Chasing Ghosts

by Rynxenvy

She had no business becoming a hero, that's not what she was born to be and she knew that but something within her urged her to consider the path of heroism. She wanted to prove, more so to herself but also to the watchful eyes around her, that she was capable of making her own decisions. The one thing she never took into consideration-was getting attached to him, of all people.

17. Chapter 17

"You wanted to see me?" Natsumi stepped out of the elevator and into Hawks' office, her head tilted in a curious manner as she stared up at the man who sat cross-legged mid-air with another magazine in hand.

He perked up at her entrance, a lopsided grin etched on his face as he tossed the magazine into the air, only to have it be caught by one of his detached feathers. He swooped down to her level, hands on his hips and leaning in closely to examine her, "I was curious about your Quirk."

Her brows knitted together and she took a tentative step away from him when he invaded her personal space, "My Quirk? I thought it was pretty cut and dry—ice manipulation and invisible intangibility."

Hawks remained in his position, hovering a foot off the ground, back hunched as he brought his face up to her's again, a contemplative hum escaping his throat, "You think so? Considering the type of Quirk that Hydra had I'm a little surprised that you've only mastered the manipulation of ice and gas—"

"—Gas?" Natsumi interjected, her eyebrows scrunched up in confusion, "Oh! I mean, yeah I guess that was how that aspect of my Quirk was originally explained to me but I'm not really good with the whole physics of it all. It's just something that came naturally to me during a time when I needed it the most."

The blonde Pro Hero tilted his head, raising a curious brow at her choice of words, "When you needed it the most?"

She bit the inside of her cheek, averting her eyes and suddenly feeling embarrassed, "Ah…it, uh, developed one night after I, um, was locked in my room for a few days. After that, when I realized what I could do, I did my best to hide that aspect of my Quirk from my parents so that if I was ever in a situation where I hadn't been able to eat or was denied medical attention I could literally sneak by them without them ever knowing that I wasn't still in my room."

Hawks' smile faltered at her admission; he knew what it was like to have a harsh, unconventional childhood. He was often denied meals when he didn't produce the results that the Commission wanted him to, even as a small child, they would urge him to continue for hours upon hours until he had gone well past his physical and mental limits. It certainly wasn't something he would ever want another child to experience.

"So, it manifested itself when you subconsciously realized that you were in danger, interesting." His nimble fingers stroked his chin thoughtfully, "Well, that's two out of three forms of water that you've come to be able to manipulate. Have you ever tried working with it in its liquid state?"

Natsumi shrugged, "Honestly? Not really. Ice has always been easiest for me to work with and was what my parents had me focus on, though I assume that's because they didn't think I was capable of anything else?" It was her turn to bring her thumb and index finger to her chin, staring ahead at nothing in particular as she mumbled, "Could there be a possibility that there's a whole other aspect of my Quirk that I never explored?"

"It would make the most sense. Hydra had the ability to manipulate water in all forms as well—though, from what I knew of her exploits, I don't think I've ever heard of her being able to turn herself into a gas to escape evasion. You think that part of your Quirk was a mutation of her's and your father's?" The blonde allowed his feet to touch the floor, his wings curled against his back as he leaned back on his heels.

The young girl nodded her head slowly, crimson eyes rising to meet his, "I always assumed that it must've been. She could control water in all states of matter but she was never able to physically alter her body like I can in that aspect. Father, on the other hand, with his Quirk Phantom was able to turn himself intangible but not invisible. So, I always figured that it was a combination of both of their Quirks that allowed me to become both invisible and intangible."

He let out a low whistle, a wide grin splitting his lips, "That's a pretty handy ability to have, think of how efficient it would be on a mission when stealth is your top priority. You're also able to transfer that ability to other people by way of touch, yeah? So in a hostage situation you could literally slip in unnoticed and get the hostages out of harm's way without being seen. Do you have a limit to how many people you can use your Quirk on at one time?"

That was such high praise coming from the No. 3 Hero. The fact that he was telling her how useful she would be in stressful situations when the stakes were high made her swell with pride. Just knowing that the Quirks she had inherited from her parents could be used for good was enough to make her dizzy with excitement over the blatant encouragement that Hawks was showing her.

His last question made her falter, pursing her lips together as she considered his words carefully. She didn't really have an answer to what he had asked because she had never had the opportunity to really test her limits in that respect. Hibiki and Ryou were the only other people she had used it on. For the longest time it had just been the three of them in their own little world, she never would have considered the thought of expanding the walls around her heart to include anyone else.

But time changes everything.

It certainly had changed her perspective on life.

"I've never really experimented with it. I mean, I've been able to pull two people in with me simultaneously, but I've never tried any more than that before so I really don't know what my limit would be." She answered honestly after a long silence had passed between the two.

He shoved his hands deep into the pockets of his jeans, beaming brightly at her, "Well, I think we should work on expanding your limits as well as exploring the possibility of liquid manipulation."

---

Natsumi presently sat in the middle of a kiddy pool filled halfway with water, situated off to the side of the expansive training room that the agency harbored. She wasn't exactly sure what she was supposed to be doing to activate her potential, she had always assumed that she had everything figured out about her Quirk. But Hawks had made her question if perhaps she had been looking at it incorrectly—maybe she didn't have two Quirks after all. Maybe it had always been just one.

She lowered her gaze, her hands falling to her lap and making a splash as they fell into the cool water. She knew that concentration was the key when training and it had certainly played a major part in harnessing her power when she was a child just learning the ins and outs of her Quirk.

I hope he's right about this or else I'm going to feel like a major idiot just sitting here in a baby pool.

She felt disappointed in herself for having never actually considered the thought that maybe she could do more with her Quirk than what she had been trained to. Her parents had certainly been distraught over their masterpiece only having the ability to control ice and not the full spectrum of their combined Quirks. She had been purposefully bred to hopefully wield both Quirks, but as luck would have it, she was destined to be a disappointment to her parents.

A scoff passed over her lips at the thought and she rolled her eyes, shoving the thoughts and memories aside so that she could focus on the task at hand. Cupping her hands together, Natsumi collected a small pooling of the liquid in her palms and brought it up so that it was eyelevel.

She narrowed her eyes, focusing all of her energy on the liquid as it rippled from the movement of her hands before stilling as she held it out in front of herself.

Creating ice is like second nature to me, using my already low body temperature to freeze the water molecules around me…so it should, theoretically, be just a matter of not lowering the temperature of the molecules and then working to manipulate it as is. She let out a groan, Ugh, but that means I need to find a way to regulate my own temperature…I've never been able to do that before.

Natsumi closed her eyes, focusing all of her energy on the water held in her cupped palms, she imagined little tendrils of sloshing liquid forming from the surface of the fluid, rising up and twirling in her hands. She snapped her eyes open and immediately let out an exasperated sigh. The liquid in her hands, as well as what she had been sitting in, was frozen solid.

"This is harder than I thought it would be." She quietly groaned to herself, pulling the molecules away from the frozen water in her hands before running her fingers along the smooth surface of the ice that encased her bent legs, watching as the ice thawed around her.

Loud grunts drifted past her ears and she momentarily took a break from heatedly staring at the water rippling around her legs to glance over to the other side of the training room.

Tokoyami and Kestrel had been at it for about as long as she had been trying to work with the water in her kiddy pool. The two were exchanging blows, blocking, and dodging each other's movements with swift precision.

She was taken aback by how quick and unpredictable Kestrel's movements were. She had activated her quirk, a pair of transparent, holographic looking wings appeared at her back giving her the extra boost in speed that she'd need to keep her opponent on his toes.

Unfortunately for Tokoyami, this exercise was one that he was strictly prohibited from using Dark Shadow's abilities in, so he was forced to rely on his own personal strength to match wits with the sidekick.

Natsumi hummed quietly to herself, tearing her eyes away from the sparring duo and returning her attention to her own training task once more.

---

The two interns had spent the better part of their morning and early afternoon in the agency training facility. Tokoyami was sore from his long-lasting sparring match with Kestrel who, at one point, had tapped out and switched with Origami who showed absolutely no mercy when it came to hand to hand battle.

Natsumi had managed to form a half-frozen whip of slush out of the water in the kiddy pool, it was sloppy and not very easy to control, but she was proud and excited nonetheless. Baby steps, she reminded herself.

It was close to sunset when Hawks appeared in the common room, hands shoved deep into the pockets of his pants, lips pulled back into a lazy grin, "You kids ready to go on patrol?"

Natsumi had been nursing a bowl of soggy cereal for the last fifteen minutes, mulling over the training she had done earlier in the day, the voice of the Pro Hero successfully drawing her out of her thoughts. She jumped up, dumping the remnants of her snack into the trash before placing the bowl in the sink and turning to the blonde with an eager nod of her head

Tokoyami had just finished off an apple, rising to toss the core in the trash before dipping his head as well, "We appreciate you taking the time to take us with you tonight."

Hawks laughed, bringing one hand out of his pockets to wave emphatically, "Ah~! I'm a man of my word, you know!"

He wouldn't allow for his mask to break in front of the kids, but he was silently dreading the thought of having to slow himself down enough for them to be able to keep up. That wasn't his style. He was known as the Hero who was too fast for his own good, for a reason. He got shit done efficiently and quickly, more often than not, he was able to resolve situations before they even had a chance to escalate and become dangerous.

But, he had struck a deal with his young charge and he certainly wasn't about to go back on his word, especially after the two had supplied him with all the information he had been curious about. Hawks had gotten what he wanted, now it was time for him to give the kids what they wanted, even if the pace he had to keep was torturous to him.

"Patrol hours for me can vary day to day. Yesterday, I set out in the early afternoon, but today I figured we could do an evening patrol so you could see the difference the time of day makes when it comes to the crime rate." He explained, hovering a foot off the ground as the two teens followed him out of the agency and out into the warm Spring evening.

The sun was just beginning to set behind the cityscape, leaving a trail of orange rays of light to beam across the sky, standing out against the purples and blues of the encroaching night. The city certainly seemed to come alive at this time of day, street lamps flickered on, the streets and sidewalks seemed busier, crowded with people on their evening commute home from work, and the bar and restaurant scene was booming as guests crowded in through the opened doors to grab dinner.

"Hey look, it's Hawks!" Someone called out from across the street and the Pro Hero in question turned his head, waving jovially at the excited woman.

"Oh man, Hawks! Keep up the good work, the city feels so much safer with you keeping an eye on it!" Another bystander piped up as he walked by with his wife.

"Of course! Just doing my part to keep the bad guys at bay and the lovely people of my hometown safe~!" Hawks grinned so wide that his eyes crinkled at the corners.

Natsumi and Tokoyami exchanged glances as their mentor stopped to sign a couple of autographs for his adoring fans. They both simultaneously wondered if maybe this was another reason why Hawks took to the skies during patrol, so that he wouldn't have to worry about being stopped every couple of feet by his fans.

"He is quite the people pleaser, isn't he?" The boy beside her commented, tilting his head as he watched the blonde Pro take a selfie with a group of giggling girls. He grinned brightly, holding up a peace sign as two of the girls placed their lips delicately against his cheeks for the photo.

"No wonder he's so popular in the polls." She hummed in response.

"Thanks for the continued love and support, everyone!" He detached himself from the small crowd of fans that had formed around him, waving animatedly to them before strolling towards his two patiently waiting interns, "I hope you were taking notes~!"

Natsumi tilted her head, scrunching her nose at the comment, "Notes on what? How to waste time while allowing strangers to slobber all over you?"

Hawks expression never faltered, not even once, instead he let out a loud burst of laughter at her response, digging his hands into the plush lined pockets of his coat, "On how to keep your fans happy, of course! They're the ones who're going to be placing their vote for you in the polls after all. I'd like to think that the popularity polls are the most important judge of a Hero's true character because it shows that they care enough about the people. It's the people who're showing their support and placing their trust in you to get the job done and keep them and the city safe from the bad guys. Going out of your way to snap a few photos, kiss a few babies, and sign a few autographs really shows them that you appreciate their support. Remember that, you two."

That was probably the most advice The Winged Hero had given either of them since the start of their internship and both students wondered what happened to his whole 'I-don't-care-to-guide-the-future-generations' attitude.

He really is taking this seriously. I can't believe we got through to him. Natsumi felt her lips twitch at the corners as she followed behind the blonde Pro and her classmate.

Though, his declaration lead to another thought, "That's easy for you to say, but what about someone like me? Someone stigmatized by the public to be a villain and in no way suited for this line of work? I highly doubt I'll ever rank in the popularity polls, not that that really matters all that much to me to begin with. I just want to help people."

His piercing, golden gaze slid to land on her from the corner of his eye, his lips still retaining the pleasant grin that he had adorned previously but his voice held a new, underlying element to it when he spoke, one she was unable to decipher, "No matter how hard you work, all the good you do for the world, you're always going to have people who doubt your intentions and your abilities. Try not to let their negativity bring you down, use it as a force of motivation. Remember, they don't know you personally, they don't know the hurdles you've gotten over, the hardships you've faced, or how much progress you've made. All they're going to focus on is what they know from the media, which, I'll be honest, can be pretty brutal sometimes. But you just gotta keep your head held high and stay focused on what really matters—helping as many people as you can."

Natsumi had stopped walking at some point during Hawks' speech, her crimson gaze focused on the back of his head as he spoke. The Pro suddenly stopped, turning to meet her stare after he had realized that she had stopped following him and Tokoyami.

He had taken an interest in her originally because of who her parents were, which, admittedly, probably made him just as bad as the rest of the world. Though, while everyone else judged her for what her parents had done, projecting their fears onto this fragile fifteen-year-old, Hawks had been intrigued by other thoughts. He had been curious to see the type of person she had become after growing up in a hostile and unconventional environment and curious to determine for himself whether she was worthy of the title Hero. Maybe it was presumptuous of him to have such thoughts, making him just as guilty as those who believed what the mass media had laid out for them.

But Hawks was an excellent judge of character and from the observations he had made of her since their first meeting a few days ago he knew there was nothing to worry about in terms of where her alliances lied. She was determined to become a Hero despite her shady past…just like he had been.

"You may have those who wish to see you fail, but also keep in mind that you have an even larger group of friends who are rooting for you and are eager to see you succeed." Tokoyami broke the silence, his back was still to her but he had angled his chin over his shoulder, allowing his dark eyes to land on her quiet form, "I don't believe you realize just how much you have changed and progressed since the beginning of the school year. You should be proud, Kurosawa."

Hawks glanced over to Tokoyami briefly before settling his golden gaze back onto the subject of the conversation, interested to see her reaction.

Natsumi bit her lip, eyes widening at the unexpected kind words and praise gifted to her by her classmate. She let out a shaky breath, blinking back the moisture that had gathered at the corners of her eyes. She still wasn't used to being praised; it sent a fluttering sensation rippling through her chest that blossomed into an indescribable warmth…but it wasn't unpleasant.

"You're right, both of you." She let out a breathy laugh, crimson eyes crinkling at the corners as she brought her gaze up to meet theirs, "Thank you."

Hawks chuckled, bringing a hand up to rub at the back of his neck as his lips slipped back into an easy-going grin, "Sure thing, little bird!"

---

Silver eyes narrowed, lips drawn into a displeased frown as the boy peered over the edge of the rooftop he was standing upon to gaze at the Winged Hero and his two interns below. He peeled his eyes away from the trio beneath him as the sound of footsteps crunching against the gravelly rooftop behind him caught his attention.

"What's wrong, Hibiki?" Ryou sidled up beside his brother, hands crossed over his chest as he, too, glanced down towards the ivory haired girl below, his gaze lingering on her.

Hibiki let out an uneasy sigh, silver eyes gliding to focus on his brother, "I don't know…should we really do this? What if she gets hurt?"

Ryou scoffed, running a hand through his shaggy, raven locks, "Don't get yourself all worked up, Shigaraki has these things programmed to follow his orders to a T. They won't kill her."

"Argh! I know that, but the thought of her getting roughed up by them at all is enough to send me on edge." Hibiki let out a frustrated groan, his fingers rising to fidget with the black mask on his face. He stared down at the girl that he and his brother loved so dearly. Suddenly, an image of Natsumi appeared on the rooftop before them, her body still as it lay crumpled against the gravel, a smattering of dark bruises covered her pale skin as sticky crimson pooled around her.

"Control yourself." Ryou barked, eyes narrowed.

"Sorry, sorry. You know I can't help it sometimes." He blinked and the battered and defeated image of the girl disappeared in an instant before he shot his brother an apologetic grin.

"Shigaraki gave them explicit orders not to kill her. We just need to help ease her into the realization that Heroes aren't almighty beings—they're not Gods, and they can't save every life that's in danger. The sooner she sees that the sooner she'll come to realize that this silly goal of hers is not realistic." Ryou let out a chuckle as a swirling portal of purple and black opened up once more behind them, this time three creatures emerged, quiet snarls escaping them as they stomped forward towards the edge of the roof, "Plus, if we can manage to take out that overgrown parrot with the Nomu I think that'd be a plus and the extra push she needs."

Hibiki glanced over to the Nomu before turning back to his brother, "Right, and then she'll come back to us. She'll run right into our arms and be ours again."

Ryou nodded, She's always belonged to us, we just need to remind her of that fact. He moved to take a step back from the ledge he was perched upon when, from the corner of his eye, he caught the subtle movement from the Winged Hero below. Silver eyes narrowed, meeting piercing gold briefly before a slew of vermilion feathers detached from the Pro Hero's back and flew towards the twins.

"Shit. Time to go, Hibiki." Nimble fingers curled around the collar of his brother's shirt, yanking him away from the ledge with dire urgency as the feathers flew high into the sky before changing trajectory and diving down towards the two teens.

"Fuck shit up." Hibiki's silver gaze drifted over to the three Nomu standing on the edge of the building as they awaited their orders, all at once the creatures jumped into action and took off in different directions.

The two teens dove straight into the swirling mist, narrowly escaping the crimson feathers honing in on them as the gateway closed behind them.

---

The trio had been trotting along, Hawks' feet planted firmly on the ground now as he walked in between his two interns. He tilted his head back, laughing, as he recounted a recent villain capture of his to the two teens, "And then he said, 'I woulda gotten away with it if it weren't for that meddlin' chicken!', I can't make this shit up, he was a regular ol' Scooby Doo villain if I've ever seen one."

Suddenly his entire demeanor changed, which didn't go unnoticed by the two teens on either side of him. His eyes narrowed behind his visor, shooting a hardened stare up towards the skyline as his bright, vermilion wings ruffled behind him. A flurry of feathers shot out from the wide expanse of his plumage, taking to the sky and chasing towards an unseen threat.

"Things are about to get interesting." The blonde's voice took on a more serious timbre, "Look sharp, you two."

Dark Shadow manifested, hovering behind his host protectively while chuckling darkly at the prospect of pounding some bad guys into the ground. Tokoyami shifted into a defensive stance, still unsure of what sort of threat they were facing but he was ready for whatever came their way.

Natsumi narrowed her eyes, her gaze trailing up to where the feathers had disappeared from sight, she caught sight of three large looming figures as they crouched on the ledge of the building above before leaping down and darting in various directions.

Her breath hitched as one of the creatures stomped towards them, it towered over them by several feet, staring down at the trio with beady, glowing red eyes. Its body was a mass of thick, pulsing sinewy muscles that glistened under the light of the street lamps. Its wide mouth opened, strings of saliva keeping its jaws connected.

"Hisame, Tsukuyomi, stay back and assist with the evacuation of the civilians while I handle this." Hawks ordered, barely sparing them a glance as he took to the air with a powerful flap of his wings, in a flash he was upon the creature, blasting it with a barrage of feathers. The Nomu didn't so much as flinch, instead, it clapped its palms together and a strong gust of wind formed, taking on the appearance of a small cyclone that disrupted the air flow around Hawks' wings, sending him tumbling backwards in the air before he was able to correct his flight path.

Crowds of panicked bystanders gathered on the sidewalks, cars stopped in the middle of the street while the passengers leaned to peer out of the window to catch sight of the No. 3 Hero in action. Some of the smarter civilians began to run, putting distance between them and the fight at hand, however, there were still a good majority of people who stood around gawking and cheering on their favorite Winged Hero.

Multitudes of feathers detached from Hawks' back and flew back towards the crowd, plucking as many civilians up as possible and flying them to a safer distance away. Tokoyami turned on his heel and ran towards the crowd, Dark Shadow expanded, his arms shot out to guide a large group of bystanders away from the fray.

"Everyone, listen up! Tsukuyomi and I are here to help get you all to safety!" Natsumi projected her voice as loud as she could above the panicked cries of the people and the sounds of the fight behind her. Many of the civilians turned to her as if just noticing her for the first time, "Follow me! We will guide you to a safer location to keep you out of harm's way!"

She waved her hand, urging the people to follow after her as she ran down the sidewalk with Tokoyami and Dark Shadow deciding to bring up the rear in order to keep the people safe from any attacks. They came upon a hospital several blocks away from the main battle and ushered the people inside.

"Please remain calm and stay within the confines of the hospital until the danger has subsided. We will alert the proper authorities and will return to you once it is safe for you to leave." Tokoyami spoke calmly, evenly, his dark eyes dancing across the faces crowded together in the lobby of the hospital.

"We're going to round up as many more people as we can and bring them back here, please stay where you are, thank you for your cooperation!" Natsumi shot a grin over her shoulder in hopes of reassuring the people that they could put their trust in her and Tokoyami.

The two teens exited the sliding doors of the building, even being blocks away from Hawks and the Nomu he was fighting they could still hear the guttural cries of the creature. The terrifying sound sent chills up their spines.

"Oi, oi! Watch out!" Dark Shadow growled, shoving the ivory haired teen to the side as a creature detached itself from the building it had been climbing up the walls of and fell towards them. Natsumi corrected her balance at the last minute, keeping herself from falling to the ground from the force of Dark Shadow's push. She shot him a thankful nod for pulling her out of harms way, the creature had landed precisely in the same spot she had previously occupied.

It stood on all fours, taking on the vague appearance of some sort of canine with an elongated maw, rows upon rows of sharpened fangs and narrowed, red eyes that focused on the two teens hungrily. Its skin stretched taut over rippling muscle, it opened its jowls wide to allow a thick, purple tongue to poke out and lick its chops as it stalked forward predatorily. The creature let out a piercing growl so shrill it shattered the glass of every building within the vicinity and had Natsumi and Tokoyami covering their ears tightly.

"I'm going to lead it away before it gets too close to the hospital!" She winced through gritted teeth, her head throbbing in pain from the sharp, piercing sound the Nomu emitted. Finally, the creature's battle cry ended and the two teens were able to catch their bearings just in time for the beast to leap forward with incredible speed, its large heavy paws thundering against the pavement.

Tokoyami's eyes widened, his back straightened before he dodged out of the way of the oncoming beast. Dark Shadow flared up angrily around his host before shooting forward, matching the speed of the beast as he closed in on his target, shadowy claws stretched out. Dark Shadow let out a growl, sinking his claws into the back of the Nomu.

The Nomu let out a feral cry, bucking its back and swinging its head back and forth, snapping its jaws in an attempt to get ahold of the shadowed entity clinging to its back. In one swift movement, it jutted out its back legs and kicked Dark Shadow off of it. It whirled around, lowering its head threateningly.

"Hey! Over here! You hungry? I've got a snack for you~!" Natsumi called out, having already put several yards between herself and the creature. She held her palms out in front of herself, shooting icy projectiles at the Nomu and watching in satisfaction as her frozen weapons made contact with the beast, leaving small wounds in the side of its body. The pained growl it let out had her running farther down the street now that she had its attention, the sound of its thunderous feet against the pavement had her chancing a glance over her shoulder. She let out a string of curses as it gained momentum, getting closer and closer to her with every stride.

Shit. SHIT. SHIT! She swore with each footfall, she was fast but not fast enough. The Nomu let out a triumphant growl as it leapt forward, it's massive body colliding with hers and sending her tumbling to the pavement. Its massive paws were on either side of her head, trapping her beneath its body as it brought it's head down, lips curled back to show yellowed fangs. Strings of drool slipped out from its jowls; a rope of saliva splashed against her face but she was too stunned to turn away.

"Heads up, ugly!" Dark Shadow screeched as he flew forward at top speed, body slamming into the Nomu and successfully knocking it off of Natsumi.

Tokoyami skidded to a halt at her side, his eyes briefly rising to catch a glimpse of Dark Shadow as he swiped at the creature with his claws again, dodging out of the way of the Nomu's powerful jaws. He tore his gaze away from his familiar, holding a hand out to the teen who accepted it without hesitation, allowing him to pull her to her feet.

"Are you alright?" He frowned, noticing that the sleeves of her costume had been hiked up from skidding against the pavement and there were various scrapes and bruises already forming against her pale skin.

She waved off his concern, "Yeah, I'll live. Thanks for coming to my aid."

He nodded his head, "We should lead it closer to where Hawks is, we're still too close to the Hospital for my liking."

"Yeah, you're right. I'm going to use my ice to travel, it'll make me faster and I should be able to out-maneuver the Nomu this time. Is it okay if I hold onto you so that we can go together? I don't like the thought of leaving you behind." Crimson eyes searched his own for permission, she didn't want to do anything that would make her classmate feel uncomfortable but they needed to move fast and get away from this part of the city.

Tokoyami pursed his lips together, staring between her and where Dark Shadow and the Nomu were viciously attacking each other, before turning back to her and nodding, "It makes the most sense in this situation." Her turned to Dark Shadow and called out, "We are going to lead it away, Dark Shadow let's go!" The familiar perked up at the sound of his Host calling out to him, getting one last swipe in before returning to Tokoyami and Natsumi, waving his arms around in a taunting manner to keep the beast's attention on him.

Natsumi nodded, reaching forward and allowing her fingers to curl around his wrist to tug him closer to herself. The temperature around them dropped drastically in a matter of seconds as a thick sheet of ice formed beneath her feet and she used it to propel them forward down the sidewalk, "Is it following?"

Tokoyami's breath had caught in his throat the moment they began to move, almost surprised by the velocity at which she was able to move them. He blinked against the wind stinging his eyes and glanced back, Dark Shadow was clinging to his back and blowing raspberries at the Nomu that was hot on their tail, "He has taken the bait and is following closely behind us."

Her lips pulled back into a pleased smirk, "Perfect."

They were so close. The sounds of Hawks fighting against his own enemy had become much louder the closer they got to the city center. Several lesser known Pro Heroes were now on the scene and fighting against a third Nomu, this one had the appearance of some mutated, overgrown lizard.

Natsumi breathed a sigh of relief when she caught sight of familiar crimson plumage hovering over the street, his fingers curled tightly around two extra-long primary feathers that he was currently using to slash relentlessly at the Nomu with.

"Kurosawa, it's gaining on us!" Tokoyami hissed in her ear, his eyes widening as the beast burst forward with incredibly speed, its jaws opened wide in anticipation of making an easy meal of the two Hero Course students.

Dark Shadow growled menacingly bursting forward and shove the creature away when it came too close for comfort.

Natsumi slowed to a stop and both teens whirled around to face their opponent properly, realizing that that needed to take it down before it got bored of their cat and mouse game and ventured off to cause damage elsewhere.

Hawks was still preoccupied with his own Nomu, but knowing that he was in the same plaza and could aide them should the need arise gave them an extra boost of confidence.

"I think we're far enough away from the hospital now." Natsumi huffed as she worked on catching her breath.

Tokoyami nodded in agreement, narrowing his eyes at the creature as it shook off Dark Shadow's attack and turned to face the two teens with renewed vigor, "Let's end this as quickly as possible."

Her lips split into a wide grin, "I like the way you think."

She placed herself in a defensive stance, sliding her left leg forward while bringing both of her hands forward, palms outstretched towards the creature as he barreled towards them. A flurry of sharp, frozen shards materialized before her and shot towards the Nomu at breakneck speed. It was able to dodge quite a few of her icy weapons but, ultimately, was struck down by the remaining multitudes of ice.

The Nomu was down for only a few seconds before it shot back to its feet with an irritated growl, lunging towards the teens once more. Tokoyami growled out commands to Dark Shadow who eagerly obeyed, shooting forward with shadowed claws outstretched.

Natsumi ground her foot against the pavement, watching as a sheet of ice raced alongside Dark Shadow towards the intended target. The beast lowered its head as the ice and shadowy opponent neared it, the teens watched in startled horror as the Nomu opened its jowls wide, an amber spark lighting the back of its throat before a sudden burst of flames shot out, melting the incoming ice instantaneously. Dark Shadow awkwardly maneuvered his body out of the way to avoid taking a direct hit.

"Well, that's new." Natsumi's eyes narrowed in concern as she watched the flames dance across her line of vision, turning her ice into puddles that then evaporated into the air. Her ice was at a huge disadvantage.

Dark Shadow was back by his host's side hovering protectively around the boy while glaring at the beast as it spewed flames from its gaping mouth. Tokoyami bit the inside of his cheek, "The situation has escalated far beyond what we are capable of containing. We should fall back and alert Hawks and the other Pro Heroes of our plight."

Crimson eyes darted to meet the dark gaze of Tokoyami as she considered his suggestion. She knew he was right, but the feeling of utter and absolute defeat clung to her at the mere thought of giving up and seeking help from someone else. But…they were outmatched in that aspect, they couldn't beat a damn fire Quirk. It wasn't as if they were even supposed to be engaging the Nomu in the first place, Hawks had instructed them to help with the evacuation of the civilians.

"I know I—move!" Her eyes widened and she rushed forward as the Nomu sprung towards her companion, catching the boy off guard as its jaws tightly wrapped around his right arm.

The beast chomped down harder, fangs piercing through soft flesh, angry streams of crimson oozed from between the Nomu's teeth, droplets splattering against the pavement below as Tokoyami grit his teeth, determined not to cry out despite the agonizing pain he was experiencing. He swung his free arm around, fingers digging into one of the Nomu's eyes as Dark Shadow let out an ear piercing screech, using his large shadowy appendages to attempt to pry the jaws off of his host's arm.

Natsumi was upon them in seconds, teeth gnashing together in white-hot rage as she sent a wave of ice barreling into the side of the creature. It let out a pained yelp, but held its ground, teeth tightening around Tokoyami's arm with a sickening crunch.

The boy hissed in pain, fingers digging further into the eye socket of the Nomu.

"I'LL fUcKinG KiLL yOu!" Dark Shadow growled out menacingly, clamping his beak around the muzzle of the creature.

Natsumi cried out in frustration, simultaneously sending a large ice spike as well as her trademark frozen daggers shooting towards the Nomu. The spike lodged itself in the side of the creature, catching it by surprise long enough for it to let out a cry of pain and releasing Tokoyami's arm in the same breath before shaking its head to rid itself of Dark Shadow's presence.

"Tsukuyomi, get back!" She commanded, her eyes never once leaving the Nomu's form as she constructed a wall of ice between her teammate and the angry beast.

The Nomu faltered, stumbling sideways as it contorted its body so that it could get a better view of the thick ice spear protruding from its abdomen. It opened its jaws wide enough to spew flames from within, melting the ice instantly and leaving a gaping hole in its side.

"Dark Shadow, if possible can you put pressure on his arm to help stop the bleeding? Tokoyami, it's going to hurt like a bitch but it'll help keep you from bleeding out." She called out to the two hidden behind her wall of ice.

"Aye, aye!" Dark Shadow gave her a mock salute, though she was unable to see him do it, before wrapping his hands around the bleeding wound on his host's broken arm. Tokoyami let out a hiss of pain, eyes stinging with his attempt to focus on keeping a lookout to ensure the beast didn't come back for them.

"Kurosawa! Go get help, you can't take it on yourself!" He shouted to her through gritted teeth.

"I also can't just leave you here by yourself." She shot back, "I'll keep going as long as I can, until one of the Pros are able to come take over."

The Nomu let out a loud screech, stumbling over its own feet as a trail of crimson leaked from the wound in its side, but the beast was determined to continue fighting. It dragged its claws against the concrete, lowering its head in a sweeping motion while letting loose a flurry of dancing flames.

The fire burned brilliantly, catching on anything that it could cling to, ravaging store fronts and eating up outdoor plants, climbing the walls of the buildings around them.

Fuck, fuck, Fuck!

Natsumi shifted her weight from one foot to the other, biting her lip anxiously as the flames grew, she could see from the corner of her eye the wall of ice she had created as a protective barrier had begun to melt. Thankfully, it was only the two buildings closest to the monster that he caught fire, but she knew that if something wasn't done quickly that the entire row of buildings would go up in flames.

Palms outstretched towards the beast, she knew it was a long shot and likely wouldn't make much of a difference, but she was desperate. Ice shot forward towards the flames, her hope was that the ice would melt upon contact and that moisture would help put out the fire—unfortunately, that's not what happened. As the ice met with the extreme heat, it melted, sizzling steam rose forward but it did nothing to quell the angry flames.

The creature snorted, bursting through its own wall of flames and lunging straight for the ivory haired teen, jaws snatching her arm tightly before shaking her body as if he was attempting to rip it off. He let go of her and her body was flung through the air until her body collided with the brick wall of one of the store fronts. Her head crashed against the stone with a sickening crack, there was a high-pitched ringing in her ears and the feeling of warmth trailing down her face from the impact.

Tentatively, Natsumi reached up to brush her fingers against her throbbing skull, when she pulled her hand away she wasn't surprised to see the sticky crimson clinging to her finger tips. A pained groan escaped her as she worked on pulling herself back to her feet, albeit, much slower than she would have liked to.

She stood on shaky legs, the stinging pain in her skull almost too much for her to handle, but she needed to keep Tokoyami safe and couldn't afford to fail.

The Nomu let out a low growl, running at her again, she was able to hastily dodge out of the way and scramble to her feet just in time to somersault out of the way of yet another attack. Natsumi was beginning to feel dizzy from a combination of the blood loss as well as the throbbing in her head.

I need…I need to figure out a way to put out that fire. Her breathing was shaky, warm thoughts, Natsu, there's gotta be a way to activate the other part of your Quirk.

She erected a large wall of ice, deciding that she would start with that as the base of her attack. Her hands rose up slowly from her sides, fingers twitching as she concentrated solely on the frozen molecules of water, tugging and pulling at them, willing them to vibrate quickly within their frozen state. Slowly, her wall of ice began to sweat, beads of water dripped down the block of ice as it melted. It wasn't until the ice had become more of a slush that she thrust her palm forward, willing the sloppy wave of slushy liquid to surge forward towards the crackling flames slowly engulfing the storefronts. It shifted forward in a disorderly fashion as she struggled to maintain control over the half-liquid form, her natural instinct was to re-freeze it but she knew that ice wouldn't help much, she needed it to be as melted as possible in order to do any real damage to the burning embers.

With a final push, the half-frozen wave sloshed forward, dousing the flames with a sizzling hiss, splashing against concrete and brick.

Natsumi's lips curled into a small, satisfied grin at the sight, "Ha! Not pretty, but it work—oof!"

The wind was knocked out of her as the Nomu tackled her from the side, taking advantage of her momentary lapse in judgement and distraction over her brief victory. She skidded against the pavement for a moment before creating an icy slope behind her to prevent her body from continuing with its trajectory.

"Kurosawa!" Tokoyami's voice called out in concern, he was unable to see her past his protective barrier of ice, but had heard what he could only assume was her body colliding with concrete once more.

"'m fine." She groaned out, tasting a familiar tangy, metallic taste on her tongue. Her eyes widened as the beast reared back, ready to fire off its flame attack point blank…when suddenly a barrage of vermilion feathers barreled into its side, sending it flying into a nearby brick wall with a horrifying thud.

"Need a hand, little bird?" Hawks swooped down from the sky, hovering with his back to her as he twirled the two extra-long primary feathers between his fingers, preparing to finish off the Nomu that had plagued his interns.

The blonde was a little beat up from his own fight, his hair was messier than usual, feathers were ruffled and looking a little sparse, and a thin crack spread across the right side of his visor from a hit he had sustained. But he had successfully defeated his own monster and then helped the other Pros take out the other one, now he was here to finish off the final beast.

"Good work putting out those flames, chickadee." He grinned over his shoulder at her when he noticed the blackened scorch marks that licked up the side of several buildings, a sheen of condensation clinging to the bricks and dripping to the pavement where puddles had already formed, "I caught the tail end of that attack, you've improved a lot and it's only been a day! Gotta say, super impressed~!"

She pulled herself up into a sitting position, wrapping an arm around herself in an attempt to dull the blossoming pain in her chest. Natsumi let out a low groan, I got more fucked up than I anticipated.

Hawks shot forward with his feather swords and sliced through the Nomu, though it was already on death's doorstep from its previous injuries and therefore didn't put up much of a fight at all. The Winged-Hero fluttered back over to his interns after ensuring the danger was over, "Ah, shit. You two don't look so hot." His trademark grin faltered, slipping into a frown, "Paramedics are on their way, you should both get looked at."

Natsumi nodded mutely, halfheartedly raising her free hand to recall the frozen molecules of water that had formed the protective barrier around Tokoyami until it no longer existed. The boy was breathing raggedly, teeth clenched uncomfortably as the pain in his arm took over all other senses now that there was no longer an imminent danger for him to concern himself over.

She cradled her pounding head with her free hand while keeping her other hand tightly wrapped around her abdomen as nausea washed over her. The adrenaline had worn off completely and now she was beginning to feel the pain induced by the fight.

The paramedics arrived shortly after, fussing over the two teenagers before gently placing them on stretchers, sliding them into the back of the waiting ambulance to cart them off to the hospital a few blocks away.

Natsumi thought that the extra attention being paid to her was unneeded, she was exhausted, her eyes grew heavy with the promise of sleep on the horizon but every time her eyelids dipped closed one of the paramedics would abruptly wake her.

"I apologize, but we suspect that you may have sustained a concussion. Until it has been confirmed or denied I am unable to allow you to fall asleep." His voice was gentle, but firm, in his resolve to keep a watchful eye over her and prevent her from drifting off.

---

The next couple of hours were spent at the hospital getting checked over by the doctors on staff, it was determined that she had a mild concussion, three broken ribs and a plethora of bruises and scrapes scattered across her body. She hadn't seen Tokoyami since they had first arrived at the hospital, his injuries had been more severe than hers and he had been immediately rushed off to the emergency room to stop the bleeding and determine just how damaged his arm had gotten.

It was close to two in the morning when she and Tokoyami were finally discharged from the hospital, the boy was sporting a sling for his broken arm while she had bandages wrapped tightly around the top of her head.

"Well aren't you two a sight for sore eyes." Hawks chuckled, arms crossed over his chest as he pushed himself away from the wall he had been leaning against while waiting for the two teens.

Natsumi rolled her eyes and shrugged, "It could've been worse."

The Winged-Hero blinked, his lips upturning at the corners, "You're right, it definitely could have been. You two were able to get as many civilians to safety as you could and then fought bravely to protect them. You were even able to put out the fire before it caused too much destruction." His fierce amber gaze bounced between the two, "So, good job, kids~!"

Tokoyami bit the inside of his cheek, dark eyes rising to meet his mentor's stare, "So we are not going to be punished?"

Hawks carefully observed the two teens for a moment, his piercing golden stare raking over their forms, before letting out a laugh, "Nah, I think your injuries were punishment enough. Plus, I technically never told you that you couldn't fight, I emphasized that you needed to evacuate the bystanders and that's exactly what you did. You prioritized their safety first before jumping in to defend the hospital against the Nomu."

The three had left the hospital together, slowly making their way down the street and towards Hawks' Agency while they talked. The streets were eerily quiet, much calmer than they had been hours before, but it was a welcomed silence that bordered peacefulness.

"Though," Hawks scratched at his chin thoughtfully, "with those injuries I guess we'll have to end your internship early."

Both teens abruptly turned their attention to the Pro Hero, startled by the words that had tumbled past his lips. Natsumi let out an indignant squeak, while Tokoyami choked on his own saliva at the revelation.

"You can't do that!" The ivory haired teen argued.

"Face it, you two aren't exactly in any shape to be going on any more patrols with those broken bones of yours and the hospital here doesn't have anyone with a healing Quirk sufficient enough to fix the injuries you sustained." The blonde shrugged his shoulder lazily, stuffing his hands into the pockets of his plush-lined jacket.

"He's right, Kurosawa." Tokoyami frowned, hanging his head dejectedly.

She narrowed her eyes at her classmate before turning her heated glare to the Winged Hero, "No."

Hawks tilted his head, raising one eyebrow precariously above the other and donning an amused smirk at her stubborn attitude, "Oh?"

"We can take the train back home to visit Recovery Girl for a day and get our injuries healed enough for us to be cleared to go back to work. There's absolutely no way I'm willing to give up the chance to learn more from this experience now that you're taking things seriously." She crossed her arms over her chest, wincing as a sharp pain pulsed through her from her arms brushing against the bruised flesh beneath her costume.

The blonde hummed lowly at her offer, tipping his chin back in thought before sliding his amber stare over to her from the corner of his eye, "You drive a hard bargain, little dove."

"So, we have a deal, then?" Her lips curled into a hopeful grin.

"Oh, I suppose~!" He sing-songed with a laugh, "We'll get everything squared away in the morning. You two had a rough night and probably should get some rest before being stuck on a train for another six hours."

Her grin slipped. Fuck, I forgot how long the ride was…

---

Despite the promise of a good night's rest lingering in the air from the night before, neither Tokoyami nor Natsumi had the chance to rest much between the time they arrived back at the Agency to when they had to be up to catch their train the next morning.

"Oi, oi, we're here, wake up, rise an' shine!" Dark Shadow rose up from within Tokoyami, hovering over the sleeping girl in the seat across from the bird-boy. He nudged her with a shadowy appendage, grinning when she began to stir from his prodding.

"I am so tired. Why did I suggest this?" Natsumi let out an irritated groan, sitting up in her seat and stretching her arms high above her head until she heard a satisfying pop of her joints. She settled back into her seat, resisting the urge to scratch at the itchy bandages still wrapped around her forehead.

"Because you were just as eager to continue our internship as I was and the prospect of having to cut our time with Hawks short due to our injuries didn't bode well with either of us." Tokoyami answered her rhetorical question for her as they both stood from their seats as the train came to a stuttering halt.

Dark Shadow retreated to his resting place once more, unwilling to stay out in the open now that they would be venturing out into the brightness of the early morning.

The two teens shuffled off of the train car, sidling up next to each other as they stepped onto the platform. They were mildly surprised to not only find Aizawa leaning against a concrete pillar, but Shinsou was next to him staring blankly at his phone. Upon seeing the two students, Aizawa pushed himself away from the pillar and strode towards the them, his face half hidden by the capture weapon wound loosely around his neck.

"Why am I not surprised that you have, once again, found yourself in the middle of trouble, Kurosawa?" He drawled, dark eyes boring into her before his gaze shifted over to the boy fidgeting with the sleeves of his sweater beside her, "I am surprised that you allowed her to drag you into a fight you couldn't possibly win. You both still have much to learn."

The two teens dropped their heads in shame, finding themselves unable to meet the stern and disappointed stare of their teacher.

"I don't regret it."

Aizawa's brow lifted, eyes narrowing at the ivory haired teen as she mumbled under her breath, "Care to repeat that?"

She lifted her head, meeting his gaze, "Tokoyami-kun and I were able to get the civilians to safety and keep the Nomu from attacking the Hospital by leading it away. Yeah, we sustained injuries from the fight but it was worth it knowing that there were no casualties last night because the Nomu was focused on fighting us. So, I don't regret it."

Tokoyami nodded his head, finding his own confidence to meet their teacher's stare head on, "Neither do I. We kept the beast at bay and wore it down until Hawks was able to finish it off and end the fight."

Aizawa observed the two teens for a moment, he wasn't surprised by Natsumi's bold way of speaking to him but he was caught off guard by the ordinarily calm and polite Tokoyami speaking up for their actions. He closed his eyes briefly, expelling a stream of air from his nostrils before dipping his chin further into his capture weapon to hide the smirk pulling at his lips.

"We're wasting valuable time by idling around the station." He gave the two a pointed stare before turning on his heels, knowing that they'd follow after him.

Tokoyami and Natsumi exchanged a brief look before moving to catch up to their teacher, trailing behind him a few paces. Shinsou had taken the time to stride towards the ivory haired girl, falling into step beside her with his hands pushed deep into the pockets of his trousers.

"Should I be concerned by your propensity for getting yourself into messy situations?" His lips twitched into a small, amused smile. The lilac haired boy wouldn't admit it, but when Aizawa had mentioned that they were taking time away from their training that morning to pick up the two teens from the train station to guide them to the hospital Shinsou had felt mildly panicked. Not so much for the bird-boy, but because the thought of Natsumi being severely injured, again, literally a week after having been impaled at the Sports Festival just didn't sit well with him.

He had sent her several text messages the previous day, none of which had been responded to, and now he knew why. Because she had somehow gotten herself mixed up in a fight with one of those Nomu creatures. The news stations had glossed over the fight in Fukuoka in favor of covering the one in Hosu due to the Hero Killer's involvement, so Shinsou wasn't privy on the nitty gritty details of what had happened but he was keen on getting the full story from her later in the day.

His indigo stare lingered on the bandages wrapped firmly around her head, a frown tugging at the corners of his lips.

"Trouble just seems to follow me wherever I go." Natsumi glanced up at him, a breathy laugh escaping her.

He pulled his lips into a tight line as he considered her answer, doing his best to ignore the sudden pounding of his heart against his ribcage as she gently bumped her shoulder against his arm. Shinsou furrowed his brows, shaking his head to clear away those intrusive thoughts before turning to her and rolling his eyes, "So it would seem."

The walk to Hosu General Hospital wasn't a very long one, thankfully, as both Tokoyami and Natsumi were still very sore from the night before and wouldn't have been able to handle extended bouts of exercise at this point.

Once checked in, Aizawa guided them to the third floor, stopping outside of one of the rooms and turning to the students trailing behind him, "Join the other three problem children, I'll go let Recovery Girl know that you're here."

Tokoyami nodded his head and obediently pushed through the door with his good hand, greeting the three boys on the other side with a solemn smile. Natsumi picked up her pace and was about to join her classmates when she felt a gentle tug on the sleeve of her sweater, stopping her just as she crossed the threshold of the room, the four boys inside staring at her expectantly.

She tilted her head to the side, curious crimson meeting imploring indigo, the two teens stared at each other for a brief moment, having their own silent conversation that was lost on the four boys already inside the room. Natsumi turned to face her classmates with a soft smile, "I'll be in in a few minutes!" The subtle change in the expressions of her classmates waiting inside for her went unnoticed by Natsumi—Midoriya's encouraging smile, Iida's curious but tight-lipped stare, Tokoyami's soft hum and nonchalant shrug, and Todoroki's narrowed eyes, lips pulling into a frown at her disappearance. She turned on her heel, feeling Shinsou's grip on her sleeve loosen before his hand fell back to his side once he was sure that she was following him out into the corridor of the hospital.

They ventured further down the hallway until they came to a small sitting area tucked away from the rest of the ward, it was just the two of them in the quiet corridor. Once satisfied that they were far enough away from prying eyes, Shinsou turned to face her.

They stared at each other for a couple of moments, silently urging the other to break the quietude that had settled over them.

"What exactly happened?"

"So, Aizawa-sensei, huh?"

Words tumbled out simultaneously, melting into a confusing, jumbled mess that hung awkwardly in the air around them. They blinked, slowly an amused smirk curled its way onto his pale lips while Natsumi laughed quietly at the exchange.

Shinsou brought his hand up to rub at the back of his neck, averting his indigo gaze from her while he contemplated his next words. He had been perplexed by Aizawa's proposal to train him to begin with considering he wasn't in the Hero Course and no one had ever heard of someone in General Studies interning with a Pro Hero.

"That day you, oh so gracefully, ran into me as I was leaving the teacher's lounge was the day he had asked me to meet him there to discuss the terms of the internship."

She furrowed her brows in thought, I didn't even need to say anything, did I? He had already asked Shinsou to intern under him.

His eyes were back on her, watching the subtle changes in her expression—the scrunch of her nose, the dip of her brows, and the soft smile playing on her lips that signified she was lost in her own thoughts. Cute.

Natsumi pulled herself out of her thoughts, beaming brightly at the boy, "That's great, Shinsou. I knew it was just a matter of time before you were noticed, especially after how great you were in the Sports Festival."

Shinsou bit the inside of his cheek, a light pink dusting over his cheeks at her compliment. He wasn't used to receiving praise, especially when it came to his Quirk and the utilization of it and therefore wasn't sure how to react to such sugary words.

"I didn't get that far in the Sports Festival." He mumbled awkwardly after a beat of silence.

She narrowed her eyes, leaning closer to him so that she was in his line of sight, "Are you kidding me? You were one of only two people not from the Hero Course to make it into the third event. Not to mention the fact that your Quirk is solely mental based and you were up against kids who not only had physical quirks but also weeks of training under their belt—your performance was seriously impressive; you should be proud."

Shinsou angled his chin to the side to hide his embarrassment from her, when she slid over to his side, getting closer to him than he was currently comfortable with he let out a quiet grunt. Natsumi raised a curious brow at his response, letting out an amused laugh.

"Oh? What's the matter, cat got your tongue?" Her lips pulled back into a cheeky grin.

He rolled his eyes, crossing his arms over his chest, "As if. I was trying to remember if you've always been this obnoxious."

She leaned back on her heels, bottom lip jutting out in an indignant pout at his reply, "So fucking rude."

Shinsou smirked, "Alright, you're turn. I answered your initial question, now answer mine."

Natsumi let out a hum, clasping her hands behind her back, "Oh, nothing really to say other than we were on patrol with Hawks and three Nomu just…appeared out of nowhere. Tokoyami-kun and I ended up evacuating the people in the plaza before taking on one of the Nomu. It was a pretty intense fight, we almost died a few times, we saved each other a couple times, you know, hero stuff." She ended with a mischievous grin.

He let out an annoyed snort at her lack of a detailed explanation, "Hero stuff, huh?" He leaned forward a little with a cocked brow, "Sounds like you hit your head pretty hard there, Kurosawa."

"Oh, I did."

The lilac haired boy frowned at her unexpected response, he had just been teasing, "Right. I guess I should get back to Aizawa-sensei before he comes looking for me and you should probably get your injuries tended to."

She nodded her head, bringing up a finger to sheepishly scratch at her cheek, "You're right, the pain killers I'm on right now are amazing but I'll feel so much better once my ribs are healed and my head stops feeling like its in a vice."

He felt his chest clench at her admission as he turned to walk her back to the room where her classmates were waiting. She really does have a penchant for getting injured, he mused darkly.

When they made it back to the room she pushed the door open and then paused, smirking over her shoulder at the wild haired boy, "Don't let Aizawa-sensei rough you up too bad."

He snorted, turning on his heel and lazily lifting his right hand to motion 'goodbye' to her as he stalked off down the hallway, presumably to go find his mentor to get back to their training.

Natsumi fully entered the room and offered the four boys inside a bright smile, "Sorry I was late to the first meeting of the Aizawa's Problematic Children Club, or the APCC for short, I'll be sure to show up in a timely manner for our next meeting."

Midoriya chuckled, offering her a teasing smile, "So, he gave you the same speech as us then, I'm assuming?"

She cleared the distance between them, taking a seat on the edge of Midoriya's bed, "Oh I have no doubt about that—said that he wasn't surprised to see that I had gotten caught up in some serious shit." Her laugh echoed through the quiet of the room, easing the tension that had built up during her absence.

"In all seriousness though," She started, her lips tipping into a soft smile as she gave the boys each a once over, "I'm really glad that you're all okay."

Iida spoke from his bed across the room, "I will strive to regain the trust of you and the rest of our classmates, I apologize for letting my thoughts of vengeance get the better of me." He hung his head in shame, still feeling guilty over the whole ordeal and that he had pulled Midoriya and Todoroki into his personal vendetta against the Hero Killer.

Todoroki frowned, he was sitting up in his own hospital bed next to the mossy haired boy, his heterochromatic gaze lingering on her thoughtfully, "I'm happy that you and Tokoyami made it out of your ordeal alive and well too."

Natsumi turned to give the dual-color haired boy her attention, offering him a teasing grin, "Oh, you're not getting rid of me that easily. It'll take way more than some bioengineered freak of nature to take me out."

"There were some close calls though!" Dark Shadow appeared, peeking over Tokoyami's shoulder, "If it weren't for me you wouldn't be here~!"

Tokoyami grimaced, turning his head to glare at Dark Shadow, lifting his good arm and swatting at the creature, "Be more considerate of the situation."

Natsumi laughed, splaying her palms against the itchy sheets of the bed and leaning back on them, "No, no, he's right—thank you Dark Shadow and Tokoyami for keeping me alive last night. There were definitely a few moments where I probably wouldn't have made it to see today if you hadn't jumped in to save me."

The other three boys all stared at the two with varying degrees of horrorstruck expressions over the words being exchanged between Hawks' two interns. The story that Tokoyami had told them about the night before hadn't been incredibly detailed and had certainly left out the parts that the two were referring to.

Tokoyami turned away from the pest clinging to his shoulders and settled his stare on the ivory haired teen staring over her shoulder at him, "You also kept me alive with your actions. Thank you for protecting me against that heinous beast, especially after it broke my arm."

She brought up a hand to wave dismissively, "Don't mention, we're even now."

Todoroki furrowed his brows, "It seems as if the situation last night was much more dire than we were originally lead to believe." He shot a pointed stare in Tokoyami's direction, silently questioning the boy why he would have left out the details of their near death experiences.

"A-ah, well I-I'm happy that your injuries weren't more severe and that you were both there to have each other's backs!" Midoriya interjected, his eyes glinting with appreciation, "And I heard you both saved a lot of people by evacuating them before things got too intense. You're real Heroes!"

Natsumi laughed awkwardly, bringing a hand up to rub at the back of her neck while trying to fight back the blush that threatened to spill across her cheeks at his praise, "Ah, I don't know about that…."

Midoriya shook his head, "No, you really are. You both jumped in without hesitation to not only get the civilians to safety but to protect them from the Nomu that threatened the hospital they were staying in. You risked your lives for those people, those were acts of true heroism."

"What about you guys? You went head to head with the Hero Killer despite the fact that he was out of your league in terms of strength and strategy—he was an S Rank villain—that's so brave I can't even wrap my head around it." She brought up in an attempt to deflect the conversation away from her and Tokoyami, feeling too uncomfortable by the praise she had been receiving.

The three boys all shared a look that didn't go unnoticed by the two not involved in the attack. Iida frowned shamefully, "That entire situation was my fault and I take full responsibility for seeking out Stain to enact my revenge. There is nothing heroic about my actions, I am truly grateful for Midoriya-san and Todoroki-san for risking their lives to protect mine."

"I don't regret my actions, they kept Iida-kun alive and lead to the capture of the Hero Killer, but…I won't lie, I am disappointed that as a result of my injuries I will not be able to continue my internship." Midoriya's lips tilted into a disappointed frown.

Natsumi hummed sadly, she could relate to the feeling of failure and disappointment that the boy felt at having to end his training and internship early. Luckily, she had been able to convince Hawks to allow them to seek treatment from Recovery Girl and keep them on for the remainder of the week, but they had been so close be being sent home.

Moments later Recovery Girl strolled into the room, smiling pleasantly at the students inside before her eyes landed on Tokoyami, "Come with me, I will work on you first as it seems that your injuries are greater than Kurosawa's were. Let me see what I can do for you."

The boy nodded absently, pushing himself out of his seat, allowing Dark Shadow to retreat back to his hiding space, before following the healing Pro out of the door and into a more private room so she could assess the extent of the damage.

"You know," Midoriya began, index finger and thumb resting against his chin in contemplation, "it's a strange coincidence that the Nomu appeared in two cities on the complete opposite ends of the country on the same night. At first, I thought that maybe the attack was staged by the League of Villains to detract from the attention that the Hero Killer was gaining but…if that was the case then why also attack Fukuoka?"

Natsumi had been wondering the exact same thing to be completely honest, it didn't make sense to her for the League of Villains to attack Fukuoka—it seemed so completely random. Maybe it was just a random attack meant to keep the Heroes on their toes. But, something in her told her that the League was more thoughtful and strategic than that, there had to be some sort of reasoning behind the assault.

"Do you think…" Todoroki started, his voice quiet as he contemplated the next words that would come out of his mouth. His eyes snapped up, meeting Natsumi's curious crimson gaze,"…maybe it had something to do with your ties to the League, Kurosawa?"

Her brows furrowed and her jaw dropped open at the insinuation. The thought had crossed her mind very briefly after she had left the hospital the night before but she wasn't that conceited and self-centered to think that the League would stage an attack just to get her attention. In the grand scheme of things, she was nobody worth such an effort.

"I don't think that's the case, Todoroki." Her lips pulled back into a frown, "I could've died last night. I know that Hibi-chan and Ryou-nii haven't been in my life the past couple of years but I can't imagine that they'd willingly put me in harms way just to get my attention."

The dual color haired boy narrowed his eyes just a fraction, his chest clenching at the familiarity with which she had addressed the twin villains with. Even after all this time it was evident in her tone and the subtle facial expressions that she adorned when speaking about them that she still cared about the two villains.

"I'm just offering it as a possibility." He responded, meeting her level gaze with a raised eyebrow.

"I appreciate your input, it's just unlikely." She retorted quickly, never once tearing her eyes away from his own to emphasize her own resolve.

Midoriya awkwardly coughed, effectively pulling his two friends out of their silent staring match and bringing their attention to him. He fidgeted a little under Natsumi's curious gaze, playing with the edge of the bedsheets draped around his lower body before giving her an eager, hopeful look, "C-could you maybe tell me a little bit about Hawks?"

Natsumi blinked, letting out a laugh at the innocent question posed by the boy, "You're such a Hero Otaku." But, nonetheless, she delved into a detailed conversation with the wild mossy haired boy, telling him about her and Tokoyami's experiences with the Winged Hero as well as letting him know about the man's easy-going goofy personality and his love for chicken and bird jokes.

After another twenty minutes of easy conversation between her and the three boys, Tokoyami returned looking much more refreshed than he had before he had left. His arm was still in a sling but when she questioned him on it he mentioned that he was to keep it restrained until the next morning, by then his body should have healed the injury completely.

"Kurosawa, dear, you're up." Recovery Girl smiled warmly, beckoning the girl to follow her for her treatment.

"That's my cue, I'll see you boys in a bit." She eased herself off of the edge of Midoriya's bed and padded softly towards the older woman who was waiting patiently in the doorway for her.

Natsumi followed close behind the Pro Healer, it didn't take them long to reach their destination; a small examination room at the end of the hallway. Recovery Girl motioned for the teen to take a seat in a green cushioned chair with wide arm rests, Natsumi did as she was told while watching the older woman flit about to gather the proper instruments she'd need to conduct her examination.

"I have read over the medical history report sent over by the emergency clinic you visited last night so I am familiar with your injuries. I'm going to start with a basic exam before starting the healing process, okay, dear?" Recovery Girl smiled kindly at her, pulling up a chair next to the teen before setting to work checking Natsumi's vitals.

It was a basic exam, she listened to Natsumi's heart and lungs, assessed her reflexes, took a temperature, and checked her blood pressure. The results were pretty unextraordinary, all coming back completely normal with the exception of her body temperature being in the low 40s but even that was normal to Natsumi's personal biology.

"It is my understanding that you sustained a concussion as well as several broken ribs that are preventing you from continuing with your internship. The treatment I give you today may take up to twenty-four hours to reach its maximum effect so I strongly advise that you take it easy the rest of today, understood?" The older woman locked eyes with the crimson eyed teen, once she received a quick nod in response, the healer puckered her lips and gave the girl a few kisses.

The pain in her head and chest subsided instantly and Natsumi found herself letting out a satisfied breath as relief flooded her.

"Thank you! I'll be sure to take it easy the rest of today, I promise." The ivory haired teen grinned, pushing herself out of her seat and starting for the door.

"You better!" Recovery Girl teased, eyes softening, "I must warn you that my Quirk will very likely make you feel exhausted beyond belief as it begins to work on your internal injuries, which is why I stress strict bed rest for the rest of the day."

Glancing back over her shoulder, Natsumi nodded in understanding, "Got it, thanks again!"

She made her way back to the room where her friends were currently holed up inside, already feeling much better physically then she had been. There was an extra bounce in her step as she practically skipped through the doorway, "You ready to go, Tokoyami-kun?"

Midoriya tilted his head, "Are you feeling better?"

She nodded, "I'm as good as new! Now its time to get back and finish the rest of our week with Hawks."

Tokoyami nodded reverently as he pulled himself to his feet and bid the other boys farewell on his way out of the door, "Good luck to you all, I look forward to exchanging more stories with you once we return to class."

The other boys nodded their heads, each muttering their own forms of 'goodbye' to the two teens as they ambled out into the hallway, ready to head back to the train station and finish out the rest of their week with Hawks.

"You looking forward to the six hour train ride back?" Tokoyami smirked over his shoulder, knowing that the answer to his question was a big fat no.

Natsumi let out a loud whine, her shoulders drooping, "Abso-fucking-lutely not."

Suddenly, she felt warm fingers wrap around her wrist, despite the gentle grasp the shock of the contact had her stumbling backwards. She tilted her head back against the broad chest pressed against her back, her startled crimson stare meeting with amused stormy grey and turquoise.

"Todoroki." She pulled herself away from him quickly, turning to stare up at him quizzically.

Tokoyami stared between the two before quirking an eyebrow and announcing that he would wait for her outside.

"Sorry, if what I said back there made you uncomfortable or upset you in any way. That wasn't my intention." He realized he was still holding her wrist and immediately let it go, his lips tugging into an apologetic frown.

For a moment she was unsure as to what he was referring to but then the conversation from earlier fell back to the forefront of her mind and she quickly shook her head, offering him a reassuring smile, "No, it wasn't anything like that, I'm sorry if I made you think that."

He let out a quiet breath, relieved by her words of reassurance. He still kept his belief that the reason the Nomu had attacked Fukuoka had more to do with her presence there, but he decided that he'd keep his theories regarding her and the League to himself from now on, just to prevent upsetting her in the future.

"You heading back to Endeavor's Agency soon?" Natsumi tilted her head curiously.

Todoroki nodded, "I've been cleared for discharge already, my injuries weren't as severe as Midoriya's or Iida's. Just have to wait for my old man to get his ass over here to get me."

She let out a quiet hum at his response, "I don't know how you've been able to put up with him for this long, I'm so impressed, it's definitely not something I'd ever be able to tolerate that's for sure."

He cracked a small smile, "Years of practice. Trust me, I get absolutely no joy out of being stuck with him for any period of time but the knowledge I'm taking back with me is worth it."

"Well, at least something good is coming from you teaming up with dear ol' dad." Her lips pulled back into a teasing grin, she leaned back on the heels of her feet, "I should probably get going, don't want to keep Tokoyami-kun waiting."

His smile faltered. Shouto knew that she needed to go, she had a long train ride ahead of her, but he couldn't help but to feel disappointed at the thought of them not getting enough time together. He didn't think it would be so hard being away from his friend for an entire week, but he had found his thoughts wandering throughout the days during training—wondering what she was currently up to. Sure, they texted late at night once they were both back from their patrols, but it was never enough, not for him at least.

"Be safe." His voice was quiet at first, but then he quirked a brow and offered her a teasing smile, "Try not to get into any more trouble."

Natsumi let out an indignant huff, crossing her arms over her chest, "How dare you insinuate that I can't go the next three days without getting caught up in some shit."

Todoroki chuckled and retorted back challengingly, "Prove me wrong then."

She rocked back and forth on her heels, glancing up at him with her own teasing grin, "Aw, sounds like someone cares about lil' ol' me."

He rolled his eyes, holding her gaze, "Of course I care about you. That's why I need you to take care of yourself."

Natsumi's breath hitched in her throat. She supposed it shouldn't really have come as a shock to her, she cared about him too, but hearing it verbalized had her heart stutter in her chest.

She brought a hand up, tucking a stray strand of ivory hair behind her ear almost shyly before regaining her confidence, "Well, since you asked so nicely."

Todoroki let out a quiet snort at her sassy reply, "I expect you to come home in one piece."

A laugh drifted past her parted lips, "Yeah, yeah. Same goes for you. Don't take any shit from that asshole, you hear?"

"You have my word, Kurosawa." He smirked down at her.

She found herself lost on what to say next to him, finding that his confidence and teasing words were enough to fluster her to the point that her mind couldn't formulate proper sentences. Letting out a quiet, shaky breath, Natsumi tore her eyes away from him, biting her lip, "I'll text you later, have a good day Todoroki."

His remained rooted to that spot in the hallway, watching her retreating form until it disappeared down another corridor where he knew the elevators were located. All Todoroki could think in that moment was, it's only for three more days…

---

Yooo. This chapter took me a little longer to get out than the previous ones have and I apologize. I feel like I erased and rewrote a lot of paragraphs before I finally figured out how I wanted things worded. This is the end of the internships, next chapter will be everyone seeing each other at school again after being away for the week. And I'm really excited because the one chapter that I've reallllly been looking forward to writing for months is coming up soon (haven't decided if I want it to be next chapter or maybe the one after, but its coming lol).

I'm eager to explore every facet of her new abilities and can't wait for her to get a better grasp on what she's able to do with her Quirk.

Raise your hands if you think part of the reason Todoroki wanted to talk to her alone in the hallway was because he was lowkey jealous of Shinsou getting his alone time with her earlier. We all know that he's not the biggest fan of our sleepy purple boy, especially with how close Shinsou seems to be getting to Natsumi. He's definitely not going to be happy to hear about her and Shinsou training alone together in the future either haha.

There are two new pictures of Natsumi posted to my writing blog (which honestly has just become a place where I post BnHA memes at this point lmao), one of those pictures is actually the new story icon that's a picture of her and Shouto (It's so cute I can't stop staring at it lovingly like a dork lmao)

I want to thank bbymojo for reviewing last chapter, you've been such a loyal reviewer and it makes me so incredibly happy to hear what you have to say, so thank you!

Don't forget to leave a review and let me know what you guys think! Seriously, your reviews are what keep me writing :3