Voodoo Doll [BNHA]

Chapter Twenty Six

Young four-year-old Fumeiyo woke from her nap in her closet sized bedroom. It didn't feel as if she'd been asleep for very long and she wondered what had disturbed her slumber. She paused and listened carefully at the door. Her mother was sobbing in her bedroom, it was so loud, Fumeiyo could hear her through two closed doors.

Worried for her mother, Fumeiyo pushed back her fear and wariness and slowly opened the door of her closet sized bedroom. The sobbing got louder. She quietly padded across the kitchen and dining area and crept to the door to her parents' bedroom.

"Mommy?" She called in a whisper soft voice. She never knew what state she'd find her mother in due to the demons that plagued her.

There was no response, the sobbing continued unhindered. Fumeiyo gently pushed on the door, it swung open silently. Her blood turned to ice in her veins as she spotted her mother sitting on the floor in the back corner of the room curled into a ball sobbing while rocking back and forth. There was blood streaming down her arms and legs, pooling on the carpet around her. It looked as if she had carved a bunch of strange symbols into her arms.

"M-Mommy!" Fumeiyo cried in a panic and stumbled to her mother. Once she was within reach her mother's head snapped up, her wild eyes locked on Fumeiyo and she let out an enraged snarl.

"THIS IS YOUR FAULT! YOU DID THIS TO ME!" She screamed in anger.

Hawks looked down at Doll, worried. She'd fallen asleep on the way. Her injuries seemed to start bothering her the longer they flew and he realized it was because he was holding her and putting pressure on them. He was relieved she was sound asleep now and out of pain.

In her sleep, Doll let out a soft whimper. She seemed to be dreaming about something that was upsetting her. He panicked as he noticed blood starting to seep through the bandages around her eyes. He paused and hovered in the air. Gently he tried to shake her awake.

"Hey, little one. Wake up, it's just a dream." He cradled her against him praying she'd wake up.

Another helpless whimper escaped her lips and she started to toss and turn in her sleep. He tightened his grip on her and grimaced as she winced in pain. It was hurting her but he couldn't risk her falling. He shook her again.

"Doll, wake up." He spoke a little louder. He couldn't bear to see her in this state.

Her cloudy white eyes fluttered open and she stared up at the night sky wildly before realizing they were hundreds possibly thousands of feet in the air. She let out a squeal and threw her arms around him causing him to let out a soft sigh of relief.

"Hey, you okay?" He asked worried.

Doll hesitated a moment before nodding.

"Bad dream?" He pondered.

She chewed on her lip not wanting to talk about it and nodded again.

He noticed her morose demeaner and frowned, he wanted to cheer her up. They were on their way to someplace awful and stressful he had to do something to make her smile. "I've been thinking." He began with a smile as he continued to fly, at a slower pace.

Doll looked to him curiously, "about?"

"Everyone calls you Doll." He continued.

Doll tilted her head to the side adorably, not quite following his train of thought.

"Not a lot of people get to call me Keigo, you're a bit special, but I don't have anything special to call you." He continued smiling at her confusion. "How about a cute nickname that only I get to call you?"

Doll blushed at this and bashfully hid behind her long raven hair. "Like what?"

He smiled, "your outfit earlier gave me an idea."

Doll looked up at him curiously. Her body felt like it was on fire.

"Chicken Nugget." Hawks replied seriously.

Doll giggled at this, "why chicken nugget?"

"You were the cutest chicken I've ever seen and you're little, it fits perfectly." He grinned.

Doll felt her face burn.

"What do you think?" He asked her with a chuckle as he noticed she was trying to hide behind her hair again.

Doll squeezed him tight and buried her face in his neck without answering.

He chuckled at how adorably sweet and bashful she was being, "does that mean you like it?"

She nodded, feeling embarrassed and giddy. Doll was so happy he wanted to give her a cute nickname that only he could call her, it made her feel special.

Hawks held back a laugh as she buried her face in his neck and squeezed him tight. He delighted in her adorable embarrassment. His smile faltered as he felt her tremble, she was still in a lot of pain. "Why don't you try to get some more sleep, my little Chicken Nugget." He tested it out.

Doll let out a cute squeal as he used her new nickname. She felt so much joy from hearing the pet name she felt like she might burst. Hawks chuckled and gently rubbed her back hoping to help lull her back to sleep. Soon they'd be in enemy territory, she needed as much rest as she could get.

It didn't take long for Doll to fall into a relaxed state and drift back to sleep in his arms. Hawks smiled down at her sleeping form. "I promise, I'll keep you safe." He breathed and smiled as she snuggled him in her sleep.

Hawks landed outside the entrance to the base of operations for the Paranormal Liberation Front. Doll was sleeping soundly, snuggled up in his arms. It was late and he was hoping he'd be able to quickly escape to his room with Doll and let her sleep. His feathers picked up on voices heading their way. The front door swung open and Hawks unconsciously tensed as Re-Destro and Skeptic stepped out. They'd been waiting for him. Re-Destro greeted him with a genteel smile.

"Oh, was she sympathetic to our cause?" Re-Destro asked as he noticed the creepy bandaged girl in Hawks' arms.

Hawks nodded, "she is and has agreed to join." He was careful to keep his voice even. "Where do you want her?"

"Since she's so taken with you, do you mind holding onto her for a bit?" Re-Destro asked. "It's late, we can all have a chat in the morning." His gaze flicked to the sleeping girl. "Seems the little nuisance is quite tired." He noted as Hawks sensed someone else approaching. He noticed Dabi, seeming to be returning from some outing.

Hawks tried not to tense. If they knew she was in a weakened state, would they think it better just to eliminate her? "She expended a lot of energy protecting Endeavor's son." Hawks responded not wanting to reveal that she was in pain and extremely vulnerable right now. He noticed Dabi pause for a moment and look their way before heading inside without a word.

Re-Destro and Skeptic stepped aside and Hawks slowly made his way to his room trying his best not to look on edge or tense. He didn't want to alert anyone to Doll's condition. No one followed him or stopped him on his way to his temporary residence within their base of operations. He made it to his room with no issue and breathed a sigh of relief.

He carried her to the bed and gently laid her down. When he tried to release her to cover her up, he chuckled as her arms snaked around him, refusing to let go. "Hey, Chicken Nugget, I can't tuck you in if you don't let go."

Doll mumbled something incoherent back at him in her sleep and hugged him tighter. Hawks gave in with a soft chuckle and laid on the bed beside her. He reached behind him for a blanket and swept it around them. It had been hard for him to relax in his temporary residence, but he found it much easier with Doll in his arms.

"Keigo." Doll sighed dreamily in her sleep as she melted into his warm embrace. "...magical hugs..." she mumbled with a smile.

Hawks chuckled and kissed the top of her head, "you're far too cute for your own good. What am I going to do with you?"