The walk back from the forest clearing was vastly different from the initial journey for countless reasons. For one, Ochako had no idea that pirates–human and non-human alike–could talk so much about so little.

Magne–or 'Big Sis Mag,' as Ochako had heard Himiko call her–had taken to notifying the group whenever they changed cardinal directions. At first Ochako had been amazed, for she had seen that the older woman was not in the possession of a compass, but now it was starting to grate on her nerves. What did it matter if they were going north or northwest? Ochako knew where she was going; she didn't need additional directions or commentary.

Compress had joined Izuku in entertaining Eri: pulling coins from behind her ear and then tossing them to Izuku for him to make sparkle with electricity or levitate or something else that would make Ochako's head spin if she looked at it for too long. Everytime the two of them performed a new trick, Eri would giggle or let out a soft high-pitched squeal. While adorable, the noise just added to the rising din.

Dabi, Jin, and Spinner had taken to arguing over which of the three of them would beat each other at different odds and ends. At one point it had been gambling, and then somewhere along the way it had shifted to sword swallowing. Ochako had the distinct opinion that Jin could beat the other two at most things simply on the factor that he was already dead, and the other two were not. Fire throwing had even been brought up, but to Ochako's surprise Dabi had backed out of that argument. The other two had seemed guilty for bringing it up, but Dabi had quickly changed the subject by suggesting high-diving off of the ship's plank.

Himiko–who had clasped onto Ochako's hand after their conversation and hadn't let go since–glanced back at that particular challenge.

"Dabi, I think you'll find that any of the selkies will have you beat on that one."

"Maybe," Dabi started to respond. "I won't let any of you slippery fuckers participate in that event. You have an unfair advantage, being a selkie and all."

"Maybe you're just scared of not winning," Magne chimed in. "Also, we're going northwest now. Just thought you should know."

Between everyone's chattering and the sound of their footsteps they were making a deafening racket as they trekked back through the woods. Out of the lot of them, though, Tsu's was the only footsteps that she could pick out from everyone else's. Her gait was off-beat, almost lopsided. Ochako had never noticed Tsu's odd walk before, but then again she hadn't noticed many important things about her friend before now, had she?

"Are we almost there, princess?" Without Ochako noticing (damn, she really needed to start paying attention), Dabi had come to the front of the group and was walking right beside her and Himiko. His scars looked even more painful up close. They were definitely burn scars, at least from what Ochako could tell. His skin looked like it had bubbled and blistered and bled. She felt awfully sorry for him, but then she registered what he had said.

"Yes. And don't call me 'princess'!"

His only response was to laugh and drop back to his original walking spot in the group.

Finally–finally–Ochako caught a glimpse of the chimney through the trees. There was a hearty stream of smoke rising from the chimney, but Ochako knew that couldn't be so. She knew that the fire had been reduced to glowing coals, and her parents had left the house early–in between the time that she had returned from one walk and gone on the next. They wouldn't have started one up again just to leave. As they got nearer and more of the house came into view, Ochako heard a scream.

She started running towards the house, but Himiko held her back.

"Himiko, what–?"

"I have to tell you something," Himiko said. She sounded nervous and–bashful?

"Right now? Can't it wait? My mom–"

"You said we have to work on communication, but there's something I haven't communicated with you."

The group, Ochako noticed, had become divided again. Himiko's group had all paled–or looked anxious, in the case of Spinner and Jin. Izuku and Tsu were looking suspiciously at the other five. Eri, who had been all smiles and laughter moments before, had gone back to making herself look as small as possible.

"Does it have something to do with why my parents screamed?"

"Yes," Himiko said. "When we were looking for you, we went inside your house–"

"You broke into–"

"Hey, hey, hey! It's not like this isn't something that our Himiko hasn't done before!" Magne said.

"Yeah, princess," Dabi said, putting emphasis on that dreadful moniker. "How do you think she delivered all of your courting gifts? Don't start getting upset now, it's too late for that."

"Just because she's done it before, doesn't make it okay, kero."

"Will someone just tell me what happened?!" Ochako shouted, and regretted doing so when she saw Eri flinch and hide herself behind the nearest tree.

Himiko crossed her arms across her stomach before saying, "We left our captain in your living room."

Ochako closed her eyes and took a shaky breath. The surrounding forest, which had been so filled with noise, was now deathly silent.

"We'll talk about this later," was Ochako's only response before she turned on her heel and ran helter-skelter.

She didn't look behind her to make sure they followed, but soon enough she didn't have to. The sounds of pounding feet and snapping twigs were right behind her all the way to her front door.

Her living room, she saw, was in quite a state as she stepped in through the doorway. The low-rising center table had been overturned; one of the legs had been broken off and her mother's table-runner was laying among the splinters. The blankets from the back of the loveseat were askew, as were the throw pillows and even one of the couch cushions.

Ochako saw her mother first. She was standing in the archway that connected the kitchen to the living room. One of her hands was covering her mouth and the other was clutching at the wooden frame of the archway. In the middle of the living room–among the mess and the chaos–stood two men. One of them Ochako saw was her father. He had a pistol aimed at the other man.

Though the other man's back was turned to her, she could still make out some details about him. He was tall and thin with shoulder length white hair that was in a rather unkempt state. He had a ragged gray leather cloak wrapped around his shoulders over his white shirt. It was the kind of cloak that Ochako would recognize anywhere.

The cloak around that man's shoulders was a selkie skin.

"Dad, don't shoot!"

All eyes in the room—her mother's, father's, and the selkie captain's—we're on her in an instant. She heard the rest of the group that had been following her stop behind her in the foyer. She turned around only briefly and saw that Izuku had picked up Eri was carrying her piggy-back style on his back.

"Ochako, go upstairs. I'll handle this, but I need you safe upstairs." Her father said. His finger was poised over the trigger.

"Tomura," Ochako heard Dabi whisper. He didn't seem particularly worried in any sense, but that was the most emotion she had heard in his voice in the very short time that she had known him.

"Dad," Ochako said again. "Please do not shoot. I can explain."