Unfolding Time
Chapter Five – Mounting Confusion

A/N: I'M SO SORRY FOR THE DELAY LOVES! I've been struggling bad with depression, so my motivation has been a bit difficult to spark (hah, see what I did there?) I will do my best to get the next chapter up sooner! Thank you for your continued support and patience, it means the world to me right now, you have no idea.

Also, a quick update. Those who are following the story Shrunken I am sorry it's taking some time for the last chapter to be posted. I'm co-writing it with a friend who has a lot of severe medical conditions at the moment. She hasn't been feeling super well, so she hasn't had too much energy to sit with me to complete the final chapter. It will be done, I just don't have a time frame just yet.

The room was silent excluding the blow dryer Katsuki used on Ochaco's damp hair. She had changed from her wet clothes and into one of her boyfriend's t-shirts, her skin still tingling from the cold the rain had bore into her. It almost felt like a dream, having actually spoken to her future self, to have witnessed a snippet of what she could do with her Quirk in the future. She could only imagine how different her combat style was.

When Katsuki turned the blow dryer off and set it aside, Ochaco leaned back into him, cocking her head to meet his crimson hues. "I feel exhausted," she murmured, laughing humorlessly "Yet I don't know if I can actually sleep."

"I know what you mean." Katsuki wrapped his arms around her, squeezing her to him before dropping his head to the nook of her neck. "That kid is becoming a lot of fucking trouble."

"People who need help often aren't easy to deal with."

"You think he needs help?"

Ochaco quirked a brow up at him, eyeing him speculatively. "He's a child who can't control his Quirk, is clearly in distress, and his guardian is nowhere to be found when we see him. Yeah, I would say that qualifies as someone needing help, Katsuki."

"Be gentle with me," he teased dryly. "It's been a rough night. Do you know how worried I was when I found out that kid took you to the damn future again?"

"I have a pretty good idea," she snapped. "It's not like I had witnessed you disappearing into time."

A brief, icy silence drifted between them, though the explosive hero immediately pulled Ochaco in as close as he could get her. "I'm sorry, Angel," he mumbled. "I wasn't trying to start a fight. We're both tired as hell and stressed."

Ochaco nuzzled into him, inhaling his scent and letting it wash over her. "We need to figure something out—and soon." She pulled away from Katsuki long enough to grab the file and plop it into her lap, staring at it as though it were the most dangerous thing on the planet. "I'm kinda afraid to open it."

Katsuki couldn't blame her. There were a lot of unknowns involving the situation they were in and the file wasn't a guarantee of holding anything of use and was likely the worst part. They both had placed hope that some kind of solution would be presented, that they would have an idea of where to go from here, but there was always that chance that they would be back at square one.

"Sitting here doing nothing won't do us any good," he said, snatching the file from her. It was light, maybe a few pages in it.

Ochaco watched as he opened it, revealing a neatly printed dossier with a photo of a young man paperclipped to the front. The boy was a mirror image of Shingo, from the black hair and piercing cobalt blue eyes. It made her stomach flip and her mouth to pinch into a stern line. "It's him." She took the photo off the dossier and examined it closer, observing how unhappy Shingo looked, how worn he looked. "He hasn't had an easy life," she said softly. "It looks like he's been fighting to survive all his life."

"Like someone who needs saving?" Katsuki stated, reflecting her earlier words.

Ochaco's lips curled into a faint smile and set the photo down to grab the dossier. "Yes, exactly. Now the question is which version of us met Shingo first? My future self said that they had had a run in with him, yet they said their memories of the incident, and anyone else's for that matter, became hazy." Her hands scanned over the document, frowning once more. "There's barely anything to this."

Plucking it from her grasp, Katsuki peered at it, his crimson hues landing on every word. "There's an address and it's not far from the school. It was recorded at his last seen location before he disappeared."

"Yeah, but how do we know that address is even relevant right now? This file is from the future, Shingo might now have any ties to it until later."

"One way to find out." Dropping the file Katsuki sat up abruptly and wrapped both his arms around Ochaco, causing her to squeak in surprise, before planting a sudden kiss on her cheek. It was becoming more apparent of the stress that was weighing on her shoulders, how the twinkling determination became foggy with uncertainty, how her body clung to tension. It made him feel uneasy knowing there was little he could do to sway her mind from the darkening situation.

"Katsuki!" she yelped, wiggling in his clutches until she was able to turn up to face him, her honeyed eyes ablaze with annoyance and question. "What's gotten into you?"

Grinning, the explosive hero merely poked her sides, causing her to squirm again. He watched as her cheeks puffed out, fighting back the laughter that was on the verge of spilling over. Ochaco hated to be tickled and it was a quick way to agitate her, yet it became clear it was also proving to be a good distraction.

He reached up to her wrists, holding them away from him so she couldn't activate her Quirk. She huffed and glared daggers at him, yet a smirk teased her lips as she lay helpless against him. "You're such a damn brat!"

"Careful, you're starting to sound like my mom," he warned, grinning, a mischievous glint in his crimson hues.

"Yeah, well it's an accurate description of you right now."

"It took your mind off things, even if it was just for a moment." He leaned down and nuzzled her neck, nipping at the supple softness of her skin. "We'll figure everything out, Angel. When we do, we'll fucking come out on top, like always."

Flushing red, the gravity hero couldn't help but let the warm feeling in her chest to consume her. "Sometimes I'm surprised by how optimistic you can be."

"Yeah, well, I have you to fucking blame for that." He leaned back, letting his back hit the bed as he pulled his girlfriend with him, holding her firmly against him. "We'll figure more out in the morning, alright? Let's just try to get some sleep."

Nodding against him, Ochaco buried her face, inhaling deeply and letting the sweet scent calm her. Her mind hadn't completely shut off, but she knew for the time being it would be fine to push the problems surrounding them away for at least a little while. "g…night," she mumbled.

"Goodnight, Ochaco." With a single peck to the top of her head, both heroes let sleep take them in.

"Ribbit. Ochaco, are you okay?" Asui walked beside the gravity hero, her stare piercing as she observed her friend trudge along slowly toward class, eyes half open. "You look exhausted."

"I am. I fell asleep late last night," Ochaco stated, yawning. "I had time to sleep in, but Mina called me, so that ruined my plan for that." They rounded the corner, U.A.'s massive building coming into view. Students walked in groups, all chatting idly without a care in the world. "Katsuki left early this morning too. Said he wanted to get a run in before class."

"Has there been any news on the boy with the time Quirk? Mina said you two got sent into the future. Ribbit. That seems really scary."

Ochaco bit her lower lip. "It was nerve racking. Everyone says they want to see what the future holds, but when it's actually presented, it becomes terrifying. I nearly had a panic attack when I met future Katsuki."

"But everything worked out okay, right?" Asui pushed past the school door and readjusted her slipping backpack. The halls were noisy enough to where their voices fell against the crowds, unheard. "Ochaco, we'll talk more after cla—"

Both girls paused, their phones ringing simultaneously, which meant only one thing. They were getting called into the agency. Pulling out theirs phones, Ochaco's caller ID read Nejire and Asui's read Ryukyu. The two had continued to intern there, honing their skills while trying to maintain their normal studies. It wasn't uncommon for them to get called in all hours of the day, whether it was to patrol or to accompany Ryukyu and Nejire on a mission. The group worked well together and had a lot of success, not to mention the press coverage went well for placing a good name on young female pro heroes.

Ochaco put her phone to her ear, immediately turning around and heading back outside. "Is everything okay?" she inquired, eyeing Asui just a few feet away.

Nejire was overly cheerful as usual, her voice trilling through the line a mile-a-minute. "Yeah, yeah…just there's a situation, a few actually. It's kinda crazy! I'm at a bank that's being robbed, but it's turned into a hostage situation, but just down the block there was an explosion. It's blocking the road, so back-up and Ryukyu is having a rough time getting through."

"An explosion? Whoa, slow down, Nejire, what's going on?"

"Multiple teams have been called in. I don't think anyone knows exactly what's going on just yet. Get here soon, 'kay? I'll hang on until then!" The phone went dead and Ochaco sighed as she pocketed the device. She moved to stand by Asui, concern flitting across the frog hero's features.

"Ryukyu said Nejire needs help with a hostage situation at Hoshika Bank. Ribbit. Another team is being called in to investigate an explosion that went off nearby, but there's no definite idea whether it's a villain attack or something else."

"Nejire didn't give me much detail on what was happening, but we should get there as soon as possible," Ochaco said, turning back toward the school, knuckles bone white against her sides. Asui nodded, following suit, yet her gaze remained on her friend, worry plastered over her features.

"Kacchan, wait up!" Izuku called, running after the explosive blonde. When he caught up, he grabbed Katsuki's arm, halting him long enough to receive a menacing glare.

"What the fuck do you want? I'm in a hurry," he spat, yanking his arm away. "Didn't you get the call? Endeavor needs us geared up and ready to go." He had been in a bad mood since waking this morning, his eyes heavy with exhaustion, his mind heavier with worries. Even with Ochaco sleeping soundly next to him, he couldn't stop himself from repeatedly waking up and checking to see if she was still there.

Izuku nodded, holding his phone up. "I know. Burnin called me and told me about the explosion that happened. She thinks that it has to do with a hostage situation going on at the Hoshika Bank. Todoroki and Endeavor are already there."

Glancing over his shoulder, Katsuki merely continued to glare at the emerald hued hero. "What does the explosion have to do with the bank? And stop following so damn close!"

Izuku ignored him and continued to keep pace, his scarred finger scrolling over his screen. "Ryukyu's agency is handling the hostage situation. Uraraka and Tsu are probably on their way. There's talk that one of the villains in the robbery had gotten away and got cornered, that or the explosion is being used as a distraction of sorts, maybe to somehow get the villain still inside out or—"

"Fucking stop rambling and let's go!" The two made their way to the dorms, each leaving to head to their rooms to retrieve their hero costumes. Most of the interns had been given permission to keep their costumes on hand or within their rooms in case they got called in unexpectedly.

"I'll meet you downstairs, Kacchan!" Izuku called as he took off running. Their third-year dorm placements had put them just down the hall from one another, with Kirishima and Sero having been placed on either side of them. The dynamic for their floor worked, aside from the times Mina and Denki would come up to attempt to pull pranks, sometimes managing to drag Sero into it. It often resulted in Katsuki flying off the handle and Izuku and Kirishima having to try to calm him down.

They made it to the first floor in record time, neither saying a word as they took off running. Up ahead by the gate, he saw Ochaco and Asui getting into a car with Aizawa, another behind them waiting with Present Mic standing beside it.

She looks too tired, Katsuki thought, clenching his teeth. He saw the exhaustion mixed with her determination, the way her eyes were encased by dark circles. One thing he had learned all too well was that an exhausted hero became a reckless one.

"Come one, Kacchan, we need to hurry," Izuku stated, ushering a now cursing Katsuki into the car, not seeming to notice the anxiety welling up in his childhood friend.

The drive was short and silent. Neither boys said a thing until the car pulled up and Katsuki found himself getting out first, making large strides toward Todoroki and Endeavor who stood just within a police barricade. With luck they could finish things up here and join Ryukyu's group in dealing with the hostage situation.

"What the hell's going on?" As Katsuki came up beside the duel-Quirked hero, his crimson hues fell on the looming smoke coiling into the air like a snake.

For a moment, Todoroki simply stared at him, assessing the unusual energy emitting from the explosive hero before eyeing Izuku with questioning look. "It seems one of the villains involved with the bank robbery managed to somehow elude detection, at least up until this point."

Endeavor had his arms crossed, his face strewn together in a mixture of annoyance and extreme concentration. He tore his gaze away from the smoking building to eye his late arrival interns. "The perpetrators Quirk is unknown but judging from the noise complaints that occurred earlier just before the alarm sounded in the bank, he had some kind of ability that allows him to burrow underground."

Izuku came up to stand beside Todoroki, taking in his own assessment of the situation. "How do you know he can burrow underground?"

"Earlier before the alarm, the entire ground shook in select areas, stopping oddly enough when the explosion went off in this building," Todoroki stated, shrugging. "I'm guessing that while he was tunneling underground, he hit something he wasn't supposed to. Gas has been seeping from the building since."

"So is the villain still inside?" Katsuki finally chimed in.

"As far as we know. Right now it's too dangerous to go inside and have a look around. The amount of gas coming from the building could easily create another explosion."

Scoffing, Katsuki adjusted one of his gauntlets in the hopes of hiding his anxiety. "We're on standby in case the bastard makes a move, is that right? Fucking great."

"Don't seem so impatient, Ground Zero." Todoroki glanced behind him, eyes narrowing. The number of spectators were beginning the rise, the crowd of innocent citizens murmuring amongst themselves while others took out their phones to snap photos of the scene. Just beside them, several news reporters had gathered, cameras rolling. "We need to get the situation under control soon. The media is about to have a field day."

Endeavor moved forward without a word, his hulking figure encroaching on the space of the police lining the perimeter. "Stay back," he ordered. The officers shrank away, watching in silence as the flame hero marched into the building.

Katsuki glared, his arms crossing over his chest. "Tch. What the hell does he think he's doing?" As the words left his mouth, he watched that just as Endeavor approached the edge of the smoke, the flame encasing his body dissipated.

"Showing off," Todoroki stated, shaking his head. "Using his Quirk could easily cause another explosion, so he's going in to face a villain using only his own strength."

Izuku swallowed, his eyes practically bugging out. "What? Why would he do something so reckless? Won't he be effected by the gas leak?"

"Probably because he's come under fire by the media for being too passive the last few months."

"But there haven't been any big villain attacks. Things have been unusually quiet."

As the two chattered, Katsuki moved closer to the building, stopping just behind the officers. He watched intently as the smoke parted to the hulking man. He had little interest in what his classmates talked about, because in truth it had been insanely quiet. The few attacks that occurred that really made any headlines were hardly anything big, which wasn't necessarily bad, it just made things a lot more boring for someone as aggressive as Katsuki. Being an intern still, he didn't have the opportunity to handle things the way he wanted just yet, though he suspected that when he graduated and opened his own agency with Ochaco that he still would have to tame down his fighting style.

Assuming either of them survived this time Quirk hell Shingo had been placing them through.

When Endeavor fully disappeared, the crowd behind the police tape drew the explosive hero's attention as Ryukyu came up, her mouth set into a firm line. "The road is still blocked. The explosion sent debris everywhere. Anyone needing to get to the other side is going to have to take the long way around."

"Ryukyu? I figured you would be with your team at the hostage situation." Izuku came to stand beside her. He had spoken to her on several occasions now since the incident involving Eri's rescue and had come to admire the woman and the training she bestowed on Ochaco. Katsuki on the other hand had more or less become standoffish, believing that Ochaco would have been better interning with someone much more powerful.

Ryukyu hummed softly, shrugging in annoyance. "I was on my way there when the explosion hit and blocked the path. I contacted Nejire-chan, Froppy, and Uravity to handle the situation."

"Is that wise?" Todoroki inquired, joining the conversation.

Both Katsuki and Ryukyu shot the dual Quirked hero a warning glare.

"Those three are more than capable of handling a damn hostage situation, Icy-Hot."

"Not to mention Nejire-chan is no longer an intern but a pro working at my agency now. They're in capable hands," the dragon hero added.

"My apologies. I only meant that the villain holding the bank hostage was rumored to have a size Quirk. I only meant that Ryukyu's Quirk would be useful in dealing with larger opponents." Todoroki glanced at Izuku for help, but found the emerald haired hero conveniently directed his attention back toward the building.

"They'll fucking handle it."

"Ground Zero, I would suggest watching your language when the media is near," Ryukyu warned, motioning toward the cameras aimed toward them. It was unlikely that they could hear anything from where they were, but it only took one bad moment to put a dent in a hero's reputation.

"Whatever."

The officers nearby exchanged glances before a staticky voice blared through the radios on their belts.

'Come…in. Immediate… Send… Bank… Situation…'

The air grew silent and the group found themselves converging around the officer. The few words that could be made out caused Katsuki's stomach to drop. He reached for the radio, snatching it. "Repeat," he ordered, knowing his own voice may as well go through unclear. "Repeat."

'SOS…bank…Urav…ty…'

There was a piercing screech and the radio went dead again and before a word could be spoken, Katsuki had already turned on his heels.

"Ground Zero, stop! You can't just abandon your post!" Izuku quickly grabbed the explosive hero's hand, yanking him back and forcing him to look at him. "I'm sure every—"

"Shut the fuck up, Deku! In what world does 'SOS' and my girlfriend's hero name in the same sentence mean that everything is alright?" Katsuki jerked away, teeth gritting in frustration. "We have a whole group of people just standing here because Endeavor decided to go deal with shit on his own! The hostage situation is a damn priority!"

"But—"

"Let him go," Ryukyu cut in. "I'll deal with Endeavor when he comes back out. With the gas still leaking from the building, his Quirk isn't of much use here anyway. If anything, he should have been sent to the hostage situation from the start."

Izuku tapped his chin. "Wait… Ryukyu, you said that the roads were blocked by debris, right?"

"Hm?"

"Earlier, you said you were on your way to the hostage situation, but you couldn't get through. The way we came in wasn't blocked." Izuku quickly moved back toward Todoroki, his stance shifting and readying for a fight. "You're not Ryukyu."

Katsuki was already running down the street, using his Quirk to launch himself into the air and over the barricade. Several phones lifted into the air, followed by a sea of flashes as the explosive hero fell out of view of his teammates. He was too focused on Ochaco to notice Ryukyu suddenly melting away, replaced by the one and only Himiko Toga.

"Perceptive as usual, Izuku darling." That fiendish smile was enough to send shivers down the All Might's successor's spine. She moved forward, outstretching her arm as her disguise melted away into a sickening glop on the ground, her slender figure void of clothing.

Todoroki spun around toward the spectators and quickly created a wall of ice, blocking the scene from their view. The last thing they needs was to stir panic, and Himiko Toga would do just that. It had been a year since the League of Villains was hit so hard the remaining members had gone into hiding, Tomura Shigaraki included. Twice and Himiko had managed to slaughter ten innocent lives before the pro's had shown up to stop them. Twice had been brought in without trouble, but Himiko slipped on a new look and disappeared and hadn't been seen since now.

"What are you doing here?" Izuku demanded, forcing his gaze to remain fixed on her face. He had to muster up every ounce of strength to keep himself from getting flustered by her nudity. "Where's Ryukyu? Were you the one who created that explosion a little bit ago?"

Rolling her eyes, smirking widening. "Well, duh. Of course it was me, I had to have some sort of distraction." She shrugged her shoulders, not seeming the least bit worried that the giant ice wall had blocked off the last exit for escape. "It took forever for the big guy to leave so I could come talk to you."

"Talk?" Scoffing, Todoroki formed a sheet of ice on the ground, letting the cold creep up on Himiko's ankles, holding her in place. "What did you do with Ryukyu?"

"She's fine, though maybe a bit bloodied," Himiko replied, a giggle following suit. "It was such a lovely sight… So much red." She tapped her chin, seeming unfazed by the icy shackles. It was as though she wanted to be caught. "I was told not to kill her though. Boo. I was surprised you bought the lie about the debris. You almost didn't catch on." She puffed out her lower lip as a shiver raced through her. "Hey, do you mind not using your ice on me? What if I catch my death out here?"

"Somehow I don't think you'll gather much sympathy," Todoroki said dryly. "You won't be encased long enough for any damage to be done."

The two officers had moved to either side of the girl, one bringing out a pair of specialized cuffs while the other spoke into his radio. The second the cuffs were on, Todoroki approached, leaning down to place his hand on the ice to thaw Himiko from it's grasp.

"You're no fun," she pouted.

Once she out of sight, the ice wall having been brought down long enough to get through, Izuku pulled out his phone. "She wanted to be caught."

"I was thinking the same thing," Todoroki said, glancing over his comrades' shoulder. "I think she was just a distraction for whatever is happening at the bank. I don't know why she would allow herself to get caught though."

Izuku dialed in Katsuki's number, listening to it ring until the curt voicemail message filled his ear. "He isn't picking up. I don't think he will, honestly."

"Endeavor should be out soon. I'll stay here and explain the situation to him. You should go and back up the others."

"You sure?"

"Yeah, just go. We might not have a lot of time."

Upon arriving at the bank, Asui and Ochaco joined Nejire, who stood talking hastily to Tsukauchi. Relief flooded over the blue haired girl's face as she ran to meet them, her hands extending to take theirs. "Thank goodness you're here! Things are getting so crazy!"

"What's the situation?" Ochaco inquired, taking in the scene around her. A barricade had been set up, manned by several officers while Nejire, Tsukauchi, and a handful of uniforms were going through blueprints of the bank.

"Well, we tried to open up communication with the villain inside, but no luck," Nejire said with a shake of her head. "The phone inside keeps ringing and we've sent in a drone that contained a cell phone, but still nothing."

"Ribbit. How do you know the hostages are still safe?"

"That's the problem, we don't. We're gearing up to go in, but we waited until you could get here. We don't know how many hostages or how many villains are inside."

Ochaco frowned and rubbed the pads of her fingertips. "Something doesn't seem right about this," she said. "It's extremely rare for someone taking hostages to not negotiate in some form or another."

"True," Tsukauchi intervened, sighing softly. "But right now we don't have much of a choice. "There's too many pieces that don't make much sense, but time isn't exactly on our side here for us to figure it all out. The longer we wait, the more likely it is that one of the hostages could get hurt."

"This all sounds like a trap. Ribbit."

"Froppy is right. If we go charging in, how do we know the villains inside won't panic and hurt the hostages anyway?" There was no quelling the unease about the situation and she was thankful that Asui felt the same way. At least she knew she wasn't being paranoid.

Nejire put her hands up, silencing the conversation. "Look, look… I know this isn't a great situation to be in, but what other options do we have, Uravity?"

"I… I don't know," she relented, eyeing Asui who was equally stumped. "I guess we have no choice."

"Alright, get ready you three. I'll rally up the remaining officers. We'll head in first—"

"No, I'll head in first. There's a rumor that the villain inside has some kind of size Quirk," Nejire said. "If that's the case, my attacks will be effective against them. Uravity and Froppy will follow up and try to get to the hostages as quickly as possible."

Tsukauchi nodded, following the now pro's lead. It was a risky plan going in blind, but it was all they had, especially since it appeared back up was far away yet. Still, something nagged relentlessly at her, the voice in her mind screaming, begging for her to stop this plan.

'Breathe. It's just the exhaustion talking, you'll be fine. Everything will be fine.'

But would it? Was going against her instincts the best choice?

The group prepared quickly, everyone taking their positions. Nejire went in first, pushing aside the doors and making her way into main lobby of the bank. Officers flooded either side of her, their guns at the ready while Ochaco and Asui crept in from the back. To their surprise the lobby was completely empty.

"What the…?" Nejire's head whipped around, eyes scanning every possible space until her eyes fell to a small hallway just to the left, leading to the vault. "Follow me!" She ran towards the hall, stopping just long enough to peer around the corner to confirm the coast was clear. "It's possible they moved everyone to one of the back rooms."

"I have a bad feeling. Ribbit."

"Me too. Something isn't right," Ochaco agreed, her eyebrows pinching together in concern. "Why would they move the hostages to the vault area? They would just get in the way—" The gravity hero made an abrupt stop, her eyes widening in horror as a shadow flitted across her vision. "Froppy, watch out!" She placed her palm against the frog hero's arm, activating her Quirk and sending her friend hurling out of the way in time as a massive fist slammed down from the ceiling between them.

"Uravity! Froppy!" Nejire turned, watching the Ochaco narrowly avoided becoming a pancake. "The villain, he's above us!"

The figure loomed over, keeping himself hoisted up against the ceiling, his lips curled back into a sinister smile. "Took you all long enough," he snarled. "Was starting to think my partner set me up."

"Partner?"

Asui used her tongue to fling herself to Ochaco's side, grabbing hold of her and moving them toward Nejire. "Where are the hostages?"

"Oh, them?" The villain laughed, the sound reverberating. "There never were any hostages. My partner let them go the second we got inside."

Ochaco dusted her costume off, her honeyed eyes narrowing. "So, it was a trap, after all."

"Smart girl," the villain laughed, sending his fist hurling toward the gravity hero.

"Uravity!" Asui called, her tongue shooting out and pulling her out of the way. "Stay alert."

Ochaco was shaking. She could have easily dodged that attack on her own, yet she allowed anger to haze her judgement. "Right. I'm sorry." Unfortunately, as soon as the words left her mouth, she felt a stabbing pain rush through her body. The villain had slammed his fist into the wall near them, crumbling it to pieces, one chunk managing to hit Ochaco square in the back. She felt the air leave her lungs in a rush, the shock racing through her mind as she fell to her knees. Asui had yanked at least three of six officers out of the way while Nejire used her Quirk to shatter the pieces aimed at the other three officers and Tsukauchi.

"We need to get out of here!" Nejire shouted. The villain was making a point to crush the area around him in an attempt to keep everyone moving, not realizing that he was placing things drastically in Ochaco's favor.

"Go, get outside!" Ochaco urged. "I'll handle him while you get out!"

"We're leaving this to you, Uravity!" Tsukauchi shouted, ushering his men toward the door. Nejire and Asui both glanced back at Ochaco, watching at the gravity hero used the small grappling hook on her wrist to maneuver around the falling debris, her other hand reaching out and touching as many pieces as possible.

The villain had dropped from the ceiling, his towering form imposing, but hardly enough to be considered a true size Quirk. He didn't hold even a fraction of the height of Mt. Lady, though it appeared that most of the danger rested in his raw strength.

"Where you going, girlie? What's a small-fry hero like you gonna do?" The villain sneered, chuckling. "You're like a doll."

Ochaco sent her grappling hook toward the ceiling, anchoring on and letting it pull her with ease toward the dozens of pieces of rubble she had floated up with her. When she looked down, her gaze met the villains, her lips curling into a smug smile. "I guess you'll see what this 'doll' can do, won't you?" Her fingertips pressed together and the look on his face was all she needed to confirm she had won. "Release!"

Chunk after chunk came barreling downwards and the villain did everything he could to smash each piece, yet he hardly proved fast enough. Eventually he was hit in the shoulder, causing him to stumble backwards as another collided into his back. As soon as he was unable to move as freely, Ochaco disabled her Quirk on herself and launched her body toward him, feet first. She came in fast and hard, her boot connecting to the top of the villain's head and sending him face down into the ground before she activated her Quirk and caught herself before colliding with the ground herself.

She stumbled, nearly tripping as she struggled to readjust herself from the momentum of her attack, but once she was back on solid ground, she dared to let out her pent breath.

Unfortunately things weren't over yet. Ochaco looked toward the door, confirming to herself that her comrades had managed to get to safety. She wouldn't be able to take this guy out alone, but hopefully she had at least stunned him enough.

Oh, how wrong she was.

The moment she took a step forward, Ochaco felt the crushing embrace of the villain's hand around her, gripping her tightly. When she looked back at him, her eyes widened, seeing the originally seven-foot tall villain now standing at least fifteen feet. His body had become enormous and though he was still smaller than Mt. Lady, it appeared that his strength had also increased, much to her horror.

Her hands were pressed against her sides, rendering her unable to activate her Quirk, not that it would prove useful while she was in his grasp.

"What now?" the villain challenged. "You thought you won?"

"Let her the fuck go!"

A wall of explosive fire stormed through the air, slamming into the villain's face, forcing him backwards. In the midst of the flames, Katsuki busted through, soaring toward Ochaco, reaching out for her. He grabbed hold of the villain's hand, digging his boot in to get a better grip before he put his palm against his wrist and let a massive explosion out. The villain let out a curdled cry and Ochaco was released, her body immediately encased by a much gentler embrace as the explosive hero snaked one arm around her, pulling her in close while he used his other hand to create smaller explosions to help guide him back to solid ground.

"Katsuki…?" Ochaco inquired weakly, her lips forming into a faint smile. "What are you doing here?"

"An SOS came through on the police radio. Your name came up," he stated, helping his girlfriend stand up straight. "Are you okay? What the hell were you thinking trying to take someone like that on alone?"

"He wasn't that big before. I was distracting him while the others got to safety, but before I could get out, he had increased his Quirked," Ochaco explained. "And then you luckily showed up like some kind of miracle."

"Lucky I did," he murmured, glancing over his shoulder. "Get outside. This guy isn't out yet."

"You literally just got mad at me for trying to take someone like this on alone and now you're about to?"

"Angel, I'm royally pissed off right. This bastard thought he could take you out, put your life in jeopardy." With gritted teeth, Katsuki let out a faint snarl. "I'm not going to lose this this fucking wannabe villain. Now GO!"

At the tail end of their argument, the villain leapt toward them both, his size increasing exponentially until he stood about half of Mt. Lady's size. His shoulders pressed uncomfortably against the walls of the building, breaking past what little remained of the walls from his previous assault. His head and neck busted up the ceiling until the bank now stood as a pile of rubble around him. Katsuki and Ochaco maneuvered around the debris, making their way toward the police barricade to avoid getting hit.

"This guy just doesn't give up!" she hissed, eyes narrowing. "He's been hit so many times. He should have sustained damage by now."

"We need to hit him hard enough to knock him out completely," Katsuki stated. "Uravity, can you move?"

"Of course I can!" Ochaco said, moving past him, her voice low and laced with anger. She was becoming frustrated by the situation, yet it had sparked a new wave of determination within her. She grappled to the largest pile of rubble, her hands connecting to a piece approximately seven-feet wide and five-feet tall. The chunk lifted with ease and she swung it above her head, walking steadily toward the enlarged villain.

Katsuki blinked, his head cocking to the side. "Uh, Uravity…? What the hell are you doing?"

"A throwback to the past."

"Hah?"

It all came together when the villain dove toward her, his hands outstretched, the momentum behind his size making him move faster than he actually was. Ochaco spread her legs, digging the heel of her boot into the ground as brought the large chunk back like a bat. When the villain came in close, she spun, colliding the piece directly with the enlarged man's face, sending him hurtling backwards with a force that surprised even her.

The move was identical to the one she had performed against Iida during their first training exercise at U.A. She had managed to hit the villain so hard in the head he had been rendered unconscious almost instantly upon impact. Katsuki stared at her, dazed, processing what had just transpired and the fact that his girlfriend had just completely taken out such a powerful opponent with practically no help. It was impressive and it made him well with pride. She certainly had come a long way since they first met.

Ochaco felt as though her whole body had been hit by a truck. She released the rubble she had used as a weapon and stumbled toward Katsuki, a soft smile etched across her lips. "We won," she said, weakly pumping her fist in the air. She felt her frame encased by his arms as he held her up, brushing her auburn locks from her cheeks.

"You did good, Angel," Katsuki whispered. He wanted so badly to kiss her right then and there, but with the media swarming the barricade and nearly ever spectator there with a cell phone taking pictures, he went against his urges and instead helped her toward one of the stretchers the medical team raced toward them.

The last thing Ochaco remembered was seeing cobalt blue before unconsciousness overtook her, her frame being effortlessly lifted into the ambulance.

When Ochaco woke, she was met with the sound of beeping machinery accompanied by the faint drip of an IV. She looked around bleary eyed until her honeyed hues fell to Katsuki's hunched over figure, his head resting on her stomach. He was asleep, his features serene and peaceful, despite the amount of paperwork scattered about by the foot of the bed, likely reports he had busied himself with.

She slid her hand through his hair, amused when he stirred and nuzzled against her further yet remaining asleep. He was typically a light sleeper, always hyperaware of his surroundings, yet this time he was blissfully aware that his girlfriend had woken up. She caught sight of his hand resting against her thigh, covered in bandages, likely from the overuse of his Quirk.

Her own body, however, wasn't as unscathed. She felt sore all over and she felt the bandages ridding up her left leg, making it difficult to move comfortably. Her hand had several scratches from where they had collided with the debris she had floated and her cheek had a piece of gauze taped to it. Outside of feeling stiff, she wasn't in particularly bad shape.

"Katsuki, wake up," she said softly, smiling. Yet as her hand moved toward his cheek, she stopped, becoming aware of a familiar stare boring into her. Izuku was standing in the doorway, his face red as his emerald hues bounced around the room looking for something to settle on.

"S-Sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt. I just wanted to see if Kacchan needed anything since he wouldn't leave your side," he explained in a rush. "I can come back later…?"

Ochaco laughed, motioning him. "It's alright. I just woke up, actually."

"How are you feeling?"

"Like I fought a giant villain," she mused. "What happened after I passed out?"

"A lot in general," Izuku said, moving toward the bed. He gathered up the loose sheets of paper Katsuki had scattered around and shuffled them into a neat pile. "Tsukauchi is still trying to piece everything together, but the explosion and the bank incident were connected."

"I kind of figured that. It would be too much of a coincidence."

Izuku swallowed as he fidgeted with hands, his fingers running over the largest scar. "Himiko Toga was responsible for the explosion. She was working with the villain that destroyed the bank."

"Wait…Himiko Toga from the league?"

Izuku nodded, his gaze falling to Katsuki's still sleeping figure. "She let herself get arrested, but we don't know why. She hasn't said a word. She made herself look like Ryukyu at the explosion sight and then got arrested."

"Wait, so then where's Ryukyu? Is she alright?"

"She's fine. She was on her way to the bank when she got intercepted by Himiko. The two fought and I'm guessing in the midst of the battle Himiko managed to get some of her blood."

"You two are noisy as hell," Katsuki mumbled, his crimson hues opening and immediately resting on Ochaco. "You're awake."

"More awake than you, it would seem," Ochaco teased, poking his cheek. "Deku was just filling me in everything that happened."

"What little can be pieced together, at least."

Katsuki sat up and stretched before crossing his arms. "Did you tell her yet?"

"Not yet."

Ochaco looked between the two boys, her eyebrows sewn together in a stern line. "What's wrong?"

"The villain in the bank…they found Shingo's name and an address written on inside his pocket. Somehow those two are connected to him."

"How is that possible?"

"That's what Tsukauchi is trying to figure out." Katsuki stood and reached for the stack of papers Izuku still held from his reports and shuffled through them. "The address written on the note is the same one from the dossier you got from your future self. Aizawa looked into it and found out the address is registered to a man by the name of Suzubara Einosuke."

"We think it's Shingo's father," Izuku added. "He has a time manipulation Quirk. Nothing recorded that he could jump through time, just alter it in the present a bit."

"Shingo's mother is also registered at that address and that's where things start to make a bit more sense." Katsuki handed Ochaco the sheet with Shingo's picture on it. It looked to be a school photo, his uniform was white and blue and suddenly the gravity hero felt her chest clench.

"That uniform… It's the same one as my elementary school uniform," she said, swallowing hard.

Katsuki and Izuku exchanged looks, the two leaning over the look at the picture again. "Seriously?"

"Yeah. Sorry, what were you saying about his mother?"

Izuku cleared his throat. "Aizawa told us that his mother's Quirk is memory manipulation."

Silence flooded around them and Ochaco felt her palms become sweaty and hot. "Memory manipulation?" Her eyes met Katsuki's, the anxiety evident. "Do you think his mother is somehow involved?"

"I don't think so. I think Shingo was born with both Quirks, the time Quirk mutating into something stronger than what his father has."

This was all too much information to process at once. They had literally just been called in to handle a situation, only to find out the villains involved had something to do with Shingo who in turn possibly possessed two insanely powerful Quirks? Not to mention Himiko Toga had made a reappearance for the first time in nearly a year and had allowed herself to get caught for whatever ungodly reason. Ochaco felt her stomach lurch as she brought her knees to her chest, ignoring the pain in her left leg.

"I feel like my brain is going to explode." Yet everything started to make a bit more sense regarding Shingo. If he truly did possess both of these Quirks, he had the ability to erase any meeting he had with the people he encountered during his time jumps. Ochaco gnawed on her thumbnail, her mind racing a mile a minute. "I don't think it's the Shingo we encountered that's altering people's memories."

"What do you mean?"

"Think about it. Shingo can barely control his abilities. He gets upset and accidently whirls himself and us through time. Everyone that has been affected by the other Quirk has had precise moments altered. Does that seem like something a child would have perfect control over?"

Katsuki rubbed his forehead. "This entire conversation is a lot of take it and it's giving me a fucking headache."

"Me too," Izuku admitted, frowning. "I'm so damn confused by this."

Ochaco let out an agitated groan. "I know, but you two just have to trust me on this one. Is anyone investigating the address?"

"Tsukauchi is headed there this afternoon to talk with the parents to see if he can find anything out. With luck, we'll find Shingo there. In the meantime, let's put the brakes on this whole conversation until we know more. My head is on fucking fire from this."

Despite agreeing to let the wild theories about Shingo get put to rest for now, Ochaco couldn't help but think about it. She knew good and well that there was a lot more going on than what they understood, but she couldn't help but feel as though the more pieces they put into place, the more confusing everything got. Who was Shingo really? What kind of parents did he have? Why was he always so unhappy looking in the photos they saw of him?

The mounting confusion was enough to cause her anxiety to flare up at an unreasonable rate, even as her boyfriend wrapped his arms around her when Izuku left to retrieve the doctor.

A/N: You know when you start a fic and you're like, "This is just gonna be an easy fic, lots of fluff, just a cute little story." Then about three chapters in your brain is like, "Nah, we need to spice things up, let's add drama, let's add angst, let's add complications to the characters." And at that point you're pretty sure your readers are like, "Well, that certainly escalated."

Well, that'll be what you're all thinking next chapter, so be prepared!

Also, I don't actually know what Ochaco's elementary school was called or what the uniforms look like, so I'm just taking a shot in the dark. As for the next chapter, the mystery of Shingo will be blown wide open! So for those who have been following the story and my array of confusion mixed into this story involving everything, rest assured, it'll all make sense come next chapter!