Chapter Thirty-Five
~Kana's POV~
Kana hadn't had a good night's rest this past week and tonight was no different. Lately her sleep had been getting more restless. With all the things that went on in her life before this, she couldn't understand why her sleep was being disturbed now. It was an inconvenience to her that she was always tired lately and the bags under her eyes were slowly darkening. The boys had noticed and so had Mina and Momo as they were the only two brave enough to tell this to her face. Kana had assured them that she was okay but she knew they didn't believe her.
Kana sighed as she looked out across the treetops from her balcony. In the moonlight they looked gray while the night sky gave a dark backdrop. She should try visiting the secret garden back at the Ugly House, the moon tonight was going to give it a beautiful glow. Kana wrapped her blanket around her shoulders tighter. She should go get a drink from the kitchen downstairs she was thirsty. Kana wrestled with her conscience a little longer before she finally decided to get up and go get something. Maybe she should take a Melatonin gummy to help her sleep.
The walk down the hallway almost had Kana turning around to head back to her room. The sconces on the walls were dimly lit making more shadows than usual dance across the wall and floor. Kana was freaking herself out as she quickly darted down the hallway to the elevator. When she had pressed the elevator button to call the lift Kana's brain started it's whispering, and she started to overthink. She had seen way too many scary movies involving the elevator to feel comfortable riding in it alone. The stairway was even worse. Kana was about to head back to her room when the elevator doors swung open making Kana screech.
"The hell!?" Kana had flinched before she'd simply stiffened like a deer in the headlights. She gasped for air as she realized Bakugou was in the elevator already. He was as pale as her but once he registered it was her he spoke up. "What the hell are you doing screeching like that you demon?"
"I'm so glad it's you." Kana blurted out. She started to laugh as she forced herself to get into the elevator. "Thought I was about to meet an elevator demon or something. Was worried I was gonna meet the gods sooner than I wanted."
"Have you gone crazy?" Bakugou growled. Kana glanced at him before she pulled her hoodie tighter around her.
"Maybe. But then again that's assuming I was ever sane." She winced. "I've seen way too many scary movies to be walking around at night."
"Why are you walking around? Shouldn't you be sleeping?" Kana gave him a look.
"Shouldn't you be sleeping as well? Don't you go to sleep at 8 or something?" Bakugou growled.
"Shut up."
"Shut don't go up." Kana stated. Kana sighed. "Sorry, I get snippy when I'm tired."
"Humph, I didn't ask."
"Everyone else is." Kana muttered before she glanced at him from her peripherals. "You've been moodier as well. I'm guessing you aren't sleeping as well?"
"I can get thirsty can't I?" Bakugou growled. Kana nodded but even she could see the fatigue around his eyes making them look tighter. He caught her staring. "What?" Kana didn't say anything as she looked ahead. When the elevator came to a stop and the doors opened she exited the elevator, heading right to the fridge.
She grabbed a bottle of peach water and sat down to drink it. She didn't say anything as Bakugou moved to get his own drink. Kana waited until he had stopped moving before she spoke.
"Do you have nightmares too?" Kana didn't expect an answer from Bakugou. She honestly wasn't sure why she was talking about this to him, sure he'd probably be the best person to understand but she didn't know Bakugou that well on a personal level. "I keep waking up expecting to see Shigaraki watching me. The fear and loss of control I have when I wake up, I hate it. I don't know why I have the stupid dreams. It's not like it's the worse thing I've lived through but, I can't stop thinking about it." Kana gulped down another sip of her water. "Guess I'm not as strong as I thought I was."
"Shut up." Kana looked up at Bakugou. His hair hid his eyes as his jaw clenched. The way he was clutching his water bottle had Kana figuring he was angry at her for daring to dump this on him.
"Sorry I shouldn't have said anything." Kana got up off her chair. "I just figured you'd probably be the best person to understand." Kana didn't expect to hear anything more from him on this, she didn't want to make him angry with her. "Good night Katsuki."
"I have them too." Kana halted at that. She didn't turn around as she was afraid he would stop talking if she did. "I can't escape them. But I'll be damned if I give in to that fear." Kana nodded.
"I don't suppose you feel like sleeping?" Kana had an idea that she wanted to try.
"What do you mean? What are you thinking?" Kana turned her head to meet Bakugou's eyes. The raw emotion she saw there had her heart feeling like it was being clawed up. She simply held out her hand to Bakugou.
"Do you trust me?"
"No." Kana had to snort at that.
"Understandable. But I promise, it'll be worth it." Kana waited until Bakugou was beside her. He didn't take her hand, which Kana didn't take personally. Instead she faced forward as she brought her hand out, forming a portal that opened to a hall made of vines, the floor was marble with leaves and flowers carpeting the edges. Kana stepped through, waiting for Bakugou to follow her before she closed the portal behind them.
"Where are we?"
"This is a secret that my sister and I found a few weeks back." Kana stated as she moved forward down the hallway. "It's a garden that was abandoned and it's taken us a long time to get it back in somewhat functional order. No one knows about it except the two of us."
"And why are we here?" Bakugou asked growling. "I could be doing something worthwhile."
"You mean trying to sleep?" Kana deadpanned.
"I could be training." Bakugou snarled. "Instead of wandering around in this creepy dank tunnel." Kana rolled her eyes.
"Calm down you gremlin." The tunnel suddenly ended revealing a large open area. Grass thickly carpeted the floor as rose bushes grew wildly. Vines crawled up the cobbled walls until it eventually faded to tree tops. A small overgrown fountain connected the lower level to a higher level where a stained glass window shimmered as moonlight spilled through illuminating the garden with soft white light.
Kana crossed to the new garden couches that circled the far corner. A small table sat in the middle of the chairs and couches that they'd added when the League had moved in. Kana had wanted a place to destress after meeting them and adding the furniture had seemed the natural next step.
"Are we still in Japan?" Bakugou asked as he'd followed Kana to the couches. Kana flopped down on one couch and Bakugou slumped on the opposite couch.
"Of course. I wouldn't take you overseas without warning you." Kana answered honestly.
"You can go overseas?" Bakugou asked. 'Crud.' Kana thought. She needed to be careful of what she said.
"Well," Kana nervously stuttered. "Yeah I can go overseas. I know I shouldn't but, sometimes I need a break ya know?" Kana looked up at the nonexistent ceiling. "It's hard being an older sibling to the furry and shadow boy."
"Tch, quit complaining about those idiots. They can take care of themselves you know. You're not their mother." Kana hummed.
"I know I'm not but-"
"But nothing, you should worry about yourself more often." Kana glanced at Bakugou who was slouched on one of the more comfortable chairs. She looked up at the stars.
"It's hard. I've been with them since the beginning." Kana remembered the day she'd been taken in by Shina. Yuto had already been living with Shina and Auntie Sarah when Kana had come to live with them. Helping Auntie Sarah take care of Yuto had been her #1 priority until they'd gotten James. "Yuto leans more on Shina but he always comes to me when he's tired of dealing with the shadows whispers. James will never admit it, but he needs the teasing that we do to keep him sane. Shina may be older, but she's still fragile after dealing with her ex." Kana fell silent before she murmured, "They're my family, who else can handle their issues if not me?"
"You're an idiot." Bakugou stated flatly. Kana snorted.
"You've said so many times boom boom boy." Kana turned her head to meet his eyes. "I don't know why I'm telling you this, it's not like you'll tell me anything about yourself."
"I'm not a whiner like you." He snapped.
"True." Kana sighed as she looked up at the stars. "But even bombs explode at some point." They spent some time in silence as Kana allowed herself to relax and listen to the gentle crashing of the water fountain. There weren't that many bugs in the garden but there were some birds in the treetops, she could hear their wings flutter every so often. She felt her body relax and get heavier as she relaxed more. It was nice in this garden, no expectations, no thoughts, just that heavy feeling running through her making her feel deeply relaxed.
She didn't realize she'd fallen asleep until she felt something a hand on her shoulder. Unlike previous times where Kana would have startled awake at the ready. This time Kana sleepily moved her arm to hit whichever brother was bugging her as a protesting moan escaped her.
"Mm tired still." Kana murmured.
"Wake the hell up idiot. We have to get back to UA." Kana frowned and opened her eyes. The pink sunrise was disorienting as she distinctly remembered seeing stars. Her vision was obscured as Bakugou came over to hover over her with his usual frown. The confusion at seeing Bakugou faded as her memories came back.
"Oh." Kana sat up, glancing around. "Right sorry I forgot." A yawn escaped Kana. "I didn't mean to fall asleep."
"Yeah yeah just get up and take us back to UA dork." Kana stuck her tongue out at Bakugou as she stood up and stretched. She noticed the pillows on the chair Bakugou had been sleeping on looked more unkempt then she remembered seeing earlier. There was a small white spot on one of the pillows making Kana look at Bakugou who she noticed seemed to be moving slower.
"You fell asleep too didn't you?" Kana grinned when Bakugou twitched.
"Just shut up and take us back." Bakugou growled.
"Fine fine." Kana kept smiling even after she'd brought them both back to UA's main lobby. There weren't any of their classmates moving around yet as they weren't expecting their families until later which meant they could sleep in thankfully. No one was around to watch Kana and Bakugou come out of the portal. Kana pushed the elevator doors, feeling much better than she had a few hours ago. Bakugou followed her onto the elevator but when the elevator opened on her floor Kana paused before she stepped out. "If you ever want to go back to that place, let me know. I won't ask you a million questions."
"Whatever Nara." Kana didn't wait as the elevator doors closed; she slowly made her way to her dorm room feeling lighter than she had in a long while. Who knew all she had needed was a good nap to not feel like she wanted to murder someone? Guess Shina and Aizawa were right about naps.
~Yutos POV~
Yuto had been lounging in the living room since he'd come down early this morning. He'd been playing a couple games on his cellphone while he waited for his siblings to come down. Ironically, Tokoyami had come down before James had. Yuto had been glad to see his friend and invited him to sit with him. Tokoyami and Dark Shadow had agreed, and they had sat down beside Yuto. Yuto had shifted over time and his knees had somehow ended up resting in Tokoyami's lap while his dark friend read his book holding his leg securely as Yuto was prone to twitching when his game got too exciting. It was a peaceful morning, one that Yuto was sad to know was going to have to end at some point.
"Yuto?" Tokoyami called making Yuto hum in acknowledgement. "Are you expecting to only have your older sister come and visit?"
"I actually have some adopted siblings coming as well." Yuto murmured.
"You have adopted siblings?" Tokoyami asked. The change in his tone caught Yuto's attention and he thought back to what he'd said. Yuto paused his game and placed his phone on his chest as he met Tokoyami's dark eyes.
"It's a bit hard to explain my family structure and honestly if I think about it, even I realize it's strange." Tokoyami nodded at him, so Yuto went on. "My older sister Shina took in me, Kana and James a couple years ago. We moved around a lot for her job, so we had a lot of friends and in one place, we ended up staying for almost a year so we got really familiar with Kira, Kai and Yoshi. They recently came to us after their grandfather died and he left it in his will that he wanted them to stay with Shina since they viewed us as an extended family of sorts."
"That must make your home cramped with the additional people." Yuto smiled.
"Not really. We have a big place." Tokoyami nodded.
"So, your adopted siblings are going to visit?" Yuto scrunched up his face as he thought about it.
"I think only Shina, Kira and Kai are going to come. Yoshi doesn't really get out much." Yuto could mentally hear Yoshi cursing at him for that white lie. Tokoyami seemed content with that answer. "Why do you ask?" Tokoyami seemed to hesitate before he said,
"My parents are coming as well as my little brother… I would like to introduce you to them. If you are okay with that?" Yuto tilted his head.
"Yeah sure that sounds like fun." Tokoyami seemed to relax at Yuto's agreement. "Were you worried I was going to say no?"
"The thought did cross my mind that you may not have wanted to meet my family." Yuto frowned as he sat up. Since his knees were on Tokoyami's lap his face ended up closer than he had realized. He'd never been so close to Tokoyami but he honestly found it interesting as he'd never gotten to study a Quirk users physical changes. He wondered what kind of bird Tokoyami took after. As much as his friend reveled in the dark, Yuto know he wasn't a raven or a crow, their beaks were black.
"Of course I'd want to meet your family dude. I have to thank the people who made my best friends so awesome." Tokoyami blinked at him in shock. "What?" Yuto glanced at himself. "Do I have something on me?"
"No." Tokoyami coughed. "You're… fine."
"More than fine in my book!" Dark Shadow chirped. Yuto smiled.
"Hey Dark Shadow, I was wondering when you were going to show up." Yuto greeted the shadow manifestation who preened under Yuto's fingers. Dark Shadow wasn't always solid when he came out, but since Yuto had the shadow affinity, he was always able to touch the manifestation which made Dark Shadow proclaim him as his 'Prince'. Yuto honestly didn't mind as he found Dark Shadow fascinating.
"Yuto!" Yuto didn't stop gently scratching Dark Shadow as he turned to James who was looking annoyed. His tail was flicking and twitching as he walked closer. "Can you help me get Kana out of her room?"
"What did you do to her now?" Yuto asked not bothering to move.
"I didn't do anything to that homeless furball." James growled. "She was standing outside her room door this morning like she was in a trance and when I called to her she ran into her room before I could see what was up." Yuto sighed.
"Dude it's 8 in the morning." Yuto stated calmly as he grabbed his phone and laid back down. "She was probably walking around earlier this morning. You know she's not sleeping good."
"She did fall asleep in class yesterday." Tokoyami said making Yuto nod at that.
"She was blushing." James stated flatly. Yuto flicked his eyes up at his brother.
"Maybe she just got in from a run. She can exercise you know." James scoffed but Yuto tuned him out as he went back to his game. Kana was fine if she wasn't a crying puddle on the floor. James hovered over their sister too much. Yuto smirked, maybe he should try Kana's role in matchmaking to help James chill out.
~Shina's POV~
Shina watched as dust mites lazily flew in the air, only visible in the sunlight spilling in from the large windows that displayed only a fraction of the impressive gardens around the mansion. Distantly Shina wondered if the dust mites could be absorbed by her Quirk or if it would just make her skin fuzzy, of course that was assuming that she could even absorb them. This was a dumb line of thinking. It was a dumb question, but her mind had long ago started to drift off into the realm of dumb questions. Today's meeting was full as everyone was merely updating Shigaraki on their prospects for new allies.
Considering she had been driving between everyone like she had done last week, Shina was very well aware of the League's progress. Dabi was burning every potential recruit to ash. Thankfully he wasn't as rash after he'd nearly burned her. Compress was keeping to his part of town but had had no luck in finding anyone to bring to the League. Shina suspected he was looking for the 'perfect' match up. Mange and Spinner hadn't even left the mansion this week as they had resolved to help Kira and Kai with training. Spinner was with Shigaraki and Yoshi 'working' but Shina knew they were really playing video games. She wasn't going to even argue with that as this whole group was Shigaraki's group, not hers. Twice had been sticking to the shadows, she'd had a hard time talking to his civilian self as he had wanted nothing to do with her or the League. Kurogiri was off on some adventure for the Doctor, she had a tracker on Kurogiri and knew he was just hiking the isolated areas of Japan. She didn't know what he was looking for, but she was going to know the second he found it. Toga, well she was giving her report now and honestly it was taking so long as she kept glaring at Kai who wasn't even paying attention. Shigaraki didn't even look like he minded as he was staring unseeing at the bowl of strawberries in front of him.
Briefly Shina wondered what he was thinking before she dismissed it. She went back to watching the dust mites in the air as Toga continued to talk about meeting some men who had initially seemed like good allies, before she'd grown tired of them and killed them. Shina was about to snap at Toga to just put her out of her boredom when she felt a small tap on her shoulder.
"Miss?" Shina blinked back to reality as one of the maid tapped her shoulder. Shina glanced up at Yolanda's sweet face. Yolanda was one of the younger maids, she was related to Celeste and while she was young, she was a hard worker. Shina liked having the girl around for Kana and the others. Her Quirk for Foresight was also very useful. "You have a call coming from your grandmother." Shina noted the distant gaze in Yolanda's eyes and understood.
"When?" Shina looked around at everyone at the table. They weren't really paying much attention to her or Yolanda. They'd become used to Shina usually in a conversation with someone practically all the time.
"In one minute." Yolanda confirmed. "I suggest you take it. It's very important and concerns Miss Kana." Shina frowned at that warning.
"Thank you Yolanda." The young woman smiled gently before she exited the room. Shina however pulled out her phone and stared at the black screen. She'd only given her new number to her grandma last week after they'd spent an hour catching up. What could she want that concerned Kana?
"What's up?" Kira whispered to her. Shina looked at her charge with a lazy smile on her face.
"Nothing, just have a call from my grandma." Shina looked to Shigaraki who was still looking at his strawberry bowl. Shina didn't want to disturb anyone else from the meeting so she silently stood up and exited the room, using light camouflage to not disrupt anyone's attention.
Shina didn't want to stay in the mansion while she spoke with her grandma. While she knew they would talk in their native language and no one would be able to understand them, the paranoia of being eavesdropped on ran high. Walking out of the mansion was a big relief to Shina. She doubly so once she felt the breeze and sunshine on her back. She took a moment to just stand there feeling the sun's heat and the energy she got from just being outside run through her. After centering herself, Shina walked across the large back yard, past the Ha-shi hole and to the pond. She had just sat down when her phone started to go off.
"Hello?"
"Hey baby, how are you?" Came the familiar voice of her grandmother. Shina's grandmother sounded nice but there was that stern tone that lurked underneath that all women who'd raised children had.
"I'm okay." Shina sighed. "Works been piling up lately."
"I hope your boss isn't piling too much on you. You know you have a tendency to take on too much and not say anything." Shina physically rolled her eyes.
"I'll live grandma. How are you?" Shina honestly wanted to just ask why her grandma was calling her, especially considering the time differences that meant her grandma was calling near midnight, but politeness and respect meant she held her tongue as her grandmother chattered about her failed attempts at gardening as well as the issues she was having with keeping up with her livestock.
"It's just hard since I'm the only one living out here now." Shina sighed at the obvious play for guilt and sympathy.
"You've managed just fine until now grandma." Shina grunted. "Did you have any other news? I have a meeting in the next few minutes coming up."
"Right." Shina heard the dubious tone. "How are my other grandkids doing? I'm sure your extracurricular activities are keeping them busy?"
"Yes." Shina stated shortly avoiding falling into that conversation. Her grandmother probably suspected what they did but Shina knew the kids and herself had not told their grandmother about their thieving ways. Considering her grandmother was a well known hero in their hometown, she just didn't want that kind of drama. "Well if there's nothing else I have to get going."
"Wait." Shina paused as her grandma finally got to the point. "I had a visit from a friend of your uncles come by." Shina frowned.
"Which uncle?"
"Edward." Shina nodded once.
"Jailbird." Shina commented lightly. "So what's important about this friend coming by that has you avoiding this topic for this long?"
"Don't get snippy with me Shina." Her grandma ordered. "I haven't figured out how to phrase this so I'm just going to come right out and say it. Your uncle has promised Kana's hand in marriage to his friend's oldest son." Shina blinked once, twice before she opened her mouth only to let out an unintelligible,
"EH?"
"That was my reaction." Shina was still trying to form words as her grandma continued. "Your uncle evidently didn't have much choice from what he'd said. It was Kana or his life."
"Well I would think in this situation he'd choose his life because forcing that kind of thing on his only child is barbaric." Shina practically shrieked. "Not to mention he gave up his rights when he went to jail. Can he even make that kind of claim? I'm her guardian!"
"The deal was made in the old ways young one." Shina grit her teeth. "The colonizer laws aren't followed by the older clans; you should know this. Her father is technically still Kana's parental blood relation."
"Wha- What…" Shina closed her eyes and forced herself to count to 10 while working on her breathing. When Shina felt calm again she asked, "What can I do grandmother?"
"I've been advised that Kana must return for her wedding in four days. However, I did inform your father's 'friend' that you aren't here and are fully immersed in another land at the moment. He didn't take this kindly." Shina snorted at the hard tone her grandmother's voice took on. "I didn't care for his tone or manners and had to teach him a lesson on why coercion is in fact something you should not try on me."
"I don't condone murder but please tell me you managed to at least maim him." Shina muttered.
"To a certain degree." Her grandmother's tone turned amused. "He's not going to be able to sit properly for a while." Shina sighed.
"I doubt he'd give up if he came to your place himself."
"No he will not."
"Can you at least tell me which clan dared to make this request?" Shina asked.
"It was the wolf clan to the southeast." Shina blinked before she said a word aloud that had her grandmother grunting in disapproval. Shina cursed under her breath before she suddenly fell to her knees.
"If they come again grandma, I'm going to insist that you move. I know you don't want to leave our homeland but this isn't something that we can fight if they decide to come at you full force."
"No. I will not flee my home." Her grandmother stated firmly. "I know you and the little ones have a hard time being here, but… this is where I created my family. This land holds many memories that I deem precious. I cannot leave this." Shina felt a pressure form in her throat at her grandmother's words. She quickly swiped at her eye, making sure no moisture gathered before she sighed.
"I'm going to have to let Kana know she's technically betrothed."
"She's not going to like this." Her grandmother snorted. "That girl has her mother's fire in her."
"Glad to know who to blame for that clumsiness as well." Shina stated in a flat voice making her grandmother chuckle. "Fine if you insist on not running then at least let me give you a scapegoat."
"Oh?"
"If and when they come back around again. Tell them we're in Japan. If they want Kana then they're going to have to deal with the fact that she's my charge and her legal guardian is going to have a say in this."
"And if they don't want to play nice?"
"If they don't like it then I'm prepared to buy her freedom." Shina stated in a hard tone. "In money or blood."
"Okay." Her grandmother sighed. "I'm getting too old for this little one." Shina snorted.
"You're only 60 something."
"I'm ancient." Her grandmother complained making Shina chuckle at her theatrics. "I'd better get going little one. I have to get up early if I'm going to deliver your demands."
"I thought I said wait until they come back?" Shina stated. She could hear her grandmother's eyes rolling.
"I'm not going to wait around for this issue to be resolved. I'm old, I don't have much time left on the earth. I would rather not spend it in anxiety." Shina could understand that sentiment. She didn't like her grandmother going to see the wolf clan by herself but her grandmother was stubborn. A trait she'd passed on to her children and grandchildren.
"Stay safe grandma."
"You as well little one. I'll let you know what they say." Shina ended the call and stared at the phone for a while before she got lost in looking at the pond. This wasn't something she had been expecting when Yolanda had told her that the grandmother was calling. She'd been prepared for a medical issue, not this. She was going to have to tell Kana about this unfortunate 'betrothal'.
'I need to take some bread.' Shina mused. 'It's the only thing guaranteed to not set her off.'
~Kira's POV~
"How long do we get with the prisoners?" Kira asked as the car neared UA High. Shina had been subdued since she'd come back inside from her phone call and when Kira had cornered her, she understood why Shina was distracted. Honestly, she found it funny and was looking forward to Kana's face when they told her. Kai was lounging in the passenger seat while Shina was driving the car.
"Initially we're gonna get about four hours." Shina responded.
"That's it?" Kai asked, snorting. "That's dumb. Why are we even going if we get the equivalent of a movie length with them?"
"I wasn't very jazzed about that either." Shina admitted as she parked the car. "Unfortunately, I'm not part of the school administration and I'm pretty sure if I find this whack, then I'm hoping and guessing that other parents are not as happy about that short time and are complaining." Shina sighed. "What I do know is we do get a longer amount of time next time and if we didn't do this then we wouldn't be able to get the info for Shigaraki that he wanted."
"When is that?" Kira asked.
"In about another four weeks." Shina answered.
"Good thing Kana can just make a portal and come see us then." Kira stated.
"I've told her to stop that and to focus on her schoolwork and her mission." Shina spoke. Kira frowned at that statement. She was going to go weeks without seeing her best friend. What the heck was this ish? Shina unbuckled her seatbelt and opened the car door leaving Kira and Kai to exchange a look before they both scrambled out of the car as well.
"What do you mean you 'told her to stop'?" Kira demanded to know. Shina didn't answer as she instead pulled out her bag.
"You should go grab the care package for Kana that you brought." Shina instructed.
"You're going to answer me about this." Kira growled.
"Maybe later." Shina side stepped Kira's glowering. "We should get moving right now." Kira grabbed the comfort food boxes that she and Shina had packed together this morning for the three prisoners of UA.
The entrance to UA High was impressive if oddly placed as there were a lot of older people, most likely family members of UA students, that were going into the school. Kira honestly wondered if this 'parents day' was a good idea as UA had obviously put their students safety first. To allow such a high risk to let their students families in, to be known by anyone staking out the front of UA seemed foolish to Kira. There was the very real and dangerous potential of someone being kidnapped and held ransomed. Of course, the LOV wouldn't do that as they honestly didn't care about holding people for ransom but still, they weren't the only villains in the world.
Kira eyed the people who came in before and after them, watching them in case they attacked or held any potential to harm her or her family. It was a habit by this point, as easy as breathing to Kira. The twins followed Shina as she entered UA High's weird entrance arch. At the end of the weird open hall-like entrance, in front of the entrance to the tall H building, there were some temporary tables set up with what looked like teachers helping direct parents and family members on where to go.
"So what security do we have set up here?" Kai murmured low enough for only the three of them to hear.
"That's what you two can figure out." Shina responded quietly. "Don't get caught." She went up to the first desk and seemed to turn her 'friendly' mode on. Kira watched her talk with the teacher wondering how Shina seemed to easily flirt and get information from the teacher on where to find their Nara siblings. Kira figured out which way the teacher was directing them, making a mental map while also wondering how she could 'detour' from this. Kira glanced up at a tree and saw a brown bird take flight. She tracked it easily using this as an excuse to see the building in its entirety.
Kira hadn't found anything useful by the time Shina came back over to them. Shina held up three white rubber bracelets. "We have to wear this while on UA grounds. It marks us as family members."
"Why white?" Kai asked as he took the rubber bracelet from Shina. Kira took hers and easily slid it on her wrist.
"Nara clan colors." Shina stated. Kira glanced at the red markings on the bracelets that stated 1A- HERO COURSE. "Their dorm is behind the school. We can get there by going this way." Shina pointed behind her.
"Let's go." Kira said. As they walked along the path to the 1A dorm Kira admired the scenery they passed. It wasn't extravagant but then again she was from an icy wonderland so seeing this much green was a bit stunning to her. The gardens back at the Ugly Mansion still distracted her with their colorful array. Kira paused as she saw a bush with some purple flowers that looked like a lavender bush. She wondered if they smelled nice or not. Kira's eyes then got caught by a small dark object that was flopping around under the bush. Kira looked closer and saw that it was a small bird. She didn't think twice as she walked off the path to help the small bird. It looked like it was old enough to leave the next, but she knew next to nothing about animals.
"Poor thing, did you hurt yourself?" Kira murmured as she picked up the bird. The bird chirped excitedly at her but Kira ignored it for the most part as she looked it over. She gently assessed its body with her fingers, being careful to not hurt it just in case. She really should look into some sort of veterinary textbook in case this happened again. Kira eventually decided the bird was okay so she carefully stood up as she held the bird to her chest. When she got back to the path Kira looked around but Kai and Shina were gone.
"Aw man they left me?" Kira muttered. She knew the directions on where to go but she also knew to take advantage of a situation when the opportunity presented itself. So Kira started to wander around the UA campus with the bird tucked against her chest. She made sure to look at every dorm and where they were located before she moved on. She saw a few buildings that looked like gyms but she wasn't sure if this was what they were used for. After about thirty minutes Kira figured she had looked at half of the buildings here.
"Hey are you lost?" Kira froze at the voice. She turned around and saw a girl with long periwinkle hair, wide eyes and a bright smile.
"Uh, yes?" Kira answered. "I'm sorry I stopped to pick this guy up," Kira indicated the small brown bird who chirped. "And when I looked up my sister and brother had already left me behind. Guess they were eager to see our other siblings."
"Oh I totally understand." The girl chuckled. "I can help you find them?" Kira smiled at her.
"Please? Uh only if you're not too busy." The girl giggled.
"Don't worry about it. I'm Nejire, and you are?"
"Uh, Nara Kira." Kira could tell that this girl was an upper classman by the way she moved. She was sure of her body and didn't hesitate to help. Kira wondered if this was what Kana had to look forward to if she stayed at UA.
"Do you know what class your siblings are in?" Nejire asked.
"Yes, they're in the 1-A Hero Course."
"I know where their dorm is." Nejire stated brightly. "Come on I'll lead you there." Nejire started walking in the direction of the 1A dorm that Kira had strategically been avoiding. Considering she was being escorted by a UA student, she didn't think she would be able to avoid this. Better to just go back with Nejire. She didn't want to risk knocking her out now that she had told Nejire her 'family' name.
"Thank you." Kira expressed. "But don't you have family coming to visit you as well?"
"Yeah but I'm sure they would understand. After all I'm training to be a hero. It's natural I'd stop to help a lost soul." Nejire smiled at her. Kira nodded at that slowly. She was suspicious but not overly so. She had a feeling this Nejire was simply that, a good hero. "You look like you're a high schooler, are you not at UA?"
"Uh no I'm homeschooled." Kira answered.
"Oh is that better than public school?" Nejire asked. "I think it would be as it's more one on one with your teachers, but you don't get as much interaction with friends."
"You have no idea Nejire." Kira stated. They continued to walk and talk about meaningless subjects that Kira kept away from her family and personal life by asking many questions about Nejire and her own course work. By the time they got to the front of 1A's dorm, Kira had a good idea of the Hero Courses future subjects.
"Here you are!" Nejire introduced. "Do you need help finding your family?" Kira looked around the lawn where families were gathered on the lawn at temporary tables with their children. Towards the back Kira saw a flash of red hair.
"No thank you Nejire. I see my older sister." Kira pointed to the red hair that acted as a beacon.
"Okay if you need any help just yell and someone should be along to help you!" Nejire smiled and waved. She then left Kira who quickly walked across the lawn to the red flash she'd seen. Of course once she rushed around the corner and saw the red hair, it wasn't Shina. Instead it was a boy with red and white hair. Who was just as surprised to see Kira rushing at him if the way his eyes widened was any indication.
"Oh crap!" Kira yelped as she slid to a stop in front of the boy.
"I didn't think I was crap." The boy stated in a dry voice. The situation couldn't have been better for Kira. This was Shoto Todoroki, her main target. Fate really had been kind to her hadn't it? Kira finally registered what Shoto had said as she blinked once before she felt am unintentional blush rise on her cheeks
"What? I-uh, I'm sorry that wasn't-I didn't mean you." Holy crap what was wrong with her? "Ahem, I'm sorry I saw your red hair and thought you were my older sister and I got too excited. I've been lost for a couple minutes now trying to find her."
"Oh." Shoto stated drily. "Who are you?"
"Nara, Kira." Kira stated. Shoto tilted his head in a way that Kira felt was unfairly cute. What was the deal? Kira didn't usually act like this. Even mentally!
"Are you related to James?"
"Yes!" Kira stated that a bit louder than she anticipated as she cleared her throat and reassessed herself. She forced herself to relax as she glanced up to meet Shoto's mismatched eyes. "He's my brother."
"You don't look alike." Shoto's response had Kira bristling as she knew for a fact that this was true but still, considering how close in age James, Yuto and Kana were she would have thought their classmates would know they were pretty much adopted.
"He's adopted." Kira deadpanned. Shoto nodded.
"That makes sense." He didn't say anything more as they simply stood in front of each other. Kira briefly wondered where Endeavor was if Shoto was just walking around out here. There didn't seem to be that many students on the side of the dorm, she guessed those who were still waiting for their family members were here.
"Do you know where the Nara's are?" Kira asked after it had been silent between them for too long.
"Yes they're trying to bring Kana down from her room." Shoto answered. "James had said she was being 'emotional'." Kira sighed at that. Kana was going to hurt James for that comment alone.
"Typical siblings then. Glad to know they haven't changed. Oh, where is Kana's room?" Kira asked.
"On the second floor." Shoto said. "I do not think family members are allowed in the rooms."
"Explains why they're having issues with getting her down here then." Kira muttered before she thought of something. She glanced at Shoto who was merely watching her. "Hey, can I ask you to help me do something a bit unorthodox?"
"… is it illegal?" Kira resisted the urge to sigh in defeat.
"No."
"Will anyone get hurt?" Kira thought about it.
"Not if you do this to my exact specification." Shoto nodded once more.
"I'm in." Kira grinned at him.
"Kana's told me a bit about you, you can use ice right?"
"Yes."
"Where's the stairway?"