A/N: Last chapter, Hitomi ran off on her own! Is she going to find Midoriya like she hopes?

I kept flipping back and forth between if I wanted to make a GIF out of the picture I drew for this chapter, but I decided not to because it would just be a looping shot of a camera pan. [8/26/21 EDIT]: Lol who cares about the GIF when I added more art to this chapter XD

‼️[2/16/2023 EDIT]‼️: Added an additional interaction Hitomi has with a character that's fairly important. It does have an effect on future events in which I had to make slight edits to later chapters I'd already posted before this edit.

It's highly highly recommended you reread this chapter and the following 3 or 4 chapters if you're a longtime follower of this fic to account for the most notable changes this addition brought. I'm so sorry to my old readers from 2019-2022, I'm such a goddamn mess and when I thought of this concept I got waaaaay too invested that I just had to put it in TwT

Art -

[Complete Gallery] Add /21axlkt3bolc to the DeviantArt Stash URL.

[Ch. 34] Add /23oo0o94ld3 to the DeviantArt Stash URL.

Hitomi felt the ground rumble as she navigated through the forest, following the direction the noise seemed to originate from.

Please be okay, Midoriya!

She only planned to find him and protect him if need be. If Midoriya was fine, she'd head back to the campsite so she wouldn't worry Iida and the others anymore.

Hitomi sped up as she finally saw a clearing up ahead. She stepped out of the foliage carefully, mindful of the branches and leaves against her legs. Once out, she took a deep breath, glancing up at the large cliff in front of her.

If Midoriya's up there, help him.

If no one is there, go back to camp.

Climbing onto the rocks, she made small force fields beneath her feet, lifting herself up as she began to scale the cliff. When she was near the top, she heard Mandalay's voice ring through her head.

"Everyone in Class A and Class B! In the name of the pro hero, Eraser Head, you are granted permission to engage in combat!"

Hitomi clenched her jaw, worried over her other classmates.

The situation… is that bad?

Mandalay repeated the message and Hitomi shook her head, grabbing onto another rock. Her classmates… she had to have faith in them. If their experience at USJ was anything to go by… she had to believe they would be okay. And right now, she was only here for one thing, swinging her leg onto the ledge followed by the rest of her body.

Hopefully Midoriya's not unconscious or anything…

She stayed on the ground for a moment, letting herself breathe from her climb before she noticed her friend's phone on the ground. She picked it up, seeing it was completely destroyed with stray pieces of glass and plastic scattered about before setting the device down and getting up.

The sight in front of her made her breath hitch.

A large man's unconscious body lay in front of her, stuck in a gaping hole in the side of the cliff.

Hitomi stepped back, trying to be as silent as possible in fear of waking up the man.

That had to be the villain Midoriya was probably fighting. Oh god, I hope Midoriya's okay-

Because she wasn't paying attention, her foot slipped as she was nearing the edge of the cliff, causing her to fall to the ground below. Hitomi screamed as she felt the wind rush through her ears, making a force field around herself as she approached the ground. She felt the force field dissipate as it hit the earth, her body rolling into the bushes.

Hitomi groaned, cradling her head as she pushed herself up. A sudden fall and tumble like that was definitely more than a little disorienting. With a wince she rose from the ground, steadying herself on a tree trunk before she realized the mistake she'd stupidly made.

"Oh, fuck."

I don't know how to get back to camp.

...

Hitomi was still a little dizzy by the time she left the clearing, trying to find any signs that could help lead her back to camp safely. She cradled her head as she made her way through the trees and shrubbery, cursing to herself on her own stupidity.

There was a sudden tingle as Mandalay's voice rang through her head again, one more message left to tell everyone.

"We have discovered one of the villains' targets. It's one of the students—'Kacchan'!"

Bakugou?!

Hitomi fumbled on a tree root as Mandalay continued her message, nearly falling face first into the bushes.

Bakugou's in trouble. What if he-

She shook her head, trying to get rid of the thought before it went any further. She regretted that choice as soon as it made her head throb, hissing as she tried to steady herself on another tree trunk.

She'd already decided. She promised herself she'd go back to Iida and the others. They were probably worried sick about what had happened to her, and she had to make sure she got back.

She had to. Bakugou was strong. He could handle himself. Todoroki was with him anyway. He'd be fi-

"Hey there."

Hitomi blinked, realizing she was face to face with a boy hanging upside down from the tree above her. She jumped back quickly, nearly stumbling over nearby tree roots in her haste.

What the-?! I didn't even hear anything!

There was no time to ponder the boy's sudden appearance and Hitomi's eyes glowed as she launched a small force field at him. She gasped as he retreated into the leaves, her shield flying right past where he'd been and breaking apart against the tree trunk on impact.

Hitomi gulped, holding her hands up and poised at the ready in a cautious stance. That certainly hadn't been anyone from her class. And though she didn't know them all too well yet, it was obvious it wasn't anyone from Class B, either.

Making it clear to her that whoever she was dealing with right now…

…was a villain.

Hitomi knew she should run. Return to the others, just as she'd promised herself. Especially since her head was still reeling from that tumble from the cliff.

But right now… she had no idea how to get back. And after coming face-to-face with a villain… she had to be cautious. She couldn't navigate her way through the forest carelessly, not now.

Hitomi flexed her hands, her eyes darting back and forth as she tried to quell the building anxiety in her chest. There was no sound. There was no movement.

A laugh seemed to ring through the trees, like a distant echo and Hitomi glanced around frantically, trying to find the source of the noise. She grit her teeth, forming small shields against her hands.

"Who's there?! Show yourself!"

Maybe it was a stupid thing to say. But right now, defending herself against an opponent she could see was better than one she couldn't. The blue light from her force fields danced against the trees, casting large, curving shadows through the small area. Hitomi held her breath, trying to ignore the pounding in her chest.

Be cautious. Be attentive. Breathe.

Those were the things Crust had told her back at her internship.

She looked around, her force fields lighting the space as she moved. The shadows only danced, shifting and changing with the light from her quirk.

And then she heard a "crack".

Hitomi turned towards the noise of a branch breaking in an instant, creating a large force field around herself with a wave of her arm. There was a loud metallic bang and a sudden weight against her barrier as Hitomi's eyes met those of the boy just moments ago, her hands pushing against the warm surface. The boy held the handle of a black tool, what it was Hitomi didn't necessarily know, his arm struggling to push it through her force field.

With another swipe of her arm she expanded the dome around herself, pushing him back. She gave him no time to recover, creating a large wall and launching it at him.

He held his hands up to block the force field, and Hitomi took that chance to dash forward and make a small platform under her feet, pushing her upwards towards the top of her large wall. Her head throbbed at her sudden movements but she grit her teeth; this was no time to be held back by a little pain. She stepped onto the surface of the wall she made, swinging her body over the top and behind him. One arm wrapped around his neck while her other hand held the back of his head as her sudden weight pushed him toward the ground, the two of them falling to the ground with a heavy thud.

The boy grunted as his chest hit the dirt and immediately Hitomi pushed his arms down, causing him to lose his grip on the peculiar black tools. She wasted no time in trapping his hands to the ground with force fields while another force field trapped his legs behind her, effectively pinning him to the dirt.

Hitomi breathed heavily, both from the pounding in her head and the disbelief at the maneuver she'd just done. Crust's brief training had paid off, after all. Her hands tightened around his wrists as she observed him, the boy looking back at her lazily in response. He had messy, chestnut brown hair that was black on the underside, with tired dark indigo eyes decorated with eyebags. The lower half of his face was hidden by a black mask. He seemed like he could've been around her age, maybe a year or two older.

Hitomi grit her teeth. "Who are you?! How did you get here?" Her eyes narrowed as she stared down at him. "What's your goal? Why… Why are you after Bakugou?!" She could at least try to figure out what the villains wanted with the blonde while she still could.

The boy only shrugged underneath her grasp, glancing away tiredly. "Dunno," he said dryly. "That's just the objective we were given by the big boss Shigaraki."

Hitomi's jaw clenched tighter.

Shigaraki.

Tomura Shigaraki.

She was lucky enough to have never come across him. Just reading about him in the police report from USJ and the day the class had gone to the Kiyashi Ward Shopping Mall before camp made her hope she'd never cross his path.

But the League of Villains, their leader, wanted Bakugou.

"Hey," the boy droned, "you wouldn't happen to know where that Bakugou guy is, would you?"

"Even if I did, I'd never tell you!" Hitomi spat.

This guy, the League of Villains, Shigaraki… they were all after her classmate. Her friend. At the very least… Hitomi couldn't let this villain run free.

"So that means you don't, huh…?" The boy hummed, looking back at her. And then he chuckled. "Figured as much."

Before she could even blink, dark mist seemed to surround the boy, black wisps covering his forearms before he suddenly sank into the ground. Hitomi made a frantic grab for him only for her hand to meet with the dirt beneath her. "No…!"

She shot up from the ground, back to looking around frantically for the villain. The force fields that had restrained him disappeared as new ones formed along her arms, ready to be thrown.

How had he done that? What was his quirk? Was it some kind of phasing? No… if he could pass through things, he could've tried to pass through her force fields earlier or even herself instead of through the ground. She used her force fields to light the trees and foliage around her, only finding the shadows her quirk cast. The villain didn't seem to be anywhere in sight.

Hitomi tched, taking a step back before her eyes fell back to the ground.

There was nothing there.

Meaning…

He'd been able to get back his tools.

She had no idea what they did. She didn't want to find out.

There was a sudden glint out of the corner of her eye and Hitomi ducked her head to the side. Her eyes widened as she saw a small shuriken whizz past her face, cutting off a few stray strands of her blue hair.

Holy shit!

She made another dome around herself, right as a few more flew towards her and they ricocheted off the barrier, shooting back uselessly into the ground.

"Seems like I was right…" a voice drawled and she looked above her, seeing the villain crouching on a branch. He fiddled with the black tool Hitomi had seen earlier, twirling it around his hand before a curved blade popped out with another twist. Hitomi realized it was a kama, her hands tightening into fists. She knew she was lucky he hadn't used the blades against her.

With another nonchalant twirl the blade retracted as he dropped another shuriken on her dome carelessly. It slid down and dropped into the dirt, joining the rest. "...Your quirk really is a bother."

Hitomi growled and expanded her force field in a big burst, only for the villain to disappear further into the leaves of the trees. His head slowly emerged from the dark underside of the foliage above her, causing his unkempt hair to dangle and revealing a scar near his hairline. The dark mist Hitomi saw when he disappeared into the ground seemed to be surrounding him.

"Little miss force field… Hitomi Kanetsukabe, right?"

Hitomi threw a force field at him and his head sank back into the leaves.

"If you're trying to scare me, it won't work!" she called out. "A lot of people already know me from the sports festival. You're not special for knowing my name."

Though she didn't know his. Not his name, or his quirk. She was at a disadvantage. Hitomi created more force fields at her palms, glancing around warily.

This… is bad.

She had no idea what his intent was. No idea of his powers, the extent of his skills. She couldn't help but gulp nervously. At the very least, though, this was one less villain looking for Bakugou as she kept him preoccupied.

"Hey…"

Hitomi glanced back and forth at the voice that echoed through the trees, moving her arms around to shine her light around her. Still nothing.

Only shadows.

"Yo."

Hitomi tensed at the voice behind her ear and turned around rapidly, swinging her arm back towards him. He caught her arm with ease, his gloved hand gripping her tightly as he stared down at her. Hitomi filled with dread.

"Your quirk…" he mused, staring at her hand. Hitomi's arm trembled as she struggled to pull away from him. He wouldn't let go. His taller height, and his bigger build… Hitomi knew she wasn't strong enough to break free from him.

She was scared.

"It seems so bothersome for everyone you fight," he hummed. Even this close, his voice was still muffled against his mask. His fingers tightened around her and Hitomi winced at his grip. "But for you… it's obviously pretty useful. Must be pretty useful for comrades too, right?"

At the reminder of her quirk Hitomi swung her other arm up, simultaneously creating a wall that launched towards him and a smaller force field from underneath his hand, breaking herself free from his grip. She jumped back, launching more force fields at him that he merely dodged by ducking behind the tree trunks. Hitomi grit her teeth at his movements. A dark space like this was difficult for her to fight in when she didn't know anything about her opponent and couldn't keep track of him.

There was a sudden rustling above her and Hitomi didn't even have a split second to react before she was tackled to the ground with a yelp, a knee digging painfully into her back while her hands were pinned to the ground by the villain. It was just what she had done to him moments ago. Hitomi looked back at him, fear finally beginning to overwhelm her.

This was bad.

Danger.

Danger.

Danger!

"So tell me…" the villain said quietly, his eyes contemplative. "...about Force Field. With a quirk like that… how far does your 'protection' really reach?"

At that Hitomi's eyes widened, the girl unable to speak. What was he playing at?

"Obviously, it's a power you wanna use to keep everyone safe," he mused. "Based on what I read about you from that sports festival. So… do you think that 'protection' you wanna provide would reach them from here? Your classmates? Your friends? That Bakugou?"

His eyes suddenly narrowed and Hitomi's dread worsened at the contempt she saw in his gaze. Earlier, his eyes hadn't held anything even close to the loathing she was seeing right now. "Or… is it just a quirk left in the hands of another useless hero? A hero so useless… that they fail to protect the people they're supposed to."

A sharp pain rang through Hitomi's chest at his words.

Useless.

"SHUT UP!" she growled and her eyes flashed a bright cerulean. A force field erupted from her and it launched him away, the villain landing on the branches of a nearby tree.

Hitomi shot up from the ground, launching force fields at him from where she stood. Her haphazard attacks were dodged by him with ease as he seemed to almost teleport throughout the foliage, disappearing into the shadows of one tree and appearing on another.

"Ah… seems like I hit a nerve for you, bluebelle," he said nonchalantly as he scratched the side of his head.

A shuriken was suddenly thrown in her direction and she darted to the side, crashing straight into a tree trunk. She grimaced as a new pain shot through her head, glaring at the villain. "Don't call me that!" she scowled.

He shrugged, tossing more shurikens and Hitomi stumbled back from the tree to dodge. Her head was pounding at this point and it was only getting worse.

"Well… whatever," the boy hummed. He seemed to have a faraway look in his eyes, as if he was looking at something in the distance. "Even if you're just another useless hero… that doesn't mean you won't be useful to us."

Hitomi cradled her head at another sharp pang, needing to steady herself against another tree. She threw one more haphazard force field at him but he merely leaned his head to the side, dodging her sloppy aim. As it whizzed past him he pulled his mask down, fully revealing his face.

The villain then flashed her a sardonic smile.

"Name's Ghost. See you around, bluebelle."

He shot her a two-finger salute and without warning, Hitomi felt a hand on her shoulder before her vision went white.

"Who was that woman just now?!" Todoroki asked as he, Shouji, and Midoriya neared Tsuyu and Uraraka.

"A villain," Tsuyu said. "A crazy one."

"Uraraka-san, you're injured!" Midoriya cried out from his place on Shouji's back.

"I'm fine," the brunette replied as she held her shoulder, eyeing the freckled boy's broken arms. "I can still walk. Anyway, you're the one that-"

"This isn't the time to stand around and talk," Shouji interjected. "Let's go, quickly!"

"I'm just glad you're okay," Midoriya told Uraraka. "I know!" he suddenly said. "Come with us! Right now, we're protecting Kacchan as we head back to camp."

"You're protecting Bakugou?" Tsuyu asked, confused. She and Uraraka looked at each other for a moment before she said, "Where is Bakugou?"

"What are you saying?" Midoriya said as he craned his neck to check behind him. "Kacchan is right behind-"

The path was empty behind them.

"The boy you're talking about," a voice sounded above them, "I took him with my magic."

The group looked up in the trees to find a villain in a top hat and orange trench coat flaunting a marble up above.

"This talent isn't someone who should be on the hero side. We'll take him to a stage where he can shine more."

"Give him back!" Midoriya yelled.

"'Give him back?'" the villain asked. "That's a strange thing to say. Bakugou doesn't belong to anyone. He's his own person, you egoist."

"Give him back!" Midoriya yelled again.

"Move!" Todoroki said, pushing Midoriya and Shouji to the side as he used his ice.

The villain simply jumped out of the way, dodging the ice as he landed on the trees on the other side of the path.

Shouji glanced behind him, noticing another from their group had also gone missing.

"It's not just Bakugou!" he told the others. "Tokoyami's not here, either!"

Todoroki turned to the villain in anger. "To go out of your way to talk to us…

You're underestimating us."

"I was originally an entertainer, you know," the villain replied, continuing to flaunt the marble. "It's a bad habit of mine."

He turned the marble over in his hand, twisting his hand to reveal another. "Taking Tokoyami was an improvisation on my part."

Uraraka clenched her jaw as he continued.

"Moonfish… the man with 'Blade-Tooth'... he may not look it, but he's a cutthroat on death row whose appeal was dismissed. With a violent nature that trampled that cutthroat one-sidedly, I decided that Tokoyami was good, too…"

He turned his hand over one more time, revealing a third marble. "...not to mention there was this girl with lovely blue hair a comrade and I happened to pass by."

The students' eyes all widened in horror as they realized who he was talking about.

Out of all of Class A and Class B, there was only one girl with bright blue hair.

"HE TOOK HITOMI!" Uraraka shouted, distraught.

"You know," he started, "force field quirks are already pretty hard to come by."

He continued to fiddle with the three marbles in his hand, holding one between each of his fingers. "But one like hers, that doesn't just stay contained around the user alone…

Yes, Kanetsukabe's quirk is quite useful as well."

"You bastard!" Midoriya screamed. "Don't take them!"

Shouji and Todoroki lunged forward as the marbles flew out of Compress's mouth.

Shouji grabbed two of the marbles thanks to his Dupli-Arms quirk, leaving it to Todoroki to catch the last one. Before he could close his hands around it, another caught it, leaving Todoroki to simply look on in anguish.

The villain with spiky black hair only grinned. "That's sad…" he said to Todoroki's face. "Shouto… Todoroki…"

The dual-haired boy tumbled to the ground as the villain looked at the man in the trench coat, closing his fingers around the marble. "Confirm it now, Mr. Compress. Release this."

Compress stepped back, leaving only his hand visible through the smoky portal made by the warp gate villain from USJ. "My show's been ruined…!"

At the snap of the villain's fingers, Tokoyami and Hitomi appeared out of Shouji's hand, the two falling to the ground on top of him. Hitomi blinked rapidly, unbelievably confused before she looked up to see Bakugou taken hostage by a villain disappearing into a warp gate.

What's going on?!

"Kacchan!" Midoriya ran past her, lunging for the gate.

"KACCHAN!"

Through her confusion, she heard Bakugou utter three words as he disappeared.

"Don't come, Deku."

Midoriya fell to the ground as the gate disappeared, looking back only to stare at the forest fire left behind. Hitomi ran to his side as he let out a painful scream.

A/N: [2/16/2023 EDIT]: - Hitomi runs into a mysterious individual and is later met with a haunting sight.

So… villain OCs, huh? o-o I came up with the character Hitomi fights near the end of 2022, and he was just a loose concept that quickly morphed into an entire detailed character of his own that eventually I just had to put him in. I got too invested and now I can't let him go 😭

Ghost's addition gives a bit more agency to Hitomi in the villain arcs and lets her show off her own fighting skills (which looking back, was extremely lacking especially since she was often pushed into support roles) and also shows more of the impact her internship with Crust had on her. A small detail, but a needed one in hindsight and progress for Hitomi nonetheless.

Also, Ghost's inclusion is important… but you won't see him for a good while 👀 I just hope what little I've shared of him for now is interesting ^^