The crowd watched the family of Taeko surround his body, witnesses to the bleeding hero that saved their lives. The civilians watched with broken hearts, many wanted to get a closer look but everyone stayed back out of consideration for his family. Hitomi and Kaina both shared in gut-wrenching tears, frantically shaking Taeko's body in hopes of awakening him. Tears through the fabric of his uniform bridged more blood to seep onto his skin, painting his body with crimson streams.
The mixture of blood and burning wood plagued the air as did the constant creaking and banging of random metals. Hitomi nearly fainted within seconds, only finding the strength to stand when remembering where she was. They were surrounded by countless villains and while they showed no signs of malice, she couldn't find any comfort around them. Despite her mind telling her to remain alert, all Hitomi could focus on was her injured son.
She had never seen him no bruised and bloody ever, nor could she have ever imagined it. The young boy she couldn't raise was no death in her arms, all she could do was watch and listen to his soft breathing. Hitomi knew that one day she'd have to prepare herself for the day her son becomes a hero and gets injured. However, this night didn't seem natural and only acted as a surreal illusion meant to torment her relationship with her family even further. Tears swelled around her eyes but remained locked away, only visible distress manifested in the form of shaking hands.
When looking back at Kaina, her emotions were much more visible with opposition. Purple mascara ran down her face with choked sobs, believing that her partner would soon be lost to his injuries. A sniffle broke free at the painful twist of fate, her life was given back to her, all in return for the one she cared most about. She held onto his body, similar to how Taeko held hers at Tartarus, surrounded by villains and flames. His body felt heavier as he lay unconscious, forcing Kaina to muster all her physical strength to hold him tighter.
"Taeko." Kaina whispered, only able to vocalize a brief sentence before breaking out into another tearful huff. Never had she felt so alone in the world, even when trapped in Eclipse's grasp, Kaina knew Taeko was out there somewhere. But now, she anxiously awaited for a sudden death, holding onto crumbling fear that prevented her from staying strong. "We were almost free."
Her voice trembled after each annunciation, unknowingly reciting the exact phrase Taeko spoke earlier. Together they rocked back and forth with the somber assassin tuning out the rest of the world in order to listen to Taeko's breathing.
A sudden crackle of lightning in the sky overhead made the crowd look up after a brief scare. From the dancing, thunderbolts descended a man clad in white and gold armor, to which only three recognized. Trekeon landed on a clear area within the crowd, quickly rushing toward the Bi-Han family in the middle. Sparks bounced from his boots as he slid onto the ground, frantically scanning Taeko's body for wounds.
"I'm sorry..." Hiroshi spoke, bowing his head down as a show of respect for the fallen hero. Hitomi's eyes looked at the armored hero with a look of desperation, unspokenly asking for him to repeat the miracle from before. While Taeko still breathed and showed signs of living, his mother immediately started to prepare for the worst.
Before Hiroshi could say anything, the sounds of heavy boots marching against the ground echoed through the streets. From every corner of every block, soldiers donned in heavy black and gray riot gear began to appear. They were instantly recognized to belong to the World Federation. They were the leading military force used around the world to secure cities and counties, every soldier was both loyal and expendable. Fusae quickly began to inch closer to the group gathered in the middle, pulling the three Bi-Hans, Juba, Hibiki, and Kaina closer to her.
"Halt! Everyone remain where you are and spread apart!" One soldier shouted into a booming microphone. This one wore a bright yellow vest over his right shoulder to signify high-ranking status. "You are all gathered past curfew. Information about a wanted hero known as Spider-Man is here. Hand him over to us and your violation of Eclipse's rules will be excused."
The Spellcaster hero began to whisper another spell followed by eyes that ignited with green energy. This began to form a green circle around underneath them, with the vague outline of another room on the other end. One of the villains in the crowd, upon noticing this knew what was happening. He turned back to face the soldiers and began to create large daggers in the air.
"By the time to escape! Let Spider-Man get help!" He shouted, instantly rallying other villains with his plan. The soldiers quickly armed themselves and retaliated with a barrage of bullets, creating a firefight from all angles. Luckily, Fusae had gotten a headset with her spell, granting the seven times to teleport away before any stray bullets could hit them. Fusae made sure to extend the spell over to the Directive employees, sending them to another location.
As the group warped away from the scene with the sound of bullets ricocheting against cars, their surroundings changed to a closed room. They were now replaced into a small hospital room inside of the hidden safe house. The dizziness quickly took effect on the fainter of bodies, but strong-willed such as Hitomi push through it for her son.
Now under the brightness of an overhead light, they were able to properly look at Taeko. His costume barely hung on with tearing threads. Three bullet wounds were now visible to them, immediately sending a strong strain of shame to course through Juba's body. His eyes shook for a moment as he processed his part in wounding Taeko, only shifting more blame onto the older man. Instead of showing vulnerability, Juba swallowed his emotions and quickly ran toward the door.
He slammed it open much to the brief scare for everyone around him. Juba poked his head out and began slamming his hand against the nearby wall to gather the attention of anyone outside. "We need doctors and nurses! NOW! We got Spider-Man in here dying!" The nurses inside of the hallway didn't register what Juba said and stared back at him with confused looks. "WHAT'S THE DAMN MATTER WITH YOU?! YOU GOT BUGS IN YER EARS?! GET US DOCTORS FOR SPIDER-MAN!"
The loud and motivating words prompted multiple people dressed in white coats to rush through the hallway. Juba quickly shuffled out of the way as dozens of people pushed through the door. The others inside knew what to do and stepped aside to allow to the medical professionals to work, albeit standing as close as they could to watch.
The unconscious Taeko was lifted up onto a standard hospital cot, and the white sheets soaked up his body within seconds. Multiple voices conversed and echoed throughout the room, with many asking for tools or immediate assistance. Despite the unfortunate circumstance of the reveal, they were thankful Taeko's identity was now known, as it allowed them to work without roadblocks. Taeko had only been admitted to a hospital once before after a rough battle with Beetle months ago, and the doctors had to constantly be mindful of not removing his mask.
Now, they were able to cut through and remove pieces of his costume that needed to go. Underneath the red and blue uniform lay a battered and bruised body, open cuts scattered around, purple marks from countless punches, ending with numerous broken bones. No one inside the room would dare speak it, but they all shared clouding fear that they'd lose their hero. They connected IV tunes into his arms to restore nutrients and assist with blood imbalances.
"We'll start with removing the bullets, hand me the Arthroscopic shaver." As soon as the doctor opened her palm she was handed the exact tool in question. As she fastened her gloves to secure them in place, another doctor placed a large microscope a few inches above the open wounds. Both medics nodded to each other and got to work carefully digging into Taeko's body to remove the invasive lead. The sounds of flesh and muscle tissue squelching around became too much for Hitomi to bare and quickly excused herself, with Kaina and Hiroshi following.
The latter made sure to quietly shut the door to avoid messing up the surgery. Much to their gratitude there was a large window built within the wall, allowing them to see inside as the doctors continued to work. Hitomi pressed her back against the wall and placed two fingers below her brow as it furrowed. For a brief second, she believed everything was alright as she managed to catch her heart rate before it increased. However, once her eyes graced onto the sight of doctors cutting small incisions into her son's chest, she finally broke. What came first was a loud gasp before her legs began to give in, leading her to slowly sink down to the floor. The formerly well-built wall of hope started to break down as tears of uncontrollable emotions broke free from their impassive prison.
Both Kaina and Hiroshi knelt down to help her up by carefully grabbing hold of her arms. Hitomi shook her arms free and continued to lie on the ground, failing to control her tears. She looked up at the two with puffy red eyes, filling them both with wordless agony. Here sat a mother on the brink of losing her only child once again, and it was completely out of her hands once again.
After her momentary stun, Kaina acted with her instinct to ease Hitomi's emotions. The former sat down right next to her and wrapped her arms around her, offering her a hug that spoke for her. It was clear that they both were terrified beyond anything else, and found comfort in the fact that they were there for each other. Both women shared a silent sob as the doctors continued to operate, only able to hope for the best outcome.
Hiroshi sat beside them too just a few inches away, not wanting to intrude on their hug. The familiarity of the hospital was too recognizable, as he once ran through this very hallway years ago to give a final goodbye to his loved one. He made sure to hide the recognition of potential tragedy by turning his head away from them. He didn't want to note the similarities lived through, as he didn't want to detract from their current situation.
Juba walked back to the hallway after taking a moment to collect his thoughts, still feeling shame for his part in hurting Taeko. When he noticed the women seated on the floor he assumed that they weren't allowed back in, which caused him to stand and watch in front of the window. His eyes shook as he watched the doctors pull out a large bloody caliber, before dropping it onto a small container. Overcome with grief and shame, Juba turned around and stand in front of Hitomi.
She looked up to find an older man staring down at the floor, silently taking in his mistakes. Juba was a man of mixed emotions that he usually wore on his sleeve, but sadness was rarely one of them. He felt a foreign feeling envelop his body as his eyes began to flutter once again, warm liquid stinging his skin as it ran down his face and onto the floor. Hitomi didn't say anything, as she wanted him to say whatever he needed to when he was ready. Juba gritted his teeth and hissed under his breath, grasping his face with one hand as his throat croaked to sputter out words. Suddenly, he knelt down and placed both hands on the ground, as if he was asking for forgiveness.
"You're his mother?" Juba mumbled, still keeping his forehead pressed against the ground. Hitomi nodded in response as she was too choked up to respond, however, she quickly realized that Juba could only acknowledge verbal responses.
"Yes. Yes I am."
Juba took a deep breath as he felt the cracks beneath his near-impenetrable hide begin to break. "I'm sorry. For everything I've done to harm your son. I've called him a menace and tried to ruin his life every day since he first swung into this city. I made sure the city never fully accepted him, regardless of how much he's sacrificed to save us all. I condemned him because I was afraid and greedy to find something to sell to the public. When I tried to help... I only ended up making it worse. I-I shot your son, ma'am. I wanted to finally put an end to that Green monster, but he jumped in the way to save him. That's why I once used to hate Spider-Man... because he's the greatest hero of us all. I just never saw it until now. I don't expect you to forgive me, but I can't hold this back. If Taeko does... if he does end up... then know that this is my fault."
Both women blinked at each other and turned back to face Juba, failing to stifle their snickers. Their muffled laughter immediately brought Juba to scramble up and stare at them with immense perplexion. Juba frantically felt his face and brushed over his mustache, believing he had something smeared across his face that made him appear comical. He held back from growing frustrated, as it was quite easy for Juba to allow his emotions to take control.
"This isn't your fault," Hitomi replied, whispering unintentionally as the lump in her throat prevented her voice from a loud delivery. Her eyes graced back onto the doctors as they removed the final bullet, spilling blood all over her son. These actions weren't from one person in particular, but the unfortunate reality they were forced to find themselves within. Heroes and villains keep the world stuck in a constant status quo, perpetually spinning the endless cycle of violence until it'll all collapses upon itself.
Hitomi knew that Taeko was one of the few souls who worked to change that. She looked upon her son with somberness but found pride beneath the light of it all. While it wasn't enough to heal her pain or ease her worries, she couldn't have been more proud of what he'd done to save lives.
"Nothing could have stopped him from doing anything he did tonight." Kaina continued, still rubbing her neck to readjust the numbness in her muscles. Her eyes stared at the unconscious man who lay so motionless that it continuously spiked her heart rate. "That's just the kind of person he is, too stubborn to quit when he's hurt. He doesn't stop. He fights until there's nothing left... until..." Kaina trailed off, losing focus as the doctors now proceeded to hold out their hands.
Bright pink and blue energy illuminated their palms, showing a Quirk in effect. Fusae stood in the middle and began to recreate the same mending potion she made for Kaina. She repeated the same process as she did for his formerly deceased partner, pouring the liquid down his throat with ease. Hiroshi explained what was happening when he caught onto Kaina's worried expression.
Their anxiety spiked high once Fusae and the head doctor opened the door, leading everyone to stand up at frightening speed. They gathered next to each other like a group of starving animals, desperate to gain something that would satisfy their minds. Hitomi grabbed onto Kaina's wrist, needing something to keep her hands busy at the moment.
"He will live. I can assure you of that." The doctor spoke, wanting to skip ahead to what they all waited to hear. Upon saying this, the group let out a collective sigh, with Juba and Hiroshi cheering loudly and echoing their booming voices all throughout the building. Hitomi was found to have a mixture of bubbling joy and relief, which proved too much for her to handle. She nearly tipped over if it weren't for Kaina catching her, looking at her with a tearful beam that stretched across her face. Hitomi and Kaina began to break out into a burst of sobbing laughter, not caring if anyone watched.
"He's suffered multiple broken bones in his arms, ribs, shoulder, wrists, and a few more. Lacerations in nearly every muscle of his body, fractures, excessive blood loss, internal organ damage, extensive burns around his arms and legs, slight traumatic brain injuries, and spinal cord damage." The lengthy list of injuries brought complete shock to the group, striking the two women straight through the heart. The doctor raised her hand to stop their fearful thoughts from taking control, however, that didn't stop Hitomi from feeling a mixture of feeling nauseous and winded even after he finished. "We were able to heal most of them with the help of Fusae, we couldn't fully heal them with her Quirk, as it could lead to many health issues. Forcing the body back into its original position could lead to greater worries, so we'll leave the rest to time. You're more than welcome to go inside, he is comatose as of right now, and I don't know when he'll wake up. My work with heavy hero injuries leads me to believe it'll be a few days, but, I've never treated one that held an entire building up before."
The doctor nodded at them before whistling for her team to follow her. As the rest of the doctors began to pile out of the door, the allies of Taeko graciously thanked them for their help. Once they had left the area, Hitomi wrapped her arms around Fusae.
"I...I can't thank you enough for what you've done. I can't... you saved my family... thank you, Fusae." Hitomi said, tightening her arms to show extensive gratitude. The others thanked Fusae as well, causing her to become flustered from the praise.
"It's nothing, really." Fusae smiled, nervously twirling her lantern staff up with one hand. The echoing praise from the group filled her an overwhelming feeling. She allowed the group to enter the room, deciding to stand outside and give them time with him.
The four closed to provide privacy for the group, allowing them to find vulnerability around each other. All their eyes landed and held onto Taeko's body, Hitomi held her hands close to her chest, afraid that her heart would grow cold in an instant. They took their seats and sat in silence but occasionally started conversations.
Hitomi looked around at the colorful groups of allies gathered around her son. She knew much about Kaina and Hiroshi to understand why they were around him. The others were still just new faces revolving around a life she was adjusting too. "Excuse me?" Hitomi croaked, bringing the group to look at her. It was clear in everyone's eyes that no one was comfortable yet, not until their hero was with them. "When did you all first meet him?"
Juba and Hibiki were double-blinked as they both processed her question, going back to years prior when they first met the hero. They explained how Taeko first arrived at the Directive as a teenager looking for a side job to help pay for his college. Both saw nothing to gawk at when Taeko first joined the staff, but his persistence despite the harsh work culture was notable.
"I didn't pay too much attention at first, he was just another boy trying to sell photos. I've had tons of kids come in trying to make a wage chasing heroes, it was just standard to me." Juba admitted, but it wasn't surprising to hear from him. "But one day-- one day I remember yelling at him because he didn't want to get a photo of Spider-Man-- himself committing a crime. That's when I knew he was one of the few people who didn't mind putting up with my shit and telling me to change."
"First day I met him he was sneaking around in the third-floor closet... but come to think about it more-- he was probably hiding his secret," Hibiki added, drifting her eyes onto the torn mask laying down on the table nearby. "That secret identity of his... how did he even hide it from everyone? Why did he need to? 80 percent of the population have Quirks."
"He wanted to protect us." Kaina replied resting his chin against one hand while she carefully grabbed one of Taeko's with another. His skin felt rough from the burn marks and the threads of stitches wrapped around made it hard to caress. She was probably the only person who knew why Taeko never told the world his identity. "He wasn't a man with something to hide, but something to protect. He knew that he'd make a lot of enemies and having them go after us was all he wanted to avoid... seems he was right."
Kaina rubbed her neck at the haunting reminder of her short mortality mere hours ago. When her neck snapped, Kaina had a few seconds to comprehend the fading world. She couldn't move or talk but she could still experience everything, the frigid temperature in the air, the sound of the water moving, Noritaka's laughter, Taeko's arms wrapped around her, and the chilling noise being the bloodcurdling scream he put out.
In wanting to help in his battles, she believed to have only traumatized him in the end. Sure, she was still alive at the end of it all, but for a short while, she wasn't. It was because she couldn't act quick enough to save herself and forced that pressure onto her partner when he was focusing on another life-or-death situation. She questioned if her involvement in her escapades offered anything beneficial, as most of her work involved harming Taeko in the end.
"Hey..." Hiroshi began, with the similarity of his voice to Taeko causing the group to find momentary joy. That moment was short-lived when they saw that Taeko was still unconscious. "Whatever you're all feeling right now, don't let blame or guilt be in it. Trust me, he and I were a lot alike in more than just looks. Being around him and in his life gives him strength and motivation, none of you are distractions or weaknesses to be exploited by villains. It took me a while to understand but having people in your corner really makes the struggle worth it in the end. Sometimes trying to save the world is too much pressure, but trying to save who you care about makes it easier to keep fighting."
Hiroshi spoke from years of experience and growth. His time at U.A. and as a pro hero taught him the value of allowing others to help with his conflicts. Kyoka and his other friends and family he had assisted in buildings Trekeon's potential.
"And right now I know he's still fighting just to see all of you again." Hiroshi smiled, trying to give the rest of them hope. In a similar situation months prior, he was hospitalized and sedated in a coma after heavy injuries in the battle against the Villain Consortium.
"I wish I could know what's going on in his head right now... if there's anything," Hitomi admitted with a sigh, now holding the torn mask in her hands. She shivered at the touch of blood splattered around the eyes that stared back at her. She started to recognize the design from old drawings he used to show her as a child. "I need to know if he's still in there..."
Hiroshi raised a brow after hearing Hitomi's wish and suddenly found an idea. He stood up and spotted his chair closer to Taeko and sparked up both fists, alarming those who hadn't seen it before. However, he did intrigue everyone when the sparks began to transform into a white shade. "Don't worry, this is completely safe. I used this earlier to help him with that creature, I can use my Raitoningu Link to communicate in his mind. If he's awake inside, I'll find him."
No one objected to Hiroshi's plan, nor did they find any reason to. Most had already grown to trust him immensely for all his help in one night and saw him for the genuine man he was. While Hiroshi and Taeko were the same age, they saw him as an older and wiser version that had more experiences to grow and teach others. Similar to Spider-Man, Trekeon was forced to find a mold in harsh circumstances and still came out as an individual with unending compassion and morals.
Hiroshi placed one hand on top of Taeko's forehead and connected their link within a few seconds. The former leaned back against his chair and closed his eyes, quickly falling into a state of heightened slumber.
Hiroshi re-opened his eyes and found himself standing in the middle of an empty field, where the grass extended to his waist. The beaming sun illuminated the crisp flowers, with each containing various colors on their faces. He smiled at the familiarity of the greenery, as it was his third time returning to this place. The Noble mountains in the distance seemed more inviting than previous times, and the clear skies removed all memories of Hirito's tampering.
Hiroshi started moving toward the one location where he knew Taeko would be, assuming he shared the same experience. The green tulips brushed against his hands, almost pushing him to keep moving. Pink and red tinges arose from the ground one by one, leading a path for Hiroshi to follow.
In the distance, he spotted a small rose garden with a man his age standing inside. Hiroshi hastened his pace once he recognized Taeko in the distance, and the shuffling of heavy boots against grasses alerted the latter of the incoming presence.
"Taeko! Can you hear me!" Hiroshi shouted as he was unsure if Taeko had ears in this realm. In his first time entering the Raitoningu Link, Hiroshi couldn't hear anything aside from crackling thunder nor could he say anything.
The identical hero raised his hand up to calm the booming man down and confirmed he could hear. "Yeah, Hiroshi... I can hear you loud and clear..." Taeko softly smiled, although it was clear there was a pain behind his smile. "So... I guess we both died, huh? I bet Gobby is real proud."
"Huh? Wait... no- we're not dead! We're just inside a spiritual plane of our brains, it's created through our Quirks, just like when we were in the Symbiote thing." Hiroshi replied, giggling wildly in response to Taeko's questions. "And everyone's waiting for you out there, Juba, Hibiki, your mother... Kaina..."
Immediately Taeko's eyes enlarged with disbelief that rivaled overwhelming joy. Hearing her name waiting amongst the others finally confirmed that he wasn't hallucinating before passing out. He remembered staring into her eyes so vividly and upon waking up again without her, he assumed it was another cruel trick from the world. All he could do was smile. Taeko smiled before breaking out into a hearty chuckle, before scaring Hiroshi with a sudden bear hug. Spider-Man wrapped his arms tightly around Trekeon and lifted him off the ground, finding that words were too cheap to show his appreciation.
For once, in a long time, Taeko felt that his life was finally finding the order of peace that was missing. He had finally beaten his enemies and managed to save innocents from his mistakes, even if the world still burned, he found comfort in fanning the flames with his family. Any doubt he held about his role as Spider-Man shattered and faded away, finally riding the hero of any hesitation to continue forward. Sure, he made mistakes and some were costly, but Taeko never stopped trying to amend and work harder. The unspoken desire to be at his best constantly placed a pressure too great that made any failure weigh down heavily, but now, Taeko knew he didn't need to be perfect.
He was already Spectacular.
He set Hiroshi back onto his boots, sharing a smirk with the older version of himself. Hiroshi then dropped onto his back, which alarmed Taeko until he noticed the soft impact. Hiroshi sighed loudly as he placed his hands behind his head and basked in the sun. Both felt tired from what seemed like an endless night of battle, and both Bi-Hans followed in enjoying the moment together. Even though they couldn't feel any wounds or bodily afflictions inside the Raitoningu Link plain, it didn't stop them from resting sore bones and complaining about it together.
"Hey, I gotta ask, what's your world like? Any big differences?" Taeko asked, keeping his head slightly elevated with his hands to keep his hair from getting dirty.
"Well... for one there's no Spider-Man or any of your villains. This whole Beautification never happened and I don't think those villains exist there either." Hiroshi replied keeping his eyes closed to avoid looking into the sun directly. "A lot of my friends are though, Midoriya, Bakugo, Todoroki, Lida, Kirishima, Ohocko, Yaoyorozu, Kaminari... it goes on."
"Todoroki..." Taeko whispered. "He died a few months ago during the final battle with Maelstrom... and his brother and dad didn't make it either." Taeko thought back to thr sight of Jikshour murdering Enji right in front of him, but elected not to mention that.
"That's... that's weird to hear," Hiroshi replied bluntly, as it was really the only way he could. "It's just... Todoroki and I are good friends on my Earth... we graduated together and have dinner most nights on patrol. But to know that it's different here? I can't imagine that... but um... yeah, I'd say we're both pretty close. All Might gives his power to Izuku, All For One waging war across Japan, and going to U.A-"
"Heh... I didn't actually go to U.A., my cousin did." Taeko interrupted, finding it somewhat hilarious because he knew how glorified the school was.
"Wait, seriously? Where'd you go? Shiketsu high?" Hiroshi asked with a clear surprise lingering around in his voice. He was one of the students in class 1A back at his home, and he owed U.A. a lot of his development and happiness, so hearing his counterpart grow without that came off as a surprise.
"Nope. Homeschooled myself."
"You're kidding." Hiroshi retorted in disbelief but widened his eyes once Taeko nonchalantly shrugged to confirm his tale. "Wow... guess you're smarter than me."
"Hey, people don't know that I'm more than just a quipped-up curly hair hero, I've got a brain too." Taeko grinned as he tapped his forehead with his index finger. "Alright, I got another question. Who's your worst bad guy? Or just the most annoying villain you fight."
"My dad." Hiroshi replied nearly immediately and without any hesitation. Taeko wasn't too shocked to hear that answer, as he heard the White Tiger mention something about his evil parent earlier. "He made my family's life hell and even after leaving we all felt his impact. He died a few months ago after we fought... not by me but by someone else."
"I'm sorry you had to go through that, I bet it wasn't easy."
"It never was and when I think about it..." Hiroshi started to reply, slowly raising his hand to reach out toward the sun. The combination of the beaming sun and a longing regret nearly formed tears. The wind pushed around his fingers as his fist grasped nothing, but blocked out the light. "All I wanted was my family. For a while, I lost my brother and my mom was in the hospital... and Hirito stayed to remind me of what he could take away. I just wish that I had a normal family experience."
"You and me both," Taeko exhaled and shook his head. "My parents disappeared when I was ten. My dad died and my mom lost her memory across the world, and until recently it was just me. It's getting harder to remember what my dad and I used to do. Wish we could've done a lot more together and now that I have my mom back there are so many years of lost time to make it for... I'm just scared I'll lose her again..."
As Taeko continued to talk about his potential troubles, Hiroshi noticed a yellow glimmer in the distance behind him. The latter slowly sat up and squinted his eyes as the light died out to reveal a male figure standing just a few feet away. He wasn't recognizable to the lightning hero and his sudden presence confused Hiroshi. As far as he was aware no one else could enter the link, which made him wonder if it worked differently in this world.
It was only when Hiroshi suddenly flashed back to a glimpse of Taeko's memories was when he recognized the approaching man. Taeko was completely oblivious with shut eyes and endless rambling about what he wanted his life to be moving forward. He was suddenly cut off when Hiroshi began rapidly tapping his shoulder with a short gasp.
"What? Is something..." Taeko blurted and quickly sat up, fearing something bad was happening. He caught sight of the shadow looming over him nearby. Taeko looked up and now stared into the eyes of a ghost from his past, making him gasp and stumble onto his feet. When he was at eyes length of the man Taeko shook away disbelief and bridged into a tearful smile.
"...Dad?"
Questioned the young man. He placed every bet on the man not responding or simply fading away and leaving his questioned unanswered. Everything from his ebony black hair to the large glasses he wore told Taeko that he was indeed his father. Kaito Bi-Han responded by pulling Taeko into a soft hug, knowing that they didn't need words to acknowledge the miracle.
For seemed like the minutes both father and son held onto each other without letting go. Eyes wide shut and stretched-out grins communicated to each other that despite the lost years, they never forgot of the family that once was. Taeko had been through too many unexpected reunions to break down into tears, so responding with a simple show of affection worked wonders to ease his mind.
Kaito patted Taeko's shoulder before carefully pushing his back to look him in the eyes. With one finger his moved a strand of Taeko's hair away from concealing his eyes, allowing them both to gaze in pupils stolen. In knowing everything that Taeko had accomplished, Kaito had one thing he needed to say. The one thing that he knew Taeko should've heard long ago from his family.
"You did good, son."
[Next Chapter: Web of Spider-Man: Finale]