Weekends were always the worst in terms of anticipation for me.
I did nothing but either sit alone in my room or do cardio downstairs, which didn't do much to distract me from all that was about to happen. I worked when I was alone, I did meager training indoors to prepare my body — at least a little — in hopes that it would do something to help me.
I was running on a mere few hours of sleep and couldn't bring myself to let myself rest. I was too worked up to stop working. I was too on edge to let myself sit down if I wasn't breezing through the files I had already read a thousand times.
I was in the living room, now, punching the air absently with music blaring from the TV. Hiroe wasn't home like she hadn't been for the last week and a half. She was too worried about Aizawa and made a promise to herself to monitor him. It gave me one less thing to worry about, and it kept them both in a secure and safe location, so I wasn't complaining.
But alas, that left me all by myself. It was risky to be alone, especially at night, but I wouldn't press my aunt — or anyone else — to look after me. To me, she did her part in caring for me when I was ridden to a wheelchair.
I jabbed the air for the umpteenth time before the sound of my cell ringing from the coffee table pulled me to a stop. I turned over my shoulder and squinted to make our the caller ID, and once I saw that it was Hiroe, I did a three-sixty turn and swiped the mobile up in my hand.
Pressing the 'answer' key, I held the phone to my ear. "Yuki, here."
"There's been a situation here at the station," a voice that didn't belong to my aunt said. I immediately sprinted my way up the stairs to change.
"Fill me in quickly." I instructed, putting the call on speaker whilst yanking my uniform out it's case.
"Eraserhead has escaped," said the policeman sullenly. "We tried to stop him, but it was futile."
"And Yuki Hiroe?" I pressed, buttoning my shirt on over my chest.
"She is being escorted to the emergency room now," he went on. I felt my heart fall to the floor and I paused briefly before tugging my boots on. "She was unconscious when we found her and for the most part unresponsive."
"What triggered this?" I bit, snatching my keys off the dresser before literally jumping down the stairs and out the front door.
"We're unsure, Miss," said the cop. Commotion rang out in the background. "But we advise you —"
"I'm already on my way," I interrupted, jamming the keys into the keyhole and starting the ignition. "I want a straight story by the time I get there. Make a full sweep of the area and check for any activity from Dream Walker, Satsujin, and their Living Dead."
"Understood, Miss."
__________
I screeched to the stop once I was in front of the station, and upon my arrival, I could see the front windows and the glass on the door shattered across the paved sidewalk.
I stepped out of the car and slammed the door shut before jogging up to the scene. A male officer — presumably the one I had spoken to — met me half way.
"Well?" I pressed.
He held out the white fabric he had been holding. I stared down at its dusted surface for a moment before taking it out of his hands.
"We found this in the containment cell." He said whilst I unraveled it.
My eyes widened severely at the sight of my old, tattered jacket that I left behind at the hospital. Though, this time, both of its sleeves were missing.
Only Satsujin could have done this.
"What's the situation with villainous activity?" I voiced my concern and looked back up to him.
"None so far, Miss," he replied promptly. "And as far as we're concerned, Dream Walker and his men are no where to be found."
"But they were here," I huffed, turning into the building through the broken glass door. "I know they were."
"Might I ask how, Miss?" Asked the officer as he followed me.
I held up the jacket. "How else would this have gotten into the cell?"
"No," he clarified. "How do you know that Dream Walker was the one to leave it?"
"Because he was the last one to have it." I answered curtly, skidding down the stairs instead of using the elevator to Aizawa's previous holding cell.
The policeman was silent as he hastily followed after me. I cut the corner and shot an arm out to the bashed door leading straight into the cell and forced it open. Upon doing so, the white that once consumed the room was dimmed considerably due to the damaged lights on the ceiling. The cell altogether was a thrashed mess, and once I stepped further inside, a poem written in red could be made out on the once pristine wall:
'The roses have wilted,
The violets are dead,
The demons run circles,
Round 'n round in my head.'
The cop, along with me, gasped at the sight. I stumbled out of the room at the realization that that definitely wasn't Dream Walker's handwriting.
It was Aizawa's.
"How did you miss that?" I hissed, gesturing to the bloody message on the wall. "How?"
"I-it wasn't there before, Miss, honest," said the rookie hurriedly, waving his hands frantically in front of him as I pinned him against the adjacent wall.
"How could it not be there before my father escaped?" I spat in his face. "Tell me!"
"I don't know!" He shouted back and I pushed myself off of him. A series of overwhelmed thoughts flooded my head.
What was happening to him?
Was he okay?
Where did Dream Walker take him?
Whose blood did he write with?
Hiroe.
"My aunt," I said breathlessly, scrambling to sprint down the hall. "You said she was being taken to the emergency room. Did you see if she was bleeding?"
"She was cut and pierced by shards of glass," he explained, running along behind me. "But I personally didn't see anything extreme."
"He'll never forgive himself." I muttered to myself, shoving my way out of the emergency staircase and back into the lobby of the station. "If he hurt her or anyone else..."
I walked straight out of the building and into my car, being too worry stricken to listen to what the man was frantically saying. I started the ignition and drove faster than I ever had in my life. I was sure that I even ran a few red lights and stop signs, but I had to get to Hiroe as quickly as possible. I had to be absolutely sure that she was okay before I could take any advancements forward in being sure that the still mind controlled Aizawa was in decent condition.
I was making a risky move in going to my aunt first, but I told her that she was my top priority — that she was my family and that she was the most important to me right now.
I couldn't quit on keeping my promises now, not like this.
Aizawa would just have to hold on until I could reach him. He had to.
__________
After literally screaming at the receptionist who had been unfortunate enough to be stationed at the front desk when I arrived, I came to realize that Hiroe was in the intensive care unit on the fourth floor.
I found this scenario painfully ironic as I took the elevator upstairs and ran down the halls once it came to a stop. I was patronized by several nurses as I ran, but I wouldn't let anything stop me from finding her room.
Room fourteen, room fourteen, room fourteen...
I turned a corner and saw Hiroe's room number on the opposite wall. I ran forward and slammed the doors open, quite literally scaring the life out of a nurse who had been checking my aunts vitals.
"Miss —"
"I've had enough of people calling me 'miss," I snapped, prompting the young woman to flinch. "This is my aunt's room and I swear to god if you tell me to leave or to 'keep my voice down,' I'll freeze your goddamn mouth shut."
Her hazel eyes were wide in shock and slight intimidation, and without looking away from me she snatched up her clipboard and scurried out of the room passed me.
I let out the concealed breath I was holding in and walked hurriedly passed the curtain that prevented me from seeing Hiroe.
I wanted to let out a wail at the sight of seeing her connected to a medical ventilator and several other machines. I don't care what that cop said, a few measly pieces of glass could not have hurt her this badly.
I felt as if I was stuck in place as I dawned at her cut face and the light bruise under her right eye. Her short black hair was tangled and sprawled out across the puffy pillow her head laid on, and despite the machine and her facial injuries, she almost looked to be at peace if it weren't for the slight arch of her left eyebrow.
I bit down hard on my cheek and forced one foot in front of the other. I didn't take weeks of physical therapy for my legs to give up on me now. However, I was only able to force myself to the very edge of the plastic footboard. I couldn't even bring myself to touch it, let alone her.
She didn't deserve this. She left, sure, but that's just what Yuki's do when times got too extreme. When we were afraid. Right then I was scared. Right then I even contemplated on leaving again; but I couldn't. I wouldn't let that hereditary instinct pull me out of my problems again, not when another one of my family member's lives were at stake. I even had to force myself into one of the chairs beside her bed to stop myself from turning out of the room and Musutafu altogether.
I rested my elbows on my knees and my chin on my knuckles, hearing nothing but the steady beeping of Hiroe's monitor and the rapid beating of my own heart.
I should be glad that Hiroe was escorted to the hospital safely, but the mere fact that she was only temporarily moved out of harms way didn't comfort me at all.
If she wasn't safe surrounded by cops, what would make me think that she'd be okay with defenseless doctors?
I was hesitant on leaving her at all. I went over again and again why she came back when she knew that this was bound to happen. I wondered why she forced herself back into my life and back into my arms when she knew that I was dangerous; when that was the main reason for her leaving in the first place.
Why did she do it?
What was she thinking?
If Aizawa put her up to this, I knew she'd never forgive him or me for what happened once she complied. She'd erase herself from the picture entirely and I was convinced of that.
I didn't blame her, either. If she wanted to leave, she had every single right to. She had every single right to hate me.
And I would let her because it was easier that way.
I looked up slowly to glance at her again, feeling this irrational hope that she'd magically be okay. That her eyes would ironically be open and that she'd be staring back at me, sending me exaggerated eye gestures to get that damn ventilator tube out from down her throat. But, alas, life wasn't a fairytale and that's not how it works. There always had to be a little bit of unnecessary hardship sprinkled around somewhere, and this just so happened to be the way God or whoever else decided the screw me over.
'God wouldn't put your through anything you couldn't handle,' my ass. Who in their right mind thought that someone like me would be able to handle all of this and a bag of chips?
I breathed out deeply and willed myself back to my feet again. My gaze lingered on my aunt's face for no longer than a moment until I stepped out into the hall, mobile in my hand and finger hovering over Iida's contact.
I wanted to see if he was okay more than I wanted his comfort. Knowing that he was safe was enough to ease my nerves, even if it was a little bit.
"Osoroshi," Iida answered on the third ring, sounding a bit surprised. "What's up?"
"Just..." I trailed off for a moment, debating whether or not to tell him where I was or what just happened. I'd have to eventually. "... checking in."
"You don't sound too sure of that," Iida laughed lightly and the sound alone lifted my spirits. "But I'm fine, if that's what you're wondering."
I smiled weakly. "Good... that's good. I'm glad to hear it."
"What's wrong?" He questioned. "I can tell something's wrong."
I took in a deep breath. "It's Aizawa."
"What happened?" Iida pressed, tone even and serious. "Are you hurt? Is he?"
"No," I answered quickly. "But Hiroe is."
"Fill me in, Osoroshi."
"He broke out of his containment cell and Hiroe was caught in the crossfire," I explained, pacing the hall in front of her room. "She's on a ventilator as we speak..."
"Do you know how severe her condition is?"
"No..." I trailed off again. "I scared the nurse away before I could ask."
"That sounds like you," Iida said, though there was no amusement in his tone. "How are you holding up? Do you need me to come down there?"
"No, no," I reassured. "I'm okay, really."
He was silent for a moment. "Alright, then what's the plan?"
The plan.
That's a good question.
"Well," I began unsurely. It almost felt as if I was nervous. "My initial plan was to speak with Hiroe to see if she knew anything that the officers at the station didn't, but due to her being unconscious, I can't exactly do that."
"And what about Aizawa?" Iida continued. "Are we going to advance against Dream Walker tonight? Do you know where they are?"
"No," I deadpanned. "No one does. No ones telling me anything. This may just be a warning."
"He's full of nothing but warnings," Iida justified. "He could be using Aizawa as a tool against you."
"That's what I anticipated since he was taken," I breathed, turning my gaze toward the window. The city lights twinkled against the nighttime sky like fireflies. "Why else would Dream Walker go out of his way to take him back?"
"He has to be making his move soon." Iida concluded, sounding fairly sure of himself.
I pursed my lips and squinted my eyes once my gaze had locked onto a distorted dot traveling downward toward a building in the distance. Normally, I wouldn't think anything of it, but seeing a smaller attachment shooting away from the original body of the dot and into the side of the building was another story, and one that got me to follow it.
I watched in silence as the darkened city was lit up with an explosion. It took me a moment to register what I had just seen, and the recoil of the boom made the hospital walls shake.
"Osoroshi?" Iida called, hearing the explosion just as I had.
"Looks like your were right," I observed evenly, keeping my eyes on the fire licking up into the air from the side of the business building. "Gather class A. We meet downtown in fifteen."
"What about the pros?"
"I'm sure they're already on their way."