"He's conscious, but we've already cuffed him and put him in the isolation room. We're gonna survey the street cameras before we go in and interrogate him."

"That's good." commented Todoroki to the Deputy.

"So you two just became heroes, huh? That's good. We really need some extra help on this side of the tracks."

"No, shit." Bakugo muttered.

"But even still, you just got licensed. You seem like well-rounded young men, so I'm sure you know as well as I do the consequences of going against a villain without your masks on."

"Not all heroes wear masks, Sir." Shoto pointed out.

"You don't want the wrong people to know your real face, especially in this city. It would be dangerous if you're not careful."

"Yea, right! They'd know better than to try anything against a pro!" Bakugo scoffed, but the deputy remained pensive.

"All I'm saying is - be careful out there." He gathered up some loose papers and tapped them on his desk to straighten them out. "You sure, you two don't know where the victim went? We'll need her side of the story in order to press charges."

Todoroki shifted a quick glance to Bakugo who continued to narrow his eyes at the cop, waiting to see what he'll do.

"Like I said before, after I pinned the bastard down, she bolted around the corner and we lost her. All we know is that she had dark hair, wore sweatpants and a dark hoodie. I put him down before he could grab her, so she couldn't have been injured. Must've freaked out and took off."

"We'll send some cars to check the area then."

"Why don't you send a couple of heroes instead?"

"What's the point? We got the guy." Bakugo growled. Why did he have to drag this out further than it needed to be?

"The last two heroes we had, one was injured in an arson case and forced to retire, and the other went missing. We're in the process of getting a few more transferred over here, but we've been delayed for over two months now. As of now, we've had to handle things ourselves."

"That must be exhausting." Todoroki sympathized. Just how many cases have they had like this on a regular basis? And this wasn't the only city struggling for hero transfers either. Things were really going down to shit.

"It's all part of the job. I'd offer you to do your next internship here, but we need a pro with more than five years of experience to do it with you. Until then, there's not much we can do."

Bakugo rolled his eyes. This was taking forever. "... Is there anything else?"

There was a moment of silence between them as the Deputy hesitated to answer. He let out a small breath through his nose, a bit annoyed that this boy didn't seem to give a damn about this slum of a city. Kids these days... Guess they got their own problems to deal with, that are much bigger than this.

"No, that's all. Just be careful getting home."

"Yea-yea!"

Without a moment to lose, Bakugo shoved his hands in his pockets and turned towards the exit. He pushed the metal latch and soon the two of them were once again welcomed with the cool night air. Once they stepped back onto the pavement, Bakugo led the way back to the direction that they came from. The lamp posts flickered over their heads as they scanned their eyes across the boarded up, abandoned buildings. It was hard to picture what this city would've looked like in its prime. Now all that was left were the remains, discarded from society and left to rot. This was no place for someone to be casually walking around. The question still posted in the back of their minds as to why she would come here of all places. Hopefully, they would get some answers.

Just as they were about to reach the corner, where the incident occurred, they halted to check their surroundings. No one had followed them, not a cop, not even a passing car. Good, that's what they wanted. Once that was checked out, they had to locate the nearest convenience store with the metal cage covering the glass windows. That's where she said to go. It didn't take long for Bakugo to find it a few blocks down, across the way. It's sign was no longer lit on the outside, but it's inner lights shone bright enough for him to see that it was still open. He gave a quick nudge to Icyhot before they headed towards it.

Hattori instructed them to go to the alley beside it, where they assumed she'd meet them there. At this point, they just had to go along with it, even though everything was getting more sketchy by the minute. They didn't know why she would tell them to do this, nor why she dipped when the cops showed up to arrest the perp. Some bystander called it in thinking it was a bomb threat because of how massive Bakugo's explosions were. As soon as the flashing lights and sirens faded in, her eyes grew wide with fear. She bent down and whispered her instructions in Katsuki's ear, saying that she couldn't stay with them. For whatever the reason, they didn't know. Before he could open his mouth to ask, she disappeared. Having no other choice, they had to do what she said and just come back to it later.

That time was now. Something was going on here... something fishy.

As they encroached upon the parking lot of the convenience store, they turned the corner and followed the edge of the brick wall until they arrived in the enclosed, dismal space. There were nothing but a few empty, plastic drink crates and a dumpster, all covered from the shadows of the night... No Hattori.

"The hell?" Bakugo muttered to himself.

"Didn't she say to meet her here?" Todoroki asked, making sure he heard her right and they didn't just wander to the wrong place. Being here was bad enough.

"Yea..." Katsuki curled his fingers into a fist. "Dammit! This is all fucking crazy! Why would she even think of coming here?"

"I could ask you the same thing."

Their heads snapped to the dumpster, where she stepped out from behind. Her brow narrowed at them with contempt as she angrily stomped over. Oh, shit!

"You mind tellin' me what the hell you're doing here?!"

He didn't expect her to be so pissed off, but he remembered that he was there for a reason. He moved closer towards her. "What I'm doing here?! What kinda person are you meeting in this shithole of a town?!"

"Like that's any business of yours!"

Todoroki stepped up. "Look, we just came to-"

"Did you really follow me all the way here?!" she interrupted.

"I'm lookin' at you, Idiot! What'd you think?!" Bakugo thundered, mirroring her energy.

"This isn't a place for you to just show up out of nowhere!"

"Ya think?!"

She paused and ran her fingers through her hair. This wasn't good. They weren't supposed to be here. "You need to leave. You both need to go back to the station and go back to U.A."

"Like hell!"

"... Why are you here?" She huffed, trying to calm herself. It wasn't smart to attract so much attention to one area.

"Why're YOU here?!"

"Ugh! Will you just answer the question!"

"Mine first!" Bakugo rebounded.

"What I do outside of school is my own shit! It has nothing to do with you, so you should go back to school before it gets late."

"Why? So you can get mugged by some other psycho? Hell no!"

"I can handle myself."

"Yea, you really 'handled' yourself back there. If it wasn't for me, that asshole would've stabbed you right in the back!"

"So what?!"

"So what?!" he questioned back. "You could've gotten seriously fucked up! And it could've been worse! He could've had a gun!"

"Yea, and?"

Bakugo was stunned. How can she be so nonchalant about this? Was she getting over-confident or just being stupid? "You're made of muscle, not steel, Idiot. You can't dodge a bullet."

"That kinda thing happens all the time here."

"What?!"

"Hattori, we followed you because we wanted to see where you're going, and to make sure you got there safe." Todoroki finally butted in. There was no way to sugar coat it.

"So you were spying on me?..." She corrected them.

"No!" yelled the blonde with a sneer, trying to hide his flaring nostrils. Todoroki cocked his head at him.

"We were."

A fire lit in Bakugo's eyes as he glared at him. Why did he have to open his big dumb mouth?

"C'mon, we were..." he repeated. Might as well admit to it.

Her brow furrowed, wondering what the fuck went through their heads to even think that this was okay. Are they insane?! This might be the creepiest thing they've ever done, following her around, but knowing them, they wouldn't have come here for nothing. That couldn't be just that though.

He grit his teeth. "Okay, fine! But that's not the only reason. Why the hell would you come here, anyways?"

Letting out a quiet sigh, she slouched her shoulders and gave in. "If you must know, this is my home town. This is where I used to live..."

"Okay, but what's so great about coming back to this dump? If I were you, I'd ditch this place and never look back." Bakugo uttered bluntly. Honestly, he couldn't wrap his head around what was so appealing that would lead her back here.

"I answered your question, now you answer mine... Why're you really here? I doubt it's just to spy on me."

Just saying it like that made them come off as creeps, and Katsuki hated it. On cue, he dug into his pocket and tossed her the purple device.

"Uraraka said you forgot your phone... Didn't I tell you to stop leaving your shit behind?"

"I didn't forget it, I left it there."

"You Idiot, are you really that careless?! Don't you know what could've happened if we hadn't have shown up when we did?! He could've cut you like a fish!"

"What do'ya want? You want a 'thank you'?" She rolled her eyes at him sarcastically. Katsuki had enough.

"No! What kinda moron goes out without it?!"

"It is weird to leave without a way to call for help when you need it." Todoroki pointed out, matter-of-fact like. Seriously, in this day and age, who does that?

"... I don't want my mom to know I'm here, alright?"

Akane opened the slot for the Sim card. Thankfully, it wasn't there. She relaxed her tensed muscles, remembering that she left it on top of the nightstand back in the dorm. Thank god.

They continued to stare at her questionably.

"She put a tracker in my phone... Once in a while, I come back here by myself and I prefer to keep it that way. She can be a bit overprotective."

"And for good reason! What kinda of sick fuck are you here to meet? That creep with the red car, or some other lowlife?" The words just flopped out of Katsuki's mouth before he could think to stop them. Akane blinked at him, confused. Red car? Did he mean Reiki?

"There's no guy! I told you, it's not a date!"

"You were buying flowers from that asshole before he tried to mug you. Tell me that's not a coincidence."

"It is. I was trying to help him out."

"And look where that got you!"

"What's your point, Katsuki?"

Was he just here to argue with her? If so, he might as well just leave.

Instantly, Shoto threw his arm out in front of Bakugo to stop him from retaliating. This was getting nowhere and was only going to continue to spiral if it wasn't stopped. It was also getting dark out, which meant it would be curfew within the next few hours.

"Bakugo, whatever she's doing here, it's not our business. We already overstepped just by coming here. Enough with the interrogations already."

"Shut up! We're licensed heroes now, and we know she's here, so if any shit goes down, like it did earlier, it's on our heads!"

"I guess you have a point."

Akane pinched the bridge of her nose for the temporary relief of the ever-growing stress. Why did he have to agree with him? None of this was on them. Heroes or not, this was her choice to come here and she wasn't ready to leave just yet.

"Hattori..." She drifted her gaze back to Shoto. "We just wanna make sure you're safe. Wherever you're going, at least let us walk you there. After that, we'll leave."

There was a long pause as she thought it over. They were pretty ballsy coming out all this way just to bring back her phone. Some girls might find it sweet and kind of them, but to her, it was crazy, and borderline stalker-like. Still, they did save her. She didn't want to admit it, but the altercation with that mugger left her a little shook up. It's not everyday that you give someone a bit of cash and they try to stab you, but at the same time, it was her fault for handing him those big bucks. He probably assumed she had more on her for the taking, and 'desperation' wasn't an uncommon word here. Most of the normal targets here would be a wandering businessman or a couple of lost tourists, and seeing these two boys out here wearing name-brand clothing - they were just asking to get robbed. Making them go back alone, they were bound to get jumped. Hero or not, it wasn't safe for them. They needed her, and she didn't want to admit it, but having them around would help her feel more at ease.

"I feel that if I say no, you'll still follow me anyways, so fine, you can come... but you don't know this place like I do. I need you to trust me and listen when I tell you to do something." she explained. Could this day get even weirder?

"Alright, we will."

"Hey, you don't speak for me, Icyhot bastard!"

"Okay, first you need to change your clothes." she ordered.

"What?" they both asked. Did they hear that right? Change clothes?

"You're both wearing top brand stuff and it's calling too much attention to yourselves. You need to take them off or cover up with something else. You're practically a moving target to thieves."

"Yea, so what? If they even think about laying a finger on me, I'll blast them into a pile of ashes." Bakugo retorted.

"That'll attract even more unwanted attention. Trust me, it's best to just blend in and keep your head down here." She reached around her back pocket and pulled out her wallet to check how much cash she had on her. Looks like she had enough left. "What size shirt are you?"

"I can pay for my own shit." he responded as he also reached for his wallet to pull out his debit card. She gently pushed his hand back down before he could hand it over.

"No cards here."

"Tch. Seriously?"

"Not unless you want all your accounts drained and locked out for the next couple weeks."

He let out an annoyed groan. "Large..."

She turned to Todoroki.

"Same size."

She nodded. "Wait here."

She pulled her hoodie over her head once again before she stepped along the brick wall to the front of the convenience store. Both of them contemplated following her, but they remembered they had to do as she said. If it was true, that they would attract more villains, then following her would mean exposing themselves out in the open. The main thing they didn't want to happen was to repeat the same incident as before. Not that their clothes haven't been an issue yet, but still, she hasn't given them any reason to distrust her judgement, even though this was all incredibly sketchy. Considering they've never been here before, they had to go with it.

After a few minutes, she returned with a large plastic bag. Dipping her hand in, she proceeded to pull out two basic hoodies, one grey and one black, and two ball-caps, each with a similar basic design to match them. Hattori offered them over, allowing them to decide which one to wear. They gave each other a small glance in hesitation before putting them on. Since it was still cold out, they kept their original jackets hidden underneath, but made sure to cover up the brand logos. When they finished, Akane took a step back to give them one final observation and was satisfied.

"Good. You should blend in now."

Bakugo responded with a grunt. This still didn't make any sense. Why did they have to do all this shit? Seemed a little extra.

"... Let's go." She walked through the alley out into the open streets. With no other options, the boys followed her.

"Where to?" asked Shoto curiously from behind.

"Even though you're here, that doesn't change my plans. I promised to meet someone and that's where we're going..."

After that, neither one of them decided to ask anymore questions. She always gave such half-assed answers, it was almost like talking to a brick wall. It's just not going to happen, so they might as well hold their breath and wait and see. Along the way, they turned down a couple blocks and passed a few more broken down homes. The only other interactions they had were from a small crowd of rugged individuals hanging outside the parking lot of a bar, but Akane made sure they kept a safe distance between them. They shared a couple of glances from a few passing strangers, but luckily, they brushed it off and went back to drinking. Looks like changing their clothes turned out to be a smart idea, after all.

Once they passed the not-so-credible areas, they finally stepped into the quieter part of the outskirts. It was the same timezone, yet for some reason, the walls and the shadows from the evening sky appeared darker here. Not a single person was to be seen walking around besides them and there was an eerily stillness in the air. It was vaguely quiet, which coming from a place like this couldn't be a good sign. If it weren't for the small lights still flickering in some of the buildings, they'd consider this part abandoned.

In silence, they trudged along the sidewalk down a long concrete wall plastered with graffiti and Yakuza gang signs. You normally wouldn't see top gangster villains in places like this; mostly in big cities interacting with people with power, money, and assets. Only those serving under them would be here flashing their signs and causing all kinds of trouble with rival gangs and the local authorities. The more he saw, the more things were added to his list of concerns. It was now becoming painfully obvious to Bakugo that they should've turned back sooner. He wouldn't say he was afraid, but he knew it would end up being a pain in the ass if they came across someone dangerous. If Hattori ended up being careless again or if Icyhot didn't act quick enough, everything would fall onto his shoulders to save them. For a while, he kept contemplating how to come up with a way to drop everything and make them all go back to U.A., but every way he turned, it only made him seem like a coward.

Those thoughts quickly vanished when she came to an opening. There, she stopped and turned towards the inside of the arched entrance of the concrete wall they had been trailing. What was she stopping here for? As their eyes peered around, they took notice of the two Komainu statues down below, the mythological spirit guardians taking the form of a lion-dog. These spirits were only displayed in front of old temples and shrines, to guard the spirits of the dead from evil beings. Another bad sign. A sickening feeling festered in Bakugo's gut as he watched her take that first step inside. He bit his lip and tried to brush it off as the two of them walked behind her, being sure to keep a sharp eye out for anything suspicious.

Once they passed through the arch, they soon realized that it wasn't just a spiritual shrine,... that gateway was to a cemetery. The various gravestones scattered across the grounds, some that appeared to be from a much older time, rugged and poorly marked, and some that were recent and clean. There was only a small narrow pathway for visitors to pass through and say their peace. From the looks of it, this area remained untouched from vandalism. It would seem that even villains didn't want to fuck with the dead. That sensation deep down inside them continued to grow anxiously with each monument they passed. Whoever she was meeting, they weren't sure if they would be alive or dead. If either one of them asked, it probably wasn't going to be an answer they'd be content with. It could be a ghost for all they knew.

At last, she finally stopped walking. The small stone was no bigger than the size of a small milk carton, but they were able to read it clearly. Itsuki Koriyama, born September 6th, 1990 - February 14th 2014. Oh fuck... That was today... Bakugo prayed deep down that it wasn't who he thinks it is.

"... Is that your-?"

"Yea..." she cut him off. He felt his heart sink.

"Shit..." Katsuki whispered. Now he felt like a total jackass for making all those assumptions earlier. He shouldn't have stayed; he shouldn't be here in the first place, but he didn't know that she would come here for this. He assumed she was going to meet some dickhead and if he came from this shithole town, he could've been a sick, scary fuckhead, but none of that happened. He jumped the gun too quickly and now he was wallowing in a puddle of regret. And he deserved it...

Unfortunately, Todoroki didn't fully understand what was going on. He turned to Bakugo questionably and mouthed- Who? He hesitated answering out loud, for he didn't want to say anything that might make her feel more shitty than she already was, so he felt in his pocket for his phone and gestured for him to do the same. He obliged and waited for the message.

Bakugo: It's her mom...

Shoto fell even more confused.

Todoroki: Didn't her mom come by U.A. a couple months back though? I remember seeing her.

Bakugo: She's adopted, Dumbass.

She is? He never knew that. She never came off that way, so he just assumed otherwise. Finally, it all clicked. So this was why she said she didn't like Valentine's Day. Then that meant this grave was her real, biological mother's... Oh, man. She died on this very day. If he had only known, he wouldn't have invited himself along. Judging by the look on Bakugo's face, he was thinking the same thing. To think, she grew up in a place like this, lost her mom, and still made an effort to come back on the anniversary of her death. Life must've been really hard for her growing up. Todoroki had his own baggage to deal with, but he couldn't imagine what that must've been like for her, and he didn't want to.

Now that everything was out in the open, it became terribly awkward. Shoto contemplated asking her how she passed, thinking that maybe talking about her in memory would help her feel better, but when his eyes shifted back to Hattori, he decided against it. She slouched her shoulders as her head hung low, silently staring at her mother's engraved name. Now wasn't the time to pry.

"Do you need a minute?..."

They could hear the shakiness in her breath, trying to hold it in.

"Yea..."

"We'll be outside when you're done." assured Bakugo.

With that said, he and Todoroki turned back in the direction they came and left. They already messed things up by being here, so giving her a bit of privacy was the least they could do. Once they passed the spirit statues, they stepped back on the sidewalk and leaned their bodies near the entrance to wait for her. Shoto seized the moment by checking the time on his phone. They still had about 2 hours before they had to be back at U.A., so there was still a bit of time, but there was no telling if this was her only stop or not. Hopefully, it was.

After a moment of quiet, he looked at Bakugo. "How did you know she was adopted?"

"She told me, Moron, how else?..."

He decided to ignore that rude remark. "Did she ever say how she died?"

"... No. It's probably best not to ask about it."

Shoto couldn't wrap his head around it, but something about this place seemed off. He found himself reflecting back to the name on the headstone. That name, Koriyama; somehow, it seemed like he had heard it before, but he couldn't remember where. It wasn't anyone in his family, or even a close friend who shared that name, but it stuck to him for some reason. How annoying... That was going to bug him all day until he figured it out. He knew it would eventually come to him. It always did at the most inconvenient time.

The two of them then attempted to pass the time flipping through their social media. Sadly, that failed due to the lack of cell signal. They even had the best covered carrier service in the country and somehow, it didn't show up here. This sucked. It looked like even if she brought her phone, it wouldn't do any good. This place was now the very definition of desolate. Bakugo then resorted to his own thoughts, which started to circle back to the last time they spoke about her personal life. When she came over to his house, he asked if she ran away from home. If her mom died so young, that was probably the reason why she was on the streets. With no mom there to take care of her, who knows what kind of shit she had to do here to get by. He then recalled when that dumb game they played with their fingers, and he remembered her reaction to whether or not she saw a person die... Could it have been her mom?

It only made sense. Now things were starting to come together as well as the shitty guilt still hovering above his head. In the end, as much as he hated to do it, he knew that he would have to swallow his pride and apologize to her.

After a few moments, she finally returned to them with her hood hiding most of her depressed, gray face. The dejected sensation started to rub off on them the longer they stared at her. She looked like she needed some serious cheering up.

"Ready to go?" Bakugo asked.

She sniffed as she wiped her sleeve across her eyes. "Yea..."

"Do you have anywhere else you need to go around here?" Shoto stepped in. They would have to be heading back soon if they were going to make curfew, and though it wasn't as important, he didn't want to miss horror movie night with his friends, if he could help it.

She shook her head in response and they were overcome with relief.

"Then let's head back. Can't wait to get out of this hell hole..." Katsuki muttered.

He stuffed his hands in his pockets and together they retraced their steps back with Hattori mostly leading the way. It only made sense since they weren't too familiar with the area, like her. They passed the bar with the same old strangers still getting drunk, then they went by the same run-down old buildings until they eventually arrived at the same boarded up convenience store. The moment their eyes could see the police emblem at the front of the station, they knew exactly where they were. The train wasn't far away now. Katsuki stared at the back of her head diffidently. Her sniffling started to fade to normal breathing, which he speculated meant she was no longer crying. That was a good sign, but she more likely wouldn't be in a good mood for the rest of the night. Then again, nobody would.

When they arrived at the station, they took the stairs down below to the main deck and stood among the few other pedestrians waiting for the train to come. Eventually, the screeching sounds of the brakes echoed through the tunnel and the giant silver bullet came to a complete stop. As soon as the doors opened up, they stepped onto the platform. Lucky for them, they were able to catch a few empty seats side by side with each other and ride more comfortably on the way back, but the air was still heavy with awkward tension. Katsuki felt his stomach vibrate with hunger. If she hadn't left right after class, none of them would've missed out on dinner. Judging from the time on his phone, they probably already cleaned it all up by now. This sucks... He needed to eat something soon, they all did, and now that he thought of it, maybe getting some food in might make her feel not so shitty.

Time went on until the conductor finally announced through the intercom of their oncoming arrival to Musutafu. The brakes screeched against the rails until they came to a halt and locked the wheels securely in place. The doors opened again, to which they all stepped off and made their way back into the streets of their hometown. He wouldn't say it out loud, but Bakugo was actually kind of glad to be back in this annoyingly crowded city. He didn't realize how lively this place actually was before. Where she came from, that was a place he'd hoped not to go back to, at least not now, not until he graduated, when he knew he could change it as a hero. As soon as he gets his agency in place, he'll be sure to form up a team to go back and clean up that city for good. It definitely needed it.

Still, he didn't think she had it this hard growing up, but if she truly survived on those streets without a home or a mom and did everything all alone, she was a lot stronger than he anticipated. He dared to say that maybe she was even stronger than him...

"We should stop and get somethin' to eat. I'm fuckin' starving." He spoke, which made the two of them pause to look at him more directly.

"Yea, we missed dinner, but all the restaurants are probably heavily crowded now." Icyhot pointed out. Crap! He forgot all about that stupid holiday! All those dumb couples would be out hogging all the tables for their shitty dates. That could take hours waiting. They didn't have a lot of time left before curfew to deal with that.

Bakugo clicked his tongue with displeasure. "Then let's just go to a cafe or a convenience store or something."

"I guess that'd be okay. Is that fine with you?" he turned to Hattori, who said nothing, but nodded in approval. Her silence set off a slight trigger in Katsuki. He used to give her so much crap for all the stuff she talks about, but he wasn't used to her being this quiet. He hated it.

"Let's go then."

With that said, he turned up his nose and led the way to the nearest place he could find that didn't have a huge line of couples sticking out. It was a small cafe whose specials were mostly noodle-based, and with the air still a bit cold, they could use the extra warmth of a nice bowl of hot broth. They stepped inside and went to grab an empty table. Before they could take their seats, she turned to them.

"I'm gonna use the restroom. I'm not really hungry, so just order me a hot tea, please..."

"Sure." Shoto assured, and after that, she followed the direction of the signs and disappeared. He then went to take his seat while Bakugo plopped down in the chair in front of him. In no time at all, the waitress appeared wearing a buttoned green shirt and black pants, the same color as the company's logo. Her hair was wrapped up in pig tails and her face was plastered with that typical fake smile that made Bakugo cringe.

"Hello! I'm Kushina, I'll be your server this evening. Can I get you two started on any drinks or appetizers?" She asked as she offered them their menus.

God, her personality was way too bubbly. It couldn't be real. Bakugo understood that it was targeted mostly to lonely male suckers just so they could leave a nice review and come back with more money, but regardless, it made him uncomfortable. He hated people like that, but it was all part of the job. To take his mind off it he scanned over the selections on the menu. It seemed kind of pointless, since he already knew what he wanted.

"Yea, get me a regular-sized spicy tonkatsu bowl with extra sriracha and a water."

She quickly pulled the pen tucked behind her ear and jotted it all down on her ticket pad before she turned to Todoroki. "And for you, sir?"

"Soba noodles, cold, with a side of tamari and a Chai latte."

"Alright. I'll have that out for you right awa-"

"Hold on. We still got one other person. Get her a regular tonkatsu ramen, with sriracha on the side and a hot matcha tea." Bakugo interrupted. The waitress wrote down everything.

"Will that be all?"

"Yea."

"Great. If you need anything, please let me know." She gave them a bow before she turned and went to take the order to the kitchen, leaving the two of them alone. Todoroki stared at him, confused.

"What?"

"She said she wasn't hungry. Why did you order something anyway?"

"Cuz' I know she hasn't eaten much today. Can't you see how weak and pale she looks?"

He shrugged. "She seemed fine to me."

Bakugo grimaced at how much of an idiot this guy can be sometimes. As sharp as he was, he was pretty dull when it came to reading the room. "Her mom is dead, she was attacked by some freak, and she ended up having to deal with keeping us safe the whole time... there's no way she's fine."

Shoto opened his mouth to say something, yet was at a loss for words. He didn't think it was that much of a concern since they managed to save her, but if Bakugo could see it, he was probably right. In training, Shoto was so focused on getting the job done, he didn't stop to think about the aftermath and how it would affect people mentally. Guess he needed to pay attention more. But then - did that mean that Bakugo knew more about her than he did? He even ordered for her. Did that mean Bakugo actually... cared for her? The more he thought about it, the more he questioned everything.

After a bit, it soon became clear that Katsuki wasn't up to hold a conversation when he pulled out his phone again. Now that they were back home, they had enough signal to finally scroll through their social media. He went to do the same and saw a selfie post of Mina and some of their classmates going through their movie selection for the night. They had about an hour before it started, which relieved him to know he could make it. Perhaps he should offer Hattori to come to make her feel better. Would she even be up for it?

A few minutes had passed and she finally returned. The front of her bangs looked to be wet, as if she had splashed some water on her face, and her eyes weren't as puffy, but they were still a bit red. All in all, she still didn't look much better. Hattori went to take the seat next to Shoto and mimicked them by pulling out her phone too. Every so often, the boys would take a glance at her from the corner of their eye to make sure she was okay. They knew she wasn't, but it wouldn't be good if she ended up crying again, especially in a public place like this.

"Hattori?"

She tiredly flicked her eyes over to Shoto.

"Would it help..." he hesitated. "Would it help to talk about her?"

Bakugo immediately glared at him. "You damn idiot! What did I just say?!"

She sighed deeply as the pain in her head throbbed. "Haven't you two asked enough questions for one evening?..."

"Well, sometimes I think it's best to talk about the person you've lost. Maybe you could talk about some of the good memories you shared together, so that way it doesn't feel like they're really gone. In a way, it's like they're still with you."

"You sound just like my therapist..." she muttered under her breath. She really didn't want to talk anymore about this stuff, but deep down, she understood where he was coming from. Hopefully, he was being sincere and not just curious. They already knew too much about her for one day, however, she could already hear Mrs. Tokihira's voice nagging her to be more open. She promised she'd do it and these two haven't given her a reason to distrust them.

Bakugo kicked his shin hard from under the table, trying to get him to drop it and shut the hell up. Shoto pursed his lips to contain the pain, but ended up letting out a small grunt. Luckily, that was enough for him to stop and reassess what he was doing. Maybe Bakugo was right, that he shouldn't have brought it up. He just couldn't stand seeing her like this any longer and if there was a way for him to make it better, he wanted to do it. That's what heroes do, and not just heroes, but as friends too. It would've eaten him alive if she became upset the entire night. What kind of a friend would he be then?

"I'm sorry... I don't want to make you more upset. If it makes you uncomfortable, I'll stop."

She paused to think about it one more time. "It's... okay. I guess since you've already seen where I lived, you'd only want to know."

"!" Bakugo was stunned. Was she serious?

"So then, is it okay to ask?"

She swallowed her fear of hesitation and nodded. "Yea."

"Okay... What was she like?" Icyhot questioned softly.

"She... was very kind and loving. I remember that she had the same hair color as mine, but she could change it to whatever color she wanted. It was long and her mood always showed what color it would be. Yellow when she was happy and red when she was angry. She could even make it change to whatever background she was standing in; it was almost as if she would vanish in thin air... She worked overnight at some adult club and didn't make much, but it was enough to get us by. She always encouraged me to draw..."

"She sounds like a great mother."

"She was..."

"How did she-?" He could feel Bakugo's black fury strangling him from across the table, making him fumble his words. "Er, sorry. I probably shouldn't be asking you that."

"... How did she die?"

"!" She took the words right out of his mouth. Before they could respond, she shifted her gaze down to the fibers of the wooden table, hoping to find some solace in reliving that awful memory. It didn't help.

"She was killed by a villain..."

There was a long pause in silence. The look on her face made Shoto instantly regret ever letting the words pass his lips. And from the look on Bakugo's face, he was plotting to kill him over a hundred different ways. Why did he have to be so fucking stupid?! He didn't want to have to deal with her crying again, but thanks to this idiot, it was bound to happen.

"I... I'm so sorry..."

"I don't think I wanna talk about this anymore." she stated as she went back to her phone.

"I understand. I'm sorry."

Just when things were starting to seem okay and go back to normal, he had to go and ruin it. The awkward tension was so massive, it was almost suffocating. Shoto could feel it. Maybe it would be best for him to step away for a little bit.

"I'm going to go to the restroom too. I'll be right back." He scooted his chair back and left the table with Katsuki shooting bullets at the back of his two-toned head with his eyes. That fucking dumbass...

A moment went by with him struggling to find something to say, but it all came to a stop when the waitress returned with a platter carrying the dishes. She set the two hot bowls of ramen down in front of them before setting Todoroki's.

"Thank you. Please enjoy." she smiled and she left.

Hattori stared intently at the noodles, boiled egg, and pieces of pan-seared pork sitting on top. The steam coming off the broth started to open the pores on her face and waft her nose with decadent smells. It was inviting her for a taste, but something was off. She didn't remember telling them to order her this.

"I said - I didn't want anything, just tea."

"Just shut up and eat it. You need your strength. If you don't, I'll make you and pour it all down your throat myself." Katsuki threatened in an unusually calm voice as he went to pull his chopsticks apart. He then proceeded to dip them in and slurp up the fiery hot noodles. It needed more spice.

"I thought the next time we'd have ramen, it would've been different than this..."

That look again, he fucking hated it...

"Look, I wasn't planning on following you all the way there, and I definitely didn't plan on Icyhot coming with me. If you hadn't gotten on the train, we wouldn't have had to jump on... But I'm... sorry for messin' up your night."

"I'm not mad about that... not anymore. You were right. If you hadn't come when you did, that guy might've..." She couldn't bring herself to say it. Somehow, it made her think painfully of her late mom.

Katsuki didn't need to hear those last words to know what she meant. It was obvious she was still shook up by it. The way her fingers trembled as she reached for her cup of tea, how she frequently darted her eyes back and forth to the exit door, like she was looking for a way out in case she needed it. It was almost like looking in a mirror, seeing himself a year ago, after he was kidnapped by The League of Villains. He knew that feeling all too well.

She was safe now, so there was no reason for her to feel afraid right now. He needed to get her mind off it somehow.

"So t-thank you for saving me..."

"If you wanna thank me properly, then eat. I'm paying for it, so you better eat the damn noodles." he demanded.

She huffed a faint chuckle through her nose and reached for the packet of chopsticks. Looks like there was no way around it. When she pulled them apart, he watched as she took the piece of shoyu and ate it. Relieved that she was finally eating, he proceeded to go back to his own meal. He slurped the noodles, feeling the tingles of the spices and the heat of the broth filling him with much needed warmth. This was just what he needed.

"Hey, uh... I'm sorry about your mom. I didn't know you'd come all this way for that." he said serenely. Thank God Icyhot wasn't around to hear him. If he said a word of this to anyone, he'd ring his fucking neck.

"It's okay. You couldn't have known."

"So you really grew up there, huh?"

She nodded. "When she was gone, I didn't have a home to go back to... So I became a street rat. I stayed in the abandoned shack behind that convenience store and stole for most of my food."

"Shit, then how was she- er, fuck... You probably don't wanna talk about that." he caught himself. Now he was kicking himself for being such a hypocrite.

"It's okay if it's you." She averted her gaze back to her bowl to hide her embarrassment. Even though she gave the okay, he felt bad for asking the gritty details.

"Did they find out who did it?"

She sucked in a breath of courage. "Yea."

"Shit, which one?"

"His villain name is Muscular..."

"Is that the reason you came to U.A. then? So that when you see him, you'll finally make him pay?" It seemed only logical she'd want that. He would, if he were in her shoes.

"I'd be lying if I said that wasn't part of it, but he's in Tartarus. I doubt I'll ever get the chance." she explained in a sorrowful tone. That sucked, but at least the fucker is paying for what he did behind bars.

"Damn, so is he why you wanted me to train you?"

"Yea. You're strong, like him. If I can't defeat you, how could I ever hope to defeat him, or even someone like him?"

Katsuki sighed. He hated it when she talked like that. "You're a lot closer than you think... Though you're able to withstand most of my attacks and counter it, it mostly comes down to endurance training. You burn out too quickly, which gives me the upper hand. So shut up with that shit already."

"Okay. Thanks..."

"Hey, you said before that I reminded you of him..." he began "Do I still resemble him?"

"No, if anything, you're far from that."

He smirked. "Guess I'll havta work on that when we're training, huh?"

"Yea."

She gave a small smile that made his palms sweat. He cleared his throat as he rubbed his hands on his jeans.

"And I'm sorry about your mom."

"It's okay. I still can't believe you thought I was actually going out on a date."

"Why? You got a bunch of those stupid love letters and got all dressed up n' shit."

Her brow furrowed as she glanced down at her outfit. "This is how I usually dress when I go out."

"Well... then what about those damn letters? I heard you got a lot."

"I didn't read them, but it's not like it would matter... A lot of them only wanna date me just because they think I'm pretty."

He let out a cocky scoff. "Yea. Those extras ain't your type then, so don't waste your time fuckin' around with them."

She locked onto his bright red eyes and gave a smirk. "And how do you know what my type is?"

"Hahh? I-it's pretty damn obvious."

"Oh yea? Then tell me, what do you think my type is? Who's my perfect match?"

Damn. How did the conversation end up leading to this? He fidgeted his chopsticks in a circle in his bowl to think it over for a second. In truth, he didn't expect that she'd go this far, but since she asked...

"I think it's clear that soft guys aren't your thing. Neither are pretty boys who only get by from their looks. Those guys are weaklings who only care about image and crumble over the smallest thing... And you're very strong, so you need someone who's just as strong to match you, or to carry you when you need it most. Not a guy who'll flash you a bunch of the typical useless shit like candy or flowers, but get you something you actually like. Maybe they'll give you a compliment from time to time, but you don't want a guy who does that just to make themselves seem like a nice guy or a big shot. They need to be genuine about it. Definitely not some fake-ass loser."

There was a short pause before she spoke again.

"Whoa. It's like... you can read me better than I can."

As she said that, she reached to push a loose strand of hair behind her ear and he caught a glimpse of the faint shimmer on her wrist. The long jacket sleeve covered most of it, but he could still see the jawline of the skull charm he had gotten her. She was still wearing it? Why?

"You're definitely right on the fake part... I don't wanna go through that again."

"What do you mean 'again'? I thought you've never dated before."

"I haven't. There was this guy once back in Junior High, and I thought he liked me back... until he said my quirk was hideous..." It still hurt to say that memory out loud.

His brow dropped. "What?"

"He thought I was only pretty when I didn't use my quirk. My huge muscles and the bright red skin can be kinda... off-putting..."

Katsuki couldn't believe that there were still lowlifes out there like that. "That's stupid. If they can't handle both sides of ya, they ain't worthy of your time. You'll want a guy who can take your strength, and isn't scared to tell it like it is to you, even knowing you could kill them in one punch. You said that one asshole couldn't take it, huh? Good, let him find out what he missed."

A much needed feeling of warmth then filled her chest and she couldn't help but to succumb to it. She was worried that he would think of her the same way. It was relieving to know that he didn't. He was really sweet when he chose to be. It's a shame he didn't show this side of himself very often.

"Thank you... I hope the person who ends up with you realizes how lucky they are, but... I guess that's not in your plans, is it?"

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"I thought you didn't want to have a relationship, that it would get in the way of you trying to be the Number One Hero."

Shit. He cursed at himself... So she did hear him that day.

"I just said that shit for those idiots to leave me alone. I'm gonna rise to the top in no time, and then and only then, I might consider it."

"Seems like a long way to go. And I dunno. You come off as the 'hit it and quit it' type."

"What?!" he exclaimed. What the hell led her to believe that?

"I bet you'd just be a player. You don't seem to let anyone get that close to you."

"That's only 'cuz I haven't found MY type yet!"

She grinned at how defensive he was getting. It was actually kind of cute when he was trying not to get caught in a lie. "So then, what is your type?"

"You think you're such an expert, you tell me!"

She fiddled with the ends of her sleeves and gave it some thought. "I think... you'll want a softy you can completely dominate. Someone who's your total opposite, that's sweet and kind, and gives in to anything and will do it for anyone."

"What, are you fucking kiddin' me?! Be serious!"

She couldn't help but giggle. "Alright, in all honesty, I think you'd want someone who sees you for who you are. Someone who can look through your angry moments and see that you're really a nice guy, even if you show it... eh, differently."

"Tch. I'm always nice, Idiot."

"Yea, but... I think a lot of guys put up this masculine front because they don't wanna come off as weak, so they hide their emotions all the time. That's not really healthy and it gotta be difficult trying to do it all on your own. I think that person would want to give you that safe space, where you can be vulnerable without feeling judged... Someone who would support you when you deserve it and be strong enough to tell you off when you need it... And I'm sure you would want someone who won't string you along either 'cuz you put your all in everything you do. They should do the same back."

She flicked her eyes back and they locked onto his, as if they were caught in a trans. Her hair was ruffled and her eyes were still a tad bloodshot, but despite all that, she was the same... but somehow, she looked more beautiful. His chest was throbbing behind his rib cage, ready to burst forth at any moment.

'I'm not sure if I can keep this up much longer.' he thought to himself.

Before they could say another word, Todoroki came back to the table and took his seat. There was a lingering awkwardness as the two of them practically forgot he was even here.

"Sorry, I had to make a call to my Dad and my sister."

"You were gone so damn long, your food's gotta be ice cold by now, ya Idiot." Bakugo snapped.

"But it's supposed to be cold."

"Then eat it already. After this, we're heading back."