"You're being released from the hospital today." Aunt Hiroe said quietly, closing the door behind her as she entered the hospital room.
I didn't avert my eyes from the window as I sighed. "Really? I still can't walk."
"The doctor said that the paralysis is only temporary," I felt her take one of my hands. "You said you can at least wiggle your toes, right? It's only a matter of days, now."
I hummed at that, gaze flicking toward the wheelchair that had been set up by the bed, turning to face my aunt's tired eyes as she squeezed my hand.
"You and Aizawa should be well enough to make it to the Sports Festival in a couple days," she told me, sitting down. "You've been looking forward to that since last year, right?"
I shrugged.
"C'mon, Osoroshi," Hiroe pled, smiling weakly. "Don't let this over exertion of your quirk scare you away-"
"I'm not scared of anything." I cut her off bitterly and turned away. She sighed again.
"Right..." she trailed off and slowly let go of my hand to lean back in her seat. "Then don't let your father's death hold you back."
I cringed at the hard tone she used and squeezed my eyes shut.
Aunt Hiroe had always been a 'take-no-shit' kind of person, even when it came to her own brother's death. Sure, she was mourning in her own... special way, but she'd never let anyone know it. In her eyes, she had to be strong for me; and I didn't need anyone wasting any more of their emotions on me.
I had been stuck in the hospital for two days recovering from a brief surgery the doctors insisted was necessary. Apparently, due to the extra power I received from my mother's quirk, I healed a lot faster than they had previously anticipated. Yet, sometime between surgery and being bed ridden, I had lost the feeling in my legs entirely, and with the addition of my eye sight going to shit, I was nearly convinced that I was dying after all.
But unfortunately, that wasn't the case.
With a few tests and needle poking, the doctors had concluded that the vision loss and paralysis were only severe side effects of overusing my quirks, and that I should regain both in a matter of a few days. Go figure, I guess.
My aunt was relieved, but due to my 'critical' state, only my relatives were permitted inside my hospital room; which meant no Iida and no overly persistent Bakugou, both of which came to the hospital daily to try and worm their way in. Ironically, never at the same time, though.
I was left with phone calls and videos chats, yet neither was the same as actually seeing Iida. In other words, I was glad to receive the news of finally being able to depart from the hospital, nearly blind and paralyzed or not.
"Can we go visit Aizawa before we leave?" I queried after a while of silence.
Hiroe nodded. "He should be awake by now."
"When will he be released, do you think?" I asked another question while Hiroe began to gather our things.
"Before you're back to school, I'm sure." She nodded confidently, plopping her duffel bag on the foot of my hospital bed.
"I haven't gotten to see him since the USJ incident..." I mumbled, fiddling with the sheets blanketing my legs. "How bad is he?"
Hiroe glanced up from what she was doing briefly before trailing over to the window seat to grab her coat. "He's layered in bandages and both of his arms are broken, but he's fine..."
Hiroe paused for a moment and I looked up. She was running her thumbs along the fabric of her coat. "Y'know, he heard about Hyoga."
"It was only a matter of time." I replied quietly, looking down again.
"You won't believe what he said - no - asked," she walked back toward her duffel bag.
I tilted my head to the side questioningly.
"I mean, I don't have an issue with it, I've known Aizawa for, what, fifteen years?" Hiroe began to ramble on to herself and I frowned.
"Get to the point." I pouted and she smiled.
"Right," she nodded, sitting down again. "He asked me if it was alright if you went to live with him instead of me. It's not that I don't want your cute little self living with me, but I think it'd be good for the both of you."
"In what regard?" I rose a questioning eyebrow. She took my hand.
"Well, for starters, Aizawa lives alone and the only actual human interaction he gets is when he's at U.A. teaching," she laughed at that. "And... well, you're like a daughter to him already, y'know. I don't want things to change too drastically for you."
Turning my gaze away from her to think, I let out a tired sigh. "You're quirkless."
"Huh?" She sounded almost offended.
"You're quirkless, so me living with you could be potentially dangerous," I leaned back against my pillow, squeezing her hand. "Aizawa isn't, but he's hurt."
"Don't think too hard about this, Osoroshi," Hiroe told me, standing. "When Aizawa asks you about it, give him your answer. You have time to think this over, okay?"
I looked up to her as she maneuvered her way toward the door.
"I'm going to go fill out your release papers, I'll be back in fifteen minutes." Smiling and sending me a friendly wink, she slipped out of the doorway, leaving me to my own thoughts.
__________
"Knock-knock." Hiroe announced, wheeling me through Aizawa's door with the aid of a nurse.
Sucking in a breath, I looked up from my lap and locked my gaze upon Aizawa. All jokes aside, he looked more like a mummy rather than being 'littered in bandages,' as Hiroe phrased it. I felt my stomach drop at the sight and I immediately turned away.
As the door shut behind us, Hiroe guided me to Aizawa's bedside and took the guest chair next to me. The longer the silence ensued, the more nervous I felt. I couldn't help but think Hiroe telling me that Aizawa wanted me to live with him was a lie to hide how he was really feeling. That he really hated me for putting everyone in danger. For getting him seriously injured. For getting my father killed. For-
Focus, Osoroshi.
Finally looking up, I was startled to see that Aizawa was already turned in my direction. Despite the bandages covering the majority of his eyes, I could tell he was staring right back at me.
"You're in a wheelchair," he decided to point out the obvious and the tension in my shoulders relaxed.
"Yes." I nod.
"Is the damage permanent?"
I shook my head. Sighing in relief, he leaned back against the pillows propping him up and directed his gaze toward the ceiling.
"I'd hug you," he said after a moment of silence. "But... I'm all tied up."He lifted his bundled arms up slightly for emphasis.
"Since when do you make jokes?" I rose an eyebrow.
Aizawa shrugged, setting his arms down gently on his chest. "I figured you needed it after everything that happened."
I chewed on my cheek at that and looked down, feeling the dread wash into my system. "I'm.. I'm sorry."
"For what?"
"Existing," I breathed, fiddling with the cuffs of my sleeves. "If I wasn't around, none of this would have-"
"Knock that off," Aizawa demanded, sitting up suddenly. I squeezed my eyes shut. "I don't want to hear anything like that come out of your mouth again. What happened at USJ wasn't your fault, it wasn't anyone's but the villains that made it happen."
In a way, I was one of them.
"Maybe I should leave." I looked up and met his hard gaze. He physically tensed.
"What the hell do you mean by that?" Hiroe, finally finding her voice, demanded as she stood up.
"Think about it," I replied quietly, turning toward her. "Everyone seems to get hurt or killed when I'm around. Maybe it's best if I left Musutafu-"
"Where in God's name would you even go? You're making no sense, Osoroshi!" Hiroe scolded, fisting her hips angrily.
"I don't know," I shook my head frustratedly and looked down. "Away. Anywhere where I wouldn't hurt anyone."
"You didn't here," Aizawa pointed out tiredly.
"Fine," I spat, gripping the arm rests of my wheelchair. "Where I won't get anyone hurt."
"That's basically the same thing," Aizawa shook his head. "You aren't going anywhere but my house with your aunt. Everything is going to go back to how it was and we're all going to forget about what happened to Hyoga at USJ, what nearly happened to you. Do you understand?"
"Do I even get a say in what happens now?"
"No." Hiroe and Aizawa barked in unison. I flinched under their voices.
"How about U.A.? Do I get a choice in whether I stay enrolled there or not?" I tried again and they exchanged shocked glances.
"Why would you ever want to leave U.A.?" Hiroe spoke softer this time and sat back down.
"For the same reason I want to leave Musutafu." I replied simply.
"You can leave U.A.," Aizawa agreed, prompting my gaze to flicker over to him. "Only if your classmates agree that you should."
"That's not fair." I mumbled, narrowing my eyes.
"Why not? You're so convinced that no one wants you around, so everyone from class 1-A should agree to have you booted, right?" Aizawa reasoned, sending me a pointed look.
I opened my mouth to reply, but no words made their way into the air.
"Besides," Aizawa mumbled. "That Iida kid wouldn't let you leave. Neither would All Might. What you want to do, Osoroshi, is pretty selfish to the rest of us."
"Sometimes selfish things need to be done to keep other people safe." I retorted bitterly.
"Enough of this," Hiroe huffed, taking the handles of my wheelchair. "We're taking you to Aizawa's, and tomorrow, you're going to school whether you think it's 'right' or not."
Without letting me get another word in on the matter, Hiroe turned me toward the door and out into the hall. She was completely silent all the way to her car, when we stopped at my old apartment to grab some of my belongings, and all the way to Aizawa's house.
She carried me up the stairs with little effort, set me down on the guest bed with a change of clothes and my U.A. uniform resting neatly folded on the nightstand, and left me alone for the night.
I did nothing but lay awake that night, forcing the agitated tears that wanted to fall away with my eyes squeezed shut. With my paralysis, I couldn't defy Aizawa and Hiroe and leave anyway. I couldn't do anything but curse myself for everything that happened.
As I laid there with my fingers entangled in my silver hair, choking back sobs, all I wished was that Nightmare had killed me after all.
Even death sounded better than dealing with this sickening, self anguish.
~~~
An: good to see you guys again! I've been looking forward to writing Book 2 ever since the idea arose in my head during the middle of Book 1, and I really hope you guys enjoy reading it as much as I enjoy writing it!
Chapter 1 is a little underwhelming, but I hope it gets more exciting as I bring the story along.
In advance, thank you all for taking the time to read, and thank you for all of the very appreciated votes and comments!
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