"THERE'S A BOMB?!" Kairi bellowed around the hallway as they guided her towards the lockers. "My dad is STUCK WITH A BOMB?!"
"It's going to be okay, the bomb squad is coming," Momo said, her voice cracking.
"But they could... he... I... what if..." Her sentences were breaking again. Breaths hurt as she took them in and that emotional vice caged her. Steps felt wrong, distant. Kairi tripped over her feet and slammed against the lockers. The lighting bit at her skin and her eyes refused to focus on any one thing. Lights streaked. Colors swam. Every limb ached with stiffness.
"Kairi!" Shoto called, grabbing her before she fell onto the floor. Momo launched forward, taking her friend's body as well and helping to keep her stable.
"Get to her locker," she said. "I have her." Shoto nodded and ran the door he knew belonged to her. In a swift motion, he retrieved a book and her sweatshirt and they were hurrying away from the school. Thankfully, paparazzi weren't hanging around at this time. With assurances to Kairi that they were beside her and wouldn't leave her alone, they helped her to the dorm as quick as possible. Momo was already working on making a cup of tea while Shoto sat with her on the couch, clutching her hand as tight as possible.
"I have to get over there!" Kairi screamed. "I'm a hero! I can do something!"
"No, Kairi. The officers are there and Ishiyama made it sound like he might be contacting the Pro Heroes to help."
"I'M A RESCUER!" she screamed, bolting up into a sitting position.
"Yes, yes you are..." Shoto said calmly. Inside, he could feel himself shaking, taking down by a heavy sorrow and fright. It was strange, the deepness of this... aggrieved desperation. This energetic fear. It had been similar to things he had felt as a child, watching the way his father treated his mother. But it was different. Seated. An urgency to run and do something, engage and fix it. Logic reminded him they couldn't do anything, and anything they did do might be disastrous. While fear ravaged through him, anger pulsated. He needed to jump in and fix it all. Fix it for her. Save Mr. Hoshino. But logic rang through him. They couldn't. Any attempts could damage things. They needed to live it to the experts and they needed to trust. "Kairi, we can't."
"It's MY DAD! You don't know what it's like to have a father who loves you, how would you know?!" The response tore against Shoto. Rage boiled and stirred him up, ready to scream at her for such a terrible thing. He filled his chest with a deep intake of air, and then pushed aside that emotion. Normally, she never would have said such a thing. And this heaviness she involuntarily pushed onto him... it was making him want to shove her aside, yell at her, walk away. But his heart, thankfully, was stronger than all of that. This was the damage she had always been afraid of. What her quirk could do. Very easily, he badly wanted to give into this emotion. The cut of her words was brutal and all of the misery he was experiencing was making him not want to care about her own feelings. He recognized it all. These weren't her words. These were the words of fear. He looked back into her eyes – and was met with an insistent desire that covered everything he felt. Everything that she reflected onto him. Strange, that he had come to care for someone so much it had make him look past all his other emotions, real or not. He wanted to shield her from everything that could damage her. He wanted to pull her from the burning flames of misery. He wanted to hold onto her, never letting her go. The urge to protect and walk alongside her was stronger than it had ever been with anyone. The want to be beside her, shield her, it had become a need, a necessity. His own feelings had won out against her own, and he was unable to deny what they really were.
"I don't," he replied simply. "But I know you're afraid. I know you're angry. And I know how... terrible you feel right now. I understand the need to just charge in and protect. But Kairi – the position your dad is in needs people trained for this position. We can't help him. The best way to help him is to stay behind." Momo was setting a mug in front of Kairi, but she ignored it, thrashing instead against Shoto's hold.
"No! I can't accept that!"
"Kairi, please just..." Momo tried. Kairi slapped away her hand.
"NO!" Shoto pecked out a message on his phone.
Are you aware of the hostage situation on the far east side of town? – Shoto
Yes. Heading over there with Eraserhead, Gunhead, Snipe, and Thirteen now. Officer Hoshino, your friend's dad? – Enji Todoroki.
Yes. – Shoto.
We're going to get him. That's a promise. – Enji.
An unfamiliar thankfulness sailed through him and he returned to grip Kairi's hand again. The motion surprised her and she jumped as if startled.
"They're on their way. My father. Eraserhead, Thirteen. Gunhead and Snipe."
"What... what..." Defeat weighed her down. The frantic spiral within her was settled, admitting its inability to do anything. Shaking fear and acceptance of the responsibility composed her. She fell back into her seat rigidly and tightly squeezed her fingers together. She rolled her fists into the other and simply remained. "What do we do now?"
"We wait," Momo answered, sitting on the other side of her. "We let the professionals do their job. We trust in the Pro Heroes. And we sit with you." Gently, she brushed her hand across her friend's arm. "For as long as you need."
"Is there anything we can do to help the time pass while we wait for updates?" Shoto asked, brushed aside a piece of her hair. "Anything at all?"
"Nothing will distract me," Kairi said, finding a moment of calm in her chaos. She looked between the two of them. Confusion turned its head as something didn't make sense. "I don't understand. How are you two not a mess? My feelings are... maniacal right now, how are you not... also losing it?" Momo frowned and shrugged, as the answer were clear.
"We are," Shoto replied. "At least, I am. I can tell you're... nothing makes sense. Everything is every direction. It feels like things are toppling and this isn't real. You feel like you've plunged into the darkest depths and you're fading, but also pushing to get out."
"Yes!" Kairi agreed, eyes wide. "But how are you not...?"
"Because we care less about our own feelings and more about your well-being," Momo explained. "Even if our 'own feelings' aren't truly ours. Recognizing it's not actually ours helps. Todoroki and I have learned how to dissociate our feelings from yours. Admittedly it is rather tough when it's this strong but..."
"You're our priority right now. How we feel doesn't matter." A stray hand lingered on her shoulder, one finger raised to trace the line around her jaw. He withdrew immediately, mentally cursing himself for testing affectionate gestures at such an inappropriate time.
"What does that... mean?" Kairi asked, as her confusion deepened.
"Well, focusing on how we feel and how the situation affects us... doesn't that seem pretty selfish?" Momo asked. "If we did that, we really wouldn't be good friends would we?"
"You mean you're... choosing to ignore the effects of my quirk?" Kairi asked, looking between them.
"We're aware that it's there for certain but," Shoto jumped in, nodding. "I guess it's... easier to look past it when we're putting you before ourselves."
Awe snapped in Kairi. Shoto constantly put her before himself and while it never stopped to amaze her and always left her feeling timid and embarrassed, it wasn't as if it was a new thing. Momo, while she had always been there and had helped her... it was the first time she was beginning to truly see how deep their friendship ran. Slowly, she shifted her body and looked straight on at Momo. Even she? She seemed to also break through whatever it was that made her quirk keep others away. She stayed, and here she was. As Kairi's world fell apart, she remained beside her. She was ignoring how she was feeling. Despite how the quirk was effecting her, despite how damaged she must feel from all of it. She had been willing to leave the class with her, no questions asked and stay. For her.
Another rush of tears flowed from Kairi then. She fell against Momo, clutched onto her tightly. Momo pressed her friend's head to her shoulder, stroking her hair carefully. Tears pushed out of her too, falling onto Kairi's head. Shoto extended a hand to rub Kairi's back. The three of them sat like them; the two girls crying silently. Shoto sitting beside the two of them. In the silence, they waited and cried.
Momo played the live coverage throughout the hour. Most of it was repeating everything they already knew, and not much happening. The Pro Heroes turned up and there was some discourse and discussion amongst the cops. Shoto got up once to make tea again, this time for all of them. Kairi and Momo remained, holding onto each other tightly as the reporter's voice filled the background.
"What's happening?" Kairi whispered.
"Just, more talking it seems," said Momo, tilting the phone to her vision.
"I wish I could hear what was going on..." Kairi whispered. Her body had grown used to that feeling of startled dread, almost becoming numb. "Dad, it's a moment of life and death. Please use your quirk..."
"Wait, wait..." Momo whispered, holding the phone up for the both of them to see. Shoto ran back over to the couch, clutching three cups of tea. "Endeavor and Snipe... they look like they're... Oh and Eraserhead is with him. And there's Thirteen as well." The image of the feed still showed aerial footage, but Endeavor's form could be seen coming around the side of the house. Snipe followed close by with Eraserhead beside him. Thirteen quickly caught beside them, but they seemed to moving slightly, to avoid noise. They paused for a moment as if discussing.
"What are they doing?" Kairi impatiently hissed. "Go in there and save my dad!"
"Hold on, they're... discussing tactics," Shoto said, joining them on the couch again. His hand searched for Kairi's and she took a hold of him, quickly. The group kept out of sight of the windows, meanwhile Snipe took a calculated stance. A hand raised his gun and the footage caught the sound of his firing. That was when everything seemed to happen all together. As soon as Snipe fired, Endeavor blasted a torpedo of fire into the house. After the side of the house caught in an eruption of flames, Thirteen and Eraserhead plunged through the wave of flames, disappearing into the house. Kairi drew herself closer to the phone. The pounding inside her was ready to leap from her chest as the tension grew. There was a quiet bursting sound. Kairi remained still. Snipes followed inside, while Endeavor ran around to the front of the house.
"I'm getting reports that it sounds as if the Officer Hoshino has been shot in whatever scuffle is happening..."
"DAD...!" Kairi squeaking, her body awakened by fear again. Momo kept a tight arm around her, while she shuddered in her embrace. Several long moments absent of noise. Nothing but a gentle shadow from the flames that took over the side of the house, and sirens from a from a fire truck. Her ears burned with the echo of her nervous heart. The front of the house exploded, doors splitting as a leg kicked through. Eraserhead was the first to emerge, having destroyed the entryway into the house. And under his arm was an uniformed man, clutching at his side. The aerial camera zoomed in as much as possible – enough for Kairi to recognize Naoko Hoshino. He was coughing and struggled to keep up his walk – but he was alive. She ripped the phone from Momo, holding it close to her.
"Dad!" she cried victoriously. Behind Eraserhead, Thirteen emerged with her own arm helping a younger man out. By his young age, he must have been the one who had been held captive the last few years.
"It looks as if... Officer Hoshino is hurt but he has made it out with the help of our Pro Heroes! Eraserhead is with him, and the hero Thirteen is behind him with the victim..." Once they were away from the door, Endeavor ran inside. Two officers ran up to help the heroes with those they had saved, and four others ran through the entry of the house. Two more minutes passed and the fiery image of Endeavor appeared once more. Followed by two police officers holding hands behind the back of a middle-aged man. The other officers stayed close behind. "Whatever has happened here, it appears as if everyone is relatively safe and the criminal has been captured. We hope to collect more information about what happened here soon. Please join our regular broadcast for further details."
The stream ended. Kairi let the phone fall onto the ground with a soft thud. Her fear spilled over, relief pushing it out. He did look injured but he had been able to walk with some help – he might be okay. He really might be okay.
"Is he okay? Do you think he's okay?" Kairi asked frantically. Shoto was already pressing at his phone, and then holding it against his ear. He waited, as a musical trill play beyond the call.
"Father?" he asked. "Yeah... We were watching live coverage... yeah. Yes. I just want to know if... okay. Yes. I understand." Shoto lowered the phone, and let out a heavy breath. Kairi looked at him expectantly. "They're taking him to the hospital. He's going to call me from there and explain more about what happened. However, the important thing is – your father was shot. In the side, just above the pelvis, close to the spine. But it wasn't fatal, that was the thing he said to make sure you know. The shot wasn't fatal. Your dad is alive, Kairi."
The sobs broke through. She fled from Momo and collapsed against Shoto, practically pining him against the couch. They were joyful sobs; as obnoxious as they were, her smile echoed through them and slivered laughs wound with them. Her body quaked with an overload of all that she had experienced over the last hour and a half.
"You guys, I can't... I..." Her hysterics had become wheezes. Momo patted her back, encouraging her to take in deep breaths. "I can't, ugh... Uh..."
"Slowly, Riri," Shoto whispered. She glowed, giving him an appreciative smile.
"I can't tell you how much I appreciate you being here! To help me through this! To give me anything I need! I never... I had no idea what it was like to truly have friends like you and... you just, you mean so much to me, I...! If you weren't here..." Momo gripped her hand.
"Of course we were here," she told her kindly. "How could we not?"
"If it Ishiyama hadn't told me I could leave," Shoto chuckled, ruffling her hair as she remained laying on top of him. "You think that would have stopped me? I'll always come after you when you need me to. I would never abandon you. I've said that before, and it's never going to change."
Kairi gave him a warm grin, gracious and delighted. The light of the room caught against the glimmering tear stains. He looked down, realizing his pinned position on the couch and reddened. Quickly, he wriggled from the grasp, standing. Shoto's phone buzzed, insistent. He answered on the first ring and pressed the speaker phone.
"What's the situation, Father?"
"Hoshino is... not going to lie. He is in quite a bit of pain. We're just pushed him through emergency now – we had police escorts the whole way so we got him here quick. The kidnapper had used his coercive quirk in order to keep the victim there all those years, it seems. He was trying to use it on him but thankfully, his Mind Reading quirk told him what he was doing. He was threatening to set off a bomb nearby while also holding the victim at gunpoint."
"Okay, but what happened at the scene?!" Kairi pestered impatiently.
"Snipes targeted an attack to knock both the gun and the bomb trigger from the man's hands. It happened so quick, he didn't have time to react. That was when I set the wall aflame to let Eraserhead and Thirteen through. Eraserhead erased the quirk, Thirteen used the black hole to swallow the bomb. In that fraction, the kidnapper picked up the gun and tried to shoot at your father but he only caught him in the side, nothing to hurt him fatally. Eraserhead and Thirteen got them out of there before anyone else could be coerced. They were arrested, and Eraserhead is riding in the same vehicle as the criminal to keep his coercion quirk from affecting any of the officers while they take him to prison. Thirteen and I are here at the hospital with him."
"Can I come?!" Kairi screamed.
"In a moment. Give it some time, settle down a little. I'll notify Shoto when it's a good time for you to come here. For now, I think it's best to rest assured in knowing – he's alive. The best doctors are here, and he wasn't fatally hurt."
"Thanks," Shoto said. "Keep us updated." The phone clicked off just as the door to the dorm opened. They looked up; by the looks of their exhausted appearances and heaved breaths they were taking, most of them had run the whole way over. Tsu pushed aside most of them to hurry over to the couch. She took Kairi's hands and asked in her eyes about the situation. Yuga ran in next, and then Izuku. His phone hung loosely in his hands, showing the ended live coverage of the broadcast.
"Kairi...?" Izuku asked. "Are you...?"
She winced and nodded, a fresh stream of tears beginning.
"Yes..." she squeaked. "He's alive! My dad's alive!"