Chapter 11
The Past, the Present, and the Path
Mid March
One week after the Entrance Exam
The letter had come in the mail. All the kids had crowded around Reina as Urahara handed her the letter, but she had retreated into her room, locking the door behind her. She wanted to be alone.
There it sat, in front of her on her desk, unopened. Rei sat in the chair, legs crossed as she balanced on the seat. Golden eyes stared blankly in front of her, desire absent.
This was all wrong. This wasn't how she wanted it to go.
She wanted Reina to be beside her in this moment. Her mentor deserved to know, for all the work she had invested in her mentee, all the days she had pushed Rei to become better not just as an academic, but as a person. But now she lay in a coma in a hospital, leaving everyone uncertain if she would ever wake up again or not. To further complicate things and stew the pot for Rei, the meeting with Reina's parents one week prior had left a bitter taste in her mouth, a knife that had been plunged into her chest and still remained. How had Reina, her beautiful and bright mentor, come from such serious and condescending parents? How had she survived all this time, continuing to be such a bright and radiant person that brought love and compassion to everyone she touched? Why had Reina's parents been so eager to twist the blade into Rei's chest?
The letter sat in front of her. Yet for all the years she had spent preparing for this moment, her mind was everywhere and anywhere else but where it was supposed to be.
Fifteen minutes passed in silence. She had surely failed. She had been average on the written portion, and had scored thirty-six points on the practical. It was nothing outstanding, nothing that would merit attention. She instinctively knew that others had done better; she had scraped by with her quirk, something that wasn't nearly as effective as an offensive ability as others were. For the most part she had done that well because she had thought ahead, using the terrain and her other abilities to do the work for her. But none of that mattered in the end; the test was about results, and she had surely failed.
Finally, she reached for the letter, carefully tearing it open with one of her nails. Her stomach was sick, but she fought it back. At least she had to get this over with. Out slid a small, circular object, much to Rei's surprise and confusion. She blinked slowly at the object. What was she supposed to do with this? Feeling around the surface, she felt something click into place, the object beginning to whir to life. A projection shot out of the top, Rei quickly placing it on her desk.
"I am here! As a projection!"
Rei blinked. All Might?!
What in the world?
He beamed from the projection, trademark smile plastered across his face as he placed his hands on his hips. It certainly was the real All Might, leaving Rei half wondering just how they had gotten him to deliver the results. Was he getting involved with U.A.? That would be news indeed. "Akatsuki Rei. You passed the written exam with flying colors! Very commendable indeed. And, as you may already know, you received thirty-six points on the practical portion. It was a good effort, for which you should be proud of yourself."
Folding her hands into her lap, Rei looked down at her clasped fingers. It was all information that she had known. From the way that he was presenting it, it sounded like he was trying to encourage her, leading up to her downfalls.
Crestfallen, tears began to come to her eyes. She hadn't made it.
"As you may know, U.A. accepts only the best of the best. We pride ourselves on the unconventional, forcing students to go beyond, Plus Ultra! That is why-"
The first tear dropped. She had known, deep down.
"The practical exam was not only graded on villain points!"
Her heart stopped. Eyes flew up to the projection, lips parting slightly as she sharply inhaled. The exam wasn't just graded on villain points? But if that wasn't all there was to it…"
"Rescue points! Aside from villain points, a panel of judges scores each individual on their rescue capabilities and actions during the exam. And for you, Akatsuki Rei-"
A new screen flashed up, listing the top ten scores. Names, villain points, and rescue points. Rei's eyes greedily took in the information, breath hitching as she found her name. Her hands clapped over her mouth, tears welling once again, but for very different reasons.
"Thirty-six villain points, plus an additional forty rescue points, for a total of seventy-six points!"
Second place, one point away from tying with first.
"Your actions against the zero-point villain were noble, not only jumping in front of that boy who had frozen in fear, but also continuing to distract it as others ran away. Even if there was no immediate reward, you did so heroically. How can a hero school turn away from those who help others?" All Might grinned, getting closer to the camera. "Congratulations, Young Akatsuki. Welcome to U.A.."
The projection flickered to black, showing a small note to pay attention to further directions that were included in the letter inside the envelope. But Rei didn't move. She couldn't move. Her jaw was still slack, hanging open in surprise. For a moment Rei couldn't believe it, sitting in the dim lighting and silence. U.A… she had…
"Nee-san made it into U.A.!"
She could hear the cheers from beyond her door, the other children losing their minds as they stormed up and down the staircase. At the bottom she could hear Urahara desperately trying to calm everyone, but to no avail. Laughter, ecstatic cheers, all for her.
Pulling her legs close to her chest, Rei rested her face on her knees, digging her eyeballs into the bony joints that jutted up harshly.
She cried.
The first thing she did the next day was visit Reina.
She had been moved to a prestigious hospital by her parents, in order to assure that their daughter received the highest quality care. But from what Rei could ascertain, no one ever really visited her since her arrival. A small piece of Rei was thankful that she wouldn't have to interact with such unsettling adults, bitter at their last encounter and wishing they would stay away forever. But without Reina's parents, Rei knew that few people would be over to visit her. So with a heart half burdened and half light, she made her way to the hospital, set on visiting her mentor whether she was awake or not.
To be honest, Rei had expected to receive more pushback from her visit since she was unaccompanied and still a middle school student, but as it turned out the receptionists at the front had swooned as soon as they saw the young girl carrying a bright bouquet of sunflowers in her hands. They had deemed her a sweet and thoughtful young girl, visiting her mentor who rarely received any visitors that they knew of at the front reception. They had immediately caved and ushered her through the hospital after handing over a visitor's pass, leaving Rei almost bewildered as she walked through the sterile hallways.
When she finally found the room, a nurse had met her at the entrance, interested in knowing exactly who was visiting her beautiful young patient. After Rei sheepishly admitted that Reina was her mentor the nurse had gushed about how supportive and thoughtful both of them were, inviting her into the room as she made her rounds. The nurse shared the overall condition of Reina, as much as she could to someone not directly related.
"You know," the nurse held her a clipboard to her chest as she finished up, "people in comas aren't really absent. There's a lot of evidence that they can still hear us, even though they can't respond."
Rei's eyebrows raised in genuine interest. "Really?"
The nurse nodded, a sad look coming over her face as she sighed. "To be honest, it's disheartening that few people come to visit Fujiwara-san. I try to talk to her every time I'm in here, but she doesn't know me as well." With a sad smile, she gave a meaningful look to Rei. "While you're here, you should talk to her. It's good for her development, and might help speed the healing process."
She left before Rei could respond or ask any questions, leaving Rei alone in the room, unsure and awkward. Talk to Reina? Sitting in the chair next to Reina's bed, she looked at her slumbering face, peaceful and placid. At least now she was cleaned up, much neater and slightly more alive looking than when Rei had first seen her in the first hospital. Now she appeared like she was in a deep slumber. For a moment Rei sat still near the bed, unsure of what to do, trying to formulate what she would say in her head. But after a minute, she simply sighed.
"Reina, it's me, Rei." It was more awkward than she realized, talking at someone who couldn't respond. Shaking her head in frustration, she pushed through, moving on. "It's been a week since you've been in here. I wonder if you can really hear me. I just…"
Scowling, Rei's hands gripped her bulky black jacket in her palms. She felt dumb. Maybe she should just leave. She shook her head. No, she would do this. For Reina's sake.
"The acceptance letters for U.A. came in yesterday. Last night, actually. Reina… I got in." For the first time that morning, a small smile lit up her face. "I was ranked number two on the practical, even though I dislocated my shoulder. You should've seen the other kids at the orphanage. They all started screaming. Even Urahara couldn't calm them down for a while." Laughing at the memory, she brushed a few strands of hair behind her ear, looking back at Reina's face.
"So, I start in a few weeks. I guess I'll have to turn down Ketsubutsu and Seiai now, though. I didn't think about that yesterday. Guess that's what I'm doing today." She paused, thinking of what else to say. "I have work tomorrow. It's going really well. I like it, even though it's early."
A pause. "Reina, this feels weird, talking at you. I don't like it." Shifting in her seat, she finally stood up. "Please, come back soon, okay? I miss you. A lot. I want to go back to the cafe and eat croissants with you. I want to talk about U.A., and ask you for your advice."
"Reina, just… wake up soon, okay?"
Present Day, after the sports festival.
"Good work today."
Class 1-A had returned to the classroom, patched up and ready for the long day to end. Everyone seemed to be in decent spirits, save for Bakugou, who continued to hold the medal in his gritted teeth, his angry and spiteful rage only increasing as time went on. Still Aizawa continued on, everyone mostly intent on and content to ignore the thundercloud sitting near the front corner. "So, there will be no school tomorrow or the day after. I'm sure the pro heroes who were watching will want to recruit you, but we'll consolidate everything and announce it when we get back."
With one final survey of the class, peering through the bandages around his face, Aizawa concluded. "That's all. Rest well, and look forward to that."
An enthusiastic chorus of "yes" reverberated in the classroom, even Rei putting more effort into her cheer. As their homeroom teacher slunk out of the classroom the chatter came back. Yaoyorozu turned around in her seat, looking to Rei with a brilliant smile. "Congratulations, Akatsuki-san! I'm sure you'll get a lot of offers from companies."
"Yeah."
A pause, as cobalt eyes looked at her in concern. "Are you sure you're alright? All of us were terrified when you fell…"
Rei was still distracted, mostly by the pain as she leaned over to pick up her bag and place it on her desk, but she didn't want to make a big deal. Her stomach was mostly healed, the pain and tenderness of newly stitched muscles the only thing that lingered. They had to be stretched out eventually so that they would begin to get stronger, but Rei would focus on that later, most likely the next day. Shrugging her shoulders, she sighed. "I'm fine. Really."
She blinked in surprise as she felt her phone vibrate, pulling it out of the external pocket with curiosity as she looked at the notification. So engrossed in her own personal bubble, she failed to notice a set of eyes that had turned to stare at her in guilt, hesitant to intrude but wanting to say something.
They never got the chance.
1 new message.
Flipping the phone open and scrolling to her messages, Rei's heart stopped. Eyes widening, she froze, body going rigid in shock. Yaoyorozu looked at her in concern. "Akatsuki-san, what's wrong? Are you in pain?"
Some people turned in their desk at Yaoyorozu's exclamation, looking in concern at the girl in the back corner of class. But Rei couldn't feel anyone's eyes on her, didn't realize the attention she had drawn. Her entire being had been sucked into one message, one word that had popped up onto her screen.
Reinananana (4:16 PM)
Congratulations :)
She stood up suddenly, desk chair scraping on the floor with the sudden movement. Her stomach screamed in pain, but adrenaline had taken over, cushioning the pain in favor of her mind racing over the possibilities that the single message carried. In one fluid motion she swung her backpack over her shoulder, the brunt of the weight barely registering in her mind. "I'm going," she spoke quickly to Yaoyorozu, though her eyes were far away. "Don't wait for me."
"Akatsuki-san-"
But Rei's mind was already miles away, her mind racing behind. She stumbled for a moment down the aisle, barely catching herself in time as she raced forward. It was like time repeated itself as she passed by Bakugou, the boy explosively standing up from his desk as his hands crackled and stepping into the aisle just as Rei began to pass by. Knocked aside by his sudden rise from his desk she stumbled again, clasping her phone close to her chest. Already irritated, Bakugou exploded. "Oi, watch where you're going! Shitty-"
His words stopped. Rei didn't. She didn't even look at him as she pushed past, dashing across the front of the classroom and slamming the door in her wake. When the door shut behind her the tension lingered for a moment longer, silence filling the room in confusion over what had just happened. It was broken by Bakugou's hands crackling off, his yelling filling the room once again as he began to rage over the medal and at being ignored. Most people began to recover, going about their business and beginning to talk amongst themselves once more as people began filing out.
But Midoriya turned to Yaoyorozu, the girl looking concerned and almost afraid. "Yaoyorozu-san," he began, but he trailed off, unsure of how to continue.
Momo seemed to know what he wanted to ask. Her cobalt eyes lowered to her desk, shoulders dropping and slumping forward. "She looked like she was going to cry." Looking up at Midoriya, she sent him a pleading look, desperate to confirm what she had seen. "You saw it too, right?"
"Y-yeah…" His response only seemed to worry Yaoyorozu further. She stood from her desk, gathering her belongings about her.
"Akatsuki-san doesn't cry. She had seen something on her phone. I'm worried…"
He had no answer. Out of anyone in the class, Akatsuki was undeniably the closest to Yaoyorozu. If even her best friend was stumped…
They just had to trust that she would be okay, and wait for her to come back to them.
A pair of eyes, one brown and one cerulean, drifted back down to their desk in guilt.
She ran all the way to the hospital.
She was certain that her wounds had opened again, as dangerous as they had been. Even her quirk hadn't been able to fully heal her, no matter how much faster she healed compared to regular people and even with Recovery Girl's assistance, and she was sure that the bandages under her shirt were bleeding again from the exertion. But Rei couldn't find it in herself to be either concerned or caring. Out of breath and wheezing upon arrival, she could barely articulate anything to the receptionists, but to her fortune they recognized her immediately, handing her a visitor's pass with a small bit of hesitation at her sudden appearance. Walking as quickly as she could she elected to take the stairs, sprinting up to Reina's level as fast as possible. She would be faster than waiting on the elevators in this slow building, and she wanted to waste no time.
It was when she was drawing close to Reina's room that the same nurse appeared, a smile on her face. "Akatsuki-san!" She was rather cheerful, not at all surprised at the young girl's appearance. In fact, it looked as though she had been expecting it. "I take it you received Fujiwara's text message."
Rei was startled, stopping in her tracks. "You… knew?"
She nodded. "Fujiwara-san forced herself to try and stay awake for as long as she could, but she lasted about fifteen minutes before falling back asleep again. She's still exhausted, so she needs her rest. But it was enough to see the awards ceremony at the sports festival." The nurse bowed. "Congratulations, by the way."
There were too many things happening at once. The nurse had been expecting her. Reina had finally woken up. She had seen the sports festival. She knew… "When can I see her?" She managed to spit out her words, no matter how fast her mind was racing.
At this the nurse frowned a bit. "She'll most likely be asleep for the rest of the evening. Come back tomorrow. She'll most likely be up by then." She bowed slightly again. "I apologize, that you came all this way…"
Rei shook her head, shoulders sagging. "No, that's okay. I'll be here tomorrow then." Turning away and walking back down the hallway, she made her way to the elevator, pressing the button to go down. She could take her time now, walking a bit more slowly now that her stomach wounds were screaming at her in full force.
But even despite the pain, she could breathe easier now. She could breathe, now that she knew that Reina was okay.
On the first day off after the sports festival, Rei went into to work as usual. Despite the early hour she was brimming with nervous energy, her mind surprisingly awake and aware of everything. The entire time she felt as though her heart was ready to explode from anticipation, wondering if Reina would be awake this time. Mamaru had noticed her young assistant's energy, and once Rei had explained the entire situation the elder woman had packed a small box filled with fresh fruit tarts, sending them off with the girl with a smile and well wishes. She released Rei slightly early, giving her time to change into more casual clothes and make a few more stops.
She had dressed in one of her favorite outfits, white shorts and a beige tank top underneath a trendy sweater jacket that Reina had bought for her on her birthday almost a year ago. It was black and hung loosely on her body, obscuring the full shape of her arms and torso while hanging open at the front, baggy sleeves cinched at her wrists. Rei absolutely adored it, always wondering how exactly Reina knew what to get her, especially when it came to fashion. Rei had never had a style to claim as her own, most of her own clothes coming from donations or older kids as they grew out of them for most of her life. But somehow, Reina just knew… it was hard to believe that the woman was quirkless sometimes, when there were so many things about her that just seemed illogical or impossible.
With a small spring in her step, the first stop that she made was at the florist. Buying another bouquet of sunflowers, she managed to balance it under her arm and across the small pastry box, eyes constantly watching the packages she carried to make sure they didn't slide or slip out of her grasp. The last time she had brought flowers was two weeks prior, when she had last visited the hospital. She hadn't had time last week, since she had trained with Midoriya for the sports festival and had ended up staying at his house for dinner. Surely the flowers were wilting or dead by now; sunflowers were Reina's favorite, and even though Rei often had trouble spending money simply because of how tight she was over her personal funds, she found that buying flowers was one of the easiest purchases she ever made. Flowers made everything better, in her opinion.
The train ride had seemed to take forever. Ready to burst with energy, she had noticed a few people openly staring in her direction. She had merely blinked, not particularly perturbed by any disturbances or curious glances in her direction, being in such a good mood. It wasn't until after she had left the train at her stop that she had realized that there was a chance that some of them had probably recognized her from the sports festival. Thankfully, she looked regular enough that most people probably couldn't pick her out from a crowd. Blending in with her black choppy hair and golden eyes that looked forward at all time, she maneuvered carefully through the crowds.
It was when she got to the bottom of the hill where the hospital was built that she saw a familiar figure walking a slight bit in front of her. For a moment she simply paused, unsure of what to do. The last they had truly been face to face was in the arena, in a fight that left Rei literally fighting for her life. But her mood was too good to be ruined by such thoughts, and neither did she have it in her to feel bitter against her classmate. The fall had been her fault. She inhaled deep before raising her voice a bit.
"Todoroki...san?"
The boy turned, and Rei heaved a sigh of relief at having caught the right person. He looked quite different outside of the school uniform, dressed in dark gray pants and a navy blue jacket. It was strange to see classmates in such casual clothing. She walked quickly to catch up to him, approaching calmly. "Are you… going to the hospital too?"
He looked surprised, caught off guard at her question. A darkness lingered in his eyes as he took in Rei's figure, scanning her up and down before softening just lightly. He nodded in response. "Yeah."
"I see." Finally catching up to him, they stood side by side for a moment, Todoroki looking unsure of what to say, something lingering in his eyes as he stared at her. Rei looked at him for a moment before shaking herself away. She didn't want to pry into what he was thinking. Instead she offered a tentative smile. "No hard feelings about the sports festival, right?"
He blinked, clearly taken aback. For a moment he hesitated before speaking slowly, a tinge of incredulousness in his voice in his response. "Shouldn't I be saying that to you?"
Rei smiled shyly, shifting the box and the flowers in her arms as they began to slide away. "It's fine. I've basically healed up. Speaking of, I'm on my way to the hospital too." Tilting her head in their intended direction, the two began to walk at a casual pace. Breathing in deeply, Rei sighed, thankful for the beautiful weather. It was late morning, but the skies were still clear and cool, only starting to warm up now. She would most likely need to take off her sweater when she walked home.
"You seem different."
Golden eyes flickered in surprise and curiosity over to meet silver and blue. Tilting her head, she blinked a couple times. Her voice was quiet as she mused half to herself, trying to figure out what he meant. "What makes you say that?"
Todoroki shrugged, looking forward and back to the path in front of them. "I've never seen you smile like today."
Humming, Rei considered his words. "Then, you're different too, Todoroki-san. You seem more at peace."
"I suppose I am."
"Does it have to do with what Midoriya said to you?" White and red hair whipped in surprise as he looked to Rei, completely lost as to how she knew that much about him, but she simply continued to look forward, face not giving any more information. "I won't ask what happened. But after your fight with him, I could tell that something changed."
He seemed to relax at her explanation, shoulder dropping from the tension. "It's… something I have to figure out for myself still."
Rei only nodded in affirmation. "That's good."
"Why are you here?"
The hospital was beginning to come into view near the top of the hill, the two of them nearly halfway complete. Rei took a moment to herself, breathing in and out as she considered his question and how to respond. "My mentor was in a car crash the day of the entrance exam for U.A.. She's been in a coma since then. Yesterday was the first day she woke up."
"Was that the reason why you left so quickly?"
"Yeah." Rei smiled freely, a gentle look on her face. Todoroki watched in surprise as she softened, something never seen on Akatsuki's face in school. She was always tough, a blank mask on her face at all times, only showing irritation on occasion when things didn't go her way during training. To see her looking so carefree, so warm…
Her voice matched her current persona, light but full of intent. "Reina… is the world to me. She took me out of a dark place. I'm only in U.A. because she pushed me to be here. And today…" her smile got even bigger, face lighting up, "today I get to tell her in person that I made it." She shifted the things in her arms once again as they continued to climb. "That's why I brought flowers, and some pastries from the bakery I work at."
Todoroki was stunned into silence. There were so many things that he didn't know about Akatsuki, didn't expect to hear, like how she had a part time job on top of all her academics. And all of this information coming out now as they walked toward the hospital, an entirely unlikely meeting place. A coincidence, every bit of it; their meeting, the reveal of Rei's softer side. He was completely taken aback by how she presented herself outside of class, an almost unrecognizable person from the cold exterior she held up at all times. So much so that his guilt at injuring her during the sports festival was moved to the side. It didn't seem as though she held any grudges anyway. Here in casual clothes she was warm and gentle, so passionate and full of love for her mentor. So genuine. It was almost a privilege to see this side of her, something that no one else in their class had ever seen. Did Yaoyorozu or even Midoriya know this side?
It was as they reached the gates of the hospital that he paused, his own personal thoughts taking over. Rei took a few steps before pausing, waiting for him to follow. He stared up at the industrially designed building, hundreds of windows lining the front and shimmering in the late morning light. He had so many questions, so many doubts about coming to this place. But perhaps it was fate that he had met his classmate here, her gaze unknowingly goading him into following her in. He couldn't back out now, so he found his resolve and stepped forward.
She hadn't pushed him for answers, but in light of learning about her he felt compelled to at least share something in return.
"My mother lives here." Rei was silent, but he knew she was listening. She was always listening, always alert. Nothing ever seemed to pass her by. "My father put her here after an incident." His fingers brushed against the scar on his face, feeling the ravaged tissue that would never be the same. "She thought my left side looked unsightly, so she poured boiling water on my face."
He glanced to his companion. There was compassion on her face, not mere pity. Understanding. She nodded, beckoning him to continue, but he struggled to find the words to continue, at a loss for words for a moment. Swallowing, he looked forward at the hospital again, watching the doors that he would have to walk through very soon. "I want to become a hero, but there's some things I must resolve for myself before I do."
Rei only nodded in acceptance, the two of them passing through the doors. Rei took the lead as she walked up to the reception, the two ladies looking at her brightly.
"Back so soon, Akatsuki-san?"
She no longer smiled as brightly as she had outside, but there was still a openness to her demeanor. "Reina woke up yesterday for the first time. Unfortunately it looks like I won't be coming back here much more."
The women cooed, lavishing more praises and comments as they handed her a visitor's pass. Pressing the sticky name tag to her sweater, she motioned for Todoroki to step forward. She watched as he began talking with the receptionists, trying to figure out exactly where his mother was and how to get there.
A thought struck Rei, and she placed the pastry box on the desk, rummaging with the bouquet. By the time Todoroki had resolved his issues and turned to Rei she was extending a hand toward him, three sunflowers in her grasp. He stared in confusion, looking between the flowers and the sheepish look on her face as she turned away from his gaze.
"You can't go empty handed, right? So here." Gingerly he accepted the flowers with a mutter of thanks, touching the petals delicately as she wrangled the white box and tucked it under her arm, shifting the flowers around as the two of them walked over to the elevator. It was thoughtful. Yet another word he had never thought to associate with his typically cold classmate.
Rei's floor was lower than Todoroki's and as the elevator dinged and opened its doors she stepped off with a small smile, turning back to face him one last time.
"I'll see you in class." Her lips parted, then closed, as though unsure of what she was about to say. Looking to the floor briefly she suddenly turned her eyes onto Todoroki, a strong emotion deep within them. "You'll find the answers you're looking for."
He was surprised, but he managed a small twitch of the corner of his lips at her sentiments, nodding his head. Rei smiled as he lifted a hand in farewell, the doors closing and sealing the vision of him away. Renewed with new energy, Rei walked carefully down the quiet hallway, making her way towards the room she frequented with regularity.
There wasn't anyone to greet her as she entered the room, no nurses in sight. But as Rei turned the corner she saw brown eyes, filling her heart with such strong emotions she felt ready to burst.
Brown eyes that hadn't been open for weeks, now looking more alive than ever and staring back at Rei with so much emotion, the young girl could barely handle herself.
Reina smiled. "You're here. The nurses told me you'd be here today."
She could only nod, her throat tight as she managed to speak. "You're back."
"I'm here to stay. You can't get rid of me so easily, right?"
"So, here are the totals for those with offers."
Being back in school meant that they were back to business. Rei blanched as soon as her name came up on the electronic screen that Aizawa projected, just underneath Tokoyami with three hundred and twenty offers. Immediately the class started getting excited, making comments about those who had received offers and jostling one another around. In front of her, Yaoyorozu looked at Todoroki. "You're amazing, Todoroki."
But the boy simply glowered, looking forward with a bored expression. "They're probably all because of my father."
Slightly shot down, Yaoyorozu craned her neck to look backward at Rei. To her surprise, Rei looked rather… caught off guard. The only motion the small girl made was the owlish blinking of her eyes every few seconds, as though trying to take everything in. Yaoyorozu smiled, chuckling under her breath. "Akatsuki-san, you did well too."
At her friend's comment Rei's eye twitched, revealing her inner turmoil. "So… many… That's… a lot of pressure."
Even though she was clearly irked at her current problem, there was something about Rei that seemed more relaxed than before. Yaoyorozu could clearly recall how she had literally fled the classroom, running through the door at the soonest possible instant. But now, the Rei that sat behind her seemed… oddly normal, and calm. Her shoulders had lost their tension, like a weight had been lifted off her shoulders. It was enough to make Momo smile, reassured that things were getting back to normal. Perhaps Midoriya was right; they had worried for nothing.
Aizawa clicked at the screen again, turning it off. "Keep all that in mind, you'll all be participating in internships with pros whether you got offers or not."
At this the rest of the class seemed to perk up, particularly Midoriya. "Internships…"
"At USJ, you already got to receive combat experience with real villains, but it'll be insight for you all to see how pros work firsthand."
"Oh, so that's why we're getting to pick hero names!" Satou's exclamation seemed to get everyone even more fired up, the energy returning to the entire classroom.
Aizawa shrugged. "Well, these hero names will still be temporary, but if you're not serious about it-"
"Then you'll have hell to pay for later!"
Rei winced at the sudden volume as Midnight slammed the door open, interrupting Aizawa and carrying on into the classroom with a prance. Drammatic, as always. How did Aizawa seem the most normal out of all the teachers, as odd as he was himself?
Some of the boys in particular perked up at Midnight's entrance, staring with extremely attentive gazes, to which Rei rolled her eyes, leaning back in her chair. She would admit, she admired Midnight as a hero, but her reputation as an "R" rated hero had her eye twitching as some of the boys'... well, lack of restraint.
But Midnight ignored them, continuing with her rant. "A lot of the names that students use eventually get recognized by society, and they end up becoming professional names!"
Aizawa blinked lazily at the class. "Well, that's how it is. Midnight will be making sure your names are okay. I can't do stuff like that."
Blinking at their homeroom teacher as he pulled out his normal yellow sleeping bag, Rei was lost in thought. Was he seriously that bad? Come to think of it, she didn't know exactly how he had gotten the name Eraser Head, and it wasn't exactly the most… creative.
"When you give yourself a name," he continued as he began to unzip the yellow bag, "you begin to get a more concrete idea of what you want to be like in the future, and then you can get closer to it. Like the phrase, 'names and natures do often agree.' Like All Might, for example."
With that much of an explanation, white boards were passed down the rows along with markers, leaving it up to the students to begin the brainstorming. Rei was the last one to receive a board, and she stared blankly at the canvas in front of her. Names. She hadn't given it too much of a thought for years. Of course, there were the names that she had been given as a child. Haru had often joked that she would be called Black Cat, but now that Rei was older she found it incredibly generic. Plus, hadn't that been the name of a top hero in the United States a few years ago?
Scowling, she twirled the pen in her hand, eyes darting around the room. Some people had already written theirs with confidence, while a handful still sat debating, their white boards blank. It made Rei feel a little better, but time was limited and she needed to think. Think! What was something that she could do?
The only thing that crossed her mind was Haru's title, "The Shooting Star Hero." She had chosen it because her quirk allowed her to see the probabilities of something happening and either allowed her to increase or decrease those chances. She had used it one time to make a shooting star appear across the sky, because Rei had mentioned always wanting to wish on one. That was when they had decided on their names, at first joking, but then seriously. Would Rei take on something like that?
Should she?
It's not our dream anymore. It's yours.
Determined, Rei began writing. Then she erased everything she had with a brush of her forearm, leaving black marks on her skin that she violently brushed away. There were two other false starts, each time leaving Rei with furrowed brows as she violently scrubbed away at her board. At this rate it was useless.
"Alright, we're going to share them out loud!"
At this the class began to mutter, most people nervous. Sharing in front of their peers? They had to make sure that their name was good, in that case. Rei grimaced in the back corner. How was she supposed to share when she couldn't even think of anything remotely good?
Aoyama was the first to calmly walk to the front, a suspicious twinkle in his eye as he stood behind the podium. "Here I go." Everyone leaned forward in apprehension, curious to see what he came up with. Whiteboard flipping over, he held it above his head. "Shining Hero: I cannot stop twinkling!"
It's a sentence…
Even as the class looked on in horror, Midnight stepped in, taking her own pen to the whiteboard. "Well, it'll be easier if you take out the 'I' and shorten it to the contraction 'can't.'" But it was enough for Aoyama, who pointed to the board in excitement.
"You're right, mademoiselle!"
Seriously? It's fine like that?
But Aoyama sat back down, Ashido bursting up to the front. "Me next! Hero name: Alien Queen!"
Rei relaxed at a slightly more normal name, but Midnight seemed to go against it immediately. "Are you trying for the thing with acidic blood? I wouldn't if I were you!"
Left to sulk, Ashido returned to her seat slowly, defeated at her rejection. But she immediately wiped her board, returning to her ideas. Rei set her pen down, looking about the classroom and gauging the mood. After both Aoyama and Ashido had gone, most people looked as though they were straining to come up with ideas. Admittedly it wasn't the best idea to go after the two, well, strangest ideas.
Asui approached the front of the classroom next. "I've had this idea since I was in elementary school." Turning the board around, she showed the class her name: the Rainy Season Hero, Froppy. Admittedly it was a rather cute name, although Rei knew that Asui wasn't limited to "cute," being a diligent fighter that was rather dangerous. But Midnight swooned over the adorable nature of the name, giving Asui a hard pass. The class burst into cheers, chanting her name over and over again.
Rei sighed, picking up the pen. Back to the drawing board. Still, she had no idea of what to do.
From that point on, the rest of the class began to pick up. Steadily the names began to roll through, some of them simple and easy to distinguish, others more complicated but still just as cool. Rei eventually gave up for a few moments, instead leaning forward on her desk and propping her chin on her hand, watching as Yaoyorozu walked to the front of the class. "I hope I can live up to this name. Everything Hero: Creati." The class approved the name with cheers, putting a smile on Yaoyorozu's face. As she returned to her seat, Rei looked to her friend.
"It's a good name, Yaoyorozu."
Hearing Rei's approval put an even bigger smile on her face. Clapping her hands together, she looked to Rei excitedly. "Thank you, Akatsuki-san." She hesitated, almost uncertain of what she wanted to say next. "You know, you can also call me Momo now, if you want."
Rei blinked. It was a sudden change of events. "... Momo?"
"Yes! I was thinking, Yaoyorozu is a bit long and formal, and we're friends now, aren't we? Call me by my first name." She paused, suddenly a little sheepish. "You don't have to, if you don't feel comfortable. And you don't have to use your first name around me yet. I just thought…"
"I like it." Rei smiled gently. "Momo-san."
Yaoyorozu looked like she was about to explode, though she managed to contain herself and sit in her seat, turning to look at Rei. "Have you decided on your name yet?"
Shaking her head, Rei looked at the blank slate with a frown. "Not yet."
Momo only smiled reassuringly before turning around. "You'll think of it. I'll leave you to it."
More and more people went up to the front, everyone getting approval from Midnight. Only Bakugou was sent back to his seat, left to brew up an idea. Lord Explosion Murder. Even Rei couldn't hide the snort that she had to quickly hide behind her hand. Childish, and yet… very apt. At least Midnight sent him back with a glare, unwavering even as he threw a tantrum. But nearly thirty minutes had passed now, and Rei was still nowhere.
"The only ones left are Bakugou, Iida, Midoriya, and Akatsuki, right?"
But sure enough, Iida presented his name, simply opting to by his first name like Todoroki. There was something in his face that made Rei scrutinize him closer, but he moved back to his desk before she could get a good idea of what was going on. Something was wrong with Iida, that much was for sure. But what could be bothering him? Perhaps Uraraka knew something, but at the same time…
Rei slumped in her seat. Perhaps it wasn't her place to ask. Not like she had ever been close with Iida and his annoying manner of managing to get on her nerves every hour.
Midoriya had made his was to the front quickly after being called. To everyone's surprise he had elected to go by "Deku," the name that Rei knew had come from Bakugou. But he had defended his decision, stating that he now saw the name as something else, something that made him happy and gave him hope. So to no one's displeasure, Midoriya returned to his seat, hero name chosen.
"Akatsuki-san, are you ready?"
Midnight called her forward, Rei tensing in her seat. She hated speaking in front of people, but she would do it. Clutching her board tightly to her chest, she made her way to the podium, her head barely visible over the top due to her height. Breathing out, she made eye contact with Momo, who nodded encouragingly with a smile, leaning forward in her desk. Without any more hesitation Rei turned her board around.
Meishin.
Blue eyes blinking, Midnight looked at Rei. "Are you sure?"
"Yes." Rei looked up. "When I was little, I thought I wanted to be the Black Cat. But that was also the name of a famous hero from America, and I didn't want to live up to that." Looking out to the class, her gold eyes hardened. "I became a hero to become a stealth agent, to infiltrate and break quirk trafficking rings." There were gasps around the classroom at her admission, surprise breaking out as twenty faces stared up at her. It was a rather dark admission, holding a lot of weight and severity for its specificity and topic. But Rei held fast, her gaze serious. "I will become the hero that makes villains doubt themselves."
Meishin.
Superstition.
At Rei's explanation, Midnight cheered. "It's dark and mysterious, just like you! Alright, Meishin!"
When Rei looked back out the class, the faces had changed from surprise to encouragement. Bowing, Rei slipped back toward her seat, sliding into place after exchanging a grin with Momo.
Superstition. This was her destiny.
The pile of papers listing the internship offers Rei had received was atrocious.
At this point, Rei was about to just pick the top agency and run with it. That wouldn't have been the most smart idea, but it was the most logical given the time constraints. It would make the choosing easy, in addition to securing the fact that she would technically be with one of the best agencies that was on the list. But the smartest idea would be to sift through them and determine which was the best fit. She wanted to work with undercover agencies and infiltration as she had just revealed to the entire class, but unfortunately that was work that required a long period of time, specifically for infiltration. Additionally, it wasn't like an agency was about to put a highschool kid on a strike team. So she would have to look through the list one by one and determine which was the best fit for her future plans. Something that would give her connections, or at least a feel for the general field she wanted to get into.
But with over three hundred offers, that options was next to impossible. How exactly had Todoroki decided? Picking at her meal during lunch, she looked across the table. The boy in question was sitting across from her, focusing on his own food. Perhaps now was the time…
Clearing her throat, she mustered up her courage. "Todoroki-san, have you decided on an agency?"
He looked up in surprise, but nodded. "Yeah."
"Can I ask how you chose? Out of all those agencies?"
He seemed a bit sheepish at his answer, looking around at the others at the table to gauge who was listening. Momo and the rest of them were drawn into some sort of debate about the internships on the other end of the table, leaving Rei and Todoroki on the fringes. With no one paying attention to them, they became absorbed in their own world. "I'm going with my old man's agency."
Now that had been unexpected. Rei's eyes widened. "Endeavor?" She blinked, taking it in for a moment. "That's... unexpected."
"I'm going because I have things to learn from him. Otherwise, I wouldn't have accepted." Rei understood his logic enough, nodding her head and taking a bite of her food. For a moment they lapsed into silence again, absorbed in eating their meal. Laughter rang out at the table, but Rei was unable to join.
Leaning forward onto the table, Rei's face fell. "To be honest, I'm at a loss. I don't know how to choose. I'm only thirty agencies in, and we only have two days."
Todoroki now seemed interested, leaning forward as he looked at her in genuine curiosity. "Why sift through all of them? I would have thought you would just choose one of the top ranked agencies."
Rei shook her head. "I thought about that, but I want the agency to be a good fit. Just because someone is top ranked doesn't mean it's the right experience. Having to sift through all the papers is a headache…"
"You're more dedicated to this than I thought."
Rei rolled her eyes playfully. "Thanks for the vote of confidence."
"What'll you do?"
"I've decided my next best bet is arson. Want to help?"
It was enough to earn a smirk from the stoic boy, getting an equal response from Rei. The two of them shared a secret look, but it was unfortunately caught by Sero.
"Oi, look at Akatsuki and Todoroki. Don't they look kind of…"
"Cute."
Rei's eyes widened as she sat up straight in her chair, eyes blinking wildly. Had Asui really said that? "C-cute?"
"Look! Akatsuki's flustered!"
"I didn't realize that was possible! She's so scary and serious all the time."
At that last comment Rei's face dropped into a dead serious glare. "Kirishima. I'll kill you."
The red head flinched away, shocked that of all the things Rei had heard, she had focused in on him. He scratched his head sheepishly as he laughed. "Seriously, you're too much like Bakugou sometimes."
The rest of the group laughed as Rei tossed her head, sniffing in disdain at the comparison and turning away from the group. This only made them laugh harder. Rei rolled her eyes, returning to her lunch. "Annoying as always, the lot of you." Finishing the last of her lunch she began packing up her belongings, standing up and drawing Todoroki and Momo's attention. "I'm heading back to the classroom to do more sifting. I'll see you later." The two only nodded as she turned and left, making her way back to 1-A.
There was still a considerable amount of time left for lunch. Rei skulked through the corridors, unable to prevent her sulking from coming out. Never had she thought that she would have a problem like this, but here she was. How was she going to be able to decide? Todoroki's choice had been unexpected but worked for him, so his manner of choosing hadn't given Rei any pointers on how to tackle her own load. Aizawa-sensei had simply told them to choose wisely, to consider all outcomes, but Rei was almost certain that she was overthinking at this point.
Arriving at the classroom she slid the door opened slowly, before sneaking in, closing the door behind her. At least in here she could find some peace and quiet in order to sort her thoughts. Lifting her hands to her temples, she rubbed soothing circles into her skull, already anticipating the headache in front of her.
"Oi."
Rei looked up in surprise. She knew who it was before her eyes had even landed on his figure. Much to her confusion Bakugou was sitting in his desk, his notebook open in front of him. As she drew closer she watched as he slid the book away from sight. She couldn't help but open her mouth. "Studying?"
He scoffed. "Stupid. What are you doing?"
It was a redirection and Rei knew it, but she let it slide. "I need to narrow down my choices for the internship." Slowly she made her way to their aisle, eyes fixed on the boy.
Rolling his eyes, he slouched in his chair. "Just pick the top agency and go. The strongest are up there for a reason, stupid."
"Unlike you, I want to actually try and pair myself with an agency that suits my needs." She had made it to their aisle, but he immediately stood up and blocked her pathway. Forced to look up into his face, she scowled. Kirishima's comparison between her and the boy that now stood in front of her flashed through her mind, only serving to deepen the scowl on her face as her brows furrowed. What was with Bakugou and getting on her nerves today in particular, especially when she had things to do? "Do you always enjoy getting in my way?"
He was clearly resisting the urge to shout back in her face, jaw clenching and neck throbbing from the strain. To his credit he swallowed his pride, a bored look painted across his face as he managed to compose himself. "You lost."
She knew. Immediately, she understood what this was about. Her gaze dropped to the floor. "Sorry." It was true. She was being honest; she was sorry that she hadn't made it. She hadn't been strong enough, hadn't had a desire to win that was greater than Todoroki. It frustrated her to no end, but she had swallowed the bitterness of defeat and had moved on. Or she thought she had. It was still too close for her to let go, and she knew it.
Folding his arms over his chest, Bakugou scoffed. "Thanks to you, I had to fight that half cold, half assed bastard." Half of Rei wanted to laugh at the name, the other half wanting to slap him across the face for being so crude and cruel. But she knew that he was simply frustrated, projecting his anger onto others. She held her tongue, this time. "You looked pathetic that day. What happened with you?"
Rei only shook her head, not wanting to go there. She tried to brush past him, but he held her back. This time she did scowl, sending a dark glare up to him. "What's your problem?"
He said nothing, for a moment his glare just as dark as her own. Their eyes clashed violently, both too stubborn to let go. But after a while he just sighed, closing his eyes and extending his left arm out, now refusing to make eye contact. Even as she stared at him suspiciously he simply looked away toward the window. "You said you'd fix my other arm after your match."
Blinking, she stared at him for a long moment before sighing, caving in. He had remembered that? Stepping toward him she gingerly pressed her fingers into his forearms, testing it much like she had back at the sports festival. A few days of rest had done wonders, making the knots a little more difficult to find, though not impossible. With the way he went full out there were all sorts of issues with his arms, and she dug her fingers violently into his arm to massage them out. She heard him suck in a sharp breath, inhaling and muttering a small curse under his breath at the pain. Rei's lips twitched as his refusal to show any pain, easing up just barely so that he wouldn't sense too much of a difference.
"Breathe." She concentrated on her work, but she could feel the tension in his body. "You'll make it worse if you don't get oxygen to your muscles while I do this." Feeling his body relax as he slowly released his breath, she continued to massage his arms out, this time going all the way to his palms and fingers. The joints were certainly stiff underneath all the muscles, but as the minutes passed she could feel them loosening naturally in her grip. After working on the left she gave a small pat to his hand, releasing it and watching as he held it up to his face, right hand touching the spots where she had gone all in.
Taking it as her sign to leave, she swooped around his figure and made her way back to her desk. Removing the stack of papers from her bag she began shuffling the piles around her desk, making neat stacks in various spots. Settling down to get to work, she pulled out a pencil and sighed as she picked up from where she had left off. Yoroi Musha? She had to admit, the prospects were tempting. She considered Todoroki's advice that she simply select the top rated agency, but she found herself unable to commit. To her, it wasn't a fit, though she put an 'x' next to it for her to look back at later. With a sigh she scanned through the rest of the paper before setting it to the side. The last one looked somewhat promising, but it was far north...
A hand snatched the paper she had just discarded, earning a sigh from Rei as she turned her head to look at Bakugou with a single eyebrow raised. Red eyes scanned over the paper before his brow twitched, anger rising as he looked at Rei. "Oi, you can't be serious!" He pointed at the name, yelling at Rei. "Don't tell me you're turning down Yoroi Musha!"
Rei blinked. "I'm considering it."
"Are you stupid?"
At this Rei found herself getting angry. Snatching the paper from Bakugou she placed it back into its rightful pile, directing a passionate glare in his direction. "Don't mess up my stacks, and don't complain. Go decide who you're going to intern with."
"Hah!" He leaned against the windows, shoving his hands into his pockets. "I've already decided. I'm going with Best Jeanist."
"Why? Because he's the top ranked agency you received?"
"Duh. What other reason would there be? I already told you that."
Rei considered the thought of seeing Bakugou at Best Jeanist's agency, lips twitching as she tried to keep her face neutral. Such a gentlemanly and proper hero would surely clash with Bakugou's rough-around-the-edges nature. Bakugou saw her struggling to maintain her composure, his own eye twitching. "Oi! What are you laughing about?"
Finally caught, Rei barked out a laugh, pressing a hand to her mouth after releasing the one breath. Inhaling deep she steadied her breathing, simply moving on to the next paper. "Best of luck, hero."
"The hell's that supposed to mean?" He snatched up the next paper, giving it a look over before tossing it aside. "I wouldn't go with that agency either. Too rural."
She sent a scrupulous glance to her side before an idea struck her in the head. Taking three of the papers she handed them to Bakugou, all the while picking up the next one to read. He snatched the stack away without question, although he couldn't say silent and in the dark for too long. "What the hell do you want me to do with this?"
"If you're going to annoy me, at least make yourself useful." Pulling another pencil from her pencil case, she extended her hand in his direction, smiling as he snatched it from her grip. "I need an agency that deals with more underground activities. Drug busting, that sort of thing. Try to keep it to busiers cities so I'll get something out of it." She paused. "If you help me, I'll massage your arms again."
She could hear him bitterly muttering to himself, but a quick glance confirmed that he was indeed focusing on the task at hand. Gleefully she returned to her list, reading through the agencies meticulously along with their briefings. The minutes flew by, but Rei still felt as though she was getting nowhere. Her placid face had slowly dragged into a scowl once more that only seemed to deepen as time advanced. Her lips were pouting, scrunched up as she wrinkled her nose. Was there seriously nothing for her, out of over three hundred potential agencies? Marking another agency as a potential, she discarded the sheet to the side.
"Here." A sheet of paper was thrust into her face, Rei picking it out of a hand delicately as she looked at one that had a star next to the title. Blinking, she looked at it more closely, a bit irritated that, of all people, Bakugou had been the one to find it. She had to double check just to be sure that she wasn't imagining things, but her eyes didn't seem to be lying.
"Hero: Black Panther. Agency in Hosu." Rei blinked slowly. "This… is good."
Tossing the pencil back onto Rei's desk, Bakugou leered. "Good? It's basically what you described, word for word."
"Thank you."
He looked startled, stiffening as Rei turned with a warm smile on her face. "Now I don't have to stress."
Shifting his weight, he broke eye contact, looking to the side. "Whatever."
With the smile still on her face, she stretched her hands out toward him, palms facing up. He stared for a moment before removing his right hand from his pocket, pushing off from the wall and stepping closer to Rei. She turned in her chair to face him, taking his arm and pressing on various points again, repeating the process. Some of the spots she had touched were still tender, but the circulation was already much better from when she had last massaged it back a few days prior. They sat and stood in silence for a minute, Rei concentrating on her work.
"How do you know how to do this?"
It was the first time that day where he had asked her something without sounding angry or even passive aggressive. She smiled, running her thumbs upward and pressing down hard, moving slowly. "Breathe," she reminded him, listening to him slowly sucking air in through his nose and exhaling through his mouth. She moved with his breaths, syncing with his natural cadence. "My mentor did this for me a lot when I started training harder. My legs are a lot stronger than my arms, so the learning curve was a lot sharper for me when it came to figuring out what my limits were for my arms." She slid her hands down to his wrists, beginning to work on his palms and hands like she had the other side.
His hands were warm and strong, Rei almost feeling like her hands were slender twigs compared to his grip. To her surprise they weren't sweaty as she expected, perhaps due to the fact that he was trying to withhold himself from secreting any extra sweat at this point. She felt self conscious, feeling his eyes looking down at her. It almost felt like she was a little kid trying not to get caught doing something suspicious, and she found herself too nervous to look up. Finishing up, she gave his hand a pat once again, this time letting him pull his hand away. She felt his fingertips dragging over her skin, and she repressed a shudder than ran up her spine.
"Thanks."
So surprised, she looked up in shock, freezing in place. Her heart stopped in her chest, time freezing for just a moment. Looking down at her with those red eyes she had come to know so well, she found herself locked in his gaze, a gentle and calm look on his face. Her breath hitched, lips parting in surprise. He looked so at peace, the weight of the world lifted off his shoulders as he looked down softly back at her.
Only one other time had she seen him so relaxed. The memory suddenly made her heart beat quickly, time speeding back up-
The warning bell rang, footsteps could be heard storming through the hallway.
The door slammed open. "Oi! Bakugou!"
The shift was instantaneous, Bakugou growling at the door and immediately popping off. "What do you want, shitty hair?!"
"That's not really fair, our hair looks the same."
Scoffing he stormed back to his seat, sitting down and returning to his usual, fuming self. It was the like switch had been flipped back on in an instant, and Rei was left blinking and staring into space where he had just been. Had she imagined it all? Was she going mad?
Turning back into her seat, she watched as the rest of 1-A began filing back in, Momo suddenly sitting down in front of her and pulling Rei's attention back to her. "Oh, how much further did you get?"
Rei smiled sheepishly, trying to pull herself back together. "Actually, I think I've decided."
"Really? That's wonderful! Where have you decided?"
As Rei lifted the paper with the star, she allowed Momo to inspect the item, taking a moment to look down the aisle at a certain blonde. It seemed as though nothing had changed at all between them, his fiery and antagonistic personality back and functioning. Had it been a strange dream? But as she peered around she could see him rolling his wrists, touching his forearms and rubbing his hands up and down them mindlessly. It was enough to put a small smile on her face, though she vanished it as soon as possible, turning her attention back to her deskmate in front of her.
Time would proceed, as it always had. She would tuck away these feelings in her chest for another time.
AN: We've hit over 100k! So here's a celebratory early morning chapter, a little earlier than I had planned!
Also, I'm completely wiped. I've written over 30k for this story in two days in an effort to try and shift things around faster for everyone. I don't know how I've done it, but your reviews have seriously helped out. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
Guest Review: I tried to get this chapter out faster for you in hopes that it would explain things faster. When I was outlining for this story a few months ago, I had planned to introduce my original characters over a stretch of time in order for it to be less overwhelming. So if this addition isn't clear, I'll explain: Reina was Rei's tutor all the way up through the U.A. entrance exam. On the day of the exam, Reina was involved in a car accident and was in a coma. She wakes up on the day of the sports festival. That's why we haven't really seen her (although I've been making very small references to her throughout the chapters in the present day too, although that might have been really difficult to read). Anyway, hope this chapter clears things up!
tl;dr: Reina's been absent until now for both for plot reasons and for meta/ overarching writing reasons
dragontamer64: Hahaha, sorry for updating so late! Here's an early morning update as an apology! And yeah, poor Rei... she's literally my punching bag. I didn't realize it myself until I started editing and revising, and I was like "damn... what have I done to my poor child?"
And as always, please leave a review! Let me know how you like things, or whatever; it seriously helps me push chapters out faster.