kaycblu: ahaha, xD i noticed i am starting to have an update pattern, ehe. weekends are my time to shine ~ and, ahh, seriously?! that means a ton and makes me so happy. ❤ i'm more than grateful, and completely overjoyed that this is your favorite story. (๑˃̵ᴗ˂̵)و thank you so much for reading, and everything! ❤ i hope you enjoy this chapter!

Oblivious IJ: i totaallyyyy did not laugh out loud at your review. kidding. i did. (〃ω〃) lol! save me from the nothing I've become ~ ヽ(*・ω・)ノ

Rynxenvy: haha! Hotaru and Mineta are an interesting pair ~ i love them lmao. Shinso is also one of my favorite characters too! ❤ i can't wait to see more of him in the anime. i'm sure him and Taru will grow closer eventually. c:

Littlecosma001: it definitely seems that he's a worthy rival! i wonder what kind of rivalry they will have? (°ロ°) ! haha, don't worry. she will definitely imitate her mom soon. can't wait for you too see it. (≧◡≦) i'm looking forward to it myself aha.

bbymojo: Aizawa and Hotaru are so enjoyable and cute to write ~ ! i'm happy you enjoy them, and you're so sharp, ahh! "projection" is literally the perfect word to describe their interaction. he's definitely insecure and questioning why she's a better hero candidate than himself—since she's in class A. i can't wait for them to learn more about each other, aha. thanks so much for your patience! ❤ i'm going to upload my next drawing literally very very soon ! (* ^ ω ^) the sports festival is so close, and that's the setting of the next drawing :D !

lovelyhatter: really? 。゚( ゚^∀^゚)゚。 crying tears of happiness. thank you so much! literally, that makes me so happy. Hotaru loves you too ~ ! here's the next chapter for you! i hope you enjoy it, i was aiming for something more lighthearted this time around. ❤ thank you a ton, again!

Emocean: thank you so much! (⁀ᗢ⁀) i'm trying ~ aha. next chapter for you! ❤

pinkpaladin: ehe, i think they would make great friends too! i'm sure one day, they'll definitely be! ❤ i'm so happy you love this story, so so happy! i hope you enjoy this chapter! (^▽^)

•○●○•

hi, everyone!

are you doing well? i hope so.

i'm sipping on some coffee right now and enjoying this extended weekend! (*´▽`*)

anyways, i hope everyone enjoys this chapter. this is a monster chapter, but it was enjoyable to write.

i was kind of aiming for this to be almost like a breather before the sports festival. c:

i hope everyone enjoys, and i apologize for any errors.

thank you for reading!


❤•○●○•❤

Save! Rescue Training

❤•○●○•❤

Time is passing by quickly. Whether that's a good or bad thing, Hotaru doesn't know. The famous Sports Festival is tomorrow—one of the most important days of her life thus far. She's been training diligently but she can't help but to feel nervous. So. Very. Nervous. Standing in U.S.J. once again isn't helping her nerves at all.

Her silver eyes dart around wildly, scanning over every inch of this place that she can see from the top of the stairway. Shigaraki, Nomu, and her parents. All the memories from that day come rushing back at her. She's on edge.

Shoto stares ahead blankly as he waits for this trivial rescue training to start. This is the training they missed out on due to the villain attack, and now they have returned for a take two. He turns his head to look at Hotaru standing next to him. She's being paranoid and sticking to him like glue. He's not the only one who notices this.

"It's safe this time, Aihara-san." Midoriya smiles sheepishly, walking over to try and calm her down.

"It was supposed to be safe last time, but it wasn't." She replies, still surveying the area. "Even if it is safe, I'm not letting my guard down. It's better to be safe than sorry." She holds up her lightning coated hand, growing more tense instead of relaxed. "This time, I won't let anybody get hurt. Shoto,"

Hotaru moves and stands directly in front of him. He stares down into her silvery eyes that are narrowed severely. Her cheeks are puffed out slightly and he starts to look away until she grabs his sleeve. She leans closer to him, whispering.

"I'm going to tell you a secret." She begins, then furrowing her brows in thought. "This really shouldn't be a secret anymore… Ah, whatever." She rises onto the tips of her toes to whisper in his ear. "Your flames can overpower my dad in an instant. So, if you see him fry him to a crisp. If you see my mom, she's really confident in her looks so if you flatter her a little she'll—"

"Aihara." He interrupts her speech. She lowers herself so her feet are flat on the ground once more while tilting her head.

"What?"

Her eyelashes flutter as she blinks in bewilderment, her lips pouting. For her to tell him her parent's weaknesses makes it clear that she's being very cautious, but her trembling hand that's tangled into his sleeve tells an entirely different story. When it comes to masking her fear, she's good. However, he's able to see through her much more easily than before.

"It'll be fine." He tells her, making her eyes widen a notch.

"This time there's no danger guaranteed." Aizawa speaks up afterwards, the bandages he still wears making his voice muffled. "You don't need to worry."

Hotaru silently stares at him, her hand gradually falling back to her side. It is true that the school has bumped up its security since that attack, and since Aizawa is saying there's no danger it must be true. She's sure that this place was thoroughly searched along with the rest of campus. Shoto reassuring her also lightens the heaviness in the air greatly. She spares him a glance too before letting out a sigh, kicking at the ground.

"Alright." She acknowledges while nodding her head, slowly beginning to relax.

Mineta slowly walks up behind her, staring at her backside with a lewd smile. She's dressed in her fitted hero costume, and her figure… has it grown more voluptuous? It most certainly has.

Like a predatory rodent, he creeps closer while licking his lips. He's almost close enough to touch her until an intense glare from Aizawa makes him turn as white as a sheet. He falls backwards, his soul visibly leaving his body. The thump from his fall makes Hotaru turn around with a raised brow.

"What's wrong with you?" She inquires with a tiny frown.

Before she can even think to help him, the tiny boy is suddenly blocked from her sight by Shoto. Her lips part in surprise and she looks up at him, a question mark appearing over her head.

"You're short." He explains, and she glares. "You should be the one to stand in the front."

"Hmph." She spins around so her back is to him and folds her arms over her chest. A popping vein is visible from the back of her head, but she doesn't have any words to counter his spoken fact. Kirishima clenches his fists dramatically at what just transpired, his eyelids clamping together.

"That was so smooth and manly." He expresses to himself.

All words being spoken come to a stop when Thirteen clears her throat. Their long-awaited rescue training is about to officially begin. Straightening up, everyone redirects their attention ahead. However, instead of being focused, the majority of everyone is concerned.

"Well, that happened, but class is class." Thirteen begins quite energetically, making everyone sweat-drop. "So, let's begin the rescue training."

"Can you really move, Thirteen-sensei?" Uraraka questions worriedly, what happened to the Pro Hero during the villain attack fresh in her mind. Thirteen spins around in a mini circle to answer her question. Clearly she's doing well.

"My back hurts a bit." She admits before pointing at Aizawa. "But, it's nothing compared to Senpai."

"We are ready to begin class, let's start already." Aizawa says, almost sounding like he's fighting off a yawn. "We are wasting time."

Turning, Aizawa starts to venture down the stairs. Hotaru naturally begins to follow after him while everyone else remains rooted in the same spot, seeming unsure. Midoriya suddenly steps forward and calls out to him, making him turn around.

"All Might is supposed to meet us here as well." Midoriya begins. "Where is he?"

"I don't know." Aizawa answers with no delay, turning back around to continue down the stairs. "Forget about him."

Shock registers on Midoriya's face at his cold response. He knows the two of them aren't the best of friends, but his tone was unexpected. Did something happen between the two of them? Unlike his thoughtful frown, Hotaru runs after Aizawa with a grin.

"Aizawa-sensei, you're so cool." She compliments, his straight-forward personality fascinating her as always. He only hums in response as she falls into step beside him. She snickers, pointing at his bandaged arms. "How much longer do you have to keep these on?"

"A couple more days."

"Really?" She clasps her hands together behind her back, her eyes sparkling "I'm glad. I haven't seen your face in forever and I kind of miss it. But, I'm also going to miss this too."

"What?"

"I mean," She shrugs, looking off to the side with a mischievous smirk. "Being stronger than you is pretty fun."

He shoots her a glare.

She scurries to the bottom of the stairs in fright.

•○●○•

"Let's start with the rescue training!" Thirteen starts up happily. Hotaru can't help but to find her passion for these kinds of things cute. Thirteen obviously loves her job. However, their current location is a little… worrisome?

Hotaru stands at the edge of the chasm, peering down into it with pursed lips. She can hardly see the bottom of it due to how deep it is. It's essentially a pool of darkness. It feels familiar. What exactly are they going to do here? Kaminari and Koda stare at her with a pale face, unsettled at how close she's standing to the edge.

"There'll be three students at the bottom of the chasm." The Space Hero starts to explain their task. "One of them will be unconscious, the other will have an injured leg and the last will be very worried."

Despite his concern at how closely Hotaru is standing at the edge, Kaminari moves over to her along with Kirishima. They both gaze over the ledge like she is, although they are on their hands and knees unlike her who's standing. Their jaws drop.

"What height!" Kaminari exclaims.

"How are we supposed to get down there?!" Kirishima gawks.

"What are you saying?!" Iida suddenly shouts, running full speed over to them. He skids to a stop, making air rush at them before dropping onto his knees. He yells down into the deep pit. "Are you okay?! Do not worry, we will save you!"

Iida brings his hand to his ear and listens for a response that obviously isn't coming. Hotaru brings her finger to her chin in thought, still gazing down into the darkness. Her mind is somewhere else. Why is this so familiar to her? The answer is so close she can nearly grasp it. Well, whatever. She should really be focusing on her current task.

She just hopes she's not chosen to be one of the injured. That doesn't sound very fun or beneficial. She wants to learn how to save people with her quirk, not play the role of someone who needs to be saved—the role she's essentially been playing throughout her whole life. She was always needing and longing to be saved, and she no longer wants to—

"And you, Aihara!" Thirteen's voice drags her out of her thoughts. She looks over at the Space Hero, seeing that she's pointing at her.

"What about me?" She questions with a head tilt, and the answer she gets makes a gloomy aura fall over her.

"You're one of the injured!"

"Taru-chan, you look so depressed." Kaminari frowns, grabbing onto her shoulders and shaking her in hopes to get her to snap out of it.

"It's okay, Taru-chan!" Uraraka bounces over to her in excitement. "Let's do our best!"

Hotaru stares at Uraraka, her happiness somewhat being able to lift her spirits. It seems she along with Iida and Midoriya were chosen as well. She lets out a heavy breath. Maybe this won't be so bad. Surely they are going to alternate, right? She hopes so, at least. But…

"Why me?" She murmurs to herself more than anyone else.

Before she even knows it, she's at the bottom of the shadowy chasm. She stares up into the world of light above her with her arms crossed. Now that she's down here, it doesn't look as deep as she thought it was. She looks to her left and right. Although, this place does seem to stretch on for quite the distance.

She takes in the uneven wall of stone, her lips firmly pressing together. There are tiny dust particles drifting through the stale air, and she watches as they move by. One of them leads her straight to a cobweb. A silent gasp escapes her and her eyes enlarge. That's it.

The reason why this place sparked some familiarity is because it resembles that decrepit apartment she used to live in. Those dark and lonely days, the face of her parents, and even the face of a younger Shoto flashes before her. As a result, her arms fall and hang limply at her sides.

Her jaw clenches, her teeth gritting together unpleasantly. The fact that she was chosen to be down here feels as if it was fateful—meant to remind her of who she was and what she's done amidst her hero training, reminding her of just how sensitive she still is. Her fingers curl into tight fists.

"Aihara-san!" Iida suddenly appears in front of her, and she jumps. "We must do our best to be injured!"

He startled her so much she struggles to find her voice for a moment, and sweat drips down her temple. She sucks in a desperate breath, nodding while bringing her hand over her chest that contains her swiftly beating heart.

"R-Right." She stutters, making Midoriya and Uraraka look her way in concern. Even though they are in the shadows, she appears pale.

"Are you alright, Aihara-san?" Midoriya questions with downturned lips.

"Yeah." She waves him off with a smile. "I just wish we were the ones doing the rescuing."

She walks off to the side, although not terribly far. A smile is still on her face and that's enough to diminish their worry. She lowers herself onto the ground, sitting cross legged and gazing up at them in an appealing manner. Midoriya's cheeks grow a shade darker and Uraraka stares at him with barren eyes.

"Let's do our best." She says, and he nods with a wide smile.

"Yes!"

The four of them get into position, and Iida starts yelling like the world is ending. Midoriya gazes at him queerly while Uraraka tries desperately not to laugh. Hotaru merely lets out a sigh, lying on her back at staring blankly at the very distant ceiling as she waits to be rescued. Waiting… to be rescued.

"Disappointing…" She whispers to herself even though she's supposed to be acting unconscious.

Another floating speck of dust catches her attention. Her eyes follow it as it drifts across her sight, and she turns her head to watch as it disappears into the darkness. Her hands that were resting over her midsection move to settle on the ground. Even the coolness of the ground is the same. She doesn't like it.

She rolls onto her side and uses her arm as if it's a pillow. Her silver orbs bore into the vast shadows. She can almost swear she hears her father's voice that used to comfort her, and her mother's voice that did nothing but berate her. She definitely doesn't like it.

Her eyelids lower to block out her surroundings. With her sight now being absent, she's now aware of the sound of a draft. A small and barely detectable gust of air moves past her. Her knees rise towards her chest and she lets out a heavy breath. She hates it.

She hopes someone saves her soon before she crumbles. Until then, she'll wait just like she did back then. Only, instead of waiting for her parents to come home, she's waiting for a hero to come pull her out of this darkness—someone who will safeguard her and make her feel comforted.

She always ended up waiting for a long time. She waited for so long that she ended up falling asleep each and every time, hoping in her clouded dreams she would wake up to something refreshing, just like she's doing right now.

•○●○•

"We just need to save Aihara-san, now." Yaoyorozu smiles, relieved and happy that their rescues are going well.

Although the teamwork between her, Bakugo, Todoroki, and Tokoyami started off a little bumpy, things have definitely smoothed out. However, something is troubling her. She looks over at Tokoyami with a small frown. He has returned from the bottom of the chasm unexpectedly.

"Wasn't Aihara-san one of the unconscious?" She inquires, a worried crease in her brow.

"We agreed to save the unconscious first, since they are in the most critical condition." Shoto states, and Tokoyami shuts his eyes.

"I couldn't find her." He answers. "She wasn't near the others and it was too dark for me to search safely."

"I see." Yaoyorozu brings her hand over her mouth in worry. "Then, shall we—?"

"Let's just blow up the cliffside!" Bakugo roars, making everyone look at him in dread. He glares at their expressions. "It'll be quicker!"

"Yaoyorozu, can you make a flashlight?" Shoto speaks, ignoring Bakugo and making him seethe. "That way Tokoyami could see?"

"Someone else will have to go down." Tokoyami shakes his head in disagreement. "I've reached my limit."

Shoto stares at him wordlessly. He reached his limit already? That's a little unbelievable, but the seriousness in Tokoyami's eyes almost implies there's something more to it. It can't be helped. Since he wants to hurry and get this training over with, what he needs to do next also can't be helped. He's already wasted enough time as it is.

"Then, I'll go." He announces, walking towards the chasm's edge.

"Huh?!" Bakugo glares after him, explosions erupting in his palms. "Bastard! Stop deciding things on your own!"

He starts tramping towards Shoto with a deadly demeanor. Before he can grab his shoulder and knock him senseless, he steps over the edge. He freezes, and all the class spectators scream when Shoto falls into the dark chasm.

"Todoroki-san!" Iida screeches in horror, and Mineta wails hysterically.

Even though it looked like he fell to his death, he's really using his ice to surf down the chasm wall. The reactions of his classmates nearly make him roll his eyes. He reaches the bottom in no time flat and effortlessly, unharmed. Perhaps he should've just done this from the beginning.

He starts his search for Hotaru without delay, instantly taking note of how dark and gloomy it is down here. His mismatched eyes look around carefully to ensure he doesn't miss anything. He doesn't see her just yet, and he frowns. Did she travel deeper even though she wasn't supposed to wander far?

Something faint reaches his ears. It was a groan. A drowsy groan. Then, he hears the sound of crunching pebbles. He looks in the direction it came, spotting Hotaru on the ground easily. She's stretching her limbs like a cat just before she rolls over and curls into a ball.

How could Tokoyami have such a hard time finding her? She's close to where the others were, only in a more shadowy area. Not only that, she's kind of hard to miss in general. He lets out a sigh and starts walking towards her. He doesn't really care to ponder over it.

The sound of his footsteps echo as he walks, and Hotaru doesn't show any signs of noticing him. She's even facing him yet doesn't move. Once he comes to a stop before her and is close enough to see her face, he makes a wry expression.

"Don't tell me you're actually sleeping." He murmurs to himself.

He studies Hotaru as she rests on the rough chasm ground. Her eyelashes are resting against her cheeks, and her chest rises and falls, matching the sound of her soft breaths. He crouches down next to her, staring at her face. He's never seen her so relaxed and unguarded as she is now. She's definitely unconscious. Carefully, he places his hand on her shoulder and shakes her lightly.

"Aihara?"

"Hm…?" She mumbles in a delicate voice, still in dreamland.

"I'm going to save you now." He informs, speaking in a slightly louder tone.

"...Kay." She whispers, nodding slightly.

His hand falls away from her shoulder. He hoped that his louder tone would have woken her up, but surprisingly it didn't. She must be a deep sleeper, but how she responded to his words during her slumber makes that questionable. This is inconvenient, but also opportune. If she was awake, this would be even more awkward.

He brings his hand under her knees and his other beneath her back. He lifts her up slowly, carefully, nervously—she shifts in his arms and he freezes. Her eyelids twitch and her lips part as she lets out a breath heavier than the rest. She turns slightly, snuggling against his chest. Dropping her crosses his mind.

Glowering, he starts to walk towards the chasm wall. He's not sure why he's suddenly suffering from heartburn. Perhaps he ate too much soba for lunch. Either way, he needs to hurry and get this over with.

When he comes to a stop next to the rugged wall, Hotaru's eyes slowly crack open. The only thing her currently blurry vision can make out is white and red. Her cheek is squished against something warm and robust, too. What happened to the cold ground? Wait. Her eyes open as wide as they possibly can and her jaw goes slack. Shoto's—?!

Before she can even finish that thought, her stomach lurches when she's suddenly ascending at tremendous speed. She hears the sound of ice and the rushing air makes her tired eyes water. She can't comprehend what's happening. She can't believe what's happening. Is this even happening? S-She must be dreaming!

Everything along with the sensation that she's falling makes her yelp and instinctively reach out to grab onto something. Her eyes squeeze shut at the bright world she's suddenly brought into, and everything goes still.

There's a ringing in her ears at the lack of sound. Her eyelids slowly raise to reveal her silvery eyes, and she peers into Shoto's impassive ones. Their eyes are nearly level, so close they can make out the tiny details embellishing them. Her breath gets caught in her throat when she becomes aware of a few things.

Her arms are wrapped around his neck, the ends of his soft tresses brushing against her fingertips. He's holding her so carefully and like she's weightless. The longer she stares into his eyes, the more red her face grows. Before long, she's glowing like a stop light. As quickly as she can, she withdraws her hands.

"Todoroki!" Mineta roars in anger at the scene, and Ashido brings her hands over her mouth with darkening cheeks.

"That was quick, Todoroki-san." Yaoyorozu praises his quick rescue.

Wordlessly, Shoto sets Hotaru down and she instantly feels lightheaded. Her legs quiver and her face has somehow grown more vividly red. Why is it suddenly so hard for her to stay upright? Why does she have heartburn? Did she drink too much coffee? Multiple beads of sweat trickle down her flushed face.

"What's wrong?" Shoto inquires at her suddenly feverish form. Did he ascend to the top of the chasm too quickly? "Do you feel nauseous? If so, there's a pressure point in your foot—"

"Taru-chan!" Hagakure waves her hands everywhere, her voice overpowering Shoto's. "You're blushing!"

Why would she exclaim that fact? Why is she so buoyant? Why, Hagakure? As if she and Shoto weren't the center of attention already, now everyone's staring at her. Hotaru wants to shock her so badly. Her head whips in the direction of the invisible girl, her silver eyes glaring so fiercely it makes her yelp.

Even though she's glaring, her embarrassed blush makes it useless. It's like a hissing kitten. Cuteness and violence mixed into one, but more cute than anything else. Kaminari stares at Hotaru and he can't help but to smirk. This proves everything. His head isn't delusional like she claimed! He points at her with a boastful grin.

"I knew you had a thing for—!" He starts to say, making Hotaru shock him with blinding speed. She obviously held back since his brain isn't short-circuited, but he's awfully close to his electrical limit. Steam rises off of him and Hotaru darts in his direction. He flinches, thinking she's going to attack him.

Instead of shocking him further like he thought, she runs right past him. She moves over to Aizawa who's standing in the far back, hiding herself right behind him. Her fingers grip his shirt and his eyelid twitches.

"Let go." He grumbles, starting to move away until her grip on him grows tighter as she shakes her head.

"Please," She whispers desperately, her face still burning. "Let me stay here for a little bit."

He looks over his shoulder and at her pitiful face. He doesn't want to even think of why she's as red as a tomato. However, something does cross his mind. Whatever. Letting out a sigh, he looks back ahead at his class to tell them to get ready for the next round of rescuing.

Hotaru lets out a breath of relief, inwardly thanking Aizawa. He's the best. She's not sure what she would do without him. She focuses on her breathing and she begins to cool down, but she still feels so weak in the knees. She swallows thickly and squeezes her eyes shut.

Out of the twenty people who could've saved her, it was him. It's always Shoto. He pulled her out of the darkness just like way back then. Again and again, it's a never-ending cycle. Her fingers tremble.

She peeks out from behind Aizawa to look at Shoto. He's standing off to the side and staring at the ground with a thoughtful expression. As if sensing her gaze, he looks over at her which makes her quickly duck back behind Aizawa. Her cheeks are starting to grow warm again and her teeth grit.

What is wrong with her? They embraced before in the past multiple times, so she's not sure why this simple close contact has her so self-conscious. Why is just the thought of him suddenly making her go haywire? She's nothing but an annoying, weak, dumb, blushing school girl. This isn't who she is at all. She draws in a deep breath, slouching against Aizawa with the smallest of whines.

She wants to go home.

•○●○•

Their rescue training moves from the Mountain Zone to the Ruins Zone. They stand in the middle of the makeshift ruinous city. Instead of sticking to Shoto like glue much like before, Hotaru is now avoiding him like the plague. She's standing in the far back and by herself, trying to make it seem like she's not even present.

"Now we continue in this setting." Thirteen begins to explain their next steps. "Unlike the first training, there's different situations. The purpose of this scenario is to give a more genuine experience. The injured can be anywhere and we don't know in what state they may be. You'll have eight minutes to spread out and five of you will be the rescuers. The rest of you must hide in whichever place you wish. Eight of the hidden may not speak. I will select them."

"We are playing hide and seek!" Ashido exclaims in excitement, facing everyone with sparkling eyes.

"To be precise, almost." Thirteen confirms.

Hotaru is staring at the ground with a deep frown. She doesn't want to do this. Any motivation she had about today is long gone. She's half tempted to ask to use the restroom. Only, she won't be returning from it.

"Okay, the five that will search, are them!" Thirteen declares, and Hotaru brings her hand over her face.

Midoriya, Mineta, Uraraka, Bakugo, and herself were chosen. Even though she's the one who's going to be doing the rescuing this time, she still isn't interested in doing this. Not at all. It seems Bakugo doesn't want to do this either.

"Huh?! Why do I have to do it with Deku?!" He roars, making poor Midoriya flinch. Hotaru lets out a sigh and raises her hand.

"Yes, Aihara-san?" Thirteen grants her permission to speak.

"Can I use the bath—?"

"No." Aizawa cuts her off, and her hand falls back to her side. Her eyes are drawn to Mineta when he starts babbling to himself.

"When you carry the victims, you can touch their chests or their ass!" He brings his hand over his tiny drooling mouth, gazing intently at Ashido's and Asui's backside. "Is that considered an evil deed?"

"You're forbidden from carrying them, Mineta-kun." Midoriya instantly affirms, and Hotaru stares at Mineta is disgust.

She lets out a small sigh, folding her arms over her chest and lowering her eyelids. Is it even safe for someone like him to become a hero? He certainly has the skills for it, but not the mind. There's something else, too.

"It's not like he could, anyway." She says, making Mineta look at her with an agape mouth.

"What do you mean, Taru-chan?"

"I mean, you carrying anyone here." She answers nonchalantly. "I just don't see it."

"Heh," Bakugo can't help but to smirk, understanding what she's implying. He sneers at the tiny boy. "He'd get squashed like a bug."

"Eh?!" Mineta cries out in betrayal, and she snickers.

The chosen injured ones are given two minutes to hide, and during those two minutes the rescuers have to close their eyes. This really is like a game of hide and seek. Hotaru tries to peek to see which direction Shoto goes to avoid having to rescue him, and she fails. Aizawa is way too sharp and nearly caught her. Actually, she's pretty sure he caught her. He doesn't say anything though, which is by far scarier than him actually saying something.

"Let the training start!" Thirteen declares once the full two minutes are up. "Don't forget that no situation is strange in this case. Now," Thirteen pumps her fist in the air. "Start!"

"Alright!" Midoriya instantly takes the lead, and Hotaru looks over at him. "Let's look nearby!"

"Ok—" She starts to reply, until Bakugo mercilessly cuts her off.

"There's no need!" He rebukes. "Follow me, garbage!"

After those oppressive words, Bakugo throws his hands out behind him. Hotaru's mouth forms an "o" shape, knowing what he's going to do next. Powerful explosions erupts from his palms, making a gust of wind powerful enough to send Mineta flying break out. Hotaru brings her hands up to shield her face from the sudden blast. Bakugo takes off into a swift flight and leaves them all behind.

"What's with that guy?!" Mineta cries out, instantly hopping back onto his feet and glaring. "He's too rash!"

"That's just the type of person he is." Hotaru says, staring after him. She shrugs and turns to Midoriya. "Working with him is out of the question."

"It can't be helped." Midoriya acknowledges. "Let's search first for the ones that can speak."

"Yes!" Uraraka clenches her fists, nodding in determination. Midoriya turns his attention over from her to Mineta and Hotaru.

"A lot of time has passed since the fight, let's go!"

"Ok!" Mineta and Hotaru give an energetic thumbs up.

"Let's go!" Uraraka cheers.

The four of them split up to begin their search, running somewhat aimlessly. As Hotaru sprints down a random street, her eyes keenly study her surroundings. Even though she claimed she wasn't interested in doing this, now that it has started she's taking it seriously. So far she doesn't see anyone at all. Isn't searching for her classmates in such a gigantic place a little impossible?

She slows down to a stop and cups her hands around her mouth. She's going to take Midoriya's advice and search for the ones that can speak. She'll be more successful in finding someone that way. Searching for someone who can't speak is like searching for a fish in the water, when it's really out of the water. She blinks. Maybe she should have said that the other way around. Finding a fish out of water is easy and horrifying.

"Hey!" She yells out. "Is anyone there?!"

Getting no response, she lowers her hands with a frown. Maybe no one is around here? Or, perhaps just no one that can speak. There has to be someone nearby. She hopes there is, at least. She starts walking around to investigate further and comes to an abrupt stop near a beat-up car.

She stares at it intently, almost having walked past it. The window is busted. She takes steps closer to it and looks inside, the shards of glass catching her attention. She doesn't think anyone would've climbed into here. It's too hazardous. What about below it? She drops onto her knees and looks beneath the car, her eyes lighting up instantly.

"Koda-san!" She beams at the shy and muscular boy. He smiles a little nervously and she holds her hand out to him. "I'm here to save you. You're not hurt, are you?"

He shakes his head in response, reaching out to her offered hand with trembling fingers. Even though she knows he's a very shy person, he seems even more shy around her. Her eyes soften a bit. Yes, it seems that way. In reality, he's still a little afraid of her.

"Don't worry." She tries to reassure him that she's friendly. "Let me help you out of there. It looks a little uncomfortable."

Koda looks into her bright silver eyes that shine gently. Her lips are curved upwards into a kindhearted smile that somehow makes his fingers stop trembling. Even though there is no sunlight in here, somehow rays of light are shining onto her and creating sparkles. Slowly, he places his hand in hers and lets her help him out from beneath the car. Once he's standing, he pulls his hand from hers. She faces him with a small frown.

"You're really not hurt though?" She inquires. "I know this is just a staged rescue, but there's shards of glass on the ground."

He shakes his head comically fast, waving his hands around to let her know he's unharmed. She looks him over rather quickly and his cheeks darken. There's not a cut or scratch on him and she lets out a relieved breath.

"That's good. Well," She brings her hand to the back of her neck, sheepish sweat forming on her temple. "Actually, I'm not sure what to do next. Do you stick around with me or go back to where we started?"

He shrugs and she taps her index finger against her cheek thoughtfully.

"I guess I could walk you back," She murmurs in thought. "That is the most heroic thing to do, right—?"

A distant crash makes her words come to an abrupt halt. She turns around quickly and Koda trembles. Her eyes zone in on the apartment building at the end of the road. The roof to it is missing and within the windows it's shadowy. Clouds of dust rise from it, making it clear that's where the crash came from. Worry crosses her features.

Was someone hiding in there? She hopes the ground didn't give way on them, or that the ceiling didn't collapse on them. The entire building looks unstable. Either way, she needs to investigate and quickly. Someone might actually be in trouble. She starts to run over to it.

"Koda-san, wait there—" She starts to say, only for her breath to get caught in her throat.

Her blood runs ice cold and the color drains from her face. Her irises shrink and her stomach knots up. Static fills her ears and she becomes numb all over, feeling as if she's suddenly made out of lead. She's frozen stiff.

"S-Shoto…?" She breathes out even though it feels like a knife is slowly being pushed into her chest.

Emerging from the building is a burly and unfamiliar man. He's dressed in dark clothes and wearing a metal mask with multiple spikes coming out of it. As he exits the building it crumbles to the ground, but she's not focused on that. Her sunken eyes are locked onto the limp Shoto he hauls with a single hand.

She was supposed to protect him. He was never supposed to be hurt like this. Her fingers tremble. There was a villain hidden here this entire time? Not only that, she's never seen this villain before. Who is he? She takes a single step forward. No. It doesn't matter. She knows enough about him already.

He hurt Shoto and is now hauling him around like he's a rag-doll. He was lying in wait this entire time waiting to do something atrocious like this. He's a villain. He's her enemy. Right now, she only needs to do one thing. Her fingers curl into tight fists.

Save Shoto.

"Koda-san," Hotaru speaks instantly when the villain starts making his way towards them. "Run. Get out of here."

"W-What about you?!" He stutters fearfully, this being the first time she's hearing his voice.

"Don't worry about me. I'll catch up to you..." She speaks in a soft yet weighty tone. "...After I turn this guy into a pile of ashes."

Koda runs off with tears in his eyes and the villain laughs at her words. Her teeth grit and she gets into a battle stance, blue sparks decorating her form. Her silver eyes morph into a cyan as she fiercely glares at him.

"I don't think those are the words of a hero." He asserts in an ornery tone.

"Maybe because I'm not a hero." She snaps back. "I'll reconsider my words if you release him."

"Ah… Even though you're trembling, you're quite audacious." He utters, and her teeth bare.

"Put him down." She bites out, taking aim at him with her fingers. "This is your last chance."

"How about you join me instead?" He suggests, his next words making her let out a silent gasp. "This was your goal from the beginning, right? To kill Endeavor's son." He shakes Shoto like he's a sack of potatoes. "Now's your chance to redeem yourself."

Slowly, Hotaru lowers her hand and her hair falls over her face. Her fingers go slack, making her fists no more. Now, where did he get that from? Does he know her father? Is he associated with him? Now she's really pissed off.

"I don't know who the hell you are, but let me make one thing clear—you're mistaken. Redeem myself? Please," Her entire form glows cyan, a lightning aura surrounding her. "The only way I can redeem myself right now is to kick your ass. Because right now, you're soiling my goal which has been the same since the very beginning, which is to protect him."

Her ducked head rises and reveals her thunderous eyes. Her form resembles a lightning storm, and the angry intent she's letting off resembles dark storm clouds. The speed she moves at is like a flash. She's behind the villain before he can blink.

She twists her body, raising her leg and aiming a kick at the left side of his chest. He raises his arm to block her strong kick and she smirks. She got him. The moment his arm comes in contact with her, her lightning travels into his body. She reaches towards Shoto until the villain's voice speaks.

"You're going to have to do better than that."

Her eyes enlarge as she realizes something. He's still able to move. He shouldn't be able to. His voice was strained so he's obviously feeling the pain. He's enduring it? Does he have an electric quirk? Or, is he just that strong?

She swiftly puts some distance between them by kicking off of him. Shocking him upon contact like that is useless. Then, she will just shock him with a lightning bolt itself. She should've done that from the start. Lightning is much more dynamic on its own when it's unrestrained. She forms a finger gun and takes aim.

A large bolt of lightning shoots out of her fingertips and barrels right towards him. Thunder makes the air tremor as a result of her lightning strike. He raises his hand and swings it through the air. His powerful swings creates a gale strong enough to redirect her lightning to the ceiling above. She grows pale at his insane power. What the hell? Is this guy as strong as All Might? It's like fighting Nomu all over again.

"Damn…" She whispers under her breath, her teeth gritting. This isn't good. She can't figure his quirk out at all either. He's using his raw strength to create violent gusts of winds. She's at a huge disadvantage. Can she even beat him? She shakes her head at that. She has to beat him. The only way to defeat someone isn't through a head on fight.

Saving Shoto is her number one priority, a large number of other things being a close runner up. She needs to stop him here before he reaches her classmates, or at least slow him down so everyone can escape. She's sure Koda will inform everyone of this horrible situation. Aizawa-sensei and Thirteen are still injured and can't fight. There are many things at stake. This time, definitely, she'll protect everyone.

"Hang on, Shoto. I'm…!" She crouches down slightly, her eyes locked onto him. "...Going to save you!"

The "villain" gets into a defensive stance when she becomes shroud with blue sparks once more. Her eyes narrow and glaze over perilously. She was being serious before, but now she's being more than that. She was only testing him earlier and now she's putting the pieces together. The "villain" smiles from beneath his mask. She's smart. However, he can't let her get too serious.

He's on a strict time limit and needs to hurry to the other students. Additionally, he knows for a fact she will fight till the bitter end, especially since he has her best friend captive. When it comes to him she always risks it all. Not only that, she's definitely stronger than she was weeks ago.

Fighting her seriously would be too troublesome. Getting hit by her quirk is… very painful. Even he can't treat her lightly. He'll end things quickly. Actually, wouldn't things be more interesting if he took her captive too? He knows she won't come willingly, though. She's too stirred up. It will be interesting to see how the students react to seeing two of their strongest classmates defeated.

"...Sorry, Young Aihara." He whispers under his breath.

Hotaru's silvery eyes widen when he vanishes from sight. Her wavy tresses become ruffled when she's hit with a sudden rush of air. An intimidating presence suddenly makes itself known from behind her. She tries to turn around, but suddenly, her body doesn't listen to her.

Her legs give out and she drops onto her knees. Pain starts to radiate from the back of her neck, and her trembling fingers slowly move towards it. Her eyelids become heavy. Did he hit her? Everything's starting to become dark. At this rate, Shoto will…! The villain's feet move closer to her.

"This… no…" She breathes out with much effort, fighting desperately to keep her eyes open. She's losing consciousness. He rendered her into this pathetic state so easily. She's been training so hard all this time, but he can outrun her effortlessly. He can overpower her easily. How can she possibly be a hero? Everything happened so fast. This isn't really happening, is it?

She stares at the unconscious Shoto who looks so blurry. Why does everyone hurt him? Even back then things were like this, and just like back then, she can't do anything. This wasn't supposed to happen. She was supposed to save him. She reaches out towards him one last time, tears of anguish stinging her eyes before darkness swallows her whole.

•○●○•

"Uraraka-kun! Jiro-kun!" Iida yells, making the two girls face him in confusion. He's running towards them at full speed.

"Wasn't he one of the injured?" Jiro questions, looking at Uraraka for confirmation. Before she can answer her, Iida yells again.

"Run away!"

The two of the gasp when Iida tackles them to the ground, shielding them from a powerful gust of wind that's carrying debris. Some buildings crumble as a result and the loud sound doesn't go unnoticed. Everyone nearby and hiding away become on edge.

"It's a villain!" Iida informs as he starts to sit up, making Jiro and Uraraka grow pale in fright. As if on cue, the villain starts to emerge from the cloud of dust he stirred up.

"What is he doing here?!" Uraraka cries out from her spot on the ground.

"Was he hiding?" Jiro bites out, sitting up and gasping when the villain becomes more visible. Her eyes grow wide and Uraraka grows even more pale.

"I-It can't be…! Impossible…!" Uraraka breathes out, her voice trembling. "Todoroki-kun?! A-And…?!" She gulps, scooting backwards. "Taru-chan?!"

Sure enough, the villain has both Todoroki and Hotaru held captive. He's hauling Todoroki by the khaki straps that go over his shoulders, and Hotaru by the silver chain that is wrapped around her waist, all with a single hand.

"T-The strongest in class…!" Uraraka rises onto her feet alongside Jiro, and Iida places himself in front of them both.

"That's why you should hurry to Sensei!" Iida urges.

"But…" Uraraka whispers, hesitant at doing that as she stares at her two classmates who are in trouble. The rest of her class gradually shows up one by one at the commotion.

"A villain?!" Midoriya exclaims.

"It can't be…!" Mineta speaks through his tightened throat, growing pale when his eyes land on Hotaru. "H-He has my woman?!"

"Dammit!" Kirishima curses. "Are you serious?!"

"Sensei, a villain!" Ojiro runs over to Aizawa and Thirteen, a panicked Koda accompanying him.

Aizawa looks over at the "villain." When he sees that Todoroki and Aihara are being held captive, he has the urge to bring his hand over his face. It's thanks to his bandages that he doesn't. This isn't going to end well… for the villain. He doesn't have any intentions to stop what is to come of this situation either.

"What a situation." Aizawa begins in false turmoil and rather leisurely. "We are injured and can't fight."

"Run!" Thirteen panics in a more believable way compared to Aizawa. He's too blunt to act. "Quickly, head to the exit!"

"You won't escape," The villain disagrees with that proposition, raising his foot off the ground. "I will finish all of you!"

He slams his foot down onto the concrete, creating the most powerful shockwave yet. All nearby and far buildings collapse and colossal clouds of dust rise. The ground quivers and everyone loses their footing. Mineta coughs due to the sooty air, slowly opening his eyes and screaming at the now clear terrain.

"What is this?!" He wails so loud it wouldn't be a surprise if the heavens heard him.

"S-So strong!" Kaminari shrinks back in fright.

"Such a guy was hidden?!" Kirishima looks around with wide eyes, Yaoyorozu doing the same.

"Alright. Now the terrain is clear." The villain breathes out, using his free hand to hold up a single finger. "Not one will escape!"

"It can't be!" Thirteen slowly rises onto her feet from afar, and Aizawa slowly walks up from behind her. "Hurry, run away!"

Midoriya gazes at the villain in shock. His power is beyond belief. Not only did he just showcase it, but the fact he defeated Todoroki and Aihara also is undeniable proof. What should he do? He has to save them!

Bakugo suddenly comes soaring into the scene, making a beeline right towards the villain. He growls as he approaches him with a vicious grin, reaching out and nailing him with a powerful blast. The villain, unaffected, forces him back with the swing of his arm. Bakugo lands in a crouch.

"You run; I will defeat him!" He declares, and the villain instantly rebukes.

"You have guts to decide something like that in such a moment!"

Unfazed, Bakugo proceeds to bombard him with a series of attacks. Midoriya watches uneasily, the wheels in his head turning. Mineta panics from his spot next to him.

"What an idiot! Why doesn't he think?! It's obvious he's much stronger!" He cries out. "He defeated my woman, and…!" His gaze is locked onto Hotaru and Todoroki. Their unconscious bodies are pressed together as a result of being held in the villain's same hand. His eye twitches. "It's not fair!"

Midoriya's fists clench as he watches Bakugo continue to attack. Mineta is wrong about him. He isn't the kind of person who doesn't think. He's doing as he must, just as he would. He's fighting to create an opening for everyone else.

"Hey! Don't worry about the others!" Bakugo says when he's forced back and ends up next to Iida. "Don't just stand there! Make those weaklings run away!"

"Why do you have to insult others?!" Iida's teeth bare as he stomps over the Bakugo.

"Hey, Bakugo!" Kirishima suddenly calls out, making his way over with his hands on his hips. "Who do you mean by 'those weaklings?'"

"We are the students of class A." Yaoyorozu joins in, positioning herself next to Kirishima as everyone else walks up from behind them, determined.

"We will all be heroes!" Uraraka affirms.

"How brave." The villain states, facing all of the students with his fist ready, then the real fight begins.

He creates another shockwave by swinging his fist through the air. Debris starts to rain down, but it's rendered useless by Aoyama'a naval laser, Kirishima's hardening, and Sato's sugar rush. While they are occupied doing that, Jiro wastes no time to use her earphone jacks to transform her heartbeat into a violent vibration attack aimed right at the villain.

Sero joins in on the attack by using his tape to confine the villain, and Yaoyorozu creates a cannon to launch a net onto him. As a result, his movements become limited. Seeing they have the upper hand, Yaoyorozu yells.

"Now!"

Those with close ranged quirks start to sprint towards the villain to finish him off, while those with the ranged quirks hover back for support. Before they can even get close, the villain suddenly breaks free from his confinements and creates a powerful gust of wind to send everyone flying backwards.

"I didn't think you would all come to attack me." The villain says, clenching his fist. "It's unexpected, but with something so simple I—"

Bakugo trying to attack him makes his words come to an abrupt halt, and suddenly they are back at square one. Once again, Bakugo begins his rampage of attacks while everyone watches. Midoriya's eyes widen as an idea strikes him.

"Iida-kun! Mineta-kun! Uraraka-san, Asu—Tsuyu-chan!" He calls out to those closest to him, rising onto his feet with determined eyes. "I have an idea!"

For probably the millionth time, Bakugo is overpowered again. His teeth grit in frustration. What the hell is with this guy's strength?! He breathes heavily from his crouched position on the ground, trying to catch his breath. He supposes he can see how that Lightning and Half-and-half bastard were defeated.

"It seems you are tired." The villain states as he cracks his neck. Clearly, he's not tired at all. "Time to end this."

"Don't make me laugh!" Bakugo rises onto his wobbly feet, sneering. Sweat trickles down his face. "I'm barely getting started!"

The moment he darts forward to attack yet again, so does Midoriya.

"Now!" Midoriya yells as he moves quickly towards Uraraka.

"Here I go!" She exclaims, slapping onto his hand and making him weightless.

"Asui-san!" Midoriya calls out, and Asui's frog-like tongue wraps around his waist like a rope.

"Call me Tsuyu-chan!" She demands as she swings him around, throwing him as far as she can.

Right when Bakugo attacks the villain with another large explosion, Midoriya closes in on him from behind. Fortunately, the villain is too preoccupied by Bakugo to notice him. This is most definitely his chance to save them. So far, his plan is working.

When he's close enough, Uraraka releases him from her zero gravity. He reaches out with careful aim with Mineta's purple and sticky ball in his hand. He grabs a hold of Todoroki and Aihara with it, prying them from the villain's grip, shocking him and Bakugo.

He carefully sets them both on the ground before standing and facing the villain. Now it's time to wrap his plan up. He needs to move quickly before the villain recovers. With focused eyes, he raises his hand and his finger starts to glow.

"Here it goes, Smash!" He cries out, flicking his finger and creating a wind gust so power that can rival the villain's. The strong gust rams into the villain, but that's all it does. Instead of flying backwards like Midoriya wanted, he's still standing and blocking his attack.

"I-It didn't work?" Midoriya speaks through the pain of his now broken finger. He clutches at it, wincing.

"Weaklings should step aside!" Bakugo suddenly roars, soaring past him with steaming palms. "I will kill him!"

The villain isn't fast enough to recover from Midoriya's attack before Bakugo arrives. Bakugo smirks as he closes the distance between them. With the most powerful explosion yet, he manages to knock the villain off of his feet and send him flying. He rams into a big chunk of concrete with a grunt, sticking to it like glue as a result of Mineta's quirk.

"He did it! His plan worked!" Mineta leaps into the air with a grin. "Now he can't move!"

"Yes! He flew straight towards the spheres!" Iida smiles with the rest of the class. "Just as you planned, Midoriya-kun!"

"I'm glad." Midoriya smiles in relief, and Uraraka and Asui run over to him.

"We did it, Deku-kun!" Uraraka cheers.

"Impressive!" Asui smiles. Their words and closeness make his cheeks grow a hint darker.

"Thank you, it was thanks to you." He smiles further, looking ahead at Bakugo who's making his way towards the villain. "And also…"

Bakugo understood his plan and followed it through till the end. He stepped in and finished the job when he failed to. Midoriya's smile grows in size and his posture straightens. He's impressive.

"I-I can't move!" The villain panics as Bakugo walks up from behind him with a violent grin, his palms sparking.

"Now it's time for the final touch!" Bakugo raises his fist to supposedly go for this kill, and the villain struggles even more.

"W-Wait! I-I…!" His head comes popping out of his mask, and everyone gawks. "I am here!"

"All Might?!" Everyone cries out, and he laughs loudly.

"I wanted to make a surprise in which a villain appeared in the end." All Might explains with his naturally wide smile as everyone starts to crowd around him. "Well, the other day that happened. But, you did a great job. I wouldn't expect anything less from the hero course…" He gradually trails off at all the angry expressions surrounding him. Sweat glides down his temple. "That… I'm sorry."

"You went overboard, moron!" Bakugo, Kirishima, Kaminari, and Sero roar simultaneously.

Sero, Kirishima, and Kaminari stomp repeatedly on All Might who cries, and Bakugo continues to yell in anger. While they are doing that, Shoto slowly sits up. He shrugs his vest off since Mineta's ball is stuck to it and stands up. Midoriya looks over at his movements, his eyes widening.

"Todoroki-kun!" He says in surprise as he walks over, gaining Bakugo's attention.

"You were in on the surprise?!" Bakugo growls loudly, glaring at him with a popping vein.

Shoto redirects his gaze from them to the ground, nodding slightly while uttering a quiet apology. He didn't mind helping All Might and easily agreed to acting as an unconscious hostage. However, seeing how much worry that was caused because of this villain surprise doesn't feel very great. He looks over his shoulder and at Hotaru who is genuinely unconscious.

"And what about you, Lightning Bastard?!" Bakugo jabs a finger at Hotaru. "Were you in on it too?!"

"She wasn't." Shoto answers, making his way back over to her. Mineta is crouched on the ground next to her, holding onto her arm and trying to shake her awake.

"Taru-chan!" He cries out, tears building up in his eyes. "Are you okay?! Wake up!"

She doesn't respond to him and he panics. What should he do? His woman may as well be dying! He needs to take her to see Recovery Girl! He needs too—! His eyes are suddenly drawn to her chest. It's not very impressive but… it's rising and falling. So, she's breathing? It looks like it. However, he should check to be sure. Slowly and with bulging eyes, he reaches towards it. He's nearly there, until…

"Eek!" Mineta yelps when Shoto's foot abruptly punts him so far away he's now nothing but a meager dot.

"Aihara-san?" Shoto crouches down next to her and in the exact same spot Mineta was previously.

Just like with Mineta, she doesn't react to him at all. She remains out cold and a crease forms in his brow. His lips press together firmly when he recalls how she was the first one to try and save him. He even recalls the words she spoke. After everything today, what makes him feel the worst is how he made her of all people worry. He made her worry throughout his entire life.

Why does she always get hurt for his sake? In that sense, she hasn't changed at all. She really cherishes their past friendship that deeply? His eyes shut for a brief moment. He once claimed he wanted to forget their past friendship, but he can't seem to. In fact, he catches himself thinking of it more often as the days go by.

"Taru?" He tries again, and her eyelids twitch.

At a slow pace, her eyelids crack open to reveal her silvery orbs. They stare up at him. It's like she's not seeing him at first and her eyebrows knit together. A few seconds go by before she realizes it's him. Her lips part as she draws in a rickety breath.

"Shoto?" She murmurs.

"Yeah." He nods, confirming that he's here.

She starts to sit up, only to pause halfway when her head starts pounding. The heel of her hand presses against her forehead and she groans in pain. She nearly falls back down onto the ground until Shoto grabs a hold of her shoulders, helping her sit up.

"Where are we?" She questions weakly.

"U.S.J." He answers, and her nose scrunches up.

"Huh…?" She starts up in confusion before lightly shaking her head. That was a dumb question that doesn't matter. She asks another one that's far more important. "Are you okay?"

Her eyes meet his, gazing into them searchingly. She's gripping the sleeve of his shirt and his hands still hold her upright. Clearly she's worse off than him. In fact, he's unharmed yet she's more worried about him than herself? He didn't catch how exactly All Might knocked her unconscious, but he can confidently say it must've been painful.

"I'm fine." He answers, and she lets out a breath of relief. "Are you okay?"

"My head hurts." She admits, wincing at the throbbing headache that's currently torturing her. "But, I'm well enough."

She starts to move on her own and it's now no longer necessary for him to help her stay upright. Slowly, she rises onto her feet and he stands up after she does. She takes in their surroundings and takes a single step forward, losing her balance already. Shoto grabs onto her arm before she falls over.

"'Well enough.'" He quotes, her lips part to retort but nothing comes out. Silence hovers between them for a few seconds before she speaks.

"Actually…" She mumbles, her vision blurring in and out. Her hands move over her eyes, the brightness of their surroundings bothering her greatly and making her headache worse. "...If it's okay, c-can you help me to the nurse's office?"

"Sure."

Shoto moves in front of her and crouches down. Her brows furrow and her lips purse, her cheeks darkening somewhat as she stares down at him. He looks over his shoulder nonchalantly, and she nervously swallows.

Does he want her to do what she thinks he wants her to do? It's true her balance is nonexistent right now, and she really wants Recovery Girl to do something about this awful headache. Dang it. This will be the second time today she'll be held by him.

He doesn't say anything and neither does she. She moves onto his back and he stands up without warning. His arms loop beneath her knees and her arms hang loosely around his neck. She briefly gets a face-full of his hair, catching a whiff of its fresh mountain scent. As quickly as she can, she turns her head away from him and becomes drawn to an interesting scene.

Kaminari, Kirishima, and Sero are beating up All Might. Her head tilts ever so slightly. What all happened while she was unconscious? Did All Might come and save them from the villain again? That doesn't explain why her classmates are beating him up though. Her eyes widen when she notices what exactly All Might is wearing.

"Hey…" She taps repeatedly on Shoto's shoulder as he starts walking. "Why is All Might dressed as that villain?"

"He was the villain." He reveals, making her freeze.

"…"

Shoto looks over his shoulder to see Hotaru glaring intensely at All Might. Her eyes are glazed over in fury. He was the villain? So, it was actually All Might who made her think Shoto was in danger, who made her get so stirred up by mentioning the goal her parents had for her, and who knocked her out…?

"Turn back around." She murmurs vacantly. "I want to beat him up too."

"No."

"Sho," She glares at him. "Just do it!"

"I don't think you're in well enough condition to do that." He rolls his eyes, and she frowns deeply.

"Then, just let me say a few things!"

"No."

"Don't you want to say something to him too? He knocked you unconscious." She says, and he looks off to the side. Her jaw drops. "W-Wait. Don't tell me you weren't actually unconscious? You went along with it?!"

"...Sorry." He apologies almost inaudibly.

"You really are the meanest person ever." She whispers, her eyelids lowering slightly. "Don't do things like that. I was really worried about you."

"You don't have to worry about me so much." He says, looking back ahead.

Her eyes widen slightly before she smiles softly. If he wants her to do that, he should stop giving her things to worry about. Back when they first met, she was worried he wasn't living a happy life. Throughout the years, she was worried about his safety. She's still worried about these things even now.

"Then, stop giving me things to worry about." She shuts her eyes, a smile still on her face. "Tell you what. I'll only stop worrying when you smile."

"Smile?" He repeats with furrowed brows. She nods, resting her chin on his shoulder.

Her next words make his breath get caught in his throat, and his eyes enlarge. He falters in his step slightly, and she tenderly smiles at him with rose dusted cheeks. It's a familiar expression with even more familiar words. It makes him feel wistful. There's a pang in his chest and he looks to the ground almost bashfully.

"You should really smile more, Shoroki."


~ Next Chapter Sneak Peek:

❤•○●○•❤

Roaring Sports Festival

❤•○●○•❤

He really is like a whole different person today. Towards her and everyone else, he's acting as cold as ice and as scorching as fire. Her silver eyes stare at the back of his head and her fingers curl into tight fists. She supposes this is how things are meant to be. Everyone is acting like hungry lone wolves and there's only one food source—the number one spot. The atmosphere is brutal and it's almost like she's being forced back to her villainous ways.

"Since we're obviously all picking out our rivals, openly and secretly, I guess I'll do so too. Shoto," She stands up from her chair with a smirk and a perilous gaze. "I'm going to be the one to beat you. I'm..." Her smirk grows in size when he faces her with a glare. "...Stronger than you."