as much as i'd held onto hope that my second day wouldn't have been nearly as much of a forest fire as my first, i knew that as soon as i'd walked through the door of class 1-a, the day would be anything but peaceful.

the class was still bustling and noisy, yet i somehow was unable to hide away in other's conversations. all i wanted was to sneak through the children and make it to my seat in the back. yet there was still so much working against me.

maybe it was my height, maybe my physical features, or maybe it was the fact that everyone in the class was deathly aware of my status as an orphan, and would now feel the need to treat me with some sort of pity. i wasn't in the mood to be babied, but when did i ever get what i wanted?

i sat down in my seat and dropped my bag beside me. i had only just gotten comfortable when iida turned around in his seat in front of me to speak.

"kei, we were wondering if you'd like to eat lunch with us today? deku told us that you sat alone yesterday…"

i scoffed. "i don't need to be offered a seat to feel like i belong in this class. i know that i belong in this class."

iida nodded solemnly and turned around to face forward once more. i realized how misplaced my tone was, so i cleared my throat and tried again.

"i'm sorry, iida," i said. he looked at me over his shoulder. "i find it to be more calming when i'm by myself, but i thank you for thinking of me."

iida's sad expression lifted up into a content one, and he nodded just in time for aizawa to enter the room, just as drowsy as the day before. students sat up straighter in their seats, easily giving him their undivided attention, which he was glad to receive.

after they said their greetings, aizawa started with class.

"the sports festival draws nearer, though you all are already aware of that. for the following week, you'll be training hard for this, as it's an opportunity that doesn't come by all the time. as the top students in your grade, i expect a lot from all of you. you've shown your capability to handle this course with the events prior, but now is your chance to show the heroes outside of me and my fellow teachers that you have what it takes to be the next generation of heroes."

if all he wanted was to build up their excitement, he did that in less than a minute.

"that being said, i expect that you'll all put extra effort into your training, in your class and outside of school." aizawa straightened his back behind the podium. "i wish you all the best." the students replied with a vigorous show of gratitude.

he started to leave the classroom, but he did a double take, eventually turning his attention directly to me.

"kei, i'd like to speak with you," he firmly said. i didn't hesitate to stand up and follow him out of the room while he lazily waved to the other children with a simple "class dismissed."

we walked down the empty corridor for a few minutes before anyone said anything.

"you suspect me, don't you?"

i didn't really even have to ask. i knew that he suspected me from the moment that we met, and even if he was doing a good job at hiding it from the staff, he wouldn't get past me.

"i don't even care that you know, but i would like to hear about how someone as young as you could've figured that out."

"you're not as inconspicuous as you think. you let your gaze linger for too long, and it's even clearer to see that you don't trust me."

"you're right, i don't trust you."

"and i don't give a shit. i don't even think you have anything to suspect me of, you just can't tell why i'm different for the lot of those kids."

aizawa stopped walking abruptly with his fists tightly clenched. he quickly grabbed my shoulder and shoved me roughly into the wall to my side, holding me there and maintaining eye contact.

"to hell with that. you and your brother have been giving me bad feelings since we met, and i'm not one to ignore my instinct all the time. when i watched you fight bakugo, you had reminded me of a god from a long time ago, only to find out from ishiyama that you already know all about that person-"

"khaos, correct?"

"that's right. the resemblance between you and that khaos character is no coincidence. same quirk, same features, not to mention that no one here really knows shit about you outside of your legal documents, which were probably faked. so tell me who you really are, and i'll think of being a bit gentler when i take you to jail."

at first, i could only smirk. then i smiled, then grinned. then i snickered, and chuckled, and eventually busted out into full laughter.

it felt like i had finally lost it. hearing all this foolish immaturity spout from a grown man's mouth is what pushed me to insanity. but that couldn't be true. i was already long gone, but that didn't make aizawa's accusations any less outrageous. not in the aspect that he was wrong, because of course, he was absolutely correct. though, was he seriously planning on getting me arrested based off of a stupid hunch? maybe he'd get some stupid fucking write off because of his status as a hero, but they'd find that i was astoundingly good at lying about who i was to people.

"why the fuck are you laughing?" he spat at me.

"please, excuse me," i said, attempting to catch my breath. "i just think it's hilarious that you plan to arrest me, all because of a whim and paranoia."

"well i don't see you trying to dispute my accusation," he responded, digging his nails into my shoulder.

i sighed, and a permanent smile was plastered on my face. "just because i didn't tell the truth doesn't mean that i lied." i pushed his hand away from me. "my mother was and always had been a loyal supporter of khaos. to the point where, when she was seventeen, she somehow got them to fall in love with her. my brother was born later that year. they had sex again four years later, except my mother couldn't handle it, and she died giving birth to me. she left us in the care of khaos, however they didn't seem to care, so they left us alone. we survived for years there on our own, until our quirks developed. we left, and have been living in musutafu ever since."

"how long have you been here?"

"six years, maybe seven." lying was like a second nature to me. it was so easy with these people who were so easily fooled.

"so why haven't i heard or seen you since?"

i scoffed. "we were a couple of filthy fucking children without any parents. do you think anybody wanted to make the noble decision to find someone to do with us?" aizawa remained silent.

"once kazuhiko turned sixteen, he became a gigolo on the lesser side of town, while i sat at the dirty docks and fished for hours to try and put food on the table. only when he turned eighteen did we purchase our own home, and my brother quit his job to become a traveling journalist, though he had to use a bit more unsavory methods to manipulate his way in without a degree. turns out that he's pretty good at his job, seeing as how they haven't fired him yet. i've been homeschooled the past six years, so if you haven't seen me, i was probably busy barely surviving."

i watched him grit his teeth in impossible anger. steam nearly came rolling from his ears.

"your story is annoyingly airtight."

"it's not airtight, it's the truth," i snapped back.

"like i'm going to believe something like that. how convenient that you have a little sob story to go along with such an obvious lie. i would have sympathy if i didn't know how much of a cold-blooded killer you are."

"since you think you're a top tier detective, answer this: theoretically, khaos is thousands upon thousands of years old. what could someone with thousands of years worth of battle and espionage experience need to do in a school, when they could easily come on land, wipe out the entire government, and then kill everyone? why would someone as dangerous as khaos come here? or did you even get that far?"

all my questions were answered when he once again refused to answer.

i laughed. "don't come to me for answers when you don't have any of your own."

he grumbled and slowly backed away from me, giving me the space to push away from the wall and make my way back to class.

"i will find something on you," aizawa vowed. "and when i do, that will be your last day on this earth."

i shrugged. "any day could be my last, aizawa. your empty threats don't scare me anymore than a bunch of puppies."

he scoffed at me and stomped away, possibly beginning his hunt for my past, or going to find a much needed drink depending on how uptight he was.

i waited to watch him turn the corner and disappear before whipping out my second phone to text dabi.

'we've got trouble.'

dabi sent back an answer almost immediately.

'how bad is it?'

'aizawa suspects me of being khaos.'

'how the hell did he catch on so damn fast?'

'apparently, my quirk is what gave it away. i was able to formulate a lie to get him off me for a while, but we need to work fast, because he's not going to stop until i'm either dead, in jail, or forced back home.'

'he's known for being persistent. i'll see if tomura has any ideas, just stay away from aizawa for now.'

'fine.'

dabi typed for a few seconds longer.

'are you doing okay?'

was i really that obvious? i suppose that my restraint to speak to him last night and this morning would have been evidence enough that i was upset. but i soon realized that feelings had no place here. not with me and dabi, nor the league, nor the students. i shouldn't have been feeling betrayed or stuck, because so little of it was real.

'i'm fine.'

i pocketed my phone not even a second after i pressed send.

petty or not, dabi couldn't be a priority for much longer.

-

i returned to the class nearly fifteen minutes later, taking time to stay out in the hall, reveling in the last bit of peace that i'd get for the day.

standing behind the podium was the large man known as all might. i distinctly remember the beginning of his class from yesterday being boring, with him mainly talking. he offered to let me choose what i'd do as the new student. i'm sure he expected me to volunteer to go first, but instead i decided to sit out of the activity, spending the entire period in the classroom alone, texting toga and attempting to find some sort of white noise to listen to. he may have been upset that i'd chosen not to participate, but he moved on quickly.

today was different. today, i was upset, irritated, confused, and violent. i needed an outlet, and apparently, all might's lesson had all of the action that i needed.

i pushed the door of 1-a open and tensed when the room went awkwardly silent as everyone stared at me. as the only adult, all might felt like it was his duty to speak first.

"now, i know that you're new and all, but you must know that being this late to class is not allowed," he reprimanded.

i shrugged. "take that up with aizawa. he's the one that pulled me out of class and then left me in the hallway."

"i'll be sure to speak with him, but could you at least refer to him respectfully?"

"i don't know how to do that, i'm a foreigner." i smirked playfully.

all might nervously laughed in response. he had clearly never been in the situation where someone spoke back to him in the way that i had, aside from villains, so he felt slightly out of place.

after he couldn't answer, i walked back to my seat proudly. having the "adults" lost for words was much more fun here than it was anywhere else. maybe because they were all idiots.

"as i was saying," all might cleared his throat. "for today's exercise, aizawa requested that today's training be a bit more difficult to prepare you for the festival. and while i feel that this would be difficult for anyone else, i have no doubt that you guys will all pass with flying colors."

students mumbled in curiosity and pride at all might's praise, all while i rolled my eyes and turned to stare out the window.

a hand was raised. "will it be a team exercise? or will we work on our own?" i couldn't remember her name, but shel seemed smart.

all might nodded at her to acknowledge her question. "i'll explain it all once we reach our location for today. i'd like you all to suit up and we'll meet back at gym gamma."

boxes full of suits began to whir and slide out of the wall, and while the students jumped at the opportunity to change, i sat still, wondering what i'd do in the absence of a hero suit.

all might noticed my lack of movement, and made his way towards me.

"you're not getting up? unfortunately, i can't allow you to sit out like last time," he gently scorned.

i nodded. "i know that. i was actually looking forward to this class, however i'm not sure if i'm allowed to participate, as i don't have a hero costume."

he shot me a confused look and hummed. "that's strange. aizawa should have told you already, but your brother sent in your costume design last week. it's been ready for quite some time now."

"no one had told me…" i awkwardly mumbled. "i wasn't even aware that kazuhiko had done that for me."

"well, he's your brother, isn't he?" all might asked.

i nodded uncomfortably and stood up, quickly following the last of the lingering students out the door after grabbing the last box.

-

was the locker room disgusting? yes, it fucking was. was i going to act like it didn't bother me? no, no i was not.

i sat patiently, waiting for the locker room to desaturate, as all the male students changing was overwhelming, and i'd probably have an episode if i touched someone unintentionally. naturally, some of the more "outgoing" students had an issue with this.

bakugo was first to step towards me with his hands firmly on his hips and a smirk plastered on his face.

"i swear, bakugo, if you make this difficult for me i'm going to throw you into the sun." he ignored my threat and continued.

"not gonna' change?"

"i will, just not when so many people are here. it's fucking weird."

"you scared, pretty boy?" he taunted.

"why would i be scared?"

by then, the other students had slowed down their movements and directed their attention to me and bakugo, lending us their attention. i was never going to change like this.

"you've probably got a snapped twig for a body. sucks, but i can totally understand not wanting to compete with me."

i groaned and ran my hands through my hair. "why are you so fucking annoying…"

he snickered. "you're not denying it, pretty boy."

my eyes snapped wide open as he called me that name once more. i felt my last nerve be cut directly in half by bakugo's belligerency.

"fine. fine! fucking fine! you want to watch me change? fine. fucking perverts…"

the smirk melted off bakugo's face at my less than satisfactory response, but he watched me intently, as did the rest of the male students.

i aggressively pulled open my box while mumbling curses to myself.

"i've never seen a more idiotic fucking species since i crossed the fucking fatui because i have never seen so much immaturity balled up into one little body in my fucking life, holy shit-"

i roughly pulled my shirt off by the bottom, tossing it over my head and into an open locker. i stared at bakugo expectantly, with an expression that screamed, "are you happy now?"

i irritatedly held my hands out to him to show him my nude torso.

over my many years, i've managed to stay physically healthy since i was young. it seemed like a muscular figure came with being at war for so long. but with war also came damage.

i had never lost a war, but that didn't mean that i didn't suffer. scars had covered the entire surface of my body through the many times that i had put myself in between my comrades and the enemy. catching flying rocks, taking arrows to my back, and getting stabbed in the midst of a battle were all normal occurrences. they stopped physically hurting years ago, however, every time i look at my body and see the scars and burns, i feel an emotional sense of dread. they remind me of the people, including my enemies, that died. it reminds me of how every time we win, i say, "that's the last one, you'll never have to fight again," and then a decade later, war is being waged with us again. ever since my first war, the conflict had always been me.

'give us khaos and we will let you all live.'

watching my soldiers gather their equipment and leave their loved ones always made me regret not turning myself in one of the other hundreds of times that this deal was made. maybe then, these scars wouldn't be so permanent.

bakugo's eyes darted all around my body. the faces of some of the others turned sickly green, others had their eyebrows furrowed in worry and concern.

"well?" i demanded an answer. "not as "pretty" as you thought."

bakugo cleared his throat. "you look strong, i guess."

i sighed. "you already know that i am."

i reached for my clothing in the case from the classroom, first pulling out a black tight sleeveless shirt with a collar that ran snug half-way up my neck, with bandages to optionally cover a bit more of my skin. i pulled my shirt on and wrapped the bandages around my neck, rolling my neck as they stuck to me. when i pulled on the wrap, it came off easily, but as i let go of it, it reattached itself to my neck. it seemed like they made the bandages differently to have magnetic-like qualities, but i didn't know.

around the holes for the arms were ashy red accents that continued down my sides and over my ribs. once i was sure that my shirt fit, i pulled out a pair of highly flexible and dark slightly skin tight cargo pants, with only once pocket on the outside of the left leg. in the right leg was a band that wrapped around my leg in the same ash red color.

i scoffed mentally. half of the costume looked pointless, but there was no use complaining now. i froze, and looked around. there were less people in the room than before, however i recognized the red haired boy, iida, midoriya, todoroki, and another blonde with a streak of black in his hair. they all watched and waited for me.

i sighed. "look, i know you want to ask, and i'll let you as long as you let me put these fucking pants on in private."

they looked at each other for a moment, and then nodded and either covered their eyes or turned around to face the wall, while i quickly pulled down my green pants.

"those scars…" the blonde started.

"where did you get them?" iida asked. "they look deep."

"battle scars, aren't they?" todoroki said. "they're similar to the ones that i'd get while training, and your skin looks similar to my father's."

"did someone else give them to you, kei?"

i looked down at my feet as i let the waistband of the pants snap back against my skin.

"no, no i did this to myself."

"as in, self harm?" iida asked, concern filling his voice.

"nothing as morbid or sad as that." i dismissed. "i got them from training and fighting my brother. he wants me to be the best, so he would usually treat every situation like a real villain situation, even when i was little."

"so your brother did it, then?" iida responded.

"kazu' isn't like that either." i shook my head. "i was the one to told him to go harder on me. sure, he wanted me to be the best, but i want to be better than the best, and these scars are proof of that. i did this to myself, and i have no regrets."

the boys all released a deep breath.

"you're really serious about this, huh?" the blonde one mumbled out.

"you have to be if you want to win."

"but to want it that badly…" the red one trailed off. "isn't it sort of dangerous?"

i shrugged. "maybe. but giving up on this one thing, to me, is akin to death."

i dug through the box beside me and found another larger set of bandages to act as a belt, as well as a pair of boots and fingerless gloves. the boots and gloves were the same deep black of the suit and they both fit tightly against my hands and feet without any adjustments or discomfort. i stretched and curled my fingers to see if i could feel a difference in the suit compared to what i would have worn back home.

to be fair, i did notice a difference in the flexibility of the suit. i felt like i move myself a lot quicker, and the fabric felt paper thin against me, so i knew that i'd have no problem activating my "quirk" without worrying about lighting my own suit on fire.

if u-a knew anything, it was how to make fine clothing.

i packed my clothes away and shut my locker, causing the other students to jump and spin around. i stared into a mirror on the wall next to me, and while i spoke to the last few boys, i toyed and tousled my hair. the length of my black strands had gotten long since i left home. normally, kamiko would have been there to help me cut it, but as of late i'd completely forgotten about it. my hair had grown from being short, just barely above my ears, and out of the way, to longer, down to my shoulders, and bothersome.

i looked around the room quickly.

'seems like they all have pretty short hair. i doubt that they'd have an extra hair tie for me. one of the girls might, though.'

i left my hair as i'd found it and started towards the door of the locker room.

"my scars may not be something that i'm ashamed of, but i'd appreciate it if you kept this to yourself. you may know the truth now, but not everybody will be as understanding, and if something were to happen to the last family that i have… i don't know what i'd do."

midoriya was quick to respond to me in an energetic but anxious manner. "but won't people see them anyway? they're all over your arms and legs and back!"

i placed a hand on his shoulder and softly smiled. "i'll take care of that. it's not that i'm worried about people seeing them, i just don't want someone else to speak for me."

"but-"

"it doesn't matter midoriya. even if you're questioned, if you don't tell them that i'm being abused, they'll just think you're lying to protect a classmate. that's how the system works after all. they get involved where they can, and they force themselves in where they can't."

midoriya finally sighed and nodded, showing that he understood why i had chosen to keep such an important thing to myself.

iida looked just as downcast as midoriya. "i suppose i can try to respect your decision," he said.

the red one awkwardly stared down at his feet. it seemed like he'd never been put into a situation where he'd have to hide a secret like that, so i wasn't surprised that he'd been especially quiet.

the blonde couldn't tear his eyes from the scars that stuck out on my arms.

"quit staring," i said seriously.

"i can't," he replied.

"you can't?" i repeated.

he shook his head. "nope." he rubbed the back of his neck, and his eyes darted up and down between my eyes and my injuries. "i don't know, man. they make you look like a soldier. it's like… you've been through war or something." he looked up to me. "but that's just me. you're only fifteen after all. and maybe it's insensitive, but i think they look cool."

"cool? as in, not disgusting?"

"not even disgusting, man! sure, it made me a little sick at first glance, but only because i couldn't imagine how bad they must have hurt. but when i look at them now, i guess i look at you as a different person. this is the first time that we've talked, so up until now i've just seen you as some pissed off new guy who appeared out of virtually nowhere. but you're different from that."

"i agree with denki," the red one spoke. "i believe that we've all gotten off on the wrong foot with you. and even though some of us have already gotten over first impressions, like iida, deku, and even bakugo, others, like me and denki, haven't given you the chance."

"what does that have to do with these scars?" i asked.

"personally, i feel like learning about your past has given me the ability to look at you in a less shallow light. you're not as one-dimensional anymore. i'm not saying that you have to share everything about you to get us to like you, of course. i just thank you for putting up with us at all."

i was really, really starting to hate these kids. every time that i talk about myself or our relationship develops even slightly, it's a big fucking deal and it really "taught them something." it couldn't possibly be this big of a deal. how could this be important?

"you're being dramatic," i told him. the smile that he wore dropped, but i left the locker room before he was able to ask what i meant.

it was true. they were all so over dramatic over little things. not every interaction had to be a learning experience for them. there was not a lesson hidden in every single social issue.

i left the locker room attempting to find some way to keep my hair out of the way. i past the girl's locker room door, which was immediately flung open by the black haired girl in my class. there was only a few seconds in between her walking out and eventually bumping into me, but that was enough time for me to take an extra step towards the other side of the hallway.

she just barely missed me, and i continued walking ahead to ensure that our paths never crossed. i could feel her dark eyes on my back, but she was the least of my worries now.

i wanted to have my complete and total focus on this training. i couldn't let myself get distracted. if i was to let off some steam, finally, i needed to make sure that nothing got out of hand. at the moment, i had to assume that everyone suspected me of something. i had to safely believe that aizawa was already clear to all might and the other teachers of his suspicions of me, and that they now had their eyes on me. if not that, then i also had to believe that anyone here could just be another one of the league's spies. even worse, anyone here could be fucking toga and i wouldn't know unless i was paying extra attention. my paranoia was nearly getting the best of me, but i could never be too safe.

-

i stood amongst the majority of the students and waited for all might to begin his lesson. i turned my head to look around for any hints as to what we'd be doing. we stood in the center of the large metal gym. the floor was made of cement, and the natural lighting of midday flooded the room through the windows. the students chattering amongst themselves once more.

my hair hung loosely in front of my eyes, irritating my nose and blinding me. i combed my fingers through my hair to try and lay it down, however it just flopped back down. i groaned quietly at the stubborn nature of my hair.

it seemed like a couple of my classmates noticed my frustrated behavior as i moved my hair around and messed it up even more because the black haired girl from earlier approached me with a hair tie in her hand and a soft smile on her face. i watched her intently, possibly making her nervous. still, she never slowed down or hesitated to greet me.

"you don't seem to care for small talk, and you're definitely smart enough to figure out what i'm doing in front of you with a hair tie in my hand while you try to fix your hair." she held it out to me kindly. "you don't need to thank me. i know how rough it is to have long hair, and i figure if i have an extra one on hand…"

"thank you," i said. i stared down at the tie in my hand. she nodded. i gently began to tie my hair up, using my fingers to wrap the hair at the back of my neck all into one solid bun. there was still smaller hairs that hung down, but i didn't mind those. i freely rolled my neck and sighed in content, happy that the irritation of my neck and face finally disappeared without the constant light touches against it.

"this feels much better. i'll return your hair tie to you…" i trailed off, finding her name to be absent in my brain.

'had i really never learned her name?'

"yaoyorozu momo, but you can call me yaomomo like everyone else does. and you can keep it, i have thousands of them." her hands were behind her back and she smiled up at me.

her eyes felt painfully familiar, but i couldn't put my finger on it.

yaomomo was shorter than me, but still taller than most girls that i had seen. she looked and acted more mature than i had believed she would. she looked very intelligent. whether that made her better or worse than the others that i had met, i wasn't sure, but she was doing pretty good for herself so far.

"once again, i appreciate you looking out for me. i can assure you that i won't ever ask anything like this again."

she shrugged. "i don't mind it. in fact, i liked being able to talk to you for the first time. it was pleasant."

"i see," i replied flatly. "i hope i met your standards, i guess. it seems like i haven't left the greatest impression on people so far."

"really? a lot of the others look really interested in you, so i couldn't imagine anyone not liking you."

"i've had close interactions with someone of the individuals in this class, but it was difficult to get there in the first place."

"i understand. it was hard for me to make friends as well, but everyone is pretty nice." she glanced around to the students around her, smiling sweetly as she viewed her friends. "a word of warning though," she leaned closer to me to whisper in my ear. "steer clear of mineta."

"uh… which one is that again?" i looked to her for help and she giggled back.

"the tiny one in purple standing behind me." she glanced quickly behind her and i followed her gaze, finding my eyes on the student behind her.

the short boy stared grotesquely at yaoyorozu's body, mumbling to himself quietly.

"is he…" i trailed off, not knowing what the word for him was.

"he's a gross pervert, that's what he is. he's been making comments about girl's bodies, and even gone as far as to touch some of us. he makes us all really uncomfortable, but he won't listen when we tell him to stop, and-"

i put a hand on her shoulder to calm her down as her voice began to raise in irritation. "i understand."

"i'm sorry, i just really wish someone would put some sense into him."

i looked at mineta again, feeling just as disgusted as yaoyorozu.

"excuse me," i told her. i walked past her in mineta's immediate direction.

"what are you going to do?" she asked. i didn't answer her, finally releasing my hand from her shoulder.

once mineta finally noticed me approaching him, i was already standing in front of him and staring down at him.

"hey man, what's up?" he asked casually.

'his voice is just as discomforting as i thought.'

"i just finished talking to our good friend yaoyorozu. i'm sure you know her?"

his eyes began to glimmer. "of course i know her! she's beautiful! quite possibly the woman of my dreams-"

"i don't really care about all that." i eventually had to kneel down on one knee just to speak to him face to face. "yaoyorozu told me a little bit about you."

"good stuff, i hope," he joked. he winked at me and elbowed me in my side.

i sighed. "not at all, actually."

"what are you talking about, man?" he looked at me with a confused and nervous expression.

"i know about your less than honorable tendencies. i know about how you disrespect the girls of this class, and treat them like they are nothing more than their bodies."

mineta, as any terrible person would, was quick to defend himself. "i-i don't do that."

"that's what you think. but have you ever stopped to wonder about how you're comments and unrequited advancements made them feel?" mineta's silence spoke volumes to me. "of course you haven't."

"so what?"

i was quickly getting more and more frustrated, and i immediately knew why yaoyorozu was able to get so heated when she spoke about him.

"listen, you probably already know this, but i'm not from japan. i'm from somewhere else." he nodded, which helped because it would have been my last straw if i found that he wasn't listening. "where i come from, respecting others is a really big deal. i was raised by my brother, and one of the very valuable lessons that i learned was that a man who can not respect a woman as if she was his mother is not worth the air that he may breathe. do you know what that means?"

mineta shook his head.

"it means that i was taught to kill scumbags like you."

sweat rolled down his temple at the proclamation. his reaction was exactly what i was searching for, but i wasn't done yet.

"another thing that i know you know, is that i have all the capabilities necessary to put you down right now, but i won't do that."

"you won't?"

i shook my head. "no, not if you do something for me."

he was quick to perk up, falling down onto his knees as well. "please! i'll do anything, just don't kill me."

"you can individually apologize to all of them. i don't care if you're interested in them or not. we both know that they didn't work this hard to get here just to become your main source for pleasure." mineta nodded erratically, standing back up to go and scurry away.

he started with yaoyorozu only because she was the closest to us. while i couldn't hear what he told her, it seemed like he had apologized fully as she nodded and he ran away from her to another girl behind her.

i stood back up and stretched my arms. i knew yaoyorozu was staring at me, and i prepared for her to confront me.

i wanted to be annoyed by her, but i couldn't. she reminded me all too much of someone, but i couldn't put my finger on it.

"that was very kind of you, kei," yaoyorozu said. "i think you really helped understand what we've been trying to tell him. though, i don't know if it was okay to scare him like that. now he thinks that you're a killer. i was going to tell him that you were joking, but i decided against it-"

"it wasn't a joke."

"excuse me?"

"it wasn't a joke. i meant it."

yaoyorozu bit her lip and stared at her boots. "so the things that you said about your home…"

"it's true. we were a very violent group in nature, but we cared about each other deeply. before my brother and i left, there were people, that kazu' had never even met, that wanted to care for us. it was a peaceful place." i failed to notice the way that i zoned out and yaoyorozu was quick to bring me back.

"it sounds like a great place to grow up. i hope i can go visit sometime."

"yeah, i do too."

the silence that fell over us was more solemn than anything. i was being forced back into the memory of omene as i thought about how much these lies were overlapping.

it was true that any person who couldn't learn to respect a stranger as they would a loved one, they were exiled. it was true that on the outside, we could be violent, relentless, and aggressive. but that was only at war. on the inside, we were peaceful. everybody knew everybody by name including me. we prospered in absolute peace.

i missed it.

"hey, so… i was wondering," yaoyorozu started. "i know we just met and all, but if you're not busy-"

she was cut off by the loud bellowing of my first and last name from the doorway. i turned to look in the direction of the burly voice and saw all might standing in the large doorway with principal nezu standing beside him. behind the two "men" was dabi as kazuhiko. he was smiling slyly and my guard immediately shot up as i wondered what he had done. there was one more person behind him, but it was hard to decipher who they really were as they hid behind all might.

as the group held my attention, all might's noisy nature grabbed everyone else's.

i was beckoned forward by nezu, and i followed after motioning for yaoyorozu to hold her thought. she looked frustrated, but i didn't care.

"you called?" i sarcastically asked. all might awkwardly nodded and then made his way past me to greet he rest of the group, and hopefully begin the class.

nezu waved to me kindly. "good morning, kei. i hope you are doing well."

i nodded. "you as well."

"thank you. now, i apologize for interrupting you, but clearly i have your brother and a friend here. usually we don't do guest visits, however it's your first day, and kazuhiko was really worried about you."

i looked to kazuhiko for confirmation. "don't look like you're surprised that i care. i got called in for work while i was driving your friend home, but i figure since your school is on the way…"

"you'd come see how i was doing before you left again."

he shrugged. "unfortunately. i'll be back before you know it."

"i told him that maybe as consolation, he could stay and watch you in class. we rarely do this, so think of it as a welcome gift from me to you," nezu said.

i nodded again. "and what of my friend? are they going to say anything or no?" i was unsettled by their silence.

"don't take that tone with me, kei-kun."

the sweet tone of the voice was enough to drown out everything else that happened around me.

"'miko?"

she stepped out from behind dabi with a smile and her arms crossed over her chest. her pink hair flowed gracefully in the ponytail that he held it in. it seemed like dabi had modernized her as well by her white skirt and tucked in peach shirt. she had glasses on, which i remember her having to wear if we ever read together, and white shoes that were the same that dabi had given me.

"it's me, kei."

i couldn't move, no matter how hard i tried. her mere image standing so healthily in front of me paralyzed me. i stared into her eyes, finding no silver glint.

'that's not toga. there's nobody else that it could be, kei.'

kamiko had gotten tired of my still silence, so she ran forward to wrap her arms around me. as she did, the feeling that i had been longing for for so long had come back to me. the calming sort of warmth that radiating from her rushed through me.

i could've cried, really.

her arms were draped over my shoulders and our chests were pushed together.

"i missed you, kei. i really did."

slowly and hesitatingly i followed her actions, allowing myself to accept the reality of her standing in front of me, and my arms slipped around her as well.

"i'm so sorry," i told her.

"it's okay, it's not your fault."

"i've been trying, 'miko, i really have, but we can't go back yet."

"i really don't mind, kei. i'm here with you, that's what matters. and if-"

kamiko abruptly ended her sentence and pulled away from me. she looked mildly dissatisfied, but as i followed her eyes, i couldn't find anything for her to be bothered by.

"is something wrong?" i asked.

"who's she?" she said. "that girl keeps looking at us." i was beyond confused for a moment, but when yaoyorozu's eyes met mine, it was apparent what could've upset kamiko to this extent.

"she's a girl in my class, that's all."

"but she looks at you too much."

"she's just curious. they all are. these are children, 'miko, they can't control their curiosity like we can."

kamiko took a moment to herself to recompose, understanding my words of dissuasion.

"i-i see. i'm sorry, i don't know what came over me."

i brushed it off, finding her shift in attitude to be strange, but dismissible nonetheless.

she scoffed. "he's looking for you."

she motioned over to dabi. he watched me and kamiko with a content expression. in my mind, he had no right to be happy that we were together again when he was the one that stole her, but i refrained from speaking my mind to him.

i released kamiko from my arms. "why don't you go on and greet the students. they seem eager to meet you." she smiled and conceded. "keep away from the tiny purple one, though."

i turned to nezu and kazuhiko who had walked over to stand by me.

"she seems very important to you, kei," nezu said.

"she is," i agreed. "it's been a while since i've seen her, and i certainly didn't expect her to appear in front of me today."

i turned to kazuhiko. "thank you, honestly."

he shrugged nonchalantly. "what can i say? i noticed that you've been a bit down lately so i went over there and convinced her mom to let her spend a bit of the day with us. 'course, she needs to be back home before sundown. you know how crazy that woman gets."

dabi indirectly told me that there'd be repercussions if kamiko wasn't returned back to the league by the time the sun set, unsurprisingly. i doubt that this flew by the league easily, and even though it'd be no hassle to steal kamiko away and hide us somewhere where the league would never think to look, i wouldn't do that now.

only because i was at the point now where i wanted to make the league feel what they had put me through, and because there really was no point.

exposing myself now would only make more problems. for both me and kamiko. she wasn't the type of person who deserved to live on the run from anyone, and i refused to force her into that life, because i know that she'd say yes.

"i'm not surprised. just seeing her was enough for me, though. anyway, does this mean that you're leaving tonight?"

"i gotta. work is work. i left my debit on the counter in case you wanna go out to eat with friends or something like that. just don't get it declined and don't get the cops called."

i sarcastically laughed at his joke, to which he and nezu chuckled.

"if i may," nezu chimed in. "i've never had any real siblings that i could remember, but watching you two interact makes me feel like i have a brother of my own. you young men have a very strong connection. don't ever let it break, gentlemen."

kazuhiko and i looked at each other and shrugged.

"sure, i guess." we replied simultaneously.

nezu laughed once more. "ah, this has been a pleasure, although it seems like all might is itching to get his lesson started, so maybe we can save the casual conversation for the next time."

"of course. i think that our conversation on the way over was very helpful." kazuhiko smiled. "hey, go grab 'miko and bring her back. we'll stay here and watch you, but once you're done we've both gotta head out, got that?"

i rolled my eyes. "yeah, i got it."

kamiko, who was nearly caged in by the large group of students, seemed mildly overwhelmed. once i came close enough to the group, i quickly grabbed her hand and pulled her towards me. the students surrounding her were surprised when she suddenly wasn't trapped in between them.

i gave them all a gaze to signal that their time with her was over, and she kindly waved to them.

"sorry, guys. kei wants me back on the sidelines now."

"that's not what i-"

"you didn't have to say it," she cut me off. "i know when you have to go to work, and i know that you don't want me too close."

"it's for your safety," i said.

"i get it, kei. i'm not offended."

i sighed. her understanding and caring nature was one of the things that i had missed the most. i missed not having to explain my feelings and actions to people. kamiko was nothing short of an empathetic person, but it seemed like people like that were rare to come by in this city.

"god, i've missed you," i whispered. she hummed and sweetly placed her hand on my arm.

"i missed you too." she looked up at me and her familiar smile spread across her face, but as i made eye contact with her, it dropped soon after.

"what now?" i asked.

"you look different," she mused. "did you change something?"

"i don't believe so."

she pushed forward with the claim. "something's definitely different."

"it's been months, 'miko. you probably just forgot what i looked like."

she stopped walking and pulled me back.

"no, no, no. you can't trick me like that," she firmly said. "you always get me like that." i rolled my eyes. "stop that! you changed and i know it!"

i sighed once more. "'miko, the only thing that has changed is that my hair got longer. that's it."

she hummed and squinted her eyes at me, and then her eyes widened and her jaw slightly dropped.

"oh my god, you're right!" she jumped up onto her toes to try and reach my hair. "it grew so much! it's been so long since i saw you with long hair, kei. where'd you even get a hair tie from? as long as i can remember, your hair's been short for what feels like centuries, and now that it's long, i can't even remember what you look like!"

"yeah…" as she rambled on, i quietly pulled her off of me and pushed her to stand beside dabi, who looked thoroughly amused at me, of all people, engaging in such childish antics with another person.

"wait, what if your hair gets so long that i never recognize you ever again? kei, you have to let me cut it! if i don't then-"

"make sure she stays here," i whispered to dabi.

he nodded and pocketed his hands. "no problem."

"-but on the other hand, if your hair gets super long, you'll be forced to let me help you take care of it because we both know that you don't care enough to make it look sophisticated like i do. not only that, but- wait, i'm not done!"

she ceased her rant once she caught sight of me returning to the group finally and scoffed at me.

"i hate it when kei wins," she mumbled.

"he's definitely an ass about it," dabi replied.

this time, i truly couldn't help but crack a large smile at the two. for a moment, they really did feel like my family. and, realistically, kamiko was family, but when dabi spoke to us, it felt like he was really our older brother who watched and cared for us.

"you're finally done flirting," bakugo said.

"ha, ha." i dryly laughed. "i wasn't flirting, dumbass."

the red one spoke up cheerfully. "you don't have to be shy, man. it's totally okay to act like that with your significant other."

i stared at him blankly. "significant other?"

"yeah, like… boyfriend and girlfriend? you guys?"

"we aren't together like that," i said. "'miko is my best friend."

"so you guys are just close friends-"

"you're not dating her?!"

yaoyorozu appeared at my side, cutting the red one off and shoving bakugo aside while speaking louder than normal.

"you're not dating her… as in, you're single?"

i awkwardly nodded. "i suppose so."

she cleared her throat and brushed fake dust off of herself. "i see. w-well, i do hope that you f-find someone to l-love." she stuttered. she played with her fingers and looked at her feet again.

"yeah… you too." i looked at her suspiciously for one more moment before turning around to speak to bakugo.

behind me, yaoyorozu stomped her foot and walked away, for not only losing her composure in the moment, but also coming off as too obvious.

"i'm assuming all might already explained today's exercise, then?" i asked.

"he did. it sounded sort of complicated, but you'll get it when you see it," bakugo replied.

"is it a team exercise?"

"mainly. however we get a grade for how well we do as a team and on our own, so it's fifty-fifty."

"what do you plan to do if we go against each other?"

he chuckled. "i'll kick your ass just like i said i would."

"and if we're on the same team?"

he sneered at me. "i'll just get a higher grade then."

"and if you lose again?" i teased.

"y'know, you're really cocky."

"of course i am. do i not have a reason to be?"

"i'll give you a damn reason."

i rolled my eyes. "sure you will."

in any other case, i'm sure bakugo would have his attitude flipped, and he could've been shaking in anger and calling me names by now.

he turned to face all might and crossed his arms over his chest. he stared over the students that stood in front of us.

"i think you should get it through that thick skull of yours that underestimating me is going to be where you fuck up," he whispered. all might was up front pulling lots for teams to see who would be together in teams of four, but neither bakugo's nor my name was called.

i laughed under my breath at him. "and i think you should get it through yours that i never, ever, underestimate my opponent." i sighed. "i know what you can do, bakugo. i can see your potential. but until you can see it, you'll always be letting me win."

"how am i supposed to do that? since you know so damn much."

would it be worth it to tell him how to change? maybe, in another world where he wasn't opposing me, it would have been. unfortunately, my mission came first, and in the event that he and i fought for real in the future, i'd like to get away with as few casualties as possible. what's more, and i hated to admit it, i could see a friend in bakugo. more than a rival. he didn't ask for much from me, he accepted most things as they came, and he was quick to move on.

if he felt as i did, it'd make my life and mission ten times easier. if he didn't, then that didn't matter because he was already giving me all of his attention anyways.

"there's no fun in telling you," i finally admitted. "you can figure that out on your own."

he clicked his tongue and stayed silent, seeing that he wasn't going to get much else out of me.

meanwhile, all might instructed everyone to move to the sidelines, and the eight students who were called stepped forward.

on the left side of the gym was the boy with tape in his elbows, the girl who looked like a frog, mineta, and the… thing with four arms. on the right side of the gym stood uraraka, the bird, yaoyorozu, and the blonde from the locker rooms.

'you really have to learn these names.'

"hey, dumbass," i quietly called for bakugo's attention, and i knew i had it when he glanced at me out of the corner of his eye. we were standing right next to each other, however he seemed focused on how the exercise would go.

"what's up?"

"what are all their names, i never fucking learned them."

he scoffed and smiled at me. "what makes you think i know 'em?"

i exasperatedly placed a hand to my forehead. "you make a very good point."

curiously, nothing had started yet. the two teams just stood on each side of the gym, speaking to each other quietly. i looked over to all might, who was nervously tapping his foot and watching the door.

the exercise had not started yet, and all might was beginning to look impatient. i then realized how bare the gym looked. in any case, no training for any physical profession would take place on plain flat ground, that wasn't realistic.

all might must have been waiting for someone, but i couldn't tell who.

'maybe if you paid any attention you could.'

another few moments passed when finally, after waiting, cementoss appeared in the doorway. he had a very apologetic expression on.

"i apologize for making you all wait. aizawa is very good at taking up a person's time when he wants to."

all might waved his hand in dismissal. "no worries at all. as long as you're here."

cementoss gratefully nodded and walked towards the center of the gym. he placed his hands against the ground firmly, and rumbling was felt in the floor beneath us. soon after, several walls were erected from the ground in the same cement that the cold floor was made from. they covered the entire gym apart from where we stood, and it didn't take long for me to recognize the complicated structure.

"a maze," i muttered.

"indeed, kei! as teams, you'll be attempting to navigate through this maze and find the end with your entire group."

"interesting," i whispered.

bakugo looked at me. "what's up?"

"it's too easy," i said. there weren't enough obstacles outside of the other team. "there's probably going to be other shit to mess with us in the maze."

"the other team?"

i shook my head confidently. "it's too easy to avoid the other team. there has to be something else."

bakugo looked at me skeptically. "you're reading too much into it."

"yeah, you're probably right."

'there's no way that i'm wrong about this, but if he doesn't want to listen then i won't talk.'

all might ordered for them to gather together at the entrance that was split in half to separate the teams. they did so fluidly. well, most of them did.

yaoyorozu strayed behind, making her way to engage with me before joining her team.

"will you wish me luck, kei?" she asked.

i shrugged. "i suppose so."

her team began to call her over impatiently so she panicked and placed a hand on my bicep.

"if i get a better grade than you, you have to come hang out with me on friday, okay?"

i choked for a moment, not expecting her question. "i suppose that's fine," i awkwardly replied.

she happily nodded with my answer. "okay. okay!" she looked mildly surprised, but she ran back to her team anyway with a smile plastered on her face.

the moment that she was out of earshot, i felt the eyes of my fellow classmates burning into my body with curiosity and skepticism.

bakugo, as always, was the only one brave enough to confront me.

"you're going to let her do better?"

i shrugged my shoulders. "why do you assume so?"

he looked at me fully. "it seems like anyone who could have a chance with her would take the opportunity. except for me, of course. i don't really care about that shit."

"i see," i shortly responded.

"are you going to let her do better or not?"

i laughed at his haste. "why do you care?"

he clenched his jaw and exhaled. "because i refuse to be rivals with someone who won't take this seriously."

"don't doubt me," i smirked. "i have scars to show for it, remember?"

"so you're not letting her beat you?"

i scoffed and chuckled. "fuck, no."

a satisfied and evil grin spread across bakugo's face.

"now that's what i like to hear."