My Hero Academia: Dynamite And A Laserbeam (Definitive Edition)

by DeathlyJazzHands55

Musutafu. The place where it all began. The place where Japan's greatest hero was born, and where his backstory took place. This was the place where the future number-one pro hero was born. But this isn't about him. This is about someone who just wanted to live a normal life and got dragged into this mess. That is Yoshihara Kira's story. (Definitive Edition of MHA: DLB)

53. Ch 52: New Classes? Dorm Life! (3)

Kyoka liked to think of herself as a rational person. She was never one for paranoia or anything like that, but even then she knew when she was being followed. For the last thirty minutes during her walk around Musutafu, she had felt as if she was being watched, and she couldn't help but shake the feeling that they were nearby.

That was why she had begun to pull evasive maneuvers. Obviously, she kept calm, not running or making it seem as if she knew she was being followed, however she did duck around to alleyways and dip into crowds. None of it seemed to truly work, though as the feeling of being followed remained. Whoever was following her knew how to track people, which meant they were either a villain or a stalker or both.

"Damn, of all times that I choose not to leave home with a knife or something to defend myself, of course it's the one time that I'm being followed!" Kyoka thought as she dipped around the corner and made her way toward Musutafu National Park. Her reasoning for going to such a wide-open spot was that she would be able to see who was following her more clearly.

Musutafu National Park was much like Central Park in New York. It was a city center piece. Most parks in Japan were out of the way and in nature, but Musutafu took a page out of New York's book and made their park within the city. Although part of the reason for it was because The Wild Wild Pussycats owned a majority of the forested and mountainous areas around the area where Musutafu had been. Hence why Musutafu National Park was within Musutafu.

As for the park itself, it was rather self-contained. It took up a major portion of central Musutafu, i.e. 3.4 square kilometers—the same size as Central Park, ironically enough. Granted, it was mostly artificial forested area planted there and helped grown with Quirks. The denser brush was within the park's center, whereas the more recreational areas were open with grassy plains.

Benches lined the stone-brick paths dotted around the area that all led into the forest section of the park. According to some of the people that Kyoka had met within her apartment building, people liked to go camping within the park because going camping at the actual national parks is too expensive and dangerous due to the bear population—even with the advent of Quirks.

Entering the park, Kyoka walked a few feet into the park, glancing at the entrance that she took every now and again. For a moment, she second guessed herself. Maybe she was really just being paranoid. However, just as she did one last check to quell her fears, she saw with her own eyes someone walk into the park holding a photograph.

The person in question was a tall, muscular guy dressed in purple short sleeve shirt with a golden chain around his neck with a grape motif. He also wore a pair of faded blue jeans and a sleeveless black leather jacket, and a dark purple belt to keep his pants from falling. He also had a pair of grape earrings and a lip ring.

The guy looked like a stereotypical punk from America, and he had purple curly hair that seemingly resembled a bunch of grapes. His black eyes looked from the photo then to around the park, as if looking for someone. Considering she had known that she was being followed, it was probably her.

Not wanting to be spotted, she walked deeper into the wooded area, away from sight. If this guy wanted to follow her into the woods, then that was when she would use the cover of the woods as a means to hide her actions. She wasn't above beating someone to a bloody pulp if it meant protecting herself. Especially from creepy guys.

As she traversed deeper into the woods, keeping an eye out for possible vantage points that she could use, she felt that sense of being watched. "He's following me…" Kyoka thought. She didn't have to turn around to know that she was being followed. Her Quirk helped her zone in on sounds and if she focused hard enough she could hear the heart beats of those who are closest.

It wasn't hard for her to piece together that she was being followed by someone because, for starters, she could hear their heartbeat and only their heartbeat. Why? Because no one else was around her. And because no one else was around her….

Turning around on her heel, she commanded her earphone jacks to move forward at blistering speeds toward the person behind—the same person who she had seen holding the photograph. His eyes widened as he cursed under his breath, and just before Kyoka's jacks pierced his eyes—which had been their intended target—the jacks were seemingly grabbed by thin air. Kyoka's eyes widened as she was lifted into the air by process of her jacks being yanked upward, before being violently slammed down into the brick road beneath her feet.

Upon impact, the brick path cracked and fractured, winding Kyoka, groaning as her jacks retracted back to her ears. The stalker sighed, stroking his chin in thought as his black eyes stared down at Kyoka with a level of annoyance. "Man, and here I thought this would be easy… although, given that you didn't see the counter from my Stand, my guess is that you aren't a Stand User."

The guy's voice was nasally and irritating, and while that in and of itself was insulting, the one thing that caught her off guard was him stating outright that he had a Stand. "W-wait… You're a Stand User?"

The stalker raised an eyebrow. "Yes? You know about them?"

"Chance encounter," Kyoka grunted, slowly standing up as she glared at him. "Why the hell are you stalking me."

"Simple. Someone wants you, and I was tasked to kidnap you. Like I said, simple, right?" The stalker stated matter-of-factly as Kyoka's eyes widened. Kyoka knew damn well that she stood no chance against the guy—after all, her only way of attacking someone without her support gear was to elongate her jacks and pump them full of her heartbeat to cause vibrations. If he could use his Stand to grab them, then what was the point?

"Now, make my life easier, and come quietly. If not, then I suppose this'll have to be a fight," The stalker stated, smirking at her with a devious, downright disgusting grin mixed with a dangerously perverted look in his eyes. "And if I win, I get to do whatever the hell I want!"

That was Kyoka's que to run, and that was exactly what she did. She spun around on her heel and ran as fast as she could. As she ran, the stalker scoffed, sighing. He could just use his Stand to keep her still, but what was the fun in that? Besides, he liked the thrill of chasing something that didn't want him. It made things more exciting.

"Besides, it doesn't matter how far she runs. My Stand, Sticky, already has her cornered!" The stalker said as his Stand loomed over his shoulder. It was a gangly thing, with its appearance being dark purple in colour with glowing pink eyes. It had a hung open jaw with cogs on the sides of its upper jaw and sharp teeth. Its back was hunched and it had a bulbous container on its back with a valve on its center, seemingly mimicking a massive grape. It had no bottom half, only that it stood on a massive pillar of hardened dark purple goo.

A dark purple aura surrounded the stalker as he snapped his fingers. As soon as he did, his body seemingly began to transform into pinkish purple sludge, cackling all the while. "Run while you can, Jirou Kyoka~! For the next two hours, all of Musutafu Central Park is mine~!" And then, the stalker vanished, as if he never existed, all the while Kyoka ran as if her life depended on it, because frankly it did.

Kyoka looked behind her, and saw no one, which caused alarm bells to ring in the back of her head. She knew full well that the bastard did something but she didn't know what and it was driving her up the wall.

"Just keep running and don't look back!" Kyoka thought as she rounded the corner, only for the stalker to be standing right there. Kyoka skidded to a halt, only for purple sludge to come out of thin air and hit the left side of her face, covering her earphone jack completely. "Shit!" Kyoka shouted, falling backward as the stalker began to approach.

"Whaddya think of Sticky's ability? It's called Gunk shot," the stalker said as Kyoka pulled herself up from the ground, assuming a fighting stance.

"I don't give a shit what your Stand's ability is, now piss off!" Kyoka shouted, lunging forward as she aimed to punch with her right fist the stalker in the face, only for him to turn to the left, completely avoiding the attack as he used her full body extension to hit her with a spinning roundhouse kick in the gut. The force of the blow sent her flying into one of the trees behind her, a cracking sound filling the air around her as she gasped.

"Ya know, for a hero student, you don't seem all that great at fighting," The Stalker said, humming to himself. "Makes me wonder what they're teaching at that school. Either you just suck, or they suck, and I'm more inclined to believe that it's a you thing."

Kyoka stood up, gathering herself as she caught her breath. Her stomach hurt, though she didn't have to look around to know why. It was pretty obvious that it was because of the guy kicking her. Although, she did notice that he was standing on a puddle of goo. "Why is he standing in it?" Kyoka thought as she slipped behind the tree and continued to run. "On second thought, I don't give a shit about why he's standing in literal gunk, I need to get outta here!"

As she continued to run, she felt a burning pain on her left earphone jack. She touched the gunk on her ear, and as she came toward an opening at the end of the forested area, the moment she pulled her hand away from her earphone jack, it began to crumble and fall apart. Blood spewed from the new wound as Kyoka stumbled, nearly crashing into a tree as she held the gunk covered parts of the end of her left earphone jack.

"WHAT THE HELL?!" Kyoka screamed as a hand grabbed her right shoulder. She looked over her shoulder and saw the stalker, staring at her with a shit-eating grin on his face.

"Yup~! That's Sticky's ability for ya! Anything that Sticky's gunk touches, save for myself, will quickly fall off due to its acidic nature. Now, I don't want to have to damage the merchandise anymore than I have to, so why don't you just make my job a little easier, and stop running away~?"

Kyoka didn't respond in any verbal way, and instead jabbed him in the nose with her left fist. The jab hit dead on, making him stagger back slightly. She leapt back, dropped the bloodied and useless bits of her earphone jacks, brought her hands into fists, then lunged forward again, using his staggered state to hit him again in the face.

As she closed the distance between herself and The Stalker, swung a right handed uppercut toward his jaw, and landed the blow. The Stalker grunted, lifting off the ground a few centimeters before she slugged him in the side of the head with a left hook, knocking him to the ground.

Kyoka went to capitalize on him being downed and aimed to stomp on his crotch, only for him to turn into goo and vanish into the ground, her foot stomping on the grass where he once was. Silently cursing under her breath, she turned around just in time to have an invisible force slam into her face with the strength of two grown men, sending her flying backward. She tumbled on the grass, although she used her remaining jack to stop herself from hitting a rock by stabbing it into the ground, halting her momentum instantly.

"You insolate little shit! How dare you punch me in my perfectly sculpted face!" The Stalker roared with indignation, although his voice made him sound like a man-child. "Once I'm through beating you to a pulp, I'll make you feel the worst kind of shame a woman can feel, you filthy fucking skank!"

As he shouted that, more of that purple gunk flung toward Kyoka, aiming at her chest. Kyoka was able to roll out of the way, but not before her remaining jack got a fresh coating of the acidic slime. Kyoka hissed, knowing full well that meant that she would no longer have a functioning Quirk.

It dawned on her right then and there that she was going to be, essentially, Quirkless after this—and that was assuming she was able to get away. She knew damn well what that perverted bastard was going to do if she didn't kick his ass right now and make him stay down.

That thought terrified her. There were very few things that she was scared of, and that was one of them. Having her pride smeared was one thing, but taking away her agency and dignity? That was something that she would never give up—not willingly or otherwise.

Fear began to creep into her heart. What the hell was she thinking trying to fight back against a Stand User? She was fucked from the get-go. But even so, she wasn't going to allow herself to just get captured like that—that would make her weak, and she wasn't weak!

Yet, this bastard made her feel useless… It was like trying to punch a brick wall. With both of her earphone jacks gone, what the hell was she supposed to do? Punching him worked, but all it seemed to do was piss him off. Aside from a few scrapes, it hardly did a thing to him.

She was cornered, and without any possible way of beating him. She could throw debris at him, but what would that do? Nothing. It would do nothing….

"FUCK! Goddamnit, no! I won't let this loser get the best of me!" Kyoka raged from within, blood still seeping from her previous wound as her right earphone jack crumbled apart, blood gushing from that now as well as it stained her right cheek and seeped down her neck, staining her perfectly good "The End OF Villains" shirt.

Before she could stabilize herself, The Stalker—who had apparently been closing the distance during the entire time she had her little internal thought process—grabbed her by the throat and lifted her into the air, squeezing as she snapped her hands around his massive wrists.

"Do you have any idea what you've done!? Those punches will bruise and mark up my face you whore! You tainted me! You little wretch!" The Stalker snarled as Kyoka kicked at his chest, although it seemingly did nothing—either that or the bastard was too angry to care. "The more you hit me, the worse I'll do to you, you punk!" With that, The Stalker threw her to the ground with enough force to wind her.

She gasped, the back of her head slamming against the ground with enough force to cause her to get dizzy as The Stalker loomed over her, his body casting a shadow over her as he spoke. "I don't think pops will have a problem with me having a little fun with her before I take her back, right?" He was talking to himself… he probably thought that she was unconscious.

And with what he was saying….

"Fuck! No!" Kyoka thought, trying to sit up, only for The Stalker to kick her in the face with enough force to bloody her nose and send her skidding back just a little further. She groaned, trying to get up again, only to have The Stalker stomp down on her back, forcing her face into the dirt.

"Stay down, you stupid bitch! Don't fight it, just let it happen," The Stalker spat. Kyoka looked over her shoulder and saw as he reached for his zipper. No… no she wasn't going to let this happen to her. That little grape fuck was not going to touch her! She wasn't going to allow him to go anywhere near any part of her!

But… how the hell was she going to do that?

He was physically stronger than her, he was a Stand User, and she was thoroughly beaten. What else was she to do? She could try and fight him, but all that would happen is that she'd get hurt more. Kyoka was tired, and with no other options, the only way out of this was at the loss of her dignity….

She heard the zip, and looked away, but just as she did, another figure was looming over her. But it wasn't just any figure. It was someone who she vaguely recognized. The man from that dream she had whilst she was in that coma, except now, she could see him more clearly.

He was tall—freakishly tall—with pale white skin and golden yellow eyes with equally golden yellow hair. He was twice as muscular as The Stalker, and he wore a black tank top with accompanied by a pair of golden chaps with an exposed crotch which was covered by what she had to assume was a pair of equally black pants. Around his waist and knees were dark green heart belted motifs, and he wore a pair of what looked like golden yellow elf shoes.

His hands ended in claws with the claws being painted black, and he wore bright green lipstick. His expression was one of curiosity, as he looked down at her with a slight smirk on his face. When he spoke, his voice had what some might call a hint of a seductive tang to it, although unlike the freak behind her, it wasn't from any sort of sexually driven desire but more rather pure curiosity.

"I must say, I did not expect to meet like this, in a time of desperation. Although, that is hardly what is important here. Tell me, Kyoka Jirou. Do you believe in Gravity?" The Figure said as Kyoka muttered out her response.

"Yes…"

"Then what is Gravity, Kyoka?"

"It's Fate… and like all things in the universe… it can be molded and shaped to our will if we push hard enough…!" Kyoka responded, her voice gradually getting louder as The Stalker behind her hummed in confusion.

"What the hell are you yammering about?!" The Stalker barked as The Figure in front of Kyoka—seemingly only visible to her—smiled.

"That was the answer I was looking for since the day we first met, Kyoka Jirou. My blood—not the blood tainted by Jonathon Joestars body—but my true bloodline's blood must flow through your veins in some capacity. If that is the case, then you have earned the right to unlock your full potential. With it, do what you must."

And with a snap of his fingers, Kyoka felt something deep within herself stir, as if awakened by The Figure before her. Invisible shackles that had been keeping her down suddenly shifted and snapped as she slowly rose to her feet using the tree as a prop, her back turned to The Stalker as she let out a sigh.

"This feeling…" Kyoka said, glancing over her shoulder at The Stalker, her back still turned to him leaning slightly as her right hand close to her face her left arm and hand cupping her right elbow. Her hair began to flow as a golden aura began to emerge from her body. "It's unlike anything I've ever felt before…! Endless power, right at my beck and call…!"

The Stalker's eyes widened to the size of saucers as he took a step back. "W-What the hell?! T-There's no way you—!"

"Silence, worm," Kyoka spat glaring at him with nothing but contempt as she turned to face him. "People—no… Filth like you are what makes my stomach roil with nothing but rage, and I will not stand for it!" As soon as those words came out of her mouth, her Stand manifested next to her.

Her Stand had the exactly same size, build, and proportions as she did down to the eye shape and colour and the shape of her hair. The only thing that was different was that its skin was a light purple and that it had wore black lipstick, its knuckles were adorned with black diamonds, and it had two diving cylinders on its back connected to the back of its neck with tubes.

Over its shoulders it wore a dark purple vest which matched its hair, and on its elbows, knees, and waist it had black circlets that had cracked heart motifs in the center. On the back of its hands and in the center of its chest, there were small speakers that seemingly had no function, and on its forearms and lower legs it wore what appeared to be dark purple armor alongside a pair of dark purple shoes that had quarter inch flat-ended heels.

The Stalker, for his part, scoffed as he summoned Sticky to his side, which was Kyoka's first look at the revolting Stand. "So what if you're a Stand User now! You're still weak all the same! Since you won't fall in line, I'll have to make you!" As soon as The Stalker said that, Sticky aimed one of its massive, tube-like fingers toward Kyoka. Purple sludge began to build up on the tip of the finger, mere moments away from being launched at Kyoka's face, in the blink of an eye, her Stand was in front of The Stalker.

"WHA—"

Before he could say anything, Kyoka's Stand slammed its fist into The Stalker's face. If his Stand hit like two fully grown men, then Kyoka's Stand hit like a speeding freight train going over 300 kilometers an hour. Blood exploded out of The Stalker's face as he was sent flying through tree after tree, tumbling over himself until he finally stopped when he slammed against a bigger tree within the park.

He sat there, groaning, blood dripping down from his nose and busted lip as he felt his face. His nose was disfigured, his jawline was no doubt ruined, and he could feel the left side of his swell up to the size of a balloon. His face was ruined more than it was before, and it made him furious! But, before he could say or do anything about it, Kyoka's Stand grabbed him by the collar and lifted him up in the air.

The Stalker grunted, glaring down at Kyoka, who was standing behind her Stand, glaring back up at him with a sneer on her face. The Stalker struggled against the Stand's hold, as he had Sticky summon behind him. "Y-You think that j-just because you have me in this position that you win?! H-Ha! You're even dumber than I thought!"

"It's useless to try and bluff your way out of a situation," Kyoka said, her tone of voice carrying with it a hint of fury within it. The Stalker's expression twisted from one of faux confidence to one of pure terror as her Stand's grip tightened. "With a Stand of my own… you're not nearly as terrifying as I thought you'd be. You're just like every other villain I've had the displeasure of meeting. A waste of skin, flesh, and blood. I can only imagine how many people you've victimized in the past, so allow me to correct that."

The Stalker practically squealed like a pig the moment those words came out of Kyoka's mouth as her Stand coiled back its right arm. "For all the people who you unrightfully harmed, for all the people who you more than likely molested and touched and sexually assaulted, I, Kyoka Jirou…. Will take you to meet your end! Let him have it, STEREO HEARTS!"

As soon as Kyoka shouted that last part out, Stereo Hearts threw The Stalker into the air, and as soon as soon as he was in the air, after a second of lingering, Stereo Hearts unleashed a flurry of punches so fast and so powerful that the only way to compare it's sheer speed and power would be to give a hoard of elephants the Ida family Quirk and have them trample over the same person a thousand different times in less than a second, and all the while, Stereo Hearts shouted out its war cry!

[MUDAMUDAMUDAMUDAMUDAMUDAMUDAMUDAMUDAMUDAMUDAMUDAMUDAMUDAMUDAMUDAMUDAMUDAMUDAMUDAMUDAMUDAMUDAMUDAMUDAMUDAMUDAMUDAMUDAMUDAMUDAMUDAMUDAMUDAMUDAMUDAMUDA!MUDAMUDAMUDAMUDAMUDAMUDAMUDAMUDAMUDAMUDAMUDAMUDAMUDAMUDAMUDAMUDAMUDAMUDAMUDAMUDAMUDAMUDAMUDAMUDAMUDA!MUDAAAAAAA!]

With each punch, Stereo Hearts shattered bone and burst blood vessels. Blood exploded out of The Stalkers body, and with the final punch Stereo Hearts overhand punched him into the ground, creating a sizeable crater for where he landed, which was just a few meters away from where Kyoka was standing.

At some point within the beatdown, an I.D. came out of The Stalkers pocket, presumably from his wallet. Kyoka picked it up and looked at the photo and name of the individual, her face wrinkling in disgust. "Minoru Mineta? Wasn't he one of the people at the Entrance Exam at U.A.? Pretty sure I saw him there, and he sure as hell didn't look like this. Guess failure made him turn to the dark side…"

Dropping the I.D. like it was nothing but trash, Kyoka knelt down next to Minoru and placed two fingers on his neck. He was still alive. Good. The last thing that she wanted was to kill someone, even if this guy was as vile as they come. "Enjoy prison, bastard," Kyoka thought, kicking dirt in his eyes before sighing. There were many things that she was willing to do in order to defend herself, but killing someone wasn't one of them—not unless she had no choice and was being backed into a corner.

Now, horribly beat them into a pulp and leave them barely recognizable and disfigured? That was, to her, a worse fate than death. Because that meant you had to live like that for the rest of your life. Disfigurement was a more apt punishment for someone like Minoru Mineta. Death was too kind.

Kyoka looked over to Stereo Hearts, smiling. Ever since she heard of Stands, she wanted one of her own. To think that hers would not only look like this, but be extremely physically strong was something that she wasn't expecting.

All of her life, she was told she was weak. That she was a freak because of her mutation. Sure, now she no longer had that mutation because of Mineta's Stand literally tearing her jacks off of her, that and now that she had Stereo Hearts her enhanced hearing was gone too. But, now that she had Stereo Hearts, she wouldn't be mocked.

And anyone that did mock her? Right hook from hell to the jaw.

Although, now that she had obtained a Stand, that got her thinking… "I should probably tell Uncle Jojo that I'm a Stand User now," Kyoka thought as Stereo Hearts returned to her. Sometime this week, she'd try and figure out what Stereo Hearts ability was, but for right now, she was satisfied. However, just before she could turn to leave the park….

"I should have known not to trust someone without competent use in their Stand's abilities," A deep, gruff sounding voice echoed behind Kyoka, and before she could so much as even turn around, she felt something hard slam against the back of her neck, and without time to process it, she was knocked unconscious.

[XXXX]

!Stand Information Corner!

Stand User: Mineta Minoru

Stand Name: Sticky

Localized Name: Stuck To U

Appearance: Sticky takes the form of a dark purple artificial humanoid Stand. It appears as a hunched over, hump back, mechanical droid with elongated arms that reach down to the ground. On either side of its jaw there are small cogs that turn occasionally. It has pitch black eye sockets, with no other defining facial features. Its massive hunch back has a valve in the center, and it has no legs, rather it levitates in the air. The hands have cylinder-like fingers, and out of those fingers, a purple sap-like liquid occasionally drips out.

Ability: Sticky has the ability to spray a purple sap out of its tube-like fingers. This sap acts like an hardening agent, and once applied, it will slowly begin to harden. Once the sap hardens, it will fall off, taking what it was attached to with it. Alternatively, Sticky can also allow Minoru to travel through the glue like liquid Stick secretes, giving him a way to traverse without having to run. However, he has to have set up this fast travel locations prior, and they only last two hours.

Stand Stats:

Destructive Power: Grade C (Slightly Stronger than a regular human)

Effective Range: Grade B (Can be 35 meters away from Minoru)

General Speed: Grade D (Average Speed of a human)

Persistent use of ability: Grade B (Can use ability effectively at all times, provided it hits)

Precision: Grade D (Can hit its target, but tends to miss)

Overall Potential: Grade D

[XXXX]

Stand User: Jirou Kyoka

Stand Name: Stereo Hearts

Localized Name: Stereo Heartbeat

Stand Appearance: Stereo Hearts takes the form of a feminine humanoid Stand, with onyx colour eyes, the same as Kyoka, and similarly to Kyoka even has hair that appears like her own. It stands around the same height as Kyoka, as well, with the same physique as her own. Due to it being a gift from ancient ancestor, it, much like her ancestors Stand, has the same diving cylinders on its back that are connected to the back of its neck via two tubes. On its elbows, knees, and waist there are cracked heart motifs and on the front of its chest is what appears to be a large speaker. On the backs of its hands are two smaller speakers and on its knuckles are black diamonds. It's skin is light purple, whereas its hair, vest, vambraces, and lower-leg guards are dark purple. Its lips, which are black in colour, match the diamonds on its knuckles and the cracked heart motifs.

Stand Ability: Unknown.

Stand Stats:

Destructive Power: Grade A (twice as strong as a superhuman)

Effective Range: Grade D (5 meters from user using melee)

General Speed: Grade A (Can attack at Hypersonic, massively hypersonic, to potentially speed of light, depending on how hard Kyoka pushes Stereo Hearts)

Persistent Use of Ability: N/A

Precision: Grade B (Rarely misses)

Overall Potential: Grade A

[XXXX]

"So, you ran into the leader of The League of Villains yesterday?" Yoshihara asked Izuku as they stood in the kitchen of the 1 – A Heights Alliance, taking a sip of her morning tea. It was chai tea, to be specific. Apparently, yesterday, while Izuku and the gang had gone out to do some shopping for themselves, Yaoyorozu had decided to go bulk shopping. It was with the intent to fill the cupboards with food and drink that could last them the rest of the year, and it was meant for everyone.

And everyone included Yoshihara, much to Yaoyorozu's annoyance. Not that Yoshihara would've cared what Yaoyorozu thought. Everything within the Heights Alliance that wasn't strictly put in individuals rooms were meant to be shared, so quite frankly, it wouldn't have mattered anyway.

Yoshihara was dressed in her pyjamas, that being a pink sleeveless top and a pair of cat-themed light purple fluffy pyjama pants. Izuku was much the same, having only woken up not but a few minutes ago. He was wearing a black tank top and a pair of dark green shorts. His hair was messy, and he looked disheveled, but that was mostly because he had only just woken up.

"Yeah. It was freaky. I've never felt so powerless in my life, at least not when against someone with a Quirk…" Izuku said, yawning as he stretched. There was a disappointed look in his eyes. One that screamed that felt like a failure. In response to that, Yoshihara knocked him in the back of the head, which made him wince. "What was that for?"

"You had that "I suck" look in your eyes. Don't beat yourself up for failing to catch him. You said it yourself, it was an impossible situation. Hell, from how you explained it, I doubt anyone in our class could've gotten out of it unscathed or without a bunch of bodies being on our consciousness," Yoshihara pointed out as Izuku sighed.

"I suppose you're right."

"You suppose?"

"…Okay, maybe you are just right, but that's not the point—"

Yoshihara tapped him on the tip of his nose, a faint smile on her face as he shook his head, flabbergasted. "Did you just…?"

"I did."

Izuku blinked, stunned into silence for a moment before speaking up again. "What's got you in such a good mood?" There was a teasing hint to his voice.

"Cheeky," Yoshihara thought as she kissed him on the forehead, making him blush. "Dunno, I just am," as she said that, she wrapped an arm around his waist and pulled herself closer to him, her lips just barely grazing his right ear as she whispered. "If you want, we can go to my room, and you can find out more for yourself, Izuku~"

Izuku's face went beet red, but before he could say anything, Bakugo bumped into both of them, knocking the two back as he grunted. "Take yer lover shit elsewhere. Fuckin'... annoying bullshit…"

"Watch where your going, asshole," Yoshihara snapped as Bakugo flashed a middle finger back at her, not looking over at her as he poured himself a cup of coffee—which, by the way, she had been the one to set up. Mostly because she knew that Josefumi liked having coffee in the morning.

She watched Bakugo pour nothing but a black cup of coffee, guzzle it down in a single gulp, before smirking. "Ah, yup! That hits the spot."

"Did he… just guzzle a whole cup of hot coffee?" Yoshihara thought with disbelief stricken in her eyes as Bakugo leveled a glare at Izuku. Izuku, for his part, was confused, up until Bakugo spoke.

"I can't believe a nerd like you lost his virginity before I did." As soon as those words came flying out of his mouth, Ashido and Tsuyu had sharply turned their heads over to the group of three. They had been there even before Yoshihara had woken up, and while Ashido looked taken aback, Tsuyu had a blank look on her face—although her eyes were wider than even the largest plate in the entire dormitory.

"HUH!? MIDORIYA?! HIM?! OF ALL PEOPLE?! EHHHHH?!" Ashido damn near screamed as Izuku stammered.

"K-Kacchan! W-What the hell!"

"What? Did we all not read the same note? What else did ya think Eyebags meant by "funny business" before he directly pointed out Blondie and Deku? It's obvious. They fucked. This is a public place, so none of that shit needs to happen here. That's what a love hotel is for or whatever," Bakugo stated matter-of-factly, which prompted a response out of Tsuyu.

"I thought it was a joke, kero."

"Yeah!" Ashido said, sitting up and leaning over the back of the couch. "Like, seriously though, of all people in this class, I never expected it to be Midoriya to get any sort of action. No offence, by the way."

"N-No taken?" Izuku replied, although he was more confused than anything.

"Wait, Midoriya got laid?!" Kaminari shouted from across the hallway, his jaw dropped. Izuku was in full panic mode, his face still beet red, meanwhile Yoshihara was slowly getting more and more uncomfortable.

"Can we please change the subject," Yoshihara said as Kaminari walked into the kitchen, patting Izuku on the back as he had just finished running a five mile marathon. Bakugo nudged Yoshihara in the shoulder, smirking, as if to say "I'm never going to let you live this moment down."

"Y-Yeah, please? I don't want to talk about this anymore…" Izuku muttered as Kaminari chuckled.

"Yeah, sure man. Still though, that's quite the accomplishment! Pretty jealous, not gonna lie!" Kaminari said as he moved around Izuku and walked over to the cabinet behind Yoshihara, swinging it open before grabbing a box of cereal, a bowl, and a spoon. "Anyway, so, did you guys hear that there's gonna be an assembly this morning?"

"We do?" Josefumi's voice rippled throughout the main living area as he walked out of the hallway with Yaoyorozu, Ojiro, Sato, Shoji, and Fumikage.

"It was in an email we all received this morning. Did any of you not open your emails?" Yaoyorozu questioned as Bakugo huffed.

"Nah. I don't bother with anything until after I have my morning shower. Speaking of, if anyone needs me for whatever dumb fucking reason, I'll be in the men's washroom. They've got shower stalls in there," Bakugo said as Ojiro blinked.

"Huh. I didn't know that, did any of you?" Ojiro asked as Sato nodded.

"Yeah, Kirishima told me about it. Pretty sure he's in there now, same with Aoyama and now Bakugo," Sato replied as Tsuyu spoke up.

"Ochako is also taking a shower, too. So that just leaves Todoroki-kun." As soon as Tsuyu said that, Todoroki walked out of the hallway, brushing a hand through his hair as he looked over at everyone. He wasn't wearing a shirt, and only in a pair of boxer briefs. Todoroki yawned, frost and sparks of flame coming out of his mouth as he covered it.

"Morning…" Todoroki grumbled, prompting a response from Yaoyorozu.

"Why aren't you… dressed decent?" Yaoyorozu said as Todoroki blinked, looking down himself, before looking back at Yaoyorozu and by extent everyone else.

"Because I just woke up. Leave me alone. I need my morning coffee first," Todoroki said as everyone cleared a path for him. He seemed… angry. There was a glare in his eyes that seemed to have the whole world's rage behind them. She didn't know why but that was the case. From what Yoshihara knew, he wasn't a big fan of his father, so maybe he got some kind of message from him?

Either way, it didn't really matter all that much. She was sure that Todoroki had it all settled. It wasn't too long after that when everyone had gone off to get ready for the assembly. It was scheduled for 9:30 am, which after everyone was in their uniforms, was only an hour away.

Sato made breakfast for everyone, which turned out to be better than what she had expected from American Style Pancakes. Josefumi had apparently showed him a good recipe and he liked it enough to try it. By the time everyone was done eating breakfast, Aizawa-sensei had come to gather them all for the assembly. One short bus-ride to the main building later, and upon entering building, they were taken to the auditorium, where they joined up with classes 1-B, 2-A, 2-B, 3-A, and 3-B.

Each of the grades were taken to their respective rows, with first years in the front, second years in the middle, and third years in the back. Surrounded by just about everyone in the hero courses was something that Yoshihara wasn't planning on happening today, but this assembly was supposed to be important.

According to the email that Aizawa-sensei said, it was supposed to change the perspective of all Hero Students within the school. She asked Josefumi what he thought that meant, but he hadn't a clue.

Usually when Josefumi didn't have a clue about something, that meant that whatever it was, it would blind side them. Once everyone got in their seats, and as soon as Aizawa-sensei shut both sets of doors to the auditorium, a small rodent-like individual made their way to the front of the massive stage they were made to sit in front of, dressed in a black waist coat and matching pants with a white shirt underneath.

"Principal Nedzu…" Yoshihara thought. She had only ever seen him when she had gathered all of the staff to aid in the attack at the USJ. Back then, he was a simple enigmatic figure. But right there, standing atop the stage with his paws behind his back… he commanded such a presence that she had to do a double take.

Forget being a principal, the amount of power he commanded in that one moment made him look like the leader of a country.

Then, with a small huff, Nedzu spoke.

"Good morning, Hero Course!"

"GOOD MORNING, HEADMASTER!" Everyone replied back as Nedzu chuckled to himself, adjusting his collar before continuing.

"Yes, indeed! I see we're all lively today, which is good. However, I can also tell that some of you, mostly you third years, are confused! I can already guess what it is you're thinking about right now. You must be wondering why we're holding an assembly of this magnitude? The last time we had such a thing was when all of you third years were first years, and when we had to have a massive policy change regarding support gear!" Nedzu began as murmurs began to fill the auditorium.

It was true. U.A. wasn't the kind of school to hold plays or events like this. They were considered a "no-nonsense" kind of school. You came here to do what needed to be done, then you went home. It was why it was one of the more respected schools within the country. It might not have felt like that in recent months what with everything that had happened, but this year had already been incredibly different compared to most other years. A stroke of bad luck, as it were.

"Now, now, enough of that," Nedzu said as the murmurs quietened down. A few more seconds passed, and eventually, the auditorium returned to the blissful silence it had just a few moments ago. "Wonderful! Now, do not fret, we are not having another drastic policy change like that of two years ago. However, this is on a similar level. So, I would like it if all of you paid your utmost attention."

"What could possibly be so important that we need to give our undivided attention? Not that I wasn't going to, but… seriously, what is this assembly about?" Yoshihara thought as Nedzu coughed into one of his paws.

"Now. Normally, I would be the one leading the charge for todays assembly. However, today, I merely take the role of the individual introducing the person who will be taking center stage. I am rather busy at the moment sorting through several issues that need to be adjusted, so for the time being, I'm going to pass the microphone off to you, our esteemed guest!"

Without a hint of delay, Nedzu walked off the left side of the stage and the person taking his place made a lot of people gasp, whilst some were confused. The person in question was someone that Yoshihara recognized the second she saw his face. She couldn't mistake that blond hair for belonging to anyone else other than Jonathon Kujo, her Uncle, and the CEO of The Speedwagon Foundation. Although, he was more than likely known for his role as the second ranked Pro Hero in America, Joekid.

Clearing his throat and tapping the mic, Jonathon spoke. "Hello, everyone. My name is Jonathon Kujo, and I am the current CEO of The Speedwagon Foundation—although you more than likely know me as Joekid." As soon as Jonathon finished speaking, the people within the auditorium went wild.

While most of the time no one from Japan paid attention to other countries heroes, Joekid was an exception, primarily because he was a Joestar. The Joestar family had always been a hot topic all over the world. They were some of the most influential individuals known to man, second to All Might. When they spoke, you listened. That was just a fact in life.

And for Jonathon to make a public appearance outside of hero work, something he didn't often do, marked today for being a special occasion. One that seemingly confused Josefumi, as when Yoshihara glanced over at him, he looked taken aback; as if he wasn't expecting his father to show up.

"I don't typically do these kinds of appearances due to how busy of a man I am," Jonathon continued as the auditorium calmed down the second he spoke. "However, after further consideration with the staff here at U.A. High School, we figured that after recent events, it's about time that we bring the next generation of heroes up to speed with the current goings on."

"That being said, what I am going to show you all is to remain Top Secret. This information is extremely sensitive, and should it spread further to the public at large, it could cause widespread pandemonium. If what I tell you all here today leaks outside of this school, then there will be drastic consequences. The United Nations has put its full trust in U.A. to keep this on the downlow, so do not misplace it."

Murmurs exploded across the entire auditorium, prompting Hound Dog to tell everyone to shut up. But even if he had done that, it was clear that everyone was confused, but none were more confused than Josefumi and Yoshihara. "Wait a second… Is he actually going to…?"

Now. It is time that I reveal to you a long kept secret that The Speedwagon Foundation has kept under wraps for well over 100 years. But first, before we begin, I would like to go on a bit of a tangent," Jonathon said, pacing over to the left with the microphone in hand. "As I'm sure you are all aware by now, almost two weeks ago, a Hero Course student by the name of Ida Tenya met an unfortunate end during his internship with the Pro Hero Manual."

As soon as the incident was mentioned, a couple people from Class 1 – A looked down at the floor with palpable grief etched into their expressions, mixed with more murmurs from the crowd. Undeterred, Jonathon continued. "The publicly provided cause of death was exsanguination caused by the removal of his heart from his body. While that is mostly true, the method used and the individual blamed for his death could not have been more wrong."

That caused a few heads to perk up at the mention of that, as Sato muttered "It wasn't The Hero Killer?" That had been what the prevailing story on the matter had been. That Ida Tenya had ran afoul with The Hero Killer, and was thusly aptly killed by the man.

"I can personally confirm with you all here today, as one of the few people allowed to see Ida Tenya's corpse, that he was not killed by The Hero Killer. Moreover, he wasn't even killed by a human, for that matter," as soon as Jonathon spoke those words he snapped his fingers and the lights went out, save for the ones that were aimed at the stage that lacked UV lights.

Two Speedwagon Foundation agents, dressed in dark blue clothing and matching dark blue hats with the company logo, stepped out on stage with a stretcher that was holding someone down. Titanium straps held the individual down on the stretcher as it was slowly lifted for the whole audience to see.

What they were greeted with was a snarling, pale skinned, black-haired individual with a bite mask over his mouth and black fabric over its eyes. They were wearing nothing, although the metallic bands were strategically placed to ensure that everything was covered, and nothing unsightly was exposed in broad daylight. Just by glancing over the individual, they were a woman.

Gasps filled the auditorium, as one brave soul spoke up from the back—a third year—as they exclaimed "WHY ARE YOU HOLDING THAT POOR WOMAN LIKE SOME KIND OF MONSTER!"

"That's because this woman is, in fact, a monster," Jonathon retorted as he gestured to the woman on the stretcher. "What many of you do not understand is that long before the arrival of Quirks, humanity had already gained access to supernatural abilities. Here, I will be demonstrating two of the more visible ones. What you see before you right now, as hard as it must be to believe, is not a human. This individual… her name is Reiko Tsugami. She was born in 1641, and was captured by The Speedwagon Foundation in 1947. Reiko Tsugami is a Vampire—and that is not a joke."

Once again, murmurs exploded out from the crowd. Jonathon waited for a few moments before continuing. "Vampires are deathly allergic to the suns UV rays. So, for proof that what I am saying is the truth and nothing but the truth…!" Jonathon pulled out a flashlight from his belt, aimed it at Reiko's stomach, and turned it on.

The second he did so, the light caused Reiko to scream bloody murder as a hole was burned through her stomach all the way from the front to the back as loud gasps and shouts of shock filled the auditorium. Jonathon turned off the flashlight, and as soon as he did, Reiko's stomach began to fill back in, regenerating completely.

"The flashlight I used uses lightbulbs that are strictly UV rays. As you all just saw, her skin, flesh, muscle, and bone melted away into nothingness just by me simply turning it on. No Quirk on the planet has that kind of drawback, and I've done my fair share of research. To prove my point even further…." Once more, Jonathon snapped his fingers, and as soon as he did a man walked out onto the stage.

That man was none other than Higashikata Josuke. He was dressed in some tacky Hawaiian shirt and a pair of mismatched grey shorts, but it was him alright. "This man right here is Higashikata Josuke. He is the chief of police in the town of Morioh. However, he is more than just that. He is what is known as a Hamon Master. Despite his appearance of looking just over 60, Higashikata Josuke is a little over 90 years old, and it is all thanks to Hamon."

As if to prove his point, Josuke sucked in a deep breath as a golden glow appeared around his entire body. "Hamon, unlike Vampirism, was something that The Speedwagon Foundation allowed the public to be aware of back in 2070, right around the time my father inherited The Speedwagon Foundation," Jonathon continued as Josuke approached the vampire on the stretcher.

The vampire began to writhe around on the stretcher, as if afraid of what was going to happen. The breathes of those watching were held in bated tension, as a look of pure murderous intent washed over Josuke's face. "Hamon is also the direct counter to those with Vampirism, as Hamon allows the user to channel the power of very sun itself! Since Vampires are deathly allergic to the sun, that makes people like Higashikata-kun their worst enemies."

Then, in the blink of an eye, Josuke balled his right hand into a fist, and swung it toward the vampire's face. The vampire screamed a death wail so loud and so disturbing it made just about everyone cover their ears. The visual also didn't help. The vampire's skin melted off its face in a fiery, sludge-like substance as the energy from Josuke's fist travelled from its face down to its neck and upper chest, bubbling and boiling before eventually, the vampire died.

Horror was strung across a majority of those watching, including most of Class 1 – A. All except Josefumi and Yoshihara. Josefumi, most likely because he had seen it before, was unaffected. Yoshihara was unaffected primarily because of her lack of empathy and sociopathy. That didn't leave everyone else the same way, though. Some were less disturbed then others, but the general feeling of disgust filled the auditorium regardless.

"Do not feel bad about what happened to Reiko. She was an over 500 year old vampire who was responsible for well over 1,000 different murders. All of whom were met with the same fate as Ida Tenya. Exsanguination. That is because Vampires drain their victims of their blood until there is nothing left, and, should they chose, they will turn those corpses into zombies. Ida Tenya was spared from such a fate, but that does not change the fact that he was killed by a vampire. While the one we killed was not the one responsible for doing so, the one that is will still be out there."

"Vampires… Vampires are real, and I just saw one get killed… A vampire was what killed Ida…" Yoshihara thought as she glanced over to Izuku, who had been sitting next to Todoroki, both of whom had mortified looks on their faces. Not because of the display, although that definitely contributed, but there was a look of realization in their eyes. "They encountered the vampire, didn't they…! That must've been why Izuku was so heavily wounded at the hospital. He showed up right as the vampire attacked Ida or had just finished attacking Ida. He would've stood no chance against him."

"That is one of the things that we wished to reveal to you all today. Another thing that will be revealing to you all. The Speedwagon Foundation is sponsoring a class that all classes will be made to attend, as it is vital. It will reveal more things such as vampirism and other supernatural phenomenon that we, The Speedwagon Foundation, have kept hidden from the public for well over a century now," as Jonathon said that, The Speedwagon Foundation employees, along with Josuke, took the stretcher away, as Jonathon retook center stage.

"The class in question will be dubbed Supernatural Creatures and Abilities 101. Originally, I was going to have one of my more closer associates teach this class. However, it was changed at the last minute when I was made aware of his reawakening. What better way to have him make up for lost time then teaching a bunch of children? So, after a twelve year long coma, and after three months of gruelling physical therapy, I would like to introduce to you someone who consider not only a friend, but is also my long-lost Step Brother. Ladies, Gentlemen, and those who are neither, I would like to introduce to you the teacher of SCA 101… Sugimoto Yoshimura."

Yoshihara's eyes widened upon hearing that name. Sugimoto was the maiden name of her father, and while a part of her believed she was hearing things, the moment that the brown-haired, brown eyed, cream coloured skinned man walked on stage dressed in a black business suit and red tie, Yoshihara could only stare.

Her father was alive.

Her father… the man she thought was dead… was alive.

If what Jonathon said was true, then he was in a twelve year long coma…. Around the same amount of time that her entire childhood had taken place during.

How much did he know?

Did he know anything at all?

He had been awake for three months, granted he was relearning how to walk again but that didn't change the fact that he didn't contact anyone.

Yoshikawa was under the belief that he was dead…. He didn't even bother trying to contact his supposed wife. He even changed his name back to Sugimoto, so he at least had to have known about her death….

Before her train of thought could spiral even further, Yoshimura spoke. "Thank you, Jonathon. A-hem…! As Jonathon said, my name is Sugimoto Yoshimura. I am the current branch leader of the Japanese branch of The Speedwagon Foundation, although that is currently being put on pause while my course is being taught here at this school. As Jonathon has illuded to, my class will be teaching about creatures like vampires, and powers like Hamon. However, my first class be about neither. My first class will be about something that predates Quirks, much like Hamon, but unlike Hamon, has been around for comparatively shorter. That is all for now."

As soon as Yoshimura finished speaking, he looked over the crowd, and after a brief glance, Yoshihara's and his eyes met. The moment they did, his eyes widened and buried within he had a look of both pride… and sadness in his eyes. Pride in the fact that she was here? She guessed that made sense. Sadness could've been because he had been absent in her life….

But whatever the case was, as he left the stage, he whispered something to Aizawa-sensei before leaving. Not even a minute later, Aizawa walked up end of the row of seats that Yoshihara sat in before gesturing to her. Without a word, Yoshihara stood up and walked down the aisle of chairs. When she made it to the end, Aizawa gestured to a set of double doors, and said "Your father wants to speak to you. Something about catch up. Go."

Yoshihara didn't argue with him on that. In fact, that was what she was planning to do regardless of his permission. She wasn't going to let him get away. She needed answers and needed them now.

Walking out the pair of double doors Aizawa had gestured too, she stopped dead in her tracks as soon as the doors closed behind her. There he was, back turned to her and looking over his shoulder. He turned around to fully face her, and as soon as he did, Yoshihara's heart pounded against her chest.

She had no idea what to say.

She had no idea what to do.

All she could do was stare.

Then, finally, after several long moments of silence, he spoke. "I'm home. Sorry for the wait."

Maybe it was the way he said it. Maybe it was how his voice shook when he spoke and the way his eyes watered. Maybe it was the way how his arms and body seemed to tremble. But whatever the case might have been, whatever it was out of those series of things that he did that caused her response, all Yoshihara could do approach him.

When she did, the moment she so much as got within arms reach of him, her legs felt as if they were going to collapse, and had he not have caught her when he did, she would've fallen on the floor. It wasn't long after that when she started sniffling, before wrapping her arms around him like a massive teddy bear.

"Dad… It's you. It's really you…. This isn't a dream, right?" God, she sounded so pathetic. Her voice was barely above a whisper, and she struggled to say a single word without being on the verge of tears.

"I'm really here, Yoshihara…. I'm sorry. I'm so, so, unbelievably sorry for leaving you behind for so long. But I promise now that I'm here, I'll never leave you behind ever again," Yoshimura said, and as soon as those words left his mouth, the damn broke, and for a solid two minutes straight, all Yoshihara could do was cry.

Not tears of sadness.

Not tears of anger.

Not even tears of happiness.

Just… tears.

Years of thinking he was dead. Years of thinking that she was alone outside of her extended family and her friends… shattered to bits. Repressed feelings of anger, sadness, and frustration blew up and turned into nothing as all she was left with was the confirmation that her father was alive.

She wasn't the only one crying, though. They both were.

Both of them knew that this wasn't going to be enough. Years had passed, and they were going to need to make up for that lost amount of time.

But first…

Yoshihara pulled away, wiping at her eyes. This was all so… surreal. "Damn… I—"

"You don't have to say a word," Yoshimura said, chuckling as he wiped at his eyes as well. "I haven't cried like that in… heh… years now. Seeing you all grown up… The last time I ever saw you, you were still at the height of my knee… Do you still like Digimon or has that changed?"

"Digimon… Oh wow, it's been… years since I even thought about that," Yoshihara muttered, rubbing at the back of her neck. "I'm more of a Soul Eater and Demon Slayer fan now."

"Heh, that's ironic. Your mom was a fan of Fire Force when we were growing up…"

As the two talked to one another, Aizawa stood leaning against the set of doors, watching them. On his face was the small hint of a smile as he slipped back into the auditorium, leaving the two to be alone for a while. They had some catching up to do.

[XXXX]

Orphanages, as Eri was coming to find out, were not all that great. However, it was one of the only places Noroi trusted for her to be at. On the bright side, she was surrounded by people her age and not sleeping in alleyways.

Although, it was funny. She remembered being in her room one second, and then in the next, she was leaning against the wall of some alleyway in Osaka. Noroi had told her that "it was for her own good" and that "she needed to leave" but it frustrated Eri, because her and Kai had a plan, and it would've worked! At least, she thought so, too.

Noroi never trusted Kai. Not since the day she showed up. Always saying that he's a monster when Eri knew the truth. Before The Bad Man showed up, Kai was a great guy! He would always make her favourite food, always play with her when she asked, and he even got Mr. Rappa to stop smoking like she asked him too!

It was frustrating… Noroi didn't understand Kai. So many people didn't understand him. They thought he was a brutal monster who only cared for himself but Eri knew better. Eri had seen better.

It was all The Bad Man's fault.

The Bad Man needed to die, but that much was obvious.

But as far as Noroi was concerned, so did Kai, when the only thing wrong that Kai did was be afraid of someone much stronger than him….

"Eri-chan, can I come in?" Eri looked over to the door of her new bedroom—she shared it with three other kids, Tsuko-chan, Tadami-kun, and Wasuke-Kun. Tsuko was "acoustic" or something like that—Eri didn't know the proper word for it but it made her act funny. Tadami was a Mutant with a snake face, and Wasuke was a Quirkless orphan.

The room was set up with two bunkbeds, and Eri slept on the bottom bunk underneath Wasuke. Each bed had a trunk in front of it divided into two which contained any clothes that they had. Eri had been given new clothes by the orphanage—a red and gold dress that was paired with a white long sleeve shirt underneath and a pair of white leggings to cover up all the nasty scars she had accrued—alongside her old clothes that she had on her when she came into the orphanage.

"Sure," Eri replied quietly as the door creaked open. The person in question was the head matron of the orphanage. The woman's name was Hifumi Yatsuhiro, or as most of the children called her, Yatsu-chan. She had taken control over the orphanage after the other matrons were arrested for child neglect, with Yatsu-chan being the only one who took proper care of them. Apparently, the orphanage had been originally opened by one of the Yakuza families as a money laundering scheme.

Eri had heard of those before. Uncle Kai did that too, but he used meat delis and comic book stores. Oh, and they apparently bought some place called

Hifumi was a tall woman, standing around the same height as Uncle Kai but add an extra couple of centimeters or so. She had long, black hair that reached past her shoulders, and she had calming brown eyes with a cream coloured complexion. She was dressed in an off-white long-sleeve dress that reached down to the floor, just barely hovering over it to prevent it from becoming dirty.

Around the collar, there was a flowery pattern made of a thin layer of white fabric where a red gem laid flat in the center. The gem itself had what appeared to be an eye within the rock that seemed to always have tears just about to come out, although according to Yatsu-Chan, that was just how it looked when she got it. Around her neck was a golden choker that was designed in such a way to look like stitching. On her ring was a silver band with a small, clean cut diamond that was pink in colour. She also had a small black dot on her upper lip.

"How are you doing, Eri-chan?" Yatsu-chan asked as Eri looked at the floor, not making eye contact with her. It wasn't because she was afraid of her or anything like that. She just didn't want to.

"Good."

"I know you were probably scared when there was a villain reported at Kiyashi Ward. I'm sorry it ruined the mall trip. I promise I'll make it up to you guys soon," Yatsu-chan said as she sat next to Eri, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder. Eri said nothing, and instead continued staring at the floor.

The villain at Kiyashi…. She was pretty sure it was that guy with the pale blue hair and the black hoodie. He looked gross. Like he needed a shower. Noroi was weird about him though. Noroi was technically "older" than Eri, hence "Big Sister". Eri knew things she shouldn't because of Noroi, but either way, Eri had to slap herself to get Noroi to stop talking.

Whenever Noroi started talking weird and being weird, Eri would slap herself or cause herself some kind of physical pain. It changed the subject well enough. Anything to get her to stop talking about whatever it was she spouted whenever Noroi found someone she liked.

"Can we talk about something else?" Eri asked as Yatsu-chan smiled.

"Sure! Actually, the reason why I came here was because someone wants to see you. They claim to know you, so I came to double check. They say that their name is Yotsuyu. Do you happen to know anyone by that name?" Yatsu-chan asked as Eri blinked.

No…

There's no possible way that The Bad Man already found her and was sending people after her, right?

Eri shook her head rapidly, fear in her eyes as Yatsu-chan nodded. "Very well. Do you want me to call the police? Did this person do something bad to you?"

"Bad Man sent him… Probably. I told you about Bad Man. How he's the reason for my scars?" Eri said as Yatsu-chan scowled—not at her, but at the mere mention of "The Bad Man."

"Yes, you told me. Don't worry, Eri-Chan, I'll deal with him myself, then," as Yatsu-chan said that, she left the bedroom as Eri was left alone. A part of Eri was concerned that Yatsu-chan would not be able to handle what was about to come, but she also wanted to have faith in Yatsu-chan.

And frankly, faith was the only thing that she could truly rely on right about now….

Meanwhile, Hifumi only had one goal in her head. To drive away the person who she had spoken to at the entrance of the orphanage. Her job was to protect the children within the orphanage. It was what she did when she reported all of the faux matrons, it was what she did when those said faux matrons left that poor child to deal with an ancient disease that was said to have gone extinct well over 200 years ago.

It was what she had been destined to do.

Stepping into the foyer, a neutral expression on her face so as to not draw any suspicion onto herself, she waved at the other children, smiled when needed, then made an abrupt turn to the front of the orphanage. It was there that she met back up with the individual of whom Eri-chan suspected having been sent by The Bad Man.

The individual in question was a man of average height, with long shoulder-length black hair with green highlights and cut short bangs. He was sat in one of the many chairs holding a book about geography, and his outfit was rather… bizarre. On his head was a circlet of golden leaves, and he wore a beige fabric crop-top and matching colour shorts accompanied with a floral pattern and there was an H embedded into the collar of the crop-top.

Underneath the crop-top and shorts was a dark green leather-based outfit with dull steel spikes that made him appear like a cactus. Around his waist was some kind of belt with various pouches on it, and his eyes had a strange, semi-malicious hue to them that made him look like someone who's time was being wasted.

The more that Hifumi looked at him, the more Hifumi was convinced that if anyone was sent by the Yakuza to hunt down a child, this person was no doubt one of those people. After all, only the kind of people who were paid large amounts of money could afford this bizarre level of fashion.

The man, Yotsuyu, looked over to Hifumi as she smiled. "Mr. Yagiyama, I'm afraid Eri claims to not know you. Unless you can provide proof that you know her, then I will have to ask you to leave."

Yagiyama remained silent, casting her a side eye. His attention was then diverted back to the book he was reading, and after a few minutes of stone-cold silence, he closed the book, placed it on the table next to where he was sitting, and began to speak.

"Often times in life, I have found, that I have had to make concessions with people who either refuse to see the larger picture or simply blow them away," Yagiyama began as Hifumi raised an eyebrow. She went to say something, only for Yagiyama to continue. "I know you are a Stand User, ma'am. I have encountered more than enough and been one for long enough to tell the difference between someone with a Quirk and someone with a Stand. I can also tell that my Stand is no doubt stronger than yours. This does not have to devolve into a battle. I would hate to cause pain to the innocent children running around here, indirectly or otherwise."

Hifumi scowled. "Are you suggesting that you would cause harm to the children here if I forced you to leave, Yagiyama?"

"No."

A small cut formed on Yagiyama's cheek, making him hiss with annoyance. Hifumi's scowl turned into a sneer. "You just lied, Yagiyama. You would totally cause harm to the children here. I believe it's more clear now than ever what your intentions are. Get out, before I call the police."

"You would witness a massacre if you did," Yagiyama replied. No damage this time. Truth.

"A massacre of who?" Hifumi questioned, her tone containing defiance as Yagiyama's expression remained as solid as stone.

"That would be for you to find out. Something I know you wouldn't want to anyway," Yagiyama replied as he stood up. The moment he did, Hifumi reached to her side with Yagiyama's eyes locked on to her hand. "Do not reach for whatever weapon you have underneath that dress of yours. That would be escalation, and that is the last thing either of us want."

"Who do you work for?" Hifumi hissed as Yagiyama's expression once again did not change, although his right eye did twitch ever-so-slightly.

"A very powerful man. Someone more powerful than even All Might at his prime," Yagiyama said, and it was to that which Hifumi expected something to happen.

But it didn't.

Hifumi's eyes nearly widened for a split second but she was able to contain her shock. "The Suffering didn't respond to what so obviously a blatantly lie…! Does that mean… he's telling the truth?" As Hifumi finished that thought, the left corner of Yagiyama's lip upturned slightly.

"I believe I've figured out your Stand. If I lie to you, then your Stand will cause damage to me—hence the cut on my cheek," Yagiyama said, wiping the small trail of blood off his cheek before flicking it to the floor. "It's a perfect Stand for interrogations like this, but in an actual combat scenario, it's kind of useless."

"What do you want with Eri-chan?" Hifumi demanded as Yagiyama frowned.

"That's the question you should have asked in the first place, Yatsuhiro-san. I only wish to protect Chisaki Eri." There was a pause in the conversation as Hifumi waited and waited for something to happen. However, when nothing happened, her posture relaxed immensely, sighing as she did.

"I suppose that should have been my first question. The Suffering is omni-present with its lie detection and discipline. If you truly want to protect Eri, why did you not say anything? Who sent you?" Hifumi asked as Yagiyama's expression returned to a neutral state.

"I was being cautious, just as you were. In this day and age, it's impossible to trust people and not suspect the worst. That being said, I cannot tell you who sent me. It would more than likely spark a series of events that would lead to your death. It would be best for you to stay out of the know. All you have to know is that I work with an organization that only wants the best for children like Eri. She is very special, even among others of her ilk, and if we can aid them in understanding what they are, then we will benefit for it," Yagiyama said as Hifumi gained a suspicious gleam in her eye.

The Suffering didn't respond to it, so there was no lie within his words. Even if the response was headache educing, Hifumi would have noticed—The Suffering would have indicated to her through a slight vibration if the pain wasn't a visible thing. That being said, even if The Suffering vetted Yagiyama and he was telling the truth, there was something about him that she didn't trust.

However, it was clear he was willing to do anything to get to Eri. Even if it meant hurting the other children. "Yagiyama is clearly a villain. There is no two ways about it. Even if I want to give him the benefit of the doubt, I cannot allow him near Eri. He claims to want to protect her, but what does that protection entail? I cannot ask such questions and expect results. The Suffering takes nuance into account as well, so even if his version of protection might cause harm to Eri, it wouldn't contradict his previous statement."

"Yatsuhiro Hifumi. I will only ask you one more time before my hand is forced. Bring me to Chisaki Eri. Otherwise, things will become very dangerous for you," Yagiyama stated rather plainly, and while Hifumi wasn't exactly the most competent fighter, she could tell that even if she charged him, Yagiyama would do her in faster than she could reach for her taser, phone, or before she screamed for help.

Yagiyama Yotsuyu wasn't a pushover. That much was for sure.

Which meant that she wasn't given much of a choice in the matter if she wanted to protect the other children.

"If I bring you Eri-chan… You have to promise me that no harm will come to her by you or your organization's hands. She's been hurt enough in her life," Hifumi said, her tone leaving no room for argument as Yagiyama nodded.

"I swear that no harm shall come to Chisaki Eri. After all, that would defeat the purpose of why I came here. I am a man of my word, after all," Yagiyama said as Hifumi waited for The Suffering to vet his answer. One second passed. Two seconds passed. Three seconds passed. Four seconds passed. Five seconds passed. Nothing.

"Very well. Follow me, Yagiyama-kun," Hifumi said, turning her back to him. The two walked down the hallway and passed by scores of children. They whispered and questioned, giggled and played. Children were the depiction of innocence. Harm should not come to them, because that was a sin in and of itself.

Hifumi wanted to protect children. That was her calling in life. That was why she awakened The Suffering when she was 25 years old, which was over six years ago. A part of her felt as if she was betraying that vow she made all those years ago, but she wasn't being given much of a choice.

She just hoped Eri-chan understood.

Hifumi opened the door to Eri's bedroom, and as soon she did, she was met with Eri sitting on the edge of the bed. She had a worried look in her eyes, and that worry doubled into fear when Yagiyama stepped into the room.

"Y-Yatsu-chan…! You—"

"Calm down, Eri-chan. This man doesn't work with The Bad Man. He can be trusted… for now," Hifumi said as Yagiyama approached Eri. Every step he took toward her, the more Eri inched backward, not that Yagiyama seemed to care. Hifumi saw the dead stare in his eyes—saw that he looked like a murderer ready to pounce—but could do nothing to stop him.

"Although, now that his back is turned, I could—"

"Don't even bother doing what I think you're going to do, Yatsuhiro-san. My Stand has already touched you, and that is more than enough to have you die right here and now," Yagiyama said, his tone of voice carrying a hint of deadly seriousness that made a chill crawl down her spine.

"When did he do that?! I didn't see it happen, so was it when we were walking down the hall and toward Eri-chan's room, or was it just now?" Hifumi thought as Yagiyama grabbed Eri's wrist. Their eyes met, and Eri looked like she was seconds away from crying. Then, in the blink of an eye, Feed The Machine's arm shot out from Eri's shoulder, it's clawed hand open and primed to grab Yagiyama's throat, only for a blue had with spikes on its knuckles to manifest and bat the hand away with ease.

Feed The Machine's hand slammed against the wall and cracking both it and the knuckles and fingers on the hand. The damage replicated onto Eri's right hand, blood exploding from the wound as Eri winced, her breath hitching as the crimson red liquid stained the bedding. Yagiyama's eyes narrowed as small crumbling rocks appeared out of nowhere.

Both Hifumi and Eri stared at them, confusing in their eyes as Yagiyama smirked. "I knew I was correct to check here first. It would seem that this test has proven fruitful. Both mine and my bosses suspiscions were correct. The specifics do not matter, nor does it matter how it is that you got here, but this has made the search for you far simpler, Chisaki Eri. If that's even your real name."

Eri blinked, confused. What did the creepy, spiky man mean by that? What was the significance of those stones for? Why did the creepy man look happy all of a sudden? That was when he continued.

"As we speak, two Stand Users are after you. I do not know where they are, but they are within the Tokyo Metropolitan area. Should you wish to survive and not be dragged back to the place that has tortured you, then you will come with me. Myself and my allies will protect you back in Morioh. Or, should you wish, you and I can stay within Tokyo, deal with The Stand Users, then return to Morioh. It will be safer for you either way to go there," Yagiyama said as Eri stared, still terrified and in pain.

"Listen to him, Eri. We can trust him."

"B-but, he hurt me!"

"It was a test, you big cry baby. This man might not look like it, but he's our ticket to ensuring that The Bad Man can never touch us ever again."

"R-Really? What about Uncle Kai? Will he be okay?"

"Who cares about that idiot. Our survival is the only thing that matters right now. We can worry about Kai when we're safe. You're too selfless, Eri. You need to be a little more selfish if you want to survive for any long period of time."

Eri didn't agree with Noroi on the being selfish thing. But, if Noroi trusted him, then… well, Noroi had never been wrong about other people before—aside from Uncle Kai, but that was irrelevant for right now.

"Stay here, then Morioh. If we go to Morioh now, they'll follow us. The Bad Man is, uh… he doesn't like to give up," Eri replied as Yagiyama nodded.

"Very well. Yatsuhiro, have Eri pack her things. She's leaving tonight. I do not want to leave behind a paper trial, so I won't be signing any papers. This is to be kept under wraps. Do you understand?" Yagiyama said as he backed away from Eri and turned to face Hifumi, his eyes narrowed as a purple aura surrounded his entire body. An indirect threat, but a threat nonetheless.

Wordlessly, Hifumi nodded, and for a few seconds, Yagiyama stared gauging her, judging her, before ultimately nodding. "Gather your things, child. We leave within the hour. I'll stand guard out front. Should either of you hear anything out of the ordinary, have Eri flee out a nearby window. There will be a black van on the next block waiting for her. An associate of mine will be waiting in that van for her."

Eri nodded, before flicking some of the blood on her finger tip. She activated Feed The Machine as sparks of gold began to jet from the crimson liquid. All of it began to return to her hand, as did the pebbles of rock, fitting into place where the wounds had been, which made Eri tilt her head in confusion.

Was she… made of stone?

"I'm sure you're confused, but it will all make sense soon enough. Just remember this phrase, and it will all make sense. I am a rock. I am an island. The world is my mother, and from where we are born is where we are to return, for we are the true inheritors of this world."

Unbeknownst to either Eri, Hifumi, or Yotsuyu, they were already being closed in on. A woman with short starch white hair and a pale complexion sat atop of the roof of an opposite building, dressed in a blue tracksuit with purple star motifs decorating the entire tracksuit save for the collar, which had cross iconography lining it. She wore a pair of black moon boots, and she had painted black nails. As she stared at the orphanage, her golden yellow eyes had an amused gleam sparkling within.

"It only took a few days, but we found her," The white-haired woman said, her voice containing a hint of an Italian accent. "Whaddya say, Ricotta, do we go in?"

Another woman, this one with a pale complexion, "Ricotta" had no real expression on her face. Just a cold, calculating gleam in her eyes. She was dressed in a black, unbuttoned trenchcoat and matching black fedora. Underneath the trenchcoat was a white sweater with a triangle cut into the chest, exposing a modest amount of cleavage. Accompanied with the sweater was a pair of black and white striped pants that were kept up by a black leather belt with a golden buckle. Her eyes had black sclera, and she shared the same golden coloured irises as the other woman.

"You're the boss here, D'Angelo. I only came along because the Capo didn't believe you were enough for the job. Although, if I may suggest, they most likely have a rear exit. You take the front, and I'll take the back. If my hunch is correct, they'll have a getaway driver. The person who hired us, Chisaki Kai, made sure to tell us that we are to not allow them to leave the Tokyo Metropolitan area. We are to use whatever force is necessary. After all, Chisaki Kai can just use his Quirk to bring back the girl should either of us kill her," Ricotta replied as the woman, Pucci, smirked.

"Awesome~! Man, it's been forever since we've seen any kind of action. Sucks that it has to be in Japan, but whatever! Without Spin King to hunt us down or any of those other annoying ass heroes getting in our way, this'll be easy!" D'Angelo replied as she stood up, her back still turned to Ricotta. "Alright, let's get this show on the road! Say, after this, you wanna get dinner at this sushi place I found? I think it was called—"

Pucci looked over her shoulder and frowned. Ricotta had already left. "Damnit…. Oh well, I'm sure we can talk about it after the mission is over." As D'Angelo finished that thought, she watched as the man that she was following from a distance came out of the orphanage. As soon as he did, she smirked.

This was going to be easy. Nothing had ever been able to beat her Stand. Not even her boss—not The Boss but the Capo in charge of looking over her group. Besides, she was the leader of La Squadra Esecuzioni for a reason. She wasn't beyond aiding other organizations when asked and paid a hefty amount of cash.

That, and she always wanted to check out Japan. Just sucked that her reason for coming here was for job related reasons. A part of her wondered why Chisaki Kai wanted this girl, but she wasn't exactly paid to ask questions.

She was paid to kill whoever got in her way, and capture the girl.

And she was going to do it by any means necessary.

Back in the orphanage, near the entrance, Yagiyama narrowed his eyes as Hifumi approached behind him. He stopped suddenly in his tracks, staring at the front door. His body language suddenly became apprehensive, and he assumed a semi-defensive stance, which caused a bout of worry in Hifumi prompting her to ask: "Is something the matter, Yagiyama-kun?"

"Stand Users," Yagiyama spat, as Hifumi's eyes widened.

"What?! But you said—"

"I said that I didn't know where they were. They must've followed me. I don't know how, but they did. Tell Eri to flee as we planned. The back up vehicle should be waiting for her. My associate isn't a Stand User, but he is a capable driver," Yagiyama stated, his tone of voice carrying nothing but seriousness. "Go, now!"

Hifumi didn't bother to wait. She ran back to Eri's bedroom, swung open the door, and as soon as she did Eri turned to look at her, confusion and slight fright in her eyes. "Eri, change of plans, leave through the window. You've been found!"

Sweat dripped down the side of Eri's face as she nodded. With what little she had packed, primarily some extra clothes in a small over the shoulder bag, she had Feed The Machine open the window as she silently hopped out of it. The moment her feet touched the ground, she made a break for it.

The escape vehicle, if she recalled, was just on the next city block over. Using alleyways and short cuts, Eri dipped and weaved through people and covered her tracks as best as she could, until she eventually got to where she was supposed to be. There, sitting alone next to a traffic light, was a black van with what appeared to be a fruit logo on the side. The name was written in english, so she couldn't read it, but the logo was bright red with spikes all over it—kind of like Mr. Yagiyama's clothes.

All she had to do was approach the vehicle. That was it. Get the drivers attention and get in the van. As she approached the black van, she couldn't help but feel a bout of tension surge through her body. The closer to the van she got, the more scared she became, and she hadn't the faintest idea as to why.

As soon as she approached the drivers side door, she frowned. She couldn't see over the window. "Why do I have to be so small…" Eri thought to herself, huffing. Instead of complaining, she summoned Feed The Machine to her side, and as soon as she did, she used it to lift her up to look into the driver side seat of the van, and when she did…

She saw a horrific sight.

Knives, scalpels, blades of various kinds, and what seemed to be metal barbed wires were shooting out of the driver, who was so horribly disfigured that she could tell if they were a man or a woman anymore—that was how mutilated they were, and that wasn't even considering the amount of blood that drenched the interior. It looked like something out of a horror movie. So much so that it made Eri lose concentration as she fell to the ground screaming in terror as she began to hyperventilate.

Panic quickly set in, as Eri shook with fear.

She was going to get captured.

She was going to get taken back to the headquarters.

Uncle Kai was going to be made to cut her up again.

The Bad Man was probably going to hurt her too for running away.

No…

No…!

No!

"Calm down, dumbass! Get a hold of yourself!" Noroi's voice split through her thoughts as her left arm moved on its own to slap her across the face. "It's not over yet. We still have a chance to get out of here!"

"How?! We can't drive!"

"Does it matter if we can drive or not?! All we have to do is put the key in the ignition, put our foot to the pedal, and go! It can't be that hard, can it?"

"B-But what about—"

"I swear to God, Eri, if you mention other people one more time I'm going scream. They do not matter! They are insignificant to us. We are at the top of the world, and we are all that matters. Our survival is paramount, so stop being so selfless, and start being selfish! We need to survive, and if our survival means that a couple of people have to get hurt in the process, then so be it!"

It was at that point when one of Eri's eyes, her left one, turned a bright pink and the pupil became twisted, as if fractured. Her left hand held the side of her face as the rest of her body trembled. "Look around you, Eri. Look at the possible ways of hiding that body. We need it out of there if we are to escape this situation. Do not think of the moral implications. We need to leave, now. Do you understand? We need to leave!"

Just as Eri was about to stand up and approach the door once again, something wrapped around her ankle. Something sharp. The second it did, it pierced her skin and dug in deep, causing blood to spurt out from the new wound as she fell face first into the driver side door of the van, turning around as she looked at her ankle.

Suddenly, now, there was a barbed wire tied around it.

It was as if… it was growing out of ground.

"I see. So you're the one who we were tasked with tracking down," a monotone, empty sounding feminine voice echoed out throughout the street as Eri looked up at the direction of where it came from. Sitting atop the van was a woman dressed in a black trenchcoat, unbuttoned, with a matching black fedora. Her eyes pitch black with yellow iris's, and her skin was deadly pale. She was dressed in a white sweater with a triangular hole in the chest, and she wore a pair of black and white striped pants held up by a golden buckled black belt.

One of her arms were resting against her knee, whereas the other's hand was pressing against her face, palm to her cheek as she stared at Eri with a hint of curiosity in her eyes. "I won't lie, I expected someone much older than you. It makes me wonder what it is that Chisaki Kai wants with someone like you." Her eyes narrowed as she continued. "Then again, I'm not paid to ask questions. I'm paid to get results."

The woman looked down at the drivers cabin, then back to Eri, who still looked horrified. "W-Who—"

"The getaway driver…" The woman interrupted, leaning forward as both of her arms rested on her legs. "He was not the Stand User like I had expected him to be. My partner and I were told that there was at least one Stand User to look out for. Yet, I sensed three." The woman's eyes narrowed further, as she gestured toward the direction where the orphanage was. "In that building, where my partner is, I sense two. That means, the logical answer would be that you, little girl, are the third Stand User. Am I wrong?"

As soon as those words came out of the woman's mouth, a wave of pressure washed over Eri as she felt fear unlike any that she had ever felt before. There was a seriousness about the woman that made Eri want to throw up—like she was staring at someone who was so accustomed to doing this sort of thing she had no problem harming innocent people.

In a way, the woman was sort of like Yagiyama with the same general aura around her. But unlike Yagiyama, who was an ally, this woman was the direct opposite of that. She was, without a doubt, a villain.

"Regardless, it hardly matters," the woman continued as a pale blue aura erupted around her. A silver humanoid looking Stand appeared behind her, looming over her as it stood tall. Its arms and legs were thin, and it seemingly wore a fishnet crop-top over its chest. On its shoulders, hips, and the sides of its head it had opened scissor motifs pointed toward the sky, and over its mouth was a battle mask that looked like something out of an pre-Quirk era cartoon. Its eyes were shaped like gears, and it had silver leg and lower arm armour with black zig-zag lines going through them in a crisscross pattern.

"No one has ever been able to beat me in direct combat. Not that I would believe a small child such as yourself would pose much of a threat. But all the same, I would prefer if you made this job a little easier for me, and gave up," the woman said, glaring down at Eri, as all Eri could do was stare back, fear in her eyes as a realization came to her in that instant.

If she wanted to flee…

She needed to fight.