Chapter 8

Some days were easier than others. There are days where Kaori felt relatively normal and could smile and laugh as easily as she could before, and she was motivated to do something or even interact with her two housemates. Those days were rare.

Other days, even getting out of bed was difficult. She'd lie in her bed for ages, staring blankly at the white ceiling as if it held all the answers.

Today was one such day. She had been wrangling with terrible insomnia ever since the accident that by the time she had woken up it was already late noon. At this point, was there even a point in getting up for the day? She might as well commit to it and stay in for the rest of the day, not that her presence would be missed.

Yamada and Aizawa never bothered her much and allowed her to loiter in her room as much as she wanted; she was grateful for that, even though her self-imposed confinement felt lonely.

Telling herself that she had been on her bed for far too long, Kaori forced herself to get out from under her warm covers. Today was the day she reclaimed control over her life. Hyping herself up inwardly, she tried to give herself the inner strength and courage to go out and face the world with a smile, even if she didn't feel like it. Fake it till you make it, she chanted to herself.

She had managed to get her hand on the doorknob before a surge of anxiety kicked in. What if she was nothing but a bother to them? What if they hated her and were just looking for an excuse to get rid of her? Her hypothetical questions managed to hurt her own feelings and she pulled her hand off of the doorknob as if it had burnt her.

Defeated, she retreated to her fort of comfort where it was safe and secure. There was always tomorrow.

A small part of her yearned for their company, but she pushed it down as far as she could. She didn't need them.

Kaori thought there must be some kind of time warp field surrounding her bed, for it felt as if she lost all perception of time when she was under the covers.

A knock sounded at the door and Kaori muttered a halfhearted "come in". Aizawa stood at her doorway, his hair and attire more disheveled than usual.

"Hi…"

"I had to leave the house earlier today. Have you been in here the entire time?" His tired voice held no small amount of exasperation, and he stared at Kaori sternly, looking very much like a disappointed teacher.

Kaori sat up straight in her bed and shrugged nonchalantly, trying her best to straighten her messy hair to look at least a little bit presentable. For a second, she wished it had been Yamada who was here instead, only to immediately feel bad for that thought. There was no denying the tense feeling that comes up whenever she was around Aizawa, though it was probably just her anxiety speaking; he hadn't been outright hostile toward her, merely detached.

"I think some fresh air would do you some good. How long has it been since you were last outdoors?" Was Kaori losing it, or did he look concerned? Perhaps he was more caring than he appeared to be, or Yamada had put him up to it. Kaori thought the latter was more likely.

"I dunno." Kaori had never gone outside much in the first place, so in her opinion, nothing had changed.

He sighed, shoving his hand in his pocket. "Get something to eat, we're going out. Yamada will kill me if I let you stay in all day," he said and turned on his heel, walking out of sight. Kaori took that as an invitation to leave her room and padded after him slowly, feeling rather bemused.

Aizawa gestured to the dining table where a lone sandwich sat. They had probably meant for her to eat it earlier, but she had been too busy lying on her bed. Her lasting this long without her stomach complaining was shocking. How had she not noticed?

The two sat in silence with only the sound of Shiro's paws scratching the wooden floors in the background. Aizawa read a newspaper while Kaori took small bites into her sandwich at a snail's pace.

"Any interesting on the news?" she asked awkwardly, trying her hand at small talk.

"No," he said curtly, folding up the paper and putting it away. He eyed her slow progress on her sandwich with a frown. "Eat. We don't have all day."

Kaori grumbled but took another bite. It tasted like cardboard oddly enough, despite looking delicious. It had everything she liked as well: tomatoes, lettuce, and most importantly, bacon. She placed it back down on her plate; her stomach was starting to rebel.

"I'm full," she announced.

Aizawa stared at her and Kaori was afraid he was going to force her to finish it — she'd probably vomit if he did. Then the moment passed, and he sighed.

"Just put it in the sink for now," he said. "I'm expecting you to eat more later, alright?"

Kaori nodded, trying her best to look sincere.

She had to stand on the tip of her toes to put the plate in the sink, and she winced as a loud clang sounded across the room as the plate made contact with the bottom of the sink. Aizawa didn't seem to mind, thankfully.

After saying goodbye to Shiro, they left the apartment. Kaori was expecting them to go to the car, but instead, he led her outside the building through the first-floor lobby. She wondered where they were going but was hesitant to ask. She hoped it wasn't going to be anywhere weird.

Their destination wasn't too far. Within minutes, they were stood in front of a sign that had the word 'park' and another word before it. Kaori's reading comprehension was still lacking, but she was proud she could at least read one word.

"Here we are," Aizawa said. "I think there's a playground here, go play like normal kids do."

Kaori surveyed the park, her eyes landing on people walking their dogs. "Doggo!" Kaori's eyes lit up. It was the perfect weather for dog walking. An especially adorable Shiba Inu caught her eye, and she dashed over, ignoring Aizawa's calls from behind her.

She stared forlornly at the fluffy Shiba Inu, wishing she had the courage to ask the owner if she could pet it.

"You want to pet her?" the owner asked, looking amused at her expression.

Kaori nodded eagerly.

"Go ahead, she's very friendly," he said. Kaori didn't need to be told twice and immediately crouched down next to the dog, petting her furiously. The dog seemed to bask in the attention and sat stock still for Kaori to pet.

"Good dog," she cooed.

Aizawa finally caught up to her, and he shot her an annoyed look. "Please don't run off like that," he said.

"Sorry. But look how cute this dog is," she said, grinning up at Aizawa, who merely rolled his eyes.

Petting a dog never failed to cheer her up. She smiled sadly as she watched the owner leave.

"You could just pet Shiro at home," Aizawa muttered as they watched the duo leave.

"Yeah, but dogs," she said, still smiling.

Aizawa looked at her strangely before continuing their walk.

There was, indeed, a playground. Most kids were congregated at the sandbox, and Kaori felt no inclination to join them. Who knew how many germs were in there? The slides were also packed with kids, all of them pushing each other to go down the metal slide. Kaori had no interest in that either.

Instead, she sat idly on the swings, not knowing what to do. She was beginning to regret agreeing to go outside. It was more boring than she had remembered. She shot Aizawa an uncertain glance, feeling out of place with all the small children running around. Aizawa was sitting stock still on the park bench, looking as bored as she was. Kaori wished they could just leave — neither one wanted to be here.

Listlessly, she kicked at the ground, making the swings go a little higher. The sun was too bright, and she closed her eyes. She wished she was in an air-conditioned room instead.

"Hey, you there!" Startled, Kaori opened her eyes to find a blond boy with red eyes right in front of her with his arms crossed. "Get off the swings! It's our turn." Next to him stood another small boy, one with green hair and matching eyes. Kaori felt her own widen. Were they who she thought they were?

"I was here first," she said, trying to keep her composure. Meeting the main characters was not on her schedule today, and she was not prepared at all. She cursed Aizawa for forcing her out today.

"I don't care, get off," he said, his eyes flashing angrily. Kaori was suddenly struck by how young he was — he looked even smaller than her. The pure malice in his eyes didn't seem to fit someone his age, and it unsettled her. Why was he so angry over some swings?

"Kacchan, let's just go. There's other stuff to do here," Izuku said, tugging at Bakugo weakly.

"Shut up, Deku," he yelled. "No one tells me what to do. Last chance hag, get off or I'll show you my quirk."

"No," she said, her face heating up from rage. She had been having too shitty a week to let some kid yell at her like this. Her grip on the metal chains of the swing tightened, and she glared at him. "Screw off." The harsh tone she had employed surprised even herself. She rarely stood up for herself, but she wanted to let off some steam, main character or no.

At her words, his face contorted with rage and his eyes narrowed to slits. Kaori was embarrassed to admit she was intimidated. Raising his arms aggressively, Bakugo let small explosions dance across his palms, making popping noises as it did. As he approached her, Kaori recoiled unwillingly; the heat and sound of his explosions reminding her of something unpleasant.

He grinned at her expression. Kaori felt a mix of sadness and fear; were kids really this cruel? She supposed she shouldn't be surprised after watching the show. Though it still saddened her that her first meeting with the protagonists of the show was this negative. In her head, she had imagined all of them becoming friends in an instant, without needing any effort on her part like they were on some dumb sitcom.

"Scared? Just leave and I won't explode your face," he said. "I bet your hair would look great charred."

"Kacchan!" Izuku sounded scandalized. He approached them as if to block Bakugo but was unceremoniously pushed aside. He landed on the soft grass with a small grunt.

The explosions on his palm were getting bigger, and Kaori could feel herself freeze up. The smell of the smoke and the heat on her skin was all too familiar, and her mind went blank with horror.

"You asked for it," he snarled, lunging right at her.

Kaori felt a flash of searing pain and heat, then she wasn't on the swings anymore.

"Ouch," she muttered. She had been flung some ways across the playground and landed painfully against the ground. She sniffled, feeling tears of anger and pain gather. How had she been bullied by a little boy?

"—you alright?" She heard a small voice ask. Izuku had come to check on her. She didn't want him to see her like this, though; It was embarrassing.

"I'm fine, just leave me alone," she snapped, then felt bad instantly. He didn't deserve that.

"Deku! Why are you still talking to that hag." Kaori tensed up at the sound of his voice. "You wanna fight more?" His hands started to smoke again at his words.

Then it stopped abruptly. Bakugo stared at his palms in shock.

"What do you think you're doing?" Kaori felt herself being lifted into a standing position from behind. Aizawa had finally come! "It is illegal to use quirks in public, and I'm sure they aren't against putting little boys in jail."

Kaori turned and saw that his hair was floating and his eyes were glowing red and filled with anger. Even though his gaze wasn't directed at her, Kaori still felt a stab of fear. She had never seen him like this since meeting him, and she was going to make sure she'll never see him this angry again.

Bakugo wasn't immune to the wrath of Aizawa either. Despite all his bravado, he wasn't dumb enough to challenge an adult. With one last murderous glare at Kaori and a fearful one at Aizawa, he ran off with an apologetic Izuku in tow.

"Are you hurt?" he asked, turning to Kaori. His voice was surprisingly soft, a far cry from his usual gruffness. Thankfully, his eyes had gone back to their normal color and Kaori's fear subsided, replaced by relief. "That looked like a nasty fall."

"No, I'm fine," Kaori mumbled, her face burning with embarrassment. Her knees wobbled and she wanted nothing more than to be in her comfortable bed. Today sucked. She was never going out again. This never would've happened if she had stayed home.

"You sure?" He looked her over from head to toe, frowning at the small scrapes and bruises she had gained. Her shirt was slightly charred where Bakugo had shoved her, but otherwise, she was fine. She was more concerned about her shirt more than anything, they were in short supply as she hadn't gone back for her belongings yet.

Kaori nodded.

"Want me to go scare the kid some more? Or find his parents?" he offered.

"No," she repeated, eager to get out of the park. People were starting to stare at them. "Let's just go."

"If that's what you want," he said reluctantly. "You have some bad luck huh? I look away for a second and this happens."

Kaori shrugged miserably. What a first impression that had been. She had hoped to meet with the students of 1A, but this wasn't what she had in mind exactly. At least Izuku was nice. She felt a stab of guilt at snapping at him - he only wanted to help.

The walk back to the apartment was equally miserable. A stray frisbee had gone rogue and nailed her on the head out of nowhere, leaving a painful bump. The person who had thrown it had run over to apologize profusely, but it didn't make her feel better one bit.

She burst into tears, hating the familiar burn of her tears as they slid down the face. It was ridiculous to cry over being hit by a frisbee of all things, but she couldn't help it. It was as if the universe itself had turned its collective back on Kaori, and she had no idea why. Why was her luck suddenly so terrible? She suddenly felt like she needed to go volunteer at an animal shelter to undo all the bad karma she had somehow managed to accrue.

"Aw, crap," the frisbee thrower's friend said. "You made her cry dude."

"I'm sorry," he wailed. "Is there anything I can do to make it up to you?" Kaori didn't respond. "Here, you can have this frisbee." He picked the frisbee up and offered it to her feebly.

Kaori stopped crying to look at him, incredulous.

"Just leave," Aizawa said, his tone tight and frigid. "You've done enough."

At his glare, the two beat it after another round of apologies.

Kaori waited for Aizawa to get annoyed at her for crying in public, but he never did. Instead, he waited patiently by her side. Kaori was glad he didn't say anything or even acknowledge that she was crying. If it were anyone else, they'd probably be offering words of comfort. Kaori would hate that. At least if they were silent, she could pretend they hadn't seen. She had an embarrassing enough day already.

A few moments later, Kaori dried her eyes. She felt silly for crying over that, perhaps she was more similar to a four-year-old than she had thought.

Aizawa looked relieved.

"Ready?"

Kaori nodded.

Yamada was sitting on the couch and scrolling through his phone when they got back to the apartment. He looked up when Aizawa and Kaori walked in, smiling in greeting.

"Hey, you two. How was-" The look on Kaori's face must have given it away, and his expression shifted into one of concern. "What happened?"

"Later. I think we should avoid the park for a little while," Aizawa responded as he made his way over to the couches, his energy for the day completely spent.

"Ah," Yamada's smile faltered for a second, his eyes lingering on the blackened spots on her shirt and the scrapes on her legs. "Well, I got some food for you Kaori-chan! Don't think I didn't see the half-eaten sandwich in the sink. You're still a growing girl and you need to eat more!"

"But I'm not hungry," she said, still feeling sour.

"Not even for pizza?" he asked, feigning surprise.

"No." Kaori felt wrong for saying no to pizza, like she had sinned. However, she felt like she might vomit if she had something that filling and greasy. "How 'bout some snacks? I think I'm in a mood for chips."

"Fine, you win this round. Would you like Lays or Doritos?"

Kaori shrugged. "Either's fine."

Yamada handed Kaori a bag of Doritos and she sat on the sofa, enjoying the domestic chatter between him and Aizawa. For a moment, it almost felt like she was back home. She could almost hear the voice of her mother, teasing her dad for banging his head against the ceiling, and her dad telling her to finish her homework.

Then the moment passed and the emptiness took its place. She stared blankly at the beige wall. Will she ever find another family to call her own again?

As if sensing her distress, Shiro came padding over and leaped onto her lap, curling up snugly against her. Kaori stroked his fur. It was soft and snuggly.

And all was well once more.

A/N: Hiya! Slightly late with the update, hope y'all enjoyed. Had a slightly harder time with this one, didn't want to make it too angsty, but also wanted to keep it realistic ya know? Also wasn't sure how I wanted to do kid Bakugo and Izuku, but I hope I did okay with it. Then there's Aizawa's reaction, which I hope is realistic enough. He's slightly redeemed now haha.

Let me know what you think! And as always, next chapter in a week. :)