Red in Different Shades

23. Agita in Mind

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Edited 17.MARCH.2022

Edited 23.OCT.2024

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By the time Niwa arrived at the police station, escorted by several officers, the sun had already lightened the early morning sky.

They kept her waiting in a brightly lit room, furnished with a sofa, a few plants, and a table.

Someone had given her a bowl of ramen, but the usually gluttonous girl had barely touched it. Her appetite, always a source of comfort, was nonexistent. The buzzing sensation of her Quirk had faded mostly but there was still a lingering energy there. It was just enough to keep her on edge, exhausted, sleep-deprived, but somehow too alert to rest, and she couldn't figure out how to turn it off.

She just wanted some damn sleep...

But no matter how hard she tried, relaxation completely eluded her.

The only sliver of comfort came when the investigator mentioned Bakugou's arrival. Knowing he was safe. Here, in the same building. It eased something deep inside her. For a fleeting moment, she wondered where the rest of her classmates were, but she pushed the thought aside. Bakugou was safe. That was enough.

After the medics healed her minor injuries, and the police finished their round of questioning, she was finally allowed to see her brothers.

They arrived quietly, their presence more soothing than words could ever be. She could feel their eyes on her, scanning her trembling frame as they led her to the red jeep. There was concern in their silence, their worry palpable even without saying a word.

Niwa felt guilty.

She had been kidnapped before, and while this time it had only been a few days, her brothers' hesitation was a lot like the last time. Their conversations were minimal, and they constantly glanced back, as if to check she was still there. It was suffocating.

Staring out the window, Niwa watched the cityscape morph into nature and back again. The hour-long drive to Musutafu felt endless, but when they finally pulled into the driveway, a small weight lifted at the sight of home.

The moment she stepped out of the jeep, Hanami rushed toward her. Warmth, overwhelming and suffocating, enveloped her as Hanami crushed Niwa in a desperate hug, sobbing into her magenta hair, her words incoherent.

Niwa allowed herself to be pulled inside, her brothers trailing close behind. They made her miso soup at her request and quietly hovered around her, never once asking questions.

She was thankful for that. They understood, in their own way. They put on a series of animated movies, sitting beside her as she zoned out. It wasn't until later, slipping silently down the hallway, that she finally retreated to her room.

Flopping onto her bed, Niwa sighed, staring at her hand.

Something was wrong with her body. The shaking and loss of appetite were undeniable red flags. Her stomach, usually a bottomless pit, was in knots. She felt weak, lethargic, completely unlike herself.

With a deep sigh, Niwa shoved her head under her pillow.

She tried to block out the world, focusing inward. Physically, she was fine, or as close to fine as she could be after everything. But she knew that the 'weird shit' she was feeling wasn't physical. It was emotional. The bottled-up storm of emotions she refused to let out boiled and rolled.

Anger. Loneliness. Depression. She was constantly on edge.

She felt like if she let any of it out, any of it at all, she'd break. Or worse, she'd change into something she didn't recognize.