Spider-Man and The Esper

30. One Thing After Another

As they walked through the marketplace, Fubuki glanced at Spider-man's left eye which was covered by his red lense. After two weeks, it seemed like it had all but faded away.

"I take it your injury healed up okay?" she asked him.

Spider-man glanced at her. "Yeah, and the best part is, my vision is back to normal."

"That's good to hear," she said, breathing a mini sigh of relief.

"Oh, that reminds me," said Spider-man, staring at her. "How's the training coming along?"

"Great, I've been doing all of the practices we did before daily. Sometimes I even do extra if I have the time and energy."

"I see," said Spider-man, looking away. "It sounds like you've been staying determined."

Fubuki just gave him a blank stare. "Well, of course. I want to get stronger. And not let the darkness consume me ever again."

Spider-man glanced at her again. "You have a lot of resolve," he noted. "That's good though, because you're going to need it.

Fubuki looked surprised to hear this. "Really?"

"Well, it's not easy for everyone. People with weak determination don't have the willpower to continue day after day. You should be proud that you do. It will carry you far if you stick with it."

Fubuki smiled to herself as she looked down. Hearing this praise from Spider-man made her feel good about herself. It was always nice to hear.

Just as she was about to thank Spider-man for his compliments, she was stopped by something that startled her. Someone had just gently tugged on the bottom of her dress. Turning around slowly, Fubuki looked down to see a little girl staring up at her.

"Uh, e-excuse me, miss," the girl said quietly. "I'm lost. C-can you help me find my mommy?"

Fubuki just froze as she stared down at the child grabbing her dress. Spider-man also stopped and looked at the girl. She kind of half looked back at him before turning back towards the girl.

"Y-you're lost?" she stuttered.

The child nodded with a frown. "Uh-huh."

Fubuki clenched her teeth for a second. For some reason, she felt like this new situation had just caught her off-guard. "Oh, well, uh…"

"Y-you can help me, can't you?"

Fubuki quickly waved her hands back and forth in an effort to calm the child. "O-of course I can help you! I just-"

It was clear at this point that the little girl was having a hard time believing Fubuki. A couple of tears began to form in her eyes. "I…I'm scared," she wailed. "I want my mommy!"

Fubuki could feel the situation falling apart by the second. "Ah, no! It's okay! Please don't cry!" she begged.

It was too late. The child was unconvinced, and now the tears were flowing. Fubuki could only freeze in place once more as everyone in the market turned to look at the crying little girl. Fubuki turned to look at Spider-man for help, but he just decided to give her a hand.

Spider-man kneels to the little girl, "Come on, kid. There is no need for tears." Spider-man proceeded to wipe her tears away with a finger, "We'll stay with you until your mother gets here. Can you be a brave girl for me and Hellish Blizzard?"

The little girl nodded in understanding his words as she was trying to remain strong.

"Cassandra! There you are!"

The child turned around as a woman who appeared to be her mother walked up to her. "M-mommy!" the child cried before running to her.

"I was wondering where you went," said the mother, embracing her daughter. "You shouldn't have run off like that."