"Stupid shitty classrooms," Katsuki grumbled to himself as he continued to walk down the hallway at a brisk pace, pausing only to look through the windows inlaid in the classroom doors. "Why does everything have to be so damned big in this dumbass building?"

The subtle vibration of a text message caused Katsuki to take his phone out of his pocket and illuminate the screen. He could tell that he would already be annoyed by the contents before he unlocked the device, and seeing the label Deku at the top of the message only solidified the sentiment.

A bunch of us are on the ground floor, including professors. Nothing yet.

Katsuki rolled his eyes and deleted the message chain entirely before navigating through his contacts and adding both Izuku and Daisuke to a new group chat. He continued to walk along the hall as the typed out a message, mumbling under his breath all the while.

I'm going up a floor. Keep the ground covered. Up is the best place to go if you don't want to be found in a scenario like this.

Before Katsuki even got the phone back into his pocket, the device began to buzz furiously with new texts. He spared the message chain the briefest of glances to make sure that no one was trying to tell him that Kyoka had already been found before ignoring the contents and stuffing his phone back in his pocket. It continued to buzz as he approached the stairwell and pulled open the door. He took the steps two at a time, winding around back the way he came as he ascended to the next level within the building. Just as he emerged through the door into the upper hallway, he froze in place at the sight of the absolute last person he wanted to see.

"Young Bakugo!" All Might boomed, his brow creasing as he strained to maintain his smile. "How lucky! This search will go quicker with the two of us dividing up classrooms to investigate!"

"I'm good," Katsuki said without hesitation before heading back into the stairwell. "I've got the next fl-"

"Wait!" All Might called, causing Katsuki to stiffen a bit as he lingered in the stairwell. "Bakugo, the two of us need to talk."

"Not now," Katsuki snapped as he looked over his shoulder. "This isn't about me. Pick your floor and search it."

"Listen to me, just for a moment! Please!" All Might tried as Katsuki growled and began to make his way up the stairs to the floor above. "At least while we're searching together! We'll waste no time, I promise you!"

"Do what you want," Katsuki offered testily as he walked out into the fourth floor hallway and began his search. "I've got nothing to say to you right now."

"At least tell me what spurred you into action," All Might suggested as he began to follow Katsuki's lead. "It seems unlike you to be one of the first out the gate to check in on a stranger's wellbeing."

"You don't know me," Katsuki accused as he whirled around and came to a sudden stop. "So back off. Seemed for a while like you had interest in me, until suddenly I wasn't as interesting anymore. Don't pretend to be interested now."

All Might simply stared at the fuming teen before him, trying to process the intent behind Katsuki's words.

"…this is about Midoriya a-"

"Of course it's about him," Katsuki answered as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "He tried to save me. You did save me. Then, you just…" Katsuki fumed silently for a moment, his lip twitching before he finally gave up on finding the words. Instead, he turned and began to walk once again. "Forget it. None of this is important right now. I have my reasons for going after this girl. If we find her, let me talk to her. You stay out of it."

"I'm not sure if that's the best idea," All Might said hesitantly. "I'm used to dealing with personal situations and supporting people in crisis through their struggles, you know…"

"Oh yeah?" Katsuki asked as he made his way toward a classroom door. "People like Togata?"

It was All Might's turn to stop walking. His smile finally faltered entirely, giving his face a statuesque appearance as he kept his mouth closed. Katsuki turned back only briefly to stare down the much larger man with a judgmental look.

"Yeah, I know. Are you actually stupid enough to be surprised? Deku tells me everything, whether I want him to or not," Katsuki spat before looking through the window in the door of the nearby classroom. "She's in here. Tell the others she's safe and keep them out of this room."

All Might finally turned away from Katsuki and let out a sigh of resignation.

"…alright. I'll gather everyone back to the conference room. Do you think you can handle bringing her back alone?"

Katsuki cracked his neck, doing his best to avoid All Might's eyes as he grabbed the handle of the door.

"Yeah, I can handle it. I'll have her back to the meeting soon. Just get out of here."

"You and I will talk later, alright?" All Might asked, looking anxious.

Katsuki met the professional hero's eyes once again, unblinking. Neither of the men said anything, and Katsuki kept his expression entirely neutral. A mere moment later, he pulled open the door to the classroom and stepped inside without a word.

On the other side of the classroom, far away from the door, Kyoka Jiro stood hunched over with her palms resting upon the surface of the empty teacher's desk. The girl was facing away from Katsuki and seemed to be intently studying something upon the surface in front of her. Just as Katsuki opened his mouth to call out to her, a slightly staticky voice rang out from in front of Kyoka.

"You're not walking away from U.A. after all the work you put in. I won't allow it," the masculine voice said authoritatively. "No matter what happens here, your aspirations and future matter more. I'll… handle it. Your mother and I can figure out why these people keep targeting the store, and how to stop it. I'm already working with the authorities to prevent it from happening again."

"That's what you said last time," Kyoka insisted, her voice coming out as a sort of raspy croak. "You told me that it was being investigated, and that we were safe. You almost died in that fire. I'm not going to just up and move to U.A. and leave you vulnerable. What's the point in becoming a hero if I can't even protect my own family?"

There was silence in the room as Kyoka waited for a response. Katsuki slowly turned and reached for the door handle, pushing slowly to try to escape the room without being seen. During the gap in Kyoka's conversation, the door let out a nerve-shredding squeak, causing the girl to jump and look behind herself. Katsuki at least had the decency to look somewhat guilty as he froze in place, unsure what to do next. Kyoka simply reached up and wiped at her glistening cheeks with the back of her hand as she turned away from Katsuki and began to speak again.

"Dad? I… I have to go. Someone's here. We'll talk when I get home."

"Stay safe, and promise me you won't do anything you'll regret later. You belong at U.A., and I want you to see it through. Go back to the meeting. Think this through before you make any other decisions."

"Yeah," Kyoka acknowledged with a sniffle. "Yeah, I… I will…"

Katsuki exhaled heavily as he watched Kyoka pick up her phone from the desk and end the call. After a moment of hesitation, he pulled the door shut once again and chewed on his bottom lip.

"…didn't know you were on the phone. I wouldn't have come in."

Kyoka turned and hopped up onto the desk, bracing her hands on either side of herself as she let her feet dangle just above the classroom floor. Her eyeliner was slightly smudged, and her face was unnaturally red.

"…maybe it's best that you did. It was only going to get uglier…"

Neither of the teens looked at each other. After a few minutes of silence, Katsuki finally pulled out his phone to distract himself and opened the message chain with Daisuke and Izuku, finding upwards of 20 new texts. He rolled his eyes and tapped out a quick response as he said the only thing he could think of.

Found her. Get back inside and follow All Might.

"…family, huh?"

"Family," Kyoka confirmed before rubbing her hand across her face again. "Stubborn family that refuses to listen."

"I know how that goes," Katsuki replied as he leaned against the side of the doorframe. He pocketed his phone and folded his arms across his chest, finally daring to look over at Kyoka. "You gonna be alright?"

Kyoka finally looked up at Katsuki, only for him to look away once again.

"…I don't know," the girl admitted with a solemn frown. "I really don't even know what to think right now. And… thanks for coming to check on me, by the way. You've always seemed like a decent guy."

"Always?" Katsuki asked while hiking a brow. "You acted like you knew me back at the entrance exam, too."

"You don't remember me, do you?" Kyoka asked as she slipped off the teacher's desk and began to slowly approach, walking down the aisle between the rows of smaller student desks. She ran her hand along the writing surface of one of the pieces of furniture as she went. "Jiro Sound Selections? That's my family's store. You came in a while back with the green-haired guy. Deku?"

Katsuki raised a brow, before being hit with a sudden sense of familiarity.

"…the day that he tried to say drums are just angrily banging on things?"

"That's the one. I was the clerk that helped you two find the gear you were looking for," Kyoka explained as she arrived at the desk closest to Katsuki. Slowly, she sat down atop it, resting the heel of a boot on the edge of the desk as she cradled her knee into her chest. "I work at my dad's store part time, or… I did, until now. Katsuki Bakugo, right?"

"Yeah," Katsuki answered as he felt a sudden pang of guilt. "And you're… uh… something… Jiro."

"…Kyoka," the girl offered with a small frown. "It's okay. Names take a while for some people. No big deal."

"…whatever," Katsuki said flippantly as he looked down at the tile floor between himself and Kyoka. "Everyone's looking for you. I told All Might I'd bring you back to the conference room, but you don't owe them anything. Do what you want. It sounds like you've made up your mind."

Kyoka blinked in surprise and hugged her knee a bit tighter, looking conflicted.

"Actually, I… I don't know what I'm going to do. I don't even know what I want to do…"

Katsuki reached up and rubbed at his forehead, squeezing his skull with the tips of his fingers as he closed his eyes. Despite the fact that he would rather have been anywhere but in front of Kyoka at that moment, a nagging sensation in the back of his mind spurred him to continue talking.

"You said it's a family problem, right? My family's fucked up, too. Do you…" Katsuki paused, letting out a short growl of frustration as he brought his hand down and folded his arms across his chest once again. "If you feel the need to talk about it, I'll listen. I guess."

Kyoka's subtle frown turned into an equally subtle smile, though the expression carried with it a lingering sadness. The sight only caused Katsuki to feel more frustrated as he watched the girl nervously pull at one of the extended jacks dangling from her earlobe.

"Well… my family's not exactly 'fucked up', I guess? We get along well, and things are pretty great, but… did you see what happened to our store on the news? It was a few months ago."

Katsuki chewed his lip, feeling as if he should have known, and the answer was just out of reach in his mind.

"Didn't it… flood, or something? Some water villain wrecked the place?"

Kyoka briefly stopped playing with her jack, her brow once again disappearing into her hairline.

"Uh… close, I guess? It was a villain attack, but it was someone with a fire Quirk. Blue flames, and he apparently had peeling, burned flesh on his body held in place by staples," Kyoka explained. "Dad doesn't know who the man was or why he attacked but after that incident, we were safe again… until today. We've been working on renovating and reopening the store, but… Dad texted me and said that the same guy came back today and made a threat."

"So you're worried that with you gone, it's only going to get worse," Katsuki guessed.

"Yeah," Kyoka acknowledged as she began to loop her dangling jack around a finger absently. She sniffled softly and swallowed hard, her eyes full of fear. "Bakugo, someone died in the store last time. A villain that was with that man. I was at school at the time, and maybe if I had been there… maybe it never would've gotten to that point. When I move to U.A. and start taking classes full time, then… I'll be leaving my family vulnerable."

"And your dad's saying you should be here, despite the danger it puts him in?" Katsuki asked.

Kyoka nodded and let out a sigh.

"He doesn't want me anywhere near the store. He says he'll handle it, and… I mean, I guess he did handle it last time, but how am I supposed to feel? How am I supposed to focus on any of the crap they'll be teaching us when I'm here, pretending that first-year hero-in-training studies about stupid laws and hero history and picking an alias matters when any second, my family could be getting attacked? I'll be here every day wondering when I'm going to get a call that one of my parents is dead. I'm going to be an absolute wreck..."

Katsuki looked up to find Kyoka staring at him expectantly, her face still full of worry. For once, he didn't look away, instead opting to speak in the most neutral tone he could manage.

"Listen… I'm bad with names, and I'm really bad with advice. I don't… do emotional stuff, or philosophical questions, or spend time worrying about shit that can't be changed. I'm probably the last person you should ask for an opinion. It's easier to see things in black and white- either you stay here, or you go home… and I can't make that decision for you. I said I'd listen- not that I'd be able to help much."

Kyoka finally let her hand drop to her side. Slowly, she lowered her bent leg off the edge of the desk to let it dangle beside the other and braced her hands upon the back of the seat and the writing surface.

"I… don't think you see things that simply," Kyoka said slowly. "I think there's more going on in your head than you let on. Otherwise, you wouldn't have been so passionate about music when we first met, and you wouldn't have called that attack on the Zero-Point Villain. You don't seem like most of the other aspiring heroes here, so… I kinda do want to hear your advice. Maybe I will ask someone else, but I'm curious. What would you do in my situation?"

"…that's a bullshit question," Katsuki answered immediately. "I don't know your family. I don't know this villain. I don't know the risks. If you want my advice, then all I can tell you is one thing. The way people talk when they're vulnerable says a lot about what they're really thinking… and you just talked a lot as if your problems are going to weigh on your while you're here. You never said 'if' you come to live at U.A.- you said 'when'. If that's what you naturally defaulted to, that means something."

Kyoka leaned back slightly as she considered Katsuki's words, seeming surprised.

"…huh. I… guess you're right."

"I don't know your reasons for wanting to become a hero, and I don't really care, either," Katsuki continued. "But it's at the forefront of your mind, even right now. Second guessing that is going to do nothing but make you feel like shit later, for as long as you go back and forth. Pick something and commit. No use getting caught up in 'what if' scenarios."

"Where are you going?" Kyoka asked as she watched Katsuki push himself off the wall and grab the door handle.

"Conference room," he answered quickly. "You wanted my advice? There it is. I've got nothing else to say. Come with me, or go home, but do what you really think you should do. The benefits of both paths are obvious. I don't feel like talking about it for an hour."

Kyoka slipped off the desk and to the floor, before beginning to walk after Katsuki. She followed him into the hallway and toward the stairwell, her heavy boots clapping against the tile floor all the way.

"…you really are the 'no bullshit' type," Kyoka observed with a nervous laugh. "Sorry if I got a little heavy on you. And… thanks for playing along, even if only for a little while."

Katsuki opened the door to the stairwell and began making his way back down to the second floor with Kyoka in tow, saying nothing all the while.

"I guess… I just live in my own head sometimes, and let things overwhelm me," Kyoka continued as she kept pace. "And when that happens, I get paralyzed."

Katsuki paused just before the door back into the second floor hallway and turned to look at Kyoka. He reached up and scratched at the back of his head for a moment, before bringing his hand around to the side of his face and rubbing at his cheek in a fit of nervous energy.

"Look- they're all gonna be waiting in the conference room on this floor. Time to decide if you're staying or going. Maybe it's not fair and kinda shitty, but so are most things."

Kyoka laughed lightly despite herself and gave Katsuki a sad smile.

"You've got that right…"

"Now's your chance. Downstairs and slip out the front, or into the hall?" Katsuki asked, sounding almost bored.

Kyoka turned and looked longingly at the final flight of stairs headed down and toward the way home. After several seconds, she shook her head and turned to face Katsuki once again.

"There's no guarantee that I could even stop something like that last attack from happening again, with what little training I have right now. You were right about the Zero Point Villain. I think I'll try things your way again. Thanks, Bakugo."

Katsuki didn't bother to reply as he pulled open the door and stepped out into the hall with Kyoka in tow. There in the hallway were all of the other potential students involved in the Zero-Point attack, each looking uneasy as the pair approached.

"So…" Eijiro began as Katsuki and Kyoka caught up to the group. "I think… we might be totally screwed."

Author's Note:

That went about as well as it possibly could have. Next week- back to Dabi and Mirio for a bit…

-RD