Smile for Me

Chapter 59: Spirits

Aizawa POV

He found himself in a dream he felt like he had before. Emi was sprawled out against a wall in the wreckage of Shinjuku, with blood all over her and a nasty cut on her forehead. Aizawa ran up to her and crouched down at her level. He shook her, and realized that she wasn't waking up. He sat down and ran his fingers through his hair, frantically trying to figure out what to do.

Then, she spoke.

She continued to laugh as Aizawa was thrown into another horrifying vision. Emi was still in costume, but she was now standing in his home, limping towards him desperately.

Aizawa reached out for her, but found that once again, he couldn't touch her. The image faded around him as he fell to his knees.

"I'm sorry. I didn't know..." Then he got a hold of himself and stood.

"No. What happened is in the past. She forgives me, and I'm making every effort to make things right and make it up to her." He said out loud to himself.

"Pfffft. What a load of mushy crap."

He turned around to see Madame Maniacal giving him a look of distaste. "I swear, all this is gonna make me barf."

"What do you want?" Aizawa asked, suspecting he already knew the answer.

"To show you what you did wrong."

"You're just a figment of my imagination. Whatever you do or say won't hurt me. You're just my guilt." Aizawa said, standing firm.

"True; I am something your mind created, but I'm real to you. For now I'm just here to show you what will probably happen if you stay around her." she said, putting a hand on her hip.

"I know my job can be dangerous, but I'm protecting her from both the enemy and herself." He barked.

"Even if she does get better and remembers everything, she'll leave your home. You can't protect her then, and the League of Villains will come for her again to take their revenge."Maniacal said, clutching her hand.

"Ms.Joke is a fully capable Hero. Once she leaves, she can take care of herself." Aizawa retorted.

"You sure? What happens if they try to kill her and you're not there? It'll be just like last time..."

Aizawa was then thrown into another scenario. They were in Emi's apartment at night. He looked around and saw Emi leaning against a wall in costume, another bloody gash on her head.

He ran up to her with fear in his heart. Aizawa clutched her to himself as he heard the ambulances coming.

"Why do you keep doing this to me?!" He shouted into nothingness as he clutched Emi's lifeless body.

"I'm only trying to help you, Shouta~" Madame Maniacal said innocently, sauntering up to him. "If I didn't, then you might end up doing something that gets her killed! And we don't want that, now do we?" she said with a mock pout.