Chapter Fifty-One

~Kana's POV~

Kana was woken suddenly by Kira shaking her furiously. Kana's first instinct was that James cats had caused a fire in the mansion and without thinking she called out,

"Save my hamster!"

"What?" Kira's voice penetrated Kana's irrational outburst. Kana blinked a few times before she focused on Kira and groaned, relaxing against the bed.

"Oh, I thought James cats started something. Sorry. Why'd you wake me up like that?" Kana's eyes darted to the clock to see it was 3:49am. She groaned. "Why am I awake so early? I was sleeping so good!"

"I ran into Shoto down in the kitchen." Kira stated flatly, moving off Kana. Kana froze as she processed this before she slowly opened her eyes before she sat up quickly.

"What?" She blinked hard as the room swirled. "Oh, whoa, got up too fast." She fell back down on her bed. "What do you mean Shoto saw you in the kitchen? Why were you in the kitchen?"

"I got thirsty." Kira stated simply, sitting down beside her on the bed. "But that's not the issue. I ran away when I realized it was him."

"Why?" Kana asked, staring at her sister like she was insane. Why would Kira run, had she done something to probably piss off Shoto? Kana hadn't been able to witness such a thing from him about anyone else. As far as Kana knew, Kira and Shoto seemed to have a good first meeting back on Parent's Day. "What did you do?"

"Nothing!" Kira insisted. "I just, I panicked. He thought I was you and then when I turned around, and he asked who I was I remembered no one was supposed to know I was here in the dorms. I'm your dirty little secret."

"Hey! If you call yourself 'little' I must call myself that too. We're the same height." Kana scolded lightly as her mind whirled, trying to figure this out.

"Not the issue Kana." Kira stated flatly. Kana winced slightly.

"Yeah I know. Sorry. Okay so Shoto thought you were me, you turned around and…what? Did you just run when you remembered you were basically an illegal?"

"Yes!" Kira sighed, sitting up. "Denki knows but I wasn't sure if anyone else knew you were basically bringing me into the dorms for family movie night. And from the way Shoto reacted I'm guessing he didn't remember me from Parent's Day."

"I don't know how he didn't remember you. You had him make an ice slide in front of my door." Kana muttered.

"Right?" Kira stressed before she shook her head. "But that's not something we need to get into right now. Right now, I'm worried I may have made an issue out of this when it didn't really need to be. I mean, he's not such a stickler for the rules right?" Kira looked at Kana for reassurance, but Kana wasn't sure what to think.

"…I honestly don't know." she admitted. "I mean, I've never really seen him be such a stick up for the rules considering all the things that have happened to the class and my fellow classmates."

"Great, so it's a 50/50 possibility huh?" Kira sighed, rubbing her face.

"Well, just look at it this way, if you had stopped and given him information, he would have probably figured out you were stalking him, and you would have had to talk with him. Or at worse, he would have probably figured out that I have been sneaking an assassin into the dorms for movie nights. Either way, it's probably better that you ran when you did." Kana tried to reason. She was sure an argument could be made that talking was probably better, but she was trying to reassure Kira, not cause her to have a full-blown panic or anxiety attack.

"Right, right, you're right." Kira nodded slowly. "This is going to make the next Parent's Day awkward."

"You don't have to come to the next Parent's Day. You can just stay home." Kana offered quickly, trying to help Kira avoid any awkwardness. "Besides you've been here so much you could stand to be away from here while those parents are here."

"Okay…" Kira looked like she was thinking it over before she nodded again. "You right, you right. I just…I panicked. I haven't panicked like that in a while."

"Well you did just undergo a Sleeping Beauty thing a few days ago. You can't expect to have a rational reaction. Not when it comes to us." Kana muttered that last sentence.

"Sorry for waking you up. You should go back to sleep." Kira muttered. Kana yawned and nodded, already on her way to lying back down and falling asleep. Kira would probably think for a while longer about her stalking mission. Kana was okay with that as she knew Kira usually thought about things longer than she did. It was fine.

~Kira's POV~

Kira watched as Kana fell back to sleep before she snuck out of the dorm room again. She headed to Shoto's balcony. Thankfully his balcony light wasn't on, the UA students rarely left them on, she guessed it was a Japanese thing. She was able to hide in the darkness of the shadows and peer through the curtains into Shoto's bedroom. She could see him sitting on the bed, looking at his phone. Her eyes studied him as he sat and watched his phone for a moment more before he laid down. She eyed his computer and his phone before she pulled out her phone, looking at it as it started to sync to Shoto's phone, downloading the information he had. She'd have to remember to thank Yoshi and Yuto for their gadgets.

Once she managed to download everything she needed, she jumped off the balcony, heading back to Kana's balcony. Kana always left her balcony unlocked which was good. Kira bit her bottom lip, thinking about her next move before she decided to make a move and head downstairs to install her own cameras. She activated the WIFI black out box that effectively cut off everything connected to the internet. If she was right, the cameras would also be connected to the WIFI. After all, she doubted the heroes had a security office here in the dorm room.

It took her two hours of planning and getting the cameras right before she made it back to Kana's room. By then, the early risers were just waking up. Kira was coming out of the elevator when she saw Bakugou knocking on Kana's door. She cursed silently and hid behind the doors, watching. He knelt down and left something by the door before he headed her way. She cursed again and quickly jumped up to the elevator's emergency exit hatch. It was a tight fit but she was able to hide in the elevator shaft. When the elevator went down, Kira jumped on the edge of the elevator doors and used her telekinesis to open the doors. It took her a good minute, she wasn't very good at her telekinesis, but once she managed to get through, she quickly made a run for Kana's room, opening the door and entering. She grabbed the plush that Bakugou had put down and threw it at Kana's head.

"Kana! Get up!" Kira hissed, shaking her awake. Kana groaned but opened her eyes sleepily. "I need to go back to the Ugly House and your boyfriend dropped off a plush for you."

"Hm?" Kana frowned, looking at the plush that had hit her head. Kana rolled her eyes.

"Oi, look at it later, send me back now. Time to get up."

"Mmkay." Kana yawned, sitting up and holding the plush in her hands before she formed a small portal and tossed it at the balcony doors. Kira nodded and jumped through, not waiting for it to open all the way before she jumped through. She came to a stop on Shina's office floor. No one was around thankfully. It allowed her to go up to their floor and to her bedroom. She could finally sleep now.

~Kana's POV~

A few days later, Kana was exiting the dorms with Uraraka and Tsu on their way to their hero job. However, on the way out of the dorms, Kana saw Midoriya and Kirishima waving hello to each other as well.

"Oh, you guys are going to your job as well?" Uraraka called. Kana was a bit surprised at this turn of events. She hadn't really spoken with Kiri in a while, but she supposed this was good luck on her part. At least they could walk to the train station together.

"Morning Kiri." Kana greeted when she got closer.

"Morning Kana. How's it that we all get to walk to the train station together today?" Kiri asked. Kana smiled politely at his remark.

"Good luck maybe?" She wondered. They managed to get a ride from one of the teachers to the station and while Kana expected to say goodbye to Kiri and Midoriya, she quickly realized that they were all heading the same way.

"Curiouser and curiouser. Where are you going Kiri?" Kana asked while they were on the train.

"I'm supposed to be heading to my job, it's going to be at a new location." He answered as he gave her the address. Kana frowned in confusion.

"That's where we're going actually." Kana informed him as she looked to Uraraka and Tsu who nodded.

"Midoriya, where are you heading?" Uraraka asked him. When he gave the address, they quickly realized it was the same location as well.

"Why would we all be going to the same location?" Uraraka wondered. Kana on the other hand had some theories of her own regarding this crossover but for the most part she kept silent as she wasn't entirely sure of the reason for this yet and she didn't want to be wrong in case she was indeed wrong. So, she kept silent and watched, keeping an eye out as they got off the train and made their way to the sidewalks, walking along the same route until they saw Tamaki, Nejire and Mirio standing in front of the same building.

While the others chatted, Kana stood next to Tamaki as he seemed to be on the same level of shyness or at least quietness as she was. She wasn't a morning person, and she hadn't been able to get the allotted caffeine for today, so she was still in 'do not disturb' mode for right now

"What is this?" Midoriya asked when they had gotten into the building. Kana saw all the heroes that were gathered, and her concentration seemed to take a hit as she wondered exactly what was so bad that all these heroes were here. It wasn't gonna be good that was for sure.

"Hey, hey, wat're we doing here I know you said something about a meeting but what is it?" Nejire asked Ryuku as she went to glom their teacher/boss.

"You'll find out soon." Ryuku assured. Kana walked over to her mentor/boss, giving a nod as she looked around at the other heroes and the thin, tall man that had dark green hair and the yellow streak. "Shall we begin Nighteye?"

"Yes." Nighteye spoke in a commanding tone that drew everyone's attention to him. "Thanks to everyone's gathered intel, we're making great strides with this investigation. That said, the small organization known as Shie Hassaikai is plotting something. I've called you all here to share what we know."

Kana felt a spark of recognition at the mention of the Shie Hassaikai. That was the organization that Shigaraki had been trying to get in with, the ones who'd managed to take Compress's arm. The one that Shina had stolen Eri from. This was going to be a debrief on that? Kana took a seat alongside her fellow classmates and paid very close attention to the meeting as it progressed. She would be reporting all this information to Shina later on when she was able to.

The meeting started with going over what the heroes had managed to gather on drugs regarding a quirk cancelling drug. Kana listened intently as she made mental notes to what Chisaki had been doing to poor Eri. Her heart bled for the little girl. She hadn't met her yet, but from what Shina had said, she was a quiet little bunny. Kana didn't want to know what had turned a kid like Eri, into someone covered in bandages. Someone that had been experimented on and was possibly made to suffer all the worst that humans can do to each other. Her mind went to Kaito and then to Kira and she shoved those thoughts out of her head to focus. As much as she wanted to console Eri, she was in a meeting. The drug talk turned to Eri and what she could have been used for before the heroes started to theorize on if Eri was alive or not.

'They don't know Eri is still alive and is safe.' Kana realized belatedly. 'Shina did a good job of saving her if the heroes didn't suspect. Which means Overhaul hasn't done anything to alert the heroes that are watching him that something is wrong. But how long will that last? If something as powerful as Eri was taken from me, I wouldn't think it would be hidden for long. So why hasn't he reacted to this?' Realization hit Kana and her eyes widened. 'Unless he knows who took her and is working on his own agenda…' Kana would have to let Shina know all about this ASAP.

The meeting dissolved into the heroes arguing about Nighteye's quirk from there. It wasn't much longer before the heroes let the UA students leave. Instead of leaving the building though, they all went to the waiting room to wait for their respective boss to come back and let them know what the plan was.

"You must be hurting man." Kiri's voice pulled Kana's attention to Deku and Mirio who were looking pretty down in the dumps. She couldn't imagine how bad they must feel for failing to rescue Eri. A spark to tell them Eri was fine hit but she shoved it aside as she moved up and gently patted Deku's shoulder, trying to console him.

"We'll find her. I'm sure of it." Kana murmured softly. The elevator doors opened and Aizawa came out.

"Holding an all-night vigil are we?" Aizawa asked. Kana moved away from Deku as she had a feeling he'd be able to help him better than she could. "I was planning on talking to you all about ending your work studies today."

"What?"

"No way!"

"…"

"Why?" Kana asked. "We can handle this."

"You heard about how the League of Villains is involved. This is a whole different ballgame." Aizawa stated in his usual bored tone. Kana thought about his reasoning and had to mentally roll her eyes. She'd seen the League all unconscious last week and vulnerable. She'd also seen them stuff themselves eating Chef Wolf's food so she didn't really fear them. "But…" Kana's eyes focused on Aizawa as he continued. "Midoriya, you still haven't earned back my trust yet." Kana thought back to which time Aizawa was talking about as she had known Midoriya to be quite a problem child with main character energy so she doubted Aizawa would ever get that trust back again. "But unfortunately, if I were to cut you off now, it's all but guaranteed that you would leap into action anyway. So I'll watch over you. Let's try and do things right this time Midoriya. Understand you little trouble maker?"

Kana was a bit surprised that Aizawa could kneel. And none of his bones popped. 'Guess he's not as old as I thought he was.' She thought to herself.

"With that said, the big three are on par with the pros, maybe even better, however, you five will have much more of a reduced role." Kana highly doubted she wasn't on par with the pros. She was holding back in training to prevent anyone from actually seeing how experienced she was, but she couldn't exactly reveal that. Sadly. "Asui, Uraraka, Kirishima, Kana, you four aren't exactly here because you volunteered. What do you think?"

"We can do it Aizawa." Kana stated firmly.

"After hearing a story like this, there's no way I can back down." Uraraka spoke as she stood up.

"If you're giving us permission Eraser, I'd like to contribute however I can." Tsu stated with conviction. "No one should hurt a little girl and get away with it."

"Just looking at the first years in that meeting, it's clear the pros respect them." Tamaki piped up softly. "Especially compared to me, they show a ton of promise."

"You never fail to take a shot at yourself huh?" Nejire spoke, leaning forward a bit.

"If there's anything at all we can do to help that girl, we'll do it Eraserhead!" Kirishima yelled with his usual confidence.

The meet up from yesterday had been all Kana had been thinking about. She'd gone to Shina and told her what she'd learned. Shina had needed to figure some things out regarding their next move, especially since Shigaraki didn't know about her taking Eri from Overhaul. Kana knew Shina wouldn't tell him about it. The real issue was Overhaul possibly launching war on the League to get Eri back, or making a deal with Shigaraki to betray the Nara clan. Shina had taken in the information regarding the heroes surveillance remarkably well and had assured Kana that she would take care of it. Kana trusted in her cousin sister's strategy and choices to get this situation resolved. After all, Shina had never let them down before.

"Oi, dumbass!" Kana shifted her attention from the training she was doing to Bakugou.

"I'm not a dumbass." Kana had stated. How rude of him. She dusted off her hands, ignoring the shaking. She might have overused her portals a tad. "What Bakugou?"

Bakugou's narrowed eyes landed on her hands that were still shaking.

"You been overusing your damn portals again?" He questioned, crossing his arms, watching her closely.

"…I'm just cold." She defended, hiding her hands behind her back. She gave a smile, trying to distract him. The blonde wasn't buying that bullshit—he could tell she was overexerting herself.

"Bullshit… Your hands are shaking—quit using them so damn much.." He responded back, narrowing his eyes even more and moving a step closer to her.

"I'm training for my internship." She defended. "I can't slack off. Besides, I've been in worse shape." Bakugou let out a 'tch' noise, looking her up and down, clearly not at all satisfied with her answer.

"..And that's supposed to be a good excuse smartass? You could easily overexert yourself and pass out—then where would you be?" She hesitated before cheekily replying.

"Asleep? It'd be the best sleep ever." Bakugou's eye twitched in annoyance, and he took another step closer to her.

"..Don't make smartass comments smart-ass…" He muttered under his breath, glaring at her.

"But…you just…." She sighed. "Was there a reason you wanted me?" The blonde shrugged his shoulders, shoving his hands into his pockets

"...Not really, just wanted to see you…" He admitted as he looked her over again, his eyes landing on her shaking hands. His expression softened, just slightly. "..and to yell at you for overusing your damn portals.."

"I'm fine." She replied dismissively. "It's just my hands." She looked at them. They weren't even white, just blueish. She supposed she should stop now. If she continued to use her portals, her hands would freeze. As it was, they would probably cause her pain once she could feel them again. Bakugou let out a frustrated noise from the back of his throat again, rolling his eyes in annoyance.

"It's not just your hands, dumbass! You're clearly overexerting yourself.. When was the last time you took a break and let those damn portals rest?" He knew for a fact that she was overexerting herself, the damn idiot needed a break and needed one now.

"Uh…I took a break…when Sero left." Kana nodded. It wasn't that bad right? He'd only left- She looked at the clock. It was nearing 6pm. Oh, he'd left two hours ago. Yeah she should stop. "Okay fine. I'm gonna go change and then I'll head back to the dorms." Katsuki let out a sigh, he was glad that she was finally getting it through her thick head that she needed to rest.

"Yeah, you do that idiot… Dumbass…" He mumbled to himself under his breath as he continued to look her over. Kana headed to the locker room to change out of her hero outfit and into her usual pants and T-shirt, pulling her shoes on and leaving her thick hair down. She blew warm air on her hands when she exited the training grounds. Her hands were curled slightly like a dinosaur. Her bones were probably going to ache all night. She sighed, not looking forward to that as she headed out of the gym and back to the dorms.

She walked under the trees, looking up at the afternoon sky. Katsuki watched her as she left the training grounds. The blonde could easily tell that her hands were giving her trouble and that she was in pain… but as usual, she wouldn't say a word. As soon as she headed towards the trees, Katsuki quickly caught up to her, walking silently beside her as he glanced down and noticed her hands. They were not only shaking, but they were also tinted blue.

"..Why'd you overexert your damn portals so much dumbass?"

"I forgot." She mumbled, looking down. She had forgotten to worry about her quirks side effects. In her defense though, she'd been dealing with it for a long time. As such, she didn't think of the consequences anymore. Bakugou let out an annoyed, angry sigh as he listened to her response.

"How do you forget about the overuse of your quirks side effects? Are you an idiot?" He questioned, looking at her hands again.

"…" *Kana didn't answer at first. She stared at her fingers until Bakugou suddenly grabbed them. She winced; his hands felt burning hot. In contrast, her hands were like ice and still shaking. Katsuki's eyes widened as soon as he grabbed her hands, her hands were almost icicles… they literally felt close to frost burn… and they were shaking uncontrollably… He was starting to get seriously worried now..

"God damn it… dumbass, your hands are freezing, and they're shaking uncontrollably.. that's not good… not good at all.."

"I'm fine." She mumbled. She tried not to react as the heat of his hands caused the nerve in her fingers to burn. It was almost like her hands were waking up after being numb for too long. The shock was almost enough to bring her to her knees.

"Please let go." She grit out, trying not to whimper. Bakugou's eyes widened as she spoke, did she not notice how much pain she was clearly in?

"..you're not "fine" dumbass.. look at your hands… they're blue. They don't look fine to me.." He responded back, although he had no intention of ever letting go of her hands. He wouldn't do that when she was clearly in so much damn pain.

The two stood still. Bakugou holding and warming Kana's hands while she tries not to wince or whimper. She would need to take some pain meds later.

"…I don't want to be a burden." She murmured after a while. "I don't want to feel helpless, the way we felt when the League kidnapped us." She knew Bakugou still had nightmares of her screaming in pain and fear. He always stuck a little too close to her nowadays. Always yelling at her for doing something he deemed stupid or dumb.

"..Damn it dumbass, you're not a burden… and you'll never be a damn burden.. you're just.. You're just overworking yourself… you don't want to feel helpless, and I get that… but you're just gonna end up getting yourself hurt if you keep overworking your damn portals…" She looked at him, an unreadable look in her eyes before she looked down at their hands.

"It's not the first time." Kana murmured softly. The scars on her skin were testament to her klutziness and her inability to stay safe. Bakugou's eyes locked onto her arms, taking in and analyzing the scars along them. He had seen them before, but he still hated looking at them all the time.

"...I know it's not the first time. I know you've had these scars awhile now," He responded, running his thumb gently over a few of the larger/darker scars. "…But that doesn't mean you have to keep adding to it dumbass…"

"Have you met me?" Kana asked in a sassy tone. "I'm the only one of my family that doesn't have cat-like reflexes. I'm a klutz with bad side effects." Bakugou's eyebrow twitched in annoyance, this dumbass never failed to annoy him.

"I am painfully aware of how goddamn clumsy you can be, dumbass, trust me I know, I've seen it happen many times. But that still doesn't mean you should keep adding more and more scars to your arms just cause you're a klutz… don't you get how stupid that is?"

"Well sorry I don't know what to do to fix my clumsiness." Kana whimpered, looking down. Bakugou let out a frustrated huff as he watched her look down.

"..It's not that I want you to fix your goddamn clumsiness.. It's just.. I hate seeing you hurt yourself, alright? If I'm being honest.. It hurts to see you with new scars all the damn time…" Kana peeked up at him, seeing the scowl on his face for even saying such things aloud.

"That's just what it means to be human." Bakugou's eyes flickered back down to her arms, taking a deep look at the multitude of scars along them once again.

"Well.. I'd rather have you in one piece and not covered in new cuts every week…" He mumbled under his breath, almost too quietly for her to hear. Kana nodded slowly looking at their hands. Her hands finally returned to a normal temperature.

"You can let me go now." She murmured. Bakugou was slightly reluctant to let go of her hands, but eventually, he let go and shoved his hands into his pockets, his eyes still flickering back and forth from her arms to her face.

"..You're gonna go back to the dorms now, right? And rest?" She nodded, shaking her hands out before rubbing them.

"Yes. I'm gonna rest. I'm having a movie night with Denki and Todoroki." Bakugou just nodded in acknowledgment, satisfied that she was actually going to take a break and rest.

"Good, you better rest you goddamn idiot.. and for the love of god, stop using your portals so damn much…"

Kana nodded, resisting the urge to roll her eyes. "Okay. Only in an emergency."

"..Yeah, only in an emergency dumbass… And if you ever use them so much that your hands go damn near blue again I'm gonna kick your ass all the way back to the dorms… you got it?" He ordered in a stern tone

"Wouldn't it be better to do that to the nurses office?" Kana asked, confused. Bakugou let out an annoyed sigh, rolling his eyes in annoyance

"..you're a smartass you know that?"

"Yeah, I get it from my sister. But it's a valid point though." Kana argued.

"Yeah whatever smartass.." Bakugou responded back in a flat tone, rolling his eyes again in annoyance. He didn't like getting smartass responses from her, but he couldn't really deny the fact that she was right. Kana smiled slightly before she started for the dorms. Her purple and pink hair glinted in the fading afternoon sunlight.

~Third Person POV~

She bit her bottom lip, feeling a bit agitated as she waited at the round table. She resisted the urge to pick at the white tablecloth as it would be seen as inappropriate. The restaurant was private and quiet, the perfect setting for this meeting. A decent number of people were here, it was mainly full of heroes and the like. A few civilians were eating and conducting their own business, but they were mainly businessmen. No one would disturb her here, no one really looked twice at a woman dressed professionally in a black skirt and white blouse. Her usual red hair was colored white as she lazily scanned the restaurant. A flash of red caught her attention as the hostess led Hawks to the table. She gave a polite smile as the hostess gave Hawks a menu and let them know the waiter would be by to get his drink shortly.

Hawks took in the restaurant as he followed the hostess to Shina's table. It was upscale, but discreet, with a sophisticated crowd. He felt a pang of irritation as he saw her sitting there, waiting for him. He was still angry at her for getting involved with the League, but he couldn't deny that he was happy to see her.

"Nice disguise," he said as he sat down across from her, raising an eyebrow at her white hair.

"I can't exactly go into a hero restaurant sporting my trademark red now can I?" She asked rhetorically. "Besides, I figured white was as innocent as one could get."

Hawks chuckled at her response as his irritation momentarily forgotten.

"Yeah, innocent is definitely the last word I'd use to describe you," he retorted, a smirk playing at the corners of his mouth. She couldn't help the wry smirk that tugged at her lips. His flirting really was over the top. Not that she minded.

"Thanks." She murmured softly. "I don't want to look too naive. I can't afford to."

Hawks leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms as he studied her. He could tell she was on edge, her body language betraying her nonchalant demeanor.

"So, you're trying to blend in, then?" he asked, his voice casual despite his concern. She nodded.

"I'm not supposed to be around you."

The waiter came and dropped off his drink.

"Have you both had a chance to take a look at the menu?" The waiter asked as he waited patiently by their table. Shina gave a friendly smile and gave her order while Hawks did the same. One the waiter left Hawks took a sip of his drink, his eyes never leaving her. He knew she wasn't supposed to be seen with him, but that made him more curious about why she was here. He raised an eyebrow at her words.

"So why take the risk of meeting up with me then?"

"I had to. But I believe that can wait until the waiter comes back with our food." She gave Hawks a wink. "I'd rather not let him overhear our dirty business." Hawks chuckled at her words, his irritation melting away. She was infuriating, but he couldn't help but be drawn to her.

"Dirty business, huh?" he teased, leaning forward on his elbows. "Sounds like you're up to no good." A flash of something passed through her eyes as she leaned forward slightly. To everyone else it looked pretty cozy.

"In my line of work, I usually am. It's an unavoidable fact." Hawks's expression turned serious, all traces of his usual flirtation gone. He knew she wasn't just here for small talk.

"Alright, I'm listening," he said quietly. "What's going on?"

"Did you truly not have any suspicions about me?" She asked after a long pause. Her golden eyes assessed him carefully before she leaned forward, putting her elbows on the table. "You seemed entirely too…unbothered."

Hawks didn't avert his gaze, meeting her golden eyes coolly. He had suspicions, of course. But he didn't want to admit it, not even to himself.

"I had suspicions," he admitted, his voice low. "But I chose to ignore them."

"Why would you want to flirt with someone like me? You could do better hero." She muttered. Hawks eyes narrowed at her, feeling irritation flare up at her words. She was being dismissive, as if she didn't think she was worth his time. It bugged him.

"And what makes you think you're not worth flirting with?" he asked, his voice a bit sharper than usual.

"Why not?" She asked, picking up her glass of tea. "Considering my career choice and personal history of ill repute, so to speak, I'm not exactly a win." Hawks frowned, not wanting to let her continue with her words but unable to speak just yet as the waiter came dropped off their food. Hawks waited for the waiter to leave before speaking again, his expression serious.

"I don't care about your career choice or your personal history," he said, his voice quieter now. "I flirt with you because I like you. Because you're smart and witty and gorgeous." She blinked slowly, wanting to believe his words. But she had thick walls, and her brain was telling her not to get mushy. Soft romantic feelings didn't come easily to her. Flirting was easy, it was temporary, usually just a passive hobby. But this, this was action.

"I bet you say that to all the girls." She murmured, leaning back before she sighed. "This isn't the point Hawks. Not right now." Hawks rolled his eyes at her response, frustration mixing with his desire.

"I don't say it to all the girls," he retorted. "I say it to you because I mean it. But fine, if you don't want to talk about that right now, then what do you want to talk about?"

"There are some heroes that are planning on invading the villain Overhaul's base in the coming weeks. Only, he won't be there anymore by the time they go in." She spoke in a serious tone that had Hawks eyes narrowing as he listened. "I need you to give the taskforce under Nighteye, information. They need to go in by tomorrow night. Otherwise, Overhaul will have gone." Hawks listened intently to her words, his mind immediately going into strategy mode. He knew this was serious, and he knew they had to act fast. He nodded.

"I'll give them the information," he said firmly. "But why are you telling me this? Why are you helping me?"

"Because Overhaul was holding a child hostage in his base that he was using to work on his Quirk removal serum. I removed the child from that and took her into my custody. She's safe, but Overhaul isn't exactly happy that I interfered with his plans." She expressed in a simple tone. Hawks paused as she explained her reasoning, relief and concern warring within him. He was glad that she had helped the child and kept her safe, but a part of him worried about her getting caught in the crossfire with Overhaul.

"Are you in danger?" he asked quietly, his gaze searching her face. She shook her head.

"Shigaraki won't let Overhaul harm me. Not when he still needs me. As far as the League knows, I am still a valued member." She took a bite of her food before she continued. "I know Overhaul will have figured out that I'm the one who took her. The issue is, I have no idea when he might strike to try and get her back. I'm banking on Shigaraki wanting to get even before Overhaul does something." Hawks listened to her words, absorbing the information she was giving him. He knew she was taking a huge risk by being involved with both the League and Overhaul, but he also knew that she was too stubborn to back down.

"You need to be careful," he said, his tone serious. "You're playing a dangerous game here, and one wrong move could put you in serious trouble."

"I know. But that's where you come in. Overhaul will most likely declare war on Shigaraki soon. To prevent the two villains from outright fighting, it's best to take Overhaul by way of the heroes. Once that's done, Shigaraki will be the only one on the field." The strategic move was bold, but she figured it was worth it. Especially since things were already in motion on the heroes side to invade Overhauls base.

Hawks nodded, impressed by her strategic thinking. It was a bold move, but it made sense. He knew the heroes were planning to invade Overhaul's base, but he hadn't known that Shigaraki and Overhaul were on the verge of war.

"It's a risky plan, but it could work," he admitted. "But are you sure you're going to be safe once Overhaul is taken care of? Shigaraki isn't exactly known for his mercy."

She nodded. "I'm his thief. He can't get rid of me yet. As evidenced when he told me to stop being so friendly with you." Hawks couldn't help but chuckle at her response. It was just like her to put herself in the middle of danger.

"He told you to stop being friendly with me, huh?" he teased, raising an eyebrow.

"He doesn't like how...I am around you." She stated slowly. It was a bit difficult to describe. "To be fair he doesn't like Dabi being too friendly with me either so..." She shrugged. Shigaraki was needy and always wanted her attention. Shina gave it to him because it was expected at this point.

Hawks couldn't help but feel a pang of jealousy at her words. He didn't like the idea of her being around Shigaraki or Dabi at all, let alone being friendly with them.

"So, he's just possessive then?" he asked, trying to keep his tone casual.

"Unfairly so." She took a sip of her drink. "I know he won't hurt me because he still needs me and my team. I help him when he can't think through something. I'm pretty sure he likes having access to all my resources, even though he never expected to be close with me." Hawks gritted his teeth at her nonchalant words. He knew she was smart and capable, but the idea of her being relied on by the League's leader made him uneasy.

"And what about Dabi?" he asked, his voice tight. "Is he just as possessive?"

"No. Dabi's more like that friend who always pokes fun of you to irritate you." She stated. Though, in the back of her mind, she knew Dabi was…different. "He flirts, excessively. But I know he won't hurt me either. He's had plenty of chances since we're all living under the same roof." Hawks clenched his jaw at her words. The thought of Dabi flirting with her filled him with an irrational anger. He couldn't help but feel jealous of the other man, even though he knew he had no right to be.

"And you let him flirt with you?" he asked, trying to keep his voice level. She took a sip of her drink, thinking over his question before she answered.

"Yes. The thing about Dabi is that he disguises his flirting between questions. And if you call him out on it, he'll just smirk and start to flirt more. I've learned to just let him do it. If I don't, he starts to get touchy." And smug. Hawks resisted the urge to slam his fist on the table. The thought of Dabi getting touchy with her made him see red.

"He touches you?" he asked through clenched teeth, his voice low and dangerous.

"Not like that. But like I said, I just let him get it over with." She spoke calmly, watching his reaction and cataloging it. "He doesn't like it when I act unphased, but it gives me some satisfaction seeing him disgruntled." Hawks gripped the edge of the table so hard that his knuckles turned white.

"You're playing with fire," he growled. "Dabi is dangerous, and you're just letting him touch you and flirt with you like it's no big deal." She gave him a look.

"I know Hawks. I know how dangerous my position is. I've already explained why I am here; however, I can't exactly leave. My only choice is to play the game using what's at my disposal." Hawks clenched his jaw, knowing she had a point. He knew she couldn't just walk away, not without putting herself in even more danger. But he still didn't like it, not when she was constantly putting herself in harm's way.

"Just promise me you'll be careful," he said quietly, his eyes searching her face. "I don't want you to get hurt."

She nodded. "I am being careful as a spider." Hawks gave a huff of laughter at her comparison. He knew she was a skilled thief and strategist, but he still couldn't help but worry.

"You're impossible, you know that?" he said, his tone affectionate. A small smile crossed her face.

"Yes I know." Hawks smiled softly, his frustration from earlier forgotten in the wake of her smile. He reached out and took her hand, his thumb tracing soothingly over her knuckles.

"Just promise me you'll be safe," he said again, his voice low. She looked down at his gloved hand, moving over her knuckles. She was surprised how soft the gloves were. More so, she was surprised he'd touched her. Japanese culture was very different than her American culture she knew. She met his eyes.

"I promise I'm being as safe as I can." She uttered, internally wincing at the way she sidestepped the overall intention. Habit caused her to word things oddly to avoid getting a hard promise. In her mind it was reminiscent of genie-talk. Hawks saw right through her words, and he knew she was sidestepping the issue. But he didn't press the matter, not right now.

"That's not the same as promising you'll be safe," he pointed out, his hand still gently tracing over her knuckles.

"It's what I can offer right now." She murmured softly, not looking away from him. He knew the hero/villain line was tricky, even more so since she was balancing on the fine line between them by being an anti-hero in this moment. Hawks studied her for a long moment, his gaze intense. He knew she was right, but he still didn't like it. He wanted nothing more than to keep her safe, to keep her away from harm's way.

"I don't like it," he said quietly, his grip on her hand tightening ever so slightly. "I don't like the thought of you putting yourself in danger for the sake of this…this game you're playing."

"Thanks for worrying, but you don't need to Hawks." She spoke low enough that only he heard Shina's words. "I can handle myself and my team. Have some faith in me. I wouldn't be such a good thief if I wasn't careful." Hawks gritted his teeth at her words. He knew she was capable, that she was smart and sneaky and had her own team to watch her back, but he still couldn't help the worry that filled him.

"It's not that I don't have faith in you," he said quietly. "I just don't trust the League, or Overhaul, or any of the people you're dealing with. They could hurt you, or worse, get you killed."

She nodded. "That's valid. But I've given my reasons for why Dabi and Shigaraki won't hurt me. It's your job to get the info to Nighteye to make sure Overhaul doesn't come for my ass." She leaned back in her chair. "Cause if does, I'm gonna haunt you for the rest of your life."

Hawks smirked at her threat, unable to hide his amusement.

"Oh really?" he teased, his hand still on hers. "You think you can haunt me from beyond the grave?"

"Yeah I'm pretty confident I can. Till I come back as a bird or cat or something. Then I'll forever be there to cause mischief." She chuckled at the thought. Hawks chuckled along with her, despite the seriousness of their conversation. The image of her haunting him in the form of a bird or a cat was equal parts amusing and adorable.

"You'd be a pain in the ass as a bird or a cat, you know that?" he said with a grin.

"Then you know what you're getting yourself into." She nodded before she chuckled again. Laughter always made her feel better. Hawks smiled at her laughter, feeling a bit of the tension ease from his shoulders. He loved the sound of her laughter, even in the midst of their serious conversation.

"Well, if I get to be haunted by you for the rest of my life, I suppose there are worse things that could happen," he joked, his hand still gently holding hers. Her phone went off. She looked down at it, seeing Shigaraki's name nickname 'Dusty'. She sighed, pulling her hand away from Hawks. She didn't want to leave him already. Apart of her cried out at the loss of contact.

"It's time for me to go." She stated softly. Hawks felt a pang of disappointment as she pulled her hand away. He wanted to hold on to her, to keep her there with him, but he knew she had to go.

"Be careful," he said quietly, his eyes watching her. "And don't do anything too reckless."

She clicked her phone off after texting Shigaraki. She gave Hawks a smile.

"You sure make me promise a lot ya know." She got up to head for the exit but, something took over her body. The urge was too strong as she stepped closer to him and leaned down, pressing a kiss to his forehead. It was…surprisingly warm for her to do such a thing. She's obviously been spending too much time around Kaito. She quickly turned and left the restaurant.

Hawks sat stunned for a moment, his heart hammering in his chest. He hadn't expected her to kiss his forehead, and the unexpected gesture left him reeling. He watched her leave, his mind replaying the moment in his head. He could still feel the warmth of her lips on his forehead, and he wanted nothing more than to grab her and pull her back to him.

He was in trouble, and he knew it.

GM NASAI: Let's just say my updating schedule is as bad as Nuke's Top 5.