A Mountain-Sized Thank You

by Cosmic Sky

Whenever society began to fall apart, Mt. Lady chose to keep going. It wasn't something people expected of her, and it sure as hell wasn't something she was being thanked for, but she did it anyway. She still appreciated running into someone who did thank her, and was even willing to help her out. It was amazing how such simple things could go a long way, especially nowadays.

Hello, everyone. Hopefully you've all been doing well. Here's my second One-Shot of the year, and my very first MHA lemon. Fittingly, the leading lady is Mount Lady, one of the first characters we were introduced to when My Hero Academia began, it's been a hell of a long time since then, hasn't it? For understandable reasons, she's one of the more iconic pro heroes in the cast, and I'd say probably one of the most recognizable in the entire series. As this'll be a story focusing on her, I'm going to explore her character and fill in some holes as I usually do. Now then, I hope you all enjoy the story!

I do not own anything.

---

A Mountain-Sized Thank You

Chapter 1

---

Nowadays, it seemed like when it rained, it rained hard and furious. It was bitterly appropriate for the nation-wide mood, arguably even the entire world. Even in places where the sun was out people still apparently felt gloomy. Personally, Yu wouldn't have minded being in those sunny places. At least she could have enjoyed the sun, however dreary the world may still have been. Oh, and seeing where she was going would have been easier in the sunlight than in the rain.

Yu had fought in the rain hundreds of times before, and this time was no different. She could only hope a hydrokinetic didn't get involved, otherwise she would have been in trouble. Or an electrokinetic, Yu knew she'd be nothing but a giant lightning rod if one joined the fight. On the flipside, so would her opponent.

The steel giant was no Gigantomachia (ironic given the former's composition), but he was still plenty tough in his own right. A punch to the face or stomach still hurt, but Yu made sure to return the favor in kind while still being mindful of her surroundings. She had to, otherwise Numazu would end up more damaged than it already was, a chunk of the city had already been uplifted and stood out over the rest as a warped plateau no one knew how to lower back to ground level. Yu had an idea of how it could be pushed back into place, but she couldn't afford to think about that now. Avoiding her current adversary's attacks took precedence. More so as she saw him morph the complied metal around his knuckles into spikes.

"Still want to keep this up?" His face was a horrible mash up of various metallic objects from cars to street laps to household items such as refrigerators and TVs. "Pack it up and run, no one will blame you. Heh, in fact, no one's watching you. That's what you love, right, Mt. Lady?"

Yu sneered, wishing he'd just stayed quiet. To go along with the hideousness of the metal mashup, its voice sounded like metal scrapping against metal, worsened by the constant downpour around her. "How's about you just shut up and surrender? Make this easier on both of us." When the giant laughed again, Yu braced herself, feeling that the next attack was coming. It was most likely going to be a barrage of punches, and thanks to the spikes sticking out of his knuckles, she was going to have puncture wounds if she wasn't careful.

Another horrible laugh from the iron giant. "Come on, do you really think taking me down is going to matter? There's dozens of criminals running wild all over Japan!"

"So you should just get a free pass to keep terrorizing this city? Fat chance!" Yu barked back. He took a swing at her with his right fist, a punch she dodged, only to have to do it again once the next punch came. Each time, Yu felt the roaring patter of rain against the giant's metallic body, then it was the whooshing of the air as he reared his arms back. Tightening her fists, she took a swing at him, catching him in the lower left side. Her strength was enough to break off a few pieces, but Yu knew she needed to do more in order to break this giant down, so she threw a left jab at his stomach.

THOOM! SHLLLCK!

The pain was immediate, but Yu refused to scream. She'd prepared for this, so it wasn't as bad as it could have been-that didn't mean getting stabbed in the forearm didn't hurt. Yu pushed through the pain, literally, continuing to drive her fist into the giant's stomach. The metal gave way beneath her fist, causing the villain to grunt in pain. He shook the ground as he stumbled back, or rather, took a couple of steps back. Blood dripped from Yu's left arm, accelerated by the rainfall. Although she huffed, she kept her focus on the iron giant, readying herself for his next move.

It came as a right hook aimed at her face. Yu dropped to one knee and used that position to launch herself into an uppercut that plowed through the hundreds of raindrops falling from the sky. To her ire, he spun out of the way, with speed that was too unbelievable for a steel and scrap metal giant, or that's what most people would have thought. Yu knew all too well how fast someone could move despite being giant-sized. She used similar speed to roll out of the way of counterpunch the villain tried to drive into her backside. Instead of her, he plowed into the street below, better an already ruined patch of the street instead of someplace new. Spinning around, she prepared to launch her own counterattack, but when the villain lifted his fist, he kicked up a veil of debris that blinded Yu's frontal vision. In response, she sharpened her hearing, knowing despite how fast a giant could move, their movements still created quite a bit of noise, especially in the rain.

All around her was darkness and water, but she could make out the villain's body moving through the rain, to her right. Twisting her body, she waited for the attack to come, the pain in her arm swept underfoot.

What she didn't expect was the sound of something whirling-a drill.

"Oh, you've got to be shitting me!" Screamed the blonde as she hastily rolled aside. For the second time, the villain plowed into the spot she'd formerly been at, but instead of being flattened, it was torn apart by the giant metal drill he'd morphed his arm into. Yu watched jets of dirt and debris go shooting up with more following as the villain whipped his arm in her direction. All the debris he'd dug up went flying her way. Out of impulse, she threw her arms up shielding her face, but Yu made sure to keep her hearing active. The roar of that makeshift drill was easy to follow, although it made her heart race in anxiety at where it was going to be pointed. Damn, he couldn't have stuck to his fists? Hell, I'd have taken him throwing rocket punches like I've heard this guy loves to do! She'd been fully prepared to dodge or potentially catch some metal fists shot like bullets, but a spinning drill? Yu really wanted to avoid something like that, but as she heard the continued, murderous whirl of the blade, she braced herself for the possibility.

Once the shower ended, Yu peered ahead and saw the drill coming down for her. Quickly, she stepped aside, letting it tear into the ground for a second time. Adrenaline pumping through her, she devised a bold plan and acted on it; grabbing the giant's forearm, she attempted to wrench his arm off while keeping an eye on the other one. True to form, he came down, but she lashed out with her right arm, grabbing it and holding it in place. She and the villain were deadlocked, two giants grappling with each other in the rain. The sounds of their struggle sent tremors through the district, thankfully deserted, but the echoes could probably reach those hunkering down on the battle's outskirts. Yu hoped no one got any stupid ideas to come closer. Particularly some notion to take a shot at this bastard while he was focusing on her.

Too many people had gotten hurt trying to pull that sort of stuff off. Although Yu wasn't opposed to such underhanded tactics, nowadays it was a different story.

"Let go of me, you blonde bim-"

"Yeah, yeah, bimbo! I've heard it before!" She had. Way too many times. Although it normally left her irate, times like this it left Yu feeling angry. Such a feeling was channeled into her arms; finally, she heard the sound of metal bending. Internal joy was muted by ironclad concentration that gave birth to a grunt of effort. The right arm she'd been holding began to give in, and with it panic spread across the giant's face.

But then it morphed into wicked glee.

The sound of metal coming together she'd heard ten minutes ago was reversed. Hardness gave way to nothingness. Looking down, Yu saw her left hand gripping nothing, yet she heard the sound of metal continuously twisting. Driven by years of experience, she looked up at the source: something was forming in the stump where the villainous giant's right arm had been. Recognizing it, she twisted her head aside just in time to dodge the metal needle that shot forth with incredible speed. Strands of her soaked hair fell, but it was preferable to getting shot through the face.

Feeling like it was time to put an end to this, Yu used her now free left arm to grab for the giant's face. Although his real body was in his chest, losing his golem's head would disrupt his Quirk, perhaps enough for her to punch him out and end this fight once and for all.

"BAH!" The ugly head shouted, throwing its mouth open, but it wasn't a panic-induced scream.

THHHUUUNK!

"GAAARRGH! THE HELL?!" It was like getting hit by a baseball, one you weren't prepared to catch, yet instinct kicked in leading to an awkward attempt. Yu felt her hand being shot back, momentary pain racing up her arm making her wince. It gave the giant the time he needed to pull his left arm free and grab her wrist. Roaring, he threw her aside, slamming her into multiple buildings. Despite the pain, Yu remained conscious and focused. The sound of metal reattached reached her ears, Just couldn't help yourself, could ya', bastard? Her focus persisted as she saw the drill arm reattach itself and begin spinning once more. As it came down, Yu deactivated her Quirk, her body size spontaneously shrinking. She was still rather close to the drill, close enough she could feel it piercing the air on its way down. Now in her regular, five-four height, the drill's roar was louder than before. Yu felt her whole body shaking from the proximity, but she kept her calm, and then she reactivated her Quirk upon hearing it dig into the earth.

Her once falling body reassumed its previous size, her feet found solid ground, albeit after crushing it. She kicked out with her left leg, catching the giant in his right arm; when he threw a somewhat wild haymaker with his left, she caught it. Seizing on her chance, Yu stomped down on his right arm while holding his left arm, wrapping it under her right and squeezing. Now she finally had him pinned, it was time to end this.

"Gaaaah! Arrrgggh! Get…the hell off of me, you bitch!" The metal giant screamed. "Get off!"

"Sure, just deactivate your Quirk and surrender!" Yu shouted back. If he didn't, she had every intention of using all the strength she could to tear his golem's arms off. Afterward, she'd either stomp down on the head or punch into the chest and pull him out. Regardless, this fight was over with.

The giant's face became ugly, a likely perfect representation of the man controlling it. It wasn't an expression that lent itself to a possible surrender, so Yu didn't let up. If he wasn't going to back down, then she was going to break this metal golem he'd created by tearing up multiple city blocks. The sooner this ended, the sooner-

SHHHHHHIIIIIIRRRRR!

Her left foot unexpectedly sunk into the earth. Still keeping half a strengthened grip on the giant's left arm, Yu looked back and saw the drill had been detached. No, it'd been launched, and it was boring through the earth with all the speed of a race car. Her eyes moved ahead along its predicted path and felt panic seizing her heart.

"No!" Immediately, she broke off and sprinted for the drill, her footsteps shaking the ground as she hurried to catch up to it. Her previous apprehension about catching it vanished as she brought her fist crashing down into the metal construct, finally stopping it. There was hardly any pain on her end. Looking up, she saw the multi-story building that'd been the drill's target still standing. Faint as it was over the sounds of battle, she heard the frightened gasping of the people still inside. They were now officially too close. "Gaah!"

"Bet you wish they were snapping pictures of you, huh? Just like old times!" It'd been a long time since anyone had grabbed her hair and used it to pull her around. Yu hated it. She crashed back into the ground, shaking it on impact. Quickly pushing the pain aside, she rolled out of the way just as a giant foot came down-it'd have stomped on her chest if she hadn't. "The press all lined up for you along with some adorning fans when you got off the plane! That's what you wanted, right!" Another stomp she evaded. Yu came up in a crouch that turned into a leaping punch that locked the giant in the face. He reeled from the punch, but his mouth kept on moving. "You wish that's what was around now, huh? Those adoring fans you worked so hard to earn! You think they'd care if I laid you out here! Do you! Why keep doing this! Just give up already!" The left fist came at her seemingly containing all the rage the villain held.

Yu caught it, grunted in visible effort. "Heard it all before, jackass!"

"Then why! Just give the hell up, already!" Screamed the metallic face with a sky-shaking voice. Yu grabbed at the head, squeezing as tight as she could and feeling the metal bending beneath her fingers. Meanwhile, he pulled at his left arm to free himself, but Yu wasn't letting go. "Let-"

"Shut up, already!" She yelled back in her own thunderous voice. Her rage was temporarily disrupted just as her balance was. Yu felt herself falling, but she kept her grip her opponent. It led to the two of them rolling over the rubble of the city like a pair of brawling children. It'd have been funny if it wasn't a life-or-death battle with multiple lies on the line. As she continued to squeeze, she felt the metallic head and arm starting to give way.

What gave first was the left arm, a sudden jerk that somewhat surprised her. That surprise became one of pain as she felt a shot of pain in her left leg. Glancing down, she saw a few pieces of shrapnel. The rain caused the blood to roll down sideways onto the ground. Brief as it was, she saw the metal giant break away, now armless with a dented head. Immediately, Yu was back up, pulling the shrapnel out without a shred of precision or care. The giant's back was to her, and she gave chase. Each footstep was a tremor onto itself, her left leg dripped blood the size of car doors. If she got close enough, she could make a lunge for him and bring him down.

"You want to play at being a hero, fine! Have at it, you overgrown bimbo!" Thanks to her near complete death grip, the giant's face was mangled mess. The terrible voice the mouth made sounded even worse.

Yu saw the boat rise up from the water, people panicking atop it as they realized they'd been drawn into the battle of giants, which they probably hoped would serve as cover for their escape. Or maybe they'd hoped to escape the battle itself. It didn't matter, the villain had taken them for hostages, and Yu knew he'd sooner launch the boat they were clinging to than he'd use it to repair himself. At most, it could replace one arm, but it could also be used as a projectile as the drill had been turned into. Yu couldn't shake the feeling that's what this guy would ultimately do. She had to be ready; her wounded left leg wasn't going to make that easy, but she'd do what she had to.

The metal face twisted into a horrible grin. "Thinking about, aren't ya? Oh, whatever will become of these poor bastards if I make one wrong move? Will I be able to get to them in time? Hahaha, even with them shitting on you nonstop, you're still willing to put yourself on the line of them! Heroes, you guys really are a cracked bunch!" She gritted her teeth as he played with the boy, levitating it from one side to another, rotating it vertically and horizontally, and laughing as the occupants screamed in terror while hanging on for dear life. Their rightened shouting reached her ears over the rain. "You're not getting paid to do this anymore, right?"

No…but this isn't about money or fame, not anymore. "How's about you just drop them, and we can keep this between us? That way, you won't be losing any teeth when I clobber you. The real you, Iron Step."

Another round of wretched laughter from that metallic face. If she'd been able to hold on a second longer, she'd have been able to crush it; if she was able to get her hands on the head again, a second is all it'd take to turn the thing into a crushed can. "Let's see how fast you can really move, you stupid bitch!"

That was her cue. The boat was launched to the golem's left, her right, and that's the direction she sprinted in. The screams of its passengers reached her ears and put an extra spring into her quake-inducing steps. "Hang on!" Yu shouted despite knowing many of them were probably too panicked to do that. Luckily, they didn't have to wait too long as she made it to the boat; the nearest she could tell, everyone aboard was accounted for, although Yu saw all of them were understandably scared out of their minds. "I'm going to set you down, then sail away as soon as you can!" While she spoke, she heard the sound of something rising up from the water. Immediately, she knew what it was, but she kept her focus on pushing the boat as far away as possible. Hopefully it'd be out of range of the villain's ferrokinesis, or more likely, out of range for the battle ready to continue. Once they were sailing down the river, she turned back.

The sucky thing about fighting a ferrokinetic of any sort in a city was they never really ran out of ammo. Cities were practically toolboxes for them to use as they pleased, provided they had the strength and the know-how, such as this villain. Water dripped from the debris lifted from the Kano River. All the junk that'd been thrown in the river, much of it new thanks to the two months of chaos, was there for use.

Suddenly, it went flying, but not at her. Unflinchingly, Yu stepped into front of the boat, throwing her arms up to protect her face. Not the first time she'd been hit by a barrage of what amounted to garbage-at least there were no cameras around to catch it on video.

THUNK!

Pain shot up through her right leg as Yu felt herself toppling forward. As her arms reached out to catch her, she saw a giant, crudely shaped leg coming her way. Her right arm shot forth, grabbing it while her left slammed into the riverbed. Gnashing her teeth, Yu stood up, pulling the metal giant with her. No arms and only one leg, the thing flailed helplessly as she lifted it up; this fight was over. Just as her hand went for the head to crush it like a soda can, Yu felt something sharp and hard clapping around her right leg. Sparing it a glance, she saw the metal leg that'd been launched into hers had refitted itself into another crude spiked collar. No, don't think about that! Crush the main body! Stop him! Although her left hand touched metal, it wasn't the metallic head. Despite finding something wrong with that, she pressed with all her strength, her growl rolling through the rain. As the pieces cascaded down, she turned her attention to the missing head.

She scoured her surroundings for the head, which she knew to be visible through the rain. Her search was interrupted by the stinging pain in her right leg. The metal pieces that'd been launched at it were digging it; at least it served as a soon that the villain was still within the general vicinity. While still maintaining her search, she reached for the metal ring and grasped it with her fingers to pull it out. She'd have to get medical treatment for her wounds, but only after she'd found-

Once more, the Kano River erupted, although Yu was slightly more prepared for it. Her hand moved from her legs to the object shooting out, her fist smashing into it. Yu felt metal, further dampened by the river water and the rain, but metal none the less. "Don't think I'm going to fall for that trick!" She shouted feeling her fist driving through the metallic object. As the water was pushed aside. She saw what it was, another scrap metal construct, but not a face.

Something else burst through the water just a little down to her right. Quickly turning to it, she saw a half-complied golem of patchwork metal, only a body and a pair of giant hands. One came down like a hammer, and she promptly caught it before it could make impact atop her head, but the left arm dove straight for her gut. Yu caught it, leaving the two of them in another deadlock that she was intent on making as short as possible. That plan hit a snag when she felt the rotation of the metallic arms. Although she winced, Yu kept a hold of them and kept on squeezing them. In response, the rotation speed increased, drastically.

"Just give-"

"NOT GOING TO HAPPEN!"

CRUNCH!

Her hands stung while she grabbed for the main body, hoping its crude shape would make it easier to crush. To her surprise, it flung itself into her in a reckless tackle that caught Yu by surprise.

THOOMP!

"AAAGGGHH!" The pain was immediate and intense. Another firm reminder that her neck hadn't finished healing. Even worse, it added to the agony she felt sweeping through her legs and hands. Thanks to it all, Yu began to stumble backward, one foot on dry land while the other was in the water. It was a small blessing that the riverbed wasn't coated in jagged debris that was stabbing at her foot.

Haughty laughter boomed from the scrap metal sphere that'd smacked into the base of her chin. "Don't think I didn't notice that little addition to your costume after the Liberation War! Oh, I'd love to ring that little neck of yours, but I've got places to be! Maybe next time, assuming you're stupid enough to come after me again!"

He was going to run and force Yu to start this chase all over again, and that'd definitely include another fight like this one.

Oh no, I'm not going through this again! More importantly, I'm not letting you get away, you bastard!" She may have been falling back but she wasn't helpless. Yu locked in on the metal sphere and summoned all her strength. Forget trying to catch herself, she was going to crush that ball and hopefully break a few bones of the person inside it. Her hand shot forward, coming together in a lightning-fast clap that caught the sphere between her palms. Roaring, she pressed them together, producing a thunderclap all her own. The metal gave way and in-between her hands, she felt something organic; her ears welcomed the sudden sound of a scream.

Yu felt her back crashing against the ground, sending another jolt of pain shooting through her. This one wasn't quite so bad; the fact that her right hand was gripping a now thoroughly beaten villain probably had something to do with that. Panting, she kept her hold on him even as her arms fell to the side. Her left dipped into the Kano River as her right landed on the ground.

Finally, there was a calm that fell over the area, the rainfall being the only constant. Yu felt the endless drops pelting her face while she looked up at the gray blanket blocking out the blue sky and sun she liked. Guess it would have been too much to ask for the sun to come out when I finally caught this guy. The rain would end eventually as it always did, Yu just hoped she'd be in a better position to enjoy it. And the villain in her right hand wouldn't be.

After a few minutes in which she allowed the pain in her body to subside, she turned her head to her right. Her final attack had worked in both catching the villain and defeating him. His dazed groan was proof he didn't have any fight left in him. Between all the metal he manipulated and her final attack, he was utterly spent. Yu was a little proud to say she wasn't in the same boat, but she was ready to call it a day.

"Seito Ayukawa, Iron Step, you are hereby under arrest." She called.

"The hell if he is! Jail's too good for that bastard!"

"Yeah, after everything he's done, he deserves worse! Plus, it's not like there's a jail that can hold him!"

Yu winced. Oh, come on! Why couldn't it have just stopped here! Sometimes, it was hard to believe citizens once turned out to cheer for heroes. Instead of months, it seemed like another lifetime ago. Groaning, she turned her vision to the crowd that was assembled at the edge of the battle. Where had they been hiding? How long had they been watching? Could they have helped out with the hostage situation earlier?

Looking the group of twelve over, Yu spied several of them carrying weapons, including improvised support gear items. Many were dressed in raincoats, but some of them had forgone such wear, allowing the downpour to completely douse them. It added to the fury that radiated off them.

"It's over." She called over the rain. "He's going back to prison where he'll never-"

"Shut up!" One of the citizens shouted, pointing a metal baseball bat at her. "After what he's done, he doesn't deserve to go to a cell! Especially one he can just break out of again!"

"That's assuming you'll even send him off to jail." Another one snorted.

"He is going back to prison, and he's going to stay there." She pressed.

"And why the hell should we believe a damn thing that you say!" Yelled a third.

"You tore up our city!" A fourth barked. "You giant-"

"SHUT UP, YOU WHINY BASTARDS!"

Yu shot up, almost loosening her grip on Ayukawa. Her heart slammed against her chest in panic at the near bestial shout that rung through the riverside.

As for the civilians, they all jumped out of their skins completely, a handful dropping their weapons; however, others clenched them more tightly. Rather than her or Ayukawa, they turned them on the voice of the owner. Yu quietly followed the echo to another hooded figure, one that stood apart from the others. While he wore a raincoat that obscured his features Yu felt something undeniably different about it. Focusing on him, she heard a feral breathing coming from him, making her wonder what he looked like beneath his coat.

He had the attention of everyone present, except maybe Iron Step, who was incoherently muttering he didn't want to die, or go back to prison.

There was an animalistic snarl from the hooded stranger as he seemingly focused his gaze on the vigilante crowd. "She just fought tooth and nail to stop Iron Step, something the rest of you have been trying to do while others have been too scared to even try! Yeah, she caused some damage, but it's nothing compared to what that bastard's done! Or the rest of the villains who've torn the city apart! You guys sure as hell weren't out there helping her minimize the damage, so you don't get to complain! How's about just taking the fact that Iron Step's been stopped!"

"And we're supposed to think for good! There's only one way to stop him for good!" One of the citizens yelled. Yu knew that tone and it chilled her blood. Just as much, she sensed the effect it had on some of the others in the group. They looked back at the near unconscious villain in her grasp.

Another feral snarl. "So, you think you've got the guts to actually kill someone? Especially someone that's already been beaten?"

"That bastard did the same!"

"So, you think you can be just like him?" Yu called. As easy as it would have been to let the stranger do all the talking, she was still the hero here. She had a job to do-protecting citizens, even from themselves. Sitting up, she fixed the vigilante group with a hard stare, somewhat enhanced by the rain and grime on her face. "Is that what any of you really want? To be just like this murder here?"

Just as raindrops sunk into the earth, so too did her words. They spread fast, although she said nothing about it. This wasn't something to be smug about, nor was it something she wanted to sound too patronizing on-that'd only make things worse.

Still, not all were so accepting of her words. "And what if we're already there? What if…we've already crossed that line?" Yu spied chocolate-brown bangs beneath the hood of the woman speaking. They greatly contrasted the darkness in her blue eyes, a darkness that Yu didn't want to guess at, but she was forced to do so. "Look around you! Nothing is the same anymore! Nothing's ever going to go back to the way it was!"

Yu didn't need to look around her, she'd seen enough the minute she'd stepped off the plane. She'd seen enough back in Musutafu. She saw it every time she got a look at the news.

She sat up while still keeping her hold on Iron Step, none of the vigilantes made a move. Not yet. "You're right that the world's changed, and it's probably never going to go back to normal. No one, not even All Might can do that, but that doesn't mean it's going to be like this going forward. At least not if wet let it."

"We?" A member of the crowd sneered. "Don't act like-"

"Can it!" Shouted the hooded figure. Immediately, the male naysayer went quiet.

Making a mental note to thank the stranger, Yu got back on track. "We, as in all of us. You, me, and everyone else in this city. All of Japan. This is our world, and it's crumbling. No one's denying that, but the thing is, do you want to help break it down further…or try to put it back together. That's what we're doing, and that's what you people can do, and that includes showing you're better than this. Better than killing someone in cold blood…even if they may deserve it." Maybe as a hero, she shouldn't have said that, but Yu had to be honest. She also had to be empathetic. In society's breakdown, some people had just let all their dark impulses out, the worst humans could indulge in. Things that sickened even her. Looking out at the crowd, Yu had a feeling they'd been the victims of those dark impulses, especially the woman. "If you've killed for survival, I won't hold it against you. If you've killed to protect those you love…that's not wrong, but this isn't that. Killing this man after he's been defeated and subdued, you all know that's wrong. Let me take him in and I promise, he'll never hurt you or anyone in this city again."

"And why the hell should we trust you! Because you're a hero! You're nothing but a bunch of failures! We've done just fine on our own!" One of the vigilantes yelled.

"No, we haven't. We've been fighting amongst ourselves, biting at everyone out of paranoia. People have already died from it." From the tone of his voice, this stranger had seen that. Something else she noted was how young he sounded. He couldn't have been any older than a teenager, but Yu listened to his angry and sorrowful voice as he helped her talk down the crowd. Like everyone, he'd been affected by the breakdown. And yet, he was trying to hold it together, even as he became the focus of the crowd's ire. He didn't back down from it.

It was the kind of tense silence that'd led to either a fight or a withdrawal, the end of hostilities; Yu was wishing it'd be the latter as she didn't want to fight these people, and she didn't want them staining their hands in blood. Or any more blood, as one of them had implied. She'd noticed no one had asked if they'd be tried for murder for what they might have done. For the next ten seconds, she waited with an anxious heart, and a recurring pain in her legs. She still had pieces of metal sticking out of them. If a fight broke out, that'd make her situation even worse.

Fortunately, it didn't seem like it'd come to that. Weapons lowered, as did a couple of heads, but not the brunette. Her eyes continued to blaze with a fury that Yu could only stand firm against. However, it didn't seem intent to burn her, not anymore.

"Heads-up!" Someone yelled.

Looking around, Yu saw the flaming objects descending like meteors. There was no time to think, only react. Jumping to her feet she swatted them aside, noting how they seemed to be made of metal. Giant pieces of scrap metal. Immediately, she traced their trajectory as best she could-dozens of blocks away, yet they were being fired with what precision. Someone had an eyesight Quirk; it was the only way such shots could be made with such accuracy. What she didn't know was they were able to launch half a dozen of them so fast. The next volley was far too numerous for her to sway away.

Looking down at the civilians, Yu did the only thing she could. "Everyone, huddle together!" She fell over them like a giant blanket, feeling the full force of the rain hitting her backside. A moment later, and it was the projectiles, makeshift cannonballs. Yu grunted through their impact. Not the worst blows she'd suffered, but damn, if they weren't hurting. She bit her lip through the barrage while glancing down at the ground beneath her. Everyone had heeded her advice and crowded beneath her. Hopefully, the assault would end and they'd be able to move to some place with more-

SLAAASH!

"Gah! Aaarrghhh!" Just as she'd gotten used to blunt-force trauma, in came something sharp, clawlike. Coupled with what sounded like beating wings and she knew this latest adversary. An avian Quirk of some sort, and a fast one. If she moved, she'd be putting the citizens beneath her at risk, but unless she moved, she wouldn't be able to do anything about the attacks. She still heard the sound of the cannon shots impacting the ground around her; she recognized it to be cover fire for the bird as well as suppressing fire for her. Guess I had an audience after all, just wish they were the friendlier kind! "Aarrgggh!" The pain shot through her right hand, forcing her to relax her grip. While she didn't feel Iron Step try to wiggle out, she saw blur moving toward her hand. "I don't think so!" With a sudden jerk, she moved her arm away, denying the flier the prize they seemed to desire. Yu didn't know if he was an enemy or ally to Ayukawa, but she knew she had to keep him in her custody. Through the rain she saw the flyer getting out of range as another volley of projectiles came down.

One of them grazed her arm, further loosening her grip for a split second. Yu gritted her teeth through the pain, then turned her focus back to the crowd.

"Get to cover, all of you! Just let me handle this, focus on saving yourselves and anyone you come across!" She shouted.

They made tracks in the rain, running toward the remaining buildings as Yu huddled over them while keeping her eyes on the flyer; although he moved fast, the rain helped her keep constant track of him, both his form and the beating of his wings. She knew if she could get a good hit in, she'd be able to knock him down.

Her moment came when the barrage of cannon fire eased up allowing the flyer to come in close. Yu had a bead on him and was ready for him. All she had to do was swat him down and this would be-

FLASH!

"Ah! W-What the hell!"

"It's called strategy, you overgrown bitch!" Cawed a haughty voice. What followed was another slash to her arm. Between the blinding flash of what she assumed to be a flashbang and the pain, Yu let her grip loosen enough her target had an opportunity to escape. Or rather, the flyer had an opportunity to scoop him up out of her hand. She felt the absence and that became cause for her to fight through her blindness. Her vision was blurry, but she made out the distant shape of the bird-winged figure.

Quickly looking around she spotted some of the cannon balls, particularly a few that were intact. Without much thought, she grabbed one and flung it with as much accuracy as she could muster with half-cocked vision. Desperation seized her watching her first throw miss. Grabbing a second, she set it up with her right index finger and thumb. In her giant form, she could flick objects with enough force they could crash through buildings, so that absolutely meant they could down a flying object-provided she could get a shot.

There was a loud pop from her fingers as the metal sphere flew through the rain, then a bang as it hit its target. It was faint but Yu saw the flyer falling, screaming in pain and outrage as he and Ayukawa fell toward the ground. They were a couple of blocks away, but they were down. All she had to do was get to them, something that was easier said than done; moving agitated her wounds. She didn't need to look at them to know blood was running down her legs thanks to the rain. What she wouldn't have given for it to lighten up. Groaning, she stood up, focusing the pain into a few grunts.

"Let me go after them!" Called a voice from the ground.

Glancing down, she saw the hooded figure from before. Hadn't he ran away with the others? Had he come back? Why had he come back? To help her? All those questions tumbled from her mouth as she asked, "What the hell are you still doing here? Run! Get out of here!"

"Believe me, I know I should but I…I just couldn't, alright! Look, I was watching you, I might know where they landed!" He yelled. Yep, he was definitely on the young side. "I'm not trying to play hero here, I'm just-look out!"

She immediately knew more projectiles were coming, Yu heard them sailing through the air. It was easier to shield one person from the cannon fire as it rained down. Her back really was beginning to hurt.

"Oh, enough of crap!" Sounded off the civilian beneath her. Although she tried to catch him with her eyes, Yu actually felt him climbing up her body to the top of her head. She usually hated it when strangers did that, but in this case, she found herself quickly making an exception. Hey, cover your ears for this!" Yu immediately did so, not bothering to question the boy on what he was about to do. "RAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!'

Even with her ears covered, Yu felt the reverberations shaking her eardrums to the point they almost seemed ready to pop. If she hadn't covered her ears, they might have. Her earpiece communicator was pushed dangerously close to its limit thanks to the concussive roar-if it'd been aimed directly at her, it'd have been blown to pieces. While her brain rattled, she reminded herself to check it when she got the chance.

The roar ended and the patter of the rain returned, but to Yu, it felt deafened. Everything felt different after she heard the distinctively feline roar that the stranger had released. Hearing its echo, she looked ahead and saw the air seemed to have been cleared of any projectiles; Yu spied the broken-up pieces of a few cannonballs lying on the ground and in buildings. It seemed like each had been blown apart.

"I didn't blow your ears out, did I?" Called the hooded teen.

"No, but it feels like you came damn close. A little warning next time!" Yu answered.

He let out a short, amused laugh that had her knitting her brow, although it further stoked Yu's curiosity. "I'll try to keep that in mind." He jumped off her head onto the ground, a few dozen feet with a perfect landing. As he looked up at her, Yu caught a toothy grin.

"Oh, fine! You can come, but follow my lead, alright!" She had quietly lamented her lack of a partner on this mission. While unexpected, it seemed that'd been remedied in an unexpected way. "By the way, what's your name, kid?"

"Kyo, Kyoshiro Kibe." Leaning in a little closer Yu was able to see his eyes beneath his hood. Bright green, a color that reminded her of All Might's protégé. "Hey, what about your-"

"I'll be fine, just stay close." Finally, she removed the shrapnel, grunting as she did so.

"Uh, are you sure you should have done that?"

"It'd be harder for me to walk with them still in there. Come on!" Her Quirk came with many pros and cons, amongst the latter, when she grew her clothes didn't grow with her. Her costume was a special fabric that could do so, but she'd only found it after much trial and error. It was the only thing that could grow with her size bandages couldn't, meaning if she wanted to treat her wounds she'd have to shrink down; she didn't want to give Iron Step that time to crawl away, or for someone else to get to him.

As they came closer to the crash site, Yu begrudgingly acknowledged she might just have to. The buildings were sparse, but packed together enough she couldn't just waltz right on in. Despite the breakdown in civil order as well the damage already done to the city, she didn't want any more collateral damage. If he wasn't on the rooftops then he'd landed in the streets somewhere. She wouldn't be able to search those effectively, Kyoshiro would have to.

He was as agile as a jungle cat. Between his growling and his sonic roar, Yu guessed his Quirk had to be feline based. Specifically, it gave him abilities akin to a big cat's. Having worked alongside Shishido, she had an idea.

She stood over the district where Ayukawa had landed, once again impeded. She grunted causing Kyoshiro to look up at her, then back at the buildings. "I'll go search for him." He called. Yu looked down at him, and he looked back up at her with a cross stare. "Look, I've seen you on TV, you don't do so well in tight spaces like this. Not unless you want to clear out the block."

"Heh, tempting, but no." Although he'd helped her before, she was still weary. "…Fine, but don't do anything stupid, alright. Remember-"

"This is my town." He said with a bit of force in his voice. "Just…catch your breath for a second, okay? I can handle myself, I've had it since…"

Yu's face fell. "Yeah, I know, just…watch your back, kid." Times like this she really wished Kamui was with her. Or Edgeshot. Not only did their normal size work in their favor, but their Quirks were also better suited for exploring tighter spaces, especially the latter's. They were needed elsewhere, and she couldn't let villains like Iron Step keep on running wild in Numazu. She came prepared to do the best she could. It'd been enough to get her this far. She didn't mind getting some unexpected help along the way. Assuming this kid really was helping her.

She appreciated him standing up for her earlier. That gave her hope that he wasn't leading her on, then there was his coming back to do so again. Such courage had become incredibly rare nowadays, so too had any noticeable confidence in heroes.

Minutes passed during which Yu heard nothing but the downpour against the land. No shouting or signs of a struggle-a potential good sign, or something to be worried about. All she could do was wait with bated breath for something to happen. Whatever that something turned out to be, she'd be ready for it. The pain in her legs and neck be damned.

"Hey, Mt. Lady!" Suddenly the teen's voice shouted. Homing in on it, Yu watched him ascend back to the top of a building, holding in one hand was the flyer she'd encountered before; her shot in combination to the apparent crash landing had left him a mangled mess. Like Hawks, he possessed a pair of bird-like wings, but his feet were talons-they looked as sharp as they'd felt against her skin. "Iron Step bailed on his rescuer and headed for the sewers."

"Y-You're…not t-t-taking the boss back. N-N-No way…in hell." The avian flunky wheezed. Yu wondered if he'd been roughed up before hand by Kyoshiro. He shot bird man a nasty glare that seemed to cause him to wince.

Resting her hand on a nearby rooftop, Yu shut her eyes in frustration. Had to be the damn sewers, even if they're flooded. Then again, he'd been held in Tsuchi-Ikazuchi Prison, so I guess swimming through sewage is nothing. Her Gigantification didn't allow her to operate in tight spaces, but she could use it to burst through when she wanted to. That'd only work if she caught Ayukawa, which was a whole another story. "Geez," Yu breathed out. "Talk about a pain in the ass."

"Hehe…you…didn't think it'd be that easy, did you? You overgrown-"

"Hey!" The hooded youth shouted. "Shut your mouth before you lose anymore teeth!" The villainous underling flinched. "I can try…" His words trailed off as he looked at her. Kyoshiro's eyes moved from her face down to her legs then to her hands. It didn't take much for him to read her posture. "You need to take a break."

"I'm fine, kid. I can-"

"You can't go looking around down there with your legs bleeding out! Do you want them to get infected or something! Sewer maintenance's completely broken down so there's no telling what's in the water! You can't wade into it with your legs bleeding!"

"Gah…hey, let the…bitch jump into the water. It's her-"

"I said shut up, bird-boy!"

Yu knew Kyoshiro was right. If she jumped into sewer tunnels with open wounds on her legs, the end result would be an affection, and one that could take her out of action longer than she could afford. That wasn't even accounting for what she might find in the sewers, other villains or people taking refuge down there, particularly heroes. In seconds, she realized she was going to have to call off her search, just as she'd beaten Iron Step down enough he could be arrested. Although she didn't demolish anything, her hands still morphed into fists that trembled with anger.

"I'll…I'll help you find him. I've got a few maps of the sewers, not to mention my nose can be pretty sharp. Provided the rain lets off." Came that voice she'd first heard as a feral growl. Yu snapped to him, locking in on his green eyes beneath his hoodie. They sparkled with uncertainty but not deceit, at least none she could detect. She also saw concern in his gaze.

Yu mentally contemplated if that's what pushed her over the edge. "Alright but give me a second to do something about him." Reaching for her earpiece, she tried putting a call through. Although she had a few seconds of static, eventually she managed to get through. "This is Mt. Lady, I've got a villain in need of pick up at…eh, give me a second."

"Dai-Go Industries!" Kyoshiro informed.

"Dai-Go Industries! Look up the building! Avian-based Quirk, but currently disabled. Huh? Wha-? Hrgh, alright! I'll leave him for pickup." Kyoshiro kept a hold of the flyer, more so as he saw the annoyed look she sported as the call ended. "The police are tied up at the moment, so we're going to have to leave him for pickup."

"Oh, come on, can't you guys just let me go!" The man cried.

"You helped a wanted criminal escape, dumbass. You really think you're getting off that easily?" Kyoshiro sneered.

Yu leaned forward, fixing her eyes on the older man. "If you want a break, you could tell us where Iron Step went?"

The man's black eyes widened in fear at the suggestion, but then they narrowed in clear refusal. "Go fuck yourself, you giant bimbo!"

Yu's eyes narrowed in anger, then they widened in surprise as a swift punch slammed into winged man. He hit the ground unconscious; when he woke up, he'd definitely have a broken jaw on top of his own injuries. With startled eyes, she watched Kyoshiro reach into his shoulder bag and pull out some rope. In no time at all he had the man tied up, where he'd remain until hopefully the police could pick him up. She'd have made a witty comment if she hadn't been reminded of her leg wounds. Her vision was starting to get a little blurry.

"Hey," Kyoshiro called. "I…um…I've got some medical supplies back at my place. I can treat you, I mean…you need to treatment. Normally I'd say go to the hospital, but they're all either abandoned or they've been taken over. Same thing with a couple of clinics."

"I about expected that. It's the same story in a lot of major cities, and small towns." She didn't ask him how he'd gotten these supposed medical supplies. "How far away is your place?"

"A couple of blocks away, but I can get us there fast enough. For that though, you're going to have to shrink down…and I'm…going to have to carry you." She smiled at the increased uncertainty in his voice.

"Hey, if you make any cracks about my weight, you're going to regret it." She half-jokingly and half-seriously stated.

"Got it."

Shrinking down always took no more than a second, the shift being instantaneous from her perspective. Outside perspectives confirmed the speed as well. Yu winced as she touched the rooftop, although a pair of hands were immediately on her shoulder helping balance her. She was grateful for it, and the chance to get an up-close look at Kyoshiro. Although his hoodie was still pulled over his face, she was able to make out certain details, like his verdant eyes and black bands that reached down to his face and the bridge of his nose. He turned his back to her, giving her just a few seconds to take in the details of his face.

"Huh?"

"This'll be easier for me. Hold on to me." He called in a quieter voice.

Still feeling a nagging curiosity as to what his face looked like, Yu climbed onto his back. Like many, many men, he towered over her. Kyoshiro had to be a good five-foot-ten, putting him several inches above her. That difference made it all the easier for her to climb onto his back. Despite the cold rain Yu felt her cheeks heating up.

After middle school, she stopped clinging to guys, and then the Paranormal Liberation War happened, and she clung to Gigantomachia of all people. This was entirely different.

"W-Waaaaah! H-H-Hey! A-A-A little warning!" Wind and rain whipped at her face as harshly as it had when she was in giant form. The city passed her in a blur as she looked around.

"I told you to hang on, didn't I!" Kyoshiro yelled back as he ran. Yep, he definitely had some sort of animal Quirk, his speed reminded her of big cats on the move. Namely cheetahs and even tigers; the same with for his agility as he jumped rooftops as easily as some cats did tree branches. "Just keep holding onto me, trust me, I'm not leading you into a trap or anything!" He called back.

"If you were, trust me, I'd make sure you'd regret it!" Yu shouted back. It'd been a while since she'd done this, gone for a "ride" atop of someone else. Usually, she was the one carrying people. Privately, she confessed it wasn't so bad with the reverse. More so with someone as big and strong as this Kyoshiro. His personality wasn't too bad either, although the jury was still out on how things would ultimately turn out-how he'd ultimately turn out. Look at me, She quietly mused. Been too damn long since a civilian was even remotely nice to you. Hell, stood up for you. She and the others had agreed to suffer through any reminders of where public trust in heroes stood. At least, those who'd chosen to remain and keep on fighting. Depressing as it was, it meant only the most dedicated had been left, Yu never thought she'd be in that group, yet here she was.

The first wave of resignation had come as rescue and recovery in the war's aftermath began. That now seemed like a lifetime ago despite it only being two months. In two months, the whole world had changed.

Numazu stood as a testament to that. The once calm and bustling seaside city that was a stone's throw away from Mt. Fuji was a ruined shell of its former self. Several buildings were either destroyed or sporting damages-battle damages. Looking to her left, she was able to make out some of the coastline, the place that'd been hit by the worst of the anarchy. The anti-tsunami barricade had been damaged during the initial civil breakdown, and inevitably some villains (or plain anarchist) had tried to stir up tsunamis. None of them had been enough to wipe out the city, but the coastline had been devastated. For whatever it was worth, it wasn't like many people were traveling anymore, not domestically and sure as hell not internationally, especially to Japan.

"Hey, um, Mt. Lady?" Called the youth carrying her through the city. He was fast and nimble, emphasis on fast. Yu wondered if he was hustling for her sake.

"Yeah?" She called, not quite ready to ask him that. Although a little more at ease, she kept herself guarded for fear that something happened. Either he pulled a fast one or someone came out of nowhere to attack them.

"Thanks for coming to town. Thanks for…thank you." His voice was quiet, almost drowned out by the rain, but Yu heard him none the less. She pulled her head away, eyes wide and her heart skipping a beat.

Yu knew she shouldn't have had such a reaction, but she was still caught off-guard by it. She hadn't come to Numazu expecting anyone to thank her. It was the last thing on her mind. Such a thought would have been ludicrous to the younger her about a year ago. A lot had changed since then.

And it seemed, some things hadn't.

"I…Kyoshiro, right?"

"You can call me Kyo." He kicked off the edge of a rooftop. Yu instinctively tightened her hold on him, feeling how high up they were before she looked around. Despite the near hundred feet they were up, she wasn't scared, and not just because she could use her Quirk (albeit with pain to her legs). Looking forward, she watched Kyo hold out his hands, his nails claws that dug into the building ahead of them. His other hand came down, and before she knew it, he was climbing up its side, quiet grunts lighting the way, and all while he carried her. Rather easily, he pulled himself up on the ledge and began to take off toward the opposite end, intent on repeating the process.

As he ran, Yu felt her body, cold and battered, growing warmer. "…It's what heroes do, and…thanks for the ride, Kyo." She was glad he couldn't see her face, otherwise he might have seen the pink tint on her cheeks that went with the smile she bore.

Kyo's apartment wasn't too bad. Matter of fact, he'd done quite well for himself, having seemingly an entire complex for himself, even if the ceiling had a glaring hole in it. Luckily, his living space, and hers for the time being, were on the third floor. She had a good view of the window, which wasn't boarded up like dozens of others. Yu had seen more boarded up windows over the last few months than she ever thought she would in her life. She hoped she'd lived to see them come down, or hell, a time would come when every building didn't look like it belonged in a war or disaster movie.

"Wait right here, I'll be back with the bandages and the disinfectant." Once they were inside, Kyo's raincoat came off, including the hood, finally, she was able to see his face.

He had a damn cute pair of cat ears. Black as the rest of his hair, which reached down his neck and the bridge of his nose. Such dark hair contrasted by bright green eyes. Even with the sting of her injuries and the residual shiver from the rain, Yu noted how Kyo Kibe wasn't a bad looker. Cute, and apparently a man of his word. Oh, and a good scavenger based on the supplies he'd stockpiled to make this complex livable. As she waited, she looked around the bedroom, noting how pristine it was. The apartment had three bedrooms, and she could tell only one had been used. This wasn't that bedroom.

Kyo came back with a medical box that he flipped open and began extracting items from. Wordlessly, she held her legs out and allowed him to go to work. "You a medical student or something?"

"No, I just picked up what I could from a friend. He…" Yu immediately regretted her words seeing his eyes grow heavy with sorrow. "He and some doctors of his went to help out with the chaos happening in Tokyo. That was about two weeks ago, I haven't heard anything from him since. He had a feeling something would happen, so he made sure I knew how to work some stitches and bandages just in case." His lips curved into a dim smile. "You're the third person I've operated on; so far, I've maintained a pretty good record."

Yu laughed. "Lucky me." She was lucky, alright. Lucky on multiple accounts. "So, what did you do? Were you a hero student?"

"No, I was an eleventh grader at Gōri Senior High School. I was in the photography club, and the art club." The smile on his face told her those were far happier times he wished he could go back to. "As you can guess, school ended up getting canceled and has been for the last couple of months. Gōri High School was a shelter for a while until a couple of students blew it to hell."

Hearing made Yu close her eyes in frustration. Plenty of teenagers had given into the chaos, realizing old fears about the "destructive power of youth." It was expected by some given all pillars of authority in the country had broken down. Even worse, she'd heard some had enthusiastically embraced the anarchy, even choosing to walk down the road of villainy. Yu wondered if Kyo's former classmates had been those sorts of people.

"Kyo, where are your parents?" She questioned.

"My dad works for Brother Industries in Nagoya. The last I was able to get in contact with him, he was safe, but up to his eyeballs in work, believe it or not. People have been hoarding anything they can, especially computers and household appliances." He answered without looking up from her legs.

Yu sensed she was about to trend on a sensitive topic, but she pressed ahead anyway. "And what about your mom?"

"Died three years ago in a fire. I've…I went to her grave about a week ago to make sure it was undisturbed. Same with the other graves." He temporarily looked up at her with a shadowed gaze. "Trust me when I say you don't wanna know."

"I can actually think of a few ideas, but I don't need anymore, thank you for very much." Yu answered hoping she didn't sound too snappy. "I'm sorry to hear about your mom."

"Thanks." Kyo's focus went back to tending to her leg. "My dad's…girlfriend has been trying to get a hold of him and me. I've been trying to call her and her son too, but so far, nothing. The good news is they're safe in a shelter somewhere. They evacuated earlier, when most people left town."

"But you stayed." Yu remarked. She knew there was a story there, but she wasn't keen on pressing him for it. In the long run, it might not matter, but Yu couldn't deny she was curious. His father was in one city while his girlfriend was elsewhere, presumably somewhere safe with her family. It was just him alone in this war-torn city; glancing at his feline ears, Yu shuddered to imagine whatever disdain he might have gotten from the bigots who'd emerged from the shadows. "I'm lucky you did."

"…You know, you probably would have scrapped yourself up even more if I hadn't been, but I think you could have pulled it off."

Of course he knew her. She'd made it her goal to be one of the most recognizable heroes out there, and she'd succeeded at that. What she didn't know was what people really thought about her. "You think so?" Despite the situation, she wasn't going to let an opportunity to learn more pass her by. She was ready for whatever the black-haired teenager had to say, and she showed it with her quiet yet intense stare.

His green eyes looked back at her, widened in slight shock. "I mean…you're a tenacious person. You've proved that by staying in it while dozens of other heroes have quiet, and the country's just…gone to hell."

"I looked like one of those types who'd call it quits when things got rough, didn't I?" She plainly spoke.

Keeping on him with her passive yet unbroken gaze made him realize there was no need to hold back. "Yeah, you did. Although I'm happy I was wrong, and a lot of people here in Numazu feel the same, even if they won't admit it. That includes the folks you met earlier, hard as that is to believe." He paused in thinking about them. Yu wandered if he'd had run-ins with them before, their interactions lending credence to the idea. "Thanks again for coming to deal with Ayukawa. Ever since he broke out and came to town, he's torn the city apart to fight off his rivals and scare the hell out of anyone who thinks of resisting him. Or he just did it for fun."

Seeing the way he looked at her arms, Yu held those out, giving him the go ahead to look at them as well. His cheeks flushed a little pink at the gesture. It brought a smile to her face.

"Hey, it's what heroes do." She said, not with a casual indifference but with a serene firmness. "I just wish I could have grabbed him then and there. The bastard put up one hell of a fight."

"No offense, but you weren't expecting to be easy, were you?" Kyo innocently jabbed as he began treating her arms. The cuts she had on them weren't anything major compared to her legs, but they were still worth taking a look at. More so since there was a possibility she was going to be wading through sewage water in a little bit.

"Nope, but he wasn't as tough as the last giant I faced." Behind her coy laughter, Yu shuddered at the memory of Gigantomachia. Ayukawa was nothing compared to him, that bastard desal. Even now, she still looked at his defeat and imprisonment as something of a miracle. If it hadn't been for Endeavor, Yu doubted they'd have been able to stop Gigantomachia. That stung her pride, but not nearly as much as some might have believed it might.

"Hey, um…I…don't know if you can answer this, but…that last giant you faced, is there any chance he might break out?"

She looked at Kyo, noting the slight fear in his face. "He's in a secure prison built specifically for him, but…I wouldn't put it past All For One or the League to try to break him out. If they do, I'll be there to stop him. I'm the…only one that can." She'd tried before and hadn't succeeded, but Yu knew she could at least stalemate Gigantomachia for a little bit. If that kept him from causing more destruction, so be it. "For the record," her voice sounded catching his attention. "I'm hoping like hell he doesn't break out. Fortunately, no one's made any attempt."

"You know, some people have just downright lost faith in the concept of prisons."

"Yeah, I've noticed. What about you, Kyo?" Now it was her turn to question him, to quell more of the curiosity she felt regarding him.

His eyes shifted to hers, the guard falling as he answered. "Honestly, I…I don't know. I've seen people do some horrible things to each other since everything broke down. Stealing is one thing, but…just outright murdering each other in cold blood, and torturing people just because they could, or worse, because they thought they 'deserved it' somehow." Instead of sitting on the bed beside her, he just sat down on the floor, looking at it in angsty contemplation. "Dodging those people and running into them, I just…some part of me did think wouldn't it just be better if they were gone for good? No chance to break out again? No chance to escape and go off to hurt more people? I…" Yu saw his eyes move from the floor to his hands, namely his fingers. She'd seen them dig into stone and steel, so she was certain they could rip apart flesh as well. Shishido, who possessed a similar Quirk, had done the same, so it stood to reason that Kyo could too. More so since he seemed to have the same wild impulses he did. "Then again, I've known what it feels like to be forced to just sit in a place with nothing to do. Heh, boredom can be pretty scary, too, so there's that."

Yu shared a laugh with them at that. She knew how deadly boredom could be, but there were plenty of ways to alleviate it. Not so much when one was sitting in a cell, or completely locked down to the point they couldn't even move a finger. Considering some people could cause a massive amount of destruction from just that simple gesture, such measures were entirely warranted. That said…Yu wouldn't deny she could see some reasoning in the argument of making sure such people never moved again at all.

Her laughter died, and with it her focus on Kyo intensified-he kept on looking at his nails. "Kyo," she quietly called. Finally, he looked up at her, his face slightly guarded yet stained with unease. "Have you…have you had to…"

He shook his head, "No, but it's not…it's not like I'd never hurt anyone before all this. I got into fights when I was a kid, still did but I tried to tone it down. Still…"

"Sometimes you feel a little happy being able to just cut loose a little, right?" He looked at her in shock. Yu laughed, "Hey, I've worked with Shishido. I know that sometimes he has those same impulses, but he keeps them in check or channels them. I can see you've done the same." There was something in the way he looked at her, questioning how she could make such a statement despite having just met him. Yu gently pushed off the bed and slid down so she was sitting on the floor across from him. Although a little less comfortable, she was on literal even ground with him. "You stopped a mob killing, you helped me stop a mob killing. That's not something just anyone can do, especially nowadays. It'd have been a lot easier just to join them, to beat down on Ayukawa until he was a bloody stain on the ground, especially after what he's done to this city and its people, including you. You had an opportunity too, when you helped me locate that flyer. You could have lied to me and told me he hadn't survived when you'd really killed him."

Kyo's eyes widened, showing that the thought apparently hadn't crossed his mind. That was something Yu inwardly took solace in.

You're not as bad as you think you are, Kyo. She silently complimented. It might have been better if she vocalized that, but Yu was temporarily stunned by how cute the teenager looked with that innocent shock. It lasted until he looked back down at his hands, specifically his claws.

"I…guess I could have done that, couldn't I? Just let the rain wash away the blood, or made up a story about how he'd attacked me and I acted in self-defense." He stated.

"Hmm, you could have done the latter, but I'd have seen through it." Yu replied in a dismissive tone.

The cat-eared boy arched an eyebrow. "Really?"

Yu immediately rose to the challenge. "Definitely. I've spotted more lies than you may think over the course of my career." And life in general. Now that last part was something Yu definitely wanted to keep to herself. Kyo's eyebrow remained notched, nearly becoming a source of incitement for her. "I don't know what you've seen or heard, but detective work is a part of being a hero, and I've got some experience in that department. It's just not one that gets much publicity, at least with the mainstay crowds."

A somewhat amused laugh slipped from Kyo's lips. "People only have enough patience for about an hour of detective work, and that's usually mixed in with some drama."

She joined him in a short laugh. "Or they just want to tune in to the end when the detective busts the bad guy then explains how he did it." Admittedly, she didn't hold that against people, she was guilty of the same. "Heroes are still doing that, chasing down leads wherever they can, especially those better suited for that sort of thing."

Kyo stared back at her for a second longer before looking to his right to the window. Sparing it a glance, Yu was pleasantly surprised to find the rain had lightened up. "That's good to know."

The way he was staring at the window caught her attention. "Kyo," she called. "What is it? Is it something about the weather? Should I worry about being attacked?"

"No, it's just…I…" His feline ears twitched, something Yu found both cute and perplexing. She theorized they reacted to his emotional state; maybe if he tried lying to her they would have twitched. It gave her more reason to believe he was an honest kid. Honest with a good heart, but he had something on his mind.

"Hey, whatever it is, just tell me." Impatience mixed with near burning curiosity got the better of her, leading her to stretch her hands out. She turned his face back to hers; his cheeks blushed red, something that made her immediately realize what she'd done. With a touch of pink on her own cheeks, Yu pulled her hands back. "Tell me. I want to know; I need to know if it's about Iron Step."

His ears twitched again. "I think…if the rain's lightening up, then…I think I might be able to track his scent. If I could get a hold of something with his scent in the first place."

"You can? Really? Oh, that's great! Perfect! Now I'll be able to track that bastard down!" This would have been one of those moments her Quirk activated if it wasn't for her self-control, barely. Her raised arms would have shattered the ceiling clearing the way for her head and upper body. She'd probably have demolished the entire apartment. Definitely not the best thing to do to a guy who not only patched her up but also just gave her a major lead.

"I'm just saying I think I might be able to track him down! I've…um, society collapsing hasn't been all bad, it's made me push my abilities to heights I never knew I could reach." He scratched his neck as he broke eye contact with her. The kid didn't seem keen on regaining it.

That didn't mean he couldn't hear her, though. "Then this'll be your chance to push yourself, that is, if you've got it in you." Yu found she didn't have to pull too hard, mostly because Kyo was already leaning in that direction. When he looked at her, she smiled in a half-teasing and half-gentle manner.

"You know, I feel like you should be trying to stop me from going out." The teenager remarked.

"Yeah, I should, but I also know when I'm going to need some backup. Not to mention you strike me as the type who'll tag along even if I tell you not to." Kyo may not have been studying to be a hero, but she could see he had some of that fire in him. "That said, you follow my lead no matter what, got it?"

Green eyes stared back at her in an unceasing stare that made her heart stir. As far as Yu was concerned, it was further proof she'd stubbled upon someone who would absolutely be a help to her, and most likely one of the last glimmers of light in Numazu.

"Got it." Kyo finally said. "But you should probably let your wounds heal up a little bit first. Plus…" his face fell. "We still have to find something with Ayukawa's scent on it."

Yu's face did the same. "Shit, forgot about that part." Leaning back against the bed, she started wracking her brain around what they could use. Obviously, it'd have to be something he'd have touched. The crash site where she'd shot him down came to mind, but the rain was only just now lightening up, surely the blood will have washed away by now. They needed something untouched by mother nature. Something- "Wait a sec." Sitting up, she crossed her arms and bowed her head in concentration.

Her caretaker and seeming partner took immediate notice. "You got something?"

"…I might. His hideout. Sure, it's trashed, but the interior should still have some stuff with his scent on it." Her mind flashed to the sorry state said high rise had been left in. Not completely trashed, but there was no way Ayukawa would be returning to his high rise hideout. Maybe he'd find another such place to hide away. One thing was certain, his wounds were going to need some time to heal, and he'd need a place with a lot of metal for his Quirk to operate at full effectiveness. This was a city, though, Ayukawa wouldn't have to look too hard to find metal. The hitch, and their advantage, was him finding enough of it to build himself another giant avatar.

While she contemplated, Kyo stood up, forcing Yu to title her head upward to meet his eyes. She already knew what he was going to say before he'd even opened his mouth. "The Nishiki-Godai Building, right? I'll head over there."

"We'll head over there." She corrected.

"No, just me. You use the time to get some rest."

Yu's nose wrinkled. "Listen, kid, you just agreed to follow my lead. So-"

"This is something I can do by myself, and I'm better at it. Sniffing around, trying to pick up a trail, let me do that while you let your wounds heal." He fired back, not overwhelmingly but with a quiet determination she found striking. "If it comes down to another fight like last time, you're going to need more of your strength."

"I'm plenty strong enough now." Yu retorted. Despite the clear height difference between them, she rose, mustering all the determination she could. Kyo met it with his own, leading to a silent stare down between them. Kyo didn't back down, his feline ears didn't twitch nor did his gaze waver-he stood as tall and imposing as a mountain. Or rather, a lion, one bravely staring back at the mountain before him. Yu was impressed, but she didn't let that show, a seventeen-year-old kid was about to walk into a potentially dangerous situation on her watch.

But the kid wasn't going to back down. On one hand, she had a strong feeling he wanted to prove himself, but on the other…Yu had to wonder, was he really concerned for her?

Stupid question, he took you back to his place and patched you up without doing anything shady. And this is after he defended you when the mob was ready to jump you to kill a man in cold blood. He's had a lot of chances to stab you in the back so how's about you give him some trust? Spoke her inner conscious in a surprisingly rational voice. It sounded a hell of a lot like Kamui Woods, even though she knew her partner would be against this as much as she would be. He'd be chastising her for considering this plan in anyway.

The consideration grew as their stare down continued.

"Fine." She relented. "You get in, catch his scent, maybe take something you think will help you track him, and then get out. Don't fi-"

"Don't fight unless I have to, I got it."

"Call me mom, and you'll regret it." Yu immediately swiped.

His lips curved into a thin smirk. "Wasn't even thinking about it.

"Riiight." Yu played off.

"I'm serious!"

She casually fell back onto the bed, turning her head to the side. "Totally believe you."

"…It's not like you're old. You're only in your twenties, early twenties at that."

"Sure, anything you-!" Quick as the lightning that once flashed across the sky, Yu whipped her head back to look at him directly. "Wait, what?"

"You're just what, about twenty-five years old? That's just eight years shy of me and a couple of my old friends. Not to mention you-" Despite stopping short, the way his cheeks lit up was all the explanation Yu needed.

A smile grew on her face, the kind of smile she hadn't worn in months. "…Not to mention…I look it, don't I?" Spreading her arms out, she leaned back, drinking in the way Kyo gawked at her. At least before he looked away, but that just made the blush on his cheeks more visible to her. Yu held up her seductive smile for a moment longer before she let it melt into laughter. It quickly filled the room, drowning out the weakening patter of the rain outside.

"Okay, now that you've got your kicks in, I'm heading out. I should be back in about half an hour." Kyo declared marching toward the door.

Now, if only he had a tail. She thought to herself upon sitting up. "Just make sure to watch yourself, Kyo."

"I will, I will. Trust me, I won't bring the whole place crashing down." He called before stopping half-way out the door. "You can help yourself to any food you can find except the lemon Kit Kat bars, I had to search high and low for those."

Yu made a face. "You can keep those, but do you have anything peach-flavored?"

Kyo visibly thought about it for a second. "I honestly don't know. You can check for yourself."

"So, you're giving me permission to go through your food stash?" Yu jabbed.

"Hey, I already carried you in here bleeding over the floor and you're resting on one of the beds." He shot back. Although he looked away, he didn't leave the room, or her, even though he seemed to want to. "Besides, it's…it's the least you deserve for what you did. Just stay out of my room."

"Oh, trust me, I've got no intention of going in there." She added a bit of humorous disdain to her response. Kyo smiled, then left the room, although Yu could still hear his footsteps. With the absence of a TV or any other occupants, she imagined the whole building was a silent place. It didn't make Yu fancy the idea of staying there, at least not long-term. In dwelling on that she ended up thinking about what Kyo had been through. How long had he been living in this place? Based on what she could tell, it must have been a few weeks-perhaps a month. Had it been longer than that?

She wondered what happened to his original home, a quandary that was answered as she thought back to the damage done to Numazu. Apparently, his high school had been repurposed into a shelter into it no longer became safe. Things in the city fell apart too fast for proper shelters to be constructed, the police being overwhelmed certainly hadn't helped things.

Her feet carried her to the living room where she patiently waited for him to finish assembling his things. That didn't take too long as he appeared before her, dressed in that same dark raincoat and a backpack at the ready.

"I'll be back."

"Yeah, I know you will, just remember what I said. I'm the hero here, remember that." She said.

"I know," Kyo's hands tightened at his side. "But this is my city, so…I've got to do something. More than I've been doing."

The pain and the desire in his eyes was something she'd seen several times, in her remaining pro heroes and the young students who'd chosen to keep at it with them. If she didn't know any better, she'd assume Kyo had been one of them.

He went out the front door and leaped off the second-floor railing, landing on a nearby rooftop. Yu watched him run through the drizzle the downpour had become until he disappeared from her sight amidst the wreckage. There was something somber in watching him go, yet Yu felt a vague sense of joy as well.

Looking up at the still gray sky she hoped it wouldn't let loose another downpour. Not only would it impede Kyo's ability to track a scent, but she also didn't fancy the idea of the boy getting caught in the rain. At least he didn't seem to have a problem with it. Suddenly, her body grew warm at the memory of him carrying her atop his back on the way back to this hideout.

She chuckled thinking of what it'd be like if he did a bridal carry. Wouldn't that have been something? It wouldn't have been the sort of thing she wanted people to see, the famed (or infamous) Mt. Lady being carried away by some unknown kid.

A pretty brave and kind kid…a brave and kind person. After another minute of taking in the moist, cool breeze, Yu headed back inside. Now she had to confront a new dilemma, what to do for the next half hour.

She sure as hell wasn't going to trash the place, that would have just been plain rude, even for her. If he had a phone, she could try to get in contact with law enforcement and the other heroes. The world kept on spinning while she was here trying to root out one villain.

"Probably should have asked him where the phone was. Hmm?" She'd hardly paid attention to the living table and its contents, but she did the second she saw a few papers and folders lying atop of it. Now, she had nothing else to do, so she walked over and examined them. "Oh yeah, he said he was in the photography club at his high school." The pictures were recent, or at least pre-destruction. Although she didn't know what significance the buildings held, Yu knew they had to be important to Kyo in some way. Eying the top folder, she reached over and flipped it open. Although she took note of the papers within, what really caught her attention was the photo right in the center. Her magenta eyes widened as she looked at it, roaming every inch of it. She eventually took it up with her right hand. "Kyo,"

Like so many people, he looked a lot happier in the photo, no doubt taken before the societal crash. Instead of a clear blue sky the picture seemed to have been taken at sunset. She immediately theorized he and his three friends present had taken the photo after school given the sunset and their uniforms. Kyo and another male plus two girls, all smiling with such youthful faces.

Although Yu knew it was probably for the best she put the photo down, she couldn't bring herself to do so. Something about Kyo's beaming smile just drew her in. Now remembering his hobby for photography, she found herself wondering if there were other photos of him smiling and maybe laughing.

Yu lowered the picture and looked around the somewhat cluttered apartment. "…He did say his room was off limits."

---

By the time he reached the Nishiki-Godai Building the rain had stopped completely. Even if it took some time for the scent of rain to fully dissipate, Kyo knew he could look past it to find what he needed to if he looked, or smelt, hard enough. It was also nice to see the clouds beginning to break to reveal parts of the blue sky. No sunshine, but better than the gray rain of depression that'd started late in the morning. Most days were already depressing enough without the weather piling onto it.

Given how high up he was, he appreciated the break in the weather all the more. It sucked being high up and having nothing to look at but dark clouds and rain, especially over a broken city.

He didn't stop to look out at it until he reached his destination. It was easy to spot the Nishiki-Godai Building amongst the others, it had a giant hole in its top floor that exposed it to the unforgiving sky. Many of the glass windows half-way down were broken exposing the interior to the rain and now the wind. They did provide a rather convenient way inside. Right after stepping through one such window, he looked back at the cityscape.

A person like him ordinarily never would have set foot on the first floor, much less what might have been the twenty-fifth with an amazing view of the Numazu. What had once been an amazing view. Even as the clouds broke, all Kyo saw looking out were ruins. At least he didn't see any smoke columns, not yet, at least.

Once he'd done enough sightseeing he headed inside. While he looked around, Kyo kept his sense of smell and hearing alert. The place looked like a disaster, but that just made it all the more inviting for scavengers; by now, they must have realized Ayukawa and his goons weren't coming back.

He walked deeper into the building, away from the shattered windows. The deeper he went, the somewhat easier it became for him to catch the scent of the building's previous occupants. It'd been insulated against the rain. Kyo knew there was a bedroom of some sort within the building, one that Ayukawa had commandeered for himself-it'd be perfect of picking up the bastard's scent. Although Kyo didn't relish the idea of setting foot in there, he'd do what he had to do to pick up his trail. Preferably, he'd prefer to grab anything else he might have touched, but the bedroom was where he'd be able to catch the strongest smell and follow it wherever it may lead.

So far, it led him down ruined halls that and pricy furniture that cost more than all of that in his old house put together. It was without a doubt a lavish apartment that Kyo could admit, he'd have loved to spend a night or two in. Especially if he had a beautiful girl to enjoy it with.

The sultry image of Mt. Lady popped into his mind near immediately. Kyo groaned as he hung his head low trying to push the image back. As much as he wanted to say it was just regency, he knew that wasn't entirely the reason. She was…she was…she was actually pretty nice. At least she wasn't taking advantage of his hospitality, although he probably wouldn't know the full measure of that until he got back. He was at least hopeful she wouldn't ransack his place or leave it an even bigger mess than it already was.

It'd been someone else's home before him. Kyo sometimes wondered what happened to its previous occupants; when he "moved in" he hadn't found any blood on the first two floors, but on the next three he saw scorch marks and signs of vandalism. There was a myriad of lingering smells, many stretching out the door-that's how he knew the many residents had probably evacuated. Alternatively, they fled for their lives like so many others. Kyo wondered what the story was for the previous occupants of this place, he knew Ayukawa sure as hell hadn't any claim to it prior to his lockup.

After some walking, he found the bedroom door, which he promptly kicked open. The forceable entry echoed through the halls and his ears. So far, he was the only one around to hear it. Stepping forward, he was immediately hit by the opulence of the bedroom. The ceiling was still intact despite the damage to the damage to the outside, although the portraits that once hung on the walls had fallen. The same went for the statues that once stood comfortably on shelves for its occupant's viewing pleasure.

Kyo walked forward, seeing perfectly in the dark; to him, the lights might as well have been on revealing everything the room had to offer. His foot moved from hard wood to soft carpet in his journey to the king's size bed. If there was one thing he knew would have Ayukawa's scent, it'd be that. Coming upon it, he was proven right as he leaned over it and took in the lingering odor. Kyo hated doing it but did so regardless; he reached over and picked up a pillow to hold close to his face. He got as much of his scent as he would need, or could stomach. Once he had it memorized, he dropped the pillow to the floor. Kyo looked back at bed in the darkness, noting how well made it was. He doubted Ayukawa would be sleeping in it again-or at least he hoped he wouldn't.

"No, he won't." he whispered to himself. His hand wrapped into a fist that seemingly grew tighter by the second. "One way or another, I'm taking him down."

Listen to you, sounding so big and tough, but only because a pro hero showed up and did most of the heavy lifting. He gnashed his teeth at the biting voice, which spoke the painful truth. Like the shower that once fell over his hometown, the fire of resolve was doused. Kyo's hand fell limply at his side.

Maybe as a sign, a new smell entered his nostrils, and his hearing picked up the sound of footsteps. Whoever they were, they were trying to be stealthy, but he heard them. Heard them and smelt them.

Spinning around, Kyo went on full alert; he remained as such even as he recognized the scent.

With a quickened heart, he bolted from the room and ran down the hallway, throwing away his own attempt at stealth.

A trigger scent, he'd heard it a couple of times growing up. As he did, he thought it was nothing but a rumor, but people claimed it was real. Specifically, certain insidious groups used it to lure people into their clutches. That'd never happened to Kyo, but he supposed he still had his own "trigger scent" that could send him into a frenzy.

"Asami!" he shouted bursting into what he assumed to be a study.

There she was, frozen by the roar of his voice and the fierceness of his glare. She immediately answered it with a glare of her own. Like everything else in the apartment, Kyo was able to make out every one of her features despite the darkness of the room.

She'd gone to tying up her once shoulder-length auburn hair into a bun, nowadays it got in the way of her "work." Said work had caused quite a wardrobe change in her. Kyo wondered where she'd gotten the black leather catsuit she now sported, probably a "gift" from her new friends given her new occupation. It didn't get in the way of her hands morphing into the scythe-like blades she once used to cut up food and paper. He considered it a good thing he didn't see or smell blood on them as he had the last time.

"Kyo," she whispered in a tight voice. "Come to pick up the scraps, or are you here to make sure Ayukawa doesn't come back?"

Asami's stance was guarded, ready to spring into action at any second. "Asami…"

"If there's money in here, I don't think it'll be a good idea to split it." She stated.

"I don't give a damn about money or whatever the hell's in there."

"I'm calling bull on that, Kyo." Asami retorted. She was right, he wasn't entirely uninterested in what was in the safe hidden behind the wall. Whatever it was, it must have been important to Ayukawa. When he'd activated his Quirk, he'd avoided sucking it up while taking the top floors and nearby buildings for his steel golem. He hadn't sent anything or anyone after it. "I heard that a pro was in town, Mt. Lady." His lack of a response confirmed her words, causing her to go on. "Don't tell me you're helping her or something. Trying to score an autograph or something more?"

"I'm trying to help put our town back together, you could lend a hand, ya' know." Kyo quietly retorted.

"That's what I'm trying to do! Can't you see that!"

"I see you're being taken advantage of by a gang of jerks no better than Ayukawa! You're the one who's blind, Asami! This isn't what Shouma or Macy would have wanted!"

"Shut up! Shut up, shut up, Kyo! Just shut up!" He didn't enjoy striking such a raw nerve, but the deed was done. "I don't want to hear any of that bullshit from you!"

Once more, his hands balled into fists. "Well, you're going to hear it! I'm going to tell it to you because you hear it!"

"Like you've got a right to criticize me! You've been running around being a vigilante, too, Kyo!"

"Yeah, but I haven't been killing people in cold blood, and sure as hell not at the word of a bunch of fanatical maniacs!"

"They're not fanatics! They're the people trying to protect this town! They're stepping up when everyone else has failed, including your precious heroes!" The vault Asami had been about to carve open was completely forgotten. Kyo would have felt like he'd forgotten his unlikely house guest if she hadn't been brought directly into the conversation. "I heard the stories going around. Mt. Lady? Seriously?"

Kyo held his tongue, but he had a feeling that it was only going to last another few seconds.

Asami's sneer grew at his silence. "A brainless bimbo isn't going to save our town, or anyone. You were always smarter than that."

The shot of anger was stronger, hotter, than he thought it'd be. He felt his fangs elongating, yet Kyo kept it contained to a short-lived snarl. "A gang of greedy, self-serving bastards isn't going to do the job, Asami."

"They'll do it a lot better than a giant bim-"

"Will you knock it off with that! Geez, you never talked that way about her! Hell, the only people you ever talked that way about were real idiots! Cowards who ran at the first sign of trouble!" What control he had slipped up, and Kyo wasn't sure he could get it back, or he even wanted to. Something about hearing his new houseguest insulted just struck a nerve in him. He felt his fangs and claws out, his voice a bestial snarl that had the mantis girl he once called his friend bracing herself. She knew just because he hadn't gone off the deep end like countless others didn't mean he wasn't dangerous.

She also seemed to realize their friendship, past tense, wouldn't stop him from lashing out if pushed far enough. Considering what she'd done, Asami probably knew she couldn't point fingers without looking like a hypocrite.

Her eyes finally wavered after minutes of tension-filled glare. It was only for a second, but Kyo saw it. The first instinct he had-the instinct to go to her-came back like a roaring tidal wave. The last two months of fighting for survival stayed his hand; he wished it hadn't.

"Kyo," she whispered in a voice that revealed a smidgen of the hurt that he knew she was feeling. "We can't rely on heroes anymore."

"…Not even the ones that are still out it despite all the shit we're giving them? Asami," He found it in him to lower his hands and unfurl them. She lowered her arm blades, making him hope they were past the point of trying to kill each other. "A pro's here, a hero is here. One that's still trying to do her job even after most of them have called it quits." Kyo bit his tongue in pointing out why. Although he knew some people probably just didn't have it in them for the long run, it was hard to do your job when people continuously bashed you for it-even when said job was saving them. "I've got no problem helping her out because she actually wants to help." Despite knowing she couldn't see him he reached out his hand. "Asami, you could help, too. Please, please."

He saw the cracks in her face through which he was trying to reach through. Her expression was far from the heated glare she'd shot him, but he still wasn't happy to see her looking so…confused and broken. Kyo saw the way her arm blades trembled. Asami's head fell low enough he couldn't see her eyes, only her auburn hair and the insectoid antennas that sprouted from her head. People always loved teasing her about them, and she always loved showing them off. They buzzed with her excitement and fell with her sorrow. Kyo watched them do the latter as a short sob emanated from her.

"Asami," Kyo called again.

"…S-Shut up. J-Just…aaagggh!" Her scythe-like arms rose and Kyo went on guard, but he didn't have to. The powerful air blades she'd learned to conjure weren't aimed at him but the wall. He watched them blow it apart and then watched Asami rush through it.

"Asami! Asami, wait! Come on, don't do this! Let me help! Dammit, we're still friends!" His feet carried him after her and into the dimming light of the rest of the apartment. "Asami!" He heard her blades swipe again and something breaking. Kyo chased her back to the window, or what remained of it. Looking down he saw her sliding down the side of the building. "ASAMI!"

"JUST SHUTUP AND LEAVE ME ALONE, KYO!" With impressive strength she kicked off the side of the building and slashed her way into a nearby one. That's where he lost sight of her, but he still had her scent. With the rain having completely cleared up he could track her down if he wanted to.

A part of him truly did, but he knew if he took off after her, it'd be a hell of a chase that might end with a fight. Or a shouting match. Or an encounter with the "New Numazu Network", a group that Kyo genuinely didn't feel like seeing again. Less so since Mt. Lady would begin to worry about where he was; she could get involved in this. While he had a hunch her involvement would reveal the group's true colors, he had a strong feeling Ayukawa would use time spent from the fighting to recover his strength. Speaking of time, Kyo knew he was running on his own limited amount regarding tracking down the escaped villain.

"If I try to track him down, I may end up going over the time limit anyway." Looking out over the hole he weighed his two options. They stood like two skyscrapers before him, each beckoning to him. "Heh, guess I'm in for an earful either way." Kyo remarked with a bit of humor. Gazing out at the horizon, he took solace in the continued breaking in the clouds. The smell of rain still hovered over the world, but it was no longer the suffocating blanket it once was. Focusing, he was able to make out the lingering smells that rose from the broken city.

Kyo made his choice and leaped from the building eventually crashing down onto the nearby rooftop where his hunt continued.

---

"Hey, I'm back!"

"Living room!"

Kyo honestly never believed he'd be walking home and finding a pro hero on his couch. Especially one he found rather cute, beautiful, even.

Mt. Lady looked cute with her mask on, but without it there was something different about her that gave him pause. He could see the whole of her face, namely the scar that ran over her left eye, a memento from the war she and her colleagues had fought little over two months ago. That along with the neck brace he'd occasionally seen her wearing at press conferences. For this mission she'd gone without it leaving him with the impression she either no longer needed it or wanted to push herself. Based on what he'd seen, she'd done pretty well without it, although looks could always be deceiving. The woman in front of him was less than five-five, much shorter than him, yet her Quirk could allow her to tower over most buildings.

She was still dressed in her hero outfit, not that she had anything else to wear, or he was expecting her to be wearing anything else.

At least not prior to this very moment.

Her lips curved into a smile. "I knew you'd go over your limit."

"Hey, it's not like I've got a curfew, and no offense, but trying to enforce one on me isn't going to go so well." He jabbed.

"Oh, relax, just as long as you're not making a ruckus keeping me from getting some shut eye." She seemed to accept that this mission was going to drag on into tomorrow. Just wait until she heard what he had to report. "You didn't run into trouble out there, did you?"

He heard the concern in her voice. "I…I…saw some things, but otherwise, no." Not a lie, just a half-truth. Aside from Asami, he had run across some people coming out of the shadows. Word had begun to spread about Ayukawa being defeated, not killed or arrested, but beaten in a fight. The ruler of Ayukawa had eaten some dirt and was no longer the invincible overlord he projected himself as. On one hand, it offered a ray of hope to people, but it was also an intervention to stir up some more chaos, namely for their own advancement. "You probably already know this, but I tracked Ayukawa back to his hideout." He patted his shoulder bag. "I took some pictures."

"Heh, I knew you would." He liked her smile. "You're a good photographer, you know that."

His smile turned into a broad grin. "So I've been told."

They were at the kitchen table, his reconnaissance photos of Iron Step, Ayukawa's new lair. Although he'd faintly heard of Imaya Financial Bank before he'd never actually been to the physical building. All he'd heard about it came from his classmates, including those whose parents worked there.

When he found it, it looked like the numerous other banks in town, crumbling on the outside and decimated on the inside. He supposed he could say gutted fit just as well, if not more so. That's what he saw through the broken windows and blown open door, he was smart enough not to go inside where Ayukawa's scent led.

"Some of my classmates who had parents there said there's an underground tunnel that runs to some place, some warehouse on the coast for money to be moved." He offered as the blonde examined the pictures. "I honestly don't know how true that is, but hey, maybe it's true."

"If it is, then Ayukawa might have already fled…or he's hiding out somewhere and biding his time to recover. I know that Imaya Financial has some top-notch security for all their banks, and that includes their Numazu facility." She remarked. Kyo noted she had a completely different look now compared to how she usually appeared on camera for audiences. "Either way, we need to get inside to find out."

"Finally busting into a bank." Kyo amusingly mused.

"Looking at these pics', there's nothing left to rob." She paused. "Maybe."

Kyo half-expected to see some glint in her eyes but there was none. Outside of Ayukawa and perhaps his cohorts, there was nothing of interest to her in the bank. Then again, it's not like any hero agency's doing so hot right now. "I'll go in first." Her magenta eyes swiftly turned upward, meeting his. "I may not know the place inside and out, but I'm way better at stealth than you."

"Rub it in, why don't cha." She temporarily pouted. "Look, Kyo, I'm going to have to go in there eventually."

"Then let me spring the traps, let me be the bait." He pressed while placing both hands on the table.

"…Alright. It's not like it'd be the first time I had to wait for my time. Or I'll have to potentially operate in cramped spaces."

"You're not claustrophobic, are you?"

"No, but I'm not a fan of tight spaces, ya' know." She went back to looking at the photos of the bank. If Kyo had to guess, she was mulling the possibility of an underground passage going from the bank to somewhere else. He guessed she was trying to ascertain rather or not her Quirk would allow her to burst through the underground tunnels. She'd be of little help in a direct fight, but her size shifting would still cause some noise that might help cause a distraction. In contrast to her weakness, Ayukawa might be able to use his Quirk at better efficiency; sure, he preferred using it to create giant limbs and avatars, but he could still use it effectively in tighter spaces so long as he had some metal to control.

He watched her rub her neck amidst her contemplation. The brief snapshot of her wearing a neck brace came back to him. His mind ran the simulation of her bursting through dozens of feet of concrete; Ko couldn't help but wince at the amount of pain that'd cause her-pain he could save her from.

"Hey, don't look at me like that. I'm not that fragile." He blinked and she giggled while still rubbing her neck. "I saw you looking at my neck. You're not the first person to give me that look, Kamui Woods gave me the same when I decided to go without my neck brace."

"You…wanted to see how you could do without it, right?" he asked hoping he'd get it right.

Based on the way she smiled at him, he did. "Bingo. People told me it was reckless, but I did it anyway."

"Plus Ultra," It'd been a while since he'd said the phrase, how long Kyo didn't know, but he knew it had to have been over a year at least.

The way she smiled caused a fluttering heat in his cheeks. "Yeah, something like that. I've been wearing it since the Liberation War. Trust me, I know I had to, given how my neck had been nearly snapped in half and how I could barely hold it upright for a while. Even now, I can…I can still swear I get phantom pains."

"Do you…ever get nightmares?"

"Yeah, everyone does. There's not a person that was involved in that battle that doesn't get nightmares about it." Her hands fell from her neck down to the table, where they lay like a pair of fallen trees. Her eyes were as gloomy as the gray clouds that still dotted the evening sky. Thanks to those clouds, the darkness of night was hastened. For the heroine in front of him, it seemed like night had already fell; Kyo kicked himself for being the one to usher it in for her. "Frankly, even before that we had nightmares. Everyone has bad dreams about something every once in a while." She arched a brow at his ongoing stare. "Hey, you're cute, but you're going to have to try a little harder to that info out of me."

She thinks I'm cute. He internally marveled. She thinks I'm cute!

"Hey, Kyo," Mt. Lady called. Her eyes had a unique shimmer in them as she focused on him and him on her. "Were you watching the war on TV?" He nodded. "What did you think of it? I'm guessing you saw what Hawks had to do? And you saw Dabi, Toya, too, right?"

It was a blink that lasted only a second, yet Kyo still felt like he was hurdled back in time and forced to reliver the few minutes he watched that scar-faced maniac reveal himself as Endeavor's son. All the dark secrets of the Todoroki Family aired on live TV, bolstered by said maniac continuing to kill as many people as he could, including his own catatonic father. Thankfully, it ended, but that just left him staring at the concerned magenta eyes of a hero that was there at the scene of the battle. A hero that'd chosen to keep on fighting in its aftermath. She was ready for whatever answer he'd give her, potentially including his own thoughts on the Todoroki Family.

"I was honestly scared. Just…completely fucking scared. I'd seen fights before, but…what bits the news was able to catch just made me feel like there was something different about this one. Maybe because it involved those Meta Liberation extremists; that was probably personal, though." Kyo lifted his hand up to his ears, sometimes referred to as his second set of ears. His maternal grandparents and their parents would have called them their first set. "Generations ago, my family was a part of the Meta Liberation movement. It was around the time Quirks started showing up and…my mom's side of the family showed a few feline features. Some people thought it was cute, but others were freaked out by them."

Her lips parted as she absorbed the new information, clearly not something she'd been expecting. "I won't tell anyone, just in case you're worried about that."

Kyo raised his hands and pinched his fingers, leaving a very small space between them. She laughed with him joining her before resting both hands on the table again.

"Before, I could understand believing everyone had a right to use their Quirks, even if I thought they were being a bit extreme about it, but once they joined with the League of Villains, that was a whole different story. Watching what footage I could, I just…I knew this wasn't about righting any kind of wrong, it was just about wanting to destroy everything. Whatever they could, whoever they could. Then, when it got to Dabi, I knew I was looking at a guy who really just wanted to burn the world. Burn it down for what his father did to him. To kill his old man on live TV. To kill everyone, it all just…it all just scared me." There was a sense of relief that came with getting it all out, although Kyo still saw the images in his mind. He didn't need them replaying on the news or seeing them online, he simply had them engrained into his brain like countless others. Sometimes he really hated how bad things tended to stick in people's memories more so than good things. "I guess in some ways…it was a bit of a wakeup call, the first one. I always try to capture the best parts of the world, sometimes it's easy to forget that it can be an…ugly place, too."

Mt. Lady lanced her hands together while her face fell. Seeing her further reminded him of how little he knew of the world despite photographing it being his passion. She'd seen more of it than he had, especially the ugliness he'd only recently discovered. "Yeah, the world has its ugly side, and man, can it be pretty hideous." He saw her hand stretch forward in the direction of his, only to stop half-way. "But that doesn't take away from the fact it can be a pretty awesome place. A beautiful place. Kyo, you're someone that's able to capture that; you do a great job at capturing that."

His eyes widened as he immediately realized what she was talking about. In turn, she, Mt. Lady, blushed a little as she leaned back in her seat.

"Yeah, you left some pictures lying around, although I'm glad that you did. Kept me from getting bored." Her eyes twinkled as she giggled. "Although I was a little surprised you didn't have too many pictures of girls lying around."

"Hey, I'm not a pervert! Did you seriously think about that when I told you I liked photography!" He shouted. Kyo almost added even if he did keep pictures like that, they all certainly would have been in his room and hidden away. After letting the blonde get her laughs in, he quelled his flustered emotions. "Still…thanks for the compliment."

"Take it from someone who knows her stuff about catching the best on camera. Speaking of the best…I…went through some of your folders." She pointed at the table where a stack of folders and photos lay. "I found a…wait just a sec." Watching her get up and walk the short distance felt a lot more hard-hitting than it should have. His eyes focused on her face as she got what she was looking forward and walked back, a slightly upbeat look on her face as she set the photo down. Kyo's eyes immediately widened at the sight of it. "That was the first one I saw, and I think it's one of the best."

It felt like someone wrapped their fist around his heart and squeezed. Kyo was able to put a few faces to the hand, and even a name came to mind. He blocked out the pain to focus on the photo, and the good memories it brought back, however bittersweet they now were.

"Those…were your friends, weren't they?" His gut told him she made a word change from seeing the emotions on his face. She really was a perspective woman.

Kyo nodded, placing the photo down so she could see the faces he put names to. "Shouma, my best friend," he began pointing to the blue-haired boy beside him. "He was the biggest eater you'd ever seen, and no one loved sweets more than him. Guy was lucky his Quirk let him convert all that sugar into a cool blob that could tank almost anything." His finger moved to the black-haired girl at the end, her brown eyes radiating just as much kindness as the rest of their group. "That's Macy, her family moved from America when she was ten. She showed up and, well…we've been together ever since. The rest of us practically learned English from her while teaching her Japanese."

Mt. Lady's smile fell as she took note of his pause. "And…what about the last one? The brunette?"

Bracing himself, he chose to get it right out of the way. "Asami. We met in middle school, and we've also been friends since. She and I were…she and I were…we're the only ones left." Ther pro's eyes widened; that clearly wasn't what she was expecting to hear. A part of him wished he could go with what she was thinking prior. "That attack on our high school I mentioned, it…it killed Macy. She was helping out, using her fragrance Quirk to calm people down and help create some medicine when a couple of classmates…" His fist slammed into the table, rocking it and everything on it. "Dammit! Dammit!"

A soft, glove-covered hand fell over his. "They got radicalized, didn't they?"

She had sympathy for him in her eyes, and more than likely sympathy for the friends he'd lost in the attack. Kyo took a minute to let such feelings cool him down, if he didn't, he feared his anger would get the best of him. There were a couple of holes in the wall that were a testament to that uncontrolled anger. Holes and claw marks. "…Yeah, they did. It wasn't just that Meta Liberation crap, it was…it was whatever the hell All For One believes in."

"Evil, self-serving evil." Mt. Lady clarified. "I heard some reports that there were some M.L.A sympathizers in Numazu. They were supposed to have been arrested, but it sounds like the authorities weren't able to get them all…or they left behind some seeds in the people here. As for All For One…that guy just knows how to bring out the darkness in people, just like how All Might knew how to bring out the best."

Opposite ends…evil and good, the greatest villain and the greatest hero. "The crap they were spouting just…I'd heard about people getting radicalized, but it just never seemed like one of those things that'd never happen. Not to people I know."

"Yeah…that's how it tends to happen." Just from her tone, Kyo wondered if she'd experienced the same. He remembered seeing pros such as Slid and Go were arrested when their ties to the M.L.A were revealed. Kyo didn't know how close he and Mt. Lady had been, or any of the other sympathizers, but he knew he was looking at someone that shared his pain, if only a little. "So, they attacked the shelter and…Macy and Shouma..."

"Shouma died protecting as many people as he could. He…used his Quirk to create a jell shell, that's what he called it, around me and a couple of other people. He gave his life to save others, including mine."

She was kind enough to give him another second to himself. "And what about Asami? What happened to her?"

"Losing Shouma and Macy hit us both pretty hard, but for Asami, it was just the start. She's got an older sister that works overseas. When things went to shit, we lost all contact with her after a while. Given the way things are, I'm hoping she's alright, but not being able to talk to her after what happened did a number on her. Then her parents were caught up in the mass evacuation."

"What happened there?"

"Women and children first, that's who were supposed to be evacuated when that rogue wave hit the city, but order broke down. People pushing and shoving against each other to get on the buses heading out of town." Kyo dropped his head in a thick sigh. "All the rich and wealthy booked all the flights out."

Her nose wrinkled. "Yeah, well, that's to be expected. It happens whenever there's a crisis, especially one where oversight is rocky. So, she got separated from her family as you all were trying to escape, is that right?"

He nodded. "I survived the wave, and so did she, but…she found herself caught up in a bad crowd. Everything that'd happened…it pushed her into the arms of one of gangs that'd sprouted up. They call themselves the New Numazu Network. Have you heard of them?"

She made an exasperated groan as she dropped her head into her hand. "Yeah, I was warned about them. One of the worst vigilante groups out there. I was seriously hoping I'd be able to catch Ayukawa without running into them. You're telling me your friend fell in with those guys?"

"Hey, I don't like anymore than you do! I know they're just using people's fear to take over the city, but Asami she's…she's…"

"Broken. Scared. The number of people feeling that way is too high to count." She was frustrated, but not angry, not like him. Then again, Kyo knew Asami personally. For Mt. Lady, she was likely just another civilian, one she was hoping wouldn't impede her pursuit of Ayukawa.

"I ran into her when I went back to Ayukawa's place. She was trying to break into a vault that was in his office. Probably on the Network's orders. I don't know what was in there, but I had a feeling it wouldn't be used to help the people, at least not after her bosses had helped themselves." Kyo let his face fall onto knuckles in a similar manner to the blonde in front of him. "To tell you the truth, I wouldn't mind it too much. Anything to piss off Ayukawa."

"Hey, normally I wouldn't mind letting the bad guys beat themselves silly, but it's a different story when there are civilians caught in the crossfire." Kyo stared at her, and she stared back. She didn't say a word, simply letting her gaze do the talking for her. Once again, he was quietly surprised by the seriousness he found in her eyes. "What happened between you two? Did you stop her or what?"

"We just…got into an argument that ended with her running away. I wanted to go after her, to talk to her, but I chose to go after Ayukawa's scent while I still had it. Kind of told myself we'd meet again."

"You two probably will. If she's with the New Numazu Network, then odds are you two will run ingot each other again. Kyo, that's probably not going to be a happy meeting like this recent one."

"I know, Lady." He affirmed with a grimace.

"But when you two meet up again, you may have a chance to talk her out of leaving the gang she's fallen in with."

"Huh?" He gasped.

"Even though you're on two separate sides, she's still your friend, isn't she?"

"Y-Yeah." He answered.

"Then don't give up on her. Sure, she's fallen in with a bad crowd, but I don't think it's too late for her. From the sounds of it she's just scared. Scared and confused." She dropped her hands onto the table, expelling a humorless laugh. "You know, I feel like I shouldn't be saying this to you. Part of the reason she fell in with a group like the Network, which even exists, is because of-"

"It's our fault. Us civilians." He interjected. Kyo knew where this road was going, and he was going to cut it off. "We got spoiled and turned our backs on the very people that always kept us safe."

"…You don't hear that sentiment too often nowadays." Her voice was forlorn and her eyes somewhat averted.

Kyo sighed. "After the battle, I just watched everyone around me start falling apart. Sure, heroes can be flawed, and sure, they can fail, but the way people just turned on them. I can get wanting to take matters into your own hands, hell, I get being reckless. I've done that a couple of times trying to score some good shots."

"By any chance that wasn't how you honed your climbing abilities, was it?" There was a sliver of humor in her voice. Kyo was happy to hear it.

In turn, he injected some optimism into his response. "Kind of. My parents gave me an earful about it more than once. So did my friends. Some days I just couldn't stop hunting for that perfect shot." Lady's head fell forward in a sparkling laugh that rang through the apartment. Kyo's smile widened, then he joined her in laughing. He had quite a few memories he could share with her, maybe he could one day when things quieted down. Provided they still had a chance to see one another.

"You know, I kind of like photographers like you. Always going for that perfect shot." Lady managed once their laughter started to die down a little. "You said you always wanted to capture the best of the world, Kyo."

"That's what made it painful to watch everything fall apart around me. People not just turning on the heroes they once idolized but on each other. Racism just exploding out of nowhere, or maybe it was always there." That was the most somber part of things. Had some people always held such negative feelings toward heteromorphs but just held it in. Kyo knew such people were still out there in the world, specifically in the country where a lot of old negativity persisted. He always liked to believe cities like his hometown were where such feelings could be broken down and dissipated. He'd been proven wrong on that front. "How bad is it in the rest of the country?"

"About the same, if not worse." He winced hearing that, something Lady took note of. "Trust me, you're better off not knowing."

"Some days I can barely stomach what I see around here. Honestly, I can't blame Asami or some folks for feeling like there's no hope and the only way to survive is to become as bad as the villains running around."

"You may think that sometimes, but you don't really believe that, do you, Kyo?"

Drawn by the subtle yet sharp tone of her voice, he looked at her. "No, I don't. I know things can get tough. I went through a lot of pain and thought a lot of bad things when my mom died, but I got through it. I can't say it doesn't still hurt, but I know she wouldn't want me being depressed about it forever. She wouldn't want the same for my dad either." They'd had a long talk about that, two as a matter of fact. It was only after the first one did he really become comfortable with the idea of his dad dating again, and maybe even remarrying. "The world's a bad place now, but I don't think it's all rotten. There's still some good in it, and I think it can still be a better place. I'm sitting in front of someone trying to do that."

Mt. Lady's lips parted for a second before morphing into a smile. A happy, relief-filled smile that made him remember why he always found her cute. Sitting directly across from him without her mask and having helped reinforce his beliefs, cute didn't seem like the right word to describe her. He searched for the right word as she smiled back at him; his subconscious told him he knew what it was, he just didn't want to say it. Surely she'd heard people call her beautiful before, hundreds if not thousands of times.

"I can tell you you're not the only one who feels like it can be hopeless, we're all going through that." She said looking down at the table.

"But you guys are still out there. From what I've heard…including Endeavor." Kyo offered.

"Yeah, he feels more driven than the rest of us as you can imagine. Same thing with his son, Shoto. When you're out there, you've got that same determination on your face. He's still got it, by the way, him and the rest of his classmates. They haven't given up hope." Her smile became serene once more, yet he could tell she was looking at something that wasn't present in his apartment. A look of reminiscence. "Inspiring hope is part of a hero's job, and it can be pretty hard."

"Sounds kind of wild coming from you. Uh, sorry about that."

"I'll let it slide since you've been such a good host." She winked. The move sparked a small blush on his cheeks he tried to squash as quickly as it came. "I won't lie, it feels great having people cheer and adore you. Hell, it's downright addictive, but being a hero is…more than that. It's not about what the people give you, it's about what you're able to give them-hope and security. Even if they're spitting in your face and claiming you're doing a shitty job at it."

Kyo tried to overlay the showy woman he'd seen on TV with the reserved yet determined woman sitting in front of him. He could hardly believe it, but he knew people could change. He'd seen them change for the worst all around him, but he also knew they could change for the better, and the hero, the woman, in front of him was an example of that.

"You're not doing a shitty job at it, at least I don't think so. If anyone does then…well, screw them. You're still fighting the good fight while a lot of other people, civilian and former heroes, gave up."

She gave him a half-smile, "Be honest, did you ever think I'd be one of those kinds of heroes?"

"No," he answered honestly. "But I'm glad you turned out to be, and even though a lot of people won't say it, the people of Numazu are happy you're here. At least it'll be good for us in the long run." As her smile gained in mirth, Kyo felt the heat in his cheeks growing. At its accumulation he chose to come right on out with it. "It's already been pretty good for me, from you saving my ass to praising my work…and giving me another reason to stay hopefully."

She fell back into her seat with a laugh accompanied by a blush. It was the biggest blush he'd seen on her face, and Kyo had to admit, it looked absolutely radiant on her. It was the kind of smile he wanted to take a picture of, but he was rooted to the spot.

Her laugher ended and she tried to put on a more serious face. "We'll check out the bank in an hour. I should be finished healing up by now, including having put something in my stomach." His eyes wondered lower, lower than her noticeable chest to her half-unseen stomach. "Hey, wipe that stupid grin off your face! I'm asking now because I want to avoid that cliché!"

"You know, I've always wondered if when you get hungry you aren't able to shrink. Shouma's Quirk was directly died to how much food he'd eaten." Kyo remarked.

"Well, my Quirk sorta works the same. If I'm low on energy it is hard for me to shrink, plus I'll have zero energy just like when I'm in my regular size. So, let's have dinner."

Kyo laughed at the haughty tone she'd now taken. Despite it, he could still sense some lingering warmth from the heartfelt smile she'd worn just a moment ago. "Sorry, but I've just got some instant ramen and a few frozen meals. Think all the cooks left town a while ago."

"Hey, it's not like it's been the first time I've worked on instant food. When you're on the clock, it's practically part of the job. You save the decent and fancy meals for after you've completed a mission." She heaved a sigh letting her head fall back. "I don't plan on getting one of those for a while, a long, long while."

With his back turned to her, Kyo knitted his brow in thought. She did mention she liked peaches… Brushing the thought aside, he focused on preparing their food. For all intents and purposes, it was dinner, and if things went bad it might be the last meal either of them had. But Kyo didn't believe that'd be the case. He didn't quite know what they'd be walking into, but he was confident they'd be able to handle. Hopefully he'd be able to help without screwing things up too badly.

"Thanks for the meal, Kyo." Lady called when he handed her a ramen cup. He'd had to search high and low to find any as instant ramen was one of the first things to go. Hold up somewhere with no help coming (or intention of seeking it out) and it was the ideal food-and maybe comfort food.

"Just think of it as part of my continuing gratitude, Mt. Lady." He replied.

"You know, I've got some…not exactly bad but not exactly fond memories regarding ramen."

"Really?"

"Yep, and it involved another guy with an animalistic Quirk." She sucked up the noodles, being rather unapologetic in making some noise as she did so. Kyo chuckled at the sight, then at the sauce stains on her lips. "But, thanks to you, I've got a couple more positive ones, so thanks for that." Lady grinned.

It wasn't a date, but Kyo had to admit it kind of felt like one, and with what loomed on the horizon, he was more than happy to enjoy the feeling for all it was worth.

---

Originally, this was supposed to be a One-Shot, another incredibly long One-Shot, but the more I thought about it the more I realized it was better off broken into two chapters. That's another habit that I seem to be falling into over the last couple of months. Even so, I'm still turning out these 20,000 word chapters. The next one hopefully won't be that long, although still sizable enough to wrap up this little story.

Mt. Lady was one of the first pro heroes the series introduced and definitely an embodiment of the celebrity-like nature superheroes had taken on by the time MHA started. That said, she was a hell of a hilarious character when she showed us that, but she was also someone who surprisingly took her job seriously. Case-in-point, being one of the few heroes who kept fighting even after the Paranormal Liberation War Arc. I tried to capture the aftermath of that in writing the giant brawl she had and the vigilante crowd she had to talk down from performing a vigilante killing. My Hero Academia has stood out to me for just how big of a tonal shift there was before the Liberation War and afterward; it also strongly reminded me of the Cadmus Arc from the Justice League Unlimited cartoon which focused on conflict between heroes and the government and what happens when the former loses the trust of the public. For a glory hound like Mt. Lady, you'd expect that's when she'd give up her mask and quit, but she stayed at it.

I've always found it frustrating yet sometimes understandable when in superhero stories the public turns against the heroes. Public opinion can be fickle and when bad things happen (especially really bad things), people always look for someone to blame. When you have a person or group whose job it is to protect the world/country/ the people, a rather big and convincing target is found, even when those who are being criticized are doing their best. When that happens, those who keep pushing on instead of giving up show you what true heroism looks like. As said in one of my favorite superhero games, a hero is someone who simply never gives up. It's fun exploring that through Mt. Lady, who's a much different person in the latter half of the story compared to her introduction.

Something else enjoyable is writing a civilian that hasn't given into despair or jumped on shouting down heroes. Like I said, when things go wrong it's almost always first instinct to find someone to blame, and the bigger the target the better. Coincidentally, that ended up synching up with my original vision for Kyo to have a bestial Quirk, eventually a lion representing courage in the face of adversity. That was actually the only concrete feature I had regarding him for a while, the rest of the details such as his hobby of photography and the story's setting only came to me when I finally got down to writing. As I wrote, while I kept his lion-based Quirk present, I envisioned him using it in a similar manner to Sabretooth from the X-Men.

That's all for Part I. I'll try to roll out the second chapter by Valentine's Day next week. So, until then take care, readers, and I hope you enjoyed the first half of this story! Oh, and kudos to anyone that caught that Kamen Rider reference I snuck into Kyo's backstory!