Wrestling another consciousness for control of your body was annoying in its own category, but after doing this for a little over a year, you get used to it. That being said, Akihiko still did not enjoy having to furiously pull at the mental string tying him to his other self.

Slowly, he could feel himself returning to reality as the chains holding his consciousness down began to loosen. The feeling of air lightly caressing his skin, the warmth of sunlight tickling his quivering eyelashes, and the scent of the thick, bitter antiseptic mixed with sweet fragrances burned his nostrils. The chirping of birds singing vibrated in the air and was the last sense to entirely pull him back to the living world and not in a place between illusion and self.

Akihiko peeled his eyelids open, and a wave of harsh light descended on his eyes. He did not close his eyes, did not even bother to blink as bright lights were nothing of a bother. Shifting between colors of purple like a kaleidoscope, the inclusions in his hair reflect illuminance. Pressure pushed against the sides of his skull as pulsations of pain relentlessly attacked his temples. His nose scrunched up at the feeling, and he raised his hand to touch his forehead.

Except he could not because his arm was strapped down to his torso. Slightly tipping his head up from the pillow, a hefty amount of beige bandages and a white sling were wrapped around his arm, keeping him from moving it. A frown tugged at his lips, but he did not comment on this. Confusion stirred beneath these pangs of agony attacking his head. Where was he anyway?

The blankness of the white ceiling yielded no results, and neither did the cabinets chalked full of clinical stuff. His head plopped back onto the pillow, and he shut his eyes briefly. Although he preferred not to, he momentarily submerged himself back into the depths of his mind and into that darkness that kept himself separated from the other him.

His fingertips skimmed the mental barrier and flickered through recent memories. Ones that were buried in his mind yet did not belong to him. However, that did not mean he did not have access to them. Images of immersing himself yet not himself in the darkness and creating fragments of different colored crystals. A man wearing a plague mask with orange lenses and his hands carefully digging Briar out of collapsed rubble—

Akihiko pulled his hand away from the memory in fright like he was pulling it away from a hot stove. He shook his head, trying to clear the haziness of his mind, and reluctantly submerged himself back into the memory. He wanted to deny the flashes he flipped through, but they all showed the same scene. An unconscious Briar and Akimitsu hauled her out while fully encasing Remi in sapphire. The glinting of blue did not make him feel comforted, but the action seemed fitting of his mirror image.

So where was Briar now?

Concern ebbed at the boy's consciousness as his eyes shot open. Without a second thought, the boy began to press his palm to the cot and push himself up. The pain in his head was loudly telling him to stop, but he was not listening. Once he managed to get himself in a sitting position, although breathing heavily with even more pain threading through his muscles, he waited a few seconds out of exhaustion.

"If you try to get out of bed, so help me, I will sedate you. Briar has already tried to escape three times already. The current one had her nearly jumping out the window," were the words spoken harshly by a person near the door. Akihiko recognized that voice. Kato was leaning against the door frame, arms crossed over her chest as she glared lightly at the teenager. "You're staying in that bed for at least another two days. Your injuries were somehow worst than Briar's. Not to mention that your Quirk is very complicated."

The crystal opened his mouth to speak, but the woman shook her head no. "Don't try to talk yet. I'm not done yet. Mochizuki Akihiko, age sixteen, Quirk: Reflective Crystallization. Original: creating and commanding crystals. Forced awakening by painite at age fifteen revealed that the Quirk is sentient and has partial control of mystical properties. Strong Quirk. But that Quirk is a double-edged sword.

"Pain is an indicator that something is wrong with the body. Usually, people use painkillers to rid themselves of the pain. Using amethyst, subconsciously as well, is something new for me. It is also very idiotic. You can't feel pain; you don't know when you've hit your limit. Under normal circumstances, your Quirk would heal itself to a certain degree, and then medicine would fix the rest. But you didn't have enough energy to heal yourself, and your Quirk did the next best thing: numbness."

Akihiko had a vague idea of where this conversation was heading, but the pain in his head seemed more compelling.

"Long story short, your shoulder was dislocated for far too long, and your ligaments were damaged. I've used my Quirk as much as it can heal. I'm assuming yours has done the same as well. This means you now have limited mobility in your shoulder. It isn't too bad. It could be worse, but using it for strenuous activities for a long time will leave it stiff and aching. I'm not sure if you'll end up with chronic pain yet or not, but it is a possibility." Finally, Kato finished her explanation by flicking a piece of blonde hair behind her shoulder.

Walking up to the boy in the cot, she bent at the waist to inspect the teenager. "You're not allowed to get up. Not yet, you hear me?"

"Y-yes," his voice came out raspy and dry. How long was he unconscious? "Y-yes, Ka-kato-san."

"Glad we understand each other. Now rest up. The last few days have been unkind to you. All of us really, but mostly you Heroes."

Hero, huh? I passed out before I could even do anything. My mirror image stepped in to finish my work. Not ideal, but better than I ever did. Always the same story. The body will fall long before the will. The crystal sighed through his nostrils. I am still falling behind. I will never catch up to you at this rate.

His hair clinked like wind chimes as he fell back down onto the cot. The annoyance of a headache still persisted. The ache slowly began to ease away into something bearable. His eyes flickered to the sling. If he wanted to, he could call this injury the first major one he's had since becoming a student at Mizu. One that would be long-lasting and not temporary.

The semblance of a smile threatened to slither onto his lips. Scars, injuries, and wounds are all symbols tainting a person's body for numerous reasons. They corrupted the body, each one carrying a story. They never truly left, whether they were telling a tale of grandeur or a minor detail. Imperfections that the body was not all that strong. Another reminder of the web-like cracks that decorated his arms like glass shattering.

Glass was fragile. Crystal was fragile. He was fragile all the same. Quirks can reflect the user, after all.

"Gazing through crystal eyes, your perception is warped within reality and illusion. A mirror can only reveal what you want to see, not what you want to hear."

This time around, the crystal kept his gaze firm on the ceiling. He knew that echoing voice and the contorted and confusing words this ghostly doctor sprouted. They did not make sense to him entirely, but what could he do about that? Briar could probably figure it out if she were here.

"Is that supposed to be the replacement of 'your worth lies within the eye of the beholder?'" Akihiko mumbled, wondering if he was the only one who could hear Lamity. If that was true, he better hope that Kato liked clairaudience as an answer. Hearing voices and seeing images that were not there made him sound crazy but considering there was another consciousness lurking in his mind, he would believe anything at this point.

"Why me? Why not show everything to Briar? You did with certain parts and phrases."

"One's judgment would be clouded should she venture alone. A steep descent alone is but misery, but with company shall another objective be added." The plague doctor spoke as wisps of his image faded in and out with the sunlight slipping through the gap in the curtain. "Memories lie and wait yet do not evade the truth. Seared into one's mind as never changing although perception may wane."

"You did not want Briar to head in recklessly? Me being present did not change anything. We were both injured and were both weighed down by it. All I did was give little assistance." The crystal drummed his fingers against his ribcage, feeling the hardness of the bone beneath the fabric of the hospital gown and the smoothness of his skin.

"One being immersed in one's past mistakes will be riddled with nothing but guilt. It will not be forgotten but carried into one's future. The last was consumed by desperation. One will be futureless for enforcing ideals that would showcase failure." Lamity spoke softly, each word carrying a twinge of sadness. The ghost may not be living physically any longer, but he once was a man who treated others.

The teenager ceased his tapping. "How did you find me? The shidarezakura is, at most, a few hours from here. Did you teleport?"

"The realm of which the spectors travel reveal hidden paths unbeknownst to mortals. Those that seek them shall be met with wrath. One must not question the line separating lest you wish to fall for eternity."

And Akihiko was just as confused as when he started this conversation. This was like talking to Junpei, except this man gave answers that Akihiko could not decipher. That or he was just terrible at pulling apart riddles. He did not care which was the truth because the pain in his head was killing him. "Remi was caught. You no longer have to worry about being seen in a bad light. The rumors circulating throughout the town will cease to exist now."

"Ambition is but a curse. Wander too far, and you shall lose your way back."

"I assume you are not speaking about me. I am not ambitious, nor am I greedy. I just want to help others." Akihiko responded as he allowed himself to count the little bumps decorating the ceiling. He swallowed the thick saliva down his throat and tried to avoid the piercing stare of the ghost. "I have done nothing wrong. Lately, at least."

If the ghost said anything, the boy did not hear a sliver of it. Exhaustion had already grabbed him and drifted him off into a land of nothingness.

❯──｢✾｣──❮

With his hand stretched out, Akihiko watched with bated breath as a single petal of a scarlet blossom delicately floated into his grasp. Laughter bubbling with cheer echoed along the non-existent touch of the wind. The breeze swooping downward in a large arc fumbled his hair, blowing strips of sleek amethyst into his face and dumping colorful petals onto his head. Crumpling the petal in his hand, a sigh tumbled from the teenager's lips as he hurriedly brushed off the stray cherry blossoms with his good arm.

He could hear Briar snickering like a child at his predicament to his left. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed the messiness of her brown hair, yet no petals decorated it. It seemed like the wind had it out to get him instead. He pressed his lips into a straight line and continued to pick petals out of his hair. Sunlight poked through every creak and crevice left in the tree's branches, trying to slither its way to make itself known in the shade.

The Hero's fingers tapped against the edge of the wooden bench they both sat on, drumming a beat that Akihiko could not recognize. Her other hand rested on the handle of one of the crutches lying on her thigh. Briar's brown eyes stayed focused in front of her, watching as a couple of kids from the clinic mess around on the playground. They giggled and laughed, broad smiles spreading across their faces as they played the simplest games with great fervor.

Kato was adamant that the two of them stay at the clinic for another two days, and frankly, they were much too scared to anger the woman further than they already had. It was mostly Briar who had been trying to sneak out the window and back to either the police station or her workshop. But the woman gave up after Kato placed her golden retriever as a watchdog outside Briar's room.

So here they were, watching healthy kids who were siblings to those who were sick play without a care in the world on the slides and monkey bars built behind the clinic. It was interesting. Those children were innocently playing and had nothing to worry about. Naivety was a blessing in a way. Hiding them from the world's cruelty even if it was a short time.

A prick of envy simmered underneath the boy's heart as he tried to rid himself of such meaningless thoughts. He did not have the opportunity to grow up like them. Fragile and already scarred at a young age was his childhood. Used for greed was what they were good for. Looking at him now, you would not have guessed he was treated as a plaything as a child. He was jealous, yet all the same, did he want to protect those children from danger. Strange morals stirred within him, forged by experiences and guided by those who cared for him.

"The police finally managed to wrangle all the information they could from Remi," Briar started. Her voice was soft, almost inaudible as she spoke. If Akihiko listened close enough, he could hear the disappointment laced within her words. "He's awaiting trial at the moment. The family has been informed. I don't think they've told Natsuki. She's too young to know that her brother committed such large crimes for her. She'd feel guilty."

"She would blame herself. 'If I were not sick, Remi would not have done this.'" The teenager rubbed a pink petal between his fingers. It rolled into a wet cylinder and grew a shade darker. "Guilt never seems to fade."

"Guilt is a reminder that you've made a mistake, that you're human, and that you may have deserved it. Guilt blooms in different ways. Everyone's had their fair share of it." The back of the Hero's head thumped against the wooden wall behind her, and her hair shifted from the movement. Her eyes narrowed slightly in thought. "Guilt is a Hero's friend. No matter how hard you try, someone will slip through your fingers. It's worse when you strive for perfection."

"Perfection does not exist. That is why Heroes fail. They strive for something unreachable and end up falling in the process. That is why Heroes are killed for stupid reasons too. Saving someone you cannot."

"And yet we as humans still try to strive for it," the woman's head dipped as she laughed softly. "You think after failing so many times, we would give up. Ambition is an excellent motivator."

"How are you?" Akihiko lowered his gaze. He tapped at the squashed petal, watching the little fluid it had stuck to his skin. "Injuries, I mean."

Briar sighed in discontent. Only then did the boy finally gaze fully at the woman's face. White bandages held with tape clung to the bridge of her nose for support. Underneath them, purple and black bruises decorated her skin. The skin underneath her eyes was a bit swollen, tainted with a bit of lavender. No glasses rested on her face, and her lousy eyesight was easily noticeable, given the number of times she squinted. "I've had worse. U.A. is a bit of a hotspot for disasters, you know. I'm all right, kid. You're the one who drew the short stick."

"Kato told you? It is against patient confidentiality." The crystal's brow rose.

"She didn't, but given your surprised tone, I'm right. Don't fall for such a simple sentence now. It'll come back to bite you." The edges of the Hero's lips drew up in a smirk while Akihiko's expression dropped.

He bit down on the tip of his tongue, wondering if he should even tell Briar his final assessment. But she would find out one way or another. "Loss of some mobility in my shoulder."

"I guess that's my fault, right? If I had solved this case a little sooner, you wouldn't be stuck with that. You wouldn't have been injured. Everything that happened... was because of me. I should have solved it earlier. I should have depicted those riddles by Lamity faster. I should have." Her hand clenched into a tight fist on her knee, digging her nails into her palm.

The teenager's lips pressed into a firm line. A memory resurfaced.

"If only I noticed sooner! If I noticed the difference between the real and the fake, she wouldn't have... I was only a couple of feet away from her Akihiko. She was standing there, and then she wasn't. If I just reacted sooner."

Guilt was a Hero's companion. Little by little, eating you up inside until nothing was left. Mistakes and regret followed soon after with their devious words and taunting whispers. "You cannot save everyone."

"Can't hurt to try," The woman's shoulders drooped, and her expression soured. "Then again, you've got a messed up shoulder, and I need to keep the bandages on for another week. Healing Garden can only heal so much. Being a Hero isn't all that fulfilling at times."

"It is still the most popular job these days. Every kid dreams of being one by looking at those seen on TV. Being a Hero is different from watching one." The crystal's eyes rose, hearing one of the kids scream out in glee. "Can I ask you a question?"

"About?"

"The robots you build are not sentient, are they?"

"My robots? No, they are not. That's a fairly specific question. May I ask what prompted this question?"

Akihiko tapped his fingers against his knee. He averted his gaze from the Hero for a while. He tried to string together the right words for what he would say next. "The main reason my sister went missing was because of a Villain. This Villain could control sentience. You were a puppet in her hands as long as you had sentience. A Hero tried to poison her, but she managed to get healed in time. She has not been seen since."

"A person with a Quirk who can control one without any repercussions? Sounds frustrating. I'm sorry for what happened with your sister. Losing a close person, friend or family is very hard. You want my help to subdue this Villain?"

"You do not have to if you do not want to!" The teenager shook his hands in dismissal. "It was a dumb question. Please forget I asked."

Briar's knuckles half-heartedly connected with the boy's shoulder, and her quiet laughter rang with the breeze. "No question is stupid. You're free to ask me whatever. If you need help with something, it's all right to ask me. Helping others is in the job description. I'm not going to turn you down. I need to stop living on my lonesome after all. Maybe I could have done better if I paid a little more attention like I am now to those kids."

The tips of the crystal's lips quivered up into a smile. "I thought we said perfection was achievable and not everyone could be saved."

Silence hung between them as neither spoke. The wind stirred another wave of petals into them. When the breeze settled, that was when Briar opened her mouth to speak. "One of my old classmates, she teaches at U.A now, you would know her as the Hero Conductor, she used to say this to all of us. 'You would give your life for the world. Without a second doubt. But one day, you'll find someone who would exchange themself for you.' That's been floating in my mind since I woke up here. Remi was ready to risk his future just for a bit of hope for his family. But as Heroes, we cannot save a person from their mind."

"Neither of us could complete the second half of that quote," Akihiko muttered as he flicked the rolled petal onto the concrete. He remembered that Hero, Conductor. She was at the Licensing Exam along with class 1-B of U.A.

Murmurs of discontent from his classmates and the other five teams made by Mizu, along with Shiketsu's class 2-A, echoed back into his ears. None of the schools found it fair that U.A. was allowed to bring first years into the exam. Competing with younger students was seen as a disgrace to schools that were seen as lesser than U.A., which in a way, was every school. Even the prideful Shiketsu broke out of their emotionless facade to voice their complaints.

But younger meant less experience. Out of the twenty students U.A. sent, only three passed the exam this year. One of Shiketsu's classes was composed solely of animal Quirk students, and in terms of speed and strength, they won during the elimination stage and picked off whoever else during the rescue stage. All the other schools stayed away from the drama ensuing.

And yet he still managed to pick a fight with a Kitsune girl. Memories of the exam quickly flooded his brain, and he lowered his head in shame. He could feel the tips of his ears burning. He was an idiot.

"Since I'm already a Pro," Briar began as she smoothened out the wrinkles in her pants. "I have authority to visit criminals locked away in their cells. I've got what I need from Remi, but I don't know if you want to talk to him. The police won't say anything anyway. All of them are scared of me."

"I thought we were not allowed to leave yet?"

"We're not. But I asked Reika to bring me ham, so I can feed that annoying dog and escape. I don't know about you, but I'm tired of smelling disinfectant." A grin slipped onto the Hero's lips. "It also excuses me to get on Kato's nerves."

Pushing herself up with a heave, the Hero stumbled a little as she accidentally placed a bit of weight on her injured ankle. The expertly fastened bandages did not loosen one bit. Grabbing the crutches from where they lay, she twisted her head around. "So what do you say, kid? Want to talk to our resident Villain?"

The teenager's expression softened as he slowly shook his head. "I see no point in doing so. As far as I am concerned, I have done my job. Besides, my time here is up in four days. I would be no help to you."

"Right, you leave in four days." For once, Briar's eyes widened slightly in fear. "Inscribe is going to chew me out because you'll still have that sling on."

"You know my father?"

"I'm still a detective. I can piece most things together. Now come on, we're going to distract that dog. Reika should be here by now."

The ends of Briar's crutches tapped rhythmically against the concrete as the Hero disappeared into the building. She did not check if Akihiko was following her. Perhaps it was because she knew he would not get up immediately.

A short sigh released from Akihiko's nostrils as he laced his fingers in his lap. The offer to meet Remi was tempting, but he instantly threw that feeling away. Would it be wrong to say it was sort of looking in a mirror? Remi wanted to do everything for his family, even if it was horrific. Akihiko wanted his sister back, no matter what it took. If he got desperate enough, would he do such a terrible thing too?

Shutting his eyes briefly, he felt the wind stir the ends of his hair. No, no, he should not be thinking this way. He was tired and overthinking. Not to mention the subtle throb attacking his shoulder. With his other hand, he experimentally rubbed his shoulder in an attempt to soothe the pain. He should probably ask Kato for some painkillers. Hopefully, before Briar escaped and the pediatrician questioned him to no end.

Something soft touched his knuckles, and he instantly thought it was some petals from the tree. With a slight flick of his hand, it tumbled off him. Except his brows furrowed. Those petals were not as light as they were supposed to be. Cracking his eyes open, his gaze fell to see what on earth had dropped on him. His breath lodged itself in his throat.

Sitting down in front of his feet was a white paper crane. One of its wings was bent, probably because he knocked it off him. Nonetheless, its sudden presence made his heart beat erratically against his ribcage. No, it cannot be.

A light touch settled on his uninjured shoulder, and a shiver crawled up his spine. Hesitantly, the teenager turned his head around as his muscles grew taut. The familiar sight of auric eyes and a gentle smile spread across a woman's lips made him want to get up and run. But he could not. It was like his feet were nailed to concrete. White ringlets tickled his cheeks.

Brandishing a friendly demeanor, the woman said, "had fun with the gift I left you?"

❯──｢✾｣──❮

Author's Note:

And there you have it! That's the end of Eye of the Beholder! I do have some things to say about this book, but I'll mention all of my thoughts in the ending note.

Character Spotlight:

Name: Akihiko Mochizuki

Quirk: Reflective Crystallization

Likes: Cooking