"Yuki, just stay back, okay?"

"Shut up, shitty hair! She can take care of herself!" Bakugou glared over at the girl. "Hey! You ate today, right?!"

She was trembling, but nodded. Shirayuki had known they were going to train in the USJ that day so she had eaten a decent breakfast. What she had not known was that villains would attack and everyone would get separated. I have some extra snacks in my pouch, too. I just…I don't know how we're going to survive this. These are real criminals!

The girl had been in training simulations before with her classmates, but nothing compared to this. She was still apprehensive about using her quirk on these strangers. I have to be stronger than this! Kirishima-kun and Bakugou-kun are doing this best! I have to be able to fight if I want to be a hero! Shirayuki saw a particularly large man rushing at them from the doorway and lifted her right hand. Heat raced along her arm and the calorie-fueled blast sent the man back through the doorway, smashing him through a wall across the corridor.

"Nice one, Yuki!"

"Shut up! We've still got some coming! Ume, get over here!"

Shirayuki moved closer to Bakugou, fairly sure of what his plan was. If the two of them combined their attacks, she knew that they could take out most of the oncoming attackers. "…I…I think we…should have Kirishima-kun…in the front…" she muttered. "…to block…"

"Hey, yeah! Good idea, Yuki! Okay, I've got this!" The redhead put himself in front of the other two, slightly crouched to take any damage coming at them. "Let's go!"

The girl felt Bakugou's left arm link with her right and he started forward, directing the other two. She flexed the fingers on her left hand, prepared to blast anyone that came close. Her heart was racing, fear making her stomach churn. Shirayuki's experience with real fights was limited. She had defended herself a few times when she was bullied and she had sparred with her classmates in training for school.

As the three teenagers rushed forward to try to get out of the building, Shirayuki wondered if her father had ever felt this way. He had been a hero. He had been in some tough fights where it seemed as if his opponent would end him, but he could usually win. Did he ever feel this scared?

She blasted at their oncoming attackers, helping Bakugou to clear the hallway and then turning to keep an eye on the path behind them while he led. Shirayuki could feel a slight tremor in her legs as she ran, but there was no time for her to pause and eat. Stopping would mean leaving them exposed. Instead, she drew her arm from Bakugou's and let him grip her hand, giving her more of a reach in case she needed to do a sweeping blast.

Once they were out of the building, Kirishima surveyed the area around them. They were in the ruins zone so there were plenty of buildings for criminals to hide in. The three had to be on high alert. "We make an awesome team, you guys! You were so cool in there!"

"…th-thank you…um…you did a good job of protecting us…"

"Are you shaking?! What the hell? Ume, take this!" Bakugou rummaged in a pocket and drew forth a wrapped cream bun. He shoved it into her hands, scowling.

She accepted it with a quiet word of thanks and began eating. "…I-I'm sorry…my blood sugar…"

"Shut up! Just don't let it happen again, got it?! If your blood sugar gets that low, you'd better say something! I'm not carrying you if you pass out!"

"Hey, don't yell at her! She's just doing her best!" the redhead argued.

The blond looked from Shirayuki to the direction of most of their other classmates. "So are you gonna go stand with those weak nerds or are you gonna fight with us?" he demanded.

"…I'm…going to fight…" the girl mumbled.

"What?! C'mon! Speak up! I wanna hear you yell!"

She took a deep breath, her body trembling from nerves and embarrassment. Her face took on a shade of red as she opened her mouth, hands curling into fists. "I'm going to fight!"

"Yeah! That's what I'm talking about!"

Kirishima rubbed the back of his neck, half-smiling. "Wow, Yuki! I've never heard you yell before!" The half-smile blossomed into a grin as pink rose to his cheeks. "That was really cute! Okay! Let's do this!"

Shift P.O.V

"Shirayuki?" Shinsou stood in her doorway, hesitant to approach her.

He had heard about the USJ incident and came over to her house as soon as he could. There had been no mention of student casualties, but he still worried about her. She was fragile, even if her quirk was powerful. More than just her body, her emotional state was delicate. Something as traumatic as a villain attack was bound to take a toll on her. He was glad that he came to visit the girl.

Shirayuki was curled up on her bed, facing away from the doorway and hugging her large dragon stuffed animal. When she heard Shinsou's voice, she tensed and he could see her trembling. "…Sh-Shinsou…don't…come in…I'm sorry…I-I'm sorry, I just…I can't…"

The boy's mouth twisted into a deep frown as he stepped into her room. She sounded like she was trying not to cry. He glanced over his shoulder to the hallway for a moment. Her grandmother had let him in and had warned him that Shirayuki was distressed about the incident. He had thought he was prepared to see this, but the growing tightness in his chest proved him wrong. "Shirayuki…"

"…don't…I can't…I can't be around anyone…I'm sorry…I'm so sorry…I can't…do it…I can't be around people…I shouldn't…be around people…I'm…I'm not…"

His face set into a determined glare and he crossed the room. Shinsou knew what she needed in this moment. The thought of leaving her alone to deal with whatever was bothering her was just too much to bear. He moved onto the bed and wrapped both arms around her midsection, pulling her against his chest. "I'm not going to leave you alone."

Her trembling grew worse and she began to sob. "…I'm…I'm…dangerous…" The girl buried her face in the stuffed animal and the boy leaned down, cradling her against him and trying to comfort her. "…I'm…a monster…you sh-shouldn't…be friends with…s-someone like me…"

What happened today? What would make you feel like this? Shinsou tightened his hold. "You're not a monster. And I'm not leaving you." When he tried to lean up to see her face, he was surprised to find her turning. The stuffed animal was released and she gripped the front of his shirt, her face now pressed into his chest. His eyes widened slightly, but he kept his hold on her. "Shirayuki?"

"…I…don't deserve to be a hero…what I did…my quirk…it's too much…I can't handle it…I don't…deserve it…I'm wrong…I'm all wrong…I'm not…I can't be…a hero…" she mumbled, her tears wetting the front of his shirt.

Shinsou lifted a hand to the back of her head, his fingers threading into her dark violet hair as he held her against him. "Yes, you can. You can be a hero. You deserve to be a hero."

Shift P.O.V

Shirayuki's heart was racing in her chest, her cheeks a vibrant pink, as she felt his fingers run through her hair. The only other boy that had ever even touched her hair was Bakugou and he was always rough with it. Feeling Shinsou's fingers gently trailing through her locks, made her feel warm and caused a fluttery sensation in her stomach.

Taking a deep breath, trying to calm down, she managed to get her crying under control. If Shinsou still believed in her, he deserved to know what had happened. He was always so kind to her, so gentle. He always had her best interest at heart and made sure that she was comfortable with something before he did it. "My quirk killed someone." Her voice was soft, breaking, as she spoke.

The boy was silent, with the exception of the rapid beating of his heart. She could hear it, feel it, with her face so close to his chest. Shinsou brought her tighter against him after a moment. "I'm sorry."

"…so I r-really don't…deserve to be a hero…I don't…deserve friends…or…"

"You still want to be a hero, don't you?"

"…I-I do…" Shirayuki blinked and suddenly found herself on her back with her friend braced over her. He…used his quirk on me?

Shinsou's lips were drawn into a frown as he gently wiped away her tears. "Shirayuki…what happened to you?" It was now that he seemed to notice the fresh little cuts on her face and arms. The bruises that dotted her pale skin. "What did they do to make you lose control?"

She turned her head to the side, her face turning a bright pink at how close he was. "…Kirishima-kun…they snuck up behind him…they were…going to h-hurt him…and I just…wanted to protect him…a-and I…I didn't mean to…k-kill them…" Her eyes closed as more tears fell. The teachers had decided to not release this information. After all, announcing that a fifteen-year-old hero in training had killed someone would not reflect well on the school.

"You didn't mean for it to happen." He assured her. "I know that you wouldn't do that on purpose. You wanted to protect your friend." Shinsou saw her nod and he leaned down, an arm moving beneath her neck to hold her close to him. "I'm sorry that it happened."

Her body was trembling as she slid her arms around his neck to hug back. After everything, her blood sugar was low. She had not eaten yet. She felt like she did not deserve it after what had occurred in the USJ. "…Shinsou…"

"Close your eyes." A hand went beneath her chin to move her head so she faced him. The girl's crimson eyes stared up into his indigo ones and he frowned. "Shirayuki. Please."

She obeyed his command and tensed. "…what…are you doing…?" Shirayuki felt his legs move to either side of hers so that he was basically hovering over her hips. The closeness of his body to hers made her blush go from pink to red.

His hold on her chin was firm, but gentle at the same time. Warm breath tickled at her right ear as he leaned down. "I always ask you first before I do something, but I know that you need this. Don't be angry with me."

Shirayuki felt warm, soft lips press against hers and the girl's stomach began to do flips. The fluttery sensation in her chest grew intense as she felt his kiss combine with his fingers now running through her hair. The tears that ran from her eyes were no longer ones of sadness. Her feelings of guilt and despair were being overshadowed by his expression of love.