Hunch

Mr Aizawa stood in front of Estelle, holding a paper bag in one hand and a juice box in the other. He stared down at her with seriousness as he dumped the load on the table. The students were currently in class with Present Mic, so he figured now was a better time than any to see if his hunch was correct.

He had done some shopping earlier in the week to test his theory. Ignoring the puzzlement on Estelle's face, he handed her a juice box from his pocket before digging into his paper bag.

Thanking him, Estelle stabbed the juice box victoriously before sipping as she watched her teacher pull out various books. Squinting her eyes to get a closer look, Estelle had no idea what she was looking at. "Umm?"

"It's colouring books," Mr Aizawa monotoned, his straw still in his mouth.

"What's that?"

Handing her a book, Mr Aizawa watched as she flipped it open to view the colourless pages. The surprise showed on his face as she muttered, "Why are there pictures of pretty sirens?"

"Huh?"

"They look like pretty versions of Sirens. They're dark sea spirits that lure Cambions with their voice, but they're a hell of a lot more ugly than this," Estelle explained as she held up the book to point at a picture of a mermaid.

Bewildered that was actually a living creature in her world, Mr Aizawa shook his head to remove the thought before explaining the premise of the books. His initial assumption was correct by the look on Estelle's face; she was utterly unaware colouring was a thing.

"But, why are you giving me a children's task?" she muttered once he finished his explanation.

Sighing, he grunted, "It's for all ages. I think you'll find it soothing. Give it a try."

Handing her many coloured pencils, Mr Aizawa sat on the couch to her right to observe. Watching her from the corner of his eyes, he could see the slow process unfold.

She was confused as she tried to start off, slowly colouring in the pretty Sirens' hair like she was unsure the picture would jump out of the page to gobble her up. It took a while for her to warm up to it, but he could see the slow relaxation of her body as she began to get used to the idea.

Eventually, Estelle became engrossed in the picture. Her hands flickered up to grab another colour before ducking her head back down to continue fulfilling the image in her mind. He watched as her tongue peeked out between her lips, concentration in her brows as her hand moved like lightning through the page.

Leaning back, Mr Aizawa held in his satisfaction from the sight before him. Estelle was utterly calmed as she focused on the simple task at hand.

The idea came when they initially had the talk after the warning came through. The more the teacher thought about it, the more he understood that Estelle never had a childhood. She never had the chance for simplicity in any facet of her life. Most children get the opportunity to do all of this and then mature and grow out of it.

But for Estelle, he had a hunch it would be the other way round. She never got to experience colouring, exploring, enjoyment and just living. That's why she loved nature shows and partly why she loved kids.

It just made sense for Mr Aizawa. Plus, this activity was a relaxing one that needed minimal thought behind it. Estelle was a person who thought everything out to the fullest possible; it showed in everything she did. Had she ever just sat down to do a simple task like this? Probably not. He wanted to show her that escapism with the media wasn't the only outlet she had.

By the looks of it, he could already see the bright effect colouring had on her. She looked comfortable, lost in her own world as she focused on a page. It eased him to see the expression on her face, and the budding hope in him skyrocketed from the scene.

She was just a teenage girl, not a god nor a saviour. She was Estelle, someone who had gone through far too much and still gets piles of shit heaped onto her. She deserved better, and now that Mr Aizawa knew that, he was still determined to help her. This was just the first step.

Settling to the sounds of pencils scratching against the paper, Mr Aizawa leaned his head on the back of the couch and closed his eyes. The peaceful setting hung in the air as it seeped into their bones, and he held a slight smile on his face as he was lulled into sleep.

The door creaking open startled Mr Aizawa out of his sleeping state. He turned to face the entrance and found the class's flabbergasted expressions staring at him in shock. Deadpanning at the looks on their faces, the teacher stood and faced Estelle, who was still colouring away in her book. She had completed the mermaid photo and was now focusing on the next, which was fish.

Giving a shake of his head and a small smile, Mr Aizawa stepped forward to ruffle the hair on top of her head. "You like it?"

Startled, Estelle looked up in stupefaction. "Oh, yeah, I do. Thank you."

"It's fine. If you need more, just let me know. Anyways, I'm heading out. Let me know if you need anything, kiddo."

"I need a million years of sleep," Estelle muttered back.

"You and me both, kiddo," Mr Aizawa groaned, ruffling her hair one last time before shuffling out of the room.

Jaws dropped on the floor from the scene as the students of class 1A watched their teacher treat Estelle somewhat like a daughter. It was a strange sight for them, but the thought didn't stay with them as they realised what Estelle was doing.

Bakugo was the one to stomp forward to get a closer look. Leaning down, so his cheek was practically against Estelle's, they watched as the female glared at him in annoyance from his nosiness.

"Hmpt, not bad, Lioness," he grumbled, eyeing the pages with surprise. Even though it was colouring, the blend and opaqueness of the colours were evident; she spent a lot of time on it.

The compliment didn't seem to ring in Estelle's head as she scowled. Slapping her hand on his face, Estelle pushed him away from her forcefully by the pressure.

"Oof!" he groaned as she forced him onto the floor.

"My bubble!" Estelle yelped back, her fierce eyes staring at the blonde before turning back to the page with intense focus.

Grumbling, the blonde shuffled back up to stand with a pout. The class sweatdropped from the scene before splitting up; they knew what the warning meant by now.

Still, it was strange to see Estelle so engrossed in a children's colouring book.

Bakugo had the same thought, but he had reached the same conclusion as Mr Aizawa. Watching her thoughtfully, the male sat by her side (with enough space, so she had her damn bubble) and watched her colour the rest of the page with boredom. He couldn't deny that her expressions were more interesting; her tongue peeking out of her plump lips made her look endearing.

Estelle was surprised when Kirishima showed up at her door. Allowing the male into her room, Estelle was stunned by the sheer excitement radiating off him. "I wanted to ask when you'll train me?!"

Estelle pondered on her answer before giving a shrug, "I just let Kaminari off for his own training so I can start yours up in a few days; what do you think?"

Squeeking, Kirishima's face burst Estelle's bubble as his body trembled in excitement. "Really?! No way! Thank you!"

Blushing, Estelle shook her head as she waved him off. "It's fine. I'm getting to everyone eventually. But, be ready. I'm not gonna go easy on you."

"That's fine by me, captain!"

Slumping, Estelle gave an exasperated look by the title. "Why are you all calling me that? I feel like I'm talking to my troops."

"Uh well, it kinda fits you? You're more soldier-like than you realise. You take charge, and you're amazing in battle. You're like our personal captain! Especially now that you're training us!"

Giving a smile from his enthusiasm, Estelle decided that she didn't hate the title (not that she hated it before, it was just strange hearing it from students.)

"Hey, Estelle?"

"Yeah?" Estelle hummed out absentmindedly.

"Do you think I'm strong enough?"

"No..."

Slumping at the response, Kirishima perked up when Estelle quickly finished her sentence. "Not yet; nobody is ready yet. That's why I'm here."

"Thanks, Estelle."

"Now, sit down. Tell me why you have that idiotic thought in your brain," Estelle demanded, a frown on her face as she regarded the depleted male.

"Huh? Why?!"

"Because I'll need to eradicate it. Sit."

"No, really! it's okay!" Kirishima tried to assure, his hands raised up defensively.

"There's no shame here," Estelle responded sternly, pushing him back down on the seat he tried to stand up from.

The room fell into silence as Kirishima pondered in his head. Estelle could see the gears turning, but she was patient as she waited for him to speak up. That kind of thinking could get a person killed. Estelle would not have death around her, not from these students.

"It's just, sometimes I feel like I'm behind everyone else. The class have such great quirks compared to mine. I know I just have to keep working harder than everyone else!"

Pursing her lips as she observed the male, Estelle furrowed her brows as she gained a better understanding of him. He was a boy who doubted himself a lot but pushed on nevertheless because he wanted to be like Crimson Riot, his idol. She knew he looked down on his own quirk from the day of the USJ attack, where he made a comment about his quirk not being flashy.

"What inspired you about Crimson Riot?" Estelle questioned, a tilt to her head.

"He's so manly! Even when he's scared, he goes out there and gives it his all! I wanna be just like him."

"Sounds like you already are," Estelle murmured.

"Not yet. I need to get as strong as him first."

Stepping forward, Estelle leaned over to catch his chin, so he was looking directly into her eyes. "Don't rush yourself. That will come with time. Your quirk may not be as 'flashy' as others, but that does not mean it's not amazing. The ability to harden your body is one I could have used on the front lines; it's perfect for first-line defence. There are plenty of uses that you haven't unlocked yet. That does not mean you are weak; thinking like that will kill you in battle. You need to trust every move you make; you can't second guess yourself even for a moment."

"Have you? Ever second-guessed yourself, I mean?"

"Of course I have!" Estelle scoffed loudly, internally surprised when he widened his eyes at her response. "I remember the first time I had to fight a dark spirit, and it didn't end well."

"Why? What happened?"

"I had no faith in my abilities. I felt like I wasn't ready, and it became a self-fulfilling prophecy. You have to believe in yourself. I know you can, too, so stop asking those questions and trust the process. I know you'll be an exceptional hero."

"You're amazing."

Ignoring his words, Estelle continued. "Doubt will always be there, and it's a good motivator to keep pushing yourself. We will always face it, but it's our choice to overcome it in the face of adversity. If you can do that, you can do anything."

"Estelle!" Kirishima cried, a tear dropping from his socket as he stared at her. Looking down at the tearful boy, Estelle felt a rising panic as she tried to backtrack.

"Huh? Don't cry! Did I say a bad thing?!"

"No! No! It's just...you're so manly!"

Deadpanning as he continued to cry, Estelle let out a noise of astonishment as the male jumped up to wrap his arms around her. Bewildered, Estelle stood frozen as Kirishima cried into her shoulder. She sweatdropped as she awkwardly patted him on the back, his trembling body making her heart ache in a way she couldn't recognise.

"Thank you," He mumbled, still holding onto Estelle tightly.

Feeling her gut tighten, Estelle raised her arm to reciprocate the hug wholeheartedly. Her hand was on his head, patting the boy reassuringly as he pulled himself together. It felt nice, like she was helping a loved one mend their heart.

Standing up straight, Kirishima wiped his eyes quickly before raising his fists up into the air. "Alright! Enough of that! I'm going to be the manliest cadet you've ever had! I've got this, and I'm going to be a kickass hero!"

Nodding with a small smile, Estelle felt satisfaction watching him return to his old self. Chuckling at the determination pouring off him in waves, Estelle patted his shoulder with a nod. "That's the spirit. Get ready because this will be the hardest training you've ever done. But, I know you can do it."

"Sure I can! I'm ready for anything!"

Estelle barged through the crowds surrounding her with an inward scream. She had a part to play, and she couldn't lash out at the people around her. It would only make the situation more volatile than it was already.

"The Guardian! Can you really believe it's her!"

"Go back to where you came from!"

"You caused this mess in the first place! What do you have to say for yourself?!"

"Can I please get a picture?!"

"Autograph-"

"Alien Bitch!"

"Fuck you! You're no hero!"

And on it continued, like a ferocious battle of two groups that couldn't agree with each other. Estelle hated it more than she could fathom. She just needed to do her job. Could they please leave her alone? No, they wouldn't. They were too wrapped up within their own realities to realise the bigger picture.

Something was coming. Estelle could feel it in her bones. She could feel it in the air, like a weighted blanket on her entire being. The visit with the League of Villains proved that whoever this was, it was clearly personal if they knew her name.

She had spent hours racking her brain in an attempt to figure out who on earth this individual was. But, she kept coming to dead ends. There shouldn't be anyone else. She was so sure of that - she believed all she would have to deal with were the spirits.

She couldn't have been more wrong.

Something was coming. It was like an itch Estelle couldn't scratch. It was like her eyes trailed to find something from the corner of her eye, but it kept disappearing. Like a thought that kept drifting away from her, on the tip of her brain, but she just couldn't grasp it.

She felt like she was going insane.

These people weren't helping. Gosh, this was getting claustrophobic with these people swarming her. Abruptly coming to a stop, the civilians around her slowly turned silent at her quiet demeanour.

"Please, I have work to do. I will be out of your hair soon. You just need to bear with me."

With those final words, Estelle slowly unfurled her wings to allow those to back away from her. Flying back to the Heights alliance, Estelle was ready to spend the next few hours alone just to recuperate from the day. Unfortunately, she wasn't given that chance.

"Estelle."

Turning to face Mr Aizawa, her shoulders slumped at the look on his face. "What is it, sir?"

"I was going to call you, but I'm glad you are back already. Please, follow me."

Nodding, Estelle followed her teacher as he headed into the common room. She was surprised to find the class huddled together on the other side of the room. Frowning in concern, Estelle gazed at them in question.

"The class had returned after school to find this on the table," Mr Aizawa monotoned as he lifted the sheet of the plain. Staring down at the cause of this, Estelle's eyes widened from what she saw.

This was...Beyond grotesque.

There laid a dead dove. Its blood was painted in an intricate way to match the drawing she had seen carved onto the tree the other day. The tips of the wings were bloodied. There were bloodied tear drops leaking out of its eyes. The body was cleaned with three specific splotches of blood on the breast.

"Oh no, you poor thing," Estelle murmured in sadness. She could feel the pain that the innocent animal had to go through. It was just another thing that was her fault.

Gazing back up at the students, Estelle continued murmuring softly with remorseful eyes. "I apologise you had to see this."

The frazzled students calmed slightly from Estelle's words.

"What even is that?" Ashido cried out.

"It's a warning. A severe one at that."

"What does it mean?"

"Hold on, allow me to dispose of the bird now that you've seen it. You can explain it to the rest of the class," Mr Aizawa stated, already aware of the hidden meaning from their previous conversations.

As he picked up the bird with a trash bag, Estelle grabbed a few wipes from the counter to get rid of a bit of blood left on the wood. As her fingers wiped away at the red from the table, Estelle continued to wipe even when it became spotless. This area was where she coloured yesterday, and now it had been tainted in blood.

"-Estelle!"

Startled to find ruby gazing down at her, his hand over her own on the table. She frowned in confusion.

"It's gone."

"Right", Estelle muttered back, her eyes still scanning the table for anything she may have missed. She hated blood, it wasn't common in the spirit realm since spirits just faded, but it made her skin crawl. She remembered throwing up when a human soldier got his leg cut off in a fight.

Silence rang around the room as Estelle composed herself. Clearing her throat, she stood up to face the class. Her tone was a little more robotic and analytical than before. "A dead animal symbolises danger; the reason behind that is obvious. The bloody eyes represent blindness; I'm most likely blinded by the enemy. The blood on the wings represent crippled legs; because I cannot run away from the inevitable. Three drops of blood on the chest represents the removal of the heart; so death it is."

A thickening silence rang out in the room.

Suddenly Izuku was the one to step up from the crowd of students. The green-haired male had a light blush on his face as he voiced, "You aren't going to try to run away again, are you?"

Stunned at the fact Izuku had managed to guess where her thoughts were leading her, Estelle rubbed the back of her neck awkwardly.

"No way! You were!" Kirishima yelled out, his hand raised in a dramatic point.

"Shut up," Estelle grumbled. "It's rational thought. This is dangerous for you all. You are all at risk."

"We're always at risk, with or without you," Tokoyami responded sternly. His eyes showed disapproval for Estelle's thoughts, and the look only made her wince.

"Tch."

"That's different. These are otherworldly matters I'm talking about. It was in the common room, not my dorm, proving that this could worsen for you all. You looked traumatised when I came in; I don't want to put you through anymore."

"That's a decision we can make for ourselves," Momo voiced softly, a stern expression on her face.

Slumping, Estelle could hear the conversation with Mr Aizawa ring out in her head. He was right; it wasn't her choice to make. But, still, she had to try.

"What kind of heroes would we be if we ran away?! Otherworldy villains or otherwise. No way!"

With those simple words, Estelle was defeated. They were right. It just wasn't in their nature. They would stand their ground on this one, and she would most likely have to accept defeat.

"Are you prepared for that? What if I don't get to you guys in time? What if something goes wrong. Are you prepared for that?"

"We trust you."

"You kids and your naivety," She sighed out.

"Not naive! We just know that our otherworldly resident student is a badass! We have nothing to worry about!"

Stunned, Estelle felt a flicker of something growing inside of her. It reminded her of her time with Emilia and Kiko, an unwillingness to prove them wrong. She wanted to live up to that, but Estelle knew she had failed before. Putting those thoughts aside, Estelle shook her head in amusement before voicing, "What am I going to do with you all."

The students only grinned back in response.

But that flicker intimidated her because she thought the attachment to protect was dead and gone. And here she was, feeling a small glimpse of it like it had never left. But she couldn't do anything about it now; she had to protect them from the dangers of her world.

She won't fail. Estelle refuses to see a dead body from this class from her own doing. It didn't matter if she partly disliked them; she would never let them die.

The thoughts whirling around her head built up a slow simmering protectiveness she never realised she had for the class. Shaken slightly at the awareness she had gained, Estelle took a step back. Halting her breath when she hit hard muscle, Estelle realised Bakugo was standing behind her. She didn't notice due to her whirling anxiety. Looking up and turning her head back to face the blonde, Estelle greeted Bakugo's steely eyes. "The hell you think you're going?!"

"To the League of Villains."

"Hah!?" The class shouted out in confusion.

Holding in her laugh, Estelle ultimately failed as they slipped past her lips. "You all are so gullible."

"How are we supposed to know when you're serious or joking?! Don't scare us like that!"

Still laughing, Estelle shook her head slightly. "That's what's so funny about it."

Defeated, the class slumped at the fact they fell for it. The students shook their heads; they were at least happy that Estelle had returned to herself.

"Anyways, it's sugar time today! Let's get the sweets rolling!"

"Oooh, yummy sweets," Estelle muttered to herself happily as she ignored Bakugo's wide smirk beside her.