Chapter 7

Before High School

"Starting at the beginning of next term, we'll be having tutors come in to work with you."

Rei chewed on a mouthful of rice, eyes narrowed in suspicion at the headmaster. He was a portly man, and the fact that he had a head of a brown bear didn't help the image of a rotund bear storing up food for the winter. Around the children of the orphanage he was feared for his temper and otherwise cold personality, a ruthless man who ran the organization like a business, careless of the people that lived within its walls. Behind his back the children often called him Mr. Bear, or Rei's favorite, Mr. Cutlet. Suffice to say, there were few people who took him seriously.

He rarely ever addressed the children, or was rarely ever seen for that matter. No one really knew what he did, although there were whispers that he was rather… lecherous. At least that was what the older girls whispered amongst one another while they thought no one was listening, but Rei's sharp ears picked everything up. She was privy to some of the darker going-ons in the orphanage, but she wisely kept her mouth shut and her head down.

None of it mattered anyway. Who cared about them anyway? The lost souls of society.

"The junior high students will be prioritized first. You'll be working with your tutors for the next term or so. You'd better show them some respect; this is a trial with a new mentoring program from Tokyo."

The dining hall broke out into chattering amongst all the students, thirty eager children talking animatedly with one another. A younger girl sitting next to Rei turned to her elder with an excited look on her face. "Rei-nee-san, did you hear that?"

Putting a small smile on her face, Rei turned back to the first grader. "Yeah, I did. Better keep working hard, okay?"

"Right!"

Rei carefully stewed over the new information, mostly keeping to herself for the rest of the evening. Tutors and mentors for the junior high students, huh? She was about to enter seventh grade, meaning that she would be paired with someone. With a grimace, she dug into her food aggressively. It didn't matter. They were probably only doing it for community service hours, or whatever selfish reason they needed.

No one cared about them.

They had to look out for themselves.

"Hello, I'm Fujioka Reina."

Rei slumped at the dining room table, where she and a few other students were meeting their mentors for the first time. They had spread out through the building, leaving Rei and her mentor at one end of the table and another couple at the other end, talking in hushed voices that Rei was listening to half heartedly. "I'm Akatsuki Rei," she offered in a bored tone. What was the point of this again? For these people to come in, attempt to care, and then leave after their term was done?

"Oh, we almost have the same name!"

The girl sitting before her was extremely pretty and poised, back rigid as her hands were clasped in her lap, hidden beneath the table. She definitely came from wealth, or at least some important background what with the way that she carried herself with such poise. With gunmetal gray hair and warm brown eyes she looked more like a model, making Rei feel even more out of place. The only comparison she could make at the moment between the two of them was like between those beautifully painted Hinamari dolls that she often saw in store fronts and a lumpy potato someone threw in a curry stew. Leave it to her to get the most put together and uptight tutor in the program. Shrugging her shoulders, Rei crossed her arms in her seat. "Yeah."

Reina seemed to slump a bit at the dismissive and unengaged attitude Rei was throwing, but she remained undeterred. "So, you're a seventh grader? Tell me how it's going so far."

Staring at the table, Rei shrugged again. "It's okay, I guess. School's boring."

"Boring?" She began to press the question, digging deeper. "Like, too easy? Or not fun?"

Rei heaved a sigh, sitting up and leaning forward on the table. "Look, why are you doing this? I don't really need a tutor or whatever. I'm doing fine."

This time Reina's brows furrowed as she leaned forward to match Rei's posture, placing her laced fingers on the table as she stared across concernedly. "Well, I'm here to be more than a tutor. I guess I'm here to be a friend too, or anything you need me to be."

What was the point? This girl seemed to mean well, but Rei knew that she was only going to leave when her time was up. The program ran for a term to a year, but most of the staff had only volunteered for one term, or so Rei had heard. She would be here for a few months and then would have the fortune of leaving; it wasn't like Rei could leave her situation. The thought made her bitter, and she slumped forward on the table. "Sure."

She knew she was making it difficult for the young girl across from her, but Rei seriously didn't see the point. What was the use in making a friend if she was just going to up and leave in a few months time? There wasn't one. Reina shifted uncomfortably, but continued to push forward. "Well, do you have any homework to do? We can start with that, if you'd like."

Pulling her backpack up from the ground next to her, Rei began to unload her notebooks and assignments. Might as well make some use, especially if this was how it was going to be for the next few months. Her mind drifted even as Reina began talking to her about her math notes, reviewing concepts and asking questions. She paid attention with half her mind, the other half drifting elsewhere.

There wasn't a point, now that Rei was alone. Nothing mattered. She would just fade into the background one day, and would vanish without a trace. That was how it was for the kids at the orphanage. No one would miss her, and no one would look for her. What was the point in trying?

This was life's lot, and she would just have to accept it. Nothing would change. Not even a bright face from the north, who thought that they could change a lost soul like Rei.

Midoriya I. (6:15 PM)
Here's my address!

Midoriya I. (6:15 PM)
Oh, it's Midoriya, btw

Akatsuki R. (6:33 PM)
Thnx. Time tmrw?

Midoriya I. (6:34 PM)
How about 8AM? Unless it's too early

Akatsuki R. (6:36 PM)
I work until 8ish. 8:30?

Midoriya I. (6:36 PM)
Sure! Sounds good

Midoriya I. (6:36 PM)
See you tomorrow!

Akatsuki R. (6:40 PM)
See u tmrw

"You seem like you're in a good mood today."

Taking the pastries out of the oven, Rei carefully slid them onto cooling racks, working quickly but carefully as she balanced the trays. She hummed thoughtfully, closing the oven as soon as she was done. "I'm meeting a friend today."

"A friend?" The woman stopped decorating the small cookies, staring in surprise for a moment at the quiet girl that worked for her. "Good for you."

"We're training today."

"Ah, getting ready for that sports festival, aren't you?"

Mamaru Nano was a sharp woman that knew everything about Rei, all the way down to knowing just what she meant when she blinked slowly in response to almost everything. Rei almost wondered what the woman had seen in Rei to give her a job, as desolate and cunning as Rei tended to look to adults. What trustworthy aspects had she seen, when Rei hadn't even known they existed within herself? Even as Mamaru returned to decorating the cookies, it was clear that she had a smile on her face even with her back turned. "I'm glad that you're doing well, Akatsuki-chan."

With the shift almost over, Rei turned to begin washing dishes. Filling the compartments with hot water, she tugged on a pair of rubber gloves as she began her work. "Yeah. It's going good."

"Have you heard any more news about Fujioka-san?"

If she had been holding onto any dishes, they would have slipped from her fingers. Rei jolted at the mention of the familiar name, freezing for a moment as anxiety and sadness began to burble. Hanging her head, she lowered her voice. "No."

The older woman hummed in response, maneuvering around the multiple trays and the busy walkways as she flipped through to check on another cooling rack. "I'm sure she'll be fine. That girl always seems to pull through." Rei had no response, just continued to wash the various kitchen equipment meticulously and quickly. Scrubbing with vigor, her eyebrows furrowed in thought. She could only hope Mamaru was right.

Dish washing always meant that the shift was nearly over, and it was just reaching eight o'clock when Rei finished the task. Removing the apron and hanging it on a hook, she began cleaning up the rest of the counters. Mamaru appeared around the corner with a tub filled with fresh pastries that had just finished cooling, pausing in front of Rei and gesturing for her to take one. "Go ahead and leave. I'll finish cleaning up here."

Rei blinked in surprise. "Are you sure?"

"You're training with a friend right? Don't want to keep them waiting."

Mamaru always knew, somehow. She had the perfect timing, from knowing when things were finishing in the oven to knowing just how to usher a person along. Plucking a chocolate croissant, from the top, Rei waved her hand as she bit into the delicacy. "Thanks, Mamaru-san." She only received a wave in response as the woman hurried out to the front of the store to set up the display, leaving her to her own business. Glancing at the clock one more time, Rei noted that it was eight o'clock on the dot.

It was time to get a move on with the rest of her day.

Midoriya had been waiting at the bottom of his apartment, waving Rei over as she approached quickly. Rei hadn't much of an idea what the boy had in mind for the day, but she did have an expectation that he would have an outline. This was Midoriya they were talking about; he had multiple plans with detailed subheadings and bullet points with backups to spare. Meticulous was probably a good middle name for him. And he didn't disappoint, immediately launching into the logistics he had planned out for the day as Rei listened in interest and amusement as his bright energy and enthusiasm. Perhaps picking him for a partner would have more perks that she originally thought; training with someone as motivated as him would definitely pick her spirits up, and she quickly found herself looking forward to the day even more as they began their jog to the beach.

The warm up had been intense. Rei was able to keep up with almost everything, but even she found herself pushed when it came to more of the strength training. Doing push ups with Midoriya only proved how much of a beast he was when it came to strength; Rei was certainly a bit disadvantaged as a girl, but she couldn't help but be impressed with the boy's raw power. It seemed to serve as a reminder that Rei was more speed and stamina based, her torso and core providing strong backup for her legs. She wasn't weak in her arms, but in a fight against almost every boy in their grade she would be at a disadvantage for sure. She would have to rely on her two strengths in order to avoid entering an all out fist fight, that was for sure.

After nearly an hour the two took a small break, drinking water and watching the light dance on the water. Both had broken a sweat, certainly warmed up and ready for the rest of the day. Rei looked at Midoriya after taking another guzzle of water, breathing finally calmed. "So, fighting?"

He nodded determinedly, standing up and offering a hand to Rei. Accepting it gratefully she let him pull her up, watching as he began to formulate his ideas. "I was hoping that you'd be able to help me with that. I think we have similar styles, since I tend to hold back and avoid fighting unless I know how to predict their moves and get around them."

Crossing her arms, Rei nodded. "Right. I've noticed that in class."

"So, where did you learn how to fight?"

Rei blinked in surprise. "Me?" Tilting her head, she thought about the question for a moment. "I guess I've been fighting since grade school. A lot of bullies usually came after me, so I figured out how to fight from them."

"Eh, really?" Midoriya looked surprised, eyes wide at the revelation. "But, why would people want to fight you?"

Tensing for a moment, Rei shook her head. "It's a long story. But I'll admit, I wasn't always letting trouble come look for me. I started a lot of fights too."

"I see." He raised a hand to his chin, thinking for a moment before slowly speaking, as though still pulling together his thoughts. "Then, if you're a strong fighter, why don't you go on the offensive more often? In the first battle training, you opted to sneak through the vents instead of fighting the other team head on, and instead had your team put up a front. In fact, most of the time you try to go around the enemy and spring a surprise, or take them down some other way."

He began muttering once again, a trait that Rei was quickly getting used to. It was rather enlightening for her to hear his inner dialogue out loud, letting her immediately know just what exactly he was thinking and what sort of jumps his mind was making. She was content to simply listen and watch where he brain took him. But he was onto something, and Rei found herself divulging even more information. "To be honest, I'd rather take someone down without wasting my own strength. I'm not the strongest person, and I'm certain there are others who are much stronger than me. Why waste my energy if I can think around them?"

Looking up at his training partner, it seemed as though he had a lightbulb moment, face brightening. "I see. You use the terrain to your advantage."

Rei nodded in affirmation. "But that's also a problem, going into the sports festival. Chances are that they'll limits what resources we're given in order to make things fair. We'll be relying on our quirks and little else." Gold eyes narrowed in determination. "That's why I need to practice fighting in combat. It'll definitely come down to some sort of one-on-one battle, should we make it that far. I'm sure you could use some pointers too."

It looked as though Midoriya understood every word of what she said, his face morphing to match hers. "Right. Then, let's fight."

Walking away to create more space between them, Rei watched cautiously as Midoriya slid into a stance, keeping his green eyes trained on her in equal caution. Sliding her right foot back behind her, Rei readied herself, muscles almost twitching in anticipation. "Start whenever you're ready," she called out.

"E-eh?" Midoriya stuttered, eyes wide. "Me?"

Rei nodded sharply. "You wait for the enemy to come to you, predicting their moves and watching for the first swing. Try something new."

He thought for a moment, Rei waiting patiently as he thought things through. After a few seconds he finally burst forward, leaping up in the air at the final second to come in from above. Rei rolled to the left, picking herself up quickly as Midoriya recovered from delivering his blow, picking his hand up from the sand and pivoting quickly to pursue his target. Entering a series of punches and kicks Rei quickly and narrowly dodged most of them, blocking a few others whenever she was unable to move. She had to admit that he was fast, for the most part transitioning through moves with success. But there were holes in his movements too, and Rei watched him carefully.

Coming in for a right jab, Rei braced herself to block the incoming move. But much to her surprise it was his left hand that snuck in for the full punch, knocking her to the side and sending her into the ground. Rolling over backwards she bounced back to her feet with a grunt, surprised as his deception. She grinned. "That was a good one."

Midoriya smiled back, breaking from his stance. "You're seriously fast, Akatsuki."

"Speed is one of the things I have going for me," she countered, brushing herself off. Walking away and creating space between them once again, Rei began to prepare for the next fight. "You have strength on your side. Place your hits right, and it doesn't matter how fast the enemy is."

Accepting the compliment, Midoriya raised his fists again. "Come at me, then."

Never one to back down from the challenge, Rei smirked. "If you insist."

Without hesitating she charged forward, almost a blur to Midoriya's eyes. Instinctively he swung a fist forward to meet her head on, but she slid like a baseball player onto home plate, sinking beneath his upper body and completely going past him. His eyes widened, but it was too late to correct his mistake. A pair of hands latched onto his ankle, pulling his weight out from underneath him and sending him face first into the sand. He had absolutely no time to react; the moment he tried to get up Rei had already seized the moment, a knee digging into his back and hands on his elbow and head, completely restraining him. She held him in place for a moment before relaxing, allowing him to crouch over and spit the sand from his mouth.

"Any regrets yet?"

With one final cough, Midoriya turned his head around to look at the victor, wiping his mouth clean. "Not a single one."

"Good." Rei extended a hand to the boy, pulling him up from the ground with a small smile on her lips. "Remember, if your opponent is faster than you, they'll try to circumvent you and attack you from a different angle. Normally your attack would have worked if someone believed that they were as strong or stronger than you and relied on upfront attacks. It was a good instinct."

Shaking their encounter off, Midoriya smiled. "I never thought of it that way before. It makes a lot of sense though."

Rei nodded solemnly, increasing the distance between them once again. "You tend to focus on punching. Remember that your legs exist too."

"Right."

"Ready?"

"Yes!"

By the time the sun was setting, Rei was bruised, exhausted, and had sand everywhere imaginable. How did it manage to get in her belly button, when she was wearing a tight tank top? But it mattered little in the end, as the two of them sat breathlessly on the beach, battered and weary but still enthusiastic.

Midoriya was a powerhouse that knew no end. It wasn't that his stamina was insanely big, but more of a mentality that he carried. He understood the fact that time was precious, and that every second and every blow counted in the long run. Even when Rei was certain that she was almost spent, his energy overflowed into her soul, encouraging her to go for just a little longer, all the way until the sun was setting and the time had flown by. Sitting on the packed down sand, Rei watched the orange sky reflect on the dark waters, a sense of peace settling over them.

"Oh." Rei turned toward Midoriya, who was looking at his phone in surprise. "My mom wants to know if you'd like to stay for dinner."

Rei blinked once, then twice. "Is… that really okay?"

An enthusiastic nod accompanied a brilliant smile as green eyes met gold. "Yeah! We're having katsu-don, if you'd like. I mean," he backtracked a bit, waving his hands around panickedly, "you don't have to!"

Dinner at someone else's house? It wasn't like anyone expected Rei to be back at any point during the day, and she had nothing better to do. She nodded her head once. "Then, if it's alright with you…"

He didn't even let her finish, jumping up from his seat. "Yes! Let's head home now!"

An endless bundle of energy. A rabbit? A puppy, definitely. Picking up their belongings and shaking out their clothes, he rattled on about how good his mom's katsu-don was, even making Rei excited in anticipation for the meal. She wasn't a picky eater, but always knew that food tasted better when she didn't have to make it. At least, that was what she thought. Midoriya kept the conversation up most of the way back, reminding Rei of Yaoyorozu and their walks to the station. It brought a bit of warmth to her heart as she watched the green haired boy excitedly gesture around himself. I made another friend.

But there was something that had been weighing on her mind for most of the day, and she knew she had to address it before they made it back. They were almost back to the base of Midoriya's apartment when Rei broke.

"Midoriya, why does Bakugou hate you?"

The boy physically jolted, freezing for a moment at the absolute bluntness of Rei's question. She watched him carefully as his face dropped almost instantly, a nervousness coming back to his persona. "Bakugou… is really strong. I've known him since we were kids. He was always the one leading the neighborhood pack, and when he got his quirk he was…"

"An asshole?"

Midoriya panicked, gesturing wildly as his eyes went comically wide. "Ah, no! I mean, that's to say, Bakugou was just, ah-"

Rei crossed her arms, not believing him for a moment. Her eyes narrowed as she scrutinized her friend, daring him to deny her words. "He's been a jerk to you, all this time, hasn't he?"

Heaving a small but heavy sigh, Midoriya looked at the ground. "I've always been in his way, since I was pretty useless. He wanted to be the first kid from our junior high to make it into U.A., but I ruined that for him too. Still, he's always been Kacchan, and I've always looked up to him. He's so strong, and cool."

Once he started, there was no turning back. Midoriya began talking about their times growing up, all the way to when his fiery friend had been trapped by that smile villain. Rei vaguely remembered seeing something about that, but she kept quiet the entire time, simply listening to Midoriya talk. Even through the pain his eyes shone in the late afternoon light, a glimmer of hope and admiration that was shining through even the strongest adversity, and Rei could help but be impressed by this boy's loyalty and hopefulness. He was light in the darkness, the optimism in the most daunting circumstances.

Everything began to fall into place. It was walking in that amber afternoon that Rei began to see the big picture, the one relationship in their class that had vexed her the most. She saw Midoriya's pain that he tried to hide, the competition and rivalry he felt for his childhood friend, the drive that pushed him forward to become the absolute best he could be. She felt his energy, his heart as it touched her own. She realized just why Bakugou was so pent up, so aggressive all the time.

Both of them were fighting to be someone, to stand out, and their lights were so bright that Bakugou was desperately pushing Midoriya away in order to stay ahead.

Midoriya still couldn't control his quirk, which placed him years behind his peers. But when it came to overall improvement his was exponential, surpassing everyone else in terms of gains. He was rising quickly, and everyone knew it, especially Bakugou. The boy who had vowed to become the number one hero saw the competition, and sought to push it down as soon as he could.

Rei understood. She understood the fight, the constant struggle. It was why she found that she admired both of them, their different approaches. They were trying to find their place in the world.

At the end of the day, wasn't that what everyone wanted?

But all thoughts had to come to a pause as the two of them entered Midoriya's apartment. "We're home!" Just as Midoriya was kicking his shoes off, his mother rounded the corner with a gentle smile on her face.

"Welcome home," she announced happily, taking a look at Rei for the first time. Rei froze instantly, unsure of how to interact with Midoriya's mother. She bowed formally at the waist, a bit stiff, but it worked.

"Thank you for inviting me, Midoriya-san."

"And you must be Akatsuki-san!" Rei lifted her head first, slowly followed by the rest of her body as she stared at the woman for the first time. She was round, but in an endearing way that made her look soft and welcoming. The similarities between her and her son didn't seem to stop, even in the way that she smiled as she continued to stir something in a pot in her hands. "Izuku has been talking about you non-stop since yesterday."

"Mom…"

Rei simply stood in the doorway, shocked into silence. Midoriya had been talking about her to his mother? "Call me Inko, Akatsuki. It's easier to differentiate the two of us."

Shaking herself from her stupor, Rei bowed again. "Thank you, Inko-san."

"Dinner will be ready soon. Izuku, why don't you show Akatsuki to your room?"

"Ehh?! But-"

His mother simply turned away, busying herself in the kitchen again. Rei rushed to untie her shoelaces awkwardly, ripping her feet out as quickly as possible. She had stood there, like an idiot, for much too long for her liking. She tried to scrape as much sand off her ankles as possible, a bit sheepish that she was tracking so much sand into the house.

Thankfully, Midoriya noticed. "Ah, I can get a towel for you to clean yourself off. I know there's sand everywhere, so…" He trailed off again, muttering something or another that Rei could no longer hear. When he came back she accepted the towel gratefully, stepping into the bathroom to clean herself off.

Sand. Everywhere. She resisted the urge to just jump into the shower and scrub her hair and skin clean, instead moistening a part of the towel and rubbing herself down as best as possible. They hadn't been the most careful during their dueling, as sand was literally everywhere. In her shorts, in her tank top, in her hair; Rei grimaced as she did her best to shake off as much as possible. The ordeal almost took a full five minutes, but she was at least confident that she wouldn't be leaking sand everywhere in the house.

Stepping out of the bathroom, she headed across the hall to Izuku's door. It was clearly marked with an All Might themed door decorator, which should have been a warning sign for Rei for what lay inside. Knocking gently on his door, she waited for his answer to come in before opening the door slowly, peering inside.

Her eyes widened.

There was All Might memorabilia covering every free surface. The walls were slathered with posters, various figurines and statues lining the shelves and even on his desk. Everything was themed in his traditional red, blue, and yellow. If anything, it was impressive to see just how dedicated her friend was to the set up; how had he found all these thing? Entering the room more freely, she openly stared around the space.

Midoriya was rummaging through his drawers, pulling out a clean set of clothes. "I'll… be back! Just gonna change!" He panickedly left the room in a rush, slamming himself into the bathroom. Rei only blinked slowly at his sudden leave. Was something wrong?

After overcoming her surprise, she began to inspect the room more closely. There were a few newer posters, but most of them seemed to be years old. Even so, they were carefully maintained, with only a few frayed edges at the corners from where they had been delicately removed and restuck. Outlining the various ages of heroes, they painted a vivid image of just where the pro hero had been with his branding and look, an impressive collection that Rei had never considered before. She moved on to the figurines, not daring to touch them for fear of ruining something. Like the posters they were almost all in pristine condition, save for a few that had seen some obvious wear and tear. They were likely from Midoriya's childhood, beloved toys that saw everyday adventures. It left a warm feeling in her chest to see his obviously secret pride and joy.

She hadn't realized how long she had been looking at everything until Midoriya came back into the room, refreshed and changed out of his sandy workout clothes. He stood sheepishly at the door, chuckling nervously as he watched Rei surveying his room. "It's a lot from all these years."

"It's really neat." Pointing at a particularly intricate and ornate figurine, she looked to Midoriya. "Where did you get this one?"

"Oh, that one?" He stepped a bit closer, looking at it fondly even as he threw his towel to the side. "My mom got that for me a few years ago. It was a limited edition item that only sold about five hundred models."

"Incredible." Rei blinked, turning back to Midoriya. "You really admire All Might, don't you?"

He laughed sheepishly again, scratching the back of his head. "Yeah. He was my biggest hero growing up. I was super obsessed."

"I can tell."

He had opened his mouth to say something before the two of them heard his mother calling from the other side of the apartment. "Izuku! Dinner!"

The two of them made their way to the door, Midoriya leading the way. He seemed less self conscious about his room now that Rei had seen it and had not laughed, leading the way and talking about something All Might had said during one of their class sessions. Rei only followed along, giving short, pithy answers that filled the spaces. All the while, Rei mused on the details she had seen in Midoriya's room.

Dinner was a surprisingly comfortable affair. The talk was light hearted and enjoyable, with Midoriya and his mother supplying most of the conversation. Rei only had to insert herself a few times, though she found that she was rather engaged in the whole process. She listened to stories his mother told, poking a bit of fun at Midoriya at his embarrassed reaction whenever she could. It was rather enjoyable, and with good food to share. Rei was stuffed by the time she finished, convinced that she would need to roll down the stairs in order to get to the street.

Midoriya had offered to walk her back to the station, which she accepted gratefully. The two of them had started up a conversation about the sports festival and their classmates, mostly dominated by Midoriya as he explain the various things he had observed about the others in their class. Rei listened quietly, occasionally asking questions or giving various commentary to show her interest. Before she knew it, they had reached the station, and said their goodbyes.

"Thanks for agreeing to train with me. You didn't have to."

At this Midoriya seemed to get a little flustered again, although he seemed to be overall more relaxed in Rei's presence than before. "No, this was great! I learned a lot from you today."

"Good." Stepping away, she gave a small wave before beginning to turn around and walk through the train station.

"Akatsuki-san!"

Turning around in curiosity and confusion, Rei blinked slowly at Midoriya, showing that he had her attention. He seemed a bit of unsure of what he was about to say, face screwing up as he stared at the ground for a moment before lifting his head.

"You're a good friend, you know? So, keep smiling."

Rei was caught off guard. Midoriya flushed, waving as he turned away quickly, striding out of the station and into the night. For a moment she simply stood there, watching the green haired boy bolting into the distance, surprise on her face. To hear him say that she was a friend was more than she had ever expected, and so quickly. He was so fast to trust, so willing to call someone his friend.

It was enough to pull the corners of her mouth up gently.

By the time she got home, almost everyone was in their rooms. The hallway was quiet as she made her way into the house, removing her shoes and slipping up the staircase as smoothly and silently as possible. With her quirk it was easy to do, naturally blending in with the shadows and skulking around the creaky spots in the floorboards until she came to her room near the end of the hall.

Compared to Midoriya's room, her room was quite plain. After the staff had found out that Rei had been accepted into U.A. they had given her her own room, claiming that a busy high school student like her needed her space. It was thoughtful, and she certainly appreciated not having a roommate for the first time that she could remember, but there were no personal touches, unlike Midoriya's room. The plain eggshell walls were cracked in some places, the plain gray comforter and bed set the only splash of color in her room aside from the old wooden desk and chair, if it was even possible to call that color. For the first time ever she yearned to make the room more her own, reminiscing on the bright, All Might themed decoration that Midoriya had plastered on every surface.

But at the same time, that took effort. She wondered if she would ever get around to decorating her room. After all, she spent little time in the space, preferring to study in the dining or living room most times so that she could help look after the other small kids. If she wasn't studying she was running around town, usually training herself and leaping through trees and rooftops. What little time was spent in this room was either in late night cramming or sleeping.

Filled with nostalgia, sat down at her desk, pulling open one of the side drawers and sifting through the contents. It was rather shallow, situated in the middle between the top and the bulkier, larger drawer on the bottom where many of her school supplies were stored. Inside the drawer in question she allowed her fingers to trace over a conglomerations of various pieces of junk; a few rocks collected from the bottom of the canal, some trinkets and talismans from various fairs and festivals growing up, a get well card from when she had gotten sick as a child. A couple hair pieces that she hadn't been able to let go of yet, something that the workers at the orphanage had given to her after Haru had passed and her belongings cleared out.

Slender fingers drifted over the colorful hair pieces, brilliant fake sunflowers that seemed real enough and made of a surprisingly high quality. Rei picked them up from the drawer, turning them delicately in her hands before sliding them back into their place among the other trinkets. Her favorite things were nothing like the figurines and toys that Midoriya had lining his shelves, the coordination that dictated him room of a stunning palette that somehow worked even amongst its own chaos. All her treasures were kept here in a single, thin, drawer, of a small enough number and size that it didn't make any sense to openly and proudly display them. They meant nothing to other people, probably easily mistakable for trash if anyone else saw.

But perhaps that was the magic of it all; something that Rei found significant, even in the most mundane objects. Still the comparison lingered, and a dull ache lingered in her chest. Midoriya was so blessed, such a good person, that she could never begrudge him what fortune he already had. His life wasn't perfect, but for the first time in a while Rei found herself to be jealous of her classmate's life. What was it like, living in his shoes?

The room was cold, even in late spring, and finally Rei began to move and hurry around the space much quicker as she gathered her belongings in order to shower. Reflecting on the state of her room only made her more sad, and she didn't need that. She needed to focus forward, to get ready for the sports festival.

When would she ever take the time to stop and realize that she couldn't run forever?

The next day during the hero class, Rei found herself running through the trees. She had to take a break from running through such an urban landscape and focus on something else. They had no idea what sort of environments they would be placed it, so it was in her best interest to brush up on her skills evenly. At least, that was what she told herself. She was mostly avoiding throwing herself from the next tallest building in order to skip the nasty feeling it left in her legs and her spine.

It was fine. She deserved a break from that anyway. It was a good excuse to practice other things and get away from that bone numbing feeling. Literally.

Sailing through the treetops was something she hadn't done in a while, reminding her of how difficult it truly was. Branches were not flat surfaces upon which Rei could rely. They bounced and swayed, and she had to focus on landing on them precisely so that she wouldn't slip or fall in either direction. She had already messed up a couple times, and had vowed to watch her step more carefully so that she wouldn't end up falling flat on her ass again or knocking the wind out of her. There was no one to blame but herself for her own mistakes, and she found it rather tedious to spend half the time muttering obscenities based on her miscalculations. She just had to focus down and be better.

It was a beautiful day to be outside, a breeze blowing just slightly enough to keep her cool as she leapt from branch to branch as quickly as possible while keeping her focus. Occasionally she would switch it up by swinging on her hands, flying around like a gymnast as she practiced keeping her head on her shoulders with all the twisting and turning. Leaping into the air and turning often kept one's enemies uncertain of their direction, but it could cost one's balance and cardinality.

Fortunately, both were difficult to lose for Rei. She had been doing gauntlets like this since she discovered her quirk. Faster and faster she pushed herself through the grove of trees, a small smile on her face even as she found herself breathless, sweat pouring down her forehead-

BOOM

The force was enough to make her stumble, pushing her off one of the higher branches and sending her falling forward. Rei cried out in shock, but managed to snag a more solid branch, nails instinctively coming further out of her hands to dig into the bark. For a moment she simply dangled in space, breathing hard as she tried to figure out what had just happened. Obviously an explosion meant that a certain explosive boy was close by, but Rei was certain that she was avoiding most people-

"Oi, the hell are you doing here?"

Shit. Peering down at the ground, golden eyes met irritated red as Bakugou crossed his arms, waiting for an explanation. With a grumble Rei dropped to the ground, landing a few feet in front of the peeved boy. She rolled her eyes as she took the opportunity to stretch her limbs out, grabbing her feet one at a time as she stretched her quad muscles. "Didn't think I was getting close to anyone. My bad."

He stared suspiciously at Rei, but she only sent a blank look back. Suddenly, she was taken aback by the background behind her classmate as she began to look beyond him, finally taking in the scenery. Or rather, what sections were left of it. The destructive damage hadn't been as large as she had thought it would have been, instead a rather narrow area that stood quite a few meters away. Eyes flickering back and forth between Bakugou and the backdrop, she suddenly put two and two together. "You're trying to propel yourself forward, aren't you?"

"Shut up," he bit out, marching away. "'The hell you know?" But it became apparent as he walked a small distance away, crouching down and extending his arms behind him. Rei watched as he exploded high into the air, forcing her to cover her face from the force briefly before watching his lofty arc. He landed a considerable distance away, but further cursing was an indicator that it hadn't gone exactly how he had desired.

Slowly, she made her way over to where he had landed. His back was turned toward her, but he snapped around as soon as he heard her footsteps padding over to him, an angry look on his face. "The hell you want? Go away!"

"Crouch again." Bakugou raised an eyebrow in suspicion, but Rei leveled him with an exasperated look this time, gesturing for him to ready himself. Slowly he sank into a crouch, extending his hands behind him as he stared forward moodily, grumbling under his breath. Rei walked around him once, looking at his posture even as he looked ready to snap. He opened his mouth, but Rei was faster. "You're not going as far as you want, are you?"

Surprise painted his face. He startled at having been read so easily, but Rei made no comment, instead walking up next to him and extending her arms behind her. "Your angle is too low. Right now you're setting yourself up for nearly sixty degrees into the air. It'll feel uncomfortable, but raise your arms up like this," she demonstrated, arms screaming in protest from stiff muscles. But Bakugou followed, lining up his arms and giving a shout as he burst into the air. Rei watched with ringing ears as his peak was lowered, but he sailed further through the air, passing over the previous spot where he had been two tries previous. A smile was on her lips as she watched him stare at his hands in surprise, turning to look at the distance he had traversed.

Turning back, Rei began to walk away. There was nothing more for her to do. Bakugou certainly wasn't going to wait around to say a thank you, not like she had expected anything from him. Content that she had done her good deed for the day, she slowly began to head into the forest, continuing to stretch her arms out and roll her shoulders back. It was time to get back to business.

Another explosion sounded in the distance as Rei settled into a crouch of her own, readying to take off into the trees. But just before she could take off, she heard something fast approaching.

"Oi! Move!"

So surprised by the voice she only had time to turn around, her brain barely even registering the fact that someone was flying in her direction. In the time it took for her to blink a body collided with her own, knocking her into the ground with spectacular force.

She had closed her eyes, but she knew that something was wrong. She should have hit the dirt, but instead she landed on something else. It was barely any softer, but warm. Breathing in relief, she lifted herself up from the ground only to stare into bright red eyes.

Rei's mind froze. So did her body.

She didn't mean to freeze, lingering in their position. But neither could she find the courage to move, so shocked and surprise that she stayed there, hovering above Bakugou's body. Eyes locked together, Rei felt her breath catch in her chest, refusing to leave.

"Get off."

His voice was strangely soft, but it broke Rei from her stupor, quickly pulling herself up and dusting herself off. For some reason Rei found it impossible to meet his eyes, instead looking into the forest, anywhere except those red orbs. Hands messing with her hair, she built up the courage to cast a glance at her classmate, almost freezing again as she caught him staring in her direction. Sputtering awkwardly and fidgeting with her hands, she instead stalked off into the forest, hopping twice before blasting high into the trees.

What was that? It had been so fast, she hadn't realized that he had tucked himself under her body before they had even hit the ground. And she had stared at him like an idiot, freezing on top of him. What was wrong with her? It wasn't like she had any reason to stay on top of his muscular body, gazing into those gorgeous red eyes-

Oh.

She could feel her cheeks flushing.

She did the only thing she knew how to do in this situation.

She screamed.

"AAAGH! SHIT!"

(bonus)

It had been his fault completely, though he would never admit it. Akatsuki's comment had made sense, and even though he was certain that he would have eventually figured it out, it saved him a load of time in the long run. After the first burst forward using her correction he had been excited to have finally gotten the trick down. But what would happen if he stuck his arms further up? Turning around quickly, he blasted off again into the air. It was even lower than before, but it had propelled him even further forward, faster than ever.

That was when he realized his mistake. Akatsuki hadn't moved far from her original spot, and his over correction had his trajectory aimed directly at her. The further he fell the more it was confirmed, and at the last second he had yelled for her to move.

"Oi! Move!"

But it was too late. He was flying too fast through the air. She had looked up in shock at the last moment, golden eyes widening before shutting tight as she raised her hands to brace herself for the inevitable. Colliding into her he wrapped his arms tightly around her frame, pressing her close to his chest as he flipped around. It was barely in time, his shoulder clipping the ground painfully since he was unable to fully finish his rotation. A groan slid from his mouth instinctively from the collision. But the girl in his arms noticed nothing even as they slid to a halt, her hands on his chest.

Breathing hard, he only watched as she lifted herself from his chest, slowly becoming aware of her exact surroundings. When her golden eyes had opened and locked with his he had sucked in a breath sharply, watching her eyes go wide with innocence and panic as she froze. Like a deer in the headlights she had simply stood there, propped up above his body, unsure of what to do, golden eyes wide and round.

He wasn't sure if she was going to get off herself, looking so frozen and motionless that she could have been a statue. So it was him who prodded her to move. "Get off." He had spoken quietly to try and avoid spooking her further, but she had jerked to life and sprung up from his position, staring into the forest and fixing her hair. Standing up and brushing himself off, he watched as she unstealthily snuck another glance at him, pursing and licking her lips nervously before bounding away into the trees, disappearing from sight. Sticking his hands in his pockets, he watched as she vanished from his line of view.

If it had been any other person, he would have ripped their ear off. How could they just stand there in his way without moving, so uselessly? But Akatsuki Rei was different. From the first day at U.A. she had been the only person to so fearlessly meet his gaze, deftly dealing with that loud and mechanical Iida with cold fire as those golden eyes ripped into their souls. She had proven herself to be strong, way before they had even begun to watch one anothers battle skills. Even then she had only proven her flexibility and genius from the first day, outsmarting the brainiac vice president of their class with ease, barely batting an eye.

He had convinced himself that she was tolerable, the one person that didn't immediately tick him off and the one person he could grudgingly respect. But he hadn't been prepared to face the fact that she had grown on him, in more ways than just that. He had been caught off guard the day that she had stepped in front of him to verbally fight that purple haired kid from the general studies course, ripping into him and the others that had stood before them. He had watched as the students had parted instantaneously for her to walk through, had watched her slender but strong frame walk away from him with confidence and a deadly aura that held a knife to everyone's throat as she stepped past.

And just like that, she had seen through him. The lies and niceties that had built up his fragile ego, vanishing in a moment as she stripped them away. She saw who he was, and she had pointed a finger at him and told him that she believed in him, the real him, that she would support him all the way.

Bakugou wondered how she could see through him, when all he could see were the wall she had put up herself. She was guarded, wearing that blank mask that occasionally alternated for a cocky smirk, a look of exasperation, or the deathly seriousness that most everyone now knew her by. Only recently had she begun to show more life, making friends with miss perfection, of all people, and even talking with Midoriya. The thought made his blood boil. How could she talk with such a lowlife?

But for a moment all those thoughts had vanished as he stared up into golden eyes. She was unguarded for the first time Bakugou had ever seen, eyes wide and swirling with a variety and depth of emotions. He was secretly reluctant to tell her to move, but had done so anyway. She was so skittish, unnerved for the first time ever, the first true emotions that he had ever seen beyond that wall that she always kept high. Watching her leap into the trees, he could only stare off into the distance.

He wanted to see more of that side of her. The side that he had managed to pry open, if by accident. It was wild, uncontrolled, and beautiful, and uniquely her. Hands in his pockets, he gradually forced himself to turn away and refocus on training. But he paused for a moment, a voice drifting through the grove to his ears.

"AAAGH! SHIT!"

For the first time in a while, a gentle smirk made its way onto his lips.

AN: lol

Thank you so much for the reviews y'all. I'm working hard to write more chapters. To give you an idea of where i'm at, right now I'm deciding how I want to edit chapter 23 and how I want to get into chapter 24. I've got the scaffolding and planning done, but there's a long road to go.

Happy Sunday!