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Emma had enjoyed that strange this island to it’s fullest. Although it was probably dangerous, she didn’t pay much mind to her worries and gazed in fascination at all the unfamiliar fauna.

She had only been able to see a couple dinosaurs, but she spent a good amount of time gazing at those creatures- which she had only ever seen drawings of in books- with curious eyes.  

However, she knew the importance of trekking on. She only allowed herself a couple of minutes of gawking before continuing her journey.

“Badou!”

That rule worked out well for her, because after walking a worn trail she found someone she knew. 

“You’re here too, huh? This place is really great. I’ve seen lot’s of cool creatures. Just now, I saw....”

What was it again? The name of that gentle human sized dinosaur that only eats leaves?

Although Emma held a gun for self defense, she was someone who hated violence. Even if a monster was attacking her directly, she avoided killing one unless it was absolutely necessary. 

Because of her past... She didn’t want to kill anything on that island. 

It worked out well for someone of that speed. She was able to run away from danger before the monster even realized that she was there- in a sense, she had trained for moments like this. 

She had passed through many doors with caution, always ducking behind the frame before passing through- making it impossible for anyone on the other side to see her.

As she was doing this, she noticed someone. A human. 

“Hey!”

Without thinking, she jumped out at him. 

“Another person! I’m so glad to see you! Are you okay? Let’s travel together!”

Emma had been forced into so many unfamiliar places that things she didn’t know became synonymous with things she did know. 

Even when she was thrust into an island filled with monsters, she at least was able to say that it wasn’t anything new to her. Monsters ate, humans ate- in that sense, there isn’t much of a difference between the two. So, she doesn’t have much reason to be afraid of them. 

She held a gunner star turned submachine gun close to her side, ready to defend herself. As she was walking, she noticed another person. He seemed just as cautious as her. 

“Look out---!!”

It seemed she wasn’t the only person who noticed him, because a monster came lunging out of the shadows the second she recognized him as a living being. 

Leaving no time for reaction, she shot the monster dead in just a few seconds. She heaved a long breath, and stared down at it’s corpse. 

“I’m sorry.... Even though I didn’t want to kill anyone I ended up...... I’m so sorry.”

“So you weren’t able to be with your family in the end, but you got them to safety huh?”  She batted it away like it was nothing, but to him she was damn well deserving of being a hero. A hand rose up and patted her on the shoulder, smirking down to her as he was glad she got them to safety. 

“Though now we just gotta find a way out of here.” 

“Yes... It was a difficult choice, but I’m glad... For everyone else’s sake, this is well worth it.” Bakugou’s praise was well appreciated- especially since he didn’t seem the type to give it out without good reason. Even though she doubted herself, if a hero was telling her that she did good- then she must have done the right thing.

So she saved everyone, including her enemies and the adults themselves as well. It sounded like the ideal ending in a book, though something else was wondering about. He wanted to ask, but perhaps he shouldn’t go and ask when it sounded like she was so proud of the moment of victory. 

“My condolences then. You won, but here you are with me and the others. You gotten strong huh, kid.” 

“Oh, I don’t mind that at all.”

She brushes his statement off like it’s nothing. She had been here for a while, and she had been able to come to grips with separation from her world. In fact, she was happy with this outcome. It could have been a lot worse.

📚 “Ah, I’m sorry, I… still try to figure a lot of things out about myself. But I certainly didn’t mean to make you nervous. I’ll be fine with this though. I trust you."  He smiles now with seemingly more confidence. It is true that he still needs to learn making decisions without fussing over it. But also, it never hurts to be careful. If they go there prepared, he definitely feels better about this and he’s not feeling like a complete coward. He pulls out a site from his notebook and reaches it over to her, along with a spare pen. I can handle this just fine, like I handled everything here so far. And, I’m not alone at that.

"I think I have an idea already of what I’m going to write. There’s so much I never dared to confess out loud because I feared my brother…” Well, I still do. But he’s not here with me, so… uh… screw him!

She takes his pen with a smile. Dortin seems to have gotten a bit more comfortable since the beginning of their journey, and she’s glad for it. Truth is one of the most difficult things in the world to understand- especially in a world full of lies. Emma, who grew up being told lies, knew that the truth wasn’t a simple thing.

“Don’t worry! A good deal of caution is a good thing when exploring new places. That’s why I’m glad that you’re here.”

It’s good that she has someone to keep her in check. 

“Hmm….not as much. You grown a bit taller I say.”  Honestly if she hadn’t gone and grown up at all while he had been away, he had been concerned with how physics work here. “So you saved’em all then, huh? Well, guess in your world they got heroes in the shape of you, huh?” 

Her chest puffs out a bit in pride. Of course, she thinks that she’s changed a lot more than that- she lost an ear and all that- but Bakugou isn’t the type to notice those kinds of things. 

📚 He has seen people that were put under a spell that turned them into living dolls and it was absolutely terrifying. He is fairly certain that his fears are valid. Last time, he had the sword of Baldanders on him, but this time? He has no magical artifact to protect him.

As she enthusiastically announces her idea, he thinks about it s moment. “The idea is not so bad but, what if we get asked specific questions through a magical entity?“ Or maybe nothing bad will happen at all? I really need to stop being such a wuss, just because bad things happened in all other journeys I got involved into… He frowns over himself and takes out his notebook.

“You know what? Never mind, we’ll just go with your idea, I’m… probably  thinking too much into this. Do you have something to write with you? I can give you a paper and pen if you need?” I hope I will not regret this decision later.

“Y’know, we don’t have to go if you don’t want to. There are plenty of other places to check out.”

It wasn’t like they would be gaining or losing anything by skipping that particular spot. And, Emma could understand his nervousness. It’s easy to get accustomed to small lies- so much so that it’s possible for someone to start believing that their own lie is the truth. Even she could do something like that...

“Geez... You’re starting to make me nervous too, y’know?” If he was, she didn’t show it so much. “Don’t worry so much. Everything will be fine, alright?”

She could only say that going by a gut feeling, but she trusted Dortin. He was careful and smart- definitely not someone who would get lost easily.

📚  Dortin smiles, but the nervosity in his expression remains persistently. ”Yeah I wouldn’t want to get yelled at either.” It is definitely not the first time he goes on an adventure actually. The difference is, he usually just didn’t know beforehand, because his brother often wouldn’t tell him about his ‘glorious’ plans. This time, he knows what’s awaiting them. More or less. “No. I am somewhat used to adventures, because my brother dragged me along to many weird jobs and… situations. But…” He stops and glances back inside the pamphlet.

“I can’t help but wonder what to say inside the Truth ‘n Lies Cavern. I mean, I really don’t want to get lost in there and my life sucked out of me.”

She couldn’t help but giggle a bit at Dortin’s anxiety. Part of her wondered if she was like his sibling in this instance, dragging him through insane situations without flinching- she had certainly done the same to her siblings. 

“... I guess I understand what you mean. It’s really easy to tell little fibs because you don’t want to be embarrassed. Man... Magic really is strict.”

Emma wasn’t worried about the cavern until Dortin brought up the consequences of lying- she really would end up a zombie if she messed up, wouldn’t she?

“There are many different ways to fight, Emma.  There is a saying that a good offense is a good defense.  I can teach you ways to counter, ways to read your opponent.  If you can understand their mentality, then you can plan your steps ahead.  Learning these techniques along with training your body as well will put you leagues above your opponents,” he spoke without the knowledge of who she may be up against back home.  Still, he believed that his training will help her regardless.

“Some things you may already know and have picked up on your own in the past.  Some things I can do is just help you be able to increase what you know,” and that could go a long way for anyone.  Not to mention that he was getting a strong sense of deja vu from her.  Her eyes, her will … There was no denying that she held characteristics similar to one blonde knucklehead.  If her will was as strong as Naruto’s, then she would go far.  Also helped that she seemed more logical…

Emma nodded at Itachi, a determined grin on her face. 

Reading the opponent- she knew the importance of understanding the enemy. That’s how Norman was able to be successful for so long- he was calm and collected... And the smartest person she knows.

“It’s like a game of chess, then.” She decides, remembering every time Norman beat her. “Moving forward is a lot more difficult if you don’t know what your opponent is about to do.” 

“Everything I’ve learned from my past came from improvising and instinct- I was taught very little by others.” She learned a lot from people like Mister and Sonju, but she regrettably had to struggle to survive on her own more than once. “Getting structured training will be a big help.”

“You wouldn’t be the first I’ve taught with anything involving weapons or hand-to-hand.  If you already have some experience on the field, then my training will be a little bit easier,” he commented as he would feel a sense of pride coming from him due to how much this girl already knew.  Combat experience, a sharp eye? and the numbers on her neck … He felt he would be able to train her to be a fine soldier for the fields, but he began to wonder again the life she lived.  He had an idea considering what most numbers like that meant for something.

“I won’t be able to train you with anything dealing with chakra, but I will be able to teach you some taijutsu, or hand-to-hand combat along with some sleight-of-hand and perhaps even the ability to read your opponents.  I’ve learned many things during my life as a shinobi.  Passing on what I know?  It helps me have a sense of atonement for some past sins.  Whatever I teach you, you are free to share with any of your friends, too.”

Emma has always been a fighter. Even when she had to deal with the discovery of the farms, she had little hesitation when it came to training her siblings for escape. Even after their escape... Emma never stopped moving forward. Her will was unshakable.

“I’ll do my best, from now on!!”

“I don’t know what your past looks like, but if teaching me helps you move forward a little bit- then I’ll become the best student you know! I don’t have much experience with hand to hand combat-- I’ve always tried to keep my distance...”

“... I did most of my fighting with people nearby. I don’t want anyone getting too close, y’know?”

“Anyone can learn sleight of hand if they practice hard enough.  They don’t need to be a shinobi for it,” he spoke as she seemed to be enjoying not only the display but the gift as well.  Hearing her words really brought back some memories of some people in his life.  Someone as herself would had been such a big aid back home.  Her attitude and personality could had saved so many, he felt.

“Wanting to protect those here in this city… There will be those capable of handling themselves, but you have those that live in a world without conflicts that people like us are use to.  It’s good to have that fire within you, but are you able to keep true to those words in your current state?” he would ask this question as he motioned to the weapon.  “A tool is only as good as its wielder, after all.  Do you have any proper training?”

Emma had never seen a kind of trick like that before- and that only made her want to learn about it even more. She knew about pulling candy out from behind people’s ears, but Itachi’s trick was much more refined than that. It would function in battle... As expected of a shinobi.

“I do have combat experience, but not with a knife. I’m sure with some practice I could learn, though. Are you going to teach me?”

Itachi had already deduced that she came from a world of conflict- probably because of the way she carried herself. There’s no doubt she carries the weight of everything she’s experienced.

“I’ll say that I’m not exactly one to hold still, so I will be outside far more than inside … unless there are certain circumstances preventing me,” which was him forcing himself to rest or simply not having the ability to do so.  Very easy to do during the aftermath of big events.  That was a story for another time, though.

He got into the pouch along his waist to pull out a couple of kunai as if showing his proof.  It wasn’t much to hold the weapons, but he would think she would trust his word.  Then again, he did have a little trick up his sleeve that he was taught by another fellow shinobi.  Holding the blades between each closed finger, he would tilt his hand back and reveal the back of his hand once more as a reveal of the missing kunai.  As he did it again, he would hold four between each knuckle.

“My clan is filled with skilled shinobi including the one that taught me sleight of hand.  My little brother is included in that as well,” he’d move to put away the kunai, but he would keep one out.  If she was able to handle herself out here, then she could use an edge.  Holding the blade, he would offer the handle to her.

“but it doesn’t take a shinobi to help others and do what’s right.  So consider this as a gift from me.  This city will test your limitations to a breaking point, but as someone that knows these games all too well?  I know any help can be appreciated even if it isn’t right away.”

“Ah... Uh- weh...?!!”

She watched his trick with bewildered eyes- how is it possible that he could do something like that without her seeing it-??!! With an amazed expression, she leans forward and carefully examined each weapon that he summoned. 

“So everyone in your family can do that? That’s amazing!!” Cautiously, she takes the blade in her hands. She was mostly used to projectile weapons, but learning to use a knife could be useful. “Thanks, mister. I’ll always do my best to help out.”

Ah, yup. That’s the Emma he knows, there’s a shade of her that’s familiar. Life’s not like a box of chocolates, the bad guys aren’t always defeated, and the small are exploited by the power hungry. 

“Yeah, definitely cowards and weirdos….but that’s the whole point. They’re powerful enough that what we do doesn’t matter.” It’s the facts of life…unfortunate. 

He holds up a finger– dynamic! “That doesn’t mean we can’t give ‘em hell, though.”

A smile tugs it’s way across her lips. Aha, she definitely likes this guy. He doesn’t give up when things get difficult- and he has a confident energy about him. Smart, too. He’d fit in well with her group at home.