The first morning in a new home is always strange and living in the dorms is no different. I wake in my bed to a different set of shadows slipping across the walls, the faint scent of paint and dust in my nose, and an odd silence that makes my skin itch. Crawling out of my sheets, I head to the closet to change.

My school uniform hangs at the front, slightly wrinkled from the move but still the handsome gray and green material. Brass buttons shine in the morning light as my fingers trace the seams.

U.A.

Hero School.

You tryin' to be a villain Rin-chan?

No.

I'm gonna be a hero.

I finger the pocket and sigh.

U.A.

It changed everything.

I wonder if Yui-san knew. I wonder if she had any idea what she set in motion. Did she know Yamada-sensei would refuse to send me back? Did she know Aizawa-sensei would care?

What? You think she knew she would die? Yeah right!

I grimace and drop my hand, suddenly uncomfortable.

Yui-san, Niko, Mineta, Kaito…

I'm going to make you watch as I destroy everything you've ever loved.

And when I'm done, I'm gonna find that bastard, Eraserhead, and I'm gonna slit his fucking throat-

I step back, staring down at my hands. They curl into fists.

Sensei.

How many people would Kaito hurt, kill, or maim?

Why?

Would he really go after Sensei too? If not, who would be next? He'd tried to kill Yamada-sensei, had hospitalized the people at the studio, had hurt countless just trying to make me suffer. Would he stop? Who was next? Kagura-nee-chan? My classmates? Shinsou?

My stomach churns at the memory of Shinsou in the rain, his purple hair sticking to his face and his shirt pulled around his nose. I swallow.

Could I even stop him?

I bury the horrid thoughts and quickly snatch an outfit from the closet, a simple pair of shorts, and a cheerful green top. It looked like something Yamada-sensei would own, with loud colors and a flattering shape. I brush out my hair and braid it instinctively before heading for breakfast.

The silence is nearly suffocating.

I pick at my cereal, twitch in my seat, and consider twice going to knock on Sensei's door. I can't read your mind. I don't. Eventually, I pick up my phone, intending to text someone, anyone, just to stop the thoughts swirling incessantly in my head when I notice the internet icon at the bottom. I'm not sure why, but I've never even thought of it before.

I stare at it, even as I wander to the couch.

Miska, still asleep in the cat tree, gives a tiny yawn in greeting.

I slink across the cushions, stretching over the middle and leaning against my elbows. Opening the app, I blink at the search bar that blinks back, feeling my thoughts finally slow. Search. With a slow breath, my fingers swipe carefully across the keyboard screen.

H-O-K-I

I can see my own reflection in the barely lit display, eyes wide and lips slightly parted. Each letter making a soft click as my fingers spell out the familiar characters.

K-A-I-T-O.

Over 200,000 hits.

I grimace at the news reports that feature on the first page, none of them flattering.

19-Year old, Hoki Kaito is accused of murdering at least fifty different people across nearly 200 kilometers of Japan. Declared by local authorities as lethal and well-armed, the villain who calls himself Asp is most famous for his poisonous attacks and mutilated victims. His most recent crimes against a group home, foster-care facility, resulted in the deaths of three children and one Takidori Yui, the loving matron who cared for them.

I click away swiftly, my stomach churning as I click on the next article and the one after and the one after that.

I stop when I find one with a picture.

My brother's last school picture at fifteen stares back. Kaito grimaces back with a headful of dark hair so completely different from the short cut Mama always shaved low. His eyes, so dark they almost appeared black on the screen, glitter. But most noticeable is the lack of scars.

Half of his face had been horribly disfigured, a dark red that crawled and crept over his lips, nose, and cheek.

Is that why he wore the mask?

Is that why he carved those marks in Yui-san?

I trace the lit image, trying to find some semblance of the boy I'd known. He'd read me stories, he'd protected me from Sora, he'd cared! He'd always cared!

Until you decided to be a hero.

Why?

"Rin."

I nearly fall off the couch when Sensei's voice cracks across the room, startling me and making me jump. Guiltily, I turn off the phone and shove it into my pocket, hurrying to face him.

Sensei, dressed in his dark sweats and black sweater, raises an eyebrow.

"Uh… Yes?" I squeak, trying to find some source of equilibrium.

His eyebrow ticks higher and he crosses his arms.

"What are you doing?" he asks flatly.

I flush guiltily and stumble to my feet, tugging my hands behind my back.

"I… Nothing? Reading? Good morning Sensei!"

If anything, he looks even less convinced. I rush to his side and wrap him in a sudden hug, unable to help the automatic smile at his familiar scent and the soft brush of his fabric against my cheek. Warm, enveloping, and safe.

I love you.

I push my nose into his chest and inhale deeply, liking the way one hand presses against my head and the other on my back.

"Reading what?" I wilt when he tilts my head back, angling to look in my eye. His stare back, half-lidded eyes sunken into a bored expression framed in his wild black hair. "Why are you acting so guilty?"

"I… I am not!" I huff, wrinkling my nose. "I... Hi!"

"Hi," he snorts, lips curling into a smirk. "I'm waiting…"

"I was just reading the news," I grumble, letting go and glaring at his knees. "You don't have to be so nosy."

"Don't be rude," he huffs, tapping my head with his hand and pushing down slightly. "If you didn't want me to ask, don't act so nervous. Have you already eaten?"

"Yes," I grumble, crossing my arms.

He passes me by with a quiet puff of amusement and pulls out his favorite coffee bowl, starting up the coffee pot and slowly beginning his morning ritual. I roll my eyes and follow, mind still half on the picture I saw.

"Hey Sensei?"

He hums and I make a face when he doesn't bother to face me.

That's rude.

Hmph.

"So can I see my brothers? Sora or Ryu? Or Mama even? I mean, you kinda didn't say last night…"

Sensei sends me an exasperated glance.

"You mean you pouted and walked off," he corrects me dryly. "We can talk about it tonight."

I scowl

"Tonight?" I grouse. "Why not now? You're not exactly busy, you're just making coffee."

"Because if I tell you yes, you'll be worrying about it all day. And if I say no, you'll be annoyed about it all day. If I wait, you're only likely to throw a small tantrum and go to bed. Logically, I'd choose the most productive."

I sigh, annoyed.

"Or you could just tell me now," I mumble, annoyed at his reasoning.

"Later Rin," he says, and I feel my eye twitch at the amusement in his tone. "You have today and tomorrow until the students arrive, what do you plan on doing?"

I purse my lips and sigh.

"I don't know…"

I lean forward and stretch, arching my back as I try to think.

But my mind keeps returning to Kaito, to Mineta's lost expression, to Niko's scarred face.

Promise me you'll get stronger!

Promise me!

"Can we train today? Or can I train?" I ask, lowering my arms. Sensei blinks, but then his lip curls upward at the corner. I curl my fist at my side. "I want… I want to get stronger."

Sensei nods, pouring the coffee in his bowl.

"Very well."