The camp didn't have private bathrooms. They didn't have private baths. I couldn't use a communal bath. My grandmother had taught me from a young age that a towel was not adequate protection for modesty. I had never been in a communal bath before. I never wanted to be either.

Fidgeting awkwardly as the other girls unpacked their toiletries in our shared rooms (I had to share a sleeping space as well. There was no privacy!), I wondered how I was going to get out of this. Could I get permission from Mister Aizawa to take a bath later tonight? I bit my lip, trying to think up a good excuse for not bathing with everyone else beyond "I don't want to."

Ochako was digging through her suitcase when she noticed my lack of movement. She glanced over at me in confusion. "Icchan, why aren't you getting ready for the baths?" she asked innocuously.

I swallowed. "Uh, I don't need a bath," I blustered, unable to think of a better excuse. I clutched my yellow sleeping bag tightly, hoping Ochako would leave it alone.

Ochako took a long moment to scan my sweaty, dirty body from head to toe. "Yeah," she said sarcastically. "You totally have no need for a bath." When I didn't respond, Ochako sighed. "Icchan, grab your stuff."

"Nah," I said, pushing myself into a corner and tucking my legs in defensively. The other girls were starting to look our way, hearing the argument. "I think I'm good." I scooted further back against the wall as Ochako approached me threateningly, dark aura looming. She had no patience, jeez.

Tsuyu poked her head over Ochako's shoulder, black eyes wide. "Icchan doesn't want to bathe with us, kero," she observed bluntly. This immediately caused the other girls to pitch into the conversation, and I groaned inwardly. Tsuyu was such an instigator.

"There's nothing to be embarrassed about, Kurosaki!" Hagakure encouraged me, earning multiple skeptical looks. She was invisible, of course it worked out for her.

Ashido nodded in agreement, offering me a wide grin. She was already wearing her towel. "Girls do this all the time, Kurosaki. It's just another way to spend time together!" she cheered. I showed her my evidently unimpressed face, because I could think of many other ways to spend time with people.

Momo, who had been previously silent, stepped forward with her hand held out. I glanced up at her awkwardly, and then realized she was offering me a suspiciously tiny bathing suit. "You can wear this, if you'd like," she said understandingly. "I know you're sensitive about this sort of thing, so you can wear this under your towel. I can make similar suits for the others as well..." she looked to the other girls inquiringly.

Jirou grinned, earjacks twirling around her ankles. "I'm cool with wearing a custom made bathing suit," she declared casually. "Especially if it'll make Kurosaki feel more comfortable."

"Sounds good!" Ashido agreed, giving Momo a double thumbs up. "Can mine be purple though?"

My cheeks warmed up at their thoughtfulness, and I smiled tentatively. "Thanks, you guys," I said gratefully, reaching up and taking the suit. Freeing myself from the corner I'd wedged myself in, I climbed to my feet and held out my new bathing suit for inspection. It was a baby blue tankini, and after a few moments of investigation I decided it was a suitable modesty-shield. "This is perfect," I complimented. "I'll go change… over there," I declared, waving a hand towards a corner of the room away from the door. "Nobody look."

Ochako nodded seriously. "I'll make sure of it," she said, cracking her knuckles. I found her evil persona strangely comforting as I moved over to change. The other girls were totally focused on discussing their new swimsuits with Momo, who looked a bit overwhelmed by all the girls competing for her attention. With a small smile, I unbuttoned my shirt, listening to the ongoing chatter over my shoulder. My classmates were… pretty awesome, actually.

Ten minutes later, and we had all gotten comfortable in the hot spring. It was surprisingly well lit, with a stone deck and smooth rocks surrounding the bubbling pool of water in the middle. Off to the side was a large tree, which loomed over the spring and offered shade. A wooden wall divided the girls and boys areas.

"This feels so great!" Ashido cheered, spreading her arms and floating along the surface of the hot spring. She threw her arms up suddenly, sending two arcs of water into the air and immediately dropping under the surface of the water. A few moments later, she popped back up, fluffy pink air drooping comically. Ochako took the opportunity to fling water in her face, instantly starting a splash water.

Momo hummed in agreement from her spot beside me, peacefully sitting off to the side. "I love that there are hot springs here," she commented, eyes shut and arms spread over the sides. "It's very relaxing."

I smiled, up to my nose in warm water. My hair, out of its usual braids, was fanned out around me and twirling along the surface. "Yeah, it's pretty soothing after this afternoon," I agreed, watching Hagakure suddenly ambush Ochako and Ashido with a gigantic wave. Her invisibility wasn't working very well, with all the water and her bright yellow bikini. "Plus we get free entertainment."

Ochako turned around, eyes gleaming. "Entertainment, huh?" she repeated evilly, and I barely had time to react before a wave of water slapped me in the face. I squealed, and then dropped underneath the water, trying to hide from the assault. Ochako was quick to latch onto my ankle and drag me up to the surface though. I caught a glimpse of Momo and Jirou watching me in amusement moments before Ochako dunked my underwater.

"Traitors!" I gargled, struggling to pull Ochako underwater as well.

Suddenly, I heard a very loud, very familiar voice. "Mineta, stop it! What you are doing is demeaning for both yourself and the girls!" Tenya shouted. The water fight slowed to a stop as all the girls realized what had just been shouted.

Jirou's upper lip curled in disgust. "Mineta? Again?" she sneered, earjacks lifting out of the water and angling aggressively. "What's he trying this time?"

"He's probably attempting to get over the barrier, kero," Tsuyu deduced, floating over from her peaceful corner of the spring.

My face flushed bright red, and I swam over to the edge of the spring quickly, climbing out of the water and rushing over to the exit. "I can't stay here, sorry!" I shrieked, darting out of the springs and back into the changing rooms.

"Icchan! Wait!" Ochako yelled, but I was already long gone, racing towards the girl's sleeping area.

The next morning, at the bright and early crack of dawn, my classmates and I were out in the field prepared for training. Dressed in my gym uniform and with a half finished coffee mug in hand, I scanned the faces of my classmates and easily picked out the "morning people." I giggled when I saw Ochako's rumpled hair and Kaminari's sour expression. I was forced to cover my mouth when I noticed Tsuyu's valiant attempts to sleep while standing, my shoulders shaking from my efforts to remain quiet. I had a feeling my amusement wouldn't be appreciated.

"Good morning, ladies and gentlemen," Aizawa announced, cup of coffee in hand and grinning sadistically. "Today, your training begins in earnest. The goal of this is to increase everyone's strength in time for you to obtain your provisional licenses." Never one to mince words, Mister Aizawa got straight to the point, regardless of the sun barely being out. "Bakugo!" he barked, tossing a ball at the blonde suddenly. Bakugo looked slightly startled, catching the object that had just been chucked at him a little bit slower than usual. I smirked and sipped my drink, realizing that Bakugo's reflexes had probably been slowed because of how early it was.

Joys of coffee, really. Why wasn't everyone drinking it right now?

"Same as the fitness test, try throwing it that way," Mister Aizawa commanded, pointing out towards the woods. "Your previous record was 705.2 meters," he recalled. "Let's see how you've improved."

Bakugo nodded, marching over to the edge of the clearing stiffly, clutching the softball in his hand. He was clearly taking this challenge seriously. Around me, the others started talking excitedly, and I watched the blonde keenly, wondering how much farther he would manage to throw.

Bakugo wound his arm up, shoulders tense. "Then, here I go…" he started, leaning back for his explosive pitch. Having learned from last time, I backed up to the edge of the clearing, clutching my coffee to my chest. I wasn't going to have my drink spilled by the shockwave. It was a moment too soon, because Bakugo lunged forward, sending the softball once again cannonballing through the air with a resounding boom. "GO TO HELL!" he shouted gutturally, sending his new projectile into the distance, trailing smoke behind it.

As the blonde panted, Mister Aizawa held up a familiar black remote. A few seconds passed, and then he calmly announced, "709.6 meters." I flinched at the unexpectedly small amount, shocked. After the several villain incidents, Bakugo's quirk hadn't strengthened at all?

Standing there in stunned silence, I heard Mister Aizawa explaining something or another dazedly. I was occupied with my thoughts. Bakugo hadn't gotten any stronger. Had any of us really? Izuku had managed his new "Full Cowl", and Shouto had started to use his flame-half. Had there been any other significant improvements? Sipping my coffee automatically, I realized there hadn't been. My quirk hadn't really improved either, although my combat skills certainly had. I froze, realizing what this meant.

I lifted my eyes just in time to make eye-contact with Mister Aizawa, who was grinning like the Cheshire cat again. "It'll be so hard you'll feel like dying," he declared ominously. "But try not to actually die." There was a long pause as that new information sank in, and then Mister Aizawa held up his remote once more. "I have specific training regimens created for each of you. Line up alphabetically and we'll get started," he began, before staring at me specifically. "Kurosaki, the coffee goes away," he said sternly.

I shriveled pathetically.

Less than gracefully, I ducked another blow from Izuku, slipping out of the way of a super charged punch. The hairs along the back of my neck stood up at the close call, and just as I slid out of the way of his fist, another foot came whistling towards my skull. I rolled backwards, barely dodging again.

Gasping for air, I squinted my eyes as sweat poured down my forehead, making it very difficult for me to see. When some of the salt stung my eyes, I reached up to wipe it away. Izuku took that chance to nail me in the gut, sending me head over heels backwards into the dirt. I hit the ground, winded, and stared up at the sky blankly. My quirk was buzzing underneath my skin, desperate to activate and heal the many bruises (and now potential broken ribs) I had accumulated over the past few hours. I struggled to suppress the overbearing urge just to heal myself and reenergize.

"Sorry, Ichigo!" Izuku shouted breathlessly, eyes wide as he jogged over to me. I realized I had been laying on the ground for several minutes now, and struggled to roll over and climb to my feet. My fingers dug into the dirt, and as soon as I tried to push up my ribcage groaned in protest.

I collapsed face down on the ground, letting out a small puff of air. This training sucked. Izuku was getting practice strengthening his Full Cowl by seeing how long he could hold it up for in a fight, and I was "training" my quirk by not using it. Basically, Mister Aizawa had decided that my quirk had become too instinctive for me. If I wanted to use my quirk as the ace up my sleeve, something to be activated at the end of a battle and catch the enemy by surprise, I needed to practice not activating it every time I got an adrenaline rush. His solution?

Allow Izuku to beat me black and blue, while I struggled to keep from healing myself.

Izuku stopped beside me, dropping to his knees and staring at me with wide, concerned eyes. "Sorry, Ichigo!" he apologized again, leaning down to peer at my face (since it was currently planted in the dirt). "Are you alright?"

"I think you just fractured some of my ribs," I remarked dryly, struggling to push myself up again. This time I managed to get onto my knees before giving out. I took small, short breaths, knowing that if I inhaled too deeply it'd hurt. When Izuku practically wilted from guilt, I forced myself to smile. "It's fine, I've had worse," I said reassuringly.

Two large feet suddenly appeared in my field of view. "Kurosaki! Why did you stop?!" Tiger demanded, looming over me with a fierce expression.

"Sorry, hurt my ribs," I said apologetically, pushing myself to my feet. I attempted to straighten up, but crumpled under the pain. Izuku was still staring at me in concern.

Tiger crossed his arms. "You can't quit now! Push through the pain!" he barked, and then aimed a punch at my head. I barely managed to duck in time, and I could hear the wind whistle past my ears. Tiger nodded approvingly. "Back to work!" he ordered, before rushing off to torture the next set of slacking students.

I faced Izuku, who had a nervous smile on his face. I sighed, and crooked my fingers at him in a "come hither" motion. "Let's just get this over with," I asked, resigned.

This training was hell.

"Alright, everyone! Your training is officially over for today!" The blonde cat lady, who I now knew as Pixie-bob, announced. I slumped in relief along with the rest of the other students, bone tired.

The new cat lady, Ragdoll, stepped forward as well. "Wow, you all look exhausted! I hope you remember yesterday, when we said that it would be the only time we cooked for you?" she spread her arms, and I finally noticed the series of wooden picnic tables covered in ingredients and cooking supplies. "You have to make your own dinner!"

As the other students expressions dropped, clearly disgusted by the idea of anymore work today, I brightened a margin. Cooking? I loved cooking! With a surreptitious glance both ways, I made sure no one was watching me, and then activated my quirk for a mere second. My ribs instantly snapped into place, skin letting off a small trail of steam as my many, many bruises healed. I took a deep breath, spreading my arms and enjoying the lack of pain that came with inhaling. Then, I grinned. I had been entirely revitalized, like I'd just woken up from a nice nap.

I turned to Ochako and grinned mischievously. "Hey, want to help me cook something?" I asked, hands on my hips. When Ochako just stared at me tiredly, I offered her my hand and wiggled my fingers enticingly. "I'll share my quirk with you…" I sang teasingly.

Fifteen minutes later, and I was on a mission. Scanning the cooking area, which was now bustling with students tripping over themselves in attempts to cook, I searched for a familiar black ponytail. I spotted her near the cooking fires, and I strode over to her immediately. When I saw what she was doing, I paused, staring in disbelief.

"Momo, you have no clue what you're doing, do you," I said blankly, watching Momo attempt to dump an entire cup of salt into a pot of boiling water. Carefully, I snatched the salt shaker out of her hands before she could ruin the food. "No," I scolded her childishly, putting the salt down and batting her hands away from it. "No, no."

Momo looked at me in amusement. "I have never cooked before," she explained. "I'm attempting to follow these directions." She held up the box of premade curry spices for the broth.

I huffed in offense, taking the box from her hand and laying it next to the salt shaker. "No way, that sucks," I declared. "You shouldn't follow those directions unless you want a sodium overdose," I swung my arm out to the tables of fresh vegetables and meat available. "All these wonderful, fresh ingredients, and you're following the instructions on the box? Goodness no," I shook my head, grabbing Momo's wrist and dragging her over to my "secret operation." I grinned up at her and pressed my fingers to my lips. "You have to be quiet about it, but I'm making a much better dinner over here."

"And I assume you have no intent of sharing with the other students?" Momo remarked, as I lead her over to where the other girls were slicing vegetables and dicing steak, per my instructions.

I sniffed in mock snootiness. I honestly didn't want to try and teach forty people to cook right now. I could barely manage ordering around the other girls in Class A. "Of course not," I said, licking my lips theatrically. "It means more good food for us!" Stopping in front of the last open cookfire, where I had a pot of water sitting, I pointed at it sternly. "Now I need you to watch the water. Once it starts bubbling, tell me, so we can start adding the vegetables and spices."

Turning on my heel, I walked over towards the other girls, intentionally ignoring Hagakure's attempts to draw a smiley face in tomato sauce on her cheek. "So, how's it going here? Do you have the meat cubes ready?" I asked. Ochako and Jirou immediately held out their trays, with little piles of steak cubes ready. They weren't perfect, but they were impressive enough for a bunch of non-culinary talented teenagers. Tsuyu was still cutting, but she looked about done as well.

"This good, Icchan?" Ochako asked, smiling anxiously. Ochako had told me she had a little experience helping her mother cook, which was the only reason I'd put her in charge of the meat cutting. Jirou and Tsuyu also had minimal experience in a kitchen, but more than Ashido or Momo (who had clearly never touched a knife in their lives), or Hagakure, who wasn't ever allowed to touch a knife because of her quirk.

I nodded, smiling encouragingly. "It's great, Ocha-chan," I said, taking the two meat-filled cutting boards and brushing their contents into a bowl. "I'm going to go over and sear these. Tsuyu, when you're done feel free to come over and add yours," I instructed, carefully raising my voice so everyone could understand. "In the meantime, Ochako and Jirou, you should help Ashido and Hagakure slice the vegetables."

"Alright," Jirou agreed easily, walking over towards Ashido and Hagakure (I bit my lip to resist saying anything about the carrots embedded on Ashido's horns). Ochako gave me a thumbs up and followed after her.

Tsuyu glanced up from her cutting. "You're a very good cook, kero," she croaked. "You're also louder than usual."

I tried to ignore how my face heated up at the compliment. "Thanks," I said. "My grandmother taught me how, she used to joke about how I'd make a great hus- wife one day." I smiled at the bittersweet memory of me fumbling around the kitchen as a little girl. My grandmother was very old fashioned about girls' roles versus boys' roles in a household. Cooking was the one thing I could openly do that made me feel… "girly", I supposed.

"Ichigo! The water is boiling!" Momo called, catching my attention.

I smiled apologetically at Tsuyu. "Better get back to work," I said, hurrying over to Momo. I needed to tell her what to do with the spices, after all, and then get to work on searing the meat.

Food was difficult to make, I was lucky I enjoyed cooking so much!

Mailbox

GreenDrkness: Ichigo's monologue was very fun to write XD And yes, she is definitely flailing about, drowning on land.

Moonacre BunBun: Answering your comments in chronological order - 1) I'll establish her training better in the future, good idea. (2) Thanks! Ichigo's argument with Izuku was definitely necessary for them both to grow. (3+4) Isn't she just precious? :3 I feel guilty for everything I put her through sometimes. (5) Aizawa is definitely a mood.

Prince: Yes, she's pretty good about targeting her anger XD Ichigo would probably thank you for your concern if she knew. Sadly, Ichigo is very good at putting herself down, and not so good about feeling confident in her own abilities.

castielris: Yeah, Shinsou would definitely need a bit of luck to survive everything. Fortunately, he has more time to train before diving in head first. Also, Ichigo's self-esteem really is declining. That's part of the reason I haven't had her fail before. As the little genius she is, Ichigo isn't used to failing. Combine that with her low self-esteem, and you have a recipe for disaster. Not only does Ichigo not know how to handle failure, but she instinctively blames herself for when things go wrong. Bad combination. Aizawa might pick up on something being wrong, but Ichigo is very good at bottling up her emotions and distracting herself with other things. So Aizawa probably won't notice because Ichigo will convince herself she's fine, only for all those emotions to blow up later.

P.S. At least it's funny. Although do let him know Ichigo is very outraged.