Kitana A Playlist

Two years. Two whole years training to be a hero and now I’m this villain who people fear daily. I’m a monster. I fear myself. What is wrong with me? That’s what I ask myself all the time but can never find the answer. The answer is villainy. I will get revenge. I will make him pay for the pain he put me through. So, I will get him back for this. He will get what was coming for him. He will die.

~

Chapter 1

The white walls around me covered in the reflecting glass drove me more insane than the surrounding people did. My hand gingerly touched the scar on my face. I could feel all of them looking at me through the windows. I knew they were there. Waiting for me to crack, scream, kill. The camera watched me almost as closely as their eyes did. A loudspeaker squeaked, causing my head to twitch. I hugged my knees in the small corner that I stayed in 24/7.

“Are you ready to talk yet, villain?” Endeavor’s voice stabbed me.

No matter how many times they asked me this question, I never answered. His sigh was loud when he released it. A weak laugh left me. They quickly switched the mirror, so I could see them. I stood and walked over to the glass.

“I’m not a villain. I’m a girl just trying to get through her life. But no, you think that just because I have different thoughts than you, that I am a villain. You deserved that blade to go through you. You deserved every single second of pain that you felt. Because that’s what I went though, Enji. I’m sure you haven’t forgotten what you did to me. Right? How could you? I’m not to blame for Toya’s ‘death’ when he isn’t dead. He left me because of the hurt you caused him. He was more of a hero than you will ever be. I’m not the villain here, you are.”

His eyes glared into mine, but I knew I had won this. Just as he was about to speak, the wall behind me caved in. Nomus stood there, staring with their empty eyes. Two strong claw-like arms grabbed my shoulders and pulled me. I screamed, but they didn’t stop. Before I knew it, my vision was dark. That moment came back to me.

⛶

All the pro heroes at U.A. High School sat around the oval table with me at one end and Principle Nezu at the other. My hair hung in front of my eyes, hiding my tears.

“We think we should take you out of U.A. We think you are in danger here. However, you are only being taken out of the hero course. Another course that would be glad to take you on is the general studies course, with Hitoshi Shinso. I trust you know him. There have been a few requests to remove you from the school, however, we teachers agree, only courses should switch, not schools.” Even though he was trying his best to be comforting, Principle Nezu was crushing my dreams.

Endeavor stood and slammed his fists onto the table.

“We should take her out of Japan! She’s put not only herself but others in danger! Do you realize what she has done? She killed my son and brought my other children to hate me. I am trying to atone with them but it’s hard when she is telling them what is okay!”

All Might looked at Endeavor and shook his head, telling him to stop and leave me alone. Endeavor said that I was the reason that Toya was dead. Again. He continued to call me a danger and a monster. I broke. I pushed the chair back and threw a long blade through his chest. Where did that come from?

“I didn’t kill him! You brought him to die. I told your kids to be who they want, not who you want them to be. Shoto actually likes who he is now because he isn’t under your control and what you want. Toya would say all the time how he hated how he wanted to be like you. Then you stopped paying attention to him. He hated himself! He tried so hard not to cry when I was around because he didn’t want to seem weak to me. I loved him for how he was! But you didn’t like him that way. No, you had to change him!”

My lungs felt like they were burning as my eyes ran with tears. The teachers all looked at me with fear in their eyes. After that, I said goodbye to everyone else and then they sent me to Tartarus, where they would wait until I was ready to talk.

I never did.

Endeavor returned every single day, even if he was in pain, to see that I too was suffering. All Might never once came to see me. Perhaps the thought of me dying there scared him. He never liked to see me in pain. One night I had a dream about Toya. My best friend. My only friend. The night when we sat under the stars and counted every single one, we could before we grew tired of it. I told him I loved him that night. He said it back. In a flash, the memory became more like a nightmare. He was walking away, and I couldn’t do anything. My motionless body lies there while he disappears.

A storm rolled through, shaking the walls. Every hair on my body stood up. I’ve always hated storms. Really, all loud sounds scared me, but storms were the worst since the bright lightning hurt my eyes. The heavy silver doors bolted open, spooking me. A dark figure strolls through and stands in front of me. I didn’t look. I hate to admit it, but I was terrified.  I felt weight on my head with a stroking, pet-like motion. It was All Might. He sat beside me.

“I’m sorry that all of this is happening. I should have told him to stop when I had the chance. You shouldn’t be here. You have wanted to be a hero since you were that little girl we found, so alone. Now, you are here and scared in the darkness alone.”

That was one thing he was good at. . .Words. Whenever he spoke it gave me this spark of hope. That I could make it through whatever I was in. Just as quickly as he arrived, he was gone. Just like Toya.

Day after day, they continued to watch me. I remember one day when they used electric currents to drive out the menacing side of my mind. Mouse. That was the name. That’s what she told me anyway. Rather opposite if you ask me. She’s more of a panther. I’ve always hated how I look at myself. A demon that stares back at me. Why do I have to do this? Why do I have to feel like this? The second I felt the shock go through my body, she screamed. It was loud and long. I could feel it in my chest. Hands held down my arms and legs while the lights burst throwing glass over the floor. That day, Endeavor was happier than ever. He had finally gotten a small answer.

Maybe the biggest thing that made me want to die so badly was how I lied to all my friends. Ashido cried. Iida stayed silent. Bakugo stood with his arms crossed and glared at the heroes who stood behind me. Todoroki nodded. Kirishima stayed wide-eyed the entire time, same with Kaminari. Ojiro hugged me tightly. Dark Shadow sobbed while Tokoyami handed me his favorite poetry book. Each of them had their own way of saying farewell to me. Bakugo was quiet. He didn’t say a word to me. The teachers did nothing like that, not even All Might. They just nodded and sent me off.

Toya would have told them a prison wasn’t the correct choice. He would’ve yelled right in his father's face with tears waiting to escape his eyes. Nezu told me he’d keep a close eye on the two silver swords that were gifted to me on my 12th birthday. They were part of my hero attire, and they didn’t let me keep them. All Might said he would do all he could to get them back. They meant a lot to me. Toya remembered my birthday and used his father’s money just to give them to me.

I loved Toya so much. He had a kind heart and was always up for a karaoke night. There were times we would sneak into town and go into a bar that would let us use their basement for karaoke.

One year for my birthday, he gave me a necklace with his name engraved into a blue heart. Endeavor noticed it on my neck when I was with All Might. He ripped it, breaking the chain, and melted it in front of my eyes. It meant too much to Toya for me to tell him about it. I never did. How could I? We told each other everything but, here I was not telling him the reason I had a scar, and why the necklace was gone. That reminds me. The final night Toya was with me, I told him his father burned me, not a villain. He didn’t look angry. But I knew what he was thinking. He had said “He’s a bastard. I can’t believe he’s, my father.” Then he laughed it off and hugged me tightly, apologizing for what Endeavor had done to me. I’ll always miss those days when he would hug me and make me feel like I was fine.

Chapter 2

A bright light blinded me when I could finally see again. Mumbles filled the air. Then a dark voice. I knew that voice. All For One. My body moved and fixed itself. It wasn’t really him, but a TV with his terrifying face. Someone threw something at me. The hero uniform. No katanas, but daggers instead. A short man with a long mustache wearing goggles that reflected the world around him. He told me to get changed, and that I had to meet people. How could I just ignore him? He left, and I did what he said. All For One then tuned back in on the TV.

“I have a successor and you need to watch him while I can’t. Protect him. Teach him. Take orders from him. If he sends you on a mission, you will take the mission. If he accepts you, then, welcome to the League of Villains.” The TV screen goes black after he chuckles. My hands fumble with the mask that I pull over my mouth. My eyes dart to a mirror with broken pieces. Without thinking, I hide the scars using Mouse's magic. I can see out of my right eye for once. The effects are simple, I don’t look like me anymore. The second I walk out; I see people standing and waiting around. I remember them.

The memories of the third day of school at U.A. flooded back to me. It hurt. A dark figure waited in a corner. He didn’t talk like the others did. Twice and Toga asked me a million questions. I stayed quiet. Hours passed, and we all stayed in that stupid bar. Everyone else fell asleep, leaving Shigaraki and I alone. The stool was spinning slightly while my lower body moved but my head was resting on the counter. Shigaraki started stacking cards, hoping they would stay up. His hands lightly shaking. A gust of wind left my mouth, and the cards toppled down. He glared at me, making me laugh.

Days. Weeks. Months. I was still there. Somehow, I survived. I had gotten to know everyone. Toga. She becomes someone she loves. Twice. He can’t go anywhere without his face covered, or he feels like he’s splitting apart since he doesn’t know if he is the real him. He never really told me why. Shigaraki is All for One’s successor. I know little about him. Spinner. Stain really inspired him, like Toga and Dabi. Dabi, however, isn’t very sociable; he only comes to the meetings because he must. We get along kind of. We don’t talk but we work well together because we don’t fight.

Shigaraki asked us all to come together one day. Everyone sat around him but not too close. I sat beside Dabi in the shadowy part of the bar. None of them have seen me without the mask and using Mouse’s abilities. I look entirely different and I kind of like it. He explained that there was a mission that he needed the two of us to go on. His eyes met mine. “Kitana. Then, we need someone else.”

My fists became tight. I didn’t ask him ‘why me?’; That’s how I would get killed. Obviously, Toga isn’t coming because she wouldn’t focus if we saw anyone that she became interested in. I instantly took twice out of the mental list I was creating since he would have to show his face. Spinner said no. Shigaraki was pissed off at first but then realized that he wouldn’t have the patience to deal with a week with me.  Dabi was the last one. They ordered me to use my Quirk to alter his appearance while we were on the mission. We couldn’t argue. Within a week, we were already in Shenzhen, China. The hotel we had settled into had one bed but connected to another room which Dabi claimed. My guess was because it had more privacy and there was a bigger bed. I was fine with it. Where my bed was, the window sat far away. I moved the bed closer to the window allowing me to see the beautiful constellations. While I was asleep, both our appearances would go back to their original state, so I told him not to order room service or come over to my side at night.

Our job was to kill a man named Kehori Menzaru. He pissed off Shigaraki, or something like that. The only reason I agreed was because I got to get out of the bar, interact with people, kill someone for fun, and do it however I wanted. We had to attend parties and act like entirely different people. The first night, I had to flirt my way into finding out what our disguises were going to be. Dabi chuckled while I walked over to the tall man in a suit. My hand traced his muscles. Thank God I didn’t look like me because he would’ve killed me.

“Hey, sweetie. Could you tell me who is going to be here at the ball tonight? I need to know if a certain someone will be there.”

I slithered behind him, my hands touching his sides. He stiffened and cleared his throat. Then he handed me the guest list. Looking through it, he slipped his wedding ring off, making me twitch. Once I was back with Dabi, I wiped my mouth and gagged. He repeated what I said in a mocking tone. My elbow dug into his side. The second we returned to the hotel room; we picked out the outfits we would wear each night. Our job is to ensure the people we are impersonating will not arrive. We will simply take their places. The only way for me to alter and achieve someone’s appearance and voice, is to know how that person sounds and looks. This weirded Dabi out. His job was to locate the people and let me know. Then I would record their voices and take a picture of them. After that we would let them know that they have canceled the ball and we could go like them. However, it wasn’t this easy. The man that Dabi became ended up coming to our hotel. Dabi told me not to worry about it. He took care of it.

Three hours I had been sitting in the dark alleyway. I could faintly hear screams in my mind. I knew they weren’t real, but it didn’t stop my memories from making their existence known. Dabi crouched down in front of me, holding a jacket above my head. My eyes met his, and he knew I wasn’t ready for this. He sat beside me and sighed.

“You should know we don’t really have any choice but to do this stupid mission. Shigaraki will kill us if we don’t.” Dabi’s blue eyes made me feel like I was looking into an ocean. I laughed and hugged my knees.

“I know, but I never thought that I would have to wear a stupid dress and dance with strangers!” I groaned as he handed me his phone.

Within ten minutes, we were already walking to the venue and preparing ourselves. I flicked Dabi’s nose and pulled his hair when he told me not to fall in love. We separated to change then met up once again so we could fully disguise ourselves. His white tux made his hair and eyes pop, making my face burn. The tight blue dress that I had to wear was making me want to die. I closed my eyes and waited for the image and voice of the two people to play in my head. Dabi flicked my ear and chuckled. The second I opened my eyes, he looked different. My hands went straight to his collar to fix it.

“Now remember, you need to be nice tonight, or you’ll blow your cover, you ass hat.” After my hand found his cheek with a loud smack, I walked through the giant marble archway. Two men in black suits and dark sunglasses stood like PSIA agents, causing me to hold in laughter. When you are suddenly a thin brunette with green eyes you forget you are attractive. My head turned the second I sat down in the seat that I (Or Mitishi Kuri) claimed. The cold champagne touched my tongue, making me shiver slightly.

A man who was too big for the small suit he was in stood on a small stage and held a glass into the air, toasting the night. I sat at the table for a few hours, waiting for something to happen. But nothing. No matter how long I waited. Until he walked over to me. A man with cherry lips, dark red eyes, gray hair, and a fancy, nice-fitting suit, bowed to me. His lips touched my gloved hand with a smirk. He lifted me from my seat and guided me to the dance floor. One of his hands rested gently on my lower back while he intertwined the other with mine.

Calico Yu. That name was so gentle. The second he said it I blushed a little. Of course, I had to lie about my name but, damn he was fine. His jawline, his arms, his smile, his hair. Everything about him was perfect. I couldn’t get over his laugh. It made me want to just run away in the black heels strapped to my feet. Understandably, he didn’t tell me his Quirk, which is how many people lead these days. He did, however, tell me he was looking for someone special... someone to make his own. Someone to marry. I will not let that be me. That could change the entire plan I have going on. The second he twirled me; I could see the color in his face drain. Dabi (Or Riku Makima) was standing there, glaring at Calico. What in the hell is he doing? The two people who we’re impersonating have never met, and he’s making it seem like we have. Calico nodded to me, then moved onto the next lady that came into view.

“What’s your issue?” I asked him. He followed me when I walked away and scoffed. We stood on a balcony, the wind howling. The orchestra continued to play while the stars blinked. Someone’s hands met my waist and spun me around. Calico was there again, smiling. Before I could say anything, we were already dancing again; Dabi alone in the night.

I pulled my hair out of the tight bun and smashed my head into the fluffy pillow that was calling my name. Dabi, no longer looking like a stranger, stood by the giant lamp in the dark corner.

“Why did you stop him from dancing with me?” I sat up and crossed my arms.

“You were going to get your heart broken and come crying to me when it happens.” Dabi scoffed, followed by a grin.

“Okay. First off, I will never get heartbroken.” I stood and walked over to him. “Second. I’m never, ever, going to cry to you about anything. I won’t ask you to hug me or hold me to comfort me because I can do things by myself because, Dabi, I don’t need you.”

Compared to him, I was pretty short, but I still felt high and mighty. Dabi said nothing. He just stood there and looked at me with disgust. Soon enough, he turned around and headed to the bathroom for a shower. Before he entered, I reminded him of no room service. He ignored me, of course. After he left the bathroom he grinned at me, using his favorite finger to show how much he cared about me. “See if I care if you use that love-deprived idiot as an excuse for a reason to live.” The last thing he said. It got to me.

That night I didn’t know what to do. I couldn’t even fall asleep. The stars seemed to mock me. They really have no reason to be so beautiful in the sky. Eventually, I stood and walked around. Dabi was peacefully asleep in his giant bed. For a while, I just stood there and watched him. Something made a small noise in the hallway. I made my way over and looked through the peephole, hoping to see something interesting. Nothing. Just a newspaper. I hate the nights so much.

As I lay in my bed, I realized I need to get sleep, or I’d go even more insane than I already was. The cold blanket gently sat on my shoulders. I wanted to cry. Why? Toya’s face popped into my mind. Then I fell asleep.

Chapter 3

Last night. I wasn’t ready for this night. He was going to be at this ball. With all the intel we had gathered over the past two weeks, I was terrified. Today the red dress hugged my curves making me want to hurl. Dabi walked behind me, now in a blood-red tuxedo. The color made my heart stop. It fit his body perfectly, allowing for my goosebumps to form. The way he tightened his tie made me want to kiss him. I stopped myself. We spared each other a gaze then left the tall hotel. Calico had stopped coming to the parties. It irritated me. He was the only person I would talk to, and he was the only one I felt like I could talk to without catching feelings for him. Once I arrived, Kehori Menzaru stood in the middle of the ballroom and toasted all the people in the room.

Instantly after everyone finished eating dinner, bodies moved to the dance floor and waltzed with each other. The Blue Danube echoed throughout the room, making me shiver. This disgusted me, but I couldn’t stand there and do nothing. A hand gently touched my hip, swaying me gently.

“Don’t panic. It’s just me.” A voice spoke.

Who was this? Oh, right? Dabi. My chest rose and fell faster, not knowing what to do. We followed what the others did. The second we faced each other, he grinned, making me look away. He eased some hair out of my eyes, tucking it behind my ear. I rolled my eyes and looked around at the surrounding people. A couple stared back at me. Dabi cleared his throat. Then he stopped. A hand reached out towards me that wasn’t his. The man bowed. I looked at Dabi who nodded to me, beginning to walk away.

“Please, allow me to treat you to a dance.” His voice. Something as disturbing as nails on a chalk board. The urge to puke stands high, but I pushed it down, allowing him to take my hand. His hand found my waist, making me shiver. Of all people, Kehori wanted to dance with me. We danced together for a while until he brought his face close to mine.

“You seem lost. Almost as lost as I am in your eyes.” He chuckled and gently touched my cheek.

That’s when I realized. . . we were the only ones left on the ballroom floor. He slowly backed up and bowed, so I curtseyed in response. Dabi walked over to me and took my arm. He spun me and mumbled in my ear.

“How do you feel about making a scene?” He smirked, making me do the same.

“That sounds like fun.”

The words hardly escaped my lips when the room went black, and the blue flames filled the room. We laughed at each other and looked at Kehori. Just like the blade I used to impale Endeavor, it shot into his heart, sticking into the ground with his corpse hanging off the edge. We continued to dance while everyone’s screams filled the air. We snuck out of the exit and returned to the hotel room. I plopped down on the floor and laughed. Dabi pulled his tie off, chuckling.

"You know. . .That was a lot better than I thought it was going to be.” He breathes out, trying to calm himself.

I lifted my hands into the air and laughed, saying it was what I did best. I eyed the jacket he threw onto the floor. He continued watching me as my hand touched the outside, giving me a feeling, I can’t explain. He stood and smacked the back of my head, telling me not to think too hard on what we did. Pushing him away, I watched as he smiled the slightest bit, disappearing into his room. The night felt as if it was a lullaby, bringing me to an easy sleep. That was, until I had a nightmare.

The tears poured down my face while my screams increased with volume. I couldn’t see anything, but I could hear him, telling me to breathe. Bright lights and a heat wave caused my body to seize. My eyes opened and Dabi was there, wiping my tears. Only now did I realize what I was yelling. Toya. In my dream, he was standing there with a smile. My mind brought me back to all the times when we were together. It scared me. Then he walked away. It felt like there was a fire in my throat. Dabi held a cup to my lips, allowing me to drink.

I could finally breathe, and I felt okay mostly. Dabi was holding me in his lap with my legs hanging off of his left leg and my face buried into his chest. His hand stroked my back while I hiccupped. He rested his head on the top of mine. A chuckle left my mouth.

“I’m sorry. I’m so pathetic.” My arm wiped my eyes.

Dabi shook his head, “You just scared the shit out of me. If it makes you feel better though, we can talk about it? I mean, you kind of just screamed a random guy's name and I’m curious now.” He tried his best to avoid eye contact with me; I didn’t blame him.

“Well, you don’t know who I am. That’s what is the most confusing thing,” I said, as I crawled out of his lap and got comfortable in front of him.

Air left my lungs, making me want to puke. The second my eyes closed to turn off my Quirk, I regretted it. I was me again. Aiko Oshima. The girl from hell.

“I’m. . . This. You know the story about Aiko Oshima, right? The one that ‘went crazy’. Yeah, that’s me.”

His eyes looked into mine. Before he could say anything, I continued, “I had a best friend, and I had a life that was pretty much set for me. I was happy with my life and who was in it, but that one person, Endeavor, had a unique plan. When I was about two months old, my parents died, so I had no one to take care of me. The heroes took me in, all taking responsibility for me. They were my people. They were my family. Then, when he figured out that I wouldn’t have a Quirk, Endeavor trained me to become a hero. With no hesitation or second thought, I accepted because I wanted to become a great hero like the surrounding people. After a month, my curiosity got the best of me, and I ventured up to the very top of a peak. This is when I met Toya. . .”

⛶

A boy with fiery red hair threw punches into the air, like he was fighting his shadow. Then he began to kick and duck, acting like he was in a battle. My eyes grew wide, amazed. Then, like the idiot I am, my hand slipped off the giant boulder, causing me to roll forward. Dirt in my eyes and both of my legs getting chewed up, the world felt like it was spinning. That’s when he walked over, interrogating me. I repeatedly apologized, begging him not to yell at me. He stopped and scoffed. He also then realized who I was and called me his father’s new pet. I looked up to him with a tilted head. Pet? When you’re in a world of italics, you can switch back to block letters, which has the same effect as the reverse—rather than using bold type to offset words of thought.

Crossing his arms, the boy said, “You are being trained by my father. I can’t believe he could just throw me out like that.” So, is he the eldest son Mr. Endeavor was talking about?

“I have an amazing idea!” I screamed, jumping to my feet. This caught his attention. “I could teach you everything he teaches me, and you teach me everything you know. You pat my back, I pat yours! Or however it goes. That doesn’t matter! I could use a friend that isn’t an adult.” With some thorough thinking, he finally nodded, holding out his hand.

For months, we would meet at that peak after my training sessions with Endeavor. It took us an entire week to tell each other our names, this always made me laugh when I thought back to that moment. Toya Todoroki. I love that name.

When Christmas rolled around, I was a little scared to meet up with him. Mainly because I thought he would not be there, instead he would be with his family for the holiday. Nope. He was there, waiting with a giant smile. I ran over and hugged him tightly. Toya handed me a box with my name scribbled on the top. I took it with a questioning look. We sat, and I unwrapped it. A note —  which I didn’t read until I was alone, because that’s what he instructed— two silver katanas sat in the box with our names engraved on them.

“When they are by themselves, they’re strong, but bring them together and they’re even stronger. That’s like us.” He laughed and blushed wildly.

I hugged him tightly, knowing I had a loyal friend. After that, we would each practice with one. That was until about a year later when I disappeared for a few months. Endeavor had told me to charge him with my full power. I did so, hoping I could at least land a hit on him. But I didn’t even have a Quirk then. He knew that too. He had found out Toya and I had gotten close, and this angered him. So, he hurt me. That’s how I earned the disgusting burn on the right side of my face, sliding onto my shoulder and a bit of my chest. Because of the burn, I had lost vision in my right eye. I was terrified to go back. What if he feared me? What if he didn’t know who I was? Maybe it was for the best.

The second I stepped onto that peak I felt like I was going to hurl. When the wind caused my hair to move from my face, my pulse grew. He walked closer to me, and I backed up. Almost like a remote is rewinding us. He would walk forward; I would step back. We did this then he yelled at me.

“What are you hiding, Aiko? You leave for months and then you come back, and you won’t even let me come close to you? Did I do something?” His voice was deeper than before, and he was taller too. Tears filled my eyes as I walked closer to him. I rested my forehead on his shoulder and closed my eyes.

“I missed you so much.” Hiccups followed my every breath; all he did was pat my back. You can’t really do much when your best friend is crying at you, and you do not know why. His hand gently touched the brand-new scar that traced my face. Toya didn’t speak for a while, and I wasn’t really planning on talking either. Eventually, I looked up at him and smiled.

“A villain attack. I thought that a stupid, Quirkless, weakling like me could help stop a villain. I can’t be a hero if I’m too weak to take a single attack. Maybe there is something wrong with me. I think he’s right. I shouldn't be alive.  Like the rest of my family, I should be dead. Toya, I’m scared.”

My tears burned my skin worse than the fire that Endeavor burned me with. Of course, I would not tell him the truth but I also kind of was. Endeavor felt like a villain that showed me how weak I really am. Toya hugged me tightly. He stopped and held my face in both hands, tears in his eyes. This was the only time I saw him cry.

I can always hear those words he said to me. . . ‘You are not, and have never been, a weakling. You’ve grown and learned. Sure, maybe sometimes you don’t make the smartest decisions, but you always fix the problems in the end. I can count on you to make me laugh and make sure that my father doesn’t ruin my day. You, Aiko, are the reason I want to get up every day and make sure that you laugh too. I want to see you happy every day. When you cry or say that you’re scared, it’s okay. When you cry, it’s okay. You are going to have days when you cry and days when you’re scared. That’s normal. That’s okay! You are perfect. I am so glad that you are who you are. I love you, Aiko. You’re my best friend and I couldn’t ask for a better person to fill that role.’

Chapter 4

The sky had never looked so beautiful in the morning as Dabi and I made our way through the airport. Of course, we went our separate ways so people wouldn’t think we were working together or that we even knew each other. I boarded flight 965, and he boarded flight 322. My flight heading to Japan while his headed in the opposite direction. The second I sat in the soft, first-class leather seat, I wanted to run out and find his plane. After last night, Dabi wasn’t much of a jerk to me. He knew what bothered me and what he shouldn’t say around me. He understood. Somehow Dabi made me feel safe. People feared him because of the way he looked, not because of the way he acted. If it was how he acted, they would just say he was a selfish jerk.

The animals in the back of the plane were as quiet as dead mice. My eyes shut, but my mind still didn’t allow me to fall asleep. Even when Dabi was humming and trying his best to put me to sleep, I couldn’t.  That voice in the back of my head said he could kill me if I did. I trusted him, though. Only a little.

“Would all passengers please fasten their seatbelts as we are preparing to land in just about 30 minutes. Thank you.” The captain spoke as if his microphone was inside of his throat.

A woman in a blue uniform collected the trash from the other first-class passengers, smiling at each one. When the plane finally stopped moving, I was the first to exit. I hated flying. It made me feel like I was dead. Of course, I wouldn’t hate that. The rest of the day was a blur.

⛶

The birds sat on the balcony outside my window, singing like opera singers. Of course, I woke up on the floor, my face covered in drool from crying. I’d had another nightmare; the voices growing louder. Today was going to be a shitty day, I could tell just by the way my hair fell after brushing it. The sun hurt my eyes as it shot through the bathroom window, reflecting off the mirror. ‘Wonderful.’ The amazing hell buzzer rang, making me want to just throw a grenade down the laundry chute and wait for it to blow up the entire basement. My boots stomped against the floor, bringing me over to the door. I press the button and allow up my guest. Regret. What else could I feel when the man who was practically my father stood at the door, waiting for me to let him in. All Might. Why?

We sat there, silent, for hours across the room from each other. He sat on the comfortable couch while I stood in a dark corner, waiting for him to say something wise that would make my skin crawl. All Might wasn’t the same, buff, loud, smiling superhero I once admired. Now, he was this skinny, dying, soul could barely breathe. His dead eyes looked up, cutting through the atmosphere, piercing into mine.

“Little Fighter, I’m-”

“Don’t call me that. I’m not the same person I used to be.” My voice peered its way into the world, making me want to cringe. He looked hurt, like the day I had nearly killed Endeavor. I grinned, knowing I had finally gotten him back. This is what I had been waiting for. A time where I could make him hurt almost as bad as I did when he let them send me away. Then he smiled. Why the hell are you smiling? His laughter filled the air.

“I’ll be back in a month to check in on you again, don’t be so mean next time or I won’t bring you any mochi.” He dropped a plastic bag onto the table and walked out the door.

Of course, right when I thought that something was going to happen, he left. He’s been visiting since I escaped from Tartarus. All Might is the only hero knows where I am, mainly because I reached out to him the day after The Mission of Montague. That mission was the very first that Dabi and I did together. That day, that terrible day. . .  I killed over 300 people. Whenever I looked at my hands, I saw the blood that covered them. The second time the phone rang, All Might answered, and quickly made his way to the apartmentI now call my own, even though he’s paying for it.

Why must it have been that night that I saw all of that blood? I mean, that night I told Dabi about the woman in the corner that would put her stiff hands on my throat. He slept on the floor that night beside my bed. He’s been at my side during many of my nightmares, so he knows what to do. We had that fight and I told him who I truly am. Everything has changed between us since then. For once, I trust someone.

The darkness of the room made me shiver. Something rattled the window, making me jump. Without warning, Dabi climbed through the small opening and closed the curtains, not noticing me on the floor behind him. When he turned around, I ran into his arms, crying into his chest. At first, he didn’t know what to do, but after several minutes, his arms hugged me tightly as we both fell to the floor. His humming calmed me, allowing me to lean my head on the wall with my eyes closed.

“It’s that bad?” His voice grew from the darkness. I nodded, not knowing if I could talk without crying again. “I’m here for you, Aiko. Even if you don’t want me to. I got your text, the one about how you couldn’t move, and came here as fast as I could.”

Dabi’s hand lifted into the air, his fingertips igniting in the beautiful blue fire he’s known for. My hand gingerly traced the scar beneath his left eye. He twitched slightly, turning his head to me slowly.

“I’m surprised they don’t disgust you.”

“They’re beautiful. Sure, you might not like them, but I think they’re important. They show what you’ve been through. It’s a way you can let people know you’re strong. I love them. I really do. You should too.”

My voice was slightly breaking, while the words poured out of my throat. I leaned my head onto his shoulder, my hand falling onto his. Dabi took my hand, resting his head on top of mine; his breathing calmed me. The night went by quickly, we slept on the floor, but it was the best sleep I had ever had in my entire life.

Once I woke up, Dabi’s gentle snoring allowed me to stretch peacefully, knowing I was safe next to him. He woke up shortly after I did, yawning. I didn’t even realize he had taken his patchy jacket and placed it over me. He took it back as he stood. My legs felt like pins and needles while I rose to my feet. The cereal fell into the white bowl, making me yawn. Dabi took the bowl and threw a spoon into it, beginning to chow down.

“What a great host you are.” He grinned, taking a sip of water. Rolling my eyes, I poured another bowl, this time with less. After we finished eating, I went to my room to change. That’s when it hit me, I didn't have to hide my face anymore. The jumpsuit sagged on my body, making me spin. Great, I lost more weight. Losing weight is great, but I hate it. Nothing fits me anymore. Dabi opened my door, watching me pull my hair up into a messy ponytail. It looked terrible. He threw my brush at me, flipping me off. After brushing it, each hair stood up perfectly and stayed in place. Dabi pulled off his tank top and threw it onto my bed. I turned around, seeing his scar-covered back.

“Take a picture, it’ll last longer.” His voice was deep, rising from the silence.

I pulled out one of Toya’s old t-shirts and threw it at him. My brain got ahead of itself, forcing me to walk over to him and place my hands on the scars on his upper back. His body stiffened. Breathing out, my lips gently pressed onto the highest one, moving onto the next, and then the next, and the last one on his back. My hands rested on his sides, waiting for him to react. He gently touched my hands, pulling them off. When he turned around, I braced myself for the worst.

“Why?” he asked, still holding my hands. I put them onto the scars on his stomach and looked into his ocean-blue eyes.

“You don’t like them. They disgust you, Dabi. You,” I looked around then at him, placing both my hands onto his face, “You are fucking amazing. Dabi, you remind me so much of my old friend. The one that I had a nightmare about? Toya would hide so much from me, like his scars. He wanted to worry about me but wouldn’t let me worry about him. Ever.” My words hit him; I could see it in his eyes.

About to pull my hands away, I felt him put his on mine and saw him close his eyes. I could see it and feel it. He’s hurting. Standing on my tiptoes, I placed a gentle kiss on his forehead. Eventually, he pulled the shirt on and his jacket, still shook by what had just occurred. We climbed out of the window and sat on the roof, watching the sunrise. Shigaraki sent out a group text, telling us to arrive at the bar at 7:30. We didn’t plan on it. Dabi asked me if I was serious about what I said. My head shot to him, punching his arm. No matter what I said, he didn’t believe me. I want to know more about him, but he doesn’t trust me. I trust him a lot.

When we finally moved our asses and arrived at the bar, Shigaraki stood there, angry. I walked by him, breathing out. Dabi sat beside me, closing his eyes tight. Shigaraki droned on about the success of our mission. Crossing my arms, the leather squeaked, making me cringe. My phone rang, making everyone turn to me. I answered and walked into the other room. I am 100% sure my heart stopped beating when I heard his voice.

“Let us help you, dumbass.” Bakugo’s voice shot through the phone, making me freeze. He wanted to know, and I let him know.

⛶

I locked myself in my room and didn’t leave for two entire weeks. Bakugo noticed first, He knocked on my door for fifteen minutes straight, making me go insane. He walked in after kicking open the door, scaring me. He gently closed it and sat beside me on my bed. I told him everything. Even the things I didn’t tell the pros, I just spilled. He held my hand when I started crying. When I first met him, he wouldn’t call me anything but names. Now that I’m closer to him, it’s easier for me to let loose around him. We talked little, I just cried a lot. He flicked my nose and told me to stop thinking bad thoughts.

Katsuki Bakugo. One of the main reasons I am still alive. After the League of Villains captured him, I freaked out. He’s always been the type of person to do things himself, but I always wanted to let him know that people around him can help. He’s been different around me since. Bakugo’s Quirk explains why he has such an explosive personality. He’s a bit of a bully but I’ve grown used to it.

Silence filled the air as he rubbed my back, my head on his chest. His heavy breathing let me know that this scared him-- my head being where it was and what we were doing. I looked up at him, wiping my face. The second I went to say thank you, he told me to shut up and go to sleep. I did just that. When I woke up, he was sitting there, head nodding, trying not to fall asleep. I remember my hand falling over his eyes and telling him to go to sleep. Even though he didn’t want to admit it, he was tired. When he fell asleep, I could hear the change in his breathing and the calmer beating of his heart.

Maybe it’s bad that I ran away like that and didn’t tell him what was really going on, but I also just thought he’d be mad at me. After that, he understood what I truly have in my head and what I think of. A week after our mini-sleepover, Bakugo pulled me aside and asked me if I was okay with doing the exercises the rest of the class had done. It’s not like I could say anything, but he told me he was there for me. I joined that day, but he stood beside me the entire time. When we walked back to the locker rooms, he waited outside the door for me. If anyone asked him what he was doing, he would yell at them and bully them. He’s been there for me in ways no one else has and it’s made me realize he really cares. Even if he denies it, he does.

Chapter 5

He sat across from me on the couch, staying as quiet as me. Bakugo took the giant grenade gauntlets off and placed them on the coffee table. Shigaraki let me leave, I didn't even ask him if it was okay. I just left. Bakugo’s eyes hurt me sometimes. The red pools of nothingness. I tried to stand, but he blocked me. When we sat back down, he cleared his throat.

“Things have been hell ever since you left. No one is the same, and it hurts. . . it’s hurting Kirishima. Kirishima misses you a lot. He doesn’t stop talking about you and he doesn’t stop walking past your room. When Endeavor tried to go in there one day, he actually yelled at him. It’s weird seeing him this worked up. Aiko, whether you like it, they all miss you and they need you back. I swear, if you don’t clean all of this up and come back, I will blow you to hell. You made me promise I would let you protect me. I’m just making sure that you're promising the same thing. I want to protect you. Let me help you. Sure, you don’t think this is me speaking, but I care about you. I’m not this heartless person.”

His eyes looked into mine. I could read them once. ‘Come back.’ That’s all he wants. But why? I mean, I only ever bothered him when we would work together or when I would have my nightmares and call him. Tears filled my eyes, blurring my vision. He hugged me tightly, shushing me. Bakugo’s comforting, but he’s got a tough shell to crack.

Maybe it hurts to know that something is going to happen. Bakugo moved closer to me, sighing.

“We don’t hate you as much as you hope we do. It’s nothing like that, Scarface.” He avoided any eye contact, making me want to hurl. His hand touched the thin layer of material covering my mouth as a mask, pulling it down. His fingers traced the places where my scar used to be on my face. With that, I leapt into his arms and bawled. Bakugo never knew how much a pushover he could really be, but he also never knew how much I could tell him without feeling like I was going to die.

“What’s wrong with me, Katsuki?” I ask, my head on his shoulder. “There’s so much going on inside of my head and it hurts. I can’t even talk to anyone without them thinking I’m going to kill them. I’m just a girl. I’m not a villain. Katsuki, I’m scared. So scared. You make it seem so easy. Sure, people might not like you because you’re aggressive and loud, but they still respect you and know you’ll be a hero. I can’t. The second someone sees me; they see the girl lose her mind. They don't see me for me. Instead, they see me for what Endeavor has told them I am.”

My words felt like lava as they burned out of my throat. It hurt. It always does. When Bakugo doesn’t talk, it scares me. Maybe he’s thinking of a way that he can get away from me and escape from the hell that’s going on inside my head.

Before thinking anymore, his phone rings. A crappy picture of Kirishima shines on the screen with Shittyhair written underneath it. He answers, grunting as he shifts around to hold me with one arm. I can hear his voice. Eijiro Kirishima. God, I love him. He’s the nicest person I’ve ever met.

⛶

I stood there at the front, waiting for my body to fall. An icy breeze brushed against my neck. I shivered and giggled at myself. People were looking at me, but I didn’t care. I sighed with a smile. U.A. High . . .here I come! My thoughts were loud, but my heart was louder. As I stepped through the tall gate that welcomed me, I froze. Nope, this was a bad idea! How did I even get in? Other than fumbling with wires, what did I do? A hand touched my shoulder. It was a tall redhead with extremely pointy hair. There were two parts that seemed like horns.

“You scared?” He smiled. With a small jump, I itched my neck.

“Yeah . . .” my eyes drifted to the ground, then back up to him as his eyes seemed to smile. I noticed a small scar above his right eye.

“Well Don’t be! I’ll walk you through it. Okay. So, first things first. You walk in. Obviously. Then, you go to your class. You meet the people, then you become a hero!” His smile grew wider as he said hero. He put a fist in the air while I just stood there staring at him. My hair blew in the wind as pink petals fell around us. I returned a smile and fumbled with my fingers.

“Thank you. Um . . . I’ll see you around, hopefully. We could talk more.” I gently punched his shoulder and walked inside.

Once I reached my class, I breathed out and opened the door. As the door shut and I fixed my skirt, my eyes searched to find somewhere to sit. Alphabetical, eh? Alright. Students had already found their seats and were talking to each other. I froze and shuffled my way to my seat. I rested my head on my desk and felt like I was going to cry. Quickly, I lifted my head as I got a tremendous burst of confidence. You can do this! And even if you fail, you get this! That is when I remembered the redhead’s words. You meet the people, then you become a hero. A small laugh left me as I remembered how nice he was. His hair looked spiky to the touch, but I don’t think it’s because of his Quirk. His shark-like teeth fit his adorable smile.

My brain brought me back to when I was a child. The pro hero, All Might, had seen me and threw me into the air. He continued to do this for about 5 minutes. I was 6. Many heroes knew of the stern case. The case of my family dying, and my grandparents disowned me shortly after birth. Most of the staff at U.A. knew exactly who I was, but they wanted to hide the fact that they knew me. All Might, though, cared about me. He would make sure that I had a smile on my face and that if I was alone, he or someone else would come over to me so that I could have someone to talk to. He was always the father figure in my life. Of course, my actual father did nothing bad, I just didn’t know him. Present Mic and Eraserhead were also in my life a lot. Considering that they were there to save me. ‘You are special, you just don’t know how special you are yet’ They would say to me. Of course, I never believed them because I didn’t always know what special meant.

“You’ll find your place someday.” All Might smiled at me, patting my head.

“But . . . What if I don’t? What if I can’t?” My voice was higher compared to his, as I was only a child.

“Hah! You will, little one! Do you know why?” He asked, lifting me onto a slide. We were at my favorite park. He would take me here whenever he could, just to make me happy.

“Because . . . I’m a fighter!” I yelled, throwing a fist into the air. He laughed again and nodded. Once he pushed me down the slide, I felt like I was flying. Every time that I was with All Might or any of the other heroes, I felt free. They were the only family I knew.

“Well, looks like we’ll be able to talk a lot more.” A voice said to my right. I shook out of my trance and looked. It was the redhead!

“Oh! Hey!” I said with a smile. He held out his hand and smiled, too. I took his hand with one of mine and pulled a strand of hair behind my ear with the other.

“Eijiro Kirishima.”

“Aiko.”

“Just Aiko?” he asked with a slight laugh.

“Um! No sorry. Aiko Oshima.” I let go of his hand and rubbed my neck. A blonde looked at us and told us to shut up. We weren’t even being that loud. He wasn’t a bad kid, though. Well, maybe he was. I’d like to find out how he is during battle. He looked like one of those kids who always think they’re the best and that they can do everything. That’s what he was to me.

A boy with curly green hair walked by us and sat down at his desk. That’s him! The kid who ran by me before! My feet carried me over to him, pulling the page from the thick sketchbook. He looked at me with an awkward smile and took the paper.

“I saw you before. Not your face, though. I think you deserve to have it since it’s a picture of um . . . you?”

With a weird laugh I walked away and sat back at my seat. There was a kid with a tail in front of me. He seemed cool. The boy behind me tapped my shoulder. He had a black streak in his hair, almost like mine, only his was in the shape of a lightning bolt. He smiled and held a finger gun out to me.

“I saw you during the entrance exams! Pretty electric, if I say so myself. You want to go out for a bite some time?” He asked me, winking again.

I couldn’t help but break out in laughter. “I’m sorry, but no thanks. I don’t do . . . dates? But thank you for noticing my skill, I guess. I’m sorry that I didn’t see you.”

Holding my stomach, I got nervous, thinking he’d hate me for it. Instead, he smiled and nodded. He seemed cool, too. He pointed out how I had a black streak in my hair, too. I just didn’t explain why I had mine. If I were being honest, I didn’t know why or how. We laughed and joked together. He had a pleasant smile, just like Kirishima did. The door opened, and we were told to shut up and take our seats. There was a giant worm in the doorway.

“If you are here to make friends and be all happy, then you can leave.” The sack spoke.

Tempted to grab my things and leave, I tapped my fingers on my arm. The now sleeping bag figure stood, unzipped, and out stepped out a tall, slender, man who looked overly tired.

“I’m Shota Aizawa, your homeroom teacher.” His hair swished behind him as he walked towards the front of the room.

With a slight smile, I watched as he lifted papers on his desk. He had a scarf around his neck, and underneath were goggles. I knew they were there, no one else did. Of course, I did. I used to see him every single day. Though I used to know him, he didn’t even spare me a gaze.

He explained how today we were all going to be training our quirks. The moment he said that I broke out in laughter. He looked at me like the rest of the class. I quickly stopped and waved. We all got our gym uniforms on like he had told us and headed out to an extensive field. There was a ball that we had to throw. He told me I didn’t have to, but I did anyway—after everyone else, of course. There was another kid with a broken finger already. That was only because of his Quirk, though. There was Bakugo, he was the angry blonde. He was watching me. A sigh left me as I slid my finger around the ball and closed my eyes.

“Just throw it already, Scarface!” Bakugo yelled. This scared me, causing me to throw the ball. Aizawa Sensei smiled and showed me the small device in his hand.

77.32 meters. That’s the farthest I’ve ever thrown anything. I didn’t smile back, however. I was thinking about what Bakugo had said. Scarface. Kirishima looked at me and I quickly flashed a smile to (hopefully) remove the negative thoughts about me from his brain. We continued with training. Sit and reach, he squeeze test, he meter dash, and my favorite part of all of this . . . was getting the results. That is a lie. I hated that part. If I were entirely honest, I knew I was going to be last. When we were getting ready for the races, I was up against Shoto Todoroki. This terrified me. Not only was he the son of the number two pro hero, but he also got into the academy through recommendation. We lined up for the race and once the small robot said to go . . .I didn’t move. Instead, I just stood there and waited until he finished. Then I walked down the path and stopped at the end. He beat me. I knew he would. I cared little because he would win. How could he not?

Aizawa sensei said to us, “Whoever comes in last . . . will be immediately expelled.”

My dirtied fingers itched the tops of my hand as I looked at the ground. There was a singular rock by my foot. My hair blew in the wind as I waited for the end results. The tall red head moved closer to me and held out his fist.

“I bet you did great.” He said moving his fist closer to me, showing that he wanted to bump into mine.

I chuckled as my face gushed red and tapped my index finger onto his giant yet gentle hand. Kirishima looked beyond confused, as my action was not what he was expecting. This was something I used to do with All Might.

“I’m sorry. That was weird.” My face, once again, gushed a red, and I hid my face in my hands.

Kirishima just smiled, however. Aizawa showed us the results. With Momo Yaoyorozu at the top and Aiko Oshima at the bottom. My eyes grew wide. When do I leave? Do I just start walking? What should I do? Out of all the options I had . . . I smiled.

“You all did okay. You could’ve done better. Also, the whole expulsion claim was a lie. All of you get changed and get back to homeroom.” Aizawa grinned and played with his scarf as he made his way back to class.

I trailed behind all the girls to make my way to the girl's locker room. With a sigh, I opened my locker and grabbed my clothes. After changing, Ashido was practicing her dancing skills as she waited for some other girls to finish so she wouldn’t have to walk alone. Once I was done, however, I headed straight out and didn’t talk to anyone. Aizawa was already asleep once I returned to the room and sat in my seat. Kirishima wasn’t back, so I had no one to talk to. Todoroki walked over to me and sat in the seat beside me. That’s not his seat. I thought as I tried not to look at him.

“You did that purposely. I can’t accept this win against you; however, I will accept a rematch in the future. So be prepared.” He stood, spared me one last glance, and walked away. Kirishima walked over to me after seeing this interaction and laughed nervously.

“So, what, um, was that?” Kirishima smiled awkwardly and placed a hand on my desk, just as everyone else walked into the classroom.

“Just soon to be a rivalry. It’ll happen. I guess I must be ready for when he wants to challenge me again. It did not thrill him, I let him win. Heh, just you know, kids I guess?”

I tilted my head and rubbed the scar on my face. Kirishima touched his scar above his eye and flashed a pointy smile. We both have scars. The world has hurt both of us. We’ve both worked hard today. I then thought . . .what if we were to work side by side as pro heroes?

He clenched my hand, trying to calm me down. It’s hard to stay calm when all you can think of is the dark entities that live inside of you. When he finally had to leave, I realized that maybe he's been more than a friend to me.

“I won’t tell anyone I saw you. But you need to stop being so ridiculous. As much as you love to be the center of attention, you can’t keep this up. Soon enough, that fire monkey is gonna come lookin’ for you. We all want that.”

Katsuki’s voice was nothing but an echo in my ears. After thinking about what he said, I nodded, trying to hold back tears. I shut the door and fell to my knees. I knew this was a terrible choice, to accept One for All’s offer, but it felt like the only right choice. It hurts. Every time I think about it, I feel like there are a bunch of people stabbing me in the arm. Soon that arm will fall off and I won’t have control over what happens afterwards. Dabi tries to act like he’s a cool guy that can brush everything and everyone off. I got through it. I can see through his eyes and read what I see. He’s hurting. I think. When I look at him long enough, and he doesn’t know I’m looking, I can see him breathing heavily and his pupils dilating. It’s like he’s in his own world. My body feels like a little box that holds in all this darkness--all this death. When I stand, my head feels as though it weighs a thousand pounds. Holding onto all, I let out a groan, what the hell is going on?

He’s been gone for over an hour and I can already feel the voices waking up in my head. Just as I’m about to scream, there’s a knock on the window. I open it, breathing out. Dabi rushed in, slamming it shut. When he looks at me, my heart drops. Blood covered his face, making me want to jump. I close the blinds and hold his face in my hands. Within seconds we’re on the floor in the bathroom, staring at each other. Using a cloth, I stroke the blood. His eyes stay closed while the warm cloth touches his skin. All I'm doing is watching his expression, waiting for it to change. When the cloth touches his jawline, he flinches, grasping my wrist.

Dabi’s touch is warm when he releases slightly. Of course, he still holds on, but he isn’t squeezing as hard. I put the cloth into a bowl filled with warm water. He breathes out, leaning forward to rest his head on my shoulder. Even after fifteen minutes, he still hasn’t told me what has happened. When I breathe out, there is a slight laugh.

“I need to stay here for a bit with you,” his voice, deep and raspy. I nod, knowing that he is going to stay and then disappear without warning. I hug him tight without a single thought considered. After I clean him up a bit more, we then walk into my room and sit on my bed. He throws his jacket onto the floor and rests his head on the wall. When I turn on the TV, I peek at him. His eyes are closed, and I can see how calm his expression is. It reminds me even more of Toya. My finger traces the burn on his jaw. He cracks his eyes open then quickly shuts them again. When I pull my hand away, he pulls it back, resting it on his chest.

“You’re a damn box of kittens.” He chuckled. I rested my head on his chest and nuzzled his neck.

“I’m just tired and you’re warm.” I mumble, squeezing him tight.

Even though I am almost literally on top of him, he still holds me. Just like that, we fall asleep. When I wake, he’s sitting up, watching the window. I stare at him for a quiet second, and he then realizes I’m awake. The feeling of having someone there and it’s early in the morning as the bird's chirp and sun shines onto his smooth, patchy skin; Is romantic to me. I could feel him looking at me, so I tried my best to ignore the feeling. Dabi pulled his phone to his ear, responding to Shigaraki while he laced his boots. I watched his expression change each second. He looks at me and tells me to go get changed. Running off, I pulled on the baggy suit and tightened it as much as I could.

Looking in the mirror, I see myself; but it isn’t me. My heart flutters the second I see Dabi’s reflection in the mirror behind me. He crosses his arms, leaning into the door. I can’t tell him anything. Even if I were to try, nothing would come out. I don’t cry. I don’t speak. I barely even breathe. The metal block in my hand dings, giving me a heart attack. Kirishima’s nickname flashes on the screen while Carly Rae Jepsen plays. Dabi watches me with his dead, cold, ocean eyes. The urge to answer his call hurts me. Before Dabi says anything to make me reject the call, I answer, pulling it to my ear.

“Aiko? Aiko, you there?” He asks, hope filling his voice.

Dabi grabs my wrist, watching my eyes. Kirishima asks again, pulling on my heartstrings.

“Yeah, hey, hi!” I yell into the phone, tears filling my eyes. Kirishima is silent for a moment, then rambles about anything that comes to his mind. Dabi’s hand becomes warmer, smoke rising from my wrist. I sniffle, trying to pull away from him. Dabi looks deeper into my eyes, giving me more anxiety. Without another second of hesitation, he pulls the phone from my hand and smashes it onto the floor, stomping on it. The screen flashes a bright white while the glass falls off his boots and clangs to the floor. Air leaves my lungs, stinging my throat. Dabi pushes me against the wall, my hip hitting the sink. I whimper, he glares at me while his touch begins to rise in temperature.

His voice rings in my ears as he speaks, but I can’t hear it. What I thought was a caring, kind, broken man, has now become a two-faced carnivore. I trusted him too much and now I see he lied to me. He never really cared. I avoided all eye contact as he continued to stab my heart with each hurtful word he uttered. The last thing he says hurts me the most. “This is why Toya left you to die.” Using my only free hand, I take one of my four daggers and stab him in the side. Dabi groans, stepping back, but I don’t stop, I drive another shiny blade into his hip. Each time I reach for another dagger, he reaches for my hand, trying to stop me. Even when I want to stop, I can’t. When I’m finished, he has three knives in his body, giving me time to flee. As I run away, he’s sitting on the floor, pulling each blade from his body. He throws his fist into the floor as he yells in pain. Did I go too far?

"I’m thinking, either Dabi needs to be more aggressive, or Kitana needs to find a therapist!" Bro this made me die!

All Might looks at me with tears filling his dead, hallowed eyes. As the needle pokes through my skin and into my vein, the Bakugo family arrives. The monitor beeps, making a high-pitched sound. We all sit in silence until the doctor enters the room, The woman shrugs, taking my temperature a final time.

“She’s gone, honey. I don’t know what else I can see. As far as the tests can show, Mouse is gone.” The doctor leaves, giving me too much to think about. This thrilled Principal Nezu at first, then notices my concern. Does this mean I can’t be a hero? All Might and Nezu leave the room to speak, leaving me and the Bakugo family alone. Mitsuki Bakugo is the first to act. She stands and hugs me, placing a hand on my head. I’ve never seen her in a comforting mood. She and Katsuki are always yelling at each other. She pulls away and tells me to stay strong. She and her husband walked out of the room, giving my shoulders an unbearable weight. My eyes catch Katsuki’s. He says something I don’t hear. He groans and shakes my shoulders. My eyes bolt to his,

“You are back to being you, asshat. So, you are going to come back with me to the dorms and you’re going to become the hero you want to. If you don’t, I’ll drag your ass back there and force you to do everything by my side!” Katsuki blinked, a single tear traveled the distance down his cheek and onto his perfect jawline. A smile grew onto my face when I poked his cheek.

“You, the tough, smart, annoying, kickass, Katsuki Bakugo are crying.” He instantly crossed his arms and retreated the second the words left my mouth. He huffed and denied me. Laughing and bugging him I see if he cared. Leaving the hospital for the last time, the stars shone bright on the hood of each car in the parking lot. As the Bakugo’s sped off, All Might stood beside me, looking at the stars. He closes his eyes, his hair blowing in the breeze. Sometimes I wonder where I would be without his help and positivity. We drove back to the dorms. Aizawa Sensei sneaks me into my old dorm and all my things are back in their original places, I sit on the soft bed. For a second, Aizawa stands there, watching the movement of my feet underneath the blankets.

He spins around, opening the door. He quickly closes it and clears his throat as he stares at me. I rise to my feet and rush over to him, hugging him tightly. He takes a second to register what’s going on, but then he returns a hug to me. I thank him. To be honest, I don’t know what I’m thanking him for. He ruffles my hair, smirking.

“You’re lucky no one saw us walking in, you’d be dead right now.” We laugh as quietly as we can to disturb no one still awake. Aizawa leaves after turning the lights off. I wait a minute and dash to the wall on the left of my bed. Diving under the covers and catching my breath, my knuckle thumps against the icy wall. Thump thump thump. I wait. Nothing. Silence. After six minutes of silence and disappointment, I sigh and turn away from the wall. Tears drench my pillow while I muffle my sobs with the sleeves of my (well, Toya’s) hoodie. Knocking. It’s a way I could talk to. . .

Thump! Thump thump thump thump.

My body flips quickly, nearly smacking my head against the wall. After giggling for a few seconds, I knocked back on the wall.

Yeah, I’m here too.

You know, I’ve been waiting for you to knock and let me know you’re back.

To be honest, I want to tell him it feels like I have died and returned. But I can’t lie; I’ve been dead for a very long time. Before I can knock back, there is a knock at my door. I ran over and slightly cracked it open only to see the tall, red-haired, human boulder waiting at my doorway. Without thinking, I pulled him inside and shut the door behind him. He quickly hugged me, making me laugh. We hugged for ten minutes, not wanting to let go for a second. When he finally pulls away, Kirishima’s tear-filled eyes peer into mine. I poked the tip of his nose, almost beginning to cry. The two of us have always been this close. Ever since saving Bakugo and the U.S.J. attack, he’s been there for me. The two of us sit on the floor even though there is a perfectly comfortable bed behind us. Kirishima hands me his phone and scrolls through his camera roll. He shows me each picture he’d taken of our friends since I’d left. One picture stuck to me. Bakugo is sitting at my dorm door on the floor with his head resting on the doorframe. His eyes are closed, and expression is calm.

“He always would sit there at night, waiting for you to come back.” Kirishima cleared his throat, trying to ignore the picture that is plastered on his screen.

Kaminari, Sero, Ashido, Kirishima, and Midoriya are crowded around the table with a board game spread across the top. Ashido and Kaminari are staring at it, thinking while Midoriya explained the rules. Sero messed with his tape, wrapped it around Kirishima’s arm to see how tough it compared to Kirishima’s skin. I smile, seeing at least some people have got their minds off things even though it’s through a small photo. I squish Kirishima’s face with my hand, trying not to laugh loudly. He rests his head on my shoulder, making my face burn.