Hey again dears! How are you all doing?! Wow we actually managed to make it on schedule lol, I'm so proud! XD We really tried to make it up to you guys for how sweet and supportive you've all been with us being gone. Especially with how busy we've both been lately with work. You're all the best, and we hope that you guys seriously understand that. :)

Luna and I have really loved chatting with all of you and making tons of friends. Your reviews have literally been the light of our lives, we can't even stop talking about how amazing you all are with taking the time to write such lengthy reviews and PM us, we're so grateful, and it really warms our hearts. They keep us going and are the reason we're always so motivated to update this story. All of your enthusiasm and interest fuel our writing and we're just so glad to go on this journey together. We read each and every comment and try to take your constructive criticism to better ourselves, and we hope it's reflecting in our chapters.

I know I say this like every time, but I'm super anxious about this chapter because of the extremely monstrous length we had to leave out a lot of detail that we'd usually include. So I hope you guys enjoy it and you don't literally fall asleep with this wordcount of over 17,000. This is literally the longest chapter we've ever posted LOL XD I'm shook it ended up being so long, but we had a ton to include XD

-IMPORTANT- In the last update I posted about the polls being open on my profile for you to all vote on class rep and vice, so if you haven't done that already, please make sure to stop by and give us your vote! Also, a huge special thanks and shoutout to DeathDealer Inc for going out of their way to create the awesome new fansite for this fic on TVTropes! And thanks to all of you guys who gave us the okay to run the site. Please check that out and update your characters profiles if you'd like, you all have free reign to explore and post. Luna and I are excited for all of us to use it together as a way to keep up with characters, events, etc, so please check out the link when you have the time (it'll be posted on my profile or you can PM me for it). Thank you!

ANNNNDDD Per request from several reviewers and PMs, we actually used your idea of putting class 1-B in a randomize generator to pick the groups for this chapter, so I hope this meets your standards~ We can't wait to hear your thoughts. Luna and I were dying over the groups xD

Let us know what you think of it! Just let us know in a review below. :)

Disclaimer - We do not own My Hero Academia. This story is merely a work of fiction.

Rating - M - for graphic scenes of violence, horrific events, death, murder, language, angst, etc.

Warnings - THIS CHAPTER CONTAINS ADULT LANGUAGE AND MENTAL ABUSE. You have been warned. Please read at your own discretion. Turn back now if this is not for you.


Chapter Two Part Two:

Unsure Beginnings

Same day - Downtown Musutafu, Japan

Location: Autumn Leaves Teashop

Yozaki had been watching her for a while, just out of the corner of his eyes, as not to be too noticeable to draw unwanted attention to himself, but his peripheral vision never once left the woman.

The cat-like man had been waiting in the old tea shop for over an hour, flicking his tail lazily back and forth behind him as he skimmed through the latest issue of 'Heroes Weekly,' magazine for the fifteenth time, his fourth cup of tea in hand. The atmosphere was dark and comfortable, leaving a warm feeling in your chest to match the equally warm tea that filled your belly. No one would think to look for him here, to even really notice him in the traditional shop amongst the gaggle of people already crowding the limited space, a mixture of businessmen, socialite upper-class women, and broke college students using the tiny booths for the free wifi.

The twenty-six-year-old snorted to himself as he let the garbage gossip magazine fall to the tea-stained tabletop. He wasn't even mentioned in this issue, what a waste. He probably looked hilarious, he thought amusedly, with his extremely tall and muscular build practically dwarfing the already tiny table he sat at in the corner of the shop, farthest away from the door and even further away from other chatty or noisy customers.

His short, black hair was slicked back, the rounded edges of his rectangular glasses perched on the bridge of his nose, shielding his pale yellow eyes from view. Form-fitting black jeans clung to his muscular legs, paired off with a black long sleeved shirt and a black sweater vest on top that hit most of the well-defined muscles of his chest. His paw-like feet were barefooted as usual, void of all constricting shoes thanks to the padding on the bottom of the soft paws that protected him from the rough ground. It felt strange to wear civilian clothes rather than his costume, but he had to blend in for this to be successful. He couldn't walk around looking like a villain - no, that would alert some unnecessary attention, but could also be kinda fun… He mused to himself, a smirk curling across his thin lips. He could picture it now, screaming mothers and fathers, gripping their crying children, teens and elderly alike all trying to get out of his path.

'Ahh, the good times. Such a shame that All Might- hah! All Might what? That monster hero is retired; gone and out of my way for good! The good times can and will come whenever I please.'

Yozaki leaned back in his chair, tilting the legs as far back as he could without falling and let his narrowed gaze fall to the perfect view across the room. She kneeled politely, knees placed carefully together on the floral patterned floor pillow in front of the dark wood Chabudai table. The dark haired woman carefully sips from her teacup, like the epitome of grace and femininity, using her free hand to dab the corner of her soft pink lips with a lacey white napkin.

Of course, she is the picture of classic Japanese beauty, with her long obsidian hair, falling pin straight down the length of her slender back, with equally inky strands of bangs brushing her forehead. Two strands of hair frame the sides of her heart-shaped face, accenting the slim jawline and cheeks littered with freckles. A black kimono clings to her thin torso, decorated with a blue flower design on the top, sleeves, and hem and from what he can see peeking out from under the table, she had a white obi with the same flower pattern wrapped around her slim waist. But the only thing making her stand out would be the sharp-as-knives nails that pierce from the beds of her fingers, curling long and wicked - an unspoken yet dangerous promise against her delicate hands.

Yep, she looks exactly as described, beauty and all - prim and proper like she's too good for the world. He feels his smirk widen its way across his face, eyes glinting with a sharpness that hinges on mischievous and something else, 'she's the one.'

As if she can read his thoughts, those ethereal, monochromatic eyes meet his own, white pupils and black irises as sharp as a dagger and just as dangerous and his smirk only widens. Yozaki doesn't waste any time placed the legs of his chair back onto the ground, then reaches forward and picks up both the teacup and magazine, placing the latter under his arm. The tall, raven-haired man moves with the ease and slyness of a feline, slinking over until he stands directly in front of the dark-haired woman, who glances up at him passively, eyes flickering almost in boredom before glancing back down to the dainty teacup she holds in her hands.

Yozaki finally gets a look at the claws up close. They're somewhat short for what he'd consider claws, only about a few inches in length but they have almost razor-like edges, sharp and glinting under the tea shop lights, definitely a weapon by his standards.

Before she can say anything, the man drops down onto his own knees on the empty pillow adjacent to hers, tossing the magazine onto the tabletop, barely missing the small saucer for her teacup which he notes, makes her top lip tick in well-concealed irritation.

Yozaki makes himself comfortable, ignoring the intense and silent stare of the occupant, as he sits down his own cup to flip through the magazine yet again. The colorful, glossy pages beam in the dim lighting of the small shop, and he notices out of the corner of his eyes the woman's fleeting glance down at the material.

"Are you up for a little game? Maybe a bet?" His voice is smooth, practically a deep purr resonating from deep down in his chest causing the woman to barely bat her dark eyelashes.

"You know what you're here for," She answers back monotonously, without looking up from her tea, the steam rising and curling into the air with an elegant swirl. Her voice is barely above a whisper, almost as if she hadn't used it in quite some time but still clear as day. Her pretty face never breaks the blank expression, eyes passive and empty but he knows better. 'She's perfect,' his thinks with a hiss, a thrill of electricity coursing through his veins making his smirk rise even further, almost threatening to split his face into two. He hadn't felt so alive in a while now, and he loved the feeling.

Customers around them move and chatter quietly, ignoring the two at the side of the room. The atmosphere remaining cozy and warm, with the dim lighting and dark furnishings giving the place an intimate feel and if anyone were to look at the two, they'd think they were friends just catching up, or acquaintances out to lunch. Well, he guesses they were technically the latter, right?

"Awww, you're making this no fun! You and that other guy, both are a bunch of stiffs. It's the worst. With a name like 'Apex,' I thought you'd be cooler, but you're just the same," he whines out loud, exaggeratedly and childish, smirk playful and almost carefree, but his yellow orbs narrow sharply, digging, prying. But the woman never takes the bait, carelessly batting her long eyelashes and keeping her expression neutral, just as he expected.

Apex barely spares him another look before taking another polite sip from her cup, and for a long few seconds, Yozaki wonders if she'd even grace him with an answer before she finally speaks again.

"Human Anglerfish, twenty-two, runaway. Now go," Apex says in her wispy tone before turning away from him, hiding her face behind dark inky strands of hair, nose upturned into the air with a clear disinterest and a small scowl that she quickly covers. 'Men,' she thinks with a sneer, hatred burning searing hot through her veins and clenching her insides but she remains passive. She would not be fool enough to give him the satisfaction, that was beneath her. And she knew types like him, something like that would just feed his ego.

'Well,' Yozaki smiles, 'that's all I needed then, might as well go.' He then stands up, leaving his magazine and teacup onto the table and the woman looks up at him through dark bangs and cold eyes. He digs around into his pants pocket before finding something, then pulls out a slip of paper and casually places it onto the table beside his teacup. She spares the parchment a small look before he speaks.

"What a lovely chat and all, but I guess I have a job to do. Think you can cover my bill?" Yozaki laughs out loud, smooth and rich, tail flicking behind him back and forth, "Thanks for the tea, boss." Apex had rolled her eyes at him again, counting the seconds before he would be gone and out of sight, only for her eyes to widen in shock as she felt his fingers gracing her hair. The cat man was chuckling again, twisting ebony locks between his sharp nails. Suddenly his eyes widen as well, pupils dilating just like a cat spotting prey and his heart skips three beats as he yanks his hand back with the reflex of someone touching something hot.

Only he had seen it, watching as Apex had swung a delicate hand out with her razor claws aimed for his own. His laugh after that could have been considered nervous, but his heart was pounding to the beat of adrenaline rush, excitement making his tail twitch spastically. "You almost got me there….almost-" and then he sees it, a few strands of dark hair drifting past his face, too short to belong to the woman in front of him. Yozaki even feels a sharpness of cold on his cheek, bringing a hand to touch his face; beautiful red color comes away, staining his pale fingers and the cat man feels his furry ears twitch.

She had gotten him, he had only just barely escaped possibly losing a hand or even part of his face and he literally purrs. But the woman wasn't smiling, no, Apex was glaring daggers at him that would have killed a more fragile man, her voice slipping between supple lips as a dangerous whisper. "Next time you touch my hair, you won't have a tongue to repeat that sentence with. Now get lost before I truly lose my temper."

How badly the tall man wanted to stay, to test those waters of just how dangerous Apex could be but even he knew better. If a fight broke out now, the cops and heroes would be all over him. Not like he considered that much of a threat, the only truly dangerous hero had retired. Yet, he still didn't take the chance. There were plenty of other days to play his little games. His voice is smooth and velvety once again, "I retract my earlier statement. You're not as lame as I originally thought. You just need someone to push you into being more fun. Tah-tah for now, boss." He departs soon after that, with an obnoxious bow to the woman, sauntering away while humming a tune with his tail flicking behind him playfully. Perhaps this Angler Fish would be up for a bet once Yozaki had located the man. Something to spice up their mission and give it a nice coating of fun.

Apex watched the cat man disappear from the tea shop, wondering why she continued to bother with men like that. His only true use seemed to be in locating potential targets for her plans, but his antics- she wanted nothing more than to mutilate him for each one. However, she couldn't risk doing that, not when the patrons of the little tea shop had been looking her way. She could feel curious eyes drifting over to her and Yozaki, wondering and speculating as to why the man had jerked back the way he had.

She wanted to call them all idiots, to mind their own business - to scream and rip and tear away at them, breath coming out in wild pants and eyes blazing with emotions she'd never show - but instead, she simply goes back to her tea. Sipping the drink as delicately as ever, dabbing at an artfully powdered cheek until she was sure they had forgotten about her. The day for actions like that would come in its own time.


Present day - Billboard hallway

Could the first day of school be any more of a drag? To a young teenage boy by the name of Nemuro, the answer was a megaphoned, loud and enthusiastic 'Yes.' The whole speech and introductions in the auditorium had dragged on for what seemed like hours. The already exhausted boy couldn't even remember exactly what part he passed out on, all he knew is that he woke up long after the area had cleared out.

While that hadn't bothered him much, it was on his trip to the bulletin board that things started spiraling down. First, he couldn't find the board itself, ending up in the massive cafeteria as delicious smells wafted around him. Finding food wasn't really a bummer, it was delicious, but it caused him to waste even more time. Then, he found the board listing all the classes and students- only to see that his name wasn't even written on there. Like what was even it's purpose at that point?

He'd huffed and rolled his eyes at that, another freaking marathon for him to run: finding the guidance counselor and principal's office. He'd found that much quicker but then had to listen to the teachers and the mole prattle on and on about him needing to fix his tardiness before it became a habit. Honestly, half their words went in one ear and out the other, Nemuro didn't even want to be in school today; preferring to be in this bed instead. But school never did run on his schedule; he just had to suck it up.

Eventually, the staff decided on holding a vote for his placement and Nemuro couldn't even contain the groans of irritation that left his throat. Honestly, for a hero school, shouldn't they be more prepared? Who leaves only one student without a classroom placement? And that's how he ended up walking down the barren hero course hallway to try and find class 1-B, while every other student was already in their proper class.

What a freaking day. Was it a mistake to choose such an active school?

The purple haired boy shoved his hands into the pockets of his loose grey trousers that barely stayed in place with a sloppily clasped belt on his narrow hips, crumbling the paper he'd been given by the rodent to hand off to his homeroom teacher that he had already wadded up and stuck down in his pocket like trash. God, the extra energy was killing him, how long did they make these halls? 'Couldn't they afford to put in elevators instead of making me climb all of those stairs?' Nemuro thought to himself, as he approached what looked to be a long row of hero course classrooms. Well, 1-B had to be here somewhere, he mused.

Name: Enerugi Nemuro

Quirk: Drain Touch - the user is able to drain the energy(physical energy/electric energy/basically anything that has power/energy) of any living organism(and humans), objects, and other power sources as long as he touches it with five fingers from any of his hand. The amount of time it takes for the user to drain his target depends on the amount of stamina/energy the target has.

From what he noticed when slowly trekking down the hall, the classrooms seemed to all be spread out by at least a five-meter gap in between every hulking door completely mirroring this on either side of the corridor. Though, the differences between the years were quite more substantial than just the letter separation. Class 3-A was at the very beginning of the long hallway, with a pretty significant gap in between their classroom and that of 3-B. Even further down and segregated by a long row of floor to ceiling windows and basic blue and red lockers, was 2-A and followed by 2-B. However innocent this may seem, it became apparent to him what they were trying to do.

The separations between all classes were obvious, third years were the most important, considering they would be the next graduating class and they had made it through all three years of high school, so they had gained seniority. However, they were in higher regards than that of second years, who in turn were better than first years making all of the years widely spread out. It was a simple setup that one might not catch onto at first glance, but Nemuro caught the signs easily, especially with the second part of this realization. The letter after the year - A and B. Though the year was important, the letters seemed to be something that U.A. subtly tried to hide their divide, but it was apparent.

A was first and would always be first, B was the follow-up - the lesser class and the gaps in between these doors proved that. Every little placement meant something, it wasn't just on a whim that these classrooms were placed, no, they had a purpose. But it wasn't Nemuro's place to question this, or even get upset, for that was just too much extra energy going to waste.

The tall, lanky boy came to a stop at the very end of the hall where the giant white and red metal door, gleamed with a larger-than-life bolded 1-B. 'Thank god, now I can finally sit down and possibly nap,' Nemuro sighed to himself in relief before turning the handle and pushing the door open to walk inside. What he didn't expect was walking right into what looked to be an introduction of some sort, and an awkward one at that. A short, silver-haired girl aimlessly shuffled her feet under the many stares of the other students in the room, her eyes glued to the floor in what looked to be an act of submission and hands grasping the pleats of her slate grey skirt.

Uncomfortable anxiety wafted off of her in massive choking waves and the tall, extremely blinding knight-looking man next to her hurried to place a gentle metal-covered hand on her shoulder. At the jarring of the door, both she and the knight turned to look directly at Nemuro, followed by the attention of their classmates. For a second, the girl's pink eyes shifted over to his own droopy silver, and a flash of relief filled those bright gems, probably grateful for a distraction for the tension in her shoulders seemed to have dropped.

Name: Otsuka Miu

Quirk: Blood Manipulation and Crystallization - Miu's quirk allows her to manipulate and crystallize blood. She can draw blood out of cuts on her body or another person's and shape its movement. It's very versatile, but she can't manipulate and crystallize at the same time. Once she crystallizes blood, she has to return it to its "wet" form before she can manipulate it again. If she concentrates hard enough when touching someone, she can temporarily manipulate their blood circulation.

The purple-haired boy groaned to himself in annoyance, ugh would he ever get a break today? Why did these things keep happening to him? He just wanted to take a nap for Christ's sake, was that too much to ask? He wasn't anyone's hero, didn't want to barge into something that wasn't his concern. Whatever was going on here, he didn't want to be apart of it - this weird aura that surrounded the room, the unnecessary drama bubbling under the surface of something greater, just being held back by the pro-hero at the front of the room. No, he didn't want that. And this pathetic looking girl definitely was far from his attention.

"Hello, there young sir! What can I help you with?" An equally bright yet polite voice boomed from what Nemuro guessed was class 1-B's teacher, startling him out of his thoughts. With his whole body being covered by metal it was hard to gauge just what his expression was, but his tone was very open and gave a lot away.

Nemuro wasn't looking for a conversation though; he just wanted to get this thing over with and find a seat and god was this man way too bright for his tired eyes? What's his deal? This whole day was already wearing him out, and it was still morning! Honestly, he was starting to wonder just how he was going to get through the rest of the school day at this rate…

Before the man could say anything else, or more specifically 'make conversation,' Nemuro dug around into his trouser pocket and pulled out the wad of paper from Principal Nedzu and slowly crossed the short distance to the teacher, placing the ball in his awaiting hand with a short, "Here." For a second, the teacher stared down at the crumpled up ball of paper in his grasp before glancing over at the tall teen who slouched in front of him, hands again buried in his pockets eyes so heavy-ladened that the pro hero almost wondered if the boy was half-asleep just standing up. Well, he thought, looks like this one won't be any help. Without any explanation from the boy, Bright Lord cleared his throat and went about unraveling it. Smoothing out the inevitably crinkled beyond doubt document, Bright Lord quickly scanned over the paper before glancing back over to an uninterested Nemuro.

"Well, Sir Nemuro, it looks like you'll be joining us as the last member of class 1-B. This is quite the surprise but a good one at that! The more, the merrier! Please make yourself comfortable. I'm sure you'll fit right in. You and miss Otsuka both," Bright Lord Sensei exclaimed, a happy little laugh twinkling after his words as he clapped the teen on the back successfully startling the boy out of his light slumber and causing him to give a small, wide-eyed yelp.

"Now you two, please take a seat! Lady Otsuka, would you sit at the back of row three, behind Sir Mortimer and between Lady Michiko and Lady Watanabe. I have an extra desk for you at the back of the room, Sir Nemuro, that you may place behind Sir Akashi in row one," the pro instructed with the extent of his metal covered arm, the armor clinking with his movements before he clinked over to his desk and tugged out his own chair to sit down.

Nemuro moves with slow strides, slinking casually on his trek to the back of the room and out of the corner of his eye he watched the small girl practically all but sprinted to the end of the third row, nervous twitching of her fingers in her pleated skirt and head tilted downward. Her lightly trembling form seemed to almost close in on itself, shrinking to make her appear even smaller than she already was. When she took her seat, carefully cowering down under the weighted stares was when Nemuro picked up on the hushed whispering around them. Just what were they all going on about? He wondered in mild curiosity just as the whispers became audible.

"Can you believe that they let the criminal in our class? Do you think she might've tricked Nedzu into getting in U.A.?

"Our class? More like why did they even let her in the school? Shouldn't there be codes against this?"

"If she's going to be in here then she better actually attempt to redeem herself. If that's even possible. I'm not sure if I want to be around a criminal. Especially after all she's done."

His stomach churned unpleasantly like a whirlwind, and suddenly he felt very nauseous, the feeling taking over his body like a virus, completely consuming him. He was beyond shellshocked, absolutely astonished at what he was hearing from supposed future heroes. The words were harsh, cruel remarks leaving no room for comment that they didn't even bother to hide from Otsuka, almost as if they didn't care at all if she did hear. Their pointed stares and obvious remarks were something so brazen that Nemuro was honestly in awe at the display. The judgment falling on the shoulders of the silver-haired girl who sat as small as she could possibly make herself at her desk no doubt in his mind that she could hear exactly everything they were saying. She stared down silently at the blue metal tabletop, eyes trained on the surface as if it was the most exciting thing in the world. Her thin shoulders trembled hands buried into a tight ball in her lap and the whole thing left a bad taste in the Nemuro's mouth, stabbing at his heart.

The people sitting around her all stared, some expressions curious and others with malice but no one dared to comfort her or speak to her directly. Not a single person in the room said anything remotely tender. 'Just what the hell was this? Why were they acting this way?' Nemuro thought in disgust. The purple haired boy shot a look over to their teacher to see the pro hero sitting with an open blue folder in hand, reading whatever was in its confines, oblivious to the whole situation. Of course, the pro wouldn't expect them, the next generation of heroes, to be bad-mouthing their classmate like this. So even if he did catch wind of the whispering, he most likely thought they were making friendly conversation.

Nemuro furiously shook his head to snap out of it, Dammit, he didn't have time for feelings. That was just too much energy he didn't want to waste, especially since it wasn't his place to get involved.

He didn't bother to quicken his pace though made it soon enough to the empty desk left against the back wall of the room. With his skinny arms, he picked it up and carried it back to the front row, trying in vain to ignore the criticism of his peers before placing the desk in his spot behind the redheaded teen and threw his body down into the chair. 'Ahh, finally, just what I've been waiting for,' Nemuro mused to himself as his body relaxed in the hard plastic chair, not minding even a bit that the chair itself was so uncomfortable, he was just grateful to be sitting down. The feeling wasn't long lasting however as the whispering continued, this time growing in volume.

Nemuro wasn't someone who got involved. He just didn't, end of story, he'd much rather mind his own business and conserve energy. Most confrontations were a waste of time and only exhausted him further, but it seemed like this day wouldn't just let him rest because he finally felt something inside him snap as an unfamiliar feeling of anger settled over him. He trained his silver eyes over his peers, but before he could say anything the boy in front of him beat him to it.

"You think SHE'S a criminal? The only thing criminal about her is that god awful face. She looks like she failed miserably at cutting her hair. Probably considers herself lucky she didn't cut an eye out." the redhead scoffed, intense crimson eyes trained over on the silver-haired girl, voice carrying over the others and bringing a hush to their classmates, as he leaned back in his chair to get a good look without wrinkling the material of his finely pressed uniform.

Miu let out a surprised gasp, falling back in her chair as the heavy silence weighted them all down. Despite the brashness of his words, Miu didn't seem to be as hurt by them though her tanned face immediately heated up to a bright pink that almost matched the color of her eyes. Akashi rolled his eyes, turning back around to the front of the room muttering a low, "I knew this class was full of idiots."

"She can't be a criminal if she's too terrified even to speak. She looks more like a pathetic mouse than anything." The curt words came from the mouth of the brash dragon girl, keeping her cheek propped up with one hand as she glared at Miu with contempt and boredom from her seat at the back of the room on the other side of the small girl. Really, just how stupid could the other kids get? Someone as small and scrawny as the timid girl up front couldn't even be related to a villain. Related…...Tatsuma drops the hand from her chin to lean closer at her desk as she peers at the other girl. What if they were calling her a criminal because she was the daughter of a villain? Now that may be a bit more interesting for this class.

Name: Tatsuma Michiko

Quirk: Dragon Changer - Allows the user to transform their body to take on dragon-like features partially. In this form, she is able to breathe fire and is immune to other fire quirks. Her tail is kind of like a bat almost she can use it to throw backfire attacks. Her wings can help her move back or forward to dodge attacks, and her scales prevent her from heating up.

Miu shrunk under the weight of Tatsuma's stare, refusing to look up from the tabletop until the taller silver-haired girl finally glanced away, sparing her from any more judgment. Finally, the tension in her shoulders relaxed just slightly, realizing that Tatsuma wasn't actually going to say anything else and she couldn't be more grateful for the mercy that she knew in her heart she didn't deserve.

Up front, Ritsuo had been watching and listening to the other students, hearing all the little gossip already floating around and a smirk was working its way across his features. His normally delicate and feminine face now looked like a mask of an imp, smirking just enough to reveal his teeth as his eyes slip shut into a fox-ish facade. It was an unsettling expression, to say the least as if he were planning something just beneath that smile. Truthfully, the fox boy did have some dastardly shenanigans running amok in his mind, a future plot he had come up with on the spot and his prime targets happened to be two very outspoken students.

Now all he needed was a chance actually to go through with it. You'll get your just desserts before the day is over, I'll make sure of that.


After the disaster that was the first introductions, class resumes as normally as it could from that situation. The knightly hero seemed, much to Nemuro's previous suspicion, blissfully oblivious. Bright Lord Sensei stood at the podium, giving a simple lecture on what kind of classes they would have for that first year. But it was droll and boring, another waste of time and breath as far as Nemuro was concerned. He could still see the other students glowering at Miu, feeling bad for the girl but not so much that he'd be bothered with defending her. If only he could sleep and send his nightmares after the potential bullies, it would be the best of both worlds.

The meek little girl still hadn't done much about it, other than continue to fiddle with her skirt as if it were some comfort action. Even from his seat across the classroom, the purple haired boy could see the fine wrinkles on the girl's skirt, ruining the pleats and making it appear as if the article was a hand-me-down. He even found himself agreeing with what Tatsuma had said earlier, how could such a scaredy cat like her remotely be a criminal? To the sleepy boy, Miu looked like she would pass out if someone so much as playfully punched her arm.

But it was really none of his business. Whatever happened to her before she was accepted into U.A. was her own secrets, and he'd have no part in bashing or prying for information. Principal Nedzu wouldn't accept a dangerous criminal for no reason, so if he trusted her, then the least Nemuro could do was accept her as his peer and move on. He didn't understand how she of all people was considered such a foul name, but he didn't have to understand it.

Out of the corner of his eye, a flash of color flew past his vision, and his attention pulled to the row of windows closest to his seat. Outside in the grounds surrounding the side of the school gathered a pretty large sized group of teens with what looked to be a pro-hero guiding them. Or at least what he assumed was a hero; the woman was unbelievably pale, her white skin practically shining in the sunlight outside. Nemuro couldn't bring himself to look at her skin for very long, focusing more on her black as night hair.

The students seemed to be going through a series of tests, their current one involving some sort of 50-meter dash. Two students; both were female with one having lavender hair that reached to her shoulders, and the other had curly brown hair. Both girls take their places at a white chalked line on the ground, dropping to their toes with their fingers splayed on the ground. From the classroom, Nemuro can hear a muffled pop and then the girls are off, dashing down the short distance as if their life depended on it.

The lanky boy was about to turn his gaze away from them, not at all jealous that they were spending their first day running around like idiots. He already had his fair share of that earlier in the day. Better you guys than me any day, the thought bubbles into his mind, smirking in satisfaction with a/c keeping his body cool. But then he spots something that kills his smirk, flipping it on its head to form a sour frown.

The brunette student was just a few meters away from the finishing line when she swings her left arm around, and the appendage transforms right before his eyes. Her arm elongates and stretched as if it's made of rubber, but she latches onto it with her other arm and swings it over her head like a lasso. Nemuro felt his jaw drop, white-hot jealousy suddenly coursing through him like a last minute tsunami. Sure they were running on the first day of school, but they were running while allowed to us their quirks! How was that fair? Class 1-A was having fun out while class 1-B just sat in class all day?!

Gritting his teeth, the raven teen pins his eyes onto Bright Lord, ready to berate the teacher for trying to put them to sleep with trashy lectures. But he's beaten to it by the buff girl behind him. Pompom waves her enormous arm around in the air, nearly clipping Tatsuma in the head and possibly sending the dragon girl into a coma much to Tatsuma's horror as she grabs her chest where her heart would be with a look of mixed anger and shock. "Mr. Bright Lord Sensei! I'm so sorry for interrupting but, are we going to be doing something similar to what that class out there is doing? Like I don't mind your lecture but," she smiles meekly at him, blue gems for eyes sparkling in adorable innocence, "But it looks like they're having so much fun out there."

Bright Lord Sensei laughs, a hearty sound that reminded the students of a jovial Santa. As if the teacher had been waiting for someone to say something and was ecstatic to find out he didn't need to wait very long. His laughter tapers off to a chuckle, stepping away from the board, Bright Lord gestures to the whole class. "Don't worry, Lady Kawachi, I have a quest planned for you all! Come along now, follow me out to the fields. I'm sure you all will thoroughly enjoy this!" And with that, the jovial teacher raises his hands, beckoning the children to rise from their seats and follow him out of the classroom. Most of them wondered aloud about what their teacher had in mind while others figured this was some sort of test even though it was only the first day of class.

Bright Lord had gathered all the students out into field "Zetta," an area that looked more like a simulation for archipelagos. Upon arrival the students could pick out areas that looked like forests, lakes, even a set of miniature mountains and sand dunes could be seen peeking out from around the corner. Bright Lord keeps all the students in a semi-circle around him, reading over the sheets he had brought out before looking up and clearing his throat.

"Listen up everyone. I'll say this now in case anyone of you have been wondering but class 1-A and this one will always have the same lessons but done differently. Each teacher has their own style, their own freedom to do as they please. As for myself, I have come to the conclusion of doing an event to capitalize on your quirks. Everyone knows that quirk usage is prohibited without a license even in the event of a villain attack but what happens when you're stranded in the wilderness?"

"Imagine you have no cell phone, no GPS, none of that technology that humanity of today relies so heavily on. You must all be well versed in your quirk as well as knowing alternative uses for it. Remember your time in the auditorium? I mentioned how my quirk can be used as a sword of light? Most think my quirk is simply shining constantly, but what they don't know is how I've trained myself to create new uses out of something considered average."

"You all will be doing the same today but as a treasure hunt! I have hints and riddles for where each object is hidden right here on these slips of paper. I also have maps of this field with names accompanying each section. As you can see, there are a variety of environments from lush forests, to scorching desserts. I have already gone through the procedure of splitting you all into groups of four as any activity is made easier and more enjoyable when you work together as a guild."

"Today's goal is to locate all the items listed on your sheets and bring them back here. After that, you all will continue to work as a team in order to connect all the items together to form the true creation. The first group to gather their items and place them in the correct order will earn an extra 10 points of credit towards this assignment."

As he hands out each sheet, Bright Lord directs the students into their groups one by one. The first group consisted of Pompom, Suzaku, Ritsuo, and Makoto. Suzaku had taken the map right away, already chuckling over the cute little diagrams of trees, lakes and small peaks indicating mountains.

The next group saw Nyoko, Miu, Tatsuma, and Kumori together. Miu still wore the same expression she had from in the classroom, hands twisting and scrunching at her skirt while Tatsuma snatched up the map in an attempt to choose what she assumed would be the toughest items to find first.

Group three was the only group where all members actually looked at the map together. Kokichi, Ryuji, Kaiya and Ryoku were each huddled around the paper as they came up with a strategy on how to collect their items the fastest. They were also the first to notice that most of the "hints" were actually riddles.

And the last group….. everyone could see it was trouble brewing already. Bright Lord had chosen Akashi, Nemuro, Jeffrey, and Mizumi to be together. The redhead had already gone off and shoved the map into Jeffrey's hands with a sharp order of "make yourself useful" before he had stalked off. Nemuro sighed to himself, rolling his eyes back into his skull before shaking his head. Just as he suspected, It was going to be a long day of class.


Group One - U.A. Riverside Simulation

"Are we there yet, Suzaku-chan?" Pompom innocently asked, blue eyes sparkling like gems under the bright mid-morning sun as the group walked together towards their destination. From next to her, the blonde girl sighed over-exaggeratedly, throwing the map up in her hands as the wind brushed through her long hair. Makoto caught the map with ease, a slightly annoyed sigh leaving his lips. They had only just started with this little scavenger hunt, and the pink girl was already going to drive him crazy. Constantly asking if they were there yet or if they spotted any items for the hunt. It was cute the first few times, Makoto wouldn't deny that but after the eighth time….. well, the boy was close to snapping at the girl. He couldn't focus very well with her repetitive questions.

"For like the eightieth time today, no we aren't there yet! And we won't get there any faster by you asking, so chill," Suzaku exclaimed in amusement as she side-eyed the other girl. Pompom, at this, whined loudly in reply causing Ritsuo to laugh at her childish antics and Makoto to give a small smile. Thank God he wasn't the only one who was getting annoyed, but it was great that Suzaku could say what he had in mind with much kinder words. While it did bother him, he'd hate to offend the muscular girl. She was childishly innocent, but she wasn't trying to be irritating, and it had been cute earlier. Their first hint had involved a cryptic riddle, a simple sentence that read, "the first item is found at a bank with no money."

Suzaku blinked and read the hint aloud again before she scoffed, flipping her layered hair over her shoulder as her earrings caught and reflected the morning sunlight. "A bank with no money? If the hints were going to be this easy, sensei had may as well put the answers right underneath them." Even before she finished reading it, it was clear that the blonde knew the answer. Makoto could see it in her eyes, how she looked nearly annoyed with what she read before a smirk curves her lips. Now they just needed to get to the destination and delving into the trees would be their best bet for that.

Except for Pompom, bless her soul, blinked owlishly at Suzaku. Her gemstone eyes reflected nothing but pure confusion. "A bank with no money? Is that even possible? What could Bright Lord-sensei want from a bank where he can't get money at?"

Makoto couldn't really blame the pink girl for being confused; if you weren't used to riddles, the answer wouldn't be as obvious. A hero wouldn't stake their life on a riddle, hunting villains via cryptic clues. It just wasn't something that was done; too many criminals weren't exactly on the bright side, to begin with, crafting a riddle wouldn't be in their style. But that was what Bright Lord was teaching them anyway; a what if kind of situation and one that wouldn't be impossible to come about either.

Makoto's dark eyes narrow as the memories of Meirin's murder resurface in his mind. Yeah, exactly the situation where we'd be dealing with a much craftier villain. He saw the news stations all over The Wall; bright yellow and blinding against the sunlight, caution tape had surrounded the scene as if the tape alone would keep villains from ever returning. The disgusting message that was so cheerily written on that pristine wall of the academy. Makoto had growled in anger when he first saw it- hurt anger but it was anger all the same. An innocent teacher had been murdered in cold blood and all the police and heroes had to go by was that horrid little statement, practically a riddle on its own: The cat has come out to play! The bloody paw marks that had been stamped into the cement made it obvious that they were searching for someone with a feline quirk, but the paws themselves were much too large to be average hands. It was either a mutation quirk, a transformation one or some kind of equipment the perpetrator wore. All the students knew so far was that no further clues had been discovered yet and it drove a good many of them crazy with hurt and anger. Just how long would they need to wait for the criminal to be brought to justice?

Quiet and brooding as he was, Makoto hadn't realized just how far he had slipped away into his mind until he heard Suzaku laughing. All of a sudden, he remembered where he was and who he was with. Pompom with her cute little antics, seemingly annoying but still bearable, Suzaku taking charge of the little group while trying to keep the pink girl from taking off and Ritsuo who gave nothing away with an eerie smile on his face. Considering he hadn't said anything, at least nothing that Makoto could remember, he assumed the blond boy had no issues with Pompom's impatience. And it seemed that Suzaku wasn't upset with the girl either, only laughing and rolling up the map to lightly smack Pompom on the head with it.

"Silly girl, the answer to the riddle is a river. Rivers have banks; it's like a play on words: a bank with no money. So we'll find our first item over by the riverside." She then turned her gaze on Makoto and Ritsuo, the raven offering her as close to a friendly smile as he could get but he was sure it looked more like a grimace. He really couldn't figure out how to jump into this, not since the blonde girl already gave them all the answer. He felt it would be obvious and redundant to mention the fastest way to the river would be through the trees. Plus his mind was still muddled with thoughts of that recent villain attack, and he felt guilty for it. How could he be brooding on campus grounds when he had a group that was trying to get an assignment done right in front of him. A particularly strong gust of wind blows through the trees, ruffling his hair so the spiky strands poke at his eyes slightly. He took it as a sign that even nature was telling him to perk up and focus on the now, not the past.

"You two have been awfully quiet back there, just gonna let us ladies do all the heavy work?" Suzaku's sarcastic quip cutting through the song of the forest. Not sure what to say to that right away, Makoto shrugs, and his dark eyes turn to Ritsuo to see what the boy would say. But he wasn't offering much either, and it even looked as if he hadn't heard what was said as he was glancing around the trees and schoolyard in the distance. There was an eerie grin on the boy's face; eyes closed in a way that reminded Makoto of a fox mask- the face of one clearly up to no good. It was only made worse by the fact that the blond was actually steadily glancing around, swiveling his head left and right in a way that reminded the raven of a predator. The boy was looking for someone and that smirk….clearly he wasn't going to do anything good to whoever it was he was hunting.

He was going to question Ritsuo before noticing Suzaku tapping her foot impatiently, raising a perfectly plucked eyebrow at him. That got his attention, and he rubs at his arm in near guilt. He was getting too caught up and suspicious of just one student already with not an ounce of proof as to whether his gut was even close to being right. He could only blame his earlier brooding for causing the suspicions in the first place. For all he knew, Ritsuo could have been smiling in anticipation, searching for their items and not an actual student.

"I didn't have anything to add to this. You figured out the answer before I could throw in my own two cents. So I chose to see which way we could take to reach the river faster. If we go through these trees, it'll only be a matter of time before we hear the sound of rushing water." He looks away after that, eyes narrowing at nothing in particular as he hopes that Suzaku will be satisfied with that answer. It was the most he could come up with after being put on the spot like that.

Well, that was one answer she got but the fox boy was still quiet, not even meeting her gaze and the blonde girl only shrugs. Surprisingly, she didn't seem too upset about it, making Makoto wonder if him feeling guilty was even necessary. Whatever was on Ritsuo's mind, he wasn't willing to share it right away, and neither of them seemed ready to push him for answers either. They had only just met, after all, chatting like best friends wouldn't come naturally like that. Well, it did with Pompom, but that was more due to how friendly the overly muscular girl was. Speaking of Pompom, she was already trudging off on her knuckles, a pep in her bounce as she heads for a small area of trees. She had completely missed the whole conversation, more focused on their assignment in a way that was admirable.

The others glance at each other for a bit before Ritsuo is the first to start following after their smaller group mate. After a few steps, he looks over his shoulder with a more genuine smile, "I'm not trying to have you do all the work, there was just someone I wanted to have a little…..chat with later. I also thought of us splitting up to find the items and then double back to meet each other back where sensei dropped us off. The hints are relatively easy since three of us knew the answer for the first one right away. It wouldn't exactly kill us to go through all the riddles, determine the answers and collect the items before regrouping, right?"

And just like that, the raven's suspicions come right back as he bristles slightly under the surface. Makoto kept a sharper eye on Ritsuo, seeing past the smile for what could truly be on the other boy's mind. He didn't like how the blond had phrased his words when saying there was someone he wished to chat with. It was blindingly obvious to him that something was up, but with no official proof, he couldn't really say anything right away. But Pompom was steadily getting further away from them, humming to herself as she focused more on pursuing their items.

Still, he gives the other boy a smile to hide his thoughts, "let's stick together long enough to find out what we're meant to be searching for at the least." It was all he could really do at that moment, jogging after Pompom and Suzaku before he wound up losing sight of them.

The clearing of trees tapers off into an actual forest, making the simulation all the more realistic. The dark haired teen could even hear the sounds of birds chirping and calling to each other, spotting a few overhead as they swoop above the glossy leaves. Suzaku still had the map in hand, silently reading over the other riddles before she slips it into her pocket. It wasn't long until they found the river, hearing it before actually spotting the crystalline waters. It was a gorgeous little thing if Makoto were, to be honest, a stream no wider than four feet and stretching from end to end as it snaked its way through trees and rocks.

He could spot shapes beneath the surface, small fish of a kind he didn't know the name of but the sun reflecting off the water's surface made him smile. It truly was a pretty sight despite being man-made and exclusive to the academy. Pompom's little squeak of delight is heard as the smaller girl bounds over to the edge of the river, peering down into the depths before looking over her shoulder at her teammates. "It's so pretty, and there's even fish in here! But I don't see anything out of the ordinary, did the hint say exactly what we should be trying to find?"

Makoto stiffened, realizing all too late their new predicament. The hints never said exactly what they would be locating, only giving clues as to where they would find it. How were they supposed to know if the item was even theirs or if it belonged to another group? Snapping himself out of it, the raven searches the river bed for something, anything that could….bingo! His dark eyes spot the shiny metal arm hanging off a boulder by the river. The sparkling, grey-black fingers draped over the stone to dip into the water as if some spirit were cooling their fingers in it.

That definitely had to be their first item, and he jogs over to it, snatching it up and waving at the group. "This has to be our first item; I'd bet there are a bunch more pieces lying around and it's pretty obvious what sensei wants us to make. It's some sort of suit of armor by the looks of this piece. Makes me think it's a personal suit of his own that he brought specifically for today. Almost as if he had this planned long before any of us even questioned about our first lesson.

It was even silly to him, how obvious Bright Lord was making it that he was very much into the medieval theme without him sending the students off on a quest to build him a suit of armor. A quest….god, he really was milking that knights and dragons theme, wasn't he? It was strange but in an eye-catching way. Everyone had their own little views on heroes and themes they wanted to play, of course, their teacher would be no different. Knights, dragons and the times of old; just how had Bright lord gotten into that kind of thing?

But Suzaku snaps him out of his thoughts by patting his back and grinning at him. He found himself returning the grin, glad that they had found their first item already and with a list of only four riddles, they'd finish this assignment in no time if they kept up this pace.

"Nice work, Makoto! That's one piece down and three more to go. Our next riddle is...doot, doot, doot- here it is! Rings without any fingers. Leaves but stays nearby. Hiding down below our feet, but seen by looking high."

The riddle would have been a bit more difficult if it hadn't had the word leaves in it. Putting the two together, Makoto knew immediately what it was; something that was all around them since they had first stepped outside. The answer to the riddle was as plain as day; nothing other than a-

"It's a tree! That's where our next item is!" Pompom was practically squealing, ecstatic that she was able to figure out the next clue, no doubt wanting to contribute to the team as much as she could. Suzaku laughs at the girl's cheery answer, nodding her head in approval and grinning proudly.

"Yes, the answer is most definitely a tree but being in the center of a simulated forest... we'll be stuck searching a while for the right one. We need a way to search the area faster or we'll be here all day trying to find the thing." He hated to be a downer, not really liking to give off the vibe that he was gloomy but the truth had to be spoken. Just knowing the answer wasn't enough, especially not when there were dozens of trees around them already. It was like with the river situation, they'd have to choose a random direction and move on from there. Chances were that the item could be hanging around a normal tree or even one that was unique to the others around them. Makoto surveys the area again, trying to decide where they should continue from and the thought of following the river appeals to him.

The sound of trees creaking and groaning suddenly fills the air and jerks the dark haired boy out of his little investigation. The sound coming from Pompom who had managed to get her massive hands around a thick tree branch. Even for size, the little girl's hands were more than large enough to wrap around the wood and she swings herself back and forth a bit before stretching out to grab hold of another nearby branch. Continuing on from there, Makoto and the others follow after her as the cutie slugger builds more speed, swinging from branch to branch like a bodybuilding monkey. He'd never thought something like that could actually look graceful but Pompom was pulling it off with surprising ease, giggling away as if she were having the time of her life up there.

For a while, they simply follow after their teammate, the sound of creaking wood and the sight of falling leaves being the only company they had to their expedition. However, as time went on and nothing could be spotted just yet, Makoto felt a frown forming on his face. If they didn't find something soon, would it mean they were going the wrong way? But just how long did they need to go before it actually qualified as the wrong direction? It wasn't as if their teacher would keep all the items within two minutes of each other so naturally it would take time to find each one. Still….he didn't like how each tree was beginning to look the same, how the river stretched endlessly in both directions by their side. He doubted they were going in circles but that didn't stop him from thinking they were wandering around aimlessly.

They only had one item, the metallic arm for a suit of armor with time quickly slipping past them. Half an hour could have gone by since they started their search and they weren't even halfway done. To be truthfully honest, he wanted those extra ten points added onto his grade and he wouldn't get them with just a single gleaming arm.

Speaking of the thing, Makoto had stuck it onto himself to make it easier to carry, surprised that it actually fit him rather well. It covered his arm all the way up to his shoulder, hiding away the inky black tattoos on his left arm that were so familiar to him. In place of the dark designs stark against his pale skin, shining silver winked at him each time the sunlight pierced through the tree leaves. It clinked rhythmically with each step he took; a tiny bell he could barely hear over the noise Pompom kicked up. His own breathing contributed to that, a steady light huffing due to the pink girl picking up her pace. Impatience must have been hitting her again, just like it was with him and no doubt the others as well. But it also gave him cause for concern and the inked up teen puts his legs to work, steadily matching her strides.

"Slow down a little, Pompom, I know you're in a rush to find our next clue but you still have to be mindful of which branches your grabbing. Not all of them will be able to support the weight of your arms." He calls up to her with Suzaku appearing by his side as well, making a noise of agreement.

But the shorter girl only puffs her cheeks out at them, gemstone eyes staring out ahead pointedly. "I am being careful- oh, trying to be but we're so close to where we need to be. I can just tell! You can see it now, the trees are spreading out more like we're close to a clearing." It was true, little by little, the trees had shifted from being clumped together to popping up more sparsely than before. Even the canopies of leaves no longer criss crossed amongst themselves, connecting the trees like a green fishnet. But it also meant the trees were becoming thinner, more fragile and Makoto's concern sky rockets. These trees wouldn't be able to support Pompom forever and just when he was about to ask her to join them on the ground below, a loud crack is heard as the next branch she grabs snaps like a willowy twig.

Suddenly airborne, Pompom squeals in fright and Suzaku follows suit, taking in a sharp breath of air as she rushes out towards the smaller girl. But it wasn't needed, Makoto mutters a curse as he spurs into action, the inked designs on his left arm come to life as they burst from his skin like black serpents. The ink converges together before spreading out to form a pitch black trampoline under the short girl just before she hit the grassy floor. The combined weight of her arms causes the netting to bounce her once, twice before it splits and she tumbles the remaining two inches onto the dirt. The adrenaline was still coursing through her veins with her heart thudding like a frightened rabbit in her ears but she has enough energy to lug herself into a sitting position.

Guilt marred her round face, eyes downcast as she whimpers to herself for a few moments. "I'm sorry, guys, I got carried away and almost got myself hurt… please don't be mad at me." The look she gave them, lips trembling and all, Makoto felt his insides melt on sight. I can't be mad with a face like that. We're all just kids anyway, of course, any of us would make mistakes like this.

Suzaku laughs at the girl, dropping to sit by her side and ruffle the silky blue strands on Pompom's head. "Don't worry so much, I think I can speak for all of us when I say we aren't mad at you. You've probably learned your lesson anyway. After all that trudging around in the trees, spotting a clearing was like seeing the light in a dark tunnel. It's only natural that you would get carried away. And look, our next item is right there!"

Makoto followed Suzaku's hand to where it pointed at one of the larger trees and sure enough, there was a matching set of silvery steel legs propped up by the roots of an oak tree. They were even positioned in a way as if they were sitting crossed under the shade and Makoto has a vivid image of Bright lord wearing them while relaxing in a position similar to that in his head. He wanted to roll his eyes at the thought, moving to stand by Pompom's other side as he holds out both of his hands for her. "Suzaku is right, we're not mad at you so you can relax. Just remember for next time to be a bit more careful, okay?"

He doesn't realize the mistake he just made until the buff girl grabs hold of his arms with her own, massive fists wrapping around his to make his limbs look scrawny in comparison. He didn't know how he managed to pull her to her feet, not when he struggled and strained against her weight with the need of having to dig his heels into the dirt just to keep from tumbling over. Yet somehow he gets Pompom off the ground and Makoto takes a long minute to catch his breath with his hands braced against his thighs. That was the workout he needed but never asked for, that's for sure.

Oblivious to the strain and struggle he just went through, Pompom had simply nodded at him as a smile made it's way back to her face. "Thank you for saving me, Makoto. I'm glad you guys aren't too mad at me either and that means we got our second thing, right?! Just two more to go and we'll be done!" The excited girl leaves Makoto right where he was at, speeding towards the set of leg armor and lifts it with one hand. "I'll carry this one for us! Makoto can keep the arm and the next one, Suzaku or Ritsuo can carry."

At the name, Makoto's head shoots up, sudden realization overcoming his features. The blond had been quiet this whole time, even with Pompom nearly taking a fall. He would have expected Ritz to actually say something about it but when he looks to see exactly why the other boy was quiet, he's nowhere in sight and his heart drops into his stomach. Just how long had he been gone and why did it take even him to realize the fox boy wasn't with them?


Group Two - U.A. Mountainscape Simulation

They stood outside in the large courtyard in the simulated training field at the left side of the school. Since it was still early in the morning, it wasn't too unbearably hot for them to be outside and a light breeze blew through the air to keep them cool swishing through their skirts and hair. Miu had watched the other groups already head off in opposite directions, probably on the hunt for their first piece of the treasure but they were still left trying to scan over their own 'map.'

Her heart was pounding so loudly in her chest, echoing in her ears and drowning out all sound around her that she was so sure everyone could hear it breaking free of its confines. She hoped to everything good left in this world that they wouldn't notice. She was so scared and so anxious just being placed in a group with people she didn't know. The pink-eyed girl hoped with all of her heart that they didn't question her, didn't ask her a thing about herself but she could feel the unspoken words lingering in the air. However, much to her relief, they left them there, refusing to say anything and she was beyond grateful.

Miu huddled into herself, standing behind a much taller girl with her white hair tied in twintails - Kumori, she believed that was her name - trying her best to drown out the words of the taller and much more terrifying domineering, silver-haired girl who was arguing with the much nicer blunette over the map for their assignment. She had to admit that the simulated training field didn't look like anything different than the literal lawn of grass located all the way around the building, but just a little overgrown, the green strands sticking out precariously to engulf her loafer-clad feet and brush against her ankles, the other girls seemed oblivious to their surroundings.

The female, Tatsuma, had her fiery gaze glued to the other, Nyoko, her whole presence demanding attention, narrowed and sharp, blazing golden embers under a nasty scar that made Miu's breath catch in her throat and something tug at her heart. 'Scars - she had scars…' Miu wondered in awe, her mouth falling open silently in agape. 'Many of them, but she was so sure she was the only one… But this girl, she had them too…'

She couldn't make out anything over the loud rushing of blood echoing in her ears. It was like she was underwater, stuck just under the surface so close to the top yet so far away. Tatsuma was something entirely else, something that was the exact opposite of herself. They both had silver hair and scars, but they were beyond the same person. Miu was only a shell, a shadow of the attractive and self-assured woman, who had fire glowing in her eyes, and a demeanor that made people instantly intimidated. She was scary, powerful and respected - fellow classmates couldn't meet her gaze for fear of her undeniable power and hot-blooded personality.

Miu, on the other hand, intimidated people for entirely different reasons in an entirely different way. She was tiny, the height of an eleven-year-old, and physically looked as if she couldn't do more harm than that of a mouse. But, when people looked at her, they immediately towered over her, sneered, whispered and looked down on her in their own version of fear of the unknown, of unacceptance. She was different, much like Tatsuma, but would never be accepted - not like she deserved it, even if she wished secretly in her heart, so innocently and childishly for something as wonderfully hopeless as that. Whereas the taller girl didn't seem to care if she was accepted or not. They were so different, yet so similar and Miu had never felt like this about anyone else in her life, had never understood similarities until now, but they were so far away.

Tatsuma places her hands on her hips, hourglass form ridged and detached. Her blazer is buttoned up over her shirt and tie, stretched tightly over her above average assets, the navy blue pleated skirt seeming almost against regulation with have far up it hiked on her waist and slightly wider hips. A pair of standard knee-high socks cover her sturdy, muscular legs with black flats on her feet. Her bushy silver hair gently blew in the wind around her like a soft looking cloud. Despite being a few inches shorter than Nyoko, she still seemed to be able to bring the other down to her level, almost as if she towered above her instead. The gentle breeze ruffled through the skirt covering Nyoko's long yellow tanned legs and through Nyoko's dark blue bob. Her hair shifted against the light green gasmask situated around where her mouth would be, only exposing her warm brown eyes that were trained on the other's narrowed gaze of dislike, the right one slightly covered by the side fringe of her part.

"I'm just saying, Tatsuma, I think it would be a great idea for us to work together. Don't yah think? It would be a lot of fun! What a great way to make new friends and have a good time -" Nyoko exclaims, excitement edging into her muffled voice when Tatsuma cuts her off with a sharp grunt. It was obvious that out of everyone in the group, the one Tatsuma disliked the most was Nyoko, whether that was because of her overly positive and socialite personality, or just outright distrusting mind-set, Miu didn't know, but it was evident she didn't care a thing about Nyoko's opinion. The otherwise cold dragon girl didn't seem that concerned with anyone else, outright ignoring both Miu and Kumori, which she took as a good sign. 'It's better to be ignored than hated,' Miu thought to herself with a small nod.

Tatsuma's heavy gaze suddenly pinned Miu to the grassy bed she stood on, the soft green blades running over her brown school issued loafers as her heart thudded wildly in her chest - fearfully. Her intensity was so overwhelming that whatever breath she had left slipped away and left her breathless and terrified. 'What are they saying?' she wondered nervously to herself, pink eyes bright with unshed emotions and a guarded film as gold glared back in mixed assessment and curiosity for a few horribly long seconds before looking back at Nyoko. The look wasn't necessarily mean or rude but was overwhelming, like being dunked under water without means of escape. An anxiousness tugged at her insides, spiking the worry that she'd had since she stepped foot in this building, 'What if they're talking to me? Should I try to say something? I don't want them to get mad at me and think I was ignoring them… Please don't get mad...'

Silent panic lodged itself in her chest. Her lungs were on fire, and a huge surge of pain filled her every time she even tried to breathe, but she didn't say a single thing - wouldn't say anything to draw attention to herself. They didn't like her anyway, so she wouldn't bother them with her silly problems. That would be the last thing they wanted.

She was an outsider. Even here, as a student, she was an outsider who didn't belong. She felt it, in the looks, the side-glances, the tone in which they addressed her. She didn't belong. Not here at U.A. or even back there… Her tanned palms sweat at her sides, where she immediately wipes them off on the fabric of her wrinkled skirt and tries to calm the thundering of her heart. 'I'm not going to think about that right now. Stop it, you can do this,' Miu whispers to herself. It wouldn't be a use to panic right in front of them. They're counting on her to be a good teammate, to bring something to this group. She couldn't let them down, but her weak heart made it difficult for her to do something in the first place.

The short girl feels a weird prickling sensation on her face and quickly turns her head to see Kumori's three pairs of purple eyes set on her, an assessing look washing over her otherwise expressionless features and she doesn't deter her stare even when discovered by the pink-eyed girl. Kumori's stare much like Tatsuma's isn't necessarily mean, a bit more gentle than the other girls and more curious and possibly concerned?

'No, that couldn't be it, why would she be concerned over me? Don't think you deserve that, Miu.' She quickly dismisses the thought as quickly as it had come. Miu awkwardly blinks back, feeling slightly uncomfortable and embarrassed under her gaze but refuses to say anything and instead turns away, hiding under the veil of her wavy silver locks. Kumori remains silent, the tall, skinny goth girl resuming her assessment of the other two girls. But for some odd reason the pounding in her heart slows down, and the blood no longer roars in her ears to the point of deafening. Kumori's calm aura soothes her soul, and her level-headed nature seems to be the missing ingredient in this formula.

"This isn't fun. This is an assignment. We're not here to make friends or braid each others hair, we're here to pass this thing and beat the other groups," Tatsuma says matter-of-fact, causing Nyoko's eyes to widen. "So what the hell is this supposed to mean? - You'll find your first piece of the puzzle where the earth meets the sky - What kind of treasure hunt is this? Actually, why is this irrelevant to quirk training?" Tatsuma brashly exclaimed, eyebrows furrowing in confusion and slight annoyance as she glared down with fiery golden eyes at the paper in her hands, tilting it towards herself so that none of the others could read the words. It was a good thing that she had read it out loud, or they would've missed the first riddle entirely, each girl a little too afraid to ask her for the map.

Miu flinched at the harshness of the silver-haired girl's words, going completely unnoticed by Tatsuma herself, fear swirling in Miu's upturned pink eyes and she gulped, shifting even more behind Kumori's tall frame to shield herself from Tatsuma's wrath. Peering around the spider-like girl, she sees Nyoko brush her hair out of her eyes with a flicker of impatience that darkens her brown eyes. Despite her cheerful tone and overall friendly - go-getter attitude that she's tried to use to pull this group together, it seems that even the tallest blue haired girl's patience can also run thin.

Nyoko was friendly and open, Miu could tell right off the bat when she wouldn't stop chattering on and on as soon as they were paired together - much to the annoyance of the cold dragon-girl - she was eager for this assignment, from what she could tell, which did make Miu feel a little bit better about the situation. Nyoko seemed like someone she wished to become friends with, and even the thought set her heart ablaze. The blunette just had this positive yet overwhelming energy that pulled you in. She hung onto Kumori and affectionately talked to her as if they had known each other for years, and even went as far as to call Tatsuma, 'pretty,' which almost caused her to get punched in the throat by the temperamental silver-haired girl which she only obviously laughed off, continuing to try to hold one-sided conversation with her.

But, to Miu, Nyoko seemed a bit too eager and overly friendly. Though, it was almost to the point of being overbearing, making Miu anxious and a little afraid of the seemingly nice girl. She was a prier, without meaning too, asked way too many questions for Miu's comfort and didn't have any boundaries of personal space. She hadn't ever been told she was 'cute' before either, definitely not before Nyoko, but the small pink-eyed female caught on that Nyoko didn't mind throwing out compliments, especially about appearances. Nyoko meant well, she understood that, but her cheerfulness seemed to be slowly fizzling out. She couldn't tell what was scarier, Nyoko's too eager chatter, or Tatsuma's brutality.

"Let's figure out the puzzle together, okay? I'm sure if we all work as a group then we'll be able to solve this-" Before Nyoko can get the rest of the words out, she's immediately cut off by Tatsuma herself. The golden eyed girl shifted around to face her; head cocked to the side and a bright thriving flame dancing in the orbs. Miu took a cautious step back, fear racing through her veins.

Tatsuma's jaw locks and Miu swears she hears the clink of her teeth, "I don't need a group to figure this out. I'm just fine on my own," She says, voice cold and detached much to the shock of the rest of her group, quickly turning on the heels of her black flats and taking off in the other direction, the map still in hand. Nyoko gawks after her, surprise written all over her features before she turns to her other partners.

'Oh no,' Miu worriedly thinks, pout finding its way onto her marred face as she stares off after the other girl, 'What about our group?' The guilt that follows is ten-fold, gnawing at her insides, clawing its way from her stomach. 'Was this her fault? Did she cause Tatsuma to leave? It's because she didn't belong here, right? That had to be it,' Miu thinks with crushing defeat, blinking over to her helpless teammates that seem just as lost as she is. Maybe if she hadn't of come here, then this wouldn't have happened. She was destined to make this group fail...

Dealing with Tatsuma was like dealing with a child holding up a fork to a light socket, looking you directly in the eyes ready to shove it in while you're screaming no. It was dangerous and unpredictable, and you were left with little options to deal with the matter, but in this case, Nyoko couldn't just charge in and yank Tatsuma away from the light socket, for she was the dangerous energy dancing under the surface.

'Okay well looks like things are hitting a rough patch, but no worries, she'd get things back on a smooth path! Well, just as soon as they caught up to Tatsuma and the map.' Nyoko sighed to herself, slight disappointment clutching her heart, fighting down the urge to call it quits and ask Bright Lord for another map. 'No, she wouldn't give up on her partner like that! Maybe Tatsuma was just shy or wasn't that good of a people person? She couldn't help it if she had poor social skills!'

"We really shouldn't split up if we're meant to be a group," Kumori calls out softly, the voice of reason as arms cross over her thin chest, black polished nails glinting in the sun while three pairs of purple eyes blinked pointedly after Tatsuma's rigid form. Nyoko gains her spark back, enthusiastically nodding along, reaching out a hand to clap Kumori on the back, causing the slightly shorter, skinny girl to lurch forward with the widening of all of her purple eyes. Nyoko seemed oblivious to this as she kept talking allowed, placing her hands on her hips when she walked eyes directed ahead instead of onto the almost comical scene of Kumori threatening to trip and fall.

Miu squeaked in surprise and upon instinct, reached out to steady the spider girl before she could tumble to the ground. Kumori blinked down at the silver-haired girl when she realized there was a hand gently gripping her arm. 'Hmm, just as I suspected. Miu doesn't seem so bad after all,' Kumori thought and felt a small smile of thanks pull onto her face that she quickly directed to the shorter girl who yanked her hand away as if she had been stung before Kumori narrowed her eyes in thought and brushed off her blazer and skirt. Miu seemingly just realizing what she had done hurriedly backed away, holding up her hands in surprise as her mouth dropped open.

'Oh my gosh, what had she just done! Touching another student, she can't do that! That's a violation of her parol--" panic washed over the girl's features, rolling in her upturned eyes like a storm threatening to drown her, and just as quickly as it had come, it stopped. Miu looked over to see Kumori's gentle hand on her shoulder, face still mostly void of emotions, but she could see concern swirling in her eyes, lips pulled in a thin line that barely showed the sharpness of her fangs peeking out of the corners and Miu felt her cheeks light up pink.

Immediately both girls catch the end of Nyoko's monologue bringing them back to the situation at hand, both turning to the bluenette who was too caught up in her own speech to even notice their distractions.

" - You're right! We're a team, and teams can't split up! We'll get Tatsuma back on board, don't either of you worry your pretty little heads!" Nyoko says with a wink of her warm brown eyes before giving a fist pump to the air and hauling the two girls gently behind her. Both Miu and Kumori exchanged weary glances while letting the bluenette drag both of them after Tatsuma.

Miu just wanted to go back to her dorm room and sit huddled up under a blanket, hiding away from the world, especially from cold golden orbs. She didn't want to be here anymore, wished that U.A. had done with her what they should've. She didn't deserve to be here, and fate was showing her that. She'd fail them, and then they'd all hate her more than they already did. Miu was sure of it. Miu couldn't shake the guilt that somehow this was her fault, her chest aching as she forced back the familiar stinging in her eyes.

"Nyoko-san, I'm not quite sure that Tatsuma-san would agree with our logic… She seems pretty keen on working alone. Maybe I should go tell Sensei that this isn't going to work," Miu's found the words, soft adorably unsure voice causing Nyoko to turn her attention to the smaller girl, who shifts her hands anxiously through the pleads of her skirts, eyes trained downwards. At the sound of her voice, a surging warmth bursts through the blue haired girl's heart causing her to squeal aloud, much to the mild annoyance of Kumori and the embarrassment of Miu. 'Ahhh, she's just too cute for her own good!' Nyoko muses with a dreamy smile before shooting out a hand to pinch Miu on a blushing cheek.

"Aw, little Miu, you're way too precious for this world! But don't worry, I'm sure Tatsuma will come around," Nyoko cheers with a wink, making Kumori shake her head and Miu to blush even darker. Nyoko was just too embarrassing, she couldn't take these compliments, and Nyoko didn't understand, missing the picture entirely, Miu thought in frustration.

"I agree with Otsuka-san, Tatsuma doesn't seem like the type who enjoys group work," Kumori points out as politely as possible, trailing her gaze over to the girl in question rigid posture. Nyoko seems to ponder this, eyes dulling to a muted brown in thought and for the first time, remains quiet.

By the time they had finally caught up with the other girl, Miu noticed a cluster of small mountains peeking up from the ground, rearing their heads and creating a beautiful landscape worthy of paintings. Miu had only glanced at it in passing since it was just a simulation, but it was definitely something impressive now that she saw it up close. Nyoko immediately dropped the other girls' wrists, and Kumori murmured a polite thank you before the three of them all fell in step a few feet behind the silver-haired dragon girl. Tatsuma still had her nose buried in the sheet, occasionally angrily shoving it down and out of her sight to bring it back up again to her view, yeah it was definitely best for them to keep their distance for now. The way she was stomping forward with all power and finesse made the other three assume that she had to have some kind of plan or idea to solve this puzzle and it seemed that she honestly did.

Just like that, the three girls followed after the dragon-like girl, who made short work of finding the first two items, outright refusing any help offered to her with a snarl or roll of her eyes. What Tatsuma had stumbled across were two, rather good-sized chunks of metal, that on further inspection had little rivets almost like a puzzle piece. The metal pieces were somewhat circular on the sides almost like a shield, though Tatsuma didn't let them get close enough actually to assess what the objects were. Miu had no idea if she was even using the map at this point, or if she was stubbornly looking around, using her quirk to form scaly-dragon wings to protrude from her back and scan over the area.

From what she could tell, Tatsuma flew mostly closer to the ground, not getting too high above the group and she kept the items to herself, in a ready-made pouch by taking off her blazer and tying it loosely around her neck, to cradle the metal pieces. The rest of them struggled to keep up, trying not to fall too far behind their 'partner.' Miu knew that Kumori and Nyoko felt a bit useless in the situation but neither girl spoke up. Nyoko seemed to have lost her patience with the silver-haired female and instead went about chattering and scanning the ground for any possible metal pieces to catch her eye. Without access to the map, it was pretty much impossible for them to know where anything was so they had to wander around like lost children after the dragon girl.

"What do you think the riddle meant? I think Tatsuma skipped over it," Nyoko found herself pondering aloud, glancing at the others in unconcealed curiosity, her long blue bangs covered half of her left eye. Kumori carefully adjusted one of the ebony bows tied into her twintail, a faraway looking crossing over her purple eyes before she dropped her hands back to her side. She glanced upwards at the sky and then down to the grassy forest floor that swished over their shoes with every step.

Miu could tell that she was pretty observant, even if she tried to act casual, the quiet goth girl was definitely always curiously watching, which is something that Miu felt connected them. Miu wasn't sure if it was outright observation or collectivism or if it was just a strong sense of curiosity, but she almost unnervingly so watched others. She herself always watched others from afar, just shyly wistfully observing, too timid to interact herself, so she found that observing was something she was good at. She had always wished to be comfortable enough to socialize and interact with others, much like Nyoko or even Tatsuma, but she was just too scared for that. She learned at an early age that observing was safer. But usually, no one else caught on to her, even if she tried to hide her reactions, emotions anything, she could tell that Kumori seemed to understand but didn't draw attention to it.

"Where the earth meets the sky… I'd have to guess maybe somewhere high up? Higher than where Tatsuma's been flying," Kumori answered softly, the multiple rows of almost creepy glassy violet orbs flicking over to her innocently. 'Man, her stare really was intense…' Nyoko and Miu thought at once, both shivering under the unwavering curious stare.

The group of girls came to an abrupt halt when they realized that Tatsuma had landed back onto the ground with a loud thud of her feet, beautiful scale-covered wings flapping wildly behind her until they slowly disappeared with her transformation, sealing themselves away into her back. Now staring down at the map in her hands with her back towards the others. Nyoko found it impossible to gauge the other girl's expression, but from the tense lines of muscle on her back, it was pretty obvious that she was frustrated. It was then that Nyoko actually noticed where they were, deep on the outskirts of the small cluster of trees, nearest to a jagged cliffside that branched out like a beacon into the air, reaching towards U.A. with its steep front. The cliff tapered off into the serrated mountainside, that faded off into the distance and reached as high as a skyscraper against the cerulean blue of the watery sky. A thin forest aligned the entire mountain range, almost all the way around the grounds, keeping the view of U.A.'s property a secret from the prying public eye.

What a realistic simulation, Miu muttered to herself in awe, eyebrows raised as she lifted a hand to shield her eyes from the mid-morning glare of the sun, caught up in the beauty of something so unbelievably tangible that she jolted in surprised when Tatsuma's huffing filled the air. Miu's gaze fell on the golden-eyed teen as she folded the map and shoved it in the tiny pocket on her blazer, wrenching her head around, causing her mop of wild cloud-like hair to smack her in the neck before her intense gaze dropped on the three girls. The scar over her eye making her look even more intimidating than just the blazing embers of gold orbs that narrowed distrustingly back at them.

Much to the surprise of the group both Tatsuma and Kumori spoke at the same time, "The answer is the cliff," they said before snapping their heads in each other's direction, Kumori's numerous eyes widened in shock and Tatsuma's burning with displeasure at not being the only one who discovered the answer to the riddle. Seeing the building pressure of the moment, the vein that started to throb in Tatsuma's temple, as well as Kumori who curiously and almost recklessly stared unabashed, she took a moment to shove right in.

"Isn't it great that we found out the right answer? Yay, now we're on track to figuring this thing out!" Nyoko quickly butts in, throwing her arms wide in an exaggerated motion, eyes crinkling from the size of her smile that went unseen under her mask and successfully dragging the two girls attention to herself, blocking Kumori from the other's fierce blunt anger. With the blunette's unpredictable actions, Tatsuma stepped back to avoid getting hit in the face. 'What was with her almost getting hit so many times today?'

The dragon girl clicked her tongue and clamped her mouth shut, glare firmly set on Kumori who apparently had enough sense to reign back her recklessness to gulp and averted her gaze. Nyoko hated this fighting but for Kumori to stand up and answer, unafraid of the burning hatred emitting from the silver-haired girl's core, meant that she had to be onto something. She could feel it, Kumori had some kind of answer here.

"Clearly it was the cliff. That's where I was taking us. Now get out of my way," Tatsuma states causing Miu to jump and roughly turned around, Kumori and Nyoko watching halfheartedly as she started tugging her blazer-pouch off of her torso, carelessly tossing it and the metal objects to the ground with an echoing 'clank' upon impact. Miu cowered behind the two taller girls, waiting for Tatsuma to do something most-likely leaning towards a fight.

"Hey Tatsuma, what are you doing?" Nyoko bluntly asked, causing the other girl to give her a 'what the hell' kind of look, raising her sharp eyebrows and pulling her full lips into a thin line as if to say, 'isn't it obvious?' but the notion was lost on the oblivious bluenette, who stared curiously back, Kumori's hopeless sigh and a small smile breaking the moment and seemed to actually loosen some of the tension in Tatsuma's shoulders at not being the only one aware of Nyoko's obliviousness.

"Obviously, I'm going to climb this damn mountain cliff and find whatever fucking object we have to find and bring it back down so I can get out of this group as soon as possible," Tatsuma snapped leaving no room for discussion as she immediately trudged over to the mount the cliffside. The other three were left to helplessly watch the silver-haired dragon girl observed the rough edge, assessing the best way to make the ascension into the air.

"Actually, I think I might be able to help here…" Kumori spoke lowly, tone serious as Nyoko and Miu shifted their gazes to look at the other. 'Sounds like Kumori might have a plan,' Miu mused before turning to look back at Tatsuma, hand rubbing her chin in a thoughtful manner, eyes squinted up at the towering rock. Maybe it wasn't such a good idea to tell her that? Miu didn't really see Tatsuma as the type to consider other opinions that weren't her own. Not that Miu knew her well, but the dragon girl seemed to prefer doing things her own way.

Much to Miu's dismay, Nyoko squealed aloud, clapping her hands together as she leaned in way too close to the purple-eyed girl, foreheads almost grazing, causing Kumori to slightly shrink back. "What's your plan, Kumori!? Come on, tell us!" Nyoko badgered, nudging the other with her shoulder as Kumori calmly adjusted her blazer back into place, smoothing out the wrinkles, so she looked her prim and polished self.

"Well, given the height of the mountain, as well as the trajectory being straight up, I think my quirk might be a bit better suited for the situation. Tatsuma has been using her quirk for a while now, to fly and I'm concerned that she might be overdoing it and won't be able to fly all the way to the top," Kumori calmly answered, voice void of all emotion except for reason.

Name: Hattori Kumori

Quirk: Spider Silk - She has a gland inside her mouth that can shoot spider thread. She can control how sticky or strong the thread is, though there tends to be a tradeoff between the two. The Quirk is great for both tying up opponents or producing "rope" for climbing. If she overuses her Quirk, her mouth starts to dry out, in turn making it harder for her to produce the thread.

As soon as the words had left her mouth, Tatsuma was turning around and trekking over to them, black flats stomping powerfully against the ground and face fierce. The fire blazing in her gaze unlike what she had ever seen before, made both a terrified Miu and stunned Nyoko step back from the sheer anger radiating off of her in large consuming waves. Though, much to Miu's horror, Kumori stood still, posture straight and poised, thin arms at her side and body unflinching as if an extremely pissed off and scary Tatsuma wasn't standing just a few inches away from her.

"What did you say? You think you're better suited for this assignment then me? I think not! I don't need help from someone like you. I'm very capable of coming up with my own plans," Tatsuma snapped, tone bitter and hateful with the vengeance of a thousand suns raining down flames. Miu could see the distrust swirling in her golden eyes as she scanned Kumori up and down, "My quirk IS the best for this or any other meaningless assignment Bright Lord gives us. I can literally fly up there and take the object, simple as that," Kumori flinched at the other's tone but still stood her ground.

"I didn't mean that I was better suited for this assignment, I meant that my quirk was for this specific part. I wasn't trying to offend you," Kumori calmly explained in her soft, overly polite monotone. It seemed she was treading lightly, but at the same time, she was unnervingly curious, leaning forward with unwavering unblinking eyes drinking in the scene like she was in a trance. It was almost as if she was egging the other girl on to see her reactions, just how far she'd take it, and that thought scared Miu. Tatsuma was someone who was bitter and detached, but she had no doubt that when the flames inside her were lit, she could tear someone down to shreds.

Did Kumori honestly have a deathwish? Or was she just oblivious to Tatsuma's wavering anger?

"So far, the three of you haven't been of any use to me. I've found two objects alone, while you all wander around like lost puppies. I don't need your quirk to find anything. Just go back to slacking off, and I'll handle the rest," Tatsuma said through clenched teeth, before adjusting herself, eyes blazing as she stared down the other girl.

The dragon girl was all stubborn, distant strategy and from what she thought in her own mind, she was going about this the right way - her way. Any other option wouldn't suffice, couldn't make her see a successful end. Miu didn't think Tatsuma was purposely trying to be mean, but she only thought of plans based on her own reasoning and couldn't see the views of others. So did Tatsuma feel threatened by Kumori's response, or think the other doubted her competence?

Much to Miu and Nyoko's surprise, Kumori just stepped closer, almost subconsciously. If the goth girl was afraid of the other, she didn't show it almost as if she was still caught up in her strange trance, the usually quiet and calm girl, too polite and curious for her own good getting pulled in by the heated danger of Tatsuma. "My apologies, Tatsuma-san but It's difficult to help when you wouldn't let us see the map, and you push us away. We aren't trying to be in the way, we're a team, and as Nyoko-san said, we have to stick together. If you don't let us help then how can we be of assistance?" Kumori softly replied, blinking up at the other with her intensity.

Tatsuma stared back at the other in dead silence, causing the rest of the group to hold their own breath, waiting for whatever reaction came from the other girl. Whatever they were expecting though, wasn't what actually happened. Tatsuma scoffed, rolling her eyes and practically laughed in the other girls face, haughty voice booming over the silence, "You, helpful? Hilarious. Go on then, go right ahead and show me."

The golden eyed girl stared back at her, a smirk on her scarred face, and crossed her arms over her chest. The look bubbling under the surface of those bright embers was that of a challenge as if she honestly didn't believe Kumori was much of anything, but she was surprisingly giving her the opportunity, even if it was offensive and almost a joke. Kumori blinked back, surprise flashing over her face for a split second before she gave a curt nod and moved around Tatsuma with a, "Thank you."

Tatsuma sputtered back, staring in disbelief as the other girl went about heading over to the cliff face like she couldn't believe the other had the nerve to accept her challenge, though she quickly recovered, a haughty smirk on her face as her eyes narrowed in scrutiny. "This oughta be good," Tatsuma said under her breath, and Miu couldn't help the hopeful little bubble that found its way into her chest. 'Come on, Kumori, you can do this!' the pink-eyed girl thought as Nyoko cheered allowed for the spider-like girl.

"Right on, Kumori! Show us your stuff! Get that metal piece!" Nyoko yelled out, throwing a thumbs up in the other's direction as Kumori approached the cliffside, long legs striding carefully around the littered tree roots and small rocks at the base. Miu, Nyoko, and Tatsuma watch with bated breath as the white-haired girl stares straight up to the very top of the mountain-side, all three pairs of eyes narrowing in concentration and before Miu knows it, her mouth is opening a huge, sticky string of what looks to be spider-silk shoots out of the glands in her mouth, into a perfectly straight rope connecting to the very rough tip of the cliff's edge.

"Yeah, that's my girl, Kumori! Nice job!" Nyoko excitedly hollers and fidgets with uncontainable energy at Miu's side, eyes crinkling in what the smaller girl assumes is a smile. Kumori however, doesn't acknowledge her calls and instead cuts off the strands of silk with her sharp teeth. Tatsuma practically glares when Kumori wraps the fine string around her slim waist and with a small tug, places her feet on the raw mountain-side and starts climbing.

Miu watches in awe as the spindly-limbed girl nimbly scales the jagged rocks as if her body was made for it, twintails swinging in the air with her precise movements. She couldn't help but think that the taller girl looked exactly like a spider making her way across her web with grace and caution the higher she went until Miu had to squint from the blinding rays of the sun. Placing a hand over her eyes to shield her view, Kumori's form came into focus at the very top of the cliff. She pulled her body weight over the side until she disappeared over the edge for a few seconds before her head popped back over. She stared down at the three girls waiting on the ground before holding something in sight with her long pale fingers.

Sparkling in the sun was indeed another rounded edged metal piece, distinctively similar to the two others still protected in the confines of Tatsuma's blazer - just what they were looking for.

The blunette beside Miu cupped her hands over the gas mask covering her mouth before yelling, "Ahh yeah! That's exactly what we need! Great job, Kumori! You did it!" Nyoko then proceeded to jump up and down in place, fist pumping the air in victory before going in to high five a fierce-eyed Tatsuma. When the silver-haired female didn't react, Miu nervously glanced in her direction to see the intensely silent gaze on her face. Nyoko loudly complained about Tatsuma 'leaving her hanging,' but the other girl didn't seem to care. Her eyes were narrowed almost to slits, staring up at the distant form of Kumori with her arms crossed over her larger chest. The scar over her left eye practically glowed with the anger rolling off of her but, when Nyoko lost interested and turned back to Kumori, Miu could've sworn there was a certain look of acceptance in her gaze, the ferocity softening just a bit as she looked away, a small respectable frown on her face.

Tatsuma nodded to herself, the cold, distant female shifting her expression out of sight behind a veil of wild hair as Nyoko continued to congratulate Kumori as the latter climbed back down the mountain with her solid grip on the piece of the shield.

'Maybe this group wouldn't be so bad after all?' Miu thought with a small smile.


- End Chapter Two Part Two

AND there was part two of the first day of school! And what was this, a returning villain you might all recognize? And a new one? Who is Apex? Dang, we focused on a TON of characters this time around lol. This chapter was a literal BEAST. A warm welcome to Nemuro as our last member of 1-B! Did you guys like the idea of our treasure hunt? Man, Bright Lord is definitely an 'out of the box' teacher lol. Please don't cringe to death over our medieval references okay, we KNOW they're lame but we LIKE it. XD Is it just me or are these groups a disaster LOL? (Per reviewers requests, we actually put all of 1-B in a randomized generator to pick these groups LOL! XD So you're welcome for this mess XD)

And we're finally getting a glimpse of class 1-A! Just barely, but they're there. The separation was only lightly introduced but you'll get to see that a bit more later on.

Who's your new fav oc? Anyone stand out this time? Did you get to know someone a bit more? Do you guys see a future rep or vice?

The next part of this chapter should continue with our kids' first assignment, with group two and three, with some other twists and turns. :) Maybe we'll get to see 1-A? Or even some special guests? More villains? You guys know the drill, If you have any scene ideas, or even want to see certain characters interact, please let us know in your review. As we start slowly introducing characters, we'll also bring you guys in the mix with voting and polls on certain things, maybe even relationships later on. It's a bit too soon for ships but if any of you come up with one or are interested in the idea then post below or PM us!

Thanks again, everyone! Please remember to R&R. Advice and constructive criticism are both welcome.

Have a wonderful day! Hit us up on PM or through the forum! And don't forget to vote for the poll and to check out the new TVTropes site! Thanks sweeties!