a/n: happy Thursday night, my friends. this chapter is coming to you a little early, because I don't think I'll be around Saturday to post as scheduled... and also, because as of my posting we're less than 20 reads away from 10k here. Even typing that doesn't feel real. I don't want to go to soft here, because I'm sure you'd all rather read about Emiko than my gratitude, but from the bottom of my heart - thank you. To all 10k of you, thank you. This story, Emiko, MHA in general have changed my life forever and I am so grateful to share this space with you.Enjoy this chapter, and keep an eye on my instagram for some updates soon. ( mrdgrl_)

xoxo, D 3

Shoto was ignoring her, that much was clear. She'd waited for hours for him to come to her, hands trembling the entire time. She'd even texted Bakugo to make sure he'd told her, much to the blondes dismay. Shoto had been told she wanted to talk to him, and he hadn't shown up. The ache in her chest only grew with each hour that passed, until it was breaking well into the early morning hours and the sun was peeking its golden head over the clouds.

She could text him, sure. She could stop by his room and talk to him there, but it was clear he had no interest in speaking with her and she didn't understand why. She was the one who had apologies to make, the one who'd been cruel and cold, the one who'd ignored him when he came to her aid - to check on her, make sure she was alright and not a danger to herself.

So, he was avoiding her.

It shouldn't bother her as much as it did, really. She'd avoided him for weeks, had avoided them all in much the same way she was being avoided by him now. She'd try to nab his gaze in class, and he'd swing his eyes to the floor shyly. She'd smile at him in the halls and he would focus even harder on the floor in front of him, as if by looking her in the eyes he was forgiving her for her transgressions, for her terribly cruel behavior over the past few weeks. She knew he didn't have to forgive her, knew she likely didn't deserve any of their forgiveness but still, she wanted thing to go back to normal between them again. She missed him, missed the casual way they spoke to one another. She missed training alongside him, missed learning from him. She had Momo and Jirou, and they were great and she loved them more than words could explain, but it was different with him. They all knew it was different with him.

None of her worries were to be appeased any time soon, either. The rest of her class was loading onto a bus as she watched, chattering excitedly amongst themselves. They were all preparing to take their provisional exam, to get a license. A license that would allow them to take part in hero work outside of their program. This exam was typically reserved for second, sometimes even third year students but because of everything she and her friends had been through thus far, they'd been allowed to take it early.

Her friends, that is.

When they'd announced the exam, Eraserhead had pulled her aside gently after class. His eyes were sad and dull, and she didn't miss the disappointment that lingered there.

"They don't think it's fair to you, Emiko." He sighed, running his fingers through his overgrown hair. "To let you take part when you don't have your quirk."

"What?" She all but cried, tears welling in her eyes almost instantly. "What do you mean?"

"You don't have control right now," he explained, "and they worry that it'll all come back at once when you get overwhelmed and put everyone at risk."

There hadn't been a point in arguing with him on that, because she knew that the threat was far too great to allow it to ever take place. She knew her quirk could cause serious damage if it had the opportunity to run rampant, and even though she hadn't felt so much as a flicker from it in weeks she knew that there was a possibility for it to rear its head again in a moment of panic or weakness.

She knew all of that, but knowing something to be true doesn't stop the anger and the pain from festering. She promised herself she would pretend for the sake of her friends, for the girls who'd forgiven her so easily. They felt awful, as though some part of this was their fault. She promised to smile and wave and wish them well, and to keep that smile up until their bus rounded the corner and she could let her shoulders slump.

So she did. A smile sat plastered on her face as she fixed her ponytail, waving at them as the bus turned to pull away. As soon as it was out of her eyesight, her shoulders slumped. Her hands moved from her hair to the pockets of her track pants, and she allowed the music to pour from her headphones into her ears. She made the short walk to the P.E Grounds, swinging her arms round and round to loosen the muscles that were tied in knots.

She hadn't had a good workout in weeks, and the closer she got the louder her blood pounded in her ears, the excitement and adrenaline damn near palpable for her. She could taste it on her tongue, the metallic flavor that flooded her mouth whenever she fought or trained. Just ahead of her lay the large building, its glass windows glittering in the early morning light. She clenched her fists tighter, allowing the sun to caress her skin.

"Young Komatsu!" A cheery voice all but screamed, and Emiko couldn't help but cringe at the realization of who was speaking at her. She'd carefully avoided All Might since her accident, sure that he would be able to read her anger and react poorly to it. He hadn't always been the most rational person, and she wasn't sure how anyone would react to her anger at him.

"Sir." She nodded politely, stopping her walking. She hoped he would be content with a casual good morning, though knowing no amount of chatter would ever be enough for the previous number one hero. He was notorious for chatting your ear off if he had nothing better to do - which she knew he did. He was a teacher and UA and an Ex Pro Hero, he had to have something better to do.

Right?

"How are you doing this morning, Emiko?" He smiled, slapping a hand on her shoulder cheerfully. She grimaced, the sensation of his hand on her bare skin almost too much to handle.

She bit back her grimace, pausing only a moment to compose herself before answering with a brief, "Fine, thanks."

"Ah, good good. I was sorry to hear you couldn't take the exam today."

One of the few topics he should have avoided with her, and he'd set the land mine off in only a few seconds. She stepped backwards quickly, giving herself space from the man. He may have been significantly smaller in stature than he used to be, but he still carried a commanding presence - one that made it hard to think straight when you felt cornered.

"Hm."

"I'd also like to extend my sympathies for your kidnapping,"

2/2.

All Might stood in front of her with a half grin on his face, as if talking about the traumatic kidnapping and assault she faced were commonplace for him. Which, she supposed, in a sense, they were. He'd spent so long as a pro that there were clearly a few screws loose, maybe from a few too many punches to face.

Something she wished she could do now.

"I'd rather not discuss that, if that's alright with you."She grimaced, spitting the words through gritted teeth. Hoping, praying that he would let her step past him and into the air conditioned gym less than 25 feet away. "Also-"

"Oh, right, right." The older man chuckled, folding his arms across his narrow chest. "Of course you wouldn't want to talk about that. Are you heading in to do a workout?"

All Might had always been a little hard headed and blind to his students wishes, especially when it came to their trauma. It was part of the reason she didn't like the man or particularly respect him. He'd become convinced that bulldozing through their boundaries was the best way to get through to his students. That somehow, by completely plowing through the walls students built up would be the best way to get through to them, which obviously was about as far from the truth as was possible.

"Yes, I am."

A grin split his face, and if she wasn't so irritated with his intrusion she might have welcomed his advice, his mentorship and his company - but today? Today she wanted to let loose, to let her anger pool in her hands and her feet and to turn her mind off for a while.

"Perhaps I'll join you." He wasn't asking a question, and they both knew it. He had more he wanted to say, likely in relation to her circumstances now. If she thought about it, they were kind of in the same spot. Both had gone against someone they knew, someone stronger than them and they'd come out looking differently than before, without access to their quirk. It was almost enough to make her feel bad for the older man.

Almost.

"Ah-" she scrubbed a hand over her face, trying to hide the scowl marring her face. "If I'm honest, All Might, Sir… I would prefer to train alone today."

"Oh, nonsense." The blonde waved his arms slightly, stepping towards the glittering windows that had been calling her to salvation only minutes before. "This is why I'm here after all."

He moved away from her, resting his hand on the door. His sunken eyes were hollow and haunting, and the smile on his face only set her further on edge. The thought of being any closer to him than she currently was had her trembling - her knees were shaking and her fingers were clenched so tightly into the palms of her hands that she knew she'd have small bruises as soon as she released the pressure.

"No." She snapped at him, folding her arms tightly over her chest to hide the way she shook. "I don't want to train with you, All Might."

A confused look flashed across his face and he moved towards her again, as if planning to comfort her. "Are you all right, Young Komatsu?"

A cold laugh escaped her lips at the question, because anyone with a working set of eyes could tell she wasn't okay. Her jaw was set tightly, her one good eye cold and hard as she glared at him. "Of course I'm not alright."

"Would you like to talk about it?" He paused, finally noticing how tightly wound she was, the way her muscles coiled and tightened as if preparing to bolt at any second. "I've got quite a good ear, or so I've been told."

The anger that was boiling in her stomach finally bubbled over, and the tension in her body released as if it were a rubber band extended to it's breaking point. The pain from her kidnapping, losing her eye, her father and her quirk all within the span of a few days - something that never would have happened had All Might never set foot on the UA campus.

"You want me to talk about it?" She spat, venom dripping from her words. Her arms unfolded and her hands released their tension, fingers flexing slightly. "Where would you like me to start?"

The retired pro looked at her cautiously, caught in the trap of his own words and her rage. His mouth hung open slightly, the sun catching on his golden hair.

"Do you want to hear about the kidnapping and the torture I went through? Because I'd be more than happy to start there. I had to watch my friends vanish as I was pulled into a portal of inky black, and the fear of losing my life paled in comparison to the panic I felt leaving them behind." She stared blankly ahead, a clear slate masking poorly concealed rage.

"They tied my hands behind my back, bound my mouth and left me alone in a cold dark room. They tore me from Katsuki, the one person I knew was in the same place as I was. The one person who could provide me any comfort - they kept me from him and for the 3 days I was in that room, I was convinced he would be found dead."

Blinded by rage and grief, she didn't notice as All Might averted his gaze, eyes meeting the floor. No words came from his mouth, not that she would have heard him if he tried to speak.

"God, I was so sure he was going to be dead. But the worst part? Besides being convinced that my friends, the people I care about would be dead if I ever got free? Besides literally losing my fucking eye? The worst part was finding out that my mother murdered my father. The person I'd dedicated my entire life to finding, I'd never met him."

Tears were streaming down her face, the trembling resuming just as quickly as it stopped. She swung her teary gaze up at the man in front of her, the one who'd prompted this entire meltdown - the one who was, ultimately, to blame for what she and her classmates went through. Sure, the villains had to be held accountable. They had broken laws and committed crimes, but if it weren't for All Might none of her classmates would have gone through what they did.

If it wasn't for him, Denki could still sleep through the night without waking in a cold sweat. Katsuki wouldn't be fueled by his perceived failures, Momo wouldn't make trackers for all of 1-A to stick on their phones every time they left campus.

"I'm so sorry, Emiko. I take full responsibility for the actions of the villains." The blonde man bowed his head, hiding his face from her. "Please, accept this apology."