Izumi woke up in a world with bright white light. At first glance, she thought she had probably died and the encounter with the hero Hawks was nothing but merely a dream. She had drowned and it was over. But the beeping sound of the monitor right beside her and the shuffling of noises slowly came to her. Her dull senses finally sharpen immediately realized where she was.
She's in the hospital. One that is uncomfortably quiet and only the shuffling of footsteps would echo across the empty hallways of the hospital wards.
She looked around her room. There was a vase of fresh flowers and bottled drinks on the counter beside her bed. A cold-brewed tea and some biscuits. Looking far ahead, she saw some papers scattered on a table nearby and a somewhat familiar briefcase slightly opened.
She slowly sat up and stared at the things on the table. Her Papa must have heard what happened and rushed her in the hospital or that winged hero must have dropped her into the hospital and contacted the police and her father about her attempt. She cringed. The last time she remembered was how she cried herself to sleep in the arms of a hero and not just any hero. It was the winged hero, Hawks. The fastest hero in Japan. She brought a hand to her forehead and felt hitting herself over and over until she realized how stupid she acted infront of him. Not only that, Izumi looked at the briefcase on the table. It belonged to her Papa. Meaning he's here on the hospital and he was probably then one who took care of her. She gulped. Izumi is not looking forward to another 2-hour sermon from him.
She looked around further and saw the clock embedded on the floor.
'3:29 am. ' Izumi zoomed out a bit and fell down to her bed with a thump. How long was she out? She pondered for a bit then zoned out. Slowly, drowsiness began to creep at the back of her mind again and slowly, Izumi fell asleep again.
The next time she woke up, Izumi heard two people talking. One that undeniably belongs to her Papa and one to a woman which she could think of was Aunt Mitsuki. They were arguing... Its probably about Kaachan again. Izumi grumbled. It must have caught both of the adults' attention because they stopped talking and she could hear her Papa calling out her name.
"Izumi!" Hisashi rushed to his daughter's side. " Izumi, can you hear me?"
"...Papa?"
When she opened up her eyes, her Papa had already perched himself at her side sitting on the side of her bed stroking her head, gently patting her head. He looked worried. As of he had grown a lot from the last time she saw him... Was she in coma? Izumi blinked.
" How are you feeling? Do you need water? Where does it hurt? Should I call the doctor?no wait I think that should be good-" Hisashi stopped and looked at his sleeve. His eyes traced the hand that stopped him from running to the doctor to his green-haired turned albino daughter. His heart fell. He didn't want this to happen. Not to his daughter.
Izumi didn't let go of him and looked at him blankly. There was no expression on her face just pure blankness but Izumi held him close. Something she hadn't done since her mother died. "Izumi?"
She didn't say anything but held the cuff of his sleeve. Somehow the thought of her alone again terrified her. Being alone is terrifying. She hated it. Hisashi didn't say anything and turned to Mitsuki. The woman was ready to run to her god daughter's side.
'Izumi? I heard what happened. Are you... Okay?" She asked but the girl remained unresponsive and distant. She didn't look at her and tightened the grip she has on her father's sleeve cuff. Seeing this, Hisashi sighs and looked at the woman with them.
"Mitsuki. I think you should go. " He watched her flinched before looking back and forth from him to his daughter, not sure what to do. Mitsuki was about to say something and opened her mouth when she stopped and looked utterly defeated. It was clear Izumi doesn't want to talk to her.
"Okay. " She said and walked away from the father and daughter and quietly left the room. When she did, Izumi sighed and let her father's cuff go.
"How long was I out?"
"For about 36 hours," Hisashi answered watching his daughter brought up an arm to hide her eyes against the light. " A passing-by hero saw what you did and rescued you. I'm glad he was able to do so. "
"Hn.."
"... So do you want to talk about it?" Hisashi watched her stiffened. The way she was clutching the blanket was a dead way something was up. So he waited until she said anything but she never answered.
" We can have this discussion once you have been discharged. " As much as he wanted to press for an answer, Hisashi thought it wasn't a good time to get some clarifications. Not yet.
Deciding to let go of the matter, for now, his daughter's health comes first. He stood up and informed her that he's going to get a doctor to check her up and left. There was also about her physical traits that changed. He wanted to make sure everything is okay, he reassured her. He'll be back, he said. Then they will talk about it again and she can't avoid it forever, he added and she waited for him to come back with a doctor and a nurse behind her.
The doctor did some tests and told them she's fine physically. There was nothing wrong with her body at all and the changes in her hair color and skin complexion didn't do anything and damage some organs of making any kind of changes on her body. But just to be sure, they are going to conduct more tests just to be sure. The nurse said since she's her actions might have probably triggered some quirk. The doctor wanted to shut down the idea but decided not to. After all, for a quirk to resurface quite late is unusual but it is a possibility but they don't know yet.
She left the talking to her father. There's so much she could handle at the moment and it felt like if she listens to the doctor more, Izumi felt she'll go insane. If it was before, she'll surely be happy and excited to hear the possibility of having a quirk. That finally she's going to have a chance to be a hero. But that was all in the past. She had changed and part of her who wished to be a hero went down 6 feet underground along with the casket of her mother. Her father sound perplexed at the thought of her finally getting a quirk. He looked at her daughter and sighed. He'll finally have a chance to bring back his lively and dreamy daughter. It was a chance he'll never let go. He promised Inko after all.
When they have finally come into an agreement, as it turns out she can be discharged as early as possible once they have conducted the test. Hisashi agreed and let the nurse and doctor left the room. He turned to his daughter and smiled. He brought up a hand and gently patted her hair. Relief flood out from his system as he watched her fall back trying to go back to sleep.
"You're going to be fine..." Hisashi had already lost his wife. Today he almost lost his only daughter. If she has died, he wouldn't know what to do. But it will surely crush his heart.
"Hmn..." It was a sleepy moan but neither less, seeing her trying her best to respond made him crack a smile.
His daughter had been through a lot. From living as a quirkless girl to dealing with her mother's death. Today's action was probably because of the latter's fault. Hisashi knew he had missed 11 years of her growth. When Inko died, he immediately flew to Japan from America to see her critically injured daughter. His Inko might have not survived but Hisashi hoped he can still keep his daughter with him. It was a long process but Izumi survived the accident. His daughter lived but Hisashi watched a part of her died together with Inko that day. It was then, he knew he had to stay and made up his mind. He quit his job in America to stay in Japan to hold whatever his daughter still has. It was a risk he would gladly take to make it up to her.
When Izumi had already fallen asleep, Hisashi quietly withdraws his hand and settled it on the bed. For now, his daughter is alive and mattered more. Slowly he rose from the bed and took the couch and decided he also had to turn in for the night. He took one last glance at his daughter and finally decided to fall asleep.
For Izumi, it felt like everything around her was floating. Everything was weightless. Everything around her felt cold again. She can feel if her legs are standing on something or not, but she definitely felt uncomfortable.
Slowly opening her eyes, 'she' was already infront of her. Floating looking down at her with a blank expression. When she looked around, the hospital room looked as if the entire room was submerged underwater. The vases began to float up, the flowers were floating away and the cabinets looked like they were suspended in the water. Izumi craned her neck to see her Papa, but strangely enough, he was asleep on the couch with a blanket covering his chest. Everything around him seems to be floating everywhere except him falling asleep in an uncomfortable sofa.
Izumi looked at her counterfeit. She was right infront of her. Dressed in a hospital gown. Her long green locks floating around her and as beside her. Meanwhile, Izumi tried to keep herself afloat. She waddled her arms around the water trying her best not to be overwhelmed by the water. Strangely fishes began to show up. Sea creatures that freely swim all around her were there. Eels, clown fishes, manta rays, angle fishes in all sorts of different colors. It was as if a droplet of life of the sea had visited her in her hospital room to pay a visit.
It was a strange dream but nothing more strange as the counterfeit slowly began to smile infront of her and looked at her mischievously. It was then she had realized that the wildlife began to disappear all around her.
Something is not right. Once again, Izumi could hear it again. Loud ringing and shuffling coming from the under of her bed. Realizing what it was, her instincts flared up and she felt she was drowning again. She tried to waddle away from whatever monster that was under her bed and getaway. She turned to her Papa but strangely he wasn't there.
Izumi began to panic and let out a large bubble of air. When she looked at her counterfeit and felt her heart pounded against her chest as if it slammed from her ribcage as she greeted her back with a screaming expression and shrieking voice. Her hands stretched to her neck.
No.. Let go!! Let go!!!
The counterfeit laughed and laughed. She tightened her grip around her neck as she watches her desperately clawing her hands to free herself.
Monster. Monster. MONSTER.
She struggled and struggled. But it was useless. The more she desperately fight back the more her strength she loses. She felt her claws tighten. Sharp nails digging into her skin. Red began to color the water around her neck.
Immediately, as soon as her counterfeit saw her losing the battle, she slowly dove the down. They were no longer in her hospital room but back into the sea of the abyss. She pushed her down, hands on her neck. Gradually, the counterfeit slowly began to take form. Something hideous. Out of the world. A vile creature cannot be explained in mere words. Its shard long gruesome teeth began to stretch from her lips and cracked her mouth open exposing thousands more. Grinder teeth as it anything that it places on its mouth would turn into nothing but minced meat.
Izumi screamed as the monster let out a shrieking cry infront of her. In a matter of minutes, they were surrounded. They were circling them as if they were waiting for the creature to let go of her into the abyss. With one last grip, the monster grabbed her close and felt its tongue ran across her cheek and let out a low growl before throwing her down into the sea trench.
She watched the light go out as it rapidly disappears into the dark. She clawed and waddles and tried to swim up but the pressure the monster that pushed her down the wide crack of the seabed was too much for her to fight back. Slowly, pairs of red light began to shine out maliciously.
One then two then it becomes ten and then it doubled and tripled and soon Izumi felt millions of eyes are locked at her. Hungry growls and animalistic howling were everywhere. She wasn't alone in the deep trench. The loud thunderous howling and clattering of sharp teeth. They seemed they were enjoying seeing her fall down into the abyss. Perching themselves into whatever their claws could cling to.
They launched forward. Circling her like prey. Waiting for one of them to start approaching her descending form. They formed a tornado waiting for that perfect timing and once they have found it, they cried out hungrily. They began to dash forward and launched for her. Jaws side open to take a bite.
Terrified, she crouched into a ball and let out a cry evaporating into nothing but large bubbles. Her lungs had expelled all the remaining air into her system and everything began to hurt. She brought her hands to her ears and screamed and screamed.
*Really. You're so hopeless.*
Then the voice stopped ringing and it said something. It was as if time stopped and everything became blank. When she opened her eyes, everything was in pieces. Uneven jigsaw puzzle pieces floating down around her. She looked around and everything was gone.
Something happened. Something she didn't know. She was so focused on her surrounding, she didn't notice the retracting black ribbons below her. Whatever happened, it consumed everything around her and strangely, she felt full.
*You're not looking deeper*
The voice said and immediately, she turned around and instantly, she regretted the decision.
A glowing yellow eye greeted her. It was enormous. The biggest eye she had ever set her eyes on. It was glowing against the dark. Focusing on her little body. No. This is probably a dream. Izumi began pinching herself. Yes, everything is just a dream! Now, wake up!!
Wake up!!!
*Useless.* the voice told her and with a blink of an eye, the eye disappeared and infront of her was herself clad in a black sundress. Her eyes looking at mischievously before grabbing her neck and tightened her grip. She watched her eyes glowed from emerald green to yellow then ominous red. Now, she's being choked again by another version of herself.
A wide grin spread onto her lips as she takes joy in watching her squirm.
*Amusing. But, it'll be too pitiful to let this kind of chance slip away. ** 'She' said.* Go back. But don't feel too reassured. I will come to get you. Izumi*
Izumi didn't like how 'she' said her name. She squirmed again and watched the black ribbons began to appear from her back and began to wiggle and trash itself along the water. They were everywhere. Encircling them and dancing along the waves of the dark ocean.
*So long... Izumi.* with a blink of an eye, the version of her bid herself goodbye and met her lips once more.
When Izumi came into the world, it took time for her to register what was happening infront of her. Her hair is a tangled mess. Her Papa holding her tightly in his arms with noticeable scratch marks on his arms. His hair was in disarray, his clothes were all wrinkled as if he was fighting some and was trying to keep that person still. The vase filled with flowers where strangely on the floor shattered and the petals and water were everywhere spreading along the floor trying to connect the shards of ceramic vase parts. The nurse and doctor were also there trying to do whatever they can to calm her down.
She had a terrible nightmare. One that was so terrible, she was able to hurt her Papa unknowingly. Tears began to gather from the corners of her eyes and before she realized it, she was already crying in her father's embrace. Izumi never felt so terrified in her entire life. Unexplainable feelings she couldn't describe but horrible and vile.
"Don't worry. I'm here. I'm always here" Hisashi ignored the stinging pain on his arms as he held his daughter tightly. Whatever her nightmare was, it was nothing but good. They have been trying to hold her down for almost an hour. The sedatives the nurses were giving her were ineffective so Hisashi had to do it and pinned her down in order for her not to hurt herself.
"I'm here. You're going to be fine." Hisashi whispered into her ear and placed a kiss into her crown. "Papa is here. I will not go away."
The nurses and doctors had come and gone but Hisashi never left her side. He cradled her into his arms and assisted the nurses in treating her.
"Hmm?" A nurse blinked and noticed the markings into her neck. Her neck was all bruised up as if someone had choked her to death. Claw marks and purple marks. Blood was slowly trailing down from her nape making it as if the injuries she received were just fresh. "What is this?"
Everybody looked at all of them. Clueless about where the marks came from. All the nurses that were present were sure Izumi's father never grabbed her neck. He was pinning her down into the bed to protect herself from potentially harming herself yet. They stood there on near the girl being cradled by her father who was also looking worried at the claw marks his daughter's neck.
Gradually, the doctor who was present in the whole ordeal was the first one to snap out of his stupor and immediately told the nurse close to her to start treating the girl's neck.
Then another morning has come by and Musatafu was greeted by strange news. The reports told the populace on how the Dagobah beach who had just been cleaned up by a mysterious person was dyed in a color of red. Bits of parts of flesh-like pieces were washed up to shore. They were torn pretty badly as if a monster had mercilessly wreaked havoc across the ocean floor.
Many had theories and guesses but one thing was for sure, the place is too dangerous to the populace. The pieces began to imitate a strong ell and vile purple-like venom. It was contagious and deadly.
Hawks watched the beach from afar. He was leisurely looking down at the beach from a distance and watched the calm dyed-red waves rolled along the sand. Its a waste honestly. Somebody had finally cleaned the dumpsite of a beach and this happened.
He shrugged and flapped his wings and began to fly away. Not like it was important to him anyway. He had a mission to complete.