The two of them made a short stop at the dorm to drop their items. Kairi rubbed a moist make-up wipe across her face and tied her still curly hair out of her face before pulling the hood of her panda sweatshirt over the top of the head – small rounded black ears standing straight up on the fabric. She chose to leave behind her purse and instead shoved her few necessities into the front pocket of her sweatshirt. Running downstairs, Shoto was already waiting for her, directions to the lab on his phone.

"Looks like it's just outside the city," he said, shutting the door behind them. "It may take a while to get there."

"Hmm," Kairi muttered, guts already contorted as she considered the day. It was Saturday. Festival Day. The buses would be packed and they were going to spend quite a while on them. Her veins froze. "Let's just get it over with."

"We can just let some of the teachers or heroes know," Shoto suggested softly. "Don't put yourself through unnecessary discomfort."

"It's necessary," she replied with a strained gruffness to her voice. Arms pulled further into herself as the two of them walked silently down the road. A few students passed by them, laughing from the activities they had just enjoyed at the school. Kairi swallowed and pulled at the strings on her hood, tightening the enclosure so all her hair was hidden. Silently, they stood beside the bus stop sign.

"You... erm... did well today," Shoto whispered, reaching behind to rub the back of his head. He felt heavy, and enveloped by a deep tension. The color on his face brightened.

"Thanks," she replied sharply. The tenderness of his comment flowered her soul and she winced at the rapturous feeling. She loved it, and hated it for that reason. "Guess I got something out of that Dungeons and Dragons I played a long time ago."

"Isn't there like... an MMO you play that's like that?"

"I don't play a Dungeons and Dragons MMO. The super popular one is boring to me."

"Something like that, I mean."

"You mean Seawall: The Dark Prophecies?" she asked, soundly mildly interested again. She shrugged. "Don't understand how that helped me with today."

Shoto's spirit flourished, energized by an excited want.

"I had thought that maybe I could download it and we could play it sometime," he said very slowly. His body struggled to push out the words, breath catching against them. His center filled with an erratic weight; unable to move and yet flitting everywhere at once. Feeling warm and jittery, he swallowed.

"Why would you want to do that?" she huffed. The harshness of the words on her voice grated through her, but she couldn't understand her feelings or why he was talking about this now. His earlier words about just letting this issue slip from them and asking for help from one of the pros... it still trickled down her spine and made her want to wriggle with irritation. How could he decide to do that when this was such an urgent matter? By taking her quirks, they had violated a part of them all – they had taken one of their precious parts without permission or their knowledge. It churned her gut, making her taste the rolling bile. How could he just be okay with that? Her blood sang with desire to take the matter into her own hands. She wrung them together as lights of the bus came into view.

"I thought you might... enjoy it?" Shoto guessed, soul deflating at the coldness of her answer. The bus groaned while it slowed, and doors propped open. Kairi waited, but Shoto waved a hand in front of himself. "You go first."

"Thanks," she whispered again and took a slow step in front of her. Sure enough, as thought – faces were pressed against windows and only a sliver of an aisle split between the curtain of humans. She rolled in the breaths, taking them in deeply as her palms prickled with nervous heat. Her body grew rigid at the gentle trace of fingers against her spine.

"I'm right here." The words buzzed along the shell of her ear, Shoto's lips hovering so close she could feel the moisture on his breath. She rolled her shoulders as the words slid over her, trying hard not to become drugged on the infectious tone he left. Shivering, she found an empty patch of flooring and stood – Shoto pushed himself close to her. The bus breathed again and jostled the patrons as it moved again. Without hesitating, he raised his hand and placed it to the back of Kairi's neck. Fire flew up her body and she couldn't remember a single word to speak. She stood, as the suffocation from around her grew tense in her, but Shoto's action simultaneously melted and stirred her up. Swayed by her own heavy emotions, too much of her was used up to form a thought. She kept her hands clasped together and just told herself to breathe. Those around her shifted awkwardly in their seats. She shut her eyes at the sound of one passenger yell at the other for kicking. The driver called back for the passengers to settle down, sounding angry himself. While her body shook, her spine soothed. Her attention targeted Shoto's hand, resting on the back of her neck. For a moment she found the will to look at him, admiring the shimmer on his white hair, and the vibrancy in his red. His eyes caught the light and danced before them. Determined, unwavering, and not at all embarrassed by everyone seeing how gently he placed his hand on her. He remained quiet, staring at the floor. Tucked so tightly on the bus, Kairi could feel his side radiating through her sweatshirt, building an anxious fire inside her. God... could these feelings be cured? She was in so deep, could she pull herself out? Liking someone, liking anyone was intensely problematic for her... It just couldn't be, and yet it was. He pissed her off earlier and yet underneath anger, her heart still fluttered, her pulse still raced. He still could cause her to feel dizzy. Mentally, she beat herself; He made her so angry and yet she still wanted to feel him near her. What a fickle, silly thing feelings were. How annoying.

Two more buses and they left at nearly the last stop. Kairi swallowed and breathed heavily as they stepped off the bus. The light was beginning to dip from their view and the sky glowed with purple. The festivals around the area were likely cleaning up, ending things for the night. Kairi checked her phone.

On my way – Bakugo

Here with Shoto – Kairi

Walking a ways down the street they were greeted with a concrete wall, extended far down the corner. She remained behind him, quiet as they walked against the hushed sound of cars passing in the distance and a sharpness that echoed through the air.

"There's cameras," Shoto said, gesturing to a one eyed crane that arched over them. Before them stood a wide metal gate, one that was meant to allow cars to pass through. Beyond the gate was a road that moved past a dimly lit security booth. There was someone sitting in it, but they weren't paying too close attention. A generic grey geometric building lay before them – little windows save for the small rectangular ones around the base and at the top of the building. A large white door awaited them in the center of the building.

"That's fine – we're not doing anything wrong," Kairi said. She moved past the front of the gate, to the other side where Shoto stood. There a white speaker with a red button – a place to speak to the security booth. Her hand paused over it, just at the moment her muscles stiffened and refused to reply. What would she even say? Who was that in the booth? As wronged as she felt, as gross... how could she talk to them? That cage returned, encapsulating her form and keeping her prisoner. Her windpipe clamped shut as words left her, refusing to comply. The certainty fell on her that she was about to make herself an idiot the moment she spoke. There was no way she could talk to them, this was a mistake, this was a terrible idea, but they stole her fucking quirks. She was a hero¸ she couldn't let something like stupid social anxiety halt her now. How would she react in the field, what sort of person was she that she couldn't say something as simple as "hi" to people who, by the way, very likely stole her quirk from her, this was everyday stuff to most people and yet she...

Shoto's finger held down the button.

"State your name and business for visiting QuirKey," came a female voice over the crackly speaker.

"We had some questions to ask the scientists at QuirKey."

"Again. State your names." Kairi shook her head, begging to not say anything.

"We're students from UA."

A pause, then: "Please state your names or I will have to ask you to vacate the premises." A ping. Kairi checked her phone.

Did you go to QuirKey? – Izuku

Did Momo say something to you? – Kairi

She was concerned. – Izuku

"Shoto Todoroki and... a friend."

Quiet.

"What are these questions?"

"Basic questions, for hero research and information for the hope of proper utilization from your organization," Shoto whispered into the speaker as he held down the button. Kairi cocked a brow.

"You practically spat out a verse," she teased lightly. He smirked, delighted by the whimsical comment.

After waiting several moments, the gate buzzed and slowly began to swing out. Kairi weaved around her as Shoto followed behind her. The two of them walked up the dark path with the security officer peering through the glass from her booth. Her eyes expanded, appearing familiar with image of the boy before her, his hair two different colors.

"Shoto Todoroki?" she guessed, but it was more of a statement. He nodded. The guard looked past him and to the trembling girl who stood behind him. Kairi kept her head down, paying more attention to the road beneath her feet. Shoulders closed in as the ambiance of the night great heavier. "And this is..."

"Just my friend," Shoto replied, reluctant to say. The guard glowered at him firmly.

"I am going to need her name."

"Why is the name important?" he asked calmly. Kairi squeaked.

"KairiHoshino," she answered quickly. Every ounce of her will pushed out the smallest sound, stringing both her names together in a rushed mess. Her body sighed when she finally let it go, though her soul winced at the pain it had caused. She trembled. The guard nodded firmly, and then raised a finger for them to wait. The woman turned and picked up her cell phone from the desk, swiping across it. Silently, they stood and waited.

Kairi looked over to Shoto, who would ask a question with his eyes. At the look he gave her, her body wobbled nervously and she turned away. The darkness around them thankfully hid the red blemishes on her face from him, but her soul was still jumping wildly. The girl kept her hands to her sides to hold in the euphoric trembling.

The guard talked lowly, and they were able to catch only every fourth word. The building anticipation was causing Kairi to be agitated, and its effect could be seen in how Shoto rocked in his otherwise still position. He let out a rather boisterous sigh, becoming impatient with how long this was taking. The guard set down the phone and nodded. Shoto stepped to the grill space in the window.

"You may enter the building, but you are only allowed to speak to the front desk. You are not allowed to go in the lab."

"Understood. Thank you," replied Shoto. He turned from the window and gestured to Kairi. She swallowed, and pushed her heavy legs forward.

Each step felt like walking through wet cement. It hurt to push through, to force herself through the anxiety that pounded through her. Her insides were screaming for her to get away while her heart raced, unaware of what they would be met with or how they would respond too such questions. The second gate before them opened, and Shoto slowed his walk for her to catch up. She dragged her feet behind, her determination and morals pushing her on but all the insecurity and introversion pulled her back. Shaking arms clutched herself as she trudged forward. Her mind screamed in desperation and vision became fuzzy the closer she moved towards the door. It wiggled before her, head becoming light and airy. Shoto reached to catch her, as her movements wobbled slightly.

"We've already come this far," he reminded her. "They've allowing us to ask our questions. But if you want to turn around..."

"No," she hissed, ripping her arm away and an adrenaline spirit found her again. "No. I need to... to do... I have to do this." Shoto nodded, and guided her along.

There was an obnoxious sound, signaling the opening of the industrial door. Shoto grabbed it and gestured for Kairi to go ahead of him. She swallowed, feeling that pit deepen in her again, and then slowly moved forward.

In moments, they were walking through an offensively bright hallway. Kairi dropped her eyes, sore from the intensiveness of their light. Walking close beside each other, they remained silent. Eyes would quickly look over at each other, and then back at the wall. Tensions thickened.

The hallway expanded out to a wide, oval shaped desk. Two persons sat at the desk, scanning over computer screens and fingers flying over keyboards. One of them wore a long white coat, while the other was dressed more casually, showing his fur and a head that seemed stuff halfway between a more humanoid face and a lion's face. Shoto cleared his throat as he approached. Both of the men looked up. Kairi's chest dropped with disappointment, noticing how neither of them looked like the man with the young eyes.

"Todoroki?" guessed the man in the coat. He rose from his chair and extended a hand over the desk. "Nice to meet you. You can call me Tsushima." Shoto took the hand, gripping it firmly. Kairi's own eyes scanned the area, assessing the layout and the minimal show of signs around the lobby. There was a door to the right that led into the actual lab, with several notices detailing important information. She squinted to get a better look.

"We won't take up too much of your time," Shoto said, dropping his hand. "We just had a few questions."

"Of course, though everything is listed on our website," Tsushima chuckled.

"Your website does have a lot of information," Shoto agreed. "It doesn't explain how you make the quirks you use."

"Well, that's a simple science of genetic engineering, of course. I mean, I could go in depth in the science on that but unless you've been a scientist for many years it might take a long time for you to truly understand." Shoto narrowed his eyes.

"I'm the son of the top Pro Hero, one of the best students, in the best class, at the best Hero school. Do you really expect me to be just a dumb child?" His tone was short and harsh, causing the scientist behind the desk to visibly sweat.

"N-no... of course not. However, it is a lengthy process and would take time in explaining it. And it isn't just one person who does the process. We all have our own role in how we created it. It's a group effort."

"If it's a lengthy process, isn't it correct that such an achievement would take years to perfect synthetically engineering genes to display a quirk? Quirkblocking itself took many years to develop and it's a simple process," Shoto explained. Kairi's eyes still wandered the pale and boring structure, seeing little creativity in the design of the place and catching several cameras in the area with little inspiration. What a dull place to work, and absolutely no clues to show themselves.

"Well, it's not as if we weren't," Tsushima responded, voice wavering as he spoke. "It was something we had been developing for years." The man's voice was beginning to gnaw at Kairi's eardrum. She bit her lip, pulse becoming aggressive as patience thinned.

"Then how does that explain that in your trials you were able to replicate powerful quirks perfectly?" Shoto asked calmly. "And so quickly? Most scientific testing requires a lot of trial and error, but less than a couple of years you go from having an idea to already testing it. In mere months the process is finally developed and now you're almost ready to declare it open to the public. With quirks as powerful as these, the minimum should be ten years."

"We have an excellent team, and we are very efficient," Tsushima said. His inflection changed as he fed off the anger that grew in Kairi. His nostrils widened with his rage and he stood over Shoto with a glowering gaze. Neck tensed as he spoke authoritatively. "You're offended by how good the scientists who work here are? Are you appalled by how quickly our science has moved?" Kairi's patience broke. She slammed a hand on the counter.

"Answer the goddamned question!" she screamed finally, challenging them with her ferocious eyes. Both the lion man and Tsushima jumped back from her sudden change in demeanor. "You are walking around it right now? Do you take us for fools?! We're kids, but that doesn't make us fucking idiots! You think we wouldn't be so in tune to everything we wouldn't know that every quirk you're using it from UA! You're using Shoto's quirk, you're using mine! You're using our friend's quirk, and one of our classmate's! Do you have all the whole class? Do you have the Pro Heroes that work there too?!"

"Little Girl, I'm going to ask you to control your temper and I am going to allow you the opportunity to march out of here before security is called!" The lion man beside them was already reaching for his phone. But Kairi was boiling, a fire rushing through every crevice in her veins. She was energetic, ready to shoot forward and blast a destructive hole. She growled, furious.

"Excuse me, but you don't have any right to talk to me that way!" she shouted, combusting wildly. "I realize this is probably run by mostly much older men, but are you so incompetent about technology, you didn't realize I could easily cross-search the internet and discover that one of the main heads here happens to be the same man who pretended to be a nurse at our school to administer 'mandatory vaccines'? Are you that fucking stupid?! Did you think we would not put them together?!"

"You're out of your mind, Kid! What the hell would we be doing at a school? There hasn't been anything on-"

A rapturous shake followed a distant angry growl across the building, just as sirens wailed obnoxiously, backed by a consistent ringing. Scarlet lights swept the walls as alarms were triggered and the lion man immediately set down his phone.

"The security system," he said quietly. Tsushima growled.

"Yes, I can tell it's the goddamn security system, someone's broken in! I bet these fucking kids here have something to do with!"

"Uh, we tried to do this the legal way!" Kairi squeaked. Tsushima lunged across the desk, just as the door behind them flew in them with the female security guard running down the hall. Shoto responded, extending an arm to brandished a ten foot wall between them and the lobby.

"Makino, go after them!"

"There's ten feet of ice in my way!"

"Then call the police! Call Endeavor while you're at it, and let him know his son is here!"

"What was that noise?"

"Cameras showed that the northeast side of the building endured a massive explosion, but I didn't see anyone set it up..."

Their talk faded as Shoto gripped Kairi's arm and ripped open the door to the lab in front of them. Together, they ran down the hall, passing rows of doors with plagues on them explaining their use. With no time to read them, the pair pounded on. Kairi's chest urgently slammed against her ears. Anger mixed with her anxiety, energizing her as she sped through the hall. She was vaguely aware that they were officially in some sort of major trouble, but it wasn't at the front of her mind. All she felt was the acrid taste of anger in her mouth. They were hiding something. She knew it. Everything about QuirKey felt wrong, and the science moved way too fast for it to be ethical of any kind. Her blood sang its desire for answers, and its adrenaline pulled her faster through the hall. Shoto ran alongside her, struggling to keep up with her pace. She skidded towards a wall, and gestured to a door that opened to a set of stairs. Shoto nodded, and Kairi opened it. They ventured onwards, running wherever they could until they could figure out some sort of plan. They sped down the steps and grabbed the first down they saw, missing the sign that read "Toxic Gases Testing Room."

It seems rather cruel to leave you on this cliffhanger for a time, but unfortunately I will be unable to update for a few days. I am leaving town for the weekend and will not be able to update. Of all things, this had to be in the middle of the big arch lol. I am sorry though, and when I come back you will see a new chapter!