Stormy September Sunday
Faces and places blurred in and out of Kalianne's vision as she pushed her quirk's flight to its limits.
Windows shattered a few blocks ahead, and a scream echoed a second later. The heroine's eyes darted between the villain running from the jewelry shop and the person she was chasing. Before she could decide her next move, the dragon acted.
Yuusei dived, gaining even more speed. He plucked the thief off the ground, knocked him out, and threw him at a lamppost alongside a capture device. Honoken continued to chase his beating wings, only sparing a glance at the bound criminal.
He hadn't said anything since he took off, which was completely understandable. His cousin had been hospitalized by a villain, after all.
Besides her worry for his family, she also worried for him. It happened while they were on the other side of the city, helping with a rescue operation, so there was nothing he could have done about it. Yet he was undoubtedly blaming himself for it because of the villain responsible.
He landed a few streets behind the hospital and powerwalked the rest of the way. The last thing he needed was someone seeing a dragon flying to the building and leaking to the media where the wounded Shiketsu student was recovering.
Without using his quirk, he was just an underground hero in costume. No one paid him any mind as he crossed the hospital's doors, with Kalianne following behind.
He skipped the reception desk and went straight for Orochi's room, knowing its location from messages sent by her mother.
Two and a half years of hero internships. Seven months of pro-hero work. Yuusei could say he was used to seeing people get injured. Visiting them in the hospital. Being there while they recovered. It was simply a reality of his profession.
And yet... this unease running through his body felt uncomfortably new.
Orochi wasn't a hero who had prepared herself to give her life for others.
She was... his little cousin. Too young to be facing this kind of danger, even if she was training.
Crossing the foyer, he stopped before the doors leading to Orochi's room, looking back at his friend.
"Sorry, Kalianne..." he sighed, looking down. "I think it's only family from this point on."
Stepping forward, she put a hand on his chest.
"Go," Kalianne urged, lightly pushing him towards the doors. "I'll be here."
He grabbed her hand, squeezing it once and turning away with a soft "Thanks."
She didn't need to follow him this far, yet she did, and he was all the more grateful for it.
A nurse guided him the rest of the way. His dread seemed to multiply as he walked through the white corridor, hearing only the echoing of his steps and muffled conversation from the room.
As he took a deep breath and reached for the door handle, it opened, revealing a middle-aged man with a weary expression.
"Yuusei."
"... Father."
Yuujirou Atsushi clapped his son's shoulder, pulling him inside the room. They walked to the patient, whose face was scrunched up in her sleep, tails twitching occasionally.
Nightmares. Orochi was having nightmares.
From her daughter's bedside, Nabiki Atsushi glanced up at him with puffy eyes.
"... she's stable," she told him with a low voice. "The doctors expect her to make a partial recovery, but..."
She didn't finish, but Yuusei understood. Her regeneration would get her through this. But only physically. Having that same power be forced past its limit by a chainsaw-wielding lunatic would leave its mark on her mind.
His cheerful little cousin would end up traumatized by this.
"... I apologize, Aunt Nabiki," he said, bowing deeply. "This disaster with Feral at the helm... the blame is all on me."
Nabiki shook her head as his father tried to pull him back.
"It's not—"
"...'m sorry... Yuusei..."
The three froze in place as Orochi mumbled in her sleep.
"... wasn't... good enough..."
One of her tails nibbled at his costume, and he reached for it tenderly. The dormant hydra head shambled unconsciously, wrapping around his wrist.
"You were perfect," he muttered to her sleeping form, hoping she would hear him like she had just now. "You rose to the occasion like a true hero. Don't let no one tell you otherwise, not even yourself."
The white tail seemed to slacken.
"Yuusei," Nabiki called, drawing his attention. "My daughter's blood is on that villain's hands. Not yours."
"I..."
"Orochi wouldn't blame you," Yuujirou commented.
He was right. And that hurt him even more.
"Stop feeling sorry for yourself," Though she spoke bluntly, Nabiki's tone lacked hostility. She had already poured all her emotions out before they arrived. "It won't change what's happened."
"..." Yuusei nodded, swallowing his words. In his mind, it was an undeniable fact this wouldn't have happened if he dealt with Feral back then.
But she was also correct. Feeling guilty would not solve anything.
He left Orochi's tail over her stomach and stepped away from the bed. The ice in his veins started to melt as his next step became exceedingly clear.
Yuujirou gave his son a knowing look.
"Yuu—"
Hearing heavy footsteps, father and son turned to the door. It opened a second later, this time by Orochi's father. His youngest daughter clung to the pant of his legs like a lifeline.
"..."
The stone-faced man powered forward without a greeting, and they stepped aside, leaving him to see his daughter and wife.
"Let's go, Yuusei. The doctors told us not to crowd Orochi's room too much."
The young man gave one last look to the solemn parents, then followed his father.
Yamamoto and Nabiki rarely saw eye to eye when it came to their middle child, but here and now, they would stand united.
"You were planning to hunt Feral back there," Yuujirou began as they passed through the corridor.
"Were?"
"Yuusei," he warned. "I know you feel like you have to do this. And that girl has to be captured. But her trail should have gone cold about now."
The current head of their family held him in place with a look. "Your family needs you. Orochi needs you. It would be far better for her recovery if you took some time off work to spend with her instead of starting another chase."
Yuusei wanted to protest his words. He wasn't planning on neglecting Orochi or his family.
But... he'd already gone through this before, hadn't he?
Going after a villain after they wronged his family.
Failing.
Drowning himself with more hero work to make up for it.
Seeing his family less and less because he felt he'd disappointed them.
... Not again.
He would set his priorities better this time.
Still...
"... It's a truly awful feeling, knowing she's out there, ruining more lives, and I..."
His father smiled mirthlessly. "How do you think I feel? At least you have an illusion of choice."
Living in a family of heroes, unable to join them in their moments of righteous anger.
It was a decent position for a leader.
There were too many hard-headed people in this family already. It was good to have someone like his dad snapping them out of their stubborn streaks.
"You're better off like this."
"Maybe. But it doesn't make it less unpleasant."
As father and son entered the waiting room, Yuujirou went for a vacant seat while Yuusei glanced around.
"Akane won't make it here today," the blond man commented, crossing one leg over another. "I wonder how long she will... Yuusei?"
"... Nothing."
He was just wondering where Kalianne had gone.
[First Visit]
Throwing a disposable cup in the trash, Kalianne walked away from the water fountain.
Returning to the waiting room, she found another of Yuusei's family talking to the receptionist.
The blue-haired woman turned around right when Kalianne noticed her, locking eyes.
Aoi Atsushi briefly nodded to the receptionist, muttering her thanks and gesturing for Yuusei's friend to follow her.
"Hello, Kalianne."
"Hey, Aoi-san..."
"Did you come here with Yuusei? Or did he call you?"
"The former. We were on a case before... all of this happened."
Aoi nodded, frown becoming deeper. "I'm sorry you had to get involved."
"It's no problem—"
"But... I'm also glad you're here. You're a good friend to him."
As she returned to the waiting room, Kalianne watched Aoi pull her husband and son into a hug.
"Sorry, I'm late," she whispered.
She had been in a meeting with the elders when the news hit. Yamamoto had also been there, but she told him to go ahead while she calmed down the family and rescheduled.
"You'll have to wait a bit to see her," Yuujirou explained. "Yamamoto, Nabiki, and Kyoko are already in the room."
"... That's fine... how is she?"
"She'll make a full recovery." Of that, Yuusei was certain. Not only because he believed in Orochi's strength but also because their family would accept nothing less.
[First Visit]
Eventually, Aoi had her chance to see Orochi while Yuusei and Yuujirou remained in the foyer.
Their phones constantly buzzed with messages from the family group chat, wishing for the young hydra's swift recovery and promising to visit as soon as possible.
Orochi didn't show any of the fleeting awareness she had earlier. However, she also didn't show any more signs of suffering in her sleep.
Maybe her nightmares had run their course... or her family's presence chased them away.
Doctors and nurses came by to check on the patient. After noticing her recovery had sped up, they allowed more people to occupy her room.
Unfortunately, Yuusei's parents had to leave before that. Yuujirou had blown off a meeting to be the second Atsushi to reach the hospital. Aoi scolded him for it, so he decided to try and salvage it with her help.
That left Orochi's immediate family, Yuusei and Kalianne. She still shouldn't be able to enter the room as she wasn't part of the family. However, Yuusei and Yamamoto convinced the doctor to make a temporary exception for her.
If she had to put herself on a spectrum of introverted and extroverted, Kalianne would consider herself the latter.
And yet, as she sat by Yuusei's side, she found herself unusually silent.
She wasn't close to any of the Atsushis besides him. She was acquainted with his mom and dad, but all she had for the rest of his relatives was hearsay. Ironically, she probably knew the most about Orochi since she was the one he talked about the most.
But right now, Orochi was sleeping off a villain attack, so she couldn't start making small talk with her parents to get to know them.
That was fine.
Her focus wasn't on socializing with them. It was on supporting her friend, who really looked like he needed it.
Yuusei always had a good poker face, but his current expression looked stiff. He tried to hide how upset he was, like someone trying to become a statue by sheer force of will.
Then, he noticed her gaze on him and relaxed slightly, earning a small sigh from her. He wasn't really calming down. He was correcting himself after seeing her notice his discomfort.
She reached for his lap and picked up his mask, which he had taken off a while ago, and shook it slightly at him, daring him to try and hide his emotions better with it.
Yuusei considered grabbing her wrist but gave up, too tired to bother.
Thus, his poker face crumbled, and Kalianne let the mask down.
His mind wandered back to his younger cousin, and his memories with her.
"The last time we got this troubled was also because of Orochi, wasn't it?"
Yamamoto's sudden words took their attention, and Yuusei nodded in response, left eye scrunching as he recalled an unpleasant memory.
"This doesn't compare to back then."
"Your parents would beg to differ," Nabiki commented.
Out of the loop, Kalianne was about to ask what they were talking about, but Yuusei noticed her confusion and turned to her.
"I got poisoned pretty badly when I was eleven. The family almost imploded just because I was bedridden for one day."
"You forgot to mention it was our daughter who poisoned you."
Kalianne's head whipped to Nabiki at the revelation, then back at Yuusei with a question in her eyes.
"Playfighting," he said with a tiny shrug as if that explained everything. "... I should have stopped it before it got to that point."
Orochi's biting had never been a problem until then, so instead of stopping their tussle when his arm started going numb... he kept going.
But that wasn't really an excuse.
Yamamoto flicked his temple. "Don't blame yourself for being poisoned, wannabe martyr."
He rolled his eyes at the nickname. "Is it that odd to expect the older one to break the fight?"
"You were eleven; she was eight. It's not the gap you think it is. If anything, Akane should have been there to rein in you two."
"... Did you two fight often?" Kalianne asked.
"No."
"Yes."
Yuusei replied, and simultaneously, Yamamoto, Nabiki, and even Kyoko stated the opposite. The two parties glanced at each other blankly for a moment, and the Atsushi's heir looked away first, outnumbered.
"They didn't hate each other if that's what you're wondering. Orochi was just a very violent child," Yamamoto explained with a mixture of fondness and exasperation only a parent could produce.
Violent wasn't the word Yuusei would use, but it wasn't that off base.
Even after he got poisoned, they didn't stop brawling. They just became more cautious with it at the behest of the family. What was once playfighting became sparring and learning how to use their quirks responsibly.
He didn't mind it. After all, he was a child who always tried to respond to his elders' expectations.
However, he suspected Orochi felt differently about it. What were supposed to be shenanigans with her siblings and cousin turned into another attempt to teach her discipline.
"... You were too harsh on her," he thought out loud.
Nabiki nodded, having learned that lesson not long ago.
"It took her almost dying for us to make up. Depressing, isn't it?"
He shook his head. "It'd be depressing if you two couldn't talk even in this situation."
"It could have happened sooner and in a happier setting, but I'm glad it happened at all," Yamamoto agreed.
"Akane will be glad, too," Kyoka muttered.
Nabiki sighed, holding her face. "You three... thank you."
Seeing this family reassuring each other brought Kalianne some second-hand happiness. But it also exacerbated the awkwardness she'd been feeling.
However, Yuusei grabbed her hand before she could move from her seat.
"Stay," he mouthed, and that single word, along with the look in his eyes, was enough to make her give up.
"If they start doing a family hug, I'm leaving," she whispered.
His expression lost its melancholy for the first time since he got the news about Orochi. "... me too," he joked along.
He didn't let go of her hand. After a second, she curled it against his.
[First Visit]
They had to leave the room due to visiting hours ending at the hospital.
"... the vultures are here," Yamamoto said as they walked down to the first floor, his ears twitching. Surely enough, journalists gathered inside and outside the hospital, talking to the staff as much as they could without being forced outside for being disruptive.
Of the Atsushis, three stepped forward to meet the media.
Yuusei raised an eyebrow at his uncle and aunt, who had stopped in their paths to frown at each other.
"I'll handle this, Nabiki."
He never cared much about public opinion, but this wasn't about defending their honor. He couldn't let them crowd the hospital Orochi was staying like this.
"No, you won't. I'm going to give those people a piece of my mind. You're going to get Kyoka home."
"You're going to do something stupid," he warned, watching sparks flicker around her eyes.
"And you're planning to play nice with those people. I won't stand for it—"
The two broke their stare-off as Yuusei stepped past them.
A hand on each of his shoulders stopped him.
"And what do you think you're doing, young man?"
"My job," he declared, shrugging off their grips. "You two could grab their attention for a while as the anguished parents, but then they'd use your retired status against you."
He could already see it. They'd start with some soft questions on Orochi's status and how the Atsushi family was coping, then shift the conversation to Feral and how the heroes planned to deal with her.
If Yamamoto didn't know, he would be painted as a bad father. He used to be a hero, after all.
How could he not use his connections to know about his daughter's assailant? Did he not care enough?
However, even providing an answer wouldn't be good enough for them. Having Feral's last known location and hinting at a joint operation to capture her was the best he could do while being truthful. But they didn't want that. They wanted to know the exact location of her hideout and be told that she would be caught before the day ended.
As for Nabiki... there wouldn't be much of a conversation. It would simply be a disaster for everyone involved.
"We could just find another exit," Kalianne suggested, and Yuusei and Nabiki looked at her with varying levels of disapproval.
"... or not," she retracted, backing away from the dragons. Kyoka patted her arm in sympathy.
"My retired status, huh..." Yamamoto mused, rubbing his chin. "It should be a good time to announce my return then."
Yuusei blinked in surprise, then shook his head. "... really, old man?"
"Really. Did you think I'd let you take this burden for our family alone?"
"You..."
So he caught the conversation between Yuusei and his father from beyond the doors.
"... Go," Nabiki told her husband, still reeling from his words but putting up a strong front.
... She approved. She could even say she was annoyed Yamamoto thought of it first.
Yamamoto patted his daughter's head and leaned down, kissing his partner's forehead. Then, the pro hero once known as Goliath Wyrm turned around, walking towards the hospital's front doors.
Seiryu took a half-step towards his sidekick, leaning close to her.
"I'll help him," he whispered. For all his confidence, his uncle hadn't been close to this side of modern heroism for over a decade. "You can leave us here. The reporters wouldn't be kind to you."
She nodded. "... I'll call you later."
She would know how this interview turned out online, but she also needed to know if they would see each other at the agency tomorrow. And also... she wanted to keep in contact during this predicament.
"Thank you for staying by my side," he told her as they parted, then walked to his uncle, who had slowed down his gait.
"You can handle most of their initial questions," he said, slipping back his mask. "I'll step in when they start talking about Feral."
After this, he would convene with his father to prevent something like this from happening again while they weren't in the hospital.
Yamamoto hummed in agreement, feeling a blend of amusement and pride for his nephew trying to take leadership in this situation. He did not have much time to dwell on it, getting swarmed by cameras and microphones as soon as they crossed the doors.
He hadn't missed this part of being a pro hero at all