Hi, everyone! Welcome to Book II of the Mizuki series. I hope you all enjoy this story as much as I did while writing it. Please feel free to review, I would love to hear your thoughts.

Disclaimer: I don't own My Hero Academia or any of its characters. Mizuki, however, is my own creation.

Let's start with the story, shall we?*

Chapter 21

Mizuki breathed as she released another pulse from her body, teeth gritting as she felt the backlash and sparks appeared over her skin. She kept her hands on the ground, sweat trailing down the side of her face.

Pixie Bob was busy helping out with keeping an eye on some of the students, leaving her to fight against the beasts, half of the day. The other half of day she made sure to train the activation of her Quirk.

She would lie if she said that she wasn't on the last thread of strength. The supplementary classes were strenuous enough for her to stay awake and concentrate. Then there was the training from early the morning and the usage of two Quirks.

She was far from using both simultaneously. After all, they would only have a painful interaction if she tried. It was almost as if they were tied together in an impossible knot.

A wave of nausea washed over her and she groaned. She sat back on her legs and wiped the beads of sweat that glistened on her brows. Her muscle fibres were sore and a headache was slowly starting to form.

"It looks like you're getting the hang of it." Tired crimson orbs glanced back at Aizawa who came walking through the forest, stopping a few feet away from her. His hands were pocketed, his worn-out expression as unreadable as usual.

"Y-Yeah, but I'm still far from using it effectively. I'm struggling to control the pulses and I affect my explosion every time. It's frustrating but I won't give up!" Mizuki said and received a huff from her teacher.

"You better not…" She rolled her eyes, a smirk coming onto her lips. "Get up, you're done training for today. You can go bathe and rest for a while before you help the others with cooking," Aizawa said and she blinked in surprise.

"Wait, what? But-""It's important that we keep your mental health in good condition. Your body has enough straining as it is. I'm not risking anything else," Aizawa stated and Mizuki caught sight of a peculiar gleam in his eyes.

"You're a real softy, aren't you, Sensei?" Mizuki pointed out and received a threatening look. She held up her hands in surrender and then snickered in amusement. She stood up slowly, her body aching enough to make her feel like an old woman.

You still have a long way to go, Kid. You better not give up along the way. Aizawa thought to himself as he turned to walk away, Mizuki following behind him. He wasn't going to admit the soft spot he had for her, neither was he going to admit that he wanted to see her grow into a great hero one day.

It was his own secret.

Later on…

A sigh escaped a pair of plush lips, a hand ruffling the medium length spiky ash blonde hair. A pair of crimson eyes quivered slightly as they stared at the ground. Stiff limbs walked on and a vague sense of nausea was still present.

Still no news.

Mizuki wanted to rest, she honestly tried her best but was unable to do so after seeing no messages on her phone. Akira promised to let her know if there was any new information from the police. What was taking them so long?! Damn it!

"Eh? Bakugou-kun, you're really good at using a knife! It's unexpected…" Ochaco spoke as she looked at Katsuki's fast moving hands as he chopped the vegetables. She honestly thought that he would be terrible at cooking as Mizuki.

"What do you mean, unexpected? How can you be bad at using a knife!" Katsuki snapped at the girl, his hands moving even faster and smoother. He was about to retort something once more but felt a light pang in his chest, crimson eyes snapping towards his sister who came walking out.

"There he is. We haven't seen the capable version of him in a while," Kaminari chimed in as he walked past him, a few lumps of wood in his arms. Katsuki was completely oblivious to the comment, his expression falling at his sister's saddened expression.

"Everyone's too energetic…"

"Looks like someone had a rough day. You okay, Red?" Mizuki asked, leaning in and the male catching her eye. She had a small smile on her face, her big crimson orbs warming him up to the core.

"Yeah… The loss of sleep is taking its toll in me. What about you? How is your nausea?" He asked and watched as she intertwined her hands behind her back. Her expression was calm as a storm raged within her eyes.

"It's bearable. I had a good day of practise but a good night's sleep will be appreciated, you know? I'll probably hit the sack right after the scare activity," Mizuki said and Eijiro's face lit up at the mention.

"I can't wait!" He exclaimed happily, eyes brimming with excitement. Unbeknownst for her was the real reason behind it. It was true that he wanted to be tested but he was also planning to finally ask her out. There was nothing better than doing it in the beautiful night sky.

It was the perfect scenery.

Mizuki chuckled and gave him a wink. "Neither can I, Red. Don't disappoint me, okay?" She said walking off and he found himself grinning widely. She had a small smile on her face, her hand coming up to push some of her hair behind her ear.

She blinked a few times when she saw Iida standing with a potato peeler in hand, his other hand cupping his chin. He seemed to be analysing the tool with intensity and she sweat dropped when she noticed a group of Class B in the same boat.

"You know, staring at it the entire day won't prepare the potatoes for the stew, Four-Eyes," Mizuki brought his attention towards her. She wore an amusing smirk and her tone was almost that of mocking.

"Mizuki-kun…"

"Here, I'll show you how to use it." Mizuki took the tool and bent down at the small group. "You take the potato and then make sure the blade is in the right position before gently pressing and dragging it along the skin," she pointed out.

"I see. So that's how you use this strange contraption! Thank you for your explanation, Mizuki-kun but…thought that you couldn't cook?" Iida asked in confusion as he took the peeler and half peeler potato from her.

"I can't. I'm really terrible at it but I at least know a few things with the preparation of vegetables. I may be terrible at cooking but I'm not too bad a prep work," Mizuki told the male, holding up her index finger.

"As expected of you, Mizuki-kun!" Iida exclaimed and then moved to finish up with the potato. Mizuki chuckled and stood up, dusting off her knees. She helped out the hopeless group and now she only need to see who needed another hand.

"Kota-kun, hates heroes-I mean he hates the whole Quirk-based superhuman society in general, and I couldn't say anything to help him. I was just wondering what All Might would've said to him… What would you have said, Todoroki-kun?" Izuku's statement drew her attention.

She watched as he stacked up on firewood, a sad smile on his features. He was talking about the little kid that he seemed to be obsessed with. This boy… He was constantly worrying about those around him. It was so typical.

"It depends."
"Of course it does!"

"To have some stranger trying to reason with you would just be annoying, right? What's important is what actions he took or is taking. If the words are going to move someone by themselves, they have to be pretty powerful. I think words have to be accompanied by action," Shoto replied.

He grunted when he felt a sudden weight on his shoulders only to glance to his side to see Mizuki grinning, her one arm around his shoulder. The proximity was close, his eyes wide and his heart starting to beat faster.

"When did you get such a smartass, Shoto?" she asked him, the male's speechlessness not gaining her attention. "But he's right you know? I mean, even though I always tell you not to not do something stupid, you still do it. People don't listen to reason, they observe and criticize."

"Mi-chan… I see. It's as you say… I'm only a stranger. How can I say anything to him?" Izuku said and laughed lightly at himself. Mizuki smiled at her best friend's kind expression while Shoto cleared his throat.

"I don't know what you want to do with him, but I don't think you should keep poking your nose in a delicate situation. You have no qualms about breaking through that kind of stuff, even though you don't seem like the type," he said and Izuku's head fell.

"Sorry about that…"

"Nah, it's in your nature, Izu-kun. Besides, you helped a lot of people with that nose of yours," Mizuki said and grinned. "Just keep being you and I can guarantee that he'll come around. That's no maybe." Izuku's eyes briefly widened at her words and then he nodded.

"You're not much better off, Mizuki. You have a way of only saying one thing to break through the most intimate walls of someone. Though, it's expected from you," Shoto pointed out and Mizuki growled. Her arm circled around his neck to choke him but he was indifferent, holding the pot of water and making sure he didn't spill.

"What did you say, you wanna go?!"

"You guys! Your hands have stopping moving! We're going to make the best meat and potato stew!" Iida scolded them and then roared as his hands moved at an alarming speed to finish up with the potato's.

Her gip instantly lightened, the trio's eyes resting on the deputy class representative. They looked at each other and then laughed at Iida's behaviour. The intimacy and sound of Mizuki's laugh made Shoto smile, a warm feeling residing in his chest.

"That should be the last of the dirty dishes!" Mizuki said, putting down the last of the bowls at the washing area. She nodded at the students helping with the washing as they thanked her and then rested her hands on her hips.

"You were quick to help with cleaning up. Someone must be excited for the test of bravery tonight. I know I am!" Mina cheered happily, Mizuki watching as she beamed. Momo and Jiro paled at the girl's energy while Ochaco sweat dropped.

"If we're doing anything in teams, I will kick your ass, Mina," Mizuki stated in a teasing tone and received a face of betrayal. She easily shrugged it off, a devilish smirk forming onto her lips that made the girl swallow thickly.

"Don't count us out just yet!"
"Yeah! We're here too!"

"Kaminari, you nearly always run away scared and quite frankly I don't think you'll be able to beat me, Sero. I'll blow you to smithereens," Mizuki told the duo. They glared at her despite the stabs they received in their chests from her insults.

"Hey, hey, we don't know what we're going to do and you guys are already picking fights?" Eijiro said as he came into the conversation with a small frown. He gave them all a look of disapproval that was quickly cut off when Mizuki put her index finger underneath his chin.

"You sure are high and mighty, aren't you, Red? Let's hope your manliness will be able to back up your courage." He felt a shiver run through his body when she licked her lips. "You're going to need it if you're up against me," she hushed out and had everyone blushing.

As soon as Mizuki was satisfied with his stunned and flushed expression, she let him go and walked off. Eijiro stared at her backside, his mouth ran dry. For a moment he was sure that she was going to swallow him whole.

"That was…"
"Yeah…"

Mizuki hummed silently to herself, her one hand feeling her phone for a vibration. She pulled it out and frowned. It was only her imagination. Shit. She was getting on the edge and needed to get it out of her system.

"Mizuki." She turned around to see Katsuki stand there, crimson eyes staring into an identical pair. She could feel the instant tension that formed between them and felt the small squeeze inside her chest.

"Can we talk?" He asked, his tone gentle. He could've merely said that they were going to talk but he didn't want to force her into anything. If he was going to start apologizing, then he needed to start things right.

"Okay. Can we do it elsewhere?" Mizuki asked and he grunted in reply. He didn't plan on talking to her while curios and unwanted eyes pried them. She followed the male as they walked to the side of the cabin and away from the group of students.

She bit the inside of her cheek as she looked at her brother's backside. This was happening. There was no running away from this. They needed to talk everything out from what happened. He was going to open up to her and she was going to listen to what he had to say.

"…would you be able to handle it…?"

I don't know. She replied Akira's question that she hesitated on before. She wanted everything to return to normal. She wanted to talk to him, share everything with him. She wanted to feel him near her and inside her heart. She wanted the connection back.

She missed him.

"How are your symptoms doing?" Katsuki asked as he came to a halt, his sister's eyes briefly widening at the question. Symptoms? Oh, that was right. He didn't know. Another thing that was nagging her already tired mind.

"It's under control. I'm training within boundaries to try and suppress it," she answered and Katsuki noted that the answer was very vague. She wasn't lying but something wasn't right. She was trying to suppress her post-concussion syndrome symptoms?

"Um, how's your training going? Are you resting your arms enough?" Mizuki asked, her eyes travelling towards his forearms. He had been making explosions day in and day out while plunging his arms in hot water. It would only be natural if he was sore.

"You shouldn't be concerned with my training. I'll come out on top and become stronger no matter what," Katsuki said and Mizuki nodded. Of course, he was. He was aiming to be the number one hero after all. She didn't expect anything less from him.

Katsuki watched as Mizuki's hand played with the phone in her pocket and frowned. She hadn't heard anything from the case yet. That explained the restlessness in her eyes, apart from the uncomfortable shifting in gaze.

"You shouldn't worry about it." She gave him a blank stare. "They'll find her and you'll be going out on your idiotic karaoke sessions before you can blink. Your geek friend is also helping out where she can, right?" Katsuki stated and she smiled faintly.

"Yeah, I know. Thanks…"

He clenched his fist and pressed his lips together. Do it. You called her here, right? Start apologizing. Why are you hesitating? She's right there in front of you. She's in arms reach. It was something simple that he had to do.

"Mizuki, I…" Words left him for that moment and he mentally cursed. "About what happened that day…" He felt emotions bubble up in his system and gritted his teeth. "What I said… I didn't… I shouldn't have…"

Mizuki felt her heart bled at her brother's struggling behaviour. He was trying to find the right words and was stumbling over his own sentences. She took in a deep breath and pushed away through the unease.

"Katsuki, it's okay."

"It's not okay!" He countered, his crimson orbs widening when he saw her give him a kind expression. He hurt her. Why was she smiling at him? Why wasn't she fighting back? Why wasn't she yelling at him? Had he broken her that much?

"No, you're right. It's not okay," Mizuki agreed and he averted his eyes towards the ground, her words stabbing him in the chest. "Nothing is okay and that's okay. This isn't just another quick fix either. Why don't we talk about this after tonight's events? We'll have all night. How does that sound?"

Katsuki scowled at himself. "Before that I want to say that I'm so-""Now, we've filled our bellies and washed the dishes! Next… It's time for the test of courage!" Pixie Bob's voice called out in the night sky.

"Looks like we're starting already." She looked back at her brother and gave him a reassuring smile. "We can talk about this later. I promise I won't go running off. Let's go join the rest of the class, okay?" She said and he reluctantly nodded.

He felt pathetic. He couldn't even say two simple words.

Katsuki and Mizuki joined the group, Eijiro watching the two with interest. Mizuki gave him a sad smile and a shake of her head. His face softened and he gave her hand a small squeeze as he caught it.

"We're gonna test it!" Kaminari and Sero exclaimed, Eijiro soon joining in with Sato. She chuckled in amusement, hands crossing over her chest. Instead of dismissing their childish behaviour, she stayed quiet. She was also excited to go through this.

"I'll kick your ass."

She heard her brother's words on the side and glanced at him. He gave her an intense gaze and she could feel the small presence of excitement in her system coming from the warmth of her heart. It was small, barely there but enough to give her a sense of security.

"Before that…" Aizawa cut in and drew the twins' attention instantly. "It pains me to say this, but the extra lessons group will be having class with me now. Sorry, I have to use this time to make sure that you don't fall behind…"

Mizuki was about to exclaim but was captured by his scarf along with the four other students' part of the supplementary classes. She was betrayed. Aizawa betrayed her! She completely fell for his charade in thinking they were going to catch a break.

"Give me a break!"
"Let us be tested!"

"Mi-chan!" Izuku stretched a hand out towards her and Mizuki cried out as she tried to catch the hand. She was unfortunately pulled away by Aizawa and the green haired boy's lips trembled as he watched his best friend go.

"Don't forget about me!"

"We promise we won't! We'll do this for you, Mizuki-chan!" Mina called after her, tears falling down her face. She sobbed into Ochaco's shoulder, the girl and Tsuyu trying to calm her down by rubbing her back in soothing circles. Shoto and Katsuki stared at the door where Mizuki disappeared, both disappointed and filled with mixed emotions.

"Okay, so Class B will be the first to be the scarers. Class A will leave in pairs every three minutes. There are tags with your names written on them in the middle of the route, so bring those back with you," Pixie Bob explained the event of the night.

"Revelry in the dark…" He said it again.

"Those being the scarers aren't allowed to make direct contact. Show us how scary you are with your Quirks!" Pixie Bob exclaimed with a big grin and some of the students glanced at each other in uncertainty.

"The class that makes the most people piss their pants with creativity and imagination wins!" Tiger pointed out, the rest of his team either smiling of laughing. Jiro retorted instantly on the male's crude words while Iida cupped his chin.

"I see! They're trying to make us refine our ideas by making us compete with each other, giving us more options for our Quirks in the process! As expected of U.A!" He exclaimed loudly and had both Izuku and Ochaco sweat drop.

"Now, you'll draw lots to determine your partners!"

Each student of class 1-A went to pick a lot, Izuku staring at his own piece of paper. "If we're two in a team… Huh? Since there are twenty with five at extra lessons… One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight…? There's an extra person!" Izuku concluded, turning white when he realized it was him.

Team 1: Tokoyami & Shoji
Team 2: Katsuki & Shoto
Team 3: Mina & Jiro
Team 4: Aoyama & Momo
Team 5: Uraraka & Tsuyu
Team 6: Mineta & Ojiro
Team 7: Iida & Koji
Team 8: Izuku

"We drew lots… Someone had to have this fate…" Ojiro tried to calm down the muttering boy as he hit realization and depression. It was clearly not working and he wished that Aizawa Sensei had the others to join them as well.

He felt a hand on his shoulder and it was followed by an enormous amount of anger and heat. "Hey, Tail! Switch with me!" Katsuki said and pointed towards Shoto. They were teammates, much to both of their dismays. Unfortunately, he wasn't that lucky because the teams were final, not that it made a difference to the angry boy.

"Hey, I said switch with me!"

"Huh? Mizuki-chan has supplementary classes?! Eh? When did that happen?!" Tetsutetsu exclaimed, his face filled with horror and disbelief. His partner, Kendo who was walking off towards their destination sweat dropped.

"She had it from day one. She also failed the practical exam. Something about unforeseen circumstances. I thought you knew about it," she said and Tetsutetsu shook his head, mouth still slightly agape.

"Remember! No team can be switched out after you picked the lots!" Pixie Bob spoke, Katsuki scowling angrily. "You are also not allowed to fight against your own teammate! Now, go out and have fun, Kitties!"

This was a load of crap. Why did he have to be paired up with this bastard? Katsuki glared at Shoto, crimson orbs piercing the duo-coloured orbs. He was a pain in the ass and an irritation that, for some reason, always stuck his nose in where it didn't belong. Especially when it came to Mizuki.

"Not a single word from you, Half-and-Half Bastard, or I'll kill you" Katsuki told him while pointing wat him with an accusing finger. Shoto stared at the male, his own face falling and a thick tension formed between them.

He was also displeased with the fact that he was paired up with Katsuki. He couldn't tolerate the male at all. Mizuki might have been freely forgiving but he was far from it. Katsuki made her cry.

Everyone felt on the edge from the danger that lurked. The two boys who almost went at each other in the classroom were now working together. It could only spell out trouble for not only the duo but also anyone who caused a trigger.

Where was Mizuki when you needed her?

Meanwhile…

The team of four were all dragged along by Aizawa's capturing tape. Their heads hung low, facial expression showing their sadness and disappointment. The best treat was hung in front of them, only to be stolen away.

"We wanted our courage tested too… Didn't she say there was a carrot and a stick? Where's the carrot?" Eijiro moaned as they arrived at the cabin. Mizuki glanced at her side, eyes soon averting as she felt a pang of guilt.

She felt his hand reach out to caress hers and glanced at his kind and warm expression that made all her negative thoughts fade away. She didn't dare to pull away from him as his pinkie intertwined with hers. He felt his heart quicken at her shy acting his smile growing into a big grin.

"I'd even take salty liquorice, give us a treat, Aizawa Sensei," Kaminari whined out in hope that the male would at listen. Aizawa heard the words and frowned at the statement. He glanced back at the group.

"Salty liquorice is delicious."

"For tonight's lesson, I will drill into you how to behave during an emergency. If you don't become more self-aware that you're falling behind the others, then the difference between you will grow larger. In a broad sense, this is also a kind of 'treat'. Like a mint-flavoured one," Aizawa explained, releasing them from his scarf.

"But mint tastes good…"

The ash blonde watched the sunken shoulders of Kaminari. He was desperate for something. Anything but extra classes. Even so, she was curious as to what type of teaching he would implement in emergency situation trainings. Maybe they'll be lucky enough for a practical?

She blinked when she felt a tingling sensation from her pocket and frowned. She pressed her hand onto her pocket where her phone was pocketed and felt it vibrate once again. Her eyes widened. Someone was calling her.

"Um, Aizawa Sensei, mind if I quickly go to the bathroom?" Mizuki asked, the loss of heat making Eijiro frown lightly. Everyone stopped to look at Mizuki, the teacher giving her a sceptical expression with narrowed eyes.

"I promise it'll be quick, please?"

"You have five minutes. We'll start without you if you're late," Aizawa told the female and watched as relief flashed in her eyes. "If you're not feeling well, I expect you to tell me." Mizuki gave him a smirk, crimson eyes blazing.

"Yes, sir! I'll be right back!" Mizuki stormed off, Aizawa scoffing and walking on. Eijiro watched as she ran off and snickered. She either forgot something such as her glasses or she really needed to go to the bathroom.

Mizuki was always composed and rarely let something slip her mind but she was also human. She was one of a kind and he reminded himself of that every day.

That's why he was also planning on asking her out. He wanted to do it during the courage test but his plans were changed. Now, he bargained on when they finished or had a break during the supplementary classes.

He was finally going to do it.

"Aizawa Sensei, mind if I also-""Forget about it, Denki," Aizawa cut off the blonde male that wanted to push his luck. The trio laughed at the male's instant defeat. Eijiro put a hand on his shoulder to soothe the male.

At least he tried.

Mizuki let out a breath when she finally entered the bathroom and closed the door behind her. For a moment there, she thought that Aizawa wasn't going to let her go. She chuckled as she thought about the male and pulled out her mobile. She unlocked the screen and then blinked.

One missed call. Unknown number?

I don't have Akira's Uncle's number so maybe they called me? She was about to call back when her phone vibrated once more. This time, her heart dropped into her stomach when she read the caller ID. She was briefly frozen on the spot before fidgeting to answer the phone.

Caller ID: KawaiiRin

"Rinako! What the hell! Is this any time to call me now?! Are you alright?! Where are you? The police have been looking for you all over! Please tell me you're not hurt! Akira and I have bene worried sick!" Mizuki shouted at the girl with a mixture of relief and concern.

"Mizuki Bakugo."

Crimson eyes widened and blood froze in her veins. That wasn't Rinako's voice. The voice was male. The tone was low and husked as it spoke. It didn't sound like the detectives either.

"Who is this?"

"I have information about your missing friend." She swallowed thickly at the male's words. The fact that he had her phone was definitely setting off alarms in her head and her instincts were raging within her.

"Don't bullshit me, Bastard. You have Rinako's phone. You have more than just information. Where the hell, is she? What did you do to her?!" Mizuki yelled out, sparks appearing on her skin as her anger flared.

"Aren't you being rude to the one who wants you to help you find your friend?" The voice was sly as it mocked her. "I'm willing to give you a hand. After all, you're 'worried sick' about her, aren't you?"

"What do you want from me?" Mizuki asked, her voice strained and her hand gripping the phone tightly. Even if the person was lying, there was a chance that she could find out where her friend was.

"You will follow the location sent to you on this device and go there. No telling anyone or the deal is off and you can say goodbye to your friend. I want you alone. No tricks, nothing," the dark and twisted voice spoke.

It was a trap. There was no doubt about it. She couldn't help the trail of sweat that cascaded down the side of her face. The decision was clear in her heart but her head was working overtime. The risk was too great on both sides.

"And how the hell am I supposed to get there?"

"It's not too far from where you're currently standing," the male answered and her eyes widened in disbelief. They knew where she was?! How?! This camp was specifically closed off at a secret location and minimum people were told!

"If I agree to go to this location, will you promise me that you'll tell me where my friend is?" She was playing with fire. If she did as he said and it was a fluke, she was digging her own grave. If she did as he said and it wasn't and they weren't connected to the League, then she found out where Rin was.

"You're wasting my time. It looks like you don't care about your friend after a-"

"Don't screw with me, you fiend!" Mizuki snarled at him, sparks making her hair float up. "I'll go there but if you lied to me or hurt Rinako, I will murder you and all of your accomplices without even batting an eye." She heard a chuckle from him, veins palpitating out of her forehead.

"Can't wait."

The phone rang off and for a moment, she merely stared at the ground before she grinded her teeth against each other. She punched the bathroom door, no explosion coming from her fist as she didn't want to alert anyone.

The location was sent and she found herself staring at it. He was close by. How long had he been watching them, spying on them? The others were all out there without even knowing about the villains that lurked in the shadows.

I have to get rid of them as quick as possible or let Aizawa Sensei know. Mizuki thought and went to share the location with the teacher. She stopped from pressing the sent button and locked her screen.

The moment they told her everything she wanted to know. She was going to send it and then it was game over. She was going to make sure they don't get away. They did enough damage and did the worst thing possible.

They pissed her off.

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