Chapter Forty: Rumors

Aisla spent the next few days holed up in her room crying, only this time the tears weren't a result of her broken heart. Well, she supposed it did hurt her heart, but the reason for her self-isolation had to do with the rumors that were flooding across campus. She'd been the source of many rumors in her lifetime, but nothing had ever compared to what students at UA were saying about her. Everyone knew about her and Katsuki breaking up by now, and word on the street was that Aisla Haru was the school slut.

After the incident the other day with Monoma and Katsuki, everyone at UA, save Class 1-A, started whispering about her in the hallways. Her own classmates knew her well enough not to believe any slander against her character, well maybe except for Mineta who kept casting glares at her every time they passed. As for seemingly the rest of the student body? Everyone believed that Katsuki and Aisla's breakup was completely the fault of her own doing. Apparently, Aisla was a cheating slut who deserved to be miserable and alone. Even students who hated Katsuki before suddenly decided to be on his side and gang up on the girl who'd broken his heart.

Maybe that was a dramatization. The thing about rumors was that she just didn't know what they were whispering and texting to one another. She only heard bits and pieces of it. Snippets of sentences, like:

"-sex with Endeavor's son?"

"-caught her…in the boy's bathroom."

"-but she seems so nice? It's always the good girls who are the biggest freaks, isn't it?"

"Heard she got kicked out of Shiketsu…doing stuff to that meatball guy."

"-tries to seduce teachers…"

At Shiketsu, Aisla had been subject to bullying and targeted harassment from Shishikura—but this? The paranoia…the pain of being the only one out of the loop when the loop was a repeating string of her own name. She hadn't felt like this since Shiketsu, and she thought it would be different here at UA. She thought the students would be nicer. But on top of her breakup with Katsuki? It was the most miserable she'd felt in her entire life.

She hadn't seen Katsuki since she watched him punch Monoma across the hallway. She thought, for some stupid reason, that maybe he'd done that in defense of her, but she must have been sorely mistaken. Based on the angry look he'd given her just before he turned tail and ran, Aisla could tell that he still hated her just as much as before. Only now, he wasn't the only one who felt that way. Him and half of the first-years at UA were all in agreement there.

Aisla choked on a sob, burying her face in her pillow and trying desperately to keep the sound quiet. She didn't want her friends to overhear and worry. Although Class 1-A didn't believe any of the rumors, Aisla didn't need their sympathetic faces and pitying words right now. She wanted to disappear more than ever. It had been bad enough when her heart got shattered, now her reputation as a human being was in question.

Her cell rang loudly with a phone call. She ignored it, just as she had the last seven times her dad had called her. She couldn't talk to him right now, couldn't hear the concern etched in his voice. She knew, too, that if he heard about what was going on at school right now, he might insist on taking her out. Like at Shiketsu. However, ignoring his calls for too long was never a smart move. He was overprotective and would definitely come looking for her if she didn't answer him soon.

When a knock sounded on her door, she froze, fear spreading throughout her body. Had her father really come to the school since she wasn't picking up her phone?

No, I'm not ready to talk to you yet…

Still, Aisla knew her father would probably break down the door if she refused to let him in. So, she took a deep, shaky breath, wiped her eyes with the sleeve of her uniform, then strode to the door. She opened it a crack with the intention of claiming an illness, in the hopes that her dad would leave her alone. But it wasn't her dad on the other side of the door. It wasn't even Shoto, Ochaco or Mina. It wasn't anyone who would normally come knocking on her door at six in the evening.

"Mr. Aizawa?" she asked carefully, opening the door wider for him. He stayed in the hall, hands stuffed in pockets and expression disapproving as he stared down at her. She flushed under his gaze and tugged on her hair. "What's going on?" For a moment, she was terrified that he, too, believed the rumors and had come to expel her from school. Had he caught wind of the horrible accusations that she tried to seduce him? She couldn't bear it if he had. He was her idol, her favorite hero, if he thought that she was capable of something like that then she… Her eyes welled up with tears, and her teacher's steely gaze lost some of its hardness.

"Miss Haru," he said, "I believe you and I made a deal."

She blinked in confusion, wondering what deal he could be referring to.

"Look, if you're talking about my attendance…" she started, thinking he must be upset that she'd missed two more days of classes.

"I'm talking about our deal to get in extra training," he reminded her.

Her eyes went wide when she remembered her promise not to bail on her training sessions again.

She slumped to the floor at his feet and wept there. "I'm so sorry!" she sobbed. It was bad enough that the whole school thought she was a slut, now her favorite hero thought she was a lying flake. How had everything in her life fallen apart all at once? It was all fine one day, then the next, boom! It exploded into a disaster of pain and torment.

"Get off the floor, Miss Haru," he gently commanded, feet shifting slightly away from her.

She tried to move but her limbs refused to work. She cried there, on her hands and knees, unable to move a muscle. "I can't!" she wailed.

"What's going on with you, Aisla?" he asked softly as he knelt down to her level. "I told you, you could talk to me. I'm your mentor; you're safe to say anything you need to."

Just then, the stories about her and Mr. Aizawa flashed through her mind again, making her cry even harder. She couldn't talk to him! People already had the wrong impression about their mentor/protégé relationship. If she was caught confiding in him, it would only make those rumors look validated, and she didn't want that for her teacher.

She let out a hitched cry as her fingers curled into her hair and stabbed her scalp painfully. She was a wreck; her life was falling apart. When she first came to UA, everything was beautiful and fun. Her whole world was turning up, changing for the better with each passing day. Then, it all came crumbling down in a matter of days like a wooden structure set aflame.

"I've got this, Mr. Aizawa," a familiar voice offered kindly. Strong arms wrapped around her and lifted her effortlessly into the air.

"You can't be in a female student's dorm room," Mr. Aizawa reminded him sternly.

"She doesn't want to be alone," he argued. "And she needs me. I promised her I wouldn't leave her alone."

"I'm fine, R-Roki…" Aisla tried, but her voice cracked on another sob. She buried her face in her friend's shirt and clutched the soft material between her fingers for comfort.

She heard her teacher sigh. "Fine, but leave the door open! And bring her to Fujinari's office tomorrow morning before class. Make sure she's there," he warned, before Aisla heard his footsteps retreating, then the soft thud of her door being closed.

Shoto carried her to the bed and laid her there before curling up around her like he'd done when she'd broken down over Katsuki. He held her just as tightly, and whispered reassurances into her ear while she wept. She couldn't control herself this time. It was like her whole body was being slowly taken apart piece by piece until she was left with nothing but an empty shell of a girl—broken and battered.

"Shh…" Her friend soothed. "It's going to be okay. I'll take care of it for you, alright? I promise; I'll make it better. You don't have to worry anymore. I'm here now. I'm sorry I didn't fix it sooner."

Aisla didn't know what he was saying, she was too far gone now. All she knew was that his warmth enveloped her completely and made her feel safe. She hated crying in front of him and looking weak and pathetic, but she also felt like it was okay if she broke down. He could have ignored her out in the hallway like everyone else. Instead, he lifted her up and carried her. He offered her his strength and his warmth in her time of need.

I love him, she thought, but she didn't dare say the words aloud. He was the best thing that had happened to her since coming to UA, the best thing since…since he left her, the boy whose name she didn't even want to think anymore. The one who hadn't come to her rescue, but had been the catalyst to her anguish. Aisla suffered because of her own stupid actions, but it was also becuase of his responses, and others' hateful words.

Shoto is a good person, she thought as her cries finally started to die down and sleep tugged at her mind. He's good and pure and…

"Aisla?" he murmured into her hair. "Are you okay if I leave for a while? I'll be back, I promise."

"Yeah…" she answered numbly. "It's fine. I'm going to bed now. You can sleep in your own room."

She felt his soft exhalation against her cheek, and for a moment, she thought he might kiss her.

For a moment, she thought she might let him.

Instead, he whispered in her ear. "I'll be back to check on you anyway." And then he was gone, and Aisla was left feeling cold and alone once more.

The next morning, Aisla woke to the sound of her door closing. She squinted at the bright morning light filtering in through her sheer curtains, then stretched and yawned as she struggled to wake up in her groggy state. She'd slept terribly that night, tossing and turning for hours in a fitful state of almost-sleep. She knew when she'd fallen asleep, though, because that was when the dreams started. For once, she'd had a good dream instead of a nightmare. She dreamt that he came to apologize for breaking her heart and swore he'd be there for her from then on.

Somehow, that lie was worse than the nightmares.

"Are you awake?" Todoroki asked softly, leaning onto the bed to peer over at her. His hair fell around his face when he did, making him look more striking than usual. At this angle, Aisla thought he looked attractive, but she couldn't allow herself to go there, not with her best friend. Not after… him.

"I brought food," he said as he pushed off the bed. He offered her a hand, but she just rolled over and buried her face in a pillow.

"I don't want to eat."

He let out a soft sigh. "Aisla, come on. You have to eat; it's been days of you picking at food. You're going to lose too much weight and get sick."

"I don't care," she grumbled, feeling anything but hungry. The rumors floating around school still played in her mind in an endless loop of pain. She couldn't seem to stop the thoughts from invading her mind and tearing her apart. She wished she could push them into a box and bury them there, but she wasn't strong enough for that just yet.

"Please, Ru?" he pleaded, tone desperate and quiet.

She turned over to look at him, studied his pained expression for a moment, then sat up and slid from the bed. She stepped in front of him and placed a hand on his chest. "Don't look like that, Roki," she whispered. "It hurts me to see you so sad."

Another rueful smile. "How do you think I feel?"

She winced, but she knew he was right. She'd been in a constant state of depression for days now, weeks even, and her poor, mistreated friend was the one to deal with all of her sorrow. It was selfish and cruel of her to put him through that. It wasn't his fault she was broken.

She wrapped her arms around him and rested her head on his chest, letting the sounds of his heartbeat soothe her broken soul. "I'm sorry I'm such a mess right now," she murmured. "I'll try to be better."

His arms encircled her tightly. "Don't be anything except for you, Aisla. You can be sad if that's what you need to be. You can cry and break down, just don't hurt yourself in the process. That's all I ask."

"I'm not hurting myself," she insisted, stiffening slightly.

"Refusing to eat is harmful to your body," he gently chided. "I can't force you, but I really wish you'd try to eat a little bit. I don't want anything to happen to you."

She pulled back and gave him what she hoped was a convincing smile. "Don't worry, I'll eat some, okay?"

He nodded once. "Good." He glanced at her bedside clock. "Almost time for class. Better get ready for your appointment." She stared blankly at him. He gave her an amused smile. "Fujinari, remember? Aizawa said I needed to make sure you went there before class." She groaned. "It won't be so bad," he told her and gave her head a pat. "I'm going to finish getting ready now. I'll see you in class?"

"See you," she agreed without feeling.

When Shoto was gone, Aisla sighed and looked over at her plate of eggs and toast. It was a small breakfast, yet she couldn't bring herself to eat any of it. Her stomach lurched at the idea of consuming food, despite her promise. She poked at the eggs, making the yokes run and soak the bread, but she didn't take a bite. She left it there as she slipped into her uniform and headed out to see Dr. Fujinari.

Aisla stood in front of the school counselor's door, unable to force herself to go inside. It wasn't like she hated talking to the guy—he was honestly pretty helpful when it came to making her think outside the box—but being forced to talk to someone made the prospect less appealing than if she'd chosen to do so herself. She felt as if Mr. Aizawa was making her out to be some crazy person in need of therapy. She didn't feel crazy, though. She just couldn't handle all the pain she'd been dealt over the last few weeks.

"I can't…" She let out a breathy sob and slid to the floor against the wall, pulling her knees up to her chest so she could bury her face between them. Her body shook with silent sobs as she tried to get ahold of herself. She knew she should just get it over with, but a part of her was afraid of what he'd say. What if he thought she was actually crazy and wanted to take her out of school? Could he do that? She knew missing classes was wrong, but she didn't want to stay out of school for good, just until the rumors died down a bit.

She sniffled just as the sound of soft footsteps registered in her brain. She stiffened, but couldn't force herself to look up just in case it was him. She didn't want to see whatever expression he wore in response to her crying.

"Did someone push you down?"

Aisla didn't glance up at the speaker, but somehow, she still knew who it was. It wasn't a voice she'd heard many times, but she recognized it from the brief encounters the two had shared. They'd only had two interactions with one another—both training sessions with Mr. Aizawa that occurred before the rumors gained traction. The first time she met him, he didn't want to talk to her at all. He was more aloof than Katsuki sometimes was, and while he didn't treat Aisla with disgust, he wasn't overly friendly either. The second time, he allowed for a few sentences passed between them, all strictly related to training. She didn't get the sense that he was a cruel person, however. She couldn't quite pin him down just yet, but she thought he might purposely be pushing her away to avoid getting too close.

Like Katsuki, she thought mournfully.

"No," she answered softly. "I just can't get up."

A form settled in beside her. "I get it," he said. "Sometimes I don't want to go in there either."

For some reason, this was what made her lift her head. Maybe it was the fact that he'd gone out of his way to sit next to her rather than running away, or maybe it was his soft, empathetic speech so unlike their previous encounters. She took note of the purple hair that stuck up at odd angles, and the worn expression that reminded her of her homeroom teacher.

"You've been forced to talk to the school counselor, Shinso?"

He nodded, purple eyes sympathetic and understanding. "Sometimes I ditch classes. My teacher gets worried about me."

"Why do you do that?" she dared to ask, curiosity getting the better of her. She still didn't understand this boy very well, but something about him drew her in and made her want to know him. It wasn't in a romantic way, more like this need to find people like her—those with quirks similar to her own. Eraser Head was her inspiration to be a hero, but people like Shinso made her excited to know more and encouraged her to take that extra step. People whose quirks weren't suited for combat, whose confidence wavered, and who had to climb more obstacles than the average hero course student ever had to consider.

He shrugged one shoulder and leaned his head back against the wall. He stared at the wall opposite them as he spoke. "I guess I'm just not that popular. Sometimes, I hate being around all of those people."

Aisla frowned. "Really? But your quirk is so cool. I feel like everyone would want to be your friend." Even her teacher had sought him out in her absence, offering to train him in her place. He saw something in Shinso, and Aisla liked to think that she saw it too.

Your quirk is much better than mine, she thought glumly. She was honestly surprised that Shinso wasn't in the hero course with the rest of them. He was just as capable, if not more so, than some of the others in her class. Based on what she'd seen from him, he could easily stand up against any hero course student, herself included.

"No one wants to be friends with the kid who can brainwash them into doing his will," he told her bitterly.

Aisla thought about this. She knew how his quirk worked, but she'd never even considered the possibility of him using it to manipulate people for personal gain.

"Well, is that what you would do?"

He looked over at her with a flicker of surprise in his eyes. There was a dark look, too, something uncertain and contemplative—something like suspicion. She thought that this might be when he shut down conversation again, like he had each time they'd spoken more than a few sentences to each other before. Eventually, he did answer. It took him a long time, but when he did, his eyes were hardened with resolve. "I'd never do something like that."

Aisla offered a small smile, hoping he could see her faith in him. She had no cause to think anything negative about him or his quirk. "Then, don't worry about what those people think. They obviously haven't taken the time to get to know the real you. They don't know anything."

Again, he was quiet as he studied her. His shoulders relaxed a little, and she realized she must have given him the right response. Another moment passed before he arched an eyebrow. "Yeah? What about you?"

Aisla frowned. "What about me?"

He gestured to her with one hand. "You're sitting here crying in front of the shrink's office because of those stupid rumors, right?"

Aisla paled and had to look away so her hair fell between them. Of course, he would have heard about those—everyone had by now. She'd just hoped he would be someone who would politely pretend to be indifferent.

She felt something press against her arm and glanced over to see Shinso's finger poking the side of it. She looked up into violet eyes.

"I don't believe those stories about you," he said. "I don't know you that well, but I can tell that's not the type of person you are. Besides," he added, leaning back against the wall once more, "I know how the rumor mill works. Everyone takes one little grain of sand and turns it into a whole damn sandbox." He rolled his eyes. "Take your own advice, Haru. Don't stress over what idiots say, because they don't know what they're talking about."

She wondered if he'd had rumors spread about him at some point, too. Maybe that was why he was paranoid about people's response to his quirk. Had there been a point in his life where he had to change schools because the kids spread rumors about him controlling them and turning them into puppets? "Is it really that easy?" she asked softly, wondering how he dealt with such things.

"Nope," he answered without hesitation. "People suck."

She let out a small laugh. "Yeah, sometimes they really do. I guess all we can do is try not to let them bother us."

"And give them a good thrashing in practice," he added, straight-faced.

She snorted. "I don't think you'd do that, Shinso. Your quirk isn't made to harm others, it's so useful! You could save so many lives with something like that. I wish I had a power like yours."

Again, she couldn't help but compare Shinso's brainwashing with her mirror quirk. If Aisla were up against a villain, there was a limited number of things her quirk would allow her to do. But Shinso could do so much. The possibilities were endless.

He scoffed at her response. "I think you're confusing me with that hothead boyfriend of yours. The one who actually has an awesome quirk."

Aisla winced and bit her lip as she looked down at her hands. "I'm not confusing you with anyone," she replied quietly.

"Touchy subject, huh?" At her shrug, Shinso let out a sigh. "I guess that rumor was true then… Sorry about that. That must…really suck."

"It is what it is," she responded numbly.

He was quiet for a long moment before he finally spoke up in a serious tone. "Well, tell you what, Haru. I promise not to brainwash you if you promise not to tell anyone I talk to Dr. Fujinari in my free time."

Aisla looked over at him from the corner of her eye. The only indication that he was joking was in the slight twinkle in his eyes. She couldn't hold back the twitching of her lips. "Deal," she whispered.

"Awesome." He stood to his feet and brushed off his pants. "See you for training, Haru."

She nodded, resisting the urge to bite her lip guiltily when she recalled her teacher scolding her the night before. Then, there was her embarrassing cry-session on the floor in front of him. Her smile faltered. She would never live that down. Mr. Aizawa probably thought she was a pathetic child now, not worth his time. No wonder he'd taken on a new protegé. It wasn't just the fact that Shinso was amazing and they had similar quirks—and remarkably similar hair styles—but Aisla's childish tendencies must have also played a role in his decision. She was a teenage girl. Of course, a pro hero man wouldn't want to deal with her and her drama.

She sighed and slowly pushed to her feet, setting the thought aside for now. There wasn't anything she could do about her teacher's opinion of her other than to show him that she wasn't the crazed girl he saw. She needed to make a better effort to show up for training, and study hard. If she did that, she could at least have something to occupy her mind. Maybe, if she did this, she'd be able to forget about the stories floating around campus. They would die down soon. People wouldn't waste their energy talking about her forever. By the end of the week, everyone would be talking about something else completely unrelated! She was sure of it.

That was what she told herself, as she placed her hand on the door leading into Dr. Fujinari's office and pushed inside.

It's going to be fine. The rumors will stop. I'm going to be fine.

A/N: Good morning! So, as mentioned early on in this chapter, Aisla used to be bullied a lot back when she attended Shiketsu High, before she transferred over to UA. This is important information to remember for two reasons. One of these is because she was forcibly removed from that school by her father against her own wishes. The second reason will be explained in a later chapter. The point is that these two incidents, while seemingly insignificant, were planned from the beginning to support one another. And not in a good way, sorry Aisla!

Fun Fact! Originally, this chapter had a completely different ending! My editor and I shifted a few things around that made a new ending a necessity. There were some great one-liners in that ending that no one will ever know about now! I'm actually a little sad about that, but I think it will work out better this way.

Reviews:

MeMyselfAndI82907: Very interesting! Thank you for sharing so much about the OC's you've created. Are you a writer as well? Sometimes, I find that to be the most difficult task—creating an original character. Aisla certainly wasn't easy at first. I've been writing for her for a couple of years now, so I have a good grasp on her character, but it was a real challenge at first. Every little detail matters: Hair, eyes, quirk, personality, her hair twirling thing. And with things like that I needed to remember to bring it back into the story now and then, or it would be pointless. Good for you being able to create so many! Your Hisa Chishiya certainly sounds like he'd be an interesting guy. Sometimes it's fun when they're a little crazy XD

Dr. Fujinari would be in The Contract, if you wish to check it out! His son Roan is the main OC, paired with Mina Ashido. His mother is a doctor, too. But not a school counselor XD

That is true. If everything was happy-go-lucky all the time, there would be no opportunities to grow as a person. Aisla and Katsuki both have things to learn from this experience. Whether or not they get back together is entirely up to how successful they are at this. They're both stubborn, and Katsuki is still under the impression that he's done nothing wrong. So, they need to work on that, among other things. But yes, feelings are going to come after you regardless of your desire to possess them, Katsuki. He definitely seems like to type of character, to me at least, to be a little wary of such things. He doesn't really strike me as a natural romantic, or something who displayed affection easily. He was doing his best for a while there, but then Aisla put him in a situation where he felt uncomfortable and inferior, and when she thrust her feelings on him the way she did… Well, poor Katsuki just exploded. He IS being a stubborn asshole, and he's taking things too far by ignoring her now, but in his mind it's probably justified.

blasttyrant: It's national punch Bakugo day, I guess lmaoooo. Everyone wants to kill you, Katsuki! Better run for the hills, buddy.

Beta: yellowchikadee