Swinging around and under the row of A/C units, she crept her hand across the wall and snatched a hold of the pipe. Assessing the material with concern, noting how weak it felt, she moved slower. Kairi shut her eyes, swearing to not notice the cold now becoming incredibly bitter, and decided to risk it. Her feet left the unit and she was forced to pull her whole weight onto the pipe. She was swinging three stories above the alleyway, listening to friends cry out and cheer her on. As much as their encouragement made her crave to look down, she avoided doing so. One glance at how far away she was and how carelessly she was swinging on the pipe could make her lose her nerve and freeze her. One hand reached forward, pushed away the plastic. The pipe groaned under her weight and forced her to move faster. Just as she slid onto a scaffolding landing beyond the plastic, the pipe cracked and fell away. She heard it rumble against the ground as her friends exclaimed with surprise. She held a thumbs up towards them, indicating she was all right. Shoto's cry was the loudest, overjoyed at the announcement.
He couldn't stand pacing, balling his fist under the cloth of her sweatshirt. He was so angry, with how reckless she was being. How easily she just threw herself into danger and acted on her emotions. Again. How could she put herself in harm's way like that? She didn't think, she didn't consider how it could make him feel, didn't let her fear take a hold of and just jumped in and did it.
Shoto froze, thinking back over his thoughts. Yes, he was furious. He was afraid she was going to hurt herself, be injured and yet he didn't consider the other person that could be hurt. If Kairi wasn't there, he absolutely would have thrown himself in and done it at a moment's notice, if he had been able. But he hadn't been able, and Kairi had. He was the one feeling his emotions and letting them cloud his judgment. She had already considered the alternatives. He couldn't do it. Momo couldn't do it fast enough. The police would take too long, and she had been correct – seconds could make all the difference. They were heroes. This is what they were training to do. This was real life practice. Kairi didn't take time for her fear to set in and talk her out of her. She analyzed, processed, and took action. She had let her emotions guide her, using her compassion, vigilance, desperation, and fear to guide her enough to recognize someone needed help and the situation could be urgent. Then, once she had let them led her to urgency, all the training she had done, all the counseling to get her to the point to let logic calm her and assess what the situation needed kicked in. Kairi had gone beyond her quirk. The situation was important enough, that she just reacted and the logic came on her own. When Kairi had enough care, felt strongly enough about it, she could talk herself into a mental calm and let logic guide her through.
"Damn it," he whispered to himself, looking up at the reconstruction equipment. "You've made so much progress Kairi. You've really done it. Something in you clicked and you have found some control of your quirk. You are a rescuer." Oh the irony, of him being the one to fret and worry. He smirked at himself. He had been angry, and he couldn't stop his worry. But the anger was incredibly selfish. As he continued to pace, his friends encouraging calls up to her creating the background to his thoughts, he continued to consider himself. He was scared, yes. But right now, she had not only proved how far she had come in training, in progress, in going beyond herself and her quirk, but had really shone the truth of a hero. There was no doubt a flood of emotions was flowing through her at the moment; he had felt their echoes. Still, she had chosen to do away with them and instead focus on her task, on saving someone. What a strong example of courage, of bravery. Never had been so proud of her before. Never had he found her so admirable, so attractive, and never had he... felt as strongly as he did before. Shoto turned back, stopped his pacing. He lifted his voices with his friends.
"Come on Riri! You can do it! You were made for this!"
She had been deft in her movements, applying as little pressure and moving as fast as possible across the thin metal arms of structure woven together. Kairi raised her leg, lifting herself up to an elevated landing. The cry had become much clear and she had using it as her compass, guiding her over the mess of foundations. It was very young sounding, likely a child. The discovery caused her to move quickly until she rolled out onto the landing. Small, terrified eyes stared up at as her. A frightened child, as she had thought, no more than five years old.
"Help! Help!" called the child. That was when she noticed he was laying on his back. A ragged looking ball of something grey and speckled rested on top of his wrist. A gnarly seeping red gash pulsed across his arm. A look over it told Kairi the gash had been caused from it trying to wriggle out from under it and it had cut him as it did. It was too heavy for his small body to move. Breaking from the shock, Kairi ran to him. He wasn't dressed for the weather it seemed, wearing just a t-shirt and jeans, with some shoes.
Keep calm, she told herself. Keep calm. He needs you to be calm.
"I'm hurt! I'm stuck! Help!" he screamed, louder. Kairi dropped to her knees in front of him, immediately reaching for the cement chunk. She heaved at the feel of it, slightly bigger than a bowling ball. With some effort, she easily pushed it away. The wrist was contorted unnaturally; a sliver of white spike from the glint of gore and deep crimson that swirled across his arm. Terror mingled with sickly uneasiness she felt in her churning gut. His eyes grew more frantic as her emotions tried to expand. Seeing how he responded to her quirk shifted her mind suddenly. She couldn't. It was vital she get a control on herself. Fear had no place her, nor did disgust. She was a hero. She was a rescuer. If she was going to save this boy, she was going to have to make sure he stayed calm.
She thought about the nights she spent studying with Shoto. She thought about his scent, a fresh musk mingled with the smell of crisp earth. How he was waiting for her, how scared he was for her. For a moment, it had made her angry, but she also told herself it was because he cared for her deeply. Never had she seen such an impression on him and his affection for her was so strong, she had made him concerned for her safely. Unable to deny the smile that rose to her, she heard the breathing of the boy even. He still shook from the cold and winced at the pain, but her contentedness caused him to calm. Praying she could hold it, she got to work.
"What's your name?" she asked, taking a look at his eyes. They seemed normal, aside from the tears that still fell from them. His nose was also running a little, which was also normal, considering the cold.
"Isao..." he answered quietly. Kairi looked at the mangled red mess on his arm, pushing away the sickly motion in her. "I feel sick."
"No, no, no that's just... you're just in a lot of pain and it's making you feel sick!" she lied.
"Who are you? You ran up here like a superhero... my arm, it really hurts!" Fear was beginning to settle again. Kairi focused more on images, memories that calmed her. Talking and laughing with her father at home. Having lunch with friends. Listening to Shoto over the phone as she drifted off to sleep.
"Your arm is badly damaged," she explained quickly, trying not to look at it and glancing at her mostly clean socks. She sighed in defeat and pulled them off before tying them together.
"Are they going to chop it off?!"
"No..." she said with confidence. "It's broken and you have a bad cut. But that's something that can be fixed."
"My brother says that sometimes when you hurt your arm really bad it needs to be ampit-hated."
"Uhh..." She ignored the correction. "While that's true, you just have a bad cut and a broken bone. It looks gross, like really icky, but you don't look like you've lost that much blood." She began to wrap the socks around the arm, watching as they quickly became red. "We're getting you help. My friends and I... we're all training to be heroes. I'm..." She paused, considering what name to give. "I'm the Emotive Iris. And they're all waiting to help you as well. The police are coming as well."
"The police?!" he gasped, breaking into a fit of tears. "I'm in so much trouble! My brother was supposed to be watching me but mommy and he fought and then he locked me in my room and told me to just play and then he decided to call his girlfriend and talk for a long time and told me I couldn't come in and so I used my quirk to sneak out!"
"What's your quirk?" she asked, trying to keep him calm and distracted.
"I turn into goo and I can use it to get under doors and slip out unnoticed. There's supposed to be a towel in front of my door so I can't slip out when no one is looking but my brother forgot to put it down and I didn't want to be locked in my room and I wanted to play but he wouldn't play he just wanted to go and talk to his girlfriend."
"Then you're not in trouble, but it sounds like your brother is. He should have been watching you," she said calmly, trying to keep those pesky emotions away from her calmness. He didn't need that. He needed to be calm. He needed to trust her and know he was safe. She finished bandaging with the sock. "And then what happened? When you left?"
"I thought this looked like a playground and my quirk ran out so I started to play on it but I tried and this rock fell on me and it hurt me and I've been here for a very very very long long time and I tried to use my quirk to escape but it doesn't work if I'm in pain or tired and I need time to come back from it anyway." Kairi placed a hand to his pulse, counting. Normal for his age and weight. In the distance, the wail of sirens carried on the wind. Hope sang joyously through her. "Your name is funny. What is A-me-tiff Eyelids?"
"Emotive Iris. Emotive means emotional. I have an emotional quirk that's really powerful. And Iris is like... well I guess it means a lot of things."
"Like what?"
"Well, it's a flower and I always thought myself as fragile, weak, and small, like a flower. But I guess I also like flowers so it's not a bad thing."
"You're a hero, you can't be weak." She grinned brightly.
"Can you stand?"
"My leg hurts a little but, not like my arm."
"Do you hurt anywhere else?" He shook his head. Kairi looked across the mess of scaffolding. He wouldn't be able to walk across that. And she wouldn't be able to climb like she did. Her chest clenched, but she scared it off with her threatening thoughts. "Isao, I need to give you a piggyback ride, okay?"
"Um okay..." he said quietly, sounding a bit unsure. Kairi bit her lip, forcing herself to continue the conversation.
"But I guess an iris has many meanings. Irises come in many colors, which I guess is also like my emotions. I have many emotions and they're all strong, but my quirk still helps."
"How so?"
"You were scared before right? And now you're not?"
"Well, I am a little but now that you're here I know I'm okay because you're a hero!" Kairi turned around and he used his one good arm to pull himself onto her back. She reached around, taking a hold of his legs around her middle. The cold was crinkling her bones now. Her shivering grew more intense.
"Well, that's because I was calm. And I can make you feel what I feel. So it made you not scared!"
"Really...?"
"Yeah and... and, erm... I mean and iris is an old-fashioned term for like a flag or a symbol of some kind. I guess it's kind of like you know All Might? He was called the Symbol of Peace? I guess I want to be called the Symbol of Emotion, because I want to show people that emotion is a strength, not a weakness." He was quiet for a moment. Her breath halted. "Isao?"
"I'm getting tired."
"No...!" she called, her body frantic. "No, no, you need to stay awake!" His shivering was growing intense, her body vibrating under the motion of his chills. "Isao, please, we're almost there..." Carefully, she stepped over the weak beams, knowing their combined weight might be too much. Balancing the boy against her, she scooted across the scaffolding, careful as she possibly could. "Do you have any pets? Do you like animals?"
"I have a cat. She's seven."
"Is she nice? What's her name?"
"Well... I mean she's... I'm dizzy."
"Isao, stay awake please!" She dipped her head out, looking at the group gathered below. The sirens were aggressively loud, red and blue lights raving just around the corner. Kairi breathed, more help filling her. She looked at them, anxiously pacing before her. Momo was slowly pulling out was seemed to be a ladder from her chest, but she was moved far too slowly. Isao was started to show symptoms of hypothermia and she needed to get him out now. "Isao do you like slides?"
"Yeah..." he mumbled.
"Okay," she said. Kairi took a deep breath, leaning out of the opening of the scaffolding. She pushed aside the plastic flap.
"SHOTO I NEED A SLIDE!" she screamed above their heads. Shoto had been wandering below them, feeling useless and worried. But his belief in Kairi also invigorated him and he stood patiently, if not also restless. When she called from above, energy zipped in him. He called back before motioning for everyone to clear the area. He concentrated, building the strength in his right side. Shoto raised his hand, holding it against the ground. Then, ice shot from his palm, quickly crystallizing in an upwards motion. The ice gathered in a crude slide formation, stopping just below the scaffolding in front of them. Kairi smiled her thanks down at him. He nodded, anxiety written on his face.
"Isao... I'm going to send you down the slide, okay? My friends will catch you. This is just a really big slide and they are all right there to catch you, got it?" Kairi steadied herself, just as she reached back to pull him away from her back, mindful of his broken arm.
"My arm still hurts...!" he cried, but he sounded too tired to do much about it. I have to act quickly. Gingerly, she heaved him against her hip before taking care to place him at the top of the ice slid. She looked down at her friends, exchanging assured eyes. Kairi let him go, and carefully touched him with her foot. Slowly, he began to move down the icy half-pipe, gravity taking him. Momentum pulled him faster, and just before he reached the end, Tsu's tongue spat towards him. Isao curled up in the length of her amphibious appendage. As soon as she held his shuddering body against her, she released her tongue's hold. Shoto chucked Kairi's panda sweatshirt towards them. Wails blared through the air as white and black cars emerged in the hue of red and blue shadows. Another siren warbled not far behind, and a large white vehicle stopped just short of the alley.
"Get them on him!" he shouted, just before standing at the bottom of the slide, waiting.
Kairi was already flinging herself down the length of the ice shoot. The chill was agony against the thin fabric on her legs, the rushing speed even cooler. It was difficult to recall a time when such circumstances had combined and made her so incredibly cold. As fierce as everything was, it was over in a moment. Shoto swept her up the minute she was close enough. The two of them tumbled backwards leaving him to take the brunt of the fall.
"Gaah!" he called out just as he smacked against the ground.
"Are you okay?" Kairi quickly hurriedly. Her hand rested the front of his chest. Though it was covered by sever layers of clothing, she could faintly feel the rush of his heart. It sped so quickly, it seemed almost ready to fly from him.
"I should be asking you that," he coughed. A brief moment felt her smile, but her memory snapped back to the boy. Kairi pulled away from Shoto to see Isao swaddled in her sweatshirt. Still in bare feet, she ran across the rough ground. She scooped up her coat from where it had been discarded and pushed it into the boy and Tsu.
"Momo!" she shouted, seeing her friend holding a simple wooden ladder. "Break it down! Shoto, ignite a few pieces of the fire and make sure the boy stays close to it!"
"Uhh," was all Momo said, taking a moment to struggle before she snapped the tips of the ladder off. Shoto rolled back to his feet, already holding a small flame against his palm. He ignited the wood as Momo handed it off and then kept himself really close to Tsu as she continued to hold the boy.
"Hey, don't go to sleep now or you'll miss the chance to see the great hero who saved you!" Tsu told him cheerfully.
"Why are you a frog? Whyare... the buildings mov-moving... what is... how did I get here?"
"He's confused and he's slowing down," Kairi panted. Finally allowing her emotion to set in, the panic surged. Adrenaline canceled out the cold as she ran towards him again. The girl placed a hand against his neck, counting again. "It's slowing. Shoto hold that flame closer!" He did as she commanded, maintaining a safe distance to avoid burning the boy but did so as he unzipped his coat.
"You are taking this – now," he growled, dropping the coat from his shoulders and handing it to her. "Get your jeans back on and put your boots on. And get into the café. Right this minute."
"No! I need to make sure he's okay!" Kairi screamed.
"Kairi, you know I think it's atrocious for a man to command a woman but considering the circumstances, if you don't listen to me this minute, you and I are going to have a very serious talk. Take. My. Fucking. Coat." His words were seething as flames lit in his expression. Too startled to argue, Kairi took the coat from him and quickly pulled the clothes back on. The warmth wasn't instantaneous, but there was a security to it that soothed the ferocity in her soul. Two paramedics flew from the ambulance, wheeling a stretcher towards the alley. Another jumped out of the cab, zipping to Kairi. Three police officers emerged from their cars, joining the others at the scene.
"We got him," said one of the paramedics, pulling Isao from Tsu.
"He needs to be treated for hypothermia!" Kairi yelled, Shoto's coat sagging off her small form.
"We'll take care of him, promise," said the other paramedic with tenderness. Kairi eased, just as the moment the third medic reached her and gestured for her to head to the ambulance.
"We're going to need to take a look at you as well," he said.
"I'm fine!" she spat. "He needs your attention right now. I've only been exposed to the cold for a few minutes-"
"Kairi." Shoto's voice was softer now, begging for her to comply. She cast her eyes to him, unable to deny the sweetness that lie there. A longing, an ache for her to just obey. A concern for her well being lit by something special. Weak, her heart cracked and surrendered.
"Okay, you can look at me but... I'm fine... can we do this somewhere warm? Back in that café?" A police officer joined their side. She groaned, already aware of what was happening. "And then I can answer all your questions somewhere safe and warm."
