As excitement and disappointment swirled weakly around her, Emiko felt it unsettle her stomach a bit and she suddenly regretted the oatmeal she ate that morning, even though she had no say given her healing jaw.
"Despite the results, you'll all be interning with pros. Got it?" Aizawa's voice cut through the din.
Emiko could kiss the man, as relief flooded through her every pore. Ew, that was weird, she quickly banished the thought of her mind as it made her nauseous for a totally different reason. Imagining Aizawa in any kind of romantic situation was totally foreign.
"Oh," Midoriya's voice called out, not bothering to hide his own relief at the announcement. "So, we're all interning?"
"Yes. You already got to experience combat with real villains during the attack on the USJ facility, but it'll still be helpful to see pros at work. Up close and personal, in the field. Firsthand."
"And for that, we need hero names!" Sato exclaimed, pumping his fist in excitement.
"Things are suddenly getting a lot more fun!" Ochaco chirped.
"These hero names will likely be temporary, but take them seriously, or-" Aizawa began, but was interrupted by the door sliding open as a new figure entered the room, a wave of excitement and curiosity kicking up in their wake.
"-you'll have hell to pay later!" Midnight finished as she strutted in.
Emiko shivered in disgust at the spike of lust and excitement that sprang up from some of the boys, specifically Mineta, Sero, and Kaminari.
"What you pick today could be your codename for life," she warned, her arms seductively raised above her head as she sashayed in. "You better be careful, or you'll be stuck with something utterly indecent."
Did she really always have to phrase things like that? Emiko thought grumpily, scoffing slightly.
"It's Midnight!" the students exclaimed, bright grins plastered on their faces. Despite her lewd nature, Midnight really was an intoxicating person to be around.
"Yeah, she's got a good point," Aizawa droned ruefully. "Midnight is going to have final approval over your names. It's not my forte…" he added, scooping up his sleeping bag from his lectern and fixing them with a stern gaze once more. "The name you give yourself is important. It helps reinforce your image and shows what kind of hero you wanna be in the future. A codename tells people exactly what you represent. Take 'All Might' for example," and with that, he slinked off to the side and promptly stepped into his sleeping bag and fell asleep in record time.
Emiko received one of the whiteboards that were being handed back to everyone with dry-erase markers. She stared at hers and racked her brain for a hero name and took Aizawa's instructions into account and really considered all the names that came to mind. She vaguely noticed a procession of her classmates reporting to the front to present their hero names and getting feedback and critique from Midnight. As she flip-flopped between her final choices, one finally stuck for her, and she uncapped her marker and the tip glided across the board, delightfully squeaking as she traced out the letters to the name she'd chosen.
She looked up and noticed there was a vacancy at the lectern as one of her classmates had just gotten their critique on their name. Emiko stood a little shakily, suddenly nervous at the prospect of bearing something that felt so personal and intimate to the class and to be scrutinised by them and Midnight.
As she got behind the lectern, her whiteboard held protectively against her chest, she took a deep breath, before turning around her whiteboard, a flutter of nerves running through her as her classmates squinted at her writing.
"Empath," she announced. "The Sentiment Hero."
The room went silent and Emiko waited, the moments seemed to stretch inexorably before Midnight finally responded.
"I love it, dear," she purred, a soft flush dancing under her mask. Emiko stepped back towards her desk with a grin, though she couldn't help but notice the way Midnight had, somehow, managed to make even that sound dirty.
Empath, Emiko repeated in her head, a sad smile gracing her lips as she desperately wished her father could have been around to hear her hero name.
A pathetic name for a pathetic girl, a voice taunted, and it echoed through her head, bouncing teasingly until she screwed her eyes and mentally shoved away the cursed voice.
She spent the rest of the class in a daze once more, conflicted by her joy at finding her hero name and the worry that accompanied the appearance of that voice, the terror that reduced her to the scared little girl she had been.
The chime for the end of the class broke through the haze and she shook herself back to reality and began grabbing her things to take to the next class.
A dreary and exhausted voice rang out from the front of the room, "Emiko, please wait a moment."
She nodded, remaining seated. Dread began to pool in her gut.
Why does Aizawa want me to stay behind?
"Relax, Komatsu. You aren't in any trouble."
She scoffed softly under her breath, "It'd be easier to be calm if you didn't sound like you hated me all the damn time."
"Pardon?"
"Nothing, sorry. What was it you needed me to stay after class for, exactly?"
A sigh, followed by a grumble as Aizawa pushed himself up and off the floor, abandoning his signature yellow sleeping bag in a sad clump on the floor.
"This came through this morning, after I'd already created the original lists." He slipped a cream envelope onto the table in front of her, the seam held together with a wax seal, a wax seal in the shape of -
"The Endeavour Agency?"
"It seems Endeavour himself has taken an interest in you. Take a moment and read through the letter, it will outline his proposal for you. Make a wise choice, Komatsu. You only get one chance at this." Aizawa tapped his scarred knuckles against her desk, before turning and gathering his sleeping bag in his arms and leaving her alone in the silent classroom.
Her mind was swimming as she stared down at the envelope.
Endeavour… really requested me for an internship?
The envelope in front of her was intimidating. The wax seal stared up at her, as if it was loudly screaming "OPEN IF YOU DARE! I CAN CHANGE YOUR WHOLE LIFE!"
She ignored the butterflies in her stomach, ignored the raging anxiety that was growing with each passing moment, tearing through the hardened wax with ease. Folded cardstock stared out at her, Agency name printed front and centre.
Emiko Komatsu,
Please allow this letter to serve as a formal invitation to complete your week long internship here, at the Endeavour Agency. Alongside me, and my other sidekicks, I believe I can help you reach new levels with your quirk.
I am aware this is quite last minute, and I apologize for my timing. If you accept this offer, you will be provided a small apartment to stay in for the week, near the agency. You will train daily with me, and my sidekick Burnin', as well as with any of the interns I may take on.
Thank you for your consideration.
Endeavour.
She read that page over and over again, absorbing every word.
The number two hero wants me.
Tears dripped from her eyes, plopped onto the creamy paper in front of her. She felt stupid for crying, though she knew she shouldn't. This was, after all, what she had been working her entire life for. For almost 10 years she'd been training and getting stronger, each passing day a task to be completed. She'd set a goal, and this was her first real, tangible step towards it.
As soon as she'd seen the letter, she'd decided. There was no way she would turn down the opportunity to train beside one of the world's most revered heroes. Even if she didn't fully trust him, which she definitely didn't, she knew the insight he held to the world of heroism was invaluable.
"Hey, Red. What are you still doing in class?"
Katsuki's voice surprised her.
"I didn't hear you come in, Bakugo. My apologies." She nodded her head slightly, keeping her voice calm and level as she looked up and into his red eyes.
She hadn't spoken to many people today, choosing instead to engross herself in the work she'd missed. Her classmates had been happy to give her space, as if they sensed her discomfort.
"Why are you still here?"
Even Katsuki spoke more softly to her, showing emotional intelligence she hadn't realized he possessed.
She paused, blinking lamely up at him.
"Would ya stop staring and answer the question already, fuckin' shitty Red?!" He pounded his fist on her desk, which caused her to jump. Irritation swirled around him and she rolled her eyes.
"Aizawa asked me to stay after class to read a late internship offer." She responded, voice clipped. "Why are you here?"
He scoffed, turning and heading back up and towards his own seat. "Forgot my book bag. Came to get it."
An awkward silence hung in the air as he grabbed his bag. An exasperated sigh escaped the blonde's lips before he spoke again.
"Who's the offer from?"
His curiosity piqued, and she knew it.
"Endeavour."
His eyes widened slightly, before narrowing again.
"What does he want with you and your lame ass quirk?"
Anger festered in her bloodstream, "God, do you ever listen to yourself speak, Katsuki?"
She stood up, her blue eyes meeting with his red ones.
"You are such a fucking asshole. I don't know how anyone can stand to be around you for more than 5 goddamn minutes without wanting to bash their heads in."
He just glared at her, not responding.
"You treat everyone in this class like shit and expect us to worship the ground you walk on, and you act like you're fucking better than us? Well here's a newsflash, Bakugo. We all got into this program of our own merit. I was recommended here by some of the top heroes in Japan, and I have worked my entire life to get here."
He snarled under his breath, eyes flaring with anger.
"So, I'm sorry that you think my quirk is lame, but just know that if I wanted to, I could turn you to fucking dust with a single look. I could have you crying for Mommy Bakugo in an instant, if I wanted to. I could shatter your mind and turn you into the baby you always act like you are."
He stared at her, wide eyed. He tried to hide it, but he was angry. It simmered just beneath the surface, glittered in his red eyes.
"You're dumber than I thought, if you really think that, Red." He spat, "Endeavour probably just feels sorry for you, wants to make you feel good about yourself."
She laughed humourlessly, "You're delusional if you think that the number two hero gives a fuck how I feel about myself, Katsuki."
With that, she turned, stomping out the door.
—
She knew her conversation with Katsuki shouldn't still bother her. He was an idiot, a stupid moronic jerk who didn't know anything about her or her life, but still…
What he'd said to her ate at her for the rest of the day, including her trip back courtesy of the Yaoyorozu family chauffeur. Her classmate could tell she was far away from the back of the car in that moment and mercifully didn't attempt any conversation. Bakugo's casual dismissal of her quirk, her abilities. All of the work she'd put in had been reduced to nothing by this boy's words.
Katsuki Bakugo doesn't matter.
Katsuki Bakugo doesn't matter.
She'd repeated the phrase over and over again, the mantra burning a hole into her brain. No matter how hard she tried, though, she couldn't get his words out of her head.
"What does he want with you and your lame ass quirk?"
She'd played the question off, turning it back onto him. And she'd meant what she said, when she lost her temper. He was arrogant and self righteous, and had the tendency to be the biggest asshole she'd ever met.
All that said, though, he was also insanely talented and brutally honest to a fault. Maybe he saw things more clearly than she did, maybe he saw the world through un-tinted glasses.
He was right, Emiko. Why would he want you? You're nothing but scum, trash to be swept to the side and abandoned.
You'll never amount to anything.
The voices in her head were cruel, words cutting through her like a hot knife through butter. They burned her, tore a hole in her heart.
Sadness and anxiety replaced the joy and excitement she'd felt only hours before.
Now, she lay curled in a ball on her bedroom floor. She'd lay there for hours, tears silently pouring down her face. She didn't have the energy to wipe them away, so they collected in her lashes and dried on her cheeks.
"Pull yourself together, Emiko."
She sighed slowly, pulling herself up from the hardwood floor. She walked over to the mirror in her room, looking at the girl in the glass whose coppery red hair, normally rebellious and wavy, seemed to hang limp and defeated. If she turned just right, she could see the glittery silver scars that adorned her body, decorated her arms and legs and chest. Her eyes were ringed in red and sniffed as she grabbed some tissues and cleaned away her tears and blew her nose. She heard the front door open and close and Sakura's voice call out a greeting.
"I'll be out in a second, Sakura!" Emiko called out, popping out of her room and into the washroom to quickly splash some water on her face and liven up for her aunt.
She towelled off her face and looked in that mirror, seeing a revived and focused girl rather than the weak mess she saw in her room.
Emiko walked into the dining room, groaning out in delight as she saw the takeout bags her aunt had brought in.
"I hope you don't get the wrong idea when I say I love the days you get stuck late in the office," Emiko said, beginning to grab the boxes and opening them up to see all their favourites and getting them set up on the table.
"That's a hell of a greeting, saying you hate my cooking," came the sardonic reply from Sakura, who shed the jacket of her suit and rolled up the sleeves of her shirt as she took her habitual spot at the table.
"You know I love your cooking, Sakura," Emiko consoled her dryly, rolling her eyes at her aunt's teasing. "Also, hi. How was your day?"
"I suppose you've earned yourself another meal," Sakura conceded jokingly. "It was a long and complicated day, but when is it not? I could regale you with all the boring details of the case. Well, what I'm at liberty to say about it, at least."
"God, please no," Emiko interjected hurriedly, with a horrified shudder. "You know how you feel about me falling asleep at the table."
The two shared a chuckle and quickly said a word of thanks before tucking into their food.
"Soooo, you gonna tell me about your day, kiddo? Or do I have to turn this into an interrogation?" Sakura asked, arching an eyebrow questioningly at her niece. "Your first day back after the Sports Festival, had to be eventful? Heck, everyone at work keeps bringing it up. A few are already hounding me to get autographs from you and your classmates, you know?"
Emiko chuckled and she cast her gaze down to her food and pushed it around a bit sheepishly. The first thing that came to mind, of course, was the freshest event: her bust up with Bakugo. But she banished that thought in an instant, not wanting to venture down that road again.
"Couple exciting things, yeah," Emiko began, and saw Sakura perk up and her posture change to signify she was giving Emiko her complete and undivided attention. "First off, we chose our hero names, or at least the ones we'll be using for now…" she trailed off.
"Okay, you're killing me here, kid. Can't just leave me hanging. Is it Diva, the long dramatic pause hero?" Sakura snarked, reaching out with her chopsticks for an additional helping of dinner.
Emiko once again rolled her eyes at her aunt.
"Empath, the Sentiment Hero," she corrected.
Sakura's face lit up with a big smile of approval.
"Nice! Ever so slightly better than Diva, I'll give you that," Sakura joked.
"Shut up."
"That's some way to talk to your aunt. What else? You said there were a few things," her aunt prompted, not missing a beat.
"Oh, yeah, the reason we had to pick those hero names was because of internships. Mr. Aizawa said normally these wouldn't start until next year at the earliest, if not third year, but given our experience at the USJ, our class has generated some interest. So, those of us who got offers got to find out who from," Emiko explained.
"And did you get any?" Sakura asked, bracing for the response.
"I got one, yeah… with the Endeavour agency."
There was a clatter and Emiko's gaze darted up to her aunt, who'd dropped her utensils in shock, her eyes wide as saucers.
"Uh, wow, damn, kiddo… That's impressive. But bear in mind picking an internship that is best suited to help you hone your quirk, I don't know if Endeavor's agency suits that. Even someone like Gunhead can help you hone your hand-to-hand combat if you're not as focused on developing your quirk."
"Yeah, I get what you mean… Midnight mentioned a similar thing. It's just, if the #2 hero sends you a personal letter offering you an internship, you'd be silly not to take it, right?" Emiko reasoned.
"Hmm, guess you've got a point, kiddo," her aunt conceded.
—
So it was that the next day, Emiko gave her acceptance to Endeavor's internship offer to Mr. Aizawa, glad to get that weight off her shoulders, especially given the anxiety and stress she felt emanating from her classmates who had yet to submit their choices. She already found herself looking forward to it and wishing every clock in sight would tick faster.
When the day finally came, they were escorted to the Musutafu train station by Mr. Aizawa, who ensured they all had their costumes and belongings for the week and gave them final stern warnings about the rules surrounding their internships.
Barely paying attention to his words, Emiko stared into space and finally caught his order dismissing them. Her eyes were diligently scanning for the signs taking her to the right train. She had mapped it out several times, going so far as to have the map pulled up on her phone ever since she'd made her mind up about taking the offer.
Once she had reached the platform in question, Emiko pulled out her headphones and stuffed them in her ears, thankful for the auditory distraction from the cacophony of emotions from the crowd. She scrolled through her phone and found the message from Jirou, who'd offered to put together a playlist of springtime songs to keep her classmates entertained for their various train rides to their internships.
Her head bobbed as she opened the link and the first song came on and Emiko scrolled through and gave a quick little hum of approval. The headphone jack girl had phenomenal musical taste. Which shouldn't have surprised her given the rocker vibes she'd gotten from her, especially in-costume.
Emiko waited for the outpouring of passengers once the train arrived before boarding and finding a spot along the sides, staring out at the city as it sped by, already feeling a sense of protectiveness over it even though her internship was yet to truly begin.
Finally her stop came and she shuffled out with the others and quickly got her bearings before swiftly walking out of the station and feeling a sense of satisfaction as she navigated the streets like a seasoned local.
The hammering heartbeat in her chest made itself apparent as she slowed to a stop in front of the gargantuan building where her fate lay. The Endeavor Agency. Where previously her heart had obediently beat in time with the music, it now beat in some feverish staccato, necessitating a few deep breaths to calm her nerves before she walked inside.
She reluctantly hit "pause" on her phone, making a mental note to pick up where she left off with the playlist when she had the opportunity. She nervously crept towards the reception desk, running a hand through her rebellious locks before she cleared her throat.
"Hi there, Emiko Komatsu, here for my internship?" she said, rocking on the balls of her feet.
The receptionist merely nodded, pressed a button and muttered into a phone, Emiko not quite catching what they were saying. They glanced up and motioned to a door that opened over their shoulder.
"Please have a seat in the next room. Burnin' will be with you shortly."
Nodding a thanks, Emiko scurried through the indicated door and took the first seat she could find. She found herself fidgeting and readjusting her seated stance, trying to find some balance of formal, but not too stiff; relaxed, but not too informal.
Her internal debate and fidgeting was finally ended when she heard the next door slide open and she stilled into a seating stance and tried to glance over to the new occupant of the room, trying but desperately failing to make her glance not seem so frantic.
A pristine white outfit adorned the new figure, black tights and ankle boots completing the ensemble, and a black mask covered the upper half of her face, but more notable than all this was the massive grin on her face, the feral gleam in her eyes, and the flickering inferno that was her hair. It was Burnin', because who else could it be, but her?
"Emiko Komatsu, right?" she called out enthusiastically as her eyes landed on the younger redhead. As Emiko stood up and nodded to confirm, standing up and holding out a hand to shake with the hero before her.
Burnin' swatted the hand aside and Emiko's hurt was only momentary before it was replaced with shock as she was glomped into a tight hug by the female hero. Emiko awkwardly patted at Burnin's back, not really knowing how to handle the situation.
"I'm Burnin', but you probably guessed that already! You look like a pretty smart gal! Gotta say it's nice to have another girl around here! Not a lot of female heroes in the sidekick and with patrol rotations, it's kinda ships in the night, so I'm looking forward to working with you and the other intern this coming week!"
Emiko smiled before she mentally backtracked.
"Wait, other intern?" she questioned.
As if fate had been listening in, the doors behind her slid open and in shuffled Shoto of all people.
"Shoto, what are you doing here?" Emiko found herself asking, her brain short-circuiting a little bit.
"Uh, his dad kinda owns the place?" Burnin' supplied, a sympathetic hand on Emiko's shoulder.
Emiko facepalmed.
"Anyways, time's-a-wasting, boss is waiting for us in the gym!" Burnin' chirped, before turning and strutting through the door she'd come in through.
Shoto fell into step beside her.
"What the hell are you doing, Shoto?" Emiko growled.
"I'm here for my internship with Endeavor," Shoto replied, as monotone as ever.
"No, ugh, what I mean is what do you think you're doing getting your dad to take me on for an internship?" she groaned. "Felt bad for freezing me in an ice prison, so you got poppa to give your poor, psychotic classmate a charity case internship?"
"I had nothing to do with this, I have no idea what the old man wants with you here," he shot back forcefully.
"Whatever," Emiko scoffed, not able to manage anything more as they walked into the gym Emiko craned her head up at the hulking form of Enji Todoroki, aka Endeavor.
"Ah, Ms. Komatsu, Shoto, welcome!" his voice boomed. "Let's not waste too much time on formalities, if you can both change into something active, we'll start with some sparring. I want to see with my own eyes, up close, what you two are capable of!"
A little flustered, she followed Burnin' to the female locker room and changed into some leggings and a tanktop, slipping on some running shoes and pulling her rebellious hair into a ponytail.
As she strode back into the gym area, she looked to Endeavor.
"Sir, with all due respect, why are you having Shoto and I spar? You could always just watch the tapes back from the Sports Festival," she reasoned.
"Oh, I've definitely analyzed your tapes from the festival, and with all your sparring sessions and classes, I don't find it productive to watch you two spar each other," Endeavor waved away Emiko's question and she looked over and saw Shoto was still in his school uniform. Endeavor merely nodded over Emiko's shoulder and she turned and saw Burnin' had changed into a similar outfit.
"You've got to be kidding me," Emiko muttered.
"Lesson number one, the real world won't wait for a fair fight," Endeavor barked out.
Endeavor guided them to an open area and strafed around, shooting a concentrated beam of heat into the ground, marking a sparring circle for the two to fight in.
"Begin!" Endeavor roared, and the two surged at each other.
