Hello.

It's been a year. More than, actually. I don't even know if anyone out there is still interested anymore.

But, that being said, hello. I really missed this.
I deleted story 3. I hated it, but I'm starting a new one. I can't promise that it will be regularly updated - or even if it will be finished - but, I will try my best. These characters mean so much to me and I hated letting them go. I think I was burnt out, but I'm ready! So here we go again! New laptop, new attitude, new story. Let's! Fucking! Go!

In case you forgot, last time we left off at the end of the sequel, Rena and the gang were taking on the botfighter Jason Fournier, who fought them in a warehouse and then it burnt down. Caine betrayed them, and Rena forgave him. Nobody else did. That's... Probably all you need to know to be fair. Go reread it! Or don't. I'm not your mom.

And where are we going with this one? One word for you: Obake. I love him, he's the only part of the series I enjoy.

So. Let's take it from the top. Here we are, again. Big Hero 8 - Story 3. Hopefully I do it right this time.

I really, really hope you enjoy.

Rena burst into the hairdressers, eyes frantic and gasping for breath. "I need a haircut."
The lady stood in front of her raised her eyebrows, "okay. Calm down hon, I can fit you in."
Rena nodded feverishly and gestured to her hair, "just cut it off."
The woman pointed to a chair and wrapped an apron around her waist, "so what are we thinking? Maybe if we do- oh my goodness. You've made a real mess of that."

Rena's once long hair was in ruins. Where it once ran all the way down her back, it was now viciously hacked so that it was all of varying lengths. She'd taken a pair of scissors to it and cut at it until her tears had dried and her heartbeat had slowed down. When she could see what she'd done, she'd realised that hairdressing was clearly not one of her strengths. "I know, I know. I don't want anything fancy, just please cut it so that it's above my shoulders."
"Sure, love." The hairdresser draped a black apron around Rena's neck and began her work. Rena's fists were clenched into balls with every tug and snip of her hair. "Have you ever had your hair cut?"
"No, my mom always liked it long, so I never did."
"Ah, I see. Well, it's nice to finally have freedom of expression, right?"
"Yeah."
"Is that why you tried to do it yourself? No judgement here, trust me, I've seen worse."
"Yep, that's it!" Rena laughed nervously, "just couldn't wait!"

It had been three weeks since Jason Fournier had kidnapped her. She still saw his face when she closed her eyes. Sometimes, she could still feel the weight of the gun pressed against her forehead. It hadn't entirely taken over her life - until this morning. She'd awoken early (for once) to the smells of cooking breakfast downstairs. She'd slid out of bed and come downstairs wrapped in her dressing gown - a present from Christmas to combat the early January cold.
"Morning, Rena!" Aunt Cass beamed at her in the doorway, "I'm making breakfast!"
"I could smell it! Looks delicious." Rena settled into a seat at the table and fiddled with the knobs on the radio until the morning news was blasting in the tiny kitchen.
"Questions are still being raised concerning the fire at an old warehouse downtown a few weeks ago. The fatal accident resulted in numerous injuries and four deaths, with officials still searching for the mysterious arsonist that burnt the place to the ground."
Rena swallowed thickly and shoved her shaking hands in her pockets so that her Aunt couldn't see. She wondered if Fournier had brought her name up when he was arrested - any of them. Surely police would bang her door down any day now.
"God, what a tragedy." Aunt Cass said sadly, "I can't believe they haven't caught anyone yet."
"Mmmm," Rena replied, "too many fires recently." She didn't think Cass would appreciate knowing that she had started the last one.
"Breakfast is ready!" Cass proclaimed brightly, as though they hadn't just been discussing fatal "accidents." She slid a plate across to Rena and smiled warmly, "I'll go wake those two up."
Rena nodded, shoving eggs into her mouth, "kay!"

Cass disappeared up the stairs as Rena ate. She wasn't thinking of much - only her shift later and the fact that she was back to college in only a few short days. She checked her phone and grinned stupidly when Clara's message flashed up, detailing the concert she was queuing for. Timezones were odd - it was early evening over there, and Rena was only just eating breakfast.
Cass reappeared, "they're on their way down." She walked past Rena and gently pulled on one of her curls, "I can't believe how long your hair is now!"
The eggs turned sour in her mouth and Rena coughed violently as she forced them down, making a mumbled excuse about her water going down the wrong way. She gently placed her fork down and balled her hands into fists to stop the shaking being so noticeable.
Was that really all it took? All she could see was that... That guy. One of the dead ones. Grabbing a fistful of her hair and pulling it so her head snapped backwards. She could feel it.
"You okay?"
Rena's eyes flew open at Cass's words and stood quickly, her chair screeching across the floor, "yep! All good. Just... Just remembered that I have a... Thing... Today. Early. I should get ready."

Before Cass could respond she'd downed her water and made a beeline for the bathroom, shoving a disgruntled Hiro out of the way as she wrenched the door open and locked it behind her. Sliding to the floor, she pressed the palms of her hands against her eyes so tightly she could see stars. She tried to take deep breaths, but it was like someone had placed a weight on her chest that she couldn't dislodge. Her hair was suddenly suffocating - the image of this man wrapping his dirty hands around it was enough to make her let out a choked sob: burying her face in her dressing down so no one would hear her.
After a few minutes, she rose shakily to her feet and opened the lock on the bathroom cabinet. She rooted around packs of band-aids, pills and hair ties until she closed her fingers around a pair of scissors used to cut bandages. Staring at her tear-stained reflection in the mirror, she raised them to her hair and cut and cut and cut. She watched the hair drop down to the floor and went quicker, harsher. Almost violent. Greedy. She kept going until her heartbeat was back to normal and her eyes were no longer as red.
"Shit," she whispered to herself in awe, "that looks awful."

"See, all done!" The hairdresser placed the scissors down and smiled with satisfaction, "suits you, love."
Rena gave a wonky smile to her reflection. Her hair was cut to her shoulders, framing her face in a way that she didn't think would suit her, "that's... Wow. I really like it. Um, do you have any time to... Dye it, maybe?"
The hairdresser checked her watch and nodded, "Uhh... Yeah. I have a couple of hours. What colour are we thinking?"

"Your hair's... Purple."
"Most people say 'hello' when they start a conversation," Rena replied, throwing her bag behind the counter and grabbing an apron off one of the hooks.
Caine said nothing, only stared open-mouthed at her head.
"Okay, fine!" Rena threw her hands up, "it's purple?" She narrowed her eyes at his expression, "what, do you think it looks bad?"
"No, no! Of course not. It looks... Wow. It looks really good."
She rolled her eyes at him, "you're soooo good at compliments."
Caine laughed, "seriously. It looks amazing. Really suits you."
"Right, what do you want then?"
"A gingerbread latte. Before you cruelly take it away from me."
Now it was Rena's turn to laugh, "we can't serve year round Christmas drinks."
"Well, why NOT?!"
"You should never be a business owner."
"I think the exact opposite actually - imagine a world where you can get a pumpkin spiced latte in January. That shit would be life changing."
Rena rolled her eyes as she dusted cinnamon on top of his latte, "the pumpkin spiced latte is only special because you only get it once a year. Otherwise, it would be the same as any regular old latte. They're not even that good."
Caine accepted the mug from her and glared, "I'm gonna pretend like you didn't say that. That kind of evil language can ruin friendships."
"So can poison in glasses of Pepsi."
He raised his glass to her, "touche. Does this make us even?"
"No," Rena laughed, "not at all. Nice try, though."
"Sooo... Looking forward to the new semester?"
Rena groaned, "don't. It's alright for you - you're not even a student!"
Caine grinned, "which is why I can rub it in. Personally, I'm looking forward to it. Apart from avoiding your brother. Well, brothers."
"And the rest of them," Rena replied. When she saw the look of anxiety on his face she added "I'm sure they'll come around. Maybe. At some point in the next decade. Honestly they just need to get a grip of themselves."
He nodded, taking a sip of his drink, "here's hoping."
"Just... Don't worry about it. It's fine."
He didn't look convinced, "yeah, whatever. Suppose I could just quit."
"Hey!" Rena snapped, "don't talk like that. You're not quitting because of them."
"I'm just saying-"
"Well... Don't."
"Okay. Fine. It's all going to be sunshine and rainbows." He replied, voice dripping with sarcasm.
"Yep, exactly," she turned to the cash register as the bell sounded, letting her know a customer had just walked in, "hi, what can I get for you?"

"If she can have purple hair, then I want a tattoo."
Cass rolled her eyes, "she is an adult, and can choose what she pleases. You are most decidedly not."
Hiro gave a cry of outrage, "I've graduated high school! I go to COLLEGE!"
"You have sauce around your face." Tadashi said through a mouthful of food.
"And you're no better!" Cass scolded, "stop eating and speaking at the same time. It's disgusting."

Rena put down her fork gently. The food Cass had so lovingly prepared was flavourless mush in her mouth. She stuck her tongue in the gap where she lost her tooth, wincing slightly. She hadn't told her aunt - she knew full well they could not afford a dentist trip on top of all the other medical bills. "You're both disgusting. And I'm going to bed."
Cass glanced at her as she scraped her food into the bin, "was there something up with it?"
Rena shook her head and kissed her aunt's cheek as she passed, "it was perfect. I'm just tired."

In her room, she collapsed onto her bed and rammed her headphones over her hair. Anything to stop the noise. Would it always be like this? Seeing Fournier's face every time she closed her eyes? Feeling the sting of her teeth being pulled out every time she went to brush her teeth? Feeling the cold of the pistol against her forehead every time Tadashi looked at her-

"Can I borrow your laptop charger?"
Rena jumped. She didn't even realise he had come into her room. "What's wrong with yours?"
"Hiro melted it."
"Why?"
Tadashi shrugged, "I don't know. Didn't want to melt his own?"
Rena laughed, "it's on my desk."
Tadashi grabbed it and turned to look at her, "I umm..."
Rena raised an eyebrow, "yeah?"
He shrugged, "doesn't matter. Just... You can talk to me about anything."
"I know."
"Okay. Well... Do you want to talk about...Anything?"
Rena sighed, "you don't have to do this. I'm fine."
"But just in case-"
Rena threw a pillow at him, "shut the door on your way out."

He couldn't know. She would do this on her own. That's how she had always done it.