What sort of job did Aoki have before the catastrophe? Sako looked down at the sleeping young woman that was leaning against his side. She had such a gentle, sweet expression on her face while she slept. The way her dark teal hair fell over her right eye, the way her soft pink lips twitched slightly as she dreamed.
He was sure she must've been something like a store clerk or maybe a barista or perhaps a teacher. She had such a delicate build and such a soft demeanor that he could easily imagine Aoki working as a kindergarten teacher. Sako couldn't help the smile that drew across his face as her hand lifted. She clutched at his lapel in her sleep and he didn't move to stop her.
It felt like he'd been wandering for a lifetime before he stumbled across her. A dismal existence of trudging through the haze as he searched for the rest of the League of Villains. Spending the cold nights alone with no one to talk to. Every other survivor he came across was too aggressive, too crazy for him to ever consider befriending. As she sleepily cuddled against his side, he remembered when he first saw her.
Sako had lied when he told her that this was the first day he'd seen her. No, he spotted her in the fog a few days ago. He'd kept himself hidden as he watched her scavenge in the remains of a convenience store. Saw the desperation on her face and the crushing disappointment when she wasn't able to find food or water. A fragile figure in this dangerous new world; surely she'd welcome his company.
Now here they were. Barricaded in the abandoned house, sharing a bedroom. Aoki Noa asleep beside him. He wasn't alone anymore. He wouldn't have to be alone as long as he had her.
She gripped tighter to his coat, but she didn't know what she was doing. Aoki was having a dream. A nightmare, to be more exact. A terrible, heartbreaking scenario in which the man she loved was trapped beneath some wreckage and she was unable to free him.
His large hand clutching at her small hand as blood leaked from his mouth and nose. The weight of the crumbling building crushing his chest, forcing his broken ribs deep into his lungs and heart. Tears blurred her vision and her throat tightened as she watched the life leave his eyes.
Aoki jolted awake and her heart pumped so fast that it felt like it might explode. The feeling of someone next to her sent terror coursing through her still groggy brain. She lurched away from the man in the yellow coat and fell hard onto her back on the floor. "Ngh! Who-? W-wait! Where am I? Where is he?! Toyomistu-?" Her eyes flitted around the room as she gradually remembered what happened.
Sako frowned and tilted his head slightly. Hearing her blurt out the name "Toyomistu" piqued his interest; he was sure that it must be the name of the man she was looking for. "My dear, are you alright?"
"I-I…ah…hah…" She pushed herself up on one elbow, her fingers running through her dark teal hair as she tried to get her heart to stop racing. Blinking away residual tears from her nightmare. "Sorry. I'm sorry."
He opened his mouth to reassure her, but then his eyes fell on the dark red wet spot that on the right leg of her pants. It was on the side of her calf and the blood was so dark that it almost looked black. "Aoki?"
She followed his line of sight and winced. Pushing herself up more, she put a hand over the wound. How long had she been bleeding? Had her wound reopened during the fight and she was just now noticing? No wonder she'd been so tired; she must've lost a lot of blood.
"I'm okay. It just needs a little time to heal." Desperately applying pressure, she hoped that she could get the bleeding to stop. It was a deep wound and so far, she'd been able to keep it under control. Avoiding fights and making sure she didn't overexert herself…until today.
Sako grabbed the bedsheets and started to tear at the thin fabric. He didn't have a lot of experience with medical stuff, but he wasn't going to let his new companion bleed to death. Besides, this was his chance to show her that he could take care of her.
He knelt close to her and gently put his hand over hers. "I'm going to bandage it so you'll need to move your hand. Just close your eyes for me and try to stay calm. It might hurt a little."
Oh, it already hurt. Since the day she was injured, it was always either stinging or throbbing. Really, she should've taken more time to treat it, but supplies were so limited.
Aoki bit into her lower lip as he rolled up the leg of her pants to expose the wound. It looked like it was marble. Her flesh tone with the dark lines and splotches. The smell of her blood getting stronger now that the gash was exposed.
Marbles, marbles, marbles. Sako rummaged in his pockets until he found the one that he knew held a bottle of alcohol. Not exactly medical grade stuff, but it'd have to suffice. He poured some over her wound and he saw her tense up, letting out a hiss as she threw her head back.
"It's alright, darling. Look; the blood is being rinsed off and we'll get your wound clean. Stay with me now. I can't have you passing out, alright?" He grabbed the strip of fabric he'd torn earlier and started to wrap up her right leg.
Now that she was more awake, she was noticing how cold the room felt. It made sense because it had to be nighttime by this point. And why was this important? Because it made Sako's right hand feel that much warmer.
He'd taken off his glove earlier so his fingertips occasionally brushed over her skin while he tended to her wound. It didn't seem to bother him in the slightest. Really, it just seemed like he was focused on getting her patched up.
Of course, he did notice what he was doing. That first touch sent a little jolt to his heart and he wondered if she felt the same way. He wondered if he was being foolish to fall for her so quickly.
Maybe all that time alone made his heart soft, but a more romantic part of him thought that perhaps this was just true love. What if their hearts were connected by the red string of destiny and that's why he was so drawn to her? Soulmates that were destined to find each other in the remains of a ruined world!
"There we go. How do you feel? I have some painkillers, but I'm afraid I don't have a large supply of them." He rested his right hand on her knee and leaned closer, his left hand gently brushing over her bruised cheek. The man's soft brown eyes showed that he really, truly was worried about her.
What was it? That weird little fluttery feeling when he looked her in the eyes, along with a rush of blood to her cheeks. Aoki felt an immediate surge of guilt afterwards and she looked away. "Thanks. It just hurts a little, but I think I'll be okay." She paused as her sky blue eyes shifted back to his brown ones. "Sako, you're very kind. You know that?"
His eyebrows raised and he couldn't help the playful smile that curved his lips. "You're going to make this old man blush if you say things like that."
Old? But he didn't look that old to her. Aoki thought he was probably a bit older than her, but not by too much. Maybe he was around his age. Oh, but that thought made her chest tighten as she was reminded of her nightmare.
"The night's still young. We should try to get some rest and then leave around sunrise. There shouldn't be too many other scavengers out around that time. Are you sure you don't want a painkiller?" Sako's metal fingers gently caressed her cheek before he withdrew his hand.
"I'll be fine." She tried to give him a reassuring smile, but she knew how she looked. Roughed up from her earlier fight, her hair a mess, and probably a little pale from blood loss.
He frowned and his eyebrows furrowed. "Are you cold?" When she nodded, he wasn't surprised. She'd lost a lot of blood and she probably didn't even notice that she was trembling. He certainly noticed, though.
Aoki couldn't really objet when he grabbed the blanket and wrapped it around them both. She leaned against his side, glad for his body heat; it didn't just warm her up, but it felt somehow reassuring. It made her feel safe. It reminded her that she wasn't alone anymore.
Sako fell asleep before her this time. His face was turned toward hers, his arm wrapped around her shoulders to keep her close. The gentle rhythm of his breathing was slowly lulling her to sleep as well. Aoki was already dozing off when she snuggled against him and closed her eyes.
Somewhere out in the world, he was still alive. Still true to his hero profession; he was at that moment fighting off a group of aggressive scavengers to defend a small family that'd been cornered in an abandoned store. Pushing himself, knowing that he was overexerting himself, because this little family was depending on him for protection.
He wiped blood from his mouth when it was over. Ushered the mother, father, and their crying toddler to safety before he set off again. And just like all the other survivors, he had a quest of his own. He was determined to gather heroes so they could band together to continue protecting the weak.
Any heroes he could find. He wasn't going to be focus solely on the high ranking ones like Endeavor, Hawks, and Mirko. As he trudged onward through the lonely back alleys, his thoughts wandered to a certain someone he'd worked with a handful of times. A certain little lady with dark teal hair and eyes the color of a summer sky.
Even though he was exhausted and starving. Even though he was practically dragging himself at this point. Thinking about that little lady made him smile. He hoped she was still alive, he hoped he'd see her again.
Aoki woke up alone beneath the blanket and her nose twitched as she caught the smell of something sweet. She pushed herself to sit up and saw that Sako had opened one of the jars of preserves that she'd found. Not only that, but he'd somehow acquired a box of crackers. She suspected he might've compressed them before he met up with her.
He flashed her a smile and moved closer, offering a cracker with some of the apricot preserves on it. "Here. I thought we could have a light breakfast before we leave. There's no telling what might happen today so we might not have time to eat later."
Her mouth started to water as soon as she spotted the food so she wasn't about to turn down the offering. Aoki sat next to him against the wall and accepted the food. The taste was so much better than she'd expected and a smile bloomed on her face as she ate.
Honestly, he didn't expect her to make such a cute expression while she ate. He had to just take it in for a moment and when she looked away in embarrassment, it made his pulse skip. "My dear Aoki, it's okay. You don't need to be embarrassed. You haven't eaten in three days, remember?"
Where would they go next? That's what she wanted to ask him when they left the abandoned house. She stayed close by his side, staying on high alert as she listened for anything moving in the thick haze around them. Hoping she might hear his voice somewhere in the distance, but it was dead silent. Not even the sounds of the crows this time.
Aoki wasn't holding Sako's hand when they walked. He was trying to keep a slow pace she could keep up with him without agitating her wound, but he was still walking briskly. She was about to reach for his hand when she heard a sound in the haze. A huffing sort of sound that vaguely reminded her of some large, frustrated animal. The fog was so much thicker in the morning that she couldn't even make out a silhouette.
Sako didn't hear it. No, he was deep in thought about where he might find his fellow League members. Where Shigaraki possibly could've ended up. If he at least reconnected with the leader, then he'd feel better. He didn't notice that his pace was quickening, almost with a subconscious sense of urgency.
She'd turned to look off in the direction of the sound and when she turned toward him again, he'd disappeared into the fog up ahead. Aoki tried to rush after him, but she got confused in the gray haze and soon found herself slamming into a very solid, very warm figure. She stumbled back in alarm and almost screamed until she looked up into the sharp teal eyes of the tall, broad man she'd just bumped into.