Mha: The Spectacular Spider-Man Vol.1

Sinister War P.2

Kaina stowed her worries away for the moment to focus on Taeko. When looking at the clock on the nearby nightstand, she saw that it was barely a few minutes six, which spawned a playful smirk to form on her face. Taeko was caught off guard when Kaina suddenly pulled him backward, playfully slamming him against the comforting sheets. The two broke out into a burst of audible laughter that only increased when tickling happened to begin. A shared moment in the comforts of a safe place together brought more content than they'd ever realized. Regardless of the inevitable battle that was brewing, the two pushed it aside simply to admire each other.

[Outside]

"WHAT? Taeko, young man, I am not just letting you go out there without me!" Hitomi pouted, crossing her arms with vexation upon learning that she was staying at the Barnhouse. The five heroes all stood in the far east of the meadow, where Kaina's jet (Black Swan as she called it) was parked and slowly powering on. The sun had now begun to properly rise for Japan, bringing another day of self-imposed chaos.

Taeko sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck as his mother continued to yell at him. She wasn't upset at him, only filled with worry about what would happen to him on his mission. She knew perfectly well that he needed to save people, it's what she would have done, but she had just reunited with him. That fear of losing her son so quickly after finally seeing him again was unrelenting, that grasp didn't yield from frightening her. Jeannine and Takeda took a step back, as both knew not to mess with an upset mother. Kaina felt Taeko's hand tighten against hers, with the latter preparing for certain death.

"Mom, I can't have you going out there again. Even if I didn't have six villains targeting us, there's still an entire city of villains out to kill all heroes." Taeko replied, stepping forward and opening his arms. Hitomi stared for a moment and wiped a stray tear away, accepting his hug without further delay. Kaina watched without interrupting, taking a few moments to truly understand that bond that Taeko always spoke about. "I don't want to leave you again... I don't. This is the safest place for you to be. If anything happened to you again... I don't know what I'd do, same for all my family still fighting out there."

Too many friends near and dear to Taeko were scattered across the world fighting against Eclipse. He hadn't heard any updates from Aeon about their battles, nor had he been in contact with the other heroes from the agency. He hoped that his conflict with the Six would end quickly, to rush into another battle. The sputter of the engine came as a harsh reminder of the day ahead, filling both Bi-hans with a sizable amount of dread. Hitomi worried for her son and his allies, Taeko shared that emotion coupled with the knowledge that his oldest enemies were declaring war against him.

"Come back safe, please," Hitomi spoke, holding back every ounce of worry behind a hushed whisper. Her arms were almost glued around her son, afraid that letting go would mark another mournful separation for their fractured family again. Too many Bi-hans had been lost, either to the world of the once-proud family. Hitomi peered over his shoulder to view the others inside the jet, sending her more anxiety about their fates. "All of you, bring each other back."

"Don't worry Ms. Bi-han, death is like a turtle, it's too slow to catch us." Jeannine proudly replied, earning a supportive thumbs up from her husband. Takeda tilted his head in the direction of the jet, signaling for Jeannine to follow him.

"I'll knock some sense into him if he tries to do it alone," Kaina spoke, recalling back to her conversation with Hitomi. She knew full well that Taeko would try to handle the villains by himself. An eight-year split wasn't long enough for her to forget the brave, yet annoying antics that Taeko repeated. Kaina leaned forward and extended her arms out for a hug, embracing Hitomi with ease and with less anxiety than before.