There was a weird sensation coursing through my body. It was like I was floating, and like I was being wrapped in a warm blanket. It felt really nice. My mind, as hazy as it was, was still on the last thing that happened. I killed the Gods after so long, and after that, Creta said she was sending me back home. However, it was her kiss that stayed in my mind. Soft, tender, and something else I couldn't explain.
"Didn't expect that... not that I'm complaining." I thought.
Just as I thought that, I felt myself... stirring. I felt power gathering in my limbs, felt blood coursing through my body, felt the twitches of several muscles, and then, I opened my eyes.
The first thing that greeted me was bright lights in my eyes, and the sounds and beeps of various different machines. I blinked my eyes rapidly, trying to dispel the rapidly accruing water in them.
"What... the fuck?" I said, turning my body from side to side as I felt objects attached to and inside of my skin and body.
My vision began to clear, and after a bit more blinking, I was finally able to make out some of my surroundings. Bright lights on a white ceiling were the first things I saw, and then when I turned to the side to follow the noises, I was met with a wide array of medical equipment. I had no fucking idea what any of these were or what they were used for, but I'd been inside a hospital room a few times.
"Where... the hell?" I asked, my voice slightly parched, but my body felt light, and strong.
"OH!" I heard a female voice from my right suddenly yell, making me jump and I began to fall off of the bed I was.
"SHIT!" I yelped, grabbing the other side of the bed, and trying to pull myself back, but I supposed that was silly of me.
The metal railing I grabbed bent and snapped immediately, and my hand flew back, causing me to hit myself in my own face, and I fell off of the bed.
"OH NO!! HELP!" The woman screamed as I heard her quick steps across the smooth white floor, heading towards me.
I began to began to push myself off of the ground. All of the tubes and devices they had strapped to me had ripped off of me, with only some loose pieces and tape remaining, so I pulled those off of my arms and chest just as the woman reached me, and grabbed for my arm.
"SIR! ARE YOU OKAY?? PLEASE, DON'T MOVE TO MUCH! AND DON'T RIP EVERYTHING OFF!" She kept yelling, and the noise was making me wince.
I turned to her, and was met with a cute little nurse with black hair, square glasses, and cute little nose where the glasses sat. Her face was almost fox like in its shape, and she had deep brown eyes that stared at me intensely.
"Oh wow." I said, just staring at her with intense focus, and my words and subsequently stare actually got her to stop talking for a moment. After a while, I shook my head, and said, "I'm fine. See?"
With that, I stood effortlessly, her grip on me slackening as I did so. I moved my arms back and forth, tested my legs a few times, and then turned around to face the woman. When I looked at her, I found that her worried face had now turned pink as she stared below my eyes. Far lower, in fact. I looked down, seeing the ripped and torn hospital gown that I had most likely been wearing, and then down to where her eyes met not only my rock hard abs, but the very sizable penis below.
"Well... that's embarrassing." I said, and the woman immediately spun around.
"I'LL GRAB YOU SOMETHING TO WEAR!" She said hurridly, and darted out of the room.
I heard many people chattering and bustling about, and I knew it was only a matter of time before the room became flooded with more people. I needed to find out why the hell I was here. I had half expected to spawn inside of a whale's stomach or something, yet instead, I found myself waking in a hospital. The cute nurse was a nice sight, but all she did was yell and scream without even telling me anything.
"Still..." I said, turning to the window, noting how high up I was, and gazing down at the family sight of Haven's Peak, "I'm home..."
I looked back down at the body I had sculpted for over a century, and then clenched my hand into a fist, watching as all of my elements surged through my arm, before I let it dissipate. I still had everything I learned, everything I gained, and I was now home. I grinned like a loon as I thought about what I could do. The things I could accomplish.
"I can finally be a hero." I muttered to myself, picturing myself standing tall against criminals like I had always dreamed of, and finally being able to fulfill my promise to Victoria.
I could only hope that it wasn't too late, because given the last thing I said to Victoria, I was sure I'd be finding out exactly what she thought about that sooner or later. Hell, I didn't even know if people thought I was dead or not, and I needed to find out exactly what the hell happened to me. I would have been super fucking pissed if all of that turned out to be a fever dream.
◇ ◇ ◇
The woman had brought me another hospital gown, nervously handing it to me as before turning around with flushed cheeks. I was careful not to catch it on my long brown hair, as I had grown quite accustomed to it. I asked the nurse for a hair tie, which she had a few of on her wrist, and she graciously gave me one, and I tied my hair back into a ponytail.
"Thank you." I said, and then looked around the room, near my bed, and various flowers on the stand next to my bed, "Can you explain what is going on? Why am I here?"
The woman looked at me shyly before she gained a modicum of professionalism, and answered me.
"The doctor will be in here shortly to fill you in on everything, but I've been looking after you since you arrived here a little over 2 years ago." She said, and I blinked dumbly.
"2 years ago?" I asked in surprise, and she nodded.
"You were caught in the blast of an A-Class criminal's attack, and it practically destroyed your body. Your skin was gone, and you lost your right arm and leg." She said, and I just listened in stunned silence as she kept talking, "The Glacial Queen brought you here herself, and has been checking on you quire frequently, as has your mother, who is a very sweet lady. You've been in a comatose state the entire time, and from what I've heard, the Glacial Queen has been taking care of all of the expenses herself. She even had the best healer in the region come here to heal you, and to regrow your limbs. She was also surprised that you were still alive, yet no matter what happened, you would not wake."
I just stood there, confused, shocked, and absorbing what she told me. Creta had told me that time passed much slower in her world than on this one, and honestly, trading 2 years for the 120 so odd years I spent growing and cultivating my power didn't seem like much... I wasn't sure whether to be thrilled or pissed off, but I was back at least, and 2 years wasn't too terribly long I guessed.
What surprised me was hearing that Victoria was taking care of me. That made me feel something in my chest, something I had not felt in a long time. My affection for her grew upom hearing that, and I really hoped I'd get to see her soon. And of course, my dear mother. I had thought about her a lot, and at how unfair it must have felt to lose me after dad just vanished. No one could find out what happened to him... he just disappeared shortly after I was born, so I didn't even get the chance to know him.
"My mom...and Vic- uh, the Glacial Queen, how are they?" I asked, and the woman looked surprised at my question, but after seeing my face, a gentle smile appeared on hers.
"Your mother is very sweet. She comes here many times a week. Sometimes alone, and sometimes with the Queen. They are very friendly with each other. They both bring you flowers, and wish you well." She said, and then the woman actually looked sad, "Your mother often will sit by your bed, and stroke your hair, asking you to wake up. When you don't, she... cries a lot, and then leaves. Even the Queen does, but she tries to hide it. You must be very important to them."
I closed my eyes as a wave of guilt hit me like a sledgehammer to the balls. I couldn't control what had happened, and I knew that logically... but logic didn't always help you feel better. I knew my mom would be sad, and that had always ate at me, but to find out that Victoria was just as emotional tore at me even more. I guess she trultmy hadn't forgotten about me after all. I opened my eyes and looked at the woman.
"Thank you for telling me all of this, Miss...?" I asked, and she flushed a bit as she blurted out.
"Evelyn!" She said, and then looked sheepishly at the ground, "Evelyn Nagashi."
Now that I looked closer at her, I could see that she had the features of someone of Asian, probably Japanese descent. The it made sense given the name, and her jet black hair. The slight slant to her eyes was also a sign, but it was hard to tell with her glasses over her eyes. She was incredibly cute if I was being honest. I held out my hand.
"Gideon Astier." I said, and she reached out her small hand, and gingerly took mine.
I held it like a gentleman, like I had learned from one of my old masters. I did not kiss the top of her hand though, as that would just be fucking weird given I was back on Earth. During this time, a few more people made their way into the room. Other nurses that got to work checking me over, and checking my vitals, while one of the women, the head nurse from sounds of it, scolded Evelyn for not doing them herself when I awoke.
"Be nice to her." I said, and the head nurse turned around to glare at me, but froze up when her eyes met mine, "She helped me a lot, and explained a lot to me while you all took your sweet time getting here."
I couldn't explain it, but Evelyn was a very nice girl, and the way that woman yelled at her and berated her pissed me off. I may have used my aura, only slightly, to induce a bit of fear into the woman, but not that much. At least, I didn't think so, but the woman actually stayed silent the rest of the time she was there, and avoided eye contact with me. Evelyn actually gave me a cute little smile at me for coming to her defense.
Once they deemed me, "Way healthier than I should be," the nurses dispersed and made way for another person who was just now stepping into the room.
He was a large and lanky man with short cropped blonde hair, and looked to be in his late 40s or early 50s. He walked to stand in front of me, looking me up and down, bsfore holding out his hand.
"Doctor Weston." He said, and I reached out and shook his hand.
"Not Doctor Astier." I said, causing him to look at me like I was stupid.
"Right... did we get any brain readings?" He asked, and I rolled my eyes. Fine, no stupid jokes then.
"He's clear on all counts." The head nurse said, and I didn't miss the slight tremble in her voice. I grinned at her, and she quickly looked away.
"I see." Weston said, and then turned to look at me fully, and began talking.
He told me much of what Evelyn had already explained to me, although in a much more professional matter. He left out much of the small things that Evelyn had told me, like how my mom and Victoria cared for me while I was in a coma, and I found I liked her telling of events much more. This dude was boring as all fuck, and this is coming from a dude who spent 7 straight years buried in soil while trying to connect with the natural Ki the ground.
Towards the end though, he did offer some more information that Evelyn had left out.
"We observed you closely, and odd things happened while you were unconscious. For one, most people in your situation would lose mass, whether it be fat or muscle, yet you did not. In fact, you gained mass very quickly over the course of 2 years and 4 months. It makes no sense, and my only hypothesis is some kind of latent power of your manifesting during this time. You are registered as unpowered, and while powers manifesting at your age are very, very rare, it can happen. Do you have any ideas what this might be?" He asked me, and I thought about it for a second, and then shook my head.
I was not about to tell this weird ass doctor who didn't really seem to care one way or another that I had actually been training my ass off in another world for over a century. Honestly, I wasn't sure if I was ever going to tell anyone about it. If I did... it would be probably be my mom... maybe Victoria? I don't know, but this fucking goof? Hell no.
"Not a clue. You could be right." I said, feigning ignorance.
He nodded at me, accepting that far too easily, and then moved on.
"Your heartrate would spike at times, and some people described feeling, 'weird,' being near you. I have never experienced anything like that myself, but that doesn't give me a lot to work with. It's not really important, just thought you should know." He said, continuing to read off of his clipboard.
I just stood there, and each time he spoke, I actually felt like he was sucking the life out of my body. He wasn't actually, but this dude was really, really boring to listen to. He was helpful, yeah, but he was so professional and so by the books that it was getting irritating. I wanted to talk to Evelyn again, who was still in the room, and I gave her a tiny smirk when the doctor looked at his clipboard, making her blush.
I never had problems with women in my life, and in fact, I was always pretty decent when talking with them, it's just that most of them never really interested me. So many people were obsessed with themselves, and only cared about self gratification. Evelyn seemed to genuinely care about people, which raised my opinion of her. The doctor's droning voice interrupted my thoughts once more.
"I have contacted your family, as well as your benefactor. Given how they hung up before even letting me explain more in detail, I assumed they'll be arriving at any moment." He said, and the man's words were prophetic.
Just then, I heard sets of feet running across the hard floor of the hospital outside of my room, and when I looked towards the door, two people rushed in. The first person was my mother, still as short and small as I remembered, still looking the same as she always had. Despite being in her 40s, she didn't look a day over 30. Her long brown hair was mess, as if she was in the middle of relaxing at home when she got the call, and rushed here, throwing on a white sweatshirt and a pair of blue jeans. I assumed she was brought here by the woman standing next to her, who looked just as beautiful as I remember her being.
Victoria was a stunning woman, and she was currently dressed in similar casual attire of a blue sweatshirt and blue jeans. Her blonde hair cascaded down her, past her shoulders, resting atop the very generous breasts on her chest. Her face was pristine, and she had looks that put any model to shame. Her cute little nose, her perfectly symmetrical cheekbones, and her piercing blue eyes left in speechless, just like any other time I looked at her.
As I looked at them, I was hit by just how much I had missed them. And I had fucking MISSED them. For them, I had been seemingly asleep for over 2 years. For me... I had been gone for over a century. Both of their eyes welled up with tears, as did mine. I had a lot of time to make up for, and especially with Victoria. I had barely any contact with her for over 10 years... although not for her lack of trying.
I felt like I wasn't good enough to be her friend, that she would grow to dislike me. I thought that she would eventually turn her nose up at me because I was weak, and that she would soon forget about me, and stick to all of her hero friends. Most of all, I was embarrassed, and disappointed in myself for not being able to live up to what I promised her... that she was too good for my weak ass. But now? I see how fucking stupid I was. Even after all of that, of me trying to push her away, she never gave up on me, and still cared about me. I vowed to never make that mistake again, and I would make good on my promise, and what I had told her before I left.
"GIDEON!!" My mom screamed as she ran towards me faster than I anticipated from her.
I matched her, crouching down, and met her halfway. She crashed into my like I was a lifeline on a sinking ship, and I stood and spun her around as she sobbed big and fat tears on my hospital gown. I missed the hell out of her... but I couldn't exactly tell her that. That would imply that I left, instead of being a vegetable for 2 odd years, so I just held her close to me, my own tears falling from my face.
"I'm sorry I worried you mom." Is what I said as she sobbed loud enough to make my ears ring.
I put her down after a moment, and stayed crouched down next to her as she began to pepper my forehead and cheeks with kisses.
"DON'T YOU EVER DO THAT TO ME AGAIN!" She yelled as tears continued falling down her face.
I knew she wasn't mad at me. She was emotional, and didn't want anything bad to happen to me. So, I just gave her a kiss on her cheek and hugged her again.
"Never again." I said as she clutched at me again.
As I let go of my mom after what felt like 10 minutes, I looked over to see Victoria's composure breaking. She tried to hold in her emotions, but her tear streaked face told me that she wasn't very successful. She had given my mom time and space to give me her affection, but my mom was who she was, and stepped aside, wiping at her eyes as she opened the way towards Victoria.
"Victoria... how-" I said, but during that time, she had sprinted at me, and then she slammed head first into my chest.
A whirlwind of emotions played through my mind as she clutched at the gown behind my back, and I actually to reach back and pull it down a few times, lest those around me get a nice full image of my ass burned into their skulls. Her body pressed into me from the front did well to keep the front of the gown from riding up, keeping everyone in the room from getting a good look at Gideon Jr.
"Gideon..." She said, sobbing into my chest, before looking up at me, "I'm so sorry... if I had been stronger... if I had been more careful, you wouldn't have gotten hurt." She said, and I immediately was having none of that.
I pulled her back into me, and gently began to rub the back of her head. It had always been her favorite form of comfort.
"You did nothing wrong, Vicky." I said, using her nickname from when we were kids, "If you weren't there, more people would have been hurt. I was just in the wrong place at the wrong time." I said, then let out a laugh, "I never did get to eat the candy I bought."
She looked up me, big tears falling from her eyes, before burying her face back into my chest. I continued to rub her hair, and my mom looked on with a smile the whole time. I was back and my two favorite people were back in my life once more. If Creta was still in my head... it would be perfect, but I believed in her. If she said we'd see each other again, then I believed her.
Now, I had a 2nd chance. I could finally stand against evil with my own power, although how it stacked against people here on Earth remained to be seen. Creta made it sound like I was in a league of my own now, so I was ultimately going with that. I had the chance to do what I wanted to do, and given how the woman in my arms was acting right now, I fully intended on getting my head out of my ass, and treating her like I should have all along. I had loved her ever since I was 13, and damnit, I was going to prove that to her now. It wasn't too late, after all.
But first...
"Hey, so, this is great and all, but can I get some actual clothes?"