This wasn't real.
No. It couldn't be…
How the fuck did it turn out like this?
Iida, Todoroki and Midoriya stared at her in shock, hyper aware of her movement now.
They never even noticed when she moved in front of them, hands out as if to push them away. She was white as a ghost, her eyes glazed over with swirling emotions of confusion, fear and something else. Almost pleading that they back away, her tail twitching by her katanas.
What was she doing?
"Please this can't be happening. I don't know what to do."
Step.
"No, don't come near me. Please don't."
Sweat slowly dripped down her back, gold eyes scanning back and forth between her friends, hating the confusion in their faces.
Step.
"This isn't real!"
Her breathing quickened, her little pants just barely giving her enough oxygen. Her shock collar never felt tighter.
Stop.
"Aww and here I thought you wouldn't have remembered me…." a sinister voice chuckled, rough hands clutched Amaya's shoulders, causing the shaking cat-girl to flinch.
"It's so nice to see my little niece still cares about her uncle huh?" Soulless red eyes stared into her trembling ones.
He smirked, and gently patted her head, his blood dripping onto her cheeks. Was it his blood?
"Now my little Yajū, why don't you introduce me to your classmates. Of course, it's only fair as they're about to die at my hands."
No.
The day after finding out she would be interning with Aizawa went much better. Amaya was more responsive with her friends, who were worried about her mood yesterday. She was glad to have been able to calm their concerns and even promised to eat lunch with them after they came back from their internships.
Both cinnamon rolls were quite happy with that and Iida looked pleased as well, yet his mind seemed somewhere else. Iida continued behaving weirdly normal, but he was also sort of avoiding them.
Amaya hadn't managed to find the time to figure out what his deal was, but she promised herself before they left to intern, she'd try and talk to him once more.
On a brighter note, she finally managed to get her friends' numbers who happily handed their information over.
Uraraka and Midoriya seemed surprised but glad that Amaya had managed to get a phone, and both couldn't help but subtly glance at Aizawa. It still felt a bit weird that their classmate was under the supervision of a teacher, but they were happy for her. Plus, Midoriya really couldn't judge seeing his relationship with All Might. Though he could admit that Amaya and Aizawa definitely kept things under wraps, they were very professional in keeping their secret.
Yeah, he and All Might probably had to fix that.
The oblivious Amaya only watched curiously as her friends added in their numbers, completely missing the little interaction Uraraka and Midoriya had.
Midoriya was quite adorable when adding his contact information, putting 'Deku' at the end. Uraraka became Amaya's first contact with an emoji, and she didn't expect anything else from the straightforward Iida, who simply added his first and last name. Amaya even managed to acquire Shinso's number, who had not liked that she ditched him the day before.
"Amaya are you alright?" Shinso asked her as soon as he saw her enter their classroom.
Her heart skipped a beat at hearing her name leave his lips and she stared at him before she reminded herself that she needed to answer.
"Huh? Um yea. Why wouldn't I be?"
He raked his eyes over her, confirming what she said. His face transformed from worry to confusion and ended in hurt.
"Then why didn't you come to lunch yesterday? I tried finding you after your classes, but you had already left. You really had me worried," he sighed, slumping down into one of the chairs.
Amaya felt a bit guilty yesterday for not telling Shinso that she'd be missing lunch with him. Seeing the hurt in his eyes only made it worse and she felt a weird urge to hug him in an effort to try and comfort him.
"I'm sorry, I just wasn't really up for any company. Plus, I didn't know how to contact you but now I can! I know what I did was shitty, but could you give me your number so this won't happen again?" Amaya pleaded, clutching her hands together and staring at him innocently before holding out her black phone to him.
Shinso felt his cheeks warm before he collected himself and smirked.
"Is that the only reason you want my number?"
"Well, I also want it because we're friends. That's okay… right?" Amaya hesitantly questioned, starting to feel a bit insecure since he hadn't taken her phone.
Shinso's smirk softened at her vulnerable expression, "Of course we're friends. I was only teasing you."
Amaya smiled and punched him lightly on the shoulder in response. Shinso chuckled before adding his name and number, sending himself a winky face as a joke.
Amaya laughed lightly and settled down for lunch.
Amaya smiled softly, glad she resolved things with him. She even managed to convince him to join her and her friends to lunch next time, to which he agreed albeit unamused.
He got her back though with that little stunt he pulled right before they left.
Shinso pulled Amaya gently by the wrist once he saw her leaving, surprising the cat girl, her black ears twitching.
"Yes?"
Shinso smirked before he leaned his head down and spoke softly in her ear.
"I still haven't forgiven you for ditching me. I think that earns you some kind of punishment. You'll make it up to me soon, don't worry. We'll be seeing a lot more of each other sooner than you think."
He left before she could respond, not that she could due to her flaming face and racing heart.
Blushing again Amaya scowled, just remembering his husky voice made her shiver. Not necessarily in a bad way but definitely in a new weird way.
She didn't understand why he said that or his cryptic words. She also didn't know how she was going to make it up to him, but she was pretty sure he was joking on the whole punishment thing. At least she hoped… She was still new to having friends. Deciding not to dwell on it Amaya focused on the positives.
Her day was actually fairing much better than she imagined, her classmates were actually saying hi to her now. Ever since the sports festival they had become more friendly, complimenting her on her grades or if she performed an exercise well.
Hell, when she asked Midoriya for his number she was surprised that Kirishima and Kaminari also asked if they could exchange numbers. She laughed remembering how they asked Bakugo if he also wanted his number to be added in, to which he kindly said, "I don't need no stinking extra's number."
And being the polite lady that she was, Amaya responded with, "Well that makes things easier since I wasn't going to give it to you."
Watching Bakugo become red from rage certainly always made her day better.
Their relationship had also somewhat shifted since the festival, he teased her more whenever she tripped or messed anything up. Likewise, she insulted him whenever the opportunity presented itself and while Bakugo's rage was real, Amaya understood that he also didn't hate her.
At least she hoped he didn't.
Either way by the end of class Amaya felt rather pleased with her day.
She was readying herself to leave and walk with Uraraka and Midoriya when someone delicately tugged on her arm, making her pause. She didn't even have to turn around to know that it was Todoroki, his ice cold skin a dead giveaway.
"Hitachi."
Amaya merely raised her brow, not expecting this interaction to occur and trying to keep herself from appearing too curious.
Todoroki stopped for a second as if to collect himself and that's when Amaya noticed a change in his eyes. He seemed… better in a way. He didn't look like he hated the world as much anymore, his multicolored eyes appearing softer and more open than before.
"I heard you got a phone," he awkwardly started, waiting for her to confirm his claim.
Amaya nodded, expecting him to continue but he just left the conversation there for several moments.
Amaya knew she was awkward, but Todoroki really took it to a whole other level. It was so different from his witty, cold, calculative self that she had gotten used too.
He coughed before, thankfully, starting to speak again. "I was wondering if it'd be appropriate to exchange contact information with you?"
Well, she should've known that's what he wanted but she was honestly shocked. He wanted her number? Todoroki? Endeavor's son? The same Endeavor that hated her?
"Um you do realize if I gave you my number that'd probably cause your dad to have an aneurysm, right?"
Todoroki smirked at that, a sadistic glint flashing in his eyes.
"Heh don't give me that kind of hope. If that really did happen that'd just be a nice bonus," Todoroki lowly drawled, his smile sending shivers up Amaya's back.
"That's the Todoroki I know, well maybe a scarier Todoroki actually."
"Damn I didn't think IcyHot could be this jarring. It's hot."
Blushing, and now concerned for not only Todoroki's mental health but her own as well. Amaya tried to cool her expression.
"Moving on, why this sudden interest in having my number? I didn't think you'd like me or want to be close?" Amaya prodded; her words sharp.
Todoroki nodded, "I didn't think I'd do something like this either, but I also never expected Midoriya or you to wildly call my name and encourage me to use my quirk during the sports festival either," he half smiled, eyes full of mischief. "Guess I'm not the only one filled with surprises."
Amaya flushed, desperately trying to forget how aggressively she acted when Todoroki was fighting. Avoiding his eyes, she slowly conceded into the thought.
"Alright I'll bite," she showed her fangs jokingly, ignoring Todoroki's deadpan stare. "But seriously, it's good that you're coming out of your shell."
He looked at her strangely. "I could say the same thing to you."
Amaya didn't respond, letting the conversation end there as she entered her number, mind clouded with numerous emotions.
This was so strange.
But she didn't hate it.
Biting her lip to keep her smile to herself, she left to head home with Aizawa.
The morning of internships arrived, and Amaya was seething in her spot next to Aizawa on the train station platform. Her tail flickered from side to side in irritation, foot tapping impatiently. Her eyes narrowed into slits and if it wasn't for Aizawa's presence she would've been baring her teeth.
Lest to say she was pissed.
She finally made the connection of Hosu City and why Iida would train at Manuel's agency. That's where his older brother was attacked.
"This dumbass! What is he going to do? Does he actually think he can track down that psycho on his own?"
"Didn't think Mr. Uptight would have such blood lust."
Amaya agreed, worried and angered by Iida's highly possible motivation to intern there. She knew he might not do anything because this was Iida for goodness sake but still. When it came to family, anyone could go down a dark path.
And based on how he's been acting lately, she wouldn't put it past him. But Stain was no joke, this villain managed to kill 17 heroes! Did Iida seriously think he could fight against him? Alone?
"Kid if you keep twirling your tail like that you might snap it off. What's wrong? You've been antsy all morning," Aizawa called out softly, patting Amaya's head with care. None of his students were around yet, just the morning commuters, so he didn't have to worry about being caught, he just couldn't stand still watching her nerves eat at her.
Amaya frowned, calming down the slightest bit, subconsciously turning into the affectionate gesture.
"I'm just worried about Iida, he's been off since his brother's been attacked," Amaya admitted, her lip puffing out in remorse.
Aizawa's eyes narrowed, he too had seen that. And the fact that Iida just so happened to pick an agency very close to where Stain attacked his older brother didn't sit well with him either.
Before he could comment, students started arriving, Iida unsurprisingly being the first one.
Amaya took her chance to lunge onto his arm uncaringly, surprising the tall boy.
"A-Amaya-san what are you doing?! Are you alright? Do you—"
Amaya didn't listen, instead dragging him off to somewhere private on the station and pushing him with all her might against the wall.
Grabbing him by the collar she pulled him in close, their noses touching, gold eyes slanting menacingly.
"Don't. You. Dare. Do something stupid. Do you understand me?" Amaya threatened, growling the words out.
Iida's flustered state calmed down instantly, his face hardening as he stared at her with cold blue eyes.
"I have no idea as to what you're referring to Amaya-san," he replied, grabbing her wrist firmly and tugging it away from him, "but I'd appreciate it if you minded your own business."
Amaya's eyes softened, trying her best to express her concern, "Iida please… I know what you're thinking but you're going about this the wrong way. You'll end up getting hurt and—"
"And as I said. It's not your business," he pointed out, icily.
Amaya sighed, frustrated, but Iida walked away forcing Amaya to shut up, only able to hope that maybe Midoriya or someone else could knock the stupid out of him.
Speaking of Midoriya, he showed up, face pensive even as Aizawa started reminding everyone once again to behave on their internships. Amaya quietly neared him, tugging on his sleeve to get him to lower himself so she could whisper in his ear.
"Please say something to Iida, I have a really bad feeling about his internship."
Midoriya nodded, wanting to respond but also trying to act subtle so he squeezed the hand that was still on his sleeve instead.
Amaya blushed slightly, feeling reassured with Midoriya's gentle touch. If anyone could get through to Iida it was hopefully him.
Once Aizawa announced for everyone to get going she saluted Midoriya and Uraraka before following her mentor out the door.
She hoped they could reach Iida, unlike her. Right now, all she could do was leave it up to them and look ahead.
"Lucky for you, you're going to be training at the U.A. grounds with me," Aizawa sarcastically drawled.
Amaya laughed lightly, ignoring the penetrative stares of scared citizens. She had barely noticed them in the morning with her anger occupying her thoughts. Now that she was more relaxed their intense stares were as uncomfortable as they were irritating.
"You should just bark. Give them something to look at."
"No. We're with Aizawa, and we're not a dog!"
"I mean you can be a bitch."
Trying desperately to keep her face from falling flat she begged to any higher being to once again help her mental state.
"Oh, and you won't be training alone either kid. I decided to intern someone else," Aizawa mentioned, keeping his eyes trained on anyone who glared too harshly at Amaya.
Amaya froze mid-step, staring at his back in shock for a moment.
Aizawa was interning someone else? Did they know she was going to be with him too? We're they okay with it?
Aizawa noticed her falter in step and the increasing panic building up so he quickly flicked her forehead to calm her down.
"Relax. Jeez kid you should know me better than that. I've already told them about you, and they said they had no problem with it. I've also made sure that they weren't a piece of shit," Aizawa explained, using that gentle voice reserved solely for Amaya.
Said cat-girl blushed sheepishly and nodded, feeling a bit embarrassed about not trusting Aizawa.
Of course, Aizawa was still looking out for her. She was being silly.
Right?
As they entered the U.A. grounds Amaya wondered what Aizawa would be working with her today. Her quirk? Maybe her martial art skills?
What about that other person? Since Aizawa's reassurance, he let the topic drop and Amaya had been too shy to ask who she was going to be sharing him with.
"Hey kid I need to grab something from my office real quick, just meet me in the training room," he hurriedly called out, making an abrupt turn to his office.
Amaya sputtered out a non-intelligible response before tiredly sighing, heading towards the changing room and getting into her U.A. gym uniform.
Her mind was so preoccupied with anxiety about this partner that she crashed into the training room door, a small "oof" noise escaping her.
Scowling she collected herself and tried to open the door only for it to be swung wide open by a wildly amused, partly concerned Shinso.
"Woah there partner, try not to hurt yourself. That's supposed to be my job," he taunted jokingly.
Amaya's jaw dropped. No fucking way.
All previous tension left her body at seeing Shinso. She didn't have to be awkward with someone new! She could do that with Shinso.
Amaya blamed her pure relief for her next actions.
Without thinking she threw herself onto him, shocking the poor boy who barely managed to save her fall, taking most of the impact. Shinso groaned a little before giving a slightly strained smirk in return.
"I'd hope you'd be happy, but I didn't think it'd be this much. You have to calm yourself, kitten, I might not be there to catch you next time," Shinso chastised, his grip tightening slightly on her small body.
Amaya felt heat explode all over, steam practically coming out of her ears. This position, Shinso's low voice and new nickname were too much. She felt her brain short-circuiting.
"What's wrong kitten? Cat got your tongue?" Shinso teased, making no effort to get up or let Amaya go.
White wraps suddenly entered around the two, pulling them apart, setting Amaya down softly before all turning a tightening grip on a shocked Shinso.
Aizawa's gaze was murderous, not that Amaya could see since she was trying to calm herself down.
Shinso however could not escape it if he tried, if it wasn't for the wraps cutting off his breathing he would've gulped.
"I see you two have been acquainted… Amaya are you alright?" Aizawa kindly asked, seeing as the red cat-girl was still flustered. Seeing Amaya tangled up with that boy, quite literally, had rubbed him the wrong way and subconsciously Aizawa gripped his wraps a bit harder, enjoying the gasp Shinso let out.
Amaya nodded, feeling more concern for Shinso as his skin was turning the same color as his hair.
Aizawa also noticed and reluctantly let go.
Shinso dropped to the floor with a thud, wheezing and coughing, trying to fill his lungs back with air. He backed away from Amaya, eyes glazed over, holding a new fear towards Aizawa.
Amaya turned, ready to help but Aizawa placed his hand firmly on her shoulder, preventing her.
"Well why don't you just tell me how you two got to know each other first?" The question seemed innocent enough, but Amaya felt worried about the dark aura Aizawa was manifesting.
"I-I talked to her the first day of school s-sir, I mean sensei! We're friends," Shinso nervously bit out, his words rushed.
Amaya could sense the tension but didn't understand it, so she chose to ignore it. Maybe it was just a guy thing.
"Yeaaa… Shinso is my friend! So I just got a little excited when I saw that he'd be who else was interning with you. What made you take him under your wing?" Amaya conformed, hoping to turn the conversation around.
It worked thankfully, Aizawa sighed, nodding along to the answer. He was glad Amaya and Shinso we're friends but that didn't mean he liked this boy being cozy with her.
However, he also couldn't deny the soft spot he held for the boy either. Shinso reminded Aizawa of himself from when he was a teen. Both considered "weak" just because they didn't have showy emitter or physical quirks. Aizawa could see that this kid worked hard and saw potential in him. He just didn't expect Shinso to be so touchy with his pseudo daughter.
"Because this kid has the guts to be a hero, he just needs proper training."
Amaya smiled, agreeing. Shinso really did have such an amazing quirk, she still didn't understand why he wasn't in the hero course. U.A. really only cared about "strong" quirks which was stupid because Shinso's was obviously stronger than any fire power.
She sighed, this world really did have a warped way of demonstrating and portraying heroes.
"Fucking yea. You've known this. There are no real heroes anymore. Look at the big-headed fire man. He's a dick but because he can set things on fire he's like the number two hero!"
"Well I agree that this society is very biased with physical quirks. However my issue is toward the fact that Endeavor is a piece of trash but still considered a hero. And lots of other heroes are probably like this too."
Before her thoughts could get any deeper, or darker, Aizawa brought out a second pair of wraps from behind his pocket, distracting her.
He threw them towards Shinso who almost missed, catching the ropes from surprise.
"I went to my office because I needed to grab those. You have a strong quirk but that doesn't mean you can't be knocked down. Need I mention the sports festival," Aizawa mentioned, causing Shinso to flinch.
Amaya looked towards the two in confusion wondering what exactly happened in Shinso's match with Midoriya. She only knew Shinso had lost but she didn't bother to ask why.
"Trust me sensei I won't forget that. I know I need to train my physical abilities more, that was very clearly demonstrated in front of everyone," Shinso sighed, his tone slightly bitter.
Amaya wanted to comfort him but she felt like maybe doing that in front of Aizawa wasn't the smartest. It looked like he didn't like seeing them touch which Amaya guessed she could understand. They were supposed to be fighting each other and not being caring.
"So then what are we going to be doing today Aizawa?" Amaya asked, hoping to all that was good it wouldn't be quirk training.
Fortunately it seemed like luck was on her side.
"Well seeing as you both are in need of obvious combat training, we'll start with that. Tomorrow we can focus on your quirks. For now just show me what you guys got."
Amaya raised an eyebrow, finally noticing the change in his outfit. He had tied his hair into a bun wearing black sweats and a grey tank top. Did he mean for them to attack him?
Aizawa saw the concern in her eyes and the panic in Shinso's, trying not to laugh.
"What's wrong? Worried I can't handle it?"
No. We're worried we can't, both teens thought as they looked at each other helplessly.
Aizawa smirked, his eyes widening in crazed delight.
"C'mon kids. Let's see if you can take me down," he taunted.
"Can we use our quirks?" Shinso muttered.
Aizawa immediately turned on his quirk just in case and laughed, "You can try, but that won't help you at all."
Aizawa took off his capture weapon to be a little more fair and got into a fighting stance, looking relaxed.
"Begin."
Amaya really didn't want to; this was her first time ever fighting Aizawa. She had always wanted to fight him, but something had always gotten in the way, and now that the moment was here, she hesitated. But she knew she had to, so forgetting her feelings she raced forward, Shinso staying back. He opted to observe Aizawa first since he was the least competent in fighting.
As Amaya got closer, she lunged for his legs, focusing on taking him down. Aizawa easily jumped, flipping over her and aimed for a kick to her back. Amaya thankfully caught it in time, but she wasn't prepared for the force of his kick and fell down easily.
Groaning, she sat up, laying on her elbows to see Aizawa already in front of a wide eyed Shinso.
"Observing first to see what the enemy's fighting style is smart," Aizawa smirked, grabbing under Shinso's arm and pinning it to his side in a death grip.
Shinso struggled, trying to land a cross but Aizawa deflected it, "but standing there defenseless isn't," he continued, easily flipping Shinso onto his back, glee in his eyes at the boy's obvious pain.
Both teens huffed as they stood up once more, a serious glint in their eyes, focusing on trying to take Aizawa down.
Aizawa grinned widely, the glare in their eyes firing up his own competitive side.
Amaya growled and ran around Aizawa in a circle as Shinso took the lead this time. Shinso aimed smooth punches but Aizawa easily evaded them, returning it with a wicked front kick that knocked Shinso down.
Amaya took her chance at seeing Aizawa open from behind and jumped on his unguarded back.
Aizawa didn't even seem shaken as he grabbed her small arms, throwing her into Shinso who had barely gotten up.
The teens groaned in pain, Shinso forcing himself to not touch Amaya, lest he be choked to death once more.
"You guys attack too aggressively. Specifically, you Amaya, you're like a bull who sees red. Offense is good, but you guys have to be more relaxed in your stance. Instead of fighting head on, use your opponent's momentum against them," Aizawa instructed, moving closer to the teens and demonstrating what he meant.
Amaya ungracefully got off Shinso helping him stand.
"I know that… it's just been a while since I've had to fight anyone."
"Pathetic."
"If you haven't noticed, trying to blend in and not cause a commotion is what I've been focusing on for the last three years. So yea I'm rusty and probably head in too impulsively, but it's worked so far!"
"Uh huh. And that's why Mummy over there is wiping the mat with your face right now. Seriously without your little swords or me you'd be dead."
Amaya rolled her eyes, not wanting to admit the possible truth in that sentence.
Shinso nudged the cat-girl, trying to stop her from zoning out, freezing when he felt Aizawa's cold stare on him.
"Now then. Try again."
After two hours of unsuccessful capture, Shinso and Amaya were dripping with sweat, panting loudly. While they had failed to actually pin down their mentor, they had improved greatly and even got a flow going on in the last round.
"Good job kids. Definitely saw better footwork and you're finally attacking with your head and not your anger. Tomorrow we'll focus on your quirks and all the rules there are when using them in the public." Aizawa explained, taking his hair out from the tight bun.
Amaya grimaced, taking her towel and wiping down her flushed skin. Shinso did the same, trying to keep his eyes to himself but it was practically impossible with Amaya standing two feet in front of him. Every time he snuck a glance, he couldn't help but admire her strong form.
She was definitely tired but didn't let herself show it. He had seen her fight before and while he admitted that she did rush into things, he couldn't help but appreciate that part about her. She took things head on and went off instinct. Her fighting style wasn't something to sneer at either. Though she struggled to pin Aizawa, she had managed to touch him a few times, even managing a punch here and there.
Rusty as she was, Amaya was way better than him but Shinso took a little pride in being stronger than her. Though it concerned him more than it made him happy.
As she continued to wipe herself clean, he couldn't help but stare at her pale skin, which looked so cute when red. Her tail lazily swaying side to side made him want to scoop her into his arms and carry her home.
A bruising grip made its way onto his shoulder and only by pure pride did Shinso not whimper in pain. Aizawa forced a smile as he looked at his pupil, trying not to get angry at how he looked at his charge and failing.
"Well why don't we all go home now; I need a nap."
Amaya agreed and sluggishly picked up her things before heading near Shinso and Aizawa, too tired to question their weird dynamic.
Aizawa smiled innocently at her before gently patting her head. The action did not pass by Shinso and he openly stared at the two in confusion.
Amaya noticed; her expression quickly went from relaxed to panicked in a second. She felt herself sputtering to explain but Aizawa merely laid his arm on her head effectively shutting her up. Amaya didn't speak, giving Aizawa a blank expression.
Aizawa was pretty affectionate with her but only outside of the public eye, she didn't understand. Why was he suddenly acting all dad-like in front of Shinso?
"She's not just my student, she's my kid. Got it?" Aizawa forcefully stated even though it was supposed to be a question.
Shinso gulped, hurriedly nodding, completely understanding why Aizawa was so overprotective with Amaya now. He thought it was just because Aizawa was overprotective of his students. Shinso felt like an idiot. He was flirting and getting touchy with someone Aizawa saw as his daughter. Honestly, he was surprised Aizawa hadn't killed him yet.
Amaya stared starry eyed at Aizawa, forcing the happy tears down. That was the first time he ever said anything like that, and it warmed her heart. Without realizing she tugged shyly on his sleeve, a pretty pink hue all over her cheeks.
Both males noticed and immediately thought it was adorable, but in different ways. Aizawa smiled softly and let go of Shinso, walking in front of Amaya.
"That's my cue to leave. See you tomorrow brat."
Amaya politely nodded before walking along with Aizawa, still warm about what just occurred.
"In case you forgot you already have a dad. Remember."
Amaya sighed at that, trying to ignore that fact.
"Well yes but he isn't here right now. He left me."
"How do you know Aizawa won't do the same?"
"He won't."
"Ah ah ah! How can you be so sure? Don't be stupid, c'mon you know —"
"I said he won't."
Amaya hoped her cold response would've shut Yajū up, but she was wrong.
"Besides, I thought you liked Aizawa?"
"Doesn't matter if I like him. I like him now, but can I trust him always? Can you?"
"Yes."
"You thought that way about your dad and uncle and look where they are."
Amaya bit her lip at that. Yajū wasn't saying any lies. Still, she wanted to believe in Aizawa. And she did.
Turning off her thoughts she continued walking home, satisfied with her day. Tomorrow was what she needed to worry about.
Tomorrow she hoped she could make some kind of breakthrough with her powers.
Bright and early Amaya awoke to Aizawa shaking her crumpled form, forcing her to get ready for some early training.
"Aizawa's awake… at 6:30? Without me needing to wake him up?"
Amaya didn't even have time to process her thoughts, only sleepily putting on the one pair of workout clothes she owned and tying her messy black hair into a ponytail.
Her ears and tail were dragging behind her until she saw an equally tired Shinso approaching. Aizawa noticed the perked up appendages as well and tried to calm himself. Throwing students wasn't allowed.
The teens couldn't interact much though, thankfully in Aizawa's opinion, due to running a good few miles as a warm up. Aizawa didn't relent and while they did core workouts, he explained the difference between underground heroes and the big showy ones like All Might.
Amaya couldn't stop her eyes from rolling as Aizawa explained that if Shinso and herself decided to become "popular pros" they'd not only have to focus on training but keeping the public happy. Having to look pretty for the cameras and staying nice with the press. Everything relied on how society viewed them, more so than actually saving people.
"Then why the hell is Endeavor number 2?! He sucks!"
"Well, the press like him enough so."
"This is why real heroes don't exist anymore."
Yajū was quoting someone. Amaya paused mid-crunch, eyes glazing as repressed memories came back.
"I don't know Akane! I don't know alright! You know that if we engage in an argument with Endeavor then our image will only go down!" Raion stressed, dragging his hands through his hair, pulling the black locks from stress.
"I don't care! I don't care! My son is dead because of that bastard!" Akane shouted hysterically in retaliation, pacing back and forth in their den.
Amaya quietly hid behind the corner, tears in her eyes as her parents continued to shout at each other. Each comment progressively more insulting than the last.
A gentle touch on her shoulder distracted her momentarily and she glanced up at her uncle, frowning at his grim features.
"This society's view of a hero is disgusting little one. Real heroes don't exist anymore."
Amaya slowly nodded, fighting back whimpers as she hid her small body in the warmth of her uncle. Desperately hoping his comfort could drown out the loud shouts in the background.
"Amaya. Amaya. Amaya!" Aizawa called out, staring quizzically at the zoned out cat-girl.
Amaya flinched, looking up to see both males staring at her in concern.
"Sorry. It's nothing. Just a cramp."
Neither insomniacs believed the girl but decided to leave the issue… for now.
"Right… well you've warmed up enough now, so today's focus is on your quirks." Aizawa explained, still staring at Amaya in concern.
"Fuck."
"Hell yea!"
Now standing, huddling close together, Aizawa decided to start with Shinso, after seeing how pale Amaya had gotten in the span of a few seconds just from hearing his words.
"Okay Shinso, so your quirk basically works if you can get someone to answer you after you ask them a question, right?" Aizawa clarified, staring at the purple-haired teen for confirmation.
At seeing his nod, Aizawa walked over to his bag and threw something over his shoulder. Shinso scrambled to catch it, his heart dropping when the thing fumbled in his hands.
Peering over Amaya noticed it was a thick black mask.
Both teens stared at it in confusion, Amaya poking it in curiosity. Shinso looked over, waiting for an explanation while trying to ignore Amaya's cute actions.
"It's just a regular mask. However, I started thinking about how anyone who saw the sports festival now knows about your quirk and understands that it's voice activated. Meaning they know what you sound like which could be problematic later on," Aizawa explained as he tied wraps around his fists and wrists.
"I'm having Hatsume work on something for you but as of right now, we need you to raise your stamina. This mask will help with your breathing control and intensify your workouts."
Shinso nodded, apprehensive about training with the mask but also excited. Aizawa was having something made for him? Aizawa really did believe in him.
He placed it on, and took a deep breath, readying himself for battle. Aizawa strode over, his demeanor relaxed, confident.
"Let's begin."
As the two men fought, Aizawa obviously taking the lead, Amaya admired how hard Shinso worked. Yes, he was getting his ass beat and wrapped in Aizawa's capture weapon, but he had improved since yesterday. Plus, he was a quick learner, so Amaya knew that if Shinso kept training he'd be up there with Todoroki and Bakugo soon enough.
Speaking of those two dorks she hadn't seen them or really any of her friends, Shinso aside. She knew this was bound to happen as everyone was interning in different cities and most likely dead tired after them as well.
Iida popped into her mind, but she quickly got rid of the thought. While she worried for him, she was still bothered by his irrational actions. She could only hope Midoriya got to him.
Regrouping her thoughts, she focused on how she had developed such close relationships with everyone, and even had a phone she could use to communicate with them.
She was just too shy to be the first one to send a message.
"You know ignoring the problem won't make it go away."
Amaya growled to herself, not appreciating the intrusive thought.
"I'm not ignoring anything."
"Right. You're not thinking about those losers instead of the fact that you have absolutely no control over your own quirk."
Amaya sighed, completely dejected. Yajū might not have been completely wrong. She stared disdainfully at her seal, scratching it aggressively. She couldn't even remember when she got it, just that it had been a painful experience. She watched the skin break right under her seal, grimacing at the blood that leaked down her claws.
Yajū had been frightening to her when she was little but hadn't actually developed into a separate personality in her head until after Kou passed away. If it was a personality…. Amaya just knew she was not mentally right.
Before, Yajū had been like a dark version of Amaya, but after the incident she no longer had any control at all. The darkness just overtook her, and Amaya was put to sleep. It scared her that she'd never be able to control Yajū. She couldn't do it in her youth and now Yajū was just as strong as her.
What the hell was she supposed to do?
"Amaya. You're up."
Amaya flinched, leaving the skin around her seal alone, discreetly wiping the blood on her black sweatpants.
Gulping, she shakily looked over to an exhausted Shinso, feeling the slightest bit better at his tired but genuine smile of encouragement.
Aizawa made a hand motion for her to begin and Amaya begrudgingly got into a fighting stance.
She bit directly into her seal and watched as the blood dripped, ignoring Aizawa's concerned look at her bloody wrist.
Heart pounding in her ears, Amaya felt the familiar haze surrounding her conscious. Yajū immediately took the reins, restricting all control.
Shinso stared in awe at Amaya's transformation, it seemed like he'd never get over it.
Growling Amaya smirked up at the two men, her miasma curling around her body.
"Finally, it's my time to play."
"You know I've noticed how your personality switches whenever this happens, care to explain why Amaya?" Aizawa interrogated, changing his stance into a causal one.
"What's happening out there?"
"Hmm. I guess you would've figured it out sooner or later teach. Your little Amaya is just stupid enough to believe you didn't figure it out because you never said anything," Yajū commented, enjoying the scowl on Shinso's face and flicker of irritation in Aizawa's eyes at the jab.
"Who are you? Are you not Amaya?" Shinso asked, stepping closer to the cat-girl, body guarded.
Yajū laughed bitterly and walked around the men in a circle, enjoying the attention.
"Well, I am her, but she just doesn't want to accept it. So instead, I go by Yajū, quite fitting in my opinion," Yajū explained, whipping out a tendril at Shinso's feet, manically smiling at his stumble.
"Quit it!"
"You big baby, I don't understand what she sees in you."
"Wait, what?" Shinso stuttered out, face flush as he wondered if he heard that correctly.
"Enough! Yajū, this is the first time we interacted is it not? Usually, Amaya fights for control and ends up passing out or reaching her limit, why is that?" Aizawa interrupted, feeling conflicted as he stared at his kid who wasn't really his kid right now.
"Ugh how the hell am I supposed to answer you? I want control and she wants control but she can't take it back because she's weak. End of story."
"Amaya is not weak," Shinso bit back, glaring at the floor. He wanted to glare at the cat girl, but this thing was still in Amaya's body. He didn't know if he believed such a crude person existed in Amaya but if it did, he wanted to help her and he didn't want her to think he was mad at her.
"Isn't saying that Amaya is weak mean that you're weak as well? Since you said you're a part of her?" Aizawa countered, his calculative eyes analyzing the figure before him.
"Yajū I can see what's happening. We aren't fighting so let me go back."
"No, it's my turn."
Hissing, the dark purple wisps fluttered around Yajū dangerously.
"I am not weak. This stupid girl is. That's why I'm here. I have to protect her otherwise she'd be dead by now. C'mon teach, you've seen her fight." Yajū stated exasperatedly.
Aizawa furrowed his brows at that statement. At first it seemed as if Yajū hated Amaya, being a completely different being inside her head. Yet this statement and the fact that Yajū said they were a part of Amaya contradicted how they acted.
So, what was it?
"You want to protect Amaya? Then why do you insult her?! Why do you not just give her back control when she wants it? Instead, you just let her strain herself!" Shinso shouted, remembering her scared eyes at the tournament. Those beautiful gold eyes glazed over as she looked at Bakugo.
"BECAUSE SHE'S WEAK AND I'M NOT BUT SHE'S SCARED OF ME! I'VE ALWAYS SCARED HER EVEN THOUGH ALL I WANT TO DO IS HELP!" Yajū screamed, voice hoarse and eyes teary yet hard as they stared back at the purple-haired boy.
Amaya's fists were clenched so hard blood leaked out and her body seemed ready to pounce. No longer walking around arrogantly but instead hunched over and guarded.
"It's fucking annoying and if she's going to act like a brat then I'm going to act like this. It's helped her survive so far," Yajū muttered, glaring at the men in front of her.
"Do you and Amaya communicate? Does she understand how you feel? Does she understand that you are merely her instincts taking an intelligent form?" Aizawa softly asked as he slowly approached the girl.
"No. I didn't know that… I've always been asleep, or the haze made it hard for me to know what you're saying. You've never told me this."
"How could I when you always cried when you saw your reflection?"
"Wait let me get this straight. Amaya and you are the same person then? You're just her instincts in human form and you act like a bitch because that's how Amaya sees herself?" Shinso tiredly repeated, rubbing at his face.
Yajū grimaced and looked the other way, her tendrils calming down.
"I don't think we'll ever really understand Shinso, and I doubt Amaya will either seeing how she's been repressing this since it manifested. But I do believe that perhaps now instead of this loss of control, perhaps you two could try and work together?"
Yajū stiffened at that and Amaya felt a prick in her subconscious.
"Work together?"
"Work together?"
Yajū made a face but hesitantly nodded and Amaya felt the haze lift slightly. She couldn't control her body, but she could clearly see what Yajū was seeing.
Aizawa was smiling at her and Shinso looked happy as well.
"Why do you both have that dumb look on your faces?" Yajū bit out, albeit not as harshly as Amaya expected.
"You really do have such beautiful gold eyes Amaya," Shinso softly complimented.
Yajū and Amaya froze at that and quickly ran into the bathroom.
Black veins still littered her body, dark miasma surrounding her in a protective curtain. But instead of pure white, shimmering gold eyes stared back through the mirror.
Their practice ended a little early that day which Amaya truly appreciated. She still couldn't get over the fact that Yajū admitted they just wanted to protect her. She couldn't get over the fact that they were going to try and work together!
Yajū had stayed quiet for the rest of practice, barely making any jabs when someone messed up. Amaya still couldn't really do anything, but it was weird being able to see herself move due to another's actions. And she felt even more surprised when Yajū just let her take back full control.
It was a weird day for sure. Thankfully Aizawa understood that and let Amaya leave early while he stayed to practice with Shinso for another hour.
Having showered and changed into her normal clothes Amaya frowned at the tiny holes in her long-sleeved t-shirt. She needed more clothes, only having a few pairs of outfits. Yet she couldn't see herself going out to the mall and buying skirts or dresses like any regular teen. Even walking home right now, she could only breathe properly when there was no one near her.
People's stares of disgust annoyed and disheartened her. Willingly going to a place where there'd be crowds sounded like a nightmare.
She sighed, stubbornly picking at the hole, trying to forget about those stares even though she knew doing that wasn't a smart idea.
When she arrived home, she merely placed her things in her room before deciding to go out on a short walk to clear her head.
She briefly texted Aizawa and began walking.
Amaya had forgotten what it felt like to just walk around, not caring about anything else at the moment. It had been so long since she was even allowed to do such a thing. Even living with Aizawa for a few months hadn't opened her up to the fact that she was free now.
Well as free as one could be with a shock collar.
Walking around felt nice, and with the sun starting to set, the breeze felt delightful on her skin.
This felt amazing.
She was lost.
It had only been twenty minutes, but Amaya deeply regretted taking a walk in the first place.
She had planned to walk straight to avoid this kind of problem but having been caught up in her thoughts she made turns unconsciously and now she was lost, and the moon was starting to rise.
To make matters worse she didn't charge her phone the night before, still not used to having to do that, and so now it was dead.
Perfect.
Aizawa was going to kill her.
Sighing in frustration she decided maybe walking towards where there were more people would be better than walking around deserted neighborhoods. Even though people made her anxious, she wanted to go home and to do that she needed directions.
It wasn't long before she saw someone a little bit ahead. She sped up a little, not wanting to scare them but it seemed to have the opposite effect because as soon as she was within arm's distance she was suddenly pinned into the wall, their thick arm pressing against her throat.
Amaya dug her claws in the person's arm, eyes wide in panic until she saw familiar red staring down at her in confusion.
Bakugo?
He instantly let go and Amaya held in a cough, wanting to appear stronger than how she felt.
"Dumbass, don't you know not to sneak up on a person. Maybe that'll teach you for next time," he growled out, but his words held no menace.
Amaya wanted to retort something back, but she froze when she was able to fully take Bakugo in.
What happened to his…
"Pfft," Amaya giggled, turning her head in an attempt not to look at his pulled back hair and scowling demeanor.
It didn't matter because one quick glance back had her laughing uncontrollably.
"Ugh, shut up extra! I have to wear my hair like this for my internship and it won't fucking go back in its place! Stop laughing before I blow your face off!" Bakugo threatened, face annoyed yet there was a hint of red on his cheeks.
Amaya tried to control her giggles, but it was difficult. She couldn't remember the last time she laughed this hard. It's just Bakugo looked like a petulant child, how could she not laugh.
"Sorry, sorry. Hehe, nice hair," Amaya smiled, eyes a bit teary from laughing so hard.
Bakugo wanted to yell at her but he couldn't help but stare at her smiling face. She didn't smile much but it wasn't so bad when she did. She didn't look half bad smiling.
"So, then you're returning from your internship with…"
"Best Jeanist," Bakugo answered, growling as he relayed his answer.
He regretted his decision to train with that annoying man so much.
"Hmm. I see. So you live in this area then?" Amaya quietly asked, hoping he could direct her home if she didn't annoy him too much.
"No shit I live around here. What are you doing here?" Bakugo responded sounding both annoyed and curious at the same time.
Amaya sheepishly smiled at that and looked down to avoid his judging stare.
"I'm… lost," she whispered back, face flushing in embarrassment.
"I didn't think you were a stupid extra, guess I was wrong."
Amaya snapped her head back up at that and scowled at him, "At least I don't look like a toddler in super tight jeans."
Bakugo growled at that, eye twitching at her comment.
"You sure talk big for someone with holes in their shirt."
Amaya gasped at that and quickly hid her hands behind her sleeves. She forgot that in her nervous state of being lost she had ripped the holes in her sleeves into larger ones.
"This is one of the only shirts I have, shut up."
Bakugo stared at her contemplating her words in his mind. He grew up where fashion was a big part of his life and he knew most girls loved that kind of stuff too. He dressed nice and could afford nice things too because his family never suffered financially.
Looking at the embarrassed state of the cat-girl in front of him, her clothes that were obviously handed down and didn't really fit her properly, he forgot not everyone was like him. His eyes trailed over to her collar and he felt like an idiot for a moment.
Was Hitachi even allowed to go shopping? He didn't really know her situation, just what her parents did and that most of society feared her.
He didn't get it, and he felt something annoying gnawing at his insides. It annoyed him that she wasn't smiling anymore.
"Let's go," Bakugo instructed before walking ahead.
Amaya frowned at his words and scrambled to walk beside him. Damn her short legs.
"Go where I haven't even told you we're I lived?"
"Yea but Aizawa-sensei knows, you can use the phone at my house to call him, I'm assuming yours is dead unless you really are an idiot."
Amaya stuttered at that, "H-how would I know Aizawa-sensei's number?"
Bakugo scoffed at that, glaring at the cat-girl.
"Those dumbasses in our class might not see it but it's obvious you and that old man are close," he clarified, daring her to tell him he was wrong.
Amaya didn't say anything, astounded by how perceptive Bakugo really was. He may have been an aggressive hot head, but he was observant.
"Thank you," she mumbled, a small smile appearing on her face at his unexpected kindness.
"Stop talking brat," Bakugo bit out, looking away from the small teen, face red.
The two walked in comfortable silence before Amaya looked up to see a beautiful home in front of her.
Bakugo motioned for her to wait outside and she patiently did. He came right back out with his phone in his hand and she took no time to call her guardian.
To say he was upset was an understatement. Aizawa sounded so mad yet relieved on the phone that she wondered how he was going to punish her. She didn't think he'd hit her; he never gave her reason to believe he would, but this was the first time she did something wrong.
Would he lock her up? No food for a day?
She reached up and clutched at her collar. Was that what he was going to do?
Before she could spiral in her panic a heavy but gentle hand moved hers away from her neck.
"Look shorty, I know Aizawa's probably mad at you and I don't know what your situation is but relax. You look stupid when you freak out."
Amaya glared at Bakugo for that, but her eyes softened as she realized he was trying to calm her down.
"You can go back inside if you want, Aizawa should be here any minute. It turns out you don't live too far from where I do," she explained as she looked at the street.
Bakugo grunted before he roughly stuffed her hand with a piece of paper.
Amaya looked at it in confusion, but he barked at her before she could open it.
"Sunday. 12:30pm. We're buying you some new shirts. Don't be late."
"Wait what?" Amaya started, gazing at Bakugo baffled.
"Don't make me repeat myself. You need new clothes and since you're too scared to go alone and don't know how to dress I'm going. I'm feeling generous so just shut up and put that number in when your phone is charged, dumbass." Bakugo growled out as he shoved her face away, ignoring her little squeak of surprise.
He noticed headlights in his driveway and headed inside, shouting out one last time.
"Don't you dare be late!"
Amaya didn't even have the chance to respond before Aizawa appeared, seeming both frustrated and calm. It was terrifying.
He looked her over once before moving in. Amaya flinched and closed her eyes until she noticed Aizawa was ruffling her hair and pushing her body into his.
"Don't scare me like that kid. I was so worried."
She grabbed onto his shirt, hesitatingly slightly before asking, "You're not mad at me?"
"Oh, I'm mad, but I was more scared than angry. You're going to be running double time because of this tomorrow and I expect you to charge that phone," he grumbled, giving her one last squeeze before moving to the car.
Amaya smiled lightly, nodding before bounding over to her seat.
As they drove away Amaya knew she should've focused on trying to make up with Aizawa, but her thoughts kept drifting over to a certain blonde hot-head.
Her blush didn't die down until they arrived home.
Sweat dripped down her forehead and shallow breaths were all Shinso heard from beside him. Amaya had been made to run twice as many laps as him today, concerning the purple-haired boy.
He handed her a bottle of water which she hastily swiped from his grasp and chugged.
"Heh, thanks," she gasped out, smiling weakly at him.
Shinso nodded trying not to stare too long, feeling a certain adult's eyes on his back.
Aizawa quickly made his way over towards the two, not liking them being together for too long. Maybe he was a bit overprotective but so what? His kid, his rules.
"Go do your regular warm ups and then shower, you're going to use your costume today," Aizawa instructed, looking mostly at Amaya. .
"Umm Aizawa-sensei? I don't have a costume… so am I supposed to do something else today?" Shinso spoke up, an abashed tone coming through.
Amaya looked through the two frowning, upset Shinso didn't have a costume even though he deserved it and confused Aizawa wanted to go patrol at this hour.
They had started later as well which she should've taken into account, but she just blamed it on her guardian not liking the early morning. It was only past noon, and she knew that he usually patrolled at night… Maybe this was part of the internship experience?
Still, she wondered how people were going to react once they saw her, if they recognized her in her costume.
"Well, I actually can't take you Shinso because you're still regarded as a general student, but I do have some plans for you. You can continue to do some of your own training if you wish, which I highly recommend, and then head on down to the support level in an hour. You'll meet some of our support students to go over what kind of costume you'd like," Aizawa calmly explained, getting his things ready.
Amaya and Shinso stared at each other in open shock.
"A-Aizawa-sensei, you're serious? B-but how? I mean is that even allowed?" Shinso rambled, eyes still incredulous.
Aizawa softly smiled back, surprising the purple-haired teen who had only seen that look given towards Amaya.
"Kid I've talked about how I think the entrance exams are biased. Plus, I wouldn't have taken you if I didn't think you had potential. Just trust me and go over there, I think it'll be a good experience for you."
Shinso smiled widely and nodded, new energy reviving inside of him. Besides him Amaya quietly squealed, clutching onto his arm in her excitement, eyes sparkling.
Shinso couldn't help himself as he gently petted her, briefly forgetting he wasn't alone.
"Do your warm ups now before I make you run again. And I mean both of you this time," Aizawa deadpanned, looking only slightly irritated.
Shinso blanched, running ahead while Amaya pouted and followed suit. She didn't understand why they were being threatened and was slightly upset at the sudden threat. Sometimes she really didn't understand her caretaker.
Aizawa huffed as he saw both of them start their sit-ups. Seriously, these two were going to give him an aneurysm.
Damn kids.
Fully decked out in her costume, katanas safely attached to her back, Amaya followed Aizawa onto the train.
They had bid Shinso goodbye at the school and now were heading to…?
"Aizawa where are we going?" Amaya prodded, noticing her guardian had been more quiet than usual since they left the school grounds.
"Hosu City."
Amaya's eyes widened and Aizawa regarded her with a weary look.
"Besides your concern over Iida, the police have actually noticed a trend in the Hero Killer's killing. He always kills at least four heroes in whatever city he's in but in Hosu he's only attacked Ingenium. So, the police have a suspicion that he will try and attack a few more before leaving," Aizawa explained, sighing as he stared at the passing buildings.
He really didn't want to bring Amaya to this, concerned for her safety, but mostly he worried about the prejudice she'd most likely receive there. A lot of Japan still regarded her as a dangerous threat and highly populated cities like Hosu were more suspicious of her.
Even the people here on this train were staring at her suspiciously and it was taking everything in him to not say something.
Staring at her innocent gold eyes only made him grit his teeth more. He should've left her home but at the same time this was a good way to show the world she was training to be a hero and a part of the internship experience.
Groaning quietly, he slightly banged his head against his arm. Amaya noticed and softly nuzzled her head into his back subconsciously, hoping to relax him even if just slightly.
Aizawa stiffened at the contact and stared at his charge in surprise, she didn't even seem to notice what she was doing.
He wondered if it was that she was part feline that she instinctively started to let go of relaxing pheromones. It wasn't like they were particularly strong, but he understood she was trying to calm him down.
She was a sweet kid. And he knew the world would see that one day.
Amaya sighed as she looked up at Aizawa's tense face. She understood his worry. Iida was in danger, especially if he also caught onto this trend and was going to do something dumb. Gods she really hoped his agency could stop him if something happened.
As the train headed deeper and the sun started to set, a heavy weight settled down in Amaya's stomach.
She had a really bad feeling about all of this.
BOOM
The train came to a frigid stop but then everything began shaking. Aizawa scanned the area but there were no immediate signs of danger, meaning the explosion was near but not close enough to hurt anyone… yet.
"Attention passengers, please exit the train in an orderly fashion and then proceed to head home right away. There seems to be some trouble near the area so please leave immediately and get home safe!" A slightly strained voice announced from the train's speakers.
Aizawa and Amaya stared at each other briefly before running out of the train and platform.
There was chaos all around them: buildings were on fire and all Amaya could hear was civilian screams. Looking up she felt her heart drop.
Nomus.
As in multiple monsters flying and attacking every which way.
"Amaya! You guide civilians out of harm's way and try to assist any rescue heroes you see! Do not engage in any fighting, do you understand!" Aizawa's sudden voice commanded, snapping Amaya out of her revere.
Amaya hollowly nodded, eyes glazing at the fact that Aizawa was going to have to fight one of those things again. Just as he jumped, she almost grabbed onto his shirt wanting to stop him.
She didn't, knowing that was foolish so instead she screamed, tears in her eyes, "BE CAREFUL! DON'T YOU DARE DIE ON ME!"
Aizawa tightly nodded back, "That goes for you too kid."
Amaya didn't hear that, running towards where she heard the most grouped screams. Her senses were going all over the place and her breathing felt tight, but she refused to panic. She had to help!
Her ears twitched, picking up a muffled cry of help, the sound so quiet she doubted any of the heroes could pick it up. She raced through the smoke and debris, trying to avoid the Nomus as much as she could. As she neared a vacant but destroyed area, she noticed the cry from before was of a child.
That's when she saw a slab of concrete wedged between an upside-down car and a building. She looked into the car and her stomach dropped at the corpse laying across the wheel. The poor woman had concrete sticking out of her, the small child tangled in the backseat with her seatbelt.
"Please help my mommy! She's stuck and fell asleep! Please help her!" The little girl sobbed, brown eyes trembling, not even worried about her own injuries. Amaya's heart quickened and she desperately wished she had the words to explain that this little girl's mommy wasn't here anymore.
The child didn't seem to be any older than four years old and Amaya felt tears trying to gather in her eyes. Pinching herself to maintain some sort of calm she turned to the child.
Shakily smiling Amaya nodded, "Of course! D-dont worry, I'll save you!"
The little girl's sobs quieted a little, only small whimpers could be heard.
Gulping, Amaya pulled out her two katanas, trying to calm her unsteady hands. Would the katanas be able to slice through the rock? That was using a lot more force than Amaya was used too.
But seeing the panic in the little girl's eyes made Amaya's mind clear. She had to try. If she could cut the piece of concrete that was blocking entry of the car then she could get the kid out.
Still, her katanas weren't exactly new and even if they were, they were not made to slice through solid rock. Most likely than not she was going to break her swords.
"Maybe you could try using me?"
"Huh?"
"I could make it so that as you slice through the stone, miasma creeps in, hopefully disintegrating it."
"Will that work?"
"Don't know. But you wanna save that kid right?"
Amaya breathed shakily, she had to try.
"Okay."
Biting her tattoo, she let Yajū come out but instead of falling under any haze, Amaya's consciousness was still present, able to see everything. It was weird not fighting for control.
But there was no time to dwell on it and so getting into the proper stance Amaya felt as Yajū's strength took over, the miasma surrounding the blades.
One shot.
Don't screw this up.
With a battle cry Amaya sliced her katanas down and immediately felt resistance, but instead of the swords breaking the miasma filled in the small cracks and little by little did the concrete start falling apart.
Sweat dripped down Amaya's forehead but she refused to stop even though her arms were starting to get sore.
It took a few minutes but the rock blocking the door finally came apart and Amaya slid to her knees, panting.
Her arms shook but she ignored it, slicing through the car door, with much more ease. Yajū had slipped back which Amaya didn't notice until she reached over to cut the little girl out of her seatbelt, her miasma gone. Once the small girl was secure in her arms, she placed her gently to the side.
Checking over for any injuries she didn't find any obvious ones. She let go but the little girl clutched onto her leg like it was her lifeline, brown eyes helplessly staring at Amaya's gold ones. Amaya tried for a smile before it somewhat diminished as she looked back over at the car.
Now what to do with the corpse…
"Oh, wow did that nice kitten just save you?" A deep voice interrupted Amaya's thought and she immediately looked over to see none other than pro hero Hawks crouching down to the little girl's height.
"Mhmm, yea! She saved me and now she's going to save my mommy!" The little girl cheered, squeezing Amaya's leg tighter.
Amaya didn't know how to react to anything.
Did she crouch down and hug the little girl?
How could she when she wanted to leave her mom?
Did she acknowledge the experienced hero before her? He was a pro-hero after all and one that she actually knew about! She should probably say something.
However, all that came out of her mouth was, "Uhhh…."
Hawks analyzed the situation quickly and tried to keep his frown of pity to himself, but Amaya could tell he knew there was nothing they could do for the mother.
"I'm going to get another hero to help your mommy get out, but right now I'm taking you to get your injuries checked okay?" Hawks offered and Amaya pleaded that the little girl took the bait.
The child didn't seem pleased but hesitantly nodded back.
Amaya smiled gratefully at the pro and he nodded solemnly back.
He reached out to grab the girl and she wordlessly climbed into his arms, probably knowing he was safe. But before he could move away, the little girl tugged at Amaya's arm.
"Thank you, Miss Kitty. You're my hero," she whispered, misty eyes full of gratitude. Amaya blushed heavily even with the mask on and nodded. She reached out and squeezed the small girl's hand.
"You're the real hero. You're being so brave, good job," Amaya praised, smiling softly at the girl's adorable giggle. Amaya hoped this girl wouldn't suffer too much, but she knew once the girl found out the truth she'd be in pain.
Hawks seemed to have come to the conclusion as well, grimacing as he looked over at the mom once more. He didn't say anything, only securing the little girl and giving her a reassuring smile.
As he got ready to leave, he looked over at Amaya and smiled kindly.
"You did good kid. I hope to be seeing you around more," and with that he winked and flew away.
Amaya took a step back, a bit starstruck, but a sudden buzzing in her back pocket snapped her back to reality.
She grabbed her cellphone and looked at it in confusion. Why was Midoriya suddenly texting her?
Opening his message, she noticed he hadn't written anything, instead a location was texted. Clicking on it she realized it seemed to be in an alley because there was no specific building near it.
Why was he suddenly texting her a location?
Except it wasn't just her that he sent that text to, looking at it closely Amaya noticed she was in a group text with some numbers she recognized being her fellow classmates and others she didn't.
Why would Midoriya send something like this?
Unless… he was in trouble.
Was he in Hosu City too?
Not wanting to delay her actions she quickly opened up her maps and started darting down different alleys in hopes of reaching Midoriya soon.
She hoped she wasn't too late.
As she kept running, she heard the unmistakable sound of ice and quickly turned only to freeze at seeing Midoriya and Iida bleeding on the floor along with someone else. Todoroki had his back to her, protecting them all from what she could only tell was the attacker.
She didn't have time to process what was going on, she only moved when she noticed a sudden sword above Todoroki.
Without thinking she ran and jumped, grabbing the sword and intercepting its path, surprising both Todoroki and the attacker.
As she landed, she heard gasps from behind her and got into a defensive stance, the sword she caught ready to be used.
"Amaya-san! You're here too!" Iida panted, sounding exasperated.
"Amaya-chan be careful! That's Stain! The hero-killer! Don't let him cut you!" Midoriya cried out from the floor.
She couldn't respond, a sudden weight forced against her own weapon. Amaya gritted her teeth and aimed a front kick towards Stain, surprising him. However, he merely jumped behind her, yet she already knew what he was planning and brought her sword to cover her back just as he aimed a katana at it.
The force caused her to move back and she slid next to Todoroki, whose cheek seemed to be bleeding.
"Don't let him ingest your blood, that's what seems to be causing the paralysis in the others," Todoroki briefly explained, melting the ice next to him.
Amaya nodded, understanding that right now there was no time for pleasantries.
"How are you two feeling?" Amaya asked, keeping her eyes on Stain, feeling chills run down her back as she stared into his eyes.
She tried to focus on their answers, but she couldn't keep her eyes off Stain for obvious reasons but also because…
Why did he seem familiar?
"I'm so sorry Amaya-san! You shouldn't be dragged up in this mess," Iida cried out, pain clearly shining through his voice.
Amaya laughed slightly, throwing a harsh glare over her shoulder even though her smile was real. "Damn you Iida. Stand up so I can beat your stupid ass after we get to safety from this psycho."
Iida felt his tears stop as he stared at the small teen in front of him, protecting him. She didn't seem so small in this moment. His tears reappeared but this time out of gratefulness.
"Psycho? That's harsh," a deep voice interrupted suddenly appearing near Amaya and Todoroki, shocking them both. Before either one could react, Stain had pierced Todoroki's arms with more knives, blood profusely leaking out.
However, he didn't even try to lick the blood, instead he grabbed Amaya by her neck and threw her to the wall.
Amaya tried to stop him, but he was stronger and by the time her hand reached out all she felt was a dull pain in her back and the ground beneath her.
She heard the boys cries for her, but it all blurred as Stain appeared in front of her, pushing her against the wall, a dagger pointed at her heart.
"What sloppy reaction time. How do you suppose you'll save anyone with those kind of instincts?" Stain commented slowly digging the dagger deeper.
Amaya couldn't respond as heat surrounded them both and Stain jumped away. She was suddenly picked up and carried near Iida and realized it was Midoriya who had moved.
But wasn't he paralyzed before?
The others seemed to come to the same conclusion until Midoriya explained his three theories on Stain's quirk.
Stain only smirked, admitting that his paralysis differed with different blood types. He didn't care if they knew because he knew he could beat them.
He was so cocky. And so damn familiar.
Why?
His quirk too… Amaya felt as though she heard of a similar quirk before.
That was so weird because the only person she knew that had a quirk like that was—
The sword clanged to the ground.
Amaya fell to her knees in a heap, surprising her classmates.
No way.
That's not possible.
He... he disappeared!
That...
Stain wasn't!
No. No, no, no!
"Hitachi did he cut you! Are you okay? Can you stand!" Todoroki cried out, rushing to the cat-girl's side, grabbing onto her forearm and trying to help her up, but his voice was merely static to the petite teen.
"Hitachi. I see. Been a long time since I've heard that name," Stain sighed, his deranged eyes filling with slight pain, his gaze directed at Amaya.
Amaya stayed put, too dazed to move.
Todoroki gently let go and focused on the task at hand. None of the boys knew why the Amaya suddenly collapsed and blamed it on paralysis.
They just knew they had to protect her along with everyone else.
Midoriya and Todoroki continued to fight, trying their best using combined attacks to push Stain back.
Amaya stared at the scene before her, frozen in her thoughts. What was she supposed to do? Her friends were fighting, bleeding to death, trying to protect her, her! And here she was, useless on the floor.
But what if that really was...
"Blood is thicker than water…"
"Family is always first…"
Iida had finally gotten up and joined the fighting as well. Now it was all three boys vs. Stain.
"Yajū come here."
Those three words broke the spell and before Amaya could comprehend what she was doing she was suddenly in front of her three classmates, no, her three friends, arms out to push them away.
The three teens gaze all widened at the motion, confused as to what was happening.
Amaya felt like crying.
The world did really hate her.
Of course, Stain was her beloved uncle.
What the fuck was she going to do now?
A/N: Guess whose back? :)
No but seriously I want to apologize for not uploading in almost FIVE GODDAMN MONTHS. Jeez I can't believe that. I want to thank all of you who were always here and hope this long chapter can make up for it. I'm almost done with the next chapter so I will upload that as soon as my editor finishes it. College sucks my dudes, but this has provided me a lot more comfort than I thought it would. I'm finally on winter break and intend on uploading more frequently! I hope you all enjoy and please review! As always stay safe!