If You Only Knew

From A Distance Part 2

Rio POV-

A scream.

That's one of the worst sounds I heard that night. I remember everyone including myself run to the backyard where the noise originated from. What we saw would stick with me for life.

"Oh my All Might..."

"This can't be real."

"Eri-chan! Eri-chan, wake up!" Elvis shook the woman on the ground. She looked dead, but none of us had any idea why it how she was even hurt. We couldn't see any injuries. And that would remain a mystery to us for a few hours. The next thing I remember is just going into a state of panic. I didn't know what else to do but run. I was soon stopped though, as we couldn't afford anyone else getting hurt. So I just stood back as far back as I could. I couldn't bare any of this. It was just too much. Too much was happening at once. It's like everyday there's something new. This is probably the tip of the ice berg. This is only more reason for me to keep my distance.

So anyway, I decided to go home and wait for some news there. Madonna's noisy dad took me home. I'm glad. I couldn't handle the silence and that man never shuts up. As I waited, I thought about everything that could've happened, what could be happening, and why. I didn't want to. It was an involuntary thought. Soon I was absorbed in it all and found myself crying over all the terrible possibilities. I guess my maid heard me, because she walked into the room and hugged me.

"Are you alright, dear?"

She doesn't call me "Misses" or "Young Aoyagi" or any of that formal stuff. She's the closest thing I've ever had to an actual parent, and I think she knows that. I feel like I'm just here for money, but Betty makes it a lot better. "...No, not really."

"I heard what happened, is that what's bothering you, love?"

I nodded.

"Listen, things will be alright. Everything will get sorted out. Remember what I always tell you."

"Life is gonna suck, you just have to find ways not to make it suck and hope it doesn't get any worse."

"Good girl. Would you like something to eat?"

I nodded. Food usually gets things off my mind. I tend to eat a lot when I'm stressed, my dad advises against it since I need to stay thin, but I end up doing it anyway. It's one of my worst habits. But what else do I have? I have nothing else but escapism to keep me sane. Letting out the pain just isn't enough. I want to keep my mind off it all, it's how I bare to watch everything. I see it, but try not to pay attention. It's like seeing a movie with a friend, but you've seen the movie and you don't like it. You could tell them the basic plot, but you haven't much of a reminder of all the intricacies. I know it's an awful way to go about it, but I don't know what else to do.

Shigeri POV-

She's still alive, thank All Might. I know I shouldn't be focused on it, but I can't help but keep what Rio said from popping into my mind. Am I just a side character in the grand scheme of things?

"Hey, what are you thinking about?" Eri asked me, smiling weakly. "Nothing, now just go to sleep, you need to save your strength."

"But you look like you're contemplating something important and I'm kinda bored."

I sighed, seeing I didn't have much choice. "Well... do you ever think about not being the protagonist in life?"

"Hmm... not really. Though it is an interesting question. To be honest, I'm on the sidelines of my family. People think of the Yamada's and think about Maddie and Elvis, not me. They used to. I was all over the news at one point." She chuckled. "It doesn't bother me. I hate being smothered with attention anyway. Back then, when I was younger, people would always ask about my experience with... the man who shan't be named and it just overwhelmed me. I was a child, you know, yet the reporters showed me no mercy. I'm satisfied with my life, and I'm okay with what I've become. Fading out of the public eye was the best decision I ever made."

"It's... it's about a little more than that. I mean, have you ever had a lot of things happen to the people around you, and you try to help but it seems like nothing's working? Have you ever thought that in some world, your choices don't hold nearly as much weight as that of those around you?"

"Nope. Not really. Though now that you mention it... actually still no. I like to think of myself as my own protagonist. I can't sit here and act like I'm not important, that's just silly. And yes, we're all parts of someone's life, but no one's less important than anyone else is. So trust me, what you try to do now, what you say, it'll mean something in the end. Don't distance yourself from the rest of the world because you feel like you're not consequential in it. There's only one world, and while people love to say they have their own, it's not true. Worlds aren't meant to collide, and since we're all here together, there's no way we're all in different places. There are no side characters, we're all equally as important."

I smiled, still not knowing what to believe. "...Thanks I guess."