The Loyal Hero

by RedVelvetPanPan

Those eyes. A vibrant fuchsia, framed in lashes colored a rosy hue to match. But her pupils, they were a pale white, sharper than most ever bothered to notice. Yes, he was sure of it. It was her eyes. Those eyes had to be her real Quirk. Because why else would staring into them make him feel like this? Bakugou/OC Slowburn

31. Two Heroes

Use of italics between Melissa and Hitomi means they're speaking in English.

(I'm too tired to proofread this monster, sorry in advance for any errors.)

---

"Villains! At the mall! This is getting ridiculous!"

"Well, actually, Nori, there was just one Villain…"

Nori's face twisted between rage and exhaustion.

Hitomi ducked her head, fidgeting nervously.

After making a call to him— in which she very sheepishly informed him of what had just occurred and was yelled at thoroughly as a result —Nori hurried over to come pick her up from police custody. Now the two of them sat in his car, finally on their way home.

Hitomi was still reeling from everything, and the residual stress from the police interviews, quick as they were. It was worrying that no one could come up with a harmless answer for why Shigaraki had said what he did.

"You're lucky I'm not supposed to touch you."

It was completely different from his disregard of her life during the USJ incident. So what changed?

"You're like a magnet for trouble!" Nori fumed, throwing a hand up defeatedly. "None of these things started happening until you entered UA!"

He waited, expecting the usual rebuttal she would give when he started bagging on UA. But it never came, and he glanced over at her apprehensively.

Abrasive as he was, Nori wasn't going to push her. What she just went through was traumatic, and very easily could have been even worse. From what he had been told by one of the officers while picking her up, it appeared that the Villain had only approached kids of Class 1-A. Kids who Hitomi often gushed to him about.

She could have lost a friend.

Hitomi was staring out of the passenger side window, eyes tired in the way that didn't demand sleep, but comfort. The setting sun casted orange and yellow light on her face, making her hair glow a sort of grapefruit color.

Nori sighed deeply, forcing some of his frustrations to ebb away. He got worried easily, and when he got worried, it got channeled into anger. And when Nori was angry because he was worried, he acted similar to when he was angry because he was mad. He knew that Hitomi could smell the difference between the two, but that didn't mean she deserved to face the worried-anger, especially when it wasn't her fault.

"I'm not letting you out of my sight until you leave for that stupid camping trip, or whatever it is."

Hitomi didn't react at first, but once realizing what that entailed, she whipped her head around to gape at him, her brows furrowed in shocked betrayal.

"What about the trip to I-Island?!"

Nori nodded sternly. "I won't let you run off on your own. Not now. And especially not overseas."

"What? No! Nori, please! This is a huge deal for me, and—"

Nori held up a hand to silence her. "You don't get it. I'm not saying you can't go. I'm saying I won't let you go alone."

Hitomi blinked, and after taking a few seconds to grasp what he meant, she gasped.

"Y-you mean…?"

He sighed again, long and wearily. "You're allowed two guests, right? So I'll take up one of those spots."

Hitomi bit her bottom lip, fighting down the massive grin threatening to spread across her face.

The events of the day— that had started out so happy and carefree, before warping into a nightmare —were temporarily set aside, in favor of the one good side effect it offered.

Nori was finally going to take part in the lifestyle their parents' led.

…

"I'm totally stumped."

There was Mezou, Koda, Sero…

"Well, I'm taking Uraraka and Jirou, so you could take Ashido or Tsu."

Hitomi hummed, leaning her head side-to-side in consideration despite Momo being unable to see it. "Yeah. But they're already coming to the island, just not as special guests, like us."

"So?" The ravenette's voice filtered through the phone, put on speaker and set aside while Hitomi preemptively packed her bag.

"I dunno…" Hitomi shrugged, another gesture lost through the call. "I just wish there was someone I could take who'd really appreciate it, you know? Like, someone who's never had the chance to do anything like it before."

Momo was silent for a beat, until she hesitantly made a suggestion.

"Well… what about that general department student?"

Hitomi dropped the shirt in her hands.

…

"Aunt Nemuri!"

Midnight lifted her head from her computer screen, eyes wide behind her wireframe glasses she wore when out of costume. She stood, staring at Hitomi curiously behind her desk.

"Hitomi? It's summer break, if you don't remember."

The pinkette nodded, panting from the run. Waking up first thing, she sprinted to UA in hopes of finding her pseudo aunt still getting some work done.

"Y-yeah… I need… something…" She rasped between gasps of breath.

Midnight arched a perfect brow. "What could you possibly need that would bring you here so early?"

Hitomi straightened, face flushed and hair windswept, her breathing evening out. "I need Hitoshi Shinsou's phone number!"

There was a pause, during which Midnight slowly began to smirk.

"Oh? Why's that? Do you intend to ask him out somewhere?"

Hitomi smiled, nodding once. "Mm!"

The smirk slipped right off of the woman's face. "Wait. You're serious?"

"Yes! I was invited as a special guest to I-Island, with early access to the I-Expo, and I'm allowed to bring a plus-one!"

Actually it was a plus-two, but Nori already staked claim to one.

"Ah." Midnight sat back down, and shook her head apologetically. "Well, either way I'm sorry, I'm afraid I can't just pass out anyone's information like that. Not even to you."

Hitomi deflated, shoulders slumping. "Oh. I understand." She tried plastering on a smile, and made her tail swing stiffly.

Midnight could see right through it, and wracked her brain for a way to help. And that was when she remembered a certain homeroom teacher mentioning something to her in passing.

"Hitomi, I can't give you his number, but I can tell you to go down to Gym Gamma."

Admittedly, it took Hitomi a few seconds to pick up on what she was getting at, but as soon as she did, she gasped and dashed out of the room.

Gym Gamma was a large cement building full of different terrain and gym equipment that was almost exclusively used by the Hero course students, and occasionally the support course, when they wanted to test a gadget out there. So Shinsou being there raised some questions, mostly as to who allowed him inside.

And the answer was given quickly.

The closer she got to the building, the clearer her keen ears picked up on the conversation inside, and she recognized Mr. Aizawa's baritone drawl.

"The key is balance. In your stance, in your throw, and in your pull back—"

"Shinsou!" Hitomi barged through the doors, coming upon the strange pair.

"Saito?" Mr. Aizawa and Shinsou chorused, taken off guard by her sudden appearance.

While her homeroom teacher was dressed the same as usual, Shinsou was wearing the standard gym uniform, along with a long scarf spooled around his neck, identical to Mr. Aizawa's.

Unconcerned with what exactly the two were busy doing, Hitomi ran up to Shinsou, grabbing his wrist and dragging him along out the door.

"I need to borrow him I'll bring him right back I promise!" Hitomi called over her shoulder without taking a pause.

Standing face-to-face outside the building, Shinsou watched her dubiously, adjusting the scarf around his neck. "What is it?"

Hitomi took a deep breath in preparation for her prepared spiel. "I was invited to I-Island as a special guest with early access to the I-Expo and I'm allowed to take a plus-one and I thought that because your goal is to become a Hero you might want to go with me!"

Shinsou's eyes widened— but only by a fraction, as if he was trying to mask what he was feeling.

But Hitomi could smell the shock, hope, and longing.

He swallowed, his expression steeling. "Why not take a classmate? I'm sure you're closer to them than you are to me."

"They'll already be on the island. But you weren't given the same opportunity, so I'm offering it."

"I can't afford the airfare."

"Don't need to! The invite has the travel expenses covered. All you need is a passport and luggage. Oh, and some formal wear."

Shinsou lowered his head, studying the ground with a tight expression.

Hitomi softened, smiling faintly. "I know it's last minute, and traveling overseas is always stressful. So just think about it, okay? The plane leaves tomorrow morning, so try to let me know your answer by tonight. Gimme your phone."

The out of nowhere command snapped Shinsou out of the contemplative reverie he was caught in, moving him to dig into his pocket and sheepishly hand the battered flip-phone over.

Hitomi took it gratefully, pressing away on the small buttons before giving it back with a satisfied hum.

"There! Call or text me when you decide. See you later!"

Before Shinsou had the chance to say anything, she was already running off back to the campus entrance.

Peering down at the small screen, he took a moment to simply stare at the new name added into his contacts.

(Hitomi Saito :D)

It wasn't until later in the evening that her phone finally gave a familiar chime. Pausing the movie she had playing on her laptop, Hitomi swiped it up and read the short text sent.

(Unknown)

(Unknown) i'll go. when and where?

(HS) My brother and I can swing by and pick you up! Just tell me where to meet you.

(Unknown) {...)

—

An address popped up, and Hitomi grinned, bouncing excitedly on her bed.

(Contact saved as "Pretty Hair")

…

"Why the hell does the plane have to leave so early?" Nori grumbled rhetorically, blinking away the tears brought on by his fifth yawn, and shooting a glare at the clock above the radio.

4:03am. The sun wasn't even up yet. They would arrive at I-Island sometime around noon.

"Turn left." Hitomi completely ignored him, looking up from the address on her phone. They were on his street now, so she kept an eye out for the house with the right numbers.

It turned out she didn't need to, as it was made abundantly obvious which house it was, going by the tired teen standing in the driveway with luggage in hand.

Hitomi gasped, sticking her upper half out of the passenger window. "Shinsou!"

Shinsou lifted his head and stowed his phone away, walking over once Nori stopped the car.

Hitomi hopped out, bounding over and helping him put the bag away in the now full trunk. He hesitated only a second before sliding in the back, the weight of Nori's stare making him tense.

"You packed formal wear, right?" Hitomi turned almost completely in the passenger seat ("Damnit Hitomi, sit normally!"), beaming at him over the headrest.

"Ah, yeah." Shinsou nodded slowly, awkwardly watching as the older sibling tried to force the younger to sit down and buckle up, while keeping one hand on the wheel.

Hitomi— despite Nori's best efforts —remained where she was, unfazed when her brother yanked her seatbelt over her back with a curse, pressing her chest into the seat. "Awesome! Passport too?"

"Yes." Shinsou wasn't sure if he should feel amused by her double checking for the important things, or offended that she thought he would forget so easily.

"Perfect! The airport's about half an hour away, so do you have any music preferences?"

Shinsou opened his mouth, then closed it with a shrug. "Uh, not really?"

Hitomi nodded, finally sliding down and turning around to sit properly. With a flick of her wrist she started the radio, twisting the dial on the volume up to a point that was decently loud, without drowning out anyone if they tried to speak.

But it seemed like she was the only one who was going to bother with conversation out of the three, if Shinsou's awkward frown and Nori's irritated glower were anything to go by. How the girl could sniff out what people were feeling, but still consistently fail to read the room, was a mystery.

…

"We will now begin the immigration process." A cheery feminine automated voice announced over them.

"This is… a lot." Shinsou mumbled, perturbed as they stood on something akin to a long treadmill, several beams and sensors roving over them and their luggage.

A photocopy of each of their passports popped up on a monitor high above them, followed by the automated voice.

"The immigration inspection is complete!"

Reaching the end of the treadmill, they stepped off, picking back up their bags and cases.

Nori looked up from his phone, peering around. "Alright, Momo's supposed to be around here somewhere, so let's—"

"Come on, let's explore!" Hitomi squealed, grabbing Shinsou's wrist and pulling him along.

"Damnit— slow down!" Nori called after them, quickly left behind in the crowded airport.

"So, your friends are here?" Shinsou asked tensely, eyes lingering on where her hand almost wrapped around his. If only she moved it a little lower—

"Yeah! Momo invited Ochako and Jirou, and I'm guessing Todoroki and Iida must be here, because of who they're related to. Most of our class is on the island, but only some of us have early access to places. Whoa…" She stopped upon exiting the building, the sight outside stunning her.

"Yeah…" Shinsou whispered, eyes wide.

It was almost like an amusement park, with the whimsical transportation, and fountains performing water shows. Individuals and families alike all marveled at what the island already had to offer right out the gate, the sound of laughter and upbeat chatter giving off a nice sort of comfort.

Hitomi practically vibrated with excitement, her hair whipping her in the face as she looked to-and-fro at the scenery.

"Maybe we should drop our luggage off before sightseeing?" Shinsou proposed, dreading the idea of having to lug his bag around all day.

"Right, right. But I don't know where our hotel— gah!"

Shinsou stepped back, blinking at Hitomi, and the hefty bag that had just flown through the air and struck the back of her head.

"What did I say about leaving my sight!?"

Walking through the streets of I-Island, it just grew more and more obvious how inventive and open the place was. Every building was uniquely shaped and constructed, and things as mundane as street lamps were clearly made with care and intuitive design. Then there was the fact that Quirks were free to use in public so long as they wouldn't cause injury or damage, so there were plenty of people milling around who were letting loose with their powers. It almost made Hitomi wish she'd thought to put on some of her Quirk-accommodating clothes, instead of her simple jean shorts and old UA hoodie.

With how many pictures she was snapping with her phone, it would be a miracle for the battery to last until the end of the day.

She giggled, looking down at the quick shot she took of Shinsou when he wasn't paying attention.

Hitomi wasn't the only one keeping busy on a phone, however, as Nori kept his eyes glued to his, texting away to an unknown person. Anytime she questioned him he got defensive and sulked for a bit before getting right back to it. So, when instead of a small ping from a notification, the phone rang with a call, both brother and sister jumped and stared at it.

Nori took a few seconds, then sucked in a sharp breath.

"Uh, you two go on ahead, I'll take your stuff to the hotel!"

"What? But—"

Before Hitomi could protest further, Nori swiped up the straps of her and Shinsou's bags, before running off with his phone held to his ear.

"...Something tells me he didn't want me to hear that conversation."

"You don't say."

Hitomi's brows furrowed. "He's been texting someone a lot. More than I've ever really seen from him."

Shinsou shrugged, just glad to be rid of his luggage. "Maybe he's got a girlfriend."

Hitomi didn't move, hand frozen, poised thoughtfully at her mouth.

"Uh, Saito?"

"Ah!" She exclaimed, grabbing his shoulders and getting in his face. "Oh my God I think you're right! There was that blonde woman who gave him her number after the sports festival! I can't believe he started dating her and didn't tell me!"

"We don't know that for sure." Shinsou raised his hands in front of him, beating back a flush in his cheeks while leaning his face away from hers.

Hitomi mercifully stepped back, clenching a fist. "I knew he's been acting weird! He started wearing a new cologne and everything! I wonder how serious they are…"

Shinsou sighed, gently putting a hand on her back and steering her forward. "Like I said, I could be totally wrong."

"I'll have to meet her sometime. Oh my gosh, I could get a big sister!"

Shinsou was eventually saved from her excited rambling by both their stomachs giving a roar in unison. After that it was wordlessly acknowledged that they needed food, and began their search for it.

One would typically have trouble locating a specific place in a city they had never been in before, but most people didn't have the heightened senses that Hitomi did.

"There's…" her ears flicked attentively around, "a cafe down this street, and it sounds like they're open." Hitomi hopped down from her perch atop a lamppost, having used the high ground to get a better vantage.

As they were coming up to it, Hitomi gasped upon catching a familiar scent.

"Momo!"

The ravenette looked up, sitting with Ochako, Jirou, and a blonde girl at an outside table.

"Ah, Hitomi!"

She stood just in time to get barreled into by the gleeful pinkette.

"You're here! I missed you!" Hitomi rubbed her cheek against Momo's, crushing the taller girl in her embrace.

"We saw each other yesterday." Momo grunted out, standing limply to allow Hitomi to sate her hunger for cuddles.

"Saito! Shinsou! You're both here?!" Midoriya gaped, seeming stunned by the purple haired boy's presence.

"Ah! The brainwash guy!" Kaminari and Mineta cried, grabbing and holding onto each other.

Shinsou glowered, opening his mouth—

"His name is Hitoshi Shinsou!" Hitomi detached herself from Momo, rounding on the boys and putting her hands on her hips, frowning sternly at the two in reprimand. "And you will be nice to him, because he'll be joining us in the Hero course soon enough!"

"Did you invite him?" Ochako asked curiously.

Hitomi bounced back over to him, throwing an arm over his shoulders— completely oblivious to the way he stiffened and flushed.

"Yep! I thought he'd appreciate it, you know? It gives him a chance to experience some Hero course stuff before he gets transferred."

"You talk as if it's already a done-deal." Shinsou murmured, though he did so with a faint smile.

"It might as well be!" Hitomi nodded once, then turned to the unknown blonde girl. "Hi! My name's Hitomi Saito. It's nice to meet you!"

The girl blinked behind her oval wireframe glasses, standing and offering a hand to shake.

"Oh, I'm Melissa Shield! It's a pleasure."

Hitomi perked up, tail blurring behind her. "You're American!"

Melissa grinned, nodding happily. "I am! Are you fluent in English?"

"Mm! I have a lot of family that live in the states. In Italy too, so we all kinda know some mix of the three."

"Really? I know English— of course, and Japanese, but I've been studying German and French for a few years now."

"That's so cool! I've always thought about learning French, but I don't think I have the attention span for it." Hitomi giggled.

"What are they talking about? They're going too fast for me to follow." Ochako whispered to Midoriya.

He shook his head slowly, watching with something that resembled fear. "I can only catch every other word…"

Unfortunately for Kaminari and Mineta, who were dressed as waiters, they were very clearly not working. And it just so happened that a responsible class rep stumbled upon them.

"Why are you two slacking off?! You wanted to make money, didn't you?! But you're not willing to work hard?!"

"Iida!" Hitomi cheered as he skidded onto the scene, his engine smoking from the run.

"Whoa, you're here too?" Ochako gasped, her hair going wild from his backdraft.

He stood proudly in full gear, sans his helmet. "I come from a long line of Heroes," he turned to them, arms doing their usual stiff chopping motions. "It's to be expected that we receive an invitation to the expo. But my family was busy, so it's just me."

"Still hoping to transfer to our class?" Kaminari groused quietly to Shinsou.

He sighed. "If I can't handle this, how am I supposed to handle Villains?"

Kaminari slapped him on the back in an odd show of comradery. "You say that now. But just wait until you meet Bakugou."

"He's the one who won the sports festival, right? With the explo—"

The ground rumbled, smoke rising high from someplace nearby.

"—sion Quirk…"

Hitomi jumped up, sniffing the air in hopes of smelling— ah, there it is.

Burnt caramel.

She darted off, followed closely by the others, that weren't aware of who it was.

Reaching the origin of the explosion, they came to a rocky arena paved over twenty feet down. A metal fence went around the edge, keeping any audience members from falling in.

"Look at that time! Only fifteen seconds!" A female voice marveled, this one real, instead of the automated one from the airport. "First place!"

Sauntering casually from the destroyed robots scattered around, Bakugou rejoined Kirishima, who looked like he already did his turn.

Hitomi leaned her upper half over the fence, tail wagging, and cupped her hands around her mouth.

"Nice job!"

Bakugou visibly twitched, his head shooting up.

The grin on Hitomi's face fell into a smaller smile, an odd tightness settling in her stomach when his shocked carmine red eyes locked with hers.

Yeah, no one could own that color like Bakugou.

"Hey, it's Saito! And isn't that Midoriya with her?" Kirishima pointed out to the blonde.

Bakugou stiffened.

With twin blasts from his hands, Bakugou launched himself up, landing on and gripping the fence. His snarling face stopped inches from Midoriya's.

"Damnit, what are you doing here, Deku!?"

Midoriya chuckled nervously, stepping back. "Oh, hey there Kachan. M-maybe you wanna calm down a li—"

"Don't you dare tell me what to do!"

Iida intervened, standing between the two. "Bakugou, behave yourself!"

Hitomi held her middle, giggling while Bakugou argued with Iida.

"You're… completely unfazed by this." Shinsou stared at her oddly.

Hitomi sobered, cocking her head. "Unfazed by what?" Then, before he could answer, she reached a conclusion of her own. "Oh, you mean because everyone else is in their Hero costumes and I'm not? Nah, it doesn't really bother me."

Shinsou took a measured breath, inwardly questioning his taste in girls. (How did she seem more mature and compassionate when they were barely older than toddlers, than she was now?)

"So, Kirishima, you two got asked to I-Expo as well?" Momo questioned down to him, figuring she wouldn't get an answer from the irate blonde.

"Nah. Bakugou was invited since he won the UA sports festival." Kirishima grinned proudly, pointing to himself. "I just tagged along with him! So are you guys gonna do this Villain course, or what?"

Hitomi pouted, recalling Nori taking her stuff— including her costume —away with him.

"Don't even try it." Bakugou growled at Midoriya. "There's no way you'll get a better score than I did."

"Y-yeah, you're probably right. Yep!" Midoriya nervously agreed.

"Huh, I'm not so sure. Only one way to find out, I guess." Ochako demurred.

"Yeah, you're probably right— eh?!"

Bakugou vaulted over the fence, stomping past Midoriya with a shoulder-check. "Just hurry and get your pathetic attempt over, you damned nerd! Then you get outta here!"

"R-right! I'll do that!"

Shinsou gave him an unimpressed glower. "Is he always like this?"

"Mm!"

Despite his stammering and sweating, Midoriya went down to the arena and zipped around, leaving broken robots littered in his wake.

"An incredible run! He's at second place, with sixteen seconds!"

"Wow!" Ochako was at a loss for words when Midoriya returned.

"That was a good showing, Midoriya." Iida praised.

"I didn't think I'd be able to get so close to Kachan's time!"

Bakugou growled furiously. "What!? No way! I'll go again and blast your score to ash—"

"Ah! This is insane! Fourteen seconds!"

When they all looked back to the arena, they saw it was now encased halfway in a glacier of ice,

"This gentleman has jumped to the top of the pack!"

"Todoroki's here too?" Midoriya stared down at him.

"Another one from UA?" Melissa asked.

"Yep." Momo confirmed.

"Your class is amazing! You're gonna be such great Heroes."

Hitomi nudged Shinsou, her sharp canines bared with a beam. "That goes for you, too!"

Shinsou huffed a weak laugh, turning away and scratching the back of his neck.

Yeah, there was the scent of longing again. He must really dream to be a Hero.

Bakugou blasted himself down to the bi-colored boy.

"Outta the way, Icy-Hot bastard! You can't just appear outta nowhere and show me up!"

"U-um the next person is waiting—"

"Shut up! I'm doing it again!"

"Everyone please stop! You're going to make the world think UA's full of degenerates!" Iida ran out onto the field.

Midoriya and Kirishima jumped down over the fence to help with damage control.

"So, this is what you deal with every day." Shinsou summed up, brow twitching as Bakugou fought off anyone coming close, all the while spitting swears and insults.

"Mm!" Hitomi nodded, watching on with a smile. "It's pretty great, right?"

At first Shinsou leveled her with an incredulous look, but the longer he witnessed her take all of this chaos in stride, and even find the good in it…

He sighed, a small upturn pulling at his lips. "I guess it is."

…

"Where do you get off vanishing like that?!"

"But Nori, you're the one who left us!"

He delivered another swat to the back of her head. "That's besides the point!"

"How— ack! Stop hitting me, you jerk!"

"You're lucky I recognized you're dumb friends." He jabbed a thumb toward where Kaminari and Mineta were moping on the ground.

"Hey, we're not dumb!"

"And he's not my friend." Hitomi pointed at Mineta, who recoiled as if stabbed in the chest.

"So… this is your brother?" Midoriya asked, his hands fidgeting.

"There's not much of a resemblance." Jirou commented.

Nori put a hand down on the top of Hitomi's head, pushing down so she'd have to bend over awkwardly ("Nori! Cut it out!")

"Yeah, I take after our pops, while she—" he added more force, making her stumble and yelp, "—has the stubbornness of our mother."

Midoriya, Ochako, Shinsou, and Jirou all watched on in morbid fascination. Momo was used to their behavior, and Iida had siblings of his own, so he was desensitized to it.

The class rep approached Kaminari and Mineta, holding out two slips of paper.

"What are these things?" Mineta yawned.

"Invitations to the big expo reception later tonight." Momo smirked.

"There's a party?" Mineta asked thickly.

"These are for us?" Kaminari added in a small voice.

"Melissa took pity on you for some reason." Jirou shrugged.

"She figured you could use a break!" Ochako chimed in.

"I had a few extras. Please, I'd love for you to have them." Melissa kindly assured.

Tears welled in the boys' eyes.

"A beautiful angel has rewarded us for all our hard work!"

"You better have formal wear packed, as this is a formal event." Hitomi stressed. She wouldn't be surprised if they showed up in their waiter's uniforms.

"I heard there'll be quite a few Pro Heroes attending tonight's party as well. It's imperative that we don't tarnish UA's reputation. We'll change into our formal clothes and go as a group. Everybody meet in lobby seven at the central tower at 6:30pm sharp." Iida assigned to everyone, then aimed the next bit at Kaminari and Mineta. "Don't you dare be late. Now, I'll contact Todoroki and Bakugou and share this information. Thank you, dismissed." Once finished he took off, engines whistling.

"Well he's…" Nori started, then cut himself off when Hitomi gave him a dark look.

"He's responsible, is what he is! Don't talk bad about the pack Alpha!"

Nori slapped a hand over his eyes. "You're telling me that guy's your Alpha? Are you serious?"

"Yep! So be nice."

"This all just keeps getting worse…"

…

"On a white wall~ someone has drawn~ a small flower that's so delicate, it sways~ in the wind."

Singing under her breath, Hitomi zipped up the back of her floral cocktail dress, adjusting the straps until they sat just right. The skirt was plaited, with a light floral pattern near the bottom. After slipping on a pair of sheer grey pantyhose, she strapped on her short white heels. Momo had saved the day by coming over to her hotel room and fixing up her hair, curling it before collecting the pink locks into a high ponytail, with her bangs clipped back by some plain white barrettes.

After some subtle eyeshadow and lipgloss, Hitomi thought she actually looked pretty good.

"Hurry up!" Nori grumbled, banging on her door.

Hitomi rolled her eyes, picking up her phone and sliding it away in one of the hidden pockets on her dress. (Just another reason she loved it.)

Then, as she moved toward the door, she was hit with a heavy feeling. She hesitated, lips pursing.

Intuition…

Twirling on her heel, Hitomi quickly rummaged through her bag until finding the item she had purchased back during the mall trip, before things went wrong. It was then tucked safely away with her phone.

She swung the door open, coming face-to-face with Nori's fist, which was poised to knock again.

"I'm gonna go get Bakugou and Kirishima, can you and Shinsou go meet up with the others and wait for us there?"

Nori glowered. "You want me to mingle with those brats?"

"I could convince Shinsou to brainwash you, if you'd like!"

He considered her, clenching his jaw.

"Then I'll make him ask you about that mystery person you keep texting—"

"Central lobby, 6:30 he said? Don't wanna be late. Oi, Bedhead!"

Hitomi smirked as Nori stomped away toward Shinsou's room.

According to Kirishima, the two were sharing a room because of some kind of mixup, and were located on the top floor.

"Let it all out~ let it all out~ it would seem there are many things you seek." She skipped along, toying with the ends of her hair. "But don't mind it~ no one's perfect~ if we were then I don't think we would've met~ oh whoa."

When she knocked on their door it was much lighter than Nori's impatient thumps, but it still got a faster response.

"Oh— hey Saito." Kirishima grinned, slipping on a charcoal blazer over a black button-up. "Wow, you look great! Bakugou just got finished getting ready—"

"Let's get this over with." The blonde pushed past the redhead, still frowning, but much less harshly than usual. He wore a maroon button-up, with a floral patterned vest overtop.

Hitomi gasped. "Hey, we match!"

Bakugou paused, and probably debated if burning the vest then and there because of it's similar design was worth it. That was the only logical conclusion she could come to, for why he was staring at her dress so intensely.

"Let's go!" Kirishima took charge, marching ahead of them. "Don't wanna be late! Iida said 6:30, in the central lobby, right?"

Hitomi nodded, recalling that that was what Nori said. And he was always good with places and times.

"Alright… how do we get there exactly?"

Oh… maybe she should have gone with Nori and Shinsou.

…

Nori clicked his tongue, venting his frustrations to Yu.

(Yu Takeyama)

(NS) I swear I'm going to bust some heads.

(YT) Aw, it can't be that bad. They're just kids.

(NS) Yeah, kids who wanna be Heroes. So smarmy little shitheads.

(NS) Oh fuck

(NS) Wait

(NS) Sorry

(NS) No offense.

(YT) You're fine lol.

—

Nori's face burned with embarrassment and guilt, because his stupid self forgot his own girlfriend's fucking occupation—

"Something wrong?" Bedhead smirked, hands buried in the pockets of his too-big blazer.

Nori got the feeling he probably had to rush to get formal wear when Hitomi told him he'd need some.

He started to growl something in retort, when the door to the lobby slid open.

"Sorry about that you… guys…?" Curly panted as he ran in, before trailing off upon seeing most of the group missing. "Uh, where is everybody?"

"They're not here yet." Engines fumed (ha, nice). "Does a proper meeting time mean nothing to you people?!" He chopped his arms strangely.

Nori shook his head. His sister joined a fucking circus.

Like he set off a chain reaction, the rest of the kids showed up one after the other.

"Sorry I'm late. It took me a while to get ready." Pinky smiled sheepishly.

"Best night ever!" Dumb and Dumber chorused like the hormone driven boys they were.

Nori tensed. If he ever saw one of them getting too close to Hitomi…

"Apologies for the tardiness, Jirou's feeling shy." Momo giggled, letting Punk hide behind her

"Jackpot, yes!"

"This is fancier than anything I've ever worn before. It feels like a costume." Punk fiddled with the leather jacket she wore over her dress.

"I'm just glad you're not in a t-shirt." Sparks gave a thumbs-up.

Shorty nodded along. "Even the jacket can't ruin it—"

Punk extended two earphone looking probs, stabbing them into the sides of Dumb and Dumber's heads.

"Shut up!"

"Why would you do that? It was a compliment…"

"No it wasn't."

"I'm not used to this sort of thing either." Bedhead said lowly, getting a nod of comradery from Punk.

God, he was in a room full of children… pulling up his contacts, he tapped on one at the top.

(Tomi)

The photo to coincide with it was from when she was six, her hair messy, and a top incisor missing, giving her an adorable gap-toothed smile.

"Hey, I'm really sorry I can't come to the phone right now! Leave a message and I promise I'll try to get back to you as soon as I can! Thanks!"

Nori frowned, a pit forming in his gut.

Her phone probably died. That's all. Yeah…

"Hey, hurry up and get your ass over here. I'm not gonna stand around and keep your friends company."

"Let's head down to the party!" The blonde girl from earlier, (Melinda? Matilda? Melanie?) led the way inside.

Nori sighed, putting his phone away with reluctance.

He didn't miss the way Bedhead watched the door with a matching expression of concern.

…

"Cherry, you're absolutely positive we're going the right direction?"

Hitomi scratched the back of her neck, smiling nervously. "Ah, well… the sounds of the party are definitely getting closer."

Maybe if she hadn't taken so many photos her phone wouldn't have died on her. The battery gave out right after she got a shot of Bakugou and Kirishima each. Much to the blonde's ire. Plus, both boys left theirs behind in the hotel room.

Hitomi stopped, inhaling as deeply as she could, holding the breath in, then letting it out.

"All I can smell is us three. So we're still probably a few floors away."

"Hey, Saito… what do I smell like?"

"The fuck kinda question is that?!" Bakugou snapped back, giving his friend a judgemental sneer.

"Come on man, don't tell me you're not curious about how you smell to her." Kirishima defended.

"Hmm…" Hitomi hummed thoughtfully, putting a finger to her mouth. "Kirishima, you smell like… metal, and leather," she took another sniff, "and pine? Yeah, pine."

"Nice." He pumped a fist, then gestured to Bakugou. "And what about him?"

Bakugou opened his mouth to cut her off, but she blurted the answer out too fast.

"Sugary sweet. Like burnt caramel."

They stopped, the two boys staring at her with varying expressions of shock.

Hitomi flushed, tugging on her hair. "He sits behind me, and it gets stronger when he uses his Quirk… It's nice, so I noticed."

Bakugou scoffed, clearing his throat and continuing on, leaving her and Kirishima to hurry after him.

"Whatever. Keep listening for the stupid party."

"Yeah—"

The lights dimmed, taking on a red hue.

"This is an announcement from the I-Island security system. We have received a report that an explosive device was discovered somewhere on the I-Expo grounds. I-Island will now be in high alert mode. Your safety is our top priority. Residents and tourists should return to their lodgings at this time. Anyone remaining on the street after ten minutes, will be in violation of the law. Please stay out of wardened off areas. As a precautionary measure, most of the main island buildings will now be sealed off. I repeat: we have received…"

"Hey, you okay?"

Hitomi flinched, not expecting Kirishima to rest his hand on her arm, too caught up in the warning.

"My… my brother's here too. He's with the others, and is probably freaking out 'cause I'm not answering my phone…"

Kirishima tried smiling reassuringly. "Don't worry, I bet they're keeping him plenty calm."

…

This wasn't happening. This couldn't be happening.

The island, the expo and very building they were standing in, was overtaken by Villains. Like, kill you to reach their goal, Villains.

And Hitomi still wasn't answering her goddamn phone—

"We've received All Might's orders loud and clear. He's our teacher. I suggest we follow his instructions and escape this place. Otherwise we'd be going against his will." Engine— a literal child, was somehow keeping a level head.

"Hey, I'm really sorry I can't—"

"Damnit." Nori's grip threatened to crack the screen. He dialed again.

"I'm afraid I have to agree with what Iida is saying." Momo— who Nori saw grow up since she was five, sounded only the faintest bit concerned. "We're still only students. We can't fight these Villains if we don't have our Hero licenses."

"Hey, I'm really sorry—"

Fuck.

"I'm not even in the Hero course yet." Bedhead raised a hand, leaning against the wall, slightly hunched over, as if subconsciously trying to make himself smaller. "And there are way too many Villains, from what you said. I could only control so many before they catch on."

"Why don't we get out of here and tell the Heroes outside?" Sparks reasonably suggested.

"It's not going to be very easy to escape." Blondie warned. "The security system here is on the same level as that of the Tartarus prison, which is where they keep the most dangerous criminals in the world."

"Then all we can do is sit, and wait until everything's over, I guess." Sparks slumped.

Something in Nori's chest threatened to crack.

"She's still out there…"

"What was that, Saito?" Pinky timidly asked.

Nori's jaw clenched so tightly it was a wonder he didn't chip a tooth. "Hitomi. She's out there, somewhere. Maybe alone. Maybe hurt—" He covered his face with a sweaty hand. "Oh god, what if she's hurt?"

The kids all traded unsure and worried looks, clearly feeling some level of his concern as well.

"She's strong. A lot stronger than she ever gives herself credit for." Momo put a careful hand on his shoulder, smiling weakly. "She'll be okay. She has to be."

"We can't just sit here." Punk— Jirou, he recalled, stood straighter.

"Hey come on, those Villains have even got All Might trapped, there's no way we can stop them ourselves if the actual Pros are stuck." Shorty argued.

A boy Nori recognized as a Todoroki— the one who got second place in the sports festival, looked down at his left hand.

"Aren't we trying to be Pros ourselves?"

"Well, yes, but we're not allowed to work as Heroes. You know that." Momo refuted.

"Does that mean… that it's right for us to do nothing at all?"

"I— no… it's complicated."

The room fell silent, and Nori was conflicted. Part of him wanted them— the children, to sit and wait like they were supposed to. But the other part… it selfishly hoped that these kids could find Hitomi.

"...I wanna help."

Nori's head shot up, turned toward Curly— Midoriya.

He was glaring determinedly to the floor.

"Wha— really, Deku?" Pinky questioned quietly.

His green eyes blazed with something fierce.

"And there's also Midoriya— he's super cool and smart! He's like, the best analyzer in the class, maybe even beating Momo. But he's also way too gutsy. I mean, he tried to fight that Villain that was giving All Might trouble."

"You're one to talk! You tried to fight that one too!"

"Heh, yeah…"

"I want to go save them."

Yeah… Hitomi was right. This kid was way too ambitious. But… maybe that was a good thing.

"You wanna go fight those Villains?!" Shorty caterwauled. "Did you learn anything from the USJ, Midoriya?!"

"This is totally different! We don't have to fight them. We just need to think of a way to rescue All Might and everyone else at the party without facing the bad guys."

"That's easy to say, but you know it won't be that simple." Sparks crossed his arms.

"It could be." Bedhead said lowly, pointing his thumb at himself. "With my Quirk, anyone who catches us would let us go, none the wiser."

"Yeah, but only if they fall for—" Sparks face went slack, his eyes going milky. After a few seconds he was released, shaking his head with a groan. "Okay, that totally sucks…"

Bed— Shinsou smirked.

Midoriya smiled gratefully. "Right. We can figure out what our best plan of action is, and keep these criminals from winning. We can save everyone!"

"Are you sure?" Pinky hesitated, but watched Midoriya with almost a sort of reverence.

"I know where the security system is." Bl— Melissa spoke up. "It's on the top floor of this tower. If these criminals managed to take control of it, then the authentication locks and passwords have probably been disabled. We should be able to restart the system ourselves. We just have to stay off of the Villains' radar until we can get to the top floor. Shinsou's Quirk should help with that. If we do that, the whole island will be safe again."

"Then it's possible…" Midoriya breathed.

Nori watched on, as it became increasingly obvious that this was happening. That he was about to witness these children head off into a life-or-death situation, undaunted.

"Sure, but how do we keep on the low for that long? Running into bad guys in person is fine, Shinsou can just brainwash them, but what if we're spotted on cams or something?" Jirou mused.

"Well, the security system hasn't discovered us yet, that means the Villains probably don't know how it works very well."

"So we avoid fighting anyone, and try to get the place back to normal." Todoroki surmised. "It could work."

"Not bad. What do you think?" S— Kaminari asked the room at large.

"Let's do it!" Jirou nodded.

"Many of our enemies are likely gathered there on the top floor…" Momo quietly pointed out.

"If we're fast we won't have to fight them! And we have Shinsou as our contingency plan. When the security system goes back to normal, All Might and the others will be released!" Midoriya spoke passionately. "They'll immediately jump into action and stop the Villains, I know it!"

All Nori felt he could do was stare. How were these kids even real?

"Let's do this, guys!" Uraraka declared. "I don't wanna sit around here being helpless! Not if there's something we can actually try! What's important is that we're helping people, even if we're not real Heroes."

Midoriya grinned at her proudly. "That's exactly the way I feel about things! We'll follow our hearts and save the island!"

"Yeah!"

"Midoriya, I'll go with you too." Todoroki said.

Jirou gave a thumbs-up. "I'm in."

"Well, I thought it went without saying." Shinsou stood away from the wall, scratching the back of his head.

"Todoroki, Shinsou…"

"Thanks, Kyoka!"

Wait, was he going to let this happen? He was the only adult here. Was he really going to stand idly by as these kids marched on into battle?

"The moment I think we've gone too far, it's over." Iida concluded sternly. "If that's something you can agree to, I'll join you as well."

I guess maybe he could be good enough to be her Alpha…

"Okay!"

"Alright, if that's the case, I'll go too." Momo— of all people, said.

"Obviously I'm in!" Kaminari cockily declared.

"Have you all lost your minds?! Alright I'll go!" Mineta shouted, tears streaming down his face.

Midoriya approached Melissa, smiling with an air of comfort. "Melissa, you can wait down here for us, okay?"

"No, I'm going too." She immediately shot down.

"B-but, without a Quirk you'll be in danger."

Shinsou's eyes widened. "She's Quirkless…?"

"I don't suppose any of you know how to change the settings on the island's security system." She challenged brazenly. "I'm a student at the academy, I'll be useful to you. I know I might just get in your way… at least until we get to the top floor— but I want to help! People are in danger! Please."

Midoriya considered it, lips pursed. "...Yeah, alright then!"

Then, to his utter bewilderment, Nori was then rounded on by the spunky green haired boy.

"Saito, what's your Quirk?"

Nori froze, a weight dropping in his stomach.

"My— what?"

Midoriya nodded, still with that damnable look of determination. "You want to find Sai— uh, H-Hitomi, right? You could come with us! You must have a powerful Quirk, right?"

Nori swallowed dryly. "Y-you mean… Hitomi never told you?"

At that, Midoriya blinked.

Oh, great, time to have this conversation…

"My Quirk… I can't use it on people."

Momo reached out, murmuring hesitantly. "Nori—"

Uraraka cocked her head faintly, and something in him ached— "But you can use them freely on the island—"

"No, you—" He took a deep breath, counting to ten in his head. "No. My Quirk isn't like Hitomi's. Or either of our parents'. My Quirk is… wrong. I've made it a personal law of mine to never use it. No one deserves the kind of pain it brings." He finished weakly, gaze cast low.

After a heavy beat of stifling silence, Midoriya spoke again.

"You should still come with us."

What?

"Deku…" Uraraka whispered questioningly.

The green haired boy stepped forward, standing before Nori. And despite being much shorter, the boy almost felt imposing, in a way.

"A while back, S— Hitomi told me about how you were trained under Midnight, and that's how she's such a close family friend. So you must know some amount of self defense, right?"

"Y-yeah?"

Oh god, what was she sharing with these kids—

"And you want to help find her. Don't you?"

Nori stiffened, gaping at the boy who managed to see right through him.

Midoriya's expression cracked, his smile returning, and Nori couldn't fight the way he relaxed slightly.

"She's your sister, of course you'd want to help us make sure she's alright. So, I'm asking, Quirk or no Quirk, will you come with us to save everyone?"

His heartbeat was noticeable in his chest, and something tugged painfully with every thump.

When had anyone— other than Hitomi, ever purely given him the chance to help? To see past the morbid and macabre, and trust that he could actually do some good?

He looked down, studying Midoriya's scarred outstretched hand.

When had Nori ever been given the chance? If he had when he was younger, would things be different? Would he be different?

Nori took the hand, and felt a weight lift.

"Let's do this! We'll save everyone!" Midoriya vowed.

Yeah… the chance to save people.

Heh, you seeing this, Mama, Papa? Who would've thought, little Hero-hating Nori, pretending to be one to save the day.

…Nah, he wasn't Heroic like these kids. The sole reason he took Midoriya's hand at all, was the same one that got him out of bed everyday after their parents' passing.

Hang in there, Tomi.

…

"Jeez, it's gotten late." Kirishima muttered, looking out at the starry sky.

They were definitely lost, going by the fact they were now on a giant greenhouse level.

"I bet we've missed most of the party." Hitomi slumped, having half a mind to let her hair down just to ease the tightness on her scalp.

"Maybe if someone actually decided to listen to directions." Bakugou grumbled, hands shoved in his pockets.

"Are you griping at me, or Saito?"

"Both!"

Hitomi raised a hand, her expression giving the two boys pause.

Her brows furrowed, and she frowned heavily at the two figures approaching them.

"What's wrong?"

Her eyes narrowed. "Danger."

They tensed.

"Hey, we see you, stupid kids." One of the figures called out in a high, nasally voice.

Bakugou twitched. "What'd you say, you bastard?"

"What are you three doing here?" The much shorter one asked, his voice comically deeper.

Kirishima opened his mouth, moving to step forward.

Hitomi put a hand on his chest, and put herself in front of them both.

"Oh, I'm so sorry! I'm a real ditz with directions!" She giggled daintily into her hand, flicking her ears and tail to draw attention to them, and batted her eyes. "Gosh, we've just been wandering around all evening, you two gentlemen wouldn't happen to know where we could find the party, you know…" Her eyes and voice hardened. "Full of Pro Heroes?"

The taller one clicked his tongue, sweat beading his forehead. Then, his right arm branched out into a fleshy funnel, which he aimed directly at her.

Hitomi tensed, hand diving into her pocket, and whipping out—

"Hey! Watch out—" Bakugou called, sounding more panicked than she'd ever heard from him.

"Hitomi!" Nori's voice called out somewhere to their right.

The strange tube of air that was headed straight for her, was cut off by the miraculous appearance of a glacier.

"This looks like…" Bakugou panted, standing at her side.

When did he get there?

"Todoroki?" Kirishima gasped.

The glacier shook, and splintered.

"The four of us can keep them busy down here!" Todoroki reached down, spreading ice beneath the feet of his group, sending them upward by making a spire of ice.

"Wait, I can—" Shinsou approached the edge.

"We still need you in case we get caught!" Kaminari pulled him back.

"Hitomi!" Nori attempted to jump down, but Midoriya and Iida grabbed him, seeing they were already too high up.

"It's too dangerous!"

"You can't fight Quirkless against these Villains!"

Hitomi did her best to smile convincingly up at his receding form. "Don't worry about me! I've got a thick head, remember!"

His face twisted, a cross between panicked concern and anger that he couldn't help.

"Be safe!" Momo called pleadingly down to her.

"You too!" Before they were completely out of range, Hitomi then shouted to the two boys holding Nori back. "Take care of my brother, would you?!"

"You got it!"

"Leave it to us!"

"Thanks guys…" She murmured gratefully, knowing they couldn't hear her anymore.

Now, the situation.

"What the heck's going on, Todoroki?" Kirishima questioned tensely.

"Didn't you hear about the broadcast alert?"

"About the bomb?"

"It's not a bomb. Some Villains have taken over the tower."

"Wait, that's what this is about?" Bakugou faltered.

"I'll explain more when I can, no time now." Todoroki finished sending the column of ice up, and just in time, too.

Three holes suddenly appeared in the glacier, the chunks of ice vanishing with a disconcerting suctioning sound.

"What's with this guy's Quirk?!" Bakugou raised his sparking hands.

"Stay on your guard."

"Shut up! I know that!"

The short one stepped up, body shaking as he started to undergo a transformation.

"So you wanna pick a fight? Let's see how strong you really are!" He roared, his skin turning purple, and his body growing about twice the size it was before.

Hitomi cocked her hips, unable to fight off her smirk. "Aw, you're so cute! I could turn about that size when I was ten!"

"Is now really the time?" Todoroki shot her an unimpressed glower.

But Hitomi was more interested in the way Bakugou was staring at her.

Why'd he look so stunned? Was it really so surprising for her to sass the Villains like she did Best Jeanist?

Todoroki sent more ice the purple Villain's way, which he easily pushed his way through with wildly swinging fists.

Right, good thing she had that gut feeling and brought along her new toy.

In Hitomi's hand, she held a thick metal cylinder, with a few buttons in the middle. With a firm press to one, the two ends shot out, extending two feet each.

Hitomi twirled the combative staff experimentally, testing the weight and grip. Thankfully, it wasn't that far off from her batons.

They all leapt out of the way when the Villain reached them, and Bakugou spun around middair, aiming his glowing palm at the Villain's vulnerable back.

"Die!"

A point-blank blast went off against the Villain's back, surely taking him out and leaving them with the other—

Through the cloud of smoke, the Villain bursted back out, reeling back a fist.

"Bakugou!" Hitomi and Kirishima cried out in warning, but only the redhead was close enough to reach him.

Kirishima body-checked him out of the way, hardening his skin and taking the brunt of the punch. Which was violent enough to send the boy flying and crashing into a stone wall.

"Kirishima!"

"Dodge!"

Both Hitomi and Bakugou turned just in time to see Todoroki about to send a ram of ice past them and at the other Villain. Hitomi moved to dive away, but felt a searing hand grab the back of her dress. With a blast, Bakugou was airborne, with her hastily jerked up and over his shoulder.

She almost screamed, caught off guard by his manhandling. But it worked to get them both out of the line of fire.

However, the funnel-Villain did his little trick again, vanishing chunks of the approaching ice and making it harmless.

And there was the purple-Villain, standing ready on their other side.

Hitomi, Bakugou, and Todoroki stood in a semi-triangle, keeping watchful of the Villains prowling around them.

She thumbed the other buttons on the staff, thankful that she splurged on the "multi-purpose" design.

"You kiddos know how to fight, don't you?" The funnel-Villain chortled patronizingly.

"Where'd you come from?" The purple-Villain rumbled.

Don't do it. Don't do it. Don't do it—

"Your mom's house!"

It wasn't her fault that Nori was a bad example, and let some of his affinity for vicious barbs leak out into her. She didn't even fully get what was offensive about the retort, but remembered her brother frequently using it.

Todoroki made a sound of disbelief, while Bakugou actually cackled.

Okay, it was worth it.

…

"I have to— go back!" Nori grunted, punching the wall in frustration. "She was right there!"

"And Todoroki and Bakugou are with her, two of the strongest in our class." Momo reasoned calmly, studying the room for any exits.

"Hey Melissa, where does that little vent up at the edge of the ceiling lead to?" Midoriya pointed to a small, square plate of metal above them, that he somehow spotted.

"I think it runs under the maintenance room for the sunlight system…"

Iida grinned. "There's probably an emergency ladder in the maintenance room, right?"

"Yeah, there is, but it's a manual release. So someone would have to be inside to let it down for us."

Nori straightened, eyeing the vent.

"I'll go."

"W-what?! Saito, you can't!" Midoriya protested.

Nori shook his head stubbornly. "I have to. Whatever it takes to help Hitomi."

"Uh, no… I mean, there's no way you could fit."

"...Oh."

"But I know someone who could." Shinsou smirked, eyes falling on the shortest person in the group.

"Alright!" Momo's Quirk lit up her chest, a small device forming in her palm. Once she finished making it, she threw it accurately at the vent, which it stuck to and—

"You made a bomb!?" Nori shouted incredulously. "And you held it in your hand?!"

Then, with the vent hanging wide open, they all turned to Mineta.

"You can't be serious! No, I can't!"

Shinsou looked to Midoriya. "You want me to make 'im?"

Mineta shrieked unintelligibly, scrambling back and covering his mouth.

"Hold on…"

Uraraka and Jirou came up to him, hands clasped pleadingly.

"Please! You have to, Mineta!"

"You're the only one who can do it!"

"You idiots!" Mineta flailed tearily. "Do you have any idea how high up we are?!"

Kaminari saddled up to him, grinning mischievously. "But if you save everyone and become a celebrity, they'll interview you on TV and then you'll be popular with girls everywhere!"

"Come on!" Uraraka and Jirou pushed.

"Just imagine the harem." Kaminari whispered in his ear.

"Oh man… Okay, fine! I'll do it, whatever!"

Nori sneered at the boy, some of what little respect he had for UA dying out.

…

"Hah!"

The purple-Villain stumbled back, barely avoiding the kick Hitomi aimed at his chin. She had already tossed aside her heels, not needing to deal with the added burden.

The purple-Villain snapped an arm out, his hefty hand wrapping around her entire calf.

Uh-oh—

She yelped, trying to keep her body perpendicular with the ground as he chucked her, like she was as meager as a small pebble.

When she landed it forced a rattling cough from her chest, followed by a deep aching rocking her whole body.

She cracked her eyes open (when had they shut?) and stared at her staff dropped beside her.

All those nice sounding features had yet to help at all—

Hang on a second… what if—

"Todoroki!" Hitomi pushed herself up, peering through a curtain of her hair that had fallen from her once pristine ponytail.

The boy glanced over his shoulder, the question in his gaze. "What have you come up with?"

Her hand wrapped around the staff, her knuckles bruised and bleeding.

"I need water! And lots of it!"

With how much ice he had already made that littered the battlefield, it was a simple matter of melting one of the blocks.

Trusting she had something in mind, Todoroki called over to Bakugou.

"Start melting some ice!"

"Don't tell me what to do!" Bakugou's shout was followed by his Quirk, blasting the ice and doing exactly as Todoroki told.

While he was working on that, it left the purple-Villain free to charge at Hitomi.

"Crud."

At least in her normal body, when pitted against a much larger and stronger opponent, Hitomi still had one ace.

Speed.

Biting back a scream, she ducked away from the purple-Villain's swiping fist, darting away low to the ground, sliding on her knees and hugging her staff, waiting for her chance.

Then, the most obvious thing occurred to her.

"Sprinklers! The sprinklers!"

A small fire flickered, then raged into a blazing inferno, reaching high up to the rafters, where emergency water sprinklers hung.

With a booming explosion, Bakugou went as far as destroying the side of a water fountain in the center of the room, providing as much water as possible, for a plan he didn't know the details of.

With the boys preoccupied, both the Villains turned on her, charging at her still downed and vulnerable form.

The water spread, reaching under funnel-Villain's feet, then purple-Villain's, and finally, got within her grasp.

Oh, this was gonna hurt.

"Get off the ground!" Hitomi called as loud as she could, before raising the staff high, holding down a certain button, and thrusting it back down.

Crackles of electricity branched out over the standing water, racing up the bodies of those unfortunate enough to be in it.

Namely, Hitomi and the two Villains.

Her body burned, and every muscle seized. If it wasn't for that, she would have reflexively let the button go to end the horrible pain. But she physically couldn't relax her thumb, only able to press down harder.

"Argh!"

"Saito!"

"You have to let it go!"

She couldn't. And even if she could, the Villains were still standing— though, clearly in just as much pain.

Just gotta hold on. A little longer…!

The funnel-Villain dropped first, followed by the purple-Villain. And finally, Hitomi herself saw her world go sideways.

The staff slipped from her hand, the water went still, and she hit a warm body instead of the cold floor.

"A-are they out?" She mumbled, her eyelids heavy and refusing to lift.

But she knew who caught her. She could smell him.

Such a nice smell…

"You fucking idiot." Despite the harsh choice of words, they came out low and rough, in an unfamiliar way. "You trying to get yourself killed?"

Hitomi giggled, and that was her first clue that maybe electrocuting herself wasn't a good idea. "Yeah… I mean, no."

Bakugou sighed, slinging her arm over his shoulder, and standing slowly.

"They out?" He aimed the question at Todoroki.

"Seems like it." In case they weren't, Todoroki encased them both in ice. "Hopefully we haven't fallen too far behind the others."

Hitomi stood straighter, regaining some clarity at the reminder of the danger her brother was neck-deep in.

Before they could pursue the bigger group, they first had to check on their tough-as-nails redhead.

"Kirishima!"

"Are you okay?!"

Kirishima grunted, arms splayed at his sides, stuck in the Kirishima-sized crater he was slammed into.

"Um, I can't move. Can you get me outta here?"

Hitomi tried stepping forward to help, but Bakugou kept hold of her wrist.

"Are you that stupid? Just turn your damned Quirk off, you idiot."

"Oh, right." The jagged edges of his skin faded away, smoothing out back to normal. "Guess I shoulda thought of that." He leaned out of the crater with a cute laugh.

"I'm just glad to see you're not injured."

"Yeah, same to you guys. Er, actually, you okay, Saito?"

Hitomi gave a thumbs-up in affirmative, squeaking when Bakugou turned away sharply, forcing her along with the motion.

"Thank you."

Hitomi blinked, lips parting. Standing so close, she could see the slight tinge of pink coloring Bakugou's ears.

Aw, he's totally a softie!

"Whoa, where'd that come from?" Kirishima chuckled. "Don't worry about it."

"I'm not worried!"

Hitomi giggled, earning a heated red-eyed glare.

At least he didn't just drop her or anything.

"Right, let's catch up with the others."

"Don't order me around! And you stop dragging your feet!"

"Sorry, I still can't really feel my legs…"

Bakugou clenched his jaw, looking to the side sharply.

But it almost felt like he held onto her tighter.

"Todoroki, time to give us some details." Kirishima prompted.

But any explanation was cut off before it could even start, as several dozen robots started spilling into the room, sounding off small sirens, and flashing red lights.

"Looks like they've gotten serious…"

"That stupid staff got any more charge left?" Bakugou asked lowly in her ear.

Hitomi grimaced. "It's only good for one high-voltage shock. The next best it can do is shoot a net."

"Just one?"

"Just one."

"Fuck."

…

"Damnit, why's it always gotta be robots?" Shinsou grinned bitterly.

Midoriya, Uraraka, and Melissa all got away to continue working toward the control room, and fixing the security system. While everyone else stayed behind to hold off the army of dumpster-sized robots out to detain them.

Kaminari was already tied up in some thick wire, his drooling and mumbling attesting to his overuse of his Quirk. One by one, they were picked off, getting caught as the robots flung the wires around at anything that moved.

The way the robots moved and attacked, almost seemed like they had been programmed to combat the group's very own Quirks. Which meant the Villain's must've realized the advantage they had, and thwarted it.

Momo kneeled by a cannon she made, panting from the energy it took out of her, along with every goopy cannonball she loaded into it, that along with Mineta, was sticking up as many robots as they could.

Nori stood back, hands shaking as he, Shinsou, Momo, and Jirou were soon the only ones left.

If they were being apprehended, and left there on the floor, then that meant eventually, someone was meant to come and get them.

A grim acceptance washed over him.

"Momo."

The ravenette hummed weakly, taken aback when she met his gaze.

The usual sunny gold was dimmed, muddied into a dull brown.

"I know you must be at the end of your rope, but I need you to make some gas-masks. One for each of us."

Momo paled, tears welling in her eyes. Because she was smart enough to know that Nori was proposing a viable solution to their predicament, and she couldn't turn it down, no matter how badly she wanted to.

"Okay."

When two darkly dressed Villains sauntered into the room, they smirked at the state of the group.

Surrounded by the now docile robots, Momo, Iida, Shinsou, Jirou, Kaminari, and Mineta all sat tied up, each with steely eyes, and a gas-mask over their faces. And sitting in the middle of them, Nori slouched casually, watching the Villains approach with half-lidded eyes.

"Ah, the henchmen arrive." Shinsou spoke up.

The Villains gave tight lipped smirks, silent. Proving the group's fear, that they must have checked what powers the kids had, likely upon seeing them through the security cameras.

That just left their wildcard.

Nori tipped his head back, and cocked it to the side. "Took ya long enough.

"Big talk for someone backed in a corner." One scoffed, sneering down at them.

Nori stared down at his lap with empty eyes, a mask of his own dangling uselessly around his neck.

"Yeah…"

The Villains twitched, noticing the temperature seemed to drop.

"But you know, the moment when something's backed into a corner…"

Golden irises blazed molten.

"Is the time it's most dangerous."

By the time they noticed a purple miasma emanating from Nori's exposed forearms, it was already too late.

"W-what the—" The first Villain scrambled back, his face stricken with unbridled terror as he stared into space. "How are— what are—"

The second Villain was worse off, falling to the floor, holding his head and screaming. So raw and primal that it shook the air.

The first Villain fumbled for his gun, whipping it out and shooting blindly at nothing, until his clip ran out, the gun clicking hollowly each time he panickedly pulled the trigger. The front of his pants darkened, a puddle spreading around his feet, that he fell into, limply on his knees.

Nori watched on with a blank expression— to anyone unfamiliar with him.

But Momo's heart ached, catching the tightness around his eyes.

…

Midoriya and Melissa were both weightless in the air, Ochako holding them up with her Quirk on the ground.

And there were a dozen more robots closing in on her.

The brunette tensed, preparing for whatever she had to do, to hold on and keep helping Midoriya and Melissa to the top of the tower, even if it meant she fell at the mechanical hands of the security bots.

Thankfully for her, though, someone intervened.

Ochako gasped, a fiery explosion blasting away the ones in front of her, and a wall of ice cutting off the ones approaching from behind.

And finally, she relaxed fully when a large, furry body landed next to her, a big snout bumping her chest and a curled tail swinging side-to-side.

"Bakugou, Hitomi! And Todoroki and Kirishima!"

"That was close, are you okay?" Todoroki stood by the girls, right hand raised, frost covering it.

"Yeah, I'm fine!"

Hitomi's tail wagged harder.

Good. Good. She all good.

Her dress mournfully hung around her, mostly in tatters. But instincts had taken over when she saw Ochako in trouble, and this was the result of that.

"I used my Quirk on Deku and Melissa. They should be able to reach the top!"

'Chako so strong. 'Chako Pitbull.

"Good job. Now you can help us stop these things!" Todoroki knocked aside another row of the robots.

Hitomi barked, dashing forward. With a swift swat of her paw, she sent one flying clear over the railing, and down the insanely tall drop.

Oh. Fun!

If dogs were capable of laughing, Hitomi would be having a fit.

"Oh no! They're blowing away!" Ochako gasped up at Midoriya and Melissa, who were veering off from the tower.

Oh. Shit.

Todoroki threw his blazer off, running to enact a plan that Hitomi couldn't discern in her Akita form.

"Bakugou! Aim the propeller at Midoriya! Quick!"

"I told you not to give me orders!" Bakugou roared, then did as ordered.

With a fire from Todoroki, the turbine pointed hot air toward the two, blowing them back on track.

Flying to the side of the tower, Midoriya punched a hole in the wall, making an opening for him and Melissa to get through.

"Release!"

Bakugou blew the robots away.

Kirishima dented and pierced their armor.

Todoroki froze them in place.

Ochako made them useless, floating in the air.

And Hitomi bit many of them in half, mouth filling with the taste of oil and blood.

Her dentist was going to be so mad.

It was almost like they would never stop coming, an endless hoard of metal soldiers, until simultaneously, the lights went out on each one, and they hunkered down, immobilized.

"Huh? What happened?" Bakugou panted, hands pinkened by the non-stop use of his Quirk.

"They just stopped." Ochako tentatively touched her fingertips together, the ones she had airborne dropping down.

Hitomi almost started shifting to normal, then froze with the very startling loud thought of I'm practically naked.

"I-Island's security system is now operating in full."

Hopefully that was a good thing, going by the robots' surrender.

Catching the echoes of some kind of battle above, Hitomi pointed her ears up, keening them with as much focus she could put into it.

"Hitomi? What is it?" Ochako anxiously asked. "Is something wrong?"

"Gah!" The pained cry from Midoriya came right after another booming slam.

Metal. Blood. Midoriya.

The other four jumped, left clueless while Hitomi frantically began barking up at the top of the tower.

Ochako was the first to catch on.

"Ah— you need up there?!"

Another bark, this one deeper and paired with a clumsy nod.

Yes! Make me float!

"O-okay!" Ochako held her breath, cautious of making someone so big weightless.

When Hitomi's paws left the ground, there was a moment of animalistic panic, her body not accustomed to floating, unhindered by her heavy muscles and mass.

"You're good to go!"

Giving a booming bark— more of a roar, she gouged her claws into the wall of the tower to boost herself skyward, the wind whistling in her ears once she picked up some speed, basically running up the side.

The stars blurred in the sky, her head bobbing and making them into squiggly stripes of white. And maybe she would consider it beautiful, if so many of her friends' lives weren't on the line.

With one final leap, she breached the top of the tower, finding a rooftop with a helipad, and raised concrete and metal littering the ground, the evidence of someone's reckless Quirk use.

"Deku!"

Melissa's shrill cry brought Hitomi's attention to the helicopter hovering over them, and the body falling from it.

No!

Barking sharply, she signaled for Ochako to deactivate her Quirk. The instant Hitomi's paws touched down, she was launching herself across the roof, pushing herself to the limit to make it—

She grunted, letting her legs give out under her to help the shock absorption of Midoriya's body slamming into her back.

The pain was nothing compared to how Midoriya would feel if he actually hit solid ground.

"Let him go!" Midoriya shouted after the retreating helicopter, the smell of blood thick on him. "Don't take the professor! Damn it!"

"Don't you dare lose that smile! Alright, Young Midoriya?"

The adrenaline and fear that was fueling most of Hitomi's body, ebbed away at the sound of his voice.

"It's fine now!" A gust and shockwave ran up the side of the tower, flying high and stopping over the wobbling helicopter. "Do you know why? Because I am here!"

All Might's arrival was enough for the corners of Hitomi's vision to fade in and out, her drive to keep fighting easing away. But her muscles refused to relax, contracting and spasming randomly.

Oh yeah, maybe because she electrocuted herself.

"Saito! We have to get back!" Melissa warned, slender hands hoisting her up and out of the crater she made when Midoriya landed on her.

Hang on… when did she turn back to normal?

She weakly tried covering her chest, letting Melissa drag her along away from the ensuing fight.

There was fire, and wreckage, and the professor was being held hostage again and— what all did she miss in her short moment of blacking out?

"We need to stay out of their way!" Tears were running down Melissa's face, but she held strong, keeping Hitomi upright until they both hid behind the entry of the rooftop access, hunkering down with only the thin concrete walls to protect them.

If only she could make her legs move!

"Don't! Your pupils are unevenly dilated and your ears are drooping to one side!" Melissa pushed her back, only having to exude minimal force to keep her in place. "You're in poor shape, so I doubt you can fight! Just stay here!"

Then, with her blonde hair fluttering after her, Melissa ran off.

If Hitomi couldn't fight then why could Melissa?!

The ground shook, everything teetering— at least for Hitomi, and she tried negating the dizziness and nausea by pressing her back firmly against the wall, hoping to ground herself.

Curling her knees to her chest as a cover, she removed her hands and instead put them over her ears, trying to block out as much of the deafening noise coming from the fight as possible.

She just had to ride it out. Wait for All Might to save the day like usual.

(But where was Nori? How was he doing?)

"Argh!"

That— that was All Might!

"All Might!" Midoriya shouted from somewhere on the wrecked rooftops.

"Damnit!" The expletive was followed by several detonations.

"No!"

The raw emotion in All Might's cry made her hair stand on end.

"All Might, no!"

Hitomi whimpered, covering her mouth to stifle her distress. Everyone sounded so scared. She could hear it. She could smell it.

She trembled, tears rolling down her cheeks.

"Smash!"

That wasn't All Might's voice—

"There's no way you can stop me! You're insignificant pests! And you don't know when to lay down and be crushed!"

"You're the one who doesn't know when he's beat!" Bakugou retorted, blasting the Villain.

"I won't let you stop them!" Todoroki declared, the air around growing colder.

"This is over!"

Hitomi screamed, the floor moving under her. It was like the concrete became a title wave, rolling fluidly, with her along for the ride atop it.

It really wasn't helping the way her vision spun.

When it stopped, she was left in a sort of crater, chunks of stone and metal surrounding her, thankfully shielding her indecent appearance by the impromptu walls they made. And from her new vantage point, much closer to the fight going on, she had front row seats to the fight happening in the sky above.

The air lit up, caused by two figures that crackled with their own lightning. The Villain-made ginormous cube hanging overhead shattered, obliterated by the two figures.

She had an idea of who they were, and it was confirmed when she could hear her friends shout out—

"Deku!" Ochako cried in support.

"Stop him All Might!" Momo, Kaminari, and Jirou beseeched.

"Go Midoriya!" Iida, Shinsou, Kirishima, and Mineta cheered.

"Destroy this guy!" Nori, Bakugou, and Todoroki shouted their encouragement.

Hitomi took a deep breath, and put it all into her cry.

"You can do it!"

Their hits landed in a blinding flash, the noise so loud her ears popped. When it finally faded, and it was safe to look back, the Villain was gone.

Debris fell like rain, the Villain's defenses broken and in pieces.

The sun began to rise.

Was… was it over?

"They beat up that Villain and saved our lives!" Mineta, from somewhere on the battered rooftop, crowed.

Hitomi sagged in relief, her body deciding for her that it was definitely time for rest. There was just one problem.

Her dress was ripped and unsalvageable, and she could hear someone coming.

"Ah!" She hugged her knees, tucking her chin between them for good measure. "I'm not decent!"

She heard a scoff, the footsteps coming right up from behind her and—

Something fabric fell over her shoulders.

Hitomi made a soft noise in question, carefully sitting up and inspecting the offered garment.

It was a vest, with a floral pattern.

Her chest warmed.

"Thanks Bakugou."

"Whatever, just hurry up and come on, your brother's freaking the fuck out."

"Oh, um…" Hitomi draped the vest over her to properly cover her modesty, then smiled sheepishly back at the blonde. "You remember how I said I can't feel my legs?"

Bakugou groaned, and dropped down to sit in front of her.

"Fine, we'll wait for them to find us."

Something gave Hitomi the impression that Bakugou just wanted a minute to sit and relax, but was too prideful to admit it. And she provided an easy cover.

Neither spoke for a stretch, content to have a moment of calm and quiet after everything that happened. They were both worse for wear, banged up and bruised, and in Hitomi's case, dealing with the aftermath of getting shocked with a high voltage electrocution.

Man, she really hoped she wasn't ever pitted against Kaminari.

Bakugou sighed, shifting slightly— but then flinched, his hands seizing.

Hitomi sat straighter.

Wait, without his bracers, wasn't it dangerous and painful for him to go all out with his Quirk? Which was exactly what he's been doing all evening.

That self-sacrificing dummy.

"And you call me stupid…"

"Hah?!"

Her dress already a lost cause, Hitomi ripped a strip of fabric from her skirt, then another. Wordlessly reaching out, she took Bakugou's wrists gently, holding them up in front of her.

It honestly probably wouldn't do much, but Hitomi hated the thought of him hurting without any kind of aid. So, she carefully wrapped the strips around his forearms, making the knots tight, but not restricting. Just a light pressure to keep on them until he was bandaged properly.

"There." She murmured, letting her hands return to the vest, holding it close, a tired but sincere smile pulling on her lips. "Now we match again."

The scent of burnt caramel spiked, but in a way it never had before, with an undertone of something she couldn't identify with her tired and muddled mind.

"Hitomi!"

Her ears flicked, and what little tension she had left, fell away.

Nori stumbled over the debris littered terrain, nearly tripping in his hast to get to her. Momo wasn't too far behind.

"Oh, hey No—"

She yelped, coughing from Nori's unrestrained tackle. His arms secured themselves around her and squeezed, so tight and unyielding she thought he may never plan to let go.

"You— do you have any idea— I was so—"

Hitomi frowned guiltily, smelling the salt of his tears, and the acidity of his fear.

"I'm sorry. I promise I'm not actively seeking Villains out or anything." She laughed weakly, slumping when he gave no response. "It's okay now, though. It's over."

His body twitched, like his muscles were trying to ease, but they were too on edge.

She put a hand in the middle of his back, rubbing it up and down soothingly.

"Hey, I bet you were really cool. Helping them and everything. Pretty heroic of you."

Nori sighed deeply, like he already knew where this was going.

Hitomi smirked. "You know, it's not too late for you to be one! We can do it together, and be two Hero's like Mama and Pa—"

"Idiot." He mumbled, leaning back and shoving her head down. "I am never doing anything like this ever again."

"Aw…"

"Hitomi, do you need me to make you something to wear?" Momo wrung her hands, her cheeks pale and clammy, a clear sign that she was at her limit with her Quirk.

Hitomi shook her head, her gaze falling on Bakugou, as he was now being subjected to a one-sided conversation with Kirishima ten feet away.

"No…" She held the vest closer. "I'm fine."

They were all fine. And that was all that mattered.

…

His arms were still sore— not that he'd admit to that, and were now wrapped up in some proper bandages. His parents' had a fit when they heard about what happened on the island, and gave him a pass on chores until he was healed completely. (He had a feeling that it was mostly his father's doing.)

But the pain wasn't what his mind was focused on.

Back home, inside his room, he sat at his desk, where those two strips of floral fabric were laid out.

He knew that dress was familiar.

Katsuki glared daggers at his laptop, and the webpage he had open.

It was from his parents' most recent formal line. The promotional photos were almost one-to-one with Saito when she was wearing it.

Did she know? Is that why she got it? Wait— why would she get it because of that alone? She didn't say anything about it, so maybe it was just a coincidence.

Yeah, a really fucking expensive coincidence. It made sense that she was loaded like Icy-Hot and Ponytail, what with her parents' agency still up and running.

"Katsuki! Get your ass down here for dinner!"

"I'm coming! Calm the fuck down!"

He shut his laptop, sighing gravelly.

There, now that that was solved, he could finally stop thinking twice about her— It.

...Did he have a fever, or something?