Title: 逃げる手 - The Hand That Bleeds
Rating: T
Summary: "I don't want to be a Hero. I want to be a Healer. My Quirk is made for healing, like my mom's, not fighting so I train to fight like a Hero to be a Healer. I want to help others to the best of my abilities." Hisoka Matsushita, raised by her mother and who never knew her father, never could quite understand where the path she would eventually take would lead her to.
Current: Followers: 113, Favs: 77, Reviews: 89, Communities: 0, Views: 9875
Disclaimer: I do not own Boku no Hero Academia. Boku no Hero Academia is written and illustrated by Kōhei Horikoshi-sensei. No profit was made in the writing of this fanfic.
Beta: Ana-DaughterofHades
Now To Answer Some Reviews:
Carlomagno-2- Hello, there. It's always good to meet a new reader! Ah, that is so nice of you to say~. I've put so much work into Hisoka it's not even funny anymore. Yup, Tsuyu is going to be the pairing. Well, it was either going to be her or Fumi but after a lot of thinking (and much persuasion...), Fumi was better as a brother figure than a romantic one. Ah, Stain. I've got a love/hate relationship with him. While he's fun to write, it can be quite frustrating to keep him in character at times, but I've got wonderful help to make sure things are as they should be. ^^ I hope to keep with your expectations as well. Thank you for the review. I hope you like the chapter.
AubreyKuwata- That's good news! Also, you don't have to keep telling me that Elaine is your stepmother. I remember. Thank you for the review. I hope you like the chapter.
Setsuna-Ryu13- Hi~. -hug- How've you been? I'm glad you're alive and kicking! Hmmm. Life. Such a hard and time-consuming thing it is. I know. -pat pat- Haru is... not all there as you have seen. She might look like it to others but when Stain is involved... well, as people say, love can make you blind... In some cases, it's so bright that you can't ever look away. And yea, Stain is still being Stain. He'll always be Stain. Stain of the Stain man! Um... Never mind. Thank you for the review. I hope you like the chapter.
Prince- Yes, we must stay strong for who knows what can happen in these dark times. And Iida... We'll see what may to come with him. Thank you for the review. I hope you like the chapter.
Lady Syndra- Here it is then! Fresh and warm with a load of sugar plot added right on top! Thank you for the review. I hope you like the chapter.
Shadowing- ^^ Thank you for the review. I hope you like the chapter.
Vedahzii- Oh there will be a fight. ^^ Indeed that is a very good question. We will have to see what happens in the future. Now, dreams can be strange, especially for me. They're either mixed memories that are both true and untrue and um... other strange things. Think Alice in Wonderland gone dark and you be like pointed in the right direction. So, 50/50 it's intentional. And thanks, on the picture. Hisoka is just so cute as a kid! Thank you for the review. I hope you like the chapter.
Chapter 20
To The Moment In Time
Time and time again it was there. Listen for the resonated sound of silence. It was always there - a constant companion beside them all. It was there, mocking them. Engulfed in a never ending blanket of pure emptiness. Infinitive.
Open them.
Could one even outrun this? Could they even be aware of the never-ending screaming it causes?
You should have seen it. Open your eyes to the endless pit of darkness that surrounded you as it swallowed you whole. Doing it over and over and over and over and over again. Rather it be of this madness - whether much that was glorious - whether all that was profound - had not sprung from desires of a thought - it had been true to these sweet, crazy conversations of split sentences.
It was a mad world, that sure was right. Yet the mad were the only ones truly sane. How was that possible?
Well, insanity was such a catching deal.
Location: Near Karuizawa Prince Shopping Plaza, Eastern Karuizawa, South-Central Nagano Prefecture, Honshu, Japan
Date: October 31, 19XX
Her heartbeat quickened upon seeing the man who held her; the sounds of fighting, of explosions, of yells and screams from Villains, Heroes, and Civilians all silenced as blood rushed to her ears. The only sound was her heartbeat slowly rising as strong arms held her, taking her to safety. They were familiar arms. She felt invulnerable in them. They were of a man who she had only known for so long, yet it felt like she had known him since forever.
"Y-You..."
They had been younger - oh how he had grown since then (the look in his eyes were different - something that could not be described by simple terms- they had glowed a healthy red (redder than ever before)) - he had just started down the path of training to be a Hero, and she was studying to heal the ones who got hurt. He had fought and had come to her time and time again to have her heal him. She had heard about his dreams during those times, ensnared slowly by his determination and motivation for his dreams. She had not wanted to see that come to an end and so she chose to help him.
She had listened and given him her full support.
She had gone to the speeches he dared to speak on the streets whenever she had been able to. She had listened to his ambitions when barely any would, in hopes to make a better world. He had inspired her. They had become friends after so long. She was happy then. To have gained another friend to help her escape the loneliness that had gripped her, and he had chipped that away bit by bit, even when he had quit and vanished from her life for all those years ago, but they kept in contact.
Years later, she had completed high school and a few of her... friends had decided they would celebrate, yet it had been the day when she and Chizome had decided to meet up. He had something to ask of her, but a Villain attacked.
And there he was, with his arms around her as he protected her. Her heartbeat quickened when he picked her up and took her off to safety after killing one of the Villains in cold-blood - protecting her from an attack. One that would have surely killed her. The sticky red substance stained his clothes, drying on his skin slowly.
"I'm sorry... for getting blood on you," he muttered, setting her down on the rooftop of a tall building, the black smoke billowing in the sky could be seen easily from their location. Another explosion went off nearby; Chizome only gave a side glance to the area before looking down to her.
He had finally grown taller than her, she noted, (and had many scars littering his body - all most likely telling a story he'd never tell her.)
"It's fine," she said, smiling up at him before she had looked him over. "Ah. You're hurt." She lifted a hand, placing the palm of his hand on top of her own, and she let her Quirk activate to heal it. He stiffened when the green energy slowly encased her hand and healed the cut easily. She gave him another smile as she held his hand in her own. "There."
She still tried to calm her fast beating heart.
What...
Wait!
Why had it quickened, even more, when Chizome smiled at her?
Location: Haru's Apartment, South-Eastern Karuizawa, Central Nagano Prefecture, Honshu, Japan
Date: October 31, 19XX
It only popped in her mind later that night. When she had just been about to go to sleep, her eyes snapped open as the thoughts of earlier events played in her mind over and over, slowly narrowing down to focus on the details involving Chizome alone - even past memories played as she thought over what it could mean.
Then, when it had passed midnight, it finally dawned on her as her cheeks reddened to a tomato's coloring.
She was in love...
Location: Boroughs of Hosu, West of Tokyo, Honshu, Japan
Date: May 17, 20XX
Misaki frowned, scratching his cheek in worry as his thoughts crunched about his missing intern. She had never come back from her little outing not even forty-eight hours ago. She was not answering her phone either. They hadn't been able to track it, so either it was broken or turned off. He hoped it wasn't the latter. All his calls had gone straight to voicemail after all. It worried him greatly, but he had not wanted to get any of the other Pro Heroes involved in case it was just something minor. Who knew what had happened.
He sighed before glancing back at his other charge. He had been silent, an unreadable expression on his face whenever he thought Misaki wasn't looking. Iida-san had not even seemed worried about his missing classmate - only worried about his chase - but he figured that there was some thought about the missing girl. He had seen some light of worry when she had not reappeared yet, but it was just a little thought, nothing more. He had not mentioned it since that evening, keeping an eye out for the girl and/or clues to where she may be.
(A distant thought of the Hero Killer snatching her up came upon him the night before, one of the vast scenarios his mind had happened to create. Yet it was swept away, the thought of the Hero Killer going after Hisoka was zero in like... a million. She wouldn't have even gotten on his radar unless he was in search of someone wth a Healing Quirk.
The... man (if you could call the Hero Killer... human) would not have even known about little Hisoka's Quirk unless it was blabbed to the whole world.
Still, that particular thought stayed, unable to leave him alone even in his dreams.)
Nothing yet.
Iida's true objective was more important than his missing friend it seemed.
Oh, he knew.
It was obvious from the start.
"I'm sorry that today's just more patrolling. I know you might have wanted to switch it up with something better," the Normal Hero said, walking beside the costumed student.
"No..." Iida paused, looking around slowly on high alert. "It's actually better this way."
"Uhhh... It's awkward to ask, but..." Misaki stopped, turning to face his male charge with a serious look. "You're totally chasing after the Hero Killer, aren't you?"
Iida stopped short, jerking his head at the other. "That's..."
"I couldn't think of any other reason why you'd come to my office. I mean, don't get me wrong, I'm very happy you came!" Misaki grinned. He had not even thought anyone would have come yet two had. He lowered his head a bit, speaking in a solemn tone. "It's just... you should stop acting out because of a personal grudge. Us Heroes don't have the authority to mete out punishments or the jurisdiction to make arrests. Since the advances in the regulation of Quirks has permitted their use, Heroism mustn't become mere Vigilantism. If by any chance you do take that occasion, that would be a heavy sin indeed."
The kid looked to have such a heavy burden, so he hoped his words at least sparked something in the teenager.
"..." All he got was silence.
"Ah! But, ah, no, sorry!" He apologized, shifting his arms back and forth quickly in a nervous way. "I'm not saying that the Hero Killer is without sin or anything! And you're pretty straight-laced too! Your eyes are so, like, relentlessly glaring! I'm just so anxious!" He scratched his cheek, sighing.
"I appreciate your warning," was Iida's answer. However... what was he to do with all these emotions... this hatred, then? Tenya clenched his hand into a fist of anger, catching the worried glance the Pro Hero gave as they once more began to walk around the area for the day.
Don't get him wrong.
He was truly worried about Matsushita, but he knew the girl could take care of herself. She was tougher than she looked - even with that rather fragile looking body - in whatever situation she was in. He did look for clues, for anything while they'd been patrolling the last few days, but it wasn't on his mind most of the time. He was looking for someone else, after all.
And Matsushita couldn't have been in his grip either! How unlikely that situation would be.
If there wasn't any armor on his skin, blood would have trickled down from the crescent marks his fingernails would have made on his palms. And Matsushita would have fretted over it, insisting to heal it. The girl worried too much, he had noticed over time, especially to those she was friends with.
Sigh...
He shook his head when the Hero had not looked, clearing his thoughts of the missing girl, as he straightened his priorities out. He had to focus.
Yes. That was what he had to do. He had to... focus.
Location: Fifth Story, Abandoned Building, Somewhere in Eastern Hosu, West of Tokyo, Honshu, Japan
Date: May 17, 20XX
It had been a few days since the incident, an unknown amount of time for someone with no clock nearby, but her mother replied with the day when Hisoka had asked. It was shorter than Hisoka had thought. Yet it gave her plenty of time to think whenever her mother or that man was not around, trying to think of some way to get out of these cuffs and at least try to find a way out.
Not much luck in that department. It still had not deterred her.
All Hisoka really knew was that she was fed roughly three times a day whilst remaining chained to the wall behind her. He surprisingly cared for Hisoka's health and wellbeing, excluding the amount of attention her mother usually gave her. In some way, at least. Stain had not laid a single hand on her that wasn't... loving? Moments that would have been reserved for a parent and their child. Moments she only had with her mother - an equally possessive woman now that she thought about it, slowly remembering memories from her childhood and reviewing them.
It actually explained a few things...
He tried and used these moments in hopes of forming some sort of bond with her, it seemed, in hopes to help sway her in some form. She seemed to only be spared because she was useful, that she matched one of those 'True Heroes' the man sprouted on about. (Or was it because she had his DNA, his blood, that he saw her just as an extension of himself? To mold as something to be used for his own gain? Those thoughts were pushed away and locked inside a chest Hisoka hoped she'd never have open again.) Or maybe he saw the use of her Quirk?
Any type of Healing Quirk was more on the uncommon side in this society. That's what Hisoka thought. The only people she had run into that had anything like her's, other than her mother's Quirk, was U.A.'s head nurse and a few hospital staff she barely remembered.)
And Stain had thought of everything. An abandoned floor of some multi-story building in the middle of wherever with soundproof walls and a long-distance drop from the floor to the ground below. (For a seemingly crazed man that had already fallen off sanity's rocking cradle, he was surprising;y intellectual. Must have been one of the things that attracted her mother to him. Hisoka wondered how he was before he went off to the loony bin.) How did she know? She had tried to shout for help - hopefully, someone would have heard her - yet nothing. Her mother had told her no one would be coming.
So, Hisoka was determined to get by by herself. She'd done it before, so why was this any different?
She took the time to study the cuffs when they weren't looking, seeing what could have been done or if there were any flaws in the design she could exploit. She'd take any opportunity she could get - just like right now. Both parents were away, Stain talking about something he needed her mother on. Eyes roaming the surrounding area, she stood and walked as far as the cuffs allowed her, searching for something sharp and pointy (even a small piece of wire would do right now) and it seemed someone had answered her calls when she saw a stray, rusted bobby pin laying on the table before her that had always sat on her right.
It'd have to do.
Slowly calming her beating heart, she strained her hearing to see if anyone or anything heard her - to be sure - and took the piece of metal before she made her way back to the spot deemed as her own. After taking her seat, as to not look suspicious if they came in at a moment's notice, she took off the plastic part with some difficulty. Using her thumb and forefinger, she pulled apart its two sides to straighten it out before she used her other finger to bend the top of the metal into a ninety-degree angle. She felt around for the keyhole, eyes roaming along the cuffs with the limited light she had to work with. After finding it, she directed the top of her makeshift key all the way inside it, bending the key backward in another ninety-degree angle and wiggled and twisted the key in different directions. She didn't know how long she was taking with this, but her patience was slowly waning.
It was only then, hearing the small click of the cuffs, when the breath she didn't know she had been holding was released from past her lips.
She did the other wrist.
Then her ankles.
It felt like it had taken forever.
"Finally," she uttered, standing up again. It felt so nice to be free as if a weight had been taken off her shoulders but an even heavier one took its place. She was still inside this place, defenseless in case they came back without notice.
So, she set off to find something (she had not wanted to pull a knife on her mother...) and that was easier than she had thought. Stain had a stash of an assortment of knives within the other room, that also held a broken TV - the glass broken from what looked to be a stabbing from what the cracks were telling her - as well as a huge bulletin board. There were a lot of papers there, red string and tacks connecting things together.
His targets.
Hisoka grabbed a knife stabbed in the wall, meeting a bit of resistance that was solved with a good pull. Then another and another. She placed them on a spare belt the man had, tying it tightly around her waist. She also shoved a butterfly knife up her long sleeve; it easily stayed there with its wrist clip. She looked around once more. Apparently, he had her phone too. It wouldn't turn on. So, it was either dead or off. Pocketing it, she'd find out later after she got away.
Coming back to the living room, she froze, her body locking up when she saw her mother smiling, eyes full of pride. "My child," she addressed Hisoka, "I'm so proud of you." When the elder woman took a step forward, Hisoka reacted on instinct, taking a knife and moving into an attacking position. "I've trained you so well."
"..."
Crack...
Something cold swept inside her, chasing away all the warmth the smile used to bring. One of Hisoka's hand subconsciously gripped the necklace she had, hand wrapping around the charm in hopes it'd bring some form of comfort. It couldn't chase away the cold though.
Why... Why had it felt like something inside her broke little by little the more she saw that smile?
Please...
Don't let her do this...
She didn't want to do this...
Crack... Crack...
"Please do not cry for me, my child," Haru muttered, her smile turning sorrowful.
It was then Hisoka noticed the drops of water escaping her eyes, clouding her vision a bit as they tracked down her cheeks. Her face remained stoned as her insides wailed for this. Please...
"Mother... I'm sorry..."
Sorry... Sorry that she was such a horrible daughter. Sorry that she couldn't stop this. Sorry that she had to do this. Sorry that she couldn't allow any more of this madness to happen. Sorry that she had to fight her. Sorry that she had to stop her.
So... So many things...
But she wasn't sorry for Stain. He could not be allowed to be free - to roam around as he did - to kill - anymore.
Please... Please... Please... Please. Please. Please. Please. Please. Please. Please. PleasePleasePleasePleasePleasePleasePleasePleasePleasePlease
Pl-
"I raised you to believe in what you thought is right," Haru said, staring straight into her daughter's eyes. "If this is your path..." Haru's body moved, shifting into position as she raised her arms before her. "...then so be it."
Location: Haru's Clinic, East Aki City, East Naruhata Ward, Honshu, Japan
Date: April 15, 20XX
She had waited and waited and waited and waited some more but it looked like he was not coming back. Haru sighed, looking down at the charm with a longing expression, trying so hard to hold back the tears from her eyes.
No call.
No message.
Not even a note.
Nothing.
He had just upped and left.
She let the charm fall back, feeling the cool metal rest against her skin once more, as she placed a hand on her stomach gently. "I'm sorry, my child, but it looks like papa's not going to come back." She sighed, placing a hand on her cheek as she stared out the window, light green curtains drawn and tied to the side, at the city lights the top floor view gave.
Haru was going to tell him about the small one after he came back, deciding her silence had gone on long enough. Yet, even after two weeks had gone by, he never came. She had decided to wait for another, but he never appeared. It was almost a month of sorrow and crying that she decided she would move away. To start a new.
She would raise them herself then, she decided. She gifted the small being inside her with a smile, rubbing the peach-colored skin in a circular motion. "Don't worry. You have me, my precious. Just me... I'll raise you. I'll fight for you and play with you and protect you with all my might!"
So, she packed what she could, closing down the clinic - his headquarters, the place where he could return to, their home - and left, only giving one last glance back before she moved on.
Location: Fifth Story, Abandoned Building, Somewhere in Eastern Hosu, West of Tokyo, Honshu, Japan
Date: May 17, 20XX
Hisoka felt empty, staring at the unconscious body below her, brown hair laying around her head like a halo. She had actually done it... The brown-eyed girl fell to the floor, her shaking hand releasing the knife from her hand as she reached out to the woman before her.
I'm sorry... I'm sorry... I'm sorry... I'm sorry... I'm sorry... I'm sorry... I'm sorry...
The chant kept on rewinding and renewing within her mind as the tears continued to flow. She had fought her own mother, the woman who had raised her by herself, barely winning.
Crack...
"I'm sorry..." She uttered, at last, moving her mother around gently as if she was fine china and placed the cuffs around Haru's wrists and ankles just as it had been on her. Taking a deep breath, she wiped away her tears, her insides just feeling numb, and turned away. Her body hurt but it would heal. It always did.
She went and grabbed more weapons before moving to the front door, stopping before it, her hand on the handle gripping it tightly. She glanced over her shoulder at the prone figure on the floor, white lab coat draped over the woman with her broken glasses taken off and set to the side. Hisoka could not look anymore and so she turned to face the taped-up door.
She would come back after she took care of Stain.
Hisoka's grip on the door handle tightened even more, knuckles slowly turning white before she twisted it and opened the door - to freedom. To a nightmare. To where that man was. - stepping outside the room before closing it slowly as to not wake her mother. She let out one more deep breath to calm - to numb - herself, eyelids lowering to a blank expression.
She turned and ran.
Location: Rooftop of Some Building, Somewhere in Eastern Hosu, West of Tokyo, Honshu, Japan
Date: May 17, 20XX
After immediately turning on her phone it buzzed, vibrating to the extreme, as it went off with many messages, missed calls, and voicemails. It shocked her. There were so many...
"Ah."
Fumi was so going to be mad at her... Tsuyu to... And it looked like Misaki-san called as well and Midoriya-san too.
Wooo...
She would take care of answering it all later, turning it off and placing it in her pants' pockets. She had someone to find.
Ding! Ding!
Hisoka frowned and hesitated for a moment, but took out her phone, unlocking it only to stare at the message. It was a set of coordinates from Midoriya-san. "Midoriya-san?" Hisoka muttered, looking at the message with a frown. "That's in Hosu. Why would he...?" She trailed off, trying to think of a reason for why Midoriya-san would send just his location. Something wasn't right about this. Her eyes widened, realization dawning upon her like a bulldozer. "Stain!
Author's Note: On Chapter 20 and over 70k of words, well I think we're doing a wonderful job here. And you all know what the next chapter is going to be. All of you are so wanting it, don't you? Yeah, all of you do. ^^ And you all are going to have to wait until next week~. Hehehehe. Don't worry, though. Time will fly by faster than you think!
Poor Hisoka… I'm such a bad mother, aren't I? For allowing this to happen to my little Hiso-chan~. Well, it's part of character development. What type of character would she be if she never went through any trials? A pretty bland one in my opinion. ^^
Hmmm... No image this weekend? Maybe there'll be one or two next time~.