Before we start, I got a question for you readers: When we get to where Bakugō gets captured, Sierra will be there to try and save him like some of the others.
...If she were to get grabbed in the process, should Bakugō end up captured, too? Or, should she succeed on saving him? Thus, getting captured in his place?
Two Days Later...
Their third day of camp is just as invigorating as the first and second day of camp, training and pushing themselves to strengthen their Quirks.
...Well, for most of the students, their third day of camp is invigorating.
...
...Okay, so, most of those students, being from Class 1-A, are feeling invigorating, as they continue to train.
Barely half of Class 1-B were able to keep up, but are proving to make progress with them improving on their Quirks.
...Still, the remainder of Class 1-B, along with the five students, dubbed as Remedial Group, of Class 1-A that failed their Final Exam, were barely able to stay awake.
Apparently, yesterday and last night, Kirishima, Satō, Ashido, Kaminari and Sero were forced to take extra lessons that lasted until two in the morning and when only getting five hours of sleep, they're still out of it.
Annoyed by their lack of effort to train, Aizawa shot out his capture weapon towards Kirishima, who was about to fall over and land on his face.
"Hey, Remedial Group. Keep at it." He ordered.
"Hai, Sensei!" Kirishima strained out.
Beside him, Ashido had her eyes closed, clearly dowsing off.
"Sorry. I need more beauty sleep," she sighed out.
"Who knew yesterday and last night's extra lessons-..." Kaminari started, before letting out a big sigh and passing the sentence over to Sero, who was barely able to keep his arms out in his pausing moment to continue to create tape.
"...Would go on until two in the morning-..." The soon-to-be Tape Quirk-User carried on, before wincing at the straining in his arms.
"...And start back up at seven." Satō finished, groaning at the sudden feeling of sugar crashing and being stuffed from eating a lot of sugary food.
Annoyed by them complaining on how tired they are, Shōta scolded them.
"I told you it'd be tough," he reminded. "Remember: You're not just improving your Quirks. You're also working to overcome the many weaknesses I saw in the Finals."
Behind him, Ragdoll giggled at the five students, having to already know of their weaknesses from her Search Quirk.
The five of them winced at the mentioning of their poor performance on their Finals, snapping them out from being tired.
"Thank carefully about why you're more tired than the others, before you start whining. You have much to improve here." Aizawa stated, pulling at his capture weapon back and removing it from Kirishima's head.
"Right. yes, Sir." The five of them replied, both sounding scared and a bit more determined to wake up and continue to train.
The thirty-one year-old looked over to the portable toilet, where he sees Uraraka heading over, half of her face blue and levitating a rock, while holding in puke to not throw up.
"Uraraka! Aoyama!" He called out, watching as the Naval Laser Quirk User came out of the portable toilet, holding his stomach and slowly walking back to his spot to continue his training. "The same goes for you. Your team didn't fail, but you were very close. I'd say you passed the proverbial finish line, by only a hair."
Hearing the news made the two winced and jump.
"Hontōni? Son'nani warui? (Really? That bad?)" Ochako yelped, almost dropping her rock and releasing her vomit.
"Mon dieu... (My God...)" Yūga whispered in French, nearly dropping to his knees.
Not bothered from their shock, Aizawa went over to the ledge, looking down at his other students that are still training, even when exhausted.
"Don't lose focus," he instructed. "Each of you can move faster! And no matter what you're doing, just remember where you started from. Don't forget who you were before U.A. -He stared down at each and every one of his students, hoping all were taking his word to heart.- Always keep in mind why you're sweating, and why your limits keep getting tested. That's what it means to improve."
As the students continued on training, the teacher then looked over towards the forest.
...Where he knew, somewhere within the trees, his daughter is out there.
He isn't worried that Sierra wasn't going to work her tail off like the rest of his students are, which he knew isn't the case at all (Both Ragdoll and Pixie-Bob had informed him about her training and what she's doing to confirm she's working hard.)... His biggest concern is that she was going to push herself too hard, especially when she's physically weak from her malnourished body and poison in her back.
That, and for the fact that he only seen her for a few minutes at a time and seeing her come back around dinner to help the others cooked, made the worried father on edge to know where she is right now, on her own.
"Excuse me. Aizawa-Sensei?" Izuku called out, running up to the ledge to talk to the Eraser Hero. "It's already the third day of camp."
Slightly irritated that one of his students, who happens to be his god-son/nephew, to bother him, jumped down from the ledge.
"Weren't you listening? Stay focused." He grumbled, staring down at the green-haired boy.
Izuku winced at the glare, but pressed on to ask him something very important.
"I was just wondering if All might-..." He cut himself off, correcting himself to ask his question. "I mean, the other teachers from U.A. will be joining us."
He had a feeling some of the students would ask that question, so he didn't need to hesitate to answer.
"Like I said before we came out here: To keep the camp a secret from the villains, hardly anyone knows where we are." He reminded.
"That's why you get to work out with us four pussycats!" Ragdoll exclaimed, cheerfully as usual.
"And think about it." Aizawa continued. "We believe All Might is one of the League's targets, so we can't have him here. It's for your own safety. For better or for worse, that's what he gets, for standing out so much."
He then scoffed at the thought of the Number One Hero, signifying that he hated said hero for his choice to stand out in the spotlight and not allow other heroes to have their time in the spotlight. Though, he's one of the few people who never wanted to be in such a position.
Izuku sweatdropped at his teacher's response about All Might.
'Seems like it's mostly "for worse" these days.' He thought.
You do know that he he's right, Kid. With how much attention that dumb blonde keeps gaining, even in an undisclosed location, him being with you kids is just as dangerous as him being revealed to be a teacher for a school.
'Yeah, I know that.' The sixteen year-old replied, as he stared down at his right-hand. '...So, that's it, then. All Might won't be here to help us.'
"Meow, meow, meow, meow!" Pixie-Bob cheered, sitting on a stack of boxes. "More importantly, tonight's gonna be fun!" She announced. "We're pitting classes against each other in a test of courage. I know you've been training hard, today. And later, you'll get to play hard! How's that for a reward?!"
To the news of tonight's event... Nobody was excited about tonight's event.
And, of course, Pixie-Bob hearing their comments on being uncertain to train in the dark, continued to beam her cheerful attitude to them.
"Don't slack off! Make sure you keep on pushing yourself, as you work!"
All at once, the students replied, "Yes, Ma'am!"
Izuku, meanwhile, was still a bit lost in thought to what Aizawa told them.
"Remember... Where I came from." He whispered to himself.
"Hey."
Behind him, an intimidating voice brought him back to reality, wincing and slightly yelping when he knew it was Tiger that was talking to him.
"You're not Plus Ultra, yet." The adult stated, a blue-aura surrounded him and eyes gleaming red.
"Right!" He cried, running back to continue his exercise training with the two students from Class 1-B. 'Antiphonus, did you inform Sis-...'
I told her about the 'fun activity' that's gonna happen, tonight... She's gonna skip it.
'What?' Izuku froze for a second, before he continued to push his body to keep exercising. 'I don't think that's a good idea. Pixie-Bob made it sound very clear that all of us are going to participate in the event, whether we want to or not.'
She knows that. Which is why she's going to try and avoid- Oh, shit!
The sixteen year-old jumped at Antiphonus swearing, then walked off towards the ledge, staring at the woods.
'Antiphonus? Antiphonus?! What happen?! Is Sis okay?!' He called out, panicking and anxious that something happened to Sierra.
When the Black-Blood didn't answer, his fears grew.
'Sis! Sis, answer me!'
"What did I just said, Runt?!" Tiger yelled, tail swishing from side-to-side. "Keep training, or you'll never be Plus Ultra!"
Frantic, Izuku turned to the only male-member of the Wild, Wild Pussycats.
"My sister!" He replied. "I'm her Blood-Bond Kin, and I can't feel her in my mind! Something must've happened to her!"
Tiger gave him a surprise look.
"You're a Blood-Bond Kin to the stray kitten?" He asked, which earned him a fast nod.
He then turned his back to the sixteen year-old boy, contacting Mandalay, Pixie-Bob and Ragdoll with his headset.
After a few mutters and hummed grunts, he turned back to the boy.
"Your Kin is fine, Runt. She just passed out from exhaustion."
Izuku eased up a bit.
"'Passed out'?" He repeated, as he tried to contact Antiphonus, again. 'Antiphonus. Did Sis passed out, like Tiger said?'
...Yeah. She did. Sorry for going silent on ya, Kid. Had to help Sweetie catch herself before her conscious gave out and fell asleep, and needed to concentrate. I told her that she needed to sleep; forced herself to stay awake and kept training for the past two nights.
His emerald-green eyes widened at the information.
'She hadn't slept in two days?! Why would she do that?!'
Antiphonus stayed quiet, pushing Izuku's deep concern to frustration on not knowing what's wrong with his sister.
'Antiphonus!'
...
Tiger stared down at the anxious, quiet boy. His emerald-green eyes told the adult that something isn't right.
"Have you been keeping track on your Kin's feelings through your bond, Runt?" He asked.
Izuku winced at the question, but it wasn't because he hadn't felt through their bond on how she's feeling.
It was that he had been feeling through their bond, with or without Antiphonus' assistance, and had mistaken her exhaustion for his own; the vigorous training with Tiger left him sore all over. Much more intense than his training with Gran Torino and, surprisingly, more extreme than his training with All Might before getting into U.A. And when he would wake up, the aches and pains in his body distracted him to properly focus when connecting with his sister to feel her exhaustion or pain.
"I have, Sir." He answered, staring down at the ground. "But, because of our vigorous training, I haven't been able to properly separate my own exhaustion and aches for hers. -He then looked at the only male of the group.- Now, I can feel how tired she is... And, I believe that she'd been avoiding sleep, on purpose, by continuing to train at night. I don't know how long, but it must be at least a day."
The buff-male narrowed his eyes at the claim.
"She does know that sleep is part of training, yes?"
The sixteen year-old nodded his head, once.
"She does," he confirmed. "If she's avoiding sleep and is using training to distract herself from going to sleep, then something must've bothered her to not want to sleep. -His eyes narrowed.- And Animal Quirk Users wouldn't dare to neglect their own health, unless they feel their pack is in danger and must be on constant visual for the threat."
Tiger's tail twitched and slammed into the ground.
Both of them were thinking the same thing.
Something isn't right.
Hours Later: Five-Thirty...
Izuku brought in perfectly cut wood, bringing it over to the one of the fire pits to use to heat up more meat.
Though, hunger is many miles away from his mind when his main focus is on his sister, who remain unconscious from exhaustion and hadn't shown any signs on waking up after being brought in by one of the Wild, Wild Pussycats.
And since his talk with Tiger, he's been completely on edge.
'Though I don't know what exactly is going to happen, even I can start to feel something is not right.' He thought, as he proceed to place the cut wood in the pit. 'Antiphonus, did Sis talked to the animals in the woods or placed some sort of marking that she needed to check up, to confirm if there's any sign of danger coming our way?'
Yeah. Spoke to some birds and smaller mammals, to spread the words within the woods to keep a lookout for something off. And, if any found something, then to come here, immediately, and await for further instructions on what to do. But, if its immediate, then to give out some sort of cry to alert all animals to run.
'I see...'
For all he knows, no animals had made an appearance to the building. So, hopefully, the danger hadn't arrived. And when it does, he'll be ready to face it.
"Did you need All Might for a particular reason?" Todoroki, from behind the fire pit, using a sink, asked, pulling the green-haired boy from his conversation with the Black-Blood. "You asked Aizawa-Sensei about him."
A little bit surprised that the Fire/Ice-Quirk User overheard his conversation earlier, Izuku knew he couldn't hide that fact.
"Yeah. Um. I did." He admitted, a bit embarrassed to reveal why. "...Because of Kōta."
Shōto looked a bit confused by the name.
"Kōta? Who's that?"
Confused, Izuku turned and pointed a finger to where he last saw the boy.
"The boy that's over there. He's Mandalay's nephew... -Seeing the boy was no longer where he last saw him, the green-haired teen cut himself off and looked around.- Hold on. Where did he go?"
Probably at that hideout of his. Should've, actually, saw that coming, Kid. Since he has a knack for wanting to get as far away from you and your friends, shouldn't be that surprising on when he's going to pull a disappearing act.
'...Yeah. You got a point there.' He thought, turning back to the fire pit and resumed putting more wood in the pit. Though, with Shōto still standing beside him, he continued to explain about the boy. "Anyway, Kōta doesn't like heroes. In fact, he hates the whole concept of superhumans, Quirks and everything. I tried to talk to him, but I think I just made things worse. -He paused on the last log, lost in thought of his sadness for the child.- I wanted to ask All Might what he would've done, if he'd been there. -He then looked up at the younger-boy.- I mean, what would you say to him, Todoroki-kun?"
The younger-boy looked over to the pit, uncertain on what was the right answer.
"...It depends."
Remembering all the information on how unfortunate his upbringing was, along with the fact that Endeavor is being investigated from police from all of the notes, information and proof that the two god-siblings gathered to show proper authorities that the Number Two Hero has been breaking laws and endangering lives, and realizing that Todoroki wasn't the best choice to ask somebody a question that would bring up his dark past, Izuku immediately apologized.
"I'm so sorry! Forget that I asked!"
...Then, to his shock, the Fire/Ice-Quirk User gave the older-boy his honest opinion.
"To have a complete stranger try to change your mindset, sounds like a pretty irritating conversation... What matters, are actions. -He stared down at Izuku, who looked up at him in awe.- You have to show him what you're trying to prove. Right? If you're going to rely on words, alone, then they'd better be incredibly powerful. What you say doesn't matter near as much as what you actually do."
The sixteen year-old boy stared down at the stacked pile of chopped woods in the fire pit... A smile beaming on his face, as he recalled the day All Might apologized to him and told him that he could be a hero... Just as his sister cheered him on and told him, since the day he learned he was Quirkless.
"...You're right. I went about this the wrong way." He admitted, still happy that he was given an answer. "This must be why Sis told me that this isn't her place to meddle, when we're strangers to him. What was I suppose to say to him?"
Todoroki watches, as the older-boy continues to stack in some more wood into the pit.
"I don't know what your goal is when it comes to this child. But, as Sierra seemed to have already told you, you shouldn't be sticking your nose in a delicate situation." He stated, sounding a bit concern on what Izuku was going to do. "You tend to cut to the heart of people's feelings. It can be annoying."
The older-boy winced to that fact, sweat-dropping that he may had overstepped his boundaries with Todoroki. Even though that Sierra, also, got into his business in order to help her brother get through to Todoroki, at least she knows better than to make it a habit when it isn't a good time to do so.
He ain't wrong; you did kinda pissed that kid off, by talking about your past-self as an example to make him see there's nothing wrong with Quirks. Which, we both know, that that went very poorly and seemed to make him hate Quirks even more.
"...Right... Sorry, about that." Izuku apologized, his throat strained to a whisper.
"You two! Your hands aren't moving!" Iida, from behind them and with three of Class 1-B's students, called out. "We'll never make the best stew, if you stop now."
As he reminded them that they need to get the fire started, he swiftly skinned and peeled the potatoes with such speed, making the three students of Class 1-B stunned in place and frozen from their task to peel the potatoes.
"Right. Sorry, Iida." Izuku apologized, turning back to his task to place a few more woods into the pit, before he got up to the next pit.
"By the way, where is your sister?" Todoroki asked, following the boy, since he was going in the same direction he needed to go to bring the water to those who needed it for boiling and/or washing the other vegetables. "I'd noticed she hadn't been training with us since we got here, and that she hadn't shown up to help us prepare dinner, yet. And with such a predicament topic on how to reach out to the kid, it feels as though you should be talking with Sierra and not All Might, about."
The sixteen year-old flinched at the question of his sister's whereabouts, freezing in place from placing chopped wood in the other pit.
"...Sis-... Won't be joining us," he answered, his voice low and sad. "She pushed herself too far, and ended up blacking out. -He looked towards the building, where the windows to the girl's dorm is located.- She's resting, right now. So, she won't be joining us for dinner, or for tonight's event."
The younger-boy didn't say anything and continued on his way to his destination to deliver water, leaving Izuku on his own with the pit.
'...Antiphonus. I know that it isn't my place to bother and she didn't promise to do so, but I need to know-'
She talked to the kid, last night.
His head jerked up a bit, surprised by the answer.
'She did?'
Yeah. She wasn't going to, at first, but after hearing from some owls and ravens about your conversation with Kōta and rejecting to hear reason from you, Honey decided to go talk to him. And just like you, she decided to use her past experience to get through to him... But, unlike you, she didn't say it was some random person she knew that went through the experience.
Flashback: Last Night, at Kōta's Hideout...
The five year-old boy stood near the edge of the cliff, glaring down where the Wild, Wild Pussycats' Base stood. Where all of the students are sleeping, soundly and very noisily, after another day of excessive training.
"...Idiots." He sneered, kicking a stray rock off the cliff. "All of you. A bunch of showoffs..."
His hands clenched into right fists, his heart full of hate and disgust at them. Including the stupid, green-haired idiot, who dare to sneak up on him and intrude to his secret hideout.
He swears the next time he sees him, he's going to run up to his annoying, dumb face, and get the chance to kick him in the tes-
"Somebody's past their bedtime."
Kōta jumped to the voice, turning to his left and seeing one of the female girls of the group.
The one that hangs with the annoying, green-haired weirdo.
Sierra, wearing her U.A. PE uniform, black finger-less gloves and black Onitsuka tiger tai-chi shoes, walked around the side of the wall, smirking down at him.
"Can't sleep, either? I don't blame you." She teased, turning her head to the left, staring down at the building. "I don't know how anybody could sleep, with so many of them snoring so lo-"
"What are you doing here?!" Kōta cut her off, glaring angry daggers at her. "How did you find me?! Did that big mouth, nosey dickhead told you of my hideout?!"
Her smile left her face and her eyes slightly glared back at the boy, making the five year-old feel a bit nervous.
"First off, I would appreciate it if you didn't insult my brother." She stated, talking calmly but firm. "He may have a habit to sticking his nose where it doesn't belong, but he's anything but a big mouth or, as you've just said, a 'dickhead'. He never told anybody of your hideout, including me, and I wouldn't had pride of him to do so. As to how I found you, let's just say that your scent isn't that difficult to detect, when your scent smells of the hot spring and that there's no other detection of water anywhere near your hideout."
Kōta lifted an arm and sniffed at his arm and shirt, but couldn't smell anything but dirt and laundry detergent.
"I don't smell any water on me, you liar!" He accused, pointing a finger at the fourteen year-old.
Sierra let out a tiring sigh.
"It would be pointless to tell you of my Quirk, given the fact that you despise all Quirks and wouldn't care who I am, but for the sake of explanation..."
She got down on all-four and before Kōta's eyes, she morphed into her dragon-form.
The five year-old boy gaped in shock, trembling in terror at the white-dragon before him, spreading her wings to make herself look bigger and her green-eyes opening to stare right into the depths of his soul.
Sierra took in a deep breath, as she stares down at the boy.
"You probably don't remember, given that you blacked out on our first night here, but I morphed into a dragon to catch you when you fell backwards. -She turned her head to the right, slowly flexing one of her wings forward. It still amazes her, and is very much an enigma to her, on how she's able to turn into a dragon.- As you can obviously see, I'm a Fourth Class Animal Quirk User."
Kōta, still intimated by the dragon before him but very annoyed by her calm demeanor, built up the courage to continue yelling at her.
"So what, that you can turn into a dragon?! Big deal!" He yelled, then pointed a finger at her. "Why are you even here?! To show off how great your Quirk is?! I don't wanna hear it! That stupid green-haired dope already bothered me! So, go away!"
Sierra turned back to the boy, staring down at him.
'Izu really made him mad last night, didn't he?' She thought, bringing Antiphonus into the conversation.
Yeah. Really chewed him off, when the Kid try to get him to see how he should be proud to have his Quirk. Even tried to apologized on what happened to his parents, which made the boy even more angry.
'Well, when you're a very young child that don't understand the outside world and your whole world had been taken away from you, you tend to remain in either the first or second Stage of Grief. In this case, Kōta chose to blame everyone, including Quirks, themselves for the death of his parents and lashes out towards anybody who tries to help him. Thus, chooses to remain within the Stage of Anger.'
"What are you still doing here?! I told you to go away, already!" Kōta continues to yell, kicking a rock that bumped against one of her forearms. "When are you going to learn that I hate all heroes and Quirks and going to hate them, forever! -He then bent down and picked up a small-rock.- Get out of here, you stupid faker! Leave me alone, and stop acting like you actually care!"
He threw the rock towards the white-dragon.
...
...
...As soon as the rock landed on the ground, the five year-old found himself frozen in place and lifted off the ground, staring into the eyes of the Animal Quirk-User... wrapped within the dragon's tail, coiled around him like a snake, trapping both his arms to his side.
Sierra's green-eyes stared right into his black-eyes, as if burying her gaze to reach the depths of his souls... Which to the boy, made him feel like if he dares speak, made a single movement if he could, even blinked, her gaze would burn him... Or, when facing a big, wild predator that he sees before him, devour him.
Minutes passed by between them, the two staring at each other.
...
...Then, Sierra lowered the boy back on the ground, releasing him from her tail.
"...You spoke truthfully on what you've said. -Her voice is very calm, even though she didn't move her lips, let alone her jaw.- While to many, it would be heartbreaking and very sad... I, on the other hand, don't see any fault to why you would make such a claim and no reason to convince you, otherwise."
The five year-old didn't know what to say; probably because he's still frozen in fear that she just grabbed him and lifted up in the air, or perhaps he didn't expect anybody to agree to his point of view on heroes. Not even his own Aunt Shino truly understood his opinion towards heroes and Quirks, despite losing her own brother and sister-in-law and having just as much reason to feel the same way towards society on how they chose to 'thank' the Water Hose for their 'services'.
The white-dragon let out a deep breath, which was mixed in with a low rumble, no doubt letting out her frustration to his words and choice on throwing a rock at her.
"You may not believe this and don't have to believe this, Kōta, but what I tell you is the truth: You're not the only one, who believe that not all heroes are as 'great' as they claim to be... Let alone, had been wronged by society, to make you lose your faith in what you once believed in."
Kōta gave her a weird look that was crossed between confusion, and disbelief, as he watches the fourteen year-old dragon-morphed girl walk in a circle before taking her seat. Her wings, carefully folded over her back, as she stares down to where the Wild, Wild Pussycats' Base is at.
"I wish to tell you a story, Kōta. And no, this isn't going to be the same story that Izuku told you. And when I'm done telling you the story, I'll let you believe what you want to believe and if you still wish for me to leave you alone, I shall do so."
He very much wanted her to leave, already. But, for some odd reason, he felt like whatever it was that she wanted to tell him was going to be very important and that she will leave him alone as soon as she finishes her story. As such, he stayed quiet, prompting Sierra to begin her story.
"Once, there was a girl. The youngest of her mother's four children and the only one out of her siblings who had a different father. For as long as she could remember, after being told on how her father was a great hero and died during his battle with a villain named Garvey, which many called the Eruption Incident, she wanted to become a hero like her father and help others. She was going to make her family proud and bring justice to those who were Quirkless... With her mother being her greatest inspiration, and later her god-brother, for both of them were born without Quirks."
The five year-old was very much surprised by this information, surprised to hear that there are still those who are Quirkless. Last he heard from school and learned from television, Quirkless are dwindling to nonexistence, that evidence pointed out that they'll die off within the fifth generation and starting the sixth generation, Quirkless will be part of history.
The white-dragon lifted her head to the sky, staring up at the moon.
"Her mother hoped, through some miracle, that her love is alive and will return to her and her children. But, after nearly three years, she finally had to give up that hope and move on with her life, caring for her children and doing odd jobs to pay for school to complete her career on being a NICU Nurse."
Her eyes glared up at the white-orb, her fangs flashed from underneath her lips and growling very lowly, making Kōta jump a bit.
"Then, one day, at the age of three, the girl was left home alone while her older-siblings were away to see their father and his side of the family for their annual visit... When her mother came home, she didn't return home, alone. And when she introduced the stranger to her child, calling him her 'special friend', the little girl knew that the man before her was anything but who he made himself out to be to her mother. She called him the Bad Man and the instant he came into her life, things never been the same."
The five year-old felt a cold feeling building up in his stomach, as Sierra continued on with her story.
"A few weeks of visiting later, the Bad Man decided to do some 'bonding' with the girl, convincing her mother to let him to take the child, alone. And as soon as she closed the door, the girl saw his true colors revealed behind his mask and the instant he was alone, he began to beat her."
Kōta's black-eyes were big from the news. He was expecting him to be more of a creep to her, like that midget pervert that tried to go over the wall and see the girls naked in the hot spring on their first day.
Never, even at the age of five and knowing that there are monsters out there like this 'Bad Man' she speak of, did he expected to hear a three year-old to be beaten.
"For six months, every week day that he comes over, he beats her in numerous ways: Punch, kick, slap, pulls at her hair, grabs her, starved her for days... He even scares her to the point at holding a knife to her neck, to make her understand why she can't tell anybody what he's been doing to her. Along with threatening to hurt her family, if she even hinted that something was wrong. And she told no one. Not even to her god-mother or god-brother, whom were very suspicious with the Bad Man when her mother introduced them to him after being 'together' for a month."
The toddler didn't know why, but the chilly feeling began to spread and a sick feeling build up in his stomach, as he listens to her story. He even felt a burning ache of hatred in his heart to the mother of the story... Which, he had a feeling, this story is really about her.
"...Didn't her mother knew what was going on?" He couldn't help, but ask. "She should've known something was wrong? Or, her siblings?"
The white-dragon turned her head to the right, looking away from the building and away from the boy.
"...No." She growled, mixed with a hoarse whisper. "Her siblings were mostly with their father and his family, only visiting a few times a month, an hour or two... Because their mother, without any warning or explanation, ended up in the hospital... Diagnosed with an unknown illness, but clearly identified as a terminal-illness... Cancer."
...
...Kōta was at a loss for words.
"Because of her illness, she was mostly bedridden and sleeping either at home or at the hospital, unable to take notice of the sudden changes to her youngest daughter. As such, she wasn't around when a week after the girl turned four, her Quirk finally came and wanted her and her siblings to be the first to see her Quirk."
Curiosity gotten the best of Kōta, as he leaned forward to see her face.
...
...He was positive that he saw a tear dropped from where her head was.
"Instead, the Bad Man was there, awaiting her arrival, revealing that her mother was back at the hospital and her siblings' visits was rescheduled for another time. And, after he grabbed her and knew he was going to hurt her, she used her Quirk on him, believing her Quirk is to only be able to turn into a white-wolf, and for the first time ever, she fought back. -A low rumble left her, as her tail thumped heavily against the ground, startling the five year-old.- She just stared using her Quirk, not knowing how to properly fight or when to pick her battles. Thus, he easily overpowered her and wounded her, forcing her back into a human. But, instead of taking her to their usual spot to lock her up while he did business, he did something that would forever change her and took her abuse to a whole new level."
Sierra stood up from her spot and turned to face the boy, not even trying to hide the fact that she's now crying.
"He covered her eyes, guided her through the city to an unknown area. -She walked in front of him, lowering her head to look him straight in the eye.- He took her what she assumed to be an alleyway, in a building, where she met some of his 'colleagues'... Villains. And soon after, he took her to a room and forced her into a cage that they keep for caging dogs. There, she stayed for a few days, until he placed a cover over her cage and wheeled her cage to another room, where a massive stage is displayed and many people sat in... Buying and auctioning people, as if they're nothing but livestock or stolen goods. He had a chain to my neck and, with a pipe, whacked her to get her to turn into her wolf-form, resulting her to turn into other animals that gained many buyer's attention to bid for her. -She slowly raised her head up, as her wings slowly unfolded from her back.-She ended up being bought at the highest bid they will allow, to the very person who sponsors the whole auctioning... The number one villain to All Might, himself, who'd plotted the whole attacking him and her school."
Her wings opened wide... Her back exposed and bare for Kōta to see what he thought he imagined before he blacked out the first day they came.
The deep markings of the poison in her back, even as an animal, as clear as day.
"This is the results of my silence. Of my term of the deal to keep my family safe and what I offered to let them do, when the Bad Man threatened to kidnap my brother and sell him off for auction, too."
She no longer hide the truth, revealing that the story she's telling him is her own.
"Nearly nine months of keeping my silence, of endless abuse and experimentation, I finally succeeded at my second attempt to break free. But, because I didn't know which part of the city I was at and sustained injuries to one of my arms and legs, I ended up wondering the streets for weeks, morphing into different dog breeds I can morph into in case the Bad Man and his colleagues were chasing after me... Then, on a dark, stormy night, I finally ran into a hero and, naturally, believed that they would help me... But, instead of being caring and concern when I morphed to my human-form and begged for help, that hero took me for an ungrateful runaway and didn't show any ounce of kindness. So, instead of taking me to a hospital, she grabbed my wounded arm and began pulling me to the direction of a police station and when I cried from the pain she caused for clenching tightly to my wounded arm, she slapped me and demanded of me to be quiet."
Kōta couldn't believe what he's hearing and the churning in his stomach grew, as he continues to stare down at her injured back.
"When we got there, she made me look like the bad guy, like I did something wrong when I was shivering from lack of food, being out in the rain for days, with nothing but a torn, bleeding t-shirt and scratched up shorts on my person. -Sierra turned her head to stare out over the horizon, to where the mountains are. Her eyes glaring out to what wasn't there, as her anger and sorrow continues to build up.- Many of the officers came to me and asked me to who to call and, obviously, I told them of my god-mother, whom my siblings and I called Aunt Amai. I gave them her number to call for help. Some even suggested on taking me to the hospital to get treated when they saw the terrible state I was in. -Her fangs clenched together, unable to control a snarl that built up from her chest.- But that hero, who everyone believed to be a kind, caring hero from that smile of hers, accused me of being a liar for giving them a number that wasn't for home and when they went through my records for my name and found my home number, she personally gave them a call and bragged to the caller on how she gracefully 'saved' me from being a hoodlum and told them where to find me."
The five year-old watches the dragon-morphed girl stay quiet, as she turned her back to him and folded her wings back to cover her back, as she took her spot on the edge of the cliff.
"...He was there, waiting for somebody to give the house a call and inform him that they found me. As soon as he learned where I was, he came immediately and pretended to be a grateful, concern fiancé towards the hero who found his soon-to-be stepdaughter. And even though I told them that he was lying, begged for help and asked for my god-mother, my mom, anybody I knew to come get me, the hero told the officers to ignore my false plea and to send me off with the Bad Man, believing his lies. And as soon as I went into his car, we didn't head home... He took me to his old spot, to punish me... For a final time..."
The boy didn't want to hear anymore, didn't want to know what he did to her. Neither did his stomach, as it grumbled in protest and signaled to him that he was going to be sick. And with a hand over his mouth and taking a few steps to the left, he puked up his dinner.
His heart slams against his chest like a hammer, his skin pale and body quivered, as he stared down at the ground and what came out from his stomach, which he can't remember what he ate at the moment.
Sierra remained sitting, staring out at the hprizon instead of checking on the boy when she hears him getting sick.
Don't you think you're going a bit too far? I mean, he does need a good scare to truly hear what you need to tell him, but-... Damn, you don't pull back on the punches. Do ya, Sweetie?
All she did was sighed heavily, taking a pause to wait on Kōta to collect himself.
'If I even sugarcoat the story or even leave out any details on what happened in the past, he'll believe I'm treating him like a little kid and won't listen to what I'm trying to get him to see. Besides, he thinks he understands how this world function. So, I'm going to treat him as an adult who thinks they know how the world runs.'
Yeah, but he wouldn't think you're lying, after seeing your back.
'Doesn't matter if he'd seen my back or not, if it doesn't tell him what happened to me and convince him on how I know what he feels towards heroes and/or their Quirks; doctors who'd treated my back would tell me that they understand my pain and try to compare my injuries with their other patients. Most of them being heroes and being adults. Instead of cheering me up or encouraging me that l'll heal up, their words made me angry for even thinking that comparing me to others who didn't go through similar situations like I had would be enough to distract me from the fact that nobody came to save me until I almost died.'
Kōta finally gained control over his breathing, but kept a hand to his mouth; his stomach still feels as though it's tied up in knots and may have more food to get rid of.
Sierra turned her head to her left, staring down at the five year-old.
"Do you see, now?" She asked. "Frankly, I don't really care if you believe me or not; I just want you to know that I understand your reason for hating Quirks, and why you think all heroes are all the same."
The boy glared up at the dragon, but the hate he harbored towards her earlier isn't present in his gaze.
"So, you know how much heroes are a bunch of joke. Big deal." He scoffed. "You're still trying to become one of those posers. So, you can what? Be better than them? Show that you're different?"
Again, Sierra shot her tail straight at him, shifted her body to fully face him and lifted him off his feet to meet her face.
...
...
...Then, sad eyes stared into the boy's black-eyes.
"...My mom died, Kōta."
That one sentence completely turned his brain off.
"I was saved, but not because heroes were worried to the point to find me day and night. They were called in to put out a fire to a condemned apartment complex. Nobody knew I was in that building, until one of them faintly heard my plea and rushed in to get me out. -She laid a clawed-paw over her chest, feeling the building of old wounds she held for over ten years.- I was in the balance of life and death. And my mother, after being told what happened to me and the possibility that I could die, lost her own battle to hold on to her terminal illness and died... I never got the chance to say goodbye to her. To tell her that I still loved her, and that I don't blame her for what happened. A week after in the hospital, despite that I needed to come back for a checkup every few days for a year, I was released and we had her funeral. As soon as she was buried, her own mother, my grandmother, waved a piece of paper in her hand and stated that she relieved herself as my grandmother. Even stood over her own child's grave, yelling at her for ever having me and how I'll never be accepted into the family and is happy to finally be able to be rid of me."
She placed him back on his feet, though the boy seemed to have lost the strength to keep standing and ended up falling on his knees.
"The heroes that found me didn't bother to see me," she continued. "The hero that nearly had me killed, never once made an appearance to apologize, or bother to show her condolences that my mom is dead. My older-siblings, who care and love me, were forced to go live with their father, despite their protest and my grandmother's attempt to have custody over them. And never knowing anybody from my father's side of the family and none from my mother's side willing to take me in, knowing that my grandmother will cut them out of the will and despise me because she hated me, I was all alone... Until my god-mother took action and, without hesitation, claimed me and raised me alongside her son, my only friend and sibling to be lucky enough to be raised with."
She took a few steps towards the boy, then morphed into her wolf-form, as she slowly circled the boy.
"My mom's murderer and my abuser ended up in Tartarus, but I knew that there are others out there who are like him: Heartless, cruel and abusive. And it was that very thought, along with that there are those who are Quirkless as my mother and god-brother being treated poorly and not being viewed as citizens to society, but most of all, my father laying his life on the line in order to save others from Garvey, that made me want to become a hero. More specifically, an Underground Hero. Those who work in the shadows, but don't want to be in the spotlight. I was going to be a hero that's going to help those being harmed from behind closed doors, with my god-brother by my side and prove anybody can be a hero, no matter what kind of hero they want to be or if they have a Quirk or not. -She stopped in front of Kōta, staring down at the boy, as the wind blew gently against her white-fur.- What I'd went through may not be the same with what you're going through, but I truly understand why you hate heroes and Quirks. And, believe it or not, my brother didn't properly explained it to you yesterday, but he does understand your reasoning, too. And just so you know, my brother and I are sorry for your loss. We even mourned for the Water Hose's family the day we learned they died, instead of thinking how they were great heroes for laying their lives on the line for others."
The hat on top of his head prevented Sierra from seeing the boy's face... But, from the scent of water and salt, told her that the boy is crying.
"...It's not fair..." He grunted out, having an arm over his eyes. "They were my mom and dad. And instead of showing they cared for them as human beings, all they did was tell me that I should be proud of them, and remember how great heroes they were and I should one day walk in their footsteps."
The white-wolf lowered her head, then walked around the boy and took a seat to his right, with her tail curling behind him.
"What they said, was something that shouldn't had been told to any child who lost their loved one." Sierra stated, staring out at the horizon. "They may claim that they knew them, but that's a full-out lie if they're talking about if the knew them as the Water Hose and not their civilian-selves. -She turned to stare down at the boy, who pulled his knees to his chest and rested both arms over his knees.- And it's because of their words, you shut them out. Including your aunt and her team, who are probably the only ones left to truly know your parents."
He sniffled a bit and his head remained down, but he nodded once.
The fourteen year-old let out a deep sigh.
"You shouldn't do so; some may had been there when your parents died when fighting the villain that ended their lives, but they didn't intensionally caused your parents to protect them." She gently scolded. "However, I won't stop you from doing so. For only you, alone, decide whether you wish to hate others or choose a new path and try to take the first step to heal. Given that it'll be impossible to fully heal in your case, avoiding the pain and lashing out towards others is your only choice to use for your defense mechanism."
"Shut up...!" Kōta choked out, sniffling. "Just, shut up and go away! You're done telling me your story, aren't you? I let you tell your story, and now I want you to leave me alone! You said you'll leave, if I tell you to. Now, leave me alone...!"
I think it be best to leave him alone, Sweetie. You probably have him stressed out on facing the truth that he may know to be true, and that his way isn't helping him deal with his parents' deaths and can't blame those around him.
Sierra didn't say anything, as she stood up from her spot and proceed to walk away.
A few steps away from the boy, she stopped in her tracks. She then turned her head to face the sniffling boy.
"Whatever is going on in your head, Kōta, know this: It wasn't your fault, or anybody's, but that villain. And whenever you're ready to talk, our door is always open for you. Remember: You're not alone in this."
Before the boy could yell at her to leave or to shut up, Sierra took off running, leaving the boy all by himself to deal with so many emotions coursing throughout his body from her words.
End of Flashback...
His mind must still be reeling after hearing what happened to Sweetie. Which must be why he's seem even more pissed off than usual, but still kept his distance in case he runs in to either of you two.
Izuku stared down at his meal. His hand trembled, struggling to not bend or break the spoon.
...It was the first time he heard from his own sister, on what happened to her when Arsenius dragged her into the world of villains.
When she came too in the hospital and realized that she's in the hospital, she didn't tell anybody what happened to her or what Arsenius did to her. Not even to Detective Tsukauchi, or Inko. The only thing she said was "Bad Man made me promised." and "Can't tell.", as if on repeat to remind her what was at stake.
When five months passed and Detective Tsukauchi came to visit and try to get her to tell him what happened, she told them that she can't remember much. Mostly, the beating and abuse from Arsenius when stuck within his care at home and being locked up in the condemned apartment. Other than that, it was clear that her mind suppressed her ordeal with villains and didn't want to push her to remember. Plus, they had Arsenius in Tartarus and can keep going to him for answers for answers.
Though, it's been ten years and he still won't tell them anything... And, with him being on Death Row and is scheduled to die soon, it's likely he'll die with any information he has on the villains with him to his grave. Even when given a chance to spend life in Tartarus, without parole.
To hear some parts of her past from Antiphonus, made the sixteen year-old burn with anger towards the ex-con and the hero that nearly had her killed.
'It would make sense that Sis would understand Kōta's reason for hating heroes and Quirks than anybody else; with his Extraction Quirk and his past criminal records, Arsenius could almost get away with anything. And he would've gotten away with Aunt Cici's death, if not for his careless act on leaving some of his syringes behind when he tried to kill Sis in the fire and finding some DNA of Cici's blood in the vile.'
"Hey, Midoriya. You okay, Bro?"
To his left, Kirishima butted in his silent conversation with the Black-Blood.
"You best eat up, before tonight's activity. And after our intense training, it's bound to be manly as our training."
Izuku gave him a tired smile.
"Right." He replied, forcing himself to eat his meal.
...You're not going to participate in the activity. Are you?
He let out a deep sigh.
'Is it that obvious?' He thought. 'There's no way I can enjoy an activity, after Sis blacked out from exhaustion. And after hearing parts of her past, I'd rather be by her side and make certain that she gets her rest.'
...You're a great big brother, Kid. Though, she wouldn't want you to miss out on all the fun. Not only that, but I can tell that you want to check up on the boy.
'Yeah, I do. But, maybe later, before everybody returns from the activity.'
*~Rustle~* *~Rustle~*
Izuku's head shot up, looking towards the bushes thirty feet to his right.
The other students, too focus on their loud conversation and cheerful spirit, didn't take notice of the rustling bushes like the green-haired boy.
He felt eyes staring at them, something that feels almost like Sierra would do as an animal.
Yet, he knows that it isn't her.
He immediately thinks that it's the threatening feeling his sister had been sensing and scouting for two days, but a voice in the back of his head told him it wasn't and the voice wasn't Antiphonus.
Before he could debate to go over and check it out, the rustling went silent and the sound of paws is heard heading towards the woods.
'An animal?' He pondered. 'Is that one of the animals Sis told to see her, if they found something? I thought she contacted smaller mammals; it sounds too big to be a badger or a boar.'
Probably spread word out to all mammals, big or small, to keep a sharp eye; they have longer stamina and are faster than smaller mammals, if it came from a much farther distance and only a few birds that are nocturnal can't be as fast as fast animal runners.
The sixteen year-old stared at the bushes for a few moment... Something inside of him felt the need to run and find the animal, as if his body caught its second wind without warning.
It was very odd, indeed.
"Okay, kittens! You got a few minutes to finish your grub and begin washing dishes!" Ragdoll called out, cheerfully and excited. "And when you're all done, we'll begin tonight's event: Test of Courage!"
Being pulled back from his thoughts and seeing that he has half his curry left, Izuku immediately shoved his meal down his throat in a few bites, wolfing it down. And, as soon as it was empty, quickly took his bowl to one of the sinks to quickly clean his dish.
That eager to get to Sweetie, huh? Though, I wonder if they'll allow you to miss out on tonight's activity?
'They should allow me to skip it,' he thought. 'As her Blood-Bond Kin, I have permission to skip out on any form of activity, so long as it's within reason and if it involves with caring for Sis' health if she isn't participating.'
As soon as he finished cleaning his dish, he quickly made his way for the building, ignoring the glances and calls from his piers.
The moment he grabbed the handle of the door, a sudden chill spread throughout his back.
...The feeling of being watched.
Izuku glanced off to the side towards the forest in the direction where they would head out to train their Quirks, where he feels eyes staring at him and his classmates. But, he couldn't see anything.
'Something's definitely not right.' He confirmed, removing his hand from the handle and immediately went over to Tiger, the closest of the group.
"Excuse me, Tiger-Sensei." He greeted, gaining the only male's attention.
The Pliabody Quirk User looked down at the green-haired teen, cocking his head to the side when he saw how on edge the boy looked. And not because he feels intimidated by his aggressive presence that he would enforce during training.
"What is it, Cub?" He asked, folding his gloved-hands over his arms. "You already have permission to skip out on tonight's event, to watch over your Blood-Bond Kin. Though, it'll be disappointing to have some of you miss out on trying to get the other classmates to piss their pants, like the five cubs from Remedial Class. But, they won't know they won't be participating until Aizawa drops the ball on them, later."
The sixteen year-old glanced back towards the woods, not feeling any pair of eyes staring at them like before. Then, he turned back to the adult.
"Tiger-Sensei. I know this may sound ridiculous, but I just felt like somebody's watching us."
Tiger's tail twitched from the boy's words.
"What?"
Izuku knew that it would be hard to believe, since they're far away from the city and, last he was aware, only Eraser Head, Vlad King and a few other teachers, including Principal Nezu, knew where the Camping Trip would be at. But, he's certain, that whatever Sierra had been sensing, wasn't her imagination or her being paranoid.
And now he's feeling that something isn't right.
"I just felt it," he continued. "Just seconds ago, I felt like someone or something staring at us from the forest, before I just touched the handle. And earlier, an animal passed by and, I'm not completely certain, but I have a gut feeling that it was looking for Sis. -He gave Tiger a serious glare.- ...I think, we're not alone."
With Sierra: In her Dreams...
She's sitting on the very edge of the cliff, in her wolf-form, staring up at the moon.
...
...
...It felt like she's been staring at it for days. Hadn't moved from her spot, since she came to the cliff. As if drawn to the massive orb in the sky, unable to keep her eyes off it.
...
...
...
...She knows that it's time.
...
...
...
...
...
Behind her, she knows the owl remains sitting. Waiting for her.
...Is that your choice?
Scraping claws echoed behind her, but she doesn't dare to look behind her. She keeps staring up at the sky.
And when she feels talons coiling themselves over her, Sierra remains where she sits.
Will you accept the consequences of your decision? What this path will cause, and cost you?
...
...
...She closes her eyes.
"...It's the only path for me to take."
The white-wolf, held within the talon of the owl, turned to acknowledge the massive black-bird.
"And it's the one path, I have to take."
The massive owl stared down at the white-wolf, its wings pulled back and slightly stretched.
...Then... You have chosen Death...
...
...
...Then talons slowly released the white-wolf, who morphed back to her human-form and proceed to slowly walk towards the bird.
The once massive black owl, now stood before her, small and unthreatening.
...So be it...
Sierra got down to her knees, gently scooped the owl into her hands and then held it to her chest.
...
...
...
...Then, as if she were still a wolf, she bit down on the owl and pulled back, ripping it in two. Killing it*.
As its blood coated her face, chest, arms and hands, Sierra felt a great course of energy surging through her.
...
...
...And, the growing feeling of pain and terror.
She looked back up to the moon behind her.
...
...
...
...And she knows, that it's time.
End of Dream...
Her eyes immediately opened.
The first thing she sees is Izuku, sitting on a chair in front of her bed, a bit surprised when her eyes open wide up and quickly sat up.
Whoa there, Sweetie! A bit jumpy, there. Bad dreams?
Instead of answering and before Izuku could even say a word, Sierra pulled the covers off of her and flung her body to her feet. Not bothering to notice, let alone care, that she's been changed into one of her wifebeater-shirt and dark-brown shorts.
"Hold on, Sis!" Her brother requested, getting to his feet and placing both hands on her shoulders. "You've just woken up after blacking out from training. You're back at the Wi-"
"Where's everyone?!" She cut him off, looking around, frantic. "How long was I out?!"
The sixteen year-old was very much surprised by her questions.
"They're all outside, doing a nighttime activity, except for those in Remedial-"
Before he could finish, the fourteen year-old pulled free from her brother's hold and went to open a window, positioning herself to jump right out.
Instinctually, Izuku lunged forward and wrapped his arms around her waist, preventing her from jumping out.
"Sis?! What are you doing?!" He yelled, as the girl struggles to break free. "You need to calm down and get back to b-"
"We're in danger, Izuku!"
As soon as she said those words, the sixteen year-old seemed to have forgotten what he was trying to say. But, it wasn't just because of what his sister just said.
It was because, right before their eyes, they see massive amount of black-smoke in the sky, with traces of blue-embers lifting up. And, in the mixture, some essence of purplish-black smoke covered another part of the forest.
Multiple cries of birds called out, flapping their wings to try and get away from either the blue-fire and the purplish-smoke. Along with their cries, many animals could be heard calling out: Howls, yowls, roars, wails and screeches. All, most likely, running away to get to safety.
His arms remove themselves from her waist, allowing the girl to jump out of the window and, in midair, morph into her dragon-form and fly in the air.
"Izu! We need to find all of our classmates and evacuate, immediately!" The dragon-morphed girl hollered out, gaining his attention to focus on what they need to do.
Izuku, being pulled away from the fire, looked up at his dragon-morphed sister.
But, instead of in agreement, something else went to his mind.
"Kōta. Where's Kōta?" He asked, as he triggered his Quirk. "I have to find him!"
Kid. He's probably at that hideout of his! He'll be find, since he's on higher ground! You and Sweetie need to focus on finding your friends and getting them out, along with putting out the fire!
"No. Izu's right; in an act of an emergency, the first to worry about first are children. And with him refusing to use his Quirk, he's more vulnerable to deal with an emergency than our friends." Sierra countered, also scared and worried about the boy. "Go get Kōta, Izu. I'll try to put out the fire!"
The sixteen year-old nodded his head and, like his sister, shot straight out of the window to get out of the building. When he landed, he turned to his sister, who was about to take off towards the smoke.
"Be careful, Sis!" He ordered.
Sierra looked down at her brother, giving him a serious look.
"You, too, Izu!"
The two god-siblings immediately split up, with Izuku heading for where Kōta's hideout is located and Sierra heading straight for the black-smoke and blue-embers.
'If I try to absorb the fire, I'll risk getting the non-burning trees to set ablaze and there are still animals out there that could be trapped within the flames. Not only that, most of them are scattered. I need to rely on my ice to put them out, quicker.'
She begin to charge up her ice, gathering it into her mouth to release ice and snow to the fire.
...
...
...Only, without warning, a massive force shot straight at her and, before she can register what hit her, a massive shot of fire was released directly to her face, forcing her backwards and to crash into the ground.
When Sierra landed, she ended up hitting part of the mountain and was now in another part of the forest that isn't being burned.
What the fuck?! What hit us?!
'I don't know, but since it was normal fire and not blue, it isn't the one that started the fire.' She thought, getting to her feet and shaking off the hit.
As she collects herself, she hears the sound of footsteps coming her way.
Immediately, she's up on her feet and in her aggressive stance: Her head lowered, wings extended in the air, her tail coiled and raised, claws dug into the earth and fangs exposed.
"Show yourself!" She snarled, charging up some fire from her mouth. Though, mostly to appear threatening and not planning on using it in the forest.
...
...A low chuckle could be heard from the trees, as the footsteps slowly gotten closer.
...
...
...Then, the sound of slow clapping followed suit.
...
...
...
...Then, something unexpected came to her.
A scent.
...
...
...That scent. The very scent she thought she never would believe she'd smell, again.
Something that made her skin crawl, her blood go cold and her heart to feel as if it was going to stop.
...
...
...A scent that was present, when she was three to four, and gave her nightmares.
...
...
...
...A scent that was always there, when she was beaten, punched, kicked, slammed, tied up, shocked, burnt, suffocating and experimented on.
...
...
...
...The very scent, when she made her first attempt to escape from the villains and caused her to get shot from behind, piercing through her heart.
...
...
...
...
...The one scent that reminded her on why her mom died and almost died in the process on foiling its plan, when she was able to escape from her tormented hell... Only for a cruel, selfish hero to send her back to her abuser and prevent her from seeking help on time for her mom.
...
...
...
...
...And when she sees the person coming out from the shadows, the only person that ever carries the scent of blood, disinfection cleaner and smoking tobacco, her fire almost instantly went away and her slit-eyes went from serious... To terror.
'N-...No...'
Her body trembled, as the figure stood before her.
'...It-... I-... It ca-...!'
The person before her is a man... A man that she thought she'd never would see, again.
'No...! No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. No... NO!'
It was a male, forty-five years old but still had muscles to show he'd been working out and can crack anybody's spine with a massive bearhug. Even the white-shirt that covers his chest looks like it can rip at any moment if he dares flexes his muscles, while his orange jumpsuit pants appeared to have just enough room to cover his leg-muscles and thin enough to be tucked into his combat boots.
His hair, while strains of grey in the mixture and some lightish-red and in an Ivy League Haircut, still head the texture of Autumn-red. His skin, once light, was now tan, showing he's been in the sun. She even sees a certain variety of tattoos little on his skin, more so than she last recalled.
...And, last but not least, his charcoal-brown eyes. While they seemed to have gone a bit lighter, almost becoming hazel, still held the same anger and disgust every time they look in her direction.
...Sweetie... Is that...?
Sierra, instinctively, took a step back, pushing herself closer to the rock.
The adult before her chuckled, as he placed a fist into his open palm and proceed to pop his knuckles.
"...It's been a long time. Hasn't it...? You bitch."
TBC
...Bet you guys had been expecting this to happen. Didn't ya? And, guess what?
CLIFFHANGER, BABY! You're gonna have to wait and see the next on what's going to happen! ;P
ALSO: HAPPY CINCO DE MAYO! AND, HAPPY BELATED MAY FOURTH! MAY THE FOURTH BE WITH YOU, FOR ANY STAR WARS FAN READING MY STORIES! ^^
*: According to some to what owls represent in your dreams, for those of you who don't know, dreaming of holding an owl in your hands foretells pain and accidents soon. It predicts that you will get physically incapacitated for a certain time.
Alternatively, holding an owl could represent your unconscious fears. You fear what the future holds, or the outcome of any life-altering decisions you make.
But, If you dream about killing an owl, it means you will win a fight against someone negative in your life.
Killing an owl in a dream symbolizes your raw strength and courage to fight back. You will overcome a major problem in life.
Killing the owl is symbolic of a hard-earned victory. You have fought for a long time; you have come close to losing hope but still pushed through.
Sorry it took forever you guys. You know, the usual: Life, work, birthday, my Dad's passing away for over a year and stress of life. Don't worry, I'm still typing... Just, a bit slow. But, don't worry, I'm still doing it! ^^
Hope everybody's well, and continue to stay safe!
R&R