Hey guys! So this is a pretty quick follow-up for me and all I can say is that this story is just sticking in my head.

I hope you all enjoy and as always I own only my characters and plot, all other characters, events, and locations belong to their respective owners.

Chapter 4

Pain. Burning pain covered Hunter. Every inch of him burned as his fur went alight. It was the only thing that could cause this much pain. Breathing in through his nose sent him into a coughing fit as nothing came through. No air. No scents. Only pain. He tried to turn away from that source of burning pain only to find himself unable to move. Something was crushing his chest and shoulders. He tried to look around but there was only darkness. Darkness, pain, and the dull chuckle of Katco Yocami. He was still laughing. Hunter tried to bring his burning hands up to cover his ears, but now something was crushing them to his sides. Leaving him with the laughter to fill the only sense that was still under his control. The beam had melted before it had touched him and now he was going to burn to death!

Then, his ears flicked to the left as another sound, muted against the laughter, seemed to pierce the darkness slightly. He tried to move to the sound, only to find that same crushing feeling holding him in place. The burning dulled slightly as images flashed through his mind. The beam hadn't melted. His plan worked. All-Might did….something. He was running towards something...no...someone. The second noise, closer now that the laughter was fading, sounded again….Mina! He was running towards Mina when….. He thrashed against the crushing weight again. He had to get to Mina. He saw the villain hurtling towards her and despair filled him at being unable to move. Despair turned to rage. Rage turned into a burning drive. He saw the villain's metal arm go through the wall of acid, and he launched himself towards her, only to find the crushing weight forcing him back down.

Then there was a stabbing pain in his arm and his mind went into the blackness that welcomed him…..

Recovery-Girl let out a relieved sigh as she removed the needle from the arm of the boy who had been in one of her beds far longer than he should have. A glance at the needle she removed also made her eyebrows furrow even deeper. Quickly she moved the instrument into one of her lab coat pockets before motioning for the man who had been holding Hunter down, to move away from the bed. There was a brief hesitation as he stared at his son's bandaged face but he stepped back before she had to say anything. Releasing his quirk, the towering bear-like figure shifted back into the round, concerned man she had first met.

"We should have taken the wrappings off before he woke up. He panicked because he couldn't see or smell anything." His voice was flat as he stared at the bandages over Hunter's eyes and nose.

Recovery-Girl sighed again before reaching up to pat the man's arm. "You might be right...or the pain could have made him go into sensory overload had we taken them off." She looked at the boy's face again before putting her fist on her chin. Then she turned to two women in the room. "I think we should take the wrappings off his nose, and Miss Ashido should be the one to wake him."

The man started to object, but his wife put a hand on his shoulder to stop him. Reiji had been tense ever since he had finally been allowed in to see his son, though Recovery-Girl had no doubts that his 'talk' with Aizawa before being allowed in had contributed to that. At least Marina seemed to be able to calm him somewhat, which meant that she thankfully had never needed to force him out of the room. The needle came back to mind and she discreetly eyed Reiji's hands. Not seeing anything she turned back to her patient. "Yes. You all heard what he called out, and the last thing we know he saw while conscious, was someone attacking Miss Ahsido here. Of course, I will keep a mild sedative in his system to prevent something like this from happening again, but I do believe her scent, in particular, will be the greatest aid for young Hunter."

Reiji opened his mouth again, then turned to his wife, and promptly closed it. After a shaky breath, he bowed to Recovery-Girl. "Thank you for all you have done for my son."

Recovery-Girl smiled and bowed her head as well. "It is my duty and pleasure to take care of my patients."

Reji nodded and spoke a few quiet words before leaving the room with a small bow of his head. Marina watched him leave with a quiet smile before taking another look at her son. "Will he still wake up today?" Recovery-Girl nodded and Marina gave a small sigh before turning to Mina. "I expect you to take care of my son now, you understand?" The serious tone and expression caused the pink girl to go even redder in the face as she straightened into a nervous salute. This made Recovery-Girl grin, though she hid it behind a gloved hand, and it made Marina give a quiet laugh and she patted the girl's shoulder to let her in on the joke as well. Mina seemed to go even redder at this before smiling as well. Marina turned and walked over to the side of Hunter's bed before gently placing a hand on his cheek. Then she straightened and looked back at Mina. "You will let me know when he wakes up?"

"O-of course!"

Marina smiled and nodded. Then she mouthed her thanks to Recovery-Girl and left the room as well. Recovery-Girl watched her leave as she felt the needle in her pocket. After a few moments, she turned back to her desk. "You should head to class. I will call for you when he gets closer to waking up….again." She heard Mina's response but didn't process it as she waited for the sound of the closing door.

As soon as the door clicked shut, she pulled the needle from her coat and then shook her head at the sight. The sound of the door opening again made her put the needle down until she saw who it was. "I was just about to call you."

Nedzu's grin filled his face. "News about our student's recovery going well, I hope."

Recovery-Girl scoffed. "You know that I don't disappoint."

Nedzu laughed as he hopped up into the chair beside her. "Of course. Then, I assume you have found something interesting?" Recovery-Girl handed him the needle and looked at it for only a moment before looking behind her at her sleeping patient. "I am safe to assume that you already talked with the boy's parents about his quirk's potential irregularities?"

Recovery-Girl nodded and took the needle back from him. "Of course, and there is no reason that this should have happened."

Nedzu cupped his chin for a few seconds as his highly advanced brain ran through every possible variable. Then he patted her shoulder and hopped off the chair. "We will have to see what this could mean. I think the tournament will be a wonderful spot for that, don't you?"

Recovery-Girl shook her head at his back as he walked to the door. "I'll keep you up to date on his condition. But I will pull ANY student I feel is endangering themselves or others."

"I would expect nothing less!"

Hunter was surrounded by darkness. Why was everything so dark? He tried to move a hand to his face but instead, his arm sluggishly made it only up to his chest. What was wrong with his body? That same sluggishness was in his thoughts though. What had happened to him? He had to move. He had to-

"Hey, take it easy, you've been out for a while and Recovery-Girl would be quite upset if you managed to hurt yourself just waking up."

A deep breath solidified the speaker's identity. "M-m-mina…" His voice was weak and his tongue was slow as well. What was wrong with him? And why couldn't he see? The dull beeping that he had only faintly heard began to increase its intensity and he felt something touch his hand.

"Hunter, calm down, please. You are in the medical wing of UA, recovering from the attack on the USJ. If you calm down I can take the wrap off of your eyes."

She gave his much larger hand a squeeze and he gulped and gave a slow nod. Deep breaths filled his nose with information and he felt himself relax. He smelled mostly her, the fruity soap she used, and then the deep smell of disinfectant. Slowly the beeping began to decrease and he heard Mina laugh. Then her hand left his and then he felt something touch his face. The beeping spiked briefly as his nose was filled with nothing but her and he switched to breathing through his mouth. Mina noticed his discomfort and apologized as the pressure he hadn't noticed around his head loosened. Fighting to force himself to avoid breathing through his nose, he didn't notice as the last tie was undone, until brilliant white and pink filled his vision.

Quickly blinking to adjust to the light, Hunter's vision slowly separated the blur of colors into shapes, and then again into seeing the details of the shapes. Just in time for Mina to shift away from him in surprise. Faces flashed through his mind as the beeping spiked again in the background. Refusing to let the hurt show he started to close his eyes and apologize, only for something to close his mouth. Opening his eyes showed him that Mina had reached over to close his mouth. She was smiling and shaking her head and the beeping picked up again. The beeping drew her attention as well as his. It spiked again when he realized what it was. Sluggishness starting to fade, Hunter looked down the gown he was in and frantically removed the sensors, then froze. He looked back up at Mina and asked "They shaved me?!"

Mina froze before erupting in laughter. "That….that's what you're worried about?" She forced the words through her laughter and Hunter felt his face heat. Mina got control of herself before his embarrassment grew too much and said "You were still smoking when they got to you, is what I heard." The words seemed to kill the joy in the air as memories flashed back to them both. "You had been so badly burned they thought someone had set you on fire, and then you tackled a villain that was flying at me, and you both went into the wall…..they had to know how badly you were actually hurt." Hunter looked at his hands as she finished and nodded absently. The tenderness was more noticeable now. As was the dull ache in his right leg. Slowly he moved it and Mina pursed her lips. "It was broken when you hit the wall. Recovery-Girl said it was the only reason why she couldn't do more for your skin." There was a question in her voice and Hunter clenched his fists, ignoring the faint stabs of pain.

"He could superheat the air around him….." Katco's words came back and Hunter closed his eyes. She didn't need to know any of that. She didn't need to know about his family's past. She-

"Your dad said as much." Hunter's eyes snapped open as he looked at her and she gave him a small smile. "Your parents were here earlier. They're nice."

Shock fading, Hunter gave her a smile back. "Yeah."

Mina's smile slowly became a grin. "Your mom is funnier than you though."

Rolling his eyes Hunter gave a sigh. "Believe me, I am aware. I take it she took you through her full ninety minutes?"

Mina nodded as they both shared a soft chuckle. "I met her when I woke up early yesterday morning. She...she really doesn't stop the whole 'mom' bit, does she?"

Hunter grinned. "Nope. And if you made half the impression I'm sure you did, then welcome to the family!"

Mina went to reply but was stopped by Recovery-Girl entering the room. Hunter turned to the new arrival and his ears fell before he turned back to her and Mina had to fight to keep her smile neutral. "I've got to go pick up the little bit of work we missed while Recovery-Girl looks you over. I should be back around the time your mom gets here though!"

His ears perked up at the end and Mina hurried out of the room before she let out a squeal at the absolutely adorable expression and idly wondered what would have happened if he had also had a tail.

Fluff, recovery, and plot! Who could ask for more?

As always I do hope you have enjoyed it, and I look forward to any feedback you guys might have.

All stories must end, but Hunter and Mina's stories are only beginning...