Chapter 2
"I'm really happy for you, Scarlett," Mayumi said.
Scarlett gave an almost imperceptible nod in response. "Thank you. Are you sure you are ok with this? The last time I found a passion… Well, you already know how that turned out. And being a hero is a dangerous job."
Mayumi snorted. "Are you trying to get me to say no? Because I won't. I already crushed your dreams once. I won't do it again. And I got a good feeling about this. Plus, your mental health is getting better again. If I say no, who knows what's gonna happen to it this time?"
She nodded. "I've been using the pills less and I hardly get any… moments during the day. They still mostly appear when I sleep though. And...I think they always will."
"I believe so too. That's just something you have to accept. Anyways, there is one unfortunate thing about this."
Scarlett frowned. "What is it?"
Pushing up her glasses, she said, "I cannot accompany you to Japan. You're not my only client and I'm afraid I cannot leave my other ones for you, as much as I would like to. You are my most concerning one after all." It was only for a brief moment, but the ravenette saw something like anxiety and pain in her gaze. It was gone too quickly for her to make sure she didn't imagine it.
But she was more focused on other things. "What? Then am I gonna have to get a new therapist?" Her gaze moved towards her lap in distress. She didn't want to have to find a new therapist again. No one was nearly as good as Mayumi.
"Not if you don't want to, which I'm sure you don't," Mayumi replied. "We'll just have to make-do with video calls for our sessions. Unfortunately, I can't use my quirk on you from such a distance, so we'll just have to deal with that."
Scarlett sighed and nodded once. "I can accept that."
~0~0~0~0~0~
After almost a month, Emma seems to have finally gotten at least some sort of grip on using the strange staff. No one really blamed her for even someone like her having trouble though. Scarlett had tried out the weapon a few times and found it rather difficult to maneuver. It was hard to spin it fast and because it was heavier than if Emma used it, it proved quite difficult.
The two of them trained hard and had a balanced diet for all of it. And whenever Emma tries to sneakily break the diet, Scarlett would always somehow catch her in the act. It was like her eyes were everywhere… no one was willing to help her either. Not after Thoma and Lannion tried to sneak her a treat once and were soon found running laps around the pool with Scarlett supervising them with narrowed eyes. They ended up running until it was time for dinner. Sorry Emma. Looks like you can't bypass the diet.
In exchange for Scarlett also trying out her weapon, Emma also tried her katana. The katana was still definitely by no means an easy weapon to use, but compared to the staff, it was almost elementary. Although Scarlett has over four years of experience and her technique is refined enough that she could probably slice a hair on someone without harming them in any way. If Emma wanted to do that, she was quite a ways away from doing anything of the sort.
They also trained their powers with each other. Emma worked extra hard on them so that she could be more on par with Scarlett and even Anna. The two of them sparred often, with Scarlett winning almost every time due to her experience as well as just how much more powerful she was.
"Oof!" Emma grunted as she landed on her bottom, her staff laying next to her. Scarlett had pointed her katana right at her and the ginger had no choice but to yield.
Now that Scarlett was officially a master at the katana, Gilda had grudgingly allowed her to use it during training. With Anna's healing powers, they can also heal any small cuts that Scarlett somehow made or the bruises from Emma's staff.
More tests were done on the three with the cursed blood (with begrudging consent, after all, they needed more information). It appears that Scarlett had obtained an immense amount of the demons' speed and strength but barely any of their regeneration, while Emma had around the same speed, less strength, but more regeneration. Anna's speed was the lowest out of the three and strength stats were around the same as Emma's but her regeneration was the best between all three of them.
Yuugo and Lucas got permission from their work to be transferred to a police station in Musutafu, Japan, and Gilda had cleared with her new school to learn abroad. Everyone else was learning Japanese and helping those who were struggling more. Mainly the four ex-premium products would help and maybe Don or Gilda. Even Phil, who was a natural genius, had helped others at times.
Of course, ever since everyone received the news of them becoming heroes, all of them were very excited and eager, especially the younger kids. They would always ask the two of them about their hero names, what UA has in store for them, and if they would fight villains before they graduate and if so, could they watch them fight?
"We can worry about hero names later," Emma said. "I don't think they're too important."
"Maybe Scarlett can be the Crimson Slasher!" Dominic suggested. "Just like before!"
Scarlett groaned. "I've already gotten rid of that wretched nickname. I have no intention of bringing it back anytime soon."
"Also doesn't sound very heroic, does it?" Ray added snarkily.
Ray too was busy preparing for his support class. Support classes apparently create costumes and gadgets for the heroes to use, which is up Ray's alley. He offered to create both of their costumes and gadgets for them when they get in. Gilda ended up engaging in an argument with him about the costumes, and ended up with her winning the fight for once.
Norman's future class, the business course, was very different. Apparently, it's about managing and founding hero agencies and pretty much all aspects of hero business. It seems very boring and complex to the majority of them, but none of them have any doubts that Norman would absolutely fit and be at the top of that class.
Anna still has yet to meet Recovery Girl but she's trying her absolute hardest to strengthen her powers to the maximum while getting a bit more adjusted to the training schedule but still absolutely not so good on the exercises. She just tired far too easily, even with the cursed blood inside of her. All of this repeated over and over again as time got closer and closer to the entrance exam day.
~0~0~0~0~0~
About a year before the exam, all of them had officially at least learned to speak somewhat fluently in Japanese and were knowledgeable about their culture to be deemed good enough to go there. They all packed up and left their property, saying goodbye to those from the Goldy Pond Resistance that were in college, sending Oliver a letter, and another one to Pepe who was at his culinary school. Some of them had been worried that they would have felt betrayed because of them going to a whole other country. But all of them were of course very accepting of it, especially with the circumstances.
Those from Grace Field had also gone back to visit their mother's grave one last time. After everyone but Scarlett left, Ray put a small lavender flower on the grave.
With great reluctance, the Ratri clan allowed them to take Chris with them to Japan, although he had to be transported separately from the others due to his critical condition. The Ratri clan may be complete scumbags, but they do keep their word. And as long as they continue to do so, then there are no problems.
The Ratri clan had also provided a large private jet to take them across the Pacific Ocean and to the asian continent. All of the kids had gasped at the endless sea of blue beneath them before they reached above the clouds and then started gasping at the large cotton-like things instead.
Scarlett had shown interest in the large ocean but the clouds were not nearly as interesting. After all, she did remember when she and Ray and Emma flew in the clouds before going to the royal capital in the demon world. Her lips quirked up a bit when she remembered Emma's utter disappointment that clouds in fact, did not feel like cotton. Jeez... sometimes she really is a child in a teenager's body.
The flight was around 12 hours of absolute torture for the energetic people like Emma, who couldn't sit still for more than a few hours at most. After the excitement of being in the air had died down, it was so incredibly boring.
Meanwhile, poor Norman didn't have the chance to feel bored as he had discovered that he got air-sick quite easily. Luckily, they were prepared for those who would be air-sick and brought plenty of medicine for them. Only Norman and a few others actually needed the medication. However, the white haired male still spent much of his time in the provided bathroom or with a plastic bag in front of him.
Some, like Ray and Scarlett, had gone to read books or sleep for the duration of the ride. Others had brought some electronics or cards to play with the others. Yuugo was grinning mischievously when Don, Nat, Dominic, and Yvette couldn't figure out how he was winning every single game of cards, no matter what game they picked. That was until Lucas sneakily revealed that Yuugo was cheating with a bunch of cards hidden in his sleeve.
After cards became boring, some had tried to pick up the mood back a bit. That caused Thoma and Lannion to get a severe scolding from Gilda after trying to play tag on the plane. The others merely looked in amusement as the olive haired girl scolded them for the umpenteenth time. The two troublemakers were used to this however and still maintained their cheeky grins.
Gilda noticed this of course and pushed up her glasses with an unnerving smile on her face. "Oh well. If you guys don't start behaving, I might just have to get Scarlett to discipline you instead. I heard she has some excellent discipline routines."
Thoma and Lannion immediately shivered and flinched at the reminder of those laps around the pool.
Scarlett, who was immersed into her book, looked up after she heard her name. "Hm? Do you guys need something?"
Gilda looked back at the two troublemakers with her cold smile. "I don't know. Did I need to ask for something, you two?"
They immediately shook their heads no and scampered back to their seats. And that was the end of that. Scarlett sighed, understanding the situation, but letting it slide.
Ray was sitting next to Scarlett and placed his hand on top of her's. He whispered in her ear, "You ok?"
She nodded as she played with her ring. "Yeah. I am."
Ray pulled back. "Good."
Scarlett frowned a bit. "I'm sorry… about those months after the whole situation. It was just me being selfish again."
"No one blames you for that," he replied. "Besides, we should be saying sorry for not trying harder to get you back on your feet."
"You did all you could. Some things cannot be done with the help of others."
"If you say so," Ray conceded. "...We hadn't really gone on a lot of dates recently."
"Yeah…" She shifted a bit in guilt. "My whole schedule was filled to the brim. But after we pass the exam and become official heroes in training, I should have a lot more time. So we'll definitely have more dates."
"That sounds good to me." His lips twitched up a tad.
Smiling slightly, Scarlett leaned and rested her head on his shoulder, falling asleep. For the rest of the trip, she would sleep, only waking up whenever the nightmares would come back. Ray would quietly comfort her and she would fall back asleep. Eventually, he fell asleep too, also leaning against her.
~0~0~0~0~0~
Japan was one crazy country. All of them had immediately wanted to explore the place after getting off the jet and getting into multiple taxis to get to their new house. Of course though, that would have to wait.
"It's so pretty!" Emma gasped as she looked out the taxi window and at the blooming sakura trees. It was around Early March when they came, so none of the trees had their flowers blossom yet. It was still beautiful nevertheless. The ginger was in the taxi with Norman, Ray, and Scarlett.
"Can't we at least get a closer look at them?" She begged.
"Calm down," Scarlett muttered, glaring slightly at her. She was still groggy from the flight. "We have all the time in the world to explore since we're living here."
"I can't calm down though!" Emma groaned as she plopped against the back of her seat. She wiggled her arms around. "I've been doing nothing but sitting and playing cards for the past 12 hours! And I was too excited to sleep!"
Norman laughed as he took her hand. "This reminds me of back then whenever you would lose at tag against me. Childish and unable to keep still no matter what."
"Hey!" She pouted.
"I knew we shouldn't have let her have coffee," Ray sighed. "She's way too hyper to deal with."
"I have a sleeping dart in my bag. I can just insert it into her," Scarlett suggested.
"EH?!" Emma exclaimed. "Why do you even have one?! And why would you even suggest that?!"
Norman sweatdropped. "Maybe we should tone it down…"
The other three followed his gaze and looked to see the taxi driver glancing at them in confusion and awkwardness, but trying to mind his own business at the same time. Luckily, it looks like he didn't understand enough English to understand what they were saying. If he had, it would be much more awkward.
After a few more minutes of an awkward ride, the taxi driver stopped in front of a gated entrance and looked back at them.
"This is your stop," he said in Japanese.
"Thank you," Norman replied back in the same language.
The four of them stepped out of the vehicle and grabbed all their stuff in the trunk while the others were arriving in other taxis. Only then, did they see the full scale of their new house. Or rather… mansion.
"...Eh?" Emma had a shaky smile on her face as she stared at it.
In front of them was a giant gate with an intercom system. Beyond that was a giant amount of plain field that surrounded a giant white mansion.
"Um… are we at the right place?" Norman asked, his voice slightly high-pitched.
Scarlett was the first to get over it and made a 'tch' sound, putting her face in a hand. "This is just overkill. Do we really need all of this!?"
"I expected a house the same size as our old one at best," Ray mused. "And this place is in some sort of gated community too. Look at the other mansions."
'Why would they give us all of this?' Scarlett wondered. 'I'd like to think it's to show off their wealth and status to us, but that's obviously not the case. Like Ray said, this place is heavily protected. I can see a bunch of security cameras and there's probably more hiding. It's probably because there's three of us with the blood. The Ratri clan has a lot of influence around the world and its governments, including Japan. They really don't want the blood to go into the wrong hands. Unfortunately, I can't blame them for that.'
"WOAH!" All of the kids ran up next to them with their bags.
"Think about all the games we could play here!" Thoma said excitedly.
"I am and it's hurting my head just thinking about all the havoc you'll cause," Gilda groaned in exasperation.
Yuugo whistled softly as he looked at the mansion. "Well, I can't exactly say I'm not happy. But I would have been perfectly fine with a more… manageable house."
"Well, we can't just stand around," Lucas said, walking towards the gate.
"How do we get in?" Anna asked, she and the others right behind him.
"They notified me that it's a fingerprint scan. Or if there's someone already in the mansion, you press the button to access the intercom and there should be a way to let them open the gate," he explained as he brought his left thumb to the scanner. "You guys use your right thumb, but mine is a prosthetic so I use my left."
The scanner accepted it and the gate slowly swung open, leaving all of them in awe. Once they all passed the gate, it closed behind them with a clanking sound. All of them slowly walked up and through the grassy land towards their new home.
Entering the giant building, all of them gasped at how grand it was.
"Welcome," a few maids greeted them in japanese. "Please make yourselves at home."
"Yes we will!" Nat strutted in, looking as though he were in heaven.
It took them a while to explore the entire mansion. The amount of bedrooms were insane and each of them had their own bathroom, closet, and even a balcony. The kitchen was grand and would definitely make Pepe jealous and there were multiple drawing rooms sprinkled around the place. The dining room had a giant table that seated all of them and there was even a bar on the bottom floor. Of course, Lucas and Yuugo were the only ones who could access it. Much to Nat's happiness and Scarlett's discomfort, there was a music room with a white grand piano as the centerpiece. The gym in the mansion was much bigger and had even more equipment, making Scarlett feel a bit better. Down the same hall was a basketball court.
The outside was just as big and stately as the mansion. Large gardens with hedges surrounded the property and if it was officially spring, the place would look much more beautiful without a doubt. The flowers were still mainly buds and the trees bore no fruit at the moment. There was a pool in the back as well that was not filled quite yet and complete with diving boards and a drinks bar next to it.
To top it all off, the mansion was fully equipped with staff. There were plenty of maids and butlers to ask and to do the cleaning and a couple of chefs as well to make delicious meals. The bodyguards that were sent there looked quite intimidating and at the very least would give many people doubts about even thinking to attack them. Security cameras and motion sensors were all over the property, being another safety precaution.
Despite all the bedrooms, there were still quite a lot of them living there. So they sorted out the rooms. Yuugo and Lucas, as well as the older kids, got their own room. That included Violet, Emma, Norman, Ray, Scarlett, Don, Gilda, Nat, and Anna. The rest of them would have to share, although no one minded since that was what they did at their old house and now there were less people in each room.
Scarlett wasn't entirely sure about having her own room, but then again, she wouldn't have to disturb anyone's sleep with her own issues. So there really were no issues in the first place. Just selfish instincts trying to take over.
All of the bedrooms only held all the basics, with them having the option to decorate later on. All of them had the choice between a four-poster bed or a canopy one and what color or pattern. After they choose one, the maids and butlers would immediately assemble one and they would also suggest different furniture to place in your room. The whole decorating process for all the rooms took up the rest of the day. And even then, they still hadn't finished decorating or adding their own things.
Scarlett sighed as she laid down on her finally assembled bed in her new spacious room. Ray's room was next door to hers down the hall along with Violet's and Thoma and Lannion's shared room. She chose a red canopy bed with red drapes and black trim on them. As for what she planned to put in her room since there was still lots of room left… maybe some punching bags, hidden weapons…
There was a knock on her door.
"Come in," she called out.
Lucas peeked his head through and said, "If you're all done, come down to the dining room for dinner."
Scarlett nodded. "I'll be down in a bit."
As he closed the door, she groaned as she stood up. Her body was absolutely exhausted and just wanted to sleep after all the moving. But she can't skip a meal. It'll mess up her diet and then she'll be a hypocrite for being very pushy about it on Emma and Anna. And then no one would let her live that down…
She was one of the last ones to arrive at the dining room. All the food had already been laid down along with all the expensive utensils and plates. Most of the food was Japanese and also not too familiar to many of them. Dishes of beef, chicken, seafood, and other meats filled the room with their aroma. Plates of sushi and different noodles were also at their disposal. Baskets of bread and cooked vegetables were laid out with plenty of condiments. There weren't a lot of healthy options available but… maybe it'll be fine to splurge just for one night.
"Thank you for the food!" Everyone chorused, their hands clasped together in prayer and their eyes closed.
Scarlett was still not that hungry, even with the delicious smells and good looking food in front of her, but she sucked it up. When they were in the demon world, especially when they were traveling, they often had a lack of food and went to sleep with an empty stomach many times. And since then, all of them had grown accustomed to never taking food or anything at all for granted.
She piled on some different types of sushi rolls and also teriyaki chicken with some cooked vegetables on her plate. It was a slow process, but she did manage to eat it all.
The room was filled with tons of talking noises as everyone conversated with each other and shared laughter. Especially with Thoma and Lannion sticking carrots in their noses and broccoli in their ears while making goofy faces. With how tired she was and how she even found it amusing, Gilda let it slide just this once.
Ray was sitting next to Scarlett and asked her, "Say, how about we explore the town more tomorrow?"
She had no qualms about that. "Sure. A nice first date in Japan."
Ray looked pleased as he took a sip of sparkling water with a smirk. Scarlett paled a bit as she remembered what happened the last time he did that.
"You do that here and I'll make sure you have nightmares for the rest of the week," she muttered in warning.
Ray raised his hands in mock surrender while saying in Japanese, "Hai, hai." (Ok, ok)
Scarlett rolled her eyes at that.
After dinner, everyone was absolutely exhausted after everything that happened. With their stomachs full, all of them headed off to bed in their rooms after saying goodnight to each other sleepily. Those who ate far too much food rushed to the nearest bathroom or had to take some stomach medicine that the workers provided.
Scarlett entered her room slowly and closed the door behind her. Moonlight was pouring into the room from the giant window that she hadn't covered with curtains yet. She walked into her bathroom and started a warm bath instead of a usual shower. Her stomach was so full that she didn't know if she could stand for much longer.
She went into her closet where all of her clothes were deposited earlier to get fresh undergarments and night clothes. Even after filling the space up, there was still a significant amount of room. It wasn't that surprising since Scarlett isn't one for clothes like Gilda. The olive haired girl's closet is probably filled to the brim with fabric.
After a bit of contemplating, she chose a plain white nightgown. She wasn't the type to wear them to bed, usually she wears pajamas, but sometimes she preferred the airy feeling that the light fabric gave her.
Scarlett went back to the bathroom and stripped. A sigh of relaxation left her throat as she sat in the warm water with bubbles. She didn't know why the decision to add bubbles came to her mind. It's not like she was a little kid. Emma was definitely the type to just play in the bath, even at her age of almost 16. Not Scarlett, who was the exact opposite of playful and energetic.
But the idea was… tempting at least. Her hand tentatively picked up a handful of bubbles and she blew on them, spreading them out through the air. It was surprisingly fun, moving around the bubbles. Her body felt at ease and it felt like a dream.
Unfortunately, reality is rough and she had to hurry up and get out of the bath before her skin turned into a raisin. After washing off all the bubbles and draining the water, her hands grabbed a towel and dried her body. Scarlett then put on the undergarments and nightgown while also drying and brushing her silky black hair. Finally, she brushed her teeth and finished with her before bedtime routine.
Walking out of the bathroom, her arms stretched out and she let out a yawn. She didn't even bother closing the blinds at the giant window. The moonlight made for a nice light. Instead, she instantly went to her bed and pulled the covers over her. Then, laying back and closing her eyes, within a few minutes, sleep came to take her. By then, it was too late for her to realize that she didn't take the pill and the amount of food she ate only sped up the process of sleep.
~0~0~0~0~0~
Everything was burning.
Scarlett coughed as she raced through the burning forest. Her eyes frantically scanned for any source of water, or just something to stop the raging flames.
"Hello!?" Scarlett called out. "Is anyone there! Someone, please stop the fire!" Her sentence ended with a coughing bout due to smoke getting into her lungs.
The fire was searing hot as some of the fiery flakes landed on her, causing her to wince and hiss. Her vision started growing hazy as she continued to run through the flames.
But then she vaguely saw the figure of a person straight ahead of her. Breathing a small sigh of relief, she ran towards that person, stumbling slightly.
"Thank goodness there's someone here. But why are you just standing… here…" Her voice faded away as the person who seemed to just be a black figure stood there.
"Oi, can't you answer…?!"
The person turned around slowly and revealed themselves, a haunting smile on their disfigured face.
"Have you missed me?" Andrew's expression was one of an insane person. Well, it wasn't surprising, as he actually was insane. But that wasn't the point.
Scarlett took a step back in shock. "No… you're not real! I killed you myself! And I don't regret that anymore! Someone like you shouldn't be allowed to live!"
Andrew cackled nonstop, holding his stomach. "Hehe...ha… ha… AHAHHAHAHAHA! DId you really think that I would be truly gone? I may not be alive anymore, but I can still haunt you forever! You can't get rid of me no matter how much therapy you take! I will ALWAYS be a part of you, whether you like it or not."
The ravenette growled lowly and took out her katana. "Get out."
Her weapon once again decapitated the disfigured man in one slice. Blood splattered on her and the ground surrounding them. Andrew smiled eerily from his position on the ground.
"No matter what you do, no matter where you hide, no matter how you fight back… I will be in your consciousness. This is your fate."
She clenched her katana so tightly that her knuckles started turning white. "Shut it. You are nothing now! You're just a PATHETIC remnant of your already PATHETIC SELF!"
Scarlett kept on stabbing the head, even more blood splattering on her clothes and face. Andrew continued laughing maniacally as his face became even more disfigured.
"You crazy psycho!" Scarlett yelled out as blood started to obscure her vision. "Just die already! I don't care how many times it takes to kill you! So you might as well just die now! Someone like you isn't needed in this world!"
"...You might be right about that." Andrew's voice was uncharacteristically soft. "But can you say the same… for THEM?"
"What…?" Scarlett was confused by his words and a bit unnerved at how seemingly calm he was despite his facial features being no longer recognizable with the wounds and the disturbing amount of blood. She slowly turned around to see a shocking sight.
They were just right there. Not even moving a single inch as they looked at her with dead, motionless eyes. There were maybe around 20...25 of them. Their demon features were undeniable. But that was not what made her stunned. It was all of the wounds that they bore. Wounds from a deadly sharp blade and/or bullet holes from a sniper gun. All of them had their eyes obliterated. Even if it weren't for the fatal injuries, she could never forget what they looked like, even if she forcibly tried to get them out of her memories.
"...Why?" Scarlett shakily took a step back. "Why are all of you here?"
Her first innocent victim, a middle-aged demon with a limp due to the shot through the leg, stepped forward.
"I had a family, you know. A family that was waiting for me to come back home that day."
The ravenette forcibly gritted her teeth. "...I know. Those were your last words. Before… before I ended you."
"And I remember EXACTLY how you did it." The demon's voice grew cold. "First, you shot me in the leg. Then as I fell onto the ground, you didn't even hesitate as your blade stabbed straight past my mask and into my eye."
"I had no choice!" Scarlett bit out.
"YOU ALWAYS HAD A CHOICE!" The demon bellowed. "YOU JUST CHOSE THE EASY WAY OUT!"
"My grandmother was on her deathbed!" A female demon cried out. "All she wanted for me was to live a happy life!"
"My younger brother was so weak that he could hardly sit up!" Another demon's deep voice shouted out. "I was the only one who cared for him! By killing me, you killed him as well!"
"I had a loving family that needed me to come home and feed them!"
"I had a lover who cherished me when no one else did!"
"IT'S YOUR FAULT! IF YOU DIDN'T KILL US, NO ONE WOULD HAVE HAD TO SUFFER!"
Scarlett gritted her teeth and punched a tree next to her abruptly. "Shut up… just shut up. Yeah… I caused all of you suffering. You and your loved ones! But what about MY loved ones? Do they not matter?!"
"The thing is though…" Andrew chuckled ominously. "You only killed them because of the pretext that they might have blabbled to those in power. Did you think that these demons, who were of lowly birth, would give a damn about a few humans that they just happened to spot? Who would have believed them even? You know it yourself that the towns that spotted you were deemed as mad crazy."
Scarlett flinched a bit at that. "W-well, there's still the fact that I was a human! Because of their poverty, I'm sure most of them wouldn't have hesitated to kill me first!"
Andrew was not deterred however and remained amused. "Ah, perhaps. But we'll never know since you killed them first, right?"
"Just shut up." Her gaze turned into ice. "You've gotten too mouthy."
His expression was still amused. "Ah, little itty bitty Scar-Scar. Who knew you were so easy to rile up?"
Her victims started shouting again, filling her ears with their pained and anguished voices. The fire continued to spread and turn the sky into a mix of smoky black and lava red. Andrew continued his maniacal laughing.
"Shut up. Just shut up." Scarlett's eyes grew beast-like.
Everything from then on was just a blur, with very few memories to piece it together. Once again, all her victims were on the ground, dead for a second time.
"No… what happened?" She stepped back shakily as she regained consciousness. "I didn't…" But the blood that drenched her katana and soaked her clothes said otherwise.
"I didn't! I didn't mean to! This wasn't supposed to happen!"
Andrew's voice whispered into her ear. "Are you sure about that?"
.
.
.
Immediately, Scarlett sat back up in bed. Her skin was clammy and her expression was hollow and tired.
"...Fuck," she finally sighed to herself.
~0~0~0~0~0~
The next few weeks were quite busy, with everyone adjusting to their new lifestyle. Lessons were going well and most of them have officially finished with their rooms. All the workers treated them well and were very kind. They made little conversation with the bodyguards, deciding to let them do their own thing.
Training was also going smoothly. They had a much bigger gym and more equipment and weapons at their disposal. Emma was getting better and better at using the staff and katana and Scarlett was at a similar level with the strange weapon. Still, Emma's attacks were too obvious and with Scarlett's keen observation skills, she saw all of them coming from a mile away.
"Hah!" Emma was holding the staff's middle section, spinning the 1st and 3rd sections. While doing this, she ran right at the ravenette, who was on guard with her katana. With a swing, she tried to hit her side.
Scarlett jumped up to avoid the attack and landed behind the ginger in response. Using Emma's temporary confusion to her advantage, she then kicked her legs, making her fall down ungracefully with an 'oof'.
"Don't make a habit of yelling when you attack," Scarlett said, flicking her hair out of her face. "It takes away the element of surprise."
Emma sighed in exasperation as she laid on the ground. "I remember a time where people would say that we were on the same level in terms of athletic skills. Now though, I say it's pretty obvious who's the superior one."
"Don't put yourself down like that," Scarlett chastised. "You'll start to sound like me. Besides, we all have our own skills. And I've been training like this for years. You've never really trained like this before, even back when we escaped."
"True," Emma agreed reluctantly. "But you really are a natural when it comes to fighting. You'll definitely make it in for sure."
"So are you," Scarlett responded. "You just need more practice. Even at this rate, I think you can make it in. Then again, we have no idea who's entering or what the exam even is. There's probably going to be a lot of unprecedented factors."
"I wish we could use our weapons," Emma said weakly, looking nervous. "But then that would give us an unfair advantage."
"Yeah. Although I would be fine since I can just make any weapon I want." Scarlett took some kunais in her belt that were lying on the ground and threw them at the targets across the room with lightning speed. All of them hit the center. "I suppose I don't want to use up all my power though."
"What kind of exam would the top school in Japan have?" Emma wondered. "I know that they will have a written exam but we'll pass that, no problem! But I wonder what the practical exam will be? They definitely will have high standards, but it won't be much worse than what we faced, right? Everyone who's going to do the exam has no experience most likely. We have the advantage in that we are experienced in a way."
"We still cannot underestimate everyone else participating," Scarlett said firmly. "Underestimating someone is what causes people's demise."
"I know that!" Emma insisted. "I'm just trying to make my nervous feelings go away! The exam is months away but I am already starting to feel nervous!"
"We've faced worse than this." Scarlett raised an eyebrow. "I don't see what's there to be so scared about."
"Not everyone is as stoic as you!" Emma pouted. "And we've never been graded on something like this before! Written tests are one thing, but practical exams in front of hundreds of people and professionals are another!"
"I see what you're saying," Scarlett conceded. "I never really took you to be the nervous type when it comes to this. You usually just charge headfirst. Honestly, I don't think there's anything you can really do about nervousness. Just work hard and it'll pay off."
"Easy for you to say," Emma muttered petulantly. "You're blunt as always. Anna always seems to be gone when you need her to back you up..."
"Where is she?" Scarlett realized. "She should be training with us."
"Don't you remember? She's been doing a lot of volunteer work lately. I think today, she's at a soup kitchen."
Scarlett put a hand on her forehead, sighing in aggravation. "Right. It completely slipped my mind. She better not be using it as an excuse to skip practice though."
Emma let out a short laugh. "You know she's not the kind to do that. But anyways, you forgot? That's not like you."
"I just have a lot of things on my mind," Scarlett replied, remembering the dream from last night. For whatever reason, that one was far more vivid and dark than her other ones. It made her uneasy.
"Take it a bit slower for a few days," Emma suggested. When Scarlett opened her mouth to protest, she said strictly, "No objections! I don't want you to burn yourself out. I don't think you've taken a single break or changed your schedule or routine at all. I'm impressed that you've stuck to it really well."
"Because that's the point of a routine," Scarlett said tersely. "I really shouldn't be taking a break, especially since I don't need one-"
"And I say you do!" Emma interjected. "It's not like I'm telling you to stop training at all. I'm just saying that you should lessen it a bit for at least a few days. You're pushing yourself too hard!"
"Look at who's the one telling me that," Scarlett muttered, activating her powers and grabbing the kunais out of the targets. They went back to her and pointed back at the targets. She then shot the sharp weapons back to them, all of them hitting the red center again.
Scarlett then headed to the nearest punching bag and put on black leather knuckle bracers. She took a deep breath and steadied herself. In a split second, she was attacking the bag with a flurry of punches and kicks. Each impact left a loud echoing sound in the room. Emma could hardly keep up with her swift and fluid motions.
Emma sighed in exasperation. "This is what I am talking about. You're so strict when it comes to this kind of stuff. I know I'm not the kind to say stuff like this, this is Gilda's kind of thing, but you shouldn't push yourself."
The ravenette was panting as she continued punching and kicking. "My body… isn't going… to… condition itself… on its… own…"
"At least for a few days, please?" Emma implored, walking towards her with pleading eyes. "Your body isn't going to suddenly become a giant unmovable mass of flesh! And you can still train, but just not as much!"
Finally, she stopped abusing the poor punching bag and wiped some sweat off her forehead with her arm. "Tch. Fine. Three days."
"Five," Emma countered.
Scarlett glared at her. "I'm not negotiating."
The ginger sweatdropped at her gaze. "...I didn't expect you to."
~0~0~0~0~0~
Geez, what was Scarlett thinking? Even just three days was going to throw a wrench in her schedule. But when she tried to push Emma off, it was just too hard to deny those bright green eyes that she has.
Was Scarlett really being too strict on herself? She had a good reason to be, right? This was her career. If she didn't pass, would it be over? Again? Damn it, Emma's nervousness is starting to rub off on her. Well, there's no way she could lie to Emma and continue on as normal.
Since her schedule had been freed a bit more, much to Ray's pleasure, they had gone out on a few more dates. (I'll write a short story about one of them later.) Scarlett had to admit, that was a nice bonus. What was not so great was finding things to do to fill up all the extra time. Emma refused to let her do anything that remotely had exercise. Even taking a jog or tossing a football back and forth with Don.
At last, the 3rd day came. After this, she could finally go back to her normal routine. But until then, she would have to survive today first.
After eating breakfast with the rest of them like normal, Gilda came up to her and asked, "Can you do a favor for me today?"
'Well, as long as it'll pass time, I'm good with pretty much anything,' Scarlett thought irritatedly. "Sure. What is it?"
"Follow me!" The olive haired girl beckoned her.
Gilda let her into her bedroom. This was the first time Scarlett had been inside of it. And it was definitely very different from her own room. Gilda had a lavender four-poster bed with white details on the edge of the drapes. On the opposite side of her room, she had a slightly lifted circular platform with three mirrors surrounding half of the stage.
And clothes. Clothes were on every table and chair available. Some looked to be on the verge of finishing while others were just getting made. It was insane, the amount of clothes Gilda was working on at the same time. Fabrics, used and brand new ones, were strewn all over a corner of the room that was clearly her workspace. A sewing machine and lots of needles and string were also in the same corner. On the ground nearby there were tons of magazines and books filled with designs for inspiration. Most of them consisted of Japanese-inspired clothing but there were other styles as well.
"Sorry about the mess!" Gilda apologized, running around and picking up bits of fabric and other things on the floor, trying to tidy up a bit.
Scarlett shrugged. "It's fine. So, what do you need me to help with?"
Walking back to her with a pile of clothes in her arms, she explained. "You see, my school requires me to turn in a set of clothes as a beginning project, even when I'm all the way here in Japan. I've already got them all here." Her head gestured to the large pile of clothes in her arms.
Scarlett was confused as to what this had to do with her. "Ok, I understand that. But if you're already done, what do I need to do?"
"If I just take pictures of them as they are now, I'll probably get full credit," Gilda said. "But… there's extra credit if I give my teacher pictures of them on a person since they can see how the clothes look on people."
Immediately after she said that, Scarlett sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. "You want me to wear these clothes and let you take pictures of me is what you're saying."
"Yes," Gilda replied with an awkward smile.
"You do realize that I am aspiring to be a hero and not some supermodel, right?"
"I know, but please?" Gilda begged. "Wouldn't you agree that you should do extra credit if there ever is any?"
"Don't turn my logic against me," Scarlett snapped. "Anyways, why me? Surely someone else could do it? You could even do it and just ask one of the maids to take the pictures."
"But your body type is perfect for these clothes!" Gilda whined. " I may or may not have used your body size as a model. You have a slender waist, your legs are long and chiseled, your body is lean but not muscular, your face has no imperfections and your naturally slightly narrow eyes make for a hot and mature look! I know that they can be seen as scary, but I think many people would debate that! Even your chest size is per-!"
"I'm gonna stop you right there," Scarlett interrupted, suppressing a blush at what Gilda was going to say. "... How many people would see it?"
"Well there's my teacher… and maybe some of my classmates," Gilda admitted. "But don't worry! You're not gonna be at the front page of some major magazine or anything like that!"
Scarlett paused, thinking about it. "...Fine. But there better not be anything revealing."
"There's nothing scandalous," Gilda reassured her. "Some skin would show but it's perfectly appropriate!"
"Alright, where's the first set of clothes?" Scarlett asked, wanting to get this over with. "I'll just go on that raised platform and you can take the pictures, yeah?"
"Um, well…" Gilda said nervously. "...I'd like to do it somewhere in the city for some nice scenery! Lighting is important when showcasing outfits!"
'Great.' Scarlett took a deep breath to calm herself. "Let's get going then."
After getting all the things they needed and informing the others where they were going, the two of them left the property. When a bodyguard questioned them, they said the same thing as the others. Scarlett had no doubt that some of them would probably tail them. But as long as they weren't obvious or got in her way, it's not too bad. At the very least, when she goes to UA, they wouldn't be able to follow her without conflict.
They entered the city with a taxi and Gilda got them to a park. Already, Scarlett has a few guesses on who's tailing them, but she tried to ignore them. Gilda handed the first set of clothes to Scarlett, which consisted of a deep purple short kimono with white and red flower patterns on it. She also had geta sandals with plain white socks. With these things, she headed off into a nearby restroom and changed into them, also reluctantly taking off her rose ring and keeping it in her jeans pocket.
After getting out and dealing with Gilda's gushing at how good she looked, the girl then applied some light makeup to Scarlett as well as putting her hair into a low tight bun and placing a fancy flower pin in her hair. To deal with her blind eye, Gilda had come with eye contacts, so it looked as though she had two red eyes again. The faint scar from when she bit her hand a few years ago was also covered up with makeup.
They looked for a few minutes and found a good spot to take the photoshoot. It was by a river that ran through the park with a freshly bloomed sakura tree next to the water. Gilda took pictures of Scarlett from different angles, each of them with her looking refined and elegant. Some of them were her leaning against the tree and others were her looking at the river while the wind made her dress flow. At least she didn't need to smile.
The same thing happened over and over again, just with a different outfit. A light green summer dress, a white a-line shirt with a sky blue double layered skirt, a red shirt with butterfly sleeves and elegant black pants and heels, the list went on. Each had a certain type of hairstyle and makeup and accessories, and she even wore different wigs as well to compliment each look. The whole process of changing and posing was incredibly tedious because of that.
It felt like an eternity. Scarlett felt as though she were running out of different poses to do, especially with Gilda's bickering about one being too similar to another. At some points, she couldn't help but wonder if it would ever end. They ended up eating lunch at the park and then finished up the last couple of outfits.
The final outfit came at last. It was probably the easiest one to wear. It was a graceful and refined black dress that fanned out at her knees that was paired with flat white sandals and silver bracelets. Gilda had her wear a wig with long bright red hair with an equal length haircut and also a pair of lightly tinted sunglasses.
After taking photos of her in that outfit, (with one particularly fantastic one of her swiftly turning around, her hair swaying fiercely),Gilda at last called it a day.
"Ugh… my body is so sore from those poses you made me do," Scarlett muttered. 'How is it even possible that they are even more sore than after a day of training?'
"Sorry about that," Gilda apologized. "But I owe you one now, so thanks! You can just change out of that outfit now."
"Yeah, I don't think I can stand-" She suddenly stopped talking, her hearing picking up something in the distance.
"Scarlett?" Gilda grew worried. "What's wrong?"
'Voices… lots of them… screaming about a villain,' Scarlett thought as she froze. 'A student… held hostage?'
She made up her mind and started running away towards the source.
"S-Scarlett?!" Gilda exclaimed.
"Sorry!" She called back. "I'll be back soon!" Luckily, the sandals weren't heeled so it was easy enough to run in them. Still incredibly annoying though.
After running nonstop for a few minutes, she finally made it to the source of all the sounds. A large group of people were surrounding something. Because of all the people, Scarlett couldn't see the situation properly. But there was smoke in the air, so there must be a fire of some kind. She also saw pro heroes right at the front, but for some reason, they didn't do anything.
'Tch. Can't you guys do your job?' Scarlett scowled. She tapped on someone's sleeve nervously and asked them in Japanese, "What's going on?"
"There's some sort of sludge villain!" The man responded. "Apparently, it took a student hostage and the pro heroes can't do anything because of that!"
"Where the heck is All Might?" Someone else demanded. "Wasn't he the one chasing this villain? There were eyewitnesses!"
'A sludge villain. It would make sense that any physical damage wouldn't do anything to them,' Scarlett thought deeply. 'I could use my telekinesis but then that would get me in trouble with the police, which is just ridiculous. And even if the Ratri clan uses their connections to deal with it, I rather not deal with it at all. I can't wait for All Might either. These people depend on him too much.'
Suddenly, the crowd gasped as some green haired student started running towards the villain, making a path. Scarlett was able to see the situation properly now. Within the sludge, she could make out some male with spiky blonde hair. The two of them wore the same uniform, so maybe they came from the same school? With her hearing, she was just able to make out what they were saying.
"STUPID DEKU! WHY THE HELL ARE YOU HERE!" The blonde kid screamed.
Scarlett raised an eyebrow. 'Very temperamental. And ungrateful I might add.'
The green haired kid apparently named 'Deku' put a shaky smile on his face. "You looked like… you could use some saving…"
'This person has guts,' Scarlett remarked. 'Unlike those pro heroes. Even if there was a hostage, surely they could do more than just stand there? But anyways, I don't think that kid's gonna be able to do anything on his own. I have to step in. But with what?'
She started looking around for something that could help. Her eyes landed on something. Bingo.
"Hey," Scarlett said to the group of kids playing nearby. "Mind if I borrow some of those water guns?"
The blue haired kid who looked to be the leader had a smug look on his face. "Sure, but you'll have to pay us-"
She didn't have time to deal with unmannered kids. It was hard to remember that not everyone had a great Mom like theirs, but ever since they came to this world, the amount of rude kids baffled her. Her eyes were dark as she leaned in towards the kid. "I don't have time to deal with this. Someone is literally dying and all you can think about is what you'll get in return? How about you give me what I want and we won't have any casualties on our hands."
The kids stared at her in shock and some even started crying. Scarlett sighed internally. Maybe she was being a bit too harsh, but this was an emergency! She had no time to be 'gentle' or 'understanding'.
Taking two water guns and filling them to the brim with water, she raced off back towards the scene.
"Excuse me, coming through!" She yelled out.
Immediately, the crowd stepped aside when they saw her running at an astonishing speed towards the villain.
The angry kid stared in shock at the girl running towards him with a monotone expression. Confused, Deku turned around and gaped in fright when the girl aimed the two water guns at the sludge villain with perfect accuracy for someone who seemingly has never held a gun before, at least in their eyes.
"AGH!" The villain screamed. He started shrinking from the liquid.
"Like I thought," Scarlett muttered as she jumped up super high, aiming down at the villain below her. "Even though you wouldn't be affected by physical attacks, water or any liquid in general is your weakness."
Time seemed to slow down for the green haired kid as he stared at the red haired girl with sunglasses. Her hair was floating upwards as she fell down towards the villain, feet first. The two water guns she was holding were aiming straight down and fired once again towards the villain.
"DAMN YOU!" The villain cursed loudly, hitting her with some sludge.
She managed to avoid the attack but it knocked the sunglasses off of her head, revealing her red eyes. The other two students there noticed how she closed her left eye for whatever reason. Her monotone expression turned annoyed for a split second before going back to its previous one. "Oi. You better not have broken them. My friend would be pissed. I'll make you pay for them, even in prison."
The villain continued shrinking as she continued spraying water at him.
All Might, now in his skinny form, stared at the girl in shock. He was about to transform back into his buff form after seeing young Midoriya do something so brave and impressive until this new girl came into the scene wearing some rather nice clothes. The technique she was using was very impressive and the idea of using water never even came to him. Who… was this girl?
"YOU WON'T BEAT ME!" The sludge villain roared, making explosions.
"Sigh. You're so annoying," Scarlett irked as she hopped back to avoid the explosions. 'I'm almost out of water. Those explosions are annoying as well. They probably aren't part of his quirk since it's completely different. He must be somehow forcing his hostage to use their quirk. It perfectly matches him and his personality after all. But that's fine. I've shrunken him enough that his attacks won't be too devastating. I just need to find an opening...'
"You know, you won't even make it big in the villain world, if you even make it out of here," Scarlett commented in an offhand way. "Your quirk is so weak that you have to depend on others to even be at this level. You're just third-rate. And that's being generous too."
"What… Did you say…?!" The villain said angrily. "I'll SHOW YOU STRONG, YOU STUPID GIRL!"
For a moment when he was processing what she said, he stopped creating explosions.
'Now!' With lightning speed, Scarlett raced forward and gave the sludge a good punch. Now that he was smaller, physical attacks would do more against him.
"Ack!" The villain choked.
Scarlett then pulled the captive student out in a not very elegant way and practically threw him to the ground. It was easier for her to do so because of her strength.
Deku was frozen in place as he stared at the girl. 'Who is she? She's so fast and strong! Is that a part of her quirk? Probably not, since I don't see any sign of her using one. She's… not using a quirk at all?! If so, then is it really possible…?'
"No!" The villain screamed. "You'll pay for that!"
Gritting her teeth, she avoided his attempts at capturing her. She then did a spin kick and knocked him against the wall. Using the final bits of her water, Scarlett sprayed him down. He was about half her size now.
"Ugh…" The villain groaned on the ground. "This isn't over-!"
Scarlett abruptly stomped down on him in annoyance, making the green haired kid yelp in shock.
"Well, this isn't supposed to be my job, so I'll get going now," she said, ignoring the gaping crowd and the angry blonde kid who looked seconds away from exploding. Her legs bent down to pick up the sunglasses, which luckily didn't seem damaged.
As she walked away, the villain suddenly lunged at her for a surprise attack. As Scarlett realized this, she was about to turn around and reluctantly activate her powers when All Might appeared, rushing at the villain and hitting him with one big punch.
"A-All Might?!" Deku exclaimed.
"I truly am pathetic," the number one hero lamented as he stood there. "Even though I admonished you, I wasn't putting what I said into practice! And then I had to rely on bystanders to do my job properly!"
Despite the situation, Scarlett couldn't help but wonder what he meant. These two knew each other? And something feels missing…
"DETROIT SMASH!" All Might yelled, punching the villain and splattering gunk everywhere around them.
Scarlett barely managed to avoid the gross sludge by ducking behind the Deku kid. Like hell she'll get this outfit ruined! Gilda would never let her live it down.
The wind and impact was so strong that Mount Lady had to enlarge herself and cover the watching civilians so that they wouldn't be blown away. A whirlwind was created and caused everyone to look up at it in confusion before it disappeared. The sky darkened, and it began to rain down upon them.
'Did… All Might change the weather?' Scarlett had to forcibly keep her mouth closed. 'So that's the power of the number one hero, huh?' Her admiration ended quite abruptly however. She cursed at the rain completely soaking Gilda's outfit. So much for trying to keep it in good condition.
"Rain?" Someone murmured.
"Don't tell me it's from the wind pressure just now!" Another person exclaimed in disbelief, staring at the dark sky.
"Amazing!" Everyone started cheering for All Might.
"With just one punch from his right hand, he changed the weather!"
"That's All Might for you!"
Soon after that, the police and heroes at the scene apprehended the sludge villain after collecting all his parts, which luckily was not too much considering that the strange red haired girl had already done a decent amount of damage to him. The weather had also returned to normal, with only small rain puddles remaining.
Within just minutes, all the press and news stations arrived at the area to interview All Might as well as the blonde haired student, who seemed even more pissed than before.
Two heroes, Kamui Woods and Death Arms, walked to an embarrassed Deku and an irritated Scarlett to talk to them.
"Jeez, there is a limit to how rash you can be!" Death Arms scolded, making Midoriya flinch and look down while Scarlett's expression stayed the same, if not a bit annoyed. "There was absolutely no reason to put yourself in danger!"
"Really?" Scarlett questioned darkly. "At least we did something. You guys are the heroes, so why were you just standing there when someone was suffocating to death?"
Both of them were taken aback, not expecting someone to talk back to them. The green haired kid looked at her with a panicked expression.
"The villain had a hostage," Kamui Woods tried to reason with her. "We couldn't do anything because-"
"Whether or not you did anything, it was obvious the kid was going to die anyway, whether you did something or not. But it's better to try instead of staring at the scene like blob fishes!" Scarlett snapped, sick of their incompetence.
"And anyways, was the only thing you could do was stand there, waiting for All Might? What if he didn't make it? Even though your job is to protect and save people, you depend too much on him. Someday, All Might won't be here anymore. He'll retire or maybe even die. What will you do then? Get a grasp on reality and realize that. At least we did something. Can you really call yourself a pro-hero when you can't do your job properly? If you can't even be a proper pro-hero, then I can't even call you guys heroes."
'What does she mean by that last sentence?' The green haired kid thought vaguely.
At their silence, she scoffed scornfully and walked off, putting her sunglasses back on. The ravenette didn't miss the angry blonde glaring at her as well as All Might managing to sneak a glance at her. A few reporters tried to get her to answer their questions, but they immediately backed off from a simple glare.
'The audacity!' Scarlett made a sound of annoyance. 'You call yourselves pro-heroes? And when we did your job, you had the nerve to try and admonish us! These people… are naive. Then again, I highly doubt any of them went through anything close to what we've been through. And no one else should. But it's really frustrating at times.'
She went to grab her phone when two things came to light. One, she didn't have pockets, and two, her phone was with Gilda.
Groaning, Scarlett slowly started walking back to the park. Then suddenly, she saw a flash of olive green hair toppling into her.
"Gilda?"
Said girl was panting and looked quite annoyed. "What was that all about?!"
"Sorry. There was trouble and I had to deal with it. Do you have my phone?"
"Save that for when you get in UA," Gilda replied in exasperation, handing over the phone. "You made me worried! Don't just run off like that again. What if the Ratri clan gets a hold of this? Well, I'm sure those secret bodyguards are reporting to them as we speak! Are you insane?!"
'Secret bodyguards my ass.' "I would probably only get a minor offence since I did interfere without permission but I didn't use my power. And I'd only get it if they can even identify me," Scarlett pointed out. "Besides, it's not like the clan can do anything to us. They know well that there's no containing us. Not anymore."
"Still, they won't be very happy!" Gilda retorted.
"I couldn't care less about what they think," Scarlett bit out. "I know that they still scorn us. They think we should have just died and stayed as cattle."
"That's…!" Gilda hesitated.
"Anyways, let's just go back home," Scarlett grouched. "I'm exhausted. Also, sorry about your dress. All Might made it rain for a bit."
As Gilda was about to flip out about her dress, she then zoned in on the second part. "All Might? ...The number one hero?!"
Scarlett nodded. "Yeah. He came at the last minute to finish off the villain."
"He's strong enough to change the weather… incredible," Gilda breathed out. "Not as incredible as you though!"
Snorting, the ravenette replied, "Are you trying to flatter me?"
As the two of them walked on the streets, Scarlett's thoughts went to the two junior high students. For some reason, it felt as though that wasn't the last time she would see them. Not by a long shot.
~0~0~0~0~0~
When the two of them came home, they knew that they had to tell the others what happened. It would have gotten out anyway. The news would make sure of that. Ray was pretty cross with Scarlett. And because of that, he started keeping a closer eye on his girlfriend.
"Ray," Scarlett irked, "don't tell me that you wouldn't have done the same thing."
Ray admittedly couldn't find a counterargument to that. "Maybe so. But from what Gilda said, it looked as though you didn't even think about the consequences or actions!"
Scarlett stared at him in annoyance, her eyepatch covering her other eye. "Do I need an excuse to save others?"
Emma was completely on Scarlett's side, although that surprised absolutely no one. Norman was stuck in between. His rational side had wanted to scold Scarlett while his brotherly part wanted to support what she had done.
As expected, the Ratri clan did find out about her little stunt. And of course, they were not very happy about it. But since she wasn't caught nor did anything other than get some publicity, which was inevitable in the future, they let her off with a warning.
The ravenette sighed as she threw her phone on her bed after seeing the news about the whole incident on the front page. There were questions about her identity but luckily, the red wig she was wearing that day as well as the makeup should make for less suspicion when she goes out from now on.
Now that Scarlett can go back to her regular training regiment, she and Emma continued doing the same thing. Anna sometimes joined as well but was often too busy with volunteer work. Luckily, combat wasn't something that was completely necessary for her. Scarlett still insists on her to do it though. At least Anna worked her hardest with training her powers to max them out as much as possible. At first, it was hard to just cry, even if she wasn't sad. But thinking about sad things helped only just a bit. Sometimes, she had to use onions or other things to make her cry.
"You can do it, Anna!" Emma cheered as Anna struggled to do pull ups. "Slow down your breathing! Try leading with your chest!"
"Don't put your hands so close to each other," Scarlett instructed. "Keep them a bit wider than your shoulder width. Bend your knees and cross your feet."
After that, the blonde had only managed to do a few pull ups that Scarlett counted.
"Sigh. How are you guys so strong?" Anna murmured as she drank water.
"Cheer up, Anna," Emma encouraged her. "We've been keeping track of your scores. You are improving, even if it's only a little bit."
"I was always the one who struggled with anything physical." Anna placed down her water bottle. "Back when we trained to escape the House, it was always me who was dragging behind. The only ones who were worse than me were the younger ones. And that's only because they have shorter limbs and shorter attention spans."
Emma laughed, grabbing her hands. "You're so humble. But sometimes, it can be a bit too much. You should be proud of yourself and your skills. We just want you to be you."
"But…" The blonde started shaking. "I don't want… to be just me..."
"You don't have to be more!" Emma insisted.
"IT'S EASY FOR YOU TO SAY, ISN'T IT?!" Anna suddenly yelled in an usually loud tone for her.
Silence followed after that, the two other girls stunned at what happened.
Anna looked ashamed before turning away, tears in her eyes. "Sorry. I'm done for the day." She ran out of the room in a rush.
"Anna, wait!" Emma called out. She immediately ran after her.
Scarlett too moved but in a much slower way, deep in her thinking. 'I never thought… that she'd react this way. What has she been thinking all this time? Come to think of it, I never really focused too much on what the others had been thinking of back then. I was too focused on finding the Seven Walls to really socialize with my siblings and friends. And I don't even know some of the names of the kids from Goldy Pond…'
For a few minutes, they scoured every room on that floor for the blonde girl. But they ended up with nothing. By now, she could be anywhere on the property. Luckily, they ran into Norman, who had seen her running past him.
"What's going on?" Norman questioned. "I just saw Anna running upstairs crying."
Emma looked down as she paused. "...I have my ideas. But I need to confirm them with her first!" 'Anna… how well did I really know you?'
"She must be in her room," Scarlett guessed. "It's on the 4th floor so let's take the elevator."
"Wait-!" Norman called out as they ran towards the elevator.
They went in and pressed the button for the 4th floor.
After getting out, they immediately ran down the halls towards Anna's room. Scarlett didn't bother knocking and let herself in, much to Emma's disapproval. She and Ray really were too similar.
Anna wasn't in sight at all in her bedroom. Her royal blue canopy bed with silver details was perfectly untouched. The bathroom was also empty and so was the closet. For a moment, Emma worried that they guessed wrong. But then Scarlett quietly gestured to the balcony door.
They went out onto the large white balcony and sure enough, Anna was leaning forward on the railing, looking out into the distance while golden tears slowly fell.
"Anna…" Emma whispered.
She didn't turn to look at them. "...I'm sorry. You must think I'm pathetic, right?"
"We would never think of you like that!" Emma denied. "We want to understand you. We want to help you. Because we care about you. Help us help you."
Both Scarlett and Emma could see her wavering.
"I don't know how to feel anymore," Anna admitted at last. "I hate how I am so jealous of you guys. Norman and Ray too. All of you are just… special. And I'm not. When we had the daily exams at Grace Field, I would always place on the higher end of the group. But seeing you four just blazing through each and every test like it was nothing was just… incredibly frustrating. It felt as though no matter how hard I tried, I still couldn't compare to any of you."
"And when you confided in me about the truth…" Anna blushed. It was incredibly embarrassing to admit this. Her back was still turned from them. "I was so happy. Because I was being trusted with something important. When you, Scarlett, gave me the task to become the medic, I was shocked at first. And then Gilda started to say how good I was at anything medical. Before then, I never really considered it more than just a passing hobby or just learning more things from Mom. Then you gave it a purpose. And… and I became more and more invested in medicine. All just to feel like I can do something no one else can."
Scarlett had thought it was strange how Anna reacted that day. She seemed super surprised and in denial. But it was true. Her skills in medicine were one of their best.
"From then on, I was just deluding myself," Anna whispered. "I thought that maybe I could be on your level. That I can walk beside you. Just because I can properly wrap up a few wounds. I'm so ashamed. I never wanted to do medicine because it was something I was into. It was only so that I could be at least somewhat important. But who am I kidding? I wasn't even the only medic in the group. Both Zack and Sandy have more experience than me. I'm not special. Not like you guys."
She clenched a fist. "When we were out in the world, I was pushed to the background once again. And I felt useless, being unable to help you guys in your plans. What was I even thinking when I volunteered to go for the mission to get Chris' medicine? My reasoning may have been logical, but my true motives were anything but. I just wanted to be useful again. And even then, all I was is a useless lump of flesh. When Emma was taken by those demons, all I could do was cry pitifully. And just watch as Scarlett actually saved you. I wasted a chance to actually be useful."
"Anna-" Emma tried to interrupt her.
But she didn't even hear it, too deep into her monologuing. "I tried to do everything I could when we were taken by the Ratri clan. It did nothing though. And then I even had to rat you guys out for making the promise so that Jemima could be spared. Then they took me and put demon blood into me… after I realized that, once again I fooled myself by thinking I could be special. And then… Mom." She took in a shaky breath. "No matter how much I did… It wasn't enough. I wasn't enough to save her. I should have tried harder! Even if it meant dy-"
"No!" Emma shouted out. "Anna, I should have noticed this sooner. And I'm sorry for that. But you're wrong! You're not useless! Yes, you weren't the only medic in our group. But Zack and Sandy explicitly said that you were the best out of all of them! Even if they hadn't said that, you're still not useless! Everyone played their part in our rebellion, whether it was small or not! When I was taken by those demons, your reaction was natural! Especially since you've never been in a situation like it before! Scarlett was able to act because she was more adapted to it. And also because almost nothing fazes her. Even then, she hesitated because of the state she was in. She's an exception. But you are normal. And it may sound bad to be normal, but it's not! Normal makes us human!"
Anna slowly turned around to look at them, golden tears dripping onto the floor and sniffles filling the air.
Scarlett knew how she was feeling because she felt like that at one point in her life. Back when she was selectively mute and felt like an outcast. When she unlocked her powers and stayed secluded. When she felt the need to get perfect scores just to feel wanted or special. Feeling as if you had to be the best or feeling envious of others. An inferiority complex. Nowadays, she no longer really feels that way. Because she learned how to accept herself more.
Anna however, has yet to do so. And it shows terribly.
Scarlett walked up to her. "We can admit that anything physical is too much for you."
"Scarlett-!" Emma protested.
"But," Scarlett continued sharply after directing an annoyed glance to the ginger, "you do have your strengths. All of us do. And the same thing goes for weaknesses. Yes, in the physical department, you aren't great. But you are a prodigy when it comes to medicine. I only know the basics at best. And I can't even handle having to bandage or wrap up big and bloody wounds. You're also great with kids. I honestly can't even talk to kids in this age and time. I don't know how to handle them or take care of them. The others in our group were an exception since we've grown up with them. And then you swoop in and take care of those little brats like they were nothing. You would be a great mother. Those things might not sound incredibly out of this world, but I could never do them."
Anna blushed a bit. "That's a bit far…"
"You couldn't save Mom," Scarlett stated, making her flinch. "So what? We couldn't either. You're not the only one who feels like shit for that. But whether we like it or not, it happened. And we can only accept it. You don't have to not regret it. We all have our regrets, and it's not so easy to suppress them. So don't suppress them. Feel that regret and then move on. That's all you really can do."
Her gaze was piercing as Anna sweated nervously from it.
"'You're not special?'" Scarlett quoted. "And we're special? Please. I don't give a damn about being 'special'. And not because I'm 'humble' or 'embarrassed' to be like that. I'm probably one of the most arrogant in our group, although Norman takes the cake for most arrogant. (Emma made a sound of protest) But I'm arrogant because I have the skills to back it up. However, that's beside the point."
Emma leaned in towards Anna, making her gulp. "Aren't we all special? No human is like another. That's what differentiates us from other humans. But even so… we're special because we were born… to push forward humanity. With each birth is another person to bring something new to the table! We all have a purpose, because we were born to do something in this world!"
Anna gasped slightly, her eyes wide.
"Tell me, Anna," Emma continued, "are you sure you only did medicine to differentiate yourself from the rest of us? I've seen you work countless times over the years. And no matter how small the task, you do it with so much passion. It looked like so much more to you. Maybe at first, it was just to be different or seem smart, but overtime… you actually wanted to do it genuinely, right? That's why you want to be a medic hero. So that you can save lives!"
Anna looked at her tear stained hands that were shining. She didn't want to believe it, yet at the same time, her heart yearned for that.
Emma smiled brightly. "Anna. Let's become heroes together, ok? All three of us!"
Scarlett's lips twitched up slightly as she put her hands on top of the ginger's. "I'm with you, Emma. Always. What about you, Anna?"
She hesitated for a moment before she firmly placed her hands on top of theirs. "Yeah. That's what I want to do! I'm going to be one of the best medic heroes the world has ever seen! Count on it!"
The three of them smiled at each other. When the three of them came downstairs for dinner, everyone seemed to notice how closer they seemed to be. Even if it was just the tiniest bit.
Author's Note:
...Ok. I know that this update was like a month late. And I don't really have an excuse. I'm not going to beat around the bush. I'm just going to say that I was being a lazy bum. I had this chapter done for months now but just didn't have the motivation or push to edit it until now. I apologize for that and I will try to actually update this story weekly now.
Moving on from that, let's talk about this story! This is just a minor heads up for you readers. Throughout a large majority of the story, Scarlett may seem a bit like a Mary Sue. But I assure you, that is completely intentional for a very important plot point that I plan to implement in this fic. Still, I will try to not make it seem so obvious or stick out like a sore thumb. I'm trying to write her to be a character that has similarities to other characters like Killua from HxH or Mikasa from AOT. Super strong physically but may have some problems mentally. So please bear with me for that!
As for other characters, I will try to give them as much spotlight as possible. For example, you've already seen a little tease for Anna. Emma, Norman, and Ray will also get their chances to shine along Scarlett as well. Yuugo and Lucas will get their own little arcs and moments too. Other characters in class 1-A that don't get spotlight in the show will also get significant character development. And class 1-B as well! MHA is one of my favorite mangas as of late, especially with the recent arcs in the manga. But there are a lot of flaws in the story such as the very uneven distribution of screen time and character development with the cast. This fic is also for me to see what I can do to improve the story and give it my own little flair. Of course, the story that Horikoshi has created is still just fantastic!
I cannot wait for you guys to see the ideas that I have for this fic come to life. And I hope you all will stay with me for the ride. See you next week! (Hopefully)