(super)stition

by badtzumaru

She's not here to make friends. She's always been the misfit anyway, and the only thing sharper than her temper and words are her claws. But Class 1-A has a funny way of making the best out of the worst of things. Either way, Akatsuki Rei is going to need a bit of luck on her side if she wants to survive.

3. A Fighting Chance

Chapter 3

A Fighting Chance

---

"Haru? Haru!"

Rei called out her friend's name, hand raised to her mouth as she tried not to shout too loudly. She had been walking around the school grounds for a few minutes now, searching for her best friend. It was strange and out of the ordinary that Haru had vanished. She had mentioned something about using the bathroom, but she had never returned to their homeroom to meet back with Rei and pick up her bag. Shouldering both their packs on her back, Rei had taken to walking around the school, looking for her friend.

"Haru?" She called out to the front of the school, having searched almost everywhere else. The bathroom, the nurse's office, the athletic fields, everywhere. Haru was nowhere to be found. A frown on her face, Rei huffed, blowing her choppy and uneven bangs out of her eyes. Where in the world was she?

Her ears picked up something. A few boys talking, just around the corner of the building, near where the wall ran. Slowly she approached the corner, peering around to see what was going on. Eyes wide, she burst around the corner, dropping her bags and flying forward. "Oi!"

A group of five boys surrounded a terrified Haru, curled on the ground in distress. Her face was hidden behind her hands as she folded in on herself, ash blonde tresses tangled around her in the dirt. Upon hearing Rei's exclamation the five boys turned slowly to see the newcomer.

They turned too late.

Three of them were sent flying by a kick as Rei flew almost perfectly horizontally through the air, dropping her foot into one boy's gut and sending him into two other boys that had the misfortune of standing behind him. The two remaining boys had frozen in panic at being caught, one of them receiving a quick punch to the face, Rei decking him and immediately dropping him to the ground. Grabbing the last boy's collar Rei held him in a vice grip, aiming a fist at his face menacingly and baring her teeth. Even though she was shorter than him, the wild look in her eyes had him scared shitless, blubbering in a frenzied mess as he tried to communicate something to no effect.

With a final growl she punched him square in the face, dropping him to the ground in disgust. The three boys she had sent down first were beginning to recover, still heaving from being sent into the ground so quickly. Rei stood with her hands on her hips, glaring at them. "Get lost! And don't ever pick on Haru again, or else I'll come straight for you and beat you up even more!"

Gathering their mangled prides, the five of them went running off, scattering toward the front of the school. Rei refused to let her guard drop until all five of them went around the corner, heaving a sigh as she turned her attention back to her friend.

Haru had begun to pull herself up from the ground, sitting up straight and brushing the dirt off of her jacket. She was scowling until she noticed Rei's concerned look returning to her, heaving a sigh and face turning soft with apology. "Sorry, Rei. They made me come out here."

"Did they get you?" Rei made her way to her best friend, extending a hand. Haru offered a small grin, readily accepting Rei's strong grip as she hauled the blonde to her feet.

"Not before I got a couple hits in."

The smile on Rei's face stretched her mouth, a grin mixed with pride and dreams of retribution. "Good." Now that the two of them were up and running, they walked side by side back to their bags, Rei with a hand on Haru's shoulder. It was getting to be more difficult now that Haru was growing taller than her, Rei still at a measly four feet while Haru stretched beyond. But Haru subtly slumped her shoulders so that Rei could continue the motion, the two walking with tired grins.

"Wanna head home?"

"Nah, let's go to the river first. I wanna see if I can get another rock for Hana, she lost that sparkly black and white one the other day."

"Really? She never lets that thing out of her sight."

"Yeah, but I think she took it to show and tell. Isn't her quirk levitation?"

"That doesn't mean she should take her favorite stone…"

"Ehh, you know Hana. Almost as stubborn as me."

"Almost? Can anyone be as stubborn as you?"

"Ahh, shuddup, Haru."

---

Everyone knew Haru and Rei. The two sisters, thick as thieves, always up to some sort of mischief. At the orphanage they were infamous, always known to stick up for the younger kids and stand up to the older ones. Even while their quirks developed they were as fierce as a storm, both wind and sea, working together to accomplish whatever it was they set their minds to.

With her messy, short, black hair and golden eyes that seemed to glitter in the dark, Akatsuki Rei was undeniably the more mischievous one, even if it wasn't for her already naturally suspicious appearance what with the way her eyes held a penchance for fun. Her gaze unnerved almost everyone, especially when she was up to no good, eyes that were more often than not alit with a fire of something dangerous. It was obvious in the way that she smiled maniacally, a sure sign to stay out of her way until the trouble was up. She was the impulse, the brawn behind their operations, the match to the fuse.

And yet, Haru was just as bad. With her pristine blonde locks and sparkling blue eyes she was the image of a perfect doll, an angelic looking child that drew everyone's awe. It was a charm that was effectively deceptive; she had been adopted multiple times, only to be brought back with strained looks and horrified parents who were more than ready to get her off their hands. She would never leave Rei alone, and would throw wonderful fits that would shake the heavens themselves until she got her way. After multiple tries, the orphanage eventually gave up on trying to find a match for Haru, simply accepting the fact that she was a permanent fixture by choice.

Certainly, the situations that Haru had been adopted into were sometimes near perfect. Wealthy couples, unable to produce children, offering all the wealth and comfort that Haru or any child could want. But no one could get her Rei, so with Rei she stayed through thick and thin.

Matsuma Yuuka had worked at the orphanage since Rei had been first brought. She had nurtured the child herself, seen her grow into the feisty girl she was now. She remembered the day that Haru had been brought in, a shadow of a child that flickered hesitantly. Yuuka had purposefully introduced Haru to Rei in the hopes that the later would bring out the former's personality and give her another shot at life. It had worked all too well. Yuuka would never play favorites in the open, but Rei and Haru had a special place in her heart.

She had been with the two every step of the way. She had been the one to accept Haru back every time the huffy couples had resigned to the child's temperament, the orphanage worker admonishing the young girl while also completely understanding why she chose to remain, never quite able to banish the smile on her face even as she reprimanded the young girl. Unlike Haru, Rei's parents had never given permission for her to be readopted by someone else. Even after the incident where Rei had run all the way home, her mother appearing on the doorstep of the orphanage four days later to take her daughter back, Yuuka had only chased the woman away, vowing that she and her filthy husband would never take Rei again. She hadn't gotten permission before or then by the mother or father for Rei's readoption; they had simply vanished, almost overnight. It seemed to be Rei's fate that she would be stuck at the orphanage until she aged out or decided to leave, whenever that may be. But she was never alone.

Yuuka had seen too many children pass through the orphanage's doors. Most of them were like ghosts, unable to get a grip on life, wasting away through elementary and junior high before vanishing into the dark streets, never to be seen again. There were always rumors of where they went; some found jobs, some met up with other kids, some moved away. The darkest ones involved the criminal underworld, which no one wanted to face, but everyone knew that its gaping jaws were simply waiting to devour the forgotten children that the orphanage housed.

It wasn't the children's fault that they felt forced to such ends. They were products of a system that hated their guts, simply for reasons that they could not control. The children in the orphanage were seen as less than trash, unloved children whose parents were foolish enough to bring a child into the world when they could not care for them. Once abandoned they were treated as lesser even by their own peers in school, based on the biases of their parents. It wasn't uncommon for one of their children to be told to never associate with a classmate by a defensive parent. How could people do such things, speak such cruel words to a person who had no choice?

The bullying and the stigmas even from some of their teachers forced students to become less engaged, falling behind in school work and eventually leading to their failure. Most ended their education at middle school, slinking off into the world and into a job market that didn't want them either. It was hopeless, depressing, and full of despair. Yuuka had watched some of their older kids vanish into the world, leaving her to wonder what had happened.

That was why she held onto Rei and Haru. No matter how many times Haru was sent back, no matter how much mischief Rei pulled around the house, Yuuka kept them under a stern but loving hand. They were the first ones that had a fighting chance in this world, and if they received enough guidance, they might survive.

She would give them a fighting chance, if it was the last thing she did.

---

"So, who were those kids anyway?"

The two of them had spent the afternoon walking up and down the river bank, picking up various stones that they liked and pocketing them for later. After retrieving their stones they made their way to one of the bridges with little traffic, sitting down and dangling their legs over the side of the small bridge, tossing rocks back down into the water. The sun was starting to set in the distance behind them, the sky a bright orange that was reflected in the water.

Haru scowled, throwing the rock harder than usual. "Some kids from class 3-A. They know Ishimaru."

Rei rolled her eyes, the news putting a small damper on her mood, though she was still more irritated than anything to be completely subdued. "Damn it, those asswipes."

"Language," Haru chided, picking at the pile of rocks next to her, determining her next choice. "Miss Yuuka wouldn't approve."

"Miss Yuuka isn't here, and I say those kids are asswipes."

It was enough to get a giggle from Haru, Rei's face brightening as her friend's countenance began to lift. The tall girl had been strangely quiet for most of the afternoon after the attack, and it unnerved Rei. Picking from her own pile of rocks, she took a particularly large stone and hucked it into the water. "They seriously need to get a life."

"Hey, Rei?"

Gold eyes turned to her friend, meeting sad blue orbs. Haru had put down her rocks, clasping her hands in her lap, strangely quiet. "Why do those kids have to beat us up? What have we ever done to them?"

It was Rei's turn to scowl, expression turning dark. "I dunno. I think it's just 'cuz they all have parents, and they don't know what we deal with. They think they're so much better than us, and they have to prove it." Rei growled, the faces of the kids she had beaten today in her head. She knew their type. "Stupid rich kids."

"Shouldn't it be the other way?"

Picking up another few rocks, Rei chucked them harder and harder. "Beats me. But some of the strong people have to pick on the weaker ones to make themselves feel better. At least, that's what Miss Yuuka said."

Haru pulled her legs up to her chest, resting her chin on her knees as she stared out to the orange waters in the distance. "But what about heroes like All Might? He doesn't pick on people, does he?"

Scowl deepening, Rei stopped throwing stones, leaning forward to rest her arms on the bridge. "No, I don't think he does. He's a hero, and heroes protect the weak and fight villains."

"But who'll protect us?"

"That's easy," Rei turned with a grin on her face, pointing a thumb at her chest, "I will! And you will too. We'll become heroes, and protect people from the bullies of the world."

"Heroes, huh?" Haru sighed, head bowed into her lap, hair covering her face from view. "I don't know. Don't you have to go to a lot of school for that? I don't know if I can do that."

"Of course you can!" Rei elbowed her friend playfully, knocking her off balance and evoking a cry from her friend. Even as Haru sent a piercing glare her way, Rei only laughed. "You're the brains of us two, and I'll be the brawn. With the two of us, there's nothing we can't do!"

With Rei's confidence, anything seemed possible. Haru began to perk up, a smile making its way onto her face as she considered the possibilities. "Yeah, you're right. You and me, we'll become heroes."

"Alright, Miss Shooting Star hero, I'm counting on you!"

At this Haru's face broke out into a full grin, the hero name they had coined as children warming her heart. "You too, Black Cat. I'm counting on you to watch my back."

---

Why was it always Rei's luck that the people she hated the most always seemed to get the most recognition?

Class elections had happened on the second day of classes, and to almost no one's surprise (except the person's own), Midoriya was elected class president. The socially awkward boy that sat two seats in front of Rei was actually not a terrible choice; for all his social miscues, he was the most hard working and dedicated student in the class, a clear winner when it came to motivation. Rei hadn't voted for him, but wasn't terribly surprised or upset with the outcome.

But then there had been the chaos with the emergency evacuation, and somehow the ever annoying Iida had proven himself worthy in the eyes of the class. Not only that, but Yaoyorozu had been elected vice-president, putting the two most detestable people in Rei's eyes at the top and in charge. Perhaps "detestable" wasn't quite the right word, but Rei seethed every time she saw the two of them walking around without a care in the world, or every time they spoke with their articulate and pretentious vocabulary.

Rich kids. They were all the same. At Rei's elementary and middle school they were the teacher's pets, the goody two shoes, the ones that constantly looked down upon those dirtier than them. So what if Rei didn't have parents, or had less money than them; in her mind, that didn't warrant terrible treatment or scoffing every time she tried to do something. But the apple never fell far from the tree, and the spawns of the affluent copied every pretentious and snotty thing that their parents did, including their inheritance of disdain for Rei's kind.

Iida was too uptight for Rei's liking. That would have been fine, if he also didn't tout his ideologies around and attempt to enforce them on everyone else, like when he had told Rei to remove her face mask for violating the dress code. Accompanied with a ridiculously loud voice that projected everywhere and was all encompassing no matter the space and his awkward, constantly moving gestures, there was much for Rei to dislike. He was the headache Rei saw coming from a mile away, and while he was often rational and provided brilliant insights, he was simply… too much to handle. Especially with Rei's sharp hearing, she detested his bellowing voice, cringing almost every time he shouted an answer.

Then there was Yaoyorozu. Where Iida was loud, at least the girl was softer spoken. But where she lacked in overall loudness she more than made up for in the pretentious manner in which she spoke, often over explaining where five words would suffice. She was certainly regimented, but seemed to believe that she was always in the right when it came to logical deductions and class answers. What pissed Rei off the most was the fact that thus far, the rich girl hadn't messed up or given a wrong answer, which only built her credibility and furthered her bossiness. Well-groomed and perfection incarnate to a tee, it was enough to make Rei gag. Sitting behind her only made her want to glare holes into the back of the girl's head, but that was too obvious and Rei was busy enough with the information in class, so she settled for seething quietly by herself.

Nearly a week had passed, and Rei had managed to stand on the fringes of the friend groups that were now forming. It was mostly due to the fact that she hid away during all her breaks, sneaking off with her packed lunch for the treeline near the athletic fields for some peace, quiet, and sunlight. Everyone else ate in the cafeteria, but Rei couldn't bring herself to spend her hard earned money, no matter how inexpensive the lunch was. It was still something that she had to pay for, and if she could make a meal back at the orphanage then that was at least one area where she could pinch her pennies.

At least her part-time job paid decently. She had established the connection in middle school, and spent all her breaks and weekends helping in the small cafe and bakery. As an assistant to the baker she was up earlier than almost everyone, sometimes starting at three or four in the morning and working until seven. Some days, whenever she had the time, she would bus tables and do other small odd jobs for the small business, but now that she was in high school time was precious. She would have to suffer long days on Saturday if she wanted to keep making a decent amount of income, what with waking up early and attending class all day. That was why she didn't want to spend any more money than necessary; her wallet was tight as is, and home cooked meals worked fine. Why pay for food she could make herself?

A small part of her watched in longing as groups of three and four were clustered together, chatting and laughing as they walked down to grab lunch. She would never admit that out loud though. Forcing her thoughts away from friends, she focused on her academics and her own improvements. It was for the future, and she wasn't here to make friends. She was here to do well to get a good job, and eventually become a hero.

She would never admit that those thoughts did little to dissuade her.

She would never admit that she was lonely.

---

Of course, her luck always made a turn for the worst.

"Alright! I hope you zygotes are ready for what we're doing today!"

All Might's voice held most people enraptured, but his loud and over-exaggerated manner of explaining things was already beginning to get to Rei. Her hearing was much more sensitive than most people, which came with the distinct tendency to become quickly annoyed by any, louder-than-strictly-necessary, noises. Sure, it was certainly a gift that would be handy for anyone, especially a hero, but on school days like this Rei found herself hating her own giftedness.

If only other people came with volume knobs that she could turn down at will.

But that was wishful thinking for another time. The class had arrived at Ground Beta in costume, ready for another day of hero basic training. The first class seemed so close, yet so far away as each student stood in anticipation, ready for what excitements and tests awaited them. Standing at the front of the group, All Might continued to explain, holding everyone's attention as they waited with baited breath for instruction. Even Rei, irritated as she was with arms folded over her chest, watched him carefully with golden eyes that sparkled in excitement.

"Today we'll be running through another combat situation similar to the first day of class. But this time, there's a new twist. Can you guess what it is?" With a dramatic flourish, he whipped out a strange mannequin out of seemingly nowhere. Rei blinked blankly at the sudden appearance of the pale, floppy-looking doll that was dressed in a nondescript U.A. uniform. Where had he been hiding it, all this time?

"This time, the villains will be guarding mock civilians. The hero team must place these stickers," he pulled out a roll of bright yellow stickers with the word "RESCUED" in bold and all caps on them, leaving Rei to consider just how All Might was conjuring these items out of seemingly nowhere as he continued, "on the civilians in order to rescue them.

"There will be a total of five civilians," he continued, flashing five fingers before the group, "After the mission starts, you cannot touch or move the civilians, unless you are a hero placing a sticker on the mannequin. Any questions?"

Rei didn't even have to look around the classroom to know that Iida at least had raised his hand, the boy unable to proceed in any given situation without clear instruction. "Sensei! Are we to understand that, as implicitly understood, the same instructions as the last battle testing apply to this situation as well?"

All Might flashed a thumbs up in Iida's direction. Rei would have been satisfied with a more vulgar motion from herself, but she restrained, instead closing her eyes and breathing in deeply to try and steady her growing irritation. "Correct, young Iida! There will be a ten minute set up portion, followed by a fifteen minute practical! You are authorized to use your quirks inside the buildings, but keep in mind that this time, not only the buildings must remain intact, but the citizens as well." It was a clear direction at both Midoriya and Bakugou, the former flinching and casting his gaze immediately to his feet as he flushed in shame, while the latter merely scoffed in an irritated fashion and muttered something under his breath, clearly irritable.

The class for the most part seemed to understand everything, now waiting in anticipation for the teams to be announced. Pulling a remote out from his pocket, their teacher clicked a button as an electronic screen flashed before them, drawing twenty-one sets of eyes to the brilliant screen. Unlike before, it appeared as though the teams had already been selected and pitted against one another, a clear grid marking who was to go first.

Their teacher continued, confirming their observations. "Like last time, the teams were randomly paired. Are you ready?"

It didn't take long for Rei to find her name, golden eyes darting around. She couldn't help the vulgar curse that escaped her lips on instinct after seeing her partner, along with the people they were going up against.

"Shit."

"The fuck?!"

Hero Team | versus | Villain Team
Team D | versus | Team C
Kirishima Eijirou, Iida Tenya | versus | Akatsuki Rei, Bakugou Katsuki

Gold clashed with red, the two of them standing on opposite ends of the back of the group. Their outburst had slowly drawn everyone's attention as the entire class slowly began to take in the rest of the pairings after noting their own. They were more looking at Bakugou anyway, whose utterance had been much louder and more of an outburst that Rei, who had simply muttered her curse under her breath. But Rei could feel an equal number of eyes shifting between her partner and her, and she tried not to let it get to her. Of course they were curious; even if they hadn't been a cohesive class for long, every knew enough about the general natures of each classmate's personality. Bakugou was clearly the firecracker, the hot head, a competitor for one of the strongest in the class as well as one of the most outspoken and irrationally angry. Rei was the loner, the quiet mystery that had outsmarted the one person whom everyone had identified as one of the top and recommendations students, but still irritable and moody.

Out of all the pairs of eyes that were on her, one pair seemed almost too interested and invested in her reaction. Raising an eyebrow, she watched as All Might quickly turned his attention away after being noticed, amusing himself with some random task that seemed all too forced. Curious. And frankly, too suspicious. It made her wonder if this was some sort of test in itself, if these teams were so randomized as they were made out to be.

"Oi, cat eyes."

Gold eyes flashed dangerously, pupils morphing into slits for the most brief of moments as she turned towards her partner. She knew it was him by his approach, heavy footsteps and a simmering anger that was near palpable and tangible, like a dark storm cloud that followed him. As she turned her attention toward him she relished in the fact that he halted for the briefest of moments in his approach, though he hid the hitch well. She knew that her eyes could be daunting and borderline feral when others were unaccustomed to their cat-like state, and it was amusing to see that even Bakugou wasn't immune to their chilling look. But he barreled on, fists clenched and eyes narrowed at her, staring from behind the black mask on his face.

He opened his mouth to speak, but Rei beat him to the punch. "Just tell me if you're going to cooperate with me or not, so I can plan accordingly."

Scowling, he barked out a small laugh. "Think you're gonna be able to handle it on your own? Didn't think you were that dumb."

"I didn't say that, idiot."

"Oi, watch your mouth."

"Only if you consider your own advice."

"Why you-"

"Young Akatsuki! Young Bakugou!"

Perfect timing as ever, the two adolescents turned to face their teacher, staring at the mics in his hands before accepting them and placing them in their ears, listening for instructions. "Right, then. You're going to start in that building across the street in five minutes," he pointed to an eleven-story building across the street, rather ostentatious and standing out amongst the other buildings in the area as Rei noted its dark exterior. "I'll give you a mark through the headset as to when you can start setting up the building, then another when the hero team begins the test. The rest is up to you. Best of luck!"

Strangely enough, the two only nodded in assent at his well wishes, watching as he backed away, going to speak with their opposing hero team. Now Rei knew something was up; something was simply too convenient about this entire situation. Getting back to the point, Rei refolded her arms over her chest and turned back toward her partner, who was watching All Might with a strange look on his face. "Oi, get it together."

A snarl on his face, he leered toward Rei in an intimidating fashion. "Don't tell me what to do, you little bean sprout."

To her credit, she allowed the insult to roll off her shoulders for the moment, more interested in the test ahead of them. In the end, her competitive nature overran her desire to kick him to the next training ground for insulting her, and she managed to simply bristle to herself while shaking her head. "Then tell me; do you have a plan?"

"Yeah: win." Bakugou turned away, walking toward the building at a brisk pace. Heaving a sigh and rolling her eyes, Rei jogged a few steps before managing to fall into stride beside him, turning her head to look between him and the group they were leaving behind.

"Details, please." Silence, then a raised eyebrow from Rei. "Don't tell me you don't have a plan."

"Heroes don't need a plan, they just need to win."

"Aside from the fact that we're technically the villains right now, would you just humor me for a moment?" Exasperated, she let her hands fall to her sides as she watched his face carefully, noticing how he simply grunted again and fell into silence. Taking it as a sign that he was listening as well as he, the grumpy solo player, could best listen, she continued. "You were on a team with Iida already. What can you tell me about him?"

"Annoying as shit, fast hell apparently." As a silence began to stretch, Bakugou hazarded a glance at his partner, eye twitching as he took in her exasperated look. "What's that look for, shrimp?"

"All that I could glean on my own. Anything else that's actually useful?"

Even as a sarcastic tone took over her words, Bakugou managed to only seem vaguely irritated with her irritation. Instead he simply stared ahead in silence for a moment, gear turning. Finally, he spoke. "He thinks in very linear fashions. He's smart, but for the most part, doesn't seem to connect things in the heat of battle."

Rei's lips twitched, a sarcastic comment on her lips ready to fly, but she held it down. If he was deciding to be helpful, she couldn't ruin the moment just yet. "Good. Do you have anything on Kirishima?"

"Not on par with that class rep, but he's strong."

The two of them came to stand before the building, separated from the group entirely and well out of earshot. It was the perfect time to come up with a plan as they stood on their own. Even if they couldn't go inside and set up yet, there was no harm in trying to construct a plan of attack as best as possible before the round began. It was only fair; it wasn't like they had a distinct advantage over any other group at this point, the others able to begin their scheming as well. Rei lifted a hand to her chin, pondering the dynamics of the other team. "They seem like they can work together well enough, but their quirks aren't very suited for each other." She paused, an amusing thought forming. "Well, unless they decided to use Kirishima as a battering ram. That wouldn't be good for me."

"Hurry up and come up with an idea."

Rei scowled. "Then hurry up and help me. We're a team, not two solos right now."

"As much as I wish."

"Wish all you want-" Rei halted mid sentence, golden eyes widening as an idea struck her. Hearing his partner stop suddenly, Bakugou turned his full attention to the smaller girl, physically angling himself in order to look at her properly. With a small grin, Rei looked up into Bakugou's face, excitement beginning to spread. "I've got it."

"Hurry up with it then." Much to her surprise, he seemed rather interested in what she had to say, but her excitement at her idea had her hurrying along, not thinking much of it.

"We need to stick together."

"Huh?"

"Think about it; they'll think that you're out to pick a fight. They'll try to avoid you and come for the civilians and me."

Raising an eyebrow, Bakugou looked rather unimpressed. "Is that all you've got? Thought you were better than that."

"I didn't say where the civilians and I had to be though." Now that she had his attention, she grinned, golden eyes glittering in the light. This was all too familiar, a similar situation to what she had faced with Jirou and Kaminari. Victory was so close, she could taste it on her lips. She watched as Bakugou's interest grew, piqued just slightly but slowly snowballing down the hill. "So here's what we're going to do…"

---

"Team D versus Team C! Match start!"

"This is absurd."

Rei gritted her teeth, voice strained as she tried not to verbally abuse her partner. "Shhh." She could hear his grumbling coming through their shared communications link, but after a moment he settled back down, silence and a small static the only constant in her ear. As much as he wanted to say something snarky back at her, he knew that he had to comply with her plan in every sense if they wanted to increase their chances of winning. Everything had been planned up and down, and as much as Bakugou had initially grumbled, he eventually saw that her plan at least had a much higher chance of success compared to his completely shambled one, if it was even possible to call his declaration a plan at all. If there was one thing that the two of them had in common, it was their competitive streak and determination to win.

Perhaps that was the only thing keeping them together and away from trying to shred one another's throats. Heavens knew that Rei could be sarcastic, quick witted, and eager to taunt when she wanted to. Such actions could only be the tinder for the flame, the gas for the spark that was Bakugou's explosive personality. Literally. He had initially thrown a fit when she had explained to him that she wanted him to hide in a small room on the eleventh level where they were currently located until their enemies came in, but after a bit of bickering and bartering they had finally come to an agreement.

Now they just had to see if their opponents would take the bait.

The building they occupied was much higher than the rest of the other buildings in the area, and the architecture and layout matched the ostentatious vibes. The entire eleventh floor consisted of an open air space, a solarium with windows around the entire floor providing sight lines to the entirety of Ground Beta. But while the walls were bare and there were no items that would indicate any signs of habituation inside the space, there were plenty of raw materials and other things being stored in the room; concrete bags, cement mixers, and other construction items were scattered around the space in neat piles, though a grid like setup was completely absent. It was more of somewhat organized piles that had been somewhat unceremoniously dumped into the space for U.A. to use for repairs when buildings were destroyed in trainings, following a logic that Rei didn't care to identify. It was tangential to the plan and the mission anyway. There were more important things to do.

Rei would have chosen the eleventh floor in any case for a standoff; the height would ensure that their opponents would have to waste time ascending through the building and taking the stairs. And while Iida could easily speedrun his way through the entirety of the space, he would most likely be sticking with Kirishima. Bakugou in the last match had proven his proclivity to go hunting for battles on his own, and a solo match against the explosive quirk wielder would prove dangerous and potentially fatal. No, Iida would stay with Kirishima in order to tag team in case Bakugou found them. Even with a powerful quirk like his, Bakugou would be at a severe disadvantage against the two of them.

Or so they would think. Little did they know that Rei had managed to convince her partner to stay with her, though they didn't need to know how much she had suffered to finally sway him. But it would most likely pay off in dividends; they would be anxious and cautious proceeding through the building, wasting even more time in the end. Iida would be weighed down by Kirishima unknowingly.

Time. That was what Rei had chosen to articulate. It was frowned upon to beat their opponents into submission, so she needed to think of an alternative that still allowed Bakugou to let loose. If they couldn't win a decisive battle, then they needed to play to the time frame set on the exercise. By shaving the minutes off step by step, Rei was confident that they would be able to secure a victory against their opponents.

Her hands clenched in determination and frustration as she sat high on a pallet of cement bags that were piled nearly twenty feet into the air, not far from the entrance to the room. It was just her luck that in the first week of school, she would face off against the two people that she had deemed the most annoying to her in their class. She had solidly defeated Yaoyorozu on the first day of class, delivering a figurative blow that had the rich girl reeling and doubting herself. The taste of that victory had been sweet, and Rei hungered for more. First the vice class president, and now the head boy himself; what could be better than winning a victory over that uptight, borderline arrogant, rich kid himself? She wasn't going to lie; this was a bit personal. Maybe she would accidentally kick his head a bit harder than anticipated and say she got caught up in the moment. Realistically, that was an entire possibility, planned or not.

Clearing her thoughts, she breathed in deeply. It was time to focus, not to be thinking about whimsical and tangential things to their present problem. Bakugou would absolutely kill her if she messed things up on her end. So instead she started counting, getting a mental clock going of how much time they had.

Nearly five minutes had passed before she heard footsteps approaching on the landing outside the door to the solarium. They paused for a moment outside, taking their time before slowly opening the door. Rei wanted to grin maniacally about how well things were going and how well she had predicted them, but she forced it away. She couldn't give things away from the get go. Patience and composure were key tactics here.

Sure enough, two heads peered around the door, their eyes quickly finding Rei as they stepped into the room, Iida a bit more confidently as Kirishima's eyes continued to wander around. It was clear that the latter hadn't forgotten about Bakugou's missing status, but Iida only puffed up his chest, addressing Rei dramatically with a finger point and a stupid grin on his face. "We have found you, villain! We are here to rescue the civilians you have captured!"

This time she couldn't help but react, rolling her eyes. "Yeah, whatever. Can you find them in here?"

"Oi, Iida-"

Golden eyes flashing dangerously, Rei wasted no time. Surging forward and pushing off quickly from her position, she dove toward the two, positioning herself so that Kirishima was in the middle of the three. The red haired boy instinctively activated his quirk, raising his hardened arms in front of him to defend, but Rei instead aimed for his legs and swept them out from underneath him, sending him into the ground. He hit the ground with a groan, but Rei was already moving before he could. To his fortune, Kirishima was no longer her target, and Rei rounded on Iida.

The class rep was ready by this point, leaping into the air and aiming a kick toward Rei's head. Dropping to the ground she managed to avoid his attack, narrowly rolling out of the way to avoid a second blow that smashed into the ground where she had landed. Putting a bit of space in between them and jumping back onto another pallet of construction materials, she grinned. "Are you sure you should be fighting me?"

Her statement caught their attention, and they paused for a moment. "Huh?" Their expressions dumbfounded, she tried not to laugh. So they hadn't caught on yet. She and Bakugou had the upper hand for now. If only they could sustain their progress, then surely victory was in their hands.

"As of right now, you've wasted almost half of your time bank trying to find us. Your objective is to rescue those civilians, isn't it? Better hurry, heroes," she taunted, voice turning a bit sing song in nature and effectively creeping out her opponents. She could see it on their faces; they were slightly horrified at the turn of events, and the panic was beginning to show.

"Man," Kirishima groaned, hardening his arms again and preparing for a fight, "Just when I thought I got a read on Akatsuki, she goes all sadistic on us. That's creepy as hell, man!"

"Are you going to fight, or are you going to try and claim your objective? Make a decision quick, because I've made mine." Launching off again, Rei clashed with Kirishima. Instead of moving to punch him, she moved to push him away using her momentum, effectively putting a bigger gap between him and his partner. Going on the offensive she began matching him blow for blow, using her legs and dexterity to her advantage. It was less powerful than she wanted, but effective enough in tying him up.

"Kirishima!" Iida called after his partner, concern in his voice. He was unable to move, Rei's fighting pattern too erratic to easily identify and making him risk dealing a blow to his own partner.

But Kirishima grunted, shouting back to his comrade. "Go! Find the civilians! I've got this!"

It was clear that Iida didn't want to leave Kirishima, but Rei had reminded the two of them of their purpose; they had to rescue the civilians before time ran out, otherwise they faced failure during the test. Clenching his fists he finally nodded, making his decision and running off through the maze of the top floor, disappearing around the corner and out of sight.

Finally alone, Rei backed off a bit, facing Kirishima with the grin still plastered on her face. She watched as her opponent shuddered, still holding his arms up in front of him defensively. "Man, that's so creepy, Akatsuki! Girls shouldn't look like that."

"I'd find that offensive," she bantered with him, more than willing to run down the time bank even further, "but I really don't care. I'm here to fight you, and if you have a problem with that, then you can turn tails and leave. Otherwise," she flexed her hands, nails coming out of her hands a bit further and sharpening to dangerous points, "man up and fight me."

He shuddered at the sight of her claws glittering in the light, but then a wicked grin spread across his face as he matched Rei, readying his own quirk. "Akatsuki, you're pretty manly, you know? So cool…"

Snorting, she dropped into an offensive stance. "Stop talking, start defending." Launching at him again, she continued to distract and harass him as much as she could. Frankly, with Kirishima's hardening ability, it was rather pitiful. It felt more like a mouse that was trying to bat away at a cat, though it wasn't to say that this mouse wasn't without tricks. But it was also rather annoying; wasn't she supposed to be the cat, not just figuratively but literally? Even with her claws out she wasn't doing a terrible lot, or at least that was what it seemed like. Her nails could cut through metal, but even as she was able to scratch clear lines and divots into his arms they would eventually regenerate and smooth over as much as possible. It was a little impossible to tell since they weren't really smooth in the first place, and they were moving too quickly with sparks flying in between them.

But she wasn't really here to win a decisive fight. That wasn't her role to play. Barely a minute into their fight an explosion rang out, and the two separated for a moment. Kirishima's face looked slightly pale, concern on his features. "Iida!" He called for his partner through his comms, worry only deepening as he listened to whatever Iida could muster out across the lines.

Rei grinned again. "I hope you didn't forget that I'm not alone."

Flabbergasted, Kirishima's mouth parted open like a fish, gaping as his attention was pulled in a multitude of ways. "What…"

"Don't let it distract you!" Taking advantage of his momentary distraction, Rei launched forward at her opponent again. He lifted his arms up to block, but so distracted by the other party he failed to notice that her trajectory wasn't set to meet him dead on. Flying right past him, she swiped at his face, grazing his cheek as he shouted more in surprise than pain. It hadn't been a deep cut, she had been sure of that, but it was enough to make him realize that she was a real threat still. The playfulness was gone from her face and her eyes, but the game had truly begun. "Focus down, Kirishima."

Still shocked, he could only mutter partial sentences. "How…"

"Does it matter? What are you going to do now, hero?"

---

"Huh? You seriously think they're gonna fall for that?"

Rei rolled her eyes for what seemed like the thousandth time. Jogging up the stairs, they made their way to the eleventh floor where the mannequins were waiting. "Just because you can see through it doesn't mean they won't. Panic will set in, and if what you've told me about Iida is true, then he won't see it until it's over. Neither with Kirishima."

"Why are you gonna start as the bait, huh? Shouldn't you be the one hiding?"

It was something Rei had considered. Out of the two of them, it logically made sense that she would be the one to hide in a closet or air vent until the right moment, popping out when the timing was right. She was smaller and more stealthy of the two of them; especially considering how bulky Bakugou was in terms of his costume alone, he should have been the distraction.

But Rei only shook her head. "They'll think you're somewhere out in the building. If we can delay that tension and reveal a little longer, it'll make them panic even more in the end, knowing that they've been completely predicted." Arriving on the top floor, Bakugou swung the door open and walked through first, Rei following in just as quickly. A smile broke out onto her face as she surveyed the room, taking in all the organized junk and massive piles spread out about the space. "Perfect."

"Huh? What now?"

She motioned about the space. "It's essentially closed quarters, or very limited. Iida won't be able to maneuver as easily, but you will." Closing the door behind them, she made their way to the pile of mannequins, white floppy dolls that were perfectly creepy and blank as they lay on the floor. "That's why you'll take Iida."

Bakugou grunted, raising an eyebrow. "Shouldn't it be the other way around?"

"Like I said, it'll throw them off. I can take Kirishima long enough. Just remember that this is a game of distraction to get them to burn down the clock. Don't destroy the building, but let loose enough to make them panic."

"Don't fucking tell me what to do, cat eyes."

"It's my plan. You'll listen if you want to win."

"Hmph." No matter how much he continued to complain, it was clear that he at least had half an ear open to what she said. Picking up two of the dolls and slinging one over her shoulder, she grimaced as the limbs continued to drag on the floor. She was still much too short to comfortably carry the mannequin citizens, but she simply shifted them into as good a position as she could get before moving along.

"Look, as soon as Iida comes your way, I don't care what you wanna do. Let loose. Just don't bring the building down on us."

"Hah! You think I'm stupid?"

Turning her back toward him, she hid her face as her lips quirked upwards for just a moment, hiding her amusement from him. "Sometimes I wonder," she dryly replied, but she immediately shifted gears before he could respond. "Hide those other three dolls in various places. I'll try and put one in another room or in an air vent just in case they figure us out."

"Hey." Bakugou's voice was strangely calm and level, and Rei turned backward in curiosity. His face was strangely placid, confident yet not cocky like she always saw him. Voice a bit softer, it was amplified by the microphone in her ear, surprising her with the subtly soft quality. "Believe in your damn plan. If you doubt your own plan, how the hell are others supposed to follow?"

Surprise flooded her face. She couldn't help it this time, so shocked by his own bizarre way of giving encouragement that she froze for a moment, brain processing what he had said. Eventually she simply shrugged her shoulders, adjusting the doll over her back and her grip on the one in her right hand. "Of course I believe. How else would I be standing here?"

All she received was a crooked, haughty smile. "You're not terrible, cat eyes."

"Whatever." She wasn't about to correct him any time soon, so shocked over his moment of softness that she couldn't find any witty comeback. His terrible nicknames would have to do for now, until she could berate him later and beat some sense into him. "Meet back here as soon as you're done. We don't have much time left."

The final pieces were falling into position. The two of them would delay Iida and Kirishima's approach, running the clock down based on how cautiously they would enter and push through the building. Rei was certain that they would be wary of Bakugou trying to make a solo play, based on his actions from the last exercise. That cautiousness would only end up biting them in the rear in the end.

Normal hostage situations had the hostages groups up in a singular location. It was smarter that way in reality; it allowed for the villians to keep a constant watch over their bargaining chips, isolating them from the rest of the world. Rei knew that All Might wanted that to be their tactic, but the hostages were unable to move from their placements or call for help, and she wanted to win. She and Bakugou both wanted to win more than anything else. She was certain that was the only piece between them that let them work together. So she used all variables to her advantage; if they were playing the time game, then it made sense to hide the hostages all around the space, making the heroes play a game of hide and seek while being hunted down and watching their tails at the same time. It was a bit of a cheap move, but All Might hadn't said that their decision was against the rules.

This was a class exercise, and one that Rei wanted to win. If All Might had wanted her to fight and prepare more realistically, then he would have set up more boundaries. If she thought about it, this was a bit similar to how Uraraka had used her final attack in the first exercise, moving based on the fact that the bomb wasn't real. It was cheap, but Rei wasn't above fighting dirty. That was how she had risen anyway. The real world didn't have rules in reality, and the winners had to fight tooth and nail to get there.

Rei knew that, of the two, Iida would be the better pick to find the hostages, even in limited quarters. At the end of the day, he was still faster than Kirishima, and if it came down to the two of them, they would certainly send the class rep to finish the job. Frankly it was better this way; Bakugou had pointed out that he would have been a better pairing with Kirishima based on their quirks, and in almost any other situation Rei would have agreed. Bakugou would most certainly defeat Kirishima in a one on one battle. But their end game wasn't to defeat their opponents; this was the battle of time and wearing down the clock. Rei could handle Kirishima and keep him distracted. Whoever fought Iida would need the maneuverability and high energy to counter the boy's speed in these quarters, and Rei certainly couldn't keep up in this situation. Perhaps she could defeat him otherwise, but again, time was the core component.

Of course, this plan relied on the assumption that neither of their opponents would catch on to their plan quick enough to do anything about it. If they did realize their flaw, then hopefully by that point Rei and Bakugou would already be distracting them and cornering them, preventing them from even finding the mock civilians. But this plan was still a risk; if neither fell for it from the moment they entered the doors, then the heroes would most likely win.

It was a gamble Rei was willing to take. No plans came without risks, and Rei was confident that this was their best bet for success. Finding a small restroom area on the level, she darted in quickly and hid one of the dolls in a stall, returning to the large room to find the final hiding place for her other mannequin. If their opponents were panicked, they most likely wouldn't even think about that small room or going through any doors. Especially if either Bakugou or her were in pursuit, they wouldn't want to isolate themselves in closed quarters. Well, Kirishima might since he was a close combat fighter, but Rei was able to play that game as well. It was worth it, and after securing that mannequin she returned to the main room, looking for one final location. She ended up deciding on hiding it in the midst of a pallet of metal beams, lying it down so that it would only be seen if someone was looking closely.

"One minute warning! Villains have one more minute to continue preparations before the hero team infiltrates!"

The communication line crackled to life, All Might's voice ringing through. Rei blinked, looking around for her partner. "Bakugou, I'm finished. Where are you?"

"Hiding, idiot. Like you said." Rei heard something crash in the background, followed by an explicative. "Fuck!"

"Language," she chided in a bemused fashion, a smile on her lips. "Where are you?"

"Southeastern corner. Storage closet. Shit!" Another crash in the background.

Rei shook her head amusedly, running through the expanse in order to position herself before the hero team entered. Finding a high pallet of cement packages stacked fairly close to the entrance, she scaled it quickly, careful to not damage the packages in her ascent. Once on the top she looked around toward Bakugou's location, satisfied to see that it wasn't far away from her position. "I'll try to make sure that Iida heads your direction as quickly as possible. If he doesn't get to you within thirty seconds, make a break for it. We can't let him wander and find the mannequins for long."

"Don't tell me what to do, cat eyes."

"Follow the plan. It could be worse."

"Hah! Just do your job, and I'll do mine."

"I was about to say the same."

---

"Time's up! Villain team wins!"

"What?!" Kirishima groaned, quirk deactivating as he raised his hands to his head. "No way!"

Falling out of her offensive stance, Rei backed up a few feet from her opponent and retracted her claws back into their normal state, running her fingers over the tips to ensure their smoothness had returned. Rolling her shoulders and standing up straight, she faced off against Kirishima. It appeared as though he was pulling himself back together after the disappointment, facing Rei with a grin on his face. "Man, that was a good fight though! I'm impressed by you, Akatsuki. You're really manly, you know?"

Eyebrow quirking up in amusement and questioning, Rei stared at him for a moment, slightly incredulous. "Manly?"

He seemed to realize his mistake, waving his hands in front of him defensively as he stammered, a bit caught off guard. "I mean, not that it's bad to be a woman or anything at all! You're just cool, you know?" Flashing a thumbs up, he grinned a toothy smile. "I look forward to fighting you again!"

"Right…" Rei blinked, a little confused at the turn of events. She had determined that Kirishima was a little strange, but not unlikeable. If anything he was rather good natured and fiery in his own way, and she found a shred of her heart warming up to him. Just a little. Shoving her hands into her jacket pockets, she tilted her head. "Same here, I guess."

"Oi! Cat eyes!"

Heaving a sigh through her nose, Rei turned to face her partner blankly, watching as he stormed in her direction all too quickly, arms pumping by his sides. She could see Iida following him a bit hesitantly, glasses flashing in the light. But there was no time to think, as Bakugou quickly crossed the remaining space and grabbed the fabric of her jacket, pulling her in closer to him as he leered down angrily. She stumbled for a step at the sudden jolt, but sneered up at him regardless, unwilling to back down. "What now?"

"What now?" Temper flaring, he was practically yelling down at his partner, Kirishima and Iida only watching in horror. "Class rep over here almost got all the mannequins! We almost lost, thanks to you!"

She rolled her eyes before focusing sharply on Iida, peering around Bakugou to look at the suddenly tentative looking class rep. He flinched under her sudden gaze, golden eyes bearing down on him. Up on him? She was too short to be looking down on him technically, but under the weight of her gaze anyone could feel small. "Class rep." He jumped at the call, but Rei continued speaking as though she didn't notice. "Which mannequins did you find?"

"There were four I found in this room, but I couldn't find the last."

Nodding once, she stared back into Bakugou's eyes, not even flinching at his anger. "You should be thanking me that I hid the last one in a different room. I can't be blamed that he found all of yours."

"Other room?"

"Wait a second…"

Bakugou's look turned even darker for a moment as his jaw clenched, red eyes thirsting for blood. But Rei only stared back, matching his gaze and refusing to back down. They both knew that she had planned for this, and without Rei bringing it up, they both knew that she had ended up saving their asses. The one mannequin she had planted in the faux bathroom on the eleventh floor was still in hiding, the one Iida hadn't found. For a moment neither refused to back down, staring into one another as the tension was pulled taut like a string. Everyone held their breath, waiting for someone to make a move.

In the end, it was Bakugou who scoffed, dropping his grip from Rei's jacket and moving away a few feet, looking away in irritation. Smoothing out her costume and rolling her shoulders back, Rei turned back toward the door. "Let's go. We should debrief with All Might so the next group can start."

Taking the lead, she strode out the door and down the stairs, not waiting for the rest of the group. She couldn't help it; her temper had begun flaring after Bakugou had accused her of throwing their test. So quick to place the blame on others, yet slow to realize his own mistakes. She would certain concede that, if she had told Bakugou to wait for less time before emerging, they probably would have more mannequins on their side than the heroes. But part of her was petty, wanting to place the blame on him instead of herself. He should have thought faster, moved quicker, acted more independently.

Perhaps she had been right in the first place; Bakugou wasn't about to listen to her plans any longer. For all they had managed to accomplish in the last twenty minutes, it didn't look like it would happen ever again. She could sense that the other three boys were following her at a distance, could feel the anger and irritation rolling off her partner in waves as he stalked behind her. Heaving a sigh of disappointment, she lifted her hands to her temples, massaging her head as she tried to relax. She had done her part, and they had won.

So why was Bakugou's irritation weighing down on her?

She shouldn't have cared. In fact, she was certain that if it were any other person, she couldn't have cared any less about their anger and irritation. She should have ignored them, walking her own path and not giving them the honor of taking up her own time and space and worry in her mind. But there was something about Bakugou that made her want to make witty quips back at him, that wanted to stoke the fire and prod him until he snapped back. Once she had made it into U.A., she had made a promise to herself that she would stand at the back of the class and keep her head down, simply moving along toward her goal of becoming a hero without causing any trouble. She wouldn't pick fights or pop off at anyone who dared look at her funny or threaten her. But Bakugou was pushing that promise rather well, and Rei was finding that she was reverting to her regular self.

Was that such a bad thing? Yes. Yes, it was. It was a bad thing to be a vindictive and retribution seeking hero. Those traits were rather villainous, and it brought back memories of elementary and middle school, when her peers mocked her about being set on the path to becoming a villain. It wasn't as though she looked like a hero either; with angular features, a dark sense of humor, and a penchant for getting into trouble, she looked every part of the outcast and worker of the underworld. Her acceptance into U.A. had shocked everyone in her school, particularly her teachers, who hadn't thought anything of her before that point. It seemed as though everyone had thought that she was destined for a darker path, a life stained with strife and struggle in the underbelly of society.

Rei's fists clenched at those thoughts. No, she couldn't think such things now. She was here, on the path to becoming a hero. She would prove everyone wrong. She would start here by creating a new identity for herself. No longer was she the one who sought trouble, but the one who would end it. Even if Bakugou pushed her buttons, she couldn't revert to her former self that lusted for blood and battle. That wasn't very heroic.

She had to get a hold of herself. Breathing in deeply, she tried to shake off the negative emotions on the walk back. It seemed to take forever to get to the room where the rest of the class was waiting, and none of it made her feel better. There was still a ball of jadedness sitting in her chest as the four first contenders walked into the monitor room, staring back at the class in front of them and their teacher.

"Right! Well done, all of you. Our MVP today is…" All Might trailed off dramatically before pointing his finger with a flourish, a massive grin on his face. Everyone started in surprise, including the person at whom their teacher was pointing.

But none more surprised than Rei herself.

"Bakugou?"

"Huh?"

The entire class dissolved into muttering and confusion for a moment before All Might raised a hand to silence everyone. "Now then, can anyone tell me why?"

This time, no one raised their hand. Even Yaoyorozu, who always had an answer to everything, seemed to be contemplating the turn of events. It seemed as though she had an answer in mind, but was averse to stating her opinion and decision in front of everyone else. Surely it was a wise decision, if Bakugou was involved. No one really knew what was going to set him off, compliment or not.

When no one ventured an answer, All Might continued. "Teamwork. Of course it's important to defend your objective, but the outcome can be heavily determined by who works well together. Young Bakugou listened to young Akatsuki's plan, and the two were able to succeed."

Everyone seemed to accept his answer willingly, talking amongst one another about how much sense their teacher made while praising his intellect. Even Bakugou seemed to swell up just a bit at the praise, though his face was still etched into its permanent scowl. Everyone in the room conceded to All Might's declaration, and as he began shouting out orders and instructions for the next group to prepare, the conversation moved along and ended.

All but one seemed to transition.

Rei seethed. Bakugou as the MVP, all because he had listened to Rei's planning? What about the fact that she had created the plan all on her own, the fact that it was her quick thinking to hide the mannequin in a separate room that had saved their asses and won them the match in the end? What about the fact that she had somehow managed to convince his stubborn ass of her plan, had outwitted both their opponents? Just what had Bakugou done to outshine her?

Suddenly, it hit her. All Might's strange look on his face when the two of them had been paired, the way that he watched them walk away with a knowing look. The fact that he had undoubtedly been listening to them through their communication channel, even if he hadn't said anything. She had a strange inkling earlier that something was amiss, and now the cat was out of the bag. The entire situation had been arranged so that All Might could test Bakugou again and see if he was at all capable of playing along and listening to directions. After the disaster that was the first day's class where he and Midoriya had both destroyed the building and the latter boy, it was a test of Bakugou's will and ability to follow along. It was a set up. Rei was just a pawn.

Now that the attention had been taken off of their group and the rest of the class chattered away amiably while they waited for the next group to take the stage, Rei could stand at the back of the class and stew on her own. No one seemed to notice her, or at least left her to her own devices. Arms folded over her chest, a scowl settled onto her face. What was she, a tool for others to use? She was furious that the entire battle situation had revolved around testing Bakugou, that she had been sidelined. The mastermind of the entire situation, moved to the side like a placeholder in order for another to take the stage.

Perhaps there were other pieces at play that she couldn't see. Perhaps All Might had another motivation, or that she was over-analyzing his every move. But the entire experience left a bitter taste in her mouth, and as her eyes landed on a familiar head of ash blonde spiked hair, she couldn't help but scrunch her face in disdain. There was only one thing for certain that she knew after today's class, and that was that her irritation for Bakugou was only growing.

It seemed as though, no matter how much she tried to move away from her old self, the truth seeped from the cracks in her mask. Perhaps she would always carry a bit of this angry, bitterness with her no matter how hard she tried to get rid of it. Old habits would die hard, if ever at all.

---

Rei was beginning to wonder if her luck would ever turn up. Even in the first week of school, a trend was beginning to emerge. Most of her time was either spent hyperfocused on the lessons or ignoring the people that annoyed her the most, a list that was slowly growing. Iida notoriously held the top of the list, and thankfully their interactions were limited based on their seating arrangements, what with him sitting on the opposite end of the class. Rei was less fortunate with Yaoyorozu, who sat in front of her and who attempted to pair with Rei at every opportunity. She couldn't quite get a good read on her intentions, but the pretentiousness of her language and airs was enough for Rei to try and avoid the girl. At least Yaoyorozu was preferable over Iida; she understood how loud her voice was, and at least had enough dignity to operate like a normal human being.

But even Rei had to admit that Yaoyorozu took only third place on her list, no matter how much she felt annoyed by the rich girl. The honor of second place belonged to a familiar explosive personality, particularly after their hero basic training test together. Rei had taken to ignoring him completely, something that he didn't seem to care about. At least it was easy enough to avoid him, especially when the feeling was mutual. That was what Rei assumed, at least.

Eventually, Rei's luck started to take a turn for the better.

"Disasters, shipwrecks, and everything in between. It's rescue training."

The entire class perked up at the change of pace even as Aizawa's voice uttered the words in a monotone fashion, murmurs passing through the group. Rei sat up straight from her slouched position, alert and attentive at the announcement. This was it; this was what she was here for. Although, now that she thought about it, this sounded like it was more focused on natural disasters. Still, it was closest thing to what was up Rei's alley, and it was more interesting than the battle testing against one another. While she was excited to fight the others in the class, she knew that she had another three years of doing so. It was refreshing to shake it up, even so early in the school year.

"Oi, I'm not done yet." Quieting the class down, Aizawa continued. "You can decide if you want to wear your costume or not. I'm sure there are some costumes that limit what you can do."

Rei contemplated the idea. Should she wear her uniform? The answer seemed to be undoubtedly "yes." But what was Aizawa-sensei saying about some costumes limiting their abilities? Rei didn't think that was the case-

Ah. Rei peeked a glance down the line of her row, looking at a tuft of blonde hair in her row. Many of them had uniforms that would technically be fine, but if it came to rescuing people, there was definitely at least one person whose uniform would only get in the way.

Maybe if he wasn't so focused on offensive capabilities, they wouldn't slow him down for this one.

It was enough to make Rei smirk behind her hand.

"The training will take place off-campus, so we're taking a bus." Apparently done with everything he had to say, Aizawa began walking away. "That's all. Get ready."

Most everyone headed to the front of the classroom in unison, grabbing their uniforms from the shelves and leaving to change. Only a few people remained in their desks for a bit longer, uninterested in mixing with the heavy traffic at the front of the class. Rei held back for a few moments, waiting for the crowd to thin. No point in rushing ahead and pushing through crowds. Just thinking about being crammed in on all sides by a bunch of people sent shivers down her spine, a reminder of a few days prior as all students tried to rush through the hallways in an unorganized manner. Fortunately she had found a high ledge above one of the doors, jumping up and settling onto the thin ledge as she watched people stream through underneath her, oblivious to the girl hiding in the high back corner. Rei hated being pushed around by others in small spaces. It made her freak out a little bit, being crushed like that.

After a few seconds of waiting for most of the class to grab their uniforms, Rei stood from her desk and strode forward, moving at a casual pace. Right as she began to pass Midoriya, the boys stood up suddenly, knocking into Rei and pushing her toward the window.

The boy immediately began to panic, eyes wide as he began waving his hands frantically, gesturing randomly and emphatically. "A-ah! So sorry, Akatsuki-san! I wasn't looking where I was going-"

Rei blinked, staring at Midoriya for a second before shrugging. "It's fine."

Surprise filled his face for a moment before he calmed down, chuckling nervously. "R-right… sorry."

Sending a quick glance to the front of the room, she noted that there were still quite a few people getting their uniforms, the space somewhat crowded. There was no way she could easily get to her case without dodging and weaving through people, so she turned her glance back toward Midoriya. The boy flinched instinctively, causing Rei to raise an eyebrow.

"Why are you so flinchy?"

"Flinchy?" He panicked for a moment before becoming somewhat sheepish, tossing a glance around the classroom before speaking in a hushed tone. "Sorry. You just remind me of Kacchan sometimes…"

It was Rei's turn to look in confusion. "Kacchan…?" Her mind contemplated the name, a few moments passing before realization dawned on her. Her expression darkened. "Oh. You mean Bakugou."

The boy nodded solemnly, suddenly finding his shoes incredibly interesting. Rei folded her arms across her chest, unable to look at the boy as she spoke. "He's a bit of a prick, isn't he?"

"Eh?" Stuttering, Midoriya shook his hands. "Ah, not really! I guess. Well, Kacchan is really strong. He's… always been like that."

"Hmm." Shrugging her shoulders, Rei sighed apathetically, shaking her arms out. "It's none of my business, so I won't ask. But I hate it when people pick on the weak." She took a step back, increasing the distance between the two as Midoriya looked up in surprise. Golden eyes softened just a bit as she looked at the gentle spirited boy. Even if he had likened her to one of the top people on her priority "to avoid" list, she couldn't bring herself to be annoyed with the boy in front of her. "You're strong too. Learn to keep your chin up."

There was a bit of confusion at Rei's vagueness, but he seemed to get the idea. Nodding his head with a determined look on his face, Midoriya clenched his fists. "R-right!" A pause, as though uncertain of what was about to come out of his mouth. "Sorry for judging you like that. You're kind too, Akatsuki-san"

"Hmph." She wasn't sure about that, but she let it slide. "Don't tell anyone." She answered in a deadpan tone, but there was a hint of dry humor that brought a smile to Midoriya's lips. Walking away to grab her uniform now that most of the classroom was clear, she snatched it swiftly from the rack without breaking her pace, striding out of the classroom with confidence. The conversation left a feeling of dread in her stomach; just what had Bakugou done to Midoriya in the past?

Bakugou was tough as a nail. It was obvious in the casual way he carried himself, his attitude straddling the line of confidence and cockiness. He matched his quirk well, an explosive personality that was ready to fight at the slightest aggravation, a dog with both bark and bite. Rei had to be honest with herself; for as much as he irritated her at the moment, a small part of her respected that part of him, the way that he dismissed some of their more irritating classmates like Iida. It seemed as though they were similar in nature; both of them could hold their own, and were ready to take on the world at a moment's notice. A scowl came back onto her face. Were they really that much alike? If Midoriya knew Bakugou well, then she supposed that she wasn't one to fight that likening.

But who could hurt such a gentle and sweet person? Her hand grasped the handle on her briefcase tightly, squeezing it in a vice grip. Midoriya, the boy who could do no wrong, at least in the eyes of his classmates, had some serious history with the class' number one attitude problem. Even if most of the details were obscured from her, it was obvious that Midoriya lived with a touch of fear in the shadow of the explosive boy. Bakugou had mentioned that the gentle boy was quirkless; did that have something to do with this?

Shaking her head, she loosened her grip on her costume case. That wasn't her problem to deal with, and she certainly didn't need to dig into her classmates' personal lives and problems. Still, she was curious. But curiosity killed the cat…

Entering the changing room, she dropped all thoughts as she changed into her costume. There would be time for contemplation later. There was work to do.

---

"Everyone! Please line up in two lines and prepare to board the bus!"

Rei growled, placing her hands over her ears at the shrill whistle that their class president was freely touting. "Are you serious right now?" So far he was the only one taking the entire situation seriously, most of the class settling to stare at his outrageous gestures and slowly make their way to the bus. Aizawa stood to the side, conversing with the driver, completely ignoring his students.

"Hurry up and move."

Someone bumped into Rei's arm just as she began moving. Throwing a dry stare to her left, gold eyes met red in a lazy fashion. This was the first time they had spoken with one another since their spat in hero basic training, and from what Rei could observe, he didn't give any cares about that. If anything, he seemed to have moved on. Perhaps she could take a page out of his book. Rolling her eyes, she allowed her more sarcastic side to bite out. "I'm moving, smartass. Simmer down."

Bakugou only tossed his head to the side, scoffing as the two of them fell in line together, standing in the line further from the bus. "Huh? Didn't think you could hear me, what with how you're covering your ears so tightly."

Rei merely rolled her eyes in response, refusing to remove her hands so long as the whistle was in their president's mouth. She had to admit; bantering with him was much more satisfying than anything she had experienced recently. Perhaps she was wrong to place him on her "do not talk with" list. "Sensitive hearing," she finally responded. "Our wonderful class president has a knack for getting on my nerves."

He only made a slightly disinterested and annoyed noise, turning to face the front and effectively ending the conversation. Rei was fine with that, seeing as how there was nowhere else to go with small talk, but she smirked at bit with her classmate's response. Obviously, she wasn't the only one who felt that way. That made her perk up even just a bit, a small feeling of camaraderie forming even momentarily between them at a common irritant. Finally Iida began motioning toward the door, yelling at the class to begin boarding, the lines filtering in slowly. Being in the middle of the class, Bakugou and Rei grabbed the last two seat facing forward, a metal bar in front of them that the two of them immediately threw their right legs on. Staring at one another in surprise, Rei blinked once before turning to face the front, unwilling to back down. Uncanny.

Neither said a word as the bus began to move, lapsing into silence as the rest of their classmates around them fell into a chatter. There was still a bit of tension between them, but neither seemed willing to address it, nor did they think it important enough to attack one another and pick each other apart. With the white noise around, Rei leaned back in her chair, closing her eyes and relaxing as much as she could. Who knew what the afternoon's events had in store for them? If they were anything as physically demanding as the rest of the hero training class sessions, she would need every ounce of her energy. Fortunately she had learned from her last mistake on the first day of classes, taking more time at lunch to mentally relax and dissociate before reorganizing her thoughts for the afternoon stretch. Still, a bit of down time was a welcome respite, and everything was going smoothly so far…

"Well, if you're talking about flashy and strong, it's gotta be Todoroki and Bakugou, right?"

Next to her, Bakugou scoffed, looking out the window. Rei opened an eye to look at the group in front of them, eyeing the participants in the conversation with a lazy gaze before closing them again. It wasn't worth it to get into this conversation.

"Bakugou's always mad, so it doesn't seem like he'll be popular though."

Dammit, Asui.

At this Bakugou shot forward, stepping onto the bar in front of them, ready to hurtle forward. It was only possible by invading Rei's space, pushing to the side in her seat, much to her displeasure. Her irritation only grew as her seat partner began yelling aggressively, shaking his hand around and pushing Rei to the side. "What the hell, you wanna fight?!"

The frog quirk user turned back to Midoriya, pointing in the aggravated boy's direction, as though proving a point. "See?"

"We haven't known each other for that long," added Kaminari from the other side of the bus, "so it's amazing that everyone knows that his personality is crap seeped in sewage."

"What's with that vocabulary you bastard?!" Leaning ever further forward over the barrier, Bakugou stretched even further into Rei's personal space in an attempt to get closer to Kaminari. The electric user wore a smug smile on his face, knowing that the person he antagonized wouldn't be getting any closer. Still, Bakugou continued to yell. "I'll kill you, over there!"

"Enough."

Bakugou jolted backward as a foot stabbed into his chest, though it wasn't intended to be incredibly forceful. Turning his wrath toward his seat partner, the explosive boy seethed. "What'd you say? I'll make you pay-"

"Sit down and shut your mouth. I'm tired of having you scream in my ear. If you have issues, settle them outside when we get to wherever we're going." Rei was only annoyed that the boy was being so loud and invading her space, but the provocations from their classmates had been funny, she had to admit. But after Iida's screaming whistle before they boarded the bus her ears were screaming for a respite, and all the yelling happening next to her was not making things any better. She had lowered her leg from the barrier, crossing her arms and staring with vague irritation at her seat partner, matching his glare and daring him to disobey.

Most of the people sitting in the front group seemed horrified that Rei had said such a thing; though she was accepted to be the silent, moody presence that was almost invisible at the back of the classroom, no one had expected such outright confrontation from her. The most terrified of all was Midoriya, who gaped at Rei's outright challenge, waiting for the certain explosions to emit from his childhood friend's fists.

But nothing happened. With a click of his tongue Bakugou sat back down in his seat grumpily, turning to face the window. The entire bus stared in surprise, the front of the bus exploding into ill concealed whispers.

Well, they were well concealed for most people. With her quirk, they definitely weren't though.

"Waah, Akatsuki-san is scary too."

"Even Bakugou listens to her?"

"How does she do that?"

"Do you think there's something going on between them?"

Rei's eyes flashed, voice growling as she leaned forward. "I can hear everything you're saying."

Everyone jumped at her sharp voice, silent for a moment before bursting out into their own personal conversations, as though nothing had changed. Leaning back in her chair, Rei closed her eyes again. Couldn't she ever catch a break?

"We're here. Stop messing around."

Damn. Apparently not.

---

"Everyone, I have been waiting for you!"

Stepping off the bus, Rei could hardly believe her eyes. The rest of the class could barely contain themselves, Uraraka jumping up and down and pumping her arms in excitement while almost everyone else took a moment to geek out over the pro hero in front of them. Everyone knew Thirteen, the space hero who saved countless people from disasters. Even so, Rei was impressed that U.A. had such connections to such a popular hero. A smile was wide on her face, obscured by her face mask, but her eyes sparkled with joy.

As expected of the number one hero academy.

He gestured for the students to follow. "Come, let's go inside right away." The class unanimously chanted their greeting, bowing at the waist and energetically bouncing after Thirteen. Even some of the more reserved individuals like Tokoyami seemed to be excited at the prospects of working with such a renowned pro hero. The excitement was rolling off of everyone in waves, creating a cycle of energy as the positive emotions were circled around and around between everyone in the class. Parading into the massive domed building in front of them, Rei found herself blown away once again.

There were multiple designated sections, a few open air locations and a couple domed buildings. Were there ever too many buildings? Scratch that, did U.A. seriously have this much money to throw around? Kaminari gawked at the room, scratching his head. "Seriously? This looks like USJ!"

Rei tilted her head in confusion, staring blankly at her classmate. "USJ?"

Uraraka peered at Rei, apparently in awe. "You've never been to Universal Studios Japan?"

Scratching her ear sheepishly, Rei shook her head. "Can't say I have."

"Ehh, really? It's just like this!" Waving her hands and gesturing around animatedly, Uraraka pointed to different spots. "There's a bunch of roller coasters and rides, and it's really fun!"

Thirteen took the lead, spreading his arms wide. "This is a training ground I made with different types of disasters and natural accidents. It's called the Unforeseen Simulation Joint, or USJ for short!"

The class deadpanned, all thinking the same thing simultaneously. Rei sighed. "Well, at least this'll substitute for my lack of pop culture knowledge."

Uraraka turned back to Rei as Aizawa walked toward Thirteen, the two of them discussing something the class could barely hear. Leaving the class on their own for a few moments, they began to talk amongst themselves quietly, continuing conversations and making new ones. Whispering in a somewhat loud voice, Uraraka looked at the stoic girl in surprise. "Akatsuki-san, you've seriously never been to USJ?"

Shaking her head, Rei deadpanned. "Is that a problem?"

"No, no, no!" The bubbly girl raised her hands defensively, reacting quickly with wide eyes. "It just seems like it's up your alley, with all the rides and everything. You seem like a secret adrenaline junky!"

"Adrenaline junky?" The title made her think a bit, hand coming to rest under her chin as she thought about it. "Actually, I do enjoy leaping off of buildings and high ledges. Are there things like that at this USJ?"

"Of course!" Uraraka then slowly blinked, as though registering what the girl had just said. "Wait! You didn't seriously just say-"

"Alright everyone!" Thirteen pulled everyone's attention back, signaling for everyone to quiet down. Puffing her cheeks in frustration, Uraraka reluctantly turned to face the front, leaving a very confused Rei. Had she said something wrong? There was no time to ask about it, however, as Thirteen continued to speak, moving the class along. "I have one thing, no two… maybe three, four… actually, five things…" The class stared blankly as the list continued to increase, dread filling them at the thought of having to sit through another lengthy lecture before getting to the actual training portion.

But the pro hero shook their head, scrapping that idea. "Everyone, I'm certain you're aware of my quirk, Black Hole. I can suck up anything and turn it into dust."

It was Midoriya who interrupted from the front energetically, unable to contain the fanboy side of himself as he jumped it. "It's because of that quirk you're able to save so many people from disasters, right?"

"Yes, but it is a power that can kill easily. Some of you also have quirks like that, am I right?"

The notion was enough to set a solemn tone over the class. The time for joking and playfulness was over, and it was time to focus. Rei's eyes sharpened, focusing while her mind attempting to see where this lecture was going. Thirteen continued. "It doesn't appear to be a problem at a first glance, but please do not forget that there are quirks that can kill with one misstep. With Aizawa-sensei's physical fitness test you were able to test the upper limits of your abilities, and with All Might's person-to-person combat training, I think you were able to get a feel for the danger of using those powers against others."

Ah, so that's where this was going. Rei's hand clenched at her side. She already knew what she could do, which was why she wanted to become a hero. But the possibility of causing harm to someone wasn't what she was concerned with at this point. Would people accept her as a hero, quirk, personality, and all?

Did she have the potential to save someone, even if she had failed before?

"But this class is a fresh start," Thirteen continued. "You will learn to use your quirk to save people's lives." Rei felt his gaze land on her, almost staring into her soul. Could he see the doubt that lingered inside of her, the concerns that held her back? Would he say such things if he knew what she had done? Thirteen's eyes hardened, a promise in them as he spoke directly at Rei. "You do not have powers so you can harm others. I hope you leave here with the understanding that you have powers in order to help others."

With a flourish, he finished his speech. The rest of the class burst into applause and excited cheers, rejuvenated and energized by such an earnest and heartfelt delivery. Rei simply stood on her own, staring off into space as she contemplated his words.

You have powers in order to help others. Determination filled Rei's heart. Thirteen was right; what happened in the past was in the past. She was here at U.A. to train hard and become a hero. From here on out, she had to learn from the past and move forward into the future, holding her head up high and looking forward with confidence. There was no place for hesitation or doubt here, not when it could cost lives in the present. The ghosts of the past would have to stay in their place.

A gentle smile this time on her lips, Rei looked forward with renewed confidence. Thank you, Thirteen.

"Alright." Aizawa moved from the pillar where he had been waiting to the side, taking control once again and calming the class as everyone pulled their focus back. "Then, first off-"

Broken off by a sizzling noise high above, everyone looked around as the lights suddenly went dark. Thankfully the dome had been constructed to allow some natural light to permeate the room, leaving the class most of their visibility. However, it was clear that this was not planned as Thirteen and Aizawa both looked around in confusion. Everyone froze, uncertain of what was happening, until Aizawa began barking orders.

"Everyone, get together and don't move!" Even as the class looked in confusion, startled and unmoving, Aizawa turned to the other pro hero. "Thirteen, protect the students."

"Oi, what's that?"

Kirishima's quiet and concerned exclamation had everyone straining to see what their classmate had seen, the taller students immediately getting a better idea. Rei looked to Todoroki, moving forward to get a bit closer to him. She was much too short to see anything, and she didn't want to risk moving all the way forward, lest Aizawa yell at her for disobeying orders. "Todoroki-san, what's going on?"

The half-ice boy jumped a bit at her sudden closeness, but looked into the distance, eyes squinting to see. "A purple fog, and it looks like some people. It's hard to see at this distance."

"People?" Rei's mind raced. So the lights had suddenly gone out, and then people had appeared in front of them. Was this some kind of test, where they wanted to see how the students would react?

"Don't move!"

The class jumped at Aizawa as he barked orders, slipping his goggles onto his face. Rei's stomach dropped at the action. If their sensei was getting serious…

"Those are villains."

---

AN: lol, super long chapter!

It was originally only about 4k words, so I thought I would add a training exercise... little did I know that it would take up another 10,000 o_O

But I'm sure everyone would rather have a chunkier chapter than a thin one! So I'm sorry that most of the upcoming chapters won't be as long as this one. I just thought I'd give everyone a strange April gift.

Please review! I really appreciate it and it helps me get chapters out faster!