Guild Master here again, again.

This is the prelude with Mina's and Haru's past being revealed.

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It was the height of the lunch rush in front of the shopping center that Haru was parked in front of. One after another customers gravitated to his truck by the nose as the aromas of goat curry buns kept luring in more and more people. Out of the oven came several more trayfulls of ready steamed and fluffy buns. Off to the right he dropped them into scalding oil where they formed a golden crust that was to die for. He double fried the buns and once they hit peak crust quality he extracted them onto prep trays that were emptied almost immediately after being laid down on the space. He was also working some coleslaw off to the side as a pickling element to add some lightness and texture variety for those who were helping themselves to multiple servings of his cooking. Both of these were going in tandem and the newest batch was emptied in as much time it took to make the newest one. While filling out orders and keeping his line at minimum of five people at any given time he was called out from out of the blue.

"Oi! Nakamura-san!"

He amazingly didn't lose rhythm as he looked to the source of where his name came from. From there a woman dressed in yoga pants and sportswear dragging a child behind her was waving to him as the odd duo quickly arrived at his van.

"Ah, Ashido-san; to what do I owe the pleasure?"

She placed her ten year old daughter up on the stoll set up at Haru's bar. Incredibly with just a wave of his hand he moved the line forming over to his left to make room for the child. The girl spun around and was an interesting sight to behold. Her skin was a fruity pink hue with hair unruly and sticking out freely wherever it felt like going. The whites of her eyes were pitch black; more impressively her eyes were a rare gold that made the child rather predatory in aesthetics. He then noticed some thin horns jutting out of the child's short hair and hoped that they were not as delicate as they looked.

"I am so sorry! I'm running late for this new yoga class I'm attending and I was left with my daughter since her father got pulled at the last minute to work and was unable to watch her at home! Can you do me a quick favor and watch her until I finish up? I don't wanna bore her there and disturb the class if she gets restless…"

"Uh, I-"

"Great! Thank you so much! Now Mina, I need you to listen to Haru-san here very carefully. He'll watch over you and while you're here…"

The mother was a good regular of his van and was one of the few people in the country who could actually follow him to a certain consistency wherever he went to set up shop. She always appreciated whatever he made for her and was even willing to manage his social media and review pages for him. He just told her that it was her business at his food truck that he appreciated the most and that it was pointless to have anything like a social media since he was rather content just being a drifter. The woman was rather energetic for her age and even had a child she lovingly looked after. Some parents as liberal with their time while caring for children were often seen as irresponsible by most people. Haru could easily see that the energy this woman had wasn't due to her making room for it by being neglectful of her home life; it just seemed to be that the woman had the energy to spare.

"... and that should be it! Okay? Now, give momma a kiss…"

The energetic mother tapped her right cheek for the daughter to peck at. The mission briefing she gave her daughter was short and sweet since as of right now she was depending on Haru for support. Not that he minded or was going to deflect the favor; it just seemed that the mother kept going at her own momentum and it was quite the pace to keep up with.

"Okay, gotta go! Bye, Mina! Be good!"

She went off and rushed to get to her yoga class in time. One thing was for certain; that woman took good care of herself seeing as she had eyes magnetized to her figure as she jogged. Her figure was ample but by no means overweight. She had a tight physique and was a sight for sore eyes. For now Haru just looked back at the child left in his care and in return the young Mina Ashido just looked at him with a grin that was both clueless and happy to meet him. She seemed much like her mother as someone who just went with things and was quick to adapt to social situations. It was almost comical how quickly Mina was dropped off into his care and was completely okay with spending time with him.

"... Hi there. My name is Nakamura."

He had worked the line down and now only three people were waiting for their turn to order. He extended a hand out to the child and immediately she got on her knees on the stool and reached up excitedly to greet Haru.

"Hi! My name is Mina!"

Well, at the very least he could guarantee that this young child was indeed her mother's daughter. She wore a small black hoodie and a white skirt that went just above her knees. Running shoes topped off the ensemble easily enough and conveyed how energetic this child must be on the regular. The adult and child shook hands briefly as they met for the first time.

"You hungry, kiddo?"

Mina's head was a blur of pink hair whipping around wildly as she was eager to partake in the food that she caught the scent of earlier. Haru didn't skip a beat as he was supplying his usual orders while setting aside a bun and side of coleslaw for the young girl. She dug in and after juggling the hot bun in her fingertips for a bit Haru gave Mina a fork and knife to assist her eating. She was able to cut into the crispy bun and marveled the fluffy bread and rich filling with a medley of liquified veggies and tender goat meat. The exterior was so light and flakey her fork and knife barely registered any sort of resistance as she dug in. She took the time to cool her first bite by blowing on it like her mom instructed her to do in order to avoid mouth burns.

The second she sank her teeth into that first slice of bun it was like several complex sensations were working together to overwhelm her. The breading was serving as a platform to elevate the savory in the goat meat while being so light and soft that it just disappeared as she kept chewing. The curry was aromatic and wasn't overly salty at all. She could smell and taste all the spices working in harmony as the vegetables were stewed to soft perfection. She was still young and still had a simple pallet as most children did; still she was able to understand that what she was eating was overwhelmingly delicious. She was about forty percent done with the bun when she decided to dig into the coleslaw. Mina wasn't picky when it came to healthier dishes and in fact was partial to certain dishes her other classmates found unappetizing. She sank her fork into the pile of chopped vegetables soaked in all sorts of seasonings and sauces and lifted a healthy amount of coleslaw into her mouth.

The crispness of the veggies was such a pleasant sensation as there was barely any excess moisture to make them soggy and unpleasant to chew into. Not having been exposed to southern cooking before today she didn't know about the error that many people make with this side dish. She was exposed to a perfect ratio of mayo and all the other ingredients that made the cabbage easy to almost inhale. She kept chewing and rather than bitterness or sogginess that her peers hated she was greeted with more of that refreshing snap of biting into high quality vegetables. More prominently in this dish she could taste something that she was very familiar with. It took a few bites and when she realized what it was she was tasting she declared out loud her genuine pleasure over the use of her favorite veggie.

"This… It's…"

"Yup. Surprised you realized so soon."

Haru was not reaching the end of the lunch rush and was filling out the last few customers that were arriving just then late into lunch or coming back for another helping. Mina didn't think that Haru was paying attention to her since he looked so busy with cooking; apparently she was wrong.

"Since a lot of people like to order my sides and save them for future meals; I had to adjust my recipes to make them last longer. For coleslaw the veggies can get soggy and the sauce gets very watery because of that. By adding okra the sauce naturally thickens slightly and makes the sauce still pleasant to eat later."

All of this was announced while he was still working in the kitchen. His ability to work and pay attention still baffled her mind; adults truly were amazing. The meal was eventually finished by the pink child and everything given to her was licked clean. That wasn't an indication that he underfed the child by any means; she found everything so good that even after finishing her plate and being full she still wanted to taste everything just one more time. She wiped her hand and face with the wet towelette Haru gave her and patted her belly satisfied from such a hearty meal.

It was roughly thirty minutes from the moment she was dropped off to Haru's care and now the line that was bustling was trickling down to nothing. Haru took advantage of the idle time to finally finish up organizing and cleaning his workspace. It wasn't by any sort of intention to set off the adults charged with watching her that she tended to wander off on her own. Her energy was peaking at her young age and without thinking her body just went into autopilot to find something for her to burn her excess energy off on. Haru was cleaning and without realizing she had spun in the stool she was planted in and about to jump off to go for what she thought was a simple walk she was cut off by Haru.

"Mina. Don't wander off."

She peeked over her shoulder and saw that Haru was not only turned away from her; he was out of eyeshot and organizing his seasonings in the storage space below. It bewildered her that he was able to see her from such a difficult angle. She turned back around and just sat a bit bored for a few moments, until she began listening to the music playing in the background in Haru's van and felt a rhythm that resonated from inside of her. Her hands began to tap in rhythm and even differentiating the different layers of rhythm her two hands tapped in separate manners. Haru could pick up the curious tapping as he was wrapping up cleaning his truck from the lunch rush from earlier. He stood up after finishing the last of his cleaning and saw that Mina was tapping away with a very clear understanding of understanding songs in different layers. It was an american R&B song she was tapping away at; so he entertained the idea that just popped into his head.

"You dance, Mina?"

Mina stopped her tapping and just looked at Haru like he caught her with her hand in the cookie jar. She asked for clarification since she didn't know if it was something she was in trouble for or simply a question out of curiosity.

"Uh. Um. I… Yeah?"

"Awesome! Sorry if I scared you, I just saw you listening to the music and figured you wanted to dance to it."

Mina was still amateurish in her own head. Haru wanted to offer her an open invitation to just do what she wanted with the music playing and she was finding it hard to respond to his invitation. She was rather bashful for how brave and bold she tended to be in comparison to now.

"... Hm, how's about this?"

Haru didn't hesitate to flip his sign to close and even lowered the temporary shutters to let the girl enjoy her time with the music that was playing. Haru exited the kitchen and just opened up his car doors to let the music pour out with a rhythm that Mina had to fight against as it was such an invigorating experience she wanted to surrender herself to. The child's hesitance was more than less likely a bit of shyness that came with adjusting to social cues and the presence of so many onlookers. He figured that maybe it was his place to find a way for Mina to feel more comfortable with her dancing.

He pulled his mobile out and changed the song to a more generic but rhythmic hip hop track that was mostly just a beat track. Most of the people who had an excuse to stay were all gone, and so with the space available he started to bob and nod to the rhythm of the new audio being played on his van's stereo system. On the solid pavement he suddenly launched into a front back flip and transitioned into a complex set of twelve steps and other b-boy tricking. Mina was taken aback at this seemingly boring adult just watching over her and was capable of such advanced and creative break dancing she had never seen before.

One Hour Later

The mother was rushing to get back to where she left her daughter in the care of Haru. The class was such a treat and in her stupor she realized she was thirty minutes over her initial plans. She was racing back to the front of the plaza and nearly there she saw the van that Haru was known for still sitting there. It was a bit of a relief for the mother; it then began to turn into a feeling of bewilderment as the closer she got it was more and more obvious that a dance circle was already going as other b-boys and dancers were demonstrating their skills on the circle.

The music was being fed through Haru's audio system and in the crowd she could just make out Haru and Mina just watching the other dancers taking their turns and letting them do their thing. She squoze through the dense audience and eventually she managed to tap Haru on the shoulder who then tapped Mina on the shoulder to let her know her time was due to go back home with her mother. It was a bittersweet goodbye between Haru and Mina who had quite the experience over their love of dancing.

Months Later

"Augh! I don't know what to do anymore; Haru-san!"

Haru was finishing up cleaning his workspace when the mother of Ashido Mina began venting to him her troubles over her daughter's behavior as of recently. She was the only occupant at his bar as he had set up his van on a street that had decent foot traffic and happened to be where she went after work. It really wasn't that much of a coincidence since she dropped quite a few hints as to her daily routes and out of good faith he would entertain her requests here and there for her continued patronage.

"What's up, Ashido-san?"

"Why is my daughter so finicky and picky recently?! Every single dance class I sign her up for is just met with indifference and boredom! She keeps asking me for a different dance class after the first class she attends and I'm running out of options here!"

Haru could guess that the energy that the mother was unaware of that she possessed was just as prominent in her as it was her daughter.

"Is this with every class you sign her up for? maybe she just needs a change of pace?"

"No! I try to sign her up for different hip hop workshops but still it's the same! Where is the line when my little girl keeps asking for classes and I can't find any more for her?!"

The mother of the energetic Mina was weeping at his bar and it was seemingly a rather deep conundrum for the matriarch as to what she needed to do to satisfy her girl's picky preferences. Haru could figure that he may have had a hand in influencing her daughter's preference in dancing instructors and lent the intoxicated parent a hand to alleviate her troubles.

"You know, I may be able to-"

"You'll teach her?! Oh thank you, Haru-san! You are a saint!"

It still was a mystery to Haru how this woman was shitfaced and was a step ahead of him when he offered her his help. He gave the woman his contact information and a time for her daughter to show up for her desired lessons for dancing.

A Week Later

The studio space where Haru stood as he practiced the dance style he wanted to teach Mina was empty and open as he just kept familiarizing himself with the lesson plan for the energetic young girl. He wanted to take a different approach for the child since he felt that the girl was capable of benefiting from branching out of her comfort zone. After a few minutes of just messing around the double doors leading into the floor space where he was practicing burst open and a familiar voice announced their presence to him.

"Haru-saaan! Hello! I have returned!"

He saw a bright ten year old girl beam proudly over being reunited with an old mentor after so long. Mina just skipped over to where he was on the wooden floor and just stood next to him with the widest of expectations as to what it was she was going to learn that day.

"Now what? I'll learn whatever you have ready for me! No matter what!"

"... Okay."

Three Minutes Later

This was far from what Mina was expecting from her lessons with Haru. Haru had equipped the child with heels that had made it rather uncomfortable to walk around in. Before one would assume that this was just an effort to see a young girl in heels; Haru himself was in a higher set of heels himself to demonstrate the lesson he had planned for the girl. Mina didn't know whether to be shocked or impressed at Haru's bold choice of footwear. Amazingly Haru was having a much easier time of things as Mina was still struggling to find the center of her gravity. It was a bit of a challenge against her femininity since his heels were higher than hers.

"Alright Mina. Remember that You wanted to know how it was that I got so good at dancing?"

"... I did… Is… Is this how you did it?"

She didn't know how to feel about a cross dressing teacher. She supposed it wasn't that much of a deal; seeing her teacher outmatch her for feminine grace was just a touch too painful for her to deal with.

"Oh, god no! I'm just wearing these to show you what I'm capable of doing for dance styles. So now that we got that out of the way; let's begin…"

From that moment on Haru and Mina were teacher and pupil for years. It was a bit of a bizarre introduction to Haru's unorthodox methods and it took some time for Mina to adjust to his pacing. Past the awkwardness and lesson plans that were odd to say the least; Mina never felt bored or regretful of having Haru as her sole dance instructure.

"Okay, first thing's first! What we're here to do today is we're gonna teach you the basics of how to walk in these."

Demonstrating what it was he was talking about, Haru took a few elegant strides around Mina and even threw in some flair to his walk with his hands on his hips. Mina had seen her mother wear shoes similar to Haru's and even then her mother didn't have the same smooth sashay Haru's hips did; and he was wearing basketball shorts! He returned next to the sitting girl and even squatted down next to her.

"Something like that. So for now what we're going to do is just learn to walk so that we don't immediately break our ankles when we start dancing."

"Yes sir!"

As confident her salute to her sensei was, she still needed quite a lot of assistance to get up onto her feet from the floor. Haru slowly guided the girl to the hand railings adjacent to the largest wall with a mirror and let Mina get used to the shift of her weight from the heels to the balls of her feet. She was nervous and bow legged for the most part; so he decided to throw Mina a line to grab a hold of.

"It's really difficult, huh? Believe it or not it's a lot less complicated than you think. So to start, try this. Stand on the balls of your feet to the point where your heels aren't touching the ground."

Mina still needed the help of the handlebar but was able to stand more regularly without feeling like her ankles were gonna give out many seconds. It was amazing to her that she was doing better here than being lower to the ground with supports.

"You're putting too much weight into your ankles. Rather than walking in heels, it's like you're walking on fragile stilts. Understand?"

The mental image came to her easily enough with the analogy Haru gave. Now that he's got her in the right mindset for the lesson he moved on to practicing in repetition for the girl to adjust her weight. This went on for about half an hour with Haru instructing Mina to lower herself down onto the heels ever so slightly and slowly. She was getting the feeling of it as she realized that instead of putting her weight on the heels like other people did when they stood; she needed to stand so that her entire center of balance was over the balls of her feet. Something like this required muscle memory more than applied knowledge so she could only get so far for that day's lesson.

They both took a break and since Mina's mom packed her and Haru a snack as thanks for his time, the two of them munched on some nice orange and apple slices with a bottle of water for each. While Mina looked perfectly normal sitting with her heels it was simply ridiculous to see a grown man wearing red heels alongside that child. The break didn't last long as Mina shot up from the floor, only to realize she was still not used to the heels and went stumbling back down onto her face. Haru helped her up and guided the both of them back to the guide rail.

"Okay! So now that we're kinda getting the idea; let's try and do a little introduction to walking now."

Haru again extended his hands for Mina to take a hold of. Mina was still nervous and hesitant as she placed one hand after another into Haru's much larger ones. She drilled in her head the sensation of balance she managed to feel standing at the bar as Haru took one slow step after another with Mina in tow. She fought her instinct to sink her weight back into her heels and so far her diligence was paying off. Looking down she was even more amazed that Haru was not only wearing the heels and keeping the girl balanced; but was also walking backwards slowly so that one foot was always in the air for most of the exercise. This was perhaps the first time ever she felt outwomaned by a grown man with a beard and was several times her age.

"You're doing great. Nice and easy now."

"Don't let go! Don't let go!"

She panicked here and there as they were working on Mina's sense of balance in the shoes. She was adjusting well and to Haru's pleasant surprise she had a knack for athleticism that let her figure things out like subtle and precise balance faster than most. By no stretch of the imagination was she mastering everything taught so far, but it was going very smoothly for how little Mina lost her balance so far.

"Minaaa? Momma's here to pick you…"

The older Ashido matriarch immediately spotted Haru leading her daughter around like a toddler learning to walk. The odd situation was made even weirder when she saw that not only was Mina in heels, but Haru himself was wearing a pair of hot red heels that made the man's ass look fantastic even under the baggy sportswear. She had to stop for a moment and turn away as a sudden bout of uncontrollable laughter at what she saw was barely contained behind her hand. Haru knew what the woman was about and decided to call the day there.

"Aaand that should be it for today! I'll help you out of those if you need it."

"Nonono! I wanna get a picture of the two of you!"

Now Mina was the one who was excited as her eyes gleamed up at Haru with the prospect of taking a picture of her first day of class with Haru. Both Ashido's had stars in their eyes for very different reasons and he found it hard to say no to them. It was Mina's class; so the least he could do was let the girl have her memory of the day. The dance class duo were standing up once more and with Mina posing and Haru just giving a peace sign the mother took the picture with her phone.

"That looks amazing! Oh My Goodness, you two are precious!"

"Lemme see, lemme see mom!"

The picture was indeed a gem. It framed the student and teacher from head to toe and showed that they indeed were both in women's shoes. With that finally out of the way Mina got help from her mom to get her out of her heels while Haru managed just fine by himself.

"You know, Haru-san; I think I have a shade of lipstick that would go well with those heels."

Oh boy, this was gonna be a thing for a while.

Eight Months Later

"Five, six, seven, eight…"

Mina at this point in her lessons finally managed to understand the trick to standing effortlessly in high heels and was well into learning vogue based styles of dance. It wasn't all high heels and attitude for Mina; she still requested to be taught b-boy fundamentals and so he had her working on her top rocking and six step. What she found amazing was how much more natural it felt when she was dancing in her free time. The freestyle came to her much smoother and just the same her body didn't feel like it was flailing around like it used to. These lessons were taught in tandem and for that day's lesson it was a vogue set that Haru had Mina learn to get her started in understanding the arm movements for whacking. Haru was no longer in the heel's, much to the disappointment of her mother, and instead was moving around in some skating shoes. He had a long sleeve crew cut in black and soccer pants to enable comfort in his movement. Mina was in booty shorts and a cut shirt with a tank top underneath the loose fabric. Her heels were a different color that the ones Haru gave her at the start, but now that she had mastered the footwear enough to learn choreography while wearing them it was just a matter of time until she bought her own.

They were just walking through the movements step by step and were then playing the music to actually do the set properly. Haru counted them down and with practiced synchronization they moved through the first four eight counts with little trouble. Mina needed some water and so Haru just paused the lesson a bit to let Mina go and collect herself before they resumed. She was drinking from her bottle and sitting down on the cheap self assembly chair Haru brought into the studio when Haru decided to entertain an idea he's been bugged with for the past four months or so.

"... Hey, Mina. Mind if I ask ya somethin?"

"Hm? What's up, Haru-san?"

"How do you feel about learning to dance with a partner?"

Mina looked up from her phone and stared at Haru for a moment contemplating his request. She didn't mind the concept of learning something new to help her expand her dancing abilities, but right now there was a sort of problem with that request even though she knew it would make things difficult.

"Sure, but… Aren't you too tall for me to dance with?"

"Oh no. It isn't going to be me, per say. I think you would benefit with a little jazz hip hop in your repertoire and I know a kid who could use the company since he's been out of sorts recently."

A lot of big words in that sentence for the young eleven year old. It was still understandable in that Haru wanted to teach her something else to help broaden the lessons as well as keep another kid he knew company since it seemed that the other child had been left alone for some time. Not seeing a reason to say no Mina gave haru a signature grin and a thumbs up.

"Okay! Sounds like fun! Plus, whoever this kid is would have the honor of meeting yours truly. Ha! Ha! Ha!"

Well, at least she didn't say no. Haru could see that the lessons were doing wonders in building up Mina's confidence; he just hoped that this was the extent of the growth, otherwise it would just be within the realms of cancer.

"Great! I'll give him a call later. But for nooow; let's get back to the lesson. C'mon."

She quickly chugged the water once and hopped to her heels to finish their class strong. After the class was finished Haru called a familiar household with an offer for a familiar face.

"Hey, Inko… Yeah, it's me. Listen, I wanted to see if Izuku was busy on this day next week... "

The Next Week

Mina was dropped off to the studio space the same as always. She gave her mom a wave as she entered the building and entered the reserved studio for her lesson. The door was easily opened since the air conditioning made the interior a higher pressure environment and eliminated the initial resistance of the glass door. Inside she saw Haru dressed in a tee shirt and sweatpants combo while instructing a new face she hadn't seen before. From looking on from behind Mina could at least see that the boy was probably a bit shorter than her with a mop of unique green hair sprouting out of his head. The boy had red hightops and a graphic tee with basketball shorts as his choice of sports wear. Haru could see that Mina was here and turned to greet the child as he usually did when he arrived before her. The boy was less enthused over the encounter and had started to shuffle behind Haru as a defense mechanism.

"Hello, Mina! Got here without trouble?"

"Mm-mm! Ashido Mina, ready to learn!"

She gave a solid salute and was excited to start another day of learning. She peeked over to the shy boy who was still having a bit of a hard time making eye contact. Haru gently ushered the boy around to the front and introduced the two to each other.

"Mina, I would like you to meet Midoriya Izuku. He's new to all of this and is a bit shy since he doesn't socialize quite as often as you do; so try to be easy on him, okay?"

"Okay! Hi, I'm Mina. Let's get along!"

She offered the boy her hand to the boy who was still having trouble looking at her for some reason she didn't care for. He had freckles and was kinda adorable in the defenseless bird sort of way. Izuku's hesitance to look at the grl was mostly due to her state of dress. She had on these really tight yoga pants that showed off her legs and behind that he thought was rather round for a girl similar to his age. Her top wasn't much better since she was sporting a bold choice of sports bra under a very loose shirt cut to be even more revealing than it originally hadn't been. There was still the matter of being polite and returning a greeting; so without trying to ogle the rather attractive girl he grasped the hand stretched out to him. She felt even softer than he first expected and had to break off the handshake first otherwise he would have felt weird being the one dragging out the physical contact.

"I-Izuku. Nice to meet you…"

Mina just gave the boy her signature laugh and toothy smile before setting her drawstring bag down into one of the chubby spaces located in the back of the studio space. She pulled out her water bottle and hydrated before class began officially. Izuku was given the opportunity to look at the girl's rear end. Again it was hard to look away from such a sight for the boy struggling with his new bodily urges. Mina was the first girl in a long while he met on a personal level and by far she had looks that made most at the school he went to look average at best. She didn't seem to know about his lacking stature and didn't treat him like the other kids did when they first heard about him and his medical condition. He really didn't want to stare but the desire was overriding his common decency at the moment. Haru could pick up on Izuku's discomfort and new experiences, so he cleared his throat to draw the kids attention and keep Mina from realizing that Izuku was openly ogling her.

"Alright guys let's do some stretches and warm up before class starts."

The speakers came to life as Haru turned on a beat track and set the phone back on the floor near the mirrors. The first few stretches were easy enough for everyone as even Izuku was able to keep up with some off timing with the rhythm of the background music. When they got to some of the other parts of their warm-up, that's when some of Izuku's shortcomings began to make themselves more apparent. Reaching for the floor with legs apart Izuku couldn't even manage to do that. Mina was able to dangle freely and Haru was not that far behind her. Izuku tried to extend his reach but was just a tad too stiff for his own good. The teacher decided it best to take things a little slower to help out Midoriya.

"Hang on a sec here, Izuku. Let me help you out."

"Izuku was stuck from being able to say anything due to his penchant of being indecisive. He wanted to either say no thank you or thank Haru for the extension of aid for the boy. Neither of their responses could or would come out as Haru pressed into the boy's shoulder and a series of pops loud as can be caused the boy to almost lose his balance. Mina was even caught off guard as from there Haru looked to be torturing Izuku by making Izuku bend further into the warm up stretches. More surprising was the amount of cracks and pops that kept coming out of Izuku's stiff and inflexible body. One exercise after another Izuku was like a giant roll of bubble wrap going under a steamroller. The warm up took a few minutes longer than usual; now at the end Izuku was limbered up as Mina just stood over the near unconscious boy. He was lying face down on the wooden floor and still twitching a little from the nerve endings finally being freed from their immobilized prison.

"Okay, looks like we're all done and ready to go. Mina, give him a hand?"

She got Izuku up easily enough and soon the two of them were officially classmates in the classroom that was Haru's dance class. Since Izuku was still a bit of a beginner and wasn't familiar with dancing he went with a more direct and less elaborate set for their first class. The pacing that Mina was accustomed to had come down to a near screeching halt as Haru was often helping out and answering Izuku's questions. Thirty minutes into the class and they only managed to finish up to three eight counts worth of the song. If it was just her and Haru they would have breezed through a far more technically advanced set with at least double that progress. By no means was she impatient or unreasonable; it was still a bit of a chore to have to bring herself to a pace much slower than what she wanted for a new dancer wanting to learn. She felt a bit of buyer's remorse for agreeing to allow this new kid into her lesson plans.

"From the top. Five, six, seven, eight…"

Now with the song going Haru and Mina were able to keep up with the actual tempo of the moves. Izuku, however, was frequently tripping over himself and losing his place in the choreography still. After that runthrough Haru called for a break so that they could catch their breath and hydrate. Mina went to the cubby where her phone was and just scrolled through her texts while sipping at her bottle. As the teacher Haru felt it his responsibility that his students weren't having an uneven experience in terms of how much they were enjoying the lessons. Her shoulders were a bit stiffer than usual when she went on her break. Izuku was still trying to run through the choreography in front of the mirror and was distracted enough for Haru to talk to Mina in private.

"Hey kiddo, you hangin in there?"

"... yeah…"

He could see that she was just trying to be polite and was containing the start of her frustration with the new student. He sighed a little and scratched the back of his head before speaking to the impatient student.

"I know you're not used to things being slower than usual; but I do think you could use some new perspective when it comes to learning. Sometimes you need to slow down to speed up. For now try to give Izuku the benefit of the doubt. After all, he really doesn't mean ill and is really trying; also he just started, I'm sure you could understand how awkward it is to be there…"

Haru returned to the mirror with Izuku to help the boy understand what he was doing right and wrong. There was a part of Mina that did see that Izuku didn't mean to irritate her and was seriously trying to learn. The other part of her wanted to see if she could negotiate them being put into separate classes for now; at least until Izuku can keep up without dragging down the lesson. The break was over and so they all returned to the choreography and diligently followed through all the way until the end of the timeslot.

One Month Three Weeks Later

Mina was at the studio space on a day that wasn't a lesson day with Haru. The past few weeks had been somewhat aggravating for the normally energetic young Ashido. She did appreciate that she was learning a more direct and sharper style of dancing; but the new student was still kind of a drag for each lesson. He was improving slightly and now the lessons were moving at a faster pace for the most part. Still, her usual chipper optimism has been losing its edge when she started looking forward to her lessons with Haru. At school she even vented to her classmates as well as her one guy friend Kirishima. She was careful not to villainize Izuku or Haru since it was mostly just her needing to let off some steam over her impatience. Her friends lent an open ear as always and Kirishima was the same gruff guy that suggested that she actually say something. She shot the idea down since it was obvious that Haru was aware of her complaints and just asking for a separate class would be defeating the purpose of whatever it was the white haired instructor was trying to teach her. At least here she could move at her own pace and not have to be subjected to sluggish choreography.

Past the entrance and forward into the hallway lined with studio spaces lining both sides of the pathway she finally found the room Haru had reserved for her and Izuku whenever they didn't have lessons. He wasn't always consistent with the schedule and would often play by ear when they did learn new choreography in a rescheduled class. Entering the studio space she was surprised at the sight of Izuku already hard at work with his shirt absolutely soaked with sweat as he was working on the last classes material. The floor looked to be used for a while since she could see sweat gathered on the wooden floor where Izuku was drilling himself in the choreography. Izuku was so focused on his reflection that it seemed that he missed Mina entering from behind him.

"Izuku?"

"Huh? Oh, Ashido-san! Sorry, I thought today was free for me! Not that I don't mind sharing; it's just that I thought you didn't wanna be bothered…"

She thought that she was the only one who used the free studio time that Haru began offering both Izuku and Mina about a month ago. She would only tend to come into the studio later in the day after school for about an hour or two before heading back home. Was Izuku here practicing without her knowing?

"It's okay… Hey, Izuku?"

"Uh, what?"

"How long have you been practicing on your own?"

Izuku was drying his hair of sweat as he thought about when he started using the space for his own reasons.

"I think when Haru gave us the space to practice? Around there?"

So he was practicing on his own to get better at dancing on his own. By the look of things he was a rather single minded individual when it came to things like practice.

"Anyways, I don't wanna bother you anymore than I usually do. You can use it, just let me wipe up-"

"What do you mean more than you usually do?"

Izuku took the interruption in good stride as he began to mop up his sweat for Mina.

"I guess because of how amazing you are and how slow I am it's unfair that you're stuck with me. I tried asking Haru-san for a different time so that you can be free to do what you wanna do; but he said no. So I did the next best thing and now I'm trying to get better. You come later than I do so It gives me plenty of time to practice! So don't worry about me. I'll do what I can to at least make it less of a boring class…"

In his naivety he was sheepishly scratching the back of his head. Opposite to him Mina was feeling rather annoyed with everything. No longer holding it against Izuku, but now it was herself she felt was the cause of her irritation. This boy not only saw through her and noticed her state of mind during their classes, he did so while she thought she was keeping it all under wraps. She went behind his back and talked badly about his lack of ability compared to her and here he was doing what he could to make things easier for her. When Izuku was doing all this thankless work for his classmate she held him responsible for her impatience and shortsightedness. Right now she was feeling properly guilty for the first time in her young life.

"... Why?"

"Hm?"

"Why?! You didn't have to do all of this! Why do you push yourself like this? Why?"

She felt her frustration mounting and wanted to see what it was that motivated Izuku to throw himself off the deep end and commit his time and effort for all of this. The answer was startlingly simple in comparison to what she had expected.

"Cause it's fun! I don't make a lot of friends and right now my other friends are harder to meet up with; so it can get a bit lonely without them. I get to see you more often and everytime I dance I have a lot of fun! I don't wanna give up now because I really enjoy spending time with you all."

It was such an innocent confession of intention. Mina felt dirty and wanted to cry for how little consideration she gave to Izuku. He valued their time in this dance studio when she had begun to resent hers all because she thought she was too good for him. God she felt like such an idiot.

"Anyways, I gotta go since my mom will be here in around thirty minutes. You can use the studio if you want…"

Mina just pinched at the hem of Izuku's wet shirt before he could return the sweeping mop back to it's rightful corner. He looked back at Mina who was just peeking at him while tilting her head down. It was kinda adorable how this usually confident girl was acting so bashful in front of him.

"Um, d-do you wanna… I mean… If you wanna, y'know. Practice together? I don't mind…"

For how considerate this young boy was he was considerably more dense in reading certain situations. He spoke honestly and didn't think that Mina was gonna offer him the same time slots she had at the studio. Less so that a girl as good looking and great at dancing like her would give a guy like him the time of day. He didn't want to be rude at her offer so he responded honestly.

"Gimme a sec. I gotta call my mom and see if she could give me more time here."

After texting his mom he was given the go ahead to spend more time with his new friend. Izuku hadn't brought a spare shirt in his rush to get here before Mina and was even less prepared to stay longer than he thought he was going to be here for. He decided to hang up the article of clothing soaked and cold with his sweat in the bathroom for now. As Mina was getting ready Izuku came out in nothing but shoes and his shorts. His body had cooled during their exchange and so he got to warming up again to avoid injury. Now it was Mina who was sneaking a peek or two at the shirtless boy. It wasn't any different to the other boys she saw at school and even her friend Kirishima had a better physique than Midoriya. She kept it to herself for now since she didn't wanna freak out Izuku more than usual with the small crush she had for the boy.

One Year Later

Midoriya and Ashido had gotten to know one another over the course of a year and even began spending time outside of their dance classes sparingly. He introduced Mina to Momo through phone number exchanges as well as Kyoka who she bonded to very quickly over their love of american music. Mina then returned the favor by introducing him to her other two girlfriends as well as Kirishima through a brief passing as they were just hanging out. They exchanged pleasantries with each other's friends; for the most part it was mostly just Mina and Izuku who hung out with one another since they lived farther apart for their meetups to be too regular.

The classes were progressing at a decent pace in comparison to the start of the lessons. After resolving her reservations over Izuku they began to grow and benefit off one another. He progressed exponentially with Mina's help and through Izuku Mina grew stronger in her fundamentals. Months into their progress the choreography got significantly harder for both Mina and Izuku; they took their time to learn and approached the challenge hand in hand. They made unbelievable progress and together they had reached an ideal rhythm with one another.

It was another class for both Mina and Izuku as Mina entered the studio same as usual to see that Haru and Izuku were already chatting idly before they got into the lesson. They said their greetings and got through the warm ups in a timely fashion. In both Mina's and Izuku's half-dread half-anticipation the choreography from last class began where they left off.

Two weeks ago Haru had thought it would be fun for the teens to learn some partner sets. What they thought was going to be simple ballroom or fun jazz ended up being rather intense latin hip hop. The two of them were blushing mad as Haru got them to get intimately close to each other's faces and bodies. Izuku's hands were positioned at Mina's waist and rather than just sort of keeping his hands hovering over the skin; Haru clasped the boy's hands down onto Mina's sides. It was so bizarre to feel a person's breath and heartbeat through the sensations of touch through their waist. Mina was thankful that day when she decided to go with a tank top with shorts rather than the sports bra option. She felt Izuku's hands set nerve endings of fire as her breathing got more labored as the lesson progressed. His hands went from her waste to the small of her back; from there they traveled to her neck as well as the back of her thighs. It was so close to making her moan when she felt Izuku drag his fingers up the back of her thighs. These two fought tooth and nail to maintain their dignity throughout the class.

Izuku was not much better off since the set required him to be strong and aggressive as he pulled Mina against him like a possessive lover. Throughout the time they spent familiarizing themselves with the dance he came to the realization that despite being so athletic and flexible; Mina was way softer than he expected. She was almost pillowy with how soft her physique felt against him. Her skin was smooth and delicate to the touch; like it was silk under his fingers. A sweet fragrance like lavender syrup was the best way he could have put it as he took in her scent. Both went into autopilot as they struggled to focus on anything Haru was teaching them. They got far enough in the lesson and with little time to spare Haru dismissed them and told them to work on the choreography since this was to continue two weeks from then.

They didn't change their schedules around much, although they did feel things shift from the usual amicable pleasantness into something they didn't want to even think about. Their dancing practices went as they usually did and for every day that passed they still were unable to work on the doubles choreography assigned to them. They muscled through the fourteen days with sheer determination they squeaked by without even talking about that dance number.

"Alright guys, let's see what you got for me this week. Places?"

The two of them shuffled awkwardly towards one another and hesitated to come in contact with one another in the starting position. Haru could already see the obvious and didn't want to subject the two through more awkward interactions.

"Stop, stop, stop… You guys didn't practice the choreography at all, did you?"

They were again standing apart and were blushing as they were acting quite sheepish. Haru simply sighed and scratched the back of his neck over what he should do next. An Idea came to him and for how simple it was he got to work getting the two to cooperate.

"Alright, here's what's gonna happen. Izuku? Stand here. Mina? Here."

Haru positioned the two awkward teenagers front to front with the big mirror off to their side. They were roughly arm length apart and being forced to look at each other just reminded them about their recent predicament.

"Okay, now Mina; arms on his shoulders. Izuku, hands to her hips."

He was walking towards the stereo compartment and retrieved a small white remote. He couldn't see their expressions of shock at the order he just gave. Judging by their silence he could figure they were hesitating again.

"C'mon, now. You guys were able to get through the last class just fine."

Providing them the reminder of their last lesson two weeks ago got them remembering some rather intimate details about the other. Again they faced each other and slowly placed their hands on each other. They were aware of every sensation on their own bodies as the most prominent ones were where the other's hands were placed on the other's person. It wasn't as forced as it was when they were trying to learn the set, still it was all a lot to process for the two. They briefly made eye contact and as they let their gazes linger on each other the lights in the studio space suddenly cut out. The room was now only dimly lit with the lights in the hallway bleeding through the glass door and observation window made available for parents. To their mortification Haru was now outside the studio locking the door behind him and trapping the two teens in the dim space.

"... Did he just lock us in?"

Mina was making a statement more than she was asking Izuku his observation of the situation. Through the window Haru then began making random gestures and arm movements that roughly translated to him saying that he was going out for about an hour and will come back then to unlock the door. Also that melting or escaping on their own was forbidden; obviously. They had water and a bathroom inside the studio, so for an hour they were mostly just stuck with each other for an hour. It wasn't that they couldn't find a way to kill time; right now there was tension that the both of them didn't know how to address and… No, that was it.

Fifteen Minutes Later

Izuku exited the bathroom and threw the damp paper towel he used to turn the handle into the trash behind him. He and Mina had elected to just wait it out and were mostly just sitting in silence next to each other. Mina was fiddling with her phone and Izuku was just sitting with the wall to his back and just being bored with himself. Izuku had a rather odd habit of being both an overthinker and someone who could just empty his head and just wander from one random thought to another when there was nothing to occupy his time. Since he elected to just sit and wait he zoned out enough to miss the subtle cues that Mina wasn't really doing anything on her phone except scrolling through her texts over and over without actually reading them. She was far too aware of the young boy next to her and even in an environment where there was nothing to do but wait she felt anxious next to Midoriya.

She took the time to peek to her left and just stare at the fellow dancer. Izuku's hair wasn't quite as frizzy as it was silky. She had touched it in the past and could still remember how it would bounce against her fingers as she ran her hand through his locks. Her hair was quite wild for being just a tad longer than Izuku's and she often was quite envious that her har wasn't as soft and supple as the green locks Midoriya possessed. Just staring up at his head, her eyes then caught the stare that Izuku had on her. He felt her staring at his scalp and turned his head just enough to look back at Mina. Mina's face was slightly illuminated by her phone screen and without thinking he returned the look Mina was giving him. Her eyes were always so interesting to him as rather than being off putting or weird he felt that the black and gold were easy on his eyes and would often have to remind himself not to stare too long at them.

For a moment they both thought about saying something to the other. Maybe something along the lines of a joke or topic to talk about to break the silence. A moment of hesitation between them became another; then another and another after that. Such thoughts fell into the background as they were now just looking into each other's eyes and without anything else to break this silence they just kept on looking. The screen went dark on Mina's phone and in the dim lighting it felt intimate and comfortable for the two teens. Izuku just gave Mina a small but meaningful smile that was unlike the usual nervousness the pink girl was used to seeing. She just returned the smile and pulled her legs up to hug her knees. Mina rested the side of her head on her knees and for a while they just looked at one another for no good reason. The other person was just… There. A friend that made things easier. Somebody to share a laugh or cry with. Another person to share their life with.

"... Mina?"

"... Hm?"

"... Did you still wanna dance? Y'know, just for a little…"

Mina just nodded in response to his request for a dance. He was the first to get up and offered the girl a hand up. They then approached the center of the wooden floor and got in position like Haru had instructed them before he left about twenty minutes ago. Izuku realized that the silence was a bit much so with a quick look up on his phone he synched up to the studio speakers and found a soft R&B instrumental for him and Mina. The two of them didn't dance so much as they just swayed with one another to the music. Looking at one another was fine and all, but surprising themselves and each other Izuku brought Mina closer to him as Mina let her hands trail down and embrace the boy with her arms being inside of his. She rested her head on his right shoulder and just looked into the mirror to gauge his reaction. Instead of showing any sort of shyness or nervous tick he just tucked her head to his shoulder with his own head and both were comfortable to just be like this for a while. All of that hesitation keeping them from properly doing the set from earlier was all gone. A shared moment of synchronicity and now it was like none of that mattered anymore. Mina then noticed that Izuku smelled of fabric softener and his choice of body wash. Simple but sweet, just like him.

It wasn't known to them when it happened, but eventually after they finished dancing with each other they sat back down against the wall. This time there was no space between them; now with Mina leaning her head on Izuku's shoulder and her left hand tangled up with his right one. She just rubbed at his index finger with her thumb and for the two of them this moment was a rather special one they would remember for some time.

Unknown to the duo their time was already up and right outside the studio Haru was smoking and using the subtle reflections in the windows opposite the studio the two were locked in to keep an eye on them without them realizing immediately he was just outside. He let the two of them have this moment to themselves as he gave the clock another fifteen minutes or so before he would unlock the doors for them. Fortunate for him that he let their parents know ahead of time that he would be giving their children a congratulatory dinner on his behalf for being dance partners for just over a year. It wasn't the complete truth; but honestly he didn't really give a fuck about semantics. The two of them got past their hurdle, and for that he felt pretty damn good about himself.

Two Months Later

Mina and Izuku showed up to the studio at the same time that day and were walking in when they began holding hands without even realizing it.

"... So then after that he was all like 'I don't get it' despite how obvious me and the other girls were making it obvious!"

Izuku patiently listened to her as they walked hand in hand to the studio for their dance lesson with Haru that day. Entering the studio Haru was wearing a white long sleeve with black soccer sweats and shoes. Their entrance alerted him to their presence and looking back up from his phone he gave the two of them a smile and a wave.

"Haru-san, Hello!"

"Mina, always a pleasure. Izuku, same to you."

"Ah, thank you Haru-san!"

Mina was in short shorts and a loose fitting shirt with a sports bra underneath. Izuku was wearing a pair of soccer sweats much like Haru's with red sneakers and a black tank top with a nice pattern printed in white adorning the front. The two of them got to moving their things into storage and catching up with each other before class began. The clock started and before long both he and Mina were all warmed up and ready to tackle the new set that Haru had planned for them.

"Alright for this one I'm thinking a little more jazz contemporary influence while letting the choreography still sit in the realms of new style should be something you two would enjoy; what do you say?"

"Sounds like fun! Let's do it Izuku!"

Both of them didn't hesitate to be walked through the choreography and the awkward hesitance from weeks ago vanished overnight. For forty minutes they were keen in listening to Haru's instruction and learning from their master. By the time Haru had felt that they were ready to tackle the set for real he had them in starting positions with the pinkette reaching behind her head at Izuku's while he was a bit off center from her with his face close to her neck. Haru began the music and when the start of the number approached he counted the two in.

"Five. six. Five, six, seven, eight…"

It was a flurry of sharp movements and passion between the two teens as they executed the dance like it was an old hat for them. They were often grasping and hugging the other person close as Mina allowed Izuku to do to her what was necessary to elevate the movements in her own body. Like clockwork they supported and used the other person with complete trust and it just felt like they were doing a solo piece with how easy it felt. Mina still could feel Izuku's touch ignite her skin and conjure up a deep pit of flames in her stomach; but now she didn't run from the feeling she had for him anymore. Izuku was still just as enamored with how soft and pleasant Mina felt against him as he now embraced the girl openly without fearing for the worst. By the time they were done both were touching foreheads and with one leg wrapped around his waist Izuku had that same leg in his grasp as he kept Mina up against his chest. They were both catching their breaths and it was nothing but pure fun for them.

"Very good! Alright we'll break for five and continue from there afterwards, fair?"

The two teens nodded and went to their bags for their waters. Haru was just scrolling through his phone when he peeked at the two and saw that Mina had again instinctively grasped Izuku's hand as they began talking to each other. Haru couldn't help but smile as Izuku simply shifted his hand around so that he could get a better grip on Mina's hand. Ah, to be young again.

Eight Months Later

Sun was getting low on the horizon as Haru turned on the lights inside his van to better accommodate any late customers who were on their way home from a busy day. His menu was a bit of an oddity for most not familiar with the dish. He was working the fryer and had a selection of different garbage plates ready to fill the stomachs of those passing by. A mish mash of fries, different sauces and condiments, a choice of veggies and meat, and served hot on a platter for those who felt brave enough to try it. So far nobody was complaining and most of his customers that day were student's coming home from sports or other extra curricular activities and were in dire need of something filling. Some were even willing to part with their savings to take an extra serving home to enjoy later that evening. He was done with another order and thanking the two schoolgirls for their patronage when a familiar voice called out to him.

"Oy, Haru-san!"

Knowing that chipper voice anywhere he saw Ashido Mina skid to a stop in front of his van and declare herself proudly in front of the man.

"Well, well, well. To what do I owe the pleasure of her highness?"

Mina let out a cheeky laugh as she got up onto a stool and ordered a mexican garbage plate with sour cream and beef. It came out shortly after and with a quick thanks Mina chowed down into the artery clogging delicacy. Haru took note of something and brought it up with the teen while handing her a glass of cold water.

"So, where are your loyal subjects? Surely someone of your stature would not be caught without her entourage?"

Mina took the glass of water graciously out of Haru's hand and cleared her airways to respond.

"They were right behind me but for some reason had to do some quick shopping. They should be here soon!"

Haru gave her an understanding nod and let the girl finish her meal. After the meal was done Haru began to grow a bit concerned as the two friends that were often seen with Mina around this time of day were still absent. It wasn't often that he would encounter the pinkette and her friends since in this part of the city he would only come by once every so often; still he would never see Mina go solo for so long without them suddenly appearing without fail. He felt a bit worried now and some of it was due to Mina now being a bit antsy herself. Untying the apron and swapping it with his leather jacket he stopped for a moment and felt the sudden urge to bring something else in case he would need it. He discreetly opened up a cabinet and pressed a switch that revealed a hidden compartment with what looked like a metal handle in a holster of sorts. He slipped his arms through the loops and while wearing the leather jacket the holster was completely invisible to the naked eye. Mina hopped off of her stool to follow Haru as he locked up the van and rather than swapping the sign closed he just tossed it into the van.

"Sorry, Mina. I might just be paranoid; but can you show me where you last saw your friends? Just a feeling I got all of a sudden."

Mina just nodded as both she and Haru jogged down the street to where she and her friends last were before they separated.

Elsewhere

Kirishima was still reeling at the size of the titan that had his schoolmates trapped against the wall. So much was going through his head as he was sure that if someone didn't do something soon the two innocent girls would be facing this things ugly wrath.

"Where is the Springer Hero Academy? Where is it?"

The hulking mass of muscle reached for the building in front of him and began to sink his fingertips into the concrete structure.

"... You're not going to tell me?"

The building gave away under his strength as the walls and windows cracked like ice under his brute power. In fact his fingers were now burrowing into what was once a smooth concrete wall.

"Why won't you tell me?"

This thing was clearly not thinking like a sane person. If nobody did anything then those two girls were bound to suffer. Kirishima tried to will himself to do anything; run, scream, just something to help those two. The image of that monster crushing him to paste was all he could manage and it was driving him insane. The two girls were now cowering and whimpering at the growing intensity of the giant's aggravated voice. If he didn't do something now then those two girls were dead. Nothing worked. Still petrified with fear he kept screaming on the inside for his body to move. Just somebody do something!

"Oy, ugly!"

The tension was cut when a familiar voice had caught the attention of everyone who was bearing witness to this whole shitshow. From around the corner to Kirishima's left, Haru had rounded the street and was looking right at the giant without any sort of hesitation in his step. Further behind Haru he could see Mina who was hiding behind the building just out of the monster's eyesight. She was peeking out and waiting for an opportunity to get her friends out of there. Now that Haru had the things attention he now had to keep it to himself until the girls were released to safety.

"Yeah, you! Don't you think you're a bit too old to go pick up on some middle schoolers? Some might even call that a crime, you giant sack of shit."

The giant was now looking at Haru and Haru alone. The insults had worked in getting the titan to focus on him and dismiss the other two teens who were now struggling to move with how scared they were. He was subtle with his movement but he tried to signal to the girls that they needed to move away from this thing slowly and carefully. It was no good as they were unable to even inch their way in any direction. He had to think of something else, but fortunately Mina came in to make things easier.

"... Guys… Over here…"

Mina called out to her friends in a whisper and waved the two closer towards her. The two girls were so relieved to see their friend that it was enough of a boost to their morale that they started to walk away from this mess and leave Haru to keep things at a manageable level. That would have been the ideal solution if nothing had gone awry. The unfortunate reality of it was that as the two girls were sneaking away one of them lost their footing and tripped over themselves and landed on the concrete next to her friend. This shook the giant out of his enraged stupor with Haru and made him realize what was really going on.

"All of you, liars! You must be punished for keeping me from my master…"

The titan reached out for the teen girl sprawled on the floor and looking up the girl felt her life suddenly flash through her mind as the hand reaching out to grab her was all she could focus on. Haru had no time to think of another solution. RIght now an innocent kid was gonna die if he didn't act now. He reached up behind him and from under his jacket he pulled out the metal handle that was holstered to his back. With a flick of his wrist an extendable baton locked itself open and with a single blindingly fast swing he whipped the thin piece of sturdy metal across the giant's forearm with a sharp crack. The giant retrieved it's arm and began screaming in agony as the strike from the baton had gone straight to the bone and left a nasty mark on the skin that ached and throbbed painfully. The street cracked and crumbled underneath it's feet as it was now ready to inflict pain onto whoever hurt it. It zeroed in onto Haru and without thinking the titan charged the man with both arms up for a single ground smash. In a single moment the street corner then erupted into an explosion of concrete and other debris as the giant had not only cratered the sidewalk but took out some of the building next to it. Kirishima was certain that not only was Haru killed, but his friends were probably just as dead. If only he had done something.

"Christ! Are you guys okay?"

Kirishima was left with no time to self loathe when he heard the same voice from earlier speak up from the dust cloud that was released from the attack of the monster. It took a second but with the wind clearing it up a bit he could see Haru had not only evaded the giant; in his arms were the three teenagers who would have been worse for wear had it not been for his fast reflexes. Mina on his left and the two teens stacked front to back on his right. The boy had his eyes on them for the whole time and yet he couldn't see when they moved out of the way. The three girls bundled up in Haru's arms were only able to whimper and nod after such an ordeal. He let out a sigh of relief to see that the kids were unharmed. The rubble was settling from the giants' attempt to flatten the kids and Haru; in the clearing dust the cloak that barely was holding together on the hulking figure was powdered in concrete and pebbles. The lack of squishing bodies under its fists made it realize he missed his mark. Once more he zeroed in on Haru and the children in his arms. This was far from over.

"You are keeping me from my master… You are my enemy, and enemies who resist us are enemies of my mission; therefore DIE!"

Another charge shook the solid pavement underneath each stomp as the titan was now building up speed. The vibrations made Kirishima stumble a bit; because of the involuntary movement he was finally quite literally shaken out of his state of petrification. His body was still thrumming with adrenaline and so without thinking his body began hardening and like a time lag his body then decided to move and charge at the giant with a mad look in his eyes. The kid was on a collision course with the juggernaut ripping up the streets with his bare feet and now Haru had another life to preserve out of the blue.

"Kid!"

Kirishima didn't hear or see anything else around him as he was now in the fight part of his fight or flight response. His ears were muffled by a dull ringing sound and the blood felt like molten lead in his veins. All rational thought was absent and a massive waterfall-like sensation of adrenaline and blind rage clouded the boy's rationality. It was like slow motion as Kirishima was just about to stand in front of Haru to defend him and the girls while a massive fist wound up behind the giant for another groundbreaking smash. It all went up in a massive pillar of rubble and dust and for the few onlookers they were certain that the bystanders who were in the way of the blow were anything but okay. When the cloud of dust cleared the giant was again left with an unsatisfied feeling of just hitting the pavement and nothing else. Off to his left Haru had again somehow moved away a fair distance and now had the boy who was trying to save him and the schoolgirls under Mina as now he had four middle schoolers bundled front to back in his arms. The titan looked over to Haru and by the deranged scowl on it's thick brow the white haired man knew that there was no more talking between them. He turned heel and began sprinting down the sparsely populated streets with an enraged beast the size of a small house tailing him.

People got out of the way the best they could as the monster rampaging through the streets chasing a man carrying four children bolted down the street. Haru bobbed and weaved away from the few people that were still on the streets or driving towards them on the road. For the most part nobody was killed and as the chase went on Haru was directing the chase to a more remote part of the city. Since it was the late afternoon and the sun was just about to go down there weren't that many heroes as those who worked days were swapping out with heroes who worked nights. There was nobody around them now as the giant lost Haru and the children in an industrial district. In the distance the rumbling of the giant's footsteps could still be felt by the five who were hiding behind the corner of a building.

"... Okay, looks like he's looking elsewhere for now."

He turned back to the frightened kids and put his hands on both Mina's and Kirishima's shoulders each. He made sure to kneel down to their eye level before speaking to them in earnest.

"I need you guys to get out of here. Go down this alley and turn right; from there keep going until you come to a street and follow it down until you find someone. Don't you dare turn back for a second, do you understand?"

"Haru-san, what about you? We can't leave you here!"

Haru had to hush Mina in fear of their location being revealed too early. He looked back and it seemed that the giant still didn't hear them.

"Guy's, I'm not asking. You get yourself to safety and I'll make sure that he isn't following you."

Again it was just like before. Kirishima was letting this man fall into harm's way and it was fear that was making him shake like a leaf in the wind. He hated feeling so useless and being the one out of danger when others would be the one to be hurt. He balled up his hands into fists and spoke out against Haru's decision.

"... No. I can't leave you here alone with that thing! Let me help you! I can fi-"

Haru grasped Kirishima's shirt by the shoulder and yanked the boy right up to his face. Kirishima had to catch himself on Haru as the man had a look on his eyes that could bend steel beams under their weight.

"I. Am. Not. Asking… You're my responsibility; all of you. When I tried to protect you I took on that responsibility, and if ANY of you got hurt then I failed that responsibility."

He stood the boy back up and placed his hands on both the boy's shoulders. There was a softer tone in his voice but none of his intent to speak with authority had left the conversation.

"Right now I need your trust. Please, I need you to do as I say so that all of this wasn't for nothing… I know you feel some responsibility over feeling helpless; but none of that was your responsibility to start with, so don't be too hard on yourself. Someday you'll be the one to protect someone. When that time comes, you'll know how important it is to keep them safe at all costs."

One last look of sympathy for the boy put his conflicted mind at ease. Haru stood up as he could hear the footsteps of the monster hunting them getting closer. He was out of time to delay this any further.

"Go! Now! And don't you dare stop until you see someone who can help you!"

He gently pushed the kids down the alley and only Mina could muster the last bit of inner strength to give Haru a quick hug around his leg. She gave him one last teary look of thanks before following her friends down the alley. Kirishima was waiting for her and after she turned the corner took one last look at Haru who was walking out into the open. He tore his eyes away and began running after the others with his heart heavy over leaving Haru with that titan. Right now he didn't get how Haru was risking his life for a few kids without any hesitation. Unlike Kirishima who couldn't even move at the sight of that beast; Haru not only got in between it and the bystanders, but challenged the monster and now was willing to face the danger alone for all their safety. Never had he ever felt so lacking in comparison to someone who didn't fear for himself for the sake of others. It made him both frustrated and determined over himself. Next time, he would not bend or break in the face of danger like he did today. He swore it.

Back with the giant; he was scanning the entire street for any signs of movement as he was now hunting for the man who was his enemy. His arm still ached and hurt from that strike he took from that man and it just served to remind him of his anger and rage over the evasive group of people. Looking between buildings now he was going to find them no matter what and be reunited with his lord, his savior, his master. Out of the blue he heard footsteps form down the street in one of the alleyways lining the road. He got to work and peeked down each alley swiftly for his prey. He was spared the next few alleys as he saw the familiar white haired man come out to the streets and reveal himself to the ogre.

"You!"

Haru still kept walking as the giant pointed at Haru with a rage unlike anything else.

"You have kept me from my master for long enough! Where is he?!"

Oddly enough Haru just kept walking. He even began turning away slowly as he kept walking at a leisurely pace. This scrawny little thing had clearly heard him and now was acting ignorant of his threats. This was a mockery of both him and his divine mission to reunite with his master. He wasn't going to let this puny thing make a joke of him any longer. He took a leap in his first step and began sprinting at Haru from behind; on a few short strides he was close enough for what he had planned. The giant winded up his right leg and was going to kick the man with all his might. His leg followed through and right at the apex of force he aimed the kick right in the center of Haru's back.

For the third time that day he had struck at the white haired man and felt unsatisfied with the sensation of the attack. Here all he felt was the ground ripping up a bit before he would have connected with the target. He caught his weight on the foot he used to attack and was greeted with a massive pain shooting up his leg from the side of his foot. He screamed in pain again and this time he fell over to clutch his foot in agony. Behind him Haru had his baton back out and had struck the joint that connected the metacarpal that his small toe sat upon and the rest of the foot. He had sunk the metal rod deep enough with his strike that the skin had actually managed to partially lodge itself between the joints for a split second.

"You know, the human foot is a rather uniquely developed piece of evolution."

Haru stood up straight and even began tapping his right shoulder with the same sided hand he had the rod in. Turning to the giant he had his other hand in his pocket as the behemoth began to stand up once more. It was still in some pain but it managed to put weight back onto the injured foot well enough.

"We're one of the few creatures that nature had deemed to be truly bipedal in nature. We can't fly naturally, we don't have a natural design for swimming, and our skeletal structure doesn't really let us go on all fours without our bodies having to compensate massively for the posture necessary…"

The giant didn't give a fuck about Haru's ramblings. He was ready for another attack and had every intention of staying until this little insect was crushed under his heel. He tensed his shoulders in his fight stance as Haru came to a stop and lowered the baton to his side.

"So to keep our balance the nerves at our feet are more sensitive as to feel our shifting weight. That's why stubbing a toe or dropping something on the top of your foot hurts like hell…"

Haru just looked at the enraged goliath and looked at him like he was contemplating how he would look with a different haircut or outfit.

"You're probably thinking that you can crush me like an insect or something along those lines. Right now if I was just that I certainly have proven I can sink my mandibles in places that hurt."

He pointed at the throbbing injury on the giant's foot much to it's chagrin.

"Unfortunately, I have to burst your bubble and bring you back to reality. No insect can do to you what I'm about to do to you. You have such a head on you thinking so lowly of me and I'm not one to take such attitudes lying down."

A thunderous roar shook the earth and structures around them as the giant began his charge on Haru. Both of his hands stretched out in front of him as he propelled himself forward and gouged massive divots into the neglected road where they stood. Meanwhile during this huge show of primal power, Haru's words just fell on deaf ears.

"Hm, it's been a while since I fought something like you. Do me a favor? Try not to die too quickly; I'd hate for you to cut my fun short just cause you couldn't keep up…"

Elsewhere

"Ah! Ah! Ah, how much farther?!"

One of the girls was lagging behind as the four kids were nearing the end of the back alleys and could see the street clearly from where they were.

"C'mon! Just a little more! We still have to get Haru-san help!"

Mina helped the girl up and let her friend lean up on her as they all made the last effort to get to the open road. Kirishima and Mina were fairing a little better than the other two girls but were still quite winded from running for so long. It felt like they had been going forever down that alley and finally they caught a break. They all stopped momentarily to catch their breath and get themselves situated. Kirishima was the first to push himself off his knees and look for anyone who could help them. Behind the group there was still the issue of Haru being left with a psychopathic goliath capable of leveling a city street. He found a patrol officer standing at a nearby street corner taking his break with coffee and made a mad sprint for the patrolman.

"Officer! Officer, please; help us!"

The cup of coffee almost spilt onto the officer's uniforms before it collided with the ground in a large and steaming puddle. Kirishima really did just pop up out of nowhere for the policeman and startled him for just a second. Luckily his motorcycle was heavy enough to stand strong as he was leaning on it while enjoying his beverage.

"Huh, what? What is it? What's wrong?"

The bow was absolutely drenched in sweat and had to catch his breath again after running like an insane person for minutes on end. The officer retrieved a plastic bottle of water for the boy and let Kirishima clear his throat with the refreshing beverage. Now able to speak again properly he relayed to the officer the situation.

"Our friend! There was this scary looking guy who was huge and he saved my friends, but then I tried to save him and then he saved me also. And then after that he ran and then-"

"Woah, take it easy there. Let's just address what you need first, okay? Deep breath…"

Again Kirishima was stumbling over himself to get it out. Third time was the charm as he was now able to tell the officer what he needed.

"Our friend is in trouble! He saved me and my other friends, but now the guy who was chasing us is chasing just him! He's way back there and if we don't do something soon he might die!"

The officer didn't hesitate to call it in and alert the local authorities about the possible danger.

"This is officer Takei calling in; I just had a ten twenty-six A and received a report of a possible two forty. Situation seems to be ten fourteen based on report so please be aware of possible two seventeen in progress, sending location now."

The three other friends had just caught up to Kirishima and with a thumbs up he assured everyone else that they were getting help for Haru. The three were finally able to catch a break. Now it was just a matter of getting back to Haru with backup before it was too late.

"... Copy. Send in all available officers and heroes in the area. Takei out."

From there the officer had to wait for the backup as he got more information from the teenagers. In less than three minutes the additional officers and heroes showed up and with them they showed them where they left Haru to fend for himself.

Five Minutes Later

The police squad came rushing in from around the corner and above about four heroes had arrived in their costumed glory to provide support. The officers had to stop their vehicles and go out on foot due to what they saw on the road; or rather, what they didn't see. The pavement and sidewalk was all gouged up and torn to bits. Some of the trenches cut into the ground were too wide and deep for the wheels of their cars and motorcycles. By the size of the individual gouges and holes the size of the attacker matched the description that the four children gave them.

"Jesus, what could have done all this?"

One of the heroes there with a silver and white costume said out loud what everyone else was thinking. There was still the matter of the villain at large and the civilian in duress; so the lead officer called it in to reinforcements.

"First responders here. Proceeding on foot. Be aware of unsuitable road conditions."

With that he motioned everyone forward and away from their vehicles. The heroes who could fly gave an eagles eye view as the officers began inching forward through the pitch black streets. There was no moonlight to provide ambient lighting so the only visible lighting was from the officers' flashlights. They all proceeded with caution and kept their eyes open for any potential threats. Minutes passed and now about a city block into the open street and nothing alerting the authorities they kept on trekking forward. The officer at the very front caught something at the edge of the darkness.

"Hey! I think I found something!"

The officers came to attention and approached the barely visible figure lying on the street. The closer they got the more that they could see that it was a gigantic mammoth of a human being lying unconscious in the streets. Not only that, they could see that he was littered in what looked to be angry red lines that looked to be quite painful. He was sporting other bruises and scrapes, but the welts were by far the most remarkable and bizarre injuries by far. The heavy groans and cracking as the unconscious body attempted to move was also telling of what was likely internal damage with broken bones littering the insides of the body. If they didn't have a description of the attacker they would have assumed that this guy was the victim and whoever left him here was the suspect.

"Holy shit! I don't think all of us combined could have done this to… to THAT!"

One of the heroes flying above noted that the sheer size of the giant was something else; more remarkably was the damage done to the street and surroundings that they now noticed with the officers scanning the buildings as well. Walls were cracked, punctures, and even a few of them were just missing chunks of the structures themselves. If half the fight was because of that thing lying unconscious then they were certain that nobody here could have held a candle to whoever the other guy was, whoever he was.

"We've located somebody that matches the description of the suspect. We're not going to search the area for civilians."

The officers had gathered around the unconscious giant and just made sure that they kept their weapons fixed on it until the bandwagon could come and detain this thing. At this point they may need a semi truck to get this guy anywhere.

Twenty Minutes Later

Reporters were swarming the area as the officers were maintaining the picket line to keep the reporters from stampeding the crime scene. Lights were set up and helped to illuminate the area around enough to reveal the extent of the damage done. All over there were chunks and craters littering the area like leaves in autumn. The unconscious body that was found at the site was already loaded up onto a modified truck for larger injured suspects and was sent down to Tartarus for a medical evaluation. Off to the side and away from the prying news outlets the four children who were caught up in the whole affair were each wrapped in wool blankets and waiting for their parents to come pick them up. There was still no sign of Haru being knocked unconscious or anything suggesting he was there at all based on the police's assessments. They swore that he was the one to save them, but all they could do for now is just send the kids home regardless how long they wanted to stay and find Haru.

"Guys! Oh my goodness, you're all okay!"

It was startling to suddenly see Haru round the back of the ambulance the four of them were sitting in. More baffling was Haru's first question to them; why on earth was he asking them if they were ok? The situation was completely backwards. More than that, the sudden feeling of relief that overcame all those kids was almost too much. Seeing the person they thought they had left for dead return without a single scratch was such a weight off their souls. In her emotional high Mina launched herself at Haru and latched onto his neck with her face buried into his neck.

"Woah, hey! What's-"

What shut him up was hearing choked sobs and feeling the girl's tears begin to wet the collar of his shirt. She tried to talk to Haru through her hiccups and it was like she was nine again.

"Y-y-y…. Y-yo- you-... I, we, the… you're okaaay!"

His expression became apologetic as he realized how scared these kids were over this whole thing. Having to deal with the possible guilt of leaving him behind and now knowing what happened was probably just too much for kids like them to just bottle up. He gave Mina a hug back and patted the girl's back to comfort her as she was overwhelmed by everything.

"I'm so sorry, kiddo. It must've been scary. I tried to get back here as fast as I could but I got held up. I'm just glad you're all safe."

Haru looked at the other kids and only Kirishima wasn't the one tearing up over seeing Haru safe. He gave them all a look of apology.

"You all were so brave and I'm thankful you got yourselves to safety. You all did good."

Kirishima could barely contain his frustrations with Haru's words of comfort. He knew he was being immature with feeling like he was being patronized; he couldn't help it.

"Don't give me that! We ran and left you alone with that… That thing! What did we do?!"

He unintentionally hurt the other girls who ran with him. They felt that ugly guilt rearing it's ugly head as Haru just looked at Kirishima venting to him.

"You tell us we did everything right, but what about you!? I left you and when I could have done something I… I…"

The boy wanted to come off as apologetic but too much self doubt got in the way. This whole thing was just going awry and he felt even worse. He wanted to cry and while clenching the blanket on his shoulders he was fighting tears like his life depended on it. Haru gently put Mina back down and seated her next to him with her blanket on her shoulders again. He then reached for Kirishima's head and the other kids feared that he went too far when he spoke out of turn with Haru. Instead of a blow or grab that was harsh and strict, Haru began rubbing Kirishima's hair to comfort the boy.

"You're not weak because you did what I told you to do for your safety. None of you are. What would have been considered weak was if you disobeyed me and ran headfirst into danger without thinking. You didn't let your pride or ego cloud your judgement and because of that we're all here safe and sound."

If what he wanted to do before this all started had been followed through, was that cowardice by Haru's judgement? That made no sense to him! Protecting people is all about keeping them from danger.

"When I said I'd protect you all, I didn't just mean that you guys would leave without being hurt and nothing else. If anything happened to me then what happens to you guys? It would be irresponsible for me to be that shallow. I know you guys cared, so no matter what I was coming back to check up on you and make sure that you weren't hurt. That includes the emotional parts too. So don't you dare blame yourselves over what could have been over what actually happened."

The boy didn't have a response for that. He realized that his previous version of being someone who protects people was shallow at best. Haru wanted to keep them safe from anything and everything and even followed through with his promise. Through his hand he could feel Kirishima begin to cry honestly over everything. He just stood there to let the kids vent until they were able to collect themselves.

"Excuse me, sir?"

An officer had tapped Haru on the shoulder and whispered into his ear so as not to bother the children in their moment.

"The sergeant wishes to speak with you."

"Later."

The officer left with just that. Some time later the kids' parents showed up to pick up their children from the crime scene. All of them were relieved and emotional one way or another and thanked Haru repeatedly for risking his life to save one of theirs. He turned down all of their offers to compensate him and with it being evening they all went home to rejoice in everyone's safety. After the last one had left Haru dropped his smile and weaved through the officers. The tabloids got their statements and footage for the news and were already gone. He approached the sergeant directing the other officers and without even looking at him the sergeant dismissed the officers in his command and followed Haru to a dark alley just out of the floodlights. Haru leaned up against a wall where he retrieved a cigarette and immediately the officer in command produced a lighter for the smoker. Haru took a deep first drag and exhaled as the sergeant waited patiently for him to speak first.

"... Anything about our guy?"

"Nothing yet. We've referenced any and all resources so far and it's still not enough."

"Hm…"

Haru began smoking once more and let the gears in his head turn for a minute.

"... Just keep a lid on things for now. No need to throw the public into a panic over one incident."

"Sir. Anything else?"

"... Tag him. I don't want any more surprises with something as dangerous as him."

"Sir."

With a respectful bow the officer went off and did exactly as Haru instructed. Somebody was clearly pulling this brainless hunk of meat by the nose and for now he would have to keep an eye out for anything else in the near future.

A Week Later

Mina and Izuku were at the dance studio again after some time and for the moment dancing was a bit secondary to what they were doing now. The room was dark with the lights off as both of them sat out of eyeshot with Izuku cradling the nervous wreck of a girl in his cross legged lap. She sat with Izuku to her right and just let her face bury itself onto the side of Izuku's neck. His natural scent served to keep her mind off of darker things. When Izuku arrived first he was ready to dance and practice with Mina; it was a little surprising when instead of greeting him with the usual cheeky smile he admired she dropped her bag and just embraced him without saying anything else. He tried to find out what was wrong but she just kept hugging him like her life depended on it. Without anything to go on he instead elected to make it feel safer for her in the studio space. He hadn't returned the lights remote and luckily he had it in his shorts pocket. He turned off the lights and picked up Mina as she still refused to physically separate from him. Midoriya sat her down on his lap and just coddled her for now.

"... Can you take off my shoes?"

"Sure, of course."

He removed the sneakers and socks from her legs and let her legs breathe. He knew that she only got like this when she was anxious about something. He couldn't help but admire her legs that now looked even longer as she was in shorts for the original reason they were here. She honestly didn't mean for things to be just the two of them sitting in the dark with her just being in Izuku's lap. One look at the boy and she just went into autopilot. The air was a little cold for her tastes and she could feel it on her thighs. Without even mentioning anything Izuku began rubbing the leg that wasn't up against him; both the calves and thigh. Most would see this as some kind of molestation or break of boundaries, for Mina it was something that she would often crave from the boy and as of right now needed. His touch was always so comforting and stimulating all at once.

"... Mina? What's wrong? I'm right here if you need me…"

She was trying to build up to it but she couldn't help it anymore. Izuku felt the poor girl begin to shake and from that the sounds of her crying into his neck. She snuggled deeper and wrapped her arms around him once more; letting the front of her torso press into his. Before Izuku would have acted much more embarrassed and would be stuttering to get out of the grasp he was currently in. Both of them were in more intimate positions with their dancing in comparison to this. He cradled her and made sure that she wasn't just hanging by his neck by carrying the majority of her weight in his arms. They were like this for a while, to the point where Izuku was feeling a cramp in his left arm from keeping her lifted. She separated after letting out the worst of it and returned to the original position she had been in.

"Ikki, can I tell you something?"

They weren't big on pet names and when she used the name she made for him like that it was her asking for something she felt was important.

"I would never stop you from doing something like that. I'm here for you…"

It meant so much to Mina that they had this connection with one another. Most kids were focused on looking good or just having a fling with the opposite gender; her and Izuku didn't even think that they were in a relationship as something separate. To them it was who they are to care for one another like they did. She regaled Midoriya about what had happened about a week ago with the villain that tried to hurt her and her friends. About how Haru had carried them through the streets and brought them to safety with no regard for himself at the time. About how scared she was when she felt him grow farther and farther away as she did as he asked and ran to safety with the others.

"Ikki, I left him there. I just ran away and he was alone with that monster. It scared me so badly I still can't stand thinking about it."

"Mina, it's okay. That thing is in jail, right? So theres nothing-"

"No, it isn't that thing that scares me…"

It was something she really did need Izuku to talk about with. She would get the response she wanted from him as he would be honest with her without sugarcoating it like other people tend to do.

"I ran. I close my eyes and I still see Haru-san standing there with his back to me… How can I be a great hero if I ran away while someone I care about fights alone, without help… I don't know what to do with myself, Ikki. Haru-san's lonely back still scares me; I mean what if he got hurt? What if he… He…"

"Mina?"

The boy stopped the girl from digging that emotional pitfall any deeper. With dexterity practiced between them he readjusted them so that now she had her legs wrapped around Izuku's waist and her triceps resting on his shoulders. Those same damn eyes that saw right through her looked into her golden ones and asked her kindly to let him speak.

"What could you have done? Seriously. You were carried there because he felt it would make things safer for you and everyone else. If you had stayed then it probably would have been harder for Haru-san to move around while making sure you were safe. He's a smart guy, Mimi."

She wanted that clever and snippy version of her here so that she could tease Izuku over his use of her pet name Izuku made up for her. Instead it was nothing but flattering and endearing coming from Midoriya at that moment.

"B-but-"

"No buts about it. Haru-san might not be invincible, but he's a guy with a plan most of the time. If you want to know what I think, here it is. I think you need to trust Haru-san and stop overthinking things. This was one time. You don't have to make it something that you might do every time you rush into a fight. I know that the current you is like this because she cares so much it hurts. What she needs to do is just chill out and be that alien queen that spits acid and makes everyone run and hide."

She couldn't help the giggle that came out from Izuku referencing an inside joke between them.

"... Trust me, you'll get there one day. Just don't let yourself hang onto this and you'll be amazing."

She smiled at the green haired charmer and gave him a small and quiet thank you for his kind words. They kept in that position for a few minutes just taking each other in. Getting lost in his eyes something slipped out of the pinkett's mouth unintentionally.

"... I love you…"

They were beyond the facets of blushes and being shy like other teens. Izuku stared deep into the same eyes he would lose himself in every time he looked into them. He was about to return the sentiment when he saw her face getting closer and closer. The space between them slowly disappeared as they began to close their eyes. The feeling of kissing was much softer than what they were expecting it to be. Movies and TV always made it look like the lips were some sort of muscle that worked the motions of the contact. Izuku felt her lips mold and stroke his and it was so impossibly soft and tender he could swear his spine could have melted out of his back then and there. She was ever so slightly sweet as well, he guessed being an acid user has its quirks for someone like him. Mina tasted Izuku and found the flavor was more of a sensation than it was an exact taste. Nipping at his lips made her realize how soft lips really were; she felt like if she wasn't careful they would bleed if she but ever so slightly harder. Izuku's smell just scent the tingling warmth from just her neck to being blanketed all over her like it was a silk bathrobe.

They separated and just looked at each other with a daze and light blush on their cheeks. For them they didn't feel any different than before, and that was just perfect for them.

"... Hi."

"... Hey."

A bit of a funny thing to do, but it just made them smile at how much it made them feel happy to do so towards one another.

Haru's Home, Undisclosed

"Are these accurate? If we move forward on this, we'll be committing to something we can't just cover up."

"Yes sir. Me and every high ranking executive in the organization committed significant effort to check for inaccuracies… There are none."

Haru was in a floorspace that looked more like an abandoned parking structure with one consistent floor with no obstructions. In the middle of this space, a kitchen with all the accoutrements anybody could ever hope for in a high end kitchen; the fridge itself wasn't even a singular fridge, but a line of large professional grade fridges with an industrial freezer being the farthest of the cold storage units. Not too far off from that was a large box structure that contained his bedroom and bathroom. He was seated on his couch that was set up with others like it and three flat screen TVs that came down from the ceiling. It was built more like a lobby for a multibillion fortune five hundred company than a living room. Haru was wearing baggy shorts and nothing to cover his upper half. He had a definition so sharp one could grate cheddar on any part of his body. He was slightly larger than lean and it made his body form an upside down triangle rather than a vertical tube, giving a surfer vibe with the size of his muscles.

He was looking at a tablet with data scrolling down faster than what the average joe could pick up on. Everything that Haru read was leading him to only one conclusion to resolve things. Plans were already close to completion and for now it was mostly fine tuning the overlooked sectors. The only thing left was to wait and catch wind of the moment when things got bad enough for the final phase to actually require use. By the numbers presented they were ahead of plan by at least three years. With things coming in as smoothly as they were he saw no reason to hesitate with the time leftover to spare.

"Alright, you have my approval. Send out a copy of this to everyone upstairs and get me a mock up of the final presentation by the end of the quarter."

"Yes sir, right away. Is there anything else you require?"

"That'll be all, Sato."

The call with the organization's second most powerful individual and with that Haru finished his glass of whiskey in one shot. He went back for a refill as he began thinking about what it was he needed to do next. There was no room for error, and for him it's a good thing that when it came to executing a plan he wasn't one for mistakes. Not anymore. Never again.

XX Years Later

"Garage. Have a wonderful day, Nakamura-san."

"Thank you."

The voice in the elevator was given a quick thank you as Haru exited the elevator towards a very familiar van he's had for years. The glass shield that it was parked inside of slid up into the ceiling and allowed Haru to get in with his coat placed on the passenger seat. He started up the ignition and drove out of the concrete structure. A roll up gate closing off an abandoned looking concrete building project opened and out came Haru towards his destination that morning. Today was an important day for him and he would be damned to be late by accidentally sleeping in. He hadn't been this excited in god knows how long and despite his stoic appearance, he could feel his nerves thrum like guitar strings.