Me: This is a slow burn. The slowest of burns. I will be stretching this out for sooo long.

My inner shipper: Here's an idea for a scene with crazy amounts of development and romantic tension.

Me: Oh cool, I'll just put this over—

My inner shipper: It will only fit into the narrative of this chapter.

Me:

Me: Fuck.

Anyway—

Hi? I'm not dead *throws pathetic handful of confetti*

So uh, funny story, I kinda hate this arc, so writing it has been a bitch. I like to have a backlog of chapters when I upload one, and it's taken some time (obviously) for me to get enough done for me to finally feel comfortable to update. No this story isn't abandoned, and no it isn't going to be. Hitomi's too dear to my heart to ever toss her aside. So while I might take a while to upload now and then, just know that it's only ever a matter of time.

Also, this turned out a lot longer than I was planning lol. There's a lot of canon dialogue, which can get boring, I know. And probably way too much Nighteye slander. But there's also something I think you guys are gonna love in terms of Cherry-Bomb content, so yay? (It's so fucking hard writing a slow burn guys)

First thing that morning in class, while waiting for Mr. Aizawa, Denki excitedly grabbed everyone's attention.

"Holy crap, Kirishima, Hitomi! Take a look at this!" Denki thrusted out his phone, showing off an article he had open in his browser. "Your Hero names are all over the news sites today, it's freakin' crazy!"

"Lemme see!" Hitomi hopped up, swiping the phone from him, reading off the headline. "Newcomer Sidekick Red Riot Bursts onto the Scene! He rescued innocent civilians and fought a Villain on his very first patrol!" She beamed at the redhead. "That's so awesome! Congrats, Eijirou!"

Katsuki sat at his desk, fuming with a furious aura hanging over him.

"It mentions you, right?" Eijirou scanned it over her shoulder, wearing a small frown.

"Scroll down." Denki advised.

Hitomi did as instructed, and grimaced with embarrassment. "Oh jeez, I look so mean!"

There were two pictures of her, one when she was in her Akita form with the criminal pinned under her, and the other when she was in his face, baring a viciously threatening fanged smile.

Denki smirked. "Don't you mean you look f—"

"If you say feral, I will tape your mouth shut." Hanta said flatly.

"Fellow Sidekick Ōkami, student of UA and daughter of late Pro Heroes Silver Shifter and Golden Geist, apprehended notorious gang leader of Esuha City." Eijirou read her portion, grinning.

Hitomi flushed sheepishly. "They made it sound way cooler than it actually was. The guy was already beaten up by Amajiki."

"Guys, that's not the only one!" Mina showed off a different article on her cell. "Look, check out Tsu and Uraraka! New Sidekicks at Ryukyu Agency. Two there for a work study! That's so cool!"

Ochako took the phone, marveling at the headline and photos. "Wow, I can't believe this is real!"

"When did they even snap that picture?" Tsuyu blushed at the flattering action-shots that were taken of the two.

"Oh, hey, you know what? You might already have your own fan club like Mount Lady does!" Mina squealed.

"And check this— What Heroes in training! They're cute. They're efficient. And even more importantly, they manage to get the job done." Kyoka read further down the article.

Tenya stood with his arms crossed, expression serious. "You have provisional licenses now, and you're seen as Heroes. I must thank you for your service. But a student's top priority is academics!" He chopped an arm. "Hit those books!"

"Yeah! Let's learn stuff! We got this, right!?" Eijirou pumped his fists.

Izuku grunted his agreement, just as determined as Eijirou.

Denki crossed his arms behind his head. "Wait, didn't you tell us you've been having trouble with your assignments lately?"

Eijirou nodded easily. "The teachers said that they'd set up some extra lessons for me."

Hitomi deflated, ears drooping. "I keep putting it off. Ugh, I hate studying!"

Katsuki opened his mouth, hesitating, then clicked his tongue and glared off to the side.

"Maybe I should check into those. I am totally slipping." Hanta lamented.

"Remember, we all learn at our own pace." Momo kindly reassured.

Denki smiled blissfully. "Yeah, who cares, right?"

"I don't think that's the message she was trying to send." Kyoka deadpanned.

Hitomi perked up, taking out her own phone. "Oh! I gotta tell Hitoshi about this!"

Mina saddled up next to her, smirking slyly. "Hitoshi, huh?"

Hitomi blinked. "Yeah? What about him?"

Mina gave her a slap on the back. "I'll explain it when you're older."

Denki snorted.

She could smell burnt caramel.

…

"Huh— Midoriya! Good morning."

Ear twitching at Eijirou's surprised greeting, Hitomi looked back, smiling at the freckled boy, who for some reason was following her and the redhead out of Heights Alliance.

"Morning Izuku!" She waved at him excitedly, despite only standing about fifteen feet away.

Izuku returned the gesture on a smaller scale, smiling awkwardly.

"Are you headed off to your work study too?" Eijirou asked.

Izuku nodded. "Yeah, I finally got called in again. Feels like it's been forever. I wonder why they said not to wear our costumes, though." He mused, glancing from his own school uniform to theirs.

Hitomi looked down at herself, moving her hips to make her skirt swish back and forth, just for fun. She lifted her head when the front door opened again, revealing Ochako and Tsuyu.

"Oh! Good morning, guys! You going in today?" Ochako chirped.

"Yeah!"

"Huh, so are we. That's kinda weird." Tsuyu hummed.

Strangely enough, the five didn't split up on their usual paths, walking all the way into town together. Even odder still, was how many Heroes were making their way around as well, most of whom Hitomi didn't recognize in the slightest.

A pair of them stopped the group with a wave, identifying them as UA students from the sports festival.

"Hey, us too! Wanna walk to the station together?" The Hero wearing a long helmet, and cheetah patterned cape offered upon hearing where the group was heading.

"Oh! Please! I-I mean, if you don't mind." Ochako bowed in thanks.

"We appreciate it!" Izuku beamed.

Eijirou leaned closer to whisper to Hitomi— despite the fact she would've been able to hear him even if he was across the street. "What's with all the Heroes?"

She shrugged, frowning slightly. "Don't know. And these guys seem like some local ones— D-listers, as Katsuki would say."

Eijirou sighed wearily. "Don't quote him like that…"

At the station they scanned their passes, and noticed they each had the same destination.

"Wait, we're going the same way?" Izuku turned to Hitomi and Eijirou. "I thought you were working in Kansai."

"Usually, yeah. But I guess we're meeting someplace different today."

"What a coincidence, us too." Tsuyu chimed in.

They all rode the same train, to the same station. They walked down the same streets, turning in the same directions. Heading the same exact way to a tall building— the same one they were all told to meet at.

Standing outside the doors, were three familiar third-years.

Hado beamed as soon as she saw them.

Amajiki gave the faintest of nods.

"Heyo!" Togata greeted them merrily with a salute.

Hitomi nearly tripped over herself, waving meekly with a burning face. "H-hey!"

Eijirou shook his head, and Tsuyu put a hand on her shoulder.

The Big Three had no idea what was going on, either, so they were just as blind as the rest of them when they all entered the building. Once inside, they were greeted with a large crowd of Heroes, both big-time, and local.

Hitomi immediately spotted their homeroom teacher among them, and cocked her head. There was also Fat Gum, Ryukyu, Rock Lock, and even that elderly Hero in yellow, that had been there during the rescue at Kamino.

Stiffening, she did a quick scan of the room, relaxing only when she didn't spot a pair of massive bright red wings.

She seriously didn't want to deal with Hawks' teasing. God knew he would be even worse now that she actually had a license to do Hero work.

"Now you're certified to save kittens from trees! Congrats!" She could already hear his gleeful heckling.

"Hey, what's the scoop? What's going on? Talk to me, Ryukyu!" Hado threw herself at the Hero, hanging off of the unfazed woman. "I mean, I know you said there's a meeting, but what's it about?"

"Patience, Neijire."

"Mr. Aizawa!" Hitomi ran over to their teacher, bouncing on her heels. "What's this all about? Why are you here?"

"I'm confused too." Tsuyu admitted as she and Ochako came over.

"I was called in last minute for this thing. I think I've got a rough idea of what it's about."

"You should, too." Ryukyu addressed her two first-year interns. "Remember what I told you girls?"

Ochako and Tsuyu exchanged a serious look.

Hitomi pouted, turning to aim it at Mr. Aizawa. He was unaffected, not bothering to explain things to her. She huffed.

"We're all here, Nighteye. Let's get started." Ryukyu prompted, looking to a man in a gray business suit, with green hair and glasses.

Hitomi cocked her head, recalling that that was the name of the Hero Izuku was working under.

The man stepped forward, addressing the whole room. "Thanks to the information provided by all of you, our investigation has progressed substantially. We've invited you all here for a joint conference to share the intel we've acquired. Regarding the yakuza group Shie Hassaikai, and what we believe they might be planning."

Hitomi sobered, fists clenching. More yakuza… it was like they were popping back up all over. They all went quiet after her parents wreaked havoc on the most infamous groups, so having them grow in size and power again was a harsh reminder that the Heroes they once feared, were gone.

"Hold on, I feel like I'm missin' something really important here. Shie H— what now?" Eijirou turned to Fat Gum questioningly.

"Some bad guys're planning to do some bad things." The Hero simplified it. "And they've called a meeting so we can talk it all out. Trust me, you three are very much involved."

Hitomi's ears went back, and she glanced at Amajiki's left shoulder.

Several long tables were set out in a rectangle, which the Heroes began taking seats around. At the head sat Nighteye, with two other Heroes standing at his sides. A blue skinned girl, and a man with a centipede for a neck and head.

Fat Gum sat in the chair closest to Nighteye's right, and Eijirou quickly claimed the spot to the right of the large Hero. Hitomi sat by him, and Amajiki took the seat on her right. Across their table, Togata and Izuku sat directly in front of them at their own. Ochako and Tsuyu were down a ways on the boys' left.

"Alright, let's start at the beginning." Bubble Girl— the blue Sidekick —began to read from a tablet. "For the past couple of weeks now, those of us at Nighteye Agency have been conducting an investigation into Shie Hassaikai, a small but organized group of criminals."

"What prompted this?" The Hero, Kesagiri Man, questioned.

"An accident involving a gang of thieves, called the Reservoir Dogs." Bubble Girl patiently explained.

Mr. Brave sat straighter. "Yeah, I heard about that."

Bubble Girl continued. "The police thought the whole thing was an accident, but there were a number of details that didn't add up, so we began tailing them."

The other Sidekick next to Nighteye, Centipeder, spoke up, his voice much higher than expected. "In my capacity as a Nighteye Agency Sidekick, I began following leads to see what I could uncover. I found that in the past year, the members of Shie Hassaikai have had increased contact with those outside of their organization, including other groups whose business dealings are less than reputable. Their aim seemed to be expanding their organization and enriching its coffers. Shortly after our investigation began, they made contact with a member of the League of Villains."

Hitomi stiffened, eyes wide and pointed up at a monitor behind the Sidekicks, which now showed a picture taken of two men talking. One faced away from the camera, wearing a green jacket with purple fur trim. While the other, was—

"Jin Bubaigawara. Villain name: Twice."

The League was a part of this. At some level, those Villains were connected. The thought was enough to make Hitomi's stomach twist.

"I'll be gentle. This is gonna hurt!"

She swallowed, clenching her fists so tightly her palms stung where her nails dug in.

"They were wary of being tailed, so I was unable to follow them." The monitor changed again, showing a building that was halfway caved in, with police cars parked haphazardly around it. "But with the help of the police, I confirmed that an altercation had occurred between the two groups."

So, the two groups weren't on friendly terms then…

"That'd be about when they decided to reach out to Tsukauchi and me." The elderly Hero in yellow spoke up. "Figured we'd be able to assist, given the League's involvement."

"Where is Tsukauchi?" Kesagiri Man asked him.

"Follow-ups with some other eyewitnesses. Y'know, cop stuff." The grey-haired Hero looked up the tables over at Izuku. "Sorry kid, I didn't see something like this coming. I've got a bad feeling that things are about to get ugly."

Izuku frowned seriously. "I don't care if they do. I wanna help."

"Hold up, you know him?" Togata blinked.

"Oh, Gran Torino? I did my internship with him. He looked after me and taught me some great strategies that helped out my Quirk."

Hitomi cocked her head, peering back at the man. She remembered how fast he was, and how he and Endeavor got all the citizens away so All Might could fight All For One with his full power.

But… when he glanced back at her, as if feeling her stare, he met her gaze full-on, with an expression of—

Hitomi flinched, ears tucking back.

His eyes were so distrustful.

"Go on, Bubble Girl." Nighteye prompted.

"Ah— So, after all that went down, we posted a notice on the HN, requesting assistance—"

"I think we can skip that part." Centipeder commented.

"Sorry!"

"What's the HN?" Ochako curiously piped up.

Hitomi furrowed her brows, surprised that the brunette didn't know. The Hero Network was famous for its help in solving many of the large-scale crimes in the last decade.

After Neijire sweetly explained it, the Hero sitting on Izuku's left scoffed. That Hero just so happened to be Rock Lock.

"Does anybody wanna tell me why a buncha high school kids were invited to this conference? I don't care if they are from UA. If we have to keep stopping to explain this stuff, we'll never get to the actual plan."

Fat Gum stood, slamming his hands on the table in outrage. "Don't say that! These three have important information to pass along!" He gestured to the three teens working under him. While Amajiki shrunk under the attention, Eijirou looked up at the Hero cluelessly.

"Um, we do?"

"The darts." Hitomi said lowly, grim. The only reason they were involved in this, must have to do with the darts that temporarily took away Amajiki's Quirk.

"Anyway, I see a lot of new faces, so let me introduce myself. Nice to meetcha, I'm Fat Gum!"

"He's so cute and squishy." Ochako and Tsuyu marveled.

"Hah! Who wants candy?" He produced a handful from his pockets.

Hitomi deadpanned, wondering how they had strayed this far from the topic of hardened yakuza.

"Hassaikai's movements are hard to trace." Nighteye took over. "But we suspect one of their main sources of income is illegal drug sales."

Hitomi grimaced. There it is.

"So I requested help from Heroes who have some expertise in that area."

"Yup, I brought in my fair share of drug dealers back in the day, and at Red Riot and Ōkami's debut, they proved they could too." Fat Gum clenched his fist, crushing the candy, his expression hard. "Tamaki was shot, and the bullet contained some kinda drug I've never heard of before. One that destroys Quirks."

"Destroys Quirks?" Kesagiri Man parroted in shock.

Togata stood, staring at his friend in deep concern. "Whoa, what? Tamaki, you're okay, right?"

"Yeah, the stuff wore off while I slept. Here, look I've got this cow hoof and everything." Amajiki held up his right hand— which was now a large brown hoof instead.

"I'm glad to know the effects aren't permanent at least." Rock Lock chimed in, his tone significantly calmer now. "So, this stuff doesn't zap a Quirk for good."

"No. But Eraser Head has some further insight." Nighteye gestured for the teacher to speak up.

"It doesn't seem to function exactly like my Erasure does. Since I'm not actually attacking the Quirk directly."

Hitomi leaned forward, looking down the table toward their teacher, ears keened in interest. She was embarrassed to say she didn't know much of the rules of his Quirk, just that he had to look at the person for it to work.

"What we call a Quirk is an extraordinary addition to an ordinary human body. Those additions are collectively referred to as "Quirk genes". I can shield those genes and temporarily block their expression, but I don't actually damage them."

She had never been on the receiving end of his Quirk, and shuddered to think of what it would feel like to a mutant-type like her. At the very least her senses would be dulled down to the level of the average person, and she would likely lose feeling in her tail as well— on top of being blocked from using Akita Inu completely.

"But after Tamaki here was shot, we brought him to the hospital, and they found that his Quirk genes had sustained damage." Fat Gum explained grimly. "Fortunately, they seem to have healed on their own, and he's back to normal now."

"What do we know about the substance he was shot with?" Nighteye asked.

"Whatever it was didn't harm the rest of his body. Nothing but his Quirk was impaired in any way. The guy who shot him clammed up. He won't say a word. And the round that hit Tamaki was totally spent." Fat Gum gave a crooked smirk. "However, Kirishima bravely defended Tamaki from a bullet, which then bounced off from his own body, and should now provide us with a viable sample."

Eijirou pointed at himself in shock. "Whoa, I did that? Really? That's crazy!"

"Wow, awesome job, Kirishima!" Ochako praised.

"That's so cool!" Tsuyu smiled.

Hitomi gave him a congratulatory slap on the back, probably harder than necessary, as he grunted.

Fat Gum continued, growing grave. "Saito retrieved the bullet, and when we had the substance inside analyzed, we discovered something that made me sick to my stomach." The Hero's expression twisted in cold fury. "It contained human blood and cells."

Hitomi flinched, eyes widening and ears flattening.

Ryukyu scowled. "In other words, that effect came from a person. From someone's power. A Quirk that can destroy Quirks."

A local Hero in mecha armor hummed. "I'm not connecting the dots, here. How is all this related to Hassaikai?"

"The man who shot Tamaki used an illegal drug to boost his Quirk during his fight with Kirishima. The distribution channels for stuff like that are complex. Although things've shrunk since the old days, 'specially after Heroes like Silver and Gold made it big, drugs still pass through various people and organizations before they finally reach the end user. There's no concrete evidence that Hassaikai handled the drug, but we know for a fact that they interacted with one of the middlemen responsible for moving it." Fat Gum laid it all out.

"That's all?" The mecha Hero challenged.

"The other day, Ryukyu's team broke up a fight between two Villain groups." Nighteye cut in. "One of those groups was controlled by the intermediary organization that Fat Gum just mentioned."

"One of the two giants had been given an inferior drug that didn't last long." Ryukyu added.

"There have been a rash of gang-related crimes recently, and most could be connected to the Hassaikai, if you tried hard enough." Kesagiri Man pointed out.

"Which is what it seems like you're doing, trying to make them guilty." The mecha Hero said skeptically. "Don't you have anything that implicates them more clearly?"

Without Nighteye saying a word, Bubble Girl pressed a button on her tablet, and the monitor behind them changed again. This time it showed an up-close picture of the man who had been seen with Twice, now in a side profile, showing off his strange beak-like mask.

Izuku and Togata both gasped.

"Their young head, Chisaki; Quirk, Overhaul. With this power, he can disassemble things, and then reassemble them. A Quirk that allows him to completely break down matter. And a bullet that can break down Quirks." Nighteye spoke leadingly.

Izuku and Togata again gasped, this time paling and hanging their heads. Their scents matched in overwhelming shame and regret.

"Chisaki has a daughter named Eri. There are no records or details about her birth. But when Mirio and Midoriya encountered her, they noticed there were bandages wrapped around her arms and legs." Nighteye continued speaking in a level monotone.

Because of his blaise tone, it took Hitomi a second to figure out what he was implying. The instant she did, she went rigid. The rest of the Heroes followed, coming to the same conclusion as her. She could tell, by the way the air shifted in the room.

She wanted to cover her nose, throat clogging with the sticky scent of revulsion that suddenly spiked.

"Could he really do something so horrific?" Ryukyu's voice held a subtle waver.

"Unfortunately, yes." Gran Torino nodded once. "In a world of super humans, if you can dream it, you can do it."

"Hold on, what are they talking about?" Eijirou frowned, looking around at everyone's somber and disgusted grimaces. He tensed upon seeing Hitomi curled over, taking shallow breaths through her mouth, her eyes wide and horrified.

"Once again, why do we have children in this meeting?" Rock Lock glared fiercely at the table. "I'll say this one time… We're wondering if this Chisaki bastard is turning his daughter's body into bullets, and selling them on the black market."

Eijirou, Ochako, and Tsuyu all went ashen.

"To be clear, we aren't certain that he's actually selling the bullets. At this point, their efficacy appears to be questionable. It's possible that they're still in the testing phase, and he's giving them out as samples to rally more people to his cause." Nighteye plainly stated. "We have no hard evidence, but we do know he's gathering allies and funds from across the nation. If the completed drug allows him to annihilate someone's Quirk entirely, imagine the devastation he could cause."

Hitomi slowly looked up through her bangs, eyes narrowing on the Hero. Something about his consistent monotone, and deadpan expression, it… it was really starting to piss her off.

"Just talking about it's enough to make my blood boil." Fat Gum snarled, clenching a fist. "Let's go get this monster!"

Hitomi moved to stand with him, only stopped by Rock Lock's scoff.

"Tch, woulda saved us a lot of trouble if these two amateurs had just gotten the girl away from him." He side-eyed Izuku and Togata.

Hitomi growled lowly, forced back in her seat by a concerned Eijirou.

"I take full responsibility. The blame should not fall on them. Even without knowing the whole story, they acted to save the child, each in their own way." Nighteye at least came to their defense. "Midoriya was willing to bear the risk of taking her then, while Mirio chose to wait for another opportunity, when success would be more likely. I assure you, nobody in this room is more frustrated than they are."

Izuku and Togata shot to their feet, their chairs flying back and clattering to the floor.

"We'll get Eri away from him next time—" Izuku started determinedly.

"And we'll protect her!" Both he and Togata declared.

"Indeed. That's precisely what we've come here to discuss." Nighteye's glasses glinted, obscuring his gaze.

Rock Lock shook his head. "You kids wanna talk big, that's fine. But if what Nighteye is saying is for real, that little girl is at the center of Hassaikai's entire underground drug operation. She may have managed to get away from Overhaul for a few minutes, but she got herself seen by a couple of Heroes. You think he's still gonna keep her at home after that? Hell, I know I sure wouldn't. And if we go bustin' into their headquarters and she's not there, they're gonna know that we're onto them. We gotta be sure of where he's hidin' her."

"He's got a point." Ryukyu admitted, and looked to Nighteye. "Do you have a plan for that, Nighteye?"

"That's our conundrum. Since we don't currently know how far they've taken their plans, the success of our initial strike is crucial. To that end, we've made a thorough list of groups with connections to Hassaikai. As well as properties owned by the organization. This is our starting point." The monitor behind Nighteye changed to a map of the region, dotted in red markers. "I would like you all to investigate each coordinate on this map. It is the most logical way to narrow down our targets."

The purpose of bringing in so many small-town Heroes made sense now, each one of them operating in one of the areas marked on the map, so investigating those areas wouldn't really arouse any suspicion.

Hitomi looked down at her lap, hands pressed against the top of her thighs, her knuckles going pale as she gripped tightly. She was halfway listening as Fat Gum valiantly argued that they should all be saving Eri as soon as possible, before he was plainly shot down by Nighteye. It was a struggle to keep calm and not let her exhales lower into growls, her frustration growing each time they were told to wait— To sit around while a little girl was being tortured.

"Excuse me, I've got a question."

Hitomi's head snapped up, her eyes zeroing in on Mr. Aizawa— who was watching Nighteye in turn.

"I don't know the specifics of your Quirk, Nighteye, feel free to correct. But from what I've heard of it, your Quirk, Foresight, allows you to see into the future. So why not use it on us. That's logical, right?"

Hitomi whipped her gaze to Nighteye, brows furrowing and ears pinned at him.

Why didn't he say so earlier?! To guarantee the girl's location all he had to do was—

"I'm sorry. But I cannot." For the first time during the meeting, Nighteye sounded bothered.

Hitomi's skin prickled, and burned.

"My Foresight has some limitations." Nighteye elaborated. "I need a full twenty-four hours between activations. That means I get one person, and then I'm spent for the rest of the day. Additionally, the future is played in my mind like a flashback. Think of it like viewing a filmstrip. For one hour, I have the power to watch a person's life as a movie. The issue is, everything I see is from a tight perspective on the person in question. This severely limits my capacity to interpret context."

"That should still provide more than enough information to be useful, don't you think?" Mr. Aizawa challenged. "And it doesn't explain why you can't do it." His voice hardened.

Nighteye adjusted his glasses. "…What if I saw imminent death in your near future. Worse… what if it were a cruel, merciless demise?"

The room was gripped in a tense silence, no one daring to speak as the Hero stared down at the table.

"So what."

There were a few sharp inhales, and Eijirou gawked at her side.

Hitomi glared scornfully at Nighteye, her fuchsia eyes burning red. "Death is expected in Hero work, it's all around us. What matters is putting aside your own fears for the safety of innocents. And yet you won't do this because you're afraid of seeing something gruesome?" Her tone was low, a darkness hanging over her expression as she scoffed at his cowardice.

How dare he. How dare he let his own fear get in the way of saving a child.

Nighteye stared back at her, his eyes shielded by his reflective glasses. "My Quirk should be employed only after we've confirmed the highest likelihood of success. Then it can help ensure our victory. It shouldn't be relied upon when there are still too many uncertainties."

Hitomi glared harder. Way to dodge around the real problem.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, hold up! The kid's right. Death is still information." Rock Lock argued. "If we know what's comin', we can figure out how to survive."

"You don't understand. It's possible what I see is unavoidable." Nighteye pressed, growing tenser each second.

Hitomi reached down and gripped the seat of her chair, her claws coming out and ripping away at the cushion.

Her fury needed someplace to go. It was this, or storm out of the meeting. And she wouldn't dare do something so childish in front of so many of her peers.

Rock Lock leaned forward, clearly getting frustrated himself. "Bro, that's the only excuse you have, for real? Oh hell no! Just use it on me now! I'll show you I can beat death!"

If she wasn't so tense, Hitomi would've cheered. She always had a good feeling about Rock Lock.

"I can't!" Nighteye snapped.

Half the room looked on at him in concern, while the rest held him in incredulous and disdainful stares.

Hitomi was firmly part of the latter.

…

The atmosphere was heavy between the first years, where they sat at a small table.

"He's a coward."

Izuku recoiled, frowning at Hitomi's vitriolic tone.

She snarled at the tabletop, nearly shaking in rage.

"What kind of Hero… she's a little girl…! How can he just…"

Ochako put a hesitant hand on her shoulder, clearly concerned about the uncharacteristic level of anger the pinkette was showing. But Hitomi shrugged it off.

"M-maybe there's more to it." Izuku slowly suggested, unable to keep eye contact with her. "We shouldn't pass judgment without knowing—"

Izuku, Eijirou, Ochako, and Tsuyu all flinched as Hitomi's chair was sent clattering to the floor— pushed back as she shot to her feet.

Her bangs hid her eyes, and her fists shook at her sides.

All she could think about, was Hana. Her darling baby sister, young and vulnerable.

Just like the girl they needed to save.

"Being a Hero is about making sacrifices for others. You have torn yourself apart— broken your body in countless ways, and you do it again, and again." Hitomi lifted her head, scowling at Izuku. "You're a Hero, Midoriya. My parents faced death every day, and only lost once. They were Heroes. But that man—" Hitomi pointed at the door leading into the meeting room, snarling. "That man…!" She scoffed, dropping her hand and lowering her head. Turning on her heel, she marched for the exit.

"H-Hitomi!"

"Hey, wait!"

She ignored them, slamming the door behind her. Left standing in the middle of an empty hallway, Hitomi took a second to try to even her breathing. She needed to calm down.

As if by fate, her phone dinged in her skirt pocket, drawing her attention. She was more than grateful for the distraction, and quickly pulled it out.

When she saw the contact name, she paused.

(Katsuki!)

She blinked, feeling her face warm and her tail twitch with the urge to wag. It was such a sudden and drastic change from her anger, that it left her stunned still, until it dinged again twice back-to-back, and she quickly read the messages.

(Katsuki!)

(KB) If you still need help with studying I guess we could work something out.

(KB) Because of the notes

(KB) I just oweyou for the notes

—

Hitomi stared at the messages, unable to come up with anything cute or cool to say in response— and she really felt like it needed to be cute or cool, despite having no idea why.

Which led her to frantically texting back the first thing she could think of.

(Katsuki!)

(KB) I just oweyou for the notes

(HS) What did the policeman say to his bellybutton?

(HS) You're under a vest!

—

Hitomi pursed her lips, staring at the screen, waiting—

(Katsuki!)

(HS) You're under a vest!

(KB) I changed my mind. Never talk to me again.

—

A breathless giggle escaped her, and her shoulders loosened slightly.

(Katsuki!)

(KB) I changed my mind. Never talk to me again.

(HS) Your turn! I bet you can't make me laugh!

—

Hitomi held her breath, hoping the second half of her text would be enough to get a rise from his competitiveness—

(Katsuki!)

(HS) Your turn! I bet you can't make me laugh!

(KB) What's red and bad for your teeth?

—

Hitomi bit back a gasp, quickly replying.

(Katsuki!)

(KB) What's red and bad for your teeth?

(HS) Cherry lollipop?

—

She didn't even notice that she was starting to smile.

(Katsuki!)

(HS) Cherry lollipop?

(KB) A brick.

—

She snorted, expression soft, and anger bated.

After taking another moment to even her breathing, Hitomi held her phone to her chest, letting herself hang on to a bit of her remaining amusement, before it slipped away in favor of her previous ire.

Right. There was a little girl out there being hurt, and they couldn't help her until Nighteye said so.

She already missed the warm happiness she felt each time her phone chimed.

The door opened and shut behind her.

"They told me you stormed off."

Hitomi sighed, lowering her head. She couldn't bring herself to turn around and face him.

"Yeah."

Mr. Aizawa put a hand on her shoulder, and this time she let herself relax into the gesture.

"I know— I know. I'm not conducting myself like a Hero. I'm not putting aside my feelings for the greater good. I'm not being rational—"

"I won't begrudge you for getting worked up. We all saw how Rock Lock took Nighteye's refusal." Mr. Aizawa interjected, sounding much calmer than she first expected. "Your firm stance on the matter isn't anything to be ashamed about. I think we all know Nighteye is making this more difficult than it needs to be, but there's nothing we can do about that."

Hitomi rounded on him, brows furrowed. "But how can he just sit here and do nothing? He chose to be a Hero, but he can't set aside his personal fear in order to save someone?"

Mr. Aizawa sighed through his nose. "I don't know the full story, but I can't imagine whatever happened to him to cause such fear, was a small thing. We all handle our trauma differently."

Hitomi winced, turning her head to the right, her scar giving a phantom throb.

But a bitter voice in the back of her head whispered vitriol, pointing out the difference between her and Nighteye. When Hitomi was faced with a traumatic experience, she persevered and regained control of her mind and Quirk. Nighteye, however, was still being held back by something.

A softer, more forgiving voice chimed in– reasoning that none of them knew the severity of the incident. The bleakest possibility could easily turn out as reality.

Mr. Aizawa sighed, languidly scratching the back of his head. "It's just our luck that the League could be involved in this."

Hitomi flinched, eyes glued to the floor.

Mr. Aizawa lifted his other hand from her shoulder, raising it and then surprising her by lowering it down on her head instead.

"I'm giving you an out."

Hitomi blinked, turning to face him.

His expression was solemn, but his eyes were intense. "I have the authority to bench you for the mission. We don't know for sure if the League has to do with any of this, and if they are, we're taking you kids out. But either way, just say the word, and I'll put a temporary suspension on your work study. I'm sure Kirishima and Fat Gum would understand."

Hitomi's eyes widened, glistening with welling tears. Her lips pursed, trembling, before she opened her mouth and gave her answer.

…

Three soft but steady knocks drew Katsuki's attention to his door. Glowering back at it, he huffed irritably and stood from his desk, marching over and swinging the door open with a swear on the tip of his tongue.

His expression faltered, and his voice died in his throat.

Saito stood alone, still dressed in her school uniform despite the late hour— though her blazer and bow-tie were gone and the rest was slightly wrinkled. Her head was ducked, and her hands gripped fistfuls of her skirt, shaking noticeably.

Katsuki sucked in a breath, working to rebuild the annoyed look he wore before he saw who it was.

"What do you want?"

Saito bit her bottom lip, and hunched her shoulders.

"Can… can I talk to you?"

Katsuki hesitated, finding the question too broad. Talk about what? Studying? Training? Something nonsensical? Something personal?

The thought that she might come to him over something personal, both terrified and excited him. And how fucked up was that?

He rigidly stepped to the side, silently granting her access.

He caught a weak smile grow on her lips, before she hurried inside. He shut the door behind her, and turned around to see her already pacing.

"I just—" Saito cut herself off, raking a hand through her hair. With a clear view of her face for that short moment, Katsuki saw how her skin was flushed, and her brows were furrowed. "No matter how hard I try, I just feel so…"

Katsuki crossed his arms, leaning back against his wall, undeniably curious as to what was bothering her.

Pure baseless curiosity. Not concern. It wasn't concern—

"I hate this feeling!" Saito snapped, eyes shutting tight, her hands clenching at her chest. "I feel all hot, and fidgety, and I'm sweating, and I just want to grab hold of something and—" She growled lowly.

Katsuki held his breath for a beat, swallowing down the frog now clogging his throat.

It was making him obscenely tense that she was describing exactly how he had been feeling as of late.

For unknown reasons. He had no idea who— what was causing these symptoms. No idea.

Wait.

"Why? What… made you feel like this?" Katsuki asked slowly, part of him reluctant to hear the answer.

Saito sighed deeply, a rumble coming from her chest, that bordered on a snarl.

"Nighteye."

Katsuki blinked.

"…What."

Saito threw herself into his desk chair, before changing her mind and standing again, pacing rigidly.

"That coward— he won't even use it to help a little girl! How can he even call himself a Hero?! I just—" Her words devolved into deep growling, her ears going back and her canines growing. She rounded on him, her eyes blazing scarlet. "Not even Jeanist got me this angry."

Oh.

Katsuki refrained from hitting himself, instead tipping his head back to stare flatly at the ceiling.

"You're pissed."

"Yes! Of course I am!" Saito ranted, completely oblivious to the darkening flush of his ears.

"You're pissed." He repeated under his breath, eyes closing. It took everything in his power not to toss her out of his room, just so he could have a moment alone to wallow in his mortification.

She was pissed. Not— not some other emotion he thought she was feeling.

(Not the emotion he thought she might be feeling because of him.)

There was undeniable relief that that was all that was going on, instead of… something else. But much to his frustration, there was also disappointment there too. Disappointment. Over her not coming to him to— to what? Tell him she was feeling things? That was the last thing Katsuki needed right now, to have stupid feelings get in the way of his goals. For her to have a ridiculous little crush on him, to distract him and ruin whatever little friendship he had with her.

A crush would just complicate things. But Saito clearly didn't have one, thank god. So he had nothing to worry about. Nothing at all.

(Deku's stupid fucking face flashed in his mind— the one the nerd wore when Saito had carried him out of the collapsed training ground. That damned intrigued and observant stare.)

Fuck. Fucking shitty ass— fuck.

Saito huffed, clearly starting to run out of steam. Her ears drooped, and her whole body deflated despondently.

Katsuki masked a wince. He contemplated what he could possibly say to her, when an idea hit him.

Ignoring her startled expression, Katsuki roughly grabbed her right wrist, dragging her behind him and out the door.

…

"What're we doing here?"

Katsuki didn't answer, heading towards one of the sidelined punching bags, and pushing it out into the open, in the middle of the dorm gym. Once it was swaying in front of her, he gave Saito a firm look.

"Hit it."

She blinked, and cocked her head.

(To the right. She cocks it to the right when she's confused. She cocks it to the left when she does that one smile where her eyes shut—

Shut the fuck up.)

Katsuki shook his head, making the conscious decision that his ears were not burning, so they were not turning red, and stepped back from the sandbag, gesturing to it.

"You're pissed. Take it out on something that can't fight back."

Saito frowned, looking at the bag almost guiltily. "I dunno… putting it like that kinda makes me sound like a bully."

His hands twitched, and something that seared like shame bubbled up in his stomach.

"It'll help. Trust me."

Saito hesitated, looking at him for a moment with a much too perceptive gleam in her eyes.

He remembered once overhearing some prick from 1-B say something about how unnerving Saito's eyes were. And Katsuki would have agreed once-upon-a-time, but now he recognized what a lot of other people didn't. Or couldn't.

Those wide fuchsia irises, and pale white pupils, could hone in on something and dissect it like it was nothing. That wide "unnerving" gaze, was one that too many people underestimated. Sure, she was painfully incapable of detecting social cues, especially when it came to the obnoxious amount of suitors she had falling at her feet. But put a problem in front of her, a real one, and she could find a solution in a matter of moments.

Katsuki knew even Saito herself didn't weigh her worth that heavily. And sometimes he couldn't understand how she didn't realize how smart she actually was.

"Kachan… you must really respect Hitomi, huh?"

Shut up, Deku. Katsuki retorted pointlessly at the memory.

Finally, Saito took a deep breath, settling into a fighting stance so fluidly it was clear she had it trained into muscle-memory.

The first strike resounded off the sandbag, echoing in the empty gym.

With it, her face settled into a hard look, lips pursed and brows low. It reminded him of when she would stare down him and Bald-brows, but more intense.

Two more hits, leaving the punching bag swinging, and Saito opened her mouth.

"We're not supposed to talk about the mission."

Katsuki sat himself down on a nearby bench-press, leaning forward and resting his elbows on his knees. He didn't say anything, letting her fill the silence with harsh hits and clipped words.

"So I won't tell you about the mission."

Her fist left an indent behind.

"I just— I can't—"

She growled, sweat beading her forehead.

"I can't understand how a Hero could prioritize his own comfort over someone in need of saving."

She threw a kick in.

"I mean— we've had to fight real Villains how many times?!"

The chain holding the sandbag rattled.

"All in our first year! And we've handled it just fine!"

Two more kicks.

"You and me were kidnapped for god's sake! Not to mention there's people who want me for some reason, who're still out there, and— and—"

Katsuki tensed, swearing he could see the fuchsia of her irises turn a startling red.

"And I— I hate how angry I am! I hate that I'm being expected to handle things better than this Pro Hero is! He's a goddamn adult, and he's allowed to have baggage? And what? I-I'm just supposed to— to be fine?!"

Her hands grew, and claws extended— seemingly without her notice. Her arm reeled back for another strike.

Katsuki shot to his feet.

"Why can't I be scared too?!"

Tears welled in her eyes, a snarl pulling on her lips as she sent her fist flying out.

But Katsuki caught her arm, just barely managing to stop it from hitting the bag.

The amount of force it took, made Katsuki sympathetic even to the Villains he'd seen her whale on in the past.

Saito panted, staring at him with wide eyes.

He didn't look back at her face, carefully pulling her hand open— revealing four bleeding punctures where her claws had dug in.

If she had hit the sandbag, she would have forced them in even deeper.

Saito's eyes stayed locked on her bloodied palm. After a long moment, her gaze drifted to his left palm.

Katsuki frowned, letting her go and closing his left hand in a loose fist.

"Come on."

Saito silently followed him out of the gym, her tail between her legs, and wet trails starting to mark her cheeks.

…

"I gave you the scars."

Katsuki grunted noncommittally, dousing a cotton ball in disinfectant.

Saito gave no reaction when he pressed it into her palm.

The two sat alone in the dark kitchen, a first aid kit open on the island counter.

He was only treating the cuts himself because it was after curfew, and they couldn't go to the infirmary.

(He had never stayed up past curfew of his own volition, save for his fight with Deku, and when he went over all of Saito's gifted notes. Yet here he was.)

"I'm so sorry." Her head hung low, her ears flat against her head.

Katsuki clicked his tongue, rummaging around in the kit until he found a roll of bandages.

Her shoulders began to shake, and he saw a drop of water fall onto her lap.

Fuck.

"It's not a big deal."

"Your Quirk—"

"Is my Quirk. I know my limitations, and what gets in my way. So don't fucking pity me, 'cause I'm already over it."

They both knew what she was feeling wasn't pity. But Katsuki didn't want to acknowledge her guilt.

As far as he was concerned, he had far more to feel guilty about than her.

She sniffled, mustering a clearly hollow smile.

"Okay."

Katsuki swallowed, tipping his head, and hiding his eyes behind his bangs.

"…fuckin' hate when you do that."

Saito cocked her head (to the right.) "Do what?" She murmured.

Katsuki scowled, wrapping her hand much gentler than his stiffness would lead you to believe.

"Make that damn face. S'fake as hell."

He wrapped the cotton around a couple times before he noticed how rigid she was. When he glanced up, he was met by a look of pure shock.

"How'd…" She croaked, unable to finish.

Katsuki shrugged stiffly, turning his attention back to the kit, searching for a pair of scissors to cut the bandage. "It's obvious."

"No. No it's not." She insisted, halfway between disbelief and something that almost sounded like panic.

Katsuki opened his mouth, before he paused, finally catching on to why she was so taken aback.

His ears undeniably seared red, and he felt something he refused to identify swelling in his chest.

Oh. So that hollow smile actually worked on people. Huh.

But not on him.

Katsuki found the scissors, wasting no time and cutting the cotton bandage. He tucked the end under the rest, and was only left with the task of putting away the supplies to distract him from the tension.

But before he could, Saito lightly grabbed his left hand with her bandaged right. With a gentle touch, she put her fingertips on the ends of his scars starting at his wrist, and carefully traced them back up to the top of his palm, so incredibly lightly.

Katsuki sucked in a breath, tensing his body to fight off a shiver.

How could she just casually do this shit? Did she have no self awareness?

Her next words made him freeze, a coldness washing over him.

"The League might be involved."

Katsuki's mouth was dry. "What?"

Saito continued to stare at their hands, slowly curling hers until it held his loosely. "The League might be involved with the mission. We don't even know if they are, though."

The League. The League of Villains.

"Not to mention there's people who want me for some reason, who're still out there, and— and—"

The League that worked together with the group that wanted Saito.

His stomach turned.

Saito pursed her lips in a grim smile, before she lifted her head and looked at him.

"…To save someone, you would do anything, right? Even if you were terrified?" Her voice trembled on the last word.

In an effort to regain some of his nerves, Katsuki arched a brow, making a show of looking offended that she would even insinuate differently. "Of fucking course I would. The fuck kind of question is that?"

The most amazing Hero wouldn't let anything stop him.

He still made no move to pull his hand away. He hoped she wouldn't think anything of it.

Saito's smile softened, her stiff posture loosening some. "I already knew you would. I just wanted to hear you say it." She took a deep breath, her eyes steeling. "I would too. That's why I can't back down from this. Mr. Aizawa offered to bench me, but I can't walk away, not when there's someone in desperate need of saving."

For a split second, Katsuki felt an overwhelming desire to talk her into sitting it out, no matter how selfish and wrong it would feel.

He also felt a burning anger toward those who even roped her into the mission in the first place. They didn't see the way Saito was always keeping one eye over her shoulder, or how she would flinch when someone stared at her cheek just a little too long. They didn't know that she was still healing mentally from Kamino, and here they were, dragging her back in.

They were first-years, damnit. Even Katsuki could acknowledge that they were still kids.

Kids who should be focused on learning how to be Heroes, not being thrown into the thick of it already. They had been through enough shit, and it wasn't even winter yet.

More than ever, Katsuki wished he hadn't failed the licensing exam. If only so that she wasn't left facing the threat of the League alone.

(Not alone. Kirishima would be there with her, same as Fat Gum and the third-year guy who recommended them. She'll be fine. She'll be f—)

"We'll be fine." Saito said, unclear whether it was to him, or herself.

Katsuki turned his head to the side. "Right."

Saito released his hand, and hopped down from the stool.

He wanted to kick himself for noticing how cold his hand felt without hers holding it.

Immediately once on her feet, Saito swayed, yawning widely.

Katsuki couldn't help but roll his eyes, grumbling when he spotted the time on the oven clock.

"It's fucking late."

"You say that word a lot." Saito mumbled through another yawn. Her exhaustion was setting in as soon as the grim atmosphere began to dissipate.

"You don't say it enough." Katsuki retorted, putting a hand in the middle of her back and pushing her along.

Though he had definitely noticed her using other swears more often. And he took a strange sort of pride in it.

"Should make a swear jar…"

"Only if shit like heck and shoot count."

Her giggle in response did more to relax him than he was willing to admit.

Saito let him guide her, eyes closing and head bobbing.

Much to his relief, she didn't seem to notice when they passed by his room and went all the way up to hers.

(A ridiculous part of him thought she might not make it to her room on her own. Besides, it wasn't a big deal to walk her to her room. It wasn't.)

He opened the door after she took too long to do it herself, and lightly shoved her forward inside.

He caught a glimpse of the interior, and wasn't surprised by what he saw. Everything was either bright or soft, and the fairy lights gave off almost an ethereal feeling.

It suited her.

Saito yawned one last time— triggering one from him, embarrassingly enough —and gave him a weak, and hesitant smile.

It was like she was afraid to part ways.

In a move that he would later blame on lack of sleep, Katsuki glowered to the side, ignoring the burning of his ears.

"What's blue and smells like red paint?" He blurted out shortly.

Saito perked up, looking at him with just a little too much expectancy.

He discretely wiped his hands dry on his pants.

"I dunno, what?"

He took a breath through his nose, closing his eyes and tipping back his head, feeling so stupid for this.

"Blue paint."

He heard a snort, followed by pails of giggles from Saito.

He peeked down at her, finding her hunched over, with a beam and flushed cheeks as she laughed.

The last of the tension clinging to him, ebbed away.

No one had to know the reason he had such a stupid joke memorized. No one had to know he had quickly combed the internet for a joke to respond to her with just hours earlier— coming away with a few left stuck in his head. No one had to know how seriously he had taken the whole exchange.

No one had to know how often Katsuki Bakugou made a concerted effort for her, especially when it was over something as stupid as making her laugh.

A laugh he could still hear in his mind, while finally laying in bed. Though, he wasn't exactly trying to sleep. Not yet.

The phone screen shined brightly in the dark room, lighting up his face as he leisurely scrolled through his camera roll.

He should be asleep. He was going to hate himself in the morning. But he needed to do something first.

Among the scattered pictures of things like his costume, meals he made— that the damn hag insisted he send her to show he was still eating healthy, as if he would suddenly stop once moved into the dorms —and videos of Hero battles and interview clips, were photos and recordings sent to him by Kirishima that he impulsively saved.

And a large chunk of them contained a flood of pink.

Katsuki clicked on the 'select' button, and started tapping away at anything that had a glimpse of Saito in it. Pictures, of her sitting next to and gossiping with Ashido at their cafeteria table, of her asleep and drooling at her desk, a candid unknowingly taken of her while in her new costume, one where she was recreating a popular dog meme. And videos, so many of which not even ten seconds long— just small snippets of her doing random tasks, or laughing, always sent to him from the redhead with an infuriatingly smug emoticon.

He would have no choice but to murder Kirishima if he ever found out that Katsuki actually saved some of the shit he sent him.

Once he had selected all of them, he scowled and flushed at the number of photos and videos there were.

His thumb hovered over the small trash-can icon.

Katsuki growled to himself the longer it took for him to press down.

This needed done. Right now. Whatever was happening needed snipped in the bud, destroyed before he did something stupid. He could put a stop to it— the conflicting thoughts and feelings, the involuntary and rebellious malfunctions in his body, the sleepless nights spent dwelling on what the hell was happening to him.

Katsuki could end this. He could make the decision to cut off this cancerous thing growing in his chest, because he had to be stronger than this. He was going to be the most amazing Hero the world has ever seen, and nothing was going to get in the way of that. Especially not something as ridiculously mundane and pathetically childish as—

Katsuki paled, and stared blankly up at his ceiling.

…For how long had he been fixated on being the most amazing? Since he was a kid it was always the number one, or greatest of all time. Now it was always the most amazing.

It had been for a while.

And he knew why.

I want to prove her right. I want to be the most amazing Hero the world has ever seen.

I want her to look at me. Only at me.

I want her to see me, and never look away.

Katsuki looked down at his phone, and still felt unable to delete anything. His thumb felt frozen, until he moved it to the side and de-selected it all, leaving everything intact.

Something sick and swirling with panic clogged his throat. All his life Katsuki had been in control. Of himself, mind body and soul, and in his future. And now, that control was suddenly gone. Taken away because he ignored the problem, for so long that now, the damage was done and irreversible.

He felt strangely lightheaded.

This was going to complicate things. This was going to get in the way. This was something he had been sure was an impossibility— a roadblock too frivolous to ever cause him trouble.

This was uncharted territory, and Katsuki had no idea how he was supposed to proceed.

How the fuck could he let this happen?

He covered his eyes with his palms, rubbing them in with a deep and wavering breath.

That's right. Hitomi Saito wasn't the one with a crush.

He was.

"Fuck."

*Peeks around corner* So, how we all feeling?

When I started writing this, one of the very first things I knew for certain, was that Katsuki was going to be the one to fall first. As for Hitomi, she definitely likes him A LOT, she just doesn't quite understand that the way she likes him, isn't platonic. And now that Katsuki's bitten the bullet and accepted his feelings, we can get to the fun part. You best believe I'm putting that "Pining Bakugou Katsuki" tag in full effect :D

Also, to be blunt, I'm not a fan of Nighteye. His entitlement about All Might and the successor thing always rubbed me the wrong way. And his refusal to use his Quirk on any of the Heroes just drives me up a wall. I know he was traumatized by seeing All Might's future and feels like it might partially be his fault, but when literal CHILDREN'S lives are on the line, you would expect the fully grown, professional Hero, could suck it up. Ugh. Sorry, I didn't want to go on a rant, but I just REALLY don't care for his character.