A/N: This chapter contains profanity and violence.

"A-Are you sure it's okay for me to do this again?"

It has been five days since class 1-A's internships started. Hawks returned from his business meeting on the day he had promised, and the two took the sky. Once again, Hawks held around Ai's torso as she gripped his forearms throughout their ascension.

"If you keep avoiding what you fear, you won't be able to overcome it," Hawks replied. Reaching the correct altitude, he began to hover in place. "Now before I drop you, why did you go to Hosu?" Ai went tense at the question.

"How did you-"

"What, you don't think I don't know where my feathers fly off to?"

"You were tracking me?!" Ai squeezed her pant pocket, feeling the feather within it wiggle in disagreement.

"I know you faced the League of Villains," Hawks said, making Ai gulp. "My agency handled the news reporter who was there, but I still saw the footage."

"Then you saw that I was fine," Ai grumbled.

"You were pushed off a water tower," Hawks countered.

"But I survived!"

"They let you go. There's a difference." Hawks sighed when Ai went quiet, shaking his head. "You can't keep freezing up or letting your quirk go haywire when you're scared."

"I just… I can't control it," Ai whimpered.

"Hey," Hawks said, "I get it." His hold tightened as he embraced her. "I know what it's like to have to be strong even when you don't want to, but that's life. You gotta keep moving forward. Didn't you tell me you're going to become a great hero?"

A dry laugh escaped Ai's lips, and all she could think of was how much she was trembling at the moment. "Recently, I feel like all I ever do is get saved. I don't feel any closer to becoming a hero at all." Ai could feel Hawks' grip loosening, and she took a deep intake of breath.

"You're already one step closer by admitting your mistakes," he said. "Now, prove yourself wrong." The drop was fast. As soon as Hawks let go, he placed a hand against the side of his mouth again, grinning down at the descending student. "And don't die!" He smiled contently to himself. I'm getting better at this teaching stuff.

Because Ai's costume was still out of commission from their last flying session, Ai wore a uniform issued to her by Hawks' agency. It was similar to UA's blue and white tracksuit, except it had a black base color with yellow stripes instead. She could feel the adrenaline course through her veins upon her fall, but Ai wasted no time. She couldn't make use of her clothes this time, for their fibers had no organic cells to her disposal, so she utilized the only strategy available to her.

"Junior," Ai said. It's what she named the feather Hawks had given her. She pulled it out of her pocket and gave it volume. "Catch me." The feather whipped around and floated underneath her like a magic carpet. Within one minute of her drop, she was safe.

There was a low whistle as Hawks descended to her level. "Not bad."

Ai rubbed the back of her neck as she gave him a sheepish smile. "I feel like I cheated, just a little…"

"In a life or death situation," Hawks said, crossing his arms over his chest, "you gotta use what you've got. Think of it as a support item." Even as they hovered nearly ten thousand feet above sea level, Ai felt oddly calm. Her fingers grazed the soft material of Junior's surface, and she exhaled as she sat back.

"Thank you, Hawks," Ai said. "I'm still scared of falling." Her grip on the feather tightened. "But I feel like I can face it head on now." Her stare hardened as she looked at him. "I won't freeze up again."

A grin spread across Hawks' lips as his hand came down atop Ai's head. "There's the spunk from day one." He tucked a strand of hair behind Ai's ear. "Don't lose that mentality again."

Ai's smile widened as her hands came up to her chest in enthusiastic fists. "Hai!"

The last two days of the internship consisted of patrol. Criminal activity was slowly on the rise because of the incident with Stain, even in a highly regulated district like Kyushu. Of course, every time Ai accompanied Hawks on these missions, the trouble would end as quickly as it arose. He worked best as a one man team, after all. Ai couldn't help but feel a little underwhelmed.

However, on the last night before Ai had to return to UA, Hawks let her patrol alone. "Is that really okay?" Ai had asked. "I don't have my provisional license or anything yet, so…"

"It'll be good experience," Hawks shrugged, waving a dismissive hand. "I'll deal with the paperwork if you end up having to use your quirk. Just try not to break anything, okay?"

Contrary to higher sightings of crime later in the day, Kyushu was relatively calm at night. Ai walked the city streets with Junior nestled into her pocket once again. She thought it was going to be a fruitless attempt to learn anything more before her return, but she was wrong.

"Help!" The streets were nearly empty with most local businesses closed for the evening. It made the victim's scream that much more noticeable as Ai bolted to the cause of the commotion. "Somebody help me!" The pleas came from one of the back alleys of the city, which was poorly lit by fluorescent lights clinging to the side of the nearby buildings.

Ai saw a middle aged man who was brought down to his knees, no injuries prominent, but he was visibly shaking as three other men surrounded him. They didn't see her coming as their backs were turned, and she used the opportunity to attempt to leap forward in a surprise attack. However, a sudden force charged against her ribcage, knocking the wind out of her as her back collided against the wall.

"The hell is this," a voice growled, another man revealing himself from the shadows as his outstretched leg retracted to his body. "A lil girl?!" Thug number one, quirk: elasticity. He can stretch his arms and legs up to fifteen feet, using their momentum to knock out an opponent. Ai groaned as she pushed herself back up, gripping her side underneath her shirt to relieve the pain. The sneak attacker looked back to his group, a vein prominent on his forehead. "I thought ya said Hawks was comin'!"

"I-I thought so too, boss," one of the men stammered. "She smells exactly like him!" Thug number two, quirk: hyper-smell. He can distinguish individuals by the smell of their quirk from a mile away. All brains, no brawn. The rest of the men turned their attention to her, slowly encompassing the girl as the distance minimized. Even when she healed her current injuries, there was an inexplicable throbbing in her brain that wouldn't subside.

"Hehe, rumor has it that the pro hero was flying around with some broad," one of them said. His gaze, however, was turned back to the man on the ground when he had reached out for the thug's shirt.

"L-Leave her alone," the victim whimpered. "She's just a kid!"

"Shuddap!" The thug flicked the man's forehead with his fingers, cackling as the victim's body dropped and started convulsing. Thug number three, quirk: faux gun. With a single touch, he can make it feel as if a bullet has been ripped through the point of impact; no skin contact is required. The effect can last up to one minute.

Ai's eyes widened, but just as she was about to run forward, a voice stopped her in her tracks. "Uh uh uh," the last thug cooed. "I wouldn't do that if I were you, you'll only make yourself dizzier." Thug number four, quirk: headache. For as long as he continued to stare, he can make his victims feel nauseous to the point of movement disorientation.

"What do you guys want," Ai questioned, narrowing her eyes at the group. She noted how this part of town had old, uprooted gravel instead of an actual pavement. The victim was unconscious, so they won't focus on him for now. Four against one… I can't do this alone, she thought.

"Shit," the leader said. He ran his fingers through his hair and sighed heavily. "We wanted to do our business in peace, sweetheart, but ya had to come and play hero, huh?" He cracked his knuckles and gave her a glare. "See, we may be no match for Hawks, but we can sure as hell give 'im a lesson by roughing up his lil girlfriend." He eyed his colleagues, and thug number four's stare intensified. Ai groaned as she gripped her head and dropped to her knees.

"Ha," Thug number three said. His hands were in his pockets as he began sauntering over to her. "Never used my quirk on a female before." His lips spread out into a toothy, devilish grin. "I wonder how loud she'll scream." Just as he was about to reach her, one of Ai's hands hit the ground and brought up a vined barrier between them. The momentary shield brought her to her senses as she took out Junior.

"Go get help," Ai whispered, watching as the feather came to life and zipped through underneath everyone's line of sight.

"Heh? Hey dipshit," Thug number one growled, looking over at his meek companion. "The hell's her quirk?!"

"I-I'm not sure boss," Thug number two said. "I c-could've sworn it was like Hawks', but she ain't got no wings! A-And now…" He took a big inhale through his nostrils, head tilting to the side in confusion. "Sh-She don't smell like him no more…"

"Boss," Thug number four groaned. "If I can't see her, my quirk's good for nothing."

Ai winced when she felt a sudden pummel against her shield. The vines grew up and around her as she stood, gradually placing her hands to where she remembered the men's positions.

"Then we'll get her out," the boss exclaimed, fists balled as he continued to punch against her shield. "Hey ya lil shit! Ya think a tree will be enough to save ya from an ass whoopin'?!"

Ai's grip tightened against the vines as she pushed her arms out. They grew forward and crashed down against anything within their path. Thugs number one, two, and four had their backs slammed against the surrounding walls, but thug number three was quick on his feet. He jumped over Ai's quirk and landed directly in front of her. She needed to touch the ground with her hands again, but she was stopped by a twisted grin.

"Too late," he exclaimed, pushing his palm against Ai's bicep. Ai screamed as she stumbled to the side, gripping her arm with her good hand and retreating to widen the distance between the two of them. It was only a matter of time before the other thugs got free from her hold as well. "What." The thug giggled as he faced her, hunched with both hands open in front of him. "Never been shot before?"

Ai kicked off her shoes and socks, standing up straight as soon as the pain subsided. Ten seconds, she thought. I won't be so lucky next time. Despite his confusion of her bare feet, the grin didn't drop from the thug's face as he charged at her. He paid close attention to her hands and their distance to the ground, reaching out in ways to make sure she couldn't drop. His smile only widened when his thumb grazed her cheek and she grit her teeth through the pain. Just as his hand was about make more contact with her face, however, Ai dug her heel into the ground. The uprooted branches uppercut into his stomach and made the thug fly back, knocking out against the ground next to the victim.

She continued. Just as the other thugs released themselves from their respective walls, Ai ran and gathered a fistful of dirt. She threw it into thug number four's face, rushing her quirk through her hand and chopping the side of his neck when he began cursing into the air from lack of sight. Thug number four was knocked out.

Thug number two was shaking in his spot, but that didn't stop him from grabbing Ai's arms and burying his face into her shoulder. The action threw her off. "What are you-" As soon as he inhaled, the thug released his grip and started running the opposite direction.

"Don't hurt me!" Thug number two was in tears. "Sh-She needs skin contact to activate her quirk!" With hyper-smell, the closer he is to the source, the more details he knows of it. Ai didn't have time to catch him, for an arm wrapped around her torso and clamped her elbows to her sides, lifting her feet off the ground. Ai struggled against the leader's quirk, but it was no use. He wrapped around her jacket.

"Ya know," Thug number one growled. "I was gonna let ya live." Ai's body was smashed against the wall. She was pulled back only to be slammed again. "But ya decided to be so ga damn annoying!" The rate at which he was pummeling her was faster than the rate at which she could heal. A trail of blood trickled down the side of her head as she started losing consciousness. "We're done here." The leader threw her up and let go. "Let's see if ya can make a tree from a hundred feet in the air."

The world was spinning. Ai couldn't tell which direction was up or down – all she knew was that she was falling. Fast. She thought she'd die when the impact came, and she expected to be enveloped by cold.

But it was warm.

Thugs one and two were in the midst of gathering their fallen brethren when they looked up wide-eyed. A red silhouette cast a shadow down on them as it held Ai's battered body in its arms. Hawks' face was stoic, but his voice made their blood run cold.

"What did you do to my intern?"

Later that Night

It was dark. Surrounding Ai was blackness and incoherent words. This situation was unwelcoming… but familiar. That's when it reached out for her. It came slowly to clamp down on her face, and though Ai knew what was coming, she held her hand up. She met its touch and intertwined her fingers with it. It turned her skin gray, but this time, Ai wasn't the one to crack under the pressure.

"I'm… still scared of you," she said, feeling additional forces on her ankles, thighs, wrists, and neck. Her grip tightened as the decay began making its way out. "But you won't break me…" It was the hand itself that felt the repercussion of its own quirk. The others that mounted her body just as quickly disappeared. The hand that she held began to crack. "Not this time."

Ash slipped through her fingertips as light suddenly flooded her vision.

"Hngh," Ai groaned once she opened her eyes, enveloped by a white and blue shine coming from the window.

"You're finally awake, huh?" She sat up slowly and turned her head to look down, having been laid on the edge of a bed. Hawks was sitting on the floor of his house, legs crossed as he leaned his elbows against the mattress. "When I said don't break anything, that includes yourself, y'know." Ai felt a sudden heat rush to her face, and she placed the back of her hand against her mouth to hold back a sob. Hawks reached out and stroked her back, calming the shake of her shoulders. She was about to say something, but he cut her off. "Don't apologize." Hawks smiled as he brought the same hand back to wipe a tear from her cheek. "You did good. The man you saved was calling you a hero."

Ai let out a small chuckle as she wiped her eyes. "All I did was get my butt kicked," she said. "And he was knocked out the whole time."

"Apparently he woke up at the end," Hawks shrugged. "Saw the whole fight." He stretched out his arms and yawned, and that's when Ai noticed the casualness of his appearance: a plain white shirt with matching shorts. "It's late, we should get to sleep. Don't cha got school tomorrow?" A smirk played across his lips when Ai's face went red.

"W-Which is why I should be going home now," she stammered.

"The last shuttle left hours ago," Hawks said. "You can leave first thing in the morning."

"B-But!" Ai looked around the room, poking her index fingers together as her gaze dropped. "Th-There's… only one bed."

"Pfft." Hawks chuckled as he climbed onto the other side of the bed, leaving a good distance between the two. He laid down on his back with an arm behind his head, glancing over at her. "I know I'm not gonna do anything. What could you possibly be scared of, hmm?"

"Nothing," Ai exclaimed. She glowered at his smug smile and laid back down, turning on her side so that her back faced him. She felt the bed shift slightly, a blanket being pulled up over her shoulders.

"Good night," Hawks sang, "my cute little intern~"

"G-Good night!"

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