Meraki (Aizawa and Eri x Girl! Reader Fanfic)

Chapter 22

I shielded my eyes with my hand from the sun's rays, which briefly blinded me. A young student hero, most likely a first-year, walked past me as he assisted an elderly woman with some of her belongings. The evacuation of citizens is proceeding as planned. Despite their confusion, the majority of them did not question us because they knew we were doing this for them.

I'm in charge of this area, and as of now, we've evacuated nearly 85 percent of the residents. Today is the day that the Paranormal Liberation Front will be put to rest. We have devoted the majority of our efforts and resources to this large-scale mission, and I can only hope for its success.

"Wait, what?" As I can feel the ground beneath me trembling, I overheard someone in the crowd say.

The intensity has begun to rise, and I can sense that something terrible is about to occur. Suspicious, I decided to investigate what was going on. I nodded to my colleague, signaling him to take charge while I investigated. It didn't take me long to get to the area. I stopped running as fast as I could when I realized what was going on.

The scene in front of me made my stomach drop. Everything in front of me is rotting- buildings, cars, roads, people, and heroes are all peeling like dry paint. Screams of pure terror and anguish filled the air as some people were unable to flee the onslaught of the decay. Some heroes can attend to some, but there are still people who have to be saved. Many citizens are running away but some were unfortunate.

I know I have to make a decision right now. People around me are yelling for help, but if I don't warn the other heroes, more people will perish. Even if I only save one person, I will be slowed. My quirk and abilities are not ideal for saving a single soul at this moment. I'm fast and agile, but I'm not strong enough to carry someone with me without slowing down. My heart clenched in agony as I realized what I should do.

My feet began to run back to where I had come from. I returned my gaze to the people who had been left behind and painted a picture of peace and serenity for them. At the very least, they'd be consoled even before they died. A tear streamed down my cheek, but I kept going.

I know I can't save everyone, but that doesn't mean my heart isn't dying on the inside. This guilt and self-hatred will never leave me. But I have to do what I have to do right now. I willed my legs to run faster as I warned the other heroes about what was happening along the way.

"We must flee as soon as possible! Something is on its way that will disintegrate everything in its path! Those who can run, please do so. I implore the heroes and those who can carry someone to save those who can't run," I yelled continuously and relayed the message to other heroes.

Panic began to spread among both civilians and heroes. Some have already taken off, but others remain frozen. With this mass hysteria, I can already see a stampede. This time, I tried to send a calming feeling to as many people as possible through my scenarios.

"What's up, Virtual? " A hero asks as he closes in on me.

"This appears to be a villain's quirk! I'm not sure when this will end, but I know it has a limit. I only hope we have enough time to be spared," I replied, scanning the area.

Fortunately, some of Hawks' sidekicks started to arrive. The other heroes must have contacted them and requested assistance. Someone was supposed to give me a communication device earlier, but it has yet to arrive. It wasn't long before the ground began to shake more violently. That must imply that it is very close.

A loud wail compelled me to turn around, and a boy younger than Eri stumbled to his feet. The decay had caught up with the hero who was holding him. When the child saw this, he began to sob even more loudly.

"Shit," I muttered as I accelerated my approach to the child. I snatched him up in my arms in one swift motion. When I looked back, I was surprised to see that the decay was about 200 meters ahead. It's even faster now than it was before! What the heck is this?

My lungs are burning from exertion and a lack of oxygen, and my chest heaved. I've been racing against the decay for a while now, and it hasn't let up. I picked up an abandoned baby along the way, which caused me to slow down a little.

It hurts me every time I see an elderly person or someone unable to stand. I'm sure they harbor resentment toward the heroes who pass them by. But I also know that the other heroes, like me, despise themselves for not being able to save everyone.

It took a while, but eventually, everything came to a halt. The decay did not advance even an inch. I can hear the people around me taking ragged breaths. Some were exhausted and collapsed on the ground. Others are on their knees as if praying. I paused for a moment to catch my breath before beginning to bark orders.

"The nearest evacuation center is approximately one kilometer away. Everyone, please bear with it for a little longer until we reach safety," I said as I took off again. There's no time to waste. The decay might continue any time soon.

•••

When I arrived at the center, health workers took the children away from me. The injured are being cared for as well. The center is nearly full, but there are still more people arriving. I'm guessing that the decay has also destroyed the other centers.

One of my colleagues from another department approached me. He has an apathetic demeanor that reminds me a little of my husband. Now that everything appears to be settling down, I have time to think about him. I wonder for a second if he's alright.

"Virtual, I apologize for the late delivery. My sidekick has met an accident along the way," he says as he hands over a small box to me. I took it from him and opened it to see what was inside. It's the communication device I've been looking for.

I nodded my head at him, "it's alright. It can be already expected."

"You could have saved a lot of people if you had the means to tell everyone what was going on."

"There's no need to cry over spilled milk. We have to concentrate on what we are dealing with right now," I said firmly as he bowed goodbye.

The moment I put on the earpiece and activated the device, several voices can be heard. I decided to find a quiet corner to listen to. Shigaraki appears to be the source of the decay, based on what I've heard. He has also rerouted and is now on the hunt for Deku.

"Midoriya? But why is this so? They're just students," I mused aloud, resting my hand on my chin.

A particular conversation between Shouta and me flashed through my mind. He said that Midoriya has a few run-ins with the villain Shigaraki. So they have bad blood between them? I don't understand villains and their psychotic minds so I should not waste time pondering his motives.

There is still no directive requiring the backup team to be mobilized. That must imply that everything is under control, doesn't it? I sincerely hope so. Endeavor has previously stated that we will support them if they say so or if the communication line is severed. We won't know what will happen to them if we don't communicate with them. It's the same as what happened before, which is why we have to leave once communication is interrupted.

My thoughts returned to Shouta. As I worried about my husband, I felt helpless and selfish. Being in two different groups made me uneasy, but we had to do what was expected of us. I sighed as I looked around the center for a way to finally be of help. Everything is a mess as the children's cries grew louder. It breaks my heart to think that some of them will be sent to orphanages later on.

I sighed and went to the nearest group of children and activated my quirk. In a matter of minutes, they began to calm down. Some have their eyes droop low as I give them a visual of the lullaby I used to sing to Eri. The student hero who has been looking after them nodded at me in thanks and I only smiled back at her.

I glanced at the large wall clock and it reads 10:13 AM. This will be the longest day of my life.