Chapter 17

A New Home

"The match is over! Team B wins!"

Midoriya and Tsuyu panted, slowly picking themselves up from the ground. The trees around them had been absolutely destroyed, singed fragments of twigs, branches, and even broken hulls of entire trees lay in a wide perimeter around them. The air smelled of smoke and gun powder and defeat. For a moment they sat there in the spot where they had been knocked down, absolutely stunned.

How had it turned out this way?

He had left Todoroki and Yaoyorozu to protect their flag, the two of their quirks combined more than enough to provide ample blockades and barriers for the other team. If by some small chance that someone on Team B had been able to get past Todoroki's long range quirk, then Yaoyorozu would provide the second line of defense since she could create items to help in both long and short range combat. On the front lines, they had Iida and Uraraka along with Tokoyami, the pair seeking out that one person that would tip the balance in their favor, the three of them then going for the opposing team's flag. How had those three failed? With their quirks combined there was almost no feasible way that they had failed, considering what quirks they had gone up against. Team A had an absolute slew of knock out abilities, balanced from long distance to short distance, offensive and defensive abilities, as well as support. And aside from that all, they all knew how to work with one another, in sharp contrast to the biting and antagonistic personalities on the other team. How had this happened?

Across from them on the other side of the clearing, Midoriya watched with wide eyes as Akatsuki fumbled with her and Bakugou's ties. Similar to Midoriya and Tsuyu the two of them had decided to join themselves at the arm, leaving their legs open for maneuvering. In fact, the two pairs had a near identical set up, aside from the fact that their tie had been shifted further up their arm so that Rei could move her hand away from Bakugou's gauntlets; they had tied their left sides together, the girls riding on their partner's back and providing additional support and defense.

He now watched as Bakugou barked something at Akatsuki, horrified as she stopped trying to untangle them and using her right hand to smack his upper arm, the sound echoing through the woods to his position not far away. Midoriya was convinced that Bakugou would explode. No one could get away with anything like that when it came to the explosive boy. But his childhood friend only scowled, tossing his head to the side as his partner said something that Midoriya's ears couldn't quite pick up at that distance. It apparently was enough of a reprimand to get her partner to stop moving around and tugging at their bond, letting her pick away at the tight knot until it finally came undone. She dropped it in his hands, Bakugou snatching the ribbon and storming away.

It was then that Akatsuki sighed, turning away from her spot and making her way to Midoriya and Tsuyu. She offered her hands to them, Tsuyu realizing what she wanted before Midoriya and catching him off guard as the frog girl placed their wrists in Akatsuki's hands. The golden eyed girl bent down, stooping over to help them as the duo continued to sit on the ground, catching their breath and trying to figure out what had happened. With deft fingers she picked at the knot and pulled it apart, taking the ribbon into her own hands. She then extended two hands, gesturing to pull the two up."Good work today. You did good."

Looking away for a brief moment, Midoriya sighed. Tsuyu allowed herself to be pulled up from the ground, the green haired boy taking a bit longer. "I didn't see it coming. To be honest, I'm not sure what happened…"

"Sorry. I definitely took advantage of you all."

Surprise crossed Midoriya's face at Akatsuki's comment. But she only extended her hand again in good will, pulling Midoriya up with ease as soon as he placed his hand in hers. With a tilt of her head she motioned for the two of them to follow her as they walked back toward the entrance, surely heading to a debrief before changing back into their school uniforms.

"Tsuki-chan, you predicted Midoriya's plan, didn't you?"

"Eh?" Midoriya looked between the two girls, stiffening as Rei nodded her head. She walked at Midoriya's right, head looking forward even as she began to explain, her face calm and collected.

"It wasn't hard to guess who would be stationed where. Todoroki and Yaoyorozu would be defending the flag, since they're long distance fighters and can keep everyone away. Additionally Todoroki's mobility was limited with Yaoyorozu; even if she created something for herself to adapt, her abilities aren't as developed as Todoroki."

"I see."

"That left Uraraka and Iida, along with you two, with the highest mobility. I knew that you wanted to go find Tokoyami to give you a numbers advantage." At this she turned golden eyes up to Midoriya. "You were expecting to face off with Bakugou, knowing that he wanted to grab the flag or go after you personally, right?"

The boy flinched. But everything thus far had been true. He had completely expected Bakugou to act personally, now that he had been given the chance to use his quirk against his classmates. "Actually, I thought that Kacchan would go after the flag. He does have the best mobility on your team."

Rei nodded. "You were right. Bakugou originally wanted to go for the flag himself."

"Originally…?" Midoriya balked, clenching his hands in front of his chest as he looked down to Akatsuki. "So, he was going for the flag?"

"It took some convincing, and a bit of bargaining. I convinced him to go after you instead."

"Ehh?!" The boy shouted, completely thrown off. "Akatsuki-san, that's kind of mean! And a little underhanded… Actually," he contemplated, bringing a hand to his chin, "how did you convince him? Kacchan definitely doesn't like getting told what to do."

The paths through the forest slowly began to converge, other classmates starting to come into view as they all drew closer to the entrance. Akatsuki waved back to Yaoyorozu, who was looking slightly disappointed at the outcome of today's class. "Most of the group agreed to go with my plan. Kaminari did a little convincing where it was needed."

"Kaminari… That's right, he was on your battle team on the first day of class, wasn't he?"

She blinked in surprise. "I'm… surprised you remember. But yes."

"Kero." Tsuyu peered around Midoriya. "Then you and Bakugou were a distraction."

Looking between the two quickly, Midoriya was surprised once again as Akatsuki nodded in affirmation. "Ashido and Mineta set up a sort of blockade around the flag. We disregarded finding Tokoyami, instead sending all of our pairs to distract your own. Kaminari and Sero stayed at the point. By using Mineta and Ashido's quirks, it ensured that the route to the flag couldn't be jumped over, and it required a lot of focus, like the minefield during the sports festival. Mineta's balls were placed close enough to the flag so that only someone's hand would be able to slip into the tree and grab it, making sure that Dark Shadow would be useless."

A look of realization dawned on Midoriya, although it was mingled with disappointment. "Iida and Uraraka would have to take it slow, and Sero would be able to wrap them up."

"Then, the flag…"

Everyone had now made it back into the clearing near the gate, All Might standing in front of them. Near the front of the class was a dancing Ashido, waving the flag in front of Team B energetically as they all grinned. Even Akatsuki managed to smile. "Ashido and Shoji. Ashido melted Todoroki's ice when they weren't looking, Shoji providing the eyes. Because all the other teams were engaged, they were able to sneak around the perimeter without being bothered."

Their trio was the last to arrive, All Might placing his hands on his hips once they pulled up to the group. "Right! Good work today, everyone. And especially good work to Team B! You all showed what you could do when you teamed up and worked together. Keep it up!"

Their team cheered ecstatically, all the while the members from the other team ranging from happy to disappointed. Dismissing the class and running off, the students were left in All Might's dust to head back and change back into their school clothes, walking in groups and chattering as usual. Yaoyorozu joined up with Akatsuki, a small smile on her face. "Well done, Tsuki-chan."

"Thanks, Momo. You too."

The studious girl sighed, scratching her cheek and looking down. "I still have much to learn. I can't believe that we lost our flag, all when I was guarding it."

"It's okay, Yaoyorozu-san!" Midoriya smiled encouragingly. "To be honest, Akatsuki-san outsmarted us all."

The praise made Rei flush, a bit of color coming to her cheeks as she crossed her arms. "I wouldn't go that far…"

"I couldn't see much. Will you tell me what happened?"

Midoriya began to repeat much of what Akatsuki had already explained, the girl only hopping in every once in a while to make amends or add details where the boy was lacking. The discussion turned into one of strategy, talking about the various groups and their subsequent strengths and weaknesses

As the other three began to talk more and more about Team A's short comings and areas for improvement, Rei drifted off into her thoughts. In recounting the strategy session she had with Team B, Rei had inadvertently skimmed over a lot of her teammates' debating and doubt about her plan in order to keep things pertinent to Midoriya's interest. Team B had almost been ready to fight her about her decision to forget Tokoyami, convinced that they needed someone with his mobility and individuality on their side. Against extremely mobile people such as Iida, Midoriya, and Todoroki, all Team B had comparatively was Bakugou and Akatsuki. Even after she had explained the logic of Mineta's trap they were uncertain. Even Kaminari hadn't been able to help as much to convince the group, uncertain as he was on his own. It was only when Bakugou yelled at them to "shut their traps unless they had a better plan" that they were silenced and went along with Akatsuki.

She wasn't going to lie; it had been a huge risk. They had literally given Team A Tokoyami without contesting it, putting them at a severe disadvantage when it came down to the numbers. But Akatsuki hadn't been focused on that. She had been placing a bet on Midoriya's confidence in his friends and the fact that, with Bakugou, there normally would have been a great deal of dissonance on Team B. She had placed a bet on Ashido and Shoji in particular; their defense was strong, but she hadn't initially been sure that the two of them would be able to sneak around the top two students in their class. Then again, they did have stealth and a backdoor, so there was a great deal of payoff.

When it came down to it, Midoriya's plan had fewer holes. It was a solid plan that worked with the odds and maximized them in their Team's favor. Akatsuki had made multiple bets, educated guesses and gambles that would have certainly been their downfall if they hadn't been pulled off. But at the end of the day, wasn't that what this team exercise was about? Trusting in her peers to get the job done, letting her take the hands off the wheel and believing in the fact that her teammates would pick up the pace and build upon the groundwork she had laid? Putting things into that perspective, it made her feel a little better while simultaneously worse. She originally hadn't trusted her team. That was something she needed to work on.

The most surprising part of the activity was the fact that Bakugou had been surprisingly cooperative. Sure, he had scoffed at some of the ideas she had, the placements she decided, and most certainly at the fact that she single handedly decided what he was going to do. She knew that he wanted to do his own thing, to take matters into his own hands. But in the end he had conceded to her plan.

"Oi, you sure this plan is gonna work?"

Rei simply looked down at their elbows as she tied the ribbon, making sure that the knot was secure without putting additional strain on their arms. She had kept it fairly loose, only making sure that it wasn't so big that it slipped over his gauntlets, allowing them a fair amount of space to move around one another. Giving an experimental tug, she nodded in satisfaction when it didn't come undone, wrapping up the loose ends so they wouldn't get in the way. "It's a gamble, but I'm pretty sure."

"Don't say shit like that." Red eyes glared at her. "We're gonna win. Just say, 'yes,' or, 'it's gonna work.'"

Giving it another tug, she finally looked back up at her partner, exhaling steadily through her nose as she refrained from sighing. "Fine. We're gonna win."

"Don't forget, I'm only going along with your plan because I want to win. It'd better work."

"Are you saying you think I'm gonna half-ass something?"

"I'm saying you better not, or I'll kick your entire ass."

It was enough to make Rei smirk, the banter between them something she enjoyed. In that moment, even with the pressure they were putting on themselves, she found that she was happy, even if just for a moment. Rolling her shoulders back confidently, she gave a full smile to her partner. "Do you trust me?"

His eyes lingered on her for a moment longer before he turned around, crouching down so that she could climb on his back. She climbed on, wrapping her legs around his torso and her free arm around his neck, trying to make sure that she kept her arm low enough so she didn't choke him. It was only because she was so close to his head that she heard him mutter under his breath.

"Do you even need to ask?"

They had done fairly well together, although admittedly this wasn't their first time. Rei was reminded of the first week of school, when she had been paired with Bakugou for the heroes and villains civilian rescue. But this was an entirely different animal, especially since they had to navigate three dimensional space with one another in order to fight Midoriya and Tsuyu. There were a few times where they had fallen out of sync, Bakugou moving suddenly when Rei wasn't ready, their momentum changing suddenly in the air as he screamed directions at her while she tried to refrain from releasing her free hand to smack him over the head. But they had successfully battled it out with Midoriya and Tsuyu, holding their own even as they collided heads on occasion. Of all the people on their team, she had to admit that Bakugou had been lucky; she was accustomed to running around and fighting in three-dimensional space, most of their other teammates and even the rest of their classmates unaccustomed to such a style. Even their two styles were similar, what with the way they could change their momentum and direction mid air quickly while keeping their balance and sense of direction definitely in sync, although Bakugou could change faster with his explosive quirk. All in all it had actually been a welcoming experience. For all the shit she had given him at the beginning, he was a pretty decent teammate.

Looking forward, she watched her partner as he walked a few meters ahead of her, shoulders pulled back confidently as Kirishima talked at him about something. She found that she had to thank him again; he had placed his trust in her, and had thus convinced the rest of their team to follow as well. Everything that happened, the outcome and the successes, she owed to all of them. Rei smiled.

Things were finally looking up.

"Something's different about you this morning."

Rei had just finished tying on her apron, washing her hands thoroughly as sudsy pink bubbles began to appear from the rigor. Mamaru was beginning to pull out all the necessary tools, preparing their workstations for another morning at the bakery. Stepping into stride Rei began to assist her, digging through some of the lower drawers and shelves since she was the smaller one, handing things over to her supervisor as the woman passed by. "Actually, I have something to tell you." She hesitated, standing up to see that Mamaru had her attention focused on her. "I'm… going to resign."

Teasingly, Mamaru began to move around. "What, you don't like me anymore?"

"T-that's not it!"

The older woman laughed, beginning to pull out the bins of flour. "I'm just kidding. What's going on? Should I be concerned?"

Falling silent, Rei thought about her conversation with Reina a few days earlier.

"I've been thinking."

The two were sitting in the dining room at the orphanage, working on a math set together for Rei's homework while sipping cans of orange juice. Twirling her pen in her fingers Rei looked up. "About?"

"Your job." Reina leaned back. "U.A. is only going to get harder, and you'll need to dedicate more and more time outside of class to not only your studies but your connections. So," she paused nervously, licking her lips, "since you're going to live with me, I'd like to provide you with a small allowance."

Rei blinked. "... Allowance?"

"It won't be too much, but it'll be enough to give you some spending money if you want to go out with friends. I just… don't want you to start stressing out with work. It's a big time commitment."

It was too much. Rei shook her head, setting her pen down as she turned fully to Reina. "I can't do that. That's your money."

But Reina remained adamant. "I've already given this a lot of thought. Since I'm returning to work with my parents, my stipend is growing even more, and I don't need all the money. So, I'd like to do this for you."

There was a bit of Rei that still hesitated. Free money? But her morals were still in the gray area. Still, Reina had a point; going into the future she was going to find herself hard pressed for more time, and she needed to prioritize becoming the best hero possible. It was logical, and if she admitted it, was more than generous. What had she ever done to deserve such a wonderful mentor that supported her in every way?

Nodding her head after a while, she caved. "Okay."

Reina blinked in surprise at how easy it had been, but another one of her trademark, ear splitting grins appeared. "Okay! Good, I'm glad! I'm a bit surprised that you didn't push a little more-"

"On one condition."

"Yes?"

"I get to call you nee-san."

A hand landed on top of her head, mussing choppy black locks affectionately. Even as Rei scowled she couldn't help the way her lips moved upward. "Is that even a condition? Of course, silly."

"Okay."

"Right! Now let's get back to it."

Rei found that she wanted to be honest with Mamaru. "The orphanage is closing, but Reina is taking me in so I can stay at U.A.. I think it's time for me to focus on my school work and my career soon."

The woman nodded, moving around one of the production tables. "I believe it. You've been through the ringer already. Reina's been keeping me updated on what I don't get on the news."

Breathing a sigh of relief, Rei began working on making dough. "You're not mad?"

"I won't be, on the condition that you come back here every so often to visit."

She smiled. "It's a promise."

"Right. Let's get to work, and no slacking off just because it's your last day!"

Rei blinked. "Aren't I supposed to put in a two weeks notice or something?"

"Honey, you were attacked by that Hero Killer man. You deserve time off."

"Mamaru-san… Thank you."

Saturday. The first, glorious day of the weekend. After finishing up at Mamaru's shop for the final time, standing outside the store for a moment to take it all in one final time before bowing in thanks, she made her way back to the orphanage. It wasn't like she was saying goodbye forever; she had promised Mamaru that she would come back and visit (and bring her business, of course). It was still early in the morning, the sun barely up in the sky long enough to even heat the pavement up. Cool and dry, it was just how Rei liked it, and she hummed absentmindedly to herself as she walked the short distance back to the orphanage.

Today was the day.

She was moving out.

She wondered what Reina's place was like. She liked to imagine that it was a little apartment somewhere in a quiet neighborhood, since Reina had stated that it was in Mustafu. There would be big windows to let in a lot of sunlight, and it would be a little messy because Reina was occasionally disorganized when it came to physical objects. But the one concrete fact thus far was that it would be closer to U.A., which was definitely a perk, although that also brought the challenge that she would have to figure out which train she needed to take to get to school. Hopefully that meant that she could catch a few extra minutes of sleep in the morning.

It was exciting, and Rei found her pace picking up as she drew closer.

By the time she made it back to the orphanage, she was vibrating with energy, a smile plastered across her face. Running up the stairs and quickly but as quietly as possible, she opened the door to her room slowly, halting in her tracks as her brain suddenly short circuited. Already inside was Reina, taking apart her futon and standing it up in the corner. She stopped as she noticed Rei entering, a sheepish but bright look on your face. "I thought I'd come help before you came back, but I woke up a little late." She looked at her mentee for a moment in silence as Rei removed her small pack and began stripping out of her work clothes. "You look excited."

"Can you tell?" Rei's voice dryly answered, earning a laugh from Reina as she continued to move about the room.

"I brought you a couple suitcases to use. I hope you don't mind that we'll be taking the train back."

"Taking… the train?" Rei blinked as she threw on a black compression top, folding her long sleeve and tossing it to a corner on the floor. "What else would we take?"

Reina eyed the shirt while beginning to fold Rei's comforter. "I hope you know that you'll have to pack that shirt up. Why throw it on the ground? And it's because Hotaru took the car today to visit a friend that's in town."

"Ah." Rei blinked, taking in everything Reina had just said and digesting it in pieces first. "Will Hotaru be there today?"

"She'll be back later in the evening. She told me to tell you that she's looking forward to having you home though."

A warm feeling surfaced in her chest at Hotaru's thoughtfulness. It felt like mere weeks ago that the two of them had met, the constantly calm woman the perfect antithesis of Reina, who fluttered around everywhere with bright energy. They had gotten along well, although Rei would have been lying if she said that she hadn't been looking forward to their meeting; as the legendary friend from college that got Reina into the mentorship program, it was safe to say that Hotaru had effectively saved Rei's life, however indirectly. The woman was a quiet soul, but a passionate woman who had requested a transfer from Tokyo's program all the way to Mustafu, working at a different orphanage in the next prefecture over now, all to be with Reina. They were adorable, and Rei often found herself slightly jealous of their relationship, how they were always in sync with one another.

Opening her closet she began pulling things out, quickly folding them before tossing them into the suitcase next to her. Reina sighed, coming next to Rei and refolding the shirts carefully before tucking them away properly. "Rei, be a little more careful, otherwise they won't all fit."

Rei snickered. "Yes, mom."

Even Reina wasn't immune to her sarcasm, shoulders shaking as she laughed. Rei listened to her directions, taking greater care to fold the shirts and passing them on to her mentor for her to pack them away. The time ticked away quickly, the two of them running through the room and double checking that Rei had everything. All her belongings, packed into two suitcases. It was a little sad, but at the same time it reminded Rei of just how little she had to keep her in that place. It was time to move on, and she was lucky that she had such a wonderful opportunity.

It was close to noon by the time they finished cleaning everything and making sure that the room was left spotless. The two suitcases clunked down the stairs, alerting the kids downstairs to Rei's location as they came charging from the playroom around the corner. She was almost tackled to the ground as the smaller ones swarmed her legs, clinging on to the limbs and trying to weigh her down. Reina only laughed as she took the suitcase, moving the luggage out the door before moving back in to find Urahara. Leaving Rei to the small gremlins she began to wrangle them off of her with a bit of laughter as they then began to swing from her arms. "Get off!" Her yells only made them giggle more, the infectious laughter intensifying until Rei was exhausted.

"Seriously, I can't walk out of here with all of you dragging me down!"

"Don't go!"

"Nee-san!"

There were about ten kids, all of them elementary school age, clambering for her attention. With a sigh she let herself go limp, watching as all of them eventually backed away as they sensed her change in attitude. Finally free she made her way to her boots, leaning over as she pulled them up and laced them tightly.

"Why do we have to go?"

Rei looked up to a small girl in particular, who huddled at the front of the group. Sighing, she put her hands on her hips. "Sometimes adults are bad, and that's just how life is. That's why, when I become an adult, I'm gonna be a cool adult that you can count on."

"Nee-san, is that why you're gonna be a hero?"

She couldn't help the smile that came to her face, the pride she carried in her shoulders. "That's right. Someday, you'll hear the name Meishin, and you'll know that I'm there for you. Okay?" She rarely got to spend time with the little ones anymore, but she was determined to not be like the middle schoolers and high schoolers she remembered when she was little. They had been cold, pushing the younger kids out of their way with cold detachment. They had succumbed to the darkness. She wouldn't do that. Even if she didn't love each and every one of them, she couldn't leave them behind like that.

So she smiled. "We'll all meet again. That's a promise."

They seemed disappointed, but they accepted it. That was how it was. It was all they could do, if they wanted to survive. Accept things with a bowed head, and move along. As they said their goodbyes and moved back to the playroom, Rei saw Urahara standing with Reina in the hallway, watching her with fondness. She felt tears come to her eyes, but she pushed them away, even as Urahara strode through the hallway with open arms, gesturing for Rei to approach her. They met at the threshold, Urahara towering over Rei as the two of them embraced for a while.

When they finally pulled away, Rei could see relief on Urahara's face. "We wish you all the best, Rei. I look forward to the day when you become a hero."

Rei bowed. "I'll do my best."

Reina and Urahara embraced one final time before the former slipped on her shoes, the two of them waving goodbye for one final time. Out the door they went, back into the summer heat. It was getting close to noon, Reina fanning herself with her hand as she took one of the suitcases. Rolling through the dirt yard and out onto the street, Rei found herself turning around one last time to look at the building.

So many memories in this place, both good and bad. But she couldn't deny that there was a fondness for the place where she had grown up, for the people who had been dedicated to her, the friends that she had. It was a piece of her, undeniably, setting the foundation for who she was today. Rough, tough, and world worn seemed to be the theme, but she couldn't discredit the softness and kindness that people like Haru had taught her. It filled her with a sense of nostalgia, the sensation creeping through her body and lifting her mind as she looked back in fondness.

She felt Reina's hand gently land on her shoulders. "To a new adventure?"

Rei nodded, finally turning her head away as they walked away. "To a new adventure."

The afternoon was warm, making their trek a little sweaty. Rei was thankful that she had the foresight to change from her longsleeve and leggings, going for a plain black compression shirt and spandex shorts instead. She felt rather plain compared to Reina, who was dressed to a tee and looking like a model as usual, but her nerves and excitement took over for her. The train ride couldn't pass quick enough, and by the time they reached their stop she was desperate to get to wherever it was they were going. Once she was in direct sunlight however she began to slow down, keeping pace with Reina instead of pulling at the metaphorical leash, no longer surging with excitement.

Much to Rei's surprise, the apartment complexes morphed into housing residences, the buildings getting larger and more grandiose the further they walked. By the time Reina turned onto the proper street Rei's eyes were about to fall out of their sockets by the way she looked around at everything. "Nee-san… you live in an area like this?"

"What's that supposed to mean?" Reina wrinkled her nose in displeasure. "My parents actually gave this house to me. It'd be more rude to turn it down, so I've learned to live with it."

"... Impressive."

"And scary, right?"

"Definitely intimidating."

"Don't worry! All our neighbors are very nice. You'll like them."

Rei nodded stiffly, looking around at the houses. A lot of them had well maintained front yards that were landscaped to perfection. In fact, all of them were nothing short of beautiful, ranging from very western with hedges and other bushes all the way to a more traditional aesthetic with rocks and minimal designs. One house across the way had multiple bonsai plants, all perfectly manicured and presented along the front wall, Rei peering in as she passed the entrance.

"Well, here we are!"

Pristine, white washed walls and a green roof peered over the cement front wall that had a narrow entrance, guiding toward the walkway up to the house. It was a mansion, if Rei had ever seen one. All the houses were like that, each one distinctive in architecture and looking more like custom homes than anything else. It was like Rei had just opened one of those home decor magazine, the pristine presentation screaming designer. She hesitated at the entrance, slightly unsure of everything. It felt too grand, too nice.

But Reina strode forward confidently, taking her key out of her bag and unlocking the front door. "Come on! Let's find some lunch. I'm pretty sure we have some leftovers from last night. Or we can make cold soba! It's pretty warm…"

Stepping through the entryway and removing her shoes, Rei took a moment to take in the view. The house immediately opened up into a massive living room, a high vaulted ceiling with modern fixtures hanging down catching her eye the most. If she had any doubts that she was in some sort of home magazine, the interior had solidified that concept. She followed after Reina, hauling the suitcases up the stairs with moderate difficulty. At the top was a long hallway, Reina heading to the left. "Your room is over here. I thought about giving you one closer to me, but I thought you'd want your privacy…" Opening a door at the very end of the hall, she gestured for Rei to enter before her.

Rei gaped, mouth open wide as her jaw dropped. The room was huge, looking like a master bedroom with all the space. There was a queen sized bed on the far side, along with various other furniture all pushed to the walls. At least the floor was hardwood, just like the floors back at the orphanage, although these ones look distinctly new and unmarred by various dents and scratches that described general wear and tear throughout the years. Reina rolled the suitcase she had carried over to the foot of the bed, sliding the handle down before she turned around to face Rei with her hands on her hips. "Well?"

The high school girl was still standing in the doorway, although she slowly entered the room as she looked around. It was a fantasy. "It's huge."

"Right? Honestly it was so lonely living here at first. That's why I'm glad Hotaru came to live with me, and now you're here too. The house is gonna be so much warmer with both of you around now!"

She was almost certain that it was Reina who made the house warm, what with her vibrance and whatnot that could take up an entire room. But she just nodded instead, Reina flouncing out of the room. "I'll let you unpack. I'm gonna find us some lunch!"

And just like that, she was left alone. Sucking in a deep breath she sighed, swinging her hands as she walked over to the suitcases. Might as well get to work. She towed them over to a set of drawers next to the closet, opening them up and getting to work. It was simple, mindless enough work, but that left her mind to wander.

Reina was rich. Rei didn't know how she didn't guess that much before, since she had enough information to go on. Her parents had a near monopoly on textiles specifically used for hero costumes, and Reina was in on the family business, at least now that she seemed to be reintegrating and returning from running away. But for some reason Rei hadn't seen it coming. Perhaps it was because Reina didn't act like a rich kid, wasn't snobby to those that she easily could have considered beneath her feet. All Rei's life, her interactions with rich kids had been negative, usually ending in fights that then circled back to someone blackmailing the administration into punishing her again. Reina was living proof that there were good people in the world, who sought to do even better not despite her circumstances but because she understood just what her position was.

Had Reina been like that before she had met Hotaru? A snotty rich kid who was self absorbed in her world? It seemed impossible, what with the way she carried herself now, but it wasn't a stretch. Hotaru, another orphan just like Rei, had changed her girlfriend's world for the better. It put a smile on Rei's face as she went about her work, placing folded shirts in the proper drawers and organizing everything as she navigated her thoughts.

By the time she finished Reina had bounced back into her room, knocking on the door and peering in from the doorway. "Finished?"

Rei nodded, getting up from the floor. "Yeah. Just finished."

"Perfect! Let's eat. I'm starved."

The rest of the day had passed quickly. Lunch had been a quick affair while also serving as a reminder of Reina's terrible kitchen skills. She was essentially unable to operate anything beyond a microwave and a tea kettle, so they had broken out bowls of instant ramen, much to Rei's amusement and delight. They had slurped their noodles at the kitchen counter, giggling as Reina took the opportunity to describe some of her worst and most embarrassing moments in this kitchen and other moments beyond, including the time when she had caught the toaster on fire back when she had been in high school. Even in a new environment, where she didn't even want to breathe on some of the polished surfaces, Rei began relax little by little. It would take her some time to get used to her environment, but slowly her heart started calming down, anxiety dripping away. The fact that this was now her home was slowly seeping into her mind. She would be fine.

After their meal she had brought her school supplies down to the living room, sitting on a futon on the floor as she worked at the low table. Reina sat on a couch behind her, tapping away at a computer as she began to look at work projects, a pair of round framed glasses on her nose as she stared at the bright screen. Getting to work the two of them lapsed into a companionable silence, Rei occasionally turning around or poking Reina with the back of her pen to ask questions. They would work on a few things together before going back into silence. The afternoon had passed quickly, Rei eventually stretching up into the air and falling backwards onto the floor. Looking out the massive floor to ceiling windows she realized that the sun had just set, darkness falling all around. Was it already evening?

The sound of a key jiggling in the front door made its way to Rei's ears, the door opening not long after that. The two inhabitants looked toward the door, standing up as a willowy girl with transparent hair slid through the entrance. Looking up with iridescent eyes, she smiled. "I'm home."

"Welcome home!" Reina vaulted over the couch, nearly tripping over herself as she skipped to the door, taking Hotaru's bags and placing a kiss on her cheek. "Rei is home too!"

"I remember." Her voice was low and sultry, head peering around Reina to find the aforementioned girl before finally seeing her slowly making her way to the entrance. She smiled, holding her hands out as she brought the girl into a tight hug. "Welcome home."

"Aren't I supposed to say that?" Hotaru just laughed, taking off her shoes and storing them away.

Reina could be heard rustling through the grocery bags in the kitchen. "Oh, did you buy more pota-pota?"

The newest entrant scowled as she made her way to follow her partner. "Don't touch that! You took from my stash the other day, I know it."

"Awww, babe…"

"That face won't work on me." Hotaru called out to Rei. "Rei-chan, do you mind helping me? Reina is useless and I don't trust her with a knife."

"Fine, fine, fine, I get it. I'll move." Reina moved out of the kitchen, dramatically huffing for show just as Rei stepped in, blinking as she watched everything. Hotaru had already pulled on an apron from the side of the refrigerator, sorting the items from the grocery store and putting things in the fridge.

"Can you start cutting the green onion? Cutting boards are in the thin cabinet to the left of the stove, knives on top."

"How do you know I can cook?"

Hotaru only smiled cryptically. "Takes one to know one."

It was a hilarious poke, enough to make Rei grin as she began to prepare everything, laughing to herself at the joke. Within minutes the kitchen was transformed into a culinary wonderland, steam and scents wafting through the house. Where her girlfriend was a tragedy when it came to cooking, Hotaru was a genius; even Rei had to admit that her katsudon was on par or even better than Midoriya's mother.

Dinner was filled with laughter and light banter, Rei watching as Reina and Hotaru talked about their days and joked playfully. They incorporated Rei, Hotaru asking about U.A. and everything that she had been learning. She relayed the story of the capture the flag incident, much to her two listeners' delight. By the time they had finished, absolutely stuffed to the brim, Rei was relaxed in her chair, a warm feeling in her chest.

So this was what it felt like to come home to a real house, to a family. With a smile, she imagined that she could get used to everything rather quickly. Clearing the table, she was pushed away as Reina took care of the dishes. With nothing to do for the three of them any longer, Rei poked her head around to Reina. "Reina? I'm going to do some work out stuff before I sleep."

"Sure. Use the backyard and whatever else you want! Don't go too hard."

Waving Reina off, she bid farewell to her new guardians, the two wishing her a good night as she left. Jogging up the stairs she headed to her room to change, exchanging her shorts for black leggings and changing into a sports bra crop top, throwing a black jacket on top. Realizing her boots were left downstairs, she debating going for them before she gave up. It wasn't the first time she went barefoot; in fact she preferred it, able to grasp things with her feet if all else failed, which it sometimes did. It was a shame that fighting barefoot as a hero wasn't logical, unless you had a quirk which made them insanely tough. If anything else, it would also make her landings softer. She didn't want to disturb her new neighbors just yet, and she didn't trust herself to make absolutely silent landings with her boots. Opening one of her windows she shimmied out onto the ledge before pulling herself up onto the roof, padding up to the peak and looking out around her.

The night was quiet, some bugs and birds softly chirruping in the background, the air just cool enough to make her thankful for her jacket. The tiles beneath her feet were still a little warm from the day, but she knew that they wouldn't stay that way for long. Stretching out on top of the little peak of the roof she carefully watched her balance as she stretched her legs, making sure she was warm enough before taking a few steps back. Readying up, she sprinted down the roof, leaping across the street to the other side.

Even if there wasn't much variety when it came to roof height, there was no shortage of strangely shaped roofs and houses, making the terrain quite different. With the additional challenge of silencing her landings as much as possible it was enough to keep her on her toes, her mind sharp as she watched out for anyone who might see her running around the neighborhood. What would these rich people think if they saw a five foot tall hooligan, all dressed in black, running circuits on top of their roofs? She had to think that Reina would not be very happy with any phone calls about her disturbance, but that was if they even caught her. With a roll of her eyes she soared through the night, breathing in the cool night air as she broke free. Chirasaki's lessons on how to soften her landings would definitely come into play and get practiced in this place.

She wasn't really determined to get anywhere in particular yet, stopping every few houses to take in her surroundings and orient herself, making note of potential pathways to run in the future. She also watched for yards with animals, one house in particular having a very fluffy dog that yapped its head off once it heard her. Hearing its owners call for it to shut up, but to no avail, she couldn't help hissing at it for fun, watching it cower at the noise. But then she had taken off, before anyone could see her.

Dogs. Annoying little brats. They were worse than children.

It was nearly an hour before she began to make her way back. Breaking into a sweat she had tied her jacket around her waist, stripping down to her sports bra. No one could see her anyway, and she didn't care. It basically covered her entire upper body from her ribs up, including her shoulders. She had jumped to her side of the street, running and leaping over the houses on the way up. Most of them had flat or relatively normal roofs, letting her practice some aerials and flips as she moved, trying to push herself in the final stretch.

But the house second down from Reina's had a particularly high roof that was normal, partially obscuring her vision for the next house. She had sprung from the edge of that roof, aiming for the roof of the next house for her landing. But the last third of the roof had suddenly sloped and ended, leaving a sudden gap at the end. Realizing her mistake too late, she panicked in the air, clipping the edge of the roof and sailing straight into a tree that sat on the edge of the property.

Crashing through the branches she clawed blindly in a desperate attempt to slow herself. "Shit!" Nothing she did could save her, except marginally slow her descent as her butt collided into one of the lower branches before she toppled over the edge, landing on her back. The wind was knocked out of her, and she was left gasping for air as she tried to recover. She had hit her head too, the world spinning as she slowly picked herself back up. She had to get out of the yard before someone came to check and see what is was-

Too late. A sliding glass door from the second level opened, footsteps pattering out onto the veranda. Internally Rei groaned, closing her eyes. She was screwed. Trying to keep as quiet as possible, she hoped that they would just go back inside and dismiss the sound as some animal crashing through the backyard.

"Oi, who the fuck's there?!"

Rei groaned again. She knew that voice anywhere. She couldn't believe her fucking luck, so she simply sagged on the ground, everything still spinning. Her back was bleeding, torn open from hitting that last branch and snagging on something sharp, most likely a branch that had already been torn before she had collided. That wasn't the only part of her that was bleeding; there were small laceration all over her body. She was tired, sweaty, bleeding, and exhausted.

This was the very last person she wanted to see right now.

She could hear him approach the edge of his patio, peering over the edge. Rei sighed. There was no point in hiding anymore, unless she wanted to be at risk of him using his quirk to try and smoke her out, thinking she was a burglar or an animal. So instead she closed her eyes and tried to keep her voice as level as possible to hide the pain. "Fuck off, Bakugou."

Silence. Then, more muttering. "Akatsuki?" He had lowered his voice to a whisper, but she could hear the disbelief. "What the hell are you doing?"

The world was still spinning, and she felt slightly sick. Had she hit her head that hard? Closing her eyes, she tried to relax, but it was incredibly difficult with her back bleeding out. This wasn't a regular injury; she needed to clean it before it got infected. But Reina would only panic, and she didn't want to bother either her or Hotaru. Sucking up her pride, she groaned before whispering as loudly as she could. "Do you have a first aid kit?"

"Oi, Katsuki! What was that sound?"

"Just a stupid cat!" He yelled back at someone from inside the house, making Rei growl in both pain and irritation as his comment.

"I'll claw your stupid ass hair out for that."

"Shut up," he hissed back over the edge. "Can you get up here?"

Rolling over, Rei tried to pull herself together. The world was still spinning as she walked over to the wall of the house, looking up and squinting. "Where is here?"

A phone light suddenly turned on above her, making her hiss and cover her eyes with her hand. "Okay, okay! Give me a sec." She had to swallow hard, keeping her stomach together as she prepared for the jump. Crouching slightly, she jumped up, uncertain of how high she actually went. The world spun, and she stuck her hands out, panicking a bit.

Two hands stuck out and grabbed her wrists, pulling her in a different direction. She slammed into the guard rail, trying to muffle her groan in pain. But she had made it to the balcony, and she slid her body over the rail, hitting the ground with a thump. Everything hurt, and a hiss of pain left her mouth.

"Shh! Keep it down!"

She wanted to glare at him, but instead she rolled onto her stomach. At least now her back felt a little better. "I know!" By now the adrenaline was fading as the pain was coming in, the icy hot stinging piercing her back and bringing tears to her eyes as she grit her teeth. She heard his footsteps walking away, disappearing into the house for a minute before returning, closing his bedroom door. The smell of antibacterial wipes made its way to her nose moments before it touched her her back, making her hiss as quietly as she could. She wanted to kick her legs against the ground from the pain, but all she could do was wait as quietly as possible for the pain to go away.

"How the fuck did this happen?"

Now a bit humiliated at her clumsiness, she banged her head into her arms, hiding her face. "I was running a circuit, and I miscalculated how far your roof extended."

"I didn't even think you lived here."

"I didn't." Another wipe attacked her skin, and she sucked in a sharp breath as he scrubbed at her skin. "Just moved next door today."

"No shit." The biting tone of his voice matched the harshly cold and clean sensation on her back, warming away as it was replaced with gauze and allowing Rei's body to relax marginally now that the worst of it was over. He said nothing more as he padded the wound, although she shifted after a few moments.

"Oi, you want this to open up and bleed more?"

"Fast healing. I just need like," she paused, trying to estimate a healing time. "Fifteen minutes. I'll be fine here."

He scoffed. "Hell no. Stand up."

"Didn't you just tell me not to open it again?"

"Stop being stubborn and let me help!"

She stilled as he spat out his whisper, letting him pull her arm out and up as he practically dragged her to her feet. With a hiss and a wrinkled nose she followed him unsteadily into his room, head finally starting to clear as the room spun a little less. He practically dragged her along, letting her go as he pointed to his bed. "Lie down."

It was only now that her senses were coming back to her. Particularly the fact where she realized her classmate was shirtless, only dressed in a pair of shorts. Her brain short circuited for a moment, slowly shaking her head as she tried to figure out what she was doing. "But I'm sweaty. I can't lie on-"

"Lie the fuck down, or I'll make you!"

If he hadn't been trying to keep as quiet as possible, Rei was sure that he would have been yelling at her at this point. Following orders she slowly sat down, inhaling sharply before holding her breath as she slowly shifted from a seated position to rolling onto her stomach, lifting her legs up onto the bed carefully and slowly.

Turning her head to the side, she watched as he sat down at his desk, flicking his desk lamp on and pulling out a textbook. She watched him for a while, eyes lingering over his back as he hunched over his desk. It was after a few moments that he finally felt her staring, turning over his shoulder to look back at her. In the low lighting she could see him clearly, gold eyes honing in on his red. For a moment they simply stared at one another, until she heard his chest rumble. "Stay there."

"Fifteen minutes," she countered. He only turned back to his book, seeming to ignore what she had to say. She watched him for a while longer, but now that she was lying down she had to admit that she was exhausted. She had woken up early for work this morning, what seemed like forever ago now that she was here this late in the evening, and everything was finally coming down on her. Eyes fluttering, she hadn't intended for them to close, but sleep claimed her, if just for a while.

Cold. Darkness. Water, all around.

She couldn't sense anything, her eyes closed as she floated, sinking further and further. It was pulling her down, deeper and deeper, but she couldn't seem to care at all. It was comfortable, soothing even…

Suddenly her body lurched, seizing up for air-

Rei gasped for air, inhaling sharply. She was still lying on her stomach, head turned to the side as her eyes flew open. There was a cloud of hair just to her side, lingering in her peripherals, and she craned her neck down a little bit to see Bakugou's head rather close to hers. He was sitting against the frame of the bed on the ground, something in his hands that she couldn't see. At hearing her sudden gasp he turned his head, scanning to see what was wrong. Their eyes met. Upon seeing that she was awake he relaxed a bit, brows still slightly furrowed but otherwise rather calm.

Catching her breath, Rei moved a hand to her back, gingerly pressing down on her wound. Much to her expectation it had sealed up, dried blood around where it had been open and new skin puckering underneath. Slowly she pushed herself up to a seated position, placing her legs on the ground to the left of Bakugou. Blinking blearily, she looked around the room for a clock, eyes finally landing on a set of flashing red numbers…

Was it actually past midnight?

She glared at the boy seated beneath her and to the side. "I said fifteen minutes."

He only rolled his eyes. "You looked like shit."

Wiping a hand over her face, she resisted the urge to groan. Hopefully Reina hadn't checked on her, otherwise her guardian would be panicking over the fact that she had gone missing for more than a few hours. Slightly groggy at the fact that she had essentially taken a two hour nap, she slowly began to pull herself together. The moment she began to stand up Bakugou shot up to his feet as well, watching her cautiously. "Don't push yourself."

"I'm fine." Peeling the gauze away from the wound, she turned her back to show him the proof. "See? All healed."

She hadn't expected his fingers to brush over the wound, grazing the puckered skin with surprising gentleness, as though he was worried of pushing too hard and opening it again. Swallowing hard, Rei stiffened, shuddering at the motion as his fingers brushed back the other way. When his fingers left her back her skin suddenly felt much colder in their absence, making her inhale slowly as she calmed her nerves.

It was he who moved first, moving to the sliding glass door and opening it as quietly and slowly as possible, the door gliding surprisingly well. But it was enough to break Rei from her stupor, feet moving automatically as she moved from the wooden floors to the textured floor of the balcony outside. Back into the night air she shivered, wrapping her arms around herself as she turned around to face her rescuer.

Half to her surprise, his face was suspiciously absent of any hints of anger, of irritation or inconvenience. It was the same look he had thrown at her before, the indescribably gentle look that was so different from the anger he always showed everyone else. Tilting her head, she stared at him in confusion. "Why do you look at me like that?"

Her question didn't seem to provoke much of a response out of him, save for a blink before he sighed to himself, stepping forward and raising his hand out. Much to her surprise, his hand rested on her head, ruffling her hair affectionately and briefly before his hand dropped to his side. It was so fast she had almost missed it, but the gesture that she usually hated from everyone had been oddly satisfying coming from him. His lips twitched as he stepped back into his room with that same look on his face.

"If you can outwit that damn Deku, you can figure it out."

She reactively scowled at the lack of an answer, but she forced herself to wipe it off her face. Muttering a small goodnight she turned toward the guard rail, hopping onto it briefly before leaping onto the roof across the gap. Skulking along the roof she made her way to her still partially opened window, slipping through quickly before turning around. Bakugou was still waiting outside, watching her until she made it safely inside. He nodded as she raised a hand in parting, finally going back inside and shutting the glass door, disappearing behind the reflection on the glass.

Finally on her own, Rei heaved a sigh of relief and of tension. Just what was all that again? And what exactly had he meant when he said that she could figure it out? She wasn't that smart when it came to interpersonal relationships, since she wasn't really the most outgoing or the most social. How was she going to figure this one out?

Shaking her head, she scrounged for a pair of sleep clothes before making her way to the bathroom that was connected to her room. She was sweaty and disgusting, and she wanted to sleep. Thank goodness there was still one more day in the weekend. She was going to sleep as long as she wanted, and then figure everything out, or at least try to. After cleaning up she threw herself onto the bed, pulling the covers out from underneath her and heaving a huge sigh of relief.

She was out in seconds.

AN: asldfjlk;sahsldfk

I'm alive!

(barely)

Anyway, back to serious business.

If someone told me that this story would get more than a hundred views, I wouldn't believe them. I seriously cannot believe how many of you have favorited and followed this story, and I'm so thankful for you every day. I promise to continue working on this story as best as I can for all of you. Please bear with me as I continue to make edits to the summer camp arc!

Just as a heads up for what I'm doing, I'm starting to write a Kingdom Hearts fic as well as outlining a FFVII story (since I got inspired by the new trailer for the FFVII remake, and also I've done god knows how many false starts on a KH story). Is anyone interested in reading them? They're nowhere near ready, but I hope to have them ready at least by the end of summer, if not earlier.

Thank you for your reviews!

ansegiel: Lol I try! I mean, it would be a little mean if I held out on any of those fun interactions; we're already on chapter 17 now... But I'm glad you like it!

yaoi4adollar: Yeah, I've always been a fan of trying to figure out how Bakugou's soft side would play out. Can't be an angry little lit fuse for forever! Thank you so much! I'm glad you enjoy my writing; I'm working very hard on it.

dragontamer64: Good luck on all your finals! I'm glad you found the last chapter wholesome; I'm trying to figure out a balance between sweet moments where they're not so bad and moments where my shitty children just tear one another apart and go at it lol. And thank you for consistently reviewing! I'm always excited to see what you think about the chapters.

xenocanaan: Thank you so much! I hope you enjoy this chapter, and look forward to the next few. They're a bit... fluffier for my taste, but all the same, I hope you will enjoy them.

UWU: I'm happy that you've enjoyed Rei's progression. Sometimes it's hard for me to track exactly who's doing what and how fast/ slow the characters are changing, so it's good to hear feedback on that!

Sheridan111000: Thank you for reading so far! I hope that the next chapters live up to the hype :D