AN: woopies late update lol sorry- I just graduated junior high! yes! also i passed on the entrance exam on our local university HAHAHA rip im gonna die-
WHO'S EXCITED ABOUT THE MOVIE?! I AM-
Also kouta is adorable anyone who say otherwise I will fight u
Sai's meeting with Tsukauchi... went well?
It's not like she hated it, she was just... astonished. Yeah, that's the word.
She's astonished that the man seemed to know more than he let on. Like the fact that he looked unsurprised when she spilled the beans about the manslaughter (in which she is somehow getting over slowly but surely- the memory is already forever stuck in her mind so it's probably the best if she just starts getting used to it) that happened back in the warehouse. She had suspected that Natsu probably already told the guys though, and that they're just looking for confirmation.
In which she gave, of course.
After that little interrogation, she was dropped off into her home and was immediately greeted by the sight of Toshi being head locked into submission by none other than...
"Oji-san!" Sai brightly grinned after seeing her dad's terror teacher, who gave her a brief nod before continuing his torment onto poor Toshinori.
(Was he worried? Mad? Sai doesn't know.)
Thankfully for him, Sai was there to save his day. "To-chin! Nao-chin asked me some questions about the kidnappers today!" She yelled quite loudly, garnering both the attention of the males.
It was amusing to see that their reactions were strikingly opposites.
"What?! Why was I not informed of this?!"
"Oh, that's nice. Did you tell them everything?"
Sai's mere response was a laugh.
"To answer Gran Torino's question, yeah," she said after calming a bit, flopping down on the couch tiredly. She yawned, comfortably leaning into her seat. "Also, to answer To-chin's question, it was kind of a rushed interrogation-"
"Interrogation?!" Toshi cut off, horrified.
"-but to me, it was just like chatting to an old friend about an incident you experienced." Sai finished, shrugging. "Not gonna lie, Nao-chin's pretty nice to talk to for an interrogator." She added as an afterthought.
"So, you completely fine now brat?" Gran Torino gruffly asked her, to which she pursed her lips.
She sighed deeply, ignoring Toshinori's worried look. "To be honest, I'm not really sure what to feel right now." Sai muttered, giving them both a sardonic smile.
Ah, well. She'll eventually get over it.
Hopefully.
Next day, a small progress happened, if you could even call it that.
Sai discreetly opened her phone- "To call me whenever you need something," said Toshinori, the only man who would willingly give a seven year old a phone without any thoughts of the consequences whatsoever -when she saw that the teacher finally stopped staring at her like a hawk.
(Are they worried? They're worried. Should she be worried?)
Honestly, her teachers could be so... troublesome sometimes.
Hinata Sai is online.
Natsu Mendel is online.
Natsu set her nickname to Eraserhead_Trash.
Sai blinked. Well, that was oddly and conveniently strange.
Sai set her nickname to SAIcopath.
She snickered at her own nickname, feeling quite proud of it even though it was in English. And that Natsu probably doesn't get it.
(Jokes. Jokes make you happy and not worry. Yes. Happy is good. Everything is okay.)
Eraserhead_Trash: Nice pun mate
Eraserhead_Trash: also hello
Sai blinked. Well, that was surprising. She supposed that the blonde was actually smarter than she looks. Although it's probably just because Natsu's dad, who's American, or so she's told.
SAIcopath: er, thanks? lol
SAIcopath: anyway wyd rn?
Eraserhead_Trash: uhg, school. can't believe im stuck with idiots.
Sai rolled her eyes. And she thought she was the only one suffering from the onslaught of children and their small brains.
SAIcopath: ikr? Anyway gtg, teacher's lookin at me suspiciously
She sent the message and turned off her phone, before looking at the teacher, listening with indifference. Ugh, why is it taking so hard for children to understand basic English grammar?
(Why is time moving so slowly? She wants to get over it already.)
"It's pronounced 'Ree-Lee,' not 'Ree-ri.'" Sai muttered to herself, as she listened to her classmates stumbling over simple sentences in English. Heck, even Tenya was struggling in pronouncing it too.
Sai, who was too tired to care, didn't make any effort to read at all, seeing as the teacher probably wouldn't notice her anyway. And well, if the teacher did, maybe she'd pretend to read.
"Hinata-san," The teacher droned out, as Sai sat up straight at the mention of her name.
She blinked. "Uh, yes Sensei?"
"Would you please read sentence number four, since you're already oh-so-fluent in English that you hadn't bothered to read along with your classmates?" Her teacher sarcastically said, as her classmates snickered at her while Tenya looked at her with disapproval.
(What? Is he implying something?
...Was he upset at her for not participating? Or is it something more?)
Sai blushed in embarrassment and slight anger, standing up while grumbling obscenities under her breath as she stared at the sentence assigned for her to read. "Uh, right. 'I am happy to know that you liked my gift.'" She read fluently in English, raising an eyebrow at the sentence.
Oh well, whatever. As long as it helps children learn.
The teacher looked slightly put out by her clear pronunciation, but immediately recovered as he asked her, "Ah, do you know what the sentence means, Hinata-san?"
Sai stared at him unblinkingly. "The speaker is voicing out their happiness to the one who received their gift and liked it." She deadpanned, getting feeling that this somehow happened in her previous life too.
('He picked on you because you're weak,' her mind whispered, to which she resolutely ignored.)
Why is it that teachers always like to pick onto her?
'Because you always look like you're uninterested in everything!' A voice that suspiciously sounds like Tenya screamed inside her mind. She gladly listened to that voice.
"Er, can I sit down now Takeda-sensei?" She asked her teacher uncertainly, as said teacher looked at her dumbfounded, before nodding.
And so Sai sat down, and the disgruntled teacher moved on with his lesson.
(Why isn't the day over yet?!)
"...Sai," Tenya laid a hand on her shoulder, as she hummed in acknowledgement. "You know that you could always talk to me about everything, right?"
Sai didn't know what to do with that information. "Uh, okay? I'll..." She muttered, narrowing her eyes. "...keep that in mind, I suppose?"
(Does he also think she's weak? But she's okay.
She has to be okay.)
Tenya nodded at her, apparently satisfied at her response. "Well then, if you'll excuse me, I have to go do some errands for our teacher." And with that he took off.
Sai snorted; Of course he'd continue to be the teacher's pet.
(At least he has something to distract with. Does she? She has her drawings, but was that enough?
Was that enough to stabilize her, to make sure that everything is fine?)
She frowned, glancing at her other classmates who seem to be ignoring her like the plague. Now that is strange.
After all, she's fine already. There's absolutely nothing wrong with her.
Nothing at all.
"Excuse me?" Sai asked, raising a hand as the teacher raised an eyebrow. "Uh, can I go to the bathroom," she requested, before adding, "please?"
(Calm. Why is she feeling strangely calm?)
Her teacher sighed, muttering something incoherent before nodding and motioning to the door as Sai made an exit to the room, but not before stealing a small glance at her classmates, who seem to be curious and/or worried.
Sai wondered about the latter, as there's really nothing to be worried about. Oh well, they're probably just thinking about the how hard the lessons were.
As she finally reached the bathroom and entered one of the stalls, she can't help but... think.
Weak. No matter how much she thinks she's not, she is weak. Why is she so pathetic?
Why does she feel helpless and vulnerable?
(Why is she thinking about this calmly, and not sobbing uncontrollably like she's supposed to?)
Sai snorted at her thoughts; maybe it's because she's a coward. A spineless piece of shit.
As she was about to exit, Sai heard the bathroom door opening, followed by some footsteps, which made her pause.
"You know," she heard one of them say, "I kind of feel bad about that third grader kid who got kidnapped. Must be pretty hard for them right now."
Sai sighed quietly. 'God damn it, what the fuck did I do to deserve this attention? Even the other classes know about it.' She thought bitterly, tightly gripping the door handle. 'Seriously, what part of confidential do they not understand?'
She heard the other one snort, which made Sai raise an eyebrow. "Yeah, right." The student said, as Sai detected disbelief in her voice. "Do you seriously believe that, Haru-chan? I bet it's just some dumb kid spreading rumors to gain some attention," she paused, before adding, "attention that they're having right now."
Sai silently snorted, 'Hah, I wish that horrifying experience was a rumor.' She thought, grinning wryly.
"...Yeah, probably." Sai heard the first one sigh. "I can't believe someone would lie like that, though!"
They both talked about other things for a while, before presumably exiting the bathroom, as Sai opened the bathroom stall and wash her hands.
She stared at her reflection, which honestly looked shitty in her opinion. "Haah, I feel so sick right now." Sai muttered, running a hand through her face as she grinned hysterically. "Honestly, what the fuck is wrong with me?" She whispered to herself, laughing hoarsely.
Sai doesn't know what to feel right now.
What is wrong with her?
"What am I supposed to feel?" She asked herself as she faced her reflection, who stared back at her with a troubled expression. "I know I'm supposed to be not feeling okay. But why do I feel strangely at ease?"
Sai breathed out a sigh of frustration, ruffling her hair messily. "Fuck this, I need help."
She opened up her phone to check the time, only to see it being spammed by Natsu with messages.
Eraserhead_Trash: r u ok
Eraserhead_Trash: im sorry i didn't mean to :'(
Eraserhead_Trash: FORGIVE MEE
Eraserhead_Trash: seriously tho r u ok
Eraserhead_Trash: i know it just took effect bc i felt it
Sai felt confused by the last message. What? What did Natsu feel?
SAIcopath: dafuq does that mean
SAIcopath: also can you stop spamming my phone it's getting annoying you ass
It was silent for a while, before the phone vibrated and a new message popped up.
Eraserhead_Trash: oh good you're back
SAIcopath: what do you mean by you felt it?
Eraserhead_Trash: look im sorry but long story short i emotionally manipulated you
Sai could only stare at her phone blankly.
What?
SAIcopath: excuse me wHAT?
SAIcopath: also how do u deal with this
Eraserhead_Trash: basically i tried to speed up your trauma recovery or tried to remove it altogether
Erasehead_Trash: I might've gone overboard tho oops
"Wait, what the fuck?" Sai voiced out loud in bewilderment, stuck between being confused and shocked, while also feeling slightly betrayed that Natsu kept this from her.
SAIcopath: YOU CAN EMOTIONALLY MANIPULATE PPL? HOW DID I NOT KNOW THIS
Eraserhead_Trash: not really lol
Eraserhead_Trash: more like i can remove psychological damage like trauma and stuff
Eraserhead_Trash: also i can make ppl calm
"..."
SAIcopath: i just realized that i just had a mental breakdown earlier but now im completely fine
SAIcopath: is this supposed to be normal
Eraserhead_Trash: ye pretty much
SAIcopath: ...how
Natsu didn't reply, although she was still online.
Sai groaned, done with it all. "I- I swear to god I don't even know if she's bullshitting me at this point." She muttered under her breath, exiting out of the bathroom but not before messaging Natsu goodbye with a polite 'fuck off.'
She returned back to the classroom just as the teacher exited out. Whoops.
"Sai! You took so long in the bathroom! Are you okay?" Tenya asked her worriedly, doing his signature weird hand motions.
Sai waved him off, yawning. "Yeah, yeah. I'm fine, Ten-chin." She said, giving the bespectacled boy a tired smile. "I'm just... really sleepy right now."
Tenya looked doubtful, but nodded anyway. "...If you say so, then." He said uncertainly, before turning his back to scold some of their other classmates.
Sai rested her chin on her hands, propping up her elbows lazily on the desk. 'I wonder...'
'…The thoughts have suddenly stopped now. Is this progression?'
The number one hero picked Sai up from school, worry coursing through his veins.
Toshinori is worried about Sai. Not really because of the kidnapping, but because she looks way too happy for someone who just got kidnapped.
The spiky haired kid was watching the television in interest, her eyes glued to the moving characters in the flat screen. Toshinori himself, meanwhile, is watching her intently.
He himself knows how people get affected by trauma. Smiling cheerily (genuinely) clearly isn't part of the effects.
"Uh..." He trailed off uncertainly, seeing the questioning look Sai sent him, her TV show abandoned. Toshi doesn't really want to wreck her mood to be honest, but he just felt that something wasn't clearly right. "Are... you sure you're okay now?"
She gave him an annoyed look, as he winced at his poor choice of words. "Alright, bad question, I know. But still, you're acting pretty... unusual today." He said, as she rolled her eyes, returning her attention back to the screen.
"You think you're the only one who noticed that?" Sai suddenly muttered to herself with an irked look, staring at the screen darkly as he blinked. "I myself know that something's wrong with me, To-chin." She deadpanned, still not looking at him as he sweatdropped.
So she herself is also aware. That's... okay? Uh-
Toshinori's pretty sure he's looking at her like a bomb about to blow up any second. "So... uh, what caused it?" He asked her, as she scratched her cheek in frustration, turning off the TV in frustration as she groaned.
"I don't know!" She screamed, her sudden outburst startling him. "All I know is that someone made me into- into this!" She added, hastily motioning to herself.
He winced, feeling her frustration and confusion. Toshinori, as a kid, would probably also freak out if he knew someone manipulated his emotions.
"Uh, is that why you looked completely okay earlier?" He asked her just to make sure, as she stared at him in confusion. "I saw you laughing and- well, genuinely enjoying yourself a while ago." He added, shrugging.
Sai gave him an unreadable look. "I'm..." She trailed off, narrowing her eyes. "I'm gonna ignore the fact that you just stalked me-" Cue Toshinori's protests (he was just assuring her safety, damn it!) here "-and answer yes. That's the reason." She answered.
Ah. That... made much more sense. And oddly enough, it made him also relieved.
Relieved that she's not faking (she was faking it from the start, yet you ignored it in fear of breaking her heart, a part of his mind traitorously whispered) and that her emotions, although manipulated, were at least genuine. He honestly wouldn't know how to approach her if she pretended to be okay, when she's definitely not.
"...I'm gonna go to my room." Sai muttered after a while, finally feeling the awkward tension between them, "Ignore the screams." She said, her dull blue eyes piercing him. After that, she went inside, slamming the door loudly in the process.
And well, true to her word, Toshinori did ignore the string of loud curses that he heard inside Sai's room.
Not that it made him feel any better, of course.
"Stupid, stupid, stupid!" Sai yelled as she angrily threw her pillows around. "I'm so fucking stupid for not knowing how to handle th-this!" She cried, her voice cracking at the end.
"Why?! Why am I so fucking stupid?! I don't even know what's freaking me out anymore!" Sai screamed, her face buried under her bed.
"...I hate this. I hate this so much." Sai said, sniffing as tears streamed down her face.
(She's supposed to be traumatized and confused and self-destructive like she's supposed to, right? So why isn't she?)
"Argh!" She groaned, her voice muffled by the bed.
(She hates this! She hates that this happened to her! She hates not knowing what's happening to her!)
Awhile after Sai calmed down (a bit) and could finally form semi-coherent thoughts, she pondered about what Natsu said.
'I emotionally manipulated you.'
What did that mean? Why so vague? What type of manipulation makes you feel calm?
...Calm? Calm mind-?
Sai narrowed her eyes, before face palming. Of fucking course. Her five-minutes-ago self is right. She is stupid. So fucking stupid for not realizing it sooner.
'Of course she could make people calm. I mean, she can literally do it to herself,' Sai thought with a frown. 'Although I have to wonder why she told me a half-baked truth about her quirk.'
Trust issues? Most likely. Sai herself has some.
She sighed, before grabbing her phone from the nightstand as she messaged Natsu.
SAIcopath: oi, about the calm thing
SAIcopath: when will it last?
Not long after, Natsu replied.
Eraserhead_Trash: oh that
Eraserhead_Trash: bout a few days i think
Eraserhead_Trash: you fine now?
Sai contemplated whether to tell her the truth or lie.
SAIcopath: idk
SAIcopath: probably
Eraserhead_Trash: what the heck does that even mean
To be honest, she doesn't know either.
Well, she supposed she could just wait for the... thing to pass, if it ever will.
Eh.
She was starting to become a shut-in, and Toshinori didn't like it. The only solution he could think off?
He kicked her out of the apartment and dropped her off (literally, he dropped her like a sack of potatoes on their doorstep) at the Iida residence.
What she did?
She sought refuge at Tenya's room, specifically his closet, and became a shut-in there.
But then there's just that someone who like to ruin her plans.
"What is this?!" Sai screeched, clawing her hands through the door as Tensei dragged her outside of Tenya's closet and in extension, his room. "This is harassment!"
Tensei laughed, which just made her heart do a bunch of somersaults. God, after all these years she still couldn't get over her feelings?
(Ugh.)
"Come on now, Sai," he coaxed, to which she just huffed at. "There's no good in isolating yourself in Tenya's room. Just join us for lunch already." Tensei insisted, as she grumbled, yet eventually gave up in struggling.
She let herself be carried by Tensei like a sack of potatoes (hey, this is becoming a routine) as they both left Tenya's room and into the Iida family's dining room.
"You win this time, jerk," she mumbled to herself, as Tensei laughed at her remark.
Tenya, who just saw them coming down the stairs, blinked at the strange sight they both presented. "...Brother? Why are you carrying Sai like that?"
"This is an attempt of kidnapping."
"I'm inviting her to eat lunch with us."
Well, those were two contrasting answers.
Tenya just stared at both of them, slightly perplexed.
"...I'm not even gonna ask."
Sai grunted in irritation, rolling her eyes. "Good. I wasn't planning to answer, anyway."
Likewise, Tenya became irritated at her behavior. Not that she cares about that, nope.
She's honestly more worried about her current mental state. Sai's pretty sure that whatever thing Natsu did to her has worn off now, but still... something isn't quite right.
That something obviously led her to recluse herself from humanity, which made Toshinori kick her out of her own room, thus forcing her to interact with another human being.
In conclusion, she's worried about the usual social interaction. Typical.
She's pretty sure there's still something wrong with her, though.
Somehow taking notice of her inner turmoil, Tensei lifted her up to his eye level, up until their noses touched. "Hm?"
Sai blushed, before turning his head away from him. "W-what?"
"...Is something bothering you?"
"Your face is bothering me," Sai somehow managed to deadpan, still blushing, to which Tensei noticed.
He gave her one of his (charming) smiles. "You mean this handsome face?" Tensei teased, tilting his head (adorably).
Sai gave him a blank stare in response.
He chuckled, setting her down as she crossed her arms. "Alright, alright. I won't do that again," Tensei said, before adding as an afterthought, "wouldn't want to face your drawing's wrath."
Sai frowned in response to that, her eyes showing how unamused she is right now. "Not funny."
"Right, right. If you say so."
Tenya, listening in to their conversation, silently snorted at his brother's sarcastic remark.
"Ittadakimasu," Sai boredly intoned, staring at the thing that is Tensei's cooking with a doubtful look as her chopsticks hovered hesitantly above the object (because there's no way it could be food) in question, "is this thing even edible?" she muttered under her breath, narrowing her eyes ever so slightly as Tenya coughed (did he just laugh-? Oh my god) beside her.
He elbowed her not so discreetly, as she turned to glare at him questioningly. "What did I do?" Sai mouthed at him, which did not escape the older Iida brother's notice.
"Don't be rude," was the bespectacled boy's reply, his lips pursed in a frown, "it's not as bad as it looks," he added, although she did see him look at it with the same lingering hesitance.
She grumbled, but then shrugged and took a bite of what is supposed to be smoked fish.
Smoked fish is not supposed to be all black.
Still, it's not that... bad. More of a 'meh,' but she couldn't really complain. Maybe she should've stayed locked up in Tenya's closet, away from the danger of getting food poisoned.
...Or maybe it's just her paranoia talking, who knows.
"So, uh, where are your parents?" Sai asked after a bout of silence, noticing the absence of the remaining family members.
Tensei answered her, as Tenya looked awkwardly to the side, "On a date."
It was merely saving grace that Sai didn't manage to spit out whatever's inside her mouth at the blunt answer. "Okay," she's not sure how to react to that information.
It was silent after that, however an awkward one.
"Say," Sai said, "do you guys think I'm acting weird?" She asked the two brothers, as they both looked at each other in silent communication.
"Yes," they both deadpan at the same time, as she blinked at their response.
Hm. So she was right.
(Of course there's something wrong with her, Toshinori literally kicked her out of the apartment because of it.)
Sai hummed in acknowledgement, pondering. "So what is it?" She asked, tilting her head.
"What do you mean 'what is it'?" Tenya asked her incredulously, raising an eyebrow in confusion.
"I meant what's wrong with me."
"Oh." Tenya didn't know how to respond to that, contrary to what she had expected.
Tensei frowned at her, leaning onto his chair. "Well, you seem to be more... withdrawn than usual." He remarked, as Tenya hesitantly nodded in agreement with him, "Not that you're already antisocial, of course."
That did not comfort Sai whatsoever nor did she understand what Tensei had said at all.
It's safe to say that she's stumped at this point.
"...I think what my brother meant to say was," Tenya elaborated, adjusting his glasses as light glinted off of it, "you're being too hard on yourself."
Sai blinked, before raising an eyebrow. "What? No I'm not." She denied, frowning defensively as she violently stabbed her fish. "Definitely not." She mumbled quietly, almost as if reassuring herself.
...That hit harder than she thought. It hit too close to home, to be honest.
She doesn't even remember when she was this... paranoid. She was so hell bent on making sure everything else was fine that she herself forgot to ask herself if she was indeed fine.
Does that even make sense? No? Okay. She doesn't make sense either.
Sai sighed.
"I don't feel too good anymore." She mumbled, standing up from her chair and tossing her dish at the sink. She trudged up the stairs slowly, but not before glancing at the Iida brothers one last time.
They too looked conflicted and unsettled for her. She can't really blame them.
"I'm gonna... think through things." And with that, she went inside Tenya's room, and locked herself at his closet.
She finally got her stuff together.
Tenya wondered when that happened.
"So, I was like, 'But oji-san, I don't even know how to do that!' and then he was like, 'I don't care,' and then he threw me off the building and To-chin was like 'Oh my God why did you do that?!' and I just released my drawing-"
She's definitely back to normal. He wondered when that happened.
"Sai?" He called her out, cutting her off from her rambling tirade. "You okay now?" He asked her quietly, gently; as if afraid that the question would break whatever state she's in.
She paused, blinking. "...Yes. I am now."
"Are you sure-?"
"I don't have any hysterical breaks anymore, if that's what you're wondering about."
Tenya was certainly not wondering that, because he didn't even know about it in the first place. But still... It was nice to know that it's already over. Whatever it is.
"Erm... right."
It was silent after that.
Sai suddenly grinned, slapping him on the back. "Aw, c'mon Ten-chin! What's up with the constipated look?" She teased, as he sputtered indignantly at her remark.
Yes. Definitely back to normal. He was sure of it.
Sai is feeling better than ever for the first time in her (second) life.
Everything has gone smoothly today. Her classmates treat her normally now, her teachers aren't walking on eggshells around her, and better yet, Natsu even found out some more information about their supposed savior, Eraserhead.
Life is good, she mused.
Too bad there's always that one thing that's just there to ruin it.
Sai raised an eyebrow at Toshinori. "What?"
He nodded glumly. "Exactly."
The number one hero had just come home with heavy news that Natsu, fuckin' Natsu of all people, went to America for 'treatment.'
...Right, and how did Toshi know about her?
He blinked at her, confused. "What are you talking about?" Toshi asked. "I know her mother personally. She's your mother's best friend."
"Okay, now that's just bull." Sai deadpanned at the eerie coincidence. "Why would she need treatment, though?"
The blonde man sighed. "Well, she has chronic pancreatitis."
...?!
Sai's eyes widened. What the fuck?
Okay, the world has got to be messing with her now. Not only is the disease so painfully familiar with her, it's also the reason why her previous life's whole family has been reduced to just Rin and her brother.
It's painful; to encounter a disease that threatens the life of your friend.
More so if you yourself know the pain of having one.
"It's that bad?" She whispered in disbelief, as Toshinori nodded.
Sai looked at him in doubt. "But... she looked okay when I met her."
"You know what Natsu's quirk does to her, Sai."
It seemed to dishearten her even more, finding out the fact as worse.
She smiled nervously at Toshi. "Yo- you're joking, right?" Sai asked, laughing weakly. "C'mon, say that you're joking, I won't be mad." She was close to crying now, her eyes brimming with tears. "H-happy April Fools?"
Toshi shook his head, his shoulders sagging as Sai felt hot tears running down her face.
"...Why am I crying?" She asked herself, as tears dropped on her palm. "I'm scared, Toshi." Her voice seemed to crack at the end, as the number one hero attempted to comfort her.
"Sai-"
"I don't want to lose a friend!" She bawled unabashedly, as Toshi hugged her in an attempt to comfort. "I'm scared because she's just a kid like me and- and-" Sai paused, sniffing loudly, "and she's in pain and I didn't know!"
"I'm a horrible friend!"
Toshinori looked at her with sympathy. "You're not a horrible friend, Sai. In fact, you're the best friend I've ever had."
Sai didn't reply, she just pulled away from the hug and locked herself in her room, leaving Toshi to fret for her.
She hastily rummaged around her messy room, ignoring the tears still streaming down her face as she went to look for her phone. "C'mon, c'mon..."
"Aha!" She found her phone, just right under her pile of clothes. Sai quickly opened her phone and invited Natsu to a video chat, just to make sure that she- that it's real.
Natsu's face popped into her phone, her face scrunched up in concern. "Sai?"
Sai breathed out a sigh of relief. "Oh thank god I thought something happened to you."
The blonde girl laughed, smiling at her. "What are you talking about, dude? I'm in America right now." She said, as Sai froze at the news. "Right, I forgot to tell you that, haha." Natsu smiled sheepishly, giving a peace sign.
"...Chronic pancreatitis?" Sai asked in a whisper, almost afraid to hear the answer.
Natsu gasped in shock. "Woah! How'd you know?" She asked curiously, not at all bothered by the fact that she currently has a deadly disease.
"It's true?" Sai asked, as Natsu nodded.
"Yep! I'm here right now for treatment," she answered, before muttering, "Whatever the hell the treatment is."
"Anyways!" Natsu suddenly shouted, snapping Sai out of her stupor. "I'm so bummed that I can't meet Eraserhead anymore! Worse, I can't go to UA to be a hero anymore!"
Despite wincing at the girl's misfortune, Sai couldn't help but ask. "Er, right. Why can't you go to UA? Actually, why do you even want to go to UA?"
Natsu frowned at her. "What are you talking about? I'm going to UA so I could be a hero! Plus, it's the only place where I can possibly meet Eraserhead!" She said, letting out a squeal of excitement at the last part. "It's a shame that I have to stay in America for twenty years, though. Stupid disease and stupid treatment."
Sai, realizing that she's still the same Natsu, diseased or not, sweatdropped. Right.
"Say, I'll do it for you." She blurted out without thinking, before realizing what she had just said.
Natsu tilted her head in a confused manner. "Do what?"
"...Think of this as a childish promise. Nothing more, nothing less." Sai firmly said after a moment of silence, frowning at Natsu, who looked intrigued. "I'm..."
"I'm gonna go study in UA to be a hero."
Silence.
Was that... a gasp?
Sai soon realized that Natsu was silently laughing, blushing as her frown deepened. "Shut up! Just think of it as returning a favor for saving my depressed ass!"
Now this time Natsu doubled over laughing, as her laughs could be heard from Sai's phone.
After Natsu finally calmed down, she gave a gleeful smile. "You know what?"
Sai, deciding to humor her, raised an amused eyebrow. "What?"
"I'd like that."
That made Sai smile and finally wipe off her remaining tears.
"I'd like it too."
AN: would anyone mind if I change canon a bit? no? ok ill do it anyway lol- I mean I already put 'slight au' in the summary so ye-
p.s anime recommendations? i have no life pls i need more anime-