Mha: The Spectacular Spider-Man Vol.1

Sinister War P.2

"Ten minutes! We're leaving!"

Kaina woke up to the sound of Jeannine shouting outside in the hallways. The group of heroes planned on departing back into the city of Mustafa, hopeful that they could win against the Sinister Six. Taeko's main priority was defeating them quickly since he knew that their rivalry would only breed more destruction for the city. They would leave early in the morning and head back to the building where Venom fought them.

She sat up and stretched out both arms wide in the air, allowing a small yawn to escape her lips. It was the first decent night of sleep she had in weeks that he almost forgot what feeling rested felt like. All of her preparation for Eclipse and bringing in Taeko become too stressful to properly manage. Kaina pushed away two purple bangs from her face to look around the room, initially spotting the merriment light of day that shined through the blinds. It was still early in the morning and she wasn't much of a morning person, that was normally Taeko's gift.

"Morning!" Taeko warmly greeted, tossing a cheerful smile at his partner. Unlike Kaina, who was already up and getting ready for the upcoming mission, he still wore a plain white Tee-shirt and shorts. Taeko stood across the room by a mirror that hung over a drawer set, using it to help him fix his frizzy hair. "How'd you sleep?" He asked her, keeping his voice at a slight whisper in case she was too tired for his energy.

Kaina didn't respond as she was too focused on Taeko himself, and the second chance she was granted. The talk with Hitomi was still fresh in her mind and every word remained loud enough to hear. The kind soul she had once hurt years ago had forgiven her and reciprocated a desire to build a life together. After a few seconds passed by, Kaina wiped away a single tear and nodded to his unanswered question.

"I had a weird dream last night," Taeko started, moving on and wanting to share a nightfall fantasy he had. "I was with a bunch of other Spider-Man...Men? We were all different. I helped them fight some vampire guy that was going around and eating Spider-people, it was weird." Taeko continued, chuckling at the odd nature of his dream. However, part of him wished it was real, having another hero similar to him would be fun in his mind. Taeko didn't want to pass off the mantle, as wearing the mask brought waves of stress and pain that he never wanted someone else to go through. "What'd you dream about?"

"Oh... I don't Taeko, dreams are bad. Eclipse made sure we didn't have that." Kaina replied, calmly revealing another tragic way of life she was forced to endure. Venom felt a spike of rage in their shared connection with Taeko, much more than Taeko felt during his time in the Moonlight Tower. It wasn't necessarily that fact that Kaina couldn't dream, it was the fact that much of her life was robbed, all by one woman who deemed her fit to simply be a weapon. The former sat up and bent her knees close to her, she looked out at the open window, getting another look at the lake below. "I don't dream, Taeko. Not anymore. But... if I did, this is what I'd see. The end. You'll fight of course. You'll try to stop it and maybe you'll find some success trying to push back the impossible weight. But the dream always ends the same, you're living through a constant war from the choices you've made. You suffer for them, dying in your arms. You have great power, and you're responsible for them."

Taeko listened, taking in everything she said, admittedly very confused about the main idea. However, he understood that part of her stress moving forward was centered sound his actions pertaining to being a hero. The young hero moved over to the bed and sat down next to Kaina, wrapping his arms around her in a soft hug. "I know I'm usually optimistic and that gets me in trouble. But, you don't need to be scared about me, I'm going to be safe. I'm focused and I want to live now. I want to live to continue helping...and for you."

Kaina wanted to comment on his unusual phrasing about wanting to live again, but she ignored it for the moment. She returned a similar hug, only she tightened the embrace more than Taeko had. When she looked over his shoulder she spotted the unkept pillows and bedsheets, causing her to blush when remembering what happened last night. "I want you to live to Taeko, it'd be annoying if you died after all this build-up."