"Ah, (Y/N)!" I turn at the sound of my name being called. A Hero in a space suit was approaching me, his hand raised in greeting.

"Hey, Thirteen," I greet shyly. I was a bit nervous, since nobody else had interned with him, so I didn't know anybody all that well here. He lead me over to his Hero agency so I could sign in, and we could get straight to training. A few hours pass as we go over the rules and regulations of Hero society, but I finally put on my Hero costume and we went on a patrol. We dealt with two attempted robberies during the first day, and I went to bed feeling exhausted.

On the second day, I woke up to Thirteen shaking me.

"Put on your Hero costume, it's an emergency!" he cries, fretting and shifting his weight every second. I quickly throw him out of my room and change into my costume, bolting out the door with him leading the way.

"We got a report of a Villain attacking a building, with people trapped inside," he explains on the way, turning down one street, then another. I follow closely, keeping myself calm. Unconsciously, my mind shifts to Eijiro. Even the thought of him was making my beating heart calm down.

'(Y/N) this isn't the time. Keep it for the bedroom- WAIT WHY AM I THINKING LIKE THIS?!' I yell in my head, shaking my head to clear my thoughts. Thirteen stops suddenly, making me stumble to a halt beside him. All around us, the air had increased in temperature so it burnt to even be standing here. Small pools of lava lay scattered around and the air in front of me wavered with the heat, distorting my vision. Through the haze, I could see a Villain standing in front of a bank carrying two bags filled to overflowing with money.

"They obviously gave him what he wanted.... Why did he attack them anyway?!" I ask through gritted teeth, my hands clenched into fists. The blades hidden in my gloves slid out, glinting in the light.

"(Y/N), calm down. I'll deal with the Villain, you go inside to see if there are any who can't move," Thirteen commands, and I forcibly relax. A news team was already here, their cameras trained on us.

"Alright. Stay safe," I say, then leap away before he can answer. I was worried, of course, and I wanted to fight too, but I had orders. A camera followed me as I ran around the Villain, who swung at me but was stopped by Thirteen. Darting inside, I slam what was left of the door as a ball of magma landed against it. Sighing heavily in relief, I jog around inside before I come across a room that had three people trapped under rubble. One of them had a baby.

"Are you hurt?" I ask as I help lift the concrete off them. The baby had a few scratches, but other than that it was fine.

"My arm might be broken, but yeah," one man says.

"I'm okay but for a few scrapes and a twisted ankle," the mother adds in, clutching the baby to her chest. I turn to the other woman, who hadn't said anything yet. My eyes widen as I see the amount of blood that had seeped out of her while I was busy helping the others.

"Do either of you have anything that can be used as a bandage?" I ask, and the man rips the bottom of his shirt into a long strip. Passing it to me, I thank him and kneel beside the lady, binding her wound tightly and hoping to hell it wasn't too late. She was breathing shallowly and I was having a panic attack, near crying from the stress.

"It's too dangerous to go downstairs for now, so we'll have to stay here until-"

I'm interrupted as the entire building shakes, knocking us all off balance. I manage to stay on my feet and catch the baby before it hits the ground as the mother falls.

"Are you okay?" I ask, helping them up and giving the baby back.

"Yeah. What was that?"

Truth be told, I had no idea. A wall had crumbled during the tremor and I looked out, seeing that there was a giant hole where the hallway used to be.

"Well. Shit." I mutter quietly, trying to figure out how to get out now. It wasn't that far to fall if it came to that, but with the injuries on the people around me, it could get real ugly. I calmed myself down, trying to think of what I could do.

'Why do I have such a useless Quirk!!' I shouted in my head, my heart in anguish as I realised I was truly useless. What was the use of being a Hero if I couldn't use my Quirk to help others?

"(Y/N) (L/N). What a pleasure to finally meet you."

I freeze at the sound of a man's voice, stiffly turning around. The injured people around me were lying unconscious on the ground, at the feet of an extremely familiar cloud of dark purple gas.

"You're the Warp Gate Villain that attacked USJ!" I cry, scrambling backwards... and straight into a Warp Gate. Falling backwards, the impact of the ground jars my spine. I wasn't in the cumbling building anymore, but in a... bar? The Warp Gate appears beside me, along with the pale person that seemed to be the leader.

"What..." I mumble, glancing fearfully between them.

"We've learned that your Quirk would be very useful for our association. We would like for you to join us," the Warp Gate says formally, holding his hand out to help me to my feet. I slap his hand away, climbing to my feet on my own and raising my fists in preparation for a fight and scowling.

"And why the hell should I, you Villains!" I spit, the hidden blades sliding forwards and glinting in the candle light.

"Because it's the first time anyone has realised what a useful Quirk you have," the pale man drawls, scratching his neck. He had one of those strange hands covering his face, so only his eyes were visible. I scowl further, but something in my heart twitches.

"No way. I'm not doing it."

"Would you change your mind if I offered you something in return?" the pale man continues. My eyes darken even further, now mistakable for black.

"You think you can just bribe me to join you? Even I'm not that petty."

"Ah, Kurogiri, are you sure we need her?" the pale man whines, obviously tiring of me. The Warp Gate, presumably Kurogiri, nods.

"She has an excellent Quirk. It even fooled Nomu."

"Release me," I command, ready to make a break for it. Without warning, my arms are twisted painfully behind me, close to snapping. Hissing in pain, I open my eyes enough to see the pale man with his arms buried deep in Warp Gates. I could feel eight fingers on my arm, which meant he was keeping one from each hand away from my skin.

"Don't move. If you do, I'll make you turn to dust in less than a minute. You don't make the demands here," the pale man drawls, making my arms bend even further. I cry out, trying to squirm out of his grasp, but suddenly feel a searing pain tear through my bones.

"STOP!!" I shout, suddenly being let go. Finally snapping, I launch myself at the Villains, claws out and ready to tear their heads from their shoulders. The exposed muscle on my arms dripped with blood, a rough spattering landing on the floor in various places.

"I'LL NEVER JOIN YOU!!!"

Swinging with all the force I can muster, Kurogiri disappears along with that pale piece of shit, leaving me swinging at air. Not wasting a second, I leap to the door, tearing at apart and fleeing.

'Shit, shit, shit, what happened, did they let me go? Did I get away? Are they following me? God I miss Eijiro.'

Rapid thoughts flit through my head and I feel my limbs freeze for a single second before I keep running, my heart beating like it was the end of the world.

'The reason they didn't get me was because they had nothing I wanted or needed to protect. If they had one of my classmates, I would have joined in a heartbeat to save them. Even for Mineta. But if they had my family? I would have done exactly what I just did.'

My eyes widen as I realise the truth. I had been lying to myself for years, telling myself I still loved them and they still loved me, but I had nobody back there. I had nobody. A dark purple gate appears in front of me and I swerve to avoid it, just barely missing running directly into the vortex.

"Just keep going..." I mutter aloud... then plough directly into a person. We both fall to the ground and I clutch their shirt, terrified to let go.

"(Y/N)?!"

Whipping my head up to look at the person I had in a death grip, I recognised Thirteen's familiar Hero costume.

"Oh thank the stars, Thirteen!" I cry, burying my face in his chest. He helped me to my feet and tried to let go, but I wouldn't let the contact end. I was terrified that I would be swept away in a dark Warp Gate and end up in that bar again. Too bad I hadn't paid attention to where I was going, I might have reported where their base was. Thirteen kept his arm around me the entire way back, but I didn't feel safe. I wouldn't feel safe until I was back at UA again.

~

"Do you want to go back early?" Thirteen asked gently, passing me a cup of steaming hot chocolate. It had been two days and nobody had found a trace of the Villains. Whenever I was alone, I would break down and start crying in fear. I nodded meekly, trying to hold back tears that threatened to spill.

"N-Not back to UA yet t-though. I... I need to be with s-someone." I was speaking with difficulty, trying to hold in sobs and failing miserably.

"Who?"

"Do you know w-where Eijiro K-Kirishima interned?" I ask quietly, sipping the chocolate and wiping my eyes with my sleeve.

"I'll ask principal Nezu. Will you be okay alone for a few minutes?"

I consider lying for a few seconds but swiftly shake my head. Being alone meant so much more danger, and I couldn't deal with that. Those few minutes in the bar had broken something in me. It wasn't the fact that Villains had captured me, but that I had finally realised the truth. I was alone in this city, no matter what Thirteen tried to do. There was no other way.

"I'll tell someone to come here to keep you company, okay? I'll be right back."

With that, he left the room. Immediately, my heart rate increased and I scanned every corner of the room, shaking with fear by the time a sidekick had come in. She was a... decent... person. My constant panic attacks would make me so weak I sometimes couldn't move.

"Hey, (Y/N). How are you doing?" she asks, taking the seat beside me.

"About as good as I can right now. Mind you, I feel like I'm about to die, so there's that."

Her face does the thing where it transforms to pity. I was beginning to feel sick of it.

"I know how you feel. After what you've been through-"

"With all due respect, I don't think you do," I interrupt, and she grits her teeth. The action was shockingly similar to-

"HOLD UP YOU'RE THAT NURSE FROM WHEN I WAS ATTACKED BY A VILLAIN!!"

I scrambled away, tears springing to my eyes again as my heads feels light, falling from the bed I was lying in. Scrambling backwards into a corner, she tries to comfort me.

"I've changed, I promise! I-"

"I knew you looked familiar! Get away from me!" I yell, drawing the attention of a few people passing by. They crowd into the room, around me, and before I can stop it, I use my Quirk to send out a blast of light. They all cry out, covering their eyes, and I bolt out the door. Straight into Thirteen.

"I heard yelling! What happened?! Are you okay?!" he asks, shaking my shoulders to bring me back to reality.

"Just, please, take me to Eijiro..." I whisper, clutching his front and silently crying. His posture relaxes and he takes my hand, leading me to the front door.

"Your items have been gathered for you. This lady is named Hiru. She'll take you to him," he says gently, taking my hand in his and placing his other hand over the top.

"You'll be okay, (Y/N). You're strong. Remember that we all believe in you."

Overwhelmed by emotion, all I can do is wrap my free arm around his neck.

"Thankyou for letting me inter with you. I learned a bit about rescuing, at least," I mumble, drawing away and letting Hiru lead me to a car. Thirteen waved goodbye, and I felt bad for leaving so suddenly, but I couldn't do any training or work like this.

'I'll make it up to you...' I mutter in my head, pulling my knees up to my chest as we drive away, staring out the window.