Miku was… suspicious. The feeling had been eating at her since Tohru's paycheck had been shoved under their apartment door. She just didn't understand how Tohru could be so blase about the whole thing. Was it from the Hero training?

Miku drummed her fingers against the couch arm, too distracted by her thoughts to study.

"Uugh," she groaned, flipping her notebook closed in irritation and pausing the video on her laptop. "This is stupid. I have better things to do."

Despite this, she picked up her phone and began dialing. Three rings later and the call was picked up.

"Hello?" Natsuo asked, sounding a little confused. "Miku? Is something wrong? We didn't have plans today, right?"

"Am I overreacting?" Miku asked, not bothering to explain more. "Like, it's weird right? It's weird. How can she not see it's weird!"

"Uhh," Natsuo began, clearly lost but at least able to guess who Miku was talking about. "Because Tohru went to U.A. and they all come out of there a bit weird?"

"Your brother goes to U.A."

"Yeah," Natsuo agreed, "And he's a bit weird. You know he came up behind me the other day, scared the shit out of me. I didn't even hear him coming until he spoke."

Miku gasped, "Tohru used to do that all the time! Do you think they get some sort of stealth training?" She paused, frowning, and shook her head to try to put her thoughts back in order. "Wait, no. That's not what I wanted to talk about. Tell me if you think this is weird—"

"I have a question," Tohru announced, raising a hand as if she were in class. Kurogiri looked down at her but said nothing. Tohru took that as an opportunity to continue. "What happened to my cake?"

Shigaraki turned on his bar stool and suddenly looked very interested in the broken TV. It still wasn't on and showed no sign of doing anything but remaining dark and blank.

"Yeah, I figured," Tohru huffed, more annoyed at her own forgetfulness than the fact the cake had been eaten. One didn't waste Triol cake, after all. "But in all seriousness: Do you ever expect to use the security bat?" she asked curiously. "I've seen your Quirk. You seem formidable enough that you don't need the bat."

"Sometimes merely having a symbol is important," Kurogiri explained. Tohru watched with a little concern as he took the bat and began warping it away and then re-materializing like the world's most intimidating juggle.

"Some of my old teachers at U.A would have said the same thing," Tohru replied.

"Oh?" Kurogiri inquired, an eyebrow narrowing at her.

"Yes," Tohru replied. "Sometimes a symbol is more important than a thing itself. It keeps people grounded, inspired, striving for something larger than themselves."

"Interesting," Kurogiri murmured, sounding as interested as ever.

"I think you would've gotten along quite well with some of them," Tohru added. Plus, it wasn't as if the man would look odd among the other members of the staff. In fact Tohru could imagine him blending in quite well among the faculty lineup.

Kurogiri made a sound that might have passed for an aborted chuckle. "I sincerely doubt that."

"Anyway, that was just the philosophy and theory part. As far as practical training goes, you probably would've gotten along best with Aizawa. You remind me of him," Tohru smiled before hurrying to return some dishes to the washroom in the back. "I think. I mean I never saw a lot of him, since I was in my second year and he's always dealt with the first ye— You know what? Not important, my point still stands!"

She made a triumphant gesture as the kitchen door swung shut. Behind her, Kurogiri remained in stony silence, a deep intuition bothering him for reasons he didn't know why.

Kurogiri was still silent several hours later as they were wiping down the glasses and bar counter. This wasn't unusual for him so Tohru didn't worry about starting another conversation.

"Is miss Magne coming in today? Do you know?"

"I do not," the smoky man answered, glancing over. "Is there something you need, Sakaime Tohru?"

"No," Tohru shook her head slowly, though she had frowned at his answer. "It's just…" she trailed off, considering for a moment as she cleaned the same spot on the counter. "I wanted her advice on makeup and maybe what to wear. My mother is going to introduce me properly to her new fiancé and I guess I'm just nervous. I want to be sure I look okay."

"Fiancé?" Kurogiri repeated, "And you haven't met him?"

"Not in person, but she's told me all about him since they started dating." She gave up cleaning the non-existent spot. "I've talked to him on the phone a few times, but my mother lives out past Hosu City so I don't get out there very often."

Kurogiri said nothing for a long moment. "Shigaraki Tomura and I have what you would call a business meeting later this evening. Why don't you take the rest of the day off to prepare for your own meeting?"

"That's awfully considerate." Tohru smiled before her expression turned teasing. "Don't want me to meet this client, huh? I promise not to let this one get chased off."

"Indeed," was all Kurogiri said on the matter.

Dinner had been lovely. Tohru had gotten to wear the blouse and skirt she'd bought on a whim last spring and had kept tucked away in her closet ever since. She'd gotten to style her hair in something other than a ponytail and even break out her favorite lipstick. Best of all, she had gotten to see her mother happy.

The man her mother had found was a jeweler, of all things. Tall and awkwardly shy but with a good heart that Tohru had noticed even on this first meeting.

"Mother," Tohru had teased when she learned of it. "What were you even doing in a jewelry store?"

Her mother had slapped lightly at her daughter's arm. "I was trying to find someone to fix my watch!"

The train rumbled abnormally, taking Tohru from her thoughts. "Eh?"

The train rumbled again, shaking a little, in a way that seemed concerningly like something was walking along it. Tohru glanced out the window-- the train was still moving though it seemed to be slowing in preparation for arriving at the station. "What--?"

In a horrible answer to her unfinished question something pierce through the roof of the train car and began peeling the metal back like a can opener. The other passengers noticed, panic and surprise rippling through the car.

It only grew when the thing on the roof made itself known, dropping from the newly made hole and into the car proper. It seemed taller than the average man, though it's hunched posture made it difficult to tell. Elongated limbs, skin the color of an old bruise, more teeth than it needed in a beak-like mouth, and most concerningly an exposed brain.

The intruder grinned (an interesting feat as it didn't seem to have lips). An arm shot out with lightning speed, grabbing the nearest passenger by the face and slamming them into the floor.

There was a sound like a melon smashing on the floor and everyone screamed.

"Shigaraki Tomura, we have a problem," Kurogiri growled. His gaze was aimed at someplace quite different from where they had previously been watching.

"What is it? Everything seems to be going as planned."

"That one Nomu. The batch's idiot," Kurogiri said.

"Oh yes, that one. The extra. What about him? Has he gone wandering off by himself again?" Shigaraki sighed irritably.

"Yes, he's departed from the group and appears to be honing in on a car of one of the stalled trains," Kurogiri reported. Something about the situation seemed to have him agitated.

"Useless," Shigaraki groaned, scratching at his neck, "But what's it matter? Destruction is destruction."

"We know one of the occupants."

Shigaraki was suddenly paying attention. The scratching paused. "Ah, well, shit."

"Get to the other end of the car!" Tohru shouted above the panic, hoping the other passengers would hear. She was on her feet. She had to do something. "Back away from it!"

Tohru wasn't sure if it had been the authority in her voice or if the people had thought her an off-duty Sidekick, but they listened; Crowding in on each other in the back half of the train car and leaving her standing figuratively between them and the creature. Tohru took a steadying breath before stepping fully into the aisle to block its advance properly.

The train car was too inclosed to fight properly, even if she had kept up with combat training, but the bigger concern was the other passengers. This thing meant business and it didn't seem to care who it threw down with.

"Plan B," Tohru growled, cursing her heels and their lack of traction.

The creature charged and Tohru met it, grappling with it and using the momentum of their impact to ram it against the train wall. The car shook, rocking slightly, and the emergency door behind the thing gave a groan of protest.

Perfect.

It took effort, in her heels and with the creature clawing at her back and completely shredding her favorite cardigan, but Tohru took a step forward. Then another, and another, pushing whatever-this-was into the wall until the emergency door buckled and gave way. The creature fell backwards from the train car, dragging Tohru with it.

Several of the other passengers screamed and some of the braver ones ran to the newly made hole. The train must have arrived at the station not long after the creature had burst in because instead of a freefall they landed on a concrete platform.

"Miss Sidekick! Are you okay?"

The thing recovered faster than Tohru had anticipated, grabbing the woman by the back of the neck and tossing her away. Tohru tumbled across the platform, concrete scraping both her legs and tights before she could right herself.

"Evacuate the car!" Tohru barked, not taking her eyes off her opponent. "To one of the front cars! It's not safe here!"

The creature roared and made as if it were going for the train car again. Tohru, now on her feet, drew her leg back and kicked out. With unnatural speed one of her heels closed the gap between the two. It made contact with the creature's face, the heel itself threatening to lodge into the exposed brain. The monster screamed in rage and pain, ripping the shoe free; It's focus once again on the woman.

Stepping free of her remaining shoe, Tohru made a gesture as if to signal the thing closer.

Fake it till you make it.

And if there was ever a time for confidence it was now. But here was the thing: she was out of practice and without any Support Gear. If she wanted to walk away from this fight in one piece she would have to end it quickly.

Whatever this was Tohru was thankful that it seemed to have the planning skills of a particularly aggravated duck: the thing roaring again, louder this time, and charging at her. Without the constraints of the train car to hold her back Tohru leapt up, out of it's reach. Her feet landed on the thing's broad shoulder, knocking it off-kilter, before landing behind it. She turned on the ball of her foot, facing it's back. Before the thing could react Tohru grabbed it around the waist, grip tightening until she heard bones crack. (Hopefully they weren't hers.) She adjusted her footwork and gritted her teeth before throwing the two of them backwards and the creature's head into the cement of the train platform.

"Hup," Tohru straightened, stumbling slightly on her bare feet. The thing twitched for a moment before going still and she winced. "Sorry? I feel bad but I don't appreciate trying to be killed."

Kurogiri cursed in shock and admiration.

"Did she just do that?" Shigaraki demanded incredulously. "Did she just— the same as— Why does everybody suplex the Nomu?!"

"It would appear so," Kurogiri replied. "Admittedly, that Nomu was the idiot of the batch. Impressive, though."

Shigaraki sat in stupefied silence, gesturing in the vague direction of the station. "That didn't look like 'love and kindness' to me," he grumbled, annoyed at himself for being even a little impressed.

Tohru cursed her lack of foresight in not bringing a second pair of shoes. True, she hadn't expected to lose them in such a way but now she was barefoot and they were already scraped up pretty badly. She cursed under her breath again as she picked her way across the broken cement and away from the thing she had smashed into it. In the distance Tohru could see a legitimate Sidekick or minor Hero starting to evacuate the train several cars in the distance. Now was a perfect time to slink away and try to figure out how she was getting home.

Hosu station was already a mess, partially her own fault and Tohru hoped she wouldn't somehow be charged for it, but there was another train with a hole in the side of a car on one of the other tracks. This one, however, looked as if something had smashed its way inside the train. Concerning. Was it possible there were more of those monsters?

As if on cue, something in the distance exploded, brightening the night and sending up another round of screams from the people at the station. Fire burned in the distance, no doubt already spreading from whatever had exploded. Tohru watched, wide eyed, as Hosu City burned in the distance.

Tohru wasn't sure when she moved or where she thought she was going in the expanding chaos, but it wasn't until someone spoke that reality came back to her.

"Run. Run away. This is no place for children."

Tohru paused at an alley, tilting her head at the voice that had caught her attention. There had been something about it...

This wasn't her problem. She wasn't a Hero or a Sidekick or even a police officer. She had no business going around to wrangle stragglers. She needed to evacuate like everyone else.

The building cracked, buckling under the weight of itself and falling away. Chunks of concrete dropping to the streets below. Streets that should have been empty of all civilians. But there he was, standing under that crumbling building, too focused on recording with his phone to notice anything else. If she didn't do something…

If she didn't do something...

"God damnit," Tohru cursed under her breath as she turned down the alleyway. Louder she called, "Excuse me? There's an evacuation order issued. This place is dangerous."

It was dangerous. Just not for the reasons Tohru had thought.

In the middle of the alleyway she found a man in dark, raggedy clothing, standing over what could only be a U.A. student on an internship-- face too young and suit too new to be anything else. The man wore a manic smile as he drove the sword deeper into the kid's arm. Pro Hero Native lay unmoving against the far wall.

Tohru knew the stories. It was all anyone spoke of recently.

Hero Killer.

"Sto--"

Something shot past her in a blur of green and screaming, landing a solid punch to the man's face and knocking him away from the student.

"Don't worry, Iida," the new person said, and Tohru realized with dread that it was another child, "I'm here to save you."

"You came to save your friend," the Hero Killer sneered. "Even made a big entrance. But, unfortunately for you, when your friend chose to fight me it was decided that the weaker of us would be culled. This is a fight to the death."

Tohru's senses came back to her in a flood, smacking the sense into her head like a brick. This man didn't care if he killed children. Hero or not, Tohru was here and she wouldn't let that happen.

"Please, Midoriya," the boy on the ground croaked, putting a name to the one in green. "I can't let you be involved."

The Hero Killer stepped forward and Tohru moved to intervene: She grabbed the nearest object and threw it.

The trashcan soared over the two boys, straight for the Hero Killer. He cut it away easily and Tohru smiled. It left him open for something much heavier that followed in the trashcan's wake, only a moment behind.

The dumpster landed with a heavy thud and the clang of metal on metal. Midoriya jolted, caught off guard, and squawked as he turned.

"That won't hold him," Tohru said as she stepped closer. Her back twinged in protest, earning a visible wince. She'd have to ignore it, as best she could. "We need to leave."

"Who—?"

A sword cut through the side of the dumpster, ending the conversation.

Tohru frowned. She'd been hoping for a little more time. "What a hard head."

"I can't move," Iida warned, sounding as if he were struggling. "His Quirk-- since he cut me, I can't move."

Troublesome.

The fight exploded in a flurry of movement, the kid in green showing impressive dexterity as he bounced around the Hero Killer. He landed several good hits but was (naturally) inexperienced and left himself open to be cut by a hidden blade. Midoriya dropped, immobile, and Stain stepped around him.

"And you," the Hero Killer sneered, locking eyes on the woman as she took a defensive stance. "You're nothing more than a civilian. What do you hope to gain from interfering? Can't you see this is for your own good?"

"I guess," Tohru said, hoping she sounded confident. This was a man who took down Pros. She was a Hero Course dropout with two immobile students and a half-mauled, small time Pro. But she couldn't ignore this. Not now, not if she ever wanted to live with herself. Not if she called herself a decent person. "I just like to meddle."

"Get away!!" Midoriya screamed, terrified at his forced stillness. "Don't touch them!"

Tohru moved into a defensive stance, quietly praying her body remembered the classes on fighting armed opponents.

Behind her, at the mouth of the alleyway, fire ignited. Spreading through the open space to, impossibly, completely miss her and engulf the Hero Killer. He didn't scream and that was almost more terrifying.

"Midoria," a familiar voice spoke. Tohru wasn't sure if she should be relieved at his appearance or concerned that another teenager had joined the fray. "You need to be more specific with your texts. I almost didn't make it in time."

"Todoroki!!" The relief on the green-clad boy's face was like a spot of sunlight in the dark alley. Tohru wanted his optimism.

Iida gave an outcry at the arrival of his fellow student, "Not you too!"

"Me too," Shouto said calmly, sending another blast of fire in Stain's direction to keep him at a distance.

The Hero Killer was prepared for this, or at least knew to expect it now. He leapt, using his momentum to run along the alley wall. Tohru grabbed the lid from one of the remaining trash cans and flung it like a frisbee. Stain cut it down with one of his many blades, unbothered and unslowed.

The boys were arguing about something but Tohru had no time to follow. Only teenagers could manage to have intense conversations while fighting for their lives. Tohru fought the urge to roll her eyes, narrowly avoiding the dagger that swung for her face.

She brought her hands up, clapping the blade between her palms, and twisted. The dagger came free from his grip and Tohru tossed it away. There was a dull thud as the blade embedded itself in the wall behind her. She swung up with her leg; If only he had a visible nose Tohru would have managed to make contact.

Tohru tsk-ed as Stain leapt out of her melee range, unsatisfied.

"RECIPRO BURST!"

The long stationary Iida was on his feet once again. In a blur he was gone, slamming an armored leg through the jagged sword before it could touch Shouto, and into Stain himself. The Hero Killer was knocked back, stumbling to regain his footing and holding a broken blade.

Stain growled, clenching his fist around the hilt of his sword. "Playing Hero now? It doesn't matter. You've already shown me your true nature. You only care about your own desires, a disgrace to the name Hero!"

"He's like fourteen!" Tohru snapped, completely fed up with the rhetoric. "He's allowed to be selfish! He's learning. Who are you to pass judgement on a child?"

"A fundamentalist lunatic," Shouto provided. "Don't listen to him, Iida."

"No," the armored boy said, clenching his fist and causing blood to run down his arm. "He's right. I have no right to call myself a Hero. Even so! If I give up now the name Ingenium will die!"

'Kids these days,' Tohru thought, 'So dramatic.'

Both Iida and Midoriya moved, showing amazing coordination in something that hadn't been planned. One landed a kick to Stain's abdomen in the same instance the other likely shattered his jaw. Tohru flinched in unwanted empathy, wondering if the man had survived as he crumpled. Then was immediately engulfed in a burst of fire from Shouto. She would have called it excessive if the Hero Killer wasn't such a threat.

"Stand up! Keep fighting!" Shouto barked as the other two boys came to a crash stop on the ice, too injured to land properly. Tohru stepped in front of the three, holding the knife that she had yanked free from the wall and—

Stain didn't move.

He seemed unconscious, finally, after the successive attacks. Suspended above the street on a short pillar of ice.

"Damn," Tohru cursed, feeling her shoulders drop as the boys began to discuss what to do with the Hero Killer. "That guy was tough. What a hard head."

"Why are you here?" Shouto asked, glancing over as he began lowering the unconscious man to the ground and pulling weapons from him.

"Why are you—" Tohru echoed before she paused, a thought occuring to her. "Wait, is your dad here?"

The boy's face soured, "Endeavor is in Hosu, yes. With any luck he'll be here soon."

"Ah." Tohru knew the Pro's opinions on Vigilantism. He was also aware of her lack of a license. He would no doubt forgive his (favorite) son but her? Tohru didn't think she wanted to deal with being chewed out by a man on fire after everything that had happened today. "You know what? I was never here. Native, you got this from here?"

"You know," the Pro began, looking thoughtful, "the boys might have some leeway, being Hero students, but… technically I should detain you until the police get here. For unauthorized Quirk use and all."

"Oh," Tohru said, feeling the weight of his words as if she had been the one hit with a dumpster. "Oh shit."

The thought hadn't even crossed her mind but he was right, wasn't he? Tohru felt her hands turn sweaty, heartbeat thundering against her ribcage.

"Boys, I'm going to do something illegal, so I'm going to need you to look away," Tohru said with false calm, reaching over to turn the nearest boy's head away. Iida frowned but didn't fight the motion. Midoriya, the apparent good bean of the group, did as he was told and turned away. Shouto did not, but Tohru hadn't really expected him to.

Then she ran.

Midoriya turned back to watch as the woman scrambled, barefoot, out the back of the alleyway and into another. "Was that a Vigilante?"

"No," Todoroki answered simply. "That was my brother's test prep tutor."

"Oh, I see." Midoriya nodded in understanding before his brain finally registered what the other boy had said. "Wait, what?"

"So...so it's a good thing you were never here," Native finished lamely, looking a little deflated that his cool line had been botched. "I hope that's not something I need to worry about…"

"I think it's a bit rude," Shouto continued, though he was the only one following his train of thought. "Not to recognize your own sister." He scrutinized the blade he had just removed from the Hero Killer before tossing it onto the growing pile.

Midoriya's head snapped over to his classmate, staring wide-eyed. "My what?"

Iida sighed, unable to adjust his glasses he simply stared through the crooked frames at the Todoroki boy. "Another one of your theories, Todoroki-kun?"

Several streets and three alleyways over Tohru felt relatively safe enough to stop, body wobbling as the adrenaline finally began to wear off. She stumbled, sending another spasm of pain up her back.

"Oh god," she groaned, doubling over with her hands on her knees. "I definitely pulled something."

At least, she hoped it was only some pulled muscles. If she'd slipped a disk or worse, broken something, she would be stuck on this side street until someone found her. Tohru wasn't sure her pride could handle that.

"Sakaime Tohru."

Tohru jolted in alarm, straightening on reflex and biting back an outcry at the pain shooting up and down her back. Blinking through the tears she came to recognize the smoky form of Kurogiri.

"Kurogiri?" She asked, unsure and more than a little confused by his sudden appearance. "What-?"

"Shigaraki Tomura sent me to retrive you." The man answered, providing no further explanation.

Tohru stared in equal parts pain and confusion. "How would he know-?"

His eyes narrowed a fraction, perhaps annoyed by all the questions. "The media has already begun to pick up the story. However, the trains will not be running for hours. It was presumed that you would like to return home."

"Well, yes, That would be great, but," Tohru winced, sucking in a breath through her teeth. Maybe she should have stayed in that alley with the kids and faced Endeavor's Vigilante-based wrath. She'd probably feel better if she were on fire. "I think I need to go to the hospital."

She pitched forward and everything went black.