Determined [Tsuyu Asui X Fem! Reader]

Chapter Five

You woke up in the clearing. You assumed that you fell asleep after losing a lot of energy from healing the fawn. To your surprise, the young doe was still there, laying next to you and seeming to have watched you sleep. You'd thought that she would've run away at this point, considering that she was a deer and they tended to be shy and afraid of humans.

"Go on, you can leave now." You pointed at the trees, but the fawn remained, stubbornly acting like it couldn't understand your words.

You frowned. "Stand up on your hind legs." You ordered. It obeyed and attempted a whinny. Laughing like crazy, you told got it back to normal through your wheezing.

A bit surprised, you glanced down at your left hand. It gleamed, and so did the deer's brown eyes. You had a suspicion, but you weren't sure if it was correct.

You smiled. "I'll be back tomorrow, my grandmother must be worrying about me. Come back here when the sun sets and I'll be right here."

The deer seemed to nod. You pivoted and began walking back home, but before you left entirely, you turned back and said:

"You need a name, don't you? I'm gonna call you Ginger."

————

The next day, you came back, to be greeted not only by Ginger, but an injured nightingale, missing an eye and more than a few feathers. Ginger encouraged you to help him, so you did. You couldn't say no to those big brown eyes. Or to a bleeding nightingale who clearly got in a fight.

You saw your palms glow, healed his injuries, and he did the same thing Ginger did after you passed out. Refused to leave. But there was a change in the routine.

There was a streak of your own blood that dripped down your chin and onto the emerald green grass underneath you. And you woke up next to a swift, running stream with crystal clear water. It was so pure and clean, it made you want to cry. Ginger and the unnamed nightingale were there with you, seeming to have taken you there.

"Where . . . are . . . we?" You asked yourself, looking around, dazed. Seemingly endless fields filled with luscious grass and many different flower breeds to inhabit them. Forests of oak and birch surrounded the fields, like a pampering enclosure. Crystalline streams and rivers of water were all around, each one at a varying temperature. "How . . . will . . . we . . . get . . . back?"

Ginger blinked, as if to say, "don't worry, we have a plan." The once-injured nightingale hopped over to you and rested his beak in the fold of your elbow, ruffling up his feathers to look softer. You smiled and patted his head, looking into his amber eyes which were both healed, miraculously.

"I guess you need a name too." You brought your finger to your chin, thinking for a few moments before a genius idea popped into your head. "How about Allen? Like that one poet?"

The nightingale hopped from one foot to the other in delight, letting out a chirp of gratitude that it had a name. You laughed, but abruptly cut yourself off as Hīru's letter and death just happened to randomly pass through your head. Your heart ached, but it wasn't sad anymore. Although you were still mourning, you could hear it: the encouraging shouts of Hīru and all your previous family members.

You looked up at the sky. It was devoid of any clouds. Shrugging, you howled like a wolf and, faintly in the distance, you heard the call of another wolf. Then the howl of an entire wolf pack.

"Woah . . . " you muttered, eyes starry with wonder. You glanced in Ginger and Allen's direction, a tiny smirk tugging at your lips. Then, you dashed forwards, the two animals catching on and following you throughout the fields and over the rivers. It was thrilling, that feeling of freedom.

The valley eventually ended, edging into a deep forest with a path that hopefully would lead you back home. As you stepped on the path, Allen hopped onto your shoulder and Ginger nodded you a farewell, dashing away to graze in the valley peacefully. Allen crowed and gestured forward as a suggestion to get going.

You nodded to no one in particular and followed the path, until you finally made it back to that clearing you started in and to your house. Now that you were back at home, you noticed that Allen had already flown away, probably to join Ginger in the fields.

You came into the house, taking off your shoes and walking inside to drink some water. You only realized how hot you were when you had gotten inside; your skin felt it was on fire. You waved to your grandmother as you walked past her. You quickly poured yourself a tall glass of ice cold water and downed it all in one swift, strong gulp. Ah, the wondrous benefits of a water-related quirk.

You walked back to your room, picked up your phone, and went to join your grandmother on the couch near the window. Like usual, your grandmother was knitting. You made yourself comfortable and started responding to the worried texts from your friends who had heard about your brother's death and your mother's severe injuries. Thinking about them almost brought you to tears. You had nearly forgotten about them.

"Grandmother?" You looked up from your phone and at your at-peace-looking grandmother. She gave you a quiet 'hm' as a reply and you asked your question. "Do you know where grandfather and Akarui-Chan and father are?"

Your grandmother froze. She slowly put her knitting utensils down and looked at you with a sad expression. You tried to brace yourself, but you were completely unprepared for what she told you next.

"Oh, sweetheart, I'm so, so sorry I didn't tell you immediately." She glanced at the floor. "They died. A villain league drowned them."