With the uneven number of students in class 1-A, Ai sat at the window seat in the back of the bus heading to their summer camp by herself, her foot bouncing anxiously as she witnessed the chaotic nature of everyone else. She couldn't help but glance over in Todoroki's direction, watching as he was taken aback by his seating partner's, Aoyama's, flamboyant nature. A snicker escaped her lips, prompting Todoroki to turn his gaze. As soon as their eyes met, Ai looked away, gripping at the material of her skirt on top of her lap.

A sudden force that dropped in the seat next to Ai made her flinch, though her expression softened when she saw who it was. Bakugo had his arms crossed over his chest, sinking further into his position with a scowl directed at everything that was annoying him – which was the rest of the bus.

"Wow," Ai gasped, "you seem like the most excited one here." She had to suppress a laugh when he redirected his glare to her, legitimately gasping this time when the side of his head landed onto her shoulder.

"Everyone's so damn loud and I'm trying to take a nap," Bakugo grumbled. He expected Ai to be compliant, but to his surprise, she pushed him away with a shrug.

"And how is that my problem," Ai questioned, her newly found confidence giving her more of an attitude when addressing the hot headed blond. His narrowed eyes were no help in earning her favor, but his next statement did.

"So that's how it is, huh," Bakugo said, "you'd rather have Half and Half being the only one sleeping on your damn should-" Ai clamped both of her hands down over Bakugo's lips, glancing up frantically only to be relieved by Todoroki's averted gaze. Her calm, however, was short lived when a sharp sensation made her squeak and pull back. Did he just bite me?! She thought. "Do that again and the hand's coming off."

"Okay fine," Ai stammered. "You win. You can lie on my shoulder, j-just…" She didn't get to finish her sentence before Bakugo repositioned himself onto her. "…Be quiet." The soon shallowed breaths that came from Bakugo's sleeping form reassured Ai that there would be no more of his loud accusations for the rest of the ride, and she smiled as she glanced down at him. Ai impulsively brought her hand up and scratched his head, watching as the perpetual scowl on his face relaxed, unbeknownst to her that there was an icy hot stare that was finally attentive of the two of them.

The bus had come to what the students thought would be a rest stop, but upon the introductions of Mandalay and Pixie-Bob from the Wild, Wild Pussycats, they soon found themselves thrown over the edge of a cliff. It was their first task to get through The Beast's Forest. Everyone was scrambling to get past the monsters created by Pixie-Bob's quirk, and Ai found herself without a partner among the midst of the chaos. A large shadow passed overhead, with the monster on all fours looming over her small frame.

Ai glanced up at it, barely registering the sounds of Midoriya, Bakugo, and Todoroki's screams as they approached her from behind. However, they were too late as the beast brought up a paw just to slam it back down. Ai held up a hand and met its touch, feeling the earth from which it was made dissolve and pass through her fingertips. The three boys came to a halt.

"Ai-chan…"

"What the hell was that?!"

Todoroki was silent amongst them, his parted lips of awe returning to a straight line with a hint of a smile. Ai glanced back at the three, managing a blink before staring down at her own hand. She gripped it into a fist before looking up again, a toothy grin making its way to her features.

"You guys aren't the only ones who are allowed to get stronger," Ai said. Cell decay, she thought, placing her fist against her heart. Todoroki locked eyes with her, and it was her next statement that made his smile evident. "I won't give into my weakness anymore."

By the time everyone got to the actual training camp destination, it was hours past lunch, bordering onto evening. The students were battered and exhausted, and Ai joined them in collapsing on the ground since her healing powers were drained in sacrifice for defensive and offensive measures. The despair on Ai's face, however, was not from the venture that they'd just been through, but from her feeling of uselessness.

When it comes down to it, Ai thought, the only difference between me and everyone else is my capacity to heal during battle. But if I can't even do that… She stood up as soon as the class was informed that they were to be fed and allowed to bathe. How am I going to help anyone?

Ai was in a daze throughout the rest of the night, having cleaned up first before the other girls as well. However, just as she was leaving the bathing area, they surrounded her. Ai subconsciously tightened her hold on the towel that wrapped her body.

"Shuzenji," Yaoyorozu said, "you're not going to be joining us?"

"You were pretty distant at the pool too," Tsuyu croaked.

"Yeah, what's up with that," Mina questioned.

Ai was getting flustered by their bombardment, attempting to stutter out a response that ended up being a jumbled mess of incoherent words. It was when Uraraka came forward and grabbed Ai's free hand that she was able to calm down.

"We don't mean any harm, Ai-chan," Uraraka said. "We were just worried ever since the class got together at the school pool because it made us realize that you weren't even involved in the plans in the first place! Do we make you uncomfortable?"

"It's not that," Ai exclaimed, her sudden heightened voice taking over. "I-I just never had any close girl friends, s-so…" Her grip on Uraraka's hand unintentionally tightened. "Since Midoriya-kun was my first actual friend, I usually hung out with him. No one was nice to him for seemingly being quirkless, but it just made me want to stick to his side more, because he seemed like the only genuine person around."

"That makes sense," Jiro chimed in, "I can't imagine a Bakugo that wouldn't want to beat Midoriya up, even if he was little." The comment made Ai snicker, and she gave a warm smile that seemed to have dazzled the rest of the group. Eventually, Ai found herself dragged back out towards the hot springs, sitting on the edge while the girls found comfort within the water.

"If you ever have any problems then you can tell us," Uraraka said, soaking herself from the chin-down. "We're friends, aren't we?" Ai was kicking her feet back and forth underneath the water, tears brimming her eyes with the large smile that aligned her face.

"Hai!"

Ai had gone back inside to retrieve some water, only to be met face-to-face with a little boy. She barely had time to register his gaze before he turned away, bright red from their encounter.

"Oh," Ai said, "you're… Kota-kun, right?"

"H-Hai," the blushing boy responded. "My aunt sent me here to make sure the guys aren't going to do anything stupid like climb the wall."

"Is that so," Ai giggled, kneeling on one leg. She kept a hand on the towel around her while she brought the other up to pat his head. It made Kota more comfortable now that they were face-level. However, his expression from the bashful boy soon sobered up. "You're like our own personal hero!" Ai didn't expect her hand to be slapped away, nor the dark aura that soon embraced him.

"Don't call me that terrible word," Kota seethed. "I'm not a hero, and I'll never be one!" He backed away from her, visibly shaking with a look in his eyes that Ai was all too familiar with. "Heroes are selfish." His aggressive tones became overwhelmed with the unstable anguish that washed over. "A-And the people they protect are even worse. Why do heroes have to die-" Kota's words were silenced by Ai's embrace. She pressed his face into her shoulder while one hand rubbed his back and the other rubbed the back of his head.

"I miss them too, you know," Ai said. Her voice was absent of any malice or hint of chastisement. Kota refused to admit that he was crying, but the trembling of his figure gave it away. "My parents died within the line of duty, and my auntie ended up having to raise me as well. I don't know your story, Kota-kun… So I can't sympathize with everything you're going through." She sat back on her heels from her kneeling position, taking Kota aback by the sight of her tears. She gripped one hand on his arm and used the thumb of her other hand to wipe his cheek. "But we're two sides of the same coin, don't cha think?"

"If what you're saying is true," Kota sniffled, "then why do you want to become a hero?"

"To protect the people I care for," Ai responded. There was no hesitation in her voice, for her answer was immediate. "I have a quirk that I think could have helped my parents in battle… but I couldn't do anything about it back then. And I thought at least trying would be better than just staying at home, being mad at the world that took them away."

There was a silence that settled amongst the two of them as they stared at each other, but it was soon broken through by a sudden ruckus. They both got outside just in time for Kota to climb the wall and slap Mineta back to the men's part of the hot springs. Kota shook his head at the sorry excuse of a human being before turning his gaze back to the women's side. His glance at Ai was interrupted by the rest of the girls' exclamations of thanks, prompting him to see an inappropriate sight that made him faint backwards.

Ai sighed, but the corners of her lips curled upwards. I wonder if I was able to open his mind, she thought. Just a little bit…

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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