CHAPTER 97: Visiting Sir Nighteye-a vision of hope
There were two types of quiet with company. The comfortable kind that came with shared adventures and bonds that would allow you to be content with the other's presence rather than constant words. But then there was the other type of quiet, the kind that felt like hands were clashing around you and slowly coming forward, trying to close you in, regardless of who you were with, which would cause a great sense of discomfort. Like right this moment.
The car ride was a troublesome experience. No one wanted to talk, even though there was so much to say. It was as if the words themselves had gotten stuck somewhere between their brains and their mouths. They were at the starting line of a track no one wanted to run. Even Sakura was trying not to shake her knee or pick at her nails.
She certainly hid the sweat of anticipation and anxiety better than her comrades, like Izuku and Mirio, who were trying to find something to capture their attention on the outside of the card. But they were moving, and nothing was constant.
Nezu didn't mention too many details about Nighteye's awakening, only that the hospital had informed him a few short hours after he had been monitored to ensure that he was going to stay that way. Then the principal went to inform them about his recovery, only because it was requested by the patient himself that he wanted to see the students.
Otherwise, his status would've remained quiet until he could recover further. However, out of respect for the hero, the principal decided to forgo any warnings from the safety commission and went straight to them.
And for some reason, she still couldn't place, he had asked for Sakura to join them.
When she looked at the boys, she noticed their faces seemed to have taken a particular shade of green, which preceded either vomiting or a panic attack, and even as a medic, she wasn't sure which wanted to come first.
Mirio, who usually wore a bright mask and shining eyes, had become particularly dim, or rather, he was trying to suppress himself until they arrived. Either way, none of these students were eager to start a discussion.
And perhaps due to his previous connection with the psychic hero, Toshinori was also taking up space in the front passenger seat of the car, while Detective Tsukauchi drove.
'This seems like overkill.'
Sakura thought about Nighteye, but he wasn't like any of her other patients. She didn't heal him in the same manner. She had used her forbidden jutsu, but it had shifted from what should've been her norm. Taking her stored chakra and pouring it out into another person to use mitotic healing. cutting his life shorter, but allowing him to live longer.
But she had also added her own ingredient to that mix. That foreign chakra that seemed to titter around her chest.
And now, as the car pulled into the hospital's parking lot, Sakura knew she was going to see the results of her new jutsu firsthand.
And frankly, she felt like a gong had hit her stomach.
..
..
..
They were met at the hospital entrance by Bubble Girl and Centipede, who had been waiting for them. Both appeared exhausted and somehow ecstatic at the same time.
"Sir has been asking for you all," Centipeder said, as they made their way past reception. "He's been awake for almost twelve hours now. You're the first people he wanted to see since then."
"He was very insistent," said Bubble Girl. "The doctor wants to see you first, though. Just to explain his condition."
Sure enough, there down the hall, one of the medical staff members met their eyes and waved. He introduced himself as Dr. Yamada. But he didn't waste their time either, already turning on foot to lead them to Nighteye's room, while he spoke. "He's been showing remarkable signs of improvement," Dr. Yamada said, glancing at his clipboard. "His vitals are stable, cognitive function appears normal, and he's responsive. It seems that he will make a full recovery, or as full as possible, given the circumstances. But he needs to take it easy still. He's been through significant trauma, and his body needs time to adjust. No stress, no overexertion. Understood?"
Everyone nodded, realizing this wasn't just a diagnosis, but a caution to them not to get overexcited or overexcite the man when they went through the door.
"Good. He's in room 304. Down the hall, third door on the right."
Their footsteps became more prominent in the echo of the hallways, as they started a bit of a speed walk, now knowing which direction to go in. Leading the forefront was Toshinori and Mirio, but when they came to the room, everything had gone silent again.
Bubble Girl opened the door slowly. The room was dimly lit, probably for Nighteye's comfort. Medical equipment beeps, and functioning motors filled the room with their particular song. The blinds were drawn, but there was enough sunlight peaking through to show off the details of the room and its occupant.
There in the hospital bed, propped up like he was lying on a beach chair, was Nighteye. He didn't seem to be looking at anything in particular, but his eyes showed that he had been waiting. While there was a thin tube hooked to his arm, there were no signs of an oxygen mask, which meant he had been breathing on his own.
A skill and privilege so many take for granted until they finally draw their last breath. That's what Tsunade used to tell Sakura. But here now, she saw a man who appreciated every rise and fall of his chest as his lungs filled with air.
He met their expressions with a smile that was usually absent from him. That's when Mirio finally let go, his shoulders slumped as he burst into tears, rushing up to his teacher's bed, but making no move to attempt an embrace, afraid he may shatter the man.
While at school, Mirio had done his best to move on, but it was as if his path had turned into quicksand, and every step he took every day threatened to swallow him whole if he lingered too long. And now suddenly he was back on solid ground, able to run.
His shoulders shook, wider than everyone else's in the room, and yet fragile at the same time.
"Sir-sir! I'm so-I'm so," He blubbered through the tears, "…glad."
Behind him, everyone watched silently attempting to contain their own emotions out of respect for Mirio, allowing him to have the center stage for now.
"I'm glad to see you're doing well, Mirio." When Nighteye spoke, his expression was light, though his voice was still a bit hoarse, signs of being underused. "It's good to see all of you."
"Welcome back, Nighteye," Toshinori greeted.
Nighteye let out a rough chortle, "All Might."
The unspoken history of the two had become something stacked away in a box at the back in the past, and without needing to mention, they had already signed an agreement to leave it. After which, everyone settled their emotions.
"I apologize for worrying all of you."
"That's normal when you're in a coma for weeks," Sakura said from her position near the door, her tone matter-of-fact. "Of course, your allies are going to worry about you."
"I am just glad to see you are finally awake and alright," Toshinori said, his voice still thick with emotion.
"I wouldn't say entirely alright," Nighteye replied, looking over at his missing arm and then to Sakura. "But I'm going to survive. And that's something even I couldn't see coming."
"The doctors said you'll recover," Bubble girl said. "We can't wait to have you back, sir."
"Yes," Centipede nodded through through the wrap of his neck, "It hasn't been the same without you."
"I heard you were taking care of things for me. Thank you.
While the others were moving closer to circle around the hospital bed, as Nighteye addressed each of them, giving reassurance of his improved condition and giving praise for their actions and good intentions, Sakura had stayed further back, just where she could see the patient through the crack in the circle. She observed with a medical eye out of habit. Deducing her own work and separating from the handiwork of the hospital staff. Nighteye seemed fine aside from the missing arm. The left sleeve of his hospital gown hung empty, pinned at the shoulder. He was sitting upright, which was a good sign for core strength and spinal recovery. But he was still wrapped in bandages around his torso to keep his spine aligned, and she could see the slight tightness around his eyes that indicated he was in pain. Phantom limb pain, probably. That would be with him for a while.
But he looked ready, rather eager. Sakura wouldn't be surprised if he were preparing to return to his role as a hero and as Mirio's mentor. He was paying special attention to him, even while addressing the entire group.
The relationship between teachers and students could come off as something conventional, following a pattern of insignificance that was set in place by a system. But then there were the unique bonds that would form. The rare ones that would actually shape both student and teacher in a way that could only be described as a phenomenon.
Sakura had experienced that with Tsunade, Izuku with Toshinori, and Mirio with Nighteye. They had someone who had shifted their entire perspective and taken their life on a whole new trajectory.
Sakura had felt that way about Tsunade, who had ripped off the tagging of kunoichi with no particular talent from her. Mirio had been in a similar situation, where he had fumbled through school with his quirk until he was taken under Nighteye's wing. And while he was also mentoring under him, Izuku didn't get the same experience because they lacked that bond, and Nighteye didn't have the same sense of commitment towards him. Only taking him in to convince Izuku to surrender his quirk to Mirio.
"I heard about what happened after the battle against Shie Hassaikai. I'm relieved things worked out so well."
Izuku looked down, ashamed. "Sire, Togata's quirk…."
The topic was considered sensitive, but Mirio himself barely seemed phased after losing his quirk. Sakura had seen him a few times since he occupied Eri when she didn't have class, and Sakura did, they had gotten closer, and Eri described him as a very smiley person, who always made her feel better. That had given Sakura hope that Eri would form new bonds to walk on, aside from the one she had with the kunoichi. For all it was worth, Sakura didn't know what her own future would look like at the time, when she still had a higher faith that she could obtain her goals through her own means.
"I know," said Nighteye. He looked at his student, who was still smiling. "Midoriya, I want to apologise. One of my biggest fears in my last moment was that I wouldn't get the chance to make amends for what I had done."
Izuku, Nighteye, and Toshinori were more familiar with the nature of this apology. While Izuku did feel a bit heavy from the hero's intentions, it didn't sink him.
"It's alright, there's nothing to really apologize for," Izuku told him, in his typical fashion.
"I may have made you doubt your own power, and for that I'm ashamed. But you proved me wrong. And you showed me that the future isn't set in stone. I am glad I was able to stay here a little longer, as a means to fix all my mistakes." He now looked at Toshinori.
"You don't have to do anything of the sort,"
Nighteye shook his head. "I wouldn't be able to rest peacefully if I didn't."
"Right now, you should focus on recovery alone," said Toshinori.
Nighteye couldn't help giving him a particular stare, as if to ask, 'Should you, of all people, be saying that?'
And Toshinori must've noticed as well because he quickly averted his gaze to look at the bouquet of flowers on the nightstand, reading the card. "Didn't know you were so popular."
Instead of pushing, Nighteye decided to address a new topic: "How is Eri?"
The room went a little quieter.
"She's doing well," Sakura answered after realizing he directed the question at her. "There's nothing to worry about. She's a tough girl."
Nighteye sighed in relief, his shoulders slumping.
For someone who had been asleep most of the time, it seemed he was still carrying a weight on his shoulders. But that was guilt for you. Guilt, like every emotion, could take on a life of its own under the right environment that allowed it to thrive and grow. It could nest in the spaces between consciousness and unconsciousness, could follow you through dreams and darkness, waiting patiently for you to wake so it could remind you of everything you'd failed to do, everyone you'd failed to protect.
"I'd like to hear more about her." Nighteye looked over at everyone else, then back at Sakura. "Could you give me a moment with Haruno?"
Sakura raised her eyebrow.
..
..
..
The room cleared out, and once the door clicked shut, Nighteye gestured to the empty chair beside his bed. Sakura, though reluctant, didn't hesitate to take it.
"I wanted to talk to you," Nighteye began, his voice quieter now that it was just the two of them. "About what happened during the raid."
Sakura kept quiet, arms folded in her lap, waiting.
"I need to apologize to you," he continued. "For putting you in that position. For forcing you to make impossible choices." His remaining hand clenched the hospital sheet. "You did a great job looking after Eri and protecting her from Overhaul. Better than I could have hoped for. And you saved my life."
"You shouldn't thank me for that," Sakura said flatly.
Nighteye blinked. "I'm sorry?"
It was no wonder Tsunade never healed anyone using this technique; you were left with the bitter obligation of explaining the price. Because there was going to be an accumulating interest in avoiding death. And she was about to explain that.
"The way I healed you..." Sakura's jaw tightened. She felt her nails digging into her thigh. "The technique I used to heal you, it forces the body's cells to divide and regenerate at an accelerated rate. It closes wounds, repairs organs, knits bone back together." She looked directly at him, her green eyes steady. "But cells can only divide so many times before they hit their limit. Every time I forced your body to heal, I was burning through your cellular lifespan."
Nighthawk stilled, his mouth opening without words, before he glanced at the window, "So you're saying…my lifespan has shortened?"
Sakura nodded.
"And this is a technique you can use on yourself as well?"
"Not one I use often." She assured him. "Or on others. But it was either this or-
"Thank you, Haruno." He cut her off gently, pushing up his glasses. "And I'm sorry, but I assure you, I am nothing short of grateful, and even more so knowing I shouldn't waste anymore time living like a self-righteous fool. We all have to face death eventually. That's more apparent for heroes than most. We just don't discuss it."
"You're not... upset?" Sakura asked, genuinely surprised.
"Upset that you saved my life? That I get to see Mirio smile again, get to make amends with people I care about, get to continue my work even if only for a while longer?" Nighteye shook his head.
Sakura felt something in her chest loosen slightly. Not entirely the guilt would remain, the knowledge of what she'd taken from him, but enough to breathe a little easier.
That's all folks! Well for now anyone.
If you're a fan of Bleach, a new crossover Kunoichi amongst Reapers has just entered the fold in my works.
I will be posting on a different schedule with that one though and I'll be bringing back with it Kunoichi amongst Benders soon but they will be on a different schedule as well. I am still doing a trial run to see how that works, and if I will be able to handle it all.
Hope you enjoyed this chapter.
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-Kunoichi amongst Heroes chapter (98, 99, 100, 101)
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-Crossroads of Fate chapter (34, 35, 36, 37, 38)
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-(SEQUEL) Through the Spyglass chapter 1, 2, 3, 4, 5,6
-SPECIAL HALLOWEEN CHAPTER: Shinigami amongst Shinobi
SNEAK PEAK Chapter 98: What's Christmas?
"We'll practice again tomorrow. Same time."
"Okay," Eri said, still clutching her flower branch.
Shouta checked his phone, scrolling through something briefly before looking up. "We won't be doing anything around Christmas, though."
Eri went still and blinked with curiosity. "What's Christmas?"
Shouta looked surprised, even though it shouldn't have had that effect, knowing what Eri had endured and had lost, but he couldn't even mask his shock when Sakura mirrored the young girl's puzzled expression, as if they were the same age.