I'm giggling n' kicking my feet over how insane the rest of this book's gunna be. Insane in every sense of the word. 😂 (I feel like Gege rn frfr)

Also, my mom is one of THOSE homestead moms. You know how some phones will compile similar photos into a list with some music? Her phone did that with a montage of goat butts. 🤣

Finished Pluto. Made a meme about it.

Ngl, tho, I kinda like ^ more than Gojo.

Seriously tho? Why are all the good anime so depressing? TvT
It's hard to recommend anime, or just shows in general, to my friends because all the stuff I really like is super sad/depressing/gory.

. . .

Just when I thought I was safe from long intros.. the internet attacked.

Favorite Hawks fanart genre: him just perching on other heroes because he smol birb.

The characters' ages by the time I finally finish this book 💀:

The following three images are a sequence of events and I simply cannot imagine it any other way.

How y/n and Tenko still see Deku at 13:

Sorry to ruin the vibe of the previous image but this was just too funny to me.

🤣 The title that has nothing to do with it but also somehow does sells it for me. ^

20K READS, LETS GOOOOO! ✨✨✨
SPARKLES FOR EVERYONE!

Hey guys, I just wanted to apologize in advance... I... I... The (spoilers) subsection of fanart on Pinterest... I... I couldn't escape it in time.. before it... infected me....
Again... I apologize. 😔
I'm sorry for what I'm about to put you through.
========================

     "You wanted to speak with me in person, Diforester?" Nezu, polite as always, sat with his paws on his desk as you entered his office. You glanced around, noting only Hound Dog in the room aside from you two.

     You rubbed the base of your neck while entering. "Uhh, yeah, it's nothing super serious though. I was just wondering why the entrance exam discriminates against certain quirks."

     "What could you mean by that?" Scariest thing about this guy was you could never tell when or if you struck a nerve. I mean, he took the accusation so casually!

     "Well, um, I notice that you only use robots no matter the students involved... Means you'll be making it impossible for kids to get in whose quirks rely on their target being human to some capacity."

     "Hm. You are right about that. However, it wouldn't work. Humans were once commonplace in the exams, but thanks to competitive human nature, the exams more often than not got way out of hand. I resorted to using robots in order to keep injuries to a minimum."

     "Okay, but what if?" You scratched your head. Believe it or not you actually HAD prepared for this. It was just taking a second to load. "So what if we replace that BIG zero pointer with three specially trained humans, eh? They'll be all big and intimidating, pretty much pointless to defeat. Just meant as an added obstacle for everyone else. But! That'll mean the kids driven toward them'll be the kids who need human opponents in order to stand a chance! Maybe we can give em like half points or something for capturing the professionals? The twist will be that each of the human opponents actually have a whole secret grading system of their own~ Even if they aren't captured by any students, they can still give points to the kids they see potential in... I'm- I'm sorry." Smiling bashfully. "I just think making it easier on people with quirks like Mr. Aizawa's would open even more doors to potential heroes. I just hate to think of all the kids who fail those entrance exams just because their quirks aren't suited for fighting robots. Especially since hero work deals with humans more often than not!"

     "Hmhm." The mouse grinned. "You don't typically show it, but you really do have a heart for the student body of this school, don't you?"

     "I-- ...Yeah. Guess you could say that." You really only had one kid in mind, but surely there were others like him...

     "You have given me something to think about, Ms. Diforester." The principle kicked his feet. "I will consider your proposal. In the meantime, please don't feel the need to burden yourself with our imperfections anymore."

----------

     Oh but bother yourself you did. Only a couple weeks later, you came to Nezu with another proposal.

     "So, uh, you know how schools have false disaster alarms?"

     "Yes?"

     "Well, what if we had a villain alarm setup too? That way we could practice what to do if a villain were to suddenly attack."

     The principle giggled. "The likelihood of a villain breaking in is-"

     "-Yeah I know, almost zero. But what if the alarms go off and the unassuming students panic?? Even if the villain is easily dealt with, or if it turns out to be a false alarm, the students wouldn't know and might injure each other in their confusion."

     "I suppose that.. could.. happen..." Nezu's head tilted. "I will look into a safe way to handle that. Thanks for bringing the potential issue to my attention."

     You bowed. "Thank you for listening." You turned back toward the door.

     "-(Y/n) Diforester?" Instantly, you popped back around to stare at the rat.

     "Yes?"

     "If you decide you want more than typical hero work on your plate after graduation, feel free to come to me for extra resources about a teacher position."

     Your face now red, your hands flew up and  zipped all around in front of you. "Tha- that- that isn't what I was trying at AT ALL, sir!"

     "Your willingness to help while expecting nothing in return, your out-of-pocket way of thinking, and heart for the next generation of heroes are all desirable traits for any teacher. Heck, why stop there? With the right training, you could become an excellent principle some day."

     "Ehheheheh... Your flattery is borderline scary, sir." Staring at a distant wall.

     "Oh.. I am sorry to come across that way."

     "No worries, man. I'm just.. not used to being complimented for anything outside my physical abilities." That and for a moment you were worried Nezu was playing some kind of mind games with you!

     "Ah. Well you are very skilled in that area too. Your grades are just above average as well. So with a bit more effort put into studying, I can see a wide array of career paths ahead of you."

     Huh... It never really struck you until then, but, he kinda had a point.

     The hero biz was a vast one. Even those given the Hero title have a plethora of options regarding the lifestyle they want to live. And even if you did whatever the HPSC wanted for a decade or two.. you'd eventually be given the freedom to do whatever you want, right?

     Maybe then...you could choose to do something a little different.

     It was a rather exciting thought, actually. Getting to choose something else??

     Even something simple as the illusion of choice filled your heart with hope. A hope and excitement that was so childlike in nature.

     Huh... What DO you want to be in the future?

---------------

     Okay so this title is 100% click-bait because you're actually NOT going on vacation. Lol. Gottem. No, you're going back to that wretched summer camp.

     Wait, no? The third years do something ELSE???

     WHAT then???

----------

     " They locked me in a room. A rubber room. A rubber room with rats. And rats make me crazy. Crazy? I was crazy once. They locked me in a room. A rubber room. A rubber room with rats. And rats make me crazy. Crazy? I was crazy once. They locked me in a room. A rubber room. A rubber room with rats. And rats make me crazy. Crazy? I was crazy once. They locked me in a room. A rubber room. A rubber room with rats. And rats make me crazy. Crazy? I was crazy once. They locked me in a room. A rubber room. A rubber room with rats. And rats make me crazy. Crazy? I was crazy once. They locked me in a room. A rubber room. A rubber room with rats. And rats make me crazy. Crazy? "

     Ms. Midnight was curled up on the bus driver's lap, bawling. "I hate these kids sm..."

     Okay so long boring explanation short, instead of specialized quirk training this year, you'd be doing this thing called "Scouting," where basically each class will go their separate ways on a road-trip around Japan to visit a diverse collection of hero agencies. Each agency has their own ecosystem of sorts: a different way of doing things to combat their specific environment. Together, your class will tour each one and get a feel for what kind of agency they would want to join or create in the future.. if they haven't already decided.

     As for which agencies your class will be visiting, that changes every year. Some are chosen by the school itself, but most are the agencies your classmates know from their work studies. This means that whichever student worked there in the past would act as the tour guide to everyone else while visiting the location.

     That was still long. Sorry.

     Tenko was laying on the floor of the bus inside a neon green sleeping bag like Aizawa's. You were laying on top of Tenko, using him as a mattress/body pillow. Your classmates were genuinely wondering how you guys weren't married yet.

     When the bus stopped, the two of you sat up suddenly, Tenny bumping his head on the way up. "I can't see s###- I I mean crap. Where are we?" Your friend's muffled voice asked. You loosened the entrance of the bag for him.

     "I don't know." You admitted. Tenko stuck his nose out and huffed.

     "....Thought these guys had the budget to fly us places."

     "Pff, yeah!" You patted Tenny's back while standing up. "Everyone's leaving."

     "Mmhhh, but I'm still tiiiired..."

     "Too bad!"

     "Buhh." He left his sleeping bag in the bus and trutted after you.

-----

     "Soooo~ this is the Kirishima Kinkowan National Park Rescue Center!" Kobayashi and Furu stood in front of the rest of the class. "Technically we BOTH work here!"

     "But I specialize in winter rescue and so I only come here after snowfall,"

     "Whereas I work here all year round!.. Or at least I will once I graduate!"

     "Yeahhhh, I still haven't reached out to other agencies yet..." Both girls awkwardly rubbed the back of their necks. "Annnyways, the main building's this way." Furu took the lead, surprisingly, but Kobayashi was sure to back the shy girl up with random facts about the area.

     It was a really pretty place. An amazing spot to work. These girls really hit the jackpot! Lush with beautiful trees, fields of flowers, and mountain ranges. Not to mention a plethora of awesome volcanoes, some still active! Had to admit, if your future hadn't already been decided for you, you'd probably choose to work at a place like this.

     Biggest downside I suppose is these heroes don't get as much money or recognition, meaning you can bet none of em'll make it to the top 100 unless in the case of some monstrous disaster which they manage to save everyone from. But something like that is exceedingly rare, not to mention near-impossible to win against since everyone is so spread-out, and the threat is the environment itself.

     Djwifnwcbjw anyways so this was technically the THIRD hero agency you've toured so far. The previous two were a lot more boring and you'd honestly forgotten about them already.

     Since this was the first night of what was going to be a LONG trip, everyone camped out here at this park somewhere near the bus but not too near it that everyone could see it from the campsite. Luckily, everyone knew ahead of time what they were getting themselves into. The class was split into teams of five to pitch the tent they would be sleeping in. The girls had their own designated tent. You weren't really feelin' it though, so in the middle of the night after everyone had their campfire fun and hit the hay, you dragged your sleeping bag outside and set it in a tree. The moon was just bright enough that you could see a far ways off without your blindfold on.

     You sat casually with your back against the main part of the tree while you peeled a banana. Your phone rang, making you drop the banana! Luckily!! You were a quick thinker and caught it in a portal, making the thing drop into your hand. Unlickily, the peeled half of the banana was too fragile and broke off. You stared down disappointedly as half the banana fell to the bottom of the tree. Rolling your eyes, you finally answered the phone. "You owe me half a banana."

     ""No I don't."" Kai scoffed at the other end. ""You probably stole it from the kitchen anyway. I paid for all that.""

     "Ugh. Fair point.." Annoyed, you took a bite out of what was left of the fruit. Mouth half full, "So why are you calling at midnight?"

     ""I assumed rightfully-so that you were still awake.""

     "Khh, what, calling to say goodnight~?"

     ""Hhhh."" You could practically hear him rubbing his face. ""Just checking in to see how you were doing and whether you felt safe or not."" Oh yeah, you guys had gotten in a bit of a habit over the past couple months to ask either directly or indirectly if the other was feeling safe. However, that was moreso used to let the other know if they needed to back off and leave them alone. This was the first time the question was ever used outside of that context.

     "Teh. You're not even here."

     ""Do you, though?""

     "Yeah yeah! I'm safe! Haha! I mean, safe as I can be while sleeping in a tree I guess!"

     ""Why?""

     "Bored?? I guess?? I dunno!" Your eyes landed on the campsite below, specifically the girls' tent. "...It's a bit cramped in there, and I.. hate taking up other people's space... Eheh, I'm a fairly big girl, as you know!"

...

     ""...Yeah.""

     You flopped onto your belly, laying over the large tree branch like a panther. "You sound tired, man! Get some sleep!"

     ""I...can't. Another issue just popped up.""

     "Sure you can't just wait until morning?"

     ""No... It's okay, though... It won't take too long.""

     You laid the side of your face on the branch, bark covered by the sleeping bag. "Hm... Well if there's anything I can do about it, just text me."

     ""I'll be fine.""

     "Wait, did you just call me to procrastinate??"

     ""No.""

     "You suuuure?"

     ""I mean, mostly, no.""

     "Okayyy then, I'll just hang my useless a## up."

     ""You're fine. You-"" Oops. Hung up on him too early... Oh well. Sounded like he was in the tired rambling state at the moment. When he got like that, it was hard to shut him up... Heheh, those times were rare, though. Funny that he thought to call you of all people when he just felt like talking. You yawned and stretched. After nearly falling asleep like that, you fixed up your bedding to actually be somewhat safe, then crawled into the sleeping bag. Wasn't long after that you were fast asleep.

----------

     The next morning, everyone else in your class had circled around the tree, staring stupidly at the large lump -- you in a hammock/sleeping bag -- like a group of toddlers.

     "Think she's gunna wake up anytime soon?"

     Looking down at their watch, "She better! We have to leave soon."

     "AYO, (Y/N), WAKE UP!"

     "Psh. I already tried that!"

     "--Hey-hey don't throw a ROCK at her!"

     "It's just a pinecone..." They then threw it at your a##.

     "OW!" The whole hammock thing convulsed.

     "See? It worked."

     "I'M GOING TO KILL WHOEVER THREW THAT!" You.

     "SCRAM!" They all scattered like roaches.

----------

     You taught the others some classic English country songs while on the bus, the catcher being that you yourself had forgotten most of the lyrics and or tended to mix them up... Oh well. It was fun anyway.

     The bus was to travel northward essentially the entire day, with only one big stop in mind. That meant there really wasn't anything to look forward to today but the breaks along the way.

     The bus stopped in the middle of a small town for a late breakfast. You wandered into the grocery store when you suddenly received a phone call.

     Huh, it was Kai's number again. "Yello!"

     ""So... Do you mind coming over here really quick?.. It's kind of an emergency."" Hari mumbled on the other end. In the background was the faint screeching of.. a baby? Wait, Eri!?.. No, sounded too young.

     Regardless, you started to panic a little. "I'll be right there. Where, exactly?"

     ""I'll meet you at the tunnels' entrance under the third base.""

     "The third one?!" It had been a long time since you checked that place out. Wasn't that where Kai's little experiments happened?? You hurried out of the Walmart and found some brush to hide in. Then, you teleported all but your tracked ankle and foot through the portal. A minute later, Hari jogged to meet you. He broadly gestured for you to follow him. As you did so, he started to explain.

     "We're still trying to figure out exactly what happened last night. From the witnesses willing to talk, we know the blood donors at some point split into two factions and started getting dangerously hostile with one another. Apparently, it was so bad that by last night they were actively fighting to the death and or using each other as hostages. Not entirely sure. Overhaul went in to break them up around two this morning, but one of them must have gotten to him, because..."

     You already felt you knew what that pause was for. It was confirmed after the two of you entered the next room. Inside, blood dirtied the floor and walls. A team was already cleaning it up. There wasn't a blood donor in sight. In the very center of the room, Pops held a crying, screaming child.

     A lump formed in your throat, and you ran toward the elder to have a better look. "Oh man.." As you feared, the baby resembled Kai. Heck, it was Kai. Your hand rose to cover your mouth as a sudden wave of random emotions washed over you. "Thank goodness he stopped there." One slight change to the timeline and you'd be attending Kai's funeral instead.

     "I'm sorry to place this on you in the middle of your trip, but," Pops nervously glanced around at all the blood. "I have to stay here and figure out what happened. Nemoto should be here pretty soon. In the meantime; I know you have the reverse quirk as well; would you mind returning Chisaki back to normal for me?"

     "I..." Pops handed you the screaming kid, who couldn't be any older than one at the moment. "...Kai was the only person I'd trust with something like that. I only kept a copy with me out of morbid curiosity."

     "Well, right now you're our only chance. We can't trust anyone else with that quirk to do it!"

     "Alright alright, you have a point! I'll..." You looked down at the little brunette, who'd gone suspiciously quiet. His golden eyes stared up at you, very intensely watching your every move.

     Pops noticed too and chuckled. "He's been screaming his head off for who knows how long."

     "Do you think he remembers us??"

     "Not a chance! I tested it earlier. No, we're but a bunch of strangers to him."

     "And his parents are long gone..." Not that they'd be any help. You sighed loudly. "Okay fiiine, I'll experiment with Rewind until I'm confident I can fix him."

     "Can you take care of him until then too?"

     "WHAT?"

     "Please?" 🙏

     "Ughh, I guess so..."

----------

     "You're...old enough to not need milk, right?" You held the baby out in front of you and stared deep into his eyes. He had this very frog-like expression ever since he stopped crying. And he was so quiet you were beginning to worry a little bit.

     But oh MAN was he cute!

     Yeahhh, he appeared to be somewhere between one and two years old. Plenty old enough for you to not worry about buying baby formula. You scooped an assortment of baby foods into the basket by your feet, hoping he'd like at least one of them! You also bought a bunch of other stuff generally needed to care for a baby. So much stuff here, you had to buy a whole bag to carry it all!

     "Is that a baby!?!" Kobayashi skipped over to you, her attention never leaving the child in your arms. She dove in close to look the baby square in the eyes. After only a second of eye contact with the bug girl, baby Kai burst into a crying fit.

     "Frick, is he racist already?" You mumbled quietly. Hopefully Kobayashi didn't hear it. The girl jumped back in a panic.

     "I- I- I'm sorry to scare you, little one! Heh-hey, (Y/n), where did you find him?!"

     "My older sister tracked me down and demanded I take care of her kid for a bit." You said while scanning the isles for more baby products.

     "Wait, you have a sister?!"

     "Mhm, and there's a reason I never cared to bring it up... Good-for-nothing manipulative b#### who makes me do all her dirty work." By this point you were just venting about Zeya.

     "Oh well that sucks. Any way I can help??"

     "Hmm... Can you carry the basket for me?"

     "Of course!"

----------

     By the end of your shopping trip there were three students following along trying to help. The word was spreading fast about your big sister.

     Outside the store, Tenko joined your group with a comically large baguette in hand. "(Y/n), what's everyone saying about you having a sister-rr..?" Looking at the baby, he thought he recognized the features. He leaned in close to whisper. "Is that the same Chisaki guy who stared at me all night?" You nodded. "How did that happen?"

     "I really don't feel like explaining right now. But stuff went down." You mumbled. Tenko nodded.

     "So, what's his name?"

     "Kai~!" Kobayashi leaned in to answer for you. When Kai turned his head to look at Tenko, the teen had to hold back his laugh. He really was a derpy baby!

     By the time you returned to the bus, pretty much everyone had already heard about the baby. A whole team of people wanting to help had assembled around you. It was nice and all, but there wasn't much left to be done.

     Standing at the door, looking up the steps at the teacher, you adjusted the baby in your arms. "Um... Is it alright if I bring a baby with me.. ma'am?"

     "....Hhhhh, I suppose so. But sit at the back of the bus, please." The woman didn't appear all too interested in the baby, but, at least she was kind enough not to kick you out. You nodded kindly to the woman before bring let in. As instructed, you took the back row, other students crowding around. Poor Kai was starting to look quite fearful from the sheer amount of attention he was getting.

     Despite the worried look, Kai still ate the baby food you gave him. Like...all of it. ..H...how..? ... Should you be concerned?

     The crowds started to disperse -- already an hour on the road again -- after you politely made it clear you wouldn't let anyone hold the baby. It was more out of concern really for how Kai might feel after returned to normal. If his memories of all this stay in tact, it was likely he would hate knowing he had been carried around by so many people.

     At the next bus stop -- a chance for everyone to stretch their legs -- you tapped Tenny's shoulder. "Hey, um, could you diaper change Kai for me?"

     "W- wuh??" Handed the child suddenly, Tenny and baby Kai met gazes. "I- I change his diaper!?"

     You clasped your hands together. "Pleeeease, it's awkward enough holding and feeding him!"

    "Al-alright then! Fine, I'll do it!"

     🙏 "Thank you so much!"

     "WhAteVer... How do you do diaper changes?"

     "Er- ...Uhhh."

     You miraculously were able to teach Tenko without having to look at or touch the baby.

----------

     Finally, at 2PM sharp, you lot arrived at your next destination. A hero agency you were all too familiar with.

     The HPSC headquarters.

     ...Crap, it's your turn to give the tour now, isn't it?

     Using a blanket, you folded and tied it into a little backpack for carrying Kai in. Another bag full of baby essentials hung over your shoulder, you led the 3A class march into the large building.

     "The Hero Public Safety Commission is an organization that oversees all hero agencies in Japan! They act as a branch of the government, in case anyone didn't already know that, who specialize in hero--.. You know what? I'll just shut up. You aren't kindergarteners." A few of your classmates chuckled or giggled. "Buh-ut, sometimes they'll sponsor their own heroes as well, such as Hawks!..as well as myself once I graduate."

   "Ooooo~"
   "Woa."
   "Woahhh.."
     "Wait, what!? That's crazy!"
       "Luckyyyyy."

     "Eheh... Anyways! Heroes like Hawks and I use this building as our base of operation as well!"

   "Oooo!"
     "I wanna see~"

     You showed your class around a bit. Obviously, a lot of spaces were off limits, but it was still a full tour.

     "And this is the lounge room." Leading them into the room with the gentle lighting, mirror corner, rows of hanging hero costumes, and massive bean bag bed. Some of your classmates got all giddy looking at such a private part of a hero's life. Others didn't care.

     You knew which of your classmates were the true fangirls: Furu and Anaya, when they skuttled up to the winged hero's row of identical costumes and pinched at them. "Woah, I thought he just washed and reused the same one this whole time." "Mhm mhm." They discussed. You walked to them both and pat them on the shoulder.

     "Hawks flies around so much he needs a quick set of clothes to change into! It's actually a very common practice among professionals. Also helpful incase his costume gets torn up." You explained while gently pulling the girls away from your friend's clothes.

     The girls left his stuff alone and joined with everyone else, who were taking turns twirling in the mirror corner.

     You grabbed Kai off your back and sat with him on the beanbag. He was busy eating his fist, silently staring at the rowdy students. You plopped onto your back while sighing. It had been such a long day already.

     "What's up with you, kid?" You nudged the baby's back. The little one flinched and turned around to stare at you. Then, after a few seconds, he returned to staring at the others again.

     You'd seen enough babies to know he wasn't normal. Ever since he stopped crying earlier this morning, he's been completely silent. Not even making typical baby sounds or trying to imitate speech. And he was suspiciously watchful of all the people around him, including you. But, at the same time, he didn't seem to miss his parents all too much. You decided to Google it while you lay there.

     Oh... It's a trauma thing... Guess his parents were trash even before his quirk activated.

     Your head lifted a bit, putting your phone away. "Awh.. little man." Suddenly felt really bad for the kid. You gently tapped his back. He turned around, wide eyes on you. You place your hand on his tiny iddy-biddy shoulder. "You're safe now, okay..? No one's going to hurt you." It was kind of useless expecting a baby to understand, but, who knows? The baby wobbled like he was going to fall, so you picked him up and laid him down right next to you, arm loosely wrapped around to hold him in place. He hadn't gotten any sleep, which was also concerning. Now though, as you essentially forced him to lay down, you shut your eyes, admitting you were the sleepy one here.

     Everyone was still dancing around having fun in the opposite corner. You enjoyed listening to it as you let your eyes drift shut. As you hoped, the baby started breathing a little slower. He even yawned. His heart rate was so much faster than you expected it to be, but now it was calming down. You were the one to fall asleep first, having a little power nap.

     Less than twenty minutes later, you were woken as new commotion stirred through the room.

   "Wait, Hawks?!"
     "Hawks?!"
     "Hawks?!"
     "Hawks?!"
     "Hawks?!"
     "Hawks?!"
     "Hawks?!"
       "He's here?!"

     Your torso jolted upright, scaring Kai awake who began to whine a little.

     "Sh-sh-sh-sh, it's okay." You stood as carefully as possible, placing the baby where you were just laying so he'd be all nice and warm. By the time you were fully uprigut, the fangirls were already up in Hawks' personal space asking him questions, a similarly enthusiastic group behind them. Poor man just entered the door! You marched up there and wedged yourself between Hawks and the fangirls specifically. "Hey, everyone, how about we give the hero some personal space in his own home! Alright?" Though you tried to come across as calm and kind, there was a hint of hostility seeping through. Your classmates, picking up on the threatening aura, backed up at once. Satisfied, you turned around and pat Hawks' sweaty head. "I can shoo these guys out of here if you want."

     "Nah, it's fine." The pink on his cheeks fading, Hawks sent a charming smile your classmates' way. "You guys havin' lunch?" Turns out there was a whole picnic going on in the middle of the room. Several of them nodded. "Great! Slow down so I can join ya in a sec! I've been looking forward to meeting (Y/n)'s classmates for a while."

     "Need help with your jacket?" You.

     "Nah, it's--" However when he tried to take it off, it got stuck. "Okay, maybe a little bit."

     You laughed. "When will you learn?? It happens every time!"

     "Ahhahah, I'm sorry. I'm used to doing this alone."

     "Hmh, no problem.." You turned to face the rest of the class as Hawks passed through the room to exit another door. Some of the most intense stares were set on you, mainly from the girls in your class. "...What?" Three of the girls suddenly looked away and started whispering to each other. Ookkaaayyy then. Keep your secrets. Leaning over the sleeping bag, you smiled at the little thing sleeping soundly in your place. "Hey, did any of you grab my lunch?"

     Tenny held a box over his head. "Right here!" You sat down next to him in this wonky, circlish shape and started in order to to catch up with the others. Everyone else, already halfway done, waited for Hawks to arrive after rinsing off. He later emerged with wet hair wearing casual shorts and a tank-top. He'd grabbed himself a lunch somehow and sat across the circle from you. Poor Kiomi looked like she was about to explode as he sat next to her. Not even noticing, Hawks asked if he could try something on her plate before opening his own box.

     "Hey! Eat your own food!" You griped at the blond.

     "Awwh, pretty please~? What was your name, by the way?" As Hawks looked up from the food to the girl's face with his easy eyes, Kiomi's face flushed red and she quickly hid her face behind her hair.

     "Sh-sure, you can have it." She caved. He just HAD to pick on the shyest member of the class, didn't he? Keigo grinned like a little kid as he snatched whatever the hell it was he wanted with his chopsticks and ate it.

     "Mm! Pretty good."

     You rolled your eyes. "Little snatcher. You need to share something with her now."

     Hawks chuckled, talking best he could while holding chopsticks between his teeth so he could open his box. "I'm on it! What do you want, spidey?"

     "Um.. I- I- I- um..."

     Well this was painful to watch. You tuned out while eating your own food. Had to admit, it felt kind of weird seeing Keigo tease a stranger so casually.

     Normal conversation started to stir around him, and by the time you mentally returned to the present, the whole class was laughing over something he'd said! "Huh?..." Oh, whatever. All this noise started to worry you, making you wonder if--

     Kai started crying... Hhh. As feared.

     "Wh-what!?" Hawks turned to the beanbag with broad eyes. "Can't believe I didn't notice it before! A baby?!" You stood up and walked around the group to reach the beanbag. "Whose is it??"

     "Diforester's nephew." Kobayashi answered while chewing on her plastic fork.

     Furu continued explaining while Hawks watched you picking the little guy up and carry him back to your spot. "Yeah, her sister just left her to deal with the baby... No one really knows what to do.." As you set the baby on your lap to continue eating, Keigo studied the small one's features. The light brown hair and golden eyes. The pit in his stomach deepened until he was visibly pale and with an uncomfortably dry mouth.

     He let the conversation pass in time, even talking about other things himself. But it was clear from the occasional nervous glances at the baby what was really on his mind. You were too busy eating to notice. Kai started to whine and cry and you knew he had to be hungry by now. When you were done eating, you excused yourself. "I'm going to get something for the little guy to eat if anyone wants to tag along." Keigo jumped up so suddenly it was a miracle an accident didn't follow.

     "How about just the two of us go so we can catch up, eh?" He covered up his anxiety-driven movements with a calm honey-like voice. Your brows twitched.

     "Sure." You knew what this was about now, but there was simply no avoiding it.

     As you both headed to the room door, Keigo asked, "Can I hold him?"

     "Uh, I guess?" You handed Kai over to Keigo, wondering why he asked.

Click.

     Now that you were gone, three of the girls and one boy turned giddy together. "Awww, they must be a couple!"
       "If they're using each other's first names than definitely!"
         "Awhh, and Diforester didn't even think twice about letting Hawks hold her nephew!"
           "So cute, right!?"

     Tenko: "Hhhh, when will you kids learn?" mOnches chip. He could tell something was about to go down but he didn't want to be a part of it.

-----

     The air was tense the moment the two of you stepped out of that room. Keigo strode past you, holding the baby's whining head against his chest.

     "You don't have a sister."

     "Khh, listen man, you seriously think I'm the type to go abducting kids?"

     "For years, I've been wondering what your relationship is to that Chisaki guy. So, is that it?" You stopped dead on your tracks when Keigo suddenly spun around. You leaned another step back from the sight of his glare. His cold, deathly serious glare. "Is this your child?"

===============
This is where I would dramatically end the episode/chapter...if I was a NORMAL person! Muahahahaha!
===============

     You stumbled back another step. "Wh-HAT?"

     While petting the baby's hair to calm him down, "Please don't lie. There are a lot of things you're hiding from me, and it's okay to have your secrets.. but if it's something like THIS," gesturing to the baby, "listen, I can help you. I can get rid of all the villains for you. I just need your cooperation, just this once!"

     "He-- he's not my kid, though!"

     "Oh really?" Rolling his eyes. "Then why does he resemble Kai-?"

     "-Because he IS Kai!! Remember what happened to me last year!? The same thing happened to him! He turned into a baby! I know it sounds weird, but it's the truth!"

     "His hair color isn't the same."

     "Ghh! Hair usually darkens with age, especially on brunettes like him! You've pretty much been stuck to me for years now! Why would you even think I got pregnant if you never saw me pregnant!?"

     "I dunno! You have so many quirks already! Who knows?? Maybe you have ones that speed up pregnancies or something??"

     "That's stupid!"

     "Why are you getting so angry?" He looked at you suspiciously.

     "Because you don't trust me!.. And.. it's embarrassing to think that thought would even cross your mind..." Grabbing your arm, your chin dipped. "...What kind of a person do you think I am...?"

...

     "I don't know." He said truthfully, which stung. "I know you've been suspiciously loyal to the Shie Hassaikai for as long as we've known each other. And. You've never taken an interest in any other man. Acting like.. like you already have one." You stared at each other for a moment, trapped in a stalemate.

    Hawks grabbed his earpiece, dropped, and crushed it. "All I need to know is this.." His hold tightened around the baby.

     You hopped a step forward, reaching out. "Hey, don't crush-"

     "-Do you feel safe around that man?"

     You stopped. You glanced between Keigo and Kai, tension building in your chest as you were forced to consider your own thoughts.

     "I- ...they raised me since I was thirteen-"

     "Doesn't matter. Do you feel safe?"

     "We're like business partners, we need each other-!"

     "Doesn't matter! Do you feel safe?"

     "He's like my brother!-"

     "Doesn't matter!! Do you, or do you NOT feel safe!?" You took another step back. You stared down at your fidgety hands. Harsh as Keigo was being, you understood... He was just trying to be there for you. To help when no one else cared.

     Your eyes started to water a little bit, throat tightening. "...I don't know..." You had forgotten what it was like being the victim. You didn't want to be the victim. Looked down upon as some pitiful creature who made a wrong decision the majority flawlessly avoid; feeling ignorant, stupid, even lesser than for being the one to fall for another man's tricks... A victim of what, exactly? You were the one in control most of the time, so was it even a fair comparison? Before Keigo could open his mouth and act like he was right, you explained yourself. "...I don't feel safe around anyone... Not Kai, not Aizawa, not my dad, not my mom, not Tenko, not you... I mean... I can always act like I have no fear around someone...but that doesn't mean I actually feel safe around them. I'm always worried about how they could hurt me next. Emotionally, mentally, physically? It's all the same to me."

     "You don't trust?... Not even me? Or your friends??"

     You wiped the tears away and smiley painfully at him. "Best I can do is forgive you for betraying me and hope you don't do it again..."

     "...Oh."

     "Now can I have Kai back?"

     "Wait." The blond turned his back to you. Starting to walk away, "I'm going to get his DNA tested."

     You clenched your fists, so angry you cold scream. You strode behind Keigo in complete silence, biting your bottom lip. Well fine then. Let Keigo mistrust you. Let him go through with the DNA test. He'll be forced to believe you later when faced with the facts.

     Glancing over his shoulder, "Just know that I 99% believe you already... It's just that really loud 1% that's bothering me... After all... I just want to make sure you're okay... It'll help me sleep better at night knowing I didn't pass up the perfect opportunity to save you." He spoke with calmness and sincerity. It was a breath of fresh air. Your joints relaxed because of it.

     "...Thank you for caring so much. I'm sorry for snapping at you like I did."

     "Don't be.. I shouldn't have gone poking around in your personal life like that."

     "Yeahhhh. I can agree that was a little scarry."

     "Why tho?"

     "B- because it's personal!?"

     "Hahahaha! Oh I'm just teasin'!"

     "Haah--haah. Just you wait til I start asking you about your love life."

----------

     Good thing there were fancy techy stuff in the same building ready for use.

. . .

     Moment of silence for you being proved 100% right and Keigo 100% wrong. And shout-out to the doctor who was 100% confused through your whole visit.

     Huh, so Kai's 12% Danish?

---------------

     The rest of the day was filled with even more riding around. Your class was starting to sing songs and play games, but it was hard to feel involved when you had to care for a baby simultaneously. And after such a heated debate with Hawks, you were ready to lay low for the rest of the day. You made the switch from fun and games to being the responsible one. A painful shift, but a needed one.

     In the back of the bus, hiding your horn under a hat, you practiced the rewind quirk on some bugs you caught. A lot of back and forth making them young and old, young and old, young old, until you had a good handle and were fairly confident you wouldn't kill them.

     Were you confident enough to try this on a human, though?? Absolutely not. You'd have to move on to small animals, but that would mean somehow buying or catching one. Hmmm.

     Tenko diaper changed baby Kai not long after he had another big meal. This time you'd tried to cut up a little hotdog for him so he'd have some protein, since it looked like his teeth were growing in. Wow. He actually ate that too. All of it. Was this baby okay?? Was Kai always like this or was there something else at play, because, seriously?? It was like his stomach was the vOid!

     As darkness started to settle over the land, your bus came to its final destination for the day: a hotel. Everyone already knew which rooms they'd be staying in. Again, the girls were to share, but since you had to take care of Kai now, you bought a new room for yourself so you wouldn't have to worry about him waking anyone else up. Everyone split after finding their rooms and claiming their beds. Some formed groups to eat at restaurants, others visited the local grocery store. You partook of the ladder so you could buy more baby food and last minute supplies as well. You called Pops while shopping, updating him on Kai's health and asking how things were going on their end.

     Apparently, after some interrogations using Nemoto's quirk, the Shie Hassaikai found out just how rotten the whole group of blood donors had gotten, leading them to execute all of them. The whole project was shut down, despite Hari's discontent pleas. It was Pops' decision, and he was still the ultimate authority.

     Boy was Kai NOT going to be happy when he returned to normal! Even you were a little disappointed. That drug was a few decisions away from becoming a medicine that could potentially save lives.

     It was dark by the time you returned to your hotel room. You sat with the baby on the floor, fed him his big meal first, then fed yourself. After some time just chilling, you called Tenko in to diaper change and watch the baby while you had a shower and prepared for bed. You thanked him and he left after wishing you luck. Heh... Luck...

     There were two beds in the room. You took all the bedding from one of the beds, folded it, and placed it on the floor between the beds. It quickly became the perfect little nest for the baby after surrounding it with pillows. You set Kai down in the middle of it and tucked him under a nice warm blanket. Then, you dove into your own bed beside him and closed your eyes. You nearly fell asleep like that, but the baby started to sniffle and cry, unable to handle so much quiet.

     "Ghhh.. what?" His crying only got louder. After ignoring him for a while, you eventually hung your head over the side of the bed. "Look, it's been a really long day, can you maybe not--?" The baby started up at you with the wettest, most pathetic eyes. Even in all your tire your heart managed to ache. "Hhhh, fine."

     You crawled into the floor bed and laid down beside the baby, far enough away and with a pillow between the two of you so that you wouldn't fear rolling over on top of him. Your mere presence seemed to help. The fact that Kai could just look over and see you laying with him under the lamplight. It calmed him down.

     Though it took a while, you eventually fell fast asleep.

----------

     A foot was in your face when you woke up. A little one. As you pried open your eyelids, observing the foot, you started to panic.

     Uhhh...wasn't he a lot smaller last night?

     Though still small, Kai had clearly jumped up in age since then! You'd say from a glance he now looked three to maybe even four years old. He grew so much he'd even taken off his little onesie in the middle of the night. Thank the Heavens there was a blanket still covering him! You got up and walked away stealthily as possible, leaving Kai in the room alone for a little bit. There was no real time to panic or overthink. Alright.. alright. So. Maybe that explains why Kai was so hungry yesterday. He was growing faster than any baby ever had! But then how?? Maybe- maybe he used rewind on himself before someone else did to ensure he wouldn't blip out of existence?? And it was still somehow active??

     Dunno and frankly that doesn't matter. What does matter right now is you grabbing him some new clothes and a lot of food before he wakes.

     You succeeded, bringing Kai a new outfit: just some basic underwear, brown cargo shorts, a green shirt, and some shoes and socks. Also had some food ready by the time the little one opened his eyes.

     He didn't even speak after he woke. No sounds at all. He sat up silently and watched you do the finishing touches to your breakfasts. You noticed him staring but didn't say anything. You made a mental note not to treat him like a child, so when you turned around with two plates of food, you spoke casually.

     "I have some new clothes for you in this bag over here. How about you go put them on before we eat?" The kid's stomach growled. He nodded and grabbed the bag, hurrying to the bathroom to do just that. He came back a few minutes later and reached for his plate on the unused bed. You handed it over and he sat down beside you on the floor, eating so quickly you worried he might choke. "Heh heh, make sure to eat slowly."

     "I know.." Oh so he can speak. Your head tilted, wondering what all muct be going on in this kid's head. When something similar happened to you, you still remembered everything before the age you were rewound to. But since he's growing so fast, is he remembering anything or is this like a clean slate for him??

     "Hey, do you know how old you are?"

     "Hm??" Kai turned his head to you with a full mouth and the roundest eyes you'd seen on him.

     "How many years old are you?"

     "Mmh..." He continued to chew while staring at the ground. After a few long seconds of brainstorming, he jumped suddenly and held up three fingers.

     You smiled. "That's good to know. Do you remember what you did yesterday?"

     "Uhh-hh-h..." He then shrugged and stuffed more food into his mouth. You sighed. Guess there would be no answers today.

     Hmmm. Maybe you wouldn't have to use your rewind quirk after all if this problem was on track to fixing itself? Let me see.. but how many days would it take-? Ope, nope, a whole week was too much. And you really didn't want to have to deal with teen Kai!

     After that brief conversation, both of you ate quickly, grabbed all your things, and joined again with your class- ohhhh, crap.. You're gunna have to explain this to your class...

     Wait a minute! No you don't!!

     "Uhh, guys, help, the baby turned into a toddler over night!"

   "What??"
   "Wait WHAT?!"
     "HOW?!"
       "Was it a quirk??"

     From there, the lies create themselves.

----------

     It was definitely a lot easier taking care of a toddler than a baby. You didn't have to carry him around so much and diaper changes were a no. Of course the downside to the upgrade was, while he could walk, he was also a clumsy little creature and that meant having to watch him all the time to ensure he didn't slam his face into concrete or some s###.

     On the bus, you made him sit down, even when it was clear he wanted to get up and explore. It was weird seeing Kai so germ ignorant. As soon as you placed him on the bus he was crawling under the seats, untying people's shoes. And when he found the bugs you were experimenting on yesterday, there wasn't a force strong enough to keep them from his mouth. Now that he had to sit while the bus drove along, he kicked his feet irritatedly and scratched at his fingernails. You leaned against the window, watching him as closely as you could while fighting the urge to nap.

     Though he didn't need diaper changes, the kid sure did a need a lot of bathroom breaks. Good thing the bus had a bathroom in the back, but he needed help, and for that, you called on Tenko again. And since now you knew how fast this kid was growing, you made sure to buy him a lot of extra food when you stopped for your lunch break.

     At least he was still easy to carry around. Your class visited two hero agencies that day, one in a small village where rock slides were their biggest threat here and another on the coast. And of course, it being a beautiful day, you know what was on everyone's mind after that last tour!

     Fun beach time.

----------

Splish splosh. Splish splish splosh.

......

Idk how you guys have fun at the beach the ocean sucks.

     Anyways your class was having SO much fun! Yaaay~!

     "Hey, come back here, Kai!" The derpy little toddler turned around to glare at you with his derpy little face. You turned up the sass by placing your hands on your hips and tilting your head dramatically. "I told you you needed to put on sunscreen first." Kai stuck his tongue out, turned around, and ran for the ocean. "Hey! Come back here!"

     A couple of your classmates giggled as you chased after the disobedient toddler. It was really hard not to treat him like a kid when he kept acting-out like one.

     Your feet splashed in the ocean. A small wave knocked the little one off his feet. Luckily, you were there just in time to catch him. He started coughing and gagging from the water that splashed in his face, making you uneasy about letting him near the ocean at all. I mean... You had your own fears about getting dragged into its cold, all-consuming depths...where you'd drown eternally and die slowly. Very.. very slowly...

     You realized you were holding Kai a tad too tightly, for a moment too mesmerized by the horrors of the ocean to notice. He growled and griped at you, clawing at your arms to be released. You picked him up and carried the little one over to the umbrella, fighting back the tremors in your body. Now, you couldn't get your mind off of it, like you were trapped in there again.

     You felt sharp pain in your joints while rubbing sunscreen on the toddler's arms. There was such a tight hold on your lungs, you feared opening your mouth to speak, absently fearing that would only invite the sea's suffocation.

     And as Kai wobbled away from you to play in the sand, you reached out, regretful for letting him go, fearing the cold.

     Now that you were reminded, your mind wouldn't stop thinking about that day. The memories, and emotions all rehearsed again and again, even while you were sitting so calmly on the beach.

     That suffocating darkness may as well be Hell itself...

     "..Are you alright?" You were startled when Tenny's hand suddenly landed on your shoulder. Your eyes switched from staring at the sea to blinking at him. "You look tired. Do you need me to watch him?" You nodded. "Okay.. Get some rest-" You grabbed his hand, keeping it on your shoulder. Though it was a hot day, you absorbed the warmth in his hand.

     "...Thank you.." You whispered, showing a hint of emotion again, primarily a drained dread as you stared at the ocean again.

     Tenko smiled softly. "No problem." You released his hand, allowing him to slip away from you and care for the tiny tot. You held your breath. No matter how much you tried to focus on the adorable sight, your gaze always returned to the sea.

     You eventually stood and left the beach. You laid down in the back row of the bus and, though it was hotter in there, had your nap inside where it was quieter.

     You woke up hours later when everyone was boarding the bus again to leave. By then, it was time to sleep at another hotel.

----------

     "Huh, you're already looking a little older now that I think about it." You noted while handing the kid a toothbrush. "Say, Kai, how old are you now?"

   "Four." The kid rolled his eyes while snatching the toothbrush. Your mind was too busy thinking about what size clothes to get him next and if there would even be any stores open at this hour.

     "Ahh.. So your quirk will be activating pretty soon then, eh?"

     "It better not." Climbing onto the bathroom stool, he could barely see himself in the mirror. "Quirks are stupid, and they only make people into monsters."

     ...Where was he getting all these ideas from..? You certainly didn't teach him any of this.

     You couldn't even begin to understand what was going on in the little one's mind. Was it somehow juggling memories from both the past and present, and if so how was it so seamless??

     Kai started to brush his teeth, glaring at his reflection the whole time. You placed your hand on his head and gently ruffled his hair. "People can be monsters no matter what." You explained, using a very soft, almost whispering voice. "They can be poor, they can be rich, they can be of one race or another, they can be in a country of war and a country of peace... They can have a quirk or be completely quirkless. It doesn't matter.. Anyone can be a walking piece of trash."

     Kai spat into the sink. "Okayy?" You turned on the sink so he could scoop water into his mouth and clean out the excess toothpaste. "Quirks are still weird."

     "Hmhm, yeah, they can be a little funny sometimes, huh?"

     Kai hopped down from the stool. "I don't want to talk about this anymore."

     "Hey, Kai?"

     He stopped at the bathroom door, turning to glare up at you. "Yeah?"

      "...What would you do if your parents were trapped in a burning building?"

     "Save them, of course! Why? Where are they??" For the first time, the little one actually seemed to care about and miss his folks.

     "..They're okay... Just busy."

     "Oh, well okay."

     "What would you do if you heard a random stranger you never saw before was trapped in a building?"

     "I would... try to save them..?"

     "Why would you do that?"

     "It's.. Why wouldn't I?" The way his face scrunched as he looked at you. Haha! He really thought you were crazy for asking him that, huh?!

...

     "You stay here, okay? I'm going to get you some new clothes."

     "Okay."

----------

     It was the middle of the night. The lights were out and you slept in the bed nearest to the window.

     You were shaken awake, a young voice crying in your ear. "Are you dead?? Ms. (Y/n), are you dead?? Please wake up! Please don't die!"

     You groaned, rolling onto your back. "Wish I was, but no..." You rubbed your crusty eyes with one hand. Glancing over at the boy revealed the faintest streaming tears glistening down his face. "What's wrong?"

     The kid pounced on you, hugging your neck. "I thought you were dead." He mumbled.

     "..It's okay, Kai." Patting his back. "I'm a tough cookie. You don't need to worry about me." After sitting up and reassuring the kid you were fine, you carried him back over to his bed and tucked him in.

     Less than an hour later, he woke you up same as before in that panicked state of his. Again, you reassured him all was fine. But, half an hour after that, he woke you up again, genuinely fearing for your life.

     At four AM, you woke on your own to have a drink of water. You realized on your way back that Kai wasn't in his bed.

     ".....Kai?.... Kai!" You searched the hotel room, resorting to using your Sight quirk to pinpoint him. He was still in the room, huddled in a small crook between his bed and the wall in the corner. You pried the bed from the wall to reach him. The child stared at you with the most fearful eyes. "...Kai?" He was trembling. His hands were wrapped in whatever loose material he could find. "...Did your quirk activate..? That's okay. Come over here, bud. I won't hurt you."

     "Ho-how are you not dead..?" The kid was clearly delusional. Why did he keep assuming you were dead?!

     "I'm fine.. I'm fine.. You didn't hurt anyone. I didn't hurt anyone. Nobody's hurt, okay?" He didn't appear to believe you. You got down on one knee. "...Want to learn something cool?" After hesitating, the boy nodded. "Come over here." Slowly, the child crawled on all fours toward you. Still on one knee, you stretched out your hand. "Now unwrap your hand."

     "No!" He shook his head violently.

     "Okay, then just stick your right hand out." It was the one with the least cloth over it. Kai did as instructed. You held the boy's wrist delicately and turned it over. "Now this is called checking someone's pulse, okay?" You held a thumb over a few of his wrist veins and waited. "...Feel that in your arm?"

     "Mhm.." He nodded.

     "That's your heart pumping blood through your body. If you can feel this in other people, it means they're alive."

     "Oohh..." Kai stared down at what little he could see of his dimly lit wrist. You chuckled, happy to be of service to the little guy. "...How do I know if someone is alive if they are in another room?"

...

     "...I don't know. Maybe if they start to stink? But that would take a few days."

     The boy looked down, his gaze going terribly distant, clearly zoning out. You placed your hand on his head, trying to comfort him in some way. The waterworks were let loose after that simple show of affection. Didn't take long before he was a sniffling, crying mess. He babbled incoherently about something. You tried to understand, but he was talking too quickly and so few breaks in-between. Nothing he said made any sense.

     But one thing was clear.

     You wrapped your arms around the kid and held him gently, placing your chin on his head while rubbing his back. "Shhh-shhhh.. it's okay... Cry if you need to... But remember that it's all over." Tears stung your eyes. "I don't know what happened to you, Kai, but I'm here now... It won't happen again." The cloth around his hands loosened and fell to the ground. Kai leaned into you, grabbed fistfuls of your shirt, and cried. He cried, and cried, and cried. For an hour, that's all he did. By the end of it, you were sitting with your back against the corner, holding the little one close. You sung quietly. The same old song your sister sung to comfort you.

     The sun was rising when Kai finally fell still, curled up comfortably, snuggling closer to you than adult Kai would ever dream of. You glared at the rising sun, hoping to threaten it back into the ground. But, nope, it kept on rising. Just to spite you, it felt like. You leaned your head against the wall and closed your eyes. The next couple hours were full of resting but no sleep. Kai woke up a couple times in the middle of a panic, like he just had a terrible dream, but you being able to immediately reassure him that you were alive and well helped him go back to sleep right away. Hhhh... The envy you had for this kid.

     Eventually, it was time to wake the little one up and get going. You had only half a day left.

----------

     "You're going to look into why he's growing so fast once we get home, right?" Kobayashi asked as you stepped onto the bus, Kai's hand in yours. If you had to guess, he was around five years old right now.

     "Absolutely!" You pat the girl's shoulder while passing her. Most of your classes looked tired out of their minds! Deeeeefinitely ready for this road-trip to come to an end. You weren't the only one who got next to no sleep this whole time, after all. Apparently your class had quite a few loud snorers and late night gossipers.

     You sat again at the back row where Tenko already had his bag on his lap. He took the window seat. How dare. You elbowed your friend kindly. "Thanks again for all your help this trip."

     "No problem." He smiled.

     The rest of the trip was returning home. Everyone was a lot more relaxed, reclining, and obviously tired. You had teens leaning against each other half asleep, teens laying on the dirty floor without anything under them, and teens throwing fishing line out the window with fake bait attached.

     You practiced Rewind on a slab of raw chicken, constantly going back and forth between moldy and fresh to better fine-tune its function. You'd trained with so many quirks in the past that this was surprisingly easy. It took a lot of time and concentration, yes, but you were honestly expecting it to be a lot harder than it turned out. So.. by the time the bus slowed and pulled-in to its final destination: UA, your confidence that you could make this work was up there.

. . .

     Some students were too tired or fed up to interact with others after exiting the bus. Others were hugging and inviting each other to hang out the rest of the day. You were somewhere in-between. You casually left the bus behind, waving to everyone as you went.

     Tenko walked with you and Kai to the UA gates before at last departing.

     "Come on, Kai, home's pretty far away from here." You lightly pulled the kid along. He was the one who insisted on holding your hand everywhere now.

     Since you couldn't just teleport because tracker or fly because child, you had to go the long way. This meant jumping on a tram, a subway, then another tram. You arrived at the main Hassaikai headquarters just before dinnertime. Time continued to pass you by rather slowly.

     You practiced with Rewind a few final times on different critters, the big test being Buddy himself, before finally moving up to the final boss of them all. Nervously, you placed your hand on the boy's head and watched him grow. You made sure he wore his adult clothes beforehand, thank goodness, because it actually worked!! Yey!

     Kai blinked, fixed a wedgie and a few other creases in his clothes, then accepted the gloves and mask you held out for him. There was a strange silence. No celebrating. No gasps of surprise or sighs of relief. Not even any acknowledgement between the two of you that what happened was, in fact, weird.

     "Do you remember anything?" You were the first to speak. The living room was honestly so quiet you'd think someone had died.

     Sliding on the cloth mask, "Unfortunately, a lot, yeah."

     "Even Tenko diaper changing you?"

     "He did what??"

     "Pffpfpfpfpf!"

     "Please tell me you're joking."

     "Just be glad it wasn't me!"

     "Ughhhh..."

     Kai pat your shoulder while passing you to leave. "Thanks for the assist." His hand lingered on your shoulder longer than planned; he had to stop dead in his tracks and wait. "...Thanks.. really... I can't even imagine how someone could be so kind." Only after he said that did his fingers loosen, allowing his hand to let go. He stomped out of the room in a hurry, business matters still weighing heavily on his mind.

---------------

     "Pops," Not in the best mood, Kai entered The Boss' office. "I need to talk to you."

     "Ahh, so you're back!" The old man grinned. He was reclining in his office chair at the moment, reading from a book. "I was beginning to worry I might have to raise you all over again!" He chuckled. But the young man was in no such mood.

     "The project. Why did you close it down??"

     The old man froze, he waited, then he set his book down. "...What did (Y/n) tell you?"

     "She didn't need to tell me anything. I remember you talking to her about it!"

     "Calm down, Chisaki, I know you've put a lot of yourself into that, but... Hhhh.. I've been on the fence about it for a long time now. That incident helped me see how right I was for being so cautious." ... The old man leaned forward, resting his elbows on the desk and laying his chin on his woven fingers. "Listen, kid, I know how much you care about the Shie Hassaikai and how badly you want to repay me, but this is-- hhh." Speaking sternly. "I've been complaisant for years, allowing you to do what you want with your life. But experimenting on and exploiting fellow human beings to the point of madness is where I draw the line!" He emphasized by shoving his pointer finger against the desk. "Now pick out a better path for your life or so-help-me I will disown you!"

     A wave of shock froze the young man at his core. The sound of his heartbeat rung louder and louder as the threat settled in, burning, feeding into an uncontrollable rage.

     Chisaki's widened eyes set into thin slits. He started to cross the room slowly, Hellfire in his eyes. "...You think you can just threaten me? After all I've done for the Shie Hassaikai!" Pops' eyes widened slightly as he watched the young man approach. Kai's mood had changed to that of a cold blooded killer in an instant. Chisaki grabbed the edge of his glove, a plan quickly forming in his mind on how to handle this.

     Chisaki stopped dead in his tracks, eyes widening again as distant memories replayed... Your prophecy.. it matched his plan perfectly. He couldn't tell which one influenced the other, but that almost didn't matter. It was the fact that he was about to do what would've been impossible for his past self to even consider. Another, stronger pain reeled his anger in.

     Realizing he had a built-in habit of turning on the people he cared about most was the worst.

     Kai let go of his glove, nervously taking a few steps back from his superior. "I'm sorry... Boss..." He glanced at the ground, his eyes unable to focus on any one thing. "...Please excuse me." He slipped out of the room at once, shaking over how close he was to crippling that man.

-----

     You were in the kitchen waiting for the instant ramen to cook when Kai stomped into the little walkway between the kitchen and living room. Breathing rigidly through his teeth as he paced in a circle, he was clearly not in a good mood. You turned off the stove and leaned out of the kitchen. "What's wrong?"

     Holding his head between his hands, "I...REALLY want to sit on the floor right now.." You passed him, grabbed a blanket off one of the couches, and flapped it to cover a large section of the floor. "Thank you." The man growled, then plopped onto the blanket. He crossed his legs and leaned over his lap, still clasping his head and looking like he was having a full-on panic attack. Instead of asking, you went back to check on your noodles. "(Y/n)... Come here please..." Hm? You turned off the stove and shuffled into the room.

     "You called, sir?"

     "Quit that crap. How did you know what I was going to do all those years ago?"

     Your eyes widened. "Did you force Pops into a coma??"

     "I almost did." He corrected.

     "Oh. Whew."

     "The past few days..." By the time you looked at the guy again, tears were swelling in his eyes. "..You were so kind and...so careful to consider not just my feelings in the present, but also the future... How do you even do it..? I was so confused, I genuinely thought that you were an angel and I was in Heaven..." A finger of his pried the cloth mask aside so he could breathe right. "....When you turned into a kid and were.. lost.. and confused... I couldn't think about anyone but myself. All I did was scare you.. So how then-?" He pulled up his mask and used it to wipe his tears. He covered the bottom half of his face with one hand. "Our pasts are so similar. HOW did we turn out so different?! What the f### is wrong with me??" He dropped, back landing on the blanket. Both his hands combed through his hair and massaged his head. "Even with the whole asking each other if we feel safe thing I only implemented that to save my own hide. I didn't really care about your feelings at all. Hhhhggghh..." You stared at the lamenting man until you had an idea of what to say.

     You walked over to, sat, and laid down next to him on the blanket on the floor. You wove your fingers together, forming a pillow under your head, and stared at the ceiling.

     "Hate is....interesting." You spoke calmly. "It's like a defensive mechanism gone rogue, especially when we're technically fine and don't have anywhere to direct our feelings. Some people, like you, start hating anything and everything... You can never be satisfied because of it. Not with anything.. or anyone.... Heh, I can bet you don't even know why you're mad half the time."

     "Ghh... Yeah..."

     "My hate is a little different..." You sighed. "It's directed inward.. at myself." Your throat tightened and eyes stung as you continued. "...I hate my voice, my face, my personality, my choices. All of it!... I hate that I'm a girl, but at the same time I know I would hate being a boy too! Hate that I have free will, and that I ever existed in the first place! No matter what I do or what I think, my thoughts always circle back to something I hate about myself. It's-- tiring. I'm sick of it, but I hate myself too much to even want to fix it.... Because I feel like, for some reason, I deserve to suffer this way.-"

     "-Stop. Just...stop." Sounded like he'd had enough of you belittling yourself. Both you and him stared at the ceiling together. "...Why didn't you just leave?.. Looking back, you didn't need me to protect you... I feel like I've been the one panicking this whole time about our engagement while you've just been.. well.. alright... Even knowing the kind of person I am, you never once tried to run away or stop it. ...Why?"

     You inhaled, then exhaled slowly. "I'm going to be honest, it's because you're a lot like my dad."

     "That b######?!" Kai glared at you, genuinely offended. You turned your face to him and smiled apologetically.

     "I know, I know I- I'm really contradicting myself here! After all, I said I didn't want to marry a terrible person, didn't I?! ... Thing though is.. when you tried to kill me a couple years back.. I.. I wasn't really surprised. I was expecting it, so it didn't feel like a real betrayal or anything..." Your chuckle dyed out quickly. You stared at the ceiling again. "If I never cared for someone in the first place, then it's a lot easier to move on from them... I know it sounds heartless, but-"

     "-I get it." Kai cleared his throat. "We're just objects to each other at the end of the day, both trying to protect our own skin."

     "...I guess so.. yeah." His conclusion felt...incomplete. ... "Kai?"

     "What?"

     "Can I see your right hand?"

     "Why..?"

     "Just real quick."

     "Ughhh, okay." He laid on his side, holding out his right hand a little. You grabbed the hand and pulled his glove down some, peeking at the skin underneath. Kai griped sharply at you. "What are you doing?"

     "I noticed a little scar on your hand when you were a toddler. Wanted to see if it was still there, but, no, looks like it's gone."

     "I most likely removed it when-- what are you doing??"

     You hugged his hand and wrist, smiling. "They grow up so fast, don't they?"

     Kai's cheeks darkened. "Let me the f### go!"

     "What f###? I thought we were both Asexual."

     "... You're not funny."

     "You suuure~? Because it looked like you were about to chuckle there."

     "Was not."

     "Was too~"

     "Was not!"

     "Was too~~"

     Kai snatched one of your hands and held it firmly. "Now let go of my hand if you want yours back."

...

     You smirked. "I'm fine with sleeping here on the floor." Yawning, "I'm so tired I could sleep anywhere."

     He pulled your hand in close, close to his mask, looking you directly in the eyes as if to threaten you. You just mirrored him, pulling his hand close enough to kiss it. He gave up and pulled your hand away. You giggled and returned to just hugging it.

     "I have an idea for how to go about your whole drug making business in secrecy, by the way."

     He looked at you shocked. "You want to help??"

     "Hey, I still think that drug can be used to make a very handy medicine! Imagine how much safer prisons would be if convicts were given a dose to last them their full term!... And besides, I know how much it matters to you. Would hate it too if the very thing I'd been working on for years was suddenly taken away from me."

     The man's eyes sparkled with fresh tears as he stared at you with such wonder and...love? Couldn't be. He curled up, holding your hand closer til it touched the tip of his nose. "..Thank you.." He muttered.

     "...You're welcome."

     The two of you quietly discussed evil schemes and dispicible plots while laying there on the floor, hand in each other's hand. You were about done plotting when.. you both got a little too tired to continue.. and the two of you fell asleep. Both members in denial about how much you really cared.

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Anyways yeah, so that happened. :P

I feel like I've made a grave mistake releasing this to the public but I don't know why.
Oh wait, that might just be me starting to feel homesick. The dull pain in my chest. It has been a month and a half, after all.
...Or maybe I'm just hungry... Idk.

This is what inspired like HALF this chapter btw: