Apparently, during my time with Hitoshi, my classmates do eventually come up with a plan for the school festival.

Unfortunately, there plan is weird—which I really should have seen coming. They are my classmates.

"You want a bunch of people to get on stage and dance?" I ask, brows furrowed as Toru and Todoroki of all people try again to explain the plan. "You're going to have them stand in a line and do… that?"

I gesture broadly to the line of classmates currently working on the 'dance.' Though dance, really, is quite a bit of a stretch… Without music or any more than the very basics of a beat, Mina had taught everyone something that looks sort of like a chicken wobble, with everyone swiping one shoulder, then the other, before jumping out, smacking their knees painfully against the floor and fists in the air, all at different times.

"They're looking for people to sing too," the dual-haired boy shrugs, expression neutral as he casually slurps cold noodles.

Like, yes. Yes, that's exactly what they're planning to do.

I blink, incredulous.

"Sing!"

Was he for real?

"Rin-chan!" Toru huffs, sleeves waving back and forth hurriedly as she shoots Todoroki what I'm assuming is an impressive glare nobody can actually see. "It's not that really bad, seriously! It only looks strange now because it's not synced!"

I turn back from her to Mina's line of dancers skeptically, Mina's loud bark of orders echoing as she does the weird chicken dance herself. This is a colossal waste of time. Iida, currently being corrected, steps forward with hands tucked into his armpits and does the crazy-looking wobble swipe, looking more akin to a half-fried robot, especially when he nearly faceplants.

Uh huh…

I raise a brow, and beside me, Toru seems to wilt.

"Well... it's just the first day?"

I raise my brow, lips pursed.

Then I imagine myself in that line, probably wearing some bright outfit because, it's my classmates. I imagine doing this strange chicken wobble, not only in front of the entire school, but in front of all of the upperclassmen and everyone.

Nope.

"Right… I'll hand out tickets."

Kirishima, carrying an armful of wires and equipment, stops beside us with a laugh.

"Hey Rin-chan! Why don't you join us? We could use someone like you in special effects! And, dude, can you imagine what we could do with your quirk?"

Toru lets out a whine.

But I consider him carefully, eyes narrowed as he shifts awkwardly.

"I mean…" the taller boy says after a moment, "only if you want to…"

"Do you dance?"

"Uh… in special effects? Um… no…"

"Then I'll take it," I agree expediently, ignoring Toru's groan of frustration. Todoroki, still slurping his noodles, just shrugs, completely unconcerned, so I follow the redhead quickly to another table near the back. Apparently they'd split the lobby into several sections, Mina's dancing line taking most of the space with couches and tables all pushed over to the side, and the Music part broken into three sections. Special Effects, near the elevator, is probably the smallest with just one table and a lot of what looks like audio equipment piled up in several piles. Kyoka, with a pen in her mouth and guitar across her chest only one table over, doesn't even look up as I pass by, too busy strumming out notes and tapping quick rhythms on her knee.

Sero, Koda, and Ojiro, however, smile curiously as I join them.

"Rin-chan," Ojiro says by way of a greeting. He gestures to a few of the chairs the others aren't sitting in, and I take the spot between Sero and Koda.

Sero, expression wicked, immediately leans over ignoring Ojiro even as the other boy begins saying something about coming up with ideas for effects.

"Didn't wanna join the dance team?" he smirks, eyebrows waggling.

I snort.

"No," I grumble, amused as Koda muffles a laugh. "They look like chickens."

"Right," Ojiro interjects, scratching his head and looking like he'd rather laugh as well. Sero sits up with a grin, eyes gleaming as he ridiculously imitates a chicken. "So as I was saying, we're gonna need some more ideas…"

Much better.

.

.

.

I meet with Kamui Woods Wednesday night, fully dressed in my hero uniform. The wood-skinned hero is there, standing stiffly in his mask and uniform when I arrive, so I'm kinda surprised when he gestures rather awkwardly towards a nearby park bench.

"Sit?"

Some, rather antagonistic part of myself considers not.

But then the idea of Sensei finding out…

And the consequences…

Reluctantly, I scuff my boot against the graveled path and scatter pebbles, wondering what the problem could possibly be now. It feels like one of our couch conversations at home, except the bench is cold, the prickle of every splinter seeming to press into my butt, and the moment I sit, my legs immediately itch to stand again—especially when the hero drops just as reluctantly beside me.

Please don't be about All Might…

I swear, if Toshinori-san meddled again, I'm gonna throttle him—National hero or not.

"I spoke with the police about this… ah… plan."

All thoughts of shaking a rather wide-eyed and gasping Toshinori-san evaporate in an instant and my head snaps immediately to the masked hero in surprise. Kamui Woods regards me steadily, posture stiff.

"Oh…"

"Had I known accepting you as an intern would result in us publicly exposing and shaming a hero, I would not have taken you on, All Might's recommendation or not."

I flinch, hurt despite the fact that I shouldn't be.

He only took you because of All Might anyways. Were you really expecting anything different?

I glare, lips thinning as the anger rises up sharply.

"If you didn't want me, why'd you waste my time coming here?"

I move to rise, but the hero holds out a hand, and I swallow the distinct urge to bite him, reluctantly staying.

"Our contract is already written and sealed," Kamui says flatly. "I am informing you as I believe honesty is the best policy. I have no doubts about your skills as a hero, but teaching a student and setting up a trap to stop quirkless criminals in order to lure out and publicly shame a hero is not what I signed up for. I have made my concerns known with the police regarding this entire arrangement, but it has occurred to me no one has spoken to you about this entire affair. Are you even aware of the ramifications of what will happen if you're successful?"

I scowl.

Obviously.

"There'd be one less human trafficker," I snap.

Kamui Wood's mask remains obstinately blank.

Then he sighs, leaning back, and folds his arms.

I don't know which is more annoying, his lack of hostility, or the fact that he thinks I'm an idiot.

"Maybe. If you are correct, though you have no proof of this besides one compromised witness statement and a document implying some sort of inner corruption. Regardless, if you are correct, you could potentially remove one villain. You take one down and within hours another more unknown figure has taken that spot in the food chain. It is a tree of corruption, and we are merely pruning back the branches. However, my issue is not with that. Removing heroes isn't the same as removing villains. Every time a hero publicly falls, the people loses just a little more trust in us. In a time like now, when the villains are continuously eroding the public's positive opinion, there will be a backlash, and not just on the entirety of the profession, but most assuredly on those caught in the crossfire."

I stare incredulously.

The backlash? Crossfire?

People were being sold and he was worried about the publicity?

"And? What are you saying? We should just let him be?" I snarl, dark flame flickering up inside my chest as this hero stares back at me. I stand, teeth grit, fists curling at my sides. "He's kidnapping and selling people, people who can't defend themselves, and you want us to just do nothing? Because he's a hero-"

"Calm down," the hero commands, and his baritone voice is full of command even as he rises to glower down his nose. "I'm not saying anything of the sort."

"You just did!" I sneer.

I don't bother returning to the bench, not with darkness rippling, threateningly at my seams, and flames licking at my insides in desperate attempts to escape. I spear the number seven Hero in all of Japan with a dangerous glare.

He crosses his arms, mask unreadable.

"I did not," Kamui Woods repeats, words calm despite my flaring darkness. "I asked if you knew the consequences of this plan, which it is apparent that you do not. Regardless, I suppose none of that matters. We are, both of us now, caught up in this scheme, whether by choice or not. I am not the kind of hero that backs out of a commitment, so control yourself, Hoki, or you will give me a reason to break this contract."

I glare.

He sighs.

"Very well, prepare yourself. It's time for patrol."

.

.

.

Patrol with Kamui Woods is quiet and strangely therapeutic after our… disagreement. He swings from building to building, leading a long, winding path across the city—reminding me vaguely of Sero with the way he utilizes his quirk.

I fly behind him, not speaking as my dark, galaxy-swirling wings glitter beneath the sun's darkening dusk, quiet shafts of sweet light scattering out between orange and golden clouds. A new pair of goggles frame my eyes, shaped similar to Sensei's except with clear glass instead of slits. I'd found them only the day before, hidden inside an old box in the corner of Power Loader's classroom where he kept complete, unused materials.

They fit perfectly, keeping my eyes from drying, and shifting the wind off my face.

It made the patrol… nice.

Peaceful, despite the chill in the air.

Quiet.

So when Kamui Woods gestures for us to stop, I reluctantly do despite my cold, numbing fingers and my wings swirling with more silver gray than anything else as I touch down. I shove the goggles up, letting them rest against the crown of my dark hair before rolling my shoulders and releasing my quirk.

"Sir?"

"Well done keeping up," the masked man says plainly, and I start slightly at the unprompted praise. If he notices, he doesn't bring it up though. "We're probably about to run into the media though. Have you had any public or media training?"

I frown, media training?

"No, sir."

He seems to sigh, the sound reverberating behind his mask, and I narrow my eyes.

Another issue?

Is there anything he actually likes?

"You're going to have to control that," the Hero chides, his tone almost lecturing as he leans just a little bit further away. "Either smile or look serene, but petulance and annoyance will only serve to cause you further issues in the future. Especially when dealing with the media, it's most important to display positive emotions, or at the very least, confidence or pride. The public wants to believe you're happy, that you know what you're doing, or at the very least you think you do. They feel safer and its harder to sway their public opinion when you make a mistake. I will do my best to keep any meeting short, but your first contacts with the media are often some of your most important. They define your persona, and it's often difficult to change those perceptions later."

I shift, brows furrowing, before I realize he's waiting for me an answer, or maybe a smile.

"Oh."

What exactly am I supposed to say? Sure, I can smile for the camera?

"You'll need to give longer answers than that," Kamui says, and there's a hint of amusement in his tone as he says it. "I'm surprised UA hasn't gone over more of this… Didn't you intern with the Voice Hero, Present Mic?"

I flush, remembering Uncle Zashi's internship.

The room full of blue furniture, the kind notes, the lessons…

"No wonder you lost that fight. You're lucky you didn't break your hand!"

Ahh…

I immediately look anywhere but at the hero in front of me, feeling every inch of my exposed skin burn.

I couldn't even throw a punch…

"Ah… yes. But, we…"

He spent most of his time teaching me the basics.

That and asking me questions about Yui-san and making me feel more loved than I'd ever felt in my life, and being amazing.

"We didn't really cover it," I manage at last, shifting under the wooden man's gaze.

"I see…" the hero says, and he probably really doesn't, but I'm not about to argue it. The wooden man just shrugs. "When answering, try not to stutter. If you need more time to think about what to say, you can repeat the question or be vague, but the media prefer when you can offer little tidbits of your actual thoughts. Be mindful not to say anything people might find offensive. Really, more than anything, it helps to just be kind, friendly, and humble."

I try imagining Sensei being friendly or humble to the media, and wrinkle my nose.

Kamui Woods crosses his arms.

"That expression is unbecoming."

I fight, for a moment, with my facial features, before settling on a narrowed look before forcing a strained smile.

Kamui Woods sighs.

"We will keep it very short."

.

.

.

We do in fact run into the media, or rather, we walk directly into them. Thankfully, it's nothing at all like the group of people that had been outside the UA that one time, no one crowding around pressing for words, but instead a few people waving, grinning, and instead flagging us down.

"Kamui Woods! Kamui Woods! A moment? Can we have a moment?"

I follow behind, quiet as the man nods, speaks in a warm tone, then gestures familiarly towards me and three of the cameras immediately turn to me as well.

"This is my new intern, one of the UA students, the Cosmic Hero: Nova."

I try to smile at the new name, uncomfortably aware that there's no real going back now. A hero with a hero's name. My hero name.

Was Mama rolling in her grave?

Was Kaito watching?

Was Sensei?

"Hi," I manage, the sudden urge to vomit rising in my throat. I struggle to know which lens to look into, to keep a vague smile, and listen as everyone laughs at something I'm not entirely aware of. Static hums beneath my skin, and one of the men on the other side of the camera offers a friendly thumbs up to the side.

"Nova? What a fascinating name! Can you tell us a little about yourself? Maybe why that name or even a little about your quirk?"

I stare at a news woman wide-eyed for maybe a second too long, because Kamui clears his throat and the stranger's expression strains.

This is so awkward…

"Ah… sure… I ah…"

I can almost feel the hero beside me wilt. All of his suggestions disappearing in an instant… And it's not that I don't want to use them! I just… for the life of me, I can't remember a single one…

I rack my brain, trying to think of something, anything to do or say or anything… Or even what the original question was, but all I can see is that empty lens, staring back.

I don't know.

I can't concentrate.

I…

Sensei…

Sensei… What would Sensei-

Kamui Woods nods and steps in, one hand resting on my shoulder head inclined gracefully.

"I apologize, this is our first patrol and Nova tends to be a little nervous in front of a camera. You may recognize her from the Sport's Festival, she's one of UA's first years."

The hand on my shoulder squeezes slightly, and if he can feel the electricity underneath, I don't know. I drop thankfully into a bow regardless.

"Sorry."

"Shy?" one of the other news anchors repeat, sounding amused. "Are you not worried, Kamui Woods, that her shyness may interfere with your hero work?"

The hero doesn't hesitate.

"Not at all. Nova is a fierce fighter, one driven by her beliefs and passionate when provoked. Her hero name could not be any more apt."

He stops, probably so I can speak, but I have a hard time focusing past his words. After our conversation earlier… He'd implied he was only putting up with me because of the contract. So why… Why say that? He… Did he really think I was fierce?

His hand squeezes lightly and I realize everyone is waiting.

Right…

Words…

"I… I chose it because of my quirk," I manage awkwardly, shifting from one leg to another. "It's… I mean…. One of… One of my close friends suggested it… and…"

Kyoka had actually been the one to choose it, her hands strumming out a beat as she'd leaned on Momo thoughtfully.

"What about Nova?" the dark-haired girl had asked, her smile rueful as the others stopped their suggestions a moment later. "Isn't it one of those exploding stars?"

"Technically, I think you're talking about a Super Nova," Momo had offered, amused. "But a regular nova is similar. It starts from a white dwarf-"

"A dwarf?" Mina interrupts, nose wrinkling. "Hold on, I thought we were talking about stars!"

"We are," Momo smiles, patient. "White dwarfs are the cores of old stars. They don't produce any heat, and so they slowly cool over billions of years. A nova is when the white dwarf manages to get enough gas from its nearby stars and brightens. When that happens, the star shines up to a million times brighter than normal!"

A million times brighter…

I'd be a million times better. I'd never be the old me that scared them, that Mama hurt, that Daddy left behind, that Kaito and Ryu and Sora left behind. That didn't learn names.

"Nova is my promise," I tell the camera crew quietly, shifting back my shoulders and defiantly jutting my chin. "I'll be a hero who shines brightly and protects others."

One of the ladies with a microphone smiles.

She opens her mouth to speak, but-

"This is Kamui Woods, go ahead."

The crew stills and I turn, frowning to see my mentor looking away, eyes downcast and one hand to his temple.

"10-4, we're in route now."

The hero drops his hand and looks towards me immediately.

"Nova, with me. Excuse us."

A/N: I have fanart! Shinyaaan was kind enough to draw several sketches of Rin, so if you're interested in checking them out: [slash] works [slash] 46353760 You can also find it by looking up "TBAH: Sketches" :) Thanks!