Hey everyone, Merry December! This chapter was a long time coming, the first part of the USJ. Unlike most other chapters, this used to be one chapter, but was split into two, with this one the final build up and next chapter is the actual USJ incident. I hope you guys enjoy everything I wrote. See you at the end.

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Okay, so two days. That was how long I had to prepare. I looked over my gear, laid out on my bed, going over everything. Himiko piped up, sounding curious.

Aren't we already good to go?
'Eh, mostly. I just want to make sure everything is okay before the villains attack'
You know, aren't they attacking on the very first week of school too?
'Yeah, stupid, right?'
Yep, I mean, what did they do to get the schedule, break into UA during school hours?
'Yeah, that's…dumb. Oh'
Hehe :)
'You were insulting me, weren't you?'
Noooo :)
'You did!'
I have no idea what you mean ;)
Ugh, forget it.

I ignored Himiko's giggling, rolling my eyes as I went about my day, heading to the job I'd landed. She was really proud of herself for that one. I did my best to work my shift, but it went by slowly, despite the owner's attempts to make it better as they worked their jobs. The store was a small grocer about two or three blocks from my house, and the old couple who owned it were, aside from me and a few other part-timers, the only employees. It made a good bit of money, and the owners were nice and paid well, so I kept working there. I basically worked the register

Chatting up the few regulars was surprisingly engaging, and I found myself excited whenever we had a customer. It was unusual for me, but I brushed it off as just trying new things. Unfortunately, this shift was a bit boring. At least until Uraraka walked through the door. I did a double take at that. What would she be doing here?

Maybe she lives in this area? It isn't the most…affluent? Is that the word?
'Yeah, that is the word. Sometimes I forget you ran away in middle school. And it would make sense too.'
Yeah, Uraraka is pretty poor. Maybe she's living in this area while she goes to UA.
'Yeah, that makes sense. Thanks Himiko. Wait a minute.'
Something wrong?
'I never talked about Uraraka's backstory before. Heck, I haven't mentioned almost any character's backstory. How did you know about her?'
You never did? Are you sure? If that's true, it's totally weird. That just came out. I just knew it, so I must've just assumed you told me.
'I'm sure. I've told you a lot, but I never mentioned much about Uraraka, aside from her quirk.'
Maybe your memories are bleeding over to me, like mine are to you?
'I'd hope not, but that seems like the most plausible explanation, unless you somehow knew her in childhood'
I think I'd remember that.
'How much do you remember anyways?'
Come again?
'You mentioned that you don't remember meeting Giran, even though he's an important person in your dealings. How much of your time do you remember?'
Uh, well…hmmm.
'Himiko, how much do you remember?'
It took her a moment to reply, and when she did, she sounded…small.
A…a bit?
'Define "a bit"'
I only really remember parts. Like maybe…forty percent? It's like I know what was happening then, but later I have trouble recalling it.
'That's…not great considering you've been doing this for, what? Three years?'

Himiko was silent after that. I did my best to try and get her mood back up, but to no avail as Uraraka came up to the counter. I rung her up and decided to strike up a conversation.

"You shopping on your own? Seems a little weird, but hey, welcome to the store."
Uraraka nodded a bit, looking a little down.
"Yeah, I am. This is my first time being on my own. My parents sent me here to attend school."
I faked surprise as I rung up the next item.
"Really? What school would be so important that you'd live on your own for it?"
Uraraka brightened a bit as she waited. She even seemed a little proud.
"I'm going to UA High's hero course."
I widened my eyes as I imitated the emotions of shock.
"Really? Wow! You must be pretty cool to get in there."
Uraraka blushed a bit, giggling nervously as she rubbed the back of her neck.
"Thanks, but it was nothing really. Especially since I had to be saved at the end."
I perked an eyebrow as I looked at her, ringing up her last item and giving her her total. I smiled at her as I handed her the bags.
"You still got in right? Everyone needs to be saved sometimes. I wouldn't worry too much about it."
Uraraka blinked a moment before giving me a smile, a real one.
"Thanks miss…"
I finished for her.
"Toga. My name is Himiko Toga. Nice to meet you miss…?"
She laughed at the repetition of her line.
"Ochako Uraraka. Nice to meet you too. Do you live around here?"
I nodded at her and she smiled.
"Then I guess I'll be seeing you around. Bye!"

And with that she left. The rest of the shift passed in a blur that seemed to not tire me out, despite the larger number of customers then usual. It was strange, but social interaction made me feel less tired. Soon enough my shift was done, and with a wave to the owners, I was running out the door.

I was patrolling today but not tomorrow, since I wanted to make sure exhaustion wouldn't kill me. Rushing through the streets, I found my apartment building and ran up the stair, opening the door to the apartment I'd rented and collapsing onto a chair. It was silent for a moment, before I heard giggling fill the air. It took me a moment to realize that it was me making that noise. I felt giddy and full of energy, and that was weird. Not the energy or giddiness itself, when I was on one of my three-nighters and hopped on twenty cans of Dr. Pepper I felt like I could fight God, but the way it had happened. I had ended the day with more energy than I'd started, and it was because I'd talked with so many people.

This sort of thing was something I'd noticed. It wasn't just memories we were sharing. Himiko and I were increasingly bleeding into each other. Her memories became harder to tell from my own (and from the earlier incident it was the inverse for her), and mine and her emotions were running together in a difficult to decipher mess. My guess was that it had something to do with the tattoo I'd found. I hid it using a pair of fingerless gloves for now, but when I looked at it, the lines I'd seen were slowly disappearing, and the more that did so, the more difficult it became to differentiate between the two of us.

I shook my head as I jumped up and began to pace the room, trying to work off some energy. It didn't work, and by nightfall I still felt like I was on a sugar rush. I took up my costume and headed out. Least I could put the energy to good use. And so I did. That night was one of my best, and I think I resolved at least ten different crimes that night alone.

The next day I had off, and I used it to prepare as best I could for what was going down soon. Costume? Cleaned. Blueprints of the USJ Giran had given me? Memorized. And knives? Cleaned and sharpened. It was at that last stage that I got a call. Seeing that it was from Twice, I put it on, trying to pretend I wasn't cleaning a knife as I greeted him.

"Yeah? Is something wrong Uncle Jin?"
We'd settled on Uncle Jin as his nickname after a few talks, and it seemed the best descriptor for now.
"Hi Himiko."
Huh. That wasn't the usual greeting. He seemed more serious than usual. Usually it'd be "Hi there Himiko! How are ya? I don't care!".
"Are you okay Uncle Jin? You sound…weird."
"I'm fine. No I'm not! I need to ask you an important question."
"Go ahead. Shoot."
"Why aren't you with your parents?"
I froze as the knife I had been cleaning slipped from my hand. A sort of shiver went through me at that question. Twice had never pushed on this. Not even once. I figured maybe he didn't want to know.
"What? Why would-I…I-"
I tried to respond but the words caught in my throat. All I managed to get out was a small sounding "Why do you ask?"
Twice's response was immediate.
"I looked you up to see if maybe you moved. You didn't want to say anything so I researched it."
I didn't respond to that. I knew that would happened eventually. I didn't really want to explain why I'd run away, but Twice had found the reason anyway. He continued on.
"Apparently your mom got divorced from your dad, Good Riddance! But I found a news report. On you."
I swallowed thickly. I had seen the one he was talking about too. It was one of the first ones that popped up if you searched my name. Some shame shot through me at the remembrance of it all.
"Was it the one that said-"
"Himiko, you stabbed someone?"
I felt small.
"Yeah. It's a long story."
"Tell me."
I gulped and took a deep breath as I prepared to recount my memory of the event. I owed him that much.

"I-it started as an itch. Just a little feeling, I think when I was six. I saw a boy in my class and-and I wondered…what his blood tasted like. And I found myself thinking things that had blood non them were cute. Like a dead bird I found."
Twice said nothing as I recounted that. I continued on.
"When I tole mom after the whole dead bird incident, she was worried. She said I needed extra quirk counseling to help me manage it. But dad…dad was angry. He yelled at me, told me how bad I was because I wasn't 'normal'"
I spat that word out. It felt like poison in my mouth.
"So I pushed it down. And I kept doing that. Every time it happened, I [pushed it down, told everyone I was fine. I didn't want anyone to worry. I kept it up until I was fourteen."
I heard him mutter something to himself, but I couldn't make it out. I kept going. This was where things went wrong.
"I met a boy one day in school. He was-was so cute. And he talked to me and he was so nice and defended me from some bullies and then when we were alone, a-all those feeling I had been pushing down burst out."
I tried my best to keep steady as I talked it over. Looking back, I felt horrible. It must have been terrifying for that kid.
"I-I stabbed him. And drank some of his blood."
Twice's voice cut me off before I could continue, sounding shocked.
"What?! Why?!"
I stopped as I realized something. Of course he wouldn't know why. I never told him about my quirk or anything.
"My quirk. It's called Transform and it lets me turn into someone if I drink their blood."
Twice was silent a moment.
"Oh."
I sighed.
"Yeah. When my classmates found me, I ran, and I haven't seen Mom or Neito since. I don't really even remember much of the last three years, and I only realized what I was doing a few months ago."
"I…don't know what to say. Yes you do!"
I let him ramble and argue for a moment, let him process the information I'd given him. After a minute or two he stopped and silence hung in the air. Finally he spoke up again.
"Did you hurt more people?"
I sighed as I felt a weight on my chest.
"I…don't know. Probably."
"Do you want to?"
I paused. I still felt the urge, and if I saw enough blood, I wasn't sure I could control myself, but right now?
"No"
Twice was silent again before he spoke.
"I…I'm not sure what to say. But I do know this. I don't care about your past. I'll support you no matter what. I can't really judge you."
I smiled at that. I never wanted to admit it, but it was nice to have family in my corner again.
"Thanks Uncle Jin"
"No problem! It was a lot of work! Anyways, I need to go. Bye, love you!"

And with that he hung up. I smiled as I picked up the knife I had dropped, cleaned it again, and put it with the others. Looking over my gear, everything was ready for tomorrow. Tomorrow…The USJ…that I know about because…

'What the hell?'
It hit me then and there. That had been weird.
It felt like I was in control!
Me too! It was like…we became one for a few minutes.
Is…is that what's happening?
I-I'm not sure. Maybe.

I raised my hand to my face and examined the tattoo. Same eye, but now there were four marks gone.

Oh.
What?
It's a timer.
For whatever just happened, but permanent?
Maybe, but thinking about that will cause a panic that I don't need right now, I won't
Okay! I'll panic for the both of us!
Quietly please.
Gotcha!
With that, I went about the rest of the day, the sound of muffled yelling and screaming from Himiko my only companion for a while. Eventually, she tired out, as did I, and we fell asleep.

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The next day was expected, and yet I dreaded it at the same time. I had just a few hours, and looking in the mirror in the morning, I contemplated a few things. This would be the first, real, out and out appearance of Bloodrush, and using my-Himiko's usual style felt…wrong. I reached up and undid both messy buns I had made up just a few minutes ago, letting my hair fall down around my shoulders.

Looking at it like this felt…right. While I had no problems doing them up, putting up the buns felt like putting on a mask. Like I was something I wasn't.

:( I like it.
'Of course you do. Why did you start using them though. I know you used to wear it-'
She cut me off, seeming irritated.
That was never me. It was a mask. You should know that.
I grimaced. I knew all to well what she meant.
'Okay, yeah. I get it. Still, we need a little dissociation here. How about…oh! Got it!'

I gathered my hair up and using a rubber band, put it all into a loose ponytail. Looking at my reflection, the ponytail gave me a far different look than the buns did. Far more professional and a little more intimidating, given the scar on my forehead was visible now.

I grimaced. Fuck the Yakuza.

Gathering up my vigilante gear into a duffel bag, I donned my incognito outfit I'd used to break into UA three days ago and slipped the mask I'd also used into my pocket.

I needed to head out now, The USJ attack wasn't for another few hours, but I wanted to be there early to sort of stake it out. Looking up a route on my phone, I headed out to make my way there and break into a UA facility for the second time this week. I had a feeling it wouldn't be the last time either.

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Again with the security! I swear it was either a miracle UA hadn't been attacked before, or whoever had tried must have been the dumbest most ineffective villain ever. I easily slipped past the few small security measures there were, before I found myself near the main USJ dome. I had to admit, it was intimidating at first glance. From what I could see, no one was here yet, not even Thirteen. There weren't many places I could both hide effectively and stake out the situation. My eyes roamed the grounds, before landing on the roof.

The roof?
'It makes sense really. I can look out over the lot, and thus see anyone arrive, and with the right amount of finesse, I can make a quick escape and quick entrance if I'm spotted or the attack begins.'
I see…you put way too much thought into that. Nerd :P
Ignoring the immature jab, I ran over to the side of the building, jumped, and using my gecko gloves, caught onto the side of the building. Using just my arms to climb for half of the ascent was tiring to say the least, though Himiko's encouragement did help a bit. Halfway up the dome began to level, and I could finally use my feet to help me climb.

Making it to the top, I found something interesting. In the center of the dome was a skylight, around ten feet in diameter. That was a good development. It meant I could see inside the dome for just the right moment to intervene.

So with that established, I put down the duffle bag, opened it up, and got to work changing into my vigilante costume. Soon enough, Bloodrush was ready to go. I put my previous outfit into the duffel bag, before tossing it toward the side of the dome, hoping it landed near the emergency exit I planned to use as my get away.

Once that was done, I sat down and watched. Looked like it was going to be a while.

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Thirteen arrived shortly after I did, but to say the wait was long and boring would be mostly accurate. Time seemed to stretch as I waited for the moment of truth. But it did pass, and the time came, eventually.

I heard a bus, and looking toward the front, I saw a bus pulling up, with a group of students disembarking. Class 1-A. The poor kids who had far too much done to them. Their arrival meant it was almost time.

'You ready Himiko?'
Heck yeah! Let's stab some peop- I mean villains. And let's take them out. Not stab them. Even if it's not as fun :(
'Getting better.'

I watched as the class was lead inside, their perpetually tired teacher following. He paused a moment, and I quickly hid the best I could to make sure he didn't see me. Looking, back over, he was gone. Okay then, to the window.

Looking through the window, I couldn't quite see Class 1-A, but I did have a good view of the central plaza, and the layout of the zones. It was a truly impressive piece of architecture. How much did this cost UA to build? A couple billion maybe? The cost to maintain it could not be worth it either.

Putting poor financial decisions aside, it didn't take long for trouble to start. The swirling purple that indicated Kurogiri began to form, and soon enough, huge portals opened, letting loose not only a swarm of thugs and low-level villains, but also The Nomu and Shigaraki, who looked different. He was wearing the trench coat he used later on now, rather than his admittedly unimpressive first outfit. Weird. Himiko focused on a different aspect of his design.

Ewww he's covered in hands.
'Yeah, that's his thing.'
Well it's not very cute.
'For once we agree on fashion.'

I stood up as the portals closed, ready to go. I briefly turned toward the end of the dome, to slide down, but I stopped. And grinned. Why do that when I can take a more direct route? I walked over to the skylight, and slammed my boot down into the glass. Hard. It took a few hits, but soon cracks began to show, and with a few more hits, part of the glass gave way, and a few more stomps made a hole wide enough to fit through.

My grin turned feral as I leapt down through the hole. To quote Jake during a dramatic moment of his: The curtains were rising, the stage was set. Let the games begin.

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Yeah, so if you haven't figured it out yet, I spelled it out here as to what's been happening. Evan and Himiko are bleeding into each other, and as time goes on, they are going to have a harder and harder time distinguishing between each other. Where will that lead? You'll just have to keep reading to find out. Anyways, we also get a bit more Twice, and a modified version of Himiko's backstory. Have a great day everyone, and I'll see you next chapter!