A/N: If impalement bothers you, this chapter may make you uncomfortable at a few points. 

~Kanami's POV~

I knew injuries were going to be a problem, which is why I took several first aid courses at the library. They covered stitches and things of that nature but impalement wasn't really part of the curriculum. I'd managed to make a quick tourniquet with my belt to make it back home without a trail of blood leading the police right to my door.

Luckily Mr. Torino wasn't outside when I limped by. I got myself into the shower and removed the tourniquet. Blood immediately gushed from the wound. I felt my stomach churn unpleasantly. Did it hit an artery?! I couldn't deal with that!

I groaned and hurriedly changed out of my vigilante costume before applying another, better tourniquet. I couldn't present myself to a hospital with a wound matching that of a vigilante who'd just escaped capture. I'd have to disguise the injury to seem like something else. I went to the garage and looked around, what would make sense. I looked at the precariously placed bicycles leaned against the wall, and the tripping hazard of abandoned weights that hadn't even made it into the house because Milan couldn't lift them and didn't want me lifting them into the house so they lived in the garage.

I nearly threw up as I thought about staging the accident, a kickstand was going to have to go in my leg. Hurriedly I returned to my room to hide my costume and wrap my hair in a headscarf that matched the loose dress I was currently wearing. I hit my palms against the scratchy concrete step to add a few scrapes and winced as I skinned my shin on it for good measure before removing my tourniquet and setting the stage.

I nearly gagged as I got the kickstand through the hole in my leg and made a loud crash as I knocked over several weights before 'falling' into place with a scream. A few seconds later Mr. Torino appeared, using the spare key Milan had given him. He surveyed the scene in horror before rushing to call for an ambulance.

"Don't move Kana-chan." He knelt beside me and surveyed the scene. "This place is a death trap."

I felt bad for lying to Mr. Torino but I couldn't handle the injury on my own, and it would be better to have a witness to the 'accident' so I wasn't under suspicion. A few minutes later, Mr. Torino and I were riding in an ambulance on the way to the hospital. I was oddly excited that it was the same hospital my mother was staying at though I was sure I wouldn't get to see her. It was still nice to know we'd be close.

"I'm going to call Milan, and let her know." Mr. Torino stepped away once we reached the hospital lobby.

"Tell her I'm fine and she doesn't need to cut her trip short please." I begged him.

He sighed but nodded and went to call her.

My heart stopped as I spotted a familiar man in the lobby with a small bouquet of white roses, my father. Was he here to see my mother? Did she allow him to visit? I had so many questions. As I was staring at him, he turned and his eyes grew wide.

Luckily the paramedic chose that moment to turn a corner and I lost sight of him. As I was being wheeled to an exam room, I saw my mother walking the hall with one of her nurses. Her eyes grew wide as she spotted me.

"Kanami?" She called after me worried.

"I'm okay." I attempted to reassure her. I couldn't exactly say anything else when there were a bunch of people around but I could offer her that much. And here I thought I wouldn't see either of my parents at the hospital and I saw both of them within the first three minutes.

An hour later, I was bandaged and stitched up, luckily it had been a clean shot through, it missed the bone and didn't slice through anything major. It barely nicked an artery but they got it sealed before it became a problem. I had to wait for Mr. Torino to sign my discharge papers before they'd release me so I was waiting in the exam room. I looked at the fresh bandages over the self-inflicted scrapes and the thick layer of bandages around my thigh that poked out beneath the hem of my dress.

A soft knock at the door startled me and I nearly tumbled off the exam table. Realizing it wasn't one of the hospital staff as they didn't immediately enter I called out softly. "Come in."

"Kanami!" My mother burst into the room, her gray eyes filled with worry. She threw her arms around me once she got within reach, "are you alright, what happened?!"

"I'm okay, Mama." I reassured her with a smile before hugging her again. I so rarely got to see her and as much as I loved Milan, her hugs didn't feel the same. They weren't nearly as comforting.

"What happened?" She held me at an arm's length away and looked me over.

"Garage accident." I admitted with a giggle, "I wasn't watching where I was going and tripped on the weights."

My mother had seen the state of the garage before, she used to visit us at Milan's when I was very young, until she started staying permanently at the hospital. She frowned, "I told Milan that place was a hazard."

"Can confirm." I tried to lighten the mood.

She finally smiled and pulled me in for another warm hug before kissing the top of my head, "I'm sorry you got hurt but I am so happy to see you."

"If it wouldn't upset you I'd say I should get hurt more often so I could see you more." I whispered.

She gently caressed my cheek, "I understand the feeling but I'd rather you be safe and happy."

What if safe and happy didn't go together? I was happiest when I was visiting her or fighting crime with my father. Neither were all that safe.

"...I saw-." I paused. What did I call him? If I said father she'd probably get upset, she'd get upset either way but for different reasons, "-Endeavor in the lobby. Is it safe for you to be here?"

"I sent him away, he came for a visit." She fussed with my bandages making sure they were wrapped correctly to make herself look busy and not focus on the bad feelings the mere mention of him stirred up.

I nodded.

"Kana-chan, someone wants to see you in the lobby." Mr. Torino stepped into the room and paused as he spotted my mother sitting beside me. "Oh. You have a visitor."

"This is Milan's best friend." I offered.

Mr. Torino looked from my mother to me before offering me a small smile, "I see. Thank you for visiting with Kana-chan. She gets a little lonely with just me and Milan to keep her company."

My mother offered him a smile, "I'm glad she has you two." She gave my hand a gentle squeeze before taking her leave.

I stared after her for a long moment, tears welling in my eyes.

"You alright, kiddo?" Mr. Torino sounded oddly serious.

I looked over at him and saw him giving me a sad smile. I nodded.

"Alright. Let's get you out of here. Someone wants to see you in the lobby. You didn't tell me you knew the second ranked hero."

I felt my heart stutter at this. "What?" Why did he want to see me? A mixture of glee and terror coursed through me.

The hospital supplied me some crutches so I could get around without putting weight on my leg so it could heal faster. I followed Mr. Torino out to the hospital lobby and saw Endeavor sitting at a table near the front window away from all the other seats.

Nervously, I slowed my pace as Mr. Torino went to greet him. His piercing teal eyes shot up, locking on me in an instant. I froze in place as his gaze flicked to the bandages around my thigh. He was suspicious.

"Y-you wanted to see me, Sir?" I asked nervously as I inched a little closer.

He indicated the seat across from him.

Mr. Torino looked from me to Endeavor curiously. "I need to sign some papers, I'll be right back." He ushered me to the chair.

I awkwardly dropped into the chair across from him, dresses and crutches made things difficult. I stared intently down at my hands folded in my lap, afraid to lift my head, afraid he'd pieced everything together and all I'd find in those piercing eyes was rejection, disgust, or disappointment.

"What should I call you?" He asked.

I looked up at this, my heart pounding, "Kana."

He nodded, "what happened to your leg?"

"Bike, kickstand." I lied.

His eyes narrowed but he accepted it with a nod before setting a plush cat and a single white rose on the table. "My son bumped into you yesterday and you apologized, when it wasn't your fault. I want to apologize on his behalf."

"You didn't have to do that." I stared at the plush cat as tears welled in my eyes, this was the first gift I'd ever received from my father.

"Perhaps this cat will be better behaved than the last one you interacted with." He indicated the cute plush cat.

"Huh? What cat was that?" Mr. Torino returned at the worst possible moment.

I hurriedly wracked my brain and thought of the flyer I'd seen at the library for the adoption event they were hosting. "It was a pet adoption event at the library." I lied quickly.

My father fixed me with a hard look and I hurriedly looked away from him. "Get well soon, Kana, you should also avoid bikes." He grumbled as he got to his feet and turned to walk away.

"...will do..." My voice came out in a whisper and a single tear slipped from my hold and dropped onto my cheek. He'd called me by my name.

Mr. Torino extended a hand to me, "let's go home, Kana-chan."