Barrier (BNHA)(Unedited)

Ch. 31

Baria walked slowly. Each step she took felt as if she had boulders tied to her ankles. Each swing of her arm dragged her down but she walked. She needed to see it. It didn't matter if the building was demolished or abandoned. If the building was filled with rodents or became shelter to those who desperately needed it. She just needed to see it.

It didn't matter that the boys would be going to USJ later that week. It didn't matter that Shigaraki had told her about his Masters plan. It didn't matter that the boys probably forgot about her warning. She just wanted something from her past. She wanted to reminisce. Something that was her and that her previous life had no effect on because it was getting to the point that Baria didn't feel like she was real anymore.

Seeing the building coming into view, she picked up her pace. Anticipation sang through her veins. Now that was home. She could tell you every detail about the place with her eyes closed. She could tell you the texture of the tiles in the kitchen and the smell of the meeting room. She could tell you every fact about the building but the memories within those walls were hers to keep.

The laughter of the kids as the glided down the halls in worn down socks. Sliding this way and that, completely oblivious to the fact that the older kids had doused the floors in floor wax just for the purpose of fun.

The tears that were shed as another child was adopted and the heart wrenching sobs that followed the matrons for days afterwards.

The screams of anger as a child was rejected simply for something out of their control and the screams of fear as villains and heroes recklessly destroy the building.

The songs that echoed through the halls as all the buildings occupants synchronised in an attempt to sooth each other. Young and old voices mixing to create an ageless tone.

The selflessness and determination the pulsed through the very veins of the buildings occupants. Time and time again sacrificing what should have been a simple luxury so that others may have it instead.

Not all memories within the old orphanage was sad or loving. Some memories ran so deep with hatred that some never truly recovered. So few had run from the orphanage and a couple months later came back with blood on their hands. Those few often came back with truly terrible intentions. None of was of their own fault. Manipulation was a much used tactic. One that was easily recognised if one knew what to look for. Souta was one of the few that had run. He had not come back unchanged although he hides the haunted look in his eyes well. Baria had it herself, even if she never left willingly.

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The old building stood tall on it plot of land. You could see it age however, in the way the walls sometimes creaked. In the big holes that were never truly fixed. In the way the paint was cracked and peeling off. It had been used in a long time. A person could tell by the way the windows were covered in dust and the gutters were filled with leaves. To others it may look filthy and unkempt but to Baria it felt like coming home after a very long day.

She advanced. Her steps causing the leaves to crunch. Baria reached the door and stood on her tippy toes. The key had always been placed in a small pouch that had been tied in the low hanging light of the porch. Low and behold, it was still placed there. Baria slid the key into the lock. There was some rust clinging stubbornly to both but Baria had lived in the building nearly all her life. A pull and a sharp twist later the door was unlocked and pushed open. Immediately Baria could see the dust that had been covering the floor lift and swirl around as slight wind churned through the hallway. Walking forward, she left footprints in the dust as she made her way to her old room.

Her old room wasn't just her room. She shared with several of the others. Their bedroom no longer smelt of comfort but rather of dust. It didn't really bother her. Baria didn't need to do much at the old orphanage. There wasn't much she could do in the first place. It didn't really matter though. Moving past her room, Baria began her trek throughout the building.

If Baria had looked back, she would have noticed a shadow were there was none before. She would have seen another set of footprints in the dust. As it was Baria didn't notice anything other than the odd feeling of someone uninvited being in her home. She didn't know where they were.

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Hawks was never one to panic. The commission had ensured that he wouldn't. However, there never were able to train him into being an uncaring person. Not when they wanted him to be a hero. This often worked in his to benefit. It meant that he didn't need the commissions permission to befriend people or else it would make it looking like he was antisocial. It also meant that the commission could force him into creating friendships with particular people. On the other hand, this caused him to be extremely protective of his friends.

This protective instinct he had was very much unappreciated by the commission. Thou it did endear him to his friends. This brought him back to the current predicament. Every hero that frequented 'OBEX' had to have met its owner, Baria. Sweet girl who doesn't really understand social ques and fainted after randomly giving a new comer a compliment. Great source of entertain meant in particular circles. Every hero that knew her also knew that her family loved and wished the best for her. Heroes have seen them do all sorts of small actions to aid her. Actions like topping up the cafes groceries and taking shifts at the café in an attempt to lighten her load. Hawks swears he saw the oldest siblings threaten a pro-hero. Hawks himself had gotten a kind of shovel talk. A shovel talk for friendship while sweet made him slightly more concerned about Baria's health and sense of danger. It also gave him a far better understanding of her quirk and its drawback. This also brought him and nearly every hero regular from 'OBEX' into the small group chat where they learnt that Baria was being stalked by, at minimum, two people. So upon hearing that Baria was currently alone after getting into a fight with her closet friends, warning bells went through his head. Flying as high and as quickly as he could, while still being able to see and identify the people on the ground, Hawks began to search for Baria.

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Baria was by no means weak. However, she was easily overpowered by her attacker. This could have been contributed to various different aspects or reasons. One such reason is that Baria didn't expect them to attack her with a sledgehammer. As an obvious result, Baria now had a lovely concussion and was being carried around in a sack. An itchy, scratchy sack with someone's shoulder digging into her stomach. There wasn't much that she could do as this wasn't her café meaning using her quirk would result in her arrest for illegal quirk usage. Thus she would have to wait.

A sudden change in movement startled Baria out of her pondering. Before this moment she had never truly felt motion sick. However, a sudden increase of altitude and speed might just do it for anybody.

Baria could smell copper and hear the sound of fast moving blade. The thud of pounding footsteps as the move further away from her. The steps were quickly followed by the sound of something large hitting the floor with a smaller sound coming right after. Baria could feel as a liquid soaked through the cloths of the sack and how it smeared onto her skin.

All this was quickly followed by the sound of flapping wings and arms cradling her.

"Close your eyes" a voice whispered to her. She recognized that voice. She often went to its owner when things became slightly too dangerous in the basement.

"Hawks." She stated.

"Hey, baby bird. You got yourself in a situation. Don't worry, everything has been sorted out. Just keep your eyes closed until I say otherwise, okay baby bird?"

"Okay."

Then she felt as he bent his knees and pushed of the ground. It wasn't until she felt the wind tousling her hair did she realise that the sack had been removed. That was the last thing she truly recognized before darkness dragged her into its depths.