Since his middle school days, Kirishima Eijirou vowed that he will live a life with no regrets. A manly life full of adventures and conquests.
His time at UA was the best of his life. A time where he made lifelong friendships, a colossal career and found the love of his life. He had indeed led a fulfilled life.
After graduation, the spot at Suneater's was already prepared to welcome him; most of the squad did the same. Except for his best friend who stuck with Midoriya as a hero duo.
They were so good and efficient that even their senpais were wary of the threat they could present as soon as they reach the top 15. The Wonder duo agency opened its doors a year after their debut; and despite Bakugou's lack of visible enthusiasm, he was proud of their work. He held his partnership with Midoriya on a pedestal and never allowed any type of distraction from taking him from his duties.
So he was kind of taken aback when he heard Powerpuff talking to Lemillion about the invitation that they gave Bakugou months ago, and to which Kirishima almost lost a ball for.
-" THE FUCK IS HE?"
-" Bakugo chill, me and Kiribro were just talking about the old time. He left already. And what are you gonna do with a ladle for God's sake?"
-" Ohoho, Steelboy. I am about to scoop your twin's balls out of their sack with this FUCKING ladle Now where is he?"
-" WHAT?"
-" There you FUCKING are." The blond howled, kicking the closet door open to find his friend crouched in the compartment.
-" Bakubro, hehe…. I didn't expect you my friend, you look goaahhhh…" He was dragged by the collar out of the compartment and thrown into the living room floor.
Bakugou shuffled his pocket and took out a folded paper. Flipping it open and pointing the ladle at the redhead, he growled: " If you ever send me shit like this again. I swear this thing is going down your throat."
Kirishima didn't get it at first. Bakugou coming to bit his ass was no new occurrence, but Kiri can not recall what he did this time to trigger his best friend. Squinting a little, the paper was shoved into his face at once.
-" Ohh, you are talking about the invite from our agency, well it was just a thing that I suggested to senpai since the whole squad is there and it would be fun if…"
-" Don't." the blond hissed. " I didn't ask for your offer. I am happy with my work. And my duo thing with Deku is a thing that I respect. Don't pull these stunts ever again you hear me." He marked his point by crumpling the paper and throwing it aside.
Kirishima nodded slowly, crooking a brow at the blond's overprotectiveness of their partnership. It was honestly admirable.
-" Pinky isn't here?" He suddenly asked, head swiveling to both sides to check.
Before he could remark on it, he found himself being dragged out by his friend.
-" You know what, now that I have your ass here, time to do the shit."
-" Bro what, I have a date with Mina. Don't patronize me. Tetsutetsu HELP" He whined reaching out for the other man who all but kept a safe distance from the angry ladle guy.
He struggled as he was thrown into the car's backseat and they drove off.
Next thing he knows they were at the jeweler.
Even after the media coverage of the pair going solo and the rumors, he couldn't shake the nagging and bitter itching at the back of his head that something wasn't right. That there is some piece of the story that had been obscured from him.
He wasn't the only one too; Kaminari, Sero and even Todoroki expressed the same concern at the sudden change.
But seeing as Bakugou didn't say anything, and Midoriya was obviously moving on just as well; they brushed it off as it being just a mutual agreement to move ahead with their careers.
It wasn't until Midoriya and Uraraka's public engagement at Kamino, that Kirishima started to notice things. With a front as solid as ever, Bakugo began to drown himself more and more in work. His off-days became less and less. His training became harsher as he climbed the ranks faster than anyone else.
He watched as his friend became more and more detached from the world.
It made him worry. Bakugou wasn't telling him something, but he never dared to ask since he actually did have a tiny inkling of what it was, and if he were right; he might just add insult to injury.
So he kept silent. It was Bakugou after all; the manliest and greatest bro he ever had. He will find a way, he always does.
Hence he went on with his life: proposed to his love, reached top 25, and even went for a brief honeymoon with her.
His life was truly blessed.
That is until he saw his best friend and best man fall to his death.
He never felt this helpless and desperate before. His friend smashed on the sidewalk, body bent in abnormal angles and breathing shallow. He was bleeding heavily from his chest and mouth. He tried; tried to stop the bleeding with the pressure of his hands, to call for his friend in hope of keeping him conscious. But all to no use.
He felt his body going cold under his digits, the breathing silencing and the blood globing in his throat. By each minute and attempt of Kirishima, it only inched Bakugo closer to death.
In a fit of despair, he started screaming at everyone to move and call help. For anyone to come to save his bro before it was too late.
They eventually came, rushing the blond to the ambulance and driving away farther into the hospital. Eijirou stood frozen for a while, staring at blood-soaked hands. It wasn't his, nor that of a villain. It was that of his guide, his friend and brother.
Memories flooded his head like a storm: All the times he watched his friend drown silently into misery, the way he withered slowly before his eyes. How he ignored it and brushed past it with ease. He took the man for granted.
He didn't play his role as a friend. In the contrary, he took but never gave.
And this only made him angrier.
The last blow was when he woke up. Their old memories and moments all swept clean from his head, eyeing them with the same disdain as their first year at UA.
He broke down at once, feeling as weak and useless as that time in middle school. And just as he did that time, he cried. Cried his frustration, the anger, the blame, and loathing.
It was his fault. He should've spoke, asked or at least helped. But he didn't. And now, the price of the refrain was way too big to pay.
-" Hey, Ei." Kaminari called for him. He had spaced out mid search again. His head was resting on the keyboard of his computer. " Dude if you can't keep up, go home you have done enough."
-" No, I need to do this." He groggily muttered, scratching his head and getting back on his screen. " I have to do this. For Bakugou. This is the least I can do."
The blond sighed. He had heard some things from Mina after Bakugou's seizure. He couldn't wrap his mind around most of it, but he could understand his friend. He could agree that he as well had a faint sense of guilt.
-" Kirishima, I just wanted to tell you that we found the woman." He said, giving up on trying to get the other to go.
The redhead jumped out of his seat in surprise, caging his friend's shoulders and looking him in the eye: " Wait? Really? Why didn't you tell me earlier?"
The blond sighed again: " Shinsou informed me they had found her. But he said that we need to come as soon as possible to the Shibuya department. He wants us to see something."
-" What are you doing then? Let's go." He didn't even wait to finish his sentence, keys in hands as he jogged to his car.
Kaminari Denki had always been a goofy goober. He was kind of like the dumbass of their squad and it worked.
But if there were anything he hated the most, it would be seeing his friends getting hurt.
It was a shock to all of them. Like a nightmare that swallowed them into the pit of fear. To have all that progress selfishly wiped clean was horrifying.
Kaminari looked up at his companion. He had never seen Kirishima this distraught before. He looked possessed: Baggy eyes, pale skin, and shrinking frame. He was the one to take the worst blow out of all of them.
Kirishima was there when it happened. He was the one with Kacchan at that time. He watched the fall, the lull, and the crash all at once, and knowing his friend, he must be blaming himself.
He couldn't judge him though since he felt the same. The guilt, the worry, the fear of losing someone so crucial not just to him but to all the hero society was gnawing at him.
The footage of the incident was trending all over the world, theories and rumors being thrown left and right about what happened to the standalone hero. The media coverage of the event was the last straw that broke the camel's back, social media and fandoms going crazy over with the hero's state and urgently demanding answers. Teenage girls and national YouTubers wailing over the event and the weight of such a fall from grace. Questions like: Is he okay? Are the villains targeting heroes from within? What happened for such a sudden disaster? Where is hero Deku while his longtime partner is fighting death? Is this a conspiracy? Are we safe after this?
Their friends were all alerted by the events, doing their part of the job to try to quell the wave of panic and doubt. Todoroki Enji and Hawks speaking to the public about the current scale status of the JP rankings; Shoto, Iida, and Shinsou investigating the woman's background, and Sero using his strings to tame the media channels.
It was all thrown to chaos in one night. And Kaminari doesn't like how Kacchan, the great powerful Lord Explosion Murder had such a pitiful end.
NO. Not end. We will find a solution, everything is gonna be fine now that we found the responsible for this. We will bring Kacchan back. Inhaling deeply to calm his mind, he felt their car come to a halt.
Not to rise too much suspicion, they had to go unnoticed in the container of a delivery truck. The double doors opening as soon as they parked into the tight garage.
The two hopped off the container and were greeted by Ingenium. Iida looked especially reluctant, and despite his stern façade, the creases of his brows were unmistakable.
-" Red Riot… Chargebolt…" the two nodded in response, silently following the other hero. He was obviously hiding something, but questioning it in this already tense atmosphere may be the worst thing to do.
They marched down a corridor. All officers and sidekicks were dismissed until further notice to maintain confidentiality. At the end of their way, Iida opened a door and stepped in followed by the pair.
They found Shinsou in the interrogation room, standing in front of the one-way window glaring at the glass.
Grunting in affirmation to the newcomers, he felt his earpiece: " Mindbreaker to Shoto; over. They have arrived. Step in with our resource." He nodded before turning to the three that just walked in.
-" It's been a while. Would've liked if our gathering would've been in more pleasant circumstances."
Kaminari wanted to greet back, but words fell short from the throat as Kirishima stepped forward, ignoring Shinsou's words and flipping some papers scattered in the monitor: " Where did you find her? Have you lead some researchers on her past and status." He spluttered at once, flipping hurriedly through the papers.
Shinsou just stared at him before sighing, snatching the papers from clammy hands and handing him a yellow folder. The redhead began scanning through the file in a flash.
Standing on the other side of the insomniac man, they bumped their fists. Through their time at UA, the two have become best of friends: the blonde idiot and the evasive insomniac, their friendship was often compared with that of Aizawa and Mic, and that is quite a label to have.
Turning to look at the window, he saw the suspect for the first time: An elderly woman. Short, plump and with an air of wisdom and warmth. She looked like every lady you would help cross the street, but his stomach twisted in knots when he laid his eyes on her. For someone who was ambushed by top heroes, and is about to be framed with conspiracy and attempted murder, she looked completely unbothered. A worn notebook in one hand while the other held the strap of her floral-patterned bag ( When did she get a chance to pack even?) she sat as if waiting for her ride to the hospice.
It didn't sit well with him, and that feeling swelled further the moment Shoto stepped into the interrogation room accompanied by none other than Recovery Girl.
Hearing the frantic rustling of paper, he turned to watch his red-haired friend trying to cremate the file with his eyes only.
-" What is the meaning of this? Shinsou, if this is a troll it's not funny… you are saying that this woman was a veteran hero from Shiketsu?" he growled, slamming the papers on the monitor.
Shinsou sighed: " I really wish it were. But it seems it's true. We even have Recovery Girl's word on that." He pointed at the glass, on the opposite side they could see the movements of lips and crunched expressions. The woman is engaging rather enthusiastically in the talk. Shinsou then pressed a button in the monitor:
-" … I heard that you retired as well about a year ago. Both of us are already in the winter of our lives; some leisure would be wonderful at this time. I was thinking of moving to this small rustic cottage in Yanaka. I had it all packed but I had to dutifully pay a small visit first." The woman giggled, voice strained with ages and the slight rasp of cold.
The pair didn't respond. Shoto's posture was abnormally tense, but knowing him, his face must be as stoic as ever. He took a sheet in his hand and started reading out of it:
-" Name: Tamashi Madoka. Age: 71 years old. Hero Alias: Neoanthis. Graduate from Shiketsu High, all other information about your quirk and functions have been classified by the Hero Association."
-" Well, assume so. Since my range of work is the kind that is better-kept secret." She smiled a little.
-" Madoka-san…" Recovery girl said. " …Your status as a veteran government effector doesn't justify what you did. You didn't have the permission nor the consent to operate in…"
-" Why do I need permission to do what should be done? To do my job?" She chillingly interjected, the creases wrinkling into a connected maze of lines.
-" Excuse me, despite not knowing what kind of quirk you used on my comrade; you had no right as a retired functionary to do as such." Shoto gritted out, glaring intently at the still smiling elderly.
-" Despite my retirement, that doesn't define the end of my responsibilities as a hero. I might not have been seen on the field. But my work remains my top priority and my duty still stands when I find a citizen in distress. As for my quirk, I think Chiyo here has some inkling on it. And I'd be more than happy to introduce my job to you." Shoto turned to look at Recovery Girl. He was still surprised how one of Tsukauchi's data on this woman led them directly to her.
The youthful hero caught the young hero's questioning glare, and relented: " Madoka-san was one of the heroes that joined the hospital team of the Kamino ward incident." She could hear the resounding gulp from the Elemental Hero. The event was such a delicate matter for the new generation, its impact still lingering among the people. Scars both physical and psychological still haunting at the loss of a legend and the near triumph of despair. Thank God that the worst of it all had passed. " While the other doctors and myself worked on healing and patching all bruises and injuries, Madoka-san was called into work on more… abstract wounds." She looked at her former colleague. In the little time they had interacted, she was a pedant. Someone who took all their responsibilities and duties to heart, and considered her patient's comfort above all. So, if anything, she had to have a reason to do such a drastic act. " Madoka-san's quirk is Emotion Weft. A quirk that wipes all traumatic memories from the patient and alters their mental status into a more stable format. I…" Her speech was interrupted by a very dramatic, very loud offended gasp.
Madoka was frowning, her palm still flush over her lips as her brow rose into the limits of a declining hairline. She groaned indignantly: " Oh my…GOD. I thought better of you, Chiyo. Even after all the days we spent together, for you to describe my quirk with such…a degrading manner is offending."
Recovery Girl didn't respond to those words, she only squinted at the other woman. Soon, Madoka was recovering from her mock offense and cleared her throat: " I wouldn't put it past the HA to hide facts about my quirk since I was of great use but anyway… As my comrade mentioned, my quirk's name is Emotion Weft. But past the mediocre explanation, my quirk is like…." She looked up dreamily. " …Rejuvenation to the soul."
-" What do you mean?" Shoto voiced up, aggravated by this hag's narcissism. " What do you mean rejuvenation? So you call robbing someone's precious memories and identity from them rejuvenating. That is straight-out villainous. There is nothing to say further. This scene ends now.." He began gathering the papers as he glanced at the opaque glass, ready to leave.
-" Precious memories? That is funny when he chose to forget them." She spoke, making Shoto halt his movement and spin to face her. She had a strained smile on: " If you might at least, stay so that I can explain my quirk to you." She said; no demanded, gesturing to the chair across.
-" What do you mean 'chose to'?" He glared in defiance. This woman was unlike anyone. The elderly hero sighed: " Hero Shoto, if you might. You and your comrades might want to know this."
-" Thank you Chiyo. Please sit down." She waved her hand at the seat again. Looking at Recovery Girl, she was nervously wringing her hands together. He was shocked when his and Shinsou's investigations led them to her as the sole living contact. Even when they contacted her, she herself was shaken by the mention of the suspect; like if she didn't like having to cross ways with her again.
Recovery Girl was always reasonable even in the direst situation, but this time it was clear that she hated this.
He tsked, he had to do this. If not for Bakugou, but for their rivalry. He seated himself begrudgingly. That seemed to satisfy her as she smiled wide and nodded.
They waited for a moment in silence, having a stare-down with crinkled eyes and disheveled brows.
She started to talk again: " As I was saying, if I have to describe our mind, I'd say it is intricately woven silk. The warp is the events that happen in our lives, good or bad, important and trivial, all of them are fastened in a fine parallel loom over the beam of time. Our reactions and counters are the harnesses…" She motioned with her hands, fingers separating while the other turned on a fist before the other. " they flow over those events and refine them and set them apart from the others. And here come the soul and heart…" She flicks a thumb under her spread palm. " the shuttle threads in between, connecting the warp. Those are the emotions and the impact. And with a simple snap of wrist…" She forcibly snaps her fist to meet the back of her palm. " the silk is set, and the memory is cemented in our heads. Like the flow of that silk, our memories do too. The palest fade while the brightest reign." She dreamily sighed. A scowl twisted Shoto's face.
-" What are you meaning by this charade? Get right to, lunatic talk won't get you anywhere."
-" It's not lunatic talk. I am just explaining my quirk to you. So you might not know this, mister hero. But that shuttle that I spoke about is what helps draw the filling warp or the weft." She smirked when heterochromatic eyes widened in realization. " Our memories are ranged. Memories of love, memories of peace, memories of joy, and memories of pride. But unfortunately, also memories laced with pain. Memories of longing, memories of hatred, memories of tears. Those memories that you just wish you never had, that they will stop haunting your dreams. That weft of pain, hurt and disgust threading all those memories in an ugly thick pale fabric. Such deceit! Don't you think?" She pointedly stared at Shoto.
A chilling slid of hands ran down his spine. Hypnotizing spirals of brown staring right into his head. He could feel it, like a hand shambling with his thoughts and memories.
And suddenly, it stopped.
-" Sorry for the discomfort. I am usually more subtle with it. But I always prefer to know the people around me." She smiled wider.
Shoto; ruffling his hair with both hands, checked himself: his name was Todoroki Shoto. He was Elemental Hero Shoto. He graduated from UA High, and his best friends were Iida Tenya and Midoriya Izuku. His father was hero Endeavour and his brother was ex-villain Dabi. He was dating Creati.
All his memories were intact; he didn't know what she did inside his head, but he certainly was grateful he was still himself.
-" What did...?"
-" Don't worry, I didn't do anything to you. I just sensed a similar air to you and Zero-san. That solemn air and refusal. But unlike him, you impressed me." She lulled her head to one side. " You have managed to turn that pale toile into a beautiful canvas: twisting the pain and loathing into hope and courage. Going past the sadness and anger to cultivate the sprout of a new beginning. You didn't need my help after all." She chuckled into her palm, looking like a parent proud of their child.
Staring blankly at the woman for a minute. That unnerving nonchalant smile, the last time Shoto felt this livid was when Touya shrugged his way back to their house.
He was about to snap, but Recovery Girl bet him to it. She slammed her hands on the table and stood over the chair, her usually closed eyes opening to revealing very sharp grey orbs. " Stop your games Madoka. I've had enough watching you playing families and relatives alike and depriving them of their dearest. As much of salvation you are giving, you are also robbing from people: Memories of tears and laughs are what defines an individual. To call it healing is a disgrace, it's a violation." She growled out, fists clenched. The woman was clearly holding back on those words for a fair amount of time.
Madoka just blankly replied: " But they are also what breaks an individual. The death of someone dear, the trauma of a catastrophe. The treason of a friend and the break of heart. The cries and pains held in silence by those feigning strength before adversity, think that it is cooping and moving on. It isn't. And that is where I must advance. Before those people are in pieces; before they reach a point of no return; I must intervene." She inhaled. " I don't steal nor do I take. I make them choose the weft. Choose what they want to leave out, and like a fairy granting a wish, I re-stitch the fabric and the weft is drawn like it never existed. The extent of the process, it depends on how far and deep the weft is woven into the silk. Forgetting your dead mother is nothing like forgetting the loss of a pet. I heard Zero-san's voice. It was pleading for a stop. A restart from where he blundered. And I will never regret what I did." She finished in a stony tone, her eyes remained glued to Recovery Girl's the entire conversation.
A sudden static echoed through the room. The speakers hissing before a booming voice cried into the silence: " YOU GAVE HIM A NEW START? HOW DARE YOU SAY THIS? YOU TOOK OUR FRIEND FROM US. MY BEST FRIEND ALMOST DIED BECAUSE OF YOUR QUIRK. HE FORGOT EVERYONE EVEN HIS CHILDHOOD FRIEND. YOU TOOK MY FRIEND FROM ME. DON'T YOU DARE SOUND PROUD OF …"
-" Kirishima, stop. You can't retaliate like that. We need to get as much information from her. Don't…"
-" LIKE HELL I'LL LET HER SPEW THAT BULLSHIT ABOUT BAKUGOU. LEAVE ME SHINSOU, I HAVE BEEF WITH THIS BITCH." Shuffling followed.
Madoka inhaled again: " Then as his friends, why didn't you know of his state?" the shuffling stopped. " Friends are always supposed to be endorsing each other? When they are in need, they find the other beside them. Someone to listen and understand. But Zero-san was alone in his head. Drowning in hatred, bitterness and tire. He was miserable. Where were you, huh, when your best friend was silently begging for help?"
An eerie silence with mild static sounded from the speakers and then:
-" FUUUUC*beep**beep*" Followed by a crash.
In the monitor room, the microphone that was supposed to connect the trio to the inside room was blasted on the floor. Kirishima was fuming from the ears, his sharp teeth snapping at the firm grit. As vile and mistakenly righteous that woman was, she was also brutally honest.
He was supposed to be Bakugo's best friend. His brother and wingman like he was to him. Bakugou has always been behind him; in his own push and shove way, Bakugou was an inspiration and a leader. And Kirishima was supposed to watch his back just as well, but from the looks of it, he must've failed pathetically. He was blinded by his own selfishness and before he knew it, their group's star had dimmed to oblivion.
Regret and anger twisted his guts and knotted them in suffocating loops. A rough tug brought him back to reality. He didn't notice the tears and snot that leaked down his face.
It was Kaminari.
-" BRO, SNAP OUT OF IT." He screamed in the redhead's face. It was a rarity to see Kaminari this stern, a stark contrast to his usual happy-go-lucky persona. " I am tired of watching you freak out like that. You are a hero, remember? And you crying and blaming yourself won't do shit to save Baku."
-" But…" he sniffed. " I felt it. I knew Bakugou was not okay. Since the Wonder duo thing, he wasn't. And even though, *sniff* I didn't do anything. I left my main bro all on his own until he reached the brink of it." He sniffed hard, trying his best not to let the tears fall.
-" It isn't just your fault dude, I- we should've known too. Sero and Mina and I should've known. We always left Bakugou for you to handle, and we are sorry for leaving you with such a burden. Bakugou is our bro too, we should share this together." He paused to put his hands on the other's shoulders. " Bakugou has been going through something, and instead of supporting and listening to him, we worsened his state by leaving him on his own, we …are really the worst." He almost cried, but fuck it…this was no time for tears. " Now bro, we have to do what heroes should do. Save him. Now mister manly hero, how about we do it together this time?" He pulled off a smile, his arm sling around his shoulder.
He waited for the shaking to halt. Then the sniffing. Then in the matter of a few seconds, Kirishima whipped his head up, determination burning in his eyes: " Let's do it bro. No matter how long or what it takes we are getting back our Bakubro."
-" That's my best bro." the electric blond responded with a grin, happy that his friend is back.
-" I hope you two are done with the pep talk, because you would wanna hear this." Shinsou spoke out of nowhere. He was smirking having noticed such a sappy display but they ignored him and looked back at the room.
-" Is there a way to reverse the effect of the quirk?" Shoto asked.
-" If the patient is willing to, yes we could. But that is hard to do without triggering a Decay" She responded.
-" What do you mean Decay?"
-" When the patient is unwilling but is forcibly exposed to the trigger, the mind and body of the patient will go in a state of rejection. The degree of this rejection is usually very lethal; some patients experience asthmatic strokes, SCA, allergic reactions and epileptic seizures as well. The role of this rejection to drive the trigger away, so the body just instantly goes on an automatic shut down, but such a forced reaction is dangerous. As for the Decay, after the subject is back to its consciousness, the quirk effect can spread to other memories and take down other wefts just in case of another exposure. Like when the shuttle is clumsily sent through the loom, it can tangle it."
-" What? Then how can we get back his memories?" Shoto grumbled, this interrogation driving him further over the edge.
-" My quirk has a complete defense mechanism that I developed myself to protect my patients. As I said if he wants to remember he will. But if you are hellbent on contacting the trigger that causes him a rejection; I hope you are ready to bury your friend." She finished, her eyes scanning the room bored.
-" A trigger?" Kirishima pondered: A trigger, able to unleash a rejection. He started to work his memories; going over every event before the incident. Bakugou was alright when they parted ways after catching the snatcher. But right after, it all comes down at once, but what could've triggered the quirk? A shuttle…. A linking thread… An emotion…
That is when it hit him. Like a smack to the face.
-" Holy shit, how could I've been that blind?" He muttered to himself, earning him squint from both his comrades.
-" By the way, I don't know if this is rude or something, but may I meet my patient?"
Peace and serenity. The tingle of sunlight over his skin and the slight airiness from the painkillers.
This distinct lightness felt so foreign for one Bakugou Katsuki. Sure, he knows being hospitalized and mildly amnesiac wasn't something to be proud of. But for some reason, he felt like he was reborn. Such a weird way of thinking, isn't it? He shouldn't be engulfed but such a fuzz of security. Yet here he is, like a bird that was freed from long captivity. Smiling like a child at the morning chirps and a gentle morning breeze.
His doctor told him that he had some fracture here and there, but they will all heal with some therapy. His amnesia was the only reason he was still in the hospital. Visits were not allowed too, so he only saw the nurses' faces back and forth. Some cowered in their scrubs, while others flashed him the fakest smiles. But he never took it at heart. He felt happy and fuzzy like nothing could ever bring him down. Like the world was easily his.
Hearing the clicking of the knob, he turned his head to meet his favourite nurse. Her name was Saki, and out of all the others, he felt like she understood him the best.
-" Good morning, Bakugou-san. How is you back doing today?" She closed the door behind her, and drove a small cart with food and medicine to his bed.
-" G'morning Saki-san. As sleep-deprived as always, I see?" He teased. She laughed in response, coming to his side with the cart in tow.
-" I haven't had enough time to sleep today. We had an emergency calling early this morning." She traced the bags under her eyes with a sigh.
-" Well, unlike you I have taken my medicine in time and I pride in my perfect sleep schedule. Though, you have to take care of yourself. You are so young and pretty, and I guarantee that no man would want an overworking, perpetually tired girlfriend, you hear me?" He scolded her with a slight pout of his lips. He hated when the people he respected overworked themselves, he always felt the need to protect them and albeit reprimand them for their clumsiness. He had always been a picky person.
She laughed harder, muttering something he couldn't hear before she shoved the bowl of porridge into his hands: " Now, now Mr. Perfect. Eat this before your medicine." She snorted at the obvious scowl.
-" I hate this hospital food. It's SO PLAIN." He whined loudly to which she rolled her eyes.
He begrudgingly ate his porridge, the taste of it like that of paper. God he missed his homemade bomb curry.
Sliding a chair, she sat beside him: " By the way, Bakugou-san. I have some great news for you. It seems that you will be soon dismissed from the hospital."
-" Wait, really?" he asked, just after gulping down the remaining porridge.
-" Yes, all fractures and your back trauma are thoroughly healed, thanks to doctor's quirk. As for the amnesia, a specialist has been called to check on your state. Visits are also allowed so I hope you are prepared to have your family." She informed, watching as his eyes lit up at the mention of family.
-" Mmh, okay. Finally, I can see my mother. She must've made one hell of a fuss about the ban. Anyway, I am grateful and all. But still, this quirks and superpower stuff still hurts me in the head." He set the empty bowl down, bringing a balled hand to rub at his eye.
-" Don't worry, I am sure you will get a grasp of it, along with your memories." She offered him the medicine and a cup of water which he dutifully ingested.
They talked for a while about the other tenants, the little girl in the adjacent room that always had 'Let it Go' blasting at night. He told her a little about some of the memories that he retained: his lonely childhood, the few boring years at middle school and the blur of his highschool days.
They were laughing about one of his stories with his mother when a knock resounded in his room.
-" Oh, it must be a specialist. They said she was coming this morning. But I never expected it to be this soon." Saki said, rising from the chair and marching to the door.
She cracked the door open and poked her head behind it; exchanging a silent conversation with someone behind it. A moment later, she opened the door wider and in walked a short, old woman.
The woman bowed: " Hello, Mr Bakugou Katsuki. My name is Madoka; I am here to check up on your state." She smiled.
He nodded softly, Saki closed the door behind the woman walking her to his bedside and on the spare chair.
-" I see you are better now." With a sweet smile, she said.
-" Yeah, I feel less dizzy than I was when I woke up. My medication is helping me deal with the headaches and insomnia."
-" That is good news!" She cheered. " How about your heart?" She suddenly blurted.
-" My heart?" Her remark did a weird thing to him. Like a jolt of electricity.
-" How do you feel about all of this? Are you scared? Worried? Or just… relieved?" each word, she reaffirmed it with a squeeze of his palm.
What did he feel like? That wasn't the question a psychiatrist should ask him. She should be forcing him to remember, to retain what he lost, all those moments and events that he lost to the blur of a forgetful wave. He needed to remember his life. His days in high school, the totality of his time as a child, his… superpower…. He…
Really didn't want to remember it though. His mind and heart told him not to. He knew he needed to, but he didn't have the will to. Because for the first time in maybe ever, he felt unbound by fear and expectation.
Like a fresh start.
He had his answer without hesitation.
-" I never felt any better." He smiled back at the small lady. She nodded her head in response as if she already knew. Shaking his hand, she said: " It is your choice Bakugou-san. And as a doctor, I respect your choice. Some might consider lost memories as a lost part of themselves. But hanging up on the future is also what makes it harder to move forward. But you chose to look ahead, so good luck, Bakugo-san." She bowed again.
Without a word, she collected herself from the chair and walk out. He didn't notice he was alone in the room until the door clicked shut after her.
Though, that loneliness didn't last long. His mother all but blew the door off its hinges. Crying and screaming as she leaped over his sore thing. He held a yelp.
His mother looked so worried and devastated. And his father, the usual missionary of good, had his face all scrunched up in worry.
Katsuki was confused. They had told him that he had a mere accident: A few bone traumas here and there, and mild amnesia that will dissipate with time. Such a thing will have his mother always scold his clumsy ass for being wrapped on. But this time, she looked so desperate.
Suddenly, his father joined her and they both hugged him. The man whispered: " Don't worry Katsuki. As long as you are yourself and with us, you won't hurt again…. We are sorry."
He didn't understand what he meant. He wasn't hurting. He never did, he had always been a loner, nose deep into studies or gaming.
But the sight of his usually feisty mother and always reasonable father in such a state, he didn't like it.
-" Okay…" he whispered back. " But…Get you ass off me, I AM IN PAIN." But he might just shake them out of it.
At 5 AM, the hospital staff working on Bakugou's state were invited into the grand meeting room at the Lemillion agency. On the head of the table sat Hero Lemillion. On either side of him were Red Riot, the Bakugous, Suneater, Chargebolt, Shoto and Mindbreaker. Saki and the doctor sat at the very end. The general aura was tense as if they were to discuss deathly matters.
Which wasn't far from reality.
Mindbreaker cleared his throat and stood up: " Upon the investigation that took place just a couple of hours ago with our primary suspect: Tamashi Madoka; our suspicions have been confirmed. Alas, no charges can be put on her due to…" A loud slam echoed through the room.
It was the rabid Bakumama: " WHAT DO YOU MEAN NO CHARGES CAN BE HELD? THAT BITCH ILLEGALLY USED HER QUIRK ON MY SON AND NEARLY KILLED HIM. IS THIS A JOKE TO YOU? IS MY SON'S A JOKE TO YOU. HOW FUCKING DARE YOU…."
-" Mitsuki, please let him finish." Masaru ushered his wife, seating her back down. But the frown of his brows conveyed that he was no more pleased by the situation.
With a blank stare, Shinsou continued: " as I said, it seems that the moment we held her for our investigation, the Hero Association called the police department demanding her release, being a veteran underground hero with legal immunity. We can't charge her with anything, since legally: She is a veteran hero acting upon instinct. As for Bakugou, I'll leave the diagnosis to the medical staff among us today." He passed the bar to the doctor.
-" Well, Mr. Zero's wounds and fractures are healing at a steady term. If not, he will be totally healed in 15 days plus extra therapy for his back and thigh. As for the attacks he had previously, the EEG showed normal brain activity as well as the cardiogram, which completely opposes to the severe attack he had the other day. And if possible, I would like to avoid such a seizure, he might not survive it this time."
Shoto interrupted: " The suspect mentioned that such a reaction was because of her quirk as well; she called it a Decay. She said that the degree of such a phenomenon depends on the relationship with the trigger."
-" What do you mean trigger?" Masaru asked.
-" We can not force Bakugou to remember, he has to do it by himself. If we do, he might…." Shoto dreaded saying those words.
-" Then what? You mean I have to watch my baby live in a state of ignorance after forgetting half of his life and career?" Mitsuki wailed in despair. She had never felt this helpless in her life. Watching your only son wither before you while you can't do fuck.
-" You spoke about a trigger…" Saki intervened. " What if, like, we isolate this person or thing that makes Zero-san lose it and have him slowly recall things. And, during one of our talks, Zero-san mentioned something about a cracking noise… What does it have to do with the quirk?"
A loud sigh heaved around the room. Kirishima spoke at last: " We can't isolate it. The trigger is a link between the lost memories. His presence and absence are the relevant motor of this quirk. Driving it away and bringing him in won't help in him remembering;… He has to do it himself. We need to give him time to recollect it on his own will. Moreover, this person is not something that can be easily whipped off Bakugou's life." The last sentence was muttered to only himself to hear.
A brief silence hung above them before Shoto said: "She said the cracking was a prelude to a breakdown. It seems that Bakugou had been in such a state for longer than we thought." He pursed his lips.
-" Now we have explained the situation, we finally get to the point of this meeting. As head of the agency and one of Zero's comrades, and after further discussion with the other members of the Hero Association and UA, I decided to dismiss the Explosive Hero: Ground Zero into an indefinite leave from hero work. Right now, Hero Cellophane is already contacting various TV stations into airing this notice first thing in the morning news. The reason for the leave would be addressed as medical, so I beseech your confidentiality. None of the things said or heard in this meeting will leave these walls. With already booming propaganda surrounding this brusque disaster that touched one of heroism's greatest symbols, such information leaking will only encourage further distrust into the hero business. As for Bakugou-kun, …Mr. and Mrs. Bakugou I demand that you move from your current dwelling as soon as possible."
-" What?"
-" With such a vague notice, the media and internet will surely look for ways to dig out as much hot gossip as possible. It will put you and Bakugou-kun in danger. His state does not allow any offhanded questioning from journalists and bloggers. He already doesn't grasp the notion of quirk and heroes well, which is…Very unfortunate. So, for the sake of your safety and Bakugou-kun's full recovery, it's better to move farther from Musustafu as possible. If you want the HA will handle the expenses of the moving and the new housing if nee…"
-" No." Masaru interjected. " We…understand. We will oblige as fast as possible. That is the least we can do for our son." He solemnly mumbled, hugging his silent wife tighter.
-" Great. I re-demand your confidentiality, messieurs. For the best of our society and our comrade's safety. That is what I had to say. Meeting dismissed." On cue, all the members started collecting their stuff and leaving the meeting room.
Masaru was the last as he had to comfort his wife whom he was sure was blaming herself for this. The apple doesn't fall far from the tree, does it?
-" Masaru-san, Mitsuki-san…Can I talk to you for a minute?" As his best friend, the least he could do is spare his parents.
Channel 6 News: Hero Ground Zero indefinite medical leave: Details ahead.
HeroToday: Hero Ground Zero's fall from Grace. What happened to the Bold Hero?
Reddit: Where was Hero Deku when GZ was dying, huh? He just FUCKING gave up on his partner. WTF.
Reddit: I can't buy that GZ left just after such a pathetic fall? I can't buy this BS
HeroMania: In honor of Ground Zero's legacy, the number 11 spot of the JP billboard in suspension.
HeroToday: New JP Billboard. New contestants for the top 10?
Reddit: [Rant] this year's billboard without GZ is trash. The Fuck? Deku already number 5?
Reddit: [Rant] People trashing Deku for being busy saving lives in the US and not visiting his annoying EX-partner…. GZ was always fodder [Blocked]
Reddit: Would Deku be where he is today if GZ still operated?
HeroMania: Two years of silence…Remembering the legend of Ground Zero; the Symbol of Victory.
HeroToday: New N°1 hero Deku: Interview; GZ will always be an inspiration.
Reddit: [Rant] Does Deku deserve number 1 spot? #RememberingGZ_Days
I am back to the house friends. Next chapter, next week.