwardly seem offended by his freudian slip, and simply waited for the rest of her questions to be answered.
"They told us this morning that you were awake, so everyone knows you're alright." Ectoplasm went on. "The others wanted to come visit, but we figured we wouldn't overwhelm you and all show up at the same time. They'll try to stop by in the next day or so, depending on how you're feeling."
"Well, Midnight isn't..." Mic started, and Hina looked at him.
"What is it?"
The voice hero shrugged. "She can't let go of the fact that she left you alone the night you were taken. I think she is afraid that you may resent her for leaving you."
The redhead frowned with worry. "I wouldn't. She has no reason to feel guilty for anything."
"We keep trying to tell her that. She just won't believe us." Aizawa chimed in, and she looked up at him. It was blatantly obvious that the fact her best friend didn't feel comfortable seeing her was upsetting.
"Well, I hope she comes to visit me and I can tell her myself. I still need to get a new cell phone so I can't call her. I don't blame her for what happened. She was just doing her job and it wouldn't happened...eventually."
Sensing a rising discomfort, Snipe jumped in with a clearing of his throat. "As for the students, they are very well. They're anxious to see you back at the academy. I wouldn't be surprised if you are bombarded with welcomes when you get back."
She let out a breath, eyes faraway and that tiny smile making another appearance. The teachers went on to describe their experiences helping them train for the license exams, which were scheduled to happen the following morning. Listening to them talk about the students, Aizawa could tell that it was helping distract her from the pain in her hands and the monsters in her head.
But the UA teachers only had so long for their lunch breaks, and had to leave before too long. They would have stayed longer, but it was clear that Hina was also still very tired and slightly uncomfortable, even if she was relieved to have been able to socialize with them for a time.
"If you would like us to come again, just say so. We can bring you something to eat next time we visit." Cementoss said as they all stood to leave.
"I appreciate it." She said, finally lowering her head as thanks. "And the students...I miss them very much. If you'll pass that along for me, so they know I am thinking about them."
"Of course."
With a smattering of goodbye's and promises to visit again soon, the pro heroes made their exit and left Aizawa and Hina inside the recreation room.
A silence stretched in the room, until he stalked over and gently wiped at the evidence of tears below her eyes with his thumb. She closed her eyes, allowing him to help her, before giving another small smile. She hoped her appreciation was obvious in her expression.
It was late. They'd both been given dinner from the cafeteria staff, though Shouta had had to help Hina eat her food, much to her embarrassment. Shouta hadn't seemed to mind at all, but it still left a small amount of humiliation lingering in her chest. Once he'd picked up on her discomfort and asked about it, he'd arched a brow and shrugged as if it wasn't any sort of big deal.
"How do you think I ate anything after USJ? Mic had to help me eat most of the time. It's nothing to feel uncomfortable about. Needing help isn't shameful." He'd stated, and just that simple admission had put all of her nerves at ease. Hina hadn't even connected the dots until now, that he had no use of his hands during the time he was recovering. She supposed her condition now was similar.
With the lights dimmed in her hospital room so they wouldn't be so glaring, Hina sat and allowed the nurses to rewrap the bandages that covered her arms. They weren't dirty from any sort of blood or bodily fluid, but it was still a sanitary concern to keep the cloths on her for too long.
Hina had tensed as the nurse unwrapped closer and closer to her palms, terrified that the moment they were exposed, she'd see the numerous red lines still there, streaming with blood and that everything would be ripped away the moment she thought it was alright. She wouldn't put it past Daichi, to force her through some sort of elaborate hoax. That it was all another cruel nightmare meant to put her at ease and have reality yanked right out from under-
"Hina."
Her head jerked up, seeing Shouta who stood behind the nurse with his arms crossed. He must have noticed her internal panic rising. His expression was patient and his tone gentle. After a moment, he nodded meaningfully down at her hands. "Look."
She followed where he'd indicated, and saw that the bandage was completely off now. The pulsing, sharp, stinging pain still sliced through her hands, but the skin was unbroken and healthy. No blood to be seen. No scars or marks at all to indicate a previous injury. Her fingers twitched, which only sent shooting pains up her arms, but it at least helped her confirm that this was real, and that she was no longer stuck in her head.
The validation helped to even her breathing, and she watched as the nurse grabbed a new roll of cloth, before gingerly re-wrapping her arms up to cover the non-visible wounds. Each press of her fingers and brush of the cloth exacerbated the pain, But Hina bore it patiently. Before long, her arm was completely covered.
The nurse repeated the action on her other arm, before giving her a medication that would allow her to sleep evenly during the night. With a polite nod at Shouta, she left the room and shut the door behind her.
Sitting with her legs dangling over the side of the bed, Hina stared down at the bandages and focused on breathing evenly and managing the pain. Over time, it was getting easier to live with the constant reminder of what she had survived.
But when would this all be over?
Hina couldn't even begin to fathom the recovery time it would take to get back into a semblance of normal. She'd managed to not worry her coworkers earlier in the day when they'd visited, but a large part of her wondered if the most difficult part was even over yet.
Sure, she'd pieced her head back together, a feat she'd never thought possible until having accomplished it, but every dark recess of her mind was still plagued with images of...scenes and sounds too gory to...of everyone she was close to and loved...
Lost in her own spiraling thoughts, tears slid down her cheeks and her hands began to shake with more pronunciation.
Shouta stepped forward and placed himself in front of where she sat. He didn't touch her, though, mindful that it could cause her pain. "Hey...talk to me." He said, drawing her attention with a soft request.
She looked up, and saw his worried expression, but all she could do was shake her head. "I...I can't. I'm...not ready." Was her choked response. Her vision was wobbly and blurry from the welling tears.
"I'm sorry, I...I know you want to help and you want me to get it out...but I don't want to even think about any of it until I know I won't...won't break again." Hina sobbed out in a broken sentence. "I'm not trying to push you away or anything-"
"Hina." He interrupted, gently laying his hands on her shoulders. She didn't flinch away or cry out with pain, so it was a good start. "You don't have to explain anything to me. Tell me when you're ready, when you decide you can. I will be there when you need me this time, unlike before."
She sniffed back further tears, and her eyes met his. Her hands twitched in their bandages, wanting to place them on his hands holding her shoulders, but she decided against it due to the pain it would have caused.
"You've always been there for me, Shouta. I let myself down that night. Not you, or even Midnight.." She said as forcefully as she could, knowing that he could carry everything on his shoulders if she didn't say something. "You're the one who gave me the strength to get through it all. Without you, I'd...still be stuck in there."
"I didn't give that to you." He shot back with a quick shake of his head. "All I did was show you how to find what had always been there."
Hina's mouth twitched, and she managed a tiny morsel of humor in all of this. "Let's agree to disagree?"
"How about," He proposed, allowing a small smile of his own, "you eventually see it my way and recognize your own worth?"
"Hmm..." She hummed, leaning forward to settle her head on his chest. It was hard to fight instinct and not wrap her hands around his back in a hug. "I think you've got a tough fight ahead of you if you think I'll change my mind."
"I've never been afraid of a challenge." He said softly into her hair, letting her listen to the beat of his heart through his shirt.
For several moments, they stayed like that, Hina listening to the gentle beat of his heart through his chest. That in itself was the most validating and calming thing in the world. A confirmation that he was still here, and the visions she'd seen hadn't come to pass.
He eventually released her and pulled back a little. The smile he'd had before had vanished, and he looked at her with a serious expression. "Will you be ok without me here tonight?"
Her immediate, instinctual reaction was to tense, and to worry. Shouta was able to ground her simply by being in proximity. She could vividly recall the blinding panic that had enveloped her when she'd woken up in the hospital bed, without seeing anything familiar, terrified that she hadn't actually emerged from her mental prison.
The thought of not having him nearby to help this time? At first, she swallowed and looked away, but then she swiftly shut her eyes and took a deep breath to steady the emotional tidal wave that threatened to overcome her if she didn't reign in her thoughts.
Shouta had responsibilities to the students, and to himself. Logically, she couldn't expect him to drop everything to stay with her 24/7. And as much as the scared part of herself felt that that's what she wanted, Hina knew she wouldn't feel right even if he'd ignored everything else to make sure she was ok. The redhead slowly nodded, opening her eyes.
"I'll try my best." Was her slow and careful response.
"It isn't a matter of me not caring, or not wanting to be here for you." He continued, swiping a hand across her forehead to straighten a stray strand of hair. "But I can't neglect my responsibilities. I can't abandon the students."
"You don't have to tell me why." Hina replied. "I'm the last person you have to justify your reasons to. I understand.
"And I...need to be able to cope and handle my own emotions on my own." She admitted, eyes looking away uncomfortably at the prospect. "I can't rely on you as an emotional crutch forever. I want you to depend on me as well, and I can't do that if I never learn to deal with the trauma, right?"
Hina looked back up at him. "I know it's going to be hard but I'll manage, somehow. I promise you I'll get through it, no matter how long it'll take, ok?"
After a moment of watching her expression, Shouta nodded with relief, then placed a gentle kiss against her forehead. "Try to get some sleep. I'll visit the next time I get the chance."
"Ok."
He lingered one last moment, before stepping away and walking to the exit. The door shut with a soft click behind him, and Hina felt an immediate sensation of loneliness the moment he was out of sight. She felt like crying, but tried her best to hold it at bay, knowing that it would be a long night ahead, and that she needed to keep a promise to stay strong as long as she possibly could.
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