Lone Wolf

Estelle was not impressed when she reached the other side of the trees to find an outrageous scene. Rubbing her eyes, Estelle wondered if she was hallucinating from the lack of sleep. She had woken up Ruby numerous times in the night, out of breath and panicked each time, and somehow the blonde had remained at her side, murmuring assurances in the dead of night no matter how fatigued he seemed to be.

Hallucinating would be very valid, considering she couldn't fathom the picture in front of her. She stood, mouth agape as Endeavour, Hawks and her spirit companions were engrossed in their activities, not realising her presence. It wasn't that they were all at the camp, which was peculiar, but Endeavour seemed to be wrestling with a spirit whilst Hawks chatted away to Iris without a care in the world.

Libra stood to their side, his body contorted in a manic way as his eyes avidly watched the fight in front of him. His mouth moved frantically, and Estelle knew he was sprouting poetic words like a madman. The closer she got to the group, the deeper her grimace became as Libra's words melded together intelligibly, leaving her to block it out to ensure her sanity.

She couldn't see who Endeavour was battling with, but it was clear that he wasn't holding back as he shot flames to the point it surrounded the duo completely. Exasperated, Estelle wondered why nobody had done anything to prevent this cluster of mayhem.

'What the fuck have I just walked into?'

Trudging forward with a scowl, Estelle prepared her throat by taking a deep lungful of air. Straightening her shoulders, she roared, "Everyone shut the fuck up and line up! Now!"

Everybody within her vicinity stilled as if they had been smothered in ice. The spirits instantly manoeuvred around the heroes to stand in a straight line, four fingers on their hearts as they stared straight ahead. It was deathly silent as Estelle stalked forward, her eyes glowering at her wincing lieutenants with extreme disapproval.

"General," They nervously voiced, eyes remaining forward as she covered the space between them. It was only when Hawks joined the line, his hand on his heart as he stared ahead with a broad smirk, that Estelle's vexation began to fade, forcing her to bite back her smile.

It was at that moment that Estelle realised who Endeavour was fighting. Holding back her look of incredulity, she knew she had to get passed the formalities before she could question it. But, her heart sped up nevertheless, a low delight at seeing the spirit awkwardly shifting under her gaze. "At ease, report what the hell just happened?"

"Wolf arrived! You know how he is! Loves to battle to the death!" Iris chimed in with a beam, bouncing on her toes frantically as if she had too much energy in her little body. Her shimmery wings fluttered behind her as she spoke, emphasising how much she couldn't stay still.

Relieved she could finally acknowledge him, Estelle turned to face the new arrival with a small smile, and her heart warmed at the sight of the aloof male already returning his own. "It is good to see you," she murmured, unsure how he was standing in front of her.

"You as well, Reaper," his deep voice answered in a way that almost sounded like a melody.

Scoffing, Estelle shook her head as she replied. "I'm surprised you ended up here."

"Had a job. The reward was good, plus I hadn't witnessed sweet death in a while. Blood was calling, and it was singing names," he monotoned, swinging his massive sword as if it weighed nothing.

Estelle never knew what to make of Wolf; he was a loner and never accepted Estelle's offer to join her squad. Yet, he always showed up to her most dangerous missions, providing aid whenever Estelle seemed to need it the most.

She was grateful for that because the number of times he stepped in and saved members of her squads was unimaginable. But, she never pestered him about joining, mostly because he practically was a member, just not on official terms.

Estelle had saved him from a battle he was encased in when she was on a mission. The spirit was in a bloodbath, killing everything in sight for seemingly no reason. It was only when reinforcements arrived that Estelle stepped out from the trees and joined in to help the nearly beaten spirit. Unfortunately, since she was far away, she had barely gotten to him in time, a sliver of a second before he would have been temporarily killed.

Slicing down the creatures surrounding him, Estelle ignored Wolf entirely as she tore them to shreds. Once she turned around to face him, she saw the look on his face. To this day, Estelle had never seen it again but knew it was at that moment he had seen something in her. Something to stick around for. Estelle had never asked him what it was, in trepidation of his answer, but he had shown up to save her comrade's skin ever since.

He always spoke about blood and death, despite being a light spirit. It was a conundrum for Estelle, but she accepted it because he would never give a forward answer. Though she knew he was good, kind, and selfless inside, despite his infatuation for blood. He was a loner like her, and there were days he would just sit next to her, taking in the quiet.

"What was the mission?"

"Find the missing spirits. Sad day, no blood or dust, and found them with no reward."

"So, how did you end up here then?"

"Red floaty thing made me follow, thought it was blood."

Estelle sighed, amusement tickling her bones as she shifted from foot to foot. "Well, I wouldn't mind your help," Estelle admitted, slightly bashful.

As he perked up, the expression caught his attention, "You will always have my blade. What is it?"

The male was as detached from others as she was. And the duo had seemed to find a mutual understanding with each other. They both believe that was why it was so easy to open up and bond over their histories because they knew nothing would become of it. There was never an expectation with each other, and it eased Estelle that they were comrades and nothing more.

Yet, Estelle didn't want to admit that her previous guardian was alive. When she told him pieces of her past, the spirit fell into a rage before disappearing for a few moons. The reaction had shocked her at the time, and when he returned, it was never spoken of again. Knowing she would have to say it eventually, Estelle breathed his name out like a sigh.

"Nyx"

Wincing at the loud snarl, Estelle shifted her gaze to his yellow eyes from the ground. Wolf was a Lycan, the lights equivalent of werewolves but a lot less gruesome. He had wolf-like traits, but he didn't shift, mainly garnering the characteristics of one than actually morphing into the beast.

Baring his fanged teeth, Wolf stepped forward as his fists trembled. In his outrage, the giant sword he previously used as a toy had fallen to the ground. Giving him a solid stare, Estelle remained still as he gnashed in her face. "That disgusting creature is alive?!"

Nodding mutely, Estelle suddenly remembered the heroes standing to the side. "Oh, yeah. What are you guys doing here?"

It was defiantly the wrong time to change the topic. The furious Lycan stood straight, snapping at her avoidance before falling into his turmoil of emotions. "Don't ignore me, Reaper! I thought that sonofabitch was beneath the ground for the next few aeons! What is he doing here? And where even is here!?"

Opening her mouth to respond, Estelle fell into a scowl as he continued to bark and growl at her. Clearly, he still held a wave of anger towards the bastard. It surprised her; she had expected the feelings from the initial night she told him about Nyx to fade when he returned. She had not expected this, and it made her uncomfortable to realise how out of character Wolf was at the moment. Usually, his mask was solid, a blank slate, just like hers.

"That Bastard! I'll rip the flesh from his bones and drink blood from his veins. I'll offer his intestines to you, my Reaper; he will die. I'll stick around for eternity to make sure he stays dead. Just say the word, and I will go slaughter him. Say it, give me the order!"

"Wolf!" Estelle barked, realising he was spiralling the more he spoke. The words didn't seem to register as he continued.

"He'll pay for everything he did. I'll rip those disgusting hands and feed them to the werewolves. I'll keep him alive and drain him for all he's worth. Just say the word. Come on, say it!"

Incredulity covered Estelle's entire being as she registered the deep tenor of his words. It sounded almost possessive, and he wasn't controlling his instincts which he usually maintained with precision. Knowing she needed to pull him out of his state before he became more wolf than spirit, Estelle snapped, "Wolf, I order you to stand down!"

Stunned silent, Wolf trembled in place as he gaped at the female in front of him. The field was deathly silent, her comrades and the heroes watching the scene with broadened stares and halted breaths. It was tense as Wolf panted for air, his eyes not straying from Estelle as his eyes betrayed the absolute abandon he had for her.

Ignoring the look in his eyes and the offputting depths of his stare, Estelle took a slow step forward and placed both hands on the side of his head in comfort. Keeping her voice low to ensure she wouldn't set him off, she whispered, "Nyx may deserve what's coming to him, and he will get it. But, that doesn't mean you lose yourself in the process. You are so much more than your rage, and when the time comes. We will take him down. Look at me," Estelle firmly stated when his eyes averted from hers in shame.

"You have nothing to be ashamed of. You were willing to put your life on the line for me; that is more than enough. You are enough. You don't need to do any of that for me; you aren't obligated to."

"I know, but that doesn't mean I wouldn't."

"You don't owe me anything. You never have."

"You always said I was the truth you would not say," He started with a wide grin before frowning again, "and I don't owe you shit, but you're an okay person. So, I'm not letting anyone take you out."

Smirking, Estelle let out a light laugh. "You are somewhat okay yourself. Don't get the wrong idea, though."

"We aren't friends." They simultaneously voiced with a deadpan as if they were finishing the line of a known quote.

Whistling to relieve the tension, Hawks grunted, "Sounds like it to me, ya bunch of weirdos."

"The blossoming flower of friendship. The denial of the rose is like the sun never rose! Oh, how sore each heart must bore! How uncanny is this pantry, for the sweets are salty!"

"What?" Endeavour muttered, utterly flummoxed by the words of the poetic spirit.

"Don't make fun of me! I'm working on it!" Libra shrieked, furious that his music was questioned.

"Oh oh oh! Let me guess what it means!" Iris called out, her wings flapping as she rose into the air excitedly.

Feeling a headache from the loud voices, Estelle decided to disband this group meeting as soon as possible. "Hawks and Endeavour. Follow me. Wolf, you may join if you wish."

"You never ask us to join!" Iris cried back with a pout, her hand poking Libra as he tried to brush her away.

"Because you never shut up," Estelle rebuked as she strutted off, the males following behind her.

"Poo!"

Wolf stayed multiple steps behind her as she walked by the two heroes. She wasn't surprised by his movements, but her mind immediately went to him when she came to this world and found out what bodyguards were.

His sword was swinging, but the relaxed movements was a facade, his eyes betraying him as he scanned the area. Estelle ignored him, used to his tendencies from working out in the field with him.

The two heroes noticed his actions, suddenly on edge as they wondered why he was on such high alert. Estelle's voice jumped them out of their daze, responding to their unanswered question. "He always does that. Ignore him."

"Easy for you to say," Hawks grumbled back.

"So, why are you guys here?"

"We had a meeting to discuss the incident a while back with the black Nomu, but surprisingly I had received a call. Wolf had a knife to one of my trainee's throats, and he was demanding to see you. He handed the phone over, and I convinced him to meet us with the promise I would bring you two together. I would have called you once we reached camp, but this madness happened."

"Ah, so I got here just in time then. How convenient," Estelle couldn't help but snipe.

"Tch, those spirits are defiantly something. A tiny man came up to me, trying to show off his axe. I think he was trying to mate with me," Hawks added, horrified slightly at the memory.

Failing to hold back a cackle of mirth, Estelle relaxed with a grin. The picture was too good to be true, and she wished she had gotten there earlier to witness that. She was rewarded with a glare from the bird-man, but she disregarded it to revel in the comedy she was experiencing. With a flicker of her eyes, she could see the amused smirk of Endeavour that simply stated, 'It wasn't as good as you thought it was; it was better.'

Shaking her head, Estelle smiled as she glimpsed up at the two heroes. "Thank you for bringing him here. I'm sure it wasn't easy."

"You got that right! The guy is insane! He kept asking me if my blood was red?!" Hawks admonished before he was interrupted by the more giant hero.

"We know you have a lot on your plate, so we want to be able to help as much as we can. All the heroes do; they can see how hard you work."

"It's nothing," Estelle murmured, discrediting his words.

Surprisingly, Hawks had spoken, the severe tone of his voice taking the duo aback. "It's to be expected. If a bunch of heroes suddenly realise they can't do jack shit about a villain, and they have to rely on a teenage girl to save them, it would defiantly erupt some sort of emotion. Especially when they see said teenager constantly in the public eye, doing hero work, spirit work and still somehow managing to be a high schooler. They notice all you do for everyone, and they want to support you. They became heroes to help the helpless, yet they're stuck on the sidelines. Use them, cut down your work, rely on us."

"Hawks, the public needs to see that I'm reliable. If they don't see me, they'll lose faith, and that's when the trouble will start. I understand what you're saying, but I'm not sure what to do here."

"A leader can admit when they need others for support. It's good that you have that trait," Endeavour interrupted, a flicker in his eyes the female couldn't pinpoint.

"Honesty is the only way. I learned that the hard way."

"What do you mean?"

"I tried to handle the war on my own in the beginning. It was only after I admitted that I needed help that we actually began to win our battles," Estelle explained briefly, not willing to go further into detail about the village that was torn down before learning that.

"A tough lesson, but a needed one. More heads are better than one, so how about we help?"

"How?" Estelle questioned, intrigued by their persistence.

"You aren't in an agency."

"Because I am not a hero," Estelle adamantly retorted, a frown on her lips as she stared up at the duo looking at her. Her stomach twinged slightly at the care on their face, and she realised they were watching her in concern.

Ever since she had interrogated the older man at the police station, Estelle had been working ten times harder than before. She went to the camp every day to monitor the training of the spirits. She was astonished that their instincts had withered like they hadn't trained or fought in years.

It perplexed her to the point that she had demanded what they had been doing for the last year, and she was only gifted with a shrug. It only furthered her frustrations with the current happenings of this world because she thought she had battle-hardened spirits at her side. Instead, she was training them once again.

The only ones who had retained their instincts were those of her squad, but she assumed it was because they continued going on missions right up until they got here. It relieved her to know they would be here to get them ready for the fight because they all needed the skills under their belt to survive what was coming.

"Blah, blah, so you're not a hero. But, having your name with our hero agencies shows that the guardian has been approved by the number one hero and the number two hero."

"Both of you?"

"Yes, we had briefly discussed it on the way here. It would enhance the effect on the public by having both our names on yours. We would like you to split between mine and hawk's agency. It benefits us as well, so it's a win-win."

"I won't be able to maintain that with everything else going on," Estelle added, unsure if that was the right call.

"It's only in name. You'll keep doing everything you're doing. We may need you for a few missions, but we'll leave you be most of the time. Again, we're offering you this not only because you're exceptional at what you do but because it'll allow you more time to work on Nyx."

Nodding, Estelle let out a long breath. She knew it was a good idea because the less time working with civilians allowed her more time to develop a battle strategy. If she had to join an agency to do that, she would. "Then I accept."

The smiles of Hawks and Endeavour warmed her inside, and she leaned back as Hawks let out a whoop of excitement. Laughing lightly at his joy, she let out a smile of gratitude toward the two heroes. "Thank you, both of you. You didn't have to do that."

Groaning, Hawks slumped over like he had been shot in the heart. "Don't make that face, general alien princess. I'll seriously go to heaven."

Baffled, Estelle furrowed her brows as she stared at the winged male. The perplexity was evident that it caught the older male off guard as he leaned back with wide eyes. "Um, that's called flirting?"

"What?" Estelle questioned back innocently, but Endeavour's hand had landed on his face in a slap before the man could respond.

"Ignore this idiot. We are glad to have you on board. We'll make the announcement tomorrow once you've signed the papers."

"Okay."

"Forgive me if this is too forward, but I would also recommend thinking about what we said. The heroes want to help, and they trust you now that you've proven yourself. Use that to your advantage; I'm sure you can find a use for them. You don't have to fight a whole war on our world by yourself."

"I will bear that in mind, thank you."

"You're smart; you'll find something," Hawks added with a nod of support as he encouraged her. Estelle felt her heart warm again, amazed at the change of events but welcoming it wholeheartedly. She needed all the assistance she could get for what was coming, and she needed the people to be prepared.

The idea struck her, but she bit her lip to hold back her smile. The small action caught their attention, facing her with lifted brows as they expectantly scanned her.

"No way! You thought of something! Spill!" Hawks cried, denying the fact she already had an idea.

Shaking her head with a forced scowl, Estelle grunted, "Don't rush me; I'll need to figure out the logistics first."

"No way! Come on! I wanna know alien princess!" Hawks continued, hopping on his feet as he chirped in her face excitedly. The action was endearing, but she stuck to her guns. Estelle needed to think everything else through first. No general gave a barely thought out plan.

"Not yet; I'll call a meeting when it's ready."

"We'll be there," Endeavour agreed, a smirk of approval on his lips as he hid the fact he was impressed with her. He had anticipated her to take at least a couple of days to find something, but it came to her so quickly that it made him think that maybe the heroes weren't as useless as he thought.

"Urgh, fine!" Hawked whined, his wings dropping with disappointment.

"May I approach, Reaper," Wolf called out, startling the trio as they had completely forgotten about the spirit following them.

"Of course," Estelle immediately answered, reassuringly looking at the heroes who tensed at his entrance.

"I haven't seen blood in a while. May we hunt?"

Giving a sympathetic look towards the angsty male, Estelle shook her head. "You may scout the area and kill any dark ones around, but there haven't been many as Nyx keeps recalling them. I'll try to take you out soon."

"Thank you, do you have any missions for me?"

"Scout, protect and observe."

"I will leave you then. May your blood remain in your body."

"Thank you," Estelle answered lightly, her feet moving to leave the area again.

The heroes only goggled at them with faces that held mixtures of disgust and disbelief.

Estelle returned to Heights Alliance later than expected as she spent the hours of the afternoon signing papers with Hawks and Endeavour. Endeavour eventually got fed up with the winged male and separated ways as soon as he was finished, and Estelle couldn't blame him; Hawks knew how to get under people's skin.

Once she entered, the class greeted her with happy faces, and Estelle sagged her shoulders as comfort washed over her. Every bit of tension within her body finally began to ease at their looks, and she internally smiled back.

They could see it through her eyes, and their grins widened. Casually sitting around the room, a few studying, others watching tv or talking to one another. Iida spoke up, "Did you get caught up with something today?"

Shrugging, Estelle answered, "I was with Hawks and Endeavour."

Shoto was conversing with Izuku when he froze and shot his head up to stare into her eyes. His face held apparent perplexity about her words, and he quickly opened his mouth to question further. "Why would you be with my father?"

"I joined his and Hawk's hero agency."

"What?!" The class hollered back, gazes turning to her in absolute stupefaction, making Estelle smirk.

Shrugging, she clarified, "It's just for good press. It helps me gain trust with the public to have their stamp of approval."

"Are you sure they weren't just saying that so you would sign with them?" Tokoyami jumped in sternly, concerned at the implications of her workload. The consideration within his eyes made her soul soften, and she allowed the genuine smile to slip through at his thoughtfulness.

Shrugging again, Estelle answered, "Possibly, but their reasonings were sound, and they were willing to let me do my work without their interference, so it's a fair deal."

"No way! Can you even do that?!"

"Can you work two jobs? Then yes, you can. It's just not the norm."

"Tch, why are you even surprised when we're talking about Estelle?" Bakugo interrupted snarkily, "When does she ever follow the norm?"

The class collectively nodded in agreement as they softened into their seats. Bakugo was right, but it never got any less unpredictable when she came out with something like that, and it was always when they least expected it.

Receiving congratulations, Estelle only answered with a muddled smile as they expressed their excitement for her. Estelle wasn't sure why they congratulated her when she never did anything, but she didn't want to seem ungrateful, so she nodded and smiled.

It was only when Bakugo had dragged her into the dining room, the plate already placed on the table, that Estelle finally brought up her puzzlement. "Why were they saying congratulations?"

As if her question was absurd, Bakugo grumbled, "Because you are in the top two agencies."

"But, I didn't do anything," Estelle softly added, her brows furrowed with a slight frown.

"It's still an achievement."

"I didn't earn it, Ruby. It's worthless, and it's pretty much just a press stunt," Estelle argued, adamant about the truth in her answer.

"They wouldn't offer you that just because it helps you. Endeavour and Hawks wanted you in their agency, and they knew you would decline if you had nothing to gain. This helps them just as much as it helps you. That's an achievement. Having the top two heroes compromise to have you in their agency isn't normal, and it shows that you have a skill they're willing to do that for. Don't look down on yourself; it makes me sick!" The blonde scolded, his arms folded as he reprimanded her with his eyes.

"What I wouldn't do to have the confidence you have, Ruby," Estelle sighed, digging into her curry with a groan of approval.

"Tch, you have to say it enough to believe it. And I damn well believe what I say!"

"I know," Estelle softly responded, her gaze watching him in a way that made his stomach curl. The understanding within her stare didn't need to be explained; he just knew she got the underlying message.

Bakugo constantly ranted about how he would be the best and become number one. With those words, Estelle understood that he said them out loud not only to confirm to others what he would become but to confirm to himself, like a promise that it was what he would accomplish. He said it into existence enough that he believed it, and he would rip every barricade in front of him to reach that goal. He spoke wholeheartedly and ultimately knew that his commitment would come to fruition.

The familiarity slowly turned to admiration, and Bakugo could have stayed within that moment for at least a few years. He soaked it in and revelled in it with every fibre. The most powerful woman in the world looking at him like that set his nerves on fire. He wanted her to keep looking at him like that; gosh, he loved it so much he debated on taking a picture as a keepsake. It was enticing and addicting, and he knew he would never get enough of it.

His voice was unintentionally husky as he expressed, "You already have the confidence. It's just that your mind likes to trip you up sometimes. As annoying as it is, at least ill be there to keep you right."

"Yeah..."

"Now eat up before I feed you again," Bakugo harshly added, the soft gaze hardening into a glare when he realised she had stopped biting into her food.

Groaning with a light flush, Estelle redirected her eyes to her food. Picking up her spoon with a grumble, Estelle's other hand rested on the table. Feeling the bubble of warmth surround her fingers, the action of Bakugo holding her hand made her heart tense, and to remove herself from the quickened heartbeats, Estelle blurted out a question. "What's flirting?"

Taken aback, Bakugo nearly fell out of his chair from the whiplash he had just received. Letting out a few stutters, the male snarled to himself before taking a deep breath. His voice was controlled to an exceptional degree as he slowly questioned her, but the tightening of his fist gave him away. "Why are you asking?"

"Hawks said something about it, and I didn't know what it meant. Why? Is it something bad?"

"No! It's uh," Bakugo stuttered, a blush on his face as he tried to figure out a way to explain it without sounding like every person was a creep. Estelle only raised a brow in a stupor, low satisfaction in her stomach from the reaction she was seeing. Even though she had no idea the meaning of the term, she couldn't deny she liked seeing him caught off guard.

The scanning of her eyes and the pleasure on her face as she watched him only furthered the heat inside him. It was as if his blood was boiling internally and needed some ice to compensate from the firey pit he was encased in. Her eyes were darker, almost sultry, as she scanned him, and the brief lick of her lips had broken him. "Don't ask me! Grr! I gotta go! I'll see you tonight!"

"I'll see you then, Ruby Red," Estelle called out to his back, chuckling at the fact he was already out of the door.

"Gahhh!"

Estelle only reacted with a loud laugh.