A/N: *Kicks open door, slams second chapter onto table, refuses to elaborate, leaves.*

So yeah, second chapter. I said I was almost done with it, and now here it is.

Hope you guys enjoy it!


Tired Eyes, Flowing Tears


Ume awoke the next morning to the sun shining into her eyes and her alarm blaring in her ears.

One of her belts sprouted from her back before it whipped across the room, silencing the alarm clock with an audible smack. The sudden silence was almost blissful, yet it did little to calm her down. She lay there for some time, breathing heavily, drenched in her own sweat as her heart hammered in her chest.

She felt so tired. All she wanted was to close her eyes and drift off, to sleep for just a little bit longer, but the adrenaline in her veins wouldn't let her. Despite her exhaustion, she was well and truly wide awake.

A tired, disgruntled groan forced itself out of her throat as Ume sat up in her bed, her obi sash retreating back into her body as she raised her hands to her face and rubbed the sleep out of her eyes as best as she could.

Unsurprisingly, her hands came away wet.

She'd had another nightmare.

Honestly, she felt terrible—as if she'd barely gotten any sleep last night, and she probably looked it too. It didn't exactly take a genius to put two and two together and realize that was probably exactly what had happened. Well, it was either that or what sleep she had gotten was far from restful. Thanks to her reoccurring nightmares, it wasn't very common for her to get a good night's sleep, and since she'd had trouble falling asleep in the first place, it was no wonder she felt even worse than usual.

Eventually, after a few minutes of staring blankly into her lap, Ume stood and shambled her way to the bathroom, coming face to face with her reflection in the mirror above her sink.

Her hair was a tangled mess that had been strewn all over the place. Through the messy clumps and strands over her face, she locked eyes with the girl in the mirror. They were bloodshot and slightly puffy—which was only more proof that she'd been crying in her sleep, as if the tear tracks on her cheeks hadn't been proof enough. When she noticed the dark bags that sat beneath her eyes, Ume could only sigh tiredly.

After staring blankly into the mirror for a moment longer, she got to work. Ume painstakingly ran a brush through her hair, wincing and hissing lightly every time her brush snagged on a particularly troublesome knot before she pulled her hair back and tied it into a ponytail. With that done, she moved on, reaching for the small box of dental floss on the counter.

Ume made sure to be thorough—carefully removing every bit of plaque between her teeth. Next, she brushed, spitting the toothpaste into the sink afterward and then rinsing her mouth with water. There was just one last thing she needed to do.

Makeup.

A little bit of eyeliner and mascara, some concealer to hide the bags under her eyes and fix her complexion, and finally, a smattering of lipstick to top it all off—she made sure to keep it nice and simple. Someone as beautiful as her didn't need much else, after all.

Once all was said and done, she took a moment to look herself over—a small, if tired, grin splitting her face when she didn't find a hair out of place. She looked perfect.

It was a shame she would have to ruin it with that ugly uniform she was forced to wear to school every day.

Her smile was wiped away, replaced by a small scowl as she made her way to her closet. Begrudgingly, she shed her nightgown before reaching for her uniform, which she made sure to put on carefully despite her distaste. She couldn't help it, it was just so bland-looking! Had it really been so difficult to add just a little more color?

With one last look in the mirror to make sure she was presentable, Ume left her room, making her way down the hall and into the dining room, which was connected with the kitchen and the living room, giving her a clear view of her mother who was busy with preparing breakfast.

Her mother must have heard her coming in, because she paused suddenly and turned her head to peer over her shoulder, shooting Ume a small, similarly tired smile when their eyes met.

"Good morning, Ume," she said, her voice soft, yet with an undertone of cheer.

Ume shot her a smile of her own. "Good morning, mom."

"Breakfast will be ready in a minute, sweetie," her mom said as she turned back around. "Why don't you go grab a seat?"

"Are you sure?" Ume frowned. "You don't need any help?"

Her mother huffed out a quiet laugh. "I might have taken you up on that offer," her mother said, almost cheeky, "if you'd woken up a little earlier. I'm almost done cooking, Ume. There's nothing left for you to help me with."

Ume averted her eyes suddenly, a guilty frown on her face.

Her mother must have seen it because when she spoke next, she sounded sad. "Go have a seat, alright, sweetie?"

With a nod, Ume did as she was told, pulling the chair back and taking a seat.

Breakfast was served moments later when a handful of dishes were set down right in front of her. Two small bowls, one filled with rice and the other with miso soup, accompanied a plate of grilled fish. It was nothing special—just a nice, simple, and tasty meal. Two cups were set down beside them. Steam lightly wafted from one, carrying the pleasant scent of matcha tea. It blended with the strong, coppery scent coming from the second cup, which was filled with a dark red liquid.

Ume slowly ran her tongue over her teeth, particularly the sharp canines on both the lower and upper rows.

Ever since she'd been little, Ume's canines had always been a bit longer and sharper than other kids her age, like tiny little fangs. Over time, they had grown along with the rest of her body, lengthening and sharpening to the point where she was sure she'd be able to rip and tear raw meat if she tried. They were well hidden unless she bared them, or opened her mouth a little too wide, but Ume was well aware that they, along with the pale hue of her skin and her thin, almost silt pupils, gave her the resemblance of a vampire.

Or a demon.

The irony wasn't lost on her.

When her mother sat down, Ume looked up and met her eyes. Lime green stared into plum red.

They looked so tired.

"You had another nightmare," her mother said pointedly.

The way Ume flinched was entirely involuntary. She tried to hide it, but the way her mother's eyes narrowed told her she was unsuccessful.

"What?" Ume squeaked. "W-What gave you that idea—"

"Ume."

She froze, her mouth snapping shut with a click. "How did you know?" she eventually asked, her voice bordering on a whisper, with her head hung in shame.

"I'm your mother, Ume," she said softly. "I'll always be able to tell, no matter how well you try and hide it."

Ume let out a shuddering sigh and closed her eyes. "I'm sorry."

"Oh, Ume."

Before she knew it, Ume felt soft arms wrap around her and pull her close, pressing her head against her mother's chest as gentle fingers ran through her hair. She couldn't help the way she relaxed. It just made her feel so safe.

"I'm not mad, Ume," her mother whispered. "I'm worried and concerned… but not angry. I could never be angry with you."

"You don't need to be worried," Ume said, her voice just as soft. "They're just nightmares. I can handle them."

"I know," her mother said, her arms suddenly squeezing her just a little bit tighter. "You're so strong, Ume. I know you can handle it, but knowing won't stop me from worrying." Suddenly, her mother sighed, almost hesitant. There was a brief moment of silence before she spoke again. "Will you ever tell me about them?" she asked. "About your nightmares? About what you see in them?"

Ume couldn't help the way she tensed.

"You're not alone, Ume," her mother said quietly, almost pleading. "I'll always be here for you. You know you can tell me anything."

Could she…?

"You should have never been born in the first place!"

"Because all you have left is each other in this world!"

"I don't wanna die! I don't wanna die! Help me, brother! Help me, brother!"

Ume let out a quiet, trembling sigh.

…No. No, she couldn't. She wouldn't.

She wanted to—oh, how she wanted to. But how would she even go about it? And even then, what would telling her accomplish? Her mother already worried for her, telling her of her nightmares would only make it worse. This wasn't something her mother could deal with, it wasn't something she could fix, and Ume refused to let her shoulder a burden that wasn't hers.

Besides, Ume could handle this on her own. She wasn't so weak as to let something as trivial as a nightmare break her.

If she did, then she'd deserve it.

So, as best as she was able, Ume forced her lips into a pout, masking the vulnerability within her that she would never acknowledge. "They're just stupid nightmares," she whined childishly.

Thankfully, it was enough. Abruptly, her mother laughed, a light melodic sound that put Ume at ease.

"I know, sweetie," her mother said, that soft, tired smile back on her face. "But people don't have nightmares for no reason." She huffed suddenly and stepped back. "Now, eat up. You don't want to be late for school now, do you?"

"Of course not!" Ume said hotly, which caused her mother to giggle.

Before Ume could even grab her chopsticks and start eating, her mother spoke up, interrupting her.

"I… I need to get going," she said suddenly.

Ume startled lightly, a frown splitting her face. "Wait, already?"

Her mother sighed, her expression twisting to one of regret. "I'm afraid so," she said softly.

Ume's mouth fell open, something tight and cold coiling in her chest. "But—"

"I'll be back later tonight, alright, sweetie?"

Ume's frown deepened and her eyes began to sting. "I…" She sighed sadly. "Okay, mom…" she whimpered.

Her mother smiled sadly at the look on her face. She swept Ume up in one last crushing hug and planted a kiss on her forehead. "I love you, Ume," she whispered. "My little princess—my Shiraume, my darling White Plum. I love you so, so much."

It took everything to keep herself from crying.

Instead, Ume smiled—a brittle, fragile thing. "I love you too," she eventually whispered in a faintly trembling voice. "Promise you won't work too hard?"

Her mother chuckled softly. "I promise," she said. "Have fun at school, okay? And make sure you learn all you can."

Ume nodded. "I will."

As soon as the front door clicked shut and her mother's footsteps faded away, the smile on Ume's face fell away as a sorrowful sigh fell from her lips.

With her mother gone, reluctantly, Ume returned to her meal. She gripped her chopsticks and dug in.

The food was a little bland and a bit overcooked, but even if it wasn't the best, the mere fact that it was her mother who had prepared her meal automatically meant it was delicious, and Ume made sure to clean out her plates so that nothing went to waste, washing it all down with the warm cup of tea her mother had made for her.

In the end, all that was left was the cup of blood.

Due to how both her and her mother's Quirks worked, having some blood in their diets was a necessity—another bit of irony Ume did not find amusing.

If she were to compare her Quirk to the Blood Demon Art she once had, they would look identical at a glance, and while there were many similarities, they were entirely different abilities.

Ume's Quirk, Obi Sash, allowed her to create a number of obi sashes from her body, which she could then freely manipulate. She could lengthen them, make them twist and turn, she could make them fold, and so on and so forth. She could even determine the sharpness of their edges—either dulling them to the point where they could barely scratch a target or sharpening them akin to a razor's edge.

It was also possible for her to separate her sashes from her body, at which point she could manipulate them from a distance at the cost of her stamina. Unfortunately, this was difficult for her to do, and only grew more difficult as the number of sashes and their distance from her increased.

Overall, however, her Quirk was significantly limited when compared to her former Blood Demon Art.

For one, Ume was unable to manipulate her body using her Quirk, something she'd been easily capable of and made great use of as a demon, specifically by using her Blood Demon Art to transmute her neck into an obi sash to avoid decapitation.

Storing humans and other objects inside her sashes was now beyond her as well, something she lamented often, and while detaching and then reattaching her sashes to revitalize herself was something she was very much capable of, giving her sashes any sort of cognitive function, and thus a degree of sentience and an ability to act independently, was no longer possible. If she were to ever lose concentration whilst manipulating one of these separated sashes, it would merely fall to the floor, lifeless and limp.

Thankfully, if one or more of her sashes were ever damaged—sliced to ribbons, burned to ash, torn apart, or otherwise destroyed—she was fully capable of regenerating them, although this took a great deal of concentration and effort. Though this was a boon, her current capabilities were nothing compared to the regenerative abilities of a demon, let alone an Upper Rank.

The speed at which her sashes could regenerate also depended on the level of damage they'd been dealt. Minor damage would heal near-instantaneously, but fully regenerating even a single sash could take upwards of several seconds, and attempting to regenerate more than a single sash at a time would only prolong the process further.

Ume inherited her Quirk's regenerative abilities, and thus her need for blood, from her mother, who possessed regenerative abilities of her own.

Her mother's Quirk, Blood Mend, gave her the ability to heal from almost any wound or form of damage, even making her capable of regenerating lost limbs, so long as she had enough blood to fuel the process. Whether this blood came from her own body's supply or from an outside source didn't matter.

Overusing either of their Quirks, however, was incredibly dangerous, as it could not only lead to them passing out from blood loss, but it could even lead to hypovolemic shock under extreme circumstances.

Thankfully, it was only when Ume overused the regenerative aspect of her Quirk that she truly ran the risk of losing too much blood. The only thing she needed to worry about otherwise in regards to overusing her Quirk was exceeding her stamina threshold and becoming exhausted.

Alongside her regenerative abilities, her mother was actually where she'd gotten most of her features from, including her fangs and slit eyes. The only thing she'd inherited from her father, aside from an aspect of her Quirk, had been his lime green eye color.

She couldn't remember her father very well—she'd been so young when he'd died, but in the few memories of him that she had managed to keep, her father was always smiling.

Even if she hadn't gotten to know him well enough, Ume was still glad to have had him in her life, despite how brief it may have been.

Ume brushed the memories aside with a shake of her head and reached out for the cup full of blood. She brought it to her lips and downed it with a content hum, making sure to savor the taste as she drank. Before she knew it, the cup was empty, and Ume licked her lips before she let out a satisfied sigh.

Now that she had finished, she felt full, pleasantly warm, and a bit more energized than she had before. Carefully, she set the empty cup down and bowed her head.

"Thanks for the food, mom," she whispered. "It was delicious."

She just wished she could have shared it with her.


"Hey, Shabana!"

Ume hissed quietly as she closed her eyes, her attractive features morphing into a glower.

Reluctantly, she paused in her stride and turned around, coming face to face with three young girls. The first two were utterly forgettable—both had short brown hair and plain faces with nothing else going for them—but the third was someone Ume actually recognized.

Short, fluffy, bright pink hair with a skin tone of the same shade, a pair of thin, pale yellow horns protruding from the top of her forehead, and oddly pretty eyes with golden irises and black sclera. Her name was Mina Ashido, and with how eye-catching her appearance was, she was hard to miss.

Unfortunately, the girl was completely insufferable. Just being near her was giving Ume a headache. The other two girls were eyesores, but Ume could tolerate them because, at the very least, they knew how to be silent.

"I'm so glad I caught you! I thought that you might've gone home already," Mina laughed brightly as her hand rubbed at the back of her head. "Listen, we were about to head to the mall to do some shopping, and we were wondering if you wanted to join us!"

Ume scowled. "Shopping? With you of all people?" She crossed her arms with a scoff, her eyes narrowed into a glare. "Please, I have better things to do."

"Oh, come on!" Mina shouted, abruptly wrapping her arm around Ume's neck and pulling her into a one-sided hug. "You spend all your time studying! You should take a break every once in a while! It'll be fun—it's not like it'll kill you! Pretty please?"

"Get your hands off me!" Ume snarled.

"Alright, alright," Mina huffed good-naturedly as she let Ume slip out of her grasp. "So, what do you say? Are you gonna come with us or what?"

"What are you, brain-dead? Get lost!" Ume shouted.

"Umm, Mina?" One of the other girls, who had slightly longer and lighter hair than her friend, spoke up hesitantly. "It's fine if she doesn't want to come with us, right? Maybe we should just go without her?"

At that, the pink-skinned girl pouted. "Come on, Shabana? Please? Just this once?"

"When will you get it through your thick skull that I want nothing to do with you?" Ume growled. She winced suddenly and pressed a hand against her forehead. "Ugh, you're giving me a headache. You just won't stop talking, will you?"

"That was mean," Mina mumbled sulkily. "Is there really nothing I can do to change your mind?"

Ume pinned her with a glare. "No, you can't," she hissed. "Like I said, I have better things to do than go on a shopping spree with someone as annoying as you! And since you didn't understand me the first time, I'll say it again: Take those two eyesores you call friends and get lost!"

The two girls behind Mina recoiled at the vitriol in Ume's words. By the expressions on their faces, it was clear that she'd hit a nerve—they were visibly upset.

"Hey, what are you being such a jerk for?" Mina asked with a glare of her own. "Apologize to them!"

"Apologize? For what?"

Mina gawked. "You just called them eyesores right in front of me!" she shouted.

"I just told them the truth," Ume said with a sadistic smile. "What, do you want me to lie and say they're cute? They're not—they're utterly repulsive and it hurts to even look at them," she tittered mockingly. "They'd be doing everybody a favor if they'd just throw a bag over their heads, at least then I could stand to look at them without wanting to gouge my eyes out."

"Stop it!" Mina shouted.

"Or what?" Ume asked. "You expect me to believe you're actually capable of doing anything? Please," she scoffed, "don't make me laugh."

"I'll—" she was interrupted when a trembling hand grabbed at the hem of her blouse.

Mina turned, only to come face to face with her two friends. Her anger evaporated as soon as she saw the state they were in. Both of them were trembling lightly, their heads hung low. One of them was sniffling softly, while the other had a few tears gathering in her eyes. Just looking at them made Mina's heart clench.

"It… It's f-fine, Mina," one of them said shakily. "Let's just go…"

"But what she said—"

"R-Really, it's f-fine…"

"No, it's not! She—"

"Mina," the girl said, sounding as if she was on the verge of bursting into tears. "L-Let's go… Please…"

For a moment, she looked as if she had no idea what to do. Her hands floated uncertainly before her as she flicked her gaze back and forth, between the sneer on Ume's face and her distraught friends. Eventually, her face fell and she suddenly looked guilty. "A-Alright," Mina eventually said, her voice soft.

Mina's other friend, the more composed of the two, let out a sigh of relief. "T-Thank you," she said breathlessly. "Come on."

"Y-Yeah…" Mina said numbly as the trio began walking away.

Ume watched them go, an amused smile on her face. Once they were out of earshot, Ume sighed contently, her mood slightly improved.

"Well, that was fun," she said to herself as she turned on her heel, hoisted her school bag onto her shoulders once more, and started walking again. She closed her eyes and giggled when she recalled the looks on their faces. 'God, those three were pathetic,' she thought. 'First that shark-toothed idiot, and now them.'

'Am I that unlucky, or is everyone at this school just that pathetic?'


"Are you two okay?" Mina asked softly as soon as they'd gotten far enough away.

They had found themselves in a small park not too far away from their school. It was mostly empty, but a few smaller children were running around, their parents watching with smiles on their faces as they played in the afternoon sun. Her friends had all but collapsed onto one of the park benches once they'd arrived, sniffling and trembling lightly as they did their best to calm down.

"Y-Yeah, I, uh," one of them sniffed. "I-I think so." Her hand came up to wipe away the tears in her eyes as a shuddering sigh escaped her. "J-Just, um… Just give us a minute."

Mina closed her eyes and let out a breath. "I'm sorry," she whimpered.

"It's… It's okay, Mina," her other friend said quietly, her voice cracking as she spoke. "You tried…"

"No, it's not okay," Mina said hotly. "What she said really hurt you—both of you! That wouldn't have happened if I hadn't dragged you two into that."

"That wasn't—" her friend paused when a gasp tore out of her throat. She sat there for a moment, whimpering quietly with her lip wobbling as she fought back tears before she let out a quiet breath. "That w-wasn't your f-fault."

'Wasn't it, though?' Mina thought with a frown before she let out a sad, drawn-out sigh. She joined her friends on the bench they were sitting on before she clasped her hands together as they fell into her lap, her gaze trailing after them. "I just… I thought I could talk to her, you know?"

Because that's all that had really been. Mina had just wanted to make a friend.

Even though they weren't in the same class, Mina still knew Ume Shabana. Everyone did. Shabana was the popular girl—she was ambitious, smart, and downright gorgeous, there wasn't a single person who went to Mustafa Private Middle School and didn't know her name.

However, saying that Mina knew Shabana wasn't entirely correct. Sure, she knew her, but only in the most superficial sense. It might have been more accurate to say that she knew of her. Mina knew her name, and her face, and could list off a few adjectives to describe the girl, but that was it. She didn't know her likes, her dislikes, her hobbies, or her interests—she didn't know Shabana personally. She didn't know who she was. Not really, anyway. Their eyes would meet whenever they passed in the hallway, and every now and then they'd exchange words in a way that barely qualified as a conversation, but other than that, the two barely even interacted.

Mina had always felt that there had been something off about her though, in a way she hadn't been able to place until just recently. Shabana always seemed so confident, so calm and composed on the outside, but that feeling of something being off had always been stronger whenever Mina had met her eyes. There was something in them, she just hadn't known what.

Eventually, she'd figured it out.

Shabana—the popular girl that everybody loved—was lonely.

It wasn't just her that Shabana barely even spoke to, the girl hardly interacted with anyone, not meaningfully, at least. She had people who fawned over her and adored her, true, but she didn't have any true friends, not like Mina did, anyway.

It was kind of funny, and maybe Mina would have laughed if it hadn't been so sad.

Then she'd had a great idea! Shabana was lonely because she didn't have any real friends. Mina, on the other hand, was an expert in friend-making! Heck, just last week, she'd stumbled across two kids bullying an underclassman, and after a thorough explanation of how they were being a couple of big jerks, maybe with a little bit of break-dancing sprinkled in, they'd left acting as if they'd been lifelong friends in only a handful of minutes, tops!

It was perfect! Shabana would stop being lonely and Mina would get a new friend! It was a win-win!

But when she'd told her best friends about her grand idea, they hadn't been anywhere near as enthusiastic about it as she had been. When she'd tried to bring them along, they'd been reluctant, uneasy, even. She'd only barely convinced them to tag along, and even then, when she'd approached Shabana just outside their school campus, their unease had only gotten worse.

Now she knew why.

"You tried to tell me," Mina whispered sadly. "I just… I've never seen her act like that, I didn't think she could be so… so mean."

Her friend scoffed bitterly and the sound made Mina wince. "It's because she's careful," she spat, her face twisted into a scowl as angry tears began to sting at the corners of her eyes. "She doesn't do anything where p-people can see—nothing that can't be waved away as harmless t-teasing, anyway. If you happen to run across her in an empty hallway or behind the main building while she's in a bad mood, then—" A sound suspiciously similar to a sob escaped her throat before her hand came up to furiously wipe away her tears. "That's what… s-she turns into…!

"A-a-and even if," her friend continued, her voice slightly choked with tears and her anger no less apparent, "even if she got caught doing anything, the teachers would barely do anything about it! M-Maybe she'd get told off, I-I guess?" A bitter laugh suddenly escaped her. "They just don't believe that she could do something so terrible. They take one look at her seemingly stellar behavior, her great grades, and her perfect attendance, and they just can't imagine that— that underneath it all, s-she's just— she's just a— she's just a damn villain!" her friend finally yelled.

'How… does she know all that? She sounds so sure,' Mina thought to herself. Her eyes landed on her other friend, then they widened when she didn't look surprised or confused. Her heart dropped. 'Wait… don't tell me…'

"She's… She's done this before, hasn't she…?" Mina whispered.

Her friends merely averted their gazes. Their lack of an answer was answer enough.

"Oh god…" All of a sudden, she felt like she was going to cry. "Why didn't you tell anyone?" Mina asked quietly, almost disbelieving. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"We just… We didn't want to worry you…"

Mina didn't waste any time in throwing herself onto them. She slid her arms around them and pulled them close as tears of her own—sad, guilty, angry tears—spilled over and down her cheeks. "You dummies!" she shouted. "You should have still told someone! Anyone!"

"Who?" Her other friend asked, even as both of them leaned into the hug. "No one would believe us. E-Everybody fawns over her. She's p-pretty, she's smart, she's p-popular. C-Compared to that, we're… we're just a c-couple of n-nobodies…"

"Don't say that!" Mina snapped. "Oh my god, I'm so sorry," she cried. "I should've noticed, or— or done something! Anything!"

Mina felt two pairs of arms wrap tightly around her. "I-It's okay," her friends whispered. "It's n-not your f-fault."

"I don't care!" Mina shouted as she pulled away from them. Despite the look on her face and the remnants of tears in her eyes, despite the anger and guilt within her, she forced a bright, determined smile on her face. "I'm going to make it up to you two—for being such a terrible friend! We're going to go to the mall, we're going to go shopping, we're going to have fun until I turn your frowns upside down, and then we're going to forget all about her!"

Her friends burst into tears all over again. They weren't tears of sorrow or anger but of gratitude. Mina opened her arms wide as her friends threw themselves at her, the three of them entangling themselves in one big group hug.

"I'm s-so glad you're our friend, M-Mina," one of them sobbed.

"Always!" Mina said with a tearful nod. "I love you guys!"

The trio quickly dried their tears and set off, smiles on their faces and joy in their hearts. Despite what had happened, Mina was certain that nothing else could possibly ruin the rest of their day.


Ume let out a frustrated sigh as she glanced at the time on her phone before she put it away with a huff. 'If those three idiots hadn't held me up, I would've been there by now! Ugh, whatever,' she thought to herself. 'I'm almost there anyways.'

Soon enough, a familiar side street came into view, one Ume had used time and time again as a shortcut to get to the fitness center she frequented. She'd just turned onto and started walking down it when, out of nowhere, she was hit with a near-overwhelming sense of wrongness, enough to make her hesitate.

Ume took a moment to take in her surroundings. The street she was on was mostly empty, but there were several people in her line of sight, none of whom were of any significance, they were all just normal people. None of them kept their eyes on her for more than a few seconds before they moved on. It wasn't dark either—the once blue sky had shifted to an orange hue as the sun prepared to set, but it was still bright out, leaving the entire street completely illuminated.

There was nothing wrong.

So why did she feel so nervous?

Ume shook her head dismissively, a scowl on her face. 'Pull yourself together,' she snarled. 'Stop wasting time and get going!' She forced herself to keep moving and pushed her unease to the back of her mind, but it just refused to go away.

As she walked, she glanced around, ready for something to jump out at her, but nothing did.

'You're pathetic,' she berated herself as she forced herself to relax. 'You've taken this path hundreds of times before. There's no reason to be nervous, so quit it!'

She didn't notice the shadow that fell over her until the voice it belonged to spoke.

"Excuse me," it said, startling her. Its voice was deep and gravelly—the tone it spoke with was soft, polite even, and yet it was loud and booming, making it impossible to miss. When she looked up to meet its owner, her eyes widened.

The man—if you could even call him a man, what with his resemblance to a beast—was enormous, allowing him to tower over her so completely that his massive form blocked out the sun. He was wrapped in a dark, hooded cloak that cast his face in shadow. All she could make out were his large, white eyes and his maw that was stretched into something resembling a grin, revealing huge, sharp, fang-like teeth.

'Who the hell is this?' Ume thought as a bead of sweat ran down her brow. 'Is he the one making me feel like… like this?'

"The Springer Hero Agency," the man rumbled, staring down at her with an intensity that gave her pause. "Tell me where it is."

"H-How the hell should I know?" Ume snarled at him. "Can't you see I'm busy? Go bother someone else, you freak!"

Suddenly, the man frowned, his eyes narrowed in annoyance. "You're rude," he said. "I was only asking a simple question."

"I don't give a crap!" she shouted, her apprehension forgotten as her anger rose to take its place. "Didn't you hear me the first time, pea-brain?! Get the hell away from me!" Ume turned and made to leave, but she was stopped before she could.

A large, jagged hand with rock-like skin emerged from underneath his cloak. Quicker than she could react, he pressed his fingers against the building behind her and dug them in, sending a spiderweb of cracks up and down the wall as small pieces of debris rained down around her. "Why won't you just answer me?!" he roared.

'Shit!' As quick as a flash, several belts shot out from under her blouse, and with a gesture, they raced towards the large figure. "Bastard," she snarled. "You think you can intimidate me?! I'll carve you up!" They cracked against the man's large arm like whips, only to bounce off harmlessly, leaving naught but shallow scratches that didn't even bleed.

"What…?" she gasped, her eyes blown wide. "You're kidding…"

That brief moment of distraction cost her.

The man shot out an arm, and before she could react, his large fingers were wrapped around her tightly, pinning her arms to her sides. He lifted her off the ground and brought her close to his face, all as she squirmed in his grip, but she just couldn't manage to get herself free.

"L-Let me go," Ume screamed, her heart hammering in her chest. "I'll… I'll kill you!" She hurled her belts at the man once more, aiming for his face this time. They tore through the air before they slammed into him with another loud crack, but again, he didn't even flinch.

'Fuck!' Ume grit her teeth. 'I-I can't even scratch him?! There's no way that's possible!'

"You're annoying," the man growled. "If you won't answer me, then I have no more use for you."

The moment the man's words reached her ears, she froze. Her heart leaped into her throat and her breath hitched as panic set in. She opened her mouth, whether it was to scream, to cry, to hurl insults, or to plead for her life, she didn't know. Either way, she didn't get the chance.

The man began squeezing the life out of her before she could even try.

Ume could hear her bones creak as she was slowly crushed. It was agony. It made her want to scream until she no longer could. She tried to, but with the pressure on her empty lungs, all she could manage was a pained, breathless wheeze. She strained and thrashed and writhed, all in one last desperate attempt to free herself, but no matter what she did, he just wouldn't let go.

She couldn't move. She couldn't breathe. She couldn't even scream.

This was it. She was going to die here, wasn't she? She just hadn't been strong enough, just like last time. Every promise she'd ever made, every hope and dream she'd ever had… Would it really all amount to nothing?

She was scared, Ume realized as tears filled her eyes. She didn't want to die—there was still so much left for her to do! She was supposed to go to UA! She was supposed to become a hero! She was supposed to make enough money so her mom could live a long, comfortable life!

She was supposed to make her mother happy! She was supposed to make her proud!

Hadn't that been the reason she'd been given her second chance in the first place? So she could make up for her failures—so she could actually do something with her worthless life? But she hadn't been able to even do that, had she? The opportunity of a lifetime had fallen into the palm of her hand and she'd gone and wasted it because, of course, she had! Why had she ever thought otherwise—as if an idiot like her would ever amount to anything!

God… Why was she so useless?

'I'm sorry, Mom,' she thought as her eyes drifted shut. 'I'm sorry I was so worthless, I'm sorry I was so weak! I'm… I'm sorry you wasted all of your time on me…! I'm sorry I wasn't someone deserving of your love…! I'm sorry I'm going to leave you all alone…

'I'm so sorry, Mommy… Please… Help me…'

Then, suddenly, Ume was falling.

Her eyes snapped open as the wind whipped at her face, the ground swiftly approaching. Her belts shot out, digging into the side of the building and bracing against the ground to slow her fall. She landed roughly, the harsh impact emptying her lungs of what little air they had left.

Ume just barely managed to force herself onto her hands and knees and take a deep, gasping breath before she was wracked with violent coughs. She instinctively raised a hand to her mouth as a wave of nausea washed over her. She retched, just barely managing to keep herself from vomiting as saliva dribbled down her chin.

For a time, it was all she could do to desperately gasp for breath without hacking up a lung, all as tears ran down her cheeks. It hurt. Every inch of her hurt. She could feel her head pounding, her throat tearing itself apart with every wheezing cough, and her lungs which burned with every breath. She couldn't remember the last time she'd felt so terrible, so weak.

Ume just didn't understand.

He'd been about to crush her! All it would've taken would have been just a few more seconds, just a little bit more pressure and… and then she… She would've…

She would've died again.

So then why hadn't she? Why wasn't she dead right now?

He'd just let her go out of nowhere. Why? Had he changed his mind?

She'd heard a voice just now. Right before he'd let her go, someone had started shouting. She didn't know what had been said, it'd been faint, like a buzzing at the back of her mind, but despite that, it'd been familiar somehow. Had someone saved her?

Ume painstakingly raised her head. It took everything she had to push past the pain, but she forced her eyes open, and through the blurriness brought on by her tears, she saw.

With her back towards her, and her arms spread wide, Mina Ashido stood protectively before her. The girl stared up at the behemoth of a man who'd very nearly killed her only a few moments earlier like it was nothing.

It didn't make any sense. Why was she even here? Hadn't she run off with those hideous friends of hers earlier?

"I did as you asked," the man rumbled, his voice unnervingly calm. Even as she kept on coughing, gasping, and retching loudly, Ume still heard him, his voice sending a shiver down her spine. "Now answer my question."

"It's that way!" Mina shouted as she pointed down the street. "Around that corner, then make a left at the big street! The agency's two kilometers away!"

There was a brief moment of tense silence before what sounded like a satisfied growl left the man's throat. "Thank you very much." Without further ado, the man turned and walked away, the earth itself shaking with each and every step he took.

It was only when he turned the corner at the end of the street that Mina collapsed to her knees and burst into tears.

The sound of rapid footsteps drew near before the two girls from earlier all but threw themselves at Mina, nearly bowling her over. "Mina!" they cried as they latched onto her tightly, tears of their own spilling from their eyes.

"You guys!" Mina sobbed. "That was scary!"

"We were so worried," one of them shouted. "Are you okay? W-We thought he'd…"

"I-I'm okay," she said, her voice choked with tears. "I'm fine, really! B-But Shabana… Oh god, Shabana!"

Mina whirled abruptly, shaking her friends off in the process, before she threw herself to her feet and ran to Ume's side, her eyes wide with horror.

"Shabana!" Mina yelled as she crouched beside her. "Oh my god, are you okay?! A-Are you hurt?!" A breath of frustration left her as she tugged at her hair. "Oh, what am I saying, of course, you're hurt!

"I-I just saw that guy grab you out of nowhere and I didn't know what to do!" she cried. "I really thought you were going to die! But I— I was able to convince him t-that'd I'd tell him what he wanted to know if he let you go!" Mina said with a brittle smile as if she couldn't believe what she'd done. "When he actually did it, I was so relieved!"

Mina let out a sob. "I-I couldn't stop shaking!" she said. "I was so scared—I felt like I was gonna throw up! I thought he'd just crush you or something, but he really listened, and then I lied and sent him to the police instead and I— and I—" Mina sniffled as she wiped away her tears before she smiled. "I'm just so glad you're okay! Who knows what would've happened if I hadn't managed to save you in time!"

Ume's breath hitched, and her body stilled.

In that moment, nothing else mattered. The world around her disappeared. The only thing she focused on were those words—not the burning in her lungs; not the wetness on her face; not the feeling of the harsh ground against her hands and knees; not the lingering feeling of panic as her heartbeat began to slow—all that mattered were those last few words that had came out of Mina's mouth.

Those last few words…

"…if I hadn't managed to save you…"

They made her want to scream.

Mina only continued staring at her. All Ume could see was the worry, the concern, the pity in her eyes, as if she were some fragile figurine made of glass about to shatter into a million pieces.

She hated it.

She hated her!

It was only when the girl held out a hand with a teary smile on her face did Ume realize why.

Mina thought she was helpless.

She thought she was weak.

That was why she'd saved her, wasn't it? It was because she thought Ume was too weak to save herself.

How dare she…?

How dare she?!

Out of nowhere, the sharp sound of flesh striking flesh filled her ears.

It was only when Ume felt the stinging pain on her palm and saw the bright red imprint in the shape of a hand on Mina's cheek that she realized what she'd done.

Mina didn't make a sound as her head snapped back, her eyes widening in shock. Slowly, the girl raised a trembling hand. She hissed when her finger brushed against her cheek before tears gathered in the corner of her eyes. Mina turned to face Ume once more, a look of disbelief on her face.

Her wide, golden eyes shone with hurt, but Ume didn't feel regret.

All she felt was hate.

"Is that what you really think?" she hissed. "That you managed to save me?" Ume couldn't help it, she let out a bitter laugh. "I have to admit, you've surprised me, Ashido. I knew you were stupid, but… this is a whole new level of idiocy even I didn't expect from you. How amusing."

Ume wiped the tears and spit off of her face before she slowly pushed herself to her knees. "Or maybe you're just that delusional," she snarled. "If you think you've actually accomplished something here today, then I don't know what else it could be. Were you dropped on the head as a child or were you just born that way? Oh, you poor thing," she jeered. "Too stupid to realize just how worthless you really are. I almost feel sorry for you.

"Let's get one thing straight, you imbecile," she said with a glare, her voice brought down to a whisper. "And since you're clearly too stupid to get it otherwise, I'll even spell it out for you, just to make sure your tiny little brain can understand. You didn't save me—someone as useless as you could never hope to save anybody, let alone herself. You're just a worthless little girl who'll never amount to anything in life.

"You're just a burden," Ume snarled, her voice rising along with her anger. "A waste of space! You don't matter, and you never will! It's not like anyone would care if you were gone, so why don't you just do everyone a favor and drop dead!" she screamed. "Didn't you hear me?! I told you to drop dead!"

It was quiet. Dead quiet.

Mina stared at her, eyes wide and disbelieving. Despite the tears that flowed down her face, her expression was utterly blank. Her friends didn't say a word. They merely stood trembling in the background, too cowardly to do or say anything to help her as they looked on with fear and worry.

"I don't get it," Mina finally spoke, her voice so soft Ume could barely hear her. "What did I… What did I ever do to you?" she finally whispered. "I just wanted to help you. Is that… really so bad?"

"I didn't need your worthless help, you fucking moron!" Ume yelled. "How many more times do you need me to say it?!"

"You're horrible," Mina whispered. "You've always been this horrible, haven't you? I can't believe I actually wanted to be your friend." Abruptly, her eyes widened. "I always wondered why you never made any friends. Now I think know why… You push everyone away, don't you?"

Ume stilled as something dark crossed her face.

"You're horrible," Mina said again. "You're so horrible, but… for some reason, I just can't help but feel bad for you."

"Shut up!" Ume snarled. "You think you know anything?! I'll show you!" Ume raised a hand to slap her again—

"Stop it," a voice suddenly cut through the air. "That's enough."

Ume slowly turned towards the voice, only to come face to face with a determined glare she was familiar with. Hard, determined red eyes, spiky black hair, and two rows of sharp, shark-like teeth. His hardened hand was wrapped around her arm which he held in a vice grip.

"You again?" Ume asked, a scowl on her face before her eyes zeroed in on the grip he had on her arm. "Let go of me," she hissed, her voice low and dangerous.

Kirishima did as he was asked. Within moments, her arm was free from his grip and cradled against her chest. Even so, he didn't move from where he stood between her and Mina. It was subtle, but she could see it. The idiot was scared—he was shaking. His voice had even trembled a little when he'd spoken earlier.

And yet he didn't move.

"Quit hurting her," he said.

Ume's eyes narrowed into a glare. "What will you do if I don't?"

"I'll try to stop you."

"You? You're kidding, right?" Ume snickered. "What could you of all people possibly do to stop me?"

"I don't know," he admitted freely, without any hesitation. It caught Ume off guard. "Maybe I can't stop you." With those words, patches of skin along his arms and face hardened. "But I'm not going to let you hurt her either."

Ume clenched her jaw. How dare he talk back to her like that? It pissed her off. It made her want to lash out, to tear him to pieces just like she'd done to Ashido and her hideous friends. She wanted to see that mask of bravery and courage crumble to pieces—she wanted to see him cry!

'It's not worth it.'

Ume closed her eyes and forced herself to take a deep breath. She held it for a few seconds, then let it out.

He wasn't worth it. Ashido hadn't been worth it either—none of them had been. As fun as it was verbally tearing people apart, she ultimately had more important things to do. She's wasted enough time with these idiots as it was, and nothing was more important than preparing herself for her exams. Her goal came first. Everything else came second. She'd never let herself forget that. Not again.

"Fine," she hissed. "I've wasted enough of my time on you idiots anyway!"

Ume leaned down and grabbed her bag, seething at the ruined state it was in. She didn't even want to know if the things inside were damaged or not. Replacing her things was the last thing she needed right now!

With a scowl, she threw her bag over her shoulder and took a step.

She gasped as a sharp pain shot through her leg. She stumbled. If it hadn't been for her arm reflexively grasping the wall to keep her steady, she would've fallen. Even then, she almost did.

Someone made a noise of surprise behind her and she turned to face the group of idiots once again. They were all looking at her, their eyes alight with pity. Ume felt her cheeks burn.

With one last growl thrown over her shoulder, Ume forced herself to keep moving. Tears of anger and embarrassment gathered in the corners of her eyes, but she refused to let them fall. All of it, from every dull ache and sharp pain she felt to the anger and hatred burning within her, Ume ignored it all.

It was only when she was out of sight that Ume finally let herself cry.


As soon as Shabana rounded the corner at the end of the street, Kirishima bent over, his hands placed over his knees and gasped for breath as nervous sweat ran down his brow. He was still shaking, even now, long after it was all over.

"Whoa…" someone gasped, catching his attention.

Kirishima turned, still breathing hard, to look at the three girls behind him. "Oh, sorry," he said breathlessly, his voice trembling lightly. "Are you three alright?"

"Oh, uh, yeah," one of them—a girl with short, dark brown hair—spoke up. He had a feeling he'd seen her before, but he didn't know her name. "Or, at least we will be," she said nervously. "You're Kirishima, right? From Class 1?"

"Y-Yeah," he said. "That's right."

"It's just… I wanted to say thanks," she said with a soft smile on her face. "For standing up for Mina. That was pretty awesome."

"It really was!" Mina's other friend—a girl with longer hair a shade of light brown—gasped. "You were totally heroic!"

Kirishima paused, uncertainty warring with the embarrassment within him. "You're welcome," he eventually said, his voice soft.

"Hey, are you okay?"

Kirishima blinked as he was brought out of his thoughts. Worried golden eyes stared into his own.

"Huh? Oh, y-yeah," he said. "It's just… the things she was saying to you…"

Mina shook her head, a sad smile on her face. "I'll be okay," she said softly. "I should probably say thanks too though. So, yeah. Thanks."

Kirishima nodded. "Glad I could help."

Mina's grin brightened. "And I was glad to have it! My friends were right, the way you stood up for me really was cool!" She snickered when Kirishima blushed again. "I'm just teasing! Learn to take a compliment, yeah? Anyway, we'll see you around, alright?"

"Uh, sure!" Kirishima brightened. "See you later."

They waved to him as they left, with happy smiles and cheerful expressions. He waved back, a toothy grin of his own on his face.

It turned into a frown as soon as they were gone.

Shabana's screams flashed through his mind.

"L-Let go of me!"

He thought of the look on her face, of the fear in her eyes.

Kirishima tightly clenched his fist.

'Why didn't I go?' he asked himself. 'Why didn't I try to help her? Why?'

He didn't have an answer.


A/N: This chapter was a bit hard, but I like how it turned out. I just hope I managed to portray everyone correctly.

Do you guys think I went a bit overboard with Ume yelling at Mina? I hope not. That'll probably happen a lot more. Ume yelling at people, I mean. And not just at Mina. Pretty much everyone except her mother is fair game tbh. Herself included. She's a bit of a menace, but also really needs a hug.

Again, feedback is very appreciated. Lemme know if I suck or not, so I can stop sucking if I do.

See you next time!