Author's Note - Hey everyone! Hope you're all doing well! I know it's been a while since my last post but I had a difficult time with the next chapter. It's finally done so here you go! Enjoy!

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CHAPTER 022 – KAINA TSUTSUMI

Tap…Tap tap…Tap…

Another pointless day here…

Tap…Tap tap…Tap…

How long have I been here, just wasting away?

Tap…Tap tap…Tap…

I guess they were right when they said that I'd start losing my mind in the end. Is this the end? If it is, I'd honestly welcome it at this point…

Continuing with her tapping on the concrete wall with her finger tips, she kept up that action while thinking about her past and everything that happened to her. She'd been stuck in her current position for a long time but had only recently begun doing this action because it was the only thing she could do.

She thought of how lively and excitable she used to be before she turned into a cold and emotionless husk of her former self. Her old dreams that she used to have that made her almost retch over how dumb and naïve she was. The many lives she had taken all in the name of protecting a society who turned their backs on her so easily. How she was led to believe that what she was doing was right but it turned out to be wrong. How devastated she was to learn she was tricked into doing their bidding to hide the crimes they've committed. How it led them to become steadily richer, gain more control and become more powerful. How she was made into their scapegoat when she confronted them and it was all blamed on her.

It was on that day that she lost all hope. The drive she had was brought to a screeching halt. All the goodwill she had built up with the public over years of hard work and it was swept away within hours. The inner demons she was barely holding back over the things she's done all in the name of serving the greater good had taken over her. She was brought to the brink of the abyss and it swallowed her up.

There was no escape for her. None at all. Even when she had dark thoughts of just ending herself and just finishing her pitiful life, she wasn't able to thanks to her cowardice. Filled with anger, hate, hopelessness, sadness and many more negative feelings, all she could do now was to just wallow in despair as the days slowly passed by. Wallow in it while following the same routine every day with no real changes occurring in the last few years. Until she took up this action of tapping the wall while going over everything in her mind in the past few days…

Sudden loud footsteps caught her attention. It made her stop her tapping on the wall and she focused onto that instead of the usual constant negative thoughts in her head. Odd…there's already been a check today…and there's never been a second one since I've been here… Curiosity piqued, which she was surprised that she could even still feel that, made her move. She got off the rough, thin mattress that could barely be called a bed and moved quietly to the metal door for her cell. As she moved, the cameras that were installed in each corner of the room's ceiling followed after her but she ignored their movements.

Leaning her ear against the metal door, she listened to the footsteps. Huh…they sound like…they're getting closer? Wait, they stopped…is that shuffling sounds? What are they doing now? Wait, what was that sound? I wonder what that is…oh, they're moving again. And they're definitely getting louder…but who are they going for? There's only a few cells here besides…me…SHIT!

She quickly backed away from the door until the back of her legs hit her bed. The sound of a lock being opened was heard before the metal door of her cell slid into the wall. It revealed four heavily armored security personnel standing in the door way. Three of them were holding riot shields and electric batons. The fourth was holding up thick and heavy quirk cancelling metal cuffs.

"Hey, what's this about?" she asked. "I haven't done anything and…"

"Silence, you wretch!" commanded the fourth. "Prisoner 656698! Turn around, place your hands on your head and slowly walk backwards towards us. Failure to comply will result in force being applied!"

Her eyes narrowed and her hands clenched into fists. "Why the hell should I listen to you bastards?! You're probably just here to try and use me!"

"If we wanted to do that, we would've done that a long time ago. Think what you want, but we don't sully ourselves by fucking filthy, traitorous villains like you," spat the same security officer with disgust. "Our orders are to bring you to our superior without harming you. So this is your last and only warning. Either you comply or you'll get what you should've gotten a long time ago." As if to add weight to his words, the other three security guards had their electric batons start sparking.

Unable to do anything but comply, she growled as she turned around and put her hands on top of her head. Slowly walking backwards, she was told to stop and she did. Her hands were then roughly brought behind her back and were encased within the cuffs. Pulled out of her cell, she was then pushed forward to start walking. Grumbling at their behavior but unable to do anything about it, she did as she was told.

When she finally arrived at the warden's office, she was pushed inside it after another guard opened the door. "Hey, what the hell?!" she snapped at them.

"Shut up, bitch!" One of the armored guards jammed the end of his electric baton against her side.

"Aargh!" She gritted her teeth while her body tensed up as the electrical current flowed through her.

"That's enough."

"Yes, sir."

Panting for breath after the baton was removed, she fell to the floor on her side. She still felt as if her body was on fire. "What…the fuck?! I haven't…done anything…and yet…I'm zapped with that shit?!" she panted out. She wasn't answered. Instead, she was roughly brought up onto her feet by the guards. She glared at the one who zapped her before moving her glare towards the one in front of her.

The somewhat elderly man in front of her was seated on a cushioned chair while leaning over his mahogany desk with his elbows resting on top of it and his hands clasped together in front of him. "As you know, I am the warden here. You'll speak properly and with no more profanity in my presence. This is your only warning. Anymore, and you'll receive much more than that. Understood, you filth?"

She kept her glare on the warden but remained quiet.

Taking her silence as acceptance, the warden continued speaking. "Now, we've been given orders from some very important and powerful people. As much as I don't want to listen to them, I have no choice. If it was up to me, you'd still be left rotting in your cell until your final breath because of the horrible things you've done. But it looks like you still have some luck left in this world, however small it is."

Her angry glare turned into one of confusion. What's he talking about? What the hell's going on?

Seeing the confusion on her face, the warden exhaled through his nostrils in annoyance. "Whatever. In any case, you're no longer my problem. I'm thankful for that at least. Prisoner 656698, you are hereby being transported out from Tartarus and the HPSC is taking custody over you now."

Her eyes widened in shock as a tremor went through her. "What?! Why?!" she asked, wondering what they wanted from her with fear filling her. "Haven't they taken enough from me already?! Why can't they just leave me alone and let me die in peace?! Just let me go back to my cell!"

Seeing the genuine fear and confusion in her made a disgusting smile form on his face. "So not lucky at all! If just hearing that the HPSC is taking custody of you is enough to rattle such an infamous murderer, then I'm happy to send you to them! Gentlemen, get this piece of shit out of my sight and deliver her to the hands of the HPSC immediately!"

"Sir, yes sir!"

The four armored security guards began taking away the prisoner who was shouting for them not to take her to the HPSC and to just take her back to her cell but they all ignored her.

When he was finally alone in his office, the warden let out a sigh while rubbing the back of his neck. "Even with her being cuffed, I could barely keep it together. How could one person disgust and scare me so much... Whatever. Good riddance. Even Tartarus is too good of a place for a betraying psycho murderer like her. They didn't say what they were gonna do to her. But I hope the HPSC makes a good example out of her so we'll have no more like that bitch."

He let out another sigh. I need a drink…Pulling open the large desk drawer, he pulled out a bottle of whiskey and a crystal glass. Pouring some into the glass, he raised the glass in a toasting gesture to himself. "Let these be the final days of that psycho and let no one forget the name of that traitorous bitch who tarnished the name of hero; Kaina Tsutsumi!" With that toast made, he drank his whiskey in one fell swoop. Lowering his glass, he poured himself some more and continued drinking into the night while happily imagining what kinds of punishment they'd give her…

XXXXXXXXXX SATURDAY EVENING XXXXXXXXXX

Kaina was lost in turmoil that consisted of multiple thoughts and feelings. She kept moving her gaze around but it was useless. She couldn't see through the thick mask that was placed over her face. She had no idea what was going to happen to her. All she knew was that it wasn't going to be good. Nothing ever turned out well when one dealt with the Hero and Public Safety Commission. She could attest to that. But she was here against her will and strapped down to a metal chair with her sight coverred. She kept thinking as to why they wanted her now after all this time and what were they going to do to her…

Her wonderings were cut short when she heard the room's door open followed by sharp footsteps. Keeping perfectly still, Kaina tried to listen to what they were about to do. The footsteps stopped near her and the mask covering her face was suddenly pulled off rather roughly.

"That hurt!" she yelped while her eyes remained closed. They had grabbed part of her hair and pulled it along with the mask.

"Quit your whining."

I know that voice! Composing herself as much as she could, Kaina slowly opened her eyes and blinked a few times to clear her vision so she could get used to the brightness of the room. When she was able to see properly, her eyes narrowed onto the person in front of her. "You…"

"Yes, me," replied Sayaka calmly.

Though Kaina was scared of the woman in front of her since she held so much power and control, she also hated her with her entire being. She had done nothing to help her out when everything went to shit. "You've got some nerve! What do you want from me?! Haven't you taken enough?! Why am I here?!" she asked with fear and anger coating her tone of voice while uselessly struggling to get free.

Sayaka remained calm in her spot even as Kaina glared at her with frightened eyes due to a couple of reasons. First was that her 'guest' was strapped to the metal chair with heavy duty metal cuffs. The second was because she had four of her strongest agents in the room with her. They were all dressed the same with black tuxedo suits along with white masks covering their faces to prevent others from knowing who they are. But each of them had specific quirks that were useful for certain situations.

"Are you done?" asked Sayaka after Kaina finished with her questions and stopped struggling. Getting no response other than a glare, she continued. "You don't need to do anything except listen and obey."

"Obey?!" snapped Kaina angrily. "It's because I obeyed the damn HPSC that I ended up in this position!"

"No, it's because you pointed your gun at the one who commanded you, who was my predecessor. The HPSC did nothing wrong."

"That's because he was the one who tricked me! All those innocents…"

"Were killed by you and your quirk," interrupted Sayaka and Kaina growled. "Such atrocious actions you've taken when we believed you were something special. You're lucky you were just sent to Tartarus instead of being executed."

"How dare you, you fuckin bi-"

Kaina was suddenly silenced when one of the agents in the room moved and grabbed her face in a tight grip within a split eyes widened in shock while her heart skipped a beat. What the hell?! Was that a speed quirk?!

"You must've realized this, but I don't condone such vulgar language in my presence," said Sayaka.

"Argh!" Kaina let out sounds of pain as the agent started tightening his grip on her face. "L-Let go!"

Hearing the woman's pleading, Sayaka ignored it for a little while longer before she finally signaled to her agent. Letting go of Kaina, the agent took up his previous position. "That's your only warning. Next time will be far worse."

Kaina panted while doing her best to ignore the pain she was still feeling around her face. Heart beating quickly thanks to fear and anger, she still did her best to defy them. Raising her gaze, she glared at the woman. "What do you want from me?!" she growled.

"Hmph. Still an animal with no manners. No wonder you betrayed us," remarked Sayaka with an annoyed and disgusted look. "Regardless, you're here because we finally found a use for you and you will do it no matter what."

"As if I'd ever work for…"

"Quiet," interjected Sayaka.

A different agent this time moved his hands around that activated his quirk. Kaina felt her mouth close on its own and her tongue rose to touch the roof of her mouth. She was unable to open her mouth or move her tongue. She was effectively gagged and her eyes widened in shock and fear.

Noticing the look in Kaina's eyes, Sayaka smiled. "Good. Now, the only thing you need to know is that you're gonna repay the HPSC for all of your horrible past deeds. And you'll do it by sending me weekly reports of what's going on at UA while you're working there."

Kaina's expression changed from anger and fear to confusion. What the hell?! What does UA have to do with this?! Why am I going to UA?!

Sayaka ignored her captive's obvious confusion as she continued. "It doesn't matter the reasons why you're going there. Now, answer me this; do you remember how to send messages secretly with our code? Nod or shake your head."

Kaina didn't want to answer but when two agents took a step forward, she reluctantly nodded.

"Good. When you send me those reports, you'll use that code. I want you to send me information on anything and everything that's not public knowledge and seems important about UA's staff, their lessons, Nezu, what they're trying to do and of course their students. I want to know who could be useful for the HPSC to recruit along with anything that we can use against UA if the need ever arises. Understand?"

Kaina didn't answer for a few seconds before slowly nodding once more in agreement.

"Good." Sayaka moved closer to the harmless woman and locked her gaze onto Kaina's who couldn't look away. She spoke in a low serious tone. "And, above all, while you look for that information, I want you to send me everything and anything you can gather on a particular student. I don't care what it is. Even if it seems trivial, I want to know. The student's name is Izuku Midoriya. Got it?"

It was at that moment that Kaina realized that the HPSC had their crosshairs on this Izuku Midoriya, not her. She was only being used for that purpose. She nodded to show she understood since she still couldn't respond back verbally.

"Good." Sayaka stepped back a little before she snapped her fingers. The agent who gagged Kaina undid his quirk and Kaina immediately felt it. Letting her cough a bit and take in some air, Sayaka continued. "Now, you'll be sent to a holding room until tomorrow. Nezu will come to retrieve you and take you to UA. Until then, I don't want any problems."

"H-Hold up!" coughed out Kaina. Catching her breath, she locked her eyes onto Sayaka. "Why me?"

Sayaka tilted her head and thought for a moment before she replied back. "I had that same question pop into mind; why you indeed? But for some reason, Nezu mentioned you in passing and I figured you'd be the perfect spy to infiltrate his circle and find out the information I want and need. You don't need to know the reasons why or how you got this opportunity that others would kill for. Just do what you're told."

Sayaka turned around and stepped towards the door. She stopped right in front of it and glanced back at Kaina. "Oh, I almost forgot. Gentlemen, don't forget the gift for our guest."

The four agents moved towards Kaina who became filled with fear and anger. She started yelling for them to get away but her shouting was cut short when two of them grabbed hold of her. Making sure she couldn't move an inch as they held her still, the other two got to work. They got closer with both of them taking something out of their pockets.

One of the two lifted his hands and placed what looked to be two half circle metal pieces around her neck and held them together. The second agent began using an electronic device that he took out of his pocket. Inputting a few commands onto it, he submitted it once finished. The two metal pieces let out some beeping sounds as a red glowing line became visible around the diameter of them. The two pieces snapped together at their ends around Kaina's neck and the red glowing line flashed a few times before disappearing. Once that finished, the agents let go of Kaina and stood around her.

"W-What did you do?!" asked Kaina in a slightly hysterical tone.

Sayaka had an ugly smile form on her face. "That's my insurance policy." She took out a small device from her pocket and showed it to Kaina. "If I get wind of you trying to deceive me or if you try to take it off or tamper with it…well, let's just say that you'll no longer be a whole person. Then again, you already aren't but I assume you want to keep whatever pieces of you left intact." Smile widening as she noticed the horror on Kaina's face, Sayaka felt glee over it. "Don't worry; you'll still be able to shower in it. You can at least keep your physical appearance clean compared to the ugly filth inside you. Gentlemen." With that final word, Sayaka left the room as she pocketed the device.

As soon as the president of the HPSC left, her agents freed Kaina from her seat and escorted her to the holding area. And all the while, Kaina didn't protest or resist. What was the point anyway? Her life was literally held in another's hands and she had to comply and obey no matter what.

When they reached the holding room, they shoved her inside. Kaina lost her balance and landed onto her hands and knees. Sounds of the door closing and being locked behind her didn't affect her. Kaina didn't move for a moment until she just let herself fall onto the floor. She rolled onto her back and stared at the ceiling as she thought about what she just went through.

A little while later, she let out a quiet scoff before whispering to herself. "How funny…I thought my life couldn't get any worse…" She chuckled a little out of sadness and before she knew it, her eyes became watery and silent tears escaped from her eyes…

XXXXXXXXXX SUNDAY NOON XXXXXXXXXX

"So, do you remember what you're supposed to do?" asked Sayaka. The person she asked the question to didn't answer her. Turning her gaze towards the woman seated on the couch, she found them to be staring at the floor. Sayaka asked again. "I'm talking to you. Do you remember what you're supposed to do?"

The woman sitting on the couch raised her head and looked at the president of the HPSC. "I remember."

"Good. Do your part and in the end, perhaps you'll finally have that freedom you so desire, Nagant."

"Why me?" asked Kaina again.

Sayaka was momentarily stunned by her question. She thought the old operative would've understood that she had no choice and would've accepted it by now. "Why bother asking that again? Just be happy you're not wasting away in a cramp cell anymore. Like I said before, other villains like you would be thrilled for this chance. Just remember to do what I told you. I'm sure I don't need to remind you of the consequences if you don't or try to deceive me."

Unable to say anything, Kaina lowered her gaze towards the floor once more while also touching the deadly device around her neck that looked like a typical black metallic choker. And they'd be fools to be thrilled over something like this. Trading one prison for another that also has a guillotine hanging over their head… A cold tremor went down her spine as she involuntarily imagined the choker going off. "I won't. I'll do what's necessary," answered Kaina quietly, unable to push away the horrible image she just thought of.

Sayaka smiled. "Good. Then we have no more to talk about at the moment."

After that short exchange, silence filled the office. While Sayaka waited for Nezu to arrive so they could finalize their agreement they made a couple days ago, Kaina kept thinking about the job she was given and how once again, she was under the mercy of the HPSC.

After a little bit more time, a buzz was heard from the telephone on Sayaka's desk. "Yes?" replied the president as she pressed a button.

"Nezu is here."

"Good. Send him in."

About five seconds later, the office door opened and two people walked in. Nezu was once again seated on his security detail's shoulder. The second person was holding a briefcase and also wearing a suit.

"Good afternoon Madam President," greeted Nezu as they drew closer to the desk. He moved his sight onto the dual colored hair woman on the couch. "And hello to you as well, Ms. Tsutsumi." Kaina merely gave a curt nod and remained silent but Nezu took no offense to it. He was actually expecting that sort of greeting from the infamous woman.

Sayaka stood up and gestured to the seat in front of her. "Welcome. I assume you have everything with you so let's get this finalized."

"I do and sounds good to me." Nezu hopped off the shoulder he was on and landed onto one of the seats in front of the desk. The one with the briefcase also sat down next to Nezu. The security person however stood off to the side against the wall. "As we agreed upon, I've had my legal team set up the documents for it. Please go ahead and review them as well before we both sign it," suggested Nezu.

"I'll do just that." Sayaka called in her legal team's head lawyer and when he came in, they went over the documents that Nezu's legal team had prepared.

While they did that, Nezu turned to look at Kaina from his seat. He found her looking at him again. He gave his traditional smile to her before facing forward again.

It took Sayaka and her lawyer about ten minutes to go over the documents. Finding everything to be exactly as they discussed, Sayaka was actually surprised. She thought that perhaps the hybrid animal might try to sneak in something for his benefit. But no, he kept to his word and made sure that everything was properly addressed and as they agreed with no alterations. Huh…I wonder if he's trying something? What am I thinking, of course he is! This is Nezu I'm talking about! But even so, these papers have nothing suspicious about them at all. And that's raising red flags for me but even so, I'd be stupid to not go ahead with this.

"Well Principal Nezu, everything is as we agreed," spoke up Sayaka as she looked at him.

"Splendid," remarked Nezu with his usual smile on his face. "Let's wrap things up then shall we? I'm sure we all have other important business to attend to."

"Can't argue with that," stated Sayaka. Grasping a pen, she initialed in the areas she was supposed to and then signed her spot at the end. "There. Your turn."

Nezu brought out his own pen, initialed his spots with his full name and signed his area at the end which was just his name in cursive along with an inked image of his paw print. Putting away his pen, he grabbed hold of the papers and handed them to his lawyer. "My legal team will make copies and send them to you by the end of today," stated Nezu.

"I don't have a problem with that. I'll make sure that my people are aware of it," said Sayaka. Standing up again, she extended out her hand. "I hope that our partnership turns out for the best and we work together for a long time."

Nezu grasped her hand and they shook hands. "I do as well." After separating, his security detail came forward and Nezu hopped onto his shoulder. His lawyer also stood up. "C'mon then, Ms. Tsutsumi."

Kaina could do nothing except obey. Standing up, she followed after Nezu and the two suits. Right before leaving the office, she glanced back at the HPSC president. Seeing the glare on Sayaka's face, Kaina looked forward again and left the office. As she trailed behind Nezu and company, Kaina felt an uneasy feeling fill her, making her miserable. What's the point anymore…

XXXXXXXXXX SUNDAY AFTERNOON XXXXXXXXXX

"Make sure that they receive those documents soon," said Nezu as he sat on his office chair.

"Will do, sir," replied his lawyer before he left the office.

Nezu turned his attention to his new staff member who was seated on the couch facing him. "Well, now that we're alone Ms. Tsutsumi, we can speak freely with one another."

"Alone?" Kaina scoffed before pointing behind her. "Did you forget about the suit that's here with us?"

Nezu chuckled a little. "Don't worry about him. He won't say a word to anyone. I promise."

Kaina narrowed her eyes. Glancing at the security officer, who gave her a curt nod before facing ahead of him once more, Kaina returned her gaze back to the hybrid animal. "Yeah, right. Whether you forgive me or not for not trusting you, it doesn't matter to me. But don't worry; you're not alone in that since I don't trust anyone anymore."

"I'd be shocked if you did trust someone right now, Ms. Tsutsumi."

"Okay, that's already getting old. Just call me Kaina since you apparently own me now."

"As you wish, Kaina. And I must ask, where did you get the notion that I own you?" asked Nezu cheerily.

Kaina scoffed again. "Oh please, I'm not stupid. I know you made a deal with the head bitch of the HPSC and that's why I'm here somehow, working for you now."

"Well, you're partly right Kaina. But before I explain things, please, don't think of this as being my slave because you're not. And before I get into it, what about your hero name? Are you alright being called that again by others?" asked Nezu.

Not a slave huh? Right…"Doesn't matter. Even if I don't want them to call me that, it's not like I can run from it thanks to my past," remarked Kaina with indifference in her tone.

"True and that's one way to look at it. Very well. Kaina or Lady Nagant. And you may call me Nezu."

Kaina leaned back in the couch and crossed her arms. "Fine. So, Nezu, with that out of the way, is this the part where you're gonna tell me how lucky I am to be here? To get another chance? To repent for my wrong ways so I can try and be the hero I was always supposed to be? Or is that all just a cover so you could use me like the HPSC did?"

Nezu had his smile widen. "Oh, I guess I won't have to go into that anymore. Thank you for saving me some time." His words made Kaina growl at him and he chuckled. "Please, there's no need for hostility. Again, you're not my slave and I'm not your enemy. I'm on your side Kaina. And in time, I hope you stand with me as well. But for now, I'd be content with you just doing your assigned duties. Though I do request that you don't compare me to the HPSC again."

Noticing the hidden tone of disgust on his last statement, Kaina understood that Nezu doesn't like the HPSC either. Just like her. That gave him a few brownie points in her mind. "Alright, I won't. And what are those duties?" asked Kaina. "I wasn't told what I'd be doing here for you. Am I supposed to help with security? Am I helping another teacher? Replacing another teacher? Teach students? Honestly, I'm not the teaching type so I really don't know why I'm even here. And how were you even able to get me out of Tartarus?"

Nezu nodded his head a few times. "Alright. Besides what you mentioned before, let me explain then." Getting up off his seat, Nezu hopped on top of his desk and placed his paws behind his back while walking towards the edge of it. "First off, you're not replacing anyone. You're only gonna be covering for Midnight until she recovers from her horrible experience and comes back once she recovers."

"Midnight?" It took her a moment, but Kaina remembered who that was. "You mean that wannabe dominatrix who loves attention, acts as if she's still twenty years old and doesn't know the meaning of 'no' from the ones she preys on? And now she's recovering? From what? Did someone reject her advances and she ended up getting depressed or something?" asked Kaina sarcastically.

Nezu's smile vanished from his face and instead a serious expression took form. "Lady Nagant. We here at UA are very flexible and know how to handle criticism and jokes. However, speaking ill of another's hardships is not something we tolerate here. I know that you're suffered plenty in your life as well as not knowing what happened exactly and so I will overlook your behavior this one time. This is will be your only formal warning; do not speak ill of your fellow staff or any of your students in such a manner again. I'm sure you wouldn't appreciate it if someone did the same towards you."

Kaina felt a cold chill go down her spine over Nezu's serious tone and expression. Okay, note to self; don't piss off the rat… Unable to verbally respond back to him, she could only nod her head.

"Good." Nezu's serious expression lessened but he didn't smile. "I assume you weren't told the details since they probably believed it was unnecessary or that we would anyways. Midnight was assaulted and heavily injured thanks to a villain attack a few days ago…" Nezu explained what had happened at the USJ invasion and how that incident ended being the reason why she was brought here now. When he finished, Kaina looked both stunned and visibly ill. "So that is why you are here Kaina."

"Wait, wait, wait! Hold on!" Kaina sat up straight as she moved a little forward in her seat. "You're telling me that Midnight was assaulted and raped by villains?! Her?! And it happened on UA grounds?! That she's in the hospital now and because of what happened to her, that's why I'm here?!" she asked him with disbelief in her tone.

"Unfortunately, yes, that's part of it," confirmed Nezu with sadness coating his words.

"What the hell?!" shot Kaina, standing up with her hands clenched into fists. "Not only do I have to deal with the bullshit reports that the HPSC wants me to do and teach some brats about some damn subject that I probably don't know anything about, but I have to also watch out for villain attacks?!"

"Now hold on, we upgraded our security systems and they won't be able to invade or come onto UA grounds like they did with their warp user without alarms going off. It was an unprecedented event that no one could've prepared for," explained Nezu.

Kaina glared at Nezu for a moment before she shook her head and sat back down with a huff. "Fine. Whatever. Not like I have a choice. So I'm covering for Midnight. Okay. Fine. What subject?"

"Art History," answered Nezu with a little bit of cheeriness.

"The hell?!" snapped Kaina, annoyed and confused. "Why the hell are you wasting time teaching your students Art History at UA when they should be focusing more on other topics?"

"We've always believed in a well-rounded education for all of our students. And for the ones in the hero course, having some information in many fields could help them out in the world one day. Plus, these general education courses are only for the first part of their UA careers. The rest will be focused solely on heroics, understanding laws governing heroes, first aid and other things," revealed Nezu.

Kaina scoffed. "Whatever. I still think it's a waste of time. And I don't know shit about Art History."

"Well, you'd still be in charge of that class. You can just follow along Midnight's lesson plans that she always leaves in her desk in the classroom. Or, if you're really having trouble, then you may teach whatever subject you so desire. As long as it has an academic value or related to heroics. And if you need help in directing the class, you may always seek assistance from me or your fellow teachers."

Unable to retort, Kaina let out a huff. "Fine, fine. I'll see what she has planned. But if I don't like it, I'm doing my own thing."

"Very well, that's alright with me," replied Nezu. He cleared his throat before he continued. "I'll tell you later some of my other reasons why I wanted you here at UA. But for now, besides your classes, your other responsibilities will include doing some security for UA with the other staff, following UA guidelines and assisting any student that asks for your help in an appropriate manner. Your weekly reports will first be given to me and I will send them to the HPSC. And any other requirement that may pop up as you stay here with UA," informed the principal.

No wonder that bitch wanted me to use the codes we created. Letting out another sigh, Kaina commented back as she crossed her arms and legs while leaning back. "Great, I really did trade one prison for another, didn't I? And it wasn't even my choice to do so."

Nezu shook his head while giving an understanding look at her. "No, you didn't have a choice, Kaina. Though these are your responsibilities and you might think this, but UA is not a prison and you're not a slave as I said before. You're free to do as you like while living on campus grounds within reason. We already have your own living quarters set up for you. You'll also have time off, get paid weekly, get benefits and no one, not even the HPSC, will be able to bother you as long as you stay with UA. Though I would recommend not leaving campus grounds unless absolutely mandatory for the time being until I can figure out a way for the general public to not be afraid of you anymore," said Nezu. "With that said, does that sound like a prison or slavery to you?"

Kaina had different feelings spring up within as she listened to the UA Principal. When he finished, she couldn't believe what she was receiving in return for what she had to do. Shit, that does sound good. Is he being serious? And I don't really want to be out there with the public anyways…but… She looked away to the side as she touched the metallic choker on her neck again. HPSC can't bother me anymore, huh? If only you knew the truth. I doubt you could do anything about it even if you did know. But, I have to admit, at least I have some chances to enjoy something before shit hits the fan… Taking in a breath, she exhaled it out before looking at Nezu. "Well, I guess that's better than sleeping on a horrible bed in a six by six concrete cell with nothing to do."

Nezu had his usual smile form on his face. "I'm pleased to hear that you're looking at the positives. And if I may suggest, please continue to look at the positives, Kaina. Now, unless you have any more questions, I believe you should start getting used to your new home." He pressed a button on his desk.

A moment later, the door opened and one of his staff entered the office. "I'm here, sir."

"Thank you for volunteering for this, Vlad King," said Nezu. "By the way, how are you feeling? Ready for tomorrow?"

"Yes sir. Recovery Girl healed me back to one hundred percent. Aizawa and Thirteen are also good to go and they're already resting in their quarters," explained Sekijiro.

"Good, good." Nezu faced Kaina again and introduced the two to each other. "This is Sekijiro Kan, better known as the Blood Hero, Vlad King. And this is Kaina Tsutsumi, or better known as Lady Nagant."

"Call me Vlad or Kan. Easier to say than my first name," said Vlad as he raised his hand.

Kaina eyed her new colleague for a moment. Shrugging to herself, she stood up, grasped his hand and shook it as she replied back. "Kaina or Nagant is fine with me. And…aren't you…wary of me?" she asked hesitantly after letting go of his hand.

Vlad gave her a half smirk. "If Nezu says you're good to go, that's good enough for me to give you a chance. But fair warning; you try to endanger or hurt anyone and I will end you."

"Now that, I believe, respect and understand. But a heads up back to you and tell everyone else for me; I'm not taking anyone's shit, staff member or student," answered back Kaina seriously.

"Fair enough." Vlad turned towards Nezu. "Anything else or should we get on with it?"

"By all means," replied Nezu as he gestured with his paw.

"Let's go," stated Vlad and he headed towards the office exit.

Kaina followed after him but before she left, Nezu told her that if she needed anything, to let him know. She merely nodded and left the office.

Once the two of them left and the door shut closed behind them, Nezu locked the door using a button on his desk before he faced the security officer who was already taking off his mask. "Did you get anything?"

Taking off the mask and then stuffing it into his pants pocket, Detective Naomasa Tsukauchi massaged his face first. "I'll never get used to wearing this," he commented offhandedly. Finished with his message, he faced Nezu. "Didn't get an indication that she was lying. But…I get the feeling that she's hiding something."

"You noticed that too, hmm?" asked Nezu rhetorically but Naomasa still nodded. Nezu glanced at the door. "I believe that she still fears the HPSC even when she's so far away from their clutches…"

"Do you think the HPSC did something before we picked her up? Maybe gave her secret orders?"

"Oh, most definitely and I'm betting the HPSC still has their hooks in her somehow."

"I did notice something too. She kept touching that choker on her neck."

"Ah, you too? Hmm…what could it be? Is it sentimental? Or a tracking device from the HPSC in case she runs for it? Or it could be nothing but a reminder of something. Either way, the HPSC did do something to her without question. That's probably why she looked so defeated when we went to retrieve her from them. But if I can just figure out what it is, then we can work on truly setting her free and coming back on our side. Until then, we must be ever vigilant and keep an eye on her and the HPSC."

"True. Also…" Naomasa waited until Nezu looked at him before he continued. "I know I asked this before, but…do you…do you really believe…that she'll change? After everything she's done? All the people she's killed?"

"It's complicated for sure. And some may call me crazy for giving someone like her a chance to change, to atone…and have her here of all places. But we have plenty of pros here to keep an eye out and the security system has been upgraded. Plus, I believe that her life has more grey in it than black and white. We know that she was used to do the HPSC's dirty work and they made her do those things. If we can find evidence of that…then we can clear her name."

"Even if we could do that…you didn't answer my question…will she change in the end?" asked Naomasa.

"I believe she will," replied Nezu. "And she'll change long before we're able to find the truth to share with the world."

"Because of?"

Nezu smiled his usual smile. "Like I said before it'll be because she'll be surrounded by heroes once more. And little by little, she'll have no choice but to change. Especially when a certain hero starts interacting with her."

"You sure are putting a lot of faith in him and he's not even licensed hero yet," remarked Naomasa.

"Only in title he's not," remarked Nezu with a chuckle.

Naomasa chuckled too. "Can't argue with that. And, I hope you're right Nezu. I really do…"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"So, I showed you the main campus where the classrooms are, the training fields, the locker room locations for each field, nurse's office and the auditorium. The students' dorms are in these locations." Vlad pointed towards different areas as they continued walking on one of the paved walkways in the UA grounds. "And one of the living quarters for UA staff is right over here."

Rounding the corner of the paved walkway that went around some cluster of trees, Kaina found a large, modern styled enormous building a short distance in front of her. "Not bad," she commented, actually impressed by how it looks. "I thought it'd be less than that."

Vlad chuckled. "Most underestimate UA's ability to do what it wants. It's not just our funding that helps, but we have connections all around. And many of our fellow staff members are masters in their fields. It helps too when one of them can manipulate any type of cement based material."

"Hmm." Kaina said nothing more as they walked towards the building. So, this is my new home for the foreseeable future, huh? Definitely better than that hell hole. I wonder if it's as grand inside as it looks on the outside? Kaina's question was answered when she entered the building and was once again impressed.

Inside the main common areas she found comfortable looking furniture with impossibly soft material. Pristine floors everywhere she looked. Thick, glass dining tables were near the kitchen that had marble counter tops and high tech appliances. There was also an actual game room that had billiards, several other table top games, arcade machines, and more. Even a home theater room was available for them to use. Everything was super high tech, modern and everything looked brand new.

Seeing her expression of disbelief, Vlad chuckled. "This is only the shared common areas. There's also a work out gym in the basement, outdoor pool behind the building that's walled off and some more stuff. But wanna know the best part?" he asked and Kaina just looked at him so he could continue. "We each get our very own floor all to ourselves."

Kaina couldn't help it and her jaw dropped. "Are…Are you serious?"

"Yup. That's why there's more than one building for the UA staff."

"W-Why? Why do…"

"It's cause Nezu really cares for us and his students," informed Vlad, cutting off Kaina who went quiet. "He knows how stressful it is for us. We teach potential future pros and do hero work too so we're almost always busy. And we always had our own living quarters on campus if we chose to live here. But after the USJ incident, Nezu basically demanded us to live here while promising to make things much more comfortable for us. He upgraded everything so I'm not complaining at all. Shit, I might even rent out my old place," he finished saying while gesturing around the area.

"Huh…I…I don't know what to say about that," remarked Kaina in a rather quiet tone of voice.

Vlad grinned at her. "Don't worry about it. For now, go check out your private quarters. The directory should be next to the elevator buttons. And if you'd like, we're having a staff dinner together later in the evening. You should join us and get to know the others a bit," suggested Vlad.

"Thanks and…I'll think about it," replied Kaina.

Vlad nodded before he turned and walked away. "Let me know if you need something."

"Alright." Kaina watched him go for a couple seconds before she too moved. Reaching the elevator, she looked at the directory on the wall. So All Might really is here? And he gets the top floor? Of course he does. Let's see...where am I…huh…I didn't expect to have the second highest floor…not complaining though. Time to check it out…

Entering the elevator, Kaina pressed the button for the second highest floor. After a short while, she heard the familiar ding of the elevator and the doors opened. She stepped out into a small hallway that only contained the single door in front of her. Next to the door was an electronic device. Stepping up to it, she found it was a bio-metric hand scanner.

The scanner beeped before it spoke in a soft but professional sounding female voice. "Hello and welcome. Please place your right hand onto the scanner to verify your person and be granted entry."

Huh…must've sensed me near it. But when did they get my finger prints? Wait, stupid question. HPSC probably…Kaina shrugged before doing as the machine said. It scanned her hand and a short while later, it beeped a few times.

"Welcome home, Kaina Tsutsumi."

An audible click was heard and assuming that the door opened, she reached for the handle. Turning the handle, she opened the door, stepped inside and began exploring her new home. She thought she'd been impressed enough for one day. But she was wrong. She was not expecting this at all.

Instead of the typical condo or apartment like house with the bare necessities, it looked like a penthouse suite and it was fully furnished with everything and anything she could possibly need. Even more impressive looking furniture furnished her new home. Lovely paintings on the walls gave a cozy feeling. A modern kitchen that sported spacious granite counter tops along with the same high tech appliances from the common areas. A gorgeous view greeted her from the balcony attached to the living room. A large master bathroom that had a shower and bathtub connected to the master bedroom that also contained elegant furniture along with a walk in closet.

Kaina couldn't believe it. She never lived in such a lavish place. Even during her working days for the HPSC, she never dreamed she could afford a place as extravagant as this. Unable to help herself, a large smile formed on her face as she went around her new home several times.

Stopping in her bedroom as she finished her latest walkthrough, Kaina just plopped onto the bed with her back and immediately let out a satisfied groan. "Oooooh…myyyyyy…goooooood…" she whispered to herself. Too comfortable to get up at the moment, Kaina remained on her bed and thought about everything that happened to her today. "Hmm, I guess it's not too bad, my duties to UA…as long as I get to stay in a place like this and I get paid weekly…yeah sure, I guess I could work and live here…do some reports every week…and I guess I could deal with some brats…"

Kaina scoffed at herself and she let out genuine chuckles. "Okay, no one here to try and not show how much you love it. At least don't lie to yourself." Her chuckling stopped as something else came to mind. "But…" She raised her hand and gently touched the metallic choker on her neck. "…if only I didn't have to worry about this too…"

Unable to stop herself, Kaina had some negative thoughts whirl around her head for a little while. When she was able to finally wrest back control, she forced those thoughts away. "No point thinking about something I can't control." Rolling onto her side, she moved a bit on the bed and placed her head on the soft and comfy pillow. "I think a nice nap would be good." Without changing out of her clothes, Kaina got under the blanket and closed her eyes. Before falling asleep, she remembered the invitation to join her new colleagues for dinner. Hmm, if I wake up in time, I might as well join the others for dinner. It'll be good to know who I'm gonna work with I guess. However short it'll be…

And before she knew it, Kaina was fast asleep. She only woke up a few hours later when someone came knocking on her door to invite her to join the staff dinner…

XXXXXXXXXX SUNDAY EVENING XXXXXXXXXX

Several of UA's staff were seated around a dining table and had already started eating. They ordered some food to make things easier for them and because it was the first time they'd be eating together like this in a long time.

"Do you think she'll join us for dinner?" asked Hizashi.

"I think so. I mean, why not? It'll be a good chance for her to get acquainted with everyone," responded Vlad while grabbing some food for his plate.

"Good point." Hizashi turned towards his closest friend. "Hey, sleepy head, wake up! It's time for some grub! And hopefully we'll get to know our new colleague!"

Shota groaned as he lifted his head that was resting on the dining table. "I can't believe I'm living here too. I should've just stayed in my apartment…"

Hizashi laughed as he smacked Shota against his back, causing the underground hero to glare back. "Ah, don't be like that Shota! Now we can be roommates like we talked about when we were younger!"

"We were roommates," deadpanned Shota as he gave a tired look towards his closest friend.

"Yeah, but that was during our early days as pros before we grew up and did our own thing! Now, we can hang out again! Have some fun! Who knows? We might even find you a girl to settle down with!"

Vlad almost choked on his food over Hizashi's last statement before he started laughing. "Oh man, Hizashi that was too funny! Which girl in their right mind would even think about dating this grumpy, sleep deprived, hobo looking motherfucker?!" As Vlad continued laughing heartedly, he missed the glare from Shota that was directed at him while Hizashi chuckled awkwardly.

"Now, that's pretty messed up, partner," spoke up Snipe, who was somehow eating with his mask still on his face.

"What's messed up?"

The four of them heard the familiar voice and turned to see the space hero walking towards them with another by her side.

Anan had volunteered to go call Kaina to join them for dinner. Thanks to Recovery Girl, she had fully recovered but was still taking it easy for a little longer. So, after a few minutes of introductions and some talk, Anan was able to convince Kaina to come join them.

Though Kaina was feeling a little anxious and nervous, she was able to keep a calm, neutral look on her face. As they reached the common area floor, she followed her new acquaintance who led her into the dining room where their fellow peers were already there. That was when they heard that statement and Anan had asked about that.

"You know how it goes Anan. Just joking around," replied Hizashi with a grin.

Anan smiled in amusement as she and Kaina stopped beside the table. "Right. Anyways, I know you spent time with her already Vlad, but everyone, this is Kaina Tsutsumi, also known as Lady Nagant." After introducing their new colleague, Anan gestured for the others to introduce themselves.

"Shota Aizawa."

"He's Eraserhead by the way," added Hizashi and Shota let out a grumble. "I'm Hizashi Yamada and my hero name's Present Mic cause I'm the entertainer who just keeps on giving!"

"We've already met but to remind you, Sekijiro Kan, Vlad King."

"I just go by Snipe."

"Is this everyone?" asked Kaina.

"No, the rest couldn't make it since they're not here or it's their turn for patrol," revealed Vlad.

"Oh."

"Now that that's out of the way, let's dig in," suggested Anan as she took a seat.

Kaina followed her example and sat down next to Anan. Immediately afterward, Hizashi started offering her some food while simultaneously asking her what else she wants. After thanking him and taking a little of the offered dishes and asking for others, Kaina began eating. As she ate her meal, she remained silent for the most part since she was enjoying the food. It had been a long time since she had any tasty meals. The stuff she was forced to eat back in Tartarus could hardly be even called food. So while she ate and enjoyed the wonderful tasty food, she kept silent with her face neutral as she just listened to the others' conversations. A few times she answered some of their questions about her and her opinions on some things but nothing more than that.

After some time passed, Kaina, as anxious and nervous as she still felt, started thinking after finishing her third serving. Hmm, things are going alright so far. That's actually surprising me…and yet, I'm still feeling off. Things can't be this easy…can they? Kaina shifted her gaze away from her finally empty plate and looked at the UA instructors around her.

Hizashi was talking and joking around with Shota who looked like he just wanted to sleep for a week straight after eating some heavy food.

Vlad had his reading glasses on as he read a couple papers on the table while he ate.

Snipe and Anan were discussing something that seemed to be related to rockets.

Looking back at her plate, Kaina felt a little off. Before she worked for the HPSC, she used to experience things like this every day. But after being in their clutches for so long, she had forgotten what it felt like doing so many things. Even something as normal as sharing a meal with others was something she hadn't done for years and that was before she was even sent to Tartarus. It felt so foreign to her that it made her feel both uneasy and sullen.

Luckily, before she could fall further into that feeling, someone called out to her. "Huh? W-What?" she asked as she turned to face the others with a confused look.

"Oh, sorry. Didn't realize you were thinking about something," apologized Snipe.

Kaina shook her head. "No, it's fine. And I'm sorry, but what were you saying again?"

"Well, if it's alright with you, I was curious if you'd like to have a friendly little match?" he asked her.

"A…match?" repeated Kaina slowly.

"Yeah. Just some target practice at one of our fields. Best out of ten, three rounds. You up for it?" asked Snipe with noticeable curiosity.

It's been a while since I did something like that… She thought for a bit before agreeing. "Sure. I'm game. It'll help me shake off my rust too," replied Kaina.

"Alright then. If you're finished, we can go now," said Snipe while standing up.

"Sure," replied Kaina as she copied him and she noticed the other instructors also stood up. Well, Hizashi had to shake Shota awake who was starting to fall asleep in his chair who grumbled about that before they too stood up. "You're all coming too?" she asked them.

"If you don't mind," answered Anan. "We've all heard of your ability and Snipe is really good too. He's wanted to compete with someone who shares his interest in firearms. And we're curious as well."

Kaina glanced at the others who voiced similar things. Unable to deny them, she could only agree since she didn't want to cause issues with them already. Plus, it wouldn't be a big deal for them to watch. Right? "Sure, I guess."

Anan smiled. "Great. Let's head to the PE grounds and we can have some targets set up for you two."

No one disagreed and they all left the building as they started heading towards the PE grounds. Snipe was shaking with excitement since he hadn't competed with someone in target shooting for a while now. Hizashi was excitedly talking about the match with Shota who only nodded tiredly in reply while barely commenting back. Anan conversed with Vlad this time as they walked. And all the while, Kaina kept quiet while beside Anan's other side.

After walking along a bend on the paved road, they saw the main campus building not too far away from them. And a small group of four people were walking away from the building while heading towards the UA gate.

"Isn't it a little late for school visits?" asked Kaina.

"Yeah, but they're okay. They have special permission to do so," stated Hizashi.

"Why? What's so special about them?" asked Kaina.

"Because that's problem child number one with his family and that skeleton looking blonde is All Might's secretary," explained Shota in a tired tone.

"Problem child?" repeated Kaina as she glanced at Shota.

"Don't listen to him. He calls all of his students 'problem child'," informed Vlad. Shota glared at him but was ignored. "Anyways, that green haired young man is Izuku Midoriya and he's in class 1A."

Kaina controlled her reaction after hearing his name. As casually as she could, she returned her gaze back towards the leaving group and fixed her sight onto Izuku. So that's who the bitch wants me to keep an eye on? She couldn't see him too well since they were far away from them but she had an idea now about how he looked. "Okay. So, what's so special about him? He doesn't look like much. And why is All Might's secretary going with him?" she asked them. Kaina missed the shared glances between the other staff members since her gaze was still on Izuku in the distance.

Anan decided to tell some information since no one said anything. "Well, to summarize, All Might is training him personally along with a few other pros. And he saved that young girl with him from a dangerous villain before starting UA. And he helped save everyone during the USJ invasion, including some of us. I assume Nezu told you about that last one?"

Kaina had her eyes widen and her jaw dropped a little. N-No way! He's being trained by All Might personally?! And he saved so many and he's not even a pro yet?! Her shocked gaze was stuck on Izuku until he passed through the UA gate. "You're…you're messing with me, right?" asked Kaina in a low voice as she turned to look at Anan.

"Nope. He really did all that," chuckled Anan and the other teachers, except for Shota, also chuckled. "If you don't believe me, that's fine. But, here, look at this. Nemuri sent me this some days ago when she was telling me about him." Anan took out her phone, opened up an image and showed it to Kaina.

Kaina looked at the phone and she saw the picture. It was of Izuku holding up what seemed to be a pickup truck with just one hand to the side. Midnight was also in the picture, who was sitting on top of the truck's hood with her legs crossed and her hands clapped together while dressed in her hero costume. It looked like they were at the beach thanks to the coastline in the background. Midnight had a proud smile on her face while looking at Izuku, who was happily smiling back to her.

"That's…that's actually impressive," remarked Kaina in a quiet tone, with her sight locked onto the young man's happy expression that sported a beaming, sunshine smile. For some reason she couldn't fathom, it drew her attention…

"Right? And here's the kicker; he's barely using any of his quirk."

Luckily for Kaina, Anan's words made her look up at her so she wasn't staring at the picture long enough for them to notice anything. "What?! I know strength enhancement quirks are somewhat common, but even then, being able to hold up a pickup truck with just one hand is crazy! Not to mention someone else on it adding their weight…and you're telling me that he's barely trying?!"

Anan smiled as she took her phone back and looked at the picture again. "Yeah. I'd tell you more but even I don't know much. Nemuri only told me that he's strong, even without using his quirk and that he's a special kind of person." Feeling a little saddened from looking at Nemuri, Anan said a mental prayer in her mind before refocusing. Turning off her phone, she put it away and looked at Kaina. "Well, I think we held up the others long enough. We should head out."

"Yeah, she's right. Let's keep going. We're almost there and I'm itchin to get this started," spoke up Snipe.

"Alright, alright, keep your mask on," joked Anan as they began moving again.

As they started to move again, Kaina glanced back at the entrance. Looking away, she followed after her colleagues while lost in thought over what she just learned. So this Izuku Midoriya is pretty strong, saved many already, and All Might's training him. Damn, no wonder they want to know everything about him. But, what exactly is so special about him that he's getting all this attention from everyone?

When they finally made it to the PE grounds, Snipe had the UA robots quickly set up targets for them across the open area. When finished he walked to his designated area and stopped. He turned around and looked at Kaina. "Alright, you ready for this?" he asked her.

Kaina shook her head a little and moved to her spot. "Yeah." I need to focus. I'll think about that stuff later. "Will those targets be able to handle our power?" she asked as she stopped a good distance away from Snipe but still parallel to him. She glanced at her targets before looking at Snipe.

When he saw Kaina give him her attention, Snipe started explaining. "There's ten high quality, solid steel targets lined up from left to right for each of us. They're shaped in ten inch diameter circles. They're high caliber rifle rated steel that can absorb impacts from most rounds. They're set up at two hundred yards away from us at different heights amongst them. Minuscule chance of ricochet, if any and they should last for our match at least. I know both of us can shoot farther than that, with you having much farther range than me. But this is a different kind of competition. Sound good?" he asked.

Kaina nodded. "Yeah, I'm okay with that. What are the rules?"

"So three rounds. First round, as fast as we can go hitting all targets in order. Best time wins that round. Second round, hit the odd number targets first, then backtrack with the even numbers with just one shot each. Whoever gets higher accuracy wins that round. Last round, you start from the first target and move normally, but for each number, you have to get that many shots on it before moving to the next. So one shot for the first target, two shots for the second target, three shots for the third and so on. And you only get that many shots per target. Accuracy and speed both count here."

After he finished explaining the rules, he waited a bit to see if Kaina had any questions. When she nodded soon afterwards, he faced the targets. He took off his coat, revealing the many magazines that were clipped all around his belt. "Ready?" he asked.

Does he have those with him all the time? Kaina pushed that wondering aside and readied herself. Activating her quirk as she bent her right arm, her infamous rifle extended out through her right elbow. Kneeling down onto one knee, she balanced her rifle onto her raised knee. With her left hand, she started pulling many strands of hair from her head and formed them into her signature pink and indigo colored rounds, the same color as her hair. Thankfully, her hair would instantly replenish every time she pulled her hair out to use for ammunition.

After a quick minute, Kaina had several dozen rounds ready to go on the floor. Picking one up, she inserted it into the hole that opened in her right palm and the round was chambered. "Alright, I'm ready," said Kaina.

"Good. Hey, Hizashi, count us down for round one, will ya?" asked Snipe.

"Yeah, you got it!" agreed Hizashi as he walked a little forward but stopped while still behind the two. "On my go, you start!" Both Snipe and Kaina nodded in agreement. "Okay…one…two…three…GO!"

The second that Hizashi said 'go', both Snipe and Kaina fired and continued firing as fast as they could go. Sounds of metal hitting metal were heard with multiple 'dings' within fractions of a second of one another. The first round was over in a flash. Both Kaina and Snipe turned towards one another with different expressions on their faces.

"That was close, but no cigar my friend," remarked Snipe with barely restrained glee that he won that round.

Kaina huffed out some air and didn't reply back. Instead she faced her targets again. Damn it, I really am rusty. And that threw me off too… She shook her head slightly again as the ghost of a beaming smile from a certain young man flashed through her mind. Focus! C'mon! "Alright, round two. Let's go Snipe," said Kaina with a serious tone.

Vlad, Shota, Hizashi and Anan shared glances with one another over her tone.

Snipe however, smirked as he got ready for the next round. "There we go! Let's get this going. Hizashi!"

"Right! One…two…three…GO!"

Again, Snipe and Kaina started firing as quickly as they could at their targets. But this time, they had to go odd targets first and then even targets as they backtracked. It was pretty close between them again and it came down to the wire.

After the last ding, Snipe and Kaina looked at each other again. "Damn, you got that one partner."

Kaina couldn't help herself and a small smirk formed on her face at winning that round. It was close, all the way to the end but she was able to speed up her actions as she started getting back into the groove of things. Snipe could definitely fire faster than her, but she was able to switch her targets faster than him as it came back to her. Maybe it helped that her rifle was literally part of her arm and it was second nature to her? She didn't dwell on it though and got ready for the final round.

"Last round. Let's give this everything we got," said Snipe.

"Alright," remarked Kaina as she readied her rifle again.

"Final round, yo! Get ready! One…two…three…GO!"

*DING*

*DING*DING*

*DING*DING*DING*

The two sharpshooters were equal until they reached the fourth target. Since he didn't have to reload after every shot, he was gaining speed on Kaina and he started pulling away from her. He already was on his fifth target when Kaina finished her fourth. By the time she finished her sixth, he was on his eight. By that point, the winner had already been decided yet both finished the round.

After Kaina finally finished up her shots, she didn't move for a few seconds. Damn it, I lost... Composing herself, she stood up while deactivating her quirk. Her rifled regressed back through her elbow and her arm returned to normal.

Snipe walked up to her while talking, catching her attention. "That was great shooting there partner. I haven't had a good match like that in a long time. Even with me being able to shoot faster and use magazines, it was close all the way till the final round's last targets. I might have you beat short range, but you'd definitely beat me long range. I wouldn't even stand a chance." He chuckled a little before he raised his hand to her. "You deserve your sharpshooter status. Good match, Lady Nagant."

"Thanks. You too, Snipe," replied Kaina in an emotionless voice as she shook his hand.

After they separated, the two turned towards their fellow teachers who had walked up to them. They commented on their match as well as their shooting. Snipe was proud of himself but he wasn't being arrogant about it. Kaina felt some appreciation over their kind words and it did help lift her mood slightly. Though Shota kept silent the entire time and didn't say anything to them other than 'good match'. After a short while, they agreed to head back to their building after notifying the UA robots to clean up the area.

When they arrived back home, they quickly cleaned up the dining table and put away the extra food in the shared kitchen. The dishes and utensils were rinsed and then put into the dish washer. Finished with that, they all headed towards the elevator. They each got off on their own floor while saying goodnight to one another.

In the end, Kaina was the last remaining one in the elevator since hers was the second highest floor. Exiting it, she entered her quarters after scanning her hand again. Once inside, she went straight to the master bathroom so she could take a shower.

After getting undressed, Kaina was about to enter the shower with the water already on but stopped. She remembered the metallic choker on her neck. Reaching for it with her right hand, she remembered what that bitch told her. I hope she wasn't lying. And if she was…well…hopefully it's quick and painless. Kaina took in a breath before she stepped underneath the running water. Tensed up and waiting for something to happen, Kaina didn't move for a full minute. When nothing happened, she let out a relieved breath. At least I can take a shower without worrying now…

Stepping inside the shower and allowing the warm water to fall on her, Kaina felt incredible. It had been a long time since she had a proper shower. Tartarus barely allowed them to clean themselves but it was only once a week. At least they'd be alone during that time with no other villain. But no way in hell did they let her take her sweet time.

But now? She could take her sweet time. Ah, this feels amazing… She stayed underneath the water without moving for a bit before she finally started showering. As she showered, Kaina's mind raced over everything that occurred recently. Even when she finished showering, she remained under the comforting warm water for a little while longer. And all the while, she kept thinking. Until a sudden image popped up in her head.

It was of the green haired young man with that beaming, sunshine smile of his from the photo.

Shaking the image out of her mind, Kaina turned off the water and exited the shower. Wrapping a towel around her body, she left the bathroom and went into her walk-in closet. There were minimal clothes for her but luckily what she needed was there. After drying herself, Kaina put on some undergarments followed by pajama pants and shirt. At least I have some clothes for my first day of teaching… With thoughts of needing to buy some more clothes, she put her used clothes and towel into a laundry basket in the corner of her closet. When done, she headed towards her bed.

Getting comfortable under the covers, Kaina let out a sigh as she closed her eyes. Though she felt exhausted, she didn't fall asleep just yet. And that was thanks to all the thoughts floating around in her head.

She thought about what the HPSC wanted from her. She thought about how many years of her life she wasted because of them. She thought about the pro heroes who were now her work colleagues at UA. How things seemed to be going alright with them even if it was just the first day. How she was still feeling anxious and nervous. She thought about Nezu and what he told her. She thought about how she never lived in such a grand place before. She thought about what she was expected to do as a UA staff member now. How she was gonna be teaching potential future pro heroes. And that led her to think about a certain green haired young man.

"Izuku Midoriya…"

Kaina spoke his name out loud as she opened her eyes and pictured him in her mind again. Rolling onto her back, she faced the ceiling and thought for a bit longer. She wondered why the HPSC was so interested in this one particular person. She did remember what she learned about him earlier…but, was that really all there was to it? She didn't know and had no idea what it could be. But she did know one thing; there was something else going on and she could feel it.

She was about to turn back to her side and go to sleep when her subconscious brought up Izuku's image again in her mind with that sunshine smile of his. Damn it…why am I seeing his image so much?

Unable to clear her mind, she ended up thinking about that for a while. Until Kaina had a sudden epiphany to the reason why. Damn it…he's reminding me of my past…that damn smile…I used to smile like that too when I was young, naïve and stupid…believing I was doing good and I was making a difference…

Letting out a huff, Kaina moved onto her side. How stupid was I?! Now this Midoriya is reminding me of that shit…damn it! Whatever, don't think about it. I'm not on the radar anymore…but this brat is. Sorry, but it's not my problem. Not anymore. He's gotta learn how the world really is sooner or later anyways….

Closing her eyes, Kaina forced her mind to clear by telling herself that she suffered enough and that she deserved to not worry about things. Especially things that she shouldn't stick her nose into. And right now, all she wanted and needed to do was get some more quality sleep. She had a taste of it earlier that day but she could get a lot more of it right now.

It didn't take long for Kaina to fall asleep. And as she slept, in the beginning she had no problems. But as the night continued, most of her dreams would turn for the worst. When she woke up in the morning, she was drenched in cold sweat. Yet she couldn't remember her dreams. And unfortunately for Kaina, that would end up becoming a common occurrence for her for a long time…

Author's Notes - Everyone's favorite sniper is finally here! Tell me your thoughts and feelings about her portrayal!

Also, the next chapter, chapter 23, is already up for pa tre on members! I'd really appreciate it if you can become a member as I'm trying to become a full time writer. I'm not asking for much either so if you can, that'll be awesome and I'll be very appreciative of it. If not, that's fine. You'll just have to wait longer to read.

However, it's gonna be the only way to read my all original story that's gonna be posted up there soon along with some member exclusive goodies. I know I've mentioned it before a few times, but I've made some progress on it and some stuff is gonna be posted up soon. To become a member, just add /silentplayermc03 to the end of pa tre on's website!

Hope all is well, that I hear from you all so leave a review, fav and follow! Thanks in advance and take care!

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