On the Homefront

528 12 16
                                        

---------------------------------------------------------

You found yourself looking upward for the second time today, this time looking at the reddened sky of a setting sun. You could feel Hikisaku's footsteps as she walked past you towards the apartment building you both called home, but not before stopping to glance at you for just a moment.

She then could be heard stopping again just at the end of the lot.

She spoke in a lighter tone than before, "You're still coming over later right?"

You sat up slowly, being careful to not let any pain flare up as you set your arm down for leverage.

You turned your head, just enough so that Hikisaku was in your peripheral vision, and gave her a closed eye smile.

"Of course, why wouldn't I?"

With a nod of acknowledgement, Hikisaku then started to walk again. You watched out of the corner of your eye as she crossed the street, climbed the steps, and entered her apartment.

A few minutes of sitting on the ground of the lot later, you decided to finally head to your apartment as well. You stood up just as slowly as you sat up, for the same reason as before, but also because you were biding your time from what would happen if you did.

You made the same journey that Hikisaku did, but instead you walked up the opposite flight of stairs, to get to the apartment opposite of hers. You stopped at the door, one thought running through your mind.

'How is mom going to react when she sees me like this? She'll freak out about all the bandages, even more when she wants to see under it. Oh well.'

So you finally decided to open the door, and upon walking in you felt a big wave of relief hit you, the finally I'm open effect, and you felt the confidence to call out to your mom.

"Mama, I'm back!" You walked into the living room to wait for her.

She responded rather quickly however, the sound of her voice growing louder as she walked closer to the entryway.

"Yugo? You've been gone way longer than you said you'd be. You know, you really have to learn to call to check in one in a..." she stopped suddenly when she appeared from the hallway and caught just a glimpse of you and your bandaged body.

She tossed the small basket of laundry in her hands aside, it audibly collided with the front door, and she ran up to you, examining your entire body quickly and she leapt from point A to point B before stopping in front of you, her hands on your shoulders.

"What happened to you!?" she yelled in your face, as she looked down at you with a worried expression on her young face.

Your mother was a small woman, sure, but even then she still cleared you by one or two inches. All you did was give her a closed eye smile, just like you had with Mimi.

"Mom, come on I told you we would be doing some crazy stuff. I did this to myself really, and I feel fine, don't worry about it, all right?"

She sighed at that, which you knew meant that you won, and proceeded to let go of you as she turned around to grab the basket and clothes she had thrown.

Her back turned to you, she began to order you like a mother would.

"Before you do anything else, go take a bath, you smell...smoked..." The last word being said in a confused manner.

Per her 'advice,' instead of taking the stairs up to your room then, you retraced your mother's steps down the hall and into the bathroom. You slowly pulled off the bandages that surrounded you, and as you did, a disgusting sound could be heard as you felt the bandages unstick themselves from your skin.

Bonds - The Past Echoes | MHA Reader-InsertWhere stories live. Discover now