As I plummeted off the mountainside after being thrown over by Mister Aizawa, I wondered if this was what Jesus felt like when Judas betrayed him. Had Mister Aizawa gotten his thirty silver pieces? Was that a fair exchange for my trust? Or maybe it was more like Benedict Arnold and the Patriots. I had totally just been sold out to the enemy. I had forgiven all the logical ruses before, but this was a whole new level of treachery-

My inner monologue was cut off as I hit the ground, landing on top of something warm and soft: presumably another person. My quirk was already activated, having responded to my rush of adrenaline from the fall, so I didn't feel it when my skull slammed against the person beneath me with a loud clack. I knew it hurt though, because I heard them scream.

"OW!" Hagakure shrieked, and I rolled off of her immediately, spouting apologies left and right and quickly spreading my quirk over to her. I heard the invisible girl sigh in relief, moments before my attention was drawn back up the cliffside.

The brunette catwoman was staring down at us from over the railing. "HEY! SINCE IT'S PRIVATE LAND, YOU CAN USE YOUR QUIRKS AS YOU WISH!" she yelled at us, not that it changed anything for me. "YOU HAVE THREE HOURS TO REACH THE FACILITY… THROUGH THE BEAST'S FOREST!" she warned ominously.

I cringed at the intimidating name, slowly turning to see a forest of gigantic, looming trees easily twenty or thirty times my height. Beast's Forests… there were monsters inside? I was absolutely climbing those trees and freerunning across the entire woods, no arguments allowed. Beasts in the scary, dark woods? Oh heck no.

"The Beast's Forest?!" Kaminari repeated, looking at the shadowed trees. "That name sounds like it came right out of Dragon Quest!"

Beside Kaminari, Kirishima dusted himself off, already straightening up. Following his example, I scrambled to my feet, offering a hand to Hagakure and deactivating my quirk. It was a bit awkward, grabbing onto something I couldn't see, but I managed to help Hagakure up. "We just have to handle it and move on," Kirishima declared to the rest of the class, as we collectively gathered our wits and balance.

Suddenly, Mineta went running past, eyes watering and hands clutching the front of his pants. He left a little dust trail behind him as he rushed into the trees. I watched him go, still a little stunned… and then my mind echoed: The Beast's Forest.

My eyes widened, and I stretched out my hand towards Mineta. "Wait, don't-!" I was cut off by a low, inhuman rumble, as a shadow moved between the trees. I was too far away to glimpse it, but I saw Mineta freeze, shaking in place, just as Shouto, Bakugo, Izuku and Tenya rushed forward, far closer than I was.

I shook my head, wishing I had my night-vision goggles, and ran after them. I had violated one of Mister Aizawa's most persistent rules: Expect, and be prepared for, the unexpected at all times. I had totally left my utility-belt and scarf on the bus. Stupid, stupid, stupid.

"CALM DOWN, KIND BEAST!" Koda shouted, scurrying ahead of me with his arms outstretched. The monster he was pleading with came into view as I drew closer, a brown behemoth that looked awfully similar to… dirt. Was it camouflage?

The beast raised its claws to strike Mineta, but moment's before the steely points could make contact, Izuku crashed into the purple-haired idiot, snatching him out of harm's way in a blur of green lightning and red sneakers. I grit my teeth, pushing myself to run forward faster as Izuku tossed Mineta off to the side, facing down with the monster.

I prepared to lunge forward, only for Shouto to beat me to the punch. With the familiar hiss of ice, Shouto immobilized the monster, freezing its feet to the ground. The jagged, solid water pinned the beast down, and it let out a frustrated roar.

"RECIPROBURST!" Tenya shouted, blurring past and smashing through the imprisoned monster's left arm. He skidded to a stop on the other side of the small clearing, pants shredded and engines visible. Around him, clods of soil went flying, and I pulled to a halt as I realized that the terrifying monster wasn't just dirty… it was actual dirt.

Moments after my realization, in a bright blast, Bakugo smashed through the other side. "DIE!" the blonde howled, blasting away the other arm of the beast in a spray of dusty earth. Izuku followed him up shortly thereafter with a streak of lightning, obliterating the monster's chest.

The boys stood in the clearing quietly, having thoroughly defeated the beast, and I stared at them quietly, several steps behind. They had just led, without any communication, a well coordinated attack against an unknown threat. There hadn't been any planning or careful thinking. They had just done it. I couldn't do that! I couldn't head into an unfamiliar situation without any strategy at all! How had they managed to act without needing to discuss tactics first? As everyone congratulated them on their victory, I stood back, hands hanging limply at my sides. Just like the final exam, just like when Izuku was attacked, I was useless. Unnecessary. Unneeded.

My classmates ran past me, not seeing me draw to halt, hands shaking at my sides. Was I that… forgettable? I swallowed at the forbidden word. I thought I'd left that fear behind me, but it seemed it never gone anywhere. Talk about pathetic.

With a roar, another dirt-monster ripped itself free of the ground, this time soaring into the air. From my spot just outside the forest, I could see the earth-dragon go flying over the treetops, eyes fixated on my classmates below. I clenched my fists and walked forward, stopping beside Momo at the edge of the group.

"We have no choice!" Momo shouted, not noticing me in the slightest. "We need to find the shortest route and get out of here!" Her voice was loud and confident, cutting through the scared chatter of our classmates.

I reached out to her, hoping to get her attention. "Uh, Momo? Before we-"

"Yaomomo's right! There's too many of them!" Ashido agreed fearfully, staring up at the rapidly filling sky and effectively silencing me.

I still tried again. "Momo-" I started, only to this time cut myself off with a scared gulp. The others were already clumping up, getting ready to rush forward with no plan at all. I needed to tell everyone to give them my quirk, if only I could just get them to listen. I could help them!

But what good would I be anyways? A bitter, scornful part of me thought. I had already proven how incompetent I was. Why get in the way of my clearly better suited classmates? They knew how to fight. I should just accept the inevitable and fall back from the frontlines, like my quirk destined. I had already failed the final, why screw up further? At least I wouldn't be in any pain. Why struggle with the inevitable?

My hand dropped, and I stopped trying to get Momo's attention as the class prepared to book it for the campgrounds.

"Ichigo?" Tenya's voice interjected between my dark thoughts. I glanced up at him, trying to hide how my lip was bleeding from me biting it. "Did you have something to say?" he asked, eyes focused on me.

I grabbed my skirt anxiously, scanning my fellow students as they grouped up indiscriminately. "I-I c-c-could, a-ah-" I started, somehow reduced to a stammering mess all over again. I tried to choke out the right words, but something clamped down in my chest. I grit my teeth and turned away from Tenya, unable to look him in the eye. "No," I whispered meekly, defeated.

Tenya looked at me with concern, but our classmates were already moving forward, so he said, "Alright then... goodluck, Ichigo," and quickly took off after the others. I watched him run away, my hands shaking at my sides, before I grit my teeth and forced myself to rush forward.

I had fifteen minutes with my quirk, how was I going to use it? In short spans? I could probably get through most of the pain if I rationed my power off, but my temperature would still eventually become a problem. I had to make it across the forest as well, and I only had two and half hours.

Clenching my fists, I looked up to the trees. I'd just have to make do with the branches, and avoid a fight if I could. I had nothing on these monsters, no powers, no tools, no way to destroy them, but maybe, maybe I could dodge and run away. That'd would need to be enough.

I spotted the nearest tree, and quickly scanned the closest branches, mapping my way into the treetops. My classmates were already drawing ahead of me, and I could hear their battle-cries combined with the beasts' roars in the distance. "1… 2… 3…" I mumbled, taking a running-stance. "Go!" I darted forward, picking up enough speed that - for a moment - I managed to run vertically up the tree trunk. Then, feeling my momentum start to slow, I pushed off the trunk backwards, flipping midair so my knees could hook around the next tree branch. Hands extended, I sat up and grabbed the first protrusion in the bark I could find, and scrambled to my feet atop the branch.

I glanced down at the forest floor, now fifteen feet below me, and forced a shaky smile. "Alright, and now to reach the camp," I declared with false-confidence, turning towards where my classmates were fighting. I grit my teeth and ran forwards, legs already tensed so I could jump into the next tree. All I had to do was avoid fighting, how hard could it be?

It was very, very hard. So much more arduous than any training Mister Aizawa had ever given me. What the heck had I been thinking, jinxing myself like that before I could even start? Eyes squinted and face covered in dirt, I tried to ignore how light-headed I was in favor of stumbling forwards, nearly tumbling out of the tree I was in.

"FUCK!" Bakugo screamed somewhere not too far below me, accompanied by a loud explosion. "HOW MANY OF THESE STUPID FUCKING THINGS ARE THERE?!" I heard the sound of several tons of dirt slamming into the earth, which was rapidly becoming a familiar noise.

"SIX TO THE LEFT, INCOMING!" Jirou yelled back. Based on Bakugo's howl of rage, this was not the correct response. Panting for air, I wiped the sweat from my forehead and jumped into the next tree, landing awkwardly and feeling my ankle ache in response. I had sprained it several trees back, but only an hour into the exercise and an an indeterminate amount of the forest to go, activating my quirk was a sucky idea.

The sudden sound of tree leaves rustling caused my to flinch and spin. My shoulders only slightly relaxed when I saw Tsuyu and not a bloodthirsty dirt-beast. The frog-girl was dripping in sweat, hair plastered to her face and visibly struggling to breath. "Hey Icchan, kero," she said, falling into to step with me as I unstably leaped into the next tree.

"Hello, Tsuyu-chan," I said breathlessly, wincing as I further tweaked my ankle. "What're you doing up here?"

Tsuyu jumped ahead of me, expression implacable. "Seems nice," she croaked. "You haven't had to fight yet, kero."

I cringed slightly at the clear jab, but shook my head and trooped onward, following Tsuyu forward. "My quirk is - less than suited," I responded, voice hitching as I landed in the tree. "I can't attack."

Tsuyu blinked. "I see," she said tonelessly, which tempted me to add, no, no you really don't, but then her tongue was wrapping around my waist and we were effortlessly sailing into the next tree. "I'll help you then, kero. You seem tired," she decided, words lisped. I wanted to argue, but the relief of being carried was too much, so I just relaxed and allowed myself to enjoy the temporary break.

As it turned out, the break didn't last very long. It didn't need to, because the tree-line revealed itself in the distance, and at the sight of the woods' end, my classmates rejoiced. I head at least three celebratory screams before Tsuyu dropped me and booked it. I couldn't bring myself to be upset, taking off for the edge myself. The excitement allowed me to completely overrun my exhaustion, dopamine pumping me up and allowing me to go soaring out of the woods.

Sadly, I fumbled my landing, clumsily tumbling onto the ground and rolling head over heels to land spread-eagled on the dirt. I gasped for air like a fish on land, and even as my sore muscles relaxed, I could feel my ankle start to throb. I activated and deactivated my quirk quickly as I waited for my classmates to all gather, taking the opportunity to heal the torn ligaments. I barely noticed the twinge of pain from the injury, too focused on how disgusting and sticky I felt from all the sweat and dirt. I needed a shower. Immediately.

"So, you're finally here, meow!" The blonde cat lady cheered, standing a few feet away from my downed form with a bright smile. I turned my head to glare at her balefully, and suddenly I realized that the sun was setting… and that meant we were long past our deadline. Catching Mister Aizawa's unimpressed gaze, I rolled over to lay down in the grass face first.

I could hear my classmates moaning and groaning, and Kaminari shouted some response to something the blonde cat-lady said, but I was too far gone to care. Ordinarily I'd offer to heal everyone of their injuries and exhaustion, but I had no energy for that right now. Plus… I was kind of upset. I wasn't sure with who yet, but I would find someone to target soon.

"I'm so hungry…" Kirishima complained, laying out on the grass next to me. "I'm gonna die…" He threw his hands up and flopped back onto the grass. I nodded in agreement, still facedown in the dirt.

The blonde cat-lady laughed, and I burned with rage. "Honestly, I thought you all would take even longer!" she chirped cheerily. "You guys had an easier time beating my earth-beasts than I thought you would." I clenched my jaw as she giggled, anger simmering into a slow boil

I was going to kill her. I now had someone to pin my frustrations on. This woman was responsible for my hellish experience in the woods? I was going to strangle her slowly. With my scarf. Once I had it back. Or maybe I could just use my hands? Mister Aizawa had shown me many ways to choke people unconscious without props... My fingers twitched with bloodlust.

"You guys are great! Especially…" The blonde aimed her cat paws into the distance, and I turned to see her pointing at Bakugo, Tenya, Shouto and Izuku. "You four! Were you able to act without hesitation because of your experience?" she gushed, and my spirit wilted. The boys really had performed well, and despite having the same experiences as them… my performance had been dismal. Suddenly, the cat-lady went soaring towards the boys, arms extended. "I look forward to seeing where you'll be in three years!" she screeched. "I call dibs!" The cat-lady ran around Izuku, Shouto, Bakugo and Tenya, making them cringe and cover their faces. Ochako glared at the woman with little subtlety, clearly wanting the woman to back off Izuku.

I clenched my fists in the grass and squinted my eyes shut determinedly, hearing the blonde woman espouse praise for the boys decision-making skills and power. "You stupid, pathetic failure," I whispered into the grass, knowing that no one could hear me. Somehow the lack of response, covered by my classmates' chatter, made my words hit harder. Why was I so weak? Why was I so incapable? How were the boys so much better than me in a crisis, when we had the same experiences?

What was I lacking?

"Hey, Kurosaki?" I flinched, feeling a hand on my shoulder. My head whipped around, and I looked up to see Kirishima standing over me awkwardly, hand still extended. He grinned sheepishly, and I noticed the rest of the class was leaving. "We're heading to dinner," Kirishima explained, pointing in the same direction the others were heading. "You seemed a bit out of it."

I rolled to my feet smoothly, shaking my head and determinedly dismissing whatever thoughts had been plaguing me. I could beat myself up later, when I was alone and had the time for self-reflection. "I'm fine," I said tersely, and then forced myself to smile at Kirishima. "Thank you for telling me."

The grin Kirishima offered me back felt just as fake. I wondered how bad my acting skills had deteriorated over the past year.

Mailbox

animefairy299 Eh he he… uh, yeah, no. She's kinda relapsing. Her self-image has taken yet another nosedive... but its only up from here? ('~')

Prince XD I actually laughed aloud when I read your comment. Aizawa really is the biggest, pettiest bully to ever roam Japan. And yeah, I have to say that while Ichigo has her problems with grudges and emotional difficulties, but I give her credit - she is very good at compartmentalizing who she's angry at.

castielris I honestly haven't read that many fanfictions for BNHA here on . I usually prefer AO3 for BNHA fanfics, so I can't really make any good recommendations, sorry. Also, I actually don't know if Shinsou would've been helpful, because it's already been shown that he's not the most physically fit. He might've been in more danger than he'd be help.

P.S. Please tell your husband to be nicer to Ichigo, she's stressed out as it is.

xenocanaan Thank you! I have a pretty dark sense humor as well, other people's suffering amuses me deeply. I connect with Aizawa on a spiritual level. He is me and I am him.

GreenDrkness Thanks! Ichigo's speech in the beginning probably didn't help XD I just imagined her voice getting quieter as falls screaming "YOU TRAITOOooorr…!"

AllisBlanche I am catching up to the anime! I'm also catching up with myself, updates are going to slow down soon XD I actually created an extra arc for the training camp, so the Forest Training Arc is longer in this story. I'm still developing my original ideas, so I don't know how long it'll take. I'll probably get around to it eventually. I have some other fanfictions on Quotev if you like to check them out though!