After the test ended, the Pussy Cats guided the three of us back to the classroom we'd begun at. Monoma and Mister Aizawa were waiting inside, the first sitting in a desk and the latter standing at the lectern. I filed in after Shouto and Bakugo, moving to sit next to Monoma. The other boys sat nearby, the four of us facing the teachers as they lined up in front of the board.

Mister Aizawa was the first to speak. "Congratulations, you passed your final trial," he said. "All your privileges have been restored, there will be no more extra lessons." I raised my hands to clap, but when none of the others made a move to, I lowered my hands silently. "Before I release you all to do whatever teenagers do, some final notes on your performance." I gulped, tensing nervously. "Monoma," Mister Aizawa began, looking to the boy in question. "When this started out, your teacher told me that it wasn't likely you'd be willing to cooperate with any student from my class out of prejudice. You adapted as necessary, continue to keep an open mind and you won't need to repeat this."

Monoma appeared sorely tempted to respond, but forcefully kept his mouth shut. I found myself impressed by his show of maturity, I hadn't thought he'd had a filter. Wait, that was mean. Well, he was a jerk for a while…

"Bakugo," Mister Aizawa continued, and Bakugo crossed his arms and looked off to the side in answer. "Your issue was the most obvious. You landed yourself here because you weren't willing to work with others, but you figured out how to cooperate effectively. Keep it up." The blonde didn't offer anything more than a grumble in response, but I thought I might've seen his cheeks heat up a bit for a moment. "Todoroki," Mister Aizawa moved on regardless, and Shouto averted his eyes from the window to pay attention. "During the final, you were overconfident and thought you'd be better off alone. Respect your teammates' strengths and this won't be necessary again."

Shouto nodded easily, apparently unperturbed by Mister Aizawa pointing out his mistakes. "Understood," he said evenly. I felt slightly envious of his smooth response. I never took criticism that well.

Finally, Mister Aizawa looked to me. "Kurosaki, at the start of this you couldn't even suggest ideas to your teammates, and by the end you were shouting commands," he said, and I blushed and ducked my head. I was still surprised by how easily I'd managed to slide into the leadership role, but I'd been too determined to succeed to care. "Continue to use your voice and you'll be a valuable member of any team." My face turned red as a tomato, I could feel the heat radiating from my face, making my cheeks and ears burn.

"Dismissed!" Tiger barked, finishing the impromptu lesson.

Once we'd dispersed from the classroom, I spent the next few hours hanging out in the hotsprings with the other girls. I told them about what had happened, and at Ochako's urge Momo gave me a tiny gold crown as a reward. I pinned it to my hair and kept it there even after changing out of my bathing suit. Pulling on my slightly-too-small red shorts, I changed with the other girls into more casual clothes in preparation for the Test of Courage. Hagakure was excitedly brainstorming ideas about how to scare people with Ashido in the back corner, and I could hear Jirou and Tsuyu quietly talking as well. I found my last clean t-shirt, white and previously stained with tomato juice, and pulled it on.

"Do you think we'll get to pick partners?" Ochako whispered nervously.

Momo shrugged, which was a bit awkward considering she was in the middle of pulling on her shirt. "Perhaps," she answered. "I doubt it will make much difference."

I nodded in agreement, zipping up my backpack. "I'm sure we'll have a good time regardless," I agreed.

"But imagine if one of us got Bakugo for a partner or something," she muttered, eyes wide in horror at the mere idea. She shuddered.

Momo frowned. "Yes, that would be… unpleasant," she phrased politely.

"I'd be okay with it," I shrugged. "It'd be funny to see his reactions, anyway." I grinned (perhaps a tad too maliciously) at the visual of Bakugo screaming cuss words and jumping backward from some little prank. The amusement was slightly dampened by the following image of him blowing up whatever had frightened him, but the idea remained funny regardless.

"Icchan," Ochako deadpanned. "You are the only person who would say that."

I jerked my head up. "Not true! Kirishima would agree, and Kaminari, and Ashido, and-"

"Outside of the Bakusquad, Icchan," Ochako amended. I was tempted to argue that Shouto and Monoma would probably find it funny as well, but decided not to argue technicalities. It wouldn't matter in the long run anyway, we'd probably be allowed to pick partners. Right?

Right.

"To save time, I will now announce your partners for the Test of Courage," Mister Aizawa said plainly, crushing my hopes under foot. I hugged myself a little tighter, shivering in the cold night air in my red shorts and thin white t-shirt. Behind me, the forest was dark and damp, and the moon barely lit the gaps between the trees. I knew I should've brought a jacket, but I had been too concentrated on my conversation with Ochako to pay attention to the weather until it was too late.

From beside me, Ochako whispered bitterly, "I knew it."

"P-perhaps y-you'll b-b-be partnered w-w-with a f-friend," I responded with chattering teeth, entire body trembling. This was one of the many issues of being small, my body temperature was far too easily affected by the weather. I tossed a jealous glance at Shouto, who was looking utterly at home in his t-shirt and pants. I wanted his quirk so badly right now.

Suddenly, a large blanket was draped over my shoulders. My eyes widened, and I glanced back to see Momo rebuttoning up her shirt. She smiled at me gently as Mister Aizawa began reading the pairs off his device. "Please stay warm, Ichigo," she murmured. "You should enjoy yourself." I smiled back at her gratefully. Of course she'd notice, Momo knew I'd been excited about this.

"Uraraka and Asui," Mister Aizawa read aloud. I grinned at Ochako and elbowed her, nodding towards Asui. I knew she'd get a good partner. "Yaoyorozu and Kurosaki," he said next, and my smile widened further. I turned to Momo with an excited squeal, almost missing his next words: "And last up is Todoroki and Bakugo. Listen to Pixie-bob about the rest." With those words, Mister Aizawa turned towards the building and walked off.

I stared at Shouto and Bakugo, who were looking at each other blankly. Then, I burst out laughing. Bakugo wheeled on me so fast he blurred. "WHAT THE FUCK'S SO FUNNY ICHIMI?!" he demanded. I was too busy giggling to answer though, so I just clutched my stomach and let Momo tug me into line.

They were going to kill each other. And for once, I wouldn't be held responsible.

The woods were darker than I'd thought they'd be from the outside. I tiptoed behind Momo quietly, clutching my blanket around myself tighter and peering into the trees anxiously. We'd already been jumpscared multiple times, and I'd nearly punched Tetsutetsu in the face the first time. The second time I'd just screamed and everyone had laughed at me, including Momo. At the memory, I glanced at Momo's back. She was up ahead and striding forward confidently, clearly unafraid. At least she was having a good time, I was too paranoid for this. Why had I thought this would be fun again?

"H-hey, Momo?" I whispered, pulling my blanket closer.

Momo didn't pause. "Yes, Ichigo?"

"Uh, do you think we can go back?" I asked nervously. "I think I'm done."

"I don't believe so," Momo answered, looking over her shoulder at me. I tried to ignore the amused tilt to her lips. "Besides, that'd mean we failed the Test of Courage."

I bobbed my head agreeably. "I don't care," I said assuredly. "But if you want, you can stay, and I'll return by myself." In response, Momo threw her head back and laughed. I assumed that meant no, and sighed sadly.

Suddenly, I heard the sound of a tree-branch snapping. I spun around to see who - or what - was going to attack me. All I saw was the empty blackness of the night. I leaned back and forth, searching between the trees for the source of the sound, but couldn't find anything.

"Ichigo, calm down," Momo said from behind me. "It was most likely an anim- ahhhh!" Her words were cut off by a hand appearing on her shoulder. I watched with wide eyes as Monoma peeled out of the tree behind Momo, a creepy leer on his face.

"Boo," he said, and then ducked when Momo's leg snapped up towards his head. I bit my lip when I saw Monoma's flabbergasted expression and Momo's narrowed eyes as her foot rocketed inches over his head. "What are you Class-A idiots doing?!" Monoma barked, offended from his place halfway in the ground. I stared. Monoma noticed my face and said, "I copied Kodai's quirk. Look, I'm going to count that as a scare, so both of you can get a move on." He gestured for us to move along.

Momo crossed her arms. "That was a counterattack, not a reaction of fear," she argued. I looked to her in surprise at the almost petulant tone of her voice. "The point goes to us."

Monoma resurfaced entirely, standing on the ground properly. "You don't counterattack a classmate in a game," he countered, a very compelling point. "Unless you've forgotten it's a game. Out of fear." I was partly amazed by Monoma's rational argument, and partly stunned by Momo's put out, childish expression.

"You never know what could happen out here," Momo insisted. "We're in the middle of the woods, anything could have attacked us."

Monoma looked insulted. "We guarded by Pro Heroe-"

"Do you guys smell something burning?" I interrupted, turning in a circle towards the scent with a frown on my face.

"No," Monoma answered without hesitation. I spun on him, offended by his incredulous tone.

Momo appeared doubtful. "Ichigo, do you suspect a forest fire? Perhaps someone managed to surprise Bakugo or Todoroki, surely it can't be-" she paused, and then stared over my head with eyes wide in horror. I looked over my shoulder slowly, and then cringed in fear. The woods were alight with blue fire. There was no way that had come from Bakugo or Todoroki, or any other natural source.

"We're under attack," I declared, pushing through my fear to try and assess the situation. The blue fire was spread across the treetops all the way along the northern and western sides of the forest, and was quickly creeping along the eastern side as well, moving towards us. At the very least, someone with a very powerful flame quirk was attacking the camp, and given that it was supposed to be a top-secret location… there was more to this situation than met the eye. The only people I could think of with motivation to attack the Hero Course were the Villain Alliance, but I didn't want to make assumptions either. Especially given that if they were involved…

I swallowed, not wanting to follow that line of thought. "Okay, so we have a minimum of one invader with a powerful fire quirk, possibly more," I began, focusing on the facts rather than speculation. "We're cut off from communication with the teachers, which means we're on our own. We need to stick together and move towards the camp building. The others probably will do so as well."

Momo nodded in agreement. "Sounds good," she said.

I looked to Monoma. "Coming?" I asked. He hesitated, and then nodded silently. He looked more than a little terrified, and then I realized that unlike us students of Class A, Class B wasn't used to encountering villains. Monoma wasn't as prepared for this as Momo after the USJ, or me after… well, everything. I bit my lip, hoping he'd be able to handle this, and then pointed towards the building. "We'll cut through the woods. Staying on the path just makes us targets. Be as quiet as you can."

Both of the others bobbed their heads in agreement, and then we moved forward into the trees. I was careful to be light on my feet as we moved into the darkness, my heels barely touching the ground as I scanned the area around me with paranoia. We could be attacked at any point and I would be expected to handle the situation. Surprisingly, that didn't scare me as much as it should have, but I was more focused on the potential for ambush I supposed.

Several minutes - or maybe an hour, I wasn't sure - into our journey, I heard a loud gargle. The familiar, inhuman sound caught my attention instantly and my head snapped to the left. There was a long pause, and I held my breath. A bead of sweat rolled down my forehead, and I stared in quiet fear, hoping that it was just an animal.

With a roar, a monster broke through the trees. After Hosu, I knew for a fact it was a Noumu. My blood ran cold as I jumped back away from the flying wood shards, instantly understanding that meant the Villain Alliance was most definitely involved, and... well, it wasn't an animal.

"Monoma, you don't experience the after-effects of quirks once your time limit runs out, right?" I asked, watching the disproportionate creature regain its bearings slowly, shaking its head and grumbling.

"Yeaahhh…?" Monoma said shakily, still staring at the Noumu.

I reached over to touch Momo's bare wrist, a curl of steam spiraling out of my collar. "I need you to find the others and tell them the Villain Alliance is attacking," I said carefully, eyes still fixed on the Noumu as it finally stood steadily on its feet, facing us. I could see the blades sticking out of its skin, and I knew this would be a difficult fight. "Use my quirk to get through the flames, but whatever you do don't deactivate it." The Noumu let out a shrill screech and lunged forward. I shoved Monoma out of the way as I landed in a backward tumble, screaming, "RUN!"

The last glimpse I had of him was his turned back as he ran straight forward into the blue flames, a column of steam rising into the sky, as Momo dragged me into the trees and we ran for our lives, Noumu on our heels.

Mailbox

bunnyxstar: Thanks! Here's another one. Hopefully I won't need another long absence like that again!

Chicwowwow: Ichigo is highly intelligent, but I built her that way for a reason. When I first had the idea for STS, I wanted to create a female character with a healing quirk that could become a top hero. That meant she needed to be both powerful and strategic (and to be honest, I have a hard time writing unintelligent characters). So she is strong, and has the potential to be stronger, but that's because I wanted her to be able to go toe-to-toe with characters like Bakugo, Midoriya, or Todoroki. Because those boys are going to be top heroes one day, let's be real, and if you're going to make a character on that level they need to be capable of at least putting up a good fight against one them. But I'm glad she remains human, because what she ultimately is, is a scared kid with a lot more ambition than she has talent. She wants to be a hero that is never forgotten, and that means becoming a lot more than she is now. So I wanted to write her as a simple, weak human, before I wrote her as an epic hero. If that makes sense?

Naruffoku: I try to respond to every comment on my story. I know that some people have a hard time finding the courage to comment, but I've heard the fact I take the time to answer makes them more confident about speaking up. And I love talking about my stories! To answer your question:

Ichigo Kurosaki/Asano. Quirk: Mitotic Regeneration. This quirk enables the user to cause every cell in their body to begin rapidly rebirthing, making them immune to most injuries (with a few exceptions, like cancer which would actually worsen it); however, the longer this quirk is activated for, the more energy that builds up, meaning the quirk can only be activated for a certain period of time before the user overheats and potentially combusts. In addition, the user can share their regeneration with others, but once their quirk deactivates, they are forced to experience the pain of both their own injuries and those they healed, making it wise to remain cautious and refrain from using the quirk unless necessary.

safranbrod: Looking up other ways to portray stuttering is a good idea, I'll add that to my list of things to fix once I begin rewriting (you'd be surprised at the number of tips I've gotten, this list is getting long). I try to be real with everyone, so this was my first ever serious fanfiction, and the first few chapters of this story remain something I'm not-exactly-proud-of. Thank you very much for the suggestions, I tried to get more varied as I moved forward, but you're definitely right about those first chapters being... repetitive and unrefined, at best. I hope you continue to enjoy the story!

xenocanaan: Things are finally going right for Ichigo! One second while I fuck that all up. Here's your more!