The Green Valley Twins

Untitled Part 74

Everything was dark, no feeling, no sound, no sight, no smell, nothing accompanied that dark endless black abyss. That was fine, he didn't mind it. He didn't want to go back. He wanted to stay here in this dark abyss. He didn't want to see his employer. He didn't want to face the pro-heroes. He didn't want to hear the blame. He didn't want to see that familiar face. He didn't want to see that traitor—because he knew he'd forgive her in a heartbeat.

The darkness changed, subtitle and gentle, he hardly noticed the change at first. Then he saw he was standing in the hallway of his last base, dressed in the same dark uniform he once religiously wore. Ahead of him was a dark wood door, slightly ajar and letting out a bright golden light signature of the afternoon sun. He walked forward, unable to stop himself, dreading what he'd find beyond that door. His body moved, even as his mind screamed in agony, and the door was pushed aside as he walked into the room. He could see her there, sitting on the windowsill with an impish grin and glittering mismatched eyes. She was dressed as he always remembered her to be: a V-neck, off the shoulder black-silk, short-sleeved top. Black shorts with the silver crest of their team on the bottom left pantleg, and short black skirt held in place by her leather and silver-etched belt. Three small leather bags sat on either side of her hips and on her lower back. Her black boots reached up to her knees and ended in the beautiful silver-swirls that surrounded their team crest. Even her black cloak was sprawled out nearby, their team crest half hidden beneath the thick black silk folds like a barely forgotten memory.

"Shai?"

"I've been waiting for you," her voice was gentle, welcoming even. So different from the defeated weakness she had the last time they met. "I was wondering how long you'd go before we met again."

"...I couldn't keep my promise," he murmured, staring into her golden and pink eyes, knowing he'd never see them again.

"I broke my vow," she replied in kind.

"why did you summon me that day?" he asked, "I... I never got the chance to ask you. That day I was fighting the original owner of O'clock and just before I failed my mission, you summoned me. Why?"

"You were the only person I could think of," she smiled at him. "you were two cells down from me but you always looked so confident, even relaxed most days. I was jealous of that. I didn't understand how you could stand it, stand the torture." He looked down at the dusty floor, knowing that at the time the situation was by his own hand. He couldn't blame anyone because he made the choice to be there. "That day you were fighting that hero with the O'clock quirk... I was sent on a suicide mission, do you remember?"

"uh-huh," he smirked at the memory. "I ended up taking on an army for you."

"my cell-mate and I were supposed to die that day." Her smile never dropped, her mismatched eyes never leaving his face. "our quirks were too powerful for the organization to handle. We were too be disposed off and our quirks taken into storage. If everything went according to plan, we never would've met."

"...your teleportation quirk only works if you feel close to a person," he frowned thoughtfully. "you... you felt close to me, even back then?"

"Yup," her smile grew, stretching across her three-shades of brown-splotched face. It was a strange side effect of the quirk-transference they had gone through. Most of everyone else either became a mutant or a transformer but Shai was different. Her quirks came from people who were naturally paler than herself, so her beautiful dark-chocolate skin became blotchy and paint-splattered looking. Even her previously dark purple hair changed to having stripes of neon pink in it. As far as he knew, she was born with her mismatched eyes of gold and pink; it had something to do with her naturally born quirk of silver-liquid teleportation.

"Why didn't you summon me that day?" he asked, "why didn't you even warn me about that monster?"

"I tried," Shai sighed. "the doctor paid us a surprise visit. He said master needed our powers and then he unleased that monster on us. I couldn't get to you on the com, so I went to our room and tried to get to you through the hard-link but I didn't get there in time. The other's tried to give me time but... the monster was too much." She chuckled, staring at him with tears threatening her vision. "Figures you were the only one who could take it on."

"...the doctor came and took your quirks? All of them?"

"Yeah, master needed them." She closed her eyes, took a deep breath and then sighed it out. "The monster left me alone just long enough for the doctor to take my quirk. Then stood by for you. The last thing I remember was seeing you enter the room... I didn't have the strength to warn you...I couldn't even twitch my fingers."

"...you were still crying when I beat that thing," he mumbled. "I thought you died in my arms..." the sound of another voice in the hallway startled him, he turned to look back at the closed door.

"Looks like its not your time yet," Shai smiled at him, sad acceptance in her eyes. The voice outside got louder, calling out his name repeatedly.

"No, I don't want too!" he stepped towards her, but it felt as if he was walking through a heavy current.

"Rokuro-san."

"You need to go," she wasn't moving but that current was getting stronger.

"Rokuro-san, wake up." That voice was feminine, but he didn't recognize it.

"Shai!" he was reaching out to her, but that current was getting stronger and stronger, pushing him back even as he stepped forward.

"Rokuro-san, wake up now." That voice sounded like hands wrapping around his shoulders, pulling him away from his comrade.

"Not yet! Shai!" he struggled against the current, against the hands pulling him back to the hall.

"Rokuro-san, wake up now!" he was losing, his feet skidding across the wooden floor.

"Shai!" he never got the chance to tell her.

"Your charge needs you!" he could feel more hands, like iron chains he couldn't shake.

"Maybe..." she was smiling so gently at him.

"Please!" He needed to tell her.

"Wake up, NOW!" he lost the struggle, the floor dropped away from him.

"Next time," She was fading into the white abys he could never reach.

"Don't leave me!" More than ten years ago, she changed his entire world and all she did was think of him.