"Kouta! Kouta, come on! We have to go!" Shino-obasan yelled.
Izumi Kouta plodded reluctantly out of the lodge, kicking at the dirt, hands shoved deep in his pockets, the brim of his ever-present red hat pulled low over his eyes. "Can't I just stay here?" he grumbled.
"Don't whine, Kouta," Obasan scolded him gently. "You're going to be spending a lot of time around these kids for the next week; you might as well try to get along."
"The last thing I want is to hang out with a bunch of wannabe heroes," he huffed, but followed his obasans to the car regardless, taking his seat in the back and kicking against their seats as they got underway.
"Hey, that's enough of that," Ryuko-obasan frowned now, twisting in her seat to look at him. Kouta just stuck his tongue out and kicked a little harder-at least until Shino-obasan shot him a withering glare in the rear-view mirror. Even if he didn't like living with them, Shino-obasan was still his family.
The only family he had left.
The Wannabes hadn't even arrived by the time they reached the overlook. It seemed like it took forever before a big white bus finally pulled in. A tall man with a huge white scarf-what a stupid thing to wear in the middle of summer-stepped out, then a bunch of kids at least twice his height.
The Wannabes.
"Alright Kouta, it's time to go meet everyone," Shino-obasan smiled at him over her shoulder. She was obviously trying to butter him up.
He hated that she was still trying to treat him like a kid.
"Heya Eraser!" his obasan waved cheerily as she stepped out of their car.
"Long time no see," the man in the scarf nodded.
"Your feline fantasies are here! Say 'meow'!"
"Purr-fectly cute and cat-like girls!"
"We are the Wild Wild Pussycats!"
And that was Kouta's cue to cringe and pretend he had no idea who his two obasans were. At least none of the Wannabes got all excited about their little 'performance'. Kouta thought he would have punched someone if that had happened.
"These are a couple of the pros you'll be training with during the summer camp," Scarf-Man said. "They specialize in rescues; that's part of the reason we're having you work with them."
"That's right!" Shino-obasan grinned, spreading her arms towards the overlook. "We own this whole stretch of land out here, so you won't have to worry about quirk laws. The lodge where you'll be staying is at the base of the mountain."
"U-Uh," a girl with pink cheeks and wide brown eyes began nervously, "if the lodge is all the way down there, then why did we stop all the way up here?"
"I think we both know the answer to that, kero," another girl with long green hair mumbled.
"Yeah, who votes that we get back on the bus?" a boy with black hair and weird elbows laughed. He sounded afraid.
"The time now is 9:30. If you're fast about it, you might make it by noon," Shino-obasan grinned.
"Yup, let's go!" a pink girl shouted.
"Save yourselves!" a blond boy agreed as everyone started running.
Shino-obasan grabbed Kouta's arm and pulled him aside as Ryuko-obasan got in between them and the bus, pressing her hands to the ground. Kouta curled his lip, watching as the ground exploded with distaste. Still, he had to admit it was kind of funny to watch all the Wannabes get blown over the cliff. It was even more funny to hear the first yells of shock when they found Ryuko-obasan's earth beasts.
"Don't you think you've got them on a pretty crazy schedule, Eraserhead?" Shino-obasan asked the Scarf-Man quietly while Ryuko-obasan leaned over the railing with that creepy grin of hers.
"Yeah," Scarf-Man sighed. "We're trying to get an entire second semester's worth of knowledge in them here. That's gonna take an intense amount of work, but the rewards will be worth it. They'll get permits to use their quirks in case of an emergency and provisional licences that will allow them to work as heroes. Most importantly, with all the villain attacks lately, they need to be able to defend themselves. Speaking of which, did you get the email from Nezu?"
"Yeah," Shino-obasan replied, her voice dropping until it was barely audible. "Do you really think there's a chance the League might attack here?"
"Nobody outside of UA knows our location, so there shouldn't be any real danger. But we thought it best to get everyone on the same page, just in case."
"Are you sure the information can be trusted?"
"…I don't know. But the last time one of my students found a notebook like this, all of the information was accurate. Take it with a grain of salt, but better safe than sorry."
"Right."
Kouta scoffed quietly and kicked at the ground.
Stupid quirks.
Kick.
Stupid Wannabes!
Kick.
Stupid villains!
Kick.
Stupid training camp that brought the stupid Wannabes with their stupid quirks here so they can fight the stupid villains! How pointless, to wanna be a hero!
"Kouta? It's time to go," Shino-obasan called. "We're going to take the bus down with Mr. Eraserhead and help unload while Ryuko-obasan handles things here, okay?"
Kouta huffed, but followed her while Scarf-Man said something else to Ryuko-obasan that he didn't quite catch.
"Leave it to me!" Ryuko-obasan exclaimed. "Ooh! My fur is standing on end~!"
Scarf-Man didn't try to talk to him on the entire trip back to the lodge, which Kouta was glad about. When they got back, Yawara-ojisan was waiting for them. He and Tomoko-obasan had gone to meet another group of Wannabes. Right now, they were apparently training with Tomoko-obasan.
Kouta reluctantly helped Yawara-ojisan carry everybody's stuff off the buses to the big halls in the lodge. Then, after a quick lunch, he went to his room to be alone for a little while.
Kouta's room was a strange place to most people. Ryuko-obasan complained a lot about how hard it was to find him toys and things to decorate with since he hated heroes so much. That meant he had a lot of 'How Things Work' kinds of books that focused on trains and cars and stuff like that. He also had a few 'classic' toys like building blocks and a marble run.
Those were enough to entertain him until Shino-obasan came to get him. Ryuko-obasan had finally gotten back, so that meant the Wannabes were almost here. Kouta grumbled, but he got up anyway and left the lodge with her.
This was one of the things he hated about being a kid. He'd much rather stay in his room than be bossed around by his obasans.
All of the Wannabes from the bus came out of the forest a few minutes later. They all looked like crap. They were tired and dirty and they probably smelled bad, too. Kouta didn't understand why Ryuko-obasan was getting all excited over them-especially the three boys and a girl that had been at the front of the group. At least Scarf-Man seemed to think that was weird, too.
"U-Um, by the way?" the girl in question asked shakily, holding her stomach with one hand. "Who's that little boy over there?"
"Oh this little guy?" Shino-obasan exclaimed. "He's my cousin's son; he lives with us now. Don't be shy, Kouta. Say hello."
Kouta lifted his head just enough to glare at them all. That seemed enough to give most of the Wannabes a hint. That stupid girl with pink cheeks still smiled and waved at him though. "It's nice to meet you, Kouta!" she called.
Kouta growled and looked away. His chest felt… strange. Even though it was shaky, that smile was… weirdly familiar.
"Eheh, well, anyway," Shino-obasan laughed nervously, "your bags are already in the lodge, but we didn't know whose was whose, so they're all in a big pile with 1-B's stuff. Once you've picked your stuff out and taken it to your rooms, you can eat, bathe, and sleep."
"Better hurry," Scarf-Man added, heading inside. "Tomorrow, your training begins in earnest."
Dinner was already on the table when they went inside. Kouta ate quickly so he didn't have to sit with the Wannabes, but that also meant he was on 'gopher duty' for the rest of the night. When they finally went to the hot spring baths, Kouta could be alone for awhile.
He spent most of the evening clutching his little red hat in both hands, glaring at it.
It connected him to the stupid heroes.
It was all he had left of his parents.
He hated it.
He couldn't bring himself to get rid of it.
Kouta didn't sleep well that night, and spent most of the next day making up for it. He spent the rest avoiding the Wannabes at all costs. There were so many of them it was crazy! How many stupid Wannabes were there in the world, and were they all this noisy?! Screaming at the top of their lungs, blowing things up; he hated it!
By the time evening rolled around, Kouta couldn't take it anymore.
He skipped dinner, hiking up the dirt path to his secret place overlooking the forest. He liked that it gave him a clear view of the sky, and more importantly a clear space where he could complain without anyone hearing him. And without hearing how loudly his stomach was growling.
At least, that's how it was supposed to work.
"I heard that," a voice giggled softly.
Kouta jumped to his feet, spinning around with wide eyes and a weird mixture of fear and fury burning in his chest.
It was one of those Wannabes. The girl with short brown hair and pink cheeks and that small, permanent smile that he hated.
"What the heck are you doing here?!" he shouted, letting the anger take over. "How did you find this place?!"
"Oh! I just followed your footsteps," the girl smiled. "I thought you might like some food before it goes cold."
"I don't want it! Go away!" Kouta yelled.
"Are you sure?" the girl cocked her head to one side. "Bakugou's a really good cook. Although his curry is a bit spicy, I guess."
"I said I don't want it!" Kouta screamed. "Just go away! And forget my secret hideout!"
"Your… Oh, I'm sorry! I didn't realize that it was secret!" the girl said, making a weird face as she looked around curiously. "I can see why you like it though! You have a great view of the stars up here!"
"The… The what?" Kouta blinked. That… wasn't what he had expected her to say.
"Mmhm!" the girl smiled that irritating smile again, her eyes bright as she turned to look at the sky. She walked over to the edge of the cliff and sat down so that her legs hung over the side, setting the curry down next to her.
That was startling, too. He'd never met anyone else who was okay with high places like that.
"I grew up way out in the country, in a place a lot like this," the girl continued, swinging her legs back and forth and lying down on the ground and tucking her hands beneath her head and who said it was okay for her to make herself comfortable like that?! "I loved being able to see the stars, away from the noise and the light of the city."
Kouta glowered at her, but… he couldn't deny that he was a little curious about that. About the stars. He didn't think he'd ever met anyone that didn't immediately wanna talk about quirks.
Feeling more than a little annoyed by the whole situation but still curious, Kouta walked back over by the edge of the cliff, glaring off at the little lights that marked the house. They almost looked like stars, too.
"What the heck is so great about the stars anyway? They're just a bunch of lights," he grumbled. He shoved his hands deep into his pockets, not looking at her.
The girl laughed. It wasn't a loud laugh, or a mean one, and honestly that might be the reason why Kouta's head snapped towards her. Because it was soft and gentle and somehow kind and it… it reminded him of his mom's laugh.
He didn't think he liked that.
"They're not just lights, Kouta," she smiled gently, propping herself up on her elbows as she turned to him with a smile. "They're stories."
"…Stories?"
"Mmhm! Come here; I'll show you!"
Kouta stared at her, at that bright smile and the open fingers extended towards him, those bright eyes and that soft warmth that had been in her laugh and darn it Kouta stepped towards her before he really had a chance to think it through.
But he couldn't back off-that would make it look like he was scared of her and he wasn't afraid of nothin'. Grumbling under his breath and refusing to actually take her hand-he wasn't going to lose his dignity completely thank you very much-he sat down beside her.
The girl grinned and leaned back again, tucking one hand under her head and leaving the other free. Slowly, uncertainly, Kouta copied her, lying down, vaguely aware that the girl shifted so that their shoulders were a little closer together.
"Look there," the girl whispered, pointing upwards. Why she was suddenly whispering, Kouta had no idea, but it did force him to scoot a little bit closer so that he could hear her better, their heads practically touching as he tried to follow the line of her arm. "Do you see that line of three really bright stars?"
Kouta slowly nodded. Somehow, it felt wrong to break the sense of quiet and closeness between them.
The girl didn't seem to mind. She just continued talking, her voice soft and gentle. "They're called 'ko mitsu boshi', or sometimes 'sei shuku'. The story goes that two sisters were fetching water together, but were chased by an oni, a goblin. The sisters found a rope that led to the sky and used it to escape, but the younger sister was hurt, so they had to stay up in the sky to stay safe from the oni. Even now, she continues to follow her sister with the water, and those stars are part of the bamboo pole she was carrying."
"But that… Why would they stay?" Kouta whispered, something tight and hard shoving its way into his chest. "Didn't they have people waiting for them? Didn't they… Didn't they have other family?"
Didn't they know I was waiting for them?
The girl shifted slightly, and Kouta got the distinct sense that she was looking at him out of the corner of her eye. "Yes, I'm sure they did," she murmured, "and I'm sure that they wanted to go back, but couldn't."
"But why couldn't they?" Kouta insisted. "If they escaped then why couldn't they go home?"
Why couldn't they come home?
"Hm," the girl thought. "Maybe… Maybe their work wasn't done yet. Maybe they still needed to get the water."
"What do you mean?"
"Water was really important back when those sisters were alive," the girl explained softly. "It was usually hard to find enough clean water for a whole village or family. So those two sisters had a really important job, one that kept everybody safe-including the people they cared about. So even though they wanted to see their family, they also wanted to keep their family safe. Does that make sense?"
Kouta didn't answer. His chest was hurting too much; he was afraid that if he said anything, she would be able to tell.
He wasn't really sure why this story was making him so uncomfortable, but… Well, he didn't like that feeling. He didn't like the nagging sense that she'd chosen those stars on purpose. That she was trying to get him to… to talk about something that he really didn't want to talk about.
But, thankfully, the girl at least seemed to be able to take a hint.
"Why don't you eat your curry while I tell you the story about the seven brothers of the north stars?"
Slowly, the hard ball in Kouta's chest faded and he remembered how hungry he was. He glanced towards the curry bowl. It was still steaming faintly. And it did smell good.
"…Okay."
.oOo.
Kouta woke up in bed without really remembering how he got there. He sat up slowly, rubbing his face with one fist, frowning at the simple blue-and-white quilt that was on his bed. He remembered… He remembered going to his hideout, and then… And then…
Oh, right.
Stars.
He couldn't remember how long that hero girl had stayed with him, talking quietly and pointing to different patterns among the stars. The seven brothers, Great Deity (that one had seemed kind of funny), Genbu, the Magpie Bridge, and stories of the wars and legends of Japan.
He couldn't remember when he'd gotten home, though. Did he fall asleep on the cliff? Did that girl carry him back?
…Yeah, he wasn't sure how to feel about that.
There were still explosions and yelling outside when Kouta crawled out of bed. He changed clothes and pulled on his cap. Then, after a long hesitation, he shoved his hands deep in his pockets and headed outside.
Kouta followed the yelling, looking for Shino-obasan or one of his other caretakers. What he found looked like some kind of circus-a crowd of Wannabes all showing off their stupid flashy quirks while Yawara-ojisan, Ryuko-obasan, and Tomoko-obasan yelled at them.
And there was that pink-cheeked girl with the nice annoying smile, pressing her hands against massive stones and lifting them into the air with another weird face.
Showing off, just like the rest.
He wondered why he felt disappointed.
"Kouta! What are you doing here?" Shino-obasan's voice called. He looked up to see her in her stupid hero clothes, brown eyes wide.
Kouta looked away, kicking at the ground again. "Just woke up," he said quietly.
"Oh. Are you hungry?" she asked softly. "We left some food out for you in the kitchen. Did you not see it?"
Kouta hesitated, then shook his head. Honestly, he didn't know why he didn't just look there to start. Why the heck had he come to look at all the stupid Wannabes?
His eyes were drawn towards the pink-cheeked girl again.
"…Did you want to thank Uraraka-chan?"
Kouta went stiff, his head snapping up, cheeks flushed with embarrassment. "What?! Why the heck would I wanna do that!?"
Shino-obasan smiled slightly, turning back towards the girl. "Well, she did bring you dinner and carry you home last night," she said. "It would make sense for you to want to thank her. I think she would like to know she helped you."
"Forget it!" Kouta snapped, turning on his heel and marching back towards the lodge. "I'm gonna go eat breakfast!"
He didn't return to the training field for the rest of the day, choosing instead to stay in his room. He had a stupid, nagging sense that he was hiding, but it wasn't strong enough to make him come out. That evening he ate his dinner as quick as he could, then ran back to his hideout.
Kouta glared down at the house as he sat on the cliff edge. Hopefully Ura- the hero girl Wannabe wouldn't follow him if she didn't have a reason to. Besides, Ryuko-obasan was doing that dumb courage thing, so she should be distracted enough.
Without thinking, Kouta lifted his eyes towards the sky.
He could see the three stars the hero girl had first pointed out to him. They were a part of a lot of different stories, he'd learned. The tsuzumi boshi. Sode boshi. Ko mitsu boshi. Just a small group of stars that could be just about anything they wanted.
He… He wished he could have that kind of freedom.
Kouta huffed, pulling his knees up to his chest and burying his face against them.
He hated that it had been that hero girl who showed him the stars.
He hated heroes.
He hated quirks.
He hated his parents. (No he didn't.)
He hated them. (He missed them.)
He…
He wished…
(He wished didn't hate so much.)
"Trust me, Kouta. It will happen. You'll meet someone and you'll finally understand why we do what we do. Someone who'll risk their life. Put others first. Someone who will be your hero."
Kouta gritted his teeth, clenching his eyes shut against the heat pricking the corners. "No one like that really exists," he whispered to himself. (He firmly pushed the image of pink cheeks and a stupidly familiar smile out of his mind.) "Who does she think she's kid-?"
"Kouta!"
Kouta startled, his head snapping up at the sound of Shino-obasan's voice. For a confused moment, he thought that she had found his hideout. Then he recognized the odd little echo and realized that she was using her quirk.
Her stupid quirk; she knows I don't like it when-
"Kouta, I hope you can hear my voice! Something's gone very wrong; you need to hurry up and come back to camp!"
What?
"I'm sorry I can't come to you. I don't know where you're always running off to. Forgive me. Just get back home, fast!"
"Well well well, would you look at this."
Kouta startled in surprise, scrambling to his feet at the sound of the low, gravelly voice behind him.
"I came up here scouting for a good vantage point, and what do I find? Someone who's not on the list."
Kouta stared in horror. The man was huge, taller than Yawara-ojisan, with a black cloak and a white mask. And something… something about him chilled Kouta to the bone.
"By the way, nice hat, kid. I like it."
He could hear the man smiling.
"Tell you what, Why don't you trade me for this lame mask, eh?"
He backed away slowly, shaking his head.
"They made me wear it 'cause I'm new."
He could feel tears spilling down his cheeks.
"Said they couldn't get a shipment of the good ones in time."
With a cry of fear, Kouta started running, desperate sobs clawing at his chest.
A dark laugh followed him.
"Ah well!"
Kouta staggered back and nearly tripped and fell over as the man suddenly appeared in front of him once again, gasping and choking for breath. The man's hood had fallen from his face with his sudden movement.
The boy's heart seemed to stop.
A horrible face with a fake eye grinned at him.
A horrible, familiar face.
Water Hose. The hero couples' bright future was cut short; a truly tragic story. The villain in question, the serial killer known as Muscular, is still at large.
"Y-You," Kouta whispered.
He couldn't breathe.
A cold laugh.
Couldn't move.
"How about you and me have some fun up here, kid?!"
Couldn't run.
Red ropy things exploded from his arm.
P-Papa…
"Ready!?"
…Mama!
The fist swung.
Kouta felt some sort of pressure, a weight that blew him off his feet and sent him flying backward, then a pair of arms wrapped tightly around him and pulled him close before he tumbled to the ground. For a moment he remained still, dizzy and gasping for breath and trembling in fear.
Then a single thought made its way to the forefront of his mind.
I'm… not hurt…?
Confused, the boy pushed back a little from the person holding him and stared with no small amount of confusion at a black helmet, closed so that he couldn't see the stranger's face.
It… it looked kind of like one of those helmets from the old space animes Ryuko-obasan watched from time to time.
"Wh-Who-?"
"What the hell?"
Kouta flinched at the sound of the cold voice, twisting to see Muscular withdrawing his arm, his only eye narrowed in confusion. "Who the hell are you supposed to be?" the murderer grunted.
The stranger didn't answer. Instead, he slowly lowered Kouta to the ground and carefully pushed the boy behind him.
"Oh, I get it," Muscular snorted, a wide smile curling his lips. "You must be one of those stupid hero brats, aren't you? Ha! You even brought your idiot hero costume! Come on, d'you really think you can take me on?!"
Kouta couldn't help but sob in terror and press closer to his protector as that bunch of red ropy things suddenly exploded out of the villain's body once again, covering his arms and legs in thick layers and making him look even scarier than before.
The stranger raised his hand. Kouta didn't see anything happen, but Muscular did seem to stumble just slightly, taking a step back before raising his head and grinning evilly at them.
"What the hell kinda attack was that supposed to be?!" he laughed darkly. "Felt like a light breeze t'me! Here, lemme show you what a real attack is like!"
Suddenly, the stranger swept Kouta into his arms and leaped into the air, barely managing to dodge the attack as Muscular's fist slammed into the ground and sent up a spray of rock and dirt.
The boy yelped in fear-he hadn't even seen that monster move!-and buried his face against the man's shoulder as they were flung backwards once again, but this time he didn't feel quite as dizzy when his savior landed easily on his feet a few meters away, by the cave entrance.
Kouta couldn't help a small whimper as the man put him down, then grasped his shoulders and pointed towards the dark mouth of the cave. Even though the stranger had yet to say a single word, the message was clear:
Run. Hide.
"B-But-!" Kouta cried desperately, terrified for the safety of his protector, but the man was already on the move, sprinting straight towards the villain, ready to fight.
"That's it!" Muscular bellowed with laughter, readying a punch even though the black-suited hero hadn't quite reached him yet. "You're just full of piss and vinegar! Now show me your blood!"
"No!" Kouta screamed before he could stop himself, reaching desperately even though there was nothing he could do.
The punch flew forward, but somehow it was shoved to one side, sending up an explosion of dust and rock that destroyed part of the cliff face, but never touched the stranger. "What the-?!" was as much as Muscular managed to get out before the shorter man was on him, jumping into the air, gripping the murderer's wrist, and using the speed of both the jump and the moving fist to swing his legs up and slam a powerful kick straight into Muscular's one good giant of a man yelled in pain, stumbling around and clutching his eye, the red rope things flailing as he screamed words that Kouta had once caught Tomoko-obasan yelling (and made him swear never to repeat).
In his shock, the boy thought that the black-clad man had disappeared for a moment, but then he saw the stranger had simply launched himself into the air and was now coming back to the ground directly behind Muscular. Kouta honestly wasn't certain what happened next, but suddenly he saw a spray of dark liquid and heard a cry of pain as Muscular collapsed to his knees, still cussing up a storm as he swiped blindly towards his attacker. The black-suited man appeared at the murderer's side, extending his hands towards Muscular's outstretched arm, then crossing them sharply into an 'X' shape. There was a popping noise and another scream and the murderer's arm flopped to his side, useless.
"YOU FILTHY PIECE OF SHIT!" Muscular howled, slumping forward on his one good arm. "I'LL KILL YOU FOR THIS!"
Still the man didn't answer. He just extended his hand outward once again, and as he did Kouta couldn't help but flinch back a little, even though some sense of morbid fascination wouldn't let him tear his eyes away, wondering what horrors would happen next.
Muscular suddenly gasped, his single eye-still streaming with tears from that kick-bulging as he collapsed completely, his one good hand clutching and tearing at his throat. It felt like forever, but finally, the murderer went still, all of the red ropy things pulling back into his body.
Without another moment's hesitation, the black-clad man stepped forward, pulling something out of a pouch on his leg and sticking it into Muscular's arm. Cautiously, Kouta stepped forward, getting close enough to realize that the thing the man was holding was a big needle, like doctors used when giving people shots. As soon as he was done, the man stepped back, leaving the unmoving monster on the ground.
The dark-haired boy really didn't know how to feel as the black-clad man approached him. On the one hand, the stranger had saved him, and that… that was something heroes did, right?
(That was something… his parents would have done… right?)
But on the other hand, this man… he was kinda scary, too. Still, he couldn't bring himself to look away, even when the man stopped right in front of him so that he had to crane his neck up to look at him. For a long minute, all was quiet as the man looked down at him. Then he knelt down and carefully pulled the boy into a loose hug.
And Kouta broke.
He didn't know how or why, but once started, he couldn't stop, shivering uncontrollably as he wrapped his arms around his hero's neck and cried desperately into his shoulder. He wasn't even ashamed to admit that he had been scared.
"W-Why?" he sobbed. "Why did you r-risk your life? E-Even though… you don't kn-know me at a-all! Why did you try… to s-save me?"
The man still didn't say anything, but the way that his hug tightened and he lifted Kouta into his arms was enough.
Kouta hid his face in his hero's chest as they walked past Muscular's still body. He clung a little tighter around his neck, somehow afraid that the monster would get up and attack them again. He didn't move, but Kouta still didn't allow himself a sigh of relief until the murderer had completely disappeared from view.
"Kouta!"
Kouta jumped, his head snapping up in surprise as he saw a new figure loom out of the darkness, panting heavily from the effort of sprinting up the mountainside, her eyes shifting rapidly between him and his hero.
"Uraraka-chan!" he gasped as another flood of relief stabbed his chest. His hero's arms loosened, allowing Kouta to scramble down and rush towards her. It was a little bit embarrassing when his first reaction was to wrap his arms around her legs in a hug and cling tightly to the fabric of her shorts, but Kouta was still too tired and too scared to care all that much.
Uraraka-chan wrapped her hands around his shoulders as well and pulled him close. "Thank God you're safe," she sighed in relief, although her muscles still seemed tense. "You… You saved him, didn't you? Wraith. That's… That's who you are, right?
"Or… Or are you really Deku?"
Kouta's eyes widened and he turned back towards his hero, seeing him stiffen, his hands opening and clenching at his sides.
Deku. Where had he heard that name before?
"What's happening?" Uraraka-chan growled, her expression turning hard. "Why are you here? What are you really trying to do?"
Everything was silent again for a long moment. Then he raised his hands and began messing with something on his helmet. Uraraka-chan gasped softly, her eyes growing incredibly wide as the man began to remove his headgear, her fingers digging almost painfully into Kouta's shoulders.
For his part, Kouta frowned at his hero. He… recognized his face, somehow. Round, with curly dark hair. Where had he seen it before?
"It is you," Uraraka-chan whispered. "But why…? What are you doing here?! Why save us in Hosu, or Tenya-kun's brother, or Kouta-kun now, if you're on their side!?"
Another strange silence passed as Wraith glanced away from them. Then, quietly, he began to speak, almost to himself, as though Kouta and Uraraka-chan weren't even there.
"Well now," he said softly. "These hero kids may be stronger than predicted. Muscular's down, but that won't be enough to save them in the end. Moonfish and Mr. Compress should still be more than enough to handle Ragdoll."
Kouta glanced between the two of them fearfully as Uraraka-chan became steadily more tense. Why was Wraith talking about Tomoko-obasan? And why did Uraraka-chan look so scared?
"Can't you just give me a straight answer?" she hissed.
When Kouta looked back at Wraith-Deku?-wondering what his answer would be, he jumped, startled to see that his eyes were glowing a bright green color, fixated on Uraraka-chan.
With words that seemed like they should be mean but in a voice that sounded more scared than anything, he whispered, "Run while you can, One for All. Once we have her, there's nowhere in the world that you can hide."
The hero girl actually flinched at that, her fingers digging into Kouta's shoulders hard enough to leave a bruise. "You-"
"Dammit, Round Cheeks!"
Kouta jumped in surprise, looking back down the path to where another of the hero kids, the blond boy that liked screaming and explosions, appeared a little ways down the path.
"Shit, I thought you were one of the smart ones! Who goes running off alone during a frickin' villain attack?!"
"K-Katsuki-kun, wait-!" Uraraka-chan began, her voice high with fear, a moment before her voice suddenly stopped.
Confused, Kouta looked back towards his hero.
The boy gaped.
Blinked.
Rubbed his eyes.
But it was useless.
Wraith had vanished.
There was no explanation. One moment Wraith was there and the next he was just… gone.
"Eh? What'sa matter Round Cheeks?" the blonde frowned, walking up beside them. "Y'look like you've seen a ghost."
"…I guess I have," Uraraka-chan whispered. "Wraith is… Wraith was here."
"Eh!? What the hell was that vigilante doin' way up here?!"
"He s-saved me," Kouta replied, still clutching to Uraraka. "He saved me from the g-guy who… k-killed M-Mama and Papa."
Uraraka-chan's breath froze in her throat and the blond boy swore again before taking a long, slow breath. "We should get going," he growled quietly. "We need to get the brat back safe."
Slowly, the hero girl nodded, her breathing shaky. "Yeah, you're right," she whispered, then leaned down and scooped Kouta into her arms. "I'll get Kouta to the lodge. There's something else I need you to do if you can."
"What's that?" Katsuki-kun growled.
"Find Ragdoll. She's one of the League's targets; at least two of the villains are going after her."
"The hell?! Why's she been- Wait, one of? Who're the others?"
"I'm counting on you!"
"Oi, Round Cheeks! Hey, get- GraAH! Dammit, not again!"
Kouta gasped in surprise and the blond boy yelled in frustration as Uraraka-chan broke into a run. A strange sensation passed through him where her hand touched his back, then he blinked in amazement as a bright pink light seemed to swirl around them both, almost encasing their bodies as she rushed off the path, ducking around the trees at the edge, the light showing the way.
"Hold tight."
"U-Uraraka-chan?" he whispered shakily, staring up at her as he obediently wrapped his arms around her neck.
"You don't mind heights, right?"
"Wh-What? Wha-!?"
Kouta yelped in fear as Uraraka-chan jumped off the cliff, her legs pushing off the rocky face much faster than he was expecting, her arms secure around him.
"Don't be afraid," she called over the sound of the wind. "I'm controlling the fall; we'll be just fine!"
He wanted to believe her, but he still couldn't help burying his face in her shoulder, his heart pounding as he bit back an instinctive scream. Just before they hit the tree tops, their movement abruptly slowed. Kouta cautiously opened his eyes to discover that they were floating just above the canopy. When they dropped again, Uraraka-chan landed awkwardly on a wide branch, then leaped from the branch to the forest floor and broke into another run, headed towards home.
A home that he may never have seen again if not for Wraith.
"I never thanked him," he whispered as the realization struck him. His voice was still thick with tears, but he couldn't bring himself to care about his show of weakness at the moment.
Uraraka-chan held him a little bit tighter and kept running. "Neither did I," she whispered after a long moment. "Don't worry. We'll get our chance. I'll make sure of it."
Outtake:
"Perfect!" Pixie-Bob declared. "We've filled our bellies and cleaned the dishes! It's time for-!"
"The totally awesome test of courage!" Ashido whooped, eliciting cheers from their other classmates as well.
"We're gonna win!" Kaminari, Kirishima, and Satou cheered.
Welp. Time to burst their bubbles.
"Not so fast," Shouta droned coolly, and the class instantly went dead silent. They're learning, he noted, vaguely approving. "It pains me to say it but the remedial class will be having lessons with me tonight instead."
"You've gotta be kidding me!" Ashido shrieked in abject despair.
"You're training didn't impress me today, so I'll be using this time, too."
"Aw, give me a break!" Kaminari moaned.
"I just wanna prove my courage!" Kirishima and Satou all but wailed.
Shouta didn't bother trying to convince them. He simply snapped his scarf around his four current problem students and half-led-half-dragged them back towards the lodge.
"We wanted to face off against the others!" Ashido continued to whine even ten minutes later as he pulled them along the path. "I thought Pixie-Bob said we were gonna get a reward!"
"Instead of complaining, maybe you should think about why you are where you are," he suggested dryly. "Or would you rather I tightened your bindings?" He glanced over his shoulder as he said it, and his eyes narrowed as he saw that Kaminari's attention was in no way focused on him. "Kaminari, put that thing away before I confiscate it," he growled.
"I will, sensei, it's just… Well, are you sure no one knows where we are?" Kaminari frowned, and to be fair he did look absolutely perplexed.
Shouta stopped in the middle of the path, extending his hand in an obvious demand. Kaminari gave up the device readily, allowing his teacher to frown at a text thread from a new number.
His hand tightened around the folds of his capture scarf, his blood running suddenly cold.
[XXX-XXXX-XXXX]
[Unknown Number] Get everyone back to the lodge 20:10
[You] new phone who this 20:12
[Unknown Number] Nice try Kaminari Denki 20:13
[Unknown Number] The LOV knows where you are they'll attack any minute 20:13
[You] it this a prank? 20:14
[You] part of the 1-b test of courage? 20:14
[You] wont help you 20:14
[You] im in the remedy class 20:15
[Unknown Number] No prank 20:15
Shouta freed his students with a quick flick of fabric, freeing his hands to type back.
[You] who is this 20:15
[Unknown Number] Deku Muscular Moofish Magma Compress Mustard Toga Spinner Torikabuto and a Nomu have iniltrated the camp. Get everyone inside. Ragdol and Uraraka may be targets 20:16
[Unknown Number] I am Wraith 20:16
If Shouta's heart hadn't been racing before, it most certainly would be now.
Wraith was texting Kaminari Denki.
One of the most infamous vigilantes in Japan was texting Kaminari Denki.
One of the top-notch underground informants in Japan was texting Kaminari Denki about an imminent attack on his. Students!
"Uh, sensei?" Kirishima asked cautiously, pulling him out of his reverie. "Is everything… okay?"
"Get back to the lodge," Shouta ordered, making a snap decision. There was still a chance this was a prank, but his gut told him otherwise.
Nearly every single one of those names had been in the notebook Deku supposedly left for Uraraka. One of the few that wasn't, he already knew far too well. All underground heroes did.
Muscular. The serial killer.
"Kaminari, what's your phone passcode?"
"Uh, 0-6-2-9. Are you saying that wasn't a prank?!"
"I don't know. But we can't take the risk that it is. Get back to the lodge and be on your guard."
"What's going on?" Satou asked, looking pale and a little terrified.
Shouta shoved Kaminari's phone into his pocket and reached under his scarf to grab his goggles and bring them up to his face. "We're under attack," he replied shortly. "I don't know where the enemy is, but they're close. You have my permission to use your quirks in self-defense if necessary, but do not engage if you can avoid it, understand?"
"Y-Yes sir," Kaminari nodded, swallowing hard.
"Good. Inform Vlad King of what's happening. Go!" Eraserhead ordered, taking off back towards the start of the 'test of courage' trail.
Please, he thought desperately, the image of a grinning face with wispy blue hair covered in blood flashing through his mind, please let me not be too late!
Cue Nezu-degree cackling. Ochaco will be narrating for January 27th! See y'all then!
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