No pairings in this one, I think. Lots of flashbacks to Rima's school days.

Chapter One: First Day at Work

(Rima's POV)

"Well? Is your answer a no?" I asked, being careful to not break eye contact. The hand man—Shigaraki Tomura—destroyed the glass in his hand out of irritation, the dusty remnants falling from his clenched hand to the bar countertop. His companion, the warp gate user, stared at me with what I assumed was bewilderment. It was pretty hard to tell.

"How did you manage to find our base?" He asked as though they'd done such a great job keeping it secret until now. "Just as importantly, aren't you a hero?" I shrugged with a smile, still staring right at Shigaraki.

"It had all the signs of a stakeout place. Inconspicuous, close enough to cheap yet tolerable food, and who would question two weird dudes in a bar, right? As for my status as a hero, well, I gotta pay the bills, right? It doesn't really mean that much to me anymore; I gave up on that dream years ago. So am I in or nah?" That was the moment I officially became a traitor.

But that's not where this story starts.

I groaned at my alarm clock as though I could annoy it into stopping but, of course, no such luck. Slowly, I inched my way out of bed, trying to avoid being awake and alive for as long as I could. "Ah, shut it." I hissed at my alarm clock before swatting it off my night stand and onto the floor, grinning when it finally stopped. The sound of the plastic breaking into bits upon impact was extremely satisfying. That was my fifth alarm clock kill this month but worth the silence every time.

I stumbled through the hall, discarding my light nightgown on the way, to take a shower. There was no way I was going to go to my new job smelling like I ran a marathon in my sleep. Shows me right though; I should've just fixed the thermostat myself instead of trusting my creepy landlord to do it for me.

Clean and refreshed, I washed my face, brushed my teeth and slipped on a light pink dress with white flowers, grimacing at how pure and cute like my usual wardrobe was. I headed into the kitchen to make my morning coffee. Breakfast was, like the day before, a reheated convenience store lunch which I ate while watching the news. Blah, blah, attack on USJ, blah, blah, blah...All stuff I already knew. Don't they have anything more interesting to say?

Oh well. Grabbing my keys, lab coat, phone, and downing the rest of my coffee, I headed out the door, stopping only to slip on my pink sandals first. I passed all my fellow tenants with a bright smile plastered on my face. A lot of them stopped me for casual pleasantries. Like always, I smiled and matched their enthusiasm. Oh, your kid got the lead in the school play? How wonderful! Your dog had puppies? Oh, how cute! Your brother got hit by a car? I hope he's alright! Give him my best! Acting like I care gets exhausting sometimes.

Work isn't too different either; as soon as I get there, I have to introduce myself to the rest of the staff as if I give a crap about any of them. "I'm glad to meet all of you! Especially you, All Might! I was a big fan after your debut!" Well, that's half true; I never lie. Even when I'm faking enthusiasm, I always tell at least half the truth. "I'm sure you all know, but my grandmother asked for some help around the nurse's office after the recent incident. I'm the healing hero Medi-Rima!" I grinned. "But you can just call me Rima!" I shook their hands and smiled as sweetly as I could, wondering why all this was all necessary. They were hoping to have as little interaction with me as possible, right?

My grandmother showed me around the nurse's office after giving me a handful of candy. She always does that; I wonder how much she spends on this stuff per week...I smiled and thanked her, settling down near the window with the student files. It was a nice day, the birds chirping happily and a nice breeze coming in every now and then. I wondered when it was going to be over, honestly bored to tears. A few teachers stopped by for minor things; Mic ran out of cough drops, Aizawa needed painkillers and a place to rest where he didn't have to listen to Mic, and All Might came by to pick up some of his usual meds. Did she really need me here? Or did she just want to keep an eye on me?

Grandma was one of the more perceptive members of my family, the one who always noticed when there was a crack in my usual facade...did she suspect me of having some villainous motives? Or was she just worried about me? "Have you heard from Mayu lately?" She finally asked me, breaking the nice silence. "She's getting married soon."

"Oh, I know! I'm so excited; I love weddings! And her fiance seems really sweet!" I replied happily. I'm not crazy about weddings, but the guy did seem pretty nice. He really cared about my sister, comforting her when someone treated her badly for being quirkless.

"Do you have a date to the wedding yet?" Oh, no. "She said she knew someone you might like!" I laughed nervously, honestly creeped out by grandma's interest in my love life.

"I'm sure they're a lovely person," I replied as nicely as I could, "but dating doesn't fit well with hero life, does it?" Seeing the smile on my grandmother's face, I knew there was no way I could get out of this without breaking character. "Oh, well...I guess it can't hurt to at least meet them, right?" It probably wouldn't hurt me, anyway.

The day passed quickly and quietly, a student or two requesting some minor healing after some scapes in their training. I recognised the anxiety in their eyes; it was almost time for the huge sports fest, where the lucky could take their place in the hero class and those already in it fight tooth and claw to keep their spot. I used to be like that too, I thought a bit biterly. The transfer to general studies still stung even now.

Bored, I did some research on the League of Villains. It was a new, rather silly name. "Sounds like a guild in a mass multiplayer online game," Someone noted online. I stifled a laugh, agreeing. Still, that Nomu creature…Humming to myself, I continued to scroll through the news when something caught my eye.

After work, I gently turned down an invitation to go out drinking. "I'm not a big drinker but thanks for thinking of me!" I smiled sweetly, waving to my new coworkers. I already had plans, after all. It was about time I stopped by to greet an old school friend.

A/N: Not a very important chapter; almost nothing happened, haha. Just gives you a feel of Rima's character and all.