Guilt was weighing her down. Shirayuki kept thinking that she should have been faster, she should have fought harder, she should have done something more. Bakugou was gone and she was sure it was her fault. There was something more she could have done; she just knew it.

If it was my father…he wouldn't have run away! He would've caught all of the villains and he…he would've been able to protect Bakugou-kun. Her hands curled into tight fists and her nails bit into her palms as she closed her eyes. I couldn't help him…because I'm weak. I'm not strong enough to be a hero! I'm not good enough to-!

"Yuki? Hey, come on. Don't do that. You're going to hurt your hands." Kirishima looked over from his seat next to her on the bus. He reached for one of her hands and gently pried it open, rubbing his thumb over the dark red crescents left on her skin by her nails.

"…I…couldn't do anything…" Her voice came out in a whisper and the girl trembled. She lowered her head and dark violet hair fell over her eyes. "…I couldn't help…I couldn't stop just…just one villain…if I was faster or…or if I was better with my quirk then…maybe I could have…I could have helped him…I just…"

"Don't blame yourself! Yuki, look at me!" Kirishima grabbed her shoulders and leaned over so she had to look at him. He frowned down at her teary red eyes and pulled her into a hug. "I know how you feel, okay? I hate feeling like this! But we're going to get him back! You'll see!"

Shirayuki slowly wrapped her arms around him to hug back and tears of frustration rolled down her cheeks. "…I just…feel like I'm…weak…I'm not strong enough to be a hero…Kirishima…"

"You are, though! You're super tough, Yuki! Remember when you protected me in the USJ training? You were awesome! I mean, you are awesome! Don't say you're not strong enough to be a hero!"

He pulled back from the hug to look her in the eyes again and let her wipe at her tears. "You're going to the hospital to visit everyone that got hurt, right? Do you want to go together?"

She nodded. "…I-I'll have to ask my grandma, but I'm sure she'll let me go…" After mentioning her grandmother, Shirayuki reached into her pocket for her torn face mask. "…I…hope she won't be upset…I ripped the mask she made for me…I just…I really hope it can be fixed…I feel bad that it got damaged…"

Kirishima looked down at the pale blue mask that had little heart embroidered on it. "I'm sure she'll understand. Accidents happen!"

The girl was quiet for the rest of the bus ride. Sitting beside Kirishima, her hand being held gently by his. So many thoughts were going through her head that she started to feel nauseas.

Bakugou had been kidnapped and she had been so close to getting snatched up as well. If her cousin's boyfriend had not put her on some kind of "do not touch" list with those villains, she might have been taken. Dabi. That was what those other villains had called him. He did more than just put her on that list to protect her; he had led her through the forest to a safe place before he disappeared.

She knew she should tell someone. Dabi was there with those villains so he took part in the kidnapping. Todoroki and Midoriya had even described him to the rest of the class after Bakugou was taken. It was bothering her, though, that Dabi would protect her and still take part in something like this. It made her wonder if her cousin Sayuri was with the villains, too. So far, no one had mentioned a woman with long white hair, but she could have been hiding.

I have to tell someone, she determined. A real hero…wouldn't let a villain get away. Even if they were being nice to them. Right? This…is the right thing to do, isn't it? But…Sayuri-chan's daughter…Emi…what will happen if Sayuri-chan and Dabi are arrested?

At the school, the other students were released to go home, but Aizawa made her stay. She thought it might have something to do with knowing that she had been in a fight with one of the villains. Maybe he wanted to question her or the police wanted information about the one she had seen.

The man in the mask. He had mentioned her mother so casually that it seemed like he might know her. Though Shirayuki could not imagine how he would know Hikari. Her mother was overseas for so many years that he would have had to have met her in another country. Or maybe when Hikari was much younger.

"Shirayuki."

"…ah…um…y-yes, Aizawa-sensei…?" She saw him looking over his shoulder at her from further down the hallway. He had been leading her to the teachers' room, but now his pace had slowed to a stop.

Her scruffy-looking teacher stared back at her for a long moment in conflict. He seemed like he had something important to say, but whatever it was, he was struggling with how to say it. Finally, he turned and walked back to her. A hand settled on the top of her head and she looked down.

"You've been through a lot recently," he started. His words hung in the air as he paused and tried to think of how he could tell her what he had been told by the police.

"…I…I'm okay…if I need to give a statement..." The girl tried to put on a brave face when she looked up at her teacher again, but his expression confused her. He should be angry that one of his students was kidnapped, but in this moment, Aizawa looked so melancholic.

He sighed and shook his head. "That wasn't why I held you back. Shirayuki, you can't go home. There was an incident at your house."

She stayed silent as he told her. The authorities thought it had happened the same day that Shirayuki left for the summer training camp. The lock on the front door showed signs of it being forced open. Her grandmother's remains had been found by Togata when he went to check on the old woman. Along with her grandmother, three of the cats were deceased; it was suspected that they had tried to defend her from her attacker.

There was no sign that anyone else had been in the house, even though Amajiki had told the police that Shirayuki's cousin and her cousin's daughter were supposed to be staying there. So far, there were no suspects. Her grandmother was the sweetest, friendliest person in the neighborhood and as far as anyone knew, she did not have any enemies.

Her heart dropped as soon as he started talking. He did not go into detail in order to spare her the added trauma, but she still felt sick to her stomach. Grandma…no. No, this can't be right! He's wrong! That couldn't have happened! No! Tears ran down her face and she stumbled back from her teacher.

"…you're…wrong…she isn't dead…she can't be…she can't be dead…not my grandma…it's…the wrong person…they can't be right…they just…they made a mistake and it's…it has to be someone else…it can't be…!"

"Shirayuki-"

"It has to be a mistake! This can't be real! It can't be! She isn't dead! She wouldn't just…she wouldn't get k-killed! You're wrong! Everyone's wrong!" She trembled and wrapped her arms around herself. Her knees felt like they might buckle and she shook her head as the tears continued to flow. "You're wrong! She isn't dead! She can't be dead!"

Her legs gave out and the girl sank to the floor, sobbing. "She's…she's all that I have left! She can't be dead! This is…this is cruel! This isn't real! Please tell me this isn't real!"

Aizawa crouched down to be at eye level with her. "I can't tell you that. I'm sorry that this happened. I know that it isn't fair." His hand settled on her shoulder as she continued to cry. "Togata and Amajiki gathered the rest of your cats. They're waiting for us in the teachers' room." He paused and sighed. "Whenever you feel like you're ready, we can go there."

By the time they finally went to the teachers' room, Shirayuki's eyes were burning. She kept her head lowered and her hands were curled into fists to try to keep them from shaking. What's…going to happen to me now? Will I have to live with my mother? And…what happened to Sayuri-chan and Emi? I know that Sayuri-chan wouldn't kill Grandma. She loved her. So who…would've done this?

For an instant, she thought it might have been Dabi or another villain, but she knew that Sayuri would not have let that happen. She would have protected the old woman with her life. Though she could not imagine who would have killed her grandmother or where Sayuri and Emi could be now.

Stepping into the teachers' room, Shirayuki was greeted with the sight of Togata and Amajiki waiting with pet carriers. Four pet carriers. The blond boy did not hesitate to hurry over and hug the girl. Telling her how sorry he was about what happened.

She felt numb. She felt like all of her emotions had drained away and now she was just a husk that was moving on autopilot. Shirayuki heard Amajiki apologize for not being able to help, but she was unable to look up from the floor. The girl sat quietly in a chair beside him as Aizawa spoke with Togata.

Amajiki timidly reached over to hold her hand, but he had his head down as well. "Yuki, I-I'm sorry. I don't know what to do. I'm…I'm not good at this kind of thing. But I want to make you feel better. I just don't know what to do."

Tears dotted her lap and she slouched forward in her seat. "…my grandma…" It felt like her words were getting caught in her throat and she bit her lip hard enough to draw blood. She shook her head and a choked sob escaped her before she struggled through her next words. "…she…she left me…all alone now…I don't know what I'm going to do…my father and…now my grandma…they're both…"

"Y-you won't be alone." His hand tightened around hers and he looked over from the corner of his eye. "Yuki…I won't let you be alone. I-I'm really not good at this, but I promise you won't be alone."

In the pet carriers, the cats started to meow when they heard Shirayuki's voice. She stared down at them, remembering what Aizawa had told her. There were only four carriers because three of the cats had given their lives trying to protect her grandmother. It was unfair. To her grandma and the cats. This never should have happened and she started to think that if she had stayed home from the summer training camp that she could have prevented this tragedy.

"I'm sorry I'm late! Is Yuki-?" Fat Gum's voice came from the open doorway as he squeezed into the room. He saw her trembling in her seat, with her head down, and a deep frown drew across his face.

It seemed that he already knew what had happened to her grandmother. The hero stood near her while he spoke to Aizawa; getting the details about the villain attack at the summer training camp. The two incidents almost seemed like they could have been connected, but no one knew why Shirayuki's grandmother had been targeted.

"So where's Yuki going to live? Can she stay in the third year dorm?" Togata glanced over to where Amajiki was still holding the girl's hand. Shirayuki was silently staring at the floor.

"Normally, we would try to contact her mother, but this is a special circumstance." Aizawa frowned as he looked toward his student. "Shirayuki, you'll be able to move into the first year dorm as soon as they finish building it. Until then, do you have anyone you could stay with?"

She licked blood off of her lower lip and shook her head. "…I…don't have anyone now…my family…my grandma was all that I had…and my mom is…"

There was a brief pause before her teacher spoke again. "I know the situation with your mother. If you don't have anywhere else to go, the school might be able to make some arrangements-"

"She can stay with me," Fat Gum interrupted. "I was friends with her dad. I'll be her guardian until she graduates."

"Are you sure?"

Shirayuki lifted her head and looked at the hero. She still felt empty, drained, but this was a tiny light in the darkness at least. "…I-I don't want to impose…"

"It's not imposing at all! Umetaro was one of my best friends! He would've wanted me to take care of you! Besides, you're a good kid, Yuki! And I know what you're going through right now can't be easy. I'm gonna be here for you. You've got me and Tamaki and all your friends. You don't have to be alone."