Eraserhead and Scribe II

Eraserhead and Scribe II Chapter 3

Aizawa rolled over in his empty bed and looked at her pillow. Mornings sucked without her to tease him into waking. Or maybe they sucked because he hadn't really slept since her accident. He just kept replaying that last moment with her. Why had he let her go alone?

He knew the answer of course. He was battling one of Murder Hornet's top lieutenants, keeping his quirk (a dangerous poison quirk that could paralyze you temporarily) erased while he fought to get him under control long enough to allow the police to capture him. Scribe was helping, and then she finally tossed one of her paper balls and caught him with a net.

And that was when the distress call came through. A small group of sidekicks was stuck. Scribe looked at Aizawa. "Go on," Aizawa said, waiting for the police to secure the villain. "I'll be right behind you."

But somehow that hadn't happened. He'd run into more of Murder Hornet's men on the way. Kamui Woods had joined him in the battle as they worked their way toward the middle of the hive-like building. And then Scribe hadn't answered when he asked her where she was. And when he'd reached out to her mind—but it wasn't even like he had done that, was it? Because Scribe was the one who made that possible, and suddenly it was like she wasn't there.

They found her crumpled on the floor in the big room at the center of it all, Murder Hornet standing above her. He'd been surprisingly easy to capture, but Aizawa figured it was because Scribe had put up a fight. Of course, she had. But had it been Murder Hornet she fought against? Murder Hornet's poison quirk worked by touch. He had stinging pads on his fingertips. The more fingers he touched you with, the more potent his poison. If he'd gotten hold of her with both hands, he would have delivered more than his usual amount of poison, and, possibly due to the fight, all of his toxicity in one dose.

Aizawa remembered dropping to his knees beside her still form, rolling her over, certain she was dead because he could feel nothing coming from her. Even when she slept, he could touch her mind. Even when they were miles apart, there was a connection. But there was nothing.

Kamui Woods held Murder Hornet in his cagelike grip. "Is she okay?"

Aizawa gathered her into his arms, holding her against his heart, only then realizing she was breathing, and he picked her up and raced out of the building, radioing for All Might as he ran so a helicopter waited for them, ready to rush a fallen hero to the hospital...

But where is her quirk? Why can't I reach her now? He frowned at her pillow, reaching out to touch it as if he could find her that way. How can a coma take her completely away from me?

***

All Might and Present Mic were already at the breakfast table in the cafeteria. Aizawa dropped wearily into the seat across from All Might. All Might gave him a tired smile. "Morning."

Mic looked from one to the other, his expression worried. "You two need to get more rest. Sleep is a wonderful thing."

Aizawa raised an eyebrow. "It is indeed. Where's Midnight this morning?"

Mic actually looked a little uncomfortable. "Maybe she overslept?" He glanced at his watch. "Speaking of being late..." He grabbed his tea and left.

Aizawa watched him go and shook his head. "At least one of us is getting good rest."

"You sure you can call that rest?" All Might took a sip of tea. "You should eat something, Aizawa."

"Eating...sleeping...none of it means much without her." Aizawa sighed. He remembered his thoughts of the morning. "Why do you think I can't still feel a connection with her, All Might? I mean, even in a coma, shouldn't I feel something?"

All Might's brow furrowed. "You might be tempted to think so...and, indeed, if you reach far enough, maybe you will. But she's in a state of hibernation, too. It's not like she's just asleep."

"No...but if she's still there, her quirk is, too, right?" Aizawa looked at All Might anxiously, then sighed. "I'm sorry. I'm just...grasping. I feel like there should be something I can do. Some way I can reach her." He frowned, remembering Shigaraki's words. She deserves better than this. "None of this is right."

"Remember what the doctors have said. Maybe she just needs time to heal."

Aizawa knew All Might was trying to sound encouraging. But he also knew Scribe's body was as healed as it was likely to get while she was unconscious. Something else was going on. And as much as he hated to admit it, Shigaraki might be his only way of finding out what that something was.

He looked up at All Might. "I need to see her today. Can you help me get there?"

All Might brightened. "Of course."

***

Shigaraki waited for him in Scribe's room that afternoon. He was seated in the chair, his legs crossed. Today he wore a suit with a long coat over it. His unruly gray-blue shock of hair looked oddly incongruous to Aizawa. "Afternoon, Eraser."

"Yeah." Aizawa paused. It felt weird walking into a room with Shigaraki in it and not immediately going on the offensive.

Shigaraki smiled a little. "I know what you're thinking." He looked up at Aizawa through the red eyes that were normally almost out of sight behind the mummified hand. "But if we're going to do this there's gonna have to be a certain amount of trust between us."

"You're big on trust, aren't you, Shigaraki?" Aizawa came inside and shut the door. He kept some distance between himself and the other man.

"Well, I won't ask you to shake my hand or anything, but..." Shigaraki stood, holding both hands out to his sides in a gesture of openness, "...please understand if any of my associates caught onto this little deal of ours it could cause me a lot of trouble." He grinned. "You, too, I'm guessing."

"True enough." Aizawa looked at him sharply. "Have you found out anything?"

"Nothing to report yet. But I've got feelers out." Shigaraki looked back at Scribe. "Has it occurred to you that the connection's gone?"

"Yeah." Aizawa gave a start of surprise. "For you, too?"

Shigaraki glanced at him with a half smile. "How would you feel if it wasn't, I wonder?" He sighed. "But yeah. And I can't help but think that shouldn't be."

"Because if she's still there, her quirk is still there." Aizawa nodded. "Even if she's in a coma. But that could mean—" He stopped himself, the dread he fought on a daily basis heavy on his heart.

"Don't even go there." Shigaraki spoke sharply enough to make Aizawa turn to him in surprise. The red eyes glowered. "She's not gone. There's brain activity, right? Something's...messed with her. We just have to figure out what...or who. And shut it down."

Aizawa narrowed his eyes at the other man. "And then what?"

"What do you think? I go back to my business and you go back to living happily ever after as two heroes with one shared purpose." Shigaraki stood and started past Aizawa out the door. He paused beside the other man, however, his voice very low. "Don't get me wrong. I'd love to be able to say I can connect with her while you're cut off. But I can't."

"Then why?" Aizawa said without moving away. "Why help me?"

Shigaraki's mouth turned up a little in a grim smile. "Because the world hurts a little less knowing she's in it." And he left, closing the door behind him.