Chapter Forty-Eight: Hidden Talents

Aisla gripped the chain link fence tightly, staring out from the expansive roof of one of UA's academic buildings. Everyone else would be enjoying their lunch right about now, but Aisla preferred to spend her lunch hour in solitude. Admittedly, the rumors started to fade away about a week ago, but she still didn't feel like being around all of those people. She could feel their stares and hear their unspoken judgements as if they were feeding them straight into her mind.

She sighed and leaned her forehead against the cool metal, watching the bustling people making their way to and from class, or simply getting in a brisk walk during their lunch hour. Aisla envied their carefree attitudes and wished she could be among them instead of hiding on the roof like a cliché anime character. She wished she wasn't so full of anxiety all the time, and was able to just forget about everything that conspired after her breakup. Everything in her life had been looking up, and then seemed to crumble away in an instant. She felt a lot better about her situation, but there were still days when falling apart was a real possibility for her.

At least we've come up with a decent plan for the midterm, she thought with some satisfaction, recalling the last few meetings with Bakugo and Shoto. Surprisingly, Bakugo was the one making these forced encounters run so smoothly and without much argument. It had been Aisla and Shoto who butted heads more often than not. They couldn't seem to agree on anything. She knew part of the problem was her own stubbornness, but the rest was on Shoto's ability to be both the smartest person in the room, and somehow simultaneously the one with the least common sense. Bakugo had to reign them in and remind them each time they derailed the conversation away from productive planning.

He's been so different lately, she noted with a frown, wondering what the sudden change was about. She recalled all the random things he'd tried to give her during their first few meetings, but still wasn't sure what he'd been trying to accomplish, or what his goal was now.

"You love him, Aisla. Your heart belongs to him. You don't love me the same way you do him…"

Shoto's words echoed inside her mind like an accusation, reminding her that maybe Bakugo wasn't the problem this time. Aisla was the one having a hard time moving on—Bakugo was probably just trying to be friendly. After all, he'd never felt the same way about their relationship as she did. He never felt the same way about her as she did about him.

"I don't feel those stupid feelings and you're an idiot if you thought I did! So, stop saying stupid shit and leave me alone! I don't want to hear anything else!"

Aisla shuddered but not from the chill. Those words still haunted her, months later, leaving her with a helpless, broken feeling. She wished she could forget he'd ever said that to her, but the words hurt so badly she couldn't seem to figure out a way to bury them for long. They were like the living dead, crawling up from the grave where she tried to discard them, just to torment her again and again. They stayed in the back of her mind, flooding to the surface each time she saw his eyes, his smile, or heard his voice. She kept hearing him shouting at her and felt the pain piercing her heart all over again.

Why can't I just be better? she asked herself as her eyes drifted closed. Mourning over a lost relationship was just childish. She needed to grow up and move on like he had. Bakugo's sudden maturity made her even more upset somehow. He was able to put everything aside like she'd been waiting for him to do. She might have accepted his friendship, too, after he'd carried her to the nurses office on the day she'd passed out after classes. She might have been able to move past the barrier that stood between them…had he not come to her with those words.

"I forgive you."

She sighed and sank to her knees as a sudden wave of anger hit her. Why had that been the first thing he'd said to her? And why had she been expecting something different? It was true that this whole thing had started because of her bad judgment, but she didn't think admitting her feelings aloud warranted the reaction he gave. The way he'd acted, and the events that conspired because of him, had been punishment enough for Aisla. She'd suffered for so long, and just when she thought that maybe he wanted to make things better, he had to say something stupid like that.

"I forgive you."

Well, I don't forgive you.

"What are you doing up here?"

Aisla tensed but didn't turn toward the familiar voice, even though she wanted to. Her body was frozen in place where she still knelt on the ground. It was bad karma that he would find her the moment she'd been thinking about him, the moment her pain and anger had brought her to her knees.

She said nothing in response. Part of her hoped that her silence would dissuade him from talking to her, even though she knew that probably wouldn't happen. If she was lucky, he would be in one of his more perceptive moods today and realize that she didn't want company, then leave her alone. She wasn't banking on that, however. Lately, Bakugo seemed unobservant when it came to what Aisla wanted.

After a moment, she heard the soft shuffling of feet as Bakugo walked over to her. He wordlessly settled in beside her, but she kept her hair between them like a veil so she wouldn't be tempted to look at him. Just because she was angry and hurt, didn't mean she wasn't still attracted to him. Seeing his face and those expressions she knew so well still triggered feelings inside of her that she knew she couldn't quite let go of.

"You're not eating again," he noted. If she wasn't mistaken, there was an edge of sadness in his voice.

She ignored that and shrugged. "Not today."

He slid a wrapped bento box in front of her. "It's not much," he told her quickly. "It's just some fruit and a couple of rice balls. I…I'll just leave it here, in case you get hungry."

Why are you doing this? she silently begged.

"I'm not hungry," she murmured.

He was quiet for a long time, wisely deciding against pressuring her to eat. Instead, he toyed with the bow of the bento box idly, as if he couldn't keep his hands still, then breathed in a slow, barely audible, steadying breath. "Are you okay?" he asked softly. "I've noticed you disappearing a lot. Did something happen? People aren't…saying anything, are they?"

Aisla sighed. "What are you doing?"

"What do you mean?"

She pulled on the ends of her hair as she glowered at the cement ground. "Why are you bringing me food and talking to me like we're friends or something?"

Instantly, his fingers stopped fidgeting with the bento. He didn't answer for so long that Aisla started to wonder if maybe he'd made a silent retreat. But no, she could still hear his soft breathing beside her, and she could feel the heat from his presence like an oven pressed against her right side. She couldn't say if this was a result of him being physically close to her, or because her body was still so attuned to his that heat automatically rose up within her.

Finally, she couldn't take the silence anymore and peeked over at him through the strands of her hair. He was staring at the ground, lips pressed into a hard line, eyes pinched shut as if he was trying to block out an image. His hands were wrapped around his knees similarly to her own posture, fingers digging into his thighs.

"Bakugo?" she prompted sofly. Why did he look so…pained? Was he really that concerned that she was skipping lunch? She'd been making an effort to eat more lately, but sometimes the anxiety of being around all of those people still got to her. She would immediately lose her appetite.

Shoto had expressed his concerns for her as well, but he seemed understanding enough when she explained that she just needed some time to herself. He didn't pressure her to eat with him or force his presence into her lunchtime solitude. He would just nod and offer her a sad smile as he watched her go.

Bakugo opened his eyes but didn't look up. A nearly silent sigh escaped his lips before he spoke. "You're right, Aisla," he whispered. "I shouldn't assume we're friends just because we're on the same team right now. I'm…you know…sorry." The last word was spoken so low that Aisla almost didn't catch it.

Surprise made her frown as she tried to decide who this stranger was sitting beside her. Katsuki Bakugo wasn't the type to apologize for anything, much less something that wasn't even worthy of an apology. Had he read her mind just then? Maybe her emotions were so obvious that he knew she wanted to be alone and felt like he was intruding.

"I was worried," he explained. "But I know it's none of my business anymore."

Aisla bit her lip and looked away, feeling suddenly guilty but not knowing why. Something else was on the tip of her consciousness, too, like a barely concealed memory that she'd tried to keep hidden away but was starting to bubble up to the surface of her mind. Bakugo's earlier words replayed in her mind: "People aren't…saying anything, are they?"

Her frown deepened as she thought about why he would ask something like that, and why his tone had become so hard, almost as if he was holding back anger at the idea of people talking about her. But why would he suddenly care about that? He hadn't cared before, not since that one, brief interaction with Monoma when the rumors first started.

"Things have really died down recently," she'd told Shoto four days ago. "I haven't heard a single rumor in days. The stares are still pretty bad, though."

"I've noticed people talking about how bad they feel for you," Shoto said in response. "I've been hearing stories about how someone broke your heart."

That wasn't all, either. Just yesterday a girl had been talking to one of her friends, made eye contact with Aisla, and stopped speaking suddenly, a look of guilt passing over her features. Aisla had tried to ignore it—which she was accustomed to doing at this point—but she'd barely walked two feet past the girl when a quiet voice said, "Hey, Haru? I'm sorry. I…knew it was all fake. Just drama, you know? Still…it must have hurt. I'm sorry." Aisla still hadn't decided if the sentiment was kind or not. A gossiper was apologizing and acknowledging the pain she'd caused, but it felt so random and unnecessary. Why now? What prompted the change?

"Was it you?" she asked in a quiet voice. She could picture it clearly: Bakugo going up to people and yelling at them not to talk about her. She knew he was the type of person who stood up for what he believed in, but why would this be the thing he chose to put his time and energy into? Why would he care if some rumors went around about Aisla?

"I don't know what you're talking about," he murmured, but the words sounded like a lie. They were stilted and forced, and he took too long with his answer.

Why does he want to hide it from me? she wondered. If he really was trying to stop the stories, why wouldn't he tell her?

"I should go," he said abruptly and stood up before she could muster up a response. "I'll see you in class…Aisla."

She let him go, even though something in her mind screamed at her to call out to him and beg him to stay. She needed to know if he was the one trying to fix things, or if everyone simply decided at random that they no longer cared about Aisla or her reputation.

Why does it matter? she asked herself as she pulled her knees tighter against herself. They were still broken up, still living separate lives now. Bakugo coming to her defense after all this time… Would it really make a difference? He was skirting along like a surfer riding a timid wave, whereas Aisla was in the center of a massive storm, struggling to stay above water long enough to catch her breath before being forced under once more.

"Why are you doing this now?" she whispered as she buried her face between her knees. "It's too late to fix everything… It's too late…"

Aisla got to the clearing at exactly six o'clock. Hitoshi and Mr. Aizawa were already there, standing with their backs to her as they engaged in hushed conversation. She was curious what they would be talking about so intently and kind of wished she had Jiro's Earphone Jack so she could listen in. It was rude to eavesdrop, but Aisla had been the focus of so many rumors lately, her first instinct was to assume they were talking about her.

She strode up to them with silent footsteps, both as an excuse to sneak up on them and so she could overhear what they were saying. She didn't really think they would be standing out here blatantly telling stories about her, but she was still curious what the two men were discussing.

So, she crept forward slowly, barely allowing her feet to lift off the ground before setting them back down softly. Even if she couldn't eavesdrop, it would be fun to do a surprise attack. She could sneak up and jump onto Mr. Aizawa's back before he even saw her coming! Or maybe she'd try Hitoshi instead—Mr. Aizawa was scary when he was angry. Still…the satisfaction of catching her homeroom teacher and favorite hero unaware might be worth the terrifying glower she earned in response.

Grinning, Aisla continued her slow progression. She could hear them murmuring now, but she still couldn't make out the exact words they were saying. With each tentative step, the words became clearer and clearer, and their backs became closer and closer. When she was a few feet away and still neither of them noticed her, she leapt into the air and aimed right for Mr. Aizawa's back.

Aisla was immobilized before she'd even realized what was happening. Mr. Aizawa's capture scarf wrapped around her, holding her in the air above them as if she was a kite in the sky. His eyes glowed with both annoyance and the activation of his quirk.

She let out an embarrassed laugh. "H-hello, sir. How are you today?" she asked nervously.

He stared at her with an unreadable expression for a long time, then his eyes suddenly flicked down and widened. He dropped her onto the ground where she landed with a painful thud.

"Ow," she complained, standing up and rubbing dirt off her rear.

"Why in god's name are you wearing that?" Mr. Aizawa demanded. Aisla glanced up and saw him pinching the bridge of his nose as if trying to push back some emotion—or maybe a migraine. Was he mad at her?

"What?" She frowned at her outfit, wondering what the big deal was.

"She's a mini-Eraser," Hitoshi quipped with a snort. "Now, all she needs is some black hair and…" Before Aisla could react, Hitoshi had plunked his own capture scarf onto Aisla's shoulders. "Perfect." He winked, then laughed.

Aisla tugged on the scarf uncomfortably. She didn't think it was worth that big of a reaction. She wasn't even wearing her Eraser Head Halloween costume from two years ago. It was just some merch she'd had since forever and sometimes wore to train in because it reminded her of what an inspiration Eraser Head was to her. Back in middle school when she daydreamed about one day going to a top hero academy, she almost exclusively exercised and practiced with her quirk in the backyard while wearing Eraser Head gear. He might have been her teacher now, but he was first and foremost her motivation to become a true hero.

The shirt was black with yellow Eraser Head goggles across the chest. Bright red orbs could be seen through the slits, and his signature capture scarf was wound around the collar of the shirt, stitched to the fabric. She paired it with black jean shorts because there was no way she was wearing a black tracksuit. A mock set of Eraser goggles were placed in her hair like a headband, holding back the strands and giving a clear view of her scowl.

"It's just a shirt!" she insisted with a self-conscious twist of her locks.

"Why are you wearing it?" Mr. Aizawa asked in a pained tone, as if the idea of a fan wearing one of his shirts was so appalling to him he couldn't even stand to look at it.

"You're my favorite hero…" she admitted in a meek, barely audible voice.

Hitoshi's laughter died on his lips.

Her teacher sighed loudly. "You do realize how embarrassing this is for me, don't you?"

Aisla shrugged one shoulder. "I just like this shirt… I didn't think about you when I put it on."

"You didn't think about Eraser Head when you put on your Eraser Head shirt?" Hitoshi asked in disbelief, then burst into another fit of obnoxious laughter. "You're so weird, Aisla!"

She growled in response.

"That's enough," Mr. Aizawa snapped. "If you weren't trying to make some point, then why are you wearing my goggles, Miss Haru?"

"Maybe she's trying to cosplay?" Hitoshi suggested.

"I am not!" Aisla protested. "Mr. Aizawa told me to be more like him!"

Hitoshi snorted. It would have been nice to see the usually broody and stoic Hitoshi Shinso breaking out of his shell to laugh hard enough that he had to grab his sides—she'd never seen this side of him—but it was at her expense!

Her teacher facepalmed. "Aisla, I meant that you should try to be more confident in your abilities. I want you to see your own potential, not try to copy mine."

Aisla frowned. "But…I thought you meant I should try to make my quirk harder to detect?" she said, tapping the goggles on her head. "That's why I wore these. I thought you wanted me to try and work with something covering my eyes, like you do. I don't have anything else, but I bought these a few years ago when I dressed up as Eraser Head for Halloween."

Hitoshi guffawed and choked out something about how this was "so funny" that he might "pee his pants."

"That does make sense," Mr. Aizawa agreed, ignoring Hitoshi's outburst. "I suppose you're right that you should start working with some sort of eye gear, but you can't wear those." He gestured at her head. "Why do you even still have those things?" he muttered under his breath.

"But what about tonight?" she insisted, pulling them over her eyes and tightening the strap so they were snug. "Come on, Eraser!" she taunted. "Attack me!"

"Those won't stop someone from using their quirk against you," he warned with an eye roll. "Besides, you already know I can't use my quirk on you since you're not actually presenting quirk traits. We cancel each other out."

"Maybe you can't use your quirk on me, but you can use your body on me!"

Hitoshi laughed even harder. "Wow, Aisla, that's bold! So, those rumors were true, huh?!" He wiped tears from his eyes as he tried to reign in the laughter.

She scoffed indignantly, blushing bright red at the insinuation here, then stuck her tongue out at him. "That's not what I meant, you pervert! All I was saying was—ooof!" Her sentence was abruptly cut off when Mr. Aizawa's boot hit her in the ribs, sending her flying across the field. She let out a surprised squeal, but he wrapped her up in his scarf and yanked her back before she hit the ground. Hitoshi's capture scarf fell from her shoulders in the process, and the boy ran to collect it before placing it back over his own shoulders.

"Never underestimate an opponent," Mr. Aizawa chastised, eyes glowing fiercely.

She pouted. "I thought we were still talking!"

"You have six seconds to run before I annihilate you both," he warned. He let the scarf retract, eyes glowing. "One…"

Aisla and Hitoshi turned and booked it across the field, then each took up a defensive stance as they waited for Mr. Aizawa to come after them. Aisla kept the goggles on and concentrated on her teacher's face. He already had his quirk active, but that didn't mean she wouldn't be able to stop him before he got to her.

"SIX!" Mr. Aizawa hollered, then rushed forward with purpose. It wasn't clear who he was aiming for with his goggles secured around his eyes, but that didn't matter to Aisla. As soon as he was within range, she dove forward and rolled on the ground in front of his feet. The action surprised him, considering most opponents didn't dive so obviously into a position that gave them a disadvantage. His moment of shock translated into stumbling, and he tripped over her body, landing on his knees. She scrambled to her feet and pinned him with her gaze while he tried to stand. For a moment, he was frozen, and panic gripped her chest as she willed her quirk to work this time. As soon as she thought this, he fell to the ground again, stumbled backward over thin air, and was thrown back as if by some invisible force. He landed on his feet and looked curiously over at her while she was still reveling in the triumph of a successful reflection.

"What the hell did you do?" Hitoshi asked in disbelief.

Aisla shrugged, even though she was positively screaming victoriously on the inside. "It's a move I haven't perfected yet, but I figured it couldn't hurt to give it a shot."

"Interesting," Mr. Aizawa said as he strode forward, slower this time, as if he couldn't trust his own feet. "So, you reflected my actions, much like you do with physical attacks."

Aisla pursed her lips in thought. "Sort of. I guess it's more similar to when I use my ultimate move, but much less powerful. I just watched your movements and mirrored them in reverse. When I reflect physical attacks, like a punch or a kick, I'm sort of…redirecting the action."

"I see…" Her teacher pursed his lips as he seemed to think deeply about something. "Your quirk is unique and somewhat undefined. It seems limited only by the power of your imagination. So far, we know that you can directly reflect back the effects of a quirk, you can divert physical force, and you can even chronologically reflect back time…" His brows furrowed as he analyzed her powers at length. Then, a disapproving scowl etched itself onto his lips. "Why haven't I seen this move from you before?" he asked with an accusing tone, as if he thought she'd been purposely keeping him out of the loop.

"I forgot about it," she explained with another shrug, choosing not to elaborate on the fact that she'd been distracted by other things. "It was something I worked with here and there…" she trailed off as her face fell, "a while back."

"With Bakugo," Mr. Aizawa guessed, not sparing her feelings with the bluntness. "So, the reason you decided to trip me first was because you saw that my quirk was active and knew I would prevent you from rewinding my actions. It was a risky move, though, and only worked because you surprised me. I can think of at least a dozen other applications you could have used to gain an advantage with this new ability, yet you chose a feint. You're not confident enough in your abilities to try and use it in a surprise attack." It wasn't a question, he knew what had held her up.

Aisla nodded. "Something like that, sir…" It was embarrassing, but she knew that without the added fall, she never would have been able to stop him. It was sheer luck that she was able to trip him at all. If he'd been fighting a villain and not two of his students, that probably wouldn't have worked. Aisla needed to master this part of her quirk before she attempted to use it in battle.

"Let's test it out then," Hitoshi suggested.

"It would prove to be beneficial if you're able to control it at will," Mr. Aizawa agreed thoughtfully. "Do you know what its range is yet?"

Aisla shook her head. "No, sorry. I don't really know much about it at all. I haven't been very successful with it, honestly. It flops more often than not." That was the hardest thing about her quirk as a whole. It seemed so rarely reliable. She'd practiced reflecting quirks for so long, that it was an easy skill to use now. When she did it, she could see the image with crystal clear clarity, like she really was looking into a crisp, clean mirror. But, when she tried other moves, the images were muddied, cracked, and without a clear view of what she wanted to have happen, reflection wouldn't work.

"That's why you have to practice with it," he reminded her sternly. "Both of you need to be more confident in your abilities. You can't rely on me forever. Your midterms are coming up, and I want both of you to succeed and surpass my expectations. Is that clear?"

"Yes, sir!" they said in unison.

Mr. Aizawa nodded. "Good. Now listen up, I have an idea."

"Is it hide-and-seek?" Hitoshi asked seriously, all trace of his earlier laughter gone.

To Aisla's complete astonishment, her teacher nodded. "Yes, sort of. Miss Haru, I'm going to give you five minutes to go into the surrounding forest and hide there. I'll come and look for you when the time is up. Your job is to not only stay hidden for as long as possible, but to make it impossible for me to find you. I want you to try and mirror not just my movements, but the scenery around me. Think you can do that?"

Aisla blinked several times. "The…scenery?" she asked dumbly. He couldn't be serious, could he? Her quirk wasn't an illusion quirk, she could only reflect back quirks, physical force, and time, like he'd said. What he was suggesting wasn't possible!

"Were you even listening?" he snapped. "I told you that the only limit to your quirk is your imagination—or, at least, we haven't discovered finite limitations yet. That means, in theory, you can reflect back or bend anything around you, animate, inanimate, physical or not. It falls to reason that you should be able to reflect images. A bush, for example, or a tree. I want you to try looking at an object, diverting your gaze like you do when you reflect physical attacks, and placing a reflection of that object elsewhere."

"But, sir, that's… It's crazy."

"Crazier than rewinding time from a distance at will?" he challenged. "Aisla…" Suddenly, he was standing directly in front of her, both hands falling to rest on her shoulders as he stared intently down at her. "It's true, your quirk has no defined limits right now, but you…" He squeezed. "You are limited by your own lack of self-confidence. You're weak because you're afraid to be strong. And that's fine." His eyes seemed to soften in an uncharacteristic way. "It's okay to be afraid, but a hero… A hero prioritizes determination over that fear. I'm not asking you to do the impossible here. I'm not even asking you to succeed. I'm asking you to try."

His words resonated somewhere deep inside of her. She wondered, momentarily, if these unexpected words of wisdom were just about her quirk training, or if there was dual meaning there… Either way, she felt a strange sense of resolve settle in her bones at his words, and felt herself nodding as he dropped his hands from her shoulders.

"So…you want me to try and trick you into wandering around in circles for as long as I can?" she clarified. "By surrounding you with images of things I see." At his nod, Aisla hummed thoughtfully. "I don't know…It sounds complicated, but I—"

"Try," Mr. Aizawa insisted, cutting her off. "If you can learn to mirror what people see, you can easily guide a villain straight to the police station without them even realizing it's happening. That could be a very useful tool to have. We still aren't sure what your quirk's full potential is, so we have to keep trying different things in order to learn."

"What do I do, sir?" Hitoshi spoke up from beside Aisla.

"Your quirk doesn't work on Aisla," Mr. Aizawa said slowly. "But it does work on me. I want you out there, too. It'll be your job to back her up. Try to trick me if you can, but don't give away your position. If I find you, it's game over."

"For both of us?" Aisla asked incredulously.

He nodded. "You two should learn to work as a team. Now, I'll set my watch for five minutes. You need to come up with a plan and put it into motion before I start looking for you. Be efficient and work together."

"Five minutes isn't very much time to come up with a strategy and hide," Aisla mused.

"When a villain attacks you and you find him to be more powerful than you can handle on your own, you're not going to have time to stand around making plans," Mr. Aizawa reminded them. "You have to learn to think quickly. I'll give you five minutes this round, but then we will gradually decrease the time until you've both mastered this new skill."

Aisla and Hitoshi exchanged a look, then shrugged simultaneously as if to say, why not?

Mr. Aizawa nodded, lifted his left wrist up, and tapped on the watch face. It illuminated his face in the dark, casting a creepy glow over the wicked gleam in his eyes. "Ready?" he said without looking up. "GO!"

A/N: So, originally this chapter had a different title, but I thought this one fit a lot better. It's about Katsuki trying to make things better with Aisla, and Aisla trying to improve with her quirk. Mr. Aizawa is trying to help her do that, and Shinso is also trying to get better and help his friend. That's why I chose this chapter name over the original. I hope you all enjoy this chapter and look forward to the continuation of Aisla, Shinso, and Aizawa's little game coming up after Katsuki's next chapter!

Beta: yellowchikadee (who always helps me make this story better than it could ever be without her)