"I know I said we were going to be tied at the hip if I win," Ai stammered, "b-but I didn't mean literally." Her arms were trapped by her sides as they flew high above Kyushu, scanning the island for any potential threats. Hawks had his own arms wrapped around her lower torso, carrying her along for surveillance. It was the third day of the internship, and Ai hadn't done much ever since she wrecked the top office floor. Today was going to change that.

"You want to be a great hero, right?" Ai could barely hear Hawks over the harsh wind that hit against her face, but she managed a nod at his question. Soon, they were flying vertically instead of forward, and the height made her dizzy. Her hands shot up and gripped onto Hawks' forearms, which seemed to be loosening by the second. "Before you can save others, you need to be able to save yourself first. Your quirk is great at being adaptive: healing, strength, growth and even decay once you're able to control it. Consider this another adaptability test in a different environment."

"Wait, Hawks-AHHHHH!"

The hero smiled as he fully released her, placing a hand against the side of his mouth to yell down at a girl who obviously wasn't listening. "Don't die!"

When falling, humans can drop as fast as 120 miles per hour. The first one thousand feet descent takes ten seconds, with every thousand feet thereafter being five seconds each. Hawks had dropped Ai from 20,000 feet above sea level, and within the next two minutes, she was going to paint the cement with her blood.

It took every ounce of Ai's strength to get her shaky hands to grip around the collar of her costume, slipping her hood off midair as she held on for dear life. After she activated her quirk, the cape expanded significantly, acting as a makeshift parachute that ricocheted back up into the sky. Ai was hyperventilating at this point, the strong winds pushing roughly against her body as her increased nerves made her palms sweaty. If you let go, you die, she thought. If you let go, you die, if you let go, you die, if you let go- Her fingers were slipping.

The descent had slowed tremendously, but as soon as one of her hands gave out, it was game over. Ai could only watch helplessly as her only source of safety was gone. I'm going… to die. When the thought hit her, the remaining grip she had on the cape turned it gray. She let out a ragged breath as the ash slipped through the rest of her fingers and disappeared in the air. She felt the familiar feeling of a downwards spiral once again, only to be embraced by a warmth and the color red seconds later.

Hawks wrapped an arm around her lower back and his other hand against the back of her head as he slowly landed down on a grassy clearing away from the cities. He came down on his knees and sat back against his heels, resting the girl onto his lap as he held her tightly against his chest. Her trembling shoulders and the dampness of his shirt from her tears only enhanced his guilt.

When Ai pulled away, she sniffled with an inexplicable smile on her face. "It's weird." Her eyes were directed at Hawks' shirt rather than his face. "In that last moment, I knew you were going to catch me, but I still thought I was going to…" Her gaze dropped to her hands in her lap as her fingers scratched away at one another. "You wanted to ask me about the USJ incident, right?" The tears continued to silently cascade down her cheeks. "Every time I feel like I'm getting better, it just comes back to me. You were right. If I can't save myself, how am I going to save others? How am I-"

Hawks' hand wrapped around Ai's shoulder and pressed her back against him. His other arm reached underneath her legs as he stood up, carrying her while simultaneously opening his wings. "Let's go back to the agency."

It was getting dark, and most of the employees had cleared out for either final patrols or just to give the hero and student some privacy, upon Hawks' command. Ai sat at a vacant desk, changed from her costume to her school athletic clothes. A tan jacket was draped over her shoulders, and she gripped its white, furry edges as she enclosed it around herself, waiting for Hawks to finish up a conversation on the phone. Once he hung up, the hero sighed deeply as he plopped down on the table in front of Ai.

"Is everything okay?" Ai watched as Hawks brought a foot up on the desk, propping his elbow against his knee and his cheek against his hand.

"Business meeting," Hawks explained. He instinctively placed his other hand on her head, petting her in the middle of speaking. "Sorry, but I have to disappear tonight, and I'll probably be gone until the day after tomorrow." Although Ai pouted, she nodded her head in understanding. "Oy, what's with that look?" A feather separated from his wings, floating in front of her face and grazing the girl's cheek.

"Hey," Ai giggled, "that tickles." Hawks couldn't help but smile upon hearing her laugh, his hand dropping to grab the fingers that were gripped on his jacket. He faced her palm upwards, allowing the feather to fall onto her hand.

"A present," Hawks said, "for not being able to keep my end of the deal." He closed Ai's fingers around it, grinning as her lips parted in a small gasp. "It'll be sure to catch you if I can't." It was his turn to be taken aback when she leapt forward and latched herself around his waist. A sigh escaped Hawks' lips as he returned the embrace. Even if she wants to be a hero, she's still just a kid, he thought. Gotta be more careful with this one.

Hawks had left for the rest of the night, and Ai was getting ready to leave herself until she felt her phone vibrate. Midoriya-kun? It wasn't like him to send his location out of nowhere, especially with no context. He must be in trouble… Gritting her teeth, Ai made her way out to the office's balcony. The breeze that hit her face made her mind race to earlier events, and she felt herself start to shake at the knees. With a deep breath, Ai took out the feather from her pant pocket and enlarged it.

"My feathers are a part of me," Hawks had explained, "so they do whatever I say. This little guy will follow your orders, so just say what you want, and it'll make it happen."

Ai laid down belly-first onto its soft surface, gripping tightly as the feather began to float. "Take me to Hosu." It wasted no time in its ascension. All Ai had to do was not look down.

The district was on fire. The three Nomus in Hosu were wreaking havoc, but not enough to get to Shigaraki's goal. He stared furiously through binoculars as the flying Nomu grappled onto Midoriya, only to be stabbed to death by the hero killer: Stain. It made the villain's scratching against his neck intensify. "What the hell?! Why'd that Nomu have to go and get killed? Why is that kid there? This is a mess!"

As he kept muttering to himself, however, Kurogiri placed a hand on Shigaraki's shoulder. "This night might just be fruitful yet."

"What the hell are you talking about," Shigaraki growled. The warp turned his head to the side, and Shigaraki's gaze followed. The scowl that persisted on his lips finally turned back to its twisted grin. "Always a different trick with this brat…" The two villains watched as a familiar figure started to enter the Hosu district, unaware of their presences atop the water tower. "Bring her to me."

The flames that erupted from the city reflected brightly against Ai's eyes. She stared at it, too stunned to notice the black clouds that began to surround her until it was too late. During her transfer, Hawks' feather minimized back to its regular size, flying swiftly into her pocket to hide as she fell face first onto the ground. "O-Ow…" Ai pushed her torso up with her hands, her body freezing at the sound of maniacal laughter. Slowly, she looked up from her position, head spinning at the sight of two agonizingly familiar figures. "You…" Ai instinctively began to crawl backwards upon the villain's approach, stopping only when she felt the edge of the ledge at her fingertips. "Y-You're not supposed to be here…" She felt her breathing stop as Shigaraki squatted down in front of her, the sight of his crimson eyes burning themselves into her brain.

"Neither are you." His voice was higher in pitch than normal, the amusement clear in his demeanor as he reached out for her. Ai slapped his hand away almost immediately, her chest heaving with the inconsistencies of her breath.

"D-Don't touch me!" Ai's expressions made Shigaraki giggle, and though he was enjoying messing with her, he couldn't ignore how just seconds prior, this entire situation was pissing him off.

"Eh?" Shigaraki clamped his fingers down on her neck, pulling Ai's face towards him as his index finger was the only one to not fully touch, but graze dangerously close against her skin. "Do you know what kind of position you're in right now to be giving me orders?" Her hands came up to his forearm, only to make him tighten his grip and loom next to her ear. "Relax." Ai's entire being was trembling. "If you fight back too much, my hand might just slip and…" Shigaraki couldn't help but chuckle as Ai's body went completely tense. "Poof."

"What do you want…?" Ai's voice was strained from his hold.

"My shoulder," Shigaraki said. "Heal it." Ai barely had time to glance at the villain's wound. "Oy, oy, oy, what's taking so long? I told you what I wanted, didn't I?" When she was slow to react, it made his grip tighten. "Do you want to die?" He giggled as she gasped for air. "Again?" She slowly released one hand from his arm, reaching out only to be stopped by Shigaraki's voice. "No funny business, or I'll kill you on the spot." With a gulp, Ai's fingers grazed the skin underneath his ripped shirt, closing up the wound within seconds. Shigaraki finally released his hold on Ai's neck, and the girl went into a coughing fit as he stood up and moved around his restored rotator cuff. His attention switched to Kurogiri, who stood patiently waiting. "Let's go back."

"W-Wait!" Shigaraki glanced back at Ai, the twisted smile returning to his face. It sent shivers down her spine. "You sent all of those Nomus into the Hosu district… W-Why?" Ai couldn't react as he grabbed her collar with three fingers and a thumb, bringing the girl up onto her feet.

His response was said with a chuckle. "Because I wanted to." Ai barely registered how he had shoved her back, his next words ringing in her ears, rendering her immobilized. What… The last thing she saw when she was falling from the tower was Shigaraki and Kurogiri's forms as they disappeared through a warp. What does he mean by that? Hawks' feather escaped from Ai's pocket and clamped onto the back of her shirt, suspending her in the air.

"See you soon."

A/N: Thank you for taking the time to read and giving your opinion (: You can also find this story by searching its title on these other platforms, or going to my profiles:

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