I'm shaken back to consciousness. I gasp, my lungs take in the air. It feels sharp in my lungs. Immediately I feel adrenaline rush through me. I feel for the glass shard to defend myself but I can find it. My heart races with panic. I swing a punch, connecting with someone's face.
"Calm down! I'm with the police," a man above me shouts clasping his face. I take a few deep breaths as my eyes focus. Above me there's a man standing clad in a police uniform.
I look around me. The petty villains from earlier are in cuffs. Wait... weren't they dead? My mind flashes back to the plague mask villain grabbing my neck. I bring a hand to my throat. My stomach drops.
"The villains in the plague masks... where are they," I choke out. The officers stare at me confused.
"There's no one here by that description. Only you and those four," the officer says.
"T-There were three more in plague masks. The leader took me out. H-He's really dangerous. He can take people a part," I stutter. I feel myself begin to shake. My heart thumps in my chest. My vision begins to get hazy. I feel like I can't breath. The officer crouches down next to me.
"Hey, calm down alright?" he says softly.
"Sir, I don't think you're appreciating my concern completely," I choke out. My bring a trembling hand to my neck, running my hand again across the now soft skin. "My scar."
"It looks fine. There's nothing there," he says looking at me confused. He gentle
"That's the problem. I had a huge burn along here. It wasn't subtle and now it's gone," I say. My body, although in shock, feels healthy. I look down at myself. My once ripped shirt is also back to normal. I run a hand up my side trying to feel the skin on my side where Bakugo had once burnt me, feeling only soft skin there as well. I look towards the villains they're cuffing. They similarly look to be in great health. What the hell did that guy do to us? I bring a hand back to my neck.
"It seems you've just been through a great trauma...let's get you checked over at the hospital," he said. I gritted my teeth. He's not getting it.
I'm sure I died just now. I was torn apart. I wince, reliving the feeling of my neck tearing from my body the moments before I lost consciousness. I bring a hand to my mouth, trying to contain the bile rising in my throat. That guy... he tore me apart and put me back together. I'm sure of it.
Paramedics appear at the scene. They lead me to an ambulance. They try to place me on a bed but I shrug them off.
"I'm fine. I can walk," I say dryly. I'm frustrated that they're not taking me seriously. I walk myself to the ambulance. An officer hands my previously discarded backpack as I get in.
When we get to the hospital a doctor exams me while we wait for my teachers and Kenta to arrive. I stay silent throughout this. I don't think I'll be able to get my point across until I have a chance to speak to Aizawa. I clench my teeth.
They took me to a hospital room. Again, they tried to put me in a bed but I refused. I was far too restless. I paced around the room, periodically pushing my hair out of my face which now hung loosely at my shoulders. I run my hands through it. Fuck, even my hair is softer than before.
The door opens. A nurse leads Aizawa and principal Nezu into my room. They wave her out, leaving the three of us alone. I open my mouth to talk but I choke on my own words.
"Good afternoon Nakashima-chan. Please sit down and relax your body. It sounds like you've been through a trauma today," Principal Nezu instructs. I clench my fists.
"I don't think I can do that right now," I say. Aizawa watches me carefully as I pace around the room. The door slides open again. In enters Kenta and to my surprise, Bakugo's mother Mitsuki.
"Haruki!" Kenta cries. He rushes over to me, pulling me into a tight hug. I push him off. My body feels wrong. Can I even call this body mine? I walk to the other end of the room, pulling at the loose locks of my hair. Mitsuki slides the door closed.
"Nakashima-chan stop pacing. You're acting irrationally..." Aizawa instructed. I want to yell at him to say I'm acting perfectly reasonably given I was taken apart just hours before but I can't thread together the words.
"... Aizawa sensei look at my neck," I manage to say stepping over to him. He furrows his eyebrows scanning over my face and body. I watch as his expression shifts slightly. He reaches out, touching the skin on my neck. He presses a finger nail into my skin, testing it's integrity. He pulls away. Nezu watches the exchange silently, as does Mitsuki and Kenta.
"You're scar is gone... wait what does this mean?" Kenta asks looking between myself and Aizawa
"Nakashima-chan the hospital staff said you were behaving erratically after a trauma... but there's a specific reason for that, isn't there?" Aizawa asked darkly. I find myself shaking. I stumble over to the bed, sitting down in it for the first time since entering the room. Kenta is immediately at my side.
"I... I don't remember the specific details. I was definitely unconscious for a period of time... or... or" I try to finish the sentence but the words get stuck in my throat.
"Tell me exactly what you remember," Aizawa instructs. I grit my teeth.
"The villain grabbed me by the throat. Following that I felt a tearing sensation down from my neck to my body. It hurt. Worse than anything I've ever experienced," I start. I hear my voice trembling. I grip the bed sheets below. Nezu hops up on the bed next to me.
"And then?" He asks, patting my arm.
"I fell unconscious... or died. I... I don't know. I woke up on the side walk as the police arrived. I had no more pain. To be honest, physically speaking I've never felt better," I say. Aizawa watches me with an unusual expression.
"What exactly do you think he did to you?" Aizawa asked me directly. I avert my gaze. I feel the blood drain from my face.
"I think he tore me apart and then put me back to together," I say. I run a hand over my neck. This body feels wrong. Mitsuki raises a hand to her mouth. Kenta pulls me into his chest. I can feel him shaking.
Aizawa looks visibly angry. He pulls out a phone from his pocket and starts dialing a number. He raises it to his ear.
"Nighteye, I've got a situation..." Aizawa begins to explain to the receiver. He slides open the door and exits the room, sliding it shut behind him.
"Nakashima-chan, the doctors said you're physically fine. Would you like to come back to school? Or you can go home for a few days if you prefer?" Nezu asks gently, looking between me and Kenta.
"I'm okay. I'll go back to school. I never did get those runners though," I say softly.
"Are sure, Haruki? You can take a few days to relax," Kenta asks, his ears twitch nervously. I shake my head.
"I don't want to dwell on it. I think I would rather get back to my normal routine," I say. Nezu hops off the bed.
"We'll have a chat to the police and the heroes investigating this incident to get things wrapped up here. How about your brother and Bakugo-san take you back to school," Nezu suggests. I nod. I stand up from the bed.
"Of course," Mitsuki says. Kenta thanks Nezu and guides me out of the room with him, carrying my backpack. We follow Mitsuki as she walks in front of us down the hospital hall. I watch her with fleeting curioustiy.
"You're probably wondering why Mitsuki-san is here, right? After the Kamino incident we stayed in touch. When I got the call to say you'd been attacked again I called her to help get me here," Kenta explained quietly. Mitsuki turns her head to smile at us.
"I was happy to help! I'm just glad it's not Katsuki who is involved for once," she said. Her face is masked with a smile.
"Thank you very much Mitsuki-san," I say. I address her politely but I feel tense. She leads us down the lifts to the car park.
"No need to be so polite. Both you and Kenta-kun act like you're all grown up but you still have a lot of maturing to do. I'm not just about to leave a couple of kids to fend for themselves," she says gesturing dismissively. She was acting like this is a normal hospital pickup. I felt a wave of anger but I keep it internalized, not having the energy to lash out.
"You say that Mitsuki-san but I'm 26," Kenta replies flatly. She smirks as we reach her car.
"Exactly, way too young to be looking after a teenager." She says. She unlocks her car and I slide into the back seat.
"It's not exactly by choice. Oh... not to say that I don't want to care for you, Haruki," Kenta's says entering the car by the front passenger door. Mitsuki gets into the drivers seat. But before she starts the car she pulls out her phone.
"Quite frankly I don't believe you can handle caring for her by yourself. There are some things teenage girls can only talk to another woman about after all. Haruki-chan, give me your phone number please," she instructs. Bakugo's mother has such a commanding, outspoken personality. I reluctantly give it to her. She sends me a quick message so that I have her number.
"Perfect. Now I can help you from time to time and you can let me know when my son is being a little shit. Good deal, right?" she asks.
"Y-yeah," I stutter. I don't feel there's an opportunity to disagree. My head is spinning. She grins and turns to face the front. She starts the car and we take off. I spend the drive periodically clasping at my limbs, clenching my muscles and testing my control over my body.
While we commute back to school my phone vibrates. I pull it out. I don't recognise the number at first. I open the message and quickly realise it's from Aizawa. I label the contact in my phone.
Aizawa: Sorry to have to ask but I need you to keep the details of what happened today to yourself. Please let your brother and Bakugo-san know.
"It seems there's a gag order in place. Aizawa-sensei has asked for us to keep the details to ourselves," I say as I message him back that I understood.
"That's no surprise," Mitsuki said. I put my phone back into my pocket. Truthfully I was grateful. I don't think I could bring myself to explain that experience again to my class.
We pull up at the school. Kenta gets out of the car she opens my door for me. I slide our. Mitsuki stays in the car, pulling out her phone again to send a message. I peer at her through Kenta's open door.
"Thank you again Mitsuki-san," I say. She smiles at me, finishing her message. She places the phone back in her pocket.
"My pleasure, Haruki-chan. Take it easy," she says. Kenta hugs me before he lets go.
"You let me know if you change your mind. You're welcome home any time," he whispers in my ear. I smile at him. He looks uneasy, like he wants to say more.
"Thanks Kenta," I say. I wave goodbye as I watch them take off. I clap my cheeks.
I head back into the school and back to the dorms. I take a deep breath. It's time to pull myself together. The last thing I want is to talk about what happened. I don't need my classmates asking about it. I push open the door to the dorms.
In side the whole class is gathered in the common are. All Might is standing with them. Their eyes land on me as I enter. I put on my best smile.
"Ahah, good afternoon everyone," I say. Mina and Toru are immediately at their feet, rushing to wrap their arms around me.
"Haruki-chan, we heard you were attacked but no ones giving us any details," Toru says. I look up to All Might who watches me grimly.
"I don't have all the details but it's my understanding this is still an active investigation," he says. I nod. It seems he's been told enough.
"Yeah I can't talk about the details unfortunately. But as you can see I'm fine," I say grinning. It's all a facade though. Am I fine? Am I even really me?
Mina and a Toru continue to fuss over me. I scan throughout the room. Most of my classmates look relieved. Bakugo however stands towards the back of the group glowering with his phone in hand. Kirishima walks up to me, patting my shoulder.
"That's good news Haruki-chan. When Aizawa-sensei called All Might earlier it sounded like you'd been seriously harmed. I'm glad to see you're okay," he says with a toothy grin. I untangle myself from Mina and Toru.
"Mm well I'm all good!" I say. I stretch as I become freed from the two girls. I'm feeling overwhelmed. All the contact is making me feel queasy. I need to get out of hear before I breakdown. "I'm going to be honest though, I'm completely wiped out. I think I'm going to head up to my room and take it easy."
"Oh okay. Let me know if you need anything," Mina says, smiling kindly. I wave goodbye to the group and head up to my room.
I collapsed onto my bed. I can feel myself unraveling. The reality of the situation is hitting me hard. I died. I said I was unsure if I was simply unconscious or not but if I'm being honest with myself I know I was completely gone.
I roll onto my back, feeling my neck. I once resented the scar Dabi had given me but now I missed it more than ever.