~Flashback to a week ago~
When that scream had torn through the air Tomura Shigaraki felt his heart drop "KUROGIRI, we need to retreat now" he demanded, infuriated, he'd explicitly told the thugs he'd brought not to harm the students, rough them up sure, but not hurt before All Might got there.
Kurogiri was at his side in a second, calling off the Nomu that had Eraserhead pinned down and retreating through the warp gate back to base "Tomura Shigaraki why did we back off, All Might was surely on his way, we could have ended the symbol of peace" Kurogiri frowned.
"Because none of the students were supposed to get hurt, those were my instructions and those idiots failed apparently" Tomura snapped, clearly agitated as they waited to see what the news would post about the incident, he was watching closely when two boys exited Unforeseen Simulation Joint.
On one of their backs was a girl and she was carefully placed in one of the ambulance's that had arrived on scene "Do you want me to gather information on the girl" Kurogiri inquired, having seen the damage to the pinkette's back, it had looked terrible.
Tomura nodded "I want everything about her, right down to where she lives understand, we may be villains but I have a moral code and it's that we don't involve children, whoever she is, didn't deserve to have that happen to her" he growled.
Next time he'd make his instructions clearer, those kids were not to be touched in any capacity "Here her name is Rinne Kuroyami and she lives...on the other side of town" Kurogiri finally turned his gaze away from his computer where he'd been digging up information on the young UA student.
"Good I'm going out" Tomura snatched the address already written on a piece of paper for him and took off, pulling his hood up over his face as to not be recognized, and quickly made his way to the residence of Rinne Kuroyami, though when he did get there, he was sorely disappointed.
And for the next three days he visited the place, scoping out the surroundings while trying not to lose his patience until finally a car pulled up outside of the complex, though when Present Mic exited the vehicle, he had to hide as the man headed up the steps, pulling a key from his pocket to unlock the door to Rinne's apartment.
He was really about to throw a tantrum before he noticed someone sitting in the passenger side of Present Mic's vehicle, it was her, the girl and it was obvious she was still recovering from the incident, "Don't worry, next time not one student will get hurt" Shigaraki promised.
Deciding against talking to her for the time being when it was clear that Rinne wasn't being allowed to stay in her own place because of her injuries and he watched Present Mic place a box of belongings in his car before driving off, most likely to his own residence.
Prompting him to return to base and begin devising a new plan to kill All Might while gathering new allies to help and making damn sure they would listen by terrifying the shit out of the thugs Kurogiri brought to him, before he knew it a week had gone by.
~End Flashback~
"You really sure about this Kuroyami" Hizashi sighed, trying more to convince himself rather than her when Rinne nodded quietly as he drove her back to her apartment Sunday afternoon, where she'd stay for the night and the weekend stays would start up the following weekend.
Hizashi grumbled mostly to himself but parked outside of the complex Rinne lived in "T..Thank you Yamada-sensei I'll see you tomorrow for class" Rinne waved upon exiting the car, her box of things perched carefully in her arms, he smiled then and watched until she reached her door and disappeared inside before leaving.
Mind split in two and at war with one another because while he was proud of how independent Rinne was, he, truly wanted her to stay with him but again she wasn't ready and wouldn't be for a while yet as he drove home to his empty house and got to work on grading some neglected assignments.
During this time Rinne had quite happily put her things away and begun tapping away on her phone ~I'm home now~ she sent this to both Hitoshi and Fumikage, the former of the two responding a couple of seconds after Fumikage had.
~That's great/Good to hear, will you be attending class tomorrow~ and she let a small smile form on her lips before responding ~Do you need help with anything/My parents are shooing me out the door can I come hang~ were the next texts from her two friends.
~Probably a bit of grocery shopping, I was told not to strain my back until my wings and feathers are all regrown/Of course you can Fumi~ Rinne explained, hurrying to unlock her door for when the boys arrived, maybe she'd even pick up an extra chair for her table.
Because she didn't think she'd be able to get up off the floor without help right now ~Heading now~ came the third text from both Hitoshi and Fumikage, Rinne knew it wouldn't be long before they showed up, so she made sure to grab her bag and wallet.
Fifteen minutes later there was a quick knock on her front door and Hitoshi let himself in "Fumikage's not here yet, wait here he comes up the street now" Hitoshi remarked in surprise, before noticing the bird-headed boy hurrying towards the apartment from the other side of the road.
It took him an extra couple of minutes but soon Fumikage was ducking into the apartment as well "Looks like you're ready...shall we go shopping then" Fumikage commented, giving Rinne a quick look over and he felt relief fill him she was healing nicely.
Rinne smiled brightly and took the proffered hands while Hitoshi locked the door behind them "So can we ask, what was it like staying with Yamada-sensei the past few days" Hitoshi prodded suddenly, she hadn't really said much at all about the arrangement so he was kind of dying of curiosity.
And it looked like he wasn't the only one wanting to know as Dark Shadow popped out whining about it as well "Hush Dark Shadow don't be so impatient" Fumikage chastised his quirk, even as Rinne reached over and pat the sentient quirk on the head.
Causing it to preen under her attention "Yamada-sensei was really nice...the first night when I had a nightmare, he told me to repeat I will not dream of bunnies and since then I haven't had another, oddly enough though I somehow end up dreaming about rabbits anyway so it is a bit weird" Rinne murmured.
Not as quietly as usual thankfully but it was still a work in progress "Really, it's good though, maybe as a form of distraction for the mind I guess, if you're thinking about something, then it's bound to pop up in your dreams" Hitoshi remarked, understanding the reasoning behind the odd mantra.
"Oh, that does make more sense doesn't it Hitoshi" Rinne blinked as if just realizing it for herself the truth behind the chant she'd been instructed to repeat on the daily and then constantly dreaming of rabbits, Hitoshi chuckled, squeezing her hand gently in response.
Fumikage doing the same on her other side "So do you know what you'll be getting today, you mentioned groceries but I have no idea what you like to eat" Fumikage inquired, though it didn't seem like Hitoshi really knew her favorite foods either so they were in the same boat.
"W..Well I'm not that great of a cook yet, so I get simple stuff like eggs and bread, I can also do some pasta, along with lunch meat and cheese, other than that my skill is pretty basic, even though I practice...and I also thought we could stop and get an extra chair for my table" Rinne confessed softly.
Not sure if either of her friends wanted to cart a chair back to her apartment "Then that's what we'll do" Hitoshi nodded, all three of them unaware of someone spying on them as they shopped for groceries, even bought a chair to take back to the apartment because he did understand Rinne's reason behind wanting a third.
Before the group headed back "Did you order anything Rinne" Fumikage was the first one to notice the box sat in front of his friend's place but she was quick to shake her head looking confused, then worried when she saw that there was no name on it to indicate who it had come from.
"Could i..it be dangerous you think" Rinne asked quietly, hiding behind Hitoshi as Fumikage had Dark Shadow open the box away from them, Tomura clicked his tongue angrily, unsettled by the fact that someone else was opening his gift to the kid.
Though he supposed if he had a strange box appear on his stoop, he'd be wary to "Whoa seriously isn't that the new gaming system PS5 and a whole bunch of games" one of the boys, the one with purple hair exclaimed loudly, while Rinne just looked confused.
"I.. I don't understand, wh..what's a PS5 Hitoshi" the girl frowned poking the device carefully with her finger, now that she knew it was somewhat safe and he strained his ears to hear her, though Tomura did realize that maybe the gaming console hadn't exactly been a good idea.
After he heard the bird-headed boy point out the fact that she didn't even have a tv to hook it up to "But basically it's a gaming console, you play games on it, like these" Fumikage explained, holding up the games for Rinne to see, games that especially catered to girls weirdly enough.
Rinne blinked in confusion a second time, but he had to miss the rest of the conversation when Kurogiri warped him back to base "What Kurogiri" Tomura snapped at his caretaker, still a little pissed for screwing up what was supposed to have been a nice gesture of good will on his part, all because the kid didn't have a television.
"Did the girl like it or not Tomura Shigaraki, that console and those games were expensive, she better have been appreciative" Kurogiri inquired, having been drawn in to keeping an eye out for the girl now that she was back in her apartment.
His charge glared at him "She didn't even know what it was, what kid doesn't know what a PlayStation is and what kid doesn't own a damn tv to watch shit on" Tomura grumbled, frustrated as he threw himself down in a seat at the bar, wondering what to do next.
Meanwhile despite the oddity of her expensive package, still not sure what she should do with it yet, Rinne was happy to spend the rest of the afternoon with her two friends as they helped her put away groceries and hang out around her kitchen table until they had to leave for the night.
Just as she was trying to relax in bed, nerves creeping in on her as she realized why Yamada-sensei had asked her repeatedly if she was sure about coming back to her apartment, her phone went off and she snatched it off her bedside table recognizing the ringtone "Yamada-sensei" Rinne breathed.
"Hey little listener, I figured I'd give you a call, see how you were settling back in to your place" Hizashi greeted, unable to resist checking in on the girl who hiccupped softly and admitted that she was scared, it was different being on her own "Just remember I will not dream of bunnies" he soothed.
Listening as she repeated the bedtime ritual "Um Yamada-sensei, wh..when Hitoshi, Fumikage and I got back from grocery shopping there was a package on my doorstep, Hitoshi said it was a gaming console called a PlayStation, b..but I didn't order it" Rinne explained suddenly.
Alarming him instantly, "Was there any name on the package to indicate who it could have come from" Present Mic questioned, alert now, were her parents try to get in contact and thought the only way to do so was through expensive gifts, it seemed unlikely but he couldn't rule out the possibility unfortunately.
"No, it was in a brown box and it came with a few games that Fumikage said girls my age like, it's still in the box since I don't have anything to play it on" Rinne shook her head, despite the fact that he couldn't see her do so, making him chuckle.
It almost sounded like she was pouting to him "Listen okay, don't do anything with it yet, I'll come pick it up tomorrow after classes and make sure it's not some bomb set to go off, but and I don't want to alarm you, it could also be from your parent's little listener, do you think this is something they would do" Hizashi asked.
Figuring if the console hadn't been tampered with, he could lend his spare tv to the girl so she'd have something to do with her friends when they visited "Maybe...I don't know for sure" Rinne frowned, he could practically hear it, he had to hang up eventually though.
Only after making sure, she remembered the instruction of her bedtime ritual and again for the fourth night in a row Rinne dreamt of rabbits, nerves having been settled after her conversation with Yamada-sensei that she was able to wake up early, take a quick shower, change into her uniform, then make breakfast and lunch for herself.
Though upon exiting her apartment she almost bumped into someone, and she yelped in surprise "I..I'm so...sor..sorry" Rinne trembled, nerves and panic threatening to consume her as the stranger regarded her carefully with his red eyes.
Shigaraki knew he shouldn't be here but he also knew this was probably his only chance to speak to the girl alone "Have a bit of time, you can call me Tenko" Tomura requested pointing his finger at the apartment door and using his real name so the kid had something to call him by.
Rinne looked up at him fearfully instead, eyes going so wide that he could see the whites of her irises "Hey relax, we don't even have to go in" he hurriedly assured, of course she'd be wary after what had happened, never knowing this was just Rinne's typical response to strangers.
"Wh..What did you w..want to talk about" Rinne managed to ask when he just stood there, hoping Hitoshi or someone would show up and rescue her from this situation, but that hope died as she realized exactly how early it was before she had to show up for school.
It meant she would have to endure another half an hour without help "Just a friendly chat alright, heard on the news about the USJ, you were one of the students that got hurt right, what happened" Tomura prodded carefully, keeping track of his surroundings just in case.
Pleased when the kid relaxed a little "Fire, my wings got burned" Rinne answered, nodding towards her wings that were still in the process of growing new feathers, it still hurt a lot if she was being honest, but as long as no one touched the sensitive appendages, she'd be alright.
Tomura winced inwardly at the sight of the damaged wings "So how did you like my surprise gift, it was a friendly neighborhood thing where you had to leave a gift for a stranger" he prodded, deciding to think about that later when it was clear the girl didn't really want to talk about what had happened.
Her wings perked up somewhat at his next comment even though he'd been lying through his teeth about the reason he'd actually gifted her the console "T..To be honest I have no idea what do to with it, I..I've never played games before nor was I allowed to watch tv so" Rinne looked down.
Almost like she was ashamed of herself for not being a normal teenage kid "B..But it is nice to know that it wasn't from my parents like Yamada-sensei thought it was" she admitted quietly and he furrowed his brows in confusion because that was a whole other line of questioning, he now wanted to ask her.
But it looks like his time was up when her phone chimed "Well it was nice chatting, we'll have to do it again, see ya kid" Tomura quickly took his leave, a mere minute before Hitoshi showed up so that they could go to school together, imagine Rinne's surprise when Fumikage met them at the bus stop as well.
"Ready, everyone in class is waiting for you Rinne" Fumikage held out his hand, knowing she doubted his words a little given how Uraraka had treated her "I know, it's hard to believe but Uraraka feels bad for how she's been acting towards you, you'll just have to see it" he admitted.
Giving her hand an encouraging squeeze as they settled on a seat, buffering her between him and Hitoshi "Yeah" who chose that moment to chime in, putting his phone away at last "Though if I hear Monoma Neito from 1-B rant about you guys getting lucky and facing real villains one more time, I'm going to punch him" he grumbled.
Startling a laugh out of Rinne "H..How's Aizawa-sensei, is he still wearing the casts on his arms" Rinne questioned, feeling brave as she laid her head on Hitoshi's shoulder, absentmindedly petting Dark Shadow as the sentient quirk squirmed beneath her hand.
"You don't have to worry Rinne, he's still his same old grumpy self, terrorizing his students I believe, right Fumikage" Hitoshi snorted softly, glad that his friend seemed to be doing well today when she giggled quietly, especially after Fumikage had nodded in agreement.
Eventually the bus came to a stop and the odd trio of friends exited the bus, beginning the long trek up to their school "Hey look it's Shirakumo-sensei" Fumikage pointed out, seeing the man stood in the door way watching them approach and he remembered that the last time the pro had seen Rinne was in the hospital.
When her wings had started regrowing and she'd had to be sedated "Kuroyami it's good to have you back" Oboro waved, satiating his desire to see her doing alright before opening the door and letting the kids duck in so they could head to class.
"Looks like we have to part ways now" Hitoshi remarked when his 1-A buddies stopped in front of their classroom Rinne reluctantly letting his hand go as he headed for his own class, smiling as a round of welcome backs erupted from the rest of class 1-A.
Probably startling his friend, he was right because as soon as she and Fumikage had walked through the door, everyone had surrounded her "This is exactly what I told you not to do" Tokoyami sighed when she flinched back into him, eyes rounded with fright.
"Come on surely your parents have thrown you a surprise birthday party right, you don't freak out over those do you" Kyoka Jiro remarked, though when Rinne's expression turned to one of confusion, she couldn't help but frown while Tokoyami winced.
Yeah, their avian-like classmate definitely knew something they didn't "Never mind all that, here, sorry about that stuff before" Uraraka pushed her way forward, more like she was given a nudge by Tsuyu as she held out a small wrapped gift, they'd all gotten to give to Kuroyami.
Rinne blinked but accepted the package and carefully opened it to reveal a keychain of pink wings to put on her phone "O..Oh um thank you Uraraka-san" the pinkette stuttered softly, a little overwhelmed until Fumikage pressed his hand to her shoulder.
Allowing her to graciously accept her little gift from her classmates "So we never did get an answer for that comment Aizawa-sensei made on the first day, what are you doing with Recovery Girl, Kuroyami" Ojiro Mashirao said suddenly.
Obviously not having forgotten, jade met crimson before Fumikage nodded encouragingly "Recovery Girl t..took me as an apprentice because of my voice activated quirk t...that can be used for healing" Rinne explained quietly, not realizing that the only one in her class besides Aizawa-sensei to know about her second quirk was Fumikage.
When everyone exploded in excitement "Settle down class, yes we're glad Kuroyami's back but I have some important news" just then the door slid open before Rinne could descend into a panic as Tokoyami helped her to her seat and took his own next to her.
Though it was clear his students wanted to question the poor girl, he wasn't about to let them scare her as he cleared his throat to gain their attention "Important news sensei" Mina Ashido raised her hand, eyeing Rinne out of the corner of her eye as she huddled safely in the corner blocked or rather protected by Tokoyami.
"UA's sports festival is in two weeks" Aizawa-sensei informed, and he caught Rinne sighing in relief when her classmates latched on to the news with the same amount of excitement as a few minutes ago, before moving on to homeroom "And dismissed" he declared when class ended.
"Except for Kuroyami" Shota informed, watching the panic fly across her face as everyone shuffled out of the room, leaving her alone "You're not in trouble, I just wanted to let you know if you're not feeling up to it, you can sit out this sports festival" Aizawa explained.
Letting her fidget awkwardly in front of his desk for a minute before letting her know what was up, Hizashi had practically begged him to give Rinne the choice of participation "Okay...I'll l..let you know sensei" Rinne assured, hoping to get some information out of her two friends about what exactly the sports festival was.
Imagine her surprise when upon exiting the classroom Katsuki Bakugo was stood across the hall and hearing the door open and shut his head snapped up red locked with green "Kuroyami" Bakugo nodded, eyes narrowing when she flinched.
Just like in the classroom "Should have listened to Tokoyami when he warned everyone not to startle you like that, so I'm sorry" he tilted his head in apology, after working up the courage to say what was on his mind to the girl who stared at him with wide eyes.
"B..Bakugo-san wh..why are you apologizing, you di..didn't do anything wrong" Rinne was quick to assure, not sure what to think as she saw a different side to her brash and foul-mouthed classmate, he grumbled a bit, not really giving her a definitive answer before Fumikage showed up with Hitoshi in tow.
The both of them whisking her away for lunch "Hey that's new, did you try out a new recipe Rinne" Hitoshi commented, seeing something different in her bento, rather than what she usually ate, glad to get back to their usual routine of eating lunch together.
"Mhm I had a bit of extra time this morning so I tried something new, I kind of burnt it, but I'll keep practicing" Rinne smiled brightly, eating her food without complaint, unaware that the three of them were being watched by at least half of class 1-A.
They watched as Rinne engaged in conversation with the two boys on either side of her in a completely relaxed manner and resolved to do better so that someday their classmate wouldn't jump at the mere sight of them or freak out when they tried to surprise her with something good.
"Will you be participating in the Sports Festival Rinne" Fumikage asked then and they leaned forward wanting to hear the answer as well, Rinne worried her lip, considering the question honestly before shrugging after a minute, not entirely sure at the moment if she wanted to.
"B..Besides my feathers are still g..growing in Fumi, I don't know if I'll be able to use my wings two weeks from now, the doctors said it could take a whole month or possibly longer, plus I have no idea wh..why the sports festival is so important" Rinne reminded.
Confusing those listening, because what self-respecting future hero didn't know about how important the festival was "Makes sense, okay remember when I said that I'd have a chance to get in the hero-course, well the sports festival is how, each year competes and if I reach the third round, a teacher could choose to transfer me" Hitoshi nodded.
After Rinne had nodded "Right you aren't from here" Fumikage wanted to smack himself in remembrance as well, having been just as confused as those eavesdropping on their conversation "Also, it gets you noticed by pro's when we do work-studies and get to intern at an agency" he added.
"Oh" she hummed softly, polishing off the rest of her lunch, something that pleased Hitoshi immensely because he was use to Rinne barely finishing half of her meal "Maybe I will give it a try" Rinne offered, kind of feeling excited now, the sports festival was her chance to get noticed and become an amazing pro-hero in the future.
Less than a second later Hitoshi sighed when Rinne put her hand down on the grass and let out a yelp jerking her hand up to her chest and hugging it "Accident prone" he rolled his eyes lightly, taking the injured appendage carefully in his own to see a bee stinger embedded in her palm.
Realizing this was her chance to hopefully get on friendly terms with her classmate Momo Yaoyorozu rushed forward with a pair of tweezers, ignoring the frustrated expressions on the other's faces "Here, you can use these, do you also need a bandage Kuroyami" Momo asked.
Prepared to create anything else that was needed " I'm okay thank you" Rinne shook her head, actually meaning it this time, before wincing as the stinger was removed and Fumikage poured a little water on the spot to disinfect it.
Oboro who'd been watching to ensure Rinne was transitioning comfortably back into daily school life, chuckled under his breath, glad to see the girl branching out a little and talking to others in her class, rather than sticking solely to Hitoshi and Fumikage.
Even Uraraka appeared to have changed her tune about Rinne which was good, because they'd been seriously considering therapy with Hound Dog "So...what else can your other quirk do" Momo asked, sitting down with the odd trio, while making sure not to crowd Rinne at the same time.
"You m...mean my voice activated qu..quirk, nothing re..really I just sing or hum and it speeds u..up a person's regeneration a bit, ki..kind of like Recovery Girl" Rinne answered softly, though she noticed Fumikage's expression a moment later.
After he'd opened his mouth "Actually, I think you can put people to sleep to Rinne, when you scream, those villains were knocked out somehow and the only thing I could think of was your quirk did that" Tokoyami admitted, watching her green eyes widen.
Before rubbing her throat "We..Weird but I don't th..think I want to go around actively scre..screaming at people to test that the..theory" Rinne admitted, she already had a hard time as it was speaking, she didn't want to blow out her vocal cords and never be able to speak or sing again.
Singing was her favorite past-time, it was also how she'd discovered her second quirk, after her parents had beaten her for something she couldn't quite remember, she had started humming quietly, not wanting to bring them back into her room and the pain had slowly begun to fade.
Though she never had told her parents about it, her healing quirk was special "Hey so it's obvious you three are pretty good friends, can I ask how you two met and move on to how Tokoyami joined the two of you" Momo prodded gently.
Not wanting to make it obvious that she was prying "I met Rinne first, a year ago when she arrived in Japan, then we met again during the entrance exam and built up a friendship from there" Hitoshi relented and answered the question that had been asked when Yaoyorozu stared at him hopefully.
It was better to get along when, not if, he joined class 1-A as a hero course student "Wait you're not from Japan" Momo blinked "You speak the language well then if that's the case" she remarked in surprise, shooting a wide-eyed look to those still eavesdropping.
"Had a good teacher, she..she got me all set up here in Musustafu, even got me a part-time job that I still have" Rinne smiled, Hitoshi smirking into his hand as Yaoyorozu gaped, probably having never seen Rinne smile, let alone speak in class until today.
"As for me, our friendship kind of came out of left field to be honest, I distracted her a few weeks ago, and she ran into Shirakumo-sensei, got a bit of a bloody nose from it, before I decided that I was going to befriend Rinne to make up for it" Tokoyami admitted.
Ochako wincing as she realized what day he was talking about before Izuku pat her shoulder gently in comfort, Rinne obviously hadn't held it against her and she was going to do better moving forward so there was no reason to dwell on it any longer.
Just then the bell rang signaling the end of lunch and they all hurried inside "Have fun learning from Recovery Girl" Hitoshi waved, knowing he wouldn't see her until they met up at the bus stop later, Rinne waved back and managed to get through the rest of the day with a smile on her face.
Until Chiyo excused her and reminiscent of earlier in the day when Bakugo had met her outside of the classroom, she exited the medical ward of UA to come face to face with Ojiro, before he could speak however Hizashi showed up and interrupted him "Kuroyami everything alright" Present Mic questioned.
Eyeing the younger blonde "Yeah...just wanted to see if Kuroyami wanted to hang out, Tokoyami and Shinso are welcome to join" Ojiro rubbed the back of his neck, cheeks turning pink, wondering what they could even do, Kuroyami was a girl after all, surely she had girly activities she did.
Hizashi raised a pale brow, then looked to his ward "We..Well I don't have to go back to work at my part-time job until next week, so I...I'd like to you know hang out" Rinne explained, looking more than a little nervous, but he knew she was happy, if the way her feathers fluffed up indicated anything.
Ojiro released the breath he'd been holding the moment he'd asked when Rinne accepted his request "Come on, uh do you know their number, they might have already gone home by now though" Ojiro grinned, gesturing for her to follow him from school grounds and down to the bus stop.
Not expecting Yamada-sensei to tag-along "A..Ah nearly forgot, um well when I left this morning I met this person, he said his name was Tenko, the PlayStation was some kind of neighborhood gift for a stranger project or something" Rinne exclaimed suddenly.
Though still managing to speak quietly "You have a PS, which one, I recently upgraded to the fifth in the series, but those things are expensive, and why'd this Tenko guy choose a PlayStation as his gift" Ojiro remarked, a little surprised, Kuroyami didn't look like the type to play videos games really.
Just as she shrugged in answer "It's the fifth one though, but I don't have a tv so..." Rinne trailed off, trying not to think about her awful childhood of never being allowed to watch tv or do anything other than read, it's why she'd been able to catch on quickly to everything so far.
"Don't worry about it Kuroyami, now I'm sure those two are waiting for you, go" Hizashi shooed the duo off, glad that he didn't have to worry about the PS5 being a bomb now that he knew where it had come from, which meant his next objective was to gift his ward his spare television.
Meanwhile Rinne and Ojiro had reached the bottom of the hill, where Hitoshi and Fumikage waited patiently "I see we have an extra today" Hitoshi smirked, Rinne really needed more friends than just him and Tokoyami after all, he knew underneath that shy and terrified demeanor, she could be a social butterfly.
"Relax Mashirao, that's just his way, don't take it personally" Fumikage intervened when Ojiro frowned, used to the little jokes and jabs after a month of friendship as the four of them got on the bus and rode back to Rinne's apartment in comfortable silence.
Imagine their surprise by the time the bus did stop, Rinne was fast asleep on Hitoshi's shoulder, even drooling a bit to the boy's slight disgust "Are you going to wake her" Ojiro commented, when neither Shinso or Tokoyami moved to wake Kuroyami up.
"Would you like to provide assistance Dark Shadow" Fumikage asked his quirk, who went to work gently nudging Rinne awake, who blinked tiredly for a moment before remembering where she was "It's alright you just dozed off a bit" he soothed, holding out a hand to help her up.
"So, what do you guys typically do when you hang out with one another" Ojiro asked, more than a little concerned when no one greeted Rinne upon entering the apartment, in fact after being given a tour, he realized she was the only one that lived there.
"Basically, homework if we have it, Rinne's pretty smart if you're lost or struggling with a subject" Hitoshi answered succinctly, seeing the questions on the blondes face and subtly shaking his head, indicating now was not a good time to ask, more specifically don't ask at all in front of Rinne.
"Cool, I guess getting that out of the way first is pretty important, don't want it to get too late and realize that we haven't done it at all I suppose" Ojiro relented to the unspoken request not to ask, joining the trio of friends on the wood floor that was considered Kuroyami's living room.
And cracking open his english homework from Yamada-sensei, Rinne proving to be as smart as Hitoshi said she was when he got confused and she helped him without batting an eye, what she didn't do however was give them the answers outright.
So, in that manner half an hour had passed before all homework was considered complete before Rinne shuffled off to the bathroom "Go ahead and ask, but do it quickly" Hitoshi spoke mere seconds after her disappearance from the living room, having had to help her up from the floor.
Ojiro didn't hold back "Where are her parents, why is she living alone, doesn't Kuroyami have someone to take care of her, don't think I didn't notice you had to help her up, if she's still struggling, she shouldn't be alone" he rushed out, not wanting to be caught talking about this in front of her.
"First Mashirao, her parents pretty much abandoned her here in Japan, sent her abroad with only enough money to get through the first month and she does have a legal guardian it's Yamada-sensei, that's who she stayed with for the first few days after being released from the hospital" Fumikage explained.
Causing his classmate to pale "Abandoned...is that why she flinches when someone reaches out to her and always looks so afraid when people crowd her" Ojiro frowned deeply, understanding Kuroyami's situation quickly making a lot of things make more sense unfortunately.
Her parents had abused her to that point for what, Kuroyami was nice so far "Got it in one and shit, Rinne, I have to get going now, sorry" Hitoshi cursed, hearing his phone chime, it was his foster parents demanding him to return home, just as Rinne exited her bathroom.
"Be safe Hitoshi and like you always say you don't have to apologize" Rinne smiled softly, eyes bright and wings perked upright as the friends shared a quick hug before Hitoshi shoved his shoes on and bolted out the door, the next to leave was Fumikage half an hour later.
Leaving Rinne with just Ojiro, "I... uh have a board game if you want to play" she fidgeted feeling awkward without her ever-present companions, he smiled then in a reassuring manner, though Ojiro certainly wasn't expecting a competitive streak to emerge in Kuroyami.
When she beat him 4 out of the five games they played "Well, you keep on surprising me Kur...Rinne, I have to admit my pride does smart a tad after you smashed me back there" Ojiro scratched his cheek sheepishly, paying close attention when her eyes lit up after calling her by her first name rather than her last name.
Just then there was a knock on the door and the smile she'd been wearing for the last twenty minutes dropped as panic flashed across her face until "Kuroyami it's Yamada, come get the door" Hizashi called from the other side of her door and Rinne rapidly calmed down in response.
"There you are...oh I didn't expect Mashirao-kun to still be here" Present Mic remarked, spotting the blonde seated at the small kitchen table, looks like Rinne had one more person she could call a friend as he fully entered the apartment.
"Yes, but I suppose I should get going now, see you tomorrow Ku...Rinne" Ojiro stood, figuring he'd imposed long enough without Tokoyami or Shinso around, Rinne saw him to the door and waved until he was out of sight before turning her gaze back onto Hizashi.
"Did you have fun little listener" Hizashi chuckled, glad that the girl was finally branching out, when she nodded eagerly "Good, cause I have a surprise for you...so I had a tv that I don't really use anymore, it's kind of old, but you should still be able to hook up that PS5 you have to it" he informed.
Watching the kid come to life, either she'd really missed having a television or...before he could even think it "Really Yamada-sensei, I was never allowed to watch tv before" Rinne squealed softly, a sound he wasn't quite use to hearing from her interrupted him mid-thought.
But the truth wasn't any better if he was being honest, he wished he didn't know "Well you can now, this place comes with some free channels I believe and I gave you my old video player to watch movies" Hizashi declared, wanting to make sure Rinne had everything she didn't get before.
Heading out to bring everything in, Rinne watching him closely as he set everything up, including hooking up the PlayStation for her "That didn't look hard at all" Rinne remarked once everything was ready and the remote was in her hand.
"Don't stay up to late little listener" Yamada-sensei whistled in amusement, leaving Rinne to get acquainted with her new set up, not noticing someone heading up the steps to her apartment or knocking as he drove off, poor Rinne would have to deal with her guest alone for the second time that day unfortunately.
As she opened the door and found the guy from that morning, Tenko her mind supplied stood outside mere minutes after Present Mic had left "Look at that you got a tv kid, let me in so I can show you how to play those games" Tomura demanded carefully.
Especially when the girl began looking afraid, like seriously he wasn't going to hurt her, just introduce her to playing video games "I... I can't stay up to late Tenko-san" the kid informed, finally moving aside and letting him into her apartment.
"That's fine I only need an hour at...where's your couch" Shigaraki rolled his eyes, entering the apartment proper before noticing a glaring problem, how the hell was he supposed to show her anything if she didn't have any of the essential things necessary for chilling out.
Rinne looked ashamed "Haven't had time to g... get one yet, b..between saving up to pay my fr..friend back for helping me with my hero costume and then having to stay in the hosp...hospital, and gi..given leave from work for the next we..week thi..things have been tough" she confessed quietly.
It was then that the situation dawned on Tomura Shigaraki, and he cursed Kurogiri out for not digging deeper into the kid like he'd asked because now he was blind-sided and had no idea what to do "Okay guess we aren't doing this tonight" Tomura grumbled, not mad at the girl but whoever her parents were.
Which reminded him of something she'd said that morning and he grit his teeth in anger "No...no apologizing this isn't your fault, but mine for barging in got that" Tenko scoffed, fury growing when she flinched away from him, he was use to people being afraid of him, but he didn't want her to be afraid of him for some reason.
Before storming off, he made it clear that he'd be back another day, as for Rinne, she didn't exactly feel up to trying out her game console after that and instead headed to bed, this night however was vastly different, Rinne forgot something she shouldn't have.
Her bedtime ritual and so around 4 in the morning she was woken to loud pounding on her door "Open up this is the police" Rinne scrambled to answer the door, throat raw from for some reason as several police officers searched her apartment from top to bottom.
"The name's Naomasa Tsukauchi remember, your neighbors reported screaming, are you hurt or injured anywhere" there was one officer in particular that was familiar to the young heroine in training just as she realized what must have happened and promptly broke down to his horror.
Shaking her head with tears trickling down her cheeks "N..Nightmare" Rinne croaked, Tsukauchi nodded in understanding as he gently rubbed her back, indicating that to his fellow officers there was no reason to be concerned and that they could go.
"Do you need me to call Present Mic" Naomasa questioned when she quieted down a bit, he wasn't exactly equipped to deal with crying children apparently, especially ones who have gone through a horrific trauma in the past week.
Rinne rubbed her eyes trying to wipe away her tears as she thought about the question "I..I'm okay" after a moment she shook her head, not wanting to bother Yamada-sensei this late at night, he probably was still catching up on missed sleep and she couldn't do that to him.
Naomasa sighed but relented for now at least, he would be calling Present Mic in a couple hours to let him know what had happened as Rinne's legal guardian "Alright then, you try and get some sleep alright Kuroyami" he gave her another gentle pat, before straightening.
Despite the instruction to rest after the police officers had left and the matter was settled Rinne found she couldn't bring herself to close her eyes again, even though the nightly ritual had always worked before, she feared it wouldn't this time and thus couldn't get back to sleep for the remainder of the night.
She should have known though that the moment the sun rose, Yamada-sensei would be calling her "Did you get overwhelmed little listener" Present Mic asked, no judgement in his voice, but a simple question, wishing he'd been able to convince her to rest longer instead of jumping straight back into school.
"Maybe a little bit" Rinne sniffled over the phone, his heart breaking further for the young girl who'd endured horrific suffering throughout her short life "I forgot to chant I will not dream of bunnies" she whispered suddenly and he knew what he had to do.
Because that would only work for so long "Hey it's okay I've got you little listener, so here's what we're going to do okay, I want you to see Hound Dog for some counseling alright, if you don't feel like it's working after five sessions you can stop, deal" Hizashi suggested.
"Y..You don't think everyone wi..will laugh at me Yamada-sensei" Rinne questioned, sounding so lost in that moment he realized the true extent of the damage done by her parents "N..No one else is going a..are they" she prodded.
Expecting an answer "No, little listener, but Eraserhead is watching out for anyone just in case their struggling, I'm sure some of your classmates do have their own fears about what happened, so of course they wouldn't laugh at you" Yamada-sensei was quick to assure.
Thankfully easing her worries if only for a little bit as she relented to the idea of counseling with Hound Dog before ending the call to get ready for the day "Rinne, what happened" Hitoshi greeted her like he always did when she exited her apartment.
Looking exhausted, with worse bags under her eyes than he sported as a daily occurrence "I forgot my chant and got woken up by police pounding my door because I screamed in my sleep and the neighbors reported it" Rinne sighed tiredly at him.
And he was torn "Should you even be going to school today" he frowned, but Rinne was too stubborn for her own good sometimes as she latched onto his hand and began walking to the bus station, intent on attending class no matter what apparently.
Meanwhile Hizashi had arrived at UA already and put his plan in motion "Therapy, really Hizashi, surely it's not that bad right" Shota frowned, upon hearing that Rinne Kuroyami would be attending counseling sessions for the next five months.
"It is that bad Sho, especially if I receive a call from Tsukauchi about how he'd had to go to her apartment with several officers and check on her because she was screaming in her sleep" Hizashi grumbled, just glad that the detective had, had the decency to wait until 7 before calling.
Shota winced "Okay that is pretty bad, you did tell her not to come today right, she's probably exhausted" Eraserhead pointed out, eyes widening when his friend cursed indicating Hizashi hadn't "I'll keep an eye on her" he sighed, beginning to head out of the teachers lounge.
"Let me be the one to tell her in private when her first session is alright and don't let your students overwhelm her" Hizashi requested, standing as well to head to class, Eraser nodded then was gone, walking determinedly towards his classroom.
Where he could hear the loud chatter of his students from down the hall before he ever reached them "Quiet down students" Aizawa grumbled upon sliding the door open to enter his classroom, gaze immediately honing in on Rinne Kuroyami.
Thankfully she didn't appear to be struggling for the moment as he got started on homeroom but it was clear at least half the class knew what had happened when they kept eyeing Rinne in concern, who was more quiet than usual, obviously not wanting to talk.
An hour later, he wasn't surprised to see Rinne dozing off, planning to let it slide until "Sensei, Kuroyami's asleep" Tenya Iida raised his hand, followed by announcing what everyone else had already noticed in a loud tone of voice, startling the girl awake, who jumped up, bags underneath her eyes somehow darker than earlier and as pale as a ghost.
He closed his eyes when she slapped her hand over her mouth and proceeded to run from the classroom in hopes of making it to the bathroom "Let her go Mashirao, Tokoyami, Yaoyorozu, I've got it covered, study hall for the rest of class" Aizawa-sensei ordered.
Noticing when the three in question went to stand and go after Rinne, before firing off a text to Nemuri to check on the girl in the girl's bathroom, then he went across the hall to 1-C "Hiz, hall now" Shota pointed, wanting to speak privately with his friend "You really should have had her stay home" he sighed.
"Does this have to do with that loud noise a minute ago...did she run out" Hizashi frowned, catching on pretty quick when his friend nodded "Where is she now" he mimicked Eraser's sigh with one of his own, until Shota told him the girls bathroom.
And that Nemuri was already with her "Don't fret Eraser, Present Mic, I got her to Recovery Girl, Shuzenji said that a fast movement had upset her stomach, so she's not actually coming down with anything, but she is keeping that little sweetie for some rest, I used my quirk on her" Midnight explained.
Coming from the opposite direction of the girl's bathrooms "Remember you don't have to do this alone Hiz, she didn't just get one guardian but a whole bunch alright" Nemuri smiled, giving Hizashi's shoulder a gentle squeeze when he kind of slumped in on himself.
Probably thinking that he was doing an awful job of taking care of Rinne when it was the exact opposite "Right" Hizashi did manage to give them a smile as he dismissed his class, Shinso had most likely heard everything when he was the first one out the door.
Though the kid thankfully knew better than to attempt skipping a class, it was clear he had very little patience with his classmates that day, so when lunch did finally arrive, Hitoshi made a direct beeline to the nurse's office, not even waiting for Fumikage or Ojiro or whoever else from class 1-A that wanted to see Rinne.
Just as he arrived however Rinne was preparing to leave and find him so they bumped into one another in the door way "Hey...you look a little better, have a nice nap" Hitoshi greeted calmly, lowering his arms after catching her so she wouldn't fall and hurt herself.
"Yeah" Rinne hummed quietly not in a talkative mood but she let him grab her hand for once and led her to their usual spot out in the courtyard for lunch "Wh... Where's Fumi" she seemed to realize just then that they were missing an integral part of their group after unwrapping her homemade bentobox.
"I'm here Rinne, Mashirao and Yaoyorozu are with me to" Fumikage waved, having heard the cute nickname she'd branded him with while asking Hitoshi for his whereabouts "You okay, you looked awful this morning" he was quick to ask upon settling down in his usual spot on her right.
To his relief Rinne nodded "A n..nightmare kept me up and when I stood up so fas..fast earlier I got sick, so Recovery Girl had me rest in the nurse's office until lunch" the pinkette explained quietly, horrifying Yaoyorozu and Ojiro with her admission.
"Hey maybe you should see Hound Dog-sensei if your nightmares are that bad, I know Bakugo has sessions with him at least once a week for anger management and oops I wasn't supposed to tell" Momo chimed in, before remembering that was supposed to be a secret from the rest of class.
Luckily none of those she was currently surrounded with were the types to judge while Rinne seemed to make up her mind on the matter "Y..Yamada-sensei already suggested it, but I, I think I will give it a try" Rinne informed, tugging a smile out of Oboro who was hidden in the tree they sat beneath.
Clearly friends were a good thing after all as long as they weren't trying to overwhelm the poor girl that is but her current group seemed to be alright for the time being "Will you be doing your apprenticing with Recovery Girl today to" Ojiro asked.
Glad to see Rinne doing better, "No Kuroyami has her first session with Hound Dog during that time, then tomorrow it will be back to apprenticing with Chiyo" Aizawa-sensei interjected himself into the conversation, not letting on that he was worried until that moment after having went to check on his student only to find her not in the nurse's office, like she was supposed to have been.
Before wincing when Hizashi sent him a glare from behind his tinted glasses but ultimately let it go when Rinne didn't appear bothered by that fact "Do you want us to wait for you at the stop after class ends today or will you want to go home and just rest" Hitoshi turned his head down to peer at his friend.
Who was hopefully going to be taking her first steps towards recovering from everything that had happened to her properly "I think I want to rest today, sorry" Rinne admitted softly and thankfully her friends understood that as they ate lunch and chitchatted about normal things.
Until they were dismissed for the day "Want me to sit in with you during this first session little listener" Yamada-sensei escorted her across the school to Hound Dog-sensei's office, being extra accommodating now and she wondered how he wasn't sick of her yet.
All she did was mess things up and constantly bother him, eyes widening after a moment when she realized that yes, she really had just asked that out loud when Hizashi stared down at her with equally wide eyes "First off little listener I could never get sick of you as you put it and second, it's not bothering me if you need it" he assured.
Knowing therapy would be a hard hurdle for her to overcome if that was her mindset but he and several others would be with her every step of the way, two hours later Hizashi escorted an emotional Rinne towards his car to take her home, barely getting her to let go of him as she clung to his shirt tightly.
He'd known deep in his mind that her parents had been monsters, he'd seen the police reports about the abuse she'd suffered but that had barely scratched the surface unfortunately "Come on now little listener, you'll have to let go at some point" Hizashi prodded gently.
But she shook her head stubbornly "Hey kiddo why don't you come cling on to me, I don't mind hugs" Oboro called, sidling up to one of his best friends having seen the situation through the window, Rinne peeked up at him with bloodshot green eyes.
Reluctantly releasing Hizashi after a minute, to Oboro's disappointment however Rinne didn't reach out to him and he glared when his friend dared laugh at him, while coaxing Rinne into the passenger seat of his car, that didn't stop Oboro from following the vehicle all the way to the apartment though.
"Just remember to call alright, I'll answer no matter what time of night it is" Hizashi instructed, planning to send a reminder text later as well, to ensure this morning's incident never happened again but making it clear that he would always be available if she needed him.
She nodded quietly, giving him one last hug, before turning to head in "Kuroyami" Oboro frowned when the girl froze in her doorway then looked at the number on her door, a confused expression on her face, before noticing a letter in her mailbox, Oboro and Hizashi frowning in concern at one another just as she opened the letter to read.
(Hey,
Hitoshi here, so I know you're not big on surprises, but after today you definitely deserve some kindness, Yaoyorozu was in on it to by the way when I borrowed your key and she made a copy for us to basically break in, we didn't pay for anything, so you don't have to pay us back alright, just enjoy.
Signed by: Hitoshi Shinso, Fumikage Tokoyami, Ojiro Mashirao and Momo Yaoyorozu)
Tears flooded her eyes and she crushed the letter to her chest "Go on little listener, I'll shoot you a text later" Hizashi smiled gently, gently nudging Rinne into her apartment, not sure how someone could have that many tears to shed in such a short amount of time.
But at least they were happy tears unlike earlier during the therapy session, Rinne let herself be ushered into her place that now had a full couch and a couple of bean bag chairs in the small living room like area and new dishware for cooking in the kitchenette, along with a new five-person table and chairs to sit in that were comfortable.
The best part was her bed that felt like a cloud when she did finally lay down to get some sleep, remembering her nightly ritual after receiving texts from Yamada-sensei, Hitoshi and Fumikage, just as Rinne was drifting off she was disturbed by a knock.
She had her guess as to who it was when she forced herself out of bed to answer the persistent knocking "Ten..Tenko-san" Rinne yawned, having guessed right when she opened the door to find him stood outside on her stoop an irritated look on his face.
Before simply barging in without waiting for an invitation only to blink upon noticing how different the apartment look, and definitely noticing the four-person couch smack dab in the middle of the living room "I thought you were saving up for it" Tomura frowned suspiciously.
"M... My friend Yaoyorozu-san c..can create an..anything using the lipi...lipids of her body i..it's her quirk Tenko-san, she ca..came over with our other friends and did this w..while I was preoccupied with something else" Rinne yawned a second time.
And he realized she looked completely exhausted "Ugh, fine guess I can hold off on showing you how to play that damn thing one more night, but tomorrow you better be ready kid, because I'm going to quiz you on it afterwards" Shigaraki grumbled.
Not sure why he was doing this to himself, if he got caught that was the end of his villain career, but for some reason he just couldn't leave the kid alone, that scream of hers had started making him rethink things lately, Rinne blinked at him but shut the door, locking it behind him when he stormed out like the other night.
Before finally climbing back into her comfortable bed, reiterating her nightly ritual and eventually drifting off to sleep for the night, where she slept the whole night through, mind a little more settled despite how the day had gotten off to a horrible start.