Chapter 82

.::How the Wind Blows::.

The wind was bitter and cold as Kyouka speed-walked down the street, laptop bag lightly bumping against her side as she did. Today had to be the coldest yet since waking up in this world, so cold that just breathing hurt if she didn't pull a scarf over her nose, leaving the streets almost empty as few people wanted to endure it. The monorail had been more full than usual; Kyouka noticed people riding for only one or two stops, just to avoid the cold for a little longer.

She already regretted leaving Kaminari's apartment, but she needed to just get out after finding the messages from Ashido. They had a feeling someone would run into trouble with how things had gone, but none of them predicted it to happen at Odawara. After the first text with the photo of Mic, it just spiraled even further and now it seemed like the runaways would be holding him hostage.

Which made Ashido an accomplice in kidnapping their English teacher—and by extension, the rest of them were too.

All of them had already gotten Ashido to delete the initial photo of Mic, and then they got to talking plans. The group chat was currently flooded with vaguely coded talk about how to handle it, without explicitly referencing what was happening. The runaways seemed to have some plans of their own to keep him from being found, but that didn't stop those from 1-A from joining in with some ideas of their own.

So far it seemed like the runaways planned to hold him hostage until they managed to move everyone out of Odawara, or Midoriya got rescued. At that point, they'd dump Aizawa, Bakugou and Shinsou on Mic, since they lacked the resources to handle any of that. The dimension jumpers also talked about possibly turning themselves in to the heroes after that. If Mail's siblings knew stuff about the other dimension and that Porter guy, it would make sense to go to them directly.

Alternatively, Kaminari and Ashido had already started spit balling ideas for new identities for their group and all the runaways they knew. And then some extra identities for the runaways they didn't know. Apparently they deemed it very probable that someone with a goat Quirk would exist among them.

Kyouka decided she needed some fresh air when Kaminari brought back "Santos Raijin" as his new cover.

She'd set course for the same coffee shop as yesterday, planning to grab a late lunch and spend the afternoon focusing on her classes there. They did have final exams next week, which was just kind of... wild to think about. At the current pace everything was going she doubted they'd get home by Monday, so they'd probably have to take them.

Luckily some of the classes included stuff they'd covered at UA, but there was plenty of new material. Then factoring in everything from before she came over, she had no idea where to even start with studying. She'd rather not tank her counterpart's grades, so she needed to get to work. They'd need to do a serious cram session with Yaomomo over the weekend.

It kinda made her wonder about the exams in their own world, but she quickly pushed the thought away. Right now, they just needed to focus on surviving long enough to get home, preferably without totally derailing their counterparts' lives. She didn't really have time to worry about what might be happening back home right now. Like if anyone was trying to find them, or if their counterparts were over there...

"Jirou?"

Oh thank kami, a distraction, Kyouka thought as she turned to see who'd called her. Her eyebrows shot up when she found herself faced with Iida, along with a man she didn't recognize at all. "Hey Iida," she greeted with a nod. He looked mildly different from usual, black stripes peeking over the top of his scarf and a fake mole under his right eye.

"So it is you!" he exclaimed with a nod. "I thought it might be, since you wore that same coat to the test day."

"Yeah, well, not like I have any others for winter," Kyouka replied with a shrug.

"So you two know each other?" the man asked curiously, and Iida turned to nod at him.

"Of course! Jirou is an acquaintance from school. Though speaking of which," he turned back with a frown, "You were doing distance learning because of your hearing, weren't you? Should you be outside?"

"The sensitivity finally went down last week, so I'm good now," Kyouka replied with a shrug. "I decided to keep doing classes online because of the stuff that's been happening lately. You know, like that villain attack last week, and Kaminari almost getting mugged. Don't really want to go out."

"Ah, I see," he said with a nod. "I suppose I can't blame you, given... what happened." His voice took on a more strained note as he ducked his head slightly, and Kyouka frowned.

"...Yeah," she said flatly, silently wondering what he meant. Clearly he was referring to a specific incident, but she obviously didn't knos it. Judging by his tone and the context though, and the way he flinched at her reply, it was bad. She didn't want to risk him talking about it and finding out she didn't remember it, so she asked, "What're you doing here, anyway? I thought you'd be holed up at home cramming for the exams."

The man with Iida burst out laughing. "That's exactly what he was doing! I had some business over here, so I dragged him out for a change of scenery for once. I work with his brother, by the way," he added, and Kyouka nodded. So probably a sidekick then. "How about you? What brings you out on this lovely, blustery day?"

"I was just heading to this one coffee shop to get lunch and do the afternoon classes," she replied, gesturing to her laptop bag. "I wanted a change of scenery from my apartment. Guess I could've picked a better day." She tugged her scarf a little higher for emphasis, getting a small chuckle from the man.

"In that case, would you mind Ito tagging along?" he suggested, placing a subtle emphasis on the name while nudging Iida's shoulder. "I need to meet with some pretty stodgy people, so he'd probably have more fun hanging out with you."

The suggestion caught Kyouka off-guard, and Iida too judging by how he spun to face him. "But, sir! I agreed to join you for real experience!"

"Yeah, but you'd just be watching me talk to some guys about security stuff," the man replied with a shrug, and added to Kyouka, "Seriously, I can't emphasize how stuffy these guys are. This one in particular makes Ito here look like a rebel!"

Kyouka snorted and smirked at that. "Wow, that much of a hardass, huh?"

"I think he was military overseas at one point," the man confided with a laugh. "It really shows. He's good at his job, but honestly the meetings can be pretty boring. I drew the short straw, literally. I mainly just agreed to bring along Ito to have an excuse to get him away from school stuff."

"Well, I wouldn't be a good break either," Kyouka replied. "If he joined me I'd be having him help me study for exams too. Haven't been able to focus as well lately with the hearing thing," she added as she scratched at her cheek by her ear. "Could use some help with an extra review."

That seemed to be enough to sway Iida, as he promptly spun to face her. "Of course I'll help, Jirou-san! I'd be happy to assist."

The man with him hummed and crossed his arms before grinning. "Know what? It's socialization, and that's good enough for his brother." He patted Iida's shoulder and said, "Have fun Ito. Keep your phone available so we can call when needed."

"Of course, sir," Iida confirmed with a brisk nod, and the trio headed down the street. The sidekick stayed with them until they reached the coffee shop, just to check the place, and then headed off.

Kyouka immediately went to the same table as last night to set her stuff down while Iida went to look at the menu. As she did she glanced out the window just in time to see the sidekick enter one of the buildings Yaomomo had told them about. Looked like at least one of the companies and Team Idaten were already taking precautions against Gentle Criminal. She made a mental note for later.

She joined Iida at the counter to place their orders, both getting a light soup and sandwich combo to help combat the brutal chill. Luckily the coffee shop offered some actual lunch options to try to attract salarymen on their lunch breaks. Her eyebrows raised again when they sat at the table and Iida removed his scarf and hat, revealing not only more tiger stripes on his face, but also two small horns.

"What are you, a tiger-oni?" she snarked.

"I honestly don't know," Iida replied with a sigh. "I didn't get a chance to see my reflection. I doubt this will hold up under intense scrutiny."

"Good thing you won't have strangers asking twenty questions then."

"Right. Moving on, do you need help with any subject in particular?"

All of them, Kyouka replied mentally. Out loud she said, "Dude, let's at least finish eating before we get into schoolwork. Your brother's coworker said you focus too much on school anyway, so a few minutes will probably be good for you."

"I suppose you have a point," Iida conceded almost sheepishly, and picked up his spoon to start eating his soup. "Ah, that reminds me. Have you spoken to Yaoyorozu yet?"

"Yeah, we finally met up last weekend," Kyouka confirmed with a nod, relieved she could honestly say that. No longer having to avoid Yaomomo had taken a huge weight off her shoulders. "We talked things out and we're good now. I planned to ask her to help study this weekend, too, but since you're here right now I figured I'd ask you."

He nodded in understanding. "I'm glad to hear it. She was quite worried about you since you weren't even answering texts." The reminder gave Kyouka a brief pang of guilt. Avoiding Yaomomo had left a bad taste in her mouth, and talking to her had made her realize the other girl had been even more worried than she'd thought. She'd even admitted to breaking into Kyouka's apartment just to see if there were signs of a struggle.

"I just had some other stuff to work through," she said vaguely, twirling her earphone jack around her finger as she ate. "Anyways, any thoughts on those vigilantes that've been in the news lately? The 1-A Vigilantes, I think?" Might as well try to find out what he (and by extension, his brother) knew about them.

Iida sat up a bit straighter, his expression a bit more intent now. "I suspect they're our age," he said bluntly. "I ran into them the other day actually, and one of them didn't use whatever method they have to disguise their voices."

"You talked to them?" she asked, feigning surprise and curiosity, and he nodded.

"Yes. I was getting lunch near where that villain attack in the news last week happened. I actually tried to pursue them, too, but... They got away." He looked a bit sheepish now, and mildly disappointed in himself judging by his stern frown.

"What, they outran you?"

"No, one of them threw a smoke bomb and made... some kind of foam?" His eyebrows furrowed. "It expanded rather fast, and clogged my... you know." He left it vague, and Kyouka realized he didn't want to reference his engines in public.

"Think it's his Quirk?" she asked idly.

"Honestly, I don't know. As I said, he threw a smoke bomb first so it obscured my vision. I know a lot of people think he has an electricity Quirk given his name, but they seem to have a good deal of support gear. It wouldn't be difficult to make something with a shock function."

Kyouka hummed quietly as she ate. "I wouldn't put too much stock in their names. I mean, they call the other one Punk Step, right? And she doesn't seem to have some kind of jumping or walking power." She paused and asked, "Wait, does she?"

"No, I don't think so," Iida murmured with a frown. "My brother says it's a reference to a former vigilante, since Punk Step's costume has those boots." He frowned down at his sandwich. "I wonder, where do they get their gear, anyway?"

"Who knows?" Kyouka shrugged. Seemed like Iida wasn't suspicious of her or Kaminari at least, which probably meant Ingenium didn't suspect them either. Hopefully it would stay that way. She'd rather not have to deal with that on top of everything else.

"Anyways, enough of that," Iida said, glancing at a clock on the wall. "The next class should start in a few minutes, so you should get out your laptop so we can watch together."

"Oh, sure," she muttered, feeling her mood sink. Well great, and she'd just forgotten about having to study. Just because she had to do it didn't mean she liked it. At least the exams would be easier than at UA... Hopefully.

(As they worked, she failed to notice the red-haired girl watching them from another table with narrowed eyes.)

Shouto had no idea what to make of the situation in Odawara with Mic-sensei showing up and getting captured. Neither did Uraraka after they talked about it. So they both reached a decision to just ignore the chat for the time being and focus on watching the area around the headquarters for Team Storm Chaser. Made easier by the fact it faced the sea, giving a ready excuse to hang out there.

"I feel kinda bad about leaving Deku out of the loop though," Uraraka commented as they sat on a bench facing the water. "He's going to freak out when he finds out"

"It's only temporary until we have a better handle on the situation," Shouto pointed out. "If we tell him now, it will just distract him. And we can't really explain it without telling him about everything else over there." 'Everything else' being the runaways. It would be difficult to explain to him in full detail before they met in person.

"Yeah, I know," she sighed. "And I know he's got enough going on anyway. Still, just makes me feel kinda bad to leave anyone out of the loop, you know?" Shouto hummed in quiet agreement, turning to face the water. Having been previously left in the dark, he could understand the sentiment.

"The breeze feels nice at least," he commented for lack of anything else to say.

"Yeah, it does," Uraraka agreed, perking up a bit. "And it smells so good, too!" Shouto hummed once more. Though winter, the weather was actually fairly nice today, more chilly than outright cold. It made sitting outside waiting for any signs of Porter fairly comfortable and easy to explain away if anyone actually asked what they were doing. It looked like they'd have a peaceful afternoon.

A familiar buzz from his coat pocket had him freezing though, his expression immediately darkening. His fists clenched atop his lap as he felt it continued to vibrate in a fixed pattern. "Yuki-kun?" Uraraka asked with a frown, noticing his change.

"...Someone's calling again," he muttered lowly, and her expression quickly cleared with understanding.

"You're not going to check who it is?" she asked after a moment.

"There's only two people who would," he replied tightly. "Hawks, or..." He didn't finish the thought. Saying "Dabi" felt wrong now, but "my brother" still felt even more wrong. He still hadn't fully wrapped his head around the fact that his brother Touya was now a villain. Mostly he'd been avoiding it.

"...Do you want to talk about it?" Uraraka offered quietly, and he frowned. Did he? She didn't know much about his family's dynamics like Midoriya, but she was also the only person who'd actually met Dabi in this world.

"Do you really think he cares about me in this world?" he found himself asking.

"Yeah, totally!" Uraraka confirmed, quickly bobbing her head in affirmation. "He talked about you for so long, Yuki! He was obviously super worried about you. He kept saying stuff like 'how's he gonna even get food' or 'he can't even hold a decent conversation with me.' I could just tell he cared." She deflated a bit then, seeming to hesitate before continuing, "It kinda makes me wonder why he became Dabi at all."

Shouto felt his frown grow, already having plenty of ideas on why. "...I don't actually remember Touya that much," he admitted after a moment. "We didn't really interact before he..." He trailed off, since obviously Touya hadn't died.

"Before he disappeared?" Uraraka supplied helpfully, and he nodded.

"Yeah, I guess. I was really young when it happened, I barely even remember the funeral service. But when I saw him at the summer camp though, I just..." He frowned as his memories flashed back to that horrible night, fists clenching on his lap. "I can't imagine him caring at all."

The way Dabi had gazed at him as he disappeared into the portal had been just too cold to imagine any degree of fondness. His tone had been cruel and mocking, calling his name with a callous, derisive edge. With the newfound knowledge that Dabi was Touya, that brief encounter just gave him even more chills now. He didn't seem to hate him the way Shouto had hated Endeavor, but Dabi still seemed to relish in Shouto's despair at losing Bakugou.

Beside him Uraraka frowned, looking thoughtful. "Mail said that some stuff can be different between every world, so maybe this is one of those things," she said softly. "And there's also just so many differences between our worlds. Like, maybe something happened here that made him change his mind?"

"He still became Dabi in both worlds though," Shouto pointed out. "I know it's probably because of my father, but I think he might also hate me because of him. So I don't get why one Dabi cares, and the other... doesn't."

Uraraka was silent for a moment, seeming to be deep in thought. "Yuki," she finally said. "I've kinda gotten the sense you don't like him that much, but... what did your father do?" Shouto paused, realizing he'd said a bit more than he planned.

For a moment he hesitated, wondering if he should talk about this. It wasn't like he felt ashamed or particularly cared about people finding out, but he didn't really like talking about it to just anyone. He'd only told Midoriya because he suspected the other boy to be All Might's son.

But then again, Shouto didn't care if people found out.

And with everything that had happened here so far, he could certainly count the other dimension jumpers as good friends.

"Uraraka," he said, slipping with her real name, but he didn't care. He turned his head to meet her gaze steadily. "Have you ever heard of Quirk marriages?"

1-A_SpaceRescueHero: So

1-A_SpaceRescueHero: Endeavor sucks and we should totally prank him when we get home

1-A_ChargeBolt: ?

1-A_Dancing_Queen: Did something happen? Isn't he dead?

1-A_SpaceRescueHero: Not at home

1-A_SpaceRescueHero: He needs KARMA

deku_breaks_bones: Oh. He told you about his family huh?

1-A_SpaceRescueHero: He did

halfnhalfpeppermint: I did

1-A_Dancing_Queen: What did he DO?

deku_breaks_bones: A lot of stuff that we probably shouldn't share online

halfnhalfpeppermint: he's a bad father

1-A_SpaceRescueHero: Eugenics

1-A_ChargeBolt: (O_O)

1-A_Dancing_Queen: (〇 _ 〇 )

deku_breaks_bones: ...okay not the word I would've used but I guess it's not wrong

1-A_ChargeBolt: I have so many questions and I'm scared to ask

1-A_Dancing_Queen: Same kami. Same.

By the end of this, everyone's going to be planning vengeance on Endeavor when they get home.

Question for next time: How do you think canon!Dabi would react to hearing about several UA students launching a series of pranks and attacks on Endeavor? And also the news of a "Dabi is right, screw Endeavor" meme circulating on social media?

(Also fun fact: Ashido and Kaminari use different emoticon at the end on FFN vs AO3. FFN blocked the eyes from Kaminari's emote and the mouth from Ashido's, so had to substitute! Actually don't blame FFN since Japanese emoticons can use characters/symbols that don't show up in every font, but interesting to note!)