Mizuki's eyes flutter open, and she's met with a cold and dark yet familiar room. She takes a moment to sit in silence, merely attempting to find her bearings in this strange situation. Her eyes slowly begin to adjust to the surrounding darkness, and shapes become more distinct. There's a chair in one of the corners, a giant metal door opposite the spot she's sitting in, and a small window with thick metal bars covering it. Some moonlight shines into the room, illuminating rusty chains that are laid out across the ground. The scent of mold, dust, and copper fills the small space, causing Mizuki to choke up and gag. She struggles to hold her breath as her eyes begin to water at the overwhelming scent of death. An inescapable feeling of helplessness wraps Mizuki up like a cold, wet blanket weighing down her shoulders.
Mizuki jumps as the door scrapes across the concrete floor, the screeching sound causing her to flinch and cover her ears. A tall silhouette enters the room, its body shrouded by a black mist while its white eyes glow in the dark like an animal's. "Hello, little Angel~" Its voice is deep and raspy, making it sound like it smokes six packs of cigarettes every single day. "You seem disoriented, my dear... At a loss for words, perhaps?" It lets out a dark laugh, demonic even. "Cat got your tongue~?" As the imposing figure walks closer, Mizuki's eyes widen, and her breathing becomes shallow and rapid. She instinctively digs her nails into her exposed thighs to try and reel herself back into reality. "Why so quiet 7-3-0?" Mizuki hasn't been called that in so long... And there's only one person who has ever called her that. "What's the matter, Angel? Hehehe~ Maybe you need mommy and daddy to hold your hand~?"
The world suddenly feels like it's spinning as screams and cries turn into joyous laughter. Darkness shrouds Mizuki's eyes until a different light suddenly blinds her. "H-hello?" "Hello, darling," Says a beautiful woman with a sing-song voice. "M-mama?" Mizuki squints her eyes while staring at the blurry figure. It doesn't take long before she can finally see her mother's beautiful eyes and gorgeous smile. "Mama!" Mizuki cries out as she jumps into her mother's comforting embrace. "My, my! You seem happy, my lovely little Angel." She giggles before kissing Mizuki's head. "Mama, I missed you!" "Oh, you silly girl. I've been here the entire time." "You fell asleep during the car ride." Mizuki's father replies in his usual deep, raspy voice. Her mother always said that's one of the things she fell in love with about him. "Daddy!" Mizuki makes grabby hands towards her father. He chuckles and gently lifts her from her mother, who smiles softly at her little family. "Hello, my little angel." He chuckles and spins Mizuki around as she giggles and wraps her tiny arms around his neck.
"Are you ready for your surprise?" Mizuki's mother's sweet, calm voice interrupts the giggles and laughter. "Yes, yes! I'm ready!" Mizuki jumps down from her father's arms and grabs her mother's hand. What she failed to notice was the look her parents shared. Something so evil and knowing, yet she was too young and naive to see or understand their real intentions. "Of course. You're gonna love it, my little Angel." As they walk, Mizuki grabs her father's hand and begins swinging between her parents.
The short walk is peaceful and serene, with frogs and crickets chirping as a gentle breeze sweeps past the tall oak trees. They walk for a good five minutes before approaching an old, abandoned building with multiple men standing in the dimly lit parking lot. "Mommy? Who are they?" She looks at Mizuki and smiles as they continue walking as if everything is normal. "Daddy?" He continues walking forward and greets the men as Mizuki and her mother stay behind. "Mommy? I'm scared." Little Mizuki begins to cry softly, the young girl not understanding what's happening or who the strange, scary men are. She looks up to her mother for comfort but only receives a creepy smile that holds no love or affection.
Her father eventually waves them over, and as they walk closer, his smile becomes darker. Mizuki tries to let her mother's hand go, but she grips her daughter's hand painfully tight. "Don't make this harder than it has to be, little Angel~" Mizuki tries to fight against her mother, but she's easily dragged over to the men who grab her arms. "Pleasure doing business with you, gentlemen. We'll leave after we get our compensation." "Boss says this should suffice." One of the men hands Mizuki's father a big, black briefcase. Her mother opens it and pulls out a massive wad of cash. "This is perfect. Thank you." Her parents smile and wave before leaving Mizuki alone with the unknown men.
"NO, WAIT! PLEASE! PLEASE DON'T LEAVE ME! MOMMY! DADDY!" "Well, let's get you inside, little Angel~" Mizuki screams and kicks, trying her best to escape. The next thing she feels is a stinging sensation in her neck, and everything starts to go dark again.
Mizuki jolts up in her hospital bed, breathing heavily to the point it almost hurts. Hot tears continuously roll down her cheeks as she takes deep breaths, attempting to steady herself. "Mizuki? Hey, what's wrong?" The young woman flinches and instinctively hides her head in her arms as she begins to sob. "Mizuki! Hey, hey, hey. It's okay. Everything is okay." Without warning, large, comforting arms wrap around her body. She feels so safe and warm in these arms, like nothing could ever reach her. Maybe she's going crazy, or perhaps she's just desperate for physical affection. Regardless, she never wants to leave this position.
"There, there. That's it. Just take some deep breaths and relax, okay?" All Might's deep voice is rather soothing for Mizuki as she slowly relaxes in his embrace. She snakes her arms around his neck and buries her head against his chest. "Thank you, thank you, thank you," She repeats her gratitude as All Might strokes her disheveled hair. "Don't mention it." Time almost comes to a stop as everything moves in slow motion. The beeping sounds from the monitor stop; The birds outside the window flap their wings incredibly slow; The bustling noises throughout the hospital are drowned out by the sound of Mizuki and All Might's heartbeats.
"Mizuki?" Mizuki and All Might quickly pull apart as Andrea enters the hospital room. She leans against the doorframe with a small, knowing smirk. "Am I interrupting something?" "No!" The young woman and the hero blush furiously as they avoid looking at one another, but they can't seem to stop themselves from stealing small glances. "I- I had another nightmare. All Might was just trying to comfort me." "Oh," Andrea mumbles before entering the room and sitting in a chair next to Mizuki's hospital bed. "I'm sorry, hun. I wish I were here to help you." "It's okay. I'm just happy you're here now." Andrea and Mizuki smile at one another, warming the hero's heart. It's always so wonderful to see people share strong bonds, even when they're not related in any way. The world could definitely use more smiles and happiness rather than misery and despair.
"Why don't I go and get us some Boba and takeout? I can also bring my laptop here so we can watch movies for the rest of the day." 'Sigh.' "That sounds nice, actually." "Yes! I'll be quick; I promise!" "You better be." Andrea giggles and stands as she gathers her bag, but her eyes meet those of All Might's, causing her to realize something. "I'm so sorry, All Might, I wasn't even thinking. You must have more important things to worry about other than sitting here all day." Andrea smiles apologetically, but All Might's focus is on Mizuki, who tilts her head curiously. "It's not a problem at all, Andrea. I can stay with Mizuki while you run your errands.""Really? Thank you so much!" Andrea smiles as she rushes out of the room. "Be safe, Bunny!" "I will!"
After Andrea is gone, silence envelopes the duo, who continue avoiding eye contact. "So..." "So..." "You wanna play UNO?" "Sure."
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