I want a love that will cherish me.

I need a love that understands me.

But is it really love if all that is in common is past hurt?

"Who's Toya?"

Earlier today, I was happy talking about Toya, yet suddenly...I felt sick to my stomach and nauseous, but the urge to vomit didn't come with it.

Katsuki remained expressionless, "...Be honest with me."

"..."

"Your older self very rarely mentions some guy she's met in the past. I'm wondering if the same guy is this "Toya" person."

"Most...likely. Why?"

"Like I said, you might cheat on him when I end up stealing you away from him," he said with no remorse. "The you I know better have some plan to break it easy to this guy."

'I see no reason why I shouldn't tell him.'

"...Toya is someone I can go to when I'm at my lowest, on dark nights, when I'm...not in the best head space."

What's wrong with me?

"...Toya is someone I can go to when my mother hurts me with her words...or her hands."

Why do I feel so weak all of a sudden?

"..."

I feel like I'm being unraveled.

"It hurts even more when I lie to my brother and my uncle that "I'm okay", but it's so they don't get involved and something bad happens."

I'm okay with telling him. He's a loudmouth, but he can keep a secret...unlike Izuku who can't lie to save his life.

"I have to play pretend all the time unless I'm alone...or with Toya."

It's okay if I tell Katsu. He won't tell anyone.

"He comforts me, loves me, helps me, plays with me, teaches me..."

With what he said at the park, I trust Katsu.

"He makes me...not want to kill myself."

Katsuki closed his eyes, his brows were scrunched in frustration...or that's what it looked like to me. He didn't say anything immediately, probably choosing his words carefully.

It made me wonder...

Am I suicidal in the future?

Has Katsuki or any of my friends dealt with this tendency or anything related to it? Do I make trouble for everybody? Am I just a burden leech that latches onto anyone so I can have meaning? So I can feel something? Anything to feel alive?

I thought it was Toya, but...he's not around. No one but myself knows who he is so...something must've happened to Toya.

"That's...fucked up," Katsuki groaned, bringing me out of my spiraling thoughts.

The blond looked away from me as if trying to control his emotions. He stared at his wall with many emotions blasting in his eyes but it didn't reflect in his actions.

"You're just a kid and you...think about shit like this...all the time."

My eyes faltered to the clean carpet, "...It goes away when, like you said, "I latch onto other people"...like a greedy leech," I muttered. "My existence...feels like it has always been to serve other people, like you've said before. I am Toya's "broken doll" he can play with in times of need and the same with me; my mother's "punching bag" to let out her frustrations; my brother's "scapegoat" so he won't get in trouble; my uncle's "jester" so he won't suspect anything; Izuku's "role model" in terms of strength; even though I don't remember Shoto, his face says everything, I'm the "light" to his dark. As for you..."

My eyes glided up to capture his reaction to my self-deprecating words. He looked furious, words ready to roll off his tongue like how they did earlier today. It took him so much to keep from yelling at me, especially at this time of night. His classmates would come knocking on his door to see what was wrong.

"C'mere," he summed up all he wanted to say in one word.

Katsuki outstretched his right hand out to me.

I shrunk away from him, "The last time you said that, you ended up threatening me."

"But did I drop you?"

I frowned at his curt response, 'He could've just told me to teleport us anywhere without threatening me.'

Hesitant, I took cautious steps towards him, watching closely to see what he'd do. He didn't make any rash moves, he...delicately? wrapped his arms around me and unhurriedly pulled me onto his lap.

Delicate...like a fine China porcelain doll. How can he be so gentle with a broken doll? I don't expect him to know that I'm broken...though I think he's long figured out how all over the place I am.

If Katsuki cares about me...is he willing to pick up all the pieces and take his time to piece me back together?

I hope my older self doesn't see this as him treating me like a challenge to overcome, like a prize to be won or something just because he's the "Prince of the Playground".

I faced the same way he was facing, towards the patio door leading outside. This felt like I was crossing unfamiliar territory, much fewer boundaries, but...it felt familiar to the point I imagined two fuzzy figures cradling each other before us.

The sensation from Katsuki's hug was unimaginable...though far from discomforting. It's a pleasant feeling, a snug feeling, it's almost like-

Kami.

'...My older self...is so stupid. How could she not see it, but I can? It's probably because I'm a kid. It's all smoke and mirrors with adults and people becoming adults...'

The "Kamilah" Katsuki knows...has found the same kind of comfort and warmth Toya provides without realizing it. Does that mean...

'Katsuki is Toya's replacement?'

"Katsu."

"What?"

"Do you think...I'll remember any of this when I return to normal?"

"Don't know."

"If I don't remember...that's okay."

It's okay because..."I" know.

"I" know that Katsuki will be there for me even if I don't want him to.

"I" know that if Toya is no longer around, it just wasn't meant to be.

What "I" don't know is if the image in my head of this partially burnt body is "my" way of saying Toya is dead to me or if he's really-

I shook my head, not wanting to see it or think about it.

Despite whatever place Katsuki has in my life...it'd hurt me to no end to know if Toya went away without me...but I'd still have to move on. Life goes on with or without him.

"Katsu...can we sleep now? I don't want to think about anymore bad stuff."

Hearing myself like that...cracked open a window to shed some light on my hurting inner child. When will the pain go away? I'm tired of it all, the secrets, lies, pain...I just want to be a normal girl without burdening anyone else or myself.

Without question or retort, Katsuki got up, holding me in his arms. On instinct, I reached around his neck and locked my hands together.

He set me down on his bed before he went to flick his bedroom light off.

I lifted his blanket with my Quirk to which he got in bed. It was only until he was settled next to me that I covered us both. It almost felt like this was routine for us.

Another vision of two blurry figures cuddling with each other in a massive bed appeared before me. There looked to be morning light peering through the window facing the bed.

I blinked rapidly and shook my head a little. It worked because I saw Katsuki's arm drape over me like a second blanket, 'What are these visions? Is this a part of my Quirk or am I finally losing it?'

The quiet combined with the faint palpitations of his heart began to lull me a little; I decided to roll and snuggle up to his chest to hear more, curling myself into a ball as I tried to get as much warmth as I could from him.

I don't think he was sleepy yet because I felt him shift around a little and then I felt fingers stroking my bonnet-clad head.

Glad that he received my gesture with open arms, I listened in more to the rhythmic beat of his heart. It was...slow and soothing.

"You're not sleepy yet?" I mumbled.

"Can't sleep...not until you drift off..." he murmured. "I wanna enjoy this. Not everyday I see you like this."

Not every day, huh? So I am difficult and don't allow myself to be vulnerable around him? Why does my older self think everybody is out to get her?

Oh, wait, I forgot, trauma...or maybe someone out there wants to get me?

"That's different... Are you always like this with kids?"

"Any other brat wishes."

'So I'm special treatment? I don't have a problem with it. I like how soft he can be, but he's proven my doubt that he'd be this soft with anyone else. Hell would freeze over before that happens...'

Freeze...

Shoto.

His left side reminds me of unmoving stone cold; his stare may be petrifying, but his eyes and hair color are...outstanding. They compliment each other, like an angel and devil fighting each other.

Shoto was nice to me when we first met, but as soon as I mentioned Toya. He can lie all he wants...but Shoto knows who Toya is. I know they're related, those blue eyes don't lie.

'But I won't speak on the matter...even if I do remember all of what's happened up to this point. I might get my older self in a tangle, but...what stick hasn't she pulled out of her ass to cover it?'

Whatever... If she won't enjoy what she has here, "I" will.

My eyes fluttered open at the sound of the wind. Darkness surrounded me, I couldn't see at all. It felt a little cold, too. I didn't know where I was, I couldn't move, but I could see and hear.

Hear?

Right, I heard a person's voice just now.

I recognize it...It was the man I met a long time ago...just right before I drowned in that lake in Iwa.

"Can you hear me, Kamilah?"

I nodded my head, hoping he could see me.

"Good. Listen up, I know you're in a position that you don't exactly understand, but you need to keep a level head. A lot is happening, and you're not the age we need you to be to take on certain tasks, but we need you to unlock something called One for All."

'One-for-All? What the heck is a One-for-All? A candy?'

"I also know you don't know what that is in this current state. It's too much to explain, but in short, it's a powerful Quirk transferred to each user. You share a piece of that power with your friend, Izuku Midoriya. Inquire him about it. Tell him that your older self knows what it is, and to help you unlock it."

'...so a building block? Got it.'

"I know the question's been bugging you since we met, but it's good to meet you. Name's Kudo...or you can call me "great grandpa"."

Before everything went vantablack, I got a brief glimpse of this "great grandpa Kudo"...

I jolted awake, feeling my body jump up from the soft cushion of the mattress, burnt caramel mixing with the fresh clean linens spread against the bed.

"Katsuki?"

"What?"

My eyes snapped onto the source of the voice, catching Katsuki facing away from me, buttoning up a white-collar shirt. He wore gray trousers, and white socks, and had a gray blazer with a dash of red on it laying over his swivel chair, waiting to be put on.

When I didn't respond, he looked over his right shoulder at me, he didn't appear to be all the way there, still looking tired.

'What time is it?'

I looked all over for a clock in his room, eventually settling my eyes on an analog clock perched high on his wall. It read...5 a.m.? Ain't he an early bird?

"I'm right here," he called to get my attention.

"No...I thought...I just...saw you. I think..." I raised my hand from beneath the cover to place it on my forehead, "I think I was dreaming."

"Am I that aggravating that you dream about me?" he grinned, a conniving and devilish face accompanying it as he revolved to the mirror in front of him.

"To be honest with you...I have had a couple of dreams about you." I gave him the same energy, though tired-looking, "And you were just the most precious boy I ever met, probably even more precious sweet than Izu."

He stopped buttoning his shirt, making a subtle movement I would've missed hadn't the mirror caught his reflection.

His face soured and he looked disgusted at my description.

"Don't ever dream about me like that twerp."

"It's not like I have control over my dreams." I properly sat up against the pillow, pulled the cover off of my legs, and stretched them. "Besides, I heard dreams are the deepest desires."

"Dreams are the deepest desires, huh..." He finished buttoning up his shirt...or not, before slinging on his blazer. "If that's the case, I'll be number 1 in no time."

I forgot...Katsuki's dream is to be the number 1 hero of Japan, if not, of the whole world. He doesn't have time for silly antics like friendships or relationships. There's no "we" in the future...it's just "him".

There's no "me" in the future...I'm not sure if I'll be here long enough to see him make it.

I scrunched my hands into fists, biting down on my lip, 'I won't be there to cheer him or Izuku on...so that's why I should enjoy my time with them now. I...wonder if the older me told them about death constantly following me? I hope I hadn't...I want to go quietly so I don't make them sad.'

"You're right," I tiredly admitted, swinging my feet over the edge of the bed. "You'll do what it takes to be number 1. Remember, I wasn't lying when I told you I'd support you."

"Damn right, you'll be supporting me," he affirmed before grabbing something on the cushion of the chair and flinging it on the bed next to me. "You'll be my little assistant so you'll have to do everything I tell you. Get cleaned up, then dressed. We're heading out at 6 on the dot."

"Wh...what?"

"You forget already, little girl? You're going to school."

Little did I know, the "Yaoyorozu" person created a mini uniform for me to wear. Before I changed into it in the bathroom connected to Katsuki's room, I brushed my teeth and washed my face with a spare washcloth and toothbrush that was...conspicuously lying on the counter.

'Does he always have spares for just in case reasons?'

The uniform felt comfortable and it fit perfectly. The loafers also fit my feet nicely and snugly.

I planned on doing my hair. Katsuki stopped me as soon as I tried to crawl on top of his counter in his bathroom. Surprisingly, he wanted to do my hair. Shockingly, he knew how to do my hair. Yes, I'm half Japanese, but I'm also half African...and that shit is not easy to deal with. Don't be fooled.

After brushing, combing, and oiling my hair, he somehow ended up parting my roots into squares and twisted my hair into knotless braids. He also had a black hair tie to tie some of the front to the top back of my head. What amazed me even more is that he did it under 30 minutes with waist-length hair.

"H-How did you do that so fast? Where did the hair tie come from? And the hair oil? Where did you get it from?" I asked, circling my head to the mirror. "You even brushed my baby hairs into curls..."

"Just in case products."

I poked my lips out, grabbing the hair oil bottle to read the label. I held it out to him and pointed at the red, green, and black labels.

"Since when have you been using "Libyan Virgin Oil", huh? That's a product that's hard to come by in Japan and it's for black females."

"I never said it was "just in case" for me, dummy," he revealed, taking the oil from my hand to put some more sheen on my braids.

For a moment, I was lost...until it all registered.

He...or I...bought these products and left them in his room...just in case something like this happens. Either my older self taught him how to do hair, which I seriously doubt he'd submit to learn from her...or he carefully watched her when she wasn't paying attention...

Which means...

My melanin couldn't block the rosy pink that brought itself to light.

'How many times have we spending alone together for him to know how to do this? Katsu's a quick learner, but damn...I'm sure it didn't take one or two times to learn braiding correctly.'

I noticed he sometimes restlessly combed his fingers through them...as if he were playing with them. I never told him about how much I disliked my long hair due to all the kids in Iwaizumi pulling and yanking it, saying mean things about it and myself.

To be honest...I never had any "true" friends even before I broke the news about my father. The girls I attempted to make friends with were more cruel with their words than the boys. Those companions you speak of are only friends during those fun, yet unimportant times.

"Your hair is too thick."

"How do you expect a boy to play with it?"

"Yeah, it's not normal."

"You should cut it all off and start over."

"Her hair is the least of her concerns."

"I tried to be nice, Shimizu, but it's not just your hair, it's your skin tone, too. I'm so sorry your mom's condition passed down to you."

"She's literally the black sheep."

When painful times come, they won't be your ally...so once I told them...

"Your father was a villain? That's...scary..."

"Yeah, that's not normal. Stay away from us."

"No wonder you act the way you do. You make it look like you're all friendly and nice, but you're just a weird girl!"

"I feel bad for Hakim...He doesn't deserve a little sister like you. I should've been born as his sister."

"Good thing they don't share the same dad. I wouldn't be able to tell Hakim about my feelings for him..."

"Do you know what happens to villains, Shimizu? They either end up in jail or on the street somewhere, dead."

"You should die."

It was the boys who tried to make that happen while the girls sat on the sidelines, giggling and having fun while watching me struggle to not be drowned.

"Whatcha thinkin' about?" I heard Katsuki's voice cut through the memories, then I felt a tap on my forehead.

I didn't know I closed my eyes once they popped open with a slight jolt to my body. My eyes returned to the mirror in front of us, I saw him staring at my frazzled state.

If I were to comment on all of the negative memories that circled in my head, he would end up scolding me, telling me not to listen to extras, and probably hyping me up.

I smiled at him, "Nothing. I'm just...happy you like my hair."

Katsuki and I were the first ones downstairs.

He cooked us something simple. Bacon, omelets, and buttered toast. For something simple, I thought it tasted better than the average bacon, omelets, and toast. He fixed me a glass of...milk to wash it all down.

"Milk?" I questioned, holding up the glass.

"You're a growing child. You need it. Drink," he was straightforward about it.

I didn't like to drink milk alone...unless it was in my cereal, or I was dipping a cookie in it, or if it was chocolate or strawberry. But just so I wouldn't hear him..."bitch about it" so early in the morning, I squeezed my eyes closed, held my breath, and gulped it down.

I set the glass cup on the table and took a deep breath.

"Aww, ain't that cute?" he mockingly cooed. "Lil' Mimi doesn't like the taste of milk," he got a kick out of it.

"...Mimi..." I repeated in awe.

I've never heard of it before. Is that one of my nicknames? If so, did he mean it in the way phrasing it as "beautiful ocean"?

"Is that...what you call me now? All I ever heard you refer to me as is "Peach Girl" and "Fox". There's no way you were quick to switch it up," I gave him a bombastic side-eye.

"Peach Girl"...was just a term I used because I just heard teenagers say it to tanned females. I was a dumbass kid and didn't know it was a slur so...'m sorry."

I placed my left hand over my heart, feeling the heat in my cheeks creep up on me.

'The future me has it too good! He calls me "Lil' Mimi"—lowkey sounds like a rapper's stage name but whateva—he apologizes for his mistakes, he can do my hair, he can cook, and he only becomes a softy with me?! How come she isn't taking advantage?!'

As we approached the massive building, Katsuki pointed to areas, named them, and told me what they were for.

I didn't stray too far from him when I observed an object or area a little more. I couldn't linger too long since Katsuki wanted to get to class soon.

Because it was a winter morning, there were little to no students around. No one could spot me because I was small and the sun hadn't risen yet.

Katsuki repeated the same actions on our way to his classroom, 1-A, naming areas and describing them. I was in awe at how much this school housed as well as the extensive campus.

"You really hit it big," I commented with a tiny smile.

"You oughta know I don't strive for little," he replied. "We're almost there, up ahead."

Looking up at a sign reading "1-A", my eyes slid over to see a massive door right beside the sign. My jaw dropped a little at how tall it was.

I assumed there are heroes with irregular height so something like this is needed. Katsuki opened the door, revealing a dimly lit classroom he had to help me navigate through.

"It's so dark in here..." I muttered, keeping my eyes on the tall blond's spiky blond hair to not get lost.

"It normally is at this time. As soon as the sun rises, the lights will automatically switch on," he informed.

Suddenly, he spun around, leaned down, grabbed me by my sides, and then set me down on top of what I assumed was his desk.

Katsuki moved away from me. I assumed he was going to put his school bag away.

While he did, I inclined my head over my right shoulder, watching the sun begin to peak over the horizon.

My eyes observed the prettily mixed array of colors: blue, purple, black, orange, red, pink, peach, and orange.

"Sunrises...are so mesmerizing," I mumbled, tracing shapes in the clouds that accompanied the start of the new day.

I felt Katsuki sit down in his desk chair because the desk I sat on jostled a little, yet it didn't break my concentration.

"Do they mean anything to you?"

His question did. I glanced over at him, trying to search for an answer. His ruby vermillion eyes didn't stray from me.

"...They mean..." I felt a smile creeping on my face as I kept staring into his eyes, "They mean a new beginning."

His eyebrows creased, "..."

"To me, sunrises mean another chance at life...because I survived the day prior. I only think of it that way now because of Izuku. I used to think they were just the usual changing of times, but Izuku helped me see otherwise."

Katsuki sucked his teeth at me and leaned back in his chair, right arm swung over it from behind. He didn't look pleased to hear my answer.

"Of course he fucking did," he grunted. "Why do you stick with him?"

I sighed, "You've asked me this question plenty of time at the age I am now...and yet, you still ask "me" this question years later in high school." I shook my head at his stubbornness, "I've told you before, and I'll tell you again..."Izuku is the innocence I lost so I want to protect his"."

"You do realize that nerd is getting into deeper shit as long as he attends here, right?"

I lifted a brow at his claim, "I do. I realized you both are. That doesn't mean I don't worry. Are you worried?"

"I'm not," he snapped.

My face rested, remaining unmoving and emotionless so he could see how serious I was.

"...Katsu, don't say things you don't mean. It's not part of your character. If you and Izuku have gotten this far, there's no way you haven't thought of him as someone you shouldn't worry about or as someone you don't care about."

Katsu glared, but not at me, his eyes were downcast to his desk. He didn't try to argue me down like he usually would. He knew I was right.

But just to get my point across...

"If Izuku were to end up in some fucked situation...and could possibly die...you mean to tell me you would let him die?"

"..."

"When you admit that you wouldn't to him, let my older self know. I'm sure she'll be happy to hear your response," I concluded. "She and I have been hoping you two would see eye-to-eye one day...or rather, for you to open your eyes."

He looked away from me towards the sunrise, spiky hair covering his face at the angle I couldn't see his emotion properly.

"Yes, I want to protect and nurture Izuku into someone better than me...but I also want to stay by his side as his friend for as long as he'll allow me to." My smile restored itself, "Remember...this "me" seeks validation and to be of use to the people I care about. I hope the older me...seeks true friendship, laughter, and happiness."

"..."

"I'll stop. I forget our-...your current situation with the older me. Hearing me talk with her younger face...or rather, hearing your "chosen woman" talk about another man makes your blood simmer."

The lights cut on my last word. I'm glad they did because I got the exact opportunity to see an embarrassed Katsuki Bakugo. Had I looked up at the ceiling, I would've missed it.

Katsuki, at a breakneck speed, whipped his head to me with an exasperated face, ears shading into a wild red at my words. His mouth hung ajar, I left him speechless at my phrasing.

To clear up where I heard that before, I decided to clarify how I knew to say what was on his mind.

"I'd catch my mama looking at other men when we went out in public as a "family" while my uncle was present." I hopped down from his desk and shrugged, "It is what it is."

"Oh, as usual, you're here early," a familiar voice from yesterday commented. "Good morning, Bakugo...and you brought Shimizu along with you so early?"

We looked towards the entrance, seeing the tall engine-legged boy enter the classroom with his hand up in a wave.

While Katsuki snuffed and whipped his head in the opposite direction at the tall boy's greeting, I clasped my hands over my lap and bowed my head.h

"I don't mind it at all. And a good morning to you, too...wait, I don't think you introduced yourself to me yesterday."

He gave me a genuine smile, "You're right. My apologies. My name is Tenya Iida. I'm one of the two class representatives of Class 1-A. Since you'll be joining us today, come to me if you ever have any questions or problems concerning the classroom."

"Trust me. She won't," Katsuki curtly answered.

"Trust me. I will," I corrected the blond with a smile. "I'm sorry about him. He's just...in his feelings more so than usual right now," I chirped, knowing that would drive him up the wall.

"The fuck you mean in my feel-"

Just like clockwork, the sun was here to block out the storm of an argument I'm sure Katsu was gonna try to get out of me.

"Good morning, Milah-chan!"

"Good morning you two," Miss Uraraka followed up after him, waving her hand at me and Katsuki.

The sun walked itself into the room and expanded its size once it greeted me. It didn't get any better when he approached me and squatted down to my level.

"Good morning, Miss Uraraka, Izu," I replied with a genuine simper, trying to match his energy.

"Your hair looks pretty today," he complimented. "Did you do it yourself?"

I closed my eyes, hiding the smirk and smug face that so badly wanted to appear. 'I'll save Katsu the embarrassment.'

"Yeah, I did. Took a while, but I got it to act right," I responded, brushing my hand through my braids.

"I'm surprised you know how to style it so intricately at this age, but I should know better." He gave me an endearing smile, "I'm glad it worked out. I know everything is mindboggling and getting a grasp on your situation hasn't been easy. But did you sleep okay?"

I nodded, "Best sleep I've had in a while."

"Hmmm..." he hummed, appearing puzzled.

"Katsuki made sure of it."

Izuku did...not look happy with that answer. If anything, he looked disturbed by it. Did he not trust him with me or something? Or would Izuku have rather I stay with him for the night?

'I'll ask him about it later.' I perked up, 'That reminds me! I'm so glad that reminded me to ask that question!'

"Izuku, I have a question."

He nodded for me to go ahead, "What is it?"

My eyes moved behind him at the two curious classmates of his, then slowly shifted to the blond sitting at his desk, head still turned, but I knew he was listening in. I was puzzled if they should listen to this or not because the man didn't tell me if this was a secret or not.

For classification's sake if necessary, I grabbed onto Izuku's poorly tied red school tie and looked to the end of the classroom. The rear wall of the classroom nearly grazed my shoulder so I twisted around, and I was greeted with a bemused...and amused Izuku.

He swayed from side to side before eventually sturdying himself, "I...forgot you could do that. Try not to do that so much during school hours. And warn me next time, please? It still makes me a little dizzy even at my age."

I nodded in agreement and let go of his tie, "Sure." I pushed my heels off the floor onto the tips of my toes and covered my hand over my mouth to whisper in his right ear.

Izuku made it easier for me so I wouldn't fall over and leaned in closer to hear me.

"The question I want to ask is what is One for All?"

That one question got an immediate response from Izuku.

He fell back on his bottom and hands, stuttering, eyes pivoting into white a hue and they were big with stress; he began stuttering.

"Deku, are you okay?" Miss Uraraka asked, beginning to approach us.

"What did you say to him for him to react like that, Shimizu?" Mister Iida asked.

Katsuki stared us down, "..." Quiet and observing us as he usually does.

"H-How do you know that word? Why do you know that word? Did someone tell you? If so who? You shouldn't know what that is, much less at this age. I never said anything to you about it. I didn't even have...this at ten years old. I don't understand...unless you heard it somewhere between getting here into U.A. or if, by some chance, you heard about it when you were older and it stuck in your memory even at your retrograted age, but never asked me about it. I-"

I placed my hands on my hips, "As mcuh as I find that mumbling habit of yours to still be adorable, I'm gonna stop you right there. All I know is that some man in my dream told me to ask you about it."

"A man in your dreams?" he questioned, being helped off the floor by a simple touch to his shoulder from Miss Uraraka. She might have a levitating Quirk.

I curved my left forearm beneath my right elbow, then I lifted my right forearm to rest my chin in the palm of my right hand, and I gave him a mischievous grin.

"What's this? Hiding a secret from me? You never hide secrets from me. I suppose it's only right that you do...considering how many I hide from you. The good, the bad, and the ugly..." I moped.

"That's-"

I rolled my eyes and waved my hand dismissively, "It's fine. Keep your secret. I won't hound you about it...for now."

'This "One for All" is a Quirk that must've been given to Izuku somehow. It isn't just some later-developed Quirk or a miracle fallen from the sky,' I thought, slyly moving my eyes up to the baffled teenager being questioned by Miss Uraraka about his well-being. 'Forever, he unconsciously thought he couldn't be a hero without one. I'm grateful to the person who gave him this chance so he could stop thinking like that.'

I crossed my arms and sighed, "...I'd still kick ass without a Quirk."

What I said caught Izuku's attention. It got a brief smirk out of him before he settled for a disapproving face.

"Milah-chan, at least use clean language during school hours, too."

"I'll try," I told him.

"Good morning, everyone," a new voice announced, entering the room.

Izuku and Miss Uraraka twisted around to greet a tall girl with a giant black ponytail; she walked to the rear end of the classroom, most likely about to put her belongings away.

As soon as she got near, she spotted me. Her calm and enchanting demeanor did a 180 as she hurriedly put her backpack away and made a quick bow of her head, then stood at her full height.

"Good morning, Shimizu. My name is Momo Yaoyorozu. I'm the one who made your clothes for you. Do they fit comfortably? Are there any inconsistencies? Your shoes aren't pinching your feet, are they? Should I not have made that bonnet for you? I only did it because I saw you wear one when you visited our dorm over a month ago. Bakugo told me you're of African descent so I did some research on what type of hair you have. I know 4C hair needs to be carefully tended to and protected. I hope I didn't offend you by making that article of cloth for you. I only took into consideration how you may not want your hair to be damaged."

My eyes were sparkling in astonishment at her confession, marveling at how nice and courteous she was for little ol' me. She's also very polite.

I waved my hands in front of me and shook my head, beaming up at her.

"No, you didn't offend me at all. I appreciate your kindness and consideration. My kind of hair is a hassle so the bonnet helped a lot. Thank you so much, Miss Yaoyorozu," I thanked her with a bow of my head. "Very few outside of my family...has ever been so kind to me about my hair."

"You're very much welcome. If you need anything else to help style it, just let me know, okay?"

"Okay!" I chirped.

Miss Yaoyorozu put her hands on her cheeks, she couldn't stop smiling, "You're so sweet."

"Don't be fooled," commented a voice behind her.

It was only when she shifted her body in response to the voice that I saw the tall two-toned boy putting his bag away as well.

"Todoroki?" she questioned.

"Whoa, when did you get here? I didn't see you, much less hear you, Todoroki?" Miss Uraraka exclaimed with wonder.

"Kamilah switches her moods to anyone she feels she'll benefit from," he sighed. "That's...not always a bad thing though."

'Okay. That's it. I'm getting sick of this. I won't let my time here be soured by him just because he's beefing with my older self.'

I frowned at him, diverting away from him and Miss Yaoyorozu I grazed between Miss Uraraka and Izu to make my way to Katsuki.

"You make it sound like I'll kiss anybody's ass to get my way...meanie."

"Meanie..." he repeated.

Despite all of what I said, that's the only thing Shoto heard.

"I'm...mean?"

"Sh-She just said that because of how you worded it, Todoroki. Don't worry, you should know she acts like that from time to time," Izuku tried to ease his anxiety.

"I'm...a meanie. I was mean...so that makes me a meanie."

"You're not mean, Todoroki. Just...misunderstood," Mister Iida attempted to convince him.

He kept repeating it, worrying the four out of five students present in the classroom. The one who was snickering to himself and having a great time off of his distress was Katsuki. I expected it, assuming that he doesn't have the best "friendship" with Shoto because he called him "Half 'n' Half yesterday.

"Hey," I called to him, interrupting his parade, "Where am I gonna sit?"

Katsuki didn't give me an instantaneous response. He seemed to ponder it for a while, he then shortly pushed back his desk chair for him to get up, but he didn't.

With an empty face, he raised his right hand and patted his right thigh twice.

"You want me to..."

He nodded, "..."

My eyes scrunched at his expectation, "..."

"..."

"Absolutely not," I blurted, diverting away from him toward the viridian in the back of the classroom. "Izuku!" I yelled and he directed his attention away from Shoto to me.

"Ah, shaddup," Katsuki brushed me off, picking me up by my blazer's collar and placing me on his lap. "You'll get over it."

"Kacchan, you can't-" The words died on Izuku's tongue as Katsuki looked over his right shoulder to mean mug the poor boy.

"This is so embarrassing! Aren't you uncomfortable? This doesn't seem the tinies bit of awkward to you in the least?"

"You're a brat. Why would it be awkward?"

"Well..you know...our...situation..." my voice lowered with each word.

"..." He sighed. "Get your young ass mind out of the gutter. Can't think like that when you're this size."

There it goes...my womanly pride...if you can even call it that because I'm nowhere near it like how I used to be. If I did the math...I'm above junior high age, which is 13 to 15, I'm over a month older than Katsuki, autumn is about to transition into winter...so I'm probably 16 about to turn 17.

"How dare you..." I sneered at his reply. I leaned off of Katsuki's lap a little to look behind me, seeing Izuku sitting directly at the desk behind Katsuki. "Please, help me! I don't wanna sit here!"

"I would, but...I feel that to be an unwise decision. Kacchan and I would most likely end up getting into a physical altercation and we wouldn't want that because something like that has already happened. Also, we can't afford to be suspended again. Plus, we'd be disturbing class."

I puffed out my cheeks for a while before blowing a raspberry at him, "Some hero you are!" I shouted, whipping my head around to the front, crossing my arms, and silently sulking.

Before I did, I think I saw a visible arrow jab through Izuku's forehead.

"S-S...Some...hero I...a-am..." he continuously mumbled, ending up like Shoto with "meanie".

Katsuki's trembling body didn't go unnoticed by me. Oh, I knew he was having a field day with what I said to the ego-beaten viridian.

It was only until the damage was done that I noticed what Izuku said.

'They...got into a fight? When did that happen? Where did it happen? Why did it happen? Over...what? Not me, right? Surely, it had to be more than just me? Or am I wishing it to be over me?! That's just conceited and terrible! How did something like that even happen? I mean...if I'm being honest, if we're talking about Quirkless, fragile, skinny Izuku, he'd lose in a regular physical fight, but this Izuku...'

Flipping my head around to see the strained wide white-eyed boy, mumbling and catching "some hero I am" during his rant.

'He's not scrawny anymore.' My eyes shifted to his fidgeting hands, 'His hands have scars...and they're more taut. His face isn't as round as I once knew.' My eyes glanced at his shoulders, 'It's a little difficult to see, but his shoulders are a bit more broad.'

It wasn't long before Izuku caught my shameless staring. He had a questionable face, tilting his head and blinking at me. I heard a light hum emit from him.

Though I'd never look at him in that sort of light, I couldn't resist the heat radiating on my cheeks nor the proud smile stretching on my lips.

'A little different in physique, but...'

"'Ant la tazal Izuku alkhasa bi."

I jolted back around once I felt Katsuki's left leg jump. I lifted my head to see what he wanted; he wore a smug face proudly.

"If it were to happen again, still...I'd win."

So it was a physical altercation involving Quirk use. I hoped Izuku's scarred hands weren't the result of that fight. Even if they were, I couldn't do anything about it. I'm too small and inexperienced to give Katsuki a taste of his own medicine, and I'm small enough for him or Izuku to stop me.

Although, the fact that Izuku even fought Katsuki and probably came out unscathed made me wonder...

'What kinda Quirk even is One for All?'

"As you all are probably aware, we have...a somewhat new and temporary student joining our class for some time. The reason for her being here is complicated, but in short, she was hit with a retrograde Quirk. A ten-year-old child in appearance, but an intelligent ten-year-old child which is why she is still attending school in the mean time. Please, be kind to her during her stay. Introduce yourself."

My nerves were on edge, but I was more puzzled over the fact that Mister Aizawa was...in a sleeping bag since he got here and didn't even have the courtesy to get out of it while explaining my situation.

I stepped in front of the podium, keeping my eyes down to the floor, hands clasped together over my skirt in front of me all the while my heart was racing.

"Mm...my name is Kamilah Shimizu. I've only attended a daycare until the age of 4 so I'm unfamiliar with school systems. I'll...try not to be a burden. Continue class as if I don't exist," I said with a 90-degree bow, then standing to my short height.

An audible smack of the teeth was heard through the classroom.

'Katsuki oughta know I would've said something like that! He also knows I honestly never attended elementary school before! What is he getting mad for?!'

"Oh, my gosh, she's too cute..." I heard Miss Ashido whisper.

"I think what you meant to say is, "Please, take care of me," the redhead with sharp teeth corrected, beaming at me.

I became red and panicked in the face, bowing again, "I'm sorry. I didn't know."

"It's okay, Shimizu. This is all new to you. No need to be sorry," a black-haired boy with...mechanical-like arms spoke.

"I'll allow you all the rest of the time in homeroom to help Shimizu get acquainted with her setting. Though she's intelligent, she's still perplexed at the circumstances she's been placed in. Be gentle with her," Mister Aizawa summarized before turning over in his...sleeping bag.

I refrained from letting a giggle slip, 'He looked like a sleepy caterpillar'

"Hey, Shimizu! What are your hobbies?" an...invincible girl asked me.

"H-Hobbies?" I had to think about it for a while. "I...like to...I used to garden with my cousin...so I guess I like planting flowers...and play "Hide and Quirk" with my big brother."

Miss Ashido gasped, "You mean Hati-...I mean, Hakim?"

I nodded.

"Just one quick question. What's your brother's type?" she goaded with a faint blush on her already pink cheeks.

"Ashido, she's just ten!" the invincible girl scolded.

I decided to answer anyway, "I actually do know his type of girl. I'm not sure if it's changed from the age of 14 since he's...20 now, I think, but he likes tall girls with a fa..." I glanced at an anxious Izuku, "He...likes tall, fit, and curvy girls."

"My man," the Pikachu-haired boy commented.

"I'm not done growing yet so there's still a chance," she encouraged herself all the while the redhead shook his head at her.

"Back to Shimizu. What's..."Hide and Quirk"? a boy with a tail wrapped around him asked.

"Hide and Quirk" is a game my brother and I play when we're home alone. One of us hides, the other counts, if one of us isn't found in ten minutes, we have one chance to get away with our Quirk; if one of us isn't found, we win."

"Sounds fun. I'd like to participate in that game with our class, but I think that'd be a big disaster," Miss Yaoyorozu sheepishly admitted.

"Out of pure curiosity, Shimizu, what do you want to be when you grow up?" a frog-like girl asked me. "If I'm being completely honest...you don't seem hero material to me."

"Tsu, don't you think that's too...harsh of a statement," a dark purple-haired girl with earphones for ears intervened.

Before she could counter the earphone girl's claim, I cut her off.

"I'm not. I'm not hero material at all."

The classroom became silent.

My eyes fell to my brown shoes, I dug my left leg into the floor, hoping my answer didn't make them...angry.

"Then, what do you want to be?" the frog girl asked again.

"At this moment in time..." I placed my hand over my sternum, looking up from the floor, "I"...don't know, but maybe the "me" here does. I suggest you ask her when she returns. Attending a hero academy seems...heavily unfathomable to "me". My intuition tells me a part of my older self being here..." My eyes cut to the sputtering, called-out viridian, "...is due to another's pleading as well as some other circumstances that I don't too much care for."

"Wow...those are some big words," the Pikachu-haired boy admired.

"Did you not hear Mister Aizawa say she was intelligent?" the earphone girl asked, sighing at his stupidity.

"M-Moving on to another question," Miss Uraraka hastily cleared up the awkwardness in the atmosphere. "Do you have any friends, Shimizu?"

"One," I quickly answered, making her jump at my haste. "No," I changed my mind. "Six...six and...a half."

Unironically, the mechanical-like arms boy and Pikachu boy looked at each other with grins on their faces, causing Katsuki to glare at them.

"Six and a...half?" Miss Uraraka inquired with a nervous closed-eyed smile.

"Six and a half." I locked my hands together again, "I'm trying my best with the seventh."

"Awww, you poor thing," Miss Ashido cooed. "Shame on you! Just be her friend!" she shouted across the room, directing her attention at Katsuki.

"AAHHH?!" Katsuki finally burst. "WHO SAID I WAS HER FRIEND?!"

"I know it's you, Bakugo! You're the only one in this entire school that gives her a hard time, you're the only one out of two she's familiar with that acts so casually with her."

"Please, don't fight! It's okay, I promise!" I put my hands up in defense, "I've had worst friendships in the past...if you can even call them that," I muttered the last part.

Miss Ashido and Katsuki resigned to their desks, she crossed her arms and gave him a disapproving look all the while he glared at the window, resting his chin on the left palm of his hand.

"Thanks for asking her that, Uraraka. Since we're on the subject...how were your intereaction with the three "It Boys" during your childhood?" Miss Ashido curiously asked.

"Yeah, I wanna know!" Miss Uraraka eagerly jumped.

"Me, too!" the invincible girl cheered.

"Tell us something embarrassing," the frog girl rumbled.

"I would be lying if I said I wasn't curious, too," Miss Yaoyorozu agreed.

"Ugghhh, lemme know when it's over and that Shimizu is her normal "thick thighs saves lives" self again," a grape head boy groaned, putting his face on his desk.

Shoto held his poker face, Izuku did the iconic covering of his face and got embarrassed despite me not saying anything yet, and Katsuki let everyone know his disdain for the question, but didn't say anything.

"Well, to start..." I began.

The girls quickly zipped their lips shut, curiously, eagerly, and hopefully staring me down. Their intense gazes made my eyes fall on the floor again, uneasy due to them.

"Out of the three, I met..."

An image of...a younger Shoto appeared before me. He was sitting on concrete against a wall. He had his arms wrapped around his legs that were pulled close to his body. He laid his forehead against them. I could...

I heard him. He was crying. He was sobbing. He was shaking and trembling.

I saw him vividly now when he lifted his head. He had bandages on his face, neck, arms, and legs. He looked like he was beaten...not so badly to be black and blue, but just enough.

"Sho..." the nickname slipped from my lips in a whisper.

Even though I appeared to be looking at the class, I was looking at the image shift to a new scenery.

I saw a white-haired woman leering over me; I couldn't see her face. She was holding me close to her. I looked unconscious, almost dead with how pale I looked. There was snow, a lot of it was heavily falling.

Past her were three figures, two of them were blurry, but one of them...was an even younger Shoto. We looked to be about the same age.

"And what about the pretty girl?"

I felt my cheeks heat up once again, probably showing the rosy pink tint mixing with my melanin.

Before the woman replied to Shoto, I cut her off by mumbling something, then pushing her away from me, probably using my Quirk to help unbalance her.

I got up and ran...past me. Before I could pivot to see where the "me" at that time was heading, the scenery altered to the classroom.

My body was stopped halfway in the direction "I" went and my head was towards the chalkboard.

Slowly, I reverted my attention to a classroom full of concerned students.

"Look at her eyes..." a muscular boy with 6 arms...spoke.

'I remember...' I ignored what he said. 'I...I remember,' I clearly stated for all of them to hear. 'I remember you! I remember Shoto!'

"On second thought...never mind," I changed my mind, relishing and cherishing the memory.

The girls of the class whined, complained, and wailed at my backing out from letting them know anything about the trio.

"Did no one else see that but me?" the 6 armed boys asked, louder this time but not enough over the girls.

"I saw it, too," Izuku acknowledged his question. "I've never seen your eyes do that before, Milah-chan. That must be something new..."

"My eyes...?" I questioned, fluttering my lashes in wonder. 'I wonder what they did?'

The sound of a bell ringing made me flinch in my skin at the reverberation. Looks like this class period was over and it was time to transition to a new one. I was quite literally "saved by the bell". Had anyone asked me to go into detail about whatever happened with my eyes, I feel like I'd be spiraling down a rabbit hole.

I got my way and ended up sitting next to Izuku at his desk.

It didn't take much to convince him either. I simply walked up to him and appeared to be the cutest kid I could pull off.

When he tried to still deny me, I voluntarily sprung tears to my eyes. I knew he wouldn't say no to me, and I was right.

Surprisingly, Katsuki wasn't as mad as I thought he would be at me not going back to sit with him.

Izuku helped me up to his seat by lifting me by my underarms and sitting me next to him.

After Mister Aizawa gave one last bit of information unrelated to me, he left the classroom and I suppose it was time for a switch of classes…or teachers.

'So this is how high school works. How convenient.' I looked at Izuku's desk, noticing a notebook filled with a bunch of information.

I shimmied forward in our shared seat to read what I could, but the desk was just high enough for me to be unable to read the words. I strained my eyes, trying to decipher the intangible words I could see.

"What are-...oh, sorry. I have my notebook too far up. Here," Izuku took notice of my struggle and slid the notebook down to the edge of the desk.

"Thank you-" When the words got closer, I still had trouble seeing them and strained my eyes again.

"What's wrong, Milah-chan?"

I looked up to a concerned Izuku, "I…still can't see. I can see near and far with people, but I can't make out these words."

"Hmmm…" he hummed in thought before a brief shine flickered in his eyes. "That's right. I forgot. You're near-sighted when it comes to reading words. I guess you haven't been diagnosed yet at this age."

"Near-sighted?" I huffed, "I'm a liability, huh."

Izuku pat my head, "No, not at all. You have prescriptive glasses, but…I don't know if you have any at your dorm room. I'm sorry about that. I'll do my best to help you-"

"Here," the ashen blond in front of us kept his body facing forward, but he reached back with his right arm to place a pair of golden octagon frames on Izuku's desk.

"Whoa…where did you-"

"She gave me a spare to hold onto for just in case reasons like this," Katsuki answered…honestly.

"Wow…my older self must really trust you," I beamed in amazement. "Maybe you're not so bad after all."

My comment caused a vein to nearly pop in his neck, but he stayed in the same position.

"You're fucking welcome," he spat.

"Thank you," I chirped.

Izuku grabbed my glasses and unfolded them. He placed them on my face. Hadn't it been for his quick reflexes, the big frames would've fallen off my face.

"These are a little too big…but I think I can make it work. Milah-chan, can I touch your hair?"

"Mhm," I permitted with the nod of my head.

He slid the glasses back on my face, then held them by the bridge to balance them. That's when I noticed the details of his scarred hands.

As he moved my braids around on the side of my head, I followed the movement of his hands.

"There, all done-"

My small hands grabbed his once he was done. I looked them over again, tracing the old tears.

I frowned, "What are these?"

"Oh, this? It's nothing serious, I promise. It's just some reminders of the drawbacks of my Quirk," he quickly dismissed.

My disdain remained, "...Are you lying? These didn't come from those bullies, did they?"

"No, no, no! Of course not!"

I sucked my frown into a pout, "If I find out you're lying to me-"

"NEVER FEAR! FOR I AM HERE!"

The abrupt booming of a voice made me jolt in surprise and whip my head in the opposite direction to see a posing, hulking massive figure of the famous number one hero.

"ALL-MIGHT?!"

As usual, he had a contagious smile on his face, and seeing him in person gave me a better perspective on how Izuku gained so much…brightness.

I squinted at the bright light radiating off of Mister All-Might. To my interest, he didn't wear his normal hero costume. He wore a suit instead.

'Mister All-Might works here as a teacher? Then…that means…'

My head snapped to the back of a blond's head who…didn't react in the slightest at the number one's appearance. I somewhat expected it, but not entirely since Katsuki was a fan.

My gaze moved over to Izuku, who—of course—was smiling his head off. Then, it transformed into worry.

"Um, sir. Is it okay for you to be in that form-" The redhead didn't get to finish his sentence.

"It will be fine! Just for today!"

Whatever he was referring to, it didn't entirely go over my head, but I didn't question it.

"I heard we have a new temporary student with us today!" he announced, walking to the podium. "Where is our guest of honor?"

"Since the arrangements were last minute, we didn't have a desk to set for Shimizu, sir. Even if she did have one, she probably couldn't see too well over it. So she's decided to sit with those she's familiar with," Mister Iida explained.

As if automatically knowing—he probably does—his sharp stare moved to me. My posture tensed and I clenched my fists on top of my skirt.

Had it been me 3 years ago as a 7-year-old, I would've caved under his stare and cowered in fear…but I've gotten better at hiding my fear of this man.

It's only natural to fear the thing you don't want to become because your life was dangling before your eyes so you made a false promise to be better than the thing you feared.

Irrational? Yes. Understandable? Maybe.

I'd never tell Izuku…or anybody…the horrifying pressure to be better than All-Might.

I'll take it to my grave.

"I'm sure you've already been greeted and accommodated to the best of our school's abilities. However, I wanted to take it upon myself to welcome you so…WELCOME TO U.A., KAMILAH SHIMIZU!"

Like the natural actress that I can be…

I gave a closed-eyed smile and stood up in Izuku's chair.

"You didn't have to do such a thing for lil' ol' me! But thank you, I really appreciate your kindness…and your hard work! It's an honor to meet you, Mister All-Might!" I bowed my head in respect.

"That 180 though…" the Pikachu boy exclaimed in shock.

"Oh, a fan I see?"

"Well, she's not-"

I made Izuku's notebook fly to his face, not enough to harm him, but effective enough to shut him up. He yelped.

"What he…" I turned back to glare at Izuku once he got the notebook down on the desk.

"But the 180 though…" the blond repeated with more strain.

Izuku got the notion to keep quiet. I refocused my attention on Mister All-Might with a smile.

"Meant to say was…I'm not a diehard fan, but I'm glad that you inspired my friends."

"I…see…" he concluded with trouble due to the abrupt switch in my actions. "Well, it's an honor to meet you, too, little one! Now, as for why I'm here today instead of Present Mic-"

I lifted my head and sat back down next to a pouting Izuku, who gave me a disappointed look. I ignored him and began to read what was in his notebook.

'The next class is English? This is high school level English… I'm currently working at exit level junior high in English. Since this is my first year of high school, I should fare well.'

I listened to Mister All-Might's English. It was really good, but a little weird to my ears. It's probably because he added an accent, most likely American.

'I'd love to visit America…it sounds so liberal.' My eyes trailed to my small brown fingers grasping the desk to lift myself a little higher, '...Then again…'

"An English speaking civilian has been injured in an accident and are bleeding profusely. There's some kind of metal lodged in their abdomen, but it's not sticking out. The person is still conscious, but is short of breath and is in a panic. Despite this, they can't communicate well and you're given the task of translating what they say, reassuring them, and keeping them conscious. What actions will you proceed to take next?"

"Is there any medical staff around to aid me?" Miss Yaoyorozu questioned.

"No, all you have is cloth, a pair of tweezers, and resuscitation skills."

"Where is our setting?" Mister Iida asked.

"In the country side, a ways away from the next hospital."

"What kind of injury am I working with?" the earphone girl asked.

"They were fatally wounded not long before you arrived," Mister All-Might pointed at her, "Therefore, you won't know what kind of injury it is at the moment."

I raised my hand.

"Yes, little Shimizu!"

"If it's an English speaking civilian, they most likely don't know their Japanese well. Though I doubt there'd be a pro hero on the field that doesn't know proper English —if there is, shame on them—it's best to use recognizable English verbs since that person would be in an excruciating amount of pain. The injury is a stab wound. The knife is still lodged into the victim. It was likely broken off into them. The next action to take is to apply pressure, then tell the victim to breathe, help them relax as best they can. Elevate their upper half of their body. Take the cloth and tie it around the wounded abdomen. Reassure the victim that they'll be okay and keep them conscious. With whatever other resources you have, get them to the hospital."

I continued writing in Midoriya's notebook, trying to figure out if there were any other ways to handle the hypothetical situation with the given information.

I perked up in the chair, "Unless," the physical gesture made my glasses nearly fall out of place but I held them with my left unoccupied hand. "That person is having a heart attack…which means the situation is more dire than it appeared to be at firsthand. If that is the case and that person goes into cardiac arrest, CPR is necessary. Unless communications are disturbed, EMS can be called. In the meantime, the pro hero needs to keep the blood flowing. But…"

I stopped writing after I wrote the term "shi". I put the pencil down. I would panic at the blood in my palm, but there's no hallucination I've ever been through before.

"If the heart stops or they bleed out…remain calm and keep your composure. But it's completely understandable to lose your mind after witnessing a life slip through your fingers," I didn't intend to reveal a part of my pain through my tone.

There it goes again. I'm talking out of term. That hasn't happened in a long time. I never did figure out where that comes from…unless I'm as deranged as my mother—if not worse—and I am unprofessionally diagnosing myself with dissociative identity disorder.

Even if I don't love Toya anymore…it doesn't take the pain away or not being able to do anything for him.

I got my head out of the stormy clouds and remembered that I was in class. The quiet also brought itself to my attention. I looked up at a stunned Mister All-Might. If I didn't know any better, I'd say the man looked uneasy.

"Am I…wrong, sir?"

"...No! Not at all! You considered all possiblities and situations! You have a good perception." He kept his upbeat demeanor. "I am curious how you know what actions to take at such a young age."

My only response was a smitten smile and a chuckle that faded into the silence of the classroom. Judging by the atmosphere of the classroom, the majority seemed unnerved by my subtle response. As my eyes returned to look at the notebook, I noticed a certain someone peeking over their right shoulder at me.

My eyes lowered, and I looked up at the sandy blond through my eyelashes, 'Wouldn't you like to know?'

It was only until Izuku began to scribble down something in his notebook that my eyes cut to him, but he was still staring up ahead. My gaze fell back to what he was writing.

Something tells me you have experience with impalement.

I smirked, 'Oh, I do.'

After a series of classes came and went, we got a break in between. I gained a lot of knowledge on what to do and what not to do as a pro hero. I also learned material that would further my general education. What I'm most excited to have learned about is-

"Hey, Milah-chan."

The weaknesses…

I looked up at Izuku, "Hmmm?"

That brings down these heroes…

"Are you enjoying school so far?" he asked, chipper.

To their demise.

I smiled up at him, "Yes. It's very educational, more so here than at home."

"I'm glad. Let me know if you have any questions, okay?"

"Actually, I do."

Izuku gave me his undivided attention, "Yeah? Go ahead."

"Do you have a girlfriend?"

"..."

As expected, he didn't process what he just heard. He listened, but he didn't hear me…not yet he hasn't. I give it about 3, 2, 1-

"Huh?"

"You heard me," I grinned like the Cheshire Cat, "Do you have a girlfriend…or…a boyfriend? I won't judge."

He flushed as pink as a cherry blossom, "Wh-Why are y-you asking m-me that?"

"You said to let you know if I have any questions. This is the question I have for you. And since you're not denying it-"

"Hey, you two! How are things going?" Miss Uraraka approached us with a pep in her step.

"Th-Things are…going," his shy response gave him away as his eyes downcast from her to lil ol' conniving me.

I looked between the two, 'It's so obvious he has a crush on her, and she has had a crush on him. How cute. How can I escalate things?'

"Speaking of going, I'm curious," I intervened and kept a blank stare at Izuku, "Whatever happened to that one girl you said you were gonna confess to back in elementary school?"

Izuku turned cherry red, "That was a long time ago! Why are you asking about that all of a-"

I lifted a brow, "Are you implying she rejected you?" I frowned, "I can track her down if you want me to. My family has every resource I could u-"

"That's not…wh-what I'm implying at all. I just never ended up confessing to her. I didn't have the courage to."

I blinked, surveying the mixed emotions on Miss Uraraka's face. She seemed to be coming back from her reel of fluster and secondhand embarrassment on the matter. She looked a little pitiful by his claim.

I returned my attention to the somewhat sullen viridian, "Izu, you should tell people how you feel—no matter how embarrassing or heartbreaking it is. You'll never know when will be the last time you'll see someone so let them know you cherish them."

Like the day we met, despite our height difference, the adorable boy still somehow looked up at me with amazement, wonder, and hope. The way he looks at me makes me feel like…an anomaly.

"You're right," he gave me a clear smile. "Sa'akhbiruha eindama taeuda."

"What did you say, Deku?"

Astonished by his clarity in Arabic, I applauded him, "You're learning fast!"

"Wait! What did he say?!" a confused Miss Uraraka wanted to understand to which we both only laughed.

It was time for lunch.

'Now's my chance...' I turned my body to the right and hopped out of Izuku's chair.

"Uh, where are you going, Milah-chan?"

I spun around, pointing at him, "You meant "we". I need to talk to you."

"Hm? What about?"

Unpleased by his questioning, I turned away from him and headed for the door. "Maybe if I get lost, you'll take a hint."

"Okay, okay," he fumbled.

It wasn't long before I heard his footsteps right behind me. I moved aside, looking up at the curious viridian. "Let's take a little walk while we talk?"

We've been walking for a few minutes.

I didn't exchange any words with him during this time. Put off by the stares of other students, it made me not want to say anything because I remember the news reporter saying something about "me" being a "U.A. traitor despite my absence just after the sports festival here.

I'm unsure if any prying-eyed students recognized who I am at the age I am or if they were genuinely surprised to see a child walking alongside "Class 1-A's Izuku Midoriya".

My eyes dwelled ahead the hallway, "Izuku."

"Finally..." he sighed. "I was getting anxious that you'd never speak."

"I'm tempted not to right now with all the stares, but I need to know something about you."

"What is it?"

"Are you...popular here or something?"

"No, not at all...at least I don't think so."

"That so..." My eyes moved to his round innocent ones, "Kinda hard to tell with all the attention...either 'cause of you or me."

As if just now realizing our situation, Izuku got embarrassed and covered his face.

We were rounding a corner to a more desolate hallway. Because it was lunchtime, it was only reasonable that most students would be in the cafeteria.

"I know I said for you to "lead the way"...but it seems like you're leading me somewhere specific."

Izuku uncovered his face, looking at me with a puzzled expression, "Well, you said "take a hint" so I'm leading you to a room so we can talk in private."

"I'm aware of that...but it wouldn't really be a private conversation if someone else is joining us."

I looked over my right shoulder to see the sandy blond stalking far behind us. He didn't do too good of a job of hiding, but I don't think that was his intention...even if Izuku requested him to do so.

"I guess what I have to talk about with you involves him, too, huh?" I asked the pressured broccoli boy.

Izu didn't respond, but that very response secured the implication of my question. Katsuki knows something about this "One-for-All" Quirk...which means he's aware of how Izuku obtained it.

Izuku stopped in front of a door and opened it, peeking his head inside for a brief moment before poking it back outside to shake his head at the sandy blond who is just behind me.

"Must be held up. C'mon, let's wait," he suggested, stepping from around me and brushing past the pondering cinnamon roll to enter the room.

Deciding not to question them just yet, I followed behind Katsuki and stopped once I was far enough in the room to observe it.

It was simple. Two beige chairs with a brown table sat between them, and some windows were placed at the other end of the room. It looked like a small meeting room.

The sound of the door closing made me refocus my gaze on Izu who walked around me and Katsu, who had already settled on the far left of the couch.

"Eerie..." I broke the silence, scrutinizing Katsuki.

"Who the hell you callin' "eerie"?" he grumbled.

I closed my eyes and inhaled, "If this "One-for-All" has anything to do with the mystery man who rarely visits me in my dreams since the age of...five, then I'm all ears."

"Mystery man?" they both questioned.

"There's a man that visits me in my dreams that looks eerily similar to Katsuki. I assumed he was a user of this "One-for-All" because he told me to ask Izu about it." I opened my eyes, looking between the two, "I might be wrong about this, but...I assume this Quirk is probably passed along to another because I've never held this Quirk before, and that I'm somehow roped into all of...whatever this is."

"You're right. It is passed along," Izuku confirmed.

I placed my hands on my hips, "So...does that mean I have two Quirks? Is that physically possible?"

"Sorry, I don't know the answer to that. We're waiting on someone to arrive. Maybe he'll have the answer to that."

"...You got a Quirk from someone," I realized. "...meaning..." I couldn't stop the smile from spreading on my lips, and the hope filling me, "It's a possibility I can get rid of my own somehow! It's not entirely impossible!"

"Well...now that I know you somehow have One-for-All, that isn't an option right now," Izuku sheepishly informed me.

"...I figured," I sighed with a slouch in my posture. "By some twisted fate, I still somehow get mixed in with you even before I met either of you," I sighed. "Not complaining though."

"Sounds like it, pipsqueak," Katsuki sneered.

"One thing I don't understand is how you even got OFA," Izuku cut in. "I've never...seen your shadow..."

"Shadow?"

"Sorry about the wait. Aizawa was informing me on young Shimizu's status, but I'm here now," said a voice entering the door just behind me.

I looked behind me at an older-looking man. His hair was blond, two strands hung in front of his black and blue eyes. He looked thin and tired, scrawny even. He looked as if he'd keel over at any time.

The man's gaze instantly fell on me, "Wha...what is she doing here?!" he panicked, his question directed at the two boys.

"Something came up," Katsuki gave a short answer.

"Mister All-Might?" I questioned, recognizing the suit he wore from earlier.

The man became rigid, eyes shakily falling back to me. He didn't say anything. I took the initiative to further observe the frail older man, not expressing anything so I wouldn't make him panic.

"...Sir, if you're sick, you shouldn't put on a front for other people," I concluded. "That's lying to the public...or maybe that the public already knows and you only put on that front to appease me. I prefer heroes to show their real colors."

The man didn't move, seeming bashful by my resolution.

"That hasn't changed," Katsuki snickered.

I jumped at another impulsive realization, "No..." I stumbled away from the older hero until I backed into the table behind me, "No, no, no...don't tell me. You...you're the person who passed it on?"

"Yep. Who would've known that such a thing was possible? I'm still kinda amazed by it all! Isn't that cool, Milah-chan?!" Izuku excitedly chirped.

"Of course it's cool for you," I began with a little sarcasm, "But as for me, I'm more concerned about what mess I'm about to be thrown in since I have this Quirk, too. Does the me now know about this?"

"I want to say "She doesn't", but I have no way of knowing for sure. I never once mentioned anything about OFA to her because I had to keep it a secret, even from her...unless-" Izuku snapped his fingers, then pointed at me, "You already knew."

"How are you so sure?" All-Might questioned.

"Ever since what happened in the Beast's Forest at the training camp, I'd see some signs in Kamilah's Quirk changing. It's been a while since I've seen her in action after what happened in Kamino, but...I'm sure she's been unknowingly using OFA." I looked at the gloomy small girl, "Probably mixed in with other factors of her Quirk."

'Milah-chan said to keep her new Quirk, Null, a secret. I hope it doesn't play into her control of OFA while she's in this state. I don't want to betray her trust in me.'

"I didn't say anything to her about it, considering our situation at the time. But now that I'm recalling it..."

I thought Muscular would charge at me and try to crush me, but he flew past me to which I looked back to see Kota and-

"So this is the other one?!"

Milah-chan grabbed Kota and she wrapped that belt-like chain device around Muscular's neck and yanked him down into the ground while she forced him to keep charging.

With Kota in one arm, she jumped over the rushing villain while in midair. She managed to get him to fall off the cliff, but I'm unsure of how far though.

Even when she began to pace over to me and set Kota down, I kept my guard up.

"You need first aid, quick," was the first thing she spewed to me.

"I know that, but I need to make sure he stays down," I said, keeping my eyes on Muscular who was climbing back up the ledge.

"Mind telling me what's with this guy?"

I got back on my feet, "Member of the League, murdered Kota's parents, the League's here to kidnap you and Kacchan."

Milah-chan looked back at Kota with a look of pity, and then a sudden blue translucent box formed around him. I've never seen that ability before so I'm assuming she was working on a new technique.

"I see..." she concluded before standing by my side in a fighting stance.

I didn't like where this was going.

"What are you doing?" I asked her, getting in a stance as well.

"Fighting with you. I told you, "I'm not leaving here", didn't I?"

I know there's no point in trying to change her mind when it comes to supporting me...but I decided to try anyway.

"I'm not used to my Quirk yet, Milah-cham. You might get hurt because of me."

Like always, she counter-attacked with a good argument I couldn't deny.

"You managed to fight this long without hurting Kota so I trust in your abilities, Izuku. He looks like he's on his last legs. I don't expect you to go full strength, but I think we can knock him out with one punch."

Muscular had managed to get himself back on the terrace, "Quit the lovey-dovey exchange. Once I'm done with you, I'll be on my way with the girl." He directed his maniacal grin at her, making me grit my teeth. "You're the type to use your hands, too, huh? This'll be double the fun."

"Let's finish this. I don't got all night. I got a body to go catch."

I don't know what she meant by that, but I decided I'd question her about it later...which I never go to...but I will when she returns to normal.

It was just then that Muscular rushed at us both again, the muscle fibers on his back were reactive and covered his body again so I expected the same attack from earlier of his jump attack.

However, that thought went out of the door when one of the muscle fibers extended toward Milah-chan. I had already jumped out of the way and I couldn't reach her to push her out of the way.

She had stayed and used Psyka to take the brunt of the attack, holding the fibers back. Muscular jumped and pummeled the ground with his fist. The rumble from it made Milah-chan lose her balance.

She didn't look like she was in her right head space. I should've been more forceful with her to leave me to deal with the brawny villain alone.

It was just then that the fibers broke through the barrier she held and struck her chest, flinging her off the cliff and far out into the darkness of the forest.

"MILAH-CHAN!"

With quick thinking, I landed on both feet and circled behind Muscular, sneaking a punch at his back with 100% of Detroit Smash, hoping it would do enough damage this time since Muscular did look like he needed one more punch.

"DETROIT SMASH!"

That plan failed, too, when my fist got caught in the abundant muscle, and the attack wasn't as powerful due to today's intense training.

"What's wrong?! That was weaker than before!"

I chanced a look back at Kota who was no longer in Milah-chan's...cage, and he had run some distance away from the fight.

"...fine... It's fine...! I will not let him past me! So...run! Run!"

Blood began to splatter from my right arm. It hurts so bad, I'm allowing myself to feel again...I'm not so good at this as Milah-chan is.

Because of the combination of my determination, sheer will, and pain, Muscular seemed to be getting excited and exerting more energy, pushing me further into the ground.

"Man, you're the best!"

"Shut up...!"

"Show me your blood!" Muscular roared, successfully pushing me into the ground but I still pushed myself past my limits to hold him back.

'A hero...can always break out of a tough spot! Sorry, Mom! Mom, I'm sorry! All-Might! All-Might!'

I was sure I'd pass out from the pressure before actually being crushed to death. Most would want death to be quick, but I needed mine to be slow so Kota would have enough time to get away and warn everyone.

'I'm sorry, Kacchan...Kamilah...'

Just when my eyes had closed from the sheer exhaustion of holding back the muscle mass, I felt something liquid splash against my skin. It was a small increment of whatever it was.

"What, water?" Muscular questioned.

"St-stop it!"

'...Kota!'

"Kota, sorry 'bout this, but I need to crank up the pressure."

'...Milah..cha...too...'

The next thing I knew, a small increment of water turned into a rushing waterfall being blasted at Muscular, successfully knocking him off of me.

The sudden need for air made me spring up and the adrenaline coursing through my veins helped. I couldn't feel any pain at the moment, I can't allow myself to.

"Izu!" I heard Milah-chan's footsteps getting closer. "Now's our chance!"

I angled my head in her direction, watching her stand over me shortly before crouching down to my level.

I noticed she was dressed in basic clothing: a white crop top, black leggings, and black and white high tops. As simple as the outfit was and as mediocre as this thought was at this time.

'She looks like an angel.'

She cupped my face with her hands, "He's after me so you should've taken that chance to run with Kota, you stubborn jackass!"

'Oh...she's really mad at me...'

"Aye!" the violet-haired beauty shouted in frustration, giving me light taps on the cheek. "Pull yourself together!"

"I'm together."

"Good," she said, helping me up to my feet by my hand. "Because that asshole is getting back up."

I was still reeling from the crushing pressure and the fact that Milah-chan had come back with not so much as a scratch on her, but I shook my head from the thoughts.

"Wow! They were right when they said you can enhance other people's Quirks! Wait a minute...I remember you on TV! The "Hidden Prodigy" from the Shimizu family! I hear your people have water and psychic-oriented quirks. But you...you are different, you have many factors to your Quirk."

"What's it to ya, steriod?" Milah-chan nonchalantly insulted.

"I'd have just as much fun crushing you, too, because those Water Hose heroes looked up to your family! But..." Muscular scowled, "I can't. They didn't give me much info on you, but Blue Flames specifically told me not to kill you...but he ain't never said anything about roughing you up!"

'Blue Flames? Is that the leader of this attack? It doesn't matter right now, what matters is getting them both from out of the open!'

"Blue Flames...?" she questioned airily.

When I peeked at her facial expression, I was unsure of what reaction that statement garnered out of Milah-chan...and hadn't I known any better, if I didn't know who she was, how she thought...

I'd say Milah-chan was expressing a rosy mocha blush beneath the moonlight.

I shook my head, refocusing my gaze on Muscular who appeared to be done with talking.

"Milah-chan, back down!" I shouted at her, stepping in front of her. "You need to get Kota out of here and report back to Mandalay about a group of villains trying to abduct you and Kacchan!"

"If you think I'm gonna leave you here by yourself and not get my getback on this oversized finger for nearly crushing you to death...then you must not know me like I think you do."

"...well, I guess we're gonna be stubborn jackasses together," I compromised.

With a spare glance at each other, she smirked and I managed a weak one at her. Like water, we moved fluidly but split into two different streams, I sped at Muscular from the right while Milah-chan did the same.

He focused his attention on me, but his muscle fibers went for Milah-chan. I knew she wouldn't fall for the same trick twice which is why she kept running.

"One for All..."

When the fiber did lunge at her, she jumped on it. With a heavy-set girl like her, anyone would think it impossible for her to do that but I knew not to underestimate her. She took the chance to run up the muscle; as expected, more came after her while Muscular prepared to take on the brunt of my next attack.

"1,000,000 percent!"

That's when I noticed it, but I couldn't say anything because this was our last chance to end this. Milah-chan avoided the other muscle fibers attacking her by jumping to the ones latched in the ground, using them as platforms, and spinning in a mesmerizing dance that would capture anyone's eyes. It's unlike anything I've ever seen because...

"Delaware..."

I couldn't ignore the blue-fuchsia electric currents surrounding her body. She was beautiful. This is one of the reasons why I like her so much; she's always got something up her sleeve, and I'm always guessing and anticipating what trick she'll pull out of her hat next.

"Detroit..."

When she got near him, she made one of her signature moves, a roundhouse kick.

"SMASH!"

I landed my punch on Muscular's chest while she landed her kick to his face. To make sure she didn't get hurt and to fully break the villain's defenses, I glided my hand up to land another punch in his face to which she gave a nod at me and pushed both of her hightop-clad feet into his face to boost herself away from him in a midair somersault.

The pressure of OFA and Psyka flung Muscular into the mountain wall, officially knocking out the villain.

Kamilah didn't have to, she didn't have to put herself in danger, but she did it for me. She didn't get overly harmed in the process...

I took most of the heavy blows for her...and I took all of her reprimands.

I'd prefer to have fought Muscular all on my own and have completely broken arms rather than have her bruised and scratched up.

I shook my head, 'There it goes again, my innate admiration with her.'

For someone as nervous and jittery as me, I'm surprised at myself for being able to keep it together around her.

Though she's a sarcastic joker and a selfless person, I still...want to express what I truly feel for her.

I like Kamilah Shimizu, more than just as friends...

But I don't think she'll ever see me in that light.

I already know she and Kacchan have something brewing between them.

That's the reason why I continue to be a pushover, the reason why I don't tell her my true feelings because I know she feels strongly for someone else, and I don't want to undermine our friendship with feelings I already know won't be accepted.

Would I be crazy if I admitted to myself that I might even love her?

Would I be...awful if I admitted that I'm glad Uraraka levitated into my life so I can use her as a distraction from Milah-chan?

I shook my head again once I felt a tug on my trousers.

"Earth to Izuku? You still there, buddy?" I heard her ask me with the most barren expression ever, which I found a little funny how her worried voice didn't match her face.

"Yeah, I'm just thinking back to that fight." I lightened my mood to not worry her anymore, "You've gotten so strong. You train your physical strength more than your Quirk."

She walked away from me to go hop onto the couch Kacchan sat on, "Well, my Quirk is too strong for this frail, chunky body. No doubt I'd continue to do so at 16 years old if I want to prove to you that you can become a hero without a Quirk..."

"...I admire your commitment and dedication. How persevering," All-Might rejoiced.

"And to prove to my mother...that I can best her with little to no use of my Quirk," she added with a devious giggle and giddy kicks of her tiny feet. "Looks like my hard work came to fruition."

"You little devil," Kacchan commented.

"No, you're wrong. My friend, Joon-Woo, is a devil, but I'm a "fox"..." She turned her attention to him with an unsettling smile, "...aren't I?"

"Milah-chan, enough of that," I intervened before she could stray from the current situation. "You say your Quirk overwhelms your body. Does that explain the...breakdowns, the episodes?"

She looked back at me, "They've gotten worse, huh? I tried my best at hiding them, but eh, whatever. Cat's out of the bag. I guess I really am cursed," she sighed as if it were nothing.

"Since you brought it up, yeah, you are," Kacchan told her.

"Excuse me?" All-Might questioned.

"Kacchan, I don't think we should even mention that right now. First of all, we don't know everything about it. Second, it's not our business."

He cackled, "HAH! Are you being serious right now? You, of all people, sayin' "it's not our business"? Don't make me laugh. Even if we don't know much about it or that it's not our business, Mamoru told us he and Kamilah were cursed for a reason. I'm sure that he wouldn't mind that info being told to All-Might. And third of all, this "curse" might be taking effect on her mental which causes her physical to be damaged."

Milah-chan looked flabbergasted, "What are you two talking about? I really am cursed? Says who?"

"Your brother, Mister Hakim," I informed her, then my mood shifted to confusion. "You...didn't know?"

She shook her head, "No. I didn't know at all. I guess my family deemed it unnecessary to tell me or my big brother. They're very traditional, or at least that's what Uncle Rio told me. I don't know as much about them as I am now. Normally, I wouldn't care...but now that I know I am cursed, I'm interested in what they have to say...at least this "me" if I ever do get the chance to hear them out. Also, what I do know is that it is a common tradition in my family to ostracize those who are a potential danger to their order." Her hands clenched into fists on her skirt and she looked frustrated, "If this curse has anything to do with ostracization, I see why grandma and grandpa don't visit us. I don't care if they don't visit home for me...I just want my uncle and big brother to see them again. They were closer to them more than I ever was."

"Perhaps I can have a friend of mine look into getting your grandparents into conact with them again, if you're willing to agree, young Shimizu," All-Might offered.

She shook her head, "No, I prefer no outside interferences. Besides, now that my mother is being taken to court, I'm sure strained family ties will weave themselves together again over time." She held a somber smile, "I don't expect such a thing...I'm the black sheep of my family."

"And so was your old man," Kacchan vocalized in. "But you clearly saw he didn't care on TV. I see you haven't learned the term "fuck family" yet so I'll do you a favor and tell you that not all of 'em are bad. You don't know anything for why they don't contact you, your brother, or your uncle. Now that shit's hit the fan, your old woman could've been the very reason for why the rest of your family didn't stay in touch. Either because she's toxic, she threatened them in some way, or this curse has something to do with ostracization. For now, consider your family distant for varying reasons."

For a moment, she didn't speak. She stared up at him in awe, mouth gaping like a fish. She was processing what she heard, weighing her options, and figuring out what to say all.

It was easy to tell, even at this age, something was brewing with them. She just didn't know it. To Kamilah, love, whether it be familial or romantic, is a foreign concept to her just like heroism and villainy.

"...I'm a little loss for words right now so I'll consider yours for now," she concluded.

All-Might coughed, "It's a crude way of saying it, and I personally wouldn't have worded it like that, but since young Shimizu is familiar with young Bakugo's mannerisms, I guess it's okay for her to understand in that way." He hummed in thought, "By the way, young Shimizu, to clear up any misunderstanding, I didn't give you OFA, only young Midoriya here...which means..."

"One of the prior OFA users are related to Milah-chan." I walked over and sat next to her, placing my right hand underneath my chin in thought. "The question is who so we can know how to go about this when she returns to normal."

"Unfortunately, I haven't the slightest clue. However, a clue I do have is that young Shimizu is working on an ultimate move that involves nine foxes, like the 9 users of OFA. I think it's safe to assume that the older Shimizu does in fact know about the Quirk and hasn't said anything for beneficial reasons of some kind."

"Then, that means she knows about All-for-One," I suggested with a sigh. "Milah-chan said to call Dr. Chinen if something happened to me or her, or if I felt threatened by a villain. She couldn't have meant anyone else besides AFO because she accidentally gave me the answer I was looking for when I asked if she met him at the raid."

"Well, isn't that just fantastic," Kacchan groaned. "I didn't know Kamilah was in the building with me at the time, but what I do know is that when I saw her, she fell out of a portal that looked like it was conjured by that wormhole villain. Anything could've happened between the time of her sacrificing herself to blue burnt face and exiting that wormhole."

"You think she talked to him?" All-Might asked.

"It's possible. She never told me anything though." He looked down at her, adjusting her crooked glasses. "I can only guess that he might've threatened her and/or is trying to use her against us or suffer the consequences."

My foot kept thumping against the floor in anxiety at hearing that suggestion, "And what I don't like about this is that Milah-chan would hide something like that so she can do everything on her own."

"Don't jump to conclusions just yet, young Midoriya. Even if young Shimizu is hiding such information, she's protected by OFA, especially by this man who visits her dreams, the likely relative. I've no doubt he...or maybe another user is guiding her so she isn't in this alone. The both of you need to ease your minds."

"Bad habits die hard," Milah-chan croaked with a guilty utterance.

"Tell me something we don't know." Kacchan made a snide remark. "Hey, what are you writing down there?"

I returned my attention to Kamilah who had a notebook and pen in hand, "I'm writing a message to my future self. I'm sure she'll appreciate all the advice she can get."

I want to write her a message, too...but I don't want to ruin what we have.

"So...how was life in Iwaizumi?"

"I never told you about it?"

I shook my head at the small girl, "No."

"To be expected." She looked up at the ceiling of the living area as if trying to remember.

School went smoothly with Milah-chan. After our conversation with All-Might, she didn't ask or say anything else that was uncalled for. She was a mature kid and acted cordial...which shouldn't be a surprise to me because I've had a taste of how she was when we met, but it was for some reason.

Putting her maturity aside, it was nice to see her at this age again. She was more open and cuter than ever. I guess the mystery and gloominess that surrounded her hid that. I hate that I couldn't do more for her at the time.

"Well, whatever I tell you might be a mixed memory so keep that in mind," she warned. "But from what I remember in this state, the grass was greener in Iwa." A little smile slipped on her lips, "Auntie Yui, Auntie Li, Uncle Rio, Mister Fujisaki, Kimy, Riri, Joonie, and Rora made sure it was so when Papa was taken away. Kimy, Riri, Joonie, and I played games. Rora and I would do some gardening with Auntie Li. Auntie Li would make us all lunch. Uncle Rio would make us awesome water slides. When Mister Fujisaki traveled to South Korea for business, he let me and Kimy go on trips to South Korea with him and Joonie. The nature up there gave us a reason to go out and enjoy every day to the fullest extent."

I'm relieved she has some happy memories. Milah-chan didn't move to Musutafu until she was about five. I noticed the fact that she can even recall anything of this is nothing short of a miracle...or a great memory.

I also noticed that none of the listed memories included her mother, Jameela, the great psychic hero: Kassandra.

People thought of her as the next Sir Nighteye. Since she trained under him, no one had a doubt she would secure the happiness of all the futures she could help.

Now that she's being detained for multiple crimes...who does the public have now?

I wonder if Sir Nighteye ever saw this coming, or if Kassandra hid her intentions well.

"What about...your mom?"

"..." Milah-chan didn't say anything. She didn't even look at me.

I began to internally panic, "Y-You don't have to answer that question. I'm sorry. It was stupid of me to even ask you about something sensitive-"

"There are...very few happy memories of her...but I remember them well." She exhaled a bittersweet chuckle, "However, I'm sure all the bad outweighs the good."

"...Okay," was all I could say in response. I didn't mean to make her feel bad so I decided to correct my actions. "Um...what's your dad like from what you remember?"

A light gleamed in her eyes as she finally made eye contact with me, "Papa was the most selfless person I ever met, probably more so than you," she reminisced with a smile. "He was carefree but careful. He was so kind to me and Kimy despite not even being his child. Kimy wasn't so keen on my Papa due to my mother's badgering of him. Nonetheless, Papa loves Kimy no matter how much he appears to be a bad guy."

"That's good," I exclaimed with ease. "How did you feel about your dad being a hero?"

"I...was happy that he loved his career," she timidly admitted.

I caught that, "But...how did you feel?"

"..." Her eyes wavered as she gazed at me, "Don't dislike me for what I'm about to say."

"I won't," I reassured her. "There's nothing you can do that would ever make me dislike you."

She giggled, "Geez, don't pour your heart out. Back to your question though...I hated that Papa was a hero. It's not that because he was risking his life for strangers. I was happy that family and friends could be reunited. But at what cost? It was more because I was scared he'd lose his life to a villain. I would be the person that would never be reunited with their family."

I understood Milah-chan's sentiment. She cares for her loved ones, and it's only natural that she unknowingly took after her dad...which begs the question of why she is trying to become a hero now. I don't think I'd get far with asking this version of her that question nor would I get far with the older one...

I relented to asking her anyway.

"If you didn't like him being a hero because you were afraid of him losing his life to a villain, then don't you think he'd and your other family memebers would be afriad of losing you?"

She looked at me with caution, "...What are you trying to ask me?"

"I'm asking "why do you think you're becoming a hero"?"

"...My older self may have given you reasons like "to make my family look good" or I'm sure "you begged me to attend U.A." and whatnot. I'm not sure of the answer to this, but the real reason could lead back to the trauma of my mother."

My eyes drooped to the floor, "I see. You don't have to answer that question either if you don't want to."

"No, no...I feel comfortable telling you. The only reason why I might be trying to become a hero is because months before I met you, she nearly murdered me."

My head snapped up to her at her confession. She appeared to be calm and collected while my panic began again; however, I expressed it on my face this time.

"Wha...what did you...just say?"

"Hadn't I promised to be better than Mister All-Might, she would've stabbed me to death with a kitchen knife. I couldn't get away from her because she had flung knives at my legs prior and she had me trapped beneath her."

The sound of porcelain shattering brought me out of my stupor.

Both Milah-chan and I turned our bodies in the direction of where we saw pieces of a plate splattered about in the dining area.

Todoroki was at the foot of the plate. He was staring at us both in disbelief or maybe shock. It was difficult to place the exact emotion because there was an array of fear and fury.

His left side was starting to spark in flames, singing his clothes bit by bit.

"SHE TRIED TO KILL YOU?! AND YOU DIDN'T SAY ANYTHING?!" he roared at her.

I stood up, jumping over the couch to put some distance between him and the stunned girl.

"What's going on?!" Iida ran to the living area. "Todoroki, you can't use your Quirk inside the dormitory! Cut it out!"

"Todoroki, calm down. I'm just as bothered by what you just heard, but it doesn't mean to react so irrationally."

It's like he didn't hear a thing Iida or I say. He kept his gaze engrained on Milah-chan and his flames lit. His right side began to crystalize in ice as well. I think he was acting on his emotions for his Quirk to go haywire like this.

"After the convincing smiles, the play dates, the games, you didn't say anything to me about your mother trying to kill you," Todoroki growled. "You knew exactly what the hell I went through! You were marveling over the fact you had me you could laugh at behind my back! You were using me, weren't you?"

Todoroki began to approach to which I activated OFA just in case things got a little messy.

"Todoroki! Don't! I'm not sure what's going on, but you need to calm down! Whatever happened, this Shimizu most likely doesn't remember!"

After realizing he wasn't going to listen to reason, I heard the engines in Iida's legs start up, having the same idea as me to prepare for whatever he planned to do.

Just when things couldn't get any worse, Kacchan had to walk in. He didn't say anything at first, glancing at a sizzling and freezing Todoroki. Kacchan remained calm before shifting his attention to me, a scolding Iida, and a quiet Milah-chan.

"Hell is his problem?" he asked a worried Sero.

"Somethin' about "killing" Shimizu. Don't ask me anything else because I don't-"

"HAAAAAH?!" Kacchan exploded, glaring holes at Todoroki.

Kacchan was quick to rush over to the enraged Todoroki, who hadn't noticed him looming.

In my peripheral view, I noticed a purple blur jump over the couch and sprint over toward Todoroki, who had finally given us his awareness.

"I don't expect either of you to understand-"

"KATSU, DON'T HURT SHO!" Milah-chan screamed.

Everything went in slow motion. No one moved except the three.

It was at that moment that the small girl leaped up to Todoroki, she pushed his chest with her left arm and reached her right hand out to Kacchan, ready to strike at Todoroki. From this angle, Milah-chan was sure to take the explosive hit.

I didn't care about the consequences of my actions right then and there. I wasn't about to let the same thing repeat itself.

With the remnants of green left in my strides, I ran behind Kacchan, wrapped my arms under his underarms, and leaned my body weight back, hoping to angle his explosion up toward the ceiling.

By the time I looked to see if Milah-chan and Todoroki were okay, I noticed that he was lying on the floor not far from us. I frantically searched for Milah-chan...

"Damn it!" I shouted.

She had already taken the brunt of the attack. Her body had slid across the floor, the wall that she slid into was cracked, and her head...oh, god, there was blood sliding down her forehead.

It was just then that I fully leaned my weight back to do a harsh German Suplex, hoping to give Kacchan a good enough hit to the head to get him disoriented for a while.

"Shimizu!" Iida yelled, rushing over to her.

I rolled from beneath the groaning blond and scrambled over to Iida cradling Milah-chan against him and gently holding her head.

"MILAH-CHAN!" I screamed, my trembling fingers wiping the blood from reaching her closed eyes. "HEY! ARE YOU OKAY?!"

After no immediate response, I ducked my head to listen to her heartbeat. These were the most aching seconds I felt while listening for signs of light.

Kacchan wasn't in control of his Quirk either. He acted on his emotions after hearing what little info Sero gave him. The way he acted...just goes to prove that he does feel strongly for Milah-chan. I do not doubt it.

B...bmp

I gasped at the slow rhythmic beat.

B...Bmp

B-Bmp

B-BMP

Feeling a soft hand on my hair, I slowly raised my head at the girl, who began to stroke my curls. She managed to flutter her right aquamarine eye open and cough out a laugh.

"Ha..ha-ack, heh...I...remembered...haha..." She lifted her right hand in front of us, "To guard...my hand, ahaha..egh..." she coughed.

I hadn't realized the tears gliding down my face until she wiped them away with her delicate, chubby fingers.

The amount of solace that washed over me after hearing her say something, especially so nonchalant, got a broken sob-like laugh out of me.

"I just...hit my head..." She leaned up, seemingly moving her gaze past me, "It's okay. I just hit my head...a little too hard, but I didn't feel the impact of the explosion."

She wasn't talking to me. She was talking to someone behind me. What confirmed it was her pushing herself out of Iida's hold and immediately began to crawl past me.

"You didn't hurt me...so don't make that face..." she tried to reassure.

My eyes followed her form, then to her "assailant". Kacchan had quickly recovered faster than I thought since he was already sitting up with his hands placed behind him, holding him up.

I know Kacchan isn't the kind of guy to let his emotions show easily, notably not in front of people. The expression he was revealing mirrored the one he had during our fight at Ground Gamma.

Milah-chan stood on her feet, making wobbly steps toward a traumatized-looking Kacchan.

"I'm okay...but are you?" she asked, reaching her hand out to him.

The scene reminded me of when Kacchan fell into the river when we were younger and I went down the hill to help him. It gave me a source of comfort with how she was approaching him.

When he didn't respond, she moved a little closer but not so much as to enter his personal space.

Breaking out of his daze, Kacchan blinked two times, eyes dilating and refocusing on the violet-haired girl.

I learned my lesson in the past so I should've known better what his response would've been next. He didn't say anything and just lightly smacked her hand away.

He glared at her which put me on edge. I readied myself to rush over to Milah-chan if Kacchan did anything else.

"Worry about yourself, Fox," he barked at her.

I noticed he didn't mean it in a threatening or rude way, but more so of the nerve of her to even care for his well-being.

She touched her head, blood covering her right hand. She stared at it for a while with uninterest before licking the red liquid. From what I saw, everyone cringed at her action, including myself.

"I mean...it's really not that bad," she casually dismissed. "The injury, I mean. I've taken heavier hits...and speaking of heavier hits..." Her attention turned to a stunned Todoroki. "You're not hurt, are you?"

As expected, Todoroki didn't respond immediately; however, her talking to him like everything was normal did make his frost and flames diminish into thin air. He looked at her cautiously as she began to approach him.

"Listen...I am sorry for not telling you. I also apologize on behalf of my older self. I just don't like making it everyone's business about that particular situation. You're the second person to hear about this. I can talk about anything involving my abuse, anything but that," she explained. "That's one of the few times I came close to dying...and if it weren't for the human will to live, I would've let it happen. With the injuries I received, I could've died, but..."

She looked like she was reminiscing a fond memory because I noticed the twitch at each end of her lips.

"I found another reason to live before it was quickly taken away, that reason made me so happy I didn't know how to properly express myself. Happiness is a vague and rare feeling so my way of showing it is convoluted. I'm like that with many emotions...and it's evident I still am like that with how you reacted to hearing a near-death experience at the hands of my mother."

Todoroki still didn't respond to anything she said. I could only imagine what he was thinking or how he was processing all of what she was saying.

"You're a precious friend to me, Shoto. I mean that...and after experiencing everything now with you, I see that I may be making an undoable mistake." She managed a smile, "I won't lie to you. I admit I genuinely enjoyed our games and play dates, but half of my smiles were fake, and I was using you, but not for the reasons you may be thinking."

"...what are you trying to say?" the distrust he spoke was evident in his voice.

"I'm saying, "I hate you"...or rather, I used to hate you, but I can't speak for my older self. She may have already even told you-"

"She has."

"I...am pretty sure you know the reason why, right?"

He nodded, "I found out about it and she put distance between us, but after a small argument...it's like things have returned to how they were before."

"Oh..." her voice lowered. "That's not good."

"What do you mean, "That's not good"? Shimizu, you...or the older you isn't planning something terrible, are you?" Iida questioned.

"If my older self thinks remotely to how I think now...then you should already know, Sho." She smiled cunningly, "Watch my back...I might do something unpleasant when you are looking. I just don't know what."

She placed her index finger up to her chin and rolled her eyes in thought.

"I need to write that down, too. I might've figured that since I'm so valuable to close ones I might even use my own life to jeopardize others. Wow, I think I've realized the extent I can go to just not...how do they say...? Not "give a fuck" anymore."

"Hey," Kacchan snapped. "Watch it."

She brought her hands to her hips with a sneer, "The irony," she sarcastically snapped back. "Alhadith ean alsukhria..." she said matter-of-factly as she touched the blood again now dripping from her left cheek.

Milah-chan moved her hand to the injury and pressed down on it. As if not going through body trauma, she jumped to her feet and hopped past the two still grounded on the floor towards the elevator.

"Hey! Where ya goin'?!" Kirishima called after her once she brushed past him.

"No time to explain! Just don't want a blood clot and let my DNA go spilling on people!" she yelled, getting on the tips of her toes and repeatedly pressing the bottom elevator button.

By the time that registered in my brain, the elevator door had opened and she rushed inside, doing the same as she did earlier and repeatedly pressing a button.

The remnants of OFA were left in my wake. I didn't register that I stood behind her until she began to back up to wave at everyone else who was staring at her as if she was crazy...

If I'm being completely honest with myself, I'd have to agree with Kacchan's statement about...liking "crazy"...but not so much to the point it'd freak me out.

When the doors closed, she didn't say anything outright so I assumed she hadn't noticed my presence behind her...

In the shiny warped reflection of the elevator doors, I glimpsed her head moved a little up.

"I'm sorry for worrying you like that. I didn't want Shoto or Katsuki to get hurt."

...Or so I had thought.

"I understand your sentiment, Milah-chan. Please, don't act so recklessly..." I took a step closer to her, gently removing her hand to survey how bad the wound was, "But telling you this is pointless, especially with the mess you're in now."

"I was wondering when you were gonna give up on that," she giggled.

"Never. Your safety is top concern right now. Asking you about how painful your injury is is also pointless since you don't feel pain...yet that doesn't mean it isn't serious."

"Hmm..." she hummed in thought. "I've been meaning to ask you if you ever thought of a name to go by as a hero..."

"Oh..." I was caught off guard by her sudden change of topic. "Um, well, I...you might not like it, but I chose "Deku"."

I didn't expect an immediate response from her, but her going silent did bother me a little. It was a little unnerving since I couldn't make out her expression on the elevator's doors.

Milah-chan always hated that childhood "nickname" because of the underlying derogatory meaning. Because she respects me and fondly thinks of me, she refused to call me said nickname even when some people already do it positively.

"You put up with me so much that I don't deserve to have you as a friend. Thanks for sticking with me, Deku..." she confessed her gratitude.

As warm and fuzzy hearing her endearing words be spoken, I couldn't help but feel a twinge of sadness at what I now know won't come to fruition.

"You know I always will."

Even if Kamilah only sees me as her friend, like a little brother...it doesn't change how I so passionately feel about her.

"Yeah..." She rested her head on my palm once the bell of the elevator signaled we were on the floor...my room was on. "I know."

When she returns to normal, I won't hesitate anymore. I'll let her know.

"How does that feel?"

I cut the last extra wrap of the bandage and slid the scrunchie off her braids so it wasn't constricting against the wound.

She touched the clean bandage around her forehead, "I don't feel as much pressure as before so...it feels better. Thank you for helping me again."

"No problem. Now that that's done, the night's still young so what do you want to do?" I asked her while throwing away bloodied gauze, tissue, and bandage wraps.

"I'm pretty tired so I just want to talk to you. Is that okay?"

I looked at her reflection in the mirror with a questionable look, "You don't want to go back to Kacchan's room?"

'I'd understand if she didn't want to after what just happened. If I were her, I'd want to put some distance between Kacchan and me so he can cool down.'

"No...I wanna give 'im space, ya know?" she queried. "Besides, I think it's only fair I spend some time with you. I've barely gotten some time to be around you...under normal circumstances, that is."

She twisted her body to face me again before hopping down from my bathroom counter.

"Careful," I chided. "And I do understand what you mean, but I prefer you lay down and rest while we talk," I told her, wrapping up the mini-cleaning, then following behind her as she entered my bedroom.

"I don't mind," she agreed. "Uh. I didn't comment on it when I first entered, but...this room outdoes the one you have at home."

I didn't think hearing her say anything about my dormitory was going to affect me so much to the point my ears felt warm.

"It's not that I don't like it, it's just...a lot," she mused right before making her way to my bed and hopping onto it with a few kicks of her adorable pudgy legs.

"I've received...similar comments," I awkwardly admitted.

"Don't be embarrassed to display the influence that inspired you to join Yuuei and help you get here. Take pride knowing that you're Mister All-Might's successor," she encouraged with a confident look. "I'm proud of you, Izu."

I scratched the back of my head, succumbing to her compliments, "Hearing it from you in this state makes it all the more...embarrassing," I revealed with a shy tone.

Milah-chan didn't make a verbal reaction. She simply swung her feet back and forth over the edge of the bed with a beaming and admiring ambiance. I swear...she can be so cute, too, when she doesn't realize it.

She took the time to swing her feet on the bed, but turned around and sat on the back of her calves. She pulled the cover from beneath my pillow and crawled underneath, then she used her Quirk to pull the cover back over her.

The violet-haired girl exclaimed audible exhaustion when she relaxed and sunk into the comfort of the fresh clean linen I had washed yesterday. Her eyes were closed, but I knew she wasn't fast asleep.

"Comfortable?" I asked, deciding to settle on the carpet and rest my back against the bed frame.

"You have no idea..." she sighed. "I'm so mentally drained."

"I understand how you feel."

"I know you do with what you're carrying on your shoulders. All I ask is that you don't overdo it."

"Right back at you."

"Say, you would know...did I choose a name for myself?"

"Hm? A name for-...oh, you mean a hero name for people to call you. Yeah, you did. It's Kitsunebi; I think it's a play on words in your book, it suits you...and it's cute. You told me in this very room a couple of months ago. I even wrote it down in the thirteenth volume of my Hero Analysis for the Future notebook."

"I should've known you'd still be writing in those notebooks. Classic Izuku. Though it's not a bad idea to keep around to benefit you in your future profession. Even when you do become a pro, that doesn't mean there isn't room to improve and learn more about other pro heroes."

"...I understand the reason for how you think so maturely at this age, but to give advice like that has to be sourced from somewhere else. Right?"

"It comes from therapy sessions with my aunt. The majority of the time, I have a grim outlook on many things in life, but it's not like I'm incapable of giving positive advice to close ones."

"I don't want to be rude, but I think you should take your advice."

"What do you mean?"

"There's room for more improvement is what I meant."

"How so?"

"Maybe if...you continue to live...and see the positive things in life...you might just find those improvements."

There was a brief stillness in my bedroom. It wasn't anxiety-inducing or hostile at all. I anticipated her next reply, but I patiently waited like I always do.

I liked these small conversations between us. When it's just u, no heroes or villains, no misunderstandings, no expression difficulties, no mind games, no lies, no school, no family, no friends...

No Kacchan.

Just us.

"You think I can?" she timidly asked...herself more than me, but I wanted to reassure her.

I looked over my right shoulder at her hopeful, yet apprehensive face. The poor girl looked like she was on the verge of tears...and I wanted to cry for her so she didn't have to.

"Open your heart to the world as you opened it to me, and you will find every reason to keep living in it."

Milah-chan appeared to be processing what I said. I could tell she was considering my words, dissecting and analyzing them.

I wish love wasn't a complex concept for her to understand. Then again, love is a concept that can be as simple as it is complex. Anyone would think I don't know...

But I know...and it hurts.

"Ohh, I get it now..." she came to an epiphany.

I can't remember the last time I saw Milah-chan cry or if I ever saw her cry...whereas the ones dripping from her blue spheres were undeniably out of releasing something holding her back.

"To grieve deeply...is to have loved fully."

A/N:

"Prince of the Playground" is a lyric from Alphabet Boy by Melanie Martinez.

"Libyan Virgin Oil" is an African-based hair product...I made up on the spot, lmao. But! Similar products do exist.

"Those companions you speak of are only friends during those fun, yet unimportant times. When painful times come, they won't be your ally" is a quote by Rena Ryugu from When They Cry.

"Ant la tazal Izuku alkhasa bi" translates to "You're still my Izuku" in Arabic.

"Alhadith ean alsukhria" translates to "Speaking of irony" in Arabic.

Katsuki refers to Hakim as "Mamoru" because he's overprotective of Kamilah.

"Open your heart to the world as you opened it to me, and you will find every reason to keep living in it" is a quote by Laufey from God of War: Ragnarok.

"To grieve deeply is to have loved fully" is a quote by Laufey from God of War: Ragnarok.

It's sad how children are more honest with themselves and others than adults are. I wanted to elaborate on that in this chapter and younger Kamilah coming to terms with the things that haunt her from her past. I plan to expand on that in the next chapter and elaborate on the butterflies in her stomach that she's starting to accept.

But anyways...I have not been slacking off these last few months since January. I've been writing these last 3 chapters, giving the details, going back, and re-reading content to apply in chapters 16, 17, and 18. I've been grinding to pass my classes this semester and I recently graduated from college, but I'm not done with school yet because I'm double majoring; I'm slowly going through a job change because where I currently work has toxic management; I want to keep up with my mental health so I'm not pushing myself too hard but I know I can do better by my physical health so...I've got a lot on my plate right now. This is why I have been absent for so long!

I am currently working on chapter 19 and I have chapter 20 planned out, and boy can I not wait to get to those chapters. By the way, this is my longest chapter yet with 22,299 words! Again, I will have to come back and edit; I might even add extra content if I feel it doesn't interfere with the main plot.

Also, if any of you read my I Am Yours series, I'm rewriting my main OC and the plot because I took a look at it after all these years of completing it...and that shit is trash, lol. I'm slowly rekindling my love for Seraph of the End thanks to the recently updated chapters so stay tuned for that! I also started to rewrite Big Sister's Home, but I never did anything past chapter 1 so that's also something to look forward to! Thank you for being patient with me!