"Iᔕ IT ᒍᑌᔕT ᗰE, Oᖇ Iᔕ EᐯEᖇYTᕼIᑎG ᗷᖇIGᕼTEᖇ ᗯᕼEᑎ YOᑌ'ᖇE ᗩᖇOᑌᑎᗪ?"

"The subject is stable, the transmitter is fully operational, and everyone is in position."

Ochako slowly blinked open her eyes, her golden-brown optics darting around the room. Her body was laying down, slanting upwards on some sort of hard surface. Everything was blurry, though she could tell that the room was she was in was large. It was circular, and bright light was shining everywhere.

She blinked a few times more, trying to clear her vision, but the fogginess wouldn't go away.

Where am I?

She started to panic, eyes growing wide as saucers. She tried to move, but restraints were holding her down, causing only jerking movements to come from her. Every effort was made to release herself, but to no avail, she was stuck to the hard surface beneath her.

She was finally starting to make out people with white lab coats circling around her, or some sitting at computers. Her hysteria rose at an alarming rate, and she could physically feel her heart beating faster. Though, all of it felt... surreal. Maybe it was the haziness of her vision, or the fact she had never been there before.

One of the doctors clearly noticed her alarm, and turned their head away for a second. "The subject's heart rate is rising. Quickly, before she is unstable. We do not want this to get out of hand."

A machine like sound was heard from somewhere behind Ochako, and she tried to turn her head to see, but her he was was being restrained as well.

Horror washed over her as the ginormous machine came into view, and she couldn't rip her eyes away from its contents. A needle about the size of her hand was connected to a tube, which was long enough that is was foiled on the side of it. The structure itself was just a colossal white box that housed the tube and the needle... but she didn't want to think of want happened inside, because she heard some type of clicking noise coming from within it.

"Take the nutrients," the doctor who spoke previously said. "And do not stop until the subject is deceased."

No!

She jerked her body as much as she could, trying to wrench away from the restraints as the needle came closer. I'm going to die! I'm going to-

And that's when she saw it. A man dressed in black, standing right in front of her as she struggled. For some reason, he was the only one who she could see clearly. Without thinking, she lifted her eyes to try and see him, but stopped at his mouth.

A smile. A sinister smile. His mouth moved, but she couldn't hear anything. Everything was silent when the needle was pressed into her arm.

—————————————

Her blanket was thrown off of her as Ochako shot up, cold sweat pooling on every part of her body. A shiver was sent down her spine and she gasped, almost painfully. She slapped her hand against her mouth, which made her already heavy breathing more labored.

She should have known it was just a dream. A nightmare. She shakily brought her hand away from her mouth and looked over at the clock on her wall. 5:30. It was early, school wouldn't start for another two hours and a half, but she decided to take the time to wash herself and her sheets. She stumbled out of bed, ripping her sheets off of her bed to toss them into the washing machine.

While that was running, she stood in the shower, letting the hot water hit the top of her head. She was still trembling from the dream, and she had wished the steaming liquid would help her calm down, but it barely did. She leaned forward, and with the water now hitting her back she let her head rest against the shower wall in front of her.

A sinister smile.

She couldn't get it out of her head. The amount of horror that swept through her upon seeing that smile was still there, and she shivered. Maybe that was why she was shaking so much. Turning off the shower, she stepped out and looked at herself in the mirror.

The glass was foggy, and it reminded her of the dream, so she quickly wiped the haze away. She didn't know why she was so scared, it was just a dream after all. Just a nightmare that she should get over. Besides, it wasn't like she was seeing the future.

That's when she stopped mid-action, a chill running down her spine.

A man dressed in black...

Black...

A black flash in the corner of my eye...

She stepped away from the mirror, feeling even more paranoid than she was as she remembered it. When she had been training in U.A.'s yard with the others, there was a flash of black in her peripheral vision. She had shrugged it off at the time, but what if she shouldn't have?

What if someone is really trying to kidnap me?

—————————————

The school day started, and Ochako looked terrible. She had taken a shower, but it didn't refresh her at all. Her hair was messier than usual, her uniform seemed wrinkled and her gaze was tired. It was a stretch to say she was on par with Aizawa, but she looked borderline exhausted.

People seemed to notice this, but she shut down any concerns people had. Mina had questioned her about it in Aizawa's class, and she had responded slowly with, "Less sleep than usual."

She had also silently prayed that Deku wasn't at school just so that he didn't see her like this, but when she spotted him double taking at her appearance, she mentally jumped off a cliff.

The green haired student rushed up to her with worry in his jade eyes. "Uhm, Uraraka?"

"Mmm?" She groaned, rubbing her right eye.

Deku raised a brow. "Sorry to break it to you but... you look extremely tired. Are you okay?"

"Trust me," she grumbled, walking past him. "You weren't the first to notice. And yes, I'm fine. Just didn't get enough sleep."

"I can see that," her friend said as he caught up to her to walk side by side. "You smell good at least-.."

Both students halted, and Ochako slowly turned towards Deku with wide eyes. He was frantic, stuttering and trying to explain what he meant.

"N-not that you u-usually smell!" he stammered, waving his arms all around. "I-it's just... uh... there's this... uhm..."

Ochako laughed, and he instantly stopped with his little freak out. "I usually shower at night, but I showered this morning to try and feel refreshed."

Izuku's arms dropped, though he averted his gaze as he responded with a small, "O-oh."

She playfully jabbed him, a smile on her face for the first time that day. "C'mon, Deku! Lighten up, we've been friends for a long time, right? No need to be all nervous."

He nodded, a warm smile gracing his features too as he looked at her. Ochako's heart skipped a beat at his gaze, but she quickly turned around and starting heading towards the cafeteria. "Let's get to lunch, I'm starving!"

Her friend nodded, and together they walked to the cafeteria.

—————————————

"You called?" Nightmare said as he opened the door to the familiar room. The figure sat behind the desk, as usual, and motioned for Ritsuko Kita to move closer.

The villain obeyed, stepping more into the room. There were more people within the darkened area, though they payed him no attention as they went on with their own business. He could tell some were in the shadows, watching him closely as he walked forward.

"I've been reminded of something," the man behind the desk said, clasping his hands together on the wooden surface. "And I have decided it would be best if you had some help for this."

"Reminded of what?" Nightmare asked irritably. "I don't need a partner, if that's what you're saying."

"Reminded that this mission will be harder than it seems, taking into account that there seems to be many possibilities. We're dealing with U.A., Nightmare, a-..."

The villain held up a hand with a grin. "Kita."

The man huffed. "Kita, we're dealing with a prestigious school filled with to-be heroes and pro heroes. There could be many setbacks, so yes, I'm giving you a partner."

Nightmare raised an eyebrow. "Do you not have enough confidence in me?"

The man's brow furrowed. "I did. But then something happened, and you should remember it all too well."

Nightmare's jaw clenched, though he kept his face neutral as the man gestured to the corner of the room. A figure stepped out of the shadows, and she smirked at Nightmare. She had long brown dreadlocks, tan skin with whitish patches her and there, and poisonous green eyes. She wore high-end clothing, a long black jacket with a blue shirt that was tucked under black and white striped high waisted pants.

"This is my granddaughter, Hideyoshi Inouye, otherwise known as 'Rewind Doctor'," the man introduced the woman. "You two will be working together from now on."

Nightmare turned towards her. "Look, Inouye-.."

"First name basis already?" The woman said, taking a few steps closer. "No, no, no... for now, you'll call me by my alias, and I will do the same for you."

"'Rewind Doctor'?" Nightmare echoed the name he had heard, raising a brow. "Doesn't that seem a little long to you?"

"Doesn't matter if it makes your mouth tired or not," she smirked. "You'll call me that, and you'll like it."

Nightmare snorted mockingly. "Okay then, Rewind Doctor, I just want you to know that I won't be carrying you throughout this mission."

Inouye stepped closer until she was looking up at him, a sarcastic look in her eyes as she said, "No one's carried me since my mother."

—————————————

It was finally Saturday, and it was time to go to Iida's house for the project. Her outfit was casual, a white tank top over a pink off the shoulder sweatshirt with jean shorts.

She was going to meet Deku at the lamp pole near her house so they could walk together, so she was tying her shoes and getting ready to go... while her father expressed his 'doubts'.

"I don't know..." her father was saying. "I don't like the thought of my baby girl in the same room with two boys..."

"Oh, stop fussing," Ochako's mother grabbed her husbands ear and gently pulled it. "She'll be fine. Besides, she's already told us about this two before. Iida and... Deku, correct? Her best friends."

"That's right," Ochako said, before sending a playful glare at her dad. "You just don't know who they are because you shut down 'boy talk' whenever I speak to you about them!"

Her father stomped his foot in mock indignation, and grinned at her. "It's not my fault I don't want my daughter going all 'kissy kissy' with a boy!"

Ochako's face heated up as her mother assured her father she wasn't going to get all 'kissy kissy'.

A... kiss...?

She shook her head, finally tying her shoe laces and running towards the door. "I'll be back in time for dinner, love you!"

Her parents waved as she closed the door behind her, and she looked over to her right to see a familiar figure leaning against a lamp post. Excitedly, she ran up to Deku. He was wearing a plan white t-shirt with a navy blue jacket which was unzipped, and lighter blue shorts.

When he noticed her, he gave a little wave, smiling as she came up beside him.

"Hey Deku!" She said cheerfully.

"Hey..." he trailed off as he looked at her. "...Uraraka? You're looking really red."

She cocked her head to the side in confusion, but then she remembered what her father said earlier. It seemed to have still affected her, and the word 'kiss' literally echoed through her mind and she took a startled step back.

"Oh! Am I?" She used her hands like a fan to try and cool herself down. "It's super hot out today, guess that's the reason."

Deku deadpanned. "It's 65 degrees."

"Is it?" She fake questioned. "I guess I'm just a little sensitive... or something..."

She was so flustered she didn't see the hand coming towards her forehead until she felt it on her skin. She looked up as Deku's hand stayed on her forehead, meeting his jade green eyes as he asked, "Are you coming down with a fever? Should you be resting?"

"I-..." she trailed off, before gently pushing his hand away. "I'm fine, really. Like I said, I'm a little hot. I am wearing a sweatshirt after all."

Deku opened his mouth to say something, but she patted his shoulder and started walking past him. "We should go, or else we'll be late."

She started to stroll ahead, expecting to hear foot steps behind her. When she didn't hear any, and instead a loud thump, she whipped around.

Deku was passed out on the sidewalk, a foot pressed into his back. Ochako's heart stopped as she looked up at the figure who was standing above her friend.

Dressed in black. A sinister smile. Her eyes widened as she recognized the features of this man with shaggy brown hair, gray eyes, and a grin that sent shivers down her spine.

"Well, well," his smooth voice cut through the tension. "Looks like I finally found you."