I honestly cant find the right songs for this chapter, because holy fuck-this chapter took me two days to write just for the sheer emotional rollercoaster it is. But our kids are home, and that's what matters. Major trigger warnings: body horror, abuse, the usual stuff. I'd suggest hugging either a pillow or your own Mr. Spokes for this chapter. I did find a few songs that I thought fit thankfully: Demons by Imagine Dragons, Chlorine by Twenty One Pilots, Car Radio by Twenty One Pilots, Talking to the Moon by Bruno Mars, and Home from the RWBY Soundtrack. I'm sorry for what I'm about to do to your hearts. Read with discretion. I love you all. (Remember all songs can be found on the Short Temper playlist on spotify)
How long has it been…?
Leinei lays on the floor, her breathing labored as she stares at the light peeking under the door. She can hear muffled footsteps moving around the front room, distant conversations happening. She tried to keep track of time, counting the seconds going by as a way to keep her heart rate slow enough so she doesn't bleed out any faster than she already is, but she had fallen unconscious at some point and lost her count.
She knows her body well enough to know what may be broken, or punctured. One of her floating ribs is fractured, hanging on by a sliver of bone. Her shoulder is definitely dislocated, and her eye socket nearly smashed. Running her tongue along her teeth, one of her molars is chipped in half. Touya-
Dabi, she corrects herself mentally, really did a fucking number on me…How am I still alive..? Am I just that stupid and stubborn?
Her body tenses, dull pain radiating throughout, as she hears footsteps come closer to the door. Her heart rate, which she had been so expertly keeping down, spiked, tasting more blood in her mouth. Her head throbs, a small groan escaping her bruised jaw. The footsteps receded from the door, leaving her in silence and the dark once more.
I wonder what would happen if I died here…would Reina miss me? Keigo-I know he would…Katsu, Shochan, and Izu might be sad. Heh, Ei and Denks would…Mina might cry…
I just want one more day with everyone…I just want more time to make happier memories…Just to see everyone smile one more time…
She takes a soft breath, closing her eyes as her vision starts to blur again. Tears burn the sensitive skin, small embers as they run down the bridge of her nose and drip to the floor. For some reason, a familiar distant song starts playing in her head, and she can't place it. It sounds like a lullaby, gently hummed, as if by her mother. She couldn't remember the lyrics, just the melody, but that was enough. It brings her some comfort, a small smile curling her lips as she lays there humming it.
After a while, she finally remembers where she heard it from. A movie, one of her favorites to watch with Fuyumi and Touya when they were tired of playing. The opening song from Lilo and Stitch, her mom would hum it too because she would try to teach Reina the dance from the opening scenes while their mom watched.
I should watch that again…
It's then she hears an explosion in the front room, still muffled in her ears. There's commotions, yelling, creaking. She doesn't want to move, scared someone will come through that door to see if she finally died, or if she's still hanging on the way she is. It goes quiet, a loud yelling echoing after as the building seemingly rocks ever so slightly.
"I'm going after All Might, you stay here and clear the building, there was only one of the hostages!"
"Yes sir, Gran Torino!"
Gran Torino…I know that name…he trained Izu. The heroes are here…Katsu, we're saved…
"Leinei!" Kamui Woods calls, opening the door to the back room and his eyes widening through his mask, seeing her broken, bloody state. He curses under his breath as Edgeshot follows him in. "Leinei, come on, stay with us," the wooden hero says, kneeling next to the girl and gently easing her up. She groans softly, feeling her shoulder shift and making a disgusting noise. She mumbles something unintelligible, Kamui having to lean his head down.
"Kas…su…"
"Lets just worry about you for right now," he says to her weakly, looking over his shoulder at Edgeshot as the blade hero calls to the medics filing in. They come in with a neck brace and backboard, the mens' chests heaving as Leinei looks at them, her right eye swollen and completely shut. They note how her chest rises and falls, left before the right, as they undid the cuffs and something about the way her left leg fell didn't sit right with them as the medics gently lifted her and carried her out.
"Kassu…" she mumbles again, reaching for Edgeshot on their way out. He can't bring himself to say anything, seeing the way the girl was so savagely beaten. Kamui and him follow them out to the street, seeing Endeavor's horrified look over the girl, the man usually so cruelly composed, seemingly near tears for the child.
"Did we find the other missing child?" Detective Tsukauchi calls, his voice stopping short, seeing Leinei being assessed before being loaded into the back of an ambulance. He takes his hat off, seeing it speed off as he presses it against his chest. "I'll call Elementia," he tells them. "Kamui, keep the civilians back as CSI processes the scene. Edgeshot, Endeavor, All Might needs back up in Kamino. Hurry."
"Sir!"
Reina taps her foot anxiously, staring at her phone on the table in front of her with her head in her hands. The conference with Aizawa and Vlad ended almost twenty minutes ago, and there's still no word from the detective, or anyone else involved in the raid. Her chest is tight, each what if scenario playing on loop in her head and going down a darker, twisted path each time. Tears are burning her eyes, and each inhale feels like she swallowed a thousand mints coated in daggers.
There's a bump outside, making her jump. She waits for her phone to light up, for it to start screaming whatever ringtone she has on it. Every nerve is on fire, her fingers twitching and her gums feeling swollen, rubbing against the inside of her cheeks. It drives her nuts, and finally-finally-the phone lights up, the generic jingle sounding off as she scoops it up and answers it, jumping to her feet and banging her knees against the table.
"Elementia?" Naomasa greets softly, his voice solemn. The tone immediately makes her heart drop, her hand coming to lips as she starts to bite her nails. "Reina," he corrects himself, which doesn't help any of her anxiety. Immediately the worst case scenario plays in her head, and she asks herself how am I going to tell Keigo? "We found Leinei."
"Is she-?"
"She's alive," he assures, and Reina drops to her knees, a sob of relief breaking her through her lips. Tears finally leak through her defenses, streaming in rivers down her face. All of the emotions she had been keeping as best bottled up could finally explode out as she sobs, her hand running up her face and into her hair. Naomasa gives her a moment, letting her hiccup and compose herself. "She was severely injured, as well as dehydrated. She lost a lot of blood, and is currently in surgery. Recovery Girl is on her way to the hospital to fix what she can after the surgeons do their job."
"Which hospital?"
"Yokohama General."
"Thank you," she says, her voice hoarse and thick. "Thank you so much, Tsukauchi."
"Just doing my job ma'am," he replies. "Do you need me to call your brother?"
"No, no I'll do it," she assures, getting up and going up to Leinei's room. "Thank you, thank you."
"Of course. Go see your sister."
He ends the call and Reina looks at the untouched room, seeing the bags she hadn't bothered to unpack after bringing them back from the training camp. Her hands shake, her heart beating so fast in her chest, she feels dizzy. She nearly misdials Keigo's number, sitting on Leinei's bed as she waits for her brother to pick up.
"What's the news?" he says, nearly as breathless as she is. He had picked up before the first ring had even finished. "How did the raid go?"
"They just called me," she replies, her voice shaking. "Lei-she's alive, Kei. She's alive, and in surgery."
"Oh thank god," he cries, his voice breaking. "Thank god, which hospital is she at?"
"Yokohama Gen. I-I'm packing a bag for her right now, I just got off the phone with the detective. Are you meeting me there?"
"I'll be there in the morning," he promises. "I have some extra stuff to finish here, and then flying there is going to take me a while. If she wakes up before I get there, call me, okay?"
"I promise. Keigo?"
"Yes?"
"I love you."
"I love you too. Now go hug our baby sister for me, okay? And don't forget Mr. Spokes. You know she's going to want him."
"I know, I promise I know."
"And her Hawks hoodie-don't forget her me hoodie. And-and her pillow-"
"Keigo, I promise I know," she laughs, wiping her eyes as she gets up and empties the duffel bug. She grabs Mr. Spokes out of the mess, pushing him back in. "I'll see you soon. Hurry up."
"I am, don't worry. I'll see you soon."
Keigo hangs up and Reina locks her phone before shoving it in her back pocket. She grabs Leinei's favorite pillow from the pile of stuff she brought back from the camp, and gets her Hawks hoodie off the back of her desk chair, rolling it up and shoving it in the bag. She throws some more clothes in there, mostly sweats and pajamas, loose clothes that won't cause her pain to put on and off. She digs her shower essentials out of the dirty clothes, throwing it back in before zipping the bag up and hefting it on her shoulder with the pillow under her arm.
She calls a taxi on her way out of the apartment, giving them her address and where she needs to go. It takes about ten minutes for one to show up, her piling into the back seat. She gives them a credit card, not even reading the name on it to make sure it was Enji's as she buckles up and tells them to go. She's staring at her phone in case there are any more updates, if they pulled her from surgery early, if Keigo called back. Just anything.
Halfway to Yokohama, her phone rings. It's from an unknown number, which makes her confused as she answers it. There's heavy panting on the other line, crying can be heard in the background. Her stomach twists, her heart sinking.
"Who is this?" she asks.
"You're Salinsa's older sister right?" Her eyes widen as she recognizes Bakugo's voice. He's breathless, frantic almost. "She's in the back room, the blue flame villain guy-Dabi-he took her back there, you have-"
"They already got her," she says weakly, holding her head. "Where are you? Why-weren't you with her in the raid-"
"No, we got separated, she's-where is she?"
"They took her to the hospital in Yokohama. Bakugo, who's with you? How did you get separated-"
"She's at the hospital," Bakugo calls to someone in the background, who lets out a noise of relief. She recognizes Izuku's voice, thick from crying. "I'm sorry, I couldn't protect-"
"Bakugo, you need to get to the hospital to get checked out, now," she orders him, taking a deep breath and having to be an adult. "And whoever is with you, because I swear to god if it's Izuku, I will call his mother, need to either get to that hospital and get themselves checked out, or get their asses home before I teach you all a new meaning to ass kicking."
"We were working on that," he says sheepishly, sounding exhausted. "Just had to get away from the villains first-I swear to god Deku, I will kill you if you say you saw me cry."
"Have you even called your mom to let her know you're okay?"
"I wasn't worried about that right now, I was wanting to make sure you found Leinei!"
"Call your mom and get to the hospital. Now."
"...Yes ma'am."
He hangs up and she takes another breath, pinching the bridge of her nose. These kids are gonna be the death of me.
~~X~~
Leinei groans softly, her head throbbing with a bright light shining overhead. Her eyes flicker open as she pushes herself up, using the heels of her palms to rub her eyes to tone down the bright light. She shakes her head, taking her hands away and seeing Keigo and Reina sitting on the couch under the window, playing on their phones.
"Guys?" she says weakly, her voice hoarse. They look up and put their phones away, looking irritated. Her shoulders slump as Reina rubs her face and stands up, backhanding the purple haired girl. She cries out, holding the spot the redhead slapped.
"You just don't fucking learn do you?" she demands, Leinei's chest heaving as she looks up at her. "Katsuki died. Because of you. Do you know how much more paperwork we have now? You know his mom wants you locked up?"
"I..I..no, he-he had to live, they promised me he would," she says, her eyes wide. "I-I was going to die to make sure-"
"It would have been easier if you had," Keigo sighs, getting up as he rubs the back of his head. "Two more hours and you would have. Then we could have spun this to be a tragic mistake, and go straight after those bastards."
"Keigo…I..you…No he's alive. He has to be," she whimpers, holding her head as she curls into a ball. Her stomach drops to the floor, dragging her heart with it. She starts hyperventilating as the door opens, looking up and feeling all of the breath leave her body as three bloody, mutilated kids in Shiketsu uniforms file in, their faces having been carved off and leaving only milky red skulls underneath. Their eyes have been scooped out, leaving only the empty dark sockets, their jaws missing and their tongues hanging freely from the hole where their mouth should have been. Blood stains the front of their shirts, pens still sticking out of their necks and blood squirting out with each step. Behind them are the two teachers, their faces also having been carved off and their hearts dangling outside of their bodies, dragging the floor and still beating. Streaks of blood line the floor, the reverb of their hearts echoing in the seemingly cramped room.
She feels sick, wanting to look away but can't, her eyes glued to the grotesque scene in front of her. And finally, in walks Galliant, his face still attached to his skull, but sagging on one side, him shambling as he stands at the foot of her bed surrounded by the others. Leinei whimpers, trying to close her eyes and trying to will it all away. She didn't want to see this-she didn't want to believe this was actually happening.
"You see what you cause?" Reina demands, rolling her eyes as she gestures to the amalgam of body horror staring down at Leinei. "Wherever you go, death follows. You're a reaper, Leinei. You killed our parents, you're the reason Touya died. You do nothing but cause pain and suffering, and you get away with it! Why do you get to live when everyone else dies?"
"I-I didn't-I don't-I'm sorry!"
"But you did," Keigo whispers in her ear, her body stiffening as she tries to process how fast he had moved to her side. "You wanted to hurt them. Deep down, you enjoyed it. You reveled in their deaths because it made you feel strong. You pretend to be pathetic and weak, because it gets you close. I'm almost impressed, Lei Bay."
"Stop…"
"It's true," Reina sighs, sitting on her bedside with her hand palm up, head tilted back and eyes closed. "According to witness reports, you helped Dabi kill Bakugo. And you laughed about. What hero does that?"
"I didn't-"
"You did," the victims of the Shiketsu Incident chant, their voices distorted and low growled gurgles. Blood trickles out of the suicide victims' mouth holes, dripping on the floor and starting to tint the room a crimson shade darker than Keigo's wings. Leinei holds her head tighter, clenching her eyes shut. This isn't real, it can't be real. Keigo wouldn't say these things to me. He wouldn't. He loves me. And Bakugo didn't die. He's alive. He has to be alive. He's better than me, he is! He's stronger! Katsu please!
"You're-"
"A-"
"Monster," Keigo and Reina say together, almost gleeful like kids in a candy store. The door opens again, Leinei not wanting to look up this time in case she sees what carnage she inflicted on Bakugo.
"Oh, Doctor! You're right on time!" Keigo chuckles, squeezing Leinei's back. Thank god someone with-her eyes shoot open as she hears a familiar laugh, her blood running cold as she sees the portly man fix his glasses. "You're here to fix her, right?"
"Of course!" he laughs, walking over to Leinei and sitting on the foot of her bed. No, no, please-
"I'll be good, please, I'll be good, I won't do it again!" she pleads, shaking her head so hard she feels dizzy. Reina grabs a fistful of her hair, glaring down at her as she whimpers. "Reina-Reina please, I-I'll be good, I won't do anything, I'll be good and I won't ruin anything else, please don't do this, please," she begs, her sobs breaking her voice as Reina turns his face in disgust. Her sobs grow louder as Reina shoves her away, shaking her head as Dr. Gorlav shifts so he can face her.
"Now, Leinei, I hear you have a great deal to be guilty for," he says to her as if she is a child. She shakes her head, begging for Keigo to come to his senses, for Reina to forgive her. Her pleas fall on deaf ears as Dr. Gorlav sighs, shaking his head. "Denial. I see it all the time. Don't worry, sweet girl. We can fix you."
"Keigo!" she screeches shrilly, reaching for her brother and falling out of the bed as he steps out of her reach. He looks down at her, disgust in his amber eyes that used to hold so much love for her. She grabs his jeans, reaching for the hem of his shirt. He slaps her hands away before driving his knee into her chin. She falls completely to the floor, holding her bleeding mouth as she sobs and screams for help, screaming for Shoto, for Izuku, for Kaminari and Kirishima, for Mina-for anyone to help her. She screams for Touya, for her mother and father, which gets her kicked in the side from Reina. She feels her ribs crack, wheezing as she suddenly can't catch her breath. She lays on the floor, each inhale a raspy wheeze as Reina grabs her by her hair again and pulls her into a sitting position.
"Here, Doc," she grunts, holding Leinei up as the doctor chuckles. "Work your magic. Fix this piece of trash."
"With pleasure," he coos, his brown eyes turning black as his quirk activates.
She stands in front of a beaten, broken, bloodied Bakugo, him holding his broken arm as he glared at her with tears streaming down his stained face. She looks down at her hands, seeing the bruises and blood coating them in a thin red sheen. She feels sick to her stomach, looking back up as he spits at her feet and tries to hobble back. He falls to the ground, growling in pain. His leg is twisted in a funny way, the bone nearly breaking through his skin.
"Katsu," she says weakly, reaching a hand towards him.
"Stay away from me, you freak!" he yells at her, taking his good hand away from his arm and setting off a few explosions to keep her back. "This is what you do to people you care for? No wonder everyone leaves you, you fucking monster!"
"Katsu, please, let me explain-"
"There's nothing to explain!" he roars, the anger bleeding from his crimson eyes and being replaced by genuine fear. The area turns blue, heat exploding from behind her and reflecting in his eyes before it engulfs him. He screams in agony, rattling her to her core as she hears what's comparable to a possum being slammed repeatedly into a chalkboard lined with sandpaper. It breaks her, her legs giving from under her as she slumps to her knees.
It takes three minutes for his body to be reduced to ashes, her sitting there watching it happen. She watched every second of his writhing, agonized death, tears in her eyes as she sat there, helpless. Useless. A miserable creature with no reason for existing.
A hand puts pressure on her head, her looking up and seeing Dabi standing there with a crazed glint under that mop of dark hair. His blue eyes glow like an ice river flowing through a moonlit cavern, her blood running cold as he crouches next to her.
"You did so good, little mouse," he tells her, cupping her chin with his scarred hand and tilting her head back. She can still smell the sweet smoke of Bakugo's flesh burning away, the earthy scent of his bones burning to ash. "I knew you could do it. You just needed a little push. You're so good for me. You were made for me. Your quirk was meant for me. You know that, don't you?"
"Kat..su..Katsu..you killed Katsu…"
"We killed him," he corrects her, tapping her cheek with his palm before standing up and looking at the pile of ashes that marks Bakugo's final resting place. "You were made to be mine, Leinei. And this just proves it."
~~X~~
"NO!"
Leinei sits up, her eyes wide as Reina and Keigo come to her right side. Tears are streaming down her cheeks, her hands in her hair as she sobs and screams. She keeps apologizing, begging for their forgiveness. Keigo and Reina each try to shush her, to get her to calm down, trying to make sense of the words spilling from her lips as she cries.
"I didn't do it, I didn't!" she sobs, clinging to Keigo as he finally gets her to stop clawing at her scalp. He wraps a wing around her, just like that day a year ago. She buries her face in his chest, Reina sitting by her legs with her hand on her knee as Keigo rocks her back and forth. "Please don't-I don't-I didn't-"
"Lei Bay," Keigo murmurs, resting his chin on top of her head as he rubs his hand up and down her back. "Breathe, baby bird breathe. In, out, come on, breathe with me."
It takes a few minutes, but he gets her to calm down. She pulls away, using the sides of her hands to wipe the tears from her eyes. Keigo uses two of his feathers to dig Mr. Spokes out of the bag Reina brought, holding it up.
"There ya are, Leinei!" he says in the porcupine's voice. She sniffles and pulls her legs up to her chest, hugging them as she buries her face in her arms. "Y'know how worried we were? But we knew you'd be okay, because you're a fighter just like your big bro!"
"Keigo," Reina murmurs, him dropping the voice and gently setting the plush down next to his baby sister. She shakes her head and he nods, biting the inside of his cheek. "You were pretty restless. Did you have a nightmare?"
"I-I think so…it..it was pretty vivid," she mumbles, shrugging with her voice muffled by the hospital blanket. She unfolds herself after another minute, feeling around her body. "How..I was beaten up-"
"Detective Tsukauchi had your school nurse come out and heal ya up," Keigo tells her softly, rubbing her back still. "After you were in surgery. You scared the hell out of us, kid."
"I didn't mean to.."
"It's not your fault, honey," Reina tells her gently, shaking her head. "You couldn't help what happened. It wasn't your fault. And you did so good. We're so proud of you."
"Though we are discussing that whole lack of self preservation-"
"Keigo!"
"I'm just saying-"
"I swear to god, I will turn you into fried chicken."
"Jeez, don't bite my head off, Elementia."
"You know he ran into a window on the way here?"
"You promised you wouldn't tell her! And you said you'd leave it open for me! What do you want me to do, walk through the front door like some no name like you?"
"Okay, that's a low fucking blow and you know it."
"Says the one telling our sister I flew into a window!"
"Guys…" Leinei says softly, looking up at her arguing siblings. They both had stood up in case one or the other needed to be put in a headlock like when they were kids. They stop their bickering, looking at their feet like scolded children. "Where-where's Katsu?"
"He's here too," Reina assures, nodding her head. "He's fine, just some mild abrasions, burns, and dehydration. He's a few rooms over, giving the nurses hell."
"He yelled most of the night," Keigo sighs, shaking his head as he parks himself next to Leinei again and hugs her tightly. "His mom got here about an hour ago. She was really worried about you too. He..told us what you did."
"..."
"Lei, you did everything right," Reina tells her, watching the light slowly bleed from her sister's eye with each word that leaves her mouth. "You kept him safe. And you lived."
"Reina."
"Yes?" she says, perking up. She cracks a small smile as Leinei looks up at her. The dead look is still there, her heart sinking. "Lei-?"
"I think Rei should go get us some snacks," Keigo says, trying to diffuse the situation while nodding at Reina. "I know you have to be hungry! Right, Rei?"
"Yeah, some snacks would be good," the redhead agrees, nodding her head. "I'll be right back then."
"Okay…"
Reina leaves, gently closing the door behind her. Leinei lets a shaky breath out, running her hands over her face. Keigo rubs her arm, murmuring some reassuring words into her hair before letting her go. He picks up the porcupine, smiling softly before gently placing it in her lap. She hugs it tightly to her chest, burying her face in it.
"It was a nightmare, wasn't it?" he asks softly. She nods in return, not lifting her face from the plush. "Do you wanna tell me what it was about?"
She's quiet, not wanting to cause any more trouble than she already had. Her heart is still pounding in her chest, body aching to get up and move around. She wants to see Bakugo, to make sure he's okay. I have to make sure he's okay.
"I know what's working in that head of yours," he warns her, flicking her ear and getting her attention. She scans his amber eyes, relaxing when she sees nothing but the love he holds for her and feeling tears well in her eyes. "Hey, hey, why are you crying? Lei Bay, you're safe. You know nothin' will happen with your favorite big brother right here. I'd kill anyone before they hurt you again."
"I-I know," she mumbles, wiping the growing tears away. "I…I'm surprised I can still cry," she jokes, sniffling. "I just..Keigo, do you blame me for what happened at Shiketsu?"
"What?" His brow furrows, confusion flickering in his eyes as he tilts his head. He's trying to figure out where this came from, but puts that concern away for now. He sighs and rubs his neck. "No, I don't. You were defending yourself. What happened at Shiketsu-it was an accident. Nothing more. It was taken care of accordingly. Do you still think it is?"
"Yes," she says with little hesitation, not looking at him as she plays with Mr. Spokes' hands. "They died because of my quirk-"
"Which only kicked in because they were hurting you," he tells her, sighing softly. "Lei Bay, you don't have to blame yourself for what they did. They had enough autonomy to choose their path. The teachers and Galliant-no one could help what happened to them. The doctors tried, but there's only so much of a window to bring people back from heart attacks and strokes. It isn't your fault."
"What if Katsuki had died?"
"It still wouldn't have been your fault. It would have been the villains. You did everything right. You did what you could to keep him safe. Still need to work on your whole self preservation shtick, but that takes time." Keigo smiles, scooting her over in the bed so he can sit more comfortably rather than on the edge. "You know how worried he was for you? And your friends-I'm pretty sure they're still in the waiting room waiting on the word you woke up. But he got himself away from the villains, and the first thing he did was call Reina to tell them where you were. Thankfully-"
"Kamui and Edgeshot found me," she says weakly, shrugging. "I don't remember much from that, just, seeing them and hearing someone yell that they were going after All Might."
"Yeah, the raid happened pretty fast," he assures her, shrugging. "I couldn't get there otherwise I would have been the one to get ya, and you know it." He says this, grinding his knuckle into her temple which finally prompts a small laugh. The sound makes his smile a little more genuine. "There we go. Now, wanna tell me what that dream was about?"
"I…" she takes a deep breath, looking at him. "You and Reina-you guys, you guys basically confirmed everything I think about myself, and told me I needed to be fixed, and I helped kill Katsu-"
"Hey, hey, okay, I'm sorry for asking," he says, shushing her gently as she starts hyperventilating. "Breathe, Lei, breathe. And it was just a dream. None of that stuff happened. You are not a monster. You are not broken. There is nothing about you that needs to be fixed. Wanna know why?"
"Why..?"
"Because you are my baby sister, and we're absolutely perfect in all things. And birds of a feather flock together."
"Someone's been reading more bird quotes," Reina remarks with a roll of her eyes as she comes back into the room. She has sodas and chips in her arms, sitting on Leinei's other side before setting them down and hugging her tightly. It surprises the lavender haired girl, who reaches up and holds Reina's arm as she looks at Keigo. "I'm so glad you're okay," her sister whispers, squeezing her tightly. "I was-I was so scared, I'm sorry, I'm sorry for everything."
"..."
"You don't have to forgive me. You don't have to believe me, but I'm going to try and be a better sister. I need to be, for you. You needed me then, and I failed you, and I don't want to fail you anymore because how am I supposed to call myself a hero when I can't even make my own sister smile?"
"Reina, not now," Keigo says, shaking his head. Leinei takes a shaky breath, closing her eyes as she squeezes the redhead's arm.
"We can work on it…"
"Really?" Reina pulls away, her green eyes sparkling as Keigo snatches one of the sodas away from her, wrinkling his nose. "What, birdbrain?"
"You really got sugarfree?"
"It's a hospital, they don't have sugary shit!"
"But you still couldn't get me like juice or something? You know I like my stuff sweet."
"Shut up and drink it before I shove it up your ass."
Leinei laughs at their bickering, which stops them again. Soft smiles come across their faces, Keigo opening his soda as Reina opens one of the bags of chips. Leinei yawns softly, shaking her head.
"We really can't be in the same room for five minutes without you two arguing," she teases them, leaning back in the hospital bed with her eyes closed. She feels so tired, drained. She just wants another nap, feeling safe enough to do so with Keigo and Reina at her side.
"Get some sleep, Lei," her sister tells her, leaning over and kissing her forehead. "You went through a lot. You deserve your rest. I'll let your friends know you're okay."
"Okay…"
