Eri, who was slowly relaxing more and more in Ochako's company, accepted the fish and began to eat. She didn't eat like Ochako ate, though. Eri ate with a ferociousness and a viciousness that unsettled Ochako. Once more, the older girl was hit with a pang of intense sadness on behalf of Eri. By the time Eri was done, there were bits and pieces of fish left behind on her face, as well as a shiny layer of grease around her mouth and on her hands. Ochako remembered when her mother used to gently grasp her chin and wipe off her face after every meal. She figured, though, that if she were to try and grab Eri's chin it would smash what small bit of comfort that Eri had gained. She decided against it, and instead pulled out a handkerchief - small and white with hydrangeas embroidered along the edge - to give to Eri.

"Some of the fish escaped your mouth, Eri," Ochako said with an amused smile. She offered the handkerchief to Eri, who hesitantly took it. Ochako pointed to her own face where Eri had gotten some fish and Eri wiped it away. She handed the handkerchief back to Ochako, who tucked it back into the top of her blouse. "There we go! All better!"

Eri gave her a small smile and tucked her face into her knees, which were pulled up to her chest. Suddenly, the sound of fighting came from farther off in the trees; the small smile that had been on Eri's face fell as her little shoulders tightened up beside her ears.

The sound of fighting got louder, almost as if whatever was making the ruckus was getting closer. Green tinged lightning bolts shot into the sky (which gave Ochako a copper taste in her mouth), and trees began to topple over.

Ochako knew she should be moving - jumping up and running with Eri to safety - but she was too stunned to move. Her mother would have called her a deer caught in the crosshairs.

Off to the side (much closer than Ochako would have liked), the underbrush started rustling. Ochako had just managed to plant herself in between Eri and whatever was causing the rustling when the underbrush parted and Tsuyu came sprinting into the clearing. Ochako could feel Eri's fingers grasp the back of her shirt.

The noise from the fighting was so loud that Ochako had to yell when she said, "Do you know what's going on?"

Tsu crouched down in front of Ochako and Eri. She spared Eri a confused glance before she turned her eyes back to Ochako. Her face looked different today, almost as if someone had erased her facial features and drawn them again with more exaggeration. Her eyes were bigger, and her jaw was too. Tsuyu's new appearance unsettled Ochako greatly. Ochako tried to push that feeling of uneasiness down. Why should she be unsettled? It was just Tsuyu, her best friend. Maybe the stress and the panic was making her hallucinate.

Tsuyu grabbed Ochako's arm (gently, but still urgently) and tugged her to her feet. Ochako could still feel Eri's little fingers wrapped around the back of her shirt, so she knew that Eri had stood up, too.

"We need to go," was all Tsuyu said before she started pulling the other two girls in the direction of Ochako's house. Tsuyu's gait was more of a hop than a walk.

"Now hold on," Ochako pulled her arm from Tsuyu's grasp. Eri had let go of her shirt and instead had grabbed onto Ochako's skirt. "What exactly is going on?"

"Izuku and I were on our way to visit you when we came across a group of pirates." Tsuyu hesitated on the word 'pirate', as if she meant to say something else but decided against it. "One of them kept talking about you and asking where you were. We wouldn't tell her, which seemed to anger the whole group, and then they started fighting us. Izuku stayed behind to keep them at bay and I came here to find you. Now come on, we need to go!"

Before the trio could even begin to make their escape, a streak of lightning shot from the trees and crashed into the clearing. The noise from the impact left Ochako's ears ringing. In the crater left behind, Ochako could see a person struggling to stand. She didn't think twice before untangling Eri's hands from her skirt and running towards the person, who she quickly recognized as -

"Izuku?"

"'Chako! Sorry for the crash landing, I'm not all that great at using this power. I don't get to use it often." Ochako thought about Tsuyu's face, and how she thought she must have been hallucinating. If she was hallucinating now, she needed medical attention. For the most part, Izuku looked the same as he always had except now he was covered in streaks of green lightning and his - ears were pointed? "I can see you have questions, and Tsu and I will answer them all later, but right now you really have to get out of here."

Izuku had finally managed to stand and was attempting to direct Ochako back over to Tsuyu and Eri, but Ochako had had just about enough of being led to places. She turned around to face Izuku, even though the lightning still surrounding her friend frightened her.

"I appreciate you trying to protect me, Izu, but I'm not leaving." Branches and underbrush rustled and cracked in the distance. "Those pirates - or whatever they are - are coming here to attack you, and I'm not just going to leave you here to fight alone!" Ochako rolled up her sleeves and was beginning to gird her loins when Izuku spoke next.

"They're only attacking me because I won't let them get to you."

Out of Ochako's periphery, she could see that Tsuyu was dashing towards them (though her friend's running looked more akin to jumping).

The rustling turned into clear footsteps as the assailants came closer to entering the clearing. Ochako's heartbeat sped up as she began to see the foliage move. She could feel the breeze against her arms and legs as the wind picked up - almost as if the universe was trying to set the scene for the confrontation that was about to begin.

In the occasional novel that Ochako would read, the author would say that time slowed down. Seconds would turn into minutes, minutes to hours, hours to eternities. She had imagined what it would feel like: the slow rising horror, the lost sense of time, the dread making her stomach turn. All the imagination in the world did not prepare her for how this real life situation actually played out. Time did not slow down. It almost seemed to speed up as one moment the assailants were hidden in the brush, and the next they were emerging from in between the trees and traipsing into the clearing.

The first to enter the clearing was covered in so much scar tissue that it was completely clear for Ochako to see, even though she was several dozen paces away from him. The scars were everywhere - along his bottom jaw, under his eyes, and along his forearms. They were raised and angry looking like they hadn't healed properly. A tricorn hat - ragged and old - sat upon his head, covering up most of his hair. Occasional tufts of his white hair lay across his forehead and around his ears. Along the edges of his ears, pieces of metal glinted in the afternoon sun. They must be pierced. His clothes (jacket, shirt, and pants) matched his hat in that they were ragged and old, almost as if these were the only clothes that he owned.

The man that walked beside the first one looked to have green skin. Ochako blinked to readjust her eyesight, but as they got closer (and more people spilled out from the woods) she could see that he had scales. This man had scales. His purple (purple!) hair was pulled back into a braid over his shoulder, and a black head band held the rest of his hair out of his eyes.Two twin blades were strapped to his back, and the hilts were peeking out above his shoulders.

The next to enter the clearing was a rather tall woman. Her shoulders were broad and muscular, probably from years of hard work. Her auburn hair was loose and about the length of her shoulders and interspersed with little braids. Her shirt was parchment colored and a brown corset was wrapped around her torso. A round pair of tinted glasses sat on the bridge of her nose.

Ochako had to squint to see where the next person was. Originally, he looked like a blurry spot in her vision. She could see the shapes of the forest through him. From the little that she could see, he looked to have a large incision down the center of his forehead.

The next man was easy to see, as his highly decorated outfit stood out from the rest. His cavalier cap was cocked at an angle that Ochako would definitely describe as jaunty, with a large plume bouncing each time he walked. The top half of his face (minus his eyes) was covered in a black fabric mask that tied at the back of his head. His dark hair curled out from underneath his hat. His clothes, unlike the other members of the group, were neat and tidy and highly fashionable. Red gloves covered his hands.

The last member of the group was easily recognizable to Ochako. Her blonde hair was up in twin buns on either side of her head instead of down around her face like the last time Ochako saw her. A dark blue pleated skirt came down around her ankles, and brown boots encased her feet. Her blouse was long sleeved, and open at the collar exposing her pale throat. The one thing that had not changed since Ochako had last seen her was her expression: manic excitement.

And her eyes. Those mini moons tucked behind pale lashes would be recognizable anywhere.

Beside her, Ochako could hear Izuku's lightning crackle as it got stronger in preparation. Tsuyu arrived by their side just as a high pitched squeal came from across the clearing. Himiko rushed forward out of the rest of the group and grabbed Ochako's shoulders in a hug.

"Ochako! You're definitely a sight for sore eyes!"