I wake up peacefully, happy that I got to wake up naturally for once without my little brother shouting at me to get up. Once I open my eyes, though, I get a shock. I wasn't in my room. I wasn't even in my house. I didn't even think where I was could be anywhere near my street. I couldn't hear the waves of the ocean crashing onto the beach. No seagulls were shrieking nearby. A car driving down the street outside an open window was the only sound but for a few clatters in a kitchen.

What worried me the most, though, was the person pressed up against my back, their arm around my waist, holding me against them. I couldn't twist around to see their face, so I had to somehow get out of their grasp to see who it was. Static buzzed through me as I moved, pulling my legs up out of the tangle of their own and getting those off the couch first. Next was the arms. I raise mine above my head and slip out, sitting on the floor and looking up in shock at Kaminari's sleeping face. I had many questions.

He grumbles, feeling around blindly for me while still asleep, and I quickly move back. He reaches just a little too far and tumbles off the edge of the couch, his eyes opening in shock, a loud thud sounding out as he hits the floor.

"Ow..." he groans, propping himself up on his elbows. I set my face into a glare and stand above him, my hands on my hips.

"I want answers. What happened last night?" I demand. He seems to shrink under my gaze, intimidated, as Pixel ambles into the room.

"You fell asleep on me while we were playing video games. We didn't wanna wake you up since you're always so tired, and then your mother sent you a text saying you could stay the night here if you wanted, and please don't hit me!" he begs, covering his head. Pixel trots up to him and nudges him with his nose, licking his hand. I sigh, kneeling and patting the dog affectionately.

"I'm not gonna hit you. I just wanted to know what happened." I say as Pixel presses against me, knocking me off balance and making me sit back on my heels.

"W-wait, you're not?"

"No, of course not. Why would I hit you?"

"B-because you might've been angry?"

Kaminari's mother walks into the room before I can respond, grinning as she sees us on the floor.

"Good to see you're awake. You two were cuddling hardcore last night." She says, her grin growing as Kaminari's face turns red and I look away. "Anyway, breakfast is ready, so move your asses."

"You mother is... interesting." I say as she walks out of the room.

"Y-yeah, she's, uh... very spirited, I guess is the right word." Kaminari chuckles, standing up and holding out his hand to pull me up. I grab his hand, the static from the contact reaching all the way up my arm, and follow him into the kitchen.

After we eat, I grab my phone and thank the family for taking care of me. Pixel trails after me to the door as I put my shoes on. I give him one last rub on the head before going outside and grabbing my bike.

"See you at school, Kaminari!" I call. He was watching me from his window, his bright yellow hair obvious even through the dark windows. He waves, then turns away as I start pedalling down the street.

~

"Alright class, today, we're going on a little field trip to USJ." Aizawa says after marking down that we were all here.

"Universal Studios Japan?" I ask, genuinely confused.

"No, not Universal Studios Japan. We're going to the Unforeseen Scenarios Joint for hero training."

"Aww..."

"Stop complaining and get into you're hero costume, then go out to the front gate. There'll be a bus waiting for you all there."

I change into my gear and walk outside, my hands stuffed into my pockets. When I get there, I realise Kirishima and Kaminari were already standing around. They were whispering among eachother, Kaminari seemingly embarrassed. Kirishima glances behind him and a grin breaks out on his face, making me worried.

"Why are you giving me that look?" I ask warily, raising an eyebrow.

"Did you know that Kaminari has a nickname for yo-" he says, then gets muffled as Kaminari slaps his hand over Kirishima's mouth, his face red.

"SHUT UP KIRISHIMA SHE DOESN'T NEED TO KNOW THAT!!" he shouts. I laugh.

"I'm curious. What nickname?" I ask, grinning. Kirishima struggles against Kaminari and breaks free, hiding behind me and using me as a shield to get away long enough to tell me, shoving me towards Kaminari.

"He calls you Kitten when you're not around!"

I blink a few times as Kaminari groans and claps his hands over his face, his shoulders hunched in embarrassment. Kirishima snickers.

"Eh, it's kinda cute. I like it." I say, grinning.

"W-wait, really?"

"Yep."

"C-can I call you Kitten more often, then?"

"Sure, why not."

A smile breaks out on Kaminari's face, lighting up his features. Other people were starting to crowd around, so we drop the conversation and just stand awkwardly until everyone arrives. Iida gets us all into line and starts spouting some nonsense about getting on the bus correctly, which I don't listen to because it's a bus, and choose a random seat near the back. Kaminari slides in beside me and Kirishima and Sero sit in the row in front of us.

"Alright everyone, today I and two other heroes will be teaching you about rescuing civilians in dangerous situations. Pay attention and show respect." Aizawa calls. I nod to myself, staring out the window with my chin resting on my hand.

"So... why do you want to be a hero, Kitten?" Kaminari asks, stumbling slightly over the nickname. He was obviously nervous about using it. I pretend I didn't hear him and he taps my shoulder. I turn towards him and he repeats the question.

"Because reasons." I say, then turn back to the window.

"Come on, tell us!" Kirishima presses, draping an arm over the back of his seat to look at me. Sero was interested now too.

"I have a lot of stories to tell, but the reason I want to become a hero isn't one of them." I say, my mood taking a giant 180. A small frown settles over my features and thankfully the boys know they shouldn't press it. Kirishima and Sero know, anyway.

"Hey, you okay, Kitten?" Kaminari asks, tilting forwards and trying to see my face. I sigh heavily, turning further away, and don't answer.

~

We each get off the bus and stare in awe at the giant glass dome that was USJ.

I was genuinely impressed. It was much larger than I thought it would be. We walk inside and are greeted by a hero wearing a space suit, which confused me a little but I brushed it off as having something to do with their quirk.

"Greetings, UA students! I am Thirteen. I'll be teaching you about how to rescue civilians in scenarios such as shipwrecks, mountains and storms. First, though, I have something to say... or two... or three... or four or five or..." he mutters. I raise an eyebrow at him as he comes back to himself, standing up straighter.

"Now, I can see you're all-"

The lights around us implode, making me almost jump out of my skin. The dome darkens, but I could still see due to the sunlight filtering in through the roof. Aizawa's gaze snaps to the fountain in the middle of the dome, and I realise he was looking at a dark purple swirling vortex, growing larger. If I didn't know any better, I would think it was a portal.

Surprise, surprise, it was a portal. A pale hand reaches out of it and the misty substance parts, revealing a pale man wearing black clothes and covered in hands. Covered in hands. I take a step back as he looks up, his eyes locking onto us as other people start walking out of the mist around him.

"Everyone, stay together and stay calm. Thirteen, protect the students." Aizawa says, pulling his goggles up over his eyes, "Those are real villains, so be careful."

"W-wait, real villains?" I ask meekly, taking another step back. Fear was pumping through me as his words sink in and my mind was working overtime, trying to find a way out of this.

"Everyone, please come with me. Eraser Head will keep the villains at bay while we evacuate-"

"I'm afraid we cannot let you do that."

While we weren't paying attention, the warp gate villain had appeared before us, spread menacingly in our path.

"Our intelligence said that the symbol of peace, All Might, would be here. Where is he?" he asks, surprisingly polite for a villain. Even so, I grit my teeth and start to transform, sinking down on all fours as my legs snap and pop into the legs of an animal, my body low to the ground in anticipation. I sense Kirishima and Bakugou tensing up nearby.

"I won't let you past me!" Thirteen declares, pointing his finger at the vortex, the cap on top of it popping off. Just then, Kirishima and Bakugou leap forwards, lashing out at the villain with me close behind. I launch myself up off the ground and twist in the air, roundhouse kicking the villain's head. I don't feel a resistance as my leg passes through the mist harmlessly and almost fall flat on my face in surprise, jumping back and facing the villain.

"Ah. I had hoped I wouldn't have to do this, but I guess I have no choice."

A sudden wave of mist washed over us, trapping us all in darkness. I shield my eyes from the sudden onslaught of darkness and wind when the ground beneath me disappears and I fall into the void.

~

Splash.

I hit the water hard and cough in surprise as I'm winded, quickly opening my gills and taking in a deep breath. I was rather deep under the surface of the water so I start swimming upwards when a dark figure catches my eye out of the corner of my vision. It was Midoriya, holding his breath as he looks around. As I watch, something starts coming up behind him. My eyes widen and I power my way through the water just as Midoriya turns around, coming face to face with a villain with a quirk that made him similar to a shark. I reach them just in time and yank Midoriya upwards, out of danger, hauling him to the surface. He coughs up water as we get our heads up into the air, spluttering out much more than I considered healthy.

"Midoriya! (Y/N)!" Asui calls from nearby. I could see her dragging Mineta through the water behind her as she swims to a nearby docked ship. I was about to follow when I feel excruciating pain in my leg and I'm dragged under the water, down into the deep. I cry out, my oxygen leaving me in a stream of bubbles, as I realise the one dragging me down was the shark guy. He had his teeth firmly clamped around my leg. Suddenly, in a flurry of bubbles, Asui appears beside us and kicks him in the face, shocking him into releasing me.

"(Y/N)! Come on!" she says, zooming upwards. I follow her, letting my injured leg trail behind me like a dead weight. I couldn't move it or else a stinging agony would appear. Asui realised I was lagging behind her and turns around, her eyes widening a the sight of the blood trail I was leaving in the water. Without a word, she makes me wrap an arm around her shoulders and starts pulling us both up, then lifts me onto the ship with her tongue, climbing up the side of it herself. She pulls up the leg of my pants without preamble and starts checking me over.

"(Y/N), what happened to you?" Mineta asks, seeing the bloody mess of my leg. While I was in the water, all the blood was washed away. Now that I was on land, there was already a small puddle on the ground from my wound.

"Shark bite. F-from the guy who almost got Midoriya." I say, hissing through my teeth as Asui prods at it, checking the damage.

"We'll need something to wrap it with. Anyone got anything?" she asks. They both shake their heads, so Asui walks off into the ship to search.

"Where's Sero when you need him, huh?" I say jokingly, laughing quietly and then wincing at the pain. Midoriya's face was grim as he looked at me.

"I'm sorry, (Y/N). If you hadn't been forced to save me, you probably wouldn't be injured right now..." he mutters, dropping his gaze to the ground.

"At least you're okay. I don't mind getting hurt if it means I can save others." I say, giving him a weak grin. He nods, but he still looks sad.

"I found a bandage and some antiseptic. This'll hurt, (Y/N), but you're gonna have to stay still." She commands, not waiting for a response before applying the medicine. I hiss, clenching my hands and screwing my eyes shut at the burning feeling it gave me, then relaxing slightly as the pain dulls. Asui wraps the bandage around my wound with care, making sure it's not too tight but still tight enough to keep pressure on it. For some reason, during this, my mind flicked to Kaminari and what he might have said to me if he was here now.

It's okay, Kitten. It'll be okay.

"All done." Asui announces, sitting back on her heels. I roll back down my pants and stand up shakily, keeping my weight off my injured leg. Realising I was still in my true form, I shift back to my human one, my leg aching with the strain of transforming. Midoriya notices me about to fall over and ducks under my arm, wrapping his own around my waist to keep me upright. Asui nods to herself, then turns to look at the water.

"Now that (Y/N)'s okay, what do we do?" she asks, glancing down into the water. I shuffle up beside her, leaning heavily on Midoriya, peering down at the numerous villains who were watching us. The shark villain makes eye contact and winks at me, a sinister grin on his face. I could see his teeth still had some of my blood on them. I shiver involuntarily and look away first.

"I think they're waiting for our next move. They don't know what our quirks are. Look." Midoriya mutters, too low for the villains to hear, nodding at a villain further out who was splashing at one of Mineta's balls like he wasn't sure what it was about to do and was nervous.

"Y'know, I think you're right." I say, my mind starting to get into gear. We could use our quirks to trick the villains into thinking they're in danger, then use the confusion to escape safely. Mineta could throw a bunch of balls into the water and Asui could use her abilities to scare them and create a distraction while Midoriya and I escape.

One problem. My leg. I could barely walk right now, let alone escape a horde of angry villains hell-bent on killing us. Midoriya notices my scrunched expression as I try to think of a safe way out for everyone. He seems to come up with a plan faster than I can, though.

"Guys, I have an idea..."

~

"I can't believe we're doing this." I mutter, frowning as Midoriya gets himself ready. If this plan went wrong, one of us could end up seriously injured or worse. I was leaning on the boat railing now, since he had to let me go to get in position. Mineta had tried to get me to lean on him, but honestly, even if I accepted the offer, he wouldn't be able to support me at all. And knowing him, he wouldn't care.

"Ready, guys?" Midoriya asks. I nod as Asui picks up Mineta and reaches out for my hand.

"Don't you dare mess this up." I growl nervously. I really didn't want to witness this child fall straight into a giant lake full of villains with water-based quirks. He nods, giving me a reassuring smile, then kicks the railing and screams to draw the villains' attention. He leaps off the ship and activates his quirk, flicking his thumb and middle finger at the water surface at the same time Asui jumps out, the shockwave of the attack launching us up into the air.

Mineta seems to have a moment and starts ripping off ball after ball, throwing them into the water as the villains are pulled into the literal whirlpool that Midoriya created, screaming about how he wasn't going to be useless or something like that. Asui grabs Midoriya and pulls him with us with her tongue. As I watch, the whirlpool pulls in the villains and the balls, sticking them all together, then suddenly implodes on itself and sprays water almost to the roof of the dome.

"Woah!" I say, not expecting it to do that, my eyes wide. We land in the water a few metres away from the shore, my leg stinging painfully with the impact and the bandage being soaked through but not coming undone.

"Ugh... can we get to safety now?" Mineta asks, shivering.

"I just want a look around. As soon as we're in danger, we'll start running." Midoriya promises, peeking up over the shore line. I drag myself up with my arms, my leg trailing limp behind me, and hiss through my teeth in shock at the sight of our teacher fighting the pale man, his elbow soaring towards the man's stomach, only to be caught and starting t disintegrate. A bird-man hybrid monster with its brain exposed leaps in, catching Aizawa in his side and slamming him to the ground, sitting on top of him to keep him down. I watch, horrified, as the monster slams his face down into the cement, then draws him up again. His face was covered in blood.

"It's pretty obvious that All Might isn't here. This has been a huge waste of our time." The pale man covered in hands says, scratching at his neck. The bird man squawks, snapping Aizawa's arm. I heard the sound it made from the water and a shiver runs up and down my spine as I suppress the urge to vomit.

"While we're here, though... We might as well smash some of his pride!"

With impossible speed, the man skids to a halt before me, crouching with his hand outstretched. Time seems to slow down and I realise the man was reaching towards my face. Midoriya turns, too slow to stop it, and I can't dodge because of my injuries. The man's hand touches my face, covering it completely, but nothing happens. I jerk out of my shock and scramble backwards, realising Aizawa's eyes had gone red. He had used his quirk to save me even though he was in more danger. The bird slams his head down again and keeps him down.

Midoriya leaps into action, jumping out of the water and drawing his fist back to punch the man, his arm glowing with the power of his quirk.

"Midoriya, no!" I shout just as he lets fly. Dust blocks my vision and I sneeze, then cough as it enters my lungs. As the dust clears, I notice the massive hulking shadow between Midoriya and the other man.

'No.'

The bird hybrid had somehow managed to move in between the two, taking the hit for itself. It hadn't even been winded. It reaches forwards and I'm moving before I realise it, leaping out of the water and ignoring the stabbing agony in my leg as I shove Midoriya out of the way, feeling the monstrosity's hand close around my own arm instead of his, twisting it backwards painfully.

"(Y/N)!" he shouts as the monster's arm raises, ready to strike and kill me. I close my eyes, gritting my teeth, saying my last goodbyes.

I'm so-

"I am here!"