Chapter 7 | Rehab and Poison

As I returned from buying her cloths, I walked into her room only to find her already awake.

Finding her already doing better I let out a relived sigh.

''Took you long enough to wake up, I almost thought you'd be out for a few days.'' I said with a relaxed voice.

Hearing me her head snapes to my direction and her expression turned strange. Finally seeming to have gotten a hold of her bearing's she began to talk.

''W-w-Who are y-you?'' She asked in a shaky voice.

Feeling bad at her disheveled state I decide to joke around a little.

''What? you don't remember your savior? that's quite harsh, even for me.'' I said with a mock hurt tone.

I expected her to be a little surprised, but her reaction seemed over the top. Her eyes widened as her mouth hung open and she struggle to find the words for a few seconds until...

''Y-You saved me? N-No wait! Your a child!?'' She screamed, but the latter part of her words stunned me.

''Huh...?'' I voiced and then a sudden realization dawned on me. Raising my hand slowly, causing her to flinch slightly, I touched my face and... it wasn't there, my mask.

Looking down at the cloths in my hand, I realized I had token my costume off to go shopping for an extra pair of clothes for her.

A pungent silence filled the room as I didn't know what to say. I had just walked in without a mask and blatantly revealed my identity, oh wait, I know exactly what to say.

''Fuck.'' I channeled all of my current emotions into that one word.

Shaking my head with a tired sigh, I changed the topic, hoping to give my self sometime to think of a solution.

''I don't know what your talking about. Anyways how are you feeling, it must have been a traumatic experience.'' I asked with concern while asking Aroura another question.

'Aroura do you have any mind wiping ability, like from men in black? Wait I think there was something similar in Bleach too, was their something like that in the Starter Pack?' I asked quickly in hopes Aroura had a solution to my current problem.

[Negative to both questions.]

She did in fact, not have the solution for my current problem.

However the women had an extreme reaction from my question, which broke my chain of thought.

''Huff Huff Huff Huuuh Huff Huff'' She began to hyper ventilate as her arms began to flare and she screamed.

Rushing over to her I quickly grabbed a hold of her, but she ended up punching me in the face. Since my training it didn't hurt so I buried her head into my chest and allow her to cry it out as she continuously beat me with her fists. All the while I'd try to calm her down by repeating things like ''your safe now'' and ''it's ok now''. 

About half an hour later she had stopped beating me and desperately clung to me, wrapping her arms around my back as she cried into my embrace. Slowly taking my hand out I gently placed it atop her head, momentarily flinching she freezes until I slowly pet her head and she calms down. She eventually fell asleep but didn't let go of me.

Waiting their for another hour or two, she finally began to come too and was startled from seeing me.

''Took you long enough to wake up, you've been asleep for an hour or two.'' I said with a cheeky tone as I continue stroking her head.

''You've been waiting here the whole time...?'' She asked with a confused face.

''Not much I can do when I'm being tied up.'' I said as I gestured at her arms still wrapped around me loosely.

Looking at her arms, she quickly retracted them and apologized with her head down in shame.

''Sorry...'' She said in a small voice.

''Think nothing of it.'' I said with a slight smile.

After the short exchange small and palpable silence filled the room.

Although I was  technically already an adult mentally, the lack of human interactions from my new life has caused me to become quite... awkward.

Coughing lightly I get down to business.

''So you got a name, or should I just call you 'red-head'?'' I asked half jokingly.

''p-pam-...'' She begun to talk in a quite voice but ended up choking on her words.

''So Pam huh, you can call me Mer. I'll get straight to business. You can stay for as long as you want he-'' I was about to offer to let her stay for as long as she wants when she cut me off.

On a side note, I decided to introduce myself with my middle name, Mer, because I just liked the sound of it.

''N-No I-I already t-t-troubled y-you en-!'' She cuts me off and tried to get up from the bed, only for her legs to give in and her to fall on the ground. Upon closer examination, her legs and even arms where trembling.

''Your clearly traumatized from what happened and in no right ok to go outside like this.'' I begin but after I say that...

''Bleuuurgghhh'' The woman vomits onto the ground, getting up I lead her to the washroom and bend her over the toilet, to let her vomit out everything and finish what I was saying earlier.

''Your in no state to go back like this. So, stay here until your both mentally and physically ready to leave, understood.'' I explained with a flat tone due to my [Icy Disposition].

Hearing my words she turned her head to me and looked as if she was about to deny it, but another wave of vomiting took over and she turned her head back to the toilet.

Seeing this reaction, I furrow my brow and met eyes with her,

''Understood?'' I said once again, this time with a louder and strict voice.

Unconsciously, she nods her head exaggeratively, perhaps out of fear and returns to vomiting while avoiding my gaze.

Stepping outside the washroom, I give her some peace and set her cloths I had bought on the bed. Turning over to puke on the ground I shoot out a little bit of concentrated Reiryoku and it evaporates.

Letting out a sigh I walkout of her room. Judging from her bodies reaction, she most likely is severely traumatized and possible temporarily mentally unstable. She might even have androphobia or PITS (perpetration induced traumatic stress) from the event. It would make sense, if things went on as they where she'd probably be raped and she might have even stabbed a man to death, if I didn't step in.

She probably could only talk to me because I'm a kid right now, if I had my costume on, it would have scared the shit out of her...

Taking a deep breath I turned towards the kitchen and began to make something to eat.

___________________________________________

It took her a month in full to recover to a semi-stable state, since the invasion was coming soon I couldn't waste time and trained myself at the sometime. Currently I needed to get to a level of power where I won't have to fear the risk of death.

It was already September and my school was going to begin soon, so I really didn't have time to worry about others, however I decided to look after her for a little while.

Over the course of the month, I slowly talked thing out with her and she opened up, currently I had gone outside with her a few times to see if she was could function properly. She had shown signs of recovery and her PITS was all but gone, although sometimes she would have a nightmare and I had to calm her down. Unconsciously though, she had developed a sever hatred for men, although I was kind of an exception to that.

From talking to her I had also become quite close to her, I had told her my background as an orphan and made up some story of finding a sword, mask, and costume left behind my parents and awakening some type of power from it. She seemed skeptical but with a man in a bat suite running around fighting crime at night, an alien who was raised by humans and now protects Metropolis, and the supposed Amazonian in Washington my story really didn't seem to far fetched. Even more so consider all the other super villains and heroes beginning to emerge in this era.

I had also told her about my identity and a little about myself, she seemed extremally interested in my ability to control ice and the spiritual energy I had hinted at a few times. She was also quite stupefied at the fact I was actually an 8 year old, but I could bounce most questions she had about that with two replies...

___________________________________________

[a few days earlier...]

''How are you so mature?'' She asked while I cleaned up the dinner table of my safe house, she had been staying in.

''I'm an orphan.'' I answered with a flat tone, but my reply caused her to choke up, as she thought she had brought up something she shouldn't had and began to feel guilty. Trying to change the subject she asked another question.

''How did you become so strong?'' She asked quickly, trying to change the subject, but still subtly interested in my reply.

''I'm a genius.'' I answered once again with the same flat tone and calmly cleaned the dishes. Hearing my answer she quieted down an an awkward silence permeated the room.

___________________________________________

She had also told me a little about herself and she turned out to be a 2nd year at a university student, who studied advanced botanical biochemistry. She had apparently attended an exchanged program in which she was able to work under a leading scientist in biochemistry. She had also confirmed Aroura's assumption and did in fact turned 20 this year, specifically in March.

Pam, had been in contact with the scientist she had been working under and was granted a month long leave of absence. However that too was reaching it's deadline, therefor Pam had decided to return and I had judged her mentally fit to do so. Today was in fact the day she was leaving.

Standing in front of me now was Pam in a suit and lab coat she had retrieved from her apartment. She no longer was a crying and shaking mess and looked somewhat confident and beautiful with her makeup. Her long red hair was also clean and silky reaching near the mid part of her back.

She smiled some what forcefully seeming a little hesitant to leave, obvious when you look at her slightly tearing eyes. Noticing her emotions I smiled a little and told her to hurry up.

''Are you gonna stay here all day?'' I teased, but she didn't react.

''I'm gonna kind of miss this place.'' She said with a bit of a sad face, seeing her reaction I shook my head and sighed, taking out my phone I spoke again.

''I'll give you my number in case something happens. You may be fit to function but in case something happens or you need someone to talk to just call ok.'' I said with a bit of a smile.

Hearing my words she seemed to brighten up and nodded excitedly. She took my phone and inputted her number, and even tried calling her own phone, after she was sure she had inputted the correct number, she saved it on her end and handed my phone back to me.

To on lookers it might seem a little strange considering our age gap, even the driver of the taxi was giving a bit of a disgusted look... or was he jealous? turning to look at Pam, I nodded my head, definitely jealous, after all Pam is quite pretty.

''Alright, take care red-head.'' I said jokingly but Pam looked a little annoyed at the nickname I had given her and glared at me. I sighed and rephrased what I said.

''Fine... Take care, Pam.'' I said faintly smiling and meeting her eyes. She seemed satisfied and replied with her own bye.

''Don't get your self killed.'' She said back, suddenly making me remember something and turned around.

''Oh wait! Pam... about my... 'hobby' you'll stay quite about that...right?'' I asked with a slightly strained smile, implying to my crime fighting career. However instead of an answered she turned her head and gave me a teasing look and nickered lightly, before continuing walking to the cab.

With a strained smile, I shook my head turning around I inputted a caller ID to the last person on my call history. Typing in 'Pam' I smiled lightly.

In the time she'd stayed with me I had thought of her as a younger sibling, even through physical ages where reversed. She probably thought of me in a similar manner, maybe, as a kind and caring younger brother, I couldn't stop myself from chuckled lightly at the thought.

Suddenly from behind my back, Pam, who had been at the door of the cab, turned around and ran back towards me. Slightly confused at the running noise turned around slowly to see Pam running at me, confused I stood their momentarily stunned, and Pam grabbed my shoulders and... Kissed my cheek. After doing so she blushed so much, her face matched her hair and rushed back into the taxi, telling the driver to go quickly.

I, who had been dazed from the kiss suddenly was meet with a familiar noise.

*ding*

[Main Mission: [First Relationship (Villain)] Completed]

[Distributing rewards...]

[Function [Relationships] has been unlocked.]

[Item, [??? Egg (Grass type)] has been add to [Storage]]

[Ability, [Natural Energy] has been unlocked]

[Skill, [Kiss Demon] has been added to [Skills]]

[[Pamela Lillian Isley (Poison Ivy)] has been added to relationships]

Reading the system prompts my eyes widen as I read the last prompt and alternatively look at the name on the prompt and on my contacts list a phew times.

Placing a hand on my cheek, and noticing the slightly wet sensation, I absentmindedly rub off the area with my sleeve and look at the lipstick and bit of saliva on it.

''I guess maybe not...'' I mumbled, still trying to take everything in. After staring at the disappearing taxi on the horizon I turn around walk inside, taking out my phone I change a name. Quickly deleting three letters and typing 'Pamela' I press save and walk back to my safe house.

''Well that just happened.'' I say to no one in particular.

'To think she was Poison Ivy... but she didn't seem... evil. Has she not gotten her powers yet? I should keep an eye out for her in case something happens.' After pondering for a minute I decide to check what I got from my system.