Ch. 1: Finally Made It

Despite the multiple layers of clothes meant to keep her warm, Ochaco "Uravity" Uraraka hugged herself tightly and shivered. She paced around with an ever-deepening scowl on her round face. The surrounding noise caused her to dig her fingers deeper into her sleeves as her steps quickened. She breathed in huffs and fought back a pout. The train station in Hosu was packed with uniformed officers and brightly costumed Pros. Arching metal rafters curved meters above the ground, forming a concave roof of the train hangar. It was cold inside as the sun was blocked by gleaming plastic held up by those bent metal beams. Ochaco looked to the gaping train entrance and squinted at the blinding sunlight from outside that contrasted harshly with dimness in the station. She was half tempted to wait outside in the warmth for the damn train.

If it ever came.

Uraraka shook the thought out and resumed tapping her black flats against the concrete underneath the mesh bench. Detective Watanabe stood off to the side, rigid in her plain business suit. It had been some time since the office had spoken to Ochaco. She took notice of Watanabe's lifted shoulders and sighed. The pro hero calmed herself with a deep breath before standing up. She spoke up and did her best to keep her tone despite the anxiety and anger bubbling together horribly in the pit of her stomach.

"Hey, Detective?" Ochaco started, "You doin-"

"The train isn't here yet, Uravity. You'll be out of here in no time when it does arrive," the detective interjected with a terse, monotone voice. Ochaco's face pulled sourly, and she bit the urge to stamp her foot in protest. She rubbed her forehead and tried once more.

"Look, I'm sorry. I'm just really worried about my parents. They're on their way here. Instead of being on their way to a vacation, they're stuck on a train that was robbed."

Detective Watanabe took a moment to look Uravity in the eyes. Understanding swam in her dark eyes and hovered there. She turned back to gaze at the empty tracks, silence overtaking their conversation. Ochaco sighed and sat back down, pulling out her phone once again to see if there was any news. It had been over an hour since she had received the notice from her office that her parents were involved in an illegal train boarding. The only good news that she got was a text message from her parents a little after the incident had been reported. It was just her luck. She had worked hard and finally managed to get to a level where she could give her parents everything they deserved, only for them to get wrapped up in some crazy train robbery. At least they were still alive.

She hung her head in her hands as she slumped on the bench. Ever the optimist, she began torturing herself over how delayed they were going to be. Getting a refund would be impossible (the resort was so strict!), and forget about buying new plane tickets. Irritation flared up in Ochaco once more, but this time it stung a little less.

Uraraka wasn't sure how much time had passed since she muscled her way into the way station, flashing her license and joining the throng of heroes who had flooded the area in anticipation. It was really stupid, if she thought about it. What were they going to do? Jump on the train and search it for crooks? As if. They'd be long gone with whatever they were looking for, and leave behind some hurt people at best. She huffed as the intercoms above her blared out the approaching train. In the distance roared the clik-clak of the trains wheels upon the track, growing louder as it came closer. The engine hissed wickedly as the vessel slowed down considerably to park itself before her and the rest of the crowd there. There was a pause that hung in the air before all hell broke loose.

Officers and heroes swarmed the train as soon as the doors slid open. The unfortunate civilians were squashed back into the cabins as they attempted to escape from their ride. It was pandemonium. Ochaco felt a growl half-escape her throat as she took her gravity away and kicked off to float to the top of the train. She landed gracefully and turned to the crowd below with finger pointed down. Mustering her best impression of her best friend Iida, she cried out in a commanding voice.

"Excuse me, but if you must enter the train, I suggest you form two lines on each side of the doors! You may inspect the people as they exit and then enter once they have all been accounted for!" The jostling stopped long enough for a burly, tall pro with his hands encased in large red metal clamps to call her out.

"Who da hell is this, chic-"

"Finish that sentence, and I'll float you to the sun! I'm Uravity, and my damn parents are on board this damn train. Now let them out before they're late for their damn flight!" There was some grumbling but it died quickly after she gave them all a dirty look. She jutted out her jaw as she supervised them, a bird of prey overseeing the production of a shaken flock of pigeons. It only took a few minutes for everyone inside the train to walk out and be cleared. Soon enough, luggage was being inspected and passed out to the appropriate owners. It was over. Ochaco searched the crowd for her parents, overhearing the passengers answering the police officers' inquiries.

"I swear! It was a shark! It had ripped a big hole in the roof. Then some scrawny lawyer for Endeavor tricked the bastard and left."

"Ok but if they ripped a hole in the roof, how come it ain't there now?"

"Some girl did... magic or something? I dunno, you gotta ask her, not me."

Ochaco snickered as she moved through the mass of bodies looking. A young man with a head full of curly green hair struck a suitcase with his bulky red high top boots and flailed a bit as he fell forward. She moved without a thought, fast as lightning, and tapped his back. He hung in mid-air and looked around to see what killed his momentum. She took in his shaggy, boyish appearance as she righted him back to his feet. He was sort of forgettable. Not bad on the eyes, just nothing too remarkable. Freckles dotted his round face, stark against his pale skin and bright green eyes. He would have been around her height if not for his clunky red boots which gave him a slight boost. He gave her a smile, his eyes lighting up at the sight of her own.

"Y-you're -" he sputtered. She finished his sentence for him.

"Yeah, I'm Uravity. Sorry for using my quirk on you. Didn't think it'd be ok for you to break your face like that." She gave him a small nod and craned her neck in her search. The man spoke to her in a meek whisper a few steps away.

"They're just past this crowd, Uraraka."

She twisted around quick enough to give herself a crick in her neck. Her body was on full alert as she darted her eyes to scan the area. He wasn't anywhere to be seen. She hadn't even noticed what other clothes he was wearing , if he had tattoos or scars. The only thing she could really remember were those burning, emerald irises of his. She felt something inside her squirm as she thought about them and mentally slapped herself. How did he know her name? Just who the hell was that guy?

Ochaco tiptoed around the small group of folks gathered behind her and found her parents chatting away with a young lady with a horn on her head and silver-blue hair. Her father noticed her immediately and bowled his way toward her. She braced herself as best as she could.

"OCHACO! MY BABY GIRL!"

Her dad wrapped his thick arms around her own, and swept the young hero off her feet. He swung her wildly as he spun in circles. Tears of joy streamed down her father's bearded face, moistening her skin. Her normally blushed cheeks deeped to a maroon as he kept belting out her name and how proud he was of his little hero.

"D-dad... can't... b-breathe..."

"Oh, I'm sorry baby, I just can't help it. Look at ya! Soon grown up and amazing," gushed her father. He put her down a little more gruffly than he normally would have, and began to complain loudly about his aching back. Ochaco's mother walked up to them, smacking her husband playfully before embracing her daughter.

"It's really good to see ya, sweetie," she cooed. Ochaco allowed herself a moment to enjoy standing in their presence, feeling how full they made her heart. It had been a solid year since she had seen her parents in the flesh. Their absence was filled with grueling work and long nights away from her humble apartment so she could finish up as many cases as possible. Today was for them. All of her hard work had finally come to fruition.

Well, it would if they could make it to the airport on time.

Ochaco began to fret and haul her parent's items, using her quirk to make transport easier. She rushed them away from the busy station which had begun to fill up with more folks piling in to wait for their own trains. Uraraka didn't even give them much time to say their farewells to the young lady they had been talking with. Their protests fell on deaf ears as she ushered them out of the station and into the blazing daylight of the busy streets. Ochaco was laser-focused on the cabs that were waiting just past the wall of reporters and paparazzi. She pushed through, half-heartedly apologizing for her own rudeness as she ignored the calls to answer questions from the hungry journalists. The press could wait; her parents' plane would not.

A line of exchanging taxi cabs moved in and out of the queue greeted them at the curb. Ochaco moved to the nearest couple of sedans but grew frustrated as they peeled away to join the flow of traffic. More cabs began to fill up and she felt close to shouting. Her father called out to her. Ochaco whipped around to see her parents loading up into the cab she had somehow missed. She approached them with a look of suspicion and bent into the open passenger side window.

"Afternoon, Miss Uravity!" the driver cheered out with a friendly wave, "I'm taking you and your parents to the airport, right?"

"Uhh, yes?" she answered, unsure of the sudden availability. Typically, cabs were a hot commodity during rush hour and finding one was nothing short of a miracle. She piled in after releasing her Quirk's hold on the luggage, her parents happily chatting with the driver as they began the long ride through stop-and-go traffic to the airport.

Ochaco pulled out her smart phone from her purse to check for any messages or emails that might have come from the office. It had only been a month since she opened her agency with her former classmate and friend, Mina Ashido. Things had been going well, if you didn't count the constant communication they received from their hired sidekicks. Ochaco had tried to be understanding but sometimes it grated on her when trained heroes couldn't make the simplest decisions for themselves or follow the easiest instructions. Judging by the number of emails she was now responding to, today was not going to be different. Her mother's voice cut through her clouded thoughts to grab her attention.

"Uravity! " her mother cried out in exasperation. Ochaco snapped her head up from the tiny screen in her hands. Her parents were looking at her with an unfamiliar edge to their eyes. She carefully set the phone down, afraid that any sudden movements might ignite them.

"Y-yeah, mom?"

"We are trying to tell you about this nice young man and this sweet girl we met on the train. What's so important on that damn phone of yours that-"

"Ugh, Mom! We've been over this a million times! Quit tryin' to set me up with guys! You know I'm taking a break after… ," Ochaco pattered out under the withering gaze of her parents. They hadn't been this upset with her since before she enrolled in U.A. She did her best to contain the disappointment that welled up in her. Before they could respond though, she heard the brakes squeal out in protest as the car rolled to a stop. The cab driver gave a bright smile as he parked the car and got out to unload the trunk of its contents. She followed her parents as they stepped out to the curb, waiting patiently for their chauffeur to finish his work while they politely ignored her. Ochaco's face burned with embarrassment as she hung back in silence.

The driver got back in his car and started to tap a little beat on the wheel. It was time to send her parents off. She hadn't imagined it would feel this bitter. All the effort just to get here and the sudden split left an unimaginable gap between her and her parents. Just as she was about to hug them goodbye, the driver called out to them with voice ever light with glee.

"Oh, Ms. Uravity? You can see your parents through the gate. I'll be here waiting until their flight takes off."

Ochaco blinked at him and the suspicion that had been scratching at the back her mind grew more panicked. She turned back to her parents with an uncertain smile plastered across her lips. They had softened their chilly grins to something a little more warm and waved her over.

Half an hour later, her parents had boarded the plane. Tears had been shed and apologies made. Even as she walked out of the terminal and back to the sidewalk, she wiped away a few drops that threatened to spill out from her warm brown eyes. There hadn't been enough time to say what they meant to her; how much their sacrifices for her pushed her beyond her own limitations; why she in turn sacrificed so much for them to live easy. It was enough to know that they were on their way to a vacation that she had earned for them. Soon she'd be able to help them retire.

Ochaco mulled over the future as she approached the rows of cabs expelling their patrons as the sun blazed low in the sky, burning the clouds with shades of purple and pink. She was about to hail a taxi when a soft voice coughed behind her. Uraraka turned around, an uneasy feeling pouring itself into her consciousness.

The taxi cab driver from before was standing next to his car, his ever-present grin still nailed to his face. With a jaunty wave of his hand, he opened the back passenger door and stood by to allow her in. Ochaco stood her ground for just a moment, sizing up the driver as his grin pressed the corners of his mouth even further into his cheeks. She couldn't pinpoint what exactly about him unsettled her, but her gut was hardly ever wrong.

"Do you need a minute, Ms. Uravity?" His face fell slightly when she hadn't moved towards the car. There was a nagging tug in mind and an idea struck her. It was a bit of a gamble but it could get her the answer she half dreaded.

"How... How much is the fare going to be?"

"Oh, don't worry, it's been covered!" he answered brightly. That was it. He had shown his hand, and she was not having it. She gently dismissed him knowing full well that he would push back. It took a few minutes of putting her foot down (and bribing him with a tip) before he retreated back into his cab. Ochaco watched his tail lights fade into the distance, getting lost in the wave of vehicles that engulfed the highway nearby. She gave it five more minutes before she caught the attention of a nearby driver and took off to her home.

What the hell was going on with the cab? The hum of rubber tumbling over the asphalt of the road provided her a soundtrack to think to. It was incredibly unusual for such an expensive ride to be covered already. Her parents wouldn't have been able to foot the bill and she was barely going to be able to cover it. A flash of smoldering emerald eyes crossed her vision and a light went off. It had to have been him. Maybe he was just a rabid Uravity fan? Or maybe her parents kept him company on the train ride? That was very likely; he wouldn't have been present if he hadn't come on the train. He certainly wasn't an officer or hero, dressed in his hoodie and clunky boots. Ochaco silently cursed that she hadn't gotten the number on the side of the driver's car. She could have called and asked for more information. Uraraka did everything in her power to keep any of the more sinister theories from rearing themselves in her mind.

When they had arrived at her building, she paid her fare and stepped up to the entrance. The brick face of the building hovered over the unshuttered, story tall windows that allowed any passersby to peek inside. Bright fluorescent light spilled out into the street, mingling with the neon illumination of the neighboring buildings' signs, glinting off the puddles of melted snow that began to encrust the ground with ice. A harsh breeze chilled her and she hurried to the door, digging into her purse for her cardkey. She felt the hairs on the back of her neck raise and she paused. There was something nearby, watching her. She could feel it. Uraraka turned around, but found that she was alone on the street. The only company she had were a few birds and empty cars that lined the streets. Cautiously, she swiped her card and entered the building. Her pace quickened to catch the next elevator. As soon as the doors opened with a soft bing, she exhaled the breath she hadn't realized she was holding.

Ochaco didn't live lavishly by any means. Her cramped studio apartment was sparse with any furnishings, save for the few momentos that sat on the shelves of her slim bookcase or hung next to the window. There was a chest of drawers with a tiny flat screen television which sat across a pullout couch, parts of the stuffing peeking out where the seams had broken. Her "kitchen" was comprised of a built-in fridge which lay inside a counter top cabinet. There was a hot plate near the tiny sink. To her immediate left was the bathroom that could barely contain the toilet, shower, and sink. It wasn't much to look at but it was what got her parents that vacation they so deserved. She felt a swell of pride as she scanned the room that became soured when her eyes fell on the shabby box sitting on top of her couch. It was held together with packing tape and labeled, "Katsuki," in bold black ink. Ochaco felt her face pull down, the box silently mocking her in the dark. She scoffed as she flipped the dingy overhead light on.

Six months later and he still hasn't picked his crap up... she grumbled to herself as she walked over to the bookcase to tend to the few plants that sat on some of the shelves.

Afterward, Ochaco unceremoniously tossed the scruffy box to the ground, ignoring the harsh crinkle of something broken hopping inside. She turned on her T.V., changed into some nightwear, and heated up some food as she mindlessly watched the news. Her mind wandered, not really focusing on the report on the upcoming local elections. A rotund man's face spilled over his collar as he spoke about Hosu's crime rate. Spittle hung on the edge of his fat bottom lip as his harsh voice crackled out of the ancient speakers.

"We have criminals pouring in from all over the country. They're all afraid of Lemillion and their own competitors, so where do they turn? Hosu! It's a travesty! The Endeavour agency has done well in the past but it will be the police, not heroes, who clean up these streets. I will go to Parliament and demand that our fair city gets better funding to bolster our police departments' noble efforts."

Ochaco rolled her eyes. Part of her felt spurned that her agency was never named. It was young, yes, but she and Mina have been very active since they opened their doors. They worked alongside the heroes and sidekicks from Endeavour's office several times even before she'd signed the lease on her office. Shoto, the heir to the Todoroki empire and number four hero, had done his best to extend a bit of clout to her agency, but it was still an uphill battle. Despite their efforts it was a struggle to get included on some major cases. Not to mention that crime rates were actually down despite what a few loud-mouthed idiots would say. What struck her as strange about the statistics was that many people didn't attribute the claim to Lemillion. There were many theories out there, each more outrageous than the last, but the consensus was that heroes had nothing to do with it. Even some pros had thrown out the idea that something, or someone, else was at the helm.

Ochaco channel surfed as she slowly made progress on her warmed up dinner. Eventually she gave up and put away her food. It hadn't been a great or bad day, she reflected as she turned off the T.V. and lights. It had just... been. She knew it should have been more momentous, but she couldn't shake off the feeling that it was a mixed bag. Ah, that's how it went sometimes. Uraraka laid her head down on the lumpy mattress, and wrapped a thin blanket around her body. She'd wake up to a few text messages from her parents letting her know that they landed safely. She'd wake up to the same empty, but claustrophobic apartment. She'd wake up and go to her agency like she had for the last seven years, saving all of her earnings for her parents. Today was just the next step in a very long journey. She sighed at the thought as she closed her eyes. Ochaco felt the need for comfort and fell asleep thinking about a pair of green eyes that burned themselves into her memory.