The Hand That Bleeds

by Nightmare Zane

"I don't want to be a Hero. I want to be a Healer. My Quirk is made for healing, like my mom's, not fighting so I train to fight like a Hero to be a Healer. I want to help others to the best of my abilities." Hisoka Matsushita, raised by her mother and who never knew her father, never could quite understand where the path she would eventually take would lead her to.

66. Chapter 66

Title: 逃げる手 - The Hand That Bleeds
Rating: T
Summary: "I don't want to be a Hero. I want to be a Healer. My Quirk is made for healing, like my mom's, not fighting so I train to fight like a Hero to be a Healer. I want to help others to the best of my abilities." Hisoka Matsushita, raised by her mother and who never knew her father, never could quite understand where the path she would eventually take would lead her to.

Current: Followers: 470, Favs: 410, Reviews: 331, Communities: 14, Views:153042

Disclaimer: I do not own Boku no Hero Academia. Boku no Hero Academia is written and illustrated by Kōhei Horikoshi-sensei. No profit was made in the writing of this fanfic.

Beta: Ana-DaughterofHades

---

Now To Answer Some Reviews:

Vedahzii- Yup. I could not resist having Hisoka be called that after I thought it up. Nee-chan felt too basic and since she made cookies for Eri so often that's what the small bean associates with Hisoka the most lol. Hero society ain't crumbling here yet but Hisoka sanity is another matter. Who knows how that will stay intact when everything that will happen to her happens. ^^ The haunted house scene is from the light novels actually. There's a bunch of different mini moments that happen during the festival written there. Yeah... Dokusei wouldn't affected by that. I can see both him and Hisoka giving them twin flat stares before leaving without another word lol. Thank you for the review. I hope you like the chapter.

Apex- Yee. She's becoming more skilled the more she practices (which is somewhat off screen lol though I do need to have another scene...) She'll be leaning more parkour soon enough or least more complicated moves (among other things) from a certain someone during a certain time. ^^ And yeah... Toga will be Toga. When she loves something she takes it to the extreme lol. Thank you for the review. I hope you like the chapter.

Thank you for the review. I hope you like the chapter.

---

Chapter 66

To Life

---

Location: Common Room, First Floor of Heights Alliance, South Side of U.A. High School Campus, Northern Musutafu, South of Tokyo, Honshu, Japan

Date: November 19, 20XX

It was Sunday, mid-morning, and that meant another meeting with Aizawa-sensei. Hisoka wasn't sure if they were helping or not, if she was being honest. Well, maybe a little bit but otherwise not so much. She just sat and talked with Aizawa-sensei and Recovery Girl for an hour or so and then just left to do whatever else she had to do for the rest of the day. Not that there was going to be much planned for today.

Hand on door handle, she waved to her classmates and left with sigh.

Mina Ashido dressed in purple and yellow polka dot pj shorts and a shirt - there wasn't any way she was dressing up today. Today was a lazy day. She totally deserved it. They all deserved it - waved at Hisoka's leaving form. "Have a good time at whatever you do on Sundays!"

"Sure..." was all she heard as the door closed.

Mina tilted her head, gold eyes gazing thoughtfully at where her pintsized but deadly friend, if she was anything but that, just was. She really had no idea why Hisoka-chan left every Sunday, with an exception here and there, to meet up with a teacher. They talked about something which was all they were told. Maybe it was extra training? Was Hisoka-chan learning a new skill? That parkour was really cool and she was tempted to learn it too. It'd really add to her dance skills! Or maybe she was meeting up with the teachers because she had a long lost relative that wanted to meet her but due to them being a captured Villain they really can't? Maybe she had a half-sibling or something?

Mina shrugged it off. If Hisoka-chan didn't want to say then, even with all her natural nosiness and curiosity, she left it be. It was clearly not something Hisoka-chan was comfortable discussing, anyway. Maybe she'd tell them one day. Gold eyes turned their attention back on the random fighting video game some of the boys were using the common room's tv for. Sero losing against Eijiro for the second time made her giggle before she turned her attention to Kyoka sitting in front of her. She was messing around with her hair absentmindedly, the other not minding all that much so long as she brushed it out back to normal afterwards. Mina liked doing this. Playing with others' hair and coming up with different styles and do like the braided bun she had just finished for Yaomomo's hair. That girl could pull off anything so elegantly.

That was her Yaomomo!

On that point, Mina's mind wandered and mentally counted on days to remember what day it was and if she correctly remembered this month if there were any birthdays. October had three: Mineta (ugh...), Eijiro (she had gotten a really funny manly t-shirt for him), and the Lord of Darkness Tokoyami (she nabbed a gothic looking notebook and pencil set for him after learning he liked to write poetry from time to time). And December had one: Ochaco-chan (she'd get this really cute plushie from one of the girl's favorite shows). The others were scattered through the year and she already had plans for gifts set up - ones that were constantly changing the more she got to know people. There was this nagging feeling though... Wasn't there one in November?

"But who?" she muttered to herself.

"Who what?" Ojiro, who was sitting on the same couch as her, reading a martial arts history book, asked. His tail sat next to him, giving up on stopping Kaminari from staring and playing with the small tuft of blond fur the tip of his tail had.

"Oh, I was just wondering who had a birthday in November is all." She waved him off with a shrug before going back to messing about with Kyoka's hair, who was playing on her phone.

The musician stopped scrolling and frowned before murmuring, "Doesn't Hisoka have one in November?"

"Wait really?" Sero perked up, surprised. He paused the game. "I thought it was in September."

"I thought it was in December," Sato added from the kitchen. He was trying out a new cake recipe, a winter-type cake he saw and wanted to try out, and the smell was making more than one classmate's mouth water.

"No. It's in November," Todoroki answered. "I remember her and Tokoyami talking about it a few weeks ago."

"Do you remember which day?" Deku asked. The two of them were sitting at one of the tables playing cards with Ochaco and Iida.

At the shake of his head, that got the others talking. They didn't know either. Mina pouted before perking up as the elevator dinged and out came one that would have all the answers. He was yawning, a hand covering his beak with a few feathers sticking out of place unlike his usual well-groomed look. It looked like he had just woken up and was coming down for some food as they could hear his stomach growl in protest to not being fed yet. Mid yawn, previously groggy red eyes cleared up and widened when he saw all eyes on him.

Frowning, he asked, "What?" He had come down not only for some food but also to get some supplies to decorate Hisoka's room. It was her birthday today after all and while she had said she didn't want to celebrate it, he wanted to throw a small party for her. Just the two of them... and maybe Tsuyu, he added as an afterthought. She already had something picked out for her girlfriend but she could only pick it up today.

He had a few hours but that would likely have to be put on hold for whatever his class had planned from all the looks he was getting. Fumikage didn't really want to be pulled in and yet it was bound to happen...

"Tokoyami! Tokoyami! Tokoyami!" The pink skinned girl was the first to scramble from her spot, jumping over the couch and running up to him. "Tokoyami! Tokoyami! Tokoyami!"

"What is it, Ashido?" he repeated.

"When's Hisoka-chan's birthday?"

He gave her a puzzled frown. "Don't you already know it?"

Mina scratched her cheek, glancing away before she gave an embarrassed laugh. "Ahahaha... About that..."

"We know it's in November but can't seem to remember which day it is," Todoroki said, coming up behind her. "From what I can gather, I think everyone wants to throw a party for her."

"She usually cooks us our favorite foods and even a cake when it's ours," Kaminari added.

Eijiro pumped up a fist, standing. "We wanna do it for her too!" Others followed suit, gathering around Tokoyami.

"I believe it has not passed yet." Shoji piped up.

Fumikage stared at the chattering group around him with a blank stare. His childhood friend never was one for big celebrations... Hell, not even to celebrate her own birthday after something had happened in their childhood. He could remember for the longest time that it had only been him and his family celebrating it with her but after her tenth birthday, she asked them to stop. He couldn't remember the reason why but he was sure it likely had to do with Aunt Haru. (She was strangely never there after her seventh birthday though. He had thought it was due to how busy she was with the clinic or that it was bad timing when Aunt Haru was called to help out at one of the nearby hospitals. But now... He thought the reason went deeper...) That didn't stop them though, having her come over to their house for dinner and cake, and he could see it each year that their small but simple celebration meant a lot to her even if she didn't say it.

But besides that, Hisoka wasn't one for surprises. It was hard to surprise or even scare her with those ingrained instincts of hers. Though that might be different in this case. She might like it if they were all together, however. Hisoka had gotten a lot closer with her classmates recently and you couldn't even begin to describe how happy he was to see that. It wasn't just them (and Dark Shadow by extension) anymore. It had been that way for the longest time. Fumikage and Hisoka. Hisoka and Fumi. It had been strange in the beginning when they enrolled here, unsure if they were going to get in but they did and even got into the same class to boot.

They had never really fit in primary and elementary school. It had only gotten worse in middle school.

Kids could be really, really cruel...

But now, at U.A., it was different.

And he would be forever grateful to his classmates... to his friends...

On the other hand... Hisoka wasn't that easy to surprise. He had maybe only gotten her once when they were on the cusp of teenagerhood (a tickle in the back of his mind made him think of something that happened long ago that he couldn't remember much of other then climbing a tree and a scream but he ignored it, subconsciously pushing the memory deep deep deep down.) but that was about it. Even then it had been a minuscule thing and since then he could never get her again. And he kinda wanted to see her surprise face now, to be honest.

Maybe...

"November nineteenth," he finally relayed.

"What…"

"Seriously?! It's today?"

Fumikage nodded. "It is."

A beat of silence and then Mina clapped her hands before they could all descend into chaos before she began barking orders while simultaneously typing away on her phone. "Okay people we have a party to plan! We need decorations! Yaomomo! Take the girls and Sero and gather supplies!"

"Ashido..." Fumikage said.

"Right!" Momo nodded, grabbing Kyoka and Ochaco as Sero followed behind them as they went to find Toru to gather supplies. Tsuyu was gone for now, citing that she had to pick something up somewhere.

"Sato, you are in charge of the cake! Get Midoriya and Bakugo, you can just say he doesn't know how to do it and have him try it as a challenge, to help with the food!

"Ashido."

The tall teen gave her a salute, already prepping and gathering whatever ingredients he had in his personal stash and anything else they had on hand in the common draws. "On it!" He called to Midoriya to go get the blonde explosion.

"To anyone else, you're going to help where you're needed while I make a group chat for this and inform those who aren't here on what's happening and what they need to do. Everyone's present is on their own dime and time!"

"Ashido."

"Tokoyami! I need you to tell me what Hisoka-chan's favorite foods are and what she doesn't like."

"Ashido!" He finally got her attention.

"What is it?"

Red eyes furrowed. "What are you doing?"

"Throwing Hisoka-chan a party! It's going to be a surprise so I need you to distract her for me! I'll even rope the teachers in on helping!"

"I can see that but have you given a thought if this is what Hisoka would like?"

Mina froze. "I... hadn't thought of that." She just wanted to throw a party for her friend so much she didn't even think of that. What if Hisoka-chan didn't like surprises? Did she even get surprised? Hisoka-chan was smart so she was sure to know what's up and find out... "Does she like parties?"

"Well..." Tokoyami began and she deflated at his tone, her shoulders sagging and arms dangling. "She's never been one for big parties or really celebrating her birthday. Hell, I and my family were the only ones who celebrated with her and even that was just dinner and cake."

"O-Oh..."

"But..." Mina perked up at that. "If it's thrown by her friends, I don't think she'd mind. I can't say if she'll be surprised or not though."

"I'll take it!" Mina began typing away on her phone once more. There was so much to do and so little time!

Fumikage wondered, as he watched them scramble around like ants under a magnifying glass intensifying a sunray, if this was such a good idea. He shrugged in the end, heading back upstairs after swiping some food in the kitchen to get changed so he could help prepare. He'd also have to message his parents about a change in plans and to call tomorrow.

---

Location: Teacher's Lounge, U.A. High School, Northern Musutafu, South of Tokyo, Honshu, Japan

Date: November 19, 20XX

"Sho, whacha lookin at?" Hizashi asked, leaning against the back of his office chair.

"Get off, Hizashi," he grumbled, already tired from the session he just had with what he was increasingly deeming as his number one problem child. (She was up there with Midoriya, Bakugo, and Todoroki.) He hadn't learned much this time either except more about her... mother. The more he heard about her the more he wanted to deny his problem child from seeing her. But as much as he wanted to do that it wasn't his call. It'd be the principal's and even then it'd be to deny access from going off campus.

Shota looked down at his phone as it pinged over and over with message after message from his problem class with a scowl. They had added him to this one chat for one reason or another during the session it seemed and he had only just gotten to it.

"Shoooo!" Hizashi wined, moving his chair to gain his attention.

"What?!"

"Teell meeee!"

Shota gave his friend a dry glare before shoving the phone in his face, letting the other grab it as he turned back around to begin grading a few things. He had a few training sessions he needed to plan out too. There was also that joint training session between classes that Vlad King had suggested he wanted to talk about. So, he let the blonde have at it with his phone. Whatever it was, they could figure it out and then he'd come to clean up (well, more like threaten his problem class to clean whatever mess they created this time). He'd take care of his problem class after grading.

"Oh my goooddd!" Hizashi screeched, earning the attention of Midnight, Snipe, and Cementoss.

"What is it?" Cementoss asked.

Midnight quirked an elegantly arched eyebrow. "What's got you all excited?"

"It's a little listener's birthday today and her class is throwing a surprise party for her!"

"Ah! You're talking about Matsushita," Snipe suddenly said, standing up. "It's her birthday today!"

Shota frowned. Was that why his problem child seemed so down today? "How'd you know that?" It wasn't common for teachers other than the ones that teach them to know something like that.

"I asked." Snipe shrugged. "So, what's your class got planned?"

Shota swiped his phone back from Hizashi "Hey!" and skimmed through the messages. "Looks like they want my help in distracting Matsushita for a few hours. The party's a surprise, apparently."

Midnight chuckled, grin becoming a mix of playful and devious. "Ooooooo! I'd love to join in on that! Got something I can help with. Fufufu."

"I think I have a few things I can distract her with," Snipe offered thoughtfully, rubbing the bottom of his mask.

"Same," Cementoss agreed. "There are a few things I'd love to help with."

"That's it then! Let's do this!" Hizashi pumped his hand excitedly as he blabbed a minute away on what they should do to distract his problem child. He almost pitied the poor kid.

Shota stared at them with a tired gaze, already done with their scheming. "We're teachers. We've got stuff we need to get done."

"Now now, Shota-kun, let us have our fun," Nezu crackled, popping out from his vast vent system with a mysterious pleased grin. Not him too...

The tired teacher sighed deeply. "Do whatever you want..." Though he looked grumpy, his thoughts already diverted halfway from the papers he was grading to what to get Matsushita and that he was so dragging Shinsou with him to this after their training session today.

---

Location: In Front of Heights Alliance, South Side of U.A. High School Campus, Northern Musutafu, South of Tokyo, Honshu, Japan

Date: November 19, 20XX

Hisoka let out a bone-deep sigh, shoulders aching and feet heavy as she trudged toward the dorms, happy to finally see it in sight. She had been this way since... well, forever and wondered if this level of tiredness equated to insanity. Or at least more so than usual. She wouldn't be surprised when it came to her. It ran in the fucking family, after all. Time to lose her mind while at school and it wasn't even because of her... family. It would be because of her teachers and the staff of U.A.

Maybe she needed to shoot some red winged pigeons or something. She was suddenly craving fried chicken.

So, if her class didn't mind her not cooking tonight, she was going to take some time to rest and soak in a hot bath for a few hours. This stuff... She was tired... so very, very, tired. Hisoka sighed again like an easy spring breeze, soft and gentle as a whistle against the flower's petals, almost lost against the dull of the world around her.

Hisoka frowned. "What the hell did I just think?" Shaking her head, she decided to just go with it. Don't mind her. Her brain was on five percent battery.

A little after her session today, she had been on her way back to the dorm when she was paged to head to the infirmary. There had been another incident and that one second year had been hurt. Again. This wasn't the second time she had to heal him too. His Quirk was powerful but with training came a lot of bruises and injuries. He had been easy to heal up and then it was back to the dorms or so she thought... Next, Midnight-sensei had come upon her in the hallway and had needed her help with giving out copies of papers to different staff members that were located all over campus. That had taken over an hour and that wasn't even the last thing.

Snipe-sensei had asked her to test out a new experimental gun Hatsume-san had created while Cementoss-sensei and Ectoplasm-sensei wanted her help with wrangling some lost animals some students brought in but ended up losing control. She still had some bird feathers in her hair, she just knew. At least she had been helped by a very sweet but quiet boy who had an animal speaking Quirk so it hadn't taken as long as she originally thought. By then she just wanted to crawl into bed.

That wasn't even the end of it!

Present Mic-sensei had her help with announcements which would have been fine if it wasn't for his need to have her try and sound as energized as him. Hisoka swore that the man lived off of sugar, caffeine, and coffee... Or well, at least more coffee than Aizawa-sensei had daily when he couldn't get in those naps of his. And then Aizawa-sensei found her after that, practically dragging her away with his capture scarf because he was busy with something (she knew he had a training session with Shinsou-san today. She had seen them in the hallways, Shinsou-san all scuffed up.) and Principal Nezu needed someone to help him file some things.

It was by then, the sun was beginning to set that she finally made her way back to the dorm.

Sighing once more, she jutted out her bottom lip, redirecting the air to her low long bangs. For that brief moment her black hair fanned upward a bit before resettling over her right eye. It was a bit sweaty from all the moving she did today. She felt sticky and yucky all over and the cool breeze only helped a bit. She really needed that bath. She was also hungry and really was in no mood to cook anything. There were some leftovers in the fridge, enough for the whole class to have dinner tonight unless they made something else, and she was just going to heat that up.

Letting out a yawn, she finally made it to the door. Hand on the doorknob, she paused. Something wasn't right here... It was quiet. Too quiet.

And why were the lights off?

Was there some event happening and she forgot about it? Was she never told? Maybe it was a movie marathon or something. Well, right now, she really wanted some food and a bath. Then to bed. She didn't care how early it was. She wasn't going to deal with it. Her classmates could handle it.

Mostly.

Maybe...

Who cared.

The food, bath, and bed sirens were calling to her!

Pressing her thumb against the latch to open the door, she swung the door open and everything was dark. Brown eyes narrowed, trying to see through it when suddenly she had to cover them as there was a click and the common room's lights turned on. Her eyes squinted with a burning sensation from the sudden light exposure. Rubbing them a moment, she opened them and as her slightly blurry vision cleared, shouts of "HAPPY BIRTHDAY!" were heard on all sides except behind her.

Blinking slowly with wide eyes, she looked at the common room decorated with streamers, balloons taped to the ceiling, and a variety of different holiday decorations to make a mismatched clash that strangely went together. (Why was Iida-san in a giant pink bunny costume? You know what, the less she knew about that the better.) Over the glass window panes hung a bright white banner. It read HAPPY BIRTHDAY in big blocky green letters. Under it was a pile of presents from the looks of it. The tables had a bunch of food piled high and a large cake hastily frosted was peeking out of the kitchen.

And that didn't count all the people there. Besides her own classmates, different hats on their heads, ranging from bat-wing headbands to those normal cone-shaped birthday hats, there was also the Big Three. Mirio-senpai was grinning brightly, holding something she didn't want to guess what it was while his friends stood behind him. Shinsou-san was there too, lurking in the back with a birthday hat hanging lopsided on his head. There was even the staff there (her eyes narrowed at them) and was that cat ears on Aizawa-sensei?!

"I…" she began and trailed off, words unable to be found.

"Happy birthday, Hisoka-chan!"

"We hope you like it!"

"Hap birth!"

"Hisoka, happy birthday-"

Hisoka swiftly took a step back when they all came at her, closing the door in their face. Her grip on the door handle tightened when she felt it jiggle a bit. Her vision was beginning to grow blurry as she stared at the group, the grey a cool color that came near her without thinking much. She was hunched over, an arm hugging her knees as the other stayed on the door handle, knuckles white.

What was this?

What was happening?! Why would they do this? Did someone put them up to this?

Was she in another dimension?

She couldn't think straight. Why? What? No... How?! Was this why she was kept away from the dorms all day?

Wait... It was her birthday?

Did she do something wrong?!

Her breath quickened. Whywhywhywhywhywhywhy- The grip on the door handle slackened as it was yanked open and her hand was grasped. The light shining on her once more, she found herself eye to eye with her classmates. Her hand grasped Fumi's.

"Hisoka..." He frowned as she took deep breaths, each more calming than the last. "You alright?"

She felt numb, ice cold water coursing through her veins. He pulled her up as she nodded, unable to find words in that moment as she was pulled into the room and took in the details again. The decorations. The food. The presents. The people there. They... They...

"Wh-What's going on?" she forced herself to say.

"A birthday party," Shoto explained, appearing on her right. He had a steady hand on her shoulder.

"Just for you," Tsuyu finished appearing on her left, a hand on her lower back.

They all moved her forward to the center of the room. That night, the ice cold feeling slowly warmed, her vision becoming watery at the end.

---

Location: Common Room, First Floor of Heights Alliance, South Side of U.A. High School Campus, Northern Musutafu, South of Tokyo, Honshu, Japan

Date: November 25, 20XX

Hisoka was having a peaceful time, allowing herself to lounge into Tsuyu where her head was with her lower half on top of Momo and Jiro. They didn't have a problem with it. Everyone, and she meant everyone, was chilling today in the common room for once. It was cold outside and so the warmth inside was a blessing - mostly. Hisoka preferred it to be a bit cooler but that was her own preference. Tsuyu was rubbing a hand through her short hair, both of them surfing Twitter on her phone.

Brown eyes snapped upward from the force of Fumi's hard sneeze. It was loud and had enough force to rattle some of his feathers out of place. If he had a wind type Quirk, they'd likely be somewhere in China by now.

"Yo, dude, you alright there?" Sero asked, a half grin on his face. He had been awoken from his dozing state at the table with Shoto.

"Do you have a cold? Are you okay?" Ochaco walked up to him, hoodie on and cupping a warm mug of tea in her hands.

"No, no...! I'm fine as ever!" he answered, taking an offered tissue from Ojiro-san and rubbed his nose, blowing into it. "Until my mucous membranes decide to give up on me, I'm fine."

Hisoka went back to her phone. Fumi was as grim as ever.

"What?" Ochaco's expression contorted into confusion before she shook her head and moved to sit by Midoriya-san.

"Hey, Tokoyami! Is it true what they're saying? You're starting to have some fans?!" Kaminari-san exclaimed, swinging his head from Fumi to Momo, "Just like Yaomomo!"

"Don't poke fun at him for it," Momo scolded the lighting Quirk user, "It's something to be grateful for!"

Hisoka said, "Wouldn't be surprised there. Interning with Hawks and all."

"Ahh... I doubt it. That was over before I knew it." He shrugged.

"There's been some chatter on Twitter here and there," Hisoka added, "Pics and all."

"Really?"

"Yup. Even saved a few." She smirked as he let out a groan, knowing full well they were likely embarrassing in some way or another.

Pinching his nose bridge, he muttered under his breath. "Delete them."

Hisoka looked over the top of her phone with gleeful eyes. "No. As a fan, I gotta keep the goods."

"You don't count as a fan. They're strangers. You're not."

"No matter what you say, I'm still a fan!"

Before the two of them could get any further into it, Iida-san clapped his hands. "Everyone, they've arrived! Let's go meet our guests!"

Hisoka was nudged to get off of the girl which she reluctantly did, standing as the doors opened. Four people came in and posed cat-like except for the tallest in the back.

"With glittering eyes, rock on!" Mandalay started, kneeling on the right, her arms in the air as her hands closed and bent forward.

Ragdoll continued, kneeling on the left with one arm and one leg stretched out and the other hand near her face as she leaned forward. "With cat paws, we're here to help!"

"Out of nowhere we appear!" Tiger added, standing behind them all, legs spread apart as he held a colorful box mid-air.

"Cutely catly, we sting!" Pixie-Bob finished, standing slightly in front of Tiger with one hand on top of her head and the other in front of her chin.

"We're the Wild, Wild Pussycats!" they all shouted in unison as a finisher.

"Pussycats! It's been so long!"

"You all look well, my little kittens!" Pixie-Bob said, hands on her hips.

"We've been good over here," Jiro said with a smile.

Mina ran up to Tiger, arm high in the air as she relieved him of his item. "Beef buns!"

"Beef buns!" Ochaco and Toru cheered.

Tiger had said something to Bakugo-san who scowled deeper at whatever he said, stuffing his hands in his pants pockets before walking off. He had also mentioned something to Fumi, but the birdboy had stopped the Pro Hero before he could say anything else, both of them talking for a moment to each other. Mandalay had pointed to a pair of shoes her nephew, Kota, who was standing off to the side, had worn. Apparently, they're the same kind and color, both matching.

"But why have you guys come to UA?" Sato-san asked, white apron tied around his body as he came out with a tray filled with cups of tea.

"Please sit!" Shoji-san suggested, gesturing to one of the couches.

Mandalay waved her hands. "Oh no, it's okay. Please don't let us disturb you."

"We gotta stop by Class B, too," Tiger added.

"We just wanted to stop by and let people know about our comeback!" Pixie-Bob stated, earning excitement from the class.

"Comeback?!"

"That's so cool!"

"Congratulations!"

"Ragdoll, did it go back to normal? You had to suspend your activities because your Quirk was taken away, right?" Midoriya-san asked.

"Nope! I'll be supporting the three of them by doing the office work!" Ragdoll wrung her closed fists like a cat would do. "I'll be an office lady cat!" Hisoka could just picture her wearing a pair of costume cat ears to greet her team whenever they came back from a mission. It was a cute idea.

"Though we did receive a report from Tartarus," Pixie-Bob sighed heavily. "We don't know exactly what kind of or how many Quirks One for All's got hidden away. We're still trying to investigate but it seems our only way of handling him presently is by not allowing him to do anything."

Hisoka's body grew cold at the name, shivering as her body remembered the frightful aura that the man gave off.

-the imposing aura making her unable to move, breath caught in her throat, legs stuck against the ground like they were trapped in cement - and she knew it was useless when their intended targets were nowhere to be seen- (She had to move! He was in the most danger she'd ever been in before in her life, right in front of an enemy who just blasted away god knows how many Pro Heroes... She needed to get to him... She had to do something!) - couldhavebeenkilledstainedonthewallsandneverseetheirfirendsagain.

To run.

To stay HIDDEN.

Scared like the child she was. Death. That's what awaited her out there.

Yet she stopped, letting out a low breath, teeth clenching together, as she somehow got her shaking slowly under control, letting Yaoyorozu-san's hand move into hers, gripping the life out of it while Kirishima-san had gripped her shoulder unknowingly, looking down. They were all shaking in fear; she could see the sweat on their brows... She saw Iida-san gripping Midoriya-san, not allowing him to move to the enemy.

Fumi-

She had to do-

Hisoka shook herself out of the memory - No time for that right now! Focus, Hisoka! Focus! - to focus on what Mandalay was saying, "They're about to be presented but.. It's because of the second half of the Japanese Hero Billboard Charts. We're in four hundred and eleventh place now."

The JP Hero Billboard Chart.

By factoring in a Pro Heroes general display of strength, number of resolved incidents, their general popularity, and their overall contribution to society every year, twice a year, they present a ranking of all active Heroes. If one can place their name in the JP Hero Billboard Chart, a Hero would be recognized as someone for the people. And for those who sat at the top, they were the Heroes that everyone knew. The ones with the most prestige. Ones who serve as motivation for several Heroes in training.

And with All Might's retirement...

Hisoka glanced at Shoto silently who pointedly stared at the Pro Hero group before them.

"Last time they were thirty-two!" Ah... Midoriya-san's infinite pool of knowledge about any and all Pro Heroes.

"I see! It's because you guys dropped so much?!" Kirishima-san assumed, "Fight on!"

"No! That's not nyat it!" Ragdoll refuted. "In fact, it's surprising we're able to stay in the triple digits even though we've done absolutely nothing!"

"It was our approval ratings that allowed us to be where we were," Tiger added.

Pixie-Bob agreed as Mandalay nodded. "There are people out there waiting for us."

"We couldn't just keep standing still!" Ragdoll exclaimed, tilting herself to the left with her arms raised in a burst of energy.

Kirishima-san began to cry. "That's the reason! So manly, Wild, Wild Pussycats!"

As talk amongst her classmates continued on about the JP Hero Billboard Chart results, Hisoka made a beeline to the kitchen. Wandering over to her drawer, she nabbed four cat-themed gift bags. There were cat face and cat paw shaped cookies of all kinds of flavors wrapped in a clear plastic bag that had rainbow chibi kitten heads patterned with different expressions.

"For you and your team," Hisoka muttered as she handed them to Tiger - the only one not talking to the students currently. The other three were answering some questions her friends had.

"Oh my! These are just adorable!" he said as he gingerly took them, holding one of the bags for a closer look. "You make them yourself?" She nodded, suddenly feeling shy for some reason, and looked up when he placed a hand on her shoulder. "Thank you, kitten."

She gave him a small smile. "Un."

---

Location: Small Conference Room, U.A. High School, Northern Musutafu, South of Tokyo, Honshu, Japan

Date of Report: November 26, 20XX
Class/Department: Hero Course, Class 1-A
Student Name: Hisoka Matsushita
Date of Birth: November 19th, 19XX
Chronological Age: 16 Years Old

Shuzenji: Hello, Hisoka-chan. How have you been holding up lately?

Matsushita: [shrugs] I've been okay.

Shuzenji: Have you been sleeping alright? You look more tired than usual.

Matsushita: ...Lots going on. Homework. Training. More training. Aizawa-sensei's been cranking up the difficulty a lot lately. Homework. Having to heal that one second year that keeps getting injured due to his Quirk...

Shuzenji: Ah... Rigel Lynx. He's a common patient of mine, much like Midoriya-kun is, though not as much with your skills I take it.

Matsushita: [nods] He, well… All of the class actually tries not to burden you as much as we can. It can't be helped though, sometimes.

Shuzenji: [chuckles] True. True. What else?

Matsushita: I've also been working on my shooting and parkour skills.

Initial Impressions: 'Ahhh... When it was good to be young and in school... Besides that, perhaps she's training too much? If so, then perhaps Hisoka-chan has developed insomnia. This tiredness seems to be a running trend for her.'

Shuzenji: I've heard about what took place at the shooting gallery and I have to say, Snipe is very proud to hear how you've been coming along.

Matsushita: [blushes and nods] Yeah... He told me the other day, but I still got a lot to learn and have a long way before becoming the best Hero I can be.

Shuzenji: Not a healer?

Matsushita: Healer and Hero are the same to me. I used to think of them as two different things but they've kinda blended together now. It's kinda like how you're both a Hero and a healer, I want to be one too. It's just... [glances to the side]

Shuzenji: [makes a hand gesture to prompt her to continue]

Matsushita: I feel... like sometimes I have to choose one over the other. Like with my Quirk versus my fighting skills. Which one should I use more...? Which one should I 'upgrade' [makes a quotation marks gesture] Which one's more important...? Which one will define me...? What would make me not...

Shuzenji: Not what?

Matsushita: [stays silent for a while] Useless.

Shuzenji: And why would you feel useless?

Matsushita: I... I think because people rely on me as the healer of the group in basic terms, if I am unable to heal them with my Quirk then I would not be able to protect or help people out.

Shuzenji: You can help people out without just healing them and you have the skills to protect them too.

Matsushita: I-I know but... I just... If I can't heal them, what good am I?

Shuzenji: Hisoka-chan, is this coming from what happened with Sir Nighteye?

Side Note: 'That event seemed to have caused more trauma than previously thought.'

Matsushita: [looks away again, silent, before nodding] I couldn't save him, but I feel like I could of. He-He stopped me though, after a bit, said it'd be okay. But I- I just wanted too but that look he had. He knew something, like he had seen this, but I- He said it would be okay and it wasn't! I couldn't save him!

Shuzenji: Hisoka... the hardest thing about this job is... you can't always save everybody.

Matsushita: I know that! I know there'll be times where I can't save everyone, that there'll be a time where I can't heal, but I can still try!

Shuzenji: Even at the risk of your own life?

Matsushita: That's what a Hero does.

Shuzenji: You are right, a Hero does save lives at the risk of their own. However, one needs to know their limits and make sure they're okay in order to be able to save others. They learn and develop so they can overcome those limits so they can become someone more. And knowing that one can't save everyone, you need to live with that burden. Correct what you can but do not dwell on it. Do not get caught up in the past.

Matsushita: [mutters] Or you'll just be stuck in it...

Shuzenji: [nods]

Matsushita: But what if I could have done something different?

Shuzenji: That's the thing about 'what ifs'; they don't matter. They don't change anything. You can think all you want about what could have happened or something that could have gone differently but that doesn't change that what has happened has already happened. Your history can't be erased, but your future has yet to be written. Make the most of what's going to happen instead of worrying about what you can't change.

Matsushita: [slumps forward, eyes cast down] I... Does it ever go away? The guilt?

Shuzenji: It'll lessen over time, but it'll likely never go away.

Matsushita: Oh...

Side Note: 'It seems she knows this but still struggles with it. Personal experience? Has something like this happened before? I know her mother ran a clinic, but it was a town clinic and she helped with the local hospitals from personal research... Some things aren't adding up. (Did her mother condition her to think this way?)'

Shuzenji: I'm here to talk with you anytime you need me.

Matsushita: I know...

Shuzenji: And I know you help out in the infirmary even when you aren't paged. You've healed a lot of the school even when passing them in the hallways.

Matsushita: Yeah...

Shuzenji: It's hard, Hisoka. This comes with being a Hero. I've experienced too many times, seen people of all ages and conditions die because I was unable to heal them myself. That guilt will never go away but you need to keep moving forward. Move forward and look onward.

Matsushita: ...

Shuzenji: [thinks for a bit] There is going to be a seminar that is happening later this week. A lot of professionals, from doctors to fellow Pro Heroes, with Quirks similar to ours will be there. I want to take you with me.

Matsushita: [perks up a bit] Really?

Shuzenji: [nods] I think you'll be able to learn a few things there.

Matsushita: What about school?

Shuzenji: Students are given a pass for situations like this or such as when they are on a work study and the agency they're under needs them for something on a not required day.

Matsushita: I... I'd like that.

End Notes: 'While she has opened up to me about this, she trusts Aizawa a lot more than me. I believe. So I think you'll be a good and stable emotional support structure. Don't think I haven't seen what you've done, child. I'm old not stupid. And I agree, Aizawa, from what we've learned I don't think it'd be wise for Hisoka to meet with her mother.'

---

Location: Common Room, First Floor of Heights Alliance, South Side of U.A. High School Campus, Northern Musutafu, South of Tokyo, Honshu, Japan

Date: November 28, 20XX

It was the afternoon, right after school, and Hisoka had more or less been coerced into watching the JP Hero Billboard Chart with the rest of her class - mostly. Shoto decided to passively join for a bit; he'd likely leave after learning who the top ten was, and Bakugo-san wasn't around. Midoriya-san, though he wanted to come, had said something about training a new move he wanted to experiment with. All Might would most likely be there too. Though they tried to keep it secret, it was already known in her class at least that the man, even before his retirement, was particular to Midoriya-san, more than to the rest of them. A word here and a look there.

It was like one of those well known not-so-secret secrets.

The rest of her class crowded around the TV in the common room, some squished together so everyone could have an adequate view at the very least. Hisoka was on the floor between the coffee table and a loveseat that housed Fumi and Tsuyu. She sat in the space between the two pairs of legs, head lulling onto Tsuyu's knee with her legs sticking out under the coffee table. One of her feet brushed against Kaminari-san's legs who stuck his tongue out at her playfully. She rolled her eyes fondly as the show began, a hush overcoming everyone there.

There were a few ads and sponsors the announcer had to thank before they went into the top twenty-five Heroes, each panning over the fifteen that were under the top ten. That was what everyone was waiting for... Hisoka, however, didn't really care about the JP Hero Billboard Chart. It was kind of ridiculous in her opinion. It felt like they were in school, but it was about ranks, not grades. Rankings were all that mattered to the public. They wanted to see who rose, who fell, who stayed the same. It was all about the popularity for the public.

But she could see the appeal to this show. Mostly.

Hisoka hummed as they finally got into the top ten Heroes, making it a bigger spectacle with a few dramatic entrances (like Hawks' entry from the ceiling) and commentary. The tenth Hero, The Dragon Hero: Ryukyu looked rather put-off being there but Endeavor, the new number one, seemed to be taking it in stride but felt stiff. Well, he did have a big mantle to cover so she could understand why he'd be like that.

Still.

Heroes' jobs were to save people, not look good for the media. Mostly. She could see why they'd do it. That's how society was right now, and society was hard to change. The media, in fact, liked to butt into situations before they were resolved and could cause more harm than good. Like the Villain could escape or cause more collateral damage than necessary. There were also the ones who purposefully stayed in the camera's view to get a better image.

Deep down, she knew there were ideals that correlated with what his ideals were, and she could see how similar they were but she'd never say it aloud. She would squash that part down as deep as she would allow it.

That didn't change the fact that sure many cared about the safety of the public but there were more who cared for their image. There were even times where Heroes would butt into fights when they were unneeded. It was all about ranking. Maybe that'd explain the conflicts between some Heroes, like All Might and Endeavor. Lots of things had changed after All Might's retirement. The ripples from that were already happening - could be seen already with the spike in crime lately. Especially on a day like this where they were forced to participate from the looks of it.

And the LoV? Enough said on that.

But for better or for worse, time would only tell.

---

Location: Akashi-Kaikyo Bridge, 4 Higashimaikocho, Tarumi Ward, Stationed Between Kobe and Iwaya, Hyogo, Japan

Date: November 30, 20XX

It was late Thursday morning and even though Hisoka had left in the wee hours of the morning with Recovery to the seminar where even birds were still asleep. They went by car, the seminar sending one with a driver "Call me Hanami!" for Recovery Girl– how fancy was that?! But still, even though the seminar's location was a few hours away it didn't negate the excitement bubbling in the depths of her gut nor the active butterflies. She had never come across other healing based Quirks other than Recovery Girl and her mother. Mother said that the Matsushita line always birthed healing based Quirks but as far as she knew they were the only two Matsushitas left. She had never met any aunts or uncles or even her grandparents.

Had never seen fit to ask about them.

A touchy subject it was for mother. Maybe in the future...

Shaking her head, Hisoka decided now was not the time for that and faced to look at the passing scenery. There'd be plenty of time in the future to ask. Right now, she needed to focus on the seminar and not think about the homework she'd still have to complete from the missed classes. There was so much she wanted to ask these people that would be there. Maybe there was something there... Something she had been searching for for so long... Her vision blurred.

Somethingsomethingsomethingsomethingsomethingsomethingsomething-

Red. Time. Tick tock the mouse ran off the clock.

It was crawling up her skin. It hurt. The sleeves hid it.

The words written were always there. Stinging. To run. Runrunrunrunrun. Scared like the child she was. Death. That's what awaited her out there.

To stay HIDDEN. She had to get away... There was something coming and she knew it wouldn't be any good-

Forgive her. Please.

Whywhywhywhywhywhywhy- Did she do something wrong?! Moth-

What?

Hisoka jerked, the sudden touch snapping her out of whatever she was thinking - not that she remembered - to whip her head around to look at a worried Recovery Girl. "Something on your mind, dearie?"

She took in a sharp breath and jerkily shook her head. "Just nerves."

Recovery Girl gave her a simple smile. "You'll do perfectly fine. There's nothing to worry about."

There was everything to worry about.

The smile Hisoka gave seemed to convince the older lady enough to look back at the papers she had brought, shuffling through them. Recovery Girl happened to be a speaker at the seminar as well. Hisoka could see that. Recovery Girl was well known amongst the community for not just her Quirk but also for her compassion and kindness but also her fairness, her medical expertise, and her overall ability. She may be old but she knew how to break someone's arm with a push of a nerve and heal you back only to do it again to get her point across. Working at U.A. for over forty years, one needed to know these kinds of things with what kind of students she had as almost daily patients (her words also hold just as much authority as that of Principal Nezu's which was just as cool). From all of this, Hisoka could see why she had earned the respect of many.

She even allowed Hisoka to bring her Hero Outfit with them, already half changed into it. The silver gleaming case, holding her weapons and coat, sat right next to her feet on the floor of the car.

Deciding to look back out the window, she saw a small black speck in the sky. Squinting her eyes to hyper focus on it, she couldn't make out any detail. It was just a black blurry spot in the sky. Maybe it was a Hero at work or something? A possible Villain getting away or in the cahoots of something? Well, it was too far for her to worry about anything and so she decided to focus more on the crystal blue water underneath the bridge they were now crossing and listen to whatever music, some classical rock song, the driver put on. Scrolling through her phone had become boring and she wasn't going to sleep - not here, not safe - anytime soon so all she could do was just passively watch the passing scenery outside.

Brown eyes wandered up from the blue lake water, slowly lapping waves from the slight breeze outside, up to the greenery that blurred to different shades of brown and green with specs of colors woven in-between, then up to the lighter blue sky and at the... Frowning, Hisoka narrowed her eyes to hyper focus again on that speck. Was it just her or was it getting bigger?

Swift and deadly.

One moment the road was there, wide open and safe, cars moving at a steady pace, some honks here and there and other general car noises blending together in a muffled symphony, the next there were loud noises, acrid smells, and pain. With a jolt Hisoka dived over to Recovery Girl seconds before, papers shuffling all over the place, and covered her with her own body, arms wrapping around the smaller body. She closed her eyes and held on tight, the sound of cars screeching brakes and tires skidding on the pavement shattered the once peaceful silence. They were jolted about and screams were ringing in her ears as the thuds of their car upended on both sides - a huge blow hit the car. Her vision swam even when closed as she felt the pit of her stomach from the sudden zero gravity feeling, turning it on its side and it seemed like an immense weight was thrown into her. Then all was still.

But then everything was in chaos.

Her head hurt and moving felt like it took a toll on her. What... No... She needed to make sure Recovery Girl was okay before she made a self-check. Cracking open an eye, she felt the seatbelt burn against her skin, her arms stiff from around the older woman she held. They were... They were... on their side? Yeah. The car had flipped onto its side. That's what happened...

Wiggling a bit, she forced herself to gently lower Recovery Girl onto the cracked window so she could righten herself. "Y-you okay?" Hisoka managed, ignoring the liquid dripping down the side of her face as she pulled herself off of a disgruntled Recovery Girl. Her purple-tinted visor had a crack on the right side, eyes slowly opening, her once neat bun in disarray.

"What... happened? Is Hanami okay?" Recovery Girl rubbed her head, letting out a small groan.

She felt her joints creak and muscles protest as she unbuckled herself, a bruise already slowly forming from the seatbelt. Peeking her head between the two front seats, she quickly saw that her case toppled into the front before turning fully to see Hanami-san knocked out but well enough. She pressed fingers to his neck to check his pulse; his breathing was shallow. The airbag had done its job and had taken most of the blow but it looked like he would have a few bruises and scrapes, trickles of blood slipping from his arms and forehead.

"Knocked out but not seriously injured..." Hisoka turned to look under her arm at the older woman on what to do next.

Moving around a bit, the glass crinkling under Recovery Girl's weight, she stood up on it and the pavement street under it. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," she automatically said.

Black beady eyes narrowed. "Status report."

"..."

"Now."

"...bruising on chest, a slight cut on forehead." Brown eyes glanced down at her right arm before looking back at the nurse. "And on right arm. Left leg is feeling a bit numb but still mobile. I'll be fine, I'll heal easily. We need to worry more about the civilians."

"Do you think you can get us out of here? Is the door unlocked?"

Pulling back, Hisoka moved her feet to stand on the window as well, a tight space, before using the seat to push herself up as she lifted an arm to open the car door. With a click and some force, she was able to open it and lifted herself off of it and on the side of the car. Lowering another hand, she was handed the now unbuckled Hanami that she was told to get to safety on the sidewalk some feet away before she did the same to Recovery Girl. She grabbed her case last, finally hopping down onto the bridge road and it was then Hisoka took in the damage around her.

Before her was a pile of cars - was that oil she smelled? - and so many hurt. People were screaming, moaning, crying... They were already pulling themselves from the wreckage, moving to the sidewalk – the ones that could at least – while others were knocked out and/or couldn't get out. A car near the front of the pile up was already in flames.

And on that car was a... fucking Nomu?!

It was pale grey and tall with a purple beak-like mouth with an array of sharp teeth, two bat-like wings, talons, and two eyes on each side of its exposed brain. The thing let out a high-pitched screech that made Hisoka flinch. She turned and jumped from the car she had climbed on, ignoring the protest and numbness growing stronger in her leg. Running back to Recovery Girl, she explained what she saw. "There's still people trapped though."

"How many?" Recovery Girl asked between kissing the injured civilians.

"Four. Maybe five. There's also a fire and I don't see a Pro Hero around. Not sure how much time before they get here." Hisoka frowned slightly at Recovery Girl's pursed lips. "I can hold the Nomu off while the civilians evacuate and rescue the ones trapped."

"You can't do it alone."

Fight. Heal. Heal. Fight. Fight. Heal. Heal. Fight. Fight. Heal. Heal. Fight. Fight. Heal. Heal. Fight.

FIGHT.

HEAL.

Fuck it!

"But there isn't any time!" Hisoka argued, hearing another screech. "I'm the only one who can fight right now. I'll hold it off until a Pro Hero comes. I have my Provisional License on me too. I can fight!"

She could do both. She needed to do both.

"You're limping."

"Then use your Quirk on me and then drink my blood. You should have a few veils on you, anyway." She could see the conflict in the woman's eyes but she wasn't a child. She could fight. She was training for things like this. She could do it. She had to. She was not going to let this hold her back. They didn't have the time for this. Recovery Girl finally nodded. Hisoka nodded back.

After a quick use of Recovery Girl's Quirk, she was on the move grabbing her case and swinging over a car as she unclasped the lock midair and pulled out her coat, gun, and kaiken. The coat was thrown on and her kaiken strapped in place as she ducked from a swipe of the Nomu's talons, inches from the top of her head. A few strands of her hair were cut, though, as they floated to the ground.

She only had to hold it off until the Pro Heroes came and helped the stuck passengers. That was it.

Listening, she could hear the flapping of the Nomu's wings as well as crying nearby. A kid's cry. It was to her left. She could see a pair of what looked like to be teen twins, thin and lanky, struggling to get the door to their flipped over car open. It was stuck. Looking upward, she saw the Nomu circling overhead like a vulture who had found its prey. If she could paralyze it or try and get it to sleep, that'd help immensely. But knowing what she's heard about and seen, it wasn't going to be that simple.

Pulling out her gun, she grabbed a few white, yellow, and grey colored coordinated darts from one of her pouches and popped in a yellow one first, shooting upward at the moving target. Missed but a good distraction as she slowly neared the twins. Eyes darting around, she saw it was moving near a beam and so she shot a grey one, hitting it and when it struck, it flew into a cloud that poured out of the bullet. Turning, she darted to the car and kneeled to quickly take in the situation as twin pairs of deep green eyes stared at her wide eyed. "Hold on! I'll get you out in a second! Are either of you too injured to move?"

Both shook their heads.

"Look out!" one of the muffled voices shouted.

A screech was her only signal for her to turn. Whipping her head around, a body slammed into her and a pair of talons pinned her down on her back. "Fuck!"

One of its clawed feet was on her stomach, slowly adding pressure on it, the other on her arm. Wings spread wide, it reared its head back as it opened its mouth wide. It really should have pinned down her other arm... Raising her arm, she fired the paralyzing bullets into its chest, catching the Nomu off guard. It let out a screech, the formula working quickly to temporarily freeze it. Lifting her legs, she wrapped them around the Nomu's waist area and twisted around to get it off her, getting her arm cut by one of its talons in the process.

She rolled onto her stomach as soon as she could. She bent her legs at the knees and curled them up, touching the back of her thighs. She placed her hands flat on the ground, sliding them behind her and kicked back hard with her legs while pushing up in a move similar to a pushup. In between the momentum in her legs and the push, she flipped into a squatting position. Seeing the Nomu was struggling though not fully paralyzed, she got into a fighting stance and used the chance to jump, stepping in with her right leg and the left one trailing behind her as she began to swing her arms around and used the momentum as she looked over her kicking leg's shoulder. Turning more than one hundred eighty degrees, she used the heel of her boot to whack the Nomu in the head with a grand sweep, sending it back and slamming it into the empty car behind it.

Turning fully, she landed as her leg naturally pivoted back into a stance. She quickly ran back to the car that held the twins and crouched down, looking at the door. A part of it was dented inward near the handle and so it couldn't be opened easily. "Get back as far as you can and cover your ears and eyes. I'm taking the door down," she commanded and when they had done as told, she grabbed a few exploding bullets, pushing them into the chamber. Taking a step back, she shot at the door's outline and within seconds it exploded off, falling with a thud.

"You two okay?" Hisoka asked, holding out a hand for them to take. One of the twins grabbed it, nodding as the other followed suit. There was some bruising on one twin while a cut on the cheek was steadily bleeding on the other twin. Handing over two tiny veils full of red liquid, she said, "This will heal you all up. Drink it quickly and get out of here." There was a screech that had her turning around, blocking the twins from the now recovered Nomu's sight. "Run and get to cover while I distract it. Go." Hisoka lowered herself slightly. "Now!"

Launching herself at the Nomu, she ducked and rolled under one swipe, tucking her head into herself while curling into a ball. Landing on her back, she pulled her knees to her chest with her hands flat on the ground beside her ears before rolling her weight onto her shoulders. Pushing hard with her hands, she shifted her momentum, shifting upwards and pulled her legs downward quickly in a squatting position. She ducked again and there was only enough time to summersault out of the way to another attack, the Nomu swiping its wings at her again as if trying to cut her.

Standing, she let out a string of curses at the flurry of swipes at her until her back hit the car. There was no opening to shoot at it. All she could do was dodge. Hisoka bent her hips and jumped as high as she could when another swipe was about to hit her, bending her arms, reaching back. She jumped onto her hands on the roof of the car, pushing off to land on her feet on the other side. Eyes wide, the Nomu had cut through the car like it was made out of butter.

That could have been her.

She could have been made into sashimi!

Fuck!

Hisoka dived behind another downed car, taking cover. WHEN THE HELL WERE THE PRO HEROES GOING TO GET HERE?! She growled under her breath as she reloaded, eyeing the Nomu. It looked like it didn't keep track of her. Good. She could use that to her advantage. But it looked like luck wasn't on her side. It had stopped those twins from getting away and they had a crying kid with them!

Fuckfuckfuckfuck!

The Nomu's back was to her; aiming at it over the hood, she took a deep breath and aimed. Shooting convectively four times, the bullets met their target and exploded upon impact, earning her a pain filled screech from the grey monster. Stuffing her gun in its holster, she unsheathed her kaiken and dashed forward in front of the running people and the Nomu. If it wasn't angry before, it was now. Parrying with her kaiken, a hand held the hilt and the other held the blade when the talons came down upon her. It was a struggle but she could hear them running when she shouted at them.

Good.

But not so good for her. Something was burning inside her again - just like that last time - coursing through her blood and she wanted to let it out. It was like she was on fire. She was strong but... There wasn't anything she could do. She wanted it... wanted it... wanted... it...

A calling. It chanted her name. It chanted for blood. An allure like the sirens of the Red Sea. A desolate end. A grin was slowly pulling at her lips. It was maddening.

The end.

She could end this... This wasn't a human like those others had been. It would be so easy now... Just slice it. She felt her world grow grey, seeping out any other color as a muted ringing entered her ears. It deafened all other sounds. It left behind nothing but red. Red. A bloody color. Redredredredredredred. Her mind cleared. It felt at peace and yet there was a niggling of something inside her brain. She was calm. She was- Itmadehercrazyandlustforsomethingsheshouldn'tdo...

She let the Nomu push her back, intent building but when she blinked, it was blasted away from her by a purple glowing moon-shaped boomerang. And just like that, the color returned and her mind came back to her.

Did it though? Was it always like this?

What was she... No. Don't think about.

What?

Help had finally arrived. A team of Pro Heroes took the Nomu down with ease and she was escorted back to Recovery Girl after helping with freeing the rest of the trapped civilians. It was there she began helping with healing those who needed it which she was glad wasn't as many as she feared. Recovery Girl had already done most of the work. Now she just wanted to close her eyes, put this all behind her, and sleep. She was already feeling the effects of using her Quirk on the civilians. Screw the seminar.

At least Hanami-san was okay, up and already on the phone to explain why they weren't there yet. She was glad he was okay. And it looked like she wouldn't be heading there anyway... Or least that's what she was told.

"You're going back to U.A.," Recovery Girl explained after getting off of a phone call. Things were calming down now, most of the civilians left the scene and people were already beginning to be escorted to hospitals and such.

"Why? What happened?"

"There was a fight between a new kind of Nomu and Endeavor. It's worse than people expected. I'm needed there. I'll call the school to pick you up so wait here until someone comes."

She stood, exclaiming, "I can be of use! You know what I can do!"

"Yes, I do but you are only a child and my student. I can't let you risk your life for this!"

"I'm training to be a Hero! To be a Medic! A Healer!" Hisoka glared, the edges of her eyes stinging. She thought Recovery Girl would know better. She could do this! She had to convince her somehow! She knew she had to be there. A gut feeling told her.

"Yes. You're training to be one. But you aren't fully one yet. You've used your Quirk enough already that I can see you're starting to sway."

"Yours is different from mine! You speed up the person's healing process! I can actually heal!"

"At the risk of your own life!"

"I'll be okay. I can rest on the way there and take the iron pills you've given to me and I won't be in your way. I'll be there as backup when-"

"-if-"

Hisoka corrected herself, "-if you need me."

When they needed her.

They stared at each for a long time before Recovery Girl sighed. "Alright then. But you'll have to listen to everything I say. And no impulsive moves. Understand?"

Hisoka nodded. "Understood."

---

Location: Hiroshima University Hospital, Kasumi, Minami-ku, Central Hiroshima City, South-West Hiroshima Prefecture, Chūgoku (San'yō), Japan

Date: November 30, 20XX

Hisoka silently followed behind Recovery Girl, a group of nurses and doctors already swarming her to update her on the situation. For such a small lady, she could move as quick as a kid on a caffeine high. No, she was not kidding. She had to actually almost jog to keep up with her. Where was she packing it?!

They had only just arrived too, later into the evening than expected. But Hisoka kind of expected it with what the situation was. Endeavor and Hawks had battled against a strange Nomu but had come out in victory. They didn't come out unscratched though, especially the new number one Pro Hero. Hawks wasn't as badly injured, a few scrapes, and a gash on his lower waist was the worst of his injuries, other than all but one of his feathers burning to a crisp. The wound was already patched up and with a bit of time his feathers would grow back but people knew that wouldn't impair his work as a Pro Hero.

Endeavor on the other hand had taken the brunt of the attacks - multiple lacerations all over his body with two deep ones on his chest and on the left side of his face (was that some sick cruel joke fate wanted to play or was it karma?), broken bones, one of them being his ribs that had punctured a lung, and another in his arm that had almost been ripped off - from the Nomu so Hawks was able to help evacuate the civilians around the area so they wouldn't get in the crosshairs of the fight. And what a fight it was or so they say. Hisoka had yet to see it, only hearing bits and pieces in passing conversations - she'd need to look on YouTube after this to see the fight, knowing full well it was already circulating on there already - as they made their way to the emergency trauma operation room.

She had gotten a few strange looks but Recovery Girl had brushed them off, saying she was her assistant and here to help as back up. They didn't say anything after that when also provided with her provisional license. They had tried to get her to go elsewhere, a rather rude nurse who thought she was high and mighty because she was older than her, but Hisoka was not having any of that and neither was Recovery Girl. Hisoka was there to help just as Recovery Girl was, even if there was the off chance that she was not going to do anything. She had to stay near.

Has she ever mentioned she respected this woman?

If not, then yes, yes, she did.

They arrived at the operation room, doctors already working on Endeavor. She sucked in her breath as she was told to wait in the prep room - a clear view of the bloodied body on the operating table. His face was still covered in congealed blood and his clothes or what was left of them were an utter mess. He sucked at the air like it had suddenly become thick and was now almost too difficult to draw in. It was shallow. Machines were hooked up, watching his vitals and a breathing tube at his nose. His heart rate was erratic, unable to decide if it wanted to beat or not.

It was worse than she thought. Recovery Girl was already working on what she could do. It looked like the two doctors also had healing based Quirks. One looked like they were relieving pain for the Pro Hero while the other was moving with strategic precision on closing his wounds. Hisoka stayed. Brown eyes watched like a hawk, zooming on every move each doctor made, darting back and forth. Nurses provide tools and such when called out, wiping away the sweat from one of their brows.

They were able to slow it but it wasn't enough. He was getting worse. Recovery Girl had already used her Quirk quite a bit earlier that day and with her age, she could only help so much between her Quirk and her knowledge. Hisoka could help. They could use her blood. It would close the wounds.

It was not even twenty minutes later that the elder walked into the perp room. Hisoka stood straight, hands clenched, having been leaning against the wall to watch through the wide window the prep room provided. "I can help."

Recovery Girl - Chiyo Shuzenji - stared at the pleading young girl before her. She was old, she knew - a part of an older generation of Heroes that few were left from. She felt it in her bones every day, relying on her cane more and more as the years passed. Chiyo wouldn't be here forever and she wanted to guide the next generation as best she could and that included this child in particular. Such a bright child she was with such prowess and a Quirk she knew not the level it could evolve too. It might even become strong enough one day to do the unbelievable but that could also bring untold dangers. She wanted to protect the child she had informally taken under her wing so much, to teach her all she knew and then more. Chiyo had watched over her, thought of her as her own grandchild - amongst the many students there she considered her own, problem child or not - in the short time they had been together.

But she couldn't hold her back. The child knew what she was getting into - the repercussions of what could happen if something bad happened like the unlikely hood of Endeavor dying under her watch. That's what she feared though. Society would not be kind to her if that scenario was to happen. They would come at her - dig at any open wound and let it fester until she became a shell of what she once was. But the determination in those eyes, so different than the haunted look after that day, reminding her of a time of a younger her, and she knew... She just knew.

Hisoka's Quirk was the best in this case. She would be able to actually heal the wounds unlike the other healing based Quirks there (or really any she's seen before). Recovery Girl nodded to the girl, opening the door to bring her into the operation room. There wasn't much time now.

"What is this, Recovery Girl?!" one of the doctors exclaimed in surprise, the other stopping and glancing up before moving back to work on closing one of Endeavor's wounds.

"This child's Quirk can heal Endeavor. It was the main reason why I brought her."

"How can you be sure? Have you ever verified its healing properties? How much can it help?"

Recovery Girl's eyes narrowed. "I have seen it firsthand and can give you my word."

There was a beat of silence, sweat dripping down the back of their necks, the only sound coming from the EKG, before Hisoka spoke up, explaining, "My Quirk, Healing Blood, uses my blood and energy to heal others." She casted a glance at the Pro Hero, catching his shallow breath and glazed eyes. How was he still conscious through this?

"Then we can do it via blood transfusion," the doctor started when Hisoka shook her head.

"That'd only slow down the effects. If we want the full effect of my Quirk, you need it right from the source." Before any of them could say anything or stop her, grabbing one of the nearby scalpels, she sliced her wrist in one swift, clean move. She held her other hand against the wound and no matter the pressure applied, the blood still gushed between her fingers and oozed under her hand dripping to the floor. Moving to the downed man, she held her wrist up to his mouth before the doctors could protest, too surprised to stop her.

A trickle slipped into his mouth and she was glad enough that it triggered his swallow and gag reflexes, as slow as they were. But it wasn't enough. She could hear the beeping from the heart monitor was steady but slow. Slower than it should be. He needed more. She pressed her hand fully into his mouth, lips wrapping around the wound limply as she used her other hand to rub his throat to help him.

She stared at him for a moment, taking in the glazed expression of his one good turquoise eye. The blood soaked towel covering the left side of his face was bright red, quickly darkening and taking on a brownish hue. The dried splatter of the red liquid of life caked in his hair, mixing with gravel and dirt.

She held no positive feelings for this man. Hadn't when she was a kid and seen his arrogant self and then the other things– she could only guess what happened between him and his family. Shoto. The scar. His mom. The hospital. It was never outwardly expressed, only a slight slip here or a tiny mention there. Horrible things had happened, that she knew. She didn't have to be Sherlock to figure that out but she kept it to herself, the plea and hateful sadness from Shoto that night burning in his mind. And yet...

He was changing.

This man was changing, waking up to see something new and what he had done. Shoto had told her late one evening when neither could sleep that Endeavor had been texting him, talking with him more, increasingly asking questions on how he was doing. It was awkward and he usually didn't respond unless he absolutely needed to. He wouldn't block the man for various reasons, a passing mention of his sister pleading him not to. He was trying to become someone different, someone better after All Might's retirement. It seemed something had shocked him to wake up.

As little as it was, she could see he was working on being a better Hero.

Anyone could change. She knew that.

For better or for worse.

She felt hot again but it was different from that. It was coursing through all the same but yet so different, pumping whatever was inside her into the half-conscious man before her. He wasn't moving though. His breath was growing shallower. Fucking hell. She just wanted to heal him. For Shoto. She was doing this for him. But she could only do so much. Endeavor had to drink more himself to get it. Blood began to drip from the corner of his mouth; he couldn't swallow anymore.

It was as if he was giving up. She wouldn't allow that to happen.

Brown eyes narrowed as she slammed a fist onto the operating table, the cold metal hurting and she could hear noise in the background but she was too focused on this damn man. "Drink! If you want to fucking live then drink!" She wouldn't let Shoto go through this. "You're not dying on my watch! I'm not letting Shoto or his, your, family lose a father! Not after all that's happened!" She slammed her hand again, earning a twitch from Endeavor. She knew he was hurting, in pain, but she needed to get him back to consciousness in order for this to work. She would not allow him to not have a messed up family as she had. There was still a chance to sort out everything between them. "You still have time to fix things!"

It was painful. It was scary. She felt distant yet together, all slapped together with carelessness. Her mind was cleared, overwhelmed, and could only focus on what was in front of her as her memories and thoughts became so scattered. A struggle. It was like she was one fire. Burning. Supernova. As bright and hot as the fire that came from the very man she was trying to heal. The energy from before was making her blood boil. She - Something was happening to herself. She didn't know what but she knew it could help - a gut feeling.

Hisoka let out a shaking breath, vision blurring. She wasn't there anymore. She was somewhere else. This- This- Who? No! Focus! He was there. Right there! The muscular (tall, lean) physique, the short spiky crimson (shiny dark green with yellow streaks) hair, and the turquoise (strikingly bright-yellow) eyes. He was not going to fucking die (again) on her watch! Not this time or any other time!

"Drink if you ever want to make up with your family! You have to fucking live to be with them!" Slamming her hand on the metal for the third time, harder and heavier next to his head, centimeters from his ear, made the man jolt, eyes widening as he stared into her glare. "Drink!" She let out a grunt, the blunt ends of his teeth digging into her skin. She felt him suck on her blood, drinking it as his one good hand latched onto her, gripping it tightly. Taking deep breaths, she studied herself before looking at the awed and wide-eyed personnel there other than Recovery Girl - she was watching her like a hawk - as they saw the wounds slowly begin to knit back together at a steady pace after a minute or so of drinking her blood.

When brown eyes connected with black, Recovery Girl began to bark out orders. The medical personnel snapped back to reality and began to bustle around her, working on Endeavor. Time passed and she began to feel woozy but was relieved when Endeavor's grip on her wrist went slack. Her mind felt fuzzish. A side effect. She should stop, partly ignoring Recovery Girl's warning in the background. But she couldn't. Not until she knew for sure! She couldn't let this (shiny dark green hair with yellow streaks and strikingly bright-yellow eyed) man die!

But when Hisoka's skin went as pale as her eyes, they knew she was steadily clocking out. Then nausea crept from her abdomen to her head, her body achy. The ache was dull, as if some lazy torturer stood right behind her, slowly applying enough pressure into her shoulders, into her back, to be an annoyance. It sat there, tingling, traveling all over her body. She started to feel numb, breath heavy. It had never been this bad before. The burning went cold but she ignored it all and pushed forward. She could see it was working.

Good...

Good.

"Hisoka!"

Brown eyes, half-lidded, widened a fraction as her hand was pulled away from her patient's mouth. She staggered backward, her mind swirling - the pain in her brain dealt with energy expenditure enough, her breaths shallow until she fell in a heap against something sturdy. The emotions became a blob and she could hear someone talking, their voice loud. Hisoka didn't care. She was just glad she was able to save Sir- Endeavor.

He still had a chance!

Whywhywhywhywhywhywhywhy-

Crying. Nights. Late. Over a picture.

Mama... Papa...

She was not going to let Shoto lose out on still having a father.

"Don't leave me alone!"

Hisoka felt she was being led somewhere, away from the noise of the operation room, away from Endeavor and the hurrying doctors, away from a hovering and worried Recovery Girl who turned her attention away from her... Blinking, her blurry vision straightened out and saw the one who was pulling her along, leading her to a quiet room.

"Aizawa... sensei..." she muttered.

"Quite," he said, voice filled with something unrecognizable. Was he angry? Why did it sound hollow? Why was he here? When did he get here? Why did he pull her away? Where was he taking her? He kept on pulling her until they came upon somewhere void of life, an abandoned sitting room. Hisoka could hear him say something and really couldn't register consciously as he held her by the shoulders, eyes blazing.

"What?"

He said something again. It sounded like his voice was muffled, deep underwater. It mumbled over the static. She didn't like his eyes like that. She missed the tired ones from long nights. The ones that gleamed with sadistic happiness when teaching them. The ones that held a proud glint when she did something right. The ones that sparked with bliss when shown a cat video. Not these.

"What... did you... say?"

His grip hardened. "Why did you do something like that?!"

Oh. He wanted to know why. That was easy.

"Shoto... Didn't want him to be... Fatherless... Still has a chance... unlike-"

Hisoka's mind felt muddled, eyelids heavy. They were talking about something but she really couldn't understand. She knew he was saying stuff. She was saying stuff. He looked worried. She hated it when she made people worry. It was like all she did nowadays... They shouldn't worry... about her...

Her eyes closed and she knew no more.

---

Location: Unknown

Yet... Crack... Weak. (No energy. Nothing. Something was wrong with them... They felt tired.) They felt weaker now but that had not mattered. As long as something (No! Nothing was... It was dripping... Red. So much red!) was happening then it would be alright! Something dripped from their mouth.

"Wake up!"

Crack... Crack... What was happening?

"You will be scattered-" So much red... Nothing but red. REDREDREDREDREDREDREDREDREDREDREDRED

"DON'T GO!" Crack... Crack crack creak...

"Why did he leave?" He made her mama cry! Where was she again?

She couldn't see, couldn't feel...

This was all her fault. She had to do something about all this. There was just so much coming out!

Red. "Well, your papa wanted to see you -"

More dripped. It began to flow around them. The other sank into the red before they could grab them. Everything drowned. So much red then. It surrounded them. The red darkened. They began to sink into the red.

They called for help.

Something grabbed her. "I just Want yOU two To get aLonG..." Fleeting lights. Panic spreads through her veins, cold as ice but burning nonetheless.

Sounds, whispers, and rustles. Light on a blade. Death on a blade.

(Would she ever forgive me?) I'm sorry... I'msorryI'msorryI'msorryI'msorryI'msorryI'msorryI'msorryI'msorryI'msorryI'msorryI'msorryI'msorry-

STOP IT! JUST STOP!

I'm sorry... Crack...

"Your father... My daughter." (Madness- It felt like it was never going to end. It was unsure, but could one outrun this? Some have said you cannot outrun insanity; it was like your own shadow. It was always there - a constant companion beside them. Mocking-) Agony. Sadness. Tears of red were flooding from her. Drowning into sinking beneath them, she tried to reach out to stop it. Crack...

No one! Crack...

No one came. Crack...

Crack... They were sinking - floating just above the line, mouth open as they tried to breath more and more, arms and legs unable to move before sinking to the bottom - and yet they couldn't move fully. Crack... Crack...

Crack... GONE! GONE! Gonegonegonegonegonegonegonegonegonegonegonegonegonegonegonegonegone-

" Hisoka, it's all right. I'm here for you." It was like static was blaring from all around her. Fireworks flashed in her mind – vivid colors – whowhowhowhowhowhowho- ('Your fault,' her mind whispered with a devilish grin so close to hisherown that was blinding.) What to do… What to do...

A mirror. A hand grabbed her own. Red stared into brown. Brown stared into red.

"Don't leave me alone!"

---

Author's Note: This chapter has a lot packed in, just to say a few. So much in so little time. And you get to see Hisoka in action again with both fighting and healing. ^^ And a moment with Recovery Girl too. She be adopting Hisoka as her grandkid and no one can say anything! So yeah, this is the second half of that chapter I had written in one setting (over four days) but just spilt up. Little sleep happened during that time and I am now almost done with the set up for the next Arc - the Joint Training Arc! That's going to be fun to do! Hisoka never really fights with others often so it'll be fun to come up with something then and to see who she'll fight against. Make your bets now. Will she win? Will she not win?

Well, who knows. (I dooooo~! lol) Anyway, make your theories on what will happen next, what you want to see, what you wish would happen and what you wish wouldn't or another in between. ^^ I will hopefully see you in a few weeks with the next chapter for The Hand That Bleeds as well as Wilted Lilac... TT^TT

Read and review please, it fuels my hunger.