Monster

6 | Interrogations and Explorations

- IZUKU -

The light was bright above me. Too bright.

Wait.. bright?

That wasn't normal. Normally, we'd be laying in the darkness in the comfort of another. We normally couldn't see anything, not even each other. The only source of light was the hallway.

So.. where was I?

I groaned, sitting up. My arms ached, every muscle aching as if I hadn't moved for a while. I felt hot, like before, except not as bad. It was like it had calmed down, the heat still there but not as unbearable.

I waited a few seconds, properly waking myself up before opening my eyes again. It was still bright, but not blinding like I'd thought before. Most things seemed to be a shade of white.

I looked down, seeing a blue blanket. It had been a long time since I had been in.. what was this called again? Tenko had mentioned it a few times when we were younger.

That's when I noticed him.

Tenko was on the chair beside me, eyes closed as he kept his hand intertwined with mine. He was wearing these gloves on his hands. They were black, only covering the middle, ring and pinky finger. Had Overhaul given him a new pair of gloves?

I realised I could see him. His hair was a sort of grey-ish blue, the strands reaching his waist. He had his hair down, and it looked brushed. Overhaul wasn't that kind, and the underlings didn't do that stuff either. So, who?

He was also wearing nicer clothes. He wasn't wearing those rags anymore, but instead a long-sleeved white shirt with black pants. It looked nice on him. He looked more at peace, more relaxed.

My blood ran cold. Just, where were we? Had we been moved to a new room? Had a different group of people taken us?

I brought my knees to my chest, heart racing. I didn't know where we were. I didn't know where Overhaul was. I didn't know who had taken us. I didn't know anything and it was making me feel anxious. Scared, maybe?

A tight squeeze and a few gentle taps made me look up.

Tenko was awake, his ruby red eyes watching me carefully. He continued to squeeze my hand, tapping my thumb gently as well. "Breathe, Zu. Just take deep breaths, alright?" He took exaggerated breaths, waiting for me to do the same. "That's right, just breathe with me, little brother. You'll be okay. I'm okay. We're both okay."

He took a few more exaggerated breaths, watching me do the same. It came out shaky, but soon, my breathing pattern regulated, everything seeming a lot less scary. My heart was still beating fast, my mind still racing.

Eventually, I attempted to speak. "Wh–" I coughed, throat hoarse. "Where are we?"

"Zu–"

"D-Did Overhaul take us to a new room? Are we being p-punished? Did someone else t-take us? Did–"

Tenko squeezed my hand again, making me stop. He was sitting in a cross-legged position opposite me on the.. whatever this is. I didn't recognize a lot of things in this room.

"Zu, calm down. We're safe." Before I could ask more questions, he continued. "The heroes found us and helped us get out of there, remember?"

I looked at him. "That nice girl and tired man were heroes?"

He nodded. "Yeah. Eraserhead took us to U.A High School, stating it was the safest location for us. Right now, we're in Recovery Girl's office."

"Recovery Girl?" I questioned.