Ayame's life

One Call

Thick, crimson blood seeped through trembling fingers, giving the air a metallic stench. The smell was nothing new to say the least; the girl was volunteering at the ER and she had more than enough time to get used to it. The pain was definitely something that no longer bothered her; growing up in not one but two abusive households have trained her to ignore the majority of it. However, what bothered her was the time; the wound was deep and bleeding very heavily after the weapon had been removed. Maybe 10 minutes at best. Probably less with just her weak hands applying pressure to it; not a lot of time. Definitely not enough. Not if she wanted to say goodbye. There were so many of them, they flashed before her eyes, tempting her to try and reach out. To call. But there was not enough time, she could feel it. If she was lucky maybe she'd have enough time for one single call. That was not enough; one goodbye. So many people she wanted to call; so many people she wanted to reassure and someone she needed to hear one last time.

Leaning onto the wall was no longer an option, knees wobbled and bucked under her, forcing her to sit down. She knew that was a bad sign. Her hand was no longer able to push down on the injury. She had to make a decision; her last decision. Generally, the girl had lived her life for others; always making choices that would please others so maybe, just maybe it'd be okay if she was selfish this one time. Perhaps she could do it one last time. All Ayame knew was that she needed to hear her voice one last time. There was no way an ambulance could arrive in time anyways. They would need about 15 minutes to find her and she didn't have that long. Not even close, so maybe, just maybe it'd be alright for her to be selfish one last time.

It started off as a pretty simple mission and according to plan, Ayame only would've had to take care of the injured, send them home and then help the heroes. Sure the girl was training to be a hero and not a sidekick, but she was grateful for every chance she got at training and helping someone. Problem was, if you want to crush a team, make them fall, the first person you take out is the support. Pretty simple rule but it works 75% of the time. This of course, was no different. The villain was smart and fast at removing the heroes from the general area, making them confused and forcing them to split up and search for him. That's when he attacked. It was a swift, clean stab that barely gave Ayame any time to register that the enemy was right in front of her. By the time the realization hit her, it was already too late and with how heavy the bleeding was, the blade had definitely hit an artery, making the situation so much worse. Even if help arrived on time, they couldn't have stopped the bleeding; Ayame knew that way too well. Thick, crimson blood seeped through trembling fingers, giving the air a metallic stench.

The girl managed to take the phone out of her pocket and somehow, it was still in working condition. This had to be her lucky day... well, if you don't consider the fact that she was slowly bleeding out in a cold, dark alley. Taking a deep breath, she finally dialed the number. A couple of weeks ago the girl made sure to put a little heart beside her name. It didn't seem like a lot but to Ayame, it was yet another way to show her affection towards her. Fuse. Ayame could clearly recall that wonderful pink that she decided to dye her hair instead of blue. The smell of hair dye lingered in her nose at the memory.

When she finally picked up the phone, Ayame thought she was going to cry. Fuse's sweet, reassuring voice vibrated in her ears. It made her feel warm even in this cold. For a few moments, the brunette couldn't get herself to talk; she wanted to calm down, think about what needed to be said and say it. Sounds easy, right? Well it wasn't. How do you tell someone that you love and treasure that you are not going back? How is a final goodbye supposed to sound like? Is there a written guide somewhere for it that the girl never found? Or were you just supposed to wing it and hope for the best?

Taking too long to say anything was not the smartest of ideas as Fuse's sweet, reassuring voice turned into that of a worried person. "Ayame? What's going on? Aren't you on a mission right now?" Voice so worried, so tired which reminded her that it was definitely rather late and calling right now might not have been the brightest idea, soon enough however, the short girl gathered enough strength to sound as normal as possible, to stop her own voice from shaking and was finally able to say what was on her mind.

"Hey Fuse, don't you worry, I just.. I just wanted to check in with you real quick and see how you were doing. I'm so sorry, I know it's late, I just forgot about the time." Ayame's voice sounded so strained, and tired but lucky for her, Fuse thought she was just a bit more tired than usual, which, to be fair was not even that far from the truth. Before the pink haired girl could respond though, the brunette had to continue, running out of time so quickly was not making her job easier. "Fuse, i want you to know how" A shakey, weak look at the injury. It was looking bad, the bleeding never stopping. She no longer felt the pain as it was slowly fading alongside her. 5 minutes at best. "To know how much I love you." She chuckled sadly, ready to listen to Fuse one last time.

"I love you too, Aya but.. are you sure you're okay? You're getting quieter." Ayame heard the worry in her girlfriend's voice, not reassuring her was out of the question but time was running out and there was no way to tell how much longer coherent thoughts would be able to form in her fogged up mind. "Absolutely, just tired. I've got to go now, love you. Sleep tight dear." Before Fuse would have gotten the chance to respond though, the call ended, leaving her to wonder what was actually going on.

Ayame put down her phone, she would no longer have a use for it. No matter how bizarre it sounded, the girl was not actually scared of dying, having accepted that fate made things easier. She was not looking forward to it but she definitely didn't fear it. It was just the circle of life. Maybe she'd get to see her friends that have passed. That thought earned itself a weak chuckle. The girl had to wonder though, how would people remember her? What would happen to them once she was gone?

Memories of her loved ones clouded and took over her thoughts. Who would take over the office for Hide to let him get some rest? Or braid Axel's messy locks while they drink cocoa and talk about whatever currently bothered them the most? What would happen to Ryuunosuke and his rather unhealthy relation with alcohol, was there anyone who could help him with the drawbacks of his quirk? Would anyone be able to calm the raging storm that ate away on the kindness of Zora and make him believe that he deserved to live? What about Kyo? The little sister she never asked for but always had a shoulder for her to cry on. And Oliver. Who would be able to help him keep in check when the loneliness got just a bit too much for him to handle by himself?

Soon enough, Ayame's thoughts were back on Fuse. Sweet, sweet Fuse whom she loved and treasured so very much. Was there anyone who could reassure her and tell her everything would be alright? Leaving her behind was probably the thing that pained the brunette more than anything but there was nothing to be done about it. Time was running out and she managed to tell her how much she really loved her. Ayame could leave without too many regrets. In the end, isn't that what everyone wants?

In the distance, she heard shouting. People calling out for her. Heroes. But she was too tired and she lost way too much blood. The closer they got, the blurrier and darker her vision was, slowly fading out. Voices barely echoes in her ears that sounded way too far away to be coming from them. She could no longer feel the cold. All Ayame felt was peace and concern for the ones she was about to leave behind. By the time the first of the heroes made it to her, the girl's eyes were already closed, no breathing or pulse to be found. She was gone.