Kitsunebi

by Mochacana

This was long before heroes and villains came about, this was long before Quirks came about, this...was long before she came about. How coincidental is it that the mistakes of her ancestors and family are placed on her? This is the story of a girl who wanted nothing more than love, life, and light...but only to yearn for death as she lives on. This time...can she be saved?

20. Persona

A/N:

Heavy content in one section. Proceed with caution.

---

Name: Rui Ramzi. Alias: Vixen. Age: 20. Gender: Female. Occupation: Model/Streamer. Personality: Bubbly, Oblivious, Salacious. Body Type: Chubby Hourglass. Hair Type: Curly. Hair Color: Maroon brown. Eye Color: Gray.

She was gorgeous in some photos, stunning in others, and downright delectable in most photos. A peerless painted picture of perfection. There's not a single imperfect feature ..is what the average person who doesn't know who Rui Ramzi truly is.

I despised this fabricated front that's been conjured. Even though the physique is still the same and makeup is just crushed minerals to enhance beauty...I wanted to see that raw purple and perfect blue, never any other color because none of them suited her.

Although, I'd be lying if I said I'd prefer to get all the facts from the source. Milah-chan throws me in for loops and down rabbit holes when it comes to questions about her personal life. There wasn't a point in stressing her out by asking further questions because everything would come out in a few days. Also, Rui Ramzi may be a persona that Kamilah would've liked to have turned into; it's like seeing another side of her for my guilty pleasure.

I scrolled down the model company that promotes "Rui Ramzi", 'I do feel guilty for doing research...but I want to see this other side of MIlah-chan.'

There were pictures of her everywhere on the model company's social media account. I was surprised the company didn't take down the page at this point; this news probably hasn't made it back to the owner and contract signers just yet or it's been frozen to be used as evidence.

The clothes Milah-chan modeled in were regal, business casual, chic, classic, some "cottagecore", others were cute Japanese fashion, and very few where she...modeled in...lingerie.

There were only four lingerie photos, I noticed there was a certain theme with each one; the company had them named and listed in case anyone else wanted to purchase them. I assumed Milah-chan had a choice to pick them out because I don't think she'd go so far as to...bite more than she could chew.

'This was all for her father, she was only chasing after money so she could bribe Tartarus staff to let him go. I don't see any other reason for why she'd do this...'

Because of the number of likes and shares on these four photos, I assumed they alone would make Kamilah a lot more money than she needed.

'Surely, she didn't give it all to the Tartarus prison...I mean, knowing her family has a couple of cases to fight, she couldn't have. But does that matter? The Shimizu family is rich; it's the least of her worries...I'm just happy Milah-chan didn't let all the money go to her head. I wonder what's the goal after all this clears up...'

The first lingerie photo was a white bunny theme: bodysuit, garter belt, stockings, and chunky platform heels that wrapped into the stockings. Her hair, straightened and slicked back, hung down past her waist and she wore pink lip gloss. It made her look innocent...but I knew better.

The second photo was of a brown cow with black spots theme: cow ears, a bralette, short...shorts, a...tail, and fur boots. Her hair was so fluffy and spirally that it covered her entire upper face, and she wore a deep sepia lipstick. It gave her a soft look, something to add to the pudge on her stomach.

'She must've photoshopped or use some kind of AI to hide that scar on her belly. Not only is it hideous in the model industry, but it's recognizable. Despite any of that...I wish she didn't cover it up, she looks natural with her scars. Milah-chan is sort of an anomaly, too...an athletic chubby girl is something rare to come across.' I chuckled at the term "toned fat".

The third photo was of a black sheep theme: a fuzzy long-sleeved romper with puffed sheep ears attached to the hood and steep pumps. Her curly hair rested on her shoulders, covering her forehead but not her mischievous gaze into the camera, and she wore glittery black lip gloss that anyone could mistake for the galaxy.

The last photo was of a black, blue, and purple baby doll theme: ribbons tied into thigh-length pigtails, a ribbon around the neck, thin...very thin undergarments, so they thin they were nearly see-through and one wrong move could show off anything!

My thumb trembled over the screen and I zipped my eyes back on Milah-chan's face, 'For someone who complains about how heavy she is when someone picks her up or if she falls on them, Milah-chan sure didn't mind showing skin in this one. It makes sense why this was the last photoshoot she took in lingerie...! Why am I getting secondhand embarrassment?!'

The poses for each photo fell back onto that of a sleeping animal except for the baby doll theme. In that photo, she was sitting on the edge of a bed and was looking up at something...or someone. I noticed a hand resting beneath her chin, angling her head up at them.

My eyebrows creased as my eyes narrowed to analyze the last photo closer, '...Did she have help with this one? And if so, from who? Or is this also photoshopped? Where was she? Did the model company send someone to help her with this shoot? How could they if they knew about her living with her family? Unless she was using some other address? But who's? And how did Milah-chan manage to sneak this over her family's heads? It's not like Mister Norio or Miss An-Nur would let a stranger in to help her with something they didn't know about, something so...sensual.'

"What's got you so enthralled, Deku?" I heard a voice in front of me ask.

I got so scared I ended up throwing my phone in the air, then fumbled to catch it all the while hiding it from the girl in front of me. I didn't want her to get the wrong idea, I was just doing research, I swear!

I finally caught my phone, quickly pressing the power button, "U-Uraraka, y-you...you scared me," I managed a quivering sigh. "Sorry if I startled you, I shouldn't have overreacted."

She waved her hand, "No, no, it's okay. I'm the one at fault for not calling out to you beforehand. You're really jumpy, you know that?"

I forcefully let out a laugh, "Yeah...y-yeah, so I've been told. Um, about your question earlier...I was just doing some research, and something caught my eye so I started to think about the possibilities."

"Oh? What was it about? Do tell!" she exclaimed excitedly as she sat next to me on the living area's couch.

My body tensed, 'I rather not!'

"Uhhh, well, you see...it was about, um...how do I explain thi-"

["Do I regret my decisions in the game?"] a voice spoke from the television. ["Of course not. If I had another chance, I'd do it again."]

We all redirected our attention to the TV. The person who asked the question wasn't on the screen, but who was shown was none other than Rui Ramzi, what was displayed all over the screen were different pictures from what I assume are photoshoots. She was dressed in an array of different colors, clothing, jewelry, and hair accessories.

My eyes studied each photo, 'Just how was Milah-chan able to hide all of those expensive items? She must have some kind of stash, right? Despite this...she looks good in anything... Oh no, Mineta is rubbing off on me...'

["Welcome back to another episode of the Mysterious Serious Series! Today, we'll be refocusing on the topic of the hot model on the spot, Rui Ramzi! Or should we say the new face of the top hero family in Japan, Kamilah Shimizu?"]

The scene cuts to a series of pictures: Milah-chan, Mister Shimizu, psychic heroes: Ryujin and Hatif, and Dr. Chinen.

["It's no secret at this point that Norio Shimizu isn't the father of Miss Kamilah Shimizu, so how exactly did we not notice that? Well, Miss Shimizu wasn't shown to the public until the days following her entrance into the number 1 school in Japan, Yuuei!"]

"Whoa! Where'd they get that information from?" Kirishima exclaimed in shock. "No media source had any way of knowing Shimizu transferred to Yuuei until the raid in Kamino, right?"

"It's as if the more information that comes out about the Shimizu family, the more footage and leaked videos from an unknown source pops up. I wonder who's behind this? And are they advocating from Mister Shimizu or are they trying to sabotage getting custody of Shimizu?" Iida summarized.

I considered his words, 'It's possible. Whoever this mole is leaking videos, their ultimate goal is unknown. The media could take this in 2 different ways, that if Mister Shimizu is a good person and fit father or...'

["We know very little about the hero in training because her background is so muddled. It's as if Jameela An-Nur, her mother, wanted her to be nonexistent until the right moment. Is it a possible solution? Yes. The answer? We don't know. But what we do know, is that Jameela An-Nur isn't the heroic symbol we believed her to be. Just a week ago, she was charged with misdemeanors, but no abuse or sabotage towards the Shimizu family. There will be one more court session before the decision is made for her to be free or to be sentenced to prison. Though the money Miss Shimizu used to bail her father out of Tartarus was somewhat illegal, the justice system has decided to not immediately send him back to Tartarus. Why? Well, it's a shocker, but...they might just believe the alleged abuse because An-Nur has confessed to attempted murder on the life of the new number 1 hero of Japan, Endeavor!"]

'Attempted...'

"...Murder?" I heard Todoroki mumble, the tremble in his voice gave way to the shock he was feeling.

"Wait, wait, wait! What?! No way!" Ashido yelled.

"That can't be true! I don't believe it!" Hagakure shouted, clearly upset.

"This has to be misleading information," Iida commented.

["Now this is news to us as well. She calls it a crime of passion, but many speculate it to be premeditated due to Endeavor being the one responsible for putting the ex-villain in Tartarus. This is contradictory because, after a fight between the divorcees, he tried to "kidnap" a young Miss Shimizu a few days later, and An-Nur accompanied Endeavor on her daughter's retrieval. Now something as petty as kidnapping shouldn't capture the, at the time, number 2 hero's attention. However, when a subordinate who works at your agency steals important items and documents, it kinda does lead to some concern for what he plans to do with your belongings and the child."]

"Mr. Shimizu worked at Endeavor's agency?" I asked aloud, genuinely surprised by the information.

The video showed a picture of a country in Africa, it was labeled "Libya", and there were four pictures on the screen. On the left side, there was Endeavor, and on the other side was Miss An-Nur along with two figures in shaded boxes with question marks over their faces.

["That's not even the icing on the cake, my little mystics! What seemingly spurred on this hell hole is Endeavor's involvement with detaining rebels and helping the frantic citizens in Libya. During an "ethnic cleansing" in Libya, An-Nur's parents, her father being the president of the country while her mother was the vice president, stayed behind to help citizens escape to safer parts of the country. Libyan quirk rebels were strict about the existence of quirks and their use; you were likely shunned and treated unfairly there if you did have one or even used it in public. The Libyan government did its best to subdue and detain the rebels, but it wasn't enough so they had to call on heroes from around the world, one of those heroes being Endeavor. Eyewitness reports claimed the last they saw of the president and prime minister was when they got the last person out of a burning building...that last person being their daughter. Ironically, it was Endeavor who led her out the rest of the way. Their deaths were deemed an accidental casualty because there had been rebels using that building as a hideout and had kept the president and his family hostage which is why the hero set it aflame to get them to come out. There were reports that Endeavor had no idea the president and his family were being held hostage there until he heard cries for help so he rushed in."]

My eyes traveled to Todoroki to see how he was holding up. He didn't look well. The hand over his mouth was a sign of it; he looked sick to his stomach. The pit in mine wasn't any better. Did Miss An-Nur ever tell Milah-chan about her grandparents? If she hadn't...then...

'This gives Milah-chan even more of a reason to get revenge on Endeavor.'

I wanted to stand and go over to her dorm immediately, but I didn't want to cause suspicion so I remained seated.

My eyes hardened and I rested my elbows on my lap, tangling my fingers over my face to hide the distraught on my face, 'I'll head over later tonight or tell the others I'll be going out for a jog.'

["There you have it folks, the icing on the cake! But we can't forget about the sprinkles. Oh, how the story keeps getting even more complicated."]

The video showed a...picture of Milah-chan and Todoroki. It was snowing in the background. From the angle the photo was taken, I assumed Milah-chan was holding up her phone. They both wore denim jeans and coats, hers was blue and his coat was white. Her lovely hair was out and curly, it almost covered her eyes. They were leaning close to each other for the picture, but it was really because of the black scarf wrapped around the two. There was a caption at the bottom of the screen, "Space heater on deck".

["We're well aware Kamilah Shimizu attends Yuuei Academy. The number 1 hero's son, Shoto Todoroki, also attends. Based on what Miss Shimizu posts on her only social media platform as Kamilah Shimizu, we assume they are friends. People are absolutely raving about this; they wonder if Miss Shimizu would take her revenge against Endeavor through his son. Call her a master manipulator, but that's a genius move if she does plan this...or if she's been planning this. After all the misery he's caused Miss Shimizu directly and indirectly by seemingly driving An-Nur to come to Japan and rise in the ranks as a pro hero to take her revenge for her parent's deaths, birthing her children to succeed her should she fell, imprisoning her father, making An-Nur's mental state all the more unstable, using both of her ex-husbands, threatening her aunt, Dr. Yuiko Chinen, traumatizing her children, and leading Miss Shimizu to commit crimes to finally get some justice..."]

The air was silent. Tense. Heavy. A pen could drop and you wouldn't hear it with all the mixed emotions circulating in the living area. We anticipated the speaker's next words.

["As the supporters of Kamilah Shimizu say, "who could blame our tragic hero?"]

Then just like that, the video imitated a shatter in the center of the picture as if implying what would happen next to the two people who looked so cozy and comfortable with each other...and the video ended.

Immediately, the TV and console were turned off. I looked at each one of my classmates to see who the culprit was. I was a little surprised when I caught Kacchan's arm falling to his side with the remote in hand.

There was an uncomfortable silence, one that warranted someone to speak up, but no one did...not even Uraraka. What were we supposed to say? That everything was gonna be okay? Even I'm unsure of what Milah-chan plans on doing if she just found out this information...or if she knew everyone found this information.

'What if she's a danger to Todoroki? What if...she gets shunned? Bullied? Or expelled? Milah-chan is...currently unpredictable. Just when I had a grasp, an understanding of her...she slipped through my fingers again.

"Of all people, don't you go doubting her...Deku."

My eyes flicked up from the floor to a glaring Kacchan, "I wasn't-"

"Don't even try to lie. It was written all over your face." He gritted his teeth in frustration, but not at me, "Tragic hero", my ass! Who the hell do these extras think the fox is?! She isn't some girl who chose to be put in that situation! She isn't some saint or martyr to be idolized!"

"Bakugo...has a point," Iida regarded cooly. "We don't know the exact details to Shimizu's situation. She's not even in our class. I understand that each of us is worried for her and want to help, but we can't do anything but watch the storm pass."

"You all can watch, but I'm not," Todoroki finally spoke, tightening his fists. "Kamilah needs help. I'll talk it out with her. I won't know what she wants or what she'll do if I don't."

"Todoroki, I understand your frustration but you can't just approach someone as mentally troubled as Shimizu is. For all we know, she would try to...end you on the spot. Please, keep your distance," Iida advised.

"Like I said, she's crazy," Mineta commented with a shrug of his shoulders. "You might wanna do yourself a favor and-"

Instead of acting out with his quirk like I thought he might've, Todoroki turned his back on us and made long strides toward the door.

"She's not crazy. She's just conflicted and misunderstood...like how I was," I heard him mumble under his breath.

Iida and I were the first to jump up to our feet. I decided to take the initiative to get through to Todoroki. He might listen to me.

"You're gonna go confront her now?! I understand your eagerness, but it's too late into the night to do that, Todoroki! Besides, you don't know for sure if she wants to talk things out or if she even wants your help! You'll only being troubling her more if you interfere!" I shouted at him, following him at a distance.

His hand gripped the door handle, but he stopped, "Midoriya."

I waited on him, hoping he would turn back and give up on his plan, but he only looked over his left shoulder at me, "Don't be such a hypocrite."

As soon as he turned the door handle and pulled it open, there were three knocks on the door and Todoroki had crashed into someone standing at the front door, making him stumble back.

"Ah!"

With that person's added weight, he ended up falling backward with that person on top of him. Just before impact, the person on top of him was quick to cover the back of his head with their hand and stop them mid-fall by...seemingly catching his body midair, giving the appearance that Todoroki was floating.

"Hey, hey! You good-oop... Well, this is...awkward."

---

"Hey, hey! You good-oop... Well, this is...awkward."

I found myself on top of none other just the person I came to talk to. He stared up at me with astonishment, probably not expecting to crash into someone, especially me of all people.

"I've gotten better at not panicking while falling at least..." I mumbled to myself.

Slowly, I lifted us back to our original position, with him standing inside the dormitory and with me outside at the threshold. Noticing my hand was still on the back of his head and the other on his chest, I took a step back from him, trying to hide my embarrassment in the nightlight.

"You look good to me. You didn't hurt your head...did you?"

I finally got a response from the heterochromatic boy, "No..."

"Sorry if I was too heavy. I didn't mean to knock ya down. Um...since it looks like you're about to step out, got a moment to spare to talk?"

Eagerly, he nodded. It was only when he moved his head that I noticed the stunned virdian boy standing behind him.

I smiled and waved, "Hi, Izu!"

My broccoli bear didn't look so happy to see me, yet he didn't look mad or upset. If I had to place his expression towards me...he looked frightened.

Perplexed, I pat my head to feel for anything unusual between my now thicker Bantu knots thanks to my hair regrowing that I rewrapped just before coming here, then I felt my face but I didn't feel anything, and I looked down at my white crop top shirt, black leggings, and white fur slippers.

"Is something...wrong?"

"Very," the grape boy answered to which I'm assuming one of the girls whacked him due to the "smack" and wail I heard.

"...No...nothing's wrong," Izuku answered. "We didn't expect to see you here tonight."

My smile fell to a straight line. I stared him down for a while, but he didn't break and he kept his composure. His Adam's apple bobbed up and down as he swallowed. His hands were clenched into fists; I was a little worried he would start bleeding with how deeply he dug his nails into his palms.

My eyes traveled back to a tense Shoto. He looked as if he couldn't believe I was standing before him...but he didn't look scared or unnerved by my presence.

My eyes narrowed in suspicion, "...Right. Shoto, I...If this is a bad time...I can come back tomorrow morning."

He shook his head, "No. This is perfect timing. I was...going to go see you."

I felt elated at his response, "Oh...well, if that's the case, can we step outside for a bit and chat?"

"Shimizu, we wouldn't want you or Todoroki to get in trouble if a staff member finds out two students from different classes are talking outside at night. Can it not wait until tomorrow morning?" the boy with glasses who's a friend of Izuku's, Iida, tried to convince me.

Shoto's face dropped with disdain and looked over his shoulder at Iida, "It cannot wait."

I released a big sigh and closed my eyes, stuffing my hands into my legging's pockets, "You know what? It can. I'll just ask one of my classmates, though I doubt I'll get the answer I want because they've been giving me the same guarded expressions and responses."

Everyone in the room became more apprehensive if that were even possible, even Shoto. I glanced around the room from him, Izuku, and the various students in the living area until my eyes landed on gold and black ones.

"I don't know what's going on because one of my family members has my phone, and I don't remember what happened during my time as a child." I smiled to try to ease the tension, "But I do remember scaring you that time in the lunch room, Ashido. I wanted to apologize for that."

She waved her hands in front of her in a panic, "No, no! You're okay! Don't apologize! You were just defending yourself!"

"Defending myself... Truthfully speaking, I don't think that's how most people saw it...but it's whatever, I guess," I brushed it off with a shrug of my shoulders.

"Shimizu...how could you act so nonchalant? Your mother is in the hospital because of you. We're not well aware of the details of the situation, but don't you think you should have a bit of remorse?" Iida genuinely asked me. "From what it looks like, your relationship seems strained. Aren't you worried about her and if she'll be able to perform her duties as a pro hero?"

My eyes narrowed at his naivete, "Well, of course, I'm worried. I'm worried sick about her."

I grit my teeth, 'I'm worried that if she gets out of the hospital and is deemed to still be my mother until I turn 20 by this rigged justice system. None of them have any idea what that woman put me through, and yet, the majority of them will sit here and defend a woman that appears one way on the outside, but is a different person behind closed doors.'

I shook my head, "I'll come back tomorrow morning."

"Kamilah, wait," Shoto tried to reach out to me, but I stepped back away from him.

I shook my head again, then bowed it as an apology before I spun around to walk down the stairs, "No...it was a mistake coming here tonight. I should've reevaluated my decision. What I wanted to talk about with you could've waited. I was just so eager for answers, ya know? I'm sorry."

"C'mon," a voice close to me barked, and then I felt a warm palm wrap around my underarm and pull me along down the stairs. "Hell are you waitin' for Icy Hot? Fox wants to talk, let's fuckin' talk."

Stumbling over a step, I braced for impact toward the ground, but Katsuki caught me just in time by locking his fingers behind my lower back.

He looked down at me with...I don't know. I don't want to call it pity.

"What did I tell ya? I got you...always," he whispered.

The intimate moment was short and he let me go before grabbing my hand and pulling me with him down the sidewalk. I looked behind us to see Shoto walking down the stairs with a determined look.

"I-If that's the case, I'm coming, too!" Izuku challenged.

With a wave of my hand and the force of psyka, I shut the door in front of Izuku before he could walk out and I made sure to keep a hold on it while he kept banging on the door and struggling to break it open.

"He'd only slow down the nitty gritty that we'll have to talk about," I informed the two, feeling upset about my decision, but stood my ground. "I'm sorry, Izuku! But you'll only make the conversation more difficult than it already is!" I shouted, hoping he'd hear me.

"We can't talk out here or we'll be caught by a teacher," Shoto spoke.

"Got a place in mind to talk without interruption?" Katsuki asked me.

I nodded, holding out my hands for them to take and they immediately understood the assignment, grabbing my hands. Closing my eyes to go to the place I pictured in my head, I didn't open them until I heard complete quiet.

It was a bit chilly, but it's nothing I knew Shoto's left side could fix... Would he even let me near him once I discussed everything concerning our families? Since Katsuki is here, I can't mention Toya...He might make the connection that he and Dabi are the same person.

Fluttering my eyes open, I looked past the two pairs of eyes and blue and gray eyes to the sight I never imagined would greet me. Under the moonlight, I could see my family's vacation home...was burnt, soot-covered the ground, broken wood, and the surrounding trees.

"What...?" Katsuki asked, then followed my eyes to what's...or what was behind him. "...oh."

"What happened...to my family's vacation home...?"

"There was an incident here, involving Rika, Fujisaki, your brother, and Dabi," Shoto answered.

My head whipped to him, then to Katsuki who didn't react at all. I had almost forgotten I confirmed with him that me and "Dabi" have a romantic past so I have to play it safe. I'm genuinely shocked anyway that he traveled up here to Iwaizumi...

I dislike the twisted side of me that wished he traveled up here to my hometown for me.

"Dabi?! What...why was he here?! How did he even know to find this place?! No, fuck all that! Is Hakim okay?! Wh-What about J-Joon and Ri-"

Shoto put his hands on my shoulders, "They're okay."

I stopped breathing for a few seconds before letting out labored breaths, "No...no, I-I don't believe that. There's no way none of them weren't harmed in the process of those flames. It's the hottest fire to exist."

"They're okay, but Hakim had to go to the hospital to get treatment for some minor burns. Joon and Rika came out fine. If it weren't for her, Hakim would've..."

I couldn't believe what I had heard. What my retrograded version wrote wasn't a lie, I hoped she was or that she'd gotten misinformation. She had no idea that Dabi and Toya were the same person...and she never mentioned anything about Hakim getting hospitalized. It's most likely due to the news using his hero name, Hatif, so she thought it irrelevant to write his name. If she did know Dabi and Toya were the same person, she must've been frantic and forgot to write it down.

'Toya...hurt Hakim. He went so far as to find this place and try to... Wait, wait, no...I can't be so sure that he just randomly traveled up here to Iwaizumi just to burn down my family's vacation home to make a statement of giving me up to the League, to hurt my friends and family to coax them to do so or to find me. There has to be a reason, right? He wouldn't take action without planning first, right? What if he was led here? What if AFO sent him or Shigaraki? I can't be so sure. I can only go by what my younger self wrote...and I doubt these two would know any more on the matter.'

I shook my head at the flurry of thoughts and the desire for answers.

"O...okay. As long as they're alive and walking," I settled for his explanation. "The League just won't give up on me...Looks like I'm a fuckin' liability now," I huffed.

"You're not a liability," Shoto corrected me. "But you are...a good liar."

"Getting straight to the point," Katsuki began. "I know you haven't been informed much of what's going on, understandably so on those 1-B extras because they don't want to deal with the repercussion of your reaction, but I...we know ya know somethin' about the situation surroundin' your family."

"Your brother told us he and you were cursed just before giving me this," Shoto grabbed something out of his sports uniform pocket, handing the rectangular card to me. "He gave this to me because he said he was going to "go rouge"."

"Go rogue? Just what the hell was he thinkin'? I hope that whatever he planned didn't involve the League to send one of their members to attack," I sighed out of frustration. "But Hakim wasn't lyin'. We're cursed...or were cursed."

Katsuki turned around to face me again, "Were?"

I nodded, "Recently, I...broke the curse...and I discovered something today that the result of breaking that curse..."

I looked Shoto in the eyes, loosening my body posture, and letting my guard down to show what my eyes are now capable of doing.

"My eyes show my specific emotions now, or my pupils specifically. I've noticed based on how people would react to me. When I'm not looking someone in the eyes, they return to normal circles. I'm not sure what they're showing now, but it's how I currently feel about you, Sho."

He looked as if he was puzzled by what he saw in my eyes, "...Question marks?"

I giggled, "That explains how I feel about you perfectly. I just don't know what to do with you...or how to even speak to you anymore. Our friendship is...nothing but a lie I conjured to get close to you and hurt you. The reason why I wanted to talk to you tonight is because I've done some self-reflection and...I just wanted to apologize for all the cruel things I've said and intended to do towards you. I'm fo' real this time." I looked down so he wouldn't read whatever symbol formed in my pupils, "You don't deserve any of it simply because of the mistakes of our parents. I took advantage of you during your most vulnerable state and used it to my advantage, I abused your kindness towards me, I've lied to you. I completely understand if you don't ever want to talk to me again, rightfully so. I...I-I'll even go so far as to leave Yuuei!"

"You don't have to, Kamilah. I understand how you feel...or felt. You were hurt and you wanted to find someone to make you hurt the same way. I apologize as well...for not recognizing you were hurting and failing to help you through the pain. Speaking of hurt..."

Shoto's grip on my shoulders tightened and his head dropped to the ground, but not enough to hurt me, and I tilted my head in curiosity at his action. He looked hesitant about whatever he was about to say next.

"What?"

"Nothing...just thinking of what else I should say," he exhaled. "I feel like I'm walking on thin ice."

My eyes scrunched in glee, "Was that...a joke?"

I cracked a tiny smile out of him, "Maybe. So...what now?" Shoto asked, showcasing his uncertainty of what to say to me next.

"I go to court, that's what's next. As for you...do as you please," I told him with a shrug.

"...You seem pretty nonchalant for getting something that heavy off your chest," he analyzed. "Is there something else you're not telling me-...telling us?"

I kept a neutral expression, 'Yeah, like how I can't mention Toya right now because if I do, Katsuki will figure out that he and Toya are the same person so I can't say shit right now. Much less, that I've been in contact with "Dabi". I'm not taking that risk right now.'

If Shoto knew right now...surely, he'd do everything in his power to keep me away from Toya...or lose his mind, he'd definitely tell the pros, and that'll get back to Endeavor. I'm not risking Toya's safety either. There's no doubt Katsuki would react first though; despite him calling Hakim "Mamoru" and outside of family, I don't think there's anyone more protective of me than Katsuki himself.

Dear, Ami, what I'm doing might be dangerous.

I glanced between the anticipating Shoto and a suspicious Katsuki, 'I knew it.'

I'm unsure of how he sees me...or us, but I won't leave him to his thoughts so he makes assumptions and puts more distance between us.

That look on Shoto's face confirmed some of my background thoughts, he was expecting me to say something when he asked.

I don't want him not to trust us. I trust that you'll make the right decision with him. He doesn't deserve this.

Little me documented everything she thought of as important... It was never a matter of me telling Shoto that I knew and loved Toya...

Hey, Ami...

Because he already knew.

I think I made the right choice...

Shoto wanted to hear me say it.

Because I feel so much better.

He wanted me to admit it aloud so I didn't have to lie anymore.

Unfortunately, I couldn't give Shoto Todoroki the satisfaction just yet.

I inhaled a deep breath and slowly exhaled, "If it's about what happened in Libya with our parents and my grandparents, yeah, I've known for a while and I saw the news reports on it. I just didn't want to say anything about it. It's like everyone thinks I'm gonna lose my mind and take people out just like that." I shook my head and sighed, "Well, in the end...I got what I want."

"That being?" Katsuki questioned from a distance.

"Someone told me that Jameela birthed me...because my brother was a failure and if she didn't get revenge on Enji Todoroki, I'm her "successor". I responded with, "I refuse to let her get the fucking satisfaction."

"..." Shoto looked unsure of what to say next and there were no opinions from Katsuki.

I cleared my throat, "But after this quirk accident, learning of what my little self wrote for me, talking some things over with Komori, and breaking my curse...I'm content with my mother being put behind bars."

"...so you're content..." Shoto mumbled.

"Mhm," I nodded with a smile. "When...or if that happens, she won't be able to be able to carry out her revenge on your dad."

Shoto didn't look at ease with what I said, "...You mean to tell me, after all this time...you're content with giving up your revenge for not only my dad being responsible for your grandparents' deaths, not only for the reason your mother causing your family hell, not only for putting your dad in Tartarus, not only for causing indirect conflict but-"

"A sufficient amount of time has passed since those traumatic experiences so it doesn't hurt as much as it did years ago." I looked up at the starry night sky in thought, "What else am I hiding? Hmmm, let...meee...think..."

"Quit bullshiting," Katsuki snapped at me.

"Okay, okay, damn," I whined, raising my hands in defeat. "Well, little me mentioned something about me being able to fly."

"Fly?" they both contested.

"Yeah, I don't know what she was talking about either, but she did it because that's how she got our journal in my dorm room on the night of the Hero Ranking Billboard." I grinned, "Look at me, being smart and acting when no one is watching. Good job, me," I patted myself on the back with my left hand.

'Good job, indeed, Ami. Keep diverting them. Damn, I'm slipping up...I need to buy some time to tighten some loose ends.'

"Can you do it right now?" Shoto questioned.

Before I could answer, a spark lit up in the grouchy blond's eyes and he moved from in front of Shoto, keeping eye contact with me as he kept moving slowly.

"I mean, I just turned back so no. When we get back, it wouldn't hurt to try to see what this is about; and what are you doing?" I asked as my eyes followed him to circle me.

A vicious smirk crossed his features, "Let's test it. Open space. No one's here but us. No one won't come here because it's closed to the public. Plus, it's a perfect place to finally spar with you. I wanna see what you're made of, what tricks you can pull out your ass, wanna see what else you can do."

"Bakugo, now's not the time for this. I thought you came along so you could mediate our conversation shouldn't it had gone smoothly," Shoto tried to reason with the already firecracking blond.

"Yeah, I did so our classmates wouldn't get their panties in a twist, but it looks like the Fox got everything off her chest."

My shoulders sagged in exhaustion and I sighed, "...I don't feel like it."

"HAH?!" he exclaimed, the mini crackles in his hands burst into TNT; he had a funny look.

"Ya heard me, I don't feel like it. 'Sides, if we take any longer, your classmates are gonna suspect somethin' is wrong and call the feds on us. I'm not trying to wrap myself up in anything complicated until I face that judge."

"Give Kamilah a break, Bakugo..." Shoto advised him, and then his right side crystalized in icy mist. "Before I have to break something so you will."

"Is that a threat?"

"That's a promise if you provoke her."

"Try me, Icy Hot."

"Ooo!" I squealed, jumping up and down. "The Sports Festival was good, though to have Class 1-A's Bakugo versus 1-A's Todoroki in front of my eyes is great. Go at each other's throats, boys. Mortal Kombat! Round one, fight!"

"Kamilah," the red, white, and blue popsicle groaned at pettiness. "Do you enjoy it when people fight over you?"

"Fight over me...?" I tilted my head, blinking and looking between the two. "Is that what this it? If that's the case, hell no! Go beef over someone else! I'm pretty sure you two knuckleheads can agree on something," I dismissed with a huff and crossed my arms.

"If you expect me not to fight for my woman, you're more crazier than I thought, Fox," Katsuki proudly claimed.

"Your woman?" Shoto questioned with a blatant aversion.

My woman...my woman...my woman...

The words kept repeating in my head like a broken record. The phrase made me feel fuzzy and warm. I wonder if it's because I'm deprived of affection...gotta be...

"Your woman? Funny you say that when Kamilah didn't even agree to such a thing. Also, if she's your woman, why would you put your hands on her?"

Katsuki gave Shoto a diabolical grin. I knew what exactly he would retaliate with; it would warrant the peppermint boy giving the first strike.

"Katsuki, I know what you're thinkin', and I'll kill you if you say that shit," I warned the blond.

That grin seemed to lessen into something less horrendous, but amusement was still attached to it.

"Really? Good. I love the kind of a woman that will actually just kill me," he threw my words from earlier today right back in my face.

'...asshole,' I grimaced.

"Just ignore him, Sho," I brushed the grinning Cheshire cat off, approaching the two and holding my hands out for them to take. "C'mon, let's go back."

"Icy Hot, the answer to your question is that if my partner can handle my emotions, she'd be able to stop me if I lose control. I want her to be just as strong as me...in the mind, body, and heart."

I hid the surprise in my eyes, 'Katsuki...is acknowledging me as strong? He thinks I'm...strong...? Why now when I'm holding his hand I get butterflies? Just focus on returning, Ami. Be flustered when you get to your dorm!'

When I looked between the two to confirm if they were prepared for me to teleport us back, the scenery before me changed. Katsuki and Shoto had blended into the sudden sunset.

I flinched at the abrupt change and looked around, taking some steps back from the water washing up on my feet and the shore. I looked down to see my feet encased in silver sandals with strings wrapping up my legs like ribbons. That's when I took notice of the rest of my body; I was dressed in some...scantily clad white bathing suit. I noticed my hair was undone, the breeze swaying it to brush the back of my knees. I ran my right hand through it, lifting it to see it was dyed black.

"What the hell?" I kept looking around for the two boys, "Katsuki? Shoto? Where are you?! Wait...Misuzu?! Are you here?!"

Suddenly, something came over me and I couldn't move my body anymore. It's like someone used my quirk against me. My body walked into the ocean's gentle lulls until I was knee-deep. My hand raised to reveal a piece of paper with writing on it.

It's too late for any of this, but I figured you didn't want to hear it in our limited time together. Regardless, I owe you an apology. I'm sorry I couldn't stay with you for long. I'm sorry I couldn't make you the happiest girl in the world. I'm sorry I was selfish. I'm sorry I made you feel so terribly. I'm sorry I robbed you of a decent future. I don't regret meeting you, and what I'm not sorry about is loving you. Despite this, you're free now from the shackles of my "love". My soul...will forever burn for you.

Against my will, I let out a mixed exhale and sob. My body was trembling and I took in inconsistent breaths, gasping for air.

'What the hell is going on? Why can't I move? Why am I crying? There's too damn much goin' on! How do I break free of whatever this is? Am I going through it right now? It's gotta be another episode...right? I mean, I still have-'

The piece of paper ignited into a ball of blue-violet flames sprung from my hand, but I didn't feel the heat radiating from it. The gentle breeze carried its ashes in its wind before falling into the blue abyss.

I closed my eyes, feeling the nonstop warm liquid, "I did it all for love...I did it all for us...and you go and..."

When I reopened them, I found my hands being held by two others. I looked up, glancing between the confused pair. Their faces switched to caution and hesitance.

"Hey, why are you crying? Did Bakugo say something to make you sad?" Shoto asked, appearing unaware of what I had experienced.

"Why it's gotta be somethin' I said to make her sad, huh? You sure your sappy shit didn't make her cry?" Katsuki insulted.

Just when his gaze caught mine, it sharpened. He slipped his hand out of mine and grabbed my chin to angle my head in different directions, but he didn't turn my head to face Shoto once.

I caught the blond's steely gaze and immediately understood the assignment.

Shaking my head out of Katsuki's grip, I slipped my hand out of Shoto's and rubbed my eyes with the back of my own.

"No, I'm not crying. The wind got some dust in my eyes," I played it off. "Anyways, I'll be leaving for my dorm. You guys should get back to yours, too. Don't wanna get caught out here like a deer in headlights."

"Right. Bakugo, let's go," Shoto was quick to agree.

"Don't tell me what to do, and you head on back. I need to speak to the Fox."

Of course, the peppermint boy didn't take too kindly to hearing the angry pomeranian wanting to speak to me alone. Katsuki damn near growled at the boy giving him a prudent look. Looking up at Shoto, I smiled at him and waved my hand in reassurance.

"I'll be good. Don't worry. He's all bark with me," I teased.

Dynaboy took offense to that with a visible flinch but kept his mouth shut so Shoto wouldn't have to stay any longer.

"Make it quick," he said, heading up the stairs to the 1-A's dormitory.

Katsuki looked over his shoulder to make sure Shoto went into the building. My smile dropped as soon as he did and Katsuki redirected his gaze on me, dropping the snarl on his face for a subtle frown.

"There it goes again. What's up with your eyes?"

"Huh...? What?" I asked, giving him a curious stare.

"You don't remember. That happened before in class when you were retrograded." He seemed annoyed, "Tch, you always got some shit goin', Fox. You still left out something, didn't ya? Spit it out, you can't hide it anymore."

I touched the sides of my eyes with my fingertips, "Wait a minute. Something happened to my eyes?"

"Every now and then, they glow. I've only seen it twice, but when they do, you seem to forget where you are, just like now. This makes the third time," he summarized.

"...You said...they "glow"?" I asked, getting scared of the possibility.

He nodded.

"Do my...pupils turn red...in the center, too?" my voice trembled.

"Yeah, what about it? Does it have to do with your honest feelings showing in your eyes or somethin'?"

I moved my hands to each side of my head, backing away from him. "You gotta be fuckin' with..." The epiphany dawned on me at that moment.

That...vision, whatever it was, did nothing but confirm what I had been thinking since I returned to my dorm from school. I'm unsure if that future is likely to happen, and I can't be too sure if what I think I have is true...but it's my only guess,

"What? What did you figure out?" Katsuki bombarded me, trying to approach me so I stopped him by putting my hands out to which they landed on his black tanktop-clad chest.

"Don't come any closer...I don't know what I'll...what I can do..." I alerted him. "Katsuki, I think...I have precognition."

He leaned his head to the side, "...Hah?"

"J...Jameela's quirk, precognition...I think I...stole it."

"..."

Another realization came to me, and I dropped my hands from his chest, "I believe you were present when little me said she'd be logging her daily life until I returned so...that means you know I know about AFO...and OFA."

He got serious, shoving his hands in his jogger's pockets, "Yeah."

"...If that's the case, I'm up to date." I looked at my hands, "Shoto was right...I am hiding something else. I don't remember telling you what else my dad did..."

His eyes narrowed at my inclination, "...What did he do?"

"I'm not supposed to let you or anyone here know this or my knowledge of OFA or AFO until the coast was clear, but the cat's outta the bag, I guess...and I trust you."

"Just say it."

"Long story short, I was almost a stillborn and my dad took me to someone to give me a cure, that someone being AFO. My vital signs were damn near nonexistent, he was involved with some shady people so they directed him to AFO. Just like magic, I'm a healthy baby girl. I was a ball of joy and energy until that "magic" tried to take my life...or rather, my mind. My dad didn't know it at the time, but he asked a woman named Misuzu to save my life; she was a user of One-for-All and she's related to me. My new quirk, Null, was only created because I absorbed the pain-resistant quirk AFO gave me to survive. That quirk allowed him to get in my mind and see everything I do; therefore, he threatened me with harming Dabi somehow. Luckily, that didn't get too far. I don't know if I told you that I can also cancel quirks that affect other people; my dad can speak his story thanks to me. To make matters worse, just before Jameela showed up to Yuuei, Auntie informed me of her involvement with AFO way before she became a pro hero under Nighteye. My family was just little guinea pig experiments for AFO at first...but over the years, I've proved to be more than a guinea pig. Either he or he tells Shigaraki to send Dabi after me is because he's a greater influence than anyone in the League. Jameela was most likely ordered by AFO to put my dad in Tartarus to silence him; she could give less of a damn if he took me with him. That case led to Jameela's hometown in Libya again, the source of her pain which got in the way of her mission so Endeavor was sent with her to handle him. Had it not been for my Quirk, my dad would've burned to death. That's the surface of it."

"...Fucking hell," he cursed, sucking his teeth in irritation. "Looks like both me and the shit-nerd were right about everything. And no, you never told me about "Null". Lemme guess, that's what you used on me when I almost crashed into you earlier today?"

I nodded, "Yeah...Oh! Now that I remember, I told Izuku not to tell anyone about my newly developed quirk. There's no point now...Well, there is, but there's no point in hiding it from you or anyone else involved with me or my family."

Katsuki sighed, pulling a hand out of his pocket to rub his hair back, "You're in some real deep shit. What am I gonna do with ya now?"

I chuckled, "Well, there's one thing you can do...absolutely nothing."

The sandy blond smirked, "Yeah, I know I can...but I also know I can keep your little secret about Dabi and Toya being the same person."

My eyes widened and my mouth dropped, this prompted his smirk to spread into a menacing grin. Katsuki slanted forward to be face-to-face with me.

"..."

"I'm not stupid, Kamilah. Just who the hell do you take me for? You messed up the moment you tried to "rescue" me at the training camp, that look in your eyes you gave burnt face...is the same one you give me."

"..."

"Kinda fucked that you lied right to Icy Hot's face. I'm assuming he knows you knew his older brother...but he doesn't know that he's still alive, right? It'd be a shame if he found out in the worst imaginable ways...but me tellin' him can't be one of them."

I frowned at him, "What do I have to do for you to keep quiet?"

"I'll give you an easy out," he mumbled, leaning his forehead against mine. "You forget about that asshole's existence who's obviously leading you on, and become my girl and I won't say shit. Plus, if it gets too hot in the kitchen, Todoroki would be reassured that you are talking about a "different" Toya."

'I should've known better. Thanks to little me, of course, he'd piece this together. Fuck, fuck, fuck...this ain't good. What do I do? Agreeing with his terms won't kill me, but it's the fact that Katsuki knows. What if something comes up where he has to expose my secret? What if the pro-heroes figure something is off and the police force take Katsuki into custody for a confession? Because he's involved with me, what if he gets taken hostage by the League again...by Toya? What if he...gets hurt because of me...?'

He put his hands on my waist, "You can't deny it anymore, Kamilah. As sappy as it sounds...you know we belong together. You know I like you...and I know you like me. Remember that thing I wanted to ask you before your old lady came? I want you to be my girl."

My body shook in fear at the endless, harmful possibilities. I didn't want to risk Katsuki's safety because of a "simple" secret or with a relationship we might regret forming shortly. I will not take that risk. I cannot. I have to do something.

"Long time, no see, Ami."

I was so wrapped up in my thoughts, that I didn't notice the shady figure standing behind Katsuki. The alert blond whipped around with sparks crackling in his hands, and we came face to face with a smiling, unbothered dark violet-haired woman in a familiar white doctor's coat.

"Auntie...? Wh-what are you-"

She dismissed my panicked state with a smile, "Surely, Mister Aizawa or Mister Kan must've told you, sweetheart. I returned to Yuuei to pick you up. We have some urgent matters on our hands, I'm sorry it took so long."

"Doc...don't just go sneaking up behind people. I could've blasted you," Katsuki sneered, deactivating his quirk.

"One of Yuuei's previous Big Three? I doubt it, kid," a voice near the trees spoke.

"...Dad?" I gasped.

Katsuki was caught off guard, "Dad?"

"Zurui, I shouldn't have doubted you. You were right to follow me because it seems you were right about there being a problem on our hands," Auntie commented with a not-so-tired sigh.

The tall, and now somewhat muscular, man with long dark purple hair still tied up in a ponytail stepped from behind some trees. He was smiling and waving at me. I noticed he was still wearing his giant white hoodie.

I wanted to sprint over to him and hug him, but I was unsure if I should do that, considering that it's nighttime, it would cause attention, and I'm unsure if these two are...or he's supposed to be here as of now.

"I missed you, Kamiiii," he whined. "I would come to hug you, but..." He glanced at 1-A's dorm and the surrounding area, "...I think it's best if I don't."

"Anyways, Kamilah...how have you been?" Auntie asked me, ignoring a disgruntled and muddled angry pomeranian.

"Uhh...fine, I think...?"

She kept up with her smile so well it reached her eyes. If it weren't for the entirety of the situation, I would believe she's that happy to see me, not that she isn't...but her smile is unnatural, and I can feel that something is wrong.

"Have you seen your aunts or uncles lately? Did they come to visit you during your quirk accident?"

I shook my head, "No...I don't think so. Katsuki, did anyone visit me during that time?"

Aunt Yuiko's eyes narrowed in thought, she looked back at Dad as if confirming something.

"No..." He kept glancing between Auntie and Dad. I was hoping he didn't say something outta pocket or something that would provoke them. "Hey, you really are the Fox's dad, huh?"

Dad tilted his head in question, "Fox? Fox...? Oh, it's a nickname. You two must be really close..." My dad ended up nodding his head, "Yep, I'm her dad."

"..." Katsuki, surprisingly, bowed his head as a greeting. "My name's Katsuki Bakugo. It's nice to meet you, Mr. Shimizu."

Dad blinked multiple times, seemingly surprised by Katsuki's gesture of respect. I know I was because where has this mannerism been with Mr. and Mrs. Bakugo?

Dad hummed, probably pondering on his response, "Hmmm... Oh, I see now, I see! You didn't tell me you had a boyfriend, Kami! How come you didn't tell Papa? I just got out of jail! You're growing too fast on me, girl!" the middle-aged man complained and cried.

"H-He's not my boyfriend," I huffed with a cross of my arms and turned my head away from them so they wouldn't see my embarrassment.

"Zurui," Auntie lamented at his dramatics.

"I know...later... Well, Bakugo, I'm thankful you've kept close and got along with my daughter; your influence has seemingly shaped her into becoming a better person."

Katsuki only hummed.

"Thank you for taking care of her while I was gone...but now that I'm back, you can rest easy," he chirped in a chipper tone. "Yui-chan," he mused.

It happened faster than I could comprehend.

The sound of something heavy dropping to the ground made me turn my head around. I didn't see Katsuki standing in front of me anymore, I looked down to see him slumped onto the ground.

I gasped again, looking at the culprit who firmly held her left hand out. Auntie stared down at Katsuki's unconscious body with regret. She squatted in front of him and rested her hand on his head.

"This is for his own good," she spoke as a golden purple sphere formed in her hands. "I didn't hit him too hard."

"We happened to walk in on your little conversation and heard a few things..." Dad summarized indifferently, making me stiffen because I didn't know what he was planning.

She was redacting his memories of what just occurred and most likely switching stuff around or adding false memories.

His gaze was empty, "Kami, who else knows?" he asked me, leaning against the tree and he shoved his hands in his jacket's pockets.

"...Sh...Sho..."

"...Does he know that his brother is still alive?"

I shook my head again, "N-No...but he does know that I knew Toya before his "death" though."

Auntie glanced in Dad's direction, eyes full of peril, "Rui, you think he's figured out who "Dabi" is? Todoroki-kun could be a possible threat."

"Uh-uh If he did, Misuzu would've told us by now. Leave the boy alone. As for you Kami..." Dad switched his gaze from her to me, "Yui-chan told me about the joint training with 1-B is coming up in two days. When morning comes, go to class as usual and play along. We'll pick you up when the joint training is over, 'kay?"

There are not many people that make me fear them, only two in fact: AFO and All-Might...but my dad's vibe is unnerving to me. Even though I know he had his faults in the past and he appears to be an easygoing, loving guy, I didn't know him that well aside from what Auntie had told me when I went to our sessions.

Though she knew the man he was before he was sentenced to Tartarus, he may not have gotten rid of some of his old traits...like that barren stare. Despite the deepness of the void, I knew those eyes held no ill intentions, maybe...protection? I'd have to ask about it later...

'I'd have to ask him about a lot of stuff when this shit storm is over. Because the justice system is rigged...I was robbed of 12 years without him. I wanna get know him...'

I shook my head of thought and refocused on the situation, "Wait, you two just show up out of the blue and not tell me anything? What's going on? Why did you ask me about my aunts and uncles?"

"If we tell you now, that's all you'll be worried about, and that would bring attention to you. Yui-chan informed me that Bakugo, Todoroki, and Midoriya are some mettlesome boys so I'd prefer it that you know nothing right now. It seems your retrogression has caused some trouble...or some clarity. Now that you're back to yourself, you can play it smart from here on out."

Auntie got done messing with the unconscious blond's memories and with ease, picked him up off the ground by his underarms.

"He won't remember anything involving Toya or Dabi; take him back inside, then go to your dorm to sleep. Tell no one of this. You got a long day tomorrow," she directed me, handing me Katsuki's unconscious body.

I wrapped his right arm around my shoulder and made sure I had a good grasp on his left side.

"By the way, Kami," my dad said matter-of-factly and I looked at him, he held a smug look, "When this shit storm blows over, give the boy a chance. What he said to you was true and genuine. He really likes you, ya know?"

"We were never here."

I looked at Auntie for clarification...but she was gone and I looked near the trees to see that Dad was also gone.

'What the fuck...was that all about?' I thought, moving my gaze back to an unconscious pomeranian. 'Better get him in his room. Who knows when he'll wake up...'

I closed my eyes, envisioning the layout of his bedroom and teleporting in the center of the room. I removed his arm around me and squatted down to gently lay him on his bed.

With two flicks of my finger, I slid the blanket from beneath the sound-asleep blond and covered him with the soft material. I kneeled by his bedside and grazed my fingers through his hair, appreciating how soft his spiky strands felt.

"I'm sorry, Katsuki..." I mumbled.

I took in the angy pom-pom's delicate sleeping features, 'I'm glad Auntie did redact his memories. I...we would've been up shit's creek if she hadn't and something happens that would warran Katsuki reveal Dabi's identity. I wonder how they got on campus at night.' I shook my head, 'What does it matter? Worrying about what they're up to and what's going on won't do me any good.'

Whatever Auntie put in his head...it was for my benefit, and I'll have to navigate whatever he thinks happened tonight if he approaches me in the next two days. To think he'd use Toya as leverage to persuade me...how stupid. I inclined over him, pushing his hair back with my left hand. He looks stunning...so much more when he's asleep and not talking.

I muffled a giggle by pressing my lips against his forehead, 'You didn't have to do that,' I leaned away a little with a smile.

"I remember reading nitroglycerin brings relief to chest pain..." I grasped his right hand with my own and placed it over my beating heart, "I guess you were right...you're a drug and I'm getting addicted..."

With a peck to his forehead, I let go of his hair and hand. I closed my eyes and envisioned my room's layout. It wasn't until I felt a familiar fluffy rug beneath my feet that I realized I was back in my bedroom.

I opened my eyes, giving a brief scan of my surroundings before landing on the papers strewn across the floor, covered in various colorful words done by a marker, then snapped to the mirror attached to my vanity.

"Now that I've made a little peace with that...and ran a practice run," I grinned, "It's time for the real test drive."

My irises morphed a mystic blue and the rings of pupils flashed like a red eclipse. Like before, nothing around me changed...not yet at least. I tried focusing, but I figured going about it this time would be more difficult.

Teleporting to places I've never been to just by looking at a picture takes more out of me than others know. If my assumptions are true, immobile searching and teleporting to locations I've never been to could be nearly impossible...so long as I don't have a connection to the person in that location.

I don't expect OFA or Null to interfere with what I'm trying to do, but I can't exactly rule it out because of this new power.

'This all just hypotheses, nothing is certain, and I'm hoping this works because I need some confirmation and reassurance. Little me made too many valid points and some corrective actions I'm thankful for. How stupid can I be if I continue to ignore the red flags? I'm just in denihopinghope for a dream that's too good to be true. I'm studying to become a doctor in the mental health field...I'm embarrassing myself for not being a realist and I should feel ashamed for hanging onto make-believe. I'm not a child anymore, and childish dreams should be left in the past. If I knew the truth, all of these assumptions and misunderstandings no longer have to weigh on my conscience. I might have one shot at this, I need to know so I can know what I have to do...and there are only two options: betray or run away."

The darkness dissipated and I was greeted by another, the darkness of the night. My gaze was tilted towards the ground. I flinched, and closed my eyes at the ache in my head, figuring I hadn't fully gotten used to the quirk or this was a common side effect.

I heard water softly rippling against the platform I stood on. My eyes fluttered open, recognizing that I was standing on a wooden dock, and then I caught a shadow bleed into where I stood.

"Another illusion, huh..."

My head slowly raised to find a tall figure standing at the end of the dock, the moonlight shone brightly on him, and his facial expression was hard to make out...but I knew exactly who it was.

"I'm losing it," he sighed.

"You're not...at least not tonight," I soothed.

I didn't expect the man to express his astonishment so easily; clearly, he was caught off guard that his "illusion" was talking to him. I took subtle steps towards him, hoping he didn't think I was an imposter, and tried to fry my ass to a crisp.

"..."

"I'm not fake, I promise. Uh...I know you're Toya Todoroki, you're my..." I felt a flutter in my chest and my face got warm, "...you're my lover, my old flame."

"..."

I stood close to him, reaching my hands up cup his face, gliding my fingers against the marred purple flesh, lamenting the fact that I could've prevented this from happening to him.

He cupped his stitched hands over mine, "...What do you mean..."old"?" Toya leaned down and rested his forehead against mine, "...I am your flame."

'Which is exactly why I came here to see if that is still true.'

Pulling away from him, I shook my head of the trance he almost caught me in, like a defenseless ladybug in a spider's web.

"Toya, we need to talk."

"You're right, we do...because how the hell are you here right now? And what's up with your eyes?" His eyes squinted at me, looking me over with scrutinizing eyes, "What's with your hair? I thought I sinched it pretty good."

I looked back at him with a nonchalant face, "Well, I bettered my skills, learned some new tricks, stole a couple of quirks, and so on and so on."

"Stole a couple quirks...?" he questioned, quirking an eyebrow at me. "What have you been doing while I was gone?"

I waved my hand dismissively, "Don't worry about that right now. What you need to worry about...is telling me what you've been doing."

Toya appeared unphased by the question...but being the observant person I am, the flinch in his relaxed posture didn't get past me.

"I love you, Toya, I really do...but you've left me in the dark, baby. I understand your position right so...clearly, you can't just make a weekly home visit, but you could make an effort to keep in contact with me."

"..."

"It feels like you've left me behind..." I kept a straight face as I stared him in the eyes. "Now that I think about it...you did."

He scoffed at my insinuation. "That's not true and you know it."

"I can't tell," I snapped at him. "You never came to save me."

"I had to prepare."

"For what? You let me stand alone...out in the willderness..."

"I thought you died..."

"Let alone, in the cold," my words were laced with venom as I felt some suppressed emotions. "You didn't even come back to check if my body was still there or if there was a funeral held for me. For years, I thought you were dead, you came back to me...but didn't even say anything. How cruel is that? You knew I was suffering this whole, yet you played into my delusional dreams, you went along with it, you didn't snap me out of it, and you didn't even leave me alone to let me think you died; it would've hurt less if I didn't see you any more if I would've never known you were still alive!"

"...Kami, breathe..."

"No, I will not "breathe". You will hear me out, you will hear all my suffering and you will feel my wrath." I chuckled, "It was never my intention to come here with these feelings I just realized I've been suppressing this whole time... Toya, do you love me?"

"You know I love you, Kami. Don't ever question it again," he sounded upset that I even thought of it.

"I can't fucking tell," I seethed. "You sure ain't showin' it."

Toya frowned at my words, "Those heroes got you so messed up, baby. Can't you see how they're trying to come between us? You've been fed lies..." His eyes lowered in distaste though it wasn't directed at me. "It was Shoto...wasn't it? He's the reason why you're...like this..."

"Shoto...was never the problem, I only fixated on him because you expressed your hatred for him that it seeped into me after you "died". Shoto is a victim...just like you, just like me for real. The heroes were crutches, but it was me who had finally opened my eyes. I'm a caged bird, and every day, the cycle continues, the cycle of my mind running circles around revenge...all because of you. You say you love me. Do you love me...or do you love how you can bend me?"

Toya was quick to take a step towards me, he looked infuriated, a face he never aimed at me in the past. I was unsure of his intentions or next move, considering I don't know how he thinks or operates. This person isn't my Toya...it's just a shadow...right?

I slid a foot back, ready to move away from him if he did something I didn't like.

"Listen, Kamilah."

He never said my full name unless he was serious.

"I know it might look that way, I have left you in the dark on a lot of things. Shit, I could've left you a phone number and when to contact me the last we met... I haven't been doing right by you lately, I'm a scumbag for leaving my blue diamond in the rough, and I'm a total asshole for letting you live in those delusions the nights I was "conjured in your mind". There were reasons why I didn't tell you-"

"Well, now's your chance. Tell me. Tell me why you didn't say anything, why you've let me cry myself to sleep for many nights, why you whisper sweet nothings and never explain yourself, why you let me...be swayed by others..."

"I was preparing..."

"For?"

"To take you with me, like I originally planned. I couldn't do that just yet because I wasn't strong enough, I was a weak and helpless 13-year-old. What do I look like trying to protect my woman if I couldn't even defend myself or control my quirk? I got strong for me...for you...for us."

Tears blurred my vision at his confession. Here we go again...with me falling for his sweet nothings, I think the cycle repeats itself. This is why I hate that the heart and brain aren't two separate organs... No, they're connected through nerves. Is this what they call mixed feelings?

I don't know whether to believe him or to teleport back to my dorm and leave him here to spiral into madness and anticipate my next moves. For the sake of the very thing he taught me best, revenge, I wanted to act on it, I wanted to leave him here to ponder on all his mistakes...

But I won't because he came back to me eventually.

"Toya...what are we?"

"We're meant to be together...but you still haven't accepted my proposal."

"...you only have yourself to blame for my continued consideration of it. What if I don't want to come with you? You ever thought about that?"

"I have...and I've thought about the things I can do to convince you to go with me."

A shiver ran up my back at his innuendo and I chuckled to play off my nervousness, "As much as I'd like to know what you mean by that..."

Toya's eyes lowered, ghosting over my body in a slow and sensual gaze before swiftly returning eye contact. He knew I caught on to what he meant...and in other ways.

I shook my head again, "Though that's not why I'm here. A little birdie told me you did pay me one visit when I was unconscious." I glared at him, "My family's vacation home was burnt to the ground and my brother ended up in the hospital. You and I both know I don't play 'bout the family I do care about so...I'll give you one chance to explain yourself. If I don't like what you say..." I took a step forward, letting the seriousness of the situation be known in my emotionless eyes, "Consider us done."

Toya knew he was walking on thin ice, I could tell by the waver in his eyes and straightening his posture, "Fine... Your brother brought me there, told me your family's situation with a curse...I wouldn't have believed it if I didn't meet that Misuzu woman."

My eyes widened at the new piece of information, "What? I thought..."

'Unless Hakim has some way of connecting his quirk with Miss Misuzu's, I find this is unlikely...but Toya wouldn't lie about that, he couldn't make something up like that. Interesting... Can Misuzu manifest herself into reality then? Are there set conditions? If that's the case, her quirk would be useful to us against AFO...'

"He told me that the way to break the curse is basically...some fairy tale bullshit where I had to kiss you and let you feel my love for you, or some goofy shit like that..."

"You callin' how you feel about me "goofy"?" I asked with a raised eyebrow. "Choose your words carefully, Toya."

"You know what I mean. Anyway, I'm assuming the kiss worked. You're awake...and alive."

I would never admit to Toya that he's wrong for multiple reasons; the main reason being that it would break his heart to know that I've fallen for someone else and he'd find a way to get to Katsuki.

Toya took less aggressive steps towards me, curious eyes lingering on mine. "Now, you give me some answers. What happened for you to be unconscious for so long, huh? Why did you never tell me you were cursed? Lemme know what's going on with my girl, hm?"

His hands glided up from my hips to my waist, securing me in a tender lock. His eyes softened, letting me know it was okay to be vulnerable with him, but his body was still a little tense in case I denied him. To appease him, I gave in and shuffled closer into his embrace, hoping that would soften him up some more and get him to be vulnerable with me again.

"I'm sure you already know that I'm responsible for Jameela's eye sockets being missing..."

"Yeah...did you get hurt during your fight with her?"

"Yeah, nothing life-threatening though; if you're thinking she's the reason I became unconscious, you're wrong. The place my brother took you to is most likely a space Misuzu can exist in; she's a deceased relative, by the way, a distant great-grandmother. I'm sure Hakim explained how the curse works, the result is death to sum it up. But back to your question...I fell unconscious and went to a similar space Hakim brought you to meet Misuzu. I figured I was no longer needed here because I thought I did everything I had to do so I attempted suicide."

His grip tightened around me, though I could tell it wasn't intended to be harmful, "Doll...why did you make a stupid decision like that?"

"...Call it a typical response from a suicide victim if you want...I just thought that my friends and family would be better off without me."

"...Kami," he murmured and rested his chin on my head, cuddling me close into his warm embrace. "Don't ever think that. Even if you...didn't exist, I'd still be going down this path. Don't ever blame yourself for my decisions and mistakes, or others. You just happened to be a part of something simply because you were misled and didn't know any better."

He leaned away to raise my chin with his index finger so I could look into his eyes, "Toya, I'm s-"

"Shhh...don't apologize, sweet girl. Listen to me when I tell you...that you should never apologize for the people you fall in love with. It's just a thing that happens...and it happened to be me with you, and you with me."

No matter how much I wanted to escape the grip Toya Todoroki had on me, no matter how many times I wished things were different...if he wasn't a villain if he was a hero if I broke the barriers of "model citizen". If I was older, if he were younger if we attended the same schools...

Nothing would tear the red string of fate that ties us together along with whatever complicated circumstances...

I found myself extending my body upward and he did the same with leaning down towards me. There was no hesitation at the moment, I closed my eyes as we got closer, my hands tangled into his fluffy hair; I had to do it, who knows when this opportunity would come again, I don't know the limitations and repercussions of this quirk...

After all these years of thinking it'd never happen and I'd never see him until I reached Hell, I finally kissed him, my prince charming, my first love, my childhood sweetheart...my original hero.

Because the seasons were changing, the cool breeze made me shiver and it only gave him more reason to wrap me in his embrace, in his love, to hold me closer. The kiss was warm, searing almost, I couldn't get enough. I wanted more... This was different from Katsuki, and a hell of a lot more than with Shoto. It may be due to wanting this for a long time, yearning for someone you thought you'd never be with.

Are my feelings wrong? Toya and my circumstances are most definitely are. He's a 23-year-old villain while I'm a 16-year-old hero in training. Of course, this is wrong. Though like he said, I shouldn't feel apologetic for falling in love...but did I fall in love with the wrong person? Or is it the other way around? I'm old enough to know better now...aren't I?

It's as if reading my emotions through the kiss, our kiss deepened; I didn't care about his burnt scars, it was more to just love, but I didn't want to hurt him by pressing against them. I peeked my right eye open to see Toya gaping at me with a burning passion I'd never seen before.

I noticed his cheeks were wet with a bit of dampness and I realized I was to blame because I was shedding tears.

Why am I sad? I'm in the arms of my first lover. There's nothing to be sad about. Or...am I happy? I hate the brain and the heart's connection. No one can tell why they feel the way they feel when so many mixed feelings are involved.

I leaned away, releasing an egregious sob because my emotions were all over the place. I missed Toya and wanted to show him how I felt after having little to no interaction with him, but it suddenly felt wrong now.

Toya grabbed the back of my thighs, lifting me so I instinctively locked my legs around him behind his waist and he sunk to his knees during my crying fit and laid me back on the wooden dock; he nuzzled his head into the left side of neck, kissing and sucking skin there.

I was confused by his actions, still crying and sobbing...until I think I began to cry and sob for something else when he buck his hips against me.

"Fuck, you sound so pretty when you cry..."

My body was shivering and jumping from new manias I didn't know how to register. My mouth freed sounds I found to be embarrassing. Toya's hips rubbing against mine felt good, that...thing between his legs was rubbing against me in a place I rarely explore.

"Wanna make you cry for somethin' else..."

His head lowered to just beneath my crop top and he left multiple wet kisses, while his left hand stayed on my thigh, the other traveled up my twitching body to my breast and gave it a sensual squeeze.

My back arched at the feeling, "Aah...nm...T-Toya..."

Just with the sound of my voice, he flinched and stopped.

Baffled by his stillness, I raised my head from the gentle grasp he had on the nape of my neck, trying to look at his face. I wanted to know what it looked like and why he stopped... It's a thought I never had until now, but I wasn't opposed to Toya making love to me beneath the moonlight on a dock surrounded by the ocean. It seemed like a happy ending or something.

What would Katsuki do if he found out?

That thought alone made me feel fear and it's what made me shake my head out of this trance Toya put me in. He had finally raised his head from between my breasts with fervency; there was a mix of remorse, arousal, and...depravity, as if he'd do it again but something was preventing him.

I'm surprised he didn't question how my pupils changed into whatever shape they were making, which was probably making a heart shape.

His hand released my breast, making me gasp as he returned it to just beneath my thigh. As he slowly rose with me in his hold, I enveloped his neck with my hands to hold onto him.

Toya sat on the back of his calves, then raised his left hand from my thigh to the middle of my back, pushing me into a hug. As he did earlier, I nuzzled my face into his neck, taking in his fiery woody smell and the ocean's sea salt.

"You need to go back."

"Huh? Why?" my voice came out hoarse and scratchy. When I tried to lean back to look him in the eyes, that hand on my spine tucked my head in place.

"If I look at you right now...I won't be able to control myself," he mumbled into the skin of his neck.

"...but I just got here..." I complained. "I can't go back yet. This is the longest time we've spent since reuniting. Everyone thinks I'm asleep in my dorm so we can spend the rest of the night together, hold one another, and-"

"Spend the rest of the night together... Do you hear yourself, Kami? I don't think you understand what you just said. When it comes to me, it's clear you're still a little girl...a little girl I should have no romantic escapades with," he sighed aloud.

I couldn't make a rebuttal to that because...he was right. The simple fact of me not being an adult and us being intimately involved with one another is enough to give him 10-15 years...with him being a villain and having murdered people, life in Tartarus.

'How do I prevent that...?' I thought, beginning to pout and whine while rubbing my cheek against his.

"Toyaaa...please, lemme stayyy..."

"No, you need to go and get some proper rest, too. You have school tomorrow, I'm sure you wouldn't want anyone to question why you're so tired."

Toya suddenly stood, making me cling to him tighter, however, he managed to peel me away from him. He turned towards the moon sitting on the ocean's horizon to avoid eye contact.

"...Toya."

He groaned, "...What?"

"You..." I swallowed and took in a careful breath, "You...better have my ring when we meet again."

When he snapped his head in my direction, I found myself staring at my vanity's mirror with the biggest and goofiest grin I hadn't seen in a while.

Falling back on my queen-sized bed, kicking my feet, and giggling like a high school girl who's smitten and in love with her crush, I savored the brief expression I caught on my villain's face.

My smile wouldn't falter and I cupped my heated cheeks out of glee, "Been a long time since I've seen my inferno so flustered," I giggled. "Hmhm...mm...hmmm... Speaking of "fluster..."

To prevent such a thing in the future so he won't be worried, I have to remember that getting married means you make a promise to take care of that person in sickness and in health 'til death does them part.

I raised my body from my bed and stared into the "x-mark" lethal gaze of With some reassurance, revitalization, and a new quirk on board to figure out, it was time to form a new plan...

"Time to jump the minuscule...ambush and execute."

---

"You're looking revitalized this morning. Yesterday evening must've gone well."

"It went...better than I could ever imagine."

"Oh...? That good, huh?"

"Yeah...so good..." I dreamily sighed.

"Don't tell me...did you go visit the certain someone we discussed the night prior?"

My dream bubble state popped, "Oh...no. I didn't go see Katsuki last night...though we did speak briefly."

"Sooo...you've been somewhere last night...?"

Komori grinned at me as she exposed me to which I easily gave in, "I snuck out last night to visit Shoto."

"Oop," she gasped. "I thought you had a thing for just one guy!"

"I...I did-...I mean, I do! But there were some misunderstandings I wanted to clear with Shoto first. Little did you or any of our classmates know, little me left me a journal to document any useful information to keep my up to date...and Shoto slipped me some information so I know about everything."

Her excitement lowered into one of guilt, "...I'm sorry I didn't say anything, Shimizu. I promised Kendo that I wouldn't. We didn't want to set you off so you wouldn't do anything irrational like last time in the cafeteria...and I'm sorry about that as well. I got cold feet when I saw that look on your face...I didn't know who I was looking at anymore and I didn't know what to say to get through to you."

"You don't have to apologize, Komori. It's okay..."

'Becauses I didn't want you or anyone else getting in the way of my lick back.'

"Change of topics..." She gave me a playful smirk, "Back to Bakugo...when are you gonna shoot your shot?"

"That's the thing...I don't have to..."

She tilted her head as she made herself comfy under the kotatsu, "What do you mean?"

I bit my bottom lip, "...He..." I exhaled a heated sigh, "He's been shooting his shot since we were in junior high."

She raised her chin from the table, "What?! What do you mean "since junior high"? You never said anything about that last time!"

"I only told you the base level of things because I wasn't sure you'd go around spreading rumors. I just...I have a little bit of trust issues. Sorry, Komori."

"Well...no need to apologize, I understand where you're comin' from. You haven't said anything about me and my feelings for Kuroiro so I can keep your secret, Shimizu. So...if he's been shooting his shot since junior high school, why the wait? Deets, please!"

"I started noticing Katsuki started acting weird in our second year of junior high. He began to say things that weren't in his character, then he he started following me home...he wouldn't leave me until I let him in and we talked until sundown."

Komori was squealing in joy and squirming underneath the warm blanket, "I knew Bakugo was bold, but I didn't think he'd do something like that! Just how long has he been like this about you?"

"Things have been like this since our second year in junior high. We've kissed two times now and had some intimate moments, but I never agreed to become his girlfriend. As surprising as it sounds, it's not him who's the problem...it's me; I have a difficult time sorting out my feelings and I don't know if I should agree or..." I sighed, "I just feel like I'm wasting his time."

"With all due respect, Shimizu...if you feel that way, maybe you shut the door instead of leading him on," she advised.

I lifted my insulted gaze from the kotatsu and at her, "...You think I'm leading him on?"

She put her hands up in defense, "Not to sound harsh though. I'm just saying that...if I liked a girl for a long time and she kept ghosting me because she has trust issues and can't properly sort her feelings, I'd leave her alone because she clearly needs time to work on herself or heal from being hurt by someone."

"...Thank you for the advice, Komori. I think you're onto something." I smiled at her to reassure her I handled her advice well, "Warm yet?"

"Oh, most definitely warm now. Where were you hiding this thing anyway?"

"I borrowed it from Todoroki so I'll have to return it after school."

She visibly refrained from freaking out at the mention of the bicolored boy, "Todoroki?! Right, you said you snuck out to speak to him last night. Are you two on good terms now?"

"Yeah, it's water under the bridge..."

'For now...'

"Let's go."

---

"Look."

"It's her..."

"She's back to normal..."

"What a hussy...fooling around and leading on 1-A's Todoroki. Poor guy."

"It's like history's repeating itself..."

"Whaddya mean?"

"Haven't you heard? The whole Shimizu family is getting exposed almost every day by paparazzi and random people on the internet..."

"Oh...? So what? The girl is probably a victim of circumstance..."

"I don't think so. I heard Dr. Chinen and the number one, Endeavor, had beef in high school, right here at Yuuei."

"Wow, no way..."

"You think the doctor had something to do with Shimizu getting close to Todoroki, and that restraining order was placed on her so Cassandra could get her revenge first?"

"The spite is great. There's no way Endeavor did something that bad for Cassandra and Dr. Chinen to get back at him through Shimizu."

"Not leaving my stand, Shimizu is a victim no matter how you look at it."

"Well, if she's just a victim, then 1-A's Todoroki is the next statistic. See? That's what they want you to think. The Shimizu family have been shady this whole time."

"So has been the Todoroki family."

"Both are guilty to me."

"Whatever, Shimizu has what's coming to her."

"Yeah, she's no good."

"Playing with her friend's heart...what a bitch."

"She doesn't deserve to attend here. Why do the staff let her continue her education here?"

"She needs to go back to the sticks where she belongs."

"Not her brother though. I honestly feel bad for him, he must be the true victim."

"If he needed a new sister, I'd gladly apply. I can be a better sister than whatever that absurdity is."

"Her father used to be a villain...so we know what's gonna happen next."

"She's a stain on Yuuei's reputation just like how her father is on Ketsubutsu's reputation."

"Imagine being that low-life's brother. Nishikigoi needs to keep his image clean and disassociate with that fiend."

"Extra points for taking his Hatif with him."

"I heard she's friends with 1-A's Midoriya, too. She has to be doin' him dirty, too."

"Makes sense. The guy looks like he doesn't have a backbone."

I should've known I'd return to the bullshit opinions and fabricated stories when I returned to school. I wanted to roll my eyes to the back of my fucking head if I paid any more attention to what these onlookers were saying about me and my family.

'Though it has been years since I've heard this slander and backlash for misunderstood allegations...it doesn't hurt as much as it used to. Reliving these memories with extra whipped cream on top is...I don't know how to explain it.' My eyebrows creased as I grabbed my uwabaki. 'Have I finally properly healed from that after all these years?! Yay, me!'

Distracted by my happy thought, my shoes slipped from my grasp and fell on the floor, spilling a bunch of black thumbtacks across the floor.

The whispers and mocking died, a steady silence settling over the scene unfolding. It's clear someone or a group of people set this up to humiliate me and/or send a message, possibly even threaten me.

I squat down to shake the remaining thumbtacks out and assess if there was anything else hiding in my shoes.

That's when the laughter and conniving ridicule made itself known.

'If I was really evil like y'all say I am, I could end all of your lives right now, but...' I happily thought, dropping my shoes on the ground behind me to slip on and standing up to my height, 'I'll play along for now and gain some sympathy points.'

When I turned around to slip my shoes on, I was met with a chest covered by a white button-up and red tie...meaning whoever was standing in front of me was a guy and a tall one at that.

My gaze ran up to meet my confronter. I locked onto simple blue beady eyes. With glances, I noticed the guy had to be at least 3 or 4 inches taller than me. He has a muscular build, I didn't doubt the guy could throw me across the room with ease.

Assuming he was the culprit because he was confronting me and he had a big smile, I scrunched up my face to express melancholy and conjured some waterworks ready to spill over my lids.

"This...this isn't funny..." I added a tremble in my voice, increasing the laughter from my audience.

His smile dropped into a frown, he looked just as upset as I was pretending to be. He squats down to pick up my left shoe and with a gentle hold on my left ankle, he slipped my shoe on.

"You're right, it's not funny...at all," I heard him mumble as he did the same with my right shoe, then he gave the onlookers a stern stare, "So why are you all laughing?"

This guy had a heavy aura about him. Something tells me he's not like this all the time, judging from that ridiculous comical smile from earlier. I guess he wasn't responsible for putting thumbtacks in my uwabaki, but I kept up the act of being a victim to a group of bullies and bystanders.

"C'mon, Togata-senpai, she deserves it," one of the students in the area tried to reason. "Shimizu is the daughter of a villain...or two for those who consider pro-hero Cassandra to be one, too. She doesn't belong here."

This Togata guy didn't look any happier to hear that, "And you think you do? Just because our junior's background is different doesn't give you or anyone else the right to bully her. You should all be ashamed of yourselves! As students of U.A., we're supposed to help others in need, not give them a harder time because we don't know what's happening in their personal lives!"

I made a poker face, 'Preach, senpai... Though I want to stick around and here you give these fools a piece of your mind...but this is so embarrassing, and I doubt their minds would be changed from simple words.'

While the Togata guy got distracted lecturing the now quiet students in the venue, I took that time to sneak away and sprint upstairs to my classroom.

I forgot I told Komori to go on ahead of me because halfway on the walk to school, I forgot to pack one of my notebooks for our English course so I had to return to search for it.

Easily, I could've used teleport to get in and get out...but I needed to discipline myself again. I'm using too many quirks too many times. Although the curse is lifted, my strict rule on minimal usage of my quirk hasn't so I need to get some cardio and aero in.

Looking ahead, passing by the judgemental glares and nasty comments, I saw Komori talking to Kendo.

"Good morning, Kendo."

"Oh, good morning, Shimizu."

"Good morning, Kendo! Morning to you again, Shimizu"

"Goof mornig', Komori," we both greeted the approaching brunette.

We entered the first floor of U.A. and Kendo began a conversation.

"How'd you sleep last night, Komori, Shimizu?"

"I got a good night's rest," I answered.

"I couldn't get a wink at all last night because I'm looking forward to tomorrow! I'm so excited!'

"Don't fall asleep during class or we'll never hear the end from Mister Kan, Kendo sighed with a berating look, then she settled for a calm one. "I'm also looking forward to tomorrow's joint training. I can't wait to see Class 1-A's potential," she responded.

"I just hope I'm not up against Todoroki, or worse, Bakugo," Komori whimpered. "Those two are seriously scary."

"I dunno. I'd like to see how I could handle one of them. I'm sure I'll better myself if I go against Endeavor's son and the guy who accepts nothing but number 1 fair and square. It's like a challenge," Kendo chuckled. "What about you, Shimizu? Are you hyped?"

I hummed, "...A little bit...I'm looking forward to getting it over with though."

She wasn't satisfied with my answer, "Aww, don't be a downer. You're at least excited to face off against one of Class 1-A's students, right?"

Komori got a cheeky smile, "I bet you wanna go against Bakugo, huh?"

"As surprising as this sounds...no, I don't," I replied with my cheeky smile.

"Whaaat? But I thought-"

"Actually...I'm kinda interested in 1-A's Kirishima. He looks like a cutie patootie on the outside, but I've seen the guy train here and there." I put my fists up and threw two punches forward. "I wanna see if I can take him in hand-to-hand."

"Haha, I doubt it. You can take me hand-to-hand though...I'll go easy on ya," said a familiar flirtatious voice behind us.

Just when I was about to look behind me, the playful boy caught up, smiling at me and wiggling his eyebrows.

I looked him up and down, "...You wouldn't last a minute."

There was a witty groan behind us, "Ooo...Kaminari, I don't even know why you try anymore. Shimizu's not interested," Sero chuckled.

"It's not like she's officially with someone. Isn't that right, Shimizu?" he cheesed.

"No, I'm n-"

"Cool! So? How about it? Wanna go on a date?"

"Uhh, listen, I-"

"So you think you're better than me, huh, Kaminari?" a familiar perverted boy ironically asked.

"Oh, Shimizu's catching them like pokemon..." Komori giggled to which Kendo sighed and I groaned at her.

"I don't think, Mineta...I know I am. At least I have some decency and know how to control myself!"

"We're not going to ignore that you drool over any girl, recently Shimizu, just like me!"

"Don't compare me to you! I have my faults, but I try to better my behavior unlike some people who get stuck in their old ways!"

While the two continued to bicker, somehow still able to keep up with me and the girls, Sero snuck past the two to my right side and leaned in close enough to whisper.

"Sorry about those two, Shimizu. Ever since the summer camp, it's been nonstop between those two when it comes to competing for you. I keep tellin' them that Bakugo's not havin' it though," he explained to me with a sneer.

"Uh, Sero, because you're the logical one, I'll tell you right now that Katsuki and I have nothing going on."

He held a look of agitation, "...whatever helps you sleep at night, Shimizu."

Pouting at his unwillingness to believe me...to believe the lie I was blatantly telling myself, I crossed my arms and pouted.

'Why am I still trying to fool people? It's clear to anyone who pays attention that there's chemistry between Katsuki and I? Do I do it because of Toya? I mean, I guess it is sorta like cheating...' I felt like curling in on myself and my mouth became sour, 'Cheating is the least of my worries when it comes to Toya. Not only does his family and my family have beef, not only is he a villain, not only have I been playin' his youngest brother for a fool...but I'm literally a minor, too. I suppose my word against the court is totally bogus; if anything, the judge would consider this exploitation, contact with a minor, grooming...and maybe even Stockholm syndrome.'

I cringed at the multiple crimes Toya is committing despite having pure intentions...or at least to me, his intentions are pure. Dad never told me how he felt about the entire situation; that scares me because I don't know how he operates or how he reacts to news he wouldn't like. I'm at a disadvantage there so maybe I should avoid the subject with him...but he has a right to know what's occurred between "Dabi" and his daughter.

'I wonder if Dad hates him...I wouldn't be surprised if he did, or felt bittersweet about the situation. Having your opp's son...both of his sons...being interested in your daughter is some wild shit and could turn ugly.' I sighed aloud, 'Well, at least I know he likes Katsuki.'

"Hello? Shimizu?"

I looked at Kendo, then to Komori who was nodding her head off in a different direction up ahead. I saw Kirishima waving at us...or maybe the still bickering boys trailing us since our class was further ahead.

"What?"

"Kirishima's calling you," Komori answered, revealing her mischief-filled star-struck eyes. "That milkshake is bringing all the boys-"

"Please, stop," I grumbled, leaving her giggling, and Kendo reprimanding her as I made my way over to Kirishima who was standing just outside of 1-A's classroom.

"Hey, I've been wanting to talk to you for a while."

Suddenly, I felt awkward. My body was tense and I didn't know how to feel considering our last interaction was when I was a retrograde child. I do cherish the bear Kirishima gave me, I even use it as a sleeping pillow. I wanted to thank him as I am now, but I never thought about so now that I have the chance...I can. I'm a little nervous, considering I don't regularly speak with anyone at Yuuei aside from Kendo, Komori, Monoma, Auntie, Shoto, Izuku, and Katsuki.

"Uh...what's up?"

"Did you see the giant teddy bear?"

I nodded.

"Do you like it?'

I nodded again in confirmation.

"Good, I'm glad," he smiled at me...nearly blinding me like Izuku's smile. "You may not remember, but I couldn't help wonder if you recall speaking to me a couple nights ago."

I nodded.

"You were going to ask me something. Do you happen to remember what you were gonna say?"

I nodded.

He chuckled at my...timidness, "Are you gonna tell me what you were going to say?"

I nodded frantically, "Um...so...what I was gonna ask you..." I waved my hands dismissively, feeling myself overwhelmed, "I-It...it wasn't anything important or life-threatening. Uh, you can just forget about it."

He lifted himself on the tips of his toes in joy, "Now I really wanna know! It can't be anything embarrassing!"

"Yeah...it can't be anything embarrassing...right, Fox?"

Kirishima's eyes moved from mine to the figure standing right behind me, lighting up at the person who was hovering over me. He felt way too close for comfort.

"Oh, mornin', Bakugo!"

"Mm," Katsuki huffed. "Don't let me interrupt your conversation."

"Right." Kirishima returned his attention to me, "What were you saying, Shimizu?"

"S-So I was wondering...if you...would like to maybe...become friends?"

Kirishima blinked owlishly at me, "...oh..."

I couldn't stop the pout from forming on my face, 'Leave it to Izuku with this friendship shit. I'm not good at this! Look at how awkwardly I said that, and look at Kirishima's face! He's definitely gonna say "no"! The nerve of me! What student here would wanna be friends with me after all that has happened?! Some kids tried to bully me this morning! If it weren't for that general class boy, I would've gotten more taunts and stares!'

"I-..." I couldn't face him anymore after he didn't immediately respond, I felt embarrassed for the first time in a long time. "I completely understand if you don't want to. After all that's happened...I understand why; I'm...a little crazy and a...potential criminal."

Kirishima looked surprised, then shook his head in what I assumed was agreement, "Wait, no, that's-"

"Tch, oi, Kirishima-"

"Awww, she's so sweeeet! Be her friend, Kirishima!" Ashido came up from behind him and assumed she was eavesdropping.

I kept my eyes on the floor, embarrassed by the two people listening in to a conversation that was only meant for two.

"I don't know why you even decided to ask me that. You became my friend the moment Bakugo introduced you. Yeah, we're in separate classes, but that doesn't mean anything. Any friend of Bakugo's is a friend of mine, and...I'm the one who thought you wouldn't wanna be my friend since everyone made you out to be a "out of your league" kinda person."

I looked up from the gray floor at his cheesing smile. He looked happy that I even approached him.

I smacked my hands over my face, still overwhelmed by the situation.

"Wha—Look at what you did, Kirishima! You made the poor girl cry!" Ashido complained.

"C-Cry? I'm sorry! I didn't mean to! I thought you-"

"I'm not. I'm not...crying. I'm just...really happy," I admitted all the while covering up the smile that refused to stop tugging at the corners of my lips. "I'm a little embarrased and...I get this goofy look on my face when I'm happy."

'Yes! More sympathy points!'

"Don't be ashamed to show your face when you're happy!" Ashido cheered.

"Hold on," I gasped, remembering the no longer menacing presence behind me. I dropped my hands and nodded my head behind me, "You didn't agree because...you were being pressed, right?"

I heard an audible grunt behind me. Katsuki didn't sound entirely displeased with my phrasing...was he trying to help me by forcing Kirishima to become my friend? If that's the case, he's...getting soft around me, and comfortable enough to be showing this side in front of his friends-...acquaintances.

"Hm...? Oh, haha, nah! Bakugo's an okay guy. He isn't all that scary once you get to know him," Kirishima easily brushed off with a chuckle. "But I'm sure you already know that."

A sigh of relief left me, "Thank goodness."

"Hey, Shimizu! Class is starting soon! Wrap it up!" Kendo called, waving her hand over as she walked ahead, Komori trailing behind her with an impish face.

"On the way," I called back before returning my attention to Kirishima and Ashido. "Thanks for accepting. It means...a lot to me. I...I'm not good at making friends; it's usually people who reached out to me..."

"No problem!" he beamed with a mouth full of sharp teeth.

'Why does everyone here got a blinding smile?! I understand Mister All-Might teaches here, but damn!'

I looked at Ashido, "That request also extends to you."

"Already accepted! We should meet at lunch! I wanna get to know you more, Shimizu! I like weird girlies, in a good way, of course," she whined in a friendly manner.

"O-Okay, it's nice meeting you both...again," I added, then bowed my head and spun on my heels to walk to my class.

I only got three steps away before I felt a hand grasp my wrist. It wasn't threatening or harsh, but I read it as a concerned one...bordering on curious.

"Wait fo me after class. We need to talk about last night."

My first instinct was to whip around and tell him to let me go, but I didn't want to turn around to look at his expression...I couldn't face him after what I did with Toya, not after the advice Komori gave me earlier.

I swallowed and put my pride aside, "...okay," I meekly agreed.

Katsuki let me go and I flocked over to a confused Kendo and a smug Komori.

"So...a lover's quarrel?"

"Be quiet, Komori," I hugged and she giggled like an insane maniac, confusing Kendo even more.

I wasn't out of earshot from the trio so I heard the remnants of whatever conversation they were having.

"Now that I think about it...after Todoroki returned last night, you didn't come back into dorm after him. It was late and we all ended up turning in. Where were you and Shimizu?"

"Don't tell me...were you and Shimizu...doing something you both shouldn't have?" Ashido asked with a hinting lilt.

"Bakugo, I didn't take you for the kind of guy to be making moves on the "Princess of 1-B," Sero chuckled. "I guess Shimizu is your kinda gal: strong, smart, top of her class, and a lil' threatening. Secure the bag, my guy."

"All of you get on my damn nerves," Katsuki grumbled, audibly pushing past his teasing classmates to get into the classroom.

'None of his classmates saw him because Auntie interfered with his memory, thankfully, and I returned him to his room. It makes sense that they'll make assumptions like that...'

---

A/N

I'm sad to say that I accidentally deleted my helpful notes so I don't have anything to post here, but I will go back to recover as much as I can find throughout my story so I can give context. Unfortunately, I also had to cut this chapter short, too, because I accidentally deleted content that was supposed to go in this chapter! I even took time to write at my job! I worked so hard on it, too! ToT

I wanted this chapter to have a perfect transition...but I want to get this chapter updated to the story because I feel bad for feeding my readers breadcrumbs. I like to post double updates and write more than 10,000 words for my chapters, but no more than 20,000. Though this chapter has...19,799 words, I still had more content to add! I'm such a human... T-T Anyways, chapter 21 may take some time to complete...probably even go into next year. I'm sorry for my mistake. I'm strongly leaning toward rewriting my deleted content and adding it to this chapter to repost later.

On a different note, if you wanted to know my thoughts on this chapter...it was a lot to write, rewrite, rephrase, and re-everything because I had to separate the knowledge from Kamilah's regression state from her normal state. I had more content on her persona, Rui Ramzi, but I cut it because I thought it was overbearing and corny so I switched that out with Izuku's thoughts on Kamilah's persona. Addressing Katsuki and Kamilah's "relationship", don't worry, prepare yourselves for chapter 23! As for that steamy scene with Toya, I figured out a long time ago that I'm not good with those kinds of scenes...Luckily, I read that s**t is not allowed on FFN so I'm thankful for that, and I feel it would pressure me to write it out if there wasn't a restriction. Shout out to the writers who don't get second-hand embarrassment while writing lemons! The most you'll get out of me is a lime, lol.