The Hero and the Damsel

Risking Lives

            I entered into the bank, my mind still slightly clouded with the thought that I may or may not be carrying Toshinori's child inside me. It was a nerve-wracking thought, and it kept coming up. No...no! I need to focus. I'm going shopping today for floor paneling, maybe some paint, and definitely curtains. Shopping to make Breathing Pollen the best flower shop in the area, the best example of what I envision it to look like. Something perfect, something grand! No thoughts of babies! No thoughts of pregnancy!

I got in line to speak with the teller when my turn approached, rummaging through my purse to find my wallet and I.D. so I could hand them over and get the process over quickly. Question was how much I should withdraw. I didn't want to take an exorbitant amount of money from Toshinori's account, but I would need enough to cover some costs if I found something I liked. Would five hundred be too much? I pondered my thoughts on money, taking in the area around me as I did. The bank was always a luscious place. They always had a rich person feel to them.

I chanced a glance at the ground, maybe their floors would give me some inspiration. Tiling. Drab tiling at that. No...I was thinking wood. A nice wood flooring, give it a homey feel. Hm...flooring of that nature shouldn't be too expensive. Let's see...maybe...five thousand yen at most. Nothing extreme? Was I thinking too small? I continued to stare at the tiled floor of the bank, taking in it's grainy yet reflective surface. It reflected the lights that were in the ceiling, little glowing circles on the floor bouncing the light back into their corresponding holes in the ceiling. Those lights were cool and all, but if I was going to get a homey vibe, I need a light that was warmer more welcoming.

"Next!" I jolted out of my thoughts as the teller called for the next person in line, which apparently was me. I was so consumed by my thoughts of renovations, I completely missed being called to the teller.

With hesitation, I made my way over. The man behind the counter smiled at me, his glasses sliding slightly down his nose as he gestured for my information. I placed my I.D. and debit card on the wooden countertop towards him. Wooden countertops, that didn't sound too bad, but maybe with the wooden floors that would be too much. I shook my head of my decorating thoughts and looked to the teller once more. "Um, sorry. Five thousand for withdrawal please."

The teller nodded as I stood there waiting. He filed through the information before asking. "Date of birth?"

"December 24th." Always have to verify when it's that much money.

The teller gave another nod, causing me to think that those glasses that were already sliding down his face were going to end up on the floor and break. I shrugged, if they hit the floor it was his own fault for not adjusting the problem. He went to work going to get the money I had requested. I'd need to send a text to Toshinori letting him know how much money I had taken out of the bank that way he didn't worry. Granted, I don't think me taking five thousand out of the bank was anything that would cause worry. He had so much more than that saved in the bank already.

I continued to observe my surrounds, taking notice of the fake potted plants in the room. Why not get real ones? Something simple, with little need of watering. Hah! A cactus! I snorted, imagining a bank with cactuses as their welcoming ambient plants. That's when I noticed something out of the ordinary. A woman looking awfully jittery and fidgeting with her bag. I watched her carefully, something seemed off with her. Was something...wrong?

That's when the sound rang out. Gunshots, fired in the air as the bank doors were locked and the woman shook, standing in front of them. "Nobody move! This...T-This is a robbery!" Everyone immediately cowered down as she pointed the gun from the ceiling to us, the people now being held hostage by her. I caught a glimmer of her hand trembling as she pointed the gun at us.

An officer for the bank immediately ran over to stand in front of us and point his gun at her. "Ma'am! Lower your weapon!"

There was something in her eyes...something off. A piercing sound rang out again as more gunfire rang. This time it blended with a terrified, shrill scream. The woman...shot the office. She seemed hesitant as she stepped forward to check him, almost as though she were scared before she shook her head and pointed the gun at everyone again. "W-W-Whoever tries to play hero next will e-end up the s-same! E-E-Everyone in...in that corner! Out of my way!" She gestured the gun with a wave off to the side, out of visible sight from the windows of the bank and at a disadvantage to get to the door with her standing in the way.

Everyone, including myself hurried over. Mothers and children, business men and women, it was a rush to hide in the corner. Didn't these people have fucking Quirks?! Why wasn't someone stopping her?! Come on, this is a dangerous situation! Fight! You have fucking superpowers dipshits!

I groaned, nervous about the situation as the woman made her way to one of the tellers that was, I can only assume since I couldn't see them, cowering behind the counter. Her legs were shaking as she approached and demanded. "Give me everything! All the money y-you have!" Why was she hesitating so much? This...this didn't make sense.

The teller hurried off to get the money, fearing most likely for their life with this woman in front of them holding a gun. She already shot an officer of the law...poor man was bleeding out on the ground. We needed to end this quickly. Help him. I turned to everyone near me, all these pathetic, cowardly, Quirked people. "Who here has a healing Quirk?"

They all stared at me with such incredulous eyes as if I had three heads. Was my question so strange. I grit my teeth at their reaction. "He's going to bleed out and fucking die! Who has a healing Quirk?!"

The woman with the gun must have heard me as her footsteps echoed on the tiled ground of the bank. I tensed, turning to face her. She glared down at me. "Why are you talking about Quirks?! D-D-Do...D-Do you have one?"

I wasn't going to tell her a finite answer, that would be an automatic sentence to death, but that officer needed help. I ignored her question. "Let me help him, he'll bleed out and die."

The woman pointed the gun at me and I tensed, visibly. I tried to hide it, but after the experiences I'd been through already with villains and danger, I had learned to cower only slightly. However, I remained steadfast. "L-L-Let him d-die! H-He was going t-to shoot me!"

That was fucking baffling! Woman had a fucking gun! "No shit he was! You were pointing a gun at innocent people!"

She stepped back a bit at my remark, perhaps I had made her waiver in her thoughts. "Fine! Don't get in my way, or I'll shoot you too!"

With a curt nod, I attempted to ignore the cold steel gun, barrel pointed at me, as I made my way over to the office bleeding on the ground. I got to work, tearing some of my clothing to wrap his wounds as the woman's footsteps clacked back to the teller and ultimately the counter. Chancing a look, I noticed her back was to me. This was the perfect chance. I reached into my pocket before looking over at the innocent people trapped over in the corner. I nodded to them as if trying to signal what I was about to do. Like they would understand. Like they knew I had Pro-Heroes on speed dial.

Either way, I took my phone out, pressed a number, and speed dialed Toshinori. I didn't speak, but I heard his voice faintly through the phone. "Sweetheart? Ayano? Everything okay?"

I continued to work on the injured man, he gave a wince and a groan as I worked to try and stop the bleeding, honestly having no idea what I was doing and kind of hoping that just bandaging the wounds would be enough. I set my phone down next to me, but that was a wrong move. The woman turned, gun in hand, and glared at me. "What are you – " She saw the phone. "Y-Y-You bitch!"

Gunshots rang out once more and everything went...surprisingly white. There was horrible searing pain coming from my leg and my left arm. Terrible. The pain alone made everything hazy as I heard the screams of the people in the bank. The woman's panicked voice reaching my ears again as I tried to focus my gaze. It was a challenge as the only thing I could see was my light lavender phone, and warm...pooling...blood...