Chapter 17

.::Starry Eyed Woman::.

"So, still no answer?"

"No, nothing." Mina frowned as she looked down at her phone, Kumiko and Kirishima crowding her on either side to see the screen as they sat at a table in the very back corner of the lunchroom. After getting that ominous message from Infinity_Girl_8 two days ago, there had been total radio silence on the other girl's end. Mina had sent her several messages probing for what she meant, but she'd gotten no response. All she had was what her online friend had shared before hand.

"Okay, so basically, her dad is really protective and doesn't let her do anything, right?" she said to the others. "So he's been extra-freaked out lately and he kept her locked in her room since we started talking."

"So then maybe her dad confiscated the phone?" Kumiko suggested.

"Or maybe the princess decided she wanted to leave her castle and go on an adventure," Anjou said, sitting on the opposite side of the table as she looked at her phone. Mina perked up, snapping her head to look at the teal-haired girl in realization.

"Wait, do you mean run away?"

"Yep," Anjou said, popping the p.

"Hold on, how do you know her dad didn't just take the phone like Kirameki said?" Kirishima piped up with a frown.

"That last message was pretty vague, but if her dad took the phone he probably wouldn't let her say anything. Stranger danger and all that."

"...Okay, point there," Kirishima conceded. "But still, isn't it kind of a stretch to assume she's just running away from that alone?"

"Why not?" Anjou replied with a shrug, eyes still glued to her phone. "Strict, overprotective dad and worried mother. A house that sounds more like a prison. Home schooled and only allowed to leave the house with her dad or her teacher. I've heard worse reasons to run away."

"Wait, did you send her a friend request and talk to her!?" Kumiko blurted, while Mina and Kirishima both perked to sharp attention. Anjou just shrugged, finally glancing up at them.

"Nah. I just logged into Ashido's account and checked the history."

"Wait, you WHAT!?" Mina blurted. "How—!?"

"Your password is 'Pinkie111,'" Anjou deadpanned, gaze lowering back to her phone. "It took me literally two guesses to get. You need to choose your passwords better." Mina growled in irritation, feeling her eye start to twitch violently.

"Okay, so it sounds like Anjou's voting on her running away instead of the phone getting confiscated or something," Kumiko said hastily before Mina could say anything. "I'm kinda leaning towards that too now."

"Yeah, if she's even real," Kirishima muttered. "She could be lying for all we know."

"She's not!" Mina said with a huff. The thing was, she was now ninety-nine percent sure this was Uraraka. She didn't know if she was her Uraraka, but she said her dad owned a construction company and she could make stuff float by touching it. How many people could say that? They hadn't really talked about it though because right after talking about their Quirks Uraraka got called to dinner, and when she came back they ended up venting about chores instead.

"Well, she didn't ask anything about you," Kumiko said thoughtfully. "And she types like a teenage girl. She used a lot of emoji. So, it's probably safe!"

"Thanks Kumiko!" Mina beamed at her best friend, while Kirishima just groaned.

"Kirameki, weren't you banned from using social media back in middle school?" he asked, and Kumiko paused.

"...No," she mumbled, but very distinctly did not look at him. Mina frowned, recognizing the obvious tell that meant her best friend was lying. Okay, so maybe Kumiko wasn't the best one to back her up.

"Anjou?" she asked, turning to her newest friend. "Can you tell Kiri he's overreacting?" Anjou spent tons of time on her phone, so she was probably way more responsible and smart about social media and stuff. Especially since she was apparently a dirty hacker.

"Yeah, no, she seems clean to me," Anjou said. "Her profile isn't loaded with fake teen stuff like most phishers. And Kirameki's right, she does type like a teenager. Didn't seem fake to me."

"Okay!" Kumiko said with a clap. "So she's got Anjou's seal of approval, and Anjou's super-cynical and suspicious of everyone so we're probably good on that front!"

"Yeah, I guess you're right," Kirishima finally agreed with a nod, and Mina almost let out a whoop of victory before he added, "But I guess it doesn't matter much anyway, since she's, y'know, gone now."

"Yeah." Mina deflated at the reminder that Uraraka hadn't responded at all. It made her sad to think that they wouldn't be able to talk anymore, and also a little frustrated. They had just started talking, but now Mina's best and only lead to getting home had already vanished.

And wasn't that depressing? Ten days since arriving in this scary alternate world, and Mina still had found nothing to help getting home. She couldn't even say if Infinity Girl actually was Uraraka. Don't get her wrong, she wanted to ask, but asking outright felt weird, because what if she wasn't Mina's Uraraka? Kirishima didn't remember her, so there was no guarantee Uraraka would either.

Randomly knowing someone's name just sent major creep vibes, and Mina couldn't figure out how to ask without being weird. She'd kinda been hoping Uraraka would bring it up first. Now she'd have to wait until Uraraka reached out again, and who knew when that would be?

"I just wish she would tell me what she was doing so I could help," she groaned. "If she was running away, I would've invited her over to my place!"

"You literally started talking to her on Monday," Kirishima reminded her flatly, looking thoroughly unimpressed.

"Don't care! We're still friends, and that's that!" She stuck out her tongue as she crossed her arms, effectively ending the topic.

"What would running away even include?" Kumiko wondered aloud. "It's gotta take a lot of preparation. I mean, obviously she needs to pack a bunch of clothes. Walking around in the same outfit forever would feel gross after a while."

"And snacks!" Mina added with an enthusiastic wave of her arms. "Lots of snacks and drinks so she doesn't get hungry!"

"Right! And soap, shampoo and dental stuff! Hygiene is still important!"

Kirishima still looked a bit overwhelmed and uncertain, clearly not expecting the topic change, but after a few seconds he raised a hand. "Uh, what about stuff for a disguise? I mean, if someone missed school with no calls or anything the police would be looking for you, right?"

"Kiri, you're brilliant!" Mina cheered, spinning to face him with a beaming grin. "That's the manly Kirishima I know!"

"Wha—seriously, what is with you and manliness all of the sudden!?"

"You guys are on the right track, but you're still thinking about it wrong," Anjou interjected before the conversation could devolve further. "The change of clothes and disguise are definite necessities, but in a real runaway scenario you'll want to pack as light as possible, so you'd have to nix the snacks. Best bet would be to take a steel thermos or two for water, and cash to buy food as needed."

"Okay, back up," Kumiko said. "What do you know about surviving on the streets? You're on your phone, like, twenty-four seven!"

"Well, for starters, don't just talk in the middle of a crowded cafeteria about running away," Anjou deadpanned, reminding them that they were in fact not alone even if no one was close enough to hear. "That's just advertising you're gonna be vulnerable soon. Second, ditch your phone. Those can be tracked even without Quirks. Get a burner ASAP and ditch any other electronics. Same for credit cards, take cash only."

"...Okay, you're kinda scaring me," Mina said with a frown. "You know way too much about this. Are you okay at home? Do we need to kick your parents' butts?"

Anjou actually snorted at that, and to her surprise even Kumiko snickered and covered her mouth. "Mina, Anjou lives alone," she said. "We've been to her place, like, five times now."

Mina blinked in surprise. "We have?"

"Well, you're definitely not faking the amnesia thing," Anjou drawled with a smirk. "My home life's fine. A couple of my friends in middle school had to run away 'cause of their Quirks. Too flashy, got their whole families targeted. I ended up helping them figure out the logistics so they would, you know, not get kidnapped five minutes after leaving, so I know a bit about how this works."

"...Oh." Mina wilted a bit at that, not sure what to say. Sometimes she forgot how scary this world could be. Everything at school seemed so normal, aside from Kirishima being super-wimpy and nervous all the time. And classes getting canceled that first day because of a villain attack.

...Okay, maybe she was just trying to ignore the bad parts, but come on, she still had to do homework!

"So I guess you're, like, an expert then?" Kumiko asked, her eyes now literally sparkling with curiosity. She then gave an affirmative nod and pounded a fist in her palm, her skin shimmering around the point of impact. "Alright! If Mina ever has to run away, we'll be counting on you to help us!"

"Wait, what?" Mina blurted, twisting in her seat to gawk at her in disbelief. "Why are you singling me out!? Why wouldn't any of you have to run away!"

"Mina, honey, you're pink and can make acid," Kumiko said. "Meanwhile, I sparkle, Kirishima hardens his skin, and Anjou does that flickery-thing with her eyes." Anjou glanced up at her name, her irises doing exactly what Kumiko said. Mina hadn't really paid much attention since Anjou spent so much time staring at her phone, but her pupils were a bright neon turquoise, with a cross-shaped line dividing her dark purple irises into four sections.

"Actually, the flickering is more of a visual tell of me using my Quirk," she commented as the sections flickered white and neon turquoise in a spinning pattern. "Mentalist Quirks for the win." Her eyes stopped the flickering and she turned forward without explaining any further, much to Mina's frustration because now she was curious.

"So, yeah, if anyone here's gonna have to run away, it's you," Kumiko said, patting Mina's shoulder consolingly. "Sorry, hon."

"But—but Kiri's Quirk is awesome too!" Mina protested with a frown.

"It's, really not though," he muttered, ducking his head, and then yelped when Mina proceeded to whack the back of his neck with a fierce scowl.

"Kirishima Eijirou, stop moping and man up already! You can stop bullets with your skin!"

"How would you even know that!?" Kirishima whined incredulously.

"Because I done seen it with my own eyes!" Mina roared.

"When!?"

"That doesn't matter!"

As Mina continued her pep talk Anjou and Kumiko just rolled their eyes as they went back to eating. Some things never changed.

Deep breath in, deep breath out.

Izuku paced his breathing as he stood before the door to room number seven, trying to just calm his nerves. He couldn't freak out right now. Today after heavy consideration he decided to enact the first major step of his plan to find a way home, or at the very least make things better. And to do that, he first needed to talk to Bakugou.

Firming his resolve, he raised his hand to knock on the door only to stop as he noticed a familiar figure suddenly appear next to him. A tired groan slipped out as he turned to look at Seiko, his shoulders sagging and hand falling limply to his side. "What is it now?" he almost whined, already feeling his energy sap away. The girl never appeared suddenly like this without some reason.

Rather than respond, she simply turned and walked down the hall, prompting Izuku to sigh and follow. Funnily enough he rarely actually saw her walk places—usually she just popped out of the shadows, talked for a bit, and then melted into the darkness once more—so she clearly wanted him to follow. It seemed he had started to get used to some of her oddities.

She led him through the halls towards his room, neatly avoiding running into anyone. Once they reached it Izuku felt the hair on the back of his neck rise, because the door was open. He distinctly remembered leaving it shut that morning, he always closed it behind himself. Seiko stepped to the side and nodded to it in a silent gesture to enter, and he hesitantly approached to peer inside.

And was promptly tackled in a hug.

Izuku yelped as he stumbled back, nearly losing his balance if not for the pair of arms hugging him. "Izuuuun, it's been so long!" a female voice whined, and for a horrifying moment he thought he'd been tackled by Toga before realizing it wasn't her voice. The woman pulled away with a bright smile and he found himself gaping at her, mind going blank as he stared at her face.

As far as people went, she didn't look strange. Long dark hair with a violet tint to it, no mutations or even an abnormal skin color, a bit on the pale side maybe but still a healthy complexion. But her eyes—they looked like galaxies. Dark blue irises with soft clouds of violet and red smeared across them, a smattering of pastel specks twinkling like stars orbiting pure white pupils.

Izuku had seen plenty of unusual eyes, but something about hers felt mesmerizing. Was it part of her Quirk?

She smiled at him for a moment longer before it fell, the corners tugging into a small frown as she stepped back. "...Izuku, you're..." She trailed off, frowning as she looked at him almost... suspiciously? Before he could think of how to respond she placed her hands on his shoulders, her frown deepening as she gazed into his eyes. Once again he found himself paralyzed, lost in the miniature night skies in her irises.

"...Oh," she finally said, releasing her grip. "Are you having an episode?"

Alarm bells blared in his mind, his momentary shock vanishing instantly as he jolted in place. "W-what!?" he sputtered. "What makes you think that?" They literally just met, how did she figure it out?

"Because you obviously don't recognize me," the woman replied, tapping her cheek beneath her eye. "You're staring at my eyes pretty hard, Izun. And it's pretty obvious you're trying to figure out if I have some kind of eye-based hypnotism Quirk."

"...No I'm not," Izuku lied, but even he could tell that came out pretty weak. The woman snorted and rolled her eyes, and was it just him or did that smirk look fond?

"Some things just never change," she murmured, and he definitely heard fondness in her tone. Kind of weird from a veritable stranger, but not nearly as jarring as hearing it from Shigaraki. Still, that didn't change the fact he didn't know this woman. Given she greeted him with a hug and called him by a nickname, he guessed they had a pretty close relationship though. He scoured his mind for the entries in his journals, because surely he must have mentioned her at some point, and it suddenly clicked.

"Wait, are you Aiko?" he asked, eyes growing wide, and she regarded him with a bright, sunny smile.

"Yes I am! Though I'm guessing you didn't suddenly remember me."

"Not really, sorry." Izuku offered an awkward shrug, feeling both awkward and slightly nervous. Despite hearing her name quite regularly he still had absolutely no idea who the heck Aiko was. His notebooks had no mentions of her, he didn't know what kanji she used to write her name. Even Seiko at least got some brief mentions in his diaries about when she'd visit and pass on information.

Apparently they must be pretty close though. The fact she managed to clock onto him apparently having an episode without him even saying anything spoke volumes of how well they knew each other. It made him wonder why he omitted her from his notebooks and journals so much.

As if reading his mind (which, please let that be a figure of speech and not her actual Quirk) Aiko shrugged and offered a small smile. "You don't write about me here because you're afraid of someone snooping. I don't like to advertise my connection to the Alliance, even to some of the members. Unfortunately, some of my paranoia's rubbed off on you. Sorry if that confused you."

"...O-oh, I see." That explained it at least a little bit. Izuku had been hesitant to write anything down in fear of one of the Alliance snooping and seeing it, so he could understand his counterpart's own hesitation. He was slightly worried over Aiko's comment about not advertising her connection to the Alliance though.

Did that mean she was a civilian and just affiliated with them, kind of like Izuku, or a full-fledged villain who worked independently? Was she the leader of her own group maybe? What if she operated undercover to get information on other villain groups for the Alliance? Or worse—she worked as a Pro Hero and was actually a secret spy for the villains?

His musings abruptly cut off when Aiko laughed, flinching as she ruffled his hair with a fond smile. "Some things really never do change," she teased, and he realized he must have been mumbling out loud again. She withdrew her hand and folded her arms, her smile still warm. "Those are some good guesses, Izu, but not quite there yet. What I do doesn't really matter, but I can at least promise you I don't spy on heroes and sabotage them or anything like that."

A bit of relief filled him at that. In this world he wouldn't put it past a villain to secretly infiltrate the ranks of Pro Heroes, and with the equilibrium so heavily imbalanced they needed every advantage they could get. Still, the fact she didn't deny any of his other speculations made it pretty clear she still engaged in villainous activity, making his heart sink. He really was the only civilian here, wasn't he?

"But it's surprising," Aiko continued, her smile fading. "Himiko didn't mention you having an episode. How long has it lasted?"

Izuku started to respond but stopped as her first sentence registered. "Wait, do you mean Toga? Why did she call you?"

"To gossip about you running into a cute girl, of course," Aiko responded blithely, and Izuku felt a bit of his soul leave his body. Of course she did. Despite his best efforts to protect her, Uraraka seemed to be doomed to be a subject of interest for the entire Alliance. He just hoped she didn't end up getting "recruited" because of his imaginary infatuation with her.

"Please tell me you don't plan on kidnapping her," he groaned, and Aiko laughed.

"Don't worry, I don't think having a polite conversation with someone makes them automatically a candidate for the Alliance. But seriously," she continued, growing serious again. "When did this episode start?"

"Uh, I think..." Izuku trailed off, taking a second to mentally count the days.

"This is the tenth day." He startled as Seiko suddenly spoke up, having forgotten she was there due to how quiet she was. Usually she just sort of vanished when someone else showed up, and he never realized just how grateful he was for those absences until he turned to look at her now. She regarded him with that eerie blank look of hers, her eyes still unreadable as always and sending a chill down his spine.

"Ten days?" Aiko repeated, giving a low whistle. "Definitely breaks the old record, never made it to double-digits before. What was it again, seven days?"

"Yes," Seiko confirmed flatly. "No one else has noticed yet, though it may be because everyone's been busy."

"Wonder how long it'll take," Aiko mused, and Izuku perked up.

"Wait, does that mean you're not going to tell Tomura-nii?" he asked quickly, genuinely surprised, and she shook her head.

"Nah. You always like to see how long you lasted when your memory comes back, I think you kind of treat it like an experiment? Like, how much of your subconscious memories influence your behavior or something like that." She shrugged and Izuku nodded slowly, relief flooding him. So she wouldn't tell anyone. That took a huge weight off his shoulders, he'd rather not deal with the protective side "Tomura-nii" his counterpart described in his journals.

He breathed a large sigh, feeling a lot of tension seep from his shoulders. "Thanks, Aiko-san." Aiko paused, blinking at him as her head tilted slightly to the side.

"Aiko-nee," she corrected, and Izuku stiffened before smiling sheepishly.

"O-oh, I see. Sorry, uh, Aiko-nee."

"It's fine," she sighed, smiling almost feebly. "I get it, I'm pretty much a stranger right now. I'm used to it." Something about the way she said it made Izuku feel a pang of guilt, she sounded so sad. Before he could comment she frowned and added, "But Izuku, do you feel any... different? Like, weird at all?"

"Uh... Different?" Izuku frowned at the abrupt change of topic, unsure how to answer that. "I mean, the amnesia thing is kinda freaky, I guess?"

She hummed, regarding him with a look of mild concern. "You don't feel warm? Or sore anywhere?"

...Okay, now Izuku was getting kind of scared. "Do I have a chronic illness I don't remember?" he asked worriedly, and Aiko quickly shook her head.

"No, no, just..." She trailed off and shook her head again. As she did Izuku noticed for the first time she had a flash of yellow around her neck like a necklace, and when his eyes flitted towards it felt his blood run cold.

Nope, nope, nope, do NOT freak out!

Cue internal screaming as he hoped his poker face would hold up and not show his current state of panic. Fortunately for him, a cell phone rang at that moment, making them both jolt in alarm. Aiko paused and fished one from her pocket, glancing at the screen with a frown. "I have to take this," she said. "We'll talk more later, okay Izun?"

"O-okay," Izuku agreed with a hurried nod, and Aiko smiled briefly before turning and answering the call.

"Give me a minute, I was just talking to Izuku," she told the caller even as she walked away. Izuku took the opportunity to rush into his open room, closing the door and leaning against it with a heavy breath. He wrapped his arms around himself as he went through the breathing exercises he learned in class, legs shaking beneath him and trying not to hyperventilate. All he could think of was Aiko's neck, his blood chilling at the mere thought.

Why did she have Aizawa-sensei's goggles?

Nemuri's mouth formed a thin line as she stared into the empty bedroom, the bed neatly made and everything arranged properly on the desk. A light breeze ruffled the curtains by the open window, the only sign of something wrong. Next to her Nezu looked uncharacteristically somber, his beady black eyes narrow and displeased.

"This is quite the unexpected development," he murmured. "There are clearly no signs of a struggle, and all evidence points to her leaving by her own will." Nemuri could only nod, having already reached the same conclusion. She heard a sharp intake of breath behind them, and she turned to see Uraraka-san with watery eyes and face twisted in a mixture of grief and anger.

"Are you suggesting Ochaco ran away?" he demanded, his voice wavering only slightly. "Why in the world would she do that! Isn't it more likely she got kidnapped by those—those villains you saw!?"

"There is no solid confirmation yet that those individuals were indeed villains," Nezu interjected before Nemuri could respond. "It may simply be a case of a strong resemblance, or searching for signs where none exists. As it stands, the missing money and thermos makes it seem much more likely she chose to leave of her own volition rather than get kidnapped."

His words did nothing to assuage the upset father's nerves, his hands shaking at his sides as he squeezed them into tight fists. "You promised," he bit out. "You promised you would protect her! That's why we're paying you! That's why we agreed to let her go out with you!"

His words cut into Nemuri harder than expected, only years of experience allowing her to maintain her professional demeanor and not wince as guilt washed over her. She had only been the girl's teacher for a short time, hadn't even been able to use her real name with her, but that didn't diminish the bond they'd developed. Her hands curled tighter at her side, her manicured nails digging into her palms, and Nezu's eyes darted towards her briefly before returning to the trembling man.

"And you have our word that we will not rest until she's found," he assured him solemnly. "Even if you weren't paying us, I guarantee your daughter's safety would be our greatest priority." His words didn't seem have much effect at first, the man just continuing to glare at them with heavy breathing. Then his face began to crumble and he sobbed, his hands rising to his face as his shoulders drooped miserably.

Nemuri swallowed thickly, turning back to the bedroom as her heart pounded. She strode into the room with a brisk stride full of business, making her way to the desk where a cell phone sat. She picked it up and pressed the home button, and her breath caught as the lock screen lit up with a picture of Uraraka Ochaco.

Instead of the smiling picture of her wearing her "Uraraka Construction" photo though, the girl now flashed an apologetic smile as she held up a piece of paper with only one word: "Sorry."

"Dammit, Ochaco," she hissed, grip tightening around the case.

This is one eventful chapter, and one I've been waiting for a long time. At long last Aiko makes her full debut. So many little hints and foreshadowing, so many reveals, and I can't say much without major spoilers.

Question for next time: who is Aiko and why does she have Aizawa's goggles?