Coco: Hello, friends! How are we doing today...or well, it's night where I am...so how are we doing tonight? Or, ya know, how are you doing in general? I'm hoping you are all well and happy. And ready for this chapter. There's quite a bit going on in the chapter. Not like action wise, but like still a lot. It's just hard to explain.

Also, while I am posting this chapter, I will also be posting the first installment to the Ayonic Side Shot Series. So, if you're interested, be sure to check that out. And don't be afraid to send me any requests you may have. As I've said before, I'd be happy to try and write whatever as I'm looking for some new, fun things to try. And maybe your suggests can even inspire a few fun ideas for the story in the future.

Now, without further ado, let's get started with the chapter~

Ayano frowned as she stood in Nighteye's office with the man staring out the windows and not speaking. He had asked Ayano to join him in his office, and had told Aizawa if he keeps her late that he would ensure she make it back to the school safely personally. But he hasn't said a word since he had her meet him in here, and she was starting to grow nervous.

"Sir…what…what is it you wish to discuss?" Ayano finally broke the silence.

Nighteye didn't reply at first as he let out a small sigh. However, he finally turned around to look at her.

"You've been acting strangely for some time now," Nighteye said causing her to stiffen. "And I have not missed the wary and troubled glances you've been sending me. So, I will ask you again, Ayano, and I expect an honest answer this time…what is bothering you? Whatever it is, it needs to be sorted out now before we make our move against the Hassaikai. If not, I cannot with good conscious, send you out into the field with us when your mind is clouded."

Ayano frowned though she understood his reasoning. More than just her could be hurt during the altercation with the Hassaikai. Especially if she isn't thinking straight. She just didn't want to add more trouble to Nighteye's already large workload. Though she supposed she didn't have a choice.

"…I had this dream…" Ayano began. "A dream of me standing in a destroyed city with the corpses of people I love and heroes laying in front of me…and behind me…it was like an army…an army of people with abilities like ours—psychics—and I was controlling all of them…No, it was more like we were connected. Like one being…one mind."

As she spoke Nighteye's eyes widened, and with that look alone she felt as if her worried thoughts were already answered…and not in the way that she hoped. Just thinking of that dream and knowing now that it was something more made the bile churn in her stomach. She pushed down the sick feeling however, as she took a deep breath.

"Is that why my sisters and I were separated?" Ayano asked. "Is that what you saw…You had foreseen me becoming some kind of…monster?"

She barely got the word out as her hands clenched tightly into fists to try and control their shaking.

"If so…then why…why did you take me on as one of your protégés?" Ayano continued. "Why have you encouraged me to become stronger? Why bother telling me I can be a hero when I'm destined to be a villain?!"

As she finally let it out, tears ran rapidly down her cheeks. She thought she had it all contained and didn't even realize how much it was truly bothering her until she let it out. Nighteye looked at the young girl with a pained expression as she stared at him desperately for answers. Without a word he moved forward and put his arms around the crying teen.

"To be honest, I only offered you a spot here at the agency to keep an eye on you and look for what weakness could be used against you once the time comes," Nighteye confessed. "However…that all changed during your brief time here during your internship. In such a short span, you changed my mind completely, and I decided then that I would help you become the hero you dream to be."

Ayano's eyes widened at his words as the tears started to slow and her breathing evened.

"I know I said my visions of the future have always come to pass," Nighteye continued. "However, I made the decision that that dark future won't come true for you. I will help you change it, Ayano, I swear it. You will be a shining hero. The one I believe wholeheartedly you can be."

Ayano, who had her arms another Nighteye, sniffled as she felt some of her worry and fear lessen. She knew the chances of Nighteye succeeding weren't high. However, just knowing he was in her corner even knowing what could happen if he failed was enough for her for now. She could quiet those dark thoughts for the time being. She just had to believe in Nighteye like he believes in her. But still even as she tried to push away those troubled thoughts, the sinking feeling in her stomach didn't go away.

After finishing up her conversation with Nighteye, Ayano walked out of the elevator to the small break room below the offices. She looked up seeing her classmates, the upperclassmen, and Aizawa were all already there. At her approach, the group stopped talking to look at her. Some of their eyes widened and she was sure she looked awful. She had tried to clean herself up in the bathroom to hide the fact she had been crying, but her eyes were still a bit red and puffy.

"…Ayano…is something wrong?" Izuku asked as he stepped forward.

Her classmates moved over to her as well out of concern. Ayano gave them a tired smile. It wasn't a big one, but it wasn't forced either.

"Yeah…it's just the last few days have been kind of long, you know?" Ayano replied. "But I feel a lot better now, so I'll be okay."

Izuku nodded though still looked a bit worried as he placed his hand on his friend's shoulder. Ochaco grabbed Ayano's hand from her other side as Eijiro, Konan, and Tsuyu stood comfortingly close. Ayano felt lucky to have such good friends. She used to only have Katsuki and Izuku, but her friend group has grown and she felt good knowing she had so many people she could rely on. Ayano then looked to Aizawa.

"Is it time to head back?" She asked.

Aizawa didn't reply right away as he studied his student's face. She looked exhausted to say the least, and it was obvious she had been crying earlier. But besides that, she also looked as if she had just let go of something that had been weighing heavily down on her. He's noticed how distracted and quite she's been lately. Some of the other teachers had mentioned it as well.

—FLASHBACK—

"Hey, Aizawa, you got any idea on what's happening with Ishida?" Present Mic asked while the two were in the teacher's lounge. "She's been kind of out of it the last few days. Girl didn't even respond when I asked her a direct question, yo."

Aizawa frowned at the mention of Ayano's lack of focus, which was pretty much all the answer Present Mic needed for his previous question.

"She wasn't really paying attention in my class either today," Cementoss added in. "And she is usually so engaged."

The girl always seemed to move his literature class, but today she hadn't spoke up at all during the lesson. Never gave her opinion on their current reading assignment and didn't even look up from her book. It wasn't like her at all.

"Whatever is bothering her, she hasn't brought anything to me," Aizawa said. "Though if I had to take a guess, it has to deal with her still trying to get a handle on her quirk."

The rest of the teaching staff knew about Hive as Aizawa did report it as he said he would when Ayano told him about it during the training camp. It was for her safety and for the safety of those around her that the teachers be aware of it. After all, he had seen firsthand what could happen if she loses control.

"Perhaps something has happened with it recently that has scared her," Cementoss suggested. "Or if she's having trouble with control, it could be causing her frustration."

"I think a part of her fears it." Aizawa said honestly. "Though whatever it is, we can't force her to talk about it. I highly doubt we'd succeed even if we did try."

That and trying to force her might cause her to retreat even farther back than she already has.

—END OF FLASHBACK—

It seemed whatever kind of talk with Nighteye helped her some, which was good. Because Aizawa wasn't sure he would have allowed her on the mission if she was still so unfocused.

"Yeah, it's time to head back," Aizawa finally answered her question. "So, grab your bags and let's head out. And remember once we return to U.A., you can't mention anything of what we talked about today to anyone."

"Yes, sir." His students replied before going to grab their things.

As they walked, Ochaco and Tsuyu made conversation with Ayano. Ochaco especially tried to get the girl to smile and distract her from whatever had been bothering her earlier. Aizawa watched them go while heaving a sigh. Things were definitely going to get worse before they get better, but he also knew trying to stop those kids would be near impossible. Especially those two problem children.

As the next day rolled around those students who would be participating in the raid on the Shie Hassaikai, prepared to return to their normal classes until called.

"How long do you think it will take?" Ochaco, who was braiding Konan's hair to keep herself busy, asked as she, Konan, and Tsuyu sat in Ayano's room.

The girls had come in early and asked Ayano if they could get ready with her. Their nerves obviously had them on edge, but Ayano was feeling the same way, so she understood. Ochaco was also worried about the others picking up on her nervousness, hence why she avoided joining the other girls this morning like she usually does.

"Not too long, hopefully." Ayano said as she finished putting her books away in her bag. "Sir called in a lot of Pros for a reason. The search shouldn't take long. Let's just try to focus on school work and being with our classmates. If we focus too hard on having to wait, it'll just make the wait seem longer."

Ochaco, who finished braiding, nodded in understanding though wasn't sure if she could be around the others right now. They'll surely notice how tense she is and start asking questions.

"It'll be okay, Ochaco," Tsuyu tried to assure her. "It's like Ayano said, it shouldn't take long with so many Pros helping out."

Though the greenette was eager for Eri to be found quickly, so they could rescue her as well. All of them involved in the investigation were.

"Yes, we just need to have faith that the Pros will act quickly," Konan added. "And once Eri is found, we will save her."

Ochaco nodded once more while feeling slightly better. The girls then left Ayano's room to head downstairs where everyone else was gathering for breakfast.

"Hey, there you guys are," Kyoka commented.

Ochaco stiffened slightly when so many eyes turned to them after Kyoka acknowledged them. Though she relaxed slightly when Ayano put her hand on the girl's shoulder.

"Yeah, we haven't seen you all morning," Toru added. "And we usually all get ready together."

It was true. Most of the time, the girls gathered in the bathroom to get ready for the day together.

"Sorry," Ochaco said as she tried to give a smile. "We'll get ready together tomorrow, promise."

Toru easily accepted the promise before pulling Ochaco and Tsuyu over to where she and Mina were sharing a table. Konan nodded to Ayano before moving over to the table Mashirao was sharing with Mezo and Fumikage. Ayano watched them go with a small sigh leaving her lips.

'Today is going to be a long day,' She thought to herself.

She then jumped slightly when a hand made contact with her lower back. She turned her head seeing it was Katsuki who was standing next to her, and he was giving her a look.

"What the hell is your problem?" He asked as he moved his hand to her side to give it a slight squeeze.

"You startled me that's what." Ayano replied.

Katsuki snorted since sneaking up on her should be impossible. He wasn't even trying to hide his thoughts or anything.

"Let's just eat." He said as he moved over to a table where Eijiro, Hanta, and Denki were.

Katsuki must have already been eating when she came down since he already had a half-eaten plate of food on the table. He moved a chair from one of the other tables to put down at the end of the table for Ayano. He also had food waiting on her, which had her blinking in mild surprise. When seeing her look, he snorted.

"You were taking too damn long, so I got it ready for you," He said. "Now, hurry up already."

Ayano thanked him as she sat down in the chair he grabbed for her, which put her between him and Hanta. He sat down as well while returning to his meal. As he ate, he noticed Ayano didn't touch much of her food and now that he was paying attention, he could see Eijiro hasn't eating much either. He narrowed his eyes. He wasn't the only one who noticed the two's lack in appetite.

"Hey, you guys, okay?" Denki asked. "You aren't really eating."

Eijiro flinched as if he had been struck by Denki's observation and Ayano just sighed.

"Yeah, Kirishima, you would've usually finished by now," Hanta added. "Is something wrong?"

Eijiro just swallowed the food in his mouth before giving his friends a wide grin.

"Yeah, of course!" He said. "We're just tired from yesterday's work studies, right, Ishida?"

He looked at her for help as he wasn't good at the whole lying thing. He saw it as unmanly, but he also knew they couldn't talk about what they were doing.

"It was quite the long day yesterday," Ayano agreed. "I suppose we haven't shaken off the fatigue just yet."

Katsuki's scowl deepened since he knew the two were just giving them total bullshit. It was obvious they were hiding something.

"Hmm, did you guys work together yesterday or something?" Denki asked since he and the rest of their classmates didn't know the five work study students all went to the same location yesterday. "Did the agencies you're working for team up?"

Eijiro faltered for a moment at the question, but Ayano luckily replied without missing a beat.

"There was a joint training exercise between the Nighteye Agency, Fatgum Agency, and Ryukyu Agency." Ayano replied. "Sir thought it would be a good learning experience to show us how team-ups work amongst hero agencies."

"Yeah!" Eijiro added. "It was really intense. I didn't realize how much work went into a team up. It was crazy."

Denki and Hanta easily accepted the lie. Katsuki, who looked to Ayano, on the other hand didn't.

'What the hell is really going on?' Katsuki asked her.

'We are not allowed to discuss anything.' Ayano replied honestly.

Katsuki frowned though accepted the answer as he finished off the rest of his breakfast. He then mentally told Ayano to eat more before he made her. She frowned at him, but forced herself to eat something at least. As Katsuki was keeping a stern eye on Ayano, Mashirao was watching Konan in concern as he noticed his friend seemed off this morning as well. She was barely touching her food just like Eijiro and Ayano and she was even quieter than usual.

Ever since coming to U.A., Konan has really opened up. She's made friends with more people than just him and has engaged more in conversation and activities. She was acting like a normal teenager, but right now it was like things had reverted back to how they were before. She kept her head down and didn't try to engage with those around her.

She barely replied when Mezo asked her how she liked the book he had suggested for her to try. Nor did she react much when Fumikage asked her about how her work studies were going. He and Mezo had obviously noticed the same as Mashirao as they exchanged a concerned glance with the blonde. A few tables away, Momo looked to Tenya.

"Iida, perhaps it's just me, but the students from the work study program," she began.

"I noticed it as well," Tenya politely cut in. "They seem bothered by something, don't they?"

He was looked to Ochaco and Tsuyu as he spoke. Ochaco wasn't cheerfully chatting with Toru and Mina like she normally would. In fact, she wasn't even wearing her usual smile on her face. Tsuyu wore a tensive expression as well as she just pushed around the food on her plate.

"If those five are like that, it makes me worry for Jinsoku and Nida." Momo said. "I hope they're okay where they are."

"Motherfu—!"

"Language," Warp cut his daughter off before she could finish her sentence as she sat on the ground and held her nose.

Ayumi gave her dad an annoyed look as blood gushed from her now broken nose. She set her nose back in place as her accelerated healing kicked in. She then glared at the wall in front of her.

"You're still not vibrating at the right speed." Warp said as he crouched down next to Ayumi. "The goal isn't to move forward fast enough. It's to vibrate your body to the point that even your molecules move so quick that you phase through solid objects."

"I know that!" Ayumi snapped.

Warp sighed at her attitude as he went to help her up. However, before he could even touch her, she was up. He shook his head at her stubbornness as he stood up as well. She got that from her mother, may she rest in peace.

"Besides, I didn't come here to become faster," Ayumi continued. "I came here for combat lessons. I promised Ectoplasm-sensei to work on my close combat once I learned to go so fast the rest of the world seems still."

"I understand that, but your close combat training isn't until after lunch." Warp reminded her. "Besides, I was going through walls before I hit speeds high enough to enter the still world. So, I know you can do it. You just need to concentrate, Ayumi. Now, try it again."

Ayumi growled though faced the wall once more before taking a deep breath. She started vibrating her body rapidly before taking a running start at the wall. However, the result was the same as she hit it face first with her nose, which was almost completely set, broke once more. She started cursing again as more blood gushed down her chin. Warp shook his head.

"You need to stop rushing it." Warp told her.

"Shut it, old man!" Ayumi told him. "You're the one telling me to go faster!"

"Going fast and rushing are two completely different things," Warp informed her.

Warp then straightened up suddenly as his goggles lit up. Something that didn't go unnoticed by Ayumi.

"Sir, we have a disturbance at the plaza." H.A.P.P.I informed Warp. "A group of villains is holding hostages and making demands of the local law enforcement."

Warp frowned because that didn't sound good at all. He looked to Ayumi who was cleaning herself up after resetting her nose…again.

"Velory, it's time to head out." Warp told her. "H.A.P.P.I is sending you coordinates. Meet me there as fast as you can."

He was then gone in a blink with Ayumi, who was putting on her own goggles, cursing. She zipped out the door as the address appeared on her screen.

"I'm not letting that old man show me up," Ayumi said as she kicked it up a notch and made herself move even faster. "H.A.P.P.I, I need a shortcut."

"This way, please," Hachiro called as he was moving people forward. "And please remain in a calm and orderly line. We're here to keep you safe."

Of course, as soon as he said that a large boom of thunder came from the skies above. It caused some to cry out in fear, but luckily the civilians kept moving. This storm certainly wasn't one to scoff at. The pouring rain and winds have caused quite a bit of damage. Many homes and buildings were flooded already, and if the dam ended up not holding the entire town could be submerged before noon. Hence the evacuation.

"We have transport buses just a little farther from here!" His mother—Wildcat—assured the people from a bit farther down the line. "Please just keep moving."

As Hachiro helped his mother keep the citizens moving, Goro was farther below instructing the others on searching and rescuing anyone who might have been trapped or left behind during the first sweep.

"I want every house and structure searched!" Goro barked out. "Don't leave anywhere left unchecked!"

"Yes, sir!" The sidekicks called back as they worked.

Hachiro's eldest three brothers were amongst them. He could see Jiro sinking underneath the water. Ichiro was instructing his own small group of sidekicks as they were breaking off from the main group. And Saburo was watching things from above as he perched on the edge of one of the buildings.

"I see two civilians three yards to the east!" Saburo called out as he lowered his binoculars.

As he gave details to their location, Hachiro watched them closely. They moved with such well-trained ease and efficiency. Everyone knew their job and performed it with little instruction and no one hesitated to jump in where they were needed. As Hachiro continued to watch, he suddenly heard a crack. He looked up with his eyes widening when he saw one of the trees behind him starting to fall forward.

Those they were rescuing screamed in fright, which had all the heroes on alert. Goro was about to hurry over, but stopped when Hachiro, who moved without even having to think, swung up behind the tree while attacking his webs. He landed on a sturdier tree while pulling hard on his webs to stop the falling tree from hitting the civilians who stared at him with wide eyes. Hachiro attached the web he was holding around the tree he was standing on then added a few more webs to hold the fallen tree in place.

"There's no need to worry," Hachiro assured the civilians. "Please, keep moving toward the buses."

It took some coaxing from Wildcat and a few sidekicks who came to help, but soon the line started moving forward once more. Goro smiled at how his youngest handled the situation before returning to supervising the search and rescue. As the rescue continued, Hachiro remained in the tree tops in case anymore of them decided to fall. He could also make sure everything was moving accordingly from his view from above.

'This is so different than my internship with Cap'n Selkie,' Hachiro thought as he crouched down on a branch. 'We didn't interact with civilians much.'

And what they fought against wasn't bad weather like he was dealing with now. Hachiro then let out a sigh.

'I kind of wish Tsu could have joined me,' Hachiro thought. 'She probably would have been perfect for this mission.'

Though he couldn't pout of it long. Tsuyu was doing what she thought was best for her, and he could understand that. Besides, he offered to talk to his parents for her if she couldn't find a work study of her own. But she did find a work study, and he was happy for her.

'Still I kind of miss her,' Hachiro thought. 'And the others…I didn't realize how unfun it was without them.'

But he had a job to do, so he'd push his thoughts to the side for now. With that in mind, Hachiro moved to the next tree so to keep up with those they were evacuating. He'd back to school soon anyway, so there really wasn't a reason for him to be so mopey. Class 1-A would all be together again soon. At least that's what he thought.

Coco: And that is that. In the next chapter, we'll finally be getting to the raid. Ah, so many mixed feelings about it. I'm still not entirely sure how I want to place Konan in the situation. I want Ayano, of course, to go all the way and confront Chisaki with Izuku. Maybe not in the final battle, but I definitely want her there when Izuku breaks down the wall, so they can save Eri and help Mirio. Not sure about Konan though. I was going to have her stop and help Tamaki, but I don't want to take away from that sweet baby angel's moment. So, I thought about putting her with Eijiro and Fatgum during their fight. Like, maybe I'll have her try to fight the barrier guy? I don't know. I'll figure something out.

Well, until next time, guys. Remember to stay safe out there and I'll be seeing you soon...well, hopefully soon, as we all know by now that I have no schedule when it comes to posting these chapters...