Aunt

Juri POV

My head was throbbing, my abdomen too. It felt like I was beaten unconscious by my father or something. This is how it felt being hit by him. The pain stuck with you for days on end. "Ugh.." A strained groan left my mouth as I sat up and opened my eyes, only to be confused. 'This isn't my room.' My brain throbbed even more, trying to understand just what was going on.

Then, a faint memory came to mind, just before I passed out. "...Once you wake up, you'll be gone. I'll give Tomura your farewell..." My father's voice echoed in my head. I couldn't wrap my head around it. The pain briefly left my body as I sunk deep in thought. 'He wouldn't really send off his own daughter.. right?' My mind went back to his cold face.

A few tears fought to come out. He might've been a bastard, an emotionless man, and a man that prioritized his legacy over everything else, but he was still my father. I felt as though deep down, he held some semblance of care or love for us. "How wrong I was.." My voice involuntarily started to break as I spoke to myself.

'I hate him. I hate him so much..' Tears now spilled from my eyes as I covered my face with the purple blanket. The throbbing pain that returned didn't help to stop my tears. "That big bastard sent someone to deliver her! Like she was a package!" A voice shouted, breaking me out of my emotional breakdown. I wiped my tears with the purple blanket as I sat up in bed. I heard the footsteps heading for the door. There was something familiar about the voice, yet I couldn't quite place it. Almost as if I'd heard it before, but not directly.

I had butterflies in the pit of my stomach as the steps grew louder, and the voice was quieter, spilling all kinds of profanities at my father. I watched as the door's handle slowly turned. The door cracked open just a bit to the point where I could only see one sky blue eye of a woman peek inside. "I gotta go she's awake. Talk to you in a bit Aizawa." The woman whispered, followed by a *beep*. I could hear her clear her throat before the door swung open.

"Juri! It's been a while! You've gotten big haven't you?" She shouted with a large smile. Now that I got a look at her, I couldn't help but to smile too. The woman in front of me was my aunt Nemuri. She was relatively tall for a woman standing at 5'9. She had dark purple hair and sky blue eyes that stood out no matter where she was. "H-hello aunt Nemuri.. It's good to see you again!" I tried my best to sound happy, yet from her slight drop in her smile, I could tell that I hadn't succeeded.

My aunt Nemuri used to video call my brother and I all the time for years, but one day when I was nine, she told us that she wouldn't be able to call as much due to her becoming a hero. And that was the last We heard of her. We could never see her in person due to our father never allowing a day off from our training, and her always being busy due to her hero work.

While she and my father's relationship grew estranged after the passing of my mother, they kept in touch due to her insistence of speaking to us as much as she could.

She walked over to the bed I was on and sat down, her smile still showing and going strong. "I know this is all sudden for you Juri, but from now on, you'll be staying with me. Your.. father.." I could see her teeth gritting together, as if she was hesitant to get the word out. "He thought it would be best for you to be here from now on sweetheart." Her smile turned into a soft, caring one as she caressed my cheek.

I clenched my teeth at the thought of my father's emotionless voice telling one of the servants of the manor to "deliver" me to aunt Nemuri. It angered me more than anything now.

I stared down at the purple blankets as my thoughts drifted from one thing to another. From my bastard of a father to my lonely little brother. It was all so overwhelming. So frustrating. My head threatened to begin throbbing again just from my thoughts alone. Before I could think about it anymore, I felt my Aunt's arms wrap around me in a tight embrace.

A tight, yet comfortable, and warm hug. "I know it's a lot to deal with so suddenly. I'm sorry Juri." She spoke in a sympathetic tone. My anger simmered and my thoughts calmed down to nothing but the current moment. I returned the hug as a small smile made it's way onto my face. It felt good to know that someone cared for me. It made a warm feeling grow in my chest.

"I'm happy I'm here with you, aunt Nemuri." I responded after a few minutes of enjoying the hug. My aunt cooed in response. "And I'm glad to have you Juri. Now let's get you something to eat sweetie." She said, picking me up and walking to the door. While I could've walked on my own, I decided to remain in the hug. The warmth from it was almost addicting.

"Oh, and before I forget, you'll be starting school in three weeks! Exciting right?" She shouted. "Yeah.. Exciting.." I weakly replied. No matter what went down at home, I always hated school with a passion. Kids were annoying and loud, yet because of my father having no tolerance for misbehaving, I simply bit my tongue and went with whatever went on.

A small smile once again danced onto my face. 'No such father here now.' I thought, slightly anxious about school now.

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Constructive criticism or just criticisms you have with the story so far are appreciated.