Katsuki hurried up the stairs, heading for the third-year students' floor. While he did have a destination in mind as he had told Kyoka, he wanted to just get away from the rest of 1-A more than anything. All Might's declaration that heroes needed to look out for each other continued to echo in his mind, and he knew that several people would likely try to check in on him as well. Reiterating that he was fine while pretending not to have foreknowledge of Sir Nighteye's death was exactly the sort of taxing charade that Katsuki couldn't stand, and so, he had opted to flee the 1-A floor as soon as he had made sure Kyoka was at least stable.

The sound of a closing door from somewhere above in the stairwell gave Katsuki pause. He barely knew any of his upperclassmen and running into a stranger during the ensuing crisis was just about the last thing he needed. Then again, running into the person he was heading up to was equally dangerous- the stairwell was hardly a safe space to discuss any sensitive information. Katsuki decided to watch and wait, one hand on the handle of the nearby door to whatever floor he had reached. It took only about half a minute for the very person he was looking for to descend to the stairs directly in front of him.

"…Bakugo?" Nejire asked as she paused halfway down the flight of steps. The young woman wore a blue and teal windbreaker, along with torn jeans and had a set of sophisticated goggles hanging around her neck as though they were a peculiarly bulky piece of jewelry. "I take it you saw the news?"

"Yeah," Katsuki confirmed, taking his hand off the door. "I was coming up to make sure you're… good. And because you wanted to talk to me. Figured I'd kill two birds with one stone."

Nejire tensed up and briefly looked up and down the remainder of the stairwell.

"…not here."

"Yeah, I figured," Katsuki muttered with a roll of his eyes.

"Come with me?" Nejire offered as she made it down to Katsuki's landing.

"I guess," Katsuki agreed as he and Nejire began to walk down the steps side by side. "So… you alright? With the news?"

Nejire descended yet another flight of steps before answering.

"I'm alright. That's about all I can say here. How about you?"

"Dealing with other people is exhausting," Katsuki spat. "I get it, but… I don't want to deal with it. It's not my problem to look after my entire floor."

"Said the hero," Nejire teased.

"…we're not counselors," Katsuki shot back. "I did make sure a friend was alright before I left, and the only other one I'd call that right now left with a few others to take care of Mineta. It'll work itself out. This kind of shit isn't my specialty."

"Unfortunately… it is mine," Nejire said with a sigh. "And it is exhausting, even if you happen to be good at it. I've been more of a caretaker and therapist than an active hero, lately."

"So stop," Katsuki advised as they reached the bottom floor together. "No one's forcing you to play that role."

Nejire gave Katsuki a disappointed look before shoving open the door to the main lobby and leading him through it.

"No, no one is… but when you care deeply about people, the option to ignore their pain isn't realistic. Tamaki, Mirio… Kaoruko… they're all leaning on me right now. It takes strength not to buckle while being a support for so many. It isn't weakness to care about other people, Bakugo. Not caring is a weakness, and one that will leave you high and dry when it's you that's hurting. I'm assuming you heard what All Might said in his speech."

"Yeah, I did, and I don't need a lecture," Katsuki replied as he bristled and walked toward the front doors of the tower.

"I'm beginning to think that maybe you do," Nejire protested as the pair finally made it outside and she slowed to a stop. Katsuki mirrored her motions and watched curiously as she turned back to face the doors. "Hang on a sec."

"Huh…?"

Nejire raised the goggles around her neck up to her eyes and stared at the door. Even with the device covering a large portion of her face, Katsuki could see the color drain completely from her cheeks. She slowly lowered the goggles to peer over them at the empty space before the door, and then raised them once again as though she was looking at something specific.

"Who… are you…?"

"…Toru Hagakure…" came a voice from the space in front of Nejire. "Is something wrong…?"

"Hagakure?" Katsuki asked, trying to pinpoint where the invisible student was standing. "One of our class leads?"

"That's the one," the girl confirmed, her voice seeming a bit farther away and off to the left. "Sorry if I frightened either of you. Are those infrared goggles…?"

"Yeah," Nejire answered, her expression stony as she tracked the girl's movements. Suddenly, it shifted back to her default pleasant smile, and her voice picked up its signature lilt. "I'm… checking for structural faults. There was a report of a burst pipe in the walls on the first floor, and nobody could find anything inside. Figured this would be a good way to find out where the leak is, if it's staying inside the walls. I wasn't expecting to see someone who isn't there. Invisibility Quirk?"

Hagakure let out a small chuckle, though neither Katsuki nor Nejire could tell if it was genuine or mocking without being able to see the girl's face.

"Oh, gotcha. Yeah, it's my Quirk- total invisibility. Sorry again! I have a bad habit of sneaking up on people."

"…where's your uniform?" Katsuki asked, his expression cold. "Are you just completely naked right now, walking around campus?"

"Wow, that's… pretty forward," Toru accused, her tone defensive. "Not that I'm complaining. You're almost as much of a looker as me."

"Stop with the bullshit and answer the question," Katsuki spat. "Are you following us? And where the hell were you last night?"

There was an uncomfortable pause between the three students as several others exited the dormitory tower and passed around them.

"That's… an extremely personal question," Toru answered, sounding genuinely upset. "I don't really want to talk about it…"

"Yeah? Well Tsu's pretty damned pissed at you, and rightfully so. You left her high and dry unpacking all the shit on her own."

"I didn't have a choice!" Toru retorted.

For just a moment, Katsuki thought he saw a distorted shimmer approaching him.

"Hey," Nejire interjected. "Let's… everyone cool down a second. Today's a hard day for everyone, emotions are running high, and I don't think anyone's in the mood for this right now. Where were you headed, Hagakure?"

"I was planning to map out where all of my classes are in the academic tower," the girl answered sullenly. "I'm naked both out of habit and so that I wouldn't have to talk to anyone. So much for that…."

Katsuki narrowed his eyes, as if it would help him see Toru better. Unsurprisingly, it did nothing of the sort.

"Oh, alright then," Nejire said cheerily. "You know where you're going?"

"Yup…" Toru said. "See you around, Bakugo?"

"Guess so," Katsuki answered as he cracked his neck.

There was a pause in which he looked over at Nejire, who waited a moment before raising her goggles again and looking toward one of the other towers.

"…she's going… but did that seem weird to you?"

"It seemed like bullshit," Katsuki accused. "She was following us."

"But why would she?" Nejire asked rhetorically. "Maybe because we alluded to needing to talk about something we couldn't?"

Katsuki scrunched up his face and retraced their steps, finally shaking his head in denial.

"I held the door closed in the stairwell, and the lobby door didn't open again behind us… I don't think. She was either hanging out in the lobby, or following close behind me that entire way. She could have taken the elevator and beat me downstairs after… wait, she was wearing her uniform upstairs during the broadcast…"

"…what was that about her not showing up yesterday?" Nejire asked, raising the goggles once again to track Toru's progress across the lawn.

"Exactly what it sounds like," Katsuki answered. "We had to help Tsu move all her shit in because Hagakure couldn't be bothered. Pretty much the whole floor is pissed at her right now."

Nejire took a deep breath as she turned and gestured for Katsuki to follow her.

"Watch yourself around her. Something isn't right."

"You don't have to tell me," Katsuki agreed. "Where are we going?"

"Parking garage," Nejire replied, not bothering to look back. "No one can listen in if we're sitting in a car, and I'm planning on heading off campus anyway. Let's… not talk about anything else until we get there, just in case."

Katsuki nodded, simply following along and keeping his thoughts to himself as they went. The parking garage was mercifully close to the dormitory tower, though Nejire was parked somewhere in the middle of the massive structure. Upon finding a sage green mid-sized car, Nejire produced a dongle and clicked the button to unlock the door. The pair of students climbed inside before Nejire locked the doors and leaned back into the driver's seat with a sigh.

"…I don't think Hagakure is who she says she is."

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Katsuki asked, looking across the car at his host.

Nejire balled a fist, refusing to look at him as she rested it beneath her chin.

"…I can't tell you. I shouldn't have said anything."

"Seriously?"

"I'm sorry, Bakugo," Nejire replied as she flicked her eyes sideways to him. "You know what? I'm not good right now, and it's because of exactly what you said before- playing therapist to everyone you care about is not only exhausting, but draining. Those are two different things. I feel like a shell right now, no matter how I look outwardly. I'd tell you more about Hagakure if I could, but I don't know anything, and I'm just… concerned about how she may be tied to something else. I'll handle it."

"How are you going to handle it if you're feeling like a shell?" Katsuki asked. "You don't sound all that confident."

"It has to do with Mirio," Nejire said cryptically. "My friend circle, my problem. Just… be careful around her. That's all. Speaking of my friend circle… did you add our numbers to your phone?"

"Yeah, I did," Katsuki replied. "What's with the special treatment?"

"It's not 'special treatment' so much as a precaution," Nejire explained. "It's in case you need our help managing Midoriya's training and One for All."

Katsuki felt his blood run cold and his teeth clench at the mention of Izuku.

"…not my problem anymore."

"What? I thought you two were close?" Nejire asked.

"Yeah, well, Deku thought it'd be a great idea to start telling the entire damned country about One for All."

"What?" Nejire said, eyes wide. "Who is he talking to? Does All Might know that he's…"

"His mother and Todoroki know," Katsuki answered as he, too, balled a fist and rested it under his chin while leaning the elbow into the rim of the window. "I told him he fucked up by letting it slip. The more people know, the more dangerous things get. I don't think he told All Might."

"…I'm going to need a spa day, soon," Nejire muttered as she took out her phone and checked the time. "Shit. I'm going to be late, and given what just happened on the news, I should probably go. We should talk more tonight…"

"Where are you going?" Katsuki asked.

"…Kaoruko's place," Nejire replied. "Bubble Girl, if you're not familiar. She's… slowly rehabilitating, but I don't think she should be alone right now."

Katsuki cast a glance toward the dormitory tower. A single, overwhelming thought crossed his mind as he looked at the mirror-polished walls of the gargantuan structure- he did not want to go back there any time soon.

"…want me to come with you?"

"Would you?" Nejire asked hopefully as she gave Katsuki her full attention. "I could use the company, and quite frankly, so could she. Would also give us more time to talk now."

"Anything's better than being stuck here right now," Katsuki answered. "Let's go."

Author's Note:

Plotlines are beginning to cross over. They'll get more intertwined in time.

-RD