Chapter Text
The hospital was familiar to him now, not so much a second home, more like the grocery store near your home, but it was familiar. The white interior that had once been the source of the worst headache he had ever experienced, was now like a welcoming smile. He made his way up the staircase with practiced ease, running his fingers along the cool metal of the banisters. At the top of the staircase, a board of all the diffrent wards and hospital units was on full display. He turned right, ignoring it completely. He had no use for it after his third visit, the entire hospital had been strategically mapped out in his head.
He hummed along to the song that poured from his headphones. Something melodic to listen to as he walked the endless halls, armed with steaming hot ramen from a nearby noodle bar and a bouquet of 'get well soon' flowers. He brought one everytime he visited, much to Rika's dismay. Complaints often consisting of 'why did you bring more' and 'I can't take care of them properly, they're going to die' graced his ears whenever he brought these gracious gifts. Talk about ungrateful.
The song came to an end as Yuuta reached for the door. The brief interlude of silence between one song and the next allowed him to hear laughter. Nothing too loud. It was subtle, quiet but it was coming from the other side of the door. He was sure Rika had told him no-one else was going to be visiting today or he would have brought more food. Was it possible that she had finally lost her mind and started talking to the walls? He knew it was coming, he just didn't think it would be so soon. The headphones were brought down to rest on his neck. Yuuta reached for the door handle before he heard his own name on Rika's tongue filter into his ears. Was he imagining things?
Now he has to see what was going on in there.
With all the composure of a man who was in fear of finding out his best friend had finally lost her mind, he pushed the door open. A single hospital bed positioned strategically in the middle, machines surrounded it -noticeably less than the first night- and Rika sitting up in her bed, draped in the finest fabric the hospital gown department could offer came into vision. The television hanging from the ceiling played some old rerun of a cartoon he remembered from childhood. The room was exactly the same as he remembered with one single difference.
On the chair next to Rika's bed, the one Yuuta found himself occupying more often then not, had been taken by a new patron. A very familiar patron. Yuuta's heart beat picked up on instinct at the sight of him.
What the hell was Inumaki doing here?
"Yuuta!" Rika greeted. "I was just talking about you!"
Inumaki waved at him. He waved back helplessly, mouth agape.
What the hell was Inumaki doing here?
"Stop standing there and looking stupid," Rika chided. She patted the bed."Come sit."
Rika was powered by an energy that he hadn't seen in her for weeks now. She may have tried to come across as unbothered and unaffected by the accident, but he could see the effect it was having on her. The slightest wince of pain, a second of hesitation before any movement. It haunted her too, she was just better at controlling her reactions.
But now... it was as if her spark was back. The doctors had said she was close to being discharged but this was diffrent. She wasn't feeling better, she was just normal. Regular Rika with that evil glint in her eye. Toge often sported a similar glint. They were quite alike if he thought about it. That sounded like trouble for Yuuta.
Yuuta sluggishly dragged himself across the small room, trying to make sense of what he was seeing. He sat down at the edge of the bed, facing Inumaki. Was he hallucinating now?
What the hell was Inumaki doing here?
The boy in question looked unfazed by Yuuta's appearance, like he knew Yuuta would be here. He expected it. Rika probably told him. He sat calmly, with his mask hanging loosely off one ear. Yuuta's brows furrowed. Why was Inumaki here?
"I- How did you..." Yuuta found himself saying. How was he supposed to ask 'why the hell are you here' without sounding rude? Inumaki seemed to understand his unfinished question because he raised his arms to sign.
'I found her trying to bribe one of the kitchen staff to slide her a milkshake. It was hilarious.'
"Rika!" Yuuta exclaimed. The chopsticks just left her mouth as she looked up from her freshly opened box of noodles.
'I had to intervene before things got ugly, the poor staff looked terrified. Turns out, we have a lot in common.' He gestured towards Rika.
"What did he say?" She asked confused through a mouthful of noodles, although it sounded more like whaddaesay. Yuuta dragged a hand down his face. She was going to send him to an early grave. "You know you're not supposed to have sugar. You're still healing!"
Rika pouted, letting out a noise of utter disgust. "You try not eating your favourite foods for two weeks. I'm literally going through withdrawl symptoms here." She pressed the back of her palm to her forehead and let out a dramatic sigh. A true damsel in distress, waiting for her junkfood prince to come and save her.
Yuuta shakes his head in defeat, he can never win when she gets like this. Instead, he turns his attention back to Inumaki. Crinkled eyes were a sure sign that he was enjoying Rika's theatrics. It was also the only sign. When had he put his mask back on?
"What were you doing at the hospital, Inumaki-kun?" Yuuta asked after he finally found his voice.
Inumaki pull the collar of his grey hoodie down revealing slender collar bones before tapping at his throat. He let go and the material snapped back to its original place. 'Speech therapy.'
"Oh, for your voice?" Inumaki nodded his head once. "Is it helping?" This time there was no nod. Inumaki glanced to the side and shook his head. He shifted ever so slightly in the plastic chair, attempting to look unbothered.
"I'm- I'm sorry." Yuuta found himself saying. "I didn't mean to-"
Inumaki shook his head again. 'No, no... you're fine. I know it not gonna work, it's been years with no progress. I just go to make my dad happy. He still hasn't accepted it yet.'
"Gojo-san is very...persistent." He doesn't know what else to say.
'Yeah,' he signs with sad fondness in his eyes. 'But I'm fine really, I can still speak when it matters.'
"That's very brave of you. I think it's cool that you don't need words to make yourself heard, Inumaki-kun. " Yuuta said. A light dusting of pink surfaced on Inumaki's face. It sat just above the stark contrast of his black mask.
'Thank you,' he signed.
Something hits Yuuta's hip. He glances down and is met with a blanketed foot. He follows the outline of a body under the blanket with his eyes till he reaches Rika's face. The empty take-away box was tossed off to the side. "You have to teach me sign language Yuuta. I want to understand Inumaki-kun too."
Yuuta didn't even get a chance to respond. Inumaki beat him to it. He pulled out his phone so fast, typing away rapidly before showing the screen to the two of them.
No pls don't worry about it
I'm perfectly happy talking to u like this
Rika's eyes stared at the screen, glancing up at Inumaki before reading the message again. "Well, I'm not. I'm gonna learn it, and you're not stopping me." She glanced at Yuuta. "Plus, I can't let him be smarter than me now, can I?"
"I wasnt even-...can you say anything without insulting me?"
Rika thought about it for a second, humming in contemplation. She grinned as she founder her answer. "Hmm...nope. Can't say that I can."
Yuuta scoffed. "But I do agree with her Inumaki-kun, you deserve to have people who understand you."
Inumaki raised his hands again. He was probably going to wave Yuuta off and attempt to stop the duo infront of him.
"Don't waste your time." Rika crawled forward on the bed till she was also sitting infront of Inumaki. "You're my friend now too, Inumaki Toge."
For a moment, Inumaki was stunned. He signed a shakey thank you. Yuuta had always assumed that everyone around Inumaki would know sign language. All his friends seemed too, and so did the people at his dad's company. Yet here he was, getting all flustered because someone as simple as Yuuta or Rika wanted to understand him better. It made him realize how little he actually knew about the boy infront of him and how caring he was too. He would rather speak through paper than burden someone with learning a language for him.
"Don't sweat it," Rika said. She reached over to playfully shove Inumaki's shoulder. "It's the least I could do."
The law of Quantum Entanglement; the aspects of one particle of an entangled pair depends on the aspects of the other particle in the pair. No matter how far apart, or what lies between them. In simple terms, particles that were once connected, stay connected.
It was one of the first things he was taught about his major back when he was younger and still figuring himself out (nothing much had changed, now he's just older and figuring himself out). He remembers clear as day the way his teacher described it to him; the law could go as in depth as two particles that were created from the same death of a star -forever interlinked.
He doesn't know why he's thinking of this now, while getting battered and bruised by one -of apparently many- of Limitless' martial artists. Maybe him and his future murderer had been birthed from the same star and the particles had finally decided to act on their homicidal (suicidal?) thoughts.
It wouldn't hurt to mention that Yuuta had never thrown a punch in his life and now he was here, in a boxing ring fighting what could quite have possibly been a five time world champion. Even using the word fighting would have been unfair on his opponent. It was more like Yuuta was being used as a punching bag, an aid for them to develop their craft.
"Time out," he panted after being thrown in yet another headlock. "Please."
The man's arms left his neck and he could finally breathe again. Yuuta staggered off of the platform and haphazardly threw himself onto one of the many grey fold out chairs that surrounded the ring. Someone hands him a water in passing -they probably took pity on him after seeing the one man fight- and he offers up a small thanks before inhaling the bottle like a man at an oasis.
It was so unfair. Not him being beaten up. That was completely fair. These powers. They were so unfair. He had all these superhuman abilities and he could barely use them. What was the point of super strength if the owner couldn't even hurt a fly or get out of a headlock? They were being wasted on him. It may have hurt to admit but they were.
And maybe some part of him knew that all too well. It was the same part that had wanted to walk out the door after the second bruise had formed. Really, what was the point of all this training, time and effort if it was to be wasted on him and his lack of skill. It would have been easier to give up. To walk up to Gojo and apolgise for wasting his time and killing his... pet spider and leave. To never turn back. He wouldn't have to worry about saving people, it wasn't what he was meant for.
Thankfully, there was another part of him. This one was bigger. Louder. Persistent. Reminding him to keep going. The one that replayed images of fear and blood. The same part that caused helplessness to seep into his veins and remind him exactly why he did not want to feel that way ever again. It took many forms; sometimes a quiet creature, like a cat purring gentle reminders into your ears. Sometimes it was mean and brutal; full of an honesty that he needed to hear. Sometimes it even sounded like Gojo-sensei. He shakes off a shiver at the thought.
Nonetheless, he was grateful for that part of him. It reminded him to keep going at times like these. To push. To give. To fight. Even if he felt like he might literally not be able to wake up tomorrow.
So, with some newfound confidence, Yuuta wakes up from his chair and pushes his way back into the ring. He was determined to be less of a punching bag this round. Maybe he would even get updated to practice dummy?
Baby steps.
"I'm ready."
"Careful, watch the step."
"Yuuta, you act as if I haven't lived here for the past three years." Rika rolled her eyes.
"But you're injured." He countered.
"I can walk, my legs are just fine." In a show of just how fine her legs were, she stomps on his foot with an unnecessary force causing him to let go of her and clutch his foot instead. She cackles at him as he hops around on one foot.
Rika made her way across the rest of the landing without Yuuta acting as her human version of a walking stick. It felt good to be back again and it felt even better to do things by herself. Independently. As much as she appreciated the hospital staff (and Yuuta), it was difficult to watch people running around for you, unable to do much for yourself. She was forced to just sit by and watch the world move around her as she bided time. It was nice to be able to do things herself again. Like walk. Independently, without people treating her like delicate glass.
Yuuta watched her open the door with a smile on her face. Like the act itself had granted her passing into something more than just their house. Something like freedom. Yuuta didn't realize being in the hospital would cause her that many struggles, but now that he thinks about...he doesn't realise why he hadn't seen it before. Rika was a free bird, no cage was supposed to hold her and neither was he, so he watched on with pride as she made her way into their shared apartment for the first time in weeks. The kitchen was the first thing that was welcomed by her.
"Yuuta," she called. "What do you feel like eating?"
He smiled, glad to have her back. His stomach was glad too. There were only so many microwavable dinners one could take.
The sound of two people walking bounced echoed loudly off the metal walls. They walked together down the hall to what was dubbed to be the 'Weapons Arsenal'. The name itself screamed dangerous. The whole do not enter else ye shall face a fate worse than death aura emancipated from the lone door at the end of the hall.
Somewhere, around three training lessons ago, Yuuta had finally held his opponent to the ground. Kept them there. The cheers that filled the room at his takedown was nothing short of exhilarating. Even his opponent who had up until that point been pinned to the floor had patted him on the back. He was so happy he could cry, but he didn't. He almost did but who could blame him. Weeks of absolute hell and feeling completely worthless did that to a person but now he was practically floating -walking on air. It was a feeling he would accept with open arms. For once, he felt like he could actually do this -the whole... protecting thing. Maybe he was actually worthy and capable enough to fight for those who couldn't. The people around him surely thought so. Choruses of "Knew you could do it" and "You got this champ" filled his ear along with celebratory shoulder checks and back pats. He was smiling so hard his cheeks hurt.
Meanwhile, across the room away from the crowd, Gojo sat in his chair just like he had been the entire match and all those matches before. Except now his face bore a smirk smugger than Zeus himself and his eyes shone as if he had just won the match. Unlike everyone else in the room -Yuuta included- he knew the boy would find his strength and grow. It was just a matter of time and as it seemed, that time was now.
He was ready.
The door grew bigger as they got closer. No less threatening then it had been twenty feet away. It towered over Yuuta like a great oak, tall and intimidating. He saw Gojo enter some code onto the electronic panel by the door and was hit with a sense of dèja vu from his first time at Limitless. It was the same sequence as before too. Enter a code. Press palm. His eyes followed the blue line of the scanner as it makes it's way up and down the panel. Just like in the movies. Actually, thinking about it now, it was entirely possible that the feature was unnecessary and it had just been added for dramatic effect. The look of absolute glee on Gojo's face as he too watched the scanner go up and down supported his theory.
The door rolled open smoothly and quietly. The smell hit Yuuta first. Like the inside of a car. Pristine. Leather. Fresh. Completely not what he was expecting. The first thoughts that come to mind after hearing 'weapons arsenal' are the usual metal, gunpowder and blood. Not whatever this was. The room was made of the same iconic white metal walls that built the entirety of Limitless. It was similar to the live specimen room he had seen the first time he entered the building. Circular and bright. It too had the eye-shaped ceiling window.
Gojo walked into the room with Yuuta trailing quickly behind him. His eyes raced across the room, trying to consume every single thing he could see.
"Ill be back soon, wait here." Gojo said as Yuuta walked up to one of the many objects in the room, examining it.
"...and Yuuta-kun, don't touch anything." Gojo said on his way to the door. "It may actually kill you this time."
Yuuta slowly retracted his hand back from the shiny space orb. He wasn't going to touch it. He was just...feeling the air around it. This room was even more interesting than the live specimen room, fulled to the brim with collateral boxes instead of tanks. Boxes that were probably fulled with weapons. Deadly weapons that could kill him if he touched them.
Why the hell would Gojo leave him in here unsupervised with deadly weapons that could kill him if he touched them when he knows Yuuta has a bad track record of touching deadly things. He stood idle in the center of the large room, the furthest away he could be from anything dangerous while simultaneously being in the room. This was a museum and he was the main display.
Now that he was standing there in the middle of the room, trying his hardest not to make eye contact with anything lest it explodes, he realises that he isn't actually aware of what he was doing here. What exactly would he need from a weapons arsenal? Wasn't he the weapon?
Wait...was he a weapon? He didn't feel like a weapon, or maybe...he didn't want to feel like a weapon. But the fact was undeniable nonetheless. A very slim few possessed the speed and strength he did and even fewer could use their hands as military level projectiles -when he says even fewer, he means just him. He doubts anyone else had this sort of ability, unless Gojo was hiding them from him, which... was actually pretty likely. Being a human lie detector seemed a stretch to his abilities but it would be a untrue if he said it wasn't something of the sort. A cold feeling runs through his veins -like a warning- when Gojo says certain things. He doesn't want to not believe them, but something was definitely wrong. His tingles (yes, tingles) were usually right. Then again, Yuuta was almost a stranger to Gojo. Someone who was helping out of obligation but also kindness. It would make sense if he didn't tell him everything.
Though, he could have at least told him why he was in this room. It could be his imagination, but he swears the walls were getting closer everytime he dared to peek up. Gojo had to have been gone for at least ten minutes now. What was taking him so long?
It was storming outside, the rain drops landed in splatters on the skylight above. They raced across the pane and off to the sides. The sky was gray, purple when the lightning striked. Maybe if he taken English as a major, he would've been able to craft some extremely poetic ideas on how it seemed like the eye-shaped sky light was crying -unfortunately, all he could think of was how he was going to get absolutely pelted by the rain on his way home.
Gojo had chosen this exact moment of existential dread to make his reappearance. He skipped into the room pushing a cart. A human silhouette could be made out from underneath the draped cloth. A mannequin of sorts if he were to guess. "I'm back, sorry for the wait," Gojo said over the sound of the wheels hitting the floor. Gojo stopped the cart smack in the center of Yuuta's vision. His brain didn't register the squeak of Gojo's shoes as they collided with the floor -it was too busy trying to figure out what they could possibly need a mannequin for. It couldn't have been target practice, he had already done enough of that with real moving people so it would have been pointless. Plus, why would they come to the weapon arsenal for target practice? Gojo stood posed next to the cart, hands wide out like a magician ready to pull the bunny from his hat. He teased Yuuta, making grabby motions with his hands before finally pulling the cloth off of it. The dark fabric waved in the air dramatically leaving behind a freshly uncovered, conveniently Yuuta-sized mannequin.
"Suprise! You like it?" His eyes stayed on Yuuta's face, analyzing every movement. "It's has every thing you need and it's super breathable. This baby comes with built-in temperature fluxuation and you can even make phone calls...maybe that wasn't the best idea."
Damn, that's bright, was Yuuta's first thought. A piece of bright red and black fitted tightly against it's mannequin. The colours fought for attention, going this way and that. In the middle of the chest, a stark contrast to it's background, sat a white spider. The rest of the suit had the same matching white material lining it, like webbing -with the spider at its source. Yuuta walked closer and raised his hand to touch it. He hesitated ever so slightly, before Gojo gave him a small nod of approval in his periphery. His fingers ran over the bumps and ridges the web lining created. The suit was cool under his fingers, strong too. He could see the reflection of his hand follow the real one from below. Yuuta's eyebrows pinched together. Was this real?
"Well, go ahead, try it on." Gojo tapped on the wrist of the suit, and for a second Yuuta really believed he was a magician. The entirety of the suit compacted before his eyes, the metal retracted in on itself -like it had been simply programmed out of existence. It moved quickly, dissapearing from the left sleeve until all that remained was a simple smart watch on the right arm on the newley naked mannequin. Gojo slipped the watch off and handed it to Yuuta, who put it on his own hand instinctively , with the simple instruction of which button to tap. The sensitive skin of his wrist fell victim to the same cool sensation that his fingers had been under when they ran along the suit. He ran the pad of his thumb along the watch screen and watched it come to life. There were only four buttons on the face, only one that Yuuta knew how to use. A red button with a white spider logo identical to the one he had just seen. He tapped it lightly, once. The reaction was instant. The watch transformed in reverse, spewing out metal plating, quickly coating Yuuta. He was the magician now.
From his toes to the base of his neck, Yuuta was covered in black and red. The suit felt cold on his skin, and although he had already experienced it twice, the feeling was still foreign. Yuuta looked down at his body now covered in metal, he raised his arms to get a closer look, feeling the way the suit moved to accommodate it. "How does it feel?" Gojo asked. He had been surprisingly silent through the whole ordeal. "It feels..." Yuuta searched for the word. It sat on the tip of his tongue. All of this, the powers, the suit. "Unreal."
With the suit on him, the truth hit him like a truck. This was real. It wasn't just a bad dream. It wasn't just his imagination. He truly had these powers, these abilities. Rika really did get hurt. And he really was about to put himself out there, after all this training, to save people. Him. The fact had been gnawing at his gut for a while but this suit was the final messy icing on the sloppy cake. This wasn't the time to second guess himself but... could he even do this? Was this really about to be his life?
The words left his mouth before he could stop them. "Gojo-san, I don't think I ca-"
"-you can. You can do it Yuuta. You may not think you can, but I know you can. I wouldn't have given this suit to you otherwise." Gojo said surprisingly serious. He face carried more worry than Yuuta's but he still persevered. "Tokyo needs you right now."
Yuuta's pretty sure Tokyo had enough heroic characters to fan over, they didn't need a real one...but something about Gojo's tone made him hold his mouth. It sounded as if Gojo was counting on him, relying on him. A genuis putting his faith into a student for some probably absurd reason. It made Yuuta want to try, at the very least. He gave Gojo a simple nod. A sign his reassurance had worked.
"Good. Now try the mask."
"...the mask?"
"Yes the mask."
He's pretty sure he hadn't seen a mask on the mannequin. Maybe there was button for it on the watch? Unfortunately, upon further inspection it seemed the watch did not exist. He raised his wrists, turned them in every direction to find... nothing. That made sense, the watch wasn't a part of the suit...it was the suit. But how else was he supposed to acquire a mask. He looked back to Gojo helplessly.
Gojo laughed at the confused pout forming on Yuuta's face. In his opinion, Yuuta looked like a lost puppy, but that was okay -Toge loves puppies. "Did i mention it's voice activated?"
He did infact not mention that. How was Yuuta was supposed to know? "...voice activated?"
"Yup." Gojo nodded.
"So I...?"
"Just tell her to put the mask on."
Tell her? Why was he telling someone to put it on for him? He sneaked a glance around the room, confirming what he already knew. It was still just the two of them in this circular cage. His worst fears were now confirmed. Gojo was referring to the suit. He felt silly just opening his mouth, let alone going along with such a thing.
"Um...Can I have the mask...please?" Yuuta asked no-one in particular.
His world spun from colour and light to pitch black in seconds and suddenly his air supply became limited. He wobbled, unsteady on his legs, arms swinging wildly. Not that he was awarw, he couldn't see any of this, he couldn't see anything at all. He was about to call for Gojo when a screen appeared infront of his eyes. The light was blinding blue, illuminating the dark space he had found himself trapped in. Words started appearing on the screen, shortly followed by a voice.
"Hello Yuuta. I am C.O.P.I -your Computer Operated Pixel Intelligence."
"Oh! Um hi, Copi."
"I am here to assist you on missions and will allow you access to the entirety of the suit."
"Thank you."
"You're welcome."
As you can see, Yuuta cannot talk to new people. Unfortunately for him, his world had been shrunk down into a tiny black box and his only companion is a disembodied voice.
"Hey Copi?"
"Yes, Yuuta?"
"Is there any way I could...see whats infront of me?"
"Affirmative."
A gasp involuntarily escaped him. Two identical bug-like eye slits opened up on the mask, granting him view of his surroundings. Along with them, an information panel jumped into view -his vitals on full display. Cool would be the only word one could use to describe it. Like really cool. Like a kid getting their first iPad cool. He raked his eyes up and down the screens surrounding his vision. Every possible thing from location to beats per minute covered his eye view.
"Cool huh?" Gojo smirked through the left eye slit. "Pretty proud of it myself."
"This is amazing Gojo-san. Thank you." Yuuta attempted a bow. The rigid metal tried it's best to bend to Yuuta's body's will, but it was still a little stiff -more a set square bent at ninety degrees than a human spine. He would get used to it eventually.
"Don't sweat it kid, but we do have to get you trained with the suit before you even think about doing anything heroic."
"Of course, sensei. I'll try my best."
He wasn't sure where his relationship with Satoru Gojo lay. Somewhere between teacher/boss and father-in-law -though that was mostly delusion on Gojo and Yuuta's side. Besides the point, he had become a large part of Yuuta's life very quickly with the whole spider bite turned radio active human fiasco. He believed in Yuuta more than Yuuta believed in himself. One could see it in the more subtler gestures - delighted smiles and proud eyes. There was always something more to his expression than what could be seen at face value.
"I know you will, kiddo." Gojo reached out a hand to where Yuuta's hair would have been, pausing awkwardly in the air when he realised there was no hair to ruffle. Something flitted across his expression, small, but it was there -doubt. It settled quickly, and Gojo swapped the gesture for a few head pats instead. "But first, we have a bigger problem to deal with."
Oh no.
"What is it?"
"Your acting skills! They're tragic at best. Toge has been on my case about that whole intern fiasco for a whole week. Seriously. It took forever to talk him out of it"
Yuuta felt his face grow warm. That was something he would rather not have remembered-but the embarrassment of the moment haunted him as he lay awake in bed every night. Surely his acting wasn't that bad was it?
"Lucky for you, I've got some people that can help. Copi, remove his mask please."
His tunnel vision dispersed, the mask retracting inch by inch until it became one with a suit. It left Yuuta feeling seemingly overdressed yet oddly exposed at the same time. A door opened on the other side of the room -he didn't even know there was a door there. Two people dressed in similar black track outfits walked in. A pretty woman in her mid-thirties and a young man probably no older than he was; his walk triggered something in Yuuta's brain -dèja vu. A memory. It was unsettlingly familiar. The man in question walked up to Yuuta, grabbing his covered hand in a friendly shake.
"HI! I'm Ino, we've met before but I don't think you would recognize me. I was wearing a mask the last time." He barked out a laugh. Yuuta allowed his hand to be shaken freely while he stood confused, attempting to piece together what this guy, Ino he had said, was talking about. Met before? A mask?
He spared a glance at the other person who had walked out with Ino. She did look familiar, but he was sure he hadn't known her...unless?
A feeble realization dawned on him. Eyes widened from recent discoveries panned back to Ino. A parallel image of the man appeared in his mind, only this time, he had a black ski mask on. Ino smirked at the expression on Yuuta's face. "I take it you've figured it out then?"
"I-...But-" Yuuta sputtered.
"I told you this was a bad idea Gojo." The women said, attempting to smack Gojo upside the head. He dodged it easily, as if it was routine. "Look at the poor boy, he's frozen."
"He's fine," Gojo dragged. "He's just processing is all, Utahime."
Utahime. Like... Utahime Iori? Yuuta feels his head spin. He's going to pass out. Famous actor Utahime? The same Utahime that appears on all billboards from here to Shibuya? That Utahime? That's why she was familiar. Wait but did that mean-
Another image was created in Yuuta's head, of Utahime this time. Except her hair was curly and grey and she was draped in an older style kimono. She was there too; they both were. But why?
"He looks like he's going to be sick you idiot. Honestly, it's a wonder Toge turned out okay with you as his d-..." Utahime clasped a hand over her mouth -like she no longer trusted her own words. Her eyes flooded with guilt. The older two shared a look. "I'm sorry, I didn't-"
"It's okay," Gojo waved her off with a smile. It fell a few paces short of genuine. Utahime opened her mouth, ready to say something more but a quick glance at the boy in the red and black made her think the better of it. Instead she walked up to Yuuta and placed a hand on his shoulder.
"I'm sorry we couldn't meet under...more fortunate circumstances, Okkotsu-kun. Unfortunately, the moron decided that he would try and convince you to become some hero using rather childish measures, which clearly didn't work." She shot Gojo a judging glance. He raised his hands up in surrender in turn. "Nonetheless, we're here to help you with whatever you need."
Utahime's voice was rather soothing, which helped a lot because his brain was currently roaring in confusion of everything he had just learnt. The whole purse situation was just an act? Gojo had done it in purpose in an attempt to get him to change his mind. Yuuta pressed his fingernails into his palms, focusing on the slight sting they caused. That was wrong of Gojo -especially when Yuuta said had said no.
He looked up to the man, who looked back at him. Gojo held his poker face -unlike Yuuta who wore his heart on his sleeve- so Yuuta could not figure out how he felt now that this information was out.
A paradox was forming in Yuuta's mind. He wanted to be angry at Gojo, the man hadn't respected his wishes and pushed past them. Who knows the lengths he would have gone too if Rika's accident didn't happen. Then again, Rika's accident did happen. And Gojo had helped him and been by his side repeatedly, training him for every possible scenario. Was he even allowed to be mad at him? It was too much to think about in the moment. He was there for one reason and that was to get better, to get stronger, to train harder. This might be a small hurdle in his path but he would get over it one way or another.
He looked back to Utahime. For the first time, he notices a scar running across her face. Like a lightning bolt across her cheek to her nose bridge. Her billboard pictures never showed that.
"Thank you Utahime-san," he bows. "And you too Ino. I would appreciate all the help I can get."
"That's the spirit," Ino cheers with a clap. Utahime smiles at him. "You'll be a professional actor in no-time."
As it turns out, acting is a lot harder than people give it credit for. Nevermind remembering lines and facial expressions. There's a whole list just for eye movements. Eye. Movements.
He's never going to watch movies the same way ever again. They had been at it for over four hours now; the grey overhead clouds submerged into black the longer they went on. It was a tiring debacle. Not to say Yuuta wasn't making any progress, if anything he had made more progress in the past four hours then he had in any other of his training lessons. Utahime was a good teacher and Ino was an amazing practice partner. Yuuta had now memorized the little information he was allowed to reveal about his identity and the art of perfecting his tone of voice. Unfortunately, little could be done about his lack of a poker face -thankfully his mask helped with that problem. They were also able to help him get his body language perfected. Yuuta was now a lean, mean lying machine -minus the face.
However the hours at work were taking their toll on all parties involved. Ino had been passed out on one of the office chairs for the better part of an hour and Utahime's grip on the stack of books tightened as if they were here only source of energy. Gojo had been deemed M.I.A at the end of their "possible scenarios" lesson and Yuuta feels like he should start carrying around packets of caffeine in his pockets. He imagines himself taking them like drugs; what would his mother think of him?
"I think that's enough for today, you did good Okkotsu-kun." Utahime said. He had to hand it to her, she was a professional at her job. Even outside of showbusiness, she easily concealed her emotions. Yuuta couldn't get a read on her unless she wanted him to. The most he had done so far was figure out she was tired from a slight grip change for crying out loud. She walked over to Ino, shaking him awake gently.
"You too, Ino-kun. We should get going -this storm looks like it's getting worse." She glanced up at the skylight. It no longer brought in any source of light, only allowing for one to see the pitch black of the night sky above. The rolling thunder could be heard softly through the walls and the raindrops now pounded the glass at intense speeds.
Yuuta got up from his chair and dusted his pants off, bowing thanks to the pair. He had long since retired the suit back to it's watch form in exchange for something more comfortable.
He watches the two of them leave, muttering goodbyes and promises of meeting again. He strolled down the endless hallways of Limitless alone, mentally preparing himself to brave the rain for the five minutes it would take him to run from here to the train station. If he had any less self control, he would drag his hands along the walls he walked. Up and down, drawing invisible mountains.
The grand entry of the building was empty, the receptionist being the only outlier. Yuuta was aware that certain workers of Limitless worked well into the night but most followed usual hours. A friendly wave towards the receptionist was all Yuuta spared time for before walking up to the glass doors. He could seen the wind forcing the trees in every direction through them, stray leaves getting blown well into the night. The doors opened automatically when he stepped infront of them and Yuuta was hit with the biggest gush of wing. He would have been forced backward had he been any less prepared.
With a hoodie as his only shield, Yuuta stepped out into the rain. It was cold, wet and entirely uncomfortable dripping down his skin. The rain drops caught in his eyelashes causing the colours and lights to blur together like water colours. The water sloshed below his shoes as he got closer to the station. Just two more minutes, he told himself. Two more minutes and you'll be on a dry train heading home to hot tea and a warm bed. His heart warmed at the thought. He stood on the sidewalk waiting to cross the road. Two oncoming cars a decent distance from each other. He just had to wait for two cars and he'd be in the station. The first car drove past him in a blur with little hassle. Just one more. The traffic light next to him blinked, changing to yellow as the other car got closer. Something didn't feel right. The light turned red. The car kept driving. Then, like someone forcing him to see something that wasn't there, he felt it. A tingle.
He lifted his eyes just in time to see the drivers fave through the freshly wiped windscreen. Wide frantic eyes -fear. The car wasn't slowing down. The light was red and the car wasn't slowing down. He whipped his head to the other side, there were multiple cars still driving. They were going to crash. All of them. He had to do something.
With adrenaline being the only thing driving him, he opened his watch. He moved at speeds so fast, that the world around him seemed to slow down. The suit covered him in seconds. The rain was no longer an issue.
"Copi, mask quickly please."
"Yes, Yuuta."
He had to come up with a plan fast. He scoped his surroundings fast, using the suits information panels as a guide. The car was about to pass him, he was running out of time. He had to act now. Yuuta launched himself onto the traffic light, crouched for balance. He shot a web, the largest he ever had, just as the car drove past him. It acted like a net, catching it before it could get any further. With all the strength he could muster, Yuuta pulled the web, silently begging for the car to slow down. It was cinematic, how it had been pulled just enough to stop. Had he acted five seconds later, the fate would be much different.
Carefully, he brought the car back to a safe stop. The driver -who had seemed on the border of hysterics- jumped out of his car immediately. He looked up to Yuuta, who was still perched upon the traffic light, and bowed deeply hands clasped together. Yuuta was still in shock, the feeling of saving an actual life, multiple, multiple lives still resting heavy on his hands. Unsure what else to do, he offered the man a two-finger salute in response.
The outdoor security camera of a nearby insurance company would capture this footage. The rain would have made it impossible to detect the face of the hero in question, but it captured the important part. How a mysterious man had saved the lives of many innocent bystanders using what suspiciously looked like spiderweb.
He didn't know it now but tomorrow Yuuta would be making headlines. Everyone and their mothers would be watching the video-clip of the mysterious masked hero, the one that the world would soon dub 'Spiderman'.