Mother Hen

The class watched the scene with befuddlement. Estelle paid no mind to them as she held up her phone, her brows furrowed with concentration as she pressed the white button on the screen with rapid hand movements. The sound of a shutter was non-stop as she pushed on it frantically, her hand holding the phone waving around the room as the other continued to press the button without an inch of reprieve.

"What on earth are you doing?" Momo murmured finally, the sound beginning to grate in her ears.

"It's my fault," Katsuki interrupted with a groan, his eyes scrutinising the female as she ignored them completely.

"What did you do?" Kirishima contested, a grin on his face as he observed the tongue poking out of Estelle's lips.

"She asked me how to take photos, and she hasn't stopped for the last hour," the blonde answered back before turning over to the female with a stern tone. "Estelle, you'll fill up the camera roll at this stage; you'll have no storage left at this rate."

Finally broken away from her screen, Estelle examined innocently, "Storage? Is it not limitless?"

"Haha, no! You'll have to delete a bunch of them to make more room," Izuku chuckled, his half smile covering the sweatdrop behind his head. The class followed suit, watching on with a chuckle as Estelle stared at her phone, perplexed at the new information.

"How do I view and delete them?" The otherworldly female prodded.

"You've just been taking photos without looking at them?!" Kaminari moaned, his hands on his face as he shook his head in disbelief.

Grumbling, Estelle shrugged, "I was just figuring out how it worked..."

"Grrr! You just press a button and point at what you want a photo of! Why do you need pictures of the damn living room?" Katsuki interrupted with a bark, arms folded as he tapped his foot against the ground with impatience.

"I just wanted to experiment?! Sometimes it makes different colours!" Estelle practically cheered, waving her phone in the air as if it was a device that could grant every wish she had ever had.

"That's called filters!" Hagakure interjected, her invisible arms waving as her sleeves moved up and down.

"Interesting..."

"Oooh! Ooh! You could take photos of everyone and take them back with you! Like a keepsake!" Ashido yelled as she jumped from her seat, her hands already ushering her classmates to stand up and begin their photoshoot.

Furrowing her brows, Estelle tilted her head and hummed in thought. "Hmm, that wouldn't work since there isn't any electricity. But, it's a nice thought."

"Oh, I forgot about that."

Smiling slightly at the slumped body of Ashido, Estelle murmured, "The memory of you all will have to do."

Estelle hadn't noticed that her words had perked up everybody within the room, her eyes only watching the pink female as she stood rigidly straight for a moment before bounding over into her personal bubble. "Aww! That's so sweet! You'd remember us!?"

Pushing the female away slightly, a murmur on her lips that the students could barely catch, Estelle was glad her bubble was back in place before her eyes squinted at her words. "Well, world jumping isn't something to be easily forgotten. I am sure you all will be in my thoughts occasionally."

"That's so sweet! I kinda thought you would just forget about us," Jiro shrugged blandly, causing the students to whirl their heads to her as they recognised that they had assumed the same.

"Yeah! Plus, we would never be able to forget someone like you," Tsu added thoughtfully.

Baffled, Estelle lowered her hand as her heart dropped. Looking down at the ground, Estelle frowned briefly as she registered the words. Her mouth moved slowly as if she was unsure if she even wanted to hear the answer. "Someone. Like. Me?"

"You're one of a kind! A badass who kicks butt and still somehow manages to teach us crazy cool moves?! Like duh! How could we forget you? You're one of us!" Hagakure answered like the answer was obvious.

Sagging her shoulders for a second, Estelle quickly worked on pulling her mask back together. It was too late; the class saw every millisecond of her expressions before they covered it up. A mixture of disbelief, heartache and warmth made it evident that Estelle was internally expecting harsh words yet somehow didn't seem to realise it herself. She did it without thinking, bated breath for someone to bring her down. It hurt a little; it hurt to see someone expect cruelty. But, it made the students happy that they could change it before it settled within Estelle's mind.

Her soft gleam as she gazed at them fulfilled them as the class smiled back at her. Shaking her head fondly, it was a wonder to hear her return the favour. "Well, it would be difficult to forget annoying brats like you all either..."

"Hey!"

"But some moments will be looked back on fondly."

"Awwhhh!" The class cooed back, grinning at each other and Estelle with merriment as she tried to hide the colour on her cheeks.

Estelle felt the urge to run away as the gooey moment sunk in, and it was only moments later that she let out a breath of relief from the sound of the door. Suddenly remembering they weren't expecting any visitors, Estelle whirled to the door quickly as her eyes turned into slits.

The knock and Estelle's tense body language alerted the whole class, who had turned to each other in confusion. Raising their voices quickly, they tried to outspeak each other as they questioned if anyone was expecting any visitors, and Estelle didn't know how anyone would be able to give an answer in the ruckus they had created.

Realising that nobody was attempting to answer meant that whoever was on the other side of the door was completely unexpected, which was not good news. Concern quickly began to rise at who the new arrival was, and Estelle raised a finger to keep them all still as she crept closer to the door.

Frowning, she figured it was best if she answered in case it wasn't friendly. Walking at an even pace, Estelle leant down towards the doorway to pick up her saya lying on its side. Keeping it to her flank, it was apparent by the solid stance of her body and the serious expression on her face that she was preparing for the worst outcome.

Sitting on the edge of their seats, the class watched as Estelle's hand leaned against the doorhandle and slowly creaked the door open.

A loud slam vibrated around the room, and the class barely registered the movements in front of their eyes as it was too quick for them to see. But after a few seconds, the still two bodies in front of them made them all freeze.

With her katana raised high and a fierce expression on her face, Estelle pushed someone against the wall. They couldn't see the individual as she covered him entirely, but they could clearly see the metal of her katana at their neck.

Surprisingly, Estelle took a step back with a deep sigh. "You idiot, the hell are you doing here? I could have killed you."

Raising their brows at the tone of her voice, the students realised that it wasn't an enemy and calmed slightly as they got a view of the new arrival. The boy seemed to be their age, if not a few years older. The feature that immediately caught their eyes was his golden globes that seemed to shine in the light, almost like an animal.

Scanning him further, they noticed his clothes seemed a little old, but it was still stylish in some weird way. The navy cloak that covered his body suited him, a black shirt peeking out underneath. His hair was about the same length as Mr Aizawa's but fuller as it dropped by his shoulders. His features were intense and broody, and the scar that lined his face made him look more threatening than his body language portrayed.

Oh yeah, and he was holding a long-ass sword behind his neck. They hadn't even noticed until the metal caught on the light, reflecting it into the room. He gripped it with one hand as it hung loosely at the back of his neck. Befuddlement buzzed around the room as they stared at the expressionless male. It reminded them of Estelle, his stance, his expressions, his watchful eyes. It was uncanny.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Estelle moaned again, an exasperated expression on her face as she slumped against the wall. The low buzz of adrenaline faded once she realised it was an ally, and she wasn't happy that he had decided to come by unannounced.

"We are meeting for your patrols, were we not?" The male responded, his voice deep and slightly menacing as he answered boldly.

"I was going to rendezvous with you at camp," Estelle argued back, a scowl on her lips as she placed her katana back into her saya and strapped it onto her back.

"Too long. I was bored; blood had been calling ever since I arrived. I have been waiting for you to take me out for too long."

"I know, I'm sorry," Estelle muttered back apologetically. She knew he had been finding it difficult since he arrived, mainly because his rota of killing had stopped entirely. There was nothing to occupy him, and when that happens, the man can become a menace, so she did appreciate his patience at least.

"Good. Let's us kill together, Reaper."

"Just-"

"Keep the blood to the minimum when you're in eyeshot. I know. We have shared many battles, Reaper."

"Who on earth is this!? Are you sure you want to be hanging around someone like that!?" Iida clamoured, appalled by the conversation he was hearing.

Wincing, Estelle inwardly cursed Wolf and his word choices as she listened to her class's murmurs behind her. She could understand their apprehensions, and she probably should have warned them. Then again, she thought she had more time before introductions happened between everyone.

Hearing a deep floor-rumbling growl, Estelle wasn't surprised when Wolf practically teleported in front of her. His hand splayed out over her abdomen protectively as his other hand clenched his sword so tightly that his knuckles turned white.

Her eyes ignored the students and focused intently on the male in front of her to ensure he wouldn't act rashly. She was used to the protectiveness but wasn't used to the stench of blood-lust rolling off him. The image immediately put her body in a stance, her eyes watching him for any hint that he was losing more control. The fact that he hadn't slackened indicated that he wasn't wholly himself.

She knew how much his blood-lust could control him, and as much as she considered him an ally, she wouldn't stand still if he turned his sword to her classmates. It wasn't good timing for introductions, not when he was like this, when a single comment could set him off. It wasn't easy for her to lift her hand to the handle of her katana, but she would never risk the safety of the students.

"Wolf," Estelle warned, hoping her voice would help snap him out of it. Unfortunately, the response of a growl only made her tense up further. Her irritation grew as the male bit back his saliva, his wolfish instincts ripped from the tether he usually held onto.

"Permission to eliminate?" The male boomed fiercely, his eyes glowing deep holes into the people in front of him.

Snarling in aggravation that he dared to even ask such a question, Estelle's features turned dark at the query. The hand around the katana's handle tightened as if preparing herself for any movements he would make against her wishes. Her wrath grew as he tried to take her silence as an answer.

Before he could even begin to lunge forward, the metal of her katana met with Wolf's neck, her eyes blazing as she held his hair tightly with her other hand. How dare he come here unannounced, out of control and a risk to everyone around him? Did he even think Estelle would allow him to harm a single hair on a human's neck? The thought only fuelled the fire within Estelle, and she was livid. She was used to his impulsiveness, but not like this. Forcing her to keep her tremors in check, Estelle's mind fell into a frenzy as she snarled into his ear. "Denied."

The body underneath her froze rigid as Wolf turned his head as much as he could within her tight grip, his wide yellow eyes gazing up at her with stupefaction. His eyes could only lower once he met her irate gaze, and he instantly knew he had messed up. "What? Why not?"

"These are the people I'm staying with. I told you before about them. They are under myprotection, which means I don't care if you are an ally. If you touch them. I willkill you," Estelle hissed, ignoring the gasps around the room from her blunt words.

"Ah, the ones clueless about our lives," he muttered, his eyes flickering up towards the students with another low glare.

"Wha-hey!" The students cried out in the background, but Estelle still could not raise her eyes toward them to ensure he wouldn't try anything.

Realising that he had let go of his sword and his body had unwound, Estelle felt satisfied enough to let go, her eyes still monitoring him as she spoke more calmly than she had a moment ago. It gave the others whiplash since it wasn't normal to see Estelle that angry yet so calm a moment later. "There's no need to insult them, Wolf. They don't know about your circumstances. Let it go."

"They made assumptions about you. They should be bowing to your presence, for you are helping them when you could have let them all bleed," Wolf steely answered back, causing Estelle to narrow her eyes at the male with aggravation.

"It is not I who wished them to bow, Wolf. It's only you," Estelle bit back, knowing he had collected himself enough for now, but she needed to get him out of her in case he lost it again.

"You are the only one I would bow to, my Reaper," Wolf responded thoughtfully, his glowing eyes watching her with an emotion she didn't even want to pinpoint.

"Please don't," Estelle sighed back.

"And that is the only reason I do not."

"Let's go. I hate when you get like this."

"Should have taken me out earlier then," The male grunted, his arms folded as he gave a light pout.

"We aren't friends; you aren't a priority."

"Neither are you, yet I fought beside you." Wolf retorted. Sharing a glare before looking away with stubbornness, the class were bewildered by the change of pace.

The guy literally just said he would bow to only her and then stated they weren't friends. So what the hell were they?

"Considering what we just heard, it seems like you both are," Sero added in confusion, echoing the perplexity of the whole situation the entire class was experiencing.

Sharing an identical smirk, Estelle and Wolf shook their heads simultaneously. "No, we don't have friends."

Oh wow, they really were alike.

Slamming her hand against Wolf's head, Estelle pushed him into a bow in front of the whole class with a stern glare. "Apologise."

"As you wish, my apologies for nearly attacking my Reaper's humans. My only wish is to reign bloodshed on her enemies."

"Tch, it'll do. I'll answer your questions after. Right now, Wolf needs to get out," Estelle continued, knowing he was a ticking time bomb right now. Turning towards the door, Estelle started her march to leave Heights Alliance.

"Blood."

"Shut up and follow me before I duck tape your mouth shut."

"What is this duck tape?"

"A very evil torturing device," Estelle taunted with a smirk, a chuckle at the base of her throat.

"Sounds exciting," He deadpanned, following behind her as she laughed loudly.

The door clicked behind them, and the bewildered students were in disbelief. They knew spirits were in the area, but from the ones that had recently visited Estelle, it looked like there were more than she let on. How many were here? Camp? It seems like Estelle hadn't really kept them in the loop.

Loud thuds shook most of the class out of their stupor, and they turned their heads to find Katsuki scowling as he left the room, his feet slamming onto the floor with each step.

"The blonde one looked as if he was ready for battle the moment I entered the room."

Startled, Estelle lifted her gaze from the leaves crunching beneath her feet to the male next to her. Furrowing her brows, she tried to remember Katsuki's expression once Wolf entered the room, but she realised she hadn't had the chance to pay any attention to her classmates because of Wolf's blood-lust.

"He did?"

"Yes, it irritated me."

"How so?"

"You denied bloodshed."

"Wolf, they are allies. Don't even get me started on how pissed I am that you let your blood-lust take over."

"Tch, you believe that? They aren't using you to their own benefit?"

"Huh? What do you mean by that?" Estelle questioned hotly. Her mind quickly scanned her memories for any hints of deceit that she may have missed, but she could not find any. The more her mind lingered on it, the more ridiculous the thought seemed.

"Are they not relying on you to solve their problems?"

"The only problems I'm solving are the ones our world has caused."

"Hmpt, sure."

The quietness lingered between the duo as they walked, and it was only when Wolf called out for her again that she turned around with a frown.

"You've never raised your sword to me before."

"You've never raised your sword to my comrades before."

Letting out a tut of annoyance, Wolf shuffled on his feet for a second as he struggled to voice his following sentence. "Would you...have really struck against me? Would you have really turned against me for them? A bunch of petty humans."

Stunned, Estelle opened her mouth only to close it again when she realised she could not find the words to say. Taking her silence for an answer again, he stepped up, an unrecognisable emotion on his face as he growled, "I stood by you in hundreds of battles. Are you saying they have more worth to you than I ever did? To the point that you would strike me down without a second thought?!"

"I don't know what I would have done, but I know that the Wolf I know would have never fallen into his blood-lust like he did today?! What the hell was that?! Why did I even need to raise my blade to you at all?! I don't want to have to even think about choosing because picking a comrade over another is an impossible decision to make!"

"What would you have done if I didn't stop myself?"

"Knocked you out most likely. I doubt I would be able to kill you."

Instantly calming from the answer, he murmured, "I see...I apologise for losing myself back there. It won't happen again."

"It better not. Let's keep moving," Estelle muttered, her mind dark as she continued walking. Because Estelle knew that what she said was a lie. She knew that at that moment, she probably would have killed him. But that truth was too much to bear.

Estelle made sure to come back for dinner so she could get the conversation out of the way. The class were happy to hold on as they ate their food, and Estelle again identified the changes they had implemented for her.

Okay, so maybe she should have told them earlier. She didn't want to cause unnecessary worry or trouble by informing them of everything happening. Plus, what if Nyx managed to find a way to listen to her words to her classmates? It didn't seem likely, but it was a valid worry she had for a while.

"Alright, get to the living room when you're done eating," Estelle muttered, not even bothering to try to get away from them. If they would compromise so much for her, the least she could do was keep them in the loop.

The students didn't take long to sit around her, gazing expectantly as Estelle fiddled with a cushion. "You met Libra a while back, but I didn't mention that light spirits have been arriving through the gate. Turns out Nyx had been abducting them to use their abilities for his own means. Others have just found their way here from sheer bad luck."

"What?! That's horrible!"

"Yeah, he stole that idea from Aite, which pissed me off, but it gave me an advantage since his plans resembled my former enemy to an extent. I've been releasing them from their cages for the last two months. The commission agreed for them to remain in the woods with the area blocked off. They have settled and made camp there whilst I gather the rest of the prisoners."

"Oh, that's a relief!"

"Yes, they certainly don't deserve captivity. Since light spirits have been missing for long periods, I'm guessing villages have reported it to older soldiers in a bounty request. Unfortunately, they ended up here instead."

"So, Libra was a soldier?"

"Not just a soldier, but my Lieutenant-"

"What!?" The class cried out, the memory of the spirit crashing into the living room at the forefront of their minds.

"As annoying as his poetry was, he had immense skill in long-distance defence, and his mind was brilliant. So he became my second hand. Iris is another lieutenant. It was us three that managed all parts of the war. Since I could only be in one place at a time, I couldn't train others, do missions and plan strategies simultaneously. It was easier with them around to manage moderate priority issues."

"But...what about Wolf?" Izuky asked nervously.

"He...is an oddball-"

"You can say that again!"

"The spirit hates any attachment, yet still showed up to all my missions to provide backup. I had offered him a place within my ranks, even allowing him to be my third in command. He refused."

"What?! Why would he do that?! That's like the highest compliment you could give to someone! I can't imagine anyone rejecting you!" Kaminari shouted, shock covering his expression.

"Well, it happened. I accepted it, of course, and told Wolf he was free to do as he wished. Yet, he still continued to show up to missions. I never questioned it since I needed all the help I could get. He's a lone wolf and has a terrible infatuation with blood. But, he's a good spirit nevertheless. He saved many of my comrade's lives."

"Wow...these guys sound amazing! Will we get the chance to meet them?"

"I was going to re-evaluate their skills in the next few weeks. You were going to meet them then, and I would have explained beforehand. Unfortunately, Wolf was never good at being patient. So I apologise for that."

"That's okay!"

"I also want to apologise for the scene he created earlier; I hadn't realised how long it had been for his blood-lust to act up. Rest assured, he won't hurt any of you; he's a good one but has all the cards stacked against him. I also shouldn't have gotten so angry."

"It was a little scary, but you stepped in, so you don't need to be sorry," Tsu spoke up softly, causing the class to halt their voices of disagreement.

"Plus, watching you go all mother hen for us was cool!" Kirishima laughed, causing Estelle to sputter and blush in indignation.

"I did not-!"

"But...why didn't you just tell us before? It would have been nice to know there were others around," Momo stepped in with a stern look towards the red-head that caused him to quieten.

Letting out a light cough to recover from the moment, Estelle shrugged with a murmur, "I didn't think it mattered?"

"Of course it does. Do you think we don't care?" Tokoyami questioned seriously, eyes scanning Estelle as if he were looking for the truth within her expression.

Sitting up straight from the query, Estelle voiced, "No! It's just that this is my problem. You guys should focus on your school and training for what's coming. You don't need to think or worry about what's happening in the background. Just know that I am handling it."

"We know you're handling it! You always do! We have full faith that you'll kick butt! But, still, not telling us is like not trusting us," Sero explained, his hands raised as if she should have already known this.

Estelle knew he had a point, but it wasn't her thought process at the time. Dropping her brows in thought, Momo continued for him. "Yeah, it kinda makes us feel like it's one-sided. You ask us how our day was and what happened in class. But, when we ask you, the response is bland. You move on before we can question it."

Unsure of what she should be doing, Estelle felt out of her depth as she tried to conjure up the words to say. Flicking her gaze towards her earnest classmates, her eyes fell into ruby red. His watchful eyes conveyed a message he didn't want to say out loud, but the statement was loud and clear.

'Don't shut them out.'

Nodding, Estelle knew it wasn't a big ask, even though it felt like it. Telling people everything about your day seemed so small, yet so significant. Maybe it was because she knew she was already getting too close, but for some reason, Estelle couldn't communicate the words she needed to. Instead, she stated, "I see. It was not my intention to do that. I guess I'm used to handling the serious stuff alone."

"Well. No more! From now on, tell us about your day! Even if it's filled with paperwork!"

"Hm. Alright."