Smoke and Mirrors | BNHA FANFIC

┊ TWO

"You were in serious condition when they found you," Doctor Yamamoto began. Click, went his pen, over and over. Out of all the things he had said, that had to be the most redundant she'd heard thus far. Still, Sayuri couldn't muster the will to scoff. It took too much out of her just to think about making any moves other than the automatic blink of her eyes.

Doctor Yamamoto was an older man, roughly in his forties if she were to take a guess. He had an aura of nonchalance as he scribbled in the margins of his notes. There was something rather plain about her, he felt. Although a strange case it wasn't any stranger than what he has seen since quirks came into the equation. As insensitive as it was, he'd seen worse. The dull ache of routine threatened to drag a rather long yawn from the man.

"A coma for a whole year. It's remarkable that you even opened your eyes," Yamamoto droned on. His coffee muddled irises inched down the length of the mechanical arm Sayuri had been gifted with. The donor was a rather odd man, claiming to 'cleanse the evils of this world' or something along those lines. Doctor Yamamoto had long since stopped caring about the details of strange men looking for new talent.

"That new arms you have ─ it was a gift from a man named Ienobu Usui. If it causes any problems he said that 'he will know,' and 'only someone with my mechanical prowess could fix it," the doctor recalled. A small frown indicated his unease.

When he glanced at the young girl he realized that perhaps he had been just talking to himself the past few minutes. A defeated sigh echoed in the room as his chair scraped against the polished floor. His coat rustled as footsteps echoed down the hospital hallway and left Sayuri alone once again.

It was only then that she took a deep and burdened breath. Of course, she had been listening to the doctor-turned-therapist and remembered every detail of his rather inadequate recollection. Who was this Ienobu Usui and what could he want with a recently disabled ex-prodigy? Sayuri's gaze drifted back down to the contraption replacing her missing flesh in vague disinterest. Although she was grateful for the sentiment this person had, Sayuri had no intention of keeping it.

A knock disturbed her brief solace. Although she knew someone was there, their presence was almost undetectable. In the space at the foot of the hospital bed stood a man who's lilac hair had been combed into a neat bun at the top of his head. Two wild strands that were too short to meet the elastic, framed the sides of his slender face well. When oceanic hues met with a serene meadow, a sense of calm washed over her tense muscles.

"Miss Kitagawa, my name is Ienobu Usui. If the doctor was competent enough he should have told you about who gave you those marvelous arms," the man quipped. When he got no reply, Ienobu nodded and adjusted his posture.

"I understand that you've gone through something quite traumatic. If you don't want to talk, I'll do all the talking. Sound fair," he hummed with a faint inquisition. The way he moved was fluid and unassuming─in fact, his entire air was intentionally soothing. Sayuri cast a questionable look his way.

"To be honest, I was going out on a limb─pardon the pun─when I made that arm for you Miss Kitagawa. It was unknown if you would wake up. Still, I had faith you would come to now here we are. Anyway, I won't bore you with little details. The arms I gave you comes with a price," Ienobu stated. His legs crossed over themselves as he shifted in the small plastic chair.

Sayuri narrowed her gaze, distrust clear in her eyes. Whatever he had to ask was not important. She was not keeping the arms, especially if it put her in debt to a man she did not know the intentions of. A small chuckle emanated from the man's throat as he interlocked his slender fingers.

"You have every right to be defensive. A strange man makes you a robotic arm and asks you to make a deal in return? I would be suspicious too. Either way, I implore you to hear me out."

This time he took to leaning forward. Sayuri made the effort to face him as well. Whatever he had to say, she would listen. If his request was too much she would take the arm off herself and offer it back without a second thought. Ienobu, thoroughly satisfied to have her full attention, began his proposition.

"I know who you used to be: Kitagawa Sayuri, firstborn daughter of the two superheroes Karma and Iron Assassin. A prodigy," he stated. Sayuri visibly flinched at the mention. She was no prodigy; not anymore. Phantom pain in her left shoulder begged for mercy as the man continued on.

"You were going to enter U.A. as a recommendation. You were on track to become the number one hero..." Ienobu trailed with a dissatisfied click of his tongue. "It's a shame what happened, but maybe you can still become number one─"

"─no more," the blonde girl cut in with a rasp. A year of being unable to utilize her voice made it thick and gravelly to the ear. "I'm no hero. Go find someone else," she muttered. The tips of her fingers twitched in agitation, noticeable to the stranger. A small grin pulled at the edge of his mouth.

"Maybe not yet, Miss Kitagawa. You don't have to be a hero, even. You could be something more─something new," Ienobu urged. The enthusiasm in his voice seemed to calm her again. "All I'm asking is for you to keep going on with your life; the one you were going to live before the incident. Simple, isn't it?"

Far from simple, she thought. There were motives that were far too obvious to pick out. Her mind raced to find all the possible outcomes that would follow accepting his proposition. The lilac-haired man stood abruptly, smoothing the creases in his suit.

"I'm not a prodigy anymore, sir. Everything I used to be, my quirk, it's all useless now," Sayuri scowled. She figured that her thoughts would move the metal arm not long after she woke up, so when she rotated the machine and clenched her palm, a frown took hold of her expression. "Whatever you think I could be or do for you, give up sir. All I am is disabled and normal."

"That's where you're wrong," he countered with a quick stride to the room's door. "I'd argue that you're even more than what you were before. Think of the possibilities. I will teach you how to use that arm of yours. When you're discharged come to the address in here," he tossed a brand new phone her way which she caught with her right hand easily. "I'll be in touch."

Once he was gone, Sayuri inspected the phone carefully. Tapping the screen lightly it revealed a chibi version of the Ienobu Usui that read 'great things are coming~' and a new message from a number tagged benefactor. The address was a ramen shop down in the outskirts of Musutafu.

This man was very confident in her agreement. Somehow, she couldn't help but have to. Sayuri owed him for what he's done for her. No matter the debt it had to be repaid tenfold, the words of her late parents echoed in the back of her mind.