To Love a Soul

by Silent Azure

Eve never wanted to be a hero. That was her friend's dream, not her's. She was content to stay out of sight and out of mind until one night changed all that. She'll have to adapt to survive if she wants to save herself and get her friend back. But what happens to a person who doesn't want to be seen when she's forced into the world of heroes and the watchful eyes of Eraserhead?

23. Chapter 23 - USJ Part 3

Chapter 23 - USJ Part 3

It was time to go.

A breath of silence passed between us, the edge of a precipice snapping into place as my words skewered it there. It felt like an eternity as we stared at each other, waiting. Waiting for that fragile precipice to crumble away in order for everything to begin - or to end.

One breath. Then two.

Thirteen was the first to move, her hand rushing out as she lunged forward to seize me. Whether it was forgetfulness or desperation, it didn't matter. Her hand slipped through me just the same and in the following breath I was gone, vanishing from sight.

The air whistled angrily past my ears, racing by as I soared from the entrance. The wind wasn't the only thing angry in my ears. Behind me, in the fast growing distance, Thirteen was bellowing my name.

I winced, a twinge of regret stinging me for leaving the Hero behind like that. But if prison was what awaited me at the end of this anyways, then there was nothing I could do that would lessen that sentence.

There was nothing that I could do that would worsen it either.

I was a criminal once again. Might as well act like one.

I dove down, spearing through the first enclosure - the Squall Zone. Dark blue tress work filled my vision briefly before surrendering to utter black. The shell of the enclosure was thin, the darkness lasting only a second as I passed through it, but even so I could hear the gurgle of liquid being pumped through unseen channels and the distant whine of a machine whirring furiously in the background. The machinations' purpose became obvious in the next.

"Oh, you've got to be kidding me." I swore aloud.

I don't know why I was surprised. UA had proven over and over again what lengths they would go to to train the next generation of Heroes, but I still found myself simultaneously mortified and in awe by the sight before me. It was another mini city, much like the one I had taken my test in, except this one had the added severity of housing a savage storm. Someone had been especially cruel when they had designed this place. It was dark. Uncomfortably so. No lights shone from the windows below, nor was there a single street light illuminated to offer guidance through the urban jungle. The power had been cut. If that wasn't enough, then there were the added complications of the weather. A rain shower would have been too kind of a word for it. It was a typhoon. Plain and simple. Unlike its natural counterpart, this one was fueled endlessly by the recirculated water being jettisoned out from the perforated ceiling to hammer down on the buildings below in a deafening roar.

And, somewhere down there, amongst this maelstrom, there were kids.

And villains.

It was a recipe for a tragedy just waiting to happen.

Sightseeing was over.

I blinked and my vision shifted instantly. My eyes raked over the drenched city, finding and counting off the souls contained within. There were ten in all. Eight belonged to the enemy, their colors ones of clear hate and maliciousness. The remaining two belonged to the students, their pure spirits shining bright as signal flares against the lifeless backdrop of the city.

They were still alive and I let myself breathe a sigh of relief for that fact.

They were together, but they were running, darting from street to street as if they knew they were being hunted. Good. At least these two, whoever they were, were not Kirishima or Bakugo - those dunces. Running was smart. Running was survival.

Not too far away the villains were closing in, combing through the streets like bloodhounds. Even if the kids could keep running, the odds were not in their favor. Eventually they would wear out and the villains would do their worst. Yet, if I swooped in and rescued the kids right now the villains would always pose a threat whether it was in here or out there.

And threats must be dealt with.

I fell with the rain into the depths of the city, landing on the wet asphalt before taking off. On swift silent wings I moved towards my first target - two villains. They were perhaps fifty feet away, just coming around the corner. I was upon them instantly. The villain did not possess Aizawa's sharp senses and slammed into the street before he knew he had been rendered unconscious by my hands. His partner turned at the sound, his eyes growing wide and alert. He spun wildly, searching the dark empty street. I struck without hesitation, sending his body to the ground, spread-eagle and open. His mouth went slack, a snore rending into the storm that raged above.

A surge of savage satisfaction went through me as my fist dropped back to my side. Shortly alongside that came something more twisted. Pleasure. It coiled through me, hot, thick and heavy, lifting a curved smile at the end of my lips.

Oh, I was going to enjoy this. Greatly.

A thrum of rich energy ignited in me, spurring me down the street in search of my next target, my next fix. These villains were about to learn the difference between hunting and being hunted. Once they wake up, that is.

I found my next victim relieving himself beside a dumpster two blocks over as his partner kept a lookout. There might not be anything honorable in attacking a person with their pants down, but there was no honor here to begin with. I added their bodies to the count and moved quickly on.

The city became a dampened blur of cold grays and blacks that passed by monotonously as I darted to its far edge, dispatching yet another pair that had found themselves turned around at the end of a street. These villains were dropping like flies, but what did I expect? A challenge? A fight? For that to happen these villains would need skills that they clearly did not, or would ever, possess. They were lowlifes, just common garden variety thugs with very little power who had gathered together like rats.

Which begged the question - how did such low-level rats imagine that they could take down All Might? That's what they were here for, right? To take down All Might? At least that's what their supposed leader claimed and the warp villain too before he attacked. But what these villains were doing now was just a free-for-all murder spree on the kids. Horrible, yes, but much easier to accomplish than beating All Might. Yet, they wouldn't have come in the first place if they didn't think they had a chance of winning. There had to be a weapon, some plan in play that would give them the confidence to roam around so freely like this.

I bit my lip as my mind turned over.

What was I thinking? None of that had any impact on what I needed to do. Leave the whos, the wheres, and the hows for the police to investigate when they finally showed up. My mission was a singular one. I just needed to take care of the kids.

I straightened, turning about. How long had it been since I arrived? A minute? Maybe two? Just two more villains to go and then the kids and I could get out of this over-the-top place. Now where, oh where were they?

My eyes flicked towards the silent dark buildings and pierced through. The world drew darker, faint gray outlines replacing the structures of metal and concrete as I scanned them for the remaining souls. My head spun meticulously on a pivot and then my stomach dropped.

I had found the villains.

And the kids.

Together.

Shit.

There was no time to think. I vaulted from the spot, tearing through rain and building alike until I came upon them. I reached the spot, spying the ends of a black cloak just as it swished between two buildings and disappeared out of sight. Close behind it was a huge heteromorph male, a pair of wicked looking barbs protruding from his exposed shoulders as he barreled after the kids and into the alleyway. Hot on his heels was his partner, a female with long, deadly claw-like fingers.

She took a step, her foot breaching the alley. She didn't have the chance to take another.

Her body was suddenly wrenched backwards and away, snapped back by my strings. A cry of surprise left her only to be drowned out by the hammering rain. Her face twisted in beautiful confusion, her body flying through the air on invisible threads straight towards me. I leapt, cocking my fist back before slamming it into her oncoming head.

Sleep came easily and quickly. A mercy. But there was no more of that as I tossed her listless body behind me, leaving it to roll limply across the street before hurtling myself between the buildings and after the last villain.

The darkened alley whistled by in a stream of stained concrete and decrepit, rusting AC units, its high reaching walls muffling the sounds of the storm raging above. Footsteps, hard and fast, echoed up ahead. The alley wound sharply left then right. And then suddenly came to a stop. A dead end.

The kids whirled around, their backs to the wall. The villain took a running leap and lunged, his fists drawn back, preparing to strike.

Black shot out of black with a blaring cry.

"DARK SHAD-"

It was over in less than a second. The villain's body fell to the ground in a hard thud, his body splashing down into a deep puddle. Oily liquid scattered before it sloshed back in ripples around him, coating his body in disgusting rivulets of mud and grime.

Adrenaline pounded hard through my veins, each beat becoming lesser as I withdrew my hand from the villain's head.

"Sorry about that, guys." I panted softly, rising and shimmering into view in front of the teens. I stared down at the last villain, toeing him with a scowl. "Didn't mean for one of them to get so close to you."

The villain released a deep, guttural snore, bubbles frothing up to the puddle's murky surface and popping. My nose scrunched in revulsion and I shoved him roughly, rolling his face and body out of the water so it was facing the sky. Accidental manslaughter by drowning was not something I needed added to my list of offenses today.

Silence mixed with the continued fall of the rain and I looked back at the teens curiously. Koda's fists were raised, shaking but determined. Tokoyami's Dark Shadow loomed over them both, claws bared. Their narrowed gazes were firmly fixed upon me, waiting, expecting.

Fear wafted heavily in the air, tasting sour on my tongue.

Their fear of me.

Well, shit.

I turned slowly towards them, offering up my hands. "Take it easy you two. I'm here to get you."

Immediately I winced, hearing the words as soon as they left my mouth. Like I was some witch from one of those children's fairy tales, hunting in search of children's souls to take back to my lair.

The kids, it seemed, had taken it along similar lines. They tensed, crouching low in defensive stances and preparing to fight.

"Hold it! Hold it! Hold it!" I waved my hands furiously in front of me, skipping a few steps back and giving them some space. "You guys know me. I mean," I shifted uncomfortably, pulling on the edges of my clothes, "I know what that sounded like, but I mean you no harm."

"And just who are you exactly?" Tokoyami asked evenly.

I lowered my hands, trying my best to appear less threatening, less witchy. "I'm Eve, Tokoyami."

Surprise flickered across his face, across both of their faces, but like an ember it died, curling quickly into distrust.

"So you know my name." He stated. "But you-" his eyes dropped to my feet and slowly crawled back up to my face, "-you don't look anything like her."

And there it was: the obvious truth.

I stared down at myself. A monochromatic medley from the dark jacket to the black yoga pants to the well worn blue-gray running shoes greeted my eyes. They were not the same clothes I had been wearing a few minutes ago, though I doubted Tokoyami's concerns lay with my wardrobe change. No. It was the hair, the face, the everything else that was the problem here.

I was not the Eve they knew.

Internally I held a sigh of frustration. Of all the problems to be facing today, convincing the kids of my identity was not one of them. It wouldn't have even been a problem if the villains had arrived another minute or two later. Aizawa would have released me and then none of this, not the attack, not him leaping off to take on the villains, and not even rescuing the kids would have been a problem.

Though, I shouldn't be surprised. Time was never an ally of mine. It never had been and never will be.

I lifted my gaze back to Tokoyami and Koda, and this time I did not try to soften my expression.

"Whether or not I look like me, I am Eve." I said firmly. "We can play twenty questions until you believe me, but frankly I don't have time for that. You two weren't the only ones taken. Most of your class is still missing and I need to get the both of you back to Thirteen so I can go find them. You can continue running around here or you can follow me. Your choice."

I turned on my heel, walking away and around the corner. I continued walking the path of the alleyway, listening for their footsteps, but there was nothing. Nothing but the drizzle and patter of the rain as it trickled down the pipes and buildings' sides.

The corner of my mouth curled down. What would I do if they didn't follow? If they took my other option and ran for it? Could I really leave them here and move onto the next area, trusting them to make their own way back to Thirteen? I had knocked the villains out, and while this place was dangerous, it was not life threatening. Just overly…wet.

My face twisted in exasperation and I paused in my steps. No. I couldn't leave them here on their own incase they ran into another villain. As long as there were villains roaming about, I couldn't leave the kids to their own devices.

The choice was made. If they didn't follow in the next three seconds, I would take them back whether they agreed to it or not.

I took a deep breath and began the countdown. Three. Two. One-

There it was. Footsteps. Both of them, soft and light, treading cautiously behind. I smiled faintly and started to walk again. The wind blustered above our heads as I navigated us back to the street. But even that fell into the background. Silence sat heavy between us, and I could feel the heat of the teens' stares on my back.

Stepping around a rather questionable puddle, Tokoyami's voice rose behind, ringing out in the narrow alleyway.

"You mentioned that most of our classmates are missing. Please explain."

I tilted my head back, judging their looks and the distance that they were following. Tokoyami's Dark Shadow still floated above them, its golden eyes fixed upon me. Suspicion was still there, but it had ebbed - somewhat. Just enough for them to follow and feel bold enough to ask questions. It was a start.

"Not everyone was taken by the warp villain when he attacked." I clarified as I turned back. "Iida managed to get Uraraka and Sato out before they were warped away, and Shoji shielded Mina and Sero from the villain's quirk. I don't know how or why they and Thirteen were spared, but yes, that's the full list as of now. Everyone else was sent somewhere in this facility, including you two. With Aizawa otherwise engaged, Thirteen or I had to go out and bring you guys back, and I volunteered." The truth, albeit a stretch. I did not give Thirteen any option in the matter. "Thirteen sent Iida out to get help since he is the fastest among you," I tacked on, "so, you will not find him there once you get back. Hopefully he will return soon with reinforcements."

"And what of the villain who attacked us?"

"He was dealt with." I said, the corner of my mouth twitching up with the delicious memory. "We will not be seeing him again."

"I see." Tokoyami murmured. There followed a pause of thought, then a fervent quiet whispering that I assumed was coming from Koda. Tokoyami murmured just as quietly "very well" in response, the whispering falling silent.

"Another question, if you will." Tokoyami spoke up, his voice rising in volume. "You have explained the current state of our classmates, but," the word was oddly heavy with pause, "why weren't you taken as well? If you are indeed Ms. Eve, then you were right there with us at our backs. Why were you spared?"

I gritted my teeth, glowering into the face of the rain. The answer to that was simple. I was a selfish coward, quick to save only myself when I saw the dark tendrils coming for me. There had been students right in front of me that I could have pulled away, taking them with me outside the bubble just like Iida had done. But I hadn't. Instead I watched as the students were taken, powerless to do anything but bear witness to their abduction.

What kind of person did that make me? Not a Hero, that's for damn sure.

But I was out here now and that had to count for something.

I swallowed thickly, my jaw working on the words on how to respond.

"I can see things," I started slowly. "People's souls. Their energy. That's how I wasn't taken like the others. I could see the villain's warp gates coming for me so I didn't let them touch me."

"You can see people's souls?" The response was instant, curious.

"Amongst other things." I replied. "It's how I was able to track you and Koda down. You and your classmates' souls are brighter and purer than the villains'. It's hard not to notice you all when you shine so brightly."

"I believe you are mistaken." Tokoyami frowned. "My soul isn't bright. It's a black abyss of eternal darkness."

I snorted. "Your soul is the furthest thing from darkness, Tokoyami. But," I turned around, a wide smile lighting up my face as I floated backwards the final few steps out of the alleyway and onto the street, "if that's what you think your soul is, then who am I to argue? But when you think of your soul, try to also imagine wings."

"Wings?" Tokoyami's brow raised, he and Koda pausing just outside the alley.

I nodded, looking past to Dark Shadow who hovered behind, his vast, sweeping claws outstretched on either side of the teen. "Your soul has wings, Tokoyami, even if you haven't realized them yet."

Tokoyami's gaze widened ever so slightly as he stared back. "My soul," he breathed, "has wings?" He tilted his head, following my gaze to Dark Shadow who only shrugged back, just confused by my words as his master.

I chuckled. He was still young. There was still plenty of time for him to figure out the full extent of his quirk. All the possibilities it held. But that was for him to discover.

My smile held for a heartbeat before it faded, my gaze sliding to the female villain dozing near my feet. We were here.

"You both have a decision to make now." I stated loud enough for them both to hear me over the thundering rain. "You are not safe in -"

"We will trust you to lead us out."

My head snapped back like a whip.

"Wait. You will?" I asked incredulously. My gaze flicked from Tokoyami to Koda. "Both of you?"

Koda nodded beside Tokoyami, his hands unclasping and reclasping in front of him.

I frowned. "How do you know I'm not a villain trying to trick you?" My mouth snapped close so quickly that I felt my teeth clack together. Apparently I could not help myself today even if I tried.

Tokoyami's piercing eyes narrowed, then, slowly, he blinked and let out a heavy sigh. "A villain would have tried to convince us harder than you did." He said flatly, withdrawing Dark Shadow back inside. "In addition you knew our names and details about our classmates. These are facts that would have been easy to forget or confuse if you did not already know us. And," he paused, giving me an appraising look, "while it is hard to believe that you are Ms. Eve, we will trust you. You have given us no reason not to."

I blinked, lost for words.

Tokoyami went on. "And besides, did you not say that the rest of our classmates are still out there?" He cocked his head, staring. "They're probably encountering villains just like we did, which means they will be in need of help. With so many of us taken, it'll take time for you to get to us all. Almost an impossible feat. And during that time the villains will most likely be continuing their attack. While I do believe in the strength of our fellow classmates," his voice yielded for a moment as his gaze lowered in thought, "the villains do have the advantage in numbers. It'll be a matter of time before they wear us down, and that is a situation that must be avoided at all costs." His eyes flicked back up. "Correct?"

I gave a small, deft nod.

"Then the sooner we are out of here, the sooner you can rescue the others." Tokoyami finished simply.

I felt my brows raise on their own. The kid was sharp, and I was beginning to realize that they all were. These kids were truly something special.

"So," Tokoyami inclined his head to the street before us, "Which way? Left or right? Which route will be the fastest for us to take?"

I suddenly had to think. Where was the exit to this place? There had to be a door in here somewhere that led out. But out meant the plaza. And the plaza was where Aizawa was currently fighting. No. We couldn't go that way. Too dangerous for us and him if we got caught up in his fight. I would not risk distracting him.

I tilted my head to the dark ceiling above, frowning. The fastest route from here to the entrance was a straight line - the way I had come.

A grin suddenly spread across my face, an idea sparking.

I turned back to the teens, pointing a finger to the dark skies. "Neither." I replied. "We're going up."

Together, Tokoyami and Koda raised their heads to the high ceiling, searching it over while blinking hard against the rain.

"Up?" Tokoyami repeated, frowning. "I don't see how that's possible."

"You will in a moment." I assured him. "But until then, brace yourselves. I won't drop you. I promise."

I lifted my hands to them, sending out my invisible strings. My strands wound around the teens' waists, and, with an upward flick of my fingers, their feet left the ground. Startled, Koda's and Tokoyami's hands flew to their stomachs, feeling the presence of my strings but finding nothing.

"What is this?" Tokoyami gasped.

"Part of my power." I replied. "Now hang on. We're flying."

I launched into the air, tucking Koda and Tokoyami close in formation behind me as we soared over the streets. The city rushed by on either side, their dull faces flickering in shades of gray. We sliced through the heavy rain, yet, before we could ascend any higher, I needed something. Something large. Something heavy. Something moveable.

There!

Up ahead I spied a car parked on the side of the road and grinned. Yes, that would do nicely.

For once I was not chastising UA's access to ludicrous amounts of money as we sailed overhead. I didn't bother to pause, my strands snapping out and swiping the vehicle off the ground as we raced by.

Surely UA would not begrudge me if I used it.

The metal shrieked in irritation, the grind and crush of its door panels denting inwards as my strands wrapped firmly around its hull.

I added it behind the kids and veered, beginning the vertical climb. The storm had other opinions, however. The higher I went the more the storm seemed to rage, angry that we dared to try and leave. Wind howled and slammed like a screeching banshee that knocked into us without mercy. If I had a body, I was sure that it would have sent me tumbling back. Thankfully, I wasn't currently corporeal.

While the elements could never hope to lay a finger on me, the same could not be said about my passengers. I cast a quick glance back. Tokoyami and Koda had not made a sound when we had taken off, and now I could see why.

Whether it was fear from being suspended high above ground by an invisible force or the simple fact that the storm was presently drowning them in sheets - either way their faces were frozen in wide expressions. It was the same kind of expression people wore when they were riding a rollercoaster - particularly the ones that had been forced along against their wishes and were quietly suffering through, praying all the while for it to end.

"You guys alright back there?" I called out in slight concern.

"We will persevere." Tokoyami replied through gritted teeth.

"Alright." I nodded. "We're almost out. Just hang in there."

Not like they could do anything else.

I turned back, eyeing the approaching underside of the dome.

Hopefully Thirteen wouldn't mind too much if I wrecked her USJ just a little bit.

Stretching a single hand back behind me, I called forth the heavy car. The carcass of metal and glass whistled past the teens, flying obediently into my outstretched hand. Grasping the bumper, I whipped it around and released it in front of us like an oversized frisbee. The car spun violently, crashing into the dome's hull with a thundering bang before punching through the frame as if it was no more than paper.

A tunnel of light pierced the storm's darkness, seemingly rending it still. Warmth spilled in, bathing our faces and assaulting our eyes with the invasion of light. Blinking feverishly, I made out the mottled beige framework of the USJ beyond the jagged breach, its vast ambience reaching in and beckoning us out of the dark chasm.

It didn't need to ask me twice.

The now destroyed car started to freefall out of sight beyond the hole and I raced after it, quickly recapturing the vehicle before it could land on anyone below. The teens were next as I pulled them up after me, maneuvering them carefully around the sharp, skewering lines of the opening before letting their feet touch down on the surface of the dome. I eased up on my strands, allowing the teens some semblance of control over their bodies, but still not completely letting them go. One misstep and the dome's hull would become a slide into the afterlife.

Once I was sure they were secure in their footing, I turned back to the gash I had made and dropped the ruined car back down into the dark abyss. It sank like a stone, crashing into the buildings below and finally colliding with the ground in a loud boom that echoed around inside the chamber.

I cringed. Yes, I really, really hoped Thirteen wouldn't mind if I wrecked things just a bit.

"Your quirk-" My ears perked up and I turned towards Tokoyami, "-is very interesting."

I swept my eyes over them. He and Koda were drenched from head to toe, the water wringing off of them and onto the surface of the metal dome. They were worse for wear, in desperate need of drier clothes, but otherwise okay.

"It has its uses." I conceded, turning about and scanning our surroundings.

We had come out closer to the top of the dome where the incline was stable enough to stand. In front of us lay the entrance, to the right the plaza. Below I could hear the skirmishes and clashes resonating from Aizawa's fight. I breathed a sigh. As long as there was sound, I knew Aizawa still fought. I didn't have to worry. But when did reason and emotion ever go hand in hand? I could not chase away this painful squeeze in my chest with every slam and cry that echoed out. Fighting took energy, and that energy was not limitless. How long could Aizawa hold out?

Keep moving. Don't stop.

That was the only way I was ever going to reach him.

But first, the kids.

No sooner had I started to rise when an explosion sounded at our backs, louder and more powerful than any bomb. I spun, searching for the cause while keeping the need to fly on a hairpin trigger. My strings tightened around Koda and Tokoyami, yanking them off the dome and behind me. I saw the column of water first. A massive geyser shooting sky high from the pool.

What in the world?

Soon the wreckage of a yacht came into view followed by what I could only describe as a ball of villains flying through the air. I frowned at the peculiar sight, but that was most definitely a ball of villains judging by the screaming. They were stuck together, obviously not by their own volition given how their legs and arms were frantically waving about like an insect with too many limbs.

The geyser began to drop and a flash of movement beyond caught my attention. I jerked my head, squinting. Within that movement I made out the shape of three figures as they soared through the air, away and to the opposite end of the pool. My eyes widened. The kids!

It was Midoriya, Tsu, and Mineta and suddenly everything from the explosion to the scene in front of us clicked into place. Something like pride swelled in my chest. Perhaps it was the sheer fact that the villains just had their asses handed to them by a bunch of teens, or maybe it was because said teens had been so utterly spectacular in doing so. I could feel it then. Future villains and criminals were shuddering with the potential that these fledgling Heroes held. I should know, cause I was one of them.

Though, it was of little wonder. I had seen it year after year, all too aware that each new generation of Heroes was getting stronger, faster, more cunning. Soon they would be a problem for villains. Soon these kids would be the ones to come after me.

I swallowed against the thick tightness in my throat.

But not right now. We hadn't gotten there yet. We needed to get past today first.

I tracked the three teens' flight, watching them crash down into the water while I marked the spot in my mind. They had landed far from any fighting and any danger, as safe as safe could be until I could rescue them.

I twisted back around, summoning whatever mental fortitude it took to resist the consuming urge to look down. Down to where Aizawa was. I knew full well that if I did, that it would be hard to look away. And seconds were precious.

Somehow I managed the full one-hundred-eighty degree turn to gaze up at the entrance above us. I started to rise, drifting past Tokoyami and Koda and pulling them towards the entrance.

Tokoyami was quick to speak, his voice laced with concern. "The others - are we not retrieving them?" His head inclined to his classmates in the water.

"Lesson one in rescuing: take care of what you have first." I explained as I picked up speed. "There is no point in taking on more than you can handle; you will only put yourself and those you have in danger. In this case, if we were to fly over there right now to get your classmates, we would be spotted by the villains down below and become a larger target. Currently the villains are blissfully ignorant of those three. They'll be fine right where they are till I can get to them."

Tokoyami drew quiet and I tilted my head back. "Don't worry." I offered him a faint smile. "They're next on my list."

Tokoyami bowed his head. "Very well. I will trust your judgment."

Good, because we had already arrived.

Hopping onto the metal railing, I drew Tokoyami and Koda up and over, releasing them back onto solid ground.

Sero, who happened to be closest, was the first to notice our arrival.

"Whoa. She's back." He stood stunned before a quick smile charged over his face. He spun around. "Everyone!" He called out, his voice cutting clear across the entrance. "Ms. Eve is back and she's got some of our classmates!"

All at once the kids rushed forward from their positions around the platform, swarming Tokoyami and Koda. None more so than Sato who drew Tokoyami into a bear hug despite the latter being soaking wet, or Sero who clapped Koda across the back, sending the shy teen into a fit of nervous trembling. Questions were fired off left and right, mostly wanting to know what Tokoyami and Koda had encountered since the attack. Tokoyami answered as best he could, but soon I drowned even his voice out.

I glanced about, scanning the space. Everything was as I left it.

Exactly. As. I. Left. It.

And that included Thirteen.

The Hero stood a ways off close to the edge of the staircase, her eyes firmly upon me. I swallowed thickly, thinking of the way she had called my name as I left her behind. There was no doubt that she was absolutely furious.

I waited for her to say something, to try and reason with me again, but after a moment I knew that ship had sailed. Right. There was nothing more to be said. Nothing that would make a difference anyways.

Thirteen continued to pin me with her stare before her eyes lowered, washing over the kids in front of me. She found Tokoyami and Koda, both unharmed and unshaken, and she lifted her gaze back to mine. She nodded once and turned to face the stairs.

Not approval. Not permission. But quiet resignation.

It was all I was going to get.

I stepped backwards and off the railing, trailing lightly through the air. Tokoyami took notice and turned. His head bobbed towards me, a silent show of thanks. My mouth twitched upwards, and I returned the gesture, vanishing from sight.

There were no shouts of my name to accompany me this time as I flew. No, it was oddly quiet.

Quiet.

Where there once was the steady sound of body slams and cries of villains, now there was nothing. An air of silence had descended over the USJ causing an eerie chill of unease to tiptoe down my spine.

Aizawa.

I glanced down hurriedly at the spot I had seen him last. No movement. There were more bodies lying about then there had been, but no long dark haired Hero standing among them. Had he taken care of them all? If so, where had he gone? I thought quickly. He didn't know that the kids had been scattered, so he would have headed back to the entrance to make sure everyone had gotten out - the most logical course of action. I twisted in the air and peered back, an eye set on the stairs. No figure was running up them.

Where was he?

A strangled scream lanced the silence and I whirled. That scream…it couldn't be.

A second scream shortly followed the first, amplified by the ensuing silence and I stopped dead in the air as my eyes fixed on the source. Two villains stood alone on the far side of the plaza fountain. Correction. One was standing, I recognized him from the start of the attack, his morbid collection of hands clutching over his torso and concealing his face. His less decorated companion was crouching, the span of his massive black torso obscuring something beneath him. My eyes dipped lower.

A pair of legs.

Beneath him was a body, motionless and still.

A bolt of fear punched through my chest, a pain so intense and abrupt that I could have sworn that I had been physically shot. Suddenly those screams reverberated in my mind until they were all I could hear. I didn't need my power to know who laid there. Whose screams I had heard.

The larger villain shifted then, his gigantic hand prying up something forcefully in front of him. Between his thick fingers I caught a glimpse of dark raven hair before it was suddenly rammed hard into the ground.

Time stilled as something within me cracked and then utterly shattered. A scream of pure, unfettered rage exploded past my lips as I dove. "DON'T YOU FUCKING TOUCH HIM!"

Both the villains' heads jerked up towards my cry. But they didn't see me. They didn't see anything until it was too late.

Like lightning I struck between them, sending dust and debris flying. Beneath me the plaza tiles cracked and gave way as I flared into view. The very air danced and crackled around me, singing with my power. In a flash my hands snapped out to the villains on either side and my strands exploded outwards, seizing their bodies before either of them could react. There was no thinking, no plan of action. There was only blind instinct telling me to rend the villains from Aizawa. And so I obeyed.

I pivoted on my heel and the two villains were torn off their feet, swirling high into the air as if caught up in a violent windstorm. In one fluid motion I sent them flying over my shoulder. My strings stretched and then slammed the villains' bodies into the ground with a thunderous crash. The ground caved under the impact, and the smaller of the two let out an audible gasp, the wind knocked right from his lungs.

His companion, however, was made of harder stuff. The moment he had landed he let out a screeching wail of rage, the sound like warbling nails against a chalkboard. The sound - it wasn't human. Something more akin to an animalistic snarl. Immediately he began to writhe, his torso bucking and head thrashing about like some wild beast trying to get free. His muscles bulged under my strands, the straining flesh swelling up and revealing the cutting lines of my invisible cords that were wrapped around his torso. If he thought he could break my strings through brute force, he was clearly mistaken. Power and strength were useless against me.

My fingers twirled clockwise in the air then snapped closed into a fist. The strands surrounding the writhing villain body responded in kind, lifting his sheer mass off the ground before spinning him around like meat on a spit. His body slammed back face down into the ground and his raging roars went nowhere but down into the hard packed earth.

His body twitched a moment more and then relaxed, going oddly still and silent as a statue.

I didn't spare a moment on it. I straightened, heart hammering, the adrenaline pumping like fire through my veins. My head turned on a swivel, scouring the area for any more danger. I found none. Whatever villains that still moved, did so on the outer reaches of the plaza and none were daring to get closer.

I felt the prickle of eyes upon me and my head jerked to the right, a snarl tearing from my throat. Three sets of eyes stared back at me from the water's edge, quivering in fear. The eyes of…the kids.

Midoriya, Tsuyu, and Mineta watched, frozen in the water, their mouths slack and eyes wide.

I blinked, my snarl dying. Confusion sparked into vexation. What in the hell were they doing here?! They were supposed to be on the opposite side of the pool! Away from danger. And yet, here-

A moan, pained and weak, halted that line of thought.

My gaze skipped over the wayward teens, rushing back to the lone body on the ground. Aizawa. My heart lurched, threatening to climb out through my throat. He wasn't moving.

"You three!" My voice shot over my shoulder at the petrified teens. "Get out of the water right now!"

I didn't wait for a reply. I didn't wait to see if they obeyed. My feet flew over the ground, pounding against the slab tiles and carrying me closer to Aizawa. It seemed to take a lifetime to reach him, a single second stretching on into eternity. Three more feet, just three more feet and I would be there.

Without warning I was suddenly yanked back, a weight and tether snapping me backwards and preventing me from taking another step, from reaching Aizawa. I growled, my head spinning towards the reason why. The villains. I had gone too far. My strands had reached their limit, stretching the distance from me to the villains. As long as I had them restrained, they were now the ball to my chain.

I should have finished them off. I should have thrown them far away. I should have - No. No more thinking. I took hold of my strands, hauling their bodies over the ground without ceremony as if they were no more than ragdolls.

I took the final steps needed and reached Aizawa's side, crashing to my knees.

"Aizawa!" I leaned over him, calling frantically. "Aizawa! Can you hear me?!"

Nothing.

Had I imagined it? The moan?

I waited a breath in the still silence, but there were no murmurs. No groans of pain. Not even a twitch to show that he had heard me. There was nothing but blood. So much blood. It trickled and filled out onto the concrete tile, staining the ground red and filling the air with the tang of acrid copper. My eyes snapped to his right elbow, the source of the blood. The sleeve was gone, ending a few inches above his elbow in frayed tatters and sticking to his arm with the red liquid.

Oh, gods, his elbow. The flesh…it had been disintegrated. A spiderweb of brittle cracks was what remained of his skin. The rest, what was once his elbow, was simply gone, the muscle and tendon underneath fully exposed to the open air. That wasn't a normal injury. If wounds could ever be described as normal. A quirk had done that. A villain had done that.

My thoughts rushed to the other end of my strands, wondering which of them had done it. Which of them I would have to destroy. No. I wouldn't stop with just one. I would destroy them both for daring to touch the one person who was worth a damn.

My strands coiled tighter around the villains in response, eager to begin. Eager to crush.

I forced myself to push that anger down and think. Which was just about as effective as throwing a bucket on a raging wildfire, but it served its purpose in providing a brief moment of clarity.

The villains were not important. Not here. Not now. Not ever.

With shaky hands, I reached out and clasped Aizawa's shoulders, carefully turning him over. Gently, like I was handling the fragilest piece of glass, I repositioned him on his back, supporting his head before letting it softly rest against the ground. A sharp gasp escaped my lips when I finally saw him. Everywhere I looked there was only more blood. Several deep cuts marred his face as streaks of red ran from them, flowing down to paint his pale skin. The memory of the hulking villain crushing Aizawa's head into the concrete was quick to rise, playing over and over again in my mind. The elbow injury could be healed. But if he didn't wake because of what was done to his head…

Panic gripped me as I leaned over him, my fingers sweeping the blood and tangled hair away from his eyes.

"Aizawa!" I called again.

I cupped his face between my hands, my thumb caressing softly over the length of his cheek. With every wish I had within me, I willed the icy chill of my soul through the palms of my hands and into his skin, yearning for him to open his eyes. Those beautiful, dark, piercing eyes that had seen everything about me and not once did they ever fill with disdain. They had frightened me once, such fearsome, demonic eyes, yet now all I could remember was how tenderly they had looked at me, pulling me, calling me out of the mess of my own mind. I had never wanted anything more in my life than I did at that moment to see those eyes again staring back at me if only to know that he would be alright.

The pads of my fingers brushed along the deep gash beneath his right eye. Aizawa's eyelids fluttered, and slowly, oh so slowly, they began to crack open.

Relief was a searing exhale as dark irises found mine and his name rushed from my lips as if it was an answered prayer.

Aizawa blinked and the heavy fog cleared from his gaze. Suddenly his pupils constricted, focusing on me as a cascade of emotions and thoughts swirled to life in those dark depths. Lips parted, but there were no words. Only a breath passed between them - one far too short, and a weight descended upon him. Aizawa's eyes glazed over, lids drifting back down as his head lolled in my hands.

"Aizawa!" I cried out in alarm.

I poured more of my energy through my hands, but it was no use. No matter what I did, Aizawa did not stir. His body had gone still beneath me save for the small spasms of pain that flitted across his face. Unconsciousness to the point of not waking was never a good sign.

I fought back against the rising panic. He needed help, and he needed it now.

We had to go.

My gaze darted back to the teens and I felt my anger swiftly reignite. They had not moved an inch.

"What are you waiting for?!" I sent my voice careening over the distance. "MOVE YOUR ASSES NOW!"

The three heads flinched, diving beneath the line of the embankment and disappearing as my words struck them.

I scowled. I did not have time for this! Aizawa did not have time for this! Civility had gone out the window the moment Aizawa's blood had been spilled. I was done playing nice. I would drag them all back. No doubt they would fight me every step of the way, kicking and screaming, but they would lose.

Gingerly, I gathered Aizawa's battered body into my arms, supporting his head against the crook of my neck as I stood with him. Aizawa's arms swayed lightly in the air, his rough hand trailing then falling against my upper thigh to hang freely. An electric jolt radiated out from the touch and a shiver rushed through me.

The touch had been feather light, a coincidence, but every fiber of my soul suddenly narrowed down to the graze of his fingertips.

My stomach dipped. A strange, fuzzy feeling that climbed up into my chest and then plunged straight down.

I refused to name the feeling, banishing it before it could get a better hold. What was wrong with me? This was not the time or place to be feeling such things. Distractions were dangerous things that I could not afford. Especially that kind of distraction.

I shifted towards the pool and my gaze locked back onto the teens. They had reemerged from their hiding place, watching me cautiously as if I was a predator about to pounce. A reality that wasn't too far off from the truth.

I poised, ready to be that predator if it meant getting out of here with them. There was no time to coax them out, or to convince them who I was. They could find all that out in a minute when they were safely back with Thirteen.

I took a step forward.

Three sets of eyes stared back, but it was Midoriya's unblinking viridian eyes that halted my next step. There was something flickering behind his gaze, gears turning there with thought. I frowned. What was he planning? The breadth of a heartbeat and something clicked, his eyes widening a fraction. Midoriya nodded faintly, rising from the water.

"Come on." He murmured to the other two, the water sloshing off of him and onto the plaza to drench the concrete.

"Midoriya…" Mineta called out to him nervously.

"It's alright." Midoriya stated, turning back. His lips parted in a warm smile. "We can trust her. She saved us and Mr. Aizawa. Just look at how she's treating him. I think it's safe to assume that she's on our side."

Tsuyu blinked once, cocking her head to the side around Midoriya's legs. "I think you're right." She murmured thoughtfully, studying me. Bracing her hands on the side of the pool, she lifted herself out, joining Midoriya on land.

Mineta stared up at the backs of his classmates, continuing to tremble in the water. He reached out for them as if to pull them back in. "Y-you guys…" He quivered.

His whimpering cries fell on deaf ears as Midoriya and Tsu left him behind. Alone. Comprehension struck him and in the next instant he darted out of the water like a flea, chasing after Midoriya and Tsu, his squelching footsteps fast on their heels. "Wait for me!" He bawled.

Well, that was unexpected. Unexpected, but welcomed. While I had been fully prepared to drag their bodies out by force, deep down I had no wish to traumatize them further. They already had experienced too much today.

Midoriya and Tsu skirted around the villains bound on the ground, glancing warily at the captured pair before stopping in front of me. Their gazes flicked to me, wariness giving way to curiosity before their stares dropped to Aizawa in my arms. Worry bloomed deep across their faces. They could see everything, just how badly hurt their teacher was, the damage that had been done to him. In the back of my mind I had the thought of horror that they had witnessed it too. Fuck if that was true. It would be a miracle if they came out of this without any nightmares.

"Mr. Aizawa," Midoriya breathed quietly.

"He's still alive." I said to them, following their gazes down to the man in my arms. "But he needs medical attention. We need to get-"

"Just who are you, lady?!" The shrill demanding screech of Mineta's voice smashed through the air as he came up beside his classmates, brandishing a finger up at me. "And how do you know Mr. Aizawa?"

My face immediately darkened at the tone, my eyes glaring icily down at the finger jabbed in my direction. Slowly, I lifted my gaze from the lone digit and into Mineta's widening eyes. Whether I was in my body or my soul, I had an intimidating face on the best of days, but now… That finger began to tremble ever so slightly before it withered back, Mineta's momentarily pluckiness fleeing for the hills as he quivered in the face of my stare.

Tsu and Midoriya shifted uncomfortably.

Right. Didn't need to scare the poor kids any more than they already were.

I ground my jaw, lips pursing. "I'm-"

An explosion blasted through the facility, silencing my tongue. I whirled towards the noise, clutching onto Aizawa protectively as more of my strings rushed out, preparing to grab onto the kids behind me.

My eyes swung upwards and froze. The entrance! It was gone! A storm of dust clouds swirled about, obscuring everything as it roiled and poured down the steps in thick, heavy sheets.

My heart stopped. Thirteen was up there. The kids were up there.

My body was up there.

No sooner had the thought passed in my mind when a single dark shadow swayed and shifted behind the curtain of tumbling dust, catching my undivided attention. The figure took a step out of the conflux of haze, basking fully in the light and plain as day for all to see.

"All Might!" The combined cries of Midoriya and Mineta rose joyously into the air.

"Ribbit."

Relief. Sweet blessed relief washed through me that nearly knocked the knees out from under me. Help had arrived. And it was the teachers too. Not the HPSC. Even if their arrival ultimately meant my time was up, I would gladly welcome them. They were friendly, familiar faces that would rescue the kids and get Aizawa the help that he needed. And that's all that mattered.

The smoke faded back, another second ticking by to reveal no one else standing there with him.

All Might was alone.

My brows furrowed, and that sweet blessed relief vanished quicker than water through sand.

Where were the others? The teachers? The police? The emergency services? All Might was just one Hero, and he was the one Hero who couldn't be here - who shouldn't be here.

Thirteen's earlier statement to Aizawa came to mind. All Might was at his limit, so why was he here? How was he here?

As if to purely prove me wrong, All Might disappeared off the stairs and reappeared in front of me not a moment later, hands on his hips, the flash of his white teeth bearing down upon me. A gust of wind shot him by. On it I caught the subtle scent of clean citrus and soap coming off of him as the wind sent strands of my hair sailing past my shoulders and lifting Aizawa's to tickle against my collarbone.

The villains that had been loitering nearby simultaneously collapsed to the ground, knocked out cold. It didn't take a genius to figure out how or why.

I blinked once, then twice, my mouth hanging slightly ajar. All right. I stood corrected. Literally. All Might had clearly recovered.

My bewilderment, however, was like my relief. Short lived.

"Young Iida found me and told me everything." All Might said roughly, the deep baritone of his voice resounding like a drum through the air. His broad chest tightened as he stared down at me. "You shouldn't be out here, Ghost."

My jaw snapped shut, my eyes narrowing into slits as I glared up into that overshadowed visage.

Excuse me?!

I was out here fighting to save everyone while he -

"Midoriya! Did you hear that?" Mineta fervently whispered behind me, effectively silencing my thoughts. "All Might called her 'Ghost'! That means she's-"

"Yah," Midoriya breathed out incredulously, and I felt the burn of his eyes into the back of my skull. "Though, I'm finding it a little hard to believe. But her change in appearance would explain-"

I tuned him out into the background as he began to mutter endlessly away. The kids had their answer now. That was one problem down for only another to take its place. My eyes focused onto the Hero before me, the bite of animosity digging in.

All Might's words had been little more than a thinly veiled admonishment. From that I could only surmise that he had spoken to Thirteen and had been summarily told that I was running free. That I was a criminal once more.

Well that changed things. Between us. All Might was a Hero first and foremost and the law dictated what he must do.

But what exactly was that?

The Hero had come, but for who? For me? The kids? The villains?

All three was a little much, even for him.

Reason told me to tread cautiously here until I knew what All Might's priorities were. My pride, however, was a more fickle, tempestuous thing that did not give a rat's ass about waiting for such trifles. It had heard the reprimand the moment it was uttered and had chosen to rear its head, all too eager to go toe-to-toe with the Hero.

"All Might," my mouth stretched upwards into a smile, my voice tightly sweet, "so glad to see that you're feeling better."

All Might's face twitched, an imperceptibly small bead of sweat slipping down his brow as he caught my meaning. Internally I smirked. Two could play at this game.

Though, I was still left with the mystery of why he was alone.

I leaned around All Might's wide stance, casting an eye back on the entrance. "Where are the others?"

"Ah," All Might's smile flashed back brightly, his voice easing. "They should be here soon. I sent Young Iida on ahead to the school to let everyone know. He should be reaching them right about now."

Now?

I jerked back. "You sent him on ahead?" I repeated slowly, my mind spinning. "You didn't call the school?"

All Might blanched, his face freezing over.

I peered up at him. "All Might?"

All Might whipped his head upwards, suddenly becoming very interested in the details of the ceiling. The skin between my brows pinched and I floated upwards into the air. That iconic grin began to twitch, a series of tiny tremors stampeding over the entirety of his body as if something distasteful was crawling all over him.

I pressed in. "All Might."

All Might was doing his best looking everywhere else but at me, a sight not so unlike a dog trying to avoid its master's gaze after being caught doing something it wasn't supposed to have done. Or in this case was supposed to have done.

"You did call the school, right?" I questioned him, pushing further. "You didn't force Iida to make the whole trek back to the school just to get the rest of the teachers, did you? Not when you have a cell phone on you at all times which would have been faster than Iida's running."

All Might continued to shift and writhe before me with each punctuated word, refusing all the while to meet my gaze. His head twisted left and right, as if not looking at me would save him from the pressure of these questions. My eyes burned into his face, refusing to relent. The ends of his lips were twitching hard now, struggling to maintain the smile plastered there as beads of sweat dripped along the ridge of his forehead.

While part of me could admit there was the possibility that whatever was causing our communications to be blocked could have also extended to the meeting point between All Might and Iida, and therefore rendered All Might's phone inoperable. But that possibility was so slim that I didn't even entertain the idea. This blackout had to be limited to just the grounds of the USJ so as not to arouse suspicion from the outside, otherwise Heroes and all manner of others would have descended upon the area already to investigate the cause. Going by that logic, Iida, with his speed, would have broken through to the outside a long time ago.

Something wasn't adding up here, and judging by All Might's display I knew exactly what.

"All Might?" I hissed, my voice a quiet demand.

It was the final blow I needed to shatter his silence.

The smile faltered and fell as All Might ran a large, heavy hand over his face to cover it, looking away in shame.

"I'm afraid-" his voice squeaked out, sounding impossibly small, "-I didn't think to."

I knew it, and yet I didn't want to believe it. All I could do was stare. How could someone so well renowned, so adept at saving the day be so…absent-minded. There were mistakes, and then there were mistakes.

All Might continued to shrink and tremble before me like a shivering Great Dane and I let out a heavy sigh. He was here now, and while he was one Hero, he was not nothing.

My gaze fell back to Aizawa. Blood continued to drip down his ashen face, coating his nose and cheeks in wet crimson. I didn't dare think of the wound on his elbow where most of his blood was trickling out and onto the ground under my feet. I did not - Aizawa did not - have the luxury of waiting anymore.

But I couldn't leave. Not with him. Not unless I wanted to release the villains I had locked down. While I had rendered one of them unconscious into the ground, the other was still very much awake. The moment I left I would have to let him go. And I was loath to do that.

All Might had stopped trembling, when I knew not, but I could feel the weight of his eyes upon me, watching me - assessing me. And a sudden fact punched through me.

I was a criminal. A criminal holding an injured Hero.

Even if I wanted to fly Aizawa to safety, I did not have the authority to do so. I didn't even have the right to be touching him. Not when All Might stood before me. But since when did I need a Hero's permission to do anything? I had rejected Thirteen's authority for the sake of sparing her from the HPSC's vengeance, but I doubted I could do the same here. This time was different. I was faced with All Might, the Number One Hero, and he would not just let me do as I pleased without interfering.

But I was not the important one here.

I bowed my head, my chest tightening as I shuffled Aizawa's weight in my arms. Carefully, I uncurled his body from mine and held him out to All Might, using my strings to support what my hands could not.

All Might tensed and his eyes dropped onto Aizawa's beaten face, the curve of his mouth thinning down into a single solemn line. The haunted look in his darkened eyes settled far too easily.

A coldness crept back into the places Aizawa's warmth once had been and my soul gave a shudder, longing for that warmth to return. I smothered the feeling and lifted Aizawa higher, his body leaving my hands to float between All Might and I.

"Take him," I bit my lip, my voice straining. My face lifted to All Might. "Please. Take Aizawa and the kids and make sure he gets the help he needs."

All Might's gaze snapped back to mine. "And what about you?" He asked. There was something in his tone, something carefully guarded. "What will you be doing?"

My eyes darted away to the ground, suddenly unable to meet the intensity of his stare. "Staying here. I-" I paused. There were only two reasons for me to stay, and only one of them All Might would condone.

"I can't move." I finished. To show him I was speaking the truth, I tried taking a step and the villains' bodies responded in kind, scraping over the ground towards us. The black muscled villain twitched, releasing a warbling groan of displeasure. The kids jumped, startled and All Might's darken gaze shot past my shoulder towards the villains.

"I see." He murmured. "I think I've got the whole picture now."

He turned back and lifted his hand.

I held Aizawa out as far as I dared. That hand moved over Aizawa, past him. A weight suddenly landed on my shoulder and my head shot up, meeting startling blue irises. All Might smiled down at me, not the broad, plastered smile that he wore so often, but something more genuine and warm as he gripped me by the shoulder.

"You've done well here," he said, his voice becoming softer, gentler as he took a step, forcing Aizawa's floating body back into my arms, "but leave the rest to me now. Get Aizawa to Thirteen and help her keep the students safe until the others arrive. Consider that your mission now." His next step made him draw even with my shoulder and he paused, his gaze drifting down. I felt it then, the tiniest tremble in his hand as his eyes raked over Aizawa's beaten face once more. All Might's expression grew taut, the harsh lines of his face deepening to a darker black. But it was his eyes, rings of electric blue piercing through the black, that I could finally see. Regret was aflame in those irises along with overflowing worry, but more than anything there was rage.

The hand on my shoulder suddenly tightened, almost painfully and held. His gaze flashed to the villains and a low rumble sounded from his throat that reminded me of a lion's growl. Inexplicably I felt a shiver cascade down my spine at the sound. All Might's entire body seemed to still as thoughts raced behind his dark expression before one finally settled there.

Slowly he eased his hand off my shoulder.

"I'm entrusting them into your care." He said, his tone so low that I barely caught it in time. In long, powerful strides he swiftly left me behind.

Anxiety climbed its way into my throat. All Might was Aizawa's best hope and he was currently walking away.

I whirled around.

"All Might!"

"Get everyone back to Thirteen, Ghost." All Might shot his voice back to me. "These villains came here looking for me. If it's a fight they want, I'll give them one. Let them see what a Hero is truly made of!"

Inside me a voice stirred, a silent scream of warning. It was not a voice I recognized nor did I understand this unfettered fear that was rampaging through my chest with each step All Might took towards the villains. The fear was not for Aizawa, strangely enough, but for him - the Number One Hero. Something about this was not right. I was missing something important and I looked about for the danger that was not there. There were no other villains about save for the two in my possession, but did All Might honestly expect me to let them go? So he could fight? What about Aizawa? What about the other k-

A wheezing, raspy sound scraped the silence and my thoughts stalled. The noise continued and it took me a moment to recognize what it was - who it was.

A laugh. The villain - the one I had thought to be unconscious - was laughing.

"Yes! Show us what a Hero is, All Might!" He crowed, his body straining to rise against the invisible binds that held him. "Let me see what worthless piece of heroic trash you truly are!" His neck violently arched against the ground, the only part of his body I had not tied down as a series of hair raising cackles left his chapped lips.

All of my senses descended upon him. He hadn't uttered a word all this time, and, I realized with a certain degree of horror, it was not due to a lack of consciousness from being slammed into the ground. He had been listening. Waiting.

How long?

A string of curses hissed through me as All Might stopped at the villains' feet. His unflinching gaze trained down as he observed the laughing villain there.

The hoarse laughter was slow to die.

"Finally." The villain sighed deeply. His body relaxed back as he eyed the Hero through the slits of his morbid mask. "I was getting so bored lying here listening to that sniveling woman. She was interesting at first, but now that you're here we can get started. After all, we came all this way just to say hello to the great Symbol of Peace. I can't tell you how disappointing it was to find that you were not here when we arrived. It's not good manners to keep your enemies waiting, you know."

"My apologies, but I'm here now." All Might responded through gritted teeth. His fists clenched tightly at his sides. All the warmth and comfort that had been in his voice was gone, turning cold and callous quicker than a bitter winter wind.

A pair of footsteps darted out and skidded to a sudden stop beside me.

"Be careful, All Might!" Midoriya called out frantically.

My eyes snapped down to him out of their corners. For some reason that warning sound inside of me fell quiet with his voice. Like it was holding its breath, waiting expectantly for something.

"Young Midoriya!" All Might's voice boomed over the plaza, his large hand sweeping out behind him and towards the anxious teen. He twisted back at the waist, striking a peace sign across his brow as he flashed the teen a wide, reassuring grin. "I've got this!"

Midoriya stared back, his face pinching with concern, but said nothing more.

That waiting breath inside of me upped and vanished, not even giving me the courtesy of an explanation or notion where it had come from. Instead, in its place I only felt this sense of foreboding fear multiply.

All Might dropped his hand back down and his dark illuminated eyes slid to mine with intense focus. A silent command.

I swallowed hard.

I recognized the order. The order to go. To release. To do what he asked.

It was an order I was hesitant to obey.

My attention swung between him and the villains as I clutched Aizawa tighter against my chest. Thirteen's words echoed once again in my mind. All Might may be the Number One Hero, but he had limits. Just how far those limits extended after he had a chance to rest, albeit briefly, I did not know.

I felt the thrum of Aizawa's pulse against the skin of my chest, each beat striking like the ticking of a clock. He was bleeding. All Might was waiting.

There was no time for me to be thinking about this. I had seen All Might's rage and that's all I needed to know. He would appropriately and adequately take care of the villains. Like fish in a barrel.

My lips thinned into a firm line as I slowly nodded to All Might and crouched. My strings rushed out and snared the teens around their waists, earning me a chorus of alarmed squawks from Mineta and Midoriya as they were lifted off the ground. Only Tsu kept her composure as she was raised high.

All Might returned my nod and turned back. His muscles coiled tightly under his white button-down shirt, threatening to shred it into pieces. Tension pulsed off him in waves, permeating the air as a taut stillness fell across the space like the calm before the first roll of thunder.

"You heard the Hero," The villain rasped impatiently, and I felt more than saw his sinister smile, "Ghost."

My name. On a villain's lips.

Lips that would hopefully soon be swollen and bleeding if I judged All Might's rage accurately.

I scowled, and shot into the air. "They're all yours, All Might."

I yanked the teens up after me, severing my strands to the villains and setting them free.

An explosion of dark flesh erupted out of the crater in front of All Might, a screeching roar rupturing before there was a thundering clash, sending a cloud of dust shooting sky high.

And then - out of that cloud - All Might's body went flying.

"All Might!" Midoriya cried out fearfully, a hand reaching for the Hero.

My stomach plummeted, horror swiftly filling in. What had I done? Just how powerful was that villain if he could send All Might flying back like that?

Realization hit me like the help that was promised but was not here. Like my arrival after hearing Aizawa's screams and watching as his head was slammed into the ground.

All coming a little too late.

I-I had made a very grave mistake. These villains…they were not fish in a barrel.

They were sharks. And I had set them free.

I traced All Might's flight as panic crowded the edges of my mind. He was going to crash right into the ceiling and then he was going to fall.

All Might was going to die.

My panic, however, seemed to be getting ahead of itself.

The Hero twisted catlike in midair, landing crouched on the underside of the dome. Wiping his mouth on the back of his hand, he focused his eyes solely below before he launched himself, denting the ceiling with the sheer force. Like a missile he shot back into the cloud, clearing it away completely as he touched back down. A series of violent booms followed, the shapes of two figures locked in battle becoming flickering blurs along the ground. The darker of the two was suddenly thrown back with a resounding punch, his body skittering over the pool of water and crashing into the erected mountainside to shake it like a clap of thunder.

I released a shuddering exhale. All Might was okay. More importantly, I had to remind myself that he was the Number One Hero for a reason, the powerhouse that he was. He could take care of this.

He did not need me to watch over him.

But someone else did.

I twisted away, bringing the teens with me as I tore through the air and back to the entrance. Aizawa's breathing had slowed, and I pressed his head further against my chest, securing him. Faster. I needed to fly faster.

I paid little heed to anything else. Not the sounds of the battle resuming again behind me. Not Mineta's tearful cries as he desperately pleaded to be let off. And not the greeting shouts of the students as I flew overhead and crashed down in front of Thirteen.

I fell to my knees, breathless and panting. I had enough presence to release the three teens, giving them a much softer landing than the one I had taken. Yet, I held onto Aizawa, unable to let him go.

I raised my head to the Hero standing before me.

"Please," I begged her. "Please help him."

Thirteen didn't hesitate and dropped to one knee, her hands stretching out. Lightly she touched Aizawa's arms and stilled, a quick assessment passing before her hands swept up to his face. She gently pried open one of his eyelids and promptly let it fall back into place. I sucked in a harsh breath. His entire eye had gone blood red.

"Put him down." She commanded, reaching around and removing the pack from her back.

I was quick to do as she asked, stretching Aizawa out between us with all due care as she settled on her haunches, opening the pack. It wasn't just a prop. Inside was emergency supplies, the barest essentials of first aid. Again, I was overcome with the urge to kiss her shiny black helmet. I knew those supplies would not be enough, but they were at least something.

The invisible hand squeezing my heart eased, a sliver of hope daring to make its way into my soul as I watched Thirteen draw out the supplies, peeling them from their sterile wrappers and prepping them. She leaned over Aizawa with a pair of scissors.

"Is-is Mr. Aizawa going to be okay?"

My head jerked up at the sound. The kids, all ten of them, had surrounded us in a tight circle. Each of them bore solemn expressions as they looked in. Uraraka, the one who had spoken, clasped her hands worriedly in front of her. Mina stood by her side, biting her quivering lip.

"He has multiple lacerations to his face. His arms appear to be broken, and he has lost a lot of blood." Thirteen replied, her voice deceptively even as she listed off his injuries. She paused, looking up as if remembering that these were just kids. Her tone softened. "But he will be alright. If I could ask you all to take a step back, it would be appreciated. You can help by keeping a lookout while we tend to him. Let us know if you see any villains coming."

The change was like a switch. Now given a task, a purpose, the kids' expressions morphed, becoming steadfast as they nodded, dispersing and branching out to the four corners of the entrance like sentinels. If any villains were on approach, they would assuredly be spotted.

Only when the kids had turned their backs did Thirteen bend forward, her scissors slicing through the sleeves on Aizawa's arms in single strokes. She worked quickly, tearing the dark fabric away to expose the damage underneath.

They were most definitely broken, the lower arms unnaturally loose in all the wrong places as they lay sprawled on the ground. But it was the monstrous black and blue handprints that circled around them that my world suddenly centered on.

My fingers curled in my palms, the nails digging hard into the skin.

Not too long ago it was those arms that had held me, had comforted me. I remembered them, their strength, their warmth. My heart twisted as that wildfire of rage came back with a renewed vengeance.

How dare someone fucking break them. How dare these villains hurt someone who had become so precious to me.

A wild pounding flared to life in my veins like a war drum calling for blood. It coursed through me like liquid fire, whispering seductive thoughts. Immediately visions of myself soaring back to the plaza to deliver my own brand of personal justice upon the villains filled my mind. All Might be damned if he tried to stop me. I was powerful. Wrecking the villains would be so easy to do. It would take nothing but a thought and I would add another joint into their limbs, relishing in their screams of pain as I snapped their bones like they had snapped Aizawa's. Pain would be their teacher.

A wicked grin curled on my lips.

How fortunate it was we were currently in a facility dedicated to learning.

Yes.

I started to rise.

"Don't do it."

My head snapped to Thirteen.

"Don't give in to it." She whispered. Her hands moved over Aizawa's left arm as she bound it tightly within a splint.

Surprise flitted across my face. How did she-?

"You are not a villain." She continued, her eyes never lifting from her task. "Do not become one now."

My fury turned on Thirteen. I already was one. What was the point of denying it now? I wanted to hurt. To break. So why not? Since I was going to get punished anyways, why not make the crime truly worth it? Why not go out with a bang?

Villains had stolen everything from me starting with Natsu and now this. There was no better time than now to steal something back.

If Thirteen was aware of the dark thoughts flying through my head, she didn't comment. She didn't even look at me. Was she giving me the silent treatment again after everything that happened? No. This was different. She was different. I could feel her rage lying just underneath the surface, bubbling close but going no further. Every move she made with her hands was focused and precise, as if her anger was powering her through mending Aizawa's body.

Her words repeated again in my mind.

They were for me.

And they were for her.

A reminder that this fury that raged and seethed inside us was not us. That it will not control us.

To do so would make us no better than the villains who had broken Aizawa so mercilessly.

Cooling rains of self-control swept over the fires within me, quelling them down into a muddy field of hissing ash and embers.

"Did you mean it? What you said?" I murmured to Thirteen. "About Aizawa? Will he be okay?" My voice was desperate, needing something, anything to hold onto to keep the fires from reigniting. If Thirteen had lied - if Aizawa was not in fact going to be okay, I doubted there would be anything to contain me. Not even myself.

Thirteen was silent for a moment, as if choosing her words with care. "He's still breathing." She finally said.

Those were not the same words she had given the kids. Somehow these were rawer, truer. The honest reality, and yet also a powerful ember of hope.

Aizawa still clung to life and that was enough to not give up. Or give in.

I seated myself back down. "Tell me what to do."

Thirteen raised her head to me at last, pressing supplies into my hand. "Dress his elbow. Stop the bleeding. Help me stabilize him."

Wordlessly, I accepted the supplies. Thirteen nodded once and moved to wrap Aizawa's head.

I needed no instructions as I doused Aizawa's elbow first in the antiseptic, his wound fizzling sharply as I poured the clear liquid over it, before swallowing the entirety of his elbow in several layers of heavy gauze. It was a bandaid - a stopgap measure till help arrived, till someone more capable could save him. Undoubtedly there were other, internal injuries that I could not see. How could there not be when he looked like this?

I tied off the final layer of gauze. This was all I could do for him and silently I prayed that whoever was coming would hurry.

"Um, Ms. Eve? Thirteen?"

Sero's voice broke through our concentrated silence, calling over to us nervously.

We paused, our heads turning towards him and finding him standing by the stairs. I caught the wavering apprehension in Sero's tone, and instantly my eyes swept through the area, scanning for signs of danger.

I found none.

However, I couldn't shake this feeling of unease that something wasn't right. I glanced around the space for a second time and the feeling grew. It was only when my eyes passed over the students that I recognized the source of this trepidation. It wasn't something that I was looking for, but someone. Someone was missing.

My eyes flashed to each of the kids, counting them off and coming up one short.

I sprang to my feet.

"Where is he?! Where is Midoriya?" I shouted out in rapid fire.

"How did you-"

"Where is he?!" I repeated in a roar.

Sero blanched and drew a finger, pointing down the stairs at his feet.

"He went off to save All Might." He choked out quickly.

"What?"

I could hardly believe the words I was hearing. All Might was in trouble and Midoriya had run off to save him. Two things that should not be happening. All Might was strong. He needed no help.

That earlier unexplained fear whispered back in the recesses of my mind, the image of black flesh colliding with All Might's flashing in my vision. But that fear was quickly overtaken by indignation. All Might could handle himself in whatever he was caught up in. Midoriya, however, was a different matter.

Damn teenagers.

I glanced back down to Aizawa and Thirteen hurriedly, torn between one duty to stay and protect the remaining eleven souls, and the other duty to retrieve Midoriya from almost certain danger.

One soul against eleven.

My mind had barely begun to weigh the measure of each choice when Thirteen's voice reached me.

"I can take care of things here. Go." She said, her voice a quiet, firm whisper.

Feverishly I blinked, watching my reflection in that black helmet stare back with momentary deliberation.

A moment and my face hardened in the darkened mirror. I gave a quick nod, flying off back to the stairs. I touched down next to Sero, and Sato and Mineta shifted, creating a space between them for me.

"He's down there." Mineta pointed to a spot down in the plaza where I found a familiar looking mess of dark green hair running frantically across the ground. My eyes raced ahead of him and my stomach dropped. Bent over backwards with thick, black fingers gouged into his sides was All Might. He was bleeding profusely from his ribs, the red spreading outwards to stain his white shirt as his arms enveloped around the villain's waist, holding them both in a mid suplex. But that was not the part that held me stupefied. The monstrous villain had been halved. Where his torso ended in the ground by All Might's head, his upper half had reemerged from swirling black pools directly underneath the Hero. Warp gates.

My gaze flashed to the left. Standing only a few feet away was the villain responsible for those swirling black gates.

Confusion and rage were twin claws slicing deep across my mind.

When had he woken up? How had he woken up? Anyone I put under was out for at least a few hours upwards to the full extent of a day. No exceptions. It had barely been ten minutes since I had thrown his unconscious body out into the facility, and yet, there he was, standing beside his companions as if I had done nothing in the first place.

Sato's fearful voice drew me away from the warp villain and the swirling questions buzzing in my head. "All Might looks like he's in real trouble." He said.

Indeed. All Might had given up on holding the villain in place, his hands fleeing to his side and trying to pry the thick fingers from his ribs.

Suddenly my gaze flicked to the teens standing beside me, sensing a tightening in their limbs. The three of them had their eyes locked onto All Might below as something within them stirred.

Oh hell no. One wayward sheep was one too many.

I crouched, growling. "None of you even think of moving from this spot-" the boys jerked, their attention snapping to me, "-or so help me I'll make it so you won't be able to move an inch before the other teachers get here."

They had seen my power in action so they knew what I could do - what I could do to them.

Perhaps, a gentle reminder was in order.

In a flash my strands surged and wrapped themselves around the would-be renegades. The teens sucked in startled gasps as they found themselves suddenly lifted and pushed back three paces from the edge of the stairs, the tips of their shoes scraping against the ground.

I felt them squirm and fidget, testing my restraints for any give.

A low rumble rolled deep from my throat and they stilled.

I cast a single eye back, my voice cold and immovable as glaciers of ice. "Is that understood?"

Sato's head whipped up to the ceiling, his eyes squeezing firmly shut as the bulge of his Adam's apple worked up and down.

"Yes, ma'am!" He bellowed loudly. If he hadn't been restrained, I think he would have even saluted.

"Good."

I dropped them, exploding off the stairs. Wind screeched past my ears in a howling rush of air. Within seconds I was upon Midoriya, but he had made it far, far enough that he was now in reach of the villains and All Might. My strings surged out ahead, wrapping around his limbs, and in one firm yank I reversed his trajectory, knocking him off his feet and sending him flying backwards.

The look of surprise on his face was to be expected. What came next was not.

"Ghost!" Midoriya cried out in shock, his head twisting back and finding me. "I -" tears welled in his eyes, "Please help him! Please save All Might!"

I heard his plea, the words an echo reflection of my own spoken to Thirteen moments ago. I understood the desperation, the desire to save, to do something for those you care about. I also understood the crippling despair that came from failure to do any of that. It was the only reason for what I did.

"Get back to Thirteen." I growled.

Spinning around, I chucked him back towards the stairs, leaving him to stumble and fall against the ground. I turned back towards the villains, picking up speed.

I felt the anger swiftly return upon seeing them all gathered again - the trifecta responsible for what was happening and for what was to come. It was because of them I had to forfeit everything. Because of them that there would be no more time. Because of them that I would never find out what this thing was that I found with Aizawa. Futures. Hopes. Possibilities. They were all gone.

Thirteen was right. I was not a villain. But this anger - it roared and burned, climbing over my skin in a claiming fire. I wasn't strong like her, able to hold it back. But I didn't need to be.

I just needed to be me.

And so I let the fire consume me, fuel me.

All Might's head turned in my direction, his shockingly blue irises widening.

Ten feet. Five feet.

The villains jerked in my direction. A voice, scratchy and hoarse yelled out in alarm. "Kurogiri! Stop her!"

A wall of pitch-black smoke shot up in front of me and I dove under.

Three feet. Two feet.

One.

I erupted out of the ground.

And straight into the body of the monstrous black villain.

---

Hello everyone. I've got no excuses besides that even though it's been over a year since I last posted that I've been keeping an eye on this story, reading your supportive comments, and slowly chipping away at the next few chapters. I haven't gone anywhere. Imposter syndrome took a while to deal with (hasn't fully gone away) and for me to get back into the swing of things. Reading your support and love for this story is what keeps me going, and I would like to address some of your comments now since I couldn't reply back to them for one reason or another:

encre d'espirt - Oh, absolutely! I'm working hard on it with a lot more to come!

Adelina Fontana - I'm so glad that you're enjoying the story!

WitchHunter Cross - I hope you enjoy these new updates :)

the lonely otter - Thank you for all of your messages and checking in with me. I hope you are doing well wherever you are in the world.

danimesmile - ;)

Atlasp - Thank you!

Fangirl031415 - Thanks! I hope this story keeps you entertained

Dawn Racer - Thank you so much! I've got big plans for the plot ;) After all, the past has a tendency to come back

Zsofi - Lol, you're not the only one to skip to ch. 12. Those beginning chapters have got me wincing now since I've gotten more experience writing but they were needed at the time to set up backstory. I'll probably rewrite them sometime or even combine them since they're so short, but I want to get to the good parts as soon as possible. So I'll leave them be for now so we can get on to more interesting things. Speaking of the good parts, reading your comment made me think about the "when" and "where" that lemon would happen. And I'm glad to say, after much pouring over the timeline, I know exactly when that's going to happen now. Writing that scene out was so much fun so you guys are in for a treat. I'll keep it detailed cause that's how I roll, and because you guys deserve it for keeping with me for so long ;P

Daneille - Every action has a consequence ;) Get ready for some drama.

Now for some business. I've been keeping an eye on the fanfiction website and it's become slightly unstable, going down randomly, sometimes for days at a time. In case this site ever does go down, I've also posted this story over on AO3. Same title, same author name. Any future chapter posts will be published across both platforms on the same day.

Thank you everyone for reading up to this point, so whaddya say we keep this ball rolling ;)

See you all in the next chapter.