AN: Edited as of 04/09/21.


Stepping out of her room, Miko collided with someone she hadn't seen in a few days. "Oh. Good morning Kohaku." Her sister, dressed neatly in her middle school uniform, was a stark contrast to herself. Where Miko looked like an almost exact replica of their mother, Kohaku was a carbon copy of their father. She was tall for her age, with tan skin and long dark hair she kept loose around her face. Her turquoise eyes were the only shared trait between them, besides their tan skin, which they both undoubtably received from their father.

She had yet to grow out of the hime style bangs that their mother styled both of them in when they were young, and it looked like her once pink braces were now replaced with a lavender. Her little sister, five years her junior, looked surprised to see her. "Morning, Miko."

She eyed the large case in Kohaku's hands. "What are you doing up so early? You're usually still asleep." Kohaku chuckled sheepishly, gently shaking the case she was carrying. "Just trying to get some extra practice in. My director says I have a chance to move up a chair this year if I work a little harder."

That made sense, Miko thought. Kohaku was the only one of their parent's children who had a musical ability, much to their grandmother's pleasure. She'd been playing the viola for a while now and she was pretty good as far as Miko could tell. It made her immensely proud to see her so dedicated to the craft. "Good luck, then. I know you'll be able to do it." Miko gave a reassuring smile.

After praying at the small shrine inside their home, they left the compound together for the first time in a long while, both silent as they exited. This time the red eyes Miko felt following her back didn't sting as much with Kohaku by her side. Lovingly, Miko offered to carry Kohaku's viola case, which Kohaku refused, and Miko was left to wonder when her little sister had grown up so much. She was already a little taller than her and she no longer looked like the tiny tyke who used to hide behind her at family functions. To bystanders commuting along the same path, Kohaku looked like the older sibling and Miko the younger, but none of that bothered her as she walked contentedly with her kid sister.

Their tranquil walk came to an end as they separated at the train station, both feeling a little happier than when they woke up. Miko smiled sweetly at her sister as they waved their goodbyes. The unexpected small encounter with her little sister put Miko in a good mood on her way to UA, and she radiated an unusual amount of joy on the train ride.

She cared for the girl immensely and felt both inadequate and guilty for not giving her more love and affection as they didn't spend a lot of time together, each busy with their own respective hobbies and responsibilities, but she was happy to have seen her, even if momentarily. The stress from the past two days and subsequent irritation that stemmed from it seemed to evaporate from her heart when she saw Kohaku. The stern look she usually wore on her face wasn't quite so severe as she walked towards the gates with proud steps. Her chirpy disposition was quickly soured, however, as she was bombarded with questions and flashing cameras the closer she got to the gate.

"You there! Are you one of All Might's students? What's it like having the Symbol of Peace as a teacher?!"

Given the environment, her uniform, and her status as an heiress for one of the largest hospitals in the country, Miko didn't bite at the reporter who shoved her mic straight into her face. She carefully kept her face neutral at the aforementioned name. Without making eye contact she stated in a perfectly controlled tone, "Excuse me. You're making me late to class," and gracefully shoved past the horde.

"Wait, isn't that the heiress to Shinoda hospitals?"

"Well, doesn't she look like the Queen 'ah Sheba."

She continued walking without looking back. Distantly, she could hear Iida giving a very detailed comment to their inquiries. As she walked away, she couldn't help but be mildly impressed by how well he answered. She liked his straightforwardness. Based on his behavior he appeared to be a very serious person and she could appreciate a man who got the job done. Quick, decisive, and precise.

Once inside 1-A, she was enthusiastically greeted by her seatmate Kirishima and was momentarily stunned. She figured her rudeness from yesterday would have made him dislike her, but his sunny personality didn't seem to damper at all from her coldness. Quietly surprised, she returned his greeting, albeit not as enthusiastically. When she sat in her seat, Kaminari turned to face her. "Hey, Tsukikawa about yesterday, I'm sorry about what happened with my Quirk. I really didn't mean for you to get hurt so bad!"

His gaze was earnest and he did seem truly remorseful for electrocuting her. She was still sour about it, her pride wounded, but she knew it wasn't really his fault. "You couldn't have known. My Quirk makes me more susceptible to electricity since I'm made up of mostly water. Just try not to kill me next time, at least until I can figure out how to defend against you."

Both Kirishima and Kaminari gaped at her, even Jiro turned to look at her from her seat in front of Miko's. Her face was serious, trying to convey sincerity. The only one she could really blame was herself. She'd been at a disadvantage from the beginning and made a reckless gamble that cost her team the win and also put her at severe risk. It was her fault for not being better prepared to encounter someone like Kaminari and never even considered the eventuality.

All things considered, she had major issues if she had the gall to behave the same way as Midoriya, right after she so harshly mentally and verbally berated him for being stupid. But she'd give herself some credit and allow herself to think that she'd done her best without trying to kill herself. Her Quirk didn't inherently break her bones or tear apart her muscles.

The blonde groaned, hanging his head slightly. "Aw man, now I really feel bad. I had no idea my Quirk was so powerful." Jiro quickly shut him down with a small wave of her hand. "Oh, get over yourself. It's not that your Quirk is more powerful, it's that hers puts her at a greater disadvantage against yours." She turned to Miko, eyes regretful as she lamented. "I had no idea your Quirk was like that, Tsukikawa. I shouldn't have been captured or else maybe you wouldn't have been injured like that."

Miko shook her head. "It was my fault. I didn't think it was important and didn't disclose the information when you asked about my Quirk. Next time will be better." She took a sip from her water bottle. Next time would definitely be better. Now that she knew where her flaws lie, she knew how to correct them and ensure she wouldn't be caught off guard like that again.

Her determined inner monologue was cut short when Aizawa called the class to attention. Her back automatically straightened. His voice was strong as it carried over to the room, despite his tired, disheveled appearance. "Decent work on yesterday's combat training, you guys. I saw the video feeds and went over each of your team's results." He laid a heavy stack of papers on the podium, presumably the results and his critiques of their performances.

She hoped he intended on giving them his critiques soon. His tired eyes looked over to Bakugo. "Bakugo. You're talented. So don't sulk like a child about your loss, okay?" Miko looked over at said boy and pressed her lips together to keep herself from smirking when looked off to the side and pouted.

Mr. Aizawa continued to read off the stack of papers in front of him. "Midoriya. I see the only way you won the match was by messing up your arm again. Work harder. And don't give me the excuse that you don't have control over your Quirk. That line's already getting old. You can't keep breaking your body while training here…But your Quirk will be really useful if you can get a handle on it. So show a little urgency, huh?"

His voice dragged slowly to address her. "And Tsukikawa. Just like Midoriya you also got hurt in your battle. Your matchup put you at a disadvantage, but you'll have to work hard to find ways around that. Keep it up." It was what she expected from him. Miko's response was militaristic. "Yes, sir, understood."

"Let's get down to business. Our first task will decide your future."

It was time to enjoy normal school activities and decide class reps. Having class rep experience looked wonderful on resumes and applications, especially for hero track students. It demonstrated organization and leadership ability to competitive pro agencies that were especially invaluable to those intent on going indie and establishing their own agencies.

If Miko signed up for the role, she doubted she'd be able to fulfill the duties properly. Her mindset was entirely too selfish and she didn't know her classmates well enough to care about them. Truthfully, none of them really knew each other well enough to trust the position to anyone for that matter.

Her understanding of her own selfishness wasn't reflected by the rest of the class. Multiple shouts cut across the room volunteering for the job, discordant and chaotic, but none were accepted. Disarray was slowly starting to overwhelm her, that is until Iida stood up to clear up the chaos. With his hand in the air, Miko stared in awe as he heroically brought them to a consensus.

"Silence, everyone, please! The class representative's duties are to lead others. That's not something just anyone can do. You must first have the trust of every student in the classroom. Therefore the most logical way to fill this position is democratically. We will hold an election to choose our leader."

She'd been impressed by him before in front of the press, and here he made it seem like an easy task, but having been together for only a few days, no one trusted the other to take the job, and this was the only logical solution. Most people would vote for themselves, but Miko supposed that meant whoever got multiple votes would truly be the most suitable person for the job. She inhaled deeply as she surveyed the classroom. Most were out of their seats, while she stayed indifferently in her own, sipping her water.

Mr. Aiazawa had since zipped himself away in his yellow sleeping bag at the front of the class after making his announcement, content to let them organize themselves without interference. She leaned on her hand, pouting to herself. Thinking about it, there were only two people who she could say had leadership qualities, neither of which was herself. A soft sigh escaped her lips, hopefully, her vote could help inaugurate someone competent.

Miko's twin buns looked lopsided as she continued to lean on her arm. Iida did a wonderful job gathering all the votes and once they were all tallied up, the lead was Midoriya, Yaoyorozu, followed by Iida himself. Miko was genuinely shocked by Midoriya's popularity, though she supposed that people were impressed by the determination he demonstrated throughout his battle trial the day prior. She couldn't help but roll her eyes when no one was looking.

When Bakugo stood up and demanded to know who voted for the green haired boy, she glanced around, the corner of her lip dipping. That was something she'd like to know herself. Determination itself was not a leadership quality, though it could help develop it. She really didn't like the turnout. Out of the top three votes, she'd take Midoriya off the list completely for leadership skills, he was practically shaking in his seat to her left! He wasn't inspiring confidence then and he was definitely not someone she wanted to stand behind. She rolled her eyes when he squeaked.

Unlike the most popular vote, she had no issue to see that Yaoyorozu was voted in. The girl had great intelligence and a prudent nature that Miko appreciated. Whether she liked it or not Midoriya was their representative (with Momo as their deputy). Hopefully, with Momo by his side, she would manage to do well in his newly appointed position. She looked at him again. He was still trembling as he accepted his role.

She sat back in her seat in a huff. "Pull yourself together, geez," Miko scoffed under her breath. She was the only one besides Bakugo who seemed to have an issue with the results, as the others were each agreeing with the turnout. Even if she spoke up, the majority of the class agreed with the decision, so her words would be wasted. Glancing behind her, she eyed the boy who suggested the vote.

He seemed upset as he hunched over his hands fisted atop his desk. She almost pitied him. He seemed like a genuinely honorable guy and he clearly had the makings of a leader, but if he couldn't stand up for himself, then he obviously lacked the confidence to handle the job. It was a little disappointing, to be frank. Rolling her eyes, Miko turned to face the podium, she wasn't about to make it her issue.

With everything said and done, they continued on with their classes. Miko sipped from her water bottle. A few days of practice and settling into school life was becoming routine. Going to school, studying, training with her father, sharing tea with her grandmother, walking with her sister on their way to school, all of it was wonderful and getting her right where she needed to be as a hero in training. English was dull as per usual, modern hero art history interesting to say the least, but she'd been having the most fun in Modern Literature. They'd been given a list of 10 books to read over the course of one year, and though the number was daunting, they seemed interesting. The young girl very much looked forward to class discussions about their texts as well as writing papers further detailing her thoughts on the matter.

When it was time for a well deserved lunch break, she was ready to eat the entirety of Lunch Rush's stock. A long morning of classes left her stomach growling. But before she could eat her fill in twice her weight, she left the room early, a small tote bag under her arm, rushing a bit for the bathroom, eager to make the trip quick. The day had been quite busy and she'd completely forgotten to apply moisturizer in between classes. Her chin was in the air as she strut, her prideful stride only halted when she bumped into someone exiting the girl's bathroom.

"Oh! I'm sorry, I didn't see you there." A beautiful girl with long periwinkle hair took a step back and smiled at her. Miko blinked stupidly, the collision forced her to take two steps back and her one track mind was momentarily unable to respond. "Your hair is so cute! Do you use socks to keep them round? Or is that just your hair?"

"Oi, Nejire! We better hurry before all the good seats are taken."

"Be right there!"

The girl was tall, and her hair bounced in time as she skipped happily away to her friend who called her over. The whole interaction only lasted a few seconds, and the girl rushed through it all, not even giving Miko a chance to apologize or answer her questions. She stared after her. There really were interesting characters at UA, she thought to herself.

Bewildered but finally pulling her thoughts in order, she shook her head and walked in, already having wasted too much time. The bathroom was empty so Miko had no qualms about removing her shirt out in the open once she was done applying the moisturizing cream to her legs. She'd long since stopped wearing crew socks and pants during warmer months, preferring the quick access skirts and shorts gave her to just slap on moisturizer as needed and had gotten the overall process down to a pat over the years, the whole ritual monotonous and routine. Her shirt lay to the side of the sink and she was careful not to get it wet when she washed her hands to get some of the greasiness off her fingers.

As she went through the motions of her Quirk's required routine, she mulled over the girl she ran into, Nejire. She didn't look like a first year, nor did Miko ever see her in the hero course. That meant she was probably an upperclassman in a different department. Deciding to forget about the whole ordeal, she got ready to leave.

Buttoning her shirt, Miko was glad she left her blazer in the classroom, as soothing as it was, her skin was pretty greasy from the daily treatment. Checking her reflection in the mirror after having finished up, she made her way towards the cafeteria and she could faintly hear her stomach growling beneath the chatter of the multitudes of students present, and she increased her pace. Whilst establishing her school routine, she'd taken to sitting with Kirishima, but she took off before they could walk together to lunch. Knowing him, he probably wouldn't be offended and saved her a seat.

A strand of silver hair hung by her right temple and swayed lightly before Miko unconsciously tucked it behind her ear. From the large windows in the hall, the crowd of reporters from this morning could be seen still hanging around the main gate. Those vultures didn't seem to be going anywhere anytime soon. Maybe it was too much to wish they'd be gone by the time the students had to walk home. Proudly strutting into Lunch Rush's cafeteria her first destination was the lunch line.

Packed as ever, Miko spent her time contemplating the first novel they were expected to read, The Devotion of Suspect X by Keigo Higashino, for Mr. Cementoss's course. She'd already read the summary and had begun to take notes of her initial thoughts on the themes and other motifs she could possibly expect to draw out from the novel. It was almost like playing go against her grandmother. The best way to ensure high marks was through strategy.

She knew that Japan's education system had an outline for the required materials to be taught in high schools, regardless of whatever course a student was in. Even for a place like UA, where there were always exceptions to any given rule, there were still some things that couldn't be avoided. It wouldn't hurt to look into some of the course materials and see if there was some outline or study guide to help decipher the books. She could only hope the same strategy would apply to Ms. Midnight's art class. That way she'd make sure her records stayed flawless when the time came to graduate.

She fiddled with her nails as she waited in line, scouting the area for her classmates, and spotted Kirishima's bright red hair across the room. Her lip quirked just a tad. They hadn't spent much time together, but she really enjoyed his presence. He offset her pessimistic nature, that she regularly disguised as realism, with his positive disposition and simultaneously challenged her with his competitive spirit that kept her from withdrawing into a judgmental and stuck up persona. He was also generally a good friend.

When she finally had her food, a tray of double tonkatsu, she walked into a conversation between Kirishima, Mina, Kaminari, and Sero. They were all still discussing the class representative vote from this morning. She did her best not to ruin the mood as she placed herself at the table to eat. They each greeted her when she approached, not questioning her late arrival. Kaminari leaned his head on his hand, looking at them with a boyish grin, chopsticks held between his fingers. "Yaoyorozu seems like a good fit, but Midoriya looked a little green after the election."

"Ha! It wasn't very manly, but I think he's got the stuff. The guy was just a little nervous that's all." Kirishima smiled broadly.

Miko kept a straight face when Mina turned to her, bright and excitable. "What do you think Tsukikawa, who'd you vote for?" Miko pulled her chopsticks from her lips and swallowed a piece of chicken before speaking. "Iida," she boldly stated. "He seems much more competent." She scanned their faces to gauge their reactions.

Mina was quick to catch on. "So you were his one vote!" The pink skinned girl exclaimed. She was jumping happily in her seat, more excited to be having a conversation with the quiet Miko more than anything else.

"Whoa isn't it a little early to tell?" Sero asked, concerned. From what he knew, Tsukikawa was pretty quiet and looked a little stuck up with the way she never really smiled and rolled her eyes like she didn't have the time of day for them. Hearing her admit to voting for another rich looking kid wasn't surprising, but he was surprised to hear her subtly criticize Midoriya.

Unbeknownst to Sero's personal thoughts, Miko paused like she did when she spoke to her kid cousins before addressing him, leveling a vibrant pair of turquoise eyes that once again took him by surprise with their brilliance.

"Think about it. He got MVP in his trial yesterday AND he's the one who was able to organize us by coming up with the voting system in the first place. I also overhead him handling the press this morning and it was both brilliant and it got them to stop asking questions." She didn't mention how he kept them away from her, which was the real reason she appreciated his handling of the media. "That's a real leader."

Sero looked away abashedly, finger on his chin. She had a way of drawing you in when she spoke to you, he thought. "When you put it that way it seems pretty obvious," he mumbled. Ever the optimist, Mina exclaimed, "Even still, I'm sure Midoriya and Yaomomo will do just fine!"

Miko did her best not to obviously roll her eyes at the mention of their new president. "Sure, we'll see—"

Her negativity was cut off by a loud bell and a robotic voice speaking over the intercom. She looked to the ceiling searching for the cause of the alarm. Overhead, a pleasant female announcer notified the cafeteria of a new crisis.

"Warning, Level Three Security Breach. All students please evacuate the building in an orderly fashion."

As soon as the message was received, hundreds of UA students took to the halls in an effort to evacuate. She hurriedly got up with her companions, each of them leaving their trays behind, but they were quickly separated in the sea of students. Mina failed to anchor her when Miko's smaller form was captured between a trio of older students and called out to her in distress.

Panicked and fearful, the students packed the building's halls from wall to wall, shoving and trampling over each other to the point where no one was actually moving. "Hey, watch it!" Caught up in the storm, Miko kept getting elbowed in the face and continuously pressed into the backs of taller students.

At her height, it was easy to miss her and those around her failed to notice the smaller girl. She pushed against those closest to her aggressively. "Pull yourself together! Calm down! This is no way to evacuate!"

It was all getting seriously out of control, she thought. The students behaved as though they'd never run disaster drills before, and no one was stepping in to control the situation, even the teachers were nowhere to be found. In the distance, she could hear Kirishima yell, "Everyone! Stop freaking out!" Before he was taken with the tide and swallowed alongside Kaminari.

Worried, Miko continued being shoved and pushed, at one point getting hit in the mouth with an elbow, crying out, "What the fuck!" She put a hand to her mouth, already tasting blood from where her teeth cut the inside of her lip.

"Back off, man."

Hurt and irritated, Miko felt someone closing in on her, ready to protest and shove him off too, only stopping when she noticed that they were actually boxing out everyone else. Above her was a boy with dark hair with a similar look of disdain for the students he was protecting her from. His arms on either side of her head, he wasn't looking at her as he boxed her in against the wall and kept a firm stronghold against the panicked students surrounding them. He managed to keep a respectful distance between them until one particularly forceful shove pushed his chest into Miko's face, elbows now braced against the wall.

"Hmph!"

With her face smushed against his chest, she could smell a pleasant aroma from his clothes, a subtle woody scent from his cologne. Her hands were still in the air from when she prepared herself to push him away from her, the same way she did the other students to give herself some space, but now she gripped onto the lapels of his blazer to help steady herself.

Time seemed too slow before Iida's voice screamed out against the chaos. He was standing atop the archway gripping onto the piping by the ceiling for dear life as his calves shook. "Listen up, everything is okay! It's just the media outside. There's absolutely nothing to worry about. Everything's fine! We're UA students. We need to remain calm and prove that we're the best of the best!"

His words calmed everyone in the hall enough that her knight in shining armor felt secure enough to relax his arms and let them fall to his sides. Miko looked up to face her savior. He had dark, slanted, intelligent eyes, pale skin, and she could already tell from earlier that he took good care of himself from how close she was to him two seconds prior. His wrists and fingers were slender, unlike his manly build, and he had an unruffled appearance despite the chaos they found themselves in. Miko blushed lightly, her savior was handsome and carried an air of mystery she hadn't noticed before.

"Are you okay? You're bleeding." His voice was gentle and husky.

His voice brought her out of her stupor. Embarrassed, Miko's brows furrowed, pushing her hair behind her ear. "I'm absolutely fine. I appreciate the help but you didn't have to do that." He didn't seem bothered by her brusque tone, instead watched her patiently as she brought her hand up to her mouth again. "You've got blood down your chin." He gazed down his nose at her as he said this, and placed a delicate finger under her chin, gently turning her head to take a better look at the wound.

Miko jerked her head out of his grasp, expression furious. "Someone elbowed me and I cut my lip on my teeth." She said irritably. He peered over to take a look at her mouth. "It looks pretty bad. Why don't I take you to Recovery Girl's office?" The crowd was starting to disperse, and the two could hear police sirens nearing the building.

Gazing down at her, he could see that her hair was messy after being shoved around in the hall, the bun on the left side of her head coming undone. Truthfully, he didn't really know why he shielded her the way he did. He himself was squeezed between a pair of third years when he saw this tiny girl getting pushed around, and despite her best efforts, kept getting elbowed in the face; his body just moved. Her silver silken hair, brilliant against her skin, shone to him like a beacon and he found himself using his body to keep them both from being taken by the mob.

She was tiny beneath him, her head barely reaching his chest. He was average height for a boy his age, but the girl in front of him was almost an entire foot shorter. He couldn't help but think back to how she furiously held onto his blazer to be, clutching onto him for dear life. He did his best not to overcrowd her, but his arms gave out under the pressure from the crowd. They were so close he could smell her shampoo in her hair.

He looked at her intensely, expression cool and focused, and she still wasn't looking at him, defiant in posture and expression, sharp turquoise irises hidden away by her lowered eyelids. She had a healthy complexion, youthful and supple, free from any marks or blemishes. Regardless of her tender appearance, he could tell just how fierce she was in the air surrounding her. Though she struggled against the crowd, she fought back, and even now that he was offering her help, her pride left her hesitant to accept it. Just in the way she held herself, he could tell. Her posture was fit for a noble. Her bare forearms were surprisingly well sculpted, as were her legs, small stature concealed powerful sinuous muscles beneath soft skin. She seemed to carry much more muscle mass than he did.

Dark eyes observed her.

"I'm Kaibara from class 1-B."

She paused at the abrupt change in conversation. Her brow quirked and she managed to make him feel like she was the one looking down on him, not vice versa. "Tsukikawa, from class 1-A, pleasure to make your acquaintance." Despite her feelings, she conveyed enough politeness to convince him that she wasn't completely ill-mannered. Taking another look at her, he could see that her bottom lip was split. He refrained from touching her this time, aware that she didn't appreciate it the first time he put his finger under his chin. She felt pinned beneath his stare.

"That could get infected."

A little haughty, she responded politely. "A little water and my Quirk will take care of it." She stepped out of his space. "Thanks for your help, Kaibara, but we should go back to class." She bowed shallowly and turned swiftly towards the direction of the cafeteria. He thought she was going back to class? Regardless, he didn't stop her as he watched her walk away, her hair still a mess. Gazing at her retreating form, he couldn't get the soft smell of her vanilla shampoo out of his mind as he leisurely placed his hands in his pockets and walked away.

Catching sight of her friends, Miko pulled at the strands that came undone and pulled on the hair tie underneath. A cascade of silver locks fell past her shoulder on one side of her head. Kaminari leered at her playfully. "Hey, Tsukikawa, you seemed pretty cozy with that guy over there." She glanced at him before sticking her nose in the air, still fixing her bun. "Shut up, Kaminari." He laughed her off, loving the way he could get under her skin with just a few words. Kirishima took notice of the direction she was walking. "Hey where are you goin'?" He asked curiously.

"Back to the cafeteria, we can't leave our trays on the table."

Mina and Sero joined them on their way inside the cafeteria, and reformed group easily cleaned up their lunch, a few picking off their half eaten trays before tossing the leftovers in the bin. Once they finished picking up after themselves, they walked back to their homeroom, glad the whole media ordeal was over. That was more excitement than they've had since the Quirk test.

Students were still lively as they returned, the media circus a hot topic, the main mystery being how they were able to get past the gates. In her seat, Miko trying to decipher the situation. UA was a heavily guarded institution, she thought, one of which those prying vultures shouldn't have been able to bypass. The arrival of the police should dissuade any more reporters from trying to infiltrate again, but for now it seemed like the police would launch an investigation to figure out how they managed to get in, in the first place.

Once everyone was back and settled in their seats, Yaoyorozu stood at attention at the front of the class. She turned expectantly to Midoriya who trembled at her side. "It's time class rep. Let's begin."

Poor Midoriya was shaking nervously in his sneakers. "Um, okay! So we need to figure out who the other class reps will be." He stilled enough to speak properly. "But first! There's something that I wanna say! I've thought a lot about this…and I think that Tenya Iida should be our class rep." His declaration surprised Miko. She leaned forward on her desk behind Jiro, eager to hear his explanation as to why he'd give up his elected position.

"He was able to capture everyone's attention and get us in line. So I believe that he should be the one leading our class from now one!" Miko was impressed with the green haired boy, he slowly gained confidence as he spoke well of Iida, and he seemed to have some bit of sense in him. Not to brag, but it'd been obvious to her from the beginning that Iida had the capability to lead their class and represent their opinions and feelings and overall ensure academic success whether it be in-class or the training ground. He'd been her first choice after all.

Kirishima spoke up. "Yeah, you know what? If Midoriya vouches for him I'm good. Plus he was a big help. He totally manned up and took charge, right?" Miko turned to look at him as he spoke. Of course, he'd be okay with the decision. Kirishima appeared to be the type to see the good in everyone, and though she appreciated that he applied that mindset in his friendship with her, she still found it annoying that he was so easily swayed throughout the election vote.

Mr. Aizawa, who'd been silent since they returned, spoke up from inside his sleeping bag. "This is a waste of time. I don't care who the rep is, just hurry up." Understanding that their teacher was becoming irritated, Iida once again quickly took charge and settled the matter, humbly accepting the nomination. A petite smile formed on her lip as she peered at him, she was certain that he would do well, he'd already proven it a few times in the short time that she knew him. She was mostly glad that someone qualified was in charge now.

Ten minutes to one pm, Mr. Aizawa prepared them for their off-campus trip to a training facility where they'd work on rescue training. Three pros, including Mr. Aizawa and All Might, would be there to supervise. As soon as he dismissed them to get ready, most were already rushing towards the cases placed in the remote controlled shelves hidden in the wall. Miko didn't wait for the other girls to finish getting dressed before she walked out of the locker room with her helmet under her arm. Inspired by her seatmate Jiro, she'd brought a small pot of mint shadow liner to paint a thick wing of mint from the outer corner of her eyes, and packed away the pot inside her case. If it didn't hold, she would put in a request to the school support company.

Once outside, she listened to Iida call them together and calmly waited by the bus, choosing not to join her new group of friends as they chatted. The new class rep had taken the time to organize a seating arrangement for them in the short time frame he had, but it was all for naught as the bus had an open layout. She took a seat in the back and gazed out the window, trying to ignore the conversation her classmates were having across the open space of the bus in front of her. Though it was improper, she shifted and crossed a leg beneath her so she wouldn't have her bare ass on the seat. She trusted the cleanliness of the bus, but would rather not take any chances. Grimly, she thought perhaps she would add some type of garment to her costume design to avoid situations such as this.

Distantly, she could hear Asui mention how good she'd be in the water, which against her better judgment, made Miko feel threatened once again. The feeling of inadequacy was getting old very fast. The girl didn't seem to have the same competitive streak that she, Bakugo, and Kirishima had, or even the cold arrogance the ice master Todoroki did, but her Quirk made the silver haired girl wary. She had to do her best to outshine her at this exercise.

The ride itself was relatively smooth, only a few outbursts from their resident hothead Bakugo broke the peace, but quick remarks from Mr. Aizawa kept him under control. When they finally reached their destination, Miko had to admire UA for pouring all their funding into their hero program. Hand on her hip, she quietly appraised the location. The facility was huge, she could only imagine what they would find inside.

The Space Hero: Thirteen greeted them enthusiastically at the entrance when they entered as a group inside the Unforeseen Simulation Joint, or USJ for short. Miko had never personally been interested in heroes before, but she'd also never met such a world renowned rescue specialist before. She couldn't deny the excitement she felt when Thirteen stepped in front of them. As their rescue instructor, Thirteen would improve their skills monumentally. All they had to do was wait for All Might to arrive and they'd begin their first task at rescue, one of the three hero basics.

The building resembled a massive amusement park, with distinct locations that proved once again the quality of the education they'd be receiving at UA. Behind Thirteen and encircling the central plaza were six different zones, each specific type of rescue situation they may find themselves in as future pros: a shipwreck, a landslide, a fire, a windstorm, mountainous range, and urban ruins. Remarkably, the entire facility was created by the space hero herself.

As she explained the different zones, the students became more and more fired up, and instead of allowing the class' excitement get the best of them, Thirteen took a moment to warn them about the dual nature of Quirks. The lively mood soured into a somber one. Said hero's Quirk, Black Hole, allowed her to suck anything up and turn it into dust, which granted her the power to save thousands of individuals from disasters by simply removing the cause of the disaster.

However, the power could also be applied to people, leaving her in a position of great responsibility and care, ensuring that while trying to dust a disaster, she also had to make sure she didn't kill anyone in the process. The point being, Quirk usage depended on the user. Powerful Quirks could very easily be used to kill, and if someone was especially creative, an ostensibly non powerful Quirk could achieve the same result.

Her words hit Miko hard. Miko's own Quirk, Aquaporin, was capable of such an outcome. The silver haired girl looked solemnly down at her glove covered hands. There were a few instances where she lost control of her Quirk and ended up hurting someone. She winced at the memory.

In their society, Quirks are certified and stringently regulated, so many overlook how unsafe they can actually be, save for villains of course. Despite careful governmental monitoring, for those with dangerous Quirks, it was imperative that they maintain focus and constant vigilance of their actions lest they accidentally allow their power to become deadly, especially if they're trying to rescue someone. Miko subconsciously stiffened, ready to prove herself. There was no other choice.

For this training specifically, Mr. Aizawa's test has already given them an idea for their potential; and from All Might's combat training, the danger their Quirk's exhibited. The lessons they'd thus learned were all in an effort to apply them for this training, to learn how to use their Quirks to save people's lives, not to attack but to help; the core of heroism.

Thirteen's speech, though somber in its warning tone, lit a fire in their hearts and each student was ready to jump into their training. Disastrously, just before they were about to begin, static ran across the overhead lights, the central plaza's fountain sputtered a few times before a dark purple rift formed at its base. Miko looked on, trying to discern what was happening.

From her place at the entrance, a pale hand grasped at the edges of the dark purple, a figure emerging behind it. A sense of confusion wafted over the students as the rift continued to expand across the plaza, and more and more figures emerging from the menacing shadow. Some of the students had begun to approach, only freezing when Mr. Aizawa held them back, his words low and foreboding.

"This is real. Those are villains."

In the distance, hundreds of villains already lining up to attack. What they wanted they weren't sure, but the fact that they were inside of a secure UA facility meant that this was no ordinary villain attack. Miko, who had thus far been consciously blank faced, now stood rigid in the face of the dire situation, heart pounding loudly in her ears. The alarms hadn't gone off in the facility the same way the main campus did when the media invaded, so it was safe to assume that there was someone with a Quirk that masked their presence in the building.

Away from the main campus, it was uncertain whether or not they were the only targets, or if those back at the high school were facing a similar situation. It was obvious they were facing a planned attack, they were in the middle of a class at an isolated facility where they were completely outnumbered. They had no way of alerting the main campus or calling for backup since their communication was down along with their security sensors.

Fear was slowly starting to creep into Miko's being. This was real, those were actual villains meters away from them, and here they were, children in costumes playing dress up.

Preparing to engage the large group of villains, Mr. Aizawa had his unseemly yellow goggles over his eyes, ready to face the throng of villains that had manifested in the central plaza. If memory served, the scarf he kept around his neck acted like a capture weapon, which, in combination with his Erasure, made it easy to subdue and contain villains. Unfortunately, this worked best in one-on-one battles, and their current situation required a few more copies of the man in order to suppress the entirety of the pack in front of them.

Miko's heart beat loudly in her ears. There were only two pros to combat them, and a group of green uncertified hero students only days into their hero training were not allowed to engage, nor did they have the ability to take on so many villains. The best thing the students could do at this point, she thought, was to stay out of Mr. Aizawa's way and not give the villains an opportunity to use them against him in a hostage situation.

Briefly, Miko thought, they could die here.

Once the urgency of the situation dawned on her, Miko struggled to keep her composure, chest heaving slowly and deliberately as she tried to control her breathing, blinking rapidly as she glared worriedly from her spot at the entrance. As much as she wanted to help, she knew that she would most likely get in the way should she interfere. They weren't too far into the building, all they had to do was turn around and run. Once they were out, they would call for assistance and Mr. Aizawa wouldn't have to face them alone.

Before taking off, she watched her teacher to assure herself that they weren't leaving him to die and that they didn't have to worry. She watched him rush into the crowd, confronting the first group of villains, each of which had long range capabilities. Using Erasure, he kept them from attacking and seized them in his scarf in a brilliant display of maneuverability and strength. He was attacked by a man with a heteromorphic Quirk, one Erasure couldn't cancel out, punching him square in the face and securing his leg when he flew back. He dodged a sneak attack from behind, bridging in a downward swinging motion until he completely evaded and countered with a hard kick of his own.

In awe, Miko momentarily felt guilty for worrying when he was so obviously capable of handling the situation and lived up to his title of pro. Despite her fear, she wondered if she'd ever be able to move like that.

Thirteen gathered them up, directing them to follow her lead out of the building because once they were safe, the pros wouldn't have to worry about twenty greenies on the battlefield. Miko's worried turquoise eyes looked around to make sure those around her were following instruction, and took off, sprinting to catch up to Thirteen.

Ahead of them, Miko gasped when the same dark rift that appeared in front of the central plaza materialized on the ground, shifting and rising until a vaguely humanoid shape formed. Terrified, Miko instinctively covered her arms in long, thick whips of water from her pack, hips lowered and hunched as she raised her fists, ready. She wavered when a voice, deep and reverberating, spoke with a menacing augury. "There is no escape for you." It said.

The misty villain continued to preach at them with a distant well-mannered introduction as if the mayhem he brought with him was nonexistent. "It's a pleasure to meet you. We are the League of Villains. I know it's impolite, but we decided to invite ourselves into this haven of justice to say hello." The silver haired girl trembled lightly and perspiration began to collect on her scalp and under her arms.

Usually, when villains were calm and rational, it meant they were fully able to execute their will over their victims and were the most terrifying. "And besides, isn't this a place fitting for All Might, the Symbol of Peace, to take his last breath?"

Miko gasped lowly, eyes wide. She didn't have a particular fondness for the hero, but the villain seemed to think he was making polite conversation, casually mentioning the murder of a well known pro, going so far as to confirm they had an inside source aiding them in their plan to kill him.

The dark shape expended as he intended to swallow them, and Bakugo and Kirishima, the foolhardy jerks, leaped towards him ready to attack. Miko gasped and prepared to extend her whips to pull the two back, but didn't reach them in time when a massive explosion from Bakugo covered them all in smoke, forcing them back. She grit her teeth as she braced herself, fanning the smoke away with her whips before rushing forwards.

"You idiots! Don't rush in like that!" She yelled at them. Despite the terror she felt confronting a true villain, she stood behind them, prepared to back them up before they did something stupid again. She looked at the back of their heads. They were so much more heroic than her. Kirishima didn't look at her when he spoke, staring instead at the villain before him. "Did ya think we were just gonna stand around and let you tear this place to shreds?"

Yes, he was so much braver than her.

From the smoke, the disembodied voice traveled to their ears. "You live up to your school's reputation. But you should be more careful children. Otherwise, someone might get hurt." Miko tensed, he hadn't even taken a single scratch in that attack. Her breaths were becoming more rapid.

"I'll scatter you across this facility, to meet my comrades and your deaths!"

Breath trembling, but remaining steadfast, she screamed when they were enveloped in the misty fog of the villain, and Miko was taken from the entrance to the landslide zone through a warp gate. She fell from above the rock and landed roughly as she caught herself with her extended whips. The moment she touched ground she was attacked by a strange looking villain and instinctively lashed out with her whips in a semi-circle, quick to drive him back. She kept pushing them back, intent on hitting them hard enough to keep them down to foster an escape.

She was scared. Miko lived a fairly sheltered life, safe from the horrors of hero society, but now here she was facing off with loads of scummy villains, fighting to survive. She was born into a privileged family, never had to deal with issues like money, or food insecurity. Everything was handed to her on a silver platter. Even her skin was unmarred and unsullied, didn't even have scars on her knees or elbows like most other children. The huge flip in reality was astonishing, but she supposed it was her own fault for putting herself in this situation.

This was nothing like what she thought hero school was going to be like.

Breathless, she knocked out the last of her attackers when they were suddenly encased in ice that trailed back to an arrogant boy with two toned hair. "Aren't you embarrassed to lose to a child? For god's sake, you're adults. Put up a real fight," he said. She knew immediately who it was. His voice was condescending and contemptuous.

She looked to her attackers. They truly hadn't put up too much of a fight, with the training she received from her father, she was able to subdue them without having to get too close. She looked around at the fallen figures. Despite his tone, Todoroki had a point. They didn't put up much of a fight.

Taking the time to gather the ice and frost not restraining the villains, Miko increased her water supply as she neared Todoroki, strengthening her whips. He growled at the trapped villains. "So the plan was to scatter us and kill us. You were woefully unprepared. In fact, it looks to me as though you've had no training. You haven't the slightest idea how to use your Quirks."

She scowled as she called out to him. "Hey! Todoroki!" He glared back at her. She tried to persuade him to run and hide with her, doing her best to retain composure to properly speak. "We need to get out of here, we don't know where everyone else is and right now we're a liability until the pros arrive."

He looked down at her disdainfully and was quick to dismiss her. "These are only low level thugs. We can manage." He continued walking, Miko scowling at his back but following wordlessly. New villains crept out from different places around them, and the pair cut them down with relative ease. If she were to be truly candid with herself, she never wanted to be a hero. Being here in this situation reminded her of the fact.

She shook her head lightly, she didn't even have her helmet with her.

She felt something come at her from behind, using an ice blade at the end of her whip to slice at an incoming attack, cutting a crowbar in half before kicking someone's chest, knocking the wind out them as they crashed to the floor where they were encased by Todoroki's ice. At her movements, the bun she fixed earlier that day came undone, her hair falling along the left side of her head.

Todoroki had also been attacked and froze the villains, including the one she took down. Assessing them, Miko knew they had to be aware of the class schedule and who would be here. Thinking back, the only logical explanation is that they took advantage of the media invasion and stole school files; and once they had the information, waited for the right moment to strike. She pushed her hair behind her ear and addressed Todoroki, her breathing had finally returned to normal.

Referencing the plan mentioned by the shadow figure, she spoke. "If they've spent so much time planning this attack, they likely have a way to kill All Might."

"Those guys are just thugs. From what I can tell, there are about four or five truly dangerous people here. If that's the case, then what we need right now is more information."

Miko glanced around at the villains, looking down at them from her nose. She couldn't imagine they'd give away information so easily. She never did want to be a hero, she thought ruefully. Todoroki appeared to have an idea and approached the group.

"Your cells will slowly die as your body succumbs to frostbite and hypothermia. Luckily for you, we want to be heroes. So it's better if we avoid any unnecessary cruelty." He held up a frosty hand to a villain's face. "But I can only do that if you tell me how you plan to kill All Might. That's the only way you'll survive." Miko frowned at his threat but caught on with little hesitation. Freezing the ends of her whips into flat, sharp edges once again, she showcased her Quirk in an attempt to intimidate their captives enough to confess on their own.

"Someone had better speak up now." She said, turning the blades over and lifting it to someone's eyes before facing another who was frozen in a doubled over position. She released a small puff of air into his face and allowed the vapor in her breath to crystallize into small frozen flakes. "My Quirk is a better version of his, more fine tuning. All I have to do is breathe in your direction and you'll be stuck here forever. It's a slow way to die." Todoroki glared at her statement but said nothing.

Playing into the role of the bad guy was a simple task for Miko, but it was difficult to tell if they took them seriously, since they were already shivering from the cold. To speed up the effect, Miko gave the ugliest glare she could muster, another simple task given the situation. The discolored man she threatened with her breath struggled to turn away from her. "Th-that guy, the creepy one. He said he had a way." She stepped back, glancing towards Todoroki. Her mouth was much drier than it was this morning. It wasn't so surprising how easily the villains gave away their plan under their threats, their bravado readily abandoned.

"We need to get to the central plaza and make sure everyone's all right." Todoroki gave her a cold look as he spoke. She nodded along, already moving over debris and bodies. Her companion made quick work of the ice prison, releasing their victims as promised, only stopping at their feet. Panicked and fearful, one thug yelled out.

"You promised to let us go!" Todoroki remained unimpressed. "It's an insurance policy to make sure you stay out of our way. It won't kill you." He ran ahead without waiting for Miko, it annoyed her but in this situation she let him take the lead, the hair on the left side of her head breezing behind her.

For now, they had to focus on their own survival and trust the pros to take care of the situation. Or even if All Might could take care of the situation. It was all Miko could think about, they were well trained enough to defend themselves against thugs, but if what they said was true than they were no match for whatever they had planned for All Might.

It was bold of them to attack in the middle of a school day, but that must also meant they felt confident in their plan. This spurred her forward. She had to be brave. They had to make sure the other students were out of the way or else they'd get caught in the battle. No doubt they'd be able to hold their own, but the threat of the warp gate catching them off guard meant they had to get out of there fast.

Running towards the center of the USJ gave Miko a moment to think. The sudden arrival of an army of villains was completely unexpected and woefully frightening. As she ran Miko's thoughts went to her sister, Kohaku. Just this morning they shared a nice walk to school together. Kohaku was growing confidently and beautifully and it pained her to think of what it would do to her should she get hurt or even worse, not return from this. She was too young to remember the passing of Riko, the second born daughter, but the agony and grief in Miko's heart was something she would always carry with her. If for nothing else, she had to ensure her survival to see Kohaku again, to spare her that heartache.

They ran from their zone until they reached the central plaza, dodging more villains and doing their best to remain unseen. If it couldn't be avoided, they struck them down without a second thought. The silver haired girl hoped that they could get there in time, whatever the situation; but as they neared the plaza fountain, Miko started to lag behind Todoroki.

She could see work left behind by Mr. Aizawa, who'd done an incredible job holding back the massive amount of villains, scattered all across the plaza. Her breath was starting to come in rapidly. In the distance, All Might and a massive bird-like creature with no visible cranium were locked in a suplex, their bodies separated by a warp gate like the one the shadow figure forced her into when he separated her from her class. Seeing him like this stilled Miko's breath. The creature gripped his torso fiercely, digging its fingers into All Might's side until he bled profusely.

The situation was shocking no doubt, especially considering the fact that as much as he left a distaste in her mouth, she revered All Might as an untouchable god, infallible and eternal. Her fallen sister, Riko, had loved the hero more than anything else in the world, grilled Miko on all things All Might since she learned how to speak, made her older sister watch every newscast featuring the Symbol and wear matching All Might kiddie costumes. It was Riko's dream to become a hero, just like her idol. Riko who had been the brave, fearless one.

She had to remind herself to be brave, to not let these villains see her fear or her doubt. She couldn't allow herself to undermine the pros in front of their enemies. Of course, she had seen countless of his battles where he took much worse beatings than what he'd been dealt here, but for some reason, he seemed to be unable to or was purposely holding back against this creature, perhaps because of the children in his area. This train of thought further established in her mind that they were only causing more trouble than their presence was worth in them being there.

Behind them was a ghostly pale man with blue hair. His arms, face, and the back of his head were held by grey embalmed hands. The visible parts of his skin looked painfully dry, flaking and cracking at the base of his neck. He looked like a decaying corpse, appearing unbothered by the situation, patiently waiting for someone to make a move as he slouched.

The sight of him reminded her that she'd been using her Quirk quite extensively until now and had yet to hydrate. She could feel her own lips cracking. She could feel sweat dripping down her legs and back. The exertion the journey demanded in tandem with the anxiety adrenaline rippling through her, and her pounding heart made it more obvious to her that she was terrified of this confrontation. Quietly, she reminded herself once again to be brave.

As she and Todoroki neared, she saw Midoriya running straight into another warp gate. Her stomach dropped and took a deep breath of air, legs pumping furiously to save him. Despite her efforts, Bakugo, who appeared out of nowhere, outpaced her, leaping in front of the boy and captured the smoky figure responsible for the gate and tackled him with a blast of his hands.

"Get the hell outta my way Deku!" Fervently, Miko's eyes widened and she extended her arm to wrap her whip around Midoriya's torso, and pulled him out of Bakugo's blast zone. Her arms shook as she observed Midoriya and Bakugo. How could Bakugo be so careless? Midoriya landed a few paces away from Todoroki, her whip still locked around his middle. The dual haired boy stopped a few feet away from the scene himself, stomping his right food to freeze the birdman in place. Miko withdrew her hold on Midoriya, satisfied with his living status, and readied her stance.

Todoroki spoke up. "One of your poorly trained thugs told me you're here because you think you can kill All Might." Said hero loosened the bird man's grip and flipped over to stand in front of them, Miko readied her whips in the case anyone else needed to be pulled out of the situation. Her brow furrowed, with All Might here, it was best to get out of the way. As soon as the thought crossed her mind, Kirishima came from out of nowhere, leaping with a yell as he attacked the man with hands all over his torso. "Damn! That was gonna be cool!"

Miko grit her teeth, neither he nor Bakugo were taking this seriously! At least Todoroki kept his distance when he attacked. His voice was hard as he stared down the villains. "The Symbol of Peace will not be defeated by delinquents like you." He seemed much more confident about the situation than she was. She looked to Midoriya.

He was still standing around completely open to attack, eyes jumping between them like he couldn't find anything to do. Nervous, she called out to him. "Midoriya, get ready or get out of the way." Her words were harsh but he'd already put himself in danger and she didn't want to risk anyone getting hurt, especially someone so young. She couldn't allow it. Finally having gathered the courage to endure the situation, she steeled herself.

Miko's breathing was controlled and measured as the man covered in embalmed hands spoke to the misty man with a raspy voice. "Kurogiri, how could you let this brat get the best of you? You've gotten us into a real jam here." The man's, Kurogiri's, voice drifted across the space. "I apologize, Tomura Shigaraki." Shigaraki ignored his lackey's apology and spoke aloud to himself, contemplating the situation. "They escaped uninjured and captured my two strongest men. Kids these days really are amazing. They make the League of Villains look like amateurs. Can't have that." Miko tensed, wary of what his words meant.

He turned to the bird, "Nomu." At the command the beast withdrew itself from the warp gate it was still trapped in. Slowly and painfully, the limbs Todoroki had frozen to subdue him breaking off as he exited. Even as they broke off, he kept moving, eyes rolling until they landed on them. Miko's lips curled at the horrifying sight.

"How is he still moving? He's all messed up."

"Stay back, everybody!" All Might cried. Miko watched in disgust as the ice surrounding the frozen nub at the base of Nomu's shoulder broke off and new musculature grew rapidly until it formed an entirely new arm, black skin slowly growing over the exposed muscles. "What is this? I thought you said his power was shock absorption." Miko kept her eyes on Nomu as All Might stood up slowly.

Shigarki's voice was raspy and self-satisfied. "I didn't say that was his only Quirk. He also has super-regeneration. Nomu has been modified to take you on even at 100% of your power. He's basically a highly efficient punching bag that hits back."

Miko's chest heaved as she glared at Nomu. His regeneration was impressive but if she kept cutting away at his limbs before they finished regenerating, they could get out of here. All thoughts of remaining out of the way went out of her head as her eyes pierced into his lifeless ones. She could make it easier for All Might to take him down and at the same time keep everyone from getting hurt, her whips gave them that advantage. Once the boys fled, she would leave the rest to All Might and join them in their escape. She was able to increase the volume of her whips using Todoroki's unused ice earlier, so she could keep herself at a distance and not worry about getting in harm's way. She made her decision.

"You boys should run!" She screamed out, raising her arms and lunging forward, thinning out the water so that it sliced cleanly through tissue and bone, swinging her arms and swaying her hips expertly to wildly cut off the newly regenerating limbs along with the originals. This time, blood seeped from the open wounds, and Nomu's head and torso silently collapsed onto the ground without even acknowledging the damage done. She called out to the boys, though her turquoise eyes never left her target. "Get out of here! If he doesn't have any arms he's useless!"

All Might yelled out to her, trying to get her to hold off, "Tsukikawa, stop!"

Shigaraki huffed in annoyance. "You brats sure are aggressive. Look what you've done to Nomu. Too bad it's useless." Miko kept hacking away at his limbs as soon at they continued to regenerate, but Nomu was completely unaffected by her attacks, simply allowing her to cut away at his limbs. If she lasted long enough during the entrance exam endlessly hacking away at robots, she'd be able to hold off this monster.

Her breaths came out in small pants, and she could feel her lips cracking and bleeding. She was starting to become lightheaded. Since fighting off those villains and running all the way over with Todoroki she hadn't the chance to drink water; and right now that she was cutting apart this creature with her blades, she could see and feel the red gaze of the blue haired man from the corner of her eyes piercing into her. "First we'll need to get rid of you before we free our method of escape. Get him, Nomu."

Miko's breath caught in her throat as Shigaraki came at her with his palm outstretched, immediately drawing back her whips to defend herself. Her vision was hazy and he was much faster than his appearance implied, confronting her almost immediately. The only thing keeping her from him was the thick layer of water she drew in front of her, eyes widening as his hand somehow pushed through her defense and kept pushing through until she could see the lines on his palm directly in front of her face. Fear and adrenaline spiked within her body and her body finally managed to gather the will to kick in her survival instinct and compressed the entirety of her volume to streamline a jet of water to throw him back several feet.

She blinked sluggishly, leaning forward slowly before catching herself and forcing herself to stand upright. At least she managed to keep Shigaraki away. She didn't know what he was capable of, but he moved fast and he had an obvious motive by going directly for her face when he attacked her. Hopeful that she managed to make some kind of positive impact on the scene, she searched for All Might distractedly.

What she didn't know, was that Nomu had regenerated fast enough to attack All Might, retrieve Kurogiri, and take the highly pressurized jet Miko aimed at Shigaraki. He only appeared to absorb the hit and didn't swipe at her the way she expected he would. Compelling herself to jump backward, Miko counted her blessings that she hadn't received a blow like the one All Might took whilst defending Bakugo. She anxiously looked to said hero who had blood dripping from his mouth. Her hopeful expression morphing into anguish. Their presence there was only making things harder for him, and she was stupid to think otherwise.

All Might stood shakily on his feet and wiped at his mouth. "They're kids…and you didn't hold back?"

Shigaraki brushed him off. "I didn't have much choice. They were threatening my companions. Besides, these kids are no angels. The plain-looking one? He tried to kill me with a maxed out punch. The small one sliced off Nomu's limbs. What kind of "hero" does something like that?" He gestured wildly at them. "You think you can get away with being as violent as you want if you say it's for the sake of others."

Miko's eyes slowly lowered to the ground. She had no answer to that. Her actions were stupid and cruel, even if Nomu had a regenerative Quirk. Ashamed, she began to doubt herself. He continued to preach at them.

"Well, you know what All Might? That pisses me off. Why do people get to decide that some violent acts are 'heroic' and others are 'villainous'? Casting judgment as to what's good and what's evil. You think you're the Symbol of Peace? Ha! you're just another government sponsored instrument of violence. And violence always breeds more violence. I'll make sure the world understands that once you're dead."

He was right. Violence for violence only creates more violence, a never ending cycle of hatred, but how does one truly justify their actions as 'right' versus 'wrong'? There are an unlimited series of factors that influence the thoughts and beliefs of an individual, and historically no feasible way to account for each factor, or even maintain order without creating a new system in which to overthrow by those who envision something different. How does one even establish which factors have more precedence?

"You're nothing but a lunatic. Criminals like you; you always try and make your actions sound noble. But admit it you're only doing this because you like it. Isn't that right?" All Might's voice sounded tired and repulsed.

Shigaraki didn't even try to deny it.

Hearing his silence, Miko felt like a fool. She naively allowed this deplorable man to get into her head. Even still, there was a tiny part of her that thought he had a point. Stubbornly optimistic, Todoroki suggested they continue.

"We've got them outnumbered." Taking his cue from Todoroki, Midoriya joined in, "Kacchan found the mist guy's weakness." Not one to be left out of a fight, Kirishima spoke up as well. "These dudes may act real tough, but we can take'em down now with All Might's help. Let's do this." He punched his knuckles together to emphasize his words.

Miko, hunched over and actively fighting off exhaustion, spoke to them with spite. "Don't think so highly of yourselves. We aren't even licensed to use our Quirks right now, we're getting in the way. Our best option is to get the hell out of here. All Might's the number one pro in the world, he's accomplished much greater feats than this."

All Might came to her defense. "Tsukikawa's right, don't attack! You all need to get out of here." He glanced at Todoroki, who looked ready to object, "I thank you for your assistance, Todoroki, but this is different. It's gonna be all right. Just sit back and watch a pro at work."

Shigaraki overlooked them all, his thoughts were solely focused on killing the Symbol of Peace. "Nomu. Kurogiri. Kill him. I'll deal with the children."

All Might and Nomu collided with a massive force, the contact creating a wind storm that blew away their observers. Miko had to freeze her whips to the ground to stabilize herself, falling to her knees. She could no longer feel the sweat on the back of her legs, nor could she focus on the battle taking place in front of her, all of which are bad signs signaling to her that he dehydration was getting worse by the minute. Forcing herself to keep her eyes open, Miko did her best to follow the action, but Nomu and All Might were moving too fast for her to keep track.

In less than a minute, All Might had overwhelmed Nomu's shock absorption with nonstop, targeted attacks, blasting him into and through the ceiling of the USJ, causing tremors to break out throughout the building. Still crouched on the floor, even after the tremors subsided, Miko huffed unbelievably. It seemed All Might had a similar idea to Miko's, only he was able to actually execute.

"You've been bested, villains. Surrender. We all want to get this over with quickly." Miko's throat was beginning to dry.

"He cheated. He's just as strong as he's always been. Dammit, don't tell me I was lied to." Shigaraki scratched at his painfully dry neck, tearing at the flaking skin.

"What's wrong? Not attacking me? Didn't you say you were going to clear this level earlier?" His gaze was like steel. "Well, come and get me, if you dare." Even in her delirious state, Miko couldn't help but think All Might was acting a bit too cool considering the potential children surrounding him. He couldn't forget about the danger the warp gate provided.

Trying her damnedest to keep her breathing level and controlled, Miko knew she couldn't stay like this, weakened and helpless. Around them, she could see the villains Mr. Aizawa took down earlier were already recuperating. Beside her, the boys had already started getting ready to fight them off. Ironically, only now deciding to stay out of All Might's way. She released herself from her crouch and warily phased the ice anchoring her arms into the water whips they once were. Stealing a glance at Todoroki, she eyed his right hand, trying to reason with herself. There was only one way she could make it out of this without being a nuisance. Even if it was degrading, it had to be done.

"Todoroki, give me some ice cubes," she demanded pitifully. He looked bewildered by her request but after giving her a once over, formed a miniature glacier in his palm. "Tsukikawa, are you okay?" She shoved the ice inside her mouth, phasing it from ice to water, and swallowed. "Yeah, I'll be fine." She held out her hand urgently, refusing to look into his eyes, she wouldn't take her eyes off the villains. "Give me another."