“Shigaraki changed direction!” Deku called back. “It’s just like we thought. He’s after me. We can buy the Pro Heroes more time to evacuate the civilians”

Bakugo grinned viciously. “I can’t wait to kick that villain’s crusty ass. I owe him a beat down, and I intend to deliver, especially for what happened to All Might because of me being kidnapped. I’ll prove that I’m a hero.”

Bakugo sped up, and you had to clutch him tighter to hold on. Bakugo’s hand came down to check that you weren’t slipping every once in a while; however, he had no issues keeping up with Deku even with you hanging on to him. You took the chance to glance at him. His jaw was set. He still held on to what happened to All Might after he’d been kidnapped. He still continued to blame himself for it. He hadn’t been the only one there that night. It wasn’t his fault, nor was it yours.

You winced as a blast of energy shot over your skin. Your earpiece tingled and a sharp buzz sounded, before it went dead entirely.

“The comms! They’re out again!” Deku warned, fidgeting with his headpiece.

Bakugo tested his own without any luck either. You readjusted your arms again around Katsuki’s neck, and he tensed, reaching for you to ensure you were still holding firm. A flash of the moment he wasn’t able to catch you escaped his mind and floated into your own. Your eyes widened when you saw it. Did that memory still haunt him?

“Do you feel that?” Bakugo asked.

Your whole body quaked, and danger set a migraine in your temple. It felt painful to breathe. Death. It felt like death was swirling around you.

Bakugo abruptly pulled back in the air. His hands came out ready to blast what had inevitably stopped them. You dared a peek behind you. Red eyes. You saw red, horrid, bloodshot eyes. Shigaraki stared at the three of you, smirking. His fingers lifted. Your throat closed. Death. Impending death loomed at the edge of that hand. He’d be able to decay the three of you into dust. You had to do something. You couldn’t just sit there and watch it unfold like this. Fear had an icelike grip on your body.

“Give me One for All, Izuku Midoriya,” Shigaraki’s voice rasped out.

Suddenly, Bakugo, you, and Midoriya were snatched from the air, changing your direction rapidly. The area you’d left decayed into nothing. Gran Torino had somehow managed to grab the three of you, using his quirk to air blast you into another direction, just before Shigaraki unleashed his quirk on you. His small form could barely hold on to all of you.

You heard your heartbeat in your ears, clutching Bakugo even tighter out of fear. Gran Torino was explaining something to Midoriya, something in regard to One for All and the Pro Heroes. You had never intended on fighting Shigaraki. You had only followed to help Midoriya. Your eyes widened when you realized Deku and Bakugo’s endgame was to battle him. You breathed, feeling as if you could finally catch your breath while away from that monstrosity of a villain.

“You have to let the Pro Heroes handle him,” Gran Torino said. “If any of that debris touches you, you would be turned to dust. You’ll need to trust the Pros.”

Gran Torino suddenly stopped, dropping you all into a hidden area of upturned wreckage. You fell to your knees, taking hold of your shoulders. You’d been so close to death, so close to that hand shredding every fiber of your being to nothing, to ash.

“Wait here,” Gran Torino stated flatly. “You should be safe.”

“Eraserhead just took his power, didn’t he? Why is he still so strong?” Deku asked.

“He’s only weakened,” Gran Torino explained.

“Why would we stop here? Why are we still so close to him?” Bakugo asked.

“If he’s only weakened, and he’s still that powerful, how will you be able to stop him from taking One for All from Midoriya?” you gasped.

Bakugo looked at you in surprise. His fists clenched at his sides.

“Toshinori told me that Bakugo knew your secret, but I wasn’t told about your other classmate,” Gran Torino said, eyeing you. “We can’t go farther. Communications are down. Shigaraki is moving far faster than expected. I stopped here because few will be able to follow him, and if you’re chased too far out, none of the Pro Heroes would be able to catch up. By getting him in Eraserhead’s field of vision and hiding out of sight, you three are in the best tactical position you could be.” Gran Torino’s expression hardened.

“How do you expect us to just sit here and hide?” Midoriya asked.

“Present Mic told me that All for One’s powers were transferred into Shigaraki,” Gran Torino explained. “That’s why.”

You blinked in confusion. All for One, that horrifying villain you encountered before you’d been rescued. That same man that forced All Might into retirement. His powers had transferred into Shigaraki?

“So, that means he could…” Deku trailed off.

“He could what?” you asked in exasperation.

“It means he’d be able to steal anyone’s quirk for himself, including One for All,” Bakugo cut in.

“I couldn’t imagine a worse scenario than him getting his hands on One for All. If the Pro Heroes can’t stop one person, what’s the point in having so many heroes at all?” Gran Torino set his stance, getting ready to move. “I’m going in to help. We’ll need every Pro Hero we can get. If Shigaraki gets his hands on One for All, nothing will be able to stop him,” Gran Torino said solemnly.

Bile rose in your throat as your stomach turned at the thought. You shivered, thinking of the consequences of Shigaraki getting a hold of Midoriya’s power, All Might’s power. A loud screech had you on alert again. Your breath caught. You looked up and saw a multitude of Nomus headed in the direction of battle.

“They should have been destroyed under the hospital! How are there still Nomus alive after Shigaraki’s decay wave?” Gran Torino shouted in surprise.

Horrible, grotesque monsters clawed their way through the city, making a beeline for the Pro Heroes attempting to put Shigaraki’s horrid destruction to an end. You stood up on your unsteady legs, quaking in fear at the sight of them.

“Those aren’t regular Nomus,” you murmured. “They look more powerful than even the one we fought.”

Gran Torino flew up into the air. “Stay hidden! They’re heading for Eraserhead. I need to stop them!”

Your hair rose with your quirk buzzing in the back of your skull. As afraid as you were, you couldn’t just wait around for Shigaraki to use his decay again. If they were heading for your teacher, Mr. Aizawa, you wouldn’t let them get the chance to hurt him.

Deku moved without a word. You followed, already prepped with your own mind blast. When the battle came into view, you saw him, Shigaraki, grinning from ear to ear as he reached for Mr. Aizawa. Shigaraki stood like a fallen king before him, a red torn cape flowing behind him, and his bare chest to the world as if nothing could hurt him. You choked down the fear that had paralyzed you. No matter the cost, you would not let him touch your teacher.

Your quirk enveloped Mr. Aizawa, putting an invisible wall of protection between him and Shigaraki. Whether or not Shigaraki touching a strand of your mind would decay it, didn’t matter. Mr. Aizawa needed you, as much as you needed him to stay alive. Eraserhead’s quirk should be able to nullify the decay regardless. As long as you could keep Shigaraki away from hurting your teacher. Mr. Aizawa was there for you when you needed him most. You would be there for him.

“Why?! Don’t!” Gran Torino shouted toward you, as you moved toward your teacher.

Shigaraki’s fingertips pressed into your forcefield, and you shivered, feeling your quirk slip at the strength puncturing through your mind. Swiftly, Shigaraki’s red eyes were on you, his fingers digging into the mind field with harsh contempt, nearly making you crumble from the searing pain that sliced through you from it. Midoriya collided with Shigaraki, holding him back with sheer brute force.

“Let us help! If Shigaraki can’t use his quirk, then let us fight!” Deku yelled, straining against Shigaraki’s power.

“We won’t let him hurt our teacher! I’m sorry, but we won’t stand by when we can help!” you shouted along with him. You stood out in front of Mr. Aizawa being supported by two other Pro Heroes. Tears formed in your eyes. “You’ve done everything you could to protect us, protect me! It’s our turn to protect you!”

“We wouldn’t have made it this far without you. Let us save you this time!” Midoriya chimed in.

“Midoriya…” Aizawa trailed off.

“Think of how lousy a hero I would be if I couldn’t protect my own damn teacher,” Bakugo called out, flying over Midoriya with his own blast toward Shigaraki.

You turned your head ever so slightly, looking back at your teacher. “I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for you, Mr. Aizawa. I wouldn’t be a hero. Let me thank you for everything you’ve done for me,” you said. “Let us help.”

Mr. Aizawa’s eyes widened. “Kokoro…”

“I’m sorry for always causing you trouble.” You smiled, tears streaming down your face. “Thank you.”

“Kokoro!” Mr. Aizawa shouted after you as you blasted into the fight.

Thanks to the training you’ve done together, Bakugo, Midoriya, and you could switch off while keeping Shigaraki at bay, but his strength soon became realized. Bakugo used his AP Shot hero move, and Shigaraki barely flinched, he smirked even. Midoriya grabbed Shigaraki with Blackwhip but was thrown off. You didn’t know what chance you had. Midoriya’s strength was incomparable. However, Shigaraki was now advancing toward Katsuki Bakugo, prepared to kill him like in your nightmares.

Strands of your mind flew from your head. You seized Shigaraki like Midoriya had, only you used other strands of your mind to tether you to the ground below, digging in to anchor you.

“Anna Kokoro,” Shigaraki hissed out, straining against the invisible rope. “I should have killed you at our first meeting. Now, you’re as annoying as a buzzing fly to me.” He reached back, hooking his arm around the strands of your mind.

To your surprise, instead of trying to tug, he whipped his whole arm down. You weren’t protected from that, weren’t stabilized to stand upright just for a pull. You hit the ground hard, the crack echoed. Disoriented and bleeding, you could barely hear Bakugo shouting for you. A heat wave sailed overhead. You managed to lift yourself far enough from the ground to see Endeavor standing where Shigaraki once was.

You clenched your fist, lifting yourself from the ground in embarrassment. Deku helped you up. Endeavor turned to look at you only momentarily.

“We can’t change the fact that the three of you are here, but we need to support Eraserhead. The two of you, cover Deku!” Endeavor ordered, before he rushed in.

“One for All. You’re mine. Come to your brother and give me what is rightfully mine,” Shigaraki said, but it wasn’t him. It didn’t sound like him.

Gran Torino sailed in next. You wiped the blood from your face with the back of your hand, scared and uncertain of what to do. But, Bakugo didn’t hesitate, he changed his location, finding a strategic position of attack while Shigaraki’s attention was still on Deku. Your knees buckled. Were you truly ready for this? What were you thinking? You weren’t Deku or Bakugo. You didn’t stand a chance.

You turned around, but froze as soon as you caught sight of Mr. Aizawa. You had to do this for him. He couldn’t fight. He had his own role. He needed to keep Shigaraki from disintegrating everything in his path. He always believed in you, always believed that you could be a hero. You clenched your fists at your sides, and you turned back to face the battle. The least you could do was cover your teacher.

The battle raged on between Shigaraki and the Pro Heroes. Even without his powers, Shigaraki stood his ground, perhaps even surpassed the heroes in his strength, a monster in a man’s body. Fear rumbled through you. They were losing. You could see that they were losing just by the determination in Shigaraki’s eyes, the bitter rage to keep going without fail. Endeavor was the number one hero, and he was barely making a dent. Still, you could tell Shigaraki was becoming slower, being worn down by the multitude of attacks.

Deku slid back into the fight, using Blackwhip in an attempt to restrain Shigaraki, who only had gotten more and more impatient as he was losing ground. You forced your own quirk back to your senses, feeling it strain from the damage it had taken. Ryuku, in her dragon form more greatly engaged the enraged villain. You only planned to give the heroes an edge, help them subdue the deranged power-hungry psychopath that Shigaraki had become. You didn’t know what using your quirk on him again could have had such terrible consequences to your head.

You can’t have control of my body. It’s mine, Shigaraki hissed.

Allow me to help you, Tomura. Stop fighting. This voice. You barely recognized this voice. A shiver, a memory had you quaking. All for One. All for One was inside of Shigaraki. He was not only giving him this power, but he was a part of him now.

You felt the internal struggle, the back-and-forth. Shigaraki was fighting on the outside, but he was also fighting with his Master from the inside. Flashes of memories appeared, horrible memories to you. Decay, itching and destruction and pure decay. You just wanted it to stop itching. You wanted to destroy everything. Then, you did. Your fingers pressed into flesh and away came gray ash. Joy filled your veins. Sadness, but then relief.

Vomit roiled in the back of your throat, as you couldn’t pull back out of Shigaraki’s mind. You watched as his family members turned to dust one by one. The dog, his mother, accidents. Some were accidents. Some happy and some sad. It itched. It always itched, and it still haunted you. He was thinking of them, even now, he was thinking of them as he struggled to be enough, struggled to be strong enough to end the torment.

You focused, wrestling your control back from the mind of a madman. At this point, you weren’t sure if you were in his head or if he was in yours.

Stop! You don’t have to do this! You don’t have to destroy everything because of your past! you shouted toward a deaf mind.

Shigaraki’s thoughts didn’t even flinch. The chaos continued with him tuning out All for One and thinking of how joyous the final destruction of his family had been. The hands, the blue hands of the dead, trophies of his triumph. Then, you saw it. His mind twisted. Anger ripped at his tangled thoughts as he considered a new alternative to this endless fight. His quirk was being nullified, and he had had enough. You saw the red bullet, saw the gun flash between thoughts. You took hold of the strands of your mind, but they remained entangled.

There you are. Too bad. I thought you would have been a promising candidate, especially since you made it this deep into my successor’s mind, All for One stated.

Your blood went cold. You turned around to see a disfigured face. All for One stood as he had stood in front of you to offer you a chance to be villain. His dark suit blended in with the dismal vacuum of space that was this side of Shigaraki’s mind. You were so close you could touch him. He had a hold of what you could only assume to be the strands of your mind. He dug his fingers into the invisible waves, and you cried out in pain. You fell to your knees, holding your head.

Interesting, he purred. Perhaps this quirk would be of use to us. Stolen of course. Too bad I am not the one in control of Tomura at the moment, but soon… I will consider your quirk as well.

All for One clenched harder about your mind strands. It felt as if he was squeezing your windpipe closed. You gasped for air as your head felt like it was being compressed as easily as a soda can. Breathe. You had to breathe. Had to get away from this man who had enough residual power within Shigaraki to affect you in this way.

The quirk deleter gun flashed in Shigaraki’s mind again, and All for One suddenly released you. You flew from Shigaraki’s mind, collapsing to the ground in your physical body. You reached for your neck, gasping for air. You didn’t know how long you were just standing there, but you didn’t have time to flounder. You had to stop Shigaraki from—

The gun went off. Your attention flashed forward. The gun had been forced through Ryuku’s skin, her dragon scales. Shigaraki had a hold of Deku between his teeth. No one had been able to stop him from firing. You whipped your head back and watched in horror as Mr. Aizawa took a knife clean through his leg, severing the lower half of his leg with the quirk deleting bullet in it from his body. You heard Deku screaming, or was it you screaming?

You hadn’t had time to stop it. Your weakened body could barely move. A migraine rattled all of your senses. You hissed under your breath as just a mere turn of your head had your mind spinning.

The knife fell from Mr. Aizawa’s hands, yet somehow, he kept his eyes open. Shigaraki launched a desperate attack on your wounded teacher, grinning in triumph. His fingers dug into Mr. Aizawa’s forehead, scraping through the skin, all the way down to his eyes. You reached out your hand to grapple him with your quirk, but your quirk lashed back at you with searing pain in its wake.

Deku lassoed Shigaraki with Blackwhip, pulling him away from Mr. Aizawa, but the damage had been done. Aizawa collapsed, and the pain in your head wasn’t nearly as palpable as the pain in your heart at witnessing the condition that your teacher endured now.

You got on your hands and knees, forcing your beaten body and mind to move. But no matter how loud you were yelling at yourself to do so, you felt utterly powerless. Your quirk hid from your control, in fear that you might put it in serious danger again.

“Anna. My Sweet Anna. It’s okay. I’m here.”

Your eyes widened. It couldn’t have been him. He was in jail. He shouldn’t be here. “Doku?” you asked.

Doku Kobura’s hands were on you as he shushed you. You blinked up at him in a daze as he helped you to your feet. His piercings were gone. He was wearing rather pedestrian clothes compared to the designer garb you were used to seeing him in, but it was definitely him.

“How are you…? You shouldn’t be here—” You fell into him, clutching your head as another wave of pain hit you.

Doku supported your body with his, leading you away from the ensuing battle. You shook your head, pushing at him gently.

“We can’t leave. Mr. Aizawa needs me,” you said.

“He’s out. The Pro Heroes have got him,” Doku explained. “You’re in no condition to keep fighting either. Shigaraki is about to disintegrate everything in his way, and I will not let you be collateral damage.”

“My friends…” your voice was hoarse. As you argued, Doku continued to help you back.

You barely caught sight of Shoto flying toward Endeavor. He threw up a mountain of ice that melted away in a cloud of condensed air as the Pro Hero cooled off. This was bad. This was going to be bad.

Doku followed your line of sight as it shifted back toward Shigaraki. His hand lifted, and you clenched your teeth, bracing for what was about to come. Doku tightened his grip on you protectively, almost as if he were going to shield you from the decay that would most certainly ripple out of the overpowered villain. But, the destruction never came.

The front of Shigaraki’s torso split. Blood spilled from his chest as if someone had walked up and sliced him with a sword. Shigaraki visibly staggered, confusion filling his expression.

“He’s not regenerating. He should be regenerating,” Doku said under his breath. He blinked. “H-How long has it been? How long have I been in Tartarus?” Kobura suddenly asked you.

“I… I don’t know…” you managed, faltering in his grip. Your vision was growing blurry.

“Hey. Stay with me, Anna. I’ve got you. Don’t pass out.” Kobura’s attention shifted back to you only momentarily. He hesitated to move. His gaze flickered back up to Shigaraki. “He must not have been completed. There wasn’t enough time for the quirks to fully develop within him. The quirk transplant must not have finished, which means there’s a chance to get you out of here safely.”

“You knew? You knew he was going to become this, and you didn’t warn us?” you asked through ragged breaths. You looked up to see that Midoriya had grabbed everyone nearby him with Blackwhip, lifting Shigaraki along with it so he wasn’t able to touch anything or anyone to decay it. He then put them all back down safely.

Your questions didn’t even make Kobura flinch. Doku shook his head. “I knew everything about The League of Villains, Anna. Everything. All for One’s plans were laid out on the crazy doctor’s computers. Of course, I knew. There was time before this. Time and it should have never affected you. I would have always kept you safe. I always keep you safe. If it wasn’t an immediate threat to you, then it didn’t matter.” Kobura sighed. “What would you have done if I told you, Anna? I’m a villain, remember? I’m not a trustworthy source. If anything, the information would have gotten you in trouble, simply because you would have been caught associating with me.”

The fight raged on behind you. Blow after blow thundered and cracked, echoing for miles on past your eardrums. Deku was fighting Shigaraki by himself. You worried how long he would be able to maintain so many attacks. You hoped that he wouldn’t damage himself too badly. There was a chance that he’d break his arms beyond repair.

“We need to get out of here while there’s still time,” Doku said. Kobura made a move to lift you, but you used your remaining strength to push him away.

“I’m not leaving them,” you said. You lurched forward, sucking in a gasping breath as another wave of agonizing pain struck your temples.

“Your ‘friends’ have got it under control,” Kobura stated dryly.

You knocked him in his ribs with your elbow, no matter how weak it was, for putting such sarcastic interest on the word “friends.”

Kobura continued guiding you away. “I won’t let anything happen to you. Not while I still draw breath. Not when I can do something about it.”

You reached your hand up weakly to his shirt, stretching the fabric as you tugged. He looked down at you, and you could finally see his face up close, examine it. Your eyes widened. Bruises and stretch marks lined his jaw. His eyes looked bigger, while his face appeared gaunt. His tanned skin was paler than normal, but his normally translucent golden scales appeared more opaque, noticeable, in patches around his face. Your gaze trailed down to see much harsher purple bruises and lacerations on his arms.

“You’re hurt,” you said in concern. You reached up to his face. “What happened? Who did this to you?”

Kobura flinched away from your touch. His jaw tightened, and he winced. “Not now. There isn’t time to explain now.” He turned his face away from you, hiding it. “All that matters is that I’m here. I can protect you.”

“You—”

Kobura hissed. One of his hands left you as he struggled to keep hold of you. Shinso had hooked his capture weapon around his wrist, trying to rip him off of you. Hitoshi gave a sharp tug on Doku’s arm, and you yelped.

“Let her go!” Shinso shouted.

“Let me go, idiot! You’ll hurt her! She can barely stand!”

Shinso scoffed. “If you think for one second I’m going to trust a villain like you—”

“Hitoshi, he’s not hurting me. Please stop!” You squeezed your eyes shut, trying to hold yourself together.

“Frisk me if you want to. I don’t have any weapons on me,” Kobura said. “I’m just trying to get her out of here safely.” There was a beat or two of silence. “I don’t have time for this. Release me.”

You opened your eyes and watched Hitoshi’s conflicted expression soften as he met your gaze. He slowly released the capture weapon from Kobura.

“Prominence Burn!” Endeavor bellowed. A sweltering blast of heat had the three of you looking back and shielding your eyes. The Pro Hero had tackled Shigaraki in the air, engulfing him with fire.

Shigaraki’s skin was little more than burnt leather at this point, sizzling with grotesque ferocity. Hot air rippled out. Endeavor fell away from the living corpse. How could he still have been alive? You all stared on in terror, as Shigaraki’s lip spoke someone else’s words.

“Little brother!”

Kobura’s grip loosened on you from the shock. Dark tendrils of sharp red and black energy darted out in the air toward Deku. A gorgeous display of sparkling explosions moved toward him. Katsuki shoved Midoriya out of the way from the attack. The quirk had pierced him through the chest.

You shook your head no, running through plausible excuses to come up with. If you told her a villain had helped you, you weren’t sure what would happen. Would that be means for expulsion? Thankfully, you didn’t need to explain anything. Mr. Aizawa cleared his throat to draw the attention back on him, and your muscles relaxed.

“I’m just glad my student is here in one piece. I’m not exactly concerned about how the injuries were healed, rather, I am more concerned about how she received them. She will endure more than enough interrogation from her parents and Principal Nezu anyway. We don’t need to question her here.”

You gulped, chest tightening at the thought of facing your parents and Principal Nezu. You’d be sure to crumple under their authority. Your shoulders dropped. Was this it then? Your dream was over? Your father had warned you he would remove you from U.A. should something like this happen again.

“Well, that’s the best that I can do,” Recovery Girl stated dryly, meandering over to her computer. “I recommend resting as soon as possible. You need time to heal.”

Mr. Aizawa peeled himself away from the wall. He walked over to you, rubbing his temple as if he had a migraine. “Thank you,” he said toward Recovery Girl.

She waved him away in disinterest. “Your quota for injured students has been met this week, Mr. Aizawa. I hope you know I will give you a firm talking to the next time Miss Kokoro or Midoriya walk into my office.”

Aizawa hunched his shoulders, wincing as if she’d struck him with her cane. “Understood,” he said. Mr. Aizawa helped you down from the cot, checking that you stood stably before motioning for the two of you to leave together.

You hesitated before moving forward. You could only assume the worst was about to happen, especially with your parents here. Your father was going to be livid, and your mother was going to side with him no matter how she felt. Not that she reacted positively to anything that had to do with your quirk either, but you oftentimes hoped she would say something, anything in your defense, rather than look on in pity as you were scolded. At times, you thought maybe your mother was a little more understanding, but then she’d try to hide you behind dark baggy clothes or snap at you when she saw even a sliver of your quirk show.

Your hands found purchase on the bottom of your shirt, and you fidgeted with the fabric restlessly. Mr. Aizawa glanced your way every once in a while on the way, but he’d significantly slowed his pace so you had no trouble keeping up. He kept quiet again, probably deterred by the mass of people filtering by you both.

You caught sight of Principal Nezu’s door, and you stopped. Anxiety sped up your heartrate. The last time you’d spoken to your parents it hadn’t been pleasant. It was in a hospital, and you’d scared them with your power. You wanted to think of this positively. You hoped that all your parents wanted to do was make up for missing the trip to the park, but you were not naïve enough to believe that, not anymore.

“Kokoro, we have to meet with them,” Mr. Aizawa said, shoving his hands into his pockets.

You remained frozen; stare locked on the door. You gulped, fingers tensely clutching the bottom of your skirt. You didn’t know what to say to Mr. Aizawa to keep this from happening. You knew as soon as you entered that room, you’d be nothing more than a husk of your former self. If they found out about what had happened, you wouldn’t be able to argue with them.

“It’s understandable why you’d be nervous, but they are your parents. I will be by your side the entire time. Should you feel overwhelmed, you can look to me, okay? I will assist you in any way that I can so that this goes smoothly.” Aizawa sighed, glancing between you and the door. “I wish that I could let you take your time, but I’m not sure how much longer Principal Nezu can distract them.” Mr. Aizawa approached you, setting a reassuring hand on your back. “I promise that I’ll do what I can to mediate the conversation so you are heard.”

You looked up at him with tears in your eyes. “Please don’t make me do this,” you said. “They’re…”

Mr. Aizawa’s eyes widened, as if your words had startled him. He glanced away, shutting his eyes. You felt his fingers tense on your back.

“We have to speak with them. Kokoro, they’re your parents. This isn’t something I get to decide doesn’t happen,” he said solemnly.

You turned toward the door again. The moment you stepped in that room was going to be the moment that they would say your dream to become a hero was over. You knew it. The way Mr. Aizawa was acting didn’t reassure you that this was going to be good either.

You nodded like a marionette on strings, half-believing that you were actually going to do this. Unintentionally, you reached out toward Mr. Aizawa, grabbing hold of the side of his shirt for comfort. His gaze shifted to your tiny hand, but he didn’t make a move to remove it. You walked forward like you were wading through heavy snow.

Mr. Aizawa opened the door, and the breath left your lungs. You made a pained noise at seeing your father red-faced and angry. He was pointing his finger at Principal Nezu accusingly. He was so enraptured by what he was saying that he hadn’t even noticed the two of you enter. Principal Nezu’s expression was blank, polite. Even though he was so small, he definitely felt like the bigger person in the situation transpiring. Mr. Aizawa was quick to shut the door behind him.

“And, you bare no responsibility for this? A second time my daughter has been kidnapped, and you don’t think that it was this school’s fault?! That villain called this sham of a place out perfectly! You can’t protect my daughter, and it was even more foolish of me to assume that honing her quirk was better than hiding it! You’ve filled her head with false dreams! What do you have to say for yourself?!” your father shouted.

You winced, backing away. Villain? What villain? Who had they talked to?

“We can handle this without raising our voices,” Principal Nezu said calmly. “I take your daughter’s safety very seriously, and I do believe that we should take responsibility for anything that happens to her while on this campus and under our supervision; however, in this case, Anna Kokoro was not on the premises and could not be properly protected—”

“Oh, so you are going to put the blame on a child, now? How far are you willing to go to save face? I bet this is not even an accredited establishment! Are you even a qualified principal?!”

“As far as I am aware, Kokoro had left the grounds due to her sleepwalking. It was not her fault either,” Mr. Aizawa spoke up suddenly.

“If you were ‘aware’ that she had left the school in that manner, why had you not retrieved her as soon as she stepped outside the gates?” Your father turned his anger toward your teacher.

“I was not aware she had left the school at all,” Mr. Aizawa explained. “I was at the hospital at the time. Normally, our security system would notify us of any students leaving the dorm buildings past curfew. The system did not detect any such occurrences. My assumption is that Kokoro, who is prone to routinely sleepwalk during times of stress, managed to make it out the front gate without alerting the system. How that happened, I do not know. I do know Kokoro has never intentionally done anything to cause me worry on purpose, nor is she a known rule breaker. You may attest to this Kokoro, if this is the case,” Mr. Aizawa finished.

Everyone stared at you for your response.

“I-I did—”

“I don’t even know why I’m bothering to figure out what happened! It does not change my stance on what is going to happen. My daughter will be removed from this school immediately. It’s clear that you and your staff are incapable of keeping her safe, and your school is the very reason my daughter is being targeted in the first place.”

“Please act within reason, Mr. Kokoro. Miss Kokoro will be targeted whether she’s under our protection or not. She has a rare quirk. You’re quirkless. If a villain comes to your doorstep, what will you do? You have to understand that we’ve done all that we can to—”

“If I may interject, all that you’ve done is put a spotlight on our child,” your mother cut off the principal. “You’re the reason she continues to be attacked. As soon as she is transferred out of U.A., she will go back to her very normal, very safe life. Do you have any idea how much attention the Kokoro name has gotten since her enrollment? I can’t step outside without being recognized. It’s absolutely absurd.”

Your voice felt trapped in your lungs, suffocating you the longer that your parents spoke. No, you didn’t want to go back to how it was before. You didn’t want to hide your gift. Your quirk couldn’t be suppressed any longer than it had been. If you didn’t continue to learn how to control it, it would become unmanageable.

“The video that this villain, Emoticon, sent to us, only reaffirms my assumption of how broken hero society is. Quirks are not meant to be celebrated. They are mistakes, mutations in human DNA that should have never existed. For every hero, there is a villain. It was clear by the villain’s threats that as long as my daughter is a hero, she is in peril. I’m going to remove my child from that life to protect her. There is nothing that you could say to change my mind,” your father said.

Emoticon sent your parents a video? She must have had a plan to ruin you, your reputation, from the beginning. There was a possibility that she thought by destroying your path as a hero, Kobura would have lost interest. But, why? Why would she go through all of that trouble? It couldn’t have been because of the slim chance it would bring Kobura and her closer together, could it?

A set of keys and a box were shoved into your arms as you were lost in thought.

“Collect your things, Anna. We’re leaving immediately,” your father said sternly.

“B-but, I can’t leave. This is where I’m supposed to be, and—”

“I didn’t ask what you thought, Anna! Go retrieve your things! We are leaving!”

“Mr. Kokoro…” Principal Nezu trailed off as your father turned toward him with bloodshot eyes.

“I will hear no more excuses,” he snapped.

“I don’t want to leave!” You found your voice, but it just as quickly died in your throat as your father spun on you.

Your father raised his hand over his head. Fear froze your body in place. Your father swung his open palm toward your face, and your breath caught in your throat with newly formed tears prickling your lower lids. You closed your eyes, wincing. The strike never made contact. The room went quiet.

You trembled in place, slowly peeking an eye open. You gasped. Mr. Aizawa had grabbed your father’s wrist, keeping him from hitting you.

“I will not allow you to strike my student,” Mr. Aizawa growled out.

Your father struggled to free his wrist from Mr. Aizawa’s strong grip, but when he did, his anger tripled. “I will discipline my child how I see fit! Who are you to intervene?”

“I am her teacher,” Mr. Aizawa said bluntly. “And, as such, I will do what is necessary to protect every one of my students.”

You didn’t know when Principal Nezu had gotten out of his office chair, but he was now beside you. Quickly, he guided you from the room by placing a small paw on your back, ushering you out. Before you knew what was going on, the door had shut behind you, and the air was suddenly breathable again.

You stood outside the principal’s office in a daze. Your hands firmly held the empty box you were given, practically crushing it between trembling hands. You still didn’t understand what had just happened. Emoticon set you up? She must have ensured the video would be sent at a designated time, even in her death, because if your parents had gotten it sooner, they would have been at the school before you. What video had your parents seen that even Kobura couldn’t catch? Did they really expect you to leave, collect your things and go?

The door suddenly flew open. You jolted back, nearly dropping the empty box. Mr. Aizawa left the room. His black silken hair was more disheveled than usual. He shut the door behind him, letting out a deep sigh. He couldn’t look at you for a moment, his eyes setting on a distant point.

“I’m sorry,” he started.

You choked on a sob because you knew what he was about to say next. “They can’t force me to leave U.A.. I don’t want to go.”

Mr. Aizawa knelt down, putting a steadying hand on your shoulder. “It’s not my decision. If it were up to me, you would stay. Your parents will not budge on the matter.”

“You promised,” you cried out. “You said that you would do everything you could to make sure…” you trailed off. It wasn’t Mr. Aizawa’s fault. He’d done all that he could to change the outcome.

Mr. Aizawa’s gaze met yours. “Listen, Kokoro.” Mr. Aizawa sighed, giving your shoulder a reassuring squeeze. “I know that things haven’t been easy for you. And, I know this situation isn’t ideal, but I know you’re going bust through any obstacle in your way. You’ve made so much progress with your quirk, and it’s something to admire.” Mr. Aizawa placed a hand on the door, just as someone was about to come out. “I want you to know how proud I am of how far you’ve come.”

“You’re proud?” you asked, tears trailing down your cheeks. You tried fruitlessly to wipe them away. “Did I do well?”

Mr. Aizawa nodded, wincing at your question. “You did very well,” he said, nodding. Mr. Aizawa barely strained to hold the door shut. He stood, keeping it closed long enough to pull you out of the way. He side-stepped.

The door once again flew open. Your father charged toward you. Mr. Aizawa cut off his path. The two of them glared at each other for a moment.

“Go pack your things. You will meet us at the gate in fifteen minutes, or I will drag you out,” your father spat, not taking his eyes off of Mr. Aizawa but speaking to you. “You are only permitted to go to your dorm room and come straight to the gate. You will leave the key in the lock for the school to collect when we are off the premises. Do not test my patience, understood?”

“C-can I say goodbye to—”

“To the dorm then the gate. Understood?” he repeated.

You looked at your mother, but her face was an indifferent mask. Your father wouldn’t be reasoned with. You bowed your head.

“Yes, I understand,” you said in a small voice.

Your father brazenly bumped Mr. Aizawa’s shoulder on the way by. Mr. Aizawa barely flinched and watched him leave, holding his hand back toward you in protection. Your mother followed your father with a dramatic huff. Mr. Aizawa only relaxed when they were out of eyesight.

“Come on. I’ll walk you to your room,” Mr. Aizawa said.

“You don’t have to, Mr. Aizawa. I’m no longer your student anymore. I understand there are other things that need to be done. It’s The School Festival after all,” you said.

“You’ll always be my student,” he said. “I’d feel more comfortable escorting you with your father around.” Mr. Aizawa clenched his teeth. “Come on.”

“I don’t mind as long as it’s really okay for you to come with me,” you said.

The walk was a lot less anxiety-ridden with your teacher beside you. You were going to miss how safe, how accepted, you felt beside him. Your hands shook, trying to unlock your door. You dropped the key and stared down at it dejectedly. What were your classmates going to think? Would they just tell them you transferred schools and that was it? You’d never see them again?

Mr. Aizawa bent down, picking up the key. He helped unlock and open your door. You stood frozen in place, fingers digging into the cardboard of your moving box. Mr. Aizawa was patient. He held the door, waiting. You let out a heavy breath. You walked into your room as if you weren’t in your own body. You hoped this was some weird nightmare, but you couldn’t help but notice how everything you touched felt real, how weighted your limbs felt.

First to go in your box were your hero action figures in hopes your parents wouldn’t find them and throw them away, then what little clothes you had, and finally all of the things you’d gotten from your friends—the diamond earrings from Bakugo, the necklace from Todoroki, the goggles from Ochaco, and the stuffed shark from Kirishima. One by one, you placed the items in the box, feeling as if you were packing up your dreams and your memories along with them.

It didn’t take very long for you to get done. Your quirk sputtered in your head, but you were barely reacting to it resurfacing. You felt numb.

“Ready?” Mr. Aizawa asked.

“No,” you mouthed the word. It barely came out as a squeak. You found yourself nodding, a puppet on strings.

You followed Mr. Aizawa from the room. His presence alone made other people move out of the way. Nothing was keeping you from leaving, nothing was holding you up.

“Kitten?” Hitoshi called out softly. “Wait. What’s happening? Anna!”

You didn’t turn toward him, not with your parents glowering at you behind the gate. Tears were already in your eyes as you slowed your pace. The least you could do was say goodbye, but you could not bring yourself to say it to Shinso, not after all you’ve been through together.

Shinso grabbed your arm, stopping you in place. Your eyes widened as your father’s scowl deepened.

“I’m sorry, Hitoshi. I have to go. I’m sorry.” You tried to force your arm out of his grip, but he held firm.

“What are you talking about? You’re leaving? For how long?” There was a beat of silence, as if Shinso was putting all of the pieces together in his mind. “You didn’t even warn me—” His voice broke. Normally, his words were so smooth, calm and collected. “You can’t.”

“Shinso, you have to let go,” you said, but your voice was barely above a whisper.

“You’re kidding, right? If this is a bad joke, you have to tell me because it’s not funny. How could you leave without even saying goodbye? Of course it’s a joke.”

“There wasn’t time,” you murmured under your breath. “I don’t want to say goodbye, but…” You bit hard into your bottom lip.

“Shinso, this is a delicate situation. You need to release Kokoro. You’re making a scene, especially dressed like that,” Mr. Aizawa said in a low voice.

You finally had the courage to glance back at Shinso, whose hold had not wavered on your arm. He was wearing his zombie costume for the haunted house, but he’d cleaned his face of all the makeup. Perhaps, he was on break when he spotted you.

It was a mistake to look back. His gaze locked with yours, and your breath caught in your throat. It wasn’t like him to disobey Mr. Aizawa. You weren’t sure anyone had the courage to do something so brazenly stupid.

“It’s not your place to get involved. We can talk about this later, Shinso. Right now, I need you to let go of Miss Kokoro,” Mr. Aizawa’s voice became sterner, sending a shiver up your spine.

Shinso winced. His hand slid down your arm, until it brushed your fingers. The soft touch was so surprising that you dropped your box of belongings. Just as quickly as the container fell from your hands, Shinso’s fingers laced with your own, giving your hand a long, drawn-out squeeze. His gaze lingered on yours, and his eyes appeared wet.

Aizawa made a move to separate the two of you, but Shinso let go. Mr. Aizawa paused; his eyes downcast. He glanced back toward your parents who were growing inpatient. Shinso bent down. He grabbed your box of things, helping pick up anything that might have spilled out. You held out your hands for him to return it to you. In the next breath, he had laced his fingers in your hair, swiftly drawing you close. He planted the faintest kiss on your forehead, so quickly that you almost thought it was an accident, until his violet eyes landed on you again.

“Please don’t let this be our final goodbye, Kitten,” he said softly. “I don’t know what I would do if I never saw you again.” He pushed your cardboard box of belongings into your outstretched arms, forcing his hands into his pants’ pockets.

“Hitoshi, I—”

“Anna!” your father yelled in warning.

You winced. You wiped at your nose, worried you’d burst into tears. “This isn’t goodbye.” That’s the last thing that you said, before Mr. Aizawa gently eased you away.

A numbness overtook you once you crossed the U.A. threshold. Mr. Aizawa’s hand left your back. Your father went to grab you, but his attention lingered somewhere behind you. Mr. Aizawa must have given him a look because he refrained from making physical contact with you. It was painful, but you didn’t look back. No matter how much you wanted to, you didn’t look back. You knew that if you turned around, you would have made this harder than it had to be.

Your parents barely spoke to you in the car. Their decision was final, and they had no interest in what you’d accomplished in the time that you were at U.A.. You no longer had a phone, so no one would be able to contact you, not even Kobura. You wondered if he already knew what had happened. He could easily access the school, or so he would have you believe. You wondered how quickly those kinds of documents would be finalized.

“Your new school will prepare you for the business world. They’re ecstatic to have you with your exceptional grades. The principal has assured us that their facility proudly focuses on your mind rather than any quirks you might have, so it’s the perfect peaceful environment for you to succeed,” your mother explained while in the passenger’s seat.

Your fingers dug into your knees. You’d lived as if you were quirkless before. It was easier back then. Your quirk had been steadily growing since, and it was harder to hide it. You weren’t sure how you were going to focus when your quirk overbuilds from not using it again. Your parents would surely want you to conceal your powers, as you had done before.

“They also have a deep brown and tan school uniform that you will adore.” Your mother continued to prattle on, her excitement bubbling up in the front seat. It was as if this seemed normal to her, that she hadn’t just ripped your dream right from your hands only moments before.

How long had they been planning you to move to this other school? How could they have already transferred you before even knowing about Emoticon kidnapping you? If you were never kidnapped, would they have retrieved you anyway?

“Our new home is small, but you’ll only need enough room for a bed and desk. We were lucky to get what we got while part of the police protection program. Luckily, your old school was not notified of our new location. Thankfully, that means no one from your life at U.A. will know where you are or how to reach you,” your father spoke up. Anger still rippled off of him in waves. His hands clutched the steering wheel, making it creak.

Your parents’ house was so far from U.A. that even if you snuck away in the early hours of night, you’d never reach U.A. on foot in time to make it back home without being noticed. The house was clustered together with other homes, brown and bland. Your father guided you to your room as soon as you had removed your shoes. He shoved you inside the windowless space, and you tumbled to the ground. Your box of belongings clattered to the floor next to you, the contents scattering. You spun back toward your father in surprise. He’d been physically forceful before, but you didn’t understand what this had been for exactly.

“You’re grounded for talking back at U.A., in front of that insufferable staff. I hope you think about what you’ve done. You won’t be leaving the house other than going to your new superior school. Behave for over a month, and we can discuss chaperoned outings.” Your father slammed the door shut in your face.

You clambered to your feet, holding your arms to your chest. You attempted to slow your trembling by focusing on what you did have. You had yourself. You still had your quirk, and it had finally come back at full force. You had your things, as scattered as they may have been. You began picking up the memories that had gotten tossed to the ground.

You found your diamond earrings from Bakugo first. You removed them from their box, putting them in and hiding them behind your hair. You placed your hands over your ears, remembering the warmth you had felt the day he’d given them to you. He had made sure you weren’t disappointed. He took you to the park just because you wanted to go. As soon as he found out that you’d left without saying goodbye, you were almost certain he would implode. Kirishima would probably have to calm him down too.

You picked the stuffed red shark off of the ground next, giving it a soft squeeze. Kirishima might have been the only person who could have won it for you at the carnival. You hoped that he wouldn’t be too sad to hear that you were gone. You knew he took a lot on himself, but you hoped that he knew this had nothing to do with him. He was always so sweet to you. You gently set the stuffed animal on your bed.

The necklace from Shoto glimmered in its place on the wooden floor. You carefully picked it up next, hooking it around your neck and hiding it beneath your clothes. You put a hand over the small piece of jewelry just above your heart. You’d miss his short glances your way, his attentive gaze. You hoped that people would pay more attention to his subtleties, then they would better understand him as a person. You wondered if he would have felt like you’d abandoned him without saying goodbye. Would Shinso actually tell him what had happened? They were never that close.

You brushed your fingertips against your forehead, remembering the short kiss that Shinso pressed there. Tears welled in your eyes again. You would miss his snarky remarks and walking to class with him. You’d miss fighting crime by his side. He deserved to be a hero. He worked so hard.

You crumpled to the ground, sobbing quietly into your hands. You were going to miss all of them, everything. You felt so helpless. You had a chance to escape your prison, and you were thrown back into it. It wasn’t fair. It didn’t even feel like your fault.

…

You’d woken up some time in the middle of the night. You must have fallen asleep on the floor because you hadn’t moved from where you’d knelt down. You forced yourself up and into your new bed. You tucked yourself under the gray sheets, clutching your stuffed shark to your chest. You had hoped waking up would have brought you out of this nightmare, but you were still locked away, expected to continue your life quietly.

You shuddered at the thought of being trapped in this room for eternity. What if your father never intended on giving you freedom? What if you were grounded into adulthood? You wouldn’t be able to survive, not like this. It was so quiet here, so devoid of life.

You nodded, worried he might figure out what you were going through with a single look. Surprisingly, he didn’t ask you another question, instead he cupped his own hands around yours, helping keep out the “sound.”

The relief his warmth brought, nearly made you melt into him. The thoughts stopped. You didn’t know if it was because of Shinso’s close proximity or just the fact he made an effort to support you. You sighed, basking in the silence. A chuckle vibrated through Shinso, and you peered up at him. He shook his head, smiling at you. You pouted.

“What?” you asked.

“If you wanted me to do this, you should have just asked,” he replied, but his words were muffled.

You shrugged, looking straight ahead again. Your eyes set out onto the horizon, before you shut them to relax a bit.

Your earpiece came to life, making you jolt back into Shinso. “Logistical Support Units, clear all designated areas immediately! Evacuate all residents block by block! We repeat, clear all designated areas of civilians immediately!” The voice buzzed out of existence as Hearts and Burnin took over communications, instructing the group to split up to cover more ground.

You all made it down the cliffside, separating toward your varying districts. Although there were other heroes around, Class 1-A stuck together for the most part. Several of your classmates looked to you, when they mentioned nearby apartment buildings. You nodded without hesitation. The Pro Heroes wanted you to be part of the evacuation team specifically because of your quirk. You weren’t going to let them down over some misplaced thoughts.

Shinso, Deku, and Bakugo followed you toward the apartment complex. Bakugo had no qualms screaming out for everyone to evacuate their buildings immediately. Deku was a bit more timid about it. Shinso glanced at you, gripping the capture weapon around his neck and waiting for your go ahead. You shifted uncomfortably, settling into a more stable stance.

“Don’t push yourself too hard, Kitten,” he said. “Remember, you’re not the only one helping with rescue and evacuation efforts. You don’t have to put it all on yourself.” He cracked a smile. “I’m sure Bakugo and I can handle knocking on doors,” he quipped.

Speaking of Bakugo, you watched as he shouted in a civilian’s face because they weren’t moving fast enough. Deku tried fruitlessly to calm him down, which only refocused Bakugo’s wrath onto the Broccoli Boy. After that spat was over, you cringed as Bakugo kicked another apartment door open, dragging a few stragglers outside.

“Is there a reason he’s being so forceful?” you asked rhetorically.

Shinso shrugged, watching Bakugo rip the hinges off of another door. “Efficiency?” he offered.

“K-Kacchan, don’t forget we need to evacuate civilians with m-minimal collateral damage,” Deku squeaked out.

“Shut up, you Damn Nerd. That door was going to break whether I forced it open or not,” Bakugo snapped back at him. “These citizens are too damn slow anyway. I’m doing them a favor by clearing their path.”

You winced, shutting your eyes after he yelled at someone else. Your mind buzzed with energy, readily activating, but immediately over activating. You shivered at the strain. All you had intended to do was reach several minds within the area to do a mass communication. Instead, your mind took in their thoughts, compiling them over each other in an indecipherable cacophony of sound. You tried to hide it, the pain. Your fingers dug into your scalp as you forced your mind to shut the thoughts out.

Finally, your mind settled. The voices were trapped outside. You composed a telepathic message to send out, one that would inform all citizens in the nearby radius to evacuate their homes for their own safety. You sent the message out, feeling the energy drain from you. When you opened your eyes, the entire apartment complex began filtering out of their houses. Astonished, the three boys turned their gazes back on you. You gave the three of them a weak smile, your stance wavering. Shinso gripped you by the elbow, before you could collapse.

“I told you to take it easy,” Hitoshi murmured, pulling you toward him to help you stay upright.

“Once everyone is safe, I will,” you said.

Shinso’s violet eyes widened. He sighed from his nose. He helped you stay upright, before you could hold your own again. Deku and Bakugo ushered civilians in the right direction. The four of you continued like this block by block. Your quirk grew more unruly with each wave of warning. The voices started coming in again, garbled and amassed with hysteria.

“What in the hell were you thinking, Big Brain?”

You turned your gaze up, not even realizing you’d sunk to the ground. Katsuki stood over you with a scowl. He grabbed you by the shoulder of your hero costume, hoisting you up.

“Did you think you had to evacuate the whole damn city yourself? You’re a mess. Bet you didn’t even notice you’re leaking blood from your nose either.” Bakugo clicked his tongue, his fingers tightening over the fabric of your costume.

“K-Kacchan, d-don’t hurt her,” Deku pleaded, reaching out for you.

Katsuki jostled you away from him, keeping you upright. “She’s hurting herself,” Bakugo snapped back at him. His crimson eyes scanned you over again. She’s barely even keeping her eyes open. What was she thinking using that much power at once? She needs to rest, but I know damn well I won’t be able to convince her to. Bakugo gritted his teeth, his thoughts solely thinking about you.

You winced, trying to pull your quirk back in. That was when you noticed Hitoshi staring at you from afar. Normally, he would have already thrown Bakugo off of you, but his stare suggested he was catching on to what you were trying to keep hidden. You put a hand on Bakugo’s gauntlet.

“I’m fine,” you said, practically pleaded. “You don’t need to worry about me.”

Bakugo’s eyes widened. His muscles coiled. Bullshit!

You cringed at his internal shout, surprised he didn’t scold you outright. Shinso shifted. You watched him stalk toward the two of you out of the corner of your eye. Hitoshi reached for your utility belt, removing some of the tissues that you had to help with your nosebleeds. He pressed a wad of them into your nose, supporting your body with his free arm. Still, Bakugo hadn’t let go.

“I’ve got this,” Hitoshi said. “You and Deku continue with the evacuation. I’ll sit with her for a few minutes.” Soft, his voice was so soft that only Bakugo and you could hear him speak. “We’ll catch up as soon as she’s recovered enough to keep standing.”

To your surprise, Bakugo actually let go, allowing Shinso to hold you. He stormed off, grumbling something about hurrying up.

I’ll kill him if he makes her worse, Bakugo thought, before he pushed Deku away.

You involuntarily winced again, and Shinso flicked your forehead. You pouted, looking up at him.

“How long?” he asked.

“I-I don’t know what you’re talking about,” you replied, relaxing into him with your weary body.

“Really?” Shinso snorted out in disbelief. “You’re going to try to lie to me?”

You shifted uncomfortably as he led you over to a nearby bench. His arm left you, so he could be more attentive toward your bloody nose.

“Let’s try this again. How long has your mindreading been acting up?”

You bowed your head like a child being caught doing something bad. “Not long.”

Shinso’s violet eyes widened as he leaned back. “Don’t tell me…” His mind suddenly went back to the warehouse, the Counting Sheep mission. You’d come out of that place barely stable. Your quirk had closed off your mind, just as it had before. He thought back to when he had to help you when your quirk exploded in that alley. The similarities lined up in his mind. He knew your quirk was malfunctioning.

You flinched away from him, trying to disappear from his thoughts and questions.

“Please don’t tell me it’s been happening since the Counting Sheep mission.”

“I…” You couldn’t argue with him, not when he was right about everything that he was saying.

“Do you have any idea how dangerous this could be for you? You should be resting, recuperating. The last thing you need to do is push your quirk to its limits. Have you told Mr. Aizawa? Recovery Girl?”

You didn’t look at him. You didn’t want to be held back anymore. You wanted to be a hero, and if it meant a little quirk malfunction or a migraine, you were willing to make that sacrifice.

"Kitten," Hitoshi said in exasperation. “You shouldn’t be out here. Not like this.” He grabbed for your hand, squeezing it. “I don’t know what I would do if I saw you in a coma again. You might not be as lucky as the last time. What if you didn’t wake up?”

“We don’t know what’s really wrong, so we can’t really speculate that I would fall into a coma again, right?” you said in small voice.

Shinso scowled, running a hand through his hair. “Why would you do this? Kitten, I know how badly you want to be here, but you can’t—”

“I don’t want to be left behind,” you snapped. “If I told Mr. Aizawa or Recovery Girl what was going on, they would have never allowed me to help with the hero efforts. I can really help, Hitoshi. You know that I can. You saw that I can.” You pointed out toward the array of empty buildings around you. You shut your eyes, shaking. “If I told them, they would have just left me behind, and, not only that, if my quirk continued like this, I would probably have been left back in the hero course too, maybe even transferred out of the hero course altogether. I’m already so far behind everyone else. I couldn’t risk saying anything.” You bit into your bottom lip, suddenly latching onto Shinso’s arm. “Please. Please, don’t tell them.”

Shinso looked down at your hand clutching his arm. He reached out toward your fingers, pulling them slowly off of him. Your heart broke, thinking this was it. All he had to do was tell Mr. Aizawa or even Heart of Hearts what was going on, and you’d be forced to evacuate with the civilians and wait, doing nothing, until after the entire mission was complete.

Hitoshi risked lacing his fingers with yours. The two of you could be spotted, even if most of the civilians had been evacuated. He shut his eyes pressing his forehead into yours and exhaling.

“I know how much becoming a hero means to you. I know what you think might happen if you say something, but we can’t know that’s what they would do…” he trailed off. That’s a lie. I’m lying to her. She’s right. They would have left her at U.A..

You winced again, and Shinso sighed.

“Promise me. When we get back, you’ll at least tell Mr. Aizawa what’s going on.”

Hope bubbled up in your chest. You could help. You’d be able to help with this mission. Shinso wasn’t going to tell on you. Still, you weren’t too keen on telling Mr. Aizawa. He held your future in the hero course in his hands after all.

“Okay,” you said, not even really convincing yourself that you had agreed to the promise.

“Kitten,” Shinso warned, eyeing you suspiciously.

“I’ll tell Mr. Aizawa I’m having issues with my quirk after the mission,” you said. No going back on it now.

“Thank you,” he said.

You huffed, half-expecting another flick to the forehead from Shinso. Instead, to your surprise, he pressed a kiss to your temple. Your face flushed. Hitoshi rose from the bench, holding his hand out toward you.

“Your nose stopped bleeding. Are you sure you’re okay to keep going?” he asked.

You put your hand in his, nodding firmly. “I’m okay.”

Hitoshi raised an eyebrow at you, helping you up to your feet again. “If you faint—”

“I get it. I get it. I’m on high intensity supervisory watch by the great Mindjack. If he so much as sees me wobble too far to the right, he’s going to swing me off of the battlefield,” you said, chuckling to yourself.

“At least you find the situation amusing because I don’t,” Shinso grumbled. “I’m going to get gray hairs because of you.” He rubbed his face with his hand. “Or, worse, Aizawa’s going to lecture me until I die of boredom.”

You and Shinso caught up with Deku and Bakugo shortly after, leaving the bench. It wasn’t hard to find them. Bakugo’s distinct yelling guided you in their direction. Bakugo spotted you first, relief loosening his shoulder muscles. Deku waved at you in greeting.

It seemed the pressure of keeping your quirk malfunction a secret had been part of the reason it was happening so frequently. As soon as Shinso knew, the side effects of your damaged quirk had subsided. The next couple of buildings were a breeze to evacuate, and you had barely heard a single unintentional thought since talking with Shinso.

Bakugo and Deku were quick to help civilians down fire escapes and off of high buildings. Shinso kept close to you, directing anyone who passed you in the correct direction. Your group alone cleared out dozens of apartment buildings. As you ushered civilians to where they needed to go, the four of you eventually crossed paths with the rest of the group.

Shoto spotted you within the crowd, and he slowly tried to make his way through to you. Abruptly, Ochaco bounced out in front of you.

“Wow, you guys sure found a lot of them,” she said. She continued directing the group with her free arm as she nudged you. “I’m sure it had a lot to do with your quirk. Right, Think?” She grinned at you.

You shook your head absently, still reeling from the amount of power you used. “Yeah,” you breathed out, feeling the weight of it all hit you. You’d managed this far without too bad of a mishap, but you could tell that your control was slipping again. Your focus wandered, as you tried to settle your thoughts.

You turned back, spotting Midoriya standing in the middle of the road. His face was pale, and his eyes were distant. Surprise and terror laced within his expression.

He’s coming.

You winced. Pain stabbed at your temple as the echoing thoughts bounced within your mind. That voice. It was coming from Midoriya, but it wasn’t him.

Stop him. It will begin soon.

You gritted your teeth as a wave of nausea hit you. You clamped your fingers around your head. What would begin? Who needed to be stopped?

A transcendent one approaches. Stop him.

“Anna, are you okay?” You were jolted out of the mind link by Shoto gently shaking your shoulder. You staggered, only for him to catch you. “Are you okay?” he asked again, but he was now standing between you and Deku. There was something important happening, something bad.

You gently pushed away from Shoto, peering around him. Deku had turned. His gaze transfixed on Jaku Hospital, where a different team was infiltrating. A horrifying number of black birds rose up from the building. A tremor rippled under your feet. The hospital suddenly crumbled under your watch, a dust cloud the only thing left in its path, and a shockwave rolled out from the impact.

“Run! Everybody move!” someone shouted from the crowd.

Panic began to ensue. Despite feeling like you were stuck in place, your legs began to move on their own, peering behind you in fear. Gray. The destruction was gray, flaky, and dying. You’d seen this before, seen it as Shigaraki turned the small stuffed animal you’d won at the carnival to dust. But, he was never able to do this. He had never been able to decay half the city like this.

Deku ran toward the destruction, kicking toward it with a St. Louis Smash Air Force attack, but it did nothing to impact the oncoming decay. Shoto threw up a shield of ice to give Deku time to retreat. To everyone’s shock and horror, the ice began to crack almost instantaneously. Run. Everyone had to run.

The heroes retreated. You did what you could to grab straggling civilians, feeling your lungs burn and your mind sting from the effort of running. If any of you stopped, you were almost certain you would cease to exist.

Your communicator sizzled and crackled. Burnin and Heart of Hearts were desperately trying to get a response for your team from any of the Pro Heroes stationed at the other locations, but only seemed to get a one-sided communication with themselves. No one was answering. The signals must have been jammed.

Hearts turned to you. You nodded, pushing the civilians as far forward with the strands of your mind as you could, so they had a much better chance of retreat. Other Pro Heroes took them up with them. There was a brief concerned glance from Shinso. The three of you running together, away from the destruction. Shinso lifted you into his arms without a second more of hesitation. You settled your thoughts, hoping there might be a way you could get through, link the Pro Heroes to get a better idea of what was going on.

You reached out toward the hospital, trying to get in contact with the Jaku Hospital Pro Hero Team. The distance was vast, and you knew you should try your best to avoid the decay blasting toward you. Strands of your mind reached and went taught, straining past your limits as you shot out your quirk in an exaggerated arc. It was too much. Too far. There was nothing. Nothing even close to living in the vast expanse behind you. Then, you felt something, a tug. A powerful mind drew you toward it.

One for All, the words echoed clearly in your mind. A hiss. A calling. A need. One for All. Targeted. A shadow lingered at the edge of your mind, one familiar to you but having yet to take shape.

You attempted to reach in further, search for an explanation or clarity. You let out a terrified shriek as you were forced from the mind with a violent shove. The connection broke and grayed, decaying like the destruction that had been barreling toward all of you. Your hands went to your head, feeling as if someone had just plunged a knife directly into the back of your skull. Shinso tightened his grip on you, but he could do little more than continue to cradle you in his arms.

At some point, Shinso had stopped running. He dropped to his knees with you still in his arms. You sobbed. A pain-ridden throb continued to bombard your fragile mind. You all must have reached the end of the spreading decay because you could feel thoughts begin trickling in, surrounding you like a crowd had formed. Hitoshi’s hands cupped your head. His fingers gingerly roamed your skull for injury. Internal. It was all internal. You felt your quirk leaking from the hole that had been torn in your mind, bleeding out as if you’d actually been stabbed with an invisible force.

“What can I do? Tell me what I can do to help you,” Hitoshi said, barely audible above the torrent of thoughts running through your head.

Then, it stopped. You gasped, feeling the wound be clasped shut by a strand of your own mind. Your quirk protected itself again. You shot up from Shinso’s lap. He narrowly avoided your heads bashing against one another as he shifted back. You flailed for a bit, before realizing where you were. You got up to your feet, and Hitoshi followed, putting a steadying hand on your back.

“Take it easy, Kitten,” Shinso said.

“How long was I out?”

Shinso’s eyes widened. “Maybe a minute, seconds,” he answered.

“I was…” you shivered, remembering the drawing power of what you could only assume was Shigaraki’s mind. “I was in his head.”

“Whose head?” he asked.

“Something was telling him, calling him to find someone.” The image was foggy, and you strained to memorize the outline. “They want One for All.”

“What are you talking about? Who are they? Who is he?” Hitoshi asked. “You should sit down. You were screaming in so much pain, and now you’re walking around. What if you passed out?”

You feebly pushed his hand away. “You don’t understand. Shigaraki is coming. His power is…” You shivered at the force that had shoved you out. It was malicious in nature, controlling. It had singlehandedly severed a piece of your quirk off. “…inside him.” You blinked. You’d been shoved out of minds before, but it was a rarity. This felt familiar. This felt like something lingered deep within Shigaraki’s mind that could force you out on its own. It wasn’t him. It was something else entirely. “Midoriya,” you muttered under your breath. His mind had pushed you out just like that. It felt like he hadn’t been alone.

“Midoriya?” Shinso asked.

“I’m so glad you’re conscious. Are you okay?” Hearts said in concern. Her finger was glued to her earpiece. “There’s currently radio silence. Were you able to reach any of the other Pro Heroes?”

“No,” you said distantly. “I couldn’t.”

“It was worth a shot. We’ll keep trying the comms.” She stared at you for a moment, hesitating to move on, but her duties forced her too. “Mindjack, keep an eye on her. Make sure she’s recovered from that kind of strain.” Hearts forged ahead, shouting into her communicator and trying to gain a signal.

That shadow. You realized that shadowed figure in Shigaraki’s mind. You knew that person. Izuku Midoriya. One for All, the very thing that plagued Shigaraki to retrieve was inside Midoriya.

“I don’t like that look on your face,” Hitoshi said softly. “Hey, focus, Kitten. It’s going to be alright. I’ll get you to the medical team, and we can get things checked out.” His hands were on your shoulders again. You hadn’t even realized he’d moved in front of you.

You pressed your lips together. The secret. You remembered All Might wanting to tell you something, something about the vestiges, about seeing something that you shouldn’t have. Was that One for All? Was that what he wanted to explain? That Midoriya had some deep power within him? If he had some kind of word-altering power, no wonder it needed to be kept a secret. The complications that it could make for a power like that getting into the wrong hands… it was terrifying.

“This is Endeavor. I’m fighting Shigaraki near the hospital. Does anyone copy?” Endeavor’s voice boomed suddenly in the communicators. “If there is anyone who can move without touching the ground, form a perimeter!”

Heart of Hearts and Burnin quickly answered him and began to instruct orders to all available heroes in their current area.

“We need to continue to fall back and evacuate! Clear the area around the city!” Hearts ordered.

Your comms picked up the struggle. Endeavor seemed to be confused by something. “One for All?” he asked.

You choked on a noise, cupping your hands over your ears to try and decipher more, but nothing more came.

Heart of Hearts glanced back at Burnin who was already headed toward Endeavor’s callout to assist. Hearts surveyed the area, determined that all had been organized efficiently, then she too headed closer toward the destruction, most likely searching for stragglers on the outer banks.

You found your eyes drawn to a single person, Izuku Midoriya. While everyone had deployed into action, Deku and Bakugo stood amidst the chaos, wide-eyed and uncertain of where to head next. Then, they sprang into action, both of them racing toward the destruction.

You watched, realizing what Midoriya already had himself. Shigaraki was after him. He was racing into that decay to draw him out, to give the Pro Heroes a fighting chance.

Your legs moved on their own. Hitoshi was yelling something at you, but your mind was set on Midoriya. Bakugo, All Might, and you knew. You couldn’t tell anyone else. They would be more focused on Midoriya if they knew too, rather than the attack.

“I forgot something! I’ll be right back!” Midoriya called out to the group, before he and Bakugo nearly flew out of sight.

Your quirk vibrated in your skull. You reached out with your mind, finding your parents’ thoughts first. They shouldn’t have been home.

What do they want with us? your mother’s frantic thoughts flittered into your mind first.

Fear erupted in your chest, and you slowly edged the door open.

How could they have found us? your father’s panicked question came next.

You stepped across the threshold as quietly as you could. Your attention landed on your parents’ shoes. They had come home early. This break-in must have happened after they’d gotten into the house safely. You reached your quirk out again to gain some more details before coming into contact with the threat.

This is for Sweet Anna. It’s not for you. It’s always been for her. You need to do this for her, Kobura’s thoughts hit you like a fist to the face.

You never thought Doku would go this far. You thought he would have stopped The League of Villains if it came to this, came to them threatening you or your family again. Instead, he was working with them to kidnap you. He had to be if he was standing in your house now. He was the only one that knew you were living here.

You rushed forward, realizing your mistake far too late. Your ankle caught on a tripwire, invisible to the naked eye and unexpected in your new house. A mechanism triggered. Several shots fired from all directions. You hadn’t been ready for it, but you managed to catch some of the projectiles out of the air with your quirk. Pain burst in your thigh and your upper arm. Kobura’s burs, ones laced with his venom had pierced your skin. Your face blanched. You pulled them out with your quirk, but already felt the venom working its way through your system, numbing your quirk.

You spotted Toga and Twice first. Actually, two Togas. One Toga had your mother by the throat, pressing her against the kitchen counter. Twice frantically looked between you and her.

“It’s not what it looks like! It’s definitely what it looks like,” Twice said.

Anger and betrayal lingered in your reddening vision. Your focus panned over. Your father had a knife to his throat, and Kobura was the one holding it there.

“What are you doing?! Get away from my parents!” you screamed at him.

“Finally, you’re home,” Kobura hissed out. “Tie her up. These two don’t have quirks. It’s actually laughable how little security this place has. We must have caught a lucky break. If our target had been at that other school, we would have had Pro Heroes to deal with.”

Toga looked at you. Regret tightened her expression. “I’m really sorry about this,” she whispered. “We’re doing this for your own good.”

“Don’t do this,” you warned her. You lowered your stance. Kobura’s venom had trickled through your bloodstream, clouding your senses. A fever burned your forehead.

Toga came at you with a knife, a telegraphed attack. You didn’t understand what they were doing, but you were not going to let them threaten your parents like this, kidnap you in front of them. You didn’t want to go with them. Kobura knew that all you wanted was to be a hero, not a vigilante or a villain. Taking you wouldn’t solve your problems.

You easily evaded Toga’s first slash.

“I don’t want to hurt you,” Toga murmured after another attack.

“Stop this!” Your vision blurred. You should have been prepared for Kobura’s trap. You would be able to fight if you had.

“Did you really think we would just stop pursuing her if you took her out of U.A.? Our goal wasn’t the school; it was the individual. You only made it easier for us to get to her,” Kobura snapped at your father.

Your father’s knees buckled. His whole body was shaking. Kobura put pressure into the blade at his throat. “T-take her! You’re right. We can’t fight you! Please, we don’t want this to get any more violent,” your father begged.

The air left your lungs. Your father couldn’t be serious. The whole point of changing schools was for your protection… But, you had never believed that yourself. You knew removing you from U.A. was for them, your parents. It didn’t make it hurt any less that your father would give you up like that right in front of you.

Toga stabbed at you again, and you hooked her arm, slapping the knife out of her fingertips. She huffed, face reddening.

“I’m not even trying, Anna,” she whispered in frustration. She pulled free another knife hidden on her person.

You staggered back from her in a venom-soaked daze. You gritted your teeth. What were they thinking? This wasn’t going to make things better. You held your stance up as best as you could. The next slash through the air clipped your arm. You stumbled back, tripping over your own feet. You hit the ground, catching yourself with your hands. Toga leapt on top of you. She pulled your hands back, and she had your hands bound within seconds.

Kobura sadistically chuckled. Toga forced you up to your knees to face your father, and the back of Kobura. There was no sign of the fake student you’d gotten to know, the sweet Kobura that had spent days with you. His school uniform had been replaced by his villain costume. Cold black leather was draped around his tense form. He’d left his hood partially on, but he’d dragged down his mask, so he could bare his fangs at your trembling father.

The burning of tears met your eyes. You had trusted him. How could Kobura do this to you? You stifled a strangled sob by clenching your jaw shut. Kobura glanced back at you. You saw the pain in his eyes, despite his villainous grin.

“Why are you doing this?” you pleaded.

Kobura winced, but he made it look like he was adjusting his grip on your father. “By taking her out of U.A., all you did was piss us off. Did you really think we didn’t know where she was? You spat into our faces by trying to hide. We won’t just take her. We need to teach you a lesson,” Kobura said. “No matter where you run, we will find you. As long as she is with you, there is nowhere you can hide.”

“Please, let us live. We thought you were after the school and that’s why you had pursued our daughter. It was an honest mistake!” Your father’s face was a bright crimson. His brown eyes were wet with tears.

“That school was the only thing keeping her out of our reach!” Kobura jostled your father.

“We’re sorry! Please! Tell us what you need! We can get it for you!”

“What we need is a little respect. We’re not to be taken lightly. To think, this whole thing could have been avoided had you just kept her in U.A.. It’s just so sad, isn’t it? We had no need to come for either of you, as you’re just her parents, but I’m so damn angry about your arrogance, I think I want to cut out your heart.” Kobura moved the blade of his knife down to your father’s chest.

Your father’s eyes widened. “We didn’t know! Please! Please! Just take her, and we promise to disappear!” your father pleaded again.

Your mother was a puddle of tears in the other Toga’s grip. “Let us go. We didn’t know,” your mother mimicked your father in her pleas.

Your head throbbed in pain. It was hard to breathe. Your quirk sparked, but it never went ablaze.

“Stop,” you begged. “Please.” You didn’t know what exactly you wanted to stop. You didn’t want to hear your parents serve you up on a platter to the villains. You didn’t want to endure whatever this was any longer. It was painful. It hurt you in more ways than one.

“Just take her!” both of your parents shrieked simultaneously.

“Stop!” your scream echoed through the small house. Your quirk shot out from your body, sending a ripple of energy shaking through the house and knocking Toga off of you. You staggered to your feet, rushing for Kobura and your father.

Kobura’s hand shot out, grabbing you by your brown school uniform. His toxic green eyes examined you, drinking you in like it was the last time he’d see you. He sighed, shaking his head. “Stand down. You know your quirk is nullified by mine. It entered your blood as soon as those projectiles punctured your skin. You can’t do anything for them. They’ve done this to themselves,” Kobura said coldly.

“Why?” you asked. Your bottom lip quivered. Why was he doing this? He was the only one that was helping you keep it together here, and he was betraying you. “I thought…”

Kobura turned away from you. He shoved you back into the waiting arms of Twice, who dragged you back over to where you’d been laying. The sudden burst of your quirk was once again trapped by Kobura’s. You weakly struggled against your binds.

The front door exploded. Everyone’s attention snapped in the direction of the entryway. Instinctively, Twice released you, letting out a small girlish shriek of his own. Around the corner appeared three familiar faces: Katsuki Bakugo, Hitoshi Shinso, and Shoto Todoroki.

“The police are already on their way. Surrender peacefully,” Shoto said.

Twice’s hands shot up in surrender. Toga swatted them back down.

Out of the corner of your eyes you spotted movement. You twisted back, and you watched in horror as Kobura shifted his weight, slamming your father to the ground. You watched the air leave your father. He gasped, sputtering to gain traction again, only for Kobura to trap him beneath his knee.

“What are a couple of U.A. students going to do if I don’t surrender?” Kobura asked.

Your face blanched. Kobura couldn’t possibly think he’d take on all three of your former classmates, some of the most powerful ones no less. There was no reason for him to taunt them like that, unless… The realization hit you like a semi-truck. Kobura kept repeating U.A. deliberately while he was threatening your parents. He kept pushing the idea that what they’d done was a mistake. Your U.A. classmates showing up at this exact moment to rescue you was probably no coincidence either. He’d planned this. Doku Kobura wasn’t trying to betray you. He was trying to get you back into U.A. the only way that he thought you’d be able to accept it.

Your eyes widened as Kobura glanced at you, meeting your stare. A small smile appeared on his face. The sound of sirens echoed in the distance. You forced yourself up on wobbling legs. Shoto reached you. He froze the ropes binding you, shattering them to get you free with just a small tug.

“Easy,” Shoto warned. “You’re being affected by a quirk. Take it easy.” He supported your weak body.

Your gaze didn’t move from Kobura, barely seeing the action around you. Shinso launched his capture weapon at the Toga holding your mother hostage. The binds sliced through the clone as soon as he tugged back, leaving behind a gray goopy mess. Your mother dropped to the ground, covering her head.

Toga and Twice exchanged a look, drawing their weapons, but not attacking. They watched Kobura expectantly. Bakugo was assessing the room. His eyes darted between the villains. His hands popped off small explosions. There were two hostages. You knew him well enough that he was trying to find a way to blast himself straight to Kobura before he could do more damage to your father.

“Go,” Kobura said, breaking the moment of silence. The word fell from his lips subtly, as if he could have been addressing just about anyone in the room or just whispering it to himself. His smile had all but disappeared.

Toga and Twice tensed. They heard him, but it was clear by their expressions that this was not part of the plan.

“BioVirus, we’re not just going to leave. We can—” Toga started.

“Go!” Kobura shouted with more force.

Bakugo took their hesitation as his chance to spring forward. In a single blast, he’d reached Kobura. His palm swung around, but Doku ducked beneath it. He pulled something free from his costume, launching it at the window. In the next breath, the side of the house has exploded, blasting glass and dust over everyone.

Shoto shielded you with his own body, and you were forced to take cover too. By the time you were able to get out from Shoto’s protective grip, Toga and Twice had already sprung out of the hole in the side of the house. Toga skipped a step or two outside, before she looked back toward Kobura.

“I’ll be fine! Go!” Doku yelled out to her.

“The hell you will, villain!” Bakugo snapped. Bakugo grabbed Kobura by the neck, shoving him into the wall which cracked under the force.

Kobura brought a knife up, skillfully slicing at Bakugo’s arm to make him release. Kobura dropped from the wall when Bakugo clutched his arm to his chest in pain. Unexpectedly, Kobura moved away from your father and farther into the room, rather than toward his only exit.

Toga had bolted. Her hesitation had been extinguished by Kobura’s words. Shoto and Shinso made a move to pursue the retreating villains, having secured both you and your mother’s safety, only for Kobura to send two knives careening out in front of them both in warning. Shinso retreated back to your mother, creating a barrier between her and Kobura. Shoto took another step in the direction of the window, and Kobura sent a knife straight at him this time. The blade barely missed Todoroki due to his quick reflexes. The three boys’ attention had set on Kobura.

Red lights began to flash outside, filling the room with an eerie pulsing glow. You forced yourself to your feet. Your quirk started to blossom within your mind again. Kobura locked eyes with you. Your hair started to lift as your quirk rumbled through your skull.

“Why?!” you croaked out toward Kobura again.

Kobura only gave you a sad smile. For you, his thoughts flooded your senses. For your dream. You hadn’t even known you’d been reaching out with your mind, but his thoughts came to you as clearly as if he were speaking.

Bakugo crashed into Kobura, blasting him into the ground and holding him there. “Stay down, you bastard.”

Kobura didn’t fight back this time. He’d done what he wanted to do. He’d convinced your parents what he needed to, and his friends had gotten away. He sacrificed his freedom for yours, and he had settled himself to that fate.

The police flooded into the room. Todoroki pulled you behind him as they began to ask questions. To your surprise, Endeavor, Heart of Hearts, and Midoriya came in shortly after. Endeavor looked furious, scanning over the remnants of damage. His attention focused on the gaping hole in the wall, and his flaming facial hair flared in anger. Your parents were taken outside to the ambulance. Kobura was cuffed. A mask containment unit was latched around his face to keep his quirk from infecting the officers, and the metal dug into his cheeks. He didn’t fight back. He didn’t argue. He just let them take him.

You wiped away tears, pushing past Todoroki and forgetting he had been a barrier between you and the police. Kobura didn’t need to do this for you. He shouldn’t have needed to make that sacrifice for you. You froze as the police looked down at you, unmoving.

“E-excuse me,” you said. “I have to—”

Your eyes trailed toward the door. A hand fell onto your shoulder, and you shivered. You glanced back. Shinso tightened his fingers to hold you where you were. He shook his head.

“Please, allow me to escort her to the ambulance. She needs medical attention before anything else,” Shinso said to the police.

You balled your fists at your sides. Shinso guided you out. By the time this all transpired, Kobura was already being driven away in the back of the law enforcement vehicle. It was too late for you to do anything for him now. Your parents had been attended to, and they were now speaking with a few officers some distance away. The paramedics checked you over, assisting with new and old scars.

“Where did you get these?” one of the paramedics asked as he pointed out a few old cuts.

“I’m not sure,” you said honestly. It could have been from weeks ago while at U.A., or it could have been from the bullies. There was no way for you to discern each bruise, scar, and cut from the other.

“She was a student at U.A. not too long ago,” Shinso explained, practically reading your mind. His presence loomed near yours. His jaw was tight, and his muscles were tensed. His attention had focused in the direction of where the police car with Kobura had left, but it slowly drifted back toward you.

The paramedic nodded in understanding, either accepting your explanation as the truth or understanding you weren’t willing to discuss the injuries further.

Bakugo and Shoto charged out of the house, practically fighting over each other to get to you.

“You’ve been out here in this part of Japan this whole time?” Bakugo snapped. “Mr. Aizawa said you’d transferred to another school, but this shithole of a place?”

“It’s not like it was my choice,” you mumbled.

“Yeah? Did your parents finally get what they wanted? I know for a fact Aizawa and you wouldn’t have let that happen, not without a fight anyway,” Bakugo continued. His voice was angry, but his expression was worried.

Your eyes suddenly widened. Your attention moved back to Shinso. “You didn’t tell them?” you asked.

Shinso glanced away. “I didn’t feel like an explanation to everyone mattered. I only had pieces of the story myself. Mr. Aizawa said that you transferred. That should have been enough of an explanation."

Bakugo grabbed Shinso by the shoulder of his costume. “You saw what had happened and didn’t think to tell me, Brain Drain?”

“Why should I have told you? You had enough information to figure it out yourself. And, last time I checked, we weren’t friends.” Shinso rolled his eyes, abruptly giving Bakugo a knowing grin. “Might as well admit to her now how worried you were, storming around like a child and tearing apart U.A. because of how upset you were to find out she was gone. Or, are you too embarrassed to share that information? Just because you’re emotionally stunted doesn’t mean you get to grab me whenever you damn please.” Shinso peeled Bakugo’s hand off of him.

Bakugo lifted his lip into a snarl, settling into a clenched jaw. He didn’t argue with Shinso after he’d asked the questions, probably aware he’d control his mind.

“You could have reached out,” Shoto offered as a gentler suggestion to you, barely breaking the tension.

You gulped, thinking about the weeks you’d been trapped in your dark room with nothing more than your homework and own thoughts to entertain you. “No, I couldn’t have.” You looked down in shame. You had wanted desperately to reach out to all of your classmates, but you couldn’t. You weren’t given a phone, and your new school had locked all social media sites on the computers. When you tried to use your quirk, you weren’t able to reach anyone either.

Shoto’s brow furrowed, but he didn’t have time to ask anything else because the Pro Heroes had started closing in around the ambulance.

“Shoto,” Endeavor’s voice growled out in warning. “I’ve told you that it is unacceptable to abandon your team while on patrol. This was not an exception of this rule.”

“I did not abandon the patrol. My classmate was in danger,” Shoto responded, barely giving his father a second glance.

Endeavor’s facial hair burst into a roaring fire. “Are you not listening to me, Shoto?! You deliberately disobeyed protocol a second time!”

“I left the lame ass patrol too,” Bakugo said gruffly. His crimson gaze set on Endeavor. “We were looking to do some real hero work, and we found it. Not sure why you’re so pissed about that.”

“To be fair, I also didn’t follow the rules,” Midoriya worriedly muttered behind the Pro Hero.

Endeavor peered around him in displeasure. His piercing blue eyes stabbed at whatever weakness he could spot. Rage boiled under his skin, and the temperature around him climbed to dangerous heights. Then, he was glaring at you.

Shoto blocked his father’s path in a single stride. A cool breeze rushed over your skin, as Shoto used his quirk to keep the temperature around you comfortable. Shoto’s height alone kept Endeavor’s wrathful gaze from meeting your much more timid one.

Shinso cleared his throat, shifting uncomfortably behind you. “I also failed to stick to the mission.”

Heart of Hearts swooped in, gliding ahead of her Pro Hero boss without flinching. Her dark skin glistened with sweat, but her easy smile could have quelled the angriest of souls. “The work-study students received a threatening communication from the villains,” Hearts explained. “Shinso managed to effectively and quickly express this to me, before he sprung heroically into action. As the threatening message was endangering a former classmate of his, I would have never expected Shinso to standby after receiving such a devastating communication. I only assume that your three work-study students had received the same. I believe they acted as Pro Heroes should have in this type of situation.” Hearts promptly straightened. “Should you wish to pass judgement or punishment, I believe that I am the one who should receive such scrutiny on Shinso’s behalf, as I immediately encouraged his pursuit,” she added.

Endeavor’s cold glare bore into Heart of Hearts. His fires dimmed and flickered with less aggression. “What message?” Endeavor asked through gritted teeth.

Midoriya handed over his phone with little hesitation. “We all received the text message in a new group chat labeled…” Midoriya cleared his throat. “I’m not sure that it matters much, but it was labeled: Wannabe Heroes. BioVirus sent over Anna Kokoro’s name, and her current location, then he proceeded to text over the threats, indicating that it didn’t matter where she was, he planned to find her, attack her, and kidnap her. He also went as far as to say that her removal from U.A. had pissed him off, as he thought they were insulting his talents by thinking they could just hide her in a normal school.” Midoriya continued to ramble on about the details of the messages.

Your face paled the more that Midoriya spoke. The communication had only been sent to the students in your class associated with Endeavor’s agency. You could only assume from that information that Kobura wanted the Pro Heroes to show up too, which meant he intended to be caught regardless if the police had shown up in time.

Endeavor scrolled through Midoriya’s phone, his expression hardening. “Don’t you think it would have been wiser to inform me of these threats, before you recklessly abandoned our current patrol?” Endeavor asked his three work-study students.

“Would you have allowed us to rescue her if we did?” Bakugo snapped back.

“That wasn’t the question,” Endeavor sternly replied.

Endeavor shoved the phone back into Midoriya’s hands. Midoriya stumbled back from the force.

“Bakugo is right. If we would have told you about what was going on, you wouldn’t have allowed us to go,” Shoto said.

“Of course I wouldn’t have, this could have easily been an elaborate trap. There are protocols for this kind of thing for a reason. Who knows what would have happened had you provisional-licensed heroes been the only ones that had shown up?” Endeavor clenched his jaw.

“It wouldn’t have mattered who showed up. He would have turned himself in regardless,” you mumbled absentmindedly.

“What?” Endeavor growled out.

Your muscles coiled as everyone’s eyes were suddenly on you. You shook your head. “BioVirus seemed to understand he wasn’t going to get out of this one unscathed, so he didn’t fight his capture. I don’t think he intended to try to run once any kind of hero showed up.” It wasn’t a lie, but it might as well had been.

You had finally put it all together. Kobura had asked Toga and Twice to come with him, so they became an active threat once he was arrested. Based on Toga’s expression when she left, and her and Twice’s general hesitation after Kobura told them to run, they had no idea what he’d been planning. Kobura’s showboat performance in front of your parents was only to push them toward putting you back into U.A.. But, figuring out why he did what he did, did not make you feel any better about it. He risked his reputation among the villains and, more importantly, his freedom by getting Toga and Twice involved. You’d met Shigaraki. If he ever figured out Kobura had used The League of Villains for his own gain, he would disintegrate Kobura without a second thought.

“Anna,” Bakugo murmured. He nudged you with his grenade gauntlet. “You still on earth, Big Brain?” he asked.

You shook yourself out of your own thoughts. Endeavor turned away from the group, taking his anger with him. He must have heard enough. Heart of Hearts followed after him, schmoozing her way into his good graces to hopefully calm him down.

“I…” Your mouth went dry, and you became unsteady on your legs.

Bakugo clumsily grabbed you, on account of his clunky gear, before you collapsed. “Shit!” he shouted. “What the hell, Big Brain?”

Shoto and Shinso rushed to your side, helping you sit on the curb.

“Is it residual toxins from BioVirus?” Shoto asked.

“Is your quirk draining your energy?” Shinso asked right after.

“N-no,” you stuttered out. You frowned, but then you gave a weak smile after figuring it out that this was probably nothing more than the adrenaline finally leaving your body. “I think this might just be a normal reaction to stress. It all hit me at once, you know?”

The hair on the back of your neck stood on end as you heard the familiar footfalls of your father coming in your direction. You lifted your head, shivering. You watched your father cross the road over to you. Your mother was not far behind him. Both of them looked disheveled and wary. When they came a few feet from Shoto and Shinso, they stopped.

Your father adjusted his work uniform, then he combed back his black hair with his trembling fingers. He cleared his throat.

“You managed to rescue my daughter yet again,” your father slowly said. He appeared to be addressing Bakugo, Shinso, and Shoto based on his flittering stare. “I suppose I should thank you.”

Bakugo scoffed. “That would be a start.”

A vein pulsed in your father’s forehead, and you winced. You shifted uncomfortably in your place, and you waited. You waited for your father to tell you to get up and go back into that horrid dark room. You waited for him to scream at you for not being home sooner. You waited for the worst. Your father balled a fist at his side. His jaw tightened.

“I think quirks are a poison to our society, and my opinion of them has not changed,” your father said bluntly. “But, I suppose I have no choice but to relinquish my daughter’s protection to the very thing I despise.” Your father bowed, but it was barely a bend worth mentioning. “I hope that you will continue to look after my daughter, as I am but a normal human citizen. Your hard work is recognized even if I do not support what you heroes do. At this point, the police cannot provide the protection they have promised.” Your father straightened. “Anna,” he said sternly.

You stood, despite having just almost passed out. “Yes.”

Your father glanced back at your mother just before addressing you again. “We will be re-enrolling you into U.A.. We will be disappearing for the time being. The police have found us a much more suitable option for our situation. That is all I can say for now. We will be in touch when necessary.” Your father walked forward.

Shinso and Shoto didn’t move, not allowing your father a moment alone with you. But, all your father did was place a hand on your shoulder.

“We were not cursed with your abilities, and we don’t have the means to protect you. U.A. is the safest place for you. They should have done a better job explaining that to me, before I removed you, but there’s no reason to dwell on that now. Stay safe, Anna. We will return when our safety is ensured to see you again.” Your father turned away, and it took all the strength in your little body not to just buckle in relief.

Your mother gave you a kiss on your forehead and said her farewell. Then, they left. No more discussions. No more arguments. Kobura’s plan to get you back into U.A. worked. His sacrifice meant you could pursue your dream again.

…

You woke up back in the van. Spinner was whisper-shouting about something in the driver’s seat, but it was muffled as you slowly regained consciousness. Your blindfold was pulled off, and your eyes struggled to adjust to daylight.

“You’re awake!” Kobura shouted, embracing you.

“Do you want the whole damn block to hear you, idiot? There are Pro Heroes crawling everywhere. Keep your voice down,” Spinner snapped.

“You scared us passing out like that,” Toga said.

“I finished stitching up the wound like you asked, Anna, but I was so worried the whole time I could barely concentrate. Don’t do that to me again,” Kobura murmured into your shoulder. “Toga talked me down from taking you straight to the hospital.”

“I knew you’d wake up,” Toga said, smiling at you.

“Toga was the only one who knew. Pretty sure she was guessing,” Twice added. His masked face was pressed up against the tinted back window, as he stared in awe at the passing Pro Heroes.

“Where are we?” you asked, blinking. “Are we going to make it on time?”

The van abruptly stopped, sending Twice tumbling off his feet. Thankfully, Kobura was still holding you, so you didn’t get whiplash. Toga remained relatively in the same spot, perfectly balanced, despite being crouched down beside you.

“This is as far as I’m taking her. Between the traffic and the Pros swarming the place, we’re going to get caught,” Spinner said.

“What happened to our deal?” Kobura asked.

“I held up my end of the bargain. There’s only a few blocks between here and U.A.. I couldn’t get her through the gates if I wanted to. Security would cuff me before I was ten feet from the U.A. entrance. Guaranteed if we’re spotted now, the Pro Heroes wouldn’t hesitate to rip us all out of the van and throw us in Tartarus.” Spinner put the van in park, tugging his hood further down to hide his face. He crossed his arms over his chest. “I’m not driving any closer. I don’t care what new van you buy me.”

Kobura gritted his teeth, slowly letting you go. His eyes narrowed at the back of Spinner’s head, but he didn’t lose his temper. Thought had Kobura glancing about the van in worry.

“What now?” Toga asked.

“I’m thinking,” Kobura said.

You glanced between the villains. They were at a standstill. No one was going to get you closer than this. You were at the final stretch. You could make it the rest of the way. What exactly was the problem?

“I can make it from here,” you said. “You’ve already done enough taking me this far.”

“I’m not letting you walk that far on your own with a leg injury,” Kobura stated bluntly. “I’m coming with you.”

“They’ll arrest you,” Toga said worriedly. “You’re definitely on some kind of list at U.A.. If a teacher sees you, you’re doomed.”

“Do you have so little faith in me?” Kobura asked, grabbing a roll of gauze from the kit he most likely replenished for the sake of The League. He began wrapping it around his head, covering one of his eyes. “I know how to avoid attention when I need to.”

“Y-you really don’t have to,” you said. “What if one of my classmates spots you with me? It’s bad enough I came with you all even with my injuries. It may have seemed as if I didn’t have a choice, but they would have just seen it as another kidnapping. I won’t be able to explain any of this to heroes.”

“I’m not arguing with you about this. I can take care of myself. If we get caught, I’m taking the fall. This is my choice, not yours.” Kobura finished covering half of his face with the gauze. His new outfit had a large enough hood that could easily cover his hair when he flipped it up. “I’m not letting you walk that far without support.”

No one else argued with Kobura, but also no one else offered to walk with you. The rest of the villains in the vehicle knew this wasn’t a good idea. Toga and Twice exchanged a worried look. You had the impression that they rarely spoke up against Kobura if he had his mind set. They respected him. It was also probably why Toga was so nice to you. Kobura held his hand out to you expectantly.

“You can’t go through the gate,” you said, knowing that he wasn’t going to listen to anymore protests.

“Obviously,” he said.

“They’ve got Pro Heroes patrolling all sides of the building,” you continued.

“I’m well aware,” he said, raising an eyebrow at you and inching his extended hand closer to you.

You bit into your lip, staring down at his hand. “You’re not going to use your quirk on anyone if you’re caught?”

“That’s a little much to ask for. This is the guy’s freedom on the line, you know? Ah, sweet love makes you do and ask for crazy unrealistic things,” Twice said, clasping his hands together and tilting his head to side.

“I promise I won’t,” Kobura assured you.

You took his hand. In the next breath, he was opening the van’s door and helping you out onto the sidewalk. You immediately stumbled as your feet hit ground. Kobura tugged you into him, hooking his arm under your shoulders to support you.

“I’ll be your crutch,” he whispered into your ear. “Put as much weight as you need to on me. I can take it.”

“I’d rather not use you at all,” you muttered under your breath.

Kobura grinned, holding back a chuckle. You blushed furiously, realizing he was probably laughing at you or your response.

“Would you rather I carry you?” he asked. He looked ahead. “If you do, you are trying to get me caught, aren’t you? I won’t deny a request like that from you though. Say the word, and I’m yours.”

You glanced away, face hot. You didn’t dare let go of him in fear you might collapse and cause more attention to befall you. His arm stayed firm around your back. You trusted him not to let go. The two of you slowly made your way to U.A.. No one glanced in your direction. To the average onlooker, you might have looked like a normal couple. Kobura kept his eyes vigilant, but his muscles stayed relaxed. He seemed oddly comfortable for being surrounded by Pro Heroes. You were startled when he spoke again.

“You were so brave,” he breathed out.

“W-what?” you asked.

“I said that you were brave. Not many people, heroes for that matter, could go through what you just did and stay so calm,” he said.

“I was terrified,” you admitted, tightening your grasp on him as a pain shot up your leg.

“Do you need to take a minute?” he asked.

“No. We’re running out of time.”

“Deadline or not, do you need to stop for a moment?”

“No.”

“Okay.”

The trek was arduous with your injury. If Kobura hadn’t been there, you may not have made it. How you were going to get to the performance on time was another matter. Kobura paused when he caught sight of the archway entrance of U.A.. He loosened his grip on you.

“This is as far as I can go. Are you sure you can make it the rest of the way?” he asked.

“I’ll be fine. Thank you,” you said, pulling away from him unsteadily.

A smile flashed across his lips. “You’re welcome. Any time.”

You stared at him for a moment, feeling a tug on your heart. You frowned, furrowing your eyebrows. You couldn’t forget what he had done. He didn’t believe he could change so why should you? Your expression softened. All the same, he came for you, rescued you.

The wind brushed your cheeks, whipping loose strands of hair about your face. You turned your gaze back up to him. He was waiting for you to leave, go where he couldn’t follow. He lifted his hand up in a small wave farewell.

“Goodbye, Doku,” you said.

Kobura’s eyes widened, but before he could respond, you spun on your heel, heading for the school entrance. You crossed the threshold, feeling your chest tighten. You were on different paths that were never supposed to cross. He knew that. You knew that. You couldn’t change him. You had to remind yourself he wouldn’t change, even if it were for you, even if you thought he might be able to.

You did your best to hide your limp as you headed to the locker room to change into your performance uniform. As part of the Special Effects Team, all you needed to wear was an orange t-shirt and black pants. At least in Kobura’s hoodie, you weren’t that noticeable once you put the hood up. The crowd of people had you suffocating the further you moved in.

You kept your head down, trying not to think about how many people there were bumping into you. You made it pretty far, but it became more difficult for you to distract yourself from the noise. Not to mention, your fluctuating quirk was picking up on a tidal wave of thoughts every time it came back into focus. You stopped, breath erratic and mouth dry.

“Princess?”

You turned your gaze up. “Kirishima?” you asked.

“Where have you been? The whole class has been trying to figure out where you’d gone! Todoroki and I already carried all of your cookies backstage, but we thought you might have passed out from exhaustion in your dorm room.” Kirishima looked around. “When we found out Deku wasn’t with you, we thought the worst.” He gave you a shark-toothed grin. “You should have just told me if you wanted to check out the festival ahead of time. I would have covered for you. Let me call the guys. A few of us have been out looking for you, the few that can be spared as we set up that is. I barely slipped away without Iida catching me.”

“You were looking for me?” you asked.

“Of course we were. Bakugo thought maybe you sleepwalked out of your dorm room, and he practically blew up his drum kit when Iida said to leave it to the teachers to find you. I wasn’t part of the stage crew, so it wasn’t that obvious that I went out.” Kirishima winked at you, ducking his head down. “Don’t tell anyone that we snuck away, okay? I couldn’t help myself because I was worried. I swear I would have been back for the actual performance.”

Kirishima called someone on his phone, most likely Bakugo or his search partners. His voice faded out as your eyes drifted toward the crowd again. Muddled thoughts infiltrated your head, and you winced. You focused in your quirk only for it to slip a bit again. Your breathing escalated.

Kirishima’s smile faded as he looked over your expression. “What’s wrong?”

You tucked your hands into your hoodie, shivering. There were too many people around, too many thoughts.

“Oh, is it the crowd?” Kirishima sidled up next to you, hanging up the phone.

Kirishima put his arm around your shoulders. As soon as his arm brushed you, you couldn’t help but think of how attentive Kobura was to you only moments before. Your muscles coiled out of instinct, maybe fear or something else, but you couldn’t tell which. Kirishima tugged your hood a bit further down so you could barely see the crowd around you. Suddenly, Kirishima had gently pushed you behind his back, his hands on yours.

“Tamaki gets anxious in crowds too. Normally, he would find a wall to face, but we don’t really have that option here. We’ve got to make it back so everyone knows that you’re safe. My back is as good as any brick wall anyway. If you want me to, I can even harden it for you. You can focus on me, okay? Just you and me.” You couldn’t see his face anymore, but you knew that Kirishima was smiling brighter than the sun itself, excited that he can be of help to you.

You tightened your fingers over his. “Thank you,” you murmured. “C-can we walk slowly?”

“Of course,” Kirishima said over his shoulder.

You kept your head down as you moved forward. Luckily, Kirishima didn’t seem embarrassed to be moving through a crowd as a two-car-person train. In fact, he had no issues navigating his way through the densely populated area even with his hands behind his back.

“Excuse me. Pardon me. We’re coming through,” Kirishima said politely as he moved nimbly past heroes and civilians.

Your eyes slowly trailed up his back, once your mind had slowly calmed itself. You focused your attention on the contours of his shoulders and arms, his muscles flexing when he turned or squeezed your hands back in reassurance. Aside from apologetically moving through the crowd, he checked up on you by either glancing back or asking you a question about how you were holding up. Your mind didn’t slip once while in Kirishima’s care. It genuinely surprised you.

Kirishima exhaled in relief once you’d made it to your class’ dressing room. He carefully turned back to you, his hand still holding one of yours. He gave you another shark-toothed grin after seeing your expression. “We made it,” he said. Instead of releasing your hand outright, he loosened it to allow you the opportunity to pull away when you needed to.

You nodded slowly, pulling off your hood. Kirishima tilted his head to the side, raising an eyebrow.

“Did you do something different with your makeup?” he asked.

You gulped, not answering. You finally pulled back your hand from Kirishima’s. You needed to say something, anything, so that he didn’t get suspicious. If he looked any harder at your face, he would notice the bruising.

Kirishima abruptly blushed in embarrassment, scratching the back of his neck. “Ah, sorry if you didn’t. I really don’t know much about cosmetics anyway. Of course, I’ve been learning a whole lot more about makeup from Mina and Bakubro.”

“Bakugo?” you asked.

“Yeah, he does a killer job on his eyeliner for his hero costume. I’ve been begging him to teach me, but he said I wouldn’t have time to put on eyeliner because I’m always spending all of the prep work on my ‘shitty’ hair.” Kirishima chuckled. He pouted. “I think my hair looks cool. I don’t know why he picks on it all of the time.”

You blinked up at Kirishima, realizing that though he was very kind and considerate, he didn’t have the best meticulous observation skills. He wasn’t the type of person to force an answer out of you or analyze a person’s flaws. He probably wouldn’t notice anything farther than different makeup, unless you outright told him something was wrong. You were grateful he was the one that found you, rather than Bakugo. Bakugo would have probably figured everything out after a single once over.

“I like your hair,” you said. “I don’t know why Bakugo picks on it so much.”

Kirishima froze, his hand pausing behind his head. He gave you a goofy-looking grin, and his cheeks nearly matched the color of his hair. “Thanks.” He cleared his throat. “If you like it, then I’ll keep it the same. Bakubro wouldn’t be jealous of it, but maybe he has his reasons for teasing me so much.” Kirishima shrugged. His phone buzzed, and he checked it. His face went pale. “Oh, man. It’s almost time!” Kirishima opened the locker room door. “Uraraka told me she had left out your backstage uniform. It should be right on the bench. See you backstage.”

You looked at him, eyes tearing up. Kirishima’s smile softly melted, his eyebrows furrowing.

“Hey, are you—”

“Thanks for worrying about me, Kirishima.” Your voice suddenly choked up. “I-I never want anyone to worry over me. I’ve always thought that I would just be a bother. But, I also used to think I wasn’t someone important enough to worry over either…”

“Princess, what are you talking about? You’re important to all of us. We’re not just your classmates. We’re your friends. I’m your friend,” Kirishima said sincerely, pressing a hand to his chest. “You’ll never be a bother to me. I worry because I care so much about you. We all do.”

You thought about how you’d be behind the stage soon, how you used to be teased, an outcast. You had no one to turn to back then. Your only support had been yourself, and you were only a child. Your old life was nothing like this one. People cared about you, worried about you. You had friends here, lifelong friends that you could go to for anything if you only allowed yourself to.

You forced a smile, feeling a tear finally slip from your eye. “I just wanted to thank you. I’ve changed a lot since middle school, my life has changed a lot because you and our other classmates.” You breathed in a shaky breath. “I feel like I belong here, and I never want to take that for granted.”

Kirishima reached his hand out to comfort you, but you stepped away into the locker room, out of sight of the bustling hallway.

“We’re going to be late,” you said, carefully wiping the tear from your face to avoid smearing your makeup. “I held you up.”

“N-no, it’s okay. Princess, I can stay for—”

“Shitty Hair!” Bakugo bellowed. He must have grown inpatient waiting for everyone to show up and slipped away from your other classmates.

Your eyes widened. Bakugo’s voice was enough for you to finally turn away from Kirishima. Without another word between each other, you heard the door close behind you. Everyone must have already changed because the room was empty. Sitting on the bench was your orange 1-A t-shirt and black pants. You struggled to change due to your leg injury but managed to all the same.

You looked in the mirror, realizing your wrists were still chaffed from being bound. There wasn’t a jacket to cover them. In a panic, you searched the room coming upon a box of some festival sweatbands, and you slipped them over your raw wrists, wincing from the pain. You adjusted your hair one last time, trying your best to hide your face under some loose strands. Finally, you rushed out to the back of the stage, nearly bumping straight into Todoroki on your way out.

Shoto’s eyes locked with yours. “Anna?” he gasped out. He reached out with his arms for an embrace, only to stop himself, adjusting back into a neutral stance. “I’m glad you’re okay. If you’re here, that must mean Kirishima has returned as well.”

“H-he s-should almost be here,” you stuttered out, ducking your head away from his gaze.

Shoto’s attention shifted to your hair. “Would you like me to braid your hair? It appears as if some of it fell out of your ponytail.”

“No, that’s okay. There isn’t much time left, right? There’s probably more that needs to be done. Also, you’ll have to be side stage soon, won’t you?”

“With any luck we will be in a more optimal position for the snow and ice effects.” Shoto moved his attention away from you, picking up a box of supplies. “I think everything has already been set up for the most part. You won’t have to use your quirk. Besides, you did enough with the baked goods. Uraraka’s planning to toss them out to the crowd with her quirk.”

“Oh, so I wasn’t needed after all?” Your shoulders sank. Sure, Kirishima had been looking for you, but it seemed like the performance would have gone without pause had you not shown up at all.

“That isn’t what I said,” Shoto replied firmly, his gaze scanning over you again. “You’ve done so much already that it’s time for your classmates to shoulder some of the responsibility, you know?”

“Yo, you made it!” Sero exclaimed, smiling brightly in your direction. “Thought my baking teacher might have been playing hooky.” Sero grabbed another box next to Shoto. “Cookies turned out great by the way. They’re sure to be a hit!”

“Thank you,” you said, standing awkwardly beside them. “D-do you two need a hand? I can lift things too. I don’t need to use my quirk.”

“I think we’re quite capable of handling a few boxes,” Todoroki said.

“These are the last ones,” Sero said.

“Why don’t you go sit down? I’m sure it took a toll on you to bake throughout the night,” Shoto said. “We can handle the remainder of the setup.”

Kirishima ran up breathlessly. “Hey, guys! Made it just in time!”

“Hi, Kiri,” you said, giving a small wave.

“Hello, Princess. Long time no see.” He winked at you. “What are you two standing around for? We need to get in position!”

“Has Midoriya arrived with the rope for Aoyama? He was late, was he not?” Todoroki asked.

“He’s back. Pretty scuffed up though. He said he’d explain later,” Sero said.

The three boys walked away to their positions while you stood without much of a purpose. You had asked that you didn’t lift anything with your quirk during the performance, but you could have been of use. Maybe they were just looking out for you because of how much you’d overworked yourself, but it sort of stung that there wasn’t anything else for you to do.

You rubbed your arm in guilt. Even if you had more of a role to play at this point of the performance, if you caught sight of the audience, you might have panicked. It was for your own good that you weren’t seen, weren’t heard. You knew this was all for the best. You had specifically asked them to exclude you from those activities. Even if you knew that, it didn’t hurt any less.

Your quirk flickered in your skull, and you winced. The drawbacks of the quirk-erasing drug had ebbed, but still lingered within your system. You didn’t want to think about what would have happened had you’d been injected with the final product, rather than the prototype.

You walked back into the shadows, lingering the farthest out of the way and watching your classmates move about with purpose. Shortly after, the band began to play, and the performance was well under way. The audience was louder than you expected, and clearly class 1-A had outdone themselves. You hoped Eri was having the time of her life in that crowd.

From your propped position all you could see was the back of the curtain and flashing lights. You stood up from the wall, gaze fixated on the edge of the curtain where the lights crept in. You were missing out because of fear, missing out because of your past. Your hand was now clutching the edge of the deep crimson curtain fabric, staring at its fibers to avoid looking out into the commotion. You shut your eyes, feeling your heart beat loudly in your chest. You could hear the joy ringing out from the crowd, from your peers. You were missing it.

You leaned around the corner of the curtain, peeking one eye open. A wave of music and wind blew through you. You clutched the curtain tighter between your fingers as your breath caught. Hundreds of faces stared in the direction of the stage, hundreds of eyes watching. Your heart leapt into your ribs, and you froze in fear.

They can’t see you. They can’t see you. They can’t see you. They’re not watching you, you thought to yourself.

You had to move. You had to back away. You weren’t ready for this. No one in the crowd could see you from your position on the stage, but you couldn’t move. Your legs wouldn’t let you move. You choked on your next breath, legs shaking. Only hours before, you’d been in a much more terrifying situation in the clutches of a villain, and, here you were, feeling helpless and alone.

Close your eyes, Kobura’s words echoed in your skull.

You couldn’t. You couldn’t do it on your own. Your body wouldn’t let you. Tears threatened to fall from your burning eyes. The world became blurry. Your quirk fought against your feeble control. Your hair floated. Then, you spotted her in the crowd. You spotted Eri’s bright smiling face amongst the sea of people. Her red eyes sparkled in excitement.

Control slammed back into you like a kick to the chest. You crumpled to the stage, scrambling back, so you couldn’t see the crowd, but facing the side of the band, staring ahead in shock and fear. Your eyes locked with Bakugo’s. He had stood from his seat behind the drums. Sweat slipped down the edge of his jaw. His hands had paused with his drumsticks over the kit. Worry was etched into his expression.

Bakugo glanced back out at the crowd, before looking back at you. He lowered back into his chair, and his arms moved on instinct as he continued to play. His attention, however, stayed off of the stage. How long had he been watching you stand there? Had he stopped playing for long?

To keep him from worrying, you forced yourself back up on your feet. Only, you staggered out of weakness. Bakugo flinched, missing his next hit. Guilt tightened your chest. No, you didn’t want him to focus on you. This wasn’t about you. The performance had to go on for Eri. Her smile was all that mattered. It’s why all of the pain you suffered that day was worth it.

You wanted to yell at Bakugo telepathically but feared he would feel your injuries. Didn’t he know this wasn’t about you?

You gave him a weak smile and a thumbs up, knowing full well he would know it was bullshit. If the lights weren’t so dim, he could have probably determined that your face was bruised too. Bakugo scowled, mouthing the word, “later,” at you. He turned back to focus on the drums, playing much harder than he had been before.

You rushed from the stage and crashed into the locker room. Your ragged breath echoed off of the tiles. You clutched your shirt, wincing as you brushed your chest wound. What were you thinking?

You stumbled out of the locker room and out into the hall, only to come face-to-face with Mr. Aizawa. His tall, lanky form loomed over you. His fatherly gaze saw straight through you. You practically stopped breathing, seeing him so close. Wouldn’t he have been with Eri and Mirio? What was he doing here?

“Kokoro,” he said, his voice raspy and worn. “Your parents are here.”

“W-what?” you stuttered out. “What do you mean that they’re here? They hate these kinds of things. They wouldn’t purposefully come to a place with so many people with quirks for no reason.” Your face flushed with heat. It was hard to breathe. This couldn’t be happening, not now. “W-what about Eri? Don’t you have to be with her? She didn’t have to go back to the hospital, did she?”

“Eri is with Mirio and Present Mic. She will be in good hands until we can sort this situation out with your parents. You need to calm down. Breathe.” Mr. Aizawa combed a hand through his black hair, sighing. He glanced behind him, before his gaze met yours again. “What happened this morning?” he asked.

You closed your mouth, hoping you wouldn’t immediately burst into tears in front of him. How did he know? Why were your parents here? Kobura should have done everything to erase that FlikFlok live from the face of the earth. That couldn’t be what he was asking about.

“You were missing,” Aizawa continued sternly. “Where were you?” he asked.

“I was sleepwalking, and…” you trailed off, unable to look him in the eyes.

“What happened to your face?”

“I…”

“Kokoro.” Aizawa knelt down so he was eye-level with you. “Tell me what happened.”

“Something bad,” you choked out, but it was all you could manage. You wanted to run, but knew you wouldn’t get far on your buckling legs. You felt ashamed. You shifted, feeling the weight beneath you give way.

Aizawa grabbed you by the wrist before you could collapse. You whimpered as his strong grip curled around your chaffed skin. He steadied you, but his observant gaze went to your wristbands. He shifted one sweatband up your arm, only to take in an unsteady breath after observing the raw rope lines. He hid the marks back under the cloth. Without hesitation, he lifted you from the ground. Several eyes turned in your direction as he carried you.