Yamada was busy again, and he had asked Inko to let Izuku and her hang out at the park again. Kaori didn't mind spending more time with Izuku at all, but it still irked her that they thought she needed someone to watch her at all times.

"Hey, Izuku," Kaori greeted, giving him a small smile. "How are you doing?"

"Kaori!" Izuku's smile was like the sun, brilliant and blinding. It faltered slightly at the look of her face. "What's wrong? What happened to your arm?"

"There was a villain attack and Aizawa's in the hospital," she said, kicking the rocks by her feet dejectedly. "This is nothing compared to what happened to him."

"Even Eraserhead couldn't stop them? I thought you said he's a hero."

"They were really strong Izuku," she said. "I could've died."

"I'm glad you're okay," Izuku said, and Kaori felt touched by the sincerity. "What kind of quirks did they have?"

"Well, one of them had really sharp claws that Aizawa couldn't erase. The other one had a weird black fire."

"Wow. That must've been so scary!"

"Yeah. A little."

"I want to be a hero so strong, no one will get hurt under my watch. Including you, Kaori."

"You're really set on being a hero, huh?" Kaori had made up her mind. Even if she wasn't going to be a hero herself, she was going to support the hell out of Izuku.

"Of course!" Izuku said, his chest puffed out slightly. "I just don't know if my quirk ..." He looked so dejected Kaori felt a pang in her chest.

"But even without a quirk, you're still gonna be a hero right?"

"Yeah," Izuku said, his eyes gleamed with determination.

"Then how about this. Train with me, and we can get ready for U.A. together." Kaori hoped she could somehow get All Might to notice Izuku earlier, and he could receive One for All sooner, or at least not on the day of the entrance exam. It wouldn't hurt for her to be a little stronger either. Given what had just happened at the mall, she never wanted to feel so helpless ever again.

"Train?"

"Yeah, like physical stuff. While other people are focused on getting better at their quirks, we get strong physically. Then, we'll beat them up and their quirks can't save them."

Izuku giggled. "But I don't think anyone could beat Kacchan up. His quirk is too strong."

"Well, not everyone is as strong as Kacchan. Besides, I can get Aizawa to help us maybe. He's really good at fighting, you know. His quirk only erases other people's quirk, so he needs to take them down physically." Though he was angry at her right now, so she wasn't sure if it was possible.

"Woah," he said. "You think he'd be willing to help?"

"Maybe."

"That'd be so cool!"

"So? Wanna do it?"

"Yep! Let's start now!"

"Now?" She blinked at him in surprise.

"Yeah!"

"Okay. What do you want to do first?"

"Lemme see your quirk. I can help think of new ways to use it! It's kinda my hobby, looking at quirks and learning about them."

"I was thinking more of running or doing jump ropes."

"But I want to see your quirk again."

"Maybe next time. I don't feel like it right now. How about we go for a run?"

"Well, okay."

After getting permission from Inko, who seemed too enthralled by Kaori to say no, they were off like a pair of turtles.

Unfortunately for Kaori, running was still as hard as ever. About five minutes in, she was starting the feel the burn. Izuku wasn't doing much better either and was trailing behind her. A few minutes later, their pace was so slow they might as well be walking. Maybe this was a bad idea.

"Oh hey, wait," Kaori said in between pants, putting her hands on her knees for support. "Look, it's Todoroki-kun. Let's go say hi." Shoto and her mom were sitting on a bench, eating ice cream. It would be a rather cute scene if Kaori didn't know what was going on behind the scenes.

"Hello, Kaori-chan," Rei greeted with a warm smile when she saw Kaori. "Nice day to be out. Who's your friend?"

"Hi Todoroki-san and Shoto-kun, this is my friend from school. His name is Izuku," she said giving them both a friendly wave.

"We're training for the U.A. entrance exam," Izuku piped up.

Rei laughed lightly, but it sounded a little stilted. "That's admirable.

"Wanna join us Shoto-kun?"

Shoto shot a nervous look at Rei, his heterochromatic eyes filled with uncertainty.

"Shoto's had a tiring day."

"Then wanna just hang out? We're pretty much done anyway." Kaori looked over at Izuku who was sweating bullets, his shirt already drenched all the way through. She wasn't any better herself and was longing for a cold shower.

Rei looked over at Shoto, who nodded slowly after a moment of deliberation. Kaori felt bad for him. She wondered if he even had any friends before going to U.A.

"I'll show you a secret area, only Kacchan and I know about it," Izuku said enthusiastically, glad they were taking a break. He seemed much more energetic now.

"Ooh secret base?" Kaori exclaimed, clapping her hands together. She had lived in a big city in her past life and never quite had the chance to explore anywhere. Secret bases had always seemed so cool when she saw them on TV shows and movies.

"Yeah! Sort of," Izuku said.

The secret area was much lamer than Kaori was envisioning—merely a little hole covered by branches. An old, battered manga sat alone in the center, though she doubted Izuku could read anything in it.

Shoto seemed to be having fun though, and that was all that mattered.

Unfortunately, their fun didn't last too long. When the sky began to darken, Rei and Inko came over to take them home.

"Bye Shoto," Kaori said. "I hope I get to see you again soon."

"Bye Kaori and Izuku," he said quietly. "I had fun today."

Kaori's heart melted a little bit at that.

"Hey mom," Izuku said cheerfully.

"Oh Izuku, you're all sweaty," she said, dusting him off with a handkerchief. "Take a shower as soon as we get home, alright?"

Again, Kaori tried hard not to feel jealous.

"Yes, mom."

"Oh, and Kaori-chan, Yamada-san just told me he's going to be a while. Would you like to come to our house for dinner? We're having Izuku's favorite, katsudon."

"Yeah that sounds great," she said with a smile. Though couldn't help but wonder what was taking Yamada so long. Had he forgotten about her? Katsudon with the Midoriyas did sound like fun, however.

"Yay! Katsudon with Kaori!" Izuku cheered, throwing his hands up in the air.

Dinner went by quickly, and Kaori found herself enjoying the company of the two. The food was delicious as well, and not to knock on Aizawa and Yamada's efforts, she realized how much she missed a hot homemade meal instead of takeout.

Kaori glanced out the window. It was already dark, and the only light was the ones of other houses. What was taking Yamada so long? Was he involved in an accident? Kaori's face scrunched up with worry. She knew Yamada was alive during canon, but what if her existence had somehow caused some sort of disruption? Aizawa had gotten injured because of her already, something that probably didn't happen originally.

"Wanna watch the All Might video with me Kaori?" Izuku looked concerned. He really was too observant for his own good.

"Sure," she said, schooling her face back to neutral.

"Yay! It's my favorite one. Have you seen it?" he asked, clicking the play button. The video was already loaded on the computer, and set to replay.

Kaori smiled weakly and shook her head. "I don't think so."

"It's really awesome. Look, he's about to come out! Watch!"

Kaori watched with disinterest as All Might saved the civilians, not quite understanding why Izuku liked the video so much. She didn't have the heart to ask him to stop and was forced to keep watching the loud video on repeat.

Thankfully, her savior came soon enough.

"Kaori-chan?" Inko called from outside Izuku's room, knocking as she did. "Yamada is here to pick you up."

"Aww," Izuku groaned, picking himself off the floor. "I wanted to have a sleepover."

"Next time, Izuku," she said. Relief filled her heart. Everything was fine. She shouldn't have worried.

Izuku followed them to the front door, where Yamada was standing holding two plastic bags. "Hiya, Kaori-chan. Had a nice time?"

Kaori nodded. Yamada looked completely fine and uninjured. "Thanks for having me Midoriya-san and Izuku," she said. "And for the food. It was delicious."

"Of course, it was such a pleasure having you. Come again anytime," Inko said with a sincere smile. Kaori couldn't help but fall even more in love with her; she was the sweetest.

"Bye bye, Kaori!" Izuku said, bouncing on his feet. "Let's hang out again soon."

"Sure! Bye Izuku," she said and waved.

"So, that was the famous Izuku," Yamada said. "You've been hanging out with him an awful lot."

Kaori glanced at him warily. "Yeah, he's nice. I like him."

"I see. I'm glad you're making more friends. But uh, how about finding some more female friends?" he asked, scratching his head. "Not that there's anything wrong with Izuku-kun," he added hastily.

"Nah," Kaori said. "I don't need any more friends." One was more than enough.

"Well. Okay, then. As long as you're happy," he said, scratching his head awkwardly. "Oh, and sorry I was a little late in picking you up, there was something I had to pick up." He smiled mischievously.

Kaori eyed his plastic bags with more interest. "Like the plastic bags? What's in them?"

"You'll see," he said.

"Fine, keep your secrets," she said, before taking a swipe at the bag as quickly as her arms allowed. Yamada moved them out of the way in a blink. "Dang."

"Patience Kaori-chan," he said with an annoying grin.

"And what took you so long?" she demanded, crossing her arms. "I was getting worried."

"Nothing to worry about," he said. "And awww, you were worried? That's adorable, but you didn't have to. I'm a strong and capable hero you know."

"Worried you forgot about my existence," she said, rolling her eyes. She didn't want to admit it now that he was being so obnoxious.

Yamada laughed. "I would never. Now come on. Your surprise awaits, my lady."

"What's the secret," she complained as Yamada unlocked the door. "Just tell me."

"You'll see," he repeated, pushing the door open.

"We're home already though," she said, walking in. "What could—" Sitting on the sofa, was a healthy-looking Aizawa cuddling with Shiro. "Aizawa-san! You're back."

"Kaori-chan," he greeted casually as if he hadn't been gone for a week. "How was the park?"

"It was great!" She grinned, glad to have Aizawa back despite their mini disagreement at the hospital. Cheerfully, she walked to the sofa and sat down next to him, studying him. "You're all good now?" She gave his arm a cautious poke.

"Yep, the doc said he just needs to avoid strenuous activities for a little while," Yamada said, sitting across from them on the beanbag chair.

"Oh. Are you gonna stay home then?"

"No. There are still things I need to finish up at work. I'll be staying off the field for a little while though," he said.

"You should've just told me Yamada-san. I wouldn't have gone to the park otherwise," she complained. "And what's with the bags anyway?"

"Oh the bags?" he said, opening them up. "Just some snacks. Want some?"

Kaori rolled her eyes. Of course. "No thanks."

There was a short silence, which Yamada broke. "So, Shouta. Got something you want to say?"

Aizawa sighed. "I'm sorry, kid. The hospital wasn't the right place to lecture you," he said.

"It really wasn't," Yamada said.

"I shouldn't have done it."

"It's okay," Kaori said happily. She never thought Aizawa had it in him to apologize. "I forgive you."

"So gracious," Aizawa said.

Kaori snorted and hesitantly hugged him. It was uncomfortable for her to be initiating contact, but it felt like the right thing to do.

"I'm sorry too," she said quietly. "For…getting angry at you when you were at the hospital. That was kind of mean." This had been eating away at her for so long. She had been waiting for another chance to visit him at the hospital to apologize, but Yamada was always too busy to take her.

Aizawa returned the hug, wrapping his bandaged arms around her gently, albeit a bit awkwardly. It was a warm hug, and Kaori leaned into it a bit more; it felt safe and secure in his embrace like nothing bad could happen to her with him around. Kaori found that she missed his presence more than she ever thought she would.

"It's fine," he said. "I'm not mad."

Kaori pulled away from the hug with a vicious blush.

"Aw, you two are finally bonding," Yamada said, grinning like a madman. "This is the most adorable thing I've ever seen."

"It's not! Don't look," Kaori protested.

Yamada's phone rang suddenly. "Hang on. I have to take this. You guys carry on." He shot them an apologetic look before ducking out to take it.

Kaori suddenly remembered the card she had worked so hard on with Yamada. It was a bit late to be giving him a get-well card, but Kaori thought she might as well give it to him anyway.

"I'm gonna go get something," she said, standing up abruptly. "Be right back." Without checking his reaction, she ran back to her room and grabbed the card from its hiding place under a stack of clothes.

She paused a little, agonizing over if she really wanted to give it to Aizawa. Would he going to make fun of her? It was so silly and childish, and he was out of the hospital already.

"We made you a card and um … here." She blushed, thrusting the card toward him before she could lose her nerve.

Aizawa accepted it with a surprised expression. "Get well soon," he read, raising an eyebrow.

"I was gonna give it to you while you were at the hospital, but…" she trailed off, her face burning with embarrassment.

"Right," he said, flipping the card open with care. Kaori watched his reaction carefully as he read through the card. "Did you write this yourself?"

"Yep! All by myself." With the help of Yamada's phone, but he didn't need to know that.

"Thanks, Kaori-chan," he said, tucking the card away in his jacket. He gave Kaori a rare smile, and while it creeped Kaori out from how unnatural it looked, she was briefly filled with joy. "It's very thoughtful of you."

Yamada came back to the living room, putting his phone away. He looked distracted, and his previous smile was gone. Kaori tilted her head. Aizawa seemed to have picked up on it as well.

"Hey guys, what'd I miss?"

"Nothing. Are you okay?"

"Yup," he said. "Now come on, let's celebrate Shouta's safe return."

Aizawa stood up. "No. I'm tired."

"Tired? Is it because of your injuries?" Kaori asked, unable to keep the concern out of her voice.

"No, just regular tired," he said.

"Oh, then hang out with us more, you're always tired anyway," she said.

He paused before heaving a loud sigh. "Fine."

Kaori smiled. All was well again.