Chapter Six: No Way Out
There are two kinds of people in this world:
Those who give up…
and those who keep fighting.
I'm somewhere in between giving up,
And seeing how much more I can take…
Another week went by for Auryn and Katsuki, and before they knew it, it was time for Auryn's evaluation. It was scheduled for a Friday after school, and as the day grew closer and closer, Auryn was feeling more and more nervous. She had kept her little event to herself, and it was starting to make Katsuki mad because he didn't know what was bothering her. Sure, he knew it was soon, but she never told him a specific date.
It was a Wednesday after school when Katsuki finally snapped and cornered Auryn in the classroom. He made sure that no one else was in the room when he confronted her. He didn't want anyone to hear or see what he was about to do. Not that he'd ever hurt Auryn on purpose, but he had a tendency of losing his temper because he knew Auryn was just as stubborn as he was and sometimes, he had to use to get her to tell him what he wanted to know.
"Alright, Auryn," he said as he blocked her exit, "what's wrong? I know something's bothering you and I want to know what your fucking problem is. Now."
Auryn backed away from Katsuki and gripped her handles tightly. "It's not important, Katsuki… I'm probably just having a girl-moment and over-thinking things like I always do." She responded in an unsure tone; waving off his concern.
"Bullshit! You've been avoiding me all week for the past week now! I know something's wrong and I won't let you leave until I find out what it is!" He roared angrily; taking one step towards her and making her look down at herself. "Is someone bothering you?"
Auryn shook her head and gave Katsuki a startled look. "No, no one's bothering me." She replied; watching his facial expressions closely.
"Is your asthma flaring up again? Are you feeling left out in school activities or something?" He pressed in an urgent tone; trapping her between him and the desk behind her.
Auryn shook her head once again. "It's not like that, Katsuki! My asthma has been under control and no, I'm not feeling left out in school activities. Just leave it alone!" She warned in an irritated tone; narrowing her eyes at the teen in front of her.
Katsuki growled low in his throat and desk started to sizzle under his hands. "I won't leave it alone when I know something isn't right with you. Now, the sooner you spit it out and tell me what I want to know, the sooner we can leave and go over to your house to study." He threatened in a rough tone; leaning closer to the girl.
"It's my own personal problem, Katsuki! I thought I told you not to meddle in things that don't concern you!" Auryn yelled; giving him a nasty glare while getting into his face.
"YOU MAKE IT MY PROBLEM WHEN YOU DON'T TELL ME IF SOMETHING'S BOTHERING YOU!" Katsuki roared in a frustrated tone; gritting his teeth in anger. "I CAN'T FUCKING STAND TO SEE YOU UPSET! HOW CAN I HELP YOU IF YOU DON'T TALK TO ME?!"
"I CAN'T TELL YOU BECAUSE I'M SCARED, OKAY?!" Auryn finally snapped; panting for breath and shocking Katsuki in the process.
Katsuki was at loss for words. In all the time he had gotten to know Auryn Honda, he had never once heard her say she was afraid of something. Sure, she admitted to having arachnophobia and hypnophobia, but she never showed it – or let it bother or slow her down. He knew she was afraid to go to sleep at night because of the abuse her mother over the years, and she told him about her fear of spiders, but she always played it off by joking about it to their classmates. He even caught a glimpse of how far her fear of spiders went whenever they'd come across one, but she never went into any real details about any of it. And the last time he checked, they never came across any spiders or she never had a problem falling asleep while she stayed the night at his house or vise-versa. So, what was she afraid of this time? And how bad could it be?
Katsuki watched as Auryn shook uncontrollably in front of him, and knew he messed up. He quickly took a few deep breaths and calmed himself down before trying to get her to talk to him again.
"What are you so afraid of?" He finally managed to ask. "I'm sorry for scaring you like this, but I really want – no… I NEED to know. I WANT to help you. You always help me feel better whenever I have a real shitty day, so why can't you let me help you? Even if it's just this once?"
Auryn bit down on her lower lip until it bled, and looked down at her legs. She bit her lip so hard, it started to bleed drops of blood down her chin.
"You'll probably just start laughing at me if I tell you anyway…" Auryn muttered in a broken tone; still shaking in front of him.
"I would never laugh at you because of your fears. We all have them…" He reasoned in a softer tone; leaning down to look over at her with a concerned expression on his face.
Auryn laughed cruelly at him. "You? Afraid? When? You're the bravest person in the whole city! I've never met anyone who was a fraction as brave as you!"
Katsuki shook his head at her. "That's not true. Remember when you lost your voice and you fell and went into an asthma attack? Or the first time you let me help you practice walking without your crutches? I had never been so scared in my whole life! I thought you were dying in this very room that day. And when you were pushing yourself so hard down by the river? I thought I was going to have to take you to the hospital and I was so scared that I'd never see you again! I never wanted to see you like that ever again!" He told her truthfully; hanging his head in shame as he tried to hide his deep red blush from her.
Auryn looked up at him in time to see him reach out and grip her chin in his hand. He used his thumb to wipe the blood away from her lip, and she sighed and leaned her head against his hand.
"My evaluation is this Friday… and I'm scared that the doctor will tell me that I will never be able to walk normally again." Auryn finally said in a broken tone; closing her eyes tightly – waiting for him to laugh or yell at her.
Katsuki blinked in surprise. "THAT'S what you've been hiding all this time? Why didn't you tell me sooner?" He asked in a stunned tone.
"Because I didn't want you to hate me when I tell that I'll never be able to walk on my own. You went out of your way to help me practice and if I find out that all that work we did together was for nothing - I just don't think I can take seeing the same hatred in your eyes as when my mom used to have whenever she'd look at me…" Auryn said in a hollow tone; casting her duel-colored eyes towards the floor once again.
Katsuki let the girl's words sink in. 'She's not scared of what the doctor will say… she's scared of letting me down. And now, I've hurt her worse than her mom ever did… I've got to make this right…' He thought to himself as he watched her shoulders trembling.
He sighed and pulled the bony girl into his arms and rested his cheek against the top of her head. "Listen to me, Auryn," he spoke softly; stroking her hair in an attempt to calm her down, "I will never – you hear me – NEVER hate you if that ever happens. And I swear, I will NEVER hurt you no matter what you say, or do, or how mad I get. I WILL NEVER TREAT YOU LIKE THAT FUCKING BITCH OF A MOM TREATED YOU! Do you hear me?! Never! I'll die before that happens!" He declared in a firm tone; pulling away enough to look directly into her eyes.
Auryn stared at him for a moment, and on their own accord, her hands let go of her crutches, and wrapped themselves around his body. She pulled him close and buried her face in his chest.
"Thank you, Katsuki… I'm sorry I made such a big deal out of nothing – again. I promise, I'll tell you if I'm ever scared or worried and hurting next time." She whispered in a shaky tone; finally able to stop shaking.
Katsuki smirked playfully and leaned his cheek against her head. "Just let me come with you whenever you go to see the doctor and I MIGHT think about forgiving you." He said in a lightened tone; making them both laugh at their own expense.
"Deal." She said in a reasoning tone; snuggling closer to him.
Katsuki nodded and pulled away from Auryn. "Okay, let's get the fuck outta here before someone comes in and sees us like this and think I did something to you." He said in a rough tone; picking up their discarded bags and walking towards the door.
Auryn put her hands back on her handles and began walking over towards him. She smiled kindly at him, as they made their way off school grounds; both keeping quiet. After they made to the crossroads that separated, Katsuki stopped and looked over at Auryn with a serious look on his face.
"Well, I guess I'll see you tomorrow, Katsuki. Have a good night." Auryn said in a gentle tone; turning around to move down the street to her own house.
"Listen to me for a second, Auryn," he spoke in a serious tone; making her stop in her tracks and turn around to look at him, "I'm going with you to see the doctor this Friday, and then I'm staying at your place for the weekend. Got it?"
Auryn stared at Katsuki with a look of pure shock on her face. "My place? But why? Why would you want to come with me to the doctor? And why would you want to stay the weekend with me? My place doesn't have a guest room. You'd have to sleep on the couch." She replied in a stunned tone; tilting her head to the side.
Katsuki turned his head to the side in an attempt to hide his blush. "I want to see the look on your face when the doctor tells you that you'll get to walk without the crutches again and I just want to spend the weekend with you because you're my… friend. You're the only fucking person in the whole damned school that understands me and doesn't get on my last nerve!"
Auryn blushed at his outburst, but quickly covered it up with a short laugh. "Okay, Katsuki. You win." She said in a defeated tone; giving him a happy smile.
…Time Skip…
Auryn and Katsuki sat in the waiting room of the family doctor's office; waiting for the doctor to call for her to come in.
Auryn was still nervous about what the doctor will say, but Katsuki kept telling her to calm down and that she will be alright. Auryn smiled gratefully at him, and rested her hand on top of his. He hid the faint grin on his face.
Once the nurse opened the door and called Auryn's name; making her jump in her seat. Auryn looked over at Katsuki with a pleading expression, and he sighed and got up from his own seat; joining her at the door.
The nurse guided Auryn down the hall and into a room where she told Auryn to sit on the bed, and pushed Katsuki away so Auryn could change into the hospital clothes that were lying out for her. The nurse helped Auryn change and told her that the doctor will be there shortly.
Auryn shifted over towards the bed, and watched as the nurse pulled the curtain back so Katsuki could be near her while they waited.
It didn't take the doctor very long to walk into the room with a clipboard in her hands. "Alright, Auryn, how are you doing?" She asked in an automatic tone; putting the clipboard on the table near the bed, and pulled a chair up in front of Auryn.
"I'd be better once I get these damned bracers off my legs, Hitori…" She said in an irritated tone; glaring down at the metal confinements on her legs.
The doctor – or Hitori nodded with a slight chuckle. "Well, let's see how you're doing and we'll take it from there, okay, Auryn?" She replied in a motherly tone.
Katsuki looked between the two in confusion. "Wait, you two are first name basis?" He asked in a curious tone. "Do you come here that often?"
The doctor nodded in return. "Of course, young man, Auryn is my niece." She responded in a polite tone. "I took her case the moment she was admitted to the hospital." She explained in a logical tone; turning back to Auryn's legs with a serious look.
Auryn looked over at Katsuki with a bright smile. "There's a reason why I always referred to Hitori as "The Family Doctor". She takes patients exclusively from the Honda Family." She said in a reasoning tone. "She knows more about the family's individual physiology than any doctor in the country."
Katsuki scratched the back of his head. "I guess that would make sense…" He said in an unsure tone as he watched the older male poke and prod at Auryn's legs.
"Alright, Auryn," Hitori said in a gentle tone, "I want you to lift your leg - one at a time – as high as you can so I can see the how the bones are fusing with the steel mesh I put in them."
Auryn nodded and lifted her left leg like she was told. The doctor one of her hands held her hand under her leg and the other covered her knee to feel the bones under her skin. She hummed when she felt the bones shift and slide back into place with each movement. She repeated the process with her other leg and he watched and prodded her skin as he did before.
The older woman looked up at Auryn with a proud smile. "Well, so far, it looks like everything is healing just fine." She said in a kind tone; getting up from her chair and pulling it away from the bed. "Now, I want to see how you're doing with walking without your crutches."
Auryn smirked and got up off the bed. She stood up without any problems. She glanced over at Katsuki for a moment and looked over to the doctor.
"I want you to walk to the door and to the window. Do you think you can do it?" Hitori asked in a worried tone; watching Auryn's smirk grow even wider.
"She had better be able to walk that distance…" Katsuki mumbled under his breath with his arms folded over his chest.
The doctor ignored Katsuki's comment and looked back at Auryn, and watched as she effortlessly made her walk over towards the door, and turned around to walk to the wall at the other side of the room. The older woman had to admit that she impressed by how well she could manage on her own.
"And how does that feel?" She asked in a concerned tone; watching her touch the wall.
Auryn turned around and smiled bravely at the doctor. "It doesn't hurt at all, Hitori." She told her in a careful tone; moving over towards the bed to sit back down when the doctor motioned for her to sit back down on the bed.
"That's a good sign that you're healing just fine." She said in a motherly tone; nodding in approval when she pulled the chair back up and gripping one leg to feel the muscle and bones underneath. "Have you been doing any rehabilitation since the last time you tried walking a few weeks ago?"
Auryn nodded and smiled brightly. "Yeah, I've been practicing walking without the crutches for a while now. I'd like to think that I haven't been overdoing it and staying within my limits and pushing myself a little each time I try to walk on my own!" She replied in a happy tone; smiling proudly at herself.
"That's good to hear. I hope someone was there to help you in case something went wrong." She suggested in a firm tone; narrowing her eyes at the two teens in front of him.
Auryn nodded once again. "Katsuki here helped me walk made sure I didn't get hurt!" She told him; giving Katsuki a bright smile and making the younger male blush bright red.
Hitori chuckled and shook her head. "Well, since it seems you're doing better than the last time I checked on you, I think you're finally ready to start walking without the crutches." She said in a proud tone; pushing her chair away from the girl and moving over towards the sink on the other side of the room and pulling out some tools. "Now, let's see how those lungs of yours are doing…"
She turned around and walked over to stand beside her. She moved the bottom of her shirt up and pressed a device over against the back. "Now, take a deep breath for me and exhale." She said as she waited until Auryn did as she was told and listened to Auryn's breathing.
"Has the medicine I prescribed you been helping? How is the breathing treatment doing for you?" She asked as she listened to her breathing.
"I've been having fewer attacks since I've been on that stuff if that's what you mean." Auryn replied in an honest tone. "I can breathe a lot better since I got on it."
Hitori nodded in satisfactory. "That's good. Well, I think we'll keep you on it until you build immunity against it. Then we'll take it from there." Hitori said in a pleased tone, pulling away from her. "Now, everything checks out and you are officially free of your crutches. However, that doesn't mean you're completely off the hook, young lady. I want you to take easy until the next evaluation. I want to see how your legs do against the stress you put on them without the crutches. I'd hate to have to do another surgery because you didn't listen to me." She told her in a light scolding tone; smiling teasingly at her.
"Don't worry, doc! I'll keep an extra eye on her for you!" Katsuki declared in a cocky tone; throwing his arm around Auryn's shoulder.
Hitori nodded in authorization. "Okay. I guess we're done here. I'll set you up for your next evaluation and let Kimiko know later." She told her as she walked over towards the sink and putting her tools away. "Remember what I told you about taking it easy, and have a good day, you two. I'll see you later, Auryn. Make sure you two are careful on your way home."
Auryn smiled brightly at the older woman and nodded vigorously at her. "Be careful, don't overdo it. Got it!" She said with a mock salute as she pulled herself off the bed, and pulled the curtain around the bed to change out of the hospital clothes
And so, the two left the room and Auryn got her next evaluation scheduled right before the Sports Festival. The pair then left the building, and made their way into the town. They had decided to go grab something to eat before they made their way back to the main city.
They ended up settling for a small restaurant next to the train station. Katsuki had ordered a bowl of spicy ramen and Auryn settled for the spicy tuna sushi and a side of wasabi sauce. Auryn watched as the waiter cooked their prepared the food and looked over to see a smug look on the male youth's face. She didn't have time to think to ask him about anything because he turned to her with an all-knowing grin.
"See? I told ya you were going to be fine in time for the Sports Festival." He told her in an arrogant tone; giving Auryn a devious smirk.
Auryn looked up in time to see the waiter give them their food, and thanked him with a tip of her head. "Yes, I know," she said in a modest tone; picking up her chopsticks, "I was so used to Hitori telling me that I wasn't ready to stop using the crutches. It just – took me by surprise…"
Katsuki took a bite of his noodles, and nodded at her. "So, that Hitori-chick, she was the one your ol' man gave you away to, right?" He questioned in a curious tone; eating his noodles without taking his eyes off of Auryn's face.
Auryn nodded and ate another piece of her meal. "Yeah, Hitori took me in at my father's request…" She explained in lazy tone; shrugging her shoulders. "I was too young to remember any of it, but Hitori explained the whole thing once I got older."
Katsuki nodded at the girl. "Well, it doesn't matter anymore because Hitori will keep you safe from the wicked bitch monster of death. And whenever Hitori's not around, I'LL protect you." He announced in a stubborn tone; going back to his food.
Auryn gasped and turned sideways in her seat. "Really, Katsuki? You mean it?" She asked in a hopeful tone; leaning closer towards him. "You'd do that for me?"
Katsuki stopped eating long enough to give her a serious look. "Well, I AM a hero in-training, right? And more importantly… I'm YOUR hero. That's what you said back in the old hag's office the day you got hurt in the classroom." He said in a logical tone; not taking his eyes off her. 'I'd give my own life to keep you safe from a monster like your bitch of a mom… I won't let her touch you or hurt you again… Not while there's still life in me.'
Auryn couldn't contain her joy, and threw her arms around Katsuki's neck. "Oh, thank you, Katsuki! You're the best!" She said in a cheerful tone; giving him a tight hug.
Katsuki blushed madly, but ended up returning her embrace shortly after recovering from his shock. He wouldn't deny that he enjoyed being hugged by Auryn. He wished he could always hug her forever or at least whenever he wanted.
Auryn let go of the boy go and the two quickly finished their meals. Auryn paid the waiter and left them a tip. Then Katsuki followed Auryn out the door and the two walked out into the streets.
They passed by several shops while they were on their way to the train station. Katsuki passed by one particular store caught his eye. It was a store that had several different types of necklaces and other items for sale. One particular necklace caught his eye, and he quickly turned to Auryn with a hurried expression on his face.
"I'm going to use the restroom. I'll be right back." He said as he turned to walk into the store. "Stay here and wait for me."
Auryn stood outside and waited for the boy to return, and looked down at herself and thought about Katsuki and what he actually meant to her.
'I really like Katsuki. I couldn't imagine my life without him in it. Heck, if it weren't for him pushing me as much as he did, I would probably still be in crutches… I should do something for him to show him how grateful I am for all he's done for me. But what should I do? Hmmm… I wonder…'
Auryn was pulled out of her thoughts when Katsuki came out of the store with his hands stuffed in his pockets. He looked up at her with a slight grin on his as if he knew something that she didn't. It made her wonder what he was thinking.
Just before he was about to say something to her, a woman that looked like an older version of Auryn walked up to the two. The woman had the same hair as Auryn's, but was cut much shorter than hers and both of her eyes were just the same shade of purple as Auryn's. Her skin was a lot healthier-looking than Auryn's as well. The woman had a Midnight-style mask covering her eyes, and black skin-tight spandex body suit with blue thigh-high boots and matching gloves. She also had a matching cloak with a hood that was pulled up around her face. The woman looked like a hero of some kind, but Katsuki didn't get the feeling that she was a hero. And judging from the fearful look on Auryn's face, he'd have to say that he knew that Auryn knew that woman as well.
"Oh, Auryn! How good it is to see you again, my dear!" The woman cried out in a sickly sweet tone; walking up to the girl smiling a sweet smile as she embraced the girl tightly. "And look at you! You're not wearing crutches anymore! I am so happy for you!"
The woman then pulled away from the girl, and looked over at Katsuki with a surprised tone. "And who is your handsome young date?" She asked in a playful tone; faking a sweet smile at him as well.
"What are you doing here?" Auryn asked in a shaky tone; darting her eyes over at the boy standing next to her.
"I came by to do a little shopping and I just-so-happened to see you standing out here with this strapping young man. I must say, Auryn, you've got good tastes." The woman replied in a twisted tone; narrowing her eyes playfully at Auryn.
Katsuki clicked his tongue at the woman before him and scowled darkly at her. "I'm Bakugou Katsuki, and YOU'RE bothering Auryn! Now, beat it you old hag or I'll blow you up right here in front of everybody…" He warned in a threatening tone; lifting his now smoking hand to prove his point.
The woman let Auryn go and took a step back. "Well, I can see that I stopped you two at a bad time, so I'll just be on my way." She spoke in a teasing tone; holding her hands up in surrender. "I know you love this girl, dear Katsuki, and if I were you, I'd keep her as close to you as possible. You never know when she may catch someone else's eye."
Katsuki roared angrily and was about to charge for the woman, but Auryn quickly reached out and grabbed his arm. He looked back at her and seen her hang her head lowly and shake it; making him relax his body and stay by her side.
The woman turned around to leave, but stopped and looked over her shoulder at that girl with a twisted smile. "Oh, and before I forget, please do be careful from now on, won't you, Auryn-dear? I'd hate to have to see you back in the hospital after you've worked so hard to get better…"
And with that, the woman faded into the crowd; leaving a shocked Auryn and Katsuki watching until she was gone. Katsuki darted in front of Auryn, but stopped just a foot away from her; making sure that the woman was gone.
Katsuki scanned the area for a few moments and turned around to see Auryn stuck in her spot and shaking violently from her place in the crowd. He didn't have to be a genius to know she was scared of that woman.
Without another word, he rushed back over to Auryn and rested his hands on her upper arms; giving her a few gentle shakes to try and get her attention. He tried to call out to her, but she didn't seem to hear him. He looked around for a moment, and found an alley nearby, and dragged her to it.
Once they were safely inside the alley, he poked his head out to see if anyone saw them; before he moved back over towards her.
"Are you okay, Auryn?" He asked in a concerned tone; resting his hands on her upper arms. "Auryn? Look at me, look at me… Tell me what's wrong… Who was that?"
Auryn remained silent and soon after, tears started rolling down her cheeks. Katsuki leaned down and looked into her eyes, and saw that they were hollow and lifeless. There were no light shining in her eyes like she was used to, and he felt his heart twisting and squeezing in his chest.
He had to see her smile. He had to hear her voice. He had to know what was going on with her. And he had to find out now. He couldn't stand to see her like that. It was killing him seeing her in that state.
With shaky hands, he trailed his hands up to her face, and tilted it up so he could look into her eyes. He had to do something – anything to help her.
"Auryn… please talk to me… I can't fucking help you if you don't talk to me damnit!" He pleaded in desperate tone.
Auryn seemed to have snapped out of whatever trance she was under, and reached out to grab Katsuki; pulling him against herself and burying her face in his chest. She shook and sobbed against his chest.
"I'm sorry, Katsuki… I just – just…" She trailed off in a choked sob; unable to find her voice.
Katsuki moved his arms from Auryn's face, and wrapped them around her shoulders; pulling her tightly against himself. He closed his eyes and drank in the feeling of having Auryn wrapped up in his arms. He knew deep down inside that it was wrong to feel so good to have her in his arms (given the unwelcome encounter), but he just couldn't leave her shaking.
"It's okay, Auryn." He whispered in a soothing tone; stroking her hair and leaning his face against the side her own. "I've got you now… I won't let anyone hurt you… I promised, didn't I? I'm your hero, remember?"
Auryn sighed and leaned against Katsuki and inhaled his scent. "I know… I'm sorry… um…" She said in a stuttering tone; looking away from him for a moment – then looking back into his eyes.
"Come on, we're leaving." He said in a final tone; dragging her out of the alley and straight for the train station…