To the guest who have asked about Yang's hero name, yes, it was Golden Hearth, but I didn't like the sound of it, so I retconned it to Sun Burst.

Chapter 17: La Cazadora

"Here I am," Ruby announced as she came into the teacher's lounge, where Toshinori and Ozpin waited for her. "You wanted to see me?"

"Yes, Ms. Rose. Please, have a seat," Ozpin said, motioning to one of the two chairs across the small table. Ruby does so. "I'm sure you and your classmates were informed of the internships this week."

"Oh, yes sir, we have. We even presented our hero names." Ruby flashed a confident smile and placed her hands on her hips. "You're looking at the future underground hero, the Fairytale Hero: Roslein Ryder."

"Fitting," Ozpin complimented. Toshinori smiled, showing his approval and support. "Then, I'm sure you were given your list of offers."

Ruby deflates to that. "Yes…sir…" Toshinori frowned curiously at her reaction.

"You haven't made your decision yet, I wager," Ozpin surmised.

"No, I haven't," Ruby frowned. "I…don't know who to pick…I'm not as knowledgeable of heroes like Midoriya, but I'm not sure if any of the heroes on the list will help me become an underground hero. Should I talk to Mr. Aizawa about this?"

Toshinori and Ozpin shared a glance before looking at Ruby again.

"There is no need for that, Ms. Rose," Ozpin said.

"Because we may have a nomination that goes up your alley," Toshinori said.

"Really?" Ruby asked.

Toshinori nodded. "Ever heard of La Cazadora?"

Ruby shook her head. "No, I haven't."

"I see. Well, first off, she's an underground hero. A pretty well known one in the world of underground heroes," Toshinori said. "Secondly, another reason you may not have heard of her is because she doesn't live in Japan."

"She's…a foreign hero?" Ruby asked in awe.

Toshinori nodded. "Yep. Her main locale is in Mexico of Central America. She has spent time in Japan before, being active here every now and again for over a decade. Eventually…she interned Summer Rose."

Ruby gasped. "My…mom? She interned with my mom?" La Cazadora…an underground hero who interned her mother…now wants to intern her? "Is…that why La Cazadora wanted to intern me?"

"No," Toshinori shook his head. "Technically, she's retired from active duty, but she watched you at the Sports Festival from her home in Mexico. My guess, she is interested in your potential."

Silver eyes seem to shimmer with Ruby's delight. "Wow…"

The corner of Ozpin's mouth quirked slightly, knowing the answer to his upcoming question. "So, Ms. Rose, would you like to accept La Cazadora's offer?"

Ruby hopped out of her seat. "Yessir, I accept!"

Ozpin chuckled in his throat. "All right then."

Toshinori hands her an envelope. "This contains her current address. I'm also sure you were told you'd been staying with the pro you are interning with, so be sure to gather enough clothes and essentials."

Ruby nodded. "I will. Thank you!" She goes to leave, until she remembers something. "Oh, Uncle Toshi, can I ask you something?"

"What is it?"

"Do you know a Gran Torino?"

The tall man suddenly stiffened in his seat and Ruby saw what she felt was a rare look in her honorary uncle's eyes.

Is he…afraid?

"Um…Uncle Toshi?"

Toshinori shook his head. "Sorry!" He lets out a flippant chuckle. "I spaced out for a moment. A-And to answer your question, yes, I do know Gran Torino…" Ruby noticed how his left leg was fidgeting.

"Huh…what kind of hero is he?" Ruby asked slowly.

Toshinori gets up and guides her to the door. "I'msorryRuby,butthat'ssomethingI'mgonnahavetodiscusswithYoungMidoriyalater,soyou'llhavetowaituntilthen."

"Why are you–" Ruby started to ask, confused with Toshinori's actions.

"Lunchisalmostover,yes? Youbetterhurryandgetbackoryou'llbelate! I'llseeyoulater." Toshinori moves her out of the lounge. "Bye!" He closes the door, leaving Ruby incredibly befuddled.

"...What was that about?!"

Why would Toshinori act that way? Does it have anything to do with this Gran Torino? If so, just what kind of hero is he?

She hears a familiar chuckle somewhere in the Administrations Office.

"Yeah, that was one helluva trauma response, if I ever saw one."

Ruby looks around and finds a familiar, dusty old crow stationed at his work desk.

"Uncle Qrow!"

"School hours. I didn't get this job for kicks."

"Right. Sorry." Ruby clears her throat. "Mr. Branwen." She smiles fondly at her other honorary uncle. "It's been awhile…even though we live in the same house."

"Yeah, well…sports fest happened, the ongoing investigation into this so-called League of Villains, the search for Blake Belladonna, and the hunt for Adam Taurus, plus now…things have been busy," Qrow said. He gives a light nudge to Ruby's arm. "You were great out there, kiddo."

"Thanks…Sooo, what's up with Gran Torino?"

"Hoo-boy…where to begin…"

Toshinori slouched, feeling exhausted from that.

He wasn't expecting Ruby to ask him about Gran Torino and it threw him off guard. She was likely to have learned from Izuku receiving his offer. Really, Ruby had only met the man mostly in her early life, so she probably has next to zero recollections of the man. The last time she was in the same building as he was, maybe, four years ago? And they luckily hadn't crossed paths, mainly because Gran Torino was busy lecturing Toshinori for his foolish actions.

Toshinori hoped that Ruby would never cross paths with him but…

He sighs. "I'm a wuss."

"Yes, you are," Ozpin said.

"Shut up."

"La Cazadora?"

Ruby nodded to Izuku's question as she put her stuff in her backpack to leave for the day.

"Yep. She's an underground hero from Central America and she came to Japan to intern me because she saw me at the festival!"

"You got a foreigner to intern with you? So lucky," Ochako said.

"Is that allowed?" Izuku wondered.

"Apparently, she's worked in Japan many times before and has already spoken with the HPSC about it," Ruby said. "So, it's all good." She then turned to Ochako. "So, who did you pick?"

"The Battle Hero: Gunhead!" Ochako smiled.

"Huh? But I thought Gunhead's hugely battle oriented," Izuku said, showing off his hero knowledge.

"He is. He's actually one of the 20 offers for me!"

"Really? I actually thought you wanted to be a hero like Thirteen," Izuku said.

"Yeah, you both have that space theme going on, too," Ruby said, remembering their hero costumes.

"I do," Ochako said. "But…fighting Kendo and Wukong and Weiss and watching you guys at the Sports Festival made me think…" She takes on a fighting stance. "...The stronger I get, the more possibilities I have! If I only do what I want, I'll have a narrow perspective!"

"Oh." Izuku looks over at the empty desk in the far corner of the room in the back. "Iida already left?"

Ochako looks over sadly. "Yeah…looks like it…"

Ruby was starting to feel uneasy again. She looks at her phone to see a message from Penny. They had exchanged numbers before Ruby left to meet with Ozpin and Toshinori.

As for the message…

Polendina: I'm going to accompany Tenya home. I'll inform you of anything, Ruby!

Ruby smiled at it. The more she got to know Penny, the more she realized that the ginger may be 1B's own Tenya Iida…and maybe a bit of Izuku too.

To shake off the uneasy feeling still present, Ruby asks a passing Weiss Schnee, "What about you, Weiss? Who did you pick?"

"Well…"

"Tenya!"

Tenya paused his walk home to turn to see Penny running up to him.

"Polendina…" Just like before, he had a neutral face along with an equally neutral smile. "Is there something you need?"

"If you don't mind, I would like to walk with you," Penny said. "Like when we were in middle school."

"Oh, sure," Tenya said.

"Thank goodness the rain stopped," Penny said as they walked. "I was worried I wasn't going to be able to see the stars tonight. Do you remember staying up late in my room and us talking about the stories of constellations?"

"Yes. I remember," Tenya said.

"I remember how angry your mom was when she discovered it," Penny smiled, remembering the memory fondly. The woman was less than enthused when she took notice of the thin shadows under their young eyes and their consistent yawning.

And Penny prattled on, unaware that Tenya was no longer listening…

…his thoughts and attention elsewhere…

"Oh yeah! Midoriya, there's something I wanted to tell you," Ruby said as they headed out.

"What is it?" Izuku asked.

Ruby doesn't say as the moment Izuku opened the door, All Might suddenly appeared.

"I am here before you in a bizarre position!" he announced. And bizarre it was. All Might was bowing at a near 90 degree angle for no reason. Now aware of the state of her honorary uncle's body, Ruby wonders if that wasn't a smart thing to do.

"A-All Might? Is something the matter?" Izuku asked, perplexed by the man's behavior.

The man broke into a nervous sweat, but tried to remain cool and professional. "Come with me for a sec. I have further information for you about the hero, Gran Torino."

"R-Right," Izuku replied. He looks over at Ruby. She seemed to have a knowing look and motioned him to go on ahead. Izuku nodded. "I'll see you guys later."

Ruby nodded. "Kay."

"See you later, future hero Deku!" Ochako chirped.

Izuku blushed and left with his strangely rigged mentor while Ruby and Ochako headed the opposite direction.

"Wow, All Might seems really interested in Deku. So lucky!" Ochako mused.

"Y-Yeah…" Ruby said, feeling nervous herself.

"It does make me wonder if there is something between them," Ochako pondered. "You've met Deku before school started, right Ruby?"

"Y-Yeah, I did."

"Do you know anything about Deku's parents?" Ochako asked.

Ruby paused in her step. "Wait…Ochako, are you saying that you think that All Might is Midoriya's dad?"

"I can see it though. Look at his Quirk! It's almost identical to All Might's! There has to be a connection! So…do you know anything?"

"Well, I do know that Midoriya's dad works overseas," Ruby recalled. They resume their walk. "Plus, I think he told me his dad's Quirk was fire breathing."

Ochako looks puzzled. "Fire breathing?"

Ruby nodded. "Uh-huh. And his mom has this ability to make small things float to her."

"Huh…wait, but Deku's Quirk isn't fire or floating related," Ochako pointed out. She gasped. "What if…there was an affair?"

"...Okay, I don't think it's that deep, Ochako. There have been cases of people being born with a Quirk that isn't related to both parents. There are also people with the same Quirk, but aren't related," she explained, all the while trying not to let anything slip. "My sister has that, actually. The different Quirk from parents, I mean. Midoriya probably just got lucky when his Quirk developed."

"Hmmm…Yeah. You're probably right. And since Midoriya has been having issues with his Quirk, All Might's probably been giving him some pointers," Ochako said.

"Yep! That's totally it!"

"OooOOOooh…I don't like lying…" Ruby lamented. "Still…it would've been cool if Uncle Toshi was Midoriya's dad. We could've been cousins!"

"–I keep telling you dude, that guy's just a troll," Sun Wukong said as he and a blue-haired young man were about to walk past the girls.

"I know, I know…But I was so–" Blue-haired spots Ochako and Ruby. "Ladies." He gives them a wink. Sun rolled his eyes. "–But I was so close to winning that round and the guy somehow predicted my movements!"

"I don't know what to tell you, man."

"They're in Class 1B, right?" Ochako pondered.

"Yeah…" Ruby replied, her eyes on Sun.

'And, before I forget, Belladonna thought you were awesome out there.'

"Ochako, you go on ahead."

"Huh? Where are you going, Ruby?"

"There's something I gotta check out. Don't wait for me!"

"O-Okay."

"You know what? Next time, I'm gonna do the side step strategy," Neptune declared with confidence as rounded the corner, officially off UA campus.

"Side step?" Sun asked. "What's that?"

"I'm gonna zig and zag and then zig again before coming up from behind!" Neptune said, swiftly moving around a puddle.

Sun tries to hide away a coy smile. "Ooooh, okay."

A small rattle from behind startled the pair, prompting Sun into an defensive position.

"What was that?" Neptune wondered. They looked behind to see no one following them.

Sun moves out of his fight stance. "It was probably a cat."

"Y-Yeah…just a cat…" Neptune goes to turn back around as he calms his racing heart. "Just a ca–AAAT!"

Neptune's sudden shout makes Sun turn around.

He gapped. "R-Rose?!" Ruby stood in front of them with a serious expression. "Where did you come from?"

"Where's Blake?" Ruby asked.

"Wha–? I-I-I-I don't–uh–"

"Blake Belladonna. You know where she is, don't you?"

Sun gaps again as Neptune looks at the two nervously. "...You…mean the girl went missing…right?"

Ruby's eyes grew more serious. "Yes. And don't act dumb. I still remember the thing you told me after my fight against Todoroki. How Blake thought I did awesome."

Neptune shooks a glare at Sun. "What?" he hissed quietly.

"Hey, Belladonna wanted Rose to know she still has her back!" Sun defended in a whisper. "Get off mine!"

"Wukong," Ruby said, sounding stern, but there was a desperate edge to the tone. A desperation to find Blake. "I just…I just want to know where she is and know that she is okay."

Sun sighs. "...She's fine. As for where she is…I don't know. She got herself a burner phone to make it impossible to track her."

Neptune had a stern, frustrated look as he remembered getting in trouble with his brother when they got home. Apparently, they left the guest room a mess before they left…

Ruby looks to the side as she thinks. "Is she still trying to hide from Taurus? Where is he?" She sighs. "Thanks, Wukong…" She goes to leave, feeling downtrodden.

"Rose, wait," Sun said, reaching out to her. Ruby pauses and faces him. "Look…I did try to convince her to come back, but she was serious about the White Fang and didn't want anyone in UA to get hurt."

"But…there's heroes here," Ruby pointed out.

"That's what I told her, but…she seems seriously afraid of that Taurus guy," Sun said.

"She's not the only one…" Ruby thought sorrowfully. Yang…she still has nightmares of that night. She's getting better, but…Ruby knows that her sister would never fully recover from the experience. "Well…if you see her again, can you tell her where I'll be for the internship?"

"Sure, where?" Sun asked.

"Agasu City in the Yamanashi Prefecture."

Once Ruby was gone and out of earshot, Neptune said to Sun, "Agasu…Shouldn't we have told her…"

"I didn't see the point and I didn't want to get her hopes up. Now, come on. Your mom's making that awesome thing she made before for our internship tomorrow!"

"This is incredible!" Yang exclaimed as she hugged her sister tightly.

"Please stooop," Ruby choked in the hold.

Yang lets go. "But, I'm so proud of you! My baby sister has an internship with a pro."

"In the Yamanashi Prefecture," Tai frowned, concerned. "That's almost three hours away…"

"Oh, don't be a worrywart, dad," Yang said. "My first internship had me go all the way to Kyoto."

"If you were gonna be this worried, Tai, then maybe you should've sent an offer or had somebody else in the Lucky Phoenix do it," Qrow said. He then grinned. "Oh wait. Weren't your exact words to the crew to not intern the girls and run the risk of them trying to find an easy out for being the boss' kids?"

Qrow and the girls chuckled and giggled at Tai's unamused face.

"Well excuuuse me for trying to teach my daughters to be hard workers," Tai said sardonically. His expression softens. "As much as I worry, I am proud of you, Ruby."

Ruby grinned. "I'm so excited! I still can't believe that the person I'm interning with had mom as her intern! She flew all the way from Central America just to teach me!"

"That's so awesome, Ruby!" Yang exclaimed.

"And we're happy for you," Tai smiled. "But–" Ruby frowned. Uh-oh. What now? "Some ground rules: Rule #1, You are to stick by the pro you are interning with. No wondering off unless you have permission. Rule #2, keep your phone with you at all times in case something happens. And rule #3…be sure to eat a healthy meal and brush your teeth every night. Just because you're not home, doesn't mean you can slack off. Understand?"

Ruby giggled. "Yes, sir."

"Oh! And don't forget rule #4, buy souvenirs!" Yang said.

"Yang," Tai scolded.

Yang chuckled. "Let's get you ready, sis!"

The sisters go up to Ruby's room to gather Ruby things for the week-long internship, from clothes to toiletries.

As Yang pulls out outfits for Ruby to wear and puts them in a dark red duffle bag, the younger sister pulls out a long, red case containing her portable hammock and puts it next to the duffle bag. She then climbs up her bed to get a pillow. Before going down, she looks at the framed photos that she mounted on the wall: one of her mother and another that also has her mom, but with a younger, healthier Toshinori. She takes the two photos and her eyes land on her stuffed wolf plush.

She sits on her mattress and puts the photos beside her to hold the plush. Her thoughts went back to her conversation with Sun…and Blake and Adam…

Ruby wanted to tell Yang what she knows. She wanted to tell Yang that Blake is doing okay, but…What if…what if that undoes all of Yang's healing? …What if Yang closed herself off again?

What if–

*BA-(BA-BUMP)-BUMP**BA-(BA-BUMP)-BUMP**BA-(BA-BUMP)-BUMP*

That feeling…is back?

*BA-(BA-BUMP)-BUMP**BA-(BA-BUMP)-BUMP**BA-(BA-BUMP)-BUMP*

What's going on? …What's happening?

*BA-(BA-BUMP)-BUMP**BA-(BA-BUMP)-BUMP**BA-(BA-BUMP)-BUMP*

…beep…beep…beep…beep…

What's that sound?

"...by? …R…by? …Ruby!"

Ruby's eyes snapped open…she didn't know she had them closed…she looked to see Yang staring at her with a confused look. And that strange beeping sound was gone.

"You okay up there? You were spacing out," Yang said.

"Um…yeah, I'm fine. I…I'm…" Ruby trailed off.

Yang gets up on her feet and walks over to her sister. "Scooch." Ruby moves her photos to move over and give Yang room to sit next to her. She puts an arm over Ruby's shoulders and holds her close, rubbing a comforting thumb on the shoulder. "Still worried about your classmate?"

"...I tried talking to him, telling him that he has people he could talk to, and he was appreciative about it, but…he keeps insisting he's fine. He seems calm, but…it didn't feel right," Ruby said. She unconsciously puts a hand over her chest. She was vaguely aware of the heartbeats in her chest.

"Sounds like he's still trying to cope…it's funny."

"Funny?" Ruby looked at her weird from the comment.

"An interesting kind of funny." Yang looks at her prosthetic hand. "I'm not too different from Ingenium, you know? I…was also hurt…" Yang remembers back to her conversation with Toshinori.

'This wound of mine will soon bring the end of All Might. Yours on the other hand is only the beginning of Sunburst.'

"...Even though…I still have a chance…" The hand started to shake, but Yang put her other hand on it to keep it steady. "Ingenium doesn't…"

"Yang…"

Yang takes a deep breath and sighs. "...I don't doubt that your classmate is still hurting from this, regardless of whatever brave face he has on or whatever words he says." She looks at Ruby knowingly. "Right?" Ruby nodded, knowing full well that she was in a similar situation. "So…what are you gonna do now?"

Ruby somehow mustered up a small smile. "Be there for him, right?"

Yang gives her a sisterly squeeze. "That's right."

{~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* - Our Hero Academia - *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~}

Yang Xiao Long (Sun Burst)

Quirk: Burn

"Tanks physical damage and converts it to personal physical strength."

— Affiliation: UA High School Hero Class 3-B Student

— Birthday: 07/28 (Leo)

— Height: 173 cm

— Blood Type: B

— Likes: Ruby, Jokes and Puns

— Color: Bitter Lemon (DCD02E)

{~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* - Our Hero Academia - *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~}

Ruby Rose

Quirk: Petal Burst

"She can burst into a swarm of rose petals and move at high speeds."

— Affiliation: UA High School Hero Class 1-A Student

— Birthday: 10/31 (Scorpio)

— Height: 162 cm

— Blood Type: O

— Likes: Support Equipment, Support Engineering, Sweets, Strawberries

— Color: Haute Couture (A52228)

{~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* - Our Hero Academia - *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~}

Next day had arrived and Ruby was pulled into another hug by Yang.

"Have fun, Ruby!" Yang said.

Ruby nodded. "I will."

"And remember our talk from yesterday."

"I will."

Ruby says her goodbyes to Tai, Qrow, and Zwei also before heading on her way. She gets to the Arc ranch house to see Jaune being showered with kisses from his mother, Prism, and oldest sister, Rosie. His other sisters took pictures.

"Mom…Rosie… I think you gave me kisses that could last me several lifetimes," Jaune said, backing up a little.

"We're just…so proud of you, sweetie," Prism said, tears in her eyes. "My baby boy…"

"My baby brother is growing up…" Rosie cried softly.

Jaune sighs and sees Ruby coming by. "Hey, Ruby! Ready to go?"

Ruby nodded. "Yep."

"You're heading to Agasu in Yamanashi, right?" Jaune's father, Lucius, asked. "If you have the time to have a look around the city, you know who to call."

"I do, sir!" Ruby exclaimed.

Lucius nods. "You kids have a good time!"

"Please, give Fatgum my best regards, Jaune!" Prism said. Lucius chuckled at that.

The pair leaves for the station where the rest of their class are heading.

On the way, Ruby realized something.

"...Wait, you're interning with Fatgum?!"

Jaune gave a nervous chuckle. "You…didn't ask."

[Day 1 of the Internships]

"You all have your costumes, yes?" Aizawa asked at the station. "Remember that you can't wear them in public. Don't drop them."

"Yessir!" Mina and Nora exclaimed holding up their respective cases.

"Speak clearly. It's 'yes, sir,' Ashido and Valkyrie."

The genki girls pouted. "Yes, sir."

"Mr. Aizawa sounds like a dad…" Ruby observed.

"Be sure to mind your manners with the heroes you are interning with," Aizawa said. "Off with you now. Rose, come here. I want to speak with you."

"Huh? Oh…okay."

Once Ruby was close, Aizawa says, "I've been informed of who you are interning with. La Cazadora is a veteran underground hero. Keep in mind that underground heroes work differently compared to heroes like All Might and Present Mic."

"I will, sir," Ruby nodded.

Aizawa nodded back. He then took a pause. Like…he was contemplating on something. He closes his eyes. "...Be on your way, Rose."

Ruby blinked curiously. "Oh…um, yes, sir," she said and went to meet up with Izuku and Ochako. "Ready to go!" She notices the concerned look on their faces. "What's wrong?" Her question was answered when she saw Tenya on his way.

The strange feeling went over Ruby again. Her legs shook a bit before she half-ran over to Tenya.

"Rose, wait," Izuku said. She stops and looks at him. "Uraraka and I spoke to him again and…he's the same as yesterday. I'm…not sure there's anything more we could do right now." Izuku sounded defeated and who could blame him. He wanted to help, as does Ruby, but it was clear that Tenya was shutting it down.

Ruby couldn't help but feel that he may be hiding something.

"I'm so happy that we're going to the same place!" Ruby gushed in the train on their way to to Agasu City, sitting across from Izuku.

"Same address too…I wonder if Gran Torino and La Cazadora know each other," Izuku said.

"Maybe. Uncle Toshi seems to know her well enough," Ruby said. "I mean, she interned my mom."

"Hm…" Ruby notices the nervous look on Izuku's face. He also seemed fidgety, like how Toshinori was earlier.

"Midoriya?"

"Um…Remember when…All Might asked me to see him?" Izuku asked. Ruby nodded. "Well, he was telling me about Gran Torino and then…he started shaking, all over! He was seriously freaking out! It was so weird!"

Hearing this reminded Ruby of Toshinori's behavior yesterday and now she was feeling unnerved at the idea of meeting Gran Torino. "This Gran Torino guy sounds like a handful."

"Sure sounds like it…didn't you wanted to tell me something about Gran Torino? All Might only told me about his connection to him and address."

"Well, Uncle Qrow told me about the time Gran Torino abandoned Uncle Toshi on an island when he was in high school."

"...What?"

"This is…the place?" asked Ruby.

The pair looked at the address in their respective papers before looking at their current place of residence.

"Looks like it…" Izuku said.

The building before the two looked run down. Cracks in the brick, overgrowth along the building, broken and boarded up windows here and there, caution gates outside, and the neon welcome sign above on the verge of collapse.

"So…shall we?" Ruby said. Izuku was the one to open the door.

"Excuse us? I'm Izuku Midoriya."

"And I am Ruby Rose."

"We're from UA. Nice to meet…you…"

Izuku and Ruby gasped at the sight of a short old man lying face down in a red puddle and what appeared to be a stringed out intestine.

"He's dead?!"

The old man suddenly pops his head up with a jovial grin. "I'm alive!"

"He's alive?!"

Izuku puts a hand over his chest, relieved. "Oh…thank goodness."

Ruby feels around for a light switch before flicking it on. She looks down at the 'crime scene'. "Is that…a sausage link?"

"Why, yes," the old man, Gran Torino, said, using his cane to stand his shaky body up and brushing himself off. Now that the light was on, she noticed the old man was really short, shorter than her, and dressed in a yellow outfit, black mask, and a yellow cap. The old man chuckled. "Clumsy me. When I was carrying a link of sausage covered in ketchup, I fell!"

"That's…oddly specific," Ruby said.

The old man looks over to her. "...Summer? Is that you?"

Ruby and Izuku gasped. "...You…know my mom?"

Gran Torino doesn't answer and looks over at Izuku. "And who are you?"

"O-Oh! I'm Izuku Midoriya."

"What?"

"? I-I'm Izuku Midor–"

"What?"

"I'm Izuku Midoriya!"

"...Who are you?"

"W-What?" Izuku wondered in disbelief. "What in the world…This is All Might's teacher, so I knew he was gonna be a bit old, but…"

Gran Torino suddenly sits down on the floor. "I wanna eat something."

"Eat?!"

"...Toshinori."

"That's not me!"

Gran Torino stared at him before looking at Ruby. "How have you been, Summer?"

"That's me, sir. I'm Ruby. Ruby Rose? Um…is La Cazadora here?"

"...Who are you?" Gran Torino asked Izuku. Izuku looked be at his wits end.

"E-Excuse me while I make a phone call," Izuku said, taking his phone out and turning around. "I need to call All Might and tell about the state Gran Torino is in…"

He heard Ruby saying, "Hey, wait! What are you doing? That's Midoriya's!"

Izuku turns to see Gran Torino digging through his costume case. "What're you doing?!"

"Fire One for All at me," Gran Torino ordered, suddenly serious. "I've seen your improvement at the Sports Festival, so let me have a look at it, first hand."

Izuku looks over at Ruby, who shrugged, looking just as befuddled as he is. "This guy…suddenly he's…"

"...This is a good costume. So wear it and fire at me," Gran Torino demanded, holding out Izuku's mint-colored jacket.

"Um…"

"...Who are you?"

"Is this guy for real?!"

Izuku suddenly turns serious. "This…is no good. All Might doesn't have a lot of time left and I need to get a better handle at One for All. I can't waste time anymore. Come on, Rose. Let's go look for La Cazadora. It doesn't look like she's here at the moment."

"O-Okay."

Before either could move, Gran Torino gets up, takes a deep breath and starts jumping all over the room at amazing speed, much to the pair's surprise. He lands on the wall beside Ruby.

"Stay clear, Ruby," he said to her, making her gasp, before he jumped around again until he perched himself above the doorway and Izuku. "In that case, all the more reason to fire at me. You newbie! As I said, I've seen your improvement, but you blew it in that fight with Endeavor's kid. It was unthinkable! All Might…he's the Symbol of Peace and the no. 01 hero, but he's a shit teacher."

"Uncle Toshi and Gran Torino…are surprisingly similar," Ruby noticed. "He really is…All Might's mentor!"

"Thankfully, Toshinori had the right brain cells to call me and teach you instead, newbie!" Gran Torino said. "Now, go put your costume on, boy! And as for you, Ruby Rose."

"Um, y-yes?" Ruby asked, suddenly nervous. Is Gran Torino going to do the same to her?

"...She's waitin' for ya upstairs." Ruby gives another light gasp at that. Does he mean…La Cazadora? "And take yours and Midoriya's things with you. Get going, girl! I'm about to school your little boyfriend!"

"O-Okay…wait–"

"She's not my girlfriend!/He's not my boyfriend!"

Gran Torino let out a laugh. "That takes me back!"

Ruby makes her way up the stairs as the soles of her regular boots scuff against the dirted stairs, carrying her stuff plus Izuku's backpack. She stops at the top of the stairs to see the hall of the second floor of the small, apartment complex. She looks back down the stairs where she could hear the brawl between Gran Torino and Izuku take place.

"That Gran Torino…with his reputation, how is it that I've barely heard of the guy?" Ruby wondered.

"That's because dear Sorahiko likes to keep his privacy," a new voice said. It sounded old like Gran Torino, but more female. Ruby looks away from the stairs and when she saw no one, she looks down to see an old woman.

She was short and slouching, not unlike Gran Torino. The woman is dark-skinned, and long silver hair, which she wears in a single braid down her back. In her hand is a cane with a blue, Mexican skull on top.

She wears a full-length dress in the traditional Tabasco style, consisting of a dark blue top with full sleeves and skirt consisting of alternating light and dark blue layers. In addition to her dress, she wears thick brown gloves and a heavy blue cloak trimmed at the edges with a pattern of white, hollow triangles on a light blue background. A similar white and blue trim is around the neck of the cloak. The cloak is secured to her shoulders with ornate white pauldrons.

But, that wasn't the main thing Ruby noticed. It was the woman's eyes. Or, rather, her goggle-like prosthetic eyes. They appeared to be an old model, Ruby thought, the prosthesis is dark gray with cyan colored lenses, each of which is equipped with a set of adjustable shutters capable of mimicking natural expressions. Four rectangular cyan lights create a partial ring on the outer bottom edge of the eyes, while a single cyan nodule on the top outer edge overlaps slightly with each lens. Two small antennae protrude vertically from the upper left side of the prosthesis.

"Are you…?" Ruby wondered.

The old woman smiled. "My real name is Maria Calavera! However, once we get your training started, pequeña rosa, I expect you to refer to me as La Cazadora!"

Chapter 18: Matrona Héroe Subterráneo

The city where Gran Torino was living was never named, so I chose to call it Agasu, which is Argus in Japanese. So…does anyone remember who else lived in Argus in RWBY? ^^