Rukia almost had a heart attack when she woke up in a hospital room, but she was too tired to really do anything other than inhale sharply and endure the shock. It took her a few seconds to regulate her breathing and better evaluate her surroundings, and she quickly came to the conclusion that she was in a public hospital—meaning she wasn't in danger.
Ugh, the antiseptics are burning my nose…
The awful stench was enough to clear the last of the mist in her head, and she finally remembered why, exactly, she was in the hospital in the first place. Panic took over once again as she recalled her mentor's state but, despite her greatest struggles… she couldn't move. Her body was entirely unresponsive, her muscles numb and her limbs filled with lead.
Right, figures I'd end up like this after finally managing a full transformation…
Gritting her teeth, she was about to just give up and scream in order to get some attention, but the door of her room suddenly slid open, letting enter none other than Aunt Nemuri in her civilian clothes, and Recovery Girl.
"Aunt- Aunt Nemuri," she rasped her, her throat having turned into sandpaper.
"Rukia-chan!" At once, the older woman was by her side, hovering worryingly as she patted her cheeks. "You're finally awake! We were so worried about you, too! Are you alright? Are you in pain? Do you—"
"Sho- Shota-san…"
Aunt Nemuri calmed down a bit at that, and she smiled. "He's fine—or at least, he will be. He took a serious beating, but he'll have fully recovered in a few more days. Same with Thirteen, too. You did a good job, Rukia-chan."
At that, the pressure that had been building up in the girl's chest was released, and she let out a shuddering breath, tears prickling her eyes. Relieved, she allowed the tension in her body to lessen, until she fully relaxed in the bed. Aunt Nemuri was quick to straighten up the higher-half of the bed so she could sit, before offering her a glass of water. Seeing as Rukia could barely make her fingers twitch, though, she brought it to her lips and helped her drink.
"Thank- thank you," she heaved out, finally able to speak properly. Now that she knew Shota-san was alright, her head was a little clearer. "How is everyone else? What happened to the Villains, exactly? And how long was I out for, too?"
"All of your classmates are fine. In fact, none of them got injured. The main Villains escaped, but we still managed to put that Nomu under arrest, along with most of the lower-ranked goons. And you were unconscious for exactly eleven days," answered patiently Aunt Nemuri.
"You should have turned back to your human form as soon as you regained consciousness, but you stubbornly held on in order to assist All Might in his fight," remarked Recovery Girl in a somewhat reproaching tone. "That reckless decision put a serious strain on your body, and you won't be able to move properly for the rest of the week."
"Which means no training for the next two weeks, at the least," added Aunt Nemuri with a warning, knowing glare.
"Ugh, right…"
For once in her life, Rukia could find herself agreeing. In the state her body was in, two weeks barely sounded enough. As much as she enjoyed training, she couldn't deny that some calm and quiet sounded much more appealing. She had no doubt that she'd end up feeling restless, but she was truly lucky that two weeks of forced rest was the worst she was getting. So, offering a small, understanding smile at the woman beside her, she then reported her attention to Recovery Girl, who was busy looking over her chart and silently evaluating her healing progress.
"Recovery Girl… You're the one who healed Shota-san, right?"
"I did what I could, yes."
"Thank you."
The old woman gently patted her leg. "Of course, dearest. Now, as Midnight just told you, you will be on bed rest for a few more days. You ought to be able to return to school along with Eraser Head, but you'll have to use crutches in order to move around. Of course, you'll be given the proper sedatives and some painkillers—"
"No thanks," she instantly replied, gulping a bit. "I- I can do without those. It's okay." Seeing that the Pro Heroes were about to protest, she quickly justified her choice. "I just… I honestly can't take those. I get sick every time I try to take any sort of medication. My body still hasn't… adjusted, to this new part of my life." She lowered her head, a tad ashamed. "Sorry. I can't control it."
"Aizawa-chan…" Recovery Girl stared at her for a moment, before sighing. "I understand. It's not an uncommon occurrence for people suffering from similar traumas. After so many years, you unconsciously learned to associate medication with pain, and rejecting it is your body's way of protecting itself. In that case, if it ever gets too much, you can come to me, and we'll figure something out, alright?"
Rukia nodded mutely, biting her lower lip. She hated how her past just kept on causing more problems, but there was simply no helping it. Hell, the last time she tried to swallow a pill because of a headache, she ended up throwing up the whole night, her mind completely overwhelmed with flashes of the past and ghost pains.
This is ridiculous.
This is… pathetic.
A hand suddenly fell on her head, and she instantly looked up at Aunt Nemuri, who offered her a sad smile. Gently, the woman wrapped her arms around her, bringing her into a hug, and Rukia instantly relaxed, the burning stench of the hospital covered by her natural, sweet scent.
She inhaled sharply when realizing that the scent was much more pronounced than usual.
"Aunt Nemuri…!"
"Sorry, Rukia-chan," she chuckled, helping her lay down as her body started shutting down. "I know you don't like it, but it'll help you get over the pain, alright?"
"Cheater…" grumbled the teen, her eyelids growing too heavy to keep open. There was no point in fighting the woman's Quirk, though, so she simply gave in. "T- thanks, Aunt Nemuri…"
The Pro Hero simply leaned in, pressing a gentle kiss against her forehead. "Rest well, Rukia-chan. I'll be back later with some sweets, to make up for it."
"I'll… I'll hold you to that…"
.
.
Rukia spent the following three days in the hospital, hovering between unconsciousness and reality. In order to allow her body to heal properly, they were keeping her in a sedated state and, since Midnight's Quirk rendered her unconscious every time they needed to inject the medication, the girl didn't even notice the needle piercing her skin—meaning her body didn't reject the medication. So, after three days of near-constant medically-induced paralysis, she was finally allowed to fully wake up and move around.
She spent another full day getting used to moving again. Now that the numbness was gone, her entire body was awfully sore but, most importantly, her legs hurt like a bitch. As it turned out, she had landed rather badly after Nomu's attack and had greatly damaged her lower back—had it not been for her enhanced healing abilities, she'd have ended up in a wheelchair for at least a month, or so Recovery Girl said. As it was now, though, it simply hurt, but nothing she couldn't manage.
And now? Now, she was free.
"Ah, I didn't think I'd miss the smell of the city so badly, but I guess there's a first time for everything, uh?" breathed out the teen, glad to finally be ridden of the hospital's stench.
"That bad, uh?" chuckled Uncle Hizashi, patting her head. "Well, if you're careful from here on out, you won't have to step foot in that place again."
"Considering we had to bust you out just two months ago after you broke your leg, I find that rather hypocritical," snorted the girl, shaking her head. "I've already gotten a lecture from Aunt Nemuri and Recovery Girl, though—and even Fatgum and Edgeshot dropped by to scold me! Well, Fatgum was actually congratulating me on doing a full transformation… But still! I'm going to become a Hero, so of course I'm gonna get hurt a little bit!"
"Barely two weeks of school in and you're already getting in trouble," he sighed. Then, without any warning, he started pinching her cheeks. "Don't you make a habit out of this, young lady! We were all worried sick! Oh yeah, we were!"
"Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow! Lemme go!"
They bickered some more as they made their way to Uncle Hizashi's car. Aizawa had already returned home but, because of his injuries, he couldn't leave the house yet—the reason why he was out of the hospital was because he hated them almost as much as Rukia did, but he was an adult and, as such, was allowed to discharge himself.
Tche. Injuries or not, as soon as I get home, he's getting the scolding of a lifetime!
Rukia's determination wavered as soon as she stepped foot inside, Uncle Hizashi quickly dropping her bag in the entrance before leaving. Sitting on the couch, Shota-san was almost entirely covered in bandages, and only his face was visible—though a large, serrated scar was now occupying his left cheek.
As soon as the door closed behind her, he looked up from the newspaper he was reading and, as soon as their eyes met, the last of her determination broke down.
"Shota-san…" she whispered, tears already burning her eyes.
She stumbled a bit as she made her way toward him. It was awkward to move around in crutches, even more so because of the organized mess that was their home, but she somehow managed to safely make her way toward the man. As soon as she reached him, she dropped the crutches and let herself fall on the couch, instantly wrapping her arms around him.
"You scared me so much… You jerk! You complete, absolute, utter jerk…!"
She was crying, though, relieved that he was alive, and horrified because she knew it had been a very close call. He didn't say anything, simply returning the hug with as much strength as he could manage without hurting her. They stayed like this for a few minutes, the silence now weighing over them merely disturbed by her stifled sobs.
"You're such a crybaby, Rukia," he mumbled, though there was no harshness in his tone.
"Who- who cares? You keep on telling me not to do reckless stuff, but you're the first to throw yourself ahead of danger when the occasion presents itself!" she retorted, angrily wiping her tears as she pulled away. Now that she had gotten over her relief, her anger was coming back tenfold. "You could have been killed, Shota-san! You didn't have to do that! We could have worked together, figured out a plan with the other students, we could have—"
"Rukia." She stopped talking, gritting her teeth. He sighed, lightly patting her head. "I'm a Pro, Rukia. Don't forget that. True, I underestimated the enemy a bit, but I took on these goons because I knew I could manage." He suddenly flicked her forehead, smirking a bit. "I'm not an idiot like you, you know? I think before rushing ahead."
"I'm not an idiot," she huffed, averting her eyes.
"No, you're not," he relented, mindlessly scratching her behind an ear. She instantly leaned into his touch—he was, most assuredly, the only person she'd ever allow to do that. "But you do some seriously dumb stuff from time to time. One way or another, though, what happened happened… and I owe you my life." He hugged her again, and it's only then that she realized that he, too, had probably been worrying sick about her. "Thank you, Rukia."
"… of course."
They stayed silent for a few more minutes, simply enjoying the peace and quiet while it lasted. Now that she had gotten over her relief, her worry, and her anger, Rukia simply felt content—glad that things had worked out, and that they had beaten those Villains.
"So? What was that, back at USJ?"
"Hm?" She leaned against his shoulder, mindful not to hurt him, and looked up at him. "You mean the full transformation? I didn't expect that either, and it was pretty weird—"
"I meant what you said, back there. Before transforming. I was only half-conscious at the time, so I'm wondering if I hallucinated it, or if you really said it."
She stiffened, suddenly realizing what he was talking about.
::
"DAD!"
::
"… I didn't mean to say it out loud," she murmured, curling up a bit on herself. "It just- it just slipped out, and I—"
"I don't mind." She startled as he offered her one of his rare, genuine smiles. It was small, but gentle—not like one of his creepy, toothy grins. "That adoption form isn't just for show, you know? And… I know I'm not actually your father, but—"
"Blood or not, we're pack," she instantly replied, hugging him again. Since he was too tired—both physically and emotionally—to push her away, she was going to make the most of that opportunity. "We're family. You saved me, raised me, protected me, made me live again." Her breath hitched, and her hold tightened. "You're really… you're really the best dad anyone could wish for."
Warmth spread through their bond as he lightly ruffled her head. "And you're the most reckless, stubborn, and annoying daughter I could have ended up with—and I couldn't be any prouder."
She choked out a laugh at that, but didn't say anything. She knew for a fact that Shota-san shared her feelings and, as horrifying as the experience had been… some good did come out from the attack on USJ.
Now, there was simply hoping they wouldn't have to go through another life-endangering experience in order to strengthen their bond.
.
.
"Rukia!"
"Airu-chan!"
"Rukia-chan!"
As soon as Rukia stepped foot into the classroom, she was warmly greeted by her classmates and, as much of a pain as it was to walk around, she really was glad to be back. Kirishima was quick to grab her bag, while the girls helped her settle down at her desk, and the poor girl's head was spinning from all of the attention.
"So? Erm, what did I miss…? I've been gone for two weeks—did anything else happen?"
"Well, the whole incident is being kept under wrap right now, since the investigation is still ongoing, and we've been asked not to divulge any information to outsiders," explained Yaoyorozu, offering her a small smile.
"Otherwise said, we didn't have to fight off another rabid horde of paparazzi," grinned Kaminari, slinging an arm over her shoulder. "And classes have been as boring as usual. The teachers have been holding off on the practical training because of the attack, too."
"Training. Right." She scowled a the reminder that she couldn't, in fact, start training again before next week, but quickly forgot about it as she shrugged off the boy's arm as gently as she could manage. "Ah, could we hold off on the physical contact for a bit? Even if I can walk again, my body's still pretty sore…"
"Gah! Sorry!"
"Are you injuries still bothering you?" frowned Uraraka, a little worried.
Rukia shook her head. "Not exactly. It's the first time I've managed a full transformation, so the strain on my body was pretty bad, is all."
"Then what are the crutches for?" wondered Jiro, a tad confused.
"Oh, they're just to help me walk without putting too much of a strain on my legs—those got hurt because of that Nomu guy."
"You really were in the thick of the action, uh?" frowned Ojiro, sparing a glance for the other students around. "Along with Kirishima, Todoroki, and Bakugo, right? You four faced off with the top-tier Villains…"
"Still, your transformation was amazing!" exclaimed Ashido, bouncing in place excitedly. "I mean, you scared the crap out of me, but you were absolutely adorable!"
"Don't you mean absolutely terrifying?" sweatdropped Sero, easily recalling how he almost fainted when the gigantic wolf showed up.
"Rukia-san, my cousin also went through her first full-transformation a few months ago, and she told me that warm baths and chocolate milk greatly helped in reducing the pain," then explained Shoji, handing her a small bottle of chocolate milk. "Of course, she didn't push herself as much as you did, but it still ought to help a little."
"Really? I didn't know that!" she beamed, gratefully taking it. "Thank you, Shoji-kun!"
Rukia definitely wasn't used to being the center of attention, and even less for other people to look after her and cater to her needs in such a way. Of course, Aunt Nemuri, Uncle Hizashi and- and her dad always took care of her, but this? This was different, and warmth blossomed in her chest as she noticed the genuine desire to help of the people around her.
So that's what it's like, to have friends…
"Oi, Fangs."
"What—ow!"
A baby blue notebook smacked her in the face and fell flat on her desk. While the other students instantly started scolding Bakugo—the one who had thrown it—for his carelessness, Rukia rubbed her nose while taking a closer look at the notebook.
Uh? This is…
"Bakugo-san… Those are the notes of last weeks' lessons…?" she asked, confused.
Utter silence instantly befell the classroom, and Kirishima leaned over her shoulder to take a look at the contents of the notebook. After a few seconds, his eyes widened comically.
"Hey, you're right!"
"What!?"
"No way!"
"From Bakugo!?"
"It must be a joke!"
"Oi, don't you all overthink this!" snapped Bakugo, grumpily slumping in his seat. He was gritting his teeth, as if it physically pained him to speak. "I owed her one for USJ, and I don't like owing people. That's all there is to it, so don't get weird ideas, you extras!"
The rest of the students instantly started making a fuss, with Bakugo growing a little more snappy and defensive with each reply. As for Rukia, she simply furrowed her brows as she thought back to the incident, trying to figure out what exactly he meant when he said that he owed her, of all things. Seemingly noticing her struggles, Kirishima leaned in so the other students wouldn't hear him—although they were all too busy teasing Bakugo to notice.
"He was about to get hit by that Nomu guy when you jumped on him and shoved him out of the way. He could have been seriously injured if you hadn't interfered."
At that, a little light bulb went off in her head as she finally remembered that particular moment of the incident. To be frank, she was having a hard time piecing her fuzzy memories together, so she'd probably have to ask for a proper debriefing from her classmates later.
"Bakugo-san," she called out, effectively silencing the other students. He instantly glared at her, but she simply nodded. "Thank you."
"Tche. Whatever, Fangs."
Fangs, uh? Well, I suppose it's better than his previous nicknames…
Once again, though, she found her initial opinion of the boy wavering. First, what she had witnessed at the grocery store, and now this? The more time passed, and the more complicated the puzzle that was Bakugo Katsuki became. However, one thing was for certain: as much of a jerk as he could be sometimes, he was no longer entirely hopeless in Rukia's books.
Who knows? We might make a good Hero out of him, yet.
.
.
The week ended, another one passed. At that point, exactly a month had happened since the USJ attack and, while word had eventually gotten out to the general public, no details had been released to the media yet—namely, the class that had been involved in the attack. Thanks to the discretion of the officers working the case, none of the students had been harassed yet, be it by rabid journalists or fellow schoolmates. And, since everythinghad slowly returned to normal, Class 1-A had the time to regain their pace and pursue their studies.
Rukia had completely recovered and had received permission to start training again, much to her delight. It had been just in time, too, for Aizawa-sensei was coming back today, meaning the practical lessons of the Hero Basic Training Class were back on schedule. All of the students were aware of it, too, and excited whispers filled the classroom as they impatiently awaited the return of their homeroom teacher.
"I wonder what we'll be doing!"
"Do you think we'll go back to USJ?"
"Possible. They've surely rebuilt everything by now."
"I'm kinda nervous, to be honest…"
"Rukia…" The girl looked up, surprised, when Shinso called out to her. "Will you be using your full transformation in training from here on out?"
"Oh, right! I was meaning to ask too!" remembered Kirishima, looking at her expectantly.
She shook her head in a negative motion. "No way. Until I've gained proper control of that ability, I won't be using it in class. I'll be following separate and supervised training to ensure nothing goes wrong, so it'll surely take a few months before I can start using that form in a regular manner without hurting myself."
"I see."
"Why were you asking?" wondered the girl, curious.
Shinso simply shrugged. "I wanted to see if I could use my Quirk on you while in this form."
"Right, it could be pretty useful if we faced a Villain with the same type of Quirk, uh?" realized Kirishima, thinking it over. "You can't use it on animals, since they can't answer you, but people who turn into animals are another matter…"
"Well, as soon as I've got the hang of it, I'll tell you and we can train together, alright?" she suggested with a small smile.
Shinso startled a bit at that, nodding mutely. Even though he was slowly starting to get out of his shell and was getting along better with his classmates, he was still unused to the almost naïve openness of Rukia and the others. She had just agreed to let him test his Quirk on her, without a hint of hesitation or worry or wariness?
Only one thought came to mind: she's a really strange girl.
The bell suddenly rang, signaling the beginning of class. Everyone instantly settled down, both anxious and excited at the thought of finally having their homeroom teacher back. Then, after a few seconds of tensed silence, the door slid open—
'CLAC.'
—to reveal Aizawa-sensei, who was bandaged from head-to-toe, literally. Rukia rolled her eyes a bit at the display, easily understanding that he was purposefully exaggerating the current state of his injuries but, for what reason, she couldn't possibly fathom. However, guessing he had something in mind, she simply decided to stay quiet and play along.
"Alright everyone, I'll get straight to the point," he announced in his usual bored tone, though it was muffled by the bandages. "We're starting over with the rescue training. Thirteen is already waiting for us at USJ, so don't waste any time. Get changed, and meet up at the bus. That'll be all."
"Yes, sir!"
Overjoyed at the prospect of actual training after about a month of inactivity, the Hero Course students were more than eager to get to work, and they were itching to put back on their costumes. Rukia was quite pleased when she realized that her own had been repaired, and she wasted no time in following the rest of the girls outside to get changed.
Yosh! Let's try this again!
.
.
"Well, that happened, but class is class. So, let's begin the rescue training, everyone!"
Most of the students were overjoyed in seeing Thirteen back to full health. They all distinctly remembered how their body had been blown to bits barely a month earlier, and the students had been seriously worried for their life. As it was, though, Thirteen was sturdier than they appeared, and they were eager to start giving lessons again.
"Can- can you really move, Thirteen-sensei?" asked worriedly Uraraka, biting her lower lip.
"My back hurts a bit, but it's nothing compared to sempai," assured Thirteen, jabbing their thumb at Aizawa-sensei. "I'm perfectly fine, now! All thanks to all of you, if I may add!"
"We're ready to begin class, so let's get started already," urged Aizawa-sensei, clicking his tongue in annoyance. "We've already wasted too much time. Let's go."
"Aizawa-sensei, was All Might not supposed to join us as well?" then asked Iida, his hand springing up in a stiff manner. "He is our main teacher in the Hero Basic Training practical lessons, is he not?"
"Don't know, don't care. Forget about it."
Needless to say, the students were somewhat taken aback by the rather harsh answer. It didn't take a genius to notice that Aizawa-sensei and All Might didn't exactly get along, but they hadn't expected their homeroom teacher to be so blatant about his dislike of the Number One Hero.
"Oi, oi, do you think something happened between the two?" asked quietly Kirishima.
Rukia frowned. "Not to my knowledge, no. He wasn't in such a sour mood when we left for school this morning…"
"Then, maybe they had an argument before class?" suggested Ashido, frowning a bit. "Though, I have a hard time imagining All Might arguing, of all things."
"It's true that, when you get to know him, you realize that he's a bit of a pushover," snorted Jiro, crossing her arms behind her head. "Even he can get angry when fighting, but in day-to-day life? He's way too awkward to get into an argument, of all things."
"Oi, oi, don't go calling the Number One Hero a pushover, of all things," protested Sero, a nervous bead of sweat rolling down his forehead.
"Well, she's not wrong," remarked flatly Shinso, shrugging a bit. "He may the Number One Hero, but his character definitely isn't the same one he shows on TV."
"Oh, I totally get what you mean!" nodded eagerly Kaminari. "Even though it's really amazing to have him as our teacher, he's definitely awkward at times! He's—"
"If you're quite done wasting time—" The students stiffened as a malicious aura started emanating from Aizawa-sensei, whom they could sense glaring through his bandages. "—we'll begin with the lesson. So, stop chatting and get moving."
"Y- yes, sir!" they all chorused at once, quickly rushing to catch up with the rest of the group.
A few minutes later, the entire class was gathered in the Mountain Zone, near the edge of a very steep rift. Rukia was tempted to lean over the edge and check just how deep it was but, as if reading her mind, both Sero and Kaminari linked their arms with hers and dragged her toward the rest of the group.
"No offense or anything, but we'd rather you didn't end up in the hospital again," stated Kaminari, only half-teasingly.
"I'm not that bad," she huffed, clicking her tongue.
Before either of them could reply, Thirteen clapped their hands together a few times to gain the attention of the students. Once everyone was looking at them, they started explaining the first exercise they would be doing.
"There'll be three students positioned at the bottom of the chasm. One of them will be unconscious, the other will have an injured leg, and the last one will be extremely worried, on the verge of panic. Then, another team composed of four students will work on the rescue using their Quirks and the few objects put at their disposal." After a few seconds, Thirteen pointed at three different students. "You, you, and you! You will play the injured civilians!"
Uraraka, Iida, and Shinso exchanged bewildered looks. They hadn't interacted all that much together, mostly keeping to their respective groups of friends, but it would appear that they would now be working together. So, while those three quickly found their way to the bottom of the chasm using the staircase situated far-off to the side, Aizawa chose the members of the rescue team.
"Alright, you four are the ones who will rescue them. You can use these objects over there. Now, get to work."
Todoroki looked positively uninterested, Bakugo was silently fuming, Yaoyorozu nodded firmly, and Rukia heaved out a small sigh. As much as she wanted to do her best in this training, she had a feeling that getting everyone to work together wouldn't be all that easy. However, they now had a job to do, and she couldn't help but think back to her personal experience.
Rescue, uh? I was unconscious when Shota-san and the others actually rescued me but, when I woke up outside of my cell, in an unfamiliar room, I was—
"Let's begin. Who's going down?" asked flatly Todoroki.
"Tche, just blow up the mountain and that's it!" snapped Bakugo, annoyed.
"Are you crazy!?" protested Yaoyorozu, a bead of sweat rolling down her temple.
"Yaoyorozu, create a pulley. We'll make a way to pull them up. Let's start with the ones that are unconscious. Rukia, you're physically more adept to lifting heavy weights, so you'll go down, while Yaoyorozu, Bakugo, and I pull them up," continued Todoroki, unperturbed by Bakugo's scathing glare.
"Bastard! Stop deciding on your own!" snapped the bomber, grabbing his collar.
"It's the best way," insisted Todoroki, glaring back. "But if you think of it as a game, you don't have to know. Don't waste my time."
"Calm- calm down…" pleaded Yaoyorozu.
"Aah!? Who's wasting time!? You—"
"Bakugo-san, calm down!" finally snapped Rukia, feeling a headache growing. "This is rescue training! If you want a fight, then I'll gladly take you on, but later. And Todoroki-san, stop antagonizing him! You're better than that!" Both boys instantly averted their eyes, effectively cooling down, but Rukia wasn't done. She spun around to face Yaoyorozu, who gulped slightly upon meeting the girl's glare. "And you, Momo-chan! Be more assertive! If you have something to say, then say it!"
"R- right!" gasped the black-haired girl, startled. Shaking her head, she quickly returned to the task at hand. "Before- before anything, there is one important thing that we must do!"
Regaining her senses, Yaoyorozu rushed over to kneel at the edge of the rift and leaned over. Rukia couldn't help but smile a bit upon seeing this, easily understanding what exactly she was planning.
Upon waking up in that unfamiliar environment, I was terrified and on the verge of panic. And yet, Shota-san managed to help me because he convinced me I could trust him.
That is the job of Heroes—to gain and maintain the trust of the people around them.
"Everyone, please, keep calm!" called out Yaoyorozu, her voice easily carried to the bottom of the chasm. "We will go to you right away! Heroes are here to help!"
"By reassuring the victims, it allows the Heroes to work in tandem with them in order to facilitate the rescue," summarized Rukia, smiling a tad nostalgically. "People who are desperate and panicking are a danger to themselves and to others, and it's only by establishing a relationship of mutual trust between the victims and us that we can really save them."
"Rukia-chan is right," nodded firmly Yaoyorozu, rising back to her feet. "Reassuring the victims is directly related to saving them. If you will not do it properly, what kind of training class is this!?"
Properly chastised, the two boys exchanged one last glare, before stubbornly looking away. The two girls rolled their eyes, but they'd take what they could get. After that little incident, easily understanding that Todoroki's plan was, effectively, the best one they had, they quickly got to work. Yaoyorozu created a pulley, Todoroki covered the edge of the rift with ice so that the rope wouldn't get damaged on the rocks, and Rukia was quick to strap on the climbing gear and security straps. Once everyone was ready, she grabbed the rope and started descending into the chasm.
"Rukia-chan, make sure to keep a slow and steady pace!" urged Yaoyorozu, from the top. "If there's any issue with the rope, let us know right away!"
"Got it!"
It only took her a minute or two to finally reach the bottom, the silence following her descent only broken by the occasional encouragement and/or advice from Yaoyorozu, and the constant fake wailing of Iida, who was apparently taking his job of "extremely worried, on the verge of panic" very seriously. Once she arrived, she found Uraraka lying on the ground and trying to muffle her laughter as she played the unconscious victim, Shinso looking more bored than ever with his leg awkwardly propped up, and Iida kneeling beside him with actual tears running down his face.
"Hey, everyone," chuckled Rukia, her feet safely meeting the ground. "Don't worry, alright? We'll get you out of here in no time."
"Thank you, thank you, thank you!" cried Iida, a tad too much in character.
Shinso rolled his eyes, while Uraraka choked out another laugh, though she kept her eyes closed. Following Rukia's signal, the team at the top was quick to send down the stretcher and, once it arrived, she went to kneel beside Uraraka.
"Since your friend is unconscious, we'll make her go up first," announced Rukia, carefully sliding her arms under the girl's body.
"W- wait! Isn't it dangerous for a sole person to carry an unconscious one!?" protested Iida.
Rukia simply offered him a smile, though she was trying really hard not to burst into laughter at his acting skills. "Don't worry, I know what I'm doing. Your friend is safe with me, alright?"
Iida seemed genuinely taken aback by her simple, yet determined answer, and even Shinso quirked an eyebrow. The wolf-girl had visibly taken to this training like a fish to water, almost as if she knew exactly what to say to make people relax and just trust her. Before either of them could reply, though, Rukia swiftly picked Uraraka up, and the "unconscious" girl let out a startled gasp, flailing a bit.
"Ru- Rukia-chan!"
"Don't worry, I've got you!"
She didn't even appear to strain the slightest bit as she carried Uraraka over to the stretcher, as if she weighed nothing more than a feather. Quickly strapping her down, she then called out to the others to bring her back up. While Uraraka began her ascension, Rukia turned her attention to the other two.
"Alright, who's hurt?"
Shinso raised his hand. "I am. I broke my leg."
She chuckled a bit at his bored tone. "Well, that won't do at all, will it? Here, let me see."
She had been careful to pick up the first-aid kit put at their disposal earlier and, though she wasn't entirely familiar with all of the equipment, nor was she exactly at ease while using them, she knew enough to make a decent, temporary cast for his "broken" leg. By the time she was done, the stretcher was coming back down, and she crouched beside Shinso.
"Alright, time to get you back up!"
He instantly narrowed his eyes. "Don't you dare."
"Sorry, Shinso-kun, but I'm afraid it's in your best interest!"
"Rukia—!"
"Up you go!"
And, just as she had done with Uraraka, she swiftly picked him up, all the while mindful not to aggravate his fake injury. He cursed under his breath, mostly embarrassed at being carried so easily by a girl. Rukia simply laughed again, though, quickly setting him back down on the stretcher and putting on the safety straps.
"You're quite strong, aren't you, Rukia-san?" mused Iida, falling out of character at last.
"My physical abilities are naturally enhanced by my Quirk, and I train a lot," she shrugged, keeping her eyes on the stretcher rising above their heads.
"I see. Have you ever been involved in a rescue mission such as this one before?"
"Uh?" Surprised, she snapped her eyes at him. "What makes you say that?"
"Ah, apologies. I didn't mean to sound intrusive," he quickly apologized, a tad embarrassed by his own forwardness. "I simply thought that you were quite efficient and reliable, and that you knew exactly what to say in order to make us trust you."
Rukia nodded, understanding what he was getting at. "I've picked up many skills and habits from observation. Ever since Aizawa-sensei took me in, I've grown up surrounded by all sorts of Heroes, so you could say I gained indirect experience from those connections."
"I understand. I truly have a lot to learn from you, Rukia-san!"
"W- well, I'm still just a student like you…"
She wasn't comfortable nor willing to share what had happened to her in the past, and she was glad that none of her classmates had questioned how, exactly, she came to live with their teacher in the first place. As much as she wanted to believe that they were friends, it simply wasn't the kind of story that she could just blurt out on a random morning—if anything, she really wanted to just forget about it and move on.
Now, here's hoping none of them will ever look too much into it. If any of them actually questions me about it, I don't know if I'd be able to lie to them.
The rescue training was a success for all of the participating teams and boy, did Rukia have a field day when the tables were turned on her and she was the one picked to become the injured victim in this staged rescue. Stuck at the bottom of the chasm with Asui and Kaminari (who was playing the unconscious victim because he wanted to take a nap), she almost burst out in laughter when none other than Uraraka came down.
"Looks like it's your turn to pick me up, uh?" she teased.
Uraraka chuckled. "Looks like it."
Kaminari was the first to be sent back up. Since he was "unconscious", they couldn't risk setting him up in the climbing gear, so they settled for sending him back up using the stretcher. In the meantime, Uraraka treated Rukia's fake broken leg while the wolf girl put on the climbing gear, for safety. Once ready, Uraraka smiled at her.
"Alright, this might be a little disturbing at first, and even scary, but try not to move, alright?"
"Got it!"
To be honest, Rukia was somewhat excited to try it out. While she could jump extremely high, she couldn't fly, so she was eager for this new experience. So, Uraraka placed her hand on the girl's shoulder and used her Quirk to "erase" the gravity. Rukia's body instantly lifted off the ground, and she started floating upward.
This is so cool! Man, I wish I could fly like that all of the time!
It was a thrilling experience that came to an end all too soon. She reached the top of the chasm, where Ojiro and Ashido were busy bringing Kaminari up, and none other than Kirishima stood near the edge, his arms stretched out.
"I got her, Uraraka!" he exclaimed.
The girl below thus dispelled the effects of her Quirk, and Rukia fell right into the red-haired boy's awaiting arms. They exchanged a grin, and he quickly walked over to where Kaminari was being "treated", a little further away from the edge.
"That was fun," Rukia admitted, before glancing at her bandaged leg. "Though, Ochaco-chan might want to work on her bandaging skills a bit…"
Her friend simply laughed at that, carefully setting her down. "Well, that's what training is for, right?" He then shot a brief glance at the other students silently waiting on the sidelines, a bead of sweat dripping down his face. "Though, you might wanna brace yourself, Rukia."
"What for?" she asked, now confused.
"Well, you did kind of volunteer to spar with Bakugo later, and I think he might take you up on that offer. He looks pretty pissed."
Surprised, the white-haired girl quickly glanced over to the bomber. As soon as their eyes met, he glared, but didn't avert his eyes—as if saying "challenge accepted".
"I just dug my own grave, didn't I?" she sweatdropped.
At that, Kirishima could only pat her shoulder in comfort.
"Well, it was a great job for your first time," stated proudly Thirteen, clasping their hands together. "Do not worry, though, everyone will have their time to shine. We still have numerous battle and rescue scenarios prepared—in other words, there's still a lot to do!"
"Don't relax, though," warned Aizawa, narrowing his eyes at the students before him. "Class is still in session. Don't think things will get any easier from here!"
"Yes, sir!"
Earthquake Zone
"Now, unlike the first training we just went through, the scenario will be a bit more complicated. The purpose of said scenario is to give a more genuine experience: the injured are numerous and can be anywhere, and we don't know in what state they may be," explained Thirteen, gesturing to the crumbled buildings around them. "You'll have exactly eight minutes to spread out in the entire zone, and four of you will be the rescuers. The other sixteen students must hide in whichever place they wish. However, eight of those students will be unable to speak—I will select said students myself."
"Oh, so we're playing hide-and-seek!" gasped excitedly Ashido, jumping in place.
"More or less," relented Thirteen, before selecting the four rescuers. "Very well: those four will be in charge of rescuing everyone!"
Rukia quirked an eyebrow upon seeing Todoroki and Bakugo being teamed up again, with poor Uraraka stuck in the middle, and Shinso sticking to the sidelines. She had an inkling that the first two were being paired up so often because Aizawa-sensei wanted to force them to work together and somehow get along, but she was starting to wonder if it really was such a good idea. After all, as the saying went, there was simply no mixing oil and water…
"Alright, you all have two minutes to hide. Go!"
Well, I can always ask later.
The Earthquake Zone was where she had landed during the attack on USJ and, though everything had been repaired, she distinctly remembered the numerous buildings that had been destroyed as she had forced her way out. However, she also had a keen sense of orientation, so she distinctly remembered the best hiding spots that she had actually used in order to escape from her pursuers before.
Now, just gotta find my way through that rubble—uh?
Just as she passed by a worn-out building, she stopped running. Her ears twitched as she lifted her head, a somewhat familiar scent catching her attention. She couldn't pinpoint it, which annoyed her, but it definitely wasn't one of her classmates, nor their two teachers…
It's coming from inside that building… It's human, definitely. She tensed up, facing the entrance of the building. Could they have missed one of the Villains while rebuilding? It sounds a little ridiculous, but there isn't supposed to be anyone else…
The rational thing to do would be to immediately warn Aizawa-sensei and await backup. As it was, though, there was only one scent, and she couldn't sense any malicious intent. If it was somehow who truly meant them harm, she would have sensed it—just like she had sensed their arrival when the Villains first showed up at USJ. So, she made the decision to follow the scent and evaluate the threat. If it was too much for her to handle, she'd immediately fetch support from her classmates.
Yosh, let's do this!
She didn't make a single noise as she stepped inside, her acute senses picking up the slightest shift in the air and guiding her straight to her target. She silently made her way upstairs, quickly reaching the third floor, until she stopped before a supposedly empty room.
The intruder is in there.
She breathed in deeply, before kicking the door open. It practically flew off its hinges and crashed into the other side of the room, and she calmly made her way inside. As the dust settled down, she found herself facing a tall, strongly-built man with a mask. She instantly tensed up, bracing herself to attack—
"Ooh? Didn't expect one of the brats to find me so quickly. I guess it's time to get to work."
Bakugo had quickly run off on his own, intent on doing things his way. However, Todoroki seemed more open to partner up with the other two, and the three of them quickly got to work on rescuing their classmates. Unfortunately enough, Shinso's Quirk wasn't of much use in such a scenario, so he had to, once again, rely on his natural abilities.
He felt absolutely useless.
It's not just a matter of flashy or strong Quirks… As I am now, I can barely keep up with everyone else, he realized, clenching his fists. I can't rely on my Quirk alone. If I really want to make it as a Hero, then I need to—
"Uraraka-kun! Shinso-kun! Run away!"
Iida's warning was heard by everyone in the vicinity and, in the span of a second, the boy had thrown himself at the two rescuers, effectively tackling them to the ground. A moment later, a loud explosion that made the entire zone shake on its foundations echoed, and a large cloud of dust rose around them.
"What- what was that?" gasped Uraraka, rubbing her head.
"A- a Villain!" choked out Iida, panting harshly.
"No way! What is he doing here?" protested the girl, her eyes going wide.
"Was he hiding all this time!?" wondered Shinso, gritting his teeth.
The dust slowly settled down, revealing a very tall, and very muscled man entirely cladded in a black suit, with a half-grey, half-orange mask covering his entire head. As he slowly, threateningly made his way toward the students, Uraraka was the first to notice what he was holding in his right hand.
"Oh no! Rukia-chan!"
The girl appeared uninjured, but unconscious. She was hanging loosely in the Villain's grasp, her entire body hovering over the ground because he was so tall. The rest of the students, who had quickly gathered after the explosion, could only stare with growing horror as the Villain faced them, holding one of their own hostage.
Things escalated quickly after that. The teachers, still injured, couldn't stop him and instructed the students to evacuated USJ at once. Not one to give up his preys, the Villain effectively destroyed over half of the Earthquake Zone, flattening the entire area in the span of a few seconds, at most, with a single kick to the ground.
Not one to be intimidated, though, Bakugo was the only one to take the lead and practically threw himself at the Villain. Using his Quirk without pause, he managed to create an opening and land a sure hit on the Villain, before putting some distance between them. He skidded back, near Iida, but he kept his eyes on the foe before him.
"Oi! Don't worry about others!" he snapped, though he was visibly brimming with anticipation and barely restrained eagerness to fight. "Don't just stand there. Make those weaklings run away if you have to, but don't get in the way!"
"Why do you always have to insult others!?" retorted Iida, annoyed.
"Oi, oi, Bakugo! Who do you mean by 'those weaklings'?" suddenly asked Kirishima, grinning from ear to ear.
"We are all students from Class 1-A," stated plainly Yaoyorozu, coming to stand beside him.
"We will all be Heroes!" added Uraraka, pumping her fist in the air.
"Ooh? Bold words for weaklings," taunted the Villain.
He kicked the ground again, the strength of the impact blasting away numerous debris, but Aoyama, Sato, and Kirishima were quick to destroy those. Then, in a show of almost perfect synchronization, the rest of the students moved in to attack. However, just as they thought they had managed to overwhelm him, the Villain escaped their trap and easily retaliated. Only Bakugo kept on relentlessly attacking him and, from the sidelines, Shinso could only watch with growing anger—anger at himself.
I really am useless, aren't I!?
There was simply no way around it. He had relied too much on his Quirk, and he was now paying the price. Obviously, under the right circumstances, his power could prove extremely useful, but Heroes fought day-to-day battles under varying conditions and through diverse extremes—he couldn't just wait for the right circumstances.
If he really wanted to become a Hero, then he needed to see beyond his Quirk.
What can I do right now? What are my options? I could try using my power on him, but I'd have to get in close, and considering the amount of people who have already managed to break out of my mental hold before, there's just no telling if it'd work on that guy. Then what—
A movement caught his eye. Startled, he then looked directly at Rukia, who was still kept captive by the Villain. At first sight, her limp body and her head hanging low would clearly indicate that she was unconscious but, upon looking closer, he noticed that her fingers were moving. It wasn't by much, but they kept folding and unfolding, first pointing at him, then at herself, and then at the Villain. After a few seconds of the same hand signals, while the Villain was busy trying to keep Bakugo at bay, she lifted her head and made eye-contact with Shinso, mouthing something as she pointed at her ears.
"Make me free myself."
That could work. He wasn't entirely sure why she wanted him to use his Quirk on her instead of breaking free by herself, but it would surely offer her the perfect opportunity to escape from the Villain. However, he couldn't use his power from so far away—he needed to get closer.
"Uraraka, Asui!" The two girls instantly looked up, and he rushed over to them. "I have an idea! Sero, come over here! And Todoroki too!"
"Err, okay?"
It didn't take long for the other four to catch up to his plan and, while it was risky, they easily understood that it was their best bet. And, thanks to Bakugo's relentless attacks, they were soon offered the perfect opportunity. As soon as the next explosion went off, Uraraka slapped Shinso in the back and activated her Quirk. Once he was free of gravity's pull, Asui used her tongue to propel him right toward the Villain, who was still facing off with Bakugo. Through the dust and the following explosions, he passed completely unnoticed and, as soon as he was closed enough, Uraraka stopped using her Quirk. He landed right at the Villain's feet, the masked man only now noticing him—
"Hey! What's your favorite color!?"
…
…
…
The rest of the students could only gawk at the sheer randomness, but it didn't take long for everyone to realize that the Villain wasn't answering. He was merely staring at him, visibly aware of his abilities, yet genuinely taken aback by the question.
However, someone else answered.
"Red," growled out Rukia.
A grin stretched Shinso's lips as he activated his Quirk, taking control of her at once. While he hadn't been able to brainwash her the last time around, she was now a willing subject to his power, which meant he had complete control.
"Free yourself!"
Three things happened at once: the Villain attempted to punch Shinso, Bakugo attacked the Villain once again, and a loud, bony 'POP' echoed.
At once, Rukia had slammed her feet into the ground, grabbed the arm still holding her by the back of her costume, and had violently twisted it—effectively dislocating his shoulder. At the same time, Bakugo's attack hit him head-on and knocked him off his feet, and Shinso used that opportunity to make a run for it. Rukia landed back on the ground at the same time the Villain was knocked away… right into an actual spider-web. Now free of Shinso's mind control, she could only gape in shock as flashbacks of the first practical lesson they had received popped up.
That's the same technique we used to trap Kirishima!
While the Villain had been busy dealing with the three students, Sero had used that opportunity to set up the trap without being noticed. Of course, Bakugo wasn't stupid and had instantly fallen in line, effectively knocking their target right into the trap. And, as soon as the Villain got caught, Todoroki had used his ice to freeze him from head to toe, only leaving his head out.
"Yatta!"
"We did it!"
"That was awesome!"
"And now, for the final touch…!"
Rukia's eyes widened as she realized that Bakugo was about to throw the finishing blow and, without thinking, she threw herself between him and the Villain. Silence instantly fell upon the entire group as confusion took over.
"Aah!? What are you doing, Fangs!?" snapped Bakugo, unamused.
"W- wait! I can explain! This- this isn't a Villain at all!" she stammered out, adrenaline still running through her veins. "It's—"
"I AM HERE!"
"—All Might…"
In all of the confusion, the Villain had somehow managed to tear off his mask, revealing none other than their missing teacher. Dumbstruck silence took over, only disturbed by the Number One Hero's continued laughter as he bragged about his master plan, still stuck in the tape trap.
"Ah, ah! I wanted to make a surprise in which a Villain appeared in the end! Well, the other day, that happened. But you did a great job, I wouldn't expect any less from the Hero Course…" He trailed off upon noticing the dark looks and numerous glares he was getting from all of the students, and he started sweating nervously. "Erm… Sorry."
"YOU WENT OVERBOARD, MORON!"
While some of the students started scolding him for his stupid "surprise", a few others gathered around Rukia, hoping she'd have a better explanation for the situation.
"You were in on it too, Fangs!?" snapped angrily Bakugo.
"Erm, not at first, no," she admitted, chuckling awkwardly. "It went like this…"
::
She instantly tensed up, bracing herself to attack—
"Ooh? Didn't expect one of the brats to find me so quickly. I guess it's time to get to work."
—only to drop her stance as she gawked at the man in disbelief, finally able to connect the dots thanks to the man's voice.
"All Might!?"
Instantly, the imposing aura around him dropped. "I- I don't know what you mean!"
"Right," she deadpanned, relaxing as she placed a hand over her hip. She then tapped her nose. "I knew that scent was familiar—I just didn't expect it to be you. What are you doing here, All Might? And dressed like that, nonetheless?"
At that, his shoulders slumped in defeat. "Ah, I should have expected you would be the first to figure it out. Aizawa-kun did warn me, but I didn't think you'd be this fast…" He quickly perked up, offering her a thumbs' up. "Good job, young Aizawa! You exceeded my expectations!"
"Err, thanks? Still doesn't answer my question, though," she pointed out, still confused.
"Ah, right. Well, I'm planning to make myself pass as a Villain in order to confront the entire class," he admitted, rubbing the back of his head. "I was planning on having young Todoroki help me out but, since you found me first, would you like to do it instead?"
"Help you out…?"
::
"And that's pretty much it."
"That's why you wanted me to use my Quirk on you," realized Shinso, relaxing a bit. "Because you knew he wasn't an actual foe, and you couldn't bring yourself to attack him."
She nodded firmly. "Had this been an actual Villain, and had I truly been stuck hostage, I would have done exactly that. In this case, though, I already knew it was All Might, so I couldn't possibly bring myself to dislocate his arm just for the sake of training—" She gasped, her eyes going wide with horror. "Oh my God, I dislocated his shoulder!"
"Yeah, we all heard it," sweatdropped Kaminari, picking his ear. "Remind me to never get on your bad side, alright?"
"Gah! All Might!" She quickly ran up to their teacher, who was in the process of being unfrozen by Todoroki's heat. She bowed numerous times. "I'm sorry! I'm so, so sorry! I didn't mean to take things this far! I'm sorry! I'm really sorry!"
"Ah, ah, ah, don't worry, young Aizawa! It's all a part of the training process…! Even if it hurts a fair bit… Ah, ah!"
"I'm so sorry!"
Rukia was absolutely mortified. In the heat of the moment, she had completely forgotten about it being nothing more than an exercise, a surprise, and she had treated him like a Villain. Of course, that had been the goal, but she didn't mean to actually hurt him that bad! Before she could start spluttering out more apologies, though, Kirishima patted her shoulder.
"Maa, maa, it's fine, Rukia!" he laughed, looking positively thrilled. "That was awesome, you know? That move you did took everyone off guard!"
"Ai- Aizawa-sensei taught me…" she mumbled, now really embarrassed. She couldn't believe she had lost control like that. "Oh, I can't believe I did that…"
"Hey, hey, not just everyone can say that they crippled All Might! Be proud!" grinned Sero.
"So cool, Rukia-chan," teased Jiro, poking her cheek.
"That doesn't make me feel any better!"
As she started bickering with the usual gang, Shinso watched from afar, his eyes narrowed. All he could think about was how easily she had broken free. Even if All Might had been going easy on them, she had dislocated his shoulder with a single move and, though she was inhumanly strong, it was still a technique that, if learned properly, anyone could use—even him.
She learned it from Aizawa-sensei, uh?
An idea started forming in his head. He looked up to the overly bandaged teacher, still standing on the sidelines with Thirteen. Now that he thought about it, Eraser Head's Quirk was much like his own—not flashy at all, but incredibly useful, under the right circumstances. However, the Pro Hero had learned not to rely on his Quirk alone and, thanks to it, he had become a very powerful Hero.
Maybe I could learn a thing or two from him…