A/N: Hello everybody, I'm back with the last part of the USJ trilogy, so here's kind of the aftermath of the whole incident and also a little hint at the end what's gonna come next since the next chapters will be a little event that I created and that's not in the original plot. I hope you will enjoy and look forward to it. And of course also to the sports festival which is right around the corner as well.
Chapter Ten: Byakko's Doubt
Masha slowly regains her consciousness upon hearing Recovery Girl's strict voice scolding Izukyun and All Might about the fact that the number one hero should train the green haired boy more properly so that he wouldn't end up breaking his own bones every time he has to use his quirk powers. Somewhere in her throbbing head she realizes that more faculty members know about at least some points of All Might's current situation than she had thought. "Ow!" she complains as she opens her amber eyes and gets greeted by stabbing neon light coming from the ceiling of U.A.'s infirmary. "My head hurts!" The teenage girl blinks multiple times until she's able to see clearly.
"Well, young Missy, that's the concussion you have", the small elderly woman explains with her arms crossed over her chest looking very displeased. "You're just lucky that your body has a lot of stamina and is tougher than average due to your shape shifting abilities that need to alter your whole physical system, because if it hadn't been for that fact, the injuries you suffered could have killed you. You only survived because you were able to bear the treatment with my quirk which isn't something you should be taking for granted. There are limits to my powers as well. I can't work wonders"
The cat girl sits up in her bed and nods still a little confused. She examines the bandages around her torso and remembers the massive pain that rushed through her body. "Right, I think my ribs were broken", she recalls. "Completely shattered to be more precise", Recovery Girl corrects. "Thanks to that you got perforated internally on multiple parts and suffered from internal bleedings where the bone fragments spiked you. Be very grateful that it didn't affect your heart or your lungs! I was able to heal the worst injuries, but you will need to come back for your head and your overused ankles once again. Be sure to eat and to rest well, if you do that, I'll treat you tomorrow before your classes start" The young tigress nods again and tries to bow her head which she soon notices isn't a very good idea with a concussion. "Thank you very much for your care. I'm sorry for causing so much trouble and making you worry" The elderly woman with her gray hair bun sighs and turns to Izukyun and All Might. "You two could learn a lesson from the young Missy here! At least her reaction to my scolding is appropriate!" But before the two of them get the chance to apologize hectically, the entrance door to the infirmary slams open.
"Excuse me", the young man states while entering and his dark eyes land on All Might. "Been a while!" he adds with a genuine smile. "What the heck!" the blond pro hero answers visibly surprised. "I didn't even know that you were investigating" Izukyun's green eyes widen in shock. "Whoa, All Might! Is it actually alright if everybody here sees you like this?" he asks referring to the number one hero's true skinny form he currently remains in. "Oh yeah, he is my best friend and works for the police force. He's actually one of the very few people who know the whole story about One for All, including the ones in this room, principal Nezu and my former mentor", All Might responds calmly. "He's Tsukauchi Naomasa" The messy haired boy shoots Masha a glance who hums in confirmation and waves cheeringly at the detective. "The same detective Tsukauchi who worked on Masha's case back then?" Izukyun questions excitedly and the tiger girl rolls her eyes. "Honestly, Izukyun! You two actually met at my birthday parties occasionally. Hi Tsukauchi! Haven't seen you in ages!" she beams. "Besides I already told you that I had a conversation with All Might about your secret after I noticed he's sick by myself. I really don't know why you're getting so worked up now" She looks at her best friend questioningly and he lowers his head in embarrassment.
"Oh well, that's quite the introduction", Tsukauchi laughs. "Masha, I'm so glad you're safe! And to think that your little childhood friend ends up being All Might's successor is a big surprise. I still remember you two running around with towels as capes playing number one hero and his fearless sidekick" At his nostalgic remark Izuku's face flushes bright red. "I'm so sorry, I didn't remember at all..." The young detective waves one of his hands. "Oh no, I never had the chance to talk to you before and I never stayed long at the parties because of my work, so it's no wonder" All Might suddenly points strongly at Tsukauchi and frowns. "I can't believe you never told me anything about young Shirogawa's case. I feel completely left out!" he complains pouting and the detective starts laughing again. "You know that we can't inform you about every single case. Besides Eraserhead had his eyes on this one, so we already had guidance of a pro hero"
After this short excursion to past events, Tsukauchis expression turns serious once again as he faces the number one hero. "Sorry, but I'd like to cut to the chase now. We could really use any extra information you might have" But the blond pro hero interrupts his friend. "Hold on. Before all that, please tell me all the students are okay. And Aizawa- uhm I mean Eraserhead and Thirteen" Masha holds her breath and looks at the detective hoping he would only have good news. Nervousness suddenly lets her heart begin to race. "Not counting in these two here, the students only had some scrapes", Tsukauchi assures the small group around him. "And both of the teachers are in stable conditions right now" They all simultaneously sigh in great relief and the young girl shares a glance with her childhood friend.
"If you heroes hadn't risked your lives, the students would never have made it", Tsukauchi continues. "You three saved that entire class of kids today" But to their big surprise All Might shakes his head. "You're not seeing the whole picture, Tsukauchi", he tells his police friend. "The students risked their lives as well. They fought as hard as we did" Izukyun stares at his great idol in awe. "Thank you, All Might!" At the sight of his mentor smiling and nodding at her best friend, Masha curls up the corners of her mouth, though it's still a sad kind of smile as she remembers how broken her godfather looked after the fight. "I don't think there's ever been a group of first-years who experienced a real fight like this so early in their training. Not only did they survive, but they also learned what it really means to be a pro", All Might exclaims with pride in his voice. "Those villains made a huge mistake attacking them. This class is strong. They're filled with courage and drive. Mark my words, they'll become great heroes in future!"
Hearing those words from the Symbol of Peace himself lets the two students beam at each other with puffed out chests, but nevertheless the white and black haired girl can't shake off a certain feeling of guilt tugging at her heart. "Well, All Might once you're ready please come down to the police station so we can get your testimony", Tsukauchi says and the blond pro hero agrees willingly. "Masha, Midoriya get well soon", he adds with a friendly smile which the two friends return as they give their goodbyes. "Recovery Girl, thanks for your good work", the detective finishes with a last respectful nod of his head and leaves the infirmary to keep up his investigation.
"I forgot to tell you, young Missy, your mother agreed to pick you and your friend up with the car. She'll be here soon, so don't worry. Your parents have been informed already", Recovery Girl informs Masha. "Oh nice, so we won't have to rely on public transportation today at least", she sighs and Izukyun nods equally relieved. "But I hope that didn't scare my mom and aunty Inko too much" The two students decide to wait for Kahono in front of the school building since parking in this area is kinda difficult and besides it would be better if the blond woman didn't come across All Might in his current condition. Recovery Girl is kind enough to accompany them to the hallway where the stricken teenagers literally run into Ochako. "Sorry!" the brown-haired cute girl apologizes immediately while Izukyun's face grows dark red again.
"Hey Ochako", Masha greets her friend. "What's the hurry?" Her adorable smile widens as she speaks up. "I wanted to tell Deku and you that the police and the principal said that we can go home and also that school will be closed tomorrow", she replies. "Oh, and of course I also wanted to check on you guys. Kirishima freaked out quite a bit. You really had us worry about you, you two!" While Izukyun starts stuttering and stammering helplessly, Masha sighs and decides to text the red head once she's home. "Then I will visit you again the day after tomorrow and use my day off to recover some of my stamina", the cat girl tells the school's nurse who seems very pleased upon hearing those words from her patient. "With one and a half days I think I'll be able to complete your healing with one more visit. Be sure to be here bright and early in the morning" Masha hums in confirmation and the three classmates make their way to the main entrance.
"By the way, Ochako I already noticed that before, but why are you callin' Izukyun Deku? Do you know that this is an insult from Katsuki? It actually means a guy who can't do anything", the cat girl asks curiously and her cute classmate's cheeks grow pinkish. "W-Well at first I thought it was his name because I overheard Bakugo calling him like that, but I kinda liked Deku because it sounds like the Japanese word for always giving his best, so we changed the meaning of that nickname a bit" With her mischievous cat smirk Masha raises her eyebrows meaningfully at the young Midoriya boy who avoids her playful gaze. "I-I just thought it's about time to stand up to Kacchan. I won't always be the useless Deku. I'll become stronger and be number one", he mumbles in a too high-pitched nervous tone and the tiger girl giggles. "Look at my big brother being all grown up all of a sudden. And I didn't even realize that change of mind. I'm proud of you, Izukyun. I mean it!" He smiles brightly at her, but deadpans anyway. "We're same age, Masha", he points out and she shrugs it off. "You're still a few months older", she insists and hears Ochako's "Pffft" noise as she laughs with her hand in front of her mouth. "Shall we take you somewhere, Ochako? My mommy's picking us up with the car because of our injuries", the cat girl offers, but the cute brown-haired shakes her head. "No, thank you. That'd only be a detour for you guys. I have to go to the station. Please take good care of yourselves, we'll see each other in homeroom classes again"
The childhood friends watch Ochako smiling and waving back at them before she turns around and runs down the street. They sigh collectively, share a glance and start laughing at the same time as they wait for Kahono's car to arrive and pick them up which doesn't last very long. Of course both mothers were scared to death after they received the phone call from U.A. and the blond woman hugs the teenagers for what feels like hours. After they dropped Izuku at his apartment and finally arrived at home themselves, Masha has to endure questions over questions and one and a half days of her mother's exaggerated spoiling and caring. Luckily her two pet cats Jin and Hiro keep her company on the sofa in front of the TV, so at least she's not alone.
The following day the young tigress hurries to the nurse's office to be treated once again and breathes in deeply and relieved after being free of that throbbing pain in her head and the sore feeling in her ankles. In exchange she yawns heartily and has problems to keep her eyes open as the usage of Recovery Girl's quirk needs to feed on her own energy and stamina to speed up her body's healing.
When she finally manages to enter her class without falling asleep while standing, the other students of class 1-A congregate around each other's desks and discuss the events at USJ and who landed in which area and how many villains they've fought excitedly. Her eyes land on the two toned Todoroki and he nods once at her. "How are you feeling?" The cat girl smiles at him. "Tired, but fine. I just got treated a second time, so my healing is completed now" Todoroki exhales quietly. "I see. That's reassuring" She sits down on the edge of her classmate's desk. "Sorry for worrying you like that. And thanks for your help" But the two-colored boy only looks at her confused. "I didn't do anything", he states matter of fact and Masha chuckles about so much innocent honesty. "I actually meant to ask you why you're avoiding me, but it seems like I misunderstood something", he adds after a short pause and the teenage girl gasps surprised. "Before the USJ incident I had the feeling that I'm the only one in the class you're keeping your distance from and I was wondering if you do that on purpose, but now it looks like I got it wrong. I'm sorry" With wide eyes she stares at her calm classmate. Since he's always reserved and somehow distanced himself she never expected him to actually care or notice, but apparently he did. "Todoroki, do you have a minute?" she asks with a short nod towards the door to signal that she means in private and he nods.
Outside of the classroom in an empty hallway she faces the two toned teen. "I'm very sorry, Todoroki. I never meant to make you feel uncomfortable. On the contrary, I was actually trying to be considerate of your feelings. I wasn't staying away from you because I don't like you or because I have a problem with you or something" Her classmate only blinks puzzled and waits for her to go on, his neutral facial expression never changing. "My tiger instincts surpass average human one's and I'm able to sense emotions, physical conditions and some other stuff from people around me", she tries to clarify. "And since you're clearly radiating vibes that tell me that you actually don't want anyone to know about those feelings deep inside of you I got a bad conscience. Coming close to you and noticing your anger and your hidden sadness felt like butting into your personal business and violating your privacy and I felt bad about it. Since I consider you as a classmate and a friend, of course I started worrying about you, but that worry would only cause me to ask you inappropriate questions about your wellbeing and I kinda figured that you wouldn't be very pleased with that"
For a short moment Todoroki stares at her with a slightly opened mouth, but then it turns into a slightly hinted smile with curled up corners of his mouth. So cute! "I understand. I highly appreciate your consideration, Shirogawa. Seems like I should apologize for making you worry as well then. And for jumping to conclusions" The tiger girl shakes her head. "Oh, no way. It's fine. And please call me Masha, no need to be so formal with me" Todoroki nods in affirmation again. "Noted", he says flatly. "You don't have to keep your distance", he informs her and she twitches her tiger ears in surprise. Wouldn't he feel uncomfortable with her noticing his state of mind all the time? "Now that I know that you can read my emotions it's my decision if I'm able to tolerate it or not, right? And I'm telling you that I accept it as it is. It's not your fault and you didn't do it on purpose, you even tried to be so considerate as to not ask me about it. So if you're able to accept that there are some things in my life I don't want to talk about, then I think I can accept you sensing my feelings. I can tell you that much that I do have some family issues at home, but there's absolutely no need for you to be worried about me. I'll be able to handle things on my own"
Masha smiles at him brightly, positively astonished about how nice this guy actually is. "Thanks, Todoroki. So, please just overlook it if I sometimes ask you if everything is alright, okay?" she answers and they start walking back to the classroom together. "And of course as a friend I want to tell you that you can talk to me about everything. So, if you ever feel like ranting or that you need someone to listen to you, don't hesitate to come to me" His differently colored eyes widen again for a second, but his expression still remains neutral. "Yeah. Thanks"
Back in the classroom of 1-A the cat girl overhears the red haired Kirishima talking overly excited to a flabbergasted Kaminari. "I'm tellin' ya, Masha was the most badass! I've never seen anything so mind-blowing, I thought my eyes might just pop out of my head at any time!" The eyes of the electric blond begin to sparkle and he nods his head strongly at every word the crimson boy says. As they recognize their classmates having a heated discussion, also Sero and Mineta join the conversation and listen to Kirishima who sputters about how he first fought with Bakugo and Masha together and how Masha changed after seeing Mr. Aizawa and then of course also about her transformation and some other stuff he's seen during the USJ incident. Wow, he sounds like Izukyun in maniac-mode!
"Aren't you exaggerating a little bit too much?" she teases the red head from behind and the enthusiastic boys all jump upon hearing her voice being so close. "Ah! Masha, there you are! How're you doin'?" The cat girl hugs him briefly for a proper greeting after worrying him so much and smiles at him. "I got treated again this morning, so everything's fine. No injuries, no pain. Only tiredness", she responds and he rubs the back of his head sheepishly. "Man, what a relief! I was so shocked when I saw you all messed up and throwing up blood and all that stuff. Kinda scary, no kidding!" Her ears droop a bit as she starts feeling guilty. "Sorry, Kirishima..." she apologizes, but he waves it aside quickly. "Nah, c'mon don't look at me like that! I'm just glad you're safe!" he exclaims and doesn't even want to listen to her as she tries to thank him for helping her back then.
"More importantly, that shape shifting thing you did there was just insane! You were so manly -er... uhm I mean womanly, of course, because you're a girl... ya know, I mean in a good way...!" he fanboys and her other classmates also look at her excitedly. "Is it really true that you can turn into a white tiger? Like... completely?" the black haired Sero asks and Masha nods hesitantly. It's not exactly a topic that she likes talking about. But her classmates seem to be impressed rather than scared, even Kirishima who has seen her with her extreme rage doesn't look like he bothers much. Masha remembers him telling her that he hadn't been afraid of her even once and she wonders if the crimson boy didn't understand the situation he'd been in at that moment.
"Oh, now I get it!" Kaminari states with a smug grin on his face. "So that damn hot costume changes with you, right? Has to be made of some special fabric from the support team that made our hero costumes" Oh my gosh, so that was his problem the whole time?! Seriously?! Masha giggles and grins right back at him. "Yeah, the fiber mimics my genetic code and is able to shift together with my altering body", she replies with her cat-like smirk. "So if I transformed in other clothes than my costume, they would tear apart which would make it very hard to change back to human form in public..." Besides a profound blush Mineta, Kaminari and this time even Sero all seem way too satisfied with that kind of an answer.
"I knew it! That's like in an anime where that stuff always happens to the protagonist!" the electric blond cheers happily while Mineta next to him starts to drool heavily. "I wanna see that!" Masha raises her eyebrows at the small boy. "Right now?" she questions in a sweet tone that rather sounds like an offer and the boys stiffen at her playful attitude. "In front of everyone else?!" she specifies gesturing towards their classmates but gets interrupted by Kirishima who places a hand on her shoulder amicably. "Calm down, girl. Stop teasing the poor guys. If they die from blood loss during a nosebleed it'll be your fault. You don't wanna kill your friends, do ya?" Quite amazed she smiles genuinely at her red haired classmate. "You really got used to that fast. Not even the slightest blush anymore, what's goin' on with ya, Kirishima?!" the teenage girl jokes giving him a nudge with her hips. "Who knows..." he teases back with a wide grin. "Guys also have secrets"
Just then she notices Katsuki entering the classroom with a prominent frown on his face. When his red eyes land on her, they flare up and he shoots her a death like glare before he plops down on his chair. Unfortunately Masha doesn't get the chance to approach the light blond boy because a completely bandaged Mr. Aizawa walks in sluggishly as always. "Mornin' class", he mumbles behind the white dressing that covers his face, only leaving small holes for his eyes and his nose. While the whole class is shocked to see him like that and the students question him in unison what the hell he's actually doing in class because he's obviously in no condition to teach, Iida raises one hand stiffly. "Mr. Aizawa, I'm glad to see that you're okay" Ochako deadpans behind the glasses boy. "You call that okay?!" the cute brown haired girl voices what all of her classmates are thinking.
The black haired teacher limps over to his podium in the center of the room's front and Masha's guilt starts to boil in her chest threatening to suffocate her. She should've carried him out of the USJ the moment she arrived at his side, but in her fury she could only think of fighting the enemy. And then there is that thing with Katsuki. Why that sudden hostile attitude? Not that he's been the personified sunshine all along, but glaring at the young girl like that at the moment he spots her in the room is kinda new. Maybe he's angry because he had to rescue her. Or what's even more likely if talking about the hot head, he's mad at Masha for saving him from the Nomu because it hurt his manly over-perfectionistic ego of a future unrivaled number one. Either way the white and black haired girl has too much thoughts swirling around in her confused mind. She'd like to thank the spiky haired boy at least, but with that current attitude she doubts he'll be happy to hear that.
Meanwhile Katsuki has to deal with his own split feelings regarding the young tigress. He thinks back at the moment when Masha jumped in to push him out of the way of that brain dude. She was already hurt at that time, but nevertheless she was stupid enough to risk her own life for his and he wonders what the hell that nerd was thinking. Why would she go that far? And she landed right on top of him which left him simply breathless and rigid without him being able to figure out why the hell he reacted like that. He remembers how quickly she moved when he was frozen in fear. Gritting his teeth he tightens his fist around the fabric of his pants around his knee as he recalls the panic flowing through his entire body and the frustration after he got saved by that damn lil' loser. He had been weak right in front of her and she had rescued him to make an even greater fool of him. But of course that dumb cat didn't stop there. No, she had to show him how much stronger she is and launched her completely broken and messed up body towards Deku without any hesitation. By sacrificing herself like that she made him look like a weak, scared idiot with his jaw dropped to the ground.
And then that hidden power she never wanted to show anyone and that she's so scared of herself while Katsuki can't help but to feel excited about whenever he thinks of it. And the question he already pondered about in the USJ still remains if that damn cat had a strategy in mind when she told off that creepy hand villain and turned into her tiger form to face the Nomu right before All Might took that guy on himself. So many uncertain and annoying factors about this loser and after all of that she collapsed right in front of him coughing up blood and blacking out in his arms, but still having the nerve to refuse any help. Not because of her pride, no because of the fear to hurt that dumb hair. As if she had been in the condition to do anything, especially when that guy used his hardening quirk. Yet his heart started to pound irregularly as he locked his eyes with hers this morning when he entered the classroom. Why the hell?! What was that disgusting feeling that kept appearing every now and then in different situations?
"My wellbeing is not important", Mr. Aizawa mutters pulling the hot head from his thoughts. "What's more important is that your fight isn't over yet" As the whole class begins to gasp in panic, Masha frowns at her godfather forgetting about her guilt for a second. How often is she going to think that he should stop with that attitude with the drama?! "The U.A. sports festival is about to start", the homeroom teacher concludes, not seeming deterred by the students being upset about him scaring the hell out of them. Masha rolls her amber feline eyes and stifles an annoyed groan.
"Yes!" Kirishima grunts pumping his fist excitedly. "Let's go kick some ass!" But his enthusiasm only lasts for a short moment. "Wait a second..." Kaminari begins. "Is it really such a good idea to hold the sports festival so soon after the villains snuck inside?" Jiro asks from behind Izukyun before the electric blond boy has the chance to. "They could attack once we're all in the same place", Ojiro Mashirao who has a strong tail as a quirk agrees with his two classmates.
Their homeroom teacher sighs which Masha takes as a secret affirmation, but Mr. Aizawa begins to explain anyways. "Apparently the administration thinks this is a good way to show that the threat has been handled and our school is safer than ever. Plus they're beefing up security compared to past years. This event is a huge opportunity for all students at U.A., it's not something you can cancel because of a few villains" Says the utterly messed up dude in bandages... Masha rolls her eyes once again.
"U-uhm I'm very sorry, but why not? It's just a sports festival", Mineta argues receiving the attention of the entire class. As everyone else stares unbelievingly at the little boy Masha snickers quietly. "Mineta, don't you know how important this competition actually is?" Izuku asks the purple head turning to him as he does. "Of course, I do!" he clarifies. "I just don't want to get murdered..." Well, that's... yeah... He does have a point... surprisingly...
"Our sports festival is one of the most watched events in the entire world. In the past everyone was obsessed with the Olympic Games, but then the quirks started appearing. Now the Olympics have been drastically reduced in terms of scale and viewership. For anyone who cares about competition there's only one tournament that matters: the U.A. sports festival", Mr. Aizawa ignores Mineta's protests and continues to point out how important and entertaining this tournament is.
"So, we aren't gonna talk about that murder thing?" the cat girl asks sarcastically. "I mean, I do get the concept, but... ya know..." She gestures towards Mineta who looks at her thankfully. "Top pro heroes everywhere all over the world will be watching us. The sports festival is where you get scouted!" Yaoyorozu says clenching her fist in determination and Masha raises her eyebrows at the deputy with the black ponytail. Where is her usually functional brain right now when it's needed?! "Yeah, unless you're dead!" Mineta comments again giving his words a little more insistence and the young tigress points at him with an outstretched arm. "Word!" Seriously, why does everyone think that ignoring that very particular and crucial detail in this conversation would make it disappear? "Masha, I love you!" the tiny worried to death boy sobs with tears in his eyes. "You're the only one who understands me here!"
But before she can respond to his desperation, Kaminari speaks up again. "But she's right. After graduating a lot of people join pro agencies as a sidekick" The teenage girl shoots the electric blond a glance and gets a thumb up. Okay, so this guy's gonna join the ignorance front as well? "Yeah, but that's as far as some people go. They miss their chance to go indie and stay eternal sidekicks. Actually, that's probably where you're headed, you're kinda dumb", Jiro teases the blond boy who stares at her dumbfounded after such a remark. Masha snorts before she's able to hide it and remembers that the short haired girl with the cable ears did say something similar on the bus to the USJ the other day.
"It's true that joining a famous hero agency can garner you greater experience and popularity. That's why the festival matters. If you wanna go pro one day, then this event could open up a path for you", the black-haired teacher goes on with his explanation monotonously. "One chance a year, three chances in a lifetime", he stresses. "No aspiring hero can afford to miss the festival. That means you better not slack off on your training!" Trying to give his class a serious glare fails conspicuously since with all that dressing material in his face it's not intimidating at all. Nevertheless his students cheer "Yes, Sir!" in unison after his speech. "Class is dismissed!" he finally concludes leaving the classroom.
Before she can change her mind again Masha rushes after her godfather to catch him in the hallway. "Uncle Sho-... uhm I mean Sensei!", she calls from behind his back and uses the proper title for a high school teacher as they agreed on the rule that she would talk to him formally like any other student while being at school. The tired looking guy stops and turns around staring at her through the holes in his bandages. "Could I have a moment of your time, please?" she asks and he nods while starting to walk again. The cat girl follows him to an empty room with some sofas, bookshelves and a small table. She takes a seat across from the teacher who looks at her as he waits for her to start the conversation. Masha looks at her hands nervously not knowing how to explain herself to him properly.
"I wanted to..." she begins in a way too high-pitched voice but gets interrupted immediately. "If you're gonna apologize now, I'll expel you at once!" her homeroom teacher threatens lazily as always and Masha's jaw almost drops at his harsh words. She inhales sharply to complain, but he doesn't let her. "Although you acted quite recklessly altogether, I'm glad that you're taking being a hero seriously by now. If you had done anything different, Midoriya, Asui and Mineta could have been injured even worse than I was. You should stop worrying and feeling guilty over something you couldn't control. Unfortunately you're not in the position to be able to rescue everyone you want to rescue. That's why you're here at U.A."
Masha's tiger ears droop disappointedly "All I could think of was how angry I was and that I wanted to fight to get my revenge on the villains", she admits. "I completely lost myself to rage and fear. I don't even know why I'm still allowed to be here. I'm clearly uncontrollable and dangerous. I could've easily hurt one of my classmates back then. And I sliced that creepy dude's brain. If he hadn't had that super-regeneration quirk, he would've died. I almost killed someone again. That didn't happen to me since I entered the P.I.Q.T. and I even transformed although I decided to never do that again and lock that power away deep inside of me. Maybe expelling me wouldn't be that bad of an idea"
Mr. Aizawa's aura grows darker. "Masha!" he hisses in a sharp tone and her head jerks up to look into his eyes as she hears her first name from him. "Shut up and listen!" the teacher demands. With wide amber eyes the teenage girl gazes at him questioningly. "I talked to All Might and principal Nezu after the incident and even if it was a huge pain in the ass although I'm an U.A. teacher, I got permission to inspect the video footage of the USJ and after going through all that trouble I've come to a certain conviction which those two confirmed", the black-haired starts to explain, but pauses for his beloved dramatic effect. "You acted controlled", he states. Masha furrows her brows in disbelief and wants to protest, but her godfather glares at her again and she closes her mouth.
"At the sight of people being hurt right in front of your eyes every sane human being would be upset. I was upset, Thirteen was upset, even All Might was upset despite his characteristic smile, that's common. To be a pro doesn't mean to have no feelings. So it's only logical that you got angry after your classmates and teachers were attacked. As I said you were reckless and got yourself hurt, but you weren't completely out of control. You were able to properly recognize friend and foe at any time. You saved Midoriya and Bakugo and you tried to protect All Might. You were willing to sacrifice yourself and to a certain extent used strategical thinking despite your state of mind. You only attacked the villains, never anyone else, you didn't even try. No hissing, no growling, not the slightest sign of aggression towards one of your classmates or teachers who were partly standing right next to you. I'm convinced that you were following your protective instinct. It has always been your strongest one since you were little"
After this short monologue the young tigress almost forgets how to blink. "Don't stare at me like that! At least make some effort to realize the huge progress you've made since coming to the therapy center for the first time! As a child you rampaged and pounced on everybody and everything. You even hurt your own mother and other children around you. You ended up killing people in self-defense. I'm quite sure that nothing like that could happen to you right now and that clearly proves that your quirk even in its most powerful form isn't uncontrollable. It's strong and dangerous and difficult to handle, but you're able to do it if you stop whining and start training wholeheartedly already! If other people trust you and believe in you then you have even more reasons to be a little self-confident"
Masha gasps and only shakes her head still speechless. "B-But there's no guarantee..." Before she's able to continue stuttering Mr. Aizawa puts his oar in again. "If you want guarantee, go buy a washer or your first car", he deadpans. "I'm gonna say this again, stop being afraid of your own powers and start using them! The sports festival will be the perfect opportunity. I want to see a serious training without holding back. I knew from the beginning that you were doing that every single time we met at the institute. At that time that was rational. You had to learn to calm down and to restrain yourself. Now I want you to learn how to use your abilities to your fullest and to develop them. We're past the state of only avoiding to lose control"
The tiger girl lowers her head, her eyes filled with tears. "I wanted to withdraw from the sports festival", she says and her godfather hums. "I figured something stupid like that, but I'm not gonna have this! You have to overcome your childhood and your trauma already. I'm gonna whip you in shape properly" Salty tears start to flow down the teenage girl's cheeks and fall down on her fists that are clenched tightly on her lap. "I'm still scared to hurt my friends. I'm not ready", she sobs. "Do you trust me?" the black-haired asks and Masha nods wiping away some of her tears. "Then be a good little kitty and do as I say. I'm not leaving you alone with this. I'll help you with your preparations for the tournament. We still have two weeks left, so I'll give you a training schedule" At his softer tone and the childish nickname she hasn't heard for quite a long time, the cat girl smiles at her teacher who's also her mentor and a family member at the same time.
"I've never seen myself as a hero", she tells him jokingly because that's what she told him so many times back in middle school when he was still pestering her about enrolling. "That's why you're here at U.A." Uncle Shota repeats and they both get up from their seats to leave the room. "Yes, Sir!" she says and he nods at her, satisfied with his lecture.
During the rest of her lunch break Masha sits with Ochako and Iida who tell her that Izuku is having lunch with All Might and she can't decide if she's truly happy for his sake or disappointed that she can't eat with him. Instead she hears a heartwarming story from the glasses boy who tells her that Ochako wants to be a hero because it pays very well and with the money she wants to support her parents who turn out to be flat broke due to missing jobs of their construction company. Moved to tears she hugs the embarrassed brown-haired girl tightly and encourages her to keep up the good work and her motivation, secretly adding in her head that she and Izukyun would be the perfect match for each other. Sweet like cotton candy.
After the day is almost over and Masha rests her head on her desk while balancing a book on her knees in a failed attempt to study some of Present Mic's vocabulary, she faintly notices her classmates who want to leave the classroom being prevented from doing so by a huge crowd of students from other classes. She can hear Ochako and class rep glasses Iida and of course Katsuki's sneering voice. "They're scouting out the competition, idiots!" he growls at his classmates. "We're the class that survived a real villain attack. They wanna see us with their own eyes" Without hesitation he begins to make his way straight through the mob. "At least you know what future pros look like now. Move it, you extras!"
As she starts to giggle to herself, she hears Iida yelling at Katsuki's improper manners, but another mysterious voice catches her attention. Sounds... somehow familiar. The young cat girl doesn't pay any attention to the meaning of the words, just something about wanting to transfer to the hero course and a declaration of war or something, but then she suddenly jumps from her seat excitedly. "That voice!" she shouts happily and rushes to the tall boy with purple hair and eyes who stopped Katsuki and actually is brave enough to stare him down. "Toshi!" she cheers and flings her arms around his neck.
At first the boy seems as confused as the rest of Masha's classmates who all gape at her dumbfounded except for the light blond boy who scowls at her with his flaming red eyes like he did in the morning while entering the classroom, but then he finally hugs her back much to the displeasure of Kirishima, Kaminari, Mineta and Sero. "Hey, could it actually be true?" the boy grins and the young tigress smiles right back at him. "It's really you! Man, I never imagined seeing you again. And at U.A. of all places!" he exclaims. "My little kitty cat from the field trip back in middle school. What the heck are you doing here?"
A hand grabs the young girl's wrist and pulls her away from the purple haired quite roughly. "My little kitty cat?" the group of four flabbergasted boys repeat in unison and watch in even greater astonishment how Katsuki drags Masha away from the guy who dared to call her like that. "Don't hit on the enemy, damn cat!" the spiky haired boy yells at her which makes the whole situation even more awkward with so many people in front of the classroom staring at the scene. And to complete the chaos, a gray haired dude with weird eyelashes and sharp teeth from class 1-B next door bursts in with a way too loud voice, shouting and ranting, but being completely ignored by Katsuki who refuses to listen to him or to let go of Masha's wrist.
Without another word he just starts walking, taking the cat girl with him. "Sorry, Toshi. See ya around!" she calls over her shoulder. "Stop apologizing to that loser!" Katsuki demands and Masha rolls her amber feline eyes at him. "He's no loser, He's Shinso Hitoshi", she clarifies. "His middle school class and my middle school class happened to choose the same time and place for a field trip. I haven't seen him since then and didn't think I would. I'm pretty surprised" But Katsuki only tightens his grip. "I don't give a damn about that General Course wimp who wasn't even able to make it into the Hero Course at the entrance exam!" he fumes and keeps walking down the hallway. "Those people don't matter to me. The only thing that's important is that I beat them!" the blond snarls behind his gritted teeth and once again the white- and black-haired girl questions where that new vehemence is coming from.
"Hey, Katsuki I actually wanted to say thank you for..." she tries but as expected doesn't come far. "Dontcha dare!" he snaps right back at her and they leave the school building together. "U-Uhm okay... Then can I ask you something?" He just shoots her a glance which Masha considers as a yes since he didn't shut her up again. "Where are we goin'?" She stresses the we and he stops abruptly forcing her to do the same. "Huh?" he growls angrily at her piercing the tiger girl with his red gaze which sends a slight shiver down her spine. Why the heck is he that pissed? She nods down towards his hand still clutching onto her arm and he follows her short glance only to tense up and pull away his hand so fast as if he'd burnt himself on her skin.
Turning his back on Masha to hide his red face Katsuki walks off in a huff on his own. "I'm gonna kick your ass at the sports festival, stupid cat, so you better be prepared. I'll show you what an indisputable number one hero looks like!" he calls, leaving her behind with a big red question mark on her face.
Later that evening after having dinner with her mom, Kahono is also very surprised that her daughter met Shinso again. "Oh that boy from your combined middle school field trip you befriended back then. Yes, I remember. Too bad that you weren't able to talk to him a bit more" Masha snorts. "Well, I wanted to..." Her mother chuckles and hands her a flyer. "Maybe you can invite him along with your classmates", she suggests excitedly. "Our charity event for the animal shelter was actually granted and we need as many people as possible. And if there are a few future pro heroes and maybe even some fully fledged pro heroes around, all the better" The teenager's amber eyes begin to sparkle. "That's great, mommy! You guys tried so hard to be able to hold this event, I'm glad it finally worked out!" Kahono beams happily and also Masha smiles brightly, but one big question remains in her head. What the hell should she wear?
A/N: Many thanks you guys for reading this chapter, for reading this fanfic and for sticking with it up until now! I'm happy for everyone who likes my story and who favorites, follows and reviews. And I'm celebrating just a tiny little bit because this is my tenth chapter AND we're done with USJ, sooooo yeah... WHOOP WHOOP! Hoped you liked it and I kinda managed to insert Todoroki finally, hey I'm proud. And a bit of parental Aizawa fluff. Love that funny dude, honestly^^ Until next time :-)
