Spring was returning, the flowers and foliage poking out through the melted snow. The sun bathed the house in lazy warmth. Ichika stepped out, stretching her arms high above her head as the birds welcomed the morning with a lilting song. Clusters of trumpeting daffodils and bellflowers bobbed in greeting, coaxing her to lie down in the mixed yellows and blues.

Little did she know, the events of that day would change her life forever.

The house could only do so much for them. They had to restock on supplies, which meant returning to the city. It would be the first time she went back since they first came up to Sekoto Peak. Toya offered to help them, but she was pretty sure his parents would notice if food went missing, and besides, a girl had needs. She didn't want to have to give him 'the talk'.

The city was still the same as it always was. She kept her head ducked low, guitar slung across her back. Its weight was a familiar comfort. She always made sure it was within arm's reach, in part for self-defense. But when Tenko and Toya heard this, they laughed in her face.

"You're plenty dangerous even without a weapon."

That was true, but she still held onto it.

Nobody spared her a second glance, and in no time at all, she was stepping out from the store with bags full of food. Most of it was instant, but what little money they had was borrowed from Toya, so they'd just have to work off the calories.

It was a good thing she didn't waste any time in produce, because just as she stepped out into the street, a giant foot came crashing down.

The shadow above her lifted as a giant, super-sized villain stormed into the street. She gave a slow blink at its looming figure, then turned back to the store. Shattered roof tiles lay scattered all around her, clouds of dust rising from the crumpled building. A can of beans rolled to her feet, but her gaze was on the unmoving bodies in the debris, on the cashier, whose arm was bent at a grotesque angle that should only exist in horror movies, and — and she looked away from his face.

Her legs were moving before she even realized. Her surroundings shot by in a blur as she sprinted away, bags swinging wildly at her side. She glanced back in time to see another building collapse. It didn't look like any heroes arrived yet, or at least, nobody was stopping the villain. His quirk reminded her of Mt. Lady's, but he owned none of her beauty. His gaunt face was dry and withered, head thrown back in laughter as he swung his fists, knocking down buildings like towers of cards.

The air was thick with dust, obscuring her vision. She slowed to a halt, scanning the area. There were people silhouetted in the haze, running for cover. Their screams made her wince.

"I ca–can't move! It hurts!"

A car, or what used to be a car, blocked the street. The crumpled, warped mass of steel trapped a young girl inside. She was squirming, yelling for help, but the car was barely holding itself together under the concrete rubble. It was hopeless. There was no way she could get out on her own, not without disturbing the rubble.

She averted her gaze, trying to get by, but the girl's voice held her in place.

"Help me, please! I can't get out!"

People pointed and stared, but no one moved. Some had their phones out, filming.

The heroes weren't here yet.

"Help! Mom, mommy, she — she can't move!"

The car creaked.

Tenko was waiting for her. They didn't have tea yet. They always had tea together in the morning, but they ran out. She just had to go and buy more tea.

A booming laugh shook the ground, its vibrations shaking her core.

Toya didn't win yet. He needed to win.

No heroes.

They were waiting for her.

"He-help, help! Please! Please, mommy's — she, she's not moving—"

The girl was in her arms in an instant, far away from the wreckage. They watched as it collapsed under the concrete and burst into flames, lighting up the bodies inside. The girl jerked forward in her arms, shrieking, crying out for someone to help them—

"They're dead."

At her words, the girl went limp. Choked sobs wracked her tiny body. It was all she could do to hold her.

A dark shadow flooded the street, looming over then. She gave a sharp whistle, and it fell away. Thick red liquid rained from the sky, a sweet, metallic smell piercing the air. She hugged the girl tight to her chest, singing a few more notes. Bile rose in her throat as that sweet stench grew more pungent. There was a thunderous roar, then a boom of wind before everything settled.

She raised her head to find a hundred pair of eyes on her. There was a wide berth around them and the street was painted red, its smell wrinkling her nose. A single person lay unconscious in the center of the chaos; the villain, his quirk deactivated.

Her shoes squelched as she stepped back, checking the girl for injuries. To her relief, she was unharmed and completely dry.

As for herself, she could only imagine how she must have looked. Her disheveled hair was so thoroughly soaked that it looked dyed, the crimson coating her body like a second skin. Her clothes were wet and dripping as she handed the girl off to someone else, someone with kids. Then she picked up her bags and went home.

In the blink of an eye, her surroundings changed. One moment, there were buildings; then trees; then Tenko was in front of her, saying something she couldn't hear. She held up the grocery bags, which he threw away and ushered her into the shower.

Then the water was roaring in her ears, pelting against her skin. It was blissfully warm. The water slowly changed color, her eyes trailing the crimson's inky crawl.

Her heart thudded in her chest. The walls closed in on her, sucking the air from the room. Her breath came faster and faster, fluttering away out of reach as she collapsed to her knees. The image of flesh splitting apart to muscle and bone replayed in her head.

After some time, minutes or hours — she wasn't sure — she forcibly reminded herself that he killed people. Lots of people. Destroyed homes. And thanks to her, he couldn't walk anymore, which meant he couldn't use his quirk. He was probably still lying in his own blood.

A knock. Someone's voice.

Tenko, it was Tenko calling her name.

She sucked in a deep breath, returning the oxygen to her muscles. Her legs shook as she fought for even ground, leaning on the wall for support. She scrubbed at the dried blood on her skin, rubbing hard, rubbing until her skin turned raw.

Gradually, awareness returned. She dried, dressed. Followed an familiar herbal smell to the kitchen, where the boys were waiting with tea. Their eyes darted over at the sound of her approach, watching as she sat down and closed her hands around a warm mug.

Toya broke the silence first.

"What happened? Was it a villain?"

She said nothing.

"Were you hurt?"

She sipped her tea, making a face. It was hot.

She drank it again.

Grimaced.

There was an audible growl from Toya.

A firm hand laid on her shoulder. She stiffened under Tenko's tight grip.

"You were covered in blood. There's a story there, right?"

"You looked like fucking Carrie."

"Wow," she said, blinking at Toya. "That movie is so old. How do you know it? Or did you read the book?"

Toya shot to his feet. "This isn't a joke! You can't just show up like that and pretend nothing happened!"

"Nothing happened."

"Nothing my ass!"

"Toya, don't—"

"What happened? If it was a villain, we'll tell Endeavor and—"

"Don't," she blurted. "It was a villain, but I took care of it. It's over now."

She returned to her tea, signaling the conversation was over.

The boys exchanged an indecipherable look, exchanging silent words before turning back to her.

"Ichika, just answer one question and we'll leave you alone." Tenko's voice was laced with worry, but knowing she wouldn't talk about it, he only asked, "Was that your blood?"

For a long while, she was quiet. It was long enough for Toya to consider using his quirk to force the truth out of her. Long enough to tempt Tenko into dusting her tea, if only to get her attention. They both almost did, but then she spoke.

"No."

And that was that.

Silence.

Not a peep of sound left Ichika's lips, no humming or even any idle strumming. She barely touched her guitar, leaving it propped up against the wall. Tenko tried getting her to talk, but she didn't speak, never even sang a word.

The next day, when Toya came and challenged her for the hundredth time, they had a big, explosive argument that ended in her running from his fireballs for the next half hour. Not once did she use her quirk.

They knew it had something to do with what happened in the city, but whenever they broached the topic, she either pretended not to understand or changed the subject. Something of an answer came later that day when Toya overheard Endeavor on the phone, talking about a villain found with severe injuries. He relayed the news to Tenko, and they both agreed that whatever happened, it wasn't her fault, and if she had something to do with it, it couldn't have been by choice. It was with great reluctance that they let it go, but they didn't give up on making her sing again. Without very much success. At all.

Then, two days later, there was a knock at the door.

Ichika stilled at the sound. The only others who knew about her and Tenko were Fuyumi and Natsuo, but they never came here. If they did, they certainly wouldn't knock. Toya was with them now, talking about manga. A deep sense of dread writhed inside of her.

She grabbed Tenko's hand, glancing at the bedroom. He squeezed back, understanding. The bedroom window was small, but their slender frames could slip through easily. They already packed bags in case anything ever happened.

Toya crept over to the door and cracked it open a silver. Then, shooting them a look over his shoulder, he shifted to shield them from sight.

Time to run.

"Dad, what are you doing here?"

"I should be asking you that question. What are you doing, Toya?"

The low rumble of Endeavor's voice kicked her heart into a gallop. She froze halfway across the room, hair standing on end as the heat of his flames licked her nape. They seemed to say, I'm here. There's no escape.

𝙽𝚎𝚠 𝙲𝚑𝚊𝚛𝚊𝚌𝚝𝚎𝚛!

𝙽𝚊𝚖𝚎: 𝚃𝚘𝚍𝚘𝚛𝚘𝚔𝚒 𝙴𝚗𝚓𝚒 (𝙴𝚗𝚍𝚎𝚊𝚟𝚘𝚛)

𝙰𝚐𝚎: 𝟺𝟻

𝚀𝚞𝚒𝚛𝚔: 𝙷𝚎𝚕𝚕𝚏𝚕𝚊𝚖𝚎

𝚄𝚗𝚍𝚎𝚛𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚗𝚍𝚒𝚗𝚐: 𝚂𝚑𝚊𝚕𝚕𝚘𝚠

"Endo, c'mon! Don't make me carry you."

"Sorry," she whispered, closing the screen.

Before they could go any further, the door crashed open, revealing a huge man wreathed in flames. Her eyes sought Toya, locking onto his sprawled form. He laid against the wall, wincing. His eyes were blown wide with panic as they met her gaze.

She stalked forward, curling her tongue. "What do you want?"

Endeavor paused in his rampage, regarding the raggedy girl before him. She was by no means dirty, but no one that young ever looked him in the eyes with such a fierce expression. What's more, squatting on his property... His jaw ticked as she held his gaze. "How long have you been living here?"

"How long have you treated your son like that?"

His brow furrowed, but before he could speak, someone cut in between them. A man in a black suit who, even as he crouched to her height, loomed above her by a head. He offered a charismatic smile. She narrowed her eyes in suspicion; black suits usually meant bad news.

"My name is Jiayi Akihiro. You don't know how long I've been looking for you, Miss Ichika."

"What do you want."

He chuckled, standing. Now she was completely in his shadow. He must've been at least six feet, with long slender limbs and spider hands. "Straight to the point, I like that. Let's talk then."

A moment later, the five of them were gathered around the kitchen table.

Endeavor tried to get Toya to leave, but he refused, and so had Tenko. The table was small, so it was a tight fit. She was squeezed between the boys, sitting across from the black suit. He looked to be in his forties, maybe older. His face showed signs of aging, with wrinkles here and there and crow's feet coming from his eyes, but his hair was slicked back in a young facade. His eyes narrowed in a smile, glinting like twin jades in the dim light of the sun. It was probably meant to be kind, but she was reminded of snake eyes as they raked her frame.

"I am a member of the HPSC," he said, leaning across the table. "The Hero Public Safety Commission. Ichika Endo, you caught our attention after a villain attack two days ago. You know what I'm referring to, don't you?"

"I do," she muttered. Tenko and Toya exchanged a look — would they finally get to hear what happened?

"You were born with a powerful quirk. The HPSC wants to help you cultivate that power."

Tenko pulled on her sleeve, but she ignored him. An explanation was long overdue, but she wasn't eager to revisit the memory.

As if sensing her discomfort, Jiayi explained, "Two days ago, a villain with a size quirk attacked the city. He destroyed almost half the district, and the heroes weren't able to stop him in time to prevent casualties. But to our luck, he was unconscious when the heroes finally caught up with him. We reviewed the city footage, and it led us to you, Miss Ichika."

What he failed to mention was the state of the body. The villain had lacerations on both feet, in the tendons. His right leg was so cut up, nobody was sure what it was at first. Not to mention the blood. He thought she did that on purpose, but now, realizing her age, it was impossible that those injuries were deliberate. Part of him was disturbed, but another part — the reason he did this job at all — spread a grin across his face.

"I was assigned as your handler," he continued. "You are to come with me."

Ichika felt the walls closing in as Jiayi licked his lips in anticipation. Truly, those were snake eyes, she thought, feeling very much like a mouse before a snake poised to strike. Or, rather, a butterfly pinned to a board. The weight of his gaze nearly made her shrink; it was only fear that kept her still.

This man wasn't here to recruit her into the hero community. He was here to put down a potential danger.

Tenko shot to his feet. "She's not going with you!"

"That is her decision."

"Why would she go with you? If it weren't for the heroes…" Tenko spat out the word 'hero' like a chewed up wad of gum. "If they got there in time, then none of this would have happened! They're useless!"

Endeavor sat up at that. Tenko flinched, but stayed standing. Toya was suddenly fascinated by something under his nails.

Ichika herself was stunned to hear those words leave the mouth of a boy who, just days ago, was excitedly rambling about All Might. But then his hand twitched, trembling ever so slightly. She pulled Tenko back down to his seat, squeezing his hand, but his eyes were on Jiayi.

Jiayi only looked at her, a full grin painting his face. "What do you think, Miss Ichika?"

All the heads in the room swiveled her way.

She swallowed a sigh.

Why did these things keep happening to her?