A/N - Hey everyone! Thank you again for all of the kind words, kudos and bookmarks! This weekend is graduation so I will hopefully have more time to write before we move this summer. I'm almost finished with the first chapter of the prequel which will be titled "Unconditional".

Also, in another exciting bit of news - the amazing Cindy Gaston on Instagram created a commission of Aine for me! You can check it out on my profile, it is also the cover art for this story 😊

I love getting comments and emails from everyone! One quick note of a boundary of mine, please do not private message me asking me to write an explicit smut story for you. I am more than happy to hear ideas for fics or scenes, and I am even open to commissioned writings. I am just uncomfy writing smexy scenes.

If you have any questions, suggestions, critiques, anything at all please comment below :)

Love and Light to all of you!
Kahelle

Chapter 21 – Shatter Me

Aine kept her head down as she walked through the streets of Musutafu. Pulling her phone out, she opened the last conversation and began typing.

Dochloite: I need a favor. Can you find a phone number for me?

Ratgod – Ah! I see you found your way, Dochloite. What can I do for you?

Dochloite: I'm needing a number for an Emma Scypeart. She's a lawyer in Musutafu for business.

She placed the phone into her pocket and ducked into the nearest alleyway. After giving her eyes a moment to adjust to the darkness, she spotted a fire escape a short distance away. Aine waited in the shadows for a few moments to make sure no one had followed her in to the alleyway before scaling the fire escape to the roof.

The lights of the city hung like a haze over the streets as she sat on the ledge. Above the rooftops, she could see UA, the fortress on a hill. She felt her phone vibrate in her pocket, pulling it out she saw 2 new notifications blinking. Unlocking the phone, the message from Nedzu popped up first on the device.

Ratgod – I have located an office number and a cell phone number. I am sending them both to your device. Best of luck!

Tapping on the next notification, the contacts immediately synced into her phone. All she needed to do was add the contact name. Aine grinned and typed in "Legal Broadcast System".

"You know, for someone trying not to end up at Tartarus you sure like tempting the Fates."

Aine fought the instinct to jump at the voice and looked over her shoulder, pulling her mask down with one hand while sliding the phone back into her pocket with the other, "Hey, Shou. I didn't think you were on patrol tonight."

Silent as a shadow, Shouta continued across the rooftop to sit on the ledge next to her. "I'm not. I saw you head over the wall behind Gym Gamma during my nightly check of the facilities." Aine turned her head to look at him quizzically, "I have two Problem Students who like to sneak out and either train or fight, so I make sure everything is secured for the night - for my own sanity." he explained as he looked out across the city.

Aine pulled her legs up to sit cross-legged, "I guess 'Ratgod' didn't take that into account." she gave a short huff of a laugh.

"Ratgod?"

"Nedzu's codename for himself."

"Sounds about right, both the nickname and his paws being in it." Shouta turned his head to look at her, "Question I have now is why is he involved?"

She shrugged, "I'm not really sure myself. I had stopped by his office to talk about some missing information in some files I requested from Aldera and Corusca Middle Schools. As I was leaving, he apologized for my situation at UA and then dropped the hints about how to leave."

He looked back out across the rooftops, "You realize how much risk you are putting yourself in even with Nedzu's backing? If any other pro catches you…"

Aine shifted closer and placed her hand over his, "It's nothing more than getting out every once in a while, Shou. I'm not going to do things to draw attention to myself. Mostly just this." she gestured around with her other hand, "Just a couple of hours out in the real world."

Shouta sighed as he turned his hand over to lace his fingers through hers, "You've always been too impatient." He brought her hand up to his lips and kissed her fingers, holding them close enough she could feel his breath ghosting over her knuckles, "I know you can handle yourself out here. It's not going to stop me from being concerned that you are gambling against the Commission, especially when the cards are stacked in their favor." Aine felt her face flush slightly from the unexpected display of affection. He turned to look at her as he let their hands lower back to their previous position against the concrete. "I'm not going to try and talk you out of this, as much as I disagree with it. If you insist on dancing on this line, I do have a few bits of advice."

Aine turned her body so that she was facing him, their clasped hands between them, "Okay."

His eyes drifted down to the street below, "First, I would suggest timing your excursions on nights when you know there is a pro-hero you trust patrolling – like myself or Nemuri – someone you could get ahold of or get to quickly if things ever go south. Second, avoid using your quirk unless absolutely necessary until we find out what protections you have as Dochloite. As long as you don't use your quirk, no one would have a reason to try and bring you in for illegal vigilantism."

She nodded in acknowledgment.

"And maybe try to keep some awareness of your surroundings. You were followed for a solid 35 minutes without noticing. I know it's been a while but surely you aren't that rusty."

"Don't worry, sensei. I will be ever more vigilant." she gave a mock salute with her right hand; her left still held in his, fingers intertwined.

Shouta shook his head and released her hand, standing to step back onto the roof. Aine swiveled around to stand, following his lead across the rooftop. The cityscape stretched before them, sparse lights twinkling through windows on darkened buildings branching away from the lights of the city center and UA.

"In all seriousness, Shou, I will be careful." she replaced the mask over her face. The sounds of the streets below drifting upwards as they stood in the middle of the roof. "Musutafu has changed so much in the last few years. Very little looks the same anymore down on the street. Up here…" she gestured out into the night air and walked towards the opposite ledge, "it looks like not a day has gone by since…"

"Come on, kid! I thought you were faster than this?" – "I'm still recovering you sadist!"

Aine smiled and looked up at the stars as she remembered that first run over the rooftops after she had recovered from her illness. The night he had offered to let her leave, the night that changed the entire course of her life.

Shouta must have been remembering the same memory as he looked up at the stars, "Let's see how much you remember." A challenging smirk spread across his features, "See that apartment building over there?" He pointed out a building a few blocks away, "If I beat you to the roof, one week of dorm duty with my class."

She crossed her arms, "Deal. And if I win…" she tapped her chin with her finger as she thought, "Oh! If I win, you have to ask Hizashi to let you co-host his show next weekend." her eyes narrowed as she looked at him with a smug expression.

"Ready?"

"Bring it!"

They both darted across the roof. Aine leapt from the ledge to the next rooftop, her feet barely connecting to the roof before she was sprinting again. A flash of grey erupted from her periphery as she watched Shouta's capture scarf wrap around an exposed pipe, his momentum swinging him across the rooftop and out of sight. She fixed her eyes back on the goal: the top of the apartment building.

The next building in front of her was a good story taller than the one she was currently crossing; her eyes quickly scanned the outside of the building for somewhere to climb. As she closed the distance, she spotted a balcony. If she got enough momentum she could make it up to it. Aine pushed her legs to build up speed before she got to the edge, using it like a spring board to launch herself up towards the balcony.

She was going to barely miss the edge, so she kicked against the wall giving her just the extra bit of height she needed to grasp the metal railing and hoist herself up onto the balcony. From there, she just needed to jump to reach the rooftop ledge and pull herself up. As she sprinted across the rooftop, she could see the apartment building now only a couple of rooftops away.

Leaping across the next span between buildings, she started looking around for ways to maneuver up the building. Unlike the previous climb, the span between the buildings was too far for her to make the same leap of faith. As she drew closer and closer to the apartment building, she noticed a series of pipes connecting a water tower on the top of the building to the ground. A small bundle of pipes stretched between the buildings.

Bingo!

She flung her body at the pipes connecting the apartment building to the building she was on. Balancing, she sped across the pipes to the apartment building. Using the pipes like a hanging vine, she pushed herself to climb toward the roof. Every few feet, she was able to use a window ledge to propel herself up higher.

Every so often, she would glance around to see if she could see Shouta. No sign of him.

Aine's fingers finally grazed the ledge of the apartment building. As she pulled herself up over the edge, there was still no sign of anyone else there.

Then a flash of black passed overhead and a hand reached out to help her the rest of the way onto the roof.

"Damn!" she brushed herself off as Shouta pulled his capture scarf back around his shoulders, "That may have been the closest I've come to beating you." she huffed as she tried to catch her breath, sitting down to stretch her legs on the concrete rooftop.

He opened his mouth to respond when his phone began to ring. Opening it, he sighed "It's Tsukauchi, I'll be right back." Shouta stepped to the other end of the rooftop before answering the call.

"You're quick but you don't think before you move. Look ahead, trust your feet to get you there and find the path with your eyes." – "Are you really giving me advice on how to catch you?!" – "You still won't catch me, kid." – "Stop calling me a kid you arrogant asshole!"

Anya couldn't help but laugh at the memory of her 17-year-old self pitching a fit every time he called her "kid".

"Thanks, Detective. If you can get the approval from the Commission, I'll bring her down to the station. We will be on the way shortly." he hung up the phone and turned to Aine.

"What's going on?" she stood as he walked towards her.

"Finally got a break in your kidnapping case, one of the accomplices agreed to talk but only if you are there."

His phone pinged with a text message. Shouta unlocked the phone to read the message before dropping it back into his pocket. "Tsukauchi got permission from the Commission to bring you to the station."

"I wonder who broke." Aine thought out loud as they walked to the roof access door.

He opened the door and allowed Aine to walk through first, "They said his name is Taketa."