Unknown's gaze dragged over the letter attentively, a faint frown on her lips as she examined the message in her hands.
"Who's it from?"
She glanced over to Eri, who sat on the ground next to her. Once occupied with folding a sheet of paper into something or another, her big red eyes now peered up at the older girl curiously.
"It's from the hospital Traceback is staying at," she answered, brows pinched as her eyes returned to the neat black print of the letter. She had received it from Aizawa when he was dropping off Eri earlier, having recently deemed the girl's quirk safe enough for Unknown to be allowed alone with her.
"Traceback?"
Unknown blinked for a moment, quickly recalling Eri must not have heard of the others before, considering her circumstances at the time of Sacrosanct's widespread news coverage. She assumed no one had brought it up with her either. She wasn't quite sure how to explain it, seeing as the reality was a bit darker than the girl needed to hear, so instead, she spoke the first half-truth that came to mind.
"She's my sister, in a way."
The letter was signed by the director of the hospital and the doctor in charge of Traceback, formally inviting Unknown for a visit in two days. No reason was given besides it being "at the request of the patient." The letter stated Traceback was determined to be in a "normal" state of mind, having concluded the immediate effects of the Manager's quirk to have faded sufficiently. It was an attempt to reassure her of her own safety, she assumed. From what she could glean, it seemed Traceback was well; it made no mention of any serious problems, at least. She supposed this was the best she could hope for, recalling the condition of her own time at the hospital. Of course, the main question now was why Traceback wanted to see her. Was it as simple as a visit? Was there something wrong? The letter seemed to offer no reason for worry, appearing to be nothing more than a plain, surface-deep request from a "special patient," as they called her, but she doubted it would appear any different even if it wasn't the case.
The letter made no mention of Horus or Amnestica, bringing Unknown to conclude they were being held elsewhere.
Unknown would go, of course. Traceback was always the mildest of the four, a side effect of having the least exposure to the Manager's influence. If any of them were to overcome it, it was Traceback. For the time being, Unknown thought it best to set aside her bubbling concern, simply taking solace in finally having something to look forward to again, although there was a completely separate thought that made it rather difficult to be excited at the prospect of the visit.
She would be visiting in two days, which happened to land on the weekend, and accounting for the time of the visit and length of travel, she would be leaving just before noon that day. The only way to leave, unfortunately, included having to walk directly through the first-floor common areas, where the very people she had been trying her hardest to avoid for the past few weeks would likely be gathered.
Oh, how she didn't look forward to that.
_______________________________________________
A knock came at the door, and Unknown was quick to shuffle over and open it. There stood Aizawa, who had been assigned to accompany her to the hospital, seeming more tired than usual. She briefly wondered if something had happened in class, although she chose not to bring it up.
"Ready?" he asked, gesturing down the hall. With a faint nod and a roll of her shoulders, Unknown stepped out of the room, locking the door behind her.
It was quiet as they made their way towards the stairwell, and she could already hear bits of chatter drifting up from the floor below. It seemed lively, mixed with occasional laughter and the sounds of friendly bickering. On any other occasion, she wouldn't have given it a second thought, but today, it made her shoulders tense and her arms stiff.
"Don't look so nervous. They don't bite," Aizawa stated plainly.
Unknown could tell he was trying to reassure her despite his ever-indifferent tone, although she wasn't necessarily sure if his statement was true.
"Hopefully not if you're here."
Landing on the first floor and stepping out of the stairwell, the two slowly made their way towards the front of the building. The chatter was more distinct now. Unknown could make out familiar voices and individual words emanating from the other side of the short hallway. She sucked in a shallow breath, briefly realizing how incredibly absurd it was for her to be so apprehensive. All she had to do was walk past a few high schoolers, all of whom she could almost certainly best in terms of power, some primal part of her thought. It would only take a few seconds; there was no real reason for her hands to jitter nor her palms to dampen, but people rarely seemed to listen to logic over emotion when it came down to it, and this time around, Unknown was certainly no exception.
As they turned the corner into the common area, the source of the lively chatter finally coming into view, she kept her eyes trained ahead, as if not looking at them would make them disappear. The pair crossed along the far wall, tracing the outline of the room, but ultimately, there was no option in which they could remain unnoticed for long. They were only a few steps in when the chatter around them rapidly lulled: a sudden, abrupt hush falling over the room. The familiar burning of dozens of eyes scorched her skin as she concentrated on the rhythmic padding of her own steps, though she couldn't tell if they were hot with malice or if that part was only in her imagination. Her eyes remained forward, yet against her will, she noticed a few things out of the corner of her vision.
Mina, Jirou, and Kaminari, the only faces she could clearly identify, seemed frozen in surprise as their wide stares trailed after her. They didn't seem angry or repulsed- a fact she was marginally thankful for, at the very least- merely surprised. A few other vaguely recognizable figures entered and left her field of vision as she crossed the length of the room, though she couldn't quite see their expressions. Ahead of her, Aizawa twisted the doorknob and pulled it open. She followed as he stepped outside, and just like that, she was safe once more.
The adrenaline she hadn't realized was coursing through her veins quickly dissipated as she absentmindedly followed the familiar path towards the main gate, not noticing the occasional glances Aizawa would cast her way as they ambled down the empty road.
The journey into the next city was no short ordeal, occupying some two hours before they finally arrived at the steps of an unfamiliar hospital. It was large and rather busy, she noticed as she stepped out of the car, careful to draw as little attention as possible. It had been a while since those events had been front-page news, and she was sure most people had all but moved on to some new controversy or another, but she was still wary of those who walked a bit too close or glanced her way a bit too long. She hoped to avoid any conflict today, if only for the sake of saving face for Aizawa.
The first thing she noticed upon stepping into the hospital was the smell- that sterile, stuffy, clean smell that almost instantly resurfaced some less-than-pleasant memories of her own time in containment, so sudden that it was almost disorientating as she tried to shake it off and continue forward. Step by step, the pair made their way past the major waiting rooms and patient areas, slipping further into the bright white halls of the building. Taking the elevator up two floors, it took a few minutes before they arrived at their destination: Psychiatric Ward 0. Aizawa exchanged a few words with the nurse at the front desk, handing over what she assumed to be his ID, before the woman quickly stood and slipped out from behind the counter, gesturing politely for them to follow. She led them down the hall and into a "patient only" corridor with a swipe of her keycard. Stepping into the hallway, Unknown noticed it was completely silent; the walls were painted a slightly different white than the outside areas, though it smelled of the same stinging disinfectant as always. She felt uneasy here, though she didn't quite know why. The nurse led them past a few doors before stopping in front of a room labeled "Isolation 0-9." Pushing open the door, she gestured for the two to enter before stepping in herself.
"Please remove your electronics and any sharp objects you may be carrying, miss," the nurse instructed as she motioned to a white plastic bin resting atop a small table next to the door. "You'll need to wait here, sir."
Dropping her phone into the holding bin, Unknown patted her pockets, trying to recall if she had anything else on her. Finding them all empty, she turned back to the nurse who now stood by another door a few feet ahead.
"The patient is showing mild signs of erratic behavior, but it isn't anything to worry about. We have a security camera inside the room for your safety; just let us know if you'd like to leave at any time," she explained briefly before unlocking the door and stepping aside.
Unknown crossed into the plain white room, hearing the door click shut behind her.
It was as quiet as she remembered her room being. Her eyes quickly fell on the only spot of color in sight: a head of red hair sitting nervously at the edge of the bed. Before she could even think to open her mouth, however, the spot of red shot up and raced over to her, instantly enveloping her in a tight hug. It took a moment for Unknown to react. Slowly, her arms raised, encircling the other girl softly. She glanced at her out of the corner of her eye, noticing how disheveled she looked.
"I never thought you were one for hugs, especially not from me," she mused. She heard a half-scoff, half-laugh, followed quickly by a quiet sniff. Unknown let out a silent breath as she rubbed small circles into the girl's back.
They remained still for a moment, neither of them speaking a word.
It was a while before the younger of the two pulled back, hands coming up to rub away the wetness in her eyes. Unknown placed a hand on her shoulder as she led her back over to the bed, gently pushing her to sit down.
"It's been a while, huh? How have you been?" she smiled faintly as she took a seat next to her.
"I've been better," the redhead rubbed her nose, glancing up for a split second before quickly lowering her eyes once again.
"Yea, I know the feeling."
Traceback nodded quietly, gaze focused on her fidgeting hands. She seemed tense, as if she was afraid of something.
"How long were you... you know, with them?"
"Well, it's hard to say. About a year, strictly, but I was thinking about leaving long before then."
"Weren't you scared?"
"I was."
"Then why'd you do it?"
"It was the only way."
A silence fell between them as Traceback rubbed at her hands, her lips pressing into a thin line. She was nervous. Unknown knew she was afraid of him, more afraid than anything. That was how he taught them to be, and despite the doctors' belief that the effects of his influence were gone, there remained a forest of deep-rooted poisons that could not be fixed so easily.
"He would have gotten rid of us eventually, Traceback," Unknown stated quietly, reminding her of what she certainly already knew. "Eventually, we wouldn't have been useful to him anymore, we would have disappeared just like the others."
"But what if he finds us again? What if he escapes?"
"He won't. He's in Tartarus; he won't escape."
"But what if he does? You know he still has people out there- what if someone breaks him out?"
"Even if that happens, he won't come after you. He doesn't know where any of you are; you're safe here-"
"But I can't take it here! It's terrible! I don't want to stay here anymore!" Some dam of emotion within her seemed to burst as she cried out, burying her face in her hands, "I feel like I'm losing my mind in here! Can't you see? There's nothing! I can't leave this horrible place- it's so cramped it's suffocating! I'm always alone in here! I hate it! You're the first person I've seen in weeks, you know?! A-and it's always so quiet, it's like I can't breathe! Like there's no air! I'm seeing things and hearing things- awful things! I just can't stay here anymore, but I'm too scared to leave! He'll find me! I-I can't- I'm not like you- I can't protect myself if he comes after me! But I really can't stay here anymore! I-I just want to get out!"
Traceback had always been a rather quiet girl. Even as a child, she never liked to chatter, never said much beyond what she needed to. She never made a fuss about anything, always listened to what she was told the first time around, and often tended to stick to the sidelines of most situations. In all the years she had known Traceback, Unknown had never once heard her raise her voice: not in anger, not in sadness, not in pain. Though she might not have known exactly what the conditions in this place were like, Unknown understood enough. It was suffocating, it was unbearable, it felt like you had always been trapped there and always would be. It was difficult to see an end when every day was the same. It wasn't something most people thought about, she supposed, because most people were fortunate enough to go their entire lives without being subjected to something so maddening. The Sacrosanct children were never like most people, unfortunately.
"Listen to me, Traceback," Unknown spoke quietly, one hand resting on the younger girl's back as she reassured her as best she could, "I'm going to get you out, and when I do, we can stay together. He won't be able to touch us that way, even if something does happen, alright? Then we'll forget all of this- everything. We'll start over, we'll go somewhere new, somewhere we won't have to remember him. We'll have normal lives, no more fighting or running or hiding ourselves away. We'll be safe and we'll be normal. That sounds nice, right?"
Traceback wiped her eyes as her gaze cast lowly to the plain white floor, her arms retracting, folding around her middle. "Yea, that sounds nice..." she smiled faintly, though it was clear she acknowledged it only as a pleasant daydream: much too far out of reach. "Where would we go?"
"Anywhere you like," Unknown mused quietly. Her smile mirrored the other girl's as she rubbed small, gentle circles into her back. "We could move across the country, go to some little town where no one would recognize us. We could make new friends, find a house... that would be nice. Maybe we could even leave Japan, go someplace far away. That could be fun, right?"
"Yea. We'd have to learn a new language though."
"I think we could do it. We'll have plenty of time."
"Will the others come with us?"
"Of course. Although you'll have to be the one to convince Horus; he would never listen to me."
Traceback chuckled, her smile growing soft and distant. "What do you think we'll do after all this is over?"
"Well, I don't know. You always wanted to be a hero, right?"
"I don't really think I'm what they're looking for in a hero."
"Maybe, but who knows? It's not impossible. The future is unpredictable like that, I guess; you never know until you get there."
"I didn't know you were so philosophical."
"Well, I've had plenty of time to think lately. Nothing better to do besides contemplate, you know?"
"Yea..."
The two talked quietly for a while longer, their voices only enough for the other to hear. Exactly how long they remained there, they didn't know; it was hard to tell time inside that empty white place. The warm air of the climate-controlled room soon drew out the fatigue in Traceback. Strange, wasn't it? How a good cry could drain you so pleasantly. With Unknown's insistence, the redhead curled up under the thin white sheets, listening as the older girl continued her soft, idle words, occasionally offering a hum or giggle in response. It didn't take long for the heaviness of her eyelids and the white noise of quiet words to lure Traceback into a light sleep.