"First years!" Midnight crowed, pointing her whip at the screen. "These are the rules you'll abide by. The game itself will last fifteen minutes. Individual point values will be added together to reach your team total. Everyone will know how much you're worth thanks to your headbands. Swipe as many headbands as you can to raise your team's score. Stolen headbands must be worn from the neck up, so the more you steal, the harder it'll be to manage them. And another thing, even if your headband gets stolen, or your team falls down, you can keep playing until time's up!"

Hitomi grinned widely. This was the perfect game for her. Her Quirk acted as a one-man team all on her own, so all she needed was a rider. And she already knew who that would be.

"This is going to be rough. You may use your Quirks as much as you like. But there are still rules! Make a team fall on purpose and I'll slap you with a red card. You'll be disqualified!"

Somewhere from her right, Hitomi heard Bakugou scoff.

The screen changed again, showing a timer.

"Now, you've got fifteen minutes to build your teams. I recommend you get started!" As soon as the last word left Midnight's mouth, the timer began ticking down.

Before Hitomi could even move toward Momo, a voice called out from the crowd.

"Hitomi!"

The pinkette jumped, blinking at Ashido as she came charging at her.

"Team up with me please! Your Quirk was made for this!" Ashido gripped her biceps and shook her back and forth.

"Uh, sorry Mina," she said, assuming they must be on a first-name basis now, "I'm doing this with Momo. Ah! But you can join us if you'd like!"

Mina perked up, but then furrowed her brows confusedly, looking around. "Um, where is Yaoyorozu? You two are usually right next to each other."

Hitomi whirled around, floundering when she saw Momo gone. A quick scan of the surrounding crowd gave no sign of her either.

"She… she must've thought I was following her, heh." Hitomi sheepishly tugged on her hair. "I'll go look."

Mina opened her mouth to say something, but Hitomi missed it, rushing off into the masses of contestants. A glance at the screen told her that she only had thirteen minutes to find Momo, and listen to any strategy she would come up with.

But the more and more teams she passed, the tighter her chest became. Even Mineta had already found a team in Shoji, and it looked like Asui was joining them. Mina was over by Bakugou and Kirishima now, showing off her Quirk animatedly. That was good, she would do well on a tough team like that. Sato was talking with Ojirou and a still sick looking Aoyama. And there was still no Momo.

Hitomi stopped, taking a deep breath through her mouth. If Momo were with her, she would be telling her to count to ten and relax. But instead, Hitomi was left to anxiously tug and twirl her hair.

"Saito!"

For the second time, Hitomi gave a start, looking to the approaching person who shouted her name.

Midoriya, closely tailed by Uraraka, stopped in front of her, his eyes alight with such determined fierceness that it took Hitomi aback.

"Will you join our team? With your Quirk in play, Uraraka could make you weightless, essentially turning you into an untouchable tank with your speed." Midoriya pressed on, leaving Hitomi to gape like a gasping fish. "With my ten million points, we wouldn't need to go after anyone else's headbands, all we'd need to do is evade."

"U-um… sorry Midoriya, I'm teaming up with Momo. Have you seen her?"

Both Midoriya and Uraraka's eyes widened, before they winced and glanced at each other.

A pit formed in Hitomi's stomach. "Is something wrong?"

Uraraka turned her gaze to the ground, and Midoriya frowned sympathetically.

"She… already joined a team. We saw her with Iida."

Hitomi nodded uncomprehendingly. "Huh, I wonder why she wanted him to work with us."

"No, Saito," Uraraka spoke up, "she's on a team. With Iida, Todoroki, and Kaminari."

Hitomi stared, the knot in her stomach turning into a ball of hot lead. "Oh…"

Despite their sound strategy, neither of them tried to stop Hitomi when she turned and walked away, able to see the hurt and confusion on her face.

Trudging through the crowd, all Hitomi could wonder was if she had done something wrong. Or if she had somehow missed Momo telling her a plan to split up. But she didn't, meaning she left Hitomi on her own without a word of warning. Hitomi wasn't sure what she was feeling, something too cool to be anger, and too resigned to be betrayal. She was just… confused.

But then she caught a passing wisp of lilac in her vision.

Her feet were taking her over before she could think better of it.

"Hey! It's you, the guy with the beautiful hair!"

He stopped, his back to her. But it was most definitely the same guy. She wouldn't mistake such a pretty color.

After a moment where he didn't move, either onward or to peer over his shoulder at her, Hitomi darted to stand in front of him, met with the tired eyes she saw two weeks ago.

…

"You're still in the game! That's great. You're hoping to transfer into the Hero course, right?"

Hitoshi squinted at her calculatingly, masking the way he was taken off guard by her sudden appearance. "Why aren't you with a team?"

Saito masked a flinch with a strained giggle, something that didn't go unnoticed. "Ah, I don't have one yet."

Now his eyes narrowed sharply. "Your Quirk, it's some kind of transformation, right? Into a big dog."

"Akita Inu, yes." She nodded in confirmation.

"Seems perfect for a game like this."

"...One would think." Saito shook her head, as if to banish any negative thoughts. "Anyway! I never introduced myself," she shot a hand out with a bright smile, "my name's Hitomi Saito. It's nice to meet you!"

Hitoshi took her hand, shaking it slowly. "Hitoshi Shinsou."

Saito perked up, her tail swinging. "Hey, our names sound really similar! And our initials match! I wonder… is your favorite color pink?"

"Why do you think my hair is pretty?"

"Because, that color's my favorite!"

Before Hitoshi could answer, Midnight's voice called out in warning.

"Five minutes left to assemble your teams!"

"Ah! I have to go, maybe Midoriya will still take me." She mumbled the last bit to herself.

Hitoshi swallowed, a conflict warring in his mind. It would be so easy, and her Quirk was so perfect for this challenge. But this was the girl. The first person to ever learn of his Quirk and not recoil and clam up in fear of being used. And that's what she would be if he did this. Used.

The question came down to, what was he willing to do in order to get into the Hero course?

"Saito."

"Mm?" Saito stopped her anxious mumbling.

(Just ask her to team up.)

Hitoshi clenched his fists tight, reveling in the pinch of his nails digging into his palms. He deserved the pain for what he was about to do.

(She doesn't know you. She'll say no.)

"We've met before. When we were kids."

Saito stared, and he stared back. It was quiet, even the talking of the other contestants seeming to fade away. Then, Hitoshi watched as her eyes widened in remembrance.

"You're—"

Saito's voice trailed off, her face going slack, and her eyes— those fuchsia eyes —went white and sightless. Any vibrant cheerfulness Saito perpetually carried with her, was locked away in a now mindless husk of herself.

Hitoshi took a measured breath, steeling himself. He made this bed, now it was time to lie in it.

"Turn into your Akita form."

…

"Mm…"

Hitomi lifted her head slowly, her senses filling in one by one. Sound, smell, sight, touch, and finally the cottony taste on her dry tongue. She felt… weird. Like she was going to float away, but with soreness weighing her limbs down.

A hand appeared in front of her, and she didn't hesitate in taking it, using its help to hoist herself up. When she thought to bother to check who it was, she was met with tired eyes. For a split-second, she thought of Mr. Aizawa, but no, it was Shinsou.

Shinsou, who was wearing several headbands around his neck.

"In first place, Team Todoroki!"

Hitomi snapped her head up to the commentators' box, not understanding how the winners could already be decided. The game hadn't even…

"In second place, Team Bakugou!"

Her ears went back, and she slowly turned to Shinsou.

He pursed his lips, looking off to the side, as if unable to meet her questioning gaze.

"In third place is Team Tetsute— wait, what?! It's Team Shinsou? When did they come back from the dead?"

All Hitomi could do was stare at the scoreboard, her brows low and mouth agape. Sure enough, the top four teams were Todoroki, Bakugou, Shinsou, and—

"And in fourth place is Team Midoriya!"

"Were… were we on a team?"

Shinsou gave a single nod.

"Ah." Hitomi croaked numbly, mind and body reeling.

The cavalry battle was over before it even started, and she and Shinsou apparently made it into the next round without her conscious help. Well… that wasn't a great feeling.

"These four valiant teams will advance on to the final round! Now, let's take an hour lunch break before we start the afternoon festivities! See ya soon! Hey Eraser Head, let's grab some food."

"I'm taking a nap."

Shinsou didn't offer her any words, taking off the headbands and brushing past her. Hitomi watched silently, unable to come up with anything worth saying. They won. So what did she have to be upset about?

"You could've just asked me."

Shinsou stopped in his tracks, his grip on the headbands tightening.

"Yeah." He didn't try denying it.

Hitomi's shoulders slumped, a defeated sigh passing through her lips.

"Yeah."

…

"He did what?!"

Hitomi kicked her bare feet lightly, absently wishing she had Quirk-adaptive shoes. "It's not really that big a deal. We won—"

"He stole your bodily autonomy! I'm gonna come down there and break that kid's—"

"Nori!" Ayami's voice crackled through the background.

A staticky sigh sounded through the phone, followed by an irritable mumble, too low to make out.

Hitomi smiled faintly at the show of protection, touched and a bit validated. She was still concerned that she had done something to make Momo upset, so without her around to talk to, she did the next best thing and called Nori. His reaction to the situation was expected, but still reassuring.

"Thanks, Nori."

"...Have you eaten anything? You should eat."

She bit back a giggle at his lame attempt to shift the focus away from her gratitude. "No, not yet."

"Idiot, go eat! You've used your stupid Quirk twice already."

She was feeling low on fuel. The first round was taxing enough, and there was no way to know how hard she worked during the second, only aware that it lasted for fifteen minutes.

"Okay, okay, I'll eat. And don't worry about me, I'm fine. I'm just a little… out of it."

"Yeah, not surprised. Now shut up and rest."

There was a click, and dial-tone, something Hitomi was used to. Nori never cared for talking over the phone, and was always the first to hang up, so she didn't take it personally.

Feeling marginally better, Hitomi stood from her chair in one of the waiting rooms, tucking her phone away back in her bag. Despite her promise to get some food, she was reluctant to go into the cafeteria, knowing there was a fair chance of Momo and/or Shinsou being there. She had some fatty snacks in her bag, but those were for Momo, and her bottle of Pocari Sweat would only go so far. So she went for the next best thing.

Standing in front of a snack food vending machine, Hitomi wondered to herself how furious Nori would be at her for not getting some actual food. Then she proceeded to get four large packages of melon pan, and decided it was something he didn't need to ever know.

The first one was gone in a flash, her hunger not making itself known until she actually began eating. The sugary treat was good for her in the short term, but she would need some protein soon enough. The second one went the same as the first, washed down with gulps from her drink, and she was just opening her third when she rounded the corner and came upon a strange sight.

Bakugou was leaning against the wall, staring straight ahead with an expression she had never seen on him before. It resembled shock, and something that teetered on the edge of pensive. Very strange on Bakugou's ever-scowling face.

She stuffed half of the melon pan in her mouth, slowly approaching. Then, she heard something come from the next hallway down, just to the right of Bakugou.

"I was overwhelmed." Todoroki's cool voice carried from the hallway.

Her mouth fell open, the melon pan clumsily caught in her hands. Anything she was about to say was halted by Bakugou. His eyes were on her now, as he raised a finger to his lips. It stunned her to see him so quiet, and lacking his usual snarl, enough so that she obediently fell silent, coming up to stand beside him and listen.

"And it made me break the promise I made to myself a long time ago. Iida and Kaminari… Yaoyorozu and Tokoyami… Uraraka… none of them felt it. In that moment, I was the only one who could sense your true power. It reminded me of something. Experiencing All Might's Quirk."

"O-oh yeah? Okay… Is that all?" Midoriya stammered, revealing himself to be the person Todoroki was confronting.

Oh, she felt like a terrible friend for eavesdropping like this.

"I'm saying, the power coming from you felt the same as All Might's."

There was that smell again. That spike of fear, and panic, and guilt, and desperation. The faint sound of his heart grew loud and fast enough for her to hear. For whatever reason, Midoriya reacted strongly every time the comparison came up.

"Midoriya, tell me… are you really All Might's secret love-child or something?"

Hitomi choked on her melon pan, her plight to breathe while not coughing and hacking went ignored by an apathetic Bakugou.

After receiving no response after a few stunned seconds, Todoroki pressed. "Well, are you?"

"Wha— No, no way! That's not it at all! B-but I guess even if I was I'd totally say I wasn't, so you probably won't believe me no matter what, I bet. A-anyway, I promise, you've got the wrong idea!" Midoriya rambled. "And… why would you even think that about me?"

All Might turned to Midoriya, saying something that made the teen flail and talk animatedly with his free hand.

"That power of yours. Isn't it a lot like All Might's?"

"Smash!" He roared All Might's iconic battle-cry.

"You're pretty powerful," the hand Villain mused, "this smash of yours… are you one of All Might's disciples?"

Hitomi went cold. All Might, the number one Hero, was getting hurt by these guys. What could possibly make Midoriya think he could take them on?

"I wonder what he wanted with Deku."

"I heard that when All Might was attacked by Villains during the USJ incident, Midoriya tried to stop them himself. Perhaps that's what this is about." Iida theorized.

The Pocari Sweat bottle crinkled, clenched in her hand.

"That's not it at all is an interesting wording." Todoroki pointed out coldly. "It suggests there is something between you two that you're not supposed to talk about."

Midoriya sighed a shuddering breath.

"...My father is the Hero Endeavor. You must've heard of him."

Bakugou gave Hitomi a sideways glance, noticing the way she tensed up at the name.

"Which means you're aware that he's the number-two Hero. So if you're connected to the number-one Hero, All Might, in some way… that would mean that I have even more reason to beat you. My old man is ambitious. He aims for the top. He used his power to make a name for himself as a Hero. But he was never able to best All Might, so the Symbol of Peace is living proof of his failure. He's still at it though, trying to take down All Might. One way or another."

A chill went down her spine at the withheld fury in Todoroki's tone. The sheer disgust and hatred for Endeavor was palpable, even if she couldn't smell it on him.

"I'm not really sure what you're getting at." Midoriya admitted. "What are you trying to tell me, Todoroki?"

"...Have you ever heard of Quirk marriages?"

The bite of melon pan in Hitomi's mouth suddenly tasted like ash, and went down hard.

"They became a problem in the first few generations after superpowers became widespread. There were those who sought out potential mates solely with the intention of creating powerful children. Many people were forced into relationships. They were simply viewed as old-fashioned arranged marriages. But, clearly, it was unethical. My father has not only a rich history of accomplishments, but plenty of money to throw at his problems. He bought off my mother's relatives to get his hands on her Quirk. And now he's raising me to usurp All Might."

"You pig!"

Hitomi stared heavily at the floor, wondering morbidly what her life would look like if her parents had considered Endeavor's offer. Her and Todoroki's hypothetical children could be incredibly powerful, with beastial and elemental powers thrown together to make something truly frightening. In a way, Endeavor's proposition made sense. If only they weren't children, and the goal wasn't so twisted.

"It's so annoying. I refuse to be a tool to that scumbag." Todoroki's voice trembled with malice. "In every memory of my mother, I only see her crying."

Mrs. Todoroki never came to any of the Hero banquets or parties, even on the rare occasion that the older Todoroki children were brought. Maybe that was why. Maybe she just couldn't bear to immerse herself into the life of her husband, the stress of what her children were being raised for constantly eating away at her.

Todoroki's voice shook with a different emotion when he spoke next. "I remember she called my left side unbearable, before she poured boiling water on my face."

Hitomi's breath hitched, her body slowly slumping against the wall, sliding down until she sat on the floor, curling in on herself.

"The reason I picked a fight with you, was to show my old man what I was capable of doing. Without having to rely on his damned fire Quirk. You see, I'm going to show him that I reject his power, and that I can take first place without using it." With that final declaration, Todoroki started to walk away, through the other end of the hall, exiting outside. "You're obviously connected to All Might. Even if you won't tell me about it. But no matter how fiercely you come at me in the future, I will defeat you using only my right side. I can assure you of that."

Midoriya didn't respond, staying quiet until Todoroki was leaving to make his way around the stadium. When he finally moved, his red shoes thundered on the floor as he ran to catch up.

"Hey, wait!"

Hitomi pushed herself up, shoving the last bite of her third melon pan in her mouth. She leaned past Bakugou, unbothered by the glare he gave her, and peeked out into the hall leading outside. Both Todoroki and Midoriya were out of sight, but it was still easy to hear them.

"I'm only here because others have supported me. I've been really lucky. In fact, I've had even more help since I've come to UA. All Might is constantly saving people with a fearless smile. He's the greatest Hero, and I want to be just like him. In order to do that, I have to be strong enough to become number one. I know my motivation might seem stupid compared to yours. But still, I can't lose this either. I owe it to everyone who's supported me to try my best. You declared war on my earlier, well, right back at you. I am going to beat you."

Whoa, Midoriya's really going all in on this, huh? Well, he's made it this far.

A rough hand grabbed the back of her shirt collar, dragging her along without warning. She yelped, scrambling to follow Bakugou despite the awkward angle he held her at, forcing her to walk backwards. When he didn't let go, even with her cooperation, she slumped, letting her feet drag across the floor. Bakugou's stride didn't even falter, showing off that his Quirk wasn't the only strong thing about him.

"You grew up with Midoriya." Hitomi observed quietly, wishing she could see what kind of face he was making. "Did people always compare his Quirk to All Might's?"

Bakugou stopped, and for a second she naively thought he was going to answer. Instead he released her collar, letting her land painfully on her rear. To anyone else they would take this as the hint that it was, and while Hitomi was very much aware of the not-so-subtle brush off, she sprang back to her feet, hurrying to keep pace with him.

The thuds of rushed footfalls approached the two, until a figure came skidding out from the end of the hallway.

Hitomi blinked, perplexed at what her classmate was wearing.

"Mina…?"

The pink girl panted, though she now looked relieved. "Hitomi, we've been looking everywhere for you! Come on, we gotta hurry!"

"Uh, Mina, why're you wearing a cheerleader uniform?"

Mina shook her head, snatching up Hitomi's wrist, already pulling her along by the time she answered. "No time! Explain later!"

Hitomi stumbled, regretful that she didn't have the time to ask Bakugou anything more. Before Mina could yank her away down the next hall, Hitomi reached into her pocket, retrieving the last melon pan. With a glance over her shoulder, she tossed it to Bakugou, who caught it with a look of distaste.

"See you later, Bakugou!" She smiled, and let herself be stolen away.

Eavesdropping on a tragic backstory together meant they were friends now, right?