MHA: Villains Need A Hero Too

For the past five years, Yume has been on that wheelchair, staring off into space. Five years, she's been unable to speak intelligibly, see distinctly, or hear clearly. Five years, Yuno has been taking care of her, alone. One would say the two are quite a unique duo. Another would ask why he hasn't put her into a sanctuary of some sort.

And another would say to let go, allow her to rest with the grass, a meadow full of flowers, grass, and trees.

Yuno would answer that he is simply a coward, afraid, to let his only family go.

"That's not cowardice," a soft hand touched his cheek. "You love her, with all your heart. To keep someone by your side like this is not cowardice, but sadness."

The girl in front of him was blurry, his vision was obstructed by what felt like tears, but he couldn't feel the wetness on his cheeks. The girl, she looked so beautiful even with his eyes failing him. She reached her other hand out, to pull him into a hug, an embrace.

He accepted wholeheartedly. She sounded like her, his Yume.

"Hush now," she rubbed his head, smoothing out the stray strands of hair. "Continue loving her, you have a wonderful heart. Do not doubt yourself so, do not doubt her. She can hear you, and she tries to reach back. Love her endlessly, and she will reply back."

Yuno grew drowsy, his eyelids suddenly becoming so heavy. One more glimpse, that's all he wanted. She was so close now, he wanted to see what she looked like.

The girl hummed a melody, sweet and soft, a lullaby. It sounded so familiar, similar to one he'd hear when he was little. He'd wake up from a nightmare, and his dear sister would hug him, snuggle him with a blanket wrapped around them both, and hum and sing this melody he heard now.

Yuno's eyes came to a close, the calming dark pulling him under as he felt the soft touch on his head, the lullaby filling his ears come to a quiet.

This was what peace and love felt like.

~~~~~~~~

The first thing Yuno felt as he slowly opened his eyes was the hard floor, and his sore behind. He brought a hand to his eyes, rubbing away the sleepiness. He took note of the position he was in, against the door. He was in the same place he was when he came home. What time was it? It looked dark out.

7:52 p.m.

He's been out for half an hour. That's right, he went to get dinner with Kisu, he went home, had yet another pointless argument with his aunt, then went inside. He must've been tired if he was falling asleep as soon as he got home.

Strange dream…

Yume was also in the same place as before, in the living room, sitting on her wheelchair and staring at her lap. Yuno still had to take care of her tonight, feed her, wash her, put her to bed. He truthfully didn't want to stand up, too tired, wanting the day to just end so he can sleep.

Now you're just making excuses, Yuno shook his head and forced himself to stand up. He could hear his joints pop as he stood, wincing at the change in position.

His feet felt heavy as he walked. Yume was only a few steps away, but he felt like he could drop right there on the floor again. Thankfully, he didn't, he just assumed he was being dramatic.

He picked up the brush on the coffee table, remembering that he was going to brush her hair. It was so tangled, he wondered how it even got to such a state when he was only gone for a day. Perhaps she tugged at her hair again, he could see long strands of hair caught between her fingers, and even on the carpet. He'd have to vacuum that later.

Yuno picked up Yume from her wheelchair, one hand holding her back up, the other hooking under her knees. He made sure her head leaned against his shoulder so her neck wouldn't hurt from craning back. He placed her gently on a more comfortable chair, one that would give him easier and more access to her hair.

He took Yume's hair and made sure it was all behind her back. He split it into four sections, this way it would be easier to brush the knots out without hurting her. Starting at the tips of the first section, he began brushing through the rough locks. He wouldn't usually let it get this bad. Normally, he was always on top of it, making sure Yume's locks were soft like silk. Yume's hair was one of the many things Yuno always liked. He had a habit of fidgeting with his bandages even when he was younger. Yume, being the perceptive older sister she was, told him not to do such a thing, it could get his injuries infected if the bandages were loose. In return, she let him braid her hair, mess with it all he liked and allowed him to style it any way, shape, or form. Even if it was ridiculous.

Yuno always loved how long her hair was, and how the silk touch made him feel calm and comforted. It always smelled of lavender because Yume liked the purple flower. If Yume liked it, so did Yuno.

During bad days, when they're parents were especially angry, for whatever reason, Yume's hair wouldn't be so silk touch. Their father would grip her hair, yanking on it as he pulled her into his room, preparing to punish her so she would never talk back. Every time she disappeared into her father's room, she'd smile at Yuno.

"Don't be scared," she'd mouth before the door would slam to a close, and he'd be stuck in his room for hours until Yume came back, limp and dead to the word. Yuno would cry as he played with her hair, even if it was tangled, and they would hide in the closet until the sun came up.

Yuno set the brush back onto the coffee table, it tapped against the table as it was placed in the same spot. Yume's hair looked somewhat better, but it'd be even softer and cleaner after she was done bathing.

Next was dinner, Yuno would have to heat up the ramen. Maybe feeding her some Daifuku would do some good as well.

Yuno once again lifted Yume off the chair, carrying her back to her wheelchair. No matter how much he hates the wheelchair, he always admitted that it did help with bringing Yume places, even if all she did was move around the house.

After rolling Yume to the dining table, Yuno set up the wheels to stay still, just in case, so she wouldn't roll anywhere. He then took the bag of leftovers and set the containers out in front of him. He decided he'd give her his own leftovers, if Kisu had caught something without knowing, it would be difficult to nurse Yume back to health. Better safe then sorry is what they always say.

It felt like hours, waiting for the ramen to heat up. Yuno watched the numbers on the microwave change.

29…28…27…26…25

He could've sworn it was going slower each time it counted down.

19…18…17…16…15

"Could it go any slower?" Yuno groaned to himself, resting his head on the counter, using his arms as a cushion.

9…8…7…6…5

BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!

Yuno practically jumped at the sound of the microwave's beeping. He didn't have to wait anymore, so he opened the door and reached inside to grab the bowl.

"Shit!" Yuno yanked his hand back, his fingers and palm burning from the hot bowl. He forgot to grab one of his oven mitts.

Flipping his palm up, he examined the burn. He palm and fingers were red, his skin irritated and burnt. He brought his hand over to the sink, running it under cold water. He winced at the contact of water hitting his raw skin, stinging a bit, but it cooled his hand down.

Almost his entire hand was burnt, he must've put the ramen in a glass bowl. With his uninjured hand, he reached into what he called the "miscellaneous drawer" and pulled out a small roll of bandage along with a cream to help avoid infections. If there was one thing he knew how to bandage well, it was his hands and arms. He applied the cream, rubbing it around everywhere he could. Like a professional, he unrolled the bandage and wrapped it around his wrist first, then between his thumb and over his palm. He repeated pulling the bandage between his fingers and wrapping around his palm until there was no more of the roll left. With a final touch, he clipped the end of the bandage and made sure it was secure, tight enough so it wouldn't fall apart. He clenched his hand into a fist to feel if it was good, it was indeed restricting, but he could still use his hand.

Now that was taken care of, Yuno scavenged through another drawer, looking for an oven mitt. He pulled out a gray one and put it on. This time, without burning himself, he reached into the microwave to pull the bowl out. He lightly tapped the bowl to test if it was still hot. It was, in fact, not as hot anymore, he could hold it with his hand now. He rolled his eyes at such a thing.

Oh, now it's not hot, of course.

Ignoring the ridiculous concept of the food cooling off when he was fixing his burn, Yuno pulled a fork from the utensil drawer and set it next to the bowl of ramen, taking a seat next to Yume so he could feed her. Using the fork, he cut the noodles into pieces that could be fed to a baby. The bits and pieces were no longer then a digit of his finger when he finished cutting them up.

In order for Yume to eat, Yuno had to physically open her mouth so she could take the bite, then she'd chew painfully slow on her own. There were times her meal would get cold from how long it took her to chew even the softest foods. A worry Yuno always had was if she happened to choke. Yume barely made any noise, aside from slurs, soft grunts, and sometimes groans, if she happened to choke, he wouldn't be able to hear her.

"Uh…" Yume's voice came out as a rasp, a simple yet hoarse sound. "Ah, uhg…"

Her hand twitched before she slowly lifted it, her slender fingers weakly pushing the fork away from her mouth. Yuno frowned in response, she needed to eat, otherwise she'd be more unhealthy then she already is. The most he's ever able to do is feed her, take care of her hygiene, and lay her in bed. She can't even walk around or do physical activity in this state.

"Eat, Yume." Yuno said, even if he knew she couldn't hear him.

Yume didn't look at him, she didn't look at anything. Her hands rested on her lap, occasionally picking at her nails. She refused to eat, and Yuno couldn't force her to do so, he didn't have the heart to.

Yuno set the bowl down on the table, sighing as he stood up to push Yume's chair to the bathroom. If she wasn't going to eat, then he'd take his chances washing her. Today was hair day, so he'd have to spend extra time thoroughly washing her locks and brushing through it one more time.

The water was always the same tempature when Yuno prepared a bath, sitting exactly at 33 degrees Celsius exactly. Yume liked her baths between warm and hot, so he made sure it was the same each time. Reaching into the cabinet above the sink, he pulled out a towel. If there was one thing Yuno respected, it was a girl's privacy, he could thank his sister for that.

To start with undressing Yume, he pulled the blanket from her lap and folded it to sit neatly on the countertop of the sink. Next, he gently pulled down her soft shorts, tossing them on the ground. Yume's cotton shirt was dealt with the same way, lifting her arms, pulling it off as delicately as possible.

The towel, which he had pulled out from the cabinet, was then spread across Yume's torso, he had some sort of decency after living like this for years. The underwear came off, the same treatment as the shorts and shirt. He held Yume in his arms, holding her the same way when he moved her to the couch, bridal carry. He placed her in the tub, submerging her in the warm water.

First, he'd wash her hair, starting with shampoo. He squirted a decent amount out of the bottle and into his hand, then rubbed his hands together to spread it around. When washing Yume's hair, Yuno made sure to be soft and tender when he lightly scratched and massaged her scalp. He enjoyed it when Yume did so to him, it felt comforting and his muscles would relax at the feeling.

Taking the shower head in his hand, Yuno turned the water on again and rinsed the soap and suds out of Yume's hair. The water poured down her shoulders, and the soap bubbles slid down her skin, mixing in with the bath water.

For the conditioner, Yuno made sure to split her hair into two sections before pouring a decent amount of conditioner into his hand. Like the shampoo he rubbed it in his hands, then combed his fingers through the first section. The conditioner smelled like lavender, just like Yume's favorite flower. He made sure to untangle all the knots, timidly so as he didn't want to pull too hard on her locks and damage her scalp in any way. Using a comb, he checked one more time for knots. The comb ran smoothly through her hair, indicating her hair was tangle free, so he rinsed thoroughly.

Lastly, he grabbed a scrubby hanging on a hook and doused it in the water. The body soap was gentle against the skin and made her skin clear and healthy. To distract people from her scars, she'd put more care into feature people cared about. Soft clear skin, slender fingers, even putting on makeup to mask things.

Yuno began to rinse Yume with more warm water, raining on her skin from the shower head. He unplugged the drain, the water in the tub disappearing down the hole like a whirlpool. He pulled down a towel from a hanger and unfolded it, then laid it on the toilet after he pulled the cover down.

Ignoring how his uniform absorbed the water, he lifted Yume out of the tub and sat her on the porcelain seat, quickly wrapping another towel around her so he could dry her off. Yuno made sure there wasn't a drop of water left, checked for any droplets falling from her hair; he decided to to dry her hair a little more before anything else.

The towel was wrapped a bit more snug around Yume before she was carried to her room. Her bedroom wasn't bare, but it wasn't full either. There was a light purple carpet on the wood floor next to her bed, a desk pushed up against a wall with old pictures of herself and Yuno on top. The bed itself was simple, white sheets and a gray comforter fixed neatly. The walls were the most barren, rid of any stains, holes, not even shelves were mounted. The only color in the room was the carpet, and the small plushies the siblings would collect.

Yume sat silently on her bed, staring at the floor as Yuno rummaged through her closet for comfortable pajamas. Due to her lack of awareness, Yuno hadn't bought any clothes Yume would wear. Whenever she needed to new clothes, he'd buy plain and simple, comfortable and loose clothes.

Truthfully, he doesn't remember what Yume would wear.

Yuno began to dress Yume, slipping her underwear on before unwrapping the towel around her. From the closet, he had grabbed a pair of gray shorts so she was unrestricted, some socks because she always slept with socks whether it was weird or not, and a dark blue cotton shirt. He pulled the shorts up her legs, lifting her just enough for the waistband to set in place. He next beckoned her to lift her arms, albeit slowly, but she still lifted her arms unconsciously and he was able to pull her hands through the sleeves, her head popping through the collar. He made sure to pull her hair out of the shirt so it wasn't itchy as well. Finally, he unfolded the socks and took one at a time, pulling them up her foot and past the heel. Yuno would say Yume is weird for wearing socks to sleep, but he does the exact same thing.

To top it all off, Yuno opened a drawer in the side table and grabbed a brush. A final brush through and he'd braid her hair, that way it wouldn't be a mess in the morning. Unsurprisingly, Yume's hair was completely devoid of knots, it was always worth the time to clean her hair, Yuno quite enjoyed doing so even if he was tired. There was no need to pointlessly brush, so he went straight to braiding, splitting the locks into three sections before gathering it between his fingers.

"Cross the right strand over and into the middle, then cross the left strand over and into the middle, and then repeat!" Yume would instruct as Yuno struggled to get the strands of hair to cooperate with him. By now, he's done it so many time and for so many years that it's now second nature. To finish, Yuno tied the braid off with an elastic band.

Now that Yume was all ready for bed, Yuno pushed her to lay down, to get her head to rest on her pillow. She did as he wanted her, obediently laying back as Yuno lifted her blankets up to cover her body.

"Ugh, yu- yuh…egh." Yume groaned, incoherent sounds filling the air. She reached for something absentmindedly, as if what she was looking at was there but she couldn't feel it.

Yuno held the hand that reached for the air, holding her slightly smaller hand in his. He figured she must've found something familiar in her dazed state, but since her physical body was still here, she couldn't touch what she was looking for. He gripped her soft hand in his, shushing her as he tucked her bangs behind her ear with his free hand.

"Shh, sleep," Yuno cupped her cheek, rubbing gently with his thumb.

Yume's eyelids slowly came to a close as Yuno massaged the palm of her hand, letting a small "shh" escape his lips every so often when she tried to speak again. When she finally seemed to be dead to the word, eyes so dull she may as well be a doll, he placed his hands over her eyes and gently shifted his hand downwards, tugging her eyelids closed. Soft breaths could be heard as it fell quiet again, no longer filled with unintelligible sounds.

Without a sound, Yuno removed himself from his sister's side, fighting the urge to just sit there with her and eventually fall asleep next to her, in her company. Alas, he pried himself away, he had to attend to his burn since he rushed the process of bandaging it earlier. If he didn't take care of it properly, it would most likely get infected. He'd also like to take some pain reliever, because the bath he gave Yume was not helping at all, if anything, the soap irritated his burn and he wanted nothing more then to rip his skin off so new, fresh skin could develop. Although, that would only worsen things and he's in no place to do such things. He has to take care of Yume after all.

Tired… Yuno's mind was scattered to say the least, his thoughts everywhere except at home.

Leaving Yume's door open just a crack, Yuno headed back to the kitchen where all his bandages were kept, for some odd reason. He rebandaged his burn, gently, everything about today was "gently," the exception being his fight at the arena today. Yuno couldn't even remember the villain's name as he wrapped the white fabric around his palm.

Exhausted…

Want to sleep…

Can't I?

Sure, why not?

Can't stand a moment longer.

And before his knees could give out, Yuno slid down the cabinets, his back against the cool wood. His head lulled to the side as he slowly clenched and unclenched his burnt hand.

He couldn't even change his clothes before he was out like a dead light bulb.