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Crystal and Shadow
Chapter 1: Taken
December 25, 2260
Musutafu General Hospital
"One more push Mrs. Kayama!" Doctor Tsukiyama yelled.
She had been in labor for eighteen hours before she finally gave birth to two beautiful baby girls. Nemuri sighed as the children were handed to her.
"They're beautiful Nemuri."
Doctor Tsukiyama left to give the couple some space with the promise to return later to take the babies to the NICU.
The couple agreed and stayed silent until he'd gone.
Nemuri Kayama smiled at her husband as he looked at their daughters with pride. Neither Nemuri, or her husband Shota had ever given a thought to having children. They believed themselves far too busy with their hero work and teaching jobs at U.A. to even consider having children.
That train of thought is what had caused their surprise when they learned Nemuri was pregnant. She'd been worried that Shota wouldn't want children, but he assured her he did. That assurance helped her through the rougher patches of her pregnancy.
Shota smiled nervously as the nurse handed the babies to him; they looked so small and fragile. He could only stare at them as his brain tried to wrap around the fact that he was now a father.
"Are you all right, Shota?"
He didn't answer right away.
"I'm all right Nemuri. I think I'm still trying to wrap my head around the fact that we're parents now."
His wife chuckled.
"Yeah, it seems kind of surreal now doesn't it. I'm a mother and you're a father. Who would've thought?"
"Hizashi for one. He was always going on and on about how the two of us needed to hurry up and have kids so he can spoil 'em rotten." Shota paused in his rant. "He did say that he wanted to be the godfather if we ever decided to have children."
His wife chuckled again.
"Yeah he did. I don't have a problem with picking him as the godfather if you don't."
"Fine with me, as long as they don't start yelling every time they speak." Shota commented dryly.
That comment had his wife bursting into another fit of laughter.
They couldn't have asked for a better Christmas present.
The strong smell of disinfectant lifted him out of sleep; as his eyes adjusted to his surroundings he was made aware of a painful ache in his head. The constant, shrill beeping of the monitor to his right made it worse. The i.v. secured to his arm with an itchy bandage, the closed curtain to his right, the t.v. in front of him, and a small door in the wall that he assumed was a closet.
He saw the door to his room was open and tried to shout to get someone's attention, but all that came out was a raspy cough.
He coughed until he felt something pressed to his lips.
"Drink." Ordered a kind voice.
The man obeyed and drank. He stopped coughing after a few sips.
"Feel better Mr. Devereaux?" The stranger asked.
"Y-yes."
Mr. Devereaux blinked.
"How do you know my name? Who are you? Where am I?"
"My apologies. I am Dr. Hideaki Tsukiyama and you are at Musutafu General Hospital. You and your wife were in a serious car accident-"
"Julianna! Where's Julianna? JULIANNA!"
Doctor Tsukiyama sighed sadly.
Mr. Devereaux followed him with his eyes as the doctor moved to the closed curtain in the room. He assumed it was another patient. Why was the doctor going to show him another patient when he should be with his wife right now?
The curtain was pulled aside and Mr. Devereaux wanted to scream. His wife lay a few feet from him hooked up to numerous machines.
"W-what happened?" He asked anxiously.
"The two of you were in a serious car accident. Most of the damage was to the passenger side. I'm afraid that… your wife… she didn't make it. We were keeping her alive with the hope that you would wake up to say your final goodbye to her."
His patient was silent.
"Mr. Devereaux?"
"How long… how long have we… have we been here?"
"Two days."
His patient began to sob. He really hated this part of the job.
"There's more. Your wife, she was pregnant… with twins. I'm afraid we couldn't save them either."
He didn't hear what the doctor said.
"The children?"
The doctor shook his head.
"I'm so sorry."
Why? Why was this happening to him? What had he done to deserve this?
"Mr. Devereaux-"
"Leave!"
Doctor Tsukiyama sighed, but decided it was best to give him time to come to terms with everything he'd just been told.
Shortly after the doctor left, Mr. Devereaux called for a nurse to bring him a wheelchair.
He needed to call his parents and let them know what had happened; also he really just needed to think.
Shota sighed as he pocketed his phone. He'd just spent the last hour listening to Hizashi congratulating him and Nemuri. He knew he meant well, but he could just be so LOUD sometimes. His Quirk certainly didn't help matters either.
Hizashi promised he'd come by the hospital as soon as he could. The roads were crowded with cars and pedestrians alike, all caught up in last-minute Christmas shopping, Hizashi included.
Shota had a feeling that he'd spill the good news to their fellow staff members.
He continued to walk until he reached their room and found Nemuri watching the news.
"Did the nurse take the babies?" he asked.
"Yeah." She sounded upset.
Shota chuckled.
"Don't worry Nem. We'll be home with 'em soon enough. We should rest as much as possible, because once we get home we won't get any rest for the next eighteen years."
"You're probably right. How'd the call with Hizashi go?"
He groaned.
"He promised to come by the hospital as soon as he can. The roads are crazy with shoppers."
"Let me guess, he's one of the shoppers right?"
Shota nodded.
"Oh, before I forget…" she pulled two sheets of paper from the table and handed them to Shota. "these are the birth certificates. Our children still need names after all."
"Hmm."
They sat in silence for a while.
"Think of any names yet?" Nemuri inquired.
"Nope."
His eyes flew to Nemuri's arm, where the crystal bracelet he'd saved every ounce of his paycheck to buy her rested.
"Aki, it means 'clear or crystal.' Saiya means 'shadow.'"
"Crystal and shadow, huh? I like it."
She scribbled the names onto the documents and shoved them into Shota's hands.
"Give these to the nurse and stop by the NICU and take a picture of my babies."
Shota rolled his eyes.
Mark Devereaux rolled his wheelchair until he found the NICU. He stared at all the babies and felt a mixture of anger and sadness clawing its way to his throat.
He tightened his grip on the arms of the wheelchair. Why! None of it was fair! Why did his family have to be the ones to die?
He slammed his fist into the wall, earning the attention of several onlookers.
This was the worst Christmas ever.
He continued to stare at the babies.
Shota hummed silently as he arrived at the NICU. He talked to a nurse who was more than happy to hold his children while he snapped a few pictures. He didn't notice the man in the wheelchair until he exited the NICU.
"Are you all right?" he asked cautiously.
The man looked up then sighed sadly.
"No, I'm not."
"Can I ask-"
The man cut him off.
"My wife and children are dead!"
He just stared, unsure what to say.
What did you say to a statement like that?
'I'm sorry.'
That wouldn't be right.
"Those your girls?" Wheelchair man asked crossly.
"Yes, they are."
"Some people have all the luck." He growled.
Shota didn't know what to say to that, so he chose silence.
He stayed there a few minutes longer, then he walked away.
He was silent as he returned to his room. Those children belonged to him, they were meant to replace the one he had lost.
He sat in his hospital bed and began to think of a plan. His planning was interrupted a few hours later, by the harsh footsteps entering his hospital room. His mother.
"How did you even get here?"
"My position still affords me plenty of favors dear. Also, did you forget about my Quirk?" She went on without waiting for a response. "Now, tell me how I can help."
He explained everything in as much detail as he could while his mother listened.
She was especially intrigued by the man with the twins.
"Don't you see dear; those children are meant for you. That's why you spotted them out of all the others."
His mother was right. They were meant to be his and his alone.
"Mother, how are we going to-"
"Just leave everything to me dear. Mother has a plan."
Nemuri squealed with delight at the pictures Shota showed her.
"You're going to make an awesome father Sho." She said.
"I hope so."
"Hey do you know when-"
She was cut off by blaring alarms.
The phrase 'code pink' was repeated over and over.
"What does that mean?" Nemuri asked.
"I don't know. Stay here."
He ran to the nurse's station.
"What's going on?"
"Sir, please go back to your room. We have a code pink in progress."
He pulled out his hero license and shoved it under her nose.
The nurse cleared her throat.
"We currently have a code pink in progress. That means infant-child abduction."
His heart stopped.
"Sir, please-"
He ran in the direction of the NICU.
He held two squirming bundles unsteadily in his arms. They were so beautiful. His daughters. His precious daughters.
He followed his mother out of the hospital and into the car that would take them to the plane.
Soon, very soon they would be home.
The drive couldn't be over quickly enough. He kept looking out the window to see if police cars were chasing after them. He tightened his grip on the babies.
He breathed a sigh of relief when they finally boarded the plane.
They would be home free in a few hours.
Shota held a sobbing Nemuri in his arms. She'd been inconsolable ever since they learned the dreadful news. Their precious babies were gone. Taken. Abducted.
Hizashi was talking to the inspector. He'd arrived a few minutes ago and had taken charge after learning what had happened.
He gave Shota a sad smile and shook his head.
"Detective Tsukauchi is looking over the surveillance footage now, but I'm not sure if he's going to find anything. Whoever did this has a Quirk that doesn't allow them to be caught on any type of camera. That means-"
"That means that we won't be able to find who took our children." Shota growled.
Hizashi rubbed the back of his neck.
"We're going to keep searching." Tsukauchi declared as he walked into the room. "Whoever took them couldn't have gotten far; we've closed the border so no one can go in or out of the country. We'll find them Aizawa. I promise."
The eraser hero sighed.
He really hoped he'd be able to keep that promise.
"What's our next move Detective?"
"We put out an APB. They won't be able to hide from that. Also, let's start interviewing anyone who might have seen anything."
Nobody relaxed until the plane landed at the private airstrip. They took their personal car back to the house.
Everyone breathed a sigh of relief. They had done it.
Mr. Devereaux collapsed into the chair and wept.
"I can't believe I have a family."
"Well believe it, because you do son." His father said.
The newborn twins, who had been quiet through the entire ordeal, let loose an ear-piercing scream.
"Can you imagine what our grandchildren are going to do when they get older?" his mother asked.
"They'll be great at whatever they decide to do." Her husband said.
Mr. Devereaux held a baby in each hand and smiled.
His family was whole once more.