"...hear that?"

"'Chako, wait, what-?"

"Hello?"

"Ochako!"

"Someone's down here, I don't-"

"Get back here, it's not safe! Ochako?"

"...Oh my gods…Hadou-san!"

"What, are you okay? Hang on, I'm coming!"

"S'gonna be okay...just hang in there…"

"Gods, is that…?"

"Hurry, we have to help him!"

~#~#~#~

Pain was the first thing he was aware of. Midoriya tried to pry his eyes open, but the little light he let in burned, stabbing at his retinas and shoving stakes of pain through his temples. He whimpered, squeezing them shut again. He tried to move his arm, to throw it over his eyes, but gods, his limbs were heavy. And oh, they hurt. Just twitching his fingers sent sharp pain vibrating through his body, underneath his skin. Why did everything hurt so much? He managed another low groan.

A sound startled him; a low rustle, there, to his right. Something warm and soft brushed against his forehead, the touch gentle and tender. "Shh," a voice murmured, "it's alright. You're safe now."

Midoriya felt stiff, confusion swirling through him like a storm. "M-mom?" he croaked.

There was silence. And then; "Rest, now." Someone's fingers combed softly through his hair, and Midoriya felt himself relaxing. A sigh breezed past his lips. Resting was a good idea. He was rather sleepy, now. He drifted off to the soft hums of someone closeby, the tune unfamiliar but calming.

~#~#~#~

Fire rained down from the sky. The mountains echoed with the screams from the hawk, its dying cries scorched into Midoriya's memory. Tears stung at his eyes. He stumbled back, hands clasped over his mouth and nose, trying desperately to rid his lungs of the scent of burnt feathers.

There, amidst the ashes and sparks, stood Bakugou, his face twisted in one of sickening glee. His new flame popped and sparked from his palms, and he laughed and laughed. "Take that, you stupid bird!" he shrieked. Midoriya could only stare on, horrified.

He...he just killed it. Just like that. One minute, the hawk was soaring overhead, a symbol of glory and power, and the next, it was burning, burning, burning.

The other kids didn't seem bothered by what he'd done, laughing alongside Bakugou. Midoriya couldn't bear to watch any longer; he stumbled farther and father back, before turning tail and running back into the safety of the trees. Branches and twigs whipped at his face and chest, but Midoriya didn't care. He just wanted to get away. Away from the soot and ash and scorched feathers. In his haste, his foot caught a gnarled root, sending him flying into the dirt. Midoriya landed hard, stars dancing in his vision. Tears stung at the corners of his eyes, and for a moment, Midoriya nearly panicked, unable to breath right. He wheezed a bit before the strange sensation faded, and he could pull himself up onto his hands and knees. "Ow," he whimpered. His palms stung and his smock was covered in leaves and dirt. Midoriya brushed the leaves away and stood, only for his leg to give out, and he collapsed into a heap with a cry.

His ankle hurt.

Midoriya sniffed and swiped at his cheeks. He carefully hauled up onto his hands and knees and crawled to the nearest tree, using the moss covered trunk as support so he could pull himself up onto his feet. Gently, he tried putting a little bit of pressure on his sore ankle. Spikes of pain lanced up and down his leg, and he leaned back into the trunk with a whimper. Owie. Midoriya bit his lip. He couldn't walk like this… His gaze darted to the side, catching onto a stick poking out of a shrub.

It would have to do.

A moment of crawling and fighting with a shrub, and Midoriya grasped his prize. He scooted back to the tree to get back to his feet, only using the stick like a crutch. It took what felt like hours to hobble through the woods. Every noise had Midoriya starting with fear; he nearly fell over a few times.

Finally, finally, he found the village. Some nice ladies folding laundry at the outskirts saw him, rushing to his side upon recognizing his meager beads. They sat him down at the stoop of their hut, and someone fetched his mother. It wasn't until he saw the familiar flash of green hair twisted into an updo through the trees that Midoriya's lip started to quiver.

"Izuku?" Inko pulled him into her arms, eyes wide with worry. "What happened, love?"

Midoriya burst into tears, clutching at the soft suede of her dress. Inko held him tighter, cooing in his ear. "Oh, sweetheart, it's okay. It's okay, I'm here." She brushed at his bangs, her touch as gentle as her voice.

"I'm here. I'm here."

~#~#~#~

Midoriya jolted awake. His vision filled with blurry lines of tan and brown; jagged, like teeth. He blinked once, twice, and everything cleared. Stalactites. They hung down, glistening with water and moss. He was in a cave. Somehow, he wasn't surprised upon that realization. He stared up at the innumerable stalactites, trying to tease out why this could be. A fleeting thought told Midoriya he should probably be panicking right about now. After all, what was the last thing he remembered? It certainly wasn't this. Midoriya furrowed his brows and pursed his lips. The last memories he had surfaced to the forefront of his mind; gleaming teeth and glowing eyes and growls so loud they made his bones tremble. He sucked in a breath and suppressed a shiver.

Yeah, he definitely didn't remember crawling into a cave. So how…?

A noise startled him. Midoriya turned his head, his gaze soaking up more of his surroundings. About a stone's toss away sat a crackling fire, its warm light bathing the stony walls in a soft orange glow. Beside the fire sat two packs, some blankets, and the hunched shape of a person. Midoriya stiffened. He watched with wide eyes as his mystery companion shuffled in place. They bent over the flames, humming to themself. The sharp shadows obscured most of their features; Midoriya could only make out the baggy outlines of their clothed shoulders, and the worn soles of their boots. Their soft humming buzzed in his ears. It was oddly familiar, and Midoriya found himself relaxing.

The person stood, then, sending a glance over their shoulder. Their gazes met, and Midoriya was breathless. Bright, ochre eyes, like sun-warmed earth peered at him. Realization ignited in them, and he was rewarded with the brightest smile he'd ever seen. "Oh! You're awake!" Two short strides, and they, or she, as he now realized, was at his side, a hand brushing at his bangs. "How do you feel?" she asked. Midoriya blinked up at her, his words stuck in his throat. She was...beautiful. Short, glossy, auburn hair framed her rounded face, and her cheeks were warm and rosy. She was dressed strangely, with tan, baggy cloth draped over her frame. There was a leather belt fashioned across her middle, showing off a narrow waist. Her smile faltered, and she tilted her head to the side. "Hello?"

Oh. Right. He gulped, mouth dry. "I-I'm, I'm f-fine."

The girl looked at him for a moment more, considering. She dipped her head in a nod and returned to the fire. Midoriya watched as she rummaged for something. The girl produced a wine skin from her pack with a soft, "Aha!", and returned to his side. She offered it to him with a smile. "Drink."

Midoriya looked from her to the wineskin. Was it safe? He immediately felt silly. If this girl had wanted to kill him, he'd probably already be dead. Midoriya leaned his head forward and let her press the wineskin against his lips. Cool water trickled down his throat, bringing with it relief. He drank greedily, water dribbling down his chin. Oh, gods, this was amazing. Midoriya hadn't realized how thirsty he was until the cool water touched his tongue. How long had he been out? Days? Weeks? He shoved those thoughts aside for later, focusing instead on drinking his fill. Regardless of the answer, he felt as though sand had been poured down his throat, and the water was a relief.

A moan tore from him, making him jolt. Embarrassment burned inside him, igniting his cheeks aflame. Midoriya was suddenly very aware of the girl sitting on his cot, so close he could feel her body heat against his thigh. He jerked back with an undignified squeak. Of course, water sloshed from the wineskin down onto his chest, soaking the woolen blanket draped over him. The girl jerked the wineskin back, and tied it off, apologizing profusely. "Oh, gosh, I'm sorry! Here, let me get that!" She grabbed the edge of her tunic, using it to mop at the wet spot on the blanket. "Geeze, we made a mess, didn't we?" She laughed, awkward, her focus shifting to his chin. "Here, let me…" She trailed off, raising her tunic to dab at his chin. Midoriya's already warm face heated up even more, and his breath hitched.

Oh. His gaze darted up to the girl's, watching in fascination at how her brows furrowed in concentration, her shimmering gaze focused on her actions. He was entranced. Caught in the crease of her brow, the way her hair fell from her shoulders, the hue igniting in the firelight, Midoriya wondered briefly if perhaps this was a dream. Whoever this kind girl was, she was...enchanting. Her gaze flickered to his, and Midoriya was lost in its warm glow.

"Hey, I'm back!"

The girl sprang back like she'd been burned. Midoriya gawked at the space where she'd been, blinking. He felt a bit colder than he had before, and he stifled a shiver, shifting his focus to the source of the interruption. Sweeping around a bend hidden by stalagmites as thick as trees, was a woman unlike any Midoriya had seen before. She moved swift and purposeful, like a gale of wind, tossing her cloak onto one of the packs beside the fire, her long, strangely colored hair swishing behind her. Her gaze landed on his, and she stopped in place, her mouth dropping open and surprise slashing across her features like a bolt of lightning. "Oh! You're awake!"

Midoriya didn't even have time to blink before she was upon him. Slender fingers clasped his jaw, jerking his head this way and that as a pair of shimmering blue eyes peered down at him. "How do you feel? Does anything hurt? You've been out for days, you know, it took a lot of work to patch you up. I don't think I've seen anyone quite as beat up as you, and I work with the king's knights; they're quite a mess, I'll have you know. Always whacking each other with their wooden swords for practice. You've got more bruises than the lot of them combined. And don't even get me started on that weird burn on your shoulder-does that hurt, by the way? I tried to find more aloe but that plant doesn't really grow around here, sorry about that, ooh, your eyes are quite green! I didn't notice that before. Of course, you've been unconscious, so it's not like I'd have noticed but still, they're very pretty. I had a friend with green eyes once-"

"Hadou-san! You're overwhelming him!"

The woman paused her rant to pout, before pulling back. "All right, all right." She held up her hands in defeat, directing her pout to their companion. "You can't blame me for being excited; he's been out for like, three days."

Midoriya blanched. "Three days?"

A grimace flickered across the girl's features, before she shook herself and sighed. "Yeah...you were lucky we found you, I think. Seems like you've been through it, a bit." She smiled, a hint of sadness glinting in her soft gaze, before she gasped. "Oh! We haven't introduced ourselves! I'm Uraraka Ochako, and this," she paused, turning to the woman beside her, "is Hadou-san, my mentor."

Hadou waved her hand, a flush staining her cheeks. "Oh, stop, you're embarrassing me." She looked to Midoriya then, smiling ruefully. "I always tell her to drop the honorifics, they make me feel so old. Just call me Nejire!"

Dazed, Midoriya nodded. "N-nice to meet you," he stammered. His mind was a fog, and Midoriya felt the telltale signs of a headache thumping at his temples. Ugh. He bit his lip, stifling a sniffle. Now was definitely not the time to start getting teary eyed. Still, an almost overwhelming wave of homesickness swelled within him, and Midoriya stubbornly fixed his stare on the stalactites jutting out of the ceiling. Uraraka seemed to notice his discomfort, and took pity on him. She touched him lightly on the shoulder, sparing a soft smile.

"Get some rest."

Midoriya blinked, warmth staining his cheeks. It was as though she'd placed a spell on him; her touch had evaporated the cloud of gloom looming overhead, replacing it with a fuzzy warmth in his chest. Midoriya nodded, murmuring a soft, "Thanks."

"Wait, wait," Hadou said, leaning back into his space, her odd, pale colored hair spilling from her shoulders and tickling his cheek. "What's your name, dear? We certainly can't keep calling you 'odd boy from the slope' after all."

His face burned at that. "Um," he started, then stopped. His name, his whole identity, was stuck at the tip of his tongue. Midoriya Izuku, son of the great firebreather. Midoriya Izuku, the boy with no flame. Midoriya Izuku, the boy whose father abandoned him. Midoriya Izuku, the outcast, the exiled.

"I don't need your pity." Bakugou's eyes flashed. "You shamed me."

You're pathetic. A nobody.

Midoriya managed a wobbly smile. "Call me Deku."

~#~#~#~

The following days were probably the strangest. Everything was layered in an unsettling calm, quite the contrast to how the previous weeks had been. The most Midoriya had to do was sit on his makeshift cot and listen to Uraraka and Hadou bicker over the best ways to heal his fading injuries.

It was strange, to say the least.

Currently, the two were huddled over a miniature pot hanging precariously over the fire, stewing up something or another. From where Midoriya was sitting, he could see an old, open book balanced precariously in Uraraka's hands.

"We can't use borage, that makes no sense!"

Hadou snorted. "I didn't say to use borage, you goof."

"You're holding a pinch of it right now."

She looked at her hands and paused. "Oh. Whoops." Hadou turned, pulling a small pouch from her pack and dropping the borage leaves back into it. "What was it that recipe called for again?"

Uraraka sighed. "Marigold. You know, the fluffy orange flower?"

"I know what that looks like!"

Midoriya heard Uraraka mutter something under her breath, and he stifled a chortle in his palm. He was quickly learning that Uraraka and Hadou's relationship was a unique one. They were quite close it seemed, and though Uraraka definitely looked up to her mentor, if those shining looks were anything to go by, there was often a lot of bickering and teasing riddled in their interactions. It was a startling contrast to how Midoriya used to interact with Inui, his own former master. The grin slid right off his face, and his heart clenched.

Thoughts of the sheep master had Midoriya thinking of home. He wondered who was helping Inui with the sheep. Did they miss him? And what of the lambs? He hoped none had fallen to any predators. Like whatever beast was lurking around the mountain…

Images of glowing eyes and gleaming fangs reared to the forefront of his mind, and Midoriya jumped at a gentle touch on his arm.

"Deku?" Uraraka blinked at him, concern knit in her brow. "Everything okay? You sorta zoned out there…"

He nodded jerkily, shoving thoughts of his old home and mysterious monsters to the back of his mind. "Y-yeah, I'm fine."

Uraraka stared at him for a beat, before nodding. "Here," she said. "Drink this." She presented a small, steaming bowl to him, filled with a mystery liquid. It was viscousy and jiggled when jostled, and was bright orange. It smelled flowery, but with a punch that Midoriya couldn't quite grasp. He eyed it for a moment, before dragging his gaze back to Uraraka.

"Um...wh-what is this?"

"A healing potion!" she said cheerily, as she plopped onto his cot. "It should help get rid of the rest of your aches and bruises. Hopefully it'll heal that awful burn of yours, too." Her voice grew quiet as she said the last part, a look Midoriya couldn't decipher shadowing her expression. Midoriya looked back to the potion and chewed his lip, feeling rather bashful all of a sudden. It was...nice, to have someone care for him. With a shrug, Midoriya downed the potion, screwing up his face as he forced it down. It was an...odd taste, that made his tongue and throat tingle.

"I-is it supposed to tingle?" he asked quietly. Uraraka shrugged, looking thoughtful.

"I think so." She tilted her head, giving him a once over. "If you start to feel dizzy, let me know." Uraraka rose then, muttering under her breath about toadstools and marigolds and things Midoriya wasn't certain he wanted to understand. He stared down at the now empty bowl and sighed. Gently, Midoriya set it to the side and stared instead at his hands. They tingled and felt rather prickly, and he watched with widening eyes as the yellowed rope burns faded away completely, and the scabs from the cuts on his palms faded too, until all that was left were thin lines, like scars.

"Whoa," he breathed. Midoriya brought his hands closer to his face, examining them. He'd never seen anything like this before...it was as though time had somehow sped up right before his very eyes. He marvelled, open mouthed. What...what was this? Uraraka had called it a potion… He squinted, bringing his palms even closer. The thin lines were jagged and pale pink, and he found himself wondering how exactly they'd gotten there. What had he cut himself on? His mind jumped back to his flight through the forest. Midoriya's breath caught in his throat. He could practically hear the beast growling, its jaws snapping shut behind him, the sensation of his father's tooth cutting at his palms… He gasped. The tooth! Midoriya scrambled off the cot, throwing aside the woolen blanket. His heart thumped in his chest, panic rising like smoke. Oh, gods, where could it be?

"Deku? What's wrong?"

He spared a glance over his shoulder, a concerned Uraraka and confused Hadou both stared owlishly back. "My tooth," he said, voice wavering. "A-a fafnir tooth; my father gave it to me...I can't find it!" He pulled up the cushion, staring forlornly at the rock below. It wasn't there. Midoriya sank to the ground, clutching his head in his hands. Oh, gods, he must've dropped it in the woods. Who knew where it could be, now? Dizzy with despair, Midoriya almost didn't hear footsteps approach. There was a gentle touch on his shoulder.

"I'm sorry," Uraraka said, her voice soft. "We can look for it, if you want."

Midoriya slowly lifted his head. He was met with a look of complete sincerity and warmth, that his heart squeezed in his chest. His face heated up again, and he looked away, overwhelmed. Not too many people had showed such kindness to him in quite some time. It was...a lot to take in. "Tha-thanks," he murmured. Uraraka gave his shoulder a squeeze.

"Of course. We can look for it together, if you're up for it."

That brought a jolt from him. "O-oh, really?" His voice came out as a squeak. Midoriya snuck a peak up at Uraraka, who was nodding enthusiastically.

"Yeah! That way you can stretch your legs a bit, and maybe we'll find your fafnir tooth!"

The idea was tempting. Midoriya hadn't been awake for long, only a few days, but he was already feeling a little stir crazy. Hadou was especially insistent on having him take it easy, going on about something about stiff muscles and healing potions. It was a jumbled mess; Hadou, he had learned, often went off on tangents. Midoriya smiled. "Yeah, okay."

Uraraka offered him a hand, which he took gratefully. He yelped as she hauled him to his feet with a single tug; despite her short stature, Uraraka was surprisingly strong. Her palms were warm and soft, and Midoriya flushed upon realizing that their hands were clasped. Oh. Oh gods. He dropped her hand, looking anywhere but her. She didn't seem to notice, turning instead to Hadou. "You coming too?"

Hadou didn't spare them a glance, too focused on whatever it was that she was doing. Midoriya squinted as he peered down at the array of things around her; plants and roots and leaves and flowers of all sorts, in various piles. She was scribbling on some parchment too, only pausing to wave offhandedly over her shoulder. "Nah, you kids have fun. But not too much fun. And be back before sundown, I'm not about to trek through this forest looking for you two. Or using a seeker spell. Nope, not wasting energy for that. Besides I have to take stock of what we picked up for the shop and all that."

But not too much fun. Midoriya bit his lip and tried not to think about what Hadou meant by that. The older girl had a tendency to speak without thinking, often resulting in a lot of word vomit. Sometimes Midoriya felt as though his head was spinning after he talked to her. Which meant she probably, definitely didn't mean it like that. Probably.

There was a hum, and he looked over to see Uraraka nodding. He thought perhaps her cheeks were a bit pinker than normal, but he shoved the thought away immediately. No, he was just imagining things. That was definitely her normal blush on her face. "Okay, cool," Uraraka said. "If I see any more herbs while we're out, I'll pick some up. What did you say we needed more of again?"

Hadou glanced down at the parchment in her hands and frowned. "Horsetail. We're pretty short on that stuff. Oh, and jasmine, if you can find it."

Uraraka nodded again, reaching for her cloak. She tugged it over her head with a practiced ease and grace that Midoriya was learning to associate with her. The cloak, like the rest of her outfit, was unusual. It was short, only reaching down to her fingertips, and fastened at the nape of her neck. Its color was deep thanks to the firelight; a magenta, Uraraka had called it. The hood on it was quirky and came to a point, but currently she wore it down. She cast a glance over her shoulder, beaming that bright smile at him and making him feel warm all over. "Coming?" She asked. Uraraka then turned on her heel and strode past the fire, not waiting for an answer. Midoriya stumbled after her. The cave narrowed, thick stalagmites rearing up from the floor, some even touching the stalactites on the ceiling. Midoriya followed Uraraka up a slope and around a bend, firelight disappearing behind them and replaced with the glow of natural sunlight. He had to squint against it a bit, the brightness of the light burning his eyes a bit.

They paused at the lip of the cave so Uraraka could grab a staff that leaned in the shadows. The staff was a curious thing; aged, knobby wood that grew thicker towards the top. It curled around a strange crystalline orb, the color of Uraraka's cloak. The orb sparkled in the sunlight, and Midoriya couldn't help but stare. "What's that?" he asked, the words tumbling from his lips unbidden. Uraraka glanced at her staff, smiling ruefully. "Oh, it's nothing." She didn't elaborate, instead striding out into the woods and leaving Midoriya to wonder as he followed after her. He frowned but said nothing. No use in pressing the matter, if Uraraka didn't wish to speak on it.

The day was a nice one. A warm breeze slipped between the trees, tickling at his skin. Midoriya was glad for it too; with his vest and cloak gone, he had nothing to keep him warm. His gaze flit to Uraraka and her strange clothes, and he couldn't help but feel a bit jealous. Oh, what he would give to at least have his cloak right now. He missed the feel of the soft fabric on his skin, and how he could just hide in it. Loud chattering birdsong interrupted his train of thought, and Midoriya looked up. Overhead, birds flit from branch to branch, singing their feathery hearts out. A crooked smile fixed onto his lips. He always wondered what the birds sang about. Where they sharing pleasantries? Or perhaps yelling at each other? He wondered if they'd know where his tooth was, if he asked.

Perhaps they'd know what it was that chased him that night…

Despite the warmth, Midoriya shivered. He swivelled his head back and forth, fear prickling his mind as he peered into the shadows. Instinctively, he stepped closer to Uraraka, nearly running into her when she stopped. He squeaked, staggering back. Apologies crowded the tip of his tongue, stalling when he caught her expression. She stared ahead, usually bright eyes solemn. Midoriya followed her line of sight, settling his gaze on a tree just a stone's throw in front of them.

"That's where we found you," she said, quiet. "You were unconscious and bleeding a lot. I...I thought you might be dead, at first." Uraraka looked at him then, questions brimming in her eyes. "What happened?"

Midoriya stared ahead, at the tree. It was at the bottom of a steep incline that was riddled with shrubs and trees and sharp rocky outcrops. Did he really fall down that…? Midoriya frowned. He looked down at his hands, light scars still patterned on his palms. He thought of before, of his exile, of his clan. Did it matter if he told her? Midoriya's gaze flickered to Uraraka. Her expression shimmered with worry and warmth. Genuine warmth, the kind that had his heart stuttering in his chest. He looked away, face burning. "Maybe I dropped it up on the ridge," he murmured, gesturing at the top of the hill. Uraraka was frowning beside him, almost burning with worry, but he pushed onwards, striding out towards the tree. And as he walked, Midoriya shoved his past behind him with a force that made his knees tremble.

He breathed. Forcing a smile onto his lips, Midoriya cast a brave glance over his shoulder at Uraraka, whose stare had yet to leave him. "So you guys are out here looking for herbs?" It was a lame question, he knew, but it was the only thing he could think of to change the subject, to punt the focus away from him. Uraraka frowned, but she merely shrugged.

"Yeah, sorta. We run an apothecary shop in the city."

"Apothecary shop?"

"Yep," Uraraka chirped. "We make potions and things to help people out. Most of what we sell is medicines and healing potions, but we get the occasional order for, erm." She paused, her face screwing up in mild distaste. "Interesting things."

Midoriya's mind immediately went to the healing potion she and Hadou had made for him earlier, and how quickly it had healed his injuries. That was, as far as he knew, not normal. He was aware of that when it happened, but with the missing tooth, it had nearly slipped his mind. Now though, deep in the thicket and left to think freely, it came roaring back. How exactly had that potion worked so well? Back at home, they had a healer; someone versed in treating injuries and sickness. But Midoriya never remembered drinks that healed his scars before his eyes. "Is it magic?" he blurted.

Uraraka laughed. The sound was bright and cheerful, and Midoriya felt his face flush. Uraraka leaned on her staff, wiping mirthful tears from her eyes. "Yes, of course it is. What else would it be?"

He shrugged, embarrassed. "I...I don't know." A thousand more questions burned on his tongue, but Midoriya shoved them down. They bounced around his mind though, making his head spin. He'd heard murmurs of things like learned magic, but to see it happen was...it was like a veil had been ripped down in his mind. Midoriya gazed at Uraraka with a sense of awe. How did she learn how to do that? Could anyone learn? Was it hard, to make a potions? How did one infuse magic into a potion? Was there enchantments? Did Uraraka have an elemental connection? How-

A light touch on his arm brought Midoriya crashing back to reality with a yelp. Uraraka was looking at him with something akin to bemusement, and she chuckled lightly. "You sure do zone out a lot, don't you?" she teased. Midoriya flushed, stammering an apology. Uraraka rolled her eyes, playfully punching at his arm. "Don't be. It's kind of endearing, actually." Her gaze grew soft as she spoke, and there was a warmth flooding Midoriya that had him stumbling over his own two feet. They stared at each other for a beat, and Uraraka seemed to realize what she'd said; her face grew a bit pink, and she turned away, shielding her face with a curtain of hair. Uraraka waved at the hillside then, stammering, "This is it, this is where we found you! We should start looking, yep!" She then stomped off to a nearby tree, her gaze firmly fixed on the ground.

Midoriya glanced about. Oh, gods, this was going to take ages. He tried not to think too hard about the probability of finding the artifact; the amount of scattered leaves and underbrush was definitely working against them here. Still, he felt a little better being outside and actually trying to find the tooth. He snuck a glance at Uraraka, who was sweeping at the leaves with her staff, muttering to herself as she scrutinized the forest floor. Besides, the company wasn't so bad.

He hummed to himself as he kicked at the leaves, feeling surprisingly light for the first time in awhile.

And another update! At long last, we meet Ochako! XD Hopefully worth the wait! Thanks for the read. ;3

-Kat