In the Blink of an Eye

Chapter 2 – Prologue Part 2

Within the first week of my new life being homeless and alone I learned just how stressful life can be. I discovered quickly that resource management was crucial when you had to survive on your own after I had gone through the food and water I had purchased in 2 days. While looking back and forth between my pitiful 1100 yen and the now empty water bottles and chip bag I was wracking my brain trying to find a way to min/max my money so that I got as much as I could for as cheap as possible. It was then that I remembered how before my mom passed, she would go through the coupons and sale adds for local stores before doing her monthly grocery shopping to ensure she got the most out of what she had. Figuring I could go without food or water for that day, I went to as many stores as I could find nearby the apartment complex and collected their sale adds and coupons before returning to the complex.

After deciding on what goods I would buy from where with my limited funds I went inside the closet and closed the door in an attempt to sleep. One thing that was jarring to me at the time was the silence, I was used to there always being some type of noise going on; whether it be from the TV, music, my games, Dad talking on the phone, there was always something. In my new living conditions I had to adapt to living mostly in silence as I didn't want anyone to find out that I was living inside the apartment complex. The worst thing about silence however, was how loud your thoughts can be when you have no outside stimulus to distract from them. I would constantly think about things that I didn't want to, going through memories that would cause me to tear up. Sleep was my only escape from my thoughts and memories. If they chased me in my dreams and gave me nightmares I don't know as I never have any recollection of dreams when I wake.

The worst memory that I unwillingly go through is when my home was reduced to rubble, and my dad fatally injured. Even now I still remember it as if it happened yesterday. Dad and I were eating dinner when we both heard what sounded like an explosion. Dad had stood up from his chair, most likely to investigate what happened, just as the wall behind him was blown inward. The entire house had started shaking and crumbling, my dad was blown backwards, his back slamming hard into the edge of the table as it's legs on his end snapped from the impact. This caused the table on my end to slam against my jaw, knocking myself and the chair I was sitting in over.

I must have been knocked out from the hit because the next thing I remember was being underneath the table, which was now pushed against the wall I was behind like a ramp. I figure that the force that blew the wall in behind my dad continued to slide the table against the floor, dragging me with it. Besides a sore jaw I was relatively uninjured, the table preventing me from being crushed by the caved in roof. After crawling out from underneath the table all I saw was destruction, there was only one wall left standing from our house, the buildings nearby were all in similar states of damage, some were even on fire. I would have much rather kept looking at all the damage done than see what I saw next. I had turned around to look at the broken table and noticed a pile of rubble at the end of the table my dad had been sitting at, and that there was blood flowing out from bottom.

I ran over to the pile, falling to me knees in the blood as I began to frantically search through it calling for my dad, begging him to answer me, to say something. When I finally found him... he was crushed, his ribs sunken in, bones sticking out of his shins, the skin around his arms looked like they had been popped and his head was bleeding so much I could barely see his face. I collapsed on top of him, feeling as crushed as he looked, not caring about the blood that was staining my clothes I began crying, shouting out for anyone to help, praying that a hero would be nearby that could save him.

I got up looked down at my broken father and managed to get out between sobs, "Just hang on Dad, I will get someone to help, please don't die." After that I took off running, searching for anyone that looked like they could help. While running I noticed other people inside more destroyed buildings, some injured, some dead, I didn't care about that though, all I was worried about was finding someone capable of helping. I was at the end of intersection of a street and looked to my left when I saw the last person I was expecting to see. All Might was there, and he had just punched a guy in a black suit and sent them flying. I tried to run over to him, to get him to help but was unable to get any closer; the force of his punch keeping me from being able to move forward. By the time I could he had already ran off in the direction of the guy he hit.

Panicking, scared, and still desperate to find someone to help Dad I continued my search. Eventually I found a group of medics standing by multiple ambulance's. I ran up to them shouting, "HELP PLEASE YOU HAVE TO HELP!" They noticed me getting closer and when I got within arms reach one of the dropped to one knee and grabbed me by my shoulders asking me what was wrong.

I managed to shout out through my panicked breathing."MY DAD NEEDS HELP HE'S BEEN REALLY HURT AND NEEDS SOMEONE TO FIX HIM. PLEASE ONE OF YOU HAS TO HELP HIM."

The medic looked over to one of the other medics and said, "Kyou, get inside one of the ambulances and trail after us." he looked back to me and said in a calm voice, "Lead the way and we will follow."

Slightly relieved that I found someone to help but still worried over the state my dad was in I took off running with a quickly, "Thank you he is this way come on."

I lead them back to my destroyed home and over to my dad. He looked worse than before, more blood had been added to the earlier puddle and he was the palest that I had ever seen him. "It's going to be okay Dad, I - I found help like I said. You'll be fine now... you have to be."

The medic and the ambulance were right behind me. Upon seeing my Dad the one that was following on foot shouted, "Kyou bring a stretcher out right now."

"Got it Yujin." Kyou replied before parking in the driveway. He quickly got out from the back of the ambulance and slid a folded up stretcher over to Yujin, who grabbed it and ran over to my dad's side. Kyou was quick to follow and helped move Dad onto the stretcher with Yujin. They moved my dad to the inside of the ambulance. I got inside the back after Yujin, taking a seat on my dad's right side. Kyou had gotten back in the drivers seat while Yujin sat across from me and began working on Dad.

"Get us to the nearest hospital immediately Kyou, he doesn't have much time." Yujin ordered while cleaning off the blood to inspect the damage done.

He looked up and flinched a bit when I squeaked out, "What... he is going to be okay right?"

Looking down he replied, "We will do the best we can for him, that's all I can say." I spent the rest of the ride in silence, staring at my dad for what would end up being the final time.