[EDIT: 4/16/22]
[Uraraka and Asui]
The streets of Chinmoku were eerily quiet.
Ochako and Tsuyu walked on the pavement, each of them taking little glances at their left and right. The Gravity Girl looked uneasy as the fog grew thicker, the lights from the streetlamps barely doing a thing in the dense fog. The Frog Girl would look behind her occasionally, making sure they weren't followed.
"Man...this is definitely not a place to be alone in the night, *ribbit,*" Tsuyu muttered to herself.
Ochako nodded, and added, "I really hope the others are alright."
"Yeah…" Tsuyu looked forward as she kept walking. "Whoever's out here sure picked a good place to hide out."
"Mm-hmm…" Ochako looked to her right for a moment, both of them passing a street as they walked.
It got quiet after that.
Ochako may not be the most alert in her class, but right now her senses were heightened to the max, due to the sheer silence in the streets.
...She didn't like this one bit.
She decided to try to ease the tension by talking to Tsuyu. "Uh, hey, Tsu?"
Tsuyu turned her head as she walked. "Yeah, Ochako?"
"Um...just so we won't feel like we're being watched, uh…" Ochako thought of something to say to the Frog Girl. "...What, um, what kind of guy do you specifically look for?"
Tsuyu blinked at that question, and Ochako sweatdropped at how that came out.
"I-I mean, I'm not still hooked up on that Deku getting your number thing! I'm just, uh, I'm just really curious! I mean, you never say anything about what kind of boy you might like!" Ochako said nervously.
Tsuyu blinked again. "...Well…"
Ochako felt a little embarrassed all of sudden. "I mean, n-n-nevermind! I just thought some, uh, some girl talk would be good, since, you know...we're here in a spooky, abandoned town..."
The Frog Girl raised a hand to calm her down. "Hey, hey, no worries, *ribbit.* I totally understand. And, well...I'm not really looking for a relationship with a guy right now. I mean, I'm trying to be a hero, so that's my prime objective at this moment. My love life isn't really on the top list of things that I need to be focusing on as of right now, to be honest."
"Oh...well then…" Ochako looked forward as she thought of what to say next. She turned her head back to her friend, "Well, say that you do want to be in a relationship with a guy. What kind of guy would you be into?"
Tsuyu glanced at the brunette in silence. Looking at the road they were walking on, she hummed as she considered that question.
"...Well, for one thing, he has to be truthful."
"Oh, definitely." Ochako nodded to her with a smile. "Honesty is always a good thing to have in a guy."
"Yeah...and I guess…" Tsuyu blushed. "He has to be a little attractive, *ribbit.* I mean, I wouldn't know, I'm not exactly a looker."
Ochako stopped as she gasped slightly and looked at her friend in shock. "What?! You are so a looker!"
Tsuyu, startled by Ochako's exclamation, stopped as well and turned her head with a blinking look. "Huh?"
"Yeah!" Uraraka nodded in vigorously, determined to let her friend know. "You might not know it, but you have the cutest face with those round cheeks, as well as the prettiest and purest big eyes I've seen! And your hairstyle is so adorable! Plus, you have a very nice body! Those hips and those legs!? I wish I had them!"
"Uh…" Tsuyu blushed at the sudden compliments. "I-I don't really...think I'm that attractive, *ribbit* And you're not giving yourself too much credit, Uraraka."
"Eh?" Ochako blinked. "W-Well, I've been told that I was cute and pretty, but…" She shook her head. "Wait a minute, this isn't about me! This is about you, Tsu! You don't have to feel like you're not attractive, because you are! Any guy would be lucky to have a girl like you, cause you have a great personality first and foremost!"
"I...uh, I don't know, I'm just...me, really." Tsuyu looked down and poked her fore fingers together in a timid nature. "I mean, my siblings say that I'm pretty, but I just kind of shrug that off, cause we're kind of amphibious looking by nature."
"Well, trust me and your siblings, Tsu! You're very pretty, charming, and you can work it too!" Uraraka nodded in determination with an assuring smile.
"...W-Well, okay…" Tsuyu said, still poking her fore fingers together in a tentative matter. "I-um, I guess I'll take your word for it."
"That's kind of cute, actually."
...Tsuyu flushed again as she remembered Midoriya's sentence in the tour bus.
Ochako smiled brightly, glad to lift her friend's spirits. Having done her good deed, she turned to the path they were taking and said, "Well, I think we should get back to searching for Iida."
Tsuyu looked up and nodded. "Yeah…"
They kept walking down the road, hoping to find their friend...
Five minutes later, they went up an intersection in the road, where there was a stop sign on the left, and a one way street pointing to the left. Tsuyu looked to her left to see a street sign that read: "Boho Street".
"Hmm…" Tsuyu stopped in her walk as she observed where they were.
"Hm?" Ochako stopped as well, and turned to Tsuyu. "What's up, Tsu?"
"...Hey, uh...how long have we been walking?" The Frog Girl asked.
Blinking at that question, Ochako answered, "Um...I think for like...fifteen, maybe eighteen minutes?" She pulled her flip-phone out of her jean pocket and looked at the time.
20:50
The Gravity Girl frowned. "Wow. It's almost 21:00." She looked up at the streetlights through the fog to see that they were still on. "We've been walking for a while…"
"Yeah...it looks like this road just doesn't end." Tsuyu decided to get her phone out her shorts to see the time too. Staring at the screen, she then said aloud, "We should probably text Yaoyorozu and Midoriya, just to see if they had any luck, *ribbit.*"
"Hmm...yeah. Good idea." Uraraka nodded. Before she could though, she had to remind herself that she didn't get the chance to actually get Izuku's number. Her face changed to a slightly dejected expression.
Tsuyu noticed this, and thought about what to do to make her friend not feel like she'd been cheated out of a potential moment to get to know Izuku better.
"...Um, I can text Yaoyorozu if you want me to." Tsuyu said to her.
"Eh?" Ochako looked up at her friend in confusion. "But...she didn't give you her number...did she?"
"Oh, well, I was just thinking maybe I could use your phone and...try to text her? *ribbit?* Maybe you could even hold my phone and...stuff." Tsuyu said, hoping she got the hint.
Uraraka blinked, but soon she realized what Tsuyu was trying to do. "Oh! Uh…" Ochako gave her a small smile. "I, uh...I mean, if you're okay with me holding your phone. I don't want to, um, run into anything you don't want me to see, heh."
"Oh no, it's just basically a lot of Sgt. Frog on it. Nothing too embarrassing, *ribbit,* " Tsuyu reassured her. She unlocked her phone and gave it to the brunette. "Here. Hold onto mine and I'll hold onto yours."
Ochako smiled. "You know, Tsu, you really don't have to-"
"Ah, don't worry about it. Just talk to Midoriya already, *ribbit.* And just to let you know, I was trying to set you up on talking to him." Tsuyu told her as she kept handing out her phone to her.
Smiling gratefully, Ochako took the phone and said. "Really, Tsu, thanks."
"No prob. Hey, I'll hold onto yours, if that's alright?"
"Oh! Sure! And you don't have to worry about anything on my phone, since it's such an old model. I'm not really hiding anything weird in it." Ochako said as she gave her phone a little too quickly to Tsuyu.
"Cool." Tsuyu nodded with a smile, holding onto Ochako's phone.
Giggling at that, Ochako set her attention to the screen. Before she tapped the text app on her phone…
MMM!
It vibrated in her hands, indicating a text just came up. Glancing who it was, she moved her eyes up on the screen at the text… and her face froze, a look of confusion and hurt adorning her features.
"Hm?" Tsuyu hummed in question upon noticing her expression. "Hey, you okay? What's up, Ochako?"
"...Ts-...Tsuyu, a...a text just came to you." Ochako said to her a little softly, her tone sounding like she found out something she shouldn't.
Tsuyu blinked in confusion, but frowned at her reaction. "Really? Uh, who is it?"
MMM!
Another vibration came up on Tsuyu's phone. This time, Ochako's eyes widened at what was being viewed in front of her.
Tsuyu looked a little worried. "Uh, Ochako? What's wrong?"
"...What...What is-"
MMM!
Another vibration. Ochako gasped.
"Ochako?" Tsuyu said, alarmed. "What is it?"
"...Asui...how long has this been going on?" Uraraka's voice wavered, her tone sounding...betrayed?
"Huh?" Tsuyu blinked again. Why's she calling me by my surname? I let her usually call me Tsu… "How...long what?"
"...How long have you and Deku been together?" Ochako asked her, a little firmly.
"Eh!?" Tsuyu exclaimed, her mouth opened in shock. "Wha...huh?!"
"Is...is this relationship recent?" Ochako's eyes were getting puffy as they formed tears.
"Ochako, what are you talking about? Midoriya and I aren't a thin-"
"Just stop. Don't lie to me." Ochako said with a deadly tone.
Tsuyu's eyes widened at her tone. "O-...Ochako, what's going on? What are you reading on my phone?"
"..." Ochako roughly tapped the text app on and read the one who was texting her. "...This text is from Deku."
"Huh?" Tsuyu looked confused. "Midoriya? Well...what'd he say?"
Ochako's lips tightened and she stood there, shaking.
The Frog Girl did not like where this was heading. She decided to get to the bottom of this. "Ochako, what did he say, *ribbit?* I doubt he's sending me love texts, so-"
"Y-You know...when we were about to leave on the tour bus, I saw you were sitting next to Midoriya," Ochako said in a tone that sounded low and sullen. "Did he...did he say something to you? Like how he loves the way your hair looks?!"
"What!?" Tsuyu exclaimed in surprise. "O-Ochako, let me see my phone for a second!"
"Why!? So you can enjoy these...these words from Deku all by yourself!?" Ochako exclaimed as she pulled the Frog Girl's phone away from her.
"Ochako, I don't know what you're reading, but this doesn't sound like anything Midoriya would say, *r-ribbit!* And I just sat next to him because it was the only closest seat for me to sit. The others were all taken. I mean, Bakugou sat next to you, so I just figured-"
"That you would make your move on Izuku!?" Ochako exclaimed harshly, interrupting her.
"What? N-No!" Tsuyu said as she shook her head desperately.
"Don't lie!" Ochako shakily shouted. Tears were starting to form in her eyes. "I...I should've known. When we were separated in the USJ, you were with him, right?"
"O-Ochako, I-"
"You probably felt something for him when he tried to save you from that hand villain! That must've been where it all started! Does that sound about right!?"
"Ochako, please, calm down-"
"And...and Deku must've...must've felt something for you when he tried to save your life!" Ochako's voice was cracking, a sob coming out of her throat.
This is getting out of hand. What is she reading on my phone? "Ochako, what exactly are you reading?"
"The texts on your phone from Deku!" Ochako shouted a wobbly cry.
MMM!
Another text came to Tsuyu's phone. Ochako looked down at the screen again to read it.
"Ochako! Just give me my phone! Whatever you're reading, I highly doubt those texts are from Midoriya! Please, just give it to-"
"Did...did he call you cute?" Ochako said quietly as she stared at the screen.
Tsuyu froze.
"That's kind of cute, actually."
"The text said...that he meant to say you were cute...in the tour bus..." She looked up at Tsuyu, her face expressing hurt. "What did he mean by that?"
Tsuyu went silent. "...Ochako, please, just give me my phone ba-"
"Asui, just...tell me right now, okay?" Ochako said shakily, her body also shaking, her expression now desperate, tears flowing faster down her cheeks.
Cornered, Tsuyu definitely felt conflicted, not wanting to answer that question. But I might have to...I mean, it's not the same thing, he's just saying he thought it was cute that I kind of believed in that whole supernatural stuff... I guess?
"A-Asui?"
"Okay, look…" Tsuyu took a deep breath, trying to pick her next words carefully. "He...did say something like that-"
Ochako made a whimper as her eyes widened in dread.
"-but he wasn't saying anything about me! He was just...saying...that he thought I believed in the supernatural and he thought that was...cute, I guess? Look, I doubt Midoriya was trying to call me cute. I mean, he's just awkward that way, he can't possibly be interested in me."
Ochako stared at her, her eyes wet from tears as she looked at the Frog Girl, a little unsure if she could believe her or not.
"Look, Ochako," Tsuyu said slowly. "Honestly, it really, really doesn't mean anything. He just said it to be nice, okay? Please, just give me-"
MMM!
Another vibration came onto the phone. Tsuyu froze once more. Ochako looked down at the text…
"..."
"...Uh, Ochako?"
The brunette said nothing…
Then, with a choked sob, Ochako turned around quickly, and began to run off. She could even hear her cries as she ran.
"Ochako, wait!" the frog girl pleaded, but it was no use. Whether the gravity girl could hear her or not, she would never know. Before she could even think to run or hop after her, Ochako disappeared into the fog, almost as if the mist was consuming her presence.
"Stop! We might get lost!" Tsuyu pleaded, running after her friend. But it was too late. Tsuyu Asui could no longer hear, nor see her heartbroken friend.
Oh man! I need to call her - no, everyone! Tsuyu thought, ready to tap the screen on the phone in her hands...until she noticed that the phone in her hands was a pink flip phone, and not a green smartphone...
Tsuyu's eyes widened at the realization. "...Oh crap."
She stood there for a couple of seconds to let the situation sink in, until she shook her head. "No! Come on, Tsu! I need to somehow try and find or contact Ochako!" She glanced down at the flip phone. "Hmm...maybe if I call my phone that Ochako has, she'll answer."
Using Ochako's flip phone and the buttons that are on it, she went to try to find her friend's contact list...
...Until the phone went off in her hands, making her drop it in surprise. An airy musical tone sang loudly, it's high-pitched song echoing in the lonely area.
After taking a moment to calm her beating heart, she realized that someone was trying to call her. Picking it up carefully, her large fingers moved to hit the answer button, before they paused.
"Huh?" Tsuyu blinked, a little dumbfounded. The caller ID's electronic font just read: [Me]
"...Me?" Tsuyu said out loud in question.
The ringing kept on going for a while, but the Frog Girl paid no mind to it as she kept staring at it in wonder, until it stopped.
"...Huh. That's strange." Tsuyu muttered. "Must be a wrong number...on...Ochako's phone." Realizing that sounded odd, she pushed that thought aside and tried to find the contact list again. Once she found it, she was trying to find her phone number by repeatedly tapping the down button.
"Man, poor Ochako. This phone is really outdate-"
The airy musical ringtone came back on.
"Huh? What?" Tsuyu blinked once more and looked at the caller ID.
(Me)
"..." Tsuyu kept staring at the phone in confusion. "What the heck? Who is this...Me?"
The ringtone kept going...and then it stopped.
"...Uh...okay…" Tsuyu said, almost feeling a little uneasy on having that call a second time.
She kept staring at the phone...almost as if she's waiting for the phone to come back to life with the same cheery ringtone.
"...Wha-"
The ringtone came back on yet again, startling her this time.
...The caller ID started to say something different this time.
(Me): [...]
(Me): [...]
(Me): [It's]
(Me) [...]
(Me): [...ME…]
Tsuyu's eyes widened in shock.
...Do...Do flip phones do this?
The caller ID then said something else while it was still ringing.
(Me): [Pick Up]
...Feeling a little frightened by this sudden act of sentience(?), Tsuyu raised a shaky finger and hovered it over the talk button…
...The ringtone was going on longer than usual...
Still hesitating, she was tempted to just let it keep ringing. This was Ochako's phone, and she didn't want to use hers without her permission...even though she's looking through it to find her own phone number.
But then, the caller ID on the screen said:
(Me): [PICK]
(Me): [ME]
(Me): [UP!]
Tsuyu looked at the screen in dread, wondering what was going on.
The ringtone kept going...
(Me): [...]
(Me): [...]
(Me): [...]
(Me): [Pick up NOW if you want to see your brother and sister alive, Tsu.]
Tsuyu's mouth dropped open, her eyes widened in shock once more.
"Wh-Wh-What!?" Tsuyu breathed out an exclaimed gasp.
(Me): [DO IT!]
She didn't waste any more time as she pushed the 'TALK' button.
"H-Hello!? Hello!? Who is this!?" Tsuyu asked the mysterious caller in a frantic, but stern tone.
"..."
"Hey! Tell me where my brother and sister are, right now!"
"...So. You finally picked up. I was getting impatient."
Tsuyu froze.
Wait...that voice...
"...W-Who is this?"
"You know...I never got to disintegrate you."
Her eyes widened out of fear.
"...Are...Are you…?"
"The hand villain as you and your friend so eloquently put it? The name's Shigaraki, little girl, remember it."
"...You...You're the one who's been sending the texts to Uraraka!"
"Oh darn. You got me. Maybe I shouldn't have let that slip."
Tsuyu gripped the phone as she firmly said to him, "W-What do you want!? What are you doing here!? Where are my siblings!? "
"Now, now, calm down. First off, I'm not here to cause any trouble to any of your friends."
That got Tsuyu's attention as she calmed down just a bit to listen.
"Oh no, I want to cause you trouble, little Tsuyu."
"How...How do you know my name?"
"I have my ways. And after being stopped by your teacher, Eraserhead, from letting me decay your little froggy face, I can't help but look at the expression you made when I was almost about to end your life. It was certainly...tantalizing to look at."
The Frog Girl grimaced.
Tantalizing? Eugh…
"Yes, that expression...it was your fear. Fear that your life was about to be extinguished in just a mere matter of seconds. And as you emitted that fear, I became very...dedicated to seeing that expression of yours once again."
Creeped out by the hand villain's speech, she stood strong, and sternly demanded, "S-Shut up! What have you done to my brother and sister!?"
"Oh, well, if you want to be rude about it, then fine, I'll tell you where your brother and sister are. Not to worry, since they're with me."
Her breath was caught in her throat, eyes widened even further in horror.
"Oooh, now, there we go. That expression. You look so...terrified."
She stood there rigid, turning her head around to view her surroundings while holding Ochako's phone next to her ear.
"And yes, I can see you. I can see everything, from the street, to up above, just like a video game. But I'm certain you can't see where I really am because of this pesky fog, now can you?"
Tsuyu averted her attention back to the caller on the phone. "Y-You listen to me, Shigaraki! If you hurt my brother and sister, then I'll-"
"Watch what you say, little Froggy, or I will make them have very short lives. Oh! Actually, I didn't even let you have the time to hear your siblings cry out to you, did I? Well, here they are."
The phone went silent for a moment...and then she heard them.
"TSU! HELP US! THIS MAN IS REALLY CREEPY!" shouted Tsuyu's little sister, Satsuki, who sounds like she was on the verge of tears.
"TSU, HELP! PLEASE SAVE US! THIS HAND GUY JUST ABDUCTED US OUT OF NOWHERE! PLEASE CALL ANYONE, ALL MIGHT, ERASERHEAD, ANYONE!" Tsuyu's younger brother, Samidare, shouted as well, the fear in his tone evident.
"Satsuki! Samidare!" Tsuyu yelled back at the phone in a panic. "Hold on! I'm coming! I can't call anyone right now, but I'll get you guys out! I promise!"
"Oh come now, don't make promises you can't keep, Tsu. You'll never know what will happen."
Tsuyu gritted her teeth. "If you hurt them, I swear, I'll make you eat dirt!"
"Aww, that's adorable. Well, let's see if you can keep that promise then. How about you follow these directions to where your precious brother and sister are, as well as I am?"
"Just tell me where they are!" Tsuyu exclaimed.
"Okay, okay, calm down. Sheesh, at least you're playing the game. Speaking of games, how about a little scavenger hunt along with a puzzle? Go to your left of the street you're on and stop until the end of the intersection. There's a restaurant on your right at the end of the corner of it. Go to it. Now for the puzzle: There in the kitchen, you'll find a meal, served just for you. I hope you haven't eaten anything...because the thing that was already cooked did. ...Or had it? Oh, I don't really know, but maybe you can figure it out when you get there."
The Frog Girl growled at Shigaraki on the other line, "What's the point of this!?"
"My point is that the item you seek is somewhere in the restaurant. Once you get it, I will call you back to give you more information. Ciao for now!"
Before Tsuyu could yell at him again, the other line hung up. Growling, she glared at the phone, and after calming down, she blew out a sigh. She looked toward the road ahead of her, where Ochako ran off to.
"...I'm sorry, Ochako. But I can't let my brother and sister get hurt." Tsuyu said out loud. She looked down, feeling slightly ashamed. "I hope you'll be okay...and that you won't be mad at me still after all of this...it was all Shigaraki's doing." She scowled as she remembered the texts that were on her phone for Ochako to see. "He's gonna pay for this."
And with that, she ran to the left of the street through the fog and went to her assigned destination.
Ochako wept as she kept running through the thick fog, not once looking back at her so-called friend.
She never felt so betrayed. She almost felt used in a way.
"I-I can't-" Ochako whimpered. "I can't believe T-Tsuyu would even do something like that! E-Even after I told her!"
Feeling her legs are getting tired from all the running, Ochako slowed down gradually to a stop. Once she did, she dropped to the ground on her knees, not caring if she scratches up her jeans. Putting a hand to her mouth to muffle her sobs as tears poured down her face.
MMM!
Ochako slightly jerked from the feeling of the vibration in her hand. Looking down at it, she came to the realization that she was still carrying Tsuyu's green phone with her.
Wiping her tears with her free hand, she lifted the phone up to her face that was gripped in the other. She stared at the screen to see what the recent text had said.
Reading it, Ochako, grimaced in despair.
"...I...I can't...I can't believe Midoriya would even say that…" Ochako sniffled as she choked another sob. "H-He must...r-really...like Tsuyu…"
She kept staring down at the screen, tears still going down her face…
...Silence filled the area…
"...Wait…" Ochako softly said to herself, her face slowly morphing into a look of confusion. She blinked, and wiped away her tears as she looked back at the screen. "...Something's off. Deku...wouldn't be like this…" She narrowed her eyes at the screen, and began rereading the texts that brought her misery.
Before the phone could blackout, Uraraka tapped the screen and scrolled up the rows of texts from the beginning of Tsuyu's conversation with Izuku.
After briefly feeling jealous that Tsuyu has somewhat of a better phone, she read and observed the first text from 'Midoriya' and read the others from there.
(Midoriya): [Hey there, Tsu. It's, uh, Izuku.]
(Midoriya): [Look, I'm just gonna say it...I think we should take the next step.]
(Midoriya): [I want...I want to make love to you.]
(Midoriya): [I mean, if you want! I mean...remember when I called you cute back at the tour bus? Well...while that's true, I was really gonna ask if...well, if you want to do the 'love' thing.]
(Midoriya): [I just...I want you so bad, Tsu…]
(Midoriya): [I...I really love you...Tsuyu.]
It took a lot out of Ochako, but she eventually calmed down, reminding herself to study the texts instead of reading them and taking them to heart. Studying the texts very closely, her feelings of anger and sorrow turned into one of confusion.
From what she knew about Izuku, he's the type to fumble his words, even in text...and if she thought about it, he texted these rather quickly. Not to mention that he's the most anxious person that she'd ever met. So when she really thought about it, she couldn't really believe that he would send these texts so easily, especially with how they were worded. She knew from her observations that he had a lot of self-confidence issues, and he wouldn't be this confident in being forward with a girl.
It was one of his many quirks(no pun attended) that made him so cute.
Shaking her head, she lightly smacked herself in the face to focus. The point was that no, Izuku wouldn't be able to talk to anyone of the girls like that, much less text them. Plus, she could imagine Izuku's head exploding upon mentioning...well, actual love-making. Not literally, but something to that effect...which she would find adorable if that was the case.
...Man, she has it bad.
Still, when she got down to it, this didn't sound at all like Izuku.
Which means…
"...Tsu wasn't lying," Ochako mumbled to herself. She even told her that whatever Izuku said, it wouldn't sound like him.
She knelt on the ground, looking at Tsuyu's phone, letting it all sink in.
"...Wow," Ochako muttered. She felt...ashamed. "Then...Tsu was telling the truth...and I didn't listen to her."
She let her emotions get the best of her…
Then...who was it that was pretending to be Izuku?
Ochako frowned. "Whoever did this was trying to lure me away…" She looked around the area she was in, the street that she was on.
I could be watched...there could be someone watching me right now! She thought, as she looked for any cameras in the area. There had to be some around the perimeter here. Those texts could've been from a hacker...could this person be learning more and more about us as we go through Chinmoku?
Standing up from her position, she stood there to think about her situation.
Either way, I got to get back to Tsuyu and apologize!
Ochako turned around, and was about to go back where she came from, when-
...She heard something.
"Huh?" Uraraka turned around again to look at the foggy road ahead of her.
SHIFF. SHIFF. SHIFF. SHIFF.
What was that?
Ochako, now on high alert, turned to the source of the sound, which was obscured by the fog.
"He...Hello?" she called out hesitantly.
...SHIFF…
...SHIFF…
...SHIFF-FLAP, SHIFF-FLAP, SHIFF-FLAP, SHIFF-FLAP, SHIFF-FLAP, SHIFF-FLAP!
The sound was getting louder…
"U-Uh…" Ochako blinked, unsure of what that sound was.
SHIFF-FLAP, SHIFF-FLAP, SHIFF-FLAP, SHIFF-FLAP, SHIFF-FLAP, SHIFF-FLAP, SHIFF-FLAP, SHIFF-FLAP!
A sense of dread was starting to overwhelm her as she stood there frozen.
But then, the sounds stopped...
...A low, pained, and pitiful groan echoed out onto the street.
That made Ochako gulp as she stammered, "H-h-hello?"
Silence answered her back.
"I-Is someone there!? Do you need help!?" Ochako finally called out, her body trembling as she fought hard to stay brave.
"...ChAnGe…"
"...Huh?" Ochako blinked.
A figure came crawling out of the fog. Ochako squinted, unable to properly identify what she was looking at.
Whatever - or whoever, - this thing was, it was crawling towards her slowly, and Ochako's eyes widened.
"H-Hey! Are you okay!?"
She decided to throw caution to the wind, and ran towards the man who looked to be injured.
"Hey, are you alri-" Ochako stopped dead in her tracks as she finally saw what was coming towards her.
Her eyes widened as a trembled gasp escaped her throat, her hands muffling her sounds as she put them over her lips.
"ChAnGe…"
Ochako screamed, backing away from it.
This...thing...it wasn't human. At least, it couldn't be. Not anymore. She didn't know what it was, but it wasn't human! She wasn't even sure if it was alive!
Its skin was a dull brown, looking like it'd been decomposed for days, while its arms were spindly, thin enough to be meaty twigs. Its hands were large, being big and bony enough to fully grab someone's head. Its chest looks sunken, its ribcage and stomach showing, and stopping there, as there was no lower body, just a torso with arms, hands, and a head. Another bizarre thing about this...this creature, was that it looked like it was wearing a jacket of some kind...made of its own brown flesh. It looked flappy and torn looking, the jacket skin hanging off its arms and on the sides of his chests and stomach. Even its shoulders looked like sagging skin that's reminiscent of a jacket.
But believe it or not, that wasn't the most frightening detail.
It was the head of this thing.
While the head itself was the same color as the creature, there...there were no eyes whatsoever. Just a mouth with jagged and crooked teeth, a lot of them missing, and two deformed ears. There wasn't even a distinguished nose on it...
And this creature was crawling on its large bony hands, dragging its body towards Ochako!
"ChAaAaAnGe!" it yelled out in a low, almost inhuman growl, getting closer to the girl.
"Wha-wha-wha-what-what-whaaaat!?" Ochako stuttered in a scared frenzy as she staggered backwards. However, upon doing so, she tripped on her heel, and landed on her bottom with a thud! "Oof!"
Looking back up, she stared in horror at the crawling monster that was headed for her.
'Wha-Wha-What is that thing!?' Ochako screamed inside her mind in horror.
"ChAnGe!" the monster hollered out as it grew closer.
Snapping out of her shock, Ochako yelped and got up quickly as she scurried to stand. When the monstrosity was close in reaching her, she turned around and ran.
She ran away from the crawling menace, her legs going faster than the monster's pace. Heart beating so fast, she pumped her legs with more adrenaline as she kept going, further away from that thing.
As she ran, she took a right turn into an alleyway to try to lose the monster. There was a dumpster on the left side of the wall, as well as some trash cans. She went over and hid behind the other side of the dumpster, the object being large enough to hide her smaller frame. Ochako calmed her scared breathing as she placed a hand over her mouth so that she wouldn't attract the creature.
Huff...huff...huff...huff…huff...
...Everything turned silent...
With her hand still covering her mouth, her frantic breathing lessening as she stood there hunched over to make herself even more concealed from view.
…
She didn't hear anything.
Everything...was quiet again.
Ochako cautiously let her hand get away from her mouth, her breathing becoming steady now.
'What?'
Hesitantly, she inched her head to the edge of the dumpster and poked her head out on the other side to see if anybody was there.
...All she could see was the fog encasing the street from the entrance of the alleyway.
Confused, Ochako got out from behind her cover. Staring at the opening that leads to the street, she made her way to it at a wary pace.
That encounter with that thing...it made her remember something back then when she was fourteen…
[A Year Ago]
Ochako panted as she jogged home. Her school uniform beginning to feel damp from the humid evening, she was heading back home to her apartment so that she won't miss out on her favorite program. She was also hungry, and was more than ready for some dinner.
"Change…"
"Huh?" Ochako stopped in her tracks, and looked behind at the open alleyway behind her.
"Change…" said the croaking and raggedy voice.
A vagrant stepped into view, wearing worn, ragged, and unclean clothes, which looked as greasy as his long, white beard. She briefly wondered if he was quirkless, until she noticed his long, flesh-colored tail.
Staggering over to the girl with a can in his right hand, he mumbled, "Change...I can tell your future for twenty-five yen."
"Oh! Uh...okay?" Ochako said to the vagrant in confusion.
The man stopped staggering and seemed to look at her through his shades as if he just saw her for the first time.
"Oh...yes, I see! I see you have a good future!" The homeless man grinned, showing off several of his missing teeth.
Ochako blinked at the man, looking intrigued by his rambling. "You..do?"
"Oh yes! I see that it's very good! Do you want to see it? It's only twenty-five yen!" the man urged, his smile turning into a grin.
The girl looked at the man a little suspiciously...
Well... it's just twenty-five yen. It's not that much. And besides, this guy looks like he really needs it.
Ochako smiled at the man. "Okay then! Sure!"
She dug into her skirt pocket, and got her wallet out to get the amount asked. As soon as she dropped it into the can, though, the man suddenly wrapped his tail around her wrist.
"Huh?" Ochako blinked, a little surprised.
Then...the man started to stroke the top of her hand, along with her fingers.
"Oooh…" the man cooed.
Ochako froze as his caressing touch.
"U-Uh...i-is this part of your...Quirk? The fortune-telling thing?" Ochako asked the man uneasily.
"Oh yes...yes, yes...yessss…" the vagrant said as he grinned even wider.
"...Uh…u-um…" Ochako started to shake a bit.
She's REALLY starting to have a bad feeling about all of this, and was beginning to regret even talking to this man.
"Oooh...you have really smooth skin," the homeless man said, his grin oddly getting excited.
"Uh...uuuh…" Ochako began to sweat as she began to fidget from his dirty touch.
"Yes...I can tell you your future, alright..." The man then took off his sunglasses...to reveal that his eyes were all bugged out and moving around, looking in different directions.
Ochako blanched at the lecherous look he was giving her.
"Hehe...would you like to 'see' it?" the man said, his tongue licking grazing against his teeth as he licked his lips.
"UUUUH...n-no thank you!" She exclaimed as she raised her other hand and slapped the man's face, thus activating her Zero Gravity Quirk on him.
"AAAAGH!" The man felt weightless as he began to float and whirl in place where he stood, his tail releasing her wrist, as his can of change fell out of his hand, and the money clattered on the concrete sidewalk.
Without even thinking, Ochako took what little amount of change that she exchanged to the vagrant off the ground and ran away from him, all the while his form still floating and whirling around in the same place.
As she ran, one thought was racing in Ochako's mind:
NEVER AGAIN!
Ochako stopped to shiver at that memory.
That was something she'd never wanted to experience again. To be touched like that...ugh! She felt so violated just thinking about it!
She continued onwards as she neared the foggy road.
...Shiff.
As soon as she heard that noise, she froze.
...
...She waited for any sound to come into the dense silence.
...Shiff.
Her eyes went wide.
...Shiff...shiff…
Ochako was slightly shaking, the dreadful lingering shuffling far off, but at the same time feels like the sounds are closer than she thinks.
...Shiff...shiff...shiff...shiff-shiff...shiff-shiff...shiff-shiff...
...Then a far-off voice, with the same low grunting gargle, called out...
"Change…"
...Ochako gulped.
"Change...change…"
Shii-shiff...shiff-shiff...shiff-shiff...shiff, shiff, shiff, shiff, shiff, shiff, shiff, shiff…
"...Change."
Feeling very uncomfortable just by standing near the street, Ochako quietly backed away from it and returned to the alleyway.
Taking each careful step backward, once she'd entered the alleyway again, she turned around and quickly ran through it, careful not to make any loud sounds as she dodged trash cans and litter that were laid around the area.
She went straight, and came up with a two way path to the left and right. Looking swiftly to her left, she saw that it was a dead end, but there were three doors that led into the back of the buildings. Trying out her luck, she went to the first door and tried to open it.
The door was locked.
"Damn," Ochako cursed in a whisper. She went to the other door.
The doorknob felt broken.
Gritting her teeth in desperation and annoyance, Ochako went to the last door.
The metal handle for the door looked broken off from erosion.
Seriously!? Ochako almost yelped in frustration, but didn't want to tip the monster off. She tried to push it at least, maybe even using her Quirk on it, but it proved fruitless, with the door being stubbornly fused to the hinges.
With a huff of irritated disappointment, she ran away from the doors and went further the other direction, past the alleyway exit (while making sure not to make too much loud noise when she ran). As she kept running to the other side of the path, there was a left turn in the alley. She took it, and ran through the path straight, until she found another door to the right of a dead-end. However, there was another left turn, but it had a wired metal fence blocking access from it. She tried the door to the right at the dead end, but it looked like it wouldn't budge.
Oh come on! Ochako turned around to see the wired fence behind her. She frowned as she looked back at her left where the alleyway path was to make sure the monster wasn't somehow following her. She gave out a small whimper, her attention back to the fence, Well, I might have to use my Quirk a little bit…
She activated her Quirk and tapped the bottom of her bare ankles, and made the jump over the gate.
Woosh!
Ochako went over the fence...and landed on the other side of the alleyway.
Okay, not so ba-
"...ULLLP!"
...Her stomach hurt.
What? Oh...oh…
A rising nausea formed in her stomach.
Oh no...
She put a hand to her mouth, the bile slowly coming up. However, she managed to fight back the urge, and she managed to force the bile back down.
"Ugh…" Ochako gasped for air as she panted. "Ha...ha...wow...that...that was… a lot sooner than usual..."
After swallowing some air to ease her lingering nausea, she looked behind her at the fence.
"Well...at least whatever that thing was, I'm safe from it...for now," she said quietly.
Turning back to the path at hand, she went ahead down the short way, which there was a right turn.
Taking the turn, she stopped to see that the path of this alleyway exited through another street. There were garbage cans and another dumpster there. There were also other doors on each side of the buildings, but that didn't matter right now. She was almost away from that thing.
She gave a sigh of relief, "Okay...now I got to find Tsuyu."
Feeling confident that she lost the creature that was after her, she continued onward through the alley. While the smell wasn't very pleasant, at least she-
Thump
Ochako froze dead in her tracks.
Thump...thump!
She quickly turned to her right to look at the nearby dumpster with wide eyes.
Unsure if she was hearing things correctly, she took a hesitant step forward.
Thump. Thump. THUMP!
She jumped as the dumpster began to rock back and forth, almost as if someone was trying to escape its confinement. The top flaps vibrated with each bang from the metal, letting them bounce from the violent movements.
THUMP! THUMP! THUMP! THUMP!
"Uh...h-...hello?" Ochako said timidly.
…
... POW!
Without warning, the dumpster lids blasted open loudly, making her squeak in fear as she fell on her rear.
The Zero Gravity Girl didn't - no, couldn't move, paralyzed by both fear and curiosity for what could be in the dumpster.
Then, an arm reached out of the container, and she felt her heart stop.
What? But...But it was back there!
"CHANGE!"
The monster from before popped out of the dumpster, and lunged right at her.
"AAAH!" Ochako screamed, desperately scrambling backwards, only to hit the wall with her back against it.
The monster fell out of the dumpster and painfully landed on its head. It groaned as it struggled to get up, letting out a pitiful attempt to reach out for her, before it went still.
Shaking in frozen fear, the girl looked down at the creature.
...It wasn't moving.
Trembling, but finally calming down just a bit, Ochako wondered to herself, "Is...is it dead?"
She stared at the creature, and realized that it definitely wasn't moving anymore.
"...Oh...I...I guess...it's...I guess it's...dead?" Ochako hesitantly concluded.
I mean...it had landed on its head...it looked like a nasty fall too...and I think its neck bent when it landed on the ground.
Ochako cautiously crawled over to the supposedly dead creature.
Despite living in a world of quirks, she still found it crazy to her that something like this existed. Sure, there were abominations like Nomus, but this clearly wasn't one, due to its frail appearance alone. It didn't even have legs! ...Or eyes, or any other facial features besides its mouth.
Suddenly, the monster's body started to twitch.
Ochako blinked.
Huh?
SNATCH!
As fast as a snake, the monster's large hand shot up, grabbing her arm tightly.
"WHAAAH!?" Ochako exclaimed in shock.
"Change...change!" the creature kept saying as it got up, using its other hand for support, lifting its half torso-ed body up.
The girl desperately tried to shake him off of her, but the monster was surprisingly strong. Its grip tightening on her arm, she tried to shake him off again, only to accidentally pull it towards her. They both fell back towards the wall, and her head banged into it painfully, making the foggy world blurry. Dazed, but not completely out of it yet, she weakly tried to pry its grip off of her with her Quirk, but it grabbed onto her other arm, trapping her in its embrace.
Eyes widening in horror, she tried to get her other arm free from the monster's grip, but it then grabbed both of her forearms, and soon, she was secured in place, having no way to fight back. The creature then looked as if it was staring at her, its rancid breath giving out puffs onto her face. Ochako quivered, her back against the wall as she's sitting on the ground, probably about to be eaten...or worse...maybe even violated?
Her eyes widened even further as its tongue came out of its mouth, the latter becoming even more apparent by the moment.
"Change...change…"
W-Why does it keep saying that?! It is some sort of...b-beggar?
"Chaaaaange…"
Right now, she doesn't have any money on her...but the thing looks like it was gonna compromise with something else in mind.
She couldn't believe the mess she was in...
"P-P-Please...d-don't," Ochako pleaded, terrified at what was about to happen.
"CHANGE!"
That shout to her face was all she could handle.
"SOMEONE PLEASE HELP ME!" Ochako screamed, the monster's tongue seemingly looking like it's stretching, getting longer by the second.
She wished someone was here right now to ward off this thing, anyone. Tsuyu, Yaoyorozu, Todoroki, Kyouka, Iida. Heck, maybe even Bakugou! She closed her eyes out of fear, dreadfully waiting for the inevitable to happen…
She wished Midoriya was here.
Its tongue was getting closer to her mouth...
Deku, please save me!
WHAM!
Suddenly, the weight of the monster lessened. Ochako opened her eyes, wondering what happened. Then...
WHAM!
She gasped as she saw a metal pipe bashed down on the creature's head.
"CHaAaAoooANGE!" it cried in agony.
WHAM!
The monster was hit hard upside the face, now completely off of her as it let go of Ochako. She sat there in frozen shock as a person ran into her vision, carrying a metal pipe in their hand.
Her eyes darted to that person, a man it would seem, as he quickly approached the monster with the metal pipe in his hands.
The monster didn't look like it was down for the count as it tried to swipe a large hand at the man while it was on its back. It looked as if it was trying to get back up, squirming and convulsing wildly as it waved its arms and hands around.
The man backed up a bit, and then took position to whack the creature again. Once the monster showed an opening for him, the man lifted the metal pipe in his hands and slammed it on the abomination.
WHAM!
"CHAAAAOOooaANanaNANGge!" the creature gave out a disturbing shriek of pain.
The man didn't waste any more time as he kept bashing the monster's body.
WHAM!
The monster shrieked again.
WHAM!
It shrieked some more.
WHAM!
It was slowing down its movements, the monster getting weaker as well as its shrieks.
WHAM!
Once it stopped flailing its arms, the monster groaned as it tried to get back up. But the man would have none of it.
WHAM!
He swung the pipe horizontally on its head, making the thing go down. The creature, however, was still twitching a good bit, letting whatever muscles it had spazz like crazy. The man decided to give it one last hit, this time striking it down on the head.
WHAM!
...The monster was out like a light.
It didn't twitch or shriek anymore, laying there on the ground in a beaten state...possibly dead.
The man was breathing hard, his adrenaline going down once it was all over.
Ochako looked on at the man, and then at the supposed dead monster that he'd beaten to a pulp, her shock still present in her system.
Breathing heavily, the man then decided to take another precaution and kick the downed beggar(she decided to call it that from now on) to make sure if it was, indeed, dead.
It didn't move...
"...Thank God," the man muttered as he sighed in relief.
Ochako looked back up at her savior, which the man turned his whole form to her, letting her see his face.
"Hey," the man spoke softly as he cautiously approached her. "Are you okay?"
"Uhh...u-um..." Ochako sat there dumbfounded.
The man frowned. "I'm...I'm really sorry you had to see that. But, it was attacking you, and…well, you were yelling for help...and..." the man's sentence died off, looking somewhat awkward, "...Can you stand?"
She snapped out of her stupor. "W-What?"
The man looked at her sympathetically, "I said can you stand?" He reached out his hand to Uraraka. She noticed that his fingers were illuminating a light on the tip of his fingers, making them look like mini flashlights. Thankfully, the lights were dim, and didn't blind her. "Here. I'll help you up."
Ochako observed the man curiously. He looked normal, from the clothes to his blonde hair, even from his Quirk, which she thinks it involves flashlights on his fingers. His face looked honest and his eyes looked really soft...
"...O...kay," Ochako then lifted her hand and placed it on his hand.
Wow, his hand is really warm.
Once he grasped her hand, he pulled her up from the ground.
"Thanks..." Ochako said, but looked confused. "Um...who are you?"
The man's eyes widened as he realized he hadn't told her his name. "Oh, I'm sorry. I, um...my name is Sandarando. Jasei Sandarando."
"Oh...okay. Well, my name is Uraraka Ochako."
Jasei smiled. "Evening, Uraraka."
He seems nice…
Ochako smiled slightly, feeling a little bit at ease with this man.
However, she wanted to ask him a question.
"Um...Mr. Sandarando?"
"Hm? Yes?"
"What...uh, what are you doing in this abandoned town?"
Oh, my, goodness...I finally updated! XD
This chapter was gonna be MUCH longer originally, but...I decided just to give all of you this so you can know that I haven't ditched this project. XP But still, interesting, ain't it? Now we got our first monster in this story, all made by yours truly! :) And look who decided to drop by and help out Ochako! You thought he was going to be just a fanservice cameo? Ooooh no, he'll play a part in this story. It's small, but he'll be playing it. ;)
Either way, next chapter, we'll go back to Ochako and Jasei, while we switch to Shouto and Jirou, and then back to maybe Tsuyu or Izuku and Momo! Or maybe both! I can try! ;D
And don't worry, Katsuki will get some well deserved...well, you'll see. X)
So, did you enjoy the chapter, even though I just focused on two of the girls here? If you have, give me a review, a follow and/or a fave! I love to hear what you think! :D
Thanks to Lucius Walker for betaing it as well! You rock, dude! ^_^
Until then, keep on rocking, everybody! :)
-TSP